The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Kuznetsova upsets Wozniacki at Open
- Red-hot Radwanska wary of Li threat
- Gay wins Humana Challenge in playoff
| Kuznetsova upsets Wozniacki at Open Posted: 20 Jan 2013 07:17 PM PST MELBOURNE: Two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova upset Danish 10th seed and ex-world number one Caroline Wozniacki in a tense three-set battle to make the Australian Open last eight on Monday. The experienced Russian won 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 and will meet either top seed Victoria Azarenka or Russian Elena Vesnina in the quarter-finals. It was a courageous win by Kuznetsova, who at 75 is the lowest ranked player left in the tournament after an injury to her right knee forced her to miss a big chunk of 2012, spending two months on crutches. The injury meant she missed all post-Wimbledon events last year including the US Open, which ended her streak of 40 straight Grand Slam appearances dating back to 2002 at Flushing Meadow. But Kuznetsova, who won the 2004 US Open and 2009 French Open, said she was feeling fresh again and delighted to be in the quarter-finals. "I'm really happy with the result because in the second set I got stuck a bit," she said. "But I came out fighting in the third, and it's great. "After 10 years of travelling I was getting tired," she added of her time on tour. "But I'm feeling fresh again and very happy to be in the quarter-finals because I struggled last year." It was Wozniacki struggling on Monday. Her preparations for Melbourne were hurt by going out early at both the Brisbane and Sydney International tournaments, and her lacklustre form continued in Melbourne. It was Kuznetsova who knocked her out of Sydney in the second round and while both players held their opening serves, the Russian put the Dane under pressure with some aggressive groundstrokes in the third game. She won a crucial advantage on the second break point to go 2-1 ahead and consolidated the break by holding serve. Kuznetsova kept pressing and got a second break in the seventh game when Wozniacki smashed a forehand into the net. She served out for the set but against the run of play, Wozniacki broke for a 2-0 lead in the second set. The Russian lost her momentum and the Dane pushed on to get another break and take the set in 33 minutes. It set up a tense decider and the Russian came out refreshed, taking a break for 2-1 with Wozniacki's frustration clear as she slammed her racquet to the ground. The Dane dug deep to immediately break back as Kuznetsova lashed a forehand wide. The set became a battle with each player desperately trying to outsmart the other. Kutznetsova finally got the breakthrough when Wozniacki netted a forehand on her serve to hand the Russian a 5-4 lead and she served out for the match.-AFP |
| Red-hot Radwanska wary of Li threat Posted: 20 Jan 2013 06:42 PM PST MELBOURNE: Agnieszka Radwanska is the hottest player on the women's tour this year but is not underestimating the threat posed by Li Na as she bids for a place in the Australian Open semi-finals. Poland's top player, seeded four at Melbourne Park, beat the Chinese number one 6-3, 6-4 at the lead-up Sydney International tournament, an event she went on to win. It followed her victory in Auckland the previous week which coupled with her run to the last eight here gives her an enviable streak of 13 unbeaten matches without dropping a set, unmatched by anyone else so far. Li fought hard in the Sydney semi-final, but errors at crucial times ultimately cost her dearly. Radwanska, though, is wary of the Chinese star as she searches for her first Grand Slam title, with the Wuhan native also carrying solid momentum into their showdown on Tuesday. "It's always tough against her," Radwanska said of the sixth seed, who made the Melbourne final in 2011 and was a semi-finalist in 2010. She fell in the fourth round last year. "She's always playing very solid tennis. I think I really have to play aggressive against her, definitely serving good, really playing my hundred percent best tennis. Otherwise I'm not going to win. "She's a very consistent player and moving very well." Until now, Radwanska has proved far too powerful and consistent for her opponents this year, and comfortably dismantled the game of 13th seeded Serb Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round. Neither Radwanska, who has never gone beyond the last eight at Melbourne in six previous tournaments, nor Li have the best serve on tour and the Pole feels their game will be a baseline slugfest. "Well, I think in our matches it's not about the power on the serve," she said. "I think we both have other shots, other type of games that we are good at. That's why even against the players that's serving 200 kilometres per hour, we are still able to beat them. "Tennis is not about the serve only." Li swept impressively into Tuesday's showdown by beating Germany's 18th seed Julia Goerges 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 as she targets her second Grand Slam title. Li, who became Asia's first Grand Slam champion at the 2011 French Open, showed her pedigree by saving a first-set set point in a tense tie-breaker. After that she was untouchable. The 30-year-old is happy to have made it so far after last year's heartbreak when she went out at the same hurdle to Belgian Kim Clijsters, the woman who beat her for the title in 2011. "Really looking forward to the quarter-final," she said. "For one and a half years, I always lose in the fourth round. So for me it was very important (to win the fourth round match)." -AFP |
| Gay wins Humana Challenge in playoff Posted: 20 Jan 2013 05:48 PM PST LA QUINTA, California:Brian Gay birdied the second hole of a three-man playoff Sunday to win the US PGA Tour's $5.6 million Humana Challenge. Scott Stallings, who took a five-shot lead into the final round, hit his second shot at the par-five 18th into the water and didn't make the playoff that included Gay, Sweden's David Lingmerth and Charles Howell. The trio finished 72 holes on 25-under 263. US tour rookie Lingmerth had 10 birdies in his 10-under 62 on the Palmer course, where the final round was played after the first three rounds were played over three courses in the southern California desert. Gay had nine birdies in his nine-under 63, and Howell countered two bogeys with 10 birdies in his eight-under 64 on Sunday. Gay had a birdie chance at the last which would have given him the outright lead, but missed his eight-footer. Howell had an 88-foot eagle putt at 18 but three-putted while Lingmerth birdied the last hole of regulation. All three were in the fairway off the tee at the first playoff hole, the 18th. Gay then found the greenside rough, Howell was on the green and Lingmerth was in the water and couldn't match the pars of the other two. They headed to the par-four 10th for the second playoff hole. Gay found the fairway and hit his approach to five feet while Howell was in the right rough and from there into a bunker behind the green. After Howell missed his par attempt, Gay made his birdie putt to claim the fourth US PGA Tour title of his career and his first in four years. Stallings had five birdies but also three bogeys, his two-under effort giving him a 24-under total of 264. He was tied with James Hahn, who had two eagles in a 62 on another day of ideal scoring conditions. |
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