David EdwardsWeekend Wrap – Australia…Nearly Losing?
January 28th 2007 13:22
Whilst the month of September is known for its finals series, it seems that the summer of finals is upon us as the Australian Open wraps up, the A-League begins its finals campaign, and the NBL and one day tournament begins to gear up, with New Zealand finally showing some form in the game.
Lets begin with the Australian Open and once more Roger Federer will leave the tournament with the trophy in his grasp. After convincingly knocking out Andy Roddick in the semi-final on Friday, Federer was able to win his third straight Open championship, downing Fernando Gonzalas 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-4.
His straight set win means Federer has been able to go through the tournament without dropping a single set, however Gonzalas was able to push the world number one to the brink in the first set. But after Federer won the tiebreak, he was able to make the rest of the game easy, with Gonzalas never looking like he would be able to manoeuvre his way for a comeback.
In the women’s competition, Serena Williams was able to convince the tennis world that she is still a real threat on the tour, winning in straight sets against Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2. Williams was able to show off her ability, and whilst both females were hinted at cheating in some form throughout the competition, Williams was very even handed at destroyed Sharapova, showing off a range of shots to win one of the biggest one sided final that the tournament has seen in over a decade.
In the One Day Tournament Australia suffered a scare from New Zealand after scoring a ground record high score of 5/343 at the WACA today. Australia, who were able to cruise to the massive total due to centuries by Hayden and Ponting, went into the second innings thinking that they would be able to easily win the match. But a unbelievable comeback from New Zealand, including the staggering century of Jacob Oran from 70 balls, put pressure on the hosts to the final ball. However even after a number of sixes from the Black Caps, they just could not grab the victory from Australia, and losing by only 8 runs, New Zealand earned 5/335 in the biggest and most entertaining match that the one day series has given us this season.
On Friday the summer of terror continued for England, who lost to Australia after being bowled out for the horrific score of 110 in 34.3 overs. Australia easily matched the score in less than half of their innings. Man of the match, Mitchell Johnson, was able to stamp his dominance in the one day competition, taking an amazing 3-0 off seven balls.
In the A-League Sydney has made their stand in the first leg of the finals against Newcastle, whilst Adelaide and Melbourne will have to wait for a result in the next match at the Telstra Dome. On Friday night Sydney was able to knock back the resurgent Jets, winning the match 2-1. Sydney was able to score in the first 15 minutes, and once more at the 30th minute to dominate the first half, and whilst Newcastle pushed back in the final stage of the match, which included a goal at the 70th minute, they were not able to pull level going into the second leg at home on Friday.
At Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide and Melbourne were not able to draw first blood, and after 90 minutes of intense attack and solid defence, the game finished at 0-0. Adelaide were by far playing their best against the minor premiers, and throughout the match were dominating the play, but Melbourne were able to prove why their defence is considered the best in the league, and despite a couple of scares where able to lock the match down to hold an advantage at home next week.
In England, the FA Cup 4th Round, Manchester United was able to cruise through, easily taking out Portsmouth 2-1. The match was unable to cause any action until late in the second half, but Man U was able to knock two goals within 20 minutes to grab the win. In other games, Tottenham easily beat Southend 3-1, Watford scored a victory against fellow Premier League cellar dwellers West Ham 1-0, Plymouth beat Barnet 2-0, Reading knocked out Birmingham 3-2, Preston beat Crystal Palace 2-0, Blackburn crushed Luton 4-0, Ipswich beat Swansea 1-0, Fulham beat Stoke 3-0, Derby beat Bristol Rovers 1-0, Norwich tied with Blackpool 1-1, and Bristol City tied with Middlesborough 2-2.
In the NBL the Melbourne Tigers were upset by the arch rivals the Sydney Kings, losing by a single point 82-81. The Tigers were in dire straits in the first half, but were able to push back in the final quarter before narrowly losing. The win was especially special for the Sydney Kings, as not only did it snap a five game losing streak against the Tigers, but it also relieved the pressure from earlier in the round when they were upset by the home town rivals and bottom of the ladder West Sydney Razorbacks, going down 106 – 75. In the rest of the league, which was tight in most matches, the Perth Wildcats won their fifth and sixth straight matches downing the Wollongong Hawks 97-88, then beating South Melbourne Dragons in the literal final second of the match, winning 100-98, the Townsville Crocs edged out the Cairns Taipans 93-92, the NZ Breakers defeated the Hawks 99-80, and the Brisbane Bullets continued their dominance in the NBL, beating the Adelaide 36ers 131 – 99.
Whilst the Australian Open has shut up shop for another year, there has never been a better time to get into the summer of sport. The A-League Finals are now in full swing, the NBL is edging towards another great playoff series, and even the cricket is showing an slight hint of a real contest. Expect a number of nerve wrenching games all across the country in the coming weeks.
