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  • Canberra Events
    • Apis Canberra International Tennis
      • Canberra Challenger tournament transferred to Bendigo
      • Zoe Hives takes the Apis Canberra International title from Olivia Rogowska
      • Hoyt and Wu win men’s doubles Perez and Rodionova win women’s doubles at the Apis Canberra International
      • Rogowska moves closer to defending her Apis Canberra International title
      • Santillan jumping for joy as Duckworth left smashing
      • Top seed out of the women’s Apis Canberra International tennis tournament
      • Duckworth gives Polmans an early trip home after their round one Apis Canberra International match
      • 2016 Champion James Duckworth faces 2016 Runner-up Polmans in round one action at the Apis Canberra International
  • Australian Tennis
    • Videos
      • Tennis News
        • Sam Stosur becomes a mum
        • Pro tennis is back in Australia
        • Australian Tennis Results 11-17 February 2019
        • Fed Cup USA v Australia preview
        • Peers and Thompson secure Australia’s Davis Cup finals spot
        • Barty advances to the fourth round for the first time at the Aussie Open
        • de Minaur claims his maiden ATP title in his home town
        • Team Germany Secure Their Spot in the Hopman Cup Final 2019
        • Strong Start for Angelique Kerber at the Hopman Cup
        • Tomljanovic and de Minaur march on in Brisbane, Kyrgios falls
        • de Minaur, Kyrgios and Thomson lead men’s Australian charge in Brisbane
        • Federer Claims Victory in Historic Doubles Match Against Serena Williams
        • Australian results for 14 November
        • Australian Tennis Results 5-11 November 2018
        • Stefanos Tsitsipas gets the better of Alex de Minaur to claim the Next Gen ATP Finals
        • Australian Tennis Results 29 October – 4 November 2018
        • Zoe Hives takes the Apis Canberra International title from Olivia Rogowska
        • Top seed out of the women’s Apis Canberra International tennis tournament
        • Hon claims first ITF title in two years at the expense of Perez in Bendigo
        • Thanasi Kokkinakis into the Las Vegas ATP Challenger Final
        • Ellen Perez – forever the bridesmaid?
        • Australian Tennis Results 8-14 October 2018
        • Marc Polmans into the ATP Challenger Stockton $100,000 final
        • Marc Polmans and Jordan Thompson look to setup an all-Australian ATP Challenger final in Stockton
        • Alex de Minaur set to take over as the top ranked Australian
        • Australian Tennis Results for the week of 24-30 September 2018
        • Bernard Tomic Charges into the 70s as he comes back from four match points to win the ATP 250 title in Chengdu
        • Daria Gavrilova Advances Past Jelena Ostapenko – Ash Barty gets the better of Johanna Konta in Wuhan
        • Australian Tennis Results for the week of 17-23 September 2018
        • Bertens denies Tomljanovic her maiden WTA title as she wins the Korea Open title
        • Australian Tennis Results for the week of 10-16 September 2018 – James Duckworth Claims Cary Challenger Title
        • Ash Barty teams up with CoCo Vandeweghe to claime their first Grand Slam doubles title
        • Can John Millman pull off another big upset against Novak Djokovic at the US Open?
        • Tomic wins Challenger event at Rafa’s home patch
        • Millman marches on as Federer outclasses Kyrgios to setup meeting with Millman
        • Ash Barty advances to round 4 for the first time at a grand slam in singles
        • Kyrgios advances after a bizarre pep talk from the umpire – Federer is next
        • Tomljanovic lets a match point slip away before losing second round match in third set tiebreaker
        • Australia’s Alex de Minaur triumphs again in New York
        • Ash Barty has too much firepower for Lucie Safarova
        • Kyrgios Advances at the US Open
        • Gavrilova and Kubler out of the US Open
        • US Open preview for the Australians
        • Maverick Banes wins his maiden ATP Challenger title
        • The fight is on for a ticket to New York and the US Open – updated – Ellen Perez v Lizette Cabrera in final
        • Maverick Banes ends Alexei Popyrin’s win streak in Korea
  • Grand Slams
    • Australian Open
      • Osaka claims her second Australian Open title
      • Comeback queen Muchova sends Barty packing
      • Serena too tough for Simona
      • Barty cruises into her third straight Australian Open quarterfinal
      • Osaka sees off two match points before bookin a showdown with Hsieh
      • Barty stands alone after Fognini beats de Minaur
      • Djokovic roars back for win after a slip against Fritz
      • Thiem tames Kyrgios serve to advance
      • Kokkinakis falls short after five set marathon against Tsitsipas
      • Ash overcomes Dash in all-Australian matchup
      • Kyrgios fights off two match points enroute to epic win
      • Halep escapes challenge from Tomljanovic
      • Day 1 wrap for the Aussies
      • Australian Open 2021 – Australian women’s preview
      • Australian Open 2021 – Australian men’s preview
      • 3 Positive COVID-19 tests – Keys out, Sandgren in, Murray maybe
      • Tomic the lone Aussie to advance through qualifying
      • More to get wild about at the Aussie Open
      • Australian Open wild cards so far
      • Australian Open dates confirmed
      • Australian Open dates still up in the air
      • Djokovic is great at eight
      • Ram and Salisbury claim their first Grand Slam doubles title
      • Kenin completes the fairytale as she claims her maiden Grand Slam title
      • Barty blows it twice and Kenin swoops to take her place in the final
      • Could this be the changing of the guard?
      • Saville and Purcell advance to their first Grand Slam semifinal
      • Federer pulls off another escape act to advance to the semis
      • Barty books semifinal spot against Kenin after dismantling Kvitova
      • Kyrgios pushes Nadal to the limit before world no. 1 marches into the quarter finals
      • Barty bounces Riske to setup Kvitova quarterfinal rematch
      • Polmans gets breakthrough win at the Australian Open
      • The rain is the big winner at the Australian Open on day 1 but Barty advances
      • Aussies at the Australian Open – round one matchups and previews
    • French Open
      • Swiatek becomes first Pole to win a singles grand slam
      • Australian lucky losers and protected ranking player advance
      • Nadal the King of Clay reigns supreme at Roland Garros
      • Barty cruises to Grand Slam glory in Paris
      • Barty rides the rollercoaster into the French Open final
      • Barty charges into the French Open semifinals
      • Barty books French Open quarterfinal match against Keys
