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Sport

Djokovic pummels Pouille to set up Australian Open showdown with Nadal

Open
Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 25, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) A rampant Novak Djokovic completed a stunning 6-0 6-2 6-2 demolition of Lucas Pouille on Friday to storm into his seventh Australian Open final.

The victory set up a mouth-watering title match with arch-rival Rafa Nadal.

The six-times champion was at his devastating best in the one hour-23 minute procession as he gave the hapless Pouille a brutal lesson in Grand Slam tennis.

He thus extended his perfect semi-finals record to 7-0 at Melbourne Park.

Attacking the lines with machine-like precision, Djokovic broke the 28th-seeded Frenchman seven times and yet never looked in danger of conceding a break point.

Top seed Djokovic claimed the match on the second match point when Pouille netted and the Serb will face Nadal in search of a record seventh title in Melbourne.(Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Gregory Mmaduakolam and Olawale Alabi)

Sport

Nadal dismantles Tsitsipas to reach Australian Open final

Final

Melbourne(Australia), Jan. 14, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) A marauding Rafa Nadal ended Stefanos Tsitsipas’s trailblazing run at the Australian Open on Thursday, thrashing the 20-year-old Greek in a 6-2 6-4 6-0 masterclass to reach a fifth final at Melbourne Park.

Staging a clinic under the lights at Rod Laver Arena, the Spanish second seed tamed the Tsitsipas serve.

He racked up 28 sparkling winners against the man who had knocked out double defending champion Roger Federer in the fourth round.

After roaring to a 5-0 lead in the final set, Nadal closed out the match with a huge serve in one hour and 46 minutes leaving Tsitsipas to beat a hasty exit from the stadium.

The 2009 champion Nadal will face either top seed Novak Djokovic or Frenchman Lucas Pouille in the final as he bids for a second Melbourne title and an 18th Grand Slam crown. (Reuters/NAN)

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Sport

Australian Open: Osaka digs deep against Pliskova to set up Kvitova final

Australian Open: Osaka digs deep against Pliskova to set up Kvitova final

Final

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 24, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka staved off a fightback from Karolina Pliskova to reach her maiden Australian Open final with a 6-2 4-6 6-4 win on Thursday.

The victory  sets up a title clash with double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

Osaka hit winners almost at will from both her forehand and backhand and broke Pliskova’s service games twice while facing not a single breakpoint to canter through the first set.

Pliskova, who had stunned Serena Williams in the quarter-finals, failed to live up to her reputation as a big server.

She, however, showed lot of pluck to level the match with a second break at 5-4 after the players had an early trade of breaks.

Osaka converted her only breakpoint opportunity in the decider while her opponent wasted four.

The 21-year-old made it to her second straight Grand Slam final with her 15th ace to seal the match in an hour and 53 minutes.

Osaka will meet another Czech in Kvitova, who will compete in her first Grand Slam final in five years after defeating unseeded American Danielle Collins 7-6(2) 6-0 in the first semi-final. (Reuters/NAN)

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Edited by Salif Atojoko

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Sport

Kvitova swats aside Collins to reach first Australian Open final

Kvitova

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 24, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Petra Kvitova will compete in her first Australian Open after ending the fairytale run of unseeded American Danielle Collins with a decisive 7-6(2) 6-0 victory on a scorching afternoon at Melbourne Park on Thursday.

The eighth seeded Czech will meet the winner of U.S. Open, Naomi Osaka, and seventh seeded compatriot, Karolina Pliskova, as she bids for her first Grand Slam triumph since claiming the second of her Wimbledon titles in 2014.

The match at Rod Laver Arena was riven with tension, with a delay to close the roof during the first set due to the stifling conditions and a malfunction of the net cord sensor.

The hitches at the start of the second set left server Collins fuming.

Kvitova capitalised on the American’s distraction to break her three times in succession on the way to an emphatic victory.

It also made her the first Czech woman to reach the Melbourne final since Jana Novotna lost the 1991 decider to Monica Seles.

“It means everything. I really worked very hard; finally I made it deep in this tournament,” Kvitova said in her on-court interview.

