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By Chris Oddo | Tuesday January 16, 2018

 
Belinda Bencic

Belinda Bencic is one of many surging WTA players that has made the first week of the Australian Open must-see TV.

Photo Source: Mark Peterson/Corleve

The draw is whittled down to 64 on the ATP and WTA sides and we've learned a lot about the fields since first ball on Monday. Here are 10 thoughts to sum up the first two days of the Happy Slam and get you prepped for round two:


Djokovic passes first test

Novak Djokovic eased past Donald Young on Day 2 and appears to be in good physical form. He played a very solid match from start to finish and really only saw his level dip in the third set against Young, but was still able to finish the victory in straights. We’ll know a lot more about Djokovic’s potential of winning a seventh Australian Open title on Thursday when he faces Gael Monfils. He has absolutely owned the Frenchman, going 14-0 against him, but Monfils has the capacity to make him work and put the Serb under stress. It will be a bigger test for Djokovic’s new-look serve and his shotmaking, and it will be interesting to see what he delivers. Djokovic’s draw gets pretty tricky in week two (possible Zverev r16, possible Thiem QF, possible Federer sf), so he’ll have to manage stress and stay out of trouble in week one to have the energy in the tank for a run.

Federer, Nadal look very strong

It’s very early, and neither player was tested, but all indications are that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are in good enough form to create a final rematch here in Melbourne. Nadal’s fitness was a question mark a few weeks ago, and he’s playing the Australian for the first time without an official warmup match, but he looked fit and fabulous in dropping just three games against Victor Estrella Burgos in round one. Federer was pretty sublime himself, as he cruised past Aljaz Bedene in straights. Will this guy ever age out of the game? No signs of it yet.

Halep in trouble?

The tennis world is waiting to see what kind of shape Simona Halep’s ankle is in after she rolled it in a round one victory over Destanee Aiava on Tuesday. Never mind that Halep looked very shaky in the first set of the match—if she can’t get that ankle right she could be in trouble as soon as her next match against Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard on Thursday. She may be a favorite in Melbourne but it will be next to impossible for her to navigate her tricky draw at less than 100 percent.

Bencic Primed for a run?

As Venus Williams eloquently put it after falling to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic on Day 1, the shock loss by the No.5-seeded Williams was more a product of Bencic’s sizzling form than any meltdown from the elder Williams sister. So what does that tell us? That Bencic could be headed for a deep run—she’s playing that well at the moment. And the Swiss isn’t the only resurgent player angling for a run at Melbourne. How about Angelique Kerber, who suddenly can’t lose after a 2017 spent wandering in the weeds? Or Caroline Wozniacki, sitting with a friendly draw and coming off what has to be a confidence-building title at last year’s WTA Finals?

The truth is, there really are about 15 names that could potentially win the title on the WTA side, and it isn’t due to any lack of weakness in the field, it’s due to the fact that there are a lot of amazing players ready to do damage. A few more names? Johanna Konta. Madison Keys. Garbiñe Muguruza. Julia Goerges. Elina Svitolina. Jelena Ostapenko. Unlike the ATP, where a breakout run means a trip to the quarters (and likely not much more), all of the aforementioned women have the ability to take the title. It makes it a lot more interesting during the first four rounds, that’s for sure.

Sharapova for real?

Maria Sharapova looked devastating in her first-round thumping of Tatjana Maria, but we’ll reserve judgement until week one concludes. The Russian faces Anastasija Sevastova, the player that sent her packing at last year’s US. Open in the second round, and she could face Angelique Kerber in the third round. If week two rolls around and Sharapova is still standing, it’s safe to say that she’s a title contender. Not now.

Popcorn Second-Rounders?

The second round should be pretty damn exciting in Melbourne. Here are a few battles that we’ll be popping popcorn for:

Shapovalov vs. Tsonga, in a rematch of last year’s second-round shocker at New York
Halep vs. Bouchard, to see if Bouchard can push the ailing Halep
Barty vs. Giorgi, in a battle of two players in good form in front of the rowdy Aussie faithful
Baghdatis vs. Rublev, to see if Rublev can handle the wily veteran
Chung vs. Medvedev, in a young gun battle of bad-ass backhands.

Stanimal ahead of schedule

Not only did Stan Wawrinka make it through a full match on his surgically repaired left knee, he showed pretty good form while defeating Ricardas Berankis in four. Wawrinka likely will peter out at some point during the fortnight, but the mere fact that the knee is holding up and he is apparently in good form bodes well for him for the rest of the season. We don’t know when Andy Murray will become a factor again on tour, and that’s unfortunate, but we can certainly embrace the return of the Stanimal. He’ll face Tennys Sandgren in a very winnable second-rounder.

Best Hug of Round One

No contest, it’s this post-match warmth between Rafael Nadal and Victor Estrella Burgos. Melting…


Best Quote: Sloane Stephens

The No.13-seeded American handled her difficult loss very well and showed some real maturity in press. She also aired out that classic sense of humor that we all love.

"I think personally for me in my career I have been one of those players that I have had a lot of doubters and people saying that I'm never going to win a tournament, never win a Grand Slam, I don't have the heart, I don't have the fight, I don't have the championship mentality, whatever, you know, people have said. … I think winning the US Open, like, it's just never going to be enough for certain people and people who talk about and you guys who write it about it and whatever, it's never going to be enough. But as long as it's enough for me and I feel good that I have done what I can to progress and do whatever I can for my personal career, that's okay.


Best offbeat Moment

Federer assures Aljaz Bedene that a crying baby isn’t his during their first-round match. Mirka’s reaction to it all is the most precious.

 

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