Australian Open 2021. Seems Most Are Playing.

Seems to be a healthy start to the season, with most playing. Here are my usual predictions, which sometimes go down in flames 4 days into the tourney. Men's Draw: Djokovic's Quarter: Djokovic vs. Wawrinka 4th round: I hope this is good, but Wawrinka hasn't been reliable in several years. Djokovic in 3. :( Djokovic vs. A. Zverev: Djokovic in 3. Thiem's Quarter: Dmitrov, Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime, and Schwartzman are all in his quarter. I don't see Thiem needing 5 sets to beat any of them. Thiem to the SF. Medvedev's Quarter: I don't know who comes out of here. I'll just pick Sam Querrey, for the surprise factor. Nadal's Quarter: Kevin Anderson and Tsitsipas are in this section. I don't think Nadal will struggle in too many matches. Nadal to the SF. Djokovic vs. Thiem SF: I'll pick Thiem in 4, just because he'll probably win at some point. Querrey vs. Nadal SF: Nadal in 3. Thiem vs. Nadal Finals: No idea. Could be any winner, any score. I'll pick Nadal in 3. Women's Draw: Barty's Quarter: Karolina and Krystina Pliskova are both in this section. I'll pick Karolina to the SF. Kenin's Quarter: Azarenka vs. Svitolina 4th round: Azarenka in 3. Azarenka vs Kenin QF: Kenin in 2. Gauff is in this section. Osaka's Quarter: Osaka vs. Kvitova 4th round: Osaka in 3. Osaka vs. Vondrousa QF: Osaka in 2. Halep's Quarter: Halep vs. Serena 4th round: Halep in 2. Halep to the SF. Karolina Pliskova vs. Kenin SF: Pliskova in 3. Osaka vs. Halep SF: Osaka is good, but Halep will get this one this time. Halep in 2. Pliskova vs. Halep Finals: I'll root for the one that hasn't won one, Pliskova in 2. ....

That was shocking to see Rafa up 2 sets and losing the match. The quest for #21 will have to be another slam. Definitely surprised that Thiem got trounced by Dimitrov. Surprised too that Swiatek is already gone as well. Serena has been playing great, and so has Osaka- that is gonna be quite the collision.

Yeah, Rafa whiffed badly on several "easy" balls.

Yes, I expected better from Thiem too.

How about Brady? She's in her first Finals. It was a bit disappointing how many first serves she kept missing in her last game. But she persevered.

Tsitsipas vs. Medvedev is the first late night match I'll watch live, for the tourney. So far, I've been DVRing the previous ones.

But for this, I want to watch as much as I can live, until I get tired.

Djoker wins it once again, and Osaka remain perfect in finals. Both these players are just so good at transitioning from defense to attack mode. Definitely expected a tougher match between Djokovic & Mevedev. Brady did well but Osaka was just too good. It was nice to see a large crowd at a Grand Slam again!