Tennisphilia

Watch Australian Open 2012 Men's Singles Final Live Online

>> Sunday, January 29, 2012

Defending champion and world #1 Novak Djokovic will be going against world #2 and 10-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal for the Australian Open 2012 championship match. Nadal-Djokovic head to head stands at 16-13 in Nadal's favor, but it was Djokovic who defeated Nadal in five championship matches last year, including the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. The Australian Open 2012 men's final live online coverage will start on January 29, Sunday 19.30 AEST. The live coverage at the Rod Laver Arena starts at 4.30 PM AEST with the mixed doubles final between the fifth-seeded team of Elena Vesnina (RUS) and Leander Paes (IND) and the eighth-seeded team of Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) and Horia Tecau (ROU).

Click on this link to start watching Djokovic vs Nadal Australian Open 2012 Final Live Online.

Nadal Australian Open 2012 Prize Money Earnings

>> Saturday, January 28, 2012

How much money will Rafael Nadal win for being the Australian Open 2012 singles runner-up? By losing to world #1 Novak Djokovic in the finals, Nadal takes home a check of AUS$1.15 million. This will be added to his current combined total career earnings of $45,114,407 won from his participation in both Singles & Doubles tournaments. He is currently #2 in the men's career prize money leaders behind Roger Federer and even if he out-earned Federer in this year's Australian Open, he will remain second behind Federer in the career prize money leader list. He has earned $7,603,218 for his singles tournament achievements in 2011 where he won the French Open title and finished runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open. He ended 2011 ranked #2 behind Novak Djokovic.

Nadal - 2012 Prize Money Earnings

Doha, Qatar, Prize Money: $50,030
Australian Open, Australia, Prize Money: AUS$1,150,000

Nadal - 2011 Prize Money Earnings

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, Great Britain, Prize Money: $240,000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai, Shanghai, China, Prize Money: $40,400
Tokyo, Japan; , Prize Money: $133,000
US Open, NY, U.S.A., Prize Money: $900,000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati, OH, U.S.A., Prize Money: $62,240
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Canada, Montreal, Canada, Prize Money: $16,375
Wimbledon, Great Britain, Prize Money: £550,000
London / Queen's Club, Great Britain, Prize Money: €15,000
Roland Garros, France, Prize Money: €1,200,000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome, Italy, Prize Money: €205,000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid, Spain, Prize Money: €275,000
Barcelona, Spain, Prize Money: €290,000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo, Monaco, Prize Money: €438,000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami, FL, U.S.A., Prize Money: $298,200
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells, CA, U.S.A., Prize Money: $298,200
Australian Open, Australia, Prize Money: A$210,000
Doha, Qatar, Prize Money: $50,500

Figures above are the January 29, 2012 Update of Nadal's Prize Money Earnings

Djokovic 2012 Prize Money Earnings

How much money will Novak Djokovic win for his Australian Open 2012 grand slam title? By beating Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open 2012 men's singles finals, Djokovic takes home a cool AUS$2.3 million. This will be added to Djokovic's total career prize money earnings of $32,882,760 won from his participation in both Singles & Doubles tournaments. He is currently #4 in the men's career prize money leaders behind Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Pete Sampras. He earned a record $12,595,903 in 2011 for his participation in singles tournaments - an exemplary year where he won three of four Grand Slam titles and ascended to #1 in the men's tennis rankings.

Djokovic - 2012 Prize Money Earnings

Australian Open, Australia, Prize Money: A$2,300,000

Djokovic - 2011 Prize Money Earnings

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, , Prize Money: €55,500
Basel, Switzerland, Prize Money: €67,700
US Open, NY, U.S.A., Prize Money: $2,300,000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati, OH, U.S.A., Prize Money: $243,200
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Canada, Montreal, Canada, Prize Money: $450,000
Wimbledon, Great Britain, Prize Money: £1,100,000
Roland Garros, France, Prize Money: €300,000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome, Italy, Prize Money: €438,000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid, Spain, Prize Money: €590,000
Belgrade, Serbia, Prize Money: €66,500
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami, FL, U.S.A., Prize Money: $611,000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells, CA, U.S.A., Prize Money: $611,000
Dubai, U.A.E., Prize Money: $386,000
Australian Open, Australia, Prize Money: A$2,200,000

Watch Azarenka - Australian Open Champion Interview, Finals Highlights

Watch the Victoria Azarenka interview video after she won the Australian Open 2012. Watch Vika Azarenka press conference video after winning the the Australian Open 2012. Watch highlights video of the 2012 Australian Open 2012 women's final between Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova. Watch Maria Sharapova press conference video after the Australian Open 2012 women's final. Videos are found at the Australian Open website.

