Sam Querrey for America

 

We have one of our own in the Australian Open's third round, America. Sound the trumpets. Wave the flags. Grill the hot dogs.

After an unexpected exit from John Isner, the American No. 1, on the second day of the tournament, hope was lost for the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave in Melbourne in 2014. But that hope has been restored in the form of the Cali boy, Sam Querrey, who won his second match of the tournament on Day 3. 

Querrey defeated 23rd seeded Ernests Gulbis in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, to advance to the third round. It marks the second consecutive year Querrey has reached the third round in the Aussie Open, and the second time he has accomplished that feat in back-to-back years. He found himself here in 2007 and 2008, his first two appearances in Melbourne.

Querrey will face the Fabio Fognini-Jarkko Nieminen winner for a spot in the fourth round, where Novak Djokovic will be waiting should things go as expected. Querrey was one win shy of meeting Djokovic in that match last year, but he couldn't slip past Stanilas Wawrinka to get there.

Two other Americans, Jack Sock and Donald Young, remain in the mens' tournament field with upcoming second round matches on Thursday. Sock will face 25th seeded Gael Monfils and Young will get 24th seeded Andreas Seppi, who knocked out fan favorite Lleyton Hewitt. Barring an upset, Sock and Young will join Isner, Ryan Harrison, Tim Smyczek, Bradley Khlan, Wayne Odesnik, Denis Kudla, Steve Johnson, and Michael Russell on the early flight back to the States.

That leaves Querrey, the "Great Red, White and Blue Hope," to make a run for the second week of the 2014 Australian Open. He said after his win over Gulbis that reaching the third round makes it a successful tournament for him already, but we, the United States of America, are not settling for a 32nd place trophy. We want Sam Querrey to continue winning, because that's what America does. It wins. 

Ask the 1980 U.S. national hockey team if it was content with a draw against Sweden to open group play in the Olympics. The answer is no. It was content with a win over the Soviets and a gold medal.

Ask Rulon Gardner if he was satisfied after finishing fourth at the 1993 NCAA Wrestling Championships. No. Rulon Gardner was satisfied when he defeated that scary Russian guy who hadn't lost in 13 years to win the gold medal in 2000. That dude was terrifying. 

Ask Amelia Earhart if she just shut it down when she flew a third of the way across the Atlantic Ocean. No. Amelia Earhart was just picking up speed on her way to becoming the first female to fly solo across that salty pond.

You see, Sam Querrey is our Amelia Earhart. He's our Rulon Gardner and he's our Herb Brooks. America believes in miracles, it fears no one, and we're not turning around and flying back home empty-handed because we got a third of the way there.

Sam Querrey for America. Let's win this thing.

My Highlights of Day Two

Gilles Simon won the match of the day in a 16-14 final set over Daniel Brands. He then spontaneously combusted due to heat 

From a sheer rankings perspective, Day Two at the Australian Open offered little surprise. Most of the favorites ended up winning and only three seeds (one male and two female) fell in what could be categorized as a fairly "by the book" day in Melbourne.  With that said however, there are always story lines that develop and for me, these were the highlights of a sweltering Day Two:

John Isner Lets a Brilliant Chance Slip Away

When it comes to majors and John Isner, the best opportunities always seem to slide through his fingers. Isner's Australian Open draw looked quite appealing when announced, as injuries and good fortune produced a bracket that seemed perfectly set to allow Isner to slide into a Round of 16 matchup with Andy Murray. Alas, it wasn't meant to be as Isner succumbed to an ankle injury and intense heat after falling two sets behind to Martin Klizan. It was a valiant effort from Isner, who seemed ready to take the second set tiebreak after a 4-0 lead, but according to the giant, then his ankle acted up, he dropped a number of points and he could no longer go forward. For John, it is another opportunity lost, forcing him to potentially head home to spend time with his girlfriend (whose photo montage pictured above shows a couple that loves close-up selfies as much as any twosome in America). We at The Outer Courts are now left without are best American hope down under and explanations as to the result, the best of which was shared by a television announcer:

