Tennis: Nadal, Barty give Australian Open desperately needed happy ending

MELBOURNE, Australia -- An Australian Open like no other began in controversy with the deportation of Novak Djokovic but culminated in one of the greatest comebacks in tennis history by Rafael Nadal on Sunday. 

Throw in Ashleigh Barty becoming the first home winner for 44 years, and local heroes Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis winning the men's doubles, this was a Grand Slam that will live long in the memory for myriad reasons.

After the chaos that preceded the tournament, Tennis Australia couldn't have dreamt of a happier ending -- and it was one they desperately needed, after a competition riddled with unforced errors on the organizers' parts. 

It began with the spectacle of the nine-time Australian Open champion Djokovic being detained in a notorious immigration hotel, suffering multiple court cases and eventual deportation -- shocking no matter which side you sit in the Covid-19 vaccination debate.

When the first serve at Melbourne Park was struck on January 17, the world number one was in a Dubai airport transit lounge waiting for his connecting flight home to Belgrade.

It wasn't just the Djokovic saga that cast a shadow over the first Grand Slam tournament of 2022. 

Tennis Australia had to make a hasty and embarrassing U-turn after instructing staff to prevent spectators wearing "Where is Peng Shuai?" T-shirts to highlight concern for the Chinese player.

They also had to justify a largely voluntary Covid-19 testing protocol that came in for criticism from some players, notably world number three Alexander Zverev.

They may count themselves extremely lucky that there were only a handful of virus cases.

- Booing and screaming -

Tennis Australia will no doubt bask in the glory of their two historic champions, Nadal and Barty. 

Tournament director Craig Tiley was beaming through his mask during the presentation ceremonies.

But as a central figure in the pre-tournament chaos he, or his successor, must make sure the extraordinary scenes in the run-up to the tournament are never repeated.

Crowds were back in numbers after days of pandemic-enforced empty arenas the year before, but spectators came in for flak for their raucous behavior.

Kyrgios's opponents in particular complained of yobbish jeering, whipped up by the Australian bad boy. 

And in the final, booing and screaming between serves to try to put off Daniil Medvedev made Rod Laver Arena seem more like Madrid during a Davis Cup tie -- a feverishly pro-Nadal cauldron.

The atmosphere degenerated further as the beer began to talk ever louder, with the epic match grinding on past 1:00 am Monday. 

Medvedev became agitated, Nadal had to appeal for calm and the chair umpire had to threaten miscreants with removal by security staff.

- Monumental achievement -

But in the end, the abiding memory will be of Nadal's monumental achievement in winning that unprecedented 21st Grand Slam after an astonishing final lasting 5hr 24min.

It was Nadal's second Australian Open, but came 13 years after his first. 

It was his first win from two sets down in almost 15 years, and a first in a Slam final.

When he touched down in Melbourne, the 35-year-old had played no competitive tennis since early August because of a chronic foot injury. 

Eleven unbeaten matches later he has two more tournament wins and has moved ahead of Djokovic and Roger Federer as the all-time men's Grand Slam leader.

The absence of that pair -- Federer through injury, Djokovic through deportation -- will mean detractors will try to diminish Nadal's achievement, unparalleled as it is in the men's game. 

Surely to be the best, you have to beat the best? 

Nadal has good cause to say he did. 

Medvedev, the Russian world number two, blew Djokovic away in New York four months earlier to prevent the Serbian becoming first to strike 21.

The de facto top seed, Medvedev is 10 years Nadal's junior, was the most recent Grand Slam champion and looked unstoppable as he led by two sets and held three break points in the third.

TV's computerised "Win Predictor" put Nadal's chances of triumphing from there at four percent. 

But though Nadal was down, he was not quite out. 

Slowly his determination and sheer will to win enabled him to claw the match back from the brink. 

The result was on a knife-edge until the dying moments, and could have gone either way in the final set as the pair exchanged multiple service breaks.

But in the end four percent was all Nadal, and the Australian Open, needed.

Agence France-Presse

Eala in quarterfinals of Aussie Open lead up

Alex Eala fought her way back to defeat Russian Elina Avanesyan, 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, on Sunday to make the girls singles quarterfinals of the AGL Loy Yang Traralgon junior international tennis in Australia.

