Australian Open: Vandeweghe goes bananas, Shapovalov proves poor peeler

The so-called tennis experts will tell you it was an American bloodbath at the Australian Open on Monday.

Well, it was much more.

It was also the day when bananas -- an athlete's best friend -- got their due at the year's first grand slam.

First, the American exodus.

Sloane Stephens, Venus Williams, CoCo Vandeweghe and John Isner exited Melbourne Park as if the US had suddenly issued a travel advisory for Australia, deeming it as unsafe as any, well, banana republic.

Then the bananas.

If you are what you eat, Vandeweghe did not hide what her favourite fruit is as she went understandably bananas during her first round loss to Timea Babos.

Vandeweghe simply refused to take to court until she had consumed the potassium-rich fruit which, much to her dismay, was not kept handy.

"I'm waiting for the bananas," she told the chair umpire with the grumpy seriousness of an army chief fretting over the delay in arrival of an important consignment of weapons.

Unfortunately for her, Babos prevailed in the Hungarian v Hungrymerican clash.

Video here:

CoCo Vandeweghe had gotten her first code violation earlier for time violation/civil disobedience: refusing to take court without eating a banana first. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/6Opg7xon2N

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 15, 2018

Shapovalov had a more fruitful day against Greek newcomer Stefanos Tsitsipas. The only trouble he had was peeling them.

Botanically berry, but the Australian bananas proved tough nuts to crack. Shapovalov wrestled with three of them and yet could not. He then picked the one he had dropped on turf and finally
succeeded, celebrating it with am emphatic fist-pump.

Video here:

This win is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!#AusOpen @denis_shapo pic.twitter.com/pW3hPnzkmp

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 15, 2018