2024 AUSTRALIAN OPEN

novak going for his 11th (!) title

Excited for Osaka's return

Good stuff

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/jan/14/djokovic-triumphs-in-four-hour-battle-against-dino-prizmic-at-australian-open

Looks like Jabeur played badly and is out of sorts.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/jan/17/australian-open-2024-mirra-andreeva-vs-ons-jabeur-16-year-old-russia-results-scores

Djoko got taken to four sets already and that's happening again here, at least

Not sure how much of a look-in Popyrin had on the four set-points he spurned at 5-4, but I'm very very tired of a decade of young players not taking their chances vs Novak. I'm already thinking this one has gone, and looking ahead to Etcheverry, who should be even more of a test, but we know Djoko just gets stronger from here.

Sad about Jabeur, and Tiafoe gone in straights too. I expect the atmosphere was decent for Jordan "New Newc" Thommo Thompson almost pushing Tsitsi to five, but I can't see any of this. Has JT grown his 'tache back yet? It's required.

"I'm already thinking this one has gone, and looking ahead to Etcheverry, who should be even more of a test, but we know Djoko just gets stronger from here."

I am quietly thinking he is not gonna win. He just doesn't drop sets that often at this stage.

Rybakina-Blinkova tie-break, my goodness. Some real epics overnight. Swiatek back from a double-break in the 3rd, Hurkacz finally seems to have the measure of Mensik. Medvedev in a bit of trouble, Rune gone.

My god at that Rybakina TB!!

So much for avoiding late finishes. It might be getting light by the time Medvedev completes this comeback.

Nearly 14 hours of tennis across four matches on Rod Laver Arena today, and it's not finished.

3:39am, fellas

I am quietly thinking he is not gonna win.

Very much hope you're right, but ND just dismantled an in-form Etcheverry, who was landing 72% of first-serves, without facing a single break-point. So, business as usual by the 3rd round.
Currently Mannarino and Shelton are playing each other to a standstill for the right to face Novak next. Bleh. At least Sinner is looking good.

Andreeva recovery was remarkable; never seen Parry play before - lovely single-handed BH, lots of dinks and spins. Meanwhile, Sabalenka has lost six games in three rounds.

Linda Noskova - another amazing teen!

Just incredible depth in the women's game.

Disastrous if Zverev were to win this.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/jan/20/alexander-zverev-bristles-at-questions-over-impending-trial-for-domestic-abuse

He doesn't - I think this is the best Norrie has ever played in a slam?

He does face Alcatraz next..

He did win?

Alacaraz has won, yes

No. Zverev.

I thought when you said "win this" you were referring to the match with Norrie not the entire tournament.

No I was referring to the entire tournament re: Zverev. That link where he is responding to questions re: his trial, was from a couple of days ago.

Then he went onto lose against Norrie today which is 👍

Oh no

I got the scoreline the other way round this is bad (for me)

Saba - Gauff rematch in the SF on Thursday. The winner will be a heavy favourite for the title as the other half will have a first time finalist

Sinner has won two sets against Rublev for the right to meet Djoko, who dropped a set against Fritz today

Zverev is two sets up against Alacaraz, though the latter has just won the 3rd set

Zverev is marching on :-(

Imagine a Djoko - Zverev final, it would be some kind of nadir for men's tennis.

Hallelujah!!

Wonderful news to wake up to. Sinner didn't face a break point. Every setback - failing to consolidate an early lead, missing MP in set 3, missed chances early in set 4 - all the stuff that sinks everyone else vs Novak in the last six years, didn't faze him at all. Brief highlights show an early-2018-style off-balance ND for the first hour. Excellent, I really missed that version of him.

Where's that good news thread?

Looks like Sinner has improved since that SF loss against Djoko at Wimbledon.

I could see from results in the last month or so (beat Djoko twice) that he has been adding steel to his nerves but meeting at latter stages of a slam is the ultimate test

And obv Djoko's game has gone down a notch too. That final against Medvedev at the US open was very frustrating because he should've lost that 2nd set, Djoko played a great tactical match to get through.

Zverev up a set and break so not Al good news

Zverev a game away. They're playing 30-50 shot rallies. It's Harold Solomon vs Eddie Dibbs, except they're both enormously tall. Medvedev's tactic seems to be to stand a kilometre back and drain the life out of Zverev, given that he's had to endure two 5th-set breakers, but he's not weakening.

On we go to a 4th. I hope they play all night.

Medvedev gets lucky with an inadvertent drop-shot return at 5-5 in the t/b and levels the match.

Amazing. Come on Med!

Med breaks!

Yes!

This is absolutely fantastic

Two amazing games, love seeing medvedev get it. Hope he gets his vengeance for 2022 on Sunday

Two amazing games, love seeing medvedev get it. Hope he gets his vengeance for 2022 on Sunday

Sabalenka relentless. Guess only Rybakina can really hit as good on hard courts but she lost so...

*early, that is..

Sinner was broken early and Med has been serving great as usual

Med should've broken again here. Deuce

Great court coverage for another BP then just outlasted Sinner. 1st set

Sinner has got to up the 1st set percentages. Not enough winners flying off the racket either.

Another BP for Med

And there's the break, 3-1

Double break

Gets one break back after a slightly poor game

Sinner has done well here, making Med serve for the set once more.

Brilliant rallying. 0-15

Df. Deuce!

Lol, bp

Saves it

Sp

Awesome

Let’s go medvedev. Man’s absolutely on his A game

2-2. Think Sinner has worked his way a bit more into the match but it's probably too late

3 set game surely

3-3. Med not as dominant now. This is already the closest set of the match

Med brings deuce with a defensive lob

Med let him off the hook. On serve

0-30.

Epic rally. 30-30

Sinner has a sp

He's got it and we go on

Med did lose against Nadal from two sets up here so..

Med spraying the ball about. 0-30

Deuce on the next Med serve

Gets through it, but can see this going to a 5th

First comfortable hold in a while for Med. 3-3

Med draws a bp. This is so gruelling now

Ace

Trading deuces

4-4...both just getting by

Med to serve to stay in the set

Sinner is now hitting through that fh. Deuce

Set point

Fifth set

It's never too late

Don’t like this for med at all, sinner bashing him rn

Med's serve is keeping him in it.

It's brutal stuff from Sinner, and he is serving first so it's up to Med to force a final set decider

0-30

0-40

Sinner needs to keep his nerve now

That was some rally and that's a champion's winner

Do feel for Med. The first man to lose two finals from two sets up

Makes Sinner serve for the match

Pulled a couple long. 30 all

CP

Just great hitting

A lot of weird feelings. Don't know if Med will ever win another slam, though glad he got one.

Between Sinner and Alcaraz I think it's safe to say that Djoko will find that much harder to win another slam.

Will anyone over 25 win another? Hard to see Tsitispas, Rublev, Hurkacz, or Fritz doing it. Zverev looks good most of the time but doesn’t seem to have the mentality to pull it off.
I’m hoping for Ruud and I think he’s been in more finals than any of the others.

Think Ruud's time is gone.

Of that lot you've listed I like Hurkacz the best.

Med keeps putting himself in position to win enough that I think he might eke out another, but I'm far less bullish on that now than I was even a year ago.

Of the over-25 cohort, the only one I can see breaking through would be Berrettini, but that's only if he were ever to get fully healthy again. Game-wise, he'd have to be in the kind of "Wawrinka, redlining" form to get it done, but I think the ceiling is there for him in a way that it just isn't for Tsitstipas.