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Australian Open: Kyle Edmund hits with Roger Federer on 24th birthday

  • Posted: Jan 08, 2019
Australian Open 2019
Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 14-27 January
Coverage: Daily live commentaries on the BBC Sport website, listen to Tennis Breakfast daily from 07:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and watch highlights on BBC TV and online from 19 January.

Kyle Edmund prepared for the Australian Open – and celebrated his 24th birthday – by practising with defending champion Roger Federer in Melbourne.

The British number one withdrew from the Sydney International on Thursday with a knee injury.

Edmund, who offered Federer some birthday cake, appeared to be moving freely in Tuesday’s hit with the Swiss.

Edmund reached his first Slam semi-final at last year’s tournament in a breakthrough 2018.

The Yorkshireman, ranked 14th in the world, replaced Andy Murray as British number one in March and won his first ATP Tour title in October.

However, he was beaten 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 by Japan’s world number 185 Yasutaka Uchiyama in his first tournament of the year at Brisbane.

The Australian Open begins on 14 January.

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Australian Open: Harriet Dart wins qualifier, Naomi Broady & Gabriella Taylor out

  • Posted: Jan 08, 2019
Australian Open 2019
Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 14-27 January
Coverage: Daily live commentaries on the BBC Sport website, listen to Tennis Breakfast daily from 07:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and watch highlights on BBC TV and online from 19 January.

British number four Harriet Dart is through to the second round of qualifying for the Australian Open.

The 22-year-old, who reached the second round of the Brisbane International after coming through qualifying, beat France’s Chloe Paquet 6-3 4-6 6-2.

She was the only British winner in Melbourne after Naomi Broady and Gabriella Taylor lost their matches.

World number 132 Dart will next play Xu Shilin of China as she seeks to qualify in Melbourne for the first time.

Dart will need to win three matches to reach the main draw of the Australian Open, which begins on 14 January.

  • Murray returns, Wozniacki & Federer defend titles – preview
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Taylor lost the first four games of the match as she was beaten 6-1 6-1 by American Kristie Ahn in just 65 minutes.

British number seven Broady lost 6-4 3-6 6-3 to Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium.

Dan Evans, Jay Clarke, James Ward and Katie Swan begin their qualifying campaigns on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, Sloane Stephens came within two points of defeat in her first-round match against qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Sydney International.

Stephens, the American world number five, eventually prevailed 0-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-3).

Czech Petra Kvitova beat Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka 6-1 7-5, while defending champion Angelique Kerber of Germany overcame Italy’s Camila Giorgi 7-6 (7-3) 6-2.

However, former world number one Garbine Muguruza was forced to withdraw from the tournament – the final WTA event before the Australian Open – with illness.

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Millman Battles Past Tiafoe In Sydney

  • Posted: Jan 08, 2019

Millman Battles Past Tiafoe In Sydney

Rublev upsets Pouille in straight sets

John Millman reached the second round at the Sydney International for the third time on Tuesday, beating Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5.

The 29-year-old Brisbane native twice recovered from a break down in the deciding set, converting four of eight break points en route to a two-hour, 39-minute triumph. Millman improves to 2-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against the #NextGenATP American and will be aiming to reach the quarter-finals in Sydney for the first time.

The World No. 38 will meet seventh seed Marton Fucsovics for a place in the last eight. The 26-year-old Hungarian beat Australian wild card James Duckworth 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

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On his Sydney main draw debut, qualifier Andrey Rublev upset sixth seed Lucas Pouille 6-2, 6-3. The 21-year-old Russian dropped just two points behind his first serve (24/26) to advance after 66 minutes. Rublev will face Yoshihito Nishioka for a place in the quarter-finals.

Australian wild card Jordan Thompson reached the quarter-finals in Sydney after recovering from a set and 2-4 down to beat lucky loser Taro Daniel 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-0. Thompson won 10 of 12 second serve return points in the deciding set to race to a two-hour, 26-minute win. Thompson will meet countryman Alex de Minaur or Reilly Opelka for a semi-final spot.

Eighth seed Andreas Seppi beat Brisbane semi-finalist Jeremy Chardy 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 to set a second-round clash against Martin Klizan. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez also advanced, beating Denis Kudla 7-5, 6-4. The Spanish qualifier will face third seed Diego Schwartzman in the second round.

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Cabal/Farah Start 2019 The Way They Ended 2018

  • Posted: Jan 08, 2019

Cabal/Farah Start 2019 The Way They Ended 2018

Colombians advance to start their season

Top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah escaped a tight opener at the Sydney International on Tuesday, beating Czech Roman Jebavy and Argentina’s Andres Molteni 7-6(5), 6-4.

Cabal/Farah, who reached the semi-finals of the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals on debut, will next meet either Matthew Ebden/Robert Lindstedt or Brits Luke Bambridge/Jonny O’Mara, who fell in the Tata Open Maharashtra doubles final on Sunday.

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Second seeds Jamie Murray/Bruno Soares earned victory No. 1 of their 2019 season, 6-4, 6-4 against Mexico’s Santiago Gonzalez and Pakistani Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

Murray/Soares will meet Croatian Ivan Dodig and Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who dismissed Tata Open Maharashtra champions Rohan Bopanna/Divij Sharan 6-2, 6-4.

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Vintage Ferrer Eyeing Fifth Auckland Title

  • Posted: Jan 08, 2019

Vintage Ferrer Eyeing Fifth Auckland Title

Spaniard will meet Struff in R2

David Ferrer plans to end his career the same way he’s competed for the past 20 years – with a fight.

The Spaniard breezed past Dutchman Robin Haase on Tuesday to reach the second round of the ASB Classic, 6-2, 6-1. The four-time champion (2007, 2011-13) hit 16 winners and broke Haase six times to improve to 32-9 in Auckland.

“I’m really happy I will have another chance to play again on this court, in Auckland. Thanks a lot for your support. It’s very emotional for me to be here,” Ferrer said on court. “My goal is to finish as best as possible. I am very happy with my game… I am trying to enjoy every time that I am on the court.”

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The 36-year-old plans to retire after the Mutua Madrid Open in May. But he might take home a title or two before ending his career, which began at the turn of the millennium, in 2000.

Ferrer looked fresh against Haase, attacking the net and pinning the 2018 semi-finalist feet beyond the baseline. Haase, who led their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-0, spent much of the afternoon frustrated. He let that be known at 2-6, 1-3, when he let out a guttural roar to claps from the crowd. Ferrer will play Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Argentine Leonardo Mayer upset ninth seed Steve Johnson 7-5, 6-3. Mayer converted four of his 11 break points and will next face Italian Matteo Berrettini.

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