Tennis – Australian Open:Louk Sorensen's dream run at the Australian Open was brought to an end by the big hitting John Isner this morning. The giant American defeated Sorensen in straight sets, 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-5, to deny the Irishman a place in the third round.
Having come through qualifying, Sorensen - ranked 287 in the world - became the first Irishman to win a Grand Slam match in 25 years by beating Yen-Hsun Lu in the first round. His effort earned him €20,242.
A win over Isner would have been momentous and the Stuttgart-based Sorensen - where he plays for Bundesliga third division club TC Doggenburg when he is not on the road - put up an impressive fight against the American.
Despite losing the first set limply, he fought back hard in the second to force a tie-break in which Isner asserted his authority.
The third was neck-and-neck throughout and Sorensen threatened to carry the fight even further despite failing to convert any of his three break points in the match.
However, Isner's power was proving too much for the Irishman to handle as the American - who used his 6ft 9in frame to smash down 21 aces in total - finally took control to take victory in the third.
Defending champion Rafael Nadal secured his second straight-sets win. The Spanish second seed needed one hour and 53 minutes to brush aside Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko 6-2 6-2 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.
It was a far more convincing display from Nadal, who showed no signs of the early nerves from his first-round match against Peter Luczak.
Instead, the left-hander raced out to a 5-0 lead in the first set and was hardly troubled thereafter by his 22-year-old opponent, who was playing a top-10 player for the first time in his career.
“I think I played the match that I need to play,” said Nadal. “I was playing and moving well in the beginning without mistakes and I had control of the ball.
“I played more relaxed. The second round always is easier to play. I think I improved a little bit, but I can still play a little bit longer. It was a very good match.”
Nadal will meet a seed for the first time in the next round after Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber (27) defeated Wayne Odesnik 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-2.
Seventh seed Andy Roddick also won in straight sets for the second match running as he breezed past left-handed Brazilian Thomasz Belluci 6-3 6-4 6-4 in two hours and 12 minutes.
Roddick will play Feliciano Lopez in the third round after the Spaniard overcame 2003 finalist Rainer Schuettler 6-3 2-6 6-3 6-2.
Fernando Gonzalez, the 2007 winner, and Gael Monfils both won for the second day running. Their first-round matches were postponed to yesterday after rain on the opening day, but neither showed any ill-effects.
Eleventh seed Gonzalez fired 51 winners as he beat Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan 6-3 6-4 7-5, while Monfils (12) brushed aside 224th-ranked Croatian Antonio Veic 6-4 6-4 6-4.
The only seed to fall during the day session was Tomas Berdych (21), who lost in straight sets to Evgeny Korolev 6-4 6-4 7-5.
