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Australian Open Capsules: Nadal, Federer to meet in semis
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A look at Tuesday's ninth day of the Australian Open tennis championships:
WEATHER: Sunny with a high of 95 degrees.
ATTENDANCE: Day session: 20,323; Night: 16,140. TOTAL: 36,463.
WINNERS: Men: No. 2 Rafael Nadal, No. 3 Roger Federer. Women: No. 3 Victoria Azarenka, defending champion and No. 11 Kim Clijsters.
LOSERS: Men: No. 7 Tomas Berdych, No. 11 Juan Martin del Potro. Women: No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 8 Agnieszka Radwanska.
STAT OF THE DAY: 67 — number of weeks Wozniacki was No. 1, a position she will lose when new rankings are released next Monday.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I will get it back eventually, so I'm not worried" — Wozniacki on her top ranking.
ON COURT WEDNESDAY: Men's quarterfinals — Andy Murray vs. Kei Nishikori, Novak Djokovic vs. David Ferrer; Women's quarterfinals — Maria Sharapova vs. Ekaterina Makarova; Petra Kvitova vs. Sara Errani.
WEDNESDAY FORECAST: Sunny with a high temperature of 84 degrees.
Results
The Associated Press
Tuesday
At Melbourne Park
Melbourne, Australia
Purse: $26.83 million (Grand Slam)
Surface: Hard-Outdoor
Singles
Men
Quarterfinals
Roger Federer (3), Switzerland, def. Juan Martin del Potro (11), Argentina, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
Rafael Nadal (2), Spain, def. Tomas Berdych (7), Czech Republic, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-3.
Women
Quarterfinals
Victoria Azarenka (3), Belarus, def. Agnieszka Radwanska (8), Poland, 6-7 (0), 6-0, 6-2.
Kim Clijsters (11), Belgium, def. Caroline Wozniacki (1), Denmark, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
Doubles
Men
Quarterfinals
Robert Lindstedt, Sweden, and Horia Tecau (7), Romania, def. Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram (13), United States, 6-4, 6-4.
Bob and Mike Bryan (1), United States, def. Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski (6), Poland, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-4.
Women
Quarterfinals
Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva, Russia, def. Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu, Romania, 7-5, 6-3.
Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci (11), Italy, def. Alla Kudryavtseva and Ekaterina Makarova, Russia, 6-3, 6-1.
Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka (7), Czech Republic, def. Vania King, United States, and Yaroslava Shvedova (3), Kazakhstan, 7-5, 6-2.
Sania Mirza, India, and Elena Vesnina (6), Russia, def. Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond (2), United States, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6).
Mixed
Second Round
Roberta Vinci and Daniele Bracciali, Italy, def. Kimiko Date-Krumm and Kei Nishikori, Japan, 6-3, 7-6 (6).
Bethanie Mattek-Sands, United States, and Horia Tecau (8), Romania, def. Yaroslava Shvedova, Kazakhstan, and Andy Ram, Israel, 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Legends Doubles
Round Robin
Men
Wayne Arthurs, Australia, and Thomas Muster, Austria, def. Pat Cash, Australia, and Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia, 6-4, 6-3.
Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, and Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Russia, def. Darren Cahill and Richard Fromberg, Australia, 7-6 (3), 6-3.
Women
Tracy Austin, United States, and Barbara Schett, Austria, def. Nicole Bradtke, Australia, and Martina Navratilova, United States, 2-6, 7-6 (9), 10-4 tiebreak.
Junior Singles
Boys
Second Round
Andrew Harris (6), Australia, def. Wayne Montgomery, South Africa, 6-4, 6-2.
Filip Peliwo, Canada, def. Jack Schipanski, Australia, 6-2, 6-4.
Frederico Ferreira Silva (5), Portugal, def. Evgeny Karlovskiy, Russia, 6-3, 6-4.
Nikola Milojevic (9), Serbia, def. Quentin Halys, France, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.
Mackenzie McDonald, United States, def. Mathias Bourgue, France, 6-2, 6-1.
Marek Routa, Czech Republic, def. Nick Kyrgios (13), Australia, 7-6 (7), 6-4.
Robin Stanek, Czech Republic, def. Liam Broady (3), Britain, 6-4, 6-1.
Joshua Ward-Hibbert, Britain, def. Stefano Napolitano (8), Italy, 6-3, 6-4.
Adam Pavlasek (10), Czech Republic, def. Pedja Krstin, Serbia, 7-6 (5), 6-1.
Karim Hossam (16), Egypt, def. Pedro Guimaraes, Brazil, 7-5, 7-6 (9).