John Isner loses 1st to Martin Klizan 6-2. Commentator Frew McMillan chalks it up to "being that much nearer the sun." #AusOpen
— Steve Tignor (@SteveTignor) January 14, 2014

The Heat Continues to be a Massive Story

Players passed out, players threw up and everyone seemed to have a jolly old time lamenting the extreme heat that has overtaken the Australian Open. At one point the temperature hit 107 degrees and it looks as if no relief is in sight. Most of the complaints about the heat relate to the late afternoon matches when it is at its most extreme, and players have commented that the situation is "brutal" and "inhumane." Heat is a hard feeling to translate over the television and where I am watching the matches (in my living room), it is a cozy 71 degrees at this very moment. But one can certainly tell that the heat is speeding up play (both in terms of ball speed and the desire to get off the court) and causing those players who didn't spend the offseason training (hello Mr. Tomic) much difficulty.

Lleyton Hewitt Loses Another Epic

The Australian Open comes on at a hideous time here in Kentucky, thus one has to truly want to see an afternoon 5 setter to fight off the overnight sleep requirements and make it to the end of such a marathon. But Lleyton Hewitt's defeat at the hands of Andreas Seppi was exciting enough that I was able to fight through and make the ends. Hewitt lost again, as happens all to often in these big matches, and he left many of the Australian fans somber following the ordeal. None however may have had quite the reaction as this Australian columnist, who took it very seriously:

THERE's no way we're going to sit here and offer copious amounts of sympathy to millionaire tennis players competing in appreciably lung-busting, fatigue-inducing conditions when bushfires are devastating families and destroying homes on their rampage through the more combustible areas of Victoria and Western Australia.

Still, Lleyton Hewitt's marathon heartbreaker at the Australian Open came on an A-grade scorcher. The Blue Jasmine court inside Rod Laver Arena shimmered in impossible heat while Hewitt was mowed down 7-6 6-3 5-7 5-7 7-5 by the 24th-seeded Italian Andreas Seppi in four hours of ultimately non-profitable slog.

The only possible positive to emerge from the wreckage: Hewitt's schedule was cleared for his Harlem Globetrotters doubles appearance alongside Pat Rafter at 5pm today.

So it's pretty warm in Melbourne right now

Victoria Azarenka and Roger Federer survived Tuesday's sweltering temperatures in Melbourne and escaped their first-round matches in straight sets, but not everyone at the 2014 Australian Open has been so lucky.

Over on Court 8, Peng Shuai needed a quick vomit before recovering to take the second set against Kurumi Nara: 

Minutes later, Canadian Frank Dancevik fainted courtside while trailing Benoit Paire on Court 6:

Ball kids are collapsing and water bottles are melting to the surface as play continues in 107 degree heat. Players are relying on ice packs and ice towels to carry on, and the extreme heat rule effect is now in place, enforcing a 10-minute break.

Meanwhile, back in Kentucky, I just cracked another Red Bull as I try to stay awake for the remainder of today's matches. I guess I can't really complain about being tired when I'm sitting on my couch, with air conditioning, watching the action on television.

The Luckiest (and most talented) Loser of Them All

I am one of those people that likes the bizarre eccentricities of every possible event. For instance, one of my favorite things about professional football is the fact that in today's modern technological world, we still decide whether a team has achieved a first down by the decidedly unscientific method of measuring with two sticks and a chain . Similarly tennis, while on the one hand being obsessed with rankings, numbers and statistics, then throws out all of this mathematical data and finalizes the field to its biggest events by a system so completely random and bizarre, that it looks more like a carnival game than a professional sport. The concept of a "Lucky Loser" in a Grand Slam tennis event is one accepted as normal in tennis circles, but would be mocked by anyone not accustomed to it.  After three rounds of qualifying and fights to the metaphorical death to determine who will be fortunate enough to get into a Grand Slam field and have the potential for a major rankings bump, you can be saved after falling short by simply having your name drawn out of a hat in the final hours before the event begins.

