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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Ian McCourt

Australian Open 2015: Victoria Azarenka knocks out Caroline Wozniacki – as it happened!

Victoria Azarenka on her way to beating Caroline Wozniacki.
Victoria Azarenka on her way to beating Caroline Wozniacki. Photograph: Lee Jin-man/AP

That’s that from me for the day. Thanks for all the emails and comments. Enjoy the rest of your Thursday.

Vandeweghe beats Stosur 6-4, 6-4

5-4 it is and Vandeweghe is serving to win the match. Her serve has been impressive all day but can she keep calm and carry on through the tournament? She starts badly with an overhit backhand but soon makes it 15-15. Stosur takes the lead and then loses it. 30-30. An 119mph ace from Vandeweghe makes it match point. A forehand or two later and she is done. Game, set and match.

At 5-3 down and one set down, Stosur is serving to stay in the game. She loses the first point but wins the second and third, the latter with a fabulous ace. An over-hit backhand makes it 30-30 however, before Stosur goes on the attack and makes it 40-30. She wins the game with a close-to-the-net backhand volley.

Some more Nadal news for those of you interested:

Djokovic has been speaking to the cameras about his straight sets victory over Andrey Kuznetsov.

Eh, so much for that Stosur comeback. Vandeweghe has broken her serve and then held her own to take a 4-2 lead in the second set. She is completely in charge of this match, bossing her opponent around the court with ease. Vandeweghe’s grandmother, by the way, is a former Miss America (1952) and her grandfather played for the New York Knicks.

Stosur has fought her way back into her match against Vandeweghe. In the third set, she is is 2-1 up with Vandeweghe serving.

Vandeweghe storms into a 30-0 lead but she gives her opponent a lifeline by playing a ball at the net, and into the net, that was clearly going out. She looks annoyed with herself and well she should. she came steaming in when she didn’t need to. However, she wangles a 40-15 lead and two set points. She only needs one.

Updated

If you like me thought that Raonic v Young was the final game of the day, then you are sorely mistaken. Over in the Rod Laver arena, Vandeweghe is taking on Stosur and is currently winning 5-3 in the first set. In game nine, Stosur holds her nerve/serve to make it 5-4 and so Vandeweghe will lay them up for the set.

Some Hewitt news:

Raonic beats Young 6-4, 7-6, 6-3

Raonic wins the first, second and third points easily enough. He then finishes off the match with a backhand volley. That is that, as they say. Easy peasy, as they say.

Updated

Raonic, the non-server for this game and the player who is two sets up and 5-2 up in the third, goes 0-30 up but Young crawls his way back into it and eventually takes a 40-30 lead. A Raonic forehand leads to a call of deuce from the umpire. Young takes the game. Raonic will serve for the match.

After his (possibly career ending) win over Hewitt earlier this hour, here is what Benjamin Becker had to say about the Australian player:

I hope it’s not Lleyton’s last match because then I get asked about it all the time. He is a great warrior, an unbelievable player, so I hope he continues.

... And we are back. Quick reminder. Raonic won the first set 6-4 and won the second one 7-6. He is now 2-0 up in the third and serving. You’d have to fancy his chances from here, no?

Back in the penultimate match of the day ... well I would tell you what is going on between Milos Raonic and Donald Young but my Eurosport feed has gone kaput.

Updated

Venus Williams has been talking to the cameras about her second round victory in the as well as her struggle to maintain her form on the court. Here is what she had to say:

Updated

Becker beats Hewitt 2-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

Becker is serving for game, set and match. Is Becker about to retire another tennis legend? He starts with an ace and a backhand error from Hewitt makes it 30-0. This time Hewitt tries his forehand but the result is still the same. 40-0. Three match points it is. Hewitt wins the first forcing Becker into an over hit forehand. But that’s where Hewitt’s resistance ends. Becker aces, Hewitt challenges but it is well in. Game set and match for Becker and what a phenomenal comeback that was.

Updated

Becker has broken Hewitt (after four break points and a host of challenges) for the second time in this set. He is now serving for the match. Should he win, it will be the first five-set win of his career.

Updated

Correct.

Becker, serving, loses the opening point backhanding one into the net from a tight angle. The crowd like that. He loses the next one too. The crowd really like that. He finally gets his head in the game with a service winner and then an unforced forehand error makes it 30-30. Becker aces the next point (with a very quick serve, maybe his quickest of the match) before winning the game with a powerful forehand after he opened up the court. He is winning 4-2.

