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australian open
High temperatures have halted matches at the Australian Open tennis tournament, as a report warns that Australia will see hotter heatwaves.
Melbourne, where the tournament is held, is seeing a third consecutive day of heat above 40C, with temperatures of 41.7C (107F) on Thursday.
Australia’s Climate Council says in a report that the number of hot days in the country has “more than doubled”.
2013 was recently declared Australia’s hottest year on record.
The Climate Council report attributed the development to climate change, caused by greenhouse gases.
Fire bans are in place across the states of Victoria and South Australia, as firefighters battle bushfires.
In Victoria, several fire emergency warnings have been issued, as fires in the Northern Grampians area merged into one “out of control” bushfire and residents were urged to evacuated.
High temperatures have halted matches at the Australian Open tennis tournament
Australian Open organizers said their extreme heat policy was in force, with matches on outside courts being suspended at the end of their sets.
Matches at Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena would continue with a closed roof, they said in a statement,
Play was scheduled to resume on outside courts at 18:00 local time.
Tournament officials say temperature, wind direction and humidity are taken into account when implementing the extreme heat policy.
On Tuesday, a tennis player and a ball boy fainted in the heat during the tournament. Organizers were criticized for allowing the tournament to continue.
Meanwhile, an interim report from the Climate Council said the number of heatwaves in Australia was “projected to increase significantly.”
In the South Australian capital, Adelaide, temperatures were forecast to reach 46C, nearing the city’s record of 46.1C.
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Serb Novak Djokovic won his fourth Australian Open title after beating Briton Andy Murray in Melbourne final.
Novak Djokovic, 25, was the stronger man over three hours and 40 minutes, winning 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-2, as Andy Murray struggled to cope with blistered feet and an increasingly rampant opponent.
“I played a good second set,” said Andy Murray.
“I created quite a few chances, but didn’t quite get them. That was the difference.”
And despite admitting that the blister “hurt when I ran”, he insisted: “It had no bearing at all on the result.”
Novak Djokovic secured his sixth Grand Slam title and became the first man in 46 years to win for three years running in Melbourne.
“It’s an incredible feeling winning this trophy again,” said the champion.
“It’s definitely my favourite Grand Slam, my most successful Grand Slam. I love this court.”
After losing an opening set he probably should have won, with five break points to none for Andy Murray, the top seed turned the tables in the second by grabbing the tie-break.
Novak Djokovic won his fourth Australian Open title after beating Andy Murray in Melbourne final
Andy Murray had been in charge but was disrupted when serving at 2-2, a feather floating down onto the court following a missed first serve, and after removing it he promptly double-faulted and smacked a forehand wide.
He won just one more point in the tie-break as Novak Djokovic took control to level after two hours and 13 minutes of action.
The physicality of the contest appeared to be taking its toll when Andy Murray then required treatment for blisters at the changeover.
He failed to capitalise on 0-40 at the start of the third and that proved to be the decisive moment as he began to grimace between points, clearly struggling to move freely.
It took two hours and 52 minutes of absorbing but rarely thrilling tennis for the first break of serve to arrive, and it went to Novak Djokovic.
A thumping forehand into the corner set him on the way at 4-3, and despite saving two break points from 0-40, Andy Murray could not resist any longer and netted a forehand.
Novak Djokovic went on a run of eight out of nine games as he moved two sets to one up and the Briton’s serve unravelled, the double-fault count rising to five after just two in his other six matches in Melbourne.
Unhappy with the umpire for not clamping down on shouts from the crowd, and with his movement hindered, Andy Murray cut a dispirited figure as Novak Djokovic powered towards another major win.
In marked contrast to his opponent, the Serb was relishing the closing stages and romped home towards match point, one delicious drop shot verging on the cruel.
Novak Djokovic wrapped it up on serve when Andy Murray netted a backhand and did a jig of delight on court before heading over to celebrate with his support team.
