Rafa rockets into Brisbane quarters
A DISPLAY of sheer power and smarts saw former world number one and 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal make light work of Australian Jason Kubler at the Brisbane International last night. After getting past former major winner Dominic Thiem in the opening round, Nadal crushed the world number 102 to book a spot in […]
Red-hot Rinky tames Thanasi
NO MATTER the result, an Australian was going to be the winner as wildcard Rinky Hijikata took on Thanasi Kokkinakis on Show Court 1 at the Brisbane International. In a match that lasted an hour and 37 minutes, it was Hijikata who emerged victorious, shaking off an early Kokkinakis challenge to win 7-6 6-2. Hijikata […]
Popyrin ends year with three-hour epic against mate
IT was quite the tiring finish for Alexei Popyrin in Brisbane, as the talented 24-year-old overcame compatriot Christopher O’Connell in an epic three set match that lasted more than three hours at Brisbane International. Having only played one match against each other previously – where Popyrin won in straight sets at the Rome Masters last […]
Aussie duo charge into men’s doubles final
AUSTRALIA has a knack of producing the most exciting and oddly successful one-off doubles partnerships at Melbourne Park, and the latest pairing is just one win away from keeping the men’s doubles title in Australia. After the success of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis last year, the home nation has produced another incredible doubles partnership, […]
Khachanov cruises into maiden Aus Open quarterfinal
AFTER reaching at least the last eight in the other three majors, Russian Karen Khachanov has broken his drought at the Australian Open, securing a spot in the quarterfinals following an emphatic win over Yoshihito Nishioka. The 18th seed was playing in his first ever fourth round match at Melbourne Park yesterday, having frustratingly reached […]
2023 Australian Open ICYMI: Day 5
AFTER a day of upsets and epics on Thursday, and though a bit more normality returned to Melbourne Park in the day session, there were still plenty of surprises at night. THE GOOD: Unpredictable wins. China’s Lin Zhu stunned sixth seed Maria Sakkari in three sets, while Sebastian Korda took down 2022 finalist, Daniil Medvedev […]
2023 Australian Open ICYMI: Day 3
RAIN effectively put a massive line through progress at the Australian Open yesterday, with non-covered courts unable to begin play until 5pm, forcing a backlog of players waiting for either their first or second round matches. Luckily the tournament got through all the games to be back on schedule, but plenty of players will need […]
Italy clean sweeps Norway into Brisbane final
ITALY has made light work of lowly ranked Norway in the United Cup, with Matteo Berrettini downing world number three Casper Ruud to ensure a clean slate heading into the finals. Given the importance placed on the fourth semi-finalist to have the best overall record, Italy’s 5-0 effort against Norway will go a long way […]
Sakkari sets Greece up for great win
GREECE is on the board officially in the 2022 United Cup, with a double-up performance from Maria Sakkari helping secure a 4-1 win over Bulgaria and open the tournament with a win. After leading 2-0 from the opening day, Sakkari won her individual singles match, then came back and got the job done alongside fellow […]
Aussies secure Davis Cup Finals knockout spot
AUSTRALIA has become the first nation to secure the Davis Cup Finals knockout spot, after a second straight win in Pool C. The Aussies defeated France leaving just Germany to come and determine who will top the Pool, while United States’ second win – defeating Kazakhstan – also moved the nation into prime position for […]