TENNIS: Djokovic denies match-fixing report, Hewitt faces Ferrer

Djokovic denies report that 2007 loss to Santoro was fixed

Reuters
Novak Djokovic has denied an Italian media report he deliberately lost a match in 2007 that has been linked to a wider scandal involving alleged corruption in tennis.

The 28-year-old world number one, who easily beat French teenager Quentin Halys on Wednesday to advance to the Australian Open third round, was asked about a report in Italian newspaper Tuttosport that he had deliberately lost to now-retired French player Fabrice Santoro at the Paris Masters.

"It's not true," the Serb said with a shrug and shake of his head. "What it is to say? I've lost that match.

"Anybody can create a story about that match or for that matter any of the matches of the top players losing in the early rounds, I think it's just absurd."

Djokovic was asked about the media reports on Monday, saying that he had indirectly been offered $200,000 to throw a match while still a teenager.

The offer was immediately rejected by the person it had been made to, he said.

Hewitt facing final farewell against brick wall Ferrer

Reuters

Spain's David Ferrer could be the man to bring the curtain down on Lleyton Hewitt's illustrious career in what could be an emotional Rod Laver Arena night session on day four of the Australian Open on Thursday.

Home favourite and former world number one Hewitt will retire after his 20th and final home grand slam and while he will fight the way only he knows how, he could meet his match in tenacious eighth seed Ferrer.

Wild card Hewitt remains the only player Australian to beat Ferrer at a grand slam tournament though and will relish a toe-to-toe scrap with the former French Open runner-up.

"He's like a brick wall out there," twice grand slam champion Hewitt said of Ferrer. "He's a tough customer for nearly anyone. But, yeah, I give myself a fighting chance."

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Sixth seed Kvitova ousted by Australia's Gavrilova in Melbourne

Reuters

Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was sent tumbling out of the Australian Open in the second round by Daria Gavrilova on Wednesday, stunned 6-4 6-4 by the 21-year-old local.

The sixth seed, a semi-finalist at Melbourne Park four years ago, made 35 unforced errors and was broken five times in the 89-minute contest, to the delight of the partisan crowd on Margaret Court Arena.

Kvitova rallied to save a match point and break back for 5-4 in the final set but Gavrilova claimed the victory when the world number seven went long with a forehand in the next game.

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Kyrgios overcomes shorts mix-up to set up Berdych clash

Agence France-Presse
Rising star Nick Kyrgios overcame a mix-up with his shorts to beat Pablo Cuevas in straight sets and set up an Australian Open showdown with Tomas Berdych on Wednesday.

Despite needing to change his shorts midway, the exciting 20-year-old Australian beat the 41st-ranked Cuevas 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) in almost two hours before a partisan home crowd on Hisense Arena.

Krygios, whose first pair of shorts apparently didn't have pockets deep enough to hold balls while he was serving, smashed 50 winners as he broke the Uruguayan's serve four times.

"Just a bit of a mix-up before the game. I guess it will be fixed by the next round," shrugged the 29th seed, whose next opponent, Berdych, has reached the last two semi-finals at Melbourne Park.
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Uncle Toni open to Nadal coaching change

Agence France-Presse

Rafael Nadal's coach and uncle Toni Nadal hasn't ruled out the possibility that the 14-time Grand Slam champion may seek a new or expanded coaching team in a bid to arrest his slide in form.

Nadal lost in the first round of a Grand Slam for just the second time in his career to fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

"I understand that in sport results come first and if you have to make a change, you have to do it," Toni Nadal told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope on Wednesday.

"To lose so early in Australia is one of the biggest disappointments we have had because in the last four months we had been playing well.

"I hope it is only a blip and we move forward."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pressure all on Murray says Hewitt

GLASGOW -- Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt says the pressure is all on Andy Murray as he attempts to lead his Great Britain side to Davis Cup glory.

Murray suffered the disappointment of being knocked out in the fourth round of the US Open by Kevin Anderson in New York last week - his earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament in five years.

