Tennis World,Tennis Updates,Tennis News,Tennis Players,Tennis World

ATP World Ranking Mens Tennis World

2008-02-26T12:42:00.000-08:00

ATP World Rankings Mens

Rank

Name

Country

Ranking Pts

Roger Federer

SUI

6630

Rafael Nadal

ESP

5980

Novak Djokovic

SRB

5070

David Ferrer

ESP

2695

Nikolay Davydenko

RUS

2640

Andy Roddick

USA

2120

Richard Gasquet

FRA

1885

David Nalbandian

ARG

1875

James Blake

USA

1710

Tomas Berdych

CZE

1685

Mikhail Youzhny

RUS

1670

Andy Murray

GBR

1625

Carlos Moya

ESP

1585

Fernando Gonzalez

CHI

1515

Paul-Henri Mathieu

FRA

1495

Tommy Robredo

ESP

1490

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

FRA

1470

Lleyton Hewitt

AUS

1460

Juan Carlos Ferrero

ESP

1455

Marcos Baghdatis

CYP

1455

Ivo Karlovic

CRO

1445

Guillermo Canas

ARG

1408

Juan Monaco

ARG

1395

Juan Ignacio Chela

ARG

1340

Ivan Ljubicic

CRO

1295

Jarkko Nieminen

FIN

1240

Philipp Kohlschreiber

GER

1155

Nicolas Almagro

ESP

1065

Fernando Verdasco

ESP

1050

Tommy Haas

GER

1035

Radek Stepanek

CZE

1010

Gilles Simon

FRA

990

Igor Andreev

RUS

955

Stanislas Wawrinka

SUI

955

Dmitry Tursunov

RUS

925

Potito Starace

ITA

916

Michael Llodra

FRA

873

Feliciano Lopez

ESP

825

Andreas Seppi

ITA

794

Fabrice Santoro

FRA

772

Filippo Volandri

ITA

770

Robin Soderling

SWE

770

Nicolas Mahut

FRA

761

Janko Tipsarevic

SRB

752

Marin Cilic

CRO

742

Jose Acasuso

ARG

733

Agustin Calleri

ARG

730

Nicolas Kiefer

GER

690

Sebastien Grosjean

FRA

661

Hyung-Taik Lee

KOR

657

Gael Monfils

FRA

642

Marc Gicquel

FRA

615

Juan Martin del Potro

ARG

608

Thomas Johansson

SWE

598

Albert Montanes

ESP

595

Stefan Koubek

AUT

591

Oscar Hernandez

ESP

590

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez

ESP

588

Julien Benneteau

FRA

584

Michael Berrer

GER

581

Jurgen Melzer

AUT

578

Olivier Rochus

BEL

561

Sam Querrey

USA

558

Dudi Sela

ISR

558

Marat Safin

RUS

550

Simone Bolelli

ITA

545

Arnaud Clement

FRA

540

Santiago Ventura

ESP

535

Kristof Vliegen

BEL

519

Vincent Spadea

USA

518

Victor Hanescu

ROM

517

Fabio Fognini

ITA

513

Mischa Zverev

GER

509

Sergio Roitman

ARG

507

Carlos Berlocq

ARG

507

Peter Luczak

AUS

505

Florian Mayer

GER

504

Rainer Schuettler

GER

504

Robin Haase

NED

503

Evgeny Korolev

RUS

497

Steve Darcis

BEL

497

Werner Eschauer

AUT

487

Frank Dancevic

CAN

486

Alejandro Falla

COL

486

Jonas Bjorkman

SWE

485

Chris Guccione

AUS

481

Ivo Minar

CZE

469

Ernests Gulbis

LAT

465

Pablo Cuevas

459

Andrei Pavel

ROM

458

Florent Serra

FRA

456

Mario Ancic

CRO

455

John Isner

USA

452

Mardy Fish

USA

440

Nicolas Lapentti

ECU

434

Nicolas Massu

CHI

432

Jiri Vanek

CZE

429

Thierry Ascione

FRA

427

Juan Pablo Brzezicki

ARG

425

100

Bobby Reynolds

USA

424

100

Boris Pashanski

SRB

424

Tennis World News

2008-02-26T12:38:00.000-08:00

Sharapova pulls out of Dubai Championships with viral infection

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Maria Sharapova pulled out of the Dubai Championships with a viral infection.

The fifth-ranked Sharapova said Tuesday she has been battling a virus for several days and that it has "reached a point where I'm unable to compete."

"This is really disappointing to me, but I do intend to come back to Dubai next year and hopefully have a great tournament," she said.

Sharapova, who won this year's Australian Open and last week's Qatar Open, was seeded fifth in the tournament and was scheduled to start Tuesday against Hungary's Agnes Szavay. She was replaced in the main draw by Akiko Morigami of Japan.

Sharapova said she was feeling ill before the Qatar Open.

"I have been coughing a lot and feeling tired, but I somehow played through there," she said. "But I don't want to repeat the mistakes I have made in my past, when I tried to play through injuries and sickness and aggravated it."

The Dubai Championships offers $1.5 million in prize money and has attracted the top six ranked players in the world.

Sharapova said she would go home and rest for a week, before tournaments in Indian Wells, Calif., and Miami.

Mexican Open News Update

2008-02-26T12:34:00.000-08:00

Mexican Open 2008

Top-seeded Ljubicic, No. 3 Simon advance; No. 2 Karlovic loses at Zagreb Indoors

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) -Top-seeded Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia and third-seeded Gilles Simon of France advanced to the second round at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors on Tuesday.

Ljubicic beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-3, 7-6 (7), and Simon defeated Pavol Cervenak of Slovakia 7-6 (2), 6-1.

Second-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia lost 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 to the 209th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine despite serving 14 aces and having seven break points, while Rik De Voest of South Africa upset seventh-seeded Andreas Seppi 6-4, 7-6 (3).

Also, Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia beat Florian Mayer of Germany 7-6 (6), 6-0, Roko Karanusic of Croatia rallied to defeat Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia 6-7 (9), 6-4, 6-4, Lovro Zovko of Croatia ousted Marc Gicquel of France 6-3, 7-5, and Viktor Troicki of Serbia topped George Bastl of Switzerland 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Mexican Open 2008 News Results

2008-02-26T12:17:00.000-08:00

Tennis World

Pennetta wins first round in Mexican Open

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) -Top-seeded Flavia Pennetta defeated Russian Ekaterina Bychkova 6-4, 6-1 on Monday in the first round of the Mexican Open.

Pennetta, from Italy, has reached the finals in the Mexican Open four times, and won in 2005.

"There are a lot of matches before the finals, it's one step at a time," Pennetta said after the match.

Pennetta dominated the second set, breaking Bychkova's serve three times.

In other matches Monday, Mexican Melissa Torres came from behind to defeat Italy's Maria Elena Camerin 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.

American Jill Craybas easily defeated Paraguay's Rossana de los Rios 6-2, 6-2, and Spain's Lourdes Dominguez Lino dispatched Japan's Rika Fujiwara 7-5, 6-3. German Julia Schruff held off Hungarian Greta Arn 6-2, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5).

On the men's side, third-seeded Juan Monaco rallied to beat fellow Argentine Juan Pablo Brzezicki 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. Spain's Nicolas Almagro cruised past Jiri Vanek of the Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-2. Spain's Albert Montanes upset seventh-seeded Igor Andreev of Russia 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Davis Cup 2008 News, Davis Cup 2008

2008-02-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

French spirits sky high

For the second straight year, the France Davis Cup team led by captain Guy Forget dominated Romania in its opening tie. And for the second consecutive year, it will travel to face the defending champion in the quarterfinals.

In 2007 it was Russia, which proved too good for Forget’s boys. This year, they will travel to USA with higher hopes to continue the adventure.
Succesful Start for Tsonga

Australian Open Finalist and no-doubt a new sensation Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has given it a new dimension, and hopes of a campaign which could prove glorious. Ten days after his final at the Australian Open, Tsonga made a successful career debut inDavis Cup , defeating Andrei Pavel in a thrilling four setter. “Jo has lived up to the occasion. He displayed some dominating tennis, while remaining serene and in control ” said Forget.

Davis Cup 2008 News, Davis Cup Results, Davis Cup Updates

2008-02-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

USA cruise into quarterfinals

Title holders USA secured themselves a spot in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, ousting first round hosts Austria 4-1 in Vienna.

Andy Roddick and James Blake gave Patrick McEnroe’s team a 2-0 lead before the Bryan brothers won the doubles to lift the outfit to an untouchable 3-0 advantage. In the dead rubbers, Bob Bryan celebrated a surprising singles victory, while his brother Mike Bryan had to retire with a hamstring injury.

Austrian hopes were high ahead of the tie and memories of the close 2-3 battle between the country’s tennis heroes Thomas Muster, Horst Skoff and Alex Antonitsch against Andre Agassi and his Likes from 1990 were fresh. Rolling out the red carpet, the hosts had a very slow clay court laid out and sold 6,500 tickets at low prices to create the perfect Davis Cup home atmosphere.

Davis Cup 2008 News Update, Davis Cup 2008 Results

2008-02-12T12:04:00.002-08:00

New Zealand Beats Oman in Davis Cup

Davis Cup 2008
February 11:

New Zealand has completed a 5-0 win over Oman in their Davis Cup tennis tie in Muscat.

Dan King-Turner won the first of the reverse singles matches 6-love 6-1 before GD Jones completed the rout with a 6-1, 7-5 win over his opponent.

The New Zealanders return to the Middle East in April to take on Kuwait looking to get to the Asia Oceania zone group two promotion match in September.

In the World Group, Cup holders the USA are through to the quarter finals beating Austria 4-1, joining Germany, Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Spain, France and Argentina in the last eight.

Davis Cup 2008 Group Draw

2008-02-12T12:04:00.001-08:00

Davis Cup 2008 Group Draw

 Russia         v Serbia

 Czech Republic v Belgium

 Argentina      v Britain

 Israel         v Sweden

 Germany        v South Korea

 Peru           v Spain

 Romania        v France

 Austria        v U.S.

