2024 Australian Open - Women's Discussion

Who will be WTA singles champion for the 2024 Australian Open?

  • Iga Swiatek

    Votes: 7 15.9%
  • Aryna Sabalenka

    Votes: 7 15.9%
  • Elena Rybakina

    Votes: 16 36.4%
  • Coco Gauff

    Votes: 5 11.4%
  • Jessica Pegula

    Votes: 1 2.3%
  • Ons Jabeur

    Votes: 1 2.3%
  • Marketa Vondrousova

    Votes: 1 2.3%
  • Maria Sakkari

    Votes: 1 2.3%
  • Barbora Krejcikova

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other

    Votes: 5 11.4%

  • Total voters
    44
  • Poll closed .

HarveyPitnik

Professional
Oh for sure, these two make a very hot pairing. Krawczyk is very attractive (@HarveyPitnik ;)) and Skupski is my type of man!
I would have guessed the latter view (though you might have also expressed that already earlier) . I have understood he is the most popular doubles player among the ladies (outside this forum as well, I mean)

Judy Dalton of the Original 9 to hand out the trophies. So lovely to have her in the house today!

Wish more people were here having watched this match cause it was super fun!
Sure. Except that the wrong team won. :cry:

But all the others had slam-trophies except Zielinski, so I'm happy for him. :)
 

Frankc

Professional
Agreed, spot on, it is fascinating and impossible what she does with that yellow ball.

For me, the more you understand the game, the more fascinating she is to watch. Loved watching the mixed, every round... Especially enjoyed the reactions of her male opponents. Sorta like this quizzical look would come to his face, then a look at his partner with "did that just happen?"
I believe that she has been away from Comp for two years now, and she seemed more loose and relaxed in the early rounds- definitely was up to deep wizardry in the earlier rounds.
 
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Marius_Hancu

Talk Tennis Guru
You may want to watch on Laver, playing right now (8 pm EST):

Australian Open: Rod Laver (Juniors Finals)

[1] R. Jamrichova vs. [6] E. Jones – Junior Girls Singles Final

The Slovakian Jamrichova already, at 16, plays a great leftie's game.
 
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Frankc

Professional
Well, unfortunately for sure, we will see far more strategy, varied shot making, and volley exchanges in the showcase of talent before the Men's Singles Finals...
Too bad...
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
Aryna Sabalenka is the 2024 Australian Open champion!

4493.jpg
 

THUNDERVOLLEY

G.O.A.T.
Ah, yes--Sabalenka was in the zone and surgically dismantled anything Zheng would call a strategy to defend her title at the Australian Open! Wonderful result!

As always, the updated list of majors winners since 2010:

Schiavone: FO - 2010

Clijsters: USO 2010 & AO 2011

Li Na: FO 2011 & AO 2014

Kvitova: Wimbledon 2011 & 2014

Stosur: USO 2011

Sharapova: FO 2012 & FO 2014

Azarenka: AO 2012 & 2013

Bartoli: Wimbledon 2013

Pennetta: USO 2015

Kerber: AO 2016, USO 2016 & Wimbledon 2018

Muguruza: FO 2016 & Wimbledon 2017

Ostapenko: FO 2017

Stephens: USO 2017

Wozniacki: AO 2018

Osaka: USO 2018, 2020 & AO 2019 and 2021

Barty: FO 2019, Wimbledon 2021 & A0 2022

Halep: FO 2018 & Wimbledon 2019

Andreescu: 2019 USO

Kenin: AO 2020

Krejčíková: FO 2021

Raducanu: USO 2021

Świątek: FO 2020 & 2022, 2023 & USO 2022

Rybakina: Wimbledon 2022

Sabalenka: AO 2023

Vondroušová: Wimbledon 2023

Gauff: USO 2023

Sabalenka: AO 2024


Undoubtedly, Sabalenka has a unique, formidable approach to her game, the type the rest of the field should not underestimate to any degree. When she's free of any lapses in focus, Sabalenka is absolutely ruthless, which is a joy to watch.