That is exactly what happened this week for American Irina Falconi, who took the mantle of "Luckiest Loser" into the second round of the Australian Open yesterday with a win over Anna Medina Garrigues (6-3, 6-1). Falconi lost in the final round of Australian Open qualifying, a painful defeat that looked to have continued her streak of five straight majors where she had failed to make the main draw. It was a bitter disappointment and one that would have affected Falconi's prospects for the rest of the season, due to the corresponding points loss that was forthcoming. So how did Falconi handle this event?  She explains, "I was out with my friends having ice cream, when I got the email  from the WTA saying, "Lucky! You play first round on Monday against Medina." (as a side note, I find it hilarious that in 2014, this is how we tell players they have made a major championship...is it not even worth a phone call?  What if she hadn't checked her email?  What if the email got sent to spam?  These are the questions that make me rack my brain).  Falconi put the ice cream down, headed home and prepared for her big match.

So how was Falconi given this honor? Well of course, her name was drawn out of a hat. As one of the four highest ranked qualifiers to lose in the final qualifying round, Falconi was given the chance to make the field after Jamie Hampton withdrew. Four names went in the pot, Falconi's name was picked, and the other three "losers" got to finish their ice cream. It is a crazy and absurd system, but that is precisely why I love it. Rational people would suggest we should go by highest ranking, have the top two players compete or even just a hearty game of friendly, but competitive Spades. Critics would tell you that anything resembling a merit-based system is appropriate, but they are obsessed with concepts that are no fun like "rationality" or "fairness." Instead, we choose a completely random draw gives someone like Falconi a chance, and the other "Losers" a long flight home in misery (and by the way, the term "Lucky Loser" has to be one of the most backhanded compliments in the history of professional sports. I like to think of the designation as being the equivalent of a "L" that the player is forced to wear all tournament long, while her fellow competitors shun her in the cafeteria and hold the "L" sign to their forehead every time she walks by).

Fortunate or not, Falconi has now taken advantage of the moment and has a chance for a huge win on Wednesday versus 22nd seed Ekaterina Makarova. Just a few months ago, I saw Falconi play at a Challenger event on a scorching August day in Lexington, Kentucky, in front of a couple hundred fans at most. Now she gets a chance to play in front of a packed stadium and a worldwide audience with the possibility of matching her career best Grand Slam finish with a victory....all because her number was drawn out of a hat. The tennis world is a strange, but amazing place.

Sloane Returns to Melbourne and Other Day 2 Matches I'll Be Watching

It was in Australia one year ago when Sloane Stephens shocked the tennis world by upsetting third-seeded Serena Williams to advance to the semi-finals. Like many great moments in sports, I remember exactly where I was when it happened. I was on my couch, probably eating something unhealthy, watching it on live TV. It was a Tuesday night. And that's when Sloane Stephens got me hooked on Sloane Stephens.

Sloane makes her return to the Aussie Open stage tonight -- Are we calling it tonight or today in Australia? -- against Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan. If the match is anything like Shvedova's middle name, Vyacheslavovna, it's going to be long and very difficult to get through.

Other matches on my must-watch schedule tonight:

James Duckworth vs. (6) Roger Federer

Meeting for the first time in their careers, Roger Federer and wildcard entrant James "Jack" Duckworth of Australia are set to clash in the second match of the day in Rod Laver Arena. I'll make a point to watch this one because it's Roger Federer and only because it's Roger Federer. I watch him every chance I get because we just don't know how much longer he'll be around.

Johanna Larsson vs. (2) Victoria Azarenka

I've grown close to Azarenka since I started following her on Instagram a couple months ago so I feel it is my duty as her friend to tune in to her match against Johanna Larsson. That's what Instagram friends do, they support each other.

Did you know she was driving a tram with Novak Djokovic a couple days ago or that she met SpongeBob SquarePants in Brisbane? Of course you didn't. Because you're not close like we are. I bet you didn't see that smiley face omelet back in the summer, either. You don't know vichka35 like that.

