Brisbane International 2015: Daily Scores, Results and Draw Schedule
Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova got their respective campaigns off to the best possible starts as they both triumphed at the 2015 Brisbane International.
Both players were seeded top coming into the tournament and they each showed their clash throughout. Federer picked up his 1000th career win by beating Milos Raonic in the final of the men's discipline, while Sharapova—who was dominant throughout the tournament—got the better of Ana Ivanovic to start her season in style
Federer was runner-up here 12 months ago and re-affirmed his desire to go one better ahead of the tournamen, per Sky Sports:
"I would love to win this event. I was close last year, after I had had a good week.
I always like lifting trophies in a place that I have never been able to. I am unbelievably pumped up for this week. It's a really good field, with a lot of promising players.
"
All the top players in attendance will have had an eye on the Australian Open in a couple of weeks' time and this tournament is renowned for being an excellent momentum builder ahead of that particular Grand Slam. For Federer and Sharapova that's especially encouraging.
Here's how the action played out from a fascinating week in Brisbane.
Seedings, Draw and Schedule
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| Seed | Men | Women |
| 1. | Roger Federer | Maria Sharapova |
| 2. | Kei Nishikori | Ana Ivanovic |
| 3. | Milos Raonic | Angelique Kerber |
| 4. | Grigor Dimitrov | Dominika Cibulkova |
| 5. | Kevin Anderson | Andrea Petkovic |
| 6. | Gilles Simon | Jelena Jankovic |
| 7. | Alexandr Dolgopolov | Carla Suarez Navarro |
| 8. | Julien Benneteau | Garbine Muguruza |
Seedings courtesy of brisbaneinternational.com.au.
Full men's draw can be found here.
Full women's draw can be found here.
Daily order of play can be found here.
Day 8 Recap
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Day 8 Results
Men's Singles - Final
Roger Federer (1) beats Milos Raonic (3): 6-4, 6(2)-7, 6-4
Men's Doubles - Final
Jamie Murray & John Peers beat Alexandr Dolgopolov: 6-3, 7-6(4)
Roger Federer picked up the 1000th win of his distinguished tennis career in the final of the Brisbane International, toppling third seed Milos Raonic 6-4, 6(2)-7, 6-4 in a thrilling match.
The top seed showcased signs he was getting back to his best during the semi-final triumph over Grigor Dimitrov and he wowed the crowds in attendance with a wonderful display in the final. Credit must go to Raonic however, who battled back when he looked on the cusp of defeat.
It was always going to be tough for Federer's opponent. As we can see courtesy of the tournament's official Twitter account, he has quite the record when it comes to tournament finals:
"Raonic has won 6 from 13 career finals coming into this match, Federer an astonishing 82 from 124. #BrisbaneTennis
— Brisbane Intl (@BrisbaneTennis) January 11, 2015"
Raonic is a player who will be looking to build on an excellent 2014 and the Canadian showcased plenty of fortitude on his way to the final here. His serve in particular is a major weapon and that's something Federer would have been looking to nullify on the cusp of this one.
And nullify it he did. In fact, it the Swiss maestro served more aces than his opponent in the first set, which he won 6-4 courtesy of a break of serve in the third game. As noted by the tournament's official Twitter account, the 33-year-old was looking untouchable on his own service games:
"Raonic making no inroads on Federer's serve so far. That's a love hold for the top seed for 5-3. #BrisbaneTennis
— Brisbane Intl (@BrisbaneTennis) January 11, 2015"
Raonic has faced a lot more physically demanding matches in the build-up to this event and towards the end of the first set, Federer looked a little sharper. At the start of the second it was something that was becoming increasingly obvious, as the Swiss broke the Canadian at the earliest opportunity.
Admittedly the third seed wasn't helping his own cause early in the set, as noted by Tennis writer Matt Cronin:
"Raonic has double fault & broken to 1-0 from Fed in 2nd. Milos has to be super aggressive, especially on BH & how about some net charges?
— Matt Cronin (@TennisReporters) January 11, 2015"
The third seed came out swinging and after breaking Federer in the fourth game of the set, suddenly Raonic had a spring in his step. The Canadian will have been disappointed with his serve however; he managed to get less than half of his first serves in play and subsequently, you always felt as though the top seed had a chance of breaking.
But Raonic continued to grind out points and the set stayed on serve until we reached a tiebreak. Remarkably, it was the Canadian who took seven straight points to win the breaker with Federer unable to establish himself; a tantalising deciding set lay in wait.
