Laura Robson's Australian Open campaign lasted less than an hour as she fell to eighteenth seed Kirsten Flipkens 6-3 6-0 becoming the first player to exit the tournament in the process.
An error-prone display from the Brit ensured a hasty demise, lasting just 50 minutes on court as the Belgium dominated. Her preparations for the tournament were hardly ideal, a wrist injury forcing her out of Hobart and Auckland, but an erratic performance will have left her far from pleased with her display.
Robson was careful to avoid talking about her injury after the match, telling the press, "I'd prefer not to talk about my wrist because then it turns into a massive excuse. Practice is a lot different to playing a proper match in Slams".
Australian-born Robson received warm applause but started poorly when she was broken to love in the opening game. Flipkens never allowed her to gather any momentum, making just 4 unforced errors compared to Robsons's 32.
The set continued on serve until 5-3 when Flipkens broke again, gaining the opening set. The Belgium had just two break points in the first set but executed both of them, whilst Robson failed to earn a single break point during the match.
The break at the end of the first set took any fight out of Robson, who struggled to break down a rigid Flipkens. The mistakes kept on coming as she completely fell apart in the second set. Wild volleys and groundstrokes led to an eventual 6-0 loss and an early exit for the British hopeful.
Flipkens will face Australian hopeful Casey Dellacqua, who overcame two time semi-finalist Vera Zvonareva 6-2 6-2 in the second round.
UP - Thomas Hitzlsperger - It shouldn't have to be a story but the fact that it is means that it must be addressed. In today's society Thomas Hitzlsperger must be commended for coming out as homosexual in the sporting environment. It's a tough world to come out in and hopefully it will encourage others to do the same. UP - Broad and Prior - Another serious story this week as Matt Prior and Stuart Broad successfully managed to talk a man out of jumping off a bridge. In particular, Broad applauded Prior for being "pretty inspirational" in the way he successfully managed to talk the man down. It certainly puts all of the sledging that occurred over the last series into perspective after controversy surrounding the withdrawal of Jonathan Trott. UP - Stephen Bunting - Probably the last time darts will feature on the sports ladder for a while as Christmas AKA 'Darts Season' has finished. Nevertheless, a big congratulations to first seed Stephen Bunting for winning his maiden BDO World Darts title at Lakeside. He successfully dispatched a number of top players including Robbie Greene and Alan Norris, the two in-form players of the tournament. Surely only a matter of time before he converts to the richer PDC. UP - Bournemouth Fans - Who says the beauty of the FA Cup is dead? When rain defeated the FA Cup tie between Bournemouth and Burton it was postponed to a later date. However with Burton fans making a pointless 300 mile journey to get there, Bournemouth did not want to see them disappointed. Between the fans they managed to raise nearly £3000 for the return trip. Good on the cherries!
UP - Bayern Munich - Similar to Bournemouth with regards to tickets. The cost of a ticket for a match at the Emirates has been a topic of some controversy for a number of seasons after it has gained an accurate reputation as the most expensive football trip in England. Therefore Bayern Munich decided to subsidise their fans half the price of the ticket for the Champions League clash. This after they last year refunded all fans for League games because it was not competitive enough. Lucky fans 'ey? DOWN - Juan Martin Del Potro - Del Potro won the Sydney International in the run-up to this week's Aussie Open and it seeded fifth with an outside chance at the title. However, a strange story emerged yesterday regarding his lack of rackets. Del Potro announced that he only has two of his preferred Wilson K-Frames left compared to the six-eight rackets his opponents will probably have. Let's hope he doesn't snap a string!
