By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Photo credit: Darrian Traynor/Getty
Hall of Famer boxer and devoted tennis player Sugar Ray Leonard famously described his adopted sport as “boxing without violence.”
Boxing is a blood sport.
Talented teenagers are turning tennis into a young blood sport at this Australian Open.
Nineteen-year-old Jakub Mensik pounded down 62 winners upsetting sixth-seeded Casper Ruud 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the Australian Open third round for the first time.
Two of the biggest upsets at this AO belong to teenagers.
Mensik’s assertive dismissal of former US Open finalist Ruud comes a day after 18-year-old Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca blazed past ninth-seeded Andrey Rublev 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-6(5) in his major main-draw debut. Fonseca fired 51 winners in that match.
Already one of the Tour’s biggest hitters, Mensik improved his record vs. Top 10 opponents to 5-4 reaching a Grand Slam third round for the third time.
Nineteen-year-old American Learner Tien bids to become the third teenager to reach the third round this week when he plays fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev on Margaret Court Arena on Thursday.
The results show this AO may well belong to the new blood, Mensik said.
“All the young players which are playing here, even which are not here, they trying the best to reach the same level,” Mensik told the media in Melbourne. “For example, like Jannik and Carlos, they were few years ago, two years ago still teenagers. Obviously, you know, our not opportunity, but we can approach the same and go by their steps and try to reach the same level, compete against them.
“At least I have it like that. I can really be able to try to reach the same level, to keep improving. It’s great that there is a new blood always.
“We can see that tennis is moving on. We can see different or new names on the tournaments. For the fans, for the tennis, for everything, it’s really great. That’s it. New blood is coming.”
Why now?
World No. 48 Mensik said the fact the teens all played the Next Gen ATP Finals last December gave them more match preparation and tournament toughness ahead of Melbourne.
Fonseca defeated Mensik to win the Blue Group in Jeddah before beating Tien in the Next Gen ATP Finals title match. American Alex Michelsen also played the Next Gen ATP Finals and followed it up knocking off 11th-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in his AO opener.
“The timing of the Next Gen Finals, it was before the Christmas. Everyone was still in the pre-season,” Mensik said. “We were already playing, had couple matches before the season started. I mean, that help us a lot, I guess.
“I mean, because all of us play really great matches. Also on the preparation tournaments, we were doing really well. That’s the most important thing in the beginning of the season to have the match count and to come on the Grand Slam with you already played couple matches before.”
The 6’4” Mensik will try to continue his roll facing Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for a trip to his first Grand Slam fourth round.
