killer_clank
Member
Oh dear, Jamie Murray championship point and ended up being broken.
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The 2016 Australian Open |OT| 18th January - 31st January
- Thread starter LuuKyK
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YoshiStrife
Member
Congrats to Angie!
'Tis hard to take, I know
Honestly, I do feel that if she wants to be able to give herself the best chance of a GS, she has to up her physical side. It wouldn't happen overnight, but I just can't see her beating two or three power players from the QFs onwards in GSs. She had a good draw at Oz, and she is capable of beating any power player on her day (as well as if they have an off-day), but it's hard to see her taking out more than one in a row in the final stages of a GS. I love her game, but I just feel like she has to up the physical and service side to go that one level further.
'Tis hard to take, I know
Honestly, I do feel that if she wants to be able to give herself the best chance of a GS, she has to up her physical side. It wouldn't happen overnight, but I just can't see her beating two or three power players from the QFs onwards in GSs. She had a good draw at Oz, and she is capable of beating any power player on her day (as well as if they have an off-day), but it's hard to see her taking out more than one in a row in the final stages of a GS. I love her game, but I just feel like she has to up the physical and service side to go that one level further.I don't think so. He doesn't know how to beat Djokovic.sicher nid, de murray mues gwünne
Murrays only hope is Djokovic. Djokovic is the only person that can beat Djokovic.
John Dunbar
correct about everything
Kotetsu534
Member
My letter gradings for some of the notable women in this year's Australian Open (relative to expectations):
S:
Angelique Kerber: She played the match of her life to win her first Grand Slam at the age of 28, becoming only the third non-Venus player to beat Serena in a Slam final, after already pulling off one of the tournament's biggest upsets to get past Azarenka, who she'd never beaten, in the QFs. Her serve was more potent than ever before, even if the percentage remained low, while her defense, speed and cutting lefty angles opened the court again and again in the late rounds. Knew when to go big and when to be steadfast. Saved match point against Doi in the first round.
Johanna Konta: Last year she lost in qualifying, this year she made the SFs, taking the ball early and pushing Venus and Makarova off the baseline in R1 and R4 respectively, and dominating lesser opposition. Still signs of nerves when closing sets and matches and still a propensity to hit too many errors under pressure - Kerber, an elite defender, let her knock herself out, but clearly the best performance of her career by a large margin. I never doubt her willingness to get up for the big matches, but I wonder if she can sustain her level against lesser players.
Shuai Zhang: 0-14 in Slams before this event, had been considering retiring after a run of bad results: pulls off miracle run to QFs, taking out three seeds and a dangerous unseeded player (Lepchenko) in R3 with her flat ballstriking. In all likelihood a one-off, but by far the best run of her career. Every low ranked will believe again that the next Slam might be their big moment in the sun. Something this tournament will be remembered for in years to come.
A:
Serena Williams: Only by her absurd standards is a GS final anything less than a great result. Had a tough round 1 against Camila Giorgi before playing 5 matches at an effectively unplayable level. Came out nervous and missing tons of first serves in the final, before gradually finding her game, only to discover that Kerber was resolute from the baseline. Chose to attack the net continually, missed too many volleys and allowed Kerber to demonstrate her pinpoint forehand passes too often. Still though, everyone knows that when she plays her game, she will win, and when she doesn't she probably will. Graf's record holds for a while longer.
Agnieszka Radwanska: Held up to her high seeding with tough defense before getting blown off the court by Serena in the SFs. Serve wasn't as potent as in Singapore and was attacked by Friedsam in R4, where the fitness differential pulled her through in an exhausting battle. Skipping Fed Cup, unusually, to recover for the Doha/Dubai duo coming up in February.
Maria Sharapova: Lost out to Serena, letting an early lead slip away before fighting tirelessly to hang on. Apart from a chaotic and messy set against Lauren Davis in R3, where her serve completely deserted her, easily dismissed lesser opponents. Her match against Bencic was a strange one, where the score (7-5, 7-5) was close but she had all the pressure. Will not play till Indian Wells/Miami to let her left forearm injury heal, where she should be a big threat. Look out for her on the clay too.
