The Melbourne Summer Series events have come to a close. Acting as a warm-up to the Australian Open, the ATP and WTA tours hosted three tournaments each, so one would be forgiven for being unable to keep up. This article looks over all of the winners and runner-ups this week to make this hectic week more digestible.
Melbourne Summer Series
ATP Cup: Russia defeated Italy 2-0
Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev were in imperious form as they won the ATP Cup for Russia, extending their records this week to 4-0 each. Both players made short work of their Italian opponents, with Medvedev defeating Matteo Berrettini 6-4 6-2 and Rublev beating Fabio Fognini 6-1 6-2. Medvedev extends his winning streak to 14 wins and his top 10 winning streak to 10.
Murray River Open (ATP 250-level): Dan Evans defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2 6-3
Dan Evans and Felix Auger-Aliassime were both vying for their first ATP tour titles, but it was Evans who stepped up to the plate. He defeated Auger-Aliassime 6-2 6-3, facing only one break point throughout the match, suffocating the Canadian with sharp net play. Auger-Aliassime extends his final losing streak to seven matches.
Great Ocean Road Open (ATP 250-level): Jannik Sinner defeated Stefano Travaglia 7-6 (4) 6-4
Jannik Sinner won his second tour level title in a row, beating countryman Stefano Travaglia 7-6 (4) 6-4. Though it was not his most convincing display of the week, he played well enough to fend off an occasionally inspired Travaglia. Sinner had survived match point against Khachanov in the previous round. He is now the youngest player to win multiple titles on the ATP Tour since Djokovic in 2006. He is also the youngest to win back-to-back titles since Nadal in 2005.
Yarra Valley Classic (WTA 500-level): Ashleigh Barty defeated Garbiñe Muguruza 7-6 (3) 6-4
World #1 Ash Barty wins her ninth WTA career title, defeating Garbiñe Muguruza in straights sets. Muguruza appeared to be in red-hot form as she stormed through her matches, losing only ten games in the process. Barty did well to temper her, mixing up the pace of play with her slice backhand and powerful forehand. Barty extends her head-to-head record against Muguruza to 4-1.
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Gippsland Trophy (WTA 500-level): Elise Mertens defeated Kaia Kanepi 6-4 6-1
Elise Mertens wins her sixth WTA career title and her first in two years since the Qatar Open in February 2019. She defeated Kaia Kanepi in straight sets. At 35 years old, Kanepi was the oldest player in the draw and had not reached a final for nearly eight years. It proved too much in the end as she won only five games against the Belgian.
Grampians Trophy (WTA 500-level): Anett Kontaveit and Ann Li (final uncontested)
In an unprecedented turns of events, several delays to the schedule throughout the week meant that finalists Anett Kontaveit and Ann Li did not have the time to play the final. Kontaveit and Li instead had to settle for sharing the trophy and will both go into the Australian Open with their winning streaks intact. Kontaveit had battled through the semifinal after saving two match points against Maria Sakkari in the semifinal.
Doubles winners this week…
- Murray River Open: Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic defeated Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin 7-6 6-3
- Great Ocean Road Open: Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares defeated Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-3 7-6
- Yarra Valley Classic: Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara defeated Anna Kalinskaya and Viktoria Kuzmova 6-3 6-4
- Gippsland Trophy: Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova defeated Chan Hao-ching and Latisha Chan 6-3 7-6
The Australian Open is right around the corner
Everyone on this list will feel better about their chancesm as the Australian Open begins on Monday. The one possible concern is that there isn’t enough rest before the year’s first Major begins. Still, success at any tournament is never something to discount for professional players.
Main Photo from Getty.