With six Grand Slam victories, he matches the likes of Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Don Budge and Jack Crawford in the all-time list – and there could be plenty more to come.
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Briton Andy Murray battled past Roger Federer in five sets to reach his third Australian Open and sixth Grand Slam final.
Andy Murray, seeded third, will face world number one Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final after beating Roger Federer 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-2.
It required a dramatic four hours on Rod Laver Arena, with Andy Murray dominating for the most part but Federer’s brilliance keeping him alive.
Andy Murray served superbly, firing down 21 aces, only for Roger Federer to dominate the two tie-breaks.
And after failing to serve out the match in the fourth set, it looked as though Andy Murray might have missed his chance when it came down to a fifth.
However, just like he did in winning his first major title at the US Open, Andy Murray rose to the occasion in the deciding set and raced away with it.
Roger Federer had needed five sets to win his quarter-final against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga two days earlier, and he was overpowered this time.
An early break when Roger Federer framed a backhand was enough as Andy Murray rediscovered the potent serving of the early stages, closing it out when Federer sent a forehand long.
The major concern around Andy Murray before the match had been that he had not been tested in five straight-sets wins, but a thumping forehand winner on the second point suggested he was not suffering from a lack of intensity.
Returning superbly, he kept Roger Federer on the back foot from the outset as the Swiss struggled to win any free points on serve.
Andy Murray missed a break point in the opening game and forced another three two games later, grabbing the break with a cross-court forehand at the fifth opportunity.
Roger Federer saw an ace fly past him after fashioning his first chance of the match in game four, and he would not earn another break point until the fourth set.
Andy Murray saw out the opener in 45 minutes and continued to dominate in the second, but Roger Federer at least began to gain a foothold.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion provided enough flashing winners to keep his large following happy and made it to the sanctuary of a tie-break, which he dominated.
Andy Murray battled past Roger Federer in five sets to reach his third Australian Open and sixth Grand Slam final
Two wayward forehands from Andy Murray gave Roger Federer the perfect start and, after being pegged back to 5-5, the Swiss played a magnificent backhand pass after the Scot failed to put away a smash.
The set was his but the momentum did not shift. Andy Murray slapped a forehand wide on an early chance in the third set but visibly geed himself up after a strong hold at 3-2, and moments later broke to love.
Two more thunderous aces took him to the set and restored the lead his play deserved.
Roger Federer was not done, capitalising on a sloppy game from his opponent to move 4-1 up in the third, but when the Briton came storming back to level and then broke for 6-5, the end appeared imminent.
Andy Murray powered his way to 30-0, two points from victory, with a thumping forehand followed by a snarl of satisfaction, only for Roger Federer to ignite the crowd with a blistering backhand winner as he recovered the break and forced a second tie-break.
Again, Andy Murray started poorly, dazed by his missed opportunity, and Roger Federer raced through it to force a deciding set – the first time in his long career that the Swiss had played back-to-back five set matches.
Andy Murray might have been expected to crumble, but just as against Novak Djokovic in New York last September, he played a superb final set.
It was Roger Federer who lost his way, framing a backhand under huge pressure to give up the crucial break in game two, and Andy Murray resumed the serving prowess of earlier as he powered towards the finish line.
A forehand down the line brought up match point on the Federer serve, and the Swiss cracked one final time with a mistimed forehand to send Andy Murray back to the Melbourne final for the third time in four years.
However, just like he did in winning his first major title at the US Open, Andy Murray rose to the occasion in the deciding set and raced away with it.
Andy Murray predicted another physical encounter against defending champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s rematch.
“He is an unbelievable mover so I will need to be ready for the pain, but I hope it is a painful match because that means it will be a good one,” said Andy Murray.
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Serena Williams made a shock exit at the Australian Open as injury derailed her hopes against Sloane Stephens in the quarter-finals.
Not long after a courtside microphone picked up the comment during her quarterfinal with Sloane Stephens, 19, not only did she lose to the teen, but she received a code violation after smashing her racket in fury.
