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2008 Australian Open – Day-by-day summaries
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2008 Australian Open
The 2008 Australian Open described in detail, in the form of day-by-day summaries.
All dates are AEDT (UTC+11)
Day 1 (14 January)
thumb|right|The Rod Laver Arena with the new, blue Plexicushion surface.
Day 1 saw few upsets, as favourites Justine Henin, Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Tatiana Golovin, Maria Sharapova, Shahar Pe'er, Amélie Mauresmo, Nicole Vaidišová, Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko, Richard Gasquet, and Mikhail Youzhny all advanced. Jelena Janković, world No. 3, also advanced but was heavily tested by Tamira Paszek, having to win 2–6, 6–2, 12–10 in three hours, saving three match points; the match featured an exceptional 15 breaks of serve. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7186041.stm Australian Open 2008 BBC Sport 14 January 2008 Retrieved 24 February 2008 Finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga scored his best victory to that point in a four set win over number 9 seed Andy Murray, 7–5, 6–4, 0–6, 7–6. Home favourite Alicia Molik also advanced into the second round.
Seeds out:
Men's singles: GBR Andy Murray [9], ESP Carlos Moyá [16], ARG Juan Ignacio Chela [18]
Women's singles: RUS Vera Zvonareva [23], UKR Julia Vakulenko [32]
Matches on main courtsMatches on Rod Laver Arena Event Winner Loser Score Women's singles 1st round USA Serena Williams [7] AUS Jarmila Gajdošová [WC] 6–3, 6–3 Women's singles 1st round BEL Justine Henin [1] JPN Aiko Nakamura 6–2, 6–2 Men's singles 1st round FRA Jo-Wilfried Tsonga GBR Andy Murray [9] 7–5, 6–4, 0–6, 7–6(7–5) Women's singles 1st round AUS Alicia Molik EST Kaia Kanepi 7–6(7–4), 7–5 Men's singles 1st round ESP Rafael Nadal [2] SRB 2004 Viktor Troicki [Q] 7–6(7–3), 7–5, 6–1Matches on Hisense Arena Event Winner Loser Score Women's singles 1st round SRB 2004 Jelena Janković [3] AUT Tamira Paszek 2–6, 6–2, 12–10 Men's singles 1st round USA Andy Roddick [6] CZE Lukáš Dlouhý [Q] 6–3, 6–4, 7–5 Women's singles 1st round RUS Maria Sharapova [5] CRO Jelena Kostanić Tošić 6–4, 6–3 Men's singles 1st round FRA Richard Gasquet [8] AUS Nick Lindahl [WC] 6–0, 6–1, 3–6, 6–2Matches on Margaret Court Arena Event Winner Loser Score Men's singles 1st round CHI Paul Capdeville AUS Brydan Klein 6–4, 7–5, 6–4 Women's singles 1st round USA Lindsay Davenport [PR] ITA Sara Errani 6–2, 3–6, 7–5 Men's singles 1st round RUS Nikolay Davydenko [4] FRA Michaël Llodra 7–5, 7–5, 6–3 Men's singles 1st round AUT Stefan Koubek ESP Carlos Moyá [16] 7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 7–5, 6–4Colored background means night matches
Day 2 (15 January)
Favourites Roger Federer, Tomáš Berdych, James Blake, Novak Djokovic, Fernando González, Lleyton Hewitt, Marcos Baghdatis, David Nalbandian, David Ferrer, Marat Safin, Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Anna Chakvetadze, Daniela Hantuchová, and Svetlana Kuznetsova all advanced. Other seeded players such as Li Na, Nadia Petrova, Sania Mirza, Agnieszka Radwańska, Dmitry Tursunov, and Juan Carlos Ferrero also advanced. Sofia Arvidsson caused the upset on the women's side, as she defeated No. 10 Marion Bartoli 6–7, 6–4, 6–3, and Dinara Safina went down to qualifier Sabine Lisicki. On the men's side, the upset of the day came when Dutch qualifier Robin Haase defeated No. 17 Ivan Ljubičić 6–7, 6–3, 6–0, 7–6. Day 2 saw the completion of all the remaining first round matches.
