Opting to disregard one of the golden rules of sport kept Roger Federer on Centre Court for rather longer than he would have liked today.
At two sets and a break up on Philipp Kohlschreiber, the Swiss slipped into experimental mood rather than applying the killer touch and paid for it when he dropped his first set of the tournament before bouncing back to win 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1. The fact that he laboured for two hours and 31 minutes before sealing a place in the fourth round when he could have been off court in half that time will not be lost on Wimbledon's five-time champion.
..
Although we dare not offer the Nelsonian exhortation "England expects" to Andy Murray because he is a Scot, it is fair enough to remind him that Britain expects much of him today - and, fingers crossed, over the next two weeks.
Resolutely sidestepping the hype, Murray is focused on the job in hand, though the fact that he will be playing the 2009 Championships in Fred Perry clothing is an omen, for good, one prays, that he cannot avoid acknowledging. As most people must surely be aware, Perry was the last home-bred Wimbledon champion an eye-popping 73 years back. We are overdue, b..
Roger Federer talks a good game – which is only to be expected. After over half a decade at the very summit of the sport, he has been able to hone his interview technique to perfection – even if his latest tennis outfit becomes the main talking point.
His interview style has become a self-referential topic of conversation in press conferences. “I guess it already starts that I speak a few different languages,” said Federer after his straight sets win over Yen Hsun-Lu in the first round. “ Then you have the papers, the radios, the magazines – it ends up being a lot but, honestly, especially ..
Roger Federer justified his role as favourite to win the 2009 men's title by swatting aside the challenge of Yen-Hsun Lu from Taipei 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 on a Centre Court where, despite overcast conditions, the new roof remained open throughout. It was a highly impressive performance, since Lu did his nation proud with a battling show, especially in a tightly-contested first set.
Federer's warm welcome to officially open the 2009 Championships was probably a mixture of affection for the five-time champion and approval for his eye-catching and stylish apparel - long trousers, jacket with..
The new No. 2 Court witnessed a thriller as ninth seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga battled through his first round match against Kazakhstan’s Andrey Golubev, a man ranked 62 places below him, in four sets, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5).
The tie-break in the third set saw some Tsonga magic as he raced around the ball to drive a winning forehand across the court. This was followed by another racing backhand to gain a mini-break.
The fourth set also went to a tie-break. Tsonga clearly moved up a gear as he scented victory, hitting a Spitfire-fast “full toss” forehand return and following ..
Fourth seed Novak Djokovic survived an endurance test against Frenchman Julien Benetteau to win through to the second round but he needed three hours and 28 minutes of concerted effort to complete the job.
Benettau, in his sixth Wimbledon, shocked Djokovic by winning a 61-minute first set but was hit by falls in the third game of the third set and the last game of the match, which did not help his cause and it allowed Djokovic to clinch victory 6-7 (10-8), 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-4 on his third match point.
Djokovic would have come into the match reminding viewers that, amid the hype over Roge..
Sometimes it can seem that there is a gulf a mile wide between two players facing each other across the net. That was the case today when the number seven seed Fernando Verdasco saw off James Ward 6-1, 6-3, 6-4.
No doubt the mere experience of playing on No.1 Court will stand Ward in good stead, but Verdasco’s superior skill in every department left the British wild card brutally exposed.
Verdasco, an Australian Open semi-finalist this year, spelled out the pattern of the match in the opening game, where his swashbuckling strokeplay plundered an immediate break.
Ward, in his Grand Slam ..
It was Andy Warhol who predicted, back in 1968, that: "In the future, everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes." He did not have tennis in mind, but the old boy was right.
For a few brief moments this month – admittedly a little long than quarter of an hour – Robin Soderling was a star. The Swede was the first man to beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros and, from that fourth-round victory, he went all the way to the final. And then he lost. In straight sets. Played a chap called Federer who proved to be rather too good for him. His 15 minutes was over.
Now he has another sho..
James Blake criticised the ATP Tour schedule after becoming the first big casualty of Wimbledon 2009. The 17th seed was upset in straight sets 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) by the on-song Italian Andreas Seppi on Court 3, the old No.2 Court, known as the “Graveyard of Champions”.
A fatigued Blake admitted afterwards that it was difficult to stay focused while playing so much tennis and believed the tour calendar attributed to the withdrawal of defending Wimbledon Champion Rafael Nadal.