Madison Keys: Might seem a bit of a high ranking for the 20 year old big hitter who lost to Zhang in R4, but she did well to come back against Ivanovic in the previous round and was in total control of Zhang until her left leg injury. Fought gamely but was clearly in severe pain by the end of the match. Showing signs that she is learning to control her power and construct points. Big year for her after splitting with Lindsay Davenport.
Daria Gavrilova: Break out Slam run for the new Australian, taking out Petra Kvitova in a raucous night session where her fight and tenacious defense drew the errors from Kvitova's racquet and got the crowd excited, then won one of the best matches of the tournament against Kiki Mladenovic 11-9 in the third. She later had a glorious opportunity to reach the QFs after going ahead in the 2nd set against Suarez Navarro, only to lose her temper when her opponent raised her game and never recover composure. Hopefully lesson learned for Dasha, who at times has more intensity than she knows what to do with.
Anna-Lena Friedsam: Excellent run to the fourth round from Friedsam, overpowering Vinci after losing the first set 6-0. Looked like she was going to pull off the biggest win of her career there against Radwanska, only for her body to break down and for her tournament to end in tears. Hopefully learns from this and knuckles down in the gym to improve her endurance.
Naomi Osaka: Breakthrough tournament for the 18-year old Japanese who doesn't speak her language, born to a Japanese mother and Haitian father. Came through qualifying to reach her first ever Slam main draw, then took out Vekic and Svitolina in straights, before going down weakly against Azarenka. She serves big, hits big, and has an unfiltered, engaging personality. Will be a gift for the marketers if she continues to progress. One to watch.
B:
Victoria Azarenka: Vika powered through to the title in Brisbane, then blew her R1-R3 opponents out in ridiculous style at the AO, handing Van Uytvanck an embarrassing double bagel. Strycova was more of a challenge, staying in rallies and drawing several unforced errors, albeit never truly threatening her. Playing an opponent she'd never lost to in the QFs, she came out flat, leaking errors and hitting shallow. When she had a bundle of set points to square the match, was stunned by the gung ho approach from Kerber and coughed up more errors to lose 7-5 from 5-2 up. The bookies made her the pre-tournament favourite to challenge Serena in the final, but she didn't rise to her first real test. Still expect big things from Vika in 2016, more battle hardened after January.
Carla Suarez Navarro: Made the QFs before losing to Radwanska, taking advantage of a soft draw and a Gavrilova who imploded mentally after losing control of the match. But she started both her R4 and QF with limp bagels against her, and showed no signs of improving her dire record in big matches.
Belinda Bencic: She fought hard in R3 and R4 against Bondarenko and Sharapova, coming through one and failing to win crucial points in the other. The good news is that her mental strength was very much present, the bad news is that her return of serve was found wanting and her movement simply needs work - extend her wide on her backhand and she can struggle to recover. Her last three Slam losses have been to Azarenka (R4), Venus (R3) and Sharapova (R4) - get her ranking up in the next few months and she might be able to avoid such tough opponents.
Daria Kasatkina & Margarita Gasparyan: Two young Russians who can take a lot of pride in how far they've come (Kasatkina is 18, Gasparyan 21) in making R3 and R4 of Slams, taking out seeded opposition along the way. They also got harsh reminders of how far they've to go, routed mercilessly by Serena.
Ekaterina Makarova: Coming back from a long term injury, it's easy to forget she made the SFs here last year. On paper her R3 against Pliskova looked tough, but she ran away with it, exposing Pliskova's poor movement. Played her part in one of the highest quality contests of the tournament against Konta in R4, striking precise angles and moving the ball well. Should be on the road back in 2016.
Annika Beck: Made it through to the 4th round for the first time in her career. The 21 year old baseliner hasn't had a good Slam performance since beating Radwanska in R1 of last year's FO, but she won three matches comfortably, including a win over struggling Timea Bacsinszky, before going down to Kerber. She gave Kerber a serious fight in the first set, filled with gruelling rallies and which lasted nearly an hour.
C:
Garbine Muguruza: Looked to be in fine form, comfortably winning R1 and R2, before being utterly flat against Strycova in R3, who sensed her opponent's vulnerability and pulled her side to side, drawing error after error. Didn't claim to be affected by her foot injury. Disappointing result for a player who did as well as anyone after the US Open last year.
