Venus and Serena Williams are relishing the prospect of competing against each other in the 2017 Australian Open final, describing it as “the moment” of their careers.
| Australian Open 2017 |
|---|
| Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne Dates: 16-29 January |
| 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 Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett will face each other in the final of the Australian Open wheelchair doubles.
Scotland’s Reid and Joachim Gerard of Belgium beat Dutchman Maikel Scheffers and Australia’s Ben Weekes 6-0 6-1.
Englishman Hewett and Argentine Gustavo Fernandez beat France’s Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer 1-6 6-1 10-7.
Lucy Shuker lost 6-3 6-2 to Japanese second seed Yui Kamiji in the semi-final of the women’s singles.
| Australian Open 2017 |
|---|
| Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne Dates: 16-29 Jan |
| Coverage: 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. |
Venus Williams beats Coco Vandeweghe to reach her first Grand Slam final for eight years at the Australian Open.
The 36-year-old fought back to see off her fellow American 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-3 in Melbourne, setting up a potential final against her sister Serena.
Venus Williams, seeded 13th, lost to her sister in her only previous Australian Open final 14 years ago.
Serena Williams plays unseeded Croat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the second semi-final.
A victory for the world number two would set up the ninth all-Williams final at a Grand Slam – the last of which, at Wimbledon in 2009, was Venus’s most recent major singles final.
“It is unbelievable to watch Serena play tennis – the way she hits the ball and the competitor she is,” said Venus Williams.
“It would be a dream to see here on the opposite side of the net on Saturday.”
Vandeweghe, 25, had played superbly in seeing off world number one Angelique Kerber and French Open champion Garbine Muguruza to reach the last four, but she could not maintain that level in the semi-final.
The world number 35 deservedly took the first set on a tie-break but it was the experience of Williams that eventually prevailed.
Williams converted four of five break points, but more importantly reduced Vandeweghe to just one from 13 as the younger American was reduced to throwing her racquet in frustration as the chances slipped by.
Two double faults handed Williams a decisive double break in the second set and the seven-time grand Slam champion broke again at the start of the third.
Vandeweghe stayed close enough to keep the pressure, saving three match points before finally cracking with an error on the fourth, prompting a jubilant twirl of celebration from Williams.
“Everyone has their moment in the sun, maybe mine has gone on a little longer than other people, but I have nothing else to do,” joked Williams.
A longtime staple of the ATP Challenger Tour has returned to the circuit after a one-year hiatus. With former player and 37-time Challenger doubles winner Rik de Voest at the helm, the Odlum Brown VanOpen is back at the prestigious Hollyburn Country Club.
Nestled on the southern edge of the Coast Mountains in southwestern Canada, with Vancouver Harbour adorning the horizon, the multi-million dollar sports club is a symbol of opulence and for many players on the ATP Challenger Tour it has been a home away from home. The state-of-the-art facility, featuring 25 tennis courts – hard, clay and grass – is rivaled only by the world-class hospitality of its staff.
For 11 years, the Odlum Brown VanOpen was brought to the forefront of the ATP Challenger Tour under the attentive guidance of tournament director Floyd Hill. Following Hill’s departure last year, to pursue other interests, the $100,000 event was in search of a new leader. De Voest is eager to take up the responsibility. Having played his last professional event in Vancouver in 2014, nine years after meeting his wife there, the tournament is close to the South African’s heart.
“I am very excited to form part of the team reviving the Odlum Brown VanOpen,” said De Voest. “I believe bringing world-class tennis back to Vancouver provides great inspiration to the young players who aspire to compete on the ATP World Tour one day. As a past player and having played in many Challenger events, I can honestly say that the Odlum Brown VanOpen was one of the most impressive tournaments in the world. It provides top-class facilities, amazing player accommodation, fantastic crowd support and attracts some of the best players in the world, including future World No. 1s.”
The tournament’s unyielding dedication to providing players with top-notch hospitality and amenities made it such an attractive Challenger destination throughout the years, earning the respect of many players. Dudi Sela enjoyed the most success of any player to step through the doors at Hollyburn, posting a staggering 23-1 record including four titles. The Israeli, who claimed the inaugural edition in 2005 and won again in 2008, 2010 and 2015, is one of just five players to capture four titles at a single tournament on the ATP Challenger Tour.
“Vancouver is my favourite tournament,” Sela told ATPWorldTour.com. “I played five times and won four titles. It’s a really nice tournament. The city is great, the people who run it are really nice and it’s organised really well. Most of the players stay in housing, so we stayed with the tournament doctor. I keep in touch with him and he’s come to Israel to visit. We talk a lot on the phone.
“For sure I’m going to go there again and visit the city and the people. Last year there was an Israeli coach and I felt at home. Every night I was going to dinner in a different house. At most other tournaments you are in hotels but not there.”
Born in nearby Vernon, Canada, Vasek Pospisil won the Vancouver title in 2013 after reaching the semi-finals two years prior. The former World No. 25 has fond memories of his local tournament.
