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Australian Open Day 14
Djokovic Ends Tsonga’s Aussie Open Run
Novak Djokovic captures his first Grand
Slam title on Sunday night at the Australian Open, defeating surprise finalist
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets.
Third-seeded
Novak Djokovic capped off an impressive fortnight in style on Sunday in
Melbourne, Australia. The 20-year-old Serb emerged from a hard-fought battle against
unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(2) victory to win the
first Grand Slam title of his career at the 2008 Australian Open.
It
wasn’t the Federer-Nadal final that many tennis fans were eagerly anticipating,
but this matchup had plenty of sizzle thanks to the brilliant play of both
Djokovic and Tsonga leading up to the championship match. Djokovic had not lost
a single set prior to Sunday despite having faced formidable foes Lleyton
Hewitt, David Ferrer, and one Roger Federer in consecutive matches starting in
the fourth round. The underdog Tsonga, meanwhile, pulled off four huge upsets
during his memorable Cinderella run to the final. He took out ninth-seeded Andy
Murray in the first round, eight-seeded Richard Gasquet in the fourth,
fourteenth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny in the quarters, and second-seeded Rafael
Nadal in the semis.
While
neither Djokovic nor Tsonga could sustain the same level of play in the face of
Grand Slam final pressure, the two contestants still managed to thrill the Rod
Laver Arena faithful. It was a high-quality match to be sure. It simply was not
quite as mind-boggling as their previous performances.
At
the beginning, however, it looked like Tsonga would once again be up to his old
tricks. The crowd favorite dropped serve in the opening game of the match but
promptly got the crowd into the match by breaking Djokovic right back. Almost
the entire arena other than Djokovic’s box was rooting vociferously for Tsonga,
and that resulted in some alleged heckling of the Serb’s camp which seemed to
cause problems throughout the first set. The break of serve and the situation
in the stands left the Serb flustered at the same time energizing Tsonga, who
served at a 68-percent clip in the first set and was never threatened again in
the first set on his service games. But it was with his return that the 22-year-old
Frenchman did the most damage in the opening stages of the match. Just as he
had done throughout the tournament, Tsonga took control of points early and
completely dictated play. Whenever Djokovic failed to put in his first serve,
Tsonga would jump all over the second offering and that aggressive strategy
worked to perfection as he took 10 of his opponent’s 14 second-serve points in
the first set. That led to one more break for Tsonga and one more break was all
he needed. The set culminated with Tsonga hitting a stunning one-the-run
topspin forehand lob that sailed over a hapless Djokovic’s head and bounced
just inside the baseline.
Unlike
Nadal before him, Djokovic was not about to get wiped off the court in three
quick sets. Although his serve almost completely fell apart in the second set
(he put in less than half of his first balls), the rest of Djokovic’s game
picked up considerably. He began to take control of the baseline rallies and
having made more unforced errors than winners in the first set, Djokovic struck
10 winners to just five errors in the second.
Djokovic
really started to deliver what looked like a knockout blow in the third set. He
put in 70 percent of his first serves, won thirteen of his fourteen first serve
points, and only lost a total of four points on serve the entire set. The Serb
also did to Tsonga what Tsonga had done to him in the first set. Djokovic took
an impressive seven of 13 (54 percent) points on the Frenchman’s second serve.
He broke twice in the third set, converting two of ten break point chances,
whereas Tsonga did not see one single break opportunity against Djokovic’s
serve in the third frame of play.
With
Djokovic on a roll and Tsonga looking like his thrilling two-week journey
through the Australian Open had finally taken its toll on him both mentally and
physically, the fourth set seemed like a foregone conclusion. But just as
Tsonga found new life in putting forth one last effort to get back in the
match, Djokovic suffered a minor hamstring strain. Thanks in part to his
opponent’s hindered movement but mainly to his own booming serve, Tsonga was
never threatened on serve in the fourth set. The reeling Djokovic, however,
struggled in his service games and had to come up with several pressure-packed
shots in order to keep up the pace in the fourth set. Never was that the case
more than at 5-5 and Djokovic serving. Down break point, the Serb tried an
ill-advised drop-shit which Tsonga retrieved easily and prepared to launch a
game-winning forehand. Djokovic, however, guessed Tsonga would go down the line
and when Tsonga did just that, Djokovic blocked a backhand volley into the open
court for a winner. He then won the next two points to force the decisive
fourth-set tiebreaker.
