Category: Tennis

• Aryna Sabalenka beats Paula Badosa to reach the final
• Get in touch! Email Daniel Harris with your thoughts

Sabalenka 0-1 Badosa* (denotes server) A big service-winner down the T makes 15-all, but Sabalenka takes control of the next point with a booming forehand return, cleaning up with with another down the line Then, facing a second serve, she steps in a little and starts thwacking … but just when15-40 seems a matter of time, a backhand on the stretch and on to the line hauls Badosa back into the point and eventually the error comes; 30-all. But a double presents break point; another service-winner confiscates it, and so far, the underdog is coping with the pressure well, as I type spanking an ace down the T for advantage. And though she oughtn’t win the next rally, Sabalenka in at the net and unable to finish, she makes her opponent play enough balls such that the error comes. Badosa is into this!

Badosa to serve and ready … play.

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Commenting after his final answer at his post-match news conference, US tennis star Ben Shelton said he was 'shocked' with 'how players have been treated' at this year's grand slam in Melbourne. Shelton was earlier interviewed on court by the Australian former Davis Cup player John Fitzgerald, who suggested no one would be cheering the American in his semi-final, with his opponent - either the defending champion Jannik Sinner or local hope Alex De Minaur - yet to be confirmed

• Shelton reaches Australian Open semi-final and blasts ‘disrespectful’ broadcasters

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Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek set up a semi-final meeting in the women’s competition, while Ben Shelton and Jannik Sinner did likewise in the men’s

Wild celebrations from Shelton, as you might expect, and here he is…

A body-serve sets up the point, finished by Shelton with two colossal inside-out forehands. He meets Sinner or De Minaur in the semi.

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• Atlanta native defeats Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4)
• No 21 seed praises Lorenzo Sonego’s ‘ridiculous’ tennis

Ben Shelton, a 22-year-old from Atlanta, is through to his first Australian Open semi-final after defeating Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4) on Wednesday in Melbourne. Shelton has competed in only one previous grand slam semi-final, when he lost to the eventual champion, Novak Djokovic, at the 2023 US Open.

On Wednesday, Shelton prevailed by playing a steadier ground game than his opponent. Sonego finished with a slight edge in winners, 63-54, but he committed far more unforced errors, 55-33.

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• No 2 seed books spot in last four with four-set win
• German will now face Djokovic in semi-finals

Alexander Zverev has survived an extraordinary meltdown to sink Tommy Paul in four sets and charge into the Australian Open semi-finals.

Second-seeded Zverev, chasing an elusive grand slam title, was almost knocked down by, of all things, a feather before he steadied to prevail 7-6 (1), 7-6 (0), 2-6, 6-1. Zverev will next face 10-time champion Novak Djokovic in his third Melbourne Park semi-final.

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After defeating unseeded American Alex Michelsen in straight sets to reach the last eight of the Australian Open for the first time, Alex De Minaur is embracing his underdog status ahead of his quarter final match-up with world No 1 Jannik Sinner. 'It's a whole new day, a whole new match and anything can happen,' De Minaur said. 'Sport is unpredictable'

• Jannik Sinner toughs out medical episode against Rune to reach Australian Open last eight

• De Minaur to face Sinner after reaching Australian Open last eight for first time

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Iga Swiatek hammered Eva Lys, Emma Nacvarro outlasted Daria Kasatkina – just – and Alex de Minaur saw off Alex Michelsen

Back on Court, Shelton leads Monfils 4-2 in their third-set breaker and if he sees it out, might the Frenchman retire? I could see him convincing himself he’s good for one more set, but two?

Lys starts well, narrowly missing a backhand down the line that would’ve given her a break, before Swiatek secures her hold through deuce. She’s never gone further than the semis here, which is in some way surprising – the balls bounce slower and lower than on other hard courts, meaning the surface is more clay-like than at Flushing Meadow, where she won in 2022. And though, in 2023, it took Elena Rybakina to beat her in Melbourme, last term it was Linda Noskova. I’d be surprised if she got past Coco Gauff or Aryna Sabalenka, likely final opponents, but she’s got a good chance of getting there given standing in her way are Kasatkina or Navarro, then Svitolina. She breaks immediately for 2-0.