The 14-year-old Eala, priming up for her main draw appearance in the coming Australian Open, displayed the grit and power that enabled her to vault to No. 9 in the world in girls singles.


“It was a big test for Alex,” said her father Mike just minutes after the match.

The fourth-seeded Eala was down a set and 3-5 at 30-all in the ninth game of the second set when she mounted the rally that secured her spot in the Top 8.

Eala had earlier disposed of Hungary’s Amarissa Kiara Toth, 6-1, 6-2, in the first round, before beating China’s Na Dong, 6-2, 6-1.

She also made the second round in doubles paired

with Indonesia’s Priska Madelyn Nugroho. They beat Australia’s Olivia Gadecki and Amy Stevens, 6-2, 7-5, to advance.

They were set to play Belgium’s Sofia Costoulas and Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic before play was halted due to rain. INQ

sports.inquirer.net

Novak Djokovic beats Shapovalov, leads Serbia into ATP Cup semis

SYDNEY— Novak Djokovic had an almost full house on his side at Ken Rosewell Arena, and felt like he needed to be a responsible host for his guests.

There was a delay late in the third set of his ATP Cup quarterfinal match against Denis Shapovalov on Friday when a spectator needed medical attention from paramedics and Djokovic, despite being down 0-30 while serving for the match, took a bottle of water over toward the stadium seating and asked the crowd to pass it along.

He got back level at 30-30 in that game before Shapovalov broke to level the set at 5-5. The Canadian saved a breakpoint in the next game but after the match went to a tiebreaker following 2 1/2 hours, Djokovic seized control by winning the first five points and then finished off a comeback 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4).

Dusan Lajovic had earlier beaten Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-2 and so Djokovic’s win sealed the quarterfinal ahead of the doubles match, giving Serbia a spot in the semifinals against Russia. Serbia won the doubles to complete a 3-0 sweep.

“That was so close, it could have gone in a different way easily. (Shapovalov) was playing terrific tennis,” Djokovic said. “It felt, not a little bit, fully like I’m playing at home.”

Djokovic, who has won a record seven Australian Open men’s singles titles, was playing in Sydney for the first time in a decade after going 3-0 in singles in the ATP Cup group stage in Brisbane.

“I’m mean, Brisbane we had amazing support — but this has taken it to a different level,” Djokovic said. “All the Serbian people came out today.

“They were engaged sometimes a little bit too much, and Denis was rightfully annoyed at times, you know, with the sounds, but it was a Davis Cup-like atmosphere, really. I mean, ATP Cup brings this kind of opportunity for players to experience something they don’t experience in 90% of the tournaments.”

The temperature topped topped 33 Celsius (91 F) during the match, and it was hazy outside with a lack of breeze, making the conditions inside the arena stifling.

Djokovic endured it all to extend his record to 5-0 against Shapovalov. The constant chants and even a burst of trumpet from the flag-waving Serbian fans certainly helped him, he said. The 16-time major winner reveled in the team environment, with his teammates and coaches on the side of the court, and the echo of “Nole, Nole, Nole” going around the stadium.

Shapovalov complained about the noise made as he served a double-fault to fall behind 4-0 in the tiebreaker, and the umpire asked the crowd to keep quiet during the service motion.


He was agitated during the match but didn’t complain later, saying he was getting more comfortable taking on Djokovic and the other top players.

“With my confidence right now, with my game, I really feel that I can take it to anyone, and I feel like against anyone I have a chance to win,”he said. “Today again, it’s another step for me, showing me that I’m right there with these guys. Honestly, I was a couple points away from taking the match. So, yeah, I think I’m at a really good position.”

Russia captain Marat Safin said his team would benefit from the extra day of rest and could win both singles matches against Serbia on Saturday, and have the semifinal wrapped up before the doubles.

Australia awaits in the semifinals for the winner of Friday’s later match between Spain and Belgium.

source: sports.inquirer.net

No. 1 Novak Djokovic faces No. 2 Rafael Nadal in Australian Open final

MELBOURNE, Australia — The showdown between No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final is their 53rd meeting on tour.

