Stosur Knows The Drought Problem

Australia is getting poured with rain lately, but there is still a heavy drought on the ground of Melbourne. It has been so long since an Aussie man or woman won the home slam, Samantha Stosur knows people are watching her.

“I know it’s been a long time. I’d love to be that person to break that drought,” the fifth-seeded Stosur said. “At the end of the day, I’ve got to play good matches, and I’ve got to do seven of them to win the tournament.”

With the exits of Justine Henin and Venus Williams, there are now two less opponents Stosur has to worry about. So far she is playing great and hopefully she will keep it up until the last Saturday!

Tomic: ‘I’ve Got Nothing To Lose’

Yes, they all say that when they face a slam champ and top 10 players. For Aussie bad boy Bernard Tomic, world no.1 Rafael Nadal will be a mighty test.

This time, he has a lot to lose because the country is watching him. It will be a tall task but someone has to do it.

“I’ve got nothing to lose,” said Tomic, admitting to some nerves at playing the Spanish superstar for the first time. “So win or lose, I’m going to take this opportunity to play at night against the world No. 1, playing not to lose, playing to win.”

Having watched Tomic played the other day, his game is really similar to Andy Murray. One thing I have to say is how strange his game is.

It seems he doesn’t have a lot of power on his shots, and he rolls them back in slow speed against his opponents, but nevertheless, his game could give Nadal some trouble.

Not all off-speed shots give your opponents a chance to pound on it; especially, if you hit it deep enough like Tomic.

Agassi Gets Tennis Hall of Fame Nod

Andre Agassi will finally be inked into the history book. The Grand Slam champ will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame comes this July.

The American and former world no.1 will join his wife, Steffi Graf, in the Hall of Fame. The German got inducted in 2004.

“Tennis has given me everything in my life,” Agassi said. “It’s given me my wife—it’s given me my life’s work by allowing me the resources to build this school for you.”

Congratulations!

Li Talks Spousal Issue

Na Li is having quite a 2011 season so far. Already with one title on her belt in Sydney having knocked down Kim Clijsters, the Chinese is one of the hot favorite to go all the way again this year in Melbourne.

Having reached the semifinal last year, Li knows she can do it again. Well, just as long as she can keep her marriage dilemma off the court.

Reporters asked the Chinese after her win on Friday about how she manage a career with her husband and coach. Li had quite the answer.

“Yeah, it’s interesting because you always fight,” Li said. “I mean, on the court I always have to listen to what he says. But we always find a bonus to (the) job and life.”

Of course, she was probably only joking. But then again, they always say never work with your spouse in the same company!

Djokovic Walks Through; Federer Dodges Belgian

Novak Djokovic might be the happiest man so far in the tournament, but it came at the expense of his countryman Viktor Troicki. The world no.3 only had to play one set against Troicki when his countryman retired due to a stomach issue.

“I just heard that he had some struggles with his stomach muscle, but I wasn’t sure how serious it is,” said Djokovic. “I didn’t know that he’s not able to serve… He obviously tried his best. It’s the third round of a Grand Slam. It’s not the way you want to finish the tournament, definitely. It’s sad for him, but I have to move on.”

While Djokovic only had to spend 39 minutes on the court, Roger Federer had a tougher time against Xavier Malisse. The Belgium gave Federer a bit of a scary moment in the second set after breaking to go up 3-1.

Of course, the world no.2 came back and then won easily to advance to the fourth round.

Video: ATP - Aussie Open 2011 Thrusday Day Highilghts

Venus Retires With Pain

They say seven is lucky, but don’t tell that to Venus Williams. The American only played seven points against her German opponent, Andrea Petkovic, before having to retire in pain.

Having her leg heavily tapped and not moving at all, Williams had to retire from a Grand Slam' match for the first time in her career.

“It was just too painful to move,” fourth seed Williams told reporters. “The last 48 hours I did as much pain management and recovery that I could. A lot times you get this adrenaline that blocks pain. I just didn’t get enough of that today.”

Petkovic said it wasn’t the way she wanted to win against a great champion and hoped Williams will recover.

Kuznetsova Finally Wins Against Henin

A bad elbow might have cost Justine Henin a spot in the fourth round, but the Belgian said there’s no excuses in her loss to Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Russian played better and deserved to win.

Having never lost to Kuznetsova in a Grand Slam, Henin looked every bit the underdog during their third round encounter. Both players played something erratically throughout the match until the second set tiebreak.

And just when the match was getting better, Henin dumped in a double fault to give Kuznetsova match point and eventually the match itself. The Belgian, whose right elbow was casted, hit a ton of forehand errors.

Kuznetsova choked up a little when serving for the match twice but she won it on her fourth match point.

Roddick Survives Haase

You know Andy Roddick is not happy and a little edgy when he questions line calls and hit ball right at his opponent. Unsportsmanlike conduct yes, but that’s Roddick when he’s down.

The American survived an early scare against Robin Haase to advance to the fourth round. Haase looked a bit out and about after calling the trainer in the first set but than came out firing.

The Dutchman gave Roddick some trouble in the first and second set but once the American won the tiebreak, he felt more relaxed.

Roddick won, 2-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Scores - WOMEN

Third Round

Caroline Wozniacki (1) def. Dominika Cibulkova (29) 6-4, 6-3
Vera Zvonareva (2) vs. Lucie Safarova (31)
Kim Clijsters (3) vs. Alize Cornet
Andrea Petkovic (30) def. Venus Williams (4) 1-0 retired
Francesca Schiavone (6) def. Monica Niculescu 6-0, 7-6 (7-2)
Victoria Azarenka (8) def. Chanelle Scheepers 6-3, 6-3
Na Li (9) def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-2, 6-1
Shahar Peer (10) vs. Flavia Pennetta (22)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (23) def. Justine Henin (11) 6-4, 7-6 (10-8)
Nadia Petrova (13) vs. Ekaterina Makarova
Maria Sharapova (14) def. Julia Goerges 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (16) vs. Iveta Benesova
Anastasija Sevastova def. Vesna Manasieva 6-1, 6-3
Shuai Peng vs. Ayumi Morita

Second Round

Samantha Stosur (5) def. Vera Dushevina 6-3, 6-2
Lucie Safarova (31) def. Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 7-5

Scores - MEN

Third Round

Roger Federer (2) def. Xavier Malisse 6-3, 6-3, 6-1
Novak Djokovic (3) def. Viktor Troicki (29) 6-2 retired
Robin Soderling (4) vs. Jan Hernych
Andy Murray (5) vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (32)
Tomas Berdych (6) def. Richard Gasquet (28) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
David Ferrer (7) vs. Ricardas Berankis
Andy Roddick (8) def. Robin Haase 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-2
Fernando Verdasco (9) def. Kei Nishikori 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
Mikhail Youzhny (10) vs. Milos Raonic
Stanislas Wawrinka (19) def. Gael Monfils (12) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-3
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13) vs. Alexandr Dolgopolov
Nicolas Almagro (14) def. Ivan Ljubicic (17) 6-4, 7-6 (10-8), 6-3
Marin Cilic (15) vs. John Isner (20)
Tommy Robredo def. Sergiy Stakhovsky 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2

Second Round

Robin Soderling (4) def. Gilles Muller 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1
Andy Murray (5) def. Illya Marchenko 6-1, 6-3, 6-3
David Ferrer (7) def. Michael Russell 6-0, 6-1, 7-5
Jurgen Melzer (11) def. Pere Riba 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
John Isner (20) def. Radek Stepanek 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
Marcos Baghdatis (21) def. Juan Martin Del Potro 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Ricardas Berankis def. David Nalbandian (27) 6-1, 6-0, 2-0 retired

Nadal’s ARMANI Photos Released

I will say Rafael Nadal has the body and booty for ARMANI, but the only crappy thing about these photos are his face.

TOO MUCH PHOTOSHOP!

