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Japan Women's Open 2014

Stosur Wins Third Straight Japan Women's Open Crown, Tops Diyas in Final

Photo jw-open.jp

wtatennis.com: October 12 2014 Osaka, Japan - - Last year Samantha Stosur made the Japan Women's Open Tennis the first tournament she's ever won twice, and she continued to make it her favorite stomping grounds this year, edging Zarina Diyas in the final on Sunday to lift her third career title at the International event. A day after grinding out a tight two-setter against Elina Svitolina in the semifinals, Stosur had to do it all over again against another WTA Rising Star in Diyas, who broke serve in the first game of the match and rode it to leads of 3-1, 4-2 and 5-3 in the first set - and after Stosur got the break back and battled her way to a tie-break, Diyas even brought up two set points, first at 6-5 and another at 7-6. Full week recap, results

2014 Davis Cup

Groth Fulfills Dream to Play Davis Cup

daviscup.com - tennis.com.au

tennis.com.au: September 15 2014 - Debuting for Australia in the nation’s Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan represented the fulfilment of a childhood dream for Sam Groth. The 26-year-old Victorian took to the court on Sunday for a dead singles rubber against Temur Ismailov, breezing to a 6-3 6-2 win in a mere 63 minutes. The result helped cap an impressive 5-0 victory for the hosts, ensuring that they will remain in the competition’s elite 16-nation World Group for 2015. Read more

Australia Back in Elite Group for 2015, Defeats Uzbekistan in World Group Playoff

tennis.com.au

tennis.com.au September 13 2014 Australia will fight it out against the Davis Cup elite in 2015 after taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the World Group play-off against Uzbekistan in Perth on Saturday. Veterans Lleyton Hewitt and Chris Guccione combined to easily dispatch Uzbek pair Denis Istomin and Farrukh Dustov 6-3 7-6(5) 6-2 in one hour 40 minutes at the Cottesloe Tennis Club. Hewitt and rising star Nick Kyrgios recorded comfortable singles victories over Istomin and Dustov on Friday to give Australia the perfect start to the tie. Full story

Hall of Fame, Newport

Hewitt Conquers Newport, Karlovic

halloffametennischampionships.com

atpworldtour.com July 13 2014 Newport, Rhode Island - Former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt claimed his 30th ATP World Tour title at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships after edging second seed Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(3) on Sunday. The victory earned Hewitt $81,500 in prize money and 250 Emirates ATP Ranking points. Hewitt had finished runner-up in Newport for the past two years. The win also puts the 33 year old in elite company by becoming the fourth active player with 30 or more titles. The others are Roger Federer (79), Rafael Nadal (64) and Novak Djokovic (45). Full recap

Wimbledon 2014

Kyrgios Upsets Nadal in Wimbledon 4th Rd

wimbledon.com AELTC

July 1 2014 ITS Staff - World No.1 Rafael Nadal was ousted in the fourth round of Wimbledon on Tuesday by 19-year old Australian Nick Kyrgios 7-6(5) 5-7 7-6(5) 6-3 at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. The Melbourne-resident, world No.144, who entered the tournament as wild-card entry, followed up his 5-set win over No.13 seed Richard Gasquet in the second round with a stunning performance blasting 37 aces and hitting 70 winners in the three hour match against the World No.1 and two-time Wimbledon champion. Full recap, results

2014 Brisbane International

Hewitt Stuns Federer, Claims Brisbane Title

An Aussie dream final - Federer vs Hewitt. Photo brisbaneinternational.com.au

January 5, 2014 ITS Staff Brisbane - In a battle of 32-year olds and both former World No.1s, Lleyton Hewitt stunned 17-time Grand Slam champion and top-seed Roger Federer 6-1 4-6 6-3 in the final of the Brisbane International on Sunday. Today’s final can certainly be considered a dream match-up. Hewitt and Federer added another exciting chapter to their rivalrywith the 2-time Grand Slam winner Australian taking the first set 6-1, breaking the Swiss three times in 26 minutes where Federer committed 22 unforced errors. Full recap

hopmancup.com

Hopman CupFrench Pair Edge Americans in Decider 2-1; Tsonga Tops Isner, Stephens Beats Cornet

