The 2012 Australian Open Day 2 Review Thread: The New Rising Teen Class

 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. 

The 2013 Australian Open Thread For 1/14/13: Day 2 Preview (First Version)

WTA Match Of The Day: Wozniacki/Lisicki 

The marquee matchup of a Grand Slam day usually isn't among the first matches to begin the day, but that certainly is the case with the brutal 1st Round encounter for Caroline Wozniacki against Sabine Lisicki.

Wozniacki is looking to avoid a third straight 1st Round exit in a Grand Slam, while Lisicki wants a fine tournament to relieve her own poor second half of 2012. 

It's imperative for Wozniacki's forehand to show some consistent growth if she is to avoid the exit to Lisicki, who has frankly intimidated and boss Wozniacki around in their last two meetings. However, much has changed between the two, but both have seemingly returned to the same level they were at in their last encounter: Wozniacki, the vulnerable tough seed without the aura and confidence of her #1 status, and Lisicki, the determined unseed threat determined for a notable win.

If Wozniacki's forehand is the same consistent non-threat that it is, then Lisicki won't have to worry at all about playing sound defense to combine with her quality offense. It's the German's result in my mind, in three sets.

More to come on Day 2 of the 2013 Australian Open in this post. 

The 2013 Australian Open Thread #1 For 1/14/13: Day 1 Review

Venus Williams and Janko Tipsarevic were impressive on Day 1 (Photos from AO.com)

Key Story 

It was a forgettable first day for the home town population in Melbourne, as only one Australian won on the opening day of the Australian Open's main singles draw. Thankfully for Sam Stosur's mental state, she was that sole Aussie individual.

Most thought Lleyton Hewitt could use his impressive performance at the Kooyang exhibition to upset Janko Tipsarevic, but that was certainly not the case at all. The #8 seed just had too much natural power and focus to send Hewitt into some questions on whether this would be his final Australian Open in a sound 7-5, 7-6, 6-3 result.

Well before Day 1's marquee match,  the country's notable female player Stosur avoided another demoralizing early round loss here at her home Slam, getting some revenge on Kai-Chen Chang for beating her in Osaka four months ago with a shaky but effective 7-6, 6-3.

But Stosur was the lone survivor for the Aussies on Day 1. Ashleigh Barty showed more promise in taking a set at least off a Top 40 player for the third straight week, but succumbed quickly to Dominika Cibulkova 3-6, 6-0, 6-1. Bojana Bobusic thought the wind may be on her side after a rough start from Aga Radwanska, but the Polish #1 regain her excellent current form to win 7-5, 6-0.

Matthew Ebden seemed to be on the verge of knocking off Mikhail Youzhny up two sets to none, but lacked the consistent closing ability that has plagued his career to allow the Russian the 4-6, 6-7 (0), 6-2, 7-6, 6-3 comeback win.

And Casey Dellacqua was the latest stepping stone in the rise of Madison Keys, who was masterful in the 2nd set tiebreak and record a 6-4, 7-6 (0).

All in all, it was a rough 1-7 opening day record for the Australians across both genders.

The Upsets

Argentine #2 and #11 seed Juan Monaco was less than 100%, and it clearly showed in being dispatched by Andrey Kuznetsov so convincingly in straights.

Mona Barthel went from being a true favorite to win Hobart and be a legitimate darkhorse in Melbourne to drawing equally informed threat Ksenia Pervak in Round 1 and losing in a struggle 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. Bartel served up six disappointing double faults and showed that she is still not ready to break from the inconsistent mess she is.

A Daniela Hantuchova-Ana Ivanovic 2nd Round was thrown into the thrash, as the up and down Slovakian veteran rounded off a disappointing first month of her 2013, losing to Yung-Jan Chan in a scoreline that summed her up properly: 6-1, 1-6, 6-1. She likely won't be tweeting from her account until maybe February after that one.

But there were no major upsets of any of the top players, with Monaco and Barthel being the only seeds to fall in general.

Other Notable Results

British female #1 Heather Watson looked all but certain to be out on Day 1, as she was down 6-2, 3-1 to Alexandra Cadantu, a Romanian who had lost in seven straight first rounds. But a medical timeout a game later resulted in a massive turnaround, as the Guernsey native showed the stable clarity that has placed her inside the Top 50 with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback win.

Radek Stepanek was on the ropes down two sets to none against an inspired Viktor Troicki, looking to get his first big win in a while after a rough 2012 for the Serbian #3. But the Davis Cup 2012 hero showed all his veteran guile, along with Troicki's known propensity to get tight, to comeback and win 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.

Many people were confident about Grigor Dimitrov's chances of securing a second week Grand Slam appearance before the tournament after the explosiveness he showed in Brisbane. But when he drew Julian Benneteau on a surface slower than Brisbane's quick main court, well, it was always going to be a difficult day for him.

That turned out to be the case, as the solid Frenchman continued his fine play in Sydney and thrashed the Bulgarian 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. 

It was the opposite result for Dimitrov's speculated new girlfriend Maria Sharapova, who couldn't have received a more perfect opening round match of her 2013 year. Her 6-0, 6-0 result over Olga Puchkova was highlighted more by just how mentally abysmal Puchkova was as the match transpired.

Venus Williams held up her end of a two part chance to see if her and Sharapova will meet in Round 3, with a surprisingly solid and consistent 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Elena Voskoboeva. 

ATP/WTA Players of the Day: 

ATP: Tipsarevic

In a match where many thought could represent another notable Hewitt scalp, Tipsarevic virtually said "None of that would happen on his watch" in winning straight sets. He slightly earns the nod over Benneteau, who was just as deserving for his impressive handling of Dimitrov.

WTA:  Klara Zakopalova

In what was one of the first round matches guaranteed to be a near 50/50 contest, the improving Czech veteran impressively dispatched of Chanelle Scheepers 6-1, 6-2.