Collated Results: Australian Open, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Men's Singles Second Round:(7) Andy Roddick (USA) bt Thomaz Bellucci (Bra) 6-3 6-4 6-4, Feliciano Lopez (Spa) bt Rainer Schuettler (Ger) 6-3 2-6 6-3 6-2, Evgeny Korolev (Rus) bt (21) Tomas Berdych (Cze) 6-4 6-4 7-5, (11) Fernando Gonzalez (Chi) bt Marsel Ilhan (Tur) 6-3 6-4 7-5, (14) Marin Cilic (Cro) bt Bernard Tomic (Aus) 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 4-6 6-2 6-4, (19) Stanislas Wawrinka (Swi) bt Igor Kunitsyn (Rus) 6-3 6-2 6-2, Florian Mayer (Ger) bt (29) Viktor Troicki (Ser) 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2) 6-1, (4) Juan Martin Del Potro (Arg) bt James Blake (USA) 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 5-7 6-3 10-8, (5) Andy Murray (Gbr) bt Marc Gicquel (Fra) 6-1 6- 4 6-3, Florent Serra (Fra) bt Jarkko Nieminen (Fin) 3-6 6-4 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 7-5, (33) John Isner (USA) bt Louk Sorensen (Irl) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-5, (12) Gael Monfils (Fra) bt Antonio Veic (Cro) 6-4 6-4 6-4, Ivo Karlovic (Cro) bt Julien Benneteau (Fra) 2-6 6-1 6-3 6-3, (24) Ivan Ljubicic (Cro) bt Andrey Golubev (Kaz) 6-3 3-6 6-2 6- 3, (27) Philipp Kohlschreiber (Ger) bt Wayne Odesnik (USA) 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-2, (2) Rafael Nadal (Spa) bt Lukas Lacko (Svk) 6-2 6-2 6-2
Women's Singles First Round:(9) Vera Zvonareva (Rus) bt Kristina Kucova (Svk) 6-2 6-0, Iveta Benesova (Cze) bt Kai Chen Chang (Tpe) 7-5 6-2, Tathiana Garbin (Ita) bt (28) Elena Vesnina (Rus) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4, Yaroslava Shvedova (Kaz) bt Kimiko Date Krumm (Jpn) 6-4 6-2, Stefanie Voegele (Swi) bt Melinda Czink (Hun) 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 9-7, (7) Victoria Azarenka (Blr) bt Stephanie Cohen Aloro (Fra) 6-2 6-0, (4) Caroline Wozniacki (Den) bt Aleksandra Wozniak (Can) 6-4 6-2, Julia Goerges (Ger) bt Tamira Paszek (Aut) 6-0 3-6 6-3, Tsvetana Pironkova (Bul) bt Galina Voskoboeva (Kaz) 6-4 6-4, (29) Shahar Peer (Isr) bt Lucie Hradecka (Cze) 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-1, (22) Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) bt Viktoriya Kutuzova (Ukr) 3-6 6-1 7-5, Sofia Arvidsson (Swe) bt Jarmila Groth (Svk) 6-2 4-6 6-4, Agnes Szavay (Hun) bt Stephanie Dubois (Can) 6-3 6-2, (16) Na Li (Chn) bt Marina Erakovic (Nzl) 6-2 6-0
Second Round:Justine Henin (Bel) bt (5) Elena Dementieva (Rus) 7-5 7-6 (8-6), (27) Alisa Kleybanova (Rus) bt Sorana-Mihaela Cirstea (Rom) 6-4 6-3, Sara Errani (Ita) bt Ekaterina Makarova (Rus) 6-2 6-3, Yanina Wickmayer (Bel) bt (12) Flavia Pennetta (Ita) 7-6 (7-2) 6-1, (15) Kim Clijsters (Bel) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (Tha) 6-3 6-3, (19) Nadia Petrova (Rus) bt Kaia Kanepi (Est) 6-4 6-4, Angelique Kerber (Ger) bt (26) Aravane Rezai (Fra) 6-2 6-3, (3) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Rus) 6-2 6-2, (8) Jelena Jankovic (Ser) bt Katie O'Brien (Gbr) 6-2 6-2, (31) Alona Bondarenko (Ukr) bt Polona Hercog (Slo) 6-4 7-5, Jie Zheng (Chn) bt (24) Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spa) 2-6 6-2 6-3, (11) Marion Bartoli (Fra) bt Sandra Zahlavova (Cze) 6-4 6-4, Maria Kirilenko (Rus) bt Yvonne Meusburger (Aut) 6-3 6-1, Roberta Vinci (Ita) bt Vania King (USA) 7-6 (9-7) 7-5, Elena Baltacha (Gbr) bt (30) Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukr) 6-2 7-5, (2) Dinara Safina (Rus) bt Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova (Cze) 6-3 6-4
