Quick Served: Australian Open Day 2
This might be Novak Djokovic’s most absurd record yet.
Welcome to Quick Served Day 2! Andy puts Novak Djokovic’s insane new record into perspective, along with the biggest results, insight into the upset of the day and what to watch on Day 3.
Today brings the first round to an end and another chance to see Venus Williams as the doubles tournaments kick off.
On the ground in Melbourne, our correspondent Liza Wastcoat managed to find one fan who thinks someone other than Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner will win the men’s title. Follow us for more live reports!
Bracket Busters
Five seeded players lost on Monday, starting with No. 7 Felix Auger-Aliassime, who retired with leg cramps while trailing Nuno Borges 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Magda Linette’s victory over No. 15 Emma Navarro, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, wasn’t a huge surprise—Andy called that one.
Also, No. 17 Jiri Lehecka fell to Arthur Gea 7-5, 7-6, 7-6, No. 24 Arthur Rinderknech went out to Fabian Marozsan 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4, and No. 27 Brandon Nakashima fell to Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6.
Peyton Stearns beat No. 27 Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, 6-3, 6-2.
Among unseeded players, Alycia Parks’s 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback over Alex Eala reverberated loudly. Eala’s massive fan base filled the side court to standing-room only. Liza squeezed in to catch the buzz.
Who Cruised
Sentimental favorite Stan Wawrinka lived to fight another day in his last Australian Open with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 win over Laslo Djere.
Most top players in action on Monday were all business, starting with the American women. No. 3 Coco Gauff won 6-2, 6-3 over Kamilla Rakhimova, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova beat Simona Waltert 6-2, 6-3, and No. 6 Jessica Pegula sailed past Anastasia Zakharova 6-2, 6-1.
Aussie Storm Hunter made the most of her qualifying wild card by winning her first-round main draw match 6-4, 6-4 over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. Hunter is on a four-match winning streak in Melbourne.
More notable results
[2] Iga Swiatek def. Yue Yuan 7-6, 6-3
[8] Mirra Andreeva def. Donna Vekic 4-6, 6-3, 6-0
[11] Daniil Medvedev def. Jesper De Jong 7-5, 6-2, 7-6
[19] Tommy Paul def. Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
[23] Diana Shnaider def. Barbora Krejcikova 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
[25] Learner Tien def. Marcus Giron 7-6, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2
Reilly Opelka def. Nicolai Budkov Kjaer 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Perfect Delivery
After Wawrinka’s first-round win, the Aussies gave the 2014 champ the kind of love usually reserved for their own. The 40-year-old played his first match in Melbourne 20 years ago. Asked on court how he has continued to battle for two decades, the Stanimal had this to say to the crowd:
“Because of you guys. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It’s been a long journey. It’s been amazing. So many memories here. It’s been incredible. The only reason I come back is because of the love you give me.”
100
Match wins for Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open
Another day, another all-time record for the 10-time champ. Djokovic notched his 100th match win in Melbourne last night and became the first player to win 100 matches at the Grand Slam tournaments. Sitting at 95 at the US Open, he has a good chance of reaching the career-Slam Century Club.
The Clubhouse
Six players have won 100 matches or more at a single major.
Djokovic’s Next Feats
This might be another record-breaking year for Djokovic. He’s on the verge of hitting these milestones:
Most major appearances: He’s currently tied with Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez at 81.
Oldest men’s singles champion: Ken Rosewall has held the record since the 1972 Australian Open, which he won at 37 years and two months. Djokovic is 38.
Most Grand Slam titles: Djokovic and Margaret Court are tied at the top with 24.
“Once I got myself into a position where I could eventually create history, I was even more inspired to play the best tennis, and that’s what I’ve done. I was very fortunate early on in my career to encounter some people that guided me to play the long shot with my career, not to burn out too quickly.” —Novak Djokovic after his win last night
🍿 Day 2 Matches
[8] Ben Shelton vs. Ugo Humbert
[15] Karen Khachanov vs. Alex Michelsen
Karolina Pliskova vs. [Q] Sloane Stephens
Hubert Hurkacz vs. Zizou Bergs
Grigor Dimitrov vs. Tomas Machac
Venus Williams/Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. Elsa Jacquemot/Emiliana Arango
Kevin Krawietz/Tim Puetz vs. Arthur Rinderknech/Valentin Vacherot
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Phenomenal breakdown of Djokovic's century milestone. The stat about him being the first player to hit 100 wins at any single Slam really puts it in perspective compared to the usual GOAT debates. I remember watching him struggle in early Aussie Open rounds years ago and now this longevity is jst insane. The Wawrinka moment with the crowd was icing onteh cake.
Creating ad space lol 😂 Perfect Delivery…really looking for that Bezos money arnt ya?