      • Barty enters new territory at Roland Garros
      • Top Aussies Barty and de Minaur advance at Roland Garros
      • Angelique Kerber is first to lose on the new Philippe Chatrier Court
      • Ash Barty headlines Aussie charge at Roland Garros
      • Nadal Stays Perfect in Roland Garros Finals and Claims Title Number 11
      • Simona Halep Finally Lifts a Grand Slam Trophy after Winning at Roland Garros
      • Gavrilova and Stosur crash out of the French Open
    • Wimbledon
      • Wimbledon cancelled for 2020 due to coronavirus
      • Djokovic fights off two match points to retain the Wimbledon title
      • Halep first Romanian to claim the Wimbledon Ladies singles title
      • Serena doing it for the mums at Wimbledon
      • Riske is rewarded as she bundles Barty out of Wimbledon
      • Kyrgios v Nadal match lives up to the hype as Nadal advances
      • Barty eases through to the third round
      • Tomljanovic and Popyrin lose their round two matches
      • Four Aussies still alive in Wimbledon qualifying draw
      • Mixed day for the Aussie women after a perfect start for the Aussie men at the Wimbledon qualifying
      • Aussies off to a perfect start at Wimbledon qualifying
      • Off Court News – What Have Some of the Players Been Up To Since Wimbledon
      • Novak Djokovic completes the comeback with a surprise Wimbledon title
      • Angelique Kerber Claims First Wimbledon Title
      • Aussies wiped out on Wimbledon’s opening Saturday
      • Barty, Gavrilova, Kyrgios, Ebden and de Minaur advance to the third round at Wimbledon as Tomic falls
      • Top three Australian women safely through to the second round of the Wimbledon Ladies’ singles
      • Day one Wimbledon wrap for the Australians
      • Australian Preview for Gentlemen’s Singles at Wimbledon 2018
      • Kubler, Smith and Bolt win through to the Wimbledon main-draw
      • Five from Eight Australian Men Advance at Roehampton in Wimbledon Singles Qualifiers
    • US Open
      • Mother of all comebacks falls short as Osaka claims title
      • Thiem tramples de Minaur to advance to semifinals
      • de Minaur into his first grand slam quarterfinal
      • Coric defeats Thompson to advance to the quarterfinals
      • Jordan Thompson advances to a grand slam fourth round for the first time
      • de Minaur advances Millman and O’Connell are out
      • Jordan Thompson advances to third round
      • Day two US Open Aussie review
      • Aussies fight hard but only Thompson advances
      • Aussies at the US Open – preview
      • Nick Kyrgios says no to the US Open
      • Barty confirms she won’t be playing the US Open
      • Wang Qiang ends Barty’s US Open
      • Barty and de Minaur take their place in the US Open round of 16
      • Rain sends most players packing at the US Open but Barty marches on
      • A good day for the Aussies in New York
      • Barty recovers from a slow start to Open her US Open campaign
      • Novak Djokovic joins Pete Sampras with 14th Grand Slam singles titles after defeating Juan Martin del Potro at the US Open
      • Ash Barty teams up with CoCo Vandeweghe to claime their first Grand Slam doubles title
      • Japan’s Naomi Osaka claims first Grand Slam title amid Serena coaching controversy
      • Lightning doesn’t strike twice as Djokovic advances past Millman
      • Can John Millman pull off another big upset against Novak Djokovic at the US Open?
      • John Millman claims the biggest win of his career as he knocks off Roger Federer
      • US Open – Barty fails to captilise on break points and bows out to Pliskova
      • Millman marches on as Federer outclasses Kyrgios to setup meeting with Millman
      • Alex de Minaur goes down fighting against Marin Cilic
      • Ash Barty advances to round 4 for the first time at a grand slam in singles
      • Tomljanovic lets a match point slip away before losing second round match in third set tiebreaker
      • Australia’s Alex de Minaur triumphs again in New York
      • Kyrgios advances after a bizarre pep talk from the umpire – Federer is next
      • Ash Barty has too much firepower for Lucie Safarova
      • Gavrilova and Kubler out of the US Open
      • Kyrgios Advances at the US Open
      • US Open preview for the Australians
      • The fight is on for a ticket to New York and the US Open – updated – Ellen Perez v Lizette Cabrera in final
      • Six US Open Winners Headline the 2018 US Open Women’s Singles field
  • Women’s Tennis Association
    • ATP and WTA announce an extension of the COVID-19 suspension
    • Ash Barty wins the WTA Finals to cap off an amazing year but one prize still remains
    • Videos
    • Premier
      • Aussie summer of tennis is go
      • Kenin bundles Barty out of the Rogers Cup – Osaka one win from no. 1 ranking but Pliskova also in the hunt
      • Pliskova sends a warning ahead of Wimbledon
      • Ash Barty is two wins away from no. 1 after advancing past Venus Williams in Birmingham
      • Barty overcomes a tough first round opponent in Birmingham
      • Barty could take world no.1 ranking in Birmingham
      • Barty can’t halt Halep surge for no. 1
      • Barty punctuates her top-ten arrival by claiming Miami Open title
      • Barty beats the rain and Kontaveit to reach the Miami final
      • Barty finally gets the better of Kvitova to advance to the Miami semifinals and lock-in top-ten ranking
      • Andreescu completes her Indian Wells fairytale
      • Barty sets up Svitolina showdown in Indian Wells
      • Perfect day for the Aussies at Indian Wells with wins for Barty, Gavrilova, Bolt and Popyrin
      • Tomljanovic and Thompson advance – Stosur, Millman and Ebden are out at Indian Wells
      • Daria Gavrilova breaks her duck in Indian Wells
      • Bencic claims the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship title
      • Mertens claims another top-10 scalp on the way to the Qatar Total Open title
      • Bertens overcomes a slow start against Vekic to claim the St Petersburg title
      • Bertens and Vekic to face off for the St Petersburg title
      • Vekic ends Kvitova’s win streak in St Petersburg
      • Kvitova begins St Petersburgh Ladies Trophy title defence defeating Azarenka
      • Gavrilova’s 2019 winless streak continues
      • Petra Kvitova breaks Aussie’s hearts as she claims her second Sydney International title
      • Barty defeats Bertens to book her second consecutive final at the Sydney International
      • Barty advances to semifinal showdown against Bertens
      • Kvitova ends Kerber’s title defence at the Sydney International
      • Sydney International Tennis Stars Cruise the Harbour
      • Birrell stuns world no. 10 Kasatkina at the Brisbane International
