Oh god, I love this tournament! Every year, I get convinced again of the greatness of the Australian Open. This time, it's because of the fourth round. Check it out:
- Wozniacki v. Jankovic = 6-0, 7-5. The match between two of the greatest defenders on tour.
Wozniacki had an absolute super start but it wasn't as easy as the score suggests. Long rallies and many breakpoints got the crowd excited for more. It was the first bagel ever in a match between the two so you can imagine how Jankovic kept muttering to herself. Her Medusa death stare had no effect on the Great Danish Wall. It was at 4-1, Jankovic tried to play an all or nothing game and it payed off. The match leveled at 5-5 when Wozniacki was serving at 5-4 for the win but Jankovic came out of nowhere to break back. The number one held her nerves though and one breakpoint was enough to serve to victory two games later.
I loved how the commentators condamned the montage of the umpire at 1-1 in the second set as totally inappropriate (it was rather amusing actually!) but on the other hand they just kept babbling about Wozniacki's new neckless (yes, very tennis related!).
Exit Jankovic.
- Kim Clijsters v. Na Li = 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4. Don't get my started on this match! It was the greatest, amazing, nerve wrecking, awesome, coming back tennis ever!
When Kim hurt her ancle at 3-3 in the first set, I worried like everybody else, she wouldn't be able to play on. In the repeat it looked gruesome (I've seen way too much ancle twisting this year already!) and in the medical timeout, she was obviously in pain.
Yet, she fought on, even though the first set slipped away and trailing a break in the second. Na Li had 4 matchpoints in the tiebreaker. FOUR! Okay, so imagine how on edge on my seat and stressed out I was when she played that ridiculously high drop shot! But she got away with it and won that tiebreaker with the crowd just going crazy. And why? Because she's Aussie Kim! Na Li was left shattered and disappointed.
Kim got a great start in the deciding third set and even though Na Li tried to fight back, the determination was out of her game. Clijsters didn't waste her chance to serve for the match at 5-4. Oh god, no words can express how amazing it truly was! This certainly is going to be my favorite match of this Australian Open. She'll face Wozniacki in the quarterfinals, let's just hope her ancle will be better then.
- Azarenka v. Benesova = 6-2, 6-2. An expected win but still, great consistent match of Azarenka. It's certainly gonna give her confidence to play against Radwanska who defeated Julia Goerges = 6-1, 6-1. Too many unforced errors on the German side but Radwanska will be better qualified to give Azarenka a real test in the next round.
- Makarova v. Serena Williams = 6-2, 6-3. No, I didn't mix the names by accident. Serena Williams couldn't deal with the heat, the unforced errors and the lefty Russian who already knocked Zvonareva out of the tournament. The first set was over before you knew it and when Serena had a 2-0 lead in the second, I was convinced she would set things straight. She didn't. When double faulting to give Makarova a free breakpoint, she seriously had problems restraining herself from smashing her racket (someone in the crowd yelled: unleash the fury!). But it's admirable she didn't though, maybe the point penalty in the US Open popped up in her head. From that moment on, Makarova played her best A-game to get an amazing victory! With every grandslam, there's the question who is gonna defeat Serena Williams this time. It's Makarova, ladies and gentlemen!
I loved Makarova's interview after the match. Her English needs some work ("Serena afraid her", "I know I could bit her", "In my hell...euh head") but she certainly deserved the neckless she promised herself if she got to the quarterfinals (because then she would have enough money to buy it).
- Sharapova v. Lisicki = 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. It was fire against fire, an epic war! No, I'm not talking about a medieval dragon fight but two blondes against each other in a tennismatch!
But seriously, it was a tough match on both players. Sharapova raced to a 3-0 lead but Lisicki managed to grab the 6 following games. It was a constant battle of the serves and returns, so the points were rather quickly but really intense! An all or nothing momentum at times. Sharapova had to dig deep to hold her first serving game in the second set, but from that moment on, she was launched. It all took a toll on Lisicki, getting tired and serving not as good as before. On the other side, Sharapova was hungry for the win and served much better (and got saved by hawkeye quite a lot!). It had to be one of her ten most loudest matches ever, even the crows started to moan with her!
- Kvitova v. Ivanovic = 6-2, 7-6(2). Kvitova overpowered glamourgirl Ivanovic with 30 winners and a strong serve. She grabbed the first set quickly and a comfortable break in the second but she was broken to love when serving for the match. Nonetheless, she sealed the deal in the tiebreak: 7-2. She'll be playing Errani who defeated Zheng: 6-2, 6-1.
For the quarterfinals we get: Wozniacki - Kim Clijsters, Azarenka - Radwanska, Makarova - Sharapova, Errani - Kvitova. I'm probably gonna love these matches even more! Stay tuned.
No comments:
Post a Comment