I came over to Melbourne to escape the snow and freezing conditions at home and so far it’s been cold, windy and raining. Not good. It’s played havoc with the schedule as a lot of matches have been cancelled (including Katie O'Brien) and many interrupted several times for showers.
Andy got lucky as he was third on the Rod Laver Arena which has a retractable roof so play started on time at 11am and he was saved from the swirling wind and drizzle that players on the outside courts had to suffer.
Find out how Andy got on in his first round match.
Elena Baltacha eventually got underway on court 7 around noon against the Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier and managed to emerge victorious in what was a scrappy match in very tricky conditions.
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Bally had points to defend from last years first round win and was aware that a defeat would have dropped her out of the top 100 for the first time in a year. She took the first set 6-4, lost the second 6-3 and recovered from 0-2 and a rain break at 3-3 in the third to win it 7-5. Read more from Bally's match.
Her relief was obvious as she sank to her knees when Parmentier shanked the final backhand on the second match point and proceeded to demolish her racket at the side of the court a few seconds later.
There was huge roar from the crowd as Bally won but the noisiest section was a large group of Turkish supporters who had arrived early to get seated for the following match between their boy Marsel Ilhan (who had put Boggo out of the qualification draw) against Sebastian Grosjean.
The Oz Open is really the only Slam where you get large groups of fans from different countries showing colourful and vocal support for their players. There are painted faces and flags, carefully coordinated chants and even choreography! It really does create a great atmosphere.
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I'm still in the player lounge waiting to commentate on Jelena Dokic vs. Alisa Kleybanova so I am passing the time with a cup of tea and a melting moment. Awesome.
So glad I'm not watching an outside court right now - its freezing cold, winds howling and it’s dark!
More tomorrow guys!
Judy will be keeping us posted on the latest goings on throughout the event in Melbourne. Read the latest in Judy's Blog area.
For detailed Australian Open coverage including live 'As It Happens' blogs from our very own ACE magazine, visit the Australian Open area.
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