Australian Open 2013 official players party

Players attended the official Australian Open players party at the Grand Hyatt last night. Those who attended were greeted by some wildlife e.g. koala, snake and a joey. There's a video at the end of this post.

Stanislas Wawrinka

Lucie Safarova

Chen Ti

Jelena Jankovic

Michael Llodra 

Radek Stepanek

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Petra Kvitova 

Sania Mirza

James Ward and Anne Keothavong

Daniela Hantuchova 

Denis Istomin

(Images via Zimbio)

Maria Kirilenko Swims With Dolphins

Sania Mirza, Zheng Jie, Maria Kirilenko and Elena Dementieva were at the Dolphins and Sea Lions Show at Sunway Pyramid last weekend.

But looks likes Kirilenko is the only tennis babe who gets into the water.

By the way, these are some rare photos I stole from the organiser's Facebook photo page *evil grin* (credit to Mr Blackberry).

At the end of their trip, they were each given a cuddly dolphin plush stuffed toy as souvenir.

Glam Slam: Great showdown but pathetic turnout

Thanks to Astro SuperSport CH811, I get to watch The Glam Slam - Showdown of Champions in the comfort of my home. It would be great if it's shown on HD though.

Although I did not watch the two-day event from the stadium, I'm glad I attended the meet-the-fans session on Friday.

The Russian babes Elena Dementieva and Maria Kirilenko defeated Asian girls Sania Mirza and Zheng Jie in a 3-0 win at the Melawati Stadium yesterday.

Dementieva/Kirilenko had won the doubles on Saturday beating Mirza/Zheng 6-4, 5-7, 10-8 to give Russia the lead in the exho match.

In the first singles yesterday, Kirilenko was stretched to three sets before defeating Zheng Jie 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 10 minutes!

Dementieva completed Russian domination by downing Mirza 6-4, 7-6 (7-0).

Overall, I think the exho match is worth watching because the players took their games seriously. It was like watching a real tournament.

However, the attendance was pathetic (lack of publicity, the organiser failed to use social media to promote the event) and so was the official website (it was down during matches and not up to date).

If the organiser is serious in having another event next year, please stop syiok sendiri or might as well just scrap the event and stop wasting the people's money.

Zheng Jie, Sania Mirza, Dementieva, Kirilenko: Meet the fans in KL

WTA babes Zheng Jie, Sania Mirza, Elena Dementieva and Maria Kirilenko are currently in town for the annual tennis exhibition match, The Glam Slam Showdown of Champions 2009.

The tennis stars were at Pavilion KL this afternoon for a meet and greet autograph session.

As a tennis fan, of course I didn't want to miss this event.

I was a bit reluctant to go to KL at first because my office is just next to the shopping mall and I was really lazy to go all the way there on a public holiday!

I went anyway as I've promised to meet up with fellow blogger, Pueh Tian. You can read his take on this event here.

We were on the Speed Lane, a priority queue lane booked in advance through Firefly's Facebook fan page.

Of all the four girls, I would say that I love Dementieva the most! I've never met a player so friendly... she would look deep in your eyes, greet you and give you a big smile! *faint*

Overall, I'm happy that I attended this event.

Just that I wish the players' entrance can be a bit more organised and glamourous (just like the event's tagline - The Glam Slam :P)

And not that I don't like Jay Menon, but I think a guy announcer could have make a slight difference to this event :P

For those who are interested to check out the exhibition match, the event will take place tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday. Click here for event info.

(Images by HCFoo)

Sania Mirza getting all-tanned up for Triumph Lingerie Show

Bollywood celebrities including Sania Mirza attended last weekend's Triumph Lingerie Show.

Not only that her black lace corset dress stole the limelight, so did her tanned legs and hands! She must be practicing hard during this off season.

Coming this weekend, Mirza along with Zheng Jie will take on the Russian girls, Elena Dementieva and Maria Kirilenko at the Kuala Lumpur exho. For more info go to: Showdown of Champions 2009.

Mixed doubles tennis for London 2012

Finally the IOC has approved adding mixed doubles event to the Olympics.

This new category will be part of the lineup for the 2012 London Games, where the tournament will be played on grass at Wimbledon.

