Maria Sharapova, the beauty queen of Rassia wins Australian open tennis 2008 and celebrate happy new year journey of her career in women tennis grand slam tournament.Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova kisses her winner trophy following victory after her womens singles final match against Serbian opponent Ana Ivanovic at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, 26 January 2008. Sharapova won 7-5. 6-3The newsvine says:"I took mine," fifth-ranked Sharapova said after beating Ana Ivanova 7-5, 6-3 Saturday for her third Grand Slam title.Sharapova, who didn't lose a set in seven matches, was clearly determined that nothing would stop her after winning only three games against Serena Williams in last year's final.She was over a shoulder problem that plagued her last year. She was hi
My picks for the Australian open were Roger Federer and Jelena Jankovic.I really like the personality of Jankovic.I admired her the most when she won against the defending champion Serena Williams. Last year Maria Sharapova was eating the dust of Serena but this year it was serena who was behind Jankovic. I sympathized with her during her game with Sharapova. I felt that she was in great pain which has led to her losing the opportunity to be in the finals. Indeed Jankovic showed that she was a fighter because she never gave up and did her best until the end. Who would not love Roger Federer?I do and i always will.He has a classy approach on court.He seldom shows his emotions which makes him mysterious to the viewers. He seem so humble and yet he is the best player at the moment.I'm sure he
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the young frenchman who knocked out Andy Murray in the first round shocked the world of tennis last night by thrashing world number two Rafael Nadal to reach the Australian Open final at Melbourne Park. He won the first set in an amazing 32 minutes!
In only his fifth grand slam tournament, the [...]
Maria Sharapova has beaten the No.3 seed Jelena Jankovic to make it to her second successive Australian Open final.
Sharapova beat Jankovic 6-3 6-1 in 78 minutes.
Sharapova, the No.5 seed, started the match in tremendous form and stormed into a 4-0 lead in the opening set. Jankovic had injury problems and was never in the [...]
Maria Sharapova celebrates after beating Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals of the Australian Open tennis 2008 on Thursday.The UPI says-Maria Sharapova took advantage of an injured opponent Thursday to reach the finals of the Australian Open.Sharapova, seeking her third Grand Slam title, moved into the championship match of this event for the second straight year with a 6-3, 6-1 decision over Jelena Jankovic.Jankovic received treatment for back pain during the match and was able to stay on the court until the end, but she provided little challenge for Sharapova.Sharapova, who lost to Serena Williams in the title match here a year ago, will meet either Ana Ivanovic or Daniela Hantuchova in the finals. Sharapova, seeded fifth, produced eight aces and needed just 78 minutes to win her
MELBOURNE, Australia - Serena Williams stumbled one round short of a rematch, so Maria Sharapova had to unload a year's worth of retribution on somebody else. Justine Henin caught the brunt of it.Maria earned an efficient 6-4, 6-0 victory over Belgiums Justine Henin to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open.The Russian flew out of the blocks, intimidating Henin with sublime ground strokes. While the fans at Rod Laver Arena were still finding their seats, Sharapova powered to 3-0 lead in just 9 minutes.Henin slowly played her way back, eventually breaking back when down 3-5. The following game saw Henin save three set points. An extensive rally, perhaps the best of the women’s tournament to date, gave the Russian a fourth set point, with a superb Sharapova lunging backhand forcing H
Sania Mirza of India and her partner Alicia Molik of Australia takes a point during their women's double's second round match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, 18 January 2008....
The third round of the Australian Open gets underway in Melbourne on Friday (this evening at 7:00 EST, US). Interesting match-ups in the second half of the draw include Mikhail Youzhny, RUS, (14) versus Ivo Karlovic, CRO, (20) and Richard Gasquet, FRA, (8) versus Igor Andreev, RUS, (31).
Gasquet versus Andreev will be a rematch [...]
