NAN Archive

Loading

NAN Archive

Tag 2019 Australian Open

Sport

Wozniacki sets up potential showdown with Sharapova

Showdown
Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 16, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki eased past her second round opponent Johanna Larsson 6-1 6-3 in a one-sided clash at the Australian Open on Wednesday.

The victory sets up the potential for an enthralling third round encounter between the Dane and Maria Sharapova, who meets Rebecca Peterson in the second round.

Wozniacki, seeded third, took just over an hour to secure her second consecutive straight sets win.(Reuters/NAN)
KIA/ASS/OLAL
=============

(Edited by Saidu Adamu and Olawale Alabi)

 

Sport

Australian Open: Home hope Barty shines brightly as compatriots stumble

 Victory

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 16, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Australia’s top-ranked player Ashleigh Barty beat Wang Yafan 6-2 6-3 in a straight-forward affair on Wednesday.

The victory propelled the home country’s leading prospect into the third round.

The 15th-seeded Barty is the highest ranked local player — either man or woman in the tournament and is known for her court craft and is an accomplished doubles player.

Interestingly, she has also played elite-level cricket.

“I felt like today was pretty clean, except for a couple of games where I got passive,” Barty told reporters.

The 22-year-old will play Greece’s Maria Sakkari in the third round.

She is one of a rapidly depleting list of local players at the tournament where Australians have had limited success in spite of boasting several Grand Slam singles champions like Samantha Stosur, Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter since the 1990s.

No Australian man or woman has won the singles title at their home Grand Slam since the 1970s.

The last women’s finalist was Wendy Turnbull in 1980, while Hewitt lost the 2005 final to Russia’s Marat Safin.

An injury-hampered Nick Kyrgios crashed out of the Australian Open first round on Tuesday in straight sets, leaving further doubts as to whether the 23-year-old can realise his potential.

Australia’s top-ranked male prospect, Alex de Minaur, is scheduled to play his second round match against Switzerland’s Henri Laaksonen later on Wednesday. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/EEE

=======

Edited by Ese E. Ekama

 

Sport

Federer fends off British qualifier Evans to reach Australian Open third round

Federer

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 16, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Double defending champion Roger Federer weathered a stern test from the impressive Dan Evans but wore down the British qualifier 7-6(5) 7-6(3) 6-3 to reach the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.

Having thrashed Denis Istomin in his Melbourne Park opener, third seed Federer encountered far stiffer resistance against the determined world number 189.

Evans, who is rebuilding his career after missing a year due to a doping suspension, didn’t make things easy for Federer.

He broke Federer for the first time in the tournament to drag the second set into a tiebreak but the Swiss was supreme on the clutch points at Rod Laver Arena.

He broke Evans in the fourth game of the third set and closed out the match with an imperious backhand winner down the line.

Federer will now meet either Gael Monfils or Taylor Fritz in the third round. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/EEE

=======

Edited by Ese E. Ekama

Sport

Fifth seed Anderson knocked out of Australian Open in four sets

Anderson

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 16, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Australian Open fifth seed Kevin Anderson lost his second round match to Frances Tiafoe 4-6 6-4 6-4 7-5 in a major upset on the third day of the Grand Slam on Wednesday.

The Wimbledon finalist took a medical time-out mid-way through the four-set match before becoming the highest ranked player to be ousted from the first major of the year.

After sealing match point against the South African, Tiafoe slapped his right bicep, thumped his chest and roared at the terraces.

“It means the world to me, I lost to Kevin three times in 2018.

“I would love to get to the second week of a Slam and if you guys get behind me like you did again, then its going to be pretty easy for me,” Tiafoe said.

American Tiafoe, ranked 39 in the world, will play Italy’s Andreas Seppi in the third round.

The feat will at least equal his best performance at a Grand Slam, having made the third round of Wimbledon in 2018. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/EEE

=======

Edited by Ese E. Ekama

Sport

American Keys wants place on WTA Players’ Council

Keys

Melboirne (Australia),  As a self-described woman of opinions, Madison Keys put her hand up for a place on the WTA Players’ Council at the Australian Open on Tuesday but the American number three has some work to do on her stump speech.

The former U.S. Open finalist was convincing in her 6-2 6-2 first round victory against local teenager Destanee Aiava at Rod Laver Arena and also in her determination to nominate for the players’ body.

“I have opinions. I actually — I really want to be on the player council this year, so hopefully people will vote for me,” the 23-year-old daughter of lawyer parents said.

“It’s something that I would really like to be a part of, and I think, you know, it’s our responsibility to help grow our own game, so I would like to be a part of that.

“But I think there are just a lot of different ways that I think we can grow the sport, more, bigger tournaments and all of that.

“I mean, I don’t want to be the typical political person who’s like, ‘I promise all these things’, and then you get in and you’re like, ‘Oh, wait, that’s not possible.’”

Under pressure from players, the WTA made a number of rule changes in December.

For instance, it has included allowing tour members returning from maternity leave to have protected rankings for up to three years.

Former world number one Serena Williams’ pregnancy shone the spotlight on women whose rankings had suffered while taking time off to have children.

A number of issues remain, including long-standing demands for gender equality in prize money.

Women get equal prizemoney to men at the Grand Slams but often earn less than men at other tournaments.

