Sportmaster International

Ljubicic kicks off defence From correspondents in Doha
Former Australian Captain January 01, 2008

DEFENDING champion Ivan Ljubicic started his Qatar Open title defence on a winning note by defeating former champion Stefan Koubek 6-4 6-4. The fourth-seeded Croatian recorded three service breaks as he overcame his opponent in 73 minutes.

Ljubicic relied heavily on his big serves, but his back-hand returns also created problems for the Austrian who won the title in 2003.
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Fit again … Svelte Serena has lost weight and wants wins. Pic: Getty Svelte Serena back on track
Former Australian Captain January 01, 2008

THE last time most Australians saw Serena Williams in the flesh, there was a lot more to look at than there is now. She is now showing the benefits of a savage off season.

Noticeably slimmer, more agile and more threatening than ever, Williams showed
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Rafa loses first up From correspondents in Chennai, India
Former Australian Captain January 01, 2008

WORLD No.2 Rafael Nadal made a losing start to his new season when he and his partner Bartolome Salva-Vidal were defeated in their opening doubles match at the Chennai Open.

The French Open champion dropped serve once in each set as the 2007 finalists went down 6-4 6-4 against the first-time pairing of Cypriot Marcus Baghdatis, the singles second seed, and Marc Gicquel of France.
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Garbin on a mission
Former Australian Captain January 01, 2008

ITALY’S Tathiana Garbin declared she had unfinished business at the Australian Women’s Hardcourts tournament on the Gold Coast after eliminating second seed Nadia Petrova yesterday.

Garbin advanced to the semi-finals at the event last January and was leading 4-3 in the opening set against former world No.1 Martina Hingis.

But the Italian was forced to withdraw from the match due to breathing difficulties resulting from a viral illness.

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Rigging is ‘too easy’
Former Australian Captain January 01, 2008

TENNIS authorities have a tough task to stop match-fixing because it is too easy to manipulate results, according to Martina Navratilova.

Navratilova, winner of 59 grand slam titles, said that tennis had to do whatever it took to put an end to the scandals that rocked the sport in 2007.

A match involving Russian world No.4 Nikolay Davydenko in August is one of several under investigation because of irregular betting patterns.

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Williams is preparing to defend her Australian Open title The 26-year-old began her preparations for the defence of her Australian Open title by beating Lucie Safarova 6-0 2-6 7-5 at the Hopman Cup in Perth.The Americans are now in prime position to reach Friday’s final, having beaten India in their opening tie on Saturday.”Of course I want to be number one and I want to win Grand Slams,” said Williams, currently ranked seventh.”I wouldn’t be out there if I didn’t have those
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Garbin has unfinished business By Daniel Pace
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

ITALY’S Tathiana Garbin declared she had unfinished business at the Australian Women’s Hardcourts tournament on the Gold Coast after eliminating No.2 seed Nadia Petrova.

Garbin advanced to the semi-finals at the Tier III event last January and was leading 4-3 in the opening set against former world No.1 Martina Hingis, who has retired from the tour.

But the Italian was forced
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Hewitt unfazed by Adelaide heat By Daniel Brettig
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

LLEYTON Hewitt advised his fellow professionals to shape up or quit the sport after several raised concerns about steepling temperatures on day one of the Adelaide International at Memorial Drive.

The forecast maximum of 43C was mercifully not reached on Monday, but a high of 42.1C soon after 1pm was unpleasant enough to have vanquished No.5 seed Radek Stepanek saying it was the hottest tournament he had played.

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Stepanek succumbs to injury
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

NO.5 seed Radek Stepanek retired from his opening round match with a heel injury at the Australian men’s hardcourt tennis championship at Memorial Drive in Adelaide.

The Czech bowed out to Australian wildcard Joe Sirianni while trailing 6-7 (3-7) 3-4 and down a break in the second set, citing a right heel problem.

The former world No.8 said he did not pull out of the match because of the fierce heat, with temperatures hovering around 42C.

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Williams eyes prize after win By Nicolas Perpitch
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

WORLD No.7 Serena Williams is determined to win the Hopman Cup, or steal it if she has to, after the US won their second tie of the tournament against the Czech Republic with Tomas Berdych retiring ill.

Berdych, ranked No.14, came down with a stomach bug and could not muster his usual power or serve, forcing him to retire during the mixed doubles and forfeit his singles match against 39th ranked Mardy Fish.

