Tennis News

In her only previous appearance at the Malaysian Open two years ago, Caroline Wozniacki suffered a surprising upset in the opening round of the tournament. Over 700 days later, the Dane returned to Kuala Lumpur and kicked off her campaign in solid fashion. Through to the second round of the tournament, Wozniacki will come up against Lin Zhu, whom she has never faced previously on the professional tour.

Follow the match live here: Wozniacki v Zhu Live Stream

The tournament’s top seed commenced her week in Malaysia with a rapid-fire victory over a Chinese qualifier. She defeated Yafan Wang 6-3, 6-1 in 1 hour and 14 minutes to advance to the following stage of the event. While she struck no aces, the Dane hit 73% of her first service points and saved 3 of 4 break points to earn the victory in a lopsided manner.

“I didn’t do so well when I was here last time, so I’m happy to get my first win in Malaysia. The first match of any tournament is always tough and I’m just happy to be through,” Wozniacki said.

Article Continues Below Ad

In a more difficult opening round match-up, Lin Zhu ousted Yuliya Beygeizimer in three sets 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to advance to her second round meeting with Wozniacki. She struck 3 aces, won 67% of her first service points and converted seven breaks of serve to close out the match in 2 hours and 5 minutes.

This is just the first time that Wozniacki and Zhu will cross paths on the WTA tour. The Dane, who is positioned as the top seed of the tournament, will likely live up to her billing and will continue her dominant run through the draw. While first-time opponent and relative unknowns could always pose an unlikely threat to Top 10 players, Wozniacki should be able to advance in straight sets relatively unscathed.

Prediction: Caroline Wozniacki in Straight Sets

The nominations for the first round of the 2015 Davis Cup tournament will be headlined by world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and British No. 1 Andy Murray.

Djokovic will lead the charge for Serbia as they attempt to get past the depleted Croatian team without the injured reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic. The Croatian will now be lead by the youngest player in the ATP World Tour top 100 Borna Coric.

You will be able to follow the matches live here: Davis Cup 2015 Live Streaming

World No. 3 Andy Murray will be at the helm of the Great Britain team as they rematch the United States in the first round of the Davis Cup. The UK team defeated the US team last season and will look to duplicate their efforts this time around.

Article Continues Below Ad

Check out the full list of World Group nominations below:

Germany vs. France
Venue: Fraport Arena, Frankfurt, GER (hard – indoor)
Germany
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Benjamin Becker
Jan-Lennard Struff
Andre Begemann
Captain: Michael Kohlmann
France
Gilles Simon
Gael Monfils
Nicolas Mahut
Captain: Arnaud Clement

Great Britain vs. USA
Venue: Emirates Arena, Glasgow, GBR (hard – indoor)
Great Britain
Andy Murray
James Ward
Dominic Inglot
Jamie Murray
Captain: Leon Smith
USA
John Isner
Donald Young
Mike Bryan
Bob Bryan
Captain: Jim Courier

Czech Republic vs. Australia
Venue: Cez Arena, Ostrava, CZE (hard – indoor)
Czech Republic
Lukas Rosol
Jiri Vesely
Jan Mertl
Adam Pavlasek
Captain: Jaroslav Navratil
Australia
Nick Kyrgios
Bernard Tomic
Samuel Groth
Lleyton Hewitt
Captain: Wally Masur

Kazakhstan vs. Italy
Venue: National Tennis Centre, Astana, KAZ (hard – indoor)
Kazakhstan
Mikhail Kukushkin
Andrey Golubev
Aleksandr Nedovyesov
Dmitry Popko
Captain: Dias Doskarayev
Italy
Fabio Fognini
Andreas Seppi
Simone Bolelli
Paolo Lorenzi
Captain: Corrado Barazzutti

Argentina vs. Brazil
Venue: Tecnopolis, Buenos Aires, ARG (clay – outdoor)
Argentina
Leonardo Mayer
Federico Delbonis
Diego Schwartzmann
Carlos Berlocq
Captain: Daniel Orsanic
Brazil
Thomaz Bellucci
Joao Souza
Marcelo Melo
Bruno Soares
Captain: Joao Zwetsch

Serbia vs. Croatia
Venue: Kraljevo Sports Centre, Kraljevo, SRB (hard – indoor)
Serbia
Novak Djokovic
Viktor Troicki
Filip Krajinovic
Nenad Zimonjic
Captain: Bogdan Obradovic
Croatia
Borna Coric
Mate Delic
Marin Draganja
Captain: Zeljko Krajan

Canada vs. Japan
Venue: Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, Vancouver, CAN (hard – indoor)
Canada
Milos Raonic
Vasek Pospisil
Frank Dancevic
Daniel Nestor
Captain: Martin Laurendeau
Japan
Kei Nishikori
Go Soeda
Tatsuma Ito
Yasutaka Uchiyama
Captain: Minoru Ueda

Belgium vs. Switzerland
Venue: Country Hall du Sart Tilman, Liege, BEL (hard – indoor)
Belgium
David Goffin
Steve Darcis
Ruben Bemelmans
Niels Desein
Captain: Johan van Herck
Switzerland
Yann Marti
Adrien Bossel
Henri Laaksonen
Michael Lammer
Captain: Severin Luthi

Rafael Nadal lived up to his billing as the top seed of the Argentina Open presentado por Buenos Aires Ciudad, as he worked his way through the draw to eventually lift the crown following a quick final against Juan Monaco.