    • International
      • Konta ends Tomljanovic’s run in Rabat
      • Anisimova denies Sharma her first WTA title as she wins her first in Bogota
      • Astra Sharma advances to her first WTA semifinal after a tricky encounter with Sara Errani
      • Sharma marches into new territory in Bogota
      • Azarenka Outlasts Kerber to Advance to Final in Monterrey
      • Yastremska claims second WTA title at Toyota Thailand Open
      • Yastremska secures spot in Toyota Thailand Open Final
      • Tomljanovic cruises into Toyota Thailand Open Final
      • Yastremska too hot for Muguruza in Thailand – Tomljanovic, Linette and Zidansek also advance
      • Tomljanovic toughs it out in Thailand
      • Muguruza mounts comeback to oust Barthel at the Toyota Thailand Open
      • Muguruza defeats Lisicki to open Toyota Thailand Open campaign
      • Bertens denies Tomljanovic her maiden WTA title as she wins the Korea Open title
      • Ajla Tomljanovic into Korea Open final after upsetting Hsieh Su-Wei
      • Ajla Tomljanovic battles past Mandy Minella to earn a semifinal spot in Seoul
      • Olga Danilovic is the first-ever lucky loser to claim a WTA singles title
      • Alizé Cornet heads to Gstaad final after Bouchard retirement
      • Sam Stosur Can’t Get Past the Mallorca Defending Champion
    • ITF
      • Ash Barty wins the WTA Finals to cap off an amazing year but one prize still remains
      • Honours even after Fed Cup day one – Australia v Belarus
      • Fed Cup finals spot up for grabs
      • Rogowska adds clay title to her Canberra hard court title
      • Hon to take on Rogowska for the ACT Clay Court International #2 title
      • Aussies shine despite gloomy weather for the ACT Clay Court International #2
      • No. 1 seed Hon advances while the defending champion goes down at the ACT Clay Court International #2
      • Priscilla Hon headlines the ACT Clay Court International #2 tournament
      • Destanee Aiava finally claims a Canberra title
    • Players
      • Angelique Kerber
  • ATP Tour
    • ATP and WTA announce an extension of the COVID-19 suspension
    • de Minaur back in action in Spain
    • Videos
    • Masters 1000
      • Indian Wells tournament called off due to coronavirus fears
      • Kyrgios and Thompson crash out of Miami along with Djokovic
      • Jordan Thompson steps it up in Miami
      • Kyrgios the entertainer marches on in Miami
      • Thiem overcomes Federer for Maiden Masters Title in Indian Wells
      • Perfect day for the Aussies at Indian Wells with wins for Barty, Gavrilova, Bolt and Popyrin
      • Tomljanovic and Thompson advance – Stosur, Millman and Ebden are out at Indian Wells
      • Potential Desert Duel for Kyrgios and Djokovic
      • Matt Ebden loses to Borna Coric in the quarterfinals at the Shanghai Masters
      • Djokovic finally gets his Cincinnati Masters title and completes career Golden Masters
      • Federer and Djokovic set to meet for the 46th time in the Cincinnati Masters final
      • Nick Kyrgios goes walkabout against Juan Martín del Potro
      • Rogers Cup – Barty Collects the Doubles Title in Montreal and Peers wins the Toronto Title
      • Kyrgios feeling the pain after falling to Wawrinka at Toronto
      • Nadal takes Rome Masters 1000 title from Zverev
    • ATP Cup
      • Australia defeats Great Britain in a thriller to advance to the ATP Cup semifinals
      • Australia takes another step toward the ATP Cup quarterfinals after despatching Canada
      • Kyrgios and de Minaur get Australia a winning start at the ATP Cup
    • World 500
      • Kyrgios Claims second ATP 500 title as he defeats Medvedev for the title in Washington – to rise to no. 1 ranked Australian
      • Kyrgios reaches ATP 500 final in Washington after rollercoaster ride against Tsitsipas
      • Nick Kyrgios silences the critics as he caps off an amazing week in Acapulco with title
      • Federer joins exclusive 100 club after claiming Dubai crown
      • Kyrgios ices Isner in Acapulco to book Zverev finals showdown
      • Federer one match away from 100 titles as he takes on his Australian Open conquerer Tsitsipas
      • Kyrgios Conquers Nadal in Acapulco
      • Kyrgios and de Minaur advance Popyrin falls in Acapulco
      • Alex de Minaur earns his first ATP 500 finals berth after epic battle against Andrey Rublev
      • Injured Kyrgios Withdraws from Washington – Duckworth into ATP 500 Third Round
      • Dominic Thiem proves too good for John Millman on the Hamburg clay at the ATP 500 event
      • John Millman Defeats Jan-Lennard Struff at Hamburg ATP 500 Event
      • Cilic Too Good for Kyrgios at the Queen’s Club
      • Kyrgios halts Murray’s comeback at Queen’s Club
      • Borna Coric takes the Halle title from Roger Federer
    • World 250
      • Millman claims his maiden ATP title in Nur-Sultan
      • Humbert defeats de Minaur to claim European Open title
      • de Minaur to take on Umbert for European Open title
      • de Minaur advances in Atlanta – Popyrin and Tomic are out
      • Thompson falls short in first ATP level final
      • Popyrin falls to defending champion in Estoril
      • Thompson fights back from defeat in Houston
      • de Minaur claims his maiden ATP title in his home town
      • Seppi into Sydney International Tennis final
      • John Millman falls short of Sydney International semifinal
      • Some late night Hewitt entertainment at the Sydney International
      • No. 1 seed knocked out of the Sydney International by Andreas Seppi
      • Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andreas Seppi preview
      • de Minaur Overcomes Thompson in an All Aussie Quarterfinal Clash at the Sydney International
      • Local hopes end as de Minaur and Tomljanovic bow out of the Brisbane International
      • Tomic grabs a top-100 ranking as he marches into the Chengdu final
      • Ebden falls to Isner in Atlanta – Thompson and Rodionova advance to finals in Binghamton and Granby
      • Ebden into Atlanta semis as Kyrgios retires against Norrie and Thompson marches on at Binghamton Challenger
      • Federer gets past Kyrgios to claim world no. 1 and reach the Stuttgart final
    • Challenger
      • Polmans wins the Zhangjiagang $54K ATP Challenger Title
      • Polmans overcomes a slow start to defeat Banes in Bangalore at the ATP Challenger Tour $150,000 event
      • Jordan Thompson rockets his ranking up to 73 after back-to-back ATP Challenger titles
      • Thompson aiming for eighth ATP Challenger final in 2018
      • Jordan Thompson wins his second ATP Challenger title for 2018
      • Thanasi Kokkinakis into the Las Vegas ATP Challenger Final
      • Jordan Thompson reaches back-to-back ATP Challenger finals
      • Kokkinakis and Smith roll into Las Vegas semifinals

