Tomic through to Sydney final

Updated January 11, 2013 20:11:55

Bernard Tomic progressed to his first ATP World Tour final with a straight-sets defeat of Italian Andreas Seppi at the Sydney International on Friday.

Tomic prevailed 7-6 (12-10), 6-4, having secured a vital break in the ninth game of the second set against the third-seeded Seppi that allowed him to serve for the match.

He will face Kevin Anderson in Saturday's final, the South African having advanced after beating Julien Benneteau of France 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8).

If he beats the unseeded Anderson, Tomic will become the first Australian winner in Sydney since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005 and the first 20-year-old to hoist the trophy since the great Roger Federer in 2002.

"Obviously [it was] a tough match, feeling a little bit tired now but that's what happens at the end of tournaments," Tomic told Grandstand.

"You don't feel as best you can but you've got to prepare for the next match and I'm into the final now and hopefully I can win my first title tomorrow."

The triumph continues an unbeaten start to 2013 for Tomic, who was undefeated at last week's Hopman Cup in Perth.

His run in Sydney, regardless of the outcome of Saturday's final, is likely to arrest his rankings slide that saw him drop 12 places in the rankings to 64 this week.

Tomic chose not to defend the points he earned at last year's Brisbane International, where he made the semi-finals.

The lanky Australian certainly displayed some of Hewitt's fighting spirit to get to the final, having overcome heat stress in 40 degrees Celsius on-court temperatures.

After calling for the ATP trainer while leading 5-4 in the opening set, Tomic complained of dizziness and then had to fend off six break points - or mini set points - at 5-5.

Tomic then saved four set points in the tiebreaker before snatching it when Seppi dumped a forehand into the net after 55 minutes.

Seppi, who led Novak Djokovic by two sets to love at last year's French Open, was also the first to falter in the second set.

He dropped serve in the ninth game to give Tomic a 5-4 advantage and the Australian had no trouble closing out the match after one hour, 23 minutes.

"It was very hot and I was struggling out there but I managed to find myself and lucky I won that first set and started feeling better, and started to execute my shots and feeling good," Tomic said.

"I'm happy the feeling went away and I'll be ready for tomorrow night's final."

AAP/ABC

Tags: tennis, sport, sydney-2000

First posted January 11, 2013 17:49:03

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Serbia through to Hopman Cup final

Updated January 05, 2013 08:12:57

Novak Djokovic made a blistering return to form as Serbia reached the final of the Hopman Cup at Perth Arena.

Djokovic was below his best in a loss to Australia's Bernard Tomic earlier in the round-robin stage but he demolished Germany's Tommy Haas 6-2, 6-0 before Ana Ivanovic defeated Tatjana Malek 6-0, 6-1 as Serbia finished top of Group A.

Australia needed a German victory for any hope of qualifying for Saturday's final.

The world number one needed just 62 minutes to beat Haas, hitting 33 winners in his most impressive match of the week.

Djokovic and Ivanovic will meet the Spanish team of Fernando Verdasco and Anabel Medina Garrigues in the final.

"It's great. I came out on court today feeling much fresher than the opening few days," Djokovic said.

"I'm glad I could get a point for Serbia.

"Tommy's a very talented player. He's been struggling with injuries for the last few years.

"He's very persistent to come back into the top 10. I wish him all the best for the Australian Open."

Earlier on Friday, South Africa beat France 2-1 in their dead rubber when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had to retire in the deciding mixed doubles because of a groin injury.

Chanelle Scheepers beat France's Mathilde Johansson 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 before Tsonga defeated Kevin Anderson 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3) during which the French player appeared to slightly injure his groin while stretching for a shot during a rally.

Scheepers and Anderson won the first set of the mixed doubles 6-3 and were trailing 2-1 in the second when Tsonga indicated he could not continue.

Tsonga then announced his withdrawal from the Sydney International, which begins on Sunday. The Australian Open gets underway on January 14.

Reuters

Tags: sport, tennis, perth-6000, wa, australia

First posted January 05, 2013 00:43:31

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Williams, Sharapova through to Championships final

Updated October 28, 2012 12:23:35

Maria Sharapova set up a blockbuster WTA Championships final against Serena Williams on Sunday (AEDT) with a crushing 6-4, 6-2 win over world number one Victoria Azarenka.

Olympic, Wimbledon and US Open champion Williams had earlier eased into Monday's title match with a 6-2, 6-1 success against an exhausted Agnieszka Radwanska in a repeat of this summer's Wimbledon final.

"I have lost to Victoria a few times so I was happy to get the chance to play against her," said Sharapova.

"Against the world number one, you have to run down every ball. She's number one for a reason so I had to be ready for every shot.

"It will be a difficult match against Serena. She's been on fire, she's the one to beat."

Not many people expected Sharapova to complete a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open on her least favoured clay court surface in June.

And after losing four times out of five to Azarenka this year, a semi-final win indoors in Istanbul did not seem likely either.

But the Russian designed sensibly bold tactics to frustrate the heavy-hitting Belarussian, stuck to them bravely, and executed them excellently.

