Round-of-16 Recap + Quarterfinal Preview ft. David Kane [2024 Australian Open]

Tennis.com Lead Editor David Kane joins Editor-in-Chief Alex Gruskin to recap the Round of 16 + preview the Quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open Singles Draws. They rank their favorite quarterfinal battles, discuss their favorite storylines to date, plus so much more!!

0:00 Episode Intro
4:00 Grade the Australian Open So Far
10:35 Thoughts on the Women’s Field
24:15 Thoughts on the Men’s Field
35:15 Ranking the Quarterfinals
1:11:40 Rank the 16 Year-Old Players

Welcome to the mini brick your day podcast for the biggest storylines results and controversies from the tennis world today is Monday January 22nd day N9 of the 2024 Australian Open now officially in the books that means we’ve reached the start of quarterfinal action in both the men’s and women’s

Singles draws now before we get to previewing any of our eight fantastic matches I owe all of you listeners a bit of an ology we did not have a recap for day eight of this event thus it’s going to be a two mini break podcast Monday for all of you listeners one episode

Will be me nerding out offering you all of my observations as I have gone back and rewatched all of the action but the second podcast we’re going to offer you is actually the first one we’re recording here today and it’s a makeup podcast dare I say a gift to all of you

Listeners as joining me to help both recap the round of 16 and preview this year’s quarterfinals at the Australian Open is a man who must best be deemed a returning Champion here on our crack rackets podcast a man who we must now call a lead editor at tennis.com of

Course you knew him throughout 2023 is essentially a co-host on this podcast he’s one of our dearest friends who of course you can follow at dkt NS on Twitter David Kane welcome back to the show your thoughts on this 2024 Australian Open to date or perhaps more importantly you still awake you still

Alive how are you feeling my friend I mean thank God for this ring light just blasting me in the face otherwise I’d be totally exhausted right now um don’t love the fact that I had to invite myself onto this podcast today but I’m happy to be here all the same I know

What I’m wanted I know what I’m not wanted well let the record show you are always wanted on this podcast here’s the thing you’re lead editor now you’re not just an editorial producer you’re lead editor I know what sort of hours you guys keep keep over at the.com and so I

Know you’re a busy man I didn’t want to infringe upon your time that said when I got the text from you indicated hey I’m ready to come back on the show it was an immediate like all right how’s today I mean I had to please my fan all of my

Fan were just clamoring to hear from me I didn’t realize it was a tweet from November until hours later but indeed I got a wonderful shout out might need to take a trip to Boston but um yeah I’m I am so tired this there is another whole

Week left of this tournament even though it’s Monday some may say it’s Monday others will say it’s Tuesday it feels like we have lost all sense of time and space for this 2024 Australian Open when and we’ve got the best the worst and everything The Good the Bad and the Ugly

Happening between the men’s and the women’s draws so I think it’s been a pretty it’ll be a pretty memorable tournament I think when all said and done but um looking forward to kind of actually talking through it with somebody because I feel like a lot of it

Has just been happening to me for the last 10 days and now I finally get to rec claim some agency so looking forward to that could not agree with you more and again that’s why we are always happy to to have you on this podcast yeah it’s

Been a crazy first week of this major and obviously that’s where I want to start Today’s Show now before we do as always a shout out to our friends at tennispoint for their support tennispoint.com the promo code is cr15 part two of course if this can be a

Therapy session for you DK we are doing our job and I want to say thank you to you because I sent you a text we started recording around 4:30 p.m. eastern time today I probably sent that text around 3:55 like hey cool if we go on video and

You’re like let me get the ring light out I’m ready to rock and roll and so a thank you to you you’re our first guest joining us for a mini break podcast on our YouTube channel wouldn’t have it any other way again lead editor for dennis.com folks I’m excited to hear

Your thoughts on all things Australian Open and again the majority of our exercise today is going to be talking about these quarterfinal matches ranking these matches in terms of order of Interest also of course breaking down what a victory looks like for each of these players talking talking about how

They got to this point of the event but before we do that I’m with you I’ve been doing a lot of solo podcasts part of that has been schedule related part of that again I don’t want to impune upon your time but let’s use this as a

Therapy session DK let’s reflect at a 30,000 foot view level to start Today’s Show because again I know round four is technically the official start to week number two of a major event but the quarterfinals is when the business end of this event begins and thus I ask you

To this point I’m going to ask you to combine men’s well no no we could start honestly with just the women’s side of things let’s let’s talk about each of these fields individually because there are too many storylines to group together thoughts on where we are with

This women’s field what would you grade this 2024 Australian Open in terms of the results we’ve seen to date well I mean I think globally just before we get into the women St I feel like part of the problem with this event is we’re all kind of suffering from The Hangover of

The Sunday start or Saturday start if you’re Eastern Standard Time it just feels like in many ways the rhythm of the tournament is very different I think we’re used to these Blockbuster opening round days where the stadium courts are just jam-packed with matches from start to finish and there’s obviously an a

Pairing down to the schedule where Stadium courts are starting later there are fewer matches on on the Main Court so it in many ways it feels like a very different look at the Australian Open than I think what we’re used to think if we’re on the East Coast we’re used to

That 700 p.m. start time and things just kind of rolling from there I think now it’s been a bit of a a slower roll and then things kind of exploded towards the end of the first week and I think that’s what we’re dealing with the consequences

Of now I mean in terms of the women’s draw hold on because I think that’s a fascinating point and I’d like to discuss that further I think one of my favorite pastimes of this Australian Open was when you would wake up for school in the morning you’re eating

Breakfast you turn on the television and there’s still Australian Open action going on at 6:37 a.m. like that was there aov and Alisa clayon NOA 2009 H good times that’s exactly what I was thinking of as well and it’s just again like I guess I I don’t feel

Like that’s been compromised like I I mean I obviously the meddev rivor is the most extreme example where they were playing past 10: a.m. eastern time and everyone was awake and got to see that match if you’re on the East Coast even someone who keeps weird hours like me

But like I don’t think things were compromised by the Sunday start I had no problem with the rhythm of this major is it a little weird that the even days are the start of a new round like yeah that’s thrown me and West off once or

Twice when trying to record an intro or double-checking that we didn’t screw something up but I’d like to the spread out over the course of the three days I don’t like especially we haven’t had any rain delays so I suppose we’ve been on the luckier end of things but I guess

What’s the impact like where what I I don’t understand the argument for why you wouldn’t do this if it does help disperse the schedule more evenly which I felt it did the first three days well first of all the idea of waking up to tennis is something that’s just

Unfamiliar to me at this point I feel like one just stays up through the tennis so that’s that’s an interesting call back to to those days missed them miss them dearly I think again just going back to those first three days you know there was just you’re spreading the

First round that much thinner at a time when there are that many fewer you know established stars there are some phenomenal players at the top of the game right now but this is you know one of the first Australian opens without your Rafa Roger Serena Maria I mean like

They it’s just a very different look at the order of play right now where you’re saying huh that’s interesting that they’re on a stadium Court you know you just think those are time time slots allotted for the best matches the best players and I think because things are spread

Out that much more you’re getting things like you know Aussie wildcards perhaps getting you know a stadium NW that they might not have gotten or you know a lower seed who you would think maybe would be on you know a fun outer Court match that you know ends up becoming a

Night match because the way that the the schedule is slotted you know is is organized but um I think it just makes it hard to get into because it felt like we’re three days of a of a first round is a lot you know it’s we’re already

Into Tuesday Wednesday and it feels like the tournament still hasn’t quite gotten started and so I I I wonder how much that Rhythm you know that extra day off potentially for players who started on Sunday didn’t come back for their second round until Tuesday or Wednesday just

You know these are questions we have to ask especially given you know the way the women’s draw especially the top half shook out yeah I understand that point I guess my perspective and this is always the perspective here on this show kind of gave some days for not lesser known

Players perhaps to stand out and Thrive and be the story on a schedule again I love that but I see your at prioritizing lesser known players on the Min podcast maybe give them maybe give them a chance to generate some sort of super stardom storyline for themselves obviously day

Two on the women side we had seven seeds knocked off that was the day androsova vage poova kova Etc all that was the being mean listing those names but okay that was the day day two was like so here’s my point K Point day two got to

Be the day of the 16-year-olds where Corva Anda and Brenda fova in like a three-hour span was like wait a second what the fck is going on here like this is a moment for us to discuss and I I like that aspect of the of the 3-day