Is that still Rafa or some computer robot???

Go here too see Rafa in Unde: http://cocoperez.com/2011-01-20-armani-ads-featuring-rafael-nadal-have-been-released/?from=PH

Video: ATP - Thursday Night Highlights Aussie Open 2011

Video: ATP - Aussie Open Thusday Day Highlights

Jankovic Loses After Leading

Jelena Jankovic continued her slide down yesterday after losing to Peng Shuai of China. The Serb was leading 4-1 in the first set when everything went down the wrong way.

The former world no.1 has now lost seven of eight matches she played since last year.

"The last six months of last year, I had really a lot of injuries," Jankovic, 25, said. "You know, I twisted my ankle and really couldn't move. Then I had eye surgery in the off-season."

Jankovic also added she made bad selection of shots at the wrong time which cost her the match.

Del Potro Thinks Positive On Loss

Even though Juan MD Potro lost last night to Marcos Baghdatis, the Argentine is not feeling all to bad. Considering a year ago he got injured here and could not play much for the rest of the 2010 season, Del Potro took some positives out of his loss.

“It’s very tough. I’m still improving,” del Potro said, adding that he played better than he had last week in Sydney, his comeback tournament where he exited in the second round. “I think that’s positive for the next tournament.”

Even though the 2009 US Open champ lost, I think he played well and should be a major contender after his wrist gets better. The year is still long and he will only improve.

Del Potro’s serve only got up to 128mph, which is a little off his usual serve. Too many unforced errors also did him in.

Nalbandian Runs Out of Gas

Argentine David Nalbandian gave it his all after beating Lleyton Hewitt the other night. In his second round match against Richard Berankis of Lithuania the Argentine had nothing left to give.

With Berankis leading, 6-1, 6-0, 2-0, Nalbandian called it quit.

“Today I was, like, empty,” he said. “I tossed the ball for a serve and everything was moving around. It’s tough playing like that. I called the doctor. He told me it was dangerous playing like that. So I retired.”

Hewitt will be very pissy-dissy with Nalbandian now!

Video: ATP – Wednesday Night Highlights

More Scores

Second Round

Rafael Nadal (1) def. Ryan Sweeting 6-2, 6-1, 6-1
Roger Federer (2) def. Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3
Novak Djokovic (3) def. Ivan Dodig 7-5, 6-7 (8-10), 6-0, 6-2
Robin Soderling (4) def. Gilles Muller 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1
Andy Murray (5) def. Illya Marchenko 6-1, 6-3, 6-3
David Ferrer (7) def. Michael Russell 6-0, 6-1, 7-5
Mikhail Youzhny (10) def. Blaz Kavcic 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1
Jurgen Melzer (11) def. Pere Riba 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
Gael Monfils (12) def. Frederico Gil 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13) def. Andreas Seppi 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-5)
Marin Cilic (15) def. Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1
Stanislas Wawrinka (19) def. Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 6-3, 6-3
John Isner (20) def. Radek Stepanek 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
Marcos Baghdatis (21) def. Juan Martin Del Potro 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Milos Raonic def. Michael Llodra (22) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
Xavier Malisse def. Albert Montanes (25) 6-4, 6-0, 6-1
Ricardas Berankis def. David Nalbandian (27) 6-1, 6-0, 2-0 retired
Jan Hernych def. Thomaz Bellucci (30) 6-2, 6-7 (11-13), 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 8-6
Bernard Tomic def. Feliciano Lopez (31) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (32) def. Eduardo Schwank 6-4, 7-6 (10-8), 6-1
Alexandr Dolgopolov def. Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-0, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3)

Second Round

Vera Zvonareva (2) def. Bojana Jovanovski 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
Kim Clijsters (3) def. Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-3
Samantha Stosur (5) def. Vera Dushevina 6-3, 6-2
Shuai Peng def. Jelena Jankovic (7) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
Na Li (9) def. Evgeniya Rodina 6-3, 6-2
Shahar Peer (10) def. Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-2
Agnieszka Radwanska (12) def. Petra Martic 6-3, 6-4
Nadia Petrova (13) def. Alicia Molik 6-4, 6-1
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (16) def. Kristina Barrois 6-2, 6-2
Iveta Benesova def. Maria Kirilenko (18) 6-3, 6-1
Julia Goerges def. Kaia Kanepi (20) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Anastasija Sevastova def. Yanina Wickmayer (21) 6-4, 6-2
Flavia Pennetta (22) def. Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-2, 6-2
Simona Halep def. Alisa Kleybanova (24) 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)
Petra Kvitova (25) def. Anna Chakvetadze 6-3, 6-4
Alize Cornet def. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (26) 7-5, 6-1
Andrea Petkovic (30) def. Anne Keothavong 2-6, 7-5, 6-0
Lucie Safarova (31) def. Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 7-5
Monica Niculescu def. Tsvetana Pironkova (32) 6-4, 6-1
Ayumi Morita def. Caroline Garcia 6-4, 6-4
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova def. Jelena Dokic 7-6 (7-3), 6-1
Ekaterina Makarova def. Lesya Tsurenko 7-6 (8-6), 6-1

Scores: Aussie Open 2011 - Women

Second Round

Caroline Wozniacki (1) def. Vania King 6-1, 6-0
Vera Zvonareva (2) def. Bojana Jovanovski 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
Kim Clijsters (3) def. Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-3
Venus Williams (4) def. Sandra Zahlavova 6-7 (6-8), 6-0, 6-4
Francesca Schiavone (6) def. Rebecca Marino 6-3, 5-7, 9-7
Shuai Peng def. Jelena Jankovic (7) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
Victoria Azarenka (8) def. Andrea Hlavackova 6-4, 6-4
Na Li (9) def. Evgeniya Rodina 6-3, 6-2
Shahar Peer (10) def. Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-2
Justine Henin (11) def. Elena Baltacha 6-1, 6-3
Agnieszka Radwanska (12) def. Petra Martic 6-3, 6-4
Nadia Petrova (13) def. Alicia Molik 6-4, 6-1
Maria Sharapova (14) def. Virginie Razzano 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
Vesna Manasieva def. Marion Bartoli (15) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (16) def. Kristina Barrois 6-2, 6-2
Iveta Benesova def. Maria Kirilenko (18) 6-3, 6-1
Julia Goerges def. Kaia Kanepi (20) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Anastasija Sevastova def. Yanina Wickmayer (21) 6-4, 6-2
Flavia Pennetta (22) def. Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-2, 6-2
Svetlana Kuznetsova (23) def. Arantxa Rus 6-1, 6-4
Simona Halep def. Alisa Kleybanova (24) 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)
Petra Kvitova (25) def. Anna Chakvetadze 6-3, 6-4
Alize Cornet def. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (26) 7-5, 6-1
Dominika Cibulkova (29) def. Alberta Brianti 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
Andrea Petkovic (30) def. Anne Keothavong 2-6, 7-5, 6-0
Monica Niculescu def. Tsvetana Pironkova (32) 6-4, 6-1
Ekaterina Makarova def. Lesya Tsurenko 7-6 (8-6), 6-1
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova def. Jelena Dokic 7-6 (7-3), 6-1
Ayumi Morita def. Caroline Garcia 6-4, 6-4
Chanelle Scheepers def. Regina Kulikova 6-4, 4-6, 7-5

First Round

Kim Clijsters (3) def. Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-0
Shahar Peer (10) def. Mathilde Johansson 6-1, 6-1
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (16) def. Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
Ekaterina Makarova def. Ana Ivanovic (19) 3-6, 6-4, 10-8
Alisa Kleybanova (24) def. Irina Falconi 6-1, 6-0
Simona Halep def. Anne Kremer 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Klara Zakopalova def. Melanie Oudin 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
Kristina Barrois def. Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 6-2
Lesya Tsurenko def. Patty Schnyder 6-2, 6-3
Carla Suarez Navarro def. Christina McHale 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Vera Dushevina def. Maria Camerin 6-3, 3-6, 6-1

