We’re via one week of motion in Melbourne, and the sector in Australia is now an open canvas, ripe for brand spanking new champions to grab an opportunity at glory.
The primary and two seeds have been ousted from each the lads’s and ladies’s draw, Novak Djokovic is alive and standing (barely?), whereas the crop of Canadians had been unable to grab a breakthrough on this 12 months’s version.
Listed here are six takeaways from the primary week of grand slam tennis in Melbourne:
With Iga out, alternative knocks
World No.1 Iga Swiatek was one of many quite a few victims of the week one carnage on the Australian Open.
The distinctive Polish athlete was unable to go the gap in Melbourne, stopped by final 12 months’s soft-spoken Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina.
.acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container {
width: 340px;
margin: 0 auto;
}
The 23-year-old now heads a compelling prime half of a ladies’s draw, which additionally options earlier slam champions Jelena Ostapenko and Victoria Azarenka, in addition to Jessica Pegula.
Rybakina possesses some of the harmful serves in ladies’s tennis and presently leads the sector with 24 aces via 4 matches.
Meantime, Pegula has been in excellent type thus far in 2023, scoring a win over Iga Swiatek within the opening week of the season on the United Cup, and now advancing to the quarterfinals with out dropping a set.
A number of established champions on the underside half of the draw are additionally in search of a first-ever main.
Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka has 11 WTA singles titles to her identify however has come up simply brief within the slams, with three semifinal appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Belinda Bencic memorably received a gold medal in Tokyo two years in the past and was the 2022 WTA Comeback participant of the 12 months.
Veteran Karolina Pliskova is quietly into the second week of the match — six years in the past, she reached the finals of the US Open in 2017, ending runner-up to Sloane Stephens.
Caroline Garcia is a reputation to maintain a very shut eye on.
The Frenchwoman’s booming, highly effective first serve and ruthlessly aggressive and disruptive model of hard-hitting tennis have her in competition for a first-ever main.
She received 4 titles since June of final season, together with the end-of-year WTA Finals from Fort Price.
Novak the final male champion standing
There is just one males’s main champion nonetheless alive in Melbourne.
He occurs to be very accustomed to profitable.
9-time Aussie Open winner and 21-time main champ Novak Djokovic escaped via the primary week Down Beneath unscathed, and his world-class groundstrokes, courtroom protection, and returning have him eyeing extra historical past.
He’s, nevertheless, battling a pesky hamstring damage that has been testing his bodily limits.
Djokovic suffered the damage the earlier week after profitable a title in Adelaide, and the problem has been evidently nagging on the Serbian all through his time in Melbourne.
.acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container {
width: 340px;
margin: 0 auto;
}
Djokovic has sufficient expertise and talent set to defeat most gamers even at 80-90% of his powers, nevertheless, if he’s bodily compromised, it poses a big problem deeper into the match as the wear and tear and tear on the physique turns into extra substantial.
Whenever you view a number of the shot-making abilities and rallies although, it’s truthful to surprise if he’s unstoppable on these courts:
.acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container {
width: 340px;
margin: 0 auto;
}
A title in Melbourne and Djokovic is stage with Rafael Nadal for many males’s singles slams of all time.
People love the Glad Slam
Sebastian Korda was destined to be an athlete.
24 years in the past, on the exact same courts in Melbourne, his father Petr received the Australian Open.
His mom Regina Rajchrtova was a former prime 30 participant.
His sisters Jessica and Nelly are each skilled golfers on the LPGA circuit — Nelly Korda is a serious champion and world primary.
Now Sebi (appropriately nicknamed) is having fun with his breakthrough on the massive stage.
The American is into the primary main quarterfinal of his profession and has produced back-to-back prime 10 wins in week one on the Open, defeating 2021 US Open champ Daniil Medvedev in straight units, and Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in a marathon five-setter.
.acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container {
width: 340px;
margin: 0 auto;
}
Korda is already 8-1 to open the season and now prepares for the extra skilled Karen Khachanov.
20-year-old Ben Shelton, a collegiate star with the Florida Gators, had by no means set foot exterior the USA earlier than travelling to Melbourne this 12 months.
Now, the highly effective 6’4 serving left-hander has damaged via to the spherical of 16 with a string of victories.
24-year-old JJ Wolf has adopted swimsuit, and the 2 will meet subsequent.
California’s Mackenzie McDonald recorded the very best win of his profession, gorgeous the highest seed Rafael Nadal in straight units within the second spherical.
Unseeded New Jersey native Tommy Paul will get a spherical of 16 probability towards veteran Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
The Netflix Curse is Actual
The brand-new tennis sequence on Netflix entitled Break Level was launched simply over per week in the past, a five-episode glimpse into the life and grind behind the scenes of an expert tennis participant.
