Tuesday, 1 January 2013

Serena aims for calendar-year Grand Slam

tennis.com - Serena aims for calendar-year Grand Slam var _comscore = _comscore || []; _comscore.push({ c1: "2", c2: "13557489" }); (function() { var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.async = true; s.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js"; el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el); })(); (function(d, s, id) {var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if (d.getElementById(id)) return;js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=250447308406315";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Tennis.com facebooktwitter Live ScoresTournamentsUS OpenAustralian OpenFrench OpenWimbledon Schedule On TVBracketsAgassi, McEnroe to Challenge Courier For No. 1 Ranking in Final Two WeeksAgassi claims hometown title in Las Vegas Players & Rankings Players Stats Rankings Money Leaders Features Thoughts on '13 What's Next? Tennis LifestyleImprove Your GameTraining & WellnessTravel Camps & ClinicsAP PhotoDoubles Love: Kirilenko, Ovechkin Engaged PowerShares SeriesThe Ice Man Coacheth: Ivan Lendl, Teacher of the Year News & Analysis Breaking News Celebrities & Gossip Peter Bodo Steve Tignor Racquet Reaction PodcastsTENNIS.comRios, Coria to play deep in copper mineTENNIS.comStosur: No ‘magic dust’ to break Aussie slump GearClassifieds Travel Deals Asics Product Profile: Asics Court Diva Backpack Avex Product Profile: Avex Autoseal Water Bottle Photos & Video Photo Galleries Photo Wire Video Video: Travelling Series, Part 4: Travelling Drill Community Forums Newsletters Get SocialTwitter Facebook News & AnalysisSerena aims for calendar-year Grand SlamMatt CroninTuesday, January 01, 2013 PRINT THIS PAGE

Serena Williams, who has won the last two majors, says she is aiming to win the calendar-year Grand Slam in 2013. If Williams manages to do so, she will be the first player to accomplish the feat since Steffi Graf in 1988. Williams did won four straight majors in 2002-2003, which was termed the “Serena Slam.”

“I think whoever wins the Australian Open will have that same thought,” Williams told reporters in Brisbane. “I think there is no way that Victoria [Azarenka] or Maria [Sharapova] or maybe some other players don’t have that same thought. I think I definitely feel that way.”

Afterward, Sharapova told the Courier-Mail that she believes Serena could achieve the feat.
 
“Well, she has the last two,” Sharapova said of Serena. “Anything is possible but that’s certainly tough. How tough? Well, I’ve never done it so I can’t tell you.”

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Kohlschreiber, Davydenko win Doha openers

DOHA, Qatar -- Philipp Kohlschreiber opened his season Monday with a 7-6 (5), 6-1 victory over Croatia's Ivan Dodig in the first round of the Qatar Open.

The third-seeded German was joined in the second round by sixth-seeded Viktor Troicki of Serbia, who battled past Bjorn Phau of Germany 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

Injury-plagued Russian Nikolay Davydenko, whose ranking has fallen to No. 48 from a high of No. 3, cruised past Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-2, 6-3.

Kohlschreiber outlasted his opponent with a gritty display. With both players holding serve throughout the first set, Kohlschreiber finally found a forehand winner in the tiebreaker.

"It was a good first set and he never gave me any easy balls," said Kohlschreiber, who wrapped up the match with an ace. "At 29, I'm one of the older guys in the tour and I hope to adjust a few things in my game next year."

After breaking Dodig in just the second game of the second set, the German pressed his advantage and broke again in the fourth before wrapping up the match.

Troicki was stretched hard in a thrilling match that lasted 1 hour, 45 minutes.

"I knew it was going to be a tough match, especially since it was the start of the season. Bjorn played really well and it was a tight match indeed. I'm happy to finish my match before the New Year started," said Troicki, who had seven aces.

Top-seeded David Ferrer and second-seeded Richard Gasquet of France play their opening-round matches Tuesday.

The $1.05 million tournament is missing many of the game's biggest stars with Ferrer and Gasquet the only top-10 players taking part.