Popyrin claims his first ATP title

February 28, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Australia’s Alex Popyrin has claimed his first ATP title at the ATP250 in Singapore.

After being broken in the first set Popyrin switched to another gear. He was returning well against a huge serve and both backhands and forehands were well struck.

Embed from Getty Images

The Australian raced through the second set to 

Popyrin had a break point at 30-40, 2-3 with Bublik saving it after Bublik played a drop shot that Popyrin then hit long.

He didn’t have to wait long for another opportunity. Another drop shot took Popyrin to the net and this time Popyrin hit his next shot into the net.

A big backhand down the line winner gave Bublik Ad. It was back to deuce after Popyrin hit a second serve return deep, that forced an error from Bublik.

Another break point came and on a second serve Bublik hit a 217km serve that forced an error from the Australian.

A shot hit long by Bublik saw the players back at deuce. Bublik went for a big second serve that was 219km, but it was into the net.

This time a 220km second serve was hit long to see back to back double faults hand Popyrin the vital break.

Popyrin hadn’t lost a point on serve since mid way through the first set but he lost the opening point as he looked to consolidate the break.

A shot on the line on the next point got the score to 15-15. A nice drop volley made it 30-15.

Just to show how good his was feeling the ball on his strings the Australian hit a superb half volley drop shot that Bublik reached but he could only hit it up to Popyrin for an easy put away.

The game ended with an Ace to see the score at 5-2.

A forehand winner saw Popyrin with his first match and championship point. A double fault handed him the win and his first ATP title. 

The final score was 4-6, 6-0, 6-2.

Popyrin won an impressive 94% of 1st serves won and had 76% won on second serves. He broke 5 times from 10 opportunities and faced just one break point on his serve, that coming in the first set.

It was almost a flawless match apart from one game where he was broken. 

Popyrin will rise to a career high ranking of 82.

Filed Under: World 250

Osaka claims her second Australian Open title

February 21, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Naomi Osaka has become just the second woman to win four from four Grand Slam finals that she has contested.

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Osaka added to her 2019 Australian Open and her 2018 and 2020 US Open titles.

Monica Seles won six straight Grand Slam finals starting with the 1990 French Open and going through to the 1992 French Open. She finally lost in a final at the 1992 Wimbledon tournament.

Osaka started the final serving to love against American Jennifer Brady.

Brady struggled a bit in her opening service game before finally holding.

Osaka pounced in the fourth game breaking Brady to love to move to a 3-1 lead.

The American was able to break back immediately to get herself back into the set, a Brady service hold saw the score at 3-3.

Osaka held and then put the pressure right back on Brady as she brought up a break point at 30-40, but Osaka could not convert, however she did take Brady to deuce a few more times.

In the ninth game Osaka had to fight off a break point before holding to lead 5-4.

A double fault gave Osaka a sniff of a chance when it took the score to deuce before back-to-back forehand errors from Brady saw her concede the opening set after 41 minutes.

The 2019 Champion looked to be cruising toward victory as she held a 4-0 lead and had game point for 5-0.

Brady would however break serve and then hold to get back to 4-2 with Osaka again serving. A hold had Osaka one game away from another title.

The American would hold before Osaka stepped up to serve for the championship.

This time there was no coming back with Osaka serving to love to claim her fourth Grand Slam singles title 6-4, 6-3.

“I didn’t play my last Grand Slam with fans so just to have this energy it means a lot,” Osaka said to the fans during the trophy presentation, cradling the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.

“Thank you so much for coming. I feel like playing a Grand Slam is a super privilege right now and it’s something I won’t take for granted. Thank you for this opportunity.”

The win took Osaka’s win streak to 21, including another US Open title.