Spread out that that storyline got a moment to thrive that you know again I guess on day number one the story is like no and through all the first three days on the men’s side you lost two seeds and any yeah but I think any day

Three 16 year olds win a match I think that’s especially on the women’s side I I mean maybe I mean that’d be even crazier on the men’s side but certainly you know three 16y old girls win win matches I think that’s going to be uh that’s always going to be headline news

Regardless of who else is on the schedule yeah I that that’s true um but like again it allowed a yema to have a moment in her opening round all these different players like everyone got their moment in the spotlight because it was a little bit better dispersed and it

Wasn’t just a kamakazi of like here’s 32 uh excuse me 64 matches a day two days if it’s rain sorry you’re just screwed like let’s roll I kind of I needed the slow I need the stacker start that is funny you mentioned y because to be honest I totally forgot that match

Against vusa and I watched it from start to finish like by the time she got to Azarenka I was like oh like who did she beat to get here and I was like oh right one and two against the Wimbledon champion I guess we should have seen

This coming question mark yeah no fair enough and I guess that sets the field then where we are on the women’s side and just a reminder here are your eight players remaining the top half one of 19-year-old Linda noova 23-year-old Diana yema 21-year-old junin wien or 25-year-old Anna Collin ska one of them

Is not only uh two of them are not only going to make their first slam semifinals one of them is going to make their first major and obviously there is one well I don’t know we’ll get into that in a second who is the most like compelling finalist of that group bottom

Half of the draw kind of makes sense you’ve got your sabanas you’ve got your Goff you’ve got aik kova who at times has been a top five player in the last 52 weeks and obviously at times she’s also been like the 144th best player in the world but the ceilings have been

There she has three come from behind WIS we’ve seen her at least test sabalenka in a way no one through her first four matches of this Australian Open have been able to goffs lost one set in nine victories this year and then there’s maruk who you and I have spent a lot of

Time talking about over the years the 21-year-old having the exact sort of Kickstart to her 2024 campaign that dare I say might remind all of us oh wait is this a player who belongs in the conversations moving forward those are our final eight remaining there’s fiant rabaka Pula

Early losses all the mix as well again seated chaos in that first week on the women’s side your grade for the 2024 Australian Open women singles draw through four rounds of play I mean if this was a women’s draw brought to you by the mini break

Podcast kind of an A+ I mean who what eight women do we talk about more I mean we probably don’t talk about kinaya a ton but we’ve certainly spent a lot of time talking about sabalenka and goof and kch kova and kostuk and shin Wen and

Linda and Linda NOA maybe a little bit Diana estrea as well I mean this is like those these are our girls who have made we manifested this we might have manifested this one this is the most not to get so selfish and self-centered but it’s my show uh we manifested our impact

Is the technical term we manifested the out of this draw and it’s just like you’re right these are the players we have circled for the last 24 months since we’ve been doing podcast together DK really where it’s like hey you have shown me at times one week of whoo What

Was was that at times 3 weeks of wo what was that in the case of chin Wen now it’s probably been 4 months for NSA a full month of obviously for GF a full year Sabal Lanka a lifetime of you have my attention and it all kind of coalesced beautifully into this

Quarterfinal draw we have now and five of the uh of the eight players remaining DK they’re under the age of 23 none of them are named EOS fantech who could belong in that category as well like I’m sorry to cut you off before you gave a

Grade but you kind of nailed it like I am super like this is so fascinating to me do I wish there was more parody in the matchups maybe but I like all the pieces and ingredients we get to work with yeah I mean from a real tennis head

Perspective you take again and this is sort of the story of the WTA for probably the last decade it’s sort of like ho versus some of its parts where if you look at each part individually you’re like that makes sense that makes sense that makes sense but then when you

Sometimes when you zoom out you’re like wait a minute that’s not exactly what I had in mind I mean I feel like the immediate upshot is the fact that we have a big four right now in women’s tennis and two of those big four lost early and this is the result you know

Shant and rachi know were I think in many ways I think more of a lock for their semi-final than potentially Golf and Sabal Linka I mean the way that EA started the year the way verak started the year it just felt like wow this is

Going to be you know a gang Buster of semi we just it’s unfortunate we didn’t get that where I would just push back not to cut you off right there is the top half of the draw was clearly the more difficult of the two halves though

And even with the match like it’s funny that goth and sabalenka got the tougher semifinal matchups uh quarterfinal matchups excuse me but that’s almost a byproduct like again the top half had via AAP Peno on top of your shiant rakas and pulas of the world and Chin Wen

Those were six of my top eight when we did our preview show they were all in the top half of the draw that chin Wen is the only one remaining and like that she didn’t have to face any of them you’re right that is absolutely surprising and it clouds this second

Week but it’s a byproduct of a thrilling first week and like again to watch the level ncoa played was Shian had her best no but naskova played well enough to win that match it wasn’t just handed to her yema is a little bit different like aarka aapka was the highlight real match

And then yusta just kind of mck things up with her power but even then that she’s returning after a doping suspension and that she was so you know her first round of 16 at a major came when she was 19 years old at Wimbledon or 18 whatever it’s 5 years since chin

Wen it’s another step like again I I’m I keep cutting you off to repeat myself but you’re right kinsky a queen of Midland yeah well you said it perfectly it’s like does the sum equal the whole of the parts or are there a lot of parts

That lead to a lesser sum than you would perhaps like I I defer to you as I ask for your grade and final thoughts on this drum more broadly yeah I mean I me I think the the the one real outlier here is kinaya I think that’s and that’s weird

Because again coming into this draw Racha seem I mean that just seemed like a very Racha heavy section and once she even because to even retroactively look back and say well who else could have made it if not her maybe Pisha Pisha had played a little bit better in that first

Round against rakina but there certainly weren’t it that was the softest section of the draw for me it certainly looked like Sloan Stevens was perhaps going to take advantage of it for a minute and then you know clints guy comes back in three but you know we everyone’s been

Keeping an eye on chin win everybody knows I mean certainly everyone who listens to us knows what we think of the Linda NOAA technique I mean the the number one Linda beats the world number one I mean it was really just sort of poetry in motion and I think Diana esta

Has been someone that who’s been erratic just long enough for to kind of leave the conversation but there was a time even in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic that she was considered to be certainly On The Rise more than than am maroki more than her country women and

Just things have a lot of stuff has happened to Diana esta since 2020 I mean she went from being the the voice of the covid-19 pandemic to stepping in a an unfortunate racial scandal when she did the photo shoot with that was half blackface she had the anti-doping violation that she was ultimately

Cleared of but had from what we’ve gleaned from it is sort of an interesting colorful um explanation for how that uh doping violation came about but has played phenomenal tennis this week and played really great against azarin and I was reminded on The Encore interview just what a star yrsa is just

The way that she’s able to conduct herself in front of a crowd even when she wasn’t didn’t have complete control of her words and forgot what she wanted to say just had them in the palm of her hand and that’s that’s to me what’s most exciting is that there from this we

Might potentially get another star out of that I think that’s sometimes what you have to look for is that it’s sometimes there are surprises but are there long-term implications that we can hang our hats on to and I do think even if we’ve had more hype up about noova

Coming in that if you sta makes a deep run here she’s someone who will be very much in the conversation just someone who will generate a lot of headlines the time the allotted time of content you and I will be doing on your strea this year as exponentially like she’s a

Machine well here’s what I’m saying is I’ve been hanging out recently and usually it’s like once every 6 months but she’s been coming to Serena Williams Power Tennis Country Club like once every two weeks of late my reaction to this on camera get great we saw her

Starting to hang out here and we’re like oh Diana like it’s been a couple years what are you doing here and she’s like I just want to test the grounds like you guys have picked up some new members along the way and like I heard you kind

Of got rabaka a house and like sabil Lanka house and I was kind of ahead in line in them before so I figured you might have forgotten about me and so now she’s like back and again full weekend privileges like is she a member no but

She can come work out full week priv like come work out come hang out like make sure you’re with a member so that we know you’re cool this week but like again the fact that we haven’t talked about the fact that sabil Lanka’s lost fewer than 10 games so far like that you

And I haven’t talked about that fact is one of the great or one of the points we’re making we’re trying not to make a big deal about it it’s secret or again like I’m telling you Coco is really good right now like it’s just crazy how easy like she just hasn’t been

