2013 Tennis Thread

[Smallville22]

New year and Tennis starts straight away, there has even been an exhibition tournament completed that was completed in Abu Dhabi, the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Tennis Champisonship.

Tournaments this week are Doha, Chennai and Brisbane on the ATP / Brisbane and Auckland on the WTA. There is also some Hopman Cup going on.

Australian Open in a couple of weeks

 

[Smallville22]

Murray stumbles to defeat in Abu Dhabi

Andy Murray's Australian Open preparations got off to a poor start with a 6-3 6-4 defeat to Janko Tipsarevic in the opening match of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.
Britain’s world number three and Olympic champion, who won his first Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows this year, was broken by the Serb midway through the first set and again at the start of the second as he lost in under an hour at the Zayed Sports City Tennis Complex.
The rain-affected match was the opening contest of the exhibition tournament in the Emirati capital, which is played on outdoor hard courts and usually boasts the top six available players on the men’s tour.
In the other first-round match on Thursday, world number five David Ferrer beat Tomas Berdych 6-2 6-4.
"I have some things to work on in the next few weeks, but I am looking forward to it," Murray said.
"I have been training very hard in Miami. I enjoy Australia and have had played some of my best tennis there, so I hope that I can do the same this year."
It was a lethargic performance from Murray, who somehow contrived to lose the opening set despite winning all-but four points on serve - all of which came in the same game as Tipsarevic broke to move ahead.
The Scot had chances to break back in both sets, but was unable to take two break points in the first and one in the second.
Tipsarevic, who suffered from illness at the end of the season and lost all his matches at the World Tour Finals in London, is looking to consolidate his place in the world's top 10, although this tournament does not offer any ranking points.
This year’s Abu Dhabi line-up includes 2009 winner Murray, defending champion and world number one Novak Djokovic, and Spanish number two Ferrer.
Czech star Berdych, world number nine Tipsarevic and Spanish number three Nicolas Almagro – a late entrant after compatriot Rafael Nadal withdrew through illness – make up the draw.


Djokovic to face Almagro in Abu Dhabi final

Novak Djokovic began his season with a merciless 6-0 6-3 demolition job on David Ferrer to reach the Mubadala Tennis Championship final in Abu Dhabi, where he will face Nicolas Almagro of Spain.
The world number one swept aside Spain's world number five Ferrer in the opening set before bouncing back from an early break of service with four straight games to win it in two.
Ferrer barely had a chance to replicate the impressive display he entered the previous day against Tomas Berdych in the $250,000 winner-takes-all event.
"I love this court and the conditions here. I wish all the tournaments in the world were played here," Djokovic said. "It's definitely a great surface. It's not too warm here, not too cold, it's ideal to prepare on.
"I am surprised with my game considering it's the first match of the official season. Hopefully I can play another good one tomorrow."
Ferrer admitted the Serb was just too good for him.
"He's the best. I tried but I couldn't do it. Next time I will try again," he said.
"I won three games but to beat Nole I need to play my best tennis and today wasn't a good day."
Djokovic will now meet world number 11 Almagro in Saturday's final after the Spanish number three beat another Serb, Janko Tipsarevic, 2-6 7-6(3) 6-2.
Almagro was a last-minute entrant after compatriot Rafael Nadal withdrew with a stomach illness. The world number four subsequently withdrew from next month's Australian Open.
The Mubadala Tennis Championship is an invitation-only exhibition tournament in he U.A.E. that is contested between the top six available players.
This year Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were absent, meaning Djokovic, Andy Murray, Ferrer and Berdych were joined by Tipsarevic and Almagro.
Murray went out to Tipsarevic in the first round.


Djokovic holds off Almagro in Abu Dhabi

Novak Djokovic was pushed to the limit by Nicolas Almagro to win the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.
Almagro took the opening set against the world number one and despite losing the second set was holding his own in the third with high hopes of winning his final tournament of the year.
But Djokovic's power proved too much, the Serb turning on the style in the final few games to complete a 6-7(4) 6-3 6-4 victory.
David Ferrer beat Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 6-2 to win the third-place match in the exhibition tournament.

 

[Smallville22]

Nadal to miss Australian Open due to illness

French Open champion Rafa Nadal has been forced to withdraw from next month's Australian Open because of a stomach virus that has disrupted his recovery from a long-term knee injury, the world number four said on Friday.
"My knee is much better and the rehabilitation process has gone well as predicted by the doctors, but this virus didn't allow me to practise this past week," the Spaniard, who has also pulled out of the Qatar Open in Doha, said in a statement.
"Therefore I am sorry to announce that I will not play in Doha and the Australian Open, as we had initially scheduled."
Nadal was due to make his competitive comeback after the knee injury sidelined him for six months at this week's Mubadala World Tennis Championship, an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi that is not part of the ATP Tour.
The 26-year-old won the event in 2010 and 2011 but withdrew on Dec. 25 citing the stomach virus.
He has not played since June when he suffered a shock defeat in the second round of Wimbledon to Czech Lukas Rosol.
He was subsequently diagnosed with a partial tear of the patella tendon and inflammation in his left knee and was unable to defend his Olympic title at the London Games.
The 11-times grand slam singles champion also missed the U.S. Open and the season-ending World Tour championships before returning to the practice court on November 20.
At last year's Australian Open, Nadal was runner-up to Novak Djokovic after an epic five-set final that lasted almost six hours. It was the longest match at the event and the longest men's grand slam singles final on record.
"It is completely understandable and we really feel disappointed for him," Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said on the event's website (www.australianopen.com).
"But without any match practice and without sufficient lead up time on the practice court, it makes it virtually impossible for him to get his body ready," Tiley added.
"We just hope he gets better quickly and we see him back on the tour as soon as possible. Tennis fans across the world have been missing him.
"I am confident we will see him back on the tour soon and back in Australia for 2014."
Nadal, who won a record seventh French Open crown in May on his favoured clay, said doctors had advised a period of rest without any sport for the next seven days starting on Friday.
"As my team and doctors say, the safest thing to do is to do things well and this virus has delayed my plans of playing these weeks," he said.
"I will have to wait until the Acapulco tournament (at the end of February) to compete again although I could consider to play before at any other ATP event.
"I always said that my return to competition will be when I am in the right conditions to play and after all this time away from the courts I'd rather not accelerate the comeback and prefer to do things well."
Nadal's athletic, aggressive playing style places huge demands on his muscles and joints and he has been sidelined several times by injuries during his 11-year career.
He said last week he does not expect to be back to full fitness and close to his best until the Masters event at Indian Wells in March.
"Rafa Nadal suffered last week a viral process that provoked a gastroenteritis with high fever for four or five days," doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro, the head of Nadal's medical team, said on Friday.
"Due to this it's been recommended a break from sports for a week.
"Because of this, and considering that the next event is Doha, starting next week he won't be in sufficient physical conditions to continue with his rehabilitation process."
Nadal's uncle and coach Toni added: "We consider it inappropriate to play the Australian Open since we will not have enough preparation for a...grand slam tournament.
"It is simply not conceivable that his first event is a best of five sets event, he wouldn't be ready for that," he added.
"It is true we have been quite unlucky with this but there is nothing we can do. After all this time it is better to do things well and the most professional thing to do is to start when we are ready."

 

[Smallville22]

Petkovic injury sees Australia beat Germany

Host nation Australia beat highly fancied Germany on the opening day of the Hopman Cup in Perth as Andrea Petkovic was forced to withdraw injured.
Bernard Tomic produced a superb display against world number 21 Tommu Haas to win 7-6(6) 3-6 7-5, but Germany looked set to get back on level terms as Petkovic took her opening set against 16-year-old Ashleigh Barty 6-4.
An injury to her right knee ended Petkovic's hopes, however, and Germany were forced to concede both that match and the doubles clash to give Australia a 3-0 win.
“It’s unfortunate for Andrea, she’s a great player,” Barty said.
“I hope Andrea has a speedy recovery so she can play in the Australian Open.”
In the other match of the opening day, Spain enjoyed the narrowest of victories over South Africa as their clash came down to a super tie-break in the doubles.
In the men's singles Kevin Anderson beat Fernando Verdasco 7-6(5) 6-4, but Anabel Medina Garrigues thrashed Chanelle Scheepers 6-4 6-2 to level the scores at 1-1.
Spain won the opening set of the deciding mixed doubles, but Germany took the second on a tie-break to send the match to a super-tie break decider, which saw Spain come through 6-4 6-7(3) 10-8.


