News -- January 2008
Big month of athletics 30 January
Athletics Australia: Sally McLellan’s scorching hurdles victory at the Canberra Athletics Classic was a worthy preview for what will be a loaded month of domestic action with the Australian Athletics Cup (February 2), Sydney Grand Prix (February 16), Melbourne Grand Prix (February 21) and Selection Trials and 86th Australian Championships (February 28 - March 1) to come.
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NSW win for Davies
ALPG (golf): The cream rose to the top as Laura Davies fired a final round 5 under par 67 to claim the 2008 LG Bing Lee Women's New South Wales Open by two strokes from Sarah Oh.
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Who’s next?
Sydney Morning Herald: Karrie Webb has carried the banner for Australian women's golf for so long now that it is easy to forget she is just 33. But even she is frustrated at the failure of the women's game to match the amazing depth of talent produced by the men's side of golf in recent years.
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Australian Open 26 January
Mighty Maria takes the title
Maria Sharapova has claimed her third Grand Slam singles title with victory over Ana Ivanovic in the Australian Open 2008 women's singles final at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
Full Story
Rus the glory girl
Dutch youngster Arantxa Rus has denied local hope Jessica Moore to claim the Australian Open girls' singles crown.
Full Story
AIS looking up after topping Bulleen
WNBL: Buoyed by a buzzer-beating overtime victory against Bendigo last week, the AIS defeated Bulleen Melbourne 75-71 at Southern Cross Stadium in Tuggeranong.
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Sky Forward Succeeding in Spain
WNBA: Chicago's Brooke Wyckoff is tearing it up in the world's "ultimate vacation spot."
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Fresh faces on semifinal day 24 January
Australian Open tennis: No Venus. No Serena. And no Justine. For the first time since 2002, the surname Williams or Henin won't feature on the Rod Laver Arena scoreboard when this year's Australian Open women's final is played on Saturday.
Full Story
Australian Open 22 January
Jankovic sends Serena packing
Women's No. 3 seed Jelena Jankovic has emerged victorious in an absorbing quarter final at Australian Open 2008, ousting defending champion Serena Williams in two tight sets.
Full Story
Henin bows out
The Age: Russian glamour girl Maria Sharapova brought world No.1 Justine Henin's Australian Open and her 32-match winning streak to a shuddering halt at Rod Laver Arena tonight.
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Australian Open 21 January
Hantuchova passes Kirilenko test
No. 9 seed Daniela Hantuchova has recovered from a first set setback against Maria Kirilenko to progress to the quarter finals in style 1-6 6-2 6-4.
Full Story
Venus rising to the challenge
Venus Williams is a woman on a mission. Having failed to make it past the fourth round in Melbourne since 2003, the six-time Grand Slam title winner is now into the final eight and is ready to make a concerted push for the title.
Full Story
Radwanska stuns faltering Petrova
Giant-killer Agnieszka Radwanska has reached a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time in her career, downing No.14 seed Nadia Petrova 1-6 7-5 6-0.
Full Story
Basketball wrap
WNBL: A double dose of defeat for Bendigo enabled Victorian rival Dandenong to climb above them into into fourth place on the Women's National Basketball League ladder despite an historic cancellation.
First season franchise Bendigo's prospects of a finals spot nosedived following their heartbreaking 95-92 overtime loss away to AIS (7-12) followed by Sunday's 80-68 loss at Canberra (12-6).
Bendigo (10-10) dropped to fifth below Dandenong (9-8) who had their game away to Sydney (13-6) cancelled last Friday due to the condition of the court.
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Plus…
Australian Defence Force Opal and Lynx Captain Carly Wilson made her long-awaited return to the court on Sunday against Bulleen, but her presence was not enough to end Perth’s 10-game losing streak. Wilson finished with 10 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assist in 29 minutes on court as the Lynx were downed by 26 points, 76-50.
Desi Glaubitz continued her good form to top score for the Boomers with 16 points while World Champion Emma Randall added 14 points and 10 rebounds but it was perhaps the pocket rocket point guard Sharin Milner that was most effective.
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Plus…
The Canberra Capitals keep their title defence on track with a hard-fought 80-68 victory over the Bendigo Spirit in Tuggeranong.
Canberra Capitals coach Carrie Graf credited desperation and focus for the side's 80-68 victory this afternoon against WNBL newcomers the Bendigo Spirit.
The Capitals survived a tough and often physical showdown with the Spirit, delighting the Southern Cross Stadium crowd after Bendigo pushed the defending champions until the final whistle as it attempted to keep its finals hopes alive.
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Australian Open 20 January
Kuznetsova crashes out in third round
No. 2 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova has crashed out of Australian Open 2008 in losing to Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets 6-3 6-4.
Full Story
The other Maria dares to dream
Maria Kirilenko has hailed her shock third round Australian Open win over compatriot Anna Chakvetadze as a career breakthrough following years of misery at Grand Slam tournaments.