Rendy and Hsieh

Asia has some very good mixed double pairs like India's Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi (2009 Australian Open champs) as well as Taiwan's Rendy Lu Yen-hsun and Hsieh Su-wei (Asian Hopman Cup winners).

Dementieva, Kirilenko, Mirza, Zheng Jie for Showdown KL 2009

Look who spilled the beans regarding Showdown of Champions 2009!

The Tourism Minister of Malaysia herself announced recently that the yearly event will take place on December 19-20.

The exhibition match will see Elena Dementieva, Maria Kirilenko (not Sharapova as promised in Showdown of Champions last year), Sania Mirza and Zheng Jie (in sequence).

Nevertheless, it is still a good line-up as we'll be having four good looking and talented tennis players in Kuala Lumpur.

It's time for local tennis fans to get to know more women tennis players other than Sharapova.

Personally, I think this is a smart move by the organisers who made this event sort of like a "women tennis preview' as we'll be having a WTA tennis tournament in February next year.

(Via Bernama)

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US Open Day 3 Wrap-up: Rafael Nadal sails through without knee problem, bye-bye Safin, Santoro

Those who are curious about Rafael Nadal's knee probably have the answer now.

He's indeed okay and he can play well too!

Kicking off his US Open campaign, Nadal encountered no apparent trouble in winning the first round 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 over Richard Gasquet.

Maybe you might say Gasquest wasn't a fit opponent...

It's probably too early to predict Nadal's road to final but one thing for sure, Nadal said he has never felt so fresh.

Nadal's rival, Roger Federer, who is bidding for a 6th consecutive US Open championship—and 3rd Grand Slam title in a row this year— has no problem in overcoming Simon Greul with a 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 victory.

Waiting for Federer next is two-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt, who defeated Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

Venus Williams may have a wide patches of white tape on her left knee but still, she can easily overcome Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 6-2.

Kim Clijsters continues to play by knocking off no. 14-seeded Marion Bartoli 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.

With over a billion Indians following her every move on the tour, Sania Mirza displayed horrible tennis after being bageled twice by Flavia Pennetta.

Other seeded women sent home included Samantha Stosur, in a shocking defeat to Vania King, who won 7-5, 6-4; former world no.1 Amelie Mauresmo, who lost to Aleksandra Wozniak; Agnieszka Radwanska, who was defeated by Maria Kirilenko; and Anabel Medina Garrigues.

There were no men's seeded losers today.

Marat Safin and Fabrice Santoro said goodbye to Grand Slam tennis with first round exits.

Both of them are retiring at the end of the season.

Safin, the 2000 US Open champion, lost to Jurgen Melzer 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 while Santoro, appearing in his record 69th major tournament, was beaten by Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

US Open men's singles results from New York on Thursday (prefix denotes seeding)

1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Simon Greul (Germany) 6-3 7-5 7-5
9-Gilles Simon (France) beat Daniel Gimeno (Spain) 6-4 7-6(3) 6-3
18-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Alberto Martin (Spain) 7-5 5-7 6-3 6-3
Philipp Petzschner (Germany) beat Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) 7-6(3) 6-7(6) 6-4 4-6 6-3
6-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) beat Juan Monaco (Argentina) 6-3 6-3 6-1
Robby Ginepri (US) beat Andrei Pavel (Romania) 5-7 6-2 6-4 6-0
Daniel Koellerer (Austria) beat Rui Machado (Portugal) 6-2 6-4 2-6 6-2
32-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) beat Steve Darcis (Belgium) 6-2 6-4 2-6 7-6(8)
Jose Acasuso (Argentina) beat Marcos Daniel (Brazil) 6-2 6-4 6-3
3-Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat Richard Gasquet (France) 6-2 6-2 6-3
Thomaz Bellucci (Brazil) beat Lu Yen-Hsun (Taiwan) 6-4 6-2 6-3
Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) beat Chris Guccione (Australia) 6-4 7-6(4) 6-0
24-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Fabrice Santoro (France) 6-4 6-3 6-3
Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) beat Michael Llodra (France) 6-3 6-4 6-4
Juergen Melzer (Austria) beat Marat Safin (Russia) 1-6 6-4 6-3 6-4
Andreas Beck (Germany) beat Evgeny Korolev (Russia) 6-3 6-4 2-6 2-6 6-4
13-Gael Monfils (France) beat Jeremy Chardy (France) 6-1 6-4 6-3

