Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/315708
28 ITFWORLD SPRING 2014 Of the Big Four, Nadal, Federer and Murray crossed paths in the same half of the draw. Nadal was severe in his 76 63 63 semifinal caning of archrival Federer. But just when a 14th Grand Slam title appeared a formality — with the symbolism of 14-time winner Pete Sampras presenting the trophy — Rafa's Melbourne injury jinx struck again. The Spaniard shed rare public tears at failing to match Rod Laver as a repeat winner at every major. Federer hit his record 57th consecutive Grand Slam event with a new larger-headed racket, new coach in childhood idol Stefan Edberg and new attacking verve. He dazzled in Top 10 wins over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Murray. But it was the same recurring nightmare against Nadal. The 32-year-old legend dropped to No. 8 after Melbourne, and he can't feel confident about fending off Nadal as his rival hunts down his 17-Slam haul and cherished GOAT mantle. And Djokovic? The unstoppable force of 2011 has won two of six major finals since, while in his physical prime. New coach Boris Becker was recruited to help Djokovic maximise his big-match returns. The mission of a career Slam at Roland Garros looms more urgently than ever. In a turbulent women's event, Li Na joined the ranks of multiple major winners without facing a Top 20 opponent. The No. 4 survived the seed carnage and a tense first set in the final to canter to a 76 60 win over giant-killer Dominika Cibulkova. "Finally I got her," Li said of the Daphne Akhurst trophy, hoisted after her third Australian decider. The Chinese star lost blockbusters to Kim Clijsters in 2011 and Victoria Azarenka in a dramatic and chaotic 2013 final. This time, there was drama aplenty in Li's 16 76 63 escape from match point down against Lucie Safarova in a hot third round. At 5-6 in the second set, Li survived when the trigger-happy Safarova sent a backhand just long. "I really feeling after the match I was getting second life in this tournament," noted Li. So it proved. A month shy of her 32nd birthday, Li was the tournament's oldest women's champion in the Open era. She dished out valuable lessons to several youngsters, not least 19-year-old Eugenie Bouchard, the breakout star of the tournament, 62 64 in the semifinals. Just when we were wondering if a teen queen would ever emerge in this '30-is-the-new-20' era, the tall, unruffled Canadian, who inspired a 'Genie Army' of young male followers, swept into the final four with a hard-to-read game and a coolness that was almost unnerving. Last year, Bouchard didn't qualify for the Australian Open. She left Melbourne this time as the newest member of the Top 20. Cibulkova's name means "little onion" in her native Slovakian, and the feisty world No. 24 sizzled in the hot conditions, felling four Top 20 players by astonishing scorelines: Carla Suarez Navarro by 61 60, No. 3 Maria Sharapova 36 64 61 in a fourth- round boilover, No. 11 Simona Halep 63 60 and a 61 62 semifinal shutdown of fancied No. 5 seed Agnieszka Radwanska. AUSTRALIAN OpEN A month shy of her 32nd birthday, Li was the tournament's oldest women's champion in the Open era. She dished out valuable lessons to several youngsters, not least 19-year-old Eugenie Bouchard. Novak Djokovic ended a run of 13 straight Grand Slam semifi nal appearances First-time Grand Slam quarterfi nalist Grigor Dimitrov Simona Halep reached the last eight It was a breakthrough event for Eugenie Bouchard