So I'll be watching my vichka35 in action tonight, whether you do or not. It may be a one-sided friendship, and she may not have any idea I exist, but I'm going to be there for her as she chases a third consecutive Australian Open title. No woman has done that since Martina Hingis in 1997-99, ya know.

Tobias Kamke vs. Jack Sock

This is the one time I will root for Germany over America. When Jack Sock loses, The Outer Courts wins.

I want to like Jack Sock, I really do. But I'm afraid that's impossible.

(24) Andreas Seppi vs. Lleyton Hewitt

Australian No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt is looking to ride the momentum from an undefeated week at Brisbane against 24th-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy. Hewitt and Seppi are 3-3 head-to-head over their careers but Hewitt enters the match 5-0 in 2014 while Seppi looks for his first win of the year.

It's Hewitt's 18th consecutive Australian Open start since his 1997 debut. He said that first match, a three-set loss to Sergi Bruguera, was the only time he hasn't played on Melbourne Park's center stage.

We have to watch the Aussie in Aussie, right?

Olga Govortsova vs. Ying-Ying Duan

I have Olga going far in my Racquet Bracket for TennisChannel.com so there is a lot riding on this otherwise lackluster showdown.

Why the faith in Olga, you ask?

Why not?  She's my Florida Gulf Coast basketball.

(1) Rafael Nadal vs. Bernard Tomic

This is one of the matches that caught everyone's attention when the draw was released on Friday. Australia's own Bernard Tomic, a top 60 ATP player, versus Rafael Nadal, the world No. 1, in a first round matchup.

Tomic recently said he can beat top-seeded Nadal, who has reached only two Aussie Open finals in his eight attempts, a low number for the game's hottest name. Nadal missed last year's tournament while recovering from the knee injury, but 2013 was his year after his return to the court in February.


It's going to be a fun night -- or day in Australia.

While We Were Sleeping: Day 1

Covering the Australian Open from America isn't easy on one's sleep schedule, especially while balancing the tennis with another full-time job. A man's gotta get at least a little shut-eye each night and the 16-hour time difference between Melbourne, Australia and Lexington, Kentucky isn't the ideal setup when pulling double duty. That 7:00 p.m. primetime match in Rod Laver Arena each night? It airs over here in the States at 3:00 a.m., right around the time my eyelids tend to throw in the towel. I can only drink so much Mountain Dew before the high fructose corn syrup coma sets in.

Each American morning we'll review the Australian Open results and happenings while The Outer Courts was resting its eyes 9,500 miles away. Here is the first edition of "While We Were Sleeping"...


Novak Djokovic is one step closer to Aussie history.

Three-time defending champ Novak Djokovic won his 22nd consecutive match in Melbourne Monday night (or early Monday morning) by defeating Lukas Lacko, 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-1. Djokovic, who called himself "rusty" after the win, is chasing his fifth Australian Open title, a feat no man has achieved since the Open Era began in 1968. Djokovic is currently tied with Andre Agassi and Roger Federer at four titles apiece.

Roy Emerson won six titles when it was the Australian Championships, but we're not here to talk about the Australian Championships.

Serena Williams beat a 17-year-old.

Five-time Aussie champ Serena Williams defeated the local girl, 17-year-old Ashleigh Barty, in two quick sets. Barty held serve to take the first game, which brought on a huge roar from the crowd, but the match was over in under an hour. Williams advances to face Vesna Dolonc in the second round.

Fun Fact: Barty was six years old when Serena won her first Australian title in 2003.

Denis Istomin and his glasses defeated Marcos Baghdatis.

2006 runner-up Marcos Baghdatis was given an early exit from Melbourne by Denis Istomin in three straight sets. The win was a controversial one, at least to me, considering Istomin was wearing Google Glass during the match.

I demand an investigation. Istomin could've been watching YouTube, checking Twitter, taking photos, or reading The Outer Courts during play. I bet he was reading The Outer Courts. And that's an incredibly unfair advantage.

