Match report
Classy Cazaux stuns Rune in Melbourne
21-year-old Frenchman plays after Greekspur, Dimitrov holds off Kokkinakis
January 18, 2024
2024 Peter Staples
Arthur Cazaux stuns eighth seed Holger Rune to reach the third round of the Australian Open.
By ATP staff
As statements on the Grand Slam stage go, they don’t come much bigger than the one Arthur Cazaux made Thursday in Melbourne.
The 21-year-old wild card produced a scintillating display to see off eighth seed Holger Rune 7-6(4), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 and reach the third round on the hard court home. Cazaux displayed clean baseline hitting, imaginative slice play and electrifying athleticism to outlast his Top 10 opponent and record a stunning upset inside the Margaret Court Arena.
“It was a crazy match,” Cazaux said in his courtside interview. “My voice is a bit tired now, but it was a great fight. Holger is a great player. I’ve known him for a long time. I knew it was going to be a big fight and I was ready. I’m so happy and that was crazy.”
Cazaux powered 51 winners, including 18 aces, to complete the win in three hours and 22 minutes against Rune. The Frenchman’s next test in Melbourne will be a meeting with Tallon Griekspoor after the Dutchman defeated Cazaux compatriot Arthur Fils 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.
Giant slayer ⚔️
In his @AustralianOpen on debut, Arthur Cazaux shuts out No. 8 seed Holger Rune to advance to the third round.#AusOpenpic.twitter.com/2Osj5q17ID
— ATP Tour (@atptur) January 18, 2024
Rune came into his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Cazaux chasing his 100th win at tour level. In contrast, his opponent had just two, the second of which was his five-set victory against Laslo Djere in his first match in Melbourne.
However, there was little evidence of that disparity on display as Cazaux’s brand of imaginative all-court tennis had the crowd going during his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Rune. After taking a service-dominated first set to the tiebreak, the wild card led an early break of serve in the second set before holding his nerve in the fourth for the biggest win of his career.
“It’s a show. Tennis is a show,” Cazaux said when asked about his playing style, before turning to the crowd. “I gave it my all and I hope you enjoyed the show. We have the best crowd in France, but the Australian crowd is crazy.”
Cazaux’s cause was aided by the high-quality appearance of the service. The Frenchman won 82 percent (61/74) of his first serve points and saved three of the four break points he faced to end any thought of a Rune comeback.
“My serve has always been an important point in my game,” Cazaux said. “I work hard on every part of my game. Yes, I have a good serve, but I think I can improve it a lot.”
Cazaux, who was an alternate at December’s Next Gen ATP Finals and lifted his third ATP Challenger Tour title in Noumea ahead of the Australian Open, has climbed 21 places to No. 101 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run in Melbourne. so far.
13th seed Grigor Dimitrov avoided any second-round upset of his own with a 6-3, 6-2 4-6, 6-4 triumph over home favorite Thanasis Kokkinakis. The Bulgarian fired 68 winners to crush Kokkinakis and extend his perfect start to the 2024 season to 7-0.
An Australian Open semi-finalist in 2017, the in-form Dimitrov will face Nuno Borges after the Portuguese fell to 23rd seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(7), 6-3, 6-3. Dimitroff, who lifted his first tour-level title in more than six years in Brisbane just two weeks ago, is now 33-13 at Melbourne Park overall.