Full Story
Ivanovic advances to last 16
Women's No. 4 seed Ana Ivanovic has advanced to the fourth round of Australian Open 2008, but failed to set the world alight as she beat No. 28 seed Katarina Srebotnik 6-3 6-4.
Full Story
Casey loving the rollercoaster
Casey Dellacqua is riding on a wave of emotion after her stirring victory against Amelie Mauresmo.
Full Story
Australian Open 18 January
Kuznetsova eases into third round
World No.2 Svetlana Kuznetsova has eased through to the third round at Australian Open 2008, defeating Tsvetana Pironkova 7-6 (7-0) 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.
Full Story
Kirilenko surges past Morigami
Russian No.27 seed Maria Kirilenko has advanced to the round of 32 at Australian Open 2008 with a straight-sets win over Akiko Morigami of Japan.
Full Story
Venus knocks over Pin
Venus Williams, one of the tournament favourites and No.8 seed, has hiccupped her way through to round three of Australian Open 2008 by defeating an impressive Camille Pin of France 7-5 6-4.
Full Story
Hantuchova rides into round three
Women's No.9 seed Daniela Hantuchova has eliminated France's Alize Cornet in straight sets to advance to the third round of Australian Open 2008.
Full Story
Policing disgrace overshadows play 17 January
(Opinion) Poorly-judged and over-zealous policing has overshadowed play at the Australian Open tennis grand slam, after a minor altercation on Tuesday night between police and a few spectators blew up into a near-stampede and up to 40 people (most of whom had nothing to do with the incident) being affected by pepper spray.
The story was on the front page of several local newspapers, and made international headlines, with the Open now scoring the sarcastic title of the Happy Slam.
Police and Open spin doctors have desperately tried to muddy the waters with a string of half-truths all have which have served to tarnish the reputations of the police and the event.
Commentators have been less than kind. Peter Barns at Crikey.com.au referred to the Victoria Police as “incompetent, corrupt and…jackbooted in its approach to law enforcement”.
He added: “Last night the bovver boys of the Victoria Police were at it again. This time they decided that a contingent of Greek tennis fans needed to be calmed down with a bit of good old Bjelke-Petersen style era Queensland policing by using capsicum spray. Yep, that’s right, capsicum spray to control unruly tennis fans!”
This story from The Age provides an interesting insight from an innocent bystander who was affected by the events. (Pic shows an Age story on the international reaction.)
Dellacqua delights home crowd
West Australian Casey Dellacqua has stunned No.15 seed Patty Schnyder 4-6 7-5 8-6 in front of an adoring crowd.
Full Story; Patrick Smith comment -- The Australian
Williams waltzes into final 32
Serena Williams has powered her way through the second round of Australian Open 2008, winning her match against Meng Yuan in straight sets on Wednesday.
Full Story
Molik crashes out as Vaidisova dazzles
Nicole Vaidisova has ended the hopes of golden girl Alicia Molik in straight sets on Rod Laver Arena, 6-2 6-3.
Full Story
Henin pushes on
Top seed Justine Henin is safely through to the third round of the Australian Open following a hot and cold 6-1 7-5 win over Russia's Olga Poutchkova on Rod Laver Arena.
Full Story
Australian Open news 15 January
Jankovic stays alive after thriller
Women's No.3 seed Jelena Jankovic has staged a stunning comeback to beat Austria's Tamira Paszek 2-6 6-2 12-10 on Vodafone Arena.
Full Story
Serena marches through
Defending champion Serena Williams has opened her Australian Open 2008 account with a 6-3 6-3 win over Australian wildcard Jarmila Gajdosova on Rod Laver Arena.
Full Story
Henin cruises past Nakamura
Women's No.1 seed Justine Henin has made a successful return to the Australian Open, overcoming Japan's tenacious Aiko Nakamura in straight sets on Rod Laver Arena.
Full Story
Jessica Moore through to second round
Australian wildcard Jessica Moore has won her first round match against Julie Ditty of the United States in straight sets, 6-3 6-2.
Full Story
Determined Davenport advances
Lindsay Davenport has had to fight all the way as her bid to become only the fourth mother to win a Grand Slam tournament began in Melbourne, seeing off persistent Italian Sara Errani in the opening round of the Australian Open women's singles.
Full Story
Sharapova shines on Day 1
Women's No.5 seed Maria Sharapova has won her first match at Australian Open 2008 in convincing style 6-4 6-3.
Full Story
No dramas for Dementieva
Women's No.11 seed Elena Dementieva has defeated Israel's Tzipora Obziler in straight sets in round one of Australian Open 2008.
Full Story
Seven bid for Olympics
Seven cities have bid for the 2016 Olympic games: Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, Chicago, Doha, Madrid, Prague, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
More at the Herald Sun
Jones’s fate a warning
Marion Jones’ drugs disgrace has been a wake-up call for US athletics, IAAF vice-president Sebastian Coe said today.
The Australian
Big night for McLellan 12 January
Athletics Australia: The new year got off to an electric start at the Sydney Track Classic with an Olympic A-qualifiersrecorded by Sally McLellan.
