Millman hoping for future Davis Cup spot

Updated January 11, 2013 10:01:55

Australian Open wildcard John Millman is hoping his summer to remember will eventually lead to a Davis Cup call-up.

The world number 191 from Queensland has enjoyed some high-profile run-outs this summer, beating Japan's Tatsuma Ito in the Brisbane International before taking US Open champion Andy Murray to three sets.

He followed up his Brisbane efforts with a straight-sets win over Tommy Robredo at the Sydney International, before losing to third seed Andreas Seppi.

He told ABC News Breakfast he hopes his increased profile can result in a Davis Cup team nod - an idea that seemed fanciful just a month ago.

"That's the dream for every Australian tennis player," he said.

"That's the greatest achievement someone can have in sport, to represent their country and I'd jump at the opportunity, if given a chance.

"I know Pat (Rafter) and [Davis Cup coach] Josh Eagle and I'm in talks with them and hopefully, if I can keep getting results, then one day I can justify selection to the Davis Cup team."

He says his good form this summer is reward for battling back from injury in 2011.

"I was wondering whether to keep at it [in 2011] but I decided to, and 2012 was a long year," he said.

"Now the rewards have really paid off and I've managed to get some great results and hopefully I can keep them going here in Melbourne."

He says his match against Andy Murray, which ended 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 in the Scot's favour, was easily a highlight of his career so far.

He says playing in the big time has motivated him to push on from the Challenger Tour into the ATP Tour proper.

"I was having lunch with a few friends and my old man ... and I was wondering what that motivation was and how I was going to win points against [Murray in Brisbane].

"But I came out and it was a packed crowd, 5,500 strong Queensland supporters there and the atmosphere was easily the best I've ever experienced and a lot of the guys in the crowd thought it was unbelievable too.

"It was a great match and I fell just short and it's great to know that I can compete at that high level.

"Along the Challenger Tour it can get a little bit hairy there at times. I'm not going to lie, the money is nice and a grand slam, even with the increased prize money, it does fund your travel, it funds your year.

"I've never really done it for the money or the fame, it's more for personal satisfaction and accomplishment.

"It's something that's really rewarding when you've worked so hard to do something and it pays off."

Tags: tennis, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted January 11, 2013 10:01:55

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Millman, Barty get Australian Open wildcards

Updated January 02, 2013 10:11:42

Queenslanders John Millman and Ashleigh Barty received New Year boosts in the form of wildcards to play in the main draw at this month's Australian Open.

The 23-year-old Millman, who won through qualifying to play this week's Brisbane International, was rewarded by Tennis Australia for a strong year in which he hauled his world ranking up from number 541 to 199 after playing 25 tournaments.

Barty, 16, also made a big move in 2012, rising from number 669 to 175.

The 2011 junior Wimbledon champion was excited to get the news of her second Australian Open start at the Hopman Cup mixed teams tournament in Perth where she was teamed with Bernard Tomic for Australia.

"Hopefully I can bring out some of the tennis I've been producing here at the Hopman Cup so far," said Barty, who is coached by Jason Stoltenberg and Jim Joyce.

AAP

Tags: australian-open, tennis, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted January 01, 2013 10:51:39

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Millman on a roll ahead of Open

Updated January 08, 2013 23:14:59

John Millman is starting to enjoy this caper of hanging around at tennis tournaments.

Mostly unknown outside major tennis circles a little over a week ago, Millman continued his well of recent good form by winning through to the last 16 of the Sydney International.

The good-humoured world number 191 brushed aside former top five player Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-4 in blistering heat at Olympic Park in what has so far been a summer to remember.

Last week he started with three qualifying wins at the Brisbane International before taking down Japan's Tatsuma Ito.

He then pushed eventual winner and world number three Andy Murray to three tight sets.

And far from finding life a grind on tour - he loves it.

"When I was in Brisbane I wanted to stay around as long as possible; now that I'm in Sydney I want to stay as long as possible," he said.

"I kind of like the hotel I'm staying at."

Given Millman faces world number 23 Andreas Seppi in the round of 16 he appreciates he will have to pull out something even more special if he is to earn another night's accommodation in Sydney.

"Everyone I've spoken to - and I'll do a little bit more research a little bit later - (says) he's a tough bugger," he said.

"He'll definitely make me work out there. It's going to be a really stern challenge for me, but one that I'm going to look forward to."

Having sat out six months of 2011 with a shoulder injury, Millman spent much of 2012 getting his game back in order on the challenger tour.

He is now keen for regular competition on the main tour and to take advantage of the wildcard he's been handed for next week's Australian Open.

Then there's his brother-in-law and fellow tennis professional Robert Smeets to take care of.

Smeets is currently in hiatus from the game but did reach a world ranking of 109 back in 2008.

"I want to knock off him and then get inside that top 100. So that's the goal," Millman said with a grin.

"That's what motivates me at the movement. He's over in the States right now watching every little point I play because he knows that I'm knocking on his door."

Other men's winners on Tuesday were Radek Stepanek, Feliciano Lopez and Jarkko Nieminen.

In other matches Bernard Tomic accounted for countryman Marinko Matosevic 6-3, 6-4 and Grigor Dimitrov failed to keep up his good form following his final appearance in Brisbane, going down to Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-1.