Sharapova took the ball early as much as possible, denied Azarenka time and room to dominate, took risks with fierce drives to force openings, and resolutely punished most of the short returns. Altogther she clobbered 30 clean winners on a slow surface.

Azarenka, who had secured the year-end top ranking the day before with her win over Li Na, was unexpectedly subdued -- perhaps hindered by a strained right thigh which she grasped several times.

Even Sharapova's sometimes variable serve was mostly functioning well, producing a high 72 per cent first service statistic and seven aces.

The only notable exception to this came during the important sixth game of the second set, which lasted 15 minutes and during which Sharapova delivered two double faults.

Azarenka was making her last stand during this desperate phase, and Sharapova was unable to push through until she was annoyed by a line judge who called fault to a pounding delivery down the centre line.

Her appeal to Hawkeye showed the ball as having touched the line, causing her serve to be reinstated as an ace. A newly fired-up Sharapova then produced an excellent sliding first serve and raking cross-court drive combination to reach 5-1.

At the end she looked more than usually excited, shrieking loudly and pumping her arms very hard -- perhaps because it avenged important Grand Slam defeats in Melbourne and New York.

Perhaps also she now fancies her chances of regaining a WTA Championships title she last won in her breakthrough year back in 2004.

While Radwanska had had a record-breaking three-and-a-half hour match against Sara Errani the night before, Williams had had a rest day and the statistics showed that the underdog had already run three times as far as the former champion to get to the semi-finals.

Not surprisingly Radwanska had admitted that it would be an achievement "just to get to the court in one piece."

Serena's side-to-side ground strokes soon made it clear that she would have to cover large areas of court again and that was something which could not be repeated for long.

"I really wanted to run, but my legs didn't," Radwanska admitted.

Williams was certainly sympathetic to the Polish player's predicament.

"I just told her it was awesome that she played so well and played through another match after playing a good eight hours. It was really inspiring for me."

'Despite the mundane encounter, Williams was almost as thrilled as Sharapova.

Waving ecstatically and fluffing up her already voluminous hair she announced that all she wanted to do now was finish 2012 with a win.

That would have special meaning for her, since this has been a year in which she proved she has finally recovered from a horrific 12 months during which a blood clot in her lungs threatened her life.

AFP

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First posted October 28, 2012 07:47:55

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Stosur through to Osaka semis

Updated October 12, 2012 18:39:32

Top seed Samantha Stosur moved through to the semi-finals of the Japan Open with a straight-sets defeat of American Jamie Hampton in Osaka.

Stosur encountered little trouble in winning the quarter-final clash 6-2, 6-4.

She will next meet Taiwan's Chang Kai-Chen, who beat number eight seed Laura Robson of Great Britain 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 ( 7-4).

The other semi-final will be contested by Briton Heather Watson and Japan's Misaki Doi.

Watson triumphed 7-5, 6-3 over France's Pauline Parmentier 7-5, 6-3, while Doi advanced by beating South African seventh seed Chanelle Scheepers 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Tags: sport, tennis, japan

First posted October 12, 2012 18:38:01

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Tomic through to Bangkok quarters

Updated September 27, 2012 18:38:07

Bernard Tomic progressed to the quarter-finals of the Thailand Open with a three-set victory in Bangkok.

Tomic, the tournament's eight seed, downed Israel's Dudi Sela 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

He will meet either second-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet or Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the last eight.

Tags: tennis, sport, thailand

First posted September 27, 2012 18:38:07

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Clijsters vows to play through injury

Updated June 23, 2012 17:41:50

Former world number one Kim Clijsters was backed to go "full force" at Wimbledon despite having to pull out of the s-Hertogenbosch grass court tournament with a stomach injury.

Clijsters, who will quit tennis after the US Open, handed Poland's Urszula Radwanska a walkover into the final of the Dutch event, but her coaching team insisted the Belgian will be fit to play Wimbledon which starts on Monday.

"I think she can go at full force (at Wimbledon)," said fitness trainer Sam Verslegers who explained Clijsters had felt the injury in her quarter-final win over Francesca Schiavone.

"It's purely an overload. Some days of rest will encourage perhaps even full recovery."

Clijsters had been making her return this week after not playing since March because of a right hip injury.

The 28-year-old was champion in this pre-Wimbledon event in 2003.

Clijsters, a four-time Grand Slam title winner, had been drawn earlier Friday to begin her Wimbledon campaign against fellow former world number one Jelena Jankovic of Serbia.

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, united-kingdom, belgium

First posted June 23, 2012 11:06:38

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Federer romps, Murray squeezes through

Updated September 02, 2012 17:09:31

Five-time champion Roger Federer defied 32-degree Celsius heat and crushing humidity to reach the US Open last 16, as potential semi-final rival Andy Murray almost wilted in the New York sweatshop.

Top seed Federer, bidding to be the first six-time winner in 87 years, defeated Spanish 25th seed Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in a shade over two hours to make the last 16 for the 12th successive year.

The Swiss star next faces either American 23rd seed Mardy Fish or Gilles Simon, the French 16th seed.

In stark contrast, third-seeded Murray, the 2008 US Open runner-up to Federer, needed almost four hours to clinch a 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4) victory over 30th-seeded Spanish left-hander Feliciano Lopez.

