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Tennis: Bhupathi And Mirza Win Australian Open Mixed Doubles Title

India's Mahesh Bhupathi bounced back from his men's doubles final defeat to team with fellow Indian Sania Mirza to win the Australian Open mixed doubles title at Melbourne Park on Sunday.

Bhupathi and Mirza were clinical in disposing of Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy and Israel's Andy Ram 6-3 6-1 in 55 minutes on Rod Laver Arena to seal their maiden mixed doubles title as a team.

It is 34-year-old Bhupathi's 11th grand slam doubles title, seven of which have come in mixed.

It made amends for his defeat on Saturday when he and Mark Knowles of the Bahamas lost to Americans Bob and Mike Bryan in the men's doubles final.

Bhupathi and 22-year-old Mirza broke Dechy's serve in the opening set, then broke their rivals twice in the second - Bhupathi dominant at the net throughout. =

AAP

Sania Mirza Mahesh Bhupathi
Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi

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February 3rd 2009 @ 06:10

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Bob And Mike Bryan Third Australian Open Doubles Title

Americans Bob and Mike Bryan claimed their third Australian Open men's doubles title closing in further on two longstanding records held by great Australian pairing Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.

The 2-6 7-5 6-0 victory over India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles from the Bahamas was the twins' seventh major title together, moving them to equal second behind only the Woodies with 11 from 1992-2000.

The Bryans have played in 14 grand slam deciders, only one less than Woodbridge and Woodforde.

Melbourne Park has long been a happy hunting ground for the Bryans, who have played in five of the last six finals at Melbourne Park.

But they started slowly dropping the first set in 27 minutes after Bob Bryan was broken twice.

Mike Bryan Bob Bryan Mahesh Bhupathi Mark Knowles
Mike Bryan, Bob Bryan, Mahesh Bhupathi, Mark Knowles


The second set was a much tighter affair, with the only break coming in the 12th game when Knowles faltered, allowing the American pair to send the match into a decider.

The Americans dominated the third set, winning the match in one hour and 38 minutes.

The Bryans are one of seven men's doubles teams to have won each of the four majors at least once.

Six of the other pairings are all-Australian including the Woodies, Lew Hoad/Ken Rosewall and John Newcombe/Tony Roche.

Bhupathi will get one more chance to take home some silverware from the 2009 Australian Open when he pairs with compatriot Sania Mirza in Sunday's mixed doubles final against Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram from Israel.

AAP
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February 3rd 2009 @ 05:44

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Yuki Bhambri Wins Boys Singles Title At Australian Open

Top seed Yuki Bhambri became India's first Australian Open boys champion after breezing past Germany's Alexandros-Ferdinandos Georgoudas in Saturday's final.

The 16-year-old from New Delhi took just 57 minutes to win 6-3 6-1, with Georgoudas struggling to win a point on the Indian's serve, while having his own serve broken twice in each set.

It continued a fine record for Bhambri at Melbourne Park.

His previous best junior grand slam performance came at last year's Australian Open, when he lost in a semi-final to Australia's Bernard Tomic, who went on to win the event.

"Winning the Australian Open is obviously a very big achievement, regardless of being the first Indian,'' Bhambri said.

"I dreamed of winning it, and it's come true.''

Yuki Bhambri and Alexandros-Ferdinandos Georgoudas
Alexandros-Ferdinandos Georgoudas and Yuki Bhambri


He said one of the toughest aspects of the match had been overcoming his nerves in playing on Rod Laver Arena.

"I was actually quite nervous in the beginning, that was the first time actually playing on such a huge stadium,'' he said.

"You don't (normally) get opportunities like this to play. As the game and match progressed I felt much more comfortable over there.''

In the boys' doubles final, the Philippines' Francis Casey Alcantara and Taiwan's Cheng-Peng Hsieh combined to down Russian Mikhal Biryukov and Japan's Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-4 6-2.

AAP
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February 3rd 2009 @ 05:30

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Ksenia Pervak Wins Australian Open Girls' Singles Title

Ksenia Pervak continued the strong performance by Russian females at the Australian Open by taking out the girls' singles title.

Pervak, 17, comfortably beat Melbourne-born British 15-year-old Laura Robson 6-3 6-1 in the final.

Robson has been the subject of much hype in England after winning the junior Wimbledon title as a 14-year-old last year, the youngest winner of that event since Swiss great Martina Hingis in 1994.

But she was no match for fellow hard-hitting left-hander Pervak, holding her serve just twice in the match as the Russian raced to victory.

The win by the third seed suggests the heavy quota of Russians at the top of the women's game is not about to drop.

Ksenia Pervak and Laura Robson
Ksenia Pervak and Laura Robson


There were eight Russian seeds in the women's singles draw at Melbourne Park this fortnight, three of them reaching the semi-finals, with Dinara Safina in Saturday night's final against American Serena Williams.

Meanwhile, American Christina McHale and Croatia's Ajla Tomljanovic beat Serbia's Alexandra Krunic and Poland's Sandra Zaniewska 6-1 2-6 10-4 in the girls' doubles final.

AAP
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February 3rd 2009 @ 05:20

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Rafael Nadal Triumphs In Australian Open Classic

Rafael Nadal produced a win of magnificence in a match worthy of its history-making billing to become the first Spaniard to win the Australian Open.

In overwhelming Federer 7-5 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 6-2, he prevented Roger Federer from joining Pete Sampras in the history books as a holder of a record 14 grand slam titles in an epic lasting 4 1/2 hours.

Adding further significance to the effort, the six-time grand slam champion claimed his first grand slam on hardcourt. Given his dominance on clay having claimed the past four French Opens and his success at Wimbledon over Federer in another epic last year, it is not beyond the realms to suggest it is possible he can become only the second man to win the Grand Slam.

It will further the heartbreak for Federer, whose own attempt at joining Rod Laver was twice denied when he was unable to beat Nadal at Roland Garros but claimed the other three titles in 2006 and 2007. After the match Federer broke down in tears as he received his runner's up trophy from one of his heroes, Rod Laver.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer Australian Open 2009


Nadal's effort to position himself is extraordinary, for this was a final played at a heavenly level.

Only two nights earlier Nadal had conquered Fernando Verdasco in the longest-match ever played at Melbourne Park, an epic that greats such as Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall conceded was as fine as they had witnessed.

They may need to reconsider. Perfection must be the only word capable of describing some of the points played last night in front of a record crowd of 22,098, with more than 7000 fans jamming the outside area to watch on the big screen.

The pair's last grand slam outing came in a Wimbledon final labelled one of the greatest ever witnessed.

This was certainly the best seen here, even given the fine nature of Mats Wilander's victory over Pat Cash in the first final played on Rod Laver Arena in 1988, the only prior championship decider to reach five sets.

Tennis is often compared to a boxing encounter, such is the individual focus of the encounter, and the two foes would rival any adversary to have played the sport.

Whenever Federer was on the ropes, he would produce a counter-punch of magnificent proportions. Witness his level initially to finally find a path through Nadal's defence to level the match at a set-all with a blistering forehand.

To somehow overcome the emotional fatigue after conceding a break point at 2-all in the fourth set that one keen observer labelled among the best in tennis history, such was the breadth of court covered, the contrast and absurdity of every shot played, the sheer perfection of placement and movement with the match in the balance that ended with Nadal whipping a forehand winner up the line.

Nadal in a corner? It provoked effectively the response of a red-rag waved at a bull.

Despite the marathon encounter of two nights earlier, the conquistador of the Swiss master showed no signs of fatigue entering the fifth set with the final verging on four hours, rattling his opponent with his sustained brilliance to move to a 4-1 lead, an advantage he held to the end despite Federer staving off two match points with a boldness befitting the match.

This was more than a slug-fest, though the power and brutality of shot and movement were evident throughout. The inexhaustible belief in their own ability to succeed regardless of the situation is testament to mental powers more than remarkable.

For Nadal it was his ability to stand when the exhaustion of Friday night should have been apparent at the beginning of the fifth set. For Federer it was his ability to overcome early problems on serve. Nerves were apparent in his opening game as he dropped with a series of shanked groundstrokes.

While still playing extremely well, he still faltered four times in his opening nine service games, though this was more due to the elite level of Nadal's play than any real weakness of his own.

But when the world No.2 made the serve, he won four of every five points compared to Nadal's three from five by midway through the third set. It was a set that had to rate among the best played at the venue.

Leading 4-3 in the set Nadal showed signs of fatigue and sought help from the trainer - commentator Jim Courier commenting that he could not remember it happening previously to the Spaniard - and when play resumed it was Federer who further upped the pace, holding easily initially on serve before moving to three break points for a chance to serve for a two sets to one lead at 5-4.

Yet the first went with a crosscourt backhand winner. The second saved with a ferocious off forehand for the same result. A dumped forehand off a second serve from Federer surrendered the advantage.

A champion earns that tag as much for their resilience as their brilliance and Nadal, who claimed the game, is the definition.

The Australian
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February 2nd 2009 @ 05:04

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Australian Open Wheelchair Players Burnt And Blistered

Australian Open wheelchair stars are battling hand burns and blisters from red-hot metal rims and rubber tyres.

With temperatures topping 43C for a third consecutive day, disabled players have been going through the motions on outdoor courts until play is halted.

Australia's former world No.1 Daniela Di Toro said her skin scorched on almost molten metal.

"It's full-on," she told the Herald Sun of the conditions, saying some wheelchair tyres burst or ruptured in the heat.

She added that her fingers could rest on the wheelchair's aluminium rim for only a fraction of a second. Even the tyres are too hot to handle more than momentarily.

Daniela Di Toro Australian Open 2009
Daniela Di Toro


"You've got the direct heat overhead as well as radiant heat all around you that has been absorbed by the court and your chair, and it really is extremely full-on."

Melbourne is in the grip of its worst heatwave in a century, with the scorching temperatures causing train tracks to buckle and power grids to crash.

Agence France-Presse
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February 1st 2009 @ 14:14

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Serena Williams Wins Australian Open

Serena Williams set her sights on a second career grand slam after climbing another rung on the ladder of tennis greatness with a devastating victory over Dinara Safina in the Australian Open final.

Williams overwhelmed Safina 6-0 6-3 in 59 minutes to regain the world No 1 ranking and become just the seventh woman in history to accrue 10 majors.

In edging past Monica Seles, Williams now trails only legendary Australian Margaret Smith Court (24), Steffi Graf (22), Helen Wills Moody (19), Martina Navratilova (18), Chris Evert (18) and her American idol Billie Jean King (12) on the all-time grand slam leaderboard.

While the 27-year-old concedes Court's benchmark tally is probably out of reach, holding all four of the sport's major trophies simultaneously, as she did in 2002-03, is not.

With the US and Australian championships now tucked away, the American needs to win a second French Open this year and then Wimbledon for a third time to achieve the rare feat.

Serena Williams Australian Open 2009


"The Serena Slam is something I'd like to do again," Williams said after her fourth Open triumph.

"With Dinara playing, and some of the girls, it's going to be tough. But I'm in for the challenge."

Williams's dream victory over Safina proved the Russian's worst nightmare.

The 22-year-old had high hopes of atoning for her French Open final loss last year to Ana Ivanovic and joining her brother Marat, the 2005 men's champion, in winning the Open.

Had she done so, they would have been the first brother-sister combination to reach world No 1 and also the first brother-sister act to each snare a major.

But she was never in the hunt.

"I was just a ball boy on the court today," Safina said, conceding she suffered stage fright yet again, this time because the top ranking was on the line.

"It was first time for me to play not only for the grand slam, but also for No.1 spot. I never been through this situation, and she was already," Safina said.

"She was much more times in this situation. She was much more experienced than I was."

The first set was a total wipeout, over after 22 minutes with the awesome Williams not conceding one single point on serve.

Safina, on the other hand, coughed up three double-faults, including one on break point, to drop her very first serve.

The third seed was broken twice more in the fourth and sixth games and managed to win a meagre eight points for the set.

With Williams a perfect 44-0 in grand slam matches - and 34-0 at Melbourne Park - after taking the opening set, the writing was on the wall for Safina.

Despite breaking Williams in the first game of the second set with a screaming backhand return winner, Safina handed the break straight back.

Worse was to come when the overawed Russian double-faulted to drop serve yet again to fall behind 3-1 and, when Williams held for 4-1, it was all but over.

Safina eventually surrendered with a missed drop shot, effectively handing Williams her 33rd career title.

Already women's sport's highest-ever prize money winner, with $33.73 million in earnings, Williams collected another $2 million for her latest triumph.

Safina walked away with a cool $1 million for her fortnight's work.

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February 1st 2009 @ 06:37

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Rafael Nadal Through To Final

World No 1 Rafael Nadal has entered the record books after claiming his maiden Australian Open men's singles final berth with victory in the longest match in tournament history.

Nadal advanced to Sunday night's final against Roger Federer with a five-hour and 14-minute semi-final win over No.14 seed Fernando Verdasco, the Spaniards trading blows into early Saturday morning on Rod Laver Arena before the No.1 seed triumphed 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-2) 6-7 (1-7) 6-4.

The previous longest match at the Open was the third-round match between Boris Becker and Omar Camporese in 1991, which lasted five hours and 11 minutes.

Cruelly, the semi-final ended with a Verdasco double fault, an ill-fitting end to a classic.

The players matched each other in intensity and shot-making throughout - the game turning on a handful of points as winners were brilliant and plentiful while errors, double faults and service breaks were few,

Rafael Nadal Australian Open 2009


Verdasco produced 95 winners in his first grand slam semi-final - nearly double the total of Nadal - but his more highly ranked compatriot, crucially, played his best tennis on the big points while Verdasco committed 76 unforced errors to his opponent's 25.

"Tennis is like that sometimes," Verdasco said.

"What can you do? Both of us had a lot of chances."

Nadal expressed relief as his dominant emotion after the match.

"Right now I feel happy more than tired," Nadal said.

"It was amazing to play this match.

"I think I was good mentally, believing in victory. But he was very tough. He served unbelievable, he plays unbelievable."

Nadal looked set to steamroll his opponent when he broke serve early in the third set, but Verdasco lifted where others in this tournament had laid down to be speedbumps for Nadal, who had not previously dropped a set at Melbourne Park this year.

Verdasco broke back immediately, and he clawed back to square things up once more after Nadal had broken again to go 4-2 up.

Nadal steamed to a 7-2 win in the tiebreak, but still the world No.1 couldn't shake his fellow countryman from his rear-view mirror.

Both players held serve throughout the fourth set before Verdasco dominated the tiebreak, reeling off five winners to the deciding fifth set.

Verdasco was philosophical about his defeat, which ended a breakthrough tournament in which he eliminated Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

"I need to be proud of the tournament, the level I played tonight," Verdasco said.

"We both played unbelievable.

"In five sets, he is one of the toughest players and I was there all the time. I will have this match with me for the rest of my life."

Nadal's victory sets up a dream final against Federer.

The great rivals have fought out six of the past 11 grand slam finals, with Nadal holding a 4-2 edge over Federer in the deciders.

Nadal took Federer's long-held world No.1 ranking and Wimbledon crown last year, and the Spaniard will chase his first hardcourt grand slam title as Federer seeks a record-equalling 14th grand slam singles trophy.

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January 31st 2009 @ 14:24

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Venus And Serena Williams Win Women's Doubles Title

For Team Williams, eight is not enough. Venus believes the on-court teamwork with sister Serena has evolved and there will be plenty more titles to add to the eighth grand slam women's doubles championship they sealed at the Australian Open.

Three of those titles have come at Melbourne Park; the latest as the pair made short work of Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova and Ai Sugiyama of Japan in straight sets to add to their 2001 and 2003 Australian doubles crowns.

Combining ahead of Serena's singles final on Saturday night, the American siblings were dominant winning 6-3 6-3 in one hour and 16 minutes.

But scarily for those women hoping to find a safe harbour in doubles away from the powerhouse sister act, Venus said their game was getting better and they planned to play more doubles at this year's remaining grand slams.

“When we first started playing we thought we knew each other so well we didn't need to talk between points,'' Venus said.

Williams Sisters Australian Open 2009


“Someone told us we needed to talk more, tell each other where we were going to serve, how we were going to play.

“We're definitely better at that now.

“We complement each other because we're both extremely positive. We know when the other one moves, what the other one needs to do.

“If we keep playing (doubles together), we can keep getting titles.''

Both were in crushing touch at the net, helping them cruise to the first set in 38 minutes inside an air-conditioned Rod Laver Arena keeping out temperatures that touched 45 degrees.

But they had to work a little harder in the second - a set featuring six breaks of serve in nine games.

Enter Serena, whose volleying ramped up as they broke Sugiyama's serve to grab a 4-3 lead, then sealed the championship by breaking Hantuchova.

Serena takes on Russian Dinara Safina in the women's singles final on Saturday night and believes Friday's hit-out will help her for that match.

“I love to play doubles. It's great practice, it's great fun, I've got a great partner. It definitely helps my singles,'' she said.

AAP
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January 31st 2009 @ 13:47

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Roger Federer Through To Australian Open Final

Roger Federer took another giant stride towards immortality with an at-times breathtaking Australian Open semi-final win over Andy Roddick at Melbourne Park on Thursday night.

Federer outgunned Roddick 6-2 7-5 7-5 to edge one tantalising victory away from equalling Pete Sampras's all-time record of 14 grand slam titles.

“I thought that I played really solid out there. I thought the level was high throughout the match,'' said the Swiss, who had the bad-tempered Roddick at his mercy from the first set.

Federer will meet either world No.1 Rafael Nadal or Fernando Verdasco in the decider with the two Spaniards playing their semi-final on Friday.

Knowing the fiercely competitive Federer, he will be hoping it is Nadal who joins him for his date with destiny on Sunday night.

The two great rivals have fought out six of the past 11 grand slam finals, with Nadal holding a 4-2 edge in major deciders.

Roger Federer Australian Open 2009


Who better for Federer to conquer than the man who stole his long-held top ranking and Wimbledon crown from him last year.

“People sort of forgot about him leading up to the Australian Open,'' Federer said of Nadal.

“But he's showing why he's the best player in the world. I would love to play him in the final, that's for sure.''

Despite another loss to his arch-rival, Roddick said he hoped to use the good form he has shown here as a springboard for the year.

“Hopefully I can build on this a bit. If I keep it going I should have a better year than the last couple,'' he said.

Federer, a beaten semi-finalist at last year's Open as he suffered unknowingly from mononucleosis - a debilitating virus similar to glandular fever - has played like a man on a mission at Melbourne Park this year.

After clawing back from two sets down against Tomas Berdych in the fourth round, the second seed destroyed Juan Martin del Potro 6-3 6-0 6-0 in the quarter-finals before setting his sights on Sampras and 14-times major golf champion Tiger Woods.

A good friend of Federer's, Woods has been in regular text contact with the Swiss superstar during the Open.

"He's happy for me that I'm doing well. He loves when I dominate so he's hopefully pumped up for me," Federer said.

"So hopefully I can equal his 14, and Pete's 14 as well."

It seems only Nadal can stop him.

Contesting his 19th consecutive grand slam semi-final - another of his countless records - Federer at times toyed with Roddick.

He nabbed the first set with two easy service breaks in just 32 minutes and yet was even more comfortable in the second, despite almost being pushed into a tiebreaker.

The three-times champion conceded a meagre three points in six service games for the set and took a stranglehold on the match when he pocketed the set on a Roddick backhand error.

Growing increasingly frustrated as his title hopes slipped further and further away, Roddick engaged in a running battle with chair umpire Enric Molina and, at one stage after disagreeing with a call, told the Spanish official to "have some sack, dude".

His taunt, though, and anything else he tried, didn't work as Federer struck again with another demoralising 11th-game break in the third set to complete his 16th job on Roddick in two hours and seven minutes.

AAP
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January 30th 2009 @ 13:23

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Dinara Safina Into Australian Open Final

American Serena Williams will clash with Russian Dinara Safina in Saturday night's Australian Open women's final.

Safina beat fellow-Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-3 7-6 to book her place in the showdown.

Safina, who defeated Australia's Jelena Dokic in a memorable quarter-final, began strongly against Zvonareva, breaking serve in the opening game and taking the first set with two further service breaks.

The pair traded breaks in the second set until they levelled at 6-6.

Safina ran up two match points and took the semi with a sizzling cross-court passing shot after surviving a challenge from Zvonareva.

The third seed, 22-year-old Safina's best previous grand slam performance was last year when she finished runner-up to Ana Ivanovic in the French Open.

Dinara Safina Australian Open 2009


She has given herself the chance of emulating older brother Marat in winning the Australian Open.

"I remember watching my brother on TV winning this tournament, and if I still watched it today I would have tears in my eyes," she said.

"It's great that I can follow in his footsteps. He was my idol - he still is my idol - and the fact that I'm doing as well as him is amazing."

If Safina wins she will also take over from Jelena Jankovic as the world No.1, as will Williams if she wins.

AAP
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January 30th 2009 @ 13:17

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Serena Williams Into Fourth Australian Open Final

Australian Open No 2 seed Serena Williams is into her fourth Australian Open final following a straight sets win over Elena Dementieva.

Williams defeated Russia’s Dementieva 6-3 6-4 in 99 minutes.

Williams previously won the Open in 2003, 2005 and 2007 and now has the chance to take her 10th grand slam title.

The pair went into the match with Williams holding a 4-3 win-loss record but Dementieva had won the past three meetings, including their semi-final in Sydney this year.

The American gained the sole service break in the eighth game of the first set when the Russian returned a shot wide down the line.

She held match point in the next game and clinched the set when Dementieva's drop shot attempt flopped.

Serena Williams Australian Open 2009


Dementieva was poised to level the score when she racd to a 3-0 lead in the second set before Williams broke back to trail 2-3 on the back of consecutive double faults from the Russian.

A further break to Dementieva saw the games levelled at 4-4 before the American retrieved it to lead 5-4 and clung on to take the match.

Williams will face the winner of the second semi-final between Russians Vera Zvonareva and Dinara Safina.

AAP
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January 30th 2009 @ 12:59

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Rafael Nadal Defeats Gilles Simon

World No 1 Rafael Nadal set up an all-Spanish semi-final clash with Fernando Verdasco after continuing his impressive march through the Australian Open.

Nadal kept alive his record of winning every set he has played in this year's tournament, as he bulldozed past French sixth seed Gilles Simon 6-2 7-5 7-5.

His win ended what had been a highly-rated French challenge at the event, with Simon the last of five men's seeds from his country to fall, following Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's loss to Verdasco earlier in the day.

Having conceded a total of just 28 games in his previous four matches, Nadal looked on track to steamroll Simon in similar fashion in the first set.

He broke the Frenchman in the opening game of the match, then held his own serve to love to quickly assert his dominance, racing through the set with little pressure.

Rafael Nadal Australian Open 2009
Rafael Nadal


Simon's steady baseline tennis looked inadequate in the face of Nadal's superior consistency and power from the back of the court.

The pattern continued when the Spaniard picked up an early break of serve in the second set.

But Simon lifted his game, showing more adventure with his groundstrokes to pull off several fine winners and finally put Nadal under some pressure.