Roger Federer to honor Australian great Rod Laver at charity event

Federer and Laver. Photo theage.com

The Age: December 14, 2013 - ‘‘A night with Roger Federer and friends’’, the 17-times grand slam champion will commandeer Rod Laver Arena on January 8, taking on charismatic Frenchman and Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga  “I love the history of our game because they have paved the way for us in such a big way that tends to be forgotten,” said Federer who has shared several emotional moments with Laver at the very same venue over the years and said it was only fitting to pay tribute to his idol on such a special evening. With the Swiss Maestro’s mother from South Africa, he also decided to assist impoverished children in southern Africa, chiefly providing education for youngsters between three and 12, the report said. A decade on and Federer says his foundation now helps more than 80,000 children a year. Full article

Nalbandian Farewell Tour

Del Potro Edges Hewitt in Buenos Aires Exhibition

Del Potro and Hewitt. Photo canchallena.lanacion.com.ar

elintransigente.com - December 9, 2013 Buenos Aires - Juan Martin del Potro beat Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 7-6(3), in an exhibition match at the  Gimnasia de La Plata Stadium. "I am very proud of the recognition and support we get in this time of the year. That gives me a lot of energy to keep improving,” said Del Potro. Meanwhile, Hewitt spoke with the newspaper Ole and said: "My relationship with Argentina has improved because of knowing and competing with Nalbandian, Coria and Chela over the years. We played a lot of energy in the Davis Cup and we left everything on the court for our.”

 

“Del Potro respected me a lot since I came to the circuit. I feel weird when I play against him because he is a great guy," he added. "I do not care about the ranking. For me I am only focused on the Grand Slams and the Davis Cup," the former World No.1 added. The exhibition matches in Argentina featured a farewell to Argentine player David Nalbandian, who was finalist in Wimbledon to Hewitt in 2001. The matches pitted Spain's Rafael Nadal against Serbia's Novak Djokovic, and a match featuring Venus Williams against Serena Williams.

2014 Australian Open at Melbourne Park

A New Look: The Margaret Court Arena

Margaret Court Arena. Photo tennis.com.au

tennis.com.au: December 8, 2013 - The tennis world was given its first look inside the new Margaret Court Arena at the weekend as the iconic court was being prepared ahead of Australian Open 2014. The 6,000-seat show court, the scene of many stunning Australian Open battles, has undergone an incredible transformation and will sport a dramatic new look for the tournament in 2014. Part of this new look is a distinctive roof – which will be fixed in an open position for the 2014 event and fully operational for Australian Open 2015 – providing fans with shaded seating areas. Full article > Playing on clay at Melbourne Park

Newcombe's Medal

Hewitt Awarded Aussie Top Tennis Honor

John Newcombe and Lleyton Hewitt. Photo tennis.com.au

tennis.com.au December 2, 2013 - Lleyton Hewitt was awarded Australia’s top tennis honor, the prestigious Newcombe Medal, at a gala celebration at Crown Palladium, Melbourne. The South Australian tennis ace was formally recognized as Australia’s most outstanding player in 2013. He was presented the award by Australian tennis legend John Newcombe – in whose honour the award is named – who was also Hewitt’s first Davis Cup captain and mentor. Hewitt made a point of acknowledging Pat Cash as his original Davis Cup inspiration, and thanking Newcombe and Tony Roche for originally blooding him in the side, as well as Pat Rafter for taking him under his wing. Full article

Young Kyrgios Among Elite Company

Nick Kyrgios. Photo smh.com.au

tennis.com.au: December 02 2013 - A rising star of Australian men’s tennis, the 18-year-old from Canberra has been a revelation in 2013, slashing his ranking from No.843. Kyrgios’ rapid rise has been made possible by winning his first professional title – he captured the ATP Challenger crown in Sydney in late February – as well as a Futures title in China. And more impressively, he won his first ever Grand Slam match by defeating top 50 star Radek Stepanek at Roland Garros, and qualified for the US Open later in the year.in early February to its current mark of No.183, becoming the youngest player in the world’s top 200. Full article

Sydney International

Tomic Receives Wildcard to Defend Sydney Crown; Del Potro Gets Top Billing

Juan Martin Del Potro headlines Sydney field. Photo fft.fr

theage.com.au November 27, 2013 - Bernard Tomic has needed a wildcard entry to make the field and defend his only ATP Tour title in Sydney next month. Tomic's ranking of No.51 in the world fell just outside the cut-off point of No.49 for the men's field at the Sydney International from January 5-11. But organisers were quick to hand Tomic their first wildcard on Thursday, ensuring the 21-year-old can attempt to repeat his heroics of early this year, when he won through to beat South Africa's Kevin Anderson in the final. Tomic will have his work cut out against a field headed by resurgent world No.5 Juan Martin Del Potro. Full article