Murray will next face 15th-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic, who beat American James Blake in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0, 7-6 (7-3).

The British player, four times a Grand Slam runner-up, had lost only one set in six prior matches against Lopez but had to come back from trailing in all three tie-breakers on Sunday (AEST).

Federer only faced one break point against Verdasco, a player he has now defeated five times in five meetings.

"I was never really in big trouble on my service games," he said.

"The heat and wind weren't really a problem, but Fernando keeps you guessing, he's a great shot-maker."

Murray's 250th career match victory on hard courts, and his seventh in seven meetings with Lopez, came when the Spaniard netted a backhand.

"This was the first match I had played in this humidity for a while so it was tough," Murray said.

"I would like to be in slightly better form but these matches have helped with that."

Eleventh seed Nicolas Almagro kept Spanish hopes alive when he reached the fourth round for the first time with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 win over American wildcard Jack Sock.

Almagro will face Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych for a place in the last eight, after Berdych survived a four-set tussle with American 27th seed Sam Querrey 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

Croatian 12th seed Marin Cilic, a quarter-finalist in 2009, ended Asian hopes in the singles when he ousted Japanese 17th seed Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3.

Cilic will next face unseeded Slovak Martin Klizan, who beat doubles partner Jeremy Chardy, the French 32nd seed, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

American Mardy Fish defeated 16th seed Gilles Simon 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in an entertaining late-night battle on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

AFP

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First posted September 02, 2012 08:59:26

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Federer, Djokovic cruise through

Updated June 28, 2012 09:18:44

Six-time winner Roger Federer and defending champion Novak Djokovic reached the Wimbledon third round in straight sets on Wednesday.

Federer enjoyed a trouble-free 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 win over Italy's Fabio Fognini in a regal performance witnessed by Britain's Prince Charles, who was making his first visit to the All England Club in more than 40 years.

The third-seeded Swiss took just 74 minutes to defeat Fognini, who even received a quick lesson in bowing from Federer before walking onto Centre Court where Charles was watching with his wife Camilla from the royal box.

Federer, chasing Pete Sampras's record of seven Wimbledon titles, fired 13 aces and 35 winners and has lost just nine games in his first two rounds.

"I'm very happy to have won and to be back on Centre Court. It's great to have that feeling and to see Charles and Camilla up there is just great for tennis," said Federer.

"We were told beforehand that they were coming and we were asked to bow. We said no problem."

Federer, who has lost in the quarter-finals for two years running, next faces France's Julien Benneteau for a place in the last 16.

World number one Djokovic defeated America's Ryan Harrison 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 under the Centre Court roof in a match which finished just before 10pm (7am AEST).

The Serb next tackles either Czech 28th seed Radek Stepanek or Benjamin Becker of Germany.

"It was more difficult than the scoreline suggests. It was a great match and I was in trouble in the second set," said top seed Djokovic, who fought off six break points in the sixth game of the second set.

"But under the roof, the conditions were difficult and you had to adjust your movements."

Women's top seed Maria Sharapova was leading Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova when bad light halted play on Court One. The Russian was 7-6 (7/3), 3-1 in her second round match.

Sharapova had recovered from 5-2 down to take the first set in a tie-break.

The bottom half of the women's draw opened up with fifth-seeded US Open champion Samantha Stosur and seventh-seeded Caroline Wozniacki both knocked out.

Stosur had not been past the third round in nine previous visits to the All England Club and that miserable sequence was extended with a 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 defeat against world number 72 Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands.

Tamira Paszek saved two match points to send Wozniacki crashing out in the first round under the Centre Court roof.

The 21-year-old Austrian, fresh from claiming the grass court title in Eastbourne at the weekend, prevailed in a three hour, 12-minute marathon to win the first round clash 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.

Also making a second round exit for the second successive year was Chinese 11th seed Li Na, the 2011 French Open winner, who slumped to a 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Romania's Sorana Cirstea.

But there were no problems for third seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland who defeated Russia's Elena Vesnina, the first-round conqueror of Venus Williams, 6-2, 6-1.

Radwanska next meets Heather Watson who ended Britain's 10-year wait to have a woman in the third round by sweeping to a 6-1, 6-4 victory over America's Jamie Hampton.

Four-time Grand Slam title winner Kim Clijsters, playing her last Wimbledon before retirement, eased into the third round with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic.

Italy's 10th seed Sara Errani, the French Open runner-up, needed just seven seconds to complete her 6-1, 6-3 first round win over American qualifier Coco Vandeweghe after the tie had been rained off Tuesday.

Errani had been on match point but on the resumption she didn't have to hit a ball as her opponent handed her victory with a double fault.

Also making progress was former world number one Ana Ivanovic, the 14th seed from Serbia, who defeated Spain's Maria Jose Martinez 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, and German 15th seed Sabine Lisicki.

Last year's semi-finalist Lisicki reached the third round, beating Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski 3-6, 6-2, 8-6.

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, united-kingdom

First posted June 28, 2012 08:18:21

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Ebden through in Atlanta

Updated July 18, 2012 13:39:54

Australia's Matthew Ebden won through to the second round after beating Ukrainian Sergey Bubka Jr at the Atlanta Open.

