Australian Open 2013 Melbourne - Tennis Day 1

THE 2013 Australian Open kicks off today at 11am AEDT. Join us for all the latest results and news from Melbourne Park.

 We will be covering every winner, tantrum and controversy of the Open from 11am till the end of play every day for the next two weeks.

The weather is perfect today, with the bureau predicting sunny conditions with a top of 23 degrees.

FIVE MATCHES NOT TO MISS TODAY

Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) v 8-Janko Tipsarevic (Ser) As Pat Cash advised, pull up a comfy chair, put on the jug and settle in for a baseline dogfight tonight.

29-Sam Stosur (Aus) v Kai-Chen Chang (Tai) Centre-court intrigue starts with the second match as Sammy tries to bury her home demons.

Casey Dellacqua (Aus) v Madison Keys (US) The leftie, on another injury comeback, will need to be ready for the talented 17-year-old US wildcard.

32-Julien Benneteau (Fra) v Grigor Dimitrov (Bul)  A snapshot of the future with the emerging young Dimitrov against the in-form Frenchman.

Viktor Troicki (Ser) v 31-Radek Stepanek (Cze)
The tall Serb is one of those dangerous unseeded foes in what shapes as a marathon match.

And here's the main matches today:

ROD LAVER ARENA

From 11am:
Olga Puchkova (Rus) v 2-Maria Sharapova (Rus)
Kai-Chen Chang (Tpe) v 9-Sam Stosur (Aus)
1-Novak Djokovic (Srb) v Paul-Henri Mathieu (Fra)

From 7pm
Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) v 8-Janko Tipsarevic (Srb)
13-Ana Ivanovic (Srb) v Melinda Czink (Hun)

HISENSE ARENA

From 11am:
25-Venus Williams (USA) v Galina Voskoboeva (Kaz)
David Goffin (Bel) v 22-Fernando Verdasco (Spa)
15-Dominika Cibulkova (Svk) v Ashleigh Barty (Aus)

Not before 5pm
4-David Ferrer (Esp) v Olivier Rochus (Bel)

MARGARET COURT ARENA

From 11am:
6-Li Na (Chn) v Sesil Karatantcheva (Kaz)
Bojana Bobusic (Aus) v 4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol)
23-Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) v Matthew Ebden (Aus)
Casey Dellacqua (Aus) v Madison Keys (US)

From 7pm
Albert Ramos (Spa) v 28-Marcos Baghdatis (Cyp)

OTHER AUSSIES

Show Court 3
John Millman (Aus) v Tatsuma Ito (Jpn)

Court 6
Vesna Dolonc (Srb) v Olivia Rogowska (Aus)

Court 7
Kristyna Pliskova (Cze) v Sacha Jones (Aus)

Novak Djokovic Wins Epic Thriller Over Rafael Nadal

NOVAK Djokovic's extraordinary juggernaut rolls on after the Serb this morning claimed the longest Grand Slam final in history.

Condemning Rafael Nadal to a record third consecutive major final loss, exhausted Djokovic posted a 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 Australian Open triumph - a victory for the ages.

On rubbery legs and fighting mental and physical exhaustion, Djokovic clambered off the canvas from 2-4 down in the fifth set to do it.

Fittingly, the 100th Australian men's final was the longest in Grand Slam history at 5hrs 53mins.

Defending champion Djokovic's third Melbourne Park title - and fifth major overall - was sealed at 1.37am local time.

It will live with with the Serb forever, such was its epic nature.

With nothing more to give in the final game of the match, Djokovic crossed himself and glanced skywards afte saving a break point.

He did so again on the following point after earning match point.

Djokovic slumped to the court in relief and elation and Nadal trudged towards the net after missing a forehand.

It was only the third decider to go the distance at Melbourne Park after Pat Cash and Mats Wilander (1988) and Nadal and Roger Federer (2009).

Djokovic, 24, has now beaten Nadal seven times in a row - and in each of the past three Grand Slam deciders at Wimbledon, US Open and the Australian.

The Serb relentlessly pounded Nadal's second serve to expose gaping holes in the Spaniard's defence to land his fifth major, joining Andre Agassi. Roger Federer and Mats Wilander as the only men to win three or more Australian crowns since 1968.

In much the same way Nadal relishes his stroke-for-stroke match-up with Federer, Djokovic exerts a similar thrall over Nadal.

The critical difference last night was the second serve. Djokovic operated at 64 percent. Nadal landed 45 percent.

It was a similar scenario at Wimbledon and the US Open.

