Australian Open 2015: 10 Biggest Surprises from the 1st Week
As the Australian Open reaches the end of its first week, it's time to take a look back at some of the players and incidents which surprised us the most. But who will wind up in our top spot? Roger Federer? Tim Smyczek? Ana Ivanovic?
No doubt, it's been a wonderful week of drama and contention.
Whether it was a case of big names getting knocked out early, or surprise candidates staking a claim, we saw more than our fair share of shocks along the way.
And in the sizzling sunshine of Melbourne Park, the pressure was magnified for some; becoming too much to deal with, some stars wilted and burned out.
Others had to fight tooth and nail for their reputation.
And, the way it's shaping up, we're likely to see more upsets between now and the last day of action.
Fingers crossed, in any case.
Note that here, the surprises are ranked largely on tournament expectations and hopes. And the list is also compiled to give preference to shocking results and surprise contenders who let their tennis do the talking. In particular, victories by lower seeds against top seeds are ranked higher.
It also includes a couple of incidents that grabbed the headlines for different reasons.
But feel free to have your say in the comments section, because a lot will come down to your own personal opinion.
Honourable Mentions
1 of 11
Although all candidates are fully deserving of their spot on this list, there are a few others who certainly deserve a mention for the way they surprised us in different ways.
In particular, Alexandra Panova, Samuel Groth and Kristina Mladenovic all had their moments in the spotlight with a series of fantastic displays.
Overcoming Sorana Cirstea in her opening match, Panova then went on to face Maria Sharapova. But despite eventually losing the match, she's sure to have gained a great deal of fans with her performance.
Forcing the world No. 2 to snatch the contest back from the jaws of defeat, Panova surprised us all with some terrific resilience. And there can't have been many who would have foreseen the world No. 150 even putting up a decent fight in the first place.
She didn't once lie down.
Australian Sam Groth also deserves inclusion for the way he reached the third round of the Australian Open for the first time ever, a real surprise in itself. Not only that, but he also had to dump fellow countryman and star of the future Thanasi Kokkinakis out along the way.
The 27-year-old looked to be on his way out against a resurgent Kokkinakis as their clash entered its deciding set, but Groth produced a thrilling serve game to seal the win.
Finally, Mladenovic surprised Sabine Lisicki when she defeated the world No. 28 in their first-round match.
However, she couldn't follow up on that excellent win as she flopped against Bethanie Mattek-Sands in her next match.
10. Juan Martin del Potro's Withdrawal
2 of 11
Suffering a similar injury to the one he endured back in 2010 and again a few short months ago, Juan Martin del Potro, one of Argentina's most loved tennis stars, was forced to withdraw from the year's first major with a troublesome wrist problem.
Coming as a real shock, after only just returning to action, Del Potro's absence was a difficult pill to swallow for tennis fans.
Playing rather well just a few days prior to his withdrawal, the 26-year-old managed to reach the quarterfinal stage of the Sydney International, but couldn't find a way past Mikhail Kukushkin.
And that's what made his announcement all the more shocking, because there wasn't many signs that the towering Argentine was ready to give in again.
Unfortunately, though, the setbacks continue.
9. Bouchard Being Asked to 'Twirl'
3 of 11
Some might call it a sexism row, others might call it a silly thing to say. Not Eugenie Bouchard.
She doesn't seem to mind that an interviewer by the name of Ian Cohen asked her to "give us a twirl" during the opening week of action.
As reported by the BBC, Bouchard was keen to let people know that her view of the incident isn't quite as harsh as some others.
Nevertheless, it was a surprising event, and one that added to the drama and furore of the entire competition.
And tennis legend Billie Jean King was clearly taken aback by the whole event, as she posted this quote on her official twitter account following the incident: "The Australian Open interviewer asking the women to 'twirl' on court is out of line. This is truly sexist. If you ask the women, you have to ask the guys to twirl as well. Let's focus on competition and accomplishments of both genders and not our looks."
Clearly, this was one of the most shocking things to come out of the first week of the Australian Open. Far more startling than Del Potro's withdrawal, it got more people talking and thinking.
And it was engaged with very well from nearly all quarters with some very interesting points raised.