Ebden, ranked 82 in the world, triumphed 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.

He will play James Blake in the second round after the American veteran upset sixth seed and countryman Ryan Harrison 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Ebden's fellow Australian Marinko Matosevic exited the first round on Tuesday (AEST).

Tags: tennis, sport, united-states

First posted July 18, 2012 11:50:24

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Dellacqua through to Dallas semis

Updated August 23, 2012 13:39:26

Australia's Casey Dellacqua moved into the semi-finals of the Texas Tennis Open in Dallas, following a straight-sets victory over Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak.

Dellacqua, who entered the main draw via the qualifying rounds, beat Wozniak 6-4, 6-4.

The 27-year-old will enjoy a rise in the WTA rankings, currently holding down the lowly position of world 106.

She reached a career-high 39 in 2008.

Dellacqua will face second seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the last four after the former world number one advance with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Romania's Sorana Cirstea.

In other action, Italy's third seed Roberta Vinci eliminated Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 to reach the semi-finals.

Vinci next faces Bojana Jovanovski who was leading 6-4, 1-0 when China's Peng Shuai retired from their match early in the second set.

ABC/AFP

Tags: tennis, sport, united-states

First posted August 23, 2012 11:03:31

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Nadal, Murray through to last eight

Updated June 05, 2012 08:27:52

Defending champion Rafael Nadal stormed into the French Open quarter-finals on Tuesday (AEST) as three Spaniards plus Andy Murray made it through to the last eight in the bottom half of the draw.

Nadal demolished Juan Monaco of Argentina 6-2, 6-0, 6-0 in an awesome display of claycourt tennis that must have sent shivers through his rivals for the title here.

Countrymen David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro had earlier gone through comfortably.

Sixth-seeded Ferrer cruised past countryman Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-2, 6-0, and 12th seed Almagro pushed aside Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Murray then joined them with a disjointed 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 win over Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

The Scot will play Ferrer, while Nadal will go for his 50th win at Roland Garros against Almagro.

Joining them in the last eight, in matches held over from Sunday in the opposing top half of the draw, were Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.

Tsonga, seeking to provide a first French win in the men's singles since Yannick Noah in 1983, returned to action against Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 4-2 ahead in the fifth set.

And despite dropping his serve in the opening game, he held steady to pull off a 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 3-6, 6-4 win that saw him into the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the first time.

Next up will be a meeting with top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who has history-making on his mind too as he bids to become the first man in 43 years to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.

"It was tough yesterday as it was dark at the end. I don't know if was great for me or not," Tsonga said.

"But I came on the court this morning with a good spirit. I had a good night's sleep and I was ready to play again."

Del Potro was two sets to one up against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic when darkness fell on their fourth round tie late Sunday and he wasted little time on their return Monday to complete a 7-6 (8-6), 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 win.

His reward will be another crack at third seed Roger Federer, against whom he lost a thrilling five-setter in the 2009 semi-finals.

Second seed Nadal won 17 games in succession to destroy Monaco and afterwards said he had to feel sorry for his close friend for suffering such a heavy defeat.

The Spaniard, bidding to become the first man to capture seven Roland Garros singles titles, celebrated his 26th birthday on Sunday while title rivals Djokovic and Federer were struggling into the last eight.

Monaco, the 13th seed, went into Monday's match with solid claycourt form under his belt having captured titles in Vina del Mar and Houston this year.

But he had lost all three previous clay meetings against Nadal, claiming just 10 games in the process, and the 28-year-old was swept aside again by the champion in just one hour and 46 minutes on Suzanne Lenglen court.

Fourth seed Murray looked all at sea for a set and a half before his fourth round clash with Gasquet turned dramatically late in the second set as the Scot found his touch and Gasquet totally lost his.

The win means that Murray has reached a Grand Slam quarter-final for the sixth straight time, with Ferrer, who he has never beaten on clay, waiting for him as his opponent.

For Gasquet there was the disappointment of failing to join countryman Tsonga in the last eight. The last time two Frenchman made the quarter-finals at Roland Garros was in 1990.

"He started very, very well, went for his shots, high risk and was playing unbelievable," Murray said of his opponent.

"I was lucky to turn it around at the end of the second set and then I started to play a lot better."

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, france

First posted June 05, 2012 08:22:26

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Hewitt out early, Tomic through

Updated May 29, 2012 10:40:46

Iron-willed Lleyton Hewitt was unable to drag his bionic big toe into the second round of the French Open overnight, but fellow Australian Bernard Tomic progressed safely.

Hewitt succumbed 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3 to Slovenian qualifier Blaz Kavcic in his first competitive outing since undergoing foot surgery in February.

Matthew Ebden was also eliminated, losing 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) to German 24th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Tomic, though, later saved the day for Australia by marking his maiden grand slam seeding with a first-ever victory at Roland Garros.

The 25th seed eased past Austrian qualifier Andreas Haider-Maurer 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-3 and next plays Colombian Santiago Giraldo on Wednesday for a likely third-round clash with Andy Murray.

Tomic beat Giraldo in three sets on clay earlier this month in Rome and will fancy his chances of reaching at least the last 32 in Paris.