Both
players were back on top of their games at this point, so Djokovic’s dominance
in the tiebreaker can only be attributed to his experience of having been deep
in Grand Slams before, including the final of the U.S. Open in 2007. For
Tsonga, who had never been past the fourth round of any Grand Slam event prior
to this Australian Open, it was not overly surprising that his nerves finally
showed. Yes, the newcomer who had stolen the heats of the Melbourne faithful
was human after all.
When
Tsonga sprayed one last forehand wide, Djokovic took the tiebreaker 7-2 to win
his first Grand Slam title.
Thumbs
Up: To both players, for the quality of this match, their shockingly high level
of play throughout the tournament, and for the way they handled themselves in
the trophy ceremony.
Thumbs
Down: The 2008 Australian Open, which has to go down as one of the most thrilling
Grand Slams in recent memory, is finally over.
Australian Open Day 14 Preview
Australian Open Championship Preview: Novak Djokovic vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
It’s not Federer-Nadal. It’s not No. 1
vs. No. 2. It’s not a final matchup that anyone could have ever expected. But
it’s one that should have all tennis fans buzzing with excitement. It’s Novak
Djokovic against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the championship of the 2008 Australian
Open.
Giant-killers
Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will meet on Sunday night in Rod Laver
Arena to battle for the 2008 Australian Open title. While fans were surely
expecting a Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal showdown, instead they will be treated
to two players who are as hot as the Melbourne summer sun.
Hot?
More like positively on fire. The third-seeded Djokovic has not lost a single
set throughout his run to the final. He’s taken out Benjamin Becker, Simone Bolelli,
Sam Querrey, 19th-seeded Lleyton Hewitt, and fifth-seeded David
Ferrer. And all of that was just the appetizer. On Friday night Djokovic served
up the main course with a stunning straight-set knockout of top-ranked Roger
Federer. The Serb outplayed Federer in all facets of the game en route to 7-5,
6-3, 7-6(5) victory.
Tsonga
has been no less impressive. The unseeded Frenchman has already pulled off four
headline-stealing upsets on his way to becoming the most recent addition to a
long line of historical Australian Open surprises. After sending ninth-seeded Andy
Murray on his way home in the first round, Tsonga routed Sam Warburg and
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez before resuming his trek on the upset trail. He then
manhandled fellow Frenchman and eighth-seeded Richard Gasquet in four sets and wiped
out fourteenth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny in three quick ones. Like Djokovic, as
impressive as the first five wins were, Tsonga saved his best for last. In a
dizzying display of power, touch, and downright out-of-his-mind tennis, he
destroyed Rafael Nadal in the Thursday night semifinal 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. The
second seed did not even play poorly, as he hit 13 winners to just a miniscule
12 unforced errors, but he was no match for Tsonga, who blasted 49 winners in
just three short sets.
Djokovic
will be taking part in his second—and second consecutive—Grand Slam final. The
Serb finished runner-up to Federer at last year’s U.S. Open. Tsonga has never
experienced anything close to what the atmosphere will be like on Sunday. Not
only is this his first Grand Slam final (it was also his first Grand Slam
quarterfinal and semifinal), but this is his first final in any ATP Tour level event. While the
pressure will be immense, if Tsonga’s previous six matches are any indication,
the 22-year-old should have little to no problem with nerves.
He’ll
have to do a lot more than overcome nerves in this first-ever head-to-head
meeting between the two finalists. Just as he did against Nadal in the semis,
Tsonga will have to bring a wide variety of play to the table when he faces
Djokovic. His opponent has been completely teeing off on the ball from the
baseline throughout the fortnight and Djokovic has just finished overwhelming
baseline grinder David Ferrer and world No. 1 Roger Federer in groundstroke
battles. Even if Tsonga’s forehand is on like it was against Nadal, the
Frenchman will still have to follow his shots into the net in order to shorten
points, eliminate grueling rallies from the backcourt, and keep Djokovic off
balance. As he showed us in the semifinals, Tsonga’s deft net game is far too
good to waste.
