The threat of the new breed sweeping away the old order failed to materialise at the year's first Grand Slam in Australia as the established stars reasserted their dominance.
Much has been made about the generational advance of younger players with Japan's Kei Nishikori, Canadian rocket-server Milos Raonic and Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov hailed as the standard-bearers among the men.
But while Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal fell by the wayside, the old order of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych put the youngsters firmly in their place -- for now.
It was the same case on the women's side with rising stars Garbine Muguruza, Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard unable to go the distance with only surprise package 19-year-old American Madison Keys reaching the semi-finals.
Nadal admitted before the new season that "our generation is on its way out," but it wasn't obviously apparent at the Australian Open.
Japanese superstar Nishikori had high hopes after ousting Raonic, Wawrinka and Djokovic on the way to losing to Marin Cilic in last year's US Open final.
But he hit the wall in straight sets against defending champion Wawrinka in the quarter-finals.
"I felt a little bit tired, heavy. But he was a little better today," conceded Nishikori, the first Asian man to play in a Grand Slam decider.
"I may have felt a little bit of pressure. It was tough to find my game today and he was playing really aggressive, great forehand, backhand."
It was the same story for Raonic, armed with one of the heaviest serves in men's tennis, yet world number one Djokovic illustrated the gulf the young Canadian still has to make up.
"I just wish I could have played better. But other than that I think he played well. He took the game and opportunities away from me," Raonic lamented.
Dimitrov, who reached the semi-finals of last year's Wimbledon, admitted he still has work to do if he wants to break the Grand Slam dominance of the old guard after coming off second best to Murray in the fourth round.
Dubbed "Baby Fed" for his playing similarities to Swiss great Federer, Dimitrov was ground down by the dual Grand Slam champion.
Such was his disappointment at one stage that Dimitrov slammed his racquet into the court, leaving it a mangled mess.
"I'm disappointed because it's not the result that I wanted. For sure I could have done things better," Dimitrov said.
- Bow to experience -
Highly-rated Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios was another young gun to bow to the experience of Murray, outclassed in straight sets in the quarters.
It was the second quarter-final inside a year for the 19-year-old Kyrgios after he reached the last eight at Wimbledon, becoming the first male teen to reach multiple Grand Slam quarter-finals since Federer in 2001.
It was a similar scenario among the women with Maria Sharapova crushing the hopes of Bouchard, the established Ekaterina Makarova ending Halep's dream and Serena Williams turfing out Muguruza.
Muguruza spoke during the tournament that it was time for the new generation of younger women's players to step up after she lost to Williams.
The 21-year-old Spaniard, who has risen in the rankings to around 20, said she was encouraged by what she was seeing from younger players at the Australian Open.
"Well, I think now is like a change in the generation," she said.
"You just have to look the draw and see Madison (Keys), Genie (Bouchard) and me, other young girls in the third and fourth round.
"You see the rankings, the girls born in the 90s are a lot more than before. I think it's time for a change."
It might just take a bit longer to happen.
Source: AFP
