Australian Open quick hits: Iga Świątek's double-bounce, Lorenzo Sonego's miracle volley and an all-Aussie final

On Day 11 of the Australian Open, a missed double-bounce call has raised questions about the lack of Hawk-Eye technology for such instances at the tournament. An unseeded Italian player hit a shot of his career, and we have an all-Australian mixed doubles final to look forward to. Here’s a quick recap of Day 11 at the Australian Open.

Since the COVID pandemic, many major tennis events have eliminated line judges in favor of Hawk-Eye technology to make real-time calls on all in/out balls. This means challenges on in/out calls are a thing of the past. However, at the Australian Open, players still have the right to challenge a double bounce before each point. But to do so, players must stop mid-point, and risk losing the point if the challenge is unsuccessful. American eighth seed Emma Navarro experienced this in her quarterfinal loss to Iga Swiatek.

After losing the first set, Navarro hit a brilliant drop shot, forcing Swiatek to run and fully extend to return the ball. Navarro then rushed to the net and hit a lob, and Swiatek recovered and hit a backhand winner. As the ball passed Navarro, she turned to the umpire to protest that her opponent had not gotten to the short ball in time. Replays proved her right, but it was too late. The point allowed Swiatek to hold serve and not lose another game in the remainder of the match. In the following match on Rod Laver Arena, Lorenzo Sonego learned from Navarro’s lesson and successfully reviewed a missed ‘not up’ call, winning a point against Ben Shelton.

Nowadays, tennis players display an unprecedented level of athleticism, making it hard to find an area of the court they can’t reach. However, Lorenzo Sonego found a way in his quarterfinal match against Ben Shelton. Fully extended to reach a powerful backhand from Shelton, Sonego hit a strong topspin shot that crossed the net, bounced, and then spun sharply backward, evading the sprinting Shelton, bouncing a second time on Sonego’s side of the court. Shelton couldn't help but laugh, and ran to the net to shake his opponent's hand, acknowledging the brilliance of the shot.

Ben Shelton has never made it to an Australian Open final, and he is sure the crowd will be against him, no matter who his opponent is. "Well, if it's the home favorite Alex de Minaur, you guys can boo me 100 percent, throw things at me. I understand," he said on court after winning his quarterfinal. "If it's the number one player in the world, probably the same. I'm looking forward to it. I know there's going to be some people in the crowd supporting me as well." But perhaps after seeing Jannik Sinner defeat the home favorite, the Rod Laver Arena crowd will be supporting the 22-year-old American on Friday.

Home fans saw their last hope in the singles draw, Alex de Minaur, fall to world number one Jannik Sinner, but on Day 11, an incredible four Australian players have made it to a final at their home grand slam. Though they are all in the same final. The mixed doubles final will be an all-Australian affair. Olivia Gadecki and men’s doubles Olympic gold medalist John Peers defeated second seeds Erin Routliffe and Michael Venus of New Zealand, before wildcards Kim Birrell and John-Patrick Smith defeated the British pair of Olivia Nicholls and Henry Patten to meet them in the final. It is Smith’s first return to a mixed doubles final since finishing runner-up with compatriot Astra Sharma in 2019.

Now it's time for the semi-finals! First up on Rod Laver Arena, starting at 7:30 pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time, world number one **Aryna Sabalenka will face 11th seed Paula Badosa of Spain**. Following that match, world number two **Iga Swiatek will play 19th seed Madison Keys of the United States**.