The
odds are with Djokovic simply because he has been on this stage before and he
also has unparalleled confidence from having just dominated the best player in
the world. But with the way things are going for this Tsonga kid right now, the
outcome could not be further from a foregone conclusion.
Only
one thing is certain. If Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga play at level they’ve
somehow managed to sustain this whole tournament, it will be an Australian Open
final to remember forever.
Australian Open Day 12
- Looking good: Djokovic still has not lost a set the entire tournament.
- Thumbs up: Djokovic, especially for the way he responded to intense pressure in the third set while trying to close out the match.
- Thumbs down: Anyone who doesn't like tennis.
- Day 13 Outlook: It's rest day before the men's singles final. The calm before the surprising Tsonga-Djokovic storm. We do, however, have the men's doubles final with Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram taking on Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra.
Australian Open Day 11
- Looking good: Tsonga. You can't predict him playing that way again in the final, but if he does, I feel sorry for Federer or Djokovic.
- Thumbs up: Tsonga. For everything in every way.
- Thumbs down: Nothing you can say but bad luck for Rafael Nadal. Like Andy Roddick against Philipp Kohlschreiber, he simply ran into a player who could not be stopped.
- Day 12 Outlook: Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic. The good news, for Djokovic and for people who are interested in watching a match that lives up to expectations, is that Federer has looked beatable. Mostly his vulnerability showed in the third-round epic against Janko Tipsarevic, but Tomas Berdych and James Blake also had a few chances. Djokovic has not dropped a set this entire tournament, so all signs point to a well-contested match.
Australian Open Day 10
Semifinal Australian Open Preview: Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga vs. Rafael Nadal Often a tournament to produce a surprise Grand
Slam finalist, the Australian Open has yet another chance of doing the same in
2008 with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who is looking to pull off another huge upset.
The victim this time would be second-seeded and three-time Grand Slam champion
Rafael Nadal. Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga will take on favored Rafael Nadal in the first semi-final match of the
2008 Australian Open on Thursday night in Rod Laver Arena. Having already
reached both his first Grand Slam quarterfinal and semifinal in Melbourne, the
Frenchman seeks to record his fourth headline-making upset of the tournament in
order to advance to his first slam final. Nadal, meanwhile, will be trying to
make his first-ever final appearance Down Under. Other than
the incredible third round that delivered several epic matches worthy of living
in Australian Open lore, Tsonga has been the story of the tournament. The
22-year-old made a statement from the very beginning of the fortnight, upsetting
ninth-seeded Andy Murray in a fourth-set tiebreaker. Tsonga then rolled through
each of his next two matches in straights sets before sending friend and
compatriot Richard Gasquet home in four sets. The scoreline suggested a close
contest, but in reality Tsonga dictated play throughout the proceedings and
pretty much dominate the eighth seed. As if that wasn’t enough to prove he
belonged with the elite, Tsonga used his overwhelming power to roll over the 14th-seeded
and previously on-fire Mikhail Youzhny 7-5, 6-0, 7-6(6) in the quarterfinals. While
Nadal’s run to the semi-final was expected and therefore not as newsworthy as
Tsonga’s breakout, the Spaniard has been no less impressive. In fact Nadal has
not dropped a single set in five matches. Granted his draw has not been nearly
as tough as Tsonga’s, but he has made quick work of the hands he’s been dealt. After
easing past three relatively unheralded foes in the first three rounds, Nadal blew
Paul-Henri Mathieu off the court in the fourth round (the Frenchman retired in
the second set) and then erased Jarkko Nieminen in straight sets in the quarterfinals. Tsonga and
Nadal have faced each other once in their careers, and that came less than five
months ago at another hard-court Grand Slam, the U.S. Open. Nadal triumphed in
the third-round clash 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-1. The Plexicushion surface in Australia
should give the Spaniard an even greater advantage, but with the way Tsonga is
playing right now, a much tougher match can only be expected. While
Tsonga is more than adequate from the baseline, he cannot afford to spend the
day going toe-to-toe with Nadal in grueling groundstroke slugfests. Although
Tsonga’s huge forehand would win him a number of those points, Nadal’s heavy
topspin forehand, relentless pressure, and his ability to get almost any ball
back would eventually wear down the Frenchman. Instead, Tsonga must follow his
big serve and forehand into the net, where he can force the issue and shorten
the points. That should help keep Nadal out of a baseline rhythm. Expect
Nadal to try throwing Tsonga off by giving the underdog various looks when
returning serve. Most of the time the Spaniard will step back way behind the
baseline in order to give himself more time to read Tsonga’s serve and react.