Zheng's coaching team needs to take a serious step back and reconsider what her makes her game, because its clear she will end up with the same, one-sided result if she faces the in-form Sabalenka again.
 

zvelf

Hall of Fame
Congrats to Sabalenka on an amazing tournament and win!

You may want to watch on Laver, playing right now (8 pm EST):

Australian Open: Rod Laver (Juniors Finals)

[1] R. Jamrichova vs. [6] E. Jones – Junior Girls Singles Final

The Slovakian Jamrichova already, at 16, plays a great leftie's game.
And congrats to Jamrichova on her juniors win. She looks very impressive and is a likely future star on the WTA tour.
 

mcs1970

Hall of Fame
Yes Sab definitely looks fitter and is probably at peak form (technique-wise).
But she still has work to do strategy-wise.

I didn't see her last match but did watch the highlights.
Although she did manage to win I was a bit disappointed with how she won.
The highlights showed her resorting to Gauff's return to loop-d-loop tennis. :(

Sure she did flatten out some power strokes when required but, she was lulled into
longer than necessary rallies that are right up Coco's alley.

Sab should be bossing Coco every single rally from the first ball struck,
the same way she did against her opponents in her previous matches this tournie.

And now for the key numbers:

2023 U.S. Open Sep. 9 6-2, 3-6, 2-6
Winners: Gauff: 13 Sab: 25
U.E.'s: Gauff: 19 Sab: 46

2024 A.O. Jan. 25 7-6, 6-4
Winners: Gauff: 22 Sab: 33
U.E.'s: Gauff: 20 Sab: 28

Sab continued to dominate in winners, but it was her ability
to cut down on her ridiculous number of U.E.'s (from U.S. Open)
that allowed her to take the match.

So overall I'm glad Sab won (she's on the right track against Coco)
but she still has some work to do before she can play her with total
confidence.

Unforced errors don’t happen in a vacuum. Coco was going toe for toe with Sabalenka. Coco fully deserved that UO win because she was the better player that night. Even the other night when Sabalenka had fewer errors it was still a very tight two sets.

Coco is good enough now that Sabalenka cannot just “boss” and roll her with sheer power. Sabalenka is the better player but the gap is not very wide.
 

Mainad

Bionic Poster
Players from Belarus must really like the Australian Open. In defending her title there, Sabalenka becomes:

1. The 1st player to defend the title and win back to back titles since her fellow countrywoman, Azarenka (won 2012-13).
2. The 9th officially active female player to win multiple Slam titles.
3. The 32nd female player to win multiple Slam titles in the Open Era.
4. The 78th female player to win multiple Slam titles in the history of tennis.

Losing finalist Zheng becomes:

1 The 2nd Chinese player to reach the singles final of the Australian Open after her fellow countrywoman, Li Na (precisely 10 years ago in 2014).
2. The 1st Chinese player to reach the singles final of a Grand Slam since Li Na (2014).
 

Nostradamus

Bionic Poster
So this year Junior singles has been won by slovakian girl who will likely be top 20 player in WTA, she has all the weapons. but that junior boy, not so sure. Japan hasn't produced much of anything in men's tennis except Nishikori. but then this kid isn't really japanese junior product but a product of IMG academy so he may have some hope of making it in the tour.

75
 

Mark-Touch

Legend
Ah, yes--Sabalenka was in the zone and surgically dismantled anything Zheng would call a strategy to defend her title at the Australian Open! Wonderful result!

As always, the updated list of majors winners since 2010:

Thanks for the updated list. :)

Is there any reason you omitted so many slams?

The following years you only mentioned this number of slams:
2010 2
2012 2
2013 2
2014 3
2015 1
2016 3
2017 3
2019 3

Also why did you include Sab's name twice in the list (the only player)?
 
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THUNDERVOLLEY

G.O.A.T.
Thanks for the updated list. :)

Is there any reason you omitted so many slams?

The following years you only mentioned this number of slams:
2010 2
2012 2
2013 2
2014 3
2015 1
2016 3
2017 3
2019 3
That list has been around for a few years, and posted for information, and to disprove a certain member (I will leave nameless for the moment) who swore Williams "wins everything" and while she was playing, he habitually posted "they should just give her the trophy" at the beginning of a major. The list obviously illustrates the depth of the women's game, and in the timeline, continues long after Williams was no longer a factor / retired.
 

