Australian Open
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Chinese Pair Making Their Mark
by Bren O'Brien
Thursday, 26 January, 2006
When Tian Tian Sun and Ting Li stunned the doubles tennis world by winning the Gold Medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, it was the first sign that a new Chinese revolution was on the horizon.
While the Russians were being hailed for their ability to produce a quantity of quality tennis players after clinching three of the four women's Grand Slams in 2004, Chinese women - in both the singles and the doubles - were making their presence felt as well.
There were high expectations that 2005 would be a breakthrough year for Chinese tennis, especially after Jie Zheng won the Moorilla International in Hobart in the lead-up to the Australian Open. The rest of the year brought just one singles title for Chinese women, when Zi Yan defeated Nuria Llagostera Vives in the Guangzhou International - the same tournament Na Li had won the previous year when she became the first woman from her country to win a WTA event.
But while the Chinese explosion onto the singles scene is yet to make a considerable impact, the world of doubles has been re-shaped after Sun and Li's heroics in Athens. The Gold Medal winning pair claimed the Estoril Open title in Portugal in April, but it was another Chinese pair who made an even bigger impression.
Zi Yan and Jie Zheng - the two WTA singles titles winners in 2005 - made four doubles finals in 2005, winning titles in Hobart, where Zheng took a rare double, and Hyderabad, where they beat Sun and Li. They were also the beaten finalists in Bali and Beijing.
But until Australian Open 2006, Yan and Zheng - China's highest-ranked doubles players at 33 and 34 respectively - had not made an impression on tennis' biggest stage. A quarter finals appearance at the 2005 US Open gave an impression that the two girls from Cheng Du were on their way to the top and that has been confirmed at Melbourne Park over the last two weeks.
Coming into the tournament seeded No.12, the pairing has swept all before them to make it to their first Grand Slam final. On route, they have dropped just one set, against one of the most feared women's doubles combinations in the draw - Paolo Suarez and Virginia Ruano Pascual - in the quarter finals.
In the final they face the top-seeds, American Lisa Raymond and Australia's Samantha Stosur, the reigning US Open champions, who knocked out Sun and Li in the third round. Any disappointment Chinese doubles fans may have had about the Athens Gold Medallists' early departure has been quickly allayed by Yan and Zheng's march through the rounds.
It started on Day Four with a 48-minute romp against Russian duo Evgenia Linetskaya and Galina Voskoboeva, where they dropped just one game. The next day, it was a 66-minute workout against Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Maria Sanchez Lorenzo for a 6-4 6-0 win.
After dropping just three games in their third round match against No.7 seeds Elena Dementieva and Flavia Pennetta, their sternest test shaped up in the four-time French Open, and 2004 Australian Open champions, Ruano Pascual and Suarez.
Yan and Zheng dropped the first set and looked in major trouble in a scrappy second set where there were seven breaks of serve. But they battled back to level the match with 7-5 result in the second and then made the most of their opportunities in a third set which ended 6-1.
With that two hour and 20 minute clash under their belt, they fronted up the next day. Only Katarina Srebotnik and Shinobu Asagoe, the No.9 seeds, stood in between Yan and Zheng and a Grand Slam final. With ice-cool composure in the hot conditions, they took the first set 6-2. Near flawless tennis from both sides resulted in a tie-break in the second. Yan and Zheng served the better and won it 7-2 to become the first Chinese pair ever to make a Grand Slam final. -
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Clijsters Forced to Withdraw
Thursday, 26 January, 2006
by Bren O'Brien
Women's No.3 seed Amelie Mauresmo has been handed a passage into the final of Australian Open 2006 after Kim Clijsters withdrew in the third set of their semi-final clash on Day Eleven.
Mauresmo was up a break in the third set after the pair had split the opening two sets 5-7 6-2 when Clijsters was forced to withdraw after rolling her right ankle when facing a break-point against the Frenchwoman.
It was a disappointing end for Clijsters, while Mauresmo reached her first Grand Slam final in seven years, where she will play No.8 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne on Rod Laver Arena on Saturday.
Clijsters controlled the opening set and gained the match's first break, in the fourth game. But she was broken back to love immediately, and the two players each held serve until an epic 12th game. Clijsters held five set points, squandering four of them with unforced errors before a double fault from the Frenchwoman gave her the first set.