As long as Nadal merely gets the ball back in play with at least some depth, he
should have the advantage once a rally begins. At other times, however, he’ll
step forward and take his opponent’s serve early and on the rise just to give
Tsonga something to think about. When it’s
all said and done, Tsonga should be able to power his way to at least one set
as long as he is serving like he did against Youzhny. Nadal, however, will come
through in four sets and advance to his first Australian Open final.
- Looking good: Djokovic has been on fire the entire tournament and Federer, as usual, is heating up as the tournament goes on. He hasn't dropped a set since prevailing in the epic five-set clash with Janko Tipsarevic. The semi-final matchup should be awesome.
- Thumbs up: All four guys. Federer and Djokovic are looking strong heading into their semi-final showdown and Blake and Ferrer both enjoyed good showings at the Aussie Open.
- Thumbs down: It would have been nice to see both Blake and Ferrer pull off at least one set each, but alas they did their best.
- Day 11 Outlook: Rafael Nadal vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. See preview above.
Australian Open Day 9
- Looking good: Both Nadal and Tsonga are just completely in command of their games right now. Nadal has not yet dropped a set and Tsonga has pulled off three big upsets now.
- Thumbs up: Tsonga. Plain and simple it has been a coming out party for the 22-year-old.
- Thumbs down: Mikhail Youzhny. What happened? He had a great chance to make his first ever Grand Slam final after destroying Ivo Karlovic and Nikolay Davydenko in consecutive matches. But with his straight-set loss to Tsonga, that hope is lost.
- Day 10 Outlook: We
have the second day of quarterfinal action with the top half of the
draw: Novak Djokovic vs. David Ferrer during the day and Roger Federer vs. James Blake for the night session. Blake will have his hands full, but his confidence could not be any higher than it is right now. Djokovic and Ferrer squared off at the U.S. Open last year and this one should be another entertaining match. I'm looking for Federer and Djokovic to both come through in four sets -- Federer in 3 if he gets his act together.
QUARTERFINALS (BOTTOM HALF OF THE DRAW) ANALYSIS AND PREDICTIONS
- Looking good: All four of those guys, but especially (and in order) Djokovic, Ferrer, and Blake. Federer is doing fine, but he has obviously looked better.
- Thumbs up: Berdych for actually showing a decent effort despite being overmatched.
- Thumbs down: Berdych for basically giving away the set points he had in the second.
- Day 9 Outlook: We have the first day of quarterfinal action with the bottom half of the draw: Rafael Nadal vs. Jarkko Nieminen during the day and Mikhail Youzhny vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga by night. See the video for analysis and predictions.
FOURTH ROUND TOP HALF OF THE DRAW ANALYSIS AND PREDICTIONS- Well, Day 7 certainly allowed tennis fans to come back to earth after the dizzying 30-hour stretch over the previous two days. It was never expected to produce anything like what we say i the night session of Day 5 and the entire Day 6, but Sunday really was a letdown in the truest sense of the word. Mikhail Youzhny utterly destroyed Nikolay Davydenko it what was supposed to be a toss-up all-Russian affair and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga completely controlled his all-French match with Richard Gasquet even though the score made it look closer than it really was. Two days after putting on a legendary display of tennis against Andy Roddick, Philipp Kohlschreiber could barely hit a ball in the court in a four-set loss to Jarkko Nieminen. Then in the night session, Paul-Henri Mathieu retired in the second set to end his misery at the hands of Rafael Nadal. - Looking good: Youzhny and Tsonga are both simply on fire this tournament. Their fourth-round meeting should produce some fun, thrilling tennis. Nadal was playing by far his best tennis of the Aussie Open when Mathieu retired. - Thumbs up: Jarkko Nieminen. I swear I don't know how this guy keeps doing this at Grand Slam events. I know he is rock solid in every aspect of the game, but he doesn't have the weapons of any of the guys still left in the tournament. - Thumbs down: Davydenko - he didn't even pretend to suggest he had a chance against Youzhny after the opening set. Kohlschreiber - complete collapse of his game in a span of just two days. - Day 8 Outlook: Mercifully we are getting back to the top half of the draw. It will be very interesting to see how Federer bounces back from his epic five-set win over Tipsarevic. Chances are he will do so in dominant fashion, and Tomas Berdych really shouldn't be able to do anything to stop it. Will Marin Cilic look like the same kid he was in his Day 5 upset of 2007 finalist Fernando Gonzalez when he takes on comeback kid James Blake? Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Ferrer--both of whom have been extremely impressive so far--should engage in a grueling baseline slugfest. If that's not enough, the night session has the colossal Djokovic-Hewitt matchup. Will Hewitt recover to produce the same heroics he did against Baghdatis two nights ago?
