Safina, Williams to fight for Melbourne title and top spot

MELBOURNE - Serena Williams will bid for her tenth Grand Slam title to mark a decade of play at the Australian Open when she faces Dinara Safina in the Saturday final.

Spaniards dominate French, Williams denies Russia

MELBOURNE - Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco stopped French opposition Wednesday to send a pair of Spaniards into a showdown semi-final at the Australian Open.

Serena spoils Russian sweep to claw into semis

MELBOURNE - Serena Williams survived a sweltering ‘out-of-body experience’ Wednesday, picking up her game when the roof was closed at the Rod Laver arena and preventing Russian domination of the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

Serena divulges her secret motivation techniques

MELBOURNE - Serena Williams is always known to be one of the toughest fighter on court. And she proved it once again with her three-set win over Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarter-final.

Dementieva stays in chase for number one ranking

MELBOURNE - Elena Dementieva kept her dream of a possible number one WTA ranking alive as she stormed past Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-2 and into her first semi-final at the Australian Open here Wednesday.

Australian Open results

MELBOURNE - The following are the results at the Australian Open Tuesday.

Women’s singles, quarter-finals:

Australian Open Results

MELBOURNE - The following are the results of the fourth round of the $15.5 million Australian Open here Monday:

Nadal in form as Murray crumples in Australian Open

MELBOURNE - World No.1 Rafael Nadal maintained perfection with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Fernando Gonzalez and moved into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open tennis here Monday.

Jankovic will watch contenders jockey for her No.1 ranking

MELBOURNE - Jelena Jankovic can only watch as three possible pretenders struggle to seize her No.1 women’s tennis ranking, which will require a weekend title at the Australian Open.

Simple for Simon in Australian Open

MELBOURNE - Gilles Simon and Serena Williams advanced through to the Australian Open quarter-finals Monday as their opponents quit after being injured.

Jankovic shrugs off ranking danger after upset loss

MELBOURNE - World number one Jelena Jankovic suffered a 1-6, 4-6 loss to Marion Bartoli which put her top WTA ranking in danger at the Australian Open Sunday.

Serena touched by comeback queen Dokic (Australian Open diary)

MELBOURNE - American tennis champion Serena Williams is the latest to join the list of comeback girl Jelena Dokic’s admirers.

Fighting Federer recovers from the depths to reach quarter-finals

MELBOURNE - Roger Federer made his fourth career recovery from two sets to love down, surviving an early storm before subduing Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open Sunday.

Impressive Nadal mows down Haas

MELBOURNE - Rafael Nadal maintained momentum in his chase for a career-first Australian Open tennis title, hammering Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 to power into the fourth round here Saturday.

Shy Serena shunts aside image of Melbourne streaker

MELBOURNE - Victoria Azarenka remained undefeated this season after eliminating former champion Amelie Mauresmo 6-4, 6-2 Saturday to move into the second week of the Australian Open.

Serena Williams turns entrepreneur

LONDON - Olympic gold winner Serena Williams is now the co-founder and brand ambassador of an athletic beauty brand Mission Skincare.

Australian Open: Nadal crushes Croatian to reach third round

MELBOURNE - Rafael Nadal continued his charge through the Australian Open Thursday, crushing Croatian Roko Karanusic 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 to comfortably reach the third round.

Nadal advances while Venus stalls in Melbourne

MELBOURNE - Rafael Nadal continued his charge through the Australian Open Thursday while seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams was stunned by a Spanish outsider in the second round.

Mediterranean man Baghdatis hooked to lamb

MELBOURNE - The Australian Open diet of Marcos Baghdatis’s choice certainly breaks a few training rules with the Cypriot unable to resist lashings of Greek food.

Serena the shopper buys from boutique bargain rack

MELBOURNE - Hard economic times have not come down too hard on Serena Williams with the second seed making a lightning raid on a Chapel Street boutique.

Australian Open results

MELBOURN - The following are the results of matches played Thursday at the Australian Open.

Women’s singles, second round:

Smiling top seed Jankovic shrugs off the critics

MELBOURNE - Jelena Jankovic has no time to waste on doubters who suggest that without having yet won a Grand Slam title, she does not deserve to hold the top WTA ranking.

Superstitious Serena won’t go to movies during Australian Open

MELBOURNE - American tennis star Serena Williams will not be watching movies during the Australian Open and focus solely on the business of winning.

Nadal, Jankovic debut as Australian Open top seeds

SYDNEY - New number one players Rafael Nadal and Jelena Jankovic line up as top seeds for the first time when the Australian Open begins Monday.

Nadal, Jankovic head Australian Open seedings

MELBOURNE - World No 1s Spaniard Rafael Nadal and Serbian Jelena Jankovic have been given the top billing in the men’s and women’s singles at the $15.5 million Australian Open tennis starting here Monday.

Hewitt gets started in Sydney with fighting win

SYDNEY - Women’s seeds stormed through into the quarter-finals as Lleyton Hewitt made a typical fighting debut Tuesday at the Medibank International tennis.

Serena escapes upset thanks to Stosur’s Sydney slump

SYDNEY - Top seed Serena Williams flirted with disaster before finally emerging from a lengthy sulk to survive 6-3, 6-7(4-7), 7-5 against Australian Samantha Stosur in the opening round of the Medibank International Sunday.

Davydenko pulls out of Australian Open

MELBOURNE - The Australian Open tennis tournament has lost injured world No.5 five Nikolay Davydenko as the Russian withdrew due to a nagging heel injury.

Germany beat US to enter Hopman Cup tennis final against Slovakia

PERTH - Unbeaten Germany moved into a Thursday showdown with the equally spotless Slovak Republic for a place in the Hopman Cup tennis final after defeating the US 2-1 Wednesday.