My Australian Open top 10

Here are my top 10 Australian Open occurrences, in ascending order:

10. Russian return: Svetlana Kuznetsova was forced to take some time off because of an injury, and she described it as more or less a blessing in disguise. The winner of the 2004 U.S. Open and the 2009 French Open had a very nice run in Melbourne, getting as far as the quarterfinals. She lost to eventual champion Victoria Azarenka, but her performance probably gave her some new confidence.

9. Once is good, twice is better: Speaking of Russian returns, Ekaterina Makarova made it to the quarterfinals for the second straight year. Last year's run was perhaps more dramatic, in that Makarova upset Serena Williams. This year, however, she took out both Marion Bartoli and 5th seed Angelique Kerber, which wasn't too shabby, either. Makarova, whose ranking "should be" higher than it is, is at her best in Melbourne.

8. Sometimes, repeating isn't pretty: Most serious tennis fans probably weren't surprised that Samantha Stosur went out in the second round. The Australian star, who was seeded 9th, lost to Zheng Jie. Now, the super-fast Zheng Jie, a former Australian Open semifinalist, is a formidable opponent, and it's hardly shameful to lose to her. But with Stosur, this is a pattern. Last year, she lost to Sorana Cirstea in the first round, and the year before that, when she was seeded 5th, she lost to Petra Kvitova in the third round. Again, no shame, especially considering that 2011 was a huge year for Kvitova. If you watch her play, however, you realize that Stosur just can't handle the pressure of playing in her country. Prior to coming to Melbourne, she went out in the first round in Sydney.

7. Complimentary cream cheese included: 2nd seed Maria Sharapova won her first two rounds 6-0, 6-0.  The only other woman in Australian Open history to win her first two rounds 6-0, 6-0 was Wendy Turnbull, who did so in 1985.

6. Tempest, meet teapot: There was bound to be a lot of discussion about Victoria Azarenka's decision to take a medical timeout in the final stage of her second set against Sloane Stephens in the semifinals. Discussion was merited. But the press--and particularly the Australian press--seized on the event as an opportunity to bash the world number 1 mercilessly. Australian fans don't like Azarenka, so many were quick to join the Smear Vika campaign. Who's screaming now?

5. Unsafe at any speed: Serena Williams has had her share of injuries, to be sure, but at the 2013 Australian Open, she had the worst luck ever. She certainly didn't need more foot problems, but in her first round, she rolled her ankle and experienced some pain. She returned from her medical timeout to beat her opponent 6-0, 6-0, and the good news was that--as always--Williams had taped her ankles before the match. If she hadn't done so, she might have sustained a serious injury. A few days later, Williams accidentally hit herself in the head with her racket. In a press conference, she joked that "I'm done....Just wanted to do two things. Now I got it out of the way." She was wrong. In the second set of her semifinal against Sloane Stephens, Williams went to retrieve a drop shot and her back locked. She was able to go on playing, but her service speed was hampered. She lost that match, and said afterward that "I'm almost relieved that it's over...."

4. The streak is broken in two: 4th seed Agnieszka Radwanska came to the quarterfinals with a 13-match winning streak, two 2013 titles, and the distinction of not having dropped a set this season. For her to lose to Li Na was not a shock, but for the match to go the way it went was indeed a surprise. Everything was in place for an exciting match to be played between two opponents who had a shot at the title, but that isn't what happened. Radwanska appeared to be drained of energy, and Li beat her 7-5, 6-3. The Chinese player would go on to beat 2nd seed Maria Sharapova, but then lose in the final.

3. The student takes on the master: Sloane Stephens grew up with posters of Serena Williams on her bedroom wall. The young American player, who has matured quite a bit in the last several months, considers Williams her tennis idol. But then suddenly, in the semifinals of the Australian Open, Stephens found herself s standing on the opposite side of the net from the player she looks up to the most. She could have caved, as she so often did in the past, but instead, she gave Williams some work to do in the opening set. Williams won that set 6-3, but during the second set, she had back spasms and received treatment. From that time on, the five-time Australian Open champion was forced to slow down her serve. Stephens won the second set 7-5, and she won the match when she took the third set 6-4. Would an uninjured Williams have won? Almost certainly, yes. But that doesn't  take away from the reality that Stephens handled the occasion with determination and maturity. After all, many a player has faded away against an injured Williams, but this player didn't.

2. Forza Italia!: Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, the number 1 doubles team in the world, had to face the unseeded Australian team of Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua in the final. That meant that the crowd was cheering like crazy for the unseeded underdogs, who--after losing the first set--took it to the Italians. But champions know how to win, and the Fighting Italians are now one Wimbledon victory away from achieving a Career Slam.