DOWN - Theo Walcott - Bad news for both Arsenal and England this week as it was announced that he is out for the remainder of the season and will miss the World Cup with ligament damage. Walcott will be gutted after already missing a large part of the season through injury. Tottenham fans will no doubt see the funny side though, after he mocked them upon departure from the pitch by holding the two fingers in the air to signify the 2-0 advantage in the game. DOWN - Kevin Pietersen - Despite being the highest England run scorer during the Ashes calamity, Pietersen has certainly been the main 'fall-guy'. His wild shot selection and apparent attitude problems have led many to question whether he deserves to play for England again. Captain Alistair Cook also refused to back Pietersen which would certainly suggest there are problems there and the question remains to be asked whether we will see Pietersen in an England shirt again. DOWN - Mike Jones - I never like to pick on referees as we all know they have a hard job, but it was a very strange decision to disallow Cheick Tiote's goal against Manchester City on Sunday. Ignoring the fact it was a lovely strike, it didn't actually break any rules. Unless, Gouffran getting out of the way of the shot counts as interfering with play, then there really was no reason for it to be disallowed. Hart would never have got there and his view was impeded by four City players. It could have been a very different game. DOWN - Lindsey Vonn - The 2014 Winter Olympic games has suffered a big blow in the loss of one of its more recognisable athletes as Lindsey Vonn announced this week she would not be partaking. A persistent knee injury has meant that Vonn will be unable to compete in Sochi and defend her Downhill gold won in Vancouver four years ago. Maybe a Brit could win it instead! Or maybe not.
Stephen Bunting claimed his maiden BDO World Darts title with a marvelous 7-4 victory over the unseeded Alan Norris.
The match was perfectly poised at 3-3 during the interval but it was 'The Bullet' who emerged after the break, winning the opening three legs before eventually going on to win 7-4.
Despite his dominance of the BDO in recent years, the Lakeside World Championship was one trophy which has always proved elusive. Today though, Stephen proved why he was the top seed with a mature performance throughout both the final, and the Championship.
The match started slowly, both players losing their throw in the opening two sets as they struggled to close out the early legs. Bunting missed four doubles in the 4th set at 2-1 up allowing Norris to eventually level at 2 sets of piece.
As the match progressed both players picked up pace, averaging 100+ over their first nine darts. Nevertheless, neither player could grasp full control of the match, Bunting especially missing three darts to take a 4-2 lead, going into the break at 3-3.
The earlier missed opportunity was obviously playing on Bunting's mind as he missed a further five darts in the 7th set to break Norris. However the pendulum began to swing in his favour, as he broke Norris to take a 5-3 lead, the first two set lead of the match so far.
The situation began to get the better of Alan Norris, who started missing doubles, allowing Bunting to take a 6-3 lead. From that point it was only a matter of time, although Norris clawed one back with a brilliant 140 check-out.
The atmosphere became extremely tense inside the Lakeside Arena as the crowd sensed the end was in sight. The final legs were certainly scrappy, but in the end Bunting prevailed, claiming the final set 3-1 to claim his 7-4 victory over Norris.
Heather Watson battled through her final qualifying match against American Irina Falconi to secure her place in the Australian Open.
Her 6-4 7-6(1) victory ensures her third consecutive Melbourne appearance, where she will face 31st seed Daniela Hantuchova in the opening round.
After slipping to 120 in the world rankings, Watson will be looking to cause an upset in order to defend the ranking points won in last year's event, where she reached the third round.
Victory will come as a relief to the youngster, who suffered from a long bout of glandular fever throughout much of the 2013 season. She told BBC Sport, "It would have been the end of the world if I didn't get through".
Watson successfully defended against her opponents mixed style of play, claiming victory in just over two hours on a cool Melbourne afternoon.
After breaking Falconi in the first set to lead 5-3, Watson had the chance to serve for the set but dropped her serve. However, the Guernsey-born star hit back to claim it 6-4.
After a tense second set, missing two match points at 5-4, Watson was ruthless in the tie-break, winning seven consecutive points to claim the victory.
She said, "It was a very tricky match. She's not your usual WTA player. She slices a lot, she's got good hands, good touch, she's not the overpowering type".