Both players were pushed hard by their opponents on serve during the early stages of the decider, with a host of deuce points making for engrossing viewing. But as the set rumbled on, both players looked increasingly comfortable on their services games and a tie-break loomed large.
But as he's done so often throughout his career, Federer came to the fore when it counted. With a 5-4 lead in hand, the Swiss broke Raonic to take the match and get his year started in style.
Despite coming close on a couple of occasions, Federer was unable to notch Grand Slam title No. 18 last season. But after a glittering end to the tournament in Brisbane, he looks as though he has a wonderful chance of sampling glory at the Australian Open. Based on this performance, Raonic will also be a tough man to beat.
Day 7 Recap
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Men's Singles Semi-Finals
Roger Federer (SUI) defeated Grigor Dimitrov (BUL): 6-2, 6-2
Milos Raonic (CAN) defeated Kei Nishikori (JPN): 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-6(4)
Men's Doubles
Jamie Murray(GBR)/John Peers(AUS) defeated Steve Johnson(USA)/Sam Querrey(USA): 7-6(3), 7-6(2)
Roger Federer advanced to the final of the 2015 Brisbane International on Saturday, dismissing Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in emphatic style.
Federer will be joined in the final by Canadian Milos Raonic, who survived a much tougher test against Japan's Kei Nishikori.
But it's Federer's impressive win that will rightly dominate the headlines. He won in straight sets to chalk up his 999th career victory.
The key was how Federer stood up to his opponent's powerful serve. The Bulgarian blasted four aces, per ATPWorldTour.com, but Federer frequently had an answer for him.
He won 12 of 18 points on Dimitrov's second delivery. Federer also broke serve on four separate occasions. That was enough to break Dimitrov's resolve and always stay in control.
Things weren't anywhere near as easy for Raonic, who needed three sets to outlast Nishikori and was pushed to the limit in each. Each set needed a tiebreaker to settle it.
Nishikori took the first, but then had trouble withstanding a relentless barrage of booming serves from Raonic. He smashed 34 aces during an epic struggle.
Raonic may have given everything he had just reaching the final. If true, that's bad news for the game Canadian against the masterful Federer.
It's hard to look past the stylish Swiss player earning another title, and a landmark 1,000th victory.
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Day 6 Recap
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Men's Singles - Quarter-Finals
Milos Raonic defeats Sam Groth: 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(2)
Kei Nishikori defeats Bernard Tomic: 6-0, 6-4
Roger Federer defeats James Duckworth: 6-0, 6-2
Women's Singles - Semi-Finals
Ana Ivanovic defeats Varvara Lepchenko: 7-6(2), 6-4
Maria Sharapova defeats Elina Svitolina: 6-1, 6-3
Men's Doubles - Semi-Finals
Alexander Dolgopolov and Kei Nishokori defeat Grigor Dimitrov and Thanasi Kokkinakis: 6-3, 6-3
Women's Doubles - Semi-Finals
Katarina Srebotnik and Caroline Garcia defeat Su-Wei Hsieh and Sania Mirza: 4-6, 7-6 (1), 10-8
Martina Hingis and Sabine Lisicki defeat Michaella Kraijcek and Karolina Pliskova: 7-6(3), 6-3
Roger Federer had little difficulty winning his quarter-final match against local favourite James Duckworth on Friday, racing past the 22-year-old Australian to win 6-0, 6-1.
Just one day after surviving a scare against John Millman, Federer put together a nearly flawless performance on Friday. The first set took just 17 minutes, according to TENNIS.com's Matt Cronin.
In that set, Federer won all but six points and didn't surrender a single winner. Duckworth was clearly nervous going up against the Swiss legend himself, surviving but one break point.
He settled down in the second set and started connecting on a much higher percentage of his first serves, even bagging himself a game. But Federer responded in kind with a barrage of aces, not willing to spend too much time on the court on Friday.
Ultimately, one game was all Federer was willing to hand his young opponent, and after just 39 minutes, the match was over. FedExpress hit an incredible 12 aces and won 90 percent of points on his first serve, showing the world his third-round struggles against Millman were down to rust, not age.
Federer will meet fourth-seed Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-final.
Kei Nishikori had little difficulty getting past Bernard Tomic, setting up an interesting semi-final against hard-hitting Milos Raonic. The duo met four times in 2014 and developed quite the rivalry, as detailed by ATPWorldtour.com's Josh Meiseles.
