Channel Seven is copping a barrage of criticism for choosing to show the match between Aussies Nick Kyrgios and Jordan Thompson instead of new world No.1 Ash Barty on Tuesday night.
The decision was vindicated, however, by the scorelines of the respective matches. Barty dispatched her little-known opponent Zheng Saisai 6-4 6-2, while the match between the two similarly ranked men who’ve known each other since childhood went five tense sets, with both playing exhilarating tennis and showing ample emotion.
Simply, sport is entertainment, and there is no doubt which match was the better spectacle.
It has been spoken about as a gender issue. When WTA and ATP events are played separately, the ATP draws more ticket sales and TV viewers.
How many people would attend or tune in to a women’s only Wimbledon tournament? Because critics don’t put their money where their mouth is on the struggling WTA Tour.
(Photo by Power Sport Images/Getty Images).
In this specific case, Kyrgios is the most interesting and enigmatic player ever seen on a tennis court, at least in the last quarter of a century.
The men’s game has become inundated with defensive tennis, stock standard answers in press conferences, passive aggressiveness between rivals and players who meekly submit to the big three.
Kyrgios is a subversion of all of those elements.
Simply put, a match where Kyrgios is dialed in – as he was for four sets yesterday – is more interesting than any first-week match at a Grand Slam, on either the men’s or women’s side of the draw.
When Kyrgios is hitting booming forehands, chatting casually to the crowd in between aces, showboating and gesticulating, it almost feels like a different sport compared to the other matches in the tournament.
Ash Barty is a fine player with beautiful court craft, but her blockbuster matches will likely come later in the tournament.
clipper
Roar Rookie
Didn't know that - agree with the last paragraph - about the only time an Australian guy gets through to the next round is when he plays his countryman!
Nick
Guest
The men's match started first. It had some good tenjis, although Kyrgios moves around between points as if he's an old man with arthritis. I watched until 10 then went to bed so no way would I have watched the women. Saw a little of barty's 2nd round game tonight and if it was the same standard the other night I probably would have turned the tv off. Anyone who is an avid tennis watcher would have pay tv. Me I am only slightly interested and 2 Aussies playing was the reason I turned it on. Wish journalists would stop with this we are all outraged thing
PeteB
Roar Rookie
Most people I know refuse to watch Kyrgios. A bloke who gives up and basically throws games. There’s nothing entertaining about watching that sook throwing tantrums on a tennis court. Much prefer to watch Barty.
BennO
Roar Rookie
1am? Maybe in New Zealand. Check the schedule. I was watching at 10pm. Kyrgios had been throwing tantrums since just after 8 or 9. If you're getting that from Mark Beretta's lame "explanation" the following morning, he had the times out by a few hours.
Kewl
Guest
Barty wouldn’t beat the top 200 men, that’s why! Women’s sports, half a rung up from special olympics!
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Hopefully after Nadal wipes the floor with that clown tonight, Channel 7 can concentrate on our humble, gracious World No. 1 Ash rather than share air time with a poorly behaved waste of oxygen.
Nick
Roar Guru
Apparently they don't have the rights to show it on multiple channels. I'm ok with the decision to keep the men's match on. It made 5 sets. I don't think channel seven expected that. Additionally, what gets lost in this is that Kyrgios (while a complete word that rhymes with banker) was playing another Australian. Jordan Thompson has just been completely forgotten here. Channel seven decided to broadcast a match between two Australians that ran a little long. Nothing more than that.
Nick
Roar Guru
A ratings winner? Let's keep it in perspective...it was 1am in the morning. It was literally the only thing on...they had already sewn up the ratings win for that timeslot.
Thomas
Guest
No one seems to mention that Jordan Thompson was playing as well. I still remember when Sam Groth faced Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Australian Open a few years ago in a tense five-setter. The fans love seeing two Aussies against each other, and you can’t switch over during such a tense game, it would be a disservice to the fans who have invested in that match. Kyrgios faces Nadal tonight while Ash plays another relative no-name. I know which match I’d prefer to watch
clipper
Roar Rookie
Ch 7 were in a damned if they do, damned if they don't situation. If they had cut off a tense 5 setter, they would've received complaints as well. Don't know why they couldn't utilise one of their other channels and delayed the programming.
My2cWorth
Roar Rookie
@BS, men's TENNIS, I fully agree, not CLOWNS antics, I turned off as well, like BO, expected to see the Barty match, instead had to watch the clown at it
Blake Standfield
Roar Guru
First match as world number 1 really isn’t a thing. The majority of ‘outraged’ fans didn’t even know the match was on until the controversial headlines the next day. Now we’re outraged that her match isn’t being played on centre court today. Barty is achieving great things by playing consistent tennis against what’s very inconsistent and low standard competition at the moment. Men’s tennis brings in the crowds and the sponsorship dollars to give the woman equal prize money.
Torchbearer
Guest
I feel sad that this is even being discussed- how low are our morals, values, our sense of fairness and reward for work and achievement, that Barty's first match as World Number 1 is not important enough to broadcast? What does an Australian woman have to do? If she threw tantrums, screamed at her opponents, swore, threw games, then maybe they would have shown her play?
BennO
Roar Rookie
One last thing, once it was clear they were choosing the tank engine's soul brother over the world number one, I switched off and went to bed. I wanted to watch tennis not childish antics.
BennO
Roar Rookie
Totally disagree. They had an obvious ratings winner, the world's best tennis player is an Aussie playing her first game since becoming number one. The interest was there and the chance to hype it was there. They went for what they thought was an easy ratings seller, the tired old trope of the bad boy. And what did they get? A bloke who doesn't try half the time instead of the game most wanted to see, the world's best tennis player.