Tennis: Australian Open 2025

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Very very very excited for the schedule tonight, I'll have the college title game on TV while the AO matches up on my PC.

Gauff in 3
Saba in 2

Paul in 5
Carlos in an epic 5 setter

 

[kihei]

Badosa with a huge win over Gauff. It was the usual problem for Coco. She couldn't keep her forehands in court, allowing Badosa way too many free points. Looks like we are headed for a Sabalenka/Swiatek showdown.

 

[kihei]

Very very very excited for the schedule tonight, I'll have the college title game on TV while the AO matches up on my PC.

Gauff in 3
Saba in 2

Paul in 5
Carlos in an epic 5 setter

College title game is a yawner. I would have pedicted Gauff in two.

Sabalenka in straight sets

Zverev in 4 sets (but I hope you are right)
Carlos in 4 sets

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

College title game is a yawner. I would have pedicted Gauff in two.

Sabalenka in straight sets

Zverev in 4 sets (but I hope you are right)
Carlos in 4 sets

Ya, I'm about to order some takeout before this TP/Sasha match starts. This college game sucks.

Coco needs to work on her serve very badly, it fails her a ton at these big tournaments. Happy for Badosa, she's been working her way back since the bad back injury and has done well since Washington of last year

 

[kihei]

Not much news either from Jannik or anywhere else about just what his health issue was yesterday. At one point, when his right hand was shaking uncontrollably and he later claimed he had problems moving to his left, I was actually worried that he might be having a stroke. However, the medics let him continue, and presumably he is good to go in the quarterfinals. I would still like to know what the doctors concluded about what happened. There was nothing ordinary about that incident.

 

[SlafySZN]

Not much news either from Jannik or anywhere else about just what his health issue was yesterday. At one point, when his right hand was shaking uncontrollably and he later claimed he had problems moving to his left, I was actually worried that he might be having a stroke. However, the medics let him continue, and presumably he is good to go in the quarterfinals. I would still like to know what the doctors concluded about what happened. There was nothing ordinary about that incident.

Didn’t something similar happened to Djokovic last year? I remember his hands shaking, can’t remember exactly when or which tournament.

 

[kihei]

Just woke up so I don't know how it happened, but Pavlyuchenkova is up a break in the third set 1-love,

Well, that didn't last long. Sabalenka broke right back. But still...what is going on here?

From the stats, it appears that both women have played quite well despite the lopsided set scores, but now neither can hold serve in the third set, 2-2.

Sabalenka regains her form while Pavlyuchenkova plays tired tennis. Crisis averted for Aryna, 6-3.

 

[kihei]

Fitness could be the difference here. Novak has to pressure Carlos with his serve and keep points short while Carlos has to put balls in play and extend points.

Great start for Nole, 2-love. Carlos breaks right back, and, oow, I don't know if this is going to be close.

 

[kihei]

Carlos looks like he has added maybe three to five pounds of muscle in the off-season and his fitness level seems off the charts. As well, his backhand has more bite than last season. He looks bigger, intimidating as hell out there, hardly resembling the young teenager we first knew.

 

[kihei]

Last couple of matches Nole has looked ornery intense. Today so far, he is calmly intense, and playing very well.

He needs this first set more than Carlos, though.

...and there's the break for Carlos. This match already had an air of inevitability about it, and the break merely underlies the point. To make matters worse, Nole might have twisted his ankle slightly. He's taking an injury time out.

Carlos looks very loose, in a good way. Like he is having fun out there.

He closes this set with four straight unreturnable serves. No limp from Novak.

 

[kihei]

A little letdown from Carlos? With some beautiful outright return winners, Nole breaks again right at the start of the set for 2-love.

Carlos' down-the-line plus ones have been absolutely lethal tonight, 3-1 Nole.

And, as in the first set, Carlos wastes no time breaking right back. 3-2.

Nole turns on the power, forces a nine-minute game on Alcaraz's serve, but Carlos eventually holds, 3-all. Maybe Nole's last stand? The pain killer for the ankle should be wearing off soon.

Last stand, my ass. Nole takes the set with a immaculate return game, 6-4. You would think after all these years I would know better than to ever write off this guy. But, obviously not.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Perc'd up Novak is gonna be dangerous lmao

A little letdown from Carlos? With some beautiful outright return winners, Nole breaks again right at the start of the set for 2-love.

Carlos getting that first set will be big because Novak will have a massive push here once those pain meds start to work.

Think we're in for a classic 5 setter

 

[kihei]

3-2 on serve in the third set with Nole seemingly the more dominant player. Lateral mobility seems very close to normal. Carlos may be getting a little frustrated by Novak's continued stellar play and power.

Nole keeps the pressure on and breaks again. Carlos has not had an easy service game since closing out the first set. He is in danger of getting grinded down at the moment....Carlos breaks right back. Man, we got a barn burner going here.

Nole breaks again! And serves it out. Carlos smiles ruefully. Amazing performance by Djokovic these last two sets, just awesome.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

That set point was f***ing insane, that's why he's the GOAT

 

[kihei]

Carlos is once again down 2-love at the start of a set. Slow set starts have been the rule for him all night.

Carlos had a break point but Nole is dominating the pressure points, just not missing. Those points usually end with a weak stroke from Carlos, a sign of the kind of pressure that Nole seems immune to, 3-1