The Frenchman broke Nadal's serve to level at 2-2, then held his next three service games with little trouble to take a 5-4 lead.

With Nadal serving to stay in the set, Simon earned himself a set point with a crisp backhand winner, the first set point the world No.1 had faced in the tournament.

But the top seed stood firm, firing down a big first serve to stave off that challenge and help him level the set at 5-5.

He then turned the tables on Simon, breaking serve in the next game, setting up break point with the shot of the match, a forehand winner down the line played at a sprint from way out of court.

It proved the contest's critical moment, as Nadal followed his break by convincingly serving out the next game to take a two sets to love lead and an iron grip on the contest.

While Simon again forced Nadal to the wire in the third set, the Frenchman again faltered in the penultimate game.

A double-fault then an unforced error set up two break points, with the Spaniard clinching the second before serving out the match to love.

AAP
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January 29th 2009 @ 12:51

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Fernando Verdasco downs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Spaniard Fernando Verdasco has won a place in the Australian Open semi-finals with a hard-fought victory over French ace Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Another outstanding serving display took Verdasco to his first grand slam semi-final.

In an upset result, 14th seed Verdasco beat the fifth-seeded Tsonga 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-3 6-2.

Having led his country in the absence of Rafael Nadal to victory over Argentina in Davis Cup last year, Verdasco now has the chance to register another upset in the semis where he could face the world No.1.

Verdasco looked to be in full control at the end of the first-set tiebreak only to drop serve in the sixth game of the second thanks to a fundamental volleying error.

Fernando Verdasco Australian Open 2009
Fernando Verdasco


He failed to recover from the setback, allowing Tsonga to level the score.

But Verdasco then outplayed the Frenchman who had been runner-up in last year's championship.

He will play the winner of Wednesday night's semi-final between Rafael Nadal and Gilles Simon.

AAP
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January 29th 2009 @ 12:42

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Serena Williams Beats Svetlana Kuznetsova

Serena Williams came back from the brink to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5 5-7 6-1 in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, ensuring the women's semis would not be an all-Russian affair.

The eighth-seeded Kuznetsova served for the match in the 10th game of the second set but was broken by Williams, who is chasing a fourth title at Melbourne Park.

The American No.2 seed duly broke again in the 12th game to push the match into a decider, demoralising the Russian who had looked so impressive in the first set which was played under a blazing sun.

But with the tournament's Extreme Heat Policy being invoked during the match, the final two sets were played with the roof closed on Rod Laver Arena.

Williams said the conditions were so extreme during the first set it felt like "an out of body experience".

Serena Williams Australian Open 2009
Serena Williams


"I was in a lot of trouble today but I really wanted to relax and just go three sets ... that's when I play my best,'' she said.

The match lasted for two hours and three minutes, with Williams winning 10 of the last 11 games.

Kuznetsova handled the heat better but could not cope with the pressure generated by the nine-time Grand Slam champion, failing at crucial moments in the match.

The Russian was angry that they were ordered off court for the roof to be shut while she had a grip on the match.

"Yeah, I was definitely angry. Why should I not be? The game was going my way," said the 2004 US Open champion.

"I'm fine playing without the roof, I think the guys on Tuesday, it was the same weather. Everybody was playing with the roof open. Why today did they have to close it? I didn't get it.

"That's why I was angry."

Williams' semi-final opponent will be another Russian, No 4 seed Elena Dementieva, who outclassed unseeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 6-2 earlier on Wednesday.

The other semi will be an all-Russian clash between third seed Dinara Safina and No 7 Vera Zvonareva.

AAP
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January 29th 2009 @ 12:31

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Elena Dementieva Defeats Suarez Navarro

Russian Elena Dementieva advanced to the Australian Open semi-finals with a dominant 6-2 6-2 win over Spanish surprise-packet Carla Suarez Navarro.

Dementieva, 27, had never been past the fourth round of the Open in 10 previous attempts.

But she underlined why she was one of the pre-tournament favourites with her straight sets demolition of the unseeded Spaniard in temperatures reaching 39.5 C.

"There were a couple of hot days up in Sydney but it gets much hotter on the centre court so I'm glad to have won in two sets,'' she said.

Suarez Navarro caused one of the shocks of the tournament when she dumped Venus Williams in the second round, but she could not repeat that type of form against an opponent who remains unbeaten in three tournaments this year.

Suarez Navarro, 20, won the toss and chose to serve first, but she started nervously and was broken immediately by the fourth seed.

Elena Dementieva Australian Open 2009
Elena Dementieva


Dementieva then broke again in the third game and after 20 minutes the Russian had a 4-0 lead.

Suarez Navarro had her first game point of the match at 40-30 in the fifth and managed to hang on to get on the scoreboard.

That seemed to give her some confidence and she began to find the range with her ground strokes which had caused so much damage in her win over Williams.

She had break points in the next game, which lasted an incredible 19 minutes, but she couldn't convert and any chance of getting back into the set was gone.

The players then took a 10-minute heat break and when they came back on Dementieva broke Suarez Navarro to get the perfect start to the second set.

Suarez Navarro had three chances to break back in the next game but Dementieva unleashed some big serves to cancel them out and open up a 2-0 lead.

The Spaniard held her next serve but was broken again in the fifth game, Dementieva then holding on for a comfortable win in one hour, 35 minutes.
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January 29th 2009 @ 12:22

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Roger Federer Reaches Semi-finals

Roger Federer has demolished Juan Martin del Potro 6-3 6-0 6-0 to reach the Australian Open semi-finals and move within two wins of a record-equalling 14th grand slam title.

Three-time Australian Open champion Federer outplayed the world No 6 to make his 19th consecutive Major semi-final, where he will meet Andy Roddick.

"I didn't expect a result like this, this is not usual," Federer said.

"I don't think Juan Martin was at his very best tonight, otherwise it would have been much closer."

Federer was taken to five sets by Tomas Berdych in the previous round but he was immediately comfortable against del Potro, taking a break to lead the first set 3-1 and then the stanza by wrong-footing the towering Argentine on the baseline.

The Swiss was firing and he dropped a sharply spinning backhand and a classy half-volley for the first break in the second bracket, then faked a drop shot for set points which he converted with an ace.

Roger Federer Australian Open 2009
Roger Federer


The exhibition display turned embarrassing as Federer claimed a 4-0 lead in the third set, for the loss of just two points, and the Swiss closed out the match in just one hour and 20 minutes.

"When all of a sudden it clicks, it's a nice feeling," Federer said.

"I tried out a few things and they all seemed to work. He goes down and I go up the difference is huge sometimes."

Del Potro was unbeaten this year after winning the ATP Tour Heineken Open in Auckland, and he was appearing in his second successive grand slam quarter-final.

The Argentine was the youngest player to reach the Australian Open last eight since Richard Krajicek in 1992.

Agence France-Presse
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January 28th 2009 @ 12:09

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Jelena Dokic Loses To Dinara Safina

Jelena Dokic's dream run at the Australian Open has come to an end, Dinara Safina winning their quarter-final 6-4 4-6 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena.

Dokic, bidding to become the lowest-ranked grand slam champion in history, put up an almighty fight before losing losing to the world No 3 from Russia in two hours and 19 minutes.

Dokic was philosphical after the defeat, saying she had proved she could again match the best players in the world.

"I played three sets with the No.3 player in the world, so everything is positive," she said.

"It's a little bit disappointing.

"I had some chances, even in that third set, and couldn't hold my serve. Had a lot of game points in each game.

Dinara Safina
Dinara Safina


"Sometimes things go your way, and sometimes they don't. There's nothing to be disappointed about.

"I have to take all the positives and negatives out of today and really learn for the rest of the year about what I will do differently in a match like that."

Safina apologised to the crowd for eliminating Australia's newly rediscovered sporting heroine.

"Sorry I have to defeat today your Australian," she said.

"I hope you'll be behind me next time, I'm sorry."

Safina said she had faced a challenge in combatting both Dokic and the parochial crowd.

"Of course it's not easy but I hope from today and next match I'll have more crowd behind my back."

While Safina progressed to a semi-final against No.7 seed Vera Zvonareva, her fellow Russian who defeated Marion Bartoli in the quarter-finals earlier on Tuesday, Australia's born-again baseliner can look forward to a bright new future after a spectacular Open campaign.

In six heady days, and against all odds, world No.187 Dokic has ressurrected her career and restored order in her turbulent life with a series of emotional and lion-hearted displays - on and off the court.

Apart from being assured of a return to the world's top 100 for the first time since 2004, Dokic, 25, picks up a cheque for $182,500 - trebling her prizemoney earnings from the past three sorry seasons.

And Dokic can also expect all sorts of endorsement opportunities to come her way in the wake of her heroic exploits at Melbourne Park.

Above all, though, Dokic can continue her astonishing revival from tennis oblivion and battles with family estrangement and despression with newfound confidence and belief that she belongs among the sport's elite.

Dokic said she could not have imagined her year would start in such sensational fashion.

"A lot of things still haven't sunk in," she said.

"I couldn't have asked for anything more. Physically, I was not in my best shape. You cannot be after a three-year lay-off.

"But I played three sets with the No.3 player in the world. Everything is positive. I've had a great tournament.

"For me to get into a quarter-finals of a grand slam is a huge deal. I still think there's a lot of improvement."

Despite falling short of joining Jie Zheng, the Chinese player who reached the 2008 Wimbledon semi-finals, as only the second women's wildcard to reach the final four of a grand slam, Dokic won universal respect and reconnected with the Australian public for baring her soul to reveal the depths of her despair trying to cope as the daughter of "mad dad" Damir.

Contesting just her second major in five years, the former world No 4 and Wimbledon semi-finalist notched consecutive wins over top-20 rivals Anna Chakvetadze and Caroline Wozniacki and overcame injury to outlast No.29 seed Alisa Kleybanova to become the third-lowest ranked woman in 25 years to make the last eight at a slam.

Safina - who will rise to world No.1 if she lifts the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup in Melbourne - had to be at her best to finally stop Australia's comeback queen.

Dokic made a slow start, sending a backhand long to drop serve in the opening game of the match, but she didn't take long to strike back. Safina sprayed a forehand drive volley well wide to hand Dokic three break-back opportunities in the sixth game.

Dokic needed only two, with the Russian overcooking a backhand to concede the break back.

A forehand error from Dokic, though, gave Safina a second break for a 5-4 lead and the No 3 seed comfortably served out to the set to love.

Dokic raised hopes of another plucky comeback win when Safina nervously coughed up successive double-faults to gift the Australian the second set.

Safina regained her nerve to break in the opening game of the deciding set, but Dokic refused to surrender and she broke back for 4-4 only to send a forehand long to hand the break straight back.

The Russian then had to stave off two more break points to finally put Dokic out.

Safina did not expect she would have much trouble regaining her energy for the semi-final against Zvonareva, despite her fellow Russian having had a much quicker quarter-final.

"If I had played during the day with the heat then it's different, but I played at night," she said.

"I hope it's going to be a good match that we both enjoy and the crowd enjoys and whoever deserves to win wins."

AAP
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January 28th 2009 @ 11:53

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Andy Roddick Through As Novak Djokovic Quits

Defending champion Novak Djokovic has quit the Australian Open, retiring from his quarter-final against Andy Roddick on Tuesday.

Djokovic, the No 3 seed, from Serbia, was trailing the No 7 seed, from the United States, 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-2 2-1 when he quit the match, after two-and-a-half hours, suffering from heat stress in the furnace-like conditions on Rod Laver Arena.

The Serb has quit mid-match during the latter stages of a grand slam tournament twice before. First in the 2006 French Open quarter-finals and also the 2007 Wimbledon semi-finals, against Rafael Nadal on both occasions. Extreme heat was not an issue on thoses occasions.

"People could see that I was struggling with movement, the main reason is cramping and soreness in the whole body," Djokovic said, adding that organisers had to look again at their heat policy.

Andy Roddick Australian Open 2009


"That's something we have to discuss in the future. Of course, it's concerning a lot of players.

"As a tournament or as a tennis fan, you don't want to see a player retiring. You didn't pay a ticket to come to see somebody retiring the match."

Djokovid denied, however, that he had quit too early on Tuesday.

"It's easy for you to say," he said.

"If you come into my body then I'll be more than happy to hear what you think about playing ... there is absolutely no question about whether I have motivation and will and desire to continue the match and defend my title.

"There is absolutely no doubt that I have it to me. My mind wanted me to continue on.

"I could have stopped even before, at the end of the second set, because I felt really bad.

"I continued on playing, thinking that something could help me out, maybe a treatment and things like that."

Djokovic gave little indication of his problems to come during the early stages of the match, but he started looking towards the players' box at the start of the third set and soon called for a medical time out to have his legs iced.

He returned to the match, but he looked lethargic and eventually talked to the doctor once more before deciding that he couldn't continue.

Roddick, who became more dominant as the match progressed, was unaware that Djokovic was suffering physical problems until his opponent first called for the trainer.

"When you know he's hurting, all you want to do is just deliver that knockout blow," the American said.

"You don't want to keep playing the game of wondering if he's going to do it or not or if he's close.

"Only he really knows.

"At that point, you don't want to see anybody go out, but I was happy that I was able to get the last break in there, the last blow."

The temperature reached the high 30s in Melbourne on Tuesday, but conditions are expected to become even more brutal with the mercury tipped to exceed 40C through the remainder of the tournament.

The first set went to a tiebreak, with neither player offering a break point in the opening 12 games, but Djokovic raced to a 4-0 lead in the breaker, courtesy of four successive forehand winners, and he held sway to win it 7-3.

Roddick earned the first break point of the match in the seventh game of the second set, and he converted and went on to level the match at one set all.

Roddick then dominated the third set, breaking serve three times to take a stranglehold on the match.

Roddick broke again in the third game of the fourth set in what turned out to be the last game of the match,

Roddick refused to criticise Djokovic's decision to end the match early, and he denied it had robbed him of any glory.

"It is what it is - that's sports, that's what makes it fun," he said.

"There's no script.

"I'm extremely satisfied with what I've done so far in this tournament.

"How you get there is details."

The American now advances to his first grand slam semi-final in two years, where he will play Swiss superstar Roger Federer or Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro.

Agence France-Presse
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January 28th 2009 @ 11:42

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Vera Zvonareva Into Semi-finals Of Australlian Open

Vera Zvonareva,described as a "ball machine", has reached the Australian Open semi-finals with a crushing 6-3 6-0 win over Marion Bartoli in searing conditions at Melbourne Park.

Zvonareva kept her cool after trailing 3-1 in the first set to win 11 successive games as Bartoli wilted in the heat.

“I like it when it's warm, so it's perfect for me," Zvonareva said of the conditions, which left Bartoli bent double and sucking for breath in the second set.

The 23-year-old Russian has been in ominous form in reaching her first grand slam semi-final.

She is yet to drop a set in the tournament while holding her opponents to 6-0 in four of the 10 sets she has contested.

Vera Zvonareva Australian Open 2009
Vera Zvonareva


Her ability to deal with the testing conditions proved crucial against Bartoli, who could not find the red-hot form with which she ousted world No 1 Jelena Jankovic.

“It was a great match for me today because Marion is a very, very good player so I'm happy about that," Zvonareva said.

“I was trying to execute my shots and cut down on the unforced errors a lot, I think that helped me."

Zvonareva now faces the winner of the quarter-final clash between Australia's Jelena Dokic and Russian Dinara Safina.

Bartoli, a Wimbledon finalist in 2007, came out swinging early in the match but her aggressive tactics proved unsuited to the hot conditions.

She drew first blood, taking advantage of a Zvonareva double fault and a rash of unforced errors from the Russian to go up a break in the first game.

Zvonareva, playing in only the second grand slam quarter-final of her career, managed to break back in the next.

But Bartoli, covering her head with a towel between games to provide some relief from the heat, lobbed an advancing Zvonareva on her way to another break.

The 23-year-old Frenchwoman surrendered the advantage three games later, committing two double faults and allowing Zvonareva to level the set at 3-3.

The Russian, who took a 6-1 winning record against Bartoli into the match, began to recover from her slow start, her penetrating ground-strokes finally finding their mark.

She gained the upper hand with another break to go up 5-3, sending down her first ace of the match in the next as she went on to serve out the set after 38 minutes.

The conditions took their toll on Bartoli in the second set and Zvonareva moved her around the court, breaking her three times as she raced to a 6-0 lead in just 30 minutes.

"I think she played just unbelievably well, she barely missed one ball after that," Bartoli said.

"I was hitting as hard as I could and she was always coming back with some better shots.

"Even when she was scrambling she was putting the ball just 10 centimetres from the baseline so I never had a look at a ball to see whether I could attack, or had some space into the court.

"It seems like she was reading my game like a book. It was just too good, she was just better than me, that's it.

"I think if she keeps playing like this, she can definitely win this tournament.

"She's really consistent from the baseline, she's almost like a ball machine - she puts it back at you all the time, with interest."

The Frenchwoman said the unflattering scoreline belied her own performance.

"I don't think it went badly," she said.

"I think she's just the better player. At a point you have to admit when someone just plays better than you."

Bartoli's only real complaint was about the scheduling, with her quarter-final played during the middle of the day when it was likely to be hotter than the night match between Dokic and Safina.
"It was quite, quite hot, I have to say it was definitely tough conditions," she said.

"I guess it's not the same to play like we played today and the other match is going to be held at 7.30pm . I don't think it's really fair to have one quarter-final played at 1pm, right in the middle of the heat, and one playing at 7.30pm, but I guess that's the way it is."

Zvonareva, meanwhile, said the key for her was eliminating her mistakes early.

"I really thought Marion was playing really well in the beginning and I made a few unforced errors so that's why I was down 3-1, but I was able to cut down on them and keep a good level of play throughout the whole match," Zvonareva said.

AAP
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January 27th 2009 @ 07:04

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Dellacqua Through To Australian Open Doubles Semis

Australia's Casey Dellacqua has won through to the Australian Open doubles semi-finals. Dellacqua and Italian Francesca Schiavone overcame a dramatic first set failure to beat German Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Swiss star Patty Schnyder 0-6 7-5 6-1 in their quarter-final.

Seeded 12th, Dellacqua and Schiavone were flat-footed in the first set but after levelling the match, found their rhythm and exploited Groenefeld and Schnyder's defensive game to break serve effortlessly in the deciding set.

The result went some way towards making up for Dellacqua's first round exit in the singles.

Casey Dellacqua Australian Open 2009
Casey Dellacqua


AAP
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January 27th 2009 @ 06:56

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Australian Open Stays At Melbourne Park Until 2036

The speculation can now stop. The future of the Australian Open in Melbourne is secure until 2036. With an exquisite piece of Australia Day timing, Victorian Premier John Brumby committed to a multi-million-dollar plan to keep the Open at Melbourne Park.

It is the most significant decision in the 104-year history of the championships.

The biggest tennis event in the southern hemisphere will stay where it belongs as Melbourne Park undergoes a dazzling revamp.

The Victorian Government has pledged $5million to develop a capital works program while the project itself is certain to run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

By completion, Melbourne Park will again stand alongside its grand slam cousins as a world-class arena. Once the envy of its older counterparts, Melbourne Park has become a victim of its own popularity and versatility.

Melbourne Park Australian Open
Melbourne Park


Wimbledon's protectors would sooner die than throw open its doors to rodeos, rock concerts or the Crusty Demons' motorbikes.

By design a multi-purpose venue, Melbourne Park has served the community well but successive regimes - Liberal and Labor - have watched it slowly decay.

Former premier John Cain will forever be hailed by the tennis community for his work to revive the Open when Kooyong had faded into grand slam redundancy. Mr Brumby was not prepared for Melbourne Park to suffer the same fate.

Neither was Tennis Australia.

And so, after three years of lobbying and negotiating, the best outcome has been achieved.

The Open will continue to be staged on the banks of the Yarra, one of the jewels in Melbourne's fabulous sporting precinct.

The tournament means too much to TA for it to be shunted either interstate or offshore.

And it is an economic colossus, as the Victorian Government well knows.

It was never going anywhere.
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January 27th 2009 @ 06:40

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Talk Of Lleyton Hewitt Relocating

Lleyton Hewitt is considering moving overseas, further dispelling rumours he is about to retire. Hewitt's manager David Drysdale confirmed Hewitt was investigating setting up a foreign base.

"We're trying to cut down on the amount of travel Lleyton has," Drysdale said.

"We're in discussions about setting up an overseas base for Lleyton, Bec and the children (Mia and Cruz).

"With Lleyton coming back from a hip injury and committed to a full schedule, it makes sense if he can spend less time travelling.

"He's such a family-orientated person and that's why he's always come back to Australia in between tournaments. If he had an overseas base, he could come home for a couple of days between tournaments to spend time with his family."

Lleyton Hewitt


Of all Australia's contemporary players, Hewitt is virtually the first not to live overseas - where the circuit is predominantly played.

Pat Rafter (Bermuda), Mark Philippoussis (US), Mark Woodforde (Monte Carlo), Darren Cahill (US), John Fitzgerald (US) and Todd Woodbridge (US) all had homes abroad.

Hewitt is likely to favour a move to the US because he is playing a high number of north American tournaments this season.

The former world champion will contest events in San Jose, Memphis, Indian Wells and Houston around Australia's Davis Cup tie with Thailand in March.

Drysdale said discussion over a new address for Hewitt was further proof of the US Open and Wimbledon winner's desire to continue in the sport.

"The retirement rumours are ridiculous," Drysdale said.

"Number one, he wouldn't have had the hip surgery.

"Number two, he wouldn't worked as hard as he did in December to get fit and back playing again.

"Number three, he wouldn't have the schedule he's got ahead of him.

"And, number four, he wouldn't be looking at relocation plans."

Daily Telegraph
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January 27th 2009 @ 04:35

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Into Quarter-finals At Australian Open

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga marched into the Australian Open quarter-finals with a comfortable straight sets win over James Blake at Rod Laver Arena on Monday night.

No 5 seed Tsonga, the losing finalist last year, defeated No 9 seed Blake, from the United States, 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in two hours and 24 minutes.

The Frenchman, known for his likeness to boxing legend Muhammad Ali, grabbed service breaks in the opening two games of the first two sets then saved two set points in the third to reclaim a service break and take the stanza to a tie-break.

Once there, Blake crumbled under a weight of unforced errors as Tsonga grabbed victory on his second match point.

"I think I'm playing better than last year," Tsonga said.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Australian Open 2009
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga


"I'm stronger maybe in my head, and it helps a lot."

Blake, 29, was furious with the defeat, which leaves him scratching around for a significant grand slam performance at the tail-end of his career.

"It's a little frustrating," Blake said.

"I didn't feel like I served well or returned well, otherwise it was OK. But those are pretty important bits of the game.''

An early break was enough for the first set and Tsonga applied the same strategy in the second, following up three deep backhands with a cute volley on set point for a 2-0 lead.

Blake earned his first break points of the match, after an intermission for Australia Day fireworks, and converted with a penetrating winner that left Tsonga flat-footed.