Again, this list is geared towards surprise results, hence this incident is so far down the pecking order, despite its inflammatory repercussions.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
8. Borna Coric out with a Whimper
4 of 11
Departing the first Slam of the year a lot earlier than many had hoped, Croatian Borna Coric saw his challenge limited to the first round, as he went down against Jeremy Chardy.
Before the tournament, many had tipped the young starlet to go a lot higher in the rankings.
And Geoff Macdonald of The New York Times was one such pundit who believed he could go far at this month's tournament. He even included him in his list of players to watch: "Unlike Australia's talented future star Nick Kyrgios, Coric has a better handle on the expectations thrust on young talents."
MacDonald was proved wrong.
But it's thought the 18-year-old one-time vanquisher of Rafael Nadal should come back stronger than ever for the next big tournament.
That was another reason his exit was so surprising; he had already proven his mettle against players much more skilled than Chardy.
It was clear those in the know thought Coric would do well. And his capitulation against the French player was a real surprise. But it was especially so considering he had won the opening set quite well.
Ranked the lowest of all our on-court upsets, his early departure from the tournament wasn't nearly as surprising as some others, though.
Ultimately, his defeat was not as surprising as our next slide, which discusses Jarmila Gajdosova's first-ever Aussie Open victory. This is due, in part, to the fact that he is still so young.
And he has lots of room to develop and return with vigour.
7. Gajdosova's First Aussie Open Win
5 of 11
On the anniversary of her 10th appearance at the Australian Open, Jarmila Gajdosova surprised the home fans by snatching her first-ever singles win at Melbourne Park.
Defeating Alexandra Dulgheru in her opener, it was a rare treat for her supporters to see her win on home soil. But she did so convincingly, as she swept her challenger aside 6-3, 6-4.
Despite the fact that she was up against a player 25 places below her in the rankings, this one remains a surprise. After all, she had tasted victory at each of the other Slams, getting as far as the third round in all of them.
But something tantamount to a curse had hung over her for nearly a decade as she went in search of her elusive win Down Under.
And it seemed as if it might continue, despite how good a player she clearly looked for years.
Instead, she persisted and worked hard to earn it, finishing the match in less than 90 minutes.
Placing ahead of Coric here, her poor record in Melboune made her result all the more surprising.
On the other hand, Coric was a debutant without any record to compare.
6. Sara Errani's Early Exit
6 of 11
Entering the Aussie Open as a 14th seed, Sara Errani wasn't expected to get dumped out as early as the third round.
Although the best she's ever done in the singles draw Down Under was to reach the quarterfinals, the 27-year-old was up against the world No. 80 Yanina Wickmayer.
So, with 66 places separating them in the word ranking, it was rather surprising to see the Italian dumped out so easily.
Errani has always been a real fighter on court, and it was hoped that would spur her on to victory.
But it seems as though her niggling rib injury played a major part in her downfall. She simply couldn't rally as well as she wanted as a result.
Indeed, as reported by Fox Sports Asia, it was a most surprising result as she was in control of the match at one stage: "The result was something of a surprise, especially considering that Errani was a set and a break up at one point."
A former doubles winner in Melbourne Park last year and back in 2013, it was clear she had the ability to do a lot better, but her feisty opponent deserves a lot of credit for the way she turned the contest on its head.
5. Kokkinakis' Upset of Gulbis
7 of 11
Entering his match against Ernests Gulbis, Thanasi Kokkinakis was the clear underdog.
Ranked well outside the top 100, the 18-year-old was up against it before the match had even started.
That's because Gulbis is the world No. 13. And that's no coincidence.
But by the end, Kokkinakis had managed to subvert the hierarchy as he emerged with a 5-7, 6-0, 1-6, 7-6, 8-6, win to send the home fans wild.
In truth, this was a clear-cut surprise, much more so than Errani's elimination in the women's draw.
The young gun is potentially a future great.
But the odds were stacked well and truly against him.
After all, despite his poor record at the Aussie Open, Gulbis has defeated the likes of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the past.
But that didn't intimidate "Special K" one little bit, as he brought his best to the court.
Kokkinakis eventually went out to Sam Groth in another five-set thriller, but an apparent pulled muscle at a vital stage of that contest meant that his true ability was hampered greatly. As a result, he was denied the chance to go even further.