Keen to atone for her costly mistake, Mauresmo took the running with a break in the third and fifth game of the second set. Clijsters had her chances to get back on serve, but squandered them, allowing the No.3 seed to level up at one set apiece
Mauresmo then stole the early march with a break in the first game. Clijsters wasn't going down without a fight and managed to square up again in the fourth. The match then took a dramatic turn. Leading 40-0 on serve, it looked as if Clijsters was going to put the pressure back on her opponent, but she conceded four straight points and was then broken when her ankle gave way as she was wrong-footed. She immediately called for an injury time-out and after some consultation, decided she could no longer continue. -
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Brilliant Baghdatis Books Date With Destiny
by Jason Phelan
Thursday, 26 January, 2006
Cypriot sensation Marcos Baghdatis has stormed into the men's final of Australian Open 2006 with an epic, come-from-behind semi-final win over highly-ranked Argentine David Nalbandian in the Twilight Session on Day 11 at Melbourne Park.
Urged on by his highly-vocal cheer squad, the world No.54's meteoric climb through the tournament appeared certain to come to an end at two sets down, but Baghdatis was able to summon a Herculean effort to come back and take the match 3-6 5-7 6-3 6-4 6-4.
After winning the Australian Open junior boy's crown in 2003, this will be the 20-year-old's first Grand-Slam final appearance with his previous best result a fourth-round berth at last year's Centenary Open.
It was a night of high drama until the very end, with play suspended by a torrential downpour with the score at 5-4 and 15-15 as Baghdatis attempted to serve out the match.
Having fought so hard for the opportunity, you could only sympathise with Baghdatis as he raised his arms to the heavens in disbelief as he trudged off Centre Court to await the closing of the Rod Laver Arena roof.
With the court dry and the roof closed, play resumed after a 30-minute pause and the Cypriot held his nerve - serving an ace for the win on his second match point.
"It's like a dream, I have to wake up I think because it's unbelievable - I don't know what to say - it's just amazing," Baghdatis said after the gallant victory.
"It's a dream (of mine) to play here and win this tournament - I believe it, my coach believes it, the guys I work with believe it, my parents believe it - I work for that and I believe in it.
"I'm very proud of myself and very proud of what we've been working on through the years. It's been an amazing career for me, it's like a story and I'm just very proud."
He was at a loss to explain his Houdini-like escape from the jaws of defeat.
"To tell you the truth I don't really know," Baghdatis said with a laugh.
"I'm playing amazing tennis, I just stopped thinking and just played my tennis, tried to be very aggressive and everything was going in. I'm just in my own world right now I think."
No.4 seed Nalbandian joins fellow seeds Andy Roddick (2) and Ivan Ljubicic (7) as one of the highly-ranked casualties of Baghdatis' stirring run to the final, with the success story of the tournament set to meet either world No.1 Roger Federer or Nicolas Kiefer in the final.
The classy Argentine had all the answers in the first set-and-a-half, while Baghdatis seemed to have finally run out of ideas after thrilling the crowd with his inventive play throughout his Open run.
The tension of the occasion was evident early in the match with both players losing their serves soon after the start, but that was to be Baghdatis' only break opportunity for the set, while Nalbandian had nine and converted two of them to take the set comfortably.
The Cypriot was quickly down two service breaks in the second set, but managed to break Nalbandian as he served for the set at 5-2 and held his own serve in the next game with relative ease.
The comeback was in top gear when he broke the Argentine again to be back on serve at 5-5 with the pumped-up Baghdatis raising his fist to the ecstatic crowd, but their elation didn't last long as he lost his serve in the very next game.
Like many before him, Baghdatis appeared spooked by the onset of the traditional fireworks display let off in a nearby park to commemorate Australia Day, losing his serve and the set after Nalbandian held.
The third set proceeded on serve until Baghdatis broke the pattern, pulling out some stunning forehand winners to go up a break at 4-2. He held his nerve and his serve this time and went on to serve out the set with an ace two games later.
The Cypriot's serve was his Achilles heel in the first two sets, but it became his most formidable weapon in the third and fourth with his winning percentage on first serve a stunning 93 per cent in the third and 88 per cent in the fourth.
Baghdatis sent the match into five sets by converting his only break point opportunity in the fourth set and successfully holding off a determined challenge from Nalbandian.
The differing body language of the players was notable as they came on court for the decisive set with Baghdatis skipping to his end, while Nalbandian trudged wearily to his, wiping sweat off his face with a towel as he went.
It made little difference early, however, as the Argentine struck first, breaking to go ahead 2-0 before, once again, being broken right back. The two broke each other once again as the set progressed, but Baghdatis made his move in the ninth game, breaking the No.4 seed to love, before going on to eventually serve out the match. -
Maria Sharapova kena blasts for her high-pitch grunting, which is now deemed as illegal..
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Federer, Kiefer Ready to Face Off
by Amanda Buivids
Thursday, 26 January, 2006
Roger reckons he's not off the boil, and Nicolas, well, he's someone just on it judging by his simmering on-court demeanour.
The calmness of world No.1 Federer has been pushed to the extreme after some tough grilling on Rod Laver Arena over the past fortnight.