Tested for more than 20 minutes in every match and so all that is to say before we get to the men’s and then we are going to talk about the matches I promise but I haven’t got it’s a therapy I we didn’t really we didn’t even talk

About the bottom half we’re just I think we’re so morbidly fascinated enthralled by the top half it’s like the bottom like and the bottom half is way better like I love the B golf first kostuk is a me matchup like that’s just perfect and it’s just it is because it’s this

Physicality these people who can do all sorts of things and yet still like golf has gotten a little bit more assertive certainly not a little bit a lot of bit more assertive certainly but like what is plan a for both of them going into this matchup what is the thing they can

Do to make their opponent most uncomfortable and how do they problem solve when both of them are going to take that thing away because both of them do that H it’s going to be it’s my favorite matchup maybe on the board from uh tennis questions about what the

Tennis looks like perspective of any of the eight quarterfinal matches we have and again ketova sabalenka was the best rivalry we had through the first third of last season through the sunshine swing and again it’s been a roller coaster for barara ketova since sabil Lanka more of a steady Ascent to world

Number one but I’m going to go I’m going to go the lowest possible firm a I’m going to say 93 I was going to say 92 because you’re right we didn’t get EA we didn’t get raka the raka loss was particularly shocking because I my hot take coming out of the month of

January it’s my new sebi Corda was a top 10 player in January I bet racha’s win over sabalenka in the Brisbane final will be the best tennis we see from any player this entire season because that was like man what the like what are we even do like we don’t need to play

Anymore if that’s who she is she wins because with sabalan is been doing to people is just absurd and rabaka did that to her like throughout the course of that match and so anyways that’s a long way of saying we didn’t get chiante rakaa but rakina lost 2220 in a third

Set breaker and shant loses to a 19-year-old who we have both marked as a rising superstar in the game uh certainly from a tennis perspective uh and so I’m going to go 93 low possible a what say you I mean I think you have to

Knock I think if you’re top two of your top four don’t make it out of the first week I do think you have to knock the grade down a little bit so I’m going to give it a b but I’m certainly excited for I mean it’s certainly not even a B

Plus we’ve discussed this I grade lower I’m more harsh than you are but I like I said want go down to a minus I feel like I’m on the rosie ey skill no it’s my draw I’m sticking with the a sorry well like I said from from this in this house

It’s an A+ draw I think just in the real world I think we have to maybe but I was I was you know I felt like there was a bit of um Doom saying about the the state of women’s tennis a little bit towards the beginning of the second week and I just

Felt like oh God you you guys seem all very brand new I mean I’ve seen some over the last decade and a half some crazy draws and you’re going to act like this is like the Pinnacle of chaos like you don’t even know like we’re not even

Talking about draws that Serena just won in the end that we don’t really remember for being as chaotic as they really were I mean there are some wild draws in the last decade at least you know again chin win and NOA if they make the semi-finals

Or even if yema and Chin win make the semifinal you’re like well I mean okay a ringing endorsement of the of the xuhai Championships quite frankly so you baited me I’m back in we’re on video I can’t help it these arguments are what draw the want to fight you on camera

This is why I inv myself yeah here’s this is our foreplay I’m a showman yeah exactly here’s the thing it’s not that it’s more chaotic than ever before that’s not what resonates with me it’s the organized chaos it’s the fact that it feels chaotic superficially but if

You take a look underneath the surface it’s chinen it’s NASA it’s kuk all players we thought could do this who you’re like hey here’s a data point to start the year they’re freaking doing it like that to me is the exciting part is I spent a lot of time prognosticating

And saying this is what the best version of this tennis player looks like and to a lot of extent again in this house Serena Williams Power Tennis Country Club we’ve got an A pluses from players who we have had an eyee on and then the

Maruk of it all who just there’s main C I’ve said again the equation is it’s like Bianca and rescue .92 um and we’ll see if that player can advance beyond the slam quarter final as we get into those eight matches before we do I don’t think we’re going to spend as long on

This because it’s pretty straightforward I really like the men’s draw I’m fascinated to hear what you think that might be our source of disagreement but it’s the first time in Australian Open history DK that the top six uh in the open air excuse me that the top six seeds in the men’s singles

Draw all advance to the quarterfinal around and obviously those six guys jokovic alcarez Medvedev CER rupv Zev they’re all through they’ve all been tested in different ways outside of maybe alcarez who’s kind of cruised as as CER who’s kind of cruised but that’s been so fun to watch these two guys

Clearly consolidate their tier one position you had meddev play past 3:00 a.m. Melbourne time you had rublev two five set wins demon hour sath vild you’ve had the Zev of it all As as well like jokovic obviously for four hours with prismic round one every match he’s played throughout the course of this

Draw has subsequently come uh Gone less time as he’s calibrated his way through again top six guys all still alive here’s the best part to me the seventh guy Hubie herot’s not only your number nine seed he’s 30 and 11 since the start of Wimbledon and he won the Shanghai

Masters to end last season your eighth guy is a Taylor Fritz who’s been knocking on the door of top 10 top eight for 2 years now and has made back-to-back quarterfinals at hardcourt Majors if that doesn’t prove you’re one of the top eight top 10 guys on hardcourts I don’t know what stat

Will quality of field not quality of matchup or personalities quality of field it’s a 97 out of 100 now again there are things you have to look beyond that as you give a total grade how we got to this point DK what’s your assessment of the men’s field to date

I don’t know in many ways I feel like the men’s tournament hasn’t started yet I feel like it will that’s fascinating I feel like we’re going to learn a lot from these quarterfinals one way or the other because in many ways it still feels like the top fours tournament to

Lose and so if all four of them make the semis and wow we’re going to get some really good semi-finals and what a testament to this current top four and if any combination of them lose then wow you know this is a big moment for this player it just feels like right now

There hasn’t for me a ton of like learning a lot of new stuff because we knew jokovic is phenomenal obviously know 10 10 times a champion here cner carries his momentum from the end of last season Mev carries his momentum on hardcourts alarz you know being who

Alarz is you know his first Australian Open since becoming uh a grand slam Champion all of whom playing really good tennis and I don’t really know if necessarily anything from Z of herc cats rubl Fritz has really made me think that they’re really in position to challenge

That top four right now but if they do then that’s a storyline and even if they don’t then we can really start to dig into the top four and who’s really going to win this thing that’s a I didn’t give a grade so my grade is incomplete no

That’s a fascinating point and so well said so well said because this was a rare major DK where I predicted eight of the uh seven of the eight quarterfinalists correctly and the only one I got wrong can you guess which one was it hogar it was not hogar it was

Andre rublev I thought I thought rublev was going to lose to demon hour in a five- set match and I was a set away or maybe honestly it would have been four sets but I was a set away from that happening and that was a testament to

Demon hour spin lights out for six months consecutively that was a massive Victory massive victory in Andre rublev’s career to get through that hump to get a shot at you know again what this was the point I made on today’s great chat podcast uh talking about all these day 10 matches

Specifically we’re going to go back through them and talk more Broad but coming out of this match there’s no like if if rublev win loses this it’s not oh he’s 0 10 in quarterfinals and here we go again another rublev loss it’s no yanx CER is a tier one guy he

Wins this match he advances to the Big Apple if rublev wins this match it’s only upside like I think the only there’s only positive spin that comes out of Andre rublev for this because now it’s not only did you beat demon hour just to get to this round something you

Have struggled to do in Majors but you beat yanx CER as well well to get to your first semifinal like a signature victory for a guy who I think is 2- seven in top 10 matches on hardcourts over the last 52 weeks like anyways looking at this field more broadly that

I got seven of the eight correctly I think I kind of speaks to your point perfectly where it’s like we kind of knew these were the best players like that’s I’m not patting myself on the bat I’m saying it was that obvious even to me that like first slam of the

Year I’m like yeah but you’re better than you and you’re better than you and like even you know Tommy Paul losing to Cas manovic was that a weird result kind of but Tommy had match points in the fourth set like he very well could have won that match I’m trying to think of

Other upsets like Shelton losing to manarino like big freaking whoop we didn’t really have many like Jaw bores over dimitrov that was a jaw-dropping upset Arthur Kazo Arthur Kazo getting to the fourth round that was jaw-dropping that’s it like everything else on the men’s side pretty stay descript and so

