Djokovic grinds Murray down to win Australian Open
MELBOURNE (Reuters): Novak Djokovic ground down Andy Murray 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-0 on Sunday to win a record fifth Australian Open title in the professional era and consign the Scot to further grand slam pain Down Under.
The pair waged a fierce baseline duel for the opening two sets, but after taking a 2-0 lead in the third set, Murray crumbled under the Serb’s pressure to lose 12 of the last 13 games as Djokovic closed out an emphatic win under the lights of Rod Laver Arena.
Top seed Djokovic sealed the victory on the second match-point, rushing to the net with a searing approach shot that Murray could only dump into the net.
The steely-eyed Serb roared in triumph and went to his player’s box to share the win with his team before tearing off his shirt and throwing it into the crowd.
“Tough luck tonight. You are a great competitor,” Djokovic, clasping the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, said at the trophy ceremony.
“You fight a lot, and I want to congratulate your team and wish you all the best in the rest of the season. I will also congratulate you and Kim on your engagement, and I wish you a wonderful wedding.”
Djokovic has now won four out of the last five trophies at Melbourne Park, after winning a hat-trick from 2011-13 and his first grand slam title in Australia in 2008.
The loss continued Murray’s heartbreak Down Under, where he has now lost four major finals, including three to his friend and fellow 27-year-old Djokovic.
“I would like congratulate Novak on his fifth Australian Open,” Murray said. “Fantastic, an incredible record, and thoroughly deserved.
“I will try to come back next year, and hopefully have a slightly different outcome in the final.”
A highly anticipated match-up, the pair set the tone from the first point with a fierce rally featuring scrambling, net-rushes and a Murray lob before the Scot forced an error from the Serb.
The match was interrupted a game later when two people jumped on the court in an embarrassing security lapse to protest against the Australian government’s off-shore detention of asylum seekers.
Williams overpowers Sharapova to win 19th grand slamReuters: Top seed Serena Williams fought off a barking cough to clinch her 19th grand slam singles title with a 6-3 7-6(5) victory over Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final on Saturday. “I went on the courts with a ball and racquet and hope and that’s all I had. |