He's raised a sweat on more occasions during this Australian Open campaign than others we can remember.
But, he says, it's tough out there. The 128 men who contest the first Grand Slam of the season offer no gimmes. And he is expecting another tough-ask in his semi-final battle against German Nicolas Kiefer at Australia Open 2006 at Melbourne Park on Day 12 of the championship.
For Kiefer, this represents a precious opportunity. It has taken him 35 attempts to get this far in a Grand Slam tournament, and he won't let the moment pass easily.
His aggression and willfulness, however, have got him into a fare-share of trouble at the tournament,and he quite literally caused a "racquet" in his quarter-final stoush against Sebastien Grosjean.
Cries of poor sportsmanship during the match were levelled at the No.21 seed.
In the 12th game of the fifth set, Grosjean played an angled drop shot, and as the German stretched for it, he tossed his racquet across the net and in the Frenchman's field of view.
Grosjean fluffed the shot and Kiefer feigned innocence.
The incident caused a heated exchange between Grosjean and the chair umpire, while Kiefer managed to gather his thoughts and eventually win in a gruelling four hours and 48 minutes - one of the longest matches in tournament history.
And maybe, that is where Federer will have the edge over the German. He has time on his side, and plenty in the tank.
Federer has played 18 sets of tennis and spent 10 hours and 34 minutes on court at this year's Open, while Kiefer has endured 21 for 15 hours and 10 minutes. He's also played in two five-setters - against Grosjean and Paradorn Srichaphan in the opening round. That's a hell of a lot of tennis.
"These are the moments you practice for, you work hard, you do so much work on the court and also off the court," Kiefer said.
"I can say I feel a little bit tired Â… but I have two days to recover. I'm looking forward to this match against Roger.
"I mean, we have close matches last year. I know as long as he is in the tournament, he's playing better and better. I know also that I have to play much better, much better than the other days.
"I'm winning my matches here because I'm fighting unbelievable, and this makes me happy. Not by playing good tennis, but by fighting."
Federer has a 7-2 win-loss ratio against Kiefer, winning their past six contests, including four-setters at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2005.
Ignoring his critics, Federer is happy with his form. He says he's not surprised that he's had tough games, and expects as much on Friday night.
Although he admires the fighting qualities of his opponent, the one thing that has surprised him is that Kiefer is still in the tournament after a narrow escape against Thailand's Srichaphan on the second day of the Open.
"Well, after seeing how he was down against Srichaphan, yes. I just saw bits and pieces of that match. I thought, well, okay, I change the TV, the channel, and I thought he was out," Federer said.
"Then the next thing I know, I see him still at the grounds. He's walking around, playing matches.
"Yeah, I am surprised to see him in the semis now. But again, you know, I know what a quality player he is. Now I saw the match he played (against Grosjean) and some other matches. No, I'm not surprised. But it took him a while to get to the semis, so I'm happy for him."
The semi-final is preceded by the final of the women's doubles between No.1 ranked combination Australian Samantha Stosur and Lisa Raymond from the US against No.12 seeds, China's Zi Yan and Jie Zheng.
Stosur - who has had a hectic Australian Open schedule in singles, doubles and mixed doubles - and veteran campaigner Raymond have had a breezy tournament, dropping only one set in their four matches.
The reigning US champions will be keen to add another Grand Slam trophy to their cabinets.
Yan and Zheng, reached four doubles finals last year; capturing titles in Hobart and Hyderabad and runner-up in Bali and Beijing.
China's top ranked doubles players at No.33 and No.34 respectively, also made the quarter-finals at last year's US Open.
Like their more experienced opponents, they have conceded just a solitary set - against the No.4 combination of Paolo Suarez and Virginia Ruano Pascual, in the quarter finals.
The final will showcase before the men's singles semi-final at Rod Laver Arena on Day 12 of Australian Open action. -
Hey dragg....the info's already in your previous thread concerning the Swiss Miss...
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she could have beaten henin. there were 2 obvious line calls in a break game that the umpire missed.Originally posted by ^spidee^:Maria Sharapova kena blasts for her high-pitch grunting, which is now deemed as illegal..
that really affected her. overall i feel she is a better player on that day. too bad she lost. -
I support RF
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i hope Baghdatis winsthis time round. he is only 20, from cyprus.
i love to see new records set in sports. -
unbelievable.
the chinese pair has beaten the no 1 seed by 2 sets to 1 to win the womens' doubles final!!!! -
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Justine Distraught by Retirement
by Amanda Buivids
Saturday, 28 January, 2006
It all happened rather suddenly, really.
Two points into her service game and then there was a tentative, long march to the chair umpire and Â… it was over. Just there and then.
