Apia International Sydney 2015: Daily Scores, Results and Draw Schedule
The Apia International 2015 in Sydney has become one of the most anticipated tennis competitions Down Under, with a host of top players attending the ATP event to find form ahead of the Australian Open.
However, the top seeds were nowhere to be seen at the final hurdle of the men's event as qualifier Viktor Troicki won the tournament.
But the women's competition did run to form with second seed Petra Kvitova capturing the crown.
Here, we provide you with the information on the tournament with scores and recaps for each day.
Seedings, Draw and Schedule
1 of 7
| Seed | Men | Women |
| 1 | Fabio Fognini | Simona Halep |
| 2 | David Goffin | Petra Kvitova |
| 3 | Philipp Kohlschreiber | Agnieszka Radwanska |
| 4 | Leonardo Mayer | Caroline Wozniacki |
| 5 | Pablo Cuevas | Angelique Kerber |
| 6 | Jeremy Chardy | Ekaterina Makarova |
| 7 | Martin Klizan | Dominika Cibulkova |
| 8 | Julien Benneteau | Flavia Pennetta |
Seedings courtesy of ApiaInternational.com.au
The full men and women's draw can be found here.
Day 7 Recap
2 of 7
Day 7 Recap
Men's Singles - Final
Viktor Troicki beats Mikhail Kukushkin: 6-2, 6-3
Viktor Troicki grabbed his second career ATP title after destroying Mikhail Kukushkin in the Apia International 2015 final.
In what was the first time an ATP World final had been contested by two qualifiers—Troicki dominated his opponent, only conceding five games in his 6-2, 6-3 victory.
The former World No.12 previously reached the Sydney final in 2011 and his previous experiences paid dividends against Kukushkin, who had yet to concede a set in the tournament before the final on Saturday.
Kukushkin failed to match the Serbian, currently ranked 92nd in the world, with Troicki dominant from start to finish.
The 28-year-old Troicki has recently returned from a one-year doping ban after failing to take a test at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2013—and his form is now clearly returning.
The newly crowned champion took the title in just 64 minutes as he broke the World No. 66 twice in both sets.
The final started evenly in the first set with the match tied at two games a piece—but Troicki then put his foot on the accelerator and blew his opponent away. The Serb won the final four games of the first set to land the first heavy punch, leaving Kukushkin stunned and dazed.
The Kazakh then fought back in the second to win his first break of serve, giving himself the slender advantage, but Troicki once again took control of proceedings.
Troicki broke Kukushkin twice to race to a 4-1 lead before his opponent was forced to take a time-out for an injury break after hurting his thigh.
But the match was soon over as the Serbian player completed his task in ruthless fashion. Troicki hit 13 aces in the match compared to his opponent's one, per ProTennisLive.com, showing off his dominance during the final.
Troicki also won 87 percent of his first-service points and 46 percent of his second-service, leaving his higher ranked opponent in his wake.
The Serbian will now climb into the top 70 in the world after his win and he is sure to drive further up the rankings in the coming months.
Day 6 Recap
3 of 7
Day 6 Recap
Men’s Singles - Semi-Finals
Mikhail Kukushkin beats Leonardo Mayer (5): 6-4, 6-4
Viktor Troicki beats Gilles Muller: 6-2, 6-4
Women’s Singles - Final
Petra Kvitova beats Karolina Pliskova: 7-6(5), 7-6(6)
Petra Kvitova beat compatriot Karolina Pliskova to win the women’s singles at the Sydney international. The second seed was pushed close by Pliskova, coming through in two consecutive tie-breaks to take the title.
The result bodes well for the two-time Wimbledon champion who looks in very good form ahead of the upcoming Australian Open. Throughout this competition she’s showcased all the facets needed to win in Melbourne and will be desperate to carry the momentum accrued here into that tournament.