Aussie Ebden Back in ATP Top 100

theage: 11/25/2013 - Australian tennis player Matt Ebden has ended his season by rocketing back into the world's top 70 after claiming back-to-back ATP Challenger titles in Japan. Read more

Brisbane International

Asia's No.1 Nishikori, Aussie Jr Champ Kyrgios to Start 2014 Campaign in Brisbane

Kei Nishikori and Nick Kyrgios. Photo brisbaneinternational.com.au

brisbaneinternational November 23 2013 Brisbane - Australian Open 2013 junior champion Nick Kyrgios and world No.17 Kei Nishikori of Japan will play at the Brisbane International 2014 presented by Suncorp. Eighteen-year-old Kyrgios from Canberra is the first wildcard to be announced for the 2014 tournament. “It’s a great honour to be able to play in a tournament like Brisbane and get some good matches under my belt in the lead up to the Australian Open,” said Kyrgios. Read more

ATP World Tour Heritage

Twelve Years Ago Hewitt Became World No.1 at Age 20

Australian Lleyton Hewitt in 2001. Photo Getty Images

atpworldtour.com November 20, 2013 Twelve years ago today, one of the sport's most outstanding defenders and shot selectors, Lleyton Hewitt, first became No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Aged 20 years and eight months, Hewitt became the youngest player to reach the summit of men's professional tennis on 19 November 2001. "Growing up, the three things I wanted to do were win a Grand Slam, the Davis Cup and get to World No. 1," Hewitt told 'No. 1', the coffee table book published earlier this year. "In the end, the World No. 1 was the last of the three. An even better achievement, I think, was the following year when I held the No. 1 ranking the whole year, and won the Tennis Masters Cup [in Shanghai] when No. 1 was up for grabs again." Read more

WTA HP Open Osaka

Stosur Captures Osaka Trophy, Defeats Bouchard in Final

Finalists Bouchard and Stosur. Photo wtatennis.com

wtatennis.com October 13, 2013 Osaka, Japan - Sam Stosur survived some tense moments in the second set and was in full flight in the third to make it past Eugenie Bouchard in the final of the HP Open on Sunday afternoon, 36 75 62. After taking the first set fairly comfortably, the No.5-seeded Bouchard seemed on the verge of victory as the two kept creeping closer and closer to a second set tie-break - 2-all, 3-all, 4-all, 5-all - and Bouchard had a point to hold for 6-5. More inside

2013 World Group Playoff

Aussies Back in World Group; Tomic Closes Out Win Over Kubot

Former World No.1 Lleyton Hewitt. Photo daviscup.com

daviscup.com: September 13, 2013 by Jeff Kavanagh: Warsaw, Poland  - Polish dreams of reaching the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group for the first time suffered a massive blow in Warsaw on Friday, as the host nation lost its two opening singles rubbers against opponents Australia. The weekend hadn’t got off to the greatest of starts for the Poles, with star player Jerzy Janowicz withdrawn from the tie because a back complaint, and things were soon to get worse as newly promoted No. 1, Lukasz Kubot rapidly fell in straight sets 61 63 62 to Australian No. 2 Lleyton Hewitt in the opening match of the play-off. More inside

2013 U.S. Open

Ash Barty, Casey Dellacqua Enter U.S.Open Doubles Final

Ash Barty and Casey Dellacqua. Photo news.com.au

tennis.com.au: September 06 2013 - Ash Barty and Casey Dellacqua have continued their dream run at the US Open, reaching the final with a straight-set rout of 10th seeds Sania Mirza and Zheng Jie. The Aussies’ 6-2 6-2 victory saw them win 11 of the last 13 games of the match, and sent them through to their third Grand Slam doubles final of 2013. Read article > Day 11 Wawrinka upsets Murray

Former Champion Hewitt's Run Halted by Youzhny in Epic 5-set Battle

2001 U.S.Open champion Hewitt keeps rolling. Photo usopen.org

usopen.org: September 03 2013 by Clair Maciel - Holding a 4-1 lead over No. 21 Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth set, Lleyton Hewitt was two games away from securing a spot in the US Open quarterfinals for the first time in seven years. Twice in the final two sets, Youzhny came back from the brink of defeat to quash Hewitt’s lead. When all was said and done, the Russian’s gritty baseline game earned him a 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-5 win over the 2001 US Open champion and secured his spot in the quarterfinals. Read more

