Catching up on the three biggest storylines from tennis's first major.
The first Grand Slam of the tennis season is well underway in Melbourne, and in case you haven't been waking up 3 a.m. to watch tennis, we've distilled the first 10 days of play into one quick guide.
Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic have been unstoppable juggernauts of doom.
Image by Ryan Pierse-Pool / Getty Images
Sharapova came into the Open with a nagging ankle injury, but she's steamrolled through the first five rounds without dropping a set, losing just nine total games (an all-time women's record through the quarterfinals). Sharapova's serve, the one fickle part of her game, has been solid, with just 15 double faults through five matches, and she's winning 79% of her first serve points. Sharapova's draw is favorable — she beat her upcoming semifinal opponent, Li Na, in each of the three matches the two played last year. And she's inspired the coolest photography of the tournament.
Image by Tim Wimborne / Reuters