1. Oh yes I did!: That's what was prominently displayed on the T-shirt of world number 1 Victoria Azarenka when she showed up to practice on the day of the final. It was the first sign that Azarenka was somehow making peace with the bashing she'd taken from the press following the semifinals. She got even more bashing, from the press and from the crowd, when she competed against Li Na in the final. Li was on fire, and was also the clear crowd favorite. The Chinese star had some misfortune, however, falling down twice, rolling her ankle the first time, and hitting her head the second. Could she have beaten Azarenka if she hadn't hurt her ankle? There's a pretty good chance she could have, if she held her nerve. But in the third set--for whatever reasons--the top seed was able to take control of the match and to defend her 2012 title, and she did it in style. She did it in spite of having a very tough opponent, in spite of enduring a very stressful 48 hours, and in spite of the terrible treatment she received from the crowd. Azarenka also retains her number 1 ranking because of her victory. Talk about playing "within yourself"--Azarenka put on a master class in that.

Australian Open--what they said

I don’t rate my chances. I never look at statistics, I just try and make it happen.

Victoria Azarenka

Did you hit together before you got here?
I think we just warm up together, and that was kind of the thing. "Oh, do you want to hit for 20?" "Oh, okay, well, let's hit." So that was about our training session and preparation for the mixed, so I think we should try that for singles, too.

Jarmila Gajdosova

How did you come together? How did you decide to play?
I chased her up. Back in December I got hold of her number from a secret person, and she was over in America and I just texted her hoping that she would she would be available to play or wanted to play. You know, she's been to the semifinals of other Grand Slams twice with another partner who she sometimes plays with, but he wasn't available so she said, "All right. Let's do it."

Matthew Ebden

Jarka, what went through your mind when you had to step up and serve for the match?
First I always listen to what he says. He's the calming part of my game. And also, he usually tells me where he prefers that I serve so he can help me at the net. So I was mainly waiting for the instruction and I was trying to concentrate to hit a good serve so he can do his Ninja skills on the net.

Jarmila Gajdosova

From everything bad or wrong that happens, I try to take the most positive that happens. In that particular moment you think, "What can I take positive from here?" In the moment you try to stay positive; I guess I’m pretty tough.

Victoria Azarenka

Gajdosova and Ebden win Australian Open mixed doubles title

Australian fans got to enjoy one big victory at the last minute as their countryman and -woman, Matthew Ebden and Jarmila Gajdosova, won the mixed doubles championship in Melbourne. Gajdosova and Ebden defeated Lucie Hradecka and Frantisek Cermak 6-3, 7-5.

Both teams were unseeded. In the course of the event Gajdosova and Ebden took out the 2nd and 5th-seeded teams. Earlier in the week, Ebden publicly thanked Margaret Court for the help she has  given him with his game. The 2013 champions are the third all-Australian team to win the mixed doubles title in the Open Era.

Australian Open--what they said

The pressure was there, but I like the pressure, you know. It's interesting. It's very interesting thing. It pushes you to be better. You can take it different way.  You can take it negative and try to, you know, think negative. But I take it as a positive, something that will push me forward to improve, to get better, and the outcome is out of my hands. I just have to be really focused on what I do, very honest with what I do, and that's it.

Victoria Azarenka

Why do you think you fell down?
Because I'm stupid.

Li Na

Being in the player's box is not for someone who lacks nerve.

Pam Shriver

You said the semifinal was a learning experience. What did you learn?
Well, I learned how to talk a lot on TV. Way more than any win I ever got.

Victoria Azarenka

After the match, I was feeling like, How many years I didn't falling down in the court?  I mean, it was amazing today. It was twice on the court even. Maybe like 5% I was falling down again.

Li Na

Azarenka defends Australian Open title and retains top ranking

Top seed Victoria Azarenka had many opponents yesterday in her quest to defend her Australian Open title. The world number 1 had to fight the wind, the sports media, the crowd, and, of course, Li Na. Before the match began, ESPN went to great lengths to set up a black hat/white hat scenario between Azarenka and Li. Commentators took turns talking about how the media and Australian fans consider Azarenka a bad sport because of her ten-minute medical break toward the end of her semifinal against Sloane Stephens. They went on and on about it, "examining" it from this angle, then that angle.

They had some good fortune, too, in that Li was available to wear the "white hat." Li is a beloved figure. Is there anyone who isn't totally enthralled with her? (If you happen to be the one person who isn't totally enthralled with Li Na, please keep it to yourself.) But just imagine if Agnieszka Radwanska had gotten to the final (something that had seemed quite possible until she faced Li): There's no way the ESPN crew could have set up a hero/villain contrast between Azarenka and and the continually sniping Polish star. But with Li, they were good to go.