Did you know Portugal’s João Sousa, the world No55 shares a manager with José Mourinho? Now you do. And did you know that Hewitt won the last game to make it 3-2 in the fifth set? Now you do.

Just in case you were wondering/worrying:

Back to Raonic versus Young for a moment or two. Raonic, as expected, ended up taking the first set 6-4. As it stands in the second, it is one game apiece with Young serving. As for Hewitt versus Becker. The Australian was 15-40 up and looking to break but Becker smashed his way to 30-40. Then, Hewitt decided to give his German opponent a leg-up by introducing the ball to the net. “DAMN!!!!!!” he screams. Hewitt took the first advantage but Becker’s forehand smash gets him back level. After he was worked across the court, Hewitt then tried to lob Becker but his shot lacked height and Becker dealt with it easily enough. The German eventually wins the game and the whole stadium lets out a very audible collective sigh. 3-1 it is.

Updated

That annoying band of supporters that follows Hewitt around have gone quieter over the last few moments and with good reason. Becker has just broken the Australian’s serve and is now leading 2-1. This is the first time he has been in front for the entirety of this match. What a time to hit form.

Some stats for you:

And some news for you. Hewitt won the first game in the last set but in the second game Becker has streaked into a 30-0 lead. He makes that 40-0 soon after with a soft forehand down the line. Hewitt earns himself a points but Becker then finishes it all off with an ace.

Meanwhile on Margaret Court, the only other match on right now has seen Milos Raonic break Donald Young in the first set of their game. Not physically of course, just in terms of serve. As it stands it is Canada 5-3 America. “O Canada! Our home and native land! ...”

Updated

After about a million* set points and a mesmerising rally, Becker finally holds his nerve and finally wins the fourth set 6-4. It is into the fifth we go.

*Warning: number may not be accurate.

Yesterday, Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard was left embarrassed when a male presenter conducting her on-court interview at the Australian Open asked: “Can you give us a twirl?”. Here is this amazing professional tennis player, one of the best at her sport in the entire world, and that’s what you ask. Yuck! Yuck! Triple Yuck!!! Anyway, Serena Williams has had her say on the incident:

A commentator asked me to twirl. I wouldn’t ask Rafa (Nadal) or Roger (Federer) to twirl. Whether it’s sexist or not, I don’t know. I can’t answer that. I didn’t really want to twirl because I was just like, you know, I don’t need all the extra attention. But, yeah, it was fine. I don’t think and look that deep into it. Life is far too short to focus on that. We have so many other problems we want to deal with that we should focus on. Whether I twirl or not, it’s not the end of the world. It’s about being positive and just moving forward.

You can read the full story here.

Meanwhile, over in Becker versus Hewitt, all has changed utterly. Hewitt, if you remember, had won the opening two sets easily enough, 6-2, 6-1. But Becker, who did one on Agassi all those years ago (remember that in 2006? When he brought a losing end to Agassi’s career), has really fought his way back into the game. He won the third set 6-3 and he is now serving at 5-2 up in the fourth.

Apparently, a po-faced guard tried to stop a po-faced guard Monfils from entering the locker-room as the tennis player was without his required credentials.

Djokovic will indeed face Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the third round. He defeated Go Soeda of Japan 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 in a total of 116 minutes. Nice work from the Spaniard but you have to imagine that this is where his work in this tournament will come to an end.

And here is how Janowicz celebrated the win:

Janowicz beats Monfils 6-4, 1-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3

Speaking of game set and match, Janowicz has three match points against Monfils but he only needs one of them. That is some comeback from the Polish players. He looked to have thrown it away after the second set and third set but he really fought his way back into the match playing some of his best tennis and he has been justly rewarded.

Updated

Azarenka beats Wozniacki 6-4, 6-2

It’s 5-2 and Azarenka is serving for the match. She pushes Wozniacki around the court and a smashing forehand sees her win the first point. Azarenka then finds the net and its 15-15. Wozniacki finds inspiration from somewhere and pushes a backhand down the line that Azarenka can’t quite reach. Azarenka then powers her way back in, pushing Wozniacki all over the place as she did on the first point of this game. 30-30. One ace later and it’s match point to Azarenka. She takes that with a sweetly struck backhand volley that Wozniacki is not quite quick enough for. Game, set and match as they say.

