Quick Recap of Current 2019 Australian Open
If anyone has been keeping up with the Aussie Open so far, it’s safe to say that the draw has taken extreme twists and turns. Significant stars got knocked out in the beginning rounds, while legends got knocked out leading up to the Semifinals. Here is some important information going into the last few days of the first Grand Slam of 2019:
Bautista Agut Ousts Murray in Final Aussie Open Appearance
Tennis fans were upset when Brit Andy Murray mentioned publicly that he is on the road to retirement. Having won multiple grand slams, but continuing to fight against his injuries, Murray is deciding to throw in the towel later this year. He’s not happy about the decision, but knows it’s the right thing to do. In a thrilling five set match, the Brit went down fighting until the last point.
Isner, Sock, Sandgren and Kyrgios all lose 1st round
Many battles were fought the first day of the Australian Open, but three Americans couldn’t defeat their opponents. Isner, a fellow UGA bulldog, lost to the young countryman Reily Opelka in straight tiebreaks. Sandgren, coming off of a recent win of his first ATP title, lost to the young man from Japan, Nishioka. For the Aussie Kyrgios, he had a first round match up with Raonic. Unfortunately he couldn’t fight off his serve and lost.
Danielle Collins Dream Semifinals Run
The 25-year-old American never could have imagined that she would end up in the Semifinals of the first grand slam of the year. In addition, no one would have believed who she beat getting to the final four. She was two points away from losing her first round match against Goerges, before she turned it around to walk away with the win. Plus, she defeated Garcia in straight sets. The biggest surprise was when she annhilated the no. 1 player in the world, Angelique Kerber. Kerber only won two games that entire match. Her quarterfinal match was against a veteran, Anatasia Pavlyuchenkova from Russia. After Collins got to a slow start and losing the first set, she started feeling more comfortable on the court and settled in. The young American came back to win the match and secured her spot in the Semifinals against Petra Kvitova.
Tsitsipas Knocks Out Legend Roger Federer in 4th Round
This young Greek tennis player defeated his tennis idol Roger Federer. After Roger took the first set, Tsitsipas started having more belief and comfort in his game. With a switch, Tsitsipas turned his game face on and never turned back. He had the 20-time grand slam winner running all over the court, while throwing volleys and overheads his way. Kindly, he paid his respect to the Swiss in his post match interview, after beating him. Tsitsipas consolidated his win by defeating Spaniard Bautista Agut to earn his spot into his first Semifinal of a grand slam.
Pliskova defeats Serena Williams in epic Quarterfinal
One of the best tennis players of all time, Serena Williams, was defeated by the Czech Karolina Pliskova. However, this is not the first occasion for her. In 2016, Simona Halep and Serena Williams battled, but the American arised victorious after that encounter. Her next opponent was Karolina Pliskova, who ended up defeating her. Deja vu in 2019? I believe it is. Williams played some of the best tennis of her life on Monday, to defeat no. 1 Simona Halep in three sets. Unfortunately, she fought long and hard against Pliskova in the quarterfinals, but wasn’t able to close out the match. The legendary American was up 5-1 in the final set, but Pliskova continued to press forward and won the final set 5-7.