Ties to be played on 8 to 10 February 2008

Davis Cup 2008 Updates, Davis Cup Results Updates

2008-02-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

Davis Cup 2008
Nominations for World Group Quarterfinal Ties

The ITF has announced the official nominations for the four World Group quarterfinal ties on 6-8 April, and these can be found below.

Live scoring for all World Group ties will be available on the Davis Cup website throughout the weekend of 6-8 April, along with the usual array of reports, photos, and interviews. There will also be reports from the draw for each tie on 5 April.

As action unfolds around the world, you will also be able to access a radio-style update through Davis Cup Radio, the official audio service of the competition, rounding up all the Davis Cup news and results. There will be reaction from players as well as expert analysis from the Tennis Radio Network, who will be providing the daily show.

RUSSIA v FRANCE
Venue: Moscow, Russia (clay – indoors)

RUSSIA
Igor Andreev
Nikolay Davydenko
Marat Safin
Mikhail Youzhny
Captain: Shamil Tarpischev

FRANCE
Sebastien Grosjean (replaces Arnaud Clement)
Richard Gasquet
Michael Llodra
Paul-Henri Mathieu
Captain: Guy Forget

BELGIUM v GERMANY
Venue: Ostend, Belgium (clay-indoors)

BELGIUM
Dick Norman
Christophe Rochus
Olivier Rochus
Kristof Vliegen
Captain: Julian Hoferlin

GERMANY
Tommy Haas
Michael Kohlmann
Philipp Kohlschreiber (replaces Florian Mayer)
Alexander Waske
Captain: Patrik Kuhnen

USA v SPAIN
Venue: Winston-Salem, NC, USA (hard – indoors)

USA
Andy Roddick
James Blake
Mike Bryan
Bob Bryan
Captain: Patrick Mc Enroe

SPAIN
David Ferrer
Feliciano Lopez
Tommy Robredo
Fernando Verdasco
Captain: Emilio Sanchez

SWEDEN v ARGENTINA
Venue: Gothenburg, Sweden (carpet – indoors)

SWEDEN
Jonas Bjorkman
Thomas Johansson
Robert Linstedt
Robin Soderling
Captain: Mats Wilander

ARGENTINA
Guillermo Canas
Juan Martin Del Potro
David Nalbandian
Sebastian Prieto
Captain: Alberto Mancini

Davis Cup 2008 Update, Davis Cup News, Davis Cup 2008

2008-02-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

Russia Beat Serbia
Davis Cup 2008

Russia’s 3-2 victory over Serbia was almost as much about the relationship between appearance and illusion as it was about tennis. What should have been a celebration of Novak Djokovic’s first event since winning the Australian Open became a tactical battle for Serbia to get enough players ready for the relevant matches, and part of that battle was an attempt to control information to the point where no-one really knew who was ill or injured, and by how much. What also emerged by the end of the weekend was that the Russian team also had its own health issues.

Modern sport is based around players being in peak fitness, and tennis is no exception. But peak fitness so often means pushing the body beyond the limits “normally fit” people stick within, and that’s when super-fit bodies can rebel. When that happens, some of the most eagerly awaited sporting moments can be spoiled. Who knows why – a few days after being feted a hero for breaking the Federer-Nadal Grand Slam stranglehold – Djokovic’s body decided to call a time-out? Maybe it was a psychological come-down after his heroics in Melbourne, or he picked up a germ in a plane, or the fact that he spent over two hours being acclaimed outdoors on a cold Belgrade day while wearing just a T-shirt? It probably depends on where you believe illness comes from. But what was clear was that he arrived in Moscow for Serbia’s first-ever Davis Cup by BNP Paribas world group tie with flu-like symptoms, which prevented him from practising on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday leading up to the tie. Add to that the leg injury picked up in Moscow by Serbia’s No 2 Janko Tipsarevic, whose previous match was taking Roger Federer to a 10-8 fifth set, and fate was being particularly unkind to the newcomers.

They still nominated Djokovic for the first day, and Tipsarevic kept people guessing by saying he had a stomach bug rather than an injury (the illness can clear in a couple of days, the injury would take three weeks), but it was all part of using information as a weapon in the war. In the end, Serbia had to go into the opening day’s singles with a 31-year-old doubles specialist ranked 689 in singles who had been running a temperature the previous day and a 21-year-old playing his first Davis Cup rubber – this against two players in the world’s top 10. The fact that Serbia went to bed on Friday night having won three sets when none would have been no embarrassment testifies to the nation’s fighting spirit. But then the underlying story behind this weekend is that you underestimate Serbia at your peril.

Russia also affected by fitness issues

By Saturday, Russia’s captain Shamil Tarpischev must have been rueing his decision to let Igor Andreev miss the tie because of tournament commitments in America. Marat Safin – Russia’s most versatile player whose absence from the 2007 final was such a loss to his country’s chances of defending its 2006 title – was already carrying a foot injury but woke up on Saturday with a temperature, and couldn’t play. The Safin-Tursunov pairing, Tarpischev’s original nomination after they played so well in the 2006 final against Argentina’s Calleri and Nalbandian, was replaced by Tursunov-Youzhny, who had lost their previous three rubbers. But the real interest in the doubles was whether Djokovic would last in his first match since winning in Australia.

He did. Helped by the world class Zimonjic who was still under the weather, the Serbs were simply the better doubles team, and the fact that they won in straight sets limited Djokovic’s time on court and gave the visitors hope that their star could be fit for the final day.

He was out there against Nikolay Davydenko, even if not fully fit. He later admitted to feeling dizzy from the start, but you’d never have known it as he took the first set of the fourth rubber, a match pitting the third and fourth best players in the world against each other. Leading 2-1 in the second, Djokovic played two sublime games that showed why he was a Grand Slam champion, and when he led 3-0 in the third set with a double break, the gamble of playing him appeared to have paid off. But he knew all along he probably only had enough steam for three sets, and when Davydenko began playing more conservatively and making Djokovic run more, it turned the tide Russia’s way. The longer rallies soaked up the Serb’s dwindling energy, he was able to be less aggressive and to dictate less, and when Davydenko hit a backhand down the line to seal his third break and take the third set 6-4, Djokovic threw in the towel.

“I had to stop to avoid a risk to my health,” was Djokovic’s explanation of his shock-but-not-shock walkout. How risky it would have been to carry on, no-one knows. There may be some who have been in war situations or multi-day treks through rough terrain who would say the human body can take much more than three sets of tennis, even when recovering from a flu-like bug. But it would be very harsh to accuse a still 20-year-old sportsman of not having that degree of knowledge about his body, especially when, having lost the third set, he felt he had nothing to gain and much to lose by going on.

The fact that Serbia can come away from Moscow having lost 3-2 with only one fully fit player (Troicki, who earned himself a 22nd birthday present by winning the dead rubber) is a fact the tennis world should note. True, Russia had its own problems – as well as Safin’s illness and injury, Tarpischev admitted that Davydenko had an abdominal strain and Youzhny wasn’t 100 per cent fit, though as that was in answer to the question “Do Serbia’s injuries devalue Russia’s win” it’s fair to wonder whether there may have been a little exaggeration for the sake of team pride. But the sense at the end of the weekend was that Serbia will be back, and stronger. In fact Tarpischev suggested that, with a more favourable draw, the young nation might even have gone all the way in the 2008 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas.

The future looks bright for the Balkan nation, even if it’s Russia who will be welcoming the Czechs in Moscow in April’s quarterfinals.

Maria Sharapova Pictures, Sexy Maria Sharapova, Maria Sharapova Wallpapers, Beautiful Sharapova

2008-02-01T15:40:00.000-08:00

Djokovic Entered in new grand slam era by winning Australian open 2008 Title

2008-01-27T07:25:00.000-08:00

Novak Djokovic Wins Australian open 2008 Final

Novak Djokovic has carved his name into tennis folklore with a watershed victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in an enthralling Australian Open final at Melbourne Park.

Djokovic repelled Tsonga's early challenge to prevail 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7-2) in three hours and six minutes and become the first-ever Serbian to hoist a grand slam singles trophy.

In doing so, Djokovic also delivered on his year-long promise to end Roger Federer's and Rafael Nadal's 12-slam dominance of the sport's four annual majors and stamp himself as a likely future world No.1.

"
I'm so proud," Djokovic said.

"First of all, before I thank everybody in this world, I would like to thank everybody in my box who supported me all the way through, not just these two weeks, all the way in my life.

"Thank you very much. I love you.

"Secondly, Jo, unbelievable tournament and you should be proud of yourself. (He had) fantastic results and, if he won, it would be absolutely deserved."

Having clubbed Nadal into submission to reach the final, the unseeded Tsonga had been bidding to become the first Frenchman in a quarter of a century to experience grand slam glory - and the second-lowest-ranked Open champion in history.

Alas, the 22-year-old Muhammad Ali-lookalike - contesting only his fifth slam after a career ravaged by injury - was unable to repeat his semi-final heroics, finally hitting the canvas after a succession of improbable conquests over far more-fancied opponents.

Not that he failed to put up a fight.

In the first major final not featuring either Federer or Nadal since Marat Safin overcame Australia's own "Rocky" Lleyton Hewitt in the Open's 2005 title match in Melbourne, Djokovic had to withstand a fierce early barrage from the big-bitting Tsonga.

Two-time Open champion Jim Courier had described the opening stages of the grand slam decider as an "extra terrestrial, out-of-body experience" and it must have seemed that way for the two nervy combatants as they traded service breaks in the first two games of the match.

But it was Tsonga - a virtual ATP tour novice without a solitary title under his belt - who landed the first real body blow, snatching the opening set with an audacious, loopy forehand pass.

