Tennis great Martina Navratilova and Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain Leon Smith reflect on Andy Murray’s shock defeat at the Australian Open.
| Australian Open 2017 |
|---|
| Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne Dates: 16-29 Jan |
| Coverage: Daily live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website; TV highlights on BBC Two and online from 21 January. |
Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni ended an 18-year wait for a Grand Slam quarter-final place with victory over American qualifier Jennifer Brady at the Australian Open.
Lucic-Baroni, 34, won 6-4 6-2 to reach the last eight of a major for the first time since Wimbledon in 1999, when she lost to Steffi Graf in the semi-finals.
She will next play fifth seed Karolina Pliskova or 22nd seed Daria Gavrilova.
“I am a tough little cookie and really stubborn,” said Lucic-Baroni.
“When I want something I will work hard and do anything I need to get it. What a satisfaction.”
Lucic-Baroni did not play at the Grand Slams between 2003 and 2010 because of a series of personal issues, which led to her fleeing Croatia along with her mother Andelka and four siblings in the dead of night and heading to the United States.
“I had a rough patch in my life early on but I am really blessed with the family I have,” she said.
She had been a tennis prodigy, winning junior titles at the Australian and US Opens, making her Grand Slam debut as a 15-year-old at the US Open and going on to win the Australian Open doubles title with Martina Hingis in 1998.
Financial problems resulting from the move to America meant she played just three matches between 2004 and 2006, but she returned to the sport and has finished in the world’s top 100 for the past six seasons, reaching the last 16 at the US Open in 2016.
Now ranked 79th, her first-round win over Qiang Wang was her first Australian Open main-draw win since 1998.
If Lucic-Baroni wins her quarter-final, and Serena Williams beats Johanna Konta, the pair will meet for the first time since Wimbledon 1998.
“I always said I have the game. But to work so hard and make so many sacrifices, I hope no-one is going to pinch me and wake me up because this is just incredible,” said Lucic-Baroni.
Revisit the week that was on the ATP Challenger Tour as we applaud the achievements of those on the rise and look ahead to who’s in action in the week to come
A LOOK BACK
Koblenz Open (Koblenz, Germany): Belgian Ruben Bemelmans started off his season on a high note by prevailing in a tight final over German qualifier Nils Langer, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(0).
“I felt great on court from the first match,” said Bemelmans. “I love playing indoors and Koblenz is close to my home, so it gives a good feeling if your family can come and watch.”
Bemelmans finished 2016 strongly by finishing runner-up in November at American Challengers in Charlottesville and Champaign. Bemelmans has already improved his Emirates ATP Ranking by nearly 60 spots since this past November and his win in Koblenz will push him back inside the Top 150.
“I ended last year really good and now I confirmed at the beginning of the season that I’m feeling good on the court. Winning here is a serious confidence boost,” said Bemelmans. “My first goal is to do better than my best ranking (No. 84) and then I’ll aim higher and go for the Top 70, always trying to get a step higher.”
Despite the loss, Langer can take confidence in reaching his first Challenger final since September 2015 in St. Remy, France. The 26-year-old is still seeking his first ATP Challenger Tour singles title.
A LOOK AHEAD
There are two Challengers on the calendar this week, with the $100,000 event in Rennes, France, taking top billing as it returns for the 11th year. Local favourite Jeremy Chardy is the top seed and has a tough opening round in #NextGenATP star Andrey Rublev of Russia. Another Frenchman, Paul-Henri Mathieu, is the second seed. Other notable players in the draw include #NextGenATP star Duckhee Lee of Korea, reigning Roland Garros boys’ singles champion Geoffrey Blancaneaux, and Bemelmans as he looks for another Challenger title.
The $50,000 event in Maui, Hawaii, returns for the eighth consecutive year. American #NextGenATP star Taylor Fritz and Yen-Hsun Lu of Taipei are the top two seeds. A slew of other #NextGen ATP stars are also in the draw, including Hyeon Chung of Korea, Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan, and Americans Noah Rubin, Michael Mmoh, Stefan Kozlov, Ernesto Escobedo and 2015 champion Jared Donaldson. Defending champion Di Wu of China is also in the field.
View Draws & Watch Free Live Streams
ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: The ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallengerTour at twitter.com/ATPChallengerTour.
| Australian Open 2017 |
|---|
| Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne Dates: 16-29 Jan |
| Coverage: Daily live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website; TV highlights on BBC Two and online from 21 January. |
Britain’s Johanna Konta produced another terrific performance to beat Russian Ekaterina Makarova and set up an Australian Open quarter-final against Serena Williams.