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Davenport … won five of nine break points. Pic: Getty Images Davenport wins opening match From staff reporters
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

LINDSAY Davenport defeated fellow American Laura Granville 6-2 6-3 in the first round of the ASB Women’s Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.

Davenport, who returned to the WTA Tour last year, after taking 11 months out for the birth of
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Berdych sick, in doubt for US tie
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

TOMAS Berdych is in doubt for Czech Republic’s Hopman Cup tie against the United States, due to a stomach virus.

Tournament director Paul McNamee said the world No.14 had been vomiting, and organisers would push his singles rubber against Mardy Fish back to last on the program to give the player as much time as possible to recover.

US superstar Serena Williams will play Lucie Safarova in the women’s singles rubber, with he mixed doubles to be played second before the men’s singles.

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Nadal motivated in Olympic year From correspondents in Chennai
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

WORLD No.2 Rafael Nadal wants to win the Olympic title at Beijing, but has distanced himself from trying to topple Swiss champion Roger Federer from the pedestal.

The feisty Spaniard, 21, who is top seed for the $US436,000 ($498,000) ATP Chennai Open starting Monday, said he was excited about 2008 because of the Olympic Games in August.

“This year there
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Perth, Australia - Arnaud Clement demonstrated his impeccable doubles pedigree as he led France to a 2-1 comeback victory over Argentina on Sunday at the Hopman Cup.

The 30-year-old who won Wimbledon last summer with compatriot Michel Llodra, guided teenage partner Tatiana to success in the doubles to ice the Group A tie. ‘It was tough singles match, it was the first of the season and it’s winter in France, minus 5 Celsius,’ said Clement, who dropped his singles against Juan Chela 6-3, 6-1. ‘I was very happy to win the doubles.
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Sharapova downs Chakvetadze From correspondents in Singapore
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

RUSSIAN star Maria Sharapova was off to a good start in her tune-up for next month’s Australian Open, winning her exhibition match in Singapore against compatriot Anna Chakvetadze.

The former world No.1 is using the Singapore match and a tournament in Hong Kong later this week to fine-tune her game before launching her Australian Open assault.

Sharapova said
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Serbia whitewash Taiwan
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

NOVAK Djokovic and Jelena Jankovic shook off some early-season rust to give top seeds Serbia a winning start to their Hopman Cup campaign with a 3-0 victory over Taiwan.

Jankovic put Serbia ahead with a 6-4 6-4 victory over world No.157 Hsieh Su-wei and Djokovic was pushed hard before beating 110th-ranked Lu Yen-hsun 7-5 2-6 6-3.

The Serbs, both ranked third in the world, then joined forces to win the mixed doubles 3-6 6-2 10-8.

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   Perth, Australia - Top seed Serbia struggled past Asian tennis minnow Taiwan, managing to build up an unbeatable 2-0 lead on the back of a pair of patchy performances on Sunday at the Hopman Cup.

   The group A affair at the eight-nation mixed team event provided a sloppy start to the season for both Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic, each ranked third in the world    Jankovic stopped the rot after losing her last six matches of the 2007 campaign with a defeat of Su-Wei Hsieh 6-4, 6-4.    The Asian, ranked 157, had never
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Gold Coast, Australia - Shahar Peer upheld her fifth seeding with an opening victory on a rain-plagued day at the Mondial Hardcourts on Sunday, defeating American Julie Ditty 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.

Peer from Israel, recovered from a set down to reach the second round at the first women’s event of the WTA season. ‘The field is very tough for a Tier III (level),’ said Peer. ‘Julie was playing well, I had a lot of trouble with her. ‘I arrived on Tuesday morning so I’ve been here a few days. I’m slowly slowly, slowly getting my game together,
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Federer out of Roddick’s reach
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

ASKED 10 years ago what his career ambitions were, Andy Roddick optimistically rattled off a familiar hit list.

The American wanted to reach world No.1. Done. He wanted to win a grand slam title. Done. And he wanted to savour Davis Cup glory. Done.

At 25, Roddick has achieved each of his goals. But, in hindsight, he might have added another: “To beat Roger Federer as often as I lose to him.”

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Open circus a pretentious sham By Leo Schlink
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

THE roads to the Australian Open are many and varied.

Flashy Asian exhibitions, Middle Eastern tournaments offering irresistible financial incentives and traditional New Zealand and Indian whistle stops all combine with a packed Australian Open series on the way to a common destination.

Melbourne Park is the southern hemisphere’s tennis mecca and, such has been its surging tournament growth in the past two years, the lead-up structure is under review.