Sloane Stephens outplayed Serena Williams, whose movement and serves had been slowed by a back injury, and beat the 15-time Grand Slam champion 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
It was Serena Williams’ first loss since August 17, and her first defeat at a Grand Slam tournament since last year’s French Open.
Serena Williams’ downer of a Grand Slam Down Under started badly when she turned her right ankle in her opening match at Melbourne Park.
“I’ve had a tough two weeks between the ankle … and my back, which started hurting,” Serena Williams said.
“A lot of stuff.”
While Serena Williams packed for home – she and sister Venus have also lost in doubles – Sloane Stephens advanced to a semifinal on Thursday against defending champion Victoria Azarenka.
Serena Williams hurt her back in the eighth game of the second set and things got progressively worse. She yelled at herself on several occasions, and smashed a racket into the court, earning a $1,500 fine from tournament officials.
“I was running to the net for a drop shot,” Serena Williams said, describing the lead up to her injury.
“As I went to hit it, it was on the backhand. I even screamed on the court. I totally locked up after that.”
She reiterated after the match that her injuries had made this Australian Open difficult for her.
“Absolutely, I’m almost relieved that it’s over because there’s only so much I felt I could do,” she said.
“I’ve been thrown a lot of (curve) balls these two weeks.”
Serena Williams smashes racket after losing Australian Open 2013 quarterfinal to Sloane Stephens
Sloane Stephens has been, too, but has coped well, and the magnitude of her accomplishment only hit her while she was warming down after the match.
“I was stretching, and I was like, <<I’m in the semis of a Grand Slam>>. I was like, <<Whoa. It wasn’t as hard as I thought>>,” she said.
“To be in the semis of a Grand Slam is definitely a good accomplishment. A lot of hard work.”
The No. 29-seeded Sloane Stephens hadn’t been given much of a chance of beating Serena Williams, who lost only four matches in 2012 and was in contention to regain the No. 1 ranking at the age of 31.
Serena Williams’ latest winning streak included a straight-set win over Sloane Stephens at the Brisbane International this month.
Sloane Stephens had a picture of Serena Williams on her bedroom wall growing up and she joked in the post-match interview: “I will have to put up a poster of myself now!”
Third seed Serena Williams looked set to make routine progress through to the last four when she led by a set and a break, but Sloane Stephens had other ideas.
Starting to display the kind of form which carried her to her maiden grand slam quarter-final, she was hitting freely from the back of the court and made several moves forward to finish points off at the net.
It was turning into a real contest between the experienced Serena Williams and the 19-year-old, understandably tipped as her heiress apparent in American tennis.
But then the match took another turn as Serena Williams sustained a back spasm in lunging for a low ball at the net.
The teenager broke for a 5-3 second-set lead and although she could not immediately serve it out, Serena Williams, after taking a medical time-out, bravely hitting back to level it at 5-5.
Sloane Stephens regrouped following a bout of jitters to break again and take it to a decider.
Serena Williams’ frustration boiled over after three games of the final set, earning herself a code violation for whacking her racket into the court.
But she could console herself with the fact her back appeared to be loosening up, perhaps as a result of the medication prescribed earlier starting to kick in.
Serena Williams broke for a 4-3 lead but Sloane Stephens was not going away and she hit straight back before edging 5-4 up.
And this time it was Serena Williams who buckled as a series of tired groundstrokes gifted Sloane Stephens the win of her life.
After the match Serena Williams indicated that she wasn’t entirely heartbroken by the loss.
“I’m almost relieved it’s over because there’s only so much I felt I could do,” she said.
“It has been difficult. I have been thrown a lot of balls this week.”
Sloane Stephens will now meet world No 1 Victoria Azarenka, who earlier beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 6-1.
“It should be fun,” she said.
“I am in the semis of a grand slam so I will give it my all and do the same thing again.”
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