TENNIS:BRISBANE: American Andy Roddick recovered from a second set slump to win the Brisbane International title with a 7-6 7-6 victory over defending champion Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic yesterday.
The top seed, playing his first tournament since a knee injury cut short his 2009 season, won the opening set in a tiebreak after all games had gone with serve.
He was on course to race through the second after opening up a 5-1 lead, but twice failed to serve out the match then wasted five match points in the tiebreak before finally sealing victory.
Roddicks hard-earned win provided the world number seven with his 28th career title and his first success at senior level in Australia, although he won the 2000 Australian Open junior title. This years Australian Open starts in Melbourne on January 18th.
Justine Henin has withdrawn from the Sydney International after suffering an injury in her defeat to Kim Clijsters in their final of the Brisbane International.
Clijsters won the battle of the ‘comeback queens’ with a closely-fought 6-3 4-6 7-6 (8-6) success over her Belgian compatriot.
And Henin confirmed she suffered a left gluteal strain during the match which could put her participation in the Australian Open in doubt.
“I’m very disappointed that I can’t play the Medibank International Sydney, which I like a lot,” Henin said. “I have played a few times in Sydney and I always enjoy playing there. Unfortunately, with my injury, I need to take a rest and won’t be able to play for a couple of days.
“I’m sorry for the fans who are expecting to see me there. I hope to be there next year.”
Tournament director Craig Watson expressed his disappointment, but wished Henin all the best in her recovery.
“I am sorry that Justine won’t be in Sydney this year. She is a three-time champion of the event and I know she was very much looking forward to playing at the Medibank International Sydney,” Watson said.
“She has played some amazing tennis in Brisbane this week and we wish her all the best for the Australian Open.
“We have nine of the top-10 women in the world playing, as well as Sam Stosur and Casey Dellacqua, so we are set for an out-standing week of women’s tennis.”
SYDNEY:Svetlana Kuznetsova survived a second-set scare to come through her first-round match at the Medibank International in Sydney against fellow Russian Alisa Kleybanova yesterday. The third seed dropped her serve three times as she won 6-2 6-7 (3/7) 7-5 in two hours and 22 minutes.
Fifth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva enjoyed a more comfortable passage into the second round with a 6-2 7-5 success over Italy’s Francesca Schiavone.
Elsewhere, Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia beat France’s Virginie Razzano 6-3 6-0.
INDIA: Croatian Marin Cilic clinched a second straight Chennai Open crown yesterday with a 7-6 7-6 victory over Switzerlands Stanislas Wawrinka.
Second seed Cilic battled for two hours and 40 minutes to overcome the Swiss in a thrilling final to record his first win over the world number 21 in five meetings.
Third seed Wawrinka, Beijing Olympics doubles gold medallist with Roger Federer, broke the big-serving Cilic in the eighth game of the first set to open up a 5-3 lead.
The 21-year-old Cilic broke back immediately with a series of powerful forehand winners and then levelled at five-all, thrilling a packed stadium crowd primarily cheering for the defending champion.
Cilic won the first set tiebreak 7-2. Wawrinka saved two break points in the eighth game in the second set before Cilic again won a tiebreak to take the title.
TASMANIA: Ukrainian sisters Kateryna and Alona Bondarenko both came through their first-round matches at the Hobart International yesterday.
Third seed Kateryna was leading Lucie Safarova 6-2 6-7 (4/7) 3-2 when her Czech opponent retired.
Alona, the fourth seed, saved nine break points on the way to a 6-4 6-1 success over Sybille Bammer of Austria in one hour 28 minutes.
Top seed Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain also made it through to the second round by seeing off Czech Republic’s Iveta Benesova 7-5 6-3.
Elsewhere, Alize Cornet of France crushed Alexandra Dulgheru 6-1 6-0, while China’s Shuai Peng was a 6-1 6-4 winner against Sorana-Mihaela Cirstea.
KOOYONG:World number one Roger Federer has decided not to participate in this week's Kooyong Classic, leaving the exhibition tournament in search of an eighth player ahead of Wednesday's first group matches.
It is only the second time the Swiss star has missed the Australian Open warm-up in the past seven years. The other time he did not play was in 2008 when he was forced to withdraw the day before the tournament due to sickness.
Kooyong Classic tournament director Colin Stubs will now spend the next 48 hours exploring the best possible option for the eighth spot in the star-studded field.
Novak Djokovic, Robin Soderling, Fernando Gonzalez and Tommy Haas have already been training in Melbourne, while Juan Martin Del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Fernando Verdasco are all expected to arrive today.
