Game, Set, Match News
This was hard to believe -- Alexandra Panova was up 4-1, 30-0 in the third set. The commentators thought that the double-fault that followed was critical, but whatever the crucial point (if there was one), Panova failed to convert two match points, leaving Maria Sharapova still in the hunt for the #1 ranking. She'll surely have to do better than this, though.
Click here for the latest women's Australian Open results.
Top seed Serena Williams began with a win over Alison Van Uytvanck 6-0, 6-4 as double Wimbledon winner and fourth seed Petra Kvitova rolled over Richel Hogenkamp 6-1, 6-4. Number six Agnieszka Radwanska advanced over Kurumi Nara of with the loss of three games while eighth seed Caroline Wozniacki defeated American Taylor Townsend 7-6 (7-1), 6-2.
Top seed Novak Djokovic showed no sign of the stomach virus which laid him low last week as he joined holder Stan Wawrinka with an overwhelming win into the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday. Djokovic put aside his early loss in Doha which got his 2015 preparation off to a poor start, with the world number one bossing Slovenian Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Click here to see the latest women's update from the 2015 Australian Open.
Second seed Roger Federer led fellow tennis elites Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray into the second round of the Australian Open on Monday's opening day with a crushing 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 defeat of Lu Yen-Hsun. The Swiss followed on nicely from his ATP title eight days ago in Brisbane. Federer, 33, is bidding to become the second man in history to win five Melbourne singles titles.
Click here for the latest women's results from the Australian Open 2015.
This was as close as it looks; the two Czechs were hitting hard and well. But Petra Kvitova has a huge edge in big-match experience, and perhaps it showed.
Check out the results from the final match between Kvitova & Pliskova during the Apia International in Sydney.
David Ferrer played London after all. Briefly. As you may have read in World News, on Thursday morning, Milos Raonic pulled out of London with a quadriceps injury. Of course, the fact that he was 0-2 no doubt played a role as well! So Ferrer got his spot for his match against Kei Nishikori.
Earlier in the week an Italian journalist went on a routine of asking all the players which one of the other players they'd most like to have dinner with and what question they'd ask that player. Four -- Nishikori, Cilic, Raonic, and Wawrinka -- chose Roger Federer, for differing reasons.
As the year ends and the top eight players assemble in London there's one question everyone wants to ask them: is this the moment of generational change? Are the Big Four still really the Big Four or are they on the way out, to be replaced by younger "New Balls"?
If by some chance you happen to think someone other than Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer will win London, now is the time to place your bets. You'll get good odds. Djokovic has won the last two editions of the event. Federer won the two before that. That takes us to 2009.
Andy Murray's recent results show that he is getting back toward the game's elite, but perhaps he's still just "getting," not "gotten." This means he won't be returning to #4 this week -- he'll be no better than #6. Novak Djokovic will stay at #1; indeed, in light of the next result, his chances of being the year-end #1 are getting a lot better.
Novak Djokovic hasn't clinched the #1 ranking yet, but he's doing his best. Gael Monfils will probably end the year at #19 -- although there is just a chance that he could improve that in the Davis Cup final.
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