Sania Mirza, the beauty queen of Indian tennis player wins her second round match. She looks very confident in this challenging match. When she plays the 3rd set, she breaks two times game point.Sania Mirza is going to face qualifier Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland in the second round of Australian Open 2008. Sania Mirza defeated Iroda Tulyaganova in straight set in the first round in style. The youngster carries the hopes of millions of Indian in the Australian Open 2008. Though she spent a big part of last year out of court due to her injury, she reached her career highest rank 27 last year.Sania Mirza of India celebrates winning her first round match against Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan on day twoFrom hindu.com we find the following news-Sania in third round of Australian Open, to me
The 2008 Australian Open is still about a month away, but that hasn’t stopped Nike from releasing the outfits some of their stars will wear while they are down under. Here you see the outfit Serena Williams will wear in the first major tournament of 2008.
It’s a one-piece, white tunic-style dress with royal purple accents on top of a pair of purple lycra biker shorts. You can read more about Serena’s Nike tennis outfit, which she had tons of input in designing, at the TennisWeek blog.
At long last Craig Parry has added the missing link to his resume, finally winning an Australian Open title at his 24th attempt. The 41-year-old fired a closing round three-under-par 69 to finish on 11-under at The Australian course in Sydney, one shot ahead of West Australian Nick O'Hern (70), young Sydneysider Won Joon Lee (66) and American Brandt Snedeker (69). Already boasting 12 titles on home soil from his 22 triumphs worldwide, Parry had come so close to winning his national championship, including a playoff loss to John Morse here way back in 1990. Seventeen years later at the same venue, Parry can finally add his name alongside those of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Greg Norman on the prestigious Stonehaven Cup. Well known for holing a six-iron for eagle on the first playoff hole to win the 2004 Ford Championship in Doral, Parry said Sunday's was comfortably the best victory of his career. "Just the feeling I've got right now, this is the best one ever," he said. "
America's Lee Williamson held a two-shot lead following the opening round of the Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney on Thursday. Williamson shot an astounding 7-under-par 65 to overtake early leader Robert Allenby. Willamson started on fire collecting birdies from six of his opening eight holes, before a disastrous ninth-hole triple bogey restricted his score to just 3-under at the turn. But the American came home strongly with four birdies on the back nine to finish the round two shots clear. Allenby, a two-time champion of the event, shot a 5-under 67 to grab a three-way share of second place alongside fellow Australians Andrew Bonhomme and Kim Felton...Read the complete golf news article
Serena is reportedly wearing this one-piece, white tunic-style dress (with side slits) adorned with royal purple accents over a pair of purple spandex biker shorts with purple wrist bands (as the outfit of choice for the 2008 Australian Open).
My friend Chris joined me for MLS Cup ‘07. He’s a big tennis fan, and we started talking about majors on the metro ride to the match. I remembered the Australian Open is normally very early in the new year, so when I asked where and when it was held, I found out it’d overlap with my final few days in Australia.
This first of four major annual tennis tournaments runs from January 14-27, 2008, in Melbourne, which just so happens to be the city I leave from on my way to Bali (Jan 29). Of course that’d put me there toward the end of the tournament for the men’s semifinals and finals, the costliest and potentially most difficult matches to attend. However, Chris did suggest that it’d be cool to just hang out on the grounds, if getting a ticket wasn’t feasible.