Djokovic will be trying to win the hard-court tournament for the record seventh time. He’s also bidding for a 15th Grand Slam trophy overall and third in a row.


For Nadal, Sunday’s match is a chance to win his second title at Melbourne Park. He’ll also be eyeing an 18th major championship, which would move him within two of Roger Federer’s men’s mark.

Nadal has not lost a set in the tournament so far.

When they met in the 2012 Australian Open final, Djokovic won in 5 hours, 53 minutes, the longest Grand Slam title match in history.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova advance in straight sets at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia — Rafael Nadal has missed a lot of tennis since last September. He hasn’t missed a beat.

The No. 2-seeded Nadal had a 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 win over Australian wild-card entry James Duckworth on Monday in the first round of the Australian Open, his first match back on Rod Laver Arena since he had to retire in his quarterfinal match last year.

The 17-time major winner hasn’t played since retiring from his semifinal at the U.S. Open because of a knee injury, and then had surgery on his right ankle in November. He withdrew from a warm-up tournament in Brisbane in the first week of the season because of a muscle strain in his thigh.

“Not easy to come back after a lot of months of competition, especially against a player playing super aggressive every shot,” Nadal said. “It’s very difficult to start after an injury — I know it very well. It’s very special to be back.”

Wearing a sleeveless top, he showed no signs of any issues against Duckworth. His only hiccup came when he served for the match in the ninth game of the third set and was broken at love. He returned the favor very quickly, though, to seal his spot in the second round.

Nadal has only lost twice in the first round at Grand Slams — to Steve Darcis at 2013 Wimbledon, and to Fernando Verdasco here in 2016 — and is aiming to be the first man in the Open era two win all four majors at least twice.

Maria Sharapova has the second-best record among active women’s players in first-round matches at the majors, and she gave an illustration of why that’s the case with a ruthless 6-0, 6-0 win over Harriet Dart.

The 2008 Australian Open champion got play started on Rod Laver Arena and needed only 63 minutes to advance.

In her 15th trip to Melbourne Park and her 55th Grand Slam tournament, she’s acutely aware of the toll that the sun and long early matches can have on a player’s title ambitions, so she gets straight to business.

The 22-year-old Dart, playing in the main draw of a major for only the second time after getting a wildcard to play last year at Wimbledon, only got a look at one break point in the match — when Sharapova served a double-fault in the second set. She got seven of her 29 points from Sharapova’s double-faults.

Sharapova said she was still feeling pain in her right shoulder despite sitting out the end of last season after the U.S. Open.

Stung by a first-round loss at Wimbledon last year, Sharapova said she couldn’t afford to feel any empathy for Dart.

“I mean, there is no time for that, I’m sorry to say … when you’re playing the first round of a Grand Slam,” she said. “I think I was just focused on not having a letdown.

“I think it’s very easy to be in a position where things are flowing, you know, you’re doing all the right things, she’s making a few errors, you’re comfortable, easy to get complacent, and, you know, complacency is not great. I was glad that I did the right things from the beginning till the end.”

Up next for Sharapova is Rebecca Peterson, who beat Sorana Cirstea, 6-4, 6-1.

Also advancing were 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, No. 11 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 19 Caroline Garcia, No. 29 Donna Vekic and No. 31 Petra Martic.

Danielle Collins advanced to the second round of a major for the first time following a 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over No. 14-seeded Julia Goerges, who won the title in Auckland to start the season.

Katie Boulter earned the distinction of winning the first 10-point tiebreaker under the Australian Open’s new system for deciding sets.

Boulter beat Ekaterina Makarova 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (6), including 10-6 in the tiebreaker. The new rule was introduced to ensure matches don’t get too lengthy — previously the third set in women’s matches and the fifth set in men’s matches at the Australian Open had to be decided by a two-game advantage.

Fifth-seeded Kevin Anderson won his first match at Melbourne Park since 2015 when he beat Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1. Also advancing on the men’s side were No. 19 Nikoloz Basilashvili and No. 26 Fernando Verdasco.