But he was then foiled twice when serving for the set, and Tsonga broke for 4-5 with a brilliantly anticipated volley and then a perfect forehand.

Blake, looking increasingly unhappy, was soon behind in an error-strewn tie-break, and Tsonga pummelled some big forehands for match point before sealing the verdict with an ace.

"This year it's a bit different because I have more experience now and I'm playing better," he said.

"I hope I'll get a better result."

Tsonga said that he had been distracted by the fireworks display.

"I was a bit stressed so it was difficult to serve just after the fireworks," he said.

"But I did the job in the end so I'm happy about that."

Tsonga next plays Fernando Verdasco, who produced the upset of the men's singles draw by knocking No.4 seed Andy Murray out of the tournament.

"That's a big surprise," Tsonga said.

"Andy was the best player at the end of last season and he's world No.4.

"But it's going to be tough against Fernando.

"He's a very good player, he's very confident in his game and it's going to be hard."

Agence France-Presse
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January 27th 2009 @ 03:12

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Rafael Nadal Beats Fernando Gonzalez To Reach Quarter-finals

World No 1 Rafael Nadal swept past Fernando Gonzalez into the Australian Open quarter-finals on Monday, saying he had never played so well at Melbourne Park. The No 1 seed, from Spain, dominated the 2007 finalist to win 6-3 6-2 6-4 and set up a meeting with Gilles Simon as he continues his bid for a first hard-court grand slam title.

Nadal, looking fit and revived after an extended off-season, has been in impeccable form, despite a slow start to the year, and he has not dropped a set en route to the last eight.

He said he was in better shape than last year, when he reached the semis for the first time before he was shocked by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

"Probably I am playing a little bit better than last year," he said.

"I'm not saying I'm going to be in the final or semi-finals. I think the feeling is a little bit better. But in the end the important thing is the result."

Rafael Nadal Australian Open 2009
Rafael Nadal


Nadal, capitalising on Gonzalez's four-hour marathon with Richard Gasquet on Saturday, raced through the first two sets in less than 40 minutes apiece, pushing the No.13 seed back to keep his giant forehand at bay.

Gonzalez mounted a brief revival in the third set, but Nadal hit back from 3-0 down and got the decisive break to lead 4-3 with a forehand into the corner.

"I am playing well, but you never know if it's going to be enough," Nadal said.

"So I hope to continue to play like this, and later we will see, because all the matches are very, very difficult.

"Today I had a very solid match from the baseline. I'm playing very good forehands, backhands and I'm improving as the tournament goes on.

"Maybe the only thing I can improve a little bit more for sure is the serve."

Gonzalez ousted Lleyton Hewitt in a five-set first-round match before Saturday's thrilling duel with Gasquet, when he took the 88-minute fifth set 12-10.

"Of course, I was tired," the Chilean said.

"But I don't think it's the reason. I was able to run. I was able to compete today. Maybe I didn't play my best tennis, but I can run."

Gonzalez, Instead, blamed the defeat on lost confidence.

"I didn't go to the net like I have to go against Rafael," he said.

"And when I went to the net, I lost a lot of confidence because I didn't finish the points like I normally would."

Agence France-Presse
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January 27th 2009 @ 02:51

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Fernando Verdasco To Quarter-finals, Andy Murray Out

Fernando Verdasco caused an Australian Open boilover on Monday, sending No 4 seed Andy Murray crashing with a 2-6 6-1 1-6 6-3 6-4 victory in the fourth round. Verdasco shrugged off a lightning start from Murray to and quieten the large crowd of British fans at Hisense Arena and qualify for his first grand slam quarter-final in 23 attempts.

Verdasco, the No 14 seed, was far steadier than Murray over the closing two sets, keeping his cool as the Scotsman became more and more frustrated.

Murray offered no excuses after his defeat, acknowledging that his opponent had been the superior player.

Murray was the No.4 and many people's favourite to win the Australian Open, and become Britain's first grand slam men's champion since Fred Perry won Wimbledon and the US Open in 1936, but he said he had been outplayed and outserved by Verdasco.

Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco


"I had my chances," Murray said.

"He served incredible in the fourth and fifth sets, so, you know, he deserves the credit for the win.

"I mean, even though I didn't play my best, in the second set and at the beginning of the fourth set, I had chances to get back into the fourth set . Also had a chance to go up in the fifth set.

"He served huge. He started serving like, 215 (km/h) plus on a lot of his first serves.

"The fourth set, I think he served like 93 per cent first serves.

"Sometimes you've just got to say too good and he played better than me."

Murray started the match in great fashion as he raced through the first set for the loss of just two games, and his supporters must have been anticipating another quick match.

But Verdasco, who won the crucial rubber that won Spain the 2008 Davis Cup against Argentina in Buenos Aires, showed he was made of stern stuff as he levelled the match twice, taking the second and fourth sets.

Verdasco, who recovered a 2-1 deficit to beat Jose Acasuso in five sets in Argentina, said that experience had changed him as a player, giving him a much greater belief in himself.

"I was really thinking, when I lost the third set, in that match, in the (Davis Cup) final, that I was the same, two sets to one down," Verdasco said.

"I was thinking that I can do it again. I just need to try my best."

Murray had the first chance to make the decisive move in the deciding set, when he had two break point chances in the sixth game, but Verdasco saved with some big serving to even the set up at 3-3.

Verdasco then pounced on loose serves to break Murray in the next game and take a 4-3 lead.

Murray held his next serve to give himself some hope, but there was no coming back when Verdasco got three match points.

The Briton saved the first two, but Verdasco served wide to Murray's backhand on the third, and the Scot could only put the ball into the net.

"When I did have the break points, I think he made a first serve on every one," Murray said.

"It's difficult to be defensive when that happens."

Agence France-Presse
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January 27th 2009 @ 01:38

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Gilles Simon Into Quarter-finals

Sixth seed Gilles Simon progressed to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open when opponent Gael Monfils withdrew with a wrist injury when Simon was leading 6-4 2-6 6-1.

Frenchman Simon will play Rafael Nadal for a place in the semi-finals.

Monfils showed his capabilities of in the second set, but the effort told in the third as he patted the ball around the court, releasing his grip on the racquet after each shot.

Monfils received treatment for the wrist problem during the third set, but it was all he could do to hit the ball.

"It was very hard for me because we are very close,'' Simon said. "I won today but it's not the way I wanted to win.''

Reaching the quarter-finals is easily the 24-year-old Simon's best grand slam result; he had never previously gone past the third round before.

Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon


The loss of No 12 seed Monfils has robbed the championship of one its most colourful and talented young players.

But it has also put another gifted Frenchman into his first grand slam quarter-final.

Simon had beaten three worthy opponents on his way to Monday's match, demonstrating why he is on the verge of a place in the world's top five.

"It happened during the game slowly," Monfils said of the injury.

"Then like when I really felt it when it was at 3-1 for Gilles (in the third set).

"I mean, it was maybe 3-0 on my serve, that service game, then I start to feel it like very heavy.

"Then I asked the the physio. I was thinking maybe it was in my head. Then I say, I feel it. I ask the physio and finish."

Both players know each other very well and it was apparent they were not playing their normal games.

"I can't win against him if I just play my game as usual, because he really likes to run right, left, right, left, every time," Simon said.

"It's just useless against him. That's why I just wanted to play slower than usual, just to try to attack then, because I wanted to change the pace.

"But, well, we just want to win the match, so I did what I had to do."
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January 27th 2009 @ 01:07

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova Gifted Australian Open Quarters Berths

SERENA Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova have been gifted an armchair ride to an Australian Open quarter-final against each other, their fourth-round opponents both retiring injured from their matches.

Kuznetsova, No 8 seed, from Russia, led No 22 seed Zheng Jie 4-1 in the fourth set when the Chinese, who had had her left wrist strapped early in the first set, was unable to continue.

The Russian said she felt in control of the match before Zheng pulled out, but she had sympathy for her opponent, whom she has defeated in both of their previous meetings.

"I felt sorry for her because she was in great shape," the Monte Carlo-based 23-year-old said.

"She was playing good. This pain, I hope, is not very dangerous."

Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Kuznetsova


Kuznetsova's appearance in the last eight equals her best performance at the Australian Open in 2005.

She was undaunted at the prospect of facing three-time Australian champion Williams, who is the bookies' favourite for this year's title.

"I don't think there is huge space between players in the top eight or top 10," the Russian said.

"I think everybody can win. It depends on the day. I'm just going to go out there and just play my same game.''

While the Russian was firmly in control of her match, Williams, was being given a torrid fight by Victoria Azarenka.

Williams, the No 2, from the United States, trailed 3-6 4-2 when Azarenka, the No.13 seed, from Belarus, retired with illness.

Azarenka, the 2005 Australian junior champion, had broken Williams twice to win the first set and was down a break in the second when she appeared to become distressed.

The Belarussian called for a medical time out to get attention at 2-3 in the second set, but she could barely stand up between points after returning to the court, and she eventually walked to the net in tears to concede the match.

Azarenka, 19, said that she had woken up ill and had been sick all day.

"I started really feeling sick in the morning," she said.

"I woke up at 6am and I was throwing up all the morning and just felt weak.

"Once I got to the court, I went to see the doctor. I felt a little bit better throughout the first set, a little bit of the second, then I just had no more energy to go on.

"It's very disappointing for me that I played that well and I couldn't handle a little bit more because it was really close games - could have been up 2-0 in the second."

Azarenka said that she felt close to collapsing when she pulled out, and the doctor had advised her during her medical time out against continuing.

"I just kept going," she said.

"I was trying to keep going as much as possible, but there is nothing you can do.

"The last step with me, I would fall over."

Azarenka had looked like causing yet another huge shock at this year's Open when she dominated Williams, a three-time champion, in the first set.

Williams started well by holding her first service game comfortably then bringing up break points in the next game, but that was as good as it got for the American in the first set.

Azarenka landed 82 per cent of her first serves and was never in any danger of losing her service games, whereas Williams struggled to hold every time.

The Belarusian broke Williams in the seventh game and again in the ninth to take the first set comfortably.

Williams was so frustrated with her serve that she swore at herself in anger during the ninth game and was warned by the umpire for an audible obscenity.

Azarenka kept up the pressure in the second set and had break points to claim a 2-0 lead, but Williams held on then, out of the blue, broke the Belarusian for the first time in the match.

Azarenka got to 15-40 on Williams's next serve, but the American finally found some serving form and dug herself out of trouble.

The drama then began when Azarenka appeared to become ill at the change of ends and called for a medical time out, leaving the court with a trainer.

She returned for the next game, won by Williams, but she became more and more distressed on her next service game and was staggering between points.

Azarenka somehow got to 30-0 but Williams recovered to 30-30 and Azarenka realised that enough was enough.

Williams was sympathetic after the match.

"I just want to go inside and make sure she is OK. I feel so bad, she was playing so well," she said.

"She can't risk it so I hope she did the right thing. Obviously she was playing really well and she has so many Australian Opens ahead of her."

On the other side of the draw, Spanish giant-killer Carla Suarez Navarro continued her dream debut at the Australian Open with a 6-3 6-2 win over No.21 seed Anabel Medina Garrigues.

Suarez Navarro, who dumped Venus Williams from the tournament in the second round, encountered little trouble in dispatching fellow Spaniard Medina Garrigues in 73 minutes.

She will next face No 4 seed Elena Dementieva, the Russian who smashed her way into the quarters with a crushing 6-2 6-2 win over No.18 seed Dominika Cibulkova.

Unseeded 20-year-old Suarez Navarro's appearance in the last eight will equal her previous best performance at a grand slam at the French Open last year.

Suarez Navarro's single-handed backhand drew comparisons with Justine Henin after her match against Williams and she used it to great effect as she broke Medina Garrigues twice in each set.

Combining her backhand with a powerful forehand, Suarez Navarro hit 20 winners to Medina Garrigues' seven in the match.

Medina Garrigues broke back once in the first set but her opponent was soon up 5-2 and served out the set after 39 minutes.

The 26-year-old could not keep up in the second as Suarez Navarro attacked her second serve, yelling at herself in Spanish as she tried to find a way into the match.

But her younger compatriot broke her in the fifth and seventh games, confidently rushing to the net on match point to send a forehand beyond Medina Garrigues's reach and claim victory.

With a point to prove after an unconvincing display against Australia's Samantha Stosur in her previous match, Dementieva was in dominant form against Cibulkova.

The 27-year-old launched a 10-game winning streak early in the first set, rating it her best performance at this year's season-opening grand slam.

"I'm very happy with my performance and glad to go through to the next round,'' she said.

It was Dementieva's 14th win of the year, a run that has already delivered titles in Auckland and Sydney to go with the Olympic gold medal she won last year.

She is searching for her maiden grand slam win, with losing appearances in the 2004 French and US Opens finals the pinnacle of her career in the majors.

The lanky Russian broke Cibulkova in the opening game, drawing her opponent into long baseline rallies then rushing the net and using her reach to chase down the Slovak's returns.

The tentative service game she displayed against Stosur was back to full power, with Dementieva firing down three aces as she took the first set in 34 minutes.

The Russian had the chance to post a 6-0 scoreline in the second set but Cibulkova snatched a rare break to make it 5-1 then held serve in the next.

Dementieva then made no mistake as she served for the match for the second time, bringing up three match points and sealing the win with a sizzling backhand down the line on the third.

Agence France-Presse
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January 27th 2009 @ 00:57

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Novak Djokovic Into Quarter Finals In Australia

Novak Djokovic reached the Australian Open quarter-finals after a late-night win over 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis. The defending champion, Djokovic was pushed to a fourth set before winning 6-1 7-6 (7/1) 6-7 (5/7) 6-2 in a match that started at 11:10 pm and finished at 2:26 am.

The third seed will now face in-form American Andy Roddick, who demolished Tommy Robredo earlier, in the quarter finals. Three-time champion Roger Federer is also in his half of the draw.

“We waited three-and-a-half or four hours to get on the court so it was really hard to warm up,'' Djokovic said.

“Actually we warmed up five times and then got cold again.''

Novak Djokovic Australian Open 2009
Novak Djokovic Stretches


Baghdatis described the Australian Open's late matches as a “pain in the a***'' this week after he was kept up to 1:14 am playing America's Mardy Fish.

The Cypriot, ranked world No 94, wrapped up a five-setter with Lleyton Hewitt last year at 4:34 am in the tournament's latest finish.

Apparently keen to get the match over, Djokovic made a quick start and was two breaks up before Baghdatis got a game on the board.

The Cypriot came to life in the second with more aggressive shot-making but he wilted in the tie-break, going down 7/1 for a two-set deficit.

However, Baghdatis edged the third-set tie-break to stay in the match before Djokovic took control of the fourth, nailing a huge backhand for the second break and converting the first match point.

“I'm really happy to win such a match,'' Djokovic said.

“It's the same quarter-final as the US Open last year. It's going to be really tough, he's playing fantastic tennis, so let's see.''

The Serbian broke Rafael Nadal and Federer's chokehold on the grand slams at the Australian Open last year, becoming the only other Serbian Major winner since Gaston Gaudio at the 2004 French Open.

Djokovic and Baghdatis started their match late after local hope Jelena Dokic battled to a three-set win over Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova.

Agence France-Presse
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January 26th 2009 @ 03:39

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Jelena Dokic Rules Out Reconciliation With Damir

JELENA Dokic says her estranged father is wasting his time if he wants to fly uninvited to Melbourne to gatecrash her Australian Open welcome-home party.

Damir reportedly is considering jetting in from Belgrade if Dokic makes the title match, but Australia's comeback queen has ruled out any possible reconciliation following her courageous fourth-round triumph on Sunday night.

"I haven't had any contact (with him),"' Dokic said after defeating No 29 seed Alisa Kleybanova in the fourth round.

"It's the first I heard about it.

"Yeah, it's his decision (but) I've said always my whole story with him is finished.

Jelena Dokic Australian Open 2009


"It would have to be an unbelievable miracle for him to change. I don't see that happening.

"I have my tennis and I have my life. I want to do it that way. Knowing him, I just don't see any possibilities.

"We are really different and really disagree on pretty much everything."

AAP
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January 26th 2009 @ 03:22

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Jelena Dokic Into Quarter Finals At Australian Open

Jelena Dokic powered into the Australian Open quarter finals with a courageous fourth-round triumph. Australia's comeback queen continued her astonishing revival with an epic 7-5 5-7 8-6 victory over No 29 seed Alisa Kleybanova, from Russia, to qualify for the last eight at a grand slam for the first time since the 2002 French Open.

Hearts were in mouths around the country, though, when Dokic stumbled - and possibly considered retiring from the match - with Kleybanova serving at 5-6 and 15-0.

An ankle injury clearly distressed Dokic, who immediately called for the tournament trainer and required a medical timeout after she held serve for 7-6.

But the Australian refused to surrender and, opting against having the ankle taped, returned to the court swinging and broke Kleybanova to love, smoking a backhand return winner down the line to send the capacity crowd into raptures.

Jelena Dokic Australian Open 2009
An emotional Jelena Dokic after winning round 4 of the Australian Open, and in pain after rolling her ankle


Dokic will take on world No 3 Dinara Safina on Tuesday believing anything is possible after battling tenaciously for three hours and two minutes in claiming her third big scalp in five nights.

Ranked No 187 in the world after years in the tennis wilderness, Dokic had already dumped top-20 stars Anna Chakvetadze and Caroline Wozniacki from the tournament to raise hopes of the most unexpected and miraculous grand slam triumph in history.

The 25-year-old did little to ease the hype with an even more incredible display in a Sunday night showstopper.

Dokic took the court amid speculation that she owed more than $60,000 to the family of a former Melbourne benefactor who supported the one-time world No 4 during her desperate years trying to make a successful return to professional tennis.

The Croatian-born Dokic is also dealing with the prospect of her controversial father Damir flying from Belgrade to Melbourne seeking a reconciliation with his estranged daughter.

Once again, though, Dokic cast the external pressures aside to sweep to another spirited victory to close to within three wins of becoming the lowest-ranked grand slam champion ever.

Even if she loses to Safina, the born-again baseliner will return to the world's top 100 for the first time since 2004 on Monday week.

Dokic made a nervous start against the tournament's No 29 seed, overcooking a forehand, then dumping a backhand into the net and floating another long to drop serve in the fifth game to fall behind 3-2.

Kleybanova had Australia's great hope scrambling from side to side but, dogged as ever, Dokic somehow broke straight back and then held to surge 4-3 ahead.

Not to be denied, Kleybanova - determined to back up her third-round upset win over Serbian fifth seed Ana Ivanovic - forced Dokic into further errors to grab a second break and a 5-4 advantage.

Again, though, Dokic struck back and celebrated with an almighty quadruple-double fist pump before sending the centre-court crowd wild when she snatched the first set after forcing her teenaged opponent into error.

The Australian wildcard entry also fell behind a break in the second set but drew level at 4-4 with some inspired tennis, only to sloppily drop serve the very next game.

Then it was Kleybanova's turn to lose her nerve, the Russian failing to serve out the set, only to gain another reprieve when Dokic slipped up for the second straight service game.

Kleybanova made no mistake second time around, clinching the set with a wide-angled ace.

There was controversy early in the third set after Kleybanova snared another service break, with the Russian receiving a code violation from Portuguese chair umpire Mariana Almes for illegal courtside coaching.

But Dokic refused to lose focus and whipped the crowd into a frenzy after breaking back for 3-3.

It was the adrenaline shot Dokic required and there was no stopping her from there.

"I was really exhausted physically but I kept fighting and the crowd was amazing in that third set," she said.

"It was hard to stay positive in that third set after I'd lost the second and I was a break down.

"I kept on fighting and it paid off."

AAP
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January 26th 2009 @ 03:11

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Roger Federer Through To Quarter Finals In Australia

THREE-time champion Roger Federer mounted one of the greatest comebacks of his career to claw back a two-set deficit to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals. No 20 seed Tomas Berdych, from the Czech Republic, was on course for an almighty upset until he froze in the third set, with Federer finally winning 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-4 6-2 to stay on course for a record-equalling 14th grand slam title.

Federer, 27, has not come back from two sets down since 2005, when he fought past Rafael Nadal in the Miami Masters final, and has not failed to reach a grand slam quarter-finals since the 2004 French Open.

He also battled through a five-set tussle with Igor Andreev in the fourth round of last year's US Open before recovering to win the title.

"I enjoy those kind of fights because it doesn't happen very often, I've had maybe five or six in my life," Federer said.

Roger Federer Australian Open 2009
Roger Federer


"It's always special to come back from 2-0. It's nice for me and I hope it's a good omen."

The Swiss star went into the match on the back of a sweeping victory over old adversary Marat Safin and one-sided wins over Andreas Seppi and Evgeny Korolev.

But despite winning his previous seven matches against Berdych, he immediately looked out of sorts against the Czech, plodding around the court and making errors of every description.

Berdych shocked Federer when he broke in the very first game, and then went another break up before the Swiss could reply and served it out with a searing ace down the middle.

Federer broke early in second set but couldn't hold his advantage, and Berdych was never behind in the tense tie-break as he clinched it with a blazing forehand winner.

Berdych was cruising towards a straight-sets upset but dramatically collapsed at 3-3 in the third, missing three easy volleys to hand Federer the break and eventually the set.

Momentum was firmly with the Swiss and Berdych was furious when Hawk-Eye malfunctioned as he challenged a call at deuce on his serve, giving Federer the chance to get the decisive break in the fourth.

The Swiss was now back to his fluid best and he broke twice early in the fifth before converting his third match point with an ace after nearly three-and-a-half hours, delighting the packed crowd.

"It's great satisfaction," Federer said of the result.

"I don't play five-setters every day so it's a very nice feeling.

"I was feeling still fresh in the fifth. I think you could see it. That's kind of the way I want to feel in a fifth set. That's why I worked hard. I worked hard for this victory today. This is great."

Federer said he had never been anything other than confident of victory.

"I wasn't thinking of losing, that's for sure," he said of his feelings after two sets.

"The finish line was still very far for Tomas. I knew that.
|
"You can still concentrate on playing just the points instead of thinking, 'Oh my God, what's going to happen?' I didn't feel that way.

"I felt after a terrible first set from my side that if I want to win this it's going to go to five sets. I just felt it. That's why I was prepared for five from the start.

"I think that's what made me be so determined towards the end. It was nice being in a battle with him. It was fair play. It was tough, good tennis towards the end. I believed in it all the way, and I think that was key in the end."

Federer is seeking to equal Pete Sampras's record 14 grand slam titles after starting his first season without the No.1 ranking since 2004.

He has reached the semi-finals at the previous five Australian Opens, winning in 2004, 2006 and 2007, and last failed to reach the quarter-finals in 2003.

Only four other men have won four or more Australian Open titles: Roy Emerson, Andre Agassi, Jack Crawford and Ken Rosewall.

Federer has reached the past 18 grand slam semi-finals, an all-time record.

Agence France-Presse
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January 25th 2009 @ 14:11

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Andy Roddick Into Quarter Finals At Australian Open

American Andy Roddick was in ominous form as he downed Spaniard Tommy Robredo 7-5 6-1 6-3 to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.