The Japanese star looked sharp in his win over Tomic, winning an incredible 92 percent of points on his first serve, and he left a big impression on his opponent, who told Reuters (for the Indian Express) there was little he could do on Friday:
"There was not a lot I could do. That’s why he’s gotten to (number) five in the world and potentially has a big chance of becoming a top-three player this year."
Nishikori won three of four meetings with Raonic in 2014, and given his excellent form to start the season, he has to be the favourite to advance to the final in Brisbane.
Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova will play the women's final, both winning their semi-final matches in two sets. Ivanovic didn't have it easy against Varvara Lepchenko, and she will have her work cut out for her against an in-form Sharapova, who completely dominated Elina Svitolina in the first set.
The 27-year-old squandered several match points in the second set and needlessly prolonged a match she had dominated up until a score of 5-2, and those mistakes could come back to haunt her against the experienced Ivanovic.
Day 5 Recap
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Day 5 Results
Men’s Singles - Round 2
Roger Federer (1) beats John Millman: 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
James Duckworth beats Jarkko Nieminen: 6-4, 6(5)-7, 6-3
Sam Groth beats Lukasz Kubot: 6-4, 6(2)-7, 7-6(3)
Milos Raonic (3) beats Mikhail Kukushkin: 6-3, 6-4
Women’s Singles - Quarterfinals
Maria Sharapova (1) beats Carla Suarez Navarro (7): 6-1, 6-3
Elina Svitolina beats Angelique Kerber (3): 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
Varvara Lepchenko beats Alla Kudryavtseva: 7-5, 7-5
Ana Ivanovic beats Kaia Kanepi: 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Men’s Doubles - Quarterfinals
Jamie Murray & John Peers beat Milos Raonic & Bernard Tomic: 6-4, 7-5
Grigor Dimitrov & Thanasi Kokkinakis beat Robert Lindstedt & Marcin Matkowski: 6-3, 6(2)-7, 10-7
Women's Doubles - Quarterfinals
Michaella Krajicek & Karolina Pliskova beat Jelena Jankovic & Arantxa Parra Santoja: 6-2, 6-2
Roger Federer got his year underway with a hard-fought 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over wildcard John Millman.
The Swiss star never looked comfortable in the early exchanges and was unable to establish any kind rhythm to his play against the world No. 153.
Millman, who was roared on by a raucous home crowd, seized his opportunity, breaking Federer late on in the first set, eventually winning it 6-4. The tournament’s official Twitter account was especially shocked:
"Did anyone see that coming? #Millman breaks #Federer to claim the first set 6-4! #BrisbaneTennis
— Brisbane Intl (@BrisbaneTennis) January 8, 2015"
When Millman broke the world No. 2 in the fourth game of the second set, the gig looked to be up for the 17-time Grand Slam winner. But he re-established himself in the very next game to get the set back on serve. Federer broke the Aussie at the very next chance to seize the initiative and went on to take the second set 6-4.
The third was tight, but there was an unshakeable sense that a Federer breakthrough was inevitable. The Swiss was beginning to suss out the serve of Millman and in the seventh game of the match, he broke the Aussie to go 4-3 in front. The underdog looked down and the top seed motored through the final few games to take the match.
Elsewhere, Milos Raonic was comfortable throughout his clash with Mikhail Kukushkin, emerging as a 6-3, 6-4 victor. The third seed enjoyed a prosperous 2014 and he looked in fine fettle in his first competitive match of the year; the big-serving Canadian will be hoping to make a real impression in the major tournaments this season.
Despite blitzing his Kazakh opponent with an array of blistering serves, ominously, Raonic thinks it’s a part of his game that could be utilised much better, per ATPWorldTour.com:
"I served well… We finished last year and we definitely thought I could do a lot better with my serve, so we spent a lot of time this off season and I'm happy that it's going well.
I've put a lot of work in technically so I feel better as tennis player. I feel much stronger and fitter.
"
The popular James Duckworth continued his unexpectedly excellent run in the tournament. The Aussie wildcard made it through to the third round after an enthralling match with Jarkko Nieminen, coming from behind to win 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 and Adam White of ABC paid tribute to the 22-year-old star:
"Outstanding win by James Duckworth against the experienced Jarkko Nieminen who always plays well in Australia.