Herkko Pollanen (15), Finland, def. Christopher O'Connell, Australia, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.
Kyle Edmund (7), Britain, def. Pol Toledo Bague, Spain, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.
Luke Saville (1), Australia, def. Lucas Pouille, France, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Laurent Lokoli, France, def. Bradley Mousley, Australia, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Kimmer Coppejans (11), Belgium, def. Borna Coric, Croatia, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.
Kaichi Uchida (4), Japan, def. Luke Bambridge, Britain, 6-4, 7-6 (8).
Girls
Second Round
Irina Khromacheva (1), Russia, def. Stephanie Nauta, United States, 6-1, 6-2.
Yulia Putintseva (4), Russia, def. Nao Hibino, Japan, 6-2, 6-1.
Taylor Townsend (14), United States, def. Ioana Loredana Rosca, Romania, 6-1, 6-1.
Camilla Rosatello, Italy, def. Indy de Vroome (5), Netherlands, 6-4, 1-6, 4-1, retired.
Barbora Krejcikova, Czech Republic, def. Ilka Csoregi (10), Romania, 7-6 (4), 6-1.
Anett Kontaveit (3), Estonia, def. Lee So-ra, South Korea, 6-1, 6-7 (6), 8-6.
Sabina Sharipova (12), Uzbekistan, def. Georgiana Ruhrig, Australia, 6-0, 6-2.
Storm Sanders, Australia, def. Julia Elbaba, United States, 6-3, 6-4.
Christina Makarova, United States, def. Ellen Allgurin, Sweden, 6-2, 6-1.
Samantha Crawford, United States, def. Jade Suvrijn, France, 7-5, 7-5.
Risa Ozaki, Japan, def. Anna Danilina, Kazakhstan, 6-1, 6-4
Elena-Theodora Cadar, Romania, def. Olga Doroshina, Russia, 6-4, 6-4.
Krista Hardebeck, United States, def. Zheng Saisai (9), China, 6-1, 6-3.
Kyle S. McPhillips (16), United States, def. Jelena Ostapenko, Latvia, 6-2, 6-3.
Eugenie Bouchard (2), Canada, def. Iva Mekovec, Croatia, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Anna Schmiedlova (8), Slovakia, def. Carol Zhao, Canada, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Junior Doubles
Boys
Second Round
Liam Broady and Joshua Ward-Hibbert (6), Britain, def. Temur Ismailov, Uzbekistan, and Markus Kalovelonis, Greece, 6-2, 6-2.
Adam Pavlasek, Czech Republic, and Filip Veger, Croatia, def. Kevin Kaczynski and Jannis Kalhke, Germany, 6-4, 6-2.
Patrik Fabian, Slovakia, and Franko Miocic, Croatia, def. Karim Hossam, Egypt, and Trey Strobel, United States, 6-7 (2), 6-2, 10-6 tiebreak.
Luke Saville and Jack Schipanski, Australia, def. Kimmer Coppejans, Belgium, and Herkko Pollanen (5), Finland, 6-0, 3-6, 10-4 tiebreak.
Andrew Harris and Nick Kyrgios (4), Australia, def. Laurent Lokoli and Lucas Pouille, France, 6-2, 4-6, 10-4 tiebreak.
Alexandre Favrot and Quentin Halys, France, def. Connor Farren, United States, and Frederico Ferreira Silva (3), Portugal, 6-4, 6-4.
Pedja Krstin, Serbia, and Filip Peliwo (7), Canada, def. Borna Coric, Croatia, and Pietro Licciardi, Italy, 2-6, 6-2, 10-6 tiebreak.
Julien Cagnina, Belgium, and Thiago Monteiro (2), Brazil, def. Marek Routa and Robin Stanek, Czech Republic, 2-6, 6-4, 10-8 tiebreak.
Girls
Second Round
Irina Maria Bara, Romania, and Jelena Ostapenko, Latvia, def. Indy de Vroome, Netherlands, and Anett Kontaveit (2), Estonia, walkover.
Ilka Csoregi, Romania, and Elizaveta Kulichkova (3), Russia, def. Jang Su Jeong and Lee So-ra, South Korea, 6-4, 4-6, 10-4 tiebreak.
Rutuja Bhosale, India, and Aldila Sutjiadi, Indonesia, def. Naiktha Bains and Danielle Wagland, Australia, 5-7, 6-2, 10-5 tiebreak.
Eugenie Bouchard and Carol Zhao (8), Canada, def. Miyu Kato and Risa Ozaki, Japan, 6-2, 6-4.
Anna Schmiedlova, Slovakia, and Sabina Sharipova (4), Uzbekistan, def. Beatriz Haddad Maia, Brazil, and Jesika Maleckova, Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-4.
