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The Australian Open: Day 3 Recap
by Nadya Vlassoff
As day 3 drew to a close there was a feeling of relief in the air as many of the players' nerves settled and they began to show signs of brilliant tennis. Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic raced through their matches facing little if any resistance. Roger Federer made quick work of Evgeny Korelev who only two days earlier ousted Carlos Moya. Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick also continued their quests for a second slam title. In the women's draw there were several matches that went to 3 sets, the highlight being the night match between Jelena Dokic and Anna Chakvetadze who was seeded 17th in the Australian Open. It was also the first day of doubles play as the women's' and men's' doubles teams took to the court in their battle for a slam title as well. Here is a look at some of the highlights of play on Wednesday in Melbourne.
BEST:
Jelena Dokic vs. Anna Chakvedatze (17)
 The
Cinderella Story of Jelena Dokic continues as
she played some fantastic tennis against a very
formidable opponent. While Chakvetadze started
off slow and with a slew of double faults, she
managed to play some incredible volleys but
failed to break back on Dokic's serve and she
lost the set 4-6. Dokic raced to an early lead
in the second set but faltered while leading
at 4-2 as she began to tighten up. Chakvetadze
evened things up at 5 all but Dokic came out
in full force in the 11th game and won it quickly.
Both players played with heart as they both battled the emotional turmoil that has plagued them over the last few years. Dokic, coming out of a long, tumultuous relationship with her family has started to return to her winning form but her personal struggle is far from over. She is not as fit as she needs to be and it showed in the third set as she struggled with an Achilles heel strain that caused her to miss some deep angel shots from Chakvetadze. As for Anna, she is still recovering from the trauma of having had her family held at gunpoint in her home in Moscow as robbers assaulted her father and made off with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry. After losing her stride in the second set, Dokic came out strong winning the next two games to go up 4-2 and then finally closed out the match as Chakvetadze double-faulted twice to hand over the match. While Dokic faces a stiff test in the third round against the young Dane, Carolina Wozniacki. Even if she does not make it past the next round, Australia is looking forward to their new media darling taking charge this season and proving that she deserves to be back and in winning fashion.
Fabrice Santoro vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber
The veteran Frenchman demonstrated once again why he continues to appear in slam tournaments year after year. Taking on the 32nd seed from Germany, Phillip Kohlschreiber, Santoro put on a show for the ages as he fought of tiebreaks, a thigh strain and even his age as he never conceded victory although he had to battle back in the last two sets. Finally, after over four hours of play and leafing 5-3 in the fifth set, Santoro buried an overhead smash and raised his arms in triumph, threw off his hat, and limped in victory to his chair as he rubbed his soar thigh. Although Kohlschreiber had 94 winners compared to Santoro's 51, he also had more unforced errors at 69 compared to his opponent's 34. It was a very exciting match to watch as the momentum changed after almost every point but in the end the crafty Frenchman pulled out the win. This will be Santoro's 20th year on tour, which is more years than some of these young players have even lived but one thing is for sure, the Magician, as he is affectionately called, will probably continue to perform until he can no longer walk. In Australia, the crowd loves him as his expressive antics are almost as entertaining as the tennis itself.
WORST:
David Nalbandian vs. Yen-Hsun Lu
 Everything
that could go wrong in this match happened for
David Nalbandian. In a stunning upset, Yen-Tsu
Lu, from Taiwan, shocked the number 10 seed
in the second round in five sets. After dropping
the first se, Nalbandian won the next two and
seemed set to take the match until the 4th set
where he lost his focus. Lu, taking advantage
if Nalbandian's uneasiness, served some aces
as the two exchanged break points but it was
Lu who prevailed in the end by making Nalbandian
race from side to side and hitting a heavy forehand
to his advantage. Nalbandian showed signs of
tightening up as he was slow to return and Lu
only gained momentum as he raced to a 5-1 lead
in the 5th set until Nalbandian managed to hold
serve and then in the 8th game they battled
it out at deuce. Each player had plenty of chances
but it was Lu in the end, who prevailed and
sent Nalbandian packing, shaking his head as
he tried to understand how he let the match
get away from him. It was Nalbandian's match
to lose and lose it he did.
And so, as the day ended under the bright lights of Rod Laver Arena, the fans began to depart as the first half of week 1 ended. Despite a few upsets in both the women's and men's draws, the favorites continued onwards. A few surprise matches also left a spotlight on players like Marcos Baghdatis who ousted the 16th seeded Robin Soderling of Sweden in 4 sets and Marat Safin, seeded 26th, who, despite dropping in the rankings in the last year or so, showed that they still have some game left in them and won't make it easy for any of the top seeds in an already difficult tournament. In the men's draw there are the clear favorites like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and last year's champion, Novak Djokovic, but with so much improvement and emphasis on fitness and technique, it really could be anyone's game as long as the focus and the drive of each individual does not falter.
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