Australian Open 2014 - Worth your time

The Australian Open 2014 is finally over. O Yes, It has been more than two days since the last match was played, or should I say, as it did not play out?

I have not been very consistent with posting on my blog. When posts start coming, they start coming, and when they stop, I just get too lazy and stop posting at all.

Back to the topic, Australian Open saw two first time finalists and two first time Australian Open champions ( in the case of Stanislas Wawrinka, the first time Grand Slam Champion). The tournament was full of surprises, upsets, dramas, controversies, quality play, retirements and what not. You will find everything you can ask for.

What were some of the best reads around the web. Here you go:

Stanislas Wawrinka's defeated Rafael Nadal to win not only his first major title. In doing so, Wawrinka got his very first win over Rafael Nadal in the most important match of his tennis life.

Li Na is one of the few players who know how to make life difficult for her opponents and at times for herself as well. How Li won the Australian Open final to earn her first Australian Open title in her third final appearance.

Lukasz Kubot and Robert Lindstedt win the Australian Open doubles title.

Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci defended their Australian Open title rallying from a 2-5 third set deficit to beat Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.

BBC Sports looks at how Stanislas Wawrinka improved and never gave up to win his maiden slam.

Dhirti Pande feature article on Breakthrough player of Australian Open 2014, Eugenie Bouchard.

Benn Pronin has a case for Stanislas Wawrinka rising to the world no.1 in 2014.

Venus Williams lost in the first round of Australian Open at the hands of Ekaterina Makarova. (Makarova defeated Serena Williams in the 4th round of Australian Open 2012)

GIF says it all. Re-live Li Na's and Stanislas Wawinka's wins in the Australian Open finals.

Five things we learned at the Australian Open 2014

Top 10 occurrences at the Australian Open this year, what are your thoughts on the list?

Stanislas Wawrinka tops the list of ATP race to London.

Roger Federer makes it to the Australian Open for the 11th straight time, but history repeats itself as Federer fails to climb the Rafa wall. Nadal not only sent the Swiss Mastero home, he also prevented a first time all Swiss Grand Slam final.

Agnieszka Radwanska left everyone asking for more in a brave, artistic dismantling of the two time defending champion Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-finals. It was a short-lived joy for Radwanska, as she was sent packing home the very next day by Diminutive Cibulkova.

These were some of the good reads I went through during the Australian Open. Got any interesting read to share?

Li Na beats Safarova, Makarova awaits - Australian Open

Li Na and Lucie Safarova played to earn a spot in the fourth round of Australian Open. Li Na, Chinese No.1 and former Roland Garros champion, had not lost to Lucie Safarova since 2005, however, things looked trimmed early on. Safarova raced through the first set in just 27 minutes and did not face a break point winning the set 6-1. She was aided by 18 unforced errors from Li Na.

Li Na is an absolute treat to watch when she is on, however, it is as painful as it gets, to watch Li Na when she is off, and it was one of those off days.

Safarova seemed headed for a straight sets victory, and given Li's history of weak mental fortitude, it was just a matter of time. However, since joining forces with Carlos Rodriguez, there has been an immense improvement in terms of the mental strength.

Safarova, like Li Na, plays a high risk game and the second set was evident of that fact as she shanked 22 unforced errors to go down in a tight second set. Safarova served for the match at 5-3 in the second set, but as we know Li brings out her best with her back to the wall, she broke to bring the set back to serve. Safarova was not done yet, she earned her first and only match point with Li serving to force a tie-break. Safarova hit a backhand which went long, and it at that moment that Safarova had lost the match. Li ended up winning  the second set 7-6(2).

As the third set approached, Li had calmed down and cleaned her game as she hit just 6 unforced errors against 14 by Safarova and converted 2 of the 3 break point chances she created, winning the set 6-3. The final score being 1-6 7-6(2) 6-3 in Li's favour.

Australian Open is Li Na's favourite grand slam and she has made the semi-finals or better here in 3 of the last 4 years, and if she is to repeat the feat, she will definitely have to improve her performance. One thing that stood out today was champion's mentality in Li's win, she showed that she too can win when not playing her best, and that is what it is all about, winning and moving on.

Awaiting Li, for a spot in the quarter-finals will be Ekaterina Makarova. Makarova has made the quarter-finals here the last two years and has wins over Serena Williams and Venus Williams in the Australian Open.

Makraova defeated Niculescu 6-4 6-4 to move into the 4th round of Australian Open for the third straight year. Niculescu converted all 4 of the break points she created, however, Makarova went two steps ahead converting on 6 of the 9 opportunities. It was not a pretty match either, with Makarova overcoming 35 unforced errors to book a date with Li Na. Niculescu was also undone by the 34 errors she made against only 9 winners.

It will be interesting to see Makraova fighting against Li Na for a quarter-final spot. Li has won all 4 of the pair's encounters, however 3 of those 4 have gone to 3 sets. The last time they played was in the quarter-finals of U.S Open where Li won in 3 sets.

Li should be favoured to win the match, but Makarova has a history of upsets. Who do you think will win the contest?

Serena Williams eases past Hantuchova - Australian Open

Serena Williams means only business and she showed that in her match today against Daniela Hantuchova. Serena Williams was 8-1 against Hantuchova when she walked onto the Rod Laver Arena today. However, Serena's lone loss came in the very same tournament back in 2006.

Hantuchova had said in a press conference yesterday that her grand slam career has been kind of destroyed by the Williams sisters. Serena once again defeated the Slovakian player, ensuring she does not advance beyond the third round.

The first set was a competitive set of tennis, the major difference being the break point conversion rate. Serena created and converted only one break point. Hantuchova created 5 break point chances but failed to convert a single one. Serena won the first set 6-3

Hantuchova finally converted a break point in the second set to break Williams serve, but that was the only thing Hantuchova could take from Serena. Serena converted 3 of the 6 break points she created in the second set to seal victory in 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Serena Williams now awaits the winner of Ana Ivanovic vs Samantha Stosur. The two play at night in the Rod Laver Arena.

