Those tennis-goers who took a punt and went to Melbourne Park on Saturday had the chance to witness an epic and compelling junior girls’ final that lasted more than three hours.
In a contest which left both players exhausted and in tears at the finish, Russia’s Alina Korneeva defeated her countrywoman Mirra Andreeva 6-7 (7-2), 6-4, 7-5.
Each of the three sets exceeded the one-hour mark and Korneeva finally got the win – and the title – by breaking her friend Andreeva in the 11th game of the deciding set before serving it out.
Alina Korneeva celebrates winning championship point in the junior girls’ singles final. Credit:Getty
It must be remembered that there was no official recognition of either players’ nationality as per the tournament’s policy on how Russian and Belarusian players can compete at the Australian Open.
The tears for both players took some time to subside after match point.
“I congratulate Mirra for this amazing week, amazing battle,” Korneeva said.
“It’s not the last battle [between] us. We’ll have a lot of matches – you will win, I will win. Bravo.
“[To] my team in Moscow – thank you.”
Mirra Andreeva speaks during the trophy presentation. Credit:Getty
Davis Cup hot talking point
It’s almost like the tennis gods had a perverse sense of timing as many of the country’s luminaries gathered in Melbourne on Saturday for an Australian Davis Cup Tennis Foundation luncheon.
The Davis Cup has been a hot talking point during the Australian Open and undoubtedly has been and will continue to be a key agenda item when boards of the sport’s various governing bodies sit down to thrash out big issues in 2023.
It was only a few weeks ago, on the eve of the first major of the year, when the end of a billion-dollar partnership between an investment group run by a former European soccer star and the International Tennis Federation – the global body that organises the Davis Cup – was announced.
On January 12, the ITF confirmed the end of the Kosmos deal only five years into a 25-year, $3 billion agreement.
Key decision-makers have largely been tight-lipped on what it all means for the historic men’s teams competition – a competition in which Australia has a rich and successful history – at least in the short term.
The bodies which run the four grand slam events – the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open – and come together as the Grand Slam Board eventually made a public comment on Friday, promising to safeguard major teams competitions.
“We believe there is an opportunity to engage in further discussions with the ITF and ATP regarding the future of the Davis Cup competition with the ambition of seeing it restored to a premier event with an optimal format and place in the calendar that benefits players, fans and the sport overall,” the statement read.
“Protecting the heritage of the sport and safeguarding major teams competitions such as the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup is a priority for the global tennis community and will appropriately get the grand slams’ full attention.”
In response, the ITF maintained the collegiate response.
“We welcome today’s statement by the Grand Slam Board re-iterating the status of Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup as priorities for the global tennis community,” the ITF said.
“We look forward to leading further positive conversations with the Grand Slam Board and the ATP as we begin the Davis Cup qualifiers and group stages next week.
“We are excited for another successful edition of the Davis Cup in 2023 and look forward to discussions to continue the future growth of the competition.”
Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall and Todd Woodbridge as well as the president of the French Tennis Federation, Gilles Moretton, and Wimbledon boss Ian Hewitt were among those who attended the luncheon.
The Australian tennis community gathered at Kooyong were primarily celebrating the contribution of Neale Fraser. Fraser was Australia’s David Cup captain for more than 20 years – a period which featured wins in 1973, 1977, 1983 and 1986.
Ace crowds
Crowds have been rolling in to Melbourne’s tennis precinct in big numbers over the past fortnight as moderate temperatures and only a few delays caused by rain and one particularly hot day ensured strong figures for Australian Open organisers.
Before the tournament there had been plenty of talk of getting 900,000 spectators through the gates across the two weeks in what would have been a high-water mark for the Open.
As of Friday – marked by a night session where a rollicking crowd enjoyed the atmosphere and the weekend-night party vibe for Novak Djokovic’s semi-final destruction of Tommy Paul – more than 800,000 fans – 800,818 to be precise – had taken in the action.
The biggest day, unsurprisingly, was the middle Saturday when 94,854 spectators attended the day and night sessions.