— Adam White (@White_Adam) January 8, 2015"
His reward for that fine triumph will be a match with Federer and you can bet the Brisbane crowd will be right behind their man in what should be a thoroughly entertaining quarterfinal match-up.
The women’s draw saw Maria Sharapova continue her dominant form, as she swatted aside seventh seed Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-3. That result means the Russian has only dropped five games in two matches in the tournament so far and she’s looking like a massive favourite to lift the title in Brisbane.
The top seed was happy with her display, as noted here by the Brisbane Open Twitter account:
""I got a good rhythm today and then thought I finished strong." - #Sharapova #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/K4FW7eaVyl
— Brisbane Intl (@BrisbaneTennis) January 8, 2015"
Indeed, the potential challengers to Sharapova look slim at the moment. Second seed Ana Ivanovic was unconvincing in her quarter-final match, eventually overcoming Kaia Kanepi 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Meanwhile, third seed Angelique Kerber is out of the tournament after she lost to Elina Svitolina in three sets; the Ukrainian will face Sharapova in the semi-finals. In the other women’s quarter-final match, Varvara Lepchenko toppled Alla Kudryavtseva 7-5, 7-5 to set up a last-four clash with Ivanovic.
Day 4 Recap
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Day 4 Results
Men's Singles - Round 2
Bernard Tomic defeats Thanasi Kokkinakis: 7-6, 6-1
Grigor Dimitrov defeats Jeremy Chardy: 6-3, 6-4, 7-6
Kei Nishikori defeats Steve Johnson: 6-4, 7-5
Martin Klizan defeats Alexandr Dolgopolov: 1-6, 7-6, 7-6
Women's Singles - Round 2
Alla Kudryavtseva defeats Karolina Pliskova: 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Kaia Kanepi defeats Madison Brengle: 6-3, 7-6
Carla Suarez Navarro defeats Mirjana Lucic-Baroni: 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
Ana Ivanovic defeats Jarmila Gajdosova: 6-4, 6-1
Men's Doubles - Round 2
Alexandr Dolgopolov and Kei Nishikori defeat Chris Guccione and Lleyton Hewitt: 6-2, 7-5
Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey defeat Eric Butorac and Sam Groth: 3-6, 7-5, 10-6
Women's Doubles - Round 1
Michaella Krajicek and Karolina Pliskova defeat Chan Hao-Ching and Kveta Peschke: 7-5, 6-4
Women's Singles - Round 2
Martina Hingis and Sabine Lisicki defeat Alla Kudryavtseva and Alexandra Panova: 6-3, 6-3
Hsieh Su-Wei and Sania Mirza defeat Anastasia Rodionova and Arina Rodionova: 6-3, 2-6, 11-9
Kei Nishikori started his 2015 season on a winning note, defeating Steve Johnson in two sets, 6-4, 7-5.
The 25-year-old from Japan was one of the breakout players of 2014 and is hoping to build on that campaign toward another successful season. While he looked far from perfect on Wednesday, Nishikori took full advantage of his break chances, converting two of three.
He has full confidence in his game heading into the new campaign, as he told Atpworldtour.com:
"New year is starting, and obviously I'm playing much better these couple years.
I have more confidence and I beat a lot of Top 10 guys [these past] two, three years. If I can play good tennis all the time, I think I have a lot of chance to go [to the] top level. Hopefully this is going to be a good start.
"
Grigor Dimitrov had to save two match points to get past France's Jeremy Chardy, overcoming a sloppy start to advance to the next round after three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6.
Chardy took a 6-4 lead in the final tiebreaker but couldn't control his nerves, hitting back-to-back double faults and virtually handing the match to the Bulgarian.
Hometown favourites Bernard Tomic and Thanasi Kokkinakis went head-to-head in front of a roaring Brisbane crowd, but the hard-hitting Tomic showed his younger opponent he still has some ways to go before he can join the elite, beating him 7-6, 6-1.
Tomic will meet Nishikori in the quarter-finals.
Ana Ivanovic had little difficulty taking care of Jarmila Gajdosova in the women's draw, beating the local favourite in two sets, 6-4, 6-1.
Roger Federer will play his first match of the tournament on Thursday, taking on local favourite John Millman, while Maria Sharapova and Ivanovic will also be in action.