Konta, seeded ninth, saw off 30th seed Makarova 6-1 6-4 to reach the last eight without dropping a set.
The Briton made her first Grand Slam semi-final in Melbourne last year.
Second seed Williams overcame stern resistance from Czech 16th seed Barbora Strycova to win 7-5 6-4.
The American six-time champion, 35, fell a break of serve down three times in the first set but came through .
“She’s a really smart player – she can do pretty much everything,” Williams said of Strycova.
“It was a really good match for me and I’m glad I came through it.”
Williams was under pressure on serve more than usual with a first-serve percentage of just 45%.
“It’s good to know I have an plan B or option two,” she added. “I wasn’t serving my greatest but she was also putting a lot of returns in there.”
To be the best, you have to beat the best. Roger Federer has been living by that mantra throughout his storied career and on Sunday the Swiss added yet another milestone to his glittering list of achievements.
Federer became the first active player to win 200 matches against Top 10 opponents, improving to 200-107 (.651) in the FedEx ATP Win-Loss Index with a fourth round victory over World No. 5 Kei Nishikori at the Australian Open. To put that in perspective, Federer’s Top 10 victories account for nearly one-fifth of his match wins (1084) in total.
FedEx ATP Performance Zone: Top 10 Wins
“It’s great,” Federer said following his victory over Nishikori. “I didn’t know it going in. I just know I played a lot of tennis. I ran a lot. Obviously I want to play really well against the best players. I was able to do that sometimes, but tonight was special, no doubt about it. Going five against Kei here on Rod Laver Arena with the comeback, it’s definitely very special. A fitting way to celebrate that milestone.”
The 35 year old has amassed double-digit Top 10 wins in 11 different seasons, which is also most among active players. Moreover, with wins over Nishikori and No. 10 Tomas Berdych this fortnight in Melbourne Park, he has notched multiple Top 10 victories in the same tournament for the 85th time.
Federer’s success against Top 10 opposition has never been more evident than at the year-end ATP Finals, where he owns a record 52 wins against the world’s best players.
Here are the active leaders:
Active Top 10 Wins Leaders
|
Player |
Win-Loss | Index |
| Roger Federer | 200-107 | .651 |
| Novak Djokovic | 180-84 | .682 |
| Rafael Nadal | 140-77 | .645 |
| Andy Murray | 100-80 | .556 |
Roger’s Top 10 Victims
In total, Federer has defeated 41 different Top 10 players, including current and former World No. 1s Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Lleyton Hewitt, Carlos Moya, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Gustavo Kuerten, Andy Roddick, Marat Safin and Pete Sampras.
|
Top 10 Opponent |
Wins Against |
| Novak Djokovic | 18 |
| Andy Roddick | 17 |
| Andy Murray | 13 |
| Juan Martin del Potro | 11 |
| Tomas Berdych | 10 |
| Rafael Nadal | 10 |
| Lleyton Hewitt | 9 |
| Andre Agassi | 8 |
| Nikolay Davydenko | 8 |
| David Nalbandian | 8 |
| David Ferrer | 7 |
| Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | 6 |
| Carlos Moya | 5 |
| Milos Raonic | 5 |
| Marat Safin | 5 |
| Stan Wawrinka | 5 |
| James Blake | 4 |
| Juan Carlos Ferrero | 4 |
| Tim Henman | 4 |
| Ivan Ljubicic | 4 |
| Robin Soderling | 4 |
| Guillermo Coria | 3 |
| Fernando Gonzalez | 3 |
| Richard Gasquet | 2 |
| Gaston Gaudio | 2 |
| Tommy Haas | 2 |
| Yevgeny Kafelnikov | 2 |
| Gael Monfils | 2 |
| Kei Nishikori | 2 |
| Jiri Novak | 2 |
| Tommy Robredo | 2 |
| Janko Tipsarevic | 2 |
| Fernando Verdasco | 2 |
| Mario Ancic | 1 |
| Arnaud Clement | 1 |
| Alex Corretja | 1 |
| Mardy Fish | 1 |
| Nicolas Kiefer | 1 |
| Gustavo Kuerten | 1 |
| Magnus Norman | 1 |
| Pete Sampras | 1 |
Rafael Nadal can move one step nearer to his first grand slam final in 9 attempts on Monday when he faces sixth seed Gael…
Watch highlights as world number one Andy Murray suffers a shock defeat in the fourth round of the Australian Open against Germany’s Mischa Zverev.
| Australian Open 2017 |
|---|
| Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne Dates: 16-29 Jan |
| Coverage: Daily live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website; TV highlights on BBC Two and online from 21 January. |
Roger Federer continued his remarkable return from injury by seeing off Kei Nishikori in five sets to reach his 13th Australian Open quarter-final.