Filed Under: Australian Open

Comeback queen Muchova sends Barty packing

February 17, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

World no. 27 from the Czech Republic has staged another comeback, this time defeating world no. 1 Ash Barty 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Barty looked to be cruising to back-to-back Australian Open semifinals after taking the first set and getting a break of serve in the opening game of the second set.

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After Muchova held to take the score to 2-1 she received treatment and took a medical timeout.

After the match she said she was feeling dizzy.

“I started feeling a bit lost by the end of the first set. Ash started very good, she played almost like no mistakes, it was very tough. And I was a bit lost on the court, and my head was spinning (with dizziness) so I took a break,” explained Muchova.

Ashleigh Barty vs Karolina Muchova Match Highlights (QF) | Australian Open 2021

Barty raced out to a 5-0 leaved before Muchova held serve. The first set was in the bag after another Barty hold of serve.

After the medical timeout Barty was serving. Muchova was now starting to mix up her pattern of play and it seemed to unsettle Barty.

Before the timeout Barty had committed seven errors. By the end of the second set that had gone out to 25.

Muchova who had comeback from 0-5 in the second set of her round three match against Karolina Pliskova and 0-4 in the first set against Elise Bertens was making another strong comeback.

In the eighth game of the second set Barty served two double faults to help Muchova break to extend he lead to 5-3.

The Czech then served out to love to level the match at one set all.

Barty was broken at the start of the third set and then fought hard to break back. She quickly had two break back points at 15-40 but errors were hurting her chances.

Muchova got a double break in the seventh game to then attempt to serve for the match.

A Muchova backhand forced error gave Barty her first chance to break back at 30-40. A Muchova winner saved that. Barty again held break point at Ad, only to have an unforced error to lose that opportunity.

Muchova double faulted to again give Barty a shot at getting one break back.

That would be Barty’s last chance and Muchova closed out the match to advance to her first Grand Slam semifinal.

“Without a doubt it’s disappointing. We learn, we move on, we don’t let it ruin what has been a really successful, enjoyable start to a new season,” said Barty

“I felt like I lost my way with overplaying, over-pressing, not letting myself work into the points and really construct points as well as I’d like to,” she conceded.

“It’s heartbreaking, of course. But will it deter me, will it ruin the fact we’ve had a really successful start to our season? Absolutely not,” Barty commented.

“The sun will come up tomorrow. We go about our work again. You’re either winning or your learning. I think today is a massive learning curve for me, for Tyz (coach Craig Tyzzer), my team as well.

“We take the positives out of it, without doubt and don’t let this particular match, this particular hour of tennis deter us from what we’re trying to do.”

The Czech player will face USA’s Jennifer Brady (22) after she defeated Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Brady reached the semifinals at the 2020 US Open. For Brady to reach the semis is more impressive considering she was part of the hard lockdown group.

Ashleigh Barty: “I don’t write the rules” (QF) press conference | Australian Open 2021
Karolina Muchova: “It got to me” press conference (QF) | Australian Open 2021

Filed Under: Australian Open

Serena too tough for Simona

February 17, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

In a quarterfinal match between world no. 2 Simona Halep and the world no. 11 Serena Williams we saw Serena at the top of her game.

Serena who is chasing a slice of history as she looks to equal Margaret Court’s 24 grand slam singles titles was too strong for Halep winning 6-3, 6-3.

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Serena took a 2-0 lead after breaking the Romanian in the second game after hitting four winners.

After so many winners in the previous game it was unforced errors that saw Serena immediately give back the break.

Halep would hold for 2-2, followed by a hold for Serena.

Williams v Halep: Big time battle | Australian Open 2021

In the sixth game, a game that lasted for 6:27, it was Serena that came out on top to break to lead 4-2. From there players would hold easily and Serena claimed the set in 36 minutes.

“I feel like I needed to have a good performance today, especially after my last match against her,” Williams said. “So it was really important to try to play well today. … I knew I couldn’t play worse [than last time]. So that was a good thing.”

In the pre-match analysis on Channel 9 they showed how much more effective Serena has been when chasing shots wide of the sidelines.

This was on display again in this match as Serena chased down balls that last year she would not get a racquet on. Not only was Serena hitting the ball back she was hitting winners or forcing errors from Halep.

“Movement has always been one of my strengths, and so it’s actually more natural for me to move than for me not. So it was just kind of like, Oh, that’s how I used to move. I’m happy that I’m doing that again and that I put it back into my game. I think I was more focused on other things and not focused on something that is actually a strength of mine, has always been a strength of mine, and I had to refocus on that.”

Halep was fighting for her survival in the second set and it took another long game just to hold serve in the opening game.

Halep would break Serena in the second game to jump out to a 2-0 lead only to give up the break in the next game.

Again Halep would break, but again Serena straight back straight away.

Halep was up 3-1 but she would not win another game in the match to see Serena take the win 6-3, 6-3.

Serena Williams advanced to a semifinal match against Naomi Osaka. They last met in a quarterfinal in Toronto where Serena won in straight sets.

Osaka famously defeated Serena in the 2018 US Open final and that followed a round of 128 win over Serena at the 2018 Miami tournament.

Filed Under: Australian Open

Barty cruises into her third straight Australian Open quarterfinal

February 16, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Australia’s Ash Barty has advanced to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open for the third straight year after a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of USA’s world no. 57 Shelby Rogers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_sZGEmt6jU

The two had met a bit over a week ago at the Yarra Valley Classic in the quarterfinals. It took a match tiebreaker for the world no. 1 to get past Rogers on that occasion.

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Barty was looking sharp in her match in an empty Rod Laver Arena. She opened with a comfortable service hold.

A string of unforced errors as Barty faced the opening game from Rogers saw the American hold to love.

Barty is brilliant at breaking down her opponents.

In the fourth game Barty started with a forehand winner to put the pressure on her opponent. A backhand unforced error from Rogers further added to the enormity of the moment.

