Jewish guide to the Australian Open
AJN Sports editor Adam Blau previews the Jewish players to watch at the Australian Open, which starts at Melbourne Park today.
Dudi Sela
Israel’s top-ranked tennis player will start his ninth Australian Open campaign against German Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round today (Monday) as the third match on court 22.
Sela was bundled out in the opening round at the 2014 Open, but the 29-year-old from Kiryat Shmona managed to bounce back and produce top form on the premier men’s tennis circuit. He reached his first ATP final in almost six years at the BB&T Atlanta Open where in a match-up of David vs. Goliath proportions, Sela – who is 175cm – finished runner-up to 208cm American Josh Isner, while recording his 100th tour-level win over Vasek Pospisil in the quarterfinals of the same event.
Currently ranked 99 in singles, Sela is hoping to avoid a sixth-straight first round exit.
Camila Giorgi:
One of the up-and-coming players on the women’s circuit, Giorgi grabbed the attention of the tennis world in 2014 with wins over former world number ones Maria Sharapova, Wozniacki and Azarenka. The 23- year-old Italian of Argentinian descent is currently ranked 35, an increase of 58 from a year before, and will look to better her output from last year’s Aussie Open, where she lost to Alize Cornet in the second round.
She will play face 12th seed Flavia Pennetta in the first round on Tuesday. So far, Giorgi’s best showing at a Grand Slam has been making it to the fourth rounds of Wimbledon (2012) and the US Open (2013).
Diego Schwartzman
This 22-year-old Argentinian has been set a tough task at his first Australian Open. Schwartzman will face 14th seed South African Kevin Anderson at 11am today (Monday) on Court 19.
Rising to a career-best 58 in the world rankings, Schwartzman also made his debut appearance at a Grand Slam, reaching the second round of the French Open before losing to the great Roger Federer. In a repeat of tough scheduling, Schwartzman then drew Novak Djokovic in the first round of the US Open, where he was again defeated.
Fellow Jewish players Sharon Fichman, Shahar Pe’er, Julie Glushko and Wayne Odesnik were knocked out in the qualifying matches.
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