Tag: Australian Open Tennis

Roger And Rafa Return To Game’s Greatest Stage

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Serena Williams is the 2017 Australian Open women’s champion after defeating older sister Venus in last night’s final at Melbourne Park. Tonight, it’s another battle of veteran rivals as Roger Federer resumes his Grand Slam rivalry with Spanish great Rafael Nadal.

Men’s Final: #17 Roger Federer (Switzerland) v #9 Rafael Nadal (Spain)

It seemed unthinkable at the start of the Australian Open that the last two men standing would be a pair of thirty-somethings who dominated the Grand Slam scene in the previous decade. With Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray dispatched in the earlier rounds, great rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal grabbed the opportunity to face-off in their first major final since 2009. On that night, Nadal prevailed and finished the night consoling an emotional Federer in scenes that cemented the legacy of their historic battles. But it’s not as if the pair completely disappeared from the rankings. Rafa was ranked no. 1 as recently as 2014, while Roger finished 2015 at no. 2 and reached the finals of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. They arrived in Melbourne this year as the no. 9 (Nadal) and no. 17 (Federer) seeds after injury-interrupted 2016 campaigns.

A rich history of rivalry

From the French Open in 2005 to the US Open in 2010, Federer and Nadal shared a staggering 21 Slam titles between them of the 23 available to win (Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin Del Potro were the only other winners in that period). But in an era where Federer was the sport’s Superman, Nadal was his Kryptonite. The Spaniard owns a strong 23-11 edge in their matches, including going 6-2 against Federer in their eight Grand Slam finals matches. The last time the pair met in a Grand Slam final was at the 2011 French Open, where Nadal won his sixth title. Federer holds the record for the most men’s Grand Slam singles titles with 17, while a win tonight would be Nadal’s 15th, and would break a tie with Pete Sampras for second all-time. Should Nadal win the title here, he will become the first man in the Open Era to win every Grand Slam title twice or more. Federer did win their last match, on indoor hard courts in Basel in 2015, but their dynamic has always favoured Rafa.

Proven performers over five sets

Federer defeated top-10 players Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka on his way to the final, with the latter two going the distance. Two of Nadal’s matches both went to five sets – his third-round battle with young gun Alexander Zverev before requiring almost five hours to dispatch Grigor Dimitrov in the semis. The Spaniard enjoyed two particularly impressive wins against top-10 players Gael Monfils and Milos Raonic where he gave neither a sniff. It’s worth noting that Federer has enjoyed an extra 24 hours of rest since KO-ing Wawrinka but it could be argued that, with a five-year age gap between the Swiss and Nadal, he needs it. An analysis of their Grand Slam head-to-head matches away from clay reveals that this duo has played six best-of-five set matches on hard courts or grass, and four have gone the distance, one decided in four sets, and just one in straight sets. We’ll be taking Nadal straight up ($1.80 with William Hill) and the +41 game-total ($1.85 with Crownbet).

Nadal Turns Back Clock To Prevail in Marathon Five-Setter

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The 2009 Australian Open will always hold a special place in the scrapbook of Rafael Nadal. Already anointed the “King of Clay”, Nadal defeated Roger Federer in five sets to earn his first hard-court Grand Slam singles title. He was the first Spaniard to win the Australian Open title and became just the fourth male tennis player (with Jimmy Connors, Mats Wilander, and Andre Agassi) to win Grand Slam singles titles on three different surfaces. Nadal also became the first to hold Grand Slam singles titles on three different surfaces at the same time. Pickings have been slim for the Spaniard on his past eight visits to Melbourne but he turned back the clock yesterday, staging an incredible comeback after teen sensation Alexander Zverev looked odds-on to send the world no. 9 packing. The ninth-seeded Nadal came from two sets to one down to win 4-6 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 in an epic third-round encounter which lasted four hours and six minutes. Coincidentally, Zverev had butchered a match point before losing his only previous encounter against Nadal last year at Indian Wells.

Sir Andy to barely raise a sweat

Fresh from his dominant win over Tomas Berdych on Friday night, Roger Federer returns to Rod Laver Arena tonight to take on fifth seed Kei Nishikori. Federer holds a 4-2 head-to-head record over Nishikori, but the pair has never met in a Grand Slam. The 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka faces Andreas Seppi at Margaret Court Arena while ground pass holders will be able to see French star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga against Brit Dan Evans in the fourth match at Hisense Arena. Men’s top seed Andy Murray highlights the day session as he meets Mischa Zverev, the older brother of Alexander. Zverev has maintained a spot just inside the top 50 for several years but has never risen to the ranks of Murray, who presents a poor match-up for the Russian-born German. The Scot is a prohibitive $1.25 to win this in straight sets but backable at the -9.5-game handicap ($2.00 with William Hill). Having endured that circus that comes with Nick Kyrgios, Seppi enters his match-up against Wawrinka full of confidence. He has enough game to frustrate the Swiss from the baseline and should force this to a minimum of four sets +34.5 games is $1.80 with Unibet).