Barty had a look at two break points at 15-40 after a backhand unforced error from Rogers but the first was saved with a 166 kmh Ace.

On the next point the 18th shot was hit for a winner by Barty for her to take the first break of the match. Barty held the next game to extend her lead to 4-1.

In the seventh game the 175cm (5 ft. 9 in) American looked to hit back when she secured a break point at 30-40 after hitting a forehand winner.

A backhand unforced error saw that opportunity slip away only to have another look, after a backhand winner.

An unplayable serve followed by an Ace took Barty to game point before another winner from the racquet of Rogers.

A Barty winner negated that opportunity before the Australian would finally hold for 5-2 after a backhand unforced error by the American.

Both players held serve Barty had secured the first set 6-3 after 29 minutes.

Barty was in control. Her serve was well placed and putting pressure on Rogers. The Barty backhand slice is one of the best and her improved forehand adds to her arsenal.

Rogers and Barty held to get the second set started. In the third game, two unforced errors from Rogers saw her fall behind 0-30. Rogers got to 15-30 before another unforced error from Rogers took Barty to 15-40.

Rogers would force two forehand errors from the world no. 1 to move to deuce only to make back-to-back unforced errors to concede the game.

Barty would hold to consolidate the break and then repeat the break and hold to lead 5-1.

Rogers held to stay in the match and it was expected that Barty would serve out to claim her third quarterfinal spot at the Australian Open in three years.

It was not to happen like that despite Barty holding two match points at 40-15. A double fault saw the first one wasted.

A forced error and two unforced errors saw Barty drop serve for the first time in the match.

Rogers would hold serve to again force the Australian to serve for the match.

This time Barty was not letting another opportunity slip as she won the game to love.

It was the 21 winners to 14 and 16 unforced errors to 25 that helped Barty take the win.

Barty setup a quarterfinal match against Czech player Karolina Muchova the 25th seed.

“I knew it was going to be vital to serve well tonight. That was something I really wanted to try and focus on, just to try and give myself a chance to be in control of more points,” Barty said.

“Obviously it’s exciting to be in another quarterfinal of a Grand Slam, particularly here in Australia,” Barty said.

“The start that we have had so far is really encouraging, but certainly not satisfied with where we’re at at the moment. We will keep chipping away and keep trying to do the right things to progress as far as we can.”

Muchova again had to overcome a big deficit in a set. In the previous round she recovered from 0-5 in the second set against country woman Karolina Pliskova.

In her round four match Muchova was down 0-4 and 2-5 in the opening set against the 18th seed Elise Mertens.

With Mertens serving for the first set she was broken to love. She again failed to serve out the set at 5-4.

The surging Muchova went on to win four straight games to lead 6-5. Mertens would hold to see the players into a tiebreaker.

Muchova took the breaker and then broke in the first game of the second set. Mertens broke back for 2-2 only to again drop serve in the 11th game to give her opponent the chance to serve out the match.

The 24-year-old Czech served two Aces to open the game before serving out to love to take the match.

Barty leads the H2H 1-0 after a Round of 32 win at the 2018 US Open.

Filed Under: Australian Open

2021 results for Australian players

February 15, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

On this page there is a full list of singles results involving Australian players at the ATP, WTA and Grand Slam events

ATP 250 Murray River Open, Melbourne

(13)Nick Kyrgios Rd 1 d Alexandre Muller (FRA) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4). Rd 2 d (Alt) Harry Bourchier 6-2, 7-6(7). Rd 3 lost to (4) Borna Coric (CRO) 6-3, 6-4.Thanasi Kokkinakis Rd 1 lost to Alex Bolt 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Rd 2 Bolt d Mackenzie McDonald (USA) 6-4, 6-7(7), 7-5. Rd 3 lost to (1) Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5).Bernard Tomic (withdrew) (Alt) Harry Bourchier Rd 1 d Marc Polmans 6-4, 6-4. Rd 2 Bourchier lost to Kyrgios 6-2, 7-6(7).James Duckworth Rd 1 d Tomas Machac (CZE) 6-3, 6-4. Rd 2 (7) d Ugo Humbert (FRA) 7-6(6), 6-4. Rd 3 lost to Corentin Moutet (FRA) 7-6(4), 6-4.Alexei Popyrin Rd 1 d Borna Gojo (CRO) 6-7(8), 7-6(2), 7-6(7). Rd 2 v (15) Tommy Paul (USA). Rd 3 lost to (2) Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3.
(WC) Li Tu  Rd 1 lost to Pedro Sousa (POR) 6-4, 7-6(5)
(WC) Jason Kubler Rd 1 d (9) Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Rd 2 lost to Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 7-6(6), 6-4.
(WC) Blake Mott Rd 1 lost to (12) Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) 6-2, 6-4.
(WC) Andrew Harris Rd 1 d Taro Daniel (JPN) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5. Rd 2 lost to (2) Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 6-3, 6-3.

ATP 250 Great Ocean Road Open, Melbourne

(11) Jordan Thompson Rd 1 d Gianluca Mager (ITA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Rd 2 d Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Rd 3 d Mario Vilella Martinez (ESP) 6-4, 6-4. QF lost to Thiago Monteiro (BRA) 6-4, 6-4.
Christopher O’Connell Rd d Dominik Koepfer (GER) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. Rd 2 v (8) Alexander Bublik (KAZ) 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-4.
Aleksandar Vukic Rd 1 d Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) 6-4, 7-5. Rd 2 v Jannik Sinner (ITA) 6-2, 6-4.
(WC) John-Patrick Smith Rd 1 lost to [9] Tennys Sandgren (USA) 6-3, 5-7 6-4.
(WC) Dane Sweeny Rd 1 d Ji Sung NAM 7-6(4), 7-5. Rd 2 lost to (13) Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 6-0, 6-4.
(WC) Tristan Schoolkate Rd 1 lost to Botic Van de Zandschulp (NED) 6-4, 7-5.
(WC) Max Purcell Rd 1 d Norbert Gombos (SVK) 6-4, 6-4. Rd 2 lost to (2) Karen Khachanov (RUS) 7-6(0), 6-3.
(A) Thomas Fancutt lost to Thiago Monteiro (BRA) 6-4, 6-4.
(A) Mathew Ebden d Federico Delbonis (ARG) 6-3, 7-6(6). Rd 2 lost to Thiago Monteiro (BRA) 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3.

