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☆ Belarusian and Russian charge in Melbourne throws spotlight on Wimbledon ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On Friday, Russia's Karen Khachanov faces Stefanos Tsitsipas as he bids to reach his first Grand Slam final. With the conflict in Ukraine showing no sign of ending, a decision about Russian and Belarussian players competing at the All England Club is pressing. Australian Open organisers even banned Russian and Belarusian flags from Melbourne Park last week after a complaint from Ukraine's ambassador to the country. 'SITUATION NO-ONE WANTS'Nine-times Australian Open champion Djokovic has urged Wimbledon to allow Russian and Belarus players to enter the 2023 tournament, a view also backed by American great John McEnroe. "I disagreed with it last year that Wimbledon didn't allow the Russians or Belarusian players to play.

☆ Ruthless Rybakina rolls into Australian Open semi-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina became the first player into the Australian Open semi-finals after outmuscling Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4 in a one-sided contest on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday. Rybakina, who ousted top seed Iga Swiatek in the fourth round, broke straight back, however, and saved four break points with some brilliant tennis in the next game to consolidate. "I'm super happy to be in the semi-finals for the first time," said Rybakina. Ostapenko was clearly second best but might take solace at her best Grand Slam showing since she reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2018, a year after she won the Roland Garros title. Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Azerbaijan federation demands ITF action on Khachanov support for separatists
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The Azerbaijan Tennis Federation has demanded the International Tennis Federation (ITF) takes action against Karen Khachanov after the Russian sent messages of support to the breakaway Artsakh Republic from the Australian Open. The ethnically Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, known by the separatists as the Artsakh Republic, broke away from Azerbaijan with Armenian support after a bloody post-Soviet ethnic conflict in the early 1990s. In 2020, Azerbaijan launched a second war in the region, successfully winning back part of the territory controlled by the Armenian-backed separatists. Azerbaijan tennis authorities sent a letter of protest to the ITF at the weekend demanding tough measures "to punish" Khachanov and prevent him from making similar "unacceptable provocations" at tennis tournaments. Belarus is being used as a key staging ground for Russia's war in Ukraine, which Moscow terms a "special operation".

☆ Korda retires to send Khachanov into Australian Open semis, Rybakina through
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 24, 2023 Russia's Karen Khachanov in action during his quarter final match against Sebastian Korda of the U.S. REUTERS/Jaimi JoyMELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Karen Khachanov reached the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time on Tuesday after Sebastian Korda retired injured while trailing 7-6(5) 6-3 3-0, dashing the American's hopes of emulating his father Petr's 1998 Melbourne Park triumph. Khachanov had also reached the last four of the 2022 U.S. Open and said it felt great to be back in a Grand Slam semi-final. "I'm super happy to be in the semi-finals for the first time," said Rybakina. "Of course, I was nervous, particularly in the last game, but I'm happy I managed my emotions. Rybakina will take on third seed Jessica Pegula or twice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka next.

☆ Pliskova back in the Melbourne quarter-finals and feeling good
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I've been feeling quite good since I came to Australia," she told reporters. Only two top 10 seeds, Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka, remain in the quarter-finals, leaving Pliskova as one of the more experienced Grand Slam campaigners. "I feel like these days there is not just top 20 tough opponents, there is like 150 tough opponents," the world number 31 added. "Then the rest, Pegula, I think she's playing great tennis. "If I play like I played today, I think it's tough for anybody to compete with that.

☆ Jessica Pegula Is Suddenly a Favorite in Australia as Top Seeds Falter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MELBOURNE, Australia—When Jessica Pegula woke up on Sunday morning here, she was still in the hardest section of the Australian Open. Potential matches against world No. 1 Iga Swiatek or fellow American Coco Gauff lay ahead if Pegula could just stick around long enough. But by the time she took the court for her fourth-round match, the draw was collapsing around her. Swiatek had fallen apart against the surprise Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, and Gauff had lost to Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the player who won the 2017 French Open and hasn’t reached a Grand Slam final since.

