Thursday, January 24
Last updated at 11:45 am EDT
AUSTRALIAN PRESS
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee - Melbourne Age
JO-WILFRIED Tsonga has been viewed as tournament novelty or Cinderella. Last night, as he stunned a helpless Rafael Nadal to win a berth in the Australian Open final, the Frenchman played at a level that might even cause Roger Federer to furrow his brow.
THERE was a moment during last night's Australian Open boilover that said much about the free-form, energetic spirit of young French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the giant-killer who may now face Roger Federer.
ANA Ivanovic reached her first grand slam final in seismic circumstances yesterday, losing the first eight games of the match before mastering an opponent who later accused her of gamesmanship, bemoaned her ill luck and believed the umpire had erred on the contest's most crucial point.
WHAT a match! I've had a few good comebacks in my career and that was one of the best. I made a terrible start, but it was more a case of Daniela playing so well than me not performing.
AT THE pointy end — with two dramatic Australian Open women's semi-finals done and dusted, one involving tears and the other a remarkable comeback followed by accusations of foul play — there are no frivolous matters discussed. It's all about the tennis.
MARIA Sharapova's father and coach Yuri Sharapov was holding his daughter's purple handbag, walking from the locker-room to the player restaurant between semi-finals at Melbourne Park yesterday, when The Age approached to ask his thoughts on tomorrow's women's final. What followed was extraordinary.Having appeared to consider the question for a brief moment, Sharapov turned, and said rather fiercely that he was not doing interviews. Then, he yelled: "You guys (are) like sharks. You guys (like) sharks." Before disappearing outside, and leaving the lone and hardly fearsome shark feeling rather bemused.
ROGER Federer jokes that Pat Rafter should make a comeback because there are few others who can boast a 3-0 winning record against the dominating Swiss. "Roger was still in nappies when I was playing him. It was great," a smiling Rafter said yesterday. "He wants me to come back so he can beat me."
AS WE anticipate tomorrow's women's final between Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova, let us first say what even those who claim they peruse photos of the Serbian in order to analyse her grip or click onto the Russian's website hoping to unlock the secret of her ferocious forehand, really think.
THE sight of Bernard Tomic walking onto court — spindly arms poking out of his Rafa Nadal cut-off shirt, body yet to catch up with a recent growth spurt — reveals that the next big thing of Australian tennis isn't all that big yet. This is the juniors, and even in a world where all are seemingly stars, he is for now still only a little one.
THE night before their quarter-final, James Blake found Roger Federer sitting nearby in the same Melbourne restaurant.An alert waiter asked if they would like to be moved.
Both demurred.
ROGER FEDERER doesn't think much about Novak Djokovic. Sure, he can see this bloke is some kind of talent. And yes, he knows Djokovic is as likely a candidate as anyone to eventually replace him as the world's No1 player.
ANA IVANOVIC will enter tomorrow's final accused of cheating by vanquished semi-final opponent Daniela Hantuchova.
BERNARD TOMIC yesterday showed why he is well-placed to assume the mantle as Australia's next serious men's contender once Lleyton Hewitt moves on.
LLEYTON HEWITT has not made a Grand Slam semi-final in more than two years but his former Davis Cup team-mate Pat Rafter believes the South Australian can win Wimbledon again.
"IT is all about execution," Maria Sharapova explained yesterday.She wasn't talking about father Yuri Sharapov's throat slitting gesture after she had wiped Justine Henin off the court in a quarter-final.
That "private joke" was crass, but whatever the strange Sharapov meant by the action, it was a crude but entirely accurate symbol of what his little girl has done to all six of her opponents in Melbourne, with world No4 Jelena Jankovic the latest victim in yesterday's semi-final.
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