More first round results...

1st Round match between Victoria Azarenka and Monica Nicolescu. To start with of course I knew what the outcome would be- that Victoria Azarenka would win in straight sets and she did- 6-1, 6-4. Nicolescu looked lost in the first set and made 13 unforced errors as against 6 from Vika. The second set was more equally poised as Azarenka made a string of 17 unforced errors as against 7 from Nicolescu. That forehand of Azarenka’s fired from sharp cross-court angle is like a terrible weapon and Nicolescu countered it with her own brand of topspin forehand which was a revealation of sorts because I have never seen anyone return with such unusual forehand which must be putting a strain on Nicolescu. So I suspect like players have a strategy of attacking a backhand, Azarenka attackec Nicolescu’s forehand with the expected results- in a prolonged rally (maximum 20 shots) Nicolescu’s found the net unerringly! Result- Azarenka wins agains Nicolescu but not without a scare in the second set! Meanshile we find Serena Williams dressed in deep purple matched with orange wrist-bands and an orange hairband toying with Edina Gallovits Hall of Romania. While Gallovits made her mark all over the court, Williams barely moved. A double bagle victory for Williams over Hall- 6-0, 6-0. I am betting on Azarenka matching forehands with Williams in the finals at Melbourne!

Australian Open 2013, Melbourne, 1st round Action

The first of the grand slam tournaments of 2013 and it is sure to follow the the script of the year that went by or a couple of years that went by. Men's tennis has arrived at a stage where the game has steadied around four or five players that make it to the semi-finals- Federer, Djokovic, Murray, Rafa and it is either slash or- Tsonga, Ferrer, Berdych, Del Potro, Tipsarevic is in the next tier. The end of the last season saw Novak Djokovic fend off Roger Federer's claim to the ATP Tour Finals season end Trophy and set the tone for the year that was to come. From the chilly climes of London to the blistering heat of Melbourne. The season never ends in more than one way! The first round at Aus Open serves mostly as a practise game for the the top seeds. There are players like Lleyton Hewitt who give players some grief with their tenacity and ferociousness. Even after all these years (he was the number one seed almost 10 years ago and while Roddick has retired, he is still around,he can give a player like Tipsarevic a run for his first round money. He lost of course but as usual the scores dont tell the whole story. There have been no premature exits so far, all the top seeds- men and women have breezed through- Sam Stosur, Sharapova, Anna Ivanovic (she is always a prime candidate for a shock exit!), Djokovic, Tipsrevic are on to the next round. Murray is playing Robin Haase of Netherlands even as I write and he is up by two sets and two games to love in the third. Another twenty minutes and Murray will be done here. Keep tuned it for more updates from Australian Open in Melbourne!