After her first round victory Watson admitted to nerves and those returned today. "I got a bit nervous closing it out but it's last round of qualifying; there's a lot on that match".
She will join fellow Brits Laura Robson and Andy Murray in the main draw, the only one of six British players to come through qualifying.
There will be little rest for Watson who is scheduled to play her opening tie on Monday, appearing first on Court 2.
It’s back! Once again tennis season is upon us but to be honest
it feels like it hasn't really been away. With the ATP Tour Finals at the O2 in
December and then Andy Murray’s Sports Personality of the Year annihilation, tennis
has been floating around our shores all Christmas. Despite 2014 being just a
week old, a number of tournaments have already been completed and with the Australian
Open lurking on the horizon, it’s time to assess what the season has thrown at
us so far and what to expect down in Melbourne.
Nadal triumphs in Qatar
The Spanish Armada
The Spanish fleet sets sail to Melbourne in full force. Captain
Rafa will be the man to beat off the back of a simply remarkable comeback year
which saw him win the French Open and the US Open as well as finishing the year
as World Number One. Nadal has already won the Qatar Open this year, beating
Gael Monfils, his Qatar nemesis, in the final. It was not plain sailing for
Rafa though, as he lost a few sets on the way, something rivals will certainly
have picked up on.
Ferrer's looks focused
First mate David Ferrer will also be manning the decks as he
seeks to win his maiden Grand Slam. Quietly conducting his business, Ferrer
ended the year in third place in the World Rankings and will be looking to
continue that form this year. What he lacks in power he more than makes up for
in his hyperactive-childlike attitude, darting around the court and refusing to
give up on any point. Could he shock his captain in Melbourne? Or will he be
made to walk to plank.
Djokovic eyes the prize.
The Serb in the
Shadows
Despite an excellent season, Novak Djokovic will be bitterly
disappointed to have won just one Grand Slam, as well as losing his World
Number One position to Nadal. Whilst the other big names all took part in
tournaments earlier this year, Djokovic decided against it and so we will see
nothing of his form going into Melbourne. Expect the Serb to pounce from the
shadows, and if we get anything close to a repeat of last year’s semi-final
against Nadal then boy are we in for one heck of an entertaining tournament!
The end of an era?
Roger that.
Federer: A man on the decline
For any tennis fan, last year was a despairing sight. Seeing the
great Roger Federer succumb to loss after loss in mediocre fashion stung the
very core of the sporting world. The fact is that, as age catches up with him
faster than an Andy Roddick serve, it will only get worse. There have been
early signs of this already, a loss to fellow veteran Leyton Hewitt in the
Brisbane Open served as an unhealthy reminder that the great Swiss is not as
immortal as he once was. I do not expect Federer to challenge for his
eighteenth Grand Slam but it would not surprise me if it some point this year
we saw a retirement.
Tsonga celebrates in style
French Revolution
With the decline of Federer and question marks over the fitness
of Andy Murray, there is a gap in the semi-final market for some outsiders and
there is no stronger contingent than that of the French. With both Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga and Richard Gasguet in the top ten and Gael Monfils showing imperious
form in reaching the Qatar Open Final, do not be surprised to see the French
flag flying in the latter stages of the competition. Tsonga is the real danger
man after storming to the Hopman Cup title alongside fellow competitor Alize
Cornet and the great showman will no doubt test the top seeds. The main
obstacle will of course be the persistent phone calls from Newcastle United’s
hapless Director of Football, Joe Kinnear as he accidently mistakes them for
footballers and attempts to sign them up during the transfer window.
Knock Knock. Who’s
There?
A confident looking Dimitrov
Long gone are the days when males burst onto the scene in their
late teens. Men’s Tennis has developed into a gruelling sport of never-ending
schedules and marathon matches and that is making it increasingly difficult to
break into the top twenty. So are there any youngsters who might make an
impression?
Grigor Dimitrov is the name head on the tennis grapevine.