As ever, Hewitt's mind was willing and his body reasonably able - considering his near-four-month absence from the tour after having a metal plate and screws inserted in his troublesome left big toe.

Alas, the 31-year-old's game was not quite ready for the grand slam rigours of best-of-five-sets on clay.

But while an appetising second-round showdown with Novak Djokovic went begging, there were enough encouraging signs from Hewitt to suggest he could make a decent grasscourt run at Wimbledon next month.

"I had to start somewhere," Hewitt said.

"I'm sure tomorrow I'll pull up pretty sore, but it was good for a lot reasons to go out there and play - lasted nearly four hours and physically felt fine.

"There are positives to take out of it."

Rusty by nickname and rusty by nature as Hewitt committed an uncharacteristic 56 unforced errors - and 28 alone in the marathon 69-minute first set.

The former world number one had led 4-1 after breaking Kavcic twice, but frustrating mistakes flowed off his strings and steadily eroded his early advantage.

After losing the first-set tiebreaker and then falling two sets behind, Hewitt looked down and out.

But he bravely fought off a mini match point in the 11th game of the third set to snatch it and raise hopes of a vintage comeback win.

There was no way back, though, after being broken two games in a row midway through the fourth set and the 99th-ranked Kavcic held firm to eventually close out the absorbing contest after three hours and 50 minutes.

Hewitt will relish a return to his preferred grass courts, firstly at Queen's where he has accepted a wildcard entry as a four-times former champion.

Then, as a dangerous unseeded floater, the 31-year-old will be hoping for some luck at the Wimbledon draw - a decade after he hoisted the greatest prize in tennis at the All England Club.

Teenage wildcard Ashleigh Barty will make her eagerly-awaited French Open debut tonight in the first match on Court Suzanne Lenglen against Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

AAP

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First posted May 29, 2012 05:51:54

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Sore Federer battles through in Rome

Updated May 17, 2012 10:41:23

An aching Roger Federer made up for lost time as he saw off Carlos Berlocq of Argentina 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Rome Masters.

The Swiss only decided to play after his morning practice session, carrying a few aches and pains following his Madrid Masters title win last weekend.

Second seed Rafa Nadal, beaten in the third round on the blue clay in Madrid, looked delighted to be back on the red stuff as he beat German Florian Mayer 6-1, 7-5.

Meanwhile, Australian Samantha Stosur setup a third-round clash with Venus Williams after easing past Italian Sara Errani 6-3, 7-5.

Adjusting from the slick, slippery blue clay to the far slower red clay of the Foro Italico with ease, Federer conceded he had been unsure what to do up to the very last minute.

"I wanted to see how I felt and make sure that I didn't have anything major because we're ahead of a long summer," he told a news conference.

"If this was the last tournament of the season it would be no problem. But as this is the beginning of many tournaments in a row, potentially a lot of five-setters in a row, I need to make sure I make good decisions, so I go round by round.

"I'm happy that I felt OK out there today."

A good performance this week from Federer, who now plays former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero, would help him to close the gap on Novak Djokovic in top spot.

"I might be world number three again next week but that doesn't matter for Rafa (Nadal, the number three) and myself," he said.

"It's interesting times right now and I know there's going to be a lot of talk about the rankings.

"What I know is that I'll have a shot until the US Open, whatever shape or form with the rankings, and we'll see how it's going to play. Right now I'm just happy I'm healthy."

Tomas Berdych, beaten by Federer in the Madrid final, eased past Lukas Kubot 6-4, 6-1 to reach round three, while Juan Martin Del Potro also advanced.

In the women's event, Serena Williams made it two wins in the space of 18 hours as she battled back to beat Russia's Nadia Petrova 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

"It was very difficult for me today," Williams told a delighted crowd in Italian. "I hope that I can play better from here."

Venus Williams improved her chances of making the Olympics on merit as she battled to a 7-6, 6-1 win over Ekaterina Makerova of Russia.

The former world number one, who needs to climb above Varvara Lepchenko in the United States pecking order, will take on fifth seed Stosur in round three.

There were defeats, though, for world number three Agnieszka Radwanska and former world number one Caroline Wozniacki.

Radwanska was ousted 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 by Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic while Wozniacki, suffering from sinus problems, quit when trailing 6-4, 4-0 to Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain.

World number one Victoria Azarenka suffered a blow to her French Open preparations when she was forced to pull out with a right shoulder injury.

Azarenka had shown no sign of discomfort when she walloped Israel's Shahar Peer 6-1, 6-2 in the second round but the WTA announced her withdrawal shortly after the victory.

With just 10 days until the start of the French Open, the Belarusian will hope for a quick recovery ahead of her bid for a second straight grand slam title.

AFP/Reuters

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First posted May 17, 2012 07:18:27

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Tomic through to face Djokovic in Rome

Updated May 15, 2012 09:41:58

Bernard Tomic moved through to the second round at the Rome Masters with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Colombian Santiago Giraldo.

Tomic, making his debut in Rome, progressed to a second round showdown with world number one Novak Djokovic in the high-profile lead-up event to this month's French Open.

His only previous clash with the top-ranked Serb saw the young Aussie take a set before losing a highly-anticipated quarter-final clash at Wimbledon in 2011.