Defending champions Caroline Wozniacki and Roger Federer were scheduled to play night matches later Monday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Federer ‘no idea’ how long he will go on

Age-defying Roger Federer says after winning his third Grand Slam title in a year he has no idea how long he will continue playing.

The 36-year-old Swiss marvel continues to defy the years and attrition rate, reaching his 30th Grand Slam decider and claiming his sixth Australian crown and 20th Grand Slam title.

The world No.2 won back-to-back Australian Opens by beating Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on Sunday, dropping his only sets of a stress-free tournament.

Federer, who downed great rival Rafael Nadal in a classic five-set Australian final last year, eased through this year’s event with five of his seven matches finishing on or under two hours and he spent just a total of 13hr 53min on court.

Asked after his Melbourne triumph how much longer he can continue at the summit of men’s tennis, he replied: “No idea. Honest, I don’t know. I have no idea.

“I’ve won three slams now in 12 months. I can’t believe it myself. I just got to keep a good schedule, stay hungry, then maybe good things can happen.”

Federer said his age didn’t come into it when questions were raised about his continuing longevity.

“I don’t think age is an issue, it’s just a number,” he said.

“But I need to be very careful in my planning, really decide beforehand what are my goals, what are my priorities.

“I think that’s what’s going to dictate how successful I will be.”

But he added: “Exciting times ahead. As a professional, it’s what we do. But I’m happy I’m in that position right now.”

Great team 

His emotional victory in Sunday put him alongside Novak Djokovic and Australian Roy Emerson with the most Australian titles at six.

While his long-time rivals Nadal, Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray have injury concerns heading into the new season, not only did Federer blaze on into the final but he finished stronger than Cilic, who is seven years younger, in the fifth set.

Federer was the oldest man at 36 to reach the Australian Open final since Australians Ken Rosewall (37) and Mal Anderson (36) played in the 1972 decider.

He explained his circumstances which allowed him to play on.

“I think by not overplaying, not playing every tournament possible. I enjoy practice. Not minding the travel. Having a great team around me, they make it possible,” he said.

“At the end it’s seeing that my parents are incredibly proud and happy that I’m still doing it. They enjoy coming to tournaments. That makes me happy and play better.”

Federer is the father of two sets of twins, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva and Leo and Lenny with wife Mirka, a former player he met at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

Despite his win Federer will remain world No.2 behind Nadal while Cilic has climbed from six to a career-high three.

Cilic overcame Federer on the way to winning the 2014 US Open final, but it remains his only win in 10 encounters.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Wozniacki senses ‘great’ Aussie Open despite Auckland loss

Caroline Wozniacki declared she was preparing for a “great” Australian Open as she closed in on regaining the world top ranking despite a surprise defeat in the WTA Auckland Classic final on Sunday.

The 27-year-old Dane is projected to rise to number two in the world when the new rankings are released on Monday and if results go her way in Australia she could make a record-setting return to number one, a position she last held six years ago.

The current record for the longest gap between being ranked number one is held by Serena Williams who spent five years and 29 days off the top spot between August 10, 2003, and September 8, 2008.

Although beaten 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) by world number 14 Julia Goerges in the Auckland final, Wozniacki said her preparation for Melbourne was on track.

“I’ve got a lot of matches under my belt this week, it was the preparation I hoped for,” she said.

“Now I can take a day off tomorrow and fly to Melbourne and get used to courts over there, and the conditions, and hopefully it’s going to be a great couple of weeks.

“Everyone wants to be number one, but it’s something I’ve done before and obviously it would be nice to do it again, but honestly I think i’m just thinking about being in the finals, holding trophies, lifting trophies.”

Wozniacki started last year ranked number 19 and by the end of the year, after winning the WTA Finals, she had risen to number three.

Meanwhile, Goerges is expected to rise from 14 to 12 when the next rankings come out as she enjoys a rich vein of form having won three consecutive tournaments.

She is on a 14-match winning streak with her success in Auckland following victories in Moscow and Zhuhai WTA tournaments late last year.

The 29-year-old German troubled Wozniacki with a big forehand that produced service breaks at the start of each set and a booming serve that delivered 11 aces.