“I'm probably not supposed to say anything about the schedule or about the ATP in that way, but it's just..
Day One of the 123rd Wimbledon Championships – and it was a disaster. Well, it was if you had just spent a fortune on a new roof for the Centre Court. So, what sort of weather did we have on the dawn of the brave new age of life with a roof? Sunshine, a few clouds and hours and hours of uninterrupted play. Not a drop of rain to be seen. Rats! The roof will have to wait for another day.
Other than that, Day One could not have been better. The brand-spanking new No.2 Court was opened by the Duke of Kent and, for the first set and a half of its working life, was the centre of the universe for ..
Roger Federer won his first round encounter at Centre Court today defeating Lu of Chinese Taipei in straight sets. Roger needed less than 80 minutes to proceed to the second round at Wimbledon 2009. Roger Federer who is considered by most as the Greatest Player of All Time is looking to beat Pete Sampras' record by winning his 15th Grand Slam title here.
Roger looked comfortable during the first round encounter as revealed by the match statistics:
<table style="font-size:11px; font-family: verdana;"><tr><th colspan="3">Match statistics</th>&..
What seemed to be a foregone conclusion after qualifying became one almost the moment Sebastian Vettel launched his Red Bull RB5 into the lead of the British Grand Prix. In a crushingly dominant drive, which underlined the major step forward that the Milton Keynes team have made on high-speed circuits, Vettel pulled away from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn by as much as a second a lap in a series of quick tours, and never looked remotely challenged.
Team mate Mark Webber finally got ahead of Barrichello during the first round of stops and likewise had no trouble staying ahead thereafter. B..
1st Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 1h22m49.328s; 2nd Mark Webber (Red Bull), 1h23m04.516s; 3rd Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP), 1h23m30.503s.
Q: Sebastian, your first dry grand prix victory. Fantastic start. In the first stint you are pulling away at a second a lap from everyone else. You were told to calm down by your team in the middle stint but was it really as easy as it looked today?
Sebastian Vettel: You know, it is never easy. It is a long, long race and I think particularly at this fantastic circuit everyone of us is enjoying it a lot. Fast corners. it is a dream, really, so you have t..
Welcome to the 123rd Championships, staged for the first time this year beneath a breathtaking canopy which bids fair to enable Wimbledon to match the Theatre of Dreams title so proudly held by Manchester United and their Old Trafford stadium. Except that, in the case of Centre Court, it might be more appropriately called the Cathedral of Dreams. For one man, however, dream has transformed into nightmare with the exit, before a ball has been struck, of the defending champion, Rafael Nadal.
The Man from Majorca has taken his aching knees off for an overdue rest, opening a motorway-wide avenu..
Innovation center to focus on radio technology research and developing proof of concepts
Nokia Siemens Networks and Vodafone have set up a joint research center in Madrid – the Nokia Siemens Networks Innovation Center (NICE). NICE will work closely with the Vodafone Access Networks Centre of Competence to conduct joint research in radio technologies, and also develop and showcase proof of concepts for new network features.
Fergal Kelly, Director of Access Networks, Vodafone Group said: "We are excited about the opening of NICE, and look forward to deepening our collaboration with Noki..
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (“Huawei”), a leader in providing next-generation telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, today launched the world’s first packet-based MSTP (Multi-Service Transport Platform) evolution solution which enables operators for the first-time to move seamlessly from TDM (Time-Division Multiplexing) services to fully packet-based services without the usual cost burden that is associated with such a network upgrade.
MSTP evolution, which can be easily upgraded from existing MSTP network, will be able to meet the operators’ increasing deman..
The United States is tracking a North Korean ship on suspicion that it might be violating a U.N. arms embargo placed on Pyongyang following its recent nuclear test, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, June 18). The Kang Nam is a "subject of interest," according to U.S. officials. The vessel left port Wednesday and as of yesterday was in international waters. Officials would not discuss the possible nature of the ship's cargo.
The U.N. Security Council last week banned North Korea from exporting weapons technology, one of the reclusive nation's primary revenue sources. T..
Five-time champion Roger Federer was relaxed and confident ahead of what could be an historic tournament for him, although any talk of taking Pete Sampras' Grand Slam record was relegated to a mere afterthought – the Swiss 2nd seed wants his Wimbledon title back, with any records that come with it mere icing on the cake.
