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December 23, 2013 ITS Staff - USC Tojan alum Steve Johnson, two-time NCAA Singles champion, and 18-year-old Sachia Vickery captured the Australian Open Wildcard spots allotted to the U.S. Tennis Association held at Norcross, Georgia.  Johnson, ATP world-ranked No.156  defeated  Tennys Sandgren 4-6 6-3 0-6 7-6 (5) 6-1 in the men's while WTA No.195 ranked Vickery defeated Victoria Duval 6-2 6-3 in the USTA playoff women's final Johnson reached the third round of the 2012 U.S. Open also as a wild-card entry. Vickery, who also was entered as a wild card in the 2013 U.S. Open, reached the second round.

December 15, 2013 Melbourne - Playing some of her best tennis in years, 28-year-old Casey Dellacqua has set the stage for a promising 2014, clinching a wildcard into January’s Australian Open women’s singles main draw after overcoming Arina Rodionova 5-7 6-1 6-0 on Sunday. Meanwhile, New South Wales’s Jordan Thompson outlasted Queenslander Benjamin Mitchell 6-3 6-2 4-6 4-6 6-1 to take the men’s singles wild-card. More on tennis.com.au

tennis.com.au November 24, 2013 Shenzen, China – Shanghai's Di Wu defeated Jiangsu's Zhang Ze 6-0, 6-3 in the final of the Asia-Pacific Australian Open Wildcard Play-off in Shenzhen on Sunday.

In a dominant display, Wu, who has clinched his second successive Australian Open Wildcard, showed no mercy in taking the first set 6-0 in just 24 minutes. He then took a 5-0 lead before Zhang was able to get into the match. “Wu had the ball on a string. His effortless movement, power and consistency were impenetrable for the first eleven games,” said Tennis Australia’s Mark Edney.

Zhang showed some fight winning the next three games taking the second set to 5-3.  Momentum was in his favour making three straight unforced errors to give Wu three match points.

Earlier on Sunday, 19-year-old qualifier Tang Hao Chen of China claimed the women’s wildcard, downing Risa Ozaki of Japan 6-3 6-3. Tang, ranked No.467, settled into the match quicker than her opponent, breaking Ozaki’s serve in the opening game and then breaking again in the ninth game to take the first set in 43 minutes.

Tang shot out to a 4-0 leave in the second, before starting to tighten up.  Ozaki came back to win the next three games, but Tang steadied to see out the match. “I hope to play a top 10 player in Australia,” Tang said. “I would like to play on Hisense Arena.”

In men’s doubles, a match tiebreak in the third set was required to crown India’s Yuki Bhambri and New Zealand’s Michael Bhambri as the victors for the men’s doubles wildcard, defeating Chinese duo Mao-Xin Gong and Zhe Li 7-6(3) 1-6 [10-5].

In women’s doubles China’s Xinyun Han and Japanese partner Miki Miyamura were the first players to be awarded wildcards for Australian Open 2014. In front of a vocal crowd the pair saw off a tough challenge in today’s final beating the Chinese pair of Hao Chen Tang and Zhaxuan Yang 4-6 6-4 [10-8].

In junior results, it was more success for China with third seeded boy Sun Fajing (CHN) defeating second seed Zheng Weiqiang (CHN) 6-2 6-4. The earlier girls match saw a tight struggle with second seed Zheng Wushuang (CHN) overcoming Wei Zhanlan (CHN) 7-6(5) 6-3. Both junior winners for the first time receive wildcards into the Australian Open 2014 Junior Championships.

tennis.com.au November 23, 2013 Shenzen, China - Fourth seed Ze Zhang of China defeated top-seed Jimmy Wang of Taiwan to reach the finals of the Asia-Pacific Australian Open Wildcard Play-off in Shenzhen, China on Saturday. Zhang, will meet compatriot No.3 seed Di Wu who trounced No.2 seed India’s Yuki Bhambri 7-6(6) 6-4.

In Friday’s matches, Wang, Bhambri, Di cruised to straight-set victories while Wu’s compatriot Ze had to come back from a set down to defeat Taiwan’s Chieh-Fu Wang 5-7 6-2 6-2. Wang and Bhambri beat Chinese qualifiers Zhao Cai 6-0 6-1 and Zhicheng Zhu 6-2 6-1 respectively.

Wu is aiming to win his second successive wildcard after dispatching countryman and Davis Cup teammate Li Zhe 6-3 6-3. “Everyone comes here wanting to win the wildcard,” commented Wu. “If I can get the wildcard [again] I will be very happy.”

The upsets continued in the women’s draw, with second seed Erika Sema of Japan bundled out by China’s Wang Yafan by a scoreline of 6-4 6-1. Third seed Risa Ozaki, also of Japan, is the only remaining seed and will join three Chinese players in semifinal action of Friday after ousting Chin-Wei Chan of Taiwan 6-2 6-4.

Liu Fangzhou continued her winning form, defeating Zhaoxuan Yang of China 6-3 6-4. Liu defeated top seed Saisai Zheng earlier in the week. In an all-Chinese affair, Hao Chen Tang was too strong for Xinyun Han, winning 6-1 6-1.