Day 5 of the 2022 Australian Open featured some high quality matchups on the men’s side that saw eight victors advance into the fourth round. The noise was made during the day session on Rod Laver Arena as #7 Matteo Berrettini took down #31 Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set, four hour and ten minute marathon. Elsewhere around the grounds, Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal cruised into the final 16.
Australian Open Men’s Day 5 Recap
Who Impressed
The big winner of the day was the aforementioned Matteo Berrettini defeating 18-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz 6-2 7-6(3) 4-6, 2-6 7-6(5). Coming into the day, this was the match all tennis fans had their eyes on. It most certainly lived up to the hype. The Italian dug his heels in to win the fifth set super tiebreak after squandering a two set to love lead. Berrettini’s backhand looked much improved even compared to the end of the 2021 season which is a scary sight for the rest of the tour. With Pablo Carreno Busta, Gael Monfils, and Miomir Kecmanovic the other three players left in his quarter, Berrettini has to like his chances at reaching another Grand Slam semifinal.
Speaking of Gael Monfils, the 35-year-old Frenchman rolled through #16 Cristian Garin 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-3. Though his first-serve percentage was just 59 percent, Monfils has looked dominant from the baseline through his first three matches. He has yet to drop a set thus far while winning 35/55 (64%) of his games played. Monfils has accrued only five hours and five minutes of match time, the lowest of any player in the fourth round.
Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal are on a collision course for a quarterfinal meeting. It really is a shame this matchup is slated for a quarter as the pair, along with Daniil Medvedev, are the favorites to win the tournament. Zverev handled veteran Radu Albot 6-3 6-4 6-4 while Nadal took down Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-1. Both men have yet to drop a set in the tournament and have all facets of their games in top form.
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Who Disappointed
#16 Cristian Garin once again had a bit of a letdown on the hardcourt. The Chilean had a fantastic opportunity to advance to a quarterfinal could he get past the ageless wonder Gael Monfils. Unfortunately for him, after he dropped the first set tiebreak, the air seemed to be sucked out of his game. He held just two out of his final eight service games. Garin is 7-16 on the hardcourt dating back to January 2020 with no real impressive wins of note.
The Americans can be considered a slight disappointment today as both #23 Reilly Opelka and Sebastian Korda were bounced in four-set matches in the third round. Opelka fell to #14 Denis Shapovalov 6-7(4) 6-4 3-6 4-6. Korda fell to #19 Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6 5-7 7-6(6) 3-6. Though both were considered underdogs in their respective matches, many believed this was the tournament one of the NextGen American men broke through.
Main Photo from Getty.
