Netflix curse strikes again as Sakkari slumps, Zhu books spot in last 16
Lin Zhu edged out Maria Sakkari 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-4 on Friday. She’ll play Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, the No 24 seed, in the next round
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 20, 2023 Greece’s Maria Sakkari reacts during her third round match against China’s Lin Zhu (AI/Reuters/Panoramic)
Chinese Lin Zhu reached the last 16 of the Australian Open by edging out Greek Maria Sakkari, the No 6 seed, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-4 at Melbourne Park on Friday.
Zhu, ranked No 87, will face Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, the No 24 seed, next.
The Chinese won against Canadian Rebecca Marino (6-2, 6-4) and Swiss Jil Teichmann, the No 32 seed (6-2, 6-2) ahead of her victory.
In the previous rounds, Sakkari, ranked No 6, defeated Chinese Yue Yuan (6-1, 6-4) and Russian qualifier Diana Shnaider (3-6, 7-5, 6-3).
She is the latest of a series of big names who featured in the Netflix documentary ‘Break Point’ to crash out of the tournament in the first five days.
Melbourne (Grand Slam), other third-round results (Melbourne Park, hard, USD 24.297.942, most recent results first):
- Magda Linette vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova : Saturday in Melbourne
- Laura Siegemund vs. Caroline Garcia : Saturday in Melbourne
- Linda Fruhvirtova vs. Marketa Vondrousova : Saturday in Melbourne
- Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elise Mertens : Saturday in Melbourne
- Shuai Zhang vs. Katie Volynets : Saturday in Melbourne
- Camila Giorgi vs. Belinda Bencic : Saturday in Melbourne
- Nuria Parrizas Diaz vs. Donna Vekic : Saturday in Melbourne
- Varvara Gracheva vs. Karolina Pliskova : Saturday in Melbourne
- Victoria Azarenka beat Madison Keys (10): 1-6, 6-2, 6-1
- Iga Swiatek (1) beat Cristina Bucsa (Q): 6-0, 6-1
- Jelena Ostapenko (17) beat Kateryna Baindl: 6-3, 6-0
- Coco Gauff (7) beat Bernarda Pera: 6-3, 6-2
- Jessica Pegula (3) beat Marta Kostyuk: 6-0, 6-2
- Elena Rybakina (22) beat Danielle Collins (13): 6-2, 5-7, 6-2
- Barbora Krejcikova (20) beat Anhelina Kalinina: 6-2, 6-3
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