As we can see here courtesy of TennisTV, the match between the two Czech players was pretty keenly contested:
"Stats: here's how Petra #Kvitova won her first @SydneyTennis title... pic.twitter.com/2z8lM7nJD8
— TennisTV (@TennisTV) January 16, 2015"
But there was an eminent sense that on the big points, it was the more experienced Kvitova who had the edge. This was wholly apparent at the end of the second set when Pliskova—who was serving to win the set—spurned her chance to take the match into a deciding stanza.
Tennis journalist Katie Spellman paid tribute to Kvitova’s excellent record in finals, but insisted there is still plenty to come from her vanquished opponent:
"20 finals 15 titles #2015 Gratulace @Petra_Kvitova and what a high quality final. Plenty more to come from Pliskova #boomboom @SydneyTennis
— Katie Spellman (@Spellman_Katie) January 16, 2015"
If we’re treated to a match of comparable entertainment in the men’s side of the draw then we’ll be in for a fine spectacle. But there’ll be no shortage of intrigue when Mikhail Kukushkin and Viktor Troicki—both qualifiers—square off to be crowned champion.
It’ll be the first time on the ATP World Tour that two qualifiers play in a final, as noted by their official account:
"#Troicki to play #Kukushkin at @SydneyTennis in 1st @ATPWorldTour final between 2 qualifiers. http://t.co/Cyo1CFILD2 pic.twitter.com/LWCY3HsrpM
— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) January 16, 2015"
Both of the aforementioned men continued to upset the odds in this tournament by overcoming illustrious opposition in their semi-final clashes. Kukushkin’s win was arguably the more impressive of the two as he scored an emphatic 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Leonardo Mayer, who was the only seeded player left in the draw.
The Kazakh player added Mayer’s scalp to his wonderful win over Juan Martin del Potro and admitted he’s surprised himself this week, per atpworldtour.com:
"It feels good to start the season with a final, with so many wins in a row.
I'm enjoying being here in Sydney, to play at a good level in a good tournament. I didn't expect that… [I'm] pretty happy with my game, with my results.
"
Kukushkin’s only ATP title date came in 2010 and he’ll arguably be the a minor underdog when going up against Troicki.
The Serbian clearly enjoys playing in Sydney—he was runner-up at this event in 2011—and will be hoping to cause his opponent big problems with his serve; a weapon his beaten semi-final opponent Gilles Muller failed to nullify in a 6-2, 6-4 loss.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Day 5 Recap
4 of 7
Day 5 Results
Men’s Singles - Quarter-Finals
Mikhail Kukushkin beats Juan Martin del Potro: 7-6(5), 7-6(3)
Leonardo Mayer (5) beats Julien Benneteau (4): 6-3, 7-6(4)
Viktor Troicki beats Simone Bolelli: 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
Gilles Muller beats Bernard Tomic: 7-6(3), 7-6(13)
Women’s Singles - Semi-Finals
Karolina Pliskova beats Angelique Kerber (5): 6-3, 6-2
Petra Kvitova (2) beats Tsvetana Pironkova: 7-5, 6-1
Juan Martin Del Potro’s run at the Sydney International was ended by Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushskin in the quarter-finals. The imposing Argentine had looked in exceptional form this week after his return to action following a 10-month lay-off, but he lost out here in what was a tightly fought match.
The Kazakh won in straight sets courtesy of two tie-breaks, taking advantage of a weary looking Del Petro at the end of some fiercely contested sets of tennis.
Qualifier Kukushkin—who will now face fifth seed Leonardo Mayer in the semi-finals—was naturally delighted with his display and attributed his time on court as a vital factor, per ATPWorldTour.com:
"When you play six matches in a row at one tournament, you start to get some confidence.
It's very, very important, especially at the beginning of the year when you had [a] two month off season, no competition, no matches. I'm pretty happy to have so many wins here in Sydney.
"
Joining the aforementioned twosome in the semi-finals will be Viktor Troicki and Gilles Muller. The latter ended home favourite Bernard Tomic's chances of another final appearance in Sydney, getting the better of the Aussie courtesy of two tie-break wins.
Troicki launched a stunning late fightback against Simone Bolelli to keep his tournament hopes alive. The Serbian was a break down in the final set, with the Italian serving for the match at 5-4. But Troicki dug deep to break back and eventually went on to win the next two games, booking his place in the last four of the competition.
