Monday, 27 January 2025
Sunday, 26 January 2025
Saturday, 25 January 2025
MADISON KEYS STUNS ARYNA SABALENKA IN THRILLER TO WIN AUSTRALIA OPEN TITLE
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| Madison Keys holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and poses with ball kids after defeating Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open tennis champion |
Underdog Madison Keys upset Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in the Australian Open final on Saturday to win her first Grand Slam crown at the age of 29.
The American ended world number one Sabalenka's dream of becoming the first woman for 26 years to win a third successive Melbourne Park singles title.
Keys yelled in delight and wiped away tears on securing the title after withstanding a fierce fightback from the Belarusian two-time defending champion.
Sabalenka, the 2023 and 2024 champion, buried her head in a towel after her 20-match win streak at Melbourne Park was ended.
For 19th-seeded Keys it was the culmination of a 15-year journey from teenage prodigy to major winner.
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| Madison Keys, right, reacts as she holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka. AP |
"I have wanted this for so long and I have been in one other Grand Slam final and it did not go my way," said an emotional Keys, whose coach Bjorn Fratangelo is also her husband. "I didn't know if I was ever going to get back to this position to try to win a trophy again."
The American had been tipped as a future world number one after winning her maiden WTA Tour match at the age of 14.
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| Madison Keys plays a forehand return to Aryna Sabalenka. AP |
She made her first major semi-final at Melbourne Park 10 years ago as a 19-year-old, but a decade on she can finally call herself a Grand Slam champion.
"I made my very first Grand Slam semi-final here in Melbourne," said Keys, the runner-up at the US Open in 2017.
"So to now have won my first Grand Slam in the same place means the absolute world to me. "My team believed in me every step of the way. So thank you so much," added Keys, who will now equal her career-high seventh in the world ranking she attained nine years ago.
Madison Keys is embraced by her team as she holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka. AP.
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| Madison Keys is embraced by her team as she holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka. AP |
"They believed in me when I didn't believe in myself, and helped me every step of the way. Last year was so tough, with some really bad injuries, I didn't know if I was gonna be able to do it again."
'What a tournament'
Keys becomes the fourth oldest first-time winner of a major since the Open Era began in 1968.
Sabalenka was gracious after a first Melbourne defeat since 2022. "First of all, Madison, what a tournament. You have been fighting really hard to get this trophy," Sabalenka said. "I really feel like it's home when I'm here and I'll come back stronger and do my best next year."
It was Keys who came out of the blocks playing exemplary tennis to put Sabalenka under pressure and race to the first set in 35 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
Madison Keys holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka. AP
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| Madison Keys holds the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup after defeating Aryna Sabalenka. AP |
The Belarusian began to flip the script in the second set, breaking in the third game and moving ominously ahead 3-1.
Another break followed on a brilliant Sabalenka cross-court pass and she levelled the match after an hour and 20 minutes on court.
The 26-year-old Sabalenka by now was timing the ball much better and a younger Keys might have buckled. But this mature version of Keys, who battled all the way to beat Iga Swiatek in a 10-point final-set tiebreak in the semi-finals, is made of sterner stuff.
At 5-6 when Sabalenka served to take it to another final-set tiebreak, Keys brought up two match points.
She held her nerve to secure the long-awaited title on the second with her 29th winner after 2hr 2min.
- Agence France-Presse
Thursday, 23 January 2025
ARYNA SABALENKA BEATS PAULA BADOSA TO REACH AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2025 WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL
Aryna Sabalenka beats Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-2 to reach Australian Open 2025 women's singles final.
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| Aryna Sabalenka in action at Australian Open © AFP |
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka put her close friendship with Paula Badosa aside Thursday to sweep past the Spaniard into a third successive Australian Open final. The Belarusian world number one came home 6-4, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena and will meet either Polish second seed Iga Swiatek or American 19th seed Madison Keys in Saturday's decider. The hard, fast courts of Melbourne Park have been the 26-year-old's happy place. She has now won 20 straight matches at the Australian Open to close in on a third consecutive crown -- something that hasn't happened this century.
The last person to achieve the feat was Martina Hingis in 1999 and only four other women have completed the three-peat -- Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.
"Super tough match against a friend," she said. "Super happy to be through."
Sabalenka last year described Badosa as her "best friend" and "soulmate", but it was all business on a cool Melbourne evening.
The 11th seed Badosa stunned world number three Coco Gauff in straight sets to reach her maiden Slam semi-final at the age of 27 and came out swinging.
She gifted Sabalenka a break point in the opening game on a double fault, but then nailed some big winners to save and hang on.
It was then the Belarusian's turn to offer two break points to the Spaniard with some sloppy power shots and Badosa capitalised to open a 2-0 lead when a forehand sprayed wide.
