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?

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.

Quotable Quotes Australian Open - Day 5

Agnieszka Radwanska

13 is unlucky number in Poland

Q.  Is this your best winning streak of your career?

AR:  I think so.  I think I never win 12 matches in a row, no.

 

Q.  Is 13 an unlucky number in Poland?

AR:  There is.  I didn't say that. 

Ana Ivanovic

She definitely knows how to keep things funny

Q.  What happened in the first set?

AI:  What do you mean? 

 

Q.  At the service, I mean.  You was 5 2. 

AI:  Okay, well, the same way I got to 5 2 I got to 5 All.  Didn't happen much.  

Li Na

We knew that Li Na not only fights her opponents on court, but herself as well

"You know, I always try to play my game on the court, so, yeah.  But sometimes I was fighting against myself.  I always waste a lot of energy on the court."

Novak Djokovic

Reporters definitely try to get out everything from you, but Djokovic knows how much to give

"I won't answer what is the game to beat me, that's for sure (smiling)"

Kei Nishikori

Hoping, his ankle holds up in his next match

Q.  You had a medical timeout for your ankle.  Is it okay?

KN:  Yeah, it's good.

Venus Williams

She definitely knows how to handle and answer the questions. Check her responses to the questions.

Q.  On a non tennis note, did you watch any of Oprah's interview with Lance Armstrong?

VW:  No, I didn't.

Q.  Is it something that players are talking about, his confession to doping?

VW:  I think everyone is pretty much focused on the tennis.  Maybe other players are talking about it.  I have no idea.

Q.  Do you have any reaction?

VW:  I can't talk about anything I don't know anything about, so I'm just going to keep my mouth shut.  I'm not an expert on that stuff.  That's all I can say.

Maria Sharapova

Now we all know that Sharapova wanted to win this match:

"Since the draw came out, I was really looking forward to that match-up"

Beautifully handled by Sharapova. See her response to the question.

Q.  You are thinking about the next match, but you beat Venus today.  How do you think about the performance of Serena Williams to win this title?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:  She's on the other side of the draw and other players are on the other side of the draw as well.  Until you get to that stage, and if you do, if you're facing each other, that's the point when you're thinking about that particular opponent.

Stanilsas Wawrinka

A stupid question, but a spot on answer from Wawrinka.

 Were you aware that was the last American in the tournament?

SW:  You know, it's not my first problem.  I play at US Open and it was always the last American.  It's not the first time I play when it's the last American in a Grand Slam.

David Ferrer

Q.  Do you feel more pressure being the top Spaniard without Rafa here?

DF:  No, of course I'm not.  I don't mind I am the No. 1 of Spain or not.  I am only focused with myself and with my tennis, of course.

Rafael, no, is very important for us.  Is a good friend for me.  He's recovering soon, no?

That is all from today. Hope to bring to you some good collection for tomorrow as well. Enjoy the up-coming 6th day of the Australian Open 2013

Australian Open 2013 Predictions

The new season is about to start, all of the tennis fans are waiting for the balls to be struck again, linesmen to make calls again and players to sweat and fight it out again.

All eyes will be glued on how Rafael Nadal bounces back from his injury lay off, how Roger Federer goes on with his light schedule and ageing body, how Djokovic will be defending his top spot, and how Murray will be responding to a lot of new expectation, will Ferrer be able to win the elusive grand slam, or it will be Tsonga or Delpotro to break free the hold of BIG 4.

Where all the eyes will be glued on the BIG 4, and the potential dark horse, everyone will also be eager to see how Serena performs after dominating the second half of 2012, will Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka solve the Serena Williams puzzle, how far will Agnieszka Radwanska's game will take her (to an elusive Grand Slam may be???), will Kerber and Errani fall off the radar after stellar performances in 2012, or will Li Na, Petra Kvitova, Venus Williams make it back to the Grand Slam champions circle, will the fast rising Germans make it and take at least one Grand Slam this year?

Image via tennis.com.au

These and a lot of other stories are there, that everyone is looking out for. One of the most important will be the Australian Open starting on January 14th, 2013. Everyone would love to see if the defending champions (Djokovic and Azarenka) go on to defend, or someone else goes on to take the trophy.

I have been working on the predictions articles for the last few days, and I will be bringing them to you in a few days. There will be various articles predicting the winner of the Australian Open 2013, based on different variables.

Stay tuned for the articles. Do let me know in case you want  to see anything specific on the blog or you have any idea in your mind you would like to see an article on.
For first article of the series, please click here.