Scores: Aussie Open 2011 - Men

Second Round

Rafael Nadal (1) def. Ryan Sweeting 6-2, 6-1, 6-1
Roger Federer (2) def. Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3
Novak Djokovic (3) def. Ivan Dodig 7-5, 6-7 (8-10), 6-0, 6-2
Tomas Berdych (6) def. Philipp Kohlschreiber 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Andy Roddick (8) def. Igor Kunitsyn 7-6 (9-7), 6-2, 6-3
Fernando Verdasco (9) def. Janko Tipsarevic 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-0
Mikhail Youzhny (10) def. Blaz Kavcic 6-3, 6-1, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1
Gael Monfils (12) def. Frederico Gil 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13) def. Andreas Seppi 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-5)
Nicolas Almagro (14) def. Igor Andreev 7-5, 2-6, 4-6, 7-6 (12-10), 7-5
Marin Cilic (15) def. Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1
Tommy Robredo def. Mardy Fish (16) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
Ivan Ljubicic (17) def. Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
Stanislas Wawrinka (19) def. Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 6-3, 6-3
Milos Raonic def. Michael Llodra (22) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
Xavier Malisse def. Albert Montanes (25) 6-4, 6-0, 6-1
Robin Haase def. Juan Monaco (26) 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Richard Gasquet (28) def. Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
Viktor Troicki (29) def. Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
Jan Hernych def. Thomaz Bellucci (30) 6-2, 6-7 (11-13), 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 8-6
Bernard Tomic def. Feliciano Lopez (31) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (32) def. Eduardo Schwank 6-4, 7-6 (10-8), 6-1
Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Lukasz Kubot 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Alexandr Dolgopolov def. Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-0, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3)
Kei Nishikori def. Florian Mayer 6-4, 6-3, 0-6, 6-3

First Round
Robin Soderling (4) def. Potito Starace 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13) def. Philipp Petzschner 4-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Michael Llodra (22) def. Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
David Nalbandian (27) def. Lleyton Hewitt 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 9-7
Milos Raonic def. Bjorn Phau 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 7-6 (10-8)
Radek Stepanek def. Denis Gremelmayr 6-3, 6-2, 6-3
Ricardas Berankis def. Marinko Matosevic 6-4, 6-2, 7-5
Andreas Seppi def. Arnaud Clement 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2

Razzano Survives Sharapova’s Scream…Just Not Match

There is always a first time for everything. For Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano, the first time hearing Maria Sharapova’s screaming wasn’t al that bad. Razzano survived the shrieking test, just not the match.

"It was my first time to play her and I didn't know she cried like this," Razzano told Reuters. "It was difficult, but I got used to it."

Sharapova knocked out the win with, 7-6, 6-3. The Russian piled up a total of 39 unforced errors.

Henin Showcases New Serve

Looks just Justine Henin just threw in something new on her serve. I was watching her match against Elena Baltacha last night and thanks to Martina Navratilova, I, too, noticed that Henin’s serve is differently.

If you watch video from Henin’s matches before, she usually served with her feet apart when she jumps up. Now, as she jumps up, her feet are together.

So far, it looks as though her new technique is working pretty well. She only had three double faults in the match yesterday.

With a clash with Svetlana Kuznetsova next, Henin will hope the new serve will help her power her way through the win. Kuznetsova has been struggling lately too so that might be another advantage to the Belgian.

Venus Wins Through Pain…and Bullet-hole Dress

Venus Williams might have designed a better dress than that bullet-hole looking dress, especially, during that set point when she grabbed her stomach in pain in the first set. You would think she just got punched in the stomach by Sandra Zahlavova.

The American wrapped her thigh and played on while Zahlavova let slip a mighty change to knock out the Grand Slam champ. Williams played with all her will to advance.

As they say, one Williams Sister not playing, the other plays on…even through pain and suffering.

“It was really tough, but I’m a long way from home and it’s such a long way I didn’t want to go back yet,” Williams said. “You’ve got to be able to play under all kinds of circumstances—good, bad, strange, weird, all of the above. I had to just calm myself down. In the middle of a match like that, you can get a little hysterical.”

Things won’t get any easier for the American with Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Caroline Wozniacki, and Svetlana Kuznetsova, to name a few, on the side of her draw.

Video: Aussie Open 2011 - Wednesday ATP Day Highlights

Tipsarevice Gives Up On Loss

I have seen weird and strange matches in tennis, but for the first time last night, I saw a tennis player giving up on the whole match after losing match points and the set. While I felt bad for the guy, Janko Tipsarevic really should have let go of the fourth set and played to win in the fifth.

Instead, the poor guy just completely gave up winning only one point in the last set. What troubled me more was he just threw in the racket.

When Fernando Verdasco was serving for the match, he barely tried to return the ball. I have a feeling Tipsarevic got pissed off the crowds after they started clapping and rooting for the Spainard to make a comeback.

I wonder if the Australian Tennis Federation or whichever place will fine Tipsarevic for giving up on the match. It was just sad to see and Dick Enberg said it rightly so of how disrespectful his action was to the sports.

No matter how heartbroken you are or how frustrated you are with the crowds, you should never give up like that

Federer Survives Simon…Barely

Roger Federer was playing great and looked as though the match against his nemesis Gilles Simon was going to be a quick three sets. That all changed when the Frenchman staged a comeback and it looked as though Federer was going to succumb to another upset by Simon.

The Swiss pulled off some shot making and took advantage of his fifth match point in the fifth set to finally win his first match against Simon. Federer had lost both of their previous encounters after winning the first set.

Simon played great and it only took one or two mistake to give the break and the match to Federer in the fifth set.

Quote of the Day

"I feel good. It's nice for me be here with these players, this tournament, and of course playing a Grand Slam. Today I play good tennis again. But I'm really enjoying this week. I met with all the players, especially the top‑10 players. They support me when I was very bad. So now I face to face with them and I say thank you.

I know the way to be with good ranking again. But it's a long road. I need to work very hard because all the players are very tough at this moment. All players playing good tennis, especially here in the five‑set matches. But I'm still improving my game. I feel good with my wrist. That's important to training every day and to feel comfortable for the next tournaments"

~ Juan MD Potro after defeating Dudi Sela in the first round at the Australian Open

Venus Shows Her Talent...Legs and Booty

Venus Williams will be playing her second round today at the Australian Open. Even though she has not played since the US Open last year, Williams showed she still has the Grand Slam urge in her body.

But like last year, her outfit is catching more eyes than her games. With the booty-illusion dress last year that gave people something to talk about, Williams is showing off her none-illusion booty this year in a dress that is more like a long shirt.

Regardless, the former world no. 1 fears nothing showing off her legs and booty this time alone.

Video: ATP - Aussie Open Monday Highlights

Video: ATP - Aussie Open Tuesday Highlights

Federer vs. Simon: Pop vs. Pop

It is not everyday you have two tennis players who are fathers playing against each other. Tonight, Roger Federer and Gilles Simon will both go at it for a spot in the third round.

If there is any good news for Simon, the Frenchman will go into the match knowing he has never lost to the Swiss. Simon holds a 2-0 record against Federer.

"I usually remember the losses maybe just a bit more because I don't have as many as I have wins," Federer said Monday. "He's beaten the best in the world. If he can do it once, he always feels he can do it again."

So this might sound strange but Federer will come into the match looking to get some revenge on the Frenchman. The good news for the Swiss is the last time they played was in 2008.

The two met twice that year actually where Federer lost both the encounters. With Simon coming back from injury, the Swiss hopes three time won't be the charm for the Frenchman.

Ivanovic Slumps Out In Three

Looks like Ana Ivanovic's slump continues on for now. The Serbian got a tough match and crashed out to Russian Ekaterina Makarova in three sets.