Australian Open Day 7
- When Australians woke up on Saturday morning to the ugly site, I bet they had no idea they would be treated to one of the greatest days in tennis history. From James Blake, to Roger Federer and Janko Tipsarevic, to Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis, what the tennis world witnessed today (and if you also count the Roddick-Kohlschreiber match that lasted into the wee hours of Saturday morning) will last forever. More on all of this in article form later, but for now let's move on. - Looking good: Tomas Berdych (a four-set winner over Juan Monaco) and Novak Djokovic (a straight-set winner over Sam Querrey). With the way Djokovic has looked and with Tipsarevic extending Federer to the brink of elimination, could the Serb have a real chance in the potential semi-final showdown? - Thumbs up: To the sport of tennis. I don't think there's any other way to say it. - Thumbs down: Fernando Gonzalez. Defending all of those points from his run to the final last year, the Chilean flamed out to young Croat Marin Cilic in four sets. Gonzalez will fall out of the Top 20 when the rankings come out the day after the Australian Open. - Day 7 Outlook: Oh my, the shoes Day 7 has to fill. It's an impossible task. But that doesn't mean we won't see some more good tennis on Sunday. An all-Russian affair (Davydenko and Youzhny) and an all-French affair (Gasquet and Tsonga) should make tennis fans who are still hungry for more salivating. All four of those guys have been spectacular so far Down Under. Also don't forget that we still have Juan Carlos Ferrero vs. David Nalbandian left over from yesterday due to rain. Finally, will Philipp Kohlschreiber be able to keep up his unparalleled level of play when he takes on Jarkko Nieminen?
Australian Open Day 6
Australian Open Day 5 - Ladies and gentlemen, it's only January 18th and we already have seen what will most likely be the match of the year on the ATP Tour. That's right, Andy Roddick and Philipp Kohlschreiber battled well into the night (and by night I mean after 2:00 in the morning) on Rod Laver Arena. At long last the German prevailed 8-6 in the fifth set. There was not one break of serve over the final three sets until Kohlschreiber broke Roddick at 7-6 in the final frame to take the match. Kohlschreiber fired an unimaginable 104 winners, including 32 aces, to just 33 unforced errors. It was a performances for the ages, but let's not forget about Roddick. The American blasted 42 aces and 79 winners in all as opposed to just 24 unforced errors. Only time will tell if this epic is remembered as fondly as the Roddick-El Aynaoui quarterfinal Aussie Open clash from 2003, but in terms of quality this one is better than anything in recent memory. Any more words wouldn't do it justice, so just check out the laughably outrageous match stats. - Looking good: Mikhail Youzhny (he absolutely destroyed big-serving Ivo Karlovic in straight sets) and Nikolay Davydenko (still hasn't dropped a set this tournament). It's a shame these two have to play in the fourth round because it looks they are two of the most in-form players in the draw at the moment. - Thumbs down: Mardy Fish. The American was looking great through two rounds and a set of his match with Jarkko Nieminen, but it was all downhill after that and Fish went away mentally. Very disappointing end to what once was a promising tournament (especially because of the soft draw) for Fish. - Day 6 Outlook: It will be an unbelievable atmosphere for the match of the day, as Lleyton Hewitt will take on Marcos Baghdatis during the night session. With hometown favorite Hewitt and with all that's gone on surrounding Baghdatis already this week, this one will be wild. Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Nalbandian is another blockbuster matchup. Ferrero has been on fire so far and Nalbandian has looked human at a few points in both of his matches, so this one should be close. Fernando Gonzalez could have a tricky time with up-and-coming Croat Marin Cilic. Comment on the Australian Open Daily Observations
Australian Open Day 4
- Just when you thought the Australian Open would be somewhat up for grabs in 2008, ROger Federer goes out and does THAT in the first two rounds of the tournament. Two days after abusing Diego Hartfield in Rod Laver Arena, Federer came back out and annihilated Fabrice Santoro 6-1, 6-2, 6-0. The world No. 1 struck 53 winners to just 18 unforced errors in another virtually flawless performance. The message has been sent loud and clear: Federer is not about to invite any other player near his party at the top of the ATP rankings.
