From start to finish, Serena dominates Aussie

MELBOURNE, Australia - Serena Williams overcame an even-numbered year hoodoo and the fairytale return of an opponent once ranked number one in the world to claim her 12th grand slam singles title at the Australian Open on Saturday.

The 28-year-old world No. 1, who had won four previous Australian Open titles, in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009, was at her bustling and aggressive best, overcoming Justine Henin 6-4 3-6 6-2 to snap the jinx.

"I never thought about it," Williams said of the victory with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup sitting beside her. "I was always okay with winning on the odd years.

"I was totally OK with losing today or losing in the semis, because it meant that I would win next year.

"So now I don't know. I'm a little nervous. I'm like, I don't know if I'm going to win next year or not."

Williams had entered the tournament under a cloud after a foul-mouthed tirade against a line judge at the U.S. Open ended in her being fined $175,000 and given a two-year good behavior bond for the outburst.

Any subsequent offense at a Grand Slam could cost her a place at the U.S. Open in 2010, 2011 or 2012, and the American kept her emotions in check throughout the tournament at Melbourne Park.

Williams had few reasons to get upset as she progressed through to the quarterfinals with comfortable victories courtesy of her powerful service game and groundstrokes.

By the time she met seventh-seeded Belarussian Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals she was the dominant force in the tournament.

She had not dropped a set or been broken in 31 service games in her four previous matches.

Azarenka ended that streak in the first game and held a one set and 4-0 lead before Williams finally woke up and began to reel off aces and service winners.

The pattern continued in the final against Henin, where at one point she lost 15 successive points, which had allowed the Belgian to take the second set and a 1-0 lead in the third.

"Well, I lost so many in a row I thought, 'Gosh, I was up 15-40 at one point and could have broke her,'" Williams said.

"I thought, 'well, at least I won the first set.'

 

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"So in the third, I knew I would have chances again just to capitalize on that one chance in that one moment.

"I may have hit some aces. So that definitely helped me out. Honestly, the longer the match goes the better my serve gets."

Williams, who claimed her 11th Grand Slam doubles title with sister Venus on Friday, said the support from her older sibling helped her in the third set.

"She was really supportive out there today. I remember in the third set, I was down, and I heard her say, 'C'mon, Serena. It's OK. Right here, right here'.

"That really got me pumped up."

Click for related contentSerena beats Henin for title
  Vote, discuss: How many Slam titles for Serena?
  Vote, discuss: Will Serena win Grand Slam in 2010?

Williams was so happy after the match that she made a half-hearted attempt to climb into her box to thank Venus after the match.

"I was like, OK, that's a hopeless cause.' I was thinking about going inside, taking the elevator and then going inside, but there's no way I would have made it."

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Opinion: Federer’s emphatic win erases doubtsCanales open to Prem move

Opinion: Federer’s emphatic win erases doubts

MELBOURNE, Australia - Roger Federer's emphatic Australian Open victory over Andy Murray on Sunday was the perfect response to those who have questioned his continued hunger for Grand Slam success.

The 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (11) victory shattered British dreams of a first men's Grand Slam champion in 74 years and dashed the notion that the new husband and father might temper his pursuit of glory after breaking Pete Sampras's grand slam record.

"I always knew I had it in my hand. The question is (did) I have it in my mind and in my legs," Federer said after extending his record to 16 Grand Slams, two more than Sampras and a whopping 10 more than nearest current challenger Rafael Nadal.

"That's something I had to work extremely hard at. Now I feel like obviously I'm being pushed a great deal by the new generation coming up.

"I think that's also thanks to guys like Murray. They've made me a better player, because I think this has been one of my finest performances, you know, in a long time, or maybe forever."

A year after shedding bitter tears in the wake of his five-set loss to Nadal for the title in 2009, the imperious win left his opponent choking back sobs, having missed five set points in an epic third-set tiebreaker.

The raw emotion that cut Murray's presentation speech short was all too familiar to Federer, who spent months battling to find lost confidence and form last year.

"You know, in a way it was hard to watch, but at the same time I like seeing players who care for the game," said Federer.

"It's nice to see. So you wish only the best for him.

"The next one is not gonna get any easier (for Murray). But his game is so good that I'm convinced he will win one."

The latest Grand Slam success has not fueled any new ambitions for Federer, who said simply he hoped his twin girls might join his wife Mirka in the players' box next year.

 

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"My game is not as taxing as other players' games. I also think I have a very relaxed mind when it comes to the game of tennis.

"But off the court, it's a matter of relaxing and enjoying it, you know, seeing friends and families. There's more important things than tennis after all.

"I think that's something I've always had a clear vision of how my life is. I think that's also helped me to go through better and tougher phases, because I know this is an incredible trip I'm on.

"We'll see where it ends, you know. I hope not anytime soon."

Click for related contentFederer wins 16th Slam title
  Vote, discuss: Will Federer win the Grand Slam in 2010?

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Federer cruises into Aussie Open finalsPuyol backs his boss

Federer's Haiti charity match raises $600,000

MELBOURNE, Australia - More than just a champion, Roger Federer was recognized Sunday as a humanitarian.

A charity match initiated by Federer to raise money for Haiti earthquake victims has raised more than $600,000, said Tennis Canada head Geoff Pollard.

The Jan. 12 earthquake that has killed at least 150,000 in Haiti struck three days before the start of the Australian Open.

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Federer organized a mixed-doubles fundraiser on the eve of the Open that featured some of tennis' top stars, wearing microphones on court and providing comedic commentary as they played.

Among them were Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Kim Clijsters and Lleyton Hewitt.

The match at the Rod Laver Arena raised about $125,000, with seats priced to sell at just under $10.

Donations poured in after that: the ATP Tour, the WTA Tour and the International Tennis Federation contributed a combined $265,000; the Grand Slam Committee gave $177,000, Pollard told the crowd on center court after Federer won his 16th Grand Slam final.

Federer beat Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (11), to win his 16th Grand Slam title and his fourth Australian Open.

Players have also donated rackets that are being auctioned on eBay and have raised almost $40,000.

"Haiti is a tragedy that has touched the hearts of the world," Tennis Australia CEO Steve Wood said in the statement. "The tennis community just wanted to help."

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Ronaldo hit with two-match banFederer cruises into Aussie Open finals

Federer, Serena to hold on to No. 1 rankings

MELBOURNE, Australia - Roger Federer and Australian Open women's champion Serena Williams will maintain their No. 1 rankings when new ATP and WTA rankings are released Monday.

Federer, who played Britain's Andy Murray in the Australian Open men's final Sunday, will begin his 268th week as No. 1 and match Jimmy Connors, currently in third place, for total number of weeks as world No. 1.

Pete Sampras leads the career list with 286 weeks at No. 1, followed by Ivan Lendl with 270.

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If Murray beats Federer at Melbourne Park, he could move to No. 2. Otherwise, projections have Novak Djokovic taking over No. 2, Murray third and injured Rafael Nadal dropping to No. 4.

It marks the first time that Nadal will drop out of the world's top three since his debut there in June 2005.

Nadal has been cleared of a recurrence of the knee tendinitis that sidelined him for nine weeks last year. A small muscle tear sustained at the Australian Open, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Murray, will keep him out for the next month.

"It is not important for me, the ranking issue and losing a few spots - that's normal when you are not able to compete," Nadal said.

There will be movement on the women's side, with Li Na becoming the first Chinese player ever to enter the top 10 when she reaches a career high No. 10 following her semifinal run here.

Justine Henin, who was unranked and playing on a wild-card entry at her first major in two years, still needs to play another tournament before she gets an official ranking.

Williams, who beat Henin in Saturday's Australian Open final, has extended her current stretch at No. 1 to 15 weeks. Projections provided by the WTA show Williams will begin her 88th career week as the top-ranked player.

Dinara Safina is projected to be No. 2, followed by U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki at a career-high No. 3, French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova at No. 4 and Australian Open quarterfinalist Venus Williams at No. 5.

Projections also show Victoria Azarenka, who lost to Serena Williams in the quarterfinals, to be No. 6, followed by Elena Dementieva at 7. It's the first time that Olympic gold medalist Dementieva, who lost to Henin in the second round here, has dropped out of the top 5 since September, 2008.

Jelena Jankovic is projected to be No. 8, Aznieszka Radwanska 9 and Li at 10.

Li said after her quarterfinal win over Venus Williams that her goal was the top 10, but she may have to revise her expectations higher.

"So exciting, maybe I will have a beer tonight," said Li, who lost in the semifinals to Serena Williams. "My goal this year was top 10, but it's only January, and it's come quickly."

Henin, who quit in May 2008 while holding the No. 1 ranking, has to play three tournaments before she re-enters the rankings.

