To the sound of a lone bird chirping, the crash-bang wallop ultimately belonged to the underdog in a blockbuster Australian Open final
The sprinkling rain at Melbourne Park meant the roof stayed closed on centre court for the Australian Open women’s final, turning Rod Laver Arena into a concert hall charged with the music of tennis. But there was one noise that wasn’t quite right. In the sacred moments before each player’s serving motion, the crowd generally obeyed the protocol demanding silence. However, a single bird – perched somewhere high in the rafters – was less compliant.
It must not have been able to escape before the roof shut on Saturday afternoon, and so there it stayed. Tweet-tweet. An unusual accompaniment to a grand slam final. No one could see the critter, though long they tried, as dozens of the 15,000-strong crowd craned their necks in curiosity. Even the umpire kept glancing up, only to recognise the limit of even his broad powers. Tweet-tweet.
The quaint, sweet birdsong was agreeable and familiar, as was the contest below. Featuring two players at the summit of tennis – the world No 1 in Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, soon-to-be No 3, whatever the outcome – who knew each other intimately. Their power games are well matched and their sustained success has brought them together often. They had duelled more times than either had faced anyone else on tour, 14 times all up.
