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Alejandro Davidovich celebrates his victory. Yuichi Yamazaki (Afp)
Davidovich the Escape Artist Stages Another Comeback

Davidovich the Escape Artist Stages Another Comeback

The Malagueño Repeats Feat Against Jakub Mensik, Reaches Australian Open Fourth Round

Enric Gardiner

Madrid

Viernes, 17 de enero 2025, 13:31

Alejandro Davidovich turned to his box exclaiming, "What is this?", before raising two fingers and saying "two in a row, two in a row". The Malagueño had just overturned a two-set deficit against Jakub Mensik (3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-2) to reach the Australian Open fourth round. This marks the second consecutive match where Davidovich has achieved such a feat, after delivering the same medicine to Felix Auger-Aliassime two days earlier.

Moreover, this time he did it by saving two match points in the third set tiebreak, where Mensik also had a serve at 6-5 to seal a comfortable victory that turned into a nightmare.

Davidovich not only took the 'tie break' to force a fourth set, but also saved two break points at 2-3 that could have complicated his comeback. In the fifth set, he was a whirlwind, leaving Mensik mentally defeated. Mensik, who had just beaten Casper Ruud with an almost unbreakable serve, was left stunned as Davidovich raised those two fingers high. From never having overturned a two-set deficit to doing it twice in consecutive matches. Spectacular, Davidovich.

The Malagueño will have no respite as he faces a formidable opponent in American Tommy Paul in the next round. The twelfth seed eliminated Tenerife's Roberto Carballés 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-0, after losing two sets in the first round against Christopher O'Connell and one in the second against Kei Nishikori. This will be the fourth encounter between Davidovich and Paul, with the American winning each time. When they met in this same tournament in 2023, the match extended to five sets.

Badosa Matches Her Best in Australia

Additionally, Novak Djokovic finally had a calm match to reach the Australian Open fourth round for the seventeenth time in his career. The Serbian, who requested medical assistance in the second set but without major consequences, defeated Tomas Machac 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 and is in a round where he has only lost twice, in 2007 against Roger Federer and in 2018 against Hyeon Chung. He will face Jiri Lehecka, who pushed him to the third set last year in the United Cup. The Czech, who recently won the Brisbane tournament, is one of the year's fortunate ones as, of his last five victories, three have been by retirement.

In the women's draw, Paula Badosa matched her best result in Melbourne by defeating Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk (6-4, 4-6, 6-3). The Catalan, who reached the fourth round in 2022, is less than 200 points away from breaking into the top 10. She would achieve this if she wins her next match and if Danielle Collins, currently closing the top ten, loses to Madison Keys.

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