Watch Nadal vs Djokovic Australian Open 2012 Live Final Match Online

The championship match between world #1 Novak Djokovic and #2 Rafael Nadal will be streamed online on January 29, Sunday 19.30 AEST. The live coverage at the Rod Laver Arena starts at 4.30 PM AEST with the mixed doubles final between the fifth-seeded team of Elena Vesnina (RUS) and Leander Paes (IND) and the eighth-seeded team of Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) and Horia Tecau (ROU).

Click the photo above to start watching Australian Open 2012 Live Online Video Stream Coverage.

Azarenka Victoria wins Australian Open 2012 for 1st Grand Slam

After a shaky first two games, Victoria Azarenka overpowered Russian world #4 Maria Sharapova to win the Australian Open 2012 women's singles title, and her first career grand slam title. Azarenka will now become the new #1-ranked player, the 21st player to reach that milestone and the first player, male or female, from Belarus to reach the top ranking. She earned AUS$2.3 million dollars for her victory pushing her career earnings total beyond $11 million.

In a highly anticipated contest, the match was expected to go the distance as both players were in top form heading in to the final. After Azarenka dropped the first two games to go down 0-2, she won twelve of the next thirteen games to win the title in 82 minutes. It was a very impressive victory for the Belorussian player who had a history of disappointing losses in Melbourne, and who was not previously known for her mental strength. She lost a couple of matches to Serena Williams in previous years despite a huge lead. In both years, Williams had gone on to win the title.

Azarenka had a 71% success in her first serves as compared to Sharapova. She had a good 14 winners to 12 unforced errors, while it was clearly the high unforced errors from Sharapova which kept the match from being competitive. The Russian had the same 14 winners as Azarenka, but committed more than twice as many errors with 30. Azarenka also controlled the net winning 7 of 8 net approaches. She broke Sharapova 5 times, and was only broken once. She took advantage of Sharapova's weak second serve to win 14 of 17 points. Sharapova's return, which was very effective against previous opponents did not do much damage against Azarenka. Azarenka won 68% of her first serve points, and also a majority of her second serve points at 53%. Azarenka controlled most of the rallies that went more than three shots, with majority of the points ending in a Sharapova error.

It was another Australian Open final disappointment for Sharapova. The runaway score where she won three games is the same as the number of games she won when she lost to Serena Williams in 2007. Sharapova should still be pleased with her performance here and in her progress in the past 24 months. She also reached the final at Wimbledon before losing to Petra Kvitova. She will be ranked at #3 when the new rankings will be released on January 30 behind Azarenka and Kvitova.

Azarenka remains unbeaten this year and is enjoying a 12-match winning streak. She also won the warm-up tournament at Sydney and is expected to be a force to reckon with in the next few months as she has previously shown that she is a very good hard court player. Despite playing in her first grand slam final and was the far less experienced player against the three time Grand Slam champion, Azarenka went into the match with full confidence as she has beaten Sharapova soundly in their previous 2 hard court matches. It the end, there was not much Sharapova could do to derail the inevitable. Victoria Azarenka has fulfilled her potential, won her first grand slam title, and is now the top-ranked women's tennis player.

Related Links:

Victoria Azarenka Australian Open Finals Interview
Maria Sharapova Australian Open Finals Interview

Sharapova 2012 Prize Money Earnings

How much money did Maria Sharapova win for her Australian Open 2012 achievement? As a finalist, she is guaranteed to go home with a check for AUS$1.15 million. If she wins the title by beating world #3 Victoria Azarenka, she will take home AUS$2.3 million. This will be added to her current career total prize money of $$16,643,327. She currently occupies the 10th place in women's tennis career prize money leaders. She is guaranteed to dislodge Spanish legend Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario who is currently in 9th place. Sanchez-Vicario is ahead of Sharapova by less than $300K before the start of the Australian Open 2012.