Day 3 Recap
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Day 3 Results
Men’s Singles - Round 1
John Millman beats Rhyne Williams: 6-3, 6-1
Jarkko Nieminen beats Denis Kudla: 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Martin Klizan beats Jurgen Melzer: 6(5)-7, 7-6(6), 6-1
Alexandr Dolgopolov beats Carlos Berlocq: 6-2, 6-3
Lukasz Kubot beats Kevin Anderson (5): 7-6(3), 6-4
Mikhail Kukushkin beats Marius Copil: 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Steve Johnson beats Marinko Matosevic: 2-6, 7-6(0), 7-5
Sam Groth beats Lleyton Hewitt: 6-3, 6-2
Women’s Singles - Round 2
Maria Sharapova (1) beats Yaroslava Shvedova: 6-0, 6-1
Angelique Kerber (3) beats Daria Gavrilvoa: 6-3, 7-5
Elina Zvitolina beats Ajla Tomljanovic: 6-3, 6-2
Varvara Lepchenko beats Madison Keys: 6-4, 6-4
Men’s Doubles - Round 1
Milos Raonic & Bernard Tomic beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert & Nicolas Mahut: 6-4, 2-0 (retired)
Grigor Dimitrov & Thanasi Kokkinakis beat Jeremy Chardy & Lukasz Kubot: 6-3, 3-6, 10-8
Robert Lindstedt & Marcin Matkowski beat Mariusz Frystenberg & Santiago Gonzalez: 6-2, 6-3
Women’s Doubles - Round 1
Su-Wei Hsieh & Sania Mirza beat Jarmila Gajdosova & Ajla Tomljanovic: 7-5, 6-3
Anastasia Rodionova & Arina Rodionova beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni & Lisa Raymond: 7-6(3), 6-3
Caroline Garcia & Katarina Srebotnik beat Andrea Petkovic & Magdalena Rybarikova: 6-2, 3-6, 10-8
Jelena Jankovic & Arantxa Parra Santonja beat Raluca Olaru & Shuai Zhang: 7-5, 6-2
Martina Hingis & Sabine Lisicki beat Daria Gavrilova & Storm Sanders: 6-2, 6-2
Alla Kudryavtseva & Alexandra Panova beat Raqual Kops-Jones & Abigail Spears: 6-2, 4-6, 10-3
Reigning champion Lleyton Hewitt was knocked out of the Brisbane Open in the first round on Day 3, losing emphatically to compatriot Sam Groth. The 27-year-old had far too much for Hewitt, who looked way short of the high standards he set at this competition 12 months ago.
As noted here by Adam White of ABC, Groth’s power would have seen him triumph over a host of the world’s top players on the day:
"Sam Groth would've beaten a lot of top 30 players tonight with that sort of serving exhibition. Far too good for Lleyton Hewitt. Powerful.
— Adam White (@White_Adam) January 6, 2015"
It was a very meek defence of his title from Hewitt, who lost the match inside an hour. Admittedly, Groth did play well, but for the former Wimbledon champion it was an especially disappointing way to begin 2015, especially with his home Grand Slam looming large.
Hewitt was gracious in defeat though, as he paid tribute to the performance put in by his compatriot, per the tournament’s official Twitter account:
""He served really well. There wasn't a lot I could do on his service games." - #Hewitt #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/5kDuJMjY0J
— Brisbane Intl (@BrisbaneTennis) January 6, 2015"
In another shock in the men’s draw, fifth seed Kevin Anderson was sent packing by Polish player Lukasz Kubot. The South African has been simmering a tier below the game’s elite for a while now and he will have been hoping for a strong performance in Brisbane to help gather some early momentum in the season.
But after narrowly losing the first set tie-break, Anderson never really looked comfortable. By contrast, Kubot—who is ranked a lowly 177th in the world rankings—was focused throughout and clearly intent on taking his opportunity. The Pole will face Hewitt’s conquerer in Round 2.
So far, the Women’s singles draw has been rife with major upsets, but there was no such drama on Day 3, as Maria Sharapova and Angelique Kerber—seeded first and third respectively—marched into the third round.
Sharapova looked at her devastating best as she dismantled Yaroslava Shvedova 6-0, 6-1. It was a performance bristling with the kind of quality you would expect from the Russian and, as noted by tennis writer Tumaini, she never let the intensity slip throughout the match:
"Watching Sharapova and Serena on a split screen. Maria fistpumping at 6-0 5-1 like she's 6-6 in the RG final, Serena hitting dropshot lobs.
