By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday January 27, 2020
The quarterfinals are set at the Australian Open and Aussie Musings has things to say.
Photo Source: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Five thoughts on the run of play of Day 8 at the 2020 Aussie Open.
More Aussie Musings: Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
Kyrgios Took a Major Step this Aussie Summer
It didn’t go Nick Kyrgios’ way tonight against Rafael Nadal on Rod Laver Arena, but the fact that the Aussie wasn’t able to come through against the great Spaniard doesn’t mean anything on the grand scale. What’s important about Kyrgios’ performance at the Australian Open is the determination with which he competed, and the resilience that he showed in his five-set victory over Karen Khachanov in the third round, and throughout the rest of the month.
It really felt like Kyrgios stepped into another realm in Melbourne and it was rewarding to watch the Aussie take a long awaited step in his maturation process this January.
It was also good to see him playing with purpose, aware of the connection between his tennis and the hopes of the Australian people in a time of crisis. It’s been an ongoing process for years, but this year in Australia the perfect storm occurred and Kyrgios got the chance to show his country—and the tennis world—what kind of a player (and human being) he truly is.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
It all started with Kyrgios stepping up and taking an active role in bushfire relief efforts as 2020 commenced. While that was occurring Kyrgios was playing a pivotal role in Team Australia’s run to the semifinals at ATP Cup.
The camaraderie and good vibes of that event clearly stayed with him as he got to the Australian Open, and when Kyrgios finally outlasted Khachanov in five sets on Day 6 he had recorded the grittiest victory of his career. It would not have been possible without the realizations that Kyrgios has made over the last month. He seemed to recognize the importance of what he was doing on the tennis court—how it could bring people together, how it could help people heal—and he didn’t shy away from it. Kyrgios embraced it and took it upon himself to put up a fight, even when down, or pissed, or frustrated. You could feel it—he was changed, and it was beautiful to see.
Maybe it won’t last. Maybe he’ll regress, or give up, or get sick of being a role model. But for one brilliant month Nick Kyrgios was all that he could be, and then some. It didn’t matter if he won the ATP Cup or beat Nadal, it just mattered that he was 100 percent there, representing himself and his mates with pride, and he was, and we salute him for that.
Bryans Say Goodbye to Australian Open
Six-time men’s doubles champions Mike and Bob Bryan have played their last Australian Open. The legendary twins bowed out to Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek in third-round action on Day 8, 6-3 6-4.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
The Bryans, who will retire at this year’s Australian Open, finish their Aussie Open careers with 77 team victories.
They are gonna be missed big-time when they're gone for good.
Surging Stanimal Stops the Bear
Stan Wawrinka was stopped by Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals at last year’s U.S. Open, but he exacted a bit of revenge on the Russian today as he stormed his way past the No.4 seed 6-2 2-6 4-6 7-6(2) in 3:24 to book a last eight slot. This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill victory for Wawrinka, who improves to 29-22 in five-setters. It was clean and mean ball bashing, and it featured the devastating brutality that only Wawrinka can produce. The 34-year-old pumped in 71 winners against 64 unforced errors and at times in the match had great success rendering Medvedev’s world-class defense useless. There was simply nothing Medvedev could do when Wawrinka went big off the ground, particularly in the fifth set which saw Wawrinka hit 18 winners to just six for Medvedev.
Wawrinka entered the tournament as an afterthought but after four rounds and a pair of five-set wins (the other was over Andreas Seppi in the second round), he’s starting to look like a contender for the title.
The only if in the equation is his body. Will it hold up at 34 the way it did in his Slam winning seasons, before the double knee surgery?
On the flip side is a disappointing stat for Daniil Medvedev. The Russian drops to 0-6 in five-setters. And this one has to hurt as he was the big favorite coming in.
Muguruza Maintains Scintillating Form with Win over Bertens
Resurgence has been a theme at this year’s Australian Open. And Garbiñe Muguruza, much like Stan Wawrinka on the men’s side, continued to turn back the clock on Day 8. The Spaniard waltzed past Kiki Bertens and has now recorded back-to-back Top 10 beatdowns after a shaky start to the tournament that saw her need three sets to get past Shelby Rogers and Ajla Tomljanovic.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Muguruza was bageled in her first set in Melbourne, but then zoomed past Rogers despite feeling at less than 100 percent due to an illness that she had been carrying at the start of last week. In the second round she had to fight tooth-and-nail to get past an in-form Ajla Tomljanovic. The battles have seemed to help her relax and she has looked close to invincible in her last two matches.
She’ll face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next, in what should be a winnable match for the two-time Slam champion. Muguruza owns a 4-1 lifetime record against the Russian including wins in all four of the hard court matches.
Zverev a Huge Surprise Down Under
What the heck is happening with Alexander Zverev? The German was in atrocious form at the ATP Cup as he rained down double-faults and dropped all three of his matches. Watching him there, it really felt like he was going to take some time off the tour to fix his broken serve—and perhaps his fragile psyche.
A few weeks later here he is, into the quarterfinals at Melbourne for the first time, without dropping a set.
“I know what I was doing on the court before, I was just standing there,” Zverev said of his ATP Cup experience last week. “Felt like I was picking up balls. Didn't have a rhythm of the game, a rhythm of the match. I didn't really know what was going on.”
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
A week later he’s suddenly one match away from the best performance of his career at a major. Funny game, tennis.
Check out Zverev’s serving line from his 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over Andrey Rublev on Monday: 11 aces/ 3 double-faults/ 75% first-serve percentage/ 49-54 first-serve points won/ 11-18 second-serve points won. Pretty much flawless.