I went to the Australian Open this week with Katie.

We had the night free and I'd never been to the tennis so it seemed like a good idea!

There were a few big name players, but tickets to their matches were already sold out, so we just got a $20 after-work ground pass ticket, which lets you go to any match on the outside courts.

Most matches were starting a bit later, so we went to get some food and a beer, and have a walk around. The food was nothing special, but the atmosphere was great. It felt a lot like the world cup in Germany, and the weather was nice and hot (over 30 degrees).

We saw a really bad match on a side court for about ten minutes, then went off to see Economidis versus Gonzalez at Margaret Court Arena, which sounded like the best event on the ground courts.

It sure was!



For the first few sets, it was a really close game, with some good rallies, some good skills, but also far too many unforced errors. Still, it was really good to watch.

There were a huge group of Chilean supporters there to support Gonzalez thruout the whole stadium, and a section of Greek supporters in one corner loudly singing and supporting Economidis.

Towards the middle of the game, the umpire started asking the Greek fans to be quiet. It wasn't obvious why, since the Chileans were just as vocal.

Eventually the police were called in. From the other end of the stadium, it looked like they tried to remove one of the Greek supporters, but he resisted. A short time later, the police used capsicum spray. They used a lot of spray, and it got on lots of people nearby.

It became quite an incident, with it being reported in news outlets in several countries.

Without knowing the details, I thought the Greek section were just providing a great atmosphere and having some fun, so it's disappointing that it came to this. Still, physically resisting police officers isn't a very smart idea.

That aside, Gonzalez ended up winning the match.

I'll definitely try to get tickets next year!