Quotable Quotes - Australian Open Day three

Day three saw players moving into the third round. Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Li Na all winning their matches and making it to the third round. The quote of the day award, however, goes to the Canadian Young gun, Eugenie Bouchard.

Let us take a look at the extracts of what some of the players said

Eugenie Bouchard

“No, I just thought because she was French they do the kissy thing.  I thought she maybe kind of wanted to.  I was hesitating.  I just kind of went for it (laughter).” – when asked that she was warm during hand shake at net.

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic

“That's a good question. But for me it's important to always know where I come from, be grateful for the life that I have, of course cherish and nurture every moment spent on the court.” When asked what is the best thing about being Novak Djokovic

Serena Williams

“I never look at the draw ever, ever, ever.” – when asked does she look at the draw.

Li Na

“Don't try to ask that, okay?  (Laughter.) Both players pretty good, really “– when asked whether Ana Konjuh is better player or Belinda Bencic

“On that moment I'm not think about retired, because is not about how is the ball I hit on the court.  It's about so many thing off the court, you know.” – when asked if she would have retired had she not performed better at Wimbledon.

“I think I answered before.” when asked about comments regarding hot weather in Melbourne.

Belinda Bencic

“I don't know.  Go shopping (smiling)?” – when asked what she will do with her prize money.

Stanislas Wawrinka

Stanislas Wawrinka

“I'm not going to win the tournament, so we're not there yet. I can go skydiving without winning the tournament.  It's not a problem for me.” – when asked if he would go skydiving if he wins the tournament.

Ana Ivanovic

“I just feel happy competing.  I find strength and I enjoy having long points, long rallies, long games, and tough matches.  That's what I was lacking in the past.” – when asked if she has to be positive on the court.

“I really tried to also listen to lot of people's advices.  It wasn't always the right choice.” – when asked about her coaching changes since 2008.

“Actually I've been not reading that much last few days.  I've been reading this book by Jeffrey Archer.  It's trilogy.  I'm on the third book “– when asked what she is reading these days

Bouchard, Venus and Safarova make the Quarter-finals of Tokyo

Eugenie Bouchard continued her impressive run in her Tokyo debut as she took down 6th seed Jelena Jankovic to score her second top 10 win and her first in a completed match. Bouchard's other top 10 win came against Samantha Stosur in Charleston earlier this year, when Stosur retired in the second set.

Bouchard was clearly the more aggressive of the two and went on a spree from 5-4 down in the first set  winning 11 games in a row to beat Jankovic 7-5 6-2. While Bouchard was clearly the more aggressive player, Jankovic was unable to put the ball in court for the last few games that I happened to catch.

However, this is an impressive result for the youngster, who had come back from being 75 53 down in the second round to beat Sloane Stephens. Awaiting Bouchard in the quarter-finals is former world no.1 Venus Williams.

Venus Williams backed up her upset over world no.2 Victoria Azarenka in the second round with a win over Simona Halep. Halep was looking to make up some ground in the race to the championships, but Venus had some other plans. Venus beat Halep 46 75 63. Halep was thrice up a break in the second set, but Venus's fighting spirit and never say die attitude kept her alive in the match and at the end it pulled her across the line for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Agnieszka Radwanska got revenge when she beat Dominika Cibulkova 63 64 to book a quarter-final spot. Cibulkova had beaten Radwanska in the pair's last meeting in the final of Stanford. This was Radwanska's 400th career win.

Lucie Safarova ended Samantha Stosur's Tokyo campaign with a straight sets vicotry over the former U.S Open champion, winning the match 64 64. Safarova was 6-2 when she entered, and has now won previous 4 encounters against Stosur. This is a disappointing result for the Aussie given her potential and her fitness. The problems with her game seem to have something to do with her mind. Stosur is one of the few players who can match Serena Williams on the tour in every department and can give her a run for her money, but the lack of mental toughness has always been a problem for Stosur.

U.S Open 2013 Draw Analysis - WTA

U.S Open draw was unveiled yesterday. Serena Williams, the top seed and the defending champion, has Agnieszka Radwanska and Li Na drawn in her half. The good thing for Serena is she will have to face one of them, not that it matters to Serena, since both Radwanska and Li have a combined total of 1 win against SerenaWilliams.

Second seed and last year’s finalist Victoria Azarenka has Sara Errani and Petra Kvitova drawn in her half of the draw. In fact, Kvitova is in Azarenka’s quarter. The two have not played since their epic clash in the final of World Tour Finals in 2011, which Kvitova won in 3 sets. Their careers have taken opposite paths since that clash. Azarenka has won 2 majors and made a final since then, whereas Kvitova has failed to make a grand slam final since then.

Let us now break-down each quarter:

First Quarter:

For full first quarter of draw, please click here. 

Serena Williams is the favourite to make the quarter-final, however, she has a tough opener in the former Roland Garros Champion and former U.S Open quarter-finalist Franchesca Schiavone. Players are prone in their openers, especially the top players. However, given Serena’s form, she should not be troubled.

The spicy thing in this quarter is the potential 4^th round meeting between Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens. Sloane Stephens defeated Serena Williams in the quarter-finals of Australian Open this year in 3 sets.

Angelique Kerber is at the bottom of the quarter and has been in a slump. She went 4-3 in the U.S Open series and given her draw I don’t see her making the quarter-final unless she steps it up.

Youngsters under the radar:

- Eugenie Bouchard – She has a potential second round encounter with Kerber

- Lauren Davis – She plays Carla Saurez Navaro in her opener

- Urszula Radwanska – She plays Irina Camelia Begu in her opener, with a potential second round encounter against Sloane Stephens

Americans in the quarter:

- Serena Williams – She has lost only 4 matches this year. However, important to note is that two of those losses were at majors and the other two losses were at the hands of the player she can only face in the final, - Victoria Azarenka. Serena’s conqueror at Australian Open, Sloane Stephens is in for a potential 4^th round encounter with the defending champion.

