Melbourne VIC, Australia

Reigning Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin crashed out of Melbourne in the second-round on Thursday, after she lost against&nbsp;Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. But, top-ranked player Ashleigh Barty made her way to the third round against&nbsp;Daria Gavrilova in a tense second set tiebreaker to reach the last 16.,Kenin struggled to meet expectations in her maiden Grand Slam title defence and got emotional after a tough opening-round win on Tuesday.&nbsp;"I felt like I wasn't there, my head wasn't there," a teary-eyed Kenin admitted later.,On Thursday, the world number four player shed more tears at the Margaret Court Arena after her 6-3, 6-2 defeat in just 64 minutes to the Estonian world no 65, and became the highest ranked player to make an exit from the tournament.,Also Read | <a href="https://opoyi.com/australian-open-novak-djokovic-survives-tiafoe-scare-after-being-pushed-to-the-limit">Australian Open: Novak Djokovic survives Tiafoe scare after being 'pushed to the limit'</a>,Meanwhile, world number one Ashleigh Barty left her friendship aside with a straight sets win over her Fed Cup teammate Daria Gavrilova but lost focus serving for the match before closing out the game with&nbsp;a 6-1, 7-6 (9/7) win. Though, Barty's left thigh was trapped but she won easily against 387th-ranked Gavrilova.&nbsp;,"This isn't very subtle," Barty said referring to the bandage. "I'm as fit as a fiddle."When you play another Aussie, rankings go out of the window, so it was always going to be a tricky match.",Later Thursday, Rafael Nadal will test his sore back again as he chases a record 21st Grand Slam crown. ,The ailing Spanish second seed had to modify his service action during a straight-sets cruise past Serbia's Laslo Djere in the first round.,Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/venus-hobbles-out-of-australian-open-in-agony">Venus hobbles out of Australian Open in agony</a>,He will round off the night session on Rod Laver Arena against American qualifier Michael Mmoh, having never lost a match at the Australian Open to a player ranked as low as the world number 177.,Rafael Nadal, after he pulled out of the ATP Cup last week&nbsp;said that "My back is not perfect. Every day that I'm able to go through, probably there are more chances to be better.",Before that match, teenage sensation Coco Gauff was looking for her latest big-name scalp in the prime-time evening slot at the Rod Laver Arena.,The potential victim this time is Ukrainian fifth seed Elina Svitolina, who will be all too aware that Gauff knocked out Venus Williams and Naomi Osaka on her way to the fourth round a year ago at the age of 15.

{\"time\":1613029720429,\"strCount\":2655,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Reigning Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin crashed out of Melbourne in the second-round on Thursday, after she lost against&nbsp;Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. But, top-ranked player Ashleigh Barty made her way to the third round against&nbsp;Daria Gavrilova in a tense second set tiebreaker to reach the last 16.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Kenin struggled to meet expectations in her maiden Grand Slam title defence and got emotional after a tough opening-round win on Tuesday.&nbsp;\\\"I felt like I wasn't there, my head wasn't there,\\\" a teary-eyed Kenin admitted later.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"On Thursday, the world number four player shed more tears at the Margaret Court Arena after her 6-3, 6-2 defeat in just 64 minutes to the Estonian world no 65, and became the highest ranked player to make an exit from the tournament.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read | <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/australian-open-novak-djokovic-survives-tiafoe-scare-after-being-pushed-to-the-limit\\\">Australian Open: Novak Djokovic survives Tiafoe scare after being 'pushed to the limit'</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Meanwhile, world number one Ashleigh Barty left her friendship aside with a straight sets win over her Fed Cup teammate Daria Gavrilova but lost focus serving for the match before closing out the game with&nbsp;a 6-1, 7-6 (9/7) win. Though, Barty's left thigh was trapped but she won easily against 387th-ranked Gavrilova.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"embed\",\"data\":{\"service\":\"others\",\"source\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\">We keep on fighting 💜 <a href=\\\"https://t.co/ey6uUtcft1\\\">pic.twitter.com/ey6uUtcft1</a>&mdash; Ash Barty (@ashbarty) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/ashbarty/status/1359750387058675714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">February 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"embed\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\">We keep on fighting 💜 <a href=\\\"https://t.co/ey6uUtcft1\\\">pic.twitter.com/ey6uUtcft1</a>&mdash; Ash Barty (@ashbarty) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/ashbarty/status/1359750387058675714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">February 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"caption\":\"\",\"aspectRatio\":null}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"This isn't very subtle,\\\" Barty said referring to the bandage. \\\"I'm as fit as a fiddle.\\\"When you play another Aussie, rankings go out of the window, so it was always going to be a tricky match.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Later Thursday, Rafael Nadal will test his sore back again as he chases a record 21st Grand Slam crown. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The ailing Spanish second seed had to modify his service action during a straight-sets cruise past Serbia's Laslo Djere in the first round.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/venus-hobbles-out-of-australian-open-in-agony\\\">Venus hobbles out of Australian Open in agony</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"He will round off the night session on Rod Laver Arena against American qualifier Michael Mmoh, having never lost a match at the Australian Open to a player ranked as low as the world number 177.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Rafael Nadal, after he pulled out of the ATP Cup last week&nbsp;said that \\\"My back is not perfect. Every day that I'm able to go through, probably there are more chances to be better.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Before that match, teenage sensation Coco Gauff was looking for her latest big-name scalp in the prime-time evening slot at the Rod Laver Arena.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The potential victim this time is Ukrainian fifth seed Elina Svitolina, who will be all too aware that Gauff knocked out Venus Williams and Naomi Osaka on her way to the fourth round a year ago at the age of 15.\"}}]}