— Tumaini (@tumcarayol) January 6, 2015"
Indeed, if Sharapova keeps up this kind of form, it’s difficult to see anyone stopping her. The 27-year-old played with a real swagger here and it’ll be interesting to see if she can preserve this glittering form as the competition rolls on.
Kerber was one of only a few seeded players to make into the second round, but she continued her run with a solid win over Daria Gavrilova. At this juncture, she looks the most likely player to get the best of the Russian.
Day 2 Recap
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Day 2 Results
Round 1 - Men’s Singles
James Duckworth beats Gilles Simon (6): 6-2, 6-2
Jeremy Chardy beats Andrey Golubev: 6-4, 6-4
Thanasi Kokkinakis beats Julien Benneteau (8): 6-4, 6-3
Bernard Tomic beats Sam Querry: 7-5, 7-6
Round 1 - Women’s Singles
Yaroslava Shvedova beats Sabine Lisicki: 0-6, 7-5, 6-4
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni beats Christina McHale: 6-3, 6-0
Angelique Kerber (3) beats Caroline Garcia: 6-4, 6-3
Daria Gavrilova beats Alison Riske: 7-5, 6-3
Alla Kudryavtseva beats Bethanie Mattek-Sands: 6-4, 6-2
Madison Keys beats Dominika Cibulkova (4): 7-5, 6-2
Madison Brengle beats Lesia Tsurenko: 7-6, 6-3
Jarmila Gajdosova beats Shuai Zhang: 6-4, 6-1
Karolina Pliskova beats Victoria Azarenka: 4-6, 7-6, 6-4
Round 1 - Men’s Doubles
Eruc Butorac & Sam Groth (4) beat Jurgen Melzer & Gilles Simon: 6-4, 7-5
Chris Guccione & Lleyton Hewitt beat James Duckworth & Marinko Matosevic: 6-2, 6-4
Alexandr Dologopolov & Kei Nishikori beat Rohan Bopanna & Daniel Nestor (2): 6-4, 3-6, 10-6
The Brisbane Open’s early propensity to shock continued on Day 2, as more seeded players were dumped out of the competition at the first hurdle.
On the men’s side of the draw, Gilles Simon and Julien Benneteau—seeded sixth and eight respectively—both crashed out at the hands of Australian youngsters, much to the delight of the home crowd.
In the women’s bracket, fourth seed Dominika Cibulkova followed Jelena Jankovic and Sam Stosur in losing at the first time of asking. The 2013 Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki also lost out to a qualifier.
There was some success for seeded women, though, as Angelique Kerber made light work of Caroline Garcia in a straight sets victory.
Home crowd favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis was the man that sent Benneteau packing. The Adelaide-born teenager has showcased immense promise in his relatively short career so far and it was on display in earnest against the eighth seed as he romped to a 6-4, 6-3 win.
As noted on his official Twitter account, Kokkinakis really enjoyed his time on the court:
"Enjoyed it out there today! Thanks for the support #ontothenextone
— Thanasi Kokkinakis (@TKokkinakis) January 5, 2015"
Preceding him was another exceptional display from an un-fancied Aussie. James Duckworth—currently ranked 125th in the world—was a wildcard for this tournament, but it was clear from the off that he was not going to let Simon dictate proceedings.
In truth, it was a walk in the park for the 22-year-old, who notched an emphatic 6-2, 6-2 win.
Australian Tennis journalist Marc McGowan paid tribute to the fortitude showcased by Duckworth despite what looked like a very tough draw:
"How great is this for James Duckworth? Continually gets rough draws, but didn't matter this time: thrashes Gilles Simon 2&2. #BrisbaneTennis
— Marc McGowan (@Aceland_Marc) January 5, 2015"
He too was delighted in the aftermath, per the tournament's official Twitter account:
""Brisbane is basically home for me now. I spend most of my time here and enjoy it." #DuckPresser #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/nOiqNEEEAT
— Brisbane Intl (@BrisbaneTennis) January 5, 2015"
The shocks were to continue on the women’s side of the draw, as fourth seed Cibulkova was convincingly beaten by Madison Keys.
The Slovakian was hoping to get 2015 off to a decent start after a tumultuous 2014 and, as we can see here courtesy of Chris Skelton of Tennis View Magazine, since her excellent run to the final of the Australian Open last year, she’s developed a worrying patent for Round 1 losses:
"Since reaching the Australian Open final, Cibulkova has lost her first match at 12 of 21 tournaments.
