Seedings are all about protection. An insurance policy against the top players squaring off early, it afforded an additional layer of protection on Monday. If you are in the upper echelon of popular players, you got the Rod Laver Arena with the lights. Under this cooler weather, players like Federer and Sharapova flourished. Lesser lights that inhabit the top thirty two were not afforded the same protection. Many of the seeds on the ladies side are already gone. Whom are they and what male player looked on his game?
Ivanovic Headlines the Failures
Having seen the fifth seed win the first set 6-1 would usually bode well for the experienced player but then she lost in quick fashion in the final two sets. Ivanovic lost three and two to a doubles specialist. This player was no up and comer being twenty nine years of age. Maybe Ana’s timing was thrown off by the two handed ground strokes from both wings. No matter what, this was a pitiful performance from someone not suffering from injury. Kerber looked like she had better places to be as she lost to Irina Camelia Begu in three sets. Safaarova, Navarro, and the venerable Kuznetsova also had their tournament cut short.
Those that Looked Good
Halep was very professional in a three and two rout that was not even as close as the lopsided score indicated. Rodger and Maria were sharp under the lights. Andy Murray’s opponent was a qualifier who was ultra aggressive and got him to a tie break. Now the man whom looked the sharpest was Grigor Dimirov. If he can withstand the heat problems of the past, he could make it very deep in this tournament.
The free pick for the next round is a man who has been on a roll and under the radar. Monfils is a Frenchman who is capable of going on monster rolls. His native France did very well in the Davis Cup. On a personal level, Gael is finally producing deep results while maintaining his blowout style. He tends to demolish players ranked under him. A spread of – 6 1/2 games against Pouille is nowhere near enough. Take Gael Monfils minus the games for an easy Free Pick win. Visit us later this week as Ape Tennis Betting is increasing their coverage for Aussie 2015.