Ana Ivanovic: Had her R3 match against Keys disrupted by Nigel Sears' collapse, but chose to play on and allowed a lead to slip in the third set. Hard to be too critical in the circumstances.
Karolina Pliskova: Still hasn't made 2nd week at a Slam, and still hasn't won a WTA event above international level, and she didn't look any nearer to a big result at this year's AO, put out without much fight by Makarova.
D:
Sloane Stephens: Came in after playing confident, controlled tennis to win Auckland; got easily dismissed by the unheralded Qiang Wang in R1.
Caroline Wozniacki: Lost a marathon R1 match to the small, feisty, resilient Putintseva. This is exactly the kind of opponent Wozniacki's consistent play should allow no way into the match, only it did, and how. Her fitness seemed to let her down in the searing heat, too.
Simona Halep: She struggled in Sydney, but still managed to win some matches. Losing R1 for her 3rd Slam in the last 4 was a poor result, even allowing for her condition. Hope she comes back strong after her time away.
Petra Kvitova: Had an easy R1 win before losing to Gavrilova. Never looked up for the fight despite going a break up in the first set and was erratic all through the match. Split with her coach afterward. Will be a threat on the grass, but remains to be seen what challenge she can sustain the rest of the season.
Venus Williams: Clearly struggling with a leg injury but unlucky to draw a strong opponent in R1.
S:
Angelique Kerber: She played the match of her life to win her first Grand Slam at the age of 28, becoming only the third non-Venus player to beat Serena in a Slam final, after already pulling off one of the tournament's biggest upsets to get past Azarenka, who she'd never beaten, in the QFs. Her serve was more potent than ever before, even if the percentage remained low, while her defense, speed and cutting lefty angles opened the court again and again in the late rounds. Knew when to go big and when to be steadfast. Saved match point against Doi in the first round.
Johanna Konta: Last year she lost in qualifying, this year she made the SFs, taking the ball early and pushing Venus and Makarova off the baseline in R1 and R4 respectively, and dominating lesser opposition. Still signs of nerves when closing sets and matches and still a propensity to hit too many errors under pressure - Kerber, an elite defender, let her knock herself out, but clearly the best performance of her career by a large margin. I never doubt her willingness to get up for the big matches, but I wonder if she can sustain her level against lesser players.
Shuai Zhang: 0-14 in Slams before this event, had been considering retiring after a run of bad results: pulls off miracle run to QFs, taking out three seeds and a dangerous unseeded player (Lepchenko) in R3 with her flat ballstriking. In all likelihood a one-off, but by far the best run of her career. Every low ranked will believe again that the next Slam might be their big moment in the sun. Something this tournament will be remembered for in years to come.
A:
Serena Williams: Only by her absurd standards is a GS final anything less than a great result. Had a tough round 1 against Camila Giorgi before playing 5 matches at an effectively unplayable level. Came out nervous and missing tons of first serves in the final, before gradually finding her game, only to discover that Kerber was resolute from the baseline. Chose to attack the net continually, missed too many volleys and allowed Kerber to demonstrate her pinpoint forehand passes too often. Still though, everyone knows that when she plays her game, she will win, and when she doesn't she probably will. Graf's record holds for a while longer.
Agnieszka Radwanska: Held up to her high seeding with tough defense before getting blown off the court by Serena in the SFs. Serve wasn't as potent as in Singapore and was attacked by Friedsam in R4, where the fitness differential pulled her through in an exhausting battle. Skipping Fed Cup, unusually, to recover for the Doha/Dubai duo coming up in February.
Maria Sharapova: Lost out to Serena, letting an early lead slip away before fighting tirelessly to hang on. Apart from a chaotic and messy set against Lauren Davis in R3, where her serve completely deserted her, easily dismissed lesser opponents. Her match against Bencic was a strange one, where the score (7-5, 7-5) was close but she had all the pressure. Will not play till Indian Wells/Miami to let her left forearm injury heal, where she should be a big threat. Look out for her on the clay too.