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• American records 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 success to reach last eight
• Ruthless Iga Swiatek also marches into quarter-finals

Madison Keys upset sixth seed Elena Rybakina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in a roller-coaster match at Margaret Court Arena to march into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday and extend her win streak to nine matches this year.

Adelaide Open champion Keys had lost to the Kazakh in their last two encounters but was well in control for most of the last-16 tie, barring a rough patch in the second set when she lost four straight games. Rybakina seemed to be struggling with a lower back injury that had affected her in the third round and Keys was able to play aggressively to neutralise her big serve and take control of the rallies.

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American tennis star Coco Gauff mourned the loss of TikTok's app in the United States, writing 'RIP TikTok USA' on a camera lens following her victory over Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open. Gauff said the app provided her with an 'escape' and its removal might force her to read more books, adding she had a 'feeling that it will somehow come back'. TikTok later said it was restoring services in the US after Donald Trump pledged to give the video app a reprieve on its US ban

• Channel Nine’s Tony Jones apologises to Novak Djokovic over ‘banter’ that led to coverage boycott

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• Australian Open star had refused to speak with Nine’s presenters
• Veteran broadcaster acknowledges he ‘let down’ Serbian fans

Tony Jones has issued an apology to Novak Djokovic after comments the veteran broadcaster made at the Australian Open led to the Serbian tennis star boycotting Channel Nine’s coverage of the tournament.

Djokovic opted not to give a customary on-court interview after beating Jiri Lehecka on Sunday to move into this year’s quarter-finals, before revealing he would not speak to the host broadcaster until he received an apology.

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• Russian threw racket, skipped interview, broke camera
• Fined £54,000, one of biggest totals in grand slam history

Daniil Medvedev has been fined more than half of his Australian Open prize money for his behaviour at Melbourne Park.

The Russian, a three-time beaten finalist, crashed out of the tournament in the second round following a five-set loss to American teenager Learner Tien, during which he received a point penalty after throwing his racket, while he also skipped the mandatory post-match press conference.

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• Reigning champion battles heat and wind to deny Tauson
• Andreeva, Vekic, Gauff and Badosa all into round four

Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic advanced to the last 16 after the two-time champion Naomi Osaka retired during Friday’sthird-round match with an injury.

Bencic took the first set in a tie-break 7-6 (3) before Osaka, who pulled out of the Auckland final this month due to an abdominal injury, withdrew. Osaka led 5-2 in the opening set but showed signs of struggles with her abdomen and called for a physio during a changeover. The 27-year-old initially soldiered on after treatment before retiring.

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Danielle Collins got into a back-and-forth with a booing crowd at the Australian Open after eliminating local hope Destanee Aiava, and blowing kisses to the spectators. 'The people that don't like you, and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills,' the world No 11 said.

• Danielle Collins thanks ‘super drunk’ booing fans for spurring her to victory

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• World No 121 beats No 5 seed 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 1-6, 7-6
• Californian seals victory just before 3am in Melbourne

Learner Tien, a 19-year-old qualifier from California, became the youngest American man to reach the Australian Open’s third round since Pete Sampras in 1990, upsetting a racket-tossing Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 1-6, 7-6 in a thrilling contest that began on Thursday night and ended in the wee hours of Friday in Melbourne.

The four-hour, 49-minute match had a bit of everything, including a six-minute rain delay that interrupted play shortly before 2.30am with Tien serving at 5-5 in the fifth set. When play resumed, Medvedev broke and served for the match at 6-5, but Tien refused to cede, broke back, and forced the concluding first-to-10 tiebreaker, which he emerged to win shortly before 3am. His victory came about two hours after he had failed to convert his initial match point.

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