Mark-Touch

Legend
2024 A.O. WTA Poll winners:

OK it's time for the great reveal.
We have 7 winners who can share the limelight now.
Let us know if you voted for Sabalenka! :)
 

Mark-Touch

Legend
Mertens struggled all match with her serve. :(
Hsieh has been more reliable!
Just spin the bloody ball in, like Hsieh!
They're nervous!
 

zvelf

Hall of Fame
Reuniting after over 2 years from when they last played, the 2021 Wimbledon champion, Hsieh and Mertens win the 2024 Australian Open. This is Hsieh's 8th doubles slam title counting her mixed doubles win here and Merten's 4th doubles slam title.

Kichenok was easily the weakest player on court today and made tons of unforced errors.
 

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
Hsieh now holds 3 of the 4 ladies doubles slams.

Won the 2023 French Open with Wang
Won the 2023 Wimbledon with Strycova
Now has won 2024 Australian Open with Mertens

Additionally made the 2023 US Open SF with Wang.

Astonishingly, she will not be #1 tomorrow but, that honour will go to her partner Elise Mertens.
 

Mark-Touch

Legend
Congrats to the Hsieh team! :)
Now I understand why they kept showing the teams' reactions all the time.
There was no one in the stands. :(
Anyway I am ecstatic. Time to go to bed now. :)
 
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zvelf

Hall of Fame
They showed the names on the trophy. Navratilova and Shriver won it 7 years in a row from 1982-1989. Mind-boggling!

Edit: I just looked it up and Navratilova only played women's doubles at the Australian Open 10 times. She won it 8 times (7 with Shriver, 1 with Nagelsen) and was runner-up once. Does anyone else win a slam 80% of the time they enter it?
 
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Marius_Hancu

Talk Tennis Guru
So this year Junior singles has been won by slovakian girl who will likely be top 20 player in WTA, she has all the weapons. but that junior boy, not so sure. Japan hasn't produced much of anything in men's tennis except Nishikori. but then this kid isn't really japanese junior product but a product of IMG academy so he may have some hope of making it in the tour.

75

Jamrichova becomes the #1 junior in the world and the sky is the limit, as she has vast areas of potential improvement, e.g. at the net.


Last Updated: 29 January 2024

ITF RankingPlayer nameYear of BirthNationTournaments playedPointsHead to Head
1
+2
Renatajamrichova2007
Slovakia
173240.75Head 2 Head
2
-
Clerviengounoue2006
USA
102700Head 2 Head
3
+5
Emersonjones2008
Australia
282482.5Head 2 Head
4
-
Laurasamson2008
Czechia
322425.5Head 2 Head
5
-4
Alinakorneeva200752371.25Head 2 Head
 

Nostradamus

Bionic Poster
Jamrichova becomes the #1 junior in the world and the sky is the limit, as she has vast areas of potential improvement, e.g. at the net.


Last Updated: 29 January 2024

ITF RankingPlayer nameYear of BirthNationTournaments playedPointsHead to Head
1
+2
Renatajamrichova2007
Slovakia
173240.75Head 2 Head
2
-
Clerviengounoue2006
USA
102700Head 2 Head
3
+5
Emersonjones2008
Australia
282482.5Head 2 Head
4
-
Laurasamson2008
Czechia
322425.5Head 2 Head
5
-4
Alinakorneeva200752371.25Head 2 Head
shes #1 in wta??
 
They showed the names on the trophy. Navratilova and Shriver won it 7 years in a row from 1982-1989. Mind-boggling!

Edit: I just looked it up and Navratilova only played women's doubles at the Australian Open 10 times. She won it 8 times (7 with Shriver, 1 with Nagelsen) and was runner-up once. Does anyone else win a slam 80% of the time they enter it?
She was the best women's doubles player in history. That stat isn't at all surprising. Just amazing.
 

robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
Sorry guys, I lost access to the forums during week 1 for some reason, and I know you all must have missed me and my comments so, so much. I'm actually surprised to see that you even bothered to continue this thread without me.