☆ Coco Gauff in tears after defeat at Australian Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A frustrated Coco Gauff broke down in tears after her 7-5 6-3 defeat by Jelena Ostapenko at the Australian Open on Sunday, with the 18-year-old American saying she just could not come up with the answers to the Latvian’s game. “I think every loss is somewhat in my control because I do feel like I’m a good player, but today she just played better,” Gauff, seeded seventh, told reporters. “There were balls I was hitting deep and she was hitting them on the line and hitting them back deep, like, over and over again. “I think it’s because I worked really hard and I felt really good coming into the tournament and I still feel good,” Gauff said. “But when you play a player like her and she plays really well, it’s like there’s nothing you can do.

☆ Greek Tsitsipas feels at home in Melbourne
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Greek third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas described the Australian Open as his "home slam", saying the conditions in Melbourne remind him of the Attic Peninsula. Tsitsipas, a three-time semi-finalist at the Australian Open, reached the quarter-finals on Sunday after he held firm to beat Italy's Jannik Sinner 6-4 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3. With Melbourne boasting the largest Greek population in Australia, Tsitsipas said he always felt at home when competing at the season-opening major. "Another reason, another plus is wherever I look I see Greek faces, I see Greek people speaking Greek. For me it's the Australian Open."

☆ Swiatek wants winning mindset back after Australian Open exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Reigning French Open and U.S. Open winner Swiatek said the pressure had been building over the last two weeks and she had been going into matches hoping not to lose rather than wanting to win. "So I'm going to try to chill out a bit more. "I felt the pressure and I felt that I don't want to lose instead of I want to win. Swiatek went on a 37-match winning streak last year before losing in the third round at Wimbledon. "So this time, I think it's going to be motivating for me and I'm sure I'm going to play next tournaments with something to focus on, something to work on, and I'm going to go forward."

☆ Early French Open triumph proved a burden, says resurgent Ostapenko
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 22, 2023 Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko in action during her fourth round match against Coco Gauff of the U.S. REUTERS/Loren ElliottMELBOURNE, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Grand Slam success came to Jelena Ostapenko in a hurry when she hoisted the French Open trophy as an unseeded 20-year-old but the early career triumph soon became a burden. She next plays Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who sent world number one Iga Swiatek packing in the early match at Rod Laver Arena. Her country's first Grand Slam champion, Ostapenko is hardly alone in being unable to back up after winning a major title but her retreat from the spotlight was sudden and sustained. Of course, (there was) a lot of attention from everywhere outside the court, like photo shoots and all those kind of things. Ostapenko is no shrinking violet and has sometimes let her emotions get the better of her on court.

☆ Rybakina eyes Swiatek's No.1 ranking after Australian Open win
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rybakina advanced to the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park for the first time with her win at Rod Laver Arena and will meet Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko for a place in the last four. Rybakina said there were still "many things to improve" on but that she was a match for anyone if she could continue her current form. Sunday was the first time Kazakhstan's Rybakina appeared on one of the two main showcourts at Melbourne Park during this tournament, with the Russia-born player starting her campaign on an outer court. "When you play against the number one, I think you have really nothing to lose," Rybakina added. "So I was trying to just attack her from the first ball, and it really worked well."

☆ Lucky towel helps Korda reach first Grand Slam quarter-final
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hurkacz, seeded 10th, grabbed the fourth set and earned two break points at 5-5 in the fifth but Korda kept his calm to escape the trouble before they headed into a tie-breaker. Korda raced to a 7-3 lead in the tie-breaker after winning six consecutive points but Hurkacz came fighting back to level it at 7-7. Korda did not panic and closed out the victory with a backhand winner after nearly three and a half hours on court. "Every time I went to the towel I won the point, so I just kept going to it - my new friend." Korda is just the third American to reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open since Andy Roddick last accomplished the feat in 2010.

☆ Top seed Swiatek knocked out by Wimbledon champ Rybakina
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 22 (Reuters) - World number one Iga Swiatek crashed out of the Australian Open on Sunday with a 6-4 6-4 defeat by Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on Rod Laver Arena. Kazakhstan's Rybakina advanced to the quarter-finals of the season's opening Grand Slam for the first time with an impressive display against the misfiring Pole. "It was a really tough match and I really respect Iga because of the strike she has and the Grand Slams," said Rybakina. The Russia-born right-hander broke Swiatek again at 4-4 in the second set before holding her own serve in convincing fashion to close out the match. Rybakina's win sees her progress to a third Grand Slam quarter-final having also reached the last eight at the 2021 French Open before winning Wimbledon last year.