Seeded players out: Marion Bartoli, Dinara Safina, Ágnes Szávay, Lucie Šafářová; Ivan Ljubičić, Nicolás Almagro, Radek Štěpánek
Matches on main courtsMatches on Rod Laver Arena Event Winner Loser Score Men's singles 1st round SRB 2004 Novak Djokovic [3] GER Benjamin Becker 6–0, 6–2, 7–6(7–5) Women's singles 1st round RUS Svetlana Kuznetsova [2] FRA Nathalie Dechy 6–3, 6–1 Men's singles 1st round AUS Lleyton Hewitt [19] BEL Steve Darcis 6–0, 6–3, 6–0 Women's singles 1st round USA Venus Williams [8] CHN Yan Zi 6–2, 7–5 Men's singles 1st round SUI Roger Federer [1] ARG Diego Hartfield 6–0, 6–3, 6–0Matches on Hisense Arena Event Winner Loser Score Women's singles 1st round RUS Anna Chakvetadze [6] GER Andrea Petkovic 0–0, retired Men's singles 1st round CYP Marcos Baghdatis [15] SWE Thomas Johansson 7–6(7–0), 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 Women's singles 1st round SRB 2004 Ana Ivanovic [4] ROU Sorana Cîrstea 7–5, 6–3 Men's singles 1st round USA James Blake [12] CHI Nicolás Massú 6–3, 6–2, 6–2Matches on Margaret Court Arena Event Winner Loser Score Women's singles 1st round SVK Daniela Hantuchová [9] USA Vania King 6–3, 7–5 Men's singles 1st round KOR Lee Hyung-taik AUS Chris Guccione 7–6(8–6), 6–3, 6–4 Men's singles 1st round AUS Peter Luczak ARG Mariano Zabaleta 6–1, 6–7(2–7), 6–3, 6–4 Men's singles 1st round CHI Fernando González [7] GRE Konstantinos Economidis [Q] 7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 7–5, 6–4Colored background means night matches
Day 3 (16 January)
The Australian crowd were treated to an upset from one of their own as Casey Dellacqua sent No. 15 seed Patty Schnyder crashing out in the women's draw, while No. 13 Tatiana Golovin and No. 19 Sybille Bammer also struggled, losing to Aravane Rezaï and Hsieh Su-wei respectively. Maria Sharapova defeated comeback queen Lindsay Davenport in somewhat easy fashion 6–1, 6–3,Australian Open Day 3 – Sharapova powers past Davenport ITF website and Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and Jelena Janković also advanced with wins. Joining them were numerous lower seeds including Elena Dementieva, Nicole Vaidišová and Amélie Mauresmo. In the men's draw, Mardy Fish dominated No. 11 seed Tommy Robredo to send him crashing out 6–1, 6–2, 6–3, while Stanislas Wawrinka retired against Marc Gicquel down two sets to one. Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick and Richard Gasquet all progressed in straight sets, whilst Mikhail Youzhny was tested before eventually winning 4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 7–6. The doubles competition also began on Day 3.
Seeded players out: Tatiana Golovin, Patty Schnyder, Sybille Bammer; Tommy Robredo, Stanislas Wawrinka
Doubles seeds out: Maria Elena Camerin / Gisela Dulko
Matches on main courtsMatches on Rod Laver Arena Event Winner Loser Score Women's singles 2nd round BEL Justine Henin [1] RUS Olga Puchkova 6–1, 7–5 Men's singles 2nd round ESP Rafael Nadal [2] FRA Florent Serra 6–0, 6–2, 6–2 Women's singles 2nd round CZE Nicole Vaidišová [12] AUS Alicia Molik 6–2, 6–3 Women's singles 2nd round RUS Maria Sharapova [5] USA Lindsay Davenport [PR] 6–1, 6–3 Men's singles 2nd round USA Andy Roddick [6] GER Michael Berrer 6–2, 6–2, 6–4Matches on Hisense Arena Event Winner Loser Score Women's singles 2nd round AUS Casey Dellacqua SUI Patty Schnyder [15] 4–6, 7–5, 8–6 Men's singles 2nd round USA Mardy Fish ESP Tommy Robredo [11] 6–1, 6–2, 6–3 Women's singles 2nd round USA Serena Williams [7] CHN Yuan Meng 6–3, 6–1 Men's singles 2nd round RUS Nikolay Davydenko [4] FRA Nicolas Mahut 6–4, 6–0, 6–3Matches on Margaret Court Arena Event Winner Loser Score Men's singles 2nd round FRA Jo-Wilfried Tsonga USA Sam Warburg [Q] 6–4, 7–6(7–4), 6–2 Women's singles 2nd round FRA Amélie Mauresmo [18] RUS Yaroslava Shvedova 6–4, 7–6(7–5) Women's singles 2nd round SRB 2004 Jelena Janković ROU Edina Gallovits 6–2, 7–5 Women's singles 2nd round ISR Shahar Pe'er [17] AUS Jessica Moore [WC] 6–0, 7–5 Men's singles 2nd round FRA Richard Gasquet [8] ESP Feliciano López 6–2, 6–1, 6–3Colored background means night matches
Day 4 (17 January)
In the pick of the second round matches, former finalist Marcos Baghdatis dispatched former champion Marat Safin in five sets; 6–4, 6–4, 2–6, 3–6, 6–2. Seeds Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Fernando González, David Nalbandian, Tomáš Berdych and James Blake all came through unscathed; with Federer dropping only 3 games against Fabrice Santoro. Nineteenth seed and home favorite Lleyton Hewitt came through in typically gritty fashion, defeating Denis Istomin 7–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7193182.stm Clinical Federer thrashes Santoro BBC Sport 17 January 2008 On the women's side, Ana Ivanovic defeated Tathiana Garbin 6–0, 6–3 in the night match preceding Baghdatis vs. Safin. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze, Venus Williams, Daniela Hantuchová, Nadia Petrova and form player Li Na all navigated their way into the third round too.
