AO Day 2: Where's Rafa? Oh, There's Rafa.

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

We have completed Day Two. The chaff has been slightly sifted. We have had upsets on either side - Pouille, Halep and, I suppose, Stosur. No big seeds have fallen on the ATP, though the men’s top ten is currently a lot more steadfast than the ladies. The weather is beginning to really heat up and we’re only a day or two away from the third round. And that means we’ll have some truly cracking matches to get our teeth into!

But before that there is some sad news to impart. Tommy Haas, king of surgeries, has played his last match at Melbourne Park. It ended, perhaps fittingly, with a retirement. The German is now 38 and, while he is director of the BNP Paribas Open tournament, he still wants to play.

In better news our, WTA star of the year, Dasha Gavrilova, survived Naomi Broady 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. But now she must face Ana Konjuh. She’ll need that day's rest. Boy, will that match be one to tune into.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any crackers this early. Gael Monfils very quietly dispatched of the dangerous lefty Jiri Vesely. In 90 minutes the Frenchman cruised to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory. He only lost serve once and blasted 32 winners. He looked extremely efficient.
Dominic Thiem, meanwhile, has also moved through. He got past Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3, but the 45 errors and nine doubles need to be improved on. Less of both from the Austrian, please.

*Suicide Picks*
MS 1st Rd: Gasquet d. Mott {W}
MS 2nd Rd: Tomic d. Estrella Burgos
==
WS 1st Rd: Wozniacki d. Rodionova {W}
WS 2nd Rd: Konta d. Osaka


Right, let’s see what happened to the biggest names...


RLA: NADAL D. MAYER
...Mayer has beaten Rafa before in Shanghai. But here Rafa was inspired and his forehand was particularly lethal. The German lasted a shade over the two-hour mark but went down 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. He never even faced a break point and looked as good as he has for quite some time. If he could keep this going throughout the year, he could win some big titles. Mayer, of course, no longer presents a massive challenge but he is still a dangerous foe with weapons. Nadal had all the answers to the German’s volleys, to his craft and to his big booming backhand. For Rafa this is the perfect opening match - a tricky opponent, but a winnable match. Up next is Bagman, who Rafa does have an 8-1 record against. Boy, was it easier to find Rafa in the draw when he was a top two player.
=============================
RLA: DJOKOVIC D. VERDASCO
...Verdasco was a little too explosive during this one. Nole won 6-1, 7-6[5], 6-2. But it lasted longer than Nadal’s match. Sadly, Ferver disappeared after losing the second set, he just gave up on the match. The Spaniard’s infamous temper was in attendance, however. At one point, when he blew a break lead he let out a huge roar of anger. Verdasco tried hard, and he hit some nice shots, but Nole is once more on a different plane. For Djokovic it was pretty simple - sit back as his opponent went 27-56 on the winners count. For a player with such good prospects, what has happened to Verdasco is quite shocking. He should still be a factor, especially with that forehand still working so well. But his days are long gone. And that’s sad. Istomin up next for Djokovic. And it only gets harder from there.
=============================
MCA: RAONIC D. BROWN
...There was scant resistance from the German in this one. Raonic has turned into a very consistent top four player who simply doesn’t lose these matches on the big stages. It’s a huge step forward. He needed just 90 minutes to come through 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. 18 aces, 46 total winners and only 25 errors from the third seed. And four breaks to none. The Canuck has come in here riding a serious wave of form. Dustin Brown probably played the shot of the match and got the most applause, but Raonic could walk away with a huge trophy. Up next is Muller, fresh off a title in Sydney. Expect breakers in that one and four sets. If Raonic can get through that without losing a set he really could win it.
=============================
MCA: DIMITROV D. O’CONNELL
...Do you like the new Dimitrov? This BACKSPINNER is a fan. Dimtirov hit 15 aces, won 46 of 47 first serve points and never faced a break point as he won 7-6[2], 6-3, 6-3. It only took him a shade over two hours. The Bulgarian was composed throughout, and won 29 more points than his opponent. It is quite astonishing that his opponent won just 17 per cent of receiving points. Dimitrov is having some career resurgence. And he gets a good look at the next generation now, with Hyeon Chung up next. That will be a great clash. The South Korean is a future top ten player. He is also likely to be a seed for most of next year’s slams. Can Dimi hold off the next generation coming through? He just needs to keep serving well. There is nothing your opponent can do if you are unbreakable. Dimitrov and Djokovic are on a collision course for the fourth round, if Dimitrov can find his way past Gasquet.
=============================
HISENSE: A.ZVEREV D. HAASE
...Sometimes it’s just about surviving. Zverev was pushed here but responded magnificently. It took him some three hours, but the German came through, winning going away 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2. He turned it on the last two sets, going to a level Haase just doesn’t have. He double faulted to give up his serve in the fourth set. And he looked down and out, it looked like he would be the first major casualty of the draw. And down 2-0, 40-0 he looked to be in deeper trouble. But he would lose just three more games the whole way. Sometimes smashing your racket, which he did with aplomb after losing his serve in the fourth, is just the ticket. He used his anger constructively, and roared through to win a dramatic match in front of a baying crowd. He faces flashy Tiafoe next and then Nadal. Can he upset the Spaniard? Let’s hope he can get to the match at least. It’d be a fun match.
=============================
OUTER COURT SELECTION : KARLOVIC D. ZEBALLOS
...Five and a quarter hours. In the Australian sun. How could they bear it? Dr. Ivo out-aced his opponent by 75 to 33 during the five set epic, which finished 6-7[6], 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 22-20. Karlovic broke four times to his opponent's once. This was an astonishing match. While Zeballos has gone overtime once, at the 2013 French Open, Karlovic is an expert at it. Somehow the Croat won 80 per cent of his first serve points. Karlovic now has the record for the most aces in a match at this tournament. The fifth set alone lasted two hours and 57 minutes. The final set of Isner Mahut lasted eight hours and ten minutes, so at least it wasn’t that bad. Up next for the 20th seed is wild card Whittington.
=============================

Thanks all and visit WTA BACKSPIN please.

Read more!