Faced against the local favourite on hostile territory, Nadal required only 1 hour and 27 minutes to dispatch his opposition and secure his first title of the season. The Spaniard, who did not face a single break point on serve, closed out the match 6-4, 6-1.

“All titles are special, but I’m really happy because I have not been a champion for a long time,” said Nadal. “Against [Monaco], I played my best of the week. That is great news for me because I’m trying to gain more confidence.”

Article Continues Below Ad

While the contest was a straightforward affair, the hours leading up to it certainly weren’t. A two-hour rain delay ahead off the final forced the tournament officials to add more clay to the court, which did not impress a grumpy-looking Nadal. However, in front of legends like Guillermo Vilas, Nadal was able to win the match, and tie Vilas for 46 clay court titles in the Open Era.

Nadal took home $91,050 and 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points for his title win, while Monaco fell to 1-6 against the world No. 5.

“It was a difficult week at first, but then I took confidence and I think I’m slowly returning to my best,” said Monaco. “That’s why I leave here happy.”

17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer reached yet another historic milestone on Saturday evening in Dubai, when he earned a solid straight sets victory over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic to earn his seventh title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. He did so by serving 12 aces, which allowed him to surpass the 9,000 aces in his career mark.

“The seventh is quite unbelievable, what I hear people talking about that, announcing I’m the six-time winner here in Dubai,” said Federer following the match. “Sounds pretty crazy. It’s nice that Wimbledon and Halle are that way, as well.”

The world No. 2 hit 12 aces, and played a traditional serve and volley game to trouble Djokovic en route to the straightforward finish in 84 minutes. He defeated the Serb 6-3, 7-5 to bring his overall tournament record to 47-5 in 12 apperances.

Article Continues Below Ad

The 33-year-old has now won two titles this season after picking up a win in Brisbane at the start of the year.

“I think it’s really become a very nice rivalry,” said Federer. “I think we play very nicely against each other, and it seems people like the way we play against each other, as well. I don’t think we have to adjust our games very much against each other, which I think is nice, as well. We can just play our game, and then the better man wins.

“It’s been nice seeing Novak’s improvements over all these years. He’s become such an unbelievable player, especially the past five, six years, and cleaned up his game so nicely and became the best mover in the game. It’s really a pleasure playing against him every single time again.”

Federer also improved to 20-17 against Djokovic in their head-to-head series. He led the series 3-2 in 2014 as well. He was awarded $505,000 for his efforts, as well as 500 ATP ranking points.

After a weak conclusion to his 2014 season, David Ferrer has been dominant so far in 2015, as he managed to win his third ATP World Tour title of the year with a straight sets victory over Kei Nishikori in the final of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.

Ferrer, 32, has now won four titles at this tournament, with the latest one coming against the Japanese No. 1 – a player seven years younger than he is. He struck 11 winners and handled 40 unforced errors from Nishikori to defeat him 6-3, 7-5 in 1 hour and 49 minutes.

“Tonight I played my best match this week,” said Ferrer. “For sure. I played very aggressive, without mistakes. I’m very happy. To win here a fourth time is a dream.

Article Continues Below Ad

“I tried to play my forehand to his forehand and with more energy. In important moments, he made more mistakes and I took my chances. I feel very confident with my tennis now. I’ve won three tournaments this year and we’ve only began the season.”

Ferrer, who improved to 18-1 this season with his title win, took home $343,000 in prize money and 500 Ranking points, while Nishikori received $154,620 in prize money along with 300 points. Nishikori, however, is expected to rise to world No. 4 in the ATP rankings, which means he will overtake Nadal for that slot, while Andy Murray moves up to No. 3.

“There were too many unforced errors,” Nishikori said. “I tried to be aggressive but I was missing too much. Especially with this slower surface, he gets everything. I knew I had to step in a little more, but it wasn’t my day.

“I fought hard from 0-3 (in the second set) and tried to come back, but he was too good. It was definitely a great week, I had some tough matches and it’s always a great feeling coming through to a final.”

Czech No. 2 Lucie Safarova earned arguably the biggest win of her career, or at least the biggest title of her career on Saturday afternoon when she worked her way past two-time champion Victoria Azarenka in the tournament final.