Bernard Tomic conquers self, 5-set battle against Alberto Ramos in U.S. opener

Bernard Tomic. Photo bmwopen.de

August 26 2013: The Age: “Bernard Tomic has done his best to scupper suggestions he is a tanker after an epic five-set fight-back win in his opening round US Open match on Monday. After being accused of tanking at last year's tournament, the world No.52 fought back from two sets to one and a break down to win against Spain's Albert Ramos 6-3 3-6 4-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 in a tussle lasting almost four hours” …full article > Day 1 Results > Blake to retire after Open > Full Scoreboard

WTA Southern California Open

Samamtha Stosur Stuns Victoria Azarenka; Takes WTA Carlsbad Plum

Samantha Stosur. Photo southerncaliforniaopen13.com

southerncaliforniaopen13.com: August 04 2013 Carlsbad, CA - Having just been awarded a wildcard into the Southern California Open last week, Samantha Stosur took advantage of that opportunity and then some by capturing her fourth WTA title here and first since her 2011 US Open triumph. The key stat in Sunday's final against No.1 seed Victoria Azarenka was break point chances, with Stosur saving 11 of 12 on her own serve and converting on four of five on the Belarusian's serve en route to a 62 63 win. Recap, scores

Hall of Fame Championships, Newport R.I.

Hewitt Defeats Isner in Semis, But Falls Short Against Mahut in Newport Finals

Lleyton Hewitt. Photo halloffametennis championships.com

atpworldtour: July 14 2013 Newport, Rhode Island - Former World No.1 Lleyton Hewitt defeated defending champion John Isner in the morning semi-final match 5-7 6-2 6-4, but fell short against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut who came back from the brink of defeat to capture the title at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, prevailing against 2012 finalist Hewitt 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in afternoon on Sunday in Newport.  Mahut, who will move back into the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday, won his first ATP World Tour title last month on grass at the Topshelf Open (d. Wawrinka). Read more of week's results

2013 Wimbledon

Ashleigh Barty, Casey Dellacqua Reaches Ladies Doubles Final

Ashleigh Barty, Casey Dellacqua. Photo: wtatennis.com Getty Images (2)

wtatennis.com: July 05, 2013 Wimbledon, England - Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua reached their second Grand Slam final of the season with a straight set win over Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke on Court No.1 on Friday. Since finishing runners-up at their home major, the Australian Open, in January, Barty and Dellacqua have played just a handful of tournaments together, but there have been no signs of rustiness at the All-England Club. Against No.7 seeds Groenefeld and Peschke, the Australian duo displayed their artful touch, from both baseline and net, to run out 76(6) 62 winners. Full article 

Day Twelve Update July 06 2013: Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua of Australia lost the Ladies Doubles finals to Asian duo  Su-Wei Hsieh and Peng Shuai  7-6, 6-1 on Saturday. Read story

Tomic Give Big Boost for Australia with Upset of Gasquet; Stosur Ousted by Lisicki

Queenslander Bernard Tomic. Photo: lta.org.uk

wimbledon.com: Saturday 29 June 2013 by Barry Newcombe - Australia has yearned for a new hero on grass for a long time and Bernard Tomic provided significant encouragement with a four-set win over Richard Gasquet of France, 7-6(7) 5-7 7-5 7-6(5), in two hours and 46 minutes on Centre Court. Still only 20, Tomic showed immense dedication to duty against a skilled opponent who has reached the last 16 for the past two years. Tomic was an outstanding junior player and won the Australian Open junior title at the age of 15, a result which signalled to the world that he meant business. As an 18-year-old he moved up a stage in 2011 when he qualified for Wimbledon and reached the quarter-finals, the youngest since Boris Becker in 1985 to do so before Novak Djokovic ended his run. Full article

Around the web:

Tennis.com.au: Lisicki ends Stosur’s Wimbledon campaign

Couriermail.com.au: Tomic denies he's better off without dad

Wimbledon Results by ITS

June 29: Djokovic, Radswanka in 4th rd: Tomic Upsets Gasquet

June 29: Li Na Survives; Serena Tops Date-Krumm; Nishikori Ousted

Tennis World Academy Taps John McCurdy as Head Coach

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012, by Beeyong Sison - Tennis Australia has recently announced the appointment of former ATP Tour Pro John McCurdy of Australia as the new  Tennis World Academy Head Coach. McCurdy, who also headed the Coaching Staff of the world-renowned Australian Institute of Sports from 2002 until 2005, is now tasked to develop Tennis Australia's academy that will focus on innovative world-wide programs supportive of players' individualized holistic development including education and family life. Read more