☆ Gauff in tears after failing to crack Ostapenko code
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I think every loss is somewhat in my control because I do feel like I'm a good player, but today she just played better," Gauff, seeded seventh, told reporters. "I think it's because I worked really hard and I felt really good coming into the tournament and I still feel good," Gauff said. "But when you play a player like her and she plays really well, it's like there's nothing you can do. "I think doubles has taught me how to play after losing, how to play with frustration," Gauff added. I hope I can help her and I hope that she continues well in the (singles) tournament now that I'm out.

☆ Top seed Swiatek crashes out, Gauff exits Australian Open in tears
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I felt the pressure, and I felt that I don't want to lose instead of I want to win," said Swiatek, who dominated last season with two Grand Slam wins. Rybakina, the 22nd seed, might have expected to face Gauff in the quarter-finals but the much-hyped American teen was upset 7-5 6-3 by Jelena Ostapenko, the forgotten Grand Slam winner of women's tennis. The win secured a first Australian Open quarter-final for hard-hitting Ostapenko, as well as the first at a Grand Slam since her run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2018. Latvia's first - and only - Grand Slam champion stunned the world when she hoisted the trophy at Roland Garros as an unseeded 20-year-old. Third seed Pegula will face the winner of Victoria Azarenka and China's Zhu Lin for a place in the semi-finals.

☆ Swiatek stays grounded ahead of Rybakina test in clash of champions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Rohith Nair | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"To be honest, it doesn't matter which round I play because I think Iga is a great player. I think that if I'm going to play my game, aggressive, I'm going to be solid from the beginning till the end." "I'm really looking forward to it. I'm sure he's much better prepared this time," said Greek Tsitsipas, who has not dropped a set in Melbourne this year. Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, another French Open champion, will play last year's Roland Garros runner-up American Coco Gauff.

☆ All business Swiatek eases into second week at Australian Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 20, 2023 Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during her third round match against Spain's Cristina Bucsa REUTERS/Sandra SandersMELBOURNE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Top seed Iga Swiatek continued to carve her way through the Australian Open draw on Friday, dismantling Cristina Bucsa 6-0 6-1 in bright sunshine on the Margaret Court Arena to reach the fourth round. The 21-year-old world number one, who is looking to add a first Melbourne Park crown to the French and U.S. Open titles she won last year, was all business as she whipped through the first set in 23 minutes. World number 100 Bucsa had simply no answer to Swiatek's all-court game and the Spaniard only managed to avoid the dreaded 'double bagel' 6-0 6-0 scoreline by holding her last service game. Swiatek should face a tougher test in Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the last 16 after the big-serving Kazakh earlier upset last year's losing finalist Danielle Collins. Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Neil FullickOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nadal sidelined for 6-8 weeks with hip flexor injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 19 (Reuters) - World number two Rafa Nadal will be sidelined for six to eight weeks by the hip flexor injury he suffered during his second-round loss at the Australian Open, the Spaniard's team said on Thursday. read moreThe 36-year-old had an MRI scan on his left leg in Melbourne on Thursday, which revealed a grade 2 injury in the Illiopsoas, the primary hip flexor. "The normal time estimated for a complete recuperation is between six and eight weeks." In the end (it has) been three positive weeks in terms of practice," he told reporters after his defeat. A six to eight week recuperation would allow Nadal to return well before the clay court season and the run-up to the defence of his French Open title in late May and early June.

☆ Netflix reality TV head on how doc series 'Break Point' can become a 'Drive to Survive' for pro tennis — and whether the streamer's sports doc success will lead it into live sports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Formula 1 racing saw a boost in TV viewership and fandom since Netflix began streaming docuseries "Drive to Survive." Amid a boom in sports docs, the streamer is looking for another hit in tennis series "Break Point." Netflix unscripted TV head Brandon Riegg spoke to Insider about the streamer's ambitions in live sports. Netflix execs and tennis fans are hoping that "Break Point," the streamer's new docuseries centered on the 2022 Grand Slam season, can be the racket sport's "Drive to Survive." "I wouldn't be surprised," Netflix VP of unscripted and docuseries Brandon Riegg told Insider the day before "Break Point" premiered.