Ryan Harrison and Kevin Anderson also made it through to the next round.

In the Auckland Men's Open, Australian Greg Jones - ranked 373 in the world - earned a second round spot with a shock win over former top 10 player Jurgen Melzer, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2.

The 23-year-old has been as high as 179 in the world but after taking top 20 player Alexandr Dolgopolov to five sets in the first round of the Australian Open last January the rest of the year did not go to plan.

"My year was pretty diabolical. I was injured for three months with my knee and then five weeks at the end of the year with my elbow, but in between that was probably one large mental injury," he said.

Auckland has been a different story, as he has come through three rounds of qualifying before Tuesday's win over Melzer.

Other winners included Gael Monfils, Jesse Levine, Alejandro Falla, Igor Sijsling, Lukas Lacko and Santiago Giraldo.

AAP

Tags: sport, tennis, qld, sydney-2000

First posted January 08, 2013 14:00:16

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Millman pushes Murray close

By Luke Pentony at Pat Rafter Arena

Updated January 06, 2013 11:06:43

Australian qualifier John Millman provided Andy Murray with a scare before the world number three secured a three-set victory at the Brisbane International.

The two-hour encounter was Murray's first appearance of the tournament - the Scot was given a bye in the opening round - and he nervously prevailed 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.

The scoreline in the first set was all but forgotten when Millman broke the Murray serve for the first time in the seventh game of the second.

He won his next service game and then served for the set at 5-4, only for Murray to break back to have the score locked on 5-5.

The raucous crowd crammed into Pat Rafter Arena sensed blood and Millman, a Brisbane native who was awarded an Australian Open wildcard earlier this week, did not disappoint.

The 23-year-old, ranked 199 in the world, rebounded to break Murray to lead 6-5 before capitalising on his fifth set point in the following game when Murray netted a service return.

The third set started positively for Millman, who enjoyed a break point at 1-1, but Murray saved and games continued to go serve on until the sixth.

Millman, starting to show signs of fatigue as Thursday began to creep towards Friday, dropped his service game, allowing Murray to jump out to a 4-2 lead.

The remaining three games went on serve, granting Murray passage through to the quarter-finals.

Murray is a hot favourite to defend his title in Brisbane and despite the US Open and Olympic champion being pushed to three sets, bookmakers would be wise not to change their minds.

The lanky 25-year-old opened his 2012 tilt with consecutive three-set victories only to find his rhythm and reel off three comprehensive wins all in straight sets.

He will now meet Denis Istomin in Friday's quarter-finals, the Uzbek having progressed to the last eight after defeating former world number one Lleyton Hewitt 7-5, 7-5.

The winner will meet either Ukrainian fourth seed Alexandr Dolgopolov or Japan's Kei Nishikori, who is seeded fifth, in the semi-finals.

The other side of the men's draw sees Bulgarian Gregor Dimitrov face Austrian seventh seed Jurgen Melzer and popular Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis take on the third-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon.

Dimitrov sent Canada's second seed Milos Raonic packing with a 6-3, 6-4 win on Thursday, while Melzer accounted for Belgian David Goffin 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).

Serena Williams set up a mouth-watering clash with world number one Victoria Azarenka following a tight quarter-final win.

Williams prevailed 6-4, 6-3 against plucky fellow American Sloane Stephens, the teenager producing an admirable display to underline her enormous potential.

Azarenka now awaits Williams in Friday's semi-final, but the world number three will back her chances against the Australian Open champion, who lost all four of their encounters in 2012.

The 19-year-old Stephens was not overawed to be sharing centre court with her more high-profile compatriot and this was evident in the first set.

Both held their opening two serves with a degree of ease, but Williams showed signs of being the first to crack when she trailed the 38th-ranked Stephens 0-30 in the fifth game.

The experience of the 15-time major singles champion told, however, and she held her serve but only two games later Stephens again put her opponent under pressure when she earned a break point.

Williams recovered and held serve again, although she would have been impressed by the ground strokes of Stephens, who displayed she could hit clean winners off both wings.

The match remained on serve until the 10th game when Williams clinched the first set by finally breaking Stephens, whose scrambling defence beyond the baseline failed to withhold the power of the current
Wimbledon and US Open champion.

Stephens again gave a good account of herself in the second set but she opened the door enough for Williams in the eighth game when she conceded a break point.

Williams did not need an invitation and having worked Stephens relentlessly around the court she broke serve to lead 5-3.

Victory then proved a mere formality for Williams, who served out the match to move through to the last four.

Azarenka progressed very comfortably into the last four earlier on Thursday, beating Ksenia Pervak of Kazakhstan, 6-1, 6-0.

The second semi-final will be contested between Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Ukrainian lucky loser Lesia Tsurenko.

Tsurenko replaced the injured second seed Maria Sharapova in the main draw and she has taken full advantage of the opportunity, having beaten experienced Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-4 in the quarter-finals.

Pavlyuchenkova won through to the semi-finals with a 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3) upset of world number five German Angelique Kerber.

Tags: sport, tennis, brisbane-4000

First posted January 03, 2013 21:59:00

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