Maria Sharapova - 2011 Prize Money Earnings

AUCKLAND PRIZE MONEY: $5,340
AUSTRALIAN OPEN PRIZE MONEY: $90,575
FED CUP WEEK 1 PRIZE MONEY: $0
INDIAN WELLS PRIZE MONEY: $150,000
MIAMI PRIZE MONEY: $350,000
MADRID PRIZE MONEY: $38,517
ROME PRIZE MONEY: $360,000
FRENCH OPEN PRIZE MONEY: $411,693
WIMBLEDON PRIZE MONEY: $880,000
STANFORD PRIZE MONEY: $17,300
TORONTO PRIZE MONEY: $20,550
CINCINNATI PRIZE MONEY: $360,000
US OPEN PRIZE MONEY: $63,723
TOKYO - PAN PACIFIC PRIZE MONEY: $41,450
WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS PRIZE MONEY: $110,000

Related Link: Sharapova wins Rome 2012 title again, earns $385K in Prize Money

Victoria Azarenka - Prize Money Earnings

How much money did Victoria Azarenka win for her Australian Open 2012 achievement? By beating Maria Sharapova, she takes home AUS$2.3 million. This will be added to her current career total prize money of $9,040,357. She currently occupies the 25th place in women's tennis career prize money leaders. With her first grand slam title, she will go past the $11 million mark and into the top 20 of the prize money leaders list.

Victoria Azarenka - 2012 Prize Money Earnings

SYDNEY, Prize Money: $107,000
AUSTRALIAN OPEN, Prize Money: $2,400,000

Victoria Azarenka - 2011 Prize Money Earnings
SYDNEY, Prize Money: $15,675
AUSTRALIAN OPEN, Prize Money: $90,575
DUBAI, Prize Money: $20,550
DOHA, Prize Money: $5,200
INDIAN WELLS, Prize Money: $64,700
MIAMI, Prize Money: $700,000
MARBELLA, Prize Money: $37,000
STUTTGART, Prize Money: $9,525
MADRID, Prize Money: $434,194
ROME, Prize Money: $41,450
FRENCH OPEN, Prize Money: $205,847
EASTBOURNE, Prize Money: $15,300
WIMBLEDON, Prize Money: $440,000
STANFORD, Prize Money: $9,525
TORONTO, Prize Money: $90,000
US OPEN, Prize Money: $53,723
TOKYO - PAN PACIFIC, Prize Money: $90,000
BEIJING, Prize Money: $37,225
LUXEMBOURG, Prize Money: $37,000
WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS, Prize Money: $775,000

Australian Open 2012 Winners, Prize Money

The list of Australian Open 2012 winners will be finalized at the end of the tournament on Sunday, January 29. The five major championships to be contested are the men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles competition.

Australian Open 2012 Men's Singles Champion: Novak Djokovic (#1)

01/29 Update: Djokovic beats Nadal 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 7-5. Djokovic wins AUS$2.3 million. Nadal wins AUS$1.15 million.

01/27 Update: The winner will be determined on January 29 when world #1 Novak Djokovic meets world #2 Rafael Nadal. The rivals have met in the previous two grand slam finals in Wimbledon and the US Open with Djokovic emerging as the victor in both encounters. The winner will take home AUS$2.3 million while the runner-up will take home AUS$1.15 million.

Australian Open 2012 Women's Singles Champion: Victoria Azarenka (#3)

01/28 Update: Azarenka beats Sharapova 6-3 6-0. Sharapova wins AUS$2.3 million. Azarenka wins AUS$1.15 million.

01/27 Update: World #3 Victoria Azarenka won her first grand slam title by overwhelming #4 Maria Sharapova. Azarenka will now take over the WTA tour #1 ranking when the rankings will be released on January 30. Sharapova lost her second grand slam title in the past 12 months, she also lost to Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon. Her last grand slam title win was in Melbourne in 2008. Azarenka takes home AUS$2.3 million while Sharapova will pick-up the runner up check of AUS$1.15 million.

Australian Open 2012 Men's Doubles Champion: Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek (unseeded)

01/28 Update: Paes and Stepanek beats B. Bryan and M. Bryan, 7-6 6-2.

