Latest on the Australian Open

The 2020 Australian Open started on the 20th of January and would run for two weeks, seeing players compete against one another at different levels.

The tournament features tennis players of all levels compete for the prize money of 71 million Australian Dollars, higher than last year’s, and the prestigious Grand Slam title.

Only in its fourth day, the tournament has witnessed beautiful play by both men and women. One hundred twenty-eight men and women are competing at the singles level. Novak
Djokovic and Naomi Osaka, who both won the men and women singles last year, are out to defend their title again. If Djokovic wins this, then it would be his eighth Australian Open title.

The game takes place across 25 courts in Melbourne, Australia. Already, so many players have been defeated in the first and second rounds. 64 players went home at the 1st round while another 24 joined at the second round in both men and women’s singles. Serena Williams beat Russian Anastacia Potopova 6-0, 6-3 on the opening day, while Osaka sent Marie Bouzkova out of the tournament after winning her 6-2, 6-4.

For the men’s event, Roger Federer and Djokovic are on top of their game, dismissing everyone they have faced, and have both qualified for the third round. Spaniard world number one, Rafael Nadal, is not also left out of the fun as he aims for his 20th Grand Slam title. He advanced to the third round after beating Federico Delbonis 6-3, 7-6, 6-1. Other top-seeded men still standing include Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Diego Schwartzman, and so on. Part of those who have gone includes Matteo Berrettini, Grigor Dimitrov, and Denis Shapovalov.

The women side is also doing just well. One fine thing is that all the world’s top 10 women all professed to the third round, which is something that does not just happen. Bianca Andreescu, reigning US Open champion, is not available for the tournament after pulling out due to a knee injury.

With over 1 week left to play, there is still a lot more to see 16 players qualify for the final rounds in their event, while 8 get the chance to progress by wild card decision. On the 2nd of February, we would know who our 2020 champions are.

Written by: Leon Osamor