Here are my top 10 Australian Open happenings, in ascending order:
10. Want to see a comeback?: Mirra Andreeva was down 1-5 in the third set of her third round match against Diane Parry, but--no worries. The 16-year-old (who had already upset 6th seed Ons Jabeur) fought her way back, saved a match point, and--after two hours and 23 minutes--emerged victorious, 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5).
9. Super-sized popcorn required!: Ukrainian players were on fire at this Australian Open, and Marta Kostyuk was one of them. She played 4th seed Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals, and I doubt that anyone expected to see what would unfold during the next three hours (and eight minutes). The entire match was a festival of alternating brilliance and error production. They just coudn't stop making mistakes, but they also couldn't stop making outstanding shots. In all, they made 107 unforced errors, pretty evenly divided between them. Kostyuk hit 39 winners, Gauff hit 17. There were 16 breaks of serve. Gauff finally broke away in the third set, and won the match 7-6, 6-7, 6-2. It was a mess, yet it was wildly entertaining.
8. Oops: The first two rounds were brutal for some of the top seeds. In the first round, 7th seed Marketa Vondrousova was upset, though--to be fair--she was obviously struggling with a hip injury, and I'm not sure why she even entered the tournament. Both 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova and 15th seed Veronika Kudermetova were also upset, as was two-time champion Naomi Osaka. Osaka, it should be noted, was just returning to the tour after giving birth.
The second round was more shocking. 3rd seed Elena Rybakina went out in a thrilling contest against Anna Blinkova, and 5th seed Jessica Pegula, 6th seed Ons Jabeur, and 8th seed Maria Sakkari were all upset. In addition, 14th seed Daria Kasatkina and 16th seed Caroline Garcia (who beat Osaka in the opening round) were defeated.
7. Nobody's perfect: Top seed Iga Swiatek did make it to round 3, but then, she, too, was shown the exit by young Czech player Linda Noskova. Swiatek won the fist set, but then failed to convert some crucial break points, while her opponent was happy to break her. Noskova was fearless in competing against the world number 1, and her willingness to take control gave her the biggest victory of her young career.
6. At long last: When Dayana Yastremska was a junior, all eyes were on her, but--as is often the case with gifted juniors--she was unable to find the consistency that creates success on the tour (though she did reach a world ranking of 21). It should also be noted that the Ukrainian player has been through some stuff--no need to go into all of it here, but there have been multiple stressors in her life. At this Australian Open, though, Yastremska began to deliver on that early promise.
She had to qualify to play in the main draw, so she had already won three matches when she began her campaign, in which the first victim was the aforementioned injured 7th seed. She then went on to beat the likes of 27th seed Emma Navarro, two-time champion Victoria Azarenka, and Swiatek-slayer Noskova. Her Ostapenko-type tendencies got her in trouble in the semifinals, though, and she lost to eventual finalist Zheng Qinwen. But what a run it was, and here's hoping for more.
5. Diede the Great makes it six: The top seed and defending champion arrived in less than perfect condition; she'd been carrying a small injury and suffering from a cold. But that didn't stop her from claiming her sixth Australian Open singles title. Once again, Diede de Groot defeated 2nd seed Yui Kamiji in a final, though, in this final, Kamiji had more opportunities than is usually the case. de Groot and her partner, Jiske Griffioen, seeded 2nd, defeated top seeds Kamiji and Kgothatso Montjaneto to win the doubles title.
deGroot has now won 21 singles majors, 17 doubles majors, six Masters titles, eight World Team Cup titles, four Paralympic medals (three gold, one silver) in doubles, and a Golden Slam. She has also won the Grand Slam in singles three times, and is the only tennis player to win the Grand Slam two consecutive years; in 2019, she also won the doubles Grand Slam.
4. Casual slaying: Hsieh Su-wei, known by fans as the Casual Queen, joined Jan Zielinski in winning the mixed doubles title. In so doing, they denied Desirae Krawcyzk (partnered with Neal Stupski) the Grand Slam. This was Hsieh's first mixed doubles title and her seventh major title--all in doubles. Playing with various partners, Hsieh has won the French Open and the U.S. Open twice, and she has won Wimbledon four times.
3. Match point palooza!: If you were able to watch only one match in Melbourne, I hope that it was the second round match contested by 3rd seed Elena Rybakina and Anna Blinkova. Blinkova, whose talent is often overlooked, took Rybakina through a three-set ordeal that lasted over two and three-quarter hours, and ended in an upset, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (20). The 42-point tiebreak was the longest tiebreak ever played in a major. Rybakina saved nine match points--seven of them in the seemingly endless tiebreak--and Blinkova saved six, and won on her tenth match point. It was an extremely well-played match, and an exciting pleasure to watch.
2. Casual slaying by committee: Hiesh Su-wei wasn't content with winning just one title--she and partner Elise Mertens, seeded 2nd, defeated 11th seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Alona Ostapenko 6-1, 7-5 in the women's doubles final. This makes eight major titles for Hsieh--seven in doubles and one in mixed doubles. This is Mertens' second Australian Open title; she and Aryna Sabalenka won the title in 2021. Mertens and Hsieh won Wimbledon in 2021, and Mertens and Sabalenka won the U.S. Open in 2019.
1. She liked it so much, she did it again: Last year's Australian Open champion, Aryna Sabalenka, looked unbeatable in Melbourne this year, and it turned out that she was. The defending champion buzzed through the draw without dropping a set (last year, she didn't drop a set until she reached the final). She defeated 9th seed Barbora Krejcikova and 4th seed Coco Gauff, then needed only two sets to defeat 12th seed and finalist Zheng Qiwen. Sabalenka, who once struggled terribly with her serve, now struggles with pretty much nothing, and the hard courts in Australia suit her well. She was number 1 in the world for a brief time last year, and will undoubtedly be seeking to regain that distinction in 2024.
