Australian Open storylines through week one: Carnage in both draws, Novak still standing

We’re through one week of action in Melbourne, and the field in Australia is now an open canvas, ripe for new champions to seize a chance at glory.

The number one and two seeds have been ousted from both the men’s and women’s draw, Novak Djokovic is alive and standing (barely?), while the crop of Canadians were unable to seize a breakthrough in this year’s edition.

Here are six takeaways from the first week of grand slam tennis in Melbourne:

World No.1 Iga Swiatek was one of the numerous victims of the week one carnage at the Australian Open.

The exceptional Polish athlete was unable to go the distance in Melbourne, stopped by last year’s soft-spoken Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina.

The 23-year-old now heads a compelling top half of a women’s draw, which also features previous slam champions Jelena Ostapenko and Victoria Azarenka, as well as Jessica Pegula.

Rybakina possesses one of the most dangerous serves in women’s tennis and currently leads the field with 24 aces through four matches.

Meantime, Pegula has been in outstanding form so far in 2023, scoring a win over Iga Swiatek in the opening week of the season at the United Cup, and now advancing to the quarterfinals without dropping a set.

A host of established champions on the bottom half of the draw are also seeking a first-ever major.

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka has 11 WTA singles titles to her name but has come up just short in the slams, with three semifinal appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open.

Belinda Bencic memorably won a gold medal in Tokyo two years ago and was the 2022 WTA Comeback player of the year.

Veteran Karolina Pliskova is quietly into the second week of the tournament — six years ago, she reached the finals of the US Open in 2017, finishing runner-up to Sloane Stephens.

Caroline Garcia is a name to keep a particularly close eye on.

The Frenchwoman’s booming, powerful first serve and ruthlessly aggressive and disruptive brand of hard-hitting tennis have her in contention for a first-ever major. 

She won four titles since June of last season, including the end-of-year WTA Finals from Fort Worth.

There is only one men’s major champion still alive in Melbourne. 

He happens to be very familiar with winning.

Nine-time Aussie Open winner and 21-time major champ Novak Djokovic escaped through the first week Down Under unscathed, and his world-class groundstrokes, court coverage, and returning have him eyeing more history.

He is, however, battling a pesky hamstring injury that has been testing his physical limits.

Djokovic suffered the injury the previous week after winning a title in Adelaide, and the issue has been evidently nagging at the Serbian throughout his time in Melbourne.

Djokovic has enough talent and skill set to defeat most players even at 80-90% of his powers, however, if he is physically compromised, it poses a significant challenge deeper into the tournament as the wear and tear on the body becomes more substantial.

When you view some of the shot-making skills and rallies though, it’s fair to wonder if he is unstoppable on these courts:

A title in Melbourne and Djokovic is level with Rafael Nadal for most men’s singles slams of all time. 

Sebastian Korda was destined to be an athlete.

24 years ago, on the very same courts in Melbourne, his father Petr won the Australian Open.

His mother Regina Rajchrtova was a former top 30 player.

His sisters Jessica and Nelly are both professional golfers on the LPGA circuit — Nelly Korda is a major champion and world number one.

Now Sebi (appropriately nicknamed) is enjoying his breakthrough on the big stage.

The American is into the first major quarterfinal of his career and has produced back-to-back top 10 wins in week one at the Open, defeating 2021 US Open champ Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, and Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in a marathon five-setter.

Korda is already 8-1 to open the season and now prepares for the more experienced Karen Khachanov.

20-year-old Ben Shelton, a collegiate star with the Florida Gators, had never set foot outside the United States before travelling to Melbourne this year.

Now, the powerful 6’4 serving left-hander has broken through to the round of 16 with a string of victories.

24-year-old JJ Wolf has followed suit, and the two will meet next.

California’s Mackenzie McDonald recorded the best win of his career, stunning the top seed Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the second round.

Unseeded New Jersey native Tommy Paul gets a round of 16 chance against veteran Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.

The brand-new tennis series on Netflix entitled Break Point was released just over a week ago, a five-episode glimpse into the life and grind behind the scenes of a professional tennis player.

The first season shone the spotlight on 10 young stars of the sport.

Stunningly, each player has fallen victim at the Australian Open.

The tournament lost a few players before the action even began with Nick Kyrgios, Ajla Tomljanovic, and Paula Badosa all withdrawing due to injury.

Italian stallion Matteo Berrettini was an early victim of the Netflix curse, exiting the first round in five sets.

World number two Casper Ruud was left puzzled on the court by crafty Jenson Brooksby, exiting stage left to the American in the second round.

Meanwhile, No. 2 women’s player Ons Jabeur fell short of her big expectations, going down to Marketa Vondrousova early.

Greek star Maria Sakkari, who was candid in the series about her persistent drive to be the best, fell in the third round to Zhu Lin of China.

The last man standing, Felix Auger-Aliassime, had no answers for Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka, finally bowing out in the round of 16.

As fans, it’s easy to become fascinated with the concept of sports curses, whether it’s Netflix dooming tennis players, Billy the Goat setting back the Chicago Cubs for over a century, or the popular Madden NFL cover jinxing any player to grace it.

Logic and reason would tell you it’s the simple nature of the sport that led to the rash of upsets – but who likes to be logical when it comes to sports discussions?

It was a tough first week of action for the hopeful Canadians in Melbourne.

2019 US Open winner Bianca Andreescu opened her campaign with a great win over 26^th seed Marie Bouzkova but was held off by the counter-punching skills of Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, falling 2-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Leylah Annie Fernandez also played a terrific opening match, producing a confident 6-2, 7-5 win over veteran Alize Cornet.

However, the draw Gods were unforgiving to the 20-year-old, as she had to square up against world No. 4 Caroline Garcia in the next round, losing 7-6, 7-5.

Fernandez played well in defeat, holding a set point opportunity in the second set, and a 4-1 lead in the first set tiebreak.

Denis Shapovalov lost by the thinnest of margins in the third round to #10 seed Hubert Hurkacz, 7-6, 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3, and cited nerves as his undoing in a sombre press conference.

Veterans Vasek Pospisil and Rebecca Marino both dropped their opening-round matches.

Ottawa’s Gaby Dabrowski is still in the field in women’s doubles, as the third seed alongside Giuliana Olmos of Mexico.

While he’s now been eliminated from the tournament, there was no story more gripping than three-time grand slam champion and 35-year-old Andy Murray willing every ounce of his body across the finish line in two iconic late-night matches.

Murray, for all intents and purposes, was not supposed to be here.

The emotional 2019 Aussie Open press conference in Melbourne was believed to be the end.

Murray opened up about the hip pain that affected his everyday life — the tournament prepared a tribute video with active and retired players, wishing him well in his expected retirement.

A second surgery to his hip and a metal cap placed across his femur somehow renewed hope for the determined Brit to extend his career, and he’s been steadily rebuilding his form over the past three seasons.

No one could have prepared for the type of iconic performances in Melbourne this year.

Murray displayed his trademark court coverage and returning skills in a 4-hour, 49-minute victory over Matteo Berrettini in the first round, saving a match point in the late stages of the fifth set.

The second-round match with Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis was the longest of Murray’s career.

The two traded jaw-dropping rallies and exchanges through the early hours in Melbourne, finishing at 4 AM.

The encounter lasted an absurd 5 hours and 45 minutes, with Murray coming away as the victor — 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 7-5.

This momentum-swinging rally proved to be pivotal to his comeback:

Murray would lose in the third round to Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets but left an indelible mark on the tournament and its spectators.

While the veteran may not be in a place physically to still contend for majors, the fact that he remains competitive, with the desire and will to win, should be something no tennis fan should take for granted.