DIGITAL FIRST ATTEND THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2018
On Friday the 19th of January Digital First decided to take advantage of being based in Melbourne by attending the Australian Open 2018. It was a very hot day, 42°C/ 107°F to be exact! So, we spent the morning and early afternoon in the much-needed shade, hydrating with water and maybe some beers….
At around 3pm, the sun had finally started to calm down, so we were able to take our seats in the Margaret Court Arena. We had front row seats, it was great! The first game was between Gilles Muller from Luxembourg and Pablo Carreno Busta from Spain. It was a tense match that lasted for over three hours, and it ended with Carreno Busta winning three sets to one. The intense heat would be a lot for any player however Carreno Busta powered through as he stated, “It was really tough conditions to play today but I make my best,” and when asked what his plans were after the game, he responded with “anything but the Australian sun.”
The next game was between Kateryna Bondarenko from Ukraine and Magdalena Rybarikova from Slovakia. The ladies played an intense game, and throughout the match, the crowd didn’t know who would win. They both fought to the end and, after over two hours of playing, Rybarikova managed to win two sets to one. Rybarikova also commented on the extreme heat saying that after the glaring sun stopped beaming down on the court “I started to play my game and I think that worked”.
We had to leave arena after that match as our tickets were only for the day; Nadal was next to play, so we were gutted to miss that. Next on the agenda was taking a wander around the grounds; the atmosphere was amazing, and the weather had finally cooled down, so it was a beautiful summer’s evening.
There were still games going on, so we went into the Show Court to watch one final match; this time between Kaia Kanepi from Estonia and Carla Suárez Navarro from Spain. This was another tight game and both ladies played very well; however, Navarro secured a win from two sets to one. We were sitting near her coach so were caught up in the celebrations after she won, and even started to speak some Spanish; vamos Carla!
Digital First then took a wander to the live music stage and had dinner whilst watching the Hoodoo Gurus. It was a perfect end to a fantastic day.
If you are ever in Melbourne for The Open, we highly recommend it!!