Keys, seeded 17th in Melbourne, said she would like to see the tour expand to “wherever fans want (players).”

She was less expansive as to why her colleagues should vote for her particularly, though.

“Because I’m really great,” she said, flashing her toothy smile.

“That’s all I’ve got so far.”

Keys, a 2015 semi-finalist at Melbourne Park, will play Russian teenager Anastasia Potapova for a place in the third round. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/MZA

Sport

Zverev overpowers Bedene to move into Australian Open second round

Zverev

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 15, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Germany’s Alexander Zverev overpowered Aljaz Bedene to win their first round match at the Australian Open 6-4 6-1 6-4 as the 21-year-old firms as a title contender.

The big-hitting fourth seed went down a break midway through the first set, which seemed to prod him into action.

He won the next eight games, and Bedene never recovered.

Zverev will play the winner of an all-French first round match between Jeremy Chardy and Ugo Humbert.

Zverev, known as Sascha, has emerged as the leader of tennis’ new generation of men’s players.

The reputation was confirmed late last year by his maiden ATP Finals triumph where he beat Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in consecutive days. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/MZA

Sport

Ruthless Serena makes strong start in Australian Open return

Ruthless
Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 15, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Serena Williams made a ruthless start in her quest for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over unseeded German Tatjana Maria in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.

The seven-time Australian Open champion was pregnant when she won the last of her 23rd Grand Slam titles at Melbourne Park.

She, however, showed her brutal power and athleticism in the match between the two mothers at Rod Laver Arena.

The 37-year-old Williams, playing her first Grand Slam since her rant against the umpire at last year’s U.S. Open final, lost only 24 points against Maria.

Williams finished the match in just 49 minutes on her second match point when Maria sent a backhand wide.

The American is expected to play with the winner of the match between Peng Shuai and Eugenie Bouchard. (Reuters/NAN)
KIA/IS
=======

Sport

Australian Open: Federer serves up dominant first round win against Istomin

Federer
Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 14, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Defending champion Roger Federer served straight through Denis Istomin to win their first round encounter at the Australian Open, securing a 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory on Monday evening.

Istomin, of Uzbekistan, has twice reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam, and proved to be a worthy combatant from the back-of-the-court, equipped by a heavy, aggressive baseline game.

But the Swiss’ mountainous serve proved too big an obstacle for his opponent to climb, which meant the title contender was rarely challenged on his own service games.

Federer will now play British qualifier Dan Evans, ranked 189 in the world, in the second round.(Reuters/NAN)
KIA/OLAL
==========

(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Sport

Halep faces tricky first test against Kanepi in Australian Open

Halep faces tricky first test against Kanepi in Australian Open

Test

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 14, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Simona Halep begins her Australian Open campaign against Kaia Kanepi on Tuesday in a rematch of their U.S. Open meeting which the world number one lost in straights sets.

The Romanian has struggled for form and fitness since that first-round defeat at Flushing Meadows last year and comes into the year’s first Grand Slam short of preparation.

A back injury prematurely ended her run in 2018.

Defeat to local hope Ashleigh Barty in the opening round of the Sydney International last week means Halep has played only one match ahead of a potentially tricky Australian Open test.

The top seed has recovered fully from a herniated disk that she aggravated at the China Open in September, but said she was feeling a bit behind the curve.

“I’m motivated. But it’s a little bit different because last year I had about 10, 15 matches before Melbourne; now I have one, which I lost.

“I took the risk staying home a little bit longer. I rested because I felt like I’m exhausted after those tournaments and also the year that I had,” said Halep.

However, Halep cannot be written off, as she reached the final at Melbourne Park last year.

Kanepi will be out to prove that her victory over the French Open champion was no fluke but the 33-year-old could be short of match practice herself.

She has not featured in a competitive game since reaching the fourth round in New York after aggravating an existing injury.

Serena Williams, who resumes her quest for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title, plays unseeded German Tatjana Maria at Rod Laver Arena in the second match on Tuesday.

Top seed, Novak Djokovic, who made a spectacular return to form last year and won the last two Grand Slams, takes on American Mitchell Krueger in the evening session. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/MUYI/SA

Edited by Muhyideen Jimoh/Salif Atojoko

============================

Sport

Champion Wozniacki through to second round with comfortable win

Caroline Wozniacki

Champion Wozniacki through to second round with comfortable win

Win

Melbourne (Australia), Jan. 14, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) Caroline Wozniacki launched her title defence at the Australian Open with a comfortable 6-3 6-4 win against Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck in the first round on Monday.

The third-seeded Dane broke Van Uytvanck once in each set and kept her unforced errors down to win the baseline battle in an hour and 33 minutes.

The game was the first match of the evening session at the Rod Laver Arena on day one of the first Gran Slam of 2019.

The 24-year-old Van Uytvanck, ranked 52, troubled Wozniacki with some well-disguised drop shots.

However, she did not have enough to register her maiden win at Melbourne Park in her fifth appearance in both singles and doubles.

Wozniacki, who is battling rheumatoid arthritis, sealed the match with a forehand winner on her third match point.

She will now meet Sweden’s Johanna Larsson, who progressed after Vera Lapko of Belarus retired while trailing 7-6(5) 3-0. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/SA

Edited by Salif Atojoko

================