I’m going to completely agree with you I think it completes the answer I think it was a confirming week I think there’s a world where they are certainly on path F A they’ve checked off all of the boxes to get there you can’t give it a grade

Until we see how it plays out unless someone steps up does a sinner alcarez someone else beat a Novak does Novak assert himself in a way that you’re just like H for a guy to do this at 36 jaw-dropping we got to give it another a

Like it’s hard to give it a great given it’s been pretty descript so far I mean we didn’t we didn’t 100% know what sin or Mev were going to look like coming into the storman because they hadn’t played yet but none of you know other than maybe the dimitrov result but I

Mean it’s a lot to say that dimitrov is gonna you know really had a shot at winning this title and like even the Tommy Paul results like I don’t think any of those results changed what we currently have it’s not like oh yes this had gone a different way we would have

Seen a different quarterfinalist a different semi-finalist so I I think you know again if we get the the top four in the semis then we can I think there’s going to be a lot of yes there’s going to be a lot of Internet about it to be

Quite honest no that’s really like a lot of content oh another CER jokovic match to start the year like after they played three yeah like come on now and again I like you said it perfectly it’s incomplete because we don’t know how it plays out from here but again like herot

Is 301 and 11 what if this is him saying you know what I’m a top 10 guy like I looked at the numbers DK so that you wouldn’t have to because I want to relieve you of that burden what’s his hold percentage since the start of Wimbledon just give me a number guess

Knowing that the average men’s player holds 82.6% of the time the average is 82 yeah a little over 82 93 that is a phenomenal guest and David Kane if this is The Price is Right you would be spinning the wheel or at least going to our first exercise

93.4% that boom yeah for a guy who doesn’t spend a lot of time at the stats like men’s tennis expert I’ve said that for years for years here’s what I’m saying that’s better than Prime Isner that’s better than Prime curios that’s better than Prime Federer and obviously he’s not as dynamic as

Roger that’s not the comparison I’m trying to make here’s what I’m saying that guy dare you if you’re holding over 90% of the time you’re just going to be top 12 especially when you’re not a whole horrible returner the way an isar opela whatever were cuz that’s not who

Hoopie her Cuts is the forehand has gotten a lot better and so anyways like I’m fine with that storyline and look Taylor Fritz isn’t going to beat Novak jokovic but if he somehow does like oh my God what a storyline that would be for a guy who has just

Been craving a win like that and has done everything else but earn a s like his win over CTI pass what I said about rublev applies to Fritz that was the biggest win of his career that’s probably the best I’ve ever seen him play and look he should be peing he’s 26

Years old like this is the time to make another push and say no this is my ceiling I want to be one of the best in the world he is winless in his career against jokovic and I think it’s either seven or eight times they’ve played he’s

Only one sets against him in one of those matches incomplete but on path F that’s where I would leave my thoughts on the men’s field you got any final thoughts you want to rank these quarterfinals no but I think that the fritz and rublev parallel is fascinating because I do

Feel like they both did what they absolutely had to do to stay in the conversation and now here’s their opportunity to potentially put themselves into the conversation like they yeah yeah no that and Demon hour and csas belong in that ilk uh that that you know tear of the cloth as well right

Where it’s kind of like cut of cloth where it’s like they didn’t get the wins and that’s got to be Crush for both of them and so you’re absolutely right like that’s those were louder matches yeah and so I mean again and both of them played well like rub were just better I

We don’t talk enough DK and I’ve I’ve done my fair share of Andre ru’s slander in the sense that I’ve said his Destiny is to go one in two at tour or finals for the rest of his Prime and by the way like people take that as a slight that

Means he’s a top eight guy for the rest of his prime he ain’t going to have to work a second job in his career is the point I’m trying to make DK that’s a win in life but like I guess again more broadly yeah like needed to have those

Wins they had to have them and like for rublev to get we don’t talking enough about how physical he is the fact that he is as fit as any player we have on tour and it’s extraordinarily impressive you have to do that to beat a demon hour and get yourself to the quarterfinals

And that is how we will transition to ranking these matches DK we’re going to talk not only about my favorite we’re going to go off of my list DK is going to tell me too high too low just right and we’re going to talk what a win looks

Like for each of these players but we’re going to go through them quickly I promise let’s start cner rublev CER the career head-to-head favorite some of these I’ll know some of them don’t I just recorded this pod so I know this one 42 is the career head-to-head there

Center 2-0 against rublev last year you know rubl again 0 and9 in quarterfinals I think Center’s in like his fourth or fifth maybe even sixth the big thing for me is Yanik CER has made at least the second week in five of the last six Majors that we’ve played excuse me six

Of the last seven Majors that we’ve played has only missed coming last season I mean again like all the stats would Point Center he he’s the favorite according to tennis abstract you all know the records yanx CER a 78.4% favorite this is my number one match it’s four verse five it has the

Mainstream sex appeal but it’s also a massive moment for both guys as I alluded to earlier like if rublev gets this win for the first time in his career because you didn’t after the Monte Carlo title like I just I didn’t care that’s first Klay Court event of

The year I know it’s a 1,000 but it’s the fluffy 1,000 in the sense that everyone’s getting accustomed to switch surfaces he beats center after beating demon hour the way he did in round four to set up a semi-final matchup that would probably just be a jokovic route

But even if he gets to that matchup that is a clear-cut step forward not just because it alleviates the 0 and9 record but it alleviates that I beat a big guy in a big spot record as well this quarterfinal win would have more gravitas than if it was against a fritz

Or if it was against like a hatov or a you know again Lorenzo MTI congrats you’re the example I’m going to use as making a run here this would be the sort of win we just haven’t seen Andre rublev earn in his career this is my number one

Match do you agree too high too low just right yeah it’s sort of narratively perfect in the sense that you know we still want to see yanic do what he could do at a slam yes he’s made the Wimbledon semi-finals but you know now this is his

First you know big shot after having the fall that he had can he you know completely cement himself as the top four guy as a top four guy that he’s shown himself cap being be got to do it at a slam and on the other hand he’s

Also done just enough that if rublev beats him that’s a huge Mark in his in his column as well so I think regardless of who wins it’ll be a pretty good one a pretty good semi-final pretty good narrative for either of them to take out of this tournament I think you would one

Would prefer to see cner just given the the way the quality of the jokovic Cent matches have been going and we’re kind of assuming that jokovic is going to make the semi-final no disrespect to Taylor Fritz but I think that’s where were kind of all collectively leaning

But man I again another slow and steady step in the right direction for anter rup would be to finally make a grand slam semi final yeah I mean again it’s going to be a fascinating matchup and rublev has showed off a physicality that just he’ll be ready for

This fight like I don’t worry about the fact that he played five sets against demon hour the round before I worry about the pace like against demon hour everything was on Andre RV’s terms when he wanted to go big down the line the opportunity for the most part was there

Available to him now again demon hour Roadrunner his way through that match certainly generated more Pace on the backhand with frequency than I had ever seen before but it’s a different level of pace when you come against ionic siner who has yet to drop a set who overwhelmed all things Karen hatov in

The round of 16 as well and it’s just like again got his first semi-final at a major last year at Wimbledon has beaten Andre rublev in their past couple of matchups has done it on hard courts as well I think all signs are pointing Center what does a

Rublev win look like he’s got to serve well obviously he’s he’s got to find a way to disrupt theic Center’s Rhythm I just don’t know if he is I just I don’t know if he can do that consistently enough off of both Wings to beat a guy

Who I think is like this is I’m picking CER because I think C’s that good and that’s where the problem is like I don’t know what the rublev win looks like I know what every Andre rublev win looks like obviously it uls his serve and his

Forand I don’t know if that’s going to be enough against cner that’s how good I feel about yanuk right now which way you leaning in this match yeah I’m leaning cner as well and also shout out to siner for showing a little bit of Personality this tournament I very much enjoyed his

On court interview where he joked about you know going to the gym even though it doesn’t look like it and I think we all want the Baywatch body I was like this is some high quality some high quality shooing going on on court right now we

Certainly got a lot of that from Andre rublev on and off the court and it’s nice to see yanuk kind of coming into his own fairly quickly I mean he’s getting these results and now able to kind of settle into the role of being that guy who’s doing these enco

Interviews I think is impressive and a testament I think to where he is mentally he’s not overly stressed out about the task in front of him and I think that’s going to help in a match against rublev who is historically often stressed out it’s only been four matches

