De Minaur progresses despite interruption by air aces
An overhead in tennis normally means being lobbed but it was a different aerial intervention that troubled Alex de Minaur in Rome.
The Australian No.1 was progressing well towards the last 16 despite the distraction of an unwell spectator when his match with Bolivian qualifier Hugo Dellien was interrupted by a flypast by the Italian Air Force's acrobatic team, the Frecce Tricolori (Tricolour arrows).
The seventh-seeded de Minaur lost focus, and his serve, before getting back on track to win 6-4 6-4.
"I didn't handle it very well, because I got broken straight away," said de Minaur who now plays 12th-seeded American Tommy Paul.
"I did well to bounce back and get the break back, but I've got to be a little bit better mentally to not let those things, outside factors affect me."
Also seeking to regain focus is Jannik Sinner, who is making his comeback after his controversial three-month doping ban.
The world No. 1 overcame a brief lapse during the first set of a 6-4 6-2 victory over Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong in his second match back on tour in front of his home crowd.
Sinner raced to 4-1 but then lost his serve twice as De Jong evened the set at 4-4.
There were poor drop shots, an inopportune double fault and other errors from Sinner.
But he regained control with his powerful groundstrokes and big serve and extended his winning streak to 23 matches, dating to October.
Just like in his opening win over Mariano Navone on Saturday, the fans at the Foro Italico were fully behind Sinner — Italy's first No. 1.
"It's good to have him back," de Minaur's next opponent Paul said of Sinner, after beating Tomas Machac 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-4. "He's such a big figure in the sport. He sets the bar right now."
The last Italian man to win in Rome was Adriano Panatta in 1976.
Sinner next faces 17th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo, who beat Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner 6-2, 6-4.
Another Italian favourite Matteo Berrettini was forced to retire when 7-5 2-0 down against sixth-seed Casper Ruud.
This followed retiring in Madrid with an abdominal injury. Berrettini had not been fit to play in Rome for four years.
"I feel so bad for him because this is where he's from, his home Masters 1000," said Ruud, who signed the camera 'Sorry Matteo. Feel better!' "I know he hasn't played since 2021 because of other injuries.
There were also wins for Jakub Mensik, Hubert Hurkacz and Jaume Munar.
with AP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
29 minutes ago
- ABC News
Jordan Thompson, Rinky Hijikata and Chris O'Connell lose at ATP Rosmalen tournament
Australian Jordan Thompson has failed to convert two match points to be bundled out of the grass-court ATP event in the Dutch town of Rosmalen. Thompson, an accomplished grass court performer whose body has been beaten up over a tough season, had won his opening-round contest on Monday against American Aleksandar Kovacevic but lost out in the last-16 from a set up and despite having held two match points against Canada's Gabriel Diallo 4-6 6-1 7-5. Thompson, a two-time finalist in the event, had his chance when holding match points on return at 5-4 in the final set, but Diallo kept his nerve to win 13 of the final 16 points and seal victory in two hours and eight minutes. "I played some really good tennis, he's a very tricky opponent on the grass, it's a surface that suits him well," said Diallo. "I knew I had to be really sharp. I came really close to losing on my serve but I managed to come up with some good points and carry that momentum." It was a tough day for the Australians, with Rinky Hijikata and Chris O'Connell also bowing out on Wednesday. Hijikata was also a set up against British stalwart Dan Evans before eventually succumbing 3-6 6-4 6-3, while world number 80 O'Connell found French veteran Adrian Manarino too much to cope with on the grass, as the world number 127 prevailed 6-1 6-3. The triple defeat meant that Australian hopes now rest solely with fourth seed Alexei Popyrin, the last Aussie man standing at Roland Garros who had a first-round bye but will face Belgian Zizou Bergs in the last-16 on Thursday. Alex de Minaur won this event in 2024, but elected not to defend his title as he takes a break before preparing for Wimbledon. AAP
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Former NBA star Cousins booted from Puerto Rico league