McLellan’s night started by teaming up with Crystal Attenborough for a comfortable victory in the 2 x 100m relay. Less than an hour later she graced the line for the 100m hurdles and in 12.81 seconds recorded the fastest time ever by an Australian in Australia.
As if she hadn’t provided enough action for the 3000 strong crowd on the warm but overcast night, McLellan returned to the track for a third time. To the delight of the crowd she produced a fast start and held her top end speed well, to clock a wind-assisted 11.26 seconds (+3.0).
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More accolades for Fitzgibbons 11 January
ASP (surfing): Sally Fitzgibbons, one of the most touted young talents to emerge
from Australia in recent years, added another accolade to her
growing resume with an emphatic victory at the Billabong ASP
World Junior Championships this week in solid surf at North
Narrabeen. The victory not only marks Sally as the undisputed ASP
World Junior Champion, but also gives her preferred seeding into
all ASP WQS events this season. Seeing as how last year’s champ
Nicola Atherton qualified in just one season with the aid of her
preferred seeding, we may see young Ms. Fitzgibbons displaying
her phenomenal talents on the ASP World Tour very soon.
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Tennis wrap
Sydney
WTA: Top seed Justine Henin was forced to dig deep to defeat Ana Ivanovic in the semifinals of the Medibank International on Thursday. The Belgian's three-set victory books her a place in the final of the $600,000, Tier II event where she will meet Svetlana Kuznetsova.
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Hobart
WTA: Vera Zvonareva reached her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour final for more than a year on Thursday when she swept aside the challenge of Ashley Harkleroad at the Moorilla Hobart International. The other final-four clash at the $170,000, Tier IV event saw Eleni Daniilidou overcome Flavia Pennetta in straight sets.
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Melbourne
Herald Sun: Jelena Dokic walked off court a winner yesterday, before revealing she was the biggest loser. The former world number 4 said she had shed 16kg since resuming training less than three months ago.
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Henin bounces back (The Age)
Diving champs this weekend
 The Australian Diving Championships are on in Adelaide this weekend, with Chantelle Newberry expected to provide some of the highlights. She will be hoping to qualify for another shot at the Olympics.
Diving Association preview
Jones left in White’s wake 6 January
Herald Sun: World champion Leisel Jones was left to do the chasing last night when Sydney Olympian Tarnee White took the honours in the 50m breaststroke at the Victorian championships.
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Basketball results
The WNBL has returned from holiday for round 13, with five games played in the last two days. Here are the results:
Adelaide Lightning 76 vs Dandenong Rangers 59
Canberra Capitals 72 vs Townsville Fire 69
Bendigo Spirit 91 vs Perth Lynx 76
Sydney Uni Flames 104 vs AIS 94
Bulleen Boomers 76 vs Perth Lynx 66
League ladder: 1 Adelaide, 2 Sydney Uni, 3 Canberra, 4 Bendigo, 5 Dandenong, 6 Townsville, 7 Bulleen, 8 Christchurch, 9 AIS, 10 Perth.
WNBL
Bates battles pressure in cycling classic
Jayco Bay Cycling Classic (Vic): Sixteen year-old sensation Megan Dunn (CBD/NSWIS Development Team), a self confessed non-sprinter, kept the yellow jersey with a fighting sixth place finish in the series' first bunch sprint. Kate Bates (Pitcher Partners) took the stage win with a powerful sprint, relegating Emma Rickards (Jayco VIS) and Belinda Goss (Volvo) to the minor placings.
With one race remaining, the pressure will intensify on the youngster from Dubbo, who heads into the final day with a two-point lead over Goss, and Bates a further four points adrift. Bates is certainly looking forward to the exciting final day, saying "it's much more exciting when it's not already decided before the last day. This is much better racing. It means we can ride tactically, not just against one team, there's five teams out there having a go."
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Warning shot from Venus 5 January
Foxsports (tennis): Venus Williams fired a warning shot ahead of the Australian Open, crushing one of her main rivals Maria Sharapova in Hong Kong with a ruthless display of power tennis.
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China’s number 1 takes Gold Coast match
WTA (tennis): Li Na came to the Gold Coast as something of an unknown quantity. In the first half of 2007 she was a world-beater, planted firmly inside the Top 20 and perhaps headed even higher; but then a stress fracture in her right rib forced her to miss the entire second half of the season. She seems to have picked up right where she left off though, and at the Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts made a swift return to the winner's circle.
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Hingis banned 4 January
The Age: Former world number one Martina Hingis, who retired from tennis in November after testing positive for cocaine, was banned for two years on Friday after an independent tribunal confirmed the doping offence.
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USA wins fifth Hopman
Tennis: Serbia put up a brave fight, but Serena Williams and Mardy Fish have powered the United States to its fifth Hyundai Hopman Cup victory to continue its dominance in the 20-year-old ITF mixed teams championship at Perth’s Burswood Dome.
More at the Hopman Cup site
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