Meanwhile, the final of the women’s singles looks set to be an entertaining occasion. It’ll be an all Czech affair too after Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova both picked up straight set wins in their respective semi-final matches.
For Kvitova—seeded second in Sydney—it was an admirable victory over qualifier and reigning champion Tsvetana Pironkova. But Pliskova produced a big shock to beat the fifth seeded German Angelique Kerber.
Kerber has been involved in some draining matches at this tournament—most notably the epic contest between her and Daria Gavrilova—and it looked as though the physicality involved had taken its toll here. But in hindsight the German may actually be thankful of the extra rest with the Australian Open looming large.
Day 4 Recap
5 of 7
Men's Singles - Round 2
Juan Martin del Potro beats (1) Fabio Fognini: 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Simone Bolelli beats (2) David Goffin: 6-3, 6-3
Mikhail Kukushkin beats (6) Pablo Cuevas: 7-5, 7-5
(4) Julien Benneteau beats Vasek Pospisil: 7-6(3), 6-3
(5) Leonardo Mayer beats Jerzy Janowicz: 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(3)
Viktor Troicki beats Pablo Andujar: 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Bernard Tomic beats Igor Sijsling: 6-1, 6-2
Gilles Muller beats (7) Jeremy Chardy: 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-4
Bernard Tomic beats (3) Philipp Kohlschreiber: 6-3, 6-4
Women’s Singles - Quarter-Finals
Karolina Pliskova beats Carla Suarez Navarro: 4-6, 6-4, 6-0
Tsvetana Pironkova beats Barbora Zahlavova Strycova: 6-4, 6-1
(2) Petra Kvitova beats Jarmila Gajdosova: 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
(5) Angelique Kerber beats Garbine Muguruza: 0-6, 6-1, 6-4
Juan Martin Del Potro continued a successful comeback from injury on Wednesday by fighting back from a set down to beat top seed Fabio Fognini at the Apia International and book his quarter-final berth.
Losing 6-4 in the opening set, there were concerns for the defending champion, who had to receive treatment on his wrist before claiming the second and third sets 6-2, 6-2.
Del Potro will face Mikhail Kukushkin in the last eight and said after his win over the highly rated Fognini, per Sky Sports:
"I thought I played better. I feel better on the court, especially in the end of the match. I serve well, I hit good forehands, and my backhands improved from yesterday to this match a little bit.
I need to keep playing with these guys, hitting the ball as fast I can and keep trying. My wrist is the same. It's not getting worse, so I have confidence with that. Of course I'm very happy to beat my first top 20 player of the year.
"
Kukushikin took his own quarter-final place thanks to a straight-sets win against Pablo Cuevas, triumphing 7-5, 7-5 in a battle which took 12 games before either competitor dropped serve.
The Kazakh victor never once went behind and in both sets, it was Cuevas who stuttered with the scores at 6-5 to drop out of the contest.
Del Potro's Argentinian compatriot Leonardo Mayer joins him in the quarter-finals, coming back from a setback of his own to beat Jerzy Janowicz 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(3).
The No. 5 seed will take on fourth-seed Julien Benneteau in the next stage of the Sydney tournament, following his straight-sets win over Vasek Pospisil.
Neither victor progressed through easy means, but Mayer now has increased motivation of a potential all-Argentinian semi-final in sight when looking to make his way past Benneteau.
Another surprise on Wednesday saw No. 2 seed David Goffin exit at the hands of Simone Bolelli, causing the Italian little-to-no trouble as he suffered a 6-3, 6-3 defeat.
Bolelli was unrelenting in his run past Goffin and can hope to move past Viktor Troicki in the quarter-finals, who was forced to come back from a set down before beating Pablo Andujar on Wednesday.
In the day's final matchups, Gilles Muller of Germany fought hard to claim a three-set victory over seventh-seed Jeremy Chardy and faces Bernard Tomic next.