The 27-year-old Belgian lost the Brisbane International final to U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters in Henin's first tournament back. After her finals appearance at Melbourne, another good showing at her next tournament, which is expected to be in March at Indian Wells, California, could see Henin return in the top 50.

Clijsters returned to the rankings at No. 19 ahead of the fourth and last event of her comeback season at Luxembourg, where she was ousted in the second round.

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© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Real win Canales raceHenin’s comeback tour reaches final against Serena

Williams sisters win 4th Aussie doubles title

MELBOURNE, Australia - Venus Williams is a much better doubles partner for her sister Serena than she is a keeper of the score.

The Williams sisters won their fourth Australian Open doubles title on Friday, beating Cara Black and Liezel Huber 6-4, 6-3 in the final at Rod Laver Arena.

At the end, Venus couldn’t figure out why Serena was so excited about what she thought was a game point. And Serena was perplexed why Venus was so subdued on match point.

The problem: Venus had lost track of the score.

The sisters, sitting in front of their newly won silverware in a news conference, couldn’t contain their laughter when asked about the comical finish to the match.

“I actually didn’t know the score, I thought that it was 5-2,” Venus said. “I really don’t know how I lost track. So I was confused, but I guess that’s just focus.

“I thought, she’s really happy about this break. I thought, ’Wow, I’ve never seen her this happy’. But I’ll go with it.”

Serena was happy, and confused.

“Yeah, I thought, ’OK, this is exciting. We defended our title’ and she was like, ’What’s going on?’ I’m like, ’The match is over. We’re done now.’ It was funny.”

Venus said not knowing they were one game away from clinching the match might have helped.

“I guess it’s easier to hold at 3-2 instead of 4-3. I thought it was break point,” she said. “I didn’t know it was match. I need to play all my matches like this without knowing the score. I think it would help.”

The sisters broke Huber’s service to open the second set and won the match when they again broke Huber, clinching it on a winning reflex volley by Serena. They high-fived each other at the side of the court after the win.

The Williams sisters won the Australian title for the first time in 2001 and added championships in 2003 and last year. Black, of Zimbabwe, and Huber, a South African-born American citizen, won the Australian Open doubles title in 2007 and were the top-seeded team in the tournament this year.

“I have to congratulate Venus and Serena for a great tournament — you guys are too good,” Black said.

It was the 11th time the Williams sisters have combined for a Grand Slam doubles title.

Serena has 11 singles majors, also, and is hoping for a 12th in the Australian Open final on Saturday against Justine Henin.

Venus Williams has also won a mixed doubles title at the Australian Open — in 1998 with fellow American Jason Gimelstob. Serena Williams was a losing finalist in mixed doubles here with Max Mirnyi of Belarus in 1999.

Black is still in this year’s mixed doubles tournament. She and partner Leander Paes of India, the top-seeded pairing, will play Ekaterina Makarova of Russia and Jaroslav Levinsky of Czech Republic in Sunday’s final.

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Venus, SerenaВ reach third roundCanales open to Prem move

Henin's comeback tour reaches final against Serena

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -One of Justine Henin's favorite moments at a Grand Slam comes right before she walks onto center court for the final, when the locker room is nearly empty and quiet.

The seven-time Grand Slam winner has savored that moment 11 times in her career. She'll do so again Saturday when she meets top-ranked Serena Williams at the Australian Open final.

Henin's stunning success comes only two tournaments into her return from a 20-month retirement, a comeback that the Belgian has called "extraordinary" and Williams considers an "amazing" story.

"It's more than a dream for me," Henin said. "The challenge of facing the No. 1 player in the world is magnificent."

The final features two champions battling to be the best of their generation. Williams leads with 11 Grand Slam singles trophies to Henin's seven.

If Williams wins, she will tie Billie Jean King for a career total of 12 Grand Slam singles titles.

"It will be a defining match for both of us," Williams said. "It definitely will be mental and who wants the title more and who's willing to go the extra step."

The 28-year-old Williams has won all four majors, proving her superiority on all surfaces - clay, hard court and grass. She's also earned the most prize money, a record $28.5 million since turning pro in 1995. Henin has won $19.4 million since 1999.

But the 27-year-old Henin has spent more time at No. 1 - 117 weeks compared to Williams' 89 weeks - in a shorter time span.

The two players have dramatically different styles. Williams' game is about power, aggressiveness and agility, while Henin is an intense presence on the court with a sublime backhand that John McEnroe has called one of the best in the game.

"She is a real champion," Henin said of Williams. "We're both fighters. We want to win. And I think maybe we helped each other to get better."

Henin and Williams both agree that their center-court showdown will be as much a mental battle as a physical one.

"We both want it. But we'll just see who's playing better tomorrow," Williams said Friday after she and sister Venus won their fourth Australian Open doubles title.

Henin and Williams have played 13 times, including six Grand Slam showdowns. But they've never meet in the final of a major.

Serena holds a 7-6 edge in their overall matchups, while Henin leads in Grand Slams 4-2.

Stars align for Williams-Henin final in AustraliaJuve pessimistic on Candreva

Injured Nadal to miss up to four weeks

MELBOURNE, Australia - Rafael Nadal will miss up to four weeks of competition to recover from a knee injury that forced him to quit in the third set of his Australian Open quarterfinal against Andy Murray.

The No. 2-ranked Nadal had his right knee assessed in Spain and was advised to rest completely for two weeks, then have two weeks of medical treatment before returning to tournament play, his management said in a statement Friday.

Nadal said it was not the recurrence of the tendinitis that sidelined the six-time Grand Slam singles champion for periods of 2009. He was unable to defend his Wimbledon title last year because of the tendinitis and has not reached another Grand Slam final since his five-set win over Roger Federer at last year's Australian Open.

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MRI and ultrasound tests showed a small tear at the back part of Nadal's right knee, which can be treated with physiotherapy and anti-inflammatory treatment, Dr. Angel Ruiz-Cotorro said in the statement.

Nadal expects to miss the ATP tournament starting Feb. 8 at Rotterdam, where he lost the final to Murray last year.

"After two weeks and depending on the results of the different tests and controls, he will steadily resume his sporting activity with a total recovery time to resume competition in fours weeks," Ruiz-Cotorro was quoted as saying.

Nadal said he was happy the latest injury setback was not lingering tendinitis.

"I feel good and I am only thinking now of recovering well," the 23-year-old Spaniard said. "My main goal right now is to get ready again and fit to play the upcoming events once I am able to compete.

"It is a big disappointment for me not to be able to play at ... Rotterdam this year."

Nadal, who replaced Roger Federer in No. 1 spot for 46 weeks from August 2008 until July last year, said losing a few places in the rankings was not a concern for him.

"It is not important for me the ranking issue and losing a few spots, that's normal when you are not able to compete," he said. "For me it is more important to play well again and to have the good feelings on the court that I had in Abu Dhabi, Doha and also at the Australian Open where I played at the highest level."

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© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Nadal set for further tests on knee injuryJacobo suffers injury blow

Federer cruises into Aussie Open finals

MELBOURNE, Australia - Roger Federer is through to his 22nd Grand Slam final after defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 in a near-flawless display Friday at the Australian Open.

Federer, seeking his fourth Australian title, hopes to reverse his tear-filled exit from last year’s final when he was beaten by Rafael Nadal, the left-handed Spaniard’s first hard-court title.

This time, the man between Federer and another title here Sunday will be Andy Murray, whose motivation has been fueled by a 74-year drought for British men in Grand Slam singles. He’s taking part in his second final, having been beaten at the U.S. Open in 2008 by Federer.

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Murray beat Marin Cilic in the Australian Open semifinals after ousting Nadal in the quarterfinals. Now, hopes are high in the United Kingdom that he could be the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win a major singles title.

“I know he’d like to win the first for British tennis since what is it, 150,000 years?” Federer joked to the crowd amid much laughter. “The poor guy who has to go through those moments over and over again ... “

Later, Federer, in a calm, casual way, sent some verbal shots to Murray.

“I don’t feel like the pressure’s really on me having to do it again, because I did it before,” said Federer, who has won a record 15 Grand Slam singles titles.

“I think he really needs it more than I do. So I think the pressure’s big on him. We’ll see how he’s going to handle it. It’s not going to be easy for him, that’s for sure.”

If Federer plays Sunday the way he did Friday against Tsonga, the drought could continue for at least another Grand Slam.

“Don’t mess with Roger,” one fan wrote on a sign at Rod Laver Arena. And the shell-shocked Tsonga didn’t.

Federer reached his 18th final in the last 19 Grand Slam events by overpowering the 2008 Australian Open finalist. His semifinal loss here to Novak Djokovic in 2008 being the only break in the finals sequence.

Federer did not face a break point against Tsonga.

