Roger Federer’s return to tournament play at the Australian Open has fans buzzing about potential matches against the world’s top players, but the four-time champion said he can't look that far ahead when he doesn't know who he will play first. The No. 17 seed opens up against a qualifier and is guaranteed to play another qualifier in the second round should he advance. Having not played a competitive match since Wimbledon, Federer said he can’t afford to take any of his opponents lightly. “It would be good to know who I play. Once it's out, it's a good thing because then you can start actually mentally preparing for the Australian Open,” said Federer. “Is it a lefty, a righty?...
It is the first round match-up of the Australian Open that brings one word to everyone’s minds: popcorn. Six-time champion Novak Djokovic will begin his title defence against the player he battled to save five match points against just last week in Doha. Fernando Verdasco pushed the World No. 2 to the limit in their semi-final at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, but the Serbian dug his heels in to win the match. The next day, he claimed the title with a win over World No. 1 Andy Murray, avenging his loss at the ATP Finals last November in London. Second-seeded Djokovic was handed a tricky opener against the veteran Spaniard, and he knows it. “I just see it as a...
Jack Sock claimed his second ATP World Tour title, beating Joao Sousa 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 for the ASB Classic crown on Saturday. Sock, the fourth seed, became the first American to win the title at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament in Auckland since John Isner in 2014 (also 2010). The 24-year-old Nebraska native adds to his 2015 Houston title and improves to 2-4 in tour-level finals. Sock broke twice in the first set to take a lead in the championship match, 6-3. The opponents traded breaks in the second set, but Sousa broke again for a 6-5 lead and then held serve once more to force a deciding set. Breaks were traded again early in the third set until...
Fourth seeds Marcin Matkowski and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi captured the ASB Classic crown with a 1-6, 6-2, 10-3 win over Jonathan Erlich and Scott Lipsky on Saturday. Erlich and Lipsky quickly claimed the first set after 23 minutes, but the eventual champions fired up for a comeback, breaking early in the second set for a 1-0 lead. The Polish/Pakistani duo capitalised on all three break point chances in their 61-minute victory. Matkowski and Qureshi topped Ryan Harrison and John Isner 7-6(4), 6-1 in the first round, beat Santiago Gonzalez and David Marrero 6-4, 3-6, 11-9 in the quarter-finals and defeated Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner 6-4, 6-4 for a final berth. “I’m really happy with our performances throughout the week and...
Watch how Dan Evans beat Andrey Kuznetsov at the Apia International Sydney on Friday for a place in the first ATP World Tour final. Photo: Getty Images. Video Courtesy Tennis Australia.