I’m sure seeking a single ticket would make the process a little easier, so it’d just come down to how much I’d be willing to pay. It is certainly an event I intend to k
7-6(3) 4-6 6-4 3-6 1-6So disappointed for Murray, but I'm pleased he's managed to remain upbeat.It was an awesome performance from both players with some unbelievable quality in the rallies. Even a five-set score doesn't really tell the story of how close the match was in terms of ability.The overal difference came down to Nadal taking more of his break point opportunities (sound like the Doha final?) and having a touch more fitness going into the fifth set.Here's a quick overview of the match:SET 1:Murray made little in-roads on the Nadal serve, but managed to hold his own serve well. With Nadal 6-5 up, he found a break - and set - point. Murray held well to force the tie-break.Two successful hawkeye challenges, some great serving and Murray powered through the tie-break 7-3.SET 2:Murray mixed up the play so well and showed an incredible range of shots. A break and a hold and Murray found himself 4-1 up and Nadal floundering.Then Nadal stepped up a gear and, at the same time,
Here it is then - we're less than an hour away from Murray vs Nadal (2).Nadal will be favourite (just) with greater experience and greater strength and stamina. It will be a year or two before Murray is at his physical peak.But there are two things about Murray's performance against Chela that - if he can carry them through to this match - will give Nadal some problems.1) The ServeUp to 70% of first serves in and Murray wins a lot of points when his first serve goes in. Against Chela, again and again Murray kicked the serve out wide dragging his opponent out of position and then fired the returned ball to the opposite side of the court. Nadal is fast, but no-one's fast enough to chase those balls down if done correctly.2) DefenceOn the rallies when Chela was in control, dragging Murray from one side to the other, Murray showed his speed and his defensive skills. His blocked returns were landing so deep that Murray was frequently able to turn defence into attack.If Muray can br
Didn't get into work this weekend so apologies for the late post.Obviously you know by now that Murray defeated Chela 6-3 6-2 6-4. I managed to watch a recording on Saturday afternoon without finding out the result beforehand, so I had some decent entertainment.The result makes it look like Murray was comfortable, but the truth is that Murray was RIDICULOUSLY comfortable. Looking at the players it seemed hard to imagine how Chela had got as far as he had.That's not meant to insult Chela, but I think Murray does that to a lot of players. He mixed up the pace of the rallies so much that Chela couldn't find a rhythm. At no point did Murray ever look out of control of this match. The only blip came in the third set when the players traded breaks, but this seemed to be as much a touch of boredom forcing a lack of concentration on Murray's part.Murray got to show most of his range of shots - even coming into the net and showing some razor-sharp volleying. Murray is at his absolute
The schedule for day 6 says Murray and Chela are 4th out on the MCA court. This means an evening start (no earlier than 8:30am UK time) in Australia which also means that the conditions will favour Murray. This should be the toughest match so far but, with Murray's current confidence and form, I don't see why this can't finish up another straight sets victory.As before you should be able to catch this on British Eurosport or BBCi (online) from 8:30am (UK Time) on Saturday morning.Here's a quick update on who Murray could be facing in future rounds based on who's still in the draw:3rd Round:The seeded player for this section is Jarko Nieminen (18).Murray won their match in last years Canada Master Series, two sets to one. This should be the first real test for Murray.Juan Ignacio Chela is the man who put Nieminen out and also Murray in the first round last year. Revenge is best served on a balmy Australian evening in front of a crowd of Murray fans.4th Round:Finally! This could b
Chela (33) dumped out Nieminen and so will be Murray's next opponent.To be honest, this should have been the match I really wanted as this is a chance for Murray to avenge his straight sets defeat in the first round of Murray Vs Chela - Australian Open 2006.Murray and Chela have played since then in the Murray Vs Chela - Paris Masters 2006. Murray won in straight sets on that occasion with a bagel to boot. This match should be closer, but I still fancy Murray to have too much class for the Argentinian.A lot of this will come down to when the match is played. An evening match - when it's cooler - and Murray will be a cert. An early match will hand a big advantage to Chela who is more accustomed to the heat.I'll post again once the schedule is up.