Madison Keys: Might seem a bit of a high ranking for the 20 year old big hitter who lost to Zhang in R4, but she did well to come back against Ivanovic in the previous round and was in total control of Zhang until her left leg injury. Fought gamely but was clearly in severe pain by the end of the match. Showing signs that she is learning to control her power and construct points. Big year for her after splitting with Lindsay Davenport.
Daria Gavrilova: Break out Slam run for the new Australian, taking out Petra Kvitova in a raucous night session where her fight and tenacious defense drew the errors from Kvitova's racquet and got the crowd excited, then won one of the best matches of the tournament against Kiki Mladenovic 11-9 in the third. She later had a glorious opportunity to reach the QFs after going ahead in the 2nd set against Suarez Navarro, only to lose her temper when her opponent raised her game and never recover composure. Hopefully lesson learned for Dasha, who at times has more intensity than she knows what to do with.
Anna-Lena Friedsam: Excellent run to the fourth round from Friedsam, overpowering Vinci after losing the first set 6-0. Looked like she was going to pull off the biggest win of her career there against Radwanska, only for her body to break down and for her tournament to end in tears. Hopefully learns from this and knuckles down in the gym to improve her endurance.
Naomi Osaka: Breakthrough tournament for the 18-year old Japanese who doesn't speak her language, born to a Japanese mother and Haitian father. Came through qualifying to reach her first ever Slam main draw, then took out Vekic and Svitolina in straights, before going down weakly against Azarenka. She serves big, hits big, and has an unfiltered, engaging personality. Will be a gift for the marketers if she continues to progress. One to watch.
B:
Victoria Azarenka: Vika powered through to the title in Brisbane, then blew her R1-R3 opponents out in ridiculous style at the AO, handing Van Uytvanck an embarrassing double bagel. Strycova was more of a challenge, staying in rallies and drawing several unforced errors, albeit never truly threatening her. Playing an opponent she'd never lost to in the QFs, she came out flat, leaking errors and hitting shallow. When she had a bundle of set points to square the match, was stunned by the gung ho approach from Kerber and coughed up more errors to lose 7-5 from 5-2 up. The bookies made her the pre-tournament favourite to challenge Serena in the final, but she didn't rise to her first real test. Still expect big things from Vika in 2016, more battle hardened after January.
Carla Suarez Navarro: Made the QFs before losing to Radwanska, taking advantage of a soft draw and a Gavrilova who imploded mentally after losing control of the match. But she started both her R4 and QF with limp bagels against her, and showed no signs of improving her dire record in big matches.
Belinda Bencic: She fought hard in R3 and R4 against Bondarenko and Sharapova, coming through one and failing to win crucial points in the other. The good news is that her mental strength was very much present, the bad news is that her return of serve was found wanting and her movement simply needs work - extend her wide on her backhand and she can struggle to recover. Her last three Slam losses have been to Azarenka (R4), Venus (R3) and Sharapova (R4) - get her ranking up in the next few months and she might be able to avoid such tough opponents.
Daria Kasatkina & Margarita Gasparyan: Two young Russians who can take a lot of pride in how far they've come (Kasatkina is 18, Gasparyan 21) in making R3 and R4 of Slams, taking out seeded opposition along the way. They also got harsh reminders of how far they've to go, routed mercilessly by Serena.
Ekaterina Makarova: Coming back from a long term injury, it's easy to forget she made the SFs here last year. On paper her R3 against Pliskova looked tough, but she ran away with it, exposing Pliskova's poor movement. Played her part in one of the highest quality contests of the tournament against Konta in R4, striking precise angles and moving the ball well. Should be on the road back in 2016.
Annika Beck: Made it through to the 4th round for the first time in her career. The 21 year old baseliner hasn't had a good Slam performance since beating Radwanska in R1 of last year's FO, but she won three matches comfortably, including a win over struggling Timea Bacsinszky, before going down to Kerber. She gave Kerber a serious fight in the first set, filled with gruelling rallies and which lasted nearly an hour.
C:
Garbine Muguruza: Looked to be in fine form, comfortably winning R1 and R2, before being utterly flat against Strycova in R3, who sensed her opponent's vulnerability and pulled her side to side, drawing error after error. Didn't claim to be affected by her foot injury. Disappointing result for a player who did as well as anyone after the US Open last year.