- The Aussie Open got it's first 5-set night match of the year from fan favorites Marat Safin and Marcos Baghdatis. Safin came back from two sets down to fourth a fifth set, but the Cypriot outlasted him 6-2 in the final frame. It wasn't exactly a top-notch match as both players had far more errors than winners, but it was still wildly entertaining and made for a great atmosphere inside Melbourne Park.
- Looking good: Federer, Baghdatis, James Blake, Tomas Berdych, Novak Djokovic, Juan Carlos Ferrero.
- Thumbs up: Veteran Sebastien Grosjean and youngster Robin Haase for putting on a spectacular five-set show in front of a great atmosphere on the outer courts. It showed there is still life in Grosjean yet, while the 2008 Aussie Open signals the beginning of Haase making a name for himself. And Sam Querrey, who is suddenly playing superb tennis and upset Dmitry Tursunov for arguably the biggest win of his young career.
- Thumbs down: Tursunov. He has all the necessary talent and it often shows in smaller events, but when will the Russian come up big at a Grand Slam?
- Day 5 Outlook: The bottom half of the draw takes back to the court and let's hope it produces some more enthralling tennis than it did on Day 3. Highlighting the proceedings will be Mikhail Youzhny and Ivo Karlovic. It's the most enticing matchup of the day and both men have a chance to go on to achieve their best Grand Slam showing ever. Philipp Kohlschreiber could give Andy Roddick his first test of the tournament. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet appear poised to set up a titanic fourth-round collision. Mardy Fish looks to build upon his blowout win over Tommy Robredo when he faces another seed in Finn Jarkko Nieminen. Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, should continue to cruise at the very bottom of the draw as he takes on unheralded 28-seed Gilles Simon.
Comment on the Australian Open Daily Observations
Australian Open Day 3
- The bottom half of the draw is billed as by far the weaker of the two halves and it sure lived up to its billing on Wednesday. There was not one five-set match in the second round, and only five of the sixteen matches went to four sets. That's crazy! The closest match was probably Youzhny against Seppi, in which the Russian prevailed in a fourth-set tiebreaker. I can't say there was a really a match of the day or even an unusually huge win or upset, but the performances of the day were by Richard Gasquet and Mardy Fish. Gasquet hit 35 winners to just 12 unforced errors in a 6-2 6-1, 6-3 destruction of Feliciano Lopez. Fish destroyed Tommy Robredo 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 to get revenge on his crushing five-set loss to the Spaniard in the second round of the U.S. Open just four months ago.
- Looking good: Fish, Gasquet, Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Nikolay Davydenko.
- Thumbs up: Stefan Koubek, who two days after upsetting Carlos Moya in the first round, took out Agustin Calleri in straight sets. Also to Philipp Kohlschreiber, who has won six straight sets (the last was by default today against Korolev) over two matches.
- Day 4 Outlook: Melbourne Park should have a much better day on its hands as the top half of the draw takes to the court for round 2. The blockbuster matchup is between 2005 Australian Open champion Marat Safin and 2006 runner-up Marcos Baghdatis. Not surprisingly, it's the night match in Rod Laver Arena. Federer-Santoro should also be wildly entertaining, even though the score will almost certainly be lopsided. Sam Querrey vs. Dmitry Tursunov could also end up being one of the best matches on Day 4. Querrey, who slumped a bit at the end of 2007, looked impressive against Olivier Rochus in the first round. It will also be important to keep an eye on some never-know-what-your-going-to-get-from-them contenders. Fernando Gonzalez, James Blake, and David Nalbandian will all be in action.