WTA 500 Yarra Valley Classic, Melbourne

(1) Ash Barty Rd 1 – Bye. Rd 2 d Ana Bogdan (ROM) 6-3, 6-3. Rd 3 d Marie Bouzkova (CZE) 6-0, 4-6, 6-3. QF d Shelby Rogers (USA) 7-6, 2-6, (10-4). SF d Serena Williams – walkover. Final d (6) Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 7-6(3), 6-4.

Ash Barty during the Yarra Valley Classic in Melbourne on 3 January, 2021


Samantha Stosur Rd 1 lost to (16) Marie Bouzkova (CZE)6-2, 6-0.
(WC) Maddison Inglis Rd 1 lost to Rebecca Peterson (SWE) 6-2, 6-1
(WC) Daria Gavrilova Rd 1 d Viktoria Kuzmova (SVK) 6-2, 6-0. Rd 2 lost to (5) Serena Williams (USA) 6-1, 6-4.
(WC) Lizette Cabrera Rd 1 lost to Varvara Gracheva (RUS) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
(WC) Kimberly Birrell Rd 1 lost to Mona Barthel (GER) 7-5, 6-3.

WTA 500 Gippsland Trophy, Melbourne

Ajla Tomljanovic Rd 1 lost to Alize Cornet (FRA) 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.(WC) Destanee Aiava Rd 1 d Chloe Paquet (FRA) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Rd 2 lost to (16) Laura Siegemund  (GER) 6-2, 6-2.
(WC) Astra Sharma Rd 1 lost to Kaia Kanepi (EST) 1-6, 7-5, 6-2
(WC) Arina Rodionova Rd 1 lost to (12) Caroline Garcia (FRA) 6-3, 6-4
(WC) Olivia Gadecki Rd 1 lost to Bernarda Pera (USA) 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-3

WTA 500 Grampians Trophy, Melbourne

Ellen Perez Rd 1 lost to Ann Li (USA) 5-3 – withdrawal.

ATP 250 Antalya Open, Turkey

(4)Alex de Minaur R1 d Malek Jaziri TUN 6-2, 6-1. R2 d (Q) Adrian Andreev BUL 6-3, 6-1. QF d Nikoloz Basilashvili GEO 6-2, 6-4. SF d David Goffin BEL 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Final d (8) Alexander Bublik KAZ 2-0. Bublik was forced to retire after two games due to an ankle injury sustained in his semifinal.

WTA 500 Abu Dhabi

Ajla Tomljanovic Rd 1 d Zhu Lin CHN 6-2, 7-6(1). Rd 2 lost to (4) Aryna Sabalenka BLR6-3, 6-4.

Filed Under: Tennis

Osaka sees off two match points before bookin a showdown with Hsieh

February 14, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

2019 Australian Open champion and the 2020 US Open champion Naomi Osaka has survived two match points when serving at 3-5 against the 2020 Australian Open runner-up Garbine Muguruza.

In each set whoever broke first would lose the set. Osaka breaking in the second game of the first set.

Muguruza breaking in the first game of the second set and again Muguruza broke first in the third set taking the fifth game to lead 3-2.

In the first set Osaka had too many unforced errors with 14 to 6.

Osaka improved a bit in the second set with 11 unforced errors which she also had in the third set. The key was that after facing match points she did not hit another unforced error, over that same stretch Muguruza hit five.

When it mattered most with the Spaniard serving to stay in the match she just could not match Osaka. There was a forced error followed by three unforced errors as Osaka broke to love.

The 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win sees Osaka into the quarterfinals for the second time after winning the 2019 title.

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“I feel like today I didn’t know what to expect because I’d never played her before, but I just knew it was going to be tough,” Osaka said.

“I feel like I was a bit intimidated because I knew that she was playing really well coming into this match. For me I feel like in the stressful points I just had to go within myself.

“I know today I probably hit a lot of unforced errors, but it was something I probably needed to do because I couldn’t really give her any short balls because she’d finish it.”

The no. 3 seed will face Su-Wei Hsieh who became the oldest female to reach a Grand Slam singles quarterfinal for the first time. Hsieh defeated Marketa Vondrousova (19) 6-4, 6-2.

Hsieh is the world no. 1 doubles player and is ranked at no. 71 in singles. It was her fourth round four match across her Grand Slam career. Hsieh had reached round four at the Australian Open in 2008 and 2018 as well as a round four appearance at the 2018 US Open.

Osaka leads the H2H 4-1.

Filed Under: Australian Open

Barty stands alone after Fognini beats de Minaur

February 14, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Ash Barty is the lone Australian remaining in a singles draw at the Australian Open.

Barty defeated Russia’s top ranked player Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 6-4.

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de Minaur was not able to advance past Italy’s Fabio Fognini, losing 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

Barty came back from a break down in both sets. She lost the opening game of the match and was also broken in the fifth game of the second set.

The world no. 1 was putting pressure on the Russian with her backhand slice shots.

In both sets Barty broke back a few games after being broken herself and then she would mount the pressure and break again.

Next up for Barty is a rematch against Shelby Rogers who she beat just last week.

The match was played without a crowd. Barty described playing in the empty stadium as “very strange” after the match. 

“It changes the sound of the court a little bit,” she explained. 

“Something I’ve never experienced before ever in my life, so it’s very strange.
 
