Aussie Open bouquets and brickbats
Another Aussie Open has come and gone, providing us with many indelible memories. Here is what sticks out the most in Mr Ed?s mind after a fortnight in Melbourne.
Thank you Younes and Andy:
After Andy Roddick outlasted Younes El Aynaoui in their amazing 4-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4, 21-19 quarterfinal epic, we knew that the high point of this year?s Open had come and gone. The young American hotshot and the grizzled Moroccan veteran put on a phenomenal show, pounding winner after winner for almost five action-packed hours.
While recognizing Roddick?s gutsy victory for its full value, one might spare a few thoughts for the vanquished El Aynaoui. The 31-year-old?s dignity after what was a crushingly disappointing defeat was displayed when he raised his conqueror?s hand in the manner of a boxer. More impressively, he refused to make an issue of the American?s decision to hand his racquet to a ball boy as El Aynaoui was preparing to serve at 19-19 of the deciding set. This has been used as a gamesmanship ploy by others in th
e past, and in Andy?s case it regrettably fudged the line between showmanship and gamesmanship.
Younes gave away the fatal service break immediately thereafter, but, given that his legs had evidently given out, he would likely have lost regardless. Still, the ball boy episode was something we could have lived without.
Juan Carlos and David, you gotta have heart!:
Two of last year?s losing Slam finalists could have used a small drop of the reservoir of fighting spirit showed by Roddick and El Aynaoui. Juan Carlos Ferrero, an exceptionally talented player, for all intents and purposes tanked the third set of his 7-6, 7-6, 6-1 quarterfinal loss to Wayne Ferreira. And the young Argentine star David Nalbandian limply accepted defeat in the same round, drooping to a 6-3, 7-5, 6-1, 6-0 decion against the surprising finalist Rainer Schuettler.
Both Nalbandian and Ferrero have shown in the past that they are willing to pay the price to win marathon battles, so the lack of gumption they showed in Melbourne was particularly disappointing. Hopefully they will pull up their proverbial socks and show the stuff of champions when presented with similar situations in the future.
Belgians and the ?C-word?:
An appetizing fourth-round attraction between Justine Henin-Hardenne and Lindsay Davenport lived up to its billing, as the 20-year-old Belgian courageously shook off cramps -- and her reputation of ?choking? in big matches -- to subdue the American in an enthralling duel, 7-5, 5-7, 9-7.
It looked as though the ?c-word? would come back to haunt Henin-Hardenne in this match when she wasted a 7-5, 4-1 lead, losing ten of the next twelve games. But Davenport returned the favour by blowing a 4-1 lead of her own in the third, and the women finally battled to the dramatic end, which featured Justine?s dramatic recovery from a cramp-induced ?knockdown?.
Henin-Hardenne?s friend and countrywoman Kim Clijsters was reputed to have stronger nerves, but she may have left Melbourne with a label attached. She was on the verge of a berth in the final with a 5-1 third set lead over Serena Williams, but tentative play and double faults, combined with a strong Serena fightback, proved her undoing.
Speaking of Serena?:
The American powerhouse consolidated her domination of the women?s game, although she was not as awe-inspiring as she had been in last year?s Slams. Serena had to claw her way through three arduous three-set matches -- against the brave Émilie Loit in the first round, Clijsters in the semis, and her sister in the final. But her power, speed and unshakable resolve, as it usually does these days, prevailed when all was said and done.
Regrettably, Serena?s demeanour does not come close to matching her tennis excellence. When Loit saved a match point with a splendid and cheeky drop shot, Williams was heard to congratulate her opponent with a scream of ?f*** you!? Her stalling and controversial double injury time out in the third set of the Clijsters semifinal were also rather dubious.
Now that she holds all four major titles, Serena Williams has shown she is a great champion: now hopefully she will also behave like one.