Safarova, who held a losing record against Azarenka, snatched an early break against the Belarusian and maintained that lead throughout the remainder of the match, as she pushed from 3-1 up to a straightforward 6-4, 6-3 scoreline. It was a magnificent way to conclude a campaign in Qatar where she defeated fifth seed Ekaterina Makarova, sixth seed Andrea Petkovic and ninth seed Carla Suárez Navarro.

“I’m really excited and happy about this because it took me quite a few years to get to this point,” Safarova said. “I hope it’s not a finish point and I can still improve. My game improved a lot the last couple of years. I think me and my coach, Rob Steckley, have been doing a great job together. It’s just hard work and also maturing a little bit – I think it’s just everything coming together right now.”

Article Continues Below Ad

Apart from lifting the biggest title of her career, Safarova will rise from No.15 to a career-high No.11 on the WTA rankings. She achieved this by ending Azarenka’s 14-match win streak after the Aussie Open, and denied her a third consecutive title in Doha. Ranked NO. 48, Azarenka will continue to plummet in the rankings until she regains her old form and starts to win tournaments. This was her first final since the 2014 Brisbane International, and that is certainly worth celebrating.

“It’s been a long week for me. It’s been a while since I had that many matches in a row,” Azarenka said. “Sometimes the body needs to get back into that rhythm. It wasn’t my best today, but I tried my best.

“And there’s been a lot of progress this week. A lot of good things happened, a lot of great matches. There are a lot of things I can take with me and can keep working on – I’m still really motivated. I’m obviously disappointed for losing the final today, but I just have to move on from this quickly.”

World No. 3 Rafael Nadal will conclude his Buenos Aires campaign this week against Juan Monaco, in what will mark the seventh encounter between the two competitors. Nadal leads the head-to-head series 5-1 and has won all of their clay court encounters to date.

The top seed Rafael Nadal was faced with a sterdy challenger on Saturday afternoon on the red clay, as he defeated Carlos Berlocq 7-6(7), 6-2 in the semi-final stage of the Argentina Open presentado por Buenos Aires Ciudad. Nadal is now through to his 93 tour-level final, according to the ATP World Tour.

“I’m happy for Pico, who had long since reached a final,” said Nadal. “It’s a joy to play this decisive match against a friend and for me it is also very important to play my first final of the year here in Buenos Aires, a place where I feel the affection of the people.

“I was serving short in the first set and he (Berlocq) was very aggressive. In the second I was more aggressive and more dynamic with my shots. The tranquility and confidence gave me more energy at the end. I’m happy with the victory.”

Article Continues Below Ad

While Nadal’s match was relatively straightforward, his opponent, Juan Monaco, needed two hours and 28 minutes to work his way past Nicolas Almagro in the semi-final round of the tournament. He eventually downed the Spaniard 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-4 to secure his spot in the final on home soil.

“It was another tough match and I’m very happy for having managed to win,” said Monaco. “I have wanted to play in a final for a long time and it makes it more special that it is here, in Buenos Aires, with all these people supporting me.

This marks the seventh time these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Nadal leading the series 5-1. He will look to add to his lead against Monaco on Sunday, in the Argentinean’s own backyard.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal in Straight Sets

Following an entertaining week of action on the WTA tour, the final of the Qatar Total Open 2015 is set, as Victoria Azarenka and Lucie Safarova cross paths for a seventh time on the professional tour. Azarenka leads the head to head series 6-0 and look to maintain that undefeated streak en route to her third title of the season.

You will be able to follow the match live here: Azarenka v Safarova Live Stream

Faced with an opponent whom she had never taken a set off in four previous encounters, Azarenka appeared determined to end that streak on Friday in Doha when she met Venus Williams. After dropping the opening set, Azarenka changed her approach and managed to force the match to a decider. From then on, momentum favoured the Belarusian and she won the match 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 to reach her first final since last year’s Brisbane International.

Article Continues Below Ad

“I had to change something after the first set. Otherwise, it was going very one-way street,” Azarenka said. “And Venus is the type of player that she’s not going to give anything. You got to fight hard and got to try to come up with the solutions.

“I haven’t seen her play like this for a while, especially in the first set. Although I believe that I wasn’t sharp enough; I wasn’t quick enough. But she was really dictating the pace and really going for her shots. I had to find the window and find that opportunity to kind of get back in the match.”

In her third final in Doha, Azarenka will come up against Lucie Safarova, who reached the final with a straightforward 6-3,6-2 against Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro.

“The final is something that you never know what’s going to happen. There can be favorites and no favorites. Anything can happen. So for me what’s really important is that I finally reach my first final after such a long break and I’m excited about it. It’s the time of the week where you got to give it all and try your best.”

This marks the seventh time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Azarenka leading the series 6-0. Given her gutsy performances this week, and her incredible streak in 2015, it would be difficult not to envision the Belarusian lifting her third title in Doha on Saturday.

Prediction: Victoria Azarenka in Three Sets