Saville and Rogowska awarded Australian Open spots

Updated January 04, 2013 13:36:53

Rising Aussie tennis stars Luke Saville and Olivia Rogowska have been granted wildcards into this month's Australian Open in Melbourne.

Saville, who won the Australian Open junior title last year and the Wimbledon junior title a year earlier, has been nudging his way up the senior rankings and is now ranked 349 in the world after winning tournaments in Cairns and Bangkok in 2012.

"To be competing against some of the best players in the world is going to be a great experience for me," Saville said.

"I feel as if this is a reward for the great year I have had and all the hard work I have put into my tennis."

The Adelaide-based 18-year-old was named male junior of the year at the Newcombe Medal, Australian Tennis Awards, last month.

Rogowska, 21, achieved a career-high singles ranking of 108 during 2012 with title wins in Esperance, Rockhampton and Burnie, and main draw appearances at the Australian and US Opens.

Rogowska said she is grateful to tournament director Craig Tiley for the opportunity to play in front of family and friends in her home town of Melbourne.

"I've been training really well over the last few months and have worked a lot on my fitness and strength," Rogowska said.

"I believe that I can compete with the top girls in the world. I'm looking forward to a big 2013 and there is no better way to start than at the first Grand Slam of the year."

The reciprocal French Open wildcards will go to 19-year-old Caroline Garcia, currently ranked number 154, and Josselin Ouanna, ranked number 120.

A promising junior, Ouanna defeated current world number one Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the boys' singles draw at the Australian Open in 2004 before going down to countryman Gael Monfils in the decider.

Tags: sport, tennis, melbourne-3000, renmark-5341, adelaide-5000

First posted January 03, 2013 17:12:47

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Rogowska replaces Dokic for Fed Cup

Updated April 10, 2012 18:03:30

Olivia Rogowska has been selected in Australia's Fed Cup team for the first time, replacing struggling Jelena Dokic for the tough World Group play-off tie against Germany.

Nineteen-year-old Rogowska (ranked 120) was called up by captain David Taylor on Tuesday, joining Samantha Stosur (five), Jarmila Gajdosova (50) and Casey Dellacqua (101) in the team for the April 21-22 claycourt clash in Stuttgart, as Australia seeks promotion to the World Group.

While called up, Rogowska appears unlikely to play.

Taylor said Stosur and Gajdosova remained the team's top two singles players while Dellacqua's new tour doubles combination with Stosur could prove crucial in the tie.

Germany, which has four players in the top 20 - Andrea Petkovic (11), Sabine Lisicki (13), Angelique Kerber (15) and Julia Goerges (16) is due to name its team in the next few days.

Taylor indicated much rested on the form of his personal coaching charge Stosur, who has yet to recapture the form that won her the 2011 US Open this season.

"A lot of our chances for success will be with our number one (Stosur) reaching top form," he said.

"Sam has done well at this venue in the past, losing in a close (WTA Tour) final to Justine Henin in 2010 and losing a very close match in the semi-finals last year to Germany's number two Julia Goerges.

"Sam is one of the best claycourt players in women's tennis at the moment and is capable of leading our team to what would be a memorable victory."

Dokic, who turns 29 on Thursday, has slipped below Rogowska in the rankings at 126 and has struggled badly on tour this year, winning only three matches and losing in the first round in Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston in her last three starts.

She also lost a tight three-set clash with Rogowska in Kuala Lumpur in early March.

"Nicole and I decided to go with Olivia Rogowska as a reward for her big ranking improvement in the past six months and her performances at the WTA level during the Australian summer," Taylor said.

"She has also proven herself on clay with a win over Russian star Maria Kirilenko at Roland Garros."

The German team lost 4-1 to the Czech Republic in Stuttgart in February in their World Group tie to face possible relegation while Australia reached the play-off for promotion by beating Switzerland 4-1 in Fribourg in a World Group II tie.

"Germany is fortunate to be enjoying a renaissance in women's tennis," Taylor said.

"They have four top 20 players and it is the strongest team Australia could have drawn.

"The venue has already sold out and the Germans, like us, have high expectations."

AAP

Tags: tennis, sport, australia, germany

First posted April 10, 2012 18:03:30

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Rogowska breaks Australian Open duck

Updated January 16, 2012 23:45:55

For more than two years, the defining moment of Olivia Rogowska's tennis career has been the most gallant of defeats.

Now, buoyed by new-found self-belief, the Melbourne local can finally claim a new highlight; a first success at her home grand slam.

After crashing out at the first hurdle of her three previous Australian Open campaigns, the 21-year-old Rogowska powered to a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson.

Joining her in the second round on day one were Casey Dellacqua and Bernard Tomic, who came from two sets down to oust number 22 seed Fernando Verdasco from Spain 4-6, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-2, 7-5.

