MELBOURNE, Australia -- Down a set and a break in her opening-round match against Kaia Kanepi on Tuesday, world No. 1 Simona Halep began talking to herself out loud. "I said, the one thing you have to do is not give up," Halep said after the match.
Four months earlier, Kanepi had stunned Halep in the first round of the US Open, and the Romanian was not interested in being upset by the same unseeded player in back-to-back Slams. The pep talk worked. Halep won 11 of the next 14 games and the match. "It was a bit of pressure on my shoulders," Halep said. "But I didn't give up. I think that's why I won tonight."
For 48 consecutive weeks, Halep has held the WTA's No. 1 ranking. But until Tuesday, she hadn't won a match since making the final in Cincinnati in August, and she hasn't seen the second week of a major since winning her first Grand Slam at Roland Garros in June. Had she lost to Kanepi, Halep also would have forfeited her No. 1 ranking. And even with the win, Halep's status as the top-ranked woman is tenuous.
As of Wednesday, seven women, including Halep, stand to leave Melbourne ranked No. 1: Angelique Kerber (currently ranked No. 2), Naomi Osaka (No. 4), Sloane Stephens (No. 5), Petra Kvitova (No. 6), Elina Svitolina (No. 7) and Karolina Pliskova (No. 8), but all seven must make a run deep into the second week to secure the top spot.
"I finished three years ranked No. 1, so the ranking doesn't matter anymore," Halep said Tuesday. "It's not in my mind right now. My challenge is to win every match I play."
Most of the players we asked echo Halep's sentiment. They say they're focused on winning matches, not on where those wins will place them in the overall standings at the end of the fortnight. "It motivates me, but I don't have pressure, because everyone is fighting for the same thing," Svitolina said.
Said Osaka after her opening win: "That's not really my goal. Rankings were never that much of a concern for me."
But the rankings tell a story. At the start of this tournament, at least 11 women had a shot to leave Melbourne ranked No. 1, and for the first time in the Open era, eight different players currently ranked in the top 22 have won the past eight Grand Slams. Five of those women were first-time Slam champions. "I think this is the best time to have played tennis," Stephens said. "It's exciting."
It's also watchable. Tune into any women's match in any round of any Slam, and chances are you could catch an upset. In women's tennis, there are actual underdog stories. Consider this: Regarding the No. 1 ranking, last year's Australian Open winner Caroline Wozniacki (No. 3) and 23-time Grand Slam champ Serena Williams (No. 16), both former No. 1s, aren't even in the conversation. Yet.
Contrast that with the men's tour, where 50 of the past 55 Slams, including 32 of 36 this decade, have been won by a member of the Big Four (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic). Djokovic and Federer alone account for 12 of the past 15 Australian Open titles, and the top three seeds in Melbourne (Djokovic, Nadal, Federer) were the top three seeds 10 years ago, although in a slightly different order. You know, just to keep it interesting.
So why do we talk about parity in women's tennis as if it's something that needs to be fixed? There is no dominant player! No singular star! (Other than Serena!) Help!
Why, exactly, is that a bad thing? Sure, dynasties and boldface stars are compelling, especially to the casual fan. But what's more important? That a casual fan can tune in and be assured of seeing a recognizable name in any men's Slam final -- or that they can tune in to a women's final and see a star in the making? (Hello, Stephens and Osaka.)
"I remember Serena being No. 1 for a while, and Caroline [Wozniacki] for a while," Kvitova said after winning her second-round match. "Now we have a lot of champions, and it's nice. Fans know more players than just Roger, Rafa and Murray."
It's an exciting time for players as well. At the start of every tournament, every match, there is hope. Tuesday night, it was actually plausible that an unseeded player ranked No. 70 in the world might upset the world No. 1 in the first round at back-to-back Slams.
Aryna Sabalenka, 20, is a dark horse to win her first Slam here, and 17-year-old American Amanda Anisimova, the youngest player ranked in the top 100, is into the third round at a Slam for the first time in her career.
"Every opponent is dangerous," Kvitova said. "Women's tennis is very close, and the level of the players is very tight. There isn't a big gap between the top 10 and top 50."
Although Kvitova won two Slams earlier in her career, at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, she never reached the No. 1 ranking. Halep, for contrast, held the No. 1 ranking for 31 weeks before winning her first Slam last June.
"There are so many consistent players, and it's so open, just to be in the top 10 again is unbelievable," Kvitova said. Especially considering the top ranking is now within her reach.