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UCLA at the Australian Open: Day 6

by uclabruins.com
Feb 8, 2021
Ena Shibahara (Photo: Scott Chandler)

SATURDAY, FEB. 13

Jennifer Brady and Mackenzie McDonald continued their impressive runs Saturday at the Australian Open, giving UCLA a representative in each of the singles fourth rounds. Brady's run matches her finest showing in the tournament, while McDonald's equals his best in any Grand Slam.

Brady breezed through her first set with qualifier Kaja Juvan of Slovenia. A break of serve gave Brady the upper hand in the second, though Juvan was able to get back on serve soon after. Brady subsequently broke again and once more to close out the 6-1, 6-3 win. She will next face 28th-seeded Donna Vekic of Croatia.

McDonald, the last American standing in the men's singles draw, alternated early first-set breaks with Lloyd Harris of Slovenia en route to a tiebreaker. Harris led 7-6 there, but McDonald closed by taking the final three points and the set. The second set was all McDonald, putting him a set away from victory. A pivotal break at 4-4 in the third set gave McDonald the opening he needed, as he closed out the match, 7-6(7), 6-1, 6-4, to match his 2018 Wimbledon performance. Next up for him is a showdown with No. 4 seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia.

No. 7 Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama will get action underway Sunday, when they meet frequent foes, former collegians and No. 12 seed Hayley Carter and Luisa Stefani in third-round doubles play. First serve is set for 4 p.m., PT.

FRIDAY, FEB. 12

Ena Shibahara advanced to the women's doubles third round and picked up her first Grand Slam mixed doubles win on Day 5 of the Australian Open. Mackenzie McDonald was felled is his second-round doubles match, while Jennifer Brady pulled out in advance of hers.

The seventh-seeded combination of Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama was on the verge of an upset loss to wild card Lizette Cabrera/Maddison Inglis, dropping the first set before going into a second-set tiebreaker. Cabrera/Inglis even took four of the first five points in the tiebreaker, but Shibahara/Aoyama rebounded convincingly with six of the next seven and all six games of the final set. The 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-0 victory set up a date in the final 16 with frequent foes Hayley Carter and Luisa Stefani, who are seeded 12th.

Shibahara and Ben McLachlan jumped out to a 4-1 first-set lead in their mixed doubles debut before German tandem Kevin Krawietz and Laura Siegemund forced a tiebreaker. Shibahara/McLachlan went on to take control there and in the second set for a 7-6(3), 6-4 win.

Pitted against second-seeded Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, McDonald and partner Tommy Paul established their footing in the second set, but were unable to force a third. Mektic/Pavic came out on top of a 6-1, 6-4 decision. McDonald still has a lot to play for in Melbourne, as a third-round singles meeting with Lloyd Harris of South Africa is set for Day 6.

Brady and partner Ashleigh Barty gave second-seeded Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka a walkover. Both Brady, who will meet qualifier Kaja Juvan of Slovenia in the third round, and Barty are still alive in the singles draw.

THURSDAY, FEB. 11

Jennifer Brady and Mackenzie McDonald earned wins for the third consecutive day, advancing to the singles third round at the Australian Open. They will try to reach the same stage of the doubles draw today.

McDonald, who was previously eliminated in the tournament's second round on two occasions, broke through with one of the finest wins of his professional career. Playing against 22nd-seeded and world No. 25 Borna Coric of Croatia, McDonald earned the first set's only break of serve at 2-2 to set the tone for the match. Coric was broken twice more to start the second set, though he briefly made his presence felt in the third. In the end, McDonald proved too strong with a 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory to set up a third-round date with another top-100 opponent in Lloyd Harris of South Africa.

Beating her first-round time, No. 22 Brady needed just 52 minutes to take down fellow American Madison Brengle by a 6-1, 6-2 score. Brady took the first five games of the match and never looked back. She will next meet qualifier Kaja Juvan of Slovenia in the third round.