His Congolese-born father Didier had been ringside for boxing's famous Rumble in the Jungle between Ali and George Foreman in Zaire back in 1974 and looked to be reliving the experience courtside at Rod Laver Arena as he pumped his fist in jubilation when Tsonga junior seized the early initiative.

In stark contrast, Djokovic's father Srdjan was ordering Open officials to remove nearby French fans from the venue for apparent over-zealousness as his son's shoulders began to slump.

Djokovic squandered seven set points in succumbing to Federer in the US Open final last September and his temperament under pressure had been the one big question mark next to the 20-year-old's name heading into Sunday night's showdown.

But the third seed emphatically answered the challenge, digging in to break Tsonga in the seventh game of the second set for a 4-3 lead before acing the Frenchman to level up the match.

When Tsonga pulled a forehand wide to hand Djokovic another break in the third game of the third set, momentum was clearly with the Serb.

Tsonga gallantly fended off a further seven break points serving at 3-5 before finally dumping a forehand volley into the bottom of the net to have Djokovic skipping to the changeover with a two-sets-to-one advantage.

Staring defeat in the face, Tsonga refused to surrender in a tension-filled fourth but was left to rue a massive missed opportunity to break a briefly-rattled Djokovic at 5-5.

Djokovic appeared to be tightening up when he pleaded with Portuguese chair umpire Carlos Ramos to quieten the mostly pro-Tsonga crowd when serving at 30-40, but the Serb gambled and guessed right to cut off an attempted pass to escape peril.

Tsonga was unable to recover from his near miss and Djokovic ran away with the tiebreaker, triumphing when his opponent fired a forehand wide on the first match point.

Djokovic was rewarded for his grand slam breakthrough with a monster cheque for $1,370,000, while Tsonga was left to console himself with a $600,000 pay day - more than doubling his career prize money - as well as a dramatically improved ranking of No.18 in the world.

Sharapova lifts her First Australian Open Grand Slam Cup

2008-01-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

Sharapova's First Ever Australian open Victory

Russian fifth seed Maria Sharapova won the Australian Open final against fourth seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 7-5, 6-3 on Saturday, claiming her third Grand Slam title.

Sharapova, a losing finalist here last year, adds the Australian title to the Wimbledon crown she won in 2004 and her 2006 US Open.

Ivanovic battled gamely but Sharapova's powerful serve ultimately proved the difference in a 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) cauldron at the Rod Laver Arena, winning in one hour 31 minutes.

A flurry of unforced errors, 33 to Sharapova's 15, did not help Ivanovic's cause and the partisan 15,000-strong crowd was unable to cheer her to victory in the decider.

The Serb showed no sign of the nerves that crippled her in the French Open final last year and drew first blood as the pair, both 20, probed for weaknesses in the opening game, blasting an ace as Sharapova netted two returns.

But the pumped-up Russian held Ivanovic to love her first four service games, running Ivanovic around with blistering ground-strokes and not hesitating to attack the net and leave her opponent with nowhere to go.

She seized a break in the fifth game as Ivanovic put too much power on her forehand, spraying her returns wide.

The Serb's radar finally kicked in and she scored her first point off Sharapova's serve in the fifth game after 22 minutes, going on to break back after Sharapova double faulted twice.

Sharapova recovered to break Ivanovic again three games later, then served out the set after 49 minutes.

She maintained her aggression in the second, stretching Ivanovic to break point in an opening game that lasted 11 minutes but the Serb hung on, desperately chasing down returns to maintain a toehold in the match.

The decisive break came in the seventh game and Ivanovic's resistance finally faltered when Sharapova earned three match points in her next service game.

She saved one chance but hit a forehand return wide to give the Russian victory.

The Russian slumped to the court in tears, then rushed over the shake hands with father Yuri in the stands.

Novak Djokovic captures Australian Open title

2008-01-27T07:18:00.000-08:00

Novak Djokovic Defeated Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga In Australian Open 2008 Finals

Melbourne, Australia - In a Nail biting Match Serbian star Novak Djokovic captured his first Grand Slam event title by overcoming Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Sunday's final at the 2008 Australian Open finals. Djokovic became the first-ever Serbian major singles titlist and claimed a first prize of over $1.2 million.

The third-seeded Djokovic dropped the first set against the upstart Tsonga before settling in for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) victory at Melbourne Park. The high-flying Serb hadn't dropped a set here until Sunday.

Djokovic was rattled in the opening set, as his family spent a good part of the stanza being taunted by surrounding French fans up in the stands. But order was restored when a security detail was sent to calm things down in the vicinity of the Djokovic box.

After dropping the set, the ultra-talented Serb got his bearings to level the fiery match at one set apiece, and a now-focused Djokovic then cruised in the third set before a very tight battle in the fourth at Rod Laver Arena.

Both players held serve throughout the fourth set, which needed to be decided via tiebreak. A key point in the stanza came when Djokovic saved a break point, the first one of the set, in order to grab a 6-5 edge.

In the extra session, Djokovic prevailed in one particular lengthy rally of crushing forehands, which ended when the crowd favorite Tsonga netted one, leaving the slick Serb with a commanding 4-1 lead.

Djokovic went up 5-1 when the underdog Tsonga double-faulted, and the quality match would end three points later, as the Serb converted on his first match point when Tsonga misfired wide with one final forehand. Djokovic dropped to the court on his back before heading to the net to shake hands with the Frenchman. He then headed over to shake hands with his family and tossed a couple of his racquets into the stands.

"First, before I thank everybody in this world, I want to thank everybody in my box who've supported me all the way through, not just these two weeks, all the way in my life," the Serbian said.

"I know the crowd wanted him to win more," Djokovic said of Tsonga. "That's OK, it's alright. I still love you guys, don't worry."

Djokovic needed 3 hours, 6 minutes to prevail, which he did with the help of four service breaks, compared to only two for the excitable Tsonga. The Frenchman also committed six more unforced errors (41-35) than his Serbian counterpart en route to defeat.

The 20-year-old Djokovic, who was treated for a mild hamstring strain while leading 3-2 in the fourth set on Day 14 here, has played in the last two Grand Slam finals and has reached at least the semis in four straight majors.

The 6-foot-2 Belgrade native Djokovic, last year's U.S. Open runner-up to Roger Federer, stunned the mighty Federer in straight sets here on Friday, preventing the super Swiss from reaching an 11th straight Grand Slam final, and is now the third-youngest Aussie Open champion.

Federer and Rafael Nadal had combined to win the previous 11 majors.

Djokovic now owns eight career ATP titles in 11 finals. He was 5-2 in seven title bouts last season.

The 22-year-old, 6-foot-2 Tsonga was appearing in his first-ever ATP-level final, and was the first man since Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten in 1997 to make a Grand Slam final his first career title match.

The Le Mans native Tsonga entered this fortnight ranked 38th in the world and will move up to No. 18. He eliminated four Top-15 players, including the No. 2 Nadal in the semis, en route to the final. Tsonga also took out eighth-seeded fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, ninth-seeded Brit Andy Murray and 14th- seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny.

Djokovic and Tsonga had never met in an ATP-level match before Sunday.

Tsonga more than doubled his career prize money by claiming $600,000 for his efforts here. He was the first French Aussie Open finalist since Arnaud Clement back in 2001.

France hasn't produced a men's Grand Slam champion since Yannick Noah captured the French Open in 1983, and its last Aussie Open champ was Jean Borotra way back in 1928.

Sharapova Wins Australian Open 2008 Tennis Grand Slam Championship

2008-01-27T07:14:00.000-08:00

Maria Sharapova Wins Australian open 2008

Australia Melbourne 2008: Russian Maria Sharapova has breezed past Anna Ivanovic of Serbia 7-5, 6-3 to win the women's singles title at the Australian Open in Melbourne, the first Grand Slam tournament of the 2008 season.

The 20-year-old Sharapova defeated the No. 4 seed Ivanovic Saturday in a match that lasted just 91 minutes on a hot day with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius.

The victory gave Sharapova her first Australian Open championship, and is the third Grand Slam title of her career. She won at Wimbledon in 2004 and the U.S. Open in 2006. It also erases the bitter taste of her upset loss in last year's Australian Open final to American Serena Williams.

For Ivanovic, Saturday's loss was her second in a major tournament final - she lost last year's French Open to world No. 1 Justine Henin of Belgium.

Austalian Open 2008 Results Updates

2008-01-25T15:43:00.001-08:00

Men's singles
Semi-finals
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) bt Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2
Women's singles
Semi-finals
Maria Sharapova (RUS x5) bt Jelena Jankovic (SRB x3) 6-3, 6-1
Ana Ivanovic (SRB x4) bt Daniela Hantuchova 0-6, 6-3, 6-4
Men's doubles
Semi-finals
Arnaud Clement/Michael Llodra (FRA x7) bt Jeff Coetzee (USA)/Wesley Moodie (RSA) 6-3, 7-6 (11/9)
Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram (ISR x8) bt Mahesh Bhupathi (IND)/Mark Knowles (BAH x6) 6-4, 6-4
Women's doubles
Semi-finals
Alona Bondarenko/Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) bt Anabel Medina Garrigues/Virginia Ruano Pascual (EsP x10) 6-2, 6-4
Mixed doubles
Quarter-final
Yan Zi (CHN)/Mark Knowles (BAH x3) bt Chuang Chia-Jung (TPE)/Jonathan Erlich (ISR x6) 6-4, 6-4
Boys' singles
Quarter-finals
Ryan Harrison (USA x4) bt Wu Di (CHN) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0
Bernard Tomic (AUS x5) bt Cesar Ramirez (MEX x1) 6-4, 6-3
Yang Tsung-Hua (TPE x10) bt Jerzy Janowicz (POL x2) 7-5, 6-1
Yuki Bhambri (IND x8) bt Daniel Evans (GBR x3) 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3
Girls' singles
Quarter-finals
Jessica Moore (AUS) bt Jasmina Tinjic (CRO) 6-4, 6-0
Arantxa Rus (NED x14) bt Bojana Jovanovski (SRB x5) 6-1, 6-3
Simona Halep (ROM x10) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x1) 6-2, 6-3
Zhou Yi-Miao (CHN x11) bt Karen Barbat (DEN) 6-0, 6-3

Venus Out of Australian Open 2008

2008-01-25T15:40:00.000-08:00

Australia MELBOURNE: Tennis star Venus Williams followed her sister Serena out of the Australian Open in the quarterfinals in losses to Serbian players on back-to-back days.