For the probability of top 8 players going deep at the Australian Open, please see below:

Juan Martin Delpotro and Australian Open 2013

Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Australian Open 2013

Sara Errani and Australian Open 2013
Janko Tipsarevic and Australian Open 2013
Petra Kvitova and Australian Open 2013

Kim Clijsters - Final Farewell

I can’t recall my first memory of Kim Clijsters, but I do have certain in my mind. Clijsters was one of the few players I wished would win every tournament she played in (Silly me)

Clijsters plays her last match against long-time rival Venus Williams in the Diamond games, Antwerp which have been dubbed as “Kim’s ‘Thank You’ Games” in the honour of Kim Clijsters.

Clijsters has been the darling of the tour for many years, there have been two versions of her, the pre-marriage version, and the post-marriage version. Which one was better, probably the later one, but it is for you to decide. Let us do a quick overview of the career Kim had.

Pre-Marriage Career

Clijsters made her breakthrough during 1999 where she made it to the 4^th round of Wimbledon, losing to Graf, and the third round of U.S Open, losing to Serena. She won her first career title that year at Luxembourg and won the “WTA Most Impressive Newcomer” award.

In 2001 CLijsters reached her first grand slam final, doing so at the Roland Garros. In doing so she became the first Belgian to reach a grand slam final, however, she lost the final to Capriati in a nail biting thriller that ended in the 3^rd set in Capriati’s favour 12-10. Clijsters was also a part of the Belgian team in 2001 when Belgium won its first ever Fed cup title, Clijsters baggled Dementieva in the first set of their match.

Clijster’s first big title came in 2002 when she won the year end championships in Los Angeles. On her way to the trophy she defeated Henin in the quarter-finals, Venus in the semi-finals and Serena in the finals.

Clijsters famously squandered a 5-1 lead in the third set of her semi-final loss to Williams, at the Australian Open. Clijsters became a part of the first ever all Belgian Grand-Slam final at the Roland Garros, but lost in straight sets at the hands of Henin. However, she did win the Roland Garros doubles crown and then the Wimbledon doubles crown with partner Ai Sugiyama. On Aug 11,2003 Clijsters became the first female player to be ranked world no.1 without winning a Grand Slam in her career. Clijsters again faced Henin in the Championship of Grand Slam, this time at U.S Open, but with the same fate, Henin winning the trophy. Clijsters won the year end championships for the second time, winning all her red group matches defeating Mauresmo, Dementieva and Rubin. Clijsters then defeated Capriati in the semi-finals and Mauresmo in the finals.

Clijsters made it to her 4^th grand slam final at the Australian Open in 2004, but lost at the hands of Henin once again.

Clijsters got it fifth time lucky when she finally won her first grand slam in 2005 at U.S Open defeating Venus in the quarter-finals, Sharapova in the semi-finals and Pierce in the finals.

In 2007 Clijsters retired from the professional tennis citing injuries and a desire to start family.

Post Marriage Career

In 2009, Clijsters came back to the tour as a mother, her post marriage career. In just her 3^rd tournament she went on to win her second grand slam title, U.S Open 2009. In doing so, she defeated Venus Williams, then World no.3, in the 4^th round, Li Na in the quarter-finals, Serena Williams, then World no.2 and defending champion, in the semi-finals and Caroline Wozniacki in the finals. 

Clijsters became the first Wild Card champion in the history of U.S Open and became the first mother in the Open Era to win Grand Slam, since Evonne Goolagong won Wimbledon in 1980. Clijsters defeat of both Williamses proved that her run to the Championship was no fluke.

Clijsters defended her U.S Open title in 2010 by defeating Venus Williams in the semi-final and Zvonareva in the final. Clijsters then went on the win the year end championship. 

Clijsters is one of the only 6 players to win the year end championships 3 times, the others being Navratilova, Graff, Seles, Evert and Serena.

In 2011 CLijsters finally won a slam outside the courts of U.S Open, winning the Australian Open, her 3^rd and final grand slam on her return. In doing so she joined Margret Court as the only mothers to win 3 Slams after becoming mothers. 2011 also saw the return of Clijsters to the top spot as she became the first mother to clinch the top spot since the inception of WTA rankings. 

Rest of the year and most of the 2012 year was marred with injuries and Clijsters retired at U.S Open 2012, in a surprise loss in the second round at the hands of Robson.

During her illustrious career, Clijsters won 41 singles and 11 doubles titles, and earned more than $24 million in prize money.

Clijsters was one of the friendliest personalities on the WTA tour, and with an interesting game to watch, she will no doubt be missed a lot. Here is to the wishing that just as she followed the right path in her tennis career, her life after tennis also follows the right path and is full of happiness and peace of mind.

I will be signing off for today with these words of Clijsters on her retirement :

“I always try to give my best in everything I do, maybe that’s something I would like to be remembered for. It feels right, I can’t describe it in any other way. It feels right and it’s surprising that I’ve kept it dry and I haven’t been crying or anything. And that’s another sign that it’s the right choice.”