The Australian Open is into the second week of action as both the men and women have entered the quarterfinal stage and the field getting reduced to only eight players. A total of 120 players have already been eliminated with plenty of upsets in the first two rounds. While there was plenty of great action on the court, the biggest story buzzing around Melbourne is the match-fixing scandal, which appeared to have hit new heights on Sunday when a mixed doubles contest was deemed to be thrown. It’s a shame as all of the stories tainting the integrity of the game are really taking away from the great action on the court.
We’ll keep it positive here, though, and focus on the things we learned from the first week of action. There has lots to be proud of and plenty to be concerned about too.
Garbine Muguruza Is Not Ready To Dominate
One of the quarterfinal matches on tap in Australia involves Victoria Azarenka. She was supposed to have played Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round, but that meeting never happened due to Muguruza’s loss to Barbora Strycova in the third round. Muguruza made the 2015 Wimbledon final before losing to Serena Williams in a close match. She experienced some success and received a major boost in her world ranking, good enough to be seeded third in Melbourne. This is new territory for her, but her game was so solid en route to that Wimbledon final. People at least expected her to play Azarenka and give the veteran a real challenge. However, she didn’t get there. Muguruza just looked out of it on the court, without the passion or energy all top players bring to the court in the most important tournaments. Muguruza is still relatively new to all this, in her early twenties, but she does seem to be farther away from becoming an everyday leader and threat in women’s tennis. She’ll have some good moments when she looks better than any other player, but then she’ll be invisible in other situations. That’s simply how life is likely to be for her.
Simona Halep Will Need More Time In Which To Get Where She Wants To Go
This is a player who had been dealing with a nagging injury heading into Australia, but even then, she took the court against Shuai Zhang and was not exactly hobbling on the court. She might not have been able to move as well as she wanted to, but she looked physically better than she did in portions of last year’s U.S. Open. Yet, Halep still couldn’t beat Zhang, who had never won a match in one of the seven rounds at a Grand Slam event. That’s an alarming sign for Halep. She will need to heal, but she also has to find her way through difficult rounds at tournaments. She’s not making much progress.
Ana Ivanovic Hasn’t Fundamentally Changed
One of the big long-term disappointments in women’s tennis has been Ana Ivanovic. The former French Open winner was once atop the sport but she can’t seem to find her way back. She won the first set in the third round against Madison Keys on Saturday and looked to be playing to the potential we know she has. But then lost the lead and had a meltdown as Keys won five straight games. It’s a familiar story for a person who is highly literate and articulate, but seems to think and worry too much on the court. She’s unable to clear her mind, and this is why losses keep accumulating for her.
Injuries Are Going To Remain A Constant Theme Throughout The 2016 Season
This is a story which is just not going to go away. Lucie Safarova never participated in this tournament despite her number-nine ranking. A lot of players entered the tournament in less than ideal shape. Halep wasn’t at her best. Neither was Ekaterina Makarova, who needed a medical timeout in her fourth-round loss to Johanna Konta. Anna-Lena Friedsam cramped against Agnieszka Radwanska. It’s a reality that players will take their bumps and bruises and need to rest a lot between events. Stay tuned for more injury or illness developments throughout the year.