— Chris Skelton (@ChrisSkelton87) January 5, 2015"
In the late matches of the day Victoria Azarenka was beaten by Karolina Pliskova in another shock result, while Bernard Tomic capped off an outstanding day for Australian players, beating Sam Querry in straight sets.
Day 1 Recap
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Day 1 Results
Round 1 - Women’s Singles
Carla Suarez Navarro (7) beat Tsvetana Pironkova: 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
Elina Svitolina beat Magdalena Rybarikova: 6-2, 6-0
Daria Gavrilova beat Elizaveta Kulichkova: 7-6, 6-4
Ajla Tomljanovic beat Jelena Jankovic (6): 7-6, 6-0
Kaia Kanepi beat Andrea Petkovic (5): 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
Yaroslava Shvedova beat Maryna Zanevska: 7-5, 6-4
Lesia Tsurenko beat Alla Kudryavtseva: 6-4, 7-6
Madison Brengle beat Irina Falconi: 6-2, 6-0
Varvara Lepchenko beat Sam Stosur: 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
Round 1 - Men’s Doubles
Steve Johnson & Sam Querrey beat Marin Draganja & Henri Kontinen: 6-2, 6-4
Round 1 - Women’s Doubles
Ana Ivanovic & Anqelique Kerber beat Klaudia Jans-Ignacik & Andreja Klepac: 6-4, 6-1
The opening day of the Brisbane International was rife with drama, as three of the top seeds in the women’s singles draw were knocked out. The Pat Rafter Arena provided the backdrop for the upsets, as Andrea Petkovic and Jelena Jankovic—seeded fifth and sixth respectively—were beaten.
To cap the day off, home crowd favourite and 2011 US Open winner Sam Stosur was also beaten in a thriller. Even Carla Suarez Navarro—seed No. 7 in the women’s draw—faced a battle to come through in her match to book a spot in Round 2.
Big things were expected of Jankovic coming into this competition, but the 29-year-old really struggled in her match against Brisbane resident Ajla Tomljanovic, who stood up to everything her Serbian opponent threw at her in the opening stages of the match.
Tomljanovic took the first set in a keenly contested tiebreak and from that point on, with momentum in her favour, there was only going to be one winner. The Croatian had far too much power for the timid Jankovic in the second set, winning it by an emphatic 6-0 scoreline.
Here’s the highlights from that match, courtesy of the tournament’s official Twitter account:
"HIGHLIGHTS: #Tomljanovic v #Jankovic first round http://t.co/0bx876D3Pi (Only available international) #BIJankAjla #BrisbaneTennis
— Brisbane Intl (@BrisbaneTennis) January 4, 2015"
Following that match was Petkovic, who was the highest seed to exit the tournament at the first hurdle after she was beaten by Kaia Kanepi. The Estonian is a player that has bundles of talent but can sometimes be hugely frustrating on the big occasion. But here, she relished the challenge of going up against the current world No. 13.
There was little between the two players in truth, but Kanepi seemed to have a little more composure when the critical points came along and eventually she eased through to Round 2 after winning the third set 6-4. Petkovic will be disappointed to be knocked out and will rue the lack of competitive court time ahead of the Australian Open.
Stosur was last on court in the Pat Rafter Arena and she was greeted by swathes of Aussie fans hoping to see her start 2015 in style. But from the off it was clear that Varvara Lepchenko was not going to be intimidated by her opponent, nor the crowd.
The Australian took a tight first set 6-4 but, undeterred by being behind, Lepchenko came roaring back into contention, winning the second set 6-4 and setting up a nail-biting decider. When Stosur was 5-1 up in it, the match looked to be done and dusted.
But Lepchenko showed amazing fortitude and some stunning quality to stay alive. Remarkably, the American went on to win six straight games and take a thrilling final set 7-5. David Law of BBC reflected on an amazing finale to what was a crazy day in Brisbane:
"Horrendous loss for Sam Stosur (or sensational win for Varvara Lepchenko depending how you view it). Stosur 5-1 up. Lost 5-7. #btsporttennis
— DavidLaw (@DavidLawTennis) January 4, 2015"
Day 2 will see the men’s tournament proper get underway. We’ll also see Angelique Kerber—the third seed in the women’s draw—begin her quest for glory; the German takes on France’s Caroline Garcia and she will be hoping she’s not next in line for a shock defeat at the Pat Rafter Arena.
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