“It’s nice going through a match like that,” Federer said. “I think against top players, it’s always positive if you can win the first set.”

“Maybe mentally he was more fatigued than physically,” added Federer. “That’s unfortunate for him.”

Tsonga hit a backhand into the net on break point to give Federer a 2-1 lead in the third set, and the match was all but over. The 24-year-old Frenchman double-faulted on break point to give Federer a 4-1 lead in the third, and Federer clinched it on his serve in 88 minutes when Tsonga hit a forehand wide.

“Yes, there are moments when it’s frustrating where you can’t put the ball where you want it and you make mistakes,” Tsonga said.

Asked to provide advice to Murray, Tsonga said: “Be ready to run.”

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Murray keeps Grand Slam title hopes aliveCopa del Rey round-up

Stars align for Williams-Henin final in Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -Even Serena Williams likes the story of Justine Henin's comeback.

It's an "amazing" tale, Williams said.

Only two tournaments into her return from a 20-month retirement, Henin has made it all the way to the Australian Open final. Her only obstacle to a happy ending is Williams, who faces Henin on Saturday.

"Justine hasn't been gone that long, but it's still a good story," said Williams, who has a long and intense rivalry with Henin that has never included a Grand Slam final.

The top-ranked Williams and the former No. 1 Henin have played 13 times, including six Grand Slam showdowns that only went as far as the semifinals. Serena holds a 7-6 edge in their overall matchups. In Grand Slams, Henin leads 4-2.

The last time Williams played a Belgian at a Grand Slam, it didn't go so well. Williams' tirade over a line call in her U.S. Open semifinal against Kim Clijsters cost her a record $82,500 fine. Clijsters was also fresh from a comeback after two years off to get married and have a baby - and Clijsters went on to win the title.

Henin is usually cautious about sounding too optimistic. But she was elated Thursday after winning her semifinal against 2008 Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie 6-1, 6-0. The match lasted 51 minutes and was the most lopsided semifinal at the Australian Open since Chris Evert beat Andrea Jaeger by the same score in 1982.

"I'm aware that this is extraordinary," the 27-year-old Henin said. "I never would have thought that when I got on the plane I would be here in the final of the Australian Open."

Williams had a considerably tougher time. She wasted four match points before finishing off a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1) semifinal win with an ace against Li Na of China, a day after her sister Venus lost to her in the quarterfinals.

Henin and Williams describe the other in similar terms - as a fighter with supreme physical abilities and the mental strength to rally for the victory.

"She is a real champion," Henin said of Williams. "A real fighter. Never gives up ... I think we respect each other a lot for that. We're both fighters. We want to win. And I think maybe we helped each other to get better."

Asked to list Henin's strengths, Williams summed them up briefly: "I think, it's a case of - what doesn't she do well."

"We bring out the best game in each other," said the 28-year-old Williams. "I think that we both just play our hearts out. I think that's what creates a good rivalry."

The return of Henin and Clijsters has restored some life and rivalries to the women's game, which has many promising newcomers but suffered some lackluster finals in their absence.

The final Saturday offers another good story line of two champions battling to be the best of their generation. Williams leads with 11 Grand Slam trophies to Henin's seven.

Williams has won all four majors, proving her superiority on all surfaces - clay, hard court and grass.

Williams also boasts more prize money from her wins, with $28.5 million since turning pro in 1995 compared to Henin's $19.4 million. The Belgian turned pro in 1999.

But Henin has spent more time at No. 1 - 117 weeks compared to Williams' 89 weeks - in a shorter time span.

Another factor going into the final is what Henin calls her mental and physical "freshness," coming back after 20 months off the WTA Tour.

At the height of her career, Henin stunned the tennis world by announcing in May 2008 that she had lost her passion for the sport. She became the first woman to walk away from the sport while ranked No. 1.

She wanted to escape her "tennis bubble" and experience life. Along the way found that she missed tennis and had some unfinished business to tend to, namely Wimbledon, the only Grand Slam she hasn't won.

In Melbourne, Henin is riding a wave of newfound self-confidence that has grown with each match. She unveiled a stronger serve and new aggressiveness at the net that have combined with her explosive speed and sublime one-handed backhand.

She has spoken about her return as if it were destined to happen.

"I feel like it's my place to be here," Henin said after her first-round win and repeatedly afterward.

The prospect of facing Williams stirs Henin's competitive spirit.

"I can't wait for the final," Henin said. "It's more than a dream. I wouldn't want it to be anyone else on Saturday because the challenge of facing the No. 1 player in the world is magnificent.

"I like it when things are difficult. And I know they will be."

Serena reaches Aussie final, will play HeninCanales open to Prem move

Serena reaches Aussie final, will play Henin

MELBOURNE, Australia - Serena Williams and Justine Henin won their semifinals over Chinese opponents to advance to Saturday’s final at the Australian Open.

Williams beat Li Na 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1) while Henin wasted little time beating Zheng Jie 6-1, 6-0.

Serena Williams recorded her 50th career win at Melbourne Park and advanced to her fifth Australian Open final. Henin is playing in her first Grand Slam tournament in two years since ending a 20-month retirement.

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Li and Zheng were the first Chinese players to advance to the semifinals of the same Grand Slam.

“Every time I had match points, she came up with some big serves and great shots,” Williams said. “She just goes for broke.”

Serena Williams got some help from her sister for her semifinal win. After Venus Williams lost in the quarterfinals to Li, ending any chance of an all-Williams semifinal, she did all she could to ensure at least one family member would be there.

“She told me how to play her and what to do,” Serena said. “She had chances yesterday and she knew how to play her. It always helps when you have someone who can help you out.”

Williams and Henin stopped the numerous Chinese flags at Rod Laver Arena from being raised too often in jubilation.

“Good for both players,” Li said. “Also good for China tennis. I think if the children, they see this, maybe they will be more confident and think they can do it some day, too.”

Unfortunately for Zheng, it was the most lopsided women’s semifinal at the Australian Open since Chris Evert beat Andrea Jaeger by the same score in 1982.

“It was perfect,” said Henin, who had to beat Olympic gold medalist and No. 5-ranked Elena Dementieva just to get past the second round. “I had enough tennis in the past two weeks so it was good to have a pretty easy match.”

Serena Williams has won the title every time she’s played the final here since beating Venus here in 2003. The winning sequence has been every odd-numbered year so far.

The Williams sisters, the defending champions in doubles, later beat Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the semifinals and will meet No. 1-seeded Cara Black and Liezel Huber in Friday’s final.

Henin is unranked and two tournaments into her comeback, hoping to emulate fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters’ win at the U.S. Open last September.

Clijsters was only three tournaments into a comeback from two years off, and playing on a wild card entry, when she beat both Williams sisters en route to winning the title at New York.

Williams is hoping for better against a Belgian on the comeback this time. Her semifinal loss to Clijsters in New York cost her a record $82,500 fine for a tirade against a line judge who called her for a foot fault.

Serena Williams leads Henin 7-6 in career head-to-heads, although they’ve never met in a Grand Slam final. Williams won their last match, at Miami in 2008, just before Henin retired suddenly while holding the No. 1 ranking.

“It’s such an amazing chance that I have to play another final in Melbourne,” said Henin, who won the 2004 title in Melbourne and lost the 2006 final. “It’s a very special occasion.”

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Serena, Venus advance to Aussie Open quartersGuti considers Real exit

Australian Open Show Court Schedules

Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Liezel Huber (1), United States, vs. Serena and Venus Williams (2), United States.

Flavia Pennetta, Italy, and Marcelo Melo, vs. Ekaterina Makarova, Russia, and Jaroslav Levinsky, Czech Republic.

Not Before 3:30 a.m. Friday

Roger Federer (1), Switzerland, vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (10), France.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Canales open to Prem moveAustralian Open Show Court Schedules

Murray keeps Grand Slam title hopes alive

MELBOURNE, Australia - Andy Murray is still around at the Australian Open, only one victory away from doing what do what no British man has done in more than 70 years — win a Grand Slam tournament singles title.

Murray beat Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 Thursday night in a semifinal to advance to Sunday’s championship match. He’ll take on the winner of Friday night’s semifinal between three-time Australian Open winner Roger Federer and 2008 finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

If Federer wins it will mean a rematch of the 2008 U.S. Open where the Swiss star beat Murray in straight sets. That was the 22-year-old Murray’s only trip to a Grand Slam singles final, where his loss continued a streak of no British man winning a major since 1936.

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Murray expects Federer to be across the net from him on Sunday night at Rod Laver Arena.

“Tsonga’s played a lot of sets, he’s going to be a little bit tired like Cilic was, but you never know with him, he’s a great player,” Murray said. “Still, I expect Federer to come through.”