The 35-year-old beat fifth seed Nishikori 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-1 4-6 6-3 to keep alive his hopes of an 18th Grand Slam and fifth Australian Open title.
Federer, seeded 17th, is playing his first competitive event since Wimbledon six months ago following a knee injury.
He will play Mischa Zverev, conqueror of Andy Murray, in the last eight.
Third seed Stan Wawrinka beat Andreas Seppi 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-4) and goes on to face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat Dan Evans 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 6-4 6-4.
After dropping his opening two service games, Federer found the range that had seen him hammer Tomas Berdych in the previous round, giving Nishikori a torrid time.
“It was a great match and a joy to be part of it,” said Federer.
“I wasn’t playing badly in the first set – it’s a quick court and things happen fast. It was about staying calm at 4-0.
“I thought it can’t get any worse from there. It was hard not to win that first set after all the effort but it paid off in the end. This is a huge win for me in my career.”
From 5-1 down, the Swiss roared back – almost taking the set before losing out in a tie-break – and clinching the second set with a solitary break.
The third disappeared in a flash as Federer took apart the Nishikori serve, winning every point on the Japanese player’s second serve, and he went close to breaking through again early in the fourth set.
Nishikori, 27, held on under huge pressure and forced a decider but it was Federer who proved the stronger, racing into a 3-0 lead and closing it out – to the delight of most of those on Rod Laver Arena.
Federer played just seven events in 2016 after injuring his knee the day after his Australian Open semi-final and having arthroscopic knee surgery.
He dropped out of the world’s top 10 for the first time in 734 weeks last November, and arrived in Melbourne ranked 17th – his lowest position since May 2001.
The Swiss is the oldest man to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final since the 39-year-old Jimmy Connors at the 1991 US Open.
But the departure of first Djokovic and then Murray has thrown the draw wide open, with Federer, as well as the likes of Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal, in with a chance of adding to their Grand Slam tallies.
“I felt like if Rafa and myself can be healthy, yes, you can expect us in the quarter-finals,” Federer added.
“That Novak and Andy are not, that is a big surprise. I never thought that Mischa Zverev and Denis Istomin would beat those two big guys.
“I guess it’s good for tennis that a lot of guys believe stronger now that the top guys are beatable, are vulnerable, especially on a faster court. It happened completely in different circumstances.
“But two huge surprises. No doubt about that.”
Frenchman into Australian Open quarter-finals over Evans
No. 12 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga continued his love affair with the Australian Open on Sunday, not dropping serve as he thrilled the Melbourne crowd with a tight 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 fourth-round win over Daniel Evans on Hisense Arena.
The 2008 runner-up is into the quarter-finals here for the first time since 2013. Tsonga now plays fourth seed Stan Wawrinka for a place in the last four. The Swiss star leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 4-3 and has won their past three matches.
“It’s going to be a tough match,” said Tsonga. “I know he’s playing really good. It’s going to be important for me to be good in this match and play my best level.
“I think I will be ready. It’s going to be a good challenge for me to play against Stan.”
Evans was competing in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time, having stunned Marin Cilic and Bernard Tomic at Melbourne Park. He had reached his first ATP World Tour final last week in Sydney (l. to Muller).
The Briton continued his hot form against Tsonga, striking first in the tie-break by taking a 3/1 lead and holding his slight advantage the rest of the way. Tsonga responded brilliantly by racing to a 4-0 lead in the second set and ultimately levelling the match at one set each.
The Frenchman broke Evans immediately to start off the third set. Little separated the pair, but that early advantage was all Tsonga needed to take a commanding lead. The fourth set was nearly identical, with Tsonga grabbing an early break and comfortably serving out the match to love to prevail in two hours and 53 minutes.
“Before the match I knew if it started to be really physical, it was going to be on my side, I think,” said Tsonga. “That’s what happened. So the first set was difficult. Then I played pretty strong and made him run a lot in the second set.
“I just served really well, too. Then it was an advantage for me. I didn’t have to defend too many break points. That was an advantage for me.”
The 31-year-old Tsonga, who finished runner-up to Roger Federer in his lone Grand Slam final at Melbourne Park in 2008, is bidding to reach his first major semi-final since Roland Garros 2015, when he fell to Wawrinka.