Top-seeded Serena Williams will play Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium in the first round of the Australian Open as she begins her attempt to win a 19th Grand Slam singles title. Williams could meet former No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the semifinals following Friday’s draw. The season-opening major begins Monday at Melbourne Park. In the other half, second-seeded Maria Sharapova, who plays a qualifier in the first round, could meet Eugenie Bouchard in the quarterfinals and Ana Ivanovic in the semis.
Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka, unseeded after an injury-hit 2014, will take on American Sloane Stephens in the first round in a rematch of their acrimonious semifinal two years ago when Azarenka left the court for a medical time out and Stephens questioned her reasons for doing so. In the men's draw, No. 2 Roger Federer and No. 3 Rafael Nadal were drawn into the same half. Top-seeded Novak Djokovic and defending champion Stan Wawrinka are in the other half of the draw.
Djokovic drew a qualifier in the first round and Federer will play lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan. Djokovic and Raonic, who also will open against a qualifier, are in the same quarter of the draw. Federer could meet sixth-seeded Andy Murray of Britain, who plays a qualifier in the first round, in the quarterfinals. Nadal, still recovering from appendix surgery, has a tough first-round match against former top 10-player Mikhail Youzhny of Russia. “Youzhny is a tough rival who knows how to play good in important matches,” Nadal said on Friday. Wawrinka will begin his title defense against Marsel Ilhan of Turkey.
US Open finalist Kei Nishikori of Japan also will play a former top 10 player, Nicolas Almagro of Spain, in the opening round. Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion on the comeback from a left wrist injury, will open against Jerzy Janowic, who helped Poland win the Hopman Cup last week.
Sania wins in Sydney
Sydney: Sania Mirza won her first title of the season and 23rd of her career when she and Bethanie Mattek-Sands shocked top-seeded Americans Abigail Spears and Raquel Kops-Jones in the summit clash of the Apia International.
The unseeded Indo-American combine humbled the top seeds 6-3, 6-3 in just 69 minutes as Sania sounded a warning for the rivals ahead of the Australian Open. Sania and Bethanie saved seven break chances in each set and broke five times — twice in the opening set. Sania had to pair with the American since her regular partner Su-Wei Hsieh was playing singles qualifiers. It was fifth WTA title for Sania and Bethanie together.
Kvitova wins Sydney title
Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova beat her Czech Fed Cup teammate Karolina Pliskova 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) to win the Sydney International women's singles title Friday. In the men’s semifinals, Viktor Troicki and Mikhail Kukushkin advanced to Sunday's final. Troicki beat Gilles Muller 6-2, 6-4 and Kukushkin defeated leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-4. Earlier, Alexandr Dolgopolov retired injured from the Kooyong exhibition tournament in Melbourne with a right-knee injury, handing Spain’s Fernando Verdasco the title.
Paes-Klaasen reach final
Auckland: leander Paes and Raven Klaasen breezed into the title clash of the Heineken Open after knocking out second seeds Bruno Soares and Alexander Peya in the semifinals. The Indo-South African pair won 3-6, 6-3. They now face Briton Dominic Nglot and Romania’s Florin Mergea in the final.