AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2016 – IT’S OVER BUT HERE’S A GREAT RECAP OF THE WTA LADIES PLAY

Written by: Staff on 2nd February 2016

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2016 - IT'S OVER BUT HERE'S A GREAT RECAP OF THE WTA LADIES PLAY

epa05130687 Johanna Konta of Britain in action against Angelique Kerber of Germany during their semi finals round on day eleven of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 28 January 2016. EPA/LUKAS COCH AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |

Women Capture The Storylines From Down Under

When it came to the 2016 Australian Open, there was no shortage of storylines. Some not all that surprising or unexpected. On the other hand, the fairy tale stories of Angelique Kerber, Zhang Shuai and Johanna Konta came as a complete surprise.

After all, who would have thought, as the tourney began, that Angelique Kerber would beat Serena Williams to win her first Grand Slam title? Who would have ever predicted that Zhang Shuai and Johanna Konta, two unseeded players would end up meeting in the quarterfinals?

But that’s what makes the slams so exciting. The surprises and inspiring stories of players who combine courage and an indefatigable spirit to persevere in the face of hardship.

Heading into the Australian Open, pundits everywhere were asking whether anyone could beat Williams, the defending champion going for her seventh win at Melbourne Park. A few names were tossed around, Sharapova, Azarenka, Radwanska but Kerber’s was not top on the top of list.

Angelique Kerber of Germany in action against Serena Williams of the United States during the women s finals at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 30 January 2016. EPA/MADE NAGI

After all, Kerber had been in the top 10 for four years and her best result at a major was the semifinals at 2012 Wimbledon and 2011 U.S. Open. Who would have ever guessed that the first slam of 2016 would be any different?

In fact, it seemed to be going in the direction. Last year, she lost her first-round match in Melbourne and came close to repeating it this year when she saved a match point in her first-round win over Misaki Doi.

Yet, playing in her first major final, it was the 28-year-old Kerber who pulled the hat trick and walked away with biggest win of her life, defeating Williams 6-4,3-6,6-4.

The win makes her the first German to win a major singles title since Steffi Graf at the 1999 French Open.

And what about the amazing runs of Zhang Shuai and Johanna Konta?

It’s very hard to imagine but prior to the 2016 Australian Open, Zhang Shuai went eight years without a victory at a Grand Slam tournament. When her ranking fell to No. 200 last year, the Chinese player considered walking away from the game. She had only won four main draw matches all year and had come up short at the Grand Slams again, extending her winless streak to 0-14.

Not wanting to give up she decided to give it one more shot at the Australian Open. If she didn’t do well, then maybe it would be it for her. Since it might have been her last tournament, Shuai decided to bring her parents with her from China. Her father had never watched her play before.

Ranked No. 133, Zhang had to win three matches just to qualify for the tournament. Then she beat No. 2 Simona Halep, the 2014 French Open finalist, in the first round, bursting into tears on the court and looking up at her parents in the crowd in disbelief. Not missing a beat, she went on the beat France’s Alize Cornet 6-3, 6-3 and American Varvara Lepchenko for a spot in the fourth round.

Her run stopped in the quarterfinals where she was beaten in two-sets by Johanna Konta, the other fairy tale story of the tournament.

24-year-old Konta had never played Australian Open because her ranking had never been high enough. But thanks to a meteoric rise in 2015, which took her inside the top 50 she was in her first Australian Open.

Then as luck of the draw would have it, she faced Venus Williams in the first round. Konta had hoped she would last at least an hour.

Venus Williams of the US in action against Johanna Konta of Britain during their first round match on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 19 January 2016. EPA/DAVID CROSLING

But that’s where everything changed. In a little over an hour, it was Konta who had defeated the No. 7 seed 6-4,6-2. That win would open up a path through the draw, helping Konta reach the semifinals before finally being knocked out by Angelique Kerber, the eventual champion.

Konta became Britain’s first female Grand Slam semi-finalist since Jo Durie at the 1983 US Open and the new face of women’s British tennis.

Will Kerber win another slam? Will Shuai retire or continue to play? Can Konta use her play at the Aussie Open as a springboard to the Top 10? Only time will tell but for now, these three players will always have their stories from the 2016 Australian Open.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Angelique Kerber, Australian Open 2016, Johanna Konta, Melbourne, Serena Williams, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Venus Williams, Wta, Zhang Shuai

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