Showing posts with label Australian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australian. Show all posts
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wozniacki, Clijsters reach Australian Open third round
MELBOURNE, Australia — Defending champion Kim Clijsters and No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the third round of the Australian Open in contrasting styles on Wednesday.
Great Dane: Caroline Wozniacki hits a shot during her 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) win over Anna Tatishvili on Wednesday. APClijsters needed only 47 minutes to beat Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France 6-0, 6-1, then showed just how much support she has at Rod Laver Arena by getting the crowd to sing "Happy Birthday" to her younger sister.Wozniacki seemed to be on the same trajectory, but had to battle to beat Anna Tatishvili of Georgia in the second set, recovering two service breaks and saving a set point en route to a 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) win.She needs to reach the quarterfinals to have a chance of retaining the top ranking she held for all but one week in 2011. That's also the stage when she could come across Clijsters.The No. 11-seeded Clijsters showed no signs of a hip problem that forced her to retire during a semifinal against Daniela Hantuchova at a warmup tournament two weeks ago.She will meet Hantuchova in the next round here, and has a potential rematch of the 2011 Australian Open final with French Open champion Li Na in the fourth round.Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer took differing paths against German rivals to the next stage.Nadal beat Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the last afternoon match on Rod Laver Arena. Second-seeded Nadal had his right knee heavily taped again after hurting it while sitting in a hotel chair on the weekend, but it didn't seem to restrict him."Much better, I am very happy about how the knee is improving," Nadal said. "I am playing without problems, so that's OK."Federer, who has won four of his 16 Grand Slam titles in Australia, got a walkover into the third round when Andreas Beck withdrew from their scheduled Hisense Arena match due to a lower back injury. It deprived Federer of a different view at Melbourne Park, where he has played every match in Rod Laver Arena since the third round of the 2004 Australian Open.Eighth-ranked Mardy Fish became the first top 10 player on the men's side to lose, falling 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) to Colombia's Alejandro Falla.No. 7 Tomas Berdych advanced 6-1, 6-0, 7-6 (7-4) over Olivier Rochus of Belgium, 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, No. 18 Feliciano Lopez and No. 30 Kevin Anderson all advanced.On the women's side, 10th-seeded Francesca Schiavone was eliminated 6-4, 6-3 by fellow Italian Romina Oprandi and No. 16 Peng Shuai lost 6-2, 6-4 to Iveta Benesova of Czech Republic. Former No. 1-ranked Jelena Jankovic beat Chang Kai-chen of Taiwan 6-4, 6-2.Clijsters and No. 20 Hantuchova, a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 winner over Lesia Tsurenko, have been playing each other for years."When the injury happened, it happened against Daniela," Clijsters said of the hip muscle spasms she had at the Brisbane International."She's been playing well this season so far."We both go back a long way — we grew up playing under-14s together. Now almost 30 — still battling it out."This was Clijsters' best run at a major since the last Australian Open — she lost in the second round at the French Open and didn't play Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.Li is also returning to form, going further than she has at a Grand Slam tournament since her breakthrough win at the French Open. She went out in the second round at Wimbledon and the first at the U.S. Open, but reached the third round at Melbourne Park with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Olivia Rogowska.She next plays No. 26 Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, who beat Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-1, 6-0.Li said she loved being back on Rod Laver Arena, where she burst onto the global tennis scene last year, while Clijsters still clearly feels at home on a court where she's still known as "Aussie Kim" long after her relationship with Lleyton Hewitt ended.In a post-match TV interview, she asked presenter Rennae Stubbs a favor, saying her brother-in-law phoned her from Belgium to ask if she could convince the crowd to sing a birthday song for Elke, Clijsters' younger sister.The crowd obliged, after Clijsters kicked it off.Li took longer for her second-round win, saying it was harder than the scoreline suggested.