Earlier Thursday, Serena Williams and Justine Henin won their semifinals over Chinese opponents to advance to Saturday’s final. Williams beat Li Na 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1) while Henin wasted little time beating Zheng Jie 6-1, 6-0.

The last British man to win at the Australian Open was Fred Perry in 1934. Perry won Wimbledon in 1936, the last British man to win there, a drought that has worn heavily on the psyche of players such as Murray, Tim Henman and others before them.

Murray is the first British man to reach the Australian final since John Lloyd in 1977 and the first to reach two Grand Slam finals in the Open era.

Murray used to joke several years ago that when he lost he was Scottish, and when he won the media referred to him as British. He could make everybody happy in the United Kingdom if he breaks the drought on Sunday.

“I started going for my shots a little bit more, he was playing right close to the baseline,” Murray said. Cilic “played three five-set matches and made it so tough for me and fought until the end.

“I’m really look forward to the final now, I’m feeling good.”

Leading 3-1 in the fourth set and with Cilic serving, Murray unleashed a forehand to the corner that left Cilic standing in the middle of the court on break point. He took a 5-1 lead on his next service game and closed the match in just over 3 hours.

“I wouldn’t (make) my tiredness an excuse for losing this match,” Cilic said. “I think he deserved to win.”

At the end of the match, a man wearing a Croatia soccer jersey walked on to the court and shook Cilic’s hand before being removed by security. It was the first on-court security breach at the tournament.

“I think the fan got excited and he wanted to shake my hand, so ... I gave him a present,” said Cilic. “I shook his hand. He was happy.”

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Roddick, Nadal ousted in Aussie Open quartersPrimera Liga round-up

Williams sisters, top Russians out of Fed Cup

LONDON (AP) -With Serena and Venus Williams going to the Super Bowl instead, the United States will have to count on teenager Melanie Oudin to lead the team against France in the first round of the Fed Cup.

The 18-year-old Oudin, who reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals last year, was officially chosen Wednesday along with Shenay Perry, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Liezel Huber, according to the International Tennis Federation.

"I'm happy to bring back Melanie, whose toughness and fortitude are important attributes when playing in the Fed Cup competition," United States captain Mary Joe Fernandez said.

Russia will also be without its top players when it faces a Serbian team that will include Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic on indoor hardcourts in Belgrade on Feb. 6-7.

Instead of second-ranked Dinara Safina, No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova, No. 5 Elena Dementieva, No. 9 Vera Zvonareva, No. 19 Nadia Petrova and Maria Sharapova, the Russians will be represented by Alisa Kleybanova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Vera Dushevina and Ekaterina Makarova.

Bojana Jovanovski and Ana Jovanovic are also on Serbia's team.

Also in the first round, defending champion Italy will visit Ukraine in Kharkiv and the Czech Republic will host Germany in Brno - both on indoor hardcourts.

Serena is the top-ranked player in the world, but has often skipped Fed Cup because of other commitments. This time, she and her older sister are bypassing the best-of-five series on indoor clay in Lievin, France, because they have an ownership stake in the Miami Dolphins.

The Super Bowl, which will be played at Miami's stadium on Feb. 7 between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, takes place on the second day of Fed Cup play.

Oudin will be making her fourth straight Fed Cup appearance. Now ranked 48th in the world, she won a key singles match against Argentina last year.

Fernandez, who led the team to the final last year, was confident despite the missing Williams sisters.

"I know the team is committed to working hard again this year, starting next weekend in France," Fernandez said. "I am proud of our team for making the final last year, and I look forward to a strong campaign in 2010."

France will be represented by Alize Cornet, Julie Coin, Pauline Parmentier and Stephanie Cohen-Aloro.

Italy will use Flavia Pennetta, Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci against the Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko, Kateryna Bondarenko, Viktoria Kutuzova and Mariya Koryttseva. Lucie Safarova, Lucie Hradecka, Petra Kvitova and Kveta Peschke will play for Germany against Andrea Petkovic, Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Tatjana Malek and Kristina Barrois of Germany.

In World Group II, Australian Open semifinalist Zheng Jie will lead China against Slovakia, but both Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters will be missing when Belgium takes on Poland. Also, Australia will face Spain and Estonia will take on Argentina.

Serbia chooses indoor clay to face U.S. in Davis CupGetafe to part with Adrian

Nadal set for further tests on knee injury

MADRID - Rafael Nadal will undergo further medical scans in Spain to determine the severity of the knee injury that forced him out of the Australian Open.

The second-ranked Nadal retired during his quarterfinal against Andy Murray after losing the first two sets and trailing in the third, complaining of discomfort in his right knee. Tendinitis in that same knee forced him to miss part of last season, including Wimbledon.

"We don't know the scope of the injury but there is something going on in there, something that wasn't there before," uncle and coach Toni Nadal told Spanish media from Australia. "Something felt wrong and it was the right decision to retire."

Nadal is set to undergo MRI scans after arriving in Spain to determine the extent of the problem, with Toni Nadal quoted as saying that a preliminary ultrasound showed it "wasn't a serious problem."

"You're always worried about these things, it's normal," Toni Nadal said. "It appears not to be what he had before and something else, but we must be prudent and wait and see."

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Roddick, Nadal ousted in Aussie Open quartersOier laid low again

Nadal set for further tests on knee injury

MADRID - Rafael Nadal will undergo further medical scans in Spain to determine the severity of the knee injury that forced him out of the Australian Open.

The second-ranked Nadal retired during his quarterfinal against Andy Murray after losing the first two sets and trailing in the third, complaining of discomfort in his right knee. Tendinitis in that same knee forced him to miss part of last season, including Wimbledon.

"We don't know the scope of the injury but there is something going on in there, something that wasn't there before," uncle and coach Toni Nadal told Spanish media from Australia. "Something felt wrong and it was the right decision to retire."

Nadal is set to undergo MRI scans after arriving in Spain to determine the extent of the problem, with Toni Nadal quoted as saying that a preliminary ultrasound showed it "wasn't a serious problem."

"You're always worried about these things, it's normal," Toni Nadal said. "It appears not to be what he had before and something else, but we must be prudent and wait and see."

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Serena survives big scare at Australian Open

MELBOURNE - Serena Williams saved some family pride Wednesday at the Australian Open.

After older sister Venus’ loss to Li Na of China in the previous match on Rod Laver Arena, four-time champion Serena was down a set and 4-0 in the second before rebounding for a 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

Venus Williams couldn’t make it to an expected sister semifinal, losing in a mistake-filled match featuring in a combined 110 unforced errors against Li.

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The result is that Serena will take on Li, who beat Venus 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5. Justine Henin, playing in her first Grand Slam tournament in two years after coming back from a two-year retirement, will play Zheng Jie in the other semifinal.

Serena Williams was far from confident after the first hour of the match, thinking of her sister’s loss.

“It was obviously on my mind,” Serena said of Venus’ defeat. “I saw maybe one or two points, maybe three. I don’t want to watch too much, I get too nervous watching. Obviously I was incredibly disappointed.”

So she started off tentatively.

“I wasn’t playing my best, especially in the first two sets,” she said. “I was down the whole match from the first point. I wasn’t surprised but I was definitely shocked.”

Instead of wilting, she fought back from her big deficit in the second set with two service breaks of her own, easily won the tiebreaker and dominated the third.

Li and Zheng were the first Chinese pair to reach the quarterfinals at the same Grand Slam. Add semifinals now, and could the final be possible?

Serena Williams and Henin, with a combined 18 Grand Slam singles title between them (Serena 11, Henin 7) would seem to have the inside edge. But Li, who lost the first set and was twice down breaks in the second, says anything can happen.

“In China, we say if you have tough time and then you return back, maybe have good luck,” Li said.

Venus Williams had more mistakes than luck against Li, who called the win the “best day of my life” and said she might celebrate with a beer Wednesday night.

“It’s important to put the ball in the court,” said Venus Williams, who served for the match in the second set. “I felt like sometimes I made some errors.”

That was an understatement. The pair’s unforced error count went over the 100 mark midway through the final set, which produced eight service breaks in the first 10 games.

“Unfortunately I let my errors creep in, and then I allowed her to dictate too much,” Williams said. “But she played really well.”

Azarenka wilted in her fourth-round match with Serena here last year, retiring in the second set with a virus after taking the first set.

This time, the 20-year-old Belarussian was undone by a trademark comeback by Williams, who is the only player to save match points on the way to three Grand Slam titles. She did it at Wimbledon last year and at the 2003 and 2005 Australian Opens.

Initially, Azarenka looked like she’d continue the Williams family woes. She broke Serena in the opening game and then, after fending off three break points, held her own opening serve in a game that lasted more than 15 minutes and went to deuce nine times.

