Serena Williams wins 6th Australian, 19th major title

Saturday, January 31, 2015 | 11:22 AM    

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Serena Williams won her 19th Grand Slam title and continued her unbeaten run in six Australian Open finals by extending her decade-long domination of Maria Sharapova.

She struggled with a hacking cough, she was sick, and she twice celebrated too early, but she held her composure in a 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory on Saturday.

On her third match point, she let her racket go before hearing a let call to what she thought was an ace.

“I thought, ‘Wow this is it, I did it, only to hear let. I was like, ‘OK Serena!"” she said. “I was very disappointed, because Maria was playing so well. I thought she’s going to try to hit a winner now. She’s goes for broke on match point.”

So she fell back on her biggest weapon, firing another ace — her 15th of the set and 18th of the match. This time, after checking it was official, she bounced around like a little child and the celebration was real.

“I’m so honoured to be here and to hold this 19th trophy,” Williams said. “I didn’t think it would happen this fast, to be honest, but it feels really good.”

The 33-year-old Williams became the oldest winner of the Australian women’s title in the Open era and moved into outright second place on the list of major winners in the Open era, behind only Steffi Graf’s 22. Almost immediately, her thoughts turned to the next major.

“I would love to get to 22. I mean, 19 was very difficult to get to,” she said. “But I have to get to 20 first, and then I have to get to 21. It will be a very big task.”

Still affected by a recent cold, Williams controlled the first set around a rain delay when play was stopped for 13 minutes for the roof on Rod Laver Arena to be closed due. Williams came back on court momentarily, but returned to the locker room.

“I had a really bad cough, I ended up throwing up, actually,” Williams said. “I’ve never done that before. I guess there’s a first time for anything. I think in a way that just helped me — I felt better after that.”

She returned to court and fired an ace to start a run of six straight points and, after dropping serve for the only time in the match, broke Sharapova’s serve for a third time to clinch it.

Williams won the first six points of the second set, too, before Sharapova started hitting out.

The five-time major winner had 18 of her 21 winners in the second set, and fended off four break points.

No 2-ranked Sharapova saved two match points, including one in the 10th game when she bravely hit a forehand winner down the line — applauded by Williams — and she calmly held serve twice to stay in the match.

Sharapova saved another match point with a winning service return, but Williams took her next chance to secure the title that lifted her above the career records of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who had 18 Grand Slam singles titles.

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Serena Williams wins 6th Australian, 19th major title

Sizzling Serena joins sister Venus in Australian Open last 16

Saturday, January 24, 2015 | 1:18 AM    

MELBOURNE, Australia ( AFP) – World number one Serena Williams took time to wake up before sizzling into the Australian Open fourth round on Saturday, joining resurgent sister Venus and the dangerous Agnieszka Radwanska.

The American top seed, vying for a sixth Australian title and the first since 2010, was slow to get in the groove against 26th ranked Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, going down 6-4 in the first set.

But she shook off the cobwebs under the blazing sun on Rod Laver Arena to rattle through the next two sets 6-2, 6-0.

It keeps alive her quest to add a 19th Grand Slam title, which would take her to clear second on the all-time Open Era Grand Slam winners list.

She currently has 18 alongside Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova and is four behind German great Steffi Graf’s 22.

“When in doubt just start running as fast as you can, that’s what Venus always told me, that helped,” said Williams, whose world number one ranking is on the line if she fails to win the tournament.

She added that her sister’s late-career renaissance was an inspiration.

“She’s winning, she’s doing so well and I can do better. We always motivate each other. I’m so proud of her and we’re so excited.”

Fellow world number one Novak Djokovic and defending champion Stan Wawrinka play later Saturday, with the Serb’s chances of a fifth Australian crown improving after Roger Federer’s shock exit on Friday.

Women’s fourth seed Petra Kvitova, two-time champion Victoria Azarenka and men’s fifth seed Kei Nishikori are also in action, while eighth seeded Canadian Milos Raonic swept aside Germany’s Benjamin Becker in straight sets.

It was a day to remember for the Williams clan with Venus making the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time since Wimbledon 2011.

The evergreen 34-year-old battled back from behind to defeat Camila Giorgi of Italy 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 and set up a fourth round clash with Radwanska.

“That feels fantastic, especially when you have things happen in your life which are out of your control,” said Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam winner who has had a long battle with the energy-sapping Sjogren’s Syndrome.

“I don’t want to leave it at that, I’ll try to keep going,” she added, clearly enjoying the moment in front of an appreciative crowd on Margaret Court Arena.

Poland’s Radwanska defeated American Varvara Lepchenko 6-0, 7-5 and has doled out a dreaded 6-0 “bagel” to each of her three opponents at Melbourne Park this year, lurking as a dangerous dark horse.

She said she was eagerly looking forward to facing Venus, who she beat in the Montreal final last year.

“I think playing her is always a great challenge,” said Radwanska, who has made the quarter-finals or better in Melbourne on her last four visits.

“I think she is still playing great tennis even she’s a bit older. She’s still really fit and playing a high level. I think it’s going to be another good match.”

Serena will next face Spain’s Garbine Muguruza, who overcame a mid-match stumble to beat Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.

The 24th seed beat Serena at the French Open last year and said she was up for the challenge again in Melbourne.

“I think I don’t have nothing to lose. I don’t think I have pressure,” she said. “I like to play big matches on centre court, so I’m just really happy that I can play against her.”