- Jamie Hampton – She pushed Azarenka to three sets in the Australian Open. If she is not feeling the back pain and swinging freely, she can upset anyone on a given day. She has potential 3^rd round encounter with Sloane Stepehens.

- Sloane Stephens – She has a good draw and should be favoured to make the 3^rd round at the very least. She has been performing well at majors this year and should be motivated enough to making a noise at her home grand slam.

- Venus Williams – The two time former U.S Open champion (2000-01) plays Kristen Flipkens in her opener and is well motivated to go deep in the draw. The biggest question will be if her body holds up and cooperates with her or not.

- Lauren Davis – She plays Spanish crafty player Navaro in the first round

- Vania King – The diminutive American is former doubles U.S Open winner and plays Kanepi in the first round.

Serena d. Kanepi  (I would have picked Kerber, but she is in a slump, Kanpei is a very brave pick, but its just a draw analysis, so....)

Second Quarter

For full second quarter of the draw, please click here.

Agnieszka Radwanska is the top seed in this quarter and opens against Silvia Soler-Espinosa. The first seeded player she could play is Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in what could be a tough potential third round for her. Radwanska is the only player to make the quarter-final or better at all the grand slams of the year so far. However, she has never progressed beyond the 4^th round of U.S Open. Will this be the year?

Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Liscki is also in this part of the draw and has a potential 4^th round encounter against former Wimbledon runner-up, Radwanska. Radwanska will be keen on taking revenge of her loss at the hands of Liscki in the semi-finals of Wimbledon this year, should the two meet in the 4^th round.

Li Na, this year’s Australian Open runner-up is sitting at the bottom of the quarter and opens against Olga Govortsova. An interesting potential 3^rd round clash awaits Li in the form of Laura Robson. Robson made noise last year when she sent Kim Clijsters into retirement in the second round of U.S Open and then defeated Li Na in the 3^rd round to make the second week of a slam for the first time.

Youngsters under the radar:

- Ashleigh Barty – She plays Estrella Cabeza Candela in the first round which is winnable for the youngster. A second round potential meeting with Pavlyuchenkova awaits.

- Monia Puig – She made the 4^th round at Roland Garros and the 4th round at Wimbledon this year. She makes her U.S Open debut against the comeback player, Alisa Kleybanova,

- Laura Robson – The British player has been making some noise at the grand slams lately. It will be interesting to see what she has in store for this year’s U.S Open.

Americans in this quarter:

- Bethanie Mattek-Sands : She opens against Mathilde Johansson and has a potential second round encounter against Ekaterina Makarova. She should make the 3^rd round.

- Madison Keys – She has a powerful game and she has the potential to beat anyone on a given day. She plays former no. 1 and former U.S Open finalist Jelena Jankovic in the first round.

- Shelby Rogers – She opens against talented French youngster Caroline Garcia.

Also here

- Kimiko Date-Krumm – She is the oldest player in the draw and opens against Paula Ormaechea in what should be a winnable match for the veteran Kimiko.

- Sorana Cristea – Remember Cistea? She made the final of Toronto beating 3 top 10 players and a former world no. 1 starting with Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Jankovic,  Petra Kvitova and Li Na. She has a potential 3^rd round encounter with Jankovic and a potential 4^th round clash against Li Na.

- Jelena Jankovic – The former world no.1 made the semi-finals of Cincinati falling at the hands of eventual champion Victoria Azarenka in three hard fought sets.

Li Na d. Agnieszka Radwanska (The pick is too predictable and given the unpredictable Li, you never know, but I can't help it, I have to give nod to Li)

Third Quarter

For full third quarter, please click here.

This is by far the most open quarter of the draw with Sara Errani sitting at the bottom of the draw as the no. 4 seed and Caroline Wozniacki sitting at the top as the no.6 seed. Wozniacki is finally rounding into form in New Heaven. She is playing semi-finals today. Caroline Wozniacki is one of the two players in the top 8 seeds who is yet to make a grand slam quarter-final this year, the other player being Angelique Kerber. Wozniacki opens against a qualifier.

Sara Errani made the semi-finals last year before bowing out to eventual champion Serena Williams. She opens against Ayumi Mortia in what could be a tricky opener for her. A potential second round meeting with country woman Flavia Pennetta aso sounds scary for the Italian. As if this was not enough, a potential third round encounter against former U.S Open champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova could also be in store.

Yes, Kuznetsova, anyone remember Kuznetsova? There is a big question mark over Kuznetsova. She has gone 2-3 since her quarter-final run in Roland Garros. However, the good news for Kuznetsova fans is that she has performed well at majors this year making the quarter-finals of both majors she has played and losing to the eventual champion at each (Azarenka at Australian Open and Serena at Roland Garros). If Kuznetsova steps it up this could be the ideal draw for her to make the semi-finals, but if she does not, she might be going home in the first round.

Youngsters under radar:

Annika Beck – She opens against Russian Elena Vesnina.

Dona Vekic – She opens against Mariana Duque Marino, in what should be a winnable match for the teenager.

Heather Watson – She has a tough first round assignment in the form of red hot Simona Halep.

Americans in this quarter:

There are 6 Americans in the first quarter, 3 Americans in the second quarter and only two in the third quarter.

-Malloy Burdette. She opens against Svetlana Kuznetsova in what could be a good or a bad thing for her depending on which Kuznetsova shows up.

- Nicole Gibbs – The teenager opens against former top 10 player Flavia Pennetta.

Svetlana Kuznetsova d. Caroline Wozniacki (Again wishful thinking and brave picks. You have to get used to it. You can replace them with Saran Errani and Roberta Vinci, if you like)

Fourth Quarter

For full fourth quarter, please click here.

Victoria Azarenka and Petra Kvitova round off the fourth quarter of the draw. Kvitova opens against Misaki Doi and has tricky potential second and third round encounters with Andrea Petkovic and Mona Barthel respectively.