01/27 Update: The #1 team of Bob and Mike Bryan (USA) will take on the unseeded pair of Leander Paes (IND) and Radek Stepanek (CZE). Both teams won their semifinal matches in three hard fought sets. Paes and Stepanek eliminated the second seeded team of Max Mirnyi (BLR) and Daniel Nestor (CAN). The PRIZE Money for the Australian Open Men's doubles champions will be AUS$454,500. The runner-up will take home AUS$227,250.

Australian Open 2012 Women's Doubles Champion: Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva (unseeded)

01/27 Update: The unseeded yet high profile Russian team of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva beat the 11th seeded Italian pair of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, 5-7 6-4 6-3. Kuznetsova and Zvonareva are accomplished singles players, both having been ranked as high as #2 in singles. The PRIZE Money for the Australian Open women's doubles champions is AUS$454,500. The runner-up takes home AUS$227,250.

Australian Open 2012 Mixed Doubles Champion: Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecau (#8)

01/29 Update: Mattek-Sands and Tecau beats Vesnina and Paes 6-3 5-7 10-3.

01/27 Update: The #5 team of Elena Vesnina (RUS) and Leander Paes (IND) will be going against the #8 team of Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) and Horia Tecau (ROU). Vesnina and Paes beat the Italian team of Roberta Vinci and Daniele Bracialli in three sets to reach the finals. Mattek-Sands and Tecau had a straight set victory over the Indian pair of Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi. The PRIZE Money for the Australian Open mixed doubles champions will be AUS$135,500. The runner-up will take home AUS$67,500.

Australian Open 2012 Junior Boys' Singles Champion:
#1 Luke Saville (AUS) beat Filip Peliwo (CAN) 6-3 5-7 6-4

Australian Open 2012 Junior Girls' Singles Champion:
#14 Taylor Townsend (USA) beat #4 Yulia Putintseva (RUS) 6-1 3-6 6-3

Australian Open 2012 Junior Boys' Doubles Champion:
#6 Liam Broady (GBR) and Joshua Ward-Hibbert (GBR) beat Adam Pavlasek (CZE) and Filip Veger (CRO) 6-3 6-2

Australian Open 2012 Junior Girls' Doubles Champion:
Gabrielle Andrews (USA) and Taylor Townsend (USA) beat #1 Irina Kromacheva (RUS) and Danka Kovinic (MEN) 5-7 7-5 10-6

NOTE: The Australian Open 2012 prize money for the junior boys' champion and the junior girls' champion is AUS$0.

Australian Open 2012 TV Coverage - Men and Women's Final

Watch the Australian Open men's and women's singles final matches on TV. In the women's side, world #3 Victoria Azarenka meets world #4 Maria Sharapova for the 2012 Australian Open women's singles championship match. The winner will rise to the WTA tour #1 ranking on Monday, Jan 30. In the men's side, world #1 Novak Djokovic will battle world #2 Rafael Nadal. It will be the third consecutive grand slam final that the two rivals have faced each other with Djokovic winning the past two grand slam titles in Wimbledon and US Open.

Australian Open 2012 TV Coverage - Men and Women's Final, Australia TV Coverage

SATURDAY JANUARY 28 (WOMEN’S FINAL)
6.30pm – 10.30pm COP LIVE in Sydney and Melbourne on Channel 7
6.30pm – 9.30pm COP LIVE in Brisbane on Channel 7
7pm – 10pm COP LIVE in Adelaide on Channel 7
4.30pm – 7.30pm COP in Perth on Channel 7

SUNDAY JANUARY 29 (MEN’S FINAL)
4pm – 6pm, 6.30pm – 10.30pm COP LIVE in Sydney and Melbourne on Channel 7
3pm – 5pm, 6.30pm 10.30pm COP LIVE in Brisbane on Channel 7
3.30pm – 5.30pm, 7pm – 10pm COP LIVE in Adelaide on Channel 7
1pm – 3pm, 4.30pm – 7.30pm COP LIVE in Perth on Channel 7

