Australian John Millman has eliminated fourth-seeded Russian Aslan Karatsev in the second round at the St. Petersburg Open.
St. Petersburg, Russia, 29 October 2021 | Leigh Rogers
St. Petersburg, Russia
John Millman has scored his second top-20 victory of the season, beating world No.19 Aslan Karatsev at an ATP 250 tournament in St. Petersburg.
The 32-year-old Australian did not lose serve in the second-round match, saving all four break points he faced in an impressive 6-3 6-2 win.
Karatsev, an Australian Open 2021 semifinalist, entered this match with brimming confidence after claiming his second ATP singles title in Moscow last week.
However, Millman continued his own run of good form. The world No.57 lost only 12 points in total across his service games, as he recorded his ninth win from his past 12 matches.
It is Millman’s ninth career win against a top 20-ranked opponent and sets up a quarterfinal showdown with fifth-seeded American Taylor Fritz.
In doubles quarterfinal action, top seeds Jamie Murray of Great Britain and Bruno Soares of Brazil eliminated Australian duo Luke Saville and John-Patrick Smith. The recent US Open finalists scored a 7-6(0) 3-6 [10-6] victory.
Aussies in action – St. Petersburg
RESULTS
Men’s singles, second round
John Millman (AUS) d [4] Aslan Karatsev (RUS) 6-3 6-2
Men’s doubles, quarterfinals
[1] Jamie Murray (GBR)/Bruno Soares (BRA) d Luke Saville (AUS)/John-Patrick Smith (AUS) 7-6(0) 3-6 [10-6]
COMING UP
Men’s singles, quarterfinals
John Millman (AUS) v [5] Taylor Fritz (USA)
Vienna, Austria
Alex de Minaur tested world No.4 Alexander Zverev in their second-round showdown at an ATP 500 tournament in Vienna, extending the second-seeded German to three sets.
Not one but two insane @alexdeminaur gets 🤯#ErsteBankOpen pic.twitter.com/JKz84h3lYr
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 28, 2021
But Zverev dug deep, serving 17 aces to record a 6-2 3-6 6-2 victory.
There was better news for Australians in the men’s doubles competition, with John Peers and Slovak partner Filip Polasek progressing to the semifinals.
The third-seeded combination extended their current winning streak to seven matches with a 6-7(4) 6-3 [10-4] victory against Austrian wildcards Oliver Marach and Philipp Oswald.
Aussies in action – Vienna
RESULTS
Men’s singles, second round
[2] Alexander Zverev (GER) d Alex de Minaur (AUS) 6-2 3-6 6-2
Men’s doubles, quarterfinals
[3] John Peers (AUS)/Filip Polasek (SVK) d [WC] Oliver Marach (AUT)/Philipp Oswald (AUT) 6-7(4) 6-3 [10-4]
COMING UP
Men’s doubles, semifinals
[3] John Peers (AUS)/Filip Polasek (SVK) v TBC