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

7-time champ Serena Williams gets smooth draw at Wimbledon

LONDON — Serena Williams avoided any early matchups against opponents with success to speak of at Wimbledon in a draw on Friday that could put her against No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina in the third round.

Williams is returning to the grass-court tournament for the first time since 2016 after missing it last year while pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter in September.

She is ranked outside the top 150, but the All England Club decided to seed her 25th based on past success, which includes collecting seven of her 23 Grand Slam singles trophies at Wimbledon. Williams’ first-round opponent when play begins on Monday will be 107th-ranked Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands, who has one career tour title.


Williams is competing for the first time since she pulled out of the French Open ahead of a fourth-round showdown against five-time major champion Maria Sharapova in early June, citing an injured chest muscle. That was Williams’ return to Grand Slam action after a 16-month absence.

Rus has only once been as far as Wimbledon’s third round, back in 2012. That was the last time she won a match at the All England Club. She was beaten in the first round of qualifying a year ago, as were both of the women Williams could meet in the second round, 136th-ranked qualifier Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria and 167th-ranked wild-card recipient Tereza Smitkova of the Czech Republic.

Svitolina has only once been as far as the fourth round.

Williams’ possible fourth-round opponent, 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys, made one quarterfinal appearance, while the 36-year-old American’s potential quarterfinal foe, reigning Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki, has never been beyond the fourth round.

Williams could face her older sister, five-time champion and 2017 runner-up Venus, in the semifinals. The ninth-seeded Venus Williams opens against 62nd-ranked Johanna Larsson of Sweden, who is 0-7 at Wimbledon.

The Williams sisters are not in the doubles draw. They have won 14 Grand Slam titles as a pair, including six at Wimbledon.

In the top half of the women’s singles bracket, the quarterfinals could be French Open champion Simona Halep vs. two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, and defending champ Garbine Muguruza vs. No. 6 Caroline Garcia. In the bottom half, No. 2 Wozniacki was drawn to face Svitolina, while 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens could play No. 7 Karolina Pliskova.

The potential men’s quarterfinals in the top half are eight-time champion Roger Federer vs. 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Kevin Anderson, and 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic vs. No. 6 seed Grigor Dimitrov. In the bottom half of the bracket, it could be two-time Wimbledon winner Rafael Nadal vs. 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, and No. 4 Alexander Zverev vs. No. 7 Dominic Thiem.



Two-time champion Andy Murray will face 48th-ranked Benoit Paire in the first round. It’s a rematch of Murray’s fourth-round victory over the Frenchman at the All England Club in 2017.

That was Murray’s last win before he sat out nearly a year because of an injured hip that was surgically repaired in January.

He returned to action last week and so is ranked only 156th and unseeded at Wimbledon, which he won in 2013 and 2016.

Murray could face 26th-seeded Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the second round.

The top-seeded Federer’s opening opponent on Monday will be 57th-ranked Dusan Lajovic of Serbia. Their only previous meeting anywhere came in Wimbledon’s second round last year, when Federer won in straight sets en route to the title.

No. 2 seed Nadal, whose 17 Grand Slam titles trail only Federer’s 20 among men, faces 129th-ranked Dudi Sela of Israel on Tuesday. Nadal has won both of their previous matchups.

Men’s first-rounders to keep an eye on include Dimitrov against three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka, who is still working his way back into form after knee surgery; 12-time major champ Novak Djokovic against Australian Open quarterfinalist Tennys Sandgren of the U.S.; and No. 23 Richard Gasquet against Gael Monfils in a matchup of Frenchmen.

Two women who lost a Wimbledon final against Serena Williams will meet in the first round when former No. 1 and two-time major champion Angelique Kerber plays qualifier Vera Zvonareva. Kerber was the runner-up in 2016, Zvonereva in 2010.

Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion who is seeded 24th, could face 2017 French Open champion and 12th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko in the third round, and Kvitova in the fourth.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Sharapova withdraws from Stanford with injury

Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Stanford Classic ahead of her second round match on Wednesday due to soreness in her left arm, the former world number one said.

Sharapova, who was competing as a wildcard in her fourth tournament back after a 15-month doping ban, said she started to feel pain in her forearm late during her first-round win over American Jennifer Brady on Monday.

"After yesterday's scan, the doctor has recommended I don't risk further injury," Sharapova, who was awarded a wildcard to compete this week in California, said in a statement on the tournament's website.

"Monday night’s crowd was so special and I wish I could continue playing but I have to make a preventative decision.”

