It was sport central last night, with Tipping Point’s Olympic Special raking in a total TV national reach of 1,802,000 for Nine.
Hosted by tennis legend and former Olympian Todd Woodbridge, the episode featured six Olympic champions, including four-time gold medallist Libby Trickett, three-time gold medallist Emily Seebohm, and dual Paralympic gold medallist Blake Cochrane, who will also co-host Nine’s Paralympic coverage. Ultimately, it all came down to Cochran, who pushed the x2 counter over the edge, securing $80,000 in funding for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, which aims to provide essential and often lifesaving medical equipment for sick kids in hospitals across Australia.
Later in the night, it was all eyes on London as the Nine Network served up Wimbledon night two. Australia’s own Alex De Minaur and James Duckworth took to the court around 9pm but were soon pulled off as England weather did what England weather does, and the grass court was quickly covered to protect it from the rain. The pair returned shortly after in a set for set match that saw the Demon come out on top 7-6 (1) 7-6 (3 7-6 (4).
De Minaur confessed that he felt like there was a target on his back as he stepped into the competition as a top ten player for the first time. “It’s the aim of the game really, right? Ultimately, it’s a good position to be in,” he said in his post-match interview. “And I don’t think it’s just (the Aussies targetting me). I think the rest of the field now see me it as a chance to have a crack at me. It’s good because, ultimately, it means a lot of these players are playing against you with not a lot to lose”.
“You’ve got to always bring your level if you want to get through and that’s what makes you even tougher (and) gives you even more confidence about being able to squeak through tough moments. It definitely helped (in the) tiebreaker”.
De Minaur’s efforts did not go unnoticed, with the night of tennis achieving a total TV national reach of 1,478,000.
For those less interested in the on-court excitement, it was all eyes on Network Ten as MasterChef saw Chef Guillaume Brahimi set a pressure test fit for a king, pushing the contestants to their limits. The high-stakes episode achieved a total TV national reach of 1,253,000.