Venus Williams leads US to win, Spain beat France

The US duo of Venus Williams and John Isner knocked South Africa out of the Hopman Cup in Perth after a 2-1 win.
Williams fought back after losing the opening set to take her singles match against Chanelle Scheepers 4-6 6-2 6-3, but the match was forced to a deciding mixed doubles clash as Isner lost his singles 7-6(0) 7-6(5) to Kevin Anderson.
Williams and Isner were a class apart in the doubles, however, breezing through to win 6-3 6-2.
The defeat means that the South African team, who also lost to Spain on the opening day, are out of the tournament.
The day's other match, between France and Spain, was also decided by the mixed doubles where Spain came through to win.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga put France ahead as he beat Fernando Verdasco 7-5 6-3, but Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues levelled the match with a 6-3 6-2 win over Mathilde Johansson.
The Spanish duo held firm, however, cruising to a 6-3 6-3 win in the doubles to claim the match 2-1.


Djokovic in injury scare after Hopman Cup win

Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic suffered an injury scare at the Hopman Cup on Monday when the world number one hurt his leg as fans pushed towards him while he signed autographs.
The world number one was signing autographs after the match when he hurt his leg as local fans pushed towards him.
Leaving his racquets and bag on the court, Djokovic limped straight up the tunnel to receive a medical assessment in the locker room.
The Serbian was unable to complete a television interview he had agreed to after his 6-3 6-4 victory over Seppi that had clinched the match for Serbia.
His on-court performance had been less stressful as he defeated a plucky opponent who pushed him to the limit in a five-set thriller at the French Open this year.
Djokovic only arrived in Perth from Abu Dhabi late on Sunday night and admitted he was troubled by jet lag.
"I felt this morning that I was dream-walking," he said. "I broke the ice after the first set and started to feel better."
Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic took part in the doubles despite holding an unassailable 2-0 in the tie against the Italian pairing of Seppi and Francesca Schiavone after Ivanovic had begun the day by beating Schiavone 6-0 6-4.
The Italians won the doubles to ensure that they only lost the tie 2-1.
Djokovic is taking part in the round-robin team event to be guaranteed at least three matches in his build-up to the Australian Open starting on January 14.


Venus Williams inspires US turnaround at Hopman Cup

Venus Williams' heroics helped the US come from behind and down France 2-1 in their Hopman Cup group clash in Perth.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had won his singles match against John Isner, romping to a 6-3 6-2 victory to give his nation the lead.
Williams looked in trouble at a set and 3-0 down against Mathilde Johansson, but dug deep to turn the contest on its head and triumph 3-6 7-5 6-4.
In the doubles decider Isner's serve fired as the pair held their nerve to win in a champions tie-break 6-7 6-2 10-8.
"Mathilde's a tough player. She hits the ball hard and low, and I'm tall so it's hard to get low," Williams said. "I was just thinking, at least if I'm going to lose this match, I was going to try to work on my game. In the end, I got a win for the US."
The US have now won both their group matches and along with Spain are assured of a place in the semi-finals.


Tomic stuns Djokovic at Hopman Cup

Bernard Tomic stunned world number one Novak Djokovic 6-4 6-4 as Australia took an early lead over Serbia in their Hopman Cup quarter-final clash in Perth.
Tomic clinched his second career win over Djokovic as Australia opened up a lead over top-ranked Serbia in the mixed-teams event, before Ana Ivanovic levelled it up with a 6-2 6-3 win over Ashleigh Barty.
The 20-year-old from Queensland came into the match having lost all three of his ATP encounters with Djokovic, including their quarter-final match at Wimbledon in 2011.
Tomic, who has slipped to number 52 in the world rankings after reaching a career-high of 27 last June, edged out Djokovic in the opening set before reeling off three winners to break in the second.
It was a huge victory for Tomic, who had only previously beaten the Serb at the Kooyong Classic in 2010, ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
"I'm thankful to get the opportunity to play against Novak," Tomic said. "I was very nervous before the match. I've worked hard on my serve and technique in the off-season and I think that's why I won. And I've been working on my head a lot, trying to not get distracted."
In the second match of the quarter-final tie, Barty was defeated by Ivanovic in straight sets to level up the tie ahead of the decisive mixed doubles rubber.

 

[Smallville22]

Williams off to flyer in Brisbane

An angry and impatient Serena Williams overcame blustery conditions at the Brisbane International on Sunday in an ominous beginning to her only tournament before her charge at a 16th major title at the Australian Open.
The American threw her hands in the air, shook her head, gesticulated towards her coach and stomped her feet in petulant protest - but that did little to help compatriot Varvara Lepchenko who suffered a 6-2 6-1 first round defeat.
Howling with frustration in her first match since winning the WTA Championships at Istanbul in October, lacking rhythm in swirling winds on Pat Rafter Arena, Williams still delivered enough booming serves and punishing groundstrokes to prevail in a formidable if cantankerous display.
The reigning Wimbledon, Olympic and U.S. Open champion told reporters a calendar-year grand slam was very much on her mind at the start of the season.
Williams held all four major titles in the so-called Serena Slam of 2002-2003 but the holy grail of professional tennis is to win the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open tournaments in the same calendar year.
The American claimed world number one Victoria Azarenka and number two Maria Sharapova, and perhaps a few fringe-dwellers, were eyeing off a near-impossible feat not achieved since Steffi Graf's unbeaten run through 1988.
"I think whoever wins the Australian Open will have that same thought," Williams said.
"I think there is no way that Victoria or Maria or maybe some other players don't have that same thought. I think I definitely feel that way."
Both Azarenka and Sharapova are in a red-hot Brisbane field with Williams. Of the world's top 10, only Agnieszka Radwanska and Li Na are missing.
The predictability of her defeat of Lepchenko was matched by the level of emotion surrounding Australian wildcard Jarmila Gajdosova's victory on the opening day.
Playing her first tournament since the passing in September of her mother, also named Jarmila, and with her world ranking having plummeted from a career high of 25 to 183 in the last 18 months, Gajdosova roared home from a one-set deficit to stun Italy's world number 16 Roberta Vinci.
Gajdosova wept after a 4-6 6-1 6-3 triumph that set up a second-round showdown against French Open champion Sharapova.
"There have been a lot of things happening in my life," Gajdosova said.
"As you all know, my mom passed away in September. It's been a difficult time. First Christmas, as well, without her. My dad is here. My brother and his wife and son. It was my first match in front of them and my first match in Australia, after a long time, without my mum."
Sixth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova recovered from a pre-tournament asthma scare to defeat Spain's Carla Suarez-Navarro 6-3 6-4.
Kvitova has been gasping and wheezing in Brisbane's humid weather and revealed one of her recent attacks had been her worst in three years.
The 2011 Wimbledon champion was unaware she was asthmatic until she nearly collapsed during an event in New York in 2009.
"I was playing a tournament in the Bronx and after about five minutes I had to sit down and relax and have a drink because I just couldn't move and I couldn't play," she wrote in a column for the Courier-Mail newspaper.
"I still feel really uncomfortable when I'm in this sort of hot and humid weather and it was at practise on Friday that I started to feel a bit similar to what I did in The Bronx."

First-round results, WTA Brisbane

3-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) 6-2 6-1

6-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) 6-3 6-4

Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Spain) 7-5 6-2

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) beat Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) 6-3 3-6 6-3

Jarmila Gajdosova (Australia) beat Roberta Vinci (Italy) 4-6 6-1 6-3

Urszula Radwanska (Poland) beat Tamira Paszek (Austria) 2-6 6-0 6-2


Wozniacki, Stosur bundled out in Brisbane
Sam Stosur and Caroline Wozniacki both lost their opening matches of the Brisbane International.

