Australian Open : The Pression is Off Final Match Reports

Due to heat, feeling a bit shit. These are summaries of the matches I have seen ending on the Seppi and Wawrinka, some are old, some were good and some had shit results.

Fognini vs. Paire

Once the draw had pitted these two mercurial cats it was the only place to be. The Fog in the first game got footfaulted and immediately had words with the umpire getting a code violation that is impressive from The Fog.

It was an entertaining match where both guys played quite well, the theatrics were minimal considering who was involved. The Fog cost himself with ludicrously bad challenges in the 5th set and when he needed one he couldn’t use it.

In the game Paire serving for the match he was down break point. The Fog was dominant in the rally and Paire’s shot hits the net and gives him a short let cord which changed the momentum. In the end Paire was able to come through ugly forehand and all.



Seppi vs. Darcis

This was a difficult one to watch both guys were a bit inhibited and never really played to their best level. It was like the opportunity of playing for a spot in the 4th round overcame them.

There were some extended rallies early on Seppi was making errors on the backhand side. Darcis who was on fire against Schwartzmann wasn’t able to impose himself in the rallies. “The Shark” Darcis took the first set after a dumb service game from Seppi.



Seppi while not playing well was able to lift his game after the 2nd set and in the vital moments where he played two quality tiebreakers and got the cash. It was a difficult one to watch but there was never a feeling that Seppi would lose.

Istomin vs. Carreño Busta

Normally this match would have little fanfare but on Bogan Saturday strange things happen plus the fact Istomin managed to get a huge set of new fans made it difficult to get a set. Istomin is the new favourite player of the Federer, Nadal and Murray fans, but we know many fans of the Big 4 have a ludicrous sense of entitlement.

Back to the match, this was a bit of a grind and the danger was whether Istomin could back up his form in taking out Djokovic or not.

Istomin started strongly and the backhand down the line was firing as it does. Carreno Busta has improved significantly and goes under the radar. He’s lean as but has managed to beef up his serve and play well on the hardcourts.



The rallies were well contested and when Carreno Busta started hitting dropshots he was able to expose the Istomin movement when going forward is far from the best. This is a trait common to modern players.

It came down to the last set where Istomin is roared on by the crowd. Yes, there was even an Uzbek flag, some young lads dressed in the Istomin bandana and glasses. Even Denis told some of the drunken buffoons that were cheering for him to shut up in between points. Mama Istomin is great she even joined in on the wave during the final set, enjoying the festive atmosphere.

Istomin was able to put the pressure on the Carreno Busta serve more often than not and broke him. Huge achievement making the 4th round for Istomin who is definitely one of the more popular guys among his peers.


Wawrinka vs. Seppi

Of course you know it’s no AO blog without the customary Seppi match report and this is the one I will finish the matches on this one.

It was very hot out there and somehow I managed to be sitting near 3 guys who were Ladin speaking. Yes, they were from the same town as Seppi’s wife so that made a chance to listen to spoken Ladin while sweating it out.

This was a strange performance from Wawrinka it wasn’t his normal aggressive self. He didn’t want to give Seppi any pace where he can counterpunch. These two have played each other enough times to know what works and what doesn’t.

Seppi served well throughout the match except when he really needed to close out rhe 3rd. Wawrinka’s backhand when he wants to hit is even more magnificent live. Stani took the first two sets when surprise surprise he was more aggressive in the busters.

In the 3rd set buster Seppi started the better and then Wawrinka decided to turn it on, slapping backhand winners for fun to win the match.



Apart from the backhand winners in the 3rd set. The highlight was Wawrinka shutting down the heckler with the “Come On Roger” call during the match, he’s playing on the next court. Heckler went for the cheap laugh and copped the backhand.

First tournament of the year for Seppi and an excellent one it was. It’s the classic when you’re the lower ranked guy you have to play at your best level, the better one has to be down and the few chances you have must be taken.

There’ll be a final blog which will include some random stuff, shout outs, positives, negatives but now all the action is over from the outside and there are others that