Aussie Open Recap Day 6

Rusty's on a rollThe old man's still got it:  Former number 1 Lleyton Hewitt, who has been plagued by injuries over the past few years, defeated the young up-and-comer and number 23 seed Milos Raonic in 4 sets, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.  According to ATP manager Greg Sharko, Rusty's wins over Roddick and Raonic are his first back to back top 25 wins since 2005.  I'm not even a fan of Lleyton but his reaction to winning almost (almost) made me cry.

Hitting a milestone:  Not a tennis milestone, (he already did that) but Nicolas Mahut turned 30 today.  His present?  A bagel and some breadsticks in a straight set loss to Novak Djokovic, 6-0, 6-1, 6-1.  BUT, he did get a cake in his presser, although he doesn't look too happy about it.

Best cocktail: 

Tweeted by @BrettHaber

Upsets: Vera Zvonareva [7], Marion Bartoli [9], and Gael Monfils [14].

Getting into character:  - Zheng Jie, "After my video, every player watch me don’t say hello, say Yo, Yo".  She also apparently "brushed her shoulders off" in her presser!

Last American standing:  Serena Williams.  Vania King lost in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to Ana Ivanovic.

The 'Business End':  And with this post we journey into the Round of 16.  A lot of crazy good match-ups coming your way.  Get your popcorn ready folks.

Photo:  Reuters

Wine And Photography Don't Mix

On my first day in Newport we ran into Nicolas Mahut on the practice courts.  When I saw him walking towards me I immediately aimed my camera right in his face (a large zoom lens) which took him completely off-guard and clearly amused him.  When he walked by he smiled brightly for the camera, and politely said "Bonjour!"

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Video: John Isner and Nicolas Mahut are Besties

Tomorrow, (or today depending on where you live) John Isner and Nicolas Mahut will take a crack at breaking their own record for the longest match in Wimbledon history, albiet on Court 3 and not infamous Court 18.  In this video, John gives his thoughts on drawing Mahut again in the first round and also talks about how the match led to a close friendship.  Nicolas shows up part way through the video but really lets John do most the talking.   To read an excerpt from La Match De Ma Vie, a book where Nicolas shares his thoughts and emotions during that epic match, click here, but be forewarned, it's kinda depressing. 

Let's hope the only thing about tomorrow's match that will be memorable is the incredible shot making.  Some records are not meant to be broken.