OZ PURSE INCREASE

The global financial crisis has provided an unlikely windfall for the winners and runners-up at this year's Australian Open with organisers deciding to offer a hefty increase in prize money.

Australian Open officials announced on Saturday they were increasing total prize money for the event to A$23.4 million (US$15.7 million), an increase of 12.3 per cent on last year, with the bulk going to the singles finalists.

Both singles champions will receive a record A$2 million while the runners-up will each pocket A$1 million [$1 = $1.5A].

THIS IS REAL TENNIS

CLICK HERE FOR REAL TENNIS [BBC]

OZ ON TSN

MURRY WINS DOHA

Andy Murray made a successful defense of his Doha crown with a straight-set victory over Andy Roddick in Saturday's final at the Qatar Open.

The third-seeded Murray earned a 6-4, 6-2 victory in the season-opening event for the ninth title of his surging career. Five of those victories came last year, when he also made his first appearance in a Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open, where he lost to the great Roger Federer.

Murray gained a measure of revenge for the setback at Flushing Meadows by beating the Swiss superstar twice at the conclusion of last season, then on Friday rallied from a set down to beat the former world No. 1 in the semifinals of this tournament and continued his strong play Saturday.

SPORTS NETWORK

MURRY-RODDICK IN QATAR FINALS

Defending champion Andy Murray maintained his hold over Roger Federer to charge into the final of the Qatar Open with a 6-7 6-2 6-2 win on Friday.

The British third seed frustrated Federer with his tactical nous from the baseline to chalk up his fifth win in six matches against the 13-times grand slam champion.

Murray will be hoping to retain his title when he takes on American Andy Roddick in the final.American Andy Roddick overcame the plucky resistance of Frenchman Gael Monfils to reach the final of the Qatar Open with a 7-6 3-6 6-3 win on Friday.

REUTERS

MONFILS EXCUSES NADAL

Rafael Nadal's Australian Open preparation hit a stumbling block on Thursday when he was beaten 6-4 6-4 by Frenchman Gael Monfils in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open.

The world number one had been hoping to get some much needed match practice before the season's opening grand slam, which starts on Jan. 19, after being injured during the final stages of the 2008 season.

But his stay in Doha lasted only three matches after he was outclassed by Monfils, who will face American Andy Roddick in the semi-finals.

Roddick beat Romania's Victor Hanescu 6-3 6-2 earlier on Thursday while second seed Roger Federer and third seed Andy Murray are in action later.

Fifth seed Monfils secured his first win over Nadal in four attempts, mixing up his game and not allowing the Spaniard to get into any rhythm.

The pair swapped breaks in the opening set before Nadal was broken again in the 10th game to hand Monfils the opening set. The crucial moment of the second set again came in the 10th game when Monfils broke the Spaniard to clinch the match.

OZ WILDCARDS

Americans John Isner and 16-year-old Christina McHale were among six players granted wild cards Thursday into the main draw of Australian Open.

Under exchange agreements with tennis federations from the United States, France and Asia, Isner and McHale, Adrian Mannarino and Kristina Mladenovic of France, Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan and China's Yuan Meng have been awarded spots in the season-opening major, which begins Jan. 19.

Colin Ebelthite and former Wimbledon semifinalist Jelena Dokic won the Australian wild-card tournament. The final discretionary wild cards -- four men and four women -- will be announced next week.

AP

NADAL, FED, MURRY WIN IN QATAR

Top three seeds Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray continued their serene progress at the Qatar Open on Wednesday, reaching the quarter-finals with straight-sets victories.

World number one Nadal outplayed Slovakia's Karol Beck 6-1 6-2, Federer beat Italy's Andreas Seppi 6-3 6-3 and Murray knocked out Germany's Philipp Petzschner 6-2 6-4.

Fourth seed Andy Roddick also made it safely through, with a slightly less convincing 6-3 7-5 victory over French wild card Arnaud Clement.

Nadal took just over an hour to see off qualifier Beck, reeling off six straight games after falling behind 0-2 in the second.

TENNIS SAFER THAN SKIING

A skier was left dangling from a chairlift at an American resort after he became stuck upside-down with his ski trousers round his ankles.

Photos show the man naked from his waist to his knees, swinging from one leg, and still wearing both skis.

He became entangled shortly after boarding the Skyline Express lift.

The lift was stopped and reversed about 12ft (3.6m) before he was freed by the Vail Ski Patrol, Vail Resort said in a statement about the 1 January incident.

The resort operator said the 48-year-old man was suspended for about seven minutes, but was uninjured.

OZ LOSES DAVYDENKO

World number five Nikolay Davydenko will miss the Australian Open later this month after aggravating a heel injury.

The 27-year-old Russian was scheduled to play his second round match in Chennai against Czech wildcard Lukas Dlouhy but instead told reporters at the Chennai Open, where he was top seed, that he would have to withdraw from the event.