Ayush Jain

<ul>
 <li>Kenin lost 6-3, 6-2 in just 64 minutes against Estonian world no 65 Kaia Kanepi</li>
 <li>Ashleigh Barty clinched her berth in the third round after defeating fellow Aussie Daria Gavrilova</li>
 <li>Rafael Nadal will test his sore back again later today as he chases a record 21st Grand Slam crown</li>
</ul>

Opoyi Central

Australian Open: Reigning champion Sofia Kenin knocked out, Ashleigh Barty through to last 16

Australian Open

Sofia Kenin

Ashleigh Barty,

Rafael Nadal

Shivam Pratap Singh

The first Grand Slam of the year has started, albeit three weeks later than scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An ageing Serena Williams, who got to a winning start in the tournament, aims for a 24th Grand Slam title, four years after her last, faced with an ever-growing coterie of young talent taking over at the top of the game.,Here are five women to watch at the Australian Open:,Naomi Osaka: Apart from picking up her third Grand Slam at the 2020 US Open by coming from a set and a break down to beat Victoria Azarenka in the final, Naomi Osaka also won widespread praise for her passionate support of the Black Lives Matters movement.,Named one of five sportspersons of the year by Sports Illustrated, the Japanese world number three, who also has Haitian heritage, wore different masks honouring victims of systemic racism and police brutality in the United States in each of the seven rounds at Flushing Meadow.,Media and officials in Japan broadly welcomed Osaka's campaigning. Public broadcaster NHK broke into its news programme to flash the news of the 23-year-old's latest Grand Slam triumph.,She became the first Asian player to become world number one after backing up her maiden 2018 US Open win with Australian Open victory in January 2019.,She crashed out of the last 32 at Melbourne Park in 2020 to teen sensation Coco Gauff and would like to replicate the performance from 2019&nbsp;,Ashleigh Barty:&nbsp;World number one Ashleigh Barty still managed to make sporting headlines in 2020 despite hardly swinging a racquet for the best part of a coronavirus-ravaged year.,&nbsp;The multi-talented Australian, who is also a former professional cricketer, won a golf tournament near Brisbane in September.,And, as a passionate fan of the Richmond Tigers Australian Rules Football team, she was delighted to award Tigers skipper Trent Cotchin the trophy after Richmond won the sport's Grand Final in October.,Barty claimed her maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2019 but did not defend her French Open title as she missed all post-pandemic shutdown tournaments citing health and travel risks.,She had started 2020 in top form, winning her maiden title on Australian soil at Adelaide before losing a heartbreaking Australian Open semi-final 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 to eventual champion Sofia Kenin.,Barty has shown no ill-effects from her long layoff, ripping past Garbine Muguruza to win the Yarra Valley Classic warm-up event on Sunday.,Serena Williams: Every year since 2017 the question has been the same: can Serena Williams pull level with Margaret Court as a 24-time Grand Slam champion?,She had to limp out of the French Open with an Achilles injury in September -- making 2020 the first year since 2006 that she failed to reach a major final.,Her last Grand Slam title came in Australia four years ago, losing twice in the finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open since then.,Currently ranked 11, her best Grand Slam showing during a stop-start 2020 was her semi-final run at the US Open, where she lost to Azarenka in three sets.,Sofia Kenin: Defending champion Sofia Kenin's hopes of book-ending her breakthrough 2020 season with a second major at Roland Garros were dashed by injury as Iga Swiatek ran away 6-4, 6-2 to win a shock French Open title.,The 22-year-old's left thigh was taped early in the second set and she failed to win another game in her first final on clay.,Kenin ended the year at a career high fourth in the rankings and was voted WTA Player of the Year.,Small in stature but big on fighting spirit, Kenin memorably edged world number one and home favourite Barty in the Australian Open semi-finals a year ago.,In the final, the 14th seed had to dig deep at three break points down in the third set against Garbine Muguruza, hitting five consecutive winners to take a decisive 3-2 lead.,Kenin said she almost burst into tears during the changeover at 5-2 before controlling raging emotions to close out her first Grand Slam.,"I sat down, tried not to cry in front of the world, but inside I was like, oh, my God, am I about to win?",Simona Halep: Former world number one Simona Halep goes into the tournament celebrating seven consecutive years and 347 weeks ranked inside the top 10, placing the two-time Grand Slam champion in some exalted company.,The Romanian's streak is the eighth best in WTA history but she comes into the Open under an injury cloud having been hampered by a bad lower back when losing heavily in the warm-up Gippsland Open.,The only players to have spent more weeks continually in the top 10 are all-time greats Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini, Pam Shriver, Arantxa Sanchez and Hana Mandlikova.,Since bursting into the top 10 in January 2014, the supremely consistent Halep has won 16 tournaments, tying with Petra Kvitova for the most during that time, including the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon.,Now the world number two would dearly love to add an Australian Open, having come agonisingly close three years ago when losing an epic final 8-6 in the third set to Caroline Wozniacki.,She threatened again last year before being edged out 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 in the semis by Muguruza.