Goerges dropped her serve once, at 4-3 in the second set, but never felt her form was dropping.

“It means you have to be there right away in the next game. I didn’t break her but I showed her I was still there and I was very happy that I could serve well at the end,” she said.

Head-to-head, Goerges now leads Wozniacki 6-4.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Top-seeded Muruguza retires with cramps, out of Brisbane

BRISBANE, Australia — Top-seeded Garbine Muguruza fell to the court behind the baseline in the third set before retiring from her opening match at the Brisbane International because of leg cramps.

The Wimbledon champion was up a set and a break on Tuesday but couldn’t close it out in straight sets as Aleksandra Krunic rallied from 5-2 down in the second, winning it in a tiebreaker to force the match into a third set.

Muguruza, who held the No. 1 ranking for four weeks last year, lasted three games in the third before being stopped by the cramps after almost 2 ½ hours in humid conditions on Pat Rafter Arena, giving Krunic a 5-7, 7-6 (3), 1-2 retired, victory.

“I don’t really cramp a lot, so I’m actually surprised that today my body was like that,” Muguruza said, adding that her calf muscles started to cramp early in the second set. “It’s a shame because I always come here excited about the first tournament, and this one was bad luck, I guess.”

Krunic advanced to a quarterfinal match against seventh-seeded Anastasija Sevastova, who beat Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 6-1.

Alize Cornet reached the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.

The Brisbane International had been Muguruza’s only scheduled tuneup event before the Australian Open, the first major of the season starting Jan. 15.

“I’m going to evaluate what options do I have now … maybe just go right away to Melbourne,” Muguruza said. “I didn’t expect to, you know, to not continue here.”

Muguruza never got a chance to relax against Krunic’s counter-punching, needing a 16-minute game that went to deuce 10 times to clinch the first set. She had the break in the second and was potentially two points from victory before Krunic went on a roll, leveling the match after Muguruza gave her three set points with a double-fault.

“It’s definitely not a nice feeling, first of all for me as an athlete, to see my colleague walking out of the court not being able to finish the match,” Krunic said in an on-court TV interview. “I want to wish Garbine a fast recovery and I hope she gets better for the Slam.”

The result leaves defending champion Karolina Pliskova, who reached the No. 1 ranking last July before finishing 2017 at No. 4, as the highest-ranked woman in the tournament.

In men’s first-round matches, U.S. qualifier Michael Mmoh beat Federico Delbonis 6-3, 6-4, Chung Hyeon upset fifth-seeded Gilles Muller 6-3, 7-6 (1) and Kyle Edmund rallied for a 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over Denis Shapovalov.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Raonic storms into Australian Open quarterfinals

Third seed Milos Raonic charged home to claim a quarter-final spot at the Australian Open with a fluctuating four-set win over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut on Monday.

Raonic had early problems before he recovered under a closed roof to win 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 against the 13th-seeded Bautista Agut in two hours, 52 minutes on Hisense Arena.

The big-serving Canadian will face either 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal or French sixth seed Gael Monfils in the last eight.

He is 3-3 in career matches with Monfils, but trails Nadal 6-2 in their previous meetings.

It is the third straight year Raonic has reached the quarter-finals in Australia, and it is also his sixth quarter-final at a major, the most by any Canadian player.

Raonic, who stretched his record to 5-0 over the Spaniard, served up 33 aces but also had his issues with his serve as he was broken three times, along with nine double faults.

Raonic saved a break point at 4-4 in the third set with a blistering forehand winner, and Bautista Agut double-faulted in the following game to give the Canadian a break and set point.

Raonic then went on a run of seven games as the stadium roof was closed because of rain, changing the complexion of the match as the Canadian’s serve dominated.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Racket sponsor backs Sharapova despite failed drug test

KENNELBACH, Austria— Maria Sharapova’s racket supplier says it is planning to extend its sponsorship deal despite the five-time Grand Slam champion admitting to failing a doping test.

Head CEO Johan Eliasch says Sharapova has made “a manifest error” by her continued use of meldonium after it became a banned substance this year, but adds there is no “evidence of any intent by Maria of enhancing her performance or trying to gain an unfair advantage.”

