Serena dumped by unheralded Russian

Updated January 23, 2012 19:17:37

Russia's Ekaterina Makarova etched her name into Australian Open folklore by stunning Serena Williams 6-2, 6-3 in their fourth-round match to end the American's aura of invincibility at Melbourne Park.

Williams, who twisted an ankle in the lead-up to the tournament, was slowed by injury in the 82-minute match on Rod Laver Arena but refused to blame it for her sensational loss to the Russian world number 56.

"She played really well, she went for broke on a lot of shots," Williams told reporters.

"I made 37 errors and that pretty much told the story of the match.

"It was definitely hard moving to that (left) side ... I just did not serve well, it was just disastrous really.

"I never blame any injury I have because I feel like she played really well and deserved the win."

The 13-times grand slam champion was a picture of torment throughout, serving up seven double-faults and routinely pushing her ground-strokes wide.

But Makarova, the lowest-ranked player to reach this year's last 16, served it up to the five-time Australian Open champion, absorbing her firepower and returning it with interest.

The 23-year-old fired sweetly struck winners on important points and showed nerves of steel as she closed out the match on her fourth match point when 12th seed Williams, serving to stay in the match, pushed a backhand wide.

"I don't know what to say, it's an amazing feeling," Makarova said in a courtside interview after raising her arms in the air to raucous applause from the stands.

"I'm really happy that I finished in my way ... It's an unbelievable feeling."

Makarova's win snapped a 17-match winning streak at Melbourne Park for Williams, who won the 2009 and 2010 titles but missed last year's tournament due to injury.

The American's last defeat at the Australian Open was by Jelena Jankovic, who beat her in the quarter-finals in 2008.

The win secured the Russian her first grand slam quarter-final, where she will face either compatriot Maria Sharapova or Germany's Sabine Lisicki, who play in the evening match.

Apart from Williams's semi-final loss to unranked wildcard and eventual champion Kim Clijsters at the 2009 US Open, Makarova was the lowest-ranked opponent to knock her out of a grand slam since 85th-ranked American Jill Craybas defeated her in the third round at Wimbledon in 2005.

Williams said she "probably" should not have played in Melbourne due to her injury, but added that she was itching to get back onto the practice courts to find out what went wrong.

"That's usually how I kind of respond," she said.

"I'm thinking already about practising as soon as tomorrow, you know, trying to figure - I can just think of a hundred things I can do."

Reuters

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

First posted January 23, 2012 16:21:31

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Sharapova, Zvonareva lead Russian charge

Updated January 19, 2012 17:50:59

Former champions Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams eased into the third round of the Australian Open but tournament favourite Petra Kvitova's path was much less straight forward.

World number two Kvitova survived a second-set meltdown to overcome Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro and reach the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday.

Kvitova won the first set easily but grew visibly frustrated as she lost the second and had to come from a break down in the third to win 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

"I made many, many mistakes and I've got to improve, for sure," Kvitova said.

Five-time champion Serena Williams defeated Czech opponent Barbora Zahlavova Strycova racing through the first set but was pushed hard in the second before winning 6-0, 6-4 to move into the third round.

Sharapova, meanwhile, lost just one game as she dismantled US qualifier Jamie Hampton 6-0, 6-1 on Melbourne Park's centre court in just over an hour.

It followed an equally emphatic first round win over Argentina's Gisela Dulko by an identical scoreline, meaning the 2008 winner has dropped just two games so far.

Sharapova, 24, dominated Hampton in all areas, hitting 23 winners to six and making 77 per cent of her first serves to her opponent's 50 per cent.

"I didn't know much about my opponent so it was more a matter of getting my feet going and worrying more about myself and trying to improve from the first round," Sharapova said.

The Russian next faces Germany's Angelique Kerber, a 7-5, 6-1 winner over Canadian Stephanie Dubois.

Serbia's Ana Ivanovic and Vera Zvonereva also progressed in style but Brisbane International winner Kaia Kanepi was upset by Russian Ekaterina Makarova.

Zvonareva, who this time last year was ranked number two in the world, was almost as impressive as Sharapova as she downed Czech Lucie Hradecka in straight sets.