Novak Djokovic beat No. 5 David Ferrer 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 on his fifth match point Wednesday, becoming the third Serb into the semifinals at Melbourne Park and repeating the country's performance from the last French Open.

Venus Williams went down 7-6 (3), 6-4 to No. 4-seeded Ana Ivanovic in the previous match, a day after defending champion Serena lost to No. 3 Jelena Jankovic.

Ivanovic, who had never taken a set off Williams in four previous contests, is into the semifinals for the third time at a Grand Slam and next faces first-timer Daniela Hantuchova, who beat Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-2.

In the other women's semifinal Thursday, Jankovic will meet No. 5 Maria Sharapova, who ended top-ranked Justine Henin's 32-match winning streak 6-4, 6-0 on Tuesday.

After four straight losses to Williams, including the semifinals at Wimbledon and the fourth round at the U.S. Open, 20-year-old Ivanovic was thrilled to win.

"It was an amazing match and I'm just thrilled to get through," Ivanovic said. "In the last 18 months I've come a long way.

"She's an amazing competitor and she was playing very well today."

Djokovic faces the winner of Wednesday's later quarterfinal between defending champion Roger Federer and No. 12 James Blake.

He lost the U.S. Open final to Federer, who is bidding for a third consecutive Australian title and 13th major _ one shy of Pete Sampras' record 14.

The Williams sisters have 14 singles majors between them, but the hold that they once had on women's tennis is declining.

"There's been a lot of talk every single year," Venus Williams said in response, again, to the question. "I think what's important to me is what goes on in my head. I've been a champion. I have full expectations and aspirations to continue to play high-quality tennis and to continue to be a champion.

Sharapova, Ivanovic advance to Australian Open final

2008-01-25T15:36:00.000-08:00

Australia MELBOURNE - Tennis Beauty Maria Sharapova overwhelmed one Serbian player in the semifinals and will face another for the Australian Open championship.

Sharapova followed her quarterfinal rout of No. 1-ranked Justine Henin with a 6-3, 6-1 semifinal win over third-seeded Jelena Jankovic on Thursday.

No. 4 Ana Ivanovic rallied to ensure one of the two Serbians advanced from the semifinals, despite losing the first eight games to Daniela Hantuchova.

She recovered the early break in the second set and then, after saving break points in a 10-minute game that went to deuce seven times, got another crucial break in the third.

Hantuchova dumped a routine volley into the net on break point in the ninth game of the deciding set to give Ivanovic, who had scrambled to stay in the point, a chance to serve for the match.

Ivanovic won it 0-6, 6-3, 6-4 in 2 hours, 10 minutes when Hantuchova put a forehand into the net on match point.

Sharapova was more convincing.

Two days after ending Henin's 32-match winning streak, she outclassed Jankovic to advance to the final Saturday and a bid for her third Grand Slam singles title.

Sharapova is using the humbling 6-1, 6-2 loss to Serena Williams in last year's Australian final as motivation this time.

"You have your bad moments in your career and you have your good moments, and it's been a good ride so far," she said. "But it's not over yet.

"In a Grand Slam where I've had good success but some tough endings, I still believe at the end I'll always have more opportunities."

The 20-year-old Sharapova, who hasn't dropped a set in six matches at Melbourne Park this year, won her first major at Wimbledon in 2004, then added the U.S. Open title in 2006.

She led 5-0 in the first before Jankovic fended off three set points to hold her first game, earning a big cheer from a crowd that had been stunned by Sharapova's early domination.

She broke Sharapova in the next game, aided by a pair of double-faults from the Russian, then saved two more set points in the next game to pull within 5-3.

Sharapova, her high-pitched grunts sounding more like shrieks, pounded the ball even harder, smacking an ace to set up her sixth set point, then getting to a drop shot for a clean winner. She made up for getting only 46 percent of her first serves in during the set by hitting 20 winners to just three for Jankovic.

"I had a bit of a letdown, I was too good for my own level," Sharapova said of her first-set lapse. "But I'm really happy to get back in the final."

Sharapova broke Jankovic's serve to open the second set, when the Serbian player received treatment for an apparent back strain. Trailing 3-0, Jankovic again had treatment, laying outstretched on a towel while a physiotherapist massaged her lower back area.

"I wanted to withdraw, but it was a semifinal," Jankovic said.

The start of the match was delayed for about 10 minutes when rain began falling in the warmup, forcing organizers to close the roof at Rod Laver Arena.

Ivanovic is into her second Grand Slam final after losing the French Open decider to Henin.

She said it only the crowd that kept her in it after Hantuchova's amazing start.

"If it wasn't for you guys, I would already be booking my flight back home," she said.

Federer Loses in Australian Open Semifinals

2008-01-25T15:33:00.000-08:00

MELBOURNE, Australia -- All Time Favorite and World's Top-ranked Roger Federer's streak of 10 straight Grand Slam finals came to an abrupt end Friday when he lost to No. 3 Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the Australian Open semifinals.

Federer, who had been seeking his third consecutive title here, didn't look like the same player who appeared well on his way to winning his 13th major. The emotional Djokovic had a lot to do with that, hitting 13 aces and 50 winners, largely avoiding the nerves that have occasionally troubled him.

"I am just very amazed I coped with the pressure today," Djokovic said. "In the most important moments, I played my best tennis."

"It's just amazing, indescribable, to beat the No. 1 player of the world, one of the best players this sport has ever had, in straight sets."

He will face unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Sunday's final. Tsonga beat No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals Thursday.

World's No 1. Federer Out of Australian Open

2008-01-25T15:30:00.000-08:00

Roger Federer loses to Novak Djokovic in semi-finals

Australia MELBOURNE, January 25: Serbian young gun Novak Djokovic ended defending champion Roger Federer's record run of 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals to power into the Australian Open decider on Friday. Third-seeded Djokovic confirmed his status as Federer's heir apparent with a tense 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) win in two hours 28 minutes and will face unseeded French sensation Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Sunday's final.

It will be the 20-year-old Serb's second consecutive Grand Slam final after losing to Federer in last year's US Open final. For the Swiss great, it was his first loss at a Grand Slam since going down to world number two Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of the 2005 French Open and ended his 19-match unbeaten run at the Australian Open.

"It's amazing, an indescribable feeling to beat the number one player of the world, probably one of the best players this sport has ever had, in straight sets," Djokovic said.

"I'm very, very proud of myself. It's very difficult to play against a player who is so dominant on any surface and he's been so successful for the past couple of years. I'm just so amazed at how well I coped with the pressure, in the most important moments I played my best tennis," he added.

Three-time winner Federer, the top seed, also lost the second of his five Australian Open semi-finals on hardcourt after falling to Marat Safin 9-7 in the fifth set of the final in 2005. Defeat ended his bid for now of improving on his Grand Slam titles, remaining two behind Pete Sampras' record of 14. Djokovic has advanced to the final without dropping a set in his six matches and stretched his winning streak on hardcourt to 10 matches.

It was the 20-year-old Serb's second win over the Swiss in seven matches and his first at a Grand Slam. Last year Djokovic reached the semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon and finished runner-up to Federer at the US Open where he squandered seven set points in the first two sets on the way to a straight sets loss in the final.

Federer broke Djokovic's serve in the seventh game when the Serb's backhand was wide, but he broke back as Federer was serving for the set. Two volley errors cost the Swiss top seed and the youngster broke Federer a second time to take the opening set in 45 minutes. It was tight, but Federer's greater number of errors, 14-10, was his undoing against the pressing Djokovic, who took a set off Federer for the first time in three Grand Slam meetings.

Federer came under increasing pressure in the second set and went down a break in the fourth game when Djokovic came up with a marvellous running backhand to pick up a sliced volley for a winner. Djokovic pumped his chest in jubilation on winning the point and the break. The Swiss again fell behind two break points in his next service game and Djokovic claimed it with a cracking forehand on the line to lead 5-1.

But Federer broke back with a floating backhand return on his third break point.

Djokovic was put under pressure as he attempted to serve out for the second set and won a tense service game on his second set point with an ace. The third seed fought his way out of three break points in his opening service game of the third set and put Federer under renewed pressure with four break points in the third but the Swiss grimly held on.

Austalian Open 2008 Updates

2008-01-25T15:26:00.000-08:00

Tsonga pulls off stunning upset of Nadal

Australia MELBOURNE, Unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga pulled off a stunning upset to beat second seed Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-3 6-2 in the Australian Open semi-finals on Thursday.

The world number 38, playing just his fifth grand slam tournament, simply blew the Spaniard off court in just under two hours to reach Sunday's final against top seed Roger Federer or third seed Novak Djokovic.

"It is just amazing, unbelievable, nothing could stop me today," Tsonga said in a courtside interview.

"I tried to hit everything and everything went in, so what can I say?"

"My family said it is like a dream for them, everybody in France is happy for me. I will try to do my best for the final."

Tsonga knocked out seeds Andy Murray, Richard Gasquet and Mikhail Youzhny on his way to the last four and he came out with all guns blazing, peppering Nadal with a barrage of booming serves and groundstrokes to take the opening set in 32 minutes.

Australian Open 2008 Results Update

2008-01-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

Men's Singles Quarterfinals

Rafael Nadal (2), Spain, def. Jarkko Nieminen (24), Finland, 7-5, 6-3, 6-1.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, France, def. Mikhail Youzhny (14), Russia, 7-5, 6-0, 7-6 (8-6).

Women's Singles Quarterfinals

Jelena Jankovic (3), Serbia, def. Serena Williams (7), United States, 6-3, 6-4.

