Djokovic grinds Murray down to win Australian Open

Monday, 2 February 2015 01:13 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

MELBOURNE (Reuters): Novak Djokovic ground down Andy Murray 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-0 on Sunday to win a record fifth Australian Open title in the professional era and consign the Scot to further grand slam pain Down Under. The pair waged a fierce baseline duel for the opening two sets, but after taking a 2-0 lead in the third set, Murray crumbled under the Serb’s pressure to lose 12 of the last 13 games as Djokovic closed out an emphatic win under the lights of Rod Laver Arena. Top seed Djokovic sealed the victory on the second match-point, rushing to the net with a searing approach shot that Murray could only dump into the net.

The steely-eyed Serb roared in triumph and went to his player’s box to share the win with his team before tearing off his shirt and throwing it into the crowd. “Tough luck tonight. You are a great competitor,” Djokovic, clasping the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, said at the trophy ceremony. “You fight a lot, and I want to congratulate your team and wish you all the best in the rest of the season. I will also congratulate you and Kim on your engagement, and I wish you a wonderful wedding.” Djokovic has now won four out of the last five trophies at Melbourne Park, after winning a hat-trick from 2011-13 and his first grand slam title in Australia in 2008. The loss continued Murray’s heartbreak Down Under, where he has now lost four major finals, including three to his friend and fellow 27-year-old Djokovic. “I would like congratulate Novak on his fifth Australian Open,” Murray said. “Fantastic, an incredible record, and thoroughly deserved. “I will try to come back next year, and hopefully have a slightly different outcome in the final.” A highly anticipated match-up, the pair set the tone from the first point with a fierce rally featuring scrambling, net-rushes and a Murray lob before the Scot forced an error from the Serb. The match was interrupted a game later when two people jumped on the court in an embarrassing security lapse to protest against the Australian government’s off-shore detention of asylum seekers.

Williams overpowers Sharapova to win 19th grand slam

Reuters: Top seed Serena Williams fought off a barking cough to clinch her 19th grand slam singles title with a 6-3 7-6(5) victory over Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final on Saturday. Williams’s sixth title at Melbourne Park moved her into a tie with fellow American Helen Wills Moody in third on the all-time list after she joined Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert on 18 at last year’s US Open. Only Australia’s Margaret Court (24) and Germany’s Steffi Graf (22), who holds the record for the Open era, have more grand slam singles titles than the 33-year-old American. “Growing up, I wasn’t the richest, but I had a rich family in spirit and support,” Williams said at the trophy presentation. “Standing here with 19 championships is something I never thought would happen.

“I went on the courts with a ball and racquet and hope and that’s all I had. “I’m so honoured to be here tonight and to hold this 19th trophy.” Williams had not lost to Sharapova since the 2004 WTA Finals, a run of 15 successive victories and was not about to let the Russian end that streak on Saturday. The tone of the match was set in the first game when Williams broke the Russian’s serve. Even though rain forced them off court for 12 minutes as officials closed the roof in the sixth game, the American was not bothered by the disruption as she reeled off the next six points to establish a 5-2 lead after they returned. Williams sealed the first set when she broke Sharapova for the third time and then continued her momentum in the second with a powerful service game while she put pressure on the Russian’s serve. Sharapova battled to stay in the match and did have chances to break, but Williams simply reached back and smashed down a succession of massive serves to get out of trouble. She sealed victory in the tiebreak on her third match point when she powered down her 18th ace and then celebrated at the net after shaking hands with the Russian. “I’ve got to congratulate Serena on creating history and on playing some of her best tennis,” Sharapova said. “I haven’t beaten her in a really long time, but I love every time that I step on the court to play against her because she’s been the best and, as a tennis player, you want to play against the best. “So congratulations on an incredible achievement.”

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