Sports thread: Everything sport related here.

[bladerunner]

Re: Sports thread; everything sport realted in here...

I will be rooting for Li Na in the finals.

shes playing well enough .. oh no shes injured herself

Although I believe this new young American Sloan Stephens got "cheated" out of the finals because of that Azarenka "medical" time out call. I'm not be bias, just that she was on come back tear on the 2nd set before play stops that kills her momentum. I don't know all about tennis rules, but that was a little dirty of Azarenka to do that IMO.

you are supposed to be able to have two 3minute medical time outs. It seems the rules were bent.. But then Li na's being allowed a long time out.

I can't understand Serenna Williams though, as she was clearly uncomfortable during her previous singles match, and she goes out the next day to partner in the doubles. She should have taken the opportunity to rest her back.

I heard that such is the dominance of women's tennis in America by the Williams sisters that Sloan was the first American teenager in twelve years to make it through to the semi- finals in any major.

 

[bd popeye]

Re: Sports thread; everything sport realted in here...

Li Na lost in the finals. Her performance overall should bolster her world standings. Other major events are coming up.. hope she does well!

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MELBOURNE, Australia - Victoria Azarenka won her second consecutive Australian Open title, beating Li Na 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a final that included a break for fireworks, two medical timeouts and a nasty fall to the court by Li.

The Chinese star first tumbled to the court after twisting her left ankle in the fifth game of the second set and had it taped.

On the first point after a 10-minute pause in the third set while fireworks boomed overhead from nearby Australia Day celebrations, Li fell over again and slammed the back of her head on the court. The 2011 French Open champion was treated and had another timeout before being allowed to resume the match.

Azarenka, who broke down in tears and sobbed into her towel when the match ended, won five of the next six games to claim her second major title and retain the No. 1 ranking.

"Unfortunately, you have to go through some rough patches to achieve great things. That's what makes it so special for me," she said. "I went through that, and I'm still able to kiss that beautiful trophy."

Serena Williams, who lost in the quarterfinals, will become the new No. 2 in the rankings.

Americans Mike and Bob Bryan won their record 13th Grand Slam doubles title, defeating the Dutch team of Robin Haase and Igor Sijsling 6-3, 6-4. They had been tied with the Australian greats John Newcombe and Tony Roche with 12 major titles.

The women's 2-hour, 40-minute match featured 16 service breaks, with Li losing her service nine times.

On a crisp Saturday night, Azarenka won the coin toss and elected to receive, a ploy that seemed to work when a nervous Li was broken to start the match. After a double fault on the first point, Li's forehand long gave Azarenka the early lead.

When she first injured her ankle, Li was trailing 3-1 in the second set. When she came back, she won three of the next four games to tie it 4-4, but Azarenka broke back and then held her serve.

Azarenka broke in the opening game of the final set, just two games before the match was suspended for the fireworks, a planned stoppage of play that both players were notified about before the match.

While Azarenka jogged around and practiced her serving motion during the 10-minute fireworks break, Li sat on her courtside chair for most of the stoppage.

It was on the first point that she again fell to the court.

Li said she went "totally black" for two seconds after her head hit the court, and when a medical official asked her to follow her finger, "I started laughing, thinking 'This is a tennis court, not like a hospital.'"

Li said the tournament doctor saw her after the match and checked out her head and neck.

"I should be OK,' Li said.

From the outset, the capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena was firmly behind Li, cheering loudly when she was introduced. Meanwhile, Azarenka's errors were applauded, and one spectator even mocked the loud hooting sound she makes when she hits a shot.

The chill from the crowd was a remnant of Azarenka's semifinal win over American teenager Sloane Stephens, when Azarenka was criticized for taking a questionable 10-minute medical timeout near the end of the match. She was accused of taking the time out to compose herself after she'd wasted five match points while serving for the match against Stephens. Azarenka said she needed the time out because a rib injury was making it difficult for her to breathe and she had a knee injury.

In the second set Saturday, a few fans heckled Azarenka. One man yelled, "Take a deep breath, Vicky."

By the end of the match, she appeared to have won some of the fans back. Azarenka's friend, rapper Redfoo, yelled down to her from the player box "You deserve it," and she later blew kisses to the crowd. Someone else in the crowd shouted "Victoria, we love you."

Azarekna appeared to quickly forgive the crowd, saying during the trophy presentations that she wanted to thank the fans for their support.

"I will always keep very special memories of this court and it will be in my heart forever," she said, pausing several times to find the right words. "Of course, I (almost) forgot to say congratulations to Li Na, she's had a terrific start to the year ... hope to see you in many, many more finals."

Later, Azarenka said she expected a "way worse" reception from the crowd.

"You just have to go out there and try to play tennis in the end of the day," she said. "The things what happened in the past, I did the best thing I could to explain, to do everything I could, and it was left behind me already."

Azarenka and Li had met twice before in Grand Slam tournaments, with Li winning both times — in the fourth round of the 2011 Australian Open and quarterfinals at the French Open. Li lost the 2011 Australian Open final to Kim Clijsters but won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros a few months later, beating Francesca Schiavone.