Seeded players out: Alona Bondarenko; Fernando Verdasco, Dmitry Tursunov
Doubles seeds out: Nathalie Dechy / Dinara Safina, Lisa Raymond / Francesca Schiavone, Maria Kirilenko / Ágnes Szávay, Vania King / Nicole Pratt; Max Mirnyi / Jamie Murray, Simon Aspelin / Julian Knowle, Marcelo Melo / André Sá
Matches on main courtsMatches on Rod Laver Arena Event Winner Loser Score Women's singles 2nd round RUS Svetlana Kuznetsova [2] BUL Tsvetana Pironkova 7–6(7–0), 6–2 Men's singles 2nd round SUI Roger Federer [1] FRA Fabrice Santoro 6–1, 6–2, 6–0 Men's singles 2nd round AUS Lleyton Hewitt [19] UZB Denis Istomin [WC] 7–6(7–5), 6–3, 7–5, 6–1 Women's singles 2nd round SRB 2004 Ana Ivanovic [4] ITA Tathiana Garbin 6–0, 6–3 Men's singles 2nd round CYP Marcos Baghdatis [15] RUS Marat Safin 6–4, 6–4, 2–6, 3–6, 6–2Matches on Hisense Arena Event Winner Loser Score Women's singles 2nd round USA Venus Williams [8] FRA Camille Pin 7–5, 6–4 Women's singles 2nd round SVK Daniela Hantuchová [9] FRA Alizé Cornet 6–2, 7–5 Men's singles 2nd round SRB 2004 Novak Djokovic [3] ITA Simone Bolelli 6–1, 6–2, 6–2 Men's singles 2nd round ARG David Nalbandian [10] AUS Peter Luczak 4–6, 7–5, 6–4, 6–1Matches on Margaret Court Arena Event Winner Loser Score Men's singles 2nd round ESP Juan Carlos Ferrero [22] AUS Alun Jones [WC] 6–4, 6–4, 6–2 Women's singles 2nd round RUS Anna Chakvetadze [6] RUS Alisa Kleybanova [Q] 6–3, 6–4 Men's singles 2nd round ESP David Ferrer [5] ARG Juan Martín del Potro 6–3, 6–4, ret. Men's singles 2nd round USA James Blake [12] USA Michael Russell 6–3, 6–2, 6–2Colored background means night matches
The total attendance figure for Day 4 was 62,885, setting a new world record for a combined day/night attendance at a Grand Slam event. The previous record was 61,083, set during the 2007 US Open. http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2008-01-17/200801171200571304801.html AO 2008 achieves Grand Slam world record attendance Tennis Australia 17 January 2008
Day 5 (18 January)
The first match of the night session on the Rod Laver Arena saw local player Casey Dellacqua, who had previously never progressed beyond the first round at the Australian Open, defeat former champion Amélie Mauresmo 3–6, 6–4, 6–4. Justine Henin struggled to get to grips with Francesca Schiavone before winning; and Nicole Vaidišová and Serena Williams set up an intriguing fourth round match, a re-match of the previous year's semi-final.
In the last match of the day, Philipp Kohlschreiber, the 29th seed of Germany, defeated the 6th seeded Andy Roddick in 232 minutes: 6–4, 3–6, 7–6, 6–7, 8–6; with the match reaching its conclusion past 02:00. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/jan/18/tennis.australianopen20081 Roddick dumped out after gruelling duel with Kohlschreiber The Guardian Nicky Bandini 18 January 2008 London Retrieved 24 February 2008 Roddick was visibly perturbed during the match, which resulted in his earliest exit at the Australian Open since 2002. During the match, Roddick called umpire Emmanuel Joseph an "idiot" and received a retrospective fine of $500 for racquet abuse. http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23079412-23216,00.html Roddick's serve for all Fox Sports (Australia), Leo Schlink 15 December 2007 Retrieved 21 February 2008 Kohlschreiber entered the tournament in good form, having won the 2008 Heineken Open. https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=3192781 Kohlschreiber wins Heineken Open for second ATP singles title ESPN, Reuters 12 January 2008 Retrieved 21 February 2008 Rafael Nadal faced world number 33 Gilles Simon, and had to save six set points in the first set. Simon squandered the first three to unforced errors, but it was Nadal who produced two aces and a drop shot to save himself at 4–5, 0-40. Paul-Henri Mathieu, under the stewardship of Mats Wilander, http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/04122007/58/atp-tour-mathieu-team-wilander.html Mathieu to team up with Wilander Yahoo! Sports, Eurosport 4 December 2007 Retrieved 24 February 2008 progressed after surviving a five-set thriller versus Stefan Koubek. Nikolay Davydenko, Richard Gasquet, Mikhail Youzhny, Jarkko Nieminen and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also advanced.