Ana Ivanovic: Had her R3 match against Keys disrupted by Nigel Sears' collapse, but chose to play on and allowed a lead to slip in the third set. Hard to be too critical in the circumstances.
Karolina Pliskova: Still hasn't made 2nd week at a Slam, and still hasn't won a WTA event above international level, and she didn't look any nearer to a big result at this year's AO, put out without much fight by Makarova.
D:
Sloane Stephens: Came in after playing confident, controlled tennis to win Auckland; got easily dismissed by the unheralded Qiang Wang in R1.
Caroline Wozniacki: Lost a marathon R1 match to the small, feisty, resilient Putintseva. This is exactly the kind of opponent Wozniacki's consistent play should allow no way into the match, only it did, and how. Her fitness seemed to let her down in the searing heat, too.
Simona Halep: She struggled in Sydney, but still managed to win some matches. Losing R1 for her 3rd Slam in the last 4 was a poor result, even allowing for her condition. Hope she comes back strong after her time away.
Petra Kvitova: Had an easy R1 win before losing to Gavrilova. Never looked up for the fight despite going a break up in the first set and was erratic all through the match. Split with her coach afterward. Will be a threat on the grass, but remains to be seen what challenge she can sustain the rest of the season.
Venus Williams: Clearly struggling with a leg injury but unlucky to draw a strong opponent in R1.
Great post and I mostly agree.
Radwanska was only a B for me. She is (or rather should be) a slam contender, her draw until the SFs wasn't that hard, she got lucky in the Friedsam match and the loss to Serena was too heavy. Even disregarding the first set she had chances to take the match to a third set, but she didn't.
Beck should get an A. They are quite different players but she was a bit like Kerber lite in Melbourne. Improved her serve, was more aggressive than before, and played a good first set against Kerber.
Just rewatched parts of the final and it was probably the first time that Serena looked "old" to me. It's hard to describe why, but her movement and decision making were not as good as in the past and I don't think it was just her form today.
No. Murray's only two slam victories have come against Djoker.
I think you meant to say that the only person who can beat him is Murray.
I'll forgive you you're misdemeanour this time though.
IISANDERII
Member
She passed Graf ages ago in Grand Slam titles, 36 to 23.
The match point with German commentary. (Eurosport Player offers English commentary + no ads, so I usually go with that... screw you tennis point.)
https://youtu.be/UnXZmkmvCdw
https://youtu.be/UnXZmkmvCdw
YoshiStrife
Member
I'm such a sucker with these things. Puts a lump in my throat.
I would be in bits if Aga ever won one lol
perfectchaos007
Member
I mean, I wouldn't count doubles. Doubles is a bonus
Diprosalic
Banned
have there ever been an older group of current GS holders in the WTA tour.
i mean we have 3 different holders and they are 34, 33 and 28
i mean we have 3 different holders and they are 34, 33 and 28
killer_clank
Member
this
No, I mean that Djokovic will decide the match. Either Ultron shows up and wins in 3 or maybe 4 sets or he has an off day and Murray wins. Either way Murray has nothing to do with the outcome of this match.
John Dunbar
correct about everything
murray had his chance, but now the match is over.
killer_clank
Member
ugh why
the opening game was vaguely promising as well.
the opening game was vaguely promising as well.
Sax Russel
Banned
Just tooooo good
squeakywheel
Member
What're the odds of this ending in less than 2 hours?
John Dunbar
correct about everything
djokovic is already thinking how on earth he can compliment murray's game during the ending ceremony without sounding patronizing.
John Dunbar
correct about everything
maybe he shouldn't have stayed up until the middle of the night yesterday to watch his brother play. murray the strategist strikes again.
squeakywheel
Member
If he was gonna play this crappy he should've let Milos win.
Sax Russel
Banned
Even when he's not making errors Murray is just never in control of any of these points @_@
nightmare-slain
Gold Member
can't believe i got up early and bought a subscription to watch this. murray is terrible.
killer_clank
Member
he should just get on the plane back home, frankly.
clearly doesn't want to be there.
clearly doesn't want to be there.
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