Australian Open 2012 TV Coverage - Men and Women's Final, US TV Coverage

Sat, Jan. 28 – Australian Open Day 14
5:30 am Australian Open : Men’s Dbl Final (LIVE) – Tennis Channel
7:30 am Australian Open : Women’s Dbl Final – Tennis Channel
9:00 – 11:00 am Women’s Final – reair – ESPN2HD
11:00 am Australian Open : Men’s Dbls Final & Men’s Semis – Tennis Channel
10 pm Women’s Final – reair – ESPN2HD
3:00 – 6:30 am Men’s Final – LIVE – ESPN2HD
8:00 pm Australian Open : Women’s Final – Tennis Channel

Sun, Jan 29 – Australian Open Day 15
12:30 am Australian Open : Mixed Doubles Final (LIVE) – Tennis Channel
7:00 am Australian Open : Women’s Final – Tennis Channel
9:00 am – 1:00 pm Men’s Final – reair – ESPN2HD
1:00 pm Australian Open : Men’s Final – Tennis Channel
5:00 pm Australian Open : Men’s Final – Tennis Channel
9:00 pm Men’s Final – reair – ESPN2HD

Watch Sharapova vs Azarenka Australian Open 2012 Live Final Match Online

>> Friday, January 27, 2012

The championship match between former world #1 and 3-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova and world #3 Victoria Azarenka will be streamed online on January 28 19.30 AEST. The live coverage at the Rod Laver Arena starts at 1.00 PM AEST with the junior girls singles’ finals between #14 Taylor Townsend (USA) and #4 Yulia Putintseva (RUS). This will be followed by the junior boys’ singles finals between #1 Luke Saville (AUS) and unseeded Filip Peliwo (CAN). The women’s singles finals between Sharapova and Azarenka will be followed by the men’s doubles finals. The #1 team of Bob Bryan (USA) and Mike Bryan (USA) will be going for a record sixth Australian Open title against the unseeded team of Leander Paes (IND) and Radek Stepanek (CZE).

Click the photo above to start watching Australian Open 2012 Live Online Video Stream Coverage.

Azarenka vs Sharapova: who will win Australian Open 2012?

>> Thursday, January 26, 2012

After winning three-set semifinal matches against recent Grand Slam winners, world #3 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and world #4 Maria Sharapova of Russia set-up a promising Australian Open final that will determine who will be the next world #1 in women's tennis. Azarenka beat defending champion Kim Clijsters to reach her first ever grand slam final while Sharapova avenged a Wimbledon final loss to Petra Kvitova to reach her second grand slam final in the past 7 months. The two have met six times before, and they have split their past matches winning three matches each. Though Azarenka beat Sharapova in Moscow in 2007 for their first match, it was Sharapova who won their last meeting in Rome last spring after Azarenka retired in the second set after winning the first set. Azarenka however must fancy her chances heading into the championship match as she has beaten Sharapova handily in their past two matches in hardcourt - in the 2010 Stanford final, and also, in the 2011 Miami final.

As an added bonus, the champion of this year's Australian Open will ascend to the #1 ranking replacing Caroline Wozniacki. If current world #3 Azarenka wins the title, she will become the first player in rankings history to become #1 without having previously ever been #2 (not counting Chris Evert, who was No.1 when the rankings debuted on November 3, 1975). She would be the first Belarusian to hold the top spot and the 21st player to become #1 since 1975. Sharapova was the first Russian #1 when she ascended to the position on August 22, 2005. She has spent a total of 17 weeks in the top spot, having gained the top ranking four times previously. The last time Sharapova was #1 was in June 2008.

Sharapova is two years older than Azarenka and undoubtedly had more achievements over her next opponent. She has won 24 titles and earned $16.6 million for a career that started in 2002. Amongst those 24 titles are grand slam titles she won in Wimbledon 2004, US Open 2006, and Australian Open 2008. Azarenka has won 9 titles so far and earned $9 million since she started playing professionally in 2004. While Azarenka may not compare well against Sharapova in terms of career achievements so far, she has definitely been the more consistent player in the past 3 years ranking ahead of the Russian in the year end rankings of 2009, 2010, and 2011. She has won all her 9 titles since 2009 while Sharapova earned 5 titles within that period.

In their paths to the finals, both women played two straight setters. Sharapova triumphed over Sabine Lisicki in the fourth round despite losing the first set, and she lost the second set in her semifinal win over Kvitova. Azarenka has played consecutive two-hour matches in her past 2 wins. She lost the first set against Radwanska in the quarterfinals and lost the second set against Clijsters in the semifinals. Both players will be battle ready when they take to the court on Saturday.