For Center so far this year he’s holding serve 96.4% of the time he’s been broken just just twice excuse me just twice through 12 sets of tennis it’s pretty darn good again uh CER for his career or over the last 52 weeks excuse me this is the big

Stat 13 and three against top 10 opponents on hardcourts like that’s ridiculous that’s absolutely ridiculous on the flip side obviously you look for Andre rublev two and seven on hardcourts in those matches 9 and 11 against top 20 opponents at Grand Slams I’m just leaning with the sin man uh it sounds

Like you are as well that’s number one on the list yes you are it’s a twink off yeah fair enough all right let’s get get to number two this is where DK is going to disagree with me I I can just tell you right now I don’t even have to say

The match that’s number two before I he I know he’s going to disagree with me it has to be alcarez verev it has to be alcarez verev and should Alex verev be playing right now in the atp2 are given the domestic violence allegations he faces in Germany that trial will go to

Public trial excuse me as it continues to be adjudicated through the German legal system that is a separate discussion that you and I have had before on this podcast if he is going to be allowed to play again he is continuing to make his push back up the ATP rankings obviously

He’s already as high as number six but he’s back into another quarterfinal here uh at a major and yeah he got pushed to five sets against cam Nory that was a really fun match but DK here’s the stat for you Carlos alcarez in his career against players he has faced more than

Once here’s a list of guys he has a losing record to he’s Ed two against mle Emer throw that one out if you want one and3 against FAA one-2 against Novak jokovic and three and four against Sasha zv who of course is his quarterfinal opponent Zev beating alcarez at the tour

Finals last year after alcarez gave Zev the business in both their US Open Madrid Masters matches of course Zev got a win over a younger alcarez not that he’s particularly old now but beat him in the r on garos quarter finals in 2022 so at least we have seen what a verv

Over alcarez Victory not only at a slam looks like but what it looks like more recently again he did beat him in that first two or finals match and yes it’s a fresher it’s a fitter Carlos alcarez and alcarez who is yet to Dro no he dropped

A set against SEO but has really outside of that match failed to be tested so far at this Australian Open two of the six best players in the world zv has the size the strength the backhand to deal with the Weaponry of Carlos alcarez we know he’s fit enough

To play five sets every match if he needs to of course Carlos alcarez is just always mustat television in my mind at this point as well alcarez also 65.7% favorite according to tennis abstract what say you DK is this match too high I don’t know I’m glad we’re on

Camera because now I can do physical comedy so I can like lend you my glasses because it feels like maybe you need you’re having some Vision issues looking at these these matches I mean I don’t really read a ton into that World Tour finals or ATP finals match between

Alcarez and I seem to recall alcarez being very Rusty and even a little bit injured at the start of that tournament before sort of playing his way into form I I think I read much more into the the slightly less recent wins over Zan and and Beyond the existential reasons about

Uh z i I just read into the fact that he’s played two final set tiebreaker five set matches this tournament and I and I think it’s one thing to rebound against Nori I think it’s another thing to rebound against Carlos alarz I think you do need to be at your most

Physically fresh and so I I question that feels like a match that alcarez should win fairly easily I mean I it was interesting to see him navigate the one against SEO Sano who had a winning record against alcarez coming into this tournament you know played a really entertaining match there but has looked

Stronger and stronger in his subsequent two matches you know bageling hix manovich in the fourth round yeah I don’t for me the number two would probably be a sabinka CR perhaps even a Coco goof or kuk I I don’t put this one at the number two I think it would be a

Very strange match if it ends up living up to the hype that you are uh giving it as verev six and 13 against the top 10 in his last 52 weeks of play he’s won three of his last four though win over rublev alcarez cipas and herot uh dur

Excuse me so four of his last five good math there Alex a loss to meddev uh sandwiched in between it’s a pro it match for zero like again if he wants to win a major this is the guy he’s going to have to go through at this point of

His career one of a couple of guys of course but this is one of those names you have to put on the list and again yes it was fresh off of a five set victory over Center alcarez beat Z decisively when these two faced off in the US

Open I’m fascinated by the tennis because zov does have a serve to win some free points hit alcarez off his spots again his backhand his length his speed well suited for in theory the ball that alarz will throw at him in a way that just a bunch of players really

Aren’t on the ATP tour at the same time what have we seen in the Casper uh in the excuse me uh Lucas Klein match what have we seen yeah sorry in the Lucas Klein match in the cam Nori match guys who are willing to be aggressive are

Going to put pressure on zv and zv will give them opportunities to be aggressive in the biggest moments of every match when he continues to still get a little tentative alcarez makes him pay for that I think Carlos wins in four but I think this match is better than you think it will

Be cool all right at least one of us will enjoy it then let’s move on to matches uh number three on my list and again this was in competition certainly for uh that number two spot I think C Ru love the decisive one all due respect I go sabalenka kova in my number

Two spot I think they have to be there this was arguably the uh three spot excuse me thank you for the correction which I can now see and the listeners can see on video as well DK correcting me we see each other yeah thank you um this was the best rivalry through the

First third of last season and a reminder they played three times ketova love 67661 win on her way to the title I believe in Dubai where she beat both sabalan and fantech in the same event sabalenka then beats ketova three sets round of 16 of Indian Wells and then all

Of the sudden they draw each other again round of 16 Miami much more decisive victory for Sabal Lanka they played in St guard as well we’ll throw that one out since it was on Clay sabalan 5-1 overall when they’ve played in their career 4-1 on hardcourts I mean look again the

Difference is Arena after playing that top five level tennis to start last season she sustained that level ketova was all over the map that said there have been Pockets Dubai last season ostrava the year before that even flashes down the home stretch of last season even if it was really

Inconsistent at times in Asia where ketova has looked like her top five self or she has looked like that player who captured the 2021 rol on garos and at least the thing she has going into this matchup that none of sabala’s Prior opponents had maybe some weapons to make

Sabalenka at least a little bit uncomfortable at least she can say hey I’ve beaten you arena in a you know again none of the I guess Ana MOA could say that but that was such a different version of Ana MOA you would say anissimova has no weapons and no experience of beating

S this version of anisimova yeah you’re right I blanked out on that match but this version of isova could strike the ball well she’s just not where she needs to be from a movement perspective physically still working her way back right like the moment sabalan got her

Stretched and the ball wasn’t in front of Anova those points were over just sabalan was never threatened and I think kova has played a high enough level over the last 52 weeks maybe that’s the better way of saying it or at least I mean again she beat sabalenka last year

Like Arena knows what that best level looks like in the back of her mind at the same time like San has been Untouchable at this event she has dropped 11 games 11 games through eight sets of tennis like what are we doing here the only person who’s beaten her

This year was Atlanta rabaka who I said earlier on this pod might have played the best tennis we’ll see all season here’s the thing ketova three three set wins in her four matches all three of those wins she dropped the opening set it’s taken her some time to

Calibrate her way into matches the way she grinded down Andria and stayed aggressive continued to move forward pressured the 16-year-old was a really smart game plan she’s not going to have that sort of Freedom against sabalenka and I just don’t think she’s played well enough to stop this buzs saww that is

Sabalenka right now I think the trains are on the tracks I think sabalan wins in straight set I think this match is more enticing on paper than it will be by the level I’ve seen from both of them so far this year that’s why it’s

Three yeah I mean I still think just for the dir of top quality you know mono Mano women’s matches that we’re going to potentially get I mean we could obviously get sabinka go um but I think it’s gonna we’re gonna not we’re going to see a lot of uneven by ranking

Matches so to see sabinka ketova is certainly going to be interesting I do feel like yes I mean there was a time at the start of the tournament where it felt like Ketch kova was going to be the first upset victim I think that early that Sunday evening or Sunday morning

Saturday evening she was like down a set to myON on the first round you felt like this is not where kova wants to be certainly uh on the singles court but you know managed to play her way somewhat into form I think benefited a little bit from Andrea getting

Frustrated and nervous in the second set of that match having beaten her twice last year or once I think once was a retirement um certainly felt like Andrea his match to lose and so that’s for p Andre have another rough uh slam loss from potentially a winning position so

That’s that’s brutal but I do what I am most interested in to see how kch kova raises her level against sabinka perhaps the way that you’re curious to see how Z raises it for alcarez I I feel like ketova might have more success being slightly fresher having that win over

