Champions everywhere

Yesterday, unseeded Tereza Mihalikova of the Slovak Republic won the junior girls' Australian Open title when she defeated 14th seed Katie Swan 6-1, 6-4. Swan, who saved three match points in her semifinal match, was hampered by a leg injury in the final.

What may be the most brutal upset of the tournament was pulled off by Jiske Griffioen. Griffiioen, an established wheelchair doubles champion, won her first major in singles by defeating Yui Kamiji 6-3, 7-5 in the final. Had Kamiji won, she would hold all seven major titles. As it is, she'll have to be content with holding just six of them.

Kamiji and Jordanne Whiley won the doubles title, defeating Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.

The mixed doubles final will be played today. Defending champions and 3rd seeds Kiki Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor will compete against 7th seeds Martina Hingis and Leander Paes.

I did not publish the singles' finalists' paths to the final on Friday because I have been ill and not too sharp, and I just forgot. My apologies. Here they are, for those who haven't had a chance to go over them and would like to see them:

SERENA WILLIAMS
round 1--def. Alison Van Uytvanck
round 2--Vera Zvonareva
round 3--Elina Svitolina
round of 16--Garbine Muguruza
quarterfinals--Dominika Cibulkova
semifinals--Madison Keys

MARIA SHARAPOVA
round 1--def. Petra Martic
round 2--def. Alexandra Panova
round 3--def. Zarina Diyas
round of 16--def. Peng Shaui
quarterfinals--def. Genie Bouchard
semifinals--def. Ekaterina Makarova

Australian Open--what they said

Did you feel you were in control of the match? You got a bit tight in the second set. Did you still feel on top?
I won the first set really I can say easy. But the second set, at the beginning I made a few mistakes. But I still felt like I can win this thing, and I want to win in two sets, not to go to the third, as in first three rounds. When she went to the medical, I sat to the chair. I said, Okay, Tereza, come on; win this in two sets. I started to believe in myself, and I'm happy I did it.
Tereza Mihalikova
 
I didn't expect to be here this long. I was walking down the hall yesterday and I was thinking, Wow, I'm still in the tournament. It's been a long time since I've been to the final here or the semifinal. It's been a long time coming. I was just really, really elated to have an opportunity to walk out on the final match.
Serena Williams
 
You talked about not being drawn into the aggressive style of play that she has. How happy were you with executing the plan you went in with?
Well, as much as I would love to hit a 200 kilometer an hour serve, I just don't think that's feasible with my shoulder. There's a lot of things I'd love to do in this world but I can't; that's just the reality of it. But in terms of getting to the point, yeah, there's definitely a few times where I rushed and made a few errors, but I don't think as many as in my previous matches against her.
Maria Sharapova

Wow! Congratulations Serena! We are lucky to have you as our inspiration
Tweeted by Petra Kvitova

My two favorite players are Bouchard and Sharapova. Sharapova is in the final today. I'll be watching that. I hope in the future I can come back and be doing as well as they are.
Katie Swan

...I actually believe that we attract what we're ready for. Yes, I haven't won against her many times, but if I'm getting to the stage of competing against someone like Serena, I'm doing something well. I'm setting up a chance to try to beat her and it hasn't happened. I'm not just going to go home without giving it another chance. That's just not who I am and not who I was raised to be. I'm a competitor. If I'm getting to the finals of Grand Slams and setting myself up to play a match against Serena, I mean, I know it sounds -- maybe you're telling me I'm wrong -- but I'm happy to be in that position. I love the competition. I love playing against the best, and at the moment she is.
Maria Sharapova 

Well done miss
Tweeted by Vika Aazarenka

What is your nickname?
I have a lot of nicknames. But here everyone calling me Terka. And my dad is like Tereza. But I like Terka.
Tereza Mihalikova

After the let at the match point, how confident were you to hit the same spot again?
I wasn't confident at all....
Serena Williams

Serena Williams wins 6th Australian Open title

World No.1 @SerenaWilliams captures 6th @AustralianOpen title! Def Sharapova 63 76(5) http://t.co/NBg7STWIdm #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/fFlEdQiAcX
— WTA (@WTA) January 31, 2015

It was a really good match, as a major final should be, despite the fact that it was over in straight sets. Serena Williams, playing in the Australian Open women's final against Maria Sharapova, beat the Russian star for the 16th consecutive time, but she had to seriously compete for the win, especially in the outstanding second set. Sharapova played a better match against Williams than she has in a while, but still couldn't manage to take the world number 1 to a third set.