Davydenko was runner-up to Serbian Novak Djokovic in the year-end Masters Cup in Shanghai and finished 2008 in the top five for a fourth straight season.

WORLD DOMINATION

Former No. 1 Roger Federer believes he can dominate men's tennis again.

The 27-year-old Swiss star, who is one short of Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles, said Monday he is looking forward to a big year in 2009.

"This could be a very meaningful season for me," Federer said. "I can equal Pete Sampras' record. I can add another Wimbledon title and this is something that is very dear to me. I can also win my first French Open title, so I am looking forward to my season."

Federer was slowed by mononucleosis last year and lost his No. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal.

"I feel much better this year," Federer said. "Last year, I couldn't practice the way I wanted to because of health reasons. But this year I have trained really well and I feel very confident about myself. I have less pressure now and it is not a bad thing."

The second-ranked Federer was eclipsed last year by Nadal, who won Wimbledon, the French Open and the Beijing Olympics gold medal.

"Rafa is my main rival," Federer said. "We have been doing it for so many years and have had great matches."

NADAL AND FED ADVANCE IN QATAR

 

Rafael Nadal needed little more than three-quarters of an hour to score his first victory on the 2009 ATP World Tour, his crushing success appearing like an omen of yet further triumphs to come.

The Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion won 6-0, 6-1 against Fabrice Santoro in the first round of the Qatar Open, overwhelming the oldest man on the tour with his heavy hitting and relentless energy.

Meanwhile, Federer also progressed quickly. The winner of 13 Grand Slam titles started the new tour with an imperious 6-2, 6-2 success over Potito Starace, the world number 71, and now plays a second successive Italian, Andreas Seppi, who is almost 40 places higher.

Federer, who had been at risk of losing his world number two ranking, is now certain to hold on to it at least until the end of the Australian Open on February 1.

That is because Novak Djokovic, the world number three from Serbia, who is a mere ten ranking points behind him, started the 2009 season with a shock loss

DJOKOVIC OUT OF BRISBANE

WORLD No.3 Novak Djokovic's Australian Open defence plans have been shredded after he listlessly fell to a stunning defeat in his first round match at the Brisbane International this afternoon.

Djokovic gave a thin smile of resignation as he walked off before a stunned Pat Rafter Arena crowd with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat by rising Latvian Ernests Gulbis.

The Serbian paid the price for a late arrival in Brisbane so he could spend a rare New Year's Eve at home in Monte Carlo and now has 13 days to ready himself for a Melbourne Park title defence.

Djokovic conceded on Monday that his Saturday arrival had been cutting it fine, but he thought he had "just enough" training in him for his season-opening tournament.

FED'S RESURGENCE

Former No. 1 Roger Federer believes he can dominate men's tennis again.

The 27-year-old Swiss star, who is one short of Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles, says Monday he is looking forward to a big year in 2009.

Federer says he is looking forward to his season. He says, "I can equal Pete Sampras' record. I can add another Wimbledon title and this is something that is very dear to me. I can also win my first French Open title."

Federer was slowed by mononucleosis last year and lost his No. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal.

He says he is feeling "much better this year." He says he has trained really well and feels confident compared to last year, when he couldn't practise the way he wanted because of health reasons.

AP

BAGHDATIS' COMEBACK

Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis's comeback stalled in the first round of the Brisbane International as he bowed out to Finland's Jarkko Nieminen on Monday.

The former world number eight looked in control as he took the first set but could do nothing to stop Nieminen as the Finn took the next two sets and the match 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.

Baghdatis, who reached the Australian Open final in 2007, had a disrupted 2008 due to injury problems and was hoping to use the Brisbane International to launch his assault on the top 20.

But he said his lack of match fitness had shown against Nieminen, who at number 38 is ranked 60 places higher than the Cypriot.

He also said he could not blame his loss on a leg injury, despite calling for a trainer towards the end of the second set.

"I'm not match fit and I think I need to work on that in the next 15 days before my next tournament," he said.

"But... the way I'm hitting the ball is good, tactically maybe I can work on it a bit more, but that's all."

Baghdatis said a leg problem, which surfaced at 1-5 down in the second set, was due to tiredness.

The 23-year-old, a huge crowd favourite in Australia because of its large Cypriot and Greek communities, next plays at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, an eight-man round-robin invitational event held in the week before the Australian Open.

"That's why I choose to play there, because I'm sure I'm going to play two matches there," he said.

"Even if you lose you get to play two matches, and also play two great matches because your opponents are going to be tough and that's good, like today."

Baghdatis is still setting tough goals for the Australian Open, saying he wants to at least make the second week of the year's first Grand Slam.

CROWD CONTROL

POLICE will use capsicum foam instead of spray at the Australian Open to avoid the ugly scenes that marred last year's event.