Ivanovic was able to save five match points during the match but the Russian won the match after nearly three hours. The Serb had to pull out of the Hopman Cup a couple of weeks ago due to an injury.

It might or might not have contributed to the loss, but nevertheless, Ivanovic will go back to work and hopefully the latter of the 2011 season will be better.

Video: Rackey Goes Bye-Bye

Having watched tennis for decades, never had I seen what Agnieszka Radwanska did yesterday. If you missed it, watch the video below!

Hewitt Loses Battle Against Nalbandian

It took almost five hours but David Nalbandian finally took a little revenge out of home-favorite Lleyton Hewitt last night. The Argentine won in a five-set thriller that was almost the exact storyline five years ago when Hewitt got the best of the two and later advanced to the final in 2005.

“I cannot talk, I’m too tired,” Nalbandian said courtside after the match. “Every time we play it’s long matches, tough ones. He’s a real fighter.”

The match between the two veterans ended around 1a.m. on Wednesday, Melbourne time.

“It’s disappointing to come so close and fight for so long and not be able to quite get the win,” a Hewitt said.

Scores: Men - Aussie Open

First Round
Rafael Nadal (1) def. Marcos Daniel 6-0, 5-0 retired
Roger Federer (2) def. Lukas Lacko 6-1, 6-1, 6-3
Novak Djokovic (3) def. Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-3, 6-1
Andy Murray (5) def. Karol Beck 6-3, 6-1, 4-2 retired
Tomas Berdych (6) def. Marco Crugnola 6-4, 6-0, 6-2

David Ferrer (7) def. Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
Andy Roddick (8) def. Jan Hajek 6-1, 6-2, 6-2
Fernando Verdasco (9) def. Rainer Schuettler 6-1, 6-3, 6-2
Mikhail Youzhny (10) def. Marcel Ilhan 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5)
Jurgen Melzer (11) def. Vincent Millot 6-2, 6-4, 6-2

Gael Monfils (12) def. Thiemo De Bakker 6-7 (5-7), 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1
Nicolas Almagro (14) def. Stephane Robert 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 7-5
Marin Cilic (15) def. Donald Young 6-3, 6-2, 6-1
Mardy Fish (16) def. Victor Hanescu 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3
Ivan Ljubicic (17) def. Peter Luczak 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)

Lukasz Kubot def. Sam Querrey (18) 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 8-6
Stanislas Wawrinka (19) def. Teimuraz Gabashvili 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-4
John Isner (20) def. Florent Serra 6-3, 7-6 (10-8), 6-3
Marcos Baghdatis (21) def. Grega Zemlja 3-6, 7-5, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
Florian Mayer def. Nikolay Davydenko (23) 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4

Benjamin Becker def. Ernests Gulbis (24) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-4
Albert Montanes (25) def. Dustin Brown 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 2-6, 7-5
Juan Monaco (26) def. Simon Greul 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
Richard Gasquet (28) def. Frank Dancevic 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Viktor Troicki (29) def. Dmitry Tursunov 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0

Thomaz Bellucci (30) def. Ricardo Mello 7-5, 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3
Feliciano Lopez (31) def. Alejandro Falla 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (32) def. Michael Berrer 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Eduardo Schwank def. Leonardo Mayer 6-2, 6-0, 6-4
Grigor Dimitrov def. Andrey Golubev 6-1, 6-4, 6-2

Pere Riba def. Carsten Ball 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
Alexandr Dolgopolov def. Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
Robin Haase def. Carlos Berlocq 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5)
Ivan Dodig def. Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4
Illya Marchenko def. Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-3, 6-4, 6-1

Gilles Muller def. Simon Stadler 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
Mischa Zverev vs. Janko Tipsarevic 3-6, 1-6, 1-3
Nicolas Mahut def. Brian Dabul 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Frederico Gil def. Pablo Cuevas 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 4-6, 6-3, 9-7
Benoit Paire def. Flavio Cipolla 6-1, 7-5, 6-1

Bernard Tomic def. Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
Alexandr Dolgopolov vs. Mikhail Kukushkin
Juan Martin Del Potro def. Dudi Sela 7-6 (15-13), 6-4, 6-4
Jan Hernych def. Denis Istomin 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Igor Andreev def. Filippo Volandri 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3

Santiago Giraldo def. Rui Machado 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1
Adrian Mannarino def. Ryan Harrison 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Igor Kunitsyn def. Michal Przysiezny 6-7 (1-7), 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6)
Michael Russell def. Matthew Ebden 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (11-9)
Tommy Robredo def. Somdev Dev Varman 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-4

Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Daniel Brands 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Ryan Sweeting def. Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-4, 6-4, 6-1
Xavier Malisse def. Pablo Andujar 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
Gilles Simon def. Yen-Hsun Lu 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Tobias Kamke 1-6, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-4

Blaz Kavcic def. Kevin Anderson 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5)
Kei Nishikori def. Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4

Scores: Women - Aussie Open

First Round
Caroline Wozniacki (1) def. Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-4
Vera Zvonareva (2) def. Sybille Bammer 6-2, 6-1
Venus Williams (4) def. Sara Errani 6-3, 6-2
Samantha Stosur (5) def. Lauren Davis 6-1, 6-1
Francesca Schiavone (6) def. Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-4

Jelena Jankovic (7) def. Alla Kudryavtseva 6-0, 7-6 (7-5)
Victoria Azarenka (8) def. Kathrin Woerle 6-0, 6-2
Na Li (9) def. Sofia Arvidsson 6-1, 7-5
Justine Henin (11) def. Sania Mirza 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
Agnieszka Radwanska (12) def. Kimiko Date Krumm 6-4, 4-6, 7-5

Nadia Petrova (13) def. Ksenia Pervak 6-2, 6-1
Maria Sharapova (14) def. Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 6-3
Marion Bartoli (15) def. Tathiana Garbin 6-0, 6-0
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova def. Aravane Rezai (17) 6-0, 3-6, 7-5
Maria Kirilenko (18) def. Romina Oprandi 6-3, 5-7, 8-6

Kaia Kanepi (20) def. Magdalena Rybarikova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
Yanina Wickmayer (21) def. Jarmila Groth 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
Flavia Pennetta (22) def. Anastasia Rodionova 6-2, 6-1
Svetlana Kuznetsova (23) def. Alison Riske 6-3, 6-2
Petra Kvitova (25) def. Sally Peers 6-2, 6-4

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (26) def. Greta Arn 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
Ayumi Morita def. Alexandra Dulgheru (27) 6-4, 6-4
Regina Kulikova def. Daniela Hantuchova (28) 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 9-7
Dominika Cibulkova (29) def. Angelique Kerber 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4
Andrea Petkovic (30) def. Jill Craybas 6-1, 6-2

Lucie Safarova (31) def. Shuai Zhang 7-5, 4-6, 6-1
Tsvetana Pironkova (32) def. Pauline Parmentier 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Rebecca Marino def. Junri Namigata 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
Vesna Manasieva def. Laura Pous Tio 7-5, 6-2
Anastasija Sevastova def. Polona Hercog 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)

Lourdes Dominguez Lino def. Johanna Larsson 6-2, 6-1
Petra Martic def. Sophie Ferguson 7-6 (8-6), 0-6, 6-3
Julia Goerges def. Edina Gallovits-Hall 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Elena Baltacha def. Jamie Hampton 3-6, 6-4, 7-5
Arantxa Rus def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-1, 3-6, 7-5

Sandra Zahlavova def. Renata Voracova 6-3, 6-1
Monica Niculescu def. Timea Bacsinszky 6-0, 6-3
Jelena Dokic def. Zuzana Ondraskova 6-3, 6-2
Andrea Hlavackova def. Patricia Mayr 7-5, 6-4
Bojana Jovanovski def. Kai-Chen Chang 7-5, 6-1

Alize Cornet def. Coco Vandeweghe 6-2, 6-1
Anna Chakvetadze def. Olga Govortsova 6-3, 6-4
Sorana Cirstea def. Mirjana Lucic 6-4, 6-2
Virginie Razzano def. Elena Vesnina 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Alberta Brianti def. Lucie Hradecka 6-4, 7-5

Anne Keothavong def. Arina Rodionova 7-5, 6-4
Shuai Peng def. Kateryna Bondarenko 2-6, 6-3, 8-6
Chanelle Scheepers def. Karolina Sprem 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
Iveta Benesova def. Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-0, 6-1
Alicia Molik def. Roberta Vinci 1-6, 6-3, 8-6

Vania King def. Tamira Paszek 6-7 (4-7), 6-0, 6-3
Evgeniya Rodina def. Olivia Rogowska 6-3, 6-1
Caroline Garcia def. Varvara Lepchenko 7-5, 4-6, 6-3

Clijsters Feels Bad About Safina's Double Bagel

Kim Clijsters said after her double bagel knockdown of Dinara Safina that she felt really bad, but she was not going to give in to sympathy when it comes to playing tennis. The Belgium also said she was really happy when Safina was hitting winners.