Azarenka opens against Dinah Pfizenmaier and has a potential third round encounter against Alize Cornet, the woman who pushed her to three sets in Roland Garros. Azarenka comes on the heels of her win over Serena Williams in the final of Cincinnati. Williams has lost only 4 matches this year, with two of them coming at the hands of Azarenka. Azarenka has won one slam this season and must be motivated to make a statement and win another.

Youngsters under the radar:

- Ana Tatishvili: She made the 4th round here last year, but has been unable to win matches this year. She opens against Ana Ivanovic.

- Elina Svitolina - She opens against Dominika Cibulkova and will attempt to win her first match at U.S Open in her second attempt.

Americans in this quarter:

- Alison Riske - She opens against grass lover Tsetana Pironkova.

- Sachia Vickery – She opens against a qualifier

- Maria Sanchez – She opens against former world no.4 Daniela Hantuchova.

- Varvara Lepchenko – She opens against Alexendra Dulgheru, and has a potential second round meeting with Ana Ivanovic.

- Christina McHale – She has a winnable first round match against slumping Julia Goerges and a tricky second round against the hard hitting diminutive Dominka Cibulkova.

Also here:

- 2011 champion, Samantha Stosur, opens against a qualifier. She has a potential 4^th round meeting with Petra Kvitova. An interesting fact to note is that Stosur has not lost before the quarter-finals of U.S Open for the last 3 years.

- Ana Ivanovic – The former world no.1 and former Roland Garros champion has a potential 4^th round encounter with Azarenka. She made the quarter-finals here last year in what was her first grand slam quarter-final since her grand slam triumph at Roland Garros in 2008.

Stosur d. Azarenka (I know Stosur has not had success against Kvitova, whom she is seeded to meet in the 4th round, and Azarenka but U.S Open brings out the best in her as we have been seeing in her last 3 appearances here. That said, this again is a very bold and brave pick. What fun would it be guessing Azarenka to make it all the way to the final)

Semi-Finals :

Li d. Serena

Stosur d. Kuznetsova/Errani

Championship

Stosur d. Li (You can replace Serena with Li and Azarenka with Stosur, and reverse the result)

What are your thoughts after the draw?

U.S Open 2013 Draw - WTA

With the withdrawal of Maria Sharapova, Sara Errani got the 4th seed, the highest she has ever been seeded at a grand slam.

Serena Williams, the top seed and the defending champion has a tough opener in Franchesca Schiavone. However, once through the opener, she should have smooth sailing till the fourth round where she may get a chance to avenge her Australian Open Quater-final loss at the hands of Sloane Stephens. Sister Venus Williams is also in this quarter and may face Serena Williams in the quarter-finals if both make it that far.

Radwanska heads the second quarter, with Li Na being the second seed in the quarter. Li is set for a potential re-match of last year's 3rd round encounter with Laura Robson, where Robson stunned Li in 3 sets.

The 3rd quarter of the draw is the most open of all and many will be willing to take advantage of the draw. Caroline Wozniacki, former world no. 1 and U.S Open finalist finds herself as the second highest seed of the quarter.

Victoria Azarenka, the second seed has Petra Kvitova as the highest seed in her quarter. Ana Ivanovic and 2011 U.S Open winner Samantha Stosur are also lurking in this quarter of the draw.

Potential Quarter-finals are as follows:

Serena - Kerber

Radwanska - Li

Errani - Wozniacki

Azarenka - Kvitova

Two time grand slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova is seeded 27th and has a potential 3rd round encounter with Sara Errani. Kuznetsova has not been playing well lately but she has been stepping it up in grand slams this year, falling to eventual champion Azarenka in the quarter-finals of Australian Open, and eventual champion Serena Williams in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros.

I will be doing an analysis of the draw. Stay tuned :)

Sloane Stephens d. Serena Williams (Australian Open Quarter-Final)

Sloane Stephens entered the court leading Serena, headphones in her ear, listening to, well I don't know what she was listening to ;).

Serena Williams walked right behind Sloane Stephens, looking at the pictures of the past champions as she was walking past the gallery.

It was the second meeting of the pair, with Serena winning their quarter-final clash in Brisbane International at the start of the year, however, it was Serena, who commented on the potential of Stephens after that match and said that Stephens will go as high as world no.1.

Serena Williams started the match in her usual way, firing un-returned serves and held her serve at 15. Stephens responded in the same way and held at love with two un-returned serves, an ace and a winner. Serena Williams responded like-wise with a love hold, Serena started the pattern and Stephens followed it. Stephens did not lose a point on her serve till 4-3. Serving to level the score at 4-all Stephens sent a fore-hand long to lose first point on her serve, a winner from Serena and a double fault from Stephens brought 3 break-points for Serena. Stephens saved the first break point by a winner, and the second on an unforced error from Serena, but on the third Stephens sent a fore-hand long to give Serena the break and a chance to serve for the set, which she complied to win the first 6-3 in just 28 minutes.

Sloane Stephens started the 2nd set in a nervous fashion going down 15-40 on her serve. A big serve saved one break point. A 20 shot rally ensued where Stephens had Serena on the run but the rally ended with Stephens unforced error there-by giving Serena early lead in the second set.

Serena Williams held at 15 to lead 2-0. Stephens held her serve to keep the deficit to one break of serve. Serena Williams' serve started with Stephens going for a winner, Serena had all the court but missed an easy forehand sending it long. Stephens barely putting the serve back in play and waiting for Serena to make an error and Serena complied and Stephens got the break and the set back on serve.
Stephens won the next game by a wonderful passing shot to lead Serena for the first time in the match. Stephens held for 3-2 in the second set. Stephens got a look at the break point on Serena's serve but Serena brought out the Acerena in herself to erase the break-point and hold for 3-all. Stephens held at 15 on her serve to go up 4-3.

Stephens put up a great show to break Serena at 15 to give herself a chance to serve for the set. Stephens raced to 30-0 on her serve, but failed to find first serves and Serena smacked return winners on those serves to get  to 30 all. A good first serve brought Stephens her first set point, nerves started creeping in and Stephens put an easy back-hand long and the game went to deuce. Stephens double-faulted at the worst possible time to give Serena a break point and sent a fore-hand long to get the set back to serve.