Sharapova didn't get off to a good start. She was broken in the first game, but after Williams held, Sharapova held at love. Obviously having settled down a bit, Sharapova began to introduce the shot-making variety that would propel her to make this match so competitive. The roof had to be closed (something many thought should have been done earlier because the sky was dark and there was light rain). Williams, who is ill, began coughing--she's been coughing all week--and left the court.

During the break, there was a somewhat amusing display on the court that looked like a send-up of the Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony: Dozens of ballkids, arranged in a symmetrical pattern and all bending over in exactly the same way, wiped the court dry with towels. Chris Evert, calling the match for ESPN, pointed out that the Australian Open could spend millions of dollars to put up roofs, but for drying, all they could come up with were some towels.

When play resumed, Williams broke for 5-2, but then double-faulted twice when she served for the set, and was broken back. However, she then broke Sharapova at love to take the first set 6-3.

Sharapova's serve improved considerably from the beginning of the second set. Her second serve, in particular, became less of a liability, and she took the set to 2-all with controlled power. In the fifth game, Sharapova moved ahead of Williams, but couldn't break her. In the seventh game, Williams went down 0-30, but then hit two aces and held for 4-3, despite Sharapova having had a break point.

Williams then held for 5-4, and Sharapova saved a match point with a forehand down the line. She used a drop shot (not for the first time in this match) to get the ad point, and then held when Williams' return went wide. Wiliams then held at love, and then Sharapova took it to a tiebreak.

Williams got an early mini-break, and stayed ahead throughout. When she went up 6-4 and needed just one more point, she did a complete twirl, then squatted and shook her entire body for a moment. This match had some tension! Sharapova then missed her first serve, but survived by spinning in an almost-ace second serve, then winning the point with another ferocious forehand.

But time was running out for the Russian. It was Williams' turn to serve, and she hit an ace. She jumped in the air and began her walk toward the net, but--wait!--the ball was called a let, and play continued. So Serena hit another ace, and that was that, 6-3, 7-6. Because, as the champion said a few years ago about her big match-ending aces: "You know how I like to do it."

Williams hit 18 aces in this match--15 of them in the second set. She also ended the match with an 84% first serve win percentage. Sharapova, especially in the second set, threw just about everything she had at Williams, but the Williams serve, when it's on--which is most of the time--gets Serena out of trouble again and again. As long as she's serving at this level, Williams prevails. Even when she's injured. Even when she's sick.

As for Sharapova--she's getting closer. Someone had to lose, but in this case, the loser looked really good. You can't get any better than that in a final.

Your 2015 #AusOpen Finalists! @serenawilliams @MariaSharapova pic.twitter.com/MH1UdeTUKF
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) January 31, 2015

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

It's no secret that women's tennis isn't considered "real" tennis by a lot of people, just as women's basketball, football, you name it, isn't considered "real" when (irrationally) compared with men's sports. Commentators struggle to say the "right" things about female athletes because the right things simply do not come natural to them. Female athletes are put down in word and action every day. It's nothing new.

Wimbledon has a history of not showing respect to its female competitors, but--not to be outdone--the Australian Open is playing catch-up.

First, there's the matter of Vika Azarenka. Jeered and taunted by both the Australian press and Australian fans, she still managed to win the event two years in a row. Officials engraved the abbreviation for "Belgium" on her trophy instead of "Belarus." This year, on two occasions, the Bulgarian flag was painted next to her name on the court. There's always some new way, it seems, to show disrepect toward Azarenka.

There was also an obvious reluctance to showcase women in the night matches this year.

And then, there was the collusion between Tennis Australia and the Australia Open that allowed the former to call a press conference right in the middle of the second women's semifinal. This move wasn't just insulting to world number 1 Serena Williams and her opponent, Madison Keys, but to all women, and all who care about women.