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Stosur to use six-month rule By Paul Malone
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

SIDELINED Sam Stosur made a sad visit to the hometown tournament she will now never win Sunday and vowed to give her recovery from viral meningitis all the time it needs.

Stosur said at the Australian Women’s Hardcourts tournament that delaying her return until March meant she could maintain a WTA protected ranking in the 30s.

Stosur’s ranking has fallen to No. 46 since July
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Confident Serena jets in
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

AMERICAN Serena Williams finally arrived in Australia early Sunday, tired and several days late, but confident she was on track to defend her Australian Open title.

The world No7 landed in Perth having taken a circuitous route from her US base in Miami, coming via New York and Dubai.

Williams cited a stomach flu as the reason for her late arrival, with Meghann Shaughnessy successfully substituting as Mardy Fish’s partner in the US’s opening tie victory over India on Saturday.

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It’s going to be interesting, Hewitt
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007

AFTER completing the most gruelling pre-season of his glittering career, Lleyton Hewitt’s moment of truth has arrived.

Confident he is fitter than ever and insistent an elusive Australian Open title is within his grasp, Hewitt begins his summer campaign Monday at the Adelaide International.

His sedate opening sortie - a doubles match with fellow Australian Nathan Healey against American Eric Butorac and Canadian Frank Dancevic - will give way Tuesday to frenetic singles action.

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Serbia stamp early authority
Former Australian Captain December 30, 2007

TOP seeds Serbia made a winning start to their Hopman Cup campaign in Perth as Novak Djokovic and Jelena Jankovic gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead over Taiwan. Jankovic put them ahead with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over world number 157 Hsieh Su-wei but Djokovic was pushed hard before beating 110th-ranked Lu Yen-hsun 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.

Having only begun practising two weeks ago after undergoing
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Vaidisova eyes Australian success By Daniel Pace
Former Australian Captain December 30, 2007

NEW Year’s resolutions don’t appeal to Czech tennis star Nicole Vaidisova but the talented teenager has made it abundantly clear that good health is her main priority heading into the 2008 season. The 18-year-old finished 2007 ranked a remarkable world No.12 despite missing most of the European claycourt season and the northern summer hardcourt season due to a viral illness and wrist and hamstring injuries.
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Murray says he is the best prepared he has ever been for a new season It will be the first meeting between the Belgian, ranked 48 in the world, and world number 11 Murray, the tournament’s third seed.Nikolay Davydenko is the favourite to win the six-day event in Doha, which starts on Monday.Murray, 20, is expected to meet the top seed in the semi-finals.The British number one has assembled a team of specialists to support him since splitting with his coach Brad Gilbert in
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Substitute Shaughnessy sparks States By Scott Coghlan
Former Australian Captain December 30, 2007

SANIA Mirza sufferedd an untimely bout of cramp that cost India any chance of victory against the United States in the opening tie of the mixed teams Hopman Cup in Perth.

The United States, the No.2 seed, won the tie 2-1, with Meghann Shaughnessy and Mardy Fish winning their respective singles matches before Mirza and Rohan Bopanna claimed the mixed doubles rubber.

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Snubbed Cash slams officials
Former Australian Captain December 30, 2007

RETIRED Wimbledon champion Pat Cash has blasted the state of Australian tennis, saying the governing body’s approach is to “pay peanuts and get monkeys”.

Cash has revealed that twice he volunteered to help coach for Tennis Australia in the past 12 months and was told “fantastic” - and then heard nothing more.

The Cash development comes as Australia’s tennis stocks sit at an all-time low, with only three male and three female players ranked in the world’s top 100.

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Guccione returns serve to Newcombe
Former Australian Captain December 30, 2007

BIG-hitting Victorian Chris Guccione has fired back at Australian great John Newcombe’s criticism of him and will use it to go on a summer rampage.

Guccione will use his return to hardcourts and Adelaide as the launching pad for his most important season after setting a goal to be in the world top 50 by the end of the year.

Newcombe came out last week and launched a barrage at Guccione and his trainer, criticising the 22-year-old for not being in better shape.

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Players unimpressed with surface By Simon Cambers
Former Australian Captain December 29, 2007

WORLD No.3 Novak Djokovic and other top players have said the new Plexicushion surface that will be used at next month’s Australian Open is slower than they had expected. After 20 years of using Rebound Ace, Australian Open organisers made the change, they said, in an effort to make all the courts at the grand-slam event more consistent in terms of speed and bounce.
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US get off to winning start
Former Australian Captain December 29, 2007

MEGHANN Shaughnessy, filling in for Serena Williams, got the United States off to a winning start and Mardy Fish clinched the win over India in the first match of the 20th Hopman Cup in Perth. The No.2-ranked US team led 2-0 ahead of the doubles in the international mixed team event.