It was mostly one-way until Williams started her comeback in the second — winning five straight games and then getting on top again at the end of the tiebreaker. She dominated the third set, converting both her breakpoint chances.

Li, who is forecast to go into the WTA’s top 10 rankings after the tournament ends, was dominant in the third set when it counted against Venus Williams, who has five Wimbledon titles and two at the U.S. Open.

“I don’t like losing at all,” Williams said. “No one does. I put in a lot of hard work to come out here and get a win (I’m) not at all pleased.”

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Venus, SerenaВ reach third roundRonaldo says sorry

Federer advances to 23rd straight GS semifinal

MELBOURNE, Australia - Roger Federer has corrected a mini slump against Nikolay Davydenko, beating the Russian 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, 7-5 at the Australian Open to reach the semifinals at a 23rd consecutive Grand Slam.

Federer won his first 12 matches against Davydenko but was under pressure Wednesday after losing their last two meetings: at London in November and at the season-opener at Doha earlier this month.

The 15-time Grand Slam champion rebounded after falling a set and a break behind against Davydenko, winning 13 straight games to take control of the quarterfinal on Rod Laver Arena.

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Federer has ensured he'll be at No. 1 for a 268th week when the new rankings are released Monday, equaling Jimmy Connors in third place on the all-time list.

No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic lost to Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in an Australian Open quarterfinal that reversed the result of their final here two years ago.

No. 10-seeded Tsonga won 7-6, (8), 6-7 (5), 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the Wednesday night match, consigning 2008 champion Djokovic to quarterfinals exits in consecutive years.

Djokovic took a medical timeout after going down 2-0 in the fourth. He'd just dropped a service game in which he clutched at his stomach and struggling to breath.

Tsonga took control of the remaining two sets and moved into a semifinal against top-ranked  Federer.

Djokovic retired in the fourth set of his 2009 quarterfinal against Andy Roddick due to heat-related illness.

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La Liga Round-UpRoddick, Nadal ousted in Aussie Open quarters

Australian Open Show Court Schedules

Ivo Karlovic, Croatia, and Dusan Vemic, Serbia, vs. Daniel Nestor, Canada, and Nenad Zemonjic (2), Serbia

Not Before 9:30 p.m. EST Wednesday

Serena Williams (1), United States, vs. Li Na (16), China

Justine Henin, Belgium, vs. Zheng Jie, China

Not Before 3:30 a.m. Thursday

Marin Cilic (14), Croatia, vs. Andy Murray (5), Britain

Henri Leconte, France and Patrick Rafter, Australia, vs. Wayne Arthurs and Pat Cash, Australia

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Australian Open Show Court SchedulesCanales open to Prem move

Roddick, Nadal ousted in Aussie Open quarters

MELBOURNE, Australia - Defending champion Rafael Nadal retired from his quarterfinal against Andy Murray with an injured knee, then predicted the Scottish player would end his Grand Slam title drought by winning the Australian Open.

"For Andy, I think he deserves to win his first Grand Slam. And I think he's going to do it," Nadal said less than an hour after a knee injury forced him to concede Tuesday's quarterfinal while he was trailing 6-3, 7-6 (2), 3-0.

"There's a very good chance for him. First thing, he's playing very well," Nadal said. "Second thing, he's already in the semifinals. He's only two matches away."

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Andy Roddick also went out of the Australian Open on Tuesday, struggling with a shoulder injury before going down in five sets to Marin Cilic.

Nadal said he didn't want to risk further damage by playing on and potentially having to spend long periods off the tour with knee tendinitis like he did last year.

"Similar thing that I had last year," Nadal said of the pain. "It was impossible to win the match."

Murray will play a semifinal against Cilic, who beat No. 7 Roddick 7-6 (4), 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3 earlier Tuesday.

"I didn't know when he hurt his knee, when he started feeling it, but from my side, I played very well," said Murray, who is hoping to end a seven-decade British drought at the majors. "I deserved to be up when the match stopped."

The 22-year-old Scot can hardly wait to play his semifinal against Cilic.

"I lost to him at the U.S. Open in straight sets, so I'm looking for a little revenge," Murray said. "If I play like I did tonight I have got a good chance. Obviously nerves are going to be there with an opportunity to make a final of a Slam."

Roddick struggled through a right shoulder injury that impaired his movement, but he expects no long-term damage.

Nadal, who struggled with knee tendinitis and was unable to defend his Wimbledon title last season after beating Roger Federer in the Australian Open final, received on-court treatment from a trainer for a right knee ailment after losing the second set.

Three games later, the Spaniard decided he couldn't continue.

Still in the equation at Melbourne Park is three-time champion Federer, who plays Nikolay Davydenko in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Novak Djokovic, the 2008 champion, takes on the same year's runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the other quarterfinal.

"I had to go for my shots, play big tennis. And when the big points come you don't want to play long points against Rafa," said Murray, whose only Grand Slam final appearance ended in a loss to Federer at the 2008 U.S. Open.

Roddick's only major has been the 2003 U.S. Open, the last time an American man has won a Grand Slam singles title, marking the country's longest drought in men's majors.

 Slide show 

Roddick, Nadal advance to Aussie quartersDiarra returns with injury

Henin advances to Aussie semis in comeback

MELBOURNE, Australia - Former No. 1-ranked Justine Henin reached the semifinals in her Grand Slam comeback, beating Nadia Petrova 7-6 (3), 7-5 Tuesday to take out the last seeded player in her half of the Australian Open draw.

Henin, unranked and playing on a wild-card entry at Melbourne Park, next will play Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie, who beat Russia’s Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-3 to equal her Chinese record for the best run at a major.

Henin went down a break in the second set before finding the range with her powerful groundstrokes and winning seven of the next nine games to finish off Petrova.

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“I just went for it with my heart. Finally I could make it, and I’m very happy,” Henin said. “At the end I played much more aggressive tennis.

“I didn’t want to go to the tiebreaker. I wanted to close out the match.”

The 27-year-old Belgian beat Petrova on Jan. 4 at the Brisbane International in her first match back on tour after almost 20 months in retirement.

Henin reached the Brisbane final, where she lost in three sets to fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters. It was Clijsters’ win at the U.S. Open last September, in the third tournament of a comeback from two years in retirement, which inspired seven-time Grand Slam winner Henin to return to the tour.

Now she’s two wins from emulating Clijsters’ triumphant Grand Slam comeback.

Henin ended a highly successful run in Melbourne for Petrova, who ousted two reigning major champions on her way to the quarters: Clijsters in the third round; and French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth.

Kirilenko had taken out big names in her section, too, starting with her 3-hour, 21-minute first-round win over 2008 champion Maria Sharapova and her fourth-round victory against last year’s finalist Dinara Safina, who retired with a back problem.

The 23-year-old Russian was making her debut in the quarterfinals of a major and struggled with what appeared to be a hip or thigh problem. She was no match for Zheng, who was a wild-card entry when she reached the last four at Wimbledon in 2008 to become the first Chinese Grand Slam semifinalist.

Zheng has a career-high No. 15 ranking and also won China’s first Grand Slam doubles titles, at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006.

“It’s very amazing for me,” Zheng said of being the first Chinese player to reach the Australian Open semifinals. She said her victories here in doubles helped. “I feel this court for me is lucky.”

Henin retired suddenly in May 2008 while holding the No. 1 ranking and has not played at a major since losing in the quarterfinals to Sharapova at the 2008 Australian Open. Henin won the title here in 2004 and reached the final in 2006, when she retired due to stomach problems against Amelie Mauresmo of France.

The loss to Sharapova confirmed to Henin that she needed a break.

 Slideshow 

Federer storms past Hewitt into quarterfinals

MELBOURNE, Australia - Roger Federer improved his six-year winning streak to 15 matches against Lleyton Hewitt with an overpowering 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 victory in the fourth round at the Australian Open on Monday.

The top-ranked Federer, beaten in last year's final at Melbourne Park by Rafael Nadal, hasn't lost to Hewitt since the Australian beat him in a Davis Cup match in the same Rod Laver Arena in late 2003.

The Swiss star has reached the semifinals or better here every year since winning the 2004 title, his first of three in Australia. He improved to 17-8 against Hewitt, and their 25 head-to-head matches is the most among active players.

Federer broke Hewitt's serve in the ninth game of the third set with a stinging cross-court forehand that left Hewitt standing in the middle of the court. Federer held service in his next game, setting up match point with an ace and clinching it with a service winner.

"When I saw the draw and saw Lleyton floating around, it's not something I like to see," Federer said.

As usual, Federer rose to the occasion.

"Hardly made any unforced errors," Federer said. For the record, he made 30 to go with his 49 winners.

"If there were some, they were at moments I can live with. I was really able to press on the offensive, serve well when I had to, and I moved well as well. Overall I'm extremely happy."

