Falla Grilled Fish ... And Other Melbourne Morsels

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Alejandro Falla seared No. 8 seed Mardy Fish with a comprehensive 7-6(4), 6-3, 7-6(6) grilling. Why does the Columbian lefty only seem to play world-class tennis in Slams? This is the same cat who served for the match against Roger Federer a mere two Wimbledons ago.


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As well as Falla played, I was still surprised Fish couldn't find a way to extend the match, couldn't even win one of the tiebreaks. It just goes to show that no matter how much you improve your fitness and your forehand, if you're not mentally tough, you're not mentally tough. He showed more than a few glimpses of the old Mardy who would become demoralized and turn erratic. The man has been in several big-event finals and possesses weapons, including an underrated return of serve. But there's a reason why he hasn't ever won a big one.

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Sam Querrey doesn't enjoy playing professional tennis anymore. I'm not sure that he ever has. At least that's what it looks like when he's on the court. We've heard that he's worked hard to improve his work ethic, and he did spend some time high enough in the rankings to be a seeded player at Slams (I admit to being surprised he wasn't a seed in Melbourne), but he just always looks like he wants to be somewhere else.

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Bernard Tomic, on the other hand, seems committed to perfection. According to those who know better, he wasn't supposed to be able to recover from his marathon against Fernando Verdasco in order to have anything left for the big-serving American (why would we doubt a teenager's ability to physically recover from a tough match?), but the young Aussie once again wrote a different verse. How many more will he write Down Under?

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Serena Williams consolidated a decisive break of serve in the sixth game of the second set in 56 seconds with four consecutive aces.

All Tamira Pasczek could do was smile.

Serena's 6-3, 6-2 victory means her record in first-round matches at Slam remains perfect. We can't even say that about Federer.

Melbourne almost always brings out the best in Serena's serve. And she doesn't seem to be hampered by her Kinesio-Taped left ankle and calf. Can she go all the way for the sixth time?

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When Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka and Anabel Medina Garrigues (!) can be winning matches with the loss of a single game in the second round of a major, something is just, well, wrong.

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Please use this as your Day 4 Open Thread.