Nadal out, hopes over for four Slams in a row

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP): Rafael Nadal's bid to win four straight Grand Slam tournaments ended when he lost his Australian Open quarterfinal 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 to fellow Spaniard David Ferrer on Wednesday.

An injured Nadal, who appeared to have tears in his eyes during a changeover while trailing 3-0 in the third set, took a medical timeout for an apparent leg injury after three games and was clearly out of sorts, failing to chase down balls that he would ordinarily return easily.

It was the second year in a row he lost in the quarterfinals here due to injury - in 2010 he retired against Andy Murray due to a right knee ailment that kept him off the tour for two months, again on the Australia Day national holiday.

Federer whips Wawrinka to set up clash with Djokovic, Li Na in last four again

DEFENDING champion Roger Fede rer demolished fellow Swiss Sta­nislas Wawrinka to reach his eighth straight Australian Open semi-final yesterday, setting up a grandstand clash with Novak Djokovic.

Women’s top seed Caroline Woz niacki survived a thrilling quar ter-final with tenacious Italian Francesca Schiavone and will now need to beat Li Na, who ratcheted up Chinese hopes of a first Grand Slam singles title.

Federer, who can become only the second man to win five Australian Opens after Roy Emerson (six), showed no mercy against close friend Wawrinka as he took him apart 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 in just one hour 47 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

Federer matches Connors’ record, Schiavone in longest women’s match

MEN’S champion Roger Federer stuttered to a record-equalling 27th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final at the Australian Open yesterday, as Francesca Schiavone won the longest women’s match at a major.

While Federer needed four sets against Tommy Robredo, Novak Djokovic stayed in dazzling form and women’s top seed Caroline Wozniacki also progressed, as Germany’s Andrea Petkovic stunned 2008 winner Maria Sharapova.

However, all attention was on Hisense Arena, Melbourne Park’s second-biggest court, where Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova treated the crowd to an epic, 4 hours 44 minutes slugfest which outstripped the previous record by 25min.

French Open champion Schiavone saved six match points and needed three of her own before volleying the clincher and raising her arms aloft, and turning her thoughts to a quarter-final with Wozniacki.

The final set alone lasted three hours as the 6-4, 1-6, 16-14 marathon eclipsed the longest Grand Slam women’s match of 4 hours 19 minutes between Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and Regina Kulikova in Melbourne last year.

Federer takes five sets to beat bogeyman Simon

REIGNING champion Roger Federer was taken to five gripping sets by French nemesis Gilles Simon yesterday before scraping into the Australian Open’s third round.

The world number two, defending his only remaining Grand Slam crown, was pegged back from two sets up before scoring his first-ever win over Simon, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, to stay on course for his fifth Open title.

It was a desperately close call for the 29-year-old, who holds a record 16 Grand Slam titles and only narrowly avoided his worst performance at a major in eight years, and his poorest ever Australian Open outing.

Venus vows to fight on despite injuring back muscle

VENUS Williams suffered a muscle injury in the second round of the Australian Open yesterday, describing the ailment as one of the toughest to bear in her career, but played through the pain to beat unheralded Czech Sandra Zahlavova 6-7, 6-0, 6-4.

The 30-year-old American screamed in agony after a volley in the final point of the first set tiebreak and hobbled off court to take a medical time-out between sets at a sun-drenched Rod Laver Arena.

She re-emerged gingerly with her right thigh heavily strapped and despite grimacing in pain throughout, blasted her way through the second set before sealing the win with a big serve that Zahlavova pushed wide.

Flamboyant: Venus Williams, dressed in outfit inspired by Alice in Wonderland, celebrates after winning her second round match. — Reuters

The seven-time Grand Slam champion later said she had strained a psoas, a lower back muscle with tendons linked to the spine and hip, and could only hope the injury would “calm down” to allow her to play the next round.

Nadal breezes into 3rd round at Australia Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Rafael Nadal extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 23 matches, continuing his pursuit of a "Rafa Slam" with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 win over American qualifier Ryan Sweeting to reach the third round of the Australian Open.

The top-ranked Nadal is aiming to be the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time. He's conceded only four games en route to the third round, sealing his win over Sweeting on Thursday with another of his rifling forehands.

After retiring with an injury in the quarterfinals at the last Australian Open, Nadal rebounded to win the French, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.

Nadal hit some shots that Sweeting could barely believe, including an ace to finish the first set and forehand on set point in the second when the Spaniard's curling shot caught the baseline for the winner. Sweeting challenged the call as he walked off, but the call stood."

The only hint of anything other than complete domination for Nadal came in the third set, when Sweeting broke serve in the fifth game and then had game points to bring it back to 4-2 in a game that to deuce five times. Again, Nadal held on to convert a break and served out in the next game.

Federer not leaving the Grand Slam party yet

MELBOURNE: For many of his exasperated rivals desperate to clean up, Roger Federer is the epitome of the annoying party guest – grudgingly invited but typically the last to leave.

The Swiss 29-year-old has guzzled more than his fair share from the victory cups of a record 16 Grand Slams, frustrating the thirstiest of title contenders.

Federer returned this week to Melbourne Park, where he notched his fourth Australian Open win in 2010 and savoured his first grand slam title with his wife Mirka and twin baby daughters.

While his performances at the year’s other three majors may have suggested a hangover, the Swiss maestro’s recent form has shown efforts to usher him out the door may again be set to backfire when the year’s first major starts on Monday.

Federer eyes return to No. 1

DOHA: Roger Federer has set his sights on a return to the world number one spot after demolishing Nikolay Davydenko to capture a third Qatar Open title and 67th career crown.

Federer, who will defend his Australian Open title from Jan 17, eased past his Russian opponent 6-3, 6-4 and immediately pondered regaining the world number one ranking from Rafael Nadal in the opening months of the season.

“Rafa has a lot of points to defend but at the same time he’s very confident,” said Federer.

“It’s going to be really difficult, but if I keep playing at the level I have here, and playing only finals as I have lately, I feel like I have a chance. But I have to keep it up.