Ivo Karlovic, our Ivo Karlovic, gone too soon from Melbourne

@Brisbanelopez

It's with a heavy heart that The Outer Courts bids adieu to Ivo Karlovic from the Australian Open. Anyone who has followed this site through other tournaments knows how much we love Ivo and want the best for him in every match. We had hoped to see him in the finals in two weeks -- ridiculous, I know -- but fellow Croatian and 32nd seeded Ivan Dodig defeated Ivo on Day 1 of the tournament, 7-6 (8), 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Dodig joins Stanislas Wawrinka (US Open '13), Adrian Mannarino (Western & Southern Open '13), and Sam Querrey (BNP Paribas Open '13) as guys we can never forgive for sending Ivo home from tournaments we cover.

Good thing he still has Twitter. No one can ever take that away from us. Ever.

I always thought the shelves in my living room were kinda off white. But today I wiped the dust off..

— ivo karlovic (@ivokarlovic) November 1, 2013

Watching Venus Lose Makes Me Sad

Why did they have to start with Venus Williams?  Did the Aussies want to intentionally suck away my energy in the first match of the tournament? Look, I follow the same routine for every big tennis tournament, Olympic Games or any other event that goes on a long period of time. I am uber-excited for it to begin and thus I get unbelievably giddy for night one. I put everything else aside and focus on consuming every moment of action of the first day, before slowly seeing my excitement dwindle over the next few days, as my energy drains. Life usually gets in the way, I make the decision that interacting with my friends and family is more important than a 3 am Court 8 Fabio Fognini match, and then I consume the events by doing what rational people do, focusing on the highlights. But the eagerness of Day One is always something I look forward to and this year the Australian Open schedule makers completely ripped it away from me.

They knew what they were doing. It was completely forseeable that Venus Williams would lose tonight to (22) Ekaterina Makarova. Not only was Makarova the higher seed, but she also has a history of Australian Open magic, specifically against the Williams sisters, knocking out Serena in 2012. When the draw was released, I groaned at the matchup, knowing that Venus's early season positive form could potentially come crashing to a halt in round one at Melbourne,  before I even had a chance to get comfortable.  Venus has a history of painful Australian open losses and the matchup with Makarova seemed destined to add another page to her general disdain for this place. Unfortunately the match completely followed the script. Venus won the first set, gave up the second and seemed to be cruising in the third, going up 3-0 and setting up a potential major move for the American into the fourth round. But then history bombarded us, Makarova won five straight games, served out the set and we witnessed another painful Venus loss.

Here is the reality. I hate to watch Venus lose. I have always found the eldest Williams sister to be somewhat of a tragic figure. On the surface that seems silly. She has won seven grand slams, has more money than she will ever need and by all accounts, lives a healthy, well-rounded life in which tennis is only a part of her overall makeup. But I can't help but still feel bad when I see her lose. Part of it is because even as the older sibling, she will always be the lesser tennis Williams. While still having a Hall of Fame career of her own, she will never be remembered without a comparison to her sister and the ways in which she has come up short will be part of every memory about her. Most of the time when siblings play sports, one is markedly better than the other and the dynamic becomes clear and defined. Whether it be the Lopez brothers in basketball, the Waltrips in auto racing or the McEnroes in tennis, it is almost always the case that one sibling is a star and the other is a successful, but clearly lesser version.

But the Williams sisters are different. Venus was the star first. She was a trailblazer in sports, breaking barriers from the moment she entered tennis and bringing a powerful, athletic game to the sport that completely changed the way all of the female players approached being a professional. When Venus Williams came on the scene the game shifted on and off the court, as her rise was one of the single biggest draws the sport had ever seen. However just a couple of years later, along came Serena and everything changed. There were a couple of years of great competition as the two sisters dueled for the best player in the world status, but very quickly it was clear, Serena was the more dominant force. Venus became an afterthought as Serena did everything her little sister did, only better. She took the mantle as likely the best player to ever play the game and Venus was left as a multiple major winner, always in her (younger) sister's shadow. The closest sports equivalent one can find is the Manning brothers in football, but only if Eli somehow turned into football's Babe Ruth, while Peyton retreated to Stan Musial status (a legend, but not the GOAT) . But that didn't happen...even if Eli wins more rings, Peyton is the superior player and both can take solace in their individual accomplishments and stable relationship to each other.