“We had to have a bit of a chat about it with my team obviously just to prepare and try to be ready for anything, but I didn’t want it to affect the way I played tonight. I didn’t want it to affect how I went about my business.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9HTCnF_qxA
Ashleigh Barty vs Ekaterina Alexandrova Match Highlights (3R) | Australian Open 2021

Italy’s Fabio Fognini was too good for Australia’s Alex de Minaur defeating him in three sets.

Fognini did however fade late in the match and almost let the Australian back into the match after holding a two break advantage and serving for the match at 5-2.

de Minaur would break and then hold for Fognini to attempt to serve out the match for a second time.

It was 30-30 and de Minuar had a golden opportunity to have a look at a break point however a costly error instead gave his opponent the match point.

This time Fognini was able to close it out.

Fognini was very impressive up to the 5-2 game in the third set. He hit 25 winners to 13.

The Italian now faces Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.

Fabio Fognini vs Alex de Minaur Match Highlights (3R) | Australian Open 2021

Filed Under: Australian Open

Djokovic roars back for win after a slip against Fritz

February 13, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Novak Djokovic looked to be cruising to another win at the Australian Open as he chases a ninth title at Melbourne Park.

That all seemed to come unstuck when he slipped on the Melbourne logo at the back of the court.

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The defending champion took time out for an injury treatment.

On his return to the court the world no. 1 was not rotating through his shots and his serve had dropped 10 km/h in average speed.

At the time of his injury, Djokovic was up two sets but then Fritz would come back into the match winning the next two.

Novak Djokovic vs Taylor Fritz Match Highlights (3R) | Australian Open 2021

It would looking ominous for the defending champion but he found a way to lift and in the sixth game he got a break of serve. From there he powered home to a famous victory.

The match had started with a crowd in the stadium but at 11:30 pm they were forced to head home.

As Djokovic secured the win he let out an almighty roar.

Speaking after the match he was not sounding confident of even taking to the court for his round four clash with Milos Raonic, a player he holds an 11-0 record.

“I don’t know if I’ll manage to recover from that in less than two days,” he said of the injury. “I don’t know.  I don’t know if I’m gonna step out onto the court or not.

“I was just trying to focus on what’s going on with an injury. Right now, I know it’s a muscle tear,” admitted the top seed

Novak Djokovic: “One of the most special wins in my life!” on-court interview | Australian Open 2021

Filed Under: Australian Open

Thiem tames Kyrgios serve to advance

February 13, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios had the joint jumping in John Cain Arena on day 5.

Dominic Thiem vs Nick Kyrgios Match Highlights (3R) | Australian Open 2021

News came through earlier in the day about a Stage 4 lockdown in Victoria. It will initially run for five days which means no crowds.

Kyrgios came out firing breaking world no. 3 Dominic Thiem in the opening game of the match. He held serve to consolidate the break.

Both players would hold serve from that moment which saw Kyrgios take the first set 6-4.

Melbourne – 3 February 2021: Nick Kyrgios (AUS)

Kyrgios would get a key break in the ninth game of the second set and then hold serve to take a commanding 2-0 lead.

Thiem was now thinking how to breakdown the big serving Australian. He started hitting with more topspin from way back near the backstops.

“One thing I noticed about him maybe two sets to love down, he was always positive, he didn’t show any negative emotion,” said Kyrgios. “He knew there was along way to go in that match.”

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Thiem tightened his service games to keep the pressure on Kyrgios and he won six consecutive service games to love across the third and fourth sets.

Kyrgios could have sent the Austrian home early. He had two break points in the opening game of the third set. A forced error and an unforced error saw the opportunities slip away.

The 2020 US Open champion showed when he won that title that he can fight back from a tough position, he did that again against the Australian.

Thiem broke for the first time in the second game of the third set and then just did not give Kyrgios a chance to break back.

In the fourth set Kyrgios had to fight off break points in the opening game, a game that last just over 11 minutes.

In the ninth game Thiem would earn three break points and he converted to serve for the set. Kyrgios just cannot keep his showman antics in the bag and played a questionable shot at a key moment.

With Kyrgios fighting hard to break back he did have a look at a break point at 30-40 but Thiem forced an error to save that point. The Austrian got the key service hold to level the match at 2-2.

With the match on the line Kyrgios started showing more energy and he held the opening game of the fifth set to love.

Thiem won his game just dropping a point. Another love service hold kept the Australian in front, but Thiem also showed he was not giving in easily as he held to love for 2-2.

The defining moment came in the seventh game when Thiem started hitting winners to pile on the pressure. He earned a breakpoint with a backhand winner but could not convert.

Thiem had another break point and this time saw a backhand error from Kyrgios hand the world no. 3 the game.

He showed Kyrgios that it was not going to be easy to break back as he held to love to consolidate the break.

Another hold from Kyrgios then saw the Austrian serving to move into the next round.

The best Kyrgios could do was reach 30-30 before a forced error and then a trademark Thiem backhand winner sealed the deal.

“Since US Open I know that impossible is nothing,” Thiem told Jim Courier on court after his win.

“He’s a heck of a player, he’s very composed, he’s so disciplined,” noted Kyrgios.

Kyrgios is teaming with fellow Aussie and close friend Thanasi Kokkinakis. They play their first-round match Saturday in a delayed match.

“I’m going to come with my head held high tomorrow, play some doubles,” Kyrgios said.

“(Then we’ll) see what tennis I’ll play this year. If I can continue to perform like that, I’m sure that the results will follow.”

Thiem hit 57 winners to 52 from Kyrgios but the key stat was the 28 unforced errors from Thiem and 47 from his opponent.

This was a high quality match with plenty of drama and a fitting send out for what could be the last big crowd of the 2021 Australian Open.

Dominic Thiem: “I was almost on my way home!” press conference (3R) | Australian Open 2021
Nick Kyrgios: “The energy out there was special!” press conference (3R) | Australian Open 2021

Filed Under: Australian Open

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