Maria Sharapova (5), Russia, def. Justine Henin (1), Belgium, 6-4, 6-0.

Men's Doubles Quarterfinals

Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra (7), France, def. Daniel Nestor, Canada, and Nenad Zimonjic (2), Serbia, 6-4, 6-4.

Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie, South Africa, def. Martin Damm and Pavel Vizner (4), Czech Republic, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4.

Women's Doubles Third Round

Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual (10), Spain, def. Jelena Jankovic, Serbia, and Bethanie Mattek, United States, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-2.

Women's Doubles Quarterfinals

Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko, Ukraine, def. Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Liezel Huber (1), United States, 6-3, 6-2.

Yan Zi and Zheng Jie (7), China, def. Serena and Venus Williams, United States, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, and Shahar Peer (12), Israel, def. Janette Husarova, Slovakia, and Flavia Pennetta (13), Italy, 6-1, 6-1.

Mixed Doubles Second Round

Yan Zi, China, and Mark Knowles (3), Bahamas, def. Meilen Tu, United States, and Marcin Matkowski, Poland, 7-5, 6-2.

Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi, India, def. Lisa Raymond, United States, and Simon Aspelin (2), Sweden, 6-3, 2-6, 10-7 tiebreak.

Boys' Singles Second Round

Cesar Ramirez (1), Mexico, def. Clifford Marsland, Australia, 6-4, 6-2.

Yang Tsung-hua (10), Taiwan, def. Karunuday Singh, India, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Ty Trombetta (15), United States, def. Szymon Tatarczyk, Poland, 6-4, 1-6, 8-6.

Bernard Tomic (5), Australia, def. Blaz Rola, Slovenia, 6-2, 6-4.

Daniel Evans (3), Britain, def. Xander Spong, Netherlands, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2.

Bradley Klahn, United States, def. Brendan McKenzie, Australia, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.

Tadayuki Longhi, Japan, def. Peerakit Siributwong, Thailand, 6-4, 6-4.

Hiroki Moriya, Japan, def. Andrew Gregory, Australia, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Wu Di, China, def. Mark Verryth (12), Australia, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Ryan Harrison (4), United States, def. Sam Garforth-Bles, Canada, 6-3, 6-4.

Jared Easton (7), Australia, def. Guillaume Rufin, France, 6-3, 3-6, 8-6.

Kittipong Wachiramanowong (13), Thailand, def. Alex Sanders, Australia, 6-2, 6-2.

Jaan-Frederik Brunken (11), Germany, def. Axel Michon, France, 6-3, 6-4.

Andrew Thomas (6), Australia, def. Erik Crepaldi, Italy, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4.

Jerzy Janowicz (2), Poland, def. Dane Propoggia, Australia, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-3.

Yuki Bhambri (8), India, def. Zalan Klempa, Slovakia, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Girls' Singles Second Round

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (1), Russia, def. Victoria Larriere, France, 6-0, 6-4.

Katarzyna Piter (8), Poland, def. Benita Milenkiewicz, Australia, 6-2, 6-4.

Ksenia Lykina (2), Russia, def. Chen Astrugo, Israel, 7-5, 6-1.

Lesley Kerkhove, Netherlands, def. Jade Curtis (13), Britain, 6-3, 6-1.

Bojana Jovanovski (5), Serbia, def. Mara Nowak, Germany, 6-0, 6-0.

Zhou Yimiao (11), China, def. Vivienne Vierin, Italy, 6-0, 6-1.

Simona Halep (10), Romania, def. Khunpak Isaara, Thailand, 6-0, 6-0.

Madison Brengle (4), United States, def. Sally Peers, Australia, 6-1, 6-0.

Karen Barbat, Denmark, def. Tyra Calderwood (15), Australia, 7-5, 6-2.

Arantxa Rus (14), Netherlands, def. Kristina Mladenovic, France, 6-0, 7-5.

Alison Bai, Australia, def. Sacha Jones (9), New Zealand, 7-5, 7-5.

Elena Bogdan, Romania, def. Marija Mirkovic, Australia, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Jasmina Tinjic, Croatia, def. Rebecca Marino (16), Canada, 6-1, 6-3.

Jessica Moore, Australia, def. Chang Kai-chen (12), Taiwan, 6-3, 6-2.

Misaki Doi, Japan, def. Nikola Hofmanova (3), Austria, 6-4, 1-6, 9-7.

Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (7), Thailand, def. Brittany Sheed, Australia, 1-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5.

Boys' Doubles Second Round

Cho Soong-jae, South Korea, and Ty Trombetta (6), United States, def. Krishananth Balakrishnan and Stephen Hoh, Australia, 6-4, 6-2.

Hsieh Cheng Peng and Yang Tsung-hua Yang, Taiwan, def. Dayne Kelly and Clifford Marsland, Australia, 6-2, 6-4.

Daniel Cox and Daniel Evans (4), Britain, def. Finn Tearney, New Zealand, and Wu Chen-Yu, China, 6-3, 6-3.

Hiroki Moriya, Japan, and Bernard Tomic (3), Australia, def. Jarryd Chaplin and Jake Eames, Australia, 6-2, 6-4.

Nat Maraga and Brendan McKenzie, Australia, def. Hiroyasu Ehara, Japan, and James Meredith, New Zealand, 6-2, 6-3.

Vasek Pospisil, Canada, and Cesar Ramirez (2), Mexico, def. Bradley Klahn, United States, and Milos Raonic, Canada, 2-6, 7-6 (8), 10-8 tiebreak.

Wu Di and Zhang Ze, China, def. Niall Angus and Neil Pauffley, Britain, 7-5, 7-6 (5).

Ryan Harrison, United States, and Matt Reid (1), Australia, def. Logan Mackenzie, New Zealand, and Dane Propoggia, Australia, 6-1, 6-4. Girls' Doubles Second Round

Simona Halep, Romania, and Katarzyna Piter (2), Poland, def. Alexandra Damaschin, Romania, and Claudia Giovine, Italy, 6-4, 6-1.

Henin Out of Australian Open 2008

2008-01-22T07:44:00.000-08:00

Henin Crashes Out of Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia -Maria Sharapova has rocked a stunning victory over World's No-1 Justin Hennin and ended her 32-match winning streak. Henin had not lost in 32 matches since falling in the semi-finals of last year's Wimbledon, but Sharapova utterly dominated the top-seeded Belgian from the outset.

Sharapova opened the match in imposing fashion following up a comfortable service hold to 15 with an equally easy break to 15 by pressing the US Open champion into a series of errors with her massive forehand.

From there the Russian easily held her next two service games while pressing Henin to repeated deuce games on the Belgian's serve.

Henin only once looked as if she would challenge the former world number one, as Sharapova was unable to serve out for the opening set on the first time of asking as a string of unforced errors allowed the top seed to break back in the ninth game.

Henin then saved three set points in the tenth before the Russian finally confirmed the break of serve and the opener blasting the gorgeous backhand pass into the outstretched racked of the lunging Belgian, who could only watch the ball dribble into the bottom of the net.

Despite some amazing rallies from both players in the second set, Sharapova was clearly in command, reeling off winner after winner from all angles to rack up 30 clean winners to Henin's unusually low count of 11.

The Belgian also totalled a surprising five double faults to Sharapova's one, with the final double critically handing Sharapova a break point in the fourth game of the second set.

Sharapova confirmed the double break advantage with an amazing forehand winner angled just inside the ad court as she faded off of her back-foot from well behind the baseline.

The 20-year-old Russian then relied on her big first serve to save a pair of break back points in the fifth, before rushing ahead 40-15 on her rival's serve in the sixth.

Maria Sharapova said: "It's funny because I felt like I was in my own bubble today. It's amazing when you go out on the court and feel you're doing the right things to beat such an amazing player as her. It's just incredible...... We [Jankovic and I] kind of grew up together, practising at the same Academy. It's a bit strange, we were always in the same groups, playing matches against each other. I think it was both our dreams to play in a Grand Slam semi-final against each other."

Hewitt ousted from Australian Open 2008

2008-01-22T07:39:00.000-08:00

Hewitt out of the Australian Open 2008

Australian tennis hopes have ended again for another year with Lleyton Hewitt smacked out in the fourth round of the Australian Open by third seed Novak Djokovic in an nail biting match.

The young Serbian won through 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 and will next face Spanish fifth seed David Ferrer, who beat Heineken Open finalist, Juan Carlos Ferrero in four sets.

Hewitt says despite his 4:30am finish on Sunday, fatigue was not a factor in the loss.

The Serbian recovered from a nervy start to clinch victory in two hours, 26 minutes and set up a last-eight clash with fifth seed David Ferrer of Spain.

Hewitt's previous match had ended at 4.33am on Sunday morning but he showed no signs of fatigue as he broke to lead 4-2 in the first set, only for Djokovic to hit back and win it.

Hewitt, in his 12th Australian Open, gave himself hope when he broke early in the second set but Djokovic struck back and stormed through the second set and into a 5-2 lead in the third.

The Serb squandered two match points as he was broken when serving for the match, but he broke Hewitt in the next game to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.

Ferrer ground down fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-1 to reach the last eight in Melbourne for the first time.

Serena Williams Crashes Out of the Australian Open 2008

2008-01-22T07:08:00.000-08:00

Serena Williams Crashes Out of the Australian Open 2008

Defending champion Serena Williams was ousted by Jelena Jankovic at the Australian Open before losing her doubles match. Williams, who beat Sharapova in last year's final, lost 6-3, 6-4 to Jankovic, then teamed with sister Venus to lose their doubles match 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to Yan Zi and Zheng Jie of China.

Williams, who looked sluggish and lethargic throughout, was the quicker off the mark and broke to love in the second game to send out ominous signs that last year's straight sets defeat could be repeated.

But Jankovic responded in kind and broke back immediately before holding to level at two games apiece. She then broke for a third straight game when Williams dumped an attempted cross-court forehand into the net.

