Though we’re all shivering up here in New Jersey, it’s summertime in Australia— perfect weather for tennis.

January 19 marked the beginning of the 103rd Australian Open, the first of the prestigious Grand Slam tennis tournaments in the calendar year. Fans flocked to Melbourne Park to see their favorite players start the year off, and despite the late TV broadcasting hours here in the United States, many fans in Basking Ridge tuned in to watch and cheer as well.

Kristie Hong ‘16 recalls, “I would watch these matches during my short breaks from studying but then I often end up watching the whole match. The matches just draw you in and there’s so much intensity that sleep and homework temporarily take a back seat.”

There were some notable absences in Melbourne this year, however. Though Argentine player Juan Martin del Potro, an Olympic medalist, appeared to have recovered from a long-lasting wrist injury after playing at an event earlier in January, he pulled out of the Australian Open at the last minute to undergo a second surgery. The men’s champion of the most recent Grand Slam, Marin Cilic of Croatia, also had to withdraw due to a shoulder injury. Perhaps most notably, the Chinese star Li Na wasn’t there to defend her Australian Open title from last year; she had retired last September, ending a historic career of firsts for the Asian continent.

Still, the tournament was packed with excitement right from the start. The very first day knocked out eight of the top thirty-two women’s players, including former world number one Ana Ivanovic of Serbia. On the third day, two top players, Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal, played and eventually won uncharacteristically close matches in their second rounds. The third round would bring two big upsets. Andreas Seppi of Italy defeated the “Swiss Maestro” Roger Federer, making this Federer’s earliest exit since 2001 and fueling more debate on whether the veteran can win another Grand Slam. On the women’s side, Czech player Petra Kvitova, seeded number four, was ousted by 19-year-old Madison Keys, the first highlight of the teenager’s successful run at the tournament.

As the draws narrowed down in the middle of the tournament, more upsets shocked the crowds, while other top players continued to advance. Another teenager, the Australian Nick Kyrgios, defeated Andreas Seppi amid wild cheers from the patriotic audience, despite Kyrgios’s occasional outbursts against the crowd. Kyrgios would be defeated in the by the top British player Andy Murray, though the quarterfinals appearance still bolsters the teenager’s rising career.

Three American women, Serena and Venus Williams and Madison Keys, advanced to the top 8 in the quarterfinal round. The veteran Venus Williams, the oldest Grand Slam quarterfinalist since 1989, clashed with the young Keys, with Keys eager to challenge her childhood idol. But even after an injury time-out and a tough 3-set match, it was the teenager Keys that pulled through to become one of the youngest semifinalists in history.

Keys face her opponent’s sister Serena next, but Serena handily upheld her number-one ranking and defeated the young player to secure a spot in the finals. The Russian number-two player Maria Sharapova also defeated a young rising player, Eugenie Bouchard of Canada, in her quarterfinals match. The second semifinal would also be against two compatriots, Russians Sharapova and Etkarina Makarova. But Sharapova quickly defeated her lower-ranked opponent to become the second finalist.

On both the men’s and women’s sides, the finals contained top players; while perhaps not surprising, the matches were no less entertaining. The women’s finals went first, with the top two players Serena Williams and Sharapova facing off. Despite a coughing fit and rain interrupting her service game, Williams sailed through the first set. The second one was tighter, eventually going to a tiebreak; Williams took the lead, and though Sharapova saved two match points, Williams fired an ace serve to take the title. It was a momentous victory for Serena Williams; at 33, she became the oldest Australian Open champion in over 60 years, and she now had the second-highest number of Grand Slam titles. If she continues to play at this rate, both of those records—and more—could be hers, adding to those the distinguished player already has.

The men’s final the next day had two familiar faces; Djokovic and Murray had played in four Grand Slam finals before, with Djokovic winning their last Australian Open meeting and Murray winning their last final at Wimbledon. The first two sets both went to tiebreaks and lasted over an hour each, with Djokovic and Murray each winning one. However, the long first sets and increasing frustration began to take their toll on Murray, and Djokovic won the last two sets to win his fifth Australian Open title, approaching the men’s record.

Rajan Gupta ‘17 was disappointed with the result, but still commended both finalists: “Both players played a good match… While I think Murray should have won it’s clear that Djokovic played an amazing match and deserves the title.”

Well, not everyone can end up happy in the world of sports, but no one could have been bored by any of the tournament’s electrifying matches. Thus, the 2015 Australian Open ended with both top-ranked players winning the championship, showing the world exactly why they belong on top.