Irina Khromacheva, Russia, and Danka Kovinic (1), Montenegro, def. Krista Hardebeck and Catherine Harrison, United States, 2-6, 6-0, 10-4 tiebreak.
Kyle S. McPhillips, United States, and Yulia Putintseva (5), Russia, def. Olga Doroshina, Russia, and Christina Makarova, United States, 6-4, 6-3.
Gabrielle Andrews and Taylor Townsend, United States, def. Anna Danilina, Kazakhstan, and Zuzanna Maciejewska (7), Poland, 6-2, 6-2.
Show Court Schedules
The Associated Press
Wednesday
At Melbourne Park
Melbourne, Australia
Play begins at 7 p.m. EST Tuesday
Rod Laver Arena
Sara Errani, Italy, vs. Petra Kvitova (2), Czech Republic
Not before 8:30 p.m. EST Tuesday: Ekaterina Makarova, Russia, vs. Maria Sharapova (4), Russia
Not before 10:30 p.m. EST Tuesday: Andy Murray (4), Britain, vs. Kei Nishikori (24), Japan<
Night Session (3:30 a.m. EST Wednesday)
Novak Djokovic (1), Serbia, vs. David Ferrer (5), Spain
Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi (6), India, vs. Liezel Huber, United States, and Colin Fleming, Britain
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The intensity was vintage Rafael Nadal.
On the stroke of midnight, he thrust his arms up and punched the air, sealing the victory that sets up the most anticipated semifinal at the Australian Open in quite some time.
Roger Federer did his part to put this in place. In the previous match on Rod Laver Arena, he beat 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in a quarterfinal marking his 1,000th tour-level match.
A Federer-Nadal semifinal had been looming since the draw for the season's first major — the first time the pair have been in the same half at a Grand Slam tournament since 2005.
Playing with a new racket and a heavily taped right knee, Nadal was at his demonstrative best, rallying after losing the first set to beat Tomas Berdych 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-3.
Yelling "Vamos," disputing line calls, pumping his arms after winning big points and bounding around like a hyperactive kid, Nadal ripped winner after winner against Berdych in a 4-hour, 16-minute display of pure intimidation.
He said he was nervous in the first set — he'd lost in the quarterfinals two straight years — but by the third and fourth sets things had indeed changed.
"The character on court, the way to win the points ... the level is very positive, much, much better than the end of the season," he said. "Semifinals is fantastic result for me."
Federer finished his match with one of his classic, one-handed backhands against Del Potro, one of only two men who have beaten him in a major final. The other is Nadal, who has done it six times.
That lopsided record aside, there's a touch of extra tension this time in this usually cordial rivalry. Nadal had told Spanish reporters during a discussion about player discontent that Federer liked to protect his reputation as a gentleman by saying nothing negative in public and letting others "burn."
Both have since played down the comments. On Tuesday, Federer said it didn't damage their relationship.
"No. No. Honestly, no," he said. "It was here for one day and then gone again. I'm happy about that because it didn't deserve more attention than it did. So for me, it's another great match with Rafa. ... Obviously I'd like to play Rafa because of our great epic match earlier in the finals here a few years ago."
Thursday's match will be the first time they have met at Melbourne Park since Nadal won the 2009 title in five seesawing sets. Nadal collected the trophy from the great Rod Laver after consoling Federer as he sobbed in the background.
"We are talking about a player who has won 16 Grand Slams, and I've won 10," Nadal said. "We have played a lot of matches together, many in very important moments for our careers. So the matches against him are always special, even if we are (ranked) 20 against 25."
One of the women's semifinals is already set up, with defending champion Kim Clijsters showing too much experience in a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Caroline Wozniacki, who remains without a major title and will now lose her No. 1 ranking.
Clijsters has a left ankle sprain that requires almost constant treatment, but expects to be fit for the next match against third-seeded Victoria Azarenka, one of the three women who can finish the tournament with the top ranking.
The two others — Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Maria Sharapova — are in action Wednesday. Kvitova opens play at Rod Laver Arena against Sara Errani of Italy, followed by Sharapova against Ekaterina Makarova in an all-Russian match. No. 56-ranked Makarova is coming off a straight-set win over five-time Australian champion Serena Williams.
Defending men's champion Novak Djokovic has an evening match against No. 5 David Ferrer, who beat Nadal in the quarterfinals last year. Djokovic overtook Nadal and Federer for the No. 1 ranking last year by winning three of the four majors, starting with an Australian Open final win over Andy Murray. Murray takes on No. 24 Kei Nishikori of Japan on Wednesday.
