Quality Tennis Discussion / 2024 Australian Open contest

**Posted by Forehand_lob** 1/04/2024 7:12 pm

I thought I would get this up early. The Djokovic clause is in effect.

1. Pick quarterfinalists, semifinalists and champions for both ATP and WTA draws. You will receive 7.5 points for each correct quarterfinalist, 5 points for each correct semifinalist and 20 points for each correct champion. Djokovic has been so dominant that you will get only 10 points for him. Everyone else gets you 20 points.

2. SUBSTITUTE PICK: Pick a player from each draw to replace one of your quarterfinalists. If this player makes the quarters, they will take the place of whomever you picked in that section of the draw.

3. BIGGEST LOSER: pick the highest seed that will lose in the earliest round from each draw. The player must be a top-16 seed. You get 5 points if your seed is the highest to lost and 2 points if your seed falls in the same round as the highest seed to lose.

Picks must be posted by the time play begins or soon afterwards. I'm also going to say that if you want to stop, it's okay.

**Posted by Forehand_lob** 1/13/2024 8:56 pm

I'm a little late!

Men

QF

Djokovic v. Tsitsipas (Fritz)
Sinnver v. DeMinaur
Rune v. Medvedev
Zverev v. Alcaraz

SF

Djokovic v. Sinner
Medvedev v. Zverev

F

Zverev d. Djokovic

BL: Tsitsipas

Women

QF

Swiatek (Kerber) v. Ostapenko
Rybakina v. Zheng
Wozniacki v. Gauff
Krejcikova v. Sabalenka

SF

Swiatek v. Rybakina
Gauff v. Sabalenka

F

Rybakina d. Sabalenka

BL: Rybakina

**Posted by funches** 1/15/2024 2:17 am

Picking a day-and-a-half late.

MEN

Quarterfinals

Djokovic (Shelton) over Musetti
Sinner over Rublev
Medvedev over Rune
Alcaraz over Zverev

Semifinals

Djokovic over Sinner
Alcaraz over Medvedev

Final

Djokovic over Alcaraz 6-4, 7-6, 1-6, 7-6

BL: Ruud

WOMEN

Quarterfinals

Ostapenko over Swiatek
Rybakina over Pegula
Gauff over Wozniacki
Sabalenka over Jabeur (Andreeva)

Semifinals

Rybakina over Ostapenko
Gauff over Sabalenka

Final

Rybakina over Gauff 6-3, 6-4

BL: Haddad Maia

**Posted by funches** 1/18/2024 3:51 pm

That had to be longest any slam has gone before a biggest loser was decided. When Rune lost late last night, he became the only men's top 16 seed to fall before the third round.

You should throw yourself a point or two for picking Rybakina as biggest loser even though she made it to the second round while Vondrousova and other lost in the opening round. I don't think anyone but you would have picked Rybakina even in the Tennis-X days of 20 or so entrants.

**Posted by Forehand_lob** 1/20/2024 11:21 am

Swiatek is out too. As for why I chose Rybakina, when she's on, she's nearly unbeatable, but she doesn't have the consistency that Swiatek or champion players of the past had (off the top of my head Serena, Clijsters, Henin). It was like Patrick Mouratoglou did for Serena, playing at 80% of her level consistently which was enough to beat most players.

In short, I thought Rybakina was due for a bad day and that Pliskova might get lucky. Right idea, just happened to be the wrong opponent.

Unrelated to this, I guess we have probably seen the last of Wertheim as a SI columnist? He may have been let go along with most of the editors and columnists there?

**Posted by funches** 1/23/2024 11:35 pm

Although I picked Gauff to beat Sabalenka in the semifinal, I now think she has zero shot to win that match. Sabalenka is going to win the tournament.

I doubt Wertheim was let go. He's like the No. 2 or 3 guy there.

Last edited by funches (1/23/2024 11:36 pm)

**Posted by Forehand_lob** 1/24/2024 5:05 pm

With Zverev winning, I have astonishingly picked all 4 men's semi-finalists. I'm not sure if I've ever done that.

Current correct picks:

Me
Men's QFs: 6, Men's SFs: 4, Potentials Fs: 2, Potential C: 1
Women's QFs: 4, Women's SFs: 2, Potentials Fs: 1, Potential C: 0

You
Men's QFs: 6, Men's SFs: 3, Potential Fs: 1, Potential C: 1
Women's QFs: 2, Women's SFs: 2, Potential Fs: 1, Potential C: 0

**Posted by Forehand_lob** 1/28/2024 11:02 am

We managed to have 0 champions and only 1 finalist between us (I had Sabalenka losing in the final). Sinner pulled off the surprise of the tournament, wrecking Djokovic's perfect 10-0 record in the semifinals; I feel that more of his streaks are going to be broken over the next couple of years.

Final correct picks:

Me
Men's QFs: 6, Men's SFs: 4, Fs: 0, C: 0
Women's QFs: 4, Women's SFs: 2, Fs: 1, C: 0

45+20+30+10+5 = 110

You
Men's QFs: 6, Men's SFs: 3, Fs: 0, C: 0
Women's QFs: 2, Women's SFs: 2, Fs: 0, C: 0

45+15+15+10 = 85

The many upsets on the women's side meant that the men's bracket became more important or my picks on the women's side swung it my way. Regardless, we have a new slam champion in Sinner!

**Posted by Forehand_lob** 2/01/2024 6:56 am

In another indication of how the mighty have fallen, the Tennis-X main page hasn't had an article on the results of any of the Australian Open's finals. Their trunk/funk is still from the season championships last year.

**Posted by funches** 6/29/2024 6:36 pm

As soon as Sean stopped writing there, the site died. He kept it afloat with his predictions during slams.