Australian Open Chronicles: Melbourne Memories Irina Falconi, an American who played at the Australian Open, wrote posts throughout the tournament for Straight Sets as she did during the United States Open last year. MELBOURNE, Australia -- Like a good dessert, my Australian Open experience has come to an end. But before I close the chapter on another Grand Slam tournament, allow me share a few more of my Down Under experiences. My doubles partner this year was Shuko Aoyama. Those of you that haven't seen me in person, you don't know how short I am. On a good day, which is pretty often, I am a solid 5-foot-4. As for Shuko, she is no taller than 5 feet, but I'll tell you what, she plays doubles like she's an 8-5 tall tower of terror. Anybody that understands doubles is aware that one must know how and when to poach. My girl Shuko is an animal at the net. She comes out of nowhere, and, before you know it, you'll be seeing this deadly ball going right past you. When I'm serving, I can't even see her going because of how quick she is -- and because I don't think she's above the net most of the time when she's poaching. We beat 11th-seeded Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova in the first round, with the classic 7-6 in the third scoreline. We like to keep it interesting, and at the end of the day, it's all about pleasing the fans. Ain't that right? We lost in the second round to Cara Black and Anastasia Rodionova. I've been getting a lot of questions about what it's like here. For example, do dogs bark differently down here? Is the Australian accent weird? And what in the world is Vegemite? I'm going to go ahead and say that yeah, there's definitely a different tune to the dogs down here. Just kidding. The Australian accent is by no means weird; it's awesome. And as for Vegemite? I don't want to ruffle any feathers, but all I'm going to say is that it's probably awesome for yeast lovers. I'm going to stick with things like peanut butter and jelly, and my other Americanized condiments. Everyone talks about Australia's beaches. Perhaps you've heard of the 12 Apostles, the magnificent rock stacks. I will have to hit that up next time, but at least I paid homage to St. Kilda beach. But no, I didn't see a great white shark. St. Kilda beach is probably one of the most beautiful, accessible beaches in Melbourne. All I had to do was take a 20-minute tram ride from the city, and suddenly I found myself looking at the sunset at around 8:45 p.m. Can I say perfection? That's my CliffsNotes version of my amazing Australian trip. The Aussie Open truly is a unique event, and the tournament director Craig Tiley does a fabulous job for the players every year. I'm always pleased with the famous Australian hospitality, the care and support for the players, and last but not least, the Aussie accent! Good day, mate, and maybe I'll see you in Paris! Au revoir!