Novak Djokovic took another step at his Australian Open title defense on Wednesday in Melbourne, a second-round contest against Leonardo Mayer which ended with his 23rd consecutive win Down Under and 26th straight win on the ATP World Tour, 6-0, 6-4, 6-4 in just under two hours. Djokovic will next face Denis Istomin, who advanced…
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…