Not as pretty from Murray by all acccounts with plenty of breaks of serve on both sides and the first serve percentage in the pits again. A combination of tenacious play from Verdasco and a blisteringly hot Australian sun making for a long and scrappy match.Nevertheless, Murray won in straight sets 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 6-4.The reporter on BBC radio this morning praised Murray for coming back from behind in the first two sets (1-3 down in the first set and 1-4 down in the second) and showing great ability to change his tactics when needed.Two rounds done then and Murray has yet to drop a set. Right now I think most players will be looking at Murray and wondering just how well and just how hard you have to play to win three sets against him.Source:BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray through with scrappy win
As previously mentioned, Murray has met Verdasco (35) once before at a challenger back in 2003.Verdasco was a straight sets winner on that occasion but you can expect things to go down a little differently tomorrow.Murray is due out in the Vodafone Area third after two Women's matches. This means 2am (UK time) is the absolutely earliest you can expect, but sometime between 2:30 and 3:30 is a safer bet.If you're a night owl then you should be able to catch this on British Eurosport or BBCi. I have work tomorrow, so I'll be finding out the result when I get up tomorrow - hopefully it'll be good news.Here's a quick update on how the draw is progressing. My original predictions are in black and the updates are in red.1st Round:Andy Murray Vs Alberto MartinThis is their first meeting. Unless Murray gets off to a slow start anything less than a straight sets victory would be a surprise.Got this one right, although I didn't expect it would be quite so comprehensive.2nd Round:Fernando
The draw is out and Murray will be playing Alberto Martin (60) in the first round. This is their first meeting.Apparently Murray doesn't like looking ahead to who he might play in later rounds. This is sensible for the player but, for everyone else, on Monday I'll be posting a detailed look at who Murray might be playing in later rounds.I can't remember the exact page, but an article in the Telegraph said that a semi-final appearance in the Australian Open could be enough to put Murray inside the top ten. A long shot maybe, but don't bet against it.Source:BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray gets good Aussie Open draw
The schedule of play for day 2 of the Australian Open is up on the official website and Murray vs Martin is scheduled to be played - not before 7:30pm.Melbourne is GMT +10, so I reckon that means Murray scheduled start time will be some time after 9:30am on Tuesday morning.One or two newspapers are already tipping Murray as an outside bet to win. A little optimistic maybe, but I'll go along with that for now.Just one upset on the first day of play as Ljubicic crashed out in four sets to Mardy Fish.Give me a few minutes and I'll plot out Murray's route to the final.Source:Australian Open - Official Site - Schedule Day 2
The most entertaining moment was when Martin was serving to stay in the match. Murray made a couple of sloppy shots and absolutely berated himself for it - despite the fact that he'd just won the last 17 games in a row!Just one game shy of the complete bagel, Murray cruised into the second round 6-0 6-0 6-1. The whole match took just 1hr and 10 mins.A combination of Martin having a shocker and Murray just in complete control of the match and full of confidence.Bear in mind that Martin is not a wildcard or a qualifier. This is a guy ranked 60 in the world and Murray just ruthlessly tore him apart. Hopefully this will send a ripple through the tournament and his next opponent (still to be decided) will be quaking in his trainers before a ball is even hit.A great start for Murray and I get the feeling this could be a good tournament.
As previously mentioned, Murray has met Verdasco (35) once before at a challenger back in 2003.Verdasco was a straight sets winner on that occasion but you can expect things to go down a little differently tomorrow.Murray is due out in the Vodafone Area third after two Women's matches. This means 2am (UK time) is the absolutely earliest you can expect, but sometime between 2:30 and 3:30 is a safer bet.If you're a night owl then you should be able to catch this on British Eurosport or BBCi. I have work tomorrow, so I'll be finding out the result when I get up tomorrow - hopefully it'll be good news.Here's a quick update on how the draw is progressing. My original predictions are in black and the updates are in red.1st Round:Andy Murray Vs Alberto MartinThis is their first meeting. Unless Murray gets off to a slow start anything less than a straight sets victory would be a surprise.Got this one right, although I didn't expect it would be quite so comprehensive.2nd Round:Fernando
Not as pretty from Murray by all acccounts with plenty of breaks of serve on both sides and the first serve percentage in the pits again. A combination of tenacious play from Verdasco and a blisteringly hot Australian sun making for a long and scrappy match.Nevertheless, Murray won in straight sets 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 6-4.The reporter on BBC radio this morning praised Murray for coming back from behind in the first two sets (1-3 down in the first set and 1-4 down in the second) and showing great ability to change his tactics when needed.Two rounds done then and Murray has yet to drop a set. Right now I think most players will be looking at Murray and wondering just how well and just how hard you have to play to win three sets against him.Source:BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray through with scrappy win
Chela (33) dumped out Nieminen and so will be Murray's next opponent.To be honest, this should have been the match I really wanted as this is a chance for Murray to avenge his straight sets defeat in the first round of Murray Vs Chela - Australian Open 2006.Murray and Chela have played since then in the Murray Vs Chela - Paris Masters 2006. Murray won in straight sets on that occasion with a bagel to boot. This match should be closer, but I still fancy Murray to have too much class for the Argentinian.A lot of this will come down to when the match is played. An evening match - when it's cooler - and Murray will be a cert. An early match will hand a big advantage to Chela who is more accustomed to the heat.I'll post again once the schedule is up.