Serena twisted her ankle during the game and immediately after breaking Stephens asked for a trainer. Serena was taken off court for treatment, and when she returned she looked visibly bothered by her back since her first serve speed fell to mid 80's mph, Stephens was unable to capitalise on this and Williams held to bring it to 5-all. Stephens saved a break point and held to force Serena to serve to stay in the set again.
Stephens got very defensive on Serena's serve, waiting for Serena to make an error, and missed on her first break point. However, an over-cooked fore-hand form Williams gave Stephens a break point and a netted fore-hand from Williams gave Stephens the 2nd set, 7-5. The 2nd set lasted 58 minutes. Winners-unforced errors differential from Stephens was -5, while for Serena it was a whooping -11, Serena won only 5 of the 14 points played on her 2nd serve.

Third set started with each player holding her serve easily. Stephens held for a 2-1 lead and Serena smashed her racquet on the change of ends breaking it, which pretty much summed up her day. Stephens got a look at a break-point, but Serena sent a big serve erasing it and holding for 2-all in the third set. Stephens held for 3-2. Stephens got to 30-0 on Serena's serve but was unable to win another point. Serena let out a huge 'C'mon' as she held her serve for 3-all. Stephens went down two break points on her serve, but played two great points to save them. Sent sent a fore-hand long to give Serena another chance, however, she saved this as Serena netted a forehand. A return winner on Stephens second serve and a forehand into the net from Stephens gave Serena the break she was looking for. It seemed that Stephens was done for the match, but she pushed Serena to the limits and broke right away to bring the match back to serve.

Stephens saved yet another 2 break points on her serve and forced Serena to serve to stay in the match. A fore-hand long from Williams gave the first point to Stephens, a massive forehand into the corner to draw a short ball from Stephens and smack a winner to win the point for 15-all. On the next point, Serena had all the court to put the ball away, but she sent the fore-hand long, and on the next point sent a fore-hand into the net to give Stephens 2 match points. Another fore-hand into the net and Stephens could not believe it. She looked stunned as she sent the 5 time Australian Open champion, Serena Williams, out of the tournament.

It was a bad day for Serena Williams and probably bad two weeks for Serena Williams, as she was already suffering from a right sprained ankle from her first round win. The back issue that spurred during the back added to it. Serena had already exclaimed that she was having the worst ever two weeks of her life.

Stephens after the hand shake immediately took out her cell-phone to see if she had any message from her mother.

"No, God, I don't know, Oh My God" that was how Stephens summed up her win over Serena Williams in her on-court interview.
"My grand-parents must be watching this and they must be going crazy".
"Yeah! I was hoping she might have texted me right away" when asked about was she checking on a message from her mother.

A few days back a renowned tennis writer tweeted that should Stephens make the quarter-final, she would have done so without beating a player ranked above 45.

I said to her that she can beat only who comes into her way, and the reply was in order to be a top player, you have to beat player, and my response was that she will hopefully beat the top players when she faces them.

 I hope that Stephens has now proved her point by beating the best player at the moment, Serena Williams.

The emotions shown by Stephens were of pure joy, she was asked had she ever imagined she will be in such a stage and beat her idol at this age," No, I can't imagine" and tears started rolling through her eyes, tears of happiness.

For now on, Serena Williams goes home and Sloane Stephens goes on to the semi-finals where she will be playing the world no.1, Victoria Azarenka for the first time, for a place in her maiden grand slam final. 

Quotable Quotes Australian Open Day 6

Jamie Hampton

When asked about Agnieszka Radwanska's game

" She's a really good tennis player.  I think she's a lot of fun to watch.  She plays good tennis.  She understands you don't have to obviously smack a thousand winners to win a match.

You know, you can let somebody beat themself."

when asked about her injury:

" I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but I have two herniated disks in my lower back."

Victoria Azarenka

she is not ready to give Hampton the credit for the way Hampton played:

Q.  You didn't play that loose and free.  Was that because she was so unpredictable and then she got the injury and you didn't really know what was happening with her?

VA:  No, I mean, she played really well, you know.  I felt like I started really well, then lost my concentration and lost my aggressivity a little bit and let her play.

There's always two ways.  Your opponent plays good and you can also make your opponent look good. 

There was two cases today, I think.

Serena Williams

Serena was spot on with her response:

Q.  So far, especially in this tournament, you turned your ankle, hit yourself in the head with the racquet.  What's next?

SW:  Nothing.  That's it.  I'm done.  I'm done.  That was it.  Just wanted to do two things.  Now I got it out of the way. 

Andy Murray

Q.  Was Del Potro's defeat today a bit of a surprise to you?

ANDY MURRAY:  Yeah, I would say it was a surprise.  He was the favorite for the match.  But, you know, often there's surprises in Australia, at this event.  It's the first tournament he's played this year.

Sloane Stephens

on playing against Robson on show court 2

" When I saw the court, I was like, Wow, really, we're on this court?  I mean, it is what it is.  I don't think we'll play that court ever again.  We're turning into the Fed/Nadal rivalry."

I loved the response to this question from Sloane.

Q.  Do you mind when the crowd was pretty much for her?

SS:  There were some stragglers out there for me.  Let's not make it sound like she was the only person they were cheering for.

Laura Robson

on being asked about her feelings on playing on court 2, she was exact opposite to what Sloane said (though Sloane joked)

 "No.  I think Show Court 2 is still relatively large.  Yeah, I was happy with the court choice.  There's nothing wrong with it.  I'm unseeded.  I think Sloane is seeded, what, 32 or something.  So, yeah, we're not both top 10.  So any court is a good court."

Milos Raonic

He was asked about did he saw Federer/Tomic match. I loved his response

 Did you get a chance to watch any of what's going on out there now?

MR:  I watched the tiebreaker.

Q.  Pretty impressive?

MR:  It's Roger.

