Djokovic, Serena sail through but Kvitova stumbles
Print Edition
FOR the second time in three days, Novak Djokovic won a match at the Australian Open and was confronted by questions about match-fixing in the sport.
The five-time champion had just beaten 19-year-old French wildcard entry Quentin Halys 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (3) in the second round last night — his 34th win in his last 35 matches at Melbourne Park — when his news conference veered to questions about the issue that has overshadowed the season’s first major.
After his first-round win, on the day when the BBC and BuzzFeed News published reports alleging match-fixing had gone unchecked in tennis, the No. 1-ranked Djokovic recalled when a member of his support team was approached with an offer to throw a match in Russia in 2007. That approach didn’t reach him directly, he said, and was rejected immediately.
After his second-round win, he was asked about an Italian newspaper report casting doubt over his performance in a match against Fabrice Santoro, which he lost 3-6, 2-6, in Paris in 2007.
Djokovic said the speculation was getting out of control.
“What (is there) to say? I’ve lost that match. I don’t know if you’re trying to create a story about that match or for that matter any of the matches of the top players losing in the early rounds. I think it’s just absurd,” Djokovic said. “It’s not true.”
The BBC and BuzzFeed reports said 16 players had been repeatedly flagged to tennis authorities for suspicious performances, including a grand slam winner, and half of them were at this year’s Australian Open.
Djokovic has said he didn’t believe any elite players were involved. Roger Federer agreed, and said people making the accusations should name names.
Yesterday, Federer extended his streak of reaching the third round in Melbourne to 17 consecutive years. The four-time Australian Open champion, playing his 65th consecutive major, advanced 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 over Alexandr Dolgopolov. It was Federer’s 299th match win at a major.
He lost in the third round in his first two trips to Melbourne Park in 2000 and ‘01 and again last year. Federer will next play Grigor Dimitrov, who beat Marco Trungelliti 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga went to the aid of a ball girl in his match, gently helping her off the court in the third set when she became ill before finishing off a 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 win over Omar Jasika.
Other seeds advancing included No. 6 Tomas Berdych, No. 7 Kei Nishikori and 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic.
Serena Williams set a record when she played her 79th main draw match at the Australian Open, and beat No. 90-ranked Hsieh Su-wei 6-1, 6-2.
“It all started here. This is where I played my first grand slam right on this court and I’m still going, it’s such an honor,” said Williams, a six-time champion with a 70-9 record here.
In the biggest upset of the day, two-time Wimbledon champion and 6th seed Petra Kvitova was beaten 4-6, 4-6 by Russian-born Australian Daria Gavrilova.
Williams’ next opponent will be 18-year-old Russian Daria Kasatkina, who beat Croatia’s Ana Konjuh 6-4, 6-3, and she faces a potential quarterfinal match against 2015 finalist Maria Sharapova, who reached the third round with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
No. 13 Roberta Vinci, who beat Irina Falconi 6-2, 6-3, is a potential 4th-round rival for No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat Eugenie Bouchard 6-4, 6-2.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
