Tennis

Australian Open: Naomi Osala beat Hsieh Su-Wei 6-2, 6-2 to seal a berth in the semi-finals. World number three Naomi Osaka sailed past Hsieh Su-wei in straight sets Tuesday to book an Australian Open semi-final against either Serena Williams or Simona Halep. The Japanese three-time Grand Slam champion overcame the Taiwanese world number 71's unorthodox style 6-2, 6-2 in an all-Asian quarter-final at a crowd-less Rod Laver Arena. "I was pretty calm. I'm really happy how I played today," said Osaka, who hit

Rafael Nadal looks to be peaking at the right time after brushing aside Fabio Fognini to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. The second seed came into the tournament with serious concerns over a back problem but revealed after beating Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the third round that it had finally started to improve. Fognini came from two sets down to beat Nadal at the US Open in 2015 but, after failing to convert a lead in the second set, he swiftly succumbed to a 6-3, 6-4,

The Scot, now ranked 125th, lost 6-2, 6-4 to 33-year-old Ukrainian Illya Marchenko, who is ranked 212th, in the hard-court event. Rome: Former world number one Andy Murray, forced to miss the Australian Open by a positive COVID-19 test, lost the final of the Biella Challenger event in Italy on Sunday. The Scot, now ranked 125th, lost 6-2, 6-4 to 33-year-old Ukrainian Illya Marchenko, who is ranked 212th, in the hard-court event. The indoor event in the foothills of the Italian Alps carried a modest overall

Novak Djokovic says it's a 'gamble' to keep playing the Australian Open and his abdominal injury could have an impact on the rest of his season, but the world number one is prepared to take the risk. The Serbian eight-time champion sustained a "muscle tear" during a thrilling five-setter against Taylor Fritz on Friday. He didn't train the following day but took to Rod Laver Arena on Sunday evening dosed up on painkillers to see off the threat posed by big-serving Canadian Milos

Naomi Osaka battled back from the brink to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory over Garbine Muguruza on Sunday. Naomi Osaka saved two match points and came back to beat Garbine Muguruza in a big-hitting fourth-round matchup of Grand Slam champions at the Australian Open. The third-seeded Osaka grabbed the last four games to win 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in Rod Laver Arena. That result puts her back in the quarterfinals of a tournament she won in

Karolina Pliskova said she never got into her comfort zone on Saturday as the sixth seed exited the Australian Open following a 7-5 7-5 third-round defeat by Czech compatriot Karolina Muchova at Rod Laver Arena. Pliskova's frustrations boiled over in the first set as she received a code violation for racket abuse and was then handed a point deduction for smashing another racket in the tunnel between sets. Pliskova told a news conference she had been a little bit surprised at the second

Serena Williams debuted a striking single-legged leotard in her first match in the Australian Open on Monday, paying homage to the Olympic track champion Florence Griffith Joyner, known for her long, colourful fingernails and flamboyant outfits. After wearing the black, red and pink catsuit to dispatch Germany’s Laura Siegemund, Williams credited Nike for coming up with the idea to channel FloJo, as the athlete was popularly known, and spoke of her admiration for the late athlete. “I was inspired by FloJo, who was

Serena Williams launched her latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam with a 56-minute demolition of Laura Siegemund at the Australian Open. The American, 39, said it was "vintage Serena" as she thrashed the German 6-1 6-1 in front of a small, unmasked crowd on Rod Laver Arena. US Open champion Naomi Osaka also made a convincing start with a 6-1 6-2 win over Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. But former champion Angelique Kerber was the first seed to be knocked out. The German

Serena Williams launched her latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam with a 56-minute demolition of Laura Siegemund at the Australian Open. The American, 39, said it was "vintage Serena" as she thrashed the German 6-1 6-1 in front of a small, unmasked crowd on Rod Laver Arena. US Open champion Naomi Osaka also made a convincing start with a 6-1 6-2 win over Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. But former champion Angelique Kerber was the first seed to be knocked out. The German

World number one Ashleigh Barty says she is "happy with the progression" of her tennis after warming up for the Australian Open by winning the Yarra Valley Classic. The Australian had not played for 11 months because of the coronavirus pandemic but won four matches at the tune-up event in Melbourne. Barty won 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 in the final against Spain's Garbine Muguruza. Now she is aiming to become the first home champion at the major since 1978. arty, 24, reached the semi-finals