Sadly, there were not enough brilliant points for the Russian to win a single game. Safina is getting back on her comeback but it is strange how hard she is getting back on on top.

For a former world no.1, her back problem must be really back for it to take this long to recover. Maybe it is time for brother Safin to get the wheels rolling on the practice court with his little sister.

Video: WTA - XPERIA

Press Release: WTA Launches 'XPERIA'

Thanks to Sarah Hall from Iris Nation (http://www.irisnation.com) for this Press Release!

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TENNIS MEETS ENTERTAINMENT AS SONY ERICSSON LAUNCHES
‘XPERIA™ HOT SHOTS’

· Six young female WTA players to mix with worlds of music, film, fashion and gaming in bid to build their fan base and gain Sony Ericsson deal
· YouTube™ Online TV Show follows their lives during the WTA season

MELBOURNE, Australia, January 13th 2011 – Sony Ericsson today announced the launch of Xperia™ Hot Shots, an exciting new-format entertainment show to be streamed online and on mobile handsets. The series, airing from March, will follow the lives of six globetrotting, aspiring stars of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) as they strive to build their profile both on and off the court and gain a support deal with WTA sponsor and leading entertainment brand, Sony Ericsson.

Xperia™ Hot Shots gives a behind-the-scenes look at the girls’ lives off-court and will offer an insight into the world of these players and their journey towards superstar status. Sony Ericsson will help the players to realize their dreams by giving them exclusive access to the worlds of music, film, gaming and fashion, allowing them to grow their online fan base, an all-important part of becoming a modern sporting icon.

Combining insightful behind-the-scenes footage with cameos from guest mentors and coverage of stunts, challenges and glamorous events, viewers will be able to follow the Xperia™ Hot Shots as they take part in one of the world's most prestigious sporting tours. At over 52action-packed tournaments including high profile dates in Miami, Wimbledon,Beijing and others, the girls will compete, not only on-court, but online to secure themselves Sony Ericsson support.

The premise of the show is a fully interactive programme, streamed on YouTube™ that will see the girls using their Sony Ericsson Xperia™ handsets to film their own content, share it and interact with their fans on Facebook™ and other social networks.

Launching the show in Melbourne ahead of the first Grand Slam of the season, WTA icon and most followed female athlete in the world, Maria Sharapova, said, “I’m excited to be here at the launch because I think it’s great for the players, the sport and viewers alike. Sony Ericsson is bringing entertainment to the game as only they can.

“The show will provide an opportunity for the players to attract new fans in a way that has never been done before. I wish I’d had access to this when starting out as it brings entertainment in to our world of tennis, as well as a chance to interact with fans.”

To mark the launch of the show, Maria has worked with Melbourne street artist, Dvate, to develop the logo and ‘tag’ a specially created street art mural that has been shown for the first time in Melbourne.

Stephan Croix, VP, Head of Global Marketing Partnerships at Sony Ericsson said, “At Sony Ericsson we love tennis, and with Xperia™ Hot Shots we’re bringing entertainment in to this world, making it even more appealing to youth audiences globally.

“We’re taking cues from reality TV and are combining it with edgy and exciting entertainment to create a pioneering new genre of online TV show that innovates in the world of sport.”

Andrew Walker, VP, Global Marketing and Communications at the WTA said, “Sony Ericsson has been a innovative partner of the WTA since 2005 and we’re delighted they’re bringing this original idea to women’s tennis. It is an exciting way for fans to interact with the players and also a great opportunity to bring a new audience to the sport.”

Xperia™ Hot Shots goes live on YouTube™ in March 2011. For more information or to follow the updates sign up at facebook.com/xperiahotshots

Nadal, Wozniacki Top Aussie Open Seeding List

Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniacki will prove they are the world's best players come next week when the Australian Open kicks off. The two have been awarded with the Top Seed ranking at the year first slam.

Here are all the seeds:

Men:

1. Rafael Nadal, Spain
2. Roger Federer, Switzerland
3. Novak Djokovic, Serbia
4. Robin Soderling, Sweden
5. Andy Murray, Britain
6. Thomas Berdych, Czech Republic
7. David Ferrer, Spain
8. Andy Roddick, United States
9. Fernando Verdasco, Spain
10. Mikhail Youzhny, Russia
11. Jurgen Melzer, Austria
12. Gael Monfils, France
13. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, France
14. Nicolas Almagro, Spain
15. Marin Cilic, Croatia
16. Mardy Fish, United States
17. Ivan Ljubicic, Croatia
18. Sam Querrey, United States
19. Stanislas Wawrinka, Switzerland
20. John Isner, United States
21. Marcos Baghdatis, Cyrus
22. Michael Llodra, France
23. Nikolay Davydenko, Russia
24. Ernests Gulbis, Latvia
25. Albert Montanes, Spain
26. Juan Monaco, Argentina
27. David Nalbandian, Argentina
28. Richard Gasquet, France
29. Viktor Troicki, Serbia
30. Thomaz Bellucci, Brazil
31. Feliciano Lopez, Spain
32. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Spain

Women:

1. Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark
2. Vera Zvonareva, Russia
3. Kim Clijsters, Belgium
4. Venus Williams, United States
5. Samantha Stosur, Australia
6. Francesca Schiavone, Italy
7. Jelena Jankovic, Serbia
8. Victoria Azarenka, Belarus
9. Li Na, China
10. Shahar Peer, Israel
11. Justine Henin, Belgium
12. Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland
13. Nadia Petrova, Russia
14. Maria Sharapova, Russia
15. Marion Bartoli, France
16. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russia
17. Aravane Rezai, France
18. Maria Kirilenko, Russia
19. Ana Ivanovic, Serbia
20. Kaia Kanepi, Estonia
21. Yanina Wickmayer, Belgium
22. Flavia Pennetta, Italy
23. Svetlanda Kuznetsova, Russia
24. Alisa Kleybanova, Russia
25. Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic
26. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, Spain
27. Alexandra Dulgheru, Romania
28. Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia
29. Dominika Cibulkova, Slovakia
30. Andrea Petkovic, Germany
31. Lucie Safarova, Czech Republic
32. Tsvetana Pironkova, Bulgaria

Odesnik Wins In Comeback

Wayne Odesnik put his HGH trouble behind and won his match against Romanian Tedoro-Dacian Craciun at the Plantation Open in Florida. The American was banned from the tennis courts after getting caught with HGH in Australian last year.

Nevertheless, he never tested positive for using the drug and had said the drugs were for an injury he had suffered. Odesnik added he was looking to apply for a therapeutic use exemption of the drugs.

“I really wanted to prove to everybody and myself I can do it again from scratch,” Odesnik said. “And I will.”

Odesnik is currently coached by Guillermo Canas.