{\"time\":1612783900915,\"strCount\":5223,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The first Grand Slam of the year has started, albeit three weeks later than scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An ageing Serena Williams, who got to a winning start in the tournament, aims for a 24th Grand Slam title, four years after her last, faced with an ever-growing coterie of young talent taking over at the top of the game.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Here are five women to watch at the Australian Open:\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Naomi Osaka: Apart from picking up her third Grand Slam at the 2020 US Open by coming from a set and a break down to beat Victoria Azarenka in the final, Naomi Osaka also won widespread praise for her passionate support of the Black Lives Matters movement.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Named one of five sportspersons of the year by Sports Illustrated, the Japanese world number three, who also has Haitian heritage, wore different masks honouring victims of systemic racism and police brutality in the United States in each of the seven rounds at Flushing Meadow.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Media and officials in Japan broadly welcomed Osaka's campaigning. Public broadcaster NHK broke into its news programme to flash the news of the 23-year-old's latest Grand Slam triumph.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"She became the first Asian player to become world number one after backing up her maiden 2018 US Open win with Australian Open victory in January 2019.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"She crashed out of the last 32 at Melbourne Park in 2020 to teen sensation Coco Gauff and would like to replicate the performance from 2019&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Ashleigh Barty:&nbsp;World number one Ashleigh Barty still managed to make sporting headlines in 2020 despite hardly swinging a racquet for the best part of a coronavirus-ravaged year.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"&nbsp;The multi-talented Australian, who is also a former professional cricketer, won a golf tournament near Brisbane in September.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"And, as a passionate fan of the Richmond Tigers Australian Rules Football team, she was delighted to award Tigers skipper Trent Cotchin the trophy after Richmond won the sport's Grand Final in October.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Barty claimed her maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2019 but did not defend her French Open title as she missed all post-pandemic shutdown tournaments citing health and travel risks.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"She had started 2020 in top form, winning her maiden title on Australian soil at Adelaide before losing a heartbreaking Australian Open semi-final 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 to eventual champion Sofia Kenin.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Barty has shown no ill-effects from her long layoff, ripping past Garbine Muguruza to win the Yarra Valley Classic warm-up event on Sunday.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Serena Williams: Every year since 2017 the question has been the same: can Serena Williams pull level with Margaret Court as a 24-time Grand Slam champion?\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"She had to limp out of the French Open with an Achilles injury in September -- making 2020 the first year since 2006 that she failed to reach a major final.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Her last Grand Slam title came in Australia four years ago, losing twice in the finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open since then.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Currently ranked 11, her best Grand Slam showing during a stop-start 2020 was her semi-final run at the US Open, where she lost to Azarenka in three sets.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Sofia Kenin: Defending champion Sofia Kenin's hopes of book-ending her breakthrough 2020 season with a second major at Roland Garros were dashed by injury as Iga Swiatek ran away 6-4, 6-2 to win a shock French Open title.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The 22-year-old's left thigh was taped early in the second set and she failed to win another game in her first final on clay.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Kenin ended the year at a career high fourth in the rankings and was voted WTA Player of the Year.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Small in stature but big on fighting spirit, Kenin memorably edged world number one and home favourite Barty in the Australian Open semi-finals a year ago.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"In the final, the 14th seed had to dig deep at three break points down in the third set against Garbine Muguruza, hitting five consecutive winners to take a decisive 3-2 lead.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Kenin said she almost burst into tears during the changeover at 5-2 before controlling raging emotions to close out her first Grand Slam.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I sat down, tried not to cry in front of the world, but inside I was like, oh, my God, am I about to win?\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Simona Halep: Former world number one Simona Halep goes into the tournament celebrating seven consecutive years and 347 weeks ranked inside the top 10, placing the two-time Grand Slam champion in some exalted company.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The Romanian's streak is the eighth best in WTA history but she comes into the Open under an injury cloud having been hampered by a bad lower back when losing heavily in the warm-up Gippsland Open.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The only players to have spent more weeks continually in the top 10 are all-time greats Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini, Pam Shriver, Arantxa Sanchez and Hana Mandlikova.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Since bursting into the top 10 in January 2014, the supremely consistent Halep has won 16 tournaments, tying with Petra Kvitova for the most during that time, including the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Now the world number two would dearly love to add an Australian Open, having come agonisingly close three years ago when losing an epic final 8-6 in the third set to Caroline Wozniacki.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"She threatened again last year before being edged out 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 in the semis by Muguruza.\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>Japanese world number three Naomi Osaka will aim to add another Grand Slam to her collection</li>
 <li>Serena Williams will be gunning for her 24th grand Slam title</li>
 <li>Simona Halep burst into the top 10 of women's ranking in January 2014&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Australian Open: Top women contenders

