BOPANNA LOSES IN DOUBLES SEMIFINALS AT SYDNEY EVENT
SYDNEY: India’s Rohan Bopanna and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who joined forces for the 2018 season, fought their hearts out before losing the semi-final of the ATP Sydney International to world number one team of Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo.
The fourth seeded IndoFrench pair gave a scare to the top-seeded Polish-Brazilian pair before losing the closely-fought semifinal 4-6 7-5 8-10 in one hour and 29 minutes.
There was not much of a difference in the two teams as the winners won 70 points to the 64 of Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin.
They broke each other twice in the contest.
It was the last tournament in build up to the first Grand Slam of the season, the Australian Open.
KERBER MARCHES ON IN SYDNEY, MULLER LOSES
SYDNEY: Germany’s Angelique Kerber won a seventh straight match as she steamed into the semi-finals of the Sydney International boosting her confidence for next week’s Australian Open.
Kerber, who began last year as No.1 before finishing at No.22, continued her 2018 resurgence with a thumping 6-3, 6-1 win over Slovakia Dominika Cibulkova. The German will meet Italian qualifier and world No.100 Camila Giorgi, who upset Poland’s former world No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 6-2.
BOUCHARD OVERCOMES BUTTOCK PAIN TO WIN
MELBOURNE: Struggling star Eugenie Bouchard won her first match of the year Thursday, posting a 6-2, 6-0 defeat of Australian teen Destanee Aiava at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne.
The Canadian had gone down in three group matches last week at the Hopman Cup in Perth, where she suffered a buttock injury.