Everything about the Australian Open 2019
The Australian Open 2019 main event starts from January 14 onwards. Prior to that, we will be witnessing the Qualifiers event, which has kicked-off. Interestingly, four Indians were in fray for the same. There are 16 qualifying spots up for grabs, with three matches each for one player. Here is everything about the Australian Open.
India's Ramkumar wins his opening Qualifier
Four Indian players (two men and two women) took part in the qualifying tournament. Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Ramkumar Ramanathan, Ankita Raina, and Karman Kaur Thandi are the four Indian stars. 21st seed Ramkumar has won his first match after overcoming Sergio Guttirez Ferrol in straight sets. He won 6-3, 6-2 to keep his hopes alive.
All eyes on India's number one player Gunneswaran
Gunneswaran, who had a breakthrough year in 2018, will be up against Viktor Galovic in the first round of the Qualifiers. The match is scheduled for a 5:50 AM IST start on Wednesday. He ended 2018 as the world number 107 and India's number one ranked player. He is seeded sixth for the qualifying tournament.
Contrasting tales for Indian women's players
Indian women's rising tennis female player Karman Kaur Thandi bowed out of the Qualifiers. The 207th ranked player in the world lost to USA's Jennifer Brady (0-6, 5-7). Meanwhile, Ankita Raina won her opening match against Myrtille Georges. She won her match 6-2, 6-2 and will face Paula Badosa Gibert next on Thursday.
A look at the big guns of women's singles section
27-year-old Simona Halep will start the campaign as the top seed. She was the finalist in the 2018 edition. 28-year-old Caroline Wozniacki goes in as the defending champion. She is seeded third. Second seed Angelique Kerber, who is a two-time winner here, will be fighting for the title. 2018 US Open winner Naomi Osaka is another star in the mix for the honors.
How does the men's singles big guns sum up?
All eyes will be on Scotsman Andy Murray, who is ranked 230th in the world. The five-time runner-up used his protected ranking to enter the Slam event. Meanwhile, defending champion Roger Federer and world number one Novak Djokovic are both aiming to become the first to seal seven Australian Open trophies. Injury-prone Rafael Nadal is seeded third in the tourney.
Many firsts at the Australian Open 2019
2019 Australian Open will see tie-breaks in the final set for the first time ever. If a match is stationed at 6-6 in the final set, then the first player to reach 10 points, will be adjudged as the winner. There will also be heat breaks if the temperatures reach hazardous levels. The draw of the main event will be done on January 10.