Former US Open champion Stosur conceded there was no magic solution to her problems on home courts after a shock loss to Sofia Arvidsson in the opening round of the Brisbane International.
The world number nine, who has failed to match expectations in Australian tournaments, lost 7-6 7-5 to the Swede five weeks after ankle surgery and only a fortnight before the Australian Open.
"Just really disappointed again, leaving Brisbane so early," Stosur said. "I think it was some good tennis and some pretty average tennis at times."
Stosur said the surgery and the subsequent shortage of training had not played a part in her defeat.
"I wasn't going into the match thinking 'Oh my God, I haven't done this or that'," she said.
"I gave myself every opportunity to try and play as well as I could but for sure, I have not practised enough.
"I guess going into the match you want to think that that's going to be enough, but I think tonight it probably showed that it certainly wasn't enough.
"I have a fair bit of work to do ahead of me. You could put it down to being a bit rusty and it's the first match."
Saturation media coverage and public expectation is again accompanying Stosur's attempt to add the Australian Open to the US Open title she secured by upsetting Serena Williams in 2011.
"I don't know how much of that really played into it," she said. "I've said it before, it's great playing out on a court where you've got the crowd behind you and trying to cheer you on and all that."
Stosur's last tournament before the Australian Open starts in Sydney on Sunday.
"I know that panicking doesn't help anyone get a good result or feel better," she said. "There is no magic dust that's going to make anything go away or fix it overnight or anything. I'm not the first player to have their home grand slam and not perform.
"There has been a few Australian and French players, you name it. It's a tough thing.
"Again, would I rather have a grand slam in my country than not? I would.
"All you can do is try and play your best. I know that people believe in me and what I'm trying to do are the right things. You just really want to perform right here, right now. That's what I'm going to keep trying to do."
Wozniacki's preparations for the Australian Open were also left in tatters after she was bundled out of the Brisbane International by Kazakhstan's world No. 103 Ksenia Pervak.
Wozniacki's defeat completed a disastrous 12 months in which the Dane relinquished the No. 1 ranking and failed to threaten at any of the major championships.
The world No. 10 started strongly but wilted as Pervak, a 21-year-old qualifier on the comeback trail from a serious pelvic injury, committed 61 unforced errors but still completed a 2-6 6-3 7-6 (7-1) victory for her first win against a top 10 player.
"Had a lot of long rallies and a lot of even games, and it just didn't go my way," she said.
"Obviously it's tough to lose 7-6 in the third. It was a tough match. Could have gone both ways. She just went for it and it went in for her. Hopefully I can get some more matches in Sydney and be more prepared for Melbourne."
Wozniacki said knee troubles had hampered her during the year.
"You know, I'm still 10 in the world," she said. "Just the most important thing is that you're healthy. I had some struggles with my health. Obviously that makes a difference.
"But as long as I'm healthy and I can fight and be competitive, that is the most important thing.
"You play the sport you love to do, and obviously it's more fun when you're winning. Right now in these situations it's not so much fun. There is always the next week - I guess that's the good part about tennis."
Wozniacki, sporting a ring on her wedding finger, downplayed speculation she was engaged to the golfer Rory McIlroy, who was among the spectators on Monday.
"It was a Christmas present and it fit on this finger," she said. "I put it on, and all of a sudden I hear that I'm engaged. I'm not. It's already twice we've had to shut down engagement rumours.
"Don't worry, we will let you know if that time happens. We're just taking one day at a time."
Pervak said she was reaping the benefits of strenuous off-season work following her recovery from injury.
"I had a stress fracture of my pelvis bone," she said. "It was pretty hard because you cannot really put anything to hold it because you still need to walk.
"I was really upset because I played really good tennis before then. I had a small injury in the beginning and I didn't want to stop for a while.
"I was continuing to play and just took painkillers, so it got worse. It's sport, I guess. It happens with everyone."

WTA RESULTS - NEW YEAR'S EVE

Brisbane International

Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) beat Olivia Rogowska (Australia) 6-2 6-3

Sloane Stephens (US) beat Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 6-2 6-3

Ksenia Pervak (Russia) beat 8-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 2-6 6-3 7-6(1)

5-Sara Errani (Italy) beat Olga Puchkova (Russia) 6-1 6-3

Alize Cornet (France) beat Bojana Bobusic (Australia) 2-6 6-3 6-1

Sabine Lisicki (Germany) beat Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) 6-2 6-4

4-Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Anna Tatishvili (Georgia) 6-2 4-6 6-2

Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) beat 7-Samantha Stosur (Australia) 7-6(4) 7-5


Injured Sharapova out of Brisbane as seeds keep struggling

Maria Sharapova withdrew from the Brisbane International due to a collarbone injury on Tuesday, casting a huge shadow over her preparations for the Australian Open in two weeks time.
Sharapova, who spoke optimistically about the new season on Monday, was forced to withdraw from her second-round match against Australia's Jarmila Gajdosova in Brisbane, saying it was the "smart move" to make.
The French Open champion also pulled out of an exhibition match against Caroline Wozniacki at the end of December in Seoul because of a sore collarbone.
"That's why I had to pull out of the exhibition match I had in Korea," she said at a news conference on Tuesday.
"I had a bit of inflammation in my collarbone. My doctor in New York told me I couldn't really do much overhead training for about a week.
"So to be fair, I haven't really given myself a chance to pretty much hit any serves or anything over my head. Just been practicing groundstrokes.
"So I just kind of ran out of time here."
While the season's first Grand Slam set to start on January 14, Sharapova was not overly concerned about her preparations.
"I still have quite a bit of time to prepare for the Australian Open," she added. "I'm on the right track, been training really well, so I just don't want to jeopardise what I've gained in the off-season so far.
"I just have to make a smart move here."
Sharapova said she expected to travel straight to Melbourne rather than make a late entry into the Sydney International next week.
"I have my own fair share of experience, and know that it's much more important to be healthy to go into a big tournament like the Australian Open than to go into something big with a lot of matches and feel like you're not prepared health-wise," she said.
"You never know with these things. I mean, there are so many parts of the body where I'm sure if every one of us did an examination we would find a lot things wrong with us.
"But when it started getting a little too painful, I had to do a few tests. The doctor said, 'You always want to train but it's the off-season. He said I just had to calm it down for like five days.
"When I started back here I was feeling much better, but just like I said, couldn't do much overhead stuff and ran out of time."
Brisbane tournament director Cameron Pearson said Sharapova had made every effort to play.
"We feel for Maria because we saw first-hand how badly she wanted to play for the people of Brisbane," he said.
"She has been fantastic since she got here and worked hard in the gym, on court and in the medical room to do everything she could to get herself right.
"Unfortunately she didn't make it. We hope that she can recover sufficiently from the injury to take the court for the Australian Open and wish her all the best for the summer."
At the tournament the upsets kept on coming, with Petra Kvitova and Sara Errrani the latest high-profile players to be bounced out.
Sixth seed Kvitova was humbled by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who won through 6-4 7-5 in a solid performance.
"Everything was really tough last year, but I think I got a lot of experience through it all, and recognized I had a lot of things to work on," Pavyluchenkova said. "I worked on everything in the off-season - my serve got much better, my movement, just a lot of physical and mental things. But I'm not going to say it's all perfect now. I still have a lot to improve. Of course it's nice to see it's already paying off a little bit."
Errani crashed out 4-6 6-1 7-5 to Daniela Hantuchova in a two-hour 25-minute epic.
But there were no such dramas for the third seed Serena Williams, who needed an hour to dispatch Alize Cornet 6-2 6-2 in the evening match.


Azarenka wins through in Brisbane

Top seed Victoria Azarenka began her year with a 6-3 6-3 win over Sabine Lisicki 6-3 6-3 in their second-round match at WTA Brisbane.
The world number one was tested by the powerful German as she progressed from the night session match in the Australian Open warm-up tournament.
The big-hitting Lisicki blasted her fastest serve at 194km/h as she pinned her opponent back on her own delivery, but crucially she committed 36 unforced errors.
Azarenka will next take on qualifier Ksenia Pervak from Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals, with third seed Serena Williams her likely opponent in the last four.
"I'm such a picky person that I probably never will be satisfied," Azarenka told reporters.
"That's a good thing because I have a lot more matches to play and I can always improve. But it was pretty good. I felt like the things that I've been working on are there. I'm getting into the competitive groove and I'm happy where I'm at right now."
Azarenka faces a challenge to her top ranking from world No. 2 Maria Sharapova and No. 3 Serena Williams when the Australian Open begins at Melbourne Park on January 14.
"I actually don't really look at defending anything - I'm just looking to win," she said.
"I'm going to have the same mindset for as long as I'm playing. That's what I'm looking forward to - improving my game as I always do and match those big challenges, the big players.
"At the beginning of the year, you're obviously hungry to play. The atmosphere here in Australia brings out the best in me. The motivation is always extraordinary. I really like it here."

