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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Tomic looks ahead after Davis Cup sweep

Updated April 09, 2012 13:43:04

The dream of breaking back into the Davis Cup World Group is very much alive for Australia with one tie to go but spearhead Bernard Tomic also has big personal goals for the next few months.

World number 36 Tomic helped Australia grab a 5-0 sweep against a plucky but over-matched South Korea in Brisbane on Sunday to book a World Group play-off in September.

With victory already secured, Wimbledon quarter-finalist Tomic showed none of the early nerves of his opening singles clash on Friday to brush aside Cup debutant Jung-Woong Na 6-2, 6-1 in less than an hour on Sunday.

In contrast, Marinko Matosevic became the first Australian singles player at the tie to drop a set before outlasting Min-Hyeok Cho 6-2, 2-6, 6-0 in the other dead rubber.

Tomic, 19, looked forward to helping Australia return to the elite 16-team World Group for the first time since 2007.

But not before launching a gameplan that could catapult him into tennis' elite.

Tomic will fly out on Tuesday to begin a two-month assault on clay in Europe in a bid to secure a seeding at the French Open starting on May 27.

Then there are the year's "two biggest things" - Wimbledon and the Olympics - and what he hopes is a further big rise through the rankings.

The lanky teenager will even keep in contact with the sports psychologist welcomed into the Cup team camp in Brisbane - Phil Jauncey - to keep his "head straight" during his quest.

"Every great sportsmen whether it is Federer or Nadal, they have areas where they can improve and I need to improve to become stronger mentally on the court," Tomic said.

"The biggest problem with me is, now that I am coming up I have to play a lot of lower-ranked players [I'm expected to beat].

"Look at Federer and Nadal, it would be very difficult for them always playing guys that are in the top 100.

"Sometimes it can be, not boring, but you have to have your head straight so I have been working hard with him (Jauncey).

"I have got his details so I will continue to speak to him, and hopefully his thoughts can help me hit the clay a lot better."

Tomic grabbed attention when he reached Wimbledon's quarter-finals as a qualifier last year.

It helped him finish 2011 as the world number 42 after starting it outside the top 200.

Now Tomic wants to soar higher - starting with a run at Roland Garros.

"I can play on clay if I am in the right mind-set," Tomic said.

"I don't move as good as the other players, so when I am down a set and a break it is tough for me to come back.

"I have to work on developing my game in the next few weeks against these players ... (if I want) to get to the semis in the French."

The World Group play-off draw will be held next week.

Australia will find out if it is drawn against Canada, Italy (both at home), Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Sweden, Japan (all away) or Kazakhstan (host decided by coin toss).

"Hopefully we draw the right team, and not (Federer's) Switzerland over there on clay," Tomic said.

AAP

Tags: sport, tennis, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

First posted April 08, 2012 17:45:10

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Advantage Tomic ahead of Verdasco opener

Updated January 15, 2012 20:23:18

It is advantage Bernard Tomic after the straight-shooting teenager was handed a high noon showdown with Fernando Verdasco on day one of the Australian Open.

The midday schedule for the marquee centre-court match-up was a double bonus for Tomic as he carries Australian hopes on Monday.

Apart from complaining two years ago about being asked to hit the court past his bed time, the Wimbledon quarter-finalist believes his best chance of combating Verdasco's firepower lay in the heat of the day.

Verdasco famously traded blows with Rafael Nadal for more than five hours in an epic night-time semi-final at Melbourne Park three years ago.

"If I played him at night, it would be much slower. I think he likes it slow," Tomic said on Sunday.

"To play him during the day, where it's a little bit quicker and a little bit more air can get in, I think it's better for me."

With wins last week over top-10 stars Tomas Berdych and Mardy Fish and grand slam semi-finalist Gael Monfils, the newly-crowned Kooyong Classic champion enters the Open brimming with belief.

"To have those matches under my belt, to win them all is great," Tomic said.

"I know I played them all in three sets. It's better to win in three. I played long matches, longer hours. I'm fit.

"Confidence is key before a tournament like this, to play a player like Fernando. I think I have the right confidence.

"I have a good chance, the way I'm playing, to beat him."

Tomic quite rightly believes a lot has changed since Verdasco routed him 6-4, 6-2 in their only previous meeting in Brisbane three years ago.

"I was 16," he said. "That was when he was on his run, playing well.

"The last six months he hasn't really done much. I think it's a good time to play him."

Such fighting words may stir Verdasco into action, but the Spaniard did have a poor 2011 on hard courts, claiming just one top-20 scalp as his ranking slid from number nine to 24th in the world.

"Fernando's got one of the best forehands (but) if you keep the ball to his backhand corner, he's not going to hurt you," Tomic said.

"That's what I'm going to do tomorrow."

The great irony is that, despite his hot form and the fact he is undoubtedly on the up and up, Tomic faces his own rankings dip if he loses to the 22nd seed.

