The Men
Few first-round surprises. Nadal, Djokovic, Thiem, the Roadrunner and Wawrinka all handled their first-round matches in comfortable straight-set wins. Murray and Nishikori needed four sets, but prevailed. Dustin Brown's stunt tennis failed to bamboozle Monfils.
The only major upset was Sasha Zverev losing in four sets to Fernando Verdasco. Sasha at his best can beat Verdasco, but Verdasco was always going to be a tough match-up on clay. Still, in my predictions, I claimed Sasha was a threat. It didn't quite work out that way, did it?
Not a lot that stood out as remarkable, though Ferrer beating Donald Young 13-11 in the fifth certainly counts. It was a highly entertaining finish to the match. Playing what amounts to a six-set match probably also ends Ferrer's chances of going particularly far in this tournament. The wear and tear adds up quickly.
The Women
Kerber. Out limply in the first round, and not really much of a surprise. Maybe players should be given the option to decline the one-seed. It might help them play better.
Petra Kvitova. She won her first match back in straight sets. Great to have her back.
The Bowling Ball of Inconsistency Rolled Down the Lane. But to my surprise, it was nearly a gutter ball. Besides Kerber, the only top-16 seed to lose was Konta, seeded seventh.
Who Are You Wearing?
After the brashness of some of last year's clothes, especially the zebra stripes Adidas dressed its players in, this year seems positively sedate. Adidas has its players in classic-cut white with tasteful green accents. Did last year's designers get fired or something?
From what I can tell, Nike did not put an X behind Rafa's bull logo, which is clearly a mistake.