4. Keys Blasts Past Kvitkova in Shock Win
8 of 11
At just 19 years of age, it's probably still fair to call Madison Keys a rising star, right?
The only problem is, the world No. 35 might consider that an insult. The way she's playing on current form, she doesn't look like she's still learning the ropes. She looks like she's making her own.
Following a fantastic shock victory over world No. 4 Petra Kvitova at the end of the opening week, the American has taken a huge stride toward claiming her first Grand Slam title.
And she just about edges Kokkinakis' victory over Gulbis by virtue of the fact she's still in the competition.
And the calibre of opponent also helps. After all, it's not everyday a youngster defeats a two-time Wimbledon champion in straight sets.
And, as reported by The Telegraph's Simon Briggs, she's going to have to use her deadliest weapon if she intends to go all the way. And there's no doubting what that is: Her powerful serve has been clocked at a whopping 75mph.
3. Nadal's Slog Against Smyczek
9 of 11
Entering into his match against Tim Smyczek, Rafael Nadal probably didn't expect to endure such a long-winded contest.
But Smyczek had other ideas, as he pushed the Spaniard all the way in a captivating five-set thriller.
There were more than a few surprises on show in this Rod Laver Arena battle.
First off, Smyczek came out of the woodwork to almost waylay the incomparable Nadal, and he played an absolute blinder along the way.
Then, the King of the Clay seemed to suffer a crushing injury that looked in danger of ending yet another Slam early, but he persisted to push past the pain barrier.
Most eye-catching of all, though, was what happened next.
There was a shout from the crowd as Nadal was going for an important serve late in the final set that forced him into an error, but Smyczek took us all by surprise with some incredible sportsmanship to allow him to take the shot again.
In truth, this was a roller-coaster ride and one of the most surprising matches of the first week.
Unfortunately, it just gets pipped to the post by our next two slides.
The reason? Well, unlike our final two candidates, Nadal didn't go out.
2. Ivanovic Humbled by Hradecka
10 of 11
Ana Ivanovic was undoubtedly one of the biggest names to get eliminated in the first week of action at Melbourne Park, as she crashed out 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, to Lucie Hradecka.
Taking control of the battle early on as she stormed to a spectacular lead, things were looking rosy for the fifth-seeded player.
After all, with 137 places separating them in the world rankings, it was difficult to imagine just how an upset would come about. But Ivanovic just wasn't her usual self, as she returned poorly and crumpled uncharacteristically under the pressure.
Everything started to come undone rather quickly after her good start, as she lost the next two sets in similarly spectacular fashion and, in turn, the match.
As reported by the Australian Associated Press (h/t Daily Mail), her loss is even more spectacular when you consider the following statistic: "No woman won more matches on tour in 2014."
A spectacular upset, indeed.
It was such a surprising result that it comes in at No. 2 on our list ahead of Nadal's close shave with defeat, but not surprising enough to pip our next entry to the post.
1. Federer Bumped off
11 of 11
Undoubtedly the biggest casualty from the opening week of the Australian Open, Roger Federer just couldn't avoid defeat against Andreas Seppi.
The world No. 2 was slain by the 46th-ranked player in the world, and that's the statistic that makes the result an obviously shocking one.
For some, it came out of nowhere.
And Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim was quick to comment on just how off Federer's performance was.
"But, truly, this result was more about Federer losing than Seppi winning. By any measure, it was a rotten day at the office. His backhand lacked punch. His movement was sluggish. The shanks that were so prevalent in 2013 made an unwelcome appearance. Leading in the second tiebreaker, Federer played a few loose points and quickly lost the set.
"
In truth, this really was no ordinary display from the Swiss legend.
It was a surprise implosion.
And it gets the nod for most surprising result, because as much of a headline-stealer as Ivanovic's loss was, it was Federer's yielding that caught people's attention the most.
Simply put, it was Federer at a low ebb.
And they don't come around that often on the big stage.
As for Seppi, he deserved the win, producing one of the best winners you are ever likely to see, but even he was as surprised as everyone else with the result, as reported by Ian Ransom of Reuters: "Against Roger, you know, I never went close.
"I never had the chance. To have this win in my career, it's for sure something big, yeah."
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