After battling out a tight first set, Roddick steamrolled his Spanish opponent in the second and third to send out a warning to his rivals.

The American has been in great form at this year's tournament, dropping only one set on his way to the last eight, against Belgium's Xavier Malisse in the second round.

Roddick blasted 13 aces against Robredo and won 84 per cent of his first serves to have the Spanish player on the back foot throughout the match.

He broke Robredo five times and wasn't broken once - the Spaniard only had one break point over the three sets.

Andy Roddick Australian Open 2009
Andy Roddick


Roddick's quarter-final appearance equals his best Grand Slam performance of what was for him a disappointing 2008.

He now plays either defending champion Novak Djokovic or 2006 runner-up and crowd favourite Marcos Baghdatis for a place in the semi-finals.
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January 25th 2009 @ 14:04

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Dinara Safina Defeats Alize Cornet

Russian third seed Dinara Safina survived has two match points against France's Alize Cornet to claw her way through to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.

Safina won the clash 6-2 2-6 7-5 in a touch over two hours.

Cornet, the No.15 seed, started slowly against Safina, dropping the first five games of the match.

Cornet turned the match around to the extent that she held two match points at 5-4 in the deciding set.

But she was unable to convert either of them and Safina pounced, winning the last five games to advance to the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time.

Dinara Safina Australian Open 2009
Dinara Safina


"I feel so lucky that I have the chance to play in the quarter-finals," Safina said.

"I think in the next round I need to relax for me and my team - I think they nearly had heart attacks watching me."
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January 25th 2009 @ 13:57

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Bernard Tomic Heads Overseas

Australia's teenage sensation Bernard Tomic will move abroad in the next three months, as he begins life as a professional tennis player.

The 16-year-old will base himself in the US or London, so he can continue developing his game and be closer to key tournaments.

After gaining a wildcard entry and making it to the Australian Open second round, Tomic reinforced the belief he was ready to compete against men.

"Now that I'm becoming more of a name in Australia, I've got to take the opportunity to build my game and work hard and take it to the next level," Tomic said.

"My parents are looking at moving to either England or America in the next three or four months.

Bernard Tomic Australian Open 2009


"Then I have to work on my game and get a lot more opportunities.

"I can't stay on the Gold Coast forever.

"There's a lot of expectations now and I've got to find the right place where I can stay and have a home base."

Tomic was delighted to win a grand slam match and said he was proud of his second-round effort against Gilles Muller at Rod Laver Arena.

"I had to go into that match confident," Tomic said of his first-round encounter with Italian Potito Starace.

"The guy had been 30 in the world. For me to beat someone who was 30 in the world a year ago is a big achievement.

"My favourite surface has always been hard court. And to play Muller, it's just amazing what I've done.

"He didn't start that well, which I took advantage of.

"But I got a little bit tired towards the end and that's what cost me in the second round.

"I was happy to play four sets and I couldn't ask for anything more.

"Hopefully I can come back in the next year and push through a few more rounds."

Tomic said he would next head to Burnie in Tasmania, for a challenger event, and would then try to pick up a wildcard in Miami.

He said it was unrealistic to expect a huge rankings climb.

"To be honest with you, I don't think I can make top 100 this year," he said.

"I think I could get in the top 300 and that's a good goal.

"If I crack the 300 then I can play grand slam qualifying straight away and I'll never need wildcards and that's where I can build myself up.

"The next year is going to be good for me to build up, play more futures and challengers, because I've seen I can match it with these guys.

"It's just a matter of me getting stronger and playing in those big tournaments."

Sunday Herald Sun
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January 25th 2009 @ 13:10

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Jelena Dokic's Second Chance A winner For Everybody

Showing what sport is all about, Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley recalled the moment Jelena Dokic swallowed her pride, setting in motion a chain of events that have led to the feel-good story of this Australian Open.

The embrace with former Fed Cup team-mate Alicia Molik and on-court apology to Tiley on Friday night showed that old grudges had been forgiven.

Dokic was representing Australia again, not only the fans who cheered her, but at an official level as well.

Towards the end of last year, Dokic approached TA for another chance after turning her back on the country and unloading on leading officials.

Tiley explained that he listened to what she had to say and then told her: "We're not interested in pursuing anything further until you have apologised.

Jelena Dokic Australian Open 2009
Jelena Dokic


"Which she did verbally and then in writing. And with that agreed, we said you can come back with Australia and give it one last shot."

No financial support was given to her by Tennis Australia, but as a former world No 4 player, they offered her practice courts at Melbourne Park and access to coaching staff.

Tiley said he appreciated the on-court thank you from Dokic after her third-round win against Caroline Wozniacki.

"I was very appreciative of her recognising the time and effort that not just myself but others have done over the years to help Jelena," Tiley said.

"Personally it has been very satisfying to see her get through because I know the personal hardship she has been through. What she has had to endure and suffer and to see anyone come through that is very gratifying."

This has been the re-start of her career. Last month, she had a ranking to warrant entry into the Australian Open wild-card playoffs and won a place in the main draw.

That achieved, Tiley extended the goodwill by granting her a wildcard to the lead-up tournament in Brisbane, where she lost in straight sets to Amelie Mauresmo.

It would have been easy for TA to wipe their hands of Dokic, but, like Molik, an entire nation is happy to embrace a fallen star.

Daily Telegraph
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January 25th 2009 @ 12:51

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Juan Martin del Potro Defeats Marin Cilic

Juan Martin del Potro has secured the first of the men's quarter-final berths at the Australian Open. The eighth seed defeated Croatian 19th seed Marin Cilic 5-7 6-4 6-4 6-2.

The two highly-rated 20-year-olds traded service breaks for the first three sets before del Potro's edge and big-match experience told in the difficult conditions.

"It's very tough to play in these conditions but I'm glad I managed to come back and beat him," del Potro said.

At 20, he becomes the youngest quarter-finalist since Richard Krajicek in 1992 and faces a likely showdown with triple champion Roger Federer, who plays Tomas Berdych on Sunday night.

Juan Martin del Potro Australian Open 2009
Juan Martin del Potro


AAP
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January 25th 2009 @ 10:37

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Marion Bartoli Defeats Jelena Jankovic

Top seed Jelena Jankovic has been knocked out in the fourth round of the Australian Open in straight sets by Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli.

World No 1 Jankovic, a losing semi-finalist at Melbourne Park last year who is still chasing her first grand slam title, was beaten 6-1 6-4 in one hour and 22 minutes by the No.16 seed.

Bartoli's career highlight to date was reaching the final of Wimbledon in 2007, before eventually going down to Venus Williams.

She dominated the first set of the encounter on Rod Laver Arena and held her nerve in the second.

Marion Bartoli Australian Open 2009
Marion Bartoli


The crucial moment came in the ninth game of the second set, which Bartoli eventually won on her fourth break point.

She then served out the match for one of the biggest wins of her career.

Bartoli hit an an impressive tally of 34 winners in the two-set match, compared to just 17 from Jankovic.

"It's obviously disappointing. Nobody likes to lose," said Jankovic, who looked lethargic as she tried to play her way into the match.

"It was a tough day for me. You know, I had a slow start. I let my opponent completely come on top of me and play her game."

She is now likely to lose her top ranking, but insisted it was not important.

"It doesn't matter because it's just the beginning of the year, and there is many more tournaments to play," she said.

"So, you know, maybe it will change, the No.1 ranking, but it's not important what you do now, it's the whole year ahead of us."

With Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams already gone, the first Grand Slam of the season has become one of the most open ever with Bartoli into a quarter-final against either Russia's Vera Zvonareva.

Seventh seed Zvonareva advanced to quarter-finals after winning an all-Russian clash with 10th seed Nadia Petrova 7-5 6-4.

AAP
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January 25th 2009 @ 05:29

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Fernando Gonzalez Defeats Richard Gasquet

Fernando Gonzalez staged a magnificent fightback to beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet in a four-hour thriller 3-6 3-6 7-6 (12/10) 6-2 12-10 at the Australian Open. Looking down and out after the first two sets, the No 13 seed, from Chile, turned the match around to come home strongly and set up the dubious honour of a fourth round clash with Rafael Nadal, who demolished German Tommy Haas 6-4 6-4 6-2.

Gonzalez rated it as one of his best performances ever.

"I think this was my longest ever match. It was very exciting out there and I'm really happy with the way I turned it around," he said.

"I just tried and tried. In the first two sets Richard was playing at such a high level, like a superhero. But I saw that he tired in the fourth and fifth sets so I tried to move him around.

Fernando Gonzalez Australian Open 2009
Fernando Gonzalez


"In the fifth set I felt like I was the favourite but I couldn't break him. I had to keep fighting and took my chances when I could."

Gasquet romped through the first two sets, barely raising a sweat and looked certain to wrap up the match in lightning quick time.

However, Gonzalez seemed to wake up at the start of the third and broke Gasquet immediately.
The Frenchman broke back straight away and both players lifted the tempo as the third set went to a tie-break.

Gonzalez had set points at 6-4 in the tie-break and wasn't able to close it out, but although Gasquet got back on terms he couldn't get his nose in front and instead of trying to win the set, he was constantly trying to save it.

Gasquet eventually conceded one set point too many and Gonzalez got back in the match, much to the delight of the large group of flag-waving Chilean fans.

He then stormed away with the fourth set as Gasquet appeared to wilt.

The Frenchman called for the trainer twice during the set, once for his toe and once for his shoulder, and then called him again at the start of the fifth.

Games went with serve early in the fifth set but at the end of the fifth game it was Gonzalez's turn to call for the trainer for a toe problem.

As the match wore on Gasquet's toe problem seemed to worsen and his limp became more pronounced, even though he was still serving with enormous power and precision.

He had a chance to break at 4-4 only for Gonzalez to save the game with two huge first serves.

The Frenchman had a third break point at 7-7 and seemed certain to convert it until Gonzalez at full stretch hit a magnificent cross court passing shot deep into the corner.

He had yet another chance at 10-10, but again Gonzalez was up to the task and he saved the break to move ahead 11-10.

Gasquet got to 40-30 in the next game but the Chilean made three big points to get to his first break point, which Gasquet saved.

Gonzalez then brought up a second break point and there was no coming back for the valiant Frenchman, who could only watch helplessly as a Gonzalez forehand landed in the open court, sparking wild celebrations around the court.

Agence France-Presse
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January 25th 2009 @ 04:18

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Rafael Nadal Defeats Tommy Haas

Spain's Rafael Nadal showed just why he is the world number one by demolishing German Tommy Haas 6-4 6-2 6-2 in the third round of the Australian Open.

Haas played some magnificent tennis at times, however Nadal was able to take command at will, with the power of his groundstrokes constantly stranding his opponent either at the baseline or the net.

Nadal conceded later that he had never played better at the Australian Open.

"I think I played my best match in Australia tonight," he said.

"I'm very happy with the level of my performance."

Rafael Nadal Australian Open 2009
Rafael Nadal


Haas served first against the Spaniard then shocked the large crowd when he broke Nadal to take a 2-0 lead.

But the top seed broke back immediately and then again two games later and held on to take a high quality first set in 51 minutes.

Both men were playing some superb tennis but Nadal always seemed to have the edge over the German world number 84.

He broke Haas in the fifth and seventh games and took a firm grip on the match when he won the second set in 43 minutes.

Haas opened the third with a comfortable service game but Nadal struck again to break the next one and the writing was on the wall.

He raced through the set to take the match in a touch over two hours, setting up a fourth round clash with Chilean 13th seed Fernando Gonzalez who beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet in a five set, four-hour epic.

Agence France-Presse
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January 25th 2009 @ 02:11

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Serena Williams Through To Fourth Round

Serena Williams made a less than convincing transition into the fourth round on Saturday when she defeated China's Peng Shuai 6-1 6-4, chasing her fourth championship. Despite the scoreline, the No 2 seed struggled in the second set after her serve was broken early and Peng sprung to a 3-1 lead.

She battled back to level at 3-3 then ran up three match points in the deciding game, sealing the win with an easy smash.

Williams said she needed to improve heading into the second week, for herself and the family.

"It obviously increases my motivation and my desire to win, hopefully to do better," Williams said.

Serena Williams Australian Open 2009
Serena Williams


"It was definitely a lot better than my second round but I'm still trying to work on some things and hoping they'll come together.

"I started making more errors and then I lost my serve a couple of times. Then I think I put too much pressure on myself. The, next thing I know, I was down," she said.

Despite having to fight back from behind, Williams said she was never uncomfortable while trailing and turned her position into a positive one.

"I seem to play well when I get down for whatever reason," she said.

"So once I got down I was a little frustrated. I was like, you know Serena, sometimes you just play better when you're down - I started playing better."

Williams said she was feeling "a little rusty" this week and is hoping for a boost in her next match, against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who beat the 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo 6-4 6-2.

If she makes it past the teenager, she could well face Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova over whom she has a dominant 4-1 win-loss record.

Kuznetsova, the No 8 seed, will first need to subdue China's Zheng Jie to reach the quarter-finals.

Zheng cruised through to the fourth round on Saturday with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko while Zuznetsova beat Kateryna's older sister and No. 31 seed Alona.

An all-Spanish fourth-round clash will take place when No 21 seed Anabel Medina Garrigues faces Suarez Navarro.

Agence France-Presse
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January 24th 2009 @ 16:01

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Elena Dementieva Defeats Samantha Stosur

Fourth seeded Elena Dementieva, from Russia, survived an early scare to reach the Australian Open fourth round with a 7-6 (8/6) 6-4 win over unseeded hometown favourite Samantha Stosur.

The victory took Dementieva's winning streak this year to 13 and proved lucky for the Russian as a string of Stosur mistakes let her off the hook when she trailed 5-2 in the first set.

While Dementieva advanced to the last 16, the centre court match in front of a fervently pro-Stosur crowd revived questions about the 27-year-old's big-match temperament as she chases her first ever grand slam.

She started slowly against an opponent who drew wild cheers every time she scored a point and would have lost the first set had world No 48 Stosur managed to hold serve leading 5-2.

Elena Dementieva
Elena Dementieva


"We had such a great fight," Dementieva said. "Samantha's a great player, she played very solid and it was very tough to win today."

The 27-year-old has followed up the Olympic gold medal she won at last year's Beijing Olympics with a string of victories that has already delivered two titles in 2009, at Auckland and Sydney.

But she has underachieved at grand slams for a decade, with losing appearances in the 2004 French and US Opens finals the pinnacle of her career in the Majors.

Stosur said before the match that she would use the crowd to her advantage and the stands erupted when she fended off a Dementieva break point in the opening game.

But there were groans when she netted a volley with an open court beckoning in the next game, taking the pressure off her opponent's serve.

Dementieva committed her own mistakes as she struggled to find her range with her groundstrokes and Stosur went up a break in the fourth game.

The Russian immediately broke back, only to put Stosur ahead again when she double-faulted in the next on break point.

The world No 4 tried to lift but Stosur, buoyed by the crowd, held on to go up 5-2, earning the chance to serve out the set two games later.

The Australian failed to covert her chances, again letting Dementieva off the hook with a double fault and an eagerness to rush the net that and left her vulnerable to her opponent's passing shots.

Dementieva's radar finally began to kick in and she won three games straight then took the set to a tie-break, emerging with an 8-6 win to edge ahead after almost an hour.

Her serve remained suspect in the second set and Stosur broke her twice but her superior court coverage and accurate returns proved the difference.

She failed to covert a match point serving at 5-3 but broke Stosur in the next game to seal the match after 100 minutes.

Agence France-Presse
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January 24th 2009 @ 14:36

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Andy Murray Defeats Jurgen Melzer

Scotland's Andy Murray produced some magical tennis as he hit his stride against Austria's Jurgen Melzer at the Australian Open. The fourth seed came up with every shot in the book in a bewitching display as the world number 32 collapsed from a close first set to lose 7-5 6-0 6-3 in just one hour and 40 minutes.

"I'm hoping I can keep this form up next week," Murray told the crowd.

"I'm going to have to play like this every match to have a chance, but I prepared as well as I could."

Murray's first match was cut short by Andrei Pavel's injury retirement and he showed occasional rustiness in his round-two meeting with Marcel Granollers.

Andy Murray Australian Open 2009
Andy Murray


But after giving up a break advantage in the first set with a loose shot into the net, the Scot never looked back.

Murray produced a textbook backhand smash to go two break points up with Melzer serving to stay in the set, staring down the Austrian who then netted a forehand.

The second set was a rout with Murray scrambling to an unstoppable forehand winner and then dipping another under Melzer's racquet for the first break.

He lobbed the Austrian for three set points and went 2-0 up with a stylish forehand volley.

Murray faced break points late in the third set but held off and took the match with a strong service game, finishing it with an ace.

He has now beaten Melzer four times in the past year, including a tight five-setter at the US Open.

The Scot is seeking Britain's first grand slam title since Fred Perry's US Open win in 1936 and now faces in-form Spaniard Fernando Verdasco for a place in the quarter-finals.

AAP
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January 24th 2009 @ 12:20

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils Survive Third Round

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga survived a third-set lapse to overcome Israeli qualifier Dudi Sela 6-4 6-2 1-6 6-1 and book his place in the Australian Open fourth round on Saturday.

The No 5 seed was cruising at two sets to love when he seemed to lose concentration and allowed Sela back in the match.

However, the 2008 runner-up quickly regrouped and overwhelmed the Israeli in the fourth set to win a highly entertaining match.

Tsonga made his breakthrough at the 2008 Australian Open, thrilling crowds with his athleticism and shot-making on his way to a memorable final against eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

But he suffered a knee injury in May which required surgery and forced him out of the game for three months and caused him to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon.

Gael Monfils Australian Open 2009
Gael Monfils


He recovered in time for the US Open, where he made the third round, then went on to win the Paris Masters in November.

"I felt really good on the court today," he said. "I was happy to win; we played a great match."

Tsonga now faces either American No 9 seed James Blake or Russian No 18 seed Igor Andreev in the fourth round.

"That is going to be a great match, they are both really good players so I know it will be difficult, but I'm ready," he said.

Gael Monfils has scored an impressive straight sets win over No 17 seed, from Spain, Nicolas Almagro in the third round of the Australian Open.

The win sees the exciting Frenchman advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time.

Monfils, whose best grand slam performance was a semi-final berth at last year's French Open - beat Almagro 6-4 6-3 7-5 in a third-round match lasting two hours and 10 minutes.

In three previous campaigns at Melbourne Park, the 22-year-old Frenchman had never advanced further than the third round.

Monfils, who is coached by Australian Roger Rasheed, committed only 24 unforced errors, compared to 43 from the Spaniard.

He dominated Almagro over the early part of the match, breaking the Spaniard once in the first set and twice in the second to open up a 2-0 lead.

Almagro fought back hard in the third set and games went on serve until the Spaniard was serving at 5-6.

On the first point of the game Monfils hit a backhand return that appeared to land wide, but which was called in.

After checking with his coach, Almagro asked for a Hawkyeye challenge only to be told he was not allowed to as he hadn't asked for it immediately.

Almagro argued with the umpire for some minutes without success and appeared distracted when he went back to serve, promptly losing the game to 15 to hand the match to Monfils.

In another game No.6 seed Frenchman Gilles Simon beat Croatia's unseeded Mario Ancic 7-6 (7/2) 6-4 6-2 to book his place in the Australian Open fourth round on Saturday.

He will play countryman Gael Monfils for a quarter-final berth.

Agence France-Presse
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January 24th 2009 @ 11:56

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Roger Federer Defeats Marat Safin

World No 2, Swiss Roger Federer, turned on a vintage performance to outclass Russia's Marat Safin in straight sets at Rod Laver Arena on Friday night. Federer, chasing his fourth Australian Open trophy, sent a message of intent to his rivals with a clinical 6-3 6-2 7-6(7-5) third-round victory.

The match was almost certainly the last Australian Open encounter for 2005 champion and crowd favourite Safin.

The two former world No 1s, who played one of the great matches in Open history in their epic 2005 semi-final, again produced some dazzling, high-paced tennis.

But No 26 seed Safin's brilliance was punctuated with more unforced errors than the consistently high-class Swiss, preventing him from seriously threatening to win the match.

Roger Federer Australian Open 2009
Roger Federer


The powerful Russian dropped serve just once in the first set, in the penultimate game, with a double-fault on break point.

That was enough for Federer, who was never down a break point at any stage of the match.

He served it out to love, having dropped just two points on serve for the set.

Safin again failed to have an impact on Federer's serve in the second set, with the No.2 seed reeling off the last five games to take complete control of the match.

Neither player dropped serve in the third set, with Federer closing out a tense tiebreak by winning the final three points with two big serves, then a brilliant backhand passing shot on match point.

Federer will play Czech No 20 seed Tomas Berdych in the fourth round, after Berdych downed Swiss No.15 seed Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6 6-1 6-3 6-4 on Friday night.

The biggest moment of drama came in the tiebreak, when Safin was foot-faulted on a second serve to go down 1-4.

He berated the centre linesman who made the call, then took the issue up with the chair umpire, to no avail.

But it sparked him into winning the next four points to briefly take the lead, before Federer's classy final three points.

Federer said he always enjoyed playing Safin.

"It's always special to play Marat, we go way back," he said.

"I think we like to play each other no matter who wins, we have great contests.

"I'm glad I won tonight, Marat really started to play great at the end." Federer also played Berdych in the fourth round last year, coming out on top.

"I hope I can carry this form over and beat Tomas again because he's obviously a great player," Federer said.

AAP
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January 24th 2009 @ 08:01

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Marcos Baghdatis, Andy Roddick Through To Fourth Round

Former Australian Open finalist and crowd favourite Marcos Baghdatis won through to the fourth round after a late-finishing, straight-sets win over No 23 seed Mardy Fish. The Cypriot, who stormed into the spotlight with his surprise run to the final in 2006, downed American Fish 6-2 6-4 6-4.

It was fortunate for Baghdatis he was able to finish the match in three sets, as it still ended at 0115 (EDT) on Saturday, having started at 11pm on Friday following a long women's match between Ana Ivanovic and Alisa Kleybanova.

Tournament officials came under fire last year for the late staging of a match involving Baghdatis. On that occasion he lost a five-setter to Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, a match which ended at 4.34am, after starting shortly before midnight.

Baghdatis came into the tournament in scratchy form, after almost falling out of the top 100 last year, due to injury problems.

Marcos Baghdatis Australian Open 2009
Marcos Baghdatis


But he said he was starting to hit form in what he described as his "home'' grand slam, given the amount of crowd support he enjoyed in Melbourne.

"I'm really happy I'm winning here and getting some confidence,'' he said.

"For a long time now I haven't been getting some wins so I'm really glad to be getting them here.''

Baghdatis will face defending champion Novak Djokovic in the fourth round.

Revitalised Roddick flattened 36-year-old Fabrice Santoro 6-3 6-4 6-2 to remain on course for a quarter-final with Djokovic and end the Frenchman's Australian Open career, which started in 1991.

"Saying I respect him is an understatement,'' Roddick said.

