Rafael Nadal got a good sparring partner. A single fisted backhander with no deadly weapons. But unfortunately, he had a knee injury. All strokes from Nadal’s repertoire were on display. The new serve crossing 200 kms., Nadal played with abandon. But he did not get the match practice when the injured opponent retired in the second set trailing 0-6, 0-5. The top player looked every bit one of the top contenders for the trophy. But he was not happy with his serve as he revealed afterwards. His first serve percentage used to be about 70, but here he served at 54%. But that is bound to happen when he served his first serve at an average of 185 kms. He straight went to the practice court for serve practice. That would look rather ominous for some.
Samantha Stosur hit as hard as she does these days. She is the most improved player over last two years. If only this formula were discovered during her initial years, she would have been a Grand Slam Champion long ago. But there is still room for that. She has previously displayed tendency to upset big names in the middle rounds, but when it came to the biggest stage, she was found short in mental fortitude. This can change in this Australian Open. Her 6-1, 6-1 victory speaks of her new stature.
Andy Murray defeated Karol Beck minus drugs and fitness when the latter retired hurt with score line reading 6-3, 6-1, 4-2. He did not need to fire so many aces and had the usual percentage of first serves. Although his fans would not mind first serve at 58%, but what may need improvement is that he fired just two aces over the two and a half sets played. Anyway, the first outing gave him the necessary feel of the Open. He did not spill much energy too.
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