Australian Open: An Australian Conveyor Belt

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

A new Aussie superstar is created every decade without fail. Gerald Patterson in the roaring twenties was the first and he was followed by the famous Jack Crawford in the 1930s. After the war, Hoad and Rosewall carried the load all through the fifties, though Rosewall lasted till the '70s. Emerson, Laver and Newcombe dominated the sixties and had some fantastic battles. Newcombe and Rosewall were still strong in the early seventies, though 1976 would be the last time an Australian won a slam until 1987. Cash was a solid top four player and was always around though the eighties were the least dominant decade for the Aussies.

Rafter was world number one [for seven days] and he won two slams in the '90s. Hewitt took up his mantle and was a key part of the ATP tour from 2000 to around 2007. If America fails to win a slam this decade and Australia does, it will be the only country to have had a slam winner in every decade since 2000. One of Kyrgios, Tomic and Kokkinakis will win a slam this decade, probably at Wimbledon or here. I think they have the games and they have the magic to do it.

Kyrgios could be this decade's wonder man for the Australians, though the last is still hanging around.

=Suicide Pick=
Round 1: Venus Williams [D. Torro Flor]; Jerzy Janowicz [d. Moriya]
Round 2: Ka Plíšková [D. Dodin]; Lleyton Hewitt [d. Becker]
Round 3: Agnieszka Radwanska [D. Lepchenko]
Round 4: Eugenie Bouchard [D. Begu]
QF: Simona Halep [D. Makaraova]
Mixed Round 1: Hingis/Paes [D Jovanovic/Thompson]
Mixed Round 2: Dellacqua/Peers [D.Klepac/Guccione]


ROD LAVER: NADAL d. ANDERSON
...Just over two hours needed and it is bye bye, Kevin Anderson. He has really developed strongly as a player and I have a fun table to prove it:



7-5,6-1,6-4 is not the most flattering scoreline and it is also an unfair scoreline for the South African. Nadal was just too consistent. He didn't miss enough, he didn't give Anderson enough time to impose his game and slowly the Spaniard strangled the life out of this one. Anderson can cement his place in the top fifteen with this win. Fifteen is his highest ever ranking. He has points to defend in Delray Beach, in Acupulco and in either Miami or Indian Wells. He has to win a small tournament before his defense begins if he wants to move up the rankings. Berdych, another big server, is up next for Rafa. Rafa should win but, again, if Berdych can make this physical and make it a dog fight then he has a chance. He literally has to serve like Sampras in a bad mood and he has to have no fear of Nadal.
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ROD LAVER: MURRAY d. DIMITROV
...Murray has built a career on being in the right place at the right time. He faced no big seeds in the U.S. Open and Wimbledon tournaments he won until very late. His opponents had him beat but then they choked in both of those events. He has had a lot of good fortune at these tournaments and, yes, he would have been very successful otherwise but that element of luck has really helped him. Dimitrov choked here in the 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 7-5 Murray win. He had chances to win the first set and he also looked strong in the fourth. In the three and a half hour contest Dimitrov was the better player but he lost in four. Murray even hit a dead let cord on match point. Being in Britain is absolutely infuriating if you aren't an Andy Murray fan. The media here truly believe he is a god and frequently refer to him as outright one of the greats. It's one of the things that really irks me the most. This is a guy who won two slams with a lot of luck and has been dominated by Djokovic and Nadal, especially over the past few years. He can't even beat Federer anymore. If he makes the final I may have to move. I don't think I could stand it.
I wouldn’t mind their obsessive coverage, but over here Judy Murray is a "celebrity" and that's not okay. It's just annoying having Murray shoved in one's face all the time. Rant over. Murray has Kyrgios up next and he is playing with house money. Kyrgios is going to come out swinging. This is probably going four.
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MARGARET COURT : BERDYCH d. TOMIC
...It took Berdych less time than Nadal but still just over two hours to get through. Tomic has always struggled with Berdych, especially at the slams too, and he crashed out 6-2, 7-6, 6-2. He got just three points in that breaker. Tomic was a modest 27-25 in the winners category. Berdych hit 17 aces and 52 winners. It is surely impossible to compete against such firepower. Tomic didn't play badly, he was just outclassed. He was powerless to stop the Czech but a second fourth round appearance here in the last four years is encouraging. He looks to be improving and if he could get the 32 seed at Wimbledon, who says he couldn't go far there, too? Berdych is on fire. The best part? Nobody's noticed and so there is no pressure. It's nice work if you can get it. Tomic will be world number 48 after this. He may be seeded for the French. Berdych moves onto Nadal, and I think Tomas is the slight favorite.
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MARGARET COURT: KYRGIOS D. SEPPI
....This might already be point of the year.


But also this:


This wasn't bad:


This is my nomination for match of the year too. 5-7,4-6,6-3,7-6,8-6. An epic comeback from the dead, fantastic points and a crowd hanging onto every single point. This was a match to behold. It even had a funky ending with the ball being challenged after a late overrule. Really, this match was perfect. Nick Kyrgios is for real. He isn't some big server like Voltchkov, who fluked it once. He is the real deal and he is here to stay. This match is one that will go down in history for some time. Frankly, I can't do it justice. Kyrgios is up against Murray next and while that is winnable, it is probably a bridge too far for the talented star. If he wins he may well face Berdych in the final. With a bit of luck and some big serving, we could see Kyrgios in the final.
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=Any other notes?=
* - Has it really been a week? It's funny, the first three days of a slam feel like three years and then the week feels like it goes by so quickly.
* - Nadal looks very good again, but tests await. Berdych is on fire. Nobody has noticed Berdych yet. Why?
* - Kyrgios has now made the quarterfinals at two majors in the past six months. Nadal hasn't done that. Kyrgios, unseen by many, looks headed for a solid top ten career or beyond. So far at slam level he has won 12 matches and lost six. 66% win rate. The ATP titles will come unless he is the ATP's opposite answer to AMG.
* - https://vimeo.com/117470300
* - Casey Dellacqua and John Peers defeated the eighth seeds in the mixed doubles. She is one of the only players to have won a match in each of the disciplines. 1969 Australian Open, 1970 U.S. Open and 1987 U.S. Open. At all those events one player swept three disciplines -- Court twice and Navratilova once. How impressive does that look as time goes on?

Thanx all and visit WTA BACKSPIN please.

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