Australian Open: It Already Feels Like It's Been Weeks

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

Are you ready for a shorter Backspin? Here is one now. Apologies but I would rather a shorter post now than no post at all or a little note about it tomorrow.

=Suicide Pick=
We all know how this works. Pick a player to win each round but you cannot pick them again. I'm in a little late but the first round is still going. For the French I may well do this for all five disciplines. Why not? Making the quarterfinals is my target, anything other than that is a bonus.

Round 1: Venus Williams [D. Torro Flor]; Jerzy Janowicz [d. Moriya]
Round 2: Ka.Plíšková [D. Dodin]; Lleyton Hewitt [d. Becker]

Hewitt blew a two sets to love lead in which he dominated. I'm quite annoyed right now.

Round 3: Agnieszka Radwanska [D. Lepchenko]

Yep, I've gone for a really safe one here but I may regret this later. The reason is Venus lurks and I've already used her. Radwanska may only make the fourth and so now is the time. I know I shouldn't attempt to use logic with regards to the WTA, but still.

In the mixed, I will have Hingis/Paes [D. Jovanovic/Thompson]


ROD LAVER: DJOKOVIC d. KUZNETSOV
...Some matches are hard to write about, to describe. Federer and Nadal in that Wimbledon final is hard to describe simply because our sport will never reach that level again. The French Open final a few weeks before Nadal won 6-1,6-3,6-0 or similar. It's hard to describe because it is such a non-contest. And then there are matches like that match where Monica Seles was stabbed. They're incredibly rare but just as hard to write about. Djokovic's 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 victory, or parade if you will, was a classic example of the second reason. The Russian barely lasted eighty minutes on Laver's court. How unfair is it by the way that there is no Evonne Goolagong court. Even Rafter has a court at the Brisbane International. Only one woman from Australia was ever world number one and it was EGC. Anyways, Djokovic was pretty dominant as he won 89 points and lost just 48. He also blasted eight aces and 29 winners overall. No, it wasn't perfect as he got broken but it was a very well played and controlled match from the Serb. His opponent had one break chance and he took it. That is quite impressive. Now the Serb's title credentials will be tested. Verdasco awaits and he has serious firepower and he knows how to beat the big boys.
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MARGARET COURT: WAWRINKA d. COPIL
...Copil proved to be rather sturdy. On paper a Romanian qualifier should not beat the fourth seed and defending champion at any event. Here on the ATP tour anything can happen, except for Nadal not winning the French Open. I'm going to bet Todd's house, no Todd's state on Nadal winning the French Open. Anyways. Copil pushed Wawrinka to two 7-4 breaker sets before falling 7-6,7-6,6-3. The Romanian was broken twice but he also broke Wawrinka once in what was an error-strewn match. There were 73 errors in this match, though there were 67 winners, too. It was a big hitting match where both players went for their shots. Copil is a name to watch. He has won challengers and, at 24 years of age, he still has many years to go. Wawrinka has Nieminen up next and that is not a given. Five years ago this is a tough one. Right now there is danger but Wawrinka should still come through, though it may go four.
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MARGARET COURT : RAONIC d. YOUNG
...Donald Young has lost himself matches before.



That time not so much. It's stuff like this:



This time, Donald, it wasn't your fault. Raonic never faced a break point in the 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 clinic. With 17 aces and 44 total winners the young star, so like Pistol Pete, cruised through against a very tricky opponent. This time Young was beaten, he didn't lose. Raonic is something the other guns aren't -- reliably, consistently solid. If he's seeded eighth it's going to take an almighty effort to stop him making that quarterfinal. Eventually results will keep falling his way. He'll be seeded four, three, two and then once he is the top seed who's going to stop him ? He has an exhausted Benjamin (no-relation) Becker up next and that score line may not be at all close. Becker has to hold every game and somehow break the Canadian's service. May I suggest witchcraft?
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HISENSE: JANOWICZ d. MONFILS
...Trying to understand Monfils is like the opposite to understanding a classic Scooby Doo mystery. I picked him to do well here thinking his form really was indicative. A Scooby Doo Mystery lasts 20 minutes. The plot is clear and the bad guy obvious. Daphne gets kidnapped and Scooby does something scientifically impossible with Scooby Snacks. It is my favorite cartoon ever for a reason. It's simple yet brilliant. In Monfils' matches, the time can go up to four hours and beyond. The plot is never clear and sometimes Monfils plays the bad guy, but usually only for bits of certain matches. Monfils' brain gets kidnapped and he does stuff that is scientifically impossible like this, a mere taste of the truly incredible things he can do:



This is his career in a nutshell:



Janowicz won 6-4,1-6,6-7,6-3,6-3. Monfils has given us the world's strangest score lines. I personally want to see Kuznetsova and Monfils play tennis together. Can you imagine? The most frustrating mixed doubles team you could possibly imagine, except perhaps Robredo/Sanchez-Vicario, but they'd be frustrating for entirely different reasons. Up next for Janowicz is Lopez and then probably Raonic. There may be a gap here.
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=Any other notes?=
* - Casey Dellacqua is gone in the singles. She lost to Keys. She is still alive in the doubles and the mixed. In the ladies doubles, they play a Spanish pair on day five. The Aussies will get behind Casey.

Thanx all and visit WTA BACKSPIN please.

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