Better Than I Imagined (Day 1)

Preface:  I'm not nuts about this platform for my blog, but I've had it for so long and it's not worth trying to migrate it to something else. I can't seem to get a constant font size and I don't know why. I'm going to try to post in a bigger font because even my not-so-young-but-not-so-old eyes are strained trying to read some of these. I don't know if it's a browser setting or a blog setting, but I'm trying to make it easier to read. So, if it seems weird to you that's why the font is getting bigger. 

Christina McHale v. Petra Martic

Ann Li v. Lizette Cabrera

It might seem silly to get really excited about, but I loved the Australian support for their hometown players! It brought such a great energy to the matches. There were a few times I was outside Melbourne Arena (the only playing surface I didn't see) when Nick Kyrgios was playing and you could hear the chants resonate out of that place. It was electric from the outside. I can only imagine how it felt inside.  This video doesn't 100% capture it, but during this match there was a group of teenagers who were cheering on Lizette Cabrera. They were switching up their cheers and deviated from the norm, but the staple cheer is a call and response that gets every excited and laughing. 

Lead: "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!" 
Follow: "Oi, Oi, Oi!"
Lead: "Aussie!"
Follow: "Oi!"
Lead: "Aussie!"
Follow: "Oi!"
Lead: "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!"
Follow: "Oi, Oi, Oi!"

Honestly, the best Australian fans were those who were cheering on Ash Barty. They were amazing. They had clever cheers and timed it perfectly to never disrupt play.  I hate to say this because I'm such a fan of his, but Djokovic's fans at the final were obnoxious. There would be a good, clean cheer that ended as play started and then there were always a few asshats who needed to get in the last cheer. It was really annoying. 

Katerina Siniakova v. Petra Kvitova (7)

This was my first match on a main court - Margaret Court Arena.  I was surprised at how intimate it felt. The arena seats about 7,500 people, but I would have guessed 4,000 because it didn't feel that large to me.  That might also be because I had killers seats. You can tell from the photo that I was in the fourth row right behind Kvitova's box. This was the first ticket I was given by Olli and sitting in the fourth row became something I got real used to. He ruined me and now this is the standard I look for in a tennis match. 😂

It was also a heartbreaker of a match because Petra Kvitova destroyed Katerina Siniakova in 44 minutes.  The poor woman cried through the entire final game. While I was impressed with Kvitova's efficiency and power, my heart went out to Siniakova's bad luck in the draw. I'm pretty sure she had to play through qualies to advance to the bracket. To face the number 7 was pretty brutal. I also suspect that she didn't play her best tennis that day either. She got absolutely destroyed. 

  

  

Venus Williams v. Coco Gauff

In the first week of the tournament it's easier to squat during matches you don't have a ticket for, as long as you have a ticket to the match before. As a fan you can buy tickets for single matches or for a day or evening session. I didn't buy any main court tickets for the first week because in my opinion they aren't really worth the money. There's so much side court action outside that the grounds pass is really where it's at.  That being said, there are some awesome players who draw bigger crowds and are assigned the main courts from the start of the tournament.  As attendance increases throughout week two the ushers get more diligent about clearing out people who aren't supposed to be there, but early on you can find ways to stay to see the next match without getting caught.  That's exactly what I did for Venus Williams and Coco Gauff.  I skirted the system and moved seats, but it came at a price... I couldn't leave.  

As I explained in my first AO post, tickets get checked every time you enter the seating area.  This meant that as long as I stayed in the seats I was fine and could take a seat that didn't see and no one would know or care.  After Kvitova finished I decided to stay. It was a no brainer - legend Venus Williams versus young, powerhouse Coco Gauff? Uh, yes, please!  Despite the fact that I had to pee for an entire set, it was well worth it.  You can read "legend" as meaning old, but watching Venus play was something special.  Even though she lost the match, Venus played like 20-year veteran who is still elite.  And Coco Gauff took my breath away. Her aggressive plan and power were astonishing. She's absolutely captivating on the court. I really hope I get to see her play in person again. Hands down, this was one of the best matches I saw the entire tournament. 

I'm pretty sure this was match point, but I'm not 100% confident in my memory here. I think Coco argued that the ball bounced twice before Venus returned it and the chair umpire agreed.