WTA Brisbane results

1-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beat Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 6-3 6-3

4-Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) 3-6 6-4 7-6(7)

Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) beat Jarmila Gajdosova (Australia) 1-6 6-1 6-4

Sloane Stephens (U.S.) beat Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) 6-3 6-4

 

[Smallville22]

Robson cruises through in Shenzhen

Laura Robson laid down a marker for the upcoming Australian Open with a 6-2 6-1 victory over Edina Gallovits-Hall in the Shenzhen Open.
The world number 53 enjoyed a comprehensive victory in the first round of the first WTA event of the 2013 season.
Robson, seeded seventh, will now face Romania's Monica Niculescu in the second round after she defeated China's Saisai Zheng, with Jelena Jankovic potentially awaiting in the quarter-finals.
Fellow British hope Anne Keothavong made it into the first round of the Chinese event with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Italy's Nastassja Burnett in the final round of qualifying.

First-round results, Shenzen Open

4-Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) beat Melinda Czink (Hungary) 6-3 6-2

7-Laura Robson (Britain) beat Edina Gallovits-Hall (Romania) 6-2 6-1

Annika Beck (Germany) beat Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) 6-2 6-7(7) 6-4

Monica Niculescu (Romania) beat Zheng Saisai (China) 6-4 7-5


WTA RESULTS - NEW YEAR'S EVE

Shenzen Open

Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) beat Timea Babos (Hungary) 6-4 7-5

2-Marion Bartoli (France) beat Venise Chan (Hong Kong) 6-1 6-0

Julia Cohen (US) beat Nina Bratchikova (Russia) 0-6 7-6(7) 7-5

Chang Kai-Chen (Taiwan) beat Silvia Soler Espinosa (Spain) 4-6 6-1 6-3

6-Peng Shuai (China) beat Anne Keothavong (Britain) 6-4 6-0

Ayumi Morita (Japan) beat Chan Yung-Jan (Taiwan) 6-4 6-4

Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) beat Shahar Peer (Israel) 6-1 6-3

7-Bojana Jovanovski (Serbia) beat Alexandra Cadantu (Romania) 6-3 6-1

5-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) beat Andrea Hlavackova (Czech Republic) 6-1 6-1

Duan Yingying (China) beat Kimiko Date-Krumm (Japan) 7-6(5) 7-5


Robson begins 2013 with loss in Shenzhen, Li eases through

Laura Robson's campaign at the Shenzhen Open ended with a second-round loss to Monica Niculescu 6-2 6-3 on New Year's Day.
The world number 53, seeded seventh in China, was comfortably brushed aside by the Romanian, ranked five places below her.
Robson will now prepare for the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on January 14.
Chinese number one Li Na had no troubles progressing, however - the former French Open champion swept aside Mandy Minella of Luxembourg 6-4 6-0.
Li now faces Julia Cohen in the second round.
The Chinese number one is the star turn in Shenzhen, which is hosting a tournament for the first time.

WTA SHENZHEN RESULTS

Second round

Jovanovski bt Duan 6-3 6-1

Zakopalova bt Svitolina 6-4 6-3

Peng bt Morita 6-1 6-1

Niculescu bt Robson 6-2 6-3

Beck bt Hsieh 6-3 6-0

First round

Zhou bt Pegula 6-4 6-2

Li bt Minella 6-4 6-0


There was a relatively comfortable win for top seed Li Na at WTA Shenzhen, meanwhile, as the Chinese player beat Julia Cohen of the USA 6-3 6-4 in their second-round encounter.
WTA Shenzhen results

1-Li Na (China) beat Julia Cohen (U.S.) 6-3 6-4

2-Marion Bartoli (France) beat Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) 7-5 6-4

Zhou Yimiao (China) beat Chang Kai-Chen (Taiwan) 4-6 6-2 7-6(3)

 

[Smallville22]

Early Auckland exits for Zheng, Kuznetsova

Defending champion Zheng Jie and former world number two Svetlana Kuznetsova were knocked out of the Auckland Classic in the first round on Monday.
Zheng raced to a 3-0 lead before losing 13 of the next 16 games to go down 7-5 6-1 to American Jamie Hampton.
The Chinese fourth seed followed in the footsteps of Hungarian Greta Arn, who crashed out in the first round last year after winning the previous edition.
Kuznetsova, returning from a knee injury, lost 6-7(5) 6-2 7-5 to unseeded Dutch player Kiki Bertens.
The Russian, twice a grand slam winner, prevailed in a tense tie-break to win the first set, then took an extended break for a foot injury after losing the second before Bertens won the deciding set.

WTA RESULTS - NEW YEAR'S EVE

Auckland Classic

Simona Halep (Romania) beat Arantxa Rus (Netherlands) 4-6 6-3 6-1

3-Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) beat Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 7-6(3) 6-2

Johanna Larsson (Sweden) beat Misaki Doi (Japan) 4-6 6-3 6-2

Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) beat Galina Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan) 6-1 6-7(2) 7-5

Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) beat Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 6-7(5) 6-2 7-5

Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) beat Coco Vandeweghe (US) 1-6 7-6(5) 6-4

Elena Vesnina (Russia) beat Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) 7-5 6-3

Pauline Parmentier (France) beat 7-Christina Mchale (US) 6-4 6-1


Radwanska and Goerges coast, Watson gets Auckland walkover

Agnieszka Radwanska brushed aside lucky loser Greta Arn 6-2 6-2 in her first match at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
Arn, the 2011 champion, fought harder than the scoreline suggested, but could not stop Radwanska getting her 2013 off to a solid start.
"The first match of the year is always hard, especially going from practicing indoors in the off-season to the conditions here," Radwanska said. "My opponent was very tough today, too. The score looks easy but the match was not easy - we had a lot of tight, long games. I really had to fight for every ball."
Second seed Julia Goerges also enjoyed a straight sets win, downing Anastasija Sevastova 6-3 6-4.
"It's always nice to get a win, and to get one in two sets is very nice," Goerges said. "I expected a tough match from Anastasija and I got it. I think it's much better when you get tough matches at the start of a tournament, so you can really try to show what you've been working on."
Britain's Heather Watson moved into the second round after opponent Sorana Cirstea was forced to pull out with illness. Fifth seed Cirstea had lost the first set when she called time on the match. Next up for the Brit is Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands.
Yaroslava Shvedova and Mona Barthel, seeded sixth and eighth respectively, won through, while Marina Erakovic and Romina Oprandi also booked second-round places.

 

[Smallville22]

Ferrer gets out of hole after bizarre delay in Doha

Top seed David Ferrer came from a set down to beat Dustin Brown in the opening round of the Qatar Open in Doha after a delay caused by a hole in the court.
At a set down and 2-1 up in the second set, play was halted when the Spaniard's heel took a chunk out of the hard surface behind the baseline.
German qualifier Brown, 162 places lower than Ferrer in the rankings, lost momentum after the 55-minute delay and went down 5-7 6-3 6-2.
Meanwhile fifth seed Jeremy Chardy was knocked out in 69 minutes by German Daniel Brands.
World number 32 Chardy lost 6-4 6-4 to the 153rd-ranked Brands as he struggled to get his first serve going.
His fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, seeded second, coasted through.

Lleyton Hewitt was backed by his home fans as he overcame Igor Kunitsyn 6-3 4-6 6-2 in the first round at the Brisbane International.
Hewitt, 31, had to graft to down the lucky loser, who himself had only stepped in at the last minute as a replacement for Radek Stepanek.
But Kunitsyn showed no signs of being overawed, levelling the match and forcing a deciding set. Hewitt, roared on in front of a packed 5,500 crowd at the Pat Rafter Arena, broke early in the third, however, and finished strongly.
“When you’ve been preparing for three or four days to play someone then it changes it’s always tough and especially when you’re playing someone who’s already had two or three matches in these conditions as well,” Hewitt said.
“He’s a good ball striker and had nothing to lose so I felt like it was a pretty high-standard match out there tonight.”
The world number 83 will next meet Denis Istomin after the Uzbek overcame Martin Klizan, seeded eight in Brisbane, 6-1 6-2.

