Australian Open's Top 15

Rafa Nadal became the first Spaniard on the 2nd February 2009 to win an Australian Open. Defeating Federer in an another back-to-back epic final, he made the Swiss master and his fans wait agonisingly yet again for his 14.

Yes well done Rafa...But there are other matches which were really edgy and nerve testing. I have compiled a list of fifteen such matches including the above mentioned final and I hope everyone enjoys the article as much as they enjoyed the match.

I. Lleyton Hewittv/s Fernando Gonzalez [first round]: Lleyton was making his supposed comeback after his last year's injury ridden year. His fans were expectant of his progress. Except that they didn't count on a certain Chilean who crashed Lleyton's dream in the first round itself.

his serve wasn't upto the mark and though he did win two sets in the mammoth five, it was a bit too late altogether. Gonzalez took it 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Next year perhaps for Hewitt...

II. Gilles Muller v/s Feliciano Lopez [first round]: Unseeded Muller pulled a superman costume and defeated Lopez in this one. Before the Rafa-Verdasco SF, it was the longest match in the open and that too in the first round.

Muller who reached reasonable success last year by reaching the QF of the US Open last seemed to be determined to make a point here again. Lopez did level it to two games all but the last set was probably too much for. He went down like a captain in a sinking ship.

III. Lu Hsen Yen v/s Daveed Nalbandian [second round]: Seeded 10 for this event, Nalbandian lost the match with resistance equal to almost nil. His shots haywire, while his opponent [can anyone tell me the correct pronunciation] the Taiwanese guy had everything in the book.

As a comfort to Nalby's fans, their hero at least dragged the match to a five setter. It is way better than losing in straight ones. I didn't like the match one bit but Nalby was struggling that day...

IV. Carla Suarez Navarro v/s Venus Williams [second round]:The winner of the year ending championship last year plus winner of Wimbledon five times, Venus Williams was demolished by the 5'4" Spaniard Suarrez Navarro.

Navarro, lost the first set 2-6 but took Venus out of her comfort zone by winning and equalling in the next week 6-3 and even though Venus tried very hard in the third, she couldn't do anything in the end and had to bow out in the first week itself.

V. Alisa Kleybanova v/s Ana Ivanovic [third round]: Last year's runner-up Ivanovic put a shoddy performance before Kleybanova and gave her too much leeway. Before she could rectify her mistake, Kleybanova had pounced on it and taken the first set 7-5.

The second was again close and eventually went to the Serb and although Ivanovic's fans would have expected that as a morale booster, it was the other way round. Kleybanova clinched the third and the match 6-2.

VI. Marat Safin v/s Roger Federer [third round]: This was an anticipated slugfest between the highly unpredictable Safin and the consistently consistent Federer. The last time that they met here, Federer lost the SF after leading 2-0 and Safin went on to win his 2nd slam.

Federer was in total control in the first two sets and Safin regrouped himself in the third to drag it into a tiebreaker. After the match, Federer said that was almost like a deja vu of the 2005 SF and he was glad he won it in straights.

Safin did get into argument about a foot fault but didn't break any of his racquets. Thank Goodness!

VII. Fernando Gonzalez v/s Richard Gasquet [third round]: Gonzo took this in another memorable marathon and Gasquet wasn't just ready to give it to him. He literally had to snatch this one.

The final score read something like, 3-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 12-10. Gasquet would be ruing over the tiebreak. He could have had in straight, if he had won that tiebreak.

VIII. Roger Federer v/s Tomas Berdych [fourth round]: It was a scary Sunday from the Federer camp perspective at least for the first two sets. He lost two sets and one in a tiebreaker. It was agonising.

And then it all changed. Federer sure knows how to break back in a game. Maybe that's why he was the World No. 1 for so long. Where Berdych started feeling nerves, Federer turned it all to his advantage and rattled Berdych off in the next three. Berdych's injury time-out didn't aid him either.

IX. Fernando Verdasco v/s Andy Murray [fourth round]: Verdasco pulled a stunner in this one. Caused an upset of the favourite and the man who had tamed the World No. 1 and World No. 2 like meek school boys.

Murray was left gasping and Verdasco was snorkelling. Should Nadal be glad that Verdasco defeated Murray? Maybe, maybe not...

X. Dinara Safina v/s Alize Cornet [fourth round]: This was the match that," Cornet was winning..winning and then losing"....Safina was remarkable that day and although she was berating herself for the lapses in her performance, her fans like her for amazing comeback ability. She could be trailing and then surprise: She has the match in her pocket.

Cornet was good but not good enough to make it last. She just fell one stop short. possibly she didn't have that 1% inspiration that day...

XI. Roger Federer v/s Juan Martin Del Potro [QF]: Del Potro was left to bleed high and dry that day. Just three games in three sets.

Federer played sublimely, intricately and positively. It was the Federer who the world wanted to see at the slam stage. There was nothing Del Potro could do to outwit Federer. He was all over the place. Two bagels...Got to accept Del Potro you have a long long long way to go...

XII. Roger Federer v/s Andy Roddick [SF]: The Fed-Express didn't waste any time polishing off his old nemesis, Roddick. Twice before he had made Roddick bite the dust here and this was the third. 6-2, 7-5, 7-5 in Federer's favour.

Roddick was unhappy about some line call and his loss of weight, improved game didn't come to his rescue. Maybe Larry Stefanki should devise some other ways and means when A-Rod is playing Federer. 16-2..that's some statistics...

XIII. Fernando Verdasco v/s Rafael Nadal [SF]: 5. 14. That was some match. Frankly speaking, I really got bored watching the rallies back and forth. Neither of them wanted to give up and I was mentally bracing myself for the final set to go over the actual 10 games.

Rafa won it, but Verdasco deserves a special mention. He was troubling Rafa but his unforced errors were troubling him in return. His winners were the highest in this year's Oz Open. Rafa's gesture of crossing the net was really great and merits a huge applause. Ok...for once...Vamos Rafa!

XIV. Serena Williams v/s Dinara Safina [Finals]: This was a blink-and-miss. Lasting for just 59 minutes, the match's driver was clearly Serena and she didn't allow Safina any breathing space.

The first set was finished in just 25 minutes before Serena wrapped the second 6-3. Safina couldn't make a comeback in this, for one and if she wants a slam then she better get some tips from the newly crowned women singles' Oz Open champion and World No. 1 " Serena Williams."

XV. Rafa Nadal v/s Roger Federer [Finals]: It was Nadal al the way. The Federer that we saw against Roddick, Del Potro, Berdych made a disappearing act. Struggling clearly from the beginning with his unforced errors, Federer on the face of it looked as if he was ready to wait for another slam final.

Nadal, brilliance in every shot; returns that would have been winners against some opponents. He didn't appear to be tired at all with that five hour long five setter in the semi-final. I hate to admit [and I may sound like a traitor] but Nadal was the better player today.

Only thing that made me cry was when Federer started [literally] weeping. It wasn't something that we see Federer do generally. The man who held stolid after the Wimbledon final, broke down and watching him do that was moving, very and Rafa needn't have said sorry for defeating Federer. That was very sporty of him.

PS: There are some other matches which did not feature here: Marion Bartoli v/s Jelena Jankovic; Gilles Simon v/s Rafa Nadal and Svetlana Kuznetsova v/s Serena Williams and most of the Jelena Dokic ones, but these ones were more fulfilling than the rest.

PPS: In case I have written something over the line, please excuse, I have not intended to be rude to any player in any manner whatsover.