Naomi Osaka

Serena Williams

Simona Halep

Tennis

Sports

Veteran American tennis star Serena Williams withdrew from the Yarra Valley Classic in Melbourne on Friday after sustaining a right shoulder injury, just days before the Australian Open.&nbsp;,The 39-year-old showed no effects from the injury as she <a href="https://opoyi.com/barty-time-as-serena-sets-up-showdown-with-world-number-one">beat fellow American Danielle Collins 6-2, 4-6, 10-6</a> to book a semi-final encounter with world number one Ashleigh Barty.&nbsp;,However, she withdrew from the tournament mere hours later.&nbsp;,"Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Yarra Valley Classic singles draw due to a right shoulder injury," the WTA said in a tweet.&nbsp;,Williams is aiming to clinch a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and was in fine fettle so far.&nbsp;,"Look forward to seeing you back on court next week," Australian Open said on Twitter.&nbsp;

{\"time\":1612519410124,\"strCount\":896,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Veteran American tennis star Serena Williams withdrew from the Yarra Valley Classic in Melbourne on Friday after sustaining a right shoulder injury, just days before the Australian Open.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The 39-year-old showed no effects from the injury as she <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/barty-time-as-serena-sets-up-showdown-with-world-number-one\\\">beat fellow American Danielle Collins 6-2, 4-6, 10-6</a> to book a semi-final encounter with world number one Ashleigh Barty.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"However, she withdrew from the tournament mere hours later.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Yarra Valley Classic singles draw due to a right shoulder injury,\\\" the WTA said in a tweet.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"embed\",\"data\":{\"service\":\"twitter\",\"source\":\"https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1357599476014276608\",\"embed\":\"WTA/status/1357599476014276608\",\"width\":520,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"\",\"aspectRatio\":173.33333333333334}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Williams is aiming to clinch a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and was in fine fettle so far.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Look forward to seeing you back on court next week,\\\" Australian Open said on Twitter.&nbsp;\"}}]}