ATP Brisbane results

Round one

Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) beat Igor Kunitsyn (Russia) 6-3 4-6 6-2

Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat Brian Baker (U.S.) 6-3 7-6(8)

David Goffin (Belgium) beat Matthew Ebden (Australia) 6-2 6-2

Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat Ryan Harrison (U.S.) 6-4 7-6(4)

7-Jurgen Melzer (Austria) beat Denis Kudla (U.S.) 2-6 6-4 6-4

John Millman (Australia) beat Tatsuma Ito (Japan) 6-4 6-1

Alejandro Falla (Colombia) beat Jesse Levine (U.S.) 6-1 7-6(8)

Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) beat 8-Martin Klizan (Slovakia) 6-1 6-2

ATP Doha results

Round one

1-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Dustin Brown (Germany) 5-7 6-3 6-2

Lukasz Kubot (Poland) beat 7-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-4 6-2

Tobias Kamke (Germany) beat Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (Spain) 6-1 6-2

2-Richard Gasquet (France) beat Jan Hernych (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-4

Gael Monfils (France) beat Mousa Shanan Zayed (Qatar) 6-0 6-3

Daniel Brands (Germany) beat 5-Jeremy Chardy (France) 6-4 6-4

Mohamed Safwat (Egypt) beat Jabor Al Mutawa (Qatar) 6-0 6-0

4-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) beat Benjamin Becker (Germany) 4-6 7-6(3) 6-1

Lukas Lacko (Slovakia) beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 6-1 2-6 6-4

Lukas Rosol (Czech Republic) beat 8-Pablo Andujar (Spain) 6-2 7-6(2)

ATP Chennai results

Round one

Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) beat Ruben Bemelmans (Belgium) 7-6(7) 7-6(5)

Dudi Sela (Israel) beat Rajeev Ram (U.S.) 6-4 6-1

Somdev Devvarman (India) beat Jan Hajek (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-3

Roberto Bautista (Spain) beat Blaz Kavcic (Slovenia) 7-6(6) 6-2

5-Benoit Paire (France) beat Flavio Cipolla (Italy) 6-3 6-4

Prakash Amritraj (India) beat Guillaume Rufin (France) 6-7(4) 6-2 6-3

Matthias Bachinger (Germany) beat 7-Lu Yen-Hsun (Taiwan) 6-4 3-6 6-4

Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (Germany) beat Igor Sijsling (Netherlands) 6-4 6-4

 

[Smallville22]

Tomic stuns Djokovic at Hopman Cup

Australia's Bernard Tomic stunned Novak Djokovic 6-4 6-4 but Serbia still beat the Aussies in their Hopman Cup clash in Perth.
Tomic clinched his second career win over Djokovic as Australia opened up a lead over top-ranked Serbia in the mixed-teams event, before Ana Ivanovic levelled it up with a 6-2 6-3 win over Ashleigh Barty.
Djokovic then teamed up with Ivanovic to beat Tomic and Barty 10-6 in a champions tie-break to clinch a 6-4 6-7 (8-10) 10-6 win.

 

[Smallville22]

Gasquet secures 300th career win in Doha

Richard Gasquet picked up the 300th victory of his ATP Tour career with a victory over Grega Zemlja in the second round of the ATP Doha event.
However, the second seeded Frenchman had to work hard before finally digging out a 6-7 (7) 6-4 7-6 (3) victory.
It looked as if Gasquet would have to wait another week for his landmark win when he fell 5-2 down in the deciding set but he battled back for the win.
Top seed David Ferrer had an easier time of things as he beat Tobias Kamke of Germany 6-3 6-2.
Former world number three Nikolay Davydenko and former world number seven Gael Monfils showed they can both still produce with victories over seeds.
Davydenko beat fourth seed and fellow Russian Mikhail Youzhny 7-5 6-3, while Monfils took care of third seeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4 2-6 6-4.
Sixth seed Viktor Troicki also lost to Lukas Lacko of Slovakia.

At the ATP event in Brisbane, third seed Gilles Simon came through his second-round match against Alejandro Falla 7-6(5) 7-6(5).
The Frenchman had a first serve percentage of just 48, but took both breakers 7-5 to overcome the world number 54.
In temperatures as high as 35 degrees on one of the Queensland Tennis Centre's outside courts Simon, a semi-finalist at the event last year, struggled through a testing encounter in conditions similar to those in which he struggled at last year's Australian Open.
"It was very hot, even with the roof, and it was very difficult playing today," Simon said. "But that's good, that's why I came here. It's such good preparation for Melbourne.
"This year I want to do my best to get my body ready for the Open. In the off season I didn't work on my game at all because I know that's in good shape. I just wanted to tune up physically."
After beating the Colombian, Simon will next take on Marcos Baghdatis in the quarter-finals, with the Cypriot having defeated sixth seed Florian Mayer.
Top seed Andy Murray is in second-round action against Australian wildcard and world number 199 John Millman on Thursday, with a potential quarter-final contest with former world number one Lleyton Hewitt on the cards.

In Chennai, second seeded Serb Janko Tipsarevic eased past Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France to set up a third-round, quarter-final encounter with Go Soeda.
Japan's Soeda, seeded eighth in India, took three sets to overcome home hope Prakash Amritraj, while fourth seed Stanislas Wawrinka secured a regulation win over Cedrik-Marcel Stebe.
The Swiss next meets Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene, who registered the shock of the day with a straight set win over sixth seed Robin Haase.

ATP Brisbane

3-Gilles Simon (France) beat Alejandro Falla (Colombia) 7-6(5) 7-6(5)

4-Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) beat Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) 6-2 4-1 (Nieminen retired)

5-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beat Tommy Robredo (Spain) 6-3 6-3

Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) beat 6-Florian Mayer (Germany) 6-4 6-2

ATP Qatar

1-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Tobias Kamke (Germany) 6-3 6-2

2-Richard Gasquet (France) beat Grega Zemlja (Slovenia) 6-7(7) 6-4 7-6(3)

Gael Monfils (France) beat 3-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) 6-4 2-6 6-4

Simone Bolelli (Italy) beat Lukasz Kubot (Poland) 2-6 6-4 6-4

Lukas Lacko (Slovakia) beat 6-Viktor Troicki (Serbia) 6-3 7-5

Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat 4-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 7-5 6-3

Daniel Brands (Germany) beat Mohamed Safwat (Egypt) 4-6 6-3 6-2

Paolo Lorenzi (Italy) beat Lukas Rosol (Czech Republic) 6-0 6-4

ATP Chennai

4-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (Germany) 6-4 6-3

Aljaz Bedene (Slovenia) beat 6-Robin Haase (Netherlands) 7-5 6-3

8-Go Soeda (Japan) beat Prakash Amritraj (India) 7-6(2) 3-6 6-4

2-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) beat Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France) 6-2 6-3

 

[Smallville22]

Murray battles through against qualifier in Brisbane

Andy Murray battled back from losing the second set to beat Australian qualifier John Millman 6-1 5-7 6-3 and reach the quarter-finals of ATP Brisbane.
The top seed and defending champion took more than two hours to overcome the world number 199 after having received a bye through to the second round.
After fighting back from a sluggish second set in which his percentage of points won on first serve dropped from 75 per cent to 57 per cent, Murray regained his poise in the third set to beat the 23-year-old Australian and secure his safe progression.
"It was a real high quality match," Murray said in his courtside interview. "I expected a tough match. He is a lot better than his ranking, that is for sure."
Murray revealed that former world number one Lendl, who was due to arrive in Brisbane on Friday, had not even considered the possibility of the Scot losing to Millman.
"He was obviously expecting me to come through, but it was very nearly a different story. The depth of the game now is so, so strong. None of the matches are easy. It was a bit different back in Ivan's day where they could kind of cruise a little bit the first couple rounds.
"I had seen John's name before, but I hadn't seen him play. I think it's important when you don't know how someone plays to find out about their character a little bit.
"He's very consistent...he can play quite a long way behind the baseline and doesn't take too many risks. And then, you know, he was going for absolute bombs and making them," he added.
The world number three will next take on Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin, who defeated former number one, 31-year-old Lleyton Hewitt, 7-5 7-5.
Murray, who won the tournament last year before reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open, is continuing his warm-up for the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne, which gets under way on January 14.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov beat Milos Raonic 6-3 6-4 to send the second seed packing at the second-round stage.
The world number 13 failed to win a single point on the first serve of his opponent as he was unable to put any pressure on the world number 48.
Dimitrov won just three points on the Canadian’s first serve, but won all 26 of his first-serve points en route to the straight-sets win. The Bulgarian will next take on seventh seed Jurgen Melzer of Austria.
"I just didn't take my chances. Should have been up an early break in the first and the second sets," said Hewitt.
"I just tried scrapping around to hang in as long as I could, but it was just one of those days. Two matches has been an absolute bonus this week, but it would have been nice to have a few more."