After racing through the first set, Zvonareva held off a spirited fight-back from Hradecka to win 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) and set up a third round clash with another Russian, Makarova.

Makarova upset the tournament's 25th seed Kanepi of Estonia, 6-2, 7-5.

Serbia's Ivanovic, whom Sharapova defeated in the 2008 final, reached the third round at Melbourne Park for the fifth time when she downed Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-3.

The former world number one lost in the first round last year but said she was in much better form 12 months down the track.

"I worked a lot on my game in the off-season," she said.

"When I'm out there I really know what I have to do and I stay with it.

"I'm more persistent and confident in that because I know that's what's going to give me results and help me to play better."

"It might not work on a given day and I try to adjust," she added. "In the long run, in the big picture, that's what's going to get me back to the top."

Italian Sara Errani ensured it was not all good news for the Russians when she upset 29th seed Nadia Petrova.

Petrova, who needed on-court treatment for a back injury, was no match for the 24-year-old from Bologna who won 6-2, 6-2.

AFP

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

First posted January 19, 2012 12:21:37

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Safin elected to Russian parliament

Updated December 08, 2011 13:19:56

Two-time grand slam winner Marat Safin is swapping tennis whites for business suits after being elected to the Russian federal parliament, the Duma.

The former world number one, who was elected to the 450-seat lower house of Russian parliament, said he had thought long and hard about what to do with his life after his sporting career.

"I could go and make commercials left and right and pretend like I am a celebrity, but that is not me," he said.

"This is a completely new life, a new way of thinking, new way of doing things that's nothing to do with tennis or sports at all.

"But the two things definitely have one thing in common and that is that you need to have a character."

Safin, 31, is a member of Vladimir Putin's United Russia Party and will represent the Nyzhny Novgorod region, about 500 kilometres from Moscow.

United Russia is expected to win the election with a reduced majority, but the weekend poll has been widely criticised both inside and outside Russia, with widespread allegations of voter intimidation and vote rigging.

Overnight former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev called for the elections to be re-run and the opposition vowed to stage new rallies contesting the result.

Despite the cloud over United Russia's apparent victory, Safin's election win was praised by former on-court opponent and tennis great Pete Sampras.

Sampras went down to Safin in the 2000 US Open, handing the Russian his first grand slam win.

"In 20 years Marat will be the president of Russia," Sampras said.

"Marat is going to go a long way.

"He is very intelligent and articulate and he's good with people, and that's half the battle with being a politician."

AAP/ABC

Tags: world-politics, tennis, sport, government-and-politics, russian-federation

First posted December 08, 2011 13:10:10

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Safin targets seat in Russian parliament

Updated October 28, 2011 10:17:44

Former world number one and double grand slam title winner Marat Safin is the latest Russian tennis player to confirm he intends to run for his country's parliament.

Safin, the 2000 US Open winner and 2005 Australian Open champion, said he was serious about his political ambitions.

"I am running for Federal Parliament in Russia," Safin told the ATP Champions Tour website.

"The elections are on December 4th so I will find out soon. It's a new challenge. I think I am an intelligent guy and I have a lot to bring and a lot of ideas about things and what to do. I am very committed to it."

Safin added: "I could be the best looking guy in the Duma, but that's only because all the other guys are over 60."

The 31-year-old Safin is the second Russian tennis star to target a seat in the Duma following 2007 US Open women's semi-finalist Anna Chakvetadze announcement in September that she was to stand for the Right Cause party.

The 24-year-old, formerly ranked in the top five in the world, has not played since Wimbledon in June because of poor health.

Chakvetadze said she wanted to "try something new" and focus on women's rights and children's sports.

"I joined the Right Cause Party because it's a young party," she said.

"All of its members are young people, who have many fresh ideas. I believe I also can bring some fresh ideas into this project.

"I'd like to be involved in deciding the questions concerning the sports sphere in case we manage to enter the State Duma."

AFP

Tags: tennis, sport

First posted October 28, 2011 09:25:59

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Stosur survives Russian challenge

Samantha Stosur of Australia wipes her brow during her marathon match against Nadia Petrova of Russia during the 2011 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in Flushing, Queens on September 2, 2011

Tags: tennis, sport, united-states

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