Nicknamed ‘Baby Fed’ after his similar playing style to Federer, Grigor is the
youngest player ranked inside the top fifty at just 22 years old. He is yet to
have a Grand Slam run, his furthest being a third round at last year’s French
Open, but after beating Djokovic in last year’s Madrid Masters he certainly has
the game to test the big boys.
Raonic on the stretch
The man most likely to challenge is the big-serving Canadian,
Milos Raonic. He likes the Australian Open, never failing to get to the third
round in his three outings however is yet to beat Djokovic, Nadal, Federer or
Ferrer. He does, however, have two
scalps over Andy Murray and will be looking to press on this year after his
first World Tour Masters Final last year in Montreal.
Big forehand from a big Pole
Many of the young men coming through the ranks are big powerful
individuals and this trend continues with Jerzy Janowicz. A Wimbledon semi-finalist
last year, Janowicz burst onto the scene at the end of 2013 with an unseeded
final at the Paris Masters. At six foot eight, do not be surprised to see
Janowicz in the thick of it in Melbourne.
Brits Down Under
Murray winces in Qatar
This week the England Cricket Team returned from Australia,
battered, bruised and outstandingly beaten.
It wouldn't be any great shock if this feat was replicated at the
Australian Open by the Brits. Murray looks rusty after his back surgery last
year, losing convincingly to Florian Mayer in Qatar and will probably see this
tournament more as a recovery than as a real chance at a title.
A dejected Robson
At least Murray will make it to Melbourne. Poor Laura Robson
looks set to miss out on the Aussie Open after suffering from a wrist injury in
a match against Wickmayer in the first round of this week’s Hobart
International as well as in the ASB Classic the week before. Laura will be
bitterly disappointed as, being born in Australia, it is also her home Grand
Slam so we hope she will make it to the first round next week..
Evans ready for the main draw
Aside from Andy and Laura, no other Brits made it straight into
the draw so will have to rely on the qualification to get in. With both James
Ward and Dan Cox crashing out in the first round, hopes will rest solely on the
shoulders of Dan Evans to accompany Murray in the main draw after Evans won his
first round match last night. There is slightly higher hopes in the Women’s
qualifying, with the three ladies, Heather Watson, Johanna Konta and Tara Moore
all playing their opening matches tonight. With both Konta and Watson seeded,
it would be disappointing if neither of them make it into the main draw. That
said, should they manage to get in, hopes will not be high as the Brits face a tough
tournament down in Oz.
The Queen winning in Brisbane
Queen Serena
Long live the Queen, and last year Serena cemented her royal
ascension to the top of the women’s game with two Grand Slam titles as well as
nine other tournament victories, making it her most successful year ever by
some distance. Finishing the game as World number one by some considerable
distance she then went on to win in Brisbane earlier this year, continuing her
twenty-two game unbeaten run. Can anyone usurp the crown from the Queen of tennis,
or is Serena set to continue her reign?
Her Disloyal Servants
Anguished Azarenka
Well if the Queen is to be challenged then it’s likely to come
from only a select few individuals, notably Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova.
Williams and Azarenka clashed on four occasions last year,
holding two victories each. Serena holds the early advantage this year after
defeating Victoria in last week’s Brisbane final but Azarenka is the defending
champion in Melbourne and will be looking to reclaim her title. Williams, on
the other hand, will desperately want to win back the title she has won on five
previous occasions.
Screaming Sharapova
Maria Sharapova is the other looking to get her hands on the
crown but must be sick of the sight of Serena. Sharapova has not managed to beat
her since 2004 so will be looking to put that right on the tenth anniversary of
her last victory. Re-emerging after an injury that kept her out of last year’s
US Open, the Russian will be eager to prove she still has what it takes to
fight at the top of the Women’s game.
American Sweethearts
Whilst Serena dominates the women’s game, there are a number of
other young Americans coming through the ranks looking to step into her shoes,
or more likely, her trainers.