☆ Australian Open bans flags from Russia, Belarus on site
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Flags from Russia and Belarus were banned from the site of the Australian Open on Tuesday after more than one was brought into the stands by spectators on Day 1 of the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. Normally, flags can be displayed during matches at Melbourne Park. Another was offered to Russian player Daniil Medvedev to autograph after his 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 win over Marcos Giron in Rod Laver Arena on Monday night. “I mean, if everyone feels better this way, then it’s OK,” said Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist who is seeded No. Russia invaded, with help from Belarus, in February.

☆ Russian flags banned at Australian Open tennis after Ukraine complaint
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 16, 2023 General view of the first round match between Germany's Jule Niemeier and Poland's Iga Swiatek REUTERS/Carl RecineMELBOURNE, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Russian and Belarusian flags have been banned from the Melbourne Park precinct during the Australian Open after a complaint from the Ukraine ambassador to the country. "I strongly condemn the public display of the Russian flag during the game of the Ukrainian tennis player Kateryna Baindl at the Australian Open today," he wrote on Twitter. Tennis Australia responded on Tuesday by banning the flags of the two countries. "Flags from Russia and Belarus are banned onsite at the Australian Open," Tennis Australia said in a statement. Russian and Belarusian players were banned from Wimbledon last year but are able to compete as individual athletes without national affiliation at the Australian Open.

☆ Australian Open 2023 prize money: how much do winners of men's, women's and doubles finals win?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Here is what you need to know about the prize pot on offer at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year:WHEN IS THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN HAPPENING? * The 2023 Australian Open runs from Jan. 16-29. * The winners of the men's and women's singles in 2022, Rafael Nadal and Ash Barty, received A$2.875 million in prize money. * Last year's winners of the men's and women's singles at the U.S. Open, Carlos Alcaraz and Swiatek, received $2.6 million. WHAT IS THE PRIZE MONEY ON OFFER IN MEN'S AND WOMEN'S DOUBLES AT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN IN 2023?

☆ Local hope Kyrgios pulls out of Australian Open with knee injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Nick Kyrgios's hopes of ending his country's 47-year wait for a homegrown men's champion at the Australian Open were shattered on the opening day when he pulled out of the tournament with a knee injury on Monday. "Obviously, I'm extremely disappointed, this is one of the most important tournaments of my career, it hasn't been easy at all," Kyrgios told reporters at Melbourne Park. The withdrawal also means Kyrgios and Kokkinakis - dubbed the 'Special Ks' - will not be able to defend the men's doubles title they won at Melbourne Park last year. Maher said he thought Kyrgios would be over the injury in time to play at the Masters tournament at Indian Wells in California in early March. "I'm not doubting that I'll be back to my full strength and will be back," Kyrgios added.

☆ Raducanu happy injured ankle passed opening test at Melbourne Park
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"Everything I've done has been quite controlled in the last week," 2021 U.S. Open champion Raducanu told reporters. Raducanu wasted little time in reaching the second round, dismissing Tamara Korpatsch 6-3 6-2 to set up a showdown with French Open runner-up Coco Gauff. "Coco's obviously done a lot of great things and she's playing well. Part of the next generation of tennis, really. She's playing really good tennis and looking really solid right now.

☆ Nadal survives early test, Kyrgios pulls out in Australian Open shock
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

With Draper's injury reducing him to a groaning wreck, Nadal finished strongly to close out the match 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-1. With Kyrgios gone and last year's women's champion Ash Barty retired, the chances of a another home winner for local fans are greatly diminished. Seventh seed Coco Gauff also raced into the second round, while last year's finalist Danielle Collins advanced with a tougher, three-set win over Anna Kalinskaya. Briton Raducanu will next face teenager Gauff, who won in Auckland and confirmed her good form with a 6-1 6-4 win over Katerina Siniakova. Italian 15th seed Jannik Sinner, a quarter-finalist last year, was the first man to reach the second round, rolling over Briton Kyle Edmund 6-4 6-0 6-2 on John Cain Arena.

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