Great Dane: Caroline Wozniacki hits a shot during her 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) win over Anna Tatishvili on Wednesday. APClijsters needed only 47 minutes to beat Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France 6-0, 6-1, then showed just how much support she has at Rod Laver Arena by getting the crowd to sing "Happy Birthday" to her younger sister.Wozniacki seemed to be on the same trajectory, but had to battle to beat Anna Tatishvili of Georgia in the second set, recovering two service breaks and saving a set point en route to a 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) win.She needs to reach the quarterfinals to have a chance of retaining the top ranking she held for all but one week in 2011. That's also the stage when she could come across Clijsters.The No. 11-seeded Clijsters showed no signs of a hip problem that forced her to retire during a semifinal against Daniela Hantuchova at a warmup tournament two weeks ago.She will meet Hantuchova in the next round here, and has a potential rematch of the 2011 Australian Open final with French Open champion Li Na in the fourth round.Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer took differing paths against German rivals to the next stage.Nadal beat Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the last afternoon match on Rod Laver Arena. Second-seeded Nadal had his right knee heavily taped again after hurting it while sitting in a hotel chair on the weekend, but it didn't seem to restrict him."Much better, I am very happy about how the knee is improving," Nadal said. "I am playing without problems, so that's OK."Federer, who has won four of his 16 Grand Slam titles in Australia, got a walkover into the third round when Andreas Beck withdrew from their scheduled Hisense Arena match due to a lower back injury. It deprived Federer of a different view at Melbourne Park, where he has played every match in Rod Laver Arena since the third round of the 2004 Australian Open.Eighth-ranked Mardy Fish became the first top 10 player on the men's side to lose, falling 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) to Colombia's Alejandro Falla.No. 7 Tomas Berdych advanced 6-1, 6-0, 7-6 (7-4) over Olivier Rochus of Belgium, 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, No. 18 Feliciano Lopez and No. 30 Kevin Anderson all advanced.On the women's side, 10th-seeded Francesca Schiavone was eliminated 6-4, 6-3 by fellow Italian Romina Oprandi and No. 16 Peng Shuai lost 6-2, 6-4 to Iveta Benesova of Czech Republic. Former No. 1-ranked Jelena Jankovic beat Chang Kai-chen of Taiwan 6-4, 6-2.Clijsters and No. 20 Hantuchova, a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 winner over Lesia Tsurenko, have been playing each other for years."When the injury happened, it happened against Daniela," Clijsters said of the hip muscle spasms she had at the Brisbane International."She's been playing well this season so far."We both go back a long way — we grew up playing under-14s together. Now almost 30 — still battling it out."This was Clijsters' best run at a major since the last Australian Open — she lost in the second round at the French Open and didn't play Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.Li is also returning to form, going further than she has at a Grand Slam tournament since her breakthrough win at the French Open. She went out in the second round at Wimbledon and the first at the U.S. Open, but reached the third round at Melbourne Park with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Olivia Rogowska.She next plays No. 26 Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, who beat Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-1, 6-0.Li said she loved being back on Rod Laver Arena, where she burst onto the global tennis scene last year, while Clijsters still clearly feels at home on a court where she's still known as "Aussie Kim" long after her relationship with Lleyton Hewitt ended.In a post-match TV interview, she asked presenter Rennae Stubbs a favor, saying her brother-in-law phoned her from Belgium to ask if she could convince the crowd to sing a birthday song for Elke, Clijsters' younger sister.The crowd obliged, after Clijsters kicked it off.Li took longer for her second-round win, saying it was harder than the scoreline suggested.Thursday, January 12, 2012
Petkovic out of Australian Open
Melbourne, Australia — Andrea Petkovic has withdrawn from the Australian Open with a stress fracture in her lower back.Petkovic, ranked No. 10, lost 7-5, 6-4 to Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in a second-round match at the Sydney International on Tuesday. She needed an injury timeout during the match to receive treatment from a trainer.The 24-year-old Petkovic was seeded 10th at the Australian Open, which begins Monday at Melbourne Park.The German is known for her celebratory dance after she wins — a hip-shaking wiggle that has pleased tennis fans but often irritated her opponents.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
India looking to end Australian test series drought
MELBOURNE, Australia — With an Australian cricket team in upheaval, India might have its best chance in decades to end an unwelcome streak Down Under — it has never won a test series since it began touring here 64 years ago.
Christmas feast: Australia's Ed Cowan hits a ball in training on Friday ahead of the first test against India on Monday. AP PHOTOWhen the four-test series begins Monday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, star batsmen Sachin Tendulkar might have an opportunity to give India a solid start towards ending that streak, and create a historic milestone for himself: becoming the first cricketer to score 100 centuries in tests or limited-overs internationals.Tendulkar warmed up for an attempt at the mark when he hit a stylish 92 in India's drawn tour match against a Cricket Australia Chairman's XI a week ago.Tendulkar's last international century came in March against South Africa. Fellow batsman Rahul Dravid has also been in strong form, scoring 1,067 runs in 2011 with five centuries.But Dravid said he'd trade all the personal achievements for a test series win in Australia."I wouldn't have minded scoring five hundreds (fewer) or 1,000 runs less if we could win a series in Australia," Dravid said. "The greatest memory for me now is not necessarily statistical . . . it's those magical moments. The series wins in tests stay with you."I think that's what you play for at this stage. I don't