Men's singles second round
Felix Auger-Aliassime is the first to admit even the most well-prepared escape plans often boil down to one simple ploy.
After summoning a sudden turnaround from two sets down to deny Slovak Alex Molcan on Wednesday at Australian Open 2023, the sixth seed knew this one largely came down to hanging tough.
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While far from his best and completely outplayed for two sets, the 22-year-old's will to win remained undented as he survived 3-6 3-6 6-3 6-2 6-2.
Fellow seeds Jannik Sinner and Frances Tiafoe had a far easier time of it as they posted straight-sets results to join the Canadian in the third round.
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"At some point I was just trying to spend a little bit more time on court … to find a way to make the match tough and make it longer," Auger-Aliassime said.
"When I was able to clinch that third set, I got a lot of belief in myself. My thoughts were way more positive and I was thinking 'OK I've done it before, maybe I can come back and win'.
"I was really thrilled I could get it done. It was a tough day for me."
For the first hour and a half, Auger-Aliassime was grasping for answers, unable to match his left-handed opponent's variety, relentless speed and consistency.
The 53rd-ranked Molcan had survived former champion Stan Wawrinka in a five-set opening round. With Novak Djokovic's former coach Marian Vajda as his principal advisor these days, a first top-10 victory was soon well within reach.
In the only previous meeting between the pair last season, Molcan eked out the upset, but a Marrakech clay court was a far cry from a Grand Slam arena, and capitalising on a two-set lead suddenly became a mountain to climb.
For the first time in the match, the Slovak's level dipped and Auger-Aliassime could hardly believe his luck as his opponent began to leak unforced errors – including a double fault to surrender serve for the first time – at 3-4 in the third.
Former world No.35 Lloyd Harris was the highest-ranked opponent Molcan had beaten, and if he was to take that next step up he needed to stem the flow of momentum, which quickly swung against him.
"He was just way more consistent than I was the first two sets, making me work," Auger-Aliassime said. "I was just missing a little bit too much. I had to find a way to keep playing my way but not do as many mistakes.
"It's not rocket science, so I was just trying to put one more ball in court, make it simple, make him work. I'm glad it worked out."
A quarterfinalist at Melbourne Park last year, Auger-Aliassime was in control in the final two sets.
His 23 aces carried him out of a mighty tight spot and into a third-round meeting against either 28th seed Francisco Cerundolo or Corentin Moutet.
Earlier, 15th seed Sinner had few problems against Argentine Tomas Etcheverry in a 6-3 6-2 6-2 win under a closed John Cain Arena roof.
The Italian moved into a third-round clash with either Harris or Marton Fucsovics, and revealed his early days as a junior downhill skiing champion helped shape his exemplary movement on court.
"In skiing you have to have good balance, for sure," Sinner said.
"On court it's also very good to have good balance especially when you're moving sideward, because you recover a little bit faster on the court.
"I guess I chose the right sport when I was young. Happy for me it was tennis."
American 16th seed Tiafoe also relished his time under the roof on Wednesday as he breezed past Chinese teenager Shang Juncheng 6-4 6-4 6-1.
Coming off the United States' team success in the inaugural United Cup, Tiafoe moved past the 17-year-old, who had already made history as the first Chinese man to win a main draw match at the Australian Open.
Eighteenth seed Karen Khachanov or Australian Jason Kubler is next.
Tiafoe paid tribute to coach Wayne Ferreira, a two-time semifinalist at Melbourne Park, for his improvements in recent seasons.
"He's changed my ways," Tiafoe said.
"I feel like I focus a lot better between points, each and every point.
"His presence has definitely a help for me, and his personality is rubbing off on me. It's been a good partnership so far. Hopefully we keep going."