Tennis' Netflix curse strikes AGAIN as Sakkari exits Australian Open

Tennis’ Netflix curse strikes AGAIN! Maria Sakkari is the NINTH player starring in new Break Point series to crash out of Australian Open… joining injured Nick Kyrgios and American ace Taylor Fritz – leaving Felix Auger-Aliassime as the last man standing

• The Australian Open has been ‘cursed’ by players involved in a new Netflix show 
• Greece’s Maria Sakkari is ninth player featured in the series to be knocked out
• Click here for all your latest international Sports news from DailyMail.com 

Netflix are calling it a ‘coincidence’ but tennis fans are totally convinced players featured in the new Break Point docuseries are jinxed after Maria Sakkari became the ninth player from the show to suffer an early Australian Open exit. 

The 10-part docuseries, which aired on the eve of the Melbourne Grand Slam, focuses on the lives of some of tennis’ biggest names across the 2022 season. 

But for the 10 featured in the first five episodes it has been a rough start to 2023 with three missing the tournament injured, and six more being eliminated by the third round. 

Maria Sakkari became the latest big name to fall victim to the ‘Netflix curse’ sweeping tennis

Nick Kyrgios (left), Taylor Fritz (middle) and Ons Jabeur (right) were all out before third round

Netflix’s social media team were quick to call the unfortunate form of players a ‘coincidence’

Heading into Friday Sakkari was one of two survivors from the dreaded ‘Netflix curse’ and she could not escape its clutches as she lost 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 to Zhu Lin, in what was the Chinese star’s first ever top 10 win. 

No 6 seed Sakkari looked to have taken back control in a dominant 6-1 second set but the Greek soon lost her way again and she is just the latest early casualty from the stars of the Netflix series. 

Before the Melbourne Slam even started three players – Nick Kyrgios, fellow Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic and Spain’s Paula Badosa – withdrew through injuries sustained in the lead-up.

No 13 seed Matteo Berrettini was the first competitor to fall, losing an epic 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (10-6) match to Scottish superstar Andy Murray.

In the first five episodes of Netflix’s new Break Point documentary, 10 players were featured

Two of the stars – Paula Badosa (left) and Ajla Tomljanovic (right) – had to pull out with injury

From there, Casper Ruud, the No 2 seed, was eliminated in four sets by American rising star Jenson Brooksby.

Already, with five players out, tennis fans began mocking up graphics showing the ‘curse’ as one-by-one players stumbled to losses.

American star Taylor Fritz, who represented the US’ best chance of a men’s singles winner in Melbourne, bristled when, after his first round win, the idea of the Netflix ‘curse’ was put to him.  

‘Actually, I didn’t know that was a [thing],’ Fritz said sarcastically before his second round match. 

‘Obviously I noticed the people pulling out of the tournament, but I didn’t know it was a thing, like, I’m going to lose my first round because I’m in the Netflix show? I didn’t think of that.’ 

He may well have paid more attention to it as he would join the rest of the Netflix crew in bowing out early with title hopes extinguished by home favorite Alexei Popyrin. 

Matteo Berrettini was the first player to fall on court, losing in five sets against Andy Murray

No 2 seed Casper Ruud (left) and Thanasi Kokkinakis (right) also fell to first week eliminations

It leaves Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime as the only player yet to succumb to the ‘curse’

Denmark’s Holger Rune laughed off talk Netflix appearances will be bad for the players’ performance as he revealed, after reaching the third round, that he will get involved for series two. 

‘I’m excited to do it. I think it’s going to be great. It’s good for tennis,’ he said. 

‘It’s good for us players. [The] more fans we can get into the sport, it’s better. I’m just very positive about it.’ 

But further drama would follow Thursday when first world No 2 Ons Jabeur crashed out, losing to unseeded Marketa Vondrousova. 

Murray later claimed his second Netflix victim by taking out Thanasi Kokkinakis in the longest match of the Scot’s career, an epic five-hour-plus battle.

That left just Sakkari and Auger-Aliassime and after the Greek’s shock elimination it is down to the Canadian to see if he has what it takes to overcome the dreaded ‘curse’.

Auger-Aliassime plays Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic in round four this weekend.  

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