ATP Brisbane results

1-Andy Murray (Britain) beat John Millman (Australia) 6-1 5-7 6-3

Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat 2-Milos Raonic (Canada) 6-3 6-4

7-Jurgen Melzer (Austria) beat David Goffin (Belgium) 6-4 7-6(4)

Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) beat Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 7-5 7-5

ATP Doha results

Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat Simone Bolelli (Italy) 6-1 6-1

1-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Paolo Lorenzi (Italy) 6-3 6-0

2-Richard Gasquet (France) beat Lukas Lacko (Slovakia) 6-1 6-3

Daniel Brands (Germany) beat Gael Monfils (France) 6-1 7-5

ATP Chennai results

1-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Somdev Devvarman (India) 6-3 6-1

3-Marin Cilic (Croatia) beat Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) 4-6 6-2 6-3

5-Benoit Paire (France) beat Dudi Sela (Israel) 6-1 6-0

Roberto Bautista (Spain) beat Matthias Bachinger (Germany) 7-6(4) 6-3

 

[Smallville22]

Azarenka to face Serena in Brisbane semi-finals

World number one Victoria Azarenka's preparations for the defence of her Australian Open crown continued apace with a 6-1 6-0 demolition of Ksenia Pervak in Brisbane.
The Belarusian, who will defend her title in Melbourne when the first Grand Slam of the year starts on January 14, was simply too good for her Kazak opponent, who wilted in the Queensland heat.
Azarenka registered a bagel in the opening set before dropping just one game in the second to secure the most comprehensive of victories and set up a semi-final date with Serena Williams.
The number three seed beat compatriot Sloane Stephens 6-4 6-3 in an all-American clash, the last women's encounter of the day.
Serena beat her good friend in 72 minutes with ruthless efficiency, winning 84 per cent of the points on her first serve, and broke with each of her two opportunities.
In the other half of the draw, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will play Lesia Tsurenko for a place in the final.
Russian Pavlyuchenkova shocked fourth seed Angelique Kerber of Germany 7-6(3) 7-6(3) while Ukrainian Tsurenko downed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 6-3 6-4.

WTA Brisbane results

1-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beat Ksenia Pervak (Kazakhstan) 6-1 6-0

3-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Sloane Stephens (U.S.) 6-4 6-3

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) beat 4-Angelique Kerber (Germany) 7-6(3) 7-6(3)

Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) beat Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 6-3 6-4

WTA Auckland results

1-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Elena Vesnina (Russia) 6-3 6-3

3-Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) beat Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) 6-3 6-4

8-Mona Barthel (Germany) beat Johanna Larsson (Sweden) 6-2 6-1

Jamie Hampton (U.S.) beat Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) 6-1 6-7(5) 6-2

WTA Shenzhen results

1-Li Na (China) beat 8-Bojana Jovanovski (Serbia) 6-3 6-3

5-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) beat 2-Marion Bartoli (France) 6-3 6-2

6-Peng Shuai (China) beat Annika Beck (Germany) 2-6 7-5 6-2

 

[Smallville22]

Isner pulls out of Hopman Cup with knee injury

John Isner has withdrawn from the Hopman Cup with a knee injury that has dashed the Americans' hopes of reaching the final of the mixed team event in Perth.
Isner was battling what he called "a bit of tendonitis" all week and his withdrawal ahead of the singles match against Spain's Fernando Verdasco also ended team mate Venus Williams's hopes of emulating sister Serena's 2008 Hopman Cup victory.
"I'm very, very sorry to all the fans here, I really wanted to play here against Fernando, so I apologise for that and I hope you guys understand," said Isner, who became the second player to quit the tournament.
Germany's Andrea Petkovic pulled out on Sunday with a knee injury.
"I absolutely love this event, it's my third time here and it's very disappointing for me and it's a tough one to swallow but for me, first and foremost I've got to try and get 100 per cent healthy," Isner said.
Following his withdrawal, Spain were awarded the tie and go through to Saturday's final as the top-placed team from Group B.
Isner was optimistic of playing the Australian Open later this month.
"My plan now is just to treat it as best I can and see how it reacts," he said.
"I do know I've always been a fast healer when I've had little injuries pop up here and there, so I'm confident I'm going to be fine for the Australian Open.
"It's not a great way to start the year but I'd rather it happen this week than in two weeks (at the Australian Open)."
Australian junior Thanasi Kokkinakis was named Isner's replacement in the American team.


Australia sink Italy in Hopman Cup

Australia's Bernard Tomic backed up his victory over world number one Novak Djokovic by dismantling Italian journeyman Andreas Seppi 6-3 7-5 at the Hopman Cup team event on Thursday.
Tomic accounted for Seppi in 71 minutes before 16-year-old Ashleigh Barty toppled former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 6-0 6-3 to give Australia a 2-0 win over the Italians.
"I played really well against Novak yesterday night and today was really good as well," Tomic said.
"It's amazing preparation before the Australian Open and I'm really glad I came. The last few months were very hard. I was focusing a lot on my fitness and my serve. You need to serve well when you play against these top players."
Australia will reach Saturday's final if Germany upset Serbia's top-seeded pairing of Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic on Friday.
Tomic's three successive wins against Tommy Haas, Djokovic and Seppi, complemented by Barty's success against former French Open champion Schiavone, have raised expectations of home success at the Australian Open starting on January 14.


Watson an injury doubt for Australian Open

Heather Watson admits she faces a race against time to be fit for the Australian Open after pulling out of WTA Auckland.
Watson, from Guernsey, suffered an elbow injury in her second-round clash at the warm-up tournament in Auckland with Kiki Bertens, which she lost 6-4 3-6 6-3.
She also played doubles with home player Marina Erakovic on the same day in New Zealand, but again lost, this time to Cara Black of Zimbabwe and Anastasia Rodionova of Australia.
The 20-year-old Tweeted: "I injured my elbow in my singles match, I have to withdraw from Hobart. Doing everything I can to get healthy."
Watson's problem has forced her to withdraw from the upcoming Moorilla Hobart International and puts into doubt her participation at the Australian Open, which gets under way on January 14.


Saville handed Melbourne Park wildcard

Reigning boys champion Luke Saville has been handed a wildcard into the men's singles draw for the Australian Open later this month.
The 18-year-old Australian will be making his debut in the main draw at Melbourne Park and it comes after an impressive 2012 campaign in which he improved his ranking by more than 800 places and was also runner-up at the Wimbledon boys event.
"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," Saville, the world number 349, said.
Saville had fallen in the first round of the qualifiers for the first Grand Slam of the season in the last three years.
Organisers of the January 14-27 event also handed 21-year-old Australian Olivia Rogowska a wildcard into the main draw of the women's singles.

 

[Smallville22]

Djokovic-owned Serbia Open scrapped

The Serbia Open, founded and organised by the family of world number one Novak Djokovic, has been scrapped after four years.
"The Serbia Open tennis tournament in Belgrade will no longer feature on the ATP World Tour calendar following the decision by the organisers to cease the tournament's operations," the ATP men's tour said.
It also quoted tournament organisers Family Sport, the company in charge of the event owned by Serb Djokovic and his family, as saying that they have "made the most rational decision considering the circumstances".
"We are grateful for everyone's contribution and help in running this event that brought a lot of international stars and attention to Serbia," it said.
"Unfortunately, we will not be able to run the Belgrade tournament and have decided to cease the tournament's operations from 2013."
The Djokovic family had high hopes for the ATP 250 event when it started in 2009, especially after the world's top tennis player, then ranked third, drew a sellout 7,000 crowd in every match en route to winning the inaugural event.
Played in the first week of May on red clay, the Serbia Open was used by Djokovic and his rivals as a warm-up for the French Open but it failed to draw other big names such as seven-times Roland Garros winner Rafa Nadal.
After retiring with flu in the early stages of 2010 and winning his second title in 2011, Djokovic pulled out of the 2012 event and the eerily empty terraces in the stadium erected by the banks of the Sava River in central Belgrade suggested the writing was on the wall.
The economic decline in Serbia has also made it difficult for sponsors to keep funding the tournament, whose last winner was Italian Andreas Seppi after he beat Frenchman Benoit Paire in the 2012 final.

 

[Smallville22]

Murray moves into Brisbane semi-finals
Top seed Andy Murray progressed through to the semi-finals of ATP Brisbane with a 6-4 7-6 (7-3) victory over Denis Istomin.