“Vancouver is such a special event in so many ways,” said Pospisil. “It was the nicest Challenger event that I had ever played and the organisers really knew how to take care of the players and the fans. It was also my home tournament and it was the one where I played my first professional match when I was 15, so I have many great memories from the event.”
Operated in conjunction with Tennis Canada, the Odlum Brown VanOpen thrived in its late-summer slot on the ATP Challenger Tour. In 2015, three former Top 10 players – Ernests Gulbis, Radek Stepanek and Jurgen Melzer – competed in the main draw, which was the most at a Challenger event since 2010.
“I have great memories from Vancouver,” said Marcos Baghdatis, who made two trips to Vancouver and left with a perfect 10-0 record, lifting the trophy in both 2009 and 2014. “It’s one of the best Challengers I ever played. I won it twice. Every time I went there and played on the centre court it was packed. It was a nice feeling and the fans are great. I stayed there twice with two different families. They have housing in Vancouver and both of the families were very nice. It is a beautiful city to stay in and experience in my life.”
In years past, the tournament was treated like an ATP World Tour event, providing items such as an exclusive lounge on site, private cars and free housing with local families – luxuries that they intended to reflect the Rogers Cup. De Voest is happy to carry on the tradition of excellence.
“When I first heard about the possibility of the event being brought back, I said I would be happy to assist. I was then approached to be the Tournament Director and was humbled at the request as it is an honour and privilege to manage an event with such a great reputation. I look forward to meeting the challenge and making the 2017 Odlum Brown VanOpen one of the best ever.”
.@Odlum_Brown #VanOpen returns in 2017! https://t.co/zRB2vyR9fQ #tennis #Vancouver @TennisBC @TennisCanada @ATPChallenger @ITFprocircuit pic.twitter.com/o9P5OBMLw6
— Odlum Brown VanOpen (@vanopentennis) January 23, 2017
Once the breath of fresh air in a predictable ATP World Tour, we may be getting to a scenario at the semi final stage where Stan…
BBC Sport charts the return to form of 34-year-old Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who is into the last four of the Australian Open 18 years after her last Grand Slam semi-final appearance.
Hard work pays off for Spaniard, into first major SF in three years
What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, Rafael Nadal was digesting a shock five-set loss to Fernando Verdasco in the first round of the Australian Open. Today, after a sublime performance that saw him dismiss World No. 3 Milos Raonic in straight sets, Nadal is through to his first Grand Slam semi-final since winning Roland Garros in 2014.
It’s been a challenging couple of years for Nadal, whose health and injury struggles contributed to a lack of confidence on the court and on the big stages. He came into the 2017 Australian Open having brought his 2016 campaign to a premature end, following a first-round loss to Viktor Troicki at the Shanghai Rolex Masters in October.
Much hard work has taken place since then and the Mallorcan is reaping the rewards, having earned his place in the final four at Melbourne Park after victories over Alexander Zverev, Gael Monfils and Raonic.
“It’s good news, especially winning against difficult players: Monfils quarter-finals, Zverev round of 16, and now Raonic,” said Nadal. “I think all of them are top players. So that’s very important for me because that means that I am competitive and playing well.
“I’m just excited about being back in the final rounds of the most important events,” continued the left-hander, who is trying to win his 15th major title. “I am here to try to make this. It’s always difficult, but I fought and I worked hard to try to make that happen.
“I’m very happy that after a lot of work I am in this round again. It’ a special thing for me, especially here in Australia. I have been playing and competing very well during the whole event. That’s very important for me.”
Nadal goes forward to a semi-final clash with Grigor Dimitrov, a clash he is certainly not taking lightly – “He’s a player that has an unbelievable talent, unbelievable potential. He started the season playing unbelievable. Is going to be a very tough match for me.” – but the question on many fans’ lips is: Will we see another Roger Federer – Rafael Nadal final?
The famous rivalry has not taken to the court since the 2015 Basel final, which Federer won in three sets, and not in a Grand Slam final since the 2011 Roland Garros championship match, which Nadal won in four sets. The pair contested the Australian Open final in 2009, with Nadal famously consoling a tearful Federer after prevailing in five sets.
Federer is set to face countryman Stan Wawrinka on Thursday after blasting his way through the top half of the draw, taking out Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori and Andy Murray’s conqueror, Mischa Zverev, to return to the semi-finals at Melbourne Park, where he is a four-time former champion. And no one is more pleased than Nadal to see his long-time rival excelling once again, having missed the second half of the 2016 season due to injury.
“Now I have a very tough match against Dimitrov. On the other side of the draw, I think it is great for tennis that Roger is there again after an injury, after a lot of people talk about always the same things, that probably he will never be back.
“The real thing is that he’s back and he’s probably ready to win again, fighting again to win a major. That’s the real thing, and that’s good for the fans because Roger is a legend of our sport. I am happy to be there, too. I am focused on my semi-final.”