Between 500 and 600 Australian Open players, officials and support staff will go into isolation after a worker at one of the event's quarantine hotels tested positive for coronavirus. Thursday's play at the six warm-up events at Melbourne Park has been cancelled as a result. But Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said: "At this stage there is no impact on the tournament proper." Players will be free to return to competition after a negative test. "We will work with everyone involved to facilitate testing

More than 500 tennis players and officials were ordered into isolation in the Australian city of Melbourne on Thursday as authorities reintroduced coronavirus restrictions after a worker at a quarantine hotel tested positive for the virus. The city reimposed an order for masks indoors and a limit on gatherings of 15 people after the state's run of 28 days with no new local cases came to an end. Melbourne, Australia's second-biggest city, is preparing to host the Australian Open tennis tournament from Monday

Australian Open boss Craig Tiley says he is "absolutely confident" the Grand Slam will start as planned on Monday, despite 160 players waiting for the outcome of coronavirus tests. A total of 507 people connected to the event were told to isolate by Melbourne health officials on Wednesday after a hotel worker tested positive. Play at six warm-up events and the Slam draws were postponed on Thursday. "We fully expect to keep the original schedule after today," said Tiley. The warm-up events, which are all

Rafael Nadal pulled out of Spain's opening ATP Cup tie with a lower back problem less than a week before he launches his bid for a record 21st men's Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. The world number two, 34, was scheduled to face Australia's Alex de Minaur at Melbourne Park on Tuesday. "I have a stiff low back," Nadal wrote on Twitter. "Hopefully I'll be better for Thursday." Spain play Greece on Thursday. Spain were runners-up to Serbia in the final

Roger Federer is hoping to make his comeback from double knee surgery in 2020 by competing at a smaller tournament after skipping the Australian Open; The 39-year-old is currently tied with Rafael Nadal on 20 Grand Slam titles Roger Federer is set to return to ATP Tour action in Doha, scheduled for the week of March 8, following an absence of 14 months due to injury. Federer made his last appearance at the end of January 2020, when he was beaten by Novak

Barty will play American Shelby Rogers in the quarterfinals of the Yarra Valley Classic and could potentially face Serena Williams in the semifinals. Williams was playing Tsvetana Pironkova in a night match on Margaret Court Arena. Ash Barty looked like the world No. 1 in the first set, then struggled the rest of the way against No. 52-ranked Marie Bouzkova before completing a 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 win in an Australian Open tuneup tournament on Wednesday. In the third set, the 2019 French Open

Rafa Nadal brushed aside questions about the Australian Open quarantine on Sunday and said it was time to get down to the business of playing tennis and entertaining fans around the world. The 34-year-old, who secured his 20th Grand Slam title at last year’s delayed French Open, completed his two weeks of isolation in Adelaide on Friday before playing an exhibition match and then heading to Melbourne. “When we arrived here, we have this quarantine. But I think that’s over. It’s the moment

Serena Williams says she may not have been able to play in the Australian Open had it not been pushed back by three weeks. The first Grand Slam of the year was delayed to allow players to quarantine. Williams, chasing a record-equalling 24th major singles title next week, said she "needed the extra time" to fully recover from an Achilles injury sustained at the US Open in September. She and Britain's Katie Boulter won their openers as warm-up events began. The two are playing

Britain's Katie Boulter beat Anna Kalinskaya in the first round of the Gippsland Trophy as players began their Australian Open preparations. Boulter, playing in just her second WTA main draw match since February 2019, beat the Russian 6-1 6-3 in 59 minutes. The 24-year-old will play world number 48 Coco Gauff next in Melbourne. American Gauff, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2020, battled past Switzerland's Jil Teichmann 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-5). Gauff squandered a 4-2 lead in

Preparation for this year's Australian Open has been unlike anything these professional tennis players have previously experienced. Some have been through a "hard quarantine" and unable to leave their hotel rooms at all for 14 days, while others have been allowed out to practice for limited hours during the day. However, there is one element of the upcoming tournament, set to begin on February 8, that will at least give the players some sense of normalcy.For the first time at a grand slam