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Petkovic out of Aussie Open with knee tear

tennis.com - Petkovic out of Aussie Open with knee tear var _comscore = _comscore || []; _comscore.push({ c1: "2", c2: "13557489" }); (function() { var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.async = true; s.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js"; el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el); })(); (function(d, s, id) {var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if (d.getElementById(id)) return;js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=250447308406315";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Tennis.com facebooktwitter Live ScoresTournamentsUS OpenAustralian OpenFrench OpenWimbledon Schedule On TVBracketsAgassi, McEnroe to Challenge Courier For No. 1 Ranking in Final Two WeeksAgassi claims hometown title in Las Vegas Players & Rankings Players Stats Rankings Money Leaders Features Thoughts on '13 What's Next? Tennis LifestyleImprove Your GameTraining & WellnessTravel Camps & ClinicsAP PhotoDoubles Love: Kirilenko, Ovechkin Engaged PowerShares SeriesThe Ice Man Coacheth: Ivan Lendl, Teacher of the Year News & Analysis Breaking News Celebrities & Gossip Peter Bodo Steve Tignor Racquet Reaction PodcastsTENNIS.comRios, Coria to play deep in copper mineTENNIS.comStosur: No ‘magic dust’ to break Aussie slump GearClassifieds Travel Deals Asics Product Profile: Asics Court Diva Backpack Avex Product Profile: Avex Autoseal Water Bottle Photos & Video Photo Galleries Photo Wire Video Video: Travelling Series, Part 4: Travelling Drill Community Forums Newsletters Get SocialTwitter Facebook News & AnalysisPetkovic out of Aussie Open with knee tearMatt CroninTuesday, January 01, 2013 PRINT THIS PAGE

Andrea Petkovic is forced to withdraw from the Australian Open after injuring her knee at the Hopman Cup.

“It is a rupture of the medial meniscus,” the former Top 10-player told reporters. “If they have to trim it then I will only be out for a month. If they have to sew it up again, it will take two to three months. Nonetheless, I am quite relieved it is not my ACL, I feared the worst. I hope I will be fine after a month.”

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Radwanska beats former champ Arn in Auckland

AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- World No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland swept past former champion Greta Arn 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday to reach the second round of the ASB Classic.

The 23-year-old Radwanska took just over 70 minutes to overcome Arn, the 2011 champion now ranked 114, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser after being beaten in the last round of qualifying.

Radwanska controlled the match from the baseline, with occasional forays to the net, unsettling Arn with her strong forehand and off-balance backhand.

Arn was the second former champion to lose in the first round after 2012 champ Zheng Jie of China was beaten in straight sets on Monday.


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Sharapova pulls out of Brisbane with collarbone pain

BRISBANE, Australia -- Maria Sharapova has injured her right collarbone and decided to withdraw from the Brisbane International as a precaution ahead of the Australian Open.

The French Open champion pulled out of the Brisbane tournament on Tuesday after feeling pain while practicing before her opening match.

"I still have quite a bit of time to prepare for Australia. I'm on the right track, been training really well, so I just don't want to jeopardize what I've gained in the offseason so far," the No. 2-ranked Sharapova said. "Just have to make a smart move here."

The 25-year-old Russian also withdrew from the Brisbane International last year because of injury but recovered quickly to reach the Australian Open final, where she lost in straight sets to Victoria Azarenka.

She said the latest injury also forced her to withdraw from a recent exhibition tournament in South Korea, but was "not at all" related to the right shoulder problem which has plagued her since 2008.

"I had a bit of inflammation in my collarbone, and I sent (scan results) to a doctor in New York and he told me I couldn't really do much overhead training for about a week," she said. "So to be fair, I haven't really given myself a chance to pretty much hit any serves or anything over my head ... So I just kind of ran out of time here."

Sharapova said she'd started practicing her serves again on Monday and it wasn't enough time to properly prepare for a tournament featuring eight of the top 10 women. The Australian Open starts Jan. 14 at Melbourne Park.

The four-time major winner told a news conference earlier in the Brisbane tournament that she felt relaxed and relieved to have finally broken a Grand Slam drought by winning the French Open last year. The win at Roland Garros completed a career Grand Slam and was her first major title since the 2008 Australian Open.

On Tuesday, she reiterated she was "feeling so much better."

"I just don't want to jeopardize what I've built on," she said, adding that her decision to skip the 2012 Brisbane tournament was a good example of putting her health ahead of match practice. "It's kind of the way that I've always built my career around the fact that it's very important for me to go into something like the Australian Open believing and knowing that I'm healthy, that I'm confident.

"I don't exactly need to play five tournaments in order to feel that way."

Sharapova's absence gives Australia's Jarmila Gajdosova a direct route to the quarterfinals, where she'll meet Slovakian veteran Daniela Hantuchova.


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