IT was the 10th day of the Australian Open and we were there to watch the quarterfinal matches at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. Temperature was close to 40?C, and I wondered how the players would cope. I myself was already wilting from the heat, and I was only sitting down. Russian player and world No. 4 Elena Dementieva and the Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro entered the court. Dementieva looked radiant in a bright orange tennis dress with a low-waisted drawstring. Her hair was knotted in a braid pulled up in a bun. She looked very well-toned, with the muscles on her upper arms bulging just enough to show iron strength yet still looking feminine, and legs hinting of the sturdiness that comes with consistently working out. For one who?s in a sport that?s so confrontational, she seemed amiable and friendly, waving and smiling, with none of the piercing, combative look other tennis players have. Suarez Navarro, on the other hand, seemed low-key and very serious in her no-nonsense white outfit with aquamarine accents.

As soon as the umpire called ?time,? the players went to work, like professionals with duties to perform. Their balls flew fast, very fast. On TV, one doesn?t quite see the same lightning speed that one sees by actually being there, sitting just a few yards from the players. Dominating the game from the start, Dementieva hit the balls with pinpoint accuracy, her racquet willing the balls to land where her opponent would find it difficult to return. She scored several points in the first set before Suarez Navarro won a single point.

The crowd was loving it, clapping and cheering with every point won or missed. However, whenever one of the players was serving, everyone would quiet down. Even between points, the crowd would maintain a respectful silence. And as in a concert, so the players don?t get unnecessarily distracted, nobody was allowed to enter the arena while play was going on. Latecomers were told to wait for the interval before going to their seats.

By the second set, Dementieva?s arms were starting to color a deep reddish tan. Yet she managed to prevail, allowing Suarez Navarro only two points before closing the second set and winning the match, 6-2, 6-2.

Serena vs Svetlana

The second match of the day pitted Serena Williams against Svetlana Kuznetsova. Hardly a smile came from these two while they were being introduced at the start of the game. They were very business-like, getting into the match quickly. Kuznetsova was very methodical and dispatched Williams in the first set, 7-5. She seemed much better able to cope with the heat.

However, under the tournament?s extreme heat policy, the organizers decided to close the retracting roof before the start of the second set, making the court much cooler for both players and spectators. The cooler air must have suited Williams because this time she prevailed, 7-5, which left the third set up for grabs.

As it turned out, it was Williams all the way in the third set, winning at 6-1. Not to detract from her skills but could Williams? outfit have anything to do with her victory (and subsequent winning of the finals a few days later)? She wore a blue tennis dress that was exactly the same shade as that of the court?s surface. Her headband was the same color as the Wilson balls (bright yellow-green), which were the official balls of the tournament. In the metaphysical sense, wearing those colors brought her in harmony with her surroundings, giving her added advantage over the other players.

Verdasco vs Tsonga

Our tickets allowed us to watch a third quarterfinal match that day: Fernando Verdasco, who was probably in the best form of his career, versus last year?s finalist, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. This time the crowd was much rowdier, with supporters of both players cheering boisterously throughout the match. ?Let?s go, Tsonga, let?s go,? alternated with shouts of ?Bravo, Fernando, bravo.?

Both players were in excellent form. They?d trade balls at sharper and sharper angles until one of them capitulated by hitting the ball long or to the net. They also served at terrifying speed. At one point the ball hit the wall so hard it bounced to the front row of spectators. It?s a wonder none of the ball boys got hurt by a wayward ball.

While Tsonga played well, it was Verdasco who won the match, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. His supporters were ecstatic; he would be playing in his first Grand Slam semifinal.

Nadal vs Simon

By this time it was 7 p.m., the night matches were about to begin and we were no longer entitled to our seats. A new set of spectators would be let in. But not to worry. Outside in Garden Square, a colossal screen had been set up to project the match going on in the arena and everyone was welcome to watch for free: World No. 1 Rafael Nadal versus French player Gilles Simon.

Before the match even started, some people had already positioned themselves in front of the big screen. Some were lying on the grass, shirtless, while others were sitting on garden chairs, drinking beer and eating pizza. It was like one huge garden party. My daughter Lisa and I managed to find some vacant seats and as dusk turned to nightfall, we watched Nadal clobber Simon by starlight.

Someone once told me that the Australian Open is such a happy event. Having attended this year?s tournament, I can certainly attest to that. The city of Melbourne is such a lively city to begin with. But while the Open was going on, Melbourne seemed even more festive.

There?s nothing like being there, in the actual event, watching the match in person than on TV. On TV the camera closes in on the players? expression, magnifying every wince, every defiant stance, every pumped fist. In person the players don?t look so combative. They seem just like any other professional, eager to get the job done to the best of their ability. Seeing them in person humanizes them in ways television cannot.

I?ve also gained new respect for these tennis players. The game may be fun but it also requires vast reserves of strength, as well as enormous effort and skills, to be able to hit good serves and return the balls with pinpoint accuracy. One can only imagine the amount of training they have to undergo.

In addition, there?s the pressure of playing under extreme heat in front of thousands of spectators, some of whom may or may not be rooting for them. In her match against hometown favorite Jelena Dokic, for instance, Dinara Safina faced a hostile crowd who cheered wildly whenever she made a mistake. Yet she took it all in good stride and managed to win the match. Such composure comes only with much discipline and self-confidence, something which tennis players seem to have plenty of.