Anyway, overall thoughts were that it was a pretty disappointing tournament, with Swiatek and Rybakina going out so early, as they are the only real challengers to Sabalenka these days (perhaps with Ostapenko thrown in).

Yes, Gauff made the semis, but it was yet another easy draw for her, and anyone that thinks she has turned a corner or is playing good tennis should just go back and watch her match against Kostyuk.

Zheng made the finals, but that was also the result of a friendly draw, as she still has a lot of holes in her game.

As expected, Raducanu went nowhere fast, since some of you seemed to think something else might have been possible early on.

And lastly, it was nice to see Yastremska back. She is a quirky girl, but she got way too much heat for certain things she did when younger, and her game is pretty fun when she's on.

Unforced errors don’t happen in a vacuum. Coco was going toe for toe with Sabalenka. Coco fully deserved that UO win because she was the better player that night. Even the other night when Sabalenka had fewer errors it was still a very tight two sets.
Coco is good enough now that Sabalenka cannot just “boss” and roll her with sheer power. Sabalenka is the better player but the gap is not very wide.
No, Coco didn't go "toe to toe" with Sabalenka. Not in this semi, and not in the USO final. She tried to, and often did, play very good defense against Sabalenka's offense. Sometimes that was good enough to eventually make Sabalenka get tight and miss, and sometimes it was not. In this last semi she simply didn't miss as many as she did in the USO final (even though she did miss a few easy balls).

And no, they weren't two very tight sets. The first was tight because Sabs was tight, but the second was never really in doubt, save for a touch of nerves when Sabs was serving it out.

Sabalenka is still definitely "bossing" Coco when they play, as she does to every other player that isn't name Iga, Elena or Jelena.
They showed the names on the trophy. Navratilova and Shriver won it 7 years in a row from 1982-1989. Mind-boggling!
Edit: I just looked it up and Navratilova only played women's doubles at the Australian Open 10 times. She won it 8 times (7 with Shriver, 1 with Nagelsen) and was runner-up once. Does anyone else win a slam 80% of the time they enter it?
Martina was insanely good. I'm not sure how many people realize just how good she was. There are some remastered videos of her matches against Graf, and they let you see just how amazing both players were. As I've said before, both of them would easily be at the top of the game if they were playing today.
 

HarveyPitnik

Professional
^ good to have you back! :)

More or less agreed on all that you wrote. But about your last paragraph I have one disagreeing view: Steffi's weaknesses became obvious always as she faced an opponent that was able to hit well on the rise. While she got to the left corner to hit those beautiful forehands of hers but if it was taken on the rise even with her speed having the whole court open things started to get very much the opponent's way and now there's quite a bunch of players that take easily ball on the rise, so I would say Steffi wouldn't be a major threat today even playing her best game. On the other hand... imagining very fit version of Taylor Townsend, yes Martina would be a threat everywhere else except Roland Garros (and the other European clay-tournaments) in which she would simply just bite the dust.
 

mcs1970

Hall of Fame
Sorry guys, I lost access to the forums during week 1 for some reason, and I know you all must have missed me and my comments so, so much. I'm actually surprised to see that you even bothered to continue this thread without me.

Anyway, overall thoughts were that it was a pretty disappointing tournament, with Swiatek and Rybakina going out so early, as they are the only real challengers to Sabalenka these days (perhaps with Ostapenko thrown in).

Yes, Gauff made the semis, but it was yet another easy draw for her, and anyone that thinks she has turned a corner or is playing good tennis should just go back and watch her match against Kostyuk.

Zheng made the finals, but that was also the result of a friendly draw, as she still has a lot of holes in her game.

As expected, Raducanu went nowhere fast, since some of you seemed to think something else might have been possible early on.

And lastly, it was nice to see Yastremska back. She is a quirky girl, but she got way too much heat for certain things she did when younger, and her game is pretty fun when she's on.


No, Coco didn't go "toe to toe" with Sabalenka. Not in this semi, and not in the USO final. She tried to, and often did, play very good defense against Sabalenka's offense. Sometimes that was good enough to eventually make Sabalenka get tight and miss, and sometimes it was not. In this last semi she simply didn't miss as many as she did in the USO final (even though she did miss a few easy balls).