The defending champion earned only one opportunity to break serve in the opening set against the Uzbekistan player, but grabbed it ruthlessly to seize control of the match in the Pat Rafter Arena.
Istomin, ranked at number 43 in the world, failed to capitalise on two break points on the Murray serve, but continued to battle through the second set as he pushed his opponent to a tie-break, which the world number three won for the loss of three points.
Though Istomin opened up a 2-0 lead with an early mini-break, Murray won seven of the next eight points to wrap up the match in 97 minutes and win through to the last four of the Australian Open warm-up event he won last year.
The US Open champion struggled in his opening three-set win against John Millman on Thursday, but looked more comfortable in his second match of the year against his 26-year-old opponent.
"For the most part it was pretty good quality," said Murray. "He served well for the majority of the first set, and especially well at the beginning the second. So I didn't really have that many chances on returns, so I needed to serve well today. That helped."
Murray, who reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 2012, is continuing his warm-up for the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne, which gets under way on January 14.
He will next take on fifth seed Kei Nishikori of Japan looking for a place in his 38th tour-level final, with the Japanese player having beaten fourth seeded Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-4 7-6 (7-3).
When asked about facing Nishikori in the last four, Murray added: "It will be a very tough match, because he is very quick."
Gilles Simon was the highest profile casualty on a day which saw a number of seeded players sent packing from the ATP tournament after he was ousted by Marcos Baghdatis 6-3 6-4 in the first of the day's quarter-finals at the Queensland Tennis Centre.
Cypriot Baghdatis won 78 per cent of his first serves and broke the French third seed three times on his way to what was a comfortable victory. He now plays Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the final, after the Bulgarian toppled seventh seed Juergen Melzer 6-3 6-2 in another upset.
Dimitrov fired down 17 aces, winning 84 per cent of his first serves and taking all four of the break points he had in a match that lasted just under an hour.

In Doha, Nikolay Davydenko continued his superb week by beating top seed David Ferrer 6-2 6-3 in the semi-finals.
Davydenko went into the event unseeded but is now just one match away from winning for the second time in Doha after his triumph in 2010.
He will face second seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the final who saved all three break points he faced in a 7-5 7-5 victory over Germany's Daniel Brands.

ATP Brisbane results

1-Andy Murray (Britain) beat Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) 6-4 7-6(3)

5-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beat 4-Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) 6-4 7-6(3)

Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat 7-Jurgen Melzer (Austria) 6-3 6-2

Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) beat 3-Gilles Simon (France) 6-3 6-4

ATP Chennai results

Roberto Bautista (Spain) beat 1-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) 7-5 2-6 6-3

2-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) beat 8-Go Soeda (Japan) 6-2 6-4

Aljaz Bedene (Slovenia) beat 4-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) 6-2 7-6(6)

5-Benoit Paire (France) beat 3-Marin Cilic (Croatia) 6-4 1-6 7-5

ATP Doha resutls

2-Richard Gasquet (France) beat Daniel Brands (Germany) 7-5 7-5

Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat 1-David Ferrer (Spain) 6-2 6-3

 

[Smallville22]

Azarenka out after freak pedicure injury

Victoria Azarenka's preparations for this month's Australian Open took a blow on Friday when the world number one withdrew from her WTA Brisbane semi-final against Serena Williams due to injury.
Thirty minutes before the match against her American opponent, the defending Australian Open champion announced she would be unable to compete after undergoing a minor procedure to fix an ingrown nail that infected her right big toe - a problem which was apparently caused by a poor pedicure.
"It's been there for about 10 days," the 23-year-old Belarussian said.
"It's just been getting worse a little bit," she added.
"I don't know in medical terms, but I had to get a piece (of nail) out of my toe because it was jamming into me and got infected.
"It's something that's very just really unfortunate, but I had to do that. It was just jamming underneath into the skin. I was trying to minimise the pain with taping and everything.
"Yesterday it got worse. It got really infected and got really red, so we had to go and see the doctor. He had to open it. That's what I had to do."
Azarenka had won her first two matches at Brisbane without any signs of discomfort but the eagerly-anticipated showdown against the third-ranked Williams failed to materialise.
"It just got infected from a bad pedicure experience," she said.
"I had somebody who gave me infection. They cut a little bit too much and it got infected. And then from as much as we do, as much exercise, it's just been jamming into it and it's created an infection inside. Created a little piece of nail to go in and always be hurting me.
"Actually the doctor said it happens a lot. Never happened to me, so it's something that I am definitely going to prevent for the next time.
"I tried everything. We tried medication with taping, and I was playing through the pain for quite a while.
"You know, it's just something that I had to do to make sure that I can be fully recovered and ready for Australian Open. It's the compromise I had to take.
"It's just very unfortunate timing, because I was really looking forward to playing. But the health is definitely something that's more important."
Despite the setback, Azarenka expected to be fully fit when the Australian Open begins in Melbourne on January 14.
"The procedure has been done and the worst already passed by. It just needs some time to get it better."


Radwanska to face Wickmayer in Auckland final

Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska overcame blustery conditions and a dogged Jamie Hampton in the semi-finals of WTA Auckland on Friday to set up a title clash against Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer.
The Polish world number four had to dig deep in the year's first tournament to edge out the 70th-ranked American 7-6 7-6.
"I've never been in a final in my first tournament of the year, so it's a good start, and I'm going to do everything in my power to win that match tomorrow," Radwanska, who is yet to drop a set at the tournament, said.
"Winning a title is a great thing, especially at a tournament I haven't played before."
Third seed Wickmayer reached her third Auckland final in four years after winning a final set tie-break against eighth-seeded German Mona Barthel.
The 2010 champion and runner-up a year later won 6-4 1-6 7-6 after struggling against Barthel's serve in the windy conditions.
"It was really tough to get a rhythm on her serve - it's really tough to read, and when she served a bit slower the wind was taking it," the Belgian said of the Barthel serve, which produced 12 aces.
"I managed to stay mentally strong in the tie-break - I'm really happy with the way I handled that pressure."

WTA Brisbane results

3-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat 1-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)WO

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) beat Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 4-6 6-1 6-2

WTA Auckland results

1-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Jamie Hampton (U.S.) 7-6(4) 7-6(3)

3-Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) beat 8-Mona Barthel (Germany) 6-4 1-6 7-6(3)

WTA Shenzhen results

1-Li Na (China) beat 6-Peng Shuai (China) 6-4 6-0

5-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) beat Monica Niculescu (Romania) 6-1 6-3

 

[Smallville22]

Serbia into Hopman final, injury scare for Tsonga

World number one Novak Djokovic made a blistering return to form as Serbia reached the final of the Hopman Cup mixed-teams event on Friday, but France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga suffered an injury scare.
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.
Tsonga's Australian Open preparations were thrown into chaos when he was forced to retire with a groin injury from a mixed doubles match as South Africa beat France 2-1 in a dead rubber in Group B.
Djokovic 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 on Saturday.
"I've had a few more hours of sleep," Djokovic told reporters.
"It's great. I came out on court today feeling much fresher than the opening few days. 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 ten. I wish him all the best for the Australian Open."
Earlier on Friday, South Africa beat France when Tsonga had to retire in the deciding mixed doubles.
Chanelle Scheepers beat France's Mathilde Johansson 4-6 6-4 6-4 before Tsonga defeated Kevin Anderson 7-6 7-6 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.

 

[Smallville22]

Spain shock Serbia in Hopman Cup final

Spain secured a surprise victory in the Hopman Cup with a comeback triumph against Serbia in the final of the mixed teams event in Perth on Saturday.
Fernando Verdasco and Anabel Medina Garrigues beat the more fancied pairing of Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic 6-4 7-5 in the deciding mixed doubles to secure a 2-1 win.
World No.1 Djokovic had already defeated Verdasco 6-3 7-5 in the opening singles before Medina Garrigues survived a tense clash against Ivanovic, 6-4 6-7 6-2.
"Thanks to Fernando because without him, the doubles would have been impossible," Medina Garrigues said.
Verdasco led Djokovic 3-0 in the second set of their singles rubber before being overhauled. "It's difficult to play against a player like him," Djokovic said. "He's very aggressive and serves over 200kmh."
Djokovic is chasing his third successive Australian Open at Melbourne Park from January 14.
He suffered a shock loss to Australia's Bernard Tomic during the round robin stage of the Hopman Cup but recovered with back-to-back singles wins against Andreas Seppi and Verdasco.