Darren Cahill had lost a bet with Judy Murray, so he wore a kilt. He was supposed to wear it throughout the men's final, but he backed out. Over and over, the winner of the bet was referred to as "Andy Murray's mother." She is Andy Murray's mother, and proudly so. But Judy Murray is a tennis personality and authority in her own right, but not once was she acknowledged as anything but a player's mother.

Before I talk about the match (really, I'm going to), I want to say something good about ESPN. That's a rare thing, so bear with me. A study about media attitude toward women's sports that many of you may have seen a year or two ago pointed out how different the metaphors are when commentators and writers refer to male athletes and female athletes. Only the men are called "warriors" and are described using extended warrior metaphor.

ESPN broke that mold in its pre-match production piece, which featured the "defender" and the "contender," and presented a number of lengthy statements made by the players that were all about fighting, battle, warrior mentality, and the destruction of an opponent. Even the music was "warrior-like." I think this was probably a first in women's sports, and it was done really well. Neither Li nor Azarenka appeared passive, "pleasant" or "feminine" in the piece. Rather, each looked like she was ready to kick some ass at any cost.

Right before the match began, Azarenka came out of the tunnel with hoodie on and earphones in, accepted her bouquet, and solemnly walked to the court. There were no dreary "leaving the tunnel" interviews--just Azarenka and Li. When Li stepped onto the court, the crowd went wild, and it would continue to go wild for her throughout the match. Azarenka was given a chilly reception, and that was the kindest crowd response she received until the very end. After all, the Australian crowd disliked her even before the semifinal medical break incident occurred. Several times during the match, chair umpire Alison Lang had to ask the crowd to back off. They cheered Azarenka's unforced errors, and consumed her double faults with unbridled glee. Some hurled insults at her. Only the tossing of rotten fruit was missing from the scenario.

Azarenka chose to receive, and Li immediately double-faulted. Li followed the double-fault with a forehand winner up the line. She was broken, but immediately broke back. The improved forehand was already cracking, and the serve out wide to the ad court--which would benefit Li repeatedly throughout the match--was already in place.   

Li missed an overhead when she attempted to go up 3-1, and was broken. There were then three holds in a row, but none from the "against the wind" end. That wouldn't happen for a long time. Li held at love to go up 5-2. Azarenka then held, and on her next serve, Li went down 0-40 because she repeatedly "over-hit" potential (actually, obvious) winners; she was broken at 15.

On Azarenka's serve, Li hit a forehand cross-court winner to get a set  point, but she hit the next ball long. Azarenka then hit a forehand cross-court winner (her first forehand winner, in fact) to gain an ad point. Li saves it--again with a forehand cross-court winner, but the second set point is saved by a stunning volley from the Azarenka racket. Li got a third set point with a backhand winner, but again hits long. On her fourth set point, Li was able to convert and take the set at 6-4 when Azarenka double-faulted.

The importance of taking the first set off of the world number 1 is well known. When Azarenka wins the first set, she wins the whole thing. She has done this 70 consecutive times.

The second set began like the first, with Li's serve getting broken, despite having a game point. Li then had a break point when Azarenka double-faulted, but she hit a lob long and Azarenka was able to hold. The players then exchanged breaks. Then, serving at 1-3, Li attempted to do a quick change of direction with her feet, fell down, and rolled her ankle. She was examined, then had the ankle wrapped. When she returned to the court, she won the game.

At this point, Azarenka was unable to keep the ball in the court, and went down 0-40. But Li was unable to capitalize on this opportunity, and Azarenka held. The crowd had become quite noisy by this time, and Li complained to the chair umpire about people yelling during a point. In a situation like this, people often say that the complaining player "shouldn't let it get to her," but noise made during a point usually does interfere with a player's concentration, and it's something the umpire should handle before a player has to make a complaint.

Somewhat shaken, Li double-faulted twice in a row, but managed not only to hold her serve, but to break her opponent for 4-all. But then the Chinese player began having trouble with net clearance, and made two unforced errors on her own serve. She was broken, and Azarenka held at love to take the second set 6-4.

In the final set, Li was again broken in her first game, but broke back. Li then held her  next service game, but the players had to take a break because the Australia Day fireworks show had started. During the break, Azarenka chatted with the trainer. And--as if the proceedings weren't already strange enough--when the players returned to the court and began playing, Li fell down again, this time, hitting her head on the hard court.

Li got a brief neuro exam to check for concussion (something Azarenka knows all about), and was cracking up as she had to follow the physio's finger and answer questions to determine her orientation. She returned to the match to face a break point, but held with yet another serve out wide.

