TENNIS: Australian Open 2016
Feb. 5th, 2016 07:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllI truly did mean to post this five days ago, or so!
I followed the slam by the headlines, mainly, being pleasantly surprised that Johanna Konta followed up her good run in the US Open with an even better run in Melbourne. I remember watching her lose in Wimbledon last year, with Sam Smith observing that she had a good game if she could put it together.
Meanwhile, the top 3 men progressed, with Murray no doubt glad that Federer was in Djokovic’s half and vice versa. In the doubles, Murray the older also made his way through to the final, this time with a new partner.
So, on Saturday, I sat down for the round-up of the women’s final, hoping for that elusive thing when Serena Williams gets through: a competitive one. The BBC dived straight into the third and decisive set, as Kerber had, surprisingly won the first, Williams had, unsurprisingly, been stung into winning the second. It was a feast of a set, with involving rallies and the growing realisation that Kerber was the more consistently good player on the day, retrieving and getting errors off Williams. Was it continually having to hit one more shot, the squiffy forehand, the net-play or the dodgy serve? All of it, probably. Kerber, a debutante at this level, managed to control her nerves really well. What a surprise. (It’s also amusing that a German player stopped Williams from equalling Graf’s record.)
It’s the women’s game – who knows if Kerber, an experienced and gritty player, will use this as a launch-pad a la Li Na and Stosur or disappear like so many others? Or will Serena just go ahead an win all the other grand slams and the Olympic gold and remain the undisputed best? Anyway, Konta is flattered even more, having lost to the eventual champion.
I also watched Jamie Murray and partner win his final. After coming so close in other finals last year, good on him.
I did fear Djokovic would have too much for Murray, and it turned out that he did.
I followed the slam by the headlines, mainly, being pleasantly surprised that Johanna Konta followed up her good run in the US Open with an even better run in Melbourne. I remember watching her lose in Wimbledon last year, with Sam Smith observing that she had a good game if she could put it together.
Meanwhile, the top 3 men progressed, with Murray no doubt glad that Federer was in Djokovic’s half and vice versa. In the doubles, Murray the older also made his way through to the final, this time with a new partner.
So, on Saturday, I sat down for the round-up of the women’s final, hoping for that elusive thing when Serena Williams gets through: a competitive one. The BBC dived straight into the third and decisive set, as Kerber had, surprisingly won the first, Williams had, unsurprisingly, been stung into winning the second. It was a feast of a set, with involving rallies and the growing realisation that Kerber was the more consistently good player on the day, retrieving and getting errors off Williams. Was it continually having to hit one more shot, the squiffy forehand, the net-play or the dodgy serve? All of it, probably. Kerber, a debutante at this level, managed to control her nerves really well. What a surprise. (It’s also amusing that a German player stopped Williams from equalling Graf’s record.)
It’s the women’s game – who knows if Kerber, an experienced and gritty player, will use this as a launch-pad a la Li Na and Stosur or disappear like so many others? Or will Serena just go ahead an win all the other grand slams and the Olympic gold and remain the undisputed best? Anyway, Konta is flattered even more, having lost to the eventual champion.
I also watched Jamie Murray and partner win his final. After coming so close in other finals last year, good on him.
I did fear Djokovic would have too much for Murray, and it turned out that he did.