Azarenka held her serve – though Wozniacki made her work for it – to lead 4-2. New balls are called for and Wozniacki stars her service game by firing one right into the net. A long rally ensues for the next point and Azarenka takes it. Wozniacki faults her serve but manages to get in with her next. What she does not mange to do though is take the point. Azarenka leads 0-40 and eventually wins the game easily enough with a nice backhand.

Updated

Back to Janowicz versus Monfils for a moment. Janowicz is serving as we speak and they are all square at two each in the fifth.

Azarenka now leads 3-1. In the fifth game of the set, a smashing cross-court forehand sees her take an early lead. She hits the net on the next one to level proceedings. A long rally ends with Wozniacki taking the lead after Azarenka hits too long aiming for the baseline. Wozniacki increases that with a nice two-handed backhand that gets the crowd going and then aces her way back into the match. It’s 3-2 to Azarenka.

Elsewhere in Melbourne:

During that last game, a Wozniacki serve was called out. “Bullshit!” screamed a fan in the crowd. “Thank you, sir,” replied umpire Fergus Murphy. Cue absolute hysterics from the crowd.

Another error on her backhand by Wozniacki, another game gone to Azarenka. Nevertheless, in the third game Wozniacki streaks into a 30-0 lead only to let Azarenka back in the game with another double fault. A well-placed forehand sees Azarenka go 30-40 up but Wozniacki gets right back in by sending Azarenka one way and smashing one the other. Azarenka takes advantage and then takes the game. She leads 2-1 in the second set.

Monfils may have won the third set against Janowicz but he is nice lad and he wants the crowd to get their money’s worth so he has let the Pole back into the game. It ended up 6-3 in the fourth and so it is off to the fifth that they go.

Back to Wozniacki versus Azarenka. It is the Dane who has taken the first game of the second set. Serving, she took a 40-0 lead before double-faulting. She held her nerve, however, and a poor forehand from Azarenka Wozniacki her on her way.

As mentioned earlier, Djokovic will be defeating either Japan’s Go Soeda or Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the next round. And right about now it looks like it is going to be Verdasco. He won the first set 6-3 and he is just about to take the second set.

A forced error on her backhand means Wozniacki loses the game as well as the set. Azarenka comes off the court smiling and looking pleased enough with herself and her efforts. She shouldn’t really though as she made hard work of all that. “Go Caroline,” scream plenty of punters in the crowd. They seem to like her the most.

“Illegal is what I would call the noise Azarenka is making,” says Craig McEwan. “But maybe I’m an old fashioned type.” I was thinking it sounded more like a horse mixed with a drill.

Holy moly. Azarenka and Wozniacki is turing into a real barnburner. The Dane has just broken Azarenka’s serve after winning five straight points with the Belorussian leading 40-0. It’s 4-4 But wait. What’s this? Azarenka goes and breaks Wozniacki. It’s now 5-4 with Azarenka serving for the first set. Holy moly indeed.

We have been pay little attention to Hewitt v Becker and with good reason, it is more one-way traffic than Lombard Street. Don’t believe me? Well let this tweet convince you.

“My favourite moment at the Aus Open,” reminisces Stevo Gavin, “was back in the mid-aughts, when, just before Rafa went through his famous undies re-arrangement pre-serve routine, a bloke up the back screamed out: ‘Rafa, pull out a wedgie if you can hear me’. Rafa proceeds, Rod Laver erupts, serve delayed, umpire direction to be quiet. Good times.”

That noise Azarenka is making. Can anyone describe it? Meanwhile, in their match the Belarusian won the sixth game of the set to take a 4-2 lead but some impressive shots – including a nice forehand smash – from Wozniacki saw her take the seventh game. As it stands it is 4-3 to Azarenka.

You turn your head for a moment and look back and Wozniacki has won two games in a row. Game back on.

Updated

Feliciano Lopez’s name always reminds me of Fargo and Carl. “Have ya been to the Celebrity Room before? ... Yeah, well, it depends on the artist. You know, Jose Feliciano, ya got no complaints. Waiter!”

Updated

One match will almost certainly be a long one is the Janowicz versus Monfils encounter. It is now 6-5 to the Pole in the third set. A couple of games ago – and certainly in the later stages of the second set – Janowicz looked to have been all at sea but he has got in his head back in the game and pulled of a stunning forehand to turn the last game in his favour.