Comment on the Australian Open Daily Observations
Australian Open Day 2
- The Marat Safin-Ernests Gulbis showdown turned out to be a buzzkill, but I guess that's really not too surprising. Either both were going to play well and produce some other-worldly tennis, or both were going to play poorly and produce one of the ugliest, error-filled matches in tennis history, or one was going to play well and the other poorly to produce a lopsided affair. The later is what happened. At least I assume Safin played well, but I didn't see the match so who knows. Give Gulbis just a little bit more time, however, and he'll find some consistency. He is like a Baby Safin right now: when he is on he is unbeatable, and when he is off he is one of the worst players on the ATP Tour.
- Looking good: Safin, Roger Federer (straight-set destruction of Diego Hartfield, James Blake (straights over Massu), Novak Dokovic (straights over Becker), Juan Carlos Ferrero (straights over Kiefer).
- Thumbs up: Spadea, Dmitry Tursunov (came back from two sets down against Malisse), Janko Tipsarevic (won fifth set 6-0 over Sirianni after dropping fourth set 6-0).
- Thumbs down: Radek Stepanek (stunned by Spadea), Ivan Ljubcic (upset loss to Robin Haase does nothing to quiet doubters that he is fading into oblivion), Chris Guccione (another huge start to the year squandered at his hometown Grand Slam, this time to Hyung-Taik Lee in straight sets).
- Day 3 Outlook: It's the bad part of the draw on Day 3 (lower half), but there will still be some intriguing stuff going on. Gasquet-Lopez could be the marquee match, and it will be especially interesting to see how Nadal and Tsonga, both of whom looked good in round one but still come with question marks, are doing. Seeds that could be in trouble on Day 3, in addition to Gasquet, are Robredo, Simon, Kohlschreiber, and perhaps even Jarkko Nieminen against American Jesse Levine.
Australian Open Day 1
- The win of the day has to be Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's upset of 9th-seeded Andy Murray. I had Murray in the semi-finals of my bracket, but I also had Tsonga in my top 20 Aussie Open contenders even though he is not seeded, so I guess I wasn't ENTIRELY wrong! I still thought the Scot had a chance when he was down two sets, and I really thought he had a chance after he bageled Tsonga in the third. The Frenchman even looked hobbled with a minor foot injury in the late stages of the match, but he came through in the clutch (although both players clearly felt the pressure late in the fourth set). Tsonga now has a nice draw until the fourth round, where he could face fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Murray-Gasquet surely would have been great stuff, but Tsonga-Gasquet could be even better!
- Looking good: Nikolay Davydenko, Mikhail Youzhny, Stanislas Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal (all straight-set winners).
- Thumbs up: Tommy Robredo, Jarkko Nieminen (both came back from 2 sets down), Jesse Levine and Sam Warburg (big wins for two young Americans).
- Thumbs down: Carlos Moya (it looked like he was playing well), Donald Young (blew a great chance for a rare Grand Slam match victory), Juan Ignacio Chela (proved his run at U.S. Open was a fluke), and of course Andy Murray (had all kinds of hype surrounding him going into the Australian).
- Day 2 Outlook: Some huge matches on the menu, especially Isner-Santoro and Gulbis-Safin. Others to watch are Baghdatis-Johansson, Hewitt-Darcis, Kiefer-Ferrero, and Haase-Ljubicic.
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Archived thoughts from 2007
Madrid quarterfinal previews and third round match analysis
- Roger Federer vs. Feliciano Lopez: Federer got revenge for two early-season in dominant fashion, destroying Canas 6-0, 6-3. Lopez won the first set over Koubek in a tiebreaker and then rolled in the second set. The Spaniard played some awesome tennis in the second, smashing forehand winners all over the place and even flattening out some nice backhands. Federer beat Lopez at the U.S. Open in September despite dropping the first set. The world No. 1 seems to be really in form this week, so I'm not giving Lopez a set this time around.
- Nicolas Kiefer vs. Fernando Gonzalez: Kiefer upset Karlovic in two tiebreakers in the third round, no small feat considering just how well the 6'