Men's Doubles First Round:(1) Bob Bryan (USA) & Mike Bryan (USA) bt Michael Berrer (Ger) & Simon Greul (Ger) 6-4 7-5, Rik De Voest (Rsa) & Scott Lipsky (USA) bt Rohan Bopanna (Ind) & Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Pak) 4-6 6-1 7-6 (8-6), (17) Jurgen Melzer (Aut) & Philipp Petzschner (Ger) bt Marc Lopez (Spa) & Santiago Ventura (Spa) 6-4 6-1, Leonardo Mayer (Arg) & Horacio Zeballos (Arg) bt (12) Marcelo Melo (Bra) & Bruno Soares (Bra) 7-6 (7-3) 6-4, (7) Mariusz Fyrstenberg (Pol) & Marcin Matkowski (Pol) bt Ross Hutchins (Gbr) & Jordan Kerr (Aus) 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-4), Colin Fleming (Gbr) & Ken Skupski (Gbr) bt Yen-Hsun Lu (Tpe) & Janko Tipsarevic (Ser) 7-5 6-4, Prakash Amritraj (Ind) & Somdev Devvarman (Ind) bt James Cerretani (USA) & Travis Rettenmaier (USA) 5-7 6-4 7-5, (5) Lukasz Kubot (Pol) & Oliver Marach (Aut) bt Juan Ignacio Chela (Arg) & Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spa) 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 6-1, Kaden Hensel (Aus) & Greg Jones (Aus) bt Paolo Lorenzi (Ita) & Christophe Rochus (Bel) 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 7-6 (7-2), Lucas Arnold Ker (Arg) & Horia Tecau (Rom) bt Wesley Moodie (Rsa) & Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-5, (8) Marcel Granollers (Spa) & Tommy Robredo (Spa) bt Matthew Ebden (Aus) & Brydan Klein (Aus) 6-2 6-4, Johan Brunstrom (Swe) & Jean-Julien Rojer (Aho) bt Alejandro Falla (Col) & Santiago Giraldo (Col) 6-2 6-3, Arnaud Clement (Fra) & Jonathan Erlich (Isr) bt (10) Julian Knowle (Aut) & Robert Lindstedt (Swe) 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-4, Rameez Junaid (Aus) & Peter Luczak (Aus) bt (15) Jaroslav Levinsky (Cze) & Travis Parrott (USA) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2, Philipp Marx (Ger) & Igor Zelenay (Svk) bt Nick Lindhal (Aus) & Matt Reid (Aus) 6-3 6-4, Albert Montanes (Spa) & Martin Vassallo Arguello (Arg) bt Jose Acasuso (Arg) & Sebastian Prieto (Arg) 6-4 6-4, (2) Daniel Nestor (Can) & Nenad Zimonjic (Ser) bt Samuel Groth (Aus) & Jason Kubler (Aus) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3
Women's Doubles First Round:(1) Cara Black (Zim) & Liezel Huber (USA) bt Tatjana Malek (Ger) & Andrea Petkovic (Ger) 6-4 6-4, Timea Bacsinszky (Swi) & Tathiana Garbin (Ita) bt Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spa) & Caroline Wozniacki (Den) 6-4 6-4, (3) Nuria Llagostera Vives (Spa) & Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spa) bt Jelena Dokic (Aus) & Petra Kvitova (Cze) 7-5 6-0, (6) Lisa Raymond (USA) & Rennae Stubbs (Aus) bt Mariya Koryttseva (Ukr) & Darya Kustova (Blr) 6-4 6-1, Julie Coin (Fra) & Marie-Eve Pelletier (Can) bt Jarmila Groth (Svk) & Olivia Rogowska (Aus) 6-3 7-5, Yung-Jan Chan (Tpe) & Monica Niculescu (Rom) bt Monique Adamczak (Aus) & Nicole Kriz (Aus) 6-3 6-1, Klaudia Jans (Pol) & Alicja Rosolska (Pol) bt Alicia Molik (Aus) & Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) 2-6 7-5 6-4, (4) Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) & Shuai Peng (Chn) bt Julia Goerges (Ger) & Arantxa Parra Santonja (Spa) 6-3 6-4, (8) Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) & Zi Yan (Chn) bt Kirsten Flipkens (Bel) & Melanie Oudin (USA) 6-3 6-2, Andrea Hlavackova (Cze) & Lucie Hradecka (Cze) bt Anna Chakvetadze (Rus) & Tamira Paszek (Aut) 6-4 6-3, (2) Venus Williams (USA) & Serena Williams (USA) bt Sophie Ferguson (Aus) & Jessica Moore (Aus) 6-1 6-1