Page 7 - Australian Open

Alcaraz overpowers Gasquet to win first Australian Open match since 2022

The bugs bothered Carlos Alcaraz in his first match at the Australian Open for two years, and so did the 37-year-old veteran Richard Gasquet. For the first set, at least. After taking an hour and 12 minutes to clinch the opener in a tie-breaker, second-ranked Alcaraz raced through the rest of the match in another hour against the tiring, sweat-soaked Frenchman for a 7-6 (5), 6-1, 6-2 win on Tuesday night. The first two games took a combined 17 minutes, with the 20-year-old Alcaraz needing a few moments to try to remove a persistent insect that was bothering him behind the baseline just before he held for 1-1. Both players used their rackets to push the bugs away from the court after the eighth game, and Alcaraz was at it again after the first set. There were few distractions after that until Alcaraz was serving for the match and the game went to deuce five times before he closed with an ace. He threw in some drop shots and slices that made Gasquet run, saying it shows he's playin

Australian Open 2024: Bhambri-Haase pair crash out after first round loss

India's Yuki Bhambri and his Dutch partner Robin Haase squandered three match points in the deciding set to go down against Nicolas Barrientos of Colombia and Rafael Matos of Brazil in the Australian Open men's doubles first round here on Tuesday. The unseeded Indo-Dutch pair lost 6-1 6-7 (8-10) 6-7 (7-10) in the opening round match that lasted two hours and 26 minutes. After Bhambri and Haase won the first set, their opponents made a comeback into the match by taking the second set in tie-break. Bhambri and Haase then had three match points after they were 5-4 up in the deciding set but they wasted all of them. The deciding set also went to the tie break which Barrientos and Matos won. The 31-year-old Bhambri from New Delhi had made it to the Australian Open third round in 2014 when he partnered Michael Venus of New Zealand and that was his best performance in a Grand Slam doubles event. Last year, Bhambri had won his maiden ATP title at the Mallorca Championships doubles ...

Australia Open 2024: Watch when Tsitsipas' outrageous shot stuns the fans

The seventh seed won 38 games, made 28 unforced errors, and broke Bergs' service seven times to progress after three hours.

Australian Open 2024: Sumit Nagal upsets 31st seed Bublik, enters 2nd round

Sumit Nagal entered the second round of the Australian Open 2024 after he defeated 31st seed Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-2, 7-6

Australian Open 2024: Two-time winner Naomi Osaka knocked out by Garcia

Osaka was beaten by 16th seed Caroline Garcia in the first round of the Australian Open 2024, which also marked her return to Grand Slam appearances after a one-year hiatus

Australian Open 2024: Defending champ Djokovic fends off Prizmic in 4 hrs

Until he took on defending champion Novak Djokovic at Rod Laver Arena on opening Sunday in Australia, Dino Prizmic had never played a Grand Slam match. The 18-year-old Croatian qualifier, who was born seven months after Djokovic made his Grand Slam debut in 2005, made it last as long as he could, unsettling the 24-time major winner at times before Djokovic finished off the match 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4. Djokovic made his Grand Slam debut at Melbourne Park in 2005 and has developed a record at the Australian Open that no man can match, with 10 titles here among his unprecedented career haul. The first set played out just about as expected. From there, it became quite a ride. Prizmic took the second set off Djokovic and went up a break in the third, stunning a capacity crowd before the world's No. 1-ranked player broke back and took the set. Prizmic didn't give up when he trailed 4-0 in the fourth, either, saving a breakpoint before getting a service break back. He saved three match

Australian Open 2024: Rublev survives a tough 5-setter, Sinner wins opener

Andrey Rublev felt like his Australian Open first-round match against Thiago Seyboth Wild was going to end just like his friend Daniil Medvedev's did at the French Open last year against the clean-hitting Brazilian. After wasting four match points in the 12th game of the fifth set, Rublev fell behind 5-2 in the match tiebreaker before regaining his composure, winning eight of the next nine points and clinching a 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (6) victory. He slumped to the ground, then got up quickly, embraced Seyboth Wild, who was making his debut in the Australian Open main draw and roared triumphantly. Seyboth Wild upset major winner Medvedev in the first round at Roland Garros last year and Rublev admitted he felt the momentum going the same way before he decided to relax and go for broke. For sure, I will not forget this one, the fifth-seeded Rublev said. Thiago is a super dangerous player. Super talented. He's hitting so hard, so clean. Fifth set, I had so many opportunities. I tho