But after failing to advance past the fourth round at any major in 2012, Li hired Carlos Rodriguez, Justine Henin's former coach. The hard training he's put her through in the past four months appears to be paying dividends.

Li won a WTA tournament in China before travelling to Australia, where she advanced to the semifinals at the Sydney International.

In the men's final on Sunday, Novak Djokovic will attempt to win his third consecutive Australian Open against U.S. Open champion Andy Murray. Djokovic has had the benefit of an extra day off after an easy three-set win over David Ferrer on Thursday night, while Murray needed a tough five-setter to defeat Roger Federer.

Murray has predicted a tough match with long rallies against Djokovic, the player he beat in the final at Flushing Meadows in September.

"I'm ready for the pain," he said. "I hope it's a painful match, that will mean it will be a good one."

The Bryan brothers have six Australian Open doubles titles to go along with four at the U.S. Open, two at Wimbledon and one at the French Open.

In the other final Sunday to end the year's first Grand Slam, the unseeded pairs of Jarmila Gajdosova and Matthew Ebden of Australia and the Czech Republic's Lucie Hradecka and Frantisek Cermak play for the mixed doubles championship.

 

[Equation]

Re: Sports thread; everything sport realted in here...

Errr...okay Azarenka congrats on her victory. No worries my Li Na will be back and ready for the French Open.

 

[Mr T]

Re: Sports thread; everything sport realted in here...

I feel sorry for Li Na, given she won the first set quite well and wasn't doing too badly in the second. Then the injuries struck!

But I suppose that's tennis! I'm sure she will feature in another Grand Slam final somewhere down the road - provided she doesn't meet Laura Robson again.

 

[J-XX]

Re: Sports thread; everything sport realted in here...

Sorry but Li Na is becoming a bigger choker than Liu Xiang. Li Na had multiple chances in all 3 sets to win all of them, but her mental fragility cost her. She had the match under control and in her racket AND serving first in each of the sets (a huge advantage esp in women's tennis due to their weak serves), but had no patience whatsoever. She had the crowd support too.

She blew it!

 

[bd popeye]

Re: Sports thread; everything sport realted in here...

Ouch! That hurts^^ but it's the truth!

 

[bladerunner]

Re: Sports thread; everything sport realted in here...

Errr...okay Azarenka congrats on her victory. No worries my Li Na will be back and ready for the French Open.

I read a interview quoting her as saying after she won the French Title that she was looking forward to Wimbledon as she liked playing on grass and it was her favorite. I don't know whether it was just an attempt "psych" the other players out of it because disappointingly she has yet to measure up on the grass.

On another point

I don't think women deserve to be payed the same prize money as the men though.

 

[bladerunner]

Re: Sports thread; everything sport realted in here...

Sorry but Li Na is becoming a bigger choker than Liu Xiang. Li Na had multiple chances in all 3 sets to win all of them, but her mental fragility cost her. She had the match under control and in her racket AND serving first in each of the sets (a huge advantage esp in women's tennis due to their weak serves), but had no patience whatsoever. She had the crowd support too.

She blew it!

A excellent evaluation of Li Na's abilities and her performance on the night. If only she was able to treat it like another day at the office, rather than letting her nerves get to her. Mind you, shes got the expectation of the whole country on her. I think of all the other players , only Murray has a similar burden placed upon him.

 

[bd popeye]

Re: Sports thread; everything sport realted in here...

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Jan 28, 2013; La Jolla, CA, USA; Tiger Woods celebrates on the 18th green after winning the Farmers Insurance Open with a 14 under par at Torrey Pines. (Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports)

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SAN DIEGO -- Tiger Woods is a winner again at Torrey Pines, and the only question Monday was how long it would take him to finish.

Woods stretched his lead to eight shots in the Farmers Insurance Open before losing his focus and his patience during a painfully slow finish by the group ahead.

Despite dropping four shots over the last five holes, he still managed an even-par 72 for a four-shot victory on the course where he has won more than any other in his pro career.

He won the tournament for the seventh time, one behind the record held by Sam Snead, who won the Greater Greensboro Open eight times. It was the eighth time Woods won at Torrey Pines, which includes his playoff win in the 2008 U.S Open. This one was never close.

Woods built a six-shot lead with 11 holes to play when the final round of the fog-delayed tournament was suspended Sunday by darkness. He returned Monday - a late morning restart because CBS Sports wanted to show it in the afternoon on the East Coast - and looked stronger than ever until the tournament dragged to a conclusion.

Having to wait on every tee and from every fairway - or the rough, in his case - Woods made bogey from the bunker on the 14th, hooked a tee shot on the 15th that went off the trees and into a patch of ice plant and led to double bogey, and then popped up his tee shot on the 17th on his way to another bogey.

All that affected was the score. It kept him from another big margin of victory, though the message was clear about his game long before that.

One week after he missed the cut in Abu Dhabi, he ruled at Torrey Pines.

It was his 75th career win, seven short of the Snead's all-time tour record.

 

[bladerunner]

Re: Sports thread; everything sport realted in here...

So Tigers on the comeback trail. eh?

Before his personal life went downhill, most people had no doubt that he would take jack Nicklaus's title for the most "Majors "won. He's currently 5 short. Can he still do it?