Eliasch says his brand “is proud to stand behind Maria, now and into the future and we intend to extend her contract. We look forward to working with her and to announcing new sponsorships.”

Nike, TAG Heuer and Porsche suspended their commercial ties with Sharapova after she revealed her use of the drug for medical reasons Monday. TVJ

source: sports.inquirer.net

Porsche suspends ties with Sharapova

German luxury car manufacturers Porsche on Tuesday became the third big-name sponsor to distance themselves from Maria Sharapova after the tennis star admitted failing a drug test at the Australian Open.

“We regret the news about Maria Sharapova. Until more details are known and we can analyze the situation, we have decided to suspend planned activities (with her),” said Porsche in a statement.

The 28-year-old Sharapova, who has won five Grand Slam titles in her career, signed a three-year deal to be brand ambassador for Porsche in April 2013.

The Russian also won the WTA indoor tournament in Stuttgart, which is sponsored by the car manufacturers, in 2012, 2013 and 2014, with the champion driving off in a brand-new sports car.

Porsche joins Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer and US sportswear giant Nike, who said they were halting their relationship with Sharapova.

Sharapova announced Monday that she had tested positive for Meldonium, a drug she said she had been taking since 2006 but was only added to the banned list this year.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Kerber, Raonic rise in rankings after Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia — Angelique Kerber’s upset win over Serena Williams at the Australian Open and Milos Raonic’s second Grand Slam semifinal appearance will ensure they’re the biggest movers among top players in projected rankings to be released this week.

Seventh-seeded Kerber’s three-set win on Saturday, which prevented Williams from securing her 22nd major title, is expected to result in the German player moving to No. 2 on the WTA Tour.

The rankings, expected to be released Monday, should show Williams at No. 1, Kerber at No. 2 and Simona Halep, who lost in the first round at Melbourne Park, dropping one spot to No. 3.

“She’s had a great month,” Williams said of Kerber. “She got to the finals in Brisbane. She won here. So, yeah. I was surprised and really happy for her. I’m like, ‘Whoa, No. 2.’ What’s after 2 is 1, so I guess I better be careful.”

Agnieszka Radwanska, who lost to Williams in the semifinals, remains at No. 4, while Garbine Muguruza drops two places to fifth.

Maria Sharapova, the 2015 finalist who lost to Williams in the quarterfinals this year, moves to sixth, followed by Flavia Pennetta, Carla Suarez Navarro, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova.

Safarova did not play in Melbourne due to a bacterial infection.

On the men’s side, Raonic, the 25-year-old Canadian who lost in the semifinals to Andy Murray, was expected to be biggest mover among the top 15 on the ATP Tour, improving three places to No. 11.

It was Raonic’s second major semifinal after losing to Roger Federer in the final four at Wimbledon in 2014.

Quarterfinalist David Ferrer moved to sixth place in a straight switch with Tomas Berdych, who slips down to eighth.

The top five remained unchanged. Six-time champion Novak Djokovic and five-time losing finalist Murray would have remained 1-2 regardless of the result of their Sunday night final, which Djokovic won in straight sets.

Federer, who lost to Djokovic in the semifinals, remains at No. 3, Stan Wawrinka at 4 and Rafael Nadal, a first-round loser to Fernando Verdasco in Melbourne, rounds out the top 5.

Following Ferrer is Japan’s Kei Nishikori, unchanged at 7 after losing to Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga moves to No. 9, replacing fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who drops to 10. Following Raonic is No. 12 John Isner of the United States.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Angelique Kerber upsets Serena Williams, wins Australian Open title

MELBOURNE, Australia — Angelique Kerber has upset Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win the Australian Open title, ending the six-time champion’s unbeaten streak in finals at Melbourne Park.

Williams was an overwhelming favorite at the Australian Open, where she had won all six previous times she’d reached the final, and was trying to equal Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles.

For the second time in as many majors, though, she fell short. Williams won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles in 2015 before losing to Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open semifinals.