The final of the women's singles at Australian Open 2006 was a set and two-and-a-half games old when Justine Henin-Hardenne, renowned for her fighting qualities, told umpire Alison Lang she could no longer continue.
She retired while trailing 4-6 0-2.
Her stunning capitulation took everyone by surprise, most of all Amelie Mauresmo, who after shaking hands with Henin-Hardenne and expressing her condolences, walked back to her chair realising the title was hers.
As Mauresmo saluted the warm and sympathetic Rod Laver Arena crowd, and wiped tears of joy from her smiling, joyous face, Henin-Hardenne sat, slumped in her court-side chair, head buried in a towel trying to come to terms with the enormity of her decision and its repercussions.
The Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup was not the only thing at stake at that very moment, there was also her pride.
Such was her overwhelming sense of grief, it was the newly-anointed champion who had to stand up, walk the six metres and sit next to Henin-Hardenne, who was speechless and reduced to merely peeping through the peak of her cap and a sweaty towel.
It was the pure sense of disappointment that shuddered through her small, but muscular frame.
"It's one of the biggest (disappointments) because I don't know what is harder; to lose even when you're playing well and just you lose, or just when you have to retire like that," a distraught Henin-Hardenne said after the match.
"I think it's very disappointing because I was playing so well, and I had a lot of good chances to win here. When you lose that like this, it's pretty hard."
The No.8 seed said she had been feeling sick in the stomach for a couple of days. She said she had a problem shoulder and was prescribed anti-inflammatory tablets for the injury.
She admitted, though, that she had doubled her intake of the tablets to cope with the injury, which may have inadvertently caused her tummy troubles.
"It's been a few days I wasn't feeling well. My stomach was very upset. And then last night, I didn't sleep a lot because it got worse and worse," she explained. "Two weeks now, I had to take anti-inflammatories for my shoulder, and that killed me a little bit."
"But I had to for my shoulder. Now I got on my stomach, and then I had no legs today. I couldn't move. When the stomach is so upset and so inflamed, you know, you just don't have any energy."
"And I felt it when I woke up, but I tried. I knew at the beginning of the match I couldn't win it. I really tried to stay in the match, but there was no chance for me. If I would have keep playing and continue, maybe I would injure something else, so that was the best decision, even if it was very, very hard for me."
From the stands, the only minor indication that something was up with the petite Belgian, was the scoreline.
We had not seen her as overwhelmed in a final before. She was out-played and out-muscled in the opening set, suffering two breaks of serve to drop it in 33 minutes.
Henin-Hardenne called for the trainer during the second game of the second set after she managed to level at deuce on Mauresmo's serve.
The tyros had just completed a 33-shot rally - the best display of shot-making in the 52-minute contest - but obviously inflicted diabolical distress on the right-hander, who lost the following two points and the game.
After a three-minute injury time-out, the two combatants resumed with the calm Frenchwoman winning the two points, and Henin-Hardenne then walked towards the net to tell her opponent and the umpire that she was beaten and broken.
"I was dead, yeah Â… just after that point I was feeling like short of breath and no legs, no power, nothing," she said, referring to her request for medical assistance at the change-of- ends.
"I say, I am going to ask the doctor what we can do. But there's nothing we can do at that point when you're feeling like that. So I think that was really the best decision for myself."
World No.3 Mauresmo played magnificently. She controlled the contest from the start when she won her service to 15, and then immediately broke Henin-Hardenne before doing so again in the fourth game.
Her looping forehands and well-positioned serve troubled Henin-Hardenne, despite her physical frailties.
For the vanquished Henin-Hardenne, the match as well as the post-final media conference reduced her to tears.
The stress, the questioning, the criticisms had become overwhelming and too much of a burden to bare.
However, what was tougher for her was the tough decision to take her position on Centre Court when she knew that she was not 100 per cent healthy.
"Well, it's always my decision, you know, my choice. I know what was the problem, and I decided to walk on court because I'm professional, I want to try," she said. "When you see it's not working, it's the only way to go out."
"I mean, you know, it's hard when you're on the court and so much in pain. I think it's very easy to say that here in press conference. But when you're on the court and you suffer a lot and you feel like you don't have anything to give, it's pretty hard to stay on the court. I have no regrets about the decision I took."
Extending her professionalism, she congratulated Mauresmo, the 26-year-old who has finally broken through for her first Grand Slam crown in 32 attempts.
"It's great for her. She was waiting for that for such a long time, and it's finally coming out, very strange way, Kim (Clijsters) and me," Henin-Hardenne said. "But I'm sure it will give her a lot of confidence. She worked very hard so she deserved that." -
It was great to see my fav daniela hantuchova
win against serena williams. -
dragg,
rather you do all the hardwork, just paste the URL.
rest of us can go read there.