Shubham Banerjee

<ul>
 <li>Serena Williams beat Danielle Collins 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 in the Yarra Valley Classic quarter-finals&nbsp;</li>
 <li>The win booked her semi-final encounter with world number one Asheligh Barty</li>
 <li>Williams is aiming to clinch a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open</li>
</ul>

Serena Williams withdraws from Yarra Valley Classic with shoulder injury

Serena Williams beat Danielle Collins to set up a semi-final showdown with world number one Ashleigh Barty as warm-up tournaments for the Grand Slam resumed Friday after a coronavirus scare.,Williams and Barty ground out tough wins at the Yarra Valley Classic, but a teary-eyed Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin lost a repeat of last year's final against Garbine Muguruza in straight sets.,Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/not-well-enough-to-play-rafael-nadal-unsure-of-australian-open-participation">'Not well enough to play': Rafael Nadal unsure of Australian Open participation</a>,Williams, 39, has been in ominous form but needed to overcome a mid-match wobble to oust fellow American Collins 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 in 96 minutes.,"I have nothing to lose against her... it's going to be a good match," Williams said about Saturday's contest with Barty.,The 23-time Grand Slam champion broke three times in a dominant first set and appeared to be cruising until unexpectedly dropping her serve in the seventh game, as Collins forced a super tiebreaker.,Williams, aiming for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, regrouped and finished the match by hitting her 24th winner.,Six build-up tournaments for next week's Australian Open have returned to action after a coronavirus case at a designated tournament hotel halted play Thursday and forced hundreds of players and officials into isolation.,Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/bizarre-requests-by-tennis-players-stuck-in-quarantine-ahead-of-australian-open">Bizarre requests by tennis players stuck in quarantine ahead of Australian Open</a>,Storms forecast for Friday threatened to increase the backlog, but to ease the congestion WTA clashes were reduced to two sets and a 10-point super tiebreaker instead of the traditional three sets.,World number 15 Muguruza has been in aggressive form in Melbourne, dropping just four games in two matches prior, and impressively hit the lines to run Kenin ragged 6-2, 6-2.,"It's always better to know that you've played well here... and this is definitely the Happy Slam," said the Spaniard, using the Australian Open's nickname.,The two-time Grand Slam champion is showing the form that saw her rise to the top of the rankings in 2017 but it's a different story for defending Australian Open champion Kenin.,The 22-year-old's return to the scene of her stunning breakthrough last year has been rocky, after playing just one set in her opener against Camila Giorgi, who retired hurt, and then surviving a three-set scare against fellow American Jessica Pegula.,Her struggles continued with 28 unforced errors as the flummoxed American departed in tears.,Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/australian-open-organisers-say-up-to-30000-spectators-to-be-allowed-per-day">Australian Open organisers say up to 30,000 spectators to be allowed per day</a>,Earlier Barty, who has yet to rediscover her best after a long layoff, prevailed 7-5, 2-6, 10-4 in 92 minutes to reach a much-anticipated Yarra Valley Classic semi-final.,"I always love testing myself against Serena. Looking forward to it tomorrow," she said.,The 24-year-old Barty, competing in her first tournament in 11 months, appeared fresh after Thursday's unexpected stoppage having played two singles matches within 20 hours earlier in the week.,Barty, playing with the roof shut on Margaret Court Arena, overcame a second-set stutter with a ruthless performance in the super tiebreaker.,Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka saved two match points to beat Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 1-6, 11-9 and move into the quarter-finals of the Grampians Trophy in her season debut.,Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep also play later.