"But I think against Roger, one thing that has sort of worked well for me, I try as much as I can not to play on Roger's terms, to play on my own terms."

Bernard Tomic

on his loss to Federer

"Look, I thought it was a really good match.  The first two sets we played really good tennis.  It came down to one point, I think."

"Just surprised how he came out from 5 2.  We had a lot of long rallies at that 5 2 period.  He played some good tennis just to get back."

"He beat me.  I'm satisfied with the result here in Melbourne, especially the last few weeks.  Just need to see what he does this tournament.  I'm barracking him to win.  I'm sure he has a good chance of winning.

And, yeah, it's always a good feeling if you can lose to the champion (smiling)."

Roger Federer

on did some of his own shots surprise him:

"No.  I've seen and felt myself playing before so many times that I feel I didn't come up with a shot that I never hit before in my life.  But we had some great ones and I had to be able to bring the whole repertoire, I guess, to the court today, defense and offense, which I enjoy.  Then when you do win those kind of matches, it's a good feeling afterwards."

when asked about his next match against Raonic:

 "I've had some tough matches with him in the past.  All of them went the distance.  Some of them I should have lost, maybe one or two."

Quotable Quotes - Australian Open Day 4

Victoria Azarenka

"Never underestimate anybody.  Anybody on a given day can play outstanding match.  You know, especially when they have nothing to lose"

 "Well, it was pretty hot.  That's why I was trying to play fast.  The first match I got a little bit sunburned.  You don't want to make that mistake again."

Ayumi Morita

on playing Serena Williams in the 3rd round:

"Yeah, she's of course great player and a great champion.  I just want to try my best out there.

And I never played her, so, yeah, just go on the court and hope I can play well and enjoy the match."

Serena Williams

Q.  You play Ayumi Morita next.  Have you played her much or know much about her?

 SW:    No, I haven't played her before, I don't think.  We'll see.

Q.  She bowed out last year in the same round, in the third round.  Do you think she will come back with a bit of vengeance trying to get through to the fourth round and put up a tough fight against you?

SW:  Who do I play? 

Jo Wilfried Tsonga

Q.  You belong to a group of contenders, together with Federer and Del Potro, who can beat the top 4, but it's hard to get to the semis most of the time.  How difficult is it for you?  Because you did it in 1998. 

JWT:  Of course it's never easy, because every player I will meet before that will try to get their chance.  You know, yeah, I'm just looking for the next match, and then I will see after that what I can do.

Kimiko Date Krumm

on how many more Australian Opens she plans to play:

"Five more (laughter).  But not easy.  Not easy.  I need new body"

Andy Murray

when asked about the match-up between Roger Federer and Nikolay Davydenko:

" I think it will be a good match.  I practiced with Nikolay before the tournament.  He's hitting the ball well. 

He obviously had a good start to the year in Doha.  He's playing with the racquets that he was playing with when he had most of his success.  But I'd expect Roger to win." 

Bernard Tomic

when asked about his potential match-up with Roger Federer:

" Yeah, if it is him, then what a match it is, you know, 10 out of 10 now with matches.  I feel so confident.  This is the perfect time to play him.  I think, you know, I've got a good attitude to win.  I've beaten a lot of good players over the last past two weeks, especially Novak.  I think I can do it if he wins his match.

I'm ready.  I mean, I'm not going to say, you know, I don't have the belief.  I do have the belief now.  It's possible.  I showed that in Perth, that you can beat these players.  Now I'm going to try to beat him.

Roger Federer

when asked about Bernard Tomic:

"It's nice he's been able to turn it around after a tough end of the year last year.  It seems he's playing well.  Obviously a difficult matchup in terms of early in the tournament.  But I've got to be ready, so I'm looking forward to the match"

I absolutely loved Roger Federer's response on does he watch videos of players before his matches:

"In a heartbeat you know exactly what your opponent can do.  It's just a matter of compressing it all together when it's really important and then be confident in your own playing. At the end of the day, you have a lot to say as well out there."

This is all for today, I hope to continue to bring some snap-shots from the interviews of players to you every-day.

Australian Open Draw Analysis - WTA

First of all, apologies for bringing the draw analysis to you people so late. I slept after the draw and had to go to office and you all know the routine ;)

10 a.m Australian time and 4 a.m Pakistani time, was the time the draw was supposed to be made. However, the 65 year old boat carrying the defending champions, Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka and their trophies, took ages to reach, and the draw started more than half an hour late. You can judge with this, how professional the Australian Open organisation is. There was a good tweet when we were all waiting for the good old boat to arrive, saying that the boat should be penalised with time penalty. It was my first time watching the Australian Open draw being made live, and it was not a good experience, given the delay in proceedings they made. I can continue to rant on and on, but I think, this will be enough for the time being, let us move on to the draw.

All the eyes were on where Serena Williams, the 5 time Australian Open champion, will land in the draw. The wrath of the draw gods fell on Azarenka as she drew Serena for a possible semi-final match-up. Sharapova must have breathed a sigh of relief at that moment.

There will be 3 way battle for the top spot at the Australian Open. Last year there were 4 contenders for the top spot, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova, and we all know how it ended. This year however, there are 3 players in a race for the top spot, 2 of the players are the same as the last year, the new name is familiar to all you, yes Serena Williams. Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, all be vying for the top spot.

Let us have a look at how the draw unfolded.

FIRST QUARTER

Heads of Quarter

Victoria Azarenka and Sara Errani

Also here

- Last years’ Australian Open top seed, Caroline Wozniacki who faces a very tough first round against the   German Sabine Liscki

- Brisbane International runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

- The younger Radwanska; and

- The American, Varvara Lepchenko

Returning Player

Svetlana Kuznetsova

ANALYSIS

Victoria Azarenka opens against Monica Niculescu. Azarenka is 4-0 life-time against Niculescu and has lost only one set in the 4 encounters. Niculescu made the semi-finals at the Shenzhen tournament where she lost to Zakopalova, and quarter-finals at Hobart, losing to Kristen Flipkens. Azarenka withdrew from her semi-final match against Serena Williams at Brisbane International due to toe infection caused by bad pedicure. Azarenka said that she had been training for the last few days and feels well, but how well she is will be determined in her first round match against Niculescu. In the 2^nd round Azarenka faces the winner of Daniilidou and Pliskova, while her possible 3^rd round opponent can be the younger Radwanska or the rising American youngster Jamie Hampton, who impressed in her tight straight sets loss to Radwanska in Auckland.