have anything in terms of my own numbers or statistics that I want to achieve in Australia, but I want to win a test series (here) and help the team win in Australia."Former India captain Kapil Dev believes his side has edged closer to an elusive Australia series win. And he claims former captain Ricky Ponting, who is in a batting slump, is the biggest threat.The 37-year-old Ponting has not scored a century in nearly two years, has averaged 50 just once in his past seven series and has made 323 runs at an average of 24 in seven tests over the past 12 months.The 158-test veteran will play in his 15th Boxing Day test after being named to the team Saturday. Shaun Marsh, who is returning from a back injury and scored an unbeaten 99 in a Twenty20 match this week, was thought to be a strong chance to replace Ponting, but both were named in the starting side."I am more concerned about Ricky Ponting than anybody else because he is experienced," Dev said. "If we can control him, we can control the entire Australian team. Experience always comes in handy in the long run, and he has not scored enough runs in the last year, so he is due."The Australian team is in tatters after losing eight wickets for 74 in a seven-run loss to No. 8-ranked New Zealand in Hobart two weeks ago. It was New Zealand's first test win in Australia since 1985.The collapse against New Zealand extended concerns over a batting order which reached its nadir in South Africa last month when dismissed for a record low of 47 at Cape Town."This time India has a better chance to win the test series in Australia, there is no doubt about that," Dev said. "Australia were on top of world cricket for 15 years. But now it is not the same team without (Glenn) McGrath, and Shane Warne, (Adam) Gilchrist and (Matt) Hayden. They are not as strong as they used to be."Dev points to the veterans India still has in its team."We still have Sachin, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman and Virender Sehwag," he said. "Then they are combined with the young talented fast bowlers and spinners. It looks like our team are getting strong everyday."Melbourne Cricket Ground curator Cameron Hodgkins said there would not be too much life in a pitch that traditionally plays low. He advised both sides that they might need some variation in their attacks to take the 20 wickets needed."After the new ball has worn and the pitch has flattened out, you tend to need a fair bit of variety to conjure up wickets," Hodgkins said. "It hasn't traditionally turned much on the last day but can become a better batting strip, which means it needs a variety of bowlers to get wickets."
Christmas feast: Australia's Ed Cowan hits a ball in training on Friday ahead of the first test against India on Monday. AP PHOTOWhen the four-test series begins Monday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, star batsmen Sachin Tendulkar might have an opportunity to give India a solid start towards ending that streak, and create a historic milestone for himself: becoming the first cricketer to score 100 centuries in tests or limited-overs internationals.Tendulkar warmed up for an attempt at the mark when he hit a stylish 92 in India's drawn tour match against a Cricket Australia Chairman's XI a week ago.Tendulkar's last international century came in March against South Africa. Fellow batsman Rahul Dravid has also been in strong form, scoring 1,067 runs in 2011 with five centuries.But Dravid said he'd trade all the personal achievements for a test series win in Australia."I wouldn't have minded scoring five hundreds (fewer) or 1,000 runs less if we could win a series in Australia," Dravid said. "The greatest memory for me now is not necessarily statistical . . . it's those magical moments. The series wins in tests stay with you."I think that's what you play for at this stage. I don't have anything in terms of my own numbers or statistics that I want to achieve in Australia, but I want to win a test series (here) and help the team win in Australia."Former India captain Kapil Dev believes his side has edged closer to an elusive Australia series win. And he claims former captain Ricky Ponting, who is in a batting slump, is the biggest threat.The 37-year-old Ponting has not scored a century in nearly two years, has averaged 50 just once in his past seven series and has made 323 runs at an average of 24 in seven tests over the past 12 months.The 158-test veteran will play in his 15th Boxing Day test after being named to the team Saturday. Shaun Marsh, who is returning from a back injury and scored an unbeaten 99 in a Twenty20 match this week, was thought to be a strong chance to replace Ponting, but both were named in the starting side."I am more concerned about Ricky Ponting than anybody else because he is experienced," Dev said. "If we can control him, we can control the entire Australian team. Experience always comes in handy in the long run, and he has not scored enough runs in the last year, so he is due."The Australian team is in tatters after losing eight wickets for 74 in a seven-run loss to No. 8-ranked New Zealand in Hobart two weeks ago. It was New Zealand's first test win in Australia since 1985.The collapse against New Zealand extended concerns over a batting order which reached its nadir in South Africa last month when dismissed for a record low of 47 at Cape Town."This time India has a better chance to win the test series in Australia, there is no doubt about that," Dev said. "Australia were on top of world cricket for 15 years. But now it is not the same team without (Glenn) McGrath, and Shane Warne, (Adam) Gilchrist and (Matt) Hayden. They are not as strong as they used to be."Dev points to the veterans India still has in its team."We still have Sachin, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman and Virender Sehwag," he said. "Then they are combined with the young talented fast bowlers and spinners. It looks like our team are getting strong everyday."Melbourne Cricket Ground curator Cameron Hodgkins said there would not be too much life in a pitch that traditionally plays low. He advised both sides that they might need some variation in their attacks to take the 20 wickets needed."After the new ball has worn and the pitch has flattened out, you tend to need a fair bit of variety to conjure up wickets," Hodgkins said. "It hasn't traditionally turned much on the last day but can become a better batting strip, which means it needs a variety of bowlers to get wickets."
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