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<ul>
 <li>Serena Williams beat fellow American Danielle Collins 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 in 96 minutes</li>
 <li>Williams is aiming for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title at the Australian</li>
 <li>Asheligh Barty prevailed 7-5, 2-6, 10-4 in 92 minutes against Shelby Rogers</li>
</ul>

Barty time as Serena sets up showdown with world number one

Rushalee Goswami

The first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, is going to be held on February 8 after being pushed back by 3 weeks. All the world’s top players, including Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty, have been signed. This time, the Grand Slam will be played in front of 50% of the normal spectator, news agency AFP reported.,Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/roger-federer-training-committed-to-playing-australian-open-tournament-organiser">Roger Federer training, committed to playing Australian Open: Tournament organiser</a>,On Thursday, Federer and Serena’s names were among the entries that were announced for the Australian Open. The tournament is much-anticipated after the coronavirus disrupted its schedule. ,There was some confusion over whether Roger Federer would be participating after two rounds of knee surgery. He had been warned that he is in a "race against time" to be fit. US top Serena Williams, who like Roger Federer, is turning 40 next year, won her last major at Australia while she was pregnant in 2017. ,Roger Federer had already begun training in Dubai and is ready to play at Melbourne Park as he aims for a seventh title. Similarly, Williams too attempts to level up to Margaret Court- who was a 24-time Grand Slam champion. ,"There are so many great storylines for AO 2021," said Craig Tiley, the tournament director.,"Serena is gunning for her eighth title while Novak, who often seems invincible at Melbourne Park, is going for a record ninth title.","Our own world No.1 Ash Barty will return to Grand Slam competition, as will Roger Federer as he comes back from injury.", he added.,Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/australian-open-to-start-in-february-confirms-tournament-chief">Australian Open to start in February, confirms tournament chief</a>,There has been a lot of planning that has gone behind organizing the tournament. Due to the extraordinary circumstances, all the players have to go through a 14- day quarantine on arrival. They will also be tested for COVID-19 during their quarantine period. They will be allowed to train for five hours a day but only inside a bio-secure bubble.,"Although the AO will look a bit different to previous years, the safety of everyone is our top priority," said Tiley.,"We have the opportunity to stage a very safe, and happy Slam, and give the players the experience of competing in front of crowds again, something they've missed for most of this year.",From January 10-13, the qualifiers will be held in Doha and Dubai. The players will be arriving in Melbourne from January 15 on special charter flights. Once the players are out of isolation, the 12-team ATP Cup, the relocated Adelaide International, and an ATP 250 tournament will be played. Melbourne Park is also supposed to hold two WTA 500 tournaments from January 31 to February 7.,After the second wave of COVID-19 in Melbourne, it was only in October that the city emerged from a months-long lockdown. This made planning for the Grand Slam more complicated. The tournament director had expressed that he vows for a “happy Slam” after days of planning. Although Australia has successfully contained the coronavirus, a new outbreak in Sydney last week has sparked a sense of cautiousness. New restrictions have been declared in parts of Melbourne and even state border closures.

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<ul>
 <li>The Australian Open will be held on Feburary 8, after being pushed back by 3 weeks</li>
 <li>Names of Roger Federer and Serena Williams have been announced as entries</li>
 <li>As Melbourne deals with new lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19, players have to follow strict rules for safety</li>
</ul>

Australian Open set to be held in February, all the world's top players included

Melbourne

Roger Federer

Novak Djokovic

Paris, France

The 124th edition of the French Open is currently underway at the Roland Garros compound in Paris, France. The tournament is being conducted amidst a pandemic, with limited exposure to fans and numerous health and safety regulations.,While big names like Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic will tussle for a spot in the final in the respective Women’s and Men’s singles tournament, there are some who are missing out on the action.,A 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer and WTA ranked one Ashleigh Barty, who is also the defending champion of the tournament, pulled out of the tournament.&nbsp;,Federer decided not to play in the tournament as he is recuperating from a knee injury. Federer underwent two knee surgeries this year and is now on a road to recovery. The Swiss maestro won his solitary French Open in 2009, the year he completed the career grand slam.,Among other male tennis players giving the tournament a miss are Nick Kyrgios, Milos Raonic, Fernando Verdasco, Juan Martin Del Potro and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.,Kyrgios cited the coronavirus pandemic as his reason to give the French Open a miss. The reason behind Milos Raonic's decision to pull out the French Open at the last moment is unclear.&nbsp;,The curious case of Fernando Verdasco has baffled fans. The Spaniard tested positive for the coronavirus in August and had recovered from the disease by his own claim. Verdasco travelled to Paris for the French Open in September when he tested positive for coronavirus again.,Verdasco claims that he has since taken two PCR tests and a serology test on his own account, where he tested negative.,The Roland Garros organization, however, barred Verdasco from participating in the tournament. Following which he voiced his frustration and uploaded a note for his fans on his official Twitter account.,Both Del Porto and Tsonga have injuries that prevented them from participating in the clay-court tournament.,Amongst the Women’s singles tournament, WTA rank one holder Ashleigh Barty&nbsp;pulled out of the tournament citing adverse health conditions across the world.,Naomi Osaka, WTA rank three, pulled out of the tournament citing hamstring injury.,Bianca Andreescu, WTA rank seven, also decided against participating in the French Open and will skip the rest of the season as she is recovering from a knee injury.,WTA rank ten Belinda Bencic pulled out of the tournament following a right arm injury. Bencic recently competed in the Italian Open where she lost in the first round.,Chinese tennis player Wang Qiang, who holds the 32nd rank in the WTA rankings, withdrew her name from contention citing safety concerns.,With four of the top ten WTA ranking holders giving the French tournament a miss, the remaining players will fight tooth and nail to etch their names on the coveted French Open trophy.