Given the dominance last season of the top four, a Djokovic vs. Murray semifinal seems most likely. In 2009, the competition was considered more of a two-man race.
Federer was aiming to equal Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles and was confident despite entering the Australian Open with the No. 2 ranking.
Nadal had fended off Fernando Verdasco in 5-hour, 14-minute late night semifinal — the longest match at the Australian Open — and said he could barely walk, let alone practice the following day. He'd also had a day less to prepare for the final than Federer did. Still, he became the first Spaniard to win the Australian title.
Nadal has won 17 of their 26 head-to-head matches overall, including a 7-2 lead in Grand Slam matches. Federer won the last meeting, a 6-3, 6-0 demolition at the season-ending championship in November.
It has been almost seven years since the pair last met in the semifinals of a major.
"Yeah, it's been a long time — I don't know when the last time has been when we played in the semis of a slam," said Federer, who is usually an extremely reliable statistician. "Maybe back in 2005, maybe at the French potentially, I don't know."
For the record: Nadal won in four sets against the then No. 1-ranked Federer en route to the title at Roland Garros.
"We have been on opposite sides of the draw many times," Federer said. "I guess it's a nice changeup. OK, it doesn't allow a rematch for the Australian Open final here, you know, but I think it's good for tennis that it changes up a bit."
Nadal certainly didn't want to miss another chance at Federer. He didn't finish last year in good form and has already talked about taking time off next month to rest a sore shoulder. He hurt his knee by sitting in a chair at his hotel on the eve of his first-round match.
Nadal saved four set points in the first set against Berdych, including one with a stunning passing shot on the 29th point of a rally. But the seventh-seeded Czech persevered and won the ensuing tiebreaker.
During the tiebreaker, a shot by Berdych shot landed out and Nadal returned it, then challenged. Chair umpire Carlos Bernardes wouldn't allow it because Nadal hadn't immediately stopped play, but Nadal responded by saying he didn't challenge immediately because he thought the linesman had called it out. The replay showed the ball out and Nadal thought the umpire should have overruled.
He didn't win another point in the tiebreaker. In the second set, as Nadal lined up to serve in a key point, a man called out from the crowd: "Come on Rafa, we want a Roger-Rafa semifinal Thursday night."
Nadal obliged. Improving as he went along, Nadal hit consecutive down-the-line forehands to break Berdych early in the fourth set. Berdych did well to hold in the fifth game, which lasted 13½ minutes, but Nadal dominated from there and sealed the match with a service break as the clock struck 12.
"I started moving a little bit inside the court after I went 20 meters behind the baseline, just trying to find solution," Nadal said. "At the end of the match I finished it returning fantastic."
Wozniacki loses; still searching for first major
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Caroline Wozniacki lost more than just her Australian Open quarterfinal match against Kim Clijsters. She's also guaranteed to lose the No. 1 ranking she's held for nearly 67 weeks.
Yet it may end up being a relief for the 21-year-old Dane, who faced endless scrutiny about not winning a Grand Slam title since rising to the top of the game in October 2010.
The questions about whether she deserves to be No. 1 will stop, but new questions about whether she'll get over the hump and capture that elusive first major will undoubtedly remain.
"The media talks to me like I'm finishing my career and I only have one year left and time is running out," she said Tuesday after falling to Clijsters 6-3, 7-6 (4). "The fact is I still have quite a few good years in front of me."
Other women have held the top ranking before winning a Grand Slam title, including Clijsters. Amelie Mauresmo spent time at No. 1 more than a year before she won the first of her two majors in 2006.
Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina have held the top spot without breaking through at a Grand Slam.
Safina made three major finals before back problems forced her to stop playing last year. Jankovic's best result was a runner-up finish at the 2008 U.S. Open; she's been past the fourth round only one time since.
Wozniacki reached one slam final at the U.S. Open in 2009.
"I will definitely do my best and try to win one or even more," she said. "In the end of the day, you can just do your best. You can't do anything more than that."
Not having to defend her No. 1 ranking may take some of the pressure off. Before losing to Wozniacki in the Round of 16 this week, Jankovic said she was glad she was no longer in that position.
Jankovic said last week she believes Wozniacki will win a major "sooner or later" and urged critics to ease off.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Clijsters leapt to Wozniacki's defense after their match.
"She's worked very hard to get to where she is, and she's one of the most consistent players," Clijsters said. "People are almost in a way almost blaming her for it. I think that's something that is really absurd."
The new rankings come out on Monday and three players are still in contention to supplant her: Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka (who is yet to win a Grand Slam title) and Maria Sharapova (who needs to make the final to have a shot).