“I’ve been through it before. It doesn’t affect me at all,” said Odesnik. “There’s a guy on the other side of the net, and I’m trying to win. That’s all I’m thinking about.”

Obviously the guy is using HGH for something. He never tested positive for it.

Only he knows what the drugs are for. One thing for sure, he and Andy Roddick won't be in the same room for a long time.

Tiebreak-Isner Loses To Nalbandian

Defending Auckland champ John Isner lost to David Nalbandian yesterday in straight sets. Isner was not looking all good because he seemed to be troubled by an arm injury or something during the match.

The American had played Hopman Cup and helped the USA defeat Belgium to win the title.

Nalbandian will play Nicolas Almagro in the semifinals. In the other match, David Ferrer will take on unseeded Colombian Santiago Giraldo.

Clijsters Survives Hard-Hitting Kleybanova

If I have to pick the next raising star on the WTA Tour, I would have to pick Alisa Kleybanova. She gave Kim Clijsters all she could handle last night even though the Russian lost in the tiebreak in the third set.

Clijsters advanced to the final to take on Na Li for the title of Sydney tonight. The Belgian gave lots of kudos to Kleybanova.

“If she plays like that, I think she’s definitely a contender to beat a lot of top players,” Clijsters said of Kleybanova’s chances at the Australian Open. “It was last year when she played Justine (Henin) where she almost beat her in the Australian Open. That’s a perfect example of how well she can play. So I think she is definitely a player who’s a very tough outsider.”

Now all the Russian needs to do is hit the gym and lose some pounds. Most top players today need to be in shape and chase down balls to win the slam.

Kleybanova already has the serve and power game, she just needs to work on her fitness level. And maybe also work on her head-jerking problem when she hits the ball.

Looks really painful!

Latest Score: Heineken Open

Quarterfinals
David Ferrer (1) def. Philipp Kohlschreiber (8) 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3
Nicolas Almagro (2) def. Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (1-7), 6-2
David Nalbandian (6) def. John Isner (3) 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)

Second Round
David Ferrer (1) def. Tobias Kamke 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4
Nicolas Almagro (2) def. Victor Hanescu 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)

John Isner (3) def. Robin Haase 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5
Santiago Giraldo def. Albert Montanes (4) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
David Nalbandian (6) def. Philipp Petzschner 6-3, 6-2
Thomaz Bellucci (7) def. Tommy Robredo 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Philipp Kohlschreiber (8) def. Marcel Granollers 6-4, 3-6, 6-2

Adrian Mannarino def. Arnaud Clement 7-5, 6-4

First Round
Robin Haase def. Pablo Cuevas 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3)
Arnaud Clement def. Xavier Malisse 4-6, 6-2, 7-5

Troicki Takes 100

Serbian Viktor Triocki scored his 100th career victories yesterday when he defeated last year runner-up Richard Gasquet in straight sets in Sydney. The Serb is currently ranked at 30th in the world.

His career high has been 24 and has one title to his name which he won last year in Moscow. He made the finals of Bangkok and Washington D.C..

Latest Score: Medibank International - Women

Semifinals
Kim Clijsters (3) def. Alisa Kleybanova 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1)
Na Li (8) def. Bojana Jovanovski 7-6 (7-5), 6-3

Quarterfinals
Kim Clijsters (3) def. Victoria Azarenka (7) 6-3, 6-2
Na Li (8) def. Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
Bojana Jovanovski def. Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 6-1

Alisa Kleybanova def. Dominika Cibulkova 6-3, 5-7, 6-2

Latest Scores: Moorilla Hobart International

Second Round
Marion Bartoli (1) def. Elena Vesnina 6-4, 6-1
Roberta Vinci (4) def. Elena Baltacha 6-3, 6-4
Klara Zakopalova (5) def. Alberta Brianti 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
Jarmila Groth (6) def. Tamira Paszek 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
Sara Errani (7) def. Alicia Molik 6-1, 6-0

Angelique Kerber (8) def. Alla Kudryavtseva 6-3, 6-4
Bethanie Mattek-Sands def. Ayumi Morita 6-3, 6-1
Shuai Peng def. Olga Govortsova 2-6, 6-4, 6-0

Latest Scores: Medibank International - Men

Quarterfinals
Ernests Gulbis (3) def. Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4, 6-4
Gilles Simon def. Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 6-3

Second Round
Alexandr Dolgopolov def. Sam Querrey (1) 6-4, 6-3
Potito Starace def. Lukasz Kubot (2) 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 6-3
Ernests Gulbis (3) def. Igor Andreev 2-6, 6-4, 6-3

Viktor Troicki (4) def. Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 6-3
Richard Gasquet (5) def. Andreas Seppi 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (7) 6-3, 6-4
Gilles Simon def. Frederico Gil 6-1, 6-3
Florian Mayer def. Juan Martin Del Potro 6-2, 7-5

First Round
Richard Gasquet (5) def. Matthew Ebden 6-4, 6-3
Gilles Simon def. Yen-Hsun Lu (8) 6-0, 6-3
Alexandr Dolgopolov def. Bernard Tomic 6-7 (3-7), 6-1, 6-2
Andreas Seppi def. Denis Istomin 6-1, 6-0

Video: Sydney 2011 - Highlights Querrey vs. Dolgopolov

Latest Score: Heineken Open

Second Round
David Ferrer (1) def. Tobias Kamke 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4
Nicolas Almagro (2) def. Victor Hanescu 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)

John Isner (3) def. Robin Haase 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5
Santiago Giraldo def. Albert Montanes (4) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
David Nalbandian (6) def. Philipp Petzschner 6-3, 6-2
Thomaz Bellucci (7) def. Tommy Robredo 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Philipp Kohlschreiber (8) def. Marcel Granollers 6-4, 3-6, 6-2

Adrian Mannarino def. Arnaud Clement 7-5, 6-4

First Round
Robin Haase def. Pablo Cuevas 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3)
Arnaud Clement def. Xavier Malisse 4-6, 6-2, 7-5

Video: Sydney 2011 - Highlights Del Potro vs. Mayer

Latest Score: Medibank International - Women

Quarterfinals
Kim Clijsters (3) def. Victoria Azarenka (7) 6-3, 6-2
Na Li (8) def. Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
Alisa Kleybanova def. Dominika Cibulkova 6-3, 5-7, 6-2

Bojana Jovanovski def. Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 6-1

Latest Scores: Medibank International - Men

Second Round
Alexandr Dolgopolov def. Sam Querrey (1) 6-4, 6-3
Potito Starace def. Lukasz Kubot (2) 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 6-3
Ernests Gulbis (3) def. Igor Andreev 2-6, 6-4, 6-3

Viktor Troicki (4) def. Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 6-3
Richard Gasquet (5) def. Andreas Seppi 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (7) 6-3, 6-4
Florian Mayer def. Juan Martin Del Potro 6-2, 7-5
Gilles Simon def. Frederico Gil 6-1, 6-3

First Round
Richard Gasquet (5) def. Matthew Ebden 6-4, 6-3
Gilles Simon def. Yen-Hsun Lu (8) 6-0, 6-3
Alexandr Dolgopolov def. Bernard Tomic 6-7 (3-7), 6-1, 6-2
Andreas Seppi def. Denis Istomin 6-1, 6-0

Australia Becomes Swimming Pool

With torrential rain pouring down and inland tsunami hitting the coast of places like Brisbane, the Australian Open will be quite a story comes next week. More rain is heading toward the country in the coming days but good news is the sun is predicted to come out from the clouds comes January 17.

Even more good news from the rain will be the temperature. Forecasts project temperatures from the low 80s to the mid-60s!

There might be no heatwave during the first week but hopefully players will create their own heat on the courts with some fascinating tennis!!!

Wozniacki, Zvonareva Bid Goodbye To Sydney

It was not a a good day for top seed Caroline Wozniacki and second-seeded Vera Zvonareva. Both seeds lost in straight sets yesterday in the second round in Sydney.

