Roger Federer stepped onto Rod Laver Arena for his 57th consecutive Grand Slam tournament Tuesday at the 2014 Australian Open, defeating 21-year-old Australian wild card James Duckworth, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 46 minutes. Federer has not missed a Grand Slam event since the 1999 U.S. Open. Federer next plays Blaz Kavcic, who…
Long Island tennis players have great choices when it comes to where to play tennis. Below is a list of Long Island Tennis Magazine’s top clubs and programs with descriptions of what each has to offer. Bethpage Park Tennis Center 99 Quaker Meeting House Road, Building #4 ♦ Farmingdale, N.Y. (516)…
Defending Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic was a 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-1 first-round Monday in Melbourne over Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko. With the win, Djokovic, a three-time Aussie Open champ, extended his winning streak in Melbourne to 22 consecutive matches, setting up a second round meeting with Leonardo Mayer. Mayer moved into round two after his 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 win over…
Venus Williams fell to Ekaterina Makarova in the opening round of the 2014 Australian Open on Monday, 6-2, 4-6, 4-6. Venus had been undefeated head-to-head against Makarova coming into the opening round matchup with a 2-0 record until Monday. Venus dominated the first set 6-2, and had a point to go up 5-4 in the second set, but Makarova fought…
American John Isner won his eighth ATP World Tour title in Auckland on Saturday, defeating Yen-Hsun Lu 7-6(4), 7-6(7) in the finals of the Heineken Open. Isner earned $82,500 and 250 Emirates ATP Ranking points, while Lu received $43,450 and 150 Emirates ATP Ranking points. "I knew it was going to be a tough match," said Isner. "I knew he…
As a way to say “thank you” to loyal readers, Long Island Tennis Magazine and the John McEnroe Tennis Annex at Sportime Bethpage are excited to announce a special contest that will allow two lucky winners, one boy and one girl, to elevate their tennis game during the 2014 indoor season. Entry is free and…
Tennis outside in the winter? Well not “tennis,” but platform tennis or another term for the sport you may have heard “paddle.” The game has been around for 80 years; however, many tennis players on Long Island have never tried it. Platform tennis is an American racquet sport enjoyed by thousands of people of all…
Qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova won the Apia International Sydney on Friday, defeating world number nine Angelique Kerber for her first WTA title, 6-4, 6-4. Coming into the Sydney finals, Pironkova was 0-7 in WTA Tour level semifinals matches. En route to the title, Pironkova defeated three top 10-ranked players, Sara Errani (world number seven), Petra Kvitova (world number six) and Kerber. The last qualifier to…
Third-seeded John Isner reached the finals of the Heineken Open on Friday in Auckland, defeating Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 in the semifinals. In the finals, Isner will meet upset winner and world number 62 Yen-Hsun Lu, who pulled off a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over three-time defending Heineken Open champion and world number three David Ferrer. "I was a bit…
The 1970s tennis boom has diminished Thirty-eight years ago, Jim Donnelly opened Grand Slam Tennis. During that time, the amount of people playing tennis was fierce. The tennis clubs on Long Island were competing with one another to keep their players and help grow the game. Today, however, tennis needs a jump-start to re-invigorate the…