NOVAK HUMBLES MURRAY IN AUS OPEN WARM-UP
MELBOURNE: World No 1 Novak Djokovic exposed Andy Murray’s frailties in a practice match ahead of the Australian Open on Thursday, with the Scot calling it a day while losing 6-1, 4-1.
Three-time major winner Murray is on the comeback trail after missing 11 months with a hip injury which has seen him slump to 230 in the world.
He was bundled out of the Brisbane International warm-up last week in Rd 2 by Russia’s Daniil Medvedev and headed straight to Melbourne to fit in some muchneeded practice.
AUCKLAND OPEN
AUCKLAND: Former champion Philipp Kohlschreiber defeated second-seeded Fabio Fognini again 6-3, 6-1 to reach the ASB Classic semi-finals on Thursday.
Unseeded Kohlschreiber, who won the tournament in 2008, will have to go through Tennys Sandgren to reach another final in Auckland on his 12th visit.
SASNOVICH IN SEMIS
SYDNEY: Aliaksandra Sasnovich advanced to the Sydney International semi-finals by beating Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday. The 33rd-ranked Sasnovich reached the quarter-finals last week in Brisbane. Sasnovich will next face either twotime Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova or 2016 Oz Open champ Angelique Kerber. Kvitova and Kerber’s match was suspended by rain at 2-2 in the opening set.
In men’s quarter-finals, eighth-seeded Andreas Seppi upset top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, No. 3 Diego Schwartzman beat Yoshihito Nishioka 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (1), and Alex de Minaur beat Jordan Thompson 7-6 (4), 6-3.
CORNET ADVANCES
HOBART: Former Hobart International champion Alize Cornet moved a step closer to another title in Tasmania with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Belgian qualifier Greet Minnen in the quarterfinals Thursday. The sixth-seeded Cornet overcame a fall and skinned knee to reach the semi-finals. Cornet served for the match at 5-2 in the second set but was broken as Minnen hit some clean winners.