In the women's draw in Rome, fellow Aussie Jarmila Gajdosova went down to South African Chanelle Scheepers, losing 6-4, 7-6 on the red clay.

Meanwhile, Rafa Nadal said his chances of winning an open era record seventh French Open title next month will not be affected by his fall to number three in the world rankings.

His third-round defeat last week in Madrid meant he was overtaken by tournament winner Roger Federer, with Djokovic still top of the pile.

"Being number two or number three isn't going to change my goal," Nadal told a news conference at the Foro Italico, the long-time home of the Rome Masters.

"My goal will be the same, number two, three or number 10.

"To win you have to beat the best players in the world. The only change is in the semi-finals but it doesn't make any difference."

Nadal could regain second spot from Federer this week but said he was more concerned with the way he is playing.

"I will try my best to play my best and if I am able to do that I will have my chances to have a good result," he said.

"I will just try to play the same way I did in Monte Carlo and Barcelona (where he won the title). The feeling is there and I am happy with how I am playing."

Nadal and Djokovic were the most vocal critics of the slippery nature of the blue clay which was used in Madrid for the first time last week.

"I don't think about Madrid," Nadal said.

"I lost (to Fernando Verdasco). I accept that I played bad and I lost because I didn't play the level that I needed to win.

"But Rome is a tournament I love, one of my favourite tournaments of the year. I am just excited and motivated to come back here."

Beaten in the final by Djokovic last year, Nadal is due to begin his title bid on Thursday (AEST) against Florian Mayer, a German with an awkward game who beat him when they played in Shanghai last October.

Federer will also be in action on Thursday against Carlos Berlocq of Argentina while Djokovic and fourth seed Andy Murray play on Wednesday (AEST).

Top seed Djokovic takes on Tomic and Murray plays Argentine David Nalbandian.

ABC/Reuters

Tags: sport, tennis, italy

First posted May 15, 2012 09:35:46

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Stosur through in Madrid

Updated May 08, 2012 12:07:13

Samantha Stosur survived an early scare before winning her second round clash with American Christina McHale at the WTA's Madrid Open in Spain.

Stosur dropped the first set against teenager McHale before hitting back to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 in just under two hours on the blue clay.

She will meet Petra Cetkovska in the third round after the Czech enjoyed a comfortable straight sets win over Spaniard Lourdes Dominguez Lino, winning 6-4, 7-5 to advance.

Serena Williams marked her first European appearance of the season with victory on the Madrid Open's striking blue clay courts but it was not such good news for sister Venus, who crashed out.

Serena, who reached the third round the last time she played in Madrid in 2010, powered past last week's Budapest Grand Prix runner-up Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-3, 6-1.

The ninth seed delivered some powerful serves, hitting 14 aces to set up a meeting with another Russian, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, in the next round.

"I was feeling good," Williams told reporters.

"It's my first tournament in Europe this year and I just hope I can keep up the good form," added the American who has yet to lose in eight clay outings this season.

"I haven't noticed a difference between the blue and the red clay. I think it's the same, it's just you don't get as dirty," Williams said.

Venus entered Madrid on a wildcard as she started her third tournament after seven months out suffering with Sjogren's Syndrome, an auto-immune disease which causes fatigue and joint soreness.

The former world number one struggled past Romania's Simona Halep in three sets on Saturday, but crumpled against stronger opposition on Monday falling 6-4, 6-1 to 12th seed Angelique Kerber of Germany.

Kerber, 24, is in the midst of her breakout season with both her career titles coming in 2012.

China's Li Na, the eighth seed, joined Kerber in the last 16 with a straightforward victory over Spanish wildcard Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-3, 6-1.

Holder Petra Kvitova started well as the third seed defeated New Zealander Marina Erakovic 6-2, 6-3.

Towering Czech Kvitova beat Victoria Azarenka in the final last year before going on to win the Wimbledon title.

The only seeded player to fall was number 15 Jelena Jankovic who went out to Spanish wildcard Carla Suarez 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Czech qualifier Andrea Hlavackova and compatriot Lucie Hradecka, Italian Sara Errani, Russia's Ekaterina Makarova, and Estonia's Kaia Kanepi also made it through to the second round.

ABC/Reuters

Tags: sport, tennis, spain

First posted May 08, 2012 12:07:13

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Sharapova, Wozniacki through with walkovers

Updated April 26, 2012 06:05:35

World number two Maria Sharapova reached the quarter-finals of the WTA event in Stuttgart's while former world number one Ana Ivanovic suffered a shock first-round exit.

Sharapova progressed to the last eight of the clay-court tournament after French qualifier Alize Cornet was forced to retire after the first game of the second set with a shoulder injury in the second-round tie.

"You never want a match to finish like that, but we are approaching Roland Garros and, being French, she would want to be fit to be able to play in her home country," said Sharapova.

"I wish her the very best for a fast recovery.

"It is quite a task to adjust to clay, you need matches to find your game.

"The ball bounces differently and you have to be prepared for the longer rallies.

"The only thing that helps is playing matches, that is priceless."