Williams had opportunities to get back into the match in both the sixth and eighth games but she failed to take advantage by thumping uncharacteristic errors from both sides, although mostly on her backhand and that was her major reason for the loss.

The American also appeared unable to stretch up to her serve properly, with her first serve tamely bouncing over the net at under 100 mph on numerous occasions in the first set and early in the second.

Jankovic, however, was striking her backhand cleanly and made good use of her favoured shot down the line as Williams struggled to manoeuvre around the court.

The Serb sealed the first set when Williams dumped a routine forehand volley into the net.

Jankovic opened the second set with a love service game before breaking with a cross-court forehand winner to open a 2-0 lead.

But again Williams struck back, breaking immediately with a backhand winner from the ad side of the court quickly followed by a forehand winner from the same area.

Williams received a warning for racket abuse after dropping serve again, but managed to break back for a second time as both women seemed to tighten up.

A lengthy injury break for both players following the break - Jankovic for the thigh and Williams for a blister on her toe - seemed to revitalise the duo as they produced the two longest games of the match, both going to serve.

But Jankovic struck in the eighth game, earning two break points before drilling her backhand down the line and comfortably putting away the resulting forehand close to the net.

The Serb had a chance to serve out the match at 5-3 up but failed to win a tense game that saw Williams take advantage of her nerves to blast winners from both sides of the court.

But, after racing to 40-15 on her serve, Williams was unable to maintain the pressure and Jankovic sealed the match on her first attempt when the American pushed an attempted cross-court forehand wide after a long rally.

Jelena Jankovic said: "It was an unbelievable match and I'm still shaking. I'm really happy to be in the semis for the first time in Australia. Defeating a defending champion and a champion like Serena is something that doesn't happen every day. But here it is very special, because last year actually in this tournament in the fourth round I lost to her. Now, getting revenge it feels so good."

Serena Williams said: "I think that I went crazy, maybe, and I made a lot of mistakes. I didn't really play the game I wanted to play. I was having some issues, but I don't like to make excuses... Definitely a problem all through the day, but nothing life-threatening, so it's fine... My shots were spraying and everything like that but definitely Jelena played some great tennis and deserved it. I felt I was gonna do better than this but I guess I was wrong... can't always be right."

Australian Open 2008 Article

2008-01-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

2008 Australian Open

Australian open is One of the biggest Tennis Grand slam event and 1st of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments and is held in Melbourne, Australia. All Players from around the globe meet once a year to compete for this lucrative title, and fans have bought tickets numbering in the thousands for this event.

The Australian Open has undergone numerous changes during its many years. It was started in 1905 by the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (LTAA). Originally, the Australasian Championships (as it was called in 1905) were held at Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in St. Kilda Road, Melbourne. Actually, the Australian Open has been held in six different locations. Before 1972, it was held in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and even twice in New Zealand.

In 1972, Tennis Australia, formerly the LTAA, decided to keep the tournament in one city instead of rotating it from place to place. The largest number of tickets had been sold in Melbourne, Australia, and it was chosen as the permanent site for the Australian Open. Kooyong Tennis Club began hosting the event every year. In 1988, Melbourne Park was built to accomodate the expanding tournament. In that year, ticket sales nearly doubled from what they had been at Kooyong.

Not only has the location been a source of change, but the Australian Open has had several different names. The name has been changed twice. Originally, the Australasian Championships, the tournament became the Australian Championships in 1927. In 1969, the name was once again changed, and it became the Australian Open.

The Australian Open is one of four Grand Slam tennis tournaments held every year. Usually held in January, it is actually the first Grand Slam of the year. Players and fans highly anticipate this first chance to see the world's best tennis players go head to head. Another attraction of the Australian Open are the courts on which it's played. It is played on a innovative 'rebound ace' court surface, which presents fast-paced and exciting matches.

Players from around the world attend the Australian Open for a chance to capture their Grand Slam title. It became a battleground for the rivalry between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi that encompassed both of their careers. However, they only met in one Australian Open Final, and Agassi came out victorious. Other winners of the Australian Open include Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Jim Courier, Jennifer Capriati, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, Martina Hingis, Andy Roddick, Rodger Federer, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams. Other participants have been Michael Chang, Mary Pierce, Mary Jo Fernandez, and Australia's own Pat Rafter.

The Australian Open showcases some of the best names in tennis. Players, critics, and ticket-holders flock to see this major event. The 2004 tournament attracted over 100,000 spectators and made over $203 million in ticket sales. The Australian Open is famous for its world-class playing and has become a main event in tennis.

Australian Open Results Update Jan 21

2008-01-21T12:14:00.000-08:00

Australia Melbourne

Jan 21 - Men's results at the $10.7 million
Australian Open on Sunday:

 Fourth round

 1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat 14-Novak Djokovic
(Serbia) 6-2 7-5 6-3

 7-Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat 18-Richard Gasquet (France)
6-4 6-2 3-6 6-4

 6-Andy Roddick (U.S.) beat 9-Mario Ancic (Croatia) 6-3 3-6
6-1 5-7 6-4

 Mardy Fish (U.S.) beat 16-David Ferrer (Spain) 6-1 7-6(4)
2-6 7-5

 Third round

 12-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Florian Mayer (Germany) 7-6(3)
6-3 6-3

 13-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat 21-Dmitry Tursunov
(Russia) 6-2 6-1 6-1

Australian Open Results Jan 21

2008-01-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

Mens's Singles

James Blake (12), United States, def. Marin Cilic, Croatia, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Roger Federer (1), Switzerland, def. Tomas Berdych (13), Czech Republic, 6-4, 7-6 (7), 6-3.
David Ferrer (5), Spain, def. Juan Carlos Ferrero (22), Spain, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Novak Djokovic (3), Serbia, def. Lleyton Hewitt (19), Australia, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3.

Women's Singles

Fourth Round

Ana Ivanovic (4), Serbia, def. Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark, 6-1, 7-6 (2).
Agnieszka Radwanska (29), Poland, def. Nadia Petrova (14), Russia, 1-6, 7-5, 6-0.
Venus Williams (8), United States, def. Marta Domachowska, Poland, 6-4, 6-4.
Daniela Hantuchova (9), Slovakia, def. Maria Kirilenko (27), Russia, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Doubles

Men

Third Round

Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie, South Africa, def. Rohan Bopanna, India, and Rajeev Ram, United States, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Mahesh Bhupathi, India, and Mark Knowles (6), Bahamas, def. Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski (11), Poland, 6-3, 6-2.
Marc Gicquel and Fabrice Santoro, France, def. Carsten Ball and Adam Feeney, Australia, 6-4, 6-2.

Women

Second Round

Jelena Jankovic, Serbia, and Bethanie Mattek, United States, def. Olga Govortsova and Darya Kustova, Belarus, 6-4, 6-3.

Third Round

Yan Zi and Zheng Jie (7), China, def. Nicole Vaidisova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-1.
Janette Husarova, Slovakia, and Flavia Pennetta (13), Italy, def. Chan Yung-jan and Chuang Chia-jung (3), Taiwan, 6-2, 7-6 (3).
Kveta Peschke, Czech Republic, and Rennae Stubbs (4), Australia, def. Iveta Benesova, Czech Republic, and Galina Voskoboeva (16), Russia, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Liezel Huber (1), United States, def. Mariya Koryttseva and Tatiana Perebiynis, Ukraine, 6-2, 6-2.
Serena and Venus Williams, United States, def. Maret Ani, Estonia, and Meilen Tu, United States, 6-4, 6-1.
Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko, Ukraine, def. Lindsay Davenport, United States, and Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia, walkover.
Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, and Shahar Peer (12), Israel, def. Sania Mirza, India, and Alicia Molik (6), Australia, 7-5, 6-3.

Mixed

Second Round

Chuang Chia-jung, Taiwan, and Jonathan Erlich (6), Israel, def. Agnes Szavay, Hungary, and Leander Paes, India, walkover.
Sun Tiantian, China, and Nenad Zimonjic (5), Serbia, def. Liezel Huber, United States, and Jamie Murray, Britain, 6-2, 6-4.
Chan Yung-jan, Taiwan, and Eric Butorac, United States, def. Virginie Razzano, France, and Rogier Wassen, Netherlands, 1-6, 7-5, 10-5 tiebreak.
Kveta Peschke and Martin Damm (7), Czech Republic, def. Galina Voskoboeva, Russia, and Frantisek Cermak, Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-1.
Nathalie Dechy, France, and Andy Ram (8), Israel, def. Janette Husarova, Slovakia, and Mariusz Fyrstenberg, Poland, 6-3, 5-7, 10-4 tiebreak.
Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Paul Hanley (1), Australia, def. Jessica Moore and Greg Jones, Australia, 6-1, 6-1.

Legends Doubles

Round Robin

Men

Paul McNamee and Peter McNamara, Australia, def. Guillermo Vilas, Argentina, and Mats Wilander, Sweden, 6-2, 6-4.
Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, Australia, def. Pat Cash John Fitzgerald, Australia, 6-1, 6-4.

Junior Singles

Boys

First Round

Bernard Tomic (5), Australia, def. Wu Chen-Yu, China, 7-6 (3), 6-2.
Bradley Klahn, United States, def. Vasek Pospisil (14), Canada, 7-5, 6-4.
Kittipong Wachiramanowong (13), Thailand, def. Milos Raonic, Canada, 6-3, 7-6 (6).
Jared Easton (7), Australia, def. Daniel Cox, Britain, 6-3, 6-4.
Alex Sanders, Australia, def. Jan Tavcar, Slovenia, 7-6 (9), 6-4.
Brendan McKenzie, Australia, def. Lorenzo Papasidero, Italy, 7-5, 7-6 (4).
Guillaume Rufin, France, def. Ilija Vucic, Serbia, 6-1, 6-3.
Daniel Evans (3), Britain, def. Hsieh Cheng Peng, Taiwan, 6-2, 6-2.
Cesar Ramirez (1), Mexico, def. Niall Angus, Britain, 6-3, 6-1.
Xander Spong, Netherlands, def. Dayne Kelly, Australia, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.
Dane Propoggia, Australia, def. Timothy van Terheijden, Netherlands, 7-6 (4), 6-4.
Jerzy Janowicz (2), Poland, def. James Meredith, New Zealand, 6-2, 6-4.
Ty Trombetta (15), United States, def. Krishananth Balakrishnan, Australia, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Clifford Marsland, Australia, def. Marko Djokovic, Serbia, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.
Szymon Tatarczyk, Poland, def. Nikolaus Moser, Austria, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5.
Blaz Rola, Slovenia, def. Hiroyasu Ehara, Japan, 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-4.