US Open women's singles second round results from New York on Thursday (prefix denotes seeding)

2-Serena Williams (USA) beat Melinda Czink (Hungary) 6-1 6-1
Vania King (US) beat 15-Samantha Stosur (Australia) 7-5 6-4
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) beat Angelique Kerber (Germany)
Kim Clijsters (Belgium) beat 14-Marion Bartoli (France) 5-7 6-1 6-2
26-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) beat Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) 6-4 6-4
8-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) 6-2 6-1
Maria Kirilenko (Russia) beat 12-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 6-4 2-6 6-4
3-Venus Williams (US) beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) 6-4 6-2
Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) beat 20-Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 6-1 6-3
7-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) beat Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) 3-6 6-1 6-1
Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Chang Kai-Chen (Taiwan) 4-6 6-2 6-2
31-Elena Vesnina (Russia) beat Jill Craybas (US) 7-6(6) 6-1
18-Li Na (China) beat Michelle Larcher de Brito (Portugal) 6-1 6-3
Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) beat 17-Amelie Mauresmo (France) 6-4 6-0
10-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) beat Sania Mirza (India) 6-0 6-0

(Via AP, TVNZ, US Open website)

US Open Day 1 Wrap-up: Roger Federer, Kim Clijsters give young players tennis lesson

Kim Clijsters returned to Arthur Ashe stadium at the US Open on Monday after two-year absence from tennis.

Although she said she was a 'little more nervous than usual' she was still able to thrash Viktoriya Kutuzova 6-1, 6-1 for a first-round victory.

Roger Federer, chasing a 6th straight US Open title and 16th Grand Slam, overwhelmed American wild card Devin Britton, 6-1, 6-3, 7-5, in just 88 minutes.

Following Federer and Clijsters on the centre court was Serena Williams, who walloped fellow American Alexa Glatch 6-4 6-1.

Her sister Venus was far from impressive and barely survived the match with Vera Dushevina. Venus won 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-3.

Andy Roddick closed Monday’s opening night with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 demolition of Bjorn Phau.

Before the Americans took their places under the spotlight, I need to specifically mention the double victories of Somdev Devvarman and Sania Mirza who posted first-round victories on opening day of the U.S. Open to become the first man and woman from India to reach the second round of the same grand slam event.

Mirza defeated Olga Govortsova 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, and qualifier Devvarman beat Frederico Gil 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

Here's the complete results for Day 1:

US Open men's singles first round results from New York on Tuesday (Prefix denotes seeding)

5-Andy Roddick (US) beat Bjorn Phau (Germany) 6-1 6-4 6-2
15-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) beat Simone Bolelli (Italy) 6-4 6-4 6-4
Leonardo Mayer (Argentina) beat Andrey Golubev (Kazakhstan) 6-4 4-6 7-5 6-3
Marc Gicquel (France) beat Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) 6-2 5-7 6-3 6-3
Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) beat Oscar Hernandez (Spain) 6-4 6-4 6-2
23-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) beat Andreas Seppi (Italy) 6-0 6-4 6-4
21-James Blake (US) beat Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (Spain) 6-1 6-4 7-5
31-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) beat Thiago Alves (Brazil) 6-0 6-3 6-4
20-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Alejandro Falla (Colombia) 7-5 4-6 7-6(7) 6-2
Olivier Rochus (Belgium) beat Igor Kunitsyn (Russia) 6-3 6-0 6-2
Robert Kendrick (US) beat Martin Vassallo Arguello (Argentina) 6-3 6-2 6-2
Marsel Ilhan (Turkey) beat Christophe Rochus (Belgium) 3-6 6-3 3-6 7-5 7-5
Somdev Devvarman (India) beat Frederico Gil (Portugal) 6-3 6-4 6-3
14-Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat Donald Young (US) 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-3
John Isner (US) beat 28-Victor Hanescu (Romania) 6-1 7-6(14) 7-6(5)
Simon Greul (Germany) beat Giovanni Lapentti (Ecuador) 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-0 7-6(9)
1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Devin Britton (US) 6-1 6-3 7-5
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) beat Peter Polansky (Canada) 6-4 6-4 5-7 3-6 6-1
Jan Hernych (Czech Republic) beat Rainer Schuettler (Germany) 1-6 7-6(5) 6-4 2-6 6-3
8-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat Dieter Kindlmann (Germany) 6-3 6-4 7-5
12-Robin Soderling (Sweden) beat Albert Montanes (Spain) 6-1 3-6 6-1 6-4
Marcel Granollers (Spain) beat Mischa Zverev (Germany) 2-6 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-0
Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) beat 26-Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) 2-6 7-5 6-0 6-2
Marco Chiudinelli (Switzerland) beat Potito Starace (Italy) 7-6(3) 7-6(2) 6-0