Until next time, sports minds.
Lets begin with the Australian Open and once more Roger Federer will leave the tournament with the trophy in his grasp. After convincingly knocking out Andy Roddick in the semi-final on Friday, Federer was able to win his third straight Open championship, downing Fernando Gonzalas 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-4.
His straight set win means Federer has been able to go through the tournament without dropping a single set, however Gonzalas was able to push the world number one to the brink in the first set. But after Federer won the tiebreak, he was able to make the rest of the game easy, with Gonzalas never looking like he would be able to manoeuvre his way for a comeback.
In the women’s competition, Serena Williams was able to convince the tennis world that she is still a real threat on the tour, winning in straight sets against Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2. Williams was able to show off her ability, and whilst both females were hinted at cheating in some form throughout the competition, Williams was very even handed at destroyed Sharapova, showing off a range of shots to win one of the biggest one sided final that the tournament has seen in over a decade.
In the One Day Tournament Australia suffered a scare from New Zealand after scoring a ground record high score of 5/343 at the WACA today. Australia, who were able to cruise to the massive total due to centuries by Hayden and Ponting, went into the second innings thinking that they would be able to easily win the match. But a unbelievable comeback from New Zealand, including the staggering century of Jacob Oran from 70 balls, put pressure on the hosts to the final ball. However even after a number of sixes from the Black Caps, they just could not grab the victory from Australia, and losing by only 8 runs, New Zealand earned 5/335 in the biggest and most entertaining match that the one day series has given us this season.
On Friday the summer of terror continued for England, who lost to Australia after being bowled out for the horrific score of 110 in 34.3 overs. Australia easily matched the score in less than half of their innings. Man of the match, Mitchell Johnson, was able to stamp his dominance in the one day competition, taking an amazing 3-0 off seven balls.
In the A-League Sydney has made their stand in the first leg of the finals against Newcastle, whilst Adelaide and Melbourne will have to wait for a result in the next match at the Telstra Dome. On Friday night Sydney was able to knock back the resurgent Jets, winning the match 2-1. Sydney was able to score in the first 15 minutes, and once more at the 30th minute to dominate the first half, and whilst Newcastle pushed back in the final stage of the match, which included a goal at the 70th minute, they were not able to pull level going into the second leg at home on Friday.
At Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide and Melbourne were not able to draw first blood, and after 90 minutes of intense attack and solid defence, the game finished at 0-0. Adelaide were by far playing their best against the minor premiers, and throughout the match were dominating the play, but Melbourne were able to prove why their defence is considered the best in the league, and despite a couple of scares where able to lock the match down to hold an advantage at home next week.
In England, the FA Cup 4th Round, Manchester United was able to cruise through, easily taking out Portsmouth 2-1. The match was unable to cause any action until late in the second half, but Man U was able to knock two goals within 20 minutes to grab the win. In other games, Tottenham easily beat Southend 3-1, Watford scored a victory against fellow Premier League cellar dwellers West Ham 1-0, Plymouth beat Barnet 2-0, Reading knocked out Birmingham 3-2, Preston beat Crystal Palace 2-0, Blackburn crushed Luton 4-0, Ipswich beat Swansea 1-0, Fulham beat Stoke 3-0, Derby beat Bristol Rovers 1-0, Norwich tied with Blackpool 1-1, and Bristol City tied with Middlesborough 2-2.
In the NBL the Melbourne Tigers were upset by the arch rivals the Sydney Kings, losing by a single point 82-81. The Tigers were in dire straits in the first half, but were able to push back in the final quarter before narrowly losing. The win was especially special for the Sydney Kings, as not only did it snap a five game losing streak against the Tigers, but it also relieved the pressure from earlier in the round when they were upset by the home town rivals and bottom of the ladder West Sydney Razorbacks, going down 106 – 75. In the rest of the league, which was tight in most matches, the Perth Wildcats won their fifth and sixth straight matches downing the Wollongong Hawks 97-88, then beating South Melbourne Dragons in the literal final second of the match, winning 100-98, the Townsville Crocs edged out the Cairns Taipans 93-92, the NZ Breakers defeated the Hawks 99-80, and the Brisbane Bullets continued their dominance in the NBL, beating the Adelaide 36ers 131 – 99.
Whilst the Australian Open has shut up shop for another year, there has never been a better time to get into the summer of sport. The A-League Finals are now in full swing, the NBL is edging towards another great playoff series, and even the cricket is showing an slight hint of a real contest. Expect a number of nerve wrenching games all across the country in the coming weeks.
Until next time, sports minds.
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