Girls

First Round

Lesley Kerkhove, Netherlands, def. Isabella Holland, Australia, 6-4, 6-1.
Jessica Moore, Australia, def. Claudia Giovine, Italy, 6-1, 6-2.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (1), Russia, def. Romana Tabakova, Slovakia, 6-1, 7-5.
Victoria Larriere, France, def. Beatrice Gumulya, Indonesia, 6-3, 7-5.
Jade Curtis (13), Britain, def. Olivia Rogowska, Australia, 6-4, 6-1.
Misaki Doi, Japan, def. Tammi Patterson, Australia, 6-4, 6-3.
Rebecca Marino (16), Canada, def. Linda Berlinecke, Germany, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Jasmina Tinjic, Croatia, def. Jade Hopper, Australia, 6-1, 6-1.
Marija Mirkovic, Australia, def. Cindy Chala (6), France, 6-1, 1-6, 6-2.
Chang Kai-chen (12), Taiwan, def. Marta Sirotkina, Russia, 6-1, 6-2.
Elena Bogdan, Romania, def. Yan Zi-Jun, Hong Kong, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.
Zhou Yi-Miao (11), China, def. Stephanie Wiltshire, Australia, 6-3, 6-2.

Austrilian open Update 21 jan

2008-01-21T07:51:00.000-08:00

Federer, Blake continued their win Campaign at Australian Open
while Djokovic Ousts Hewitt

Australia Melbourne: Jan. 21 (Tennis World) -- World's No -1 champion Roger Federer and James Blake won to set up a quarterfinal at the Australian Open, as Novak Djokovic blasted the local hopes at the year's first Grand Slam tennis tournament yesterday by beating Lleyton Hewitt.

As women's eighth seed Venus Williams advanced to a meeting with No. 4 Ana Ivanovic in the last eight, Federer struggled for his best form for the second straight match against an opponent who froze on the big points at Melbourne Park.

Federer, stretched to five sets in the previous round, trailed in the first two sets before advancing to his 14th straight Grand Slam quarterfinal. The 26-year-old, who continually berated himself at Rod Laver Arena, is two wins shy of an 11th straight Grand Slam final appearance and two titles short of Pete Sampras's men's record 14 majors.

``This was a tough match,'' Federer told reporters after his 6-4, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 victory. ``Thank God he didn't win that second set because you never know what's going to happen, because I think he was the better player in that set.''

Austrilian open 2008 Update 20 jan

2008-01-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

Henin, Sharapova on course, Davydenko falls:

Australia Melbourne: On Jan 20 there was nothing shocking as both tennis beauties moved to the 5th round of Australian open 2008.

Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova set up an explosive Australian Open quarter-final with
crushing wins but men's fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko's title hopes fizzled out at a drizzly Melbourne Park on Sunday.

The Russian was given a 7-6 6-3 6-1 thrashing by 14th-seeded compatriot Mikhail Youzhny.

David Nalbandian, seeded 10th, was also on the wrong end of a pasting, losing 6-1 6-2 6-3 to Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero in a third-round match held over from Saturday.

Third seed Jelena Jankovic advanced safely, however, ending the dream run of home hope Casey Dellacqua with a 7-6 6-1 tennis lesson in the first match of the night session.

The final match was cut short when Paul-Henri Mathieu pulled out of his clash with second seed Rafael Nadal trailing 6-4 3-0. The Frenchman had a leg injury.

Ferrero and Nalbandian took up residence on centre court at 11am, just 6 ½ hours after the end of Lleyton Hewitt's epic five-set victory over Marcos Baghdatis. That ended at 4:33am after four hours 45 minutes of see-saw action.

Ferrero's victory could hardly have been more different as he raced past the Argentine in just 104 minutes.

"When you play matches against the top players like today, you want to do your best -- I think I did it very well," he said.

Nadal Also Advances to the Next Battle:

Australia: MELBOURNE, Jan 20 - Second seed Rafael Nadal eased into the Australian Open quarter-finals when Paul-Henri Mathieu retired injured in the second set of their fourth-round match on Sunday.

The Spaniard was leading 6-4 3-0 when Frenchman Mathieu, who had earlier had treatment on a leg injury, was forced to quit.

"It's a little disappointing because I was playing a great match," Nadal told reporters.

"I felt my best today, but I can't be (that) disappointed because I am in the quarter-finals."

Nadal will play Finland's Jarkko Nieminen, the 24th seed, in the last eight, a player he has beaten all three times they have met.

"Nieminen is very tough, a fighter," Nadal said. "It's going to be an interesting match. I have to continue to play in this way."

Australian Open Results Updates

2008-01-18T15:23:00.000-08:00

Open-Australian Open Men's singles and Women's singles results :--

29-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) bt 6-Andy Roddick (U.S.) 6-4 3-6 7-6(9) 6-7(3) 8-6
24-Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) bt Mardy Fish (U.S.) 3-6 7-6(4) 6-3 6-1
8-Richard Gasquet (France) bt 31-Igor Andreev (Russia) 6-3 6-2 4-6 6-4
23-Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) bt Stefan Koubek (Austria) 4-6 7-6(4) 2-6 7-5 8-6
2-Rafael Nadal (Spain) bt 28-Gilles Simon (France) 7-5 6-2 6-3
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 6-3 6-4 6-2
14-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) bt 20-Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) 6-2 6-4 6-2
4-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) bt Marc Gicquel (France) 6-3 6-2 6-3

Casey Dellacqua (Australia) beat 18-Amelie Mauresmo (France) 3-6 6-4 6-4
5-Maria Sharapova (Russia) bt Elena Vesnina (Russia) 6-3 6-0
11-Elena Dementieva (Russia) bt 17-Shahar Peer (Israel) 6-2 6-0
7-Serena Williams (U.S.) bt 26-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 6-3 6-4
3-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) bt 30-Virginie Razzano (France) 6-2 4-6 6-1
Hsieh Su-wei (Taiwan) bt Aravane Rezai (France) 6-2 6-7 (7-3) 6-4
1-Justine Henin (Belgium) bt 25-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 7-5 6-4
12-Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) bt Ai Sugiyama (Japan) 6-3 6-4

Australian open 2008 News Updates

2008-01-18T14:58:00.000-08:00

Henin Strongly moved to Australian Open fourth round

Australia MELBOURNE -- Top seed Justine Henin moved to the fourth round of the Australian Open Friday after receiving her toughest workout so far at this year's event in a 7-5, 6-4 win over Francesca Schiavone of Italy.

The world number one was pushed all the way in the first set and had to pull off some stunning shots to keep 25th seed Schiavone at bay before taking control in the second.

"It was really exciting, I was glad to win in two sets," Henin said. "She's always given me a lot of trouble in the past and it was a tough third round for me so I'm glad to go through."

Federer continues his Dominance, moved into Aussie Open third round

Australia MELBOURNE -- Top seed Roger Federer continued his winning race with his 16th consecutive match win at the Australian Open with a carefree straight sets win over French veteran Fabrice Santoro on Thursday.

The Swiss star countered the wiles of the 35-year-old Fabrice Santoro, playing in a record 62nd Grand Slam, to cruise into the third round 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 in one hour and 22 minutes.

Federer, bidding for his 13th Grand Slam title, will take on Serbian Davis Cup team member Janko Tipsarevic in the next round.

"I always enjoy playing a match against Fabrice," Federer said. "In the first match I played against him he totally dismantled me, he can really show where he could hurt you.

Federer Ready for its Fourth Australian Grand Slam Title

2008-01-17T15:54:00.000-08:00

MELBOURNE — Roger Federer has given himself the all clear from a virus bug that had his rivals hoping for a change in the tennis order at the Australian Open starting here on Monday.

Federer is vying for his 13th Grand Slam crown, edging to within one of the record held by American Pete Sampras, but had to pull out of his customary leadup Kooyong Classic exhibition to get over his health scare.

"I'm happy with my form, to be honest. Very pleased. Physically I'm fine now, too. No more issues," he said Sunday. "I would consider myself a hundred percent."

Records continue to roll off the Federer racquet and the Swiss champion is bidding to become only the third player in history and the first since 1965 to win a hattrick of Australian Opens.

He will become just the fifth player in the long history of men's tennis to go away with four or more Australian titles and is chasing three successive Grand Slam titles for the third time.

Such is the 26-year-old's domination, that the question begs who can stop the Fed Express from claiming his ninth of the last 11 major tournaments, with world number two Rafael Nadal picking up the last two French Opens.

If his health is not an issue, then it will come down to who has the game over the next fortnight to stop who many regard as the greatest player of all time from adding the 2008 Australian title to his burgeoning trophy cabinet.

Federer has been unchallenged as world number one since February 2004 and has won three of last year's four Grand Slams for the third time in four years.

"Well, I'm surprised at how consistent I've been at all the majors," said Federer, who plays Argentina's Diego Hartfield in his opening match on Tuesday.

"It's not just that I've played many Grand Slam finals; it's consecutive. And I think that's the great effort.

"The danger always looms around the first few rounds because you know you want to get the feeling for the court, the balls. It's been a year. You come back with a lot of pressure trying to defend the points.

"There's always a lot of pressure, but somehow I always get through. You know, I've got the right approach and I'm confident."

