AO Day 3: Into the Swing of It Now

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

As of the writing of this post, 14 of the 32 women’s seeds have crashed out before the third round. Three lost and two retired on the men’s side. It is just lunacy that in every other grand slam tournament, seeds mean nothing at all. Halep went out in straights, barely putting up resistance. Kvitova never really troubled Gavrilova and Kuznetsova blew up. Venus crashed out and got a record fine for not doing her media duties. The slam champions are dropping like flies. Serena’s path to the final is a complete cakewalk. Todd sure has a job of it over there.

All is quiet here on the men’s side. Nadal’s early exit was not at all a shock and the top ten remain untroubled for the most part. Of course, a few seeds fell - a few always do. But the marquee players with middling to lower seeds like Dimitrov and Kyrgios remain unscathed. That’s important because it is hard to sell a third round match-up between two relative unknowns.

Kyrgios had a wardrobe malfunction today. He wore the wrong shorts and had to take a bathroom break to right the wrong. His opponent Cuevas complained, but to no avail. Nick can’t take part in any tournament without having some kind of drama. He and Berdych are going to have a great match. Both are more than capable of tapping into their fiery side.

*Suicide Picks*
MS 1st Rd: Dimitrov d. Lorenzo {W}
MS 2nd Rd: Kyrgios [29] d. Cuevas {W}
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WS 1st Rd: Gavrilova d. Hradecka {W}
WS 2nd Rd: Mladenovic [28] d. Gibbs {W}

Well, let’s get on with the finer points. Up first is Federer.


ROD LAVER: FEDERER D. DOLGOPOLOV
...The Dog lasted just over an hour and a half but eventually crumbled to a 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 loss. Once he lost the second set he faded as Federer grew stronger. 38 errors off the Ukrainian’s racket was one of the nails in his coffin. The other was Roger hitting 39 winners and 26 errors. Somehow Fed never even faced a break point though he broke his opponent five times. He served and volleyed well, an ominous sign for the rest of the field. This was another master class in efficient and, our buzzword this tournament, avoiding the upset. In three sets Dolgopolov won just 16 points on the Swiss serve. Federer has dropped fewer games than Djokovic but it could all go awry for him as up next is Dimitrov. He should beat the 27th seed, but it should be going four if not more. Let’s see just how legitimate Fed’s chances are here.
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ROD LAVER: DJOKOVIC D. HALYS
...Remember how Zverev pushed Murray late on, but to no avail? Well, it was the same story here. As good as Halys is, with all that talent, he won’t beat the number one on his best court. So put aside the fact he was swept aside 6-1, 6-2 in 56 minutes. Djokovic hit 28 winners and just 7 errors in those two sets. He took his opponent out of the equation by being far too good. In that final set the Frenchman went toe to toe with Djokovic for 45 minutes, even breaking the Serb. He matched the winners and served well. Halys was not going to go away quietly. No, he was going to fight and fight hard. Once they got into the breaker, Djokovic just turned it on but the fact he had to do that reflects well on the challenger. Novak won the breaker 7-3, winning the match in 100 minutes, but the potential the youngster has is noteworthy. Seppi is up next and you never know what could happen.
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MCA: NISHIKORI D. KRAJICEK
...Another solid, unspectacular match from the competent Japanese man. With 40 winners and three breaks, he closed out the match 6-3, 7-6[5], 6-3. Kei needs to cut down on the errors - 31 is too many. His big-hitting opponent could not hit through the wall that is the 7th seed. This was a very well-played match from the best Asia has to offer. Next up is Spain’s Garcia-Lopez, who has never even taken a set off Nishikori. They have yet to play at slam level, however. As for Krajicek, his second round performance was a good one, he just ran into the wrong opponent. He can build on this and it is to better to rise slowly than too quickly.
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MCA: TSONGA D. JASIKA
...Forget the match, it’s run-of-the-mill. But this, this is something special.

Jo Wilfred Tsonga being a gent at the Australian Open today to an injured ball-girl pic.twitter.com/ImTZBE1CnT

— Midlands103Sport (@MidlandsSport) January 20, 2016

Yesm Tsonga won in straight sets and remains dangerous, but he also remains a good-hearted person. All one can ask for is that people be of pleasant temperament in life. Jo showed us something there that was more deserving of applause than any hot-shot. Tsonga moved on to face Herbert, a qualifier. He will play the winner of Nishikori and Garcia-Lopez if he wins against his compatriot. Could another run be brewing here? I think it could be but, really, who can predict the French? In any case, a Tsonga versus Nishikori match could have all the makings of an instant classic.
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HISENSE: KYRGIOS D. CUEVAS
...Kyrgios, in Tomic’s shadow for once, didn’t even need two hours to see off Cuevas 6-4, 7-5, 7-6[2]. Another example of avoiding the upset. I think we are seeing more and more that Todd was right in that volley. The standard of the top 50 on both sides just keeps getting better. There are mines and banana peels everywhere but this is one explosive that has been deactivated. Nick hit 50 winners and broke four times to see off the Uruguayan. On clay this would have been trickier, but here Kyrgios rode the crowd to victory. He lost serve twice and a first serve percentage of 65 could rise a tad. Aside from those minor points, it was an immaculate match from the Aussie. Berdych is up next and I think you, the reader, should predict that one. I for one am not going near it but I will watch it.
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OUTER COURT SELECTION : BERDYCH D. BASIC
...Berdych playing against a Bosnian qualifier was always going to be one sided. 43 winners and a 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 decision later and the Czech was on his way. Five breaks and 12 points lost on serve illustrate how dominant Berdman is, especially if the opponent can’t deal with his weight of shot. Nick Kyrgios does know how to deal with and deal out heavy weight of shot. He is sure to do so when they meet on Friday. Berdych has been a pillar of consistency recently, however. He has been unflappable in form and in tournaments. Can Kyrgios’ thunder and lightning shock the Czech?
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The exciting doubles star hit 29 winners on her to way to hitting Nicole Gibbs off the court 6-1, 7-6[4]. Breaking three times to one, Kiki showed why she is France's best hope for a singles slam in the coming years. Garcia is flashier but lacks any kind of consistency. Her 71 per cent first serve rate is world class and the American was overwhelmed from the start.

Gavrilova brushed Kvitova aside and is very dangerous, especially with the crowd behind her. But she may struggle to follow up her big win with another and the Pastry has a lot of experience already. That match is very hard to call. Torro-Flor and Irogoyen are up next for Mladenovic and her partner Garcia. Caroline already crashed out in the singles, but they are the third seeds. Expect them to light up the back court they are on.

She also got me through the suicide round so that’s good!


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