Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️
Today’s tennis mood: Whimsy with some deep questions.
For better or for worse, everybody is talking about Naomi Osaka and “jellyfish season.” But, now that the first round is complete, we here at Court Theory HQ are doing a check-in on the seeds. It could be worse, but it ain’t great. And, if there’s one match you should catch today for what should be true joy, make it Michael Zheng vs. Corentin Moutet.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
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🎾 The conversation: When Naomi Osaka posted on social media earlier this month, “pick up the phone, it’s jellyfish season,” we didn’t really know what to expect. Then we saw it as she entered Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.
What she said: “The inspiration was obviously the jellyfish, then butterflies, which kind of ties back to the butterfly moment I had here a long time ago, in 2021,” Osaka explained after the match. “Yeah, no, honestly it came together quite beautifully because I didn't know what to expect when I arrived here. Then it just felt like everywhere I looked the theme was water. Obviously, the walkout was like you see oceans and waves. I thought that it was really beautiful. Really amazing coincidence.”
Yes, but: Per usual, the Osaka outfit proved to be polarizing, with some eating up the whole thing from beginning to end, while others absolutely lost their minds over how “inappropriate” the look was for the tennis court. For the latter, Osaka has a simple answer: “For me, obviously I really love fashion. That makes me excited to wake up and do the whole, like, walk-on or whatever. It just creates a little bit more joy in that whole match preparation.”
🎾 Seed check: After three days, we’ve made it through the first round of the men’s and women’s singles draws with most of the seeds intact. However, several fell out without a win under their belts.
Men: Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Rinderknech, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jiri Lehecka, Tallon Griekspoor, Brandon Nakashima, Joao Fonseca
Women: Ekaterina Alexandrova, Marta Kostyuk, Emma Navarro, Dayana Yastremska, Leylah Fernandez, Sofia Kenin, Maya Joint, Liudmila Samsonova
🎾 Win Elina Svitolina’s racket: We’ve partnered with Diadem to give away one of Elina Svitolina’s stunning new rackets: The Elina Svitolina Signature Axis 98. The racket giveaway is for Court Theory Plus members who have signed up for a yearly subscription. And, if you’re a monthly subscriber, Diadem’s got you covered, too, with a backpack filled with gear coming in at a $150+ value. If you’re already a Court Theory Plus member, you’re automatically entered. Upgrade Now!
🎾 One to watch: Michael Zheng vs. Corentin Moutet (2nd round - Australian Open - Melbourne): Watch this one for the freshness of a young player experiencing his first major main draw, who is also coming off a five-set win over fellow American Sebastian Korda. Expect Moutet to throw everything at him, and expect Zheng not to be bothered one bit, assuming he’s recovered physically from his marathon match.
The record: This will be the first time Michael Zheng and Corentin Moutet face each other.
On the line: There is absolutely no pressure on Zheng. For him, this match is about gaining experience at the top level of the game. That puts all the pressure on Moutet, who lost at last year’s Australian Open to another similarly ranked young American by the name of Learner Tien.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
(Yesterday’s poll results: 70% of you said Hubert Hurkacz would defeat Zizou Bergs. Hurkacz won, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3.)
And that’s game.
