Defending Australian Open women’s champ Victoria Azarenka defeated Johanna Larsson on Tuesday to move through the first round in straight sets, 7-6(2), 6-2. "She played really well," Azarenka said. "I can't say I was surprised by that, but she really went for her shots today. With these conditions, the ball bounces a lot higher, which…
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…
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…
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…
Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova upset the second-seeded Petra Kvitova on Thursday, 6-4, 6-3 to earn a spot in the finals of the Apia International Sydney. In the finals, Pironkova will meet the fifth-seeded German Angelique Kerber, a 6-4, 6-2 semifinals victor over American Madison Keys. “I feel incredibly happy right now," said Pironkova post-match. "In the same time, I’m trying to stay grounded and focused…
Spain's David Ferrer won his14th consecutive match at the Heineken Open on Thursday in Auckland, getting past Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals. Ferrer is seeking his fifth Heineken Open title (third consecutive and also won the title in 2007) and has a 25-5 overall record at the event. Also earning a trip to the semis was 2010 champion…
In January, ESPN Classic will present more than 100 hours of Australian Open programming, plus tennis-themed editions of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning SportsCentury series and other interview shows. Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 8, ESPN Classic will air Australian Open programming virtually around the clock until Friday, Jan. 11 at 8:00 p.m. The marathon of more than 80 hours will climax with…