The 34-year-old Williams hadn’t lost a set in the first six rounds here until dropping the first on Saturday night against No. 7-seeded Kerber, who was playing in her first major final.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Sharapova faces nemesis Williams as stakes rise at Australian Open

The business end of the Australian Open begins in earnest on Tuesday when top seed Serena Williams faces old rival Maria Sharapova for a place in the semi-finals in a repeat of last year's title match.

In the men's draw defending champion Novak Djokovic, taken to five sets in the fourth round, will have to improve as he faces Japanese seventh seed Kei Nishikori while Roger Federer aims to continue his smooth progress against Tomas Berdych.

Sharapova will be desperate to avenge last year's final loss to Williams, although the omens are not good for the Russian.

She has lost her last 17 matches against the 34-year-old Williams and the American 21-times grand slam champion has been in dominant form so far in Melbourne after some pre-tournament injury concerns.

Williams remains wary though, saying such a one-sided statistic can work both ways.

"I think the person who's winning could definitely feel the pressure because there is a lot of expectations," she said.

"The person who is losing X amount in a row could think 'I don't have anything to lose.'"

Djokovic's bid for a sixth Australian Open title was nearly sabotaged by Gilles Simon in round four and the in-form Nishikori will pose a serious threat as he attempts to prevent Djokovic reaching a 29th grand slam semi-final.

Nishikori beat Djokovic the last time they met in a grand slam, at the 2014 U.S. Open semi-final, and will need to reproduce that form on Tuesday.

"I think the biggest thing is he doesn't miss," he said. "He doesn't give you easy points, any free points." Federer takes on a familiar foe in Berdych, with the pair facing each other for the 22nd time.

The Swiss is on a four-match winning streak against the powerful Czech, but has lost their last two grand slam meetings.

Berdych will look to pull off another major upset, as he did at the same stage last year when he ended a 17-match losing streak against Rafael Nadal.

Fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska opens the action on Rod Laver Arena when she battles it out with 10th seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro.

The 26-year-old scrapped through to the quarter-finals after being pushed to her limits by Germany's Anna-Lena Friedsam in the previous round. — Reuters

Djokovic, Serena reign despite sudden impact shocks

PARIS - Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams celebrated seasons of epic proportions, claiming six of eight Grand Slam titles in a march to greatness dented only by two players producing once-in-a-lifetime performances.

Djokovic ended 2015 with 11 titles, 82 wins and just six defeats in a haul which included three of the four majors—the Australian and US Opens and Wimbledon.

His on-court earnings of $21 million swelled his career total to a mind-boggling $94 million while the 28-year-old Serb now has 10 Grand Slam titles among his 59 career trophies.

Djokovic won six of the nine Masters and topped it off with a fourth successive end-of-season World Tour Finals triumph in London.

"I'm very proud to have these achievements with my team," said Djokovic. "It's been a long season, but the best of my life."

Djokovic reached the final of every tournament he played with the exception of his 2015 bow in Doha where Ivo Karlovic stunned him in the quarter-finals.

From then on it was one-way traffic—indoors, outdoors, hardcourt, clay and grass— the Australian Open, Masters in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome and then Wimbledon, US Open, Beijing, the Shanghai and Paris Masters and London

But Djokovic was still left with a case of 'what might have been' thanks to a single-handed backhand blitz delivered by Stan Wawrinka at Roland Garros where a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 defeat left him still seeking a first French Open and a career Grand Slam.

Wawrinka fired 59 winners past Djokovic who finished runner-up for the third time in four years. The defeat left him in tears.

Roger Federer, who hasn't added to his 17 majors since 2012 Wimbledon, continued to defy the critics.

Despite passing 34 in August, the Swiss reached the Wimbledon and US Open finals and handed Djokovic a rare defeat in the round-robin section of the World Tour Finals before the Serb swept to a comfortable revenge in the title match.

The Swiss ended the year at three in the world and then ended his two-year partnership with coach Stefan Edberg.

Andy Murray finished at two after a season which saw him win his first titles on clay, announce that he will become a father in February and lead Britain to a first Davis Cup in 79 years.