Her last year maybe perhaps not being as mentally you know fried as she was as she seemed to be for a lot of last year after that successful first three months but I think where sabalan benefits is that her quality of opponent has ticked up ever so slightly with each round you

Know she had sinko and isova and now ketova feels like a very a smooth curve where she’s not going to necessarily be baffled you know out by this out of nowhere you know high quality she did get some really good looks against Inova who really can still clock the ball and

Is certainly someone who brought that intensity of someone who has beaten her multiple times beat her at this tournament before so sabinka just seems like she’s in a really good head space seems like the team has just figured out how to keep her loose and calm and happy

This could have been a very stressful slam for her this is her first time defending a title of this magnitude and she has looked Breezy beautiful and I think that’s such a testament to what her team has been able to accomplish so I I do

Expect her to win this match it would be sort of a brutal brutal way for it to end after how well she started the tournament but I do I do expect some some really quality rallies and some interesting shot making from the two of them yeah I’ll I’m still sicking sabalan

In Straits and again tennis abstract not surprising agrees with me sabalan 73.4% favored she’s 7 and 0 by the way in her uh sevene uh appearances in Grand Slam quarterfinals by the way she made this semi-finals are further in each of the last five Majors that she’s played so

Yeah again I’m going to I’m going to stick with the Sabal Lena buz saww uh N9 and seven in her career against top 20 opponents at the major SE uh ketova for what it’s worth in her career at the majors three and four against top 20 opponents fourth on my list is my

Favorite match to watch from an oncourt perspective it’s not the best from a storyline perspective but I just think head-to-head this is going to be my sort of tennis it’s golf first cuk like just give me all of the athleticism in this battle and Goff one and0 in the career

Head to Head she’s an 84.7% favored according to tennis abstract I get why like she’s playing in her sixth career quarterfinal at the majors and you know again the last time these two faced off KOCO goof only had one career appearance at the majors in quarterfinal she’s had her five since so

Obviously A lot’s changed here’s the big number DK over the last 52 weeks Coco goof on hardcourts she’s played 28 matches against opponents ranked outside the top 20 what’s her record since when I’m sorry over the over the past year record on hardc courts against opponents outside the top

20 um 28 matches total oh God I probably like 25 and three because I feel like even when she wasn’t playing that great she was still beating who she was supposed to beat 27 and one the last loss Anastasia poova in Miami she’s won 2 Straight yeah on hardcourt since

Against opponents ranked outside the top 20 13- one over the last 52 weeks against opponents ranked outside the top 20 at Majors as well the one lost being Sonia Kennan again the difference is this version of Marta kostuk kostuk who looked excellent in a two and one win

Over a Tim aivo who could grind with her but couldn’t hurt her in any any sort of sense the match against Mertens might have quietly been the best match we’ve had so far in the women’s singles draw kuk a 76 thir set win in that match or

Certainly on the short list of the best matches we’ve seen she’s playing lights out like it’s just a different maruk to start this season she’s holding serve again it’s only nine matches but she’s holding serve 70.4% of the time that would be a career high by a significant margin

She’s moving well she’s playing confidently she just has the it back to her there’s just a focus a an intensity in everything she’s doing right now DK the fidelina match in Auckland for Coco goof was a good match a three set match the only match where she has lost

Any sets in her nine wins this year I think Kasa can give her that sort of test like I don’t think fidelina obviously they’re both Ukrainian so it’s a little lazy but that’s not why I’m making the comparison I don’t think it’s a bad comp for the kind

Of the totality of things things I guess kuk can throw at G from the matching the physicality playing extended rallies hurting her down the line in different ways taking a few Returns on the rise sneaking forward at times it’s two really well-rounded players now our cuk weapons in yourf

Face sort of weapons that can routinely pressure the golf forehand no she’s going to have to try and manufacture other ways to make golf uh uncomfortable but this is a damn good match two 21 your uh and under talents who are going to be part of our lives for the next

Decade going head to-head at the majors for the first time don’t you wish Marta and Koko had like a podcast I just feel like they would have like there like two of the most opinionated and and I say that in a very positive way like young women on tour who can like really

Explain themselves when when when kuk gave the answer that went viral on Twitter because its biggest storylines results and controversies I haven’t talked about this yet I’m glad you’re here to do so that was a phenomenal answer when she kind of said you look at Rak kanu’s draw versus Lea Fernandez’s

Draw and getting to that 2021 US Open how different it was as a point to in her way of saying draws just differ from event to event it’s going to differ for everyone that’s an excellent example to pull out of the back of your brain like Lea Fernandez pulling out that Sabal

Lanka match is burned in my memory but that might have been like her third most dramatic match I’m confused as to why there was even any controversy as a result of that I mean Grant said we probably don’t hear a lot of players speaking that frankly about other people’s draws in the past

But even in the context of her answer I thought it was a very thoughtful response in the sense of like look sometimes just things happen things happen certain ways and the results happen that you can’t quite explain this happens that you know all depends on the

Day you know it just which is a very accurate way of describing tennis and I mean AB I i’ I’ve cackled when she was like I mean Laya was fighting for her life every match I me it’s was like if we go back to that 2021 US Open the one

Thing we could all agree on was that Laya was beating a numerous title favorites all in a row and Emma’s draw granted she did have to play three more matches through qualifying was not of the same magnitude she certainly didn’t play anyone who could challenge her the

Way that I I I would always say if you flip those draws I don’t think Emma makes it to the final and I think Lea might well what I would say just quickly on that note is I’ll never forget going into the fourth run being like okay but

Now she’s playing benic so this is where Rak kanu’s run ends and like benic was playing really well leading up through that summer and it didn’t end spoiler um and so Ben the gold medal that summer she had yeah I think she was on a streak

I think she was on a winning streak from that Olympics and I and I think which Marta could further have said which um Dinara Safina told me when I spoke to her last week was that you know when you play when you’re playing that first year

On tour you are never more free and easy and the players that are on tour don’t know who you are and you could just be fearless and embrace that because that is a feeling you will never get again because eventually you’re going to want you’re going to feel you know the

Pressure to defend points your opponents are going to become more familiar with you they’re going to know how to beat you you know in in the context of look things happened for the Myriad sunry reasons it was just a perfect storm for okano who look in many ways is probably

Set for life so I mean I don’t think Marta kak’s quote you know has has Emma’s bills affected so I wouldn’t worry about that so then let me ask you to worry about this what does a maruk win look like because I think we all know what a golf win looks like right

There the totality of her experience her physicality that she does have the bigger weapons her serve the heaviness of her when she has time the backand her I think she’s probably a better Val she’s a little better at everything um what does AO Quinn look like well I mean listen it’s been it’s

Been quite a revelation or just fascinating to watch KOCO this tournament just because I feel like who is this girl you know just like H stronger more confident hitting the forehand with authority it’s like this is not the player that we saw this time last year so it’s just has been

Fascinating and and hearten it should be heartening to everyone on tour be like listen if you put the work in you too can make vast improvements in your game in a very short period of time so do not be afraid to do that for kuk I think the

Big issue is going to be can she be mentally strong through the whole match I mean she’s been very close to a lot of big wins over the last 12 months and sometimes freezes at the Finish Line you know so I think the big difference in

This match is the fact that KOCO is so much more mentally tough and I think that will ultimately carry her through but I do think kok’s variety the fact that she’s not going to give Goff a lot of pace to absorb and redirect could potentially

Give her some trouble but I think at the end of the day C go is just so confident has not won has not lost a match in quite a long time at this point and I think just has that essential experience is going to take her into the into the

Semis I ask him to describe what a kuk win looks like and we get a golf Victory out of the mouth of DK folks welcome I said I said variety and mental toughness but we’re not that seems unlikely no I’m messing with you um I think kuk is a

Tennis chameleon and what I mean by that is I think she is as good as the player on the other side of the net of her I think KOCO goof is gonna bring out her best I don’t know if she gets through this one I’m gonna take Goff I do you

Know what I’m going to take kuk to take off uh take the first set off of Koco goof in Melbourne but I don’t think this match is ever in doubt I think kuk takes a really tightly contested first set gof wins the next two like three and two

From there give me KOCO goof to advance to the semifinals all right we’ve talked a I got to ask one followup question which which semi-final would you be more intrigued by sabalenka gof or sabalenka kostuk for all the reasons that would be intriguing about the sabalan kuk if I