The world number 37 has a bundle of points to defend after reaching the third round last year.

Should he beat Verdasco, though, Tomic would be strongly favoured to outclass American Sam Querrey or French wildcard Kenny De Schepper in the second round to at least match his 2011 effort.

With Lleyton Hewitt slumping to world number 182 after his injury-marred 2011, Tomic will arrive at Melbourne Park for the first time as Australian number one.

Not that Hewitt is too bothered as he embarks on his 16th consecutive Open campaign.

The 2005 runner-up said not carrying any great expectations had not altered his approach to his home slam.

"You still go in, focus on your first-round match just like anything else, try and prepare as well as possible. I think I've done that," Hewitt said ahead of his first-round meeting on Tuesday with young German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe.

Australia's women's title contender Samantha Stosur also plays her opener on Tuesday, against Romanian Sorana Cirstea.

But Ashleigh Barty, Olivia Rogowska, Casey Dellacqua, Greg Jones, Ben Mitchell and Anastasia Rodionova, who takes on world number one Caroline Wozniacki, are all up on Monday.

AAP

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

First posted January 15, 2012 20:23:18

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Ferrer and Almagro charge ahead in Auckland

Updated January 11, 2012 20:05:22

Spanish guns David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro were firing on all cylinders at the Auckland ATP International, blasting their way into the quarter-finals with ease.

The top two seeds were making their first appearance in the tournament after first-round byes and wasted no time stamping their mark, and showing impressive form ahead of the season's first major starting in Melbourne on Monday.

Ferrer, the world number five, raced past Lukas Rosol from the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2, while Almagro, 10th in the world, beat Colombian Santiago Giraldo by the same margin.

Ferrer will play Alejandro Falla in the quarter-finals after the Colombian continued his charmed run with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 win over Potito Starace of Italy following his first-round win over seventh-seed American Donald Young.

Almagro found Giraldo difficult to shake off in the opening games with the match going to 4-4 in the first set, but when the Spaniard found his rhythm it was one-way traffic to the end.

"I think I served really well and played well on the forehand and backhand," said Almagro, as he immediately switched his attention to a looming quarter-final encounter with German Philipp Kohlschreiber.

"Tomorrow is another fight and I will see what I can do. It is going to be a tough match, and the only thing I want to do is be focused on that match right now."

Eighth-seed Kohlschreiber, who has a 3-3 record against Almagro, survived a three-setter for the second time in three days when he dropped the first set against American Ryan Harrison before bouncing back to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Despite the physical toll of the two-hour encounter, further lengthened by a 35-minute rain break, Kohlschreiber says he is glad to have the extended time on court early in the season.

"It could be easier but at the moment this is exactly what I need," he said.

"At the start of the second and third set I played well and aggressively and it was a very tough fight today. I felt comfortable with my game from the baseline."

Frenchman Benoit Paire, who beat former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in the first round continued his giant-killing run, beating fourth-seed Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, new-zealand

First posted January 11, 2012 20:05:22

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Williams rusty ahead of Wimbledon

Published:Thursday, June 16, 2011 7:23 AESTExpires:Wednesday, September 14, 2011 7:23 AEST

US tennis player Serena Williams has been knocked out of the Eastbourne event in England as she struggles to revive her form after injuries.

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Tags: sport, tennis, sports-injuries, united-kingdom, united-states

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Stosur happy with form ahead of French

Posted May 16, 2011 16:00:00

Samantha Stosur says she is happy with her form ahead of the French Open despite a 6-2, 6-4 defeat to Maria Sharapova in the Rome International final.

Stosur seemed out of sorts throughout as the former world number one and triple major winner picked up her first title in almost a year.

But Stosur still feels her game is where it needs to be coming into Roland Garros, where last year she reached the final.

"It has been a great week and each week that I played here in Europe I think I have got a little bit better," she said.

"I guess it is what you want heading into a Grand Slam. This is a great event and I have played a lot of good matches.

"Overall I am very happy with the way I played this week. I played very good matches and obviously today was a little bit disappointing but going into Paris, there is nothing to do but go out and practice on court and work.

"It's a matter of maintaining this and trying to take a little bit of a break now and then practice and be as fit and healthy as I can before Paris."

The world number seven came into the final ranked one place above Sharapova but there seemed to be a gulf in class between the two.

It was Sharapova's eighth win in eighth matches against the Australian.

The Russian has won 22 titles to Stosur's two and the 27-year-old acknowledged that her opponent could be rediscovering the form that took her to the top of the rankings.

"I think recently she has started to play a lot better. After she came back, she struggled a little bit and her serve was a little shaky," said Stosur.

"But that has all been sorted out now and she plays very aggressively. I think that that last few months she has definitely improved a lot."

- AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, australia, france, italy

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