Tennis News

From around the world

Wawrinka Prolongs Chennai Streak

Posted: Jan 09, 2016

Wawrinka Prolongs Chennai Streak

Jan092016

Swiss will play for fourth title in final

Top seed Stan Wawrinka stretched his Chennai winning streak to 11 matches and 22 sets with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Benoit Paire in the semi-finals on Saturday. The Swiss improved his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against his good friend to 6-1. The pair captured the Chennai doubles title three years ago.

“I thought I played well today and I am happy with my level,” Wawrinka said. “It’s never easy to play against [Paire], but we always enjoy playing against each other, and it’s nice to share this moment with a friend.”

Paire also came into the semi-finals without dropping a set, but the 2011, 2014 and 2015 Chennai champion performed flawlessly against a familiar opponent. Wawrinka struck six aces, saved his only break point faced and broke Paire twice to secure the win in 65 minutes.

Source link

Groth Joins The Swans

Posted: Jan 09, 2016

Groth Joins The Swans

Jan092016

Source link

Tomic Reflects On Brisbane 2016 Run

Posted: Jan 09, 2016

Tomic Reflects On Brisbane 2016 Run

Jan092016

Source link

ΟΙ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΜΑΡΙΑΣ ΣΑΚΚΑΡΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΥΣΤΡΑΛΙΑ

Posted: Jan 09, 2016

sakkari

Στην Αυστραλία τώρα είναι Καλοκαίρι, και οι καλύτερες αθλήτριες ξεκινούν την αγωνιστική τους χρονιά, δοκιμάζοντας τις δυνάμεις τους, σε δυνατές αναμετρήσεις, στη μακρυνή αυτή ήπειρο.

Η Μαρία Σάκαρη ξεκίνησε την αγωνιστική της χρονιά στο Brisbane της Αυστραλίας, στη μεγάλη διοργάνωση BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL . Εκεί στο Queensland Tennis Centre στον πρώτο προκριματικό γύρο, ηττήθηκε από την Κateryna Bondarenko, με σκορ 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5).

Επόμενος της σταθμός, το Hobart της Τασμανίας στη διοργάνωση HOBART INTENATIONAL

Στις εγκαταστάσεις του Domain Tennis Centre η Μαρία Σάκκαρη, πέτυχε την πρώτη νίκη της για το 2016, με αντίπαλο την Ιαπωνέζα Makoto Ninomiya με σκορ 7-6(5), 6-4. Στο δεύτερο αγώνα στα προκριματικά η Μαρία ηττήθηκε απο την 24χρονη Ολλανδή Kiki Bertens, με σκορ 4-6, 6-0, 6-1.

Ακολουθεί η Μελβούρνη με το πρώτο Grand Slam της χρονιάς, το AUSTRALIAN OPEN

rod LaverArena Εκεί κοντά στην περίφημη Rod Laver Arena , την επόμενη εβδομάδα, η 20χρονη Ελληνίδα πρωταθλήτρια θα προσπαθήσει να περάσει στο κυρίως ταμπλώ. Είναι η δεύτερη φορα που η Μαρία θα αγωνιστεί σε διοργάνωση Grand Slam. Τον Σεπτέμβριο, στο US OPEN 2015 είχε περάσει στο κυρίως ταμπλώ, μετά από μια εντυπωσιακή πορεία στα προκριματικά.

Djokovic beats Nadal in Qatar Open

Posted: Jan 09, 2016

World number one Novak Djokovic claimed his first title of the year with an impressive 6-1 6-2 win over Rafael Nadal in the Qatar Open.

The Serb continued his recent dominance of the 14-time Grand Slam title winner with a ninth victory in 10 meetings – the last five in straight sets.

The 28-year-old broke twice in both sets as Nadal, 29, had no answer to the pace and power of his groundstrokes.

Djokovic is preparing to defend his Australian Open title from 18 January.

Djokovic – a class apart

This was Djokovic’s most convincing victory against Nadal in their 47 meetings, a head-to-head he leads for the first time.

Nadal made just 13 unforced errors but was bullied off the court by an inspired opponent who gave him perhaps the most uncomfortable 73 minutes he has faced on court.

Djokovic, who has reached the final of every event he has entered since losing to Ivo Karlovic in the quarter-finals of last year’s Qatar Open, lost just nine points on his own serve.

Nadal, meanwhile, won only 48% of points on his own first serve and made nine winning returns compared to 30 from Djokovic.