Sharapova has an edge in experience but Azarenka will fulfill her potential and will win her first major and reach the #1 ranking for the first time in her career. Below is the head to head match-up between Sharapova and Azarenka:

Match #1: 2007 MOSCOW CARPETR
V.Azarenka won 7-6(9) 6-2

Match #2: 2009 LOS ANGELES HARD
M. Sharapova won 6-7(4) 6-4 6-2

Match #3: 2009 BEIJING HARD
M. Sharapova won 6-3 6-7(5) 7-5

Match #4: 2010 STANFORD HARD
V.Azarenka won 6-4 6-1

Match #5: 2011 MIAMI HARD
V.Azarenka won 6-1 6-4

Match #6: 2011 ROME CLAY
M. Sharapova won 4-6 3-0 RETIRED

Road to the Final – Victoria Azarenka
First Round: d. Heather Watson, 61 60 (0:59)
Second Round: d. Casey Dellacqua, 61 60 (0:57)
Third Round: d. Mona Bathel, 62 64 (1:28)
Fourth Round: d. Iveta Benesova, 62 62 (1:17)
Quarterfinals: d. Agnieszka Radwanska, 67 60 62 (2:01)
Semifinals: d. Kim Clijsters, 64 16 63 (2:12)

Road to the Final – Maria Sharapova
First Round: d. Gisela Dulko, 60 61 (0:58)
Second Round: d. Jamie Hampton, 60 61 (1:04)
Third Round: d. Angelique Kerber, 61 62 (1:27)
Fourth Round: d. Sabine Lisicki, 36 62 63 (2:15)
Quarterfinals: d. Ekaterina Makarova, 62 63 (1:27)
Semifinals: d. Petra Kvitova, 62 36 64 (2:12)

Murray vs Djokovic - who will face Nadal?

When world #1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia faces world #4 Andy Murray of Great Britain, it will mark the 11th time that the two friends will be facing each other after both turned professional. Both are 24 years old, with Murray born a week earlier than Djokovic. They are hitting partners and play football together. They have known each other since before they were teens, playing against each other for the first time in a junior tournament in France. In recent Grand Slam history, both have reached the semifinals or better in the past 5 grand slams. However, the similarities end there. While Djokovic has won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2011 to up his grand slam titles to four, Murray has still to win one grand slam title.

Djokovic leads their head-to-head match-up 6-4, but Murray won their last encounter. This was at the finals of the ATP World Tour Masters in Cincinnati last August when Djokovic retired while trailing 4-6, 0-3. This would mark Djokovic's second loss for 2011. Both players have played remarkably in the earlier rounds of this year's Australian Open. However, it is difficult to see Murray overcoming Djokovic at this time. I think the defending champion will beat Murray in a tight 4-setter and move on to his third straight championship match against world #2 Rafael Nadal.

Below is a history of the matches between Murray and Djokovic:

Match #10:
2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati
OH, U.S.A. Hard F
Murray, Andy won 6-4, 3-0 RETIRED

Match #9:
2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome
Italy Clay S
Djokovic, Novak won 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2)

Match #8:
2011 Australian Open
Australia Hard F
Djokovic, Novak won 6-4, 6-2, 6-3

Match #7:
2009 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami
FL, U.S.A. Hard F
Murray, Andy won 6-2, 7-5

Match #6:
2008 ATP Masters Series Cincinnati
OH, U.S.A. Hard F
Murray, Andy won 7-6(4), 7-6(5)

Match #5:
2008 ATP Masters Series Canada
Toronto, Canada Hard Q
Murray, Andy won 6-3, 7-6(3)

Match #4:
2008 ATP Masters Series Monte Carlo
Monaco Clay R16
Djokovic, Novak won 6-0, 6-4

Match #3:
2007 ATP Masters Series Miami
FL, U.S.A. Hard S
Djokovic, Novak won 6-1, 6-0

Match #2:
2007 ATP Masters Series Indian Wells
CA, U.S.A. Hard S
Djokovic, Novak won 6-2, 6-3

Match #1:
2006 ATP Masters Series Madrid
Spain Hard R16
Djokovic, Novak won 1-6, 7-5, 6-3

New WTA Tour #1: Sharapova or Azarenka?