And no, they weren't two very tight sets. The first was tight because Sabs was tight, but the second was never really in doubt, save for a touch of nerves when Sabs was serving it out.

Sabalenka is still definitely "bossing" Coco when they play, as she does to every other player that isn't name Iga, Elena or Jelena.

Martina was insanely good. I'm not sure how many people realize just how good she was. There are some remastered videos of her matches against Graf, and they let you see just how amazing both players were. As I've said before, both of them would easily be at the top of the game if they were playing today.
We just disagree. I am not saying Coco is at Sabalenka’s level. I am saying she can match up with her well, will continue to improve, and that the USO errors that Sabalenka committed didn’t happen in a vacuum. She saw her opponent was not fazed by her power and went for more. There were periods in that match that worked but overall that’s a high risk strategy and it didn’t work.

When a player has to go to a more high risk strategy it shows that their normal game is not good enough anymore to win.
 

Mark-Touch

Legend
We just disagree. I am not saying Coco is at Sabalenka’s level. I am saying she can match up with her well, will continue to improve, and that the USO errors that Sabalenka committed didn’t happen in a vacuum. She saw her opponent was not fazed by her power and went for more. There were periods in that match that worked but overall that’s a high risk strategy and it didn’t work.

When a player has to go to a more high risk strategy it shows that their normal game is not good enough anymore to win.
That's not how I saw the match.
A miracle happened just a few months later.
Sab's errors disappeared.
Same opponent.
It proves Sab is fixing HER problems.

It proves that Sab lost the U.S. Open match, not because of Coco, but because of the demons she
is in the process of successfully exorcising from her head.

WARNING: All rights to the opinions expressed in this post belong exclusively to Mark-Touch.
Posters will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law if they steal any of these opinions.
 
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robyrolfo

Hall of Fame
We just disagree. I am not saying Coco is at Sabalenka’s level. I am saying she can match up with her well, will continue to improve, and that the USO errors that Sabalenka committed didn’t happen in a vacuum. She saw her opponent was not fazed by her power and went for more. There were periods in that match that worked but overall that’s a high risk strategy and it didn’t work.
When a player has to go to a more high risk strategy it shows that their normal game is not good enough anymore to win.
Yes, playing really good defense makes you a tough matchup for just about every player on the current WTA tour, Sabalenka included. It's certainly rare in today's WTA, and that is why Gauff generally beats lesser opponents with ease. But it means a lot of matches aren't fully in her control. As @Mark-Touch said, those matches vs Sabalenka were always going to be decided by Sabalanka and what goes on between her ears.

Another good example was her quarter-final vs Kostyuk. That was complete up to Kostyuk to win or lose, and in the end she lost her nerve (as unfortunately many WTA players are prone to do) and handed it to Gauff. But the match was quite bad (I've never heard announcers criticize the level of play as much as they did in that match, and that's with their darling Coco involved!) That Gauff reacted and celebrated the way she did after winning was not just in poor taste, but showed a lack of honest self-awareness.
 

mcs1970

Hall of Fame
Yes, playing really good defense makes you a tough matchup for just about every player on the current WTA tour, Sabalenka included. It's certainly rare in today's WTA, and that is why Gauff generally beats lesser opponents with ease. But it means a lot of matches aren't fully in her control. As @Mark-Touch said, those matches vs Sabalenka were always going to be decided by Sabalanka and what goes on between her ears.

Another good example was her quarter-final vs Kostyuk. That was complete up to Kostyuk to win or lose, and in the end she lost her nerve (as unfortunately many WTA players are prone to do) and handed it to Gauff. But the match was quite bad (I've never heard announcers criticize the level of play as much as they did in that match, and that's with their darling Coco involved!) That Gauff reacted and celebrated the way she did after winning was not just in poor taste, but showed a lack of honest self-awareness.

Like I said we just disagree. Coco is not just a retriever. If the match was just upto Sabalenka she wouldn’t need to go out of her comfort zone. No player takes unnecessary risks if they can win more easily.

You and Mark are minimizing what Coco did in those matchups.
 
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