On a memorable Wednesday afternoon at the 2010 Australian Open, a lot of tennis fans had very good reason to think that Serena Williams and Roger Federer were both going to be knocked out in their respective quarterfinal matches. Yet, those same people should have realized that when champions are getting outplayed, they can and [...]
The 2010 Australian Open is the Major tournament of the South Pacific, and so it’s entirely fitting that in one of the world’s most ethnically diverse nations, just west of the international dateline, the women’s singles tournament has witnessed the rise of China. Before tonight’s women’s semifinals get underway at Rod Laver Arena, it’s worth [...]
Marin Cilic and Andy Murray are putting their demons behind them. Two young guns in the world of men’s tennis finally showed a readiness to seize one of the biggest prizes in their sport. Tuesday at the Melbourne Park tennis complex, Cilic and Murray punched tickets in a semifinal showdown. The 14th-seeded Croatian and the [...]
If the bottom half of the women’s draw at the 2010 Australian Open could be viewed as a battle of two nations, the one country that has created as much newsworthy activity as Belgium is clearly Russia. While Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin and Yanina Wickmayer caused much ink to be spilled after their Friday exploits, [...]
In the second week of a major tennis tournament, the world’s best tennis players fight for championships and compete at an elevated level. In the first week of a Big Four event, the main goal is merely survival. On day two of the 2010 Australian Open, sports junkies were once again reminded why Roger Federer [...]
Worthwhile developments and especially newsworthy scores after a packed day of action at Melbourne Park: FIVE-SET THRILLERS ABOUND The losses of Robin Soderling and Juan Carlos Ferrero (mentioned elsewhere on this blog) weren’t the only five-setters witnessed on a rather contentious Tuesday in Australia. Other extended wars dotted the landscape on the blue plexicushion courts [...]
It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. But oh, did it exceed the considerable hype. If the International Tennis Federation had the good sense to seed the four major tournaments 1 through 128, Justine Henin and Elena Dementieva wouldn’t have played each other in the second round of the 2010 Australian Open. But since the two [...]
Maria Sharapova’s injured right shoulder received a lot of medical attention last year, but a player with plenty of fighting spirit is still learning how to re-tool her game and rebuild the form that carried her to three major championships. The 2010 Australian Open began on Monday in Melbourne, with stormy skies and soggy weather [...]
In the first of two Australian Open women’s semifinals, the tennis world received yet another illustration of the difference between a great champion and a talented but disappointing pretender to the throne. Serena Williams possesses abundant talent, but the decorated performer defeated Elena Dementieva on Thursday in Rod Laver Arena because she was stronger between [...]
Ever since Steffi Graf retired in 1999, Serena Williams has been the best pressure player in women’s tennis. This well-deserved reputation was only affirmed on Wednesday afternoon in Rod Laver Arena, as the nine-time Grand Slam champion advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 win over Svetlana Kuznetsova. In [...]
