Aussie wildcard channels Hewitt in 2am epic

1 year ago 28

Aussie wildcard Alexei Popyrin precocious astatine the Australian Open successful a 5 acceptable epic brushwood that finished conscionable past 2am Wednesday morning.

Popyrin recorded a 4-6 7-6(5) 6-7(5) 7-6(4) 6-1 triumph against erstwhile satellite No.1-ranked inferior Tseng Chun-Hsin successful a late-night conflict astatine John Cain Arena.

AS IT HAPPENED: Australian Open 2023 time 2 highlights

There was lone 1 interruption of service crossed the archetypal 4 sets, secured by satellite No.115 Tseng successful the opening set.

Couple that with a commencement clip of 9:37pm owed to respective cancellations due to the fact that of the weather, the gruelling four-hour and 26-minute lucifer was the longest of Popyrin's career.

"I'm exhausted. That was a carnal conflict and a intelligence conflict too," an affectional Popyrin said.

"I've ne'er played a lucifer this late. I've ne'er played a lucifer this long."

The 23-year-old wildcard had it each to do, uncovering himself down a two-sets, earlier helium laid it connected precocious successful the lucifer and broke his opponent's service connected his 13th opportunity, and built a 3-0 pb successful the last set.

Popyrin's lucifer should've started person to 4pm connected Court 3, if each had gone to plan, but owed to rainfall it was was moved to John Cain Arena pursuing compatriot Alex de Minaur's casual triumph implicit different Taiwanese player, Yu Hsiou Hsu.

Match Highlights: Thanasi Kokkinakis v Alexei Popyrin

While the hold seemed to hamper his play early, the Aussie came connected erstwhile helium needed to and finished the lucifer with 31 aces and 89 winners successful total.

Popyrin's efforts acceptable up a second-round showdown with eighth-seeded American Taylor Fritz.

While the precocious decorativeness was pugnacious for players and spectators alike, it wasn't rather arsenic atrocious arsenic past year's lucifer that saw Adrian Mannarino decision Aslan Karatsev astatine 2:33am.

And past of people determination was Lleyton Hewitt's five-set clash against Marcos Baghdatis' successful 2008, that finished astatine 4:34am.

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