TENNIS: Australian Open 2019
I’ve followed this tournament even less avidly than usual - we’re so out of sync, and they have matches at mind-boggling times. So, it was a series of names for me until the finals: Konta vs Muguruza, Serena Williams out, Federer out, a couple of young guns still in until they (probably) met Nadal or Djokovic.
I was pleased about the women’s final line-up. One couldn’t but cheer at Kvitova making it to a grand slam final again after her ordeal and comeback, and one couldn’t but cheer at Osaka backing up her US Open win. And they were fighting for no. 1 in the world - a tasty set-up.
More by accident than design, I caught the BBC’s round-up of the final at the start of the second set, where one sensed that the match was on Osaka’s racquet, although Kvitova hadn’t gone away, and served to save three Championship points, which was the start of Osaka’s second-set tailspin, where everything went wrong and Kvitova dug in. However, young Osaka came back controlled for the third. Apart from some very good shots, what impressed me was that she was thinking clearly in the third. A woman winning a back-to-back slam - that hasn’t happened in a while!
By the next day, I’d learned my lesson and watched the whole of the men’s final highlights with no idea of who’d won. It did become quite apparent quite quickly who was going to win: Djokovic was on blistering form and Nadal unsettled, but when he got some games on the scoreboard, it was too late for the first set, and in the second, he had to play brilliantly to win a point. There was, what, only the one break point on the Djokovic serve? It was outstanding play from Djokovic, bossing Nadal - bossing. Nadal. I’d thought he’d win given his recent past record, although Nadal had apparently had the better slam up until then, but it ended up being a demolition job - the kind Nadal has produced at French Open finals. He was outclassed, and as Djokovic reflected, this was a year after injury for him. The little boys are going to have to grow up fast, because Nadal is a champion grown and Djokovic was simply better than him. Clay-court season is going to be interesting.
This entry was originally posted at https://feather-ghyll.dreamwidth.org/164161.html. Please comment wherever you prefer to.
I was pleased about the women’s final line-up. One couldn’t but cheer at Kvitova making it to a grand slam final again after her ordeal and comeback, and one couldn’t but cheer at Osaka backing up her US Open win. And they were fighting for no. 1 in the world - a tasty set-up.
More by accident than design, I caught the BBC’s round-up of the final at the start of the second set, where one sensed that the match was on Osaka’s racquet, although Kvitova hadn’t gone away, and served to save three Championship points, which was the start of Osaka’s second-set tailspin, where everything went wrong and Kvitova dug in. However, young Osaka came back controlled for the third. Apart from some very good shots, what impressed me was that she was thinking clearly in the third. A woman winning a back-to-back slam - that hasn’t happened in a while!
By the next day, I’d learned my lesson and watched the whole of the men’s final highlights with no idea of who’d won. It did become quite apparent quite quickly who was going to win: Djokovic was on blistering form and Nadal unsettled, but when he got some games on the scoreboard, it was too late for the first set, and in the second, he had to play brilliantly to win a point. There was, what, only the one break point on the Djokovic serve? It was outstanding play from Djokovic, bossing Nadal - bossing. Nadal. I’d thought he’d win given his recent past record, although Nadal had apparently had the better slam up until then, but it ended up being a demolition job - the kind Nadal has produced at French Open finals. He was outclassed, and as Djokovic reflected, this was a year after injury for him. The little boys are going to have to grow up fast, because Nadal is a champion grown and Djokovic was simply better than him. Clay-court season is going to be interesting.
This entry was originally posted at https://feather-ghyll.dreamwidth.org/164161.html. Please comment wherever you prefer to.