“I am going to enjoy the final whatever happens. I am very, very happy.

“The first set was very tight. I was very nervous. I am glad I came through the tiebreak.”

Collins was angered when the net cord technology failed at 15-30 when she was on serve during the opening game of the second set.

Having won the point, she was made to replay it and remonstrated with chair umpire Carlos Ramos.

The technology gave up another phantom beep on Collins’s replayed serve and Ramos told both players there had been a malfunction.

Re-starting with a second serve, Collins gave up a backhand unforced error to concede two break points.

She saved one with a big backhand winner but netted on the second.

From there, things quickly went downhill for the American as the Czech ramped up her power game and roared to 5-0.

Collins conceded another unforced error on her forehand to give Kvitova match point, and the Czech fired her 30th winner to claim a clinical win. (Reuters/NAN)

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Sport

All over for Sevastova as Osaka reaches Australian Open quarters

 

Osaka

Melbourne (Australia), Jan 21, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka completed another comeback victory to overhaul 13th seed Anastasija Sevastova 4-6 6-3 6-4 and reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday.

The Japanese fourth seed, who had to fight back from a set down against Hsieh Su-Wei in her previous match, was far from her best.

She struggled to hold serve and berated herself regularly during the sun-bathed clash at Rod Laver Arena.

She held firm when it counted, however, breaking Sevastova in the seventh game of the decider.

She then sealed the match after one hour and 47 minutes with an imperious forehand down the line.

Osaka will play sixth seed Elina Svitolina for a place in the semi-finals. (Reuters/NAN)

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Edited by Ese E. Ekama

Sport

Australian Open: Svitolina masters Keys to unlock passage to last eight

Victory

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 21, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Elina Svitolina recovered after dropping the second set to secure a place in the Australian Open quarter-finals with a 6-2 1-6 6-1 victory over American Madison Keys on Monday.

The sixth seed, who has claimed 13 tour titles including at 2018 WTA Finals in Singapore, has struggled to make an impact at the Grand Slams.

However, the Ukrainian is now hoping to progress beyond the last eight at a major for the first time.

“(Singapore) gave me a huge boost of confidence, so I don’t think about the other, the past anymore,” the 24-year-old Svitolina told reporters.

“I only look forward. I look for next challenge. I try to win as many matches as I can, as many titles as I can, and this is the goal for the year.”

Reaching the last four will be a tough task, however, with Svitolina next meeting U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka.

The Japanese fourth seed defeated Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova 4-6 6-3 6-4 in their fourth round encounter.

Svitolina started brightly and raced to a 4-0 lead with two early breaks of serve as her 17th-seeded American opponent struggled to find her range and rhythm.

After returning to the court from a medical timeout to have her toe taped up, Svitolina converted her second set point when Keys found the net with a return as she registered her 11th unforced error of the match.

Svitolina was wobbling but the tenacious base-liner dug deep to save five break points in a marathon third game of the decider lasting more than 16 minutes, the vital hold giving her the impetus to kick on for victory.

“I knew that I had to be strong mentally and physically in that point, because the sun was very strong in that side.

“And I knew that I’m going to have a chance on the next game on her serve,” Svitolina added.

The inability to secure the break appeared to knock the stuffing out of the 2017 U.S. Open finalist in the next game as the American committed three more unforced errors.

Sensing victory, Svitolina did not allow Keys any more opportunities and broke again in the sixth game before converting her first match point to seal the contest in an hour and 36 minutes.

“I always try to put pressure on the opponent. I think I’m in quarter-final because I have been solid in all the matches.

“It worked really good,” added Svitolina, who performed a celebratory dance after securing the win.

“I try to be there all the time with my game, try to bring the best. And I know that I can challenge good players and I can win.

“The Singapore week showed that I can be, you know, out there and winning tough matches.”

Svitolina and Osaka have met five times before with the Ukrainian holding a 3-2 lead in their head-to-head rivalry. (Reuters/NAN)

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Edited by Ese E. Ekama

Sport

Pavlyuchenkova wins marathon contest to reach Australian Open quarter-finals

Contest
Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 20, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Unseeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova won a marathon three-setter against American fifth seed Sloane Stephens 6-7(3) 6-3 6-3 to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals on Sunday.