But the top seed found her radar and rallied from 0-40 down on Badosa's next serve to break back as her opponent's error-count mounted.
She then won three in a row to surge 4-2 clear as Badosa fluffed some vital shots.
With rain arriving the roof was closed, but it didn't halt the Sabalenka juggernaut, wrapping up the set in 53 minutes with an ace, slapping 19 winners to Badosa's six.
Badosa tumbled to the floor early in set two as she reached for a shot, before giving the thumbs up, with the action briefly delayed as both players burst out laughing.
But Sabalenka quickly composed herself and broke for a 2-1 lead when Badosa sent down consecutive double faults, then broke again with the Spaniard having no answer to her bruising baseline game.
The win kept alive Sabalenka's quest to still be world number one when she leaves Melbourne.
If she had lost, Swiatek would have taken it back. Should the pair meet in the final, the winner will depart the tournament with the top ranking.
Despite losing Badosa's run to the last four capped a remarkable comeback.
A former world number two, she spent several months out after a brutal back injury in 2023 and last year considered quitting.
Instead, her Melbourne exploits will return her to the top 10 for the first time since October 2022.
- Agence France-Presse
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Tuesday, 21 January 2025
Monday, 20 January 2025
Sunday, 19 January 2025
NOVAK DJOKOVIC REFUSES POST - MATCH INTERVIEW AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN AFTER ACCUSING HOST BROADCASTER OF 'MOCKING SERBIAN FANS'
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| Novak Djokovic reacts after beating Jiri Lehecka (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP) |
Novak Djokovic set up a blockbuster Australian Open quarter-final against Carlos Alcaraz but refused to do a post-match interview because of a row with the host broadcaster.
Djokovic has been riled by some of the fan behaviour at Melbourne Park and he was booed after declining to answer questions from former champion Jim Courier on court in the customary manner following his 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4) win over Jiri Lehecka, instead briefly thanking supporters for coming.
But the 10-time champion revealed in his post-match press conference that his ire was not directed at the crowd but at broadcaster Channel 9 following an incident ahead of his third-round match when presenter Tony Jones mocked a group of chanting Djokovic fans behind him by singing, “Novak is overrated, Novak’s a has-been, Novak kick him out”.
“A couple of days ago the famous sports journalist who works for the official broadcaster, Channel 9 here in Australia, made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me,” said Djokovic.
“And, since then, he chose not to issue any public apology. Neither did Channel 9. So, since they’re official broadcasters, I chose not to give interviews for Channel 9.
“I have nothing against Jim Courier or neither the Australian public. It was a very awkward situation for me to face on the court today. It’s unfortunate. I chose to say something to the crowd, but obviously wasn’t the time and space or situation for me to explain what I’m doing right now.
“I leave it to Channel 9 to handle this the way they think they see fit.”
It was an unexpected denouement to what had been a positive match for Djokovic, who looked sharp against in-form 24th seed Lehecka.
Now he and coach Andy Murray must prepare for by some distance the biggest match of the tournament so far against third seed Alcaraz on Tuesday.
Djokovic insisted the dispute does not add extra motivation, saying: “I’m very determined already. (I am) not using this to fuel my fire more.”
He added that he was willing to accept a fine for his stance, saying: “I feel like this is something that needs to be done.”
It will be an eighth meeting overall and fourth at a grand slam between the Serbian and Spaniard, with Djokovic having triumphed in the semi-finals at the French Open in 2023, while Alcaraz has won the last two Wimbledon finals.
Their last meeting came at Roland Garros in the Olympic final last summer, when Djokovic claimed an emotional first gold medal.
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| Novak Djokovic gestures to the crowd (Mark Baker/AP) |
His fall in ranking to seventh means this is the earliest stage at a slam they will have done battle, and there is a huge amount on the line for both men.
Djokovic is bidding to win a record-breaking 25th slam title while Alcaraz can become the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam.
Alcaraz only had to play two sets on Sunday because of the retirement through injury of Jack Draper.
The third seed, who has dropped only one set so far, said of the match-up with a smile: “This is not the right player to play in a quarter-final, I guess.
“I think in a grand slam, from quarter-finals to the final, those players are the best in the world. If it wasn’t Djokovic in the quarter-final, it could be another player who is in the top of the ranking.
“But, facing Novak, for me it’s not going to change anything if I’m playing him in a quarter-final or semi-final. Probably change a little bit if it is a final, obviously.
“Being in a quarter-final, I’m going to approach the match the same as I did in the previous matches against him, and let’s see. I know my weapons. I know that I’m able to play good tennis against him, I’m able to beat him.”
The final stages are shaping up to pit the leading players against each other, with second seed Alexander Zverev also making it through.
The German recovered from losing the second set to defeat France’s Ugo Humbert 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2 and will next face 12th seed Tommy Paul, who beat a physically hampered Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-1 6-1.