There will be a new women’s tennis world #1 when the WTA rankings will be released on Monday, January 30, 2012. Caroline Wozniacki was dislodged from her current #1 spot when she lost to defending champion Kim Clijsters at the quarterfinal stage of this year’s Australian Open. After her loss, there were three possible players who could replace her - #2 Petra Kvitova, #3 Victoria Azarenka, and #4 Maria Sharapova.

With the completion of the semifinal round, only Azarenka and Sharapova has a chance to ascend to the top position. Azarenka will be competing for her first grand slam title in her first trip to a grand slam championship match. Sharapova on the other hand will be competing for her fourth Grand Slam title, and first after she won in Melbourne four years ago.

Ranking Projections:

With only the championship match remaining in the first Grand Slam of the year, Wozniacki is certain to drop to the #4 ranking. The final ranking of Azarenka, Sharapova, and Kvitova will depend on who will win the Australian Open finals. Here are the possible scenarios.

Azarenka Win:
#1. Azarenka – 8585
#2. Kvitova – 7690
#3. Sharapova – 7560
#4. Wozniacki – 7085

Sharapova Win:
#1. Sharapova – 8160
#2. Azarenka – 7985
#3. Kvitova – 7690
#4. Wozniacki – 7085

If Azarenka wins, it will mark the first time that a tennis player from Belarus, male or female, has achieved the top tennis ranking. Sharapova has held the top ranking four times before, the last time being on June 8, 2008 after she surrendered the #1 to Ana Ivanovic. She spent a total of 17 weeks in the top position.

Regardless of the outcome, the new #1 will mark the first time in almost a year that the #1 player will be a defending Grand Slam champion. The last time this happened was when Clijsters ascended to the #1 position on February 14, 2011 and held the position for one week. Wozniacki has been heavily criticized for being #1 without winning a single Grand Slam. She took over from Clijsters as world #1 on February 20, 2011. She has held the #1 ranking for a total of 67 weeks.

Australian Open 2012 Tennis Prize Money Breakdown

>> Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Australian Open 2012 prize money rewards the Men's and Women's Singles champions with AUS$2.3 million each. The losing finalists will each take home AUS$1.15 million. This is a hefty reward for a two-week effort playing 7 tennis matches.

Serena Williams, the top earning women's athlete (not just in tennis) of all time will not have a chance to vie for the top prize this year as she was eliminated in the fourth round. So is current world #1 Caroline Wozniacki. Still in the hunt for the top prize is last year’s champion Kim Clijsters of Belgium. Clijsters eliminated Wozniacki in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

In the men’s event, Roger Federer, the top earning men’s tennis player of all time is through to the semifinals and has still a shot of winning the top Australian Open prize money. He will be battling against Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. World #1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic is also still in the hunt as he reached the quarterfinals and will be looking to advance to the semifinals by beating David Ferrer.

Below is a list of Australian Open prize money for the men’s and women’s singles tournament.

1st Round $20,000
2nd Round $33,300
3rd Round $54,625
4th Round $109,250
Quarter finalist $218,500
Semi finalist $437,000
Runners-up $1,150,000
Winners $2,300,000

For the doubles competition, the Australian Open Men's and Women's Doubles champion teams will each earn AUS$454,500. The finalist teams will earn AUS$227,250. This indicates that being a doubles team champion will be more profitable than reaching the quarterfinal stage in the singles tournament.

Below is a list of Australian Open prize money for the men’s and women’s double tournament.

1st Round $9,600
2nd Round $17,200
3rd Round $31,500
Quarter finalist $56,000
Semi finalist $113,000
Runners-up $227,250
Winners $454,500

For the mixed doubles competition, the Australian Open mix doubles champion team will earn AUS$135,500. The finalist teams will earn AUS$67,500. This indicates that being a mixed doubles champion will be more profitable than reaching the third round in the singles tournament.

Below is a list of Australian Open prize money for the mixed doubles tournament.
1st Round $3,800
2nd Round $7,800
Quarter finalist $15,500
Semi finalist $33,900
Runners-up $67,500
Winners $135,500

The Australian Open prize money information is found at www.australianopen.org.

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