MELBOURNE, Jan 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Frenchman Corentin Moutet defended his tactics Sunday after serving underarm on match-point against home hope Tristan Schoolkate at the Australian Open. The 32nd seed was on the cusp of victory on Kia Arena when he sent down the serve, which confounded Schoolkate who hit his sliced return long. It handed Moutet a 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 first-round win, but he was booed at the end. "I don't know, I did it because I thought I could win the point, which I won the point actually. Moutet has used the underarm tactic before, sending down six of them during his second-round win against Daniel Altmaier in Mallorca last year.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha January 18, 2026 08:35 UTC