US Open women's singles first round results from New York on Tuesday (prefix denotes seeding)

3-Venus Williams (US) beat Vera Dushevina (Russia) 6-7(5) 7-5 6-3
18-Li Na (China) beat Raluca Olaru (Romania) 7-6(4) 6-3
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) beat 28-Sybille Bammer (Austria) 6-4 1-6 7-6(5)
22-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat Meghann Shaughnessy (U.S.) 6-2 4-6 6-1
31-Elena Vesnina (Russia) beat Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) 6-4 7-6(5)
Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) beat Jelena Dokic (Australia) 6-3 6-4
Michelle Larcher de Brito (Portugal) beat Mathilde Johansson (France) 1-6 7-5 6-1
Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Andrea Petkovic (Germany) 6-4 5-7 6-3
Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) beat Vesna Manasieva (Russia) 6-3 6-4
Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) beat Yurika Sema (Japan) 4-6 6-1 6-2
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) beat Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-4
20-Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) beat Gail Brodsky (US) 6-4 6-4
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) beat Marta Domachowska (Poland) 2-6 6-2 6-3
Jill Craybas (US) beat Carly Gullickson (US) 6-3 7-6(5)
Sania Mirza (India) beat Olga Govortsova (Belarus) 6-2 3-6 6-3
7-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) beat Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spain) 6-0 6-4
Melinda Czink (Hungary) beat Maria Elena Camerin (Italy) 6-3 6-4
17-Amelie Mauresmo (France) beat Tatjana Malek (Germany) 6-3 6-4
Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Valerie Tetreault (Canada) 6-3 4-6 6-1
26-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) beat Yvonne Meusburger (Austria) 6-1 6-2
Maria Kirilenko (Russia) beat Mariya Koryttseva (Ukraine) 6-2 6-1
Kim Clijsters (Belgium) beat Viktoriya Kutuzova (Ukraine) 6-1 6-1
8-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beat Alexandra Dulgheru (Romania) 6-1 6-1
12-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Patricia Mayr (Austria) 6-1 6-2
Vania King (US) beat Anastasiya Yakimova (Belarus) 2-1 (Yakimova retired)
Kai-Chen Chang (Taiwan) beat 25-Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) 6-0 2-6 6-2

(Via AP, Reuters, TVNZ, US Open website)

Sania Mirza is officially engaged to Sohrab Mirza!

Amid tight security (due to a series of drama prior to the engagement party), Indian tennis star Sania Mirza is officially (and safely) engaged to childhood friend Mohammed Sohrab Mirza, 23 at the Hotel Taj Krishna, Hyderabad on Friday.

In an exclusive, by-invitation only function which was attended by close to 300 special and close invitees, the evening’s celebrations were kicked off with a ceremonial exchange of rings.

Sohrab, the son of local businessman Adil Mirza, put an exquisite diamond ring - worth $205,000 - onto Sania's ring finger and also offered her family jewellery as a mark of his affection.

Sania, 23, was dressed in a dazzling Shantanu & Nikhil, Swarovski-studded ghagra bought by the groom's family.

According to Sania's family, the actual wedding date is not scheduled to be held in the near future, as the tennis diva is not quitting tennis now.

(Via International Business Times)

Sania Mirza stalkers arrested... that's 2 men in 2 days

Police in Hyderabad, India have arrested two men for stalking tennis player Sania Mirza.

According to AP, police nabbed Ajay Singh Yadav today as he tried to barge into the tennis star’s house apparently to profess his love and seeking to marry Sania a day before she is to be engaged to Sohrab Mirza.

