Australian Open 2020: Kenin and Djokovic victories are poles apart

We had two rewarding finals to cap off the fortnight in Melbourne Park. Speaking from the heart and not the head, this was not the ending I wanted. If Halep wasn’t to win then I would’ve liked to have seen Garbine triumph. But not only did the Spaniard not deserve to take the title Saturday […]

Australian Open 2020: QF thoughts and SF predictions

The stories keep being written, the stars keep shining and the drama keeps coming in a scintillating slam, now reaching its final stages. I’m starting with the women and we have arguably the two favourites, the tournament’s undisputed dark horse and the obligatory surprise package who shouldn’t be underestimated. Of course, Sofia Kenin is hardly […]

Australian Open 2020: 4th round reflections and QF predictions

As we enter the final stages of another thrilling tournament all the ingredients are still there for a blockbuster finish. As is customary for the year’s first slam, we have new names emerging. We also have some of the game’s elite returning to the big stage after some lengthy spots in the wilderness. We start […]

Australian Open 2020 Halfway point: Third round craziness and Caro bids farewell, mouthwatering fourth rounds ahead

A truly blockbuster fifth and sixth day in Melbourne seemed to deliver a whole weeks worth of drama as if the tournament was bottling it all up until now. For the sake of the tournament and testament to the current strength in depth on both tours, you feel that the next week’s matches will deliver […]

Australian Open 2020 Day 4: Classic encounters continue amid few surprises. Plus Day 5 picks

No huge shocks on Day 4 Down Under but some unexpected results on paper and plenty of hugely entertaining fixtures I’ve been lucky enough to catch. We start with the men and the real challengers remain in contention. Nadal, Zverev and Medvedev all won comfortably in 3. Thiem (def Bolt), Wawrinka (def Seppi), Kyrgios (def […]

Australian Open 2020 Day 3: Stars emerging as seeds slide. Plus Day 4 picks.

The tournament is picking up pace now with some standout stars and epic matches emerging. We have lost some big names as others remain steady to provide some mouthwatering match-ups in the next few days. We start with the men this time and while Djokovic and Federer looked sublime in their rapid victories, there were […]

Australian Open 2020 Day 2: Maria’s last goodbye? Plus Day 3 picks

A similar day to yesterday in terms of these overall picture. We have our expected frontrunners doing just that and a few eyebrow-raisers peppering the scoresheets. The big stories again came from the women’s side, as Maria Sharapova -given a wildcard here and languishing in the 300’s on tour- beaten soundly by 19th seed Vekic. […]

Australian Open 2020 Day 1: Gauff downs Venus again. Plus Day 2 picks.

The much needed rain Down Under disrupted a few matches but overall things went smoothly on the opening day of this decade’s opening slam. The big names too remained largely untroubled. Defending champion Naomi Osaka looked good in her first round victory and there were easy wins for Serena, Kvitova and the soon-to-be-departing Wozniacki. World […]

Australian Open 2020: Winner predictions and the best Day 1 matches

With all that is going on in Australia at this time, tennis and indeed sport in general seems wholly trivial. Tennis Australia is doing a lot to support the bushfire crisis, but it will be telling to see how the tournament unfolds amidst still ongoing conversations surrounding player and audience safety. What of the tournament […]

Australian Open 2019 Finals review: Naomi wins a spectacle and Novak serves up a slaughter

Naomi Osaka def Petra Kvitova 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 What a match this was, two likeable players faced each other for the first time for a maiden Australian title and the world number one spot. Not that it needed it, but this was another great advert for the women’s game. Both players are strong servers and […]