Aussie Rodionova qualifies for US Open

Updated August 25, 2012 14:23:32

Australia will have nine lives at the US Open after Anastasia Rodionova marched through qualifying for the loss of just 11 games in three matches.

Rodionova secured her main-draw entry with a 6-1, 6-2 rout of Paraguay's Veronica Cepede Royg on Friday.

The feisty 29-year-old joins defending champion Samantha Stosur, Jarmila Gajdosova, Casey Dellacqua and wildcard Olivia Rogowska as Australia's hopefuls in the 128-woman draw for the final grand slam of the year starting on Monday.

Rodionova, who has twice reached the third round in New York, will open against American Julia Cohen as she strives to break her major duck in 2012.

The Russian-born veteran lost in the opening round of the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon to tumble down the rankings to a lowly number 161 in the world.

But she will report for duty on Monday full of confidence after stringing together three successive wins for the first time in precisely a year.

Rodionova was the only one of six Australians to survive qualifying, with Sacha Jones, Monique Adamczak, Brydan Klein, James Duckworth and John-Patrick Smith all coming unstuck.

Presuming she negotiates a path past Croatian Petra Martic, Stosur's projected second-round opponent was also confirmed after Friday's completion of the qualifying tournament.

If she beats the 65th-ranked Martic for the second time in as many attempts, seventh seed Stosur will face either Romanian qualifier Edina Gallovits-Hall or Swiss Stefanie Voegele for a spot in the last 32.

In 2012, Stosur has struggled to rediscover the magic of her fairytale run to last year's title in New York, a first-round loss in Melbourne and second-round defeat at Wimbledon sandwiching her semi-final season highlight at Roland Garros in June.

"It's been a year of a few ups and downs, but a lot of players go through that," Stosur said.

"In the last few weeks, being on hard court, I feel a lot better and a lot more comfortable on this surface. It's conditions that suit my game, so I'm glad to be back here."

Gajdosova has a tough opener against Russian 19th seed Nadia Petrova, Dellacqua has a golden opportunity to continue her strong form against Ukraine's qualifier Lesia Tsurenko and Rogowska meets Luxembourg's Mandy Minella.

Australian number one Bernard Tomic plays unseeded Argentine Carlos Berlocq for a likely second-round clash with 2003 men's champion American Andy Roddick, the 20th seed in his possible US Open swansong.

Wildcard Lleyton Hewitt, the 2001 champion preparing for his 12th Open tilt, faces Germany's world number 92 Tobias Kamke after missing last year's event with a foot injury that eventually required career-saving surgery.

Marinko Matosevic takes on Croatian 12th seed Marin Cilic and Matthew Ebden plays Japan's Tatsuma Ito.

Tags: sport, tennis, united-states

First posted August 25, 2012 14:05:49

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Aussie Rodionova booed out of French Open

Updated May 28, 2012 10:01:45

Feisty Australian Anastasia Rodionova has been booed and hissed out of the French Open's so-called court one "Bull Ring".

While fellow Australian Samantha Stosur proved a popular winner in the first match of the championships on Court Philippe Chatrier, Rodionova, it seems, will not be missed after losing to Frenchwoman Mathilde Johansson.

The fiercely-competitive Rodionova refused to shake hands with Italian umpire Nicholas Stellabotte after her well-received 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 first-round defeat.

Another Australian Casey Dellacqua was also eliminated after a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 loss to 21st seed Sara Errani.

Rodionova upset the locals throughout the three-hour encounter with her constant questioning of line calls - which she almost always got wrong.

The Russian-born Melbourne-based player initially put fans offside in the ninth game of the match when she incorrectly called one of Johansson's balls out.

When Johansson played on, hit a winner and was awarded the point, Rodionova demanded the umpire check the mark.

Two points later, Stellabotte had to leave his chair again to confirm to Rodionova that another of Johansson's shots had landed in.

Rodionova, who was once defaulted from a match in Cincinnati for unsportsmanlike conduct, then received the hand-clap treatment from the crowd after continuing her running battle with Stellabotte at the net.

There were more protests in the third set, after Rodionova had twice failed to serve out the match in the second, but - like on the scoreboard - she lost those battles too.

Dellacqua threatened to post the first upset of the tournament before joining Rodionova as a first-round casualty.

A former women's doubles winner at Roland Garros and the reigning mixed doubles champion, Dellacqua led Errani by a set and a break but dropped 11 of the next 13 games.

Errani came into the tournament boasting a tour-best three titles on clay this season.

Three Australian men open their campaigns on Monday.

Bernard Tomic, the 25th seed, plays Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer, Lleyton Hewitt takes on Slovenian Blaz Kavcic and Matthew Ebden faces German 24th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER).

AAP

Tags: tennis, sport, france, australia

First posted May 28, 2012 09:42:20

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Rodionova advances in Hobart

Updated January 08, 2012 18:19:15

Australia's Anastasia Rodionova moved through to the second round of the Hobart International after a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Hungary's Greta Arn.

Wildcard Rodionova took full advantage of a poor serving performance from the veteran world number 63 Arn in windy conditions at the Domain Tennis Centre.