Former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins was suspended by a Puerto Rico basketball league and had his contract rescinded after igniting a brawl. The Baloncesto Superior Nacional League also fined Cousins $US4250 ($A6530), and he could be subject to another fine of $5570 ($A8560), according to the league. The incident occurred on Monday when Cousins was playing on the road for the Guaynabo Mets. "As an organisation, we strongly condemn any form of violence or provocation, whether on or off the field. Safety, respect and sportsmanship are non-negotiable values for this franchise," the Mets said in a news release. The situation began with Cousins exchanging words with a fan, before he grabbed his crotch while walking towards the courtside seats. Cousins then grabbed the fan's arm as things quickly escalated. Teammates tried to pull Cousins away and other fans began to hurl insults at the American. After being ejected, Cousins was doused by liquids as he left the floor. Security tackled him at one point to hold him back from trying to get into the stands. Cousins, 34, was averaging 18.2 points and 9.0 rebounds while playing in the top pro basketball league in Puerto Rico for the second time. He also played in the league in 2023. He hasn't played in the NBA since the 2021-22 season. Cousins was a four-time All-Star in 11 seasons, but his career was derailed by two major injuries. In January 2018, he sustained an achilles tendon injury while playing with the New Orleans Pelicans. After returning to play 30 games for the Golden State Warriors the following season, he tore the ACL in his left knee in August 2019 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and missed the entire season. Cousins played for seven NBA teams, his longest tenure with the Sacramento Kings from 2010-17. He finished third in Rookie of the Year balloting in 2011 after being the fifth overall pick out of Kentucky. Overall, Cousins averaged 19.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in 654 NBA games (561 starts).
7NEWS
an hour ago
- 7NEWS
Steve Smith rues missed opportunity after losing wicket to Aidan Markram on Day 1 of World Test Championship final
Steve Smith went to bed after Day 1 of the World Test Championship final against South Africa still trying to work out how he nicked off to part-time spinner Aidan Markram. In the early hours of Thursday morning (AEST), the Australian batting maestro became the most prolific overseas Test run-scorer at Lord's in history, passing a century-old record previously held by early 1900s Aussie batter Warren Bardsley. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Australia in dominant position after Day 1 of WTC final. With his gritty 66 (112) in tricky batting conditions against a moving Duke ball, Smith reached 591 total runs from 10 innings at the Home of Cricket, passing Bardsley's 575, which had stood as the record since 1926. And yet, for all his dominance at the ground, he still managed to cough his wicket up to Markram when in reach of a 37th century. Asked what he learnt from the innings, Smith was facetiously blunt. 'Don't nick the part-time off-spinner... down the slope,' he said, putting his head in his hands. 'I'm still trying to fathom how I've done that. But yeah, don't do that. 'And then, nah, I don't know, just play what's in front of us. 'It (the pitch) might take a bit more spin as the game wears on, it's pretty dry. 'The seam might go down as the game goes on as well, potentially. 'I think the bounce is going to be variable throughout the game, as we've seen already on Day 1. 'Just play what's in front of us and hopefully we can get a few early ones in the morning and go through them and have a bit of a lead. That's the ideal scenario for us right now.' It was all about the Proteas quick Kagiso Rabada redemption story early in the day, running riot underneath overcast skies in London by taking two wickets in four balls. Rabada, in his first Test since serving a one-month ban for testing positive to cocaine, removed Usman Khawaja (a 20-ball duck) and Cameron Green (four) in the seventh over. In his first Test since March 2024, fit-again Green hit his first delivery to the boundary at fine leg in a promising start. But the 26-year-old was gone just two balls later, edging a Rabada rocket to slips where he was superbly caught by Markram. Marnus Labuschagne, in his first innings as a Test opener, started brightly to get through until drinks. But as he often has during the last two years, the under-pressure Queenslander struggled to keep the score ticking over. Labuschagne got caught between playing a shot and leaving a Marco Jansen delivery, nicking off for 17 from 56 balls. The 30-year-old, who was once described as having 'opening-itis', won the battle to be Khawaja's fifth opening partner in 18 months over teenager Sam Konstas. The spectre of Konstas, one of Australian cricket's rising stars, will now loom even larger for the upcoming three-Test tour of the West Indies. Labuschagne's last Test century came back in July 2023 at Manchester. Travis Head, who starred with a matchwinning 163 in Australia's WTC final triumph in 2023, was out on the final ball before lunch after wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne hung on to a screamer.