Hewitt agreed that Federer played "special" tennis.

"He hit the ball extremely clean, and I just couldn't get into his service games, which made it tough," Hewitt said.

The win advanced Federer to a quarterfinal against Nikolay Davydenko, who beat 2009 semifinalist Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 7-5, 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-3 earlier Monday to extend his winning streak to 13.

In other matches, 2008 champion Novak Djokovic beat Poland's Lukasz Kubot 6-1, 6-2, 7-5 and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, who lost to Djokovic in the 2008 final, beat Nicolas Almagro of Spain 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (6), 9-7.

Djokovic, who will play Tsonga in the quarterfinals, said he's playing well despite having a dry run at Grand Slam tournaments since his Melbourne Park victory.

"They are two different persons, physically I'm much stronger and able to get through the tough matches," the Serbian player said. "The 2008 Australian Open is by far the best tournament I ever played ... I believe I can play the same this year."

Nadal takes on Andy Murray and Andy Roddick plays Marin Cilin in quarterfinals on Tuesday. Comeback player Justine Henin takes on Nadia Petrova - Henin leads the head-to-head matchups 12-2 - and Maria Kirilenko plays Zheng in women's quarterfinals.

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Men: Federer looks sharp in Aussie Open victoryLa Liga round-up

New Russians into Australian Open quarterfinals

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -When the Australian Open started, there was little doubt that Russian women would make a strong showing into the quarterfinals.

Among the contenders were No. 2 Dinara Safina, No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova, No. 5 Elena Dementieva and three-time Grand Slam singles champion Maria Sharapova, whose seeding had slipping to No. 14 due to time off the tour with a shoulder injury.

But as of Sunday, the four marquee Russian players had been eliminated, leaving the spotlight focused on three others whose names might be less familiar - Maria Kirilenko, Vera Zvonareva and Nadia Petrova.

Kirilenko, who upset Sharapova in the first round, won her fourth-round match Sunday when Safina pulled out with a back injury and limped off the court.

Safina was facing set point, trailing 4-5 and serving at 30-40 when she retired.

"It's really, really terrible," Safina said at a post-match news conference, saying she seemed to be suffering a flare-up of a back injury that ended last year's season in October and halted her hold on the No. 1 ranking she owned for much of 2009.

"The physio asked me to lie on the table, I said I cannot lie. I cannot make any movement. Whatever I try to move it hurts terribly," said Safina, who was a finalist at the French Open and last year's Australian Open.

The 22-year-old Kirilenko, who is ranked No. 58, will be making her first appearance at a Grand Slam quarterfinal.

"I'm feeling bad for Dinara," said Kirilenko, adding she would have preferred not to have won by default but she was nonetheless "happy about it."

No. 9 Zvonareva plays her fourth-round match against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus on Monday.

Then there's Petrova, the 27-year-old who first sent home U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters after a stunning 6-0, 6-1 upset in the third round and followed up Sunday with a victory over Kuznetsova, the French Open champion.

Petrova has equaled her best run at the Australian Open by reaching the last eight. She's never gone further than the semifinals at a major.

As a young player, Petrova looked set to become a star with her big serve and solid groundstrokes

In 2003, she reached the semifinals at Roland Garros, knocking off Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati on the way.

But she was upstaged in 2004 by other Russians. Sharapova won Wimbledon that year, Anastasia Myskina won the French Open, and Kuznetsova took home the trophy at the U.S. Open.

Petrova attributes some of her resurgence to the fighting spirit of Russian players.

"There's a lot of competition between us," said the No. 19-seeded Petrova. "There's a lot of us, obviously ... Everyone of us wants to be the No. 1 in our country."

On paper, Sunday's match looked close. Petrova had 25 winners compared with Kuznetsova's 22, and 47 unforced errors with Kuznetsova's 55.

But Petrova held her nerve, while Kuznetsova let frustration get the best of her.

"I was doing too many unforced errors. I didn't serve good. I was just struggling to find my game," Kuznetsova said. "I lost confidence, I was very frustrated."

"Definitely she's getting confidence and she's playing at her best level that I've seen her at lately," Kuznetsova added.

Petrova agrees that her game is the best it's been in years - and much of it is mental.

"I'm working hard and digging deep, because I know there's still a lot to accomplish," she said. "I really want to finally be a complete player. I want to quit tennis knowing that I've done everything possible, that I developed as much as I could and I gave 100 percent."

She will face a quarterfinal against Justine Henin, who continued her comeback to Grand Slams by beating compatriot Yanina Wickmayer, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3.

Diarra returns with injurySafina, Kuznetsova upset at Aussie Open

Serena, Venus advance to Aussie Open quarters

MELBOURNE, Australia - Serena and Venus Williams are on track for a sisters semifinal at the Australian Open after fourth round wins.

Venus advanced to the quarterfinals for the seventh time by beating Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the opening match Monday on Rod Laver Arena.

She’s a win away from a possible showdown with her younger sibling.

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Defending champion Serena had a 6-4, 6-2 win over Australia’s Sam Stosur.

Serena, who has won the Australian each odd-numbered year since defeating Venus in the 2003 final, conceded only seven points on serve in the match, including one double-fault in the second set.

“I can’t believe it — Sam beat me last time pretty convincingly, so I knew I had to do real good,” Serena Williams said. “I think my serve was pretty good today.”

Stosur, seeded 13th, beat Williams in their last match and had match points before losing the match prior to that. On Monday, she didn’t get close, and was the last Australian eliminated from the women’s draw.

There’s two Chinese women into the quarterfinals, for the first time ever at a Grand Slam tournament.

Li upset No. 4-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3 in a 98-minute match featuring 12 service breaks to join Zheng Jie, the 2008 Wimbledon semifinalist, in the last eight. Zheng is on the other half of the draw.

“Nothing better,” Li said, smiling, “Yeah, I mean good for us.”

Li already has reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and went out at that stage in the last U.S. Open. She beat Williams in the quarterfinals at the Beijing Olympics in their only previous meeting, but she wasn’t drawing too much from that.

“It was good experience for me, for my tennis, also,” Li said. “But I just want to forget, because I will play her again. So I didn’t want always think about the last match. I want to look forward.”

Williams has won seven singles majors and reached the final of the Australian Open in ’03, losing to her younger sister Serena, in her best run at Melbourne Park.

She struggled to hold serve in the first set against Schiavone but was in command by the end, when she won the last six games after the 29-year-old broke her to open the third set.

“Francesca was playing so well, she was so tenacious, she has so much speed,” Williams said. “I had a little bit of a slow start.”

The Williams wins extended a streak in which at least one American woman has reached the Australian Open quarterfinals every year since 1977.

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© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Primera Liga round-upVenus, SerenaВ reach third round

Justine Henin's path back to tennis

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -Justine Henin's travels through Congo and Cambodia didn't begin as a spiritual journey but ultimately set her on the path back to tennis.

Now that she has returned, Henin says she recalls images of those travels daily: the African baby who took her hand and wouldn't let go, the Congolese girl who pleaded, "Take me back with you to Belgium," the children who delighted at seeing their faces in her digital camera.

At 27, Henin speaks of her life as having a before and an after.

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Her "first career" was what came before May 2008, when the seven-time Grand Slam winner jolted the tennis world by retiring while ranked No. 1.

And there's her "second career," which is off to a stunning start.

Henin advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, her second tournament out of retirement. She mesmerized the crowds with her sublime one-handed backhand - which John McEnroe has ranked among the best shots in the game - her amazing speed and endless determination.

There is little doubt, that she has a renewed passion for the sport, which she started as a child prodigy but was slowly suffocating her.

"I had so much inside me that I couldn't express because there was my tennis, and it took everything. It took everything out of me. I didn't know myself enough anymore," Henin said in an interview Monday on the eve of her quarterfinal against Russia's Nadia Petrova.

"I'm so happy that I stopped playing tennis two years ago," Henin said. "For me, these two years were the richest years in my existence, because I think it marked my passage to adulthood."

Indeed, Henin has changed and matured. She was always introspective and spoke from her heart but was also guarded and tense. She once described herself as "the oldest 24-year-old on the planet."

"Now I feel like a young 27," said Henin, who now offers eloquent self-analysis and is much quicker to smile.

Seated in the player's lounge at Melbourne Park, Henin spoke passionately in her native French about her work abroad as a UNICEF ambassador and other projects at home that included a reality TV show called, "The 12 Labors of Justine Henin," in which she undertook a different challenge for each episode.

"What interested me was the aspect of the challenge," she said. "It was to do things, nobody thought I could do. I did comedy, I sang, I played football with star Belgian football players."

"It's a paradox. I'm very timid and very reserved, but I chose a career that puts me in the spotlight," she laughed. "So there must be a part of me that needs that. It's about finding equilibrium."