Wozniacki went out, 6-3, 6-3, to Dominika Cibulkova, while Zvonareva exited with a, 7-5, 7-5, upset from Flavia Pennetta. Ironically, both players played the Hong Kong exhibition last week where the Dane lost to the Russian in the final.

Wozniacki is not too worried about her run in Melbourne with this lost.

“It happens,” the Dane told reporters. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. You need to learn from the losses.

"It’s the first tournament of the year. I just want to get the match playing going. There were a few positive things in there that I can take out of it, and then I just need to work on the rest. But I’m confident that for Melbourne I’ll be okay”.

Video: Aussie 2011 Preparation - Henin Practices

Tennis Channel Extend Deals With Navratilova

Martina Navratilova will be staying with the Tennis Channel for a few more year. Along with Navratilova, Lindsay Davenport will also ink the deal with the cable channel for a multi-year contract extensions.

Both will be covering the Australian Open next week. This will be Davenport's first time covering the Aussie Open and she will also be doing sideline reporting.

Navratilova is one of the lead match analysts for Tennis Channel.

Jankovic, Schiavone Exit Sydney

Jelena Jankovic and Francesca Schiavone got a short stay in Sydney after both lost in the first rounds. Schiavone lost a three setters to big hitting Alisa Kleybanova while Jankovic also lost another three setters to Aravane Rezai.

It was Jankovic first tournament match of the year and she would have hoped for more matches with the year first slam coming next week. Schiavone got injured last week in Perth during the Hopman Cup so it was a surprise she still played in the event.

Samantha Stosur defeated Yanina Wickmayer in straight sets, while Victoria Azarenka and Li Na both advanced. Azarenka survived Ekaterina Makarova in three sets and Li easily defeated Anastasia Rodionova.

Quote of the Day

“I didn’t expect this kind of match for the start, but we played a beautiful match, very close. Feliciano is a fantastic player on this kind of surface, and I played good tennis again.”

~ Juan MD Potro after saving a match point to defeat Feliciano Lopez.

Video: Simon Talks Sydney 2011

Gilles Simon talks about his bad memory of last year and everything else...except why he didn't shave before the interview! Taking care of his baby must be a lot of work! :-D

Video: Ebden's Interview - 2011 Sydney

Don't know who this kid Matthew Ebden is but he is an Aussie and he reached the quarterfinal last week in Brisbane. The Aussies might be getting a new hopeful talent...

Robson Out of Aussie Open

A bad hip has cost Britain's Laura Robson to miss the Australian Open next week. The 16-year-old was playing with Andy Murray at the Hopman Cup last week when she sustained the injury.

Robson was scheduled to play the qualifying rounds. She reportedly tore the envelope of her adductor muscle [sounds painful!].

She will probably have to miss Fed Cup when Great Britain goes up against Israel at the end of January.

ESPN's Australian Open Schedule

Over at TVByTheNumber, they have already posted up the schedule for ESPN for the Australian Open. This schedule include ESPN2 HD and ESPN 3.

Swing over there and bookmark it!

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2011 - ESPN'S SCHEDULE

Murray Commits For Davis Cup

Andy Murray says he is ready to play for the Britain's Davis Cup team this year. Murray has not played Davis Cup since 2009.

The Scot said he has been talking to Leon Smith, the Davis Cup captain, about his intention of being in the team.

"I didn't know about the Olympics situation until December, but I said to Leon before that I would be able to play and we should keep speaking," Murray said. "I will sit down and talk with him in Australia and see if he wants me to play in March or if it would be good for the other guys to have another match. I will definitely play, probably one or two [ties]."

With the Olympics coming up next season, Murray will have to play at least two ties for Britain in order to be eligible for the team in 2012.

Safina Loses Another Match

Russian and former world no.1 Dinara Safina is working hard to get back on top of the tennis world, but she is hitting a roadblock so far in her comeback. Safina had serious back injury last year and missed most of 2010.

She came back late last year but did not win a single match she played. The new year is not any better for the Russian.

Marion Bartoli easily swept Safina aside yesterday in their first round match. The Frenchwoman won, 6-0, 6-1.

Safina also lost in the first round last week to Yanina Wickmayer in New Zealand, but that was a tough three setter.

Video: Del Potro's Interview - Post Match: Sydney

Bondarenko Out of Aussie Open

Alona Bondarenko has officially withdrawn from the Australian Open after undergoing knee surgery. The Ukrainian also pulled out of last week tournament in Hobart due to the same problem.

No words yet on when she will come back. She made the fourth round of the Aussie Open last year where she lost to Jie Zheng.

Del Potro Wins First Match

Former US Open champ Juan MD Potro has won his first match since coming back from surgery. The Argentine defeated Feliciano Lopez of Spain in three tough sets, 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, to advance to the second round of the Sydney International.

You can call this somewhat of a revenge match because Del Potro lost to Lopez last year in Tokyo. The Argentine made a late comeback last year and played in Bangkok and Tokyo where he lost in the first round of both tournaments.

Del Potro will try to win as many matches as possible in preparation to the Australian Open in two weeks.

Baghdatis Pulls Out of Sydney

Defending champion Marcos Baghdatis has pulled out of the Sydney International due to a groin strain. The second seed did not want to risk playing because of the Australian Open coming next week.

“It’s been on my left groin,” he told reporters. “It’s been four days I have pain. I don’t want to risk too much by going in the match and making it worse, so I took the decision today with my team not to participate here.”

Polish Lukas Kubot will replace him in the main draw.

“I’m a bit disappointed,” Baghdatis added. “I’m the defending champion here and I wanted to play so much… It was not an easy one, but sometimes you have to take decisions that are not easy.”

Video: Ivanovic vs. Henin - Hopman Cup 2011

Clijsters, Henin Play Fed Cup

With the Summer Olympics coming next year, top players in every country will be faking it for Fed Cup and Davis Cup. Yes, faking it! :-)

Top players rarely play Fed Cup or Davis Cup because of the busy scheduling during the year, but in order to be on the country's Olympics' team, you have to be an active player in either of the Cups.

Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin will do their parts next month for Belgium. Both of confirmed their participation in the year's first Fed Cup action matches.

Joining the two slam winners are 23rd-ranked Yanina Wickmayer and No. 78 Kirsten Flipkens.

Wickmayer Cools Down; Arn Lives Her Dream

Even though defending champ and feisty Yanina Wickmayer lost her cool with the linesmen and Chair Umpire, the Belgian recovered nicely and defeated Peng Shuai to advance to the final in Auckland. She won in three tough sets.

Wickmayer will take on Greta Arn, who defeated Julia Goerges in straight sets. Arn continues her dream week here after stunning Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals the other day.

You can even call Arn a Super Lucky loser because the 31-year-old got into the main draw after three players ahead of her withdrew. The Hungarian is here without her coach because of the short notice.

“I’m living a dream—I’m definitely playing some of the best tennis of my life,” Arn said.

Venus Drops Last Exhibition Match

Venus Williams is not looking too well so far for the year after losing again today in the exhibition in Hong Kong. After losing to Vera Zvonareva yesterday in straight sets, Williams again lost to Na Li in straight sets today.

The American is using this exhibition event to warm up for the Australian Open. Williams had not played since getting injured at last year US Open during her loss to the eventual champ Kim Clijsters in the semifinal.

“It was great today to be able to face break points and still win those games and come back from a break and all those things that I haven’t done in a while,” Williams said. “These games have been very valuable for me because I just haven’t played a lot of tennis.”

Video: Hopman Cup 2011: Serbia vs Australia Mixed

Federer Escapes; Davydenko Drops Nadal

There will not be a Federer vs. Nadal's final in Doha thanks in part to Nikolay Davydenko who put that expected final to an erupted end after the Russian dropped an ill-looking Rafael Nadal.

