Classy Cazaux stuns Rune in Melbourne

As statements on the Grand Slam stage go, they don’t come much bigger than the one Arthur Cazaux delivered on Thursday in Melbourne.

The 21-year-old wild card produced a scintillating display to oust eighth seed Holger Rune 7-6(4), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 and reach the third round at the hard-court major. Cazaux showcased clean baseline hitting, imaginative slice play and electric athleticism to outmanoeuvre his Top 10 opponent and register a stunning upset inside Margaret Court Arena.

“It was a crazy match,” said Cazaux in his on-court interview. “My voice is a bit tired now, but it was a big fight. Holger is a wonderful 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 victory 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’s countryman Arthur Fils 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.

Giant slayer ⚔️

On his @AustralianOpen debut, Arthur Cazaux knocks out No. 8 seed Holger Rune to advance to the third round.#AusOpenpic.twitter.com/2Osj5q17ID

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 18, 2024

Rune came into his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Cazaux chasing his 100th tour-level win. In contrast, his opponent owned just two, the second of which was his battling five-set victory against Laslo Djere in his Melbourne opener.

Yet there was little evidence of that disparity on display as Cazaux’s brand of imaginative all-court tennis had the crowd gripped throughout his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Rune. After clinching a first set dominated by serve in the tie-break, the wild card rode an early break of serve to the second set before holding his nerve in the fourth for the biggest win of his career.

“It’s a show. The tennis is a show,” said Cazaux when asked about his game style, before turning to the crowd. “I gave all I have in me, and I hope you enjoyed the show. We have the best crowd in France, but the Aussie crowd is crazy.”

Cazaux’s cause was aided by his high-quality serving display. The Frenchman won 82 percent (61/74) of points behind his first delivery, and he saved three of the four break points he faced to shut down any thoughts of a Rune comeback.

“My serve has always been a big point in my game,” said Cazaux. “I work hard on every point 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 prior to the Australian Open, has risen 21 spots to No. 101 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run in Melbourne so far.

The 13th seed Grigor Dimitrov avoided any second-round upset of his own with a 6-3, 6-2 4-6, 6-4 triumph against home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis. The Bulgarian fired 68 winners to overwhelm Kokkinakis and extend his perfect start to the 2024 season to 7-0.

A semi-finalist at the Australian Open in 2017, the in-form Dimitrov will take on Nuno Borges next after the Portuguese downed 23rd seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(7), 6-3, 6-3. Dimitrov, who lifted his first tour-level title in more than six years in Brisbane just under two weeks ago, is now 33-13 at Melbourne Park overall.