Seeded players out: Shahar Pe'er, Amélie Mauresmo, Francesca Schiavone, Victoria Azarenka, Virginie Razzano; Andy Roddick, Ivo Karlović, Gilles Simon, Igor Andreev
Doubles seeds out: Katarina Srebotnik / Ai Sugiyama
Matches on main courtsMatches on Rod Laver Arena Event Winner Loser Score Women's singles 3rd round BEL Justine Henin [1] ITA Francesca Schiavone [25] 7–5, 6–4 Women's singles 3rd round SRB 2004 Jelena Janković [3] FRA Virginie Razzano [30] 6–2, 4–6, 6–1 Men's singles 3rd round ESP Rafael Nadal [2] FRA Gilles Simon [28] 7–5, 6–2, 6–3 Women's singles 3rd round AUS Casey Dellacqua FRA Amélie Mauresmo [18] 6–3, 4–6, 4–6 Men's singles 3rd round GER Philipp Kohlschreiber [29] USA Andy Roddick [6] 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(11–9), 6–7(3–7), 8–6Matches on Hisense Arena Event Winner Loser Score Men's singles 3rd round RUS Nikolay Davydenko [4] FRA Marc Gicquel 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 Women's singles 3rd round USA Serena Williams [8] BLR 1995 Victoria Azarenka [26] 6–3, 6–4 Women's singles 3rd round RUS Maria Sharapova [5] RUS Elena Vesnina 6–3, 6–0 Men's singles 3rd round FRA Richard Gasquet [8] RUS Igor Andreev [31] 6–3, 6–2, 4–6, 6–4Matches on Margaret Court Arena Event Winner Loser Score Women's singles 3rd round CZE Nicole Vaidišová [12] JPN Ai Sugiyama 6–3, 6–4 Men's singles 3rd round FRA Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ESP Guillermo García López 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 Women's singles 3rd round RUS Elena Dementieva [11] ISR Shahar Pe'er [17] 6–2, 6–0 Mixed doubles 1st round FRA Nathalie Dechy [8] ISR Andy Ram [8] AUS Sophie Ferguson AUS Adam Feeney 6–3, 6–4 Men's singles 3rd round FIN Jarkko Nieminen [24] USA Mardy Fish 3–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–3, 6–1Colored background means night matches
Day 6 (19 January)
Day 6 in Melbourne was plagued by rain and consequently matches could only take place on the indoor courts. In the women's competition, Ana Ivanovic made light work of Katarina Srebotnik whilst Venus Williams was more sternly tested by Sania Mirza. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7197439.stm Kuznetsova makes shock early exit BBC Sport 19 January 2008 However, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna Chakvetadze both saw their tournaments ended in the third round by Agnieszka Radwańska and Maria Kirilenko respectively.
The men's competition featured two prolonged five-set matches. In the first, No. 1 seed Roger Federer was pushed to the limit by Janko Tipsarević before triumphing; 6–7, 7–6, 5–7, 6–1, 10–8 in 267 minutes. The second featured Australian hopeful Lleyton Hewitt, who defeated Marcos Baghdatis 4–6, 7–5, 7–5, 6–7, 6–3 in a match that provoked discussion about the validity of night matches; http://uk.reuters.com/article/tennisNews/idUKB69007420080120 https://web.archive.org/web/20080123085728/http://uk.reuters.com/article/tennisNews/idUKB69007420080120 dead January 23, 2008 Organisers defend Hewitt-Baghdatis late late show Reuters UK 20 January 2008 the players did not finish play until 04:34 am the next day,http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2008-01-20/200801201200788933421.html Saturday Night Fever Tennis Australia 20 January 2008 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080120221230/http://www.australianopen.com./en_AU/news/articles/2008-01-20/200801201200788933421.html 20 January 2008 dmy 282 minutes since it started at 11:52 pm. Significantly, the match extended further into the evening than any other in the history of the Australian Open. The Federer-Tipsarević match, which lasted 267 minutes, overlapped into the night session which it normally starts at 7:30 pm and this delayed the commencement of the women's singles match between Venus Williams and Sania Mirza until 10:00 pm. Rules had previously been put in place so that a men's singles match would not start if other matches had played past 11:00 pm; http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/hewitt-beats-baghdatis-in-thriller/2008/01/20/1200764046417.html Hewitt outlasts Baghdatis in marathon The Sydney Morning Herald 20 January 2008 however, with the home crowd growing anxious, the organizers decided to go ahead with the Hewitt vs. Baghdatis match.