And speaking of respect: See this?

It means that Maria. Sharapova. Is. Russian.

And finally--still on the same subject, and you know who you are: Grow up. Look a woman in the eye and shake her hand.

Unseeded Mattek-Sands and Safarova win Australian Open

.@BMATTEK & @LucieSafarova capture #AusOpen doubles title! Def Chan/Zheng 64 76(5)--> http://t.co/jAnOPNRUXe #tennis pic.twitter.com/lEoxVi26j2
— WTA (@WTA) January 30, 2015

Last night, the unseeded team of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova won the Australian Open doubles title, defeating 14th seeds Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie 6-4, 7-6. The decision to play together was a last-minute thing for Mattek-Sands and Safarova (but certainly a pairing any of us could get behind), and they little time to practice. During their run, they also defeated 3rd seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.

This isn't the first time that Safarova has won a tournament with a partner with whom she had not prepared. In 2013, she entered the Family Circle Cup as the defending doubles champion but without her 2012 partner, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. At the very last minute, Safarova and Kristina Mladenovic decided to enter as a pair. I recall asking Safarova if they had ever practiced together, and she said they hadn't. When I asked her how she thought they would do, she just rolled her eyes and gave me a look. They went on to win the tournament.

Also of interest: One of the teams that Mattek-Sands and Mladenovic took out was the 10th-seeded team of Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic.

This is Safarova's first major title. Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecau won the Australian Open mixed doubles title in 2012.

Australian Open--what they said

I don't know how often it's happened that a first-time pairing has won. But, I mean, you get two great players playing together, I think a big part of it is me and Lucie are really good friends. Communication's huge. Whether we were down in a match, up in a match, we were having fun. I think that helps teams really play well.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands

What is the most fun part playing with this creative, crazy American?
Pressure. No, I think like that's a great person. I really enjoyed all two weeks.
Lucie Safarova

You've been on the tour for so long. What do you really love about this game? What drives you crazy? What do you hate?
What do I love? I mean, I can't say I love rehab and all that kind of stuff. You know, you do all that and you train hard for the moments like today. I mean, you want to go out there and play your game. Obviously we know we're in a final, but you kind of get past that and you love to play tennis. You love to come up with shots. I like those big-pressure moments. Okay, I'm going to cross; I'm going to take a chance. I like taking chances. That's kind of my game. I'm aggressive. I'm not afraid to do that. You get those big moments where it's tight in the tiebreaker, you call a big play. To me that's what makes tennis exciting.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands

What are we talking about tea time?
Mattek-Sands:We had tea time in the locker room every morning before the warmup or the match. We would get our Earl Grey.
Safarova: Chillin.'

Australian Open--what they said

She hits a very, very hard ball, but she also hits it very deep. So it's a little different trying to prepare for that. But, yeah, so I wasn't ready really for that.
Serena Williams

You need a little bit more to believe that you can be in the final.
Ekaterina Makarova

You're going to be playing someone who is either a bit sick or a bit injured. How do you feel?
I feel good, thank you.
Maria Sharapova

In terms of this run, what pleased you the most inside yourself?
I think just handling the moment is probably what I'm most happy about. I think at times it got a little overwhelming in the fact that I was able to manage and do so well and able to get through that is what I'm most happy about.
Madison Keys

 What do you remember about the last time you lost to her? Do you remember?
Yeah. She was 17, super young, and I think I was basically underhand serving. It was in L.A.
Serena Williams, discussing Sharapova

How is your confidence against her?
I think my confidence should be pretty high going into a final of a Grand Slam no matter who I'm facing against and whether I've had a terrible record, to say the least, against someone. It doesn't matter. I got there for a reason. I belong in that spot. I will do everything I can to get the title.
Maria Sharapova

What's so different playing a quarterfinals to a semifinals? Is it a physical thing? Dealing with everything around it? The emotions?
Yeah, I think it's more emotions, more psychology working at this level, these matches. It's definitely not even more tennis, more the head.
Ekaterina Makarova