‘Perfect tennis’

Djokovic, for whom this was a first Qatar Open title, said: “I played very much perfect tennis.

“From the beginning, I hit every shot the way I imagined I would hit it. Those two sets give me a great feeling.

“It gives me a lot of confidence and satisfaction, particularly against Rafa.”

Source link

Bedene beaten in Chennai semi-finals

Posted: Jan 09, 2016

British number two Aljaz Bedene was beaten 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 by Borna Coric in the Chennai Open semi-finals.

Coric, one place above Bedene at 44 in the world rankings, went 4-2 up in the first set tie-break and took it 7-5.

Bedene, who came from a set down to beat India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan in the quarter-finals, led 4-1 in the second before eventually winning a tie-break.

Croatian Coric sealed the match in two hours 56 minutes and faces defending champion Stan Wawrinka in the final.

Slovenia-born Bedene needed treatment in the final set against Coric, who won their only previous encounter in Croatia last year.

Coric held serve in a 13-minute seventh game and then broke in the next to secure a key advantage.

World number four Wawrinka took just one hour and five minutes to oust third seed Benoit Paire of France 6-3 6-4 at the Nungambakkam Tennis Stadium.

Two-time Grand Slam winner Wawrinka is seeking his fourth Chennai Open title, following victories in 2011, 2014 and 2015.

Source link

Federer Beats Thiem Highlights Brisbane 2016

Posted: Jan 09, 2016

Federer Beats Thiem Highlights Brisbane 2016

Jan092016

Source link

Australia win Hopman Cup final

Posted: Jan 09, 2016

Nick Kyrgios secured the Hopman Cup for Australia Green by beating Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 6-4 to give his team a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Perth.

Daria Gavrilova had earlier defeated Elina Svitolina 6-4 7-6 (8-6) in the women’s rubber of the mixed event.

Svitolina had six set points at 6-1 in the second-set tie-break but lost the last seven points of the match.

Kyrgios, ranked 30th in the world, beat Britain’s world number two Andy Murray in the group stage on Wednesday.

The tournament hosts, who had two squads competing in the eight-team event, last won the competition in 1999.

Source link

Azarenka wins first title since 2013

Posted: Jan 09, 2016

Former world number one Victoria Azarenka won her first title since 2013 by beating Angelique Kerber in the Brisbane International final.

The unseeded Belarusian, who has been plagued by injuries in recent years, beat the fourth-seeded German 6-3 6-1.

World number 22 Azarenka, 26, is preparing for the Australian Open, which starts on 18 January. She won in Melbourne in both 2012 and 2013.

Roger Federer and Milos Raonic meet in the Brisbane men’s final on Sunday.

Swiss Federer, ranked third in the world, beat Austria’s Dominic Thiem 6-1 6-4 in the last four while Canadian Raonic overcame Australia’s Bernard Tomic 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5).

Source link

Déjà Vu: Federer Sets Brisbane Rematch

Posted: Jan 09, 2016

Déjà Vu: Federer Sets Brisbane Rematch

Jan092016

Top-seeded Swiss will face Raonic in rematch of 2015 final

Roger Federer raced past Dominic Thiem in his first career FedEx ATP Head2Head against the Austrian on Saturday at the Brisbane International 6-1, 6-4, setting up a rematch of the 2015 final against Canada’s Milos Raonic. It marks the Swiss’ third straight trip to Brisbane’s trophy match.

“I think it was my best match of the tournament,” said Federer, who totaled 12 winners to just 10 unforced errors in the hour-long affair. “I thought I hit the ball pretty well, but that’s usually how it goes. You always play better toward the end. Nobody cares how you played at the beginning, as long as you got there. I’m very excited to be back in the final. It’s going to be special playing Milos again tomorrow.”

The defending champ was in control from the very start at Pat Rafter Arena, where he raced out to a 5-0 lead in the 22-minute first-set before Thiem managed to get on the scoreboard.

Like Federer, the No. 8-seed boasts a sweeping one-handed backhand, which he used to good effect in his quarter-final upset of No. 3 seed Marin Cilic. But the 22-year-old, who finished 2015 as the youngest player in the Top 20 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, was rarely able to use it to hurt his veteran opponent in the semi-finals.

Federer converted service breaks in the first and seventh games of the final set, as the unforced errors began to mount for Thiem (he finished with 26). With the loss, he fell to 1-10 against Top-10 competition.

Federer, 34, defeated Raonic in last year’s title match, which served as his 1,000th career victory on the ATP World Tour.

Source link