In other matches, the 2007 finalist Fernando González made an early exit to Marin Čilić; Novak Djokovic, James Blake and Tomáš Berdych all progressed as well.
Seeded players out: Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze, Katarina Srebotnik, Sania Mirza; Fernando González, Marcos Baghdatis, Juan Mónaco
Schedule of Play
Matches on main courtsMatches on Rod Laver Arena Event Winner Loser Score Women's singles 3rd round RUS Maria Kirilenko [27] RUS Anna Chakvetadze [6] 6–7(6–8), 6–1, 6–2 Men's singles 3rd round CRO Marin Čilić CHI Fernando González [7] 6–2, 6–7(4–7), 6–3, 6–1 Men's singles 3rd round SUI Roger Federer [1] SRB 2004 Janko Tipsarević 6–7(5–7), 7–6(7–1), 5–7, 6–1, 10–8 Women's singles 3rd round USA Venus Williams [8] IND Sania Mirza [31] 7–6(7–0), 6–4 Men's singles 3rd round AUS Lleyton Hewitt [19] CYP Marcos Baghdatis [15] 4–6, 7–5, 7–5, 6–7(4–7), 6–3Matches on Vodafone Arena Event Winner Loser Score Women's singles 3rd round POL Agnieszka Radwańska [29] RUS Svetlana Kuznetsova [2] 6–3, 6–4 Men's singles 3rd round USA James Blake [12] FRA Sébastien Grosjean 4–6, 2–6, 6–0, 7–6(7–5), 6–2 Women's singles 3rd round SRB 2004 Ana Ivanovic [4] SLO Katarina Srebotnik [28] 6–3, 6–4 Men's singles 3rd round SRB 2004 Novak Djokovic [3] USA Sam Querrey 6–3, 6–1, 6–3Matches on Margaret Court Arena Event Winner Loser Score Men's singles 3rd round CZE Tomáš Berdych [13] ARG Juan Mónaco [21] 3–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–5), 6–2 Women's singles 3rd round ESP Virginia Ruano Pascual vs. SVK Daniela Hantuchová [9] Cancelled Mixed doubles 1st round AUS Jessica Moore [WC] / AUS Greg Jones [WC] vsAUS Rennae Stubbs / AUS Todd Perry Cancelled Women's doubles 2nd round USA Lindsay Davenport / SVK Daniela HantuchovávsCZE Gabriela Navrátilová / CZE Klára Zakopalová Cancelled Men's singles 3rd round ARG David Nalbandian [10] vs. ESP Juan Carlos Ferrero [22] CancelledColored background means night matches
Day 7 (20 January)
Nikolay Davydenko became the highest-seeded male player out so far, losing to fellow Russian Mikhail Youzhny, setting up a quarter-final tie with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who dumped out No.8-seeded compatriot Richard Gasquet 6–2, 6–7, 7–6, 6–3 in just over three hours. Jarkko Nieminen also advanced to the last eight. Maria Sharapova easily beat Elena Dementieva http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7198553.stm Henin through to face Sharapova BBC Sport 20 January 2008 and she joined Justine Henin, Serena Williams and Jelena Janković, who eliminated home favourite Casey Dellacqua, in the quarter-finals. Li Na said goodbye to the tournament, losing to qualifier Marta Domachowska. Rafael Nadal advanced to the quarter-finals as opponent Paul-Henri Mathieu retired with an injured left calf muscle; the second-ranked Spaniard was ahead 6–4, 3–0. David Nalbandian, the number 10 seed also suffered a straight-sets defeat at the hands of former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Seeded players out: Elena Dementieva, Nicole Vaidišová, Li Na; Nikolay Davydenko, Richard Gasquet, David Nalbandian, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Philipp Kohlschreiber
Doubles seeds out: Paul Hanley / Leander Paes, Julien Benneteau / Nicolas Mahut, Leoš Friedl / David Škoch, Christopher Kas / Rogier Wassen, František Čermák / Lukáš Dlouhý, Eric Butorac / Kevin Ullyett; Peng Shuai / Sun Tiantian; Zheng Jie / Daniel Nestor