Sharapova will face either US Open winner Samantha Stosur or Stuttgart's defending champion Julia Goerges, who meet late on Thursday (AEDT).

Sixth-seed Caroline Wozniacki is into the second round after opponent Jelena Jankovic was also forced to retire in their opening match.

Wozniacki took the first set 6-3, but Jankovic was forced to retire after 56 minutes with a back problem and the Dane will face Germay's Angelique Kerber for a place in the quarter-finals.

Polish fourth-seed Agnieszka Radwanska is already in the quarter-finals following her 6-3, 6-4 second-round victory over Hungary's Greta Arn.

Earlier, wild-card Mona Barthel was delighted by her shock first-round win over her former idol Ivanovic in straight sets.

The 21-year-old German blasted down 11 aces to out-muscle the Serbian, ranked 15th in the world, for a 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) victory and will now face seventh-seed Marion Bartoli of France in the second round.

AFP

Tags: tennis, sport, germany

First posted April 26, 2012 06:05:35

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Nadal, Federer ease through at Indian Wells

Updated March 12, 2012 23:25:28

Twice champion Rafa Nadal and triple winner Roger Federer barely raised a sweat as they each cruised into the third round of the Indian Wells tournament with imperious victories on Monday (AEDT).

Spaniard Nadal ruthlessly dealt with Argentine Leonardo Mayer 6-1, 6-3 before Swiss maestro Federer eased past American wild card Denis Kudla 6-4, 6-1 in the evening session at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Left-hander Nadal, who has reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells in his last six appearances, broke Mayer twice in each set to wrap up a commanding win in one hour, 15 minutes.

In dazzling afternoon sunshine, the match ended when a Mayer forehand sailed wide and Nadal removed his green headband in triumph as the near-capacity crowd erupted in applause.

"It's nice to be back playing at the very good level," the Spaniard, who will next face compatriot Marcel Granollers, told reporters. "Winning is the most important thing.

"It's not easy to be back after a while without competition, but I did really well. I started the match very focused, very aggressive. I'm very happy about almost everything."

Nadal, who dominated Mayer with his crunching ground strokes from behind the baseline, had not competed since he lost an epic Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic in January.

The world number two enjoys a superb record at Indian Wells where he won the title in 2007 and 2009 and was beaten in last year's final by Serb Djokovic.

Love affair

"This is a tournament that I love," said the 25-year-old from Mallorca. "I enjoy a lot playing this tournament. Always in my career I've had good success here. I have played very good matches."

Granollers had earlier booked his place in the third round with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 win against Germany's Tommy Haas.

World number three Federer, who is shaking off a flu bug and slight temperature, broke Kudla twice in the opening set and three times in the second to wrap up a one-sided victory in under an hour.

"I'm always relieved and happy when I am able to find my way into a tournament, see where you're at," said the 16-times grand slam champion, whose entire family has been sick.

"It's a good start for me. I didn't know Kudla very much, or at all really, so it was a good win for me. I'm looking forward to what's next."

Federer, who won three consecutive titles at Indian Wells from 2004, next faces towering Canadian Milos Raonic, a 6-4, 6-2 winner against Argentina's Carlos Berlocq.

Asked how he felt health-wise, Federer replied: "I have a bit of a combination (of flu and a cold). Not a terrible temperature, but I have some things going on. But I'm the best off in my family... the rest of them are struggling much more."

In other matches, fifth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer crushed Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2, David Nalbandian of Argentina battled past Croat Marin Cilic 7-6, 7-6 and Serb Janko Tipsarevic beat Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 6-4, 6-2.

Sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga advanced when fellow Frenchman Michael Llodra retired hurt because of a knee injury when trailing 4-1.

The big-serving Tsonga will next face Czech Radek Stepanek, who crushed Belgium's Xavier Malisse 6-2, 6-1.

Reuters

Tags: sport, tennis, united-states

First posted March 12, 2012 23:18:48

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Saville through to Open junior semis

Updated January 26, 2012 15:22:49

Australia's top-ranked junior Luke Saville has scraped through to the semi-finals of the Australian Open boys' championship.

Saville, who turns 18 next week, defeated number seven seed Kyle Edmund of England 7-5, 7-5.

The reigning junior Wimbledon champion meets Czech Adam Pavlasek for a spot in the final.

"It's good to back up what I did last year," Saville said.

"It wasn't the most clean match. It was a little bit breezy and I think we were both suffering from a few nerves.

"Sometimes it's nicer to win a bit scrappy and you can draw confidence from that.

"I could have made it a lot easier today. I served quite poorly throughout the match and definitely didn't play my best tennis."

Saville said he was aware he was a bigger target following his Wimbledon win.

"At Wimbledon, I was around 20 in the world and I'm now number one in the world," he said.

"Obviously, everyone's shooting for me now and trying to take me down but, from a young age, I've been top in Australia for my age group so I've experienced that feeling of being top dog.

"But I guess there are a few more expectations and pressure but I love the challenge and usually I thrive on that pretty well."

AAP

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

First posted January 26, 2012 13:37:45

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Sharapova through to Open final

Updated January 26, 2012 19:41:11

Former champion Maria Sharapova beat second seed Petra Kvitova in three sets to reach the final of the Australian Open and set up a shoot-out for the number one spot with Victoria Azarenka.