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Sizzling Serena joins sister Venus in Australian Open last 16

Sydney siege may have been preventable, Australian PM says

Dec. 17, 2014: Police stand watch over flower tributes to the shooting victims on the footpath outside the the cordoned off area outside the Lindt cafe in the central business district of Sydney. (AP)

SYDNEY –  Australia’s prime minister said Thursday that a deadly siege in a Sydney cafe may have been preventable, as the chorus of critics demanding to know why the gunman was out on bail despite facing a string of violent charges grew louder.

Man Haron Monis, a 50-year-old Iranian-born, self-styled cleric with a lengthy criminal history, burst into a downtown Sydney cafe on Monday wielding a shotgun, taking 17 people hostage. The siege ended 16 hours later when police stormed into the cafe to free the captives, two of whom were killed in a barrage of gunfire, along with Monis.

“This has been a horrific wake-up call,” Prime Minister Tony Abbott told Macquarie Radio. “This was an atrocity — it may well have been a preventable atrocity, and that’s why this swift and thorough review is so important.”

Abbott has ordered a sweeping government review of the siege and the events leading up to it, including why Monis was out on bail and how he obtained a shotgun despite the country’s tough gun laws.

Court documents detail Monis’ long history with the law. In 2011, Noleen Hayson Pal — his ex-partner and mother of their two sons — told police Monis had threatened her life. He was subsequently charged with stalking and intimidation intending to cause fear of physical or mental harm.

Pal testified in January 2012 that Monis said to her, “If I don’t get to see the boys more than I am seeing them now, I’ll make sure you pay for it — even if it means I have to shoot you.”

Pal said she feared he would carry through on his threat, noting that he’d once told her he had a gun license. She said he grew increasingly paranoid when “he started getting more into his Islamic activities,” insisting on drawing the blinds and shutting all the doors when he visited her house. She also accused him of slapping their eldest son in the face.

“He’s always saying to me that people are watching, people are hearing our conversations,” she testified.

Monis was ultimately found not guilty of the charge. A year later, Pal was stabbed to death and set on fire.

Police charged Monis’ then-partner, Amirah Droudis, with Pal’s murder, and charged Monis as an accessory. Both were out on bail on the charges when Monis launched his siege on the cafe. He was also facing 40 charges of sexual assault, and had been granted bail on those charges as well.

Monis was convicted and sentenced last year to 300 hours of community service for sending what a judge called “grossly offensive” letters to families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2009.

Three days before he began his siege, Australia’s highest court refused to hear his appeal of the convictions for sending the letters. The next business day, Monis walked into the Lindt Chocolat Cafe, a short stroll from the courtroom where the ruling was delivered.

“Just like about everyone else from the premier down, I was incredulous and exasperated at this,” Abbott said. “This guy has a long history of violence, a long history of mental instability, he has a long criminal record and obvious infatuation with extremism. It was extraordinary he was on our streets.”

New South Wales Premier Mike Baird concurred, saying, “I’m as outraged as everyone else.”

New South Wales Attorney General Brad Hazzard said he has asked the director of public prosecutions to review all cases where bail has been granted and where there are any similarities to Monis’ case.

“We have always believed that in this case, with this offender, he should have always been ‘bail refused,"” New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said.

Katrina Dawson, a 38-year-old lawyer, and Tori Johnson, the cafe’s 34-year-old manager, were killed during Monis’ rampage. Officials have not said if they died in crossfire as police stormed in or were shot by their captor. Their autopsies were expected to be completed Thursday.

Martin Place, where the Lindt cafe is located, smelled and looked more like a fragrant field than a downtown plaza as people continued leaving thousands of bouquets of flowers to honor the victims.

Bravo Child, a poet holding a sign offering free hugs, said he’d hugged about 500 people after starting a Facebook campaign, Embrace in Martin Place. He said some people had laughed and others had cried while hugging him.

“When people sit at home and watch the TV there’s so much confusion and fear,” he said, adding he wanted to “bring some balance and some positivity.”

Several Muslim women wearing hijabs were also reaching out to people in the plaza.

Esha Deeb said she was there to represent the parent council of Arkana College, an independent Islamic school, and to pay her respects to the victims. While most people had been supportive, she said her group had encountered some negative reactions, including nasty comments and pushing. She said she was trying to turn the other cheek, as her religion suggested.

At least three of the hostages remained in Sydney area hospitals Thursday, according to hospital spokeswomen.

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Sydney siege may have been preventable, Australian PM says

CPL hires Australian as director of cricket

THE Caribbean Premier League (CPL) recently announced that former Australia International, Tom Moody, has joined its ranks as director of cricket.

Moody has vast experience at the top level of the game, having represented Australia, Warwickshire, Western Australia and Worcestershire as a player, before turning his attention to coaching, commentary and cricket administration.

“From a purely cricket perspective, CPL has set the bar high from its inaugural year and I’m excited by the challenge of helping to continue to improve and deliver the highest possible standards for the fans, the players and everyone associated with the tournament,” Moody said.

Commenting on the appointment, Caribbean Premier League CEO, Damien O’Donohoe, said: “We are delighted that Tom Moody has joined the team at CPL. As the tournament progresses, we will strive to maintain our status as a first-class cricket tournament, attracting the best players and coaches from around the world,” he said.

Following his retirement from the game in 2001, Moody became president of the Australian Cricketers’ Association and coach, then director of cricket at Worcestershire. In 2005, he was appointed as Sri Lanka’s coach, guiding the team to the World Cup final in April 2007, before returning home to coach Western Australia. He is currently coach for IPL franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad.

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CPL hires Australian as director of cricket