Matches on main courtsMatches on Rod Laver Arena Event Winner Loser Score Men's singles 3rd round ESP Juan Carlos Ferrero [22] ARG David Nalbandian [10] 6–1, 6–2, 6–3 Men's singles 4th round FRA Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA Richard Gasquet [8] 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 7–6(8–6), 6–3 Women's singles 4th round USA Serena Williams [7] CZE Nicole Vaidišová [12] 6–3, 6–4 Women's singles 4th round SRB 2004 Jelena Janković [3] AUS Casey Dellacqua 7–6(7–3), 6–1 Men's singles 4th round ESP Rafael Nadal [2] FRA Paul-Henri Mathieu [23] 6–4, 3–0 ret.Matches on Hisense Arena Event Winner Loser Score Men's singles 3rd round ESP David Ferrer [5] USA Vincent Spadea 6–3, 6–3, 6–2 Women's singles 4th round BEL Justine Henin [1] TPE Hsieh Su-wei 6–2, 6–2 Women's singles 4th round RUS Maria Sharapova [5] RUS Elena Dementieva [11] 6–2, 6–0 Men's singles 4th round RUS Mikhail Youzhny [14] RUS Nikolay Davydenko [4] 7–6(7–2), 6–3, 6–1Matches on Margaret Court Arena Event Winner Loser Score Men's singles 4th round FIN Jarkko Nieminen [24] GER Philipp Kohlschreiber [29] 3–6, 7–6(9–7), 7–6(11–9), 6–3 Men's doubles 2nd round IND Rohan Bopanna USA Rajeev Ram AUS Paul Hanley [5] IND Leander Paes [5] 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(8–6) Men's doubles 3rd round USA Bob Bryan [1] USA Mike Bryan [1] FRA Julien Benneteau [14] FRA Nicolas Mahut [14] 6–3, 6–4 Mixed doubles 1st round ZIM Cara Black [1] AUS Paul Hanley [1] USA Bethanie Mattek AUS Jordan Kerr 7–6(7–5), 6–2Colored background means night matches
World number 4 Jelena Janković was handed a US$2,000 fine after allegedly receiving coaching from her mother, Snežana, during her third round match with Virginie Razzano of France. The game took place on Day 3 of the event. Umpire Maria Alves spotted the infringement during the match, and although unable to understand what had been communicated, dealt Janković a code violation for illegal coaching.
Janković denied the allegation, saying that she simply shouted 'C'mon' in Serbian. The practice of coaching during a match is banned at all WTA and Grand Slam events. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23080328-5010361,00.html Jankovic fined despite innocence plea The Australian 20 January 2008 20 January 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080124134333/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23080328-5010361,00.html 24 January 2008 dead dmy-all
Maria Sharapova was fined the same amount at the 2007 Australian Open, also for receiving illegal coaching, with the same umpire, Maria Alves, in the chair. http://www.torontodailynews.com/index.php/SportsNews/2007012606maria-sharapova Maria Sharapova Fined for Illegal Coaching Toronto Daily News 2007 20 January 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20070525021004/http://www.torontodailynews.com/index.php/SportsNews/2007012606maria-sharapova 25 May 2007 dead dmy-all
Day 8 (21 January)
Novak Djokovic powered his way into the quarter-finals, defeating Lleyton Hewitt 7–5, 6–3, 6–3 in a fourth-round clash. Roger Federer finished Tomáš Berdych's tournament in 1 hour and 59 minutes, 6–4, 7–6, 6–3. He faces James Blake next, who scored a 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 win over 19-year-old Croat Marin Čilić; a victory which saw him advance past the fourth round here for the first time. Venus Williams fought back twice from service breaks in the first set to secure a place in the quarter-finals; with a 6–4, 6–4 win over Marta Domachowska. She next faces No. 4 seed Ana Ivanovic, who put together a 6–1, 7–6 win over Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki. No. 9 seed Daniela Hantuchová beat No. 27 Maria Kirilenko 1–6, 6–4, 6–4 and will next play Poland's Agnieszka Radwańska, who upset No. 14 Nadia Petrova 1–6, 7–5, 6–0.