Azarenka would go on to argue with the chair umpire about a replay decision, and she would also go on to hold the first service game played from the "bad" end of the court. Li served at 3-5 and Azarenka won the match by converting her first break point on Li's serve. A big part of Li's collapse in form was the trouble she had with her footwork in the second half of the match. Was she consciously or unconsciously guarding her injured ankle? That seems likely, and if she was dealing with nerves, that would have made the situation even worse.

After the players shook hands, Azarenka--instead of falling onto the court (there had probably been enough falling onto the court already) and then celebrating her victory--walked to her seat, sat down, and wept. It had been a very long 48 hours. After a while, she went to her box and greeted her team. Then she returned to the court and acknowledged the crowd, but the acknowledgment was very brief. They had been against her the entire match, and--while they were polite once the match was finished--Azarenka knew there was no point in pushing the issue.

To add insult to injury, Azarenka's trophy was engraved incorrectly, with the abbreviation for Belgium on it instead of the abbreviation for Belarus.

In defeating Li Na, Victoria Azarenka not only defended her Australian Open final; she locked in the number 1 ranking. Li, for her part, is now a two-time Australian Open runner-up. She's playing very well, however, with new finesse in her forehand, and has to be considered a contender at the French Open, a tournament she won in 2011.

Last year, when Azarenka won in Melbourne, I shared the significant parallel between her persona and that of Queen Victoria's. "The important thing is not what they think of me, but what I think of them." Indeed.

Ana Konyuh sweeps Australian Open junior titles

Ana Konyuh of Croatia, the 3rd seed in junior girls competition at the Australian Open, won the singles yesterday when she defeated 2nd seed Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-4 in the final. Konyuh, with partner Carol Zhao, had already won the doubles title.

Top seed Aniek Van Koot defeated 2nd seed Sabine Ellerbrock 6-1, 1-6, 7-5 to win the women's wheelchair singles title. With Esther Vergeer absent from the competition, fans were given a rare three-set final.

Defending champion Azarenka to face resurgent Li in Australian Open final

As far as I'm concerned, the upcoming Australian Open women's final is as good a match-up as we could ask for. It's always nice to see a defending champion return to the final, and who better to challenge her than the ever-evolving Li Na? Li, who says she's leaning to be cool "like Hollywood" on the court, is working with Carlos Rodriguez, former coach of the great Justine Henin. Henin also had to learn to be cool; in the early part of her career, she was known as a major choker. (She also didn't want to be anywhere near the net, so it's obvious how much influence Rodriguez had on her.)

There has already been talk about whether Li can handle her nerves for two big matches in a row (they were nowhere to be seen when she dominated Maria Sharapova in the semifinals), but now--after Azarenka's obvious bout with anxiety in her own semifinal--it's fair to question whether "old Vika" will make an appearance on Rod Laver Arena.

The Australian Open hard court is ideal for Azarenka's style of play. Hard courts have always been the kindest to Li, also (well, except for that French Open win). The two have played each other nine times, and Azarenka has won five of those contests. More significantly, she has beaten Li in the last four times they have played. Azarenka also leads 4-3 in hard court matches.

Here are the opponents' paths to the final:

AZARENKA
round 1--def. Monica Niculescu
round 2--def. Eleni Daniilidou
round 3--def. Jamie Hampton
round of 16--def. Elena Vesnina
quarterfinals--def. Svetlana Kuznetsova
semifinals--def. Sloane Stephens

LI
round 1--def. Sesil Karatantcheva
round 2--def. Olga Govortsova
round 3--def. Sorana Cirstea
round of 16--def. Julia Goerges (18)
quarterfinals--def. Agnieszka Radwanska (4)
semifinals--def. Maria Sharapova (2)

An update in mixed doubles: Jarmila Gajdosova and Matthew Ebden advanced to the final by defeating Yaroslava Shvedova and Denis Istomin. Also advancing to the final were Lucie Hradecka and Frantisek Cermak. They defeated Kveta Peschke and Marcin Matkowski.

In the women's wheelchair singles semifinals, top seed Aniek Van Koot defeated Marjolein Buis, and 2nd seed Lucy Shuker defeated Sabine Ellerbrock. Van Koot and partner Jiske Griffioen won the title by defeating Shuker and Buis 6-4, 6-3 in the final.

2nd seed Katerina Siniakova will play 3rd seed Ana Konjuh for the junior girls title. Konjuh and Carol Zhao won the doubles title when they beat Oleksandra Korashvili and Barbora Krejcikova in the final. Zhao and Konjuh were the top seeds.