Tomic wasn't tested as fiercely in his fixture against Philipp Kohlschreiber, dominating in straight sets to win 6-3, 6-4.
Czech giants Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova qualified for the semi-finals of the women's tournament on Wednesday, beating Carla Suarez Navarro and Jarmila Gajdosova, respectively.
Neither contender managed to win their opening sets, but each displayed enough fortitude to keep their chances of an all-Czech final alive.
They'll be joined in the last four by Tsvetana Pironkova, who rampaged past Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, 6-1 in their quarter-final matchup, growing in confidence as the fixture progressed.
In Wednesday's final fixture, Angelique Kerber eventually lived up to her No. 5 seeding after showing great resolve to defeat Garbine Muguruza, 0-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Having been routed without response in the first set, the German gave a classier display in the second and third sets, earning her spot opposite Pliskova in what proved to be a tougher test than she might have predicted.
Day 3 Recap
6 of 7
Day 3 Results
Men's Singles - Round 1
Juan Martin del Potro beats Sergiy Stakhovsky: 6-3, 7-6(4)
Bernard Tomic beats Igor Sijsling: 6-1, 6-2
Mikhail Kikushkin beats Denis Istomin: 6-3, 7-6(1)
Vasek Pospisil beats Andreas Seppi: 6-3, 7-6(4)
Jeremy Chardy (7) beats Sam Querrey: 6-4, 6-4
Gilles Muller beats Sam Groth: 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6)
Viktor Troicki beats Martin Klizan (8): 6-2, 6-3
Pablo Andujar beats Jarkko Nieminen: 6-2, 6-2
Jerzy Janowicz beats Nick Kyrgios: 6-1, 6-7(6), 7-6(6)
Women’s Singles - Round 2
Karolina Pliskova beats Nicole Gibbs: 6-0, 6-0
Carla Suarez Navarro beats Ekaterina Makarova (6): 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Garbine Muguruza beats Agnieszka Radwanska (3): 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2
Tsvetana Pironkova beats Madison Keys: 4-6, 4-1 (retirement)
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova beats Samantha Stosur: 7-6(1), 6-2
Juan Martin del Potro won his first match on return from injury, beating Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-3, 7-6(4).
The Argentine player was back in action after 10 months away from the game and needed a wildcard to take his place in the main draw at the tournament. But the signs were positive for the former U.S. Open champion, who looked in fine fettle throughout the course of his clash against the Ukrainian.
"These guys are playing all year. It's time to get back on the train again," Del Potro said afterwards, per bigstory.ap.org. "This tournament is very special to me."
Del Potro, who is now at a lowly 338 in the ATP World Rankings, actually won this competition last year before suffering further injury heartache and subsequent wrist surgery. Next he faces top seed Fabio Fognini in what looks set to be an exceptional second round match.
Since his only Grand Slam triumph in 2009, the imposing Argentine has missed 18 months of action with wrist injuries and the tennis world will be hoping unanimously that his fitness woes are now firmly behind him.
The man who finished as runner-up to Del Potro last year in Sydney was home crowd favourite Bernard Tomic and he also looks in form on the cusp of the Australian Open.
It took the Australian just 43 minutes to get the better of Dutchman Igor Sijsling 6-1, 6-2, but he’ll be acutely aware there are much sterner challenges to come if he's to replicate last year's efforts.
In the women’s draw another former U.S. Open winner and home crowd favourite was in action, as Aussies flocked into the stands in support of Samantha Stosur. But she continued to toil on home soil, eventually losing out to Barbora Zhalavova Strycova in straight sets.
It was a big shock and another disappointing effort from Stosur, but credit must go to the Czech player, who was delighted with her display, per apiainternational.com.au:
"I was playing, following the tactic what I got from my coach, and I’m happy, very happy with the performance I did today.
I had to focus on my game, as usual. I was thinking to go maybe more to the net and playing there and playing aggressive against her, because she’s very powerful player.
"
There was to be another shock in the women’s singles too, as Spain’s Garbine Muguruza upset the odds to beat Agnieszka Radwanska in a thrilling three set encounter. The youngster actually began the match on the back foot, but showed remarkable poise and power as the action continued; in the end, she had far too much for the third seed, winning through in three sets.