Kohli and Djokovic: How Instagram turned mutual admirers into text buddies

Virat Kohli and Novak Djokovic have been texting each other on Instagram for quite some time now. But how did the saga start? Kohli revealed it in a video. Watch it here

Anisimova's comeback on track, reaches the 2nd round in Australian Open

An extended break from tennis has already done Amanda Anisimova some good at the Australian Open, where she reached the second round of a Grand Slam event for the first time since Wimbledon in 2022. Anisimova beat 13th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to advance in just her second tournament back. A teenager on the rise in 2019 when she beat reigning champion Simona Halep to reach the French Open semi-finals, Anisimova played her first match since May last week in Auckland after taking a break from tennis, citing burnout. The most important thing is that I feel a lot more refreshed. I'm enjoying practising. I'm enjoying every second that I'm out there, she said. Even when I was down today, I was still just enjoying the challenge. At the time she started her break last year, Anisimova said tennis had become unbearable and she had to prioritize her mental well-being. That meant missing the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, following first-round exits at the 2022 US

Sumit Nagal outclass Molcan to enter Australian Open 2024 singles main draw

India's Sumit Nagal on Friday entered the singles main draw of the Australian Open with an easy win over Slovakia's Alex Molcan in the tournament's qualifying final here. Nagal cruised past Molcan 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and three minutes, and won the match after his opponent double faulted at 30-40 in the 10th game of the second set. Nagal will now face Kazakhstan's World No. 31 Alexander Bublik in the first round. Currently World No. 139 in singles, this is Nagal's second main draw appearance in the season's first Grand Slam after his entry in 2021. Nagal went down to Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis in the opening round 2-6, 5-7, 3-6 that year. Nagal had also made it to the US Open main draw in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, Nagal had stretched legendary Roger Federer to four sets at the Flushing Meadows before losing 6-4, 1-6, 2-6, 4-6. However, a year later, the Indian managed to enter the second round of the season's final Grand Slam beating host nation's Bradley Klahn in the first ro

Australian Open 2024 dates, prize money, top seed players, live streaming

Australian Open 2024 has a total prize money of Rs 481.2 crore approx (86.5 mn Australian dollars). The women's and men's singles champions will each receive 3.15 mn Australian dollars (Rs 17.5 crore)

Australian Open 2024: Sumit Nagal one match away from making main draw

India's Sumit Nagal is just one match away from making the main draw of the Australian Open tennis tournament as he reached the final round of the qualifying tournament here on Thursday. Nagal beat Australian Edward Winter, a wild card, in the second qualifying match 6-3, 6-2 that lasted one hour and four minutes at the KIA Arena. The 26-year-old Indian will face Alex Molcan of Slovakia in the final round on Friday for a place in the season-opening Grand Slam proper. If Nagal, currently 139th in the singles world ranking, wins on Friday, he will enter the main round of a Grand Slam event for the first time since 2021 and fourth overall. He made it to the main round of the US Open in 2019 and 2020, and then featured in the Australian Open main draw in 2021.

Australian Open 2024: When Steve Smith played tennis with Novak Djokovic

Djokovic also played cricket, but in his style, with a tennis racquet

Australian Open 2024: 'Mommy' Osaka ready to make her Grand Slam return

Smaller things are getting Naomi Osaka's attention now that she's preparing for her Grand Slam comeback. She's focusing on being more in the moment. More patient. More conscious of who may be watching her play her first major since 2022, and what kind of impression she'll leave. The first 15-day Australian Open, set to start Sunday morning (Saturday night in the U.S. ET), has been hyped as the tournament of comebacks. And Osaka has top billing among the three former No. 1-ranked, former Australian Open champions returning to Melbourne Park for their first time as moms. The attention on that returning trio Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki intensified after another prominent storyline fizzled out when Rafael Nadal's attempted comeback from a year-long injury layoff lasted three matches. The 22-time major winner has a small tear in a muscle near his surgically repaired hip and and flew home, leaving Novak Djokovic as the only remaining member of the so-called Big ...

