Tennis

Novak Djokovic may be unbeaten in Australian Open finals, but a sponsor seemed to think he’s already won this year’s – before he’s even played it.

Nigeria’s experienced Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practitioner, Morenike Obi-Farinde has been appointed into the pioneer seven-man Tribunal of the world table tennis ruling body, International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

World male tennis number one Novak Djokovic progressed to his ninth Australian Open final on Thursday, chasing an 18th Grand Slam title.

Naomi Osaka claimed an impressive victory over Serena Williams to reach the Australian Open final and end the American’s latest quest for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title.

Ashleigh Barty’s quest for a maiden Australian Open title hit the rocks on Wednesday after a quarter-final loss to Karolina Muchova 1-6 6-3 6-2 on Wednesday.

The brute force of Naomi Osaka crushed the artistry of Hsieh Su-wei as the Japanese former champion charged into the Australian Open semi-finals with a 6-2 6-2 win on Tuesday.

An unstoppable Serena Williams reached a 40th Grand Slam semi-final Tuesday, overpowering second seed Simona Halep to book an Australian Open last-four showdown with Naomi Osaka.

Naomi Osaka saved two match points and Serena Williams recovered from losing her first set of the tournament as they fought their way into the Australian Open quarter-finals on Sunday.

Australia’s second most populous state Victoria entered a five-day lockdown on Saturday as authorities raced to prevent a third wave of COVID-19 cases sparked by the highly infections UK variant.

Australia’s second-most populous city will enter a five-day snap coronavirus lockdown, authorities said on Friday, barring spectators for much of the Australian Open tennis tournament.

Venus Williams refused to give up after suffering an injury against Italian Sara Errani and fought through pain before bowing out of the Australian Open second round on Wednesday.

The match between Lloyd Harris and Mikael Torpegaard, taking place on Court 16, was abruptly disrupted when the youngster fell to the ground on a hot day at Melbourne Park.

Serena Williams continues her long quest for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam when the coronavirus-delayed 2021 Australian Open begins on Monday, four years since her last major triumph in Melbourne.

Spanish tennis star Carla Saurez Navarro was shocked after being diagnosed with cancer. The 32 year old had thought she had contracted the Coronavirus before the the surprise result.

Organisers of the Australian Open have assured all concerned and tennis fans across the world that the first Grand Slam of the year will keep to its schedule. This assurance became necessary after a staff at one of the Melbourne hotels used to quarantine players tested positive for COVID-19, as reported by media on Wednesday.

World number three Naomi Osaka and top-ranked Ashleigh Barty were pushed to the brink Wednesday, but both survived early exits at Melbourne Park, as Simona Halep cruised.

Roger Federer said he is hoping to make his comeback from double knee surgery in 2020 by competing at a smaller tournament after skipping the Australian Open.

Ageless Venus Williams opened her 2021 season with a 6-1, 6-3 thrashing of Arantxa Rus Sunday, while former top 10 players Jelena Ostapenko and Caroline Garcia also scored wins.

Serena Williams was preparing to play Naomi Osaka at an Adelaide exhibition tournament on Friday. But first things first after 14 days in quarantine because of the COVID-19 pandemic regulations in Australia, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion took her daughter to the zoo.

The defeat suffered by TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell against TSV Bad Königshofen in the Week 15 of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) may have taken its toll on Quadri Aruna rating as the Nigerian dropped to 16 from top 10 in the players’ rating.

On her 27th birthday she posted a picture of herself on crutches after undergoing surgery. She abandoned the light training she was able to do prior to Christmas and has not played a tournament in nearly two years.

Quadri Aruna and Olajide Omotayo are among top African stars listed for the first official events of the World Table Tennis (WTT) in Qatar on March 3 to 13.