Petra Kvitova remains the big favourite to take the women’s title and there were no such worries for her on Day 2 of the competition. The two-time Grand Slam winner made light work of China’s Peng Shuai to book her place in the quarter-finals.
Day 1 and 2 Recap
7 of 7
Day 1 and 2 Results
Round 1 Women's Singles
Madison Keys beat Svetlana Kuznetsova: 6-4, 6-4
Daria Gavrilova beat Belinda Bencic: 6-3, 6-0
Samantha Stosur beat Lucie Sararova: 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3
Carla Suarez Navarro beat Sabine Lisicki: 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(4)
Jarmila Gajdosova beat Andrea Petkovic: 6-1, 7-6(5)
Shuai Peng beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova: 1-6, 7-6(1), 6-4
Garbine Muguruza beat Sara Errani: 6-0, 7-5
Ekaterina Makarova (6 ) beat Elina Svitolina: 7-6(1), 6-2
Babora Zahlavova beat Caroline Wozniacki (2): 6-4, 1-1 retired
Tsvetana Pironikova beat Flavia Pennetta (8): 6-3, 7-6(4)
Karolina Pliskova beat Polona Hercog: 6-4, 6-4
Dominika Cibulkova (7) beat Kristina Mladenovic: 6-2, 6-2
Agnieszka Radwanska (3) beat Alize Cornet: 6-3, 6-2
Angelique Kerber (5) beat Lesia Tsurenko: 1-6, 6-4, 6-3
Round 1 Men's Singles
Pablo Cuevas (6) beat Nicolas Almagro: 7-6(5), 6-4
Leonardo Mayer (5) beat Benjamin Becker: 7-6(3), 6-2
Simone Bolelli beat Marinko Matosevic: 6-3, 6-2
The women's competition kicked off in style on Monday but lost one of the favourites for the tournament early on.
Danish star Caroline Wozniacki was forced to retire from her match with Barbora Zahlavova after receiving continuous treatment for a wrist injury.
After losing the first set, Wozniacki was clearly suffering and decided she had to call it a day with the second tied at 1-1.
She said after the match the problem is a historical issue, per ApiaInternational.com.au:
"I felt it during one shot. I hit it against the wind and hit it late and I felt it in my wrist. I’ve had it before so I kind of know what it is. It’s kind of painful every time I had to hit a backhand. I didn’t want to do it worse before Melbourne as well, so I’m just going to try and get some treatment on it and try and get ready for next week.
It’s something that comes and goes a little bit. But with some treatment and ice and stuff like that, (it) usually goes away.
"
The match of the day was played out between Sam Stosur and in-form talent Lucie Safarova in a three-hour contest. Stosur eventually triumphed after three hard sets.
Safarova has been Stosur's Achilles' heel in recent years, defeating her opponent nine times in their 11 meetings, per ApiaInternational.
Understandably, home favourite Stosur was delighted after her victory, again per ApiaInternational.com.au:
"So to come out there and play a tough match, you’re down a couple of set points and then lose the second set, and have a couple really tricky moments in that third
...
To come through that today and really turn the tables on that was, yeah, very pleasing.
"
Agnieszka Radwanska cruised through her first-round match, beating Alize Cornet. Radwanska is the highest-ranked player in the tournament and showed her quality in a dominant win.
The Polish player had battled Cornet in last week's Hopman Cup, with Radwanska's opponent victorious on that occasion. However, there was to be no repeat of Cornet's exploits, as Radwanska conceded just five games in her two-set win.
Cornet hit six double-faults and 39 unforced errors, per ApiaInternational.com.au, providing Radwanska with a simple win.
There were also straightforward victories for highly seeded players Ekaterina Makarova, Dominika Cibulkova and Angelique Kerber—all of whom have a serious chance of winning the competition.
In the men's first round, fifth seed Leonardo Mayer and sixth seed Pablo Cuevas comfortably made their way through to the next stage after regulation wins.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