But compatriot Anastasia Rodionova had no such luck against world number one Caroline Wozniacki, who advanced without incident into the next round.

Wozniacki withstood an early barrage from the Australian before turning the screws to win 6-2, 6-1 in a solid workout.

The top-seeded Dane was at her counter-punching best, absorbing an early blitz of winners from Rodionova and preying on any mistakes to demoralise her opponent.

Wozniacki has been criticised for not having any 'killer' shots, but her superb court movement and ability to get balls back into play were more than enough to defeat Rodionova, who grew ragged as the match went on.

The only time Rodionova was able to put any pressure on Wozniacki was when she had two break points at 2-3 in the first set.

But Wozniacki was able to save both to begin a run of nine consecutive games. She now goes on to meet Georgia's Anna Tatishvili in the second round.

Wozniacki said she was pleased not to feel any effects of a sprained left wrist she sustained in Sydney last week.

"It feels better. I was a bit nervous before the match, I didn't know exactly what to expect. I'm very happy about the way I felt out there today," she said.

"You always just want to get a good start in the first round. I'm pretty happy about the way I played."

Both Dellacqua and Tomic have previously enjoyed days in the sun at the majors.

Until Monday, Rogowska was best known for pushing then world number one Dinara Safina to the brink in the opening round of the 2009 US Open, only to lose in three tights sets.

"This one is up there with my French Open win (in the first round against Russian Maria Kirilenko in 2009) and my US Open performance," said Rogowska, who made all the running against the counter-punching Arvidsson.

"This is the second time I've been in the second round of a grand slam so I'm going to treat it differently and focus straight away on my next match (against fifth seed Li Na).

"My approach today was a bit different to the other times I've played at the Australian Open.

"I believed in myself, I stayed calm and composed and it really helped me get the win."

Dellacqua snapped a two-match losing streak against Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-2 victory to set up a dream second-round encounter with world number three Victoria Azarenka from Belarus.

It was her first victory in a grand slam tournament since early 2010 and came after she had spent much of the last three years recovering from shoulder and foot surgery.

"But I was still watching a lot of tennis, I watched everything I possibly could," she said.

"I was in touch with everything that was going on but always with the frame of mind that I would get back."

For two sets, Sydney journeyman Greg Jones looked like he had the measure of number 13 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov from Ukraine.

But the grand slam rookie faltered before going down 1-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 to Dolgopolov, the surprise packet of the 2011 Open when he advanced to the quarter-finals.

"I played one sloppy game and he got a break in the third set and got the momentum," Jones said.

"My body wasn't too good in the last two sets.

"I'm shattered, being up two sets to love against the 13th best player in the world is a great opportunity."

Fifteen-year-old reigning Wimbledon junior champion Ashleigh Barty went down 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) to Anna Tatashvili from Georgia and Ben Mitchell lost 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) to John Isner, the big-serving 16th seed from the US.

AAP/AFP

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

First posted January 16, 2012 21:51:16

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Li powers past Aussie Rogowska

Updated January 18, 2012 13:41:55

China's Li Na charged into the third round of the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-2 win over local hope Olivia Rogowska in the sunshine at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday.

The French Open champion, who set the tournament alight with a brilliant run to the final last year, mowed past the 168th-ranked wild card in 62 minutes as her husband-coach Jiang Shan nodded approvingly from the stands.

Asia's first grand slam champion appeared in fine touch, landing nearly 80 per cent of her serves and overwhelming the 20-year-old Rogowska with raw power from the baseline.

Li captured the decisive break at 3-2 in the second set when Rogowska slapped a forehand wide and enjoyed her return to centre court, where she was beaten in the tension-charged final by Kim Clijsters last year.

"This year there's more fans (who have) come to watch me play, the fans aren't just from China, they're from all over the world," she said in a courtside interview.

Li faces Anabel Medina Garrigues in the third round after the 26th-seeded Spaniard blasted Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-1, 6-0.

Meanwhile, defending champion Kim Clijsters flirted with dishing out the fifth Australian Open 'double bagel' of her career as she steamrolled her way past France's Stephanie Foretz Gacon 6-0, 6-1 and into the third round.

Clijsters has recorded four previous 6-0, 6-0 victories at Melbourne Park, the most recent of which was her first round victory over Dinara Safina in 2011.

Tennis Australia said that former champion Margaret Court has also recorded four 'double bagels' at the tournament.

The Belgian was rarely troubled by Foretz Gacon and despite the Frenchwoman managing to hold serve in the second game of the second set to end Clijsters' attempt to move past Court, the Belgian completed the victory in just 47 minutes.

Clijsters will meet Daniela Hantuchova in the third round after the number 20 seed was forced to work hard for her win over Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko, coming from a set down to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Reuters

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

First posted January 18, 2012 12:14:43

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