Australian Open 2024: Djokovic and Swiatek get No. 1 seedings as expected

Playing true to their rankings, Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek have been given the respective No. 1 seedings at the Australian Open in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year which begins Sunday at Melbourne Park. Here is a list of the seedings: Men 1. Novak Djokovic 2. Carlos Alcaraz 3. Daniil Medvedev 4. Jannik Sinner 5. Andrey Rublev 6. Alexander Zverev 7. Stefanos Tsitsipas 8. Holger Rune 9. Hubert Hurkacz 10. Alex de Minaur 11. Casper Ruud 12. Taylor Fritz 13. Grigor Dimitrov 14. Tommy Paul 15. Karen Khachanov 16. Ben Shelton 17. Frances Tiafoe 18. Nicholas Jarry 19. Cameron Norrie 20. Adrian Mannarino 21. Ugo Humbert 22. Francisco Cerundolo 23. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 24. Jan-Lennard Struff 25. Lorenzo Musetti 26. Sebastian Baez 27. Felix Auger-Aliassime 28. Tallon Griekspoor 29. Sebastian Korda 30. Tomas Martin Etcheverry 31. Alexander Bublik 32. Jiri Lehecka Women 1. Iga Swiatek 2. Aryna Sabalenka 3. Elena Rybakina 4. Coco Gauff 5

Coco Gauff heads to Australian Open with confidence high after Auckland win

U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff will head to the Australian Open with greater confidence in her form and fitness after beating Elina Svitolina in three sets in the Auckland Classic final. The third-ranked Gauff became only the fourth player to win back-to-back singles in Auckland, achieving the feat at the age of 19. Gauff didn't drop a set on the way to her first Auckland title in 2023 and extended that run to nine matches when she reached Sunday's final, again without dropping a set. But she lost the opening set against second-seeded Svitolina and had to work hard to win the match 6-7 (4), 6-3. 6-3 in just under three hours. Previously, she had spent only four hours on court in four matches and had dropped only 15 games on her way through the semifinals. Her serve, which had been a formidable component of her matches throughout the tournament she served 10 aces in beating American Emma Navarro 6-3, 6-1 in a semifinal deserted her on Sunday. She served only three aces but mixed th

Rafael Nadal pulls out of Australian Open 2024 due to muscle tear injury

Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Australian Open 2024 due to a muscle tear

Nadal misses 3 match points, loses quarterfinal of Brisbane International

Rafael Nadal missed three match points and needed a medical time-out Friday before losing to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals of his tournament comeback following a year-long injury layoff. The 22-time major winner failed to convert a match point in the 10th game of the second set and two more in the tiebreaker before No. 55-ranked Thompson rallied to win 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 at the Brisbane International. With the Australian Open starting January 14, Nadal's rehabilitation from the hip injury and surgery that sidelined him for most of 2023 will be tested. The 37-year-old Spaniard opened the tournament with straight-sets wins over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler but was pushed for 3 hours and 25 minutes by Thompson in what was his third match in four nights. His energy level visibly waned at the start of the third set. And, after Thompson broke in the fourth game and then held for a 4-1 lead, Nadal was assessed by the trainer apparently for his upper left leg. He left the court fo

Nadal comes back from long layoff, reaches Brisbane International last 8

Rafael Nadal's comeback from a year-long injury layoff reached the Brisbane International quarterfinals after dominating Jason Kubler 6-1, 6-2 on Thursday. The 22-time major winner is playing on a wild card after his ranking slipped into the 600s as he recovered from hip surgery, and he's desperate for match time ahead of the Australian Open this month. Nadal's first competitive match since January last year was a win on Tuesday against 2020 U.S. Open champion and former No. 3-ranked Dominic Thiem. It means a lot to me," Nadal said, "and two victories after a long time being outside of the professional tour is something that, yeah, makes me feel good and happy. He was more convincing against Kubler, a hometown favorite who is ranked 63rd after a career interrupted by multiple operations on his knees. Nadal had 20 winners, including some ripping forehands, and eight unforced errors. He hit volleys and half-volleys and overheads. He scrambled to chase drop shots and covered the base

Australian Open tennis tournament increases prize money by $6.8 million

Australian Open tennis officials have announced an increase in prize money by 10 million Australian dollars (USD 6.8 million) for the upcoming tournament which begins on Jan. 14 at Melbourne Park. Tournament director Craig Tiley said in a statement Friday that the Grand Slam tournament will now offer 86.5 Australian dollars (USD58.4 million) in total prize money. The U.S. Open announced in August that it was increasing its total prize money and player compensation to a record USD 65 million, which is the highest among the four Grand Slam tournaments. We've upped prize money for every round at the Australian Open with the major increases in qualifying and the early rounds of singles and doubles, Tiley said. At Melbourne, first-round qualifiers will receive a 20% increase to 31,250 Australian dollars (about USD 21,000). Men's and women's singles champions will receive $3.15 million Australian dollars each (about $2.15 million). The women's final, where Aryna Sabalenka is the defendi