Sharapova, playing her first match in the United States since 2015, was made to work against world number 80 Brady, needing two hours to secure the 6-1 4-6 6-0 win.

Her early exit means Ukrainian seventh seed Lesia Tsurenko advances to the third round by walkover.

It marks the second time in three months that the five-times grand slam champion's comeback has been interrupted by injury as she also retired from her second round match at the Italian Open in mid-May after injuring her left thigh.

Sharapova, banned after testing positive for heart drug meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open, has had mixed results since re-joining the WTA Tour.

The 30-year-old Russian reached the semi-finals as a wildcard in Stuttgart but fell in the second round at Madrid to Canada's Eugenie Bouchard who days earlier had labelled the Russian a "cheater." — Reuters

Tennis: Sharapova appeals two-year doping ban to CAS

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Russian superstar Maria Sharapova has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against her two-year doping ban, CAS confirmed on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old tested positive for the controversial banned medication meldonium during January’s Australian Open.

The ban, announced by the International Tennis Federation last week, is backdated to January 26 this year, when she tested positive for the prohibited substance.

“In her appeal to the CAS, Ms Sharapova seeks the annulment of the Tribunal’s decision to sanction her with a two-year period of ineligibility further to an anti-doping rule violation,” CAS said in a statement, adding that a decision would be made by July 18 at the latest.

“Ms Sharapova submits that the period of ineligibility should be eliminated, or in the alternative, reduced.”

If her appeal is unsuccessful the five-time Grand Slam champion will miss the Olympic Games in Rio in August while the earliest Grand Slam she could next enter is the French Open in 2018.

Sharapova blasted the ban as “unfairly harsh” in a statement on her Facebook page.

“While the tribunal concluded correctly that I did not intentionally violate the anti-doping rules, I cannot accept an unfairly harsh two-year suspension,” fumed Sharapova.

“The tribunal, whose members were selected by the ITF, agreed that I did not do anything intentionally wrong, yet they seek to keep me from playing tennis for two years. I will immediately appeal the suspension portion of this ruling to CAS, the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

Meldonium was added to the world anti-doping WADA list on January 1. Sharapova said she’d been taking it for 10 years to help treat illnesses, a heart issue and a magnesium deficiency.

source: sports.inquirer.net

More sponsors keep backing Sharapova despite 2-year ban

VIENNA — Two more sponsors reinforced their support of Maria Sharapova on Thursday, one day after the five-time Grand Slam champion was banned for two years for doping.

Racket supplier Head and bottled water company Evian followed sports gear giant Nike by saying they continue to back the 29-year old Russian, who is set to appeal her suspension.

However, Avon announced it would not extend a partnership that was set to expire. But the manufacturer of beauty and personal care products said its decision had nothing to do with Sharapova’s doping ban.

Head CEO Johan Eliasch called the suspension imposed by an International Tennis Federation anti-doping tribunal “a flawed decision,” repeating his comment that the substance Sharapova tested positive for, meldonium, shouldn’t have been added to WADA’s banned list on Jan. 1.

According to the Austrian-based racket company, there was a lack of scientific evidence for the supposed performance-enhancing effect of meldonium, and there were also no studies indicating its usage could affect the health of an athlete.

“It appears that the ITF have made their decision based upon a flawed process undertaken by WADA,” Eliasch said. “That clearly highlights how WADA have broken their own rules in determining whether or not meldonium should be banned.”

He claimed the World Anti-Doping Agency made its decision “based upon the amount of athletes using meldonium rather than any scientific evidence.”

More than 170 athletes, mainly from Eastern Europe, failed doping tests in the first three months after meldonium became a banned substance. Meldonium is a blood-flow drug that historically was used to improve Soviet soldiers’ endurance.

In April, WADA said athletes could avoid sanctions if their sample showed only minor traces of meldonium, indicating they stopped taking it before it was banned. That, however, didn’t apply to Sharapova.

Head backed Sharapova three months ago when she was initially suspended and revealed she failed a doping test at the Australian Open in January. Head even announced a new racket deal with her. She has been using the equipment since 2011.

His company “will continue to stand by Miss Sharapova,” Eliasch said.

Evian said it was still supporting her because her infringement of the doping rules was “not intentional.”

Other brands, including TAG Heuer and Porsche, suspended their support of the world’s highest-earning female athlete in March.

Sharapova has announced she will appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport.

“While the tribunal concluded correctly that I did not intentionally violate the anti-doping rules, I cannot accept an unfairly harsh two-year suspension,” she said on her Facebook page.

Sharapova claimed she had been taking the drug for 10 years for various health issues, and that she failed to check the new list of banned substances last year.

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

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