"The focus is on the first round and the first point," said the genial Swiss, whose match against Yen-Hsun Lu is first on Centre Court on Monday, "but also trying to regain my Wimbledon crown, so that stands over trying to beat Pete's record right n..
Andy Murray has given his fans the news they wanted to hear, declaring: “I’m ready to win a Grand Slam.” The world No.3 believes that the time has come to break his duck in the four majors, and is ready for a fortnight of Murray-mania at SW19. “I'd obviously love to win here,” said the Scot. “ I enjoy playing on grass and I love playing at Wimbledon.“
Murray reached the final of the US Open last year before a fourth round exit in Australia in January. He lost to Fernando Gonzalez in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros last month. These are all solid credentials, which have been boosted..
Rafael Nadal has announced he will not defend his Wimbledon title. The world number one and top seed had said after the French Open that he would not play Wimbledon if he was not 100% and so it has come to pass. "I’m here and I'm just not 100%. I'm better than what I was a couple of weeks ago but I don’t feel right," Nadal told a packed press conference on Friday evening at the All England Club.
"To not play Wimbledon is one of the toughest decisions of my career."
After suffering a shock defeat in the French Open to Robin Soderling, Nadal received treatment..
Roger Federer reminded everyone of his world-class ability as he disposed of Juan Martin Del Potro with the loss of only three games in their men’s quarterfinal at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.
The No.2 seed, who two days ago was tested in a five-set thriller with Tomas Berdych, was in sparkling form as he demolished the Argentine 6-3 6-0 6-0 in 80 minutes.
Critics of the three-time Australian Open Champion and 13 Grand Slam title holder were forced to eat their words as the Swiss master managed a staggering 38 winners and only nine unforced errors in the entire match.
Federer may have ..
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga displayed the va-va-voom that took him to the Australian Open final last year as he ousted American James Blake 6-4 6-4 7-6(3) in a magical encounter on Rod Laver on Monday night.
Similar in size, strength and sheer talent, the match up between the fifth and ninth seeds always promised to explosive, and the combatants did not disappoint in a match that produced spectacular tennis from the word go.
On paper, this was always going to be a tight contest between two tough contenders. Just three points separate them in the world rankings, with Tsonga at seven and Blake at 1..
Top seed Rafael Nadal has eased into the quarterfinals of Australian Open 2009, brushing aside a flat Fernando Gonzalez 6-3 6-2 6-4 late on Monday afternoon.
While Nadal did not look as sharp as he did when eliminating Tommy Haas in the third round – in that match he hit 53 winners and recorded just eight errors – he did enough to ease past the Chilean in straight sets.
Gonzalez was undoubtedly affected by his thrilling battle on Saturday night against Richard Gasquet, which had extended to 12-10 in the fifth set and lasted nearly five hours.
Bidding to make the last eight at Melbourn..
World No.2 Roger Federer has survived an almighty scare in the fourth round of Australian Open 2009, downing a brave Tomas Berdych 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 6-4 6-2. The Swiss maestro found himself in big trouble early on when his groundstrokes were returned with interest by the No.20 seed, who beat Federer in the opening round of the 2004 Athens Olympics but never since then in seven subsequent meetings.
It was not as if Federer wasn’t playing his usual high-quality game; Berdych began the match playing unlike any other No.20 seed facing a 13-time major champion. He had the three-time Australian Open..
In-form American Andy Roddick has blitzed his way past Tommy Robredo 7-5 6-3 6-3 to comfortably reach the quarterfinals of Australian Open 2009.
Roddick’s victory would be a bitter pill to swallow for the Spaniard. Not only had he cruised to this stage of the draw by dropping only 18 games, but he has now lost to Roddick a staggering 10 consecutive times.
Even so, the No.21 seed looked like he might get his own back in the first set. He matched ‘A-Rod’ in the power stakes and engaged in powerful rallies from the back of the court. Three-time Australian Open semifinalist Roddick managed t..
Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli has caused a major upset on day seven of Australian Open 2009, defeating women’s world No.1 Jelena Jankovic 6-1 6-4 in the fourth round.
Bartoli, the 2007 Wimbledon finalist, came out with all guns blazing, clubbing seven winners to Jankovic’s none in the first three games in the opening set.