The Russian, seeded fourth, overcame some poor serving to outlast Kvitova 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 and move into Saturday night's final, where she will play Belarusian Azarenka, the third seed.

In a rematch of last year's Wimbledon final, Kvitova and Sharapova threw everything they had at each other for almost two and a quarter hours on Rod Laver Arena.

Sharapova, who won in Melbourne in 2008, dominated the first set and Kvitova the second, with the pair evenly matched in the third until Kvitova faltered at 4-5 to lose her serve and send Sharapova through to the final.

The Russian struggled with her serve all afternoon but somehow managed to stay in the contest despite sending down 10 double faults, many at key moments.

"I felt like in the third she always had the advantage because I was always down on my serve," Sharapova said.

"And I just thought you have got to go for it."

Kvitova had 14 break point opportunities but only managed to convert three of them as the tenacious Sharapova somehow managed to hold on.

By contrast Sharapova had only five break point chances on Kvitova's serve, but won them all.

"I just hung in there and got a few returns in in the last game," she said. "She was serving so well in the third. Maybe that was the key."

The left-handed Kvitova, 21, looked nervous in the early stages with Sharapova appearing far more settled than her younger opponent.

The 24-year-old Russian dominated the baseline rallies and tended to come out on top the longer they went on, wrapping up the first set in 36 minutes.

But Kvitova lifted her game at the start of the second and raced into a commanding 3-0 lead when she held serve after Sharapova served two double faults to surrender an early break.

The world number two was growing in confidence and she was untroubled as she took the second set with a booming ace to level the match.

Kvitova gained the early advantage in the third, breaking Sharapova to take a 2-1 lead as the Russian's serving woes continued, but the Czech's nerves got the better of her and some poor serving saw her drop the next game.

Games then went with serve in the third set, with Sharapova struggling to hold and Kvitova cruising, but at 4-5 the Czech cracked and Sharapova erupted with delight as she reached her third Australian Open final

Sharapova, who burst onto the tennis scene in 2004 when she won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old, took the US Open title in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008.

She will be aiming for her fourth major singles title but her first since she underwent major shoulder surgery in 2008, which kept her out of action for almost a year.

She will also be eyeing the top ranking, with the winner of Saturday's final guaranteed to be named number one when the new rankings list is released on Monday.

AFP

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

First posted January 26, 2012 18:32:06

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Slick Murray through to semis

Updated January 25, 2012 18:55:01

A ruthless Andy Murray ended Kei Nishikori's brilliant run at the Australian Open, carving up the Japanese with a dominant 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 victory to stroll into his third successive semi-final at Melbourne Park.

Nishikori, the first Japanese man through to the last eight in Melbourne for 80 years, won support from kimono-clad fans as the underdog at sun-bathed Rod Laver Arena, but left with his tail between his legs after a two-hour and 12-minute spanking.

While serving appallingly and rarely setting the court alight, Murray assumed control from the outset, exploiting the flashy Japanese's comparative lack of height with lobs and running him around the court to distraction.

The fourth-seeded Briton stepped up a gear in the third as fatigue took its toll on the 22-year-old Japanese, who had played two epic five-set matches and a long four-setter in his previous three matches.

Irked after handing back a break early in the third set, Murray stomped back to his chair at the change of ends and flung a bottle of water in anger.

He emerged belligerent after a brief sulk, and whipped through the final set in 29 minutes, sealing it on the second match point when Nishikori belted a forehand return into the net.

Murray will likely face world number one Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and said he hoped to get his serve back on track after landing a woeful 44 per cent of his first serves.

Djokovic plays Spaniard David Ferrer in the late quarter-final at Rod Laver Arena.

"I thought it was a good match. There were a lot of good points. Most of the fun points he was winning. So I was trying to keep them as short as possible," Murray said in a courtside interview.

"I think I needed to serve better ... but the returning was good."

Nishikori entered the blue centre court to face-painted Japanese fans chanting his name, but was soon on the back foot against Murray who broke him immediately on the way to a 3-1 lead.

Toying with the Japanese, Murray lured Nishikori to the net with drop-shots and then sent lobs looping over his head time and time again.

The tactic worked invariably, but the scrambling Nishikori chased one lob down and made a play for the highlight reels at 3-1 in the first set that had the stands roaring their approval.

Charging back from the net to retrieve a shot, Nishikori lobbed Murray from between his legs, then smacked a forehand down the line after the world number four could only tap a volley harmlessly over the net.

Murray's attempt at a 'tweener' in the following game fell flat, however, when his swiping racket connected with only fresh air as he galloped across the baseline.

Although losing the "fun" points and most of the crowd to the plucky Nishikori, Murray knuckled down for the points that mattered, launching a booming serve to seal the first set and taking another early break in the second.

The 24th-seeded Nishikori had played five more sets in his previous three matches than Murray and it appeared to show as he surrendered the second set with a pair of unforced errors.

He broke back to 1-1 but his serves became cannon fodder for the fourth-seeded Scot who motored home to set up his fifth consecutive major semi-final.

Reuters

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

First posted January 25, 2012 17:34:29

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