Federer's main rivals appear to be the younger brigade, headed by second seed Nadal, third-ranked Serbian Novak Djokovic and British ninth seed Andy Murray.

Nadal had a setback in his Australian Open buildup when he suffered an embarrassing defeat to Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-0, 6-1 at the Chennai Open final.

"This is first important tournament of the season. It's going to be interesting. I'm going to try my best. I think I am prepared," Nadal said ahead of his opener against Serbia's Viktor Troicki on Monday.

"I'm not worried about Roger, he is better than the other guys at the moment. But a lot of young guys are coming from behind at the present time."

Djokovic, refreshed after late season burn-out last year, will be looking to mount a serious challenge to Federer here after having chances against the Swiss in last year's US Open final.

"As a 20-year-old, I reached the third place of the world, but I'm really not trying to rush anywhere," Djokovic said.

"Roger and Rafael's rivalry is the biggest in men's tennis, but I've been making a lot of good results and people have started talking about there being more about three players, not any more just two."

Murray won the Qatar Open on his way to Australia and the 20-year-old Scot rates his chances on the new Australian Plexicushion surface.

"I feel I play better tennis in Australia than at (his favourite event) the US Open. But there are lots of guys who play well on hardcourt," he said.

"I'd say this tournament is better for me than a couple of the other slams.

"I worked really hard in the off-season, on my fitness and on my tennis.

"It's the hardest I've ever worked in my life so I'm happy it's paying off."

Australian Open Results Updates

2008-01-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

Tomas Berdych (13), Czech Republic, def. Oscar Hernandez, Spain, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3.
Juan Carlos Ferrero (22), Spain, def. Alun Jones, Australia, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Janko Tipsarevic, Serbia, def. Fernando Verdasco (25), Spain, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3).
Roger Federer (1), Switzerland, def. Fabrice Santoro, France, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0.
Juan Monaco (21), Argentina, def. Amer Delic, United States, 6-3, 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-7 (8), 8-6.
Novak Djokovic (3), Serbia, def. Simone Bolelli, Italy, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
David Ferrer (5), Spain, def. Juan Martin del Potro, Argentina, 6-3, 6-4, retired.
Lleyton Hewitt (19), Australia, def. Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan, 7-6 (5), 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.
Sam Querrey, United States, def. Dmitry Tursunov (32), Russia, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Marin Cilic, Croatia, def. Jurgen Melzer, Austria, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
Sebastien Grosjean, France, def. Robin Haase, Netherlands, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, 6-7 (4), 6-4.
Vince Spadea, United States, def. Denis Gremelmayr, Germany, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7.
David Nalbandian (10), Argentina, def. Peter Luczak, Australia, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-1.
Fernando Gonzalez (7), Chile, def. Lee Hyung-taik, South Korea, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
James Blake (12), United States, def. Michael Russell, United States, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Marcos Baghdatis (15), Cyprus, def. Marat Safin, Russia, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2.
Women
Second Round
Ekaterina Makarova, Russia, def. Yvonne Meusburger, Austria, 6-3, 6-1.
Svetlana Kuznetsova (2), Russia, def. Tsvetana Pironkova, Bulgaria, 7-6 (0), 6-2.
Venus Williams (8), United States, def. Camille Pin, France, 7-5, 6-4.
Virginia Ruano Pascual, Spain, def. Catalina Castano, Colombia, 6-2, 6-4.
Maria Kirilenko (27), Russia, def. Akiko Morigami, Japan, 6-1, 6-1.
Agnieszka Radwanska (29), Poland, def. Pauline Parmentier, France, 7-5, 6-4.
Daniela Hantuchova (9), Slovakia, def. Alize Cornet, France, 6-2, 7-5.
Sania Mirza (31), India, def. Timea Bacsinszky, Switzerland, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.
Anna Chakvetadze (6), Russia, def. Alisa Kleybanova, Russia, 6-3, 6-4.
Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark, def. Alona Bondarenko (21), Ukraine, 7-6 (4), 6-1.
Katarina Srebotnik (28), Slovenia, def. Anastasia Rodionova, Australia, 6-4, 6-1.
Nadia Petrova (14), Russia, def. Anne Kremer, Luxembourg, 7-5, 7-5.
Sabine Lisicki, Germany, def. Mariya Koryttseva, Ukraine, 6-1, 7-5.
Li Na (24), China, def. Maria Elena Camerin, Italy, 6-4, 6-3.
Marta Domachowska, Poland, def. Sofia Arvidsson, Sweden, 7-5, 1-6, 6-1.
Ana Ivanovic (4), Serbia, def. Tathiana Garbin, Italy, 6-0, 6-3.
Doubles
Men
First Round
Eric Butorac, United States, and Kevin Ullyett (10), Zimbabwe, def. Tomas Cibulec, Czech Republic, and Lovro Zovko, Croatia, 6-3, 6-1.
Thomas Johansson, Sweden, and Andrei Pavel, Romania, def. Andrew Coelho and Brydan Klein, Australia, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra (7), France, def. Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana, Thailand, 7-6 (4), 6-4.
Christopher Kas, Germany, and Rogier Wassen (15), Netherlands, def. Samuel Groth and Joseph Sirianni, Australia, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3.
Leos Friedl and David Skoch (16), Czech Republic, def. Colin Ebelthite and Nick Lindahl, Australia, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Robert Lindstedt, Sweden, and Jarkko Nieminen, Finland, def. Simon Aspelin, Sweden, and Julian Knowle (3), Austria, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Paul Hanley, Australia, and Leander Paes (5), India, def. Luis Horna, Peru, and Stefan Koubek, Austria, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5).
Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Gilles Simon, France, def. Max Mirnyi, Belarus, and Jamie Murray (12), Britain, 7-6 (7), 1-6, 6-3.
Yves Allegro, Switzerland, and Kristof Vliegen, Belgium, def. Harel Levy and Dudi Sela, Israel, 6-3, 7-5.
Rik de Voest and Chris Haggard, South Africa, def. Petr Pala, Czech Republic, and Martin Vassallo Arguello, Argentina, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-4.
Mahesh Bhupathi, India, and Mark Knowles (6), Bahamas, def. Mikhail Youzhny, Russia, and Mischa Zverev, Germany, 7-6 (10), 6-4.
Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie, South Africa, def. Rainer Schuettler, Germany, and Janko Tipsarevic, Serbia, 6-3, 6-4.
Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut (14), France, def. Martin Garcia, Argentina, and Oliver Marach, Austria, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Lucas Arnold Ker, Argentina, and Feliciano Lopez, Spain def. Marcelo Melo and Andre Sa (13), Brazil, 7-6 (11), 6-7 (4), 6-4.
Martin Damm and Pavel Vizner (4), Czech Republic, def. Jordan Kerr and Todd Perry, Australia, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Women

First Round

Janette Husarova, Slovakia, and Flavia Pennetta (13), Italy, def. Jill Craybas and Lilia Osterloh, United States, 6-4, 6-2.
Kveta Peschke, Czech Republic, and Rennae Stubbs (4), Australia, def. Olga Savchuk, Ukraine, and Yaroslava Shvedova, Russia, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4).
Nicole Vaidisova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, Czech Republic, def. Lisa Raymond, United States, and Francesca Schiavone (9), Italy, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Yan Zi and Zheng Jie (7), China, def. Olga Poutchkova, Russia, and Aravane Rezai, France, 6-2, 6-1.
Jelena Jankovic, Serbia, and Bethanie Mattek, United States, def. Nathalie Dechy, France, and Dinara Safina (5), Russia, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4.
Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, and Shahar Peer (12), Israel, def. Sybille Bammer and Tamira Paszek, Austria, 6-1, 6-3.
Emmanuelle Gagliardi and Patty Schnyder, Switzerland, def. Alison Bai and Nicole Kriz, Australia, 6-4, 6-1.
Yung-Jan Chan and Chia-Jung Chuang, Taipei, def. Alicja Rosolska, Poland, and Ma. Emilia Salerni, Argentina, 6-3, 6-1.
Gabriela Navratilova and Klara Zakopalova, Czech Republic, def. Casey Dellacqua and Jessica Moore, Australia, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
Olga Govortsova and Darya Kustova, Belarus, def. Edina Gallovits and Ioana Raluca Olaru, Romania, 6-3, 7-5.
Serena and Venus Williams, United States, def. Monique Adamczak and Christina Wheeler, Australia, 7-5, 6-1.
Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual (10), Spain, def. Angelique Kerber, Germany, and Yvonne Meusburger, Austria, 6-2, 6-0.
Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, and Alla Kudryavtseva, Russia, def. Michaella Krajicek, Netherlands, and Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia, and Amelie Mauresmo, France, def. Daniella Dominikovic and Emily Hewson, Australia, 6-2, 6-0.
Alona Bondarenko and Kateryna Bondarenko, Ukraine, def. Stephanie Cohen-Aloro and Virginie Razzano, France, 7-6 (3), 6-3.
Chan Yung-jan and Chuang Chia-jung (3), Taiwan, def. Alicja Rosolska, Poland, and Maria Emilia Salerni, Argentina, 6-3, 6-1.
Lindsay Davenport, United States, and Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia, def. Maria Kirilenko, Russia, and Agnes Szavay (11), Hungary, 6-2, 7-5.
Maret Ani, Estonia, and Meilen Tu, United States, def. Vania King, United States, and Nicole Pratt (14), Australia, 7-5, 6-3.

Is Roger federer a Grass King?

2007-10-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

As Of Now Roger Federer Has won too many Grand slams on Grass. Even he has equaled the record of Bjorn Borg. So, do you think that he is the Grass King?

"Same time, same place, same man, same trophy, same remarkable achievement, same fatal dominance. Which leads to the same question: is there anybody who can challenge the glorious sameness that is Roger Federer’s authority over the men’s game? ..."

Federer

Nationality: SUI

Birthdate: 8-Aug-81

Birthplace: Basel, Switzerland

Residence: Oberwil, Switzerland

Turned Pro: 1998

Plays: Right-handed