Henin spent a week in war-ravaged eastern Congo last January with UNICEF and a week in rural Cambodia in August for a vaccination campaign for mothers and babies.

In Congo, she showered with cold water and had to abide by a 10 p.m. curfew for security reasons.

Nobody knew her there, and she loved the anonymity.

She visited camps where child soldiers waited to find their families, she observed treatment of malnourished children and met victims of violent rape. She was startled to see the shattered lives of 28,000 people in a refugee camp where "the hygiene was catastrophic."

"One day I was in the car driving back to the hotel and I missed home very much. I felt like I was on another planet, and I sat there crying," Henin said. "It was the strongest thing I have ever lived, this encounter with misery and difficulty but also with dignity - because these people remained so dignified. The children were still smiling. The women were so courageous."

"I don't think I ever experienced anything more important, anything that marked me like that in the past," she added. "And it allowed me to get my feet back on the ground, to confront very difficult, very complicated things."

Henin lost her mother to cancer at the age of 12. She dedicated her first French Open title in 2003 to her mother, who had brought a 10-year-old Justine to Roland Garros to watch a tennis match in person for the first time.

She went on to win the French Open three more times, the U.S. Open twice and the Australian Open in 2004. But she endured injuries and, in 2007, the end of her five-year marriage. After years of being estranged from her father and siblings, she reunited with her family in 2008.

When Henin quit tennis, it was a clean break. She says she didn't pick up a racket for more than a year and didn't watch any tennis on TV for months.

Slowly, the spark returned. She realized she missed tennis and competing and that happiness could coexist with tennis.

She has said she was inspired by Roger Federer's triumph at last year's French Open. Like Henin, the Swiss star needed one more title to complete his Grand Slam collection. In Henin's case, it is Wimbledon.

"Of course, it would be a dream come true to win all the Grand Slams," said Henin, who has demonstrated new aggressiveness at the net that she says is what she needs to improve her game on grass. "But I'm just going step by step, it's still early."

She was also inspired by the comeback of fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters, who returned after two years off to get married and have a baby and won last year's U.S. Open.

Clijsters was upset in the third round in Melbourne by Petrova, who will now face Henin in the quarterfinals.

Petrova and many other players have applauded Henin's return, saying she and Clijsters have reinvigorated women's tennis.

"She was too young to retire," said Petrova. "She realized there is still a lot of unfinished business."

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Henin says she can be better than beforeHiguain wants Real long stay

Safina, Kuznetsova upset at Aussie Open

MELBOURNE, Australia - Second-ranked Dinara Safina retired while she was down 4-5, serving at 30-40 in the first set against Maria Kirilenko, who had ousted 2008 champion and fellow Russian Maria Sharapova in the first round.

No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to Nadia Petrova, who went into the match after a stunning, 6-0, 6-1 third-round victory over U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters.

While the seeded players dropped, former No. 1 Justine Henin continued her run in her first Grand Slam tournament in two years with a 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3 win over fellow Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, keeping her on track for a quarterfinal meeting with Petrova.

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"Today was similar. I felt like my motivation, my concentration was on the same level," said Petrova, comparing her wins over Clijsters and French Open champion Kuznetsova. The 27-year-old Russian doesn't think she's reached her potential yet — her best runs in the majors finishing in semifinal losses.

"I know there's still a lot to accomplish," Petrova said. "That's what I'm really looking for."

Safina, the 2009 Australian finalist who held the No. 1 ranking despite never winning a major, limped off when facing set point against Kirilenko when a back problem flared up.

"It was getting worse and worse, I have no idea how it happened. It was really terrible," said Safina, who saw her season last year end prematurely because of a back problem. "I turned to my coach and I said I cannot move anymore. It's shocking."

In an afternoon match at Hisense, 2008 Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie set another national mark by becoming the first Chinese player to reach the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park with a 7-6 (6), 6-4 victory over Alona Bondarenko. She next plays Kirilenko.

Henin, who is unranked and playing on a wild-card entry in her second tournament since returning from a 20-month retirement, told the crowd she'd missed tennis too much to resist a comeback.

"It's been great moment for myself," Henin said. "It's a great feeling to be back, been a great fight and thank you."

The seven-time Grand Slam winner dominated the first-set tiebreaker after saving three set points in the 12th game. After dropping the second set, Henin broke Wickmayer's serve to open the deciding third set and was on top after that.

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© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

La Liga round-upHenin stuns 5th seed Dementieva at Aussie

Roddick, Nadal advance to Aussie quarters

MELBOURNE, Australia - Andy Roddick outlasted Fernando Gonzalez of Chile to survive a Sunday of upsets at the Australian Open that resulted in fourth-round exits for U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and two of the top three women.

The seventh-seeded Roddick rallied to beat Gonzalez 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 and advance to the quarterfinals at the season’s first major for the sixth time in eight years. He’ll next meet No. 14 Marin Cilic, who ousted del Potro in five sets and 4-hours, 38-minutes earlier in the evening.

“I got a little lucky tonight, but sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good,” said Roddick, who is hoping to end a Grand Slam title drought that dates back to the 2003 U.S. Open.

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Del Potro had an upset win over top-ranked Roger Federer in the U.S. Open final last September, ending the Swiss star’s streak of five straight titles in New York.

The 21-year-old Argentine was the first man since Novak Djokovic won the 2008 Australian Open to interrupt the Federer-Rafael Nadal domination of men’s Grand Slam titles, and started the season’s first major seeded fourth.

The other leading men are still here.

Defending champion Nadal and Andy Murray held off two of the tallest men and biggest servers in tennis earlier on Rod Laver Arena to set up a quarterfinal match up.

Nadal, who beat Federer in the 2009 final, had a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over 6-foot-10 Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, the tallest man on the tour.

No. 5 Murray overcame 6-foot-9 American John Isner 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2 to reach the final eight in Australia for the first time. The 22-year-old Scot hasn’t dropped a set in four matches.

No. 1 Federer and No. 3 Djokovic play their fourth-round matches Monday.

Former No. 1 Roddick looked out of it with the Chilean on a roll, leading by two sets to one and only a point from forcing a tiebreaker that would have been a lottery between the two big servers.

But the American won five straight points to level the sets at 2-all and broke early in the fifth to dictate the ending.

“When Fernando gets hot, you know that a lot of the match is out of your control,” Roddick said. “I think the thing that helped me was being able to serve through.”

Gonzalez saved four set points in the 10th game of the fourth set. After Gonzalez led 40-0 on serve, Roddick then won four straight points to get another set point.

He clinched it with a forehand down the line, which a line umpire initially ruled out.

Roddick asked for a video replay, which showed the ball hit the line. The set was awarded to the American, amid protests from Gonzalez that he could have had a play on the ball but stopped when he heard the out call.

Gonzalez then kicked two drink bottles near the player’s chair. The booming forehands that troubled Roddick earlier then started to wilt and, after saving two match points, the Chilean double-faulted to end the match.

 Slide show 

Aussie Open men: Roddick reaches 4th roundMalaga win Caicedo race

No slowing Serena and Venus at Aussie Open

MELBOURNE, Australia - The self-appointed sports capital of Australia got a feast of tennis on a lazy, sun-drenched Saturday afternoon.

While top-seeded and three-time champion Roger Federer played Albert Montanes in a Rod Laver Arena crammed with 15,000 fans, top-ranked and Australian Open defending champion Serena Williams took on Carla Suarez Navarro at the neighboring show arena with a retractable roof that seats 10,000.

One hour and 48 minutes and 1:21 later, respectively, Federer and Williams walked off their courts after booking fourth-round matches on Monday. Federer beat Montanes 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and Williams defeated Suarez Navarro 6-0, 6-3.

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Williams, who beat Dinara Safina in last year’s final, needed a marathon final game of the opening set Saturday to clinch it, facing five break points, 13 deuces and won on her eighth set point. The final game lasted nearly 20 minutes — longer than the five previous games combined in the 37-minute set.

“I think it was definitely the toughest 6-love set, especially in the end because she was really fighting for it,” Williams said. “I thought, ’OK, Serena, don’t put too much pressure on this. Worst-case scenario it will be 5-1.”’

Serena’s sister Venus also advanced when she beat Australian wild-card entry Casey Dellacqua 6-1, 7-6 (4), winning on her fourth match point with an ace. The Williams siblings could meet in the semifinals but Venus must first overcome Francesca Schiavone of Italy, who beat Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-2, 6-2.

Venus is thinking final, which would mean beating Serena along the way.

“Of course I want to progress well to the final, that is my goal,” Venus said. “So far, I’m getting closer. You know how it works. Just got to play well every match.”