Sun hasn’t yet set on Venus

Women’s top seed Angelique Kerber takes on big-hitting American CoCo Vandeweghe after she dispatched Eugenie Bouchard in the previous round. Russian veteran Svetlana Kuznetsova opens the day session against compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, followed by Venus Williams against qualifier Mona Barthel. Seventh seed Garbine Muguruza will also be in action against Sorana Cirstea. It’s incredible to think the 36-year-old Williams first played this tournament in 1998, and she’s still knocking opponents off the court with some blistering groundstrokes. Barthel, who silenced the local crowds with her win over Ashleigh Barty, has already played and won six matches at Melbourne Park after coming through the qualifiers. Let’s ride this Williams bandwagon for at least one more round (2-0 sets at $2.10 on Crownbet). Vandeweghe is a dominant player when her serve is on song but not so hot when her opponent fires serves back with similar enthusiasm. That’s the case as the American takes on defending champ Kerber today. The German should have this decided inside 20.5 games ($1.83 with Ladbrokes).

Book Far From Closed On Career Of Swiss Master Federer

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The bookies didn’t have much love for Roger Federer when the markets opened on the 2017 Australian Open men’s singles title. To make the final he would most likely need to top Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka. And if he could win through all those matches, Novak Djokovic would await in the final. Good luck Roger. Suddenly, Novak’s gone, Federer has dismantled Berdych and he’s been slashed from $21 to $13 to go all the way. What was supposed to be the real test of Federer’s first official tournament since last year’s Wimbledon and his recovery from knee surgery more closely resembled a walkover. The world No.10 Berdych was completely wiped off the court by a vintage Federer display, Roger winning 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 in 90 minutes. Berdych found himself laughing at some of Federer’s groundstrokes as they sailed past. Federer was two sets up inside the hour mark without facing a break point on his dominant serve. He wouldn’t all night, winning 39 of 41 points when his first serve landed.

Will Denis menace Spanish opponent?

On the other side of the men’s draw, Rafael Nadal has looked solid in his return to Grand Slam play, but rising German Alexander Zverev will offer a stern examination of his progress in the final game of the day session. Grigor Dimitrov and Richard Gasquet are scheduled to meet tonight with other action featuring Gael Monfils and Philipp Kohlschreiber while eighth seed Dominic Thiem takes on Frenchman Benoit Paire. The match that really catches the eye today is the battle of Denis Istomin and Spain’s Pablo Carreno-Busta. Backing up from a career-defining victory, as was the case with Istomin’s upset of no. 2 seed Novak Djokovic, is generally a tough ask in Grand Slam tennis. Remember that Istomin needed four hours and 48 minutes to dispatch Djokovic. Lower ranked players have a lousy record backing up after a long five-setter, and there is little reason to expect that Istomin won’t struggle today. Take the Spaniard at the handicap (4.5 games) at $1.73 on Sportsbet. We’ll also be taking the Canadian Milos Raonic to claim victory in straight sets over Gilles Simon – it’s available at $2.10 with bet365.

Aussie ‘Dasha’ to again prevail

Serena Williams will continue her charge for a record-breaking 23 Grand Slam titles when she takes on Nicole Gibbs on Day 6 of Australian Open 27. Williams’ clash with compatriot Gibbs is the second match at Rod Laver Arena with sixth seed Dominika Cibulkova opening the day session against 30th seed Ekaterina Makarova. Aussie hope Daria Gavrilova is first up at night against Timea Bacsinszky, Barbora Strycova will take on Caroline Garcia, former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki faces ninth seed Johanna Konta, with Karolina Pliskova and Jelena Ostapenko in action tonight. Some reporter was silly enough to accuse Williams of a scrappy performance in her previous outing (and was duly delivered short shrift). Serena may flex a little muscle today, and it’s worth a play at the handicap (-6.5 games at $1.83 on Luxbet). The final Aussie in either singles’ draw is the Russian-born 22-year-old Gavrilova. She’s a scrapper and a fighter in the Lleyton Hewitt mould so had quickly become a fan favourite. She’s beaten Bacsinszky in both of their prior meetings, including their most recent in Beijing. Take ‘Dasha’ at $3.75 to win in three sets with William Hill.

Another Day, Another Farce For Controversial Aussie Young Gun Kyrgios

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The 7.30pm timeslot on Australia’s Seven Network is normally home to one of the nation’s most loved soap operas, Home And Away. So it was only appropriate that last night’s Australian Open second round clash between Nick Kyrgios and Andreas Seppi was played at the same time on the free-to-air TV partner of the tournament. In a spectacular collapse, Kyrgios blew a two-set advantage to fall 1-6 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 6-1 10-8 to Italian Andreas Seppi. It featured the full gamut of drama that Aussie tennis fans have come to know, and mostly detest, about the 21-year-old.

Kyrgios, who carried a knee injury into the season’s first grand slam, appeared unhappy about apparently having to put in extra work on his day off on Tuesday and continued a verbal battle with his courtside box throughout the night. Kyrgios was then docked a penalty point after receiving a second code violation for angrily smashing his racquet into the court. Fellow former world No.1 Jim Courier described Kyrgios’s antics as “apathetic” while John McEnroe called Kyrgios’ apparent lack of effort mid-match as “black eye for the sport”.