The primary season shone the highlight on 10 younger stars of the game.
Stunningly, every participant has fallen sufferer on the Australian Open.
.acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container {
width: 340px;
margin: 0 auto;
}
The match misplaced just a few gamers earlier than the motion even started with Nick Kyrgios, Ajla Tomljanovic, and Paula Badosa all withdrawing as a result of damage.
Italian stallion Matteo Berrettini was an early sufferer of the Netflix curse, exiting the primary spherical in 5 units.
World quantity two Casper Ruud was left puzzled on the courtroom by artful Jenson Brooksby, exiting stage left to the American within the second spherical.
In the meantime, No. 2 ladies’s participant Ons Jabeur fell in need of her huge expectations, taking place to Marketa Vondrousova early.
Greek star Maria Sakkari, who was candid within the sequence about her persistent drive to be the very best, fell within the third spherical to Zhu Lin of China.
The final man standing, Felix Auger-Aliassime, had no solutions for Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka, lastly bowing out within the spherical of 16.
As followers, it’s straightforward to turn into fascinated with the idea of sports activities curses, whether or not it’s Netflix dooming tennis gamers, Billy the Goat setting again the Chicago Cubs for over a century, or the favored Madden NFL cowl jinxing any participant to grace it.
Logic and motive would inform you it’s the straightforward nature of the game that led to the rash of upsets – however who likes to be logical in relation to sports activities discussions?
Canadians bow out in singles
It was a troublesome first week of motion for the hopeful Canadians in Melbourne.
2019 US Open winner Bianca Andreescu opened her marketing campaign with an awesome win over twenty sixth seed Marie Bouzkova however was held off by the counter-punching abilities of Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, falling 2-6, 7-6, 6-4.
Leylah Annie Fernandez additionally performed a terrific opening match, producing a assured 6-2, 7-5 win over veteran Alize Cornet.
var adServerUrl = “”;
var $el = $( “#video_container-244262” );
var permalink = $el.closest(‘.snet-single-article’).information(‘permalink’);
/*
if ( “1” == true && ‘undefined’ !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) {
var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}};
adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( ‘http://pubads.g.doubleclick.web/gampad/advertisements?sz=640×360&cust_params=domainpercent3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326percent2Fen.sportsnet.internetpercent2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=huge&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6318909917112&cmsid=384’, so, permalink);
} else {
adServerUrl = “http://pubads.g.doubleclick.web/gampad/advertisements?sz=640×360&cust_params=domainpercent3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326percent2Fen.sportsnet.internetpercent2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=huge&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6318909917112&cmsid=384”;
}
*/
adServerUrl = “http://pubads.g.doubleclick.web/gampad/advertisements?sz=640×360&cust_params=domainpercent3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326percent2Fen.sportsnet.internetpercent2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=huge&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6318909917112&cmsid=384”;
var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.contains(“cust_params”);
var queryString=”;
if(adServerUrl_result){
var gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem(“theRED_loc”)
if(gettheDUFI){
queryString += “dufiid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’;
queryString += “ppid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’;
var ppid = “ppid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’;
}
var DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem(“DUFI_IP”)
if(DUFI_IP){
queryString += “dufiip=” + DUFI_IP + ‘&’;
}
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.exchange(/cust_params=/, ppid + ‘cust_params=” + encodeURIComponent(queryString) );
}
$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=”” + (doc.location.protocol == “https:” ? “https://sb” : “http://b”) + “.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js” %3Epercent3C/scriptpercent3E”) );
$( doc ).one( “prepared’, operate() {
$( “#video_container-244262” ).SNPlayer( {
bc_account_id: “1704050871”,
bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”,
//autoplay: true,
//is_has_autoplay_switch: false,
bc_videos: 6318909917112,
is_has_continuous_play: “false”,
adserverurl: adServerUrl,
part: “”,
thumbnail: “https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/6318909917112-1024×576.jpg”,
direct_url: “https://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/video/australian-open-highlights-garcia-4-def-fernandez-in-straight-sets/”
});
});
var adServerUrl = “”;
var $el = $( “#video_container-710908” );
var permalink = $el.closest(‘.snet-single-article’).information(‘permalink’);
/*
if ( “1” == true && ‘undefined’ !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) {
var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}};
adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( ‘http://pubads.g.doubleclick.web/gampad/advertisements?sz=640×360&cust_params=domainpercent3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326percent2Fen.sportsnet.internetpercent2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=huge&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6318909917112&cmsid=384’, so, permalink);
} else {
adServerUrl = “http://pubads.g.doubleclick.web/gampad/advertisements?sz=640×360&cust_params=domainpercent3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326percent2Fen.sportsnet.internetpercent2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=huge&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6318909917112&cmsid=384”;
