The Weekly Recap: Australian Open Edition

What happened in pro tennis around the globe in the past week? Plenty. We can't examine every key first-round match at the Australian Open, but here are four of our favorites in case you missed out on the action...

1.   Sabalenka Starts 2x Title Defense

Defending a title once is hard, but having won it for two years in a row and trying to add your name a third time to the list? That takes it to another level. But Aryna Sabalenka has no choice but to begin the 7-win road to lifting the precious trophy once again in Melbourne, and she did just that early Sunday morning. Playing against Florida-resident Sloane Stephens, Sabalenka showed little nerves as she served quite well, a factor of her game that has been difficult for her in the past. She hit 70% first serves in, and won 69%, comfortable stats that put her well ahead of Stephens who despite hit a whopping 83% in, only won 50%. This clearly shows how aggressively Sabalenka approached this match, taking returns early, advancing into the court and pushing the American far back behind the baseline, which is exactly the kind of game the Belarusian likes to play. In the end, the world #1 won the match 6-3, 6-2, giving her a bit of confidence as she heads into the second round. Unfortunately for Stephens, this put her on a 9 match losing streak but she'll look to improve and and prepare for the spring season which is a time where we know she can play her best tennis. Final Score: 6-3, 6-2.

Photo credit: Hameltion, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

2.   Nishikori's Experience Plays a Big Role

Kei Nishikori is one of those guys that has played so many grueling matches and experienced years and years on the professional circuit, and despite the fact that he's 35 years of age and could hang up his racket at any given time, his experience was arguably the factor that got him across the finish line against Thiago Monteiro early Sunday morning. Nishikori, who in fact won his first title at the Delray Beach Open back in 2008, faced several match points against the Brazilian who led two sets to zero at one point. But because he's been in situations like this too many times, the former #4 was able to keep composed and battle back in a gnarly 5-set epic that blew spectator's minds. Up 6-4, 7-6, and 5-4, Monteiro found himself one shot away from glory but Nishikori was able to counter the attack, constructing points beautifully and running his opponent around giving him the slight edge he needed to take the third set 7-5. Everybody wondered if he would have enough steam to even have a chance at the fourth set, and the answer to that was: he did. And in the end, Monteiro was the one who got tired out as Nishikori strengthened his return game and claimed the final two sets 6-3, 6-2. He'll either play American Tommy Paul or home-favorite Christopher O'Connell in the second round. Final Score: 4-6, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2. 

Photo credit: si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikipedia Commons.

3. Clara Tauson Scores an Upset 

After gaining some success on the tour a few years back, Clara Tauson has faced the hard realities of playing professional tennis as she graduates from the young field of players. But after winning in Auckland last week, 2025 might just be a blast for the Dane, and her upset over 29th seed Linda Noskova added to the list. And just like Nishikori, she was able to come back from a set down and cement her spot in the next 64. After Noskova gained the lead after just edging the 22-year-old in the first set 7-5, Tauson clicked the reset button and won the next 6-3. Both women were looking a little tired when they stepped up to the baseline for the decider, and it was unclear how the match would go. Would Tauson keep her momentum, or would Noskova regain control and set herself in the right path? And for a lot of the set, it was unclear. But near the end, Tauson won an important break of her opponent's serve, and the rest was history. Ranked #42, a few wins in Melbourne could prove vital to reaching the next level and with 10 ranking points already in the bag, she'll look to add and break back into the top 30. Final Score: 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. 

4. Opelka's Win Over Djokovic was not a Fluke 

When a player gets a big win like Reilly Opelka did last week over Novak Djokovic, sometimes you wonder if it was just a fluke. Sometimes they'll get that win but lose out in the next round to someone they should beat. But after the American called it a week halfway through the final in Brisbane, his Australian Open place was uncertain. But the Floridian mastered momentum in his first round brawl against Gauthier Onclin, and picked up a decent win that should give him some confidence moving forward. After losing the first set 3-6 and then winning a pivotal second 7-6, Opelka was able to play a confident, steady attack and hit a total of 38 aces en route to a 6-3, 6-2 four set win. Final Score: 3-6. 7-6, 6-3, 6-2.

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Written by Will Turvey. Top photo: Gracchus250, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikipedia Commons.