Rising star Carlos Alcaraz has come under fire from Tennis Twitter after his most awkward post-match interviews revealed his lack of knowledge about the women's tour.
After beating Miomir Kecmanovic in straight sets, the world number two was discussing his love of watching tennis – and pointed out his current rivals Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev.
But when Jim Courier pressed which of the Tour's stars he was watching, Alcaraz was immediately puzzled.
“I'm going to put you in an awkward position, what about the WTA?” asked a courier.
Alcaraz was less prepared.
“I watch the WTA, too. I mean, when I can obviously,” Alcaraz said.
“When I turn on the TV whether it's WTA or ATP or something else. I like to watch it clearly.”
Social media hasn't been kind to the young star, with fans mocking the 20-year-old's inability to name a single star.
Later, in his official press conference, Alcaraz said his favorite women's player was Emma Raducano – and said he made the mistake of meeting him on court because he was “shy with girls.”
“I was too shy to say it, but my favorite player is Raducano,” he said.
“I watched her first-round match, and it's so good to see her back. I was afraid of the audience's reaction. I'm shy with girls.”
10.00 AM: Light at the end of the tunnel after Satan's heart is broken
-Rebecca Williams
Former Australian players John Millman and Alicia Molik remain confident Alex de Minaur has the ability to compete at a Grand Slam as they predict he can perform at his best on the grass at Wimbledon after his heartbreaking exit at Melbourne Park.
Following de Minaur's fourth-round exit to No. 5 seed Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open on Sunday, the Australian star still has just one Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance to his name.
De Minaur reached the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows in 2020, but has since been eliminated in the fourth round five times, including three at a Grand Slam at home at Melbourne Park.
Questions remain as to whether the 24-year-old has the weapons in his game – particularly on his serve – to match players at the pointy end of the world's top 10 and put himself in contention for a major title.
But former Billie Jean Cup captain Molik, who reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in 2005, insisted world number 10 De Minaur is capable of winning a Grand Slam.
Read the full story here
9.30am: Zverev got angry after going through security
Men's sixth seed Alexander Zverev had some choice words about security at the Australian Open – and not just because of the pro-Palestine protesters who threw leaflets all over Margaret Court Arena during his fourth-round win over Cameron Norrie.
Zverev was particularly disturbed by the strict security measures in the players' area, after he was prevented from entering the gym after his brutal four-hour victory.
One of the most popular players on the planet, Zverev was disqualified because he forgot to certify his player.
“I went to the locker room, and the gym area was right next to the locker room, and they wouldn’t let me in the gym because I forgot my credentials in the locker room,” Zverev said.
“What are you doing? You’re protecting players from players. That’s not really the point.”
“This should already be the quarter-final and you know the players.
“In particular, obviously there are screens and TVs everywhere in front of all the security, if you see someone playing for four and a half hours, it's okay to stretch in the gym, even if you forget your credentials.
“That doesn't sound arrogant. I understand they're all doing their jobs.
“But I think when something like this happens, there shouldn't be another fan dragging the other person out.
“It should be the security guys who should be there very quickly. It shouldn't take that long three or four minutes.”
9.00am: Sabalenka is keen to emerge from the carnage
In the women's draw, while many seeds have fallen by the wayside, Aryna Sabalenka's title defense campaign is still on track.
The Belarusian world number two takes on the ever-consistent Czech star Barbora Krejcikova.
Sabalenka was fierce in her fourth-round match, conceding only 11 matches so far, putting herself in the position of the most likely candidate to win the title.
But she also expects a more thorough examination from ninth-seeded Krejcikova.
“Barbora, we've been playing a lot of matches. She's playing really well. I think she'll be back after her injury, so she's very excited, too. It's always a tough battle,” she said.
The winner awaits either US Open champion and fourth seed Coco Gauff or unseeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk.
Like Sabalenka, Gauff has another talent and said she learned from her experience winning the Flushing Meadows tournament last year.
“Very happy to be in this position and to be here. I hope I can continue to achieve more,” she said. – AFP
8.30am: Djokovic is preparing for a tough quarter-final match
Novak Djokovic will take the next step in his bid to win an extraordinary 11th Australian Open title today, with a tough quarter-final clash in Melbourne.
Serbian Djokovic, seeded first, will face American Taylor Fritz, seeded twelfth, in one of today's matches at Rod Laver Arena, and it will be on one of the hottest days in the tournament, as temperatures are expected to rise to 30 degrees.
Djokovic, seeking to win his 11th title and 25th Grand Slam title, defeated his rival Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round, losing only three matches.
But he expects a tougher test from Fritz, who beat last year's finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas to set up an afternoon clash at Rod Laver Arena.
“I'm really excited going into Week 2. I'm looking forward to the fights because obviously the opponents are ranked higher,” the 36-year-old said.
“I play Fritz. There are no easy matches, there is no doubt about that.
“But the experience of knowing what I needed to do with my body, my training, and maintaining that level, I think the details about the tennis that I needed to work on, as well as the recovery, were spot on.”
The winner will meet either the brilliant Italian Jannik Sinner, seeded fourth, or the Russian Andrey Rublev, seeded fifth, who will face off in the evening.
Both are targeting their first taste at the Melbourne Park semi-final. – France Press agency
Originally published as Australian Open Day 10: Live scores, latest news from Melbourne Park
