Somdev-Prakash in Australian Open second round

MELBOURNE: Somdev Devvarman and Prakash Amritraj fought their way into the second round of the men’s doubles event of the Australian Open but Rohan Bopanna’s challenge came to an end with a first round defeat on Wednesday.

Wild card entrants Somdev and Prakash had to dig deep to beat Americans James Cerretani and Travis Rettenmaier 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 in their opening round at Melbourne Park.

In contrast, Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi squandered one set lead to lose 6-4, 1-6, 6-7(6) to South African Rik De Voest and Scott Lipsky of the United States.

Somdev and Prakash will next take on the winners of the first round match between 11th seeds Simon Aspelin and Paul Hanley and Marcos Daniel and Daniel Koellerer.

Mahesh Bhupathi, who was runner up here last year with Mark Knowles, and Belarussian Max Mirnyi are seeded fourth and will open their campaign against Michael Kohlmann of Germany and Jarkko Nieminen Finland.

Leander Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy are seeded third and will take on the Czech pair of Leos Friedl and David Skoch in the first round.

Source: Times of India

Maria Sharapova exits in first round at Australian Open

MELBOURNE: Former champion Maria Sharapova has lost her first-round match at the Australian Open to fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4.

The 14th-seeded Sharapova, who won the Australian Open in 2008 but missed last year’s tournament due to shoulder surgery, fell behind 4-1 in the third set Monday. Sharapova rallied to get back to 4-5, but had her serve broken in the final game.

Kirilenko next plays Yvonne Meusburger of Austria, who beat Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in another match Monday.

Source: Times of India

I’m ready for the challenges in Australia: Sharapova

MELBOURNE: Russian Maria Sharapova has had a frustrating year to forget but feels her fitness is returning and is confident of making a big splash at next week’s Australian Open.

Sharapova won the opening Grand Slam of the season in convincing fashion in 2008 but was deprived of defending it last year after failing to recover from shoulder surgery, which kept her out of action until May.

She returned to the circuit and won the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in October, but didn’t play again until exhibitions in Thailand and Hong Kong this month and has yet to rediscover the form that took her to world number one.

Now ranked 14, the statuesque 22-year-old said the injury layoff taught her never to take anything for granted.

“You realise how fortunate you are to get back,” she told reporters at the Hong Kong Classic team tournament, where she posted encouraging wins against Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki and China’s Zheng Jie.

“Obviously I stepped away because I had to. It was frustrating — very frustrating. And boring … But there is no better healer than time.”

And with the competitive juices again flowing, she is confident that she can make an impact in Melbourne.

“I keep getting stronger. I’m ready for the challenges in Australia — mentally and physically. I have great memories of the tournament and I’m sure it will be great to be back,” she said.

Despite her upbeat outlook, Sharapova has a tough task ahead of her with not just the Williams sisters to contend with but the returning Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin.

Henin, then top seed, was one of the woman she demolished en route to the 2008 title and any rematch would be eagerly anticipated.

Sharapova, who also made the final in 2007 but lost to Serena Williams, said she welcomed the challenge the Belgian posed.

“I think it’s great. I think it adds to the great story line of comebacks we’ve had, with Kim (Clijsters) as well coming back and winning a Grand Slam,” she said.

“When you’re doing something you love, you’re a champion, you’re good at it and you don’t have it for a while. To get it back, to get that feeling back as a competitor, it’s always great.”

Despite having slipped down the rankings, Sharapova, a three-time major winner, insists she is not focused on getting the accolade back, instead just concentrating on staying healthy and winning matches.

“I don’t think too much about rankings, or even look them,” she said on her website.

“I know if I can stay healthy, good things will happen on the tennis court.”

For some of her fans, the Russian’s outfit at Melbourne Park will be almost as important as the quality of her forehand or whether her serve is back at full power.

But she is not ready to reveal what fashion statement she might be making.

“It’s a surprise, but you will like it,” she said about her choice of dress.

Spectators at the 2006 tournament could have been excused for thinking she had rushed onto court straight from bed, as she sported a powder-blue baby-doll nightie.

A year late she went for a high-waisted lemon and white chiffon number with an orchid detail on the thigh, before opting for a more restrained outfit in 2008.

Source : Times of India

Federer starts bid for 16th Grand Slam against Andreev

MELBOURNE: World number one Roger Federer will start his bid for a 16th Grand Slam title against 36th-ranked Russian Igor Andreev in the first round of the Australian Open next week.

Second seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain, who beat the Swiss maestro in the final last year, was paired with local hope Peter Luczak when the draw was made on Friday.

In the women’s draw, four-times champion and top seed Serena Williams has drawn Poland’s 71st-ranked Urszula Radwanska in the first round.

Russian world number two Dinara Safina, still bidding for her first Grand Slam, will face Slovakia’s 44th-ranked Magdalena Rybarikova.

The 2008 men’s champion Novak Djokovic, seeded third, will play Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver, the world number 73, while US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, the fourth seed, drew 79th-ranked American Michael Russell.

Fifth seed Andy Murray, who carries Britain’s hopes of ending a 74-year wait for a men’s Grand Slam champion, will play a qualifier in the first round but faces a potential quarter-final showdown with Nadal.