Stephens in action
The biggest name of the three is Sloane Stephens. Stephens has
been testing the World’s best for a number of years but it was in Melbourne
last year that she demonstrated her true ability, beating Serena and advancing
to the semi-final before eventually being denied a place in the final by
Victoria Azarenka. The only concern will be that she withdrew from the Hopman
Cup with a wrist injury and it is not yet known how badly this will affect her
going into the Aussie Open.
18-year-old Keys enjoying her tennis
Madison Keys is the youngest of the American youngsters at just
18 years old and one of the hottest prospects in tennis. Reaching two third
rounds in Grand Slams last year, Keys made her impact, ending the year at
number 37 in the world. A disappointing performance in Brisbane last week will
not stop the fearless youngster as she aims to push herself into the top twenty
in the World alongside compatriot Stephens.
Determination from Hampton
The ‘big sister’ of the three is Jamie Hampton who, like
Stevens, is a doubt for Melbourne after withdrawing against the Queen’s sister,
Venus in the ASB Classic in New Zealand. Should she recover in time, Hampton
will undoubtedly be a menace in Melbourne. The most experienced of the three,
she had a steady season last year, reaching the third round in Melbourne. With
these three on the scene, as well as Serena, do not be surprised to see Uncle
Sam littering the fourth round and onwards.
And Finally...
An interesting revelation came from the Hopman Cup this week as it emerged this week that
6 foot 10 American John Isner turned down a career in basketball to pursue his
tennis career after not realising how tall he would eventually become. Let me just reinforce 6
ft 10 and American. Hardly a surprise that Isner was a talented basketball player as well as tennis player but as a fan of tennis over basketball I am certainly grateful that the American was a late bloomer. Especially as I was lucky enough to be at Wimbledon during this incredible encounter.
UP - Michael Schumacher - Sometimes sport needs to be put to one side, and the unfortunate story of Michael Schumacher's accident is one of those examples. It seems very strange that a man who spent his life racing cars at extreme speeds was most seriously injured in a skiing accident. I wish Michael all the best with his recovery . UP - Australian Cricket Team - Let's stop criticising the England team for a minute and just acknowledge that we were dealt an absolute masterclass by Australia. The mustache-wielding Mitchell Johnson was simply phenomenal with the ball whilst Warner and Haddin blew England's bowling attack away. Congratulation Michael Clarke and co, a whitewash well deserved and well earned.
UP - Michael Van Gerwen - Could 'Mighty Mike' be the new era in darts? He's been around the top of the game for a while but this was his first World Championship victory in the PDC and moves him about Phil 'The Power' Taylor to the top of the World Rankings. If his 7-4 victory over Peter Wright in the final wasn't impressive enough, his 6-0 drubbing of Adrian Lewis in the semi-final really was something else. Is MVG going to cause a power cut in darts? UP - Rowan Cheshire - With the Winter Olympics in Sochi approaching with pace it seems only fitting to highlight the achievements of a potential medalist. Rowan Cheshire this week became the first British female to ever win a World Cup event halfpipe gold medal. The 18 year old ran an impressive run to claim her maiden gold and will be looking to replicate this form should she qualify for Sochi. UP - Nick Matthews - It was a disappointing year for squash last year, narrowly missing out on a spot in the Olympics. But things are looking up for it from a British perspective, with Nick Matthews moving to World number one for the first time since 2010 after his victory over Hong Kong Open. Good things for the 33 year old as he comes to the latter end of his career. DOWN - Crawford Allen - Poor Crawford Allen. He was just out doing his job! Mr Allen was the match referee for an SFL game between Celtic and St Mirren when things went a bit wrong. Stood in the wrong place at the wrong time, Mr Allen found himself lying on his backside after Ross Draper attempted to charge down a Celtic cross. If you want to watch the video follow this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/scotland/25568803