{\"time\":1601219704219,\"strCount\":2916,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The 124th edition of the French Open is currently underway at the Roland Garros compound in Paris, France. The tournament is being conducted amidst a pandemic, with limited exposure to fans and numerous health and safety regulations.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"While big names like Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic will tussle for a spot in the final in the respective Women’s and Men’s singles tournament, there are some who are missing out on the action.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"A 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer and WTA ranked one Ashleigh Barty, who is also the defending champion of the tournament, pulled out of the tournament.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Federer decided not to play in the tournament as he is recuperating from a knee injury. Federer underwent two knee surgeries this year and is now on a road to recovery. The Swiss maestro won his solitary French Open in 2009, the year he completed the career grand slam.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Among other male tennis players giving the tournament a miss are Nick Kyrgios, Milos Raonic, Fernando Verdasco, Juan Martin Del Potro and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Kyrgios cited the coronavirus pandemic as his reason to give the French Open a miss. The reason behind Milos Raonic's decision to pull out the French Open at the last moment is unclear.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The curious case of Fernando Verdasco has baffled fans. The Spaniard tested positive for the coronavirus in August and had recovered from the disease by his own claim. Verdasco travelled to Paris for the French Open in September when he tested positive for coronavirus again.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Verdasco claims that he has since taken two PCR tests and a serology test on his own account, where he tested negative.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The Roland Garros organization, however, barred Verdasco from participating in the tournament. Following which he voiced his frustration and uploaded a note for his fans on his official Twitter account.\"}},{\"type\":\"embed\",\"data\":{\"service\":\"twitter\",\"source\":\"https://twitter.com/FerVerdasco/status/1309576217289535490/photo/1\",\"embed\":\"FerVerdasco/status/1309576217289535490\",\"width\":520,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"\",\"aspectRatio\":173.33333333333334}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Both Del Porto and Tsonga have injuries that prevented them from participating in the clay-court tournament.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Amongst the Women’s singles tournament, WTA rank one holder Ashleigh Barty&nbsp;pulled out of the tournament citing adverse health conditions across the world.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Naomi Osaka, WTA rank three, pulled out of the tournament citing hamstring injury.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Bianca Andreescu, WTA rank seven, also decided against participating in the French Open and will skip the rest of the season as she is recovering from a knee injury.\"}},{\"type\":\"embed\",\"data\":{\"service\":\"twitter\",\"source\":\"https://twitter.com/Bandreescu_/status/1308438384008806400\",\"embed\":\"Bandreescu_/status/1308438384008806400\",\"width\":520,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"\",\"aspectRatio\":173.33333333333334}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"WTA rank ten Belinda Bencic pulled out of the tournament following a right arm injury. Bencic recently competed in the Italian Open where she lost in the first round.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Chinese tennis player Wang Qiang, who holds the 32nd rank in the WTA rankings, withdrew her name from contention citing safety concerns.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"With four of the top ten WTA ranking holders giving the French tournament a miss, the remaining players will fight tooth and nail to etch their names on the coveted French Open trophy.\"}}]}

<ul>
 <li>The tournament is being conducted with numerous health and safety regulations</li>
 <li>20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer will not play this year</li>
 <li>Ashleigh Barty,Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu will also miss the tournament</li>
</ul>

#Ashleigh Barty,

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Barty time as Serena sets up showdown with world number one

Australian Open set to be held in February, all the world's top players included

French Open: Roger Federer, Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka among others miss out