The schedule for day 6 says Murray and Chela are 4th out on the MCA court. This means an evening start (no earlier than 8:30am UK time) in Australia which also means that the conditions will favour Murray. This should be the toughest match so far but, with Murray's current confidence and form, I don't see why this can't finish up another straight sets victory.As before you should be able to catch this on British Eurosport or BBCi (online) from 8:30am (UK Time) on Saturday morning.Here's a quick update on who Murray could be facing in future rounds based on who's still in the draw:3rd Round:The seeded player for this section is Jarko Nieminen (18).Murray won their match in last years Canada Master Series, two sets to one. This should be the first real test for Murray.Juan Ignacio Chela is the man who put Nieminen out and also Murray in the first round last year. Revenge is best served on a balmy Australian evening in front of a crowd of Murray fans.4th Round:Finally! This could b
Didn't get into work this weekend so apologies for the late post.Obviously you know by now that Murray defeated Chela 6-3 6-2 6-4. I managed to watch a recording on Saturday afternoon without finding out the result beforehand, so I had some decent entertainment.The result makes it look like Murray was comfortable, but the truth is that Murray was RIDICULOUSLY comfortable. Looking at the players it seemed hard to imagine how Chela had got as far as he had.That's not meant to insult Chela, but I think Murray does that to a lot of players. He mixed up the pace of the rallies so much that Chela couldn't find a rhythm. At no point did Murray ever look out of control of this match. The only blip came in the third set when the players traded breaks, but this seemed to be as much a touch of boredom forcing a lack of concentration on Murray's part.Murray got to show most of his range of shots - even coming into the net and showing some razor-sharp volleying. Murray is at his absolute
Here it is then - we're less than an hour away from Murray vs Nadal (2).Nadal will be favourite (just) with greater experience and greater strength and stamina. It will be a year or two before Murray is at his physical peak.But there are two things about Murray's performance against Chela that - if he can carry them through to this match - will give Nadal some problems.1) The ServeUp to 70% of first serves in and Murray wins a lot of points when his first serve goes in. Against Chela, again and again Murray kicked the serve out wide dragging his opponent out of position and then fired the returned ball to the opposite side of the court. Nadal is fast, but no-one's fast enough to chase those balls down if done correctly.2) DefenceOn the rallies when Chela was in control, dragging Murray from one side to the other, Murray showed his speed and his defensive skills. His blocked returns were landing so deep that Murray was frequently able to turn defence into attack.If Muray can br
7-6(3) 4-6 6-4 3-6 1-6So disappointed for Murray, but I'm pleased he's managed to remain upbeat.It was an awesome performance from both players with some unbelievable quality in the rallies. Even a five-set score doesn't really tell the story of how close the match was in terms of ability.The overal difference came down to Nadal taking more of his break point opportunities (sound like the Doha final?) and having a touch more fitness going into the fifth set.Here's a quick overview of the match:SET 1:Murray made little in-roads on the Nadal serve, but managed to hold his own serve well. With Nadal 6-5 up, he found a break - and set - point. Murray held well to force the tie-break.Two successful hawkeye challenges, some great serving and Murray powered through the tie-break 7-3.SET 2:Murray mixed up the play so well and showed an incredible range of shots. A break and a hold and Murray found himself 4-1 up and Nadal floundering.Then Nadal stepped up a gear and, at the same time,
Can someone please beat Federer....!!!!!!!!!!!He beat Roddick in straight sets 6-4,6-0,6-2..!!May be some one will in the French open...! will wait and see. I hate to see this kind of domination unless it is of course our Red Sox, Pats, Celts or the Bruins....!!
Guess what? it's Federer again. The sad part is he beat Fernando Gonzalez in straight sets. Some one needs to at least make him earn his titles...take him to a fifth set tie breaker or something. Even Sampras wasn't this dominating. Anyway, for all of us who hate Federer our hope is in the French open.