For her part, Wozniacki said she's never been fixated on being No. 1. She didn't sound too upset about losing it, either.
"To be honest, I don't really think about it," she said. "I have been there for a long time already. I finished No. 1 two years in a row. In the end of the year, we will see who played the best."
"I will get it back eventually, so I'm not worried."
Clijsters thinks it's only a matter of time before Wozniacki breaks through at a major.
"She's good enough," said Clijsters, who has beaten Wozniacki in all three of their meetings. "It's taken me a couple years; it's taken other people, you know, a while as well.
"So I think it's all a matter of experience and improving, definitely improving and trying to learn from losses and become better every Slam. Then she will definitely get there."
-- Justin Bergman
Notebook: Bird strike ruffles Nadal, Djokovic at Aussie Open
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Evening sessions at this year's Australian Open are starting to resemble a remake of the Alfred Hitchcock horror movie, "The Birds."
In search of locusts, swarms of seagulls have been circling Melbourne Park, occasionally swooping down to capture the tasty treats below.
On Monday, it was Novak Djokovic who seemed unnerved. The defending champion was in cruise control against Lleyton Hewitt, leading by two sets and 3-0 on Rod Laver Arena.
Then the birds came in.
Djokovic smiled at the unusual holdup but he lost six of the next seven games in dropping his first set of the tournament, before winning through in four sets.
The birds swooped again a day later. Second-ranked Rafael Nadal was leading 5-4 in the first-set tiebreak Tuesday against Tomas Berdych when the birds appeared. Nadal paused briefly and looked up at them — and didn't win another point in the set.
Wimbledon's pigeon problem became so serious that the tournament employed a hawk to scare off the pests. Named Rufus, the bird of prey even has its own accreditation pass.
Handlers are often seen walking the grounds of Melbourne Park with birds of prey on their arms — but they are only really for show and don't seem to be acting as much of a deterrent.
Australian Open organizers say the swarms of seagulls are a "highly unusual occurrence and we are looking at ways of preventing it in the future."
The birds are taking a risk by flying by a tennis court. Ten years ago, a small bird chased a moth across Rod Laver Arena and was struck down and killed by a forehand hit by French player Michael Llodra during a men's doubles semifinal.
Last year, Andy Murray's doubles-playing brother Jamie confessed on Twitter that he had accidentally killed a bird with his serve during practice in Melbourne.
"yes I was shocked ... yes I hope it never happens again ... but I hope my serve keeps being so accurate," he tweeted.
DOUBLES TROUBLE: Veteran American doubles pair Lisa Raymond and Liezel Huber are out of doubles after a marathon quarterfinal match against Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina.
The India-Russia pairing of Mirza and Vesnina won 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6) Tuesday after 3 hours, 5 minutes on Margaret Court Arena.
Raymond, 38, and Huber, 35, served for the match at 5-4 in the second set and saved four match points in the tiebreaker to fight back to 6-all. But Mirza and Vesnina eventually closed out the 93-minute deciding set.
The match get testy on one of the match points when Mirza and Vesnina were convinced Huber had hit a shot after the ball had bounced twice.
The umpire didn't see it and Huber denied it — leaving the pair fuming. Mirza subsequently hit a forehand straight at Huber, knocking her to the ground.
Raymond became the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam doubles title when she and Huber won the U.S. Open in September. Raymond tweeted it was a "devastating loss today to a great team."
Vesnina responded on Twitter: "Thank you Lis! It was great match and u are better player and person on and off the court,then your partner!!!"
It sets up an intriguing last match at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday, when Mirza and her mixed doubles partner Mahesh Bhupathi take on Huber and Colin Fleming.
YOUNG ITALIAN: Sara Errani is having the Grand Slam tournament of her life.
The 24-year-old Italian has advanced to the quarterfinals of the singles and doubles at the Australian Open — the farthest she's gone in either draw at a major.
Errani's good form means she'll have a busy day on Wednesday. First, she'll play Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the morning. A few hours later, she's scheduled to play doubles with Roberta Vinci against the seventh-seeded Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka for a spot in the doubles final.
She'll also get a chance to play her first match on the premier court at the Australian Open — Rod Laver Arena.
"What can I say? I've only seen it as a spectator," she told the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. "All these situations are new to me and I seem to be able to manage them well."
The 48th-ranked Errani, whose previous best Grand Slam result in singles is reaching the third round, is similarly not nervous about facing a player of Kvitova's stature. The two have never met before.
"She's a beast. The important thing is not to allow yourself to get eaten, trying to be more aggressive than her," Errani said.
-- Caroline Cheese