In her post-match press conference, Bartoli said she was hopeful coming into the match despite being ranked 15 places lower than the Serbian.
“I was really confident because I played really well [in] my last match against (Lucie) Safarova. I knew I could beat Jelena on ..
Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina is the first man through to the quarterfinals of Australian Open 2009 following a convincing 5-7 6-4 6-3 6-2 win over Marin Cilic of Croatia.
In a match dominated by big hits and serves, it was a low unforced error count that helped the No.8 seed on the way to his first Melbourne Park quarterfinal appearance, and only his second in any Grand Slam event.
The youngest man in the top 10 at 20 years of age, Del Potro hit 27 winners and 45 unforced errors off his racquet, compared to Cilic, younger by five days, who amassed 64 unforced errors and 48 winners...
World No.2 Serena Williams has progressed to the final 16 of Australian Open 2009 with a 6-1 6-4 victory over China’s Shuai Peng on Saturday.
Although finishing with a routine scoreline, it was a match of two halves that Williams played against the world No.41.
In the opening set, the American was all business, dishing out 16 winners and winning the point when landing her first serve on 92 per cent of occasions.
Peng may have opened the match with an easy service game and got a look in on the back of eight Williams unforced errors in the next game, but was unable to take her sole brea..
Ana Ivanovic has been bundled out of Australian Open 2009, going down in one of the matches of the tournament to Russian No. 29 seed Alisa Kleybanova, who won 7-5 6-7(5) 6-2.
Ivanovic, the 2008 women’s singles finalist, drew upon all her fighting qualities over nearly three hours at Hisense Arena, but was ultimately powerless against the sheer force of Kleybanova’s game.
The pair exchanged a number of tense baseline rallies, with the Russian’s power often proving the difference as she sent 36 winners past Ivanovic.
After the match, Kleybanova described the win as “the best match in my..
Roger Federer has put on another masterful display on a court he has come to dominate in recent years, knocking out the ever-dangerous Marat Safin in straight sets to move through to the fourth round of Australian Open 2009.
Billed as the match of the tournament so far – and a rematch of their famous semifinal at Australian Open 2005 which Safin clinched 9-7 in the fifth set – the encounter didn’t live up to the hype, with the world No. 2 progressing comfortably.
The only time Federer was truly challenged was in the tight third set, but three-time Open champion hung tough to triumph 6-3 ..
Opting to disregard one of the golden rules of sport kept Roger Federer on Centre Court for rather longer than he would have liked today.
At two sets and a break up on Philipp Kohlschreiber, the Swiss slipped into experimental mood rather than applying the killer touch and paid for it when he dropped his first set of the tournament before bouncing back to win 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1. The fact ..
Although we dare not offer the Nelsonian exhortation "England expects" to Andy Murray because he is a Scot, it is fair enough to remind him that Britain expects much of him today - and, fingers crossed, over the next two weeks.
Resolutely sidestepping the hype, Murray is focused on the job in hand, though the fact that he will be playing the 2009 Championships in Fred Perry clothing i..
Roger Federer talks a good game – which is only to be expected. After over half a decade at the very summit of the sport, he has been able to hone his interview technique to perfection – even if his latest tennis outfit becomes the main talking point.
His interview style has become a self-referential topic of conversation in press conferences. “I guess it already starts that I speak a few diffe..
Roger Federer justified his role as favourite to win the 2009 men's title by swatting aside the challenge of Yen-Hsun Lu from Taipei 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 on a Centre Court where, despite overcast conditions, the new roof remained open throughout. It was a highly impressive performance, since Lu did his nation proud with a battling show, especially in a tightly-contested first set.
Federer's ..
The new No. 2 Court witnessed a thriller as ninth seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga battled through his first round match against Kazakhstan’s Andrey Golubev, a man ranked 62 places below him, in four sets, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5).
The tie-break in the third set saw some Tsonga magic as he raced around the ball to drive a winning forehand across the court. This was followed by another ra..
Fourth seed Novak Djokovic survived an endurance test against Frenchman Julien Benetteau to win through to the second round but he needed three hours and 28 minutes of concerted effort to complete the job.
Benettau, in his sixth Wimbledon, shocked Djokovic by winning a 61-minute first set but was hit by falls in the third game of the third set and the last game of the match, which did not help ..
