Day 3 : Too good Seppi and the Mailman delivers the effort but not the victory

Sorry for the no report on Day 2, there wasn't that much though the best match I've seen was on this day and will include it in the talking points.

Definitely didn't expect 4 from 4 today but one can only do their best. The two expected winners got up but the other two were defeated but put on excellent performances.

Seppi vs. Thompson

There isn't much to say except this was routine, expected and never in doubt. Seppi started off with a double break to jump out to a 3-0 lead, then Thompson double break back to get to 3 all. Seppi steps up and takes the next 3 games to win 6-3.

The second set just went aloing very comfortably until the 10th game where Seppi breaks to take the second set and the third set was exactly the same.


Seppi

This match showed a clear difference in class between the two players. Thompson is a solid player at Challenger level but how will get more aggressive from the baseline to survive at tour level, whereas Seppi is a very solid professional who has maximised his talent though some would argue that he could have more titles. The match was very comfortable for the South Tyrolean and another 3rd round in Melbourne.

Schwartzman vs. Kudla

Was following this on the scoreboard seen Schwartzman was up 2 sets to 0, then seen he dropped the 3rd and 4th set. The court was packed and could smell the pig sweat in the air but was able to see the last set.

Topsy turvy and breakathon describe this perfectly. Schwartzman up a double break in the 3rd, loses was 5-4 40-0 up on serve in the 4th set and doesn't get the job done. Kudla dances to his own tune , turned the match around with free hitting.


Schwartzman

Kudla gets an early break in the 5th which didn't mean much in the context of the match. After the 4th game the super journalist, shrill & individual who thinks Slams should be best of 3 sets for the man aka Benjamin Rothenberg decides to leave the media room for the match. He could not even wait for the change of ends, definitely should know better.

Schwartzman kept fighting hard and Kudla started to think about what was happening on the court which is not his strong point. Schwartzman was able to turn the match around and sent the crowd home happy. Coming back from 2 sets down and losing in 5 must really suck.

Cuevas vs. Dimitrov

This was always going to be the toughest of the 4 for my guys to win. It needed Cuevas to play very well and Dimitrov to be a bit off. The court was packed with mostly drunk bogan, a few Bulgarians, fangirls and the odd tennis fan which made it an interesting mix.Unfortunately I had this older Andre Agassi fangirl behind me, yes it was as awful and they marked out when they saw his sanctimonious bald head in the player box.

Cuevas started slowly and dropped his first service game and was unable to get into Dimitrov's service games and the Bulgarian ran out a comfortable first set winner. In the second set Cuevas started serving better, though his usual quality kick serve on the ad side due to the cooler conditions was not jumping up and out as much as usual giving Dimitrov chances to return effectively.

In the second set Cuevas had 2 break points, one was saved by a good serve and the other was a passive return. No breaks of serve before entering the tiebreaker. Cuevas was able to play some quality tennis mixed in with a double fault frm Dimitrov, not long after Cuevas levels at 1 set all which shut the bogans and fangirls up.

The match was pretty much Dimitrov serving like Karlovic hitting the corners and Cuevas working the angles to open up the court. The Uruguayan was more aggressive from the baseline as in the first set and a half he was too passive and pushed around. The one break in the 3rd set was due to three double faults from Cuevas that is Christmas in January, players generally aren't getting away with 3 doubles in a game which was the case here.



Dimitrov took a 2 sets to 1 lead and the familar pattern continues with Dimitrov serving very well, playing some fine shots. Cuevas attempting to be more aggressive but unable to make any inroads into the Dimitrov serve. In the fourth set it was exactly the same pattern until the 11th game Cuevas was leading 40-0 up, served a double and then proceded to get broken. Dimitrov served out the match and continued the usual of winning matches when you don't want him to do and vice versa.

Based on what was seen here Cuevas should be fine for the clay season as long as he keeps fit.

Bautista Agut vs. Millman

This was the classic of watching one match and following the other at the same time. Bautigol was his usual solid self and Millman was a bit off, but anyone who has a clue about tennis knows what a great fighter Millman is.

With the local crowd driving Millman on he was able to take the 3rd set. The grinding continues and Bautigol had 4 match points in the tiebreaker but was unable to take then with Millman levelling at 2 sets all.



The question whether Millman train was powering through or Bautista Agut like he did against Andy Murray troll the crowd favourite to let them get back even and step up the pace. Unsurprisingly this match was about extended rallies and Bautigol was able to get the decisive break and was able to run out the match, letting it rip with an almighty roar.

Bautista showed great mental strength that's what confidence does to an individual when in difficult moments they're able to come through. The main difference between Bautista Agut and Millman is that Bautigol can flatten the ball more consistently which he did to get the break in the 5th. The embrace at the end made it worth it.