Alex Macpherson, a staff writer for WTATennis.com, joins Saqib Ali to review the women’s Australian Open at Tennis With An Accent. The women’s Australian Open was merely the latest example of something the tennis world has seen a lot over the last two years: The WTA side of a major tournament was much more compelling, over the course of two full weeks, than the ATP side. The 2019 women’s Australian Open started slowly in the first two rounds but then roared into form in the third round and remained captivating through the final point of the women’s final between Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova. The men’s tournament was highly interesting through the first four rounds but then fell flat in the last three rounds. Alex Macpherson recalls the various twists, turns, high points, and tension points of another high-quality WTA major tournament with host Saqib Ali, explains why new Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka is such a resonant and popular global sports star, an increasingly strong tennis player, and what makes her the champion she is. Alex then continues through his recap of the women’s Australian Open by making many more incisive points, including the following: * What iconic women’s tennis player does Osaka recall in the way she plays and how she goes about her business on court? * What year from her past did Petra Kvitova bring to mind at this Australian Open? * What was the biggest shock in the women’s tournament in Melbourne? * How much does receiving support from your own nation’s tennis federation shape a young tennis player’s decision on whether to turn professional or go to college? * How significant should we view the ankle roll by Serena Williams late in her quarterfinal match against Karolina Pliskova? * How does the weight of pressure relate to Serena Williams in a larger overall sense? All those questions and much more are part of the new Tennis With An Accent podcast. Also, follow our review of the Australian Open this week at tennisaccent.com, and follow us on Twitter at @accent_tennis.  Subscribe, Rate and Review to Tennis With An Accent on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Google Play.  If you’re looking for more great tennis coverage, make sure to check out Tennis With An Accent online! Music provided by Teknoaxe and used under the terms of CC (Creative Commons) 4.0 license.