The world No.8 will play Tommy Robredo in the fourth round after the No.21 seed ended the giant-killing run of Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun 6-1 6-3 6-2.

AAP
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January 24th 2009 @ 06:08

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Ethnic Violence Mars Australian Open

Ethnic violence again marred the Australian Open on Friday, when rival Serbian and Bosnian fans hurled chairs and missiles at each other, sparking condemnation from players and police. Some 30 people in their late teens and early 20s were evicted after the clashes, which left one woman injured, following Serbian Novak Djokovic's win over Bosnian-born American Amer Delic, police said.

Disturbances continued outside Melbourne Park after the men and women were thrown out, with taunts and punches thrown.

In unprecedented scenes, the two sets of supporters gathered at Garden Square outside Rod Laver Arena after the match with the riot sparked by verbal abuse.

Dozens of chairs were then hurled by the groups shouting "C'mon" as passers-by cowered before police and security guards stepped in.

One woman was hit on the head with a chair and needed treatment for cuts and bruises. Two people were charged with riotous behaviour and discharging a missile.

Australian Open Tennis Violence 2009


"A number of people got into a chair-throwing contest between two groups with the result that 30-odd people were ejected from Rod Laver," said Inspector Chris Duthie of Melbourne East Police.

"We're charging two on summons and one will be receiving an on-the-spot fine.

"The matter was dealt with very quickly and very effectively by the police and we expect no more problems at this stage."

Asked what the dispute was about, he replied: "I don't know; probably ethnic rivalries."

The Australian Open has gained an unsavoury reputation for ethnic clashes. In 2007, the tournament was overshadowed when Serbian and Croatian fans, wearing the national colours of the bitter Balkan rivals, attacked each other with flagpoles, bottles and boots.

Then last year, police used pepper spray to subdue rowdy elements of the crowd watching a match between Konstantinos Economidis of Greece and Chile's Fernando Gonzales.

In response, police numbers were boosted this year and officers were issued with containers of capsicum foam to target troublemakers, although these were not used on Friday.

Delic had appealed before the match for both sets of fans to behave.

"I'm really sad to hear about it. As I said a couple days ago, there's absolutely no place for that here. This is a tennis match," he said.

"I don't know who started, who finished, or whatever. Either way, on both sides I'm sure there were guys that wanted to cause problems. It's like that everywhere in the world.

"Unfortunately, it happened here today. I'm sure some innocent people might have gotten injured. It's sad. I don't know what else I can say."

Djokovic was reluctant to get involved, saying only that players had no control over what fans did.

"I am happy when I see that I have my own group of fans that are supporting me in a fair way, of course, not provoking my opponent and everything is going in a sportsmanship way," he said.

"I didn't know about this encounter whatever they had outside of the courts."

Despite warnings that clashes could happen, Inspector Duthie defended police actions.

"We have a very effective police unit here at the moment," he said.

"You can't stop everything happening but again we will make sure this sort of behaviour doesn't happen again. We have plans in place to make sure this doesn't happen and it was dealt with very effectively and very quickly."

Agence France-Presse
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January 24th 2009 @ 00:22

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Ana Ivanovic Out, Jelena Jankovic Through

Serbian Ana Ivanovic is out of the Australian Open after a three-set thriller, while compatriot and No 1 seed, Jelena Jankovic, advanced to the fourth round.

Ivanovic's 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 loss to Russian teenager Alisa Kleybanova continues a form slump that has dogged the No 5 seed since her breakthrough grand slam win at last year's French Open.

It set up a fourth round clash between 19-year-old Kleybanova and Australia's Jelena Dokic, who downed Danish No 11 seed Caroline Wozniacki.

Ivanovic's struggle was a stark contrast with the fortunes of No.3 seed Dinara Safina and fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva, seeded No 7, who both cruised into the last 16.

A losing Australian Open finalist in 2008, she follows Venus Williams out of the season-opening major, leaving the women's draw wide open.

Jelena Jankovic Australian Open 2009
Jelena Jankovic


Ivanovic threw everything she had at Kleybanova after going down a set, clawing her way back into the match but ultimately losing after two hours 33 minutes.

"I gave 100 percent but today she was better and played some unbelievable shots,'' she said.

"It's disappointing. I'm very, very sad because I felt physically fit and felt I could do well here ... there's plenty more tournaments in front of me.

"Sometimes losses make you more motivated to work harder.''

World No.1 Jankovic also faced a tough opponent in Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama but scrapped her way to a 6-4 6-4 win even if she could not dominate a player who at 33 is 10 years her senior.

However, Jankovic said her form was improving as the tournament progressed, rating her performance against Sugiyama much better than those she produced in the opening two rounds.

"I'm just happy to get through this kind of match,'' she said.

Safina had no trouble displaying the intimidating aggression absent from Jankovic's game so far this tournament, muscling aside Estonian Kaia Kanepi 6-2 6-2.

Cutting down on the errors that marred her earlier matches, the super-fit 22-year-old overcame Kanepi with raw power developed during a breakthrough year when she rose to world No.3.

"Finally I played my game, compared to my first two matches, I reached my level,'' she said.

"From now on I have to play like this or even better every day because it will be tougher and tougher coming up.''

Zvonareva also went through easily, dispatching Italy's Sara Errani 6-4 6-1 to equal her previous best performance in Melbourne and firm as a dangerous prospect for her more highly fancied rivals.

The crowd favourite was undoubtedly Dokic, who rode a wave of emotion to down Wozniacki 3-6 6-1 6-2 and further redeem herself in the eyes of an adoring Australian public.

The Serb-born 25-year-old is on the comeback trail in Australian colours after renoucing her citizenship seven years ago at the urging of her now estranged father Damir.

"I'm sorry for being a pain,'' said the tournament wildcard, who battled severe depression for years after leaving Australia.

"I know I've been difficult at times and I want to apologise for that.''

Agence France-Presse
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January 23rd 2009 @ 23:38

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Jelena Dokic Wins Third Round

Jelena Dokic's Australian Open triumph continued, with a sparkling third-round win over Danish dynamo Caroline Wozniacki. Dokic, once again the darling of Australian tennis, lit up Rod Laver Arena with a spirited 3-6 6-1 6-2 victory over the tournament's No 11 seed.

The most improved player on the women's tour, Wozniacki rose from outside the top 50 to finish the 2008 season as the world No 12, with a bullet.

But the highly-rated teen was unable to match the firepower and sheer will of Dokic, who rebounded from a set down to storm into the last 16 for the first time at Melbourne Park.

And as on Wednesday night when she ousted 17th seed Anna Chakvetadze, Dokic displayed nerves of steel despite having played just one grand slam match in the past five years prior to this week.

Wozniacki took the first set with the only service break in the third game after Dokic wasted a total of six break-back chances in the fifth, seventh and ninth games - including having the Dane down love-40 at 5-4 and serving for the set.

Jelena Dokic Australian Open 2009


Undeterred, Dokic powered through the second set, reeling off winners from both wings to break Wozniacki to love in the fourth game and again two games before serving it out to put the match back on level terms.

The comeback queen nabbed another early break in the deciding set, only to drop serve the very next game as the tension rose.

But it was Dokic who raised her game when it mattered most, the former world No.4 and Wimbledon semi-finalist staying cool to win the last four games and seal victory on her second match point after one hour and 43 minutes.

"Losing the first set today went in my favour,'' Dokic said.

"We had a couple big games and from thereon after I lost the first set.

"I was happy with the way I hung in there - she's nearly on the verge of the top 10.

"From there, I got the first break and things went my way. I felt comfortable rallying with her.''

Dokic, who infamously walked out on Australia after claiming the 2001 Open draw had been rigged to pit her against then defending champion Lindsay Davenport, thanked Tennis Australia and tournament director Craig Tiley for having her back.

"Since 2001, things really went downhill and we had a tough couple of years,'' she said.

"Sorry for being a pain. I really made things difficult at times and I apologise for that, but Craig has been so great for giving me opportunities and helping me along.

"I'd like to say this win is for me and for my team and it is. But I have to thank Craig and Tennis Australia and the whole Australian nation. Really, this is for them.''

Agence France-Presse
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January 23rd 2009 @ 09:30

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro Into Fourth Round

Defending champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia has won his third round match at the Australian Open. The No 3 seed played well below his championship form of a year ago, but was still too good for American Amer Delic, winning 6-2 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4).

In a match played in good spirits despite both players asking for several calls to be verified by replays, Djokovic survived a serving barrage from his Bosnian-born opponent.

"I have a big respect for Amer, we know each other for a long time," Djokovic said.

Djokovic now plays either Mardy Fish of the US or Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus.

Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro has forced his way into the fourth round with a four-set victory over Gilles Muller of Luxembourg.

Juan Martin del Potro Australian Open 2009
Juan Martin del Potro


Del Potro played indifferently in patches before finding his form to win 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-3 7-5.

The No 8 seed and, at 20, the youngest player in the world's top 10, had trouble with Muller's solid defensive play, losing the first set out of frustration as much as poor play.

Neither player registered a service break until del Potro struck in the 12th game of the second set.

That small victory levelled the match and although Muller broke back early in the third, the Argentine No.1 returned the favour in the next game.

The performance of the 87th-ranked Muller suggested more ability than his position on world lists suggests.

It will have also given heart to Australia's teenage sensation Bernard Tomic who took a set off Muller in their second round match.

Del Potro now plays Croatian 19th seed Marin Cilic in the fourth round.

No 21 seed, Spain's Tommy Robredo ended the Australian Open hopes of Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun, crushing him 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in the third round.

Lu posted the biggest win of his career in round two when he knocked out No.10 seed David Nalbandian.

Earlier Croatia's No 19 seed Marin Cilic sent No.11 seed Spaniard David Ferrer crashing out of the third round with a 7-6 (7/5) 6-3 6-4 win.

AAP
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January 23rd 2009 @ 08:01

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Dinara Safina, Vera Zvonareva Into Fourth Round Of Australian Open

Dinara Safina, the No 3 seed from Russia, has muscled her way into the Australian Open fourth round with an impressive 6-2 6-2 win over Kaia Kanepi, from Estonia. Safina cut down on the unforced errors that marred her early matches at the season-opening grand slam to dominate No 25 seed Kanepi.

“Finally I played my game, compared to my first two matches, I reached my level,'' she said.

“From now I have to play like this or even better every day because it tougher and tougher openings coming up, but I'm really happy that I won in two sets.''

Making good on her stated intention of playing a more aggressive game this year as she chases a maiden grand slam, the 22-year-old set a furious pace that Kanepi could not match.

Dinara Safina Australian Open 2009
Dinara Safina


She looks a different player to the one eliminated in the opening round last year, sporting a muscular physique and no longer prone to the emotional meltdowns that marred her game.

Safina raced to a 4-0 lead against Kanepi, and 20 minutes elapsed before her opponent could get on the scoreboard.

The Estonian, a quarter-finalist at last year's French Open, tried to rally and had three break points at 5-1 but Safina had her measure and held on, serving out the set after 33 minutes.

She retained the momentum to break Kanepi again in the opening game, the Estonian wilting as Safina hit her groundstrokes with venom and mixed up her game with frequent forays to the net.

The Russian finally dispatched Kanepi after 66 minutes, claiming a confidence boosting victory as made the last 16.

In-form No.7 seed Vera Zvonareva cruised into the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-1 rout of Italy's Sara Errani, equalling her previous best performance at the season-opening Grand Slam.

It built on a near-perfect display in the second round, when she served up a dreaded "double bagel" 6-0, 6-0 score-line to Edina Gallovits of Romania.

The pundits may not be talking about Zvonareva as one of the players with a realistic shot at one of the tournament's most open women's draws for years, but she remains quietly confident she is a match for anyone.

"I'm just trying to concentrate on my performances," she said when asked if she deserved more recognition as a contender for the Open crown.

"Obviously there are big names out there but I'm confident about myself and believe in myself and that's the most important thing."

The self-belief stems from a strong season in 2008 when Zvonareva won bronze at the Beijing Olympics, reached the biggest final of her career at the season-ending WTA Championships and broke into the top 10.

But she said that was history now and she had to concentrate on her next match against compatriot Nadia Petrova, the tournament No 10 seed.

"It's a new year, a new season so I have to look forward," she said.

"I'm trying to improve every match and I think it's working quite well for me so far."

World number one Jelena Jankovic of Serbia reached the round with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-4 win over Ai Sugiyama of Japan.

AAP
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January 23rd 2009 @ 07:22

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Andy Murray Through To Third Round At Australian Open

ANDY Murray insisted he was still an Australian Open favourite after dominating Spain's Marcel Granollers to reach the third round on Thursday.

The No 4 seed, whose first match was cut short when Andrei Pavel retired hurt, won 6-4 6-2 6-2 to stay on course for a semi-final with world No.1 Rafael Nadal.

Afterwards, Murray hit back at Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, the No 2 and No 3 seeds, who have questioned his status as a leading bookmakers' fancy.

"There's a few other players that disagree with that a little bit,'' he said.

"But I've been playing well the last six or seven months. This is probably the best I've felt going into a grand slam.

"I feel that with all the work I did in December and with great support here I can go far.''

Andy Murray Australian Open 2009


Murray broke early before being broken back but was soon into his stride, showing great movement and touch as he lobbed, dropped a spinning backhand and then cut out a volley for the decisive break in the first set.

He went a double-break up in the second before finally acing the fifth set point, and raced through the last set in just 35 minutes despite occasional lapses in concentration.

"His body language, the way he's walking around the court, looks like he's not that interested,'' Murray said of Granollers.

"He's been that way since we were young. It's difficult to stay with the match.''

Murray had already bettered last year's first-round defeat to eventual finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as he bids to become the first British grand slam winner since 1936.

The 21-year-old won back-to-back Masters series titles and reached the US Open final last year, taking his total to five for the season and his ranking to No.4 - both British records.

He has already beaten Nadal and 13-time grand slam winner Federer in a six-match unbeaten run this year, raising hopes the British slam drought may be nearly over.

However, suggestions that he was favourite surprised Federer, who is a three-time winner here, and irritated defending champion Novak Djokovic.

"What's his ranking and my ranking?'' Djokovic said.

"All respect to Andy, I like him as a person and as a player. He's done a lot in the last couple months, and he's a very talented player and we can expect him to win some grand slams in the future.

"But you cannot put him as the favourite next to Roger and Rafa and myself here at the Australian Open.''

The title race remains too close to call with all four top seeds showing red-hot form in their early matches.

Murray will face Austria's Jurgen Melzer in the next round with No.1 seed Rafael Nadal lurking as a potential semi-final opponent.

"I was two points away from losing against him in the third round of the US Open and ended up winning in five sets,'' Murray said.

"He's a tough guy, he has a big serve and doesn't let you have too much rhythm.''

Agence France-Presse
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January 23rd 2009 @ 07:09

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Suarez Navarro Defeats Venus Williams At Australian Open

Venus Williams' Australian Open campaign came to a shock end on Thurday night, at the hands of unheralded Spanish baseliner Carla Suarez Navarro on Rod Laver Arena. Williams, the No 6 seed, entered the tournament as favourite with most bookmakers on the back of recent wins over some of the world's best players plus her enviable grand slam record.

But 20-year-old Suarez Navarro, playing her first Australian Open, upstaged the seven-time grand slam winner with some incredible tennis to win their second round clash 2-6 6-3 7-5.

The American could do little but give credit to her opponent.

"I've seen her play before, but obviously she played very well, one of her best matches she ever played," Williams said.

"When you go out on the court you've got to expect anything, so everyone out here's professional and capable of playing so I'm not surprised at how well she played."

Carla Suarez Navarro Australian Open 2009
Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro celebrating match point after defeating Venus Williams


The biggest surprise was the way Suarez Navarro stood up at the crucial stages while the experienced Williams faltered.

Williams served for the match at 5-3 in the deciding set and held a match point on her opponent's serve in the following game.

But the Spanish youngster showed remarkable poise to stave off those challenges and reel off the last five games of the match, clinching victory on her second match point.

It was the first time in three years Williams had fallen at such an early stage of a grand slam event, her least successful campaign since being ousted by Tsvetana Pironkova in the opening round of the 2006 Australian Open.

"Losing's never the best fun, to say the least, but fortunately I've also had a lot of great wins too so hopefully that will balance it out," she said.

Oddly, sister Serena could end up being a beneficiary of the loss as the pair, who had been vying for tournament favouritism, had the potential to meet in a semi-final.

Suarez Navarro struggled to explain her amazing win or how she had turned things around after Williams dominated the opening set.

"I don't know what I do, I only play, I don't know what to say," she said.

The diminutive Spaniard - giving away a 23cm height advantage - had looked out-gunned early, but stepped up her game to control many of the rallies in the final two sets.

A French Open quarter-finalist in her grand slam debut last year, she produced some spectacular shot-making, using heavy top-spin on both sides of her body.

She also played nerveless tennis in the final games, as Williams threw in some untimely errors.

Suarez Navarro meets another Spanish player, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, in the third round.

AAP
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January 23rd 2009 @ 00:09

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Damir Dokic Hoping To Reconcile With Daughter Jelena

Damir Dokic says he hasn't given up on reconciling with estranged daughter Jelena, and even believes he may one day coach Australia's tennis heroine again. Speaking from his home in Belgrade, Dokic tonight told AAP he would consider contacting Jelena after the Australian Open, where the former world No.4 has reached the third round for the first time.

Damir confirmed his relationship with Jelena had soured in the past few years since she left the family home in the Serbian capital to live in Zagreb with her boyfriend Tin Bikic and her coach, Bikic's brother Borna.

But he said he spoke to Jelena as recently as "about a month ago" and claimed the 25-year-old told him reconciliation was possible.

"Everything is possible," Damir said.

"I can't tell you for sure, but why not?"

Jelena Dokic Australian Open 2009
Jelena Dokic, looking content again at the Australian Open, has expressed that she's found the love for tennis again. It is to be hoped no one comes along and destroys it for her...


Damir said he had not watched his daughter's second-round upset win over Russian seed Anna Chakvetadze, but had heard the result and was feeling proud.

"Of course I'm proud," he said.

Damir hasn't been back to Australia since taking Jelena and the rest of the family back to Serbia after believing the 2001 Open draw had been rigged to pit his daughter against defending champion Lindsay Davenport.

But he also refuses to rule out a return.

"Yeah maybe. Of course, why not? I like Australia," said tennis's most controversial father, who lived in Sydney for seven years during which Jelena rose to be the world's No.1 junior player.

Despite saying "I don't watch tennis", Damir continues to dream of building a complex in Serbia and coaching.

"My plan is to make one tennis club and start coaching again," he said.

"But I don't have a place for it in Belgrade."

Belgrade authorities and the sport's national federation have already blocked one proposal from Damir to build such a centre in the capital city.

In the meantime, he will continue doing what he does.

"I have a small business. I make brandy, the best thing of all," Damir said proudly.

"It's better than whisky, believe me."

But any chances of reconciliation, let alone an unlikely coaching reunion, appear to be resting solely in the hands of Jelena, who says she is extremely happy with her coaching arrangement.

"Sometimes you need a couple of people that you can trust.

"There's not too many of those around," she told the Seven Network on Thursday night.

The pointed remark seemed directed towards her overbearing father and came just three days after the tennis star opened up to journalists to reveal she still feels like she has "lost" her entire family.

"I don't talk to my father. I haven't for years. I talk to my mum. We're mending that relationship," she said.

"As soon as I left home, my relationship went down-hill with my dad.

"It went down-hill with my whole family."

AAP
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January 22nd 2009 @ 23:50

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Andy Murray Survive Day Four

Number five seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga survived a 195-minute marathon to down Croatian Ivan Ljubicic 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday. In a high-quality match played on the Hisense Arena, Tsonga and Ljubicic could barely be separated as they went toe to toe in an enthralling contest.

"I played really well out there," said the Frenchman.

"I was proud of myself because I was very courageous today."

Tsonga, who enraptured local fans as he won his way to the final of the 2008 Open, had his work cut out from the moment he lost his second service game.

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga Australian Open 2009
Jo-Wilfred Tsonga


He broke back later in the first set but the big-serving Ljubicic played better in the tie-break and took the early advantage.

Both men were serving superbly and it was no surprise when the next two sets went to tie-breaks.

Tsonga levelled the match when he took the second set tie-break 10-8, setting up set point with a cracking forehand down the line then blasting an ace to win the set.

He then saved three set points in the third set tie-break before going ahead with two sets to one on his first set point opportunity.

The fourth set started much the same way as both players comfortably won their first two service games and another tie-break beckoned.

But at 2-2 Tsonga suddenly attacked and broke Ljubicic to love.

He served out a solid game to go ahead 4-2, then broke Ljubicic for 5-2.

The Frenchman, who appeared to be cramping in his right leg during the fourth set, showed no signs of nerves as he served out the match.

In the late match, Briton Andy Murray had little trouble putting away Spain's Marcel Granollers in straight sets 6-4 6-2 6-2.

Agence France-Presse
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January 22nd 2009 @ 23:28

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Australia's Samantha Stosur Wins Second Round

Steely-eyed Samantha Stosur set her sights on the world's hottest player after rolling to a straight-sets win over talented German Sabine Lisicki at the Australian Open third round on Thursday. Stosur outclassed Lisicki 6-3 6-4 to join new Fed Cup teammate Jelena Dokic and give Australia two women in the last 32 at the Melbourne Park grand slam for the first time since Alicia Molik and Nicole Pratt made the third round in 2004.

"It's always good to have players still in that middle weekend.

"I'm just really happy that I'm one of them," Stosur said.

Slammin' Sam isn't finished yet, though, and says she's ready to snap Elena Dementieva's 12-match winning streak on Saturday and qualify for the last 16 of her home major for the second time.

Samantha Stosur Australian Open 2009
Samantha Stosur


Dementieva has opened the year with back-to-back titles in Auckland and Sydney, but the 48th-ranked Stosur said such a scorching run merely added to the pressure on the fourth-seeded Russian.

"She hasn't lost a match all year yet. But I think I'm playing well," Stosur said.

"Hopefully it will be a good match. I'm going to give myself a chance, play well, try and execute the tactics.

"I can't really do any more than that. I've got nothing to lose.

"I'm going to go out there, have fun, enjoy it, use the crowd to my advantage and see what happens."

Regardless of their third-round results, Fed Cup captain David Taylor said, with their form, Stosur and Dokic had all but stitched up Australia's two singles spots for next month's Asia-Oceania qualifying tournament in Perth.

Casey Dellacqua's chances nose-dived with a first-round Open defeat, while fellow West Australian Jessica Moore crashed to a 6-4 6-1 loss to 12th-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta on Thursday.

But while Australian women's tennis is suddenly looking on the up, our men's stocks have never been worse following Chris Guccione's 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-1 6-2 defeat at the hands of French sixth seed Gilles Simon.

His departure left no local player in the third round men's singles for the first time in seven years - and without a male in the world's top 100 for the first time ever.

"It wasn't to be today," Guccione said.

"He was hitting a lot of good passing shots, was getting onto my serve a bit."