Short shift looms for Djokovic

In the men’s draw, no. 2 seed Novak Djokovic continues his title defence against Denis Istomin, 2009 Australian Open winner Rafael Nadal faces beaten finalist Marcos Baghdatis and third seed Milos Raonic meets Gilles Muller on Margaret Court Arena. Emerging local Jordan Thompson will take on eighth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem. Djokovic is 5-0 against Istomin, taking 12 of the 13 sets they have contested – this one won’t last 27.5 games ($1.91 with Ladbrokes). Likewise, Grigor Dimitrov figures to have an easy time against South Korea’s Hyeon Chung, an emerging player on the verge of breaking into the top 100 thanks to some strong performances on the Challenger Tour. The Bulgarian will complete the job inside three sets ($1.80 on Luxbet). We can’t wait for the clash against big-serving duo Gilles Muller (Luxembourg) and Milos Raonic (Canada). Muller has been making quick work of opponents with his serve on-song and claim several big-name scalps on the road to the title in Sydney. Raonic is more accomplished from the back of the court but Muller has a superior game at the net. 41.5 games ($1.83 on Sportsbet) looks a given.

Konta can’t go wrong

Australian-born Brit Johanna Konta will be hoping to continue her red-hot run of form when she takes on Japan’s Naomi Osaka in the opening match on Rod Laver Arena on Thursday. Seeded ninth at the Australian Open, Konta defeated Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard and World no. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska on her way to the Sydney International title in an impressive preparation for the season-opening grand slam. With Osaka carrying a wrist injury, Konta wins this in a canter (-5.5 games at $1.91 on Crownbet). In other women’s draw highlights on day four, no. 2 seed Serena Williams faces Lucie Safarova, fifth seed Karolina Pliskova takes on Ana Blinkova and no. 6 seed Dominika Cibulkova clashes with Su-Wei Hsieh of Taiwan. Blinkova is a player to watch – just 18, she’s a talented player who is regularly reaching the latter stages of the few events she’s contested. Pliskova has only covered a line of his magnitude seven times in 20 matches so the Russian looks nice value over her Czech opponent here (+6.5 games is priced at $1.83 with Unibet).

A Look Ahead at Melbourne Park: Australian Open Tennis

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The sporting compass of Australia quivers in many different directions across the calendar year. But once the New Year is welcomed, true north points to the massive Melbourne Park tennis complex for the first Grand Slam event of the season – the Australian Open. The tournament dates to 1905 and earned Grand Slam status (along with the French, British and US national championships) in the mid-1920s.

However, the tyranny of distance meant that the world’s best players were often reluctant to make the long trip Down Under and, by the late 1970s, the event’s relevance had sunk to an all-time low. Steadily, the game’s elite returned to the grass courts of the suburban Kooyong complex, but that trickle became a flood once the tournament was shifted to the new Melbourne Park complex – firstly on Rebound Ace and since on Plexicushion Prestige. Injury aside, the world’s best players now converge on mid-summer Melbourne to chase a slice of Grand Slam glory.

Arise Sir Andy

Novak Djokovic secured his sixth Australian Open title last year, highlighted by his wins over Roger Federer and Andy Murray, that confirming his status as the world’s pre-eminent player. Victory drew him level with Australia’s Roy Emerson as the most decorated men’s singles champion in tournament history – and in 2017, he goes in search of a seventh triumph.

It’s a two-horse race according to the markets with Djokovic ($2.65 with William Hill) a narrow favourite ahead of Murray ($2.75). Only Stan Wawrinka ($13), Rafael Nadal ($15) and Milos Raonic ($19) are also rated better than 20-1 chances. Djokovic and Murray (who faces a likely quarter-final match-up with Roger Federer) should prevail from their quarters, while Raonic should join them in the semis. The second quarter is a lottery where Wawrinka looks well under the odds. The main local hope Nick Kyrgios is yet to show he has the temperament to prevail on home soil, while Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Jack Sock will also make their presence felt in this quarter of the draw. Take Murray to go all the way, with Raonic the value pick.

Angelique set to click

Serena Williams says she will not be distracted by the thought of moving ahead of Steffi Graf’s Grand Slam record at the Australian Open. The American world number two needs one major triumph to go clear of the German’s 22 Open-era titles. She’s played this event on 16 occasions for a staggering return of six titles. Williams is generously priced a $4.00 favourite (on Paddy Power) with defending champion Angelique Kerber a $4.50 chance to go back-to-back. Karolina Pliskova ($8), Garbine Muguruza ($11) and Simona Halep ($12) are also rated realistic chances.

But the value reaches well beyond those five players with Kerber and Williams bowing out early in their respective lead-up tournaments. It may pay to play a little wider here with Agnieszka Radwanska ($26), Dominika Cibulkova ($29) and Elina Svitolina ($34) every chance of upsetting the apple cart in their respective quarters. That trio looks terrific value, while Kerber looks set to go all the way once again.