I am sure Venus feels none of the disappointment I project on her. She seems to be her sister's biggest supporter and has never looked to me to be the jealous type. I love that the sisters still play doubles together and their friendship has never wavered, at least in public. But as I watch Venus's career wind down, her losses inevitably sadden me. I project what would likely be my own insecurity in a similar situation (hating someone younger, cooler and more talented than you in your own profession is why I have a dartboard with Drew Franklin's picture on it in the Outer Courts' office), onto Venus when it is probably not needed. She seems fine with it, and I should be too. But I can't help it. Watching Venus lose makes me sad and has dampened my excitement for Day One in Melbourne. I now am not sure if I can stand to stay up all night, and even Chris Fowler's late night puns are not having the same effect on me. Hopefully something will fix this quickly and get my giddi...oh wait, did you say Ernests Gulbis just threw a racket and is having a temper tantrum, while using language that would make the producers of "Wolf of Wall Street" blush?

Ok fine, I am back in.

A Tennis Fan's Guide To Melbourne, Australia

Welcome to The Land Down Under, tennis fans! 

You look lost. You're lost, aren't you? Don't be embarrassed, Melbourne can be overwhelming for an out-of-towner like yourself. Why don't you sit back, let those binoculars rest around your neck, and allow me to assist you in your journey so you can focus on other things, like tennis. 

Here is The Outer Courts' travel guide to Melbourne...

Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne, conveniently located in the state of Victoria, was founded by John Batman, a young bounty hunter, in 1835 and it is now the second most populous city in all of Australia.  4.17 million people call Melbourne home and all of them absolutely hate it when Americans rave about the blooming onion at Outback Steakhouse.

Notable Melbournians

Some of our favorite famous people were born in Melbourne, including Kyrie Irving, NBA point guard; Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus' ex-fiance; Cate Blanchett, Academy Award-winning actress; Kylie Minogue, pop star; Rupert Murdoch, really rich gold guy; and the late Steve Irwin, "The Crocodile Hunter."

Five Things To Do In Melbourne

-- Tell a stranger, “G-day mate!”

-- Attend a cricket match at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds! (Look up the rules of the game first.)

-- Enjoy a walk through Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, one of the best-landscaped gardens in the world!

-- Eat bush tucker! What is bush tucker, you ask? It’s Australian food! Try the kangaroo, and, if you don’t like it, just cover it ranch and force it down.  You’re on vacation!

-- See a show at the Regency Theatre! Or a concert!

Five Things You Shouldn’t Do In Melbourne

--  Do not ask for showtimes for any of the Crocodile Dundee movies while visiting the Regency Theatre.

-- Drink Foster’s beer.  It’s only popular in American convenient stores and homeless shelters.

-- Litter.  Australians take the cleanliness of their streets very seriously.

-- Crocodile wrestle. Yeah, you saw Steve Irwin do it, but you’re not Steve Irwin.

-- Tell an Aussie, “Let’s put another shrimp on the barbie!” because you thought it was funny when Lloyd Christmas did it.  He was talking to a girl from Austria, anyway.

Australian Open Quick Facts

-- It draws the second-highest attendance of all tennis tournaments across the globe

-- Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka are the defending singles champions. Djokovic won the last three Australian Opens, Azarenka won the last two.

-- It was first played at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in 1905.

-- This year's overall player prize compensation is $31 million in U.S. dollars. The singles champions will win a cool $2.35 million apiece. That'll buy a lot of bush tuckers.

-- Wilson supplied 4,000 tennis balls for the tournament.

-- TennisChannel.com and TheOuterCourts.com are the two best websites on the internet for all of your Australian Open needs.

Hooroo!

(That means goodbye.)