Both Brady and McDonald are set to play their next doubles matches Thursday, as is Ena Shibahara. Brady and partner Ashleigh Barty will meet second-seeded Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka, while McDonald and Tommy Paul will take on the men's No. 2 seed, Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic. The seventh-seeded pair of Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama are set to face off against the wild-card duo of Lizette Cabrera and Maddison Inglis.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10

As doubles action began, three Bruins were victorious for the second day in a row at the Australian Open. Jennifer Brady and Mackenzie McDonald triumphed again and Ena Shibahara continued her 2021 unbeaten streak in her first appearance. Maxime Cressy fell in the singles second round to the No. 7 seed, while Marcos Giron dropped his doubles match against the No. 6 pair.

Shibahara and partner Shuko Aoyama, seeded seventh, had to fight back from a lost first set against the American tandem of Asia Muhammad and Jessica Pegula. The Abu Dhabi Open and Yarra Valley Classic champions did just that, though, securing a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win and running their record to 10-0 on the year.

Brady and No. 1 singles seed Ashleigh Barty, meanwhile, teamed up for the first time in a Grand Slam and cruised to a 6-2, 6-4 victory over wild card Abbie Myers/Ivana Popovic of Australia. Brady/Barty is next slated to face No.-2 seed Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka.

On the men's side, McDonald and Taylor Fritz are also tackling their first Grand Slam as a duo. They needed three sets against wild card Petros Tsitsipas/Stefanos Tsitsipas, but prevailed by a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 margin to set up a date with second-seeded Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic.

Giron and Cameron Norrie gave Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares all they could handle, but was edged out in a first-set tiebreaker en route to a 7-6(6), 6-3 loss.

Qualifier Cressy gave No. 6 Alexander Zverev his best shot, but the German defeated his second Bruin in as many days. One day after eliminating Giron, Zverev did the same to Cressy, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3.

Day 4 will see Brady and McDonald back at it in singles play. No. 22 Brady will meet fellow American Madison Brengle in 1573 Arena, while McDonald is tasked with taking down No. 22 Borna Coric of Croatia.

MONDAY, FEB. 8 & TUESDAY, FEB. 9

Three former UCLA tennis standouts earned wins on Days 1 and 2 of the Australian Open in Melbourne, kicking off the first Grand Slam of the calendar year. Former men's student-athletes Maxime Cressy and Mackenzie McDonald were victorious in singles play, as was Jennifer Brady on the women's side. Marcos Giron dropped his first-round match in the men's draw.

Tasked with taking down No. 6 seed and world No. 7 Alexander Zverev of Germany, GIron won a first-set tiebreaker in Margaret Court Arena. Zverev returned the favor in a second-set tiebreaker and controlled the match the rest of the way for a 6-7(8), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-2 decision, nixing Giron's hopes of an upset. Giron is not done in Melbourne, though, as he is set to team with Cameron Norrie of Great Britain in the doubles draw.

Cressy, who qualified for the main draw in January, also started his match against No. 117 Taro Daniel of Japan with two tiebreakers. Cressy was victorious in each of them, putting him well on his way to his second singles win in a Grand Slam. He finished the job in straight sets, 7-6(1), 7-6(3), 6-4, on Court 15. Cressy will get a shot at Zverev in the second round.

McDonald got Day 2 underway on Court 6, where he dropped his first set to No. 79 Marco Cecchinato of Italy before turning the match around. McDonald was dominant the rest of the way, securing a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory for his third-career singles second round appearance at the tournament. No. 22 Borna Coric of Croatia is next up for McDonald.

Brady, seeded 22nd as the world No. 24 player, needed just 59 minutes to take care of Aliona Bolsova of Spain on Court 17. Brady's 6-1, 6-3 win put her halfway to her career-best showing at the tournament, achieved in 2017, and set up an all-American second-round date with Madison Brengle.

Joining Giron in the men's doubles draw is McDonald, who will continue his partnership with fellow American Tommy Paul. Also upcoming are first-round doubles matches for Brady (with Ashleigh Barty of Australia) and the seventh-seeded tandem of Bruin Ena Shibahara and partner Shuko Aoyama, representing Japan.

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