Sometimes it can seem that there is a gulf a mile wide between two players facing each other across the net. That was the case today when the number seven seed Fernando Verdasco saw off James Ward 6-1, 6-3, 6-4.
No doubt the mere experience of playing on No.1 Court will stand Ward in good stead, but Verdasco’s superior skill in every department left the British wild card brutally exposed.
Verd..
It was Andy Warhol who predicted, back in 1968, that: "In the future, everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes." He did not have tennis in mind, but the old boy was right.
For a few brief moments this month – admittedly a little long than quarter of an hour – Robin Soderling was a star. The Swede was the first man to beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros and, from that fourth-round ..
James Blake criticised the ATP Tour schedule after becoming the first big casualty of Wimbledon 2009. The 17th seed was upset in straight sets 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) by the on-song Italian Andreas Seppi on Court 3, the old No.2 Court, known as the “Graveyard of Champions”.
A fatigued Blake admitted afterwards that it was difficult to stay focused while playing so much tennis and believed the tour ca..
Day One of the 123rd Wimbledon Championships – and it was a disaster. Well, it was if you had just spent a fortune on a new roof for the Centre Court. So, what sort of weather did we have on the dawn of the brave new age of life with a roof? Sunshine, a few clouds and hours and hours of uninterrupted play. Not a drop of rain to be seen. Rats! The roof will have to wait for another day.
Other th..
Roger Federer won his first round encounter at Centre Court today defeating Lu of Chinese Taipei in straight sets. Roger needed less than 80 minutes to proceed to the second round at Wimbledon 2009. Roger Federer who is considered by most as the Greatest Player of All Time is looking to beat Pete Sampras' record by winning his 15th Grand Slam title here.
Roger looked comfortable during the..
What seemed to be a foregone conclusion after qualifying became one almost the moment Sebastian Vettel launched his Red Bull RB5 into the lead of the British Grand Prix. In a crushingly dominant drive, which underlined the major step forward that the Milton Keynes team have made on high-speed circuits, Vettel pulled away from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn by as much as a second a lap in a series..
1st Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 1h22m49.328s; 2nd Mark Webber (Red Bull), 1h23m04.516s; 3rd Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP), 1h23m30.503s.
Q: Sebastian, your first dry grand prix victory. Fantastic start. In the first stint you are pulling away at a second a lap from everyone else. You were told to calm down by your team in the middle stint but was it really as easy as it looked today?
Sebastia..
Welcome to the 123rd Championships, staged for the first time this year beneath a breathtaking canopy which bids fair to enable Wimbledon to match the Theatre of Dreams title so proudly held by Manchester United and their Old Trafford stadium. Except that, in the case of Centre Court, it might be more appropriately called the Cathedral of Dreams. For one man, however, dream has transformed into ni..
Five-time champion Roger Federer was relaxed and confident ahead of what could be an historic tournament for him, although any talk of taking Pete Sampras' Grand Slam record was relegated to a mere afterthought – the Swiss 2nd seed wants his Wimbledon title back, with any records that come with it mere icing on the cake.
"The focus is on the first round and the first point," said..
Andy Murray has given his fans the news they wanted to hear, declaring: “I’m ready to win a Grand Slam.” The world No.3 believes that the time has come to break his duck in the four majors, and is ready for a fortnight of Murray-mania at SW19. “I'd obviously love to win here,” said the Scot. “ I enjoy playing on grass and I love playing at Wimbledon.“
Murray reached the final of the US Ope..
Rafael Nadal has announced he will not defend his Wimbledon title. The world number one and top seed had said after the French Open that he would not play Wimbledon if he was not 100% and so it has come to pass. "I’m here and I'm just not 100%. I'm better than what I was a couple of weeks ago but I don’t feel right," Nadal told a packed press conference on Friday evening at the..
Roger Federer reminded everyone of his world-class ability as he disposed of Juan Martin Del Potro with the loss of only three games in their men’s quarterfinal at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.
The No.2 seed, who two days ago was tested in a five-set thriller with Tomas Berdych, was in sparkling form as he demolished the Argentine 6-3 6-0 6-0 in 80 minutes.
Critics of the three-time Australian..
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga displayed the va-va-voom that took him to the Australian Open final last year as he ousted American James Blake 6-4 6-4 7-6(3) in a magical encounter on Rod Laver on Monday night.