The 28-year-old is now concentrating on leading Team GB into the Davis Cup final for the first time since 1978 as they prepare to face Australia in their semi-final clash at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.

The best-of-five tie opens with two singles rubbers on Friday, followed by the doubles rubber on Saturday and the reverse singles on Sunday.

Murray played three tough matches in three days in GB’s win over France in the quarter-finals in July - including a doubles win with older brother Jamie - and Hewitt says the weight of expectation will be on the Scot again this time round.

"A lot of the pressure is obviously on Andy," said Hewitt, who won the competition with Australia in 1999 and 2003.

"Whoever gets the opportunity to face him on day one really has nothing to lose, you can go out free swinging and play your game."

The 34-year-old, who is set to retire after the Australian Open at the start of 2016, added: "I think Andy pretty much has got to win that match in a lot of ways so it's going to be a bigger rubber for them, I think, and these young boys are big match players as well.

"We're going to try and come up with the best team play to win three out of the five matches."

However, two-time major winner Murray was adamant that Great Britain's Davis Cup squad was not a one-man team.

- Pressure on everybody -

“I wouldn’t say it’s all on me. We got into this position by everyone in the team playing their part," Murray said.

“I think there’s pressure on everybody. It’s Lleyton’s last chance to win the Davis Cup and he’ll be feeling pressure as well and all the players in their team will be feeling the same way.

“The pressure is on us as well because everyone views this as a good opportunity, so we can point fingers at one another and say there is pressure for certain individuals and none on the others but they’ll be feeling the pressure as well and we’ll see who handles it better over the weekend.”

The 28-year-old, who will be cheered on by a passionate home support in Scotland, added that he had played some of the best tennis of his career in the competition.

"When I am competing for my country I have played some of the best tennis of my life. So, I obviously enjoy it and it inspires me," Murray said. "Obviously I didn't play as well as I would have liked in New York but hopefully I can turn it around here."

It is Great Britain’s first semi-final for 34 years, and the nine-time champions are now the favourites to win the event for the first time since 1936.

Captain Leon Smith is still to decide on his second singles player with James Ward, Kyle Edmund and late call up Dan Evans vying for the spot.

Australia, led by captain Wally Masur, have had their own selection problems after Nick Kyrgios, the second-highest ranked Australian, was left out of the squad by mutual agreement.

Bernard Tomic and Thanasi Kokkinakis are the highest-ranked singles players for the 28-time winners, with Hewitt and Sam Groth likely to play doubles.

The winners will play either Argentina or Belgium in the final.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Federer beats Hewitt in short-form exhibition

SYDNEY, Australia -- Roger Federer fought his way to a tough win over old rival Lleyton Hewitt in the Fast4 tennis exhibition in Sydney on Monday.

The Swiss world number two continued his unbeaten run into the new season with a 4-3, 2-3, 3-4, 4-0, 4-3 win over the Australian in the short-form contest.

Coming off a four-match winning run in Brisbane, where he took the title in three sets over Milos Raonic on Sunday, Federer started where he left off.

The match featured an experimental style of play, with sets being won after four games, no deuces and play allowed to continue after lets on serve.

The shorter breaks between the changes of ends certainly worked, speeding up the pace considerably.

The format has been piloted at clubs across Australia and is being billed as the Twenty20 of tennis, a reference to the fast and furious form of cricket that has proved a huge hit.

Great friends off the court, Federer and Hewitt have one of the most enduring rivalries in tennis. The pair, both aged 33, have faced each other 27 times since 1999, with Federer winning 18 of them.

Federer was pushed all the way by his evergreen rival, the contest going its full allotment of five shortened sets.

Both players looked in good touch. On plenty of occasions in the first set and a half Hewitt told Federer his shots were "too good" before the world number 86 found some rhythm to get back into the contest.

Hewitt, who lost in the opening match of the Brisbane International against compatriot Sam Groth in his only other hit-out of the year so far, will now head to his home town of Adelaide to play an exhibition match against Czech Tomas Berdych.

This will round out his formal preparations for the Australian Open.

Federer is expected to head straight to Melbourne for the year's opening grand slam.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com