While Roger Federer survived Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight set, Nadal looked tired and sluggished, and at time overpowered by Davydenko. Nadal said he had been sick all week.

Davydenko knocked off the top seed in straight sets. Nadal staged a comeback in the second set down 5-0.

He went up 3-5 and had 0-40 on the Russian's serve but Davydenko pulled it back and won the second set 6-3.

Brisbane Women Seeds All Fall Down

Last year final at the Women's Brisbane tournament featured Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters. This year will be quite a different story because no seeds players survived for the final.

Andrea Petkovic and Petra Kvitova edged out the last two seeds in the tournament to advance to the final. Petkovic knocked off Marion Bartoli(4) and Kvitova survived Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (4) in three sets.

Other top seeds were knocked out of the tournament earlier this week.

Serbia Withdraws From Hopman Cup; Belgium In

Good grief, so many players are injured before the start of the Aussie Open this year!

Justine Henin and Ruben Bemelmans were ready to head out of Perth when they heard the news of Serbia withdrawing. Ana Ivanovic had some kind of an injury so Novak Djokovic couldn't play by himself.

With Serbia withdrawing from the final, Belgium took the spot. They will be playing against the USA for the championships.

USA won against Britain, 2-1, while Franseca Schiavone had to retire from her match with a groin injury against France's Kristina Mladenovic. With both the doubles matches cancelled, US and France played each other in an exhibition set for the crowds.

Ivanovic also had withdrawn from Sydney.

Venus and Serena Lovely Home

Venus and Serena Williams, together, have made over $40 million, and that is on tennis alone so fans should not be surprised with their house...or maybe they should!

Go to the link below to check out a photo of the Sisters' home!

Thanks Jeff Lichtenstein (BallenIsles Real Estate) for this!

http://www.jeffrealty.com/blog/index.php/2011/01/venus-serena-can-finally-train-play-tennis-at-home/

Nadal and Federer Play On Water

It seems like you can play tennis on any kind of surface and any place as long as there is a tennis court. Downtown Manhattan, on the top of a skyline, inside a swimming pool...

Now, add a bay. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played in exhibition for Doha this past Sunday in the water.

Visit the link below to view the video: http://www.hulu.com/watch/204110/nbc-today-show-tennis-stars-play-on-floating-court

Ferrero Pulls From Aussie Open

Juan Carlos Ferrero has officially pulled out of the Australian Open. The former world no.1 from Spain underwear knee and wrist surgeries last October and needs more time to recuperate.

ASB Classic Latest Scores

First Round

Yanina Wickmayer (2) def. Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-1
Julia Goerges (4) def. Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4, 6-0

Kateryna Bondarenko def. Kimiko Date Krumm (6) 6-4, 6-3
Elena Vesnina (7) def. Marina Erakovic 6-2, 6-2
Sofia Arvidsson (8) def. Tamira Paszek 6-3, 6-1
Simona Halep def. Ayumi Morita 6-0, 7-6 (7-3)
Alize Cornet def. Sandra Zahlavova 3-6, 7-5, 6-0

Sabine Lisicki def. Florencia Molinero 6-1, 6-3
Carla Suarez Navarro def. Romina Oprandi 6-3, 7-6 (9-7)
Greta Arn def. Zuzana Ondraskova 6-1, 6-0
Heather Watson def. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn 6-1, 6-1

Athletes Sign Deals

It is that time of the year again. With the Australian Open coming in two weeks, tennis stars are out and about looking for contracts.

Maria Sharapova has already inked a deal with Head racquet and hopes that will be a better deal than last year when she crashed out in the first round after a $70 million deal with Nike.

Kei Nishikori also signed on with Japanese largest apparel, UNIQLO Co. Ltd. The young talent is wearing his new clothes this week in Chennai.

Rising star Melanie Oudin also signed with Wilson. Many other tennis athletes have also booked deals before the year first slam begins.

Looks like everyone is making a few pennies here and there!

Aircel Chennai Open Latest Scores

First Round

Tomas Berdych (1) def. Frederico Gil 6-0, 6-1
Kei Nishikori def. Marin Cilic (2) 4-6, 7-6, 6-2
Stanislas Wawrinka (3) def. Rohan Bopanna 6-4, 6-4
Richard Gasquet (4) def. Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-1, 6-3
Blaz Kavcic def. Jeremy Chardy (5) 6-3, 6-2

Janko Tipsarevic (6) def. Eduardo Schwank 6-3, 6-4
Xavier Malisse (7) def. Marcel Ilhan 6-3, 6-1
Robin Haase (8) def. Frank Dancevic 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-4
Alexandre Kudryavtsev def. Yuki Bhambri 6-2, 6-1
Yuichi Sugita def. Dustin Brown 6-4, 2-6, 6-2

David Goffin def. Somdev Dev Varman 6-2, 6-4
Stephane Robert def. Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-4, 6-4
Alejandro Falla def. Rui Machado 7-5, 6-3
Bjorn Phau def. Simone Bolelli 6-2, 6-2
Ivan Dodig def. Marcos Daniel 6-2, 6-2

Robert Kendrick def. Denis Gremelmayr 7-6 (7-1), 6-4

Qatar Exxon Mobil Open Latest Scores

First Round

Rafael Nadal (1) def. Karol Beck 6-3, 6-0
Roger Federer (2) def. Thomas Schoorel 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (3) def. Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-2, 6-0
Nikolay Davydenko (4) def. Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-4
Ernests Gulbis (5) def. Victor Hanescu 6-3, 7-6 (8-6)

Viktor Troicki (6) def. Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4, 7-5
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (7) def. Mikhail Kukushkin 6-1, 7-6 (7-1)
Philipp Kohlschreiber (8) def. Andreas Seppi 6-2, 6-4
Antonio Veic def. Sherif Sabry 3-6, 7-5, 6-0
Lukas Lacko def. Pere Riba 5-7, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-4)

Sergei Bubka def. Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-0, 6-3
Illya Marchenko def. Mischa Zverev 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
Teimuraz Gabashvili def. Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)
Marco Chiudinelli def. Reda El Amrani 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
Jarkko Nieminen def. Michal Przysiezny 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

Ivo Karlovic def. Lukas Rosol 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (9-7)

Brisbane Latest Scores - Men

First Round

Robin Soderling (1) def. Ryan Harrison 6-2, 6-4
Andy Roddick (2) def. Marinko Matosevic 6-3, 6-2

Benjamin Becker def. Fernando Verdasco (3) 6-1, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3
Mardy Fish (4) def. Adrian Mannarino 6-1, 6-4
Marcos Baghdatis (5) def. Florent Serra 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
Kevin Anderson def. Marcel Granollers 6-4, 6-4
Ricardas Berankis def. Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3

Matthew Ebden def. John Millman 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
Alexandr Dolgopolov def. Igor Andreev 6-4, 6-2
Santiago Giraldo def. Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-3
Radek Stepanek def. Tobias Kamke 5-7, 6-1, 6-4

Brisbane Latest Scores - Women

Second Round

Jarmila Groth def. Samantha Stosur (1) 6-2, 6-4
Lucie Safarova def. Shahar Peer (2) 3-6, 6-1, 7-5
Marion Bartoli (4) vs. Iveta Benesova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (5) def. Bojana Jovanovski 6-2, 7-5
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova vs. Sally Peers

Ksenia Pervak vs. Petra Kvitova
Roberta Vinci vs. Dominika Cibulkova
Jelena Dokic vs. Andrea Petkovic


First Round

Andrea Petkovic def. Alexandra Dulgheru (8) 6-3, 6-0
Jelena Dokic def. Anastasia Pivovarova 6-4, 6-3

Roberta Vinci def. Christina McHale 6-2, 7-6 (7-2)
Iveta Benesova def. Polona Hercog 6-2, 7-5
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova def. Anna Tatishvili 7-5, 6-2