10SBALLS “GLOBAL CHICK” CHECKS IN FROM THE 2016 AUSTRALIAN OPEN IN MELBOURNE, WTA /ATP UPDATES AND SOME TENNIS NEWS

Written by: Global Chick on 21st January 2016

10SBALLS "GLOBAL CHICK" CHECKS IN FROM THE 2016 AUSTRALIAN OPEN IN MELBOURNE, WTA /ATP UPDATES AND SOME TENNIS NEWS

epa05115333 Madison Keys of the USA returns the ball to Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan during their second round match at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 21 January 2016. EPA/JULIAN SMITH AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |

Drizzle and toast. These are valuable life lessons to learn for a Global Chick in Melbourne. Firstly the drizzle that doesn’t worm into every inch of you like British drizzle. No this is more subversive… it caresses you like it’s teasing before you get to your desk resembling an early morning swimming rat rather than a drowned one.

We have tried a variety of breakfast options already since hitting Melbourne in the middle of last week – the criminally inexpensive two slices of massive toast and jam for just a couple of A$ is perfect. Now… if they could just have strawberry jam this would be great!

Of course yesterday the rain toyed with the schedule a little. The next day’s schedule was late, Twitter almost melted, and we suspected today may be more of the same, although we were a little more hopeful at the site of a lot of players doing morning training on the outside courts.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in action against to Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia during their second round match on day four of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 21 January 2016. EPA/JOE CASTRO

With play delayed for a short while, the three main roofed show courts kicked off, but you had to feel for Ana Ivanovic in her match against Anastasija Sevastova as someone fell heavily in the stands midway through their first set, with Ivanovic having just gone a break up.

Play was delayed for 26 minutes as medical professionals attended the patron, who was stretchered away for observation and further treatment, but the impact on Ivanovic, who heard the fall was immediate.

She told us: “I was really shaking, because the sound of the lady falling was really loud. I could hear it. I stopped immediately. It’s never good, never nice when you’re completely cooled down. Especially we had to stay on the court, because we didn’t really now what he was going on. I was really happy I happened to win that service game, because didn’t have much warm-up and had to start serving straight up. I was very happy to close that first set.”

“I just hope the lady was fine. It was actually good that we had to wait a little bit because I was really shaking, because I could imagine and it was not so nice. Then they told us she was bleeding, so, yeah, I hope she’s well.”

Thankfully the programme continued as Kirsten Flipkens stepped up to the plate to try and halt third seed Garbine Muguruza in their second round match. There was plenty of fight coming from the Belgian as she broke Muguruza straight back after losing her serve, but the Spaniard seems to be shaking off her season-starting injury problems off breaking once more to keep the advantage.

Mind you, Flipkens made her work very hard for the first set, saving five set points before Muguruza finally converted a sixth, but from there the Spaniard steered a steady course into the third round, fending off a brave break back once more from Flipkens, but ultimately a straight sets win 6-4 6-2.

Kristen Flipkens of Belgium returs to Gabine Muguruza of Spain during their second round match at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 21 January 2016. EPA/MADE NAGI

Update – 17 of the women’s seeds are on an early flight out of Melbourne already and we’re not even at the end of Round Two yet – the glittery and visor-clad Jelena Jankovic [19] joined Elina Svitolina [18] and Sabine Lisicki [30] to exit stage right … who knows how many more will be off by the time we cover the night’s matches?

The match of the day on the men’s side had to be Andy Murray. He knows only too well what the weight of expectation is from the fans at a home slam, and heavens did Sam Groth feel that, as he fell to the Brit 6-0 6-4 6-1.

Dropping his first two games the big Aussie railed at himself “Come out SO TIGHT” as Murray steamed past him in the first set with nary a game to show for it.

Groth did at least come back at Murray a little in the second set, but looked snake-bit in the third, and as if to add insult to injury, rolled his foot in the final game, the footage of him hobbling back to the changing room at Rod Laver contrasting a quietly satisfied Murray on court, giving praise to Lleyton Hewitt.

Andy Murray will face Joao Sousa in the next round, and joins women’s Brit No. 1 Johanna Konta who overcame a tough Zhang Saisai to book her spot in the third round – her furthest run here in Melbourne, 6-2 6-3.

Madison Keys also survived the latest cull of the seeds 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3, and she will face Ana Ivanovic in the next round.

Editors Note : A Great “Auzzie brekkie” is Vegemite on toast. Most newcomers spread it wrong. It’s a little butter and only a little VEGEMITE. Most spread it on too thick like its peanut butter. As John Fitzgerald “Fitzy” once said. It gives you doggie breath!

Topics: 10sballs.com, Ana Ivanovic, Anastasija Sevastova, Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Australian Open, Garbine Muguruza, global chick, Jelena Jankovic, Kirsten Flipkens, Madison Keys, Melbourne tennis, Sam Groth, Sports, Tennis, Wta

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January 21, 2016 at 3:54 pm

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