British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

Tanaqui · County player

Weeks 3 & 4 - Australian Open - main draw - Melbourne, VIC, Australia (hard)

brittak · Satellite level

Priesty wrote:
I can see from next door that Jake has just been broken and lost the second set 7-5
I'd arrange to meet up with you Brittak but am with my mate, who has gone to the toilet and left me guarding his seat.

No worries Priesty.

I had a stroke of luck.. As i still couldnt get on at the end of the second set, i gave up and was going to try and find something else to watch when i noticed a slight gap had opened up on the other side of the court and after a few minutes got a seat right in front of Leon Smith and Jakes team. So watched the last two sets there. Jake was a break up in the 4th and I thought he might be pulling off a comeback but had a bit of a fall and lost a bit of momentum. Shame but que sera sera.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

wolf wrote:
I just saw a ball girl collapse backwards in the Alexandrova - Sonmez match, try to get up and then thankfully a quick thinking Sonmez and the umpire had hold of her as her legs buckled a second time. Must be brutally hot conditions as usual.

From the Beeb's report on the retirements of Fran Jones, Marina Stakusic & FAA:

Early retirements became a theme on day two in Melbourne, with men's eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and qualifier Marina Stakusic - who was taken off court in a wheelchair - both forced to retire after cramping. The heat hit 30C in Melbourne, but it is common for players to compete in much higher temperatures. By mid-afternoon the Australian Open's heat stress scale read 1.4 out of five - deemed 'temperature playing conditions'.

Canada's Auger-Aliassime came into the Australian Open as part of the group tipped to challenge clear favourites Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for the men's title. The 25-year-old surged into the world's top five after finishing last season with a flourish, including a run to the US Open semi-finals. But he fell at the first hurdle in Melbourne despite taking the opening set against Portugal's Nuno Borges.

"I can't recall ever in my life this [happening this] early in a tournament, this early in a match," Auger-Aliassime said after quitting when trailing 3-6 6-4 6-4. I don't have all the answers now."

Cramping was the root of the dramatic scenes involving Stakusic. The Canadian world number 127 went down in the third set of her first-round match against Australia's Priscilla Hon. A rubdown with ice did not improve the spasm in Stakusic's leg, forcing her to quit when trailing 1-6 6-4 5-3. Medical staff and Hon helped her in to a wheelchair before the 21-year-old was taken off court.

Sheddie · administrator

Julia Carrot wrote:
Priesty wrote:
Yes, first time I've been here (or to Australia for that matter) - recommend it highly
Yes, it is a great site and kind of more laid back than Wimbledon I thought. I was there in 2020 - I watched Heather lose in 1st round, Jo Konta retire in first round and Dan lose in second round, all a trifle disappointing but I did like the vibe of the place and walked there everyday from Richmond.

I was there as well in 2020. Love the AO, even though that was a bit of a shocking tournament from the Brits' perspective. Bigger and less congested than Wimbledon, none of the RG snootiness, and absolutely loved the night session vibe.

The one slightly discombobulating aspect of Melbourne is the dramatic weather shifts - the locals call it 'four seasons in a day.' Some of the night sessions were brutally cold, and then the next day it'd be 40 degrees+. It definitely had an impact on player performances which I hadn't quite appreciated from simply watching at home on telly.

I remember Ash Barty looked set to finally win that year, but the temperatures suddenly soared for the women's semis, and she lost to Sofia Kenin in 40 degrees plus.