Seeded players out: Nadia Petrova, Maria Kirilenko; Tomáš Berdych, Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Carlos Ferrero
Doubles seeds out: Sania Mirza / Alicia Molik, Iveta Benešová / Galina Voskoboeva, Chan Yung-jan / Chuang Chia-jung; Mariusz Fyrstenberg / Marcin Matkowski
Matches on main courtsMatches on Rod Laver Arena Event Winner Loser Score Women's singles 4th round SRB 2004 Ana Ivanovic [4] DEN Caroline Wozniacki 6–1, 7–6(7–2) Women's singles 4th round USA Venus Williams [8] POL Marta Domachowska [Q] 6–4, 6–4 Men's singles 4th round SUI Roger Federer [1] CZE Tomáš Berdych [13] 6–4, 7–6(9-7), 6–3 Men's singles 4th round SRB 2004 Novak Djokovic [3] AUS Lleyton Hewitt [19] 7–5, 6–3, 6–3 Women's doubles 3rd round BLR 1995 Victoria Azarenka [12] ISR Shahar Pe'er [12] IND Sania Mirza [6] AUS Alicia Molik [6] 7–5, 6–3Matches on Hisense Arena Event Winner Loser Score Men's doubles 3rd round RSA Jeff Coetzee RSA Wesley Moodie IND Rohan Bopanna USA Rajeev Ram 3–6, 6–4, 6–3 Women's singles 4th round SVK Daniela Hantuchová [9] RUS Maria Kirilenko [27] 1–6, 6–4, 6–4 Women's doubles 2nd round SRB 2004 Jelena Janković USA Bethanie Mattek BLR 1995 Olga Govortsova BLR 1995 Darya Kustova 6–4, 6–3 Men's singles 4th round ESP David Ferrer [5] ESP Juan Carlos Ferrero [22] 7–5, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1Matches on Margaret Court Arena Event Winner Loser Score Legends doubles 1st round ARG Guillermo Vilas AUS Paul McNamee SWE Mats Wilander AUS Peter McNamara unknown Women's singles 4th round POL Agnieszka Radwańska [29] RUS Nadia Petrova [14] 1–6, 7–5, 6–0 Men's singles 4th round USA James Blake [12] CRO Marin Čilić 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 Mixed doubles 2nd round ZIM Cara Black [1] AUS Paul Hanley [1] AUS Jessica Moore [WC] AUS Greg Jones [WC] 6–1, 6–1Colored background means night matches
Day 9 (22 January)
thumb|Jelena Janković in her quarter-finals match.
Jelena Janković survived a straight set win over defending champion Serena Williams, making the semifinals of her 3rd different major. Rafael Nadal won his quarter final match against Jarkko Nieminen in straight sets, putting him into his first semi-final at the Australian Open. Maria Sharapova defeated No. 1 seed Justine Henin in a repeat of the 2007 WTA Tour Championships final. On this occasion, Henin was unable to win even a set as Sharapova eased to victory; 6–4, 6–0. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7201953.stm Brilliant Sharapova hammers Henin BBC Sport 22 January 2008Sharapova vs. Henin head-to-head WTA Tour website Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his match against 14th seed Mikhail Youzhny and booked his spot in the semi-finals.
Seeded players out: Justine Henin, Serena Williams; Mikhail Youzhny, Jarkko Nieminen
Doubles seeds out: Daniel Nestor / Nenad Zimonjić, Martin Damm / Pavel Vízner; Janette Husárová / Flavia Pennetta, Cara Black / Liezel Huber; Lisa Raymond / Simon Aspelin
In a day that was relatively free of controversy on the court, several media outlets focused on allegedly unsavoury aspects off it. Sharapova's father, Yuri Sharapov, came under intense scrutiny from Australian media after he made a throat-slashing gesture shortly after his daughter's match against the world No. 1 Justine Henin. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23099557-3162,00.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080127145311/http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23099557-3162,00.html dead January 27, 2008 Yuri Sharapov needs to face music Herald Sun 24 January 2008 Leo Schlink Sharapova had earlier joked that her father's camouflage hoodie made him look like "an assassin". http://www.meshtennis.com/blog/2008/01/22/yuri-sharapov-pretends-to-slit-throat-at-marias-match/ Yuri Sharapov pretends to slit throat at Maria's match Mesh Tennis 27 January 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080128214810/http://www.meshtennis.com/blog/2008/01/22/yuri-sharapov-pretends-to-slit-throat-at-marias-match/ 28 January 2008 dead The WTA claimed that the gesture was simply a joke between the pair, pertaining to this comment. http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/throatslit-gesture-was-a-joke-claims-wta/2008/01/23/1201024992628.html Yuri Throat-slit gesture was a joke, claims WTA The Sydney Morning Herald 24 January 2008
Day 10 (23 January)
Novak Djokovic defeated David Ferrer 6–0, 6–3, 7–5 in a closely fought third set, which advanced him to his fourth consecutive Grand Slam semi-final.Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic Australian Open Preview Tennis x, 24 January 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2008. Ana Ivanovic progressed to her first Australian Open semi-final after defeating Venus Williams 7–6, 6–4, a result which marked Ivanovic's first triumph over either of the Williams sisters.Ivanovic vs. V. Williams head-to-head WTA Tour website She set up a tie with Daniela Hantuchová, who advanced to her first Grand Slam semi-final after dispatching Agnieszka Radwańska 6–2, 6–2. Roger Federer defeated James Blake 7–5, 7–6, 6–4 in just over 2 hours. Federer's progression marked his 15th consecutive Grand Slam semi-final, a record.