DOWN - Andy Murray - 2013 was Murray's year. AWimbledon title, an Australian Open final and an overwhelming Sports Personality of the Year victory. But 2014 hasn't exactly started with a bang. He lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Mubadala World Tennis Championships before following up with a loss to Florian Mayer at the Qatar Open. There's little doubt that he will be back, but its been a slow start to the season. DOWN - Scott Waites - The PDC Worlds have come and gone and now its time for the BDOs. But it didn't start well for the defending champion Scott Waites. Despite going into the match with a 6-0 record in first round World Championship, Waites was crushed by Alan 'Chuck' Norris, succumbing to a humbling 3-0 defeat. Better luck next year Scotty. DOWN - Adnan Januzaj - Oh dear. One of the brightest young talents in the Premier League at the moment. Young Sports Personality nomination and highly coveted by a number of nations. However, this week he became the second highest scoring player to have been booked for diving in Premier League history.... with just 14 appearances. Tom Daley then offered to coach him and Ashley Young in their diving escapades. Not the sort of records he wants to be breaking. DOWN - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - This story was a personal one for me as Ole was my childhood idol and one of the reasons I am a Manchester United fan. So I was so disappointed when he agreed to work under Vincent Tan after his treatment of Malky Mackay. I do understand that Solskjaer's reputation is unlikely to be damaged by this but it was just a personal disappointment.
Nottingham Forest ran riot against a dismal second-string West Ham team thanks to a magnificent hat-trick from youngster Jamie Paterson.
Abdoun scores a delicious penalty.
Sam Allardyce's 3-5-2 system failed to control a free-flowing Forest who bossed the midfield, running out eventual 5-0 victors. Abdoun converted a spot-kick to give Forest the lead before Paterson converted three chances in quick succession to take the game out of sight. Right at the death Andy Reid put the icing on the cake with a powerful finish from close range.
With one eye on their midweek Capital One Cup Semi-final against Manchester City, Allardyce fielded a youthful team, making nine changes to the side that lost to Fulham on New Year's Day, whilst Billy Davies fielded a full strength team.
Forest took the lead eleven minutes into the game through an audacious Abdoun penalty chipped down the centre of the goal. The penalty came after young Jamie Paterson's quick feet caught out debutant George Moncur who tripped him inside the area.
A Ravel Morrison free-kick called Nottingham keeper Darlow into action, forcing a flying save out of him but that was as close as West Ham came all game. Moments later Forest had another penalty shout, this one correctly turned down.
Hat-trick hero Jamie Paterson
Forest were in complete control of the game, dominating the midfield and this showed with a whole host of chances; Lascelles testing Adrian from range before saving a point-blank Halford header. Lichaj then had a one-on-one well saved as Forest struggled to turn chances into goals.
The second half continued much the same as the first half ended, Forest in the ascendancy but with no end product. This has been the story of Forest's season, conceding a number of late equalizers throughout the season at Reading and at home to Bournemouth to name but a few.
Today was a totally different story however, as a fourteen minute hat-trick from Paterson killed off any chance of a West Ham response. The trickery and quick feet of Paterson allowed him to slot in three cultured finishes from inside the box to net his first goals since moving from Walsall in the summer.
A dejected Big Sam walking away
Allardyce's woes didn't end there, as Andy Reid made it a five star performance after converting the fifth goal of the game after an attacking run from Abdoun down the left. Forest could have compounded the misery even more as Cox missed a number of late chances after coming on for the had-working Halford.
After being drawn against either Ipswich or Preston in the next round, Forest will be confident they can get a cup run going alongside their push for promotion. Allardyce, on the other hand, will be eagerly awaiting the return from injury of a number of key players, including their talisman Andy Carroll, as they battle to avoid the drop.
Laura Robson's Australian Open campaign lasted less than an hour as she fell to eighteenth seed Kirsten Flipkens 6-3 6-0 becoming the first player to exit the tournament in the process.