Police took the engineering student into custody when he refused to leave.

The arrest came a day after another engineering student, Mohammad Ashraf, was arrested when he tried to enter Sania’s house.

The student threatened to commit suicide if Sania’s engagement ceremony was not cancelled.

The first stalker, Ashraf.

Mohammad Ashraf told Sania's father, Imran, that the tennis star could not marry anyone else as she "was born for him".

He also demanded that her engagement with Sohrab, scheduled this Friday, to be cancelled.

An alarmed Imran called the police who have taken him into custody. He has been produced in court and remanded for a fortnight.

In his complaint to the police, Sania's dad says Ashraf claims to have been in love with the tennis star ever since he saw her playing a match in Bangalore two years ago.

Sania's dad has also complained that the man had been sending text messages and making threatening calls to his daughter for some time.

However, there's no explanation as to how the man got their contact numbers.

Sania is never lack of controversies.

Just last month, a state government found out that a man had secured a white ration card showing Sania Mirza as his wife.

The ration card which is meant for people living below the poverty line carried a photo of the Sania!

(Via BBC News)

Wimbledon Day Three: You've gotta love post-match interviews!

To tell you the truth, I don't feel the excitement of Wimbledon already after Roger Federer vs Rendy Lu Yen-hsun match.

But life goes on and I still have to do my 'job'.

There are a few things that keep me entertained though - reading post-match interviews.

Check out some of these Q&A... the media can be very annoying... and at times funny too.

Fernando Verdasco survived four gruelling sets to beat Kristof Vliegen 7-6(7-3), 6-7(3-7), 7-6(7-4), 6-4 to make the third round.

Q. Is the rumor true that after Laura Robson's loss in the first round that you telephoned her to console her about this loss?

VERDASCO: Who?

Q. Laura Robson.

VERDASCO: No. Who said that?

Q. Rumor. (Changing topic) Which part do you admire the most about Federer?

Roger Federer has a comfortable 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Q. We notice today after many years Mirka wasn't in your box. Should we wait for some special announcement to be made sooner than expected, or not?

FEDERER: No, no, not really. She's just not feeling, you know, a hundred percent. She only felt 95%, so we decided it's better if she takes it easy instead of sitting in the sun maybe, feeling worse the next day.

It's important for her to rest. She's already feeling better, which is good.

Q. Is it still 10 August, more or less, the date?

FEDERER: I never said it. I don't know who told you, but... you can speculate as much as you want.

Q. Mirka told me.

FEDERER: Mirka told you? I'm sure she did (smiling).

Q. Inside information.

FEDERER: She invited you, too, didn't she?

Gisela Dulko defeated Maria Sharapova 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.

Q. What is your football team in Argentina?

DULKO: Football? Boca and Tigre.

Q. Do you have a boyfriend?

DULKO: We talking about tennis here. Not personal, no. I'm not gonna talk about that.

Note: Obviously the person who asked this question didn't know that Dulko is dating Fernando Gonzalez.

Serena Williams spentless than an hour to get past Jarmila Groth to win 6-2, 6-1.

Q. Can you comment on Larry Scott. He's leaving at the end of the week. His tenure.

WILLIAMS: Ten years. Was it ten years already?

Q. His tenure.

WILLIAMS: Oh, tenure.

Serena is hilarious!

Sania Mirza’s singles campaign at Wimbledon ended with a 6-4, 6-4 to Sorana Cirstea.

Q: (Indiscernible - The journalist must be asking whether her fiance Sohrab Mirza is there in Wimbledon.)

MIRZA: No, he's not here.

Q. Do you call him before the match? Does he call you?

MIRZA: That's a bit personal.

There was this particular journalist who kept asking the same silly question about pollution in Beijing to the top players like Serena and Federer. She got this answer from Djokovic...

Novak Djokovic moved into round three with a 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Simon Greul.

Q. Let me ask you about last year's Olympic Games. You were playing there, but there had been discussions about air quality before the games. Were you actually worried going there playing? How did you feel when you were actually playing there?

DJOKOVIC: Well, I think it's passed a lot of time since then. I don't know why we should talk about it now. But anyway...

(Images via Getty Images, Wimbledon official website)