Introducing Coco Gauff
The 15 year old has been the revelation of the tournament. Restricted on the WTA tour due to age rules the 313th ranked player made it through Qualifying then followed it up with wins over Venus Williams, Rybarikova and Polona Hercog after being down a set and 5-2.
The teenager from Delray Beach has shown poise, athleticism and pure determination, a fascinating 4thround against former world number one Simona Halep is next.
Rafa Nadal is the man to beat
They said the machine from Mallorca was in danger of not making it to week 2, they said he had a horror draw, the thing is Rafa is a champion and you can bet as soon as he saw N.Kyrgios in the second round that was a match he was getting up for, as if he needed anymore motivation, after winning that 4 set barn burner he demolished Jo Willy Tsonga, in the 4thround he’ll face Joao Sousa, pick against Rafa at your peril.
Naomi Osaka is in free fall
The multiple Slam Champion looked listless in a first round loss to Putintseva, this has been a worrying trend since her split with coach Sascha Bajin after winning the Australian Open, her record since the Melbourne triumph is a stuck in the slow lane 13-9, it’s a record with not much conviction.
Let’s hope the American hard courts provide a spark, considering she has mega points to defend at the US Open.
We could be set for another Barty Party
The new world number one has actually looked like the world number one, great shot selection combined with flawless execution. I wrote in my preview that she’ll likely hit a wall at some point, well it hasn’t happened yet; she’s now won 15 matches in a row. The Aussie plays Alison Riske in the 4thround, who she actually has a losing record against, it was a lone loss on grass 3 years ago.
Barty wins that and a probable QF is Serena Williams, which could be the match of the tournament.