Seeded players out: Venus Williams, Agnieszka Radwańska; David Ferrer, James Blake
Doubles seeds out: Bob Bryan / Mike Bryan; Květa Peschke / Rennae Stubbs, Yan Zi / Jie Zheng
Day 11 (24 January)
right|thumb|Ana Ivanovic reached her first Australian Open final.
In the first women's semi-final match, fifth seeded Russian Maria Sharapova defeated third seeded Serbian Jelena Janković in a two sets, 6–3, 6–1 to clinch the first spot in the finals. Janković later conceded that she "wanted to withdraw", but played on for the crowd's benefit. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7206187.stm Sharapova too strong for Jankovic BBC Sport 24 January 2008 24 February 2008 Fourth seeded Ana Ivanovic also progressed to the final after defeating Daniela Hantuchová in three sets, 0–6, 6–3, 6–4. Ivanovic had lost the first eight games of the match before rectifying her game. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7206194.stm Ivanovic sets up Sharapova final BBC Sport 24 January 2008 However, Hantuchová was critical of Ivanovic's tactics during the latter stages of the match. Hantuchová claimed that Ivanovic resorted to gamesmanship by shuffling her feet prior to her serve, thereby causing a distraction. Ivanovic said that any possible noise was a result of the new court surface; and tried to offer an explanation of Hantuchová's motives, saying, "Maybe she was just trying to pick on something, to get upset." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7206368.stm Hantuchova blasts Ivanovic tactic BBC Sport 24 January 2008 24 February 2008 Unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated second seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the first men's semifinal, in straight sets, 6–2, 6–3, 6–2 in less than 2 hours. Journalists expressed shock, not only at the victory, but at the comprehensive manner in which the nascent Tsonga won it. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7206398.stm Tsonga stuns Nadal to reach final BBC Sport 24 January 2008 Tsonga hit a total of 49 winners to Nadal's 13 and served imperiously: Nadal was unable to force a break point until the third set.
Seeded players out: Jelena Janković, Daniela Hantuchová; Rafael Nadal
Doubles seeds out: Cara Black / Paul Hanley, Chuang Chia-jung / Jonathan Erlich; Anabel Medina Garrigues / Virginia Ruano Pascual; Mahesh Bhupathi / Mark Knowles
Day 12 (25 January)
In the second men's semi-final, between No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 3 Novak Djokovic, Djokovic won in just over 2 hours; completing the victory in straight sets, 7–5, 6–3, 7–6 to reach the second grand slam final of his career. This broke Federer's record run of appearing in 10 consecutive grand slam finals. In the women's doubles final, Alyona and Kateryna Bondarenko beat Victoria Azarenka and Shahar Pe'er 2–6, 6–1, 6–4 to win their first Grand Slam title.
Seeded player out: Roger Federer
Doubles seeds out: Victoria Azarenka / Shahar Pe'er; Yan Zi / Mark Knowles, Nathalie Dechy / Andy Ram
Day 13 (26 January)
In what was dubbed the "Glam Slam" final,Sharapova to put Ivanovic to test in glam slam final | Sport | The Guardian Maria Sharapova of Russia won the Women's 2008 Australian Open over Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in straight sets; 7–5, 6–3. It was Sharapova's third Grand Slam title. Sharapova also achieved the feat of not dropping a set or playing a tiebreak the entire tournament, after she was heavily defeated by Serena Williams in the 2007 final. In the men's doubles final, the Israeli pair, Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram beat Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra of France 7–5, 7–6 to win their first Grand Slam title.
The juniors competition also reached its conclusion on Day 13. Australian Bernard Tomic defeated Taiwanese player Yang Tsung-hua; 4–6, 7–6, 6–0 to win the boys' event. Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands defeated the other Australian hopeful, Jessica Moore, 6–3, 6–4 to claim the girls' singles crown. In the women's wheelchair event, Esther Vergeer won her third consecutive title, beating fellow Dutchwoman Korie Homan 6–4, 6–3. Shingo Kunieda won his fourth slam in a row in the men's wheelchair competition, defeating former champion Michaël Jérémiasz 6–1, 6–4.
Seeded player out: Ana Ivanovic
Doubles seeds out: Arnaud Clément / Michaël Llodra
Day 14 (27 January)
Third seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in four sets; 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6, becoming the first Serbian player to win a Grand-Slam singles title.
Sun Tiantian of China and Nenad Zimonjić of Serbia were crowned the 2008 Mixed Doubles champions after defeating Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi of India in straight sets; 7–6, 6–4.
References
Day-by-day summaries
2008