With the victory which matched her best show in Grand Slams, the unseeded Russian reached her second quarter-final at Melbourne Park after her 2017 run.

She will now meet another American in Danielle Collins for a place in the last four.

Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open winner, started strongly by gaining a 4-1 advantage, but her Russian opponent got the break back before the 25-year-old American won the set via a tiebreaker.

The second set started in similar fashion with Stephens breaking early to run up a 2-0 lead before another fightback from the 27-year-old Pavlyuchenkova.

The Russian got back on serve in the fourth game before breaking Stephens to go up 5-3 and then converted her third set point to level the match.

In the first game of the third set, Stephens saved eight breakpoints to hold in a marathon game that lasted for 26 points and close to 20 minutes.

Stephens then lost steam as the world number 44 converted her second match point to seal the day’s final match in two hours and 32 minutes, finishing at almost 2 a.m. Monday local time.

After the game, Pavlyuchenkova said she hated an icebath but her physio would still make her have one in spite of the late finish.

“I was even thinking during the match that some of you guys stayed…I heard somebody was yawning though sometimes during the match,” the Russian said in her on-court interview.

“I’m sorry, I thought it was quite an exciting match.

“Sloane is a great player, is a fighter… and I had to be aggressive, yeah.”

Unseeded Collins had thrashed 2016 champion and second seed Angelique Kerber 6-0 6-2 earlier on Sunday.(Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Joseph Edeh and Olawale Alabi)

 

Sport

Bautista Agut upsets Cilic to make Australian Open quarter-finals

Upset
Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 20, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Roberto Bautista Agut held firm in a tense five-set duel to knock sixth seed Marin Cilic out of the Australian Open and book his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final on Sunday.

The 22nd-seeded Spaniard captured the decisive break in the ninth game of the final set before serving out strongly to claim a 6-7(6) 6-3 6-2 4-6 6-4 win at Margaret Court Arena.

Bautista Agut, who knocked an injured Andy Murray out of the first round, threw his arms up in the air and roared in triumph.

The 30-year-old will now face Stefanos Tsitsipas, who knocked out veteran Roger Federer, for a place in the semi-finals. (Reuters/NAN)
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Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu/Ese E. Ekama

 

Sport

Federer knocked out of Australian Open by Greek wunderkind Tsitsipas

Federer

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 20, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Roger Federer’s bid for a hat-trick of Australian Open titles was crushed on Sunday as Greek wunderkind Stefanos Tsitsipas rose up to floor the Swiss master.

Tsitsipas thus becomes his nation’s first Grand Slam quarter-finalist.

In a match pitting the oldest and youngest players left in the men’s draw, the 20-year-old Tsitsipas overhauled Federer 6-7(11) 7-6(3) 7-5 7-6(5) under the lights of Rod Laver Arena.

This sparked delirium among Greek fans out in force at Melbourne Park.

Federer will rue his chances, having failed to convert any of the 12 break points he took from Tsitsipas over the course of a riveting clash laden with sparkling shot-making.

Tsitsipas will play 22nd-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the semi-finals. (Reuters/NAN)

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Edited by Ese E. Ekama

 

Sport

Nadal blows away Berdych to reach Australian Open quarter-finals

Nadal

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 20, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Rafa Nadal routed Tomas Berdych 6-0 6-1 7-6(4) in a centre court masterclass to charge into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Sunday.

The 2009 champion was relentless at Rod Laver Arena, claiming the first two sets in an astonishing 51 minutes.

The Spaniard also fired 32 winners past the hapless Czech to reach the last eight at Melbourne Park for the 11th time.

Nadal, who avenged his defeat to the former world number four in the quarter final of the 2015 tournament, sealed the win on his first match point when the Czech hammered into the net.

Bidding for an 18th Grand Slam title, second seed Nadal will play unseeded American Frances Tiafoe for a place in the semi-finals. (Reuters/NAN)

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Edited by Maharazu Ahmed