Game, Set, Match

Written by: Alex

"Game. Set. Match."

Those three words are familar to fans of tennis all around the world, and have been heard constantly over the past two weeks.

Don't know what I'm talking about? I'm talking about the Grand Slam which is taking place at the moment -- the Australian Open.

Celebrating the 100 year anniversary, the Australian Open is one of the four prestigious Grand Slam events -- the other three being the US Open, Wimbledon, and the Roland Garros.

The Australian Open began in 1905, and was known as the Australasian Championships. It then became the Australian Championships in 1927, before becoming the Australian Open in 1969.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Australian Open about a week ago. Sadly, I didn't get to go into Center Court, but I still managed to see some excellent matches.

The first match was between Dinara Safina, and the second seeded Amelie Mauresmo. Surprisingly, Safina won the first set 6-2, throwing Mauresmo off. However, she came back to win the next two sets 6-1, 6-0, winning her the match and a place in the next round.

The next match was the one that I was waiting for -- Serena Williams vs. Dally Randriantefy. Even though the match was a pushover for Williams, as she won 6-3, 6-0, it still made for some great tennis.

The best part about actually being there in person is the atmosphere. Sure, you can stay at home and watch the tennis on TV (definately a good idea when it's a boiling hot day!), but the experience just isn't the same. You get to see the action live. You get to meet others who are just as obsessive as you. You get to see the 'yobbos', the ones who yell out every point and force the umpire to ask for some "Quiet, please". But best of all, you get to see the players close up, in the flesh.

One of the amazing things about this sport is how much your country can get behind you. A few days ago, I was watching the match between Alicia Molik and Lindsay Davenport. About 20 people were fixed to the TV, and cheering every time Molik won a point, or saved herself from losing the game. I got quite a few glares that day, because I wasn't being a "True Aussie" and supporting Molik -- instead, I was going for Davenport, my favourite player. Let me tell you, it's a bad idea to be the only person in the room going for a different player :P

By the time this issue is released, most of the matches, if not all, will have been completed. Since our top female player, Alicia Molik, has been knocked out, I'm hoping that Lleyton Hewitt makes it through to win the tournament. Yes, I still do have some 'Aussie pride' in me. Somewhere.