Australian Open 2010

The 74-year wait for a male British Grand Slam champion continues after Roger Federer extended his record-breaking tally of Grand Slam titles to 16 with a straight sets win over Andy Murray in the 2010 Australian Open final.

Federer was in control of the match from the very beginning, taking the first two sets by the comfortable margin of 6-3 6-4. Murray finally broke through in the third, establishing a 5-2 lead before the world #1 mounted a spirited comeback, forcing a monumental tie break which featured some high drama. Feeling the tension, Murray failed to capitalise on five set points, twice missing easy winners, while Federer missed his first match point with a passing shot that missed by millimetres, and his second when he inexplicably left a shot from his opponent that floated past him to land on the baseline. The 28-year old eventually converted his third championship point to secure the tiebreak 13-11 after two and three quarter hours of play.

The final result was a fitting conclusion to what Federer described as "two of the best weeks of tennis of my life." The only set conceded by the world #1 was in the quarterfinals against Nikolay Davydenko, winner of their recent encounters in London and Doha, after which the three-time champion embarked on a morale-crushing run of 13 consecutive games to wrest control of the match from the Russian, securing a semi final berth against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, which the Swiss star was to win in just 90 minutes. Murray had also been in fine form, advancing to the final without the loss of a set, and accounted for defending champion Rafael Nadal, who was forced to withdraw from a high quality quarterfinal match after losing the first two sets due to a knee tendon injury.

In the women's event, Serena Williams became the first player since Jennifer Capriati in 2002 to successfully defend her title in Melbourne, navigating a tricky path to secure her fifth Australian Open.

Having started the tournament with injury worries following an uncharacteristically meek loss to Elena Dementieva in the Sydney final the previous week, during which Williams sported a heavily-strapped knee, the world #1 was initially in imperious form, blasting her way to the last eight for the loss of just fifteen games. Quarter final opponent Victoria Azarenka looked on course to record an upset, as the seventh seed led 6-4 3-0 before Serena launched one of the finest comebacks of her career to clinch the second set on a tie break and finally gain control of the match in the decider. Serena then played well at the key moments in a tight semi final match with Na Li, edging past the Chinese #1 (and newest entry to the world's top ten) 7-6 7-6 to set up the hotly anticipated final with Justine Henin.

All eyes had been on former world #1 Henin for weeks, with the Belgian's long-awaited comeback gathering steam after a loss to compatriot Kim Clijsters in the final of her first event back in Brisbane had been followed by an impressive 7-5 7-6 win over the in-form Dementieva in the second round, confirming - if anyone had doubted - that the 2004 champion was a possible winner. Scrappy wins over Alisa Kleybanova, Yanina Wickmayer and Nadia Petrova contrasted sharply with a faultless semi final 6-1 6-0 thrashing of China's Jie Zheng which saw Henin advance to her first Grand Slam meeting with Williams in almost seven years.

As in many of their previous encounters, no quarter was given between the two players, with Williams striking first to earn a fairly comfortable first set, 6-4. From the mid-way point of the second set, Henin hit a purple patch, reeling off fifteen consecutive points to level the match at one set all. Both players had opportunities in the decider, but Henin was unable to break past the increasingly reliable Williams serve, squandering five break points as the American raced to a 6-2 win.

Williams was naturally delighted with her 12th Grand Slam title, which tied her with Billie Jean King on the all-time list, and came a day after defending the doubles title with sister Venus. The pair upset world #1s Cara Black (ZIM) and Liezel Huber (USA) in straight sets to seal the title, and has now won four of the last six Grand Slam titles together. Their total of 11 is the third most successful partnership in history, and the pair later expressed regret at having neglected doubles earlier in their careers.

Cara Black gained come consolation later on, teaming with India's Leander Paes to take the mixed doubles event; thanks to a 7-5 6-3 win over Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) and Jaroslav Levinsky (CZE) in the final. The win marked Paes' 11th Grand Slam doubles title, drawing him level with former partner Mahesh Bhupathi as the most successful Indian player ever.

The men's doubles was also won by American siblings, as Bob and Mike Bryan captured their fourth title in five years with a hard-fought three set win over second seeded rivals Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic. The Candian/Serbian pair looked to be on course for a ninth win in twelve matches with the twins when they fought back to clinch a second set tie break, but the Bryans were dominant on serve in the decider and once they broke in the fourth game never looked back. The Bryan brothers move to second on the all-time Grand Slam winners list, but despite the loss Nestor & Zimonjic will reclaim the #1 ranking following the tournament.

Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic won the first junior grand slam of her career, avenging her sister Kristyna's semi final loss to Laura Robson with a straight sets defeat of the Briton, who ended the event as runner-up for a second consecutive year. Pliskova, who had not played in a junior event since April 2007 until the week prior to the Australian Open, will receive a wild card into next year's qualifying event as a reward. In the doubles, Slovak pair Jana Cepelova & Chantal Skamlova capped a successful week with a win over top seeds Timea Babos (HUN) & Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN) to win their first junior title together.

In the boy's event, Tiago Fernandes of Brazil also claimed his first junior Slam, sweeping past home hope Sean Berman to earn himself a welcome 17th birthday present. The unseeded Dutch team of Justin Eleveld and Jannick Lupescu won the doubles, capitalising on a shock win over top seeds Daniel Berta (SWE) & Marton Fucsovics (HUN) in the first round to reach the final without the loss of a set, before summarily despatching Germany's former European Junior Champions Kevin Krawietz and Dominik Schulz 6-4 6-4.

With the leading men jostling to establish a pecking order behind Federer at the top of the rankings, and Belgium's comeback queens Henin and Clijsters having already demonstrated that they are once again key Grand Slam contenders, 2010 is already shaping up to be a memorable year for the sport.

Final Results - Australian Open 2010

Men's Singles:
(1) Roger Federer (SUI) d. (5) Andy Murray (GBR) 63 64 76(11)
Women's Singles:
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. (WC) Justine Henin (BEL) 64 36 62
Men's Doubles:
(1) Bryan/Bryan (USA) d. (2) Nestor (CAN)/Zimonjic (SRB) 63 67(5) 63
Women's Doubles:
(2) Williams/Williams (USA) d. (1) Black (ZIM)/Huber (USA) 64 63
Mixed Doubles:
(1) Black (ZIM)/Paes (IND) d. Makarova (RUS)/Levinsky (CZE) 75 63
Boys' Singles:
Tiago Fernandes (BRA) d. Sean Berman (AUS) 75 63
Boys' Doubles:
Eleveld/Lupescu (NED) d. Krawietz/Schulz (GER) 64 64
Girls' Singles:
(6) Karolina Pliskova (CZE) d. Laura Robson (GBR) 61 76(5)
Girls' Doubles:
Cepelova/Skamlova (SVK) d. Babos (HUN)/Dabrowski (CAN) 76(1) 62
Wheelchair Mens Singles
(1) Shingo Kuneida (JPN) d. Stephane Houdet (FRA) 76(3) 26 75
Wheelchair Womens Singles
(1) Korie Homan (NED) d. Florence Gravellier (FRA) 62 62
Wheelchair Mens Doubles
(2) Houdet (FRA)/Kuneida (JPN) d. Scheffers/Ammerlaan (NED) 62 62
Wheelchair Women's Doubles
Gravellier (FRA)/Van Koot (NED) d. Shuker (GBR)/Di Toro (AUS) 63 76
Quad Singles
Peter Norfolk (GBR) d. David Wagner (USA) 62 76(4)
Quad Doubles
Taylor/Wagner (USA) d. Norfolk (GBR)/Andersson (SWE) 62 76(5)