Similar in size, strength and sheer talent, the match up between the fifth and ninth seeds always promised to explosive, and the combatants did not disappoint in a match that produced spectacular te..
Top seed Rafael Nadal has eased into the quarterfinals of Australian Open 2009, brushing aside a flat Fernando Gonzalez 6-3 6-2 6-4 late on Monday afternoon.
While Nadal did not look as sharp as he did when eliminating Tommy Haas in the third round – in that match he hit 53 winners and recorded just eight errors – he did enough to ease past the Chilean in straight sets.
Gonzalez was undoubte..
World No.2 Roger Federer has survived an almighty scare in the fourth round of Australian Open 2009, downing a brave Tomas Berdych 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 6-4 6-2. The Swiss maestro found himself in big trouble early on when his groundstrokes were returned with interest by the No.20 seed, who beat Federer in the opening round of the 2004 Athens Olympics but never since then in seven subsequent meetings.
..
In-form American Andy Roddick has blitzed his way past Tommy Robredo 7-5 6-3 6-3 to comfortably reach the quarterfinals of Australian Open 2009.
Roddick’s victory would be a bitter pill to swallow for the Spaniard. Not only had he cruised to this stage of the draw by dropping only 18 games, but he has now lost to Roddick a staggering 10 consecutive times.
Even so, the No.21 seed looked like ..
Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli has caused a major upset on day seven of Australian Open 2009, defeating women’s world No.1 Jelena Jankovic 6-1 6-4 in the fourth round.
Bartoli, the 2007 Wimbledon finalist, came out with all guns blazing, clubbing seven winners to Jankovic’s none in the first three games in the opening set.
In her post-match press conference, Bartoli said she was hopeful coming i..
Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina is the first man through to the quarterfinals of Australian Open 2009 following a convincing 5-7 6-4 6-3 6-2 win over Marin Cilic of Croatia.
In a match dominated by big hits and serves, it was a low unforced error count that helped the No.8 seed on the way to his first Melbourne Park quarterfinal appearance, and only his second in any Grand Slam event.
The..
World No.2 Serena Williams has progressed to the final 16 of Australian Open 2009 with a 6-1 6-4 victory over China’s Shuai Peng on Saturday.
Although finishing with a routine scoreline, it was a match of two halves that Williams played against the world No.41.
In the opening set, the American was all business, dishing out 16 winners and winning the point when landing her first serve on 92 p..
Ana Ivanovic has been bundled out of Australian Open 2009, going down in one of the matches of the tournament to Russian No. 29 seed Alisa Kleybanova, who won 7-5 6-7(5) 6-2.
Ivanovic, the 2008 women’s singles finalist, drew upon all her fighting qualities over nearly three hours at Hisense Arena, but was ultimately powerless against the sheer force of Kleybanova’s game.
The pair exchanged a..
Roger Federer has put on another masterful display on a court he has come to dominate in recent years, knocking out the ever-dangerous Marat Safin in straight sets to move through to the fourth round of Australian Open 2009.
Billed as the match of the tournament so far – and a rematch of their famous semifinal at Australian Open 2005 which Safin clinched 9-7 in the fifth set – the encounter did..
Roger Federer has breezed through his second round Australian Open 2009 match against Russian Evgeny Korolev 6-2 6-3 6-1, setting up a tantalising third-round clash with Marat Safin.
Three-time champion Federer was at his imperious best against the rising Korolev, controlling play from the back of the court as the errors mounted for his opponent.
Federer’s first break came in the fourth game..
Australian Open 2005 champion Marat Safin has breezed through to the third round of the tournament after downing Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in straight sets, 7-5 6-2 6-2.
The Russian looked in brilliant form on Margaret Court Arena, setting up a mouth-watering match-up against Roger Federer in the next round. Federer defeated Russian Evgeny Korolev 6-2 6-3 6-1 on Wednesday afternoon.
Saf..
Croatian young gun Marin Cilic has moved through to the third round of Australian Open 2009 following a hard-fought 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-3 victory over Serbian Janko Tipsarevic.
Both men came into the match with points to defend from last year’s performance at the Open. Cilic made the fourth round in 2008, while Tipsarevic extended Roger Federer to 10-8 in the fifth set of an epic third round match 12..
