Subject :MELBOURNE, Australia -- A rusty Novak Djokovic began his bid for a fourth consecutive Australian Ope
MELBOURNE, Australia -- A rusty Novak Djokovic began his bid for a fourth consecutive Australian Open title on Monday with a win over Lukas Lacko while Serena Williams looked as polished as ever beating Australian teenager Ashleigh Barty. David Sharpe Youth Jersey . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. But as the second-seeded Djokovics patience level began to drop, his skill level stepped up. He stayed on course for a fifth Australian title with a 6-5, 7-6 (2), 6-1 win, hoping to be the first man to achieve that feat since the Open Era began in 1968. Top-ranked Williams won her 23rd consecutive match -- including 18 at the end of last season and four last week in winning the Brisbane International -- after beating Barty 6-2, 6-1 in 57 minutes. "You have to be ready," Williams said. "She had nothing to lose." Williams continues to be in rarified territory. Her Brisbane title was the 58th of her career -- she won 11 last year, including the French Open and U.S. Open. A five-time winner of the Australian Open, shes trying to end Victoria Azarenkas two-year run as womens champion at Melbourne Park. Williams won 10 of 11 points at the net during the Barty match, but tried to dowse expectations that shell vacate her usual place at the baseline. "In my mind Ive been at the net (previously), but now Im physically going there a little more," Williams said. "No pressure. My next match I might stay at the baseline the whole time. Its nothing Im permanently working on. Im just trying to have fun and do what I want to do out there." Djokovic also had a strong finish to 2013, entering the tournament on a 24-match winning streak, which followed his loss to Rafael Nadal in last years U.S. Open final. Hes now also on a 22-match winning streak at Melbourne Park. "It is the first competitive match Ive had this season, I havent played for five or six weeks," Djokovic said. "I was a bit rusty on the court the first two sets. Afterwards it was all working well." Serenas sister, Venus Williams, started well earlier Monday but unforced errors in two key periods in her match sent the seven-time major winner out of the tