A new year has started.
Australian Open - local (Montreal) boy Gabriel Diallo (raked 41st) won the first set off Zverev (ranked 3rd) - but lost the next three.
Looks like a good event.
I came here to start this!
On the ATP side Medvedev, Machac, Bublik and Mensik won the lead-in tournaments to the AO.
In WTA lead-ins it was Svitolina, Cocciaretto and M. Andreeva.
Venus Williams looked good for a long time for a first round win, was up 4-0 in the third before losing six in a row. Game 9 was a looong game, but Venus was just piling up the unforced error by this point.
On the men’s side #20 seed Cobolli went out very meekly to a qualifier. I only saw a few points and he didn’t look injured. Just a bad day at the office, perhaps.
In the women’s side, #11 Alexandrova, #20 Kostyuk and #23 Yastremska all fell on the first day. Sabalenka looked in devastating form. Sakkari looked in good nick as well.
Just watched Coco Gauff win in straight sets. Her double faulting is terrible. Her forehand is lacking. But she still won in straight sets. In the after-match interview, the reporter was gushing how great Coco played. We shook our heads–Coco won’t make it to the quarterfinals playing like this.
Anyway happy to start the new tennis season. Already got my tickets for Indian Wells.
Prediction time:
Will Novak Djokovic win a major this year?
I’m betting…yes. One and only one, but yes.
Maybe retire with his 25 majors?
Not a good day for Canadians. Felix Auger-A. had hamstring problems, and “retired”. He had a good first set, but he was showing weakness in the subsequent ones.
First-timer Marina Stakusic had won all her prelims in straight sets, but this time was pushed off the court in a wheelchair. Easy first set, but leg problems caught up with her.
It was up to Victoria Mboko to save the day. Ranked in the 300’s a year ago, she is now 17th. She won fairly easily against number 153.
Later on - Shapabalov won in straight sets.
First two rounds are done. Players I’m following:
Iva Jovic, #29 seeded American, a local to me and just breaking into the scene. She’s looking strong, but next match is against Jasmine Paolini, #7 seed from Italy, who’s short and plays like a spitsfire. Really looking forward to this match.
Coco Gauff, #3 seeded American, media darling, but painful to watch. Moments of brilliance interspersed with loss of focus. Next match is against Hailey Baptiste, an unseeded American, who already beat another American in the first round. Coco needs to pull it together.
Amanda Anisimova, #4 seeded American, is playing great and consistently. She’s facing another American in round three, Peyton Stearns, who I haven’t really followed.
I’m a big fan of Naomi Osaka, #16 seed representing Japan, who looks like she’s got her mindset back in the groove. Playing Maddison Inglis, an Australian qualifier. This will be a real test for Osaka to ignore the crowd noise, which has rattled her in the past.
Ethan Quinn, an unseeded American, who hasn’t dropped a set yet. Next match is against Jakub Menšík, #16 seeded Czech, and also a rising star.
Botic van de Zandschulp, an unseeded Dutchman, who I follow because he has such a cool name. Next match is against #4 Novak Djokovic, who is favored, but not a certain winner.
Eliot Spizzirri, another up-and-coming unseeded American, but who’s struggling to advance. Next match is against #2 Jannik Sinner, which will be a blow-out.
I think I count seven American women and six American men in the rounds of 32 in singles.
I don’t know when the last time there were that many Americans.
Somehow I feel that the only genuine contender of the 13 is Coco. None of the American men are going to get past Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic. I don’t care what the rankings are, neither Fritz nor Shelton have the intestinal fortitude for the task.
Sinner struggling against Spizzirri down a set.
Very hot there in Melbourne and Sinner cramping
why they don’t close the roof is stoopid…he’s not going to make it if they don’t
and they did …still a long ways to go
Very entertaining match.
Sinner up two sets to one but down a break in the fourth. 
A near thing but a little luck in timing of the roof closing Sinner toughed it out. Showed his grit…no one would have blamed him if he retired.
The American showed he’s up to playing with the big dogs. Very entertaining match. 
Good tennis on at AO
Zverev vs Tien
Set each
Damn what a barn burner at the AO. No 1 vs #3
That was fine tennis all around. 
Wow. Stunning match of Alcaraz vs Zverev. Just for a moment…I saw flashes of Federer vs Nadal.
And right afterward, another stunner — the elderly Djokovic beats the youthful Sinner, in five sets!
Sinner and Djok …could not stay awake for it…missed another 5 set classic and its not on catch up yet. 
I was barely staying awake at 9 pm when we finished our evening session of The Expanse.
Back to back quarter finals of 5 set tennis just too much. That’s like 9 hours of court play 
Must have been a hell of a match as Sinner looked very strong for the little I managed to watch…he was up two break points in the first when I crashed.
The match ended around 1:30 am Melbourne time.
Those were classic semifinals. I hope the final itself is as good.
I really dislike(d?) Novak at one point, mainly when he came out against the Covid vaccine and even ran a tournament the spread it around.
However…he is basically a likable goofy guy. Just surrounded by yes-men. He’s obviously the best of all time and 25 grand slams would be quite the mark to set.
(I still would pick Roger over him, but I concede he has won even more)
There is no one like Roger ….wins not everything. I tended to dislike Djok as well for is covid antics. For his age that 5 sets in Melbourne against Sinner was quite a triumph.
Sinner versus Alcaraz rinse and repeat was already getting old. Needed some spice.
I woke up to see that Rybakina was serving down 0-3 in the decider. She played some sublime tennis for the next half hour. Though she did get some help from Sabalenka who went walkabout for about five crucial minutes.
Nice, i.e. normal, runner-up speech from Sabalenka and quite graceful in the press room too. She’s getting better.
Rybakina’s celebration was extremely muted.