Melbourne sports fans regularly pack a 100,000-seat Australian Rules football and cricket stadium and turn the southern hemisphere’s biggest horse race — the Melbourne Cup — into a weeklong festival.

U.S. Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark beat Shahar Peer of Israel 6-4, 6-0. Wozniacki will face Li Na of China, who equaled her best run at Melbourne Park when she advanced 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 over 2008 semifinalist Daniela Hantuchova.

Sam Stosur beat Italian Alberta Brianti 6-4, 6-1, No. 7 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus had a 6-0, 6-2 win over Italy’s Tathiana Garbin to set up a fourth-rounder against No. 9 Vera Zvonareva of Russia, who beat Argentina’s Gisela Dulko 6-1, 7-5.

Stosur will next play Serena Williams. No. 13-seeded Stosur beat the 11-time Grand Slam singles champion the last time they played in California last year.

“I just remember I hit some great shots and she returned them back for winners,” Williams said. “I know what to expect. She has nothing to lose going into this match.”

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© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Barca book final spotVenus, SerenaВ reach third round

Men: Federer looks sharp in Aussie Open victory

MELBOURNE, Australia - Top-seeded Roger Federer won his third-round match at the Australian Open, beating Spain’s Albert Montanes 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 for his 50th career victory at Melbourne Park.

"I feel good, I feel confident," Federer said. "Pretty straightforward match. Physically I'm fine and mentally fresh and that's the way you want to go into the second week."

Australia's top player, former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, advanced when 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis had to retire with a right shoulder injury with Hewitt leading 6-0, 4-2 in a night match at Rod Laver Arena.

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The last time the pair met here, they started just before midnight and concluded the match — won by Hewitt — at 4:34 a.m. Hewitt now plays Federer in the fourth round.

This Hewitt-Baghdatis rematch lasted just 54 minutes.

"I just said to him, 'mate you've got a lot of ticker (heart) to come back like you did today,'" Hewitt said he told Baghdatis when the Cypriot player came to the net to retire.

"He just said he was obviously feeling it on his serve and forehand."

Baghdatis had clutched his shoulder during changeovers and motioned to his coach that he was having difficulty breathing due to the pain.

"I just feel some pain on the shoulder ... I couldn't hit the forehand," Baghdatis said. "I couldn't control the ball. I didn't think that it would be this painful during the match."

In other men's matches, sixth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko beat Juan Monaco of Argentina 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 and will face Fernando Verdasco in the next round. Verdasco advanced when Stefan Koubek had to retire after losing the opening set 6-1 due to a virus.

No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic, who beat Federer in the semifinals en route to his 2008 title here, defeated Denis Istomin 6-1, 6-1, 6-2. Earlier, No. 20 Mikhail Youzhny withdrew from his scheduled third-round match against Poland's Lukasz Kubot with a wrist injury. Kubot advanced in a walkover and will play Djokovic.

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who lost the final to Djokovic in 2008, beat Tommy Haas of Germany 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 in a night match. Tsonga will play Nicolas Almagro of Spain, who beat Alejandro Falla of Colombia 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

Federer has plenty to play for — he'd like to win his fourth Australian Open title and walk away from Rod Laver Arena on Jan. 31 without tears in his eyes, as he had last year when he lost to Rafael Nadal in the final.

Federer spoke Saturday about his mental toughness, which he said is needed to "stay at the top of the rankings for so long."

"Victories don't come easy," Federer said. "I had to battle through, and there was tough moments and frustrating moments out there. You have to be mentally strong to be at the top no matter, regardless of the player you are."

Federer then spoke about Nadal, who plays his fourth-round match Sunday against Ivo Karlovic.

"With him, it's from point one to the last point it's always the same intensity," Federer said. "He never drops it."

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© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Primera Liga round-upFederer, Nadal cruise

Aussie Open women: Henin rallies, Clijsters flops

MELBOURNE, Australia - The much-anticipated potential quarterfinal between the back-from-retirement Belgians dissolved in 52 minutes on Friday at the Australian Open.

That’s the time it took for Kim Clijsters to lose, in embarrassing fashion, her third-round match at the season’s first Grand Slam tournament.

The 6-0, 6-1 defeat to Nadia Petrova was the worst of Clijsters’ career and as one-sided as the score indicated. Clijsters lost the first set in just 18 minutes and won only five points in her first seven games.

Justine Henin, another Belgian who was inspired to return to the tour following a 20-month absence after Clijsters won the U.S. Open, held up her end of the bargain. With some difficulty, she defeated Alisa Kleybanova 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

“I just didn’t give her a chance to get into the match,” Petrova said. “I like this kind of Grand Slam feeling.”

Clijsters hadn’t been on the receiving end of such a lopsided scoreline since losing the French Open final to Henin 6-0, 6-4 in 2003.

“I was completely off. I think tennis-wise, I didn’t feel the ball at all,” Clijsters said. “On the other hand, she was good, but I made all the mistakes and she really didn’t have to do much.

“It’s something you don’t want to happen too often. It sucks that it has to happen at this stage of this tournament.”

Henin’s match Friday was her eighth since she returned from retirement, just long enough to expect better of herself as a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion.

She let that show Friday. After fluffing a routine volley to set up two break points for her opponent, she picked up the ball with her racket, bounced it into her left hand and threw it over the net in disgust.

The minor temper tantrum seemed to work. Minutes later, a point away from trailing 4-1 in the second set Henin fought back instead to level it. Then she dominated the match.

Henin will play Yanina Wickmayer in the fourth round.

Wickmayer, who is ranked No. 16 but unseeded because she was under a suspension — since overturned — for breaching the World Anti-Doping Agency’s “whereabouts rule” when direct entries closed for the Australian Open — advanced 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3 over Sara Errani.

Wickmayer received treatment on her back during the second set and hopes the injury will not be a problem for Henin’s match.

“Let’s hope I can fix it up by the next match,” she said. “It will be a question. Let’s hope I can recover enough.”

Second-seeded Dinara Safina, the 2009 finalist, advanced with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Britain’s Elena Baltacha.

Safina will have a more difficult assignment next round against fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, who beat Italian Roberta Vinci 7-5, 7-6 (4). Kirilenko also beat 2008 champion Maria Sharapova in the opening round.

“I think Sharapova hits it harder than Safina, so I am prepared for sure,” Kirilenko said.

Former No. 1-ranked Jelena Jankovic was upset 6-2, 6-3 by No. 31 Alona Bondarenko.

Three-time Australian champion Federer, 2008 winner Novak Djokovic, defending women’s champion Serena Williams and her sister, Venus, play third-round matches on Saturday.

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Primera Liga round-upHenin stuns 5th seed Dementieva at Aussie

Aussie Open men: Roddick reaches 4th round

MELBOURNE, Australia - Defending champion Rafael Nadal advanced to the fourth round Friday along with Andy Murray, U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Roddick and Fernando Gonzalez at the Australian Open.

Nadal, who beat Roger Federer in last year’s final, beat Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in a night match. The Spaniard broke Kohlschreiber’s serve in the 11th game of the fourth set, then held serve to take the match with a forehand winner.

In the fourth round, Nadal will play Ivo Karlovic, who beat Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7).

The fifth-seeded Murray, bidding to win his first Grand Slam singles title, beat Florent Serra of France 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 and is one victory away from a potential quarterfinal with Nadal.

First, Murray will have to beat American John Isner, winner of the Auckland tournament last week for his first ATP title. The 6-foot-9 Isner continued his strong form by beating 12th-seeded Gael Monfils of France 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5).

“I was just kind of riding a wave of momentum, and I still am,” Isner said. “Hopefully I can keep it going.”

No. 4 Del Potro beat Florian Mayer of Germany 6-3, 0-6, 6-4, 7-5 and No. 7 Roddick advanced 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (3) over Feliciano Lopez of Spain.

Next up for del Potro is Marin Cilic, who beat Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

Gonzalez, the 2007 finalist here, beat Evgeny Korolev of Kazakhstan 6-7 (5), 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Roddick and Gonzalez will play each other Sunday in the fourth round, with the American holding an 8-3 edge in career meetings, including a straight-sets win the last time they met in the round of 16 at the 2008 U.S. Open.

“It’s going to be tough,” Gonzalez said. “For sure I have to play better if I want to beat him.”

Gonzalez was supported Friday by a throng of noisy, flag-waving Chilean fans on Show Court 2. Korolev said it was like playing at a soccer match.

“It was exciting to play in front of this crowd ... big support far away from home,” Gonzalez said.

Roddick is wary.

“He’s a very dangerous player,” the 2003 U.S. Open champion said. “Some days he comes out, looks like he’s playing ping-pong the way he can sling the ball around. I don’t think there are going to be a lot of secrets out there.”

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Roddick booed at Aussie, Blake loses marathonPrimera Liga round-up