Over to the Hewitt game for a moment or two. Becker is causing him very few problems. at present. Hewitt is 4-2 to the good and there is but 20 odd minutes on the clock. Meanwhile on Margaret Court – where Eurosport are providing no commentary whatsoever despite this being one of the biggest matches of the day – my prediction that this could be a long one has been made look a little silly. Azarenka has now broken Wozniacki again and is now 3-0 up and serving. Eeep!

Updated

That first game between Wozniacki and Azarenka took a full seven minutes. This one could be longer than Pippen’s arms. And while all that was being typed, Azarenka took the second game thanks to some smart shots and a silly unforced error from Wozniacki.

Updated

Some live action news for you. There has been one break each in the third set of Janowicz versus Monfils. At it stands it is 4-3 to Janowicz. Over in the Hewitt game, the Australian has streaked into a three-game lead in the first set. And finally in the big women’s game, the first game has seen a serve broken and Azarenka take the lead.

Updated

Do you remember the French Open almost three years ago now? Probably not when it’s a struggle to remember what you had for breakfast last Thursday, eh? But Andy Murray does. Very clearly. He even did a tweet about it last night.

That was an apparent reference to Virginia Wade who hated on Murray when he was laid low with back problems during his second-round victory at Roland Garros over Jarkko Nieminen. At the time Wade said: “I have tremendous sympathy that his back is bad but I have more sympathy for the other guy as, honestly, you cannot play against someone who is being a drama queen.” This all came about because the world and its mother were in raptures when Rafael Nadal beat Tim Smyczek despite being in absolute bits with cramps.

Updated

Monfils took all of about 30 seconds to win that last game. It’s one set apiece.

As for today, coming up we have the Wozniacki versus Azarenka blockbuster, as well as the not so blockbusting Hewitt versus Becker. (No, he is not related to Boris.) Before all that though and currently carrying on court-side is Jerzy Janowicz versus Gaël Monfils. The 6ft8, 200 lbs right-handed Pole – how does he move around the court so quickly when he is that big? – took the first set 6-4 but he is struggling in the second with Monfils 5-1 ahead. Janowicz just reacted to losing serve by flinging his racket to the ground.

Updated

Speaking of Djokovic:

What you may have missed while you were in bed with your head cocked back, mouth open, nose blocked and and snoring like there was no tomorrow. Novak Djokovic’s campaign moved up a gear as he absolutely trashed Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia 6-0 6-1 6-4. The first set took Djokovic just 21 minute and the Serb had kicked Kuznetsov to the curb by the time the clock in the Rod Laver Arena struck one hour and 24 minutes. He will defeat Japan’s Go Soeda or Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the next round. If you are interested in these sort of things, you can read Russell Jackson’s game-by-game report right here.
Elsewhere, Serena Williams also eased her way into the next round. She survived a first-set scare against Vera Zvonareva – that saw her being broken twice – to eventually win 7-5 6-0. “She was aggressive and I was a little too passive,” harrumphed Williams afterwards. Nicole Gibbs or Elina Svitolina will be next person to lose to the American. Serena will be joined in the third round Agnieszka Radwanska who took a mere 44 minutes to dismiss Johanna Larsson 6-0 6-1. And in the all-American affair between Venus Williams and Lauren Davis, t’was Williams who won out with a comfortable enough 6-2 6-3 victory.

Updated

Europe is a cities continent. Paris. Rome. Berlin. Cork. London. Etc. Australia, by contrast, shines brightest when the wild is in its hair. The overbearing heat and underground living in Cobber Pedy. The Jurassic-Park like nature of Kakadu. The saltwater crocodiles of the Northern Territory. The east coast beaches. Breathtaking each and every one of them in their own way. However, should you ever find yourself in a situation where a man in a trenchcoat and smoky glasses holds a gun to your head and forces you to visit an Australian city, plump for Melbourne. With its clean, wide culture ridden streets, the graffiti satined alleys, the coffee-shop cluttered suburbs and roof-top bars, it knocks the spots off the rested of the metropolises dotted around the island. They even have hairdressers where they give you free beer for goodness sake. What more do you want people? Oh and it has the tennis. By the truckload. Including the year’s first major: the Australian Open. We are now into day four of the tournament and there’ll be plenty of action to sink your teeth into. And even if that gets a touch boring, we can always talk about why Boyhood was massively overrated. Sound good? Good. Right. Let’s go!

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