Women’s third seed and French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia will also play an Australian in world number 95 Anastasia Rodionova.

US Open finalist and fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark has drawn her Canadian near-namesake Aleksandra Wozniak.

Russian fifth seed Elena Dementieva, a semi-finalist at Melbourne Park last year, will play 43rd-ranked compatriot Vera Dushevina but faces the ominous prospect of a second-round match-up against former world number one Justine Henin.

Wildcard Henin, who made the final of the Brisbane International earlier this month in her first tournament back from retirement, has drawn compatriot Kirsten Flipkens.

Belgian 15th seed Kim Clijsters, who has netted two titles including the US Open since her come-back from retirement last year, has drawn a qualifier for her first round.

The former world number one faces a potential fourth round encounter with Kuznetsova.

Source : Times of India

Perfect starts for Nadal, Federer at Qatar Open

DOHA: Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal began impressively the road which most people hope will lead the two tennis legends to their 21st meeting at the opening tournament of the 2010 ATP World Tour, the Qatar Open.

Federer, the Wimbledon and French Open champion, beat Christophe Rochus, the world number 86, for the loss of only three games, while Nadal, the Australian Open champion, gradually warmed to his task and eventually got well on top while conceding just six games to Simone Bolelli, ranked 93.

The intensity of focus in both was marked, but their perspectives were apparently different. While Federer repeated that the year-end world number one spot would be another great goal to achieve, Nadal evaded suggesting there was any such vision for himself.

“You like a lot this thing,” he told a questioner. “But for me it’s not important. If you win tournaments you will have your chance (of being number one).

“But I am just trying to play well here. If I win I have more chance of being world number one. But I’m taking it day by day, and so for me being number one is not a lot.”

The Spaniard’s 6-3, 6-3 success against his Italian opponent contained some uncertain moments early on, notably when was 15-40 down in his opening service game, and 30-40 down on his serve in the sixth game.

But after Nadal had averted all three potential setbacks, twice with thumping serves, and once with a trademark lurching, leaping forehand, he became more confident.

A turning point came after Bolelli, whose flat-hitting was often dangerous in sudden ambushes, missed a point to reach 4-3, then delivering a contentious double fault to drop serve for the first time.

That happened when the baseline judge foot-faulted him on a second delivery, causing Bolelli to stare at the official, walk up and argue with the umpire, and then sit down muttering.

Afterwards Nadal consolidated for 5-3, broke again in the next game to grab the set, and began the second set with his momentum increasing. It was a minor surprise that Bolelli held Nadal off till the sixth game before another break came.

By the end Nadal was hitting the ball really well, and certainly better than last year when he was beaten in the quarter-finals by Gael Monfils of France.

“I played well in Abu Dhabi and I had good rhythm when I came here,” he explained.

Federer played so well against Rochus that it became evident from the moment that he broke serve for 3-1 that he was likely to trample all over his his opponent.

He took eight of the first nine games, and managed one humiliating forehand pass when Rochus had a good volleying opportunity from close in but still saw the great man move smoothly to return it with thundering interest.

The Belgian made a big fight to hold on to the third game of the second set, and was greeted with cheers after the ten minutes it took him to do it – but it made little difference.

Rochus’ problem was that, skilful as he is, Federer was just as much so, and much more powerful too. The impressive-looking favourite soon hurtled out of sight, taking the last three games in a row.

“I feel like it could be a great season,” Federer said. “I had a break after the US Open and another one at the end of 2009, and I’ve come into this season pretty refreshed.

“I don’t often get a chance to steamroller someone like that. My movement was explosive and nice, and I feel physically fine and mentally fresh.

“I feel eager to do well and I feel like I’ve got more titles in me,” he concluded ominously.

Federer next plays Evegeny Korolev, a Russian ranked just outside the top 50. Nadal plays Potito Starace, the former top 30 Italian.

Source : times of India

Andy Roddick enters Brisbane quarter-finals

SYDNEY: Top seed Andy Roddick continued his steady buildup to this month’s Australian Open with a workmanlike 7-6, 6-3 second round win over Australian Carsten Ball at the Brisbane International on Wednesday.

The world number seven, playing his first tournament since a knee injury cut short his 2009 season, saved a set point before winning the opener in a tiebreak then snatched the second with a single break of serve.

Roddick’s fellow American James Blake saved three match points and recovered from a service break down in the deciding third set to defeat Frenchman Marc Gicquel 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 in a much tighter match on the Pat Rafter centre court.

“I was not going to let him beat me. You play your best when you have that clear mindset,” said Blake, who also won his first round match in three sets.

“I would prefer to win in two and two but it is good to get some tough match-ups in the lead-up to a Grand Slam.”

Czech Radek Stepanek also survived a close shave before beating Ukranian qualifier Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr 5-7, 7-6, 6-2 to keep alive his Brisbane title defence.

In the women’s event, Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova brushed aside the challenge of Hungary’s Agnes Szavay 6-3 6-1 while unseeded Czech Lucie Safarova disposed of Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3, 6-1 to join Kim Clijsters in Thursday’s semi-finals.

Clijsters’ fellow Belgian Justine Henin, playing her first official tournament since coming out of retirement, was scheduled to play Kazakhstan’s Sesil Karatantcheva in Wednesday’s night session.

Source: Times of India