Roberta Vinci is seeded to meet Azarenka in the 4^th round. Vinci opens against Soler-Espiona against whom she is 4-0, can face Elena Vesnina in the 2^nd round who is at the moment in the final of Hobart. Vinci will be hoping for Vesnina to lose in the 1^st round since she is 1-3 life-time against the Russian. Vinci is seeded to meet American Varavra Lepchenko who enters the Australian Open on a 4 match losing streak.

Sara Errani is on the bottom of the quarter and opens her 2013 Australian Open campaign against Caral Saurez Navaro, against whom she is 3-1 life-time. Errani’s possible 2^nd round opponent is Christina Mchale. Errani is 3-0 against Mchale with the pair’s last 2 match going the distance. Mchale enters the Australian Open on a 7 match losing streak. A possible block-buster 3^rd round match can be the show-down of Errani against Svetlana Kuznetsova. Kuznetsova is coming off an injury lay off and had a good run to the quarter-finals of Sydney before going down to Kerber. A good thing for Kuznetsova is that she is 5-1 against Errani.

A blockbuster first round match puts to test two contrasting styles in Caroline Wozniacki against Sabine Liscki. The match promises to be a great one. Wozniacki could not have asked for a more tough 1^st round match. Liscki is 2-1 against Caroline Wozniacki, although the 2 have not met since their 4^th round match at Wimbledon in 2009, won by Liscki. The winner of the match is likely to face Anastasia Pavlyunchova in the 3^rd round, with the winner facing probably Errani or Kuznetsova.

First round matches to watch:

Liscki vs Wozniacki; Hampton vs U. Radwanska

Black Horses : Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova; Svetlana Kuznetsova

Players to keep an eye on : Jamie Hampton, Su-Wei Hsieh and Lauren Davis

Likely Early upsets : Caroline Wozniacki, Urszula Radwanska

Quarter-finals : Azarenka d. Liscki (I have to give the girl a chance, she lost a tough 3 setter to Sharapova here last year)

SECOND QUARTER

Heads of Quarter

Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova

Also here

- Golden set winner Yaroslava Shvedova

- Auckland runner-up Yanina Wickmayer

- The newly engaged Maria Kirilenko; and

- 2010 French Open champion and former top 10 player Franchesca Schiavone

- Hobart Semi-finalist and talented American Sloane Stephens

Oldest Player

The 42 year old veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm, who enjoys playing tennis

ANALYSIS

The 5 time Australian Open champion Serena Williams starts against Edina Gallovits-Hall, and is seeded to play Yaroslava Shvedova. Serena is 2-0 against the Kazakh, however the last time they played Serena had to dig deep to sent Shvedova home. The pair played at the fourth round of Wimbledon and Serena won 7-5 in the third.

Yanina Wickmayer, the Auckland runner-up, opens against Australian Jarmila Gajdosova, against whom she is 3-1 life-time. Maria Kirilenko opens her campaign against the American Vania King and  the winner is likely to play the winner of Rebecca Marino and Shuai Peng.Kirilenko is 1-0 against King and 2-1 against Peng. She is seeded to meet Wickmayer in the 3^rd round. The two have never played before, however, I will take Kirilenko to make it to the 4^th round. Kirilenko has made it to the quarter-finals of Australian Open before and she definitely knows what it takes to to do well, Wickmayer on the other hand has made it out of the 2^nd round only once during her 4 visists at Australian Open. So, I will go with Maria Kirilenko to make it to the 4^th round.

Petra Kvitova sits at the bottom of the quarter, and faces a tough opener in the former of 2010 French Open champion Franchesca Schiavone. Schiavone and Kvitova both have been having hard time recently with Schiavone winning just 2 of her last 10 matches (including Hopman cup), and Kvitova winning one more match than Schiavone, 3 of her last 10 matches. The winner is likely to face the British youngster Laura Robson in the second round. Kvitova is seeded to play Stephens in the 3^rd round. Stephens is coming off a quarter-final showing at Brisbane and a semi-final appearance at Hobart. I think Kvitova will right her ships just in time to make a run here at the Australian Open. Kvitova has made it to the quarter-finals or better of Australian Open the last two years.

Nadia Petrova plays the oldest player in the draw Date-Krumm and is seeded to play Lucie Safarova in the 3^rd round. Petrova has twice been a quarter-finalist here at Australian Open, while Safarova has also been a quarter-finalist at Australian Open. Petrova and Safarova both have yet  to win a set in 2013. Petrova ended her 2012 campaign on a high note and should make the 4^th round at least. A lesser result will be a big disappointment.

It is tough to pick a quarter-finalist from the bottom of the quarter, the draw could open up for Petrova. However, I would love to see a 4^th round show-down between power player Kvitova and Petrova.

If Petrova can make it to the quarter-finals, she will give Serena a head ache. Although the head to head is in the favour of Serena 7-3, their last 5 encounters have all gone to the 3^rd set.

First round matches to watch:

Petra Kvitova vs Franchesca Schiavone; Yanina Wickmayer vs Jarmila Gajdosova; Sloane Stephens vs Simona Halep

Black Horses : Sloane Stephens, Nadia Petrova

Players to keep an eye on : Shuai Peng, Shahar Peer

Likely Early upsets : Petra Kvitova, Lucie Safarova (You can never count on these two)

Quarter-finals : Nadia Petrova d. Serena Williams (I know it is not likely to happen, but on any given day Petrova is capable of any upset.)

