More Post Australian Open Happenings

So as we approach the clay court season, some more interesting patterns are emerging.

The men: Andy Murray won in Dubai after losing early in the Ausralian Open.  The draw in Dubai was pretty favorable after Federer went out by losing two tiebreak sets (second and third sets) to qualifier Evgeny Donskoy.  However, Murray again lost early at Indian Wells.  Murray is definitely the world’s number one player, but he is proving not to have a stranglehold on that position.  Djokovic also lost in Acapulco in his first encounter ever with Nick Kyrgios.  Kyrgios is acting a little bit more like an adult, though he produced a couple of unwise trick shots in the match with Djokovic.  The mystery of Djokovic continues.

Sam Querrey had an amazing run in Acapulco, beating Kyrgios, Thiem and Nadal on his way to the title.  However, after several years on the tour, Sam’s inconsistent play is an established pattern.  He went out to Donald Young at Indian Wells. 

Taylor Fritz, the young American, has made a good showing at Indian Wells, beating Benoit Paire and then the world #7 Marin Cilic.  This big man actually plays a lot like Cilic, so the match was quite exciting to watch.  Fritz is a guy with potential.

Nadal is still not playing as well as he did when he was number one, but he is playing better this year, and, barring injury, should be considered one of the favorites at the French Open. 

Federer looks relaxed and at ease after his amazing win in Australia.  He is still the guy everyone wants to watch. 

The women: 

Svitolina shines.  Elina Svitolina has suddenly blossomed.  She has already won two tournaments this year and has not lost a match in several weeks.  How far she can take her talents as the year progresses remains to be seen. 

Double vision:  Don’t look now, but Karolina Pliskova’s identical twin sister, the left-handed Kristina, is starting to make some noise.  She lost a 3-setter to Cibulkova at Indian Wells but looked very dangerous.  Like her sister, Kristina has easy power.  Keep an eye on her.

Good Day to you: Kayla Day, the 17-year-old American also looked very good at Indian Wells, defeating Lucic Baroni and then losing a close one to Muguruza.  Day’s first serve, now clocking between 105 and 110, is one of her weapons, as is her forehand.  Her biggest asset at the moment is her talent for playing high percentage tennis.  As she gets stronger she could become a force on the tour.

Keys to victory: Madison Keys is back from wrist surgery and continues to scorch the ball.  With the women’s tour somewhat up for grabs right now, Keys has a real chance to rise high in the rankings.