Annika Beck and Donna Vekic represent the next wave of WTA teens becoming WTA stars (Photos from WTA.com)
While Serena Williams' ankle scare, Roger Federer's return, and Caroline Wozniacki seeing Sabine Lisicki self disrupt were the major themes of Day 2's Australian Open, the underrated story of the present day is certainly the many tales of WTA stars in the future days.
All the complaints about teenagers no longer being superstar Grand Slams winners on the female circuit has long been a discussion that needs to perish. Many still bellyache about the end of the adolescent prodigies ascending to the top of the women's tennis world, with some irrationally indicating that the talent level and champion's desire is well below the 90's to early 2000's era.
Though a few out there have ignorantly centered the reason around this as the WTA's limited tournament rule under 18, the actual answer is the increased physically of the women's game over the past 3-5 years, where hard hitting aggressive styles of the Seles, Capriati, Serena, Venus, Sharapova era no longer guaranteed instant, elite success.
16 to 18-yard old aggressive baseliners in these latter few years realized that your body needs full maturation and supreme fitness that just is unattainable for young girls still developing their bodies.
The phenom Grand Slam winning days are over, but today wasn't the day to complain about the past era of teens, but to witness the full arrival of the game's next batch of elite talents.
Though Sloane Stephens and Laura Robson have notably and understandably gotten the most attention (being the Top 2 teenagers in the world), it was other under 20 performers that certified how the tennis public should begin viewing this new wave with their first Grand Slam victory.
18-year-old Annika Beck put to rest any thoughts of a Serena-Yaroslava Shvedova 3rd Round encounter with a mentally strong 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-3 victory to open her Grand Slam winning account. The young German could have easily gone away after blowing her break advantage in the 2nd set to the talented Shvedova, but displayed the type of groundstroke ability that's produced her steady rise.
Joining Beck in winning at a major for the first time was fellow 18-year-old Yulia Putintseva, Croatian 16-year-old Croatian sensation Donna Vekic, 18-year old Russian baseliner Daria Gavrilova, and 19-year old Spanish hard hitter Garbine Muguruza.
Like Beck, the feisty Putintseva had to overcome losing the 2nd set after being up a break to defeat slumping Christian McHale 6-1, 6-7 (0), 6-2. Unlike Beck, it was a dream debut with no adversity for Vekic, as she thrashed a quality opponent in Andrea Hlavackova 6-1, 6-2.
In the longest match of the women's side on Day 2, Muguruza outlasted Slovakian big server Maggie Rybarikova 6-4, 1-6, 14-12, while Gavrilova emulated Putintseva by battling past another tough young American in Lauren Davis 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4.
And in a battle of 19-year-old power hitters with their own hype, France's Kristina Mladenovic was the last one standing to take out Hungarian slumping ace Timea Babos 6-3, 4-6, 11-9.
None of these teen emerging forces had as crowded of press rooms as Stephens and Robson, who impressively handled a couple of once promising teens turned into young struggling veterans in their first rounds.
Stephens hammered Simona Halep for a 2nd straight week in a bigger blowout than last week in Hobart, 6-1, 6-1, while Robson had nothing to worry about in 6-2, 6-3 win over Melanie Oudin.
Still, Beck, Vekic, and Muguruza shined the brightest with their performances and will soon join Stephens and Robson among many others in this promising group of ambitious upstarts.
Day 2 really displayed the full coming out party for the next generation, to go along with Madison Keys in the bottom half of the draw.
ATP/WTA Players of Day 2:
ATP- Jarkko Nieminen:
Although Gael Monfils made a strong case for consideration with his strong 4-set win over Alex Dolgopolov, the 35-year-old flying Finn showed his continued diligence in winning a massive five set duel over Tommy Haas 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 8-6.
WTA- Vekic
Signaling your first Grand Slam match by just conceding 3 games against a world class doubles player and solid singles performer in Andrea Hlavackova displays how you certainly are the real deal. Caroline Wozniacki witnessed first hand with her father Piotr how she will not have a walking "BYE" in Round 2.
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