Shaughnessy ended a see-sawing opening women’s singles match against Sania Mirza by winning the last five games against the ailing Indian player for a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory.
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Draw does Hewitt no favours
Former Australian Captain December 29, 2007

LLEYTON Hewitt has been handed a tough assignment to win the Adelaide International, with two of his conquerors in his quarter of the draw. He may be the No.1 seed for the Australian Open warm-up, but if he gets past Israel’s world No.64 Dudi Sela in the first round Hewitt is expected to face Jose Acasuso in the next match.

The Argentine downed Hewitt on clay in a tough five setter in last year’s Davis Cup semi-final.
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Year of the Golden Slam
Former Australian Captain December 29, 2007

IT is the year of the Golden Slam for tennis in 2008 and realistically only two names are in the running to take the honours.

Both Roger Federer and Justine Henin finished this year as clear No.1s in their sport and they are set to dominate again.

But winning all four Grand Slam events plus Olympic gold in Beijing in the same calendar year is a huge step.

To date only Steffi Graf has achieved the rare feat in 1988 when tennis returned to the Olympic fold in Seoul.
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Ashton (left) and Robinson were key to England’s World Cup run Ashton, who guided England to the World Cup final in October, is made an MBE and ex-Sale skipper and rugby league great Robinson becomes an OBE.Brendan Foster, the 1976 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist and founder of the Great North Run, is appointed CBE.Snooker star John Higgins is made an MBE and Des Lynam becomes an OBE.Gordon Taylor, the long-serving chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association,
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Sharapova … letting her locks down in Asia. Pic: Reuters Sharapova skips Australia for Asia By Leo Schlink
Former Australian Captain December 29, 2007

MARIA Sharapova has ignored the rankings pressure stemming from the need for another successful Australian Open campaign by basing her Melbourne Park preparation in Asia.

The Russian world No. 5 will play a series of exhibition matches in Singapore and Hong Kong.

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Hewitt banking on Roche
Former Australian Captain December 29, 2007

THE intrigue is as engrossing as football coaches Wayne Bennett or Leigh Matthews changing clubs and plotting the possible demise of their former trophy-laden teams.

For his 11th Australian Open campaign, Lleyton Hewitt has Tony Roche in his corner, the coach he has needed for the past three years, if only Roche had not been busy assisting Roger Federer.

Federer, currently without a coach,
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Don’t write me off, says Dokic By Leo Schlink
Former Australian Captain December 29, 2007

REPORTS of Jelena Dokic’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Says who? Dokic herself and her new coach - Perth’s Chris Johnson, who guided South African Wayne Ferreira to the peak of a fine career.

Dokic, 24, last week retired from the semi-final of the Australian Open wildcard playoff with thigh muscle soreness. The capitulation triggered speculation that her attempt to revive a stalled game had ended. Not so.

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Safina doubles up at all costs By Paul Malone
Former Australian Captain December 29, 2007

RUSSIAN Dinara Safina has come to defend her Gold Coast title with a new, larger support crew and the attitude that she has to spend money to make money.

Safina adopted the credo of a successful businessmen by hiring two coaches, Heinz Gunthardt, one of Steffi Graf’s former coaches, and Croatian Zeljko Krajan to guide her through an important year.

The Russian, 21, has
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Dellacqua faces daunting task By Laine Clark
Former Australian Captain December 28, 2007

AUSTRALIAN No.4 Casey Dellacqua may have received a wildcard for the Australian Women’s Hardcourts on the Gold Coast but she was given no favours when the main draw was announced. The West Australian was drawn to face none other than top seed and world No.12 Nicole Vaidisova in the first round of the $205,000 WTA tournament starting at Royal Pines resort this weekend.

World No.86 Dellacqua will be hoping home support counts for something against Vaidisova.
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   London - The ATP has confirmed fines and suspensions for the Italian pair of Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali after they were found guilty of betting on tennis matches.

   With just a weekend to go before the start of the 2008 season, the sanctioning body confirmed the 31st-ranked Starace punishment of a six-week suspension and 30,000-dollar fine. Number 258 Bracciali is out for three months and was fined 20,000 dollars.    ’The ATP’s Tennis Anti-Corruption Program, communicated to all players on a regular basis, states
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