MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Maria Sharapova served up a storm to slap down teenage firebrand Belinda Bencic 7-5 7-5 and become the first woman through to the Australian Open quarter-finals on Sunday. The 2008 champion fired 21 aces in her most impressive serving performance of the tournament to keep the rising Swiss at bay in the […]
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Japan’s Kei Nishikori reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the third time when he eased past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 6-2 6-4 on Sunday. The seventh seed hit 31 winners and sealed his place in the last eight when Tsonga, seeded ninth, made his 36th unforced error by slashing a forehand […]
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – World number one Serena Williams wasted little time in swatting aside Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan 6-2 6-1 on Sunday, setting up an Australian Open quarter-final showdown with Maria Sharapova. Williams was broken in the first game of the fourth round match, only the second time she had dropped serve in the tournament, before […]
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Latest news from the seventh day of the Australian Open on Sunday (all times GMT): 0340 WILLIAMS ON MEETING SHARAPOVA “I had no idea who I was playing. She had a really good match earlier but I’ve got nothing to lose and will just do my best.” 0339 WILLIAMS SETS UP SHARAPOVA […]
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Defending champion Novak Djokovic returns to Rod Laver Arena for clash against Gilles Simon on Sunday as he looks to seal his place in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the ninth year in a row. The Serbian world number one, farmed out to Margaret Court Arena for his third round […]
By Nick Mulvenney MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Qualifier Zhang Shuai thinks she can become China’s second grand slam winner after easing into the last 16 of the Australian Open with an emphatic 6-1 6-3 victory over American Varvara Lepchenko on Saturday. With China’s first grand slam champion Li Na having retired and her fellow trailblazer Zheng […]
Lleyton Hewitt has left the building. Australian tennis’ leading light for almost 2 decades has called time on an incredible career, having played his last game infront of an emotional home crowd, at the Australian Open, losing his second round match to David Ferrer. Hewitt couldn’t offer much resistance in front of the bulldozing Spaniard, […]
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Andy Murray moved into the Australian Open fourth round in surreal circumstances on Saturday, completing a 6-2 3-6 6-2 6-2 victory over Joao Sousa after his father-in-law had collapsed ill a few hundred metres away. The Briton was unaware throughout the 158-minute contest that Nigel Sears, the coach of Serbian Ana Ivanovic […]
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Nigel Sears, the coach of Ana Ivanovic and father-in-law of men’s world number two Andy Murray, was taken to hospital after collapsing in the stands on Rod Laver Arena during a match at the Australian Open on Saturday. Tournament organisers said Sears was “breathing, conscious and talking” and being examined by a […]
