Australian duo Aleksandar Vukic and Alex Bolt progress to the ATP Newport quarterfinals in straight sets, while in Palermo, Astra Sharma reaches her first WTA-level quarterfinal since 2022.
Newport, United States, 18 July 2024 | Matt Trollope
Newport, US
Alex Bolt upset No.5 seed Brandon Nakashima in Newport to join fellow Aussie Aleksandar Vukic in the quarterfinals.
Bolt, a qualifier, won his fourth straight match on the lawns of Rhode Island to reach his first quarterfinal at the long-running ATP 250 event.
His 7-6(2) 6-4 win over Nakashima – the highest-ranked player he has beaten in 2024 – means he has won 12 of his past 15 matches on grass, dating back to the beginning of June.
He will play the winner of the match between No.2 seed Marcos Giron and Frenchman Benoit Paire.
Earlier in the day, Vukic completed an impressive display to see off American wildcard Eliot Spizzirri.
Behind 22 winners and just eight unforced errors, Vukic won 6-2 7-6(3) to set up a quarterfinal meeting with fourth seed Christopher Eubanks.
Like Bolt, Vukic has been impressive on grass since Roland Garros, reaching the semifinals in Eastbourne plus quarterfinals in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Newport.
He also reached the second round at Wimbledon, and has won 10 of his 16 grass-court matches this year.
Aussies in action – Newport
RESULTS
Men’s singles, second round
[6] Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) d [WC] Eliot Spizzirri (USA) 6-2 7-6(3)
[Q] Alex Bolt (AUS) d [5] Brandon Nakashima (USA) 7-6(2) 6-4
Men’s doubles, first round
[WC] Robert Cash (USA)/James Tracy (USA) d [3] John-Patrick Smith (AUS)/Diego Hidalgo (ECU) 6-2 7-5
COMING UP
Men’s singles, quarterfinals
[6] Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) v [4] Christopher Eubanks (USA)
[Q] Alex Bolt (AUS) v TBD
Men’s doubles, quarterfinals
Aleksandar Vukic (AUS)/Luke Saville (AUS) v [2] Julian Cash (GBR)/Robert Galloway (USA)
Palermo, Italy
Astra Sharma has won an all-Australian battle to reach her first WTA-level quarterfinal since 2022.
Sharma beat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4 3-6 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals in Palermo for the second time, after advancing to the same stage in 2021.
In the pair’s first meeting, Sharma rebounded from an immediate break down in the final set, reeling off six consecutive games to complete victory.
She will next face Karolina Muchova for a place in her first WTA semifinal since Charleston in 2021.
Aussies in action – Palermo
RESULTS
Women’s singles, second round
Astra Sharma (AUS) d Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) 6-4 3-6 6-1
Women’s doubles, first round
Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers (ESP)/Aurora Zantedeschi (ITA) d Lucia Bronzetti (ITA)/Olivia Gadecki (AUS) via walkover
COMING UP
Women’s singles, quarterfinals
Astra Sharma (AUS) v [2] Karolina Muchova (CZE)
Budapest, Hungary
Ellen Perez has won her second match in as many days, teaming with Timea Babos to reach the semifinals in Budapest.
Playing their first tournament together as a team, Perez and Babos again got through in a match tiebreak, overcoming Chinese duo Tang Qianhui and Wang Xiyu.
It’s encouraging form on clay ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, where Perez will represent Australia in women’s doubles, alongside Daria Saville.
Aussies in action – Budapest
RESULTS
Women’s doubles, quarterfinals
[1] Timea Babos (HUN)/Ellen Perez (AUS) d Tang Qianhui (CHN)/Wang Xiyu (CHN) 7-6(6) 2-6 [10-7]
COMING UP
Women’s doubles, semifinals
[1] Timea Babos (HUN)/Ellen Perez (AUS) v TBD
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