After the furore over footage of a Victoria Police officer spraying up to 30 people - including children - last January, officers have been told to use the foam, which targets a person more directly.

The change in tactics came as organisers prepared to serve up a new era of night-time tennis at this year's event.

In a no-nonsense approach to avoid a major disturbance, police have also said they will:

* INSTANTLY eject troublemakers for up to 24 hours.

* ISSUE on-the-spot fines of up to $227 to spectators who disrupt games, use indecent language or behave in a "riotous", "offensive" or "insulting" manner.

* INCREASE CCTV surveillance.

* PATROL the Melbourne Park precinct with uniformed and plain-clothed officers.

Supt John Cook said troublemakers would not be tolerated.

"We will not accept inappropriate crowd behaviour and anyone caught doing the wrong thing will face strict penalties, which may include immediate arrest or eviction," he said.

Tennis Australia chief Steve Wood said Open officials were working with police.

"We're really focusing on the family friendly environment and our security will reflect that," he said

MURRY BEATS NADAL

Andy Murray continued to serve notice to the world's best players, beating top-ranked Rafael Nadal in the Capitala World Tennis Championship final a day after he had beaten No. 2 Roger Federer.

The fourth-ranked Murray defeated Nadal 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 to claim the winner-take-all prize of $250,000 in the exhibition tournament. The Briton is now aiming to win his first Grand Slam title when the Australian Open starts Jan. 19.

"I am looking forward to winning a Grand Slam this year and this victory was good before I go to Australia. I have never been past the fourth round there," Murray said. "I trained hard over the break and the victories over the past three days have given me confidence."

AP

GRAND SLAM DATES

MURRY TOPS FEDERER

Andy Murray beat Roger Federer again, beating the 13-time Grand Slam title winner 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) Friday in the semifinals of the Capitala World Tennis Championship.

The exhibition event, which is not part of the ATP Tour, features six of the top 10 players and offers a winner-take-all prize of $250,000.

Murray improved to 5-2 over Federer after having lost their previous match in the U.S. Open final. Murray will play top-ranked Rafael Nadal, who defeated Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 6-3.

"I have realized that I will win some and lose some," Federer said. "As long as I enjoy the game, I don't mind the losses. But I surely want to win the big games."

Murray said he wants to defeat Federer when it counts.

"We had some close matches in the past. He beat me in the U.S. Open last year, but hopefully I will beat him at a Grand Slam," Murray said.

Federer broke Murray in the first game before dropping serve in the fifth. In the 10th game, a backhand winner from Federer and a double-fault by Murray ended the set.

In the second set, Murray broke Federer in the opening game and rallied from three game points down in the third to take a 3-0 lead. Though Murray lost serve in the sixth game, he broke back to even the match.

Federer attempted to serve and volley, but was often beaten as he approached the net.

In the third set before a crowd of 5,000, Murray broke in the third and fifth games but lost his serve in the sixth.

Federer saved three match points to rally to 6-6 in the tiebreaker, but Murray clinched it when the second-ranked Swiss star sailed a return long.

Nadal dropped his opening serve in the second game but reeled off the next six games. Davydenko hung on in the second set but was broken in the sixth game and Nadal closed out the match.

AP

WARMING UP IN THE DESERT

ABU DHABI (AFP) — Andy Murray and Nikolay Davydenko lived up to their world rankings and advanced to the semi-finals of the Capitala World Tennis Championship, an exhibition shootout, here on Thursday.

Scotland's world number four Andy Murray and Russian world number five Nikolay Davydenko made a perfect start to the 2009 season with fluent wins at the Zayed Sports City tennis stadium over their respective American rivals, number 10 James Blake and number eight Andy Roddick.

Displaying a stunning array of groundstrokes from the baseline, Murray dominated Blake in his 6-2, 6-2 win, while Davydenko looked much sharper than Roddick in a 6-4, 6-4 result.

The Russian next meets world number one Rafael Nadal, while Murray will take on the second-ranked Roger Federer.

The knockout tournament is worth 250,000 dollars to the winner Saturday evening.

Murray was never in trouble against Blake, breaking him twice in each set and wrapping up the match in less than an hour.

The Scot, who beat Federer three times in 2008 in four matches, said: "I was playing James for the first time in three years and I expected it to be a tough match, but I played much better than I expected to. This is the first match of the year and I am delighted with how I played.

"I am sure I will have a fun match with Roger tomorrow. I did quite well against him last year, but this is a new season. With all the top players here, this is a great preparation for the Australian Open later this month."

Roddick had only one break point against Davydenko in the entire match, which he failed to convert. His normally reliable first serve was also a bit off target, but the American was not too worried about the loss.

"Nikolay played a great game. I could have done better, but this was just my first match of the year. Hopefully, the game will be much better than what it was today," said Roddick.