Would have given you odds and I don’t gamble anymore but if I were to have given you odds in Another Universe where I say hey there will be two ukrainians and one Russian in the quarterfinals and by the way neither of those ukrainians are going to be Alena fidelina you would

Been like like name the price like I I’m going to rob money off you here name yeah exactly like it’s fine just guarantee me 20 bucks and I will bet a th000 bucks because I’m going to win that 20 bucks off you and that was not the case obviously with these other

Players emerging and we’ve talked about a lot of them thus far so these next three we can go through a little bit more quickly I gave you all the herot stats already um he’s taking on denil meddev I’ll get the career head-to-head for them in a moment when I set the

Premise for you but again hoopie herot’s 30 and 11 he’s serving like Isner he does have the game suited to pressure denil medvedev’s Court positioning and be the aggressor and take some cuts the way you have to do if you want to get through the wall that is denil

Medvedev that said meddev studied the ship and slowly progressed and gotten better through his first four matches of this season which I always think is a data point worth noting you have any faith in hopie tennis abstract not really Med have 72.8% uh favorite what

Say you on this match this is which by the way number five on my list I mean we will see how these quarterfinals play out but kind of feels like a medb tournament it just feels like old marvelous Mr meddev is just in a really good head space and is you know

Chopping it up on Rod labor Arena and you know yeah he got frustrated when he lost that third set div bores but you know clamped right down and won that fourth set 61 oh and you know beat alarz of the US Open you know last year it’s I

Don’t know I feel I feel kind of confident in him right now maybe I shouldn’t because you know this is jokovic at the Australian Open and alcarez is who he is and certainly we know what C’s capable of but I I don’t know I feel pretty confident in him and

The stats back me up for this match and I’m I’m curious to see how this this back half of the tournament goes for him haven’t played since 2022 herot’s three and two in the career head-to-head again he does have the game style to exploit just the amount of space meddev

Offers you if you’re willing to be bold willing to be the aggressor willing to move forward meddev will offer you Pathways to get there now you got to be precise and your targets from there because if you give him an inch he’ll take a mile but herot is willing and

He’s as good moving forward as any player we have in the men’s game right now meddev in a very tightly contested two tie break fouret match but I think this one’s going to be really good like I just think Hobie he made the quarterfinal hurdle I think this is his

Second or third quarterfinal of his career and I think this is him saying no I’m a top 10 guy like off with maybe I’m going to be a little less than that on Clay cuz that’s not my thing but when we get back to the grass courts when we get

Back to the hardcourts I’m now a part of the story always and I just think he’s gotten to that point obviously he stepped kept the same coach now for about a half decade like I just think we’re like maybe I was wrong the two guys I’m most afraid about being wrong

About I know Casper lost ultimately uh in this event to cam Nori but I think Casper is going to have a really good bounce back 2024 I think kot is going to sustain his level and I don’t think I expected that I thought his spot might be one up for

Grabs in the top 10 but I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from him this month I think meddev wins in a tight four but I’m not as certain as you are I don’t know I’m I mean I do feel like I I could see a fourth set

Tiebreaker breaking his way but I I don’t know I just think the the momentum the way that Med medev is handling himself this tournament compared to the draw that herat’s had to make the quarterfinals like it’s not like he’s you know been destroying you know either destroying everybody or making through some really

Like oh wow he beat this person and that person like you know the draw did open up for him and so I think that that’s something to consider but um yeah I’d certainly been an interesting matchup those two players but I do I do like this as a potential springboard for for

Meev heading into the semis so what’s my biggest crime C rup one alcarez verv 2 sabalan ketova 3 gof kuk 4 meddev herot 5 what’s the most disagreeable take of my top to five matches thus far as it alcarez ver you’d move them down I think

It’s I think it’s alcarez ver I I would put sabalenka and G I think over alcarez I mean like I said if things go I think alcarez is not gonna be playing very well if it becomes a very competitive match and I think if alcarez plays his

Best he really should win that one fairly easily fair enough sixth on my list naskova yka I know this is lower than you’d expect Linda noova to be on a list of mine but 19-year-old Z no the 19-year-old Zar shown me everything I need to see from her this event and

Again to have a resurgent yusta as well to have this Display of Power Tennis obviously this is going to be on it Serena Williams Power Tennis Country Club over the course of the weekend I mean again you wonder does naskova have any juice left in the tank but

Like I I mean again she got a withdraw right from her like the the perfect gift maybe she could have been offered after a couple of physical week one matches not to describe an injury as a gift but obviously in the ncoa since the recovery

That will be there there I mean it was it pretty the prettiest tennis not always between yusta and Azarenka but yka did to Azarenka which she’s done to every player she’s faced which is make the match on her terms it’s going to get choppy but when yka is ripping winners you’re just

Losing it’s a good match it’s a lot of Power Tennis that’s why it’s lower on the list is I’m not sure how aesthetically fun this one’s going to be the way you know again hcats Medvedev contrast of styles kuk Goff the physicality I think that’s speaks for

Themsel this tennis might be a little choppier just give me a pick which way you leading and why I think the way yrsa handled herself in that Azarenka match is definitely a point in her favor because she even mentioned it on the encour interview that you know that she likes to go for

Winners but she also doesn’t like to make mistakes and that might be an interesting look into the psyche of Diana yrsa maybe that’s why some of these losses have piled up for over the years you know just getting too frustrated when she’s not playing perfect tennis and obviously the way

That she’s her intent is on the court you’re not going to be playing perfect tennis I would say most of the time you’re going to have to hit through some errors and the fact that she was able to win against you know a a confident an inform a fit you know an experienced

Azarenka who kept coming back and did not have a a meaningful dip in that match I mean when Azarenka goes up three 0 in the second I think old yema loses that set 60 61 and perhaps loses the third set but even if she comes back she’s wasted energy losing that second

Set so the fact that she was able to navigate that one and get another big wind under her belt I think is someone who also feeds off of confidence I think she’s someone who very much enjoys the spotlight and got a lot of that uh yesterday uh on Rod labor Arena I do

Think that’s going to help her you know versus a noova who is I still think you know still very new and green to all this but I think also has Superior technique so I think there’s those two things to balance but um I think certainly before the tournament I would

Have said in a hypothetic IAL match up between NOA ysk would pick NOA probably every time but given the way that this tournament has shaken out um I I do wonder if some of the Mojo is gone from no having peaked against Shante then you know not being able to really play

Through that match against Felina now being against someone who is you know I don’t want to say a circus but like someone who’s just like you know a whole she’s she’s a performance she’s a showman so I think I think that’s going to be an interesting one because you

Know EA is not a showman you know For Better or For Worse she’s someone who she’s a hard worker when who gets the job done I think someone who is going to be a bit more theatrical you know in a big match maybe it’s a different look

For no I’ll say that I like that you say performance with a French accent and it does just sound yeah magnific um yeah look again I I’m more certain about nasco’s level I think yr’s highest level is just like it’s a reminder that she just clubs the ball the athleticism the

Firepower the boldness she’ll just make you uncomfortable B I’m going to pick nosova just so we’re on different ends of one of these matches but you have to pick nosova exctly I’m principle but um yeah look I think that’s going to be a display two

Players still by the way 23 and under so the best tennis still ahead these last two we can just go straight picks jokovic Fritz how many sets thoughts I mean I’m gonna say three okay I’m gonna say three sets for jok for Fritz no I’m kidding for for jokovic I

Mean I think this is this has been a very classic Novak Australian Open comes in maybe a little bit undercooked a little bit injured you know plays his way into form starts feeling confident you know Embraces the challenges and you know this is kind of like a perfect

Quarto final opponent for him someone he’s very comfortable against someone who you know he knows he can you know outplay you know technically mentally and so I think this is a very good warm-up for what should be and could be a very um fascinating semi-final against

Theic Center so I think think that’s for him I think this is an ideal way to walk into that one so I mean this is a big opportunity for for Fritz perhaps certainly not a player right now who has a ton of expectation or pressure you

Would hope that he rises to the occasion maybe takes a set maybe takes two sets but I I don’t necessarily see that happening jovic’s last loss to a player not named Rafa in a major quarterfinal 2018 Roland garos to Marco chinato it’s been a while now the big