Vinci stunner

Meanwhile, 14-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal may have lost his iron-grip on the French Open and suffer his worst rankings slump in a decade, but there were encouraging signs of life as the year ticked away.

He made the finals in Basel and Beijing and the semi-finals in London before ending 2015 back at five in the world.

The men's tour also endured a seedy controversy when controversial Nick Kyrgios was fined for an ugly sex slur aimed at Wawrinka in Montreal.

What Wawrinka did to Djokovic in Paris in June, unheralded Italian Roberta Vinci did to Serena Williams in New York in September.

Williams was looking to complete the calendar Grand Slam and win a 22nd major.

She looked on course for a routine semi-final win when she took the first set 6-2 against the 32-year-old, wafer-thin Italian who was playing in her first last-four clash at the highest level.

But from nowhere, the world number 43 raced through the next two sets for a famous win and a place in the final against fellow Italian and childhood friend Flavia Pennetta.

Pennetta triumphed for a first Grand Slam crown and promptly announced her retirement.

Williams was so stunned that she called time on her season, sitting out the last three months, an absence which helped Agnieszka Radwanska lift the WTA Championship title.

Williams was still the standout player of 2015, winning five titles in all, including the Australian and French Opens and Wimbledon.

Her record read 53 wins against just three losses and she finished as the year-end world number one for a fifth time and third consecutive season.

She also inflicted a 17th successive win over long-time rival Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon semi-finals with the Russian star then forced to sit out the US Open with a leg injury.

Sharapova recovered her fitness to make a rare Fed Cup appearance in November's final against the Czech Republic but even her two singles wins weren't enough to prevent a 3-2 win for the Czechs. —Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

After Lance Armstrong's doping scandal, leading tennis players to get their way on doping controls

Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and other leading tennis players calling for increased blood testing in tennis could get their wish in 2013 with the introduction of athlete biological passports to the sport.

In the aftermath of Lance Armstrong's admission last week that he was on drugs when he won each of his seven Tour de France titles, several top players at the Australian Open have revealed that they have received relatively few blood tests.





World number one Djokovic said last week that he had not been blood tested "in six or seven months".

The biological passport is a method of monitoring selected biological parameters over time, rather than trying to detect individual substances, and was considered one of the main reasons for the success in catching cheats in cycling.



"We're looking very, very closely at it and I think there's a reasonably good chance that will be operational probably towards the end of 2013," Dr Stuart Miller, the head of the International Tennis Federation (ITF)'s anti-doping effort, told BBC radio on Monday.



In 2011, the most recent set of figures available, the ITF conducted only 21 blood tests out of competition and 131 in total, a figure well outweighed by urine tests, which numbered 2,019.



At the Paris Masters last October, U.S. Open champion Murray led the calls for more blood tests in tennis, a view backed up in Melbourne by Roger Federer and Djokovic.



Blood tests are more expensive to administer than urine tests and Miller admitted that they were subject to financial constraints.



The Tennis Anti-Doping Program, which operates under the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) code is funded by the ITF along with the men's (ATP) and women's (WTA) tours and the grand slams.



On Tuesday, the ITF confirmed that the total investment in the anti-doping program was $2 million per year.

That included around $400,000 for the administration, paid for solely by the ITF, which covers staff, education, court costs and insurance.



Miller said tennis was doing everything it could to try to catch cheats.



"We are looking with our partners at the ATP, WTA and grand slams to identify areas we think we can improve," he said.



"We think we need to increase the proportion of blood testing we do under the program and we think we could also do with tending to increase the proportion of tests we do out of competition."



The ITF said it is committed to increasing its contribution in 2013 and former top-10 player Guy Forget, now the tournament director of the Paris Masters, said he believed drug taking was still happening in tennis.



"I don't think our sport is clean, I'm sure some guys are cheating," he told the BBC.



"I think it's a minority, probably, but that's why Roger and Andy are right to say we should put more money into blood tests and have more controls because we should fight this any way we can.



"I lost matches probably to guys who beat me with an unfair advantage because they were taking drugs.

"For sure it has happened. I can look in the mirror knowing I have never taken anything. But some guys might have done it.



"First of all some guys have tested positive, even if it's only a few, some have." - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com