Rodionova, the world number 108, could next meet compatriot Jarmila Gajdosova who plays Japan's Ayumi Morita on Monday night.

The Russian-born 29-year-old converted her second match-point in a tough encounter that lasted one hour and 40 minutes.

Earlier, former world number five Anna Chakvetadze, playing her first match since June last year, cruised past third seed Monica Niculescu in straight sets.

The 2007 champion won 6-0, 6-4 as she embarks on her latest comeback after a series of setbacks since making the US Open semi-finals and reaching her career-high ranking in the same year.

Chakvetadze was broken just once but ground it out to take the second set and beat the Romanian in one hour and 15 minutes.

There was better news for three other Romanians, with Sorana Cirstea, Simona Halep and Irina-Carmelia Begu all notching victories.

Cirstea beat Ksenia Pervak of Kazakhstan 6-2, 7-6 (8-6), Halep downed Czech Klara Zakopolova 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, while Begu defeated Brit Elena Baltacha 6-2, 7-5.

New Zealander-turned-Australian Sacha Jones won through to the main draw just days after switching allegiance.

Jones beat American Alison Riske 6-2, 6-3.

AAP

Tags: sport, tennis, hobart-7000

First posted January 08, 2012 18:19:15

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Rodionova hits a forehand

Source:Matthew Stockman, Getty ImagesPublished:Monday, May 23, 2011 9:48 AEST

Anastasia Rodionova of Australia plays a forehand during the women's singles round one match against Nadia Petrova of Russia on day two of the French Open at Roland Garros on May 23, 2011 in Paris, France

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Rodionova upsets Petrova

Posted May 23, 2011 22:09:00

Australia's Anastasia Rodionova defeated two-time French Open semi-finalist Nadia Petrova to advance to the second round at Roland Garros.

Rodionova defeated the 26th seed from Russia, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 21 minutes.

The Australian reached the third round in Paris last year and will next play world number 131 Edina Gallovits-Hall of Romania.

World number 74 Rodionova, who has never reached the final 16 at a major, is the second Australian to progress at the French Open following Sam Stosur's opening round win on Sunday.

Petrova has found it tough going this year and the dogged Rodionova kept the pressure on the big Russian throughout the contest.

They traded service breaks early in the opening set before Petrova won the tie-break with a volley that just hit the line under the umpire's nose.

Rodionova asked for the mark to be inspected by the official and it was ruled in the Russian's favour.

The Australian responded by racing to a 5-1 lead in the second set before failing out to serve out for the set at her first attempt.

She started to vent her frustration on court before settling to win the set and take a crucial break against a fading Petrova early in the third.

The Australian won the contest on her third match point with Petrova spraying a forehand wide.

- AAP

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Rodionova advances in Rome

Updated May 11, 2011 08:41:00

Australia's Anastasia Rodionova has beaten Yaroslava Shvedova in straight sets in her first round match at the Rome Masters.

Rodionova had no trouble dispatching the Kazakhstani 6-4, 6-4, but her dubious reward is a second-round meeting with world number one Caroline Wozniacki, who had a bye in the first round.

Meanwhile former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova made short work of her second-round opponent, thrashing Ekaterina Makarova 6-1, 6-1.

Having said on Sunday that women's tennis had improved its strength in depth in recent years and that the old days of breezing through the first couple of rounds were long gone, Sharapova disproved her own claims.

Her Russian compatriot was never in the match and only managed to hold serve once in each set.

"I played her last week in Madrid and we split sets and I won in three sets," Sharapova said.

"It was a pretty tough and long match and I certainly wanted to get the job done faster today."

Joining the former world number one in the third round was current number two Francesca Schiavone.

The French Open champion had few problems in seeing off American qualifier Christina McHale 6-3, 6-1.

In the men's competition, world number four Andy Murray was made to work in an error-strewn match before seeing off Belgian veteran Xavier Malisse 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 to reach the third round.

Seventh seed Tomas Berdych had little difficulty in dispatching Argentine Juan Monaco 6-2, 6-2.

French 16th seed Richard Gasquet was the first man through to the third round as he thrashed Russian qualifier Igor Andreev 6-1, 6-2.

Spanish ninth seed Nicolas Almagro also had few problems in his first round clash against Italian wild card Simone Bolelli, winning 6-0, 7-5.

But 14th seed Stanislas Wawrinka was made to battle all the way as he overcame another Italian wild card in Fabio Fognini 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.

It was not a good day for the hosts as yet another wild card, Flavio Cipolla, lost to former world number three Ivan Ljubicic 6-2, 6-3.

His compatriot Mario Cilic also reached the second round as he prevailed in the battle of big-serving Croatians with Ivo Karlovic retiring while trailing 6-4, 1-0.

It was not a good day for Asians as Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm lost 7-5, 6-2 to Czech Lucie Safarova and Chinese lucky loser Zheng Jie was beaten by Italian wild card Alberta Brianti 6-4, 7-5.

Another Italian wild card, Romina Oprandi, caused the upset of the day, knocking out Estonian 14th seed Kaia Kanepi 7-5, 3-6, 6-1.

There were also first-round victories for German 12th seed Andrea Petkovic and Russian 16th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

-ABC/AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, italy

First posted May 10, 2011 22:44:00

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