Month: January 2014

Hoping to attract more tennis fans in Asia, the WTA is moving its season-ending championships from Istanbul to Singapore and will revamp it into a 10-day event with music, entertainment and tennis-related symposiums. ”We’re ultimately in the entertainment business and trying to broaden our reach,” WTA Chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster said in a telephone interview ahead of Monday’s formal launch. ”We know that it’s a great way for us to expand our fan base.” The shift to Singapore from 2014-18 marks the first time the event will take place in Asia.

ROME (AP) — Defending champion Italy will rest its top players when it faces the United States in Cleveland next month in the first round of the Fed Cup.

Stan Wawrinka added a win over Rafael Nadal to his list of firsts in a stunning run to his maiden Grand Slam title, extending his rival’s injury-cursed run at the Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 upset in Sunday’s final. The 28-year-old Wawrinka had never taken a set off Nadal in 12 previous meetings, but attacked from the start against the 13-time major winner and regained his nerve after dropping the third set against the injured Spaniard. Nadal appeared to be on the verge of retiring in the second set, when he hurt his back and needed a… Read More

Daniel Nestor of Canada and Kristina Mladenovic of France combined to win the Australian Open mixed doubles title with a 6-3, 6-2 win Sunday over sixth-seeded Sania Mirza of India and Horia Tecau of Romania. Nestor and Mladenovic, who won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title last year, fended off all five break points they faced and broke the Mirza-Tecau combination four times in the 58-minute match. ”Kiki, she’s the best mixed doubles player. ” Nestor has won all four majors in men’s doubles.

Seven months after giving retirement serious thought, Li Na made it third time lucky in an Australian Open final with a 7-6 (3), 6-0 win over Dominika Cibulkova to become the oldest women’s champion here in the Open era. Li, who turns 32 next month, lost finals to Kim Clijsters in 2011 and to Victoria Azarenka last year. In between, she won the 2011 French Open in one of the many firsts she’s established for Chinese tennis. She first thanked her agent, Max, ”for making me rich,” her coach Carlos Rodriguez and then her husband, former coach and constant traveling… Read More

Andy Murray couldn’t quite remember the last time he smashed a racket. But he certainly didn’t forget how to crack the frame with one lethal strike after wasting four match points at the end of the third set of his fourth-round win over Stephane Robert at the Australian Open on Monday.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Top-ranked Rafael Nadal has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open after a 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (3) win over Kei Nishikori of Japan.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — – Sixth-seeded Roger Federer has equaled Jimmy Connors’ record by reaching his 41st Grand Slam quarterfinal with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Monday.

Two-time defending champion Victoria Azarenka saw another of her main adversaries crash out of the Australian Open on Monday, while top-ranked Rafael Nadal and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray faced tougher-than-expected matches to advance to the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park. Maria Sharapova joined Serena Williams as fourth-round casualties, leaving Azarenka a potentially easier run to the women’s final. Sharapova was beaten by No. 20 Dominika Cibulkova in the match on Rod Laver Arena immediately before Azarenka defeated Sloane Stephens, the last remaining American in the singles draw. Nadal won three tough sets against Kei Nishikori, while Murray wasted four match points… Read More

Two-time defending champion Victoria Azarenka shifted the spotlight from a tense rematch to her personal life with a center-court remark to rapper boyfriend Redfoo: She wants a ring with bling. The comment offered the crowd a light-hearted laugh after Azarenka played Sloane Stephens for the first time since a contentious Australian Open semifinal last year, when Azarenka was accused of gamesmanship for an ill-timed medical timeout.