}
*/
adServerUrl = “http://pubads.g.doubleclick.web/gampad/advertisements?sz=640×360&cust_params=domainpercent3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326percent2Fen.sportsnet.internetpercent2FVideo&ciu_szs=300×250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=huge&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6318909917112&cmsid=384”;
var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.contains(“cust_params”);
var queryString=”;
if(adServerUrl_result){
var gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem(“theRED_loc”)
if(gettheDUFI){
queryString += “dufiid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’;
queryString += “ppid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’;
var ppid = “ppid=” + gettheDUFI + ‘&’;
}
var DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem(“DUFI_IP”)
if(DUFI_IP){
queryString += “dufiip=” + DUFI_IP + ‘&’;
}
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.exchange(/cust_params=/, ppid + ‘cust_params=” + encodeURIComponent(queryString) );
}
$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=”” + (doc.location.protocol == “https:” ? “https://sb” : “http://b”) + “.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js” %3Epercent3C/scriptpercent3E”) );
$( doc ).one( “prepared’, operate() {
$( “#video_container-710908” ).SNPlayer( {
bc_account_id: “1704050871”,
bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”,
//autoplay: false,
//is_has_autoplay_switch: false,
bc_videos: 6318909917112,
is_has_continuous_play: “false”,
adserverurl: adServerUrl,
part: “”,
thumbnail: “https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/6318909917112-1024×576.jpg”,
direct_url: “https://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/video/australian-open-highlights-garcia-4-def-fernandez-in-straight-sets/”
});
});
.acf-block-preview .br-video-thumbnail::earlier than {
content material: “”;
place: absolute;
prime: 45%;
left: 50%;
rework: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-moz-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-ms-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-o-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-webkit-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
width: 20px;
top: 0px;
border-top: 14px strong clear;
border-left: 22px strong #fff;
border-bottom: 14px strong clear;
margin-left: 3px;
}
Nevertheless, the draw Gods had been unforgiving to the 20-year-old, as she needed to sq. up towards world No. 4 Caroline Garcia within the subsequent spherical, dropping 7-6, 7-5.
Fernandez performed properly in defeat, holding a set level alternative within the second set, and a 4-1 lead within the first set tiebreak.
Denis Shapovalov misplaced by the thinnest of margins within the third spherical to #10 seed Hubert Hurkacz, 7-6, 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3, and cited nerves as his undoing in a sombre press convention.
.acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container {
width: 340px;
margin: 0 auto;
}
Veterans Vasek Pospisil and Rebecca Marino each dropped their opening-round matches.
Ottawa’s Gaby Dabrowski continues to be within the subject in ladies’s doubles, because the third seed alongside Giuliana Olmos of Mexico.
Andy Murray defies Father Time
Whereas he’s now been eradicated from the match, there was no story extra gripping than three-time grand slam champion and 35-year-old Andy Murray keen each ounce of his physique throughout the end line in two iconic late-night matches.
Murray, for all intents and functions, was not presupposed to be right here.
The emotional 2019 Aussie Open press convention in Melbourne was believed to be the top.
Murray opened up in regards to the hip ache that affected his on a regular basis life — the match ready a tribute video with lively and retired gamers, wishing him properly in his anticipated retirement.
A second surgical procedure to his hip and a metallic cap positioned throughout his femur one way or the other renewed hope for the decided Brit to increase his profession, and he’s been steadily rebuilding his type over the previous three seasons.
Nobody might have ready for the kind of iconic performances in Melbourne this 12 months.
Murray displayed his trademark courtroom protection and returning abilities in a 4-hour, 49-minute victory over Matteo Berrettini within the first spherical, saving a match level within the late phases of the fifth set.
The second-round match with Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis was the longest of Murray’s profession.
The 2 traded jaw-dropping rallies and exchanges via the early hours in Melbourne, ending at 4 AM.
The encounter lasted an absurd 5 hours and 45 minutes, with Murray coming away because the victor — 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 7-5.
This momentum-swinging rally proved to be pivotal to his comeback:
.acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container {
width: 340px;
margin: 0 auto;
}
Murray would lose within the third spherical to Roberto Bautista Agut in 4 units however left an indelible mark on the match and its spectators.
Whereas the veteran might not be in a spot bodily to nonetheless contend for majors, the truth that he stays aggressive, with the need and can to win, needs to be one thing no tennis fan ought to take as a right.
Extra from Sportsnet
Auger-Aliassime loses four-set match to Lehecka, eradicated from Australian Open
Two-time champion Azarenka beats Zhu Lin at Australian Open
.acf-block-preview .br-related-links-wrapper {
show: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr);
hole: 20px;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-related-links-wrapper a {
pointer-events: none;
cursor: default;
text-decoration: none;
shade: black;
}