In becoming only the fourth male since Rod Laver in 1969 to claim three consecutive majors - Pete Sampras, Federer and Nadal are the others - Djokovic proved again he is clearly the sport's premier player.

Supposedly exhausted after a protracted semi-final against Andy Murray on Friday night, he overcame a sluggish start in sultry conditions to have Nadal on the ropes deep into the fourth set.

Holding three break points for a 5-3 lead, Djokovic could not capitalise as the Spaniard steamed back into the contest.

And when Nadal held a commanding 4-2 lead in the deciding set, Djokovic somehow summoned the nerve and energy to draw back on terms.

He made the title-sealing inroad in the 11th game, when Nadal netted a weary backhand to earn the right to serve out the match.

For most of the contest, he was superior in defence and attack, mentally besting Nadal to inflict another serious pyschological wound on his arch-rival.

In the end, it was a dogfight.

Djokovic emerged with a $2.3million winner's cheque and the satisfaction of overcoming three sizeable obstacles - having 24 hours less to recover from that mammoth semi-final, giving up a first-set lead in the final and coming back from the dead in the deciding set.

Dipping into bottomless reserves after appearing to be spent after narrowly accounting for Murray on Friday night, Djokovic out-ran and outlasted the owner of 10 majors.

If it wasn't Djokovic's cleanest or most dazzling display, it ranks as his bravest.

In a contest that will be remembered for tension and high drama, there was a Grand Slam first when Nadal challenged one of his own serves - and was proved wrong by Hawk-Eye.

The serve, in the 10th game of the second set, was actually in, but Nadal had lost the rally and was hoping to earn a replayed serve.

In the end, he lost both a challenge and the point.

While there is nothing but shared respect between Nadal and Federer, it ia now increasingly obvious that the Spaniard has little time for Djokovic.

The Mallorcan glared at the world No. 1 and his support box after their prolonged celebration of Nadal's double fault to surrender the second set.

Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic shakes hands with Rafael Nadal after the longest final in Grand Slam history. Picture: AFP

Source: AFP

While grunting has been an issue for discussion at Melbourne Park over the past two weeks, the men's final was marred by long, irksome delays between points.

French chair umpire Pascal Maria's problems started before the match when the warm-up went overtime.

And once the match started, the 20-second allowance between points was regularly flouted, often dragging out to 30 seconds or longer.

Unsurprisingly, the first set lasted 80 minutes - only two minutes short of the time Victoria Azarenka took to whip Maria Sharapova in the women's final on Saturday night.

Losing patience in the heavy, uncomfortable conditions, Maria asked Nadal to hurry up after the end of the first set.

The second set took 66 minutes, while the third (45), fourth (88) and fifth ()were drawn out affairs.

Rain stopped play briefly at 4-all in the fourth set, prompting staff to close the roof while the court was dried.

Read on

Hewitt, Tomic Last Aussies Standing

So often the last man standing at an Australian Open, Lleyton Hewitt remains upright in the tournament’s third round in defiance of many tipsters.

Hewitt joined Bernard Tomic as the only remaining Australians in the singles draw with a second-round victory on Thursday night after 15th seed Andy Roddick retired with a hamstring injury.

Hewitt held a two sets to one advantage at the time.

Tomic’s credentials as the spear-carrier for Australian tennis will be put to the test on Friday night when he takes on 13th seeded Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov on centre court.

But Hewitt, whose 16th Australian Open is one of very few in which he has not been under pressure to deliver, has reached the third round despite coming off 12 months marred by injury and lacking game time.

The 30-year-old next faces Canadian Milos Raonic on Saturday.

Roddick won the first set on Rod Laver Arena but the match changed complexion when the American stumbled awkwardly during the second – tweaking a hamstring tendon.

Hewitt clambered back into the match taking the second and third sets before Roddick succumbed to the inevitable after two hours and 10 minutes.

“In the last four years I’ve had five surgeries and last year I played just two Grand Slams and two Davis Cup ties,” Hewitt said.

“I came in here with nothing to lose, I’ll play with my heart on my sleeve and see where it gets me.”

Tomic says he’s ready for one of the biggest matches on his career against Dolgopolov – a player who has beaten him three times in the past 12 months on hard courts.

“He seems to play good tennis and bad tennis for a set. So it’s very difficult,” Tomic said.

“You have to just hold your game against him and hope for the best.

“He is a very good player and a lot of people struggle with him.”

Others in third round action on Friday include Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Caroline Wozniacki and Kim Clijsters.