Serena gains fourth Aussie Open victory after easy win against Russian

The Australian Open final is now over. There was battle between No. 2 seed Serena Williams and No. 3 seed Dinara Safina, and the American won her fourth Australian Open and 10th Grand Slam crown in easy straight sets, 60 63, which means that she will return back to the No. 1 spot.

"I'm going to Disneyworld!" Williams joked afterwards. "I think I got in the zone in the last two games of my doubles match yesterday, and I didn't stop after that. I'm so excited about this victory. I just want to stay consistent and fit and keep going like this. I've always said, when I'm at my best I'm really tough to beat."

"I don't have much to say - I felt like a ballboy on the court today," a gracious Safina told the packed Rod Laver Arena crowd during the trophy presentation. "Congratulations to Serena. She played so well. To all the fans who supported me, I'm sorry I couldn't give you a better match. But I will be back next year."

Williams has won all four of her titles at the Australian Open in the last four odd years - 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009. She is now tied with Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles for most Australian Open titles in the Open Era; she is also the fifth woman in the Open Era to win 10 or more Grand Slam singles ttles, after Court, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Graf.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Singles - Final

(2) Serena Williams (USA) d. (3) Dinara Safina (RUS) 60 63

Williams sisters gain doubles crown

Venus and Serena Williams, seeded 10th, have succeeded in winning their third Australian Open doubles title, against No. 9 seeds Ai Sugiyama and Daniela Hantuchova, in straight sets 63 63.

"We played a great team today, they were very tough," said Venus, adding with a chuckle, "I'd like to thank for Serena for being the best partner - I wouldn't play with anyone else." Speaking for her team, Hantuchova congratulated the champions and thanked her own partner, Sugiyama, with whom she was also runner-up at Roland Garros in 2006. "It's a big honor for me to play with someone like you," the 25-year-old Slovak said. "You're not only a fantastic player but one of my best friends."

Friday, January 30, 2009

Doubles - Final

(10) Williams/Williams (USA/USA) d. (9) Hantuchova/Sugiyama (SVK/JPN) 63 63

Serena becomes top-earning female athlete ever

Serena Williams became the richest female athlete ever, after she won her semifinal match at the Australian Open, surpassing golf star Annika Sorenstam by $180,383.

Williams now has a total of $22,753,575.

"I'm thrilled with the news! I remember earning my first cheque of $240 at Québec City in 1995 and while I knew that I could have a great career in tennis, I could not have imagined or dreamed of all of this," Williams said. "It's amazing how much women's tennis has grown since I joined the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour 14 years ago. I am very proud to have reached this milestone for me, my family and all women athletes out there. This achievement shows that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything."

"This is an historic milestone, not just for Serena but all women athletes," said Larry Scott, Chairman & CEO of the Tour. "Serena is one of the all time great champions in the history of our sport and this achievement is a product of Serena's amazing on-court accomplishments over an extended time period."

Prize Money Milestones in Women's Tennis

- In 1971, total Tour prize money for 19 events was $309,100; in 2009, it has grown to over $86 million at the Tour's 55 events (including the Grand Slams).

- In 1971, Billie Jean King became the first female athlete to pass the six figure mark in single season earnings; in 2008, 143 women earned over $100,000.

- In 1976, Chris Evert became the first female athlete to pass $1 million in career earnings at Palm Springs; in 1986, Martina Navratilova became the first woman to pass $10 million in career earnings at the US Indoors, and it was Navratilova eight years later at 1994 Filderstadt who became the first to pass $20 million.

- By winning Wimbledon in 1982, Navratilova became the all-time prize money leader in tennis, overtaking both Evert and Jimmy Connors, a mantle she held until 1989; later that year, she became the first female athlete to pass $1 million in a single season, finishing with $1,475,055.

- In 1984, Navratilova surpassed the $2 million mark in season earnings; in 1997, Martina Hingis passed the $3 million mark; in 2003, Kim Clijsters passed the $4 million plateau; and in 2007, Justine Henin became the first woman in sports to pass $5 mllion in single sason earnings.

- On three occasions, a woman has been the top earner (men or women) in tennis: 1984 (Navratilova), 1991 (Monica Seles) and 2003 (Kim Clijsters).

Serena, Dinara advance to final of Aussie Open

No. 2 seed Serena Williams and No. 3 seed Dinara safina were the players who advanced to the Australian Open final, after they both won their matches in easy straight sets.

Williams had to defeat No. 4 seed Elena Dementieva to achieve a spot in the final, and she did, winning with a score of 63 64.

"I wanted to play better than the last few times I played her," said Williams, the second seed this fortnight, said. "I was really calm today. I felt like I wanted to stay calm and stay focused more than anything. It was a good match."

"She was very powerful today," said Dementieva, the fourth seed. "I wasn't as aggressive as I needed to be. I wasn't playing deep enough, which allowed her to be aggressive and ditcate. She was very focused. We had a good match."

On the other half of the draw, Safina faced compatriot No. 7 seed Vera Zvonareva, as both players were going for their first Aussie Open final, and Safina was victorious after a 63 76(4) win.

"I was more aggressive today than previous matches," said Safina, who had been heavily critical of herself after matches earlier in the tournament. "I think the first set was perfect. In the second set I had some chances where I could have been a little more aggressive, but I played a very good game down 6-5 on her serve and then played a solid tie-break. I'm very pleased with how I played today."

"It was my first Grand Slam semifinal, so I should be satisfied," Zvonareva said. "There are so many things I wish I could have done in this match though. I felt the level of tennis I was able to show in my previous matches was much, much better. But right now I'm looking forward to the next tournament."

In doubles, No. 10 Serena and older sister Venus reached the finals, after they won to No. 12 seed Casey Dellacqua and Francesca Schiavone in easy straight sets, 60 62. They will now face No. 9 seed Daniela Hantuchova and Ai Sugiyama, who won to Nathalie Dechy and Mara Santangelo 64 63, in the final.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Singles - Semifinals

(2) Serena Williams (USA) d. (4) Elena Dementieva (RUS) 63 64

(3) Dinara Safina (RUS) d. (7) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 63 76(4)