The WTA season entered its first really big event with Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka still sidelined for reasons not connected to tennis. Serena had complications following childbirth and did not want to risk an immediate return to action. Azarenka is still going through a nasty child custody battle which has prevented her from playing in each of the last two major tournaments. With these players out, it’s a huge opportunity for others to make a run at the 2018 Australian Open. Which players did a great job in week one? One of them didn’t even survive into the fourth round but still deserves applause and respect.
Angelique Kerber
This is the new favorite to make the tournament. Kerber is the only previous WTA major title winner to still be alive in the Australian Open, but that’s not why she is the favorite. She is the best pick to win it all because she is playing the best tennis of anyone. Kerber rolled into Melbourne with a series of wins, but they came in warm-up tournaments, hardly a guarantee of how a player will perform when the lights are bright. Kerber, though, has not stopped – she is continuing to deliver forceful tennis with very few mistakes. She faced five-time major champion Maria Sharapova on Saturday and committed only two unforced errors in the first set. She was basically unplayable in that set. She cooled off a bit in set two, but after Sharapova missed a shot on break point against Kerber’s serve at 3-3 in the second set, Kerber pounced, winning the next three games to take the match. Kerber is a good defensive player who is learning how to be more offensive and step into the court. She has exceeded expectations through week one.
Lauren Davis
This is the one pleasant surprise who did not advance to the fourth round, but the young American deserves the praise anyway. She lost to Simona Halep, 15-13, in an epic third set, but the loss should not obscure the reality that she played the best match of her career. She did not look overmatched against the World No. 1, and in fact, she had three match points on Halep’s serve midway through that third set. Halep, though, served huge when she needed to and wrested the match away from Davis’s grasp. Nevertheless, this is still a big point of encouragement for Davis, a chance for her to build momentum in her career.
Hsieh Su-Wei
The Taiwanese pro is 32 years old. The last time she had made the fourth round of the Australian Open, she was only 22 years old in 2008. Going 10 years between fourth rounds at a major is a long wait, but that fact also shows how patient and resilient Hsieh was in building back her game. She upset reigning Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza in the second round and was then able to beat former Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska in the third round. What a spectacular performance for an older player who is learning new tricks.
Naomi Osaka
The young and telegenic Japanese pro knocked off Australian contender Ashleigh Barty in convincing fashion. Barty was seen as a true threat to make a deep run, but Osaka played the more complete and mature level of tennis many were expecting from Barty. Osaka has a big serve and noticeable power. She could be a mainstay of the WTA for the next 10 years. She gave reinforcement to the optimism surrounding her career this past week.
Elise Mertens
Mertens is a 22-year-old player from Belgium that had never made it past the third round of a grand slam before. At the 2018 Australian Open, she’ll be playing in the quarterfinals this coming week. She did have to beat one seeded player so far, No. 23 seed Daria Gavrilova. Other than that, she’s squeaked by without having to face any other ranked players. Next up for her is No. 4 seed Elina Svitolina. That’ll be a big challenge for her as Svitolina has lost just once set this entire tournament.
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