 

[Smallville22]

Williams earns Brisbane glory, wins for Radwanska and Li

Serena Williams felt she was close to accessing the sporting "zone" during her emphatic 6-2 6-1 victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final of the Brisbane International, while there were wins elsewhere for Agnieska Radwanska and Li Na.
Williams needed only 51 minutes to beat the Russian in an ominous warm-up for the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on January 14.
"I've been in the zone a few times," Williams said.
"I don't know if I was in the zone today, but I was definitely heading in that direction. I've been in the twilight zone before, where I just felt so good I couldn't do anything wrong."
The world No.3's performance was so strong that Pavlyuchenkova said afterwards: "I always feel like I don't know how to play tennis when I play against you."
Williams captured the 47th title of her career. She has won 35 of her past 36 matches while claiming Wimbledon, the Olympics, the US Open, the season-ending tour championship and now the opening event of 2013.
The 31-year-old American roared through the Brisbane tournament without the loss of a set.
She said: "I was looking at a lot of old matches on YouTube, and I feel like right now I'm playing some of my best tennis. I feel like I want to do better and play better still."
Williams said a decision to seek on-court tranquillity after a shattering defeat to Virginie Razzano at the French Open last year had triggered her career resurrection.
"I really started being more calm on the court and just relaxing more, if it's possible for me to relax," she said.
"I feel better when I'm more calm. When I'm crazy like I was in Paris, as you can see, it doesn't do great for me. I think it is a really fine line between being too calm... I think sometimes if I'm too calm it doesn't work for me, either. I can be calm and still be pumped up and really excited.
"I can't do too much of either."
Williams said she wanted to take up meditation as an off-court routine, even though it would challenge her.
"I can never sit long enough for meditation," she said. "I really want to meditate more and I want to be still and be in that quiet area. But I just pick up my iPad and start playing some games, and then next thing I know I'm watching TV.
"Hopefully I can get there."
At Melbourne Park Williams will be chasing her 16th major championship and sixth Australian Open title.
She will start as the clear favourite after her irresistible progress through the Brisbane event coincided with injuries hampering the preparations of world No.1 Victoria Azarenka (toe) and No.2 Maria Sharapova (collarbone).

In New Zealand, top seed Agnieszka Radwanska began her Australian Open preparations in winning style, accounting for 2010 champion Yanina Wickmayer to claim the Auckland Classic title.
The world number four, who had not dropped a set throughout the tournament on the central Auckland courts, beat the 23-year-old Belgian 6-4 6-4 to claim her 11th WTA tour title.
Both players had trouble with their serve in the first set, with Wickmayer, who had problems with her ball toss in the windy conditions, broken in just the third game of the set.
The Belgian, however, managed to get back into the match when she broke to level at 4-4 only for Radwanska to break back immediately and then serve out to take the set in 45 minutes.
Wickmayer, who was told by her coach to start treating the game as a practice session and just go for her shots and not worry about the Pole's retrieving ability, made a strong start in the second set taking a 2-0 lead.
Radwanska's consistency under pressure, however, proved the telling point in the second set, constantly putting the ball back into play and waiting for the tall Belgian to make errors.
Wickmayer, whose emotions bubbled over as she became increasingly frustrated at the numerous errors she was committing, managed to delay the inevitable when she saved four match points on her own serve in the ninth game of the set, but was unable to stop Radwanska from sealing the title in the next game in 95 minutes.

In China top seed Li Na survived a mid-match meltdown to overcome Czech Klara Zakopalova 6-3 1-6 7-5 in the final of the inaugural Shenzhen Open, earning the Chinese a seventh career title.
World number seven Li, who won the 2011 French Open, looked in danger of disappointing the home fans after surrendering her serve in the first game of the deciding set.
Li, who beat fellow Chinese Peng Shuai 6-4 6-0 in Friday's semi-finals, hit back to win five of the next six games but from 5-2 up allowed fifth seed Zakopalova to draw level at 5-5.
In a topsy-turvy finish encapsulating the match, Li collected herself to put together two solid games and give her a boost ahead of the Australian Open, which begins on Jan. 14.
Li reached the final of the year's first grand slam in Melbourne in 2011 before going on to become China's first major singles champion in Paris.
Saturday's victory was Li's second WTA title in China, following her breakthrough at Guangzhou in 2004 when she became the first Chinese winner on the women's tour.
The $500,000 Shenzhen tournament became the third event in China on the WTA calendar for 2013 as tennis continues to expand in the country after Li's recent success.

 

[Smallville22]

Murray into final amid Brisbane controversy

Top seed Andy Murray reached the final of the Brisbane International, where he will meet Grigor Dimitrov.
The US Open champion eased into the final when opponent Kei Nishikori retired injured in the second set.
After his win Murray threw his unequivocal support behind the crackdown on time-wasting in tennis, because he believes it will turn the sport into even more of a survival of the fittest.
The top-seeded Scot and Bulgaria's Dimitrov will contest the Brisbane title on Sunday amid widespread controversy over the strict enforcement of a rule that had been virtually ignored for years.
Dimitrov will aim to usurp the defending champion after a 6-3 5-7 7-6 triumph against Marcos Baghdatis that was notable for the Cypriot being penalised for a time violation in the deciding tiebreaker.
The Association of Tennis Professionals is trying to speed up matches and an automatic fault was called against Baghdatis when he exceeded the time limit at 2-2 in the tiebreaker.
Baghdatis was clearly agitated by the call at such a crucial juncture and Dimitrov won the decider 7-5 to reach his first tour final and earn a clash with Murray.
The Briton made a sluggish start to his semi-final but rallied to lead Nishikori 6-4 2-0 when the Japanese number one withdrew because of a knee injury.
Murray said the crackdown on time wasting had stemmed from Novak Djokovic's win over Rafael Nadal in their gruelling 2012 Australian Open final that lasted almost six hours.
"I'm for them being more strict with the time, but I think they maybe should have increased the time allowed first, because 25 seconds goes by pretty quick," Murray said.
"We were told the reason for them changing the rule is because of the Aussie Open final last year, which I think everyone agrees was a classic match.
"Right now, that match is getting shown whenever there is a delay or someone has pulled out or something, so it's not like the TV hated the match and they're never going to show it again," he added.
"I also think tennis has changed since the time rule began between points. The rallies are much, much longer, so therefore it takes longer to recover.
"I like that there is a time violation in there. I think it'll be good, but I think starting off with 25 seconds at the beginning was a bit too much, because players just aren't used to playing at that pace.
"It's a huge advantage for the returner, not for the server, because the returner can just get to the line and just stand there and say he's ready whereas the server, 99 percent of the players bounce the ball three or four times before their serve.
"That's when guys are getting the penalties, when they're actually bouncing. I got one the other day whilst I was bouncing a ball.
"I like the idea behind it. I just think they could have adjusted the time in between the points a little bit."
The U.S. Open and Olympic champion claimed 30 seconds would have been a more realistic limit, but denied umpires should take into consideration the length of a rally or stage of the match.
"I think it's wrong that people say they have to give a bit of leeway if there is a long point," Murray added.
"I don't agree with that. I think that's when the person who is physically stronger gains an advantage. They should be recovering in a certain amount of time, but I just think they should have adjusted the time slightly.
"All it takes is a shoelace to come undone and you're out of time. Guys have been getting warnings when they change their racquet for breaking a string or whatever. That's also not right."
Dimitrov had no issue with the rule and believed Baghdatis lost rhythm after the umpire's intervention.
"I think it's good," he said. "Let's not forget that the players voted for that, so I guess it's if they want it to be there, it's there. It's kind of their call."
The 21-year-old is contesting his first ATP final at the beginning of what he hopes will be a breakthrough year.
Nicknamed 'Baby Federer' because of the similarity in style and natural ability to 17-times major winner Roger Federer, the Bulgarian denied the comparison had become a burden.
"Weighing me down?" Dimitrov replied.
"What for? No, not at all. Total opposite. People can judge anyway, right? Again, Roger is Roger. I am me.
"I haven't won a title yet - even though I'm in the final. I'm on a roll and that's fun."

Semi-final results

1-Andy Murray (Britain) beat 5-Kei Nishikori (Japan) 6-4 2-0 (Nishikori retired)

Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 6-3 5-7 7-6(5)