In a tournament that has taken the established world order of tennis and tipped it on its head, it is strange comfort that the natural state of things has been maintained in some subtle respects. With the elimination of Daria Gavrilova, the Australian Open now has no local players remaining in either singles draw.
Australia’s world No26 lost 6-3, 6-3 to to the Czech Karolina Pliskova. Even before a ball had been hit in anger on Monday, the fifth seed had the wood over Gavrilova by modes of statistical measurement including but not limited to: rankings places (21), height (20cm), tour wins (108), career earnings ($5.4m), Twitter followers (14,000), Polynesian-style tattoos (two) and body doubles (one in the form of identical twin sister Kristyna).
What that did not factor in was the supreme fitness the Australian boasts from the combined forces of hard work, good genes and the doctrines of her coach, Nicole Pratt. But Gavrilova’s ability to chase down balls at which less committed players would just wave a rueful arm proved moot here; Pliskova and her heavily bandaged thigh covered barely a metre less than her opponent throughout the night and made it count.
For reasons unknown, this match was preceded by the kind of strobe-filled sound and light show that would have left even the most hedonistic raver reaching for a sick bag. These sorts of abominations plague sporting events now, shoehorned into proceedings under the presumption that the sport itself is not enough and that fans should be made to feel as though they are gawping extras in a crap remake of TRON. “We will have a little bit of fun tonight,” barked the arena announcer at one point. Maybe if you lot stop assailing us with “bongo-cam” and get on with the tennis, yes.
The match itself provided more than enough authentic intrigue. Gavrilova’s near downfall in her previous match against Timea Bacsinszky had been a needless descent into all-consuming negativity when little things started to go wrong. That possibility loomed from her nervy opening service game of the match tonight, which Pliskova broke at the third opportunity.
The Australian dropped her towel at the opening changeover, then the first set in a 34-minute blur of unforced errors and self-recriminations, though it through lack of brinksmanship. Gavrilova made her opponent wait an age to start her second service game of the match and questioned the chair umpire at length regarding a clearcut ace.
In the eighth game Gavrilova clawed back one break and suddenly Pliskova was trying to slow things down and arrest her own sudden lapse. It did not take long. She set up two set points on Gavrilova’s serve and struck with the second. At that point she had won all bar two points on her first serve and imposed her presence at the net like a huntsman looming ominously across a doorway.
The tonal structure of the encounter was not, however, completely set in stone. Chasing and scrapping, Gavrilova broke the Czech in the first game of the second set but then could not hold to consolidate her gains. And so it crumbled away.
The world No5 returned to working her opponent to alternating wings and did so with almost sadistic efficiency, pushing Gavrilova right to the edge and waiting for her to fall off. The second set took her only five minutes more than the first.
All this said, the local lost with such flame-eyed spirit that her commitment to the task could not be questioned and the visible frustration she showed throughout this match will have endeared her to many Australian fans.
No moment was more revealing of Gavrilova’s character than when she saved a second match point shortly before Pliskova closed it out, flashing a mock evil grin to the crowd and momentarily stealing her opponent’s thunder. The unanswered question is whether and when her time will come for the kind of grand slam finals charge Pliskova now considers.