AAP
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January 22nd 2009 @ 23:21

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Rafael Nadal Goes Into Third Round

On Thursday, number one seed Rafael Nadal rolled Roko Karanusic of Croatia 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 in the Australian Open's second round to stay on course for his first hardcourt Grand Slam title. Nadal, who earlier blew away Christophe Rochus, was again merciless, missing only one break point as he wrapped it up in 97 minutes to set up a clash with world No 79 German Tommy Haas.

"He played aggressively, it's not easy to play against someone who plays inside the court and hits big shots with the forehand," Nadal said.

"But I feel very comfortable here and I'm very happy with the victory."

The 22-year-old broke twice before sealing the opening set with an ace, then took the second at a canter and clinched victory on his first match point when Karanusic put a forehand wide.

Rafael Nadal Australian Open 2009


The top seeds have all excelled here with three-time champion Roger Federer and defending champion Novak Djokovic both impressive in their early matches.

Nadal had a slow start to the year after an extended off-season with ongoing knee problems, but he has been in lightning form here as he bids to add the Australian Open to his Wimbledon and French Open crowns.

The Majorcan left-hander is starting his first season as number one after ending a wait of more than three years by overtaking Federer in August.

Nadal compiled one of the best seasons in tennis history last year, winning his fourth successive French Open and ending Federer's five-year Wimbledon reign in a classic final.

He also took the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics and claimed eight titles in all, more than any other player on tour.

Agence France-Presse
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January 22nd 2009 @ 23:10

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Serena Williams, Elena Dementieva Make Third Round

Three-time champion Serena Williams was put through her paces before making the Australian Open third round, where she was joined by on-song No.4 seed Elena Dementieva. In hot and windy conditions, Williams recovered superbly after Gisela Dulko took a 5-2 lead in the second set, reeling off five games in a row to tame the Argentinean 6-3 7-5.

The American acknowledged it had been a patchy display.

"It was definitely a tough second set, she was just playing unbelievable and started hitting winners left and right," said Williams.

"She had some opportunities but I never felt like I was going to lose. I feel like I can play a lot better and hopefully I will."

Elena Dementieva Australian Open 2009
Elena Dementieva


She joins No.1 seed Jelena Jankovic, No.3 seed Dinara Safina and the No.5 seed Ana Ivanovic in the third round after they all assured their berths on Wednesday.

While the Serena and sister Venus are considered the favourites, the unassuming Dementieva is in a rich vein of form.

The Russian crushed the Czech Republic's Iveta Benesova 6-4 6-1 for her 12th straight victory this year after claiming back-to-back titles in Auckland and Sydney.

The Beijing Olympic gold medalist is seen as one of the most consistent players never to have won a Grand Slam and she senses her time is coming.

"I'm not thinking about my chances," she insisted. "I'm really enjoying the way I'm playing right now and I just want to go as far as I can, just enjoy every single match I play here."

Also safely through was 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo who survived a scare from British qualifier Elena Baltacha to win 4-6 6-3 6-2.

The experienced Frenchwoman, in her 14th year of grand slam tennis, warned she would get better as the tournament progressed.

"I've been playing a lot of grand slams now, and I know that you cannot really define your game from what you can see in the first couple of rounds," she said.

"But I'm expecting to play better and better as the tournament goes on."

Next up for her is dark horse Victoria Azarenka, who continued her recent impressive form by breezing past the Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova 6-2 6-1.

The Belarusian teenager, the world No.14, lurks as an outside chance after winning her first WTA tournament in Brisbane two weeks ago.

China's Zheng Jie also doggedly made the third round, battling for a 7-6 (7/0) 5-7 6-3 victory over Hungary's Melinda Czink.

Zheng has showed her mettle in the past by making the semi-finals of Wimbledon last year, but had never before gone beyond the first round in Melbourne in four previous attempts.

The No.8 seed, from Russia Svetlana Kuznetsova booked her place in the third round of the Australian Open when she cruised past German Tatjana Malek 6-2 6-2.

The 23-year-old from St Petersburg, who won the US Open in 2004, was never in any trouble against Malek, who at number 239 is a full 231 places below Kuznetsova on the world rankings.

The Russian's main problem came from the high winds that swirled relentlessly around the exposed Margaret Court Arena.

"The condtions were hard but I think I played quite well with the wind, so I'm happy with that," she said.

"The wind was swirling around and it was hard - I had to move around a lot, but I think I coped well.''

Kuznetsova will play Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine in the third round and remains on track for a possible semi-final against second seed Serena Williams.

Bondarenko, 22, beat Frenchwoman Severine Bremond 7-6 (7/1) 1-6 6-2 to reach the third round of a grand slam for the first time.

The Ukranian has beaten Kuznetsova in both their previous meetings, both times on clay.

Agence France-Presse
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January 22nd 2009 @ 23:01

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Jelena Dokic Moves To Australian Open Third Round

Vintage Jelena Dokic evoked memories of her inspired grand slam runs with another brave and emotional Australian Open triumph on Wednesday night. The born-again Australian overcame an Achilles tendon injury to outclass highly-rated Russian Anna Chakvetadze, the world No 18, 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 at Rod Laver Arena to advance to the third round of a major for the first time since 2003.

The brilliant win, which came just two days after the 25-year-old bared her soul to the world and revealed her desperate battle with depression, was also Dokic's first over a top-20 rival in five long seasons.

Now ranked 187th, having been as high as No.4 in the world after reaching the 2002 French Open quarter-finals, Dokic will next face the No.11 seed, from Denmark, Caroline Wozniacki on Friday for a berth in the last 16 at Melbourne Park.

Jelena Dokic Australian Open 2009
Australia's Jelena Dokic on her way to a three sets victory over Anna Chakvetadze


Estranged from her father Damir, whose erratic and domineering behaviour led to the former Wimbledon junior champion's demise, Dokic had only her long-time boyfriend Tin Bikic and coach, his brother Borna, supporting her from the player's box.

But the Serbian-born star had another 15,000 fans behind her in the stadium plus a few million more watching on TV as she overcame a nervy second-set collapse to upstage the tournament's 17th seed.

Dokic can now dream of a repeat of her magic run to the 1999 Wimbledon quarter-finals as a qualifier and then to the last four of the championships the following year - when she famously ousted then-world No.1 Martina Hingis in the opening round.

Her victory over Chakvetadze, an Open quarter-finalist two years ago, was not without drama.

At one stage as the Australian wildcard playoff winner raced to a 4-1 lead in the second set, Chakvetadze appeared to be almost in tears during a changeover, while Dokic also had her struggles.

She called for some bananas to be delivered to her before the second set and then during the third required courtside treatment for the Achilles injury that forced her withdrawal from last week's Hobart International and had her limping to the finish line on Wednesday night.

But, after failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, Dokic didn't miss her second opportunity.

After breaking Chakvetadze in the opening game of the deciding set, Australia's new tennis heroine progressed when the Russian coughed up her 16th double-fault to send Dokic through after two hours and 17 minutes.

"It's great. I really wanted to just put a good performance in tonight," Dokic said, fighting back tears.

"She's a top-20 player and I just wanted to make it as exciting as possible.

"Things just started going my way and I got nervous but this crowd helped me through as the match went on. They were unbelievable.

"No matter what happens from here on in, this is an amazing experience and a memory I will not forget for a long time."

Dokic said she would have nothing to lose against Wozniacki.

"I'll just try to have a good day off tomorrow and, whatever happens, I'll just try to play some good tennis again," she said.

Open officials announced a crowd of 63,557 on Wednesday, a world record for a single day at a grand slam tennis tournament.

AAP
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January 22nd 2009 @ 16:09

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Chris Guccione Out Of Australian Open

Chris Guccione is out of the Australian Open after slumping to four-set second-round defeat to No 6 seed Gilles Simon. After making a strong start to take the first set in a tiebreak, Guccione, who was the last remaining Australian in the men's draw, was overpowered by the Frenchman 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-1 6-2.

Guccione won his first grand slam match in four years on Tuesday and continued his good form early against Simon.

Serving strongly and rushing the net at every opportunity, Guccione had the measure of his well-credentialled opponent.

Chris Guccione Australian Open 2009


The first break of serve for the match came in the 10th game of the second set when Simon took advantage of a lapse in concentration from the Australian.

It gave him the set and what proved to be a clear advantage for the rest of the match.

AAP
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January 22nd 2009 @ 14:42

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Jelena Dokic Has Been To Hell And Back

Jelena Dokic bared her heart on Monday, struggling with tears as she told of the anguish of being banished by her family and the depression that followed. "It was a tough time in my life. I had a lot to go through, a lot of family issues. I went through hell and back," the 25-year-old said as tears welled in her eyes.

Her battle with depression reached its peak as recently as 2007.

"I was really struggling with everything: with my weight, with my mental state, with everything," she said.

Just four years earlier the young Serbian Australian had the tennis world at her feet. She was ranked world No. 4 and, seemingly, even greater fame beckoned.

But her world fell apart.

Jelena Dokic


Public battles with her domineering father Damir, who was famously ejected from Wimbledon, among other indignities, took their toll.

She walked out on Damir, thus splitting with the rest of her family and starting a spiral into depression.

The star became an also-ran. She wasn't to win another match at a grand slam tournament for almost six years, until now.

"It's really a miracle for me. It's really emotional to win today," Dokic said after outlasting Austrian Tamira Paszek 6-2 3-6 6-4.

"What I had to go through, it's really great to have this win. I don't think a lot of people know what it means to me."

In her time in the wilderness, Dokic didn't pick up a racquet for months at a time, struggling to come to grips with being banished by her entire family.

Asked if she had mended her relationship with her father, Dokic said: "No. I don't talk to my father. I haven't for years. I talk to my mum (Liliana). We're mending that relationship. As soon as I left home, my relationship went down the hill with my dad.

"It went down the hill with my whole family.

"The biggest thing I regret is my brother (Savo), who is eight years younger than me. I didn't have contact with him for years until the last 12 months. That was the hardest thing to deal with.

"But, yeah, I still feel like I've lost them. I will try my best, you know, to patch up things with my brother and my mum. But it's not just that. I had so much to go through while my dad was on the tour. I was just so young and just had no real idea what was going on.

"But it was real difficult to take all that, what was going on off the court, all the outbursts. I played with a huge pressure on my shoulders. I kind of just cracked by the time I was 19 already."

Dokic credited boyfriend Tin Bikic with keeping her on track.

"I'm trying to mend the relationship with my brother and my mum. But my boyfriend was there. We've been together for six years. He was there with me," she said.

Dokic is confident she has emerged from her time in hell.

"I think it's over. I think I dealt with everything. You know, I'm really enjoying my tennis. It doesn't really have anything to do with ranking, money or anything. I just really love the game.

"I dealt with so much off the court, that this is a joke to me now."

Herald Sun
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January 22nd 2009 @ 13:57

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: David Nalbandian Out Of Australian Open

David Nalbandian has suffered a shock defeat to unseeded Taiwanese player Yen-Hsun Lu to make his earliest Australian Open exit in seven years.

Nalbandian, the No 10 seed, from Argentina, who entered the Open in great form after winning last week's Medibank International, fell 6-4 5-7 4-6 6-4 6-2.

David Nalbandian Australian Open 2009
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January 22nd 2009 @ 08:27

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Marin Cilic Verbally Abused By Crowd

Young Croat Marin Cilic was verbally abused despite his opponent's appeal for his Serb fans to stop the taunts. Cilic had the last word in the "Battle of the Balkans" as he beat Serb Janko Tipsarevic 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-3 in a potentially explosive Australian Open second-round match.

Tipsarevic, who asked tournament organisers to schedule the clash on a show court to better control fans, stopped mid-match to urge his chanting supporters in the Court Two stadium to tone down the abuse directed at Cilic.

"They said a couple of bad words, so he said to be quiet and not talk about bad things. But I didn't pay attention too much," Cilic said. "The things they were saying was really not nice. It was tough to play, of course. I knew from the beginning it was going to be like that. There's not much you can do."

Marin Cilic Australia Open 2009


Having the match in the 2000-seat stadium allowed the fans to be kept well apart. And Cilic admitted his backers were also chanting insults.

"The provocations were coming from both sides. I wasn't paying attention too much to it. I was trying to be focused on the match, but sometimes it takes your mind a little bit off the things you have to do," he said. Asked what words were being hurled at him, Cilic replied: "You don't want to know."

Local fans sitting near the rival flag-waving Croat and Serb cheer squads were unaware of the abuse and the match was completed without incident.

Cilic, the 19th seed, underlined his top-10 destiny with victory against the dangerous Tipsarevic, four years older and ranked inside the top 50.
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January 22nd 2009 @ 07:14

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Mistake Putting Bernard Tomic On Centre Court

Fair enough putting the big names on centre court, but what were the organisers thinking, putting Bernard Tomic and Gilles Muller on centre court. Surely the pressure must have played a part in the 16 year old Tomic's defeat, and for that, the organisers must take some responsibility.

By dusk the big stars had gone. Defending champion Novak Djokovic, Dinara Safina, Ana Ivanovic and the great Roger Federer had done their thing before you sat down to your dinner.

What was left for the night sky were Australians Jelena Dokic and Bernard Tomic. Dokic's life in general and in sport has been traumatic but she deserves everybody's sympathy. Her father was a mad man. She played Russian Anna Chakvetadze, the women's 17th seed. Fair enough that match be played on centre court.

Bernard Tomic Australian Open 2009


Tomic is barely 16 years old and ranked 767th in the world. Gilles Muller is from Luxembourg and ranked just inside the top 100. He is well known to his family but remains a state secret everywhere else. This boy-versus-man match was played on centre court in prime television and spectator time. It is unlikely that in the history of grand slam tennis have two less qualified players been given the honour of the best spot on the daily calendar. Nor can any match have been more inappropriate for the timeslot no matter the result.

Craig Tiley is in charge of the development of Australian tennis and is tournament director of this Open. The question of what to do with the Australian teenager left him hopelessly compromised, especially since Channel Seven pushed hard for a little Tomic night music. Given the state of tennis in this country Tiley needs to decide on one job or the other. He is yet to live down the ludicrous decision to send Little Lleyton out on to court to play Marcos Baghdatis last year at 11.47pm for the pair not to finish their marathon match until 4.34am.

It is timely to remember that it was Hewitt who, after his first-round loss to Fernando Gonzalez on Tuesday, said this of Tomic: "Yeah, it was a great win by Bernard (four-set defeat of Italian Potito Starace) yesterday, but he's still got a long way to go before he's in the top hundred and playing in the other Slams, the other Masters series week in and week out. I could be retired by the time he gets to the top hundred. Who knows how long that will take, so ..."

It was a plea for caution from one former child prodigy to the handlers of the new whiz-kid. Sadly, it has not been heeded.

Tiley had the easy and far more appropriate opportunity of swapping the No8 seed, Argentian Juan Martin Del Porto's night match against Florian Mayer from the Hisense venue with the Tomic's match on Rod Laver Arena.

A swap could also have been made with the forgotten Australian Brydan Klein, 19, who was down to play the third match of the day on Show Court 2. At least his opponent was the seeded Stanislas Wawrinka, the 16th-ranked player in the world.

Playing Tomic in such an import slot was reckless and an unnecessary risk with the development of Australia's best young player. The result was immaterial, the danger of harming Tomic's career too great.

If you don't think last night's draw was a commercial contrivance then look at which players front the night audience on Rod Laver Arena tonight - Venus Williams, the No6 women's seed, and Andy Murray, No4 in the men's draw.

Klein, three years older than Tomic, lost in straight sets but he appears not far from making a fist of things on the tour. He fretted openly as the match slipped away from him on Show Court 3. But he might just be one win away from a prominent role in Australian tennis.

In sport, corners can be turned in a sudden stride if the self belief is overwhelming. At the moment Klein looks unconvinced that he has the respect of his opponents. He was the Australian junior champion before Tomic and is progressing slowly but without the drool that has drenched Tomic this tournament.

Wawrinka is a sweetly produced player with a good technique and patience to build then finish points precisely. He is 23 and was pleased to get past Klein whose inexperience he was able to exploit.

The top-heavy draw yesterday gave provided a day of interest nonetheless. No3 seed Dinara Safina lost the first set of her match against fellow Russian

Ekaterina Marakova. It forced a re-evaluation of her game. Immediately she became more aggressive, prepared to sacrifice consistency for winners.

She won quick enough, the third set for the loss of no games and in just 29 minutes.

She is prepared to hit 44 unforced errors as she did yesterday if it indicates she is hell-bent on dominating her opponent.

If she plays passively, she loses.

You fancy she is as volatile as her brother, though her new status in tennis means she is no longer regarded as Marat's young sister.

She is certainly as self-deprecating.

If she is not playing or practising, she is in her hotel room watching television.

There are no other options, a focus that she thinks might change as she matures.

After two days it is difficult to get a handle on the women's draw. Ana Ivanovic won comfortably over Italian Alberta Brianti. She feels she is getting better match by match and the rustiness of Brisbane is all but gone.

Like Safina she feels the key to her success is aggression. So, too, does world No1 Jelena Jankovic. She was the least impressive in defeating Kirsten Flipkens.

Jankovic was not perturbed. She, too, feels she is burrowing into the tournament and is becoming more comfortable with each match. She is discovering the pressure of being No1 in the world. Everybody who plays her can hit out with nothing to lose. Last night Tomic was not given that opportunity.

The Australian
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January 22nd 2009 @ 05:00

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Marcos Baghdatis Through To Third Round

Crowd favourite Marcos Baghdatis' Australian Open campaign is gathering steam after he upset No 16 seed Robin Soderling in the second round on Wednesday night. The popular Cypriot, who made an entertaining run to the Open final in 2006, downed Sweden's Robin Soderling 3-6 7-5 6-3 6-3.

It followed his straight sets first round win over Frenchman Julien Benneteau, continuing his strong record at Melbourne Park.

Baghdatis had entered the event in scratchy form and with his ranking having slumped to No.97, after an injury-riddled 2008.

He lost in the first round in Brisbane earlier this month and was also below his best in last week's Kooyong Classic, before hitting his straps in the grand slam event.

Marcos Baghdatis Australian Open


The 23-year-old next plays American 23rd seed Mardy Fish - who downed Italian Simone Bolelli in straight sets on Wednesday - in what will be their first career meeting.

Meanwhile Andy Roddick ground out a four-set win over world No.195 Belgian Xavier Malisse to reach the third round.

Roddick lost the opening set and battled through a third-set tie-breaker to take it 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 in two hours and 43 minutes.

AAP
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January 21st 2009 @ 22:36

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Brydan Klein Exits Australian Open

Australian teenager Brydan Klein has made a straight sets exit in the second round of the Australian Open. The 19-year-old West Australian, ranked 249th in the world, was outclassed by the 15th seed from Switzerland Stanislas Wawrinka, losing 6-3 6-4 6-4.

Klein's downfall left Chris Guccione and Bernard Tomic as the only Australian men remaining in the singles draw, with Tomic scheduled to play his second round match on Wednesday night.

It was the first time Klein, the 2007 Australian Open junior champion, had made it through to the second round of the main draw, having lost in the first round in his grand slam debut last year.

Brydan Klein Australian Open 2009


AAP
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January 21st 2009 @ 16:02

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Ivanovic, Jankovic, Safina Into Third Round

Dinara Safina struggled, while Serbia's Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic also moved into the third round of the Australian Open with second-round victories at Melbourne Park. Safina, the No 3 seed, was made to work hard by fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova, fighting back from a set down to win 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-0.

The younger sister of former Australian Open champion Marat Safin, who is yet to win a grand slam title, put her sluggish start down to a lack of knowledge of her opponent.

"She played a very good match. She gave me a hard time,'' Safina admitted. "But when I lost the first set I raised my level and that's why I won quite easily after that.

Ana Ivanovic Australian Open 2009
Ana Ivanovic


"We don't know each other, I've never played her and I've never seen her play. That's maybe why I had to find out in the first set how to play her.''

Next up for Safina is Estonian 25th seed Kaia Kanepi, who ended Austrian Patricia Mayr's hopes by advancing in straight sets.
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January 21st 2009 @ 15:53

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Federer, Djokovic, Safin Into Round Three

Roger Federer dominated Russian qualifier Evgeny Korolev to set up a mouth-watering clash with Marat Safin at the Australian Open, while Novak Djokovic's title defence remains on track. Federer confirmed the third-round blockbuster with Safin with an emphatic three-set victory at the Australian Open.

The second-seeded Swiss crushed Russian Evgeny Korolev 6-2 6-3 6-1 in just 87 minutes after former Australian Open champion Safin outclassed Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5 6-2 6-2 in his second-round match.

Safin beat Federer in an epic semi-final at Melbourne Park in 2005 before going on to beat Lleyton Hewitt in the final to land his second grand slam title.

The Russian has said 2009 will be his last season on the tour.

Novak Djokovic Australian Open 2009
Novak Djokovic


Meanwhile, Djokovic's Australian Open title defence remains on track after the Serb cruised into the third round.

Djokovic needed just one hour and 44 minutes to defeat Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 7-5 6-1 6-3 at Rod Laver Arena.

The Serbian's defeat of the world's 73rd-ranked player was hardly a pointer to his prospects of another Open title, but he said he was satisfied with his progress.

"I'm playing better and better which is very encouraging," Djokovic said.

He said he couldn't compare his form this year with that which won him last year's Open.

"It's pretty difficult because I'm in two different situations," he said.

"Right now, physically I feel better, game wise it's different."

The No.3 seed next faces American Amer Delic on Friday for a place in the last 16.

David Nalbandian, the No.10 seed from Argentina lost his second-round match 6-4 5-7 4-6 6-4 6-2 to Taiwan's Yen-Hsun Lu in the first big upset of the tournament.

"This is the first time I've beaten a top 10 player, and it's in a Grand Slam." Lu said.

"It was really tough out there for me today,

"There are a lot of fans here from Taiwan and they really supported me and helped me get through."

The loss marks Nalbandian's worst performance at the Australian Open since he exited at the same stage in his fist visit to Melbourne in 2002.

Fellow seeds Stanislas Wawrinka, David Ferrer, Marin Cilic, Tommy Robredo and Mardy Fish were all successful, each safely progressing to the last 32.

Following his match, Djokovic joined the push against British star Andy Murray, declaring him an unworthy favourite for the year's first grand slam.

"I like him as a person and as a player," Djokovic said.

"He's done a lot in the last couple of months and he's a very talented player and we can expect him to win some grand slams in the future.

"But you cannot put him as one of the favourites next to Roger and Rafa (Nadal) and myself here at the Open."
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January 21st 2009 @ 15:45

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Rafael Nadal Defeats Christophe Rochus

World No 1 Rafael Nadal sent out an ominous warning to his rivals when he blew Belgium's Christophe Rochus off court 6-0 6-2 6-2 in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday. The Spaniard was in devastating form, serving 10 aces and blasting 44 winners in a virtuoso display of power and precision.

Rochus was almost reduced to a spectator at times as Nadal's ground stokes either landed deep in the corner or hugged the sidelines.