THIRD QUARTER

Heads of Quarter

Agnieszka Radwanska and Li Na

Also here

- German power-house, Julia Goerges;

- Chinese star Jie Zheng, who made the semi-finals here in 2010

- The Aussie hope Samantha Stosur;

- Pair of former world no.1 Serbians Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic; and

- Mona Barthel, who will be playing to defend her Hobart title tomorrow.

Players with former glory at Australian Open

Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Daniela Hantuchova, Jie Zheng and Li Na.

ANALYSIS

At the top of the quarter sits Chinese trail blazer Li Na, 2011 French Open champion and 2011 Australian Open runner-up. She opens against Sesil Karatantcheva, and is seeded to meet Romanian Sorana Cristea. Li leads Cristea 3-1 in the pair’s head to head. Cristea has never been past the 3^rd round of Australian Open, and with the current form of Li Na, seems like it will be tough for Cristea to move beyond the 3^rd round.

Julia Goerges made the second week of a grand slam for the first time here last year, so she must be eager to do well here. She opens against a qualifier and will face the winner of Oprandi and Pironkova. Goerges has never played Pironkova, but she will be poised to do well here and should make it to the 3^rd round, where she is seeded to meet Australian Flag and hopes bearer Smantha Stosur. Stosur opens against Kai-Chen Chang and can play Zheng Jie in the 2^nd round. I have a feeling that this will be Stosur’s time and she will make it to the 3^rd round here at least, however, she will have trouble against Julia Goerges, if the two meet. Goerges has won 3 of the pair’s 4 meetings. Stosur enters Australian Open on a 5 match losing streak. I will take Goerges to make it to the 4^th round.

Sitting at the bottom of the quarter, Agnieszka Radwanska is the only WTA player with 2 titles in 2013. Radwanska is on a 9 match winning streak, her last loss coming at the hands of Serena Williams last year in the semi-final of year end championships. Radwanska is seeded to meet Mona Barthel in the 3^rd round. The two have played only once before, in the second round of Montreal last year, where Radwanska rallied from a set down to win 7-6(5) in the final set. Given Radwanska’s form and her demolition of Cibulkova in the finals of Sydney, Radwanksa should easily sail to the fourth round.

Ana Ivanovic opens against Melinda Czink and is seeded to meet Jelena Jankovic in a block buster 3^rd round show-down. Ivanovic is 7-3 life-time against Jankovic. Ivanovic had some good matches at Hopman cup, although she lost her singles rubber in the final, which started the demise of Serbia. You have to like Ivanovic’s chances of making it to the 4^th round here.

Black Horses : Mona Barthel, Jie Zheng

Players to keep an eye on : Heather Watson, Daniela Hantuchova

Likely Early upsets : Samantha Stosur (Although I had said that I have a feeling she will do well here), Jelena Jankovic

Quarter-finals : Li Na d. Agnieszka Radwanska (I have a feeling that this time around, if the two meet, Li will turn the tables of Radwanska and make it to the semi-finals)

FOURTH QUARTER

Heads of Quarter

Maria Sharapova and Angelique Kerber

Also here

- American teenager Madison Keys who almost knocked Li Na off in the quarter-finals of Sydney;

- Last year’s Serena Williams conqueror, Ekaterina Makarova

- Hopman cup winner Anabel Medina Garrigues;

- Giant killer Sydney runner-up Dominika Cibulkova; and

- 7 time Grand slam champion, Venus Williams.

Veterans

Venus Williams, Klara Zakopalova, Marion Bartoli

ANALYSIS

Angelique Kerber begins her Australian Open campaign against Elina Svitolina. Kerber made the semi-finals of the Syndey where she fought from down a break in the second set to win the set and force a 3^rd set, but Cibulkova proved too strong for her. Kerber is seeded to meet Tamira Paszek in the 3^rd round. Kerber has a decent draw and should progress into the second week.

Ekaterina Makarova starts her 2013 Australian Open campaign against a qualifier and is seeded to meet Marion Bartoli for a spot in the 4^th round. Makarova started her 2013 campaign at Sydney where she defeated Lepchenko, but fell at the hands of Cibulkova in the 2^nd round 6-7 in the 3^rd set. Marion Bartoli will have a tough test in Medina Garrigues, who is coming off a huge Hopman cup win. Bartoli is 8-3 life-time against Garrigues, and is a former Australian Open quarter-finalist. Bartoli also leads Makarova in head to head 2-0. You have to like Bartoli’s chances of making it to the 4^th round, however, you can never rely on Bartoli.

2008 Australian Open champion and last year’s runner-up Maria Sharapova, kick starts her 2013 Australian Open campaign against Olga Puchkova and is seeded to meet Venus Williams in a bloc-buster 3^rd round encounter. Venus Williams leads Maria Sharapova by a slight margin in the pairs head to head by 5-4, however it was Sharapova who won their last encounter in Rome last year.

Sydney runner-up Dominika Cibulkova starts her campaign against Australian teenager Ashleigh Barty and is seeded to meet Shenzhen runner-up Klara Zakopalova in the 3rd round. Cibulkova had a great run in Sydney, but you have to wonder how much will the double bagel affect her. If she lets that loss get  to her, she might be sent home early on. If Cibulkova goes home early this section might open up to anyone to make it to the 4^th round.

Black Horses : Venus Williams, Ekaterina Makarova (I would have loved to pick Dominika Cibulkova but just as I said earlier, I don’t know where she stands after that double bagel at the hands of Radwanska)

Players to keep an eye on : Madison Keys, Kristen Flipkens

Likely Early upsets : Tamira Paszek, Klara Zakopalova

Quarter-finals : Maria Sharapova d. Angelique Kerber

SEMI-FINALS

Nadia Petrova d. Victoria Azarenka

Li Na d. Maria Sharapova

FINAL : Nadia Petrova d. Li Na

P.S : You can replace Nadia Petrova with Serena Williams ;)

Here is to a happy Australian Open 2013, and Sorry again for keeping you waiting.

P.P.S : I hope there are no typos in it ;)