Case for Fritz 9- n against top 10 opponents on hard court since the start of 2022 like this is the neighborhood he’s knocked in but jokovic is the biggest house on the neighborhood and I just think again Novak can do too many things to make Taylor uncomfortable again8 no in the career head-to-head

Give me Novak and Straits we spend all of our time talking about chin wi and I’m banking on the fact that we might have a big topic to discuss with her when I have you back on this show next week to recap it all by the way book your calendar now please DK

Um thoughts her Ken skaya by the way uh K uh chinwan a 72.2% favorite just to offer you these final tennis abstract numbers Novak jokovic 86.1% favorite both of those sound about right to me I don’t know I’m a little annoyed you didn’t make that the number one match I

Felt like you were gonna just do that to irritate me but I think now that I didn’t get it and now that I didn’t get it I kind of miss it I feel like I feel a little bit like uh it’s a little Stockholm syndrome but um yeah I mean I

Think some some of us in our group chat were not feeling very confident in jungk wi and I did kind of feel like she was going to beat dodan certainly would have been funny if dodan made the final made made the semis because I I like that

Crazy tennis and I like her I think she she’s she’s a hoot but um I think this is this is chin wn’s moment in many respects you I think this is the culmination of all of the energy I mean Lena’s here for God’s sake I mean like I

Feel like it’s there’s a lot of good energy behind chinwan that it just feels like this is her moment this I don’t think she’s going to give kinaya as many looks certainly as a palini did certainly as a Sloan did I think you know chinwan is

Going to try to take the ball out of Clint Sky’s hand and I can’t imagine Clint Sky having that much juice left in the tank this has been a pretty big a huge you know potentially career changing um moment for her I mean it’s no Midland but I mean this is like

Probably the second best you know accomplishment of her career in that respect so I I I do I think this is a big moment for chin went to really like cement herself now as the oncoming Challenger to the current top Echelon of the game K sky is good at everything

Chin win has the opportunity to be great at everything when the ball is coming off of her racket as dynamic as it does I just think she overwhelms Ken sky so I’ll take her to advance that’s your look and thoughts on everything we’ve seen through the round of 16 at this

Event now DK I do have one bonus topic before you go that again maybe we’ll reflect with greater detail upon when looking back at these two weeks but it was a moment it was something that as it was happening my first thought was God I

Can’t wait to have David on the show to discuss it d K I’m throwing it at you spontaneously before you go rank these three 16-year-olds by upside Anda Brenda fova Alina Cora now you don’t want to be mean to 16y old saying here’s what I want to do

I don’t want you to give me an explanation yet we’re going to go through the full explanation on the full recap show this will be a tease for that show that’s how we’ll do it here give me your rankings we’ll get into the next time when you can think about it I mean

Andreeva is definitely number one that feels boring take boring look at the competition man I mean that’s that’s brutal I mean like Corva I’m not super impressed by the technique oh forever I mean I like to watch it but I don’t find it to be very effective I mean watching even when she

Was playing Juniors I’m like oh she’s not making this out of Juniors this isn’t happening so I mean like good for her for already making it to the main draw of the slam and winning a match but um and then but then it’s like what do

You pick your poison you pick the Cora technique or you pick like the fatova like Patrick mortal technique which I’m very suspicious of so oh God I I guess I’m gonna put cornova second then I’ll put fova third because I just I I can’t endorse that technique I just find it to

Be very un unreliable I think my hottest take even after this Australian op I think I might have Andrea third on upside and like that is my hottest take coming out of because the 20 minutes I saw from Brenda fova against Coco goof in Auckland that’s the 20 minutes anyone

Has played against golf this season like go watch the first 20 minutes 30 minutes of that match where you watch this 16-year-old just swing freely I did watch that match and I do not remember this so guess I have to watch it again 20 30 minutes of that match watching

Cora problem solve against cerez TMO I was just like I don’t care that your technique’s a little weird I like everything you’re doing I just like the comp the fight the way you leaning forward and looking to move forward and being the aggressor and yeah like it’s a little Al

Risk risk is on the forehand but like you just know it when you see it and then again Andrea is probably the best athlete of them all and like her serve is the easiest it’s a little bit you’ve seen it before in a way maybe you haven’t with ftto or corn although I

Don’t know man I really like the fruer toova technique they’re all really good is what I’m saying I mean the mental game Andre that makes me nervous I mean again like the hoko off the keys match at Wimbledon now this one against ketova you feel like oh boy like this is

Starting I mean I I feel like she kind of had us coming into this this match where she was like last year I was 15 and now I am 16 and I was like all right got me okay but look at the jump Coco goof has made to age 19 where it’s like

That is true Andre’s got three years to get there that is true I mean Coco I mean grany Coco off is like a even before she improved herself on the court I always felt she was exceedingly special I do think there is a specialness about Andrea as well but I

Think Koko was just like I think everyone no matter what they thought about her as a tennis player felt that you know the sky was the limit for Coco just in general so I think that that lent itself ultimately to her making some radical changes but I yeah it’s

It’s a it’s a weird it’s an interesting Trio I don’t want to say weird it’s an interesting Trio because yeah it’s you don’t quite know what’s good what you’re I want you to know I’m probably G to ask you about it every time you come on the

Show as we’ll do an updated 16-year-old Power Rankings because we were doing that while for a while with like alarz yeah like Jerry Shang Who’s Back by the way Jerry Shang back yeah the Lefty from China that earring yeah come on um anyways all that said we got three more

Rounds to go plenty more coverage here at crack R it’s plenty of coverage available at tennis.com as well editor David Kane continues to steer a fantastic ship DK Before I Let You Go favorite piece you’ve written so far what can we expect moving forward I mean

I loved my little piece with the narina I have another one coming at some point I’ve been working on it kind of I’ve just it’s been such an exhausting tournament and it feels like a lot of energy to like I’ve been doing a lot of re active content the last couple days

Doing a lot of instant reports you know that match point I got your recap for you but it’s just it’s I got I have something on my heart that I got to get up at some point in this tournament I feels like what I have another week and

A half to do it for how long this tournament’s going but um yeah look for looking forward to publishing that I published that vzn interview the week before the Australian Open that doesn’t count but anytime I get to talk to Elena is always phenomenal even though I I

Gastl let poor Ben Rothenberg into thinking that she was coming back for Australia she was not but she wanted to have the full interview now so I was like here we go I love it and again it’s what you guys are doing day in day out it’s essential for coverage in the

Tennis world so make sure you’re reading tennis.com make sure you follow him dkt NS on Twitter a shout out to you mcran uh the entire team whom I always appreciate the work you guys do of course I also appreciate the work of our super producer Daniel westoff who makes

Not just this podcast available but the greatshot podcast cracked interviews podcast the breako show and of course our crack records YouTube channel where you can watch this episode watch our college tennis broadcast follow along with kickoff off weekend not just on our crack rets YouTube channel but we’re on

ESPN plus same platform as the Australian Open I didn’t want to call DK out before the podcast began I’m going to do it publicly did he click on any of our links this weekend no he did not this past weekend do I think I can get him to click on it maybe once

Accidentally over the course of the upcoming weekend I think I’ll be able to because we’ll be going late into theight right as those Australian Open matches I think begin and so DK this is the weekend you’re going to watch a college tennis podcast uh broadcast on SPN you

You’ve got the rest of the month with your subscription so you might as well make the most of it I don’t know I feel like I got a lot of college Tenn from Nuno bores I don’t know if I need anymore but who’s the next noo don’t you

Want to look for them they’re all going to be in action this weekend no NOS man no knows I don’t even know we’ll leave that there well then a thank you to you as always a thank you to our super producer Danel W who has what sort of a

Job did you DK do a an editing job and I would love to like a third like now that we’re on camera I would like a third just camera on him at any given point I want to see like the eye rolling to any of some of your some of my

Puns if you think he listens to an episode from start to finish anymore you are sadly mistaken stream he’s not just off camera I assumed he was like nearby he trusts me on my own now I I can chaperone myself just enough to record

On my own and then let him do the heavy lifting from there but a thank you to him as always and a thank you to our friends at tennispoint tennispoint.com the promo code is cr15 with all that said that’ll do it for the Fantastic David Kane our super producer Daniel

West off our friends at tennis point from all of us here at both crack rets and Tennis Channel podcast Network I’m your host Alex gruskin DK what do we tell our listeners and that’s see I can do some physical comedy now that’s the break we will see you all next time

Thank you as always DK do VI