When the Belgian tried something different and came forward to the net, Nadal's passing shots whistled by, leaving Rochus either stranded on the service line or lunging at thin air.

Nadal broke Rochus three times in the first set and barely conceded a point off his own serve as he won the set 6-0 in only 19 minutes.

Rafael Nadal Australian Open 2009


Rochus finally got on the scoreboard in the ninth game of the match, but with his first serves hovering just below 180kmh and his second serves barely passing 130kmh, every service game was a struggle.

The second set lasted just 10 minutes longer than the first but at least Rochus began to get into the match.

However, Nadal was never in danger and he broke Rochus another two times in the third to take the match in a lightning quick 77 minutes.

Nadal, who took over from Roger Federer as world No.1 during 2009, said he felt little different coming to the year's first grand slam as the world's best player.

"I feel the same - I am just trying to play my best tennis," he said.

"All that's changed is a number."

He said he had been happy being number two and now he was just as pleased being in the top spot.

"But in tennis your career continues - you can't just stop (because you're number one)," he said.

AAP
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January 21st 2009 @ 15:34

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: James Blake Defeats Frank Dancevic At Australian Open

American James Blake overcame unexpected resistance from Canadian qualifier Frank Dancevic to reach the Australian Open's second round on Tuesday. The world No 10 was broken in all three sets but came roaring back each time to win 6-4 6-3 7-5 in just under two hours.

“You can't get a much more exciting three-setter,'' Blake said.

“It was a little too exciting but he played some great tennis.''

Blake, who has never lost his first match in eight appearances at the Australian Open, made last year's quarter-finals but is still looking for his maiden grand slam win.

In cool and windy evening conditions, the 29-year-old New Yorker peppered Dancevic with aggressive ground strokes and some dazzling winners.

James Blake Australian Open 2009


Blake lobbed Dancevic to break back in the second and dropped a cute backhand behind the net as he went ahead, finishing the set with an ace.

But Dancevic replied with similar aggression in the third set, breaking back and conjuring six more break points as he tested the American to the limit.

However, Blake got the crucial break for 6-5 and sealed it when Dancevic put a backhand just wide on the first match-point.

“He was keeping me on edge, I had to come up with some great serves and he let me off the hook with some of those break-points,'' Blake said.

“He had nothing to lose and that can be really dangerous. I tried to think that and just ride the storm. I was able to do that and put a few winners away.''

Blake has reached three grand slam quarter-finals and won 10 ATP tournaments in a career interrupted by serious injury.

Dancevic, 24, has never gone past round two in a major and is yet to win a professional title.

Agence France-Presse
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January 21st 2009 @ 15:24

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Sam Stosur First Round Win

Australia's top-ranked player Samantha Stosur survived a mid-match slump to fight her way into the second round of the Australian Open. The 24-year-old Queenslander beat Czech Klara Zakopalova 7-6(7-5) 7-6 (7-0) in a straight sets win that was a much tighter match than it should have been.

Stosur, the world No.48 and only Australian man or woman inside the top 50, raced to a 5-1 lead in the opening set, with her powerful serve and forehand seemingly too much for dogged baseliner Zakopalova.

But, after her impressive start, unforced errors began to creep into the Australian's game and she allowed the Czech to work her way into the match.

Stosur twice unsuccessfully served for the opening set, before being taken to a tiebreak, which she clinched on her second set point.

Sam Stosur Australian Open 2009


But Zakopalova, buoyed by the momentum she had developed late in the first set, pushed to a 5-3 lead in the second, giving herself a chance to serve for the set.

Stosur's cause was not helped by leg muscle cramps, which caused her to call for medical attention in the break after the first set and again early in the second set.

But she regained her poise to break the Czech's serve and push the set into a tiebreak.

Stosur then zoomed through the tiebreak without losing a point, clinching the match on her first match point.

Stosur's victory continues her comeback towards the upper echelons of the women's game.

Once ranked as high as No.27, she fell out of the top 150 in 2008 due to almost a year spent out of the game because of illness, before she returned last June.

Stosur will play Germany's Sabine Lisicki in the second round, after Lisicki downed 30th seeded Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak earlier.

Stosur admitted to some concerns as she let her first set lead slip.

"Obviously some things were going wrong towards the end of the first set," she said.

"I just tried to calm down and not let things get worse.

"She's a competitor and fights well and it's never over no matter what the score is, anything can happen."

Stosur also said it was the first time in her career she had had an issue with cramping, but was confident she would recover quickly enough to be at full fitness for the next round.

AAP
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January 21st 2009 @ 15:17

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Williams Sisters On Semi-final Collision Course

Title favourites Serena and Venus Williams remain on a semi-final collision course after moving automatically into cruise control at the Australian Open on Tuesday. Second-seeded Serena released just enough power to blast China's Yuan Meng 6-3 6-2 and slip into the second round before older sister and No.6 seed Venus completed a 6-3 6-3 victory over German Angelique Kerber.

With temperatures again hovering in the high 30s, Serena took the first step in her bid for a fourth Australian crown with an effortless win.

The key was controlling the pace of the game, allowing her to conserve energy in the trying conditions.

"It was a little hot for me today but I was able to take my time and play a lot slower, not giving 1000 per cent," Serena said.

Venus Williams Australian Open 2009
Venus Williams returns to Germany's Angelique Kerbe


"Going out there today in this heat, it was pretty important for me not to go crazy out there ... keep in mind I am playing doubles here as well and I definitely want to do well in both events."

The American sisters were joined in the second round by former champion Amelie Mauresmo and the No.4 seed, from Russia Elena Dementieva.

Mauresmo, the 2006 champion, beat Bulgarian Olga Govortsova 6-4 6-3 while Dementieva survived a scare before outlasting German Kristina Barrois 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-1.

Dementieva came into the Open after winning both lead-up events in Auckland and Sydney, which has boosted her confidence but left a question mark over her stamina.

As long as she has not already expended too much energy, Dementieva believes she can improve on Tuesday's performance.

"It was not easy for me to come here after playing so many matches in a row," Dementieva said.

"I don't think it will be a problem. I think it's always nice to have some good matches before, that really gives you a lot of confidence for the grand slam.

"But it's just a matter of the recovery, if it's enough time for me to get some rest and get ready for the first round."

Mauresmo has dropped out of the top 10 in the past year but is unfazed about her ranking and more concerned about peaking at the slams.

"I am aware you have to play a lot to see your ranking go up," the Frenchwoman said.

"It's not really the goal for this year. The goal is to focus on the big events ... and also try to win a tournament again, which I haven't done for a couple of years."

Mauresmo now meets little-known British qualifier Elena Baltacha, a potential danger, she said.

"I don't know much about her. I've never even seen her play so I guess I will just have to focus on really what I have to do and be strong on my weapons.

Swiss 14th seed Patty Schnyder also played her way into the second round, fighting back from a first set deficit to oust Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic 2-6 6-4 6-2.

Meanwhile, ninth seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska fell to Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 6-1 and blamed a string of unforced errors for her exit.

AAP
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January 21st 2009 @ 15:07

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Lleyton Hewitt Out Of Australian Open

Australian tennis, already at an all-time low, is set to plumb to pathetic levels unless Chris Guccione or 2007 Australian Open junior champion Brydan Klein can make an unlikely charge to the last 16 of the season's opening grand slam.

Lleyton Hewitt will plummet outside the world's top 100 following his 5-7 6-2 6-2 3-6 6-3 loss to big-hitting Fernando Gonzalez on Tuesday, leaving the 28-times Davis Cup-winning nation in danger of being the laughing stock of the tennis world.

Should Guccione or Klein fail to pull off a series of upsets this week, Australia will be without a man in the top 100 for the first time ever.

Hewitt, though, is refusing to give up on his Open dreams despite tumbling to a decade-low ranking after watching helplessly as Gonzalez clubbed 67 winners to eliminate him in three hours and seven minutes at Rod Laver Laver Arena.

Lleyton Hewitt Out Of Australian Open 2009


The gallant loss was Hewitt's first first-round exit at Melbourne Park since being struck down with chickenpox as the tournament's top seed back in 2002 and snapped the South Australian's streak of seven successive five-set triumphs at his home grand slam.

All things considered, though, it was another mighty effort from Hewitt, who only returned to the courts last month after a five-month layoff following career-saving hip surgery.

The drama-charged fifth set could have gone either way as the two players traded service breaks in the fourth and fifth games.

Leading 3-2, but having just dropped serve, a tiring Gonzalez took a medical timeout to have both legs massaged.

The break didn't help Hewitt, who immediately double-faulted on the resumption of play, then dumped a forehand into the net before the South American nailed a scorching crosscourt forehand pass to grab another break and a match-winning 4-2 lead.

Hewitt lamented squandering three break-point opportunities at 1-1 in the decider.

"I felt at that stage I was starting to get back on top," Hewitt said.

"Early in that fifth set, it would have been nice to go up an early break ... it could have been a little bit different."

Ultimately, Hewitt's wretched draw put paid to the unseeded former grand slam champion's hopes of venturing deep into the draw.

But the 27-year-old has already planned a hectic schedule comprising of tournaments in San Jose, starting in two weeks, then Memphis, Houston, Indian Wells and Miami as he sets about regaining his place in the world's top 20.

"I'm right there," Hewitt said.

"The guys that I've lost to, especially the last two weeks, they're both top 15 at the moment.

"But when they're at their best, (David) Nalbandian is possibly a top-five, top-seven player and Gonzalez is a top-10 player.

"The two losses haven't been the worst losses on paper. I probably could have easily won both those matches."

Hewitt, eyeing another tilt at Open glory in 2009, rejected reports that he considered retiring after the Beijing Olympics, when his nagging hip injury ended his season.

"As soon as I flew back from Beijing, I landed that morning, then that afternoon I was under the knife. If I was going to retire, then I wouldn't have had the surgery done," he said.

"It wasn't something that was going to affect me in everyday life for the rest of my life.

"It was something that, if I want to still play tennis, then it had to be done."

AAP
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January 21st 2009 @ 14:58

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Chris Guccione To Second Round Australian Open

Melbourne's Chris Guccione turned it around after four, barren years at the Australian Open with a first round victory that he is hoping will reignite his career. Guccione joins teenage star Bernard Tomic and Brydan Klein as the only Australians so far into a men's second round that will be without former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt.

Another Australian, Carsten Ball, is on court now against German Michael Berrer.

On a day when high winds accompanied the blistering heat, British fourth seed Andy Murray completed his fastest grand slam match to also make the second round, as did the Frenchmen Gilles Simon, the sixth seed and 12th seed Gael Monfils.

Guccione, whose only previous victory at his home major came on debut against countryman Alun Jones back in 2004, was largely untroubled in beating Frenchman Nicolas Devilder 6-4 6-2 6-4.

Chris Guccione Australian Open 2009


The 23-year-old will now face the talented Simon, a prospect which may make his return to form a short-lived experience.

Despite that intimidating prospect, Guccione focused on the positives of only his fifth victory in 13 grand slam tournaments, during which time he has never advanced beyond the second round.

A major factor in Guccione's triumph on Tuesday was his ability to cope better with the conditions.

"I was trying to serve a high percentage out there, which was tough," said Guccione.

"The only thing that it really affects is your ball toss, it can get blown around a little bit.

"My ball toss isn't that high, it's just a matter of timing the ball up there, which I think I did pretty well today."

Simon took out Spain's Pablo Andujar 6-4 6-1 6-1, a win that comes after a year in which he improved his ranking from 29 to a career-best seven.

It also added to the success of French players in general and came on top of victories on Tuesday to compatriots Monfils and 24th seed Richard Gasquet.

Monfils endured a third set lapse to beat Martin Vassallo Arguello 6-1 6-2 7-5 in their first-round match while Gasquet had a more formidable task against Diego Junqueira before winning 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-4.

Hewitt lost, as a player ranked 70th in the world should do at the hands of one seeded 13.

Typically, it wasn't without a substantial fight.

Chile's Fernando Gonzalez took the match 5-7 6-2 6-2 3-6 6-3, with the Australian claiming the result hinged on "a couple of points" in the fifth set.

Hewitt had the chance of an early break at 1-1 and 15-40 on Gonzalez's serve in the final set.

"If I could have got that early break it could have been a little different," Hewitt said.

"There were still only a couple of points in it in the fifth."

AAP
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January 20th 2009 @ 14:49

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Serena Williams Cruises Into Second Round

Serena Williams moved automatically into cruise control on Tuesday, releasing just enough power to blast China's Yuan Meng in straight sets, and slip into the second round of the Australian Open. With temperatures again hovering in the high 30s, Williams took the first step in her bid for a fourth Australian crown with an effortless 6-3 6-2 win.

The key to her win was controlling the pace of the game, allowing her to conserve energy in the trying conditions.

"It was a little hot for me today but I was able to take my time and play a lot slower, not giving 1000 per cent," Williams said.

"I think going out there today in this heat, it was pretty important for me not to go crazy out there... keep in mind I am playing doubles here as well and I definitely want to do well in both events."

Serena Williams Australian Open 2009


She was joined in the second round by former champion Amelie Mauresmo and fourth seeded Russian Elena Dementieva.

Mauresmo, the 2006 champion, beat Bulgarian Olga Govortsova 6-4 6-3 while Dementieva survived a scare before outlasting German Kristina Barrois 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-1.

Dementieva came into the Open after winning both lead-up events in Auckland and Sydney, which has boosted her confidence but left a question mark over her stamina.

As long as she has not already expended too much energy, Dementieva believes she can improve on Tuesday's performance.

"I think it was a very tough match, especially because of the weather conditions today," Dementieva said.

"And also it was not easy for me to come here after playing so many matches in a row.

"I don't think it will be a problem, I think it's always nice to have some good matches before, that really gives you a lot of confidence for the grand slam.

"But it's just a matter of the recovery, if it's enough time for me to get some rest and get ready for the first round."

Mauresmo has dropped out of the top 10 this past year but says she is not worried about her ranking.

Rather, she says, she is planning to have her game peak at the grand slams.

"I am aware you have to play a lot to see your ranking go up," she said.

"It's not really the goal for this year, the goal is to focus on the big events...and also try to win a tournament again, which I haven't done for a couple of years.

"I'm not really concerned about the ranking really. If it goes up, that's great, it shows that I'm playing good, that I'm consistent. But I'm really looking at some level of play more than ranking."

Mauresmo now meets little-known British qualifier Elena Baltacha, a potential danger, she said.

"I don't know much about her, I've never even seen her play so I guess I will just have to focus on really what I have to do and be strong on my weapons.

"Always you really have to be careful and you really have to take things very seriously from the beginning of the match.

"I know how it feels to be in this situation, I know you need to have the adrenaline coming up, you're on a roll, you want to keep going," she said.

Swiss 14th seed Patty Schnyder also played her way into the second round today, fighting back from a first set deficit to oust Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic 2-6 6-4 6-2.

Meanwhile, ninth seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska fell to Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 6-1 and blamed a string of unforced errors for her exit.

Sixth seed Venus Williams later joined sister Serena when she strolled into the second round, completing a 6-3 6-3 victory over German Angelique Kerber.

The pair are on course to meet in the semi-finals

AAP
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January 20th 2009 @ 14:37

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Elena Dementieva Through To Second Round Of Australian Open

In-form Russian Elena Dementieva has survived a two-hour battle to win through to the second round of the Australian Open. The No 4 seed took three sets to defeat German Kristina Barrois 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-1.

Dementieva went into the Open as the hottest player on tour, with wins in both the lead-up events in Auckland and Sydney.

But she was forced to fight back from two service breaks down in the opening set to take it in a tiebreaker, before losing her way with a series of wild returns in the second set.

The 27-year-old regained her focus to whip through the deciding set, propelled by two early service breaks, and scraped through to the next round.

Elena Dementieva Australian Open 2009


AAP
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January 20th 2009 @ 14:29

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Andy Murray Through To Second Round Of Australian Open

Fourth-seed Andy Murray is through to the second-round of the Australian Open after Andrei Pavel retired hurt midway through their first-round clash on Rod Laver Arena. Murray had been leading 6-2 3-1 when the Romanian called it quits due to a back injury.

Murray, who is one of the early title favourites following a series of wins over Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal this season, will next play either Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili or Spain's Marcel Granollers on Thursday for a place in the last 32.

Andy Murray Australian Open 2009


AAP
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January 20th 2009 @ 14:21

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Federer First-round Australian Open Win Over Andreas Seppi

Roger Federer took the first step towards equalling Pete Sampras' Grand Slam-winning record, beating off defiant Italian Andreas Seppi on Monday to march into the second round of the Australian Open. Chasing his fourth Open and a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam title, Federer beat world No.34 Seppi 6-1 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 in two hours, 21 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.

Seppi was stoic and troubled the Swiss at times, but Federer's ability to capitalise on the big points while his opponent couldn't proved the difference.

The Italian had 10 break points for the match, and failed to convert any.

Federer came into the tournament in the unusual position of being No.2 seed - Spaniard Rafael Nadal having pinched his world No.1 crown last year.

Roger Federer Australian Open


After breezing through the first set in 24 minutes, Federer was then pushed to hour-long second and third sets before eventually closing out the match.

He will now play Russian qualifier Evgeny Korolev in the second round.

AAP
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January 20th 2009 @ 14:15

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Casey Dellacqua Out In First Round Australian Open

Casey Dellacqua refused to blame her sore shoulder, or the added weight of expectation on it, for her first round exit at the Australian Open. West Australian Dellacqua was unable to repeat her 2008 tournament heroics, beaten in straight sets by Slovakian 19th seed Daniela Hantuchova, a past Open semi-finalist, in just under two hours.

Dellacqua, the world No.57, had chances to upset a more fancied rival, with five failed first set points costing her dearly in the 7-6 (13-11), 6-4 loss.

But unlike the joy last year when Dellacqua marched unexpectedly to the fourth round, she was left only with the pain of her suspect left shoulder, dulled by pre-match painkillers and a post-match ice pack.

“It's a bit sore ... it's something I'm going to have to concentrate on doing all the right things with for the rest of my career,'' she said.

Casey Dellacqua Australian Open 2009


“But I have to deal with it, I had to get over it and keep playing.

“I felt pretty good leading into the event. I had a nice relaxing day today. The preparation was great.

“I love playing out on that court but it's tough when you play a seed first-up.

“It didn't go my way tonight, but I've got a lot more tournaments to play this year, and I'll keep trying to improve.''

Dellacqua used her 2008 Open performance last year to kick-start a breakthrough year.

But despite her defeat this time around at Melbourne Park, the 23-year-old believes she can further improve her ranking, as well as aiding her country's Fed Cup effort starting with the Asia/Oceania play-offs in her home town Perth from February 4-7.

“Last year was just a stepping stone for me in terms of experience,'' Dellacqua said.

“I consistently had great results throughout the year. This year I feel a lot more mature. I feel 2009 can be really successful.''

AAP
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January 19th 2009 @ 13:46

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Marat Safin Plays Last Australian Open

Melbourne Park favourite Marat Safin said he was hoping for one last great run at the Australian Open after storming into the second round. Above all, though, 28-year-old Safin was hoping for a stress-free farewell season on tour before retiring at the end of 2009.

“Of course I'm looking forward to do something great here, but it's not easy,'' the mercurial Russian said after dispatching Ivan Navarro 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to book a second-round date with another Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

“It's getting tougher and tougher after each round.''

A three-time Open finalist and victor over Lleyton Hewitt in the 2005 title match, Safin said his injury-ravaged career had taught him to have no real expectations for his last year on tour.

Marat Safin Last Australian Open 2009


“I don't want to get stressed. I don't want to plan anything. I want to play and be relaxed, no stress,'' he said.

“Whatever comes, comes. It's great for me. Just try to be in shape, be able to run around the court.

“Like this, it's much easier to play tennis. At least I want to enjoy it. I don't want to suffer anymore ... I don't want to feel bad on the court anymore.

“No expectation. No stress. No drama. Just play, enjoy.''

Safin, who was forced to withdraw from last week's Kooyong Classic with a shoulder problem, said tennis was a young man's game these days.

“It's getting tougher and tougher with the age, especially with the injuries I've had throughout the years,'' the former world No.1 said.

“It's not an easy game, let's put it this way, especially if half of the time you've been injured.

“When you are young, 20 years old, 19 years old, you're coming, everything is new. It's exciting come and play the big matches.

“With the years, you start to feel the pressure. A little bit you start to be unsure in certain moments of the match, hit it down the line or play a little bit cross-court.

“So you start to feel a little bit uncomfortable on the court, and this is what makes you have doubts.

“Eventually it comes to the errors. The young boys are not scared anymore. They will eventually be scared with the years, but it's tough to play against them in such conditions.''

AAP
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January 19th 2009 @ 13:42

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Great Opening Day For Aussies At Australian Open

Bernard Tomic, Brydan Klein and Jelena Dokic got the Australian Open off to a flying start for the local contingent. Tomic lived up to all the pre-tournament hype, holding his nerve to beat experienced Italian Potito Starace 7-6 (7-5) 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (8-6).

At just 16 years and 89 days he became the youngest male winner of an Australian Open match in the opening era, beating the previous record set by Todd Woodbridge 21 years ago.

Time and again, the reigning Australian Open boys champion fired backhand winners down the line against Starace, who has been ranked as high as No.27 in the world.

Tomic came back from a service break down in the third and fourth sets to win his first-ever best of five encounter before an adoring capacity crowd on Margaret Court Arena.

"It's a dream come true to win a first round in my first grand slam," said Tomic.

"I'm just thrilled that I could pull off a win today.

Brydan Klein Australian Open
Brydan Klein


"With the crowd behind me, it was an unbelievable experience, they just lifted me more when I needed it.

"That was the main thing - if the crowd wasn't there, I wouldn't have pulled it off."

Klein, who preceded Tomic as the Australian Open junior champion in 2007, was no less impressive in disposing of German Bjorn Phau 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-3.

The 19-year-old's only previous experience in the main draw of a grand slam tournament came at Melbourne Park last year when he lost a tight four-setter to Chilean Paul Capdeville.

But this time it was Klein who dictated terms against Phau, more than 10 years his senior.

"Australian tennis has been criticised a little bit recently and it's understandable," said Klein.

"We haven't got anyone high up like Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter, like we used to.

"But we've definitely got some good players coming.

"This is a great day for Australian tennis."

The last time Dokic won a match at Melbourne Park was way back in 1999, when she was even younger than Tomic is now.

Dokic has since experienced the highs and - more often - the lows of life in the sporting spotlight and admitted after the 6-2 3-6 6-4 win over Austrian Tamira Paszek she had suffered severe depression during a three-year period off the tour.

Now totally estranged from her father and former coach Damir, the 25-year-old is patching up the relationships with her mother and brother.

It certainly puts tennis into perspective, although she was still thrilled to win her first match at grand slam level since the 2003 US Open.

"You know, tennis is not the most important thing in the world, but it's something that I love," she said.

"I was very disappointed when I couldn't play well - it was a tough time in my life.
"I had a lot to go through, a lot of family issues.

"It's really a miracle for me and it's really emotional to win today."

For periods of his clash with No.23 seed Mardy Fish, it seemed that Sam Groth would join his compatriots on the winners list.

But the American held sway in a tight third set before running away with the match in the fourth to win 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 7-5 6-0.

The 21-year-old from Melbourne battled cramps in his arm for much of the clash.

Fifteen-year-old Queenslander Monika Wejnert held her own against Italian Karin Knapp before losing 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.

AAP
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January 19th 2009 @ 13:17

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Defending Champion Novak Djokovic Makes Second Round

Defending champion, Novak Djokovic, admitted he was feeling extra pressure at the Australian Open after he overcame lapses in concentration to reach the second round. The Serbian world No.3 saw off a late revival by Italian qualifier Andrea Stoppini 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 54 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

Djokovic has had a poor start to the season, losing twice as he adjusts to a change in racquet, and went a break down in the second set before coming from 1-4 down in the third.

“There is pressure. But it didn't affect me today, I'm still trying to find the rhythm and I'm slowly getting there,'' he said.

“It is a different feeling, but I look at it as a challenge.''

The Serb was pleased with his responses to being broken by Stoppini and said he was still feeling his way into the tournament.

Novak Djokovic Australian Open
Novak Djokovic Wins Australian Open 2008


“It was a bit of a slow start. I was a break down in two sets but I managed to come back, which is important,'' he said.

“I try to look at it as a positive thing. It's the first round. Usually you are trying to get used to (the conditions) a little bit, and hopefully the next round will be better.''

The Serb won his maiden grand slam title in Melbourne last year and claimed two Masters series titles as well as the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai.

But he missed out on a chance to overtake Roger Federer as world No.2 when he lost to Finland's Jarkko Nieminen in Sydney last week.

Djokovic was also beaten by Latvian Ernests Gulbis in his first match of the season at the Brisbane International.

“I had a slow start in the first weeks of the year,'' he said.

“`I didn't play my best tennis and I was a break down in the second and third set. So I'm still not on top of my game but hopefully I can get a good result here again.''

He next plays unseeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy who overcame Marcos Daniel of Brazil 6-4, 6-4, 6-1.
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January 19th 2009 @ 12:29

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Jelena Dokic Three-set Win Over Tamira Paszek

Jelena Dokic broke down in tears as she told of the emotional torment she has undergone in the decade since last winning a match at the Australian Open.

Dokic was thrilled to down Tamira Paszek 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, but when she says there are more important things in life than winning a tennis match, Australia's former world No.4 is talking straight from the heart.

Everything that has happened in the intervening decade has given the Belgrade-born baseliner the type of perspective often notably lacking among top-level sportspeople.

Now totally estranged from her father and former coach Damir, Dokic has overcome two years of severe depression with the help of her long-term boyfriend Tin Bikic.

Jelena Dokic Australian Open


The nadir came in 2007 when she went seven months without picking up a racquet, before deciding to have one more crack at resurrecting a career once took her to the Wimbledon semi-finals and an Olympic medal play-off.

“You know tennis is not the most important thing in the world, but it's something that I love,'' an emotional Dokic said during her post-match media conference.

“I was very disappointed when I couldn't play well - it was a tough time in my life.

“I had a lot to go through, a lot of family issues.

“It's really a miracle for me and it's really emotional to win today.''

Dokic is currently in the process of mending the relationships with her mother, Liliana, and little brother, Savo.

But the split with father Damir - whose off-court antics took such a toll on her - seems permanent.

“The biggest thing I regret is my brother, who is eight years younger than me,'' the 25-year-old said.

“I didn't have contact with him for years until the last 12 months.

“That was the hardest thing to deal with, but I still feel like I've lost them.''

Damir Dokic's most notable outbursts included claiming the organisers had rigged the draw against his daughter when she was pitted against then-defending champion Lindsay Davenport at the 2001 Australian Open.

He was also thrown out of Wimbledon and the US Open after ranting about the price of the salmon at Flushing Meadows.

“I had so much to go through while my dad was on the tour,'' said Dokic.

“I was just so young and just had no real idea what was going on.

“But it was really difficult to take all that, what was going on off the court, all the outbursts.

“It was not easy to play with that.

“I played with a huge pressure on my shoulders.

“I kind of just cracked by the time I was 19.''

Dokic made a tentative return to the tour late in 2007, only to again draw the ire of Australian officials after crying foul when she was overlooked for a wildcard into last year's Open.

She did it the hard way this time, winning the wild card play-off in December.

“I'm trying to get a hold of it now and trying not to go back again, trying not to get in that stage of my life,'' Dokic said.

“But I think it's over, I think I dealt with everything.

“I'm really enjoying my tennis and it doesn't really have anything to do with ranking, money or anything.

“I just really love the game.''

AAP
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January 19th 2009 @ 12:18

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Bernard Tomic To Second Round Of Australian Open

Bernard Tomic is ready to answer the SOS call from Australian tennis, after becoming the youngest male in professional history to win a match at the Australian Open. In a spectacular grand slam entrance, the Gold Coast teenager sent local fans into a frenzy with a courageous 7-6 (7-5) 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (8-6) victory over Italy's world No.73 Potito Starace at Margaret Court Arena.

At 16 years and 89 days, Tomic is 94 days younger than fellow Australian Todd Woodbridge was when he beat American John Letts in the opening round at Melbourne Park in 1988.

Tomic displayed the poise of a seasoned pro as he recovered from service breaks down in both the third and fourth sets to score a magic win in his first, best-of-five-sets encounter.

"It's a dream come true to win a first round in my first grand slam. I'm just thrilled that I could pull off a win today," Tomic said.

Bernard Tomic Australian Open


"With the crowd behind me, it was an unbelievable experience. If the crowd wasn't there, I wouldn't have pulled it off in the end."

Starace is no mug, either.

The 27-year-old was ranked 27th in the world just 15 months ago and boasts career wins over former world No.1s Carlos Moya, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Marat Safin, the 2005 Open champion.

But, when it came to the crunch, the experienced Italian was no match for the tenacious Tomic, who saved two set points in a tense fourth-set tiebreaker before rifling his 20th backhand winner down the line to take the match after three hours and 14 minutes.

Sporting sunglasses and a blue bandana, Tomic looked the goods from the outset, peeling off successive baseline winners to clinch his opening service game of the match before breaking Starace for an early 4-2 lead.

Despite dropping serve the very next game, the 2008 Australian Open junior champion rebounded to snare the first-set tiebreaker with a forehand screamer.

The youngster could have folded after losing the second set in quick time and then falling behind 4-2 in the third.

Tomic, though, refused to wilt and claimed the third-set tiebreaker with an unreturnable serve.

The fourth set followed a similar pattern before Tomic eventually prevailed to advance to a second-round clash on Wednesday with Luxembourg's Gilles Muller, who needed almost four-and-a-half hours to see off Spanish 27th seed Feliciano Lopez 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 4-6 16-14.

While anticipating a tough time against the serve-volleying Muller, Tomic said he was ready to cope with the continuing pressure of being Australia's next great hope.

"I am. I mean, anything can happen right now. I'm in the second round," he said.

"You know, who knows, I could get through.

"But the guy is a great player. He's got to the quarters of the US (Open last year). There's not much I can do if he's serving bombs.

"So we'll see."

AAP
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January 19th 2009 @ 12:11

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: David Ferrer To Second Round Of Australian Open

Spain's David Ferrer survived a marathon five-setter with German journeyman Denis Gremelmayr as he narrowly avoided a major upset in the Australian Open's first round.

The 11th seed outlasted the 80th-ranked Gremelmayr 6-1, 6-7 (6/8), 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, converting his first match point after four hours on court at a sun-drenched Melbourne Park.

Ferrer was only broken three times but he dished up 68 unforced errors as Gremelmayr repeatedly forced his way back into the match.

In other results, Argentinian eighth seed Juan Martin Del Potro hammered Germany's Mischa Zverev 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 .

David Ferrer Australian Open
Spain's David Ferrer


The highly-rated Del Potro, 20, whose best grand slam performance was reaching last year's US Open quarter-finals, produced 49 winners and six breaks as he brushed aside Zverev in just over two hours.

Former runner-up Marcos Baghdatis won a war of attrition against Frenchman Julien Benneteau to move into the second round, delighting his army of fans.

The amiable Cypriot, a huge crowd favourite here, saw off Benneteau 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 in front of a full house.
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January 19th 2009 @ 11:46

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Ana Ivanovic Through To Second Round Of Australian Open

Former world No 1 Ana Ivanovic has battled her way through to the second round of the Australian Open. Last year's Open finalist, Ivanovic struggled in the early stages against German Julia Goerges before triumphing 7-5 6-3.

Goerges held a 3-1 lead in the first set before the French Open champion hit back with service breaks in the sixth and 12th games.

She was forced to come back from behind in the second set as well but in the ninth game put together two match points and sealed the match with an ace.

After the match, Ivanovic said she feels she has regained her impressive form from last year.

Ana Ivanovic Australian Open


"I feel as if it's the new year and feel I'm in great physical shape and it's a fresh start for me,'' Ivanovic said.

"I just want to take the experience I got from last year and just enjoy my time again and enjoy competing again.

"I think this might be my two weeks.''

If she does repeat, or better, last year's run it will be the result of either being in the right place at the right time or simply stepping up a gear, mentally and physically.

"Honestly you want to perform the best you can every match but it only happens maybe a few times a year that you play perfect tennis.

"Other days you have to work yourself and stay tough and be mentally stronger maybe than other players.

"I've put a lot of hard work in in the off-season and obviously worked hard off the court as well but I just need some matches to get into that competition spirit again and get some confidence,'' she said.

"I just want to have the feeling that I gave 100 per cent and if that's good enough to win then that's perfect.

"I just want to be honest with myself that I gave it the best chance I can possibly give.''

In other results, No.7 seed Russian Vera Zvonareva moved into the second round with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-0 victory over Slovak Magdalena Rybarinkova.

Top seed Jelena Jankovic said her feet were burning as temperatures soared at Melbourne Park, but she managed to keep her cool as she benefited from a brutal off-season training regime to beat Yvonne Meusburger 6-1, 6-3.

"It's exciting to begin this tournament and to start with a win is always nice,'' she said.

"It was so hot and my feet were really burning,'' she added. "If I'm going to go very far I have to deal with it.''

Other women progressing included French 15th seed Alize Cornet, who ended the dreams of Ukraine's Mariya Koryttseva, and French 15th seed Marion Bartoli.
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January 19th 2009 @ 11:25

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Andy Roddick Into Second Round Of Australian Open

For Andy Roddick, there's only one thing worse than being talked about, and that's not being talked about. The former world No.1 admitted he was desperate to “get back into the conversation'' by returning to the top of men's tennis.

The American, seeking his first grand slam title since 2003, demolished Swedish qualifier Bjorn Rehnquist 6-0 6-2 6-2 to reach the Australian Open's second round.

He admitted he did not deserve to make headlines like the 'Big Four' of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

“Not until I earn my spot back. They absolutely deserve to be the four that get talked about right now,'' he said.

“My results last year, especially in slams, don't warrant me being talked about.

Andy Roddick Australian Open


“The thing about sports is no one really remembers yesterday, and that's fair. You have to go out and prove yourself on a daily basis. I have no problem with that.''

Roddick, 27, won the 2003 US Open and was crowned No.1 the same year. He remains confident he can still win a grand slam after three semi-final appearances in Melbourne.

“Well, I have,'' he said, when asked if he could still beat the top players regularly.

“Last year was an exciting start to the year, and then I kind of plateaued and felt like I was playing catch up the rest of the year after I was out for a little bit.''

The No.7 seed braved scorching temperatures at Rod Laver Arena as he raced through the first set and then saw off patchy resistance to progress in just 105 minutes.

Roddick traded on his powerful serve with nine aces in the match against the frustrated Rehnquist, who smashed his racquet in anger as he went a break down early in the third.

With the outcome hardly in doubt, the American converted his second match point as Rehnquist dished up his 37th unforced error with a backhand into the net.

Roddick faces a possible third-round re-match with the German, with No.2 Federer and third-ranked Djokovic the main threats in his half of the draw.

“I feel like last year was disappointing for me. A good year is obviously winning a big tournament and trying to get back into the conversation,'' he said.

“I guess anything between the two would be okay.''

Last year was Roddick's worst Australian Open result since his second round exit on debut in 2002.

He admitted feeling the heat in his opening match but fiercely rejected a journalist's suggestion that he lacked energy.

“Drained? You're wrong,'' he snapped.

AAP
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January 19th 2009 @ 07:56

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Lleyton Hewitt Says Australian Open Fine In January

Lleyton Hewitt is emphatic about when the Australian Open should be played. Hewitt rejected a proposal to push the Australian Open back into February to allow more time for players to prepare for the first grand slam championships of the year.

And Roger Federer, president of the ATP players' council, backed down on his earlier suggestion to shift the tournament.

Federer and fellow council members Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic had spoken of a possible date switch.

But Hewitt vehemently disagreed with any move.

"I think it's probably the ideal time for Australian sport. This is the time I've always known it as the Australian Open," Hewitt said.

Lleyton Hewitt


"This is the date that I've always come to, around late January, since I was coming here as a young kid to watch.

"For an Australian, it fits in so well with, obviously, the school holidays and getting kids out there. And I think for the sport of tennis in this country, that really helps as well.

"Young kids can come out and watch a lot of it; even the back courts get a good atmosphere out here.

"It's obviously early in the year. But a lot of overseas players have prepared well enough to win it in the past," Hewitt said.
# Television: Australian Open LIVE on Fox Sports

Federer claimed his initial comments at Kooyong last week were misunderstood.

"What was said was in a perfect world it would be nicer to have a longer Australian swing, move around a little bit. But we don't live in a perfect world," Federer said.

"It's still great to have the Australian Open where it is because we're having record numbers, prizemoney has gone up.

Players love this tournament, every top player has come. It has really become a very, very prestigious grand slam to play. It's basically the players' slam."

Hewitt said Federer was aware of his views not to move the Open, although he hadn't spoken to the other players.

"I'm sure Roger knows. He has had a lot of success here in the past. It (date) hasn't really changed his performance," Hewitt said.

"He's lucky that he has been able to come out after only one or two weeks preparation and still play extremely well.

"But there's a lot more to it than just worrying about the players for a couple of weeks, I guess. The tournament has to worry about, obviously, ticket sales, kids being around the place, a whole lot of other things."

Hewitt adopted a why-worry attitude to the tough first-up assignment against 13th seed Chilean Fernando Gonzalez .

"When you're unseeded, you're thrown in that territory where you don't really know what to expect," Hewitt said.

"Yeah, it's going to be a tough match-up. But the whole time I've been preparing the last couple of months to be ready for whoever I came up against. It was going to be fairly tough anyway."

Hewitt said the hard work to get back after the enforced break from the tour for hip surgery last year had fuelled his desire to climb back up the world rankings.

'If the motivation wasn't there, then I wouldn't be playing. I still feel I can get back into the top 10 and push those better guys at the top," he said.

"I've obviously got to play a lot more matches, get in that rhythm of, hopefully, being 100 per cent fit on the court and playing week-in, week-out as well."
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January 18th 2009 @ 07:35

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Argentinian David Nalbandian Wins Sydney International

Argentine ironman David Nalbandian has underlined his Australian Open credentials with a typically dogged victory over Jarkko Nieminen in the Sydney International final.

Nalbandian recovered from a second-set disappointment to outlast the unseeded Finn 6-3, 6-7 (9-11), 6-2 at Sydney Olympic Park, improving his perfect record to seven from seven at the venue and sounding an ominous warning to his Open rivals in the process.

The opening grand slam of 2009 is being billed as a battle between world No.1 Rafael Nadal, three-time champion Roger Federer, titleholder Novak Djokovic and a red-hot Andy Murray.

It would be foolish, though, to write off Nalbandian.

Tennis Argentinian David Nalbandian Wins Sydney International
Argentinian David Nalbandian Wins Sydney International


Four-times a quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park, the South American is a fully-fledged member of one of the most exclusive clubs in tennis.

Along with Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and 2005 Open champion Marat Safin, Nalbandian is one of only five players on tour boasting semi-final appearances at all four majors.

An elusive slam, though, is the one glaring omission from his otherwise impressive CV, highlighted by 10 career titles and a 2005 Masters Cup final triumph over Federer.

He has certainly had his chances at grand slam glory.

He reached the 2002 Wimbledon decider, only to submit in straight sets to Lleyton Hewitt, then had match points against eventual champion Andy Roddick in the 2003 US Open semi-finals.

In the 2006 Australian Open he choked serving for the match in a semi-final against Marcos Baghdatis.

Now 27 and ranked 11th in the world, Nalbandian is once again building nicely for the Open.

After ending 2008 with a flurry - making three finals in his last four events - Nalbandian has opened the new season on fire.

He didn't drop a set in sweeping past Michael Llodra, four-time champion Lleyton Hewitt, Richard Gasquet to qualify for the Sydney final.

He certainly didn't show many weaknesses in taking the first 30 in bang on half an hour.

After fending off two break points in the opening game, Nalbandian conceded just three more points on serve for the remainder of the set.

Eager to press home his advantage and get to Melbourne ahead of his first-round clash with unseeded Frenchman Marc Gicquel on Monday, Nalbandian broke the Finn for a second time in the opening game of the second set.

But serving for the match at 5-4, Nalbandian tightened, was broken and, despite saving eight set points, was forced into a deciding set after losing an epic tiebreaker.

Nalbandian had further anxious moments in the third set as the two combatants traded early service breaks before finally prevailing after two hours and 16 minutes.

The loss was Nieminen's eighth in nine ATP finals.

Still, having taken down Baghdatis, then stretched Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to a third-set tiebreak in Brisbane last week before ousting Djokovic in the semi-finals in Sydney, Nieminen also looks well positioned to cause some damage in Melbourne.

The 2008 Open quarter-finalist will meet Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in the first round on Monday and could strike Djokovic again in the third round.

Agence France-Presse
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January 18th 2009 @ 01:36

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: German Nicolas Kiefer Out Of Australian Open

GERMAN Nicolas Kiefer has withdrawn from the Australian Open with an ankle injury.

The world #37 injured his left ankle during the recent Hopman Cup in Perth, and was hoping to be fit in time for the start of the Australian Open on Monday.

Kiefer was due to play unseeded Argentinian Guillermo Canas in the opening round. Canas will now play a qualifier, with the winner to meet either Lleyton Hewitt or Fernando Gonzalez in the second round.

Tennis: German Nicolas Kiefer Out Of Australian Open
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January 18th 2009 @ 01:07

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Roger Federer Wins Australian Kooyong Classic

Roger Federer stormed to victory in the Kooyong Classic then declared himself in perfect shape to win his fourth Australian Open to equal the grand slam record.

Federer dominated the final against fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, seizing a 6-1, 6-3 win in only 57 minutes.

The result provided an ideal lead-in to the Australian Open beginning on Monday when he will be out to match Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles.

And unlike last year, when he was hobbled by illness and a lack of match practice as a consequence, Federer said everything was in place for him this year.

Roger Federer Wins Koyong Classic 2009


“I've played plenty of matches so that's not the issue, no health problems, feeling fresh and fit and ready to go and excited so things are the way I was hoping them to be,'' Federer said.

“Last year was more just a race trying to get in shape or in decent shape for the first round, so it's quite different.

“I couldn't really work on anything, it was hopefully just trying to hit a few times before Monday.''

Under those conditions Federer still managed to reach the semi-finals so he was keen to send a clear warning to the major challengers - world No.1 Rafael Nadal, defending champion Novak Djokovic and Scot Andy Murray who holds a dominant record over the Swiss star.

“This time it's different. I also played Doha which I didn't do last year so I actually came into the (2008) Australian Open not playing at all.

“This changes a lot because in a way of higher expectations obviously because last year was just a matter of playing the tournament - this time I will try to win it,'' he said.

“I don't come here to lose in the fourth round - those times are over.''

Federer betrays no false modesty, nor can he with his record.

“I'm always confident entering any grand slam really because of all the success I've had in the last six years.

“I don't remember any slam entering where I go, 'Oh God' I know it's not going to work out for me.

“I always feel I'm going to play well at the slam and it's going to take an incredible performance by somebody else to beat me - and that's what's happened over the last few years and I know it's exactly the same again this year.''

Federer described his Open draw as “tough but possible.''

He meets Italian Andreas Seppi in the first round and has former Open winner Marat Safin, Djokovic and American Andy Roddick in his half of the draw.

Seppi, he said, was a “tough opponent'' whom he beat in this year's Doha tournament in the second round.

Wawrinka was not bothered by Saturday's loss, stressing the nature of the eight-man tournament and was pleased to have reached the final on the eve of the Open.

Federer wasted little time against his friend and Beijing gold medal-winning doubles partner before a packed Kooyong stadium.

He raced through the opening set in just 25 minutes, taking service breaks in the opening, third and final games.

Federer immediately broke serve to take a 2-0 lead in the second set and clinched the match on his second championship point with an easy smash.

It was Federer's second win in the Kooyong tournament - he previously won here in 2005.

Earlier in the play-off for third Spain's Fernando Verdasco defeated Chilean Fernando Gonzalez 6-4 6-3.

AAP
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January 17th 2009 @ 13:21

Posted By: Oracle of Delphi - Category: Tennis
   


Tennis: Hewitt Beats Montanes At Wimbledon

Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt has progressed to the third round at Wimbledon, after a commanding win over Spain’s Albert Montanes. Casey Dellacqua is the only other Australian to progress to the third round.

Hewitt is the No.20 seed, and has been battling a hip injury. He recovered from a tough five-setter against Dutchman Robin Haase in the opening round to beat Montanes 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 6-2 in windy conditions.

"It was good to get through in straight sets," said Hewitt, who looked to be in some pain from the hip as he entered his post-match press conference.

But he said he was content with the way the injury had pulled up after the first round.

"The first set was difficult ... it was hard to get into his service games," he said of Wednesday's match.

"He's got a very underrated serve - it's not the best serve, it's not the biggest out there, but it's very hard to do anything with.

"As the match went on, though, I felt more and more comfortable with how I was playing."

The 2002 champion will next meet Italy's Simone Bolelli, who upset 15th-seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (9-7) 3-6 7-6 (7-4).

Hewitt claimed two set points on Montanes' serve in the first-set tiebreak and converted the first when the Spaniard sent a backhand long.

He maintained his momentum to completely steamroll Montanes in the second set before claiming an early break of serve in the third.

Montanes never recovered and Hewitt broke him again in the seventh game to earn the right to serve for the match.

Hewitt won the next game to love, sealing victory with an ace, delighting a vocal band of supporters in the crowd.

There had been trouble in the stands earlier, however, when two men were escorted away by security guards for unruly behaviour.

One of the men was later arrested by Metropolitan Police.

Dellacqua beat Pauline Parmentier of France 1-6 6-2 6-3 to set up a third-round clash with 18th-seeded Czech Nicole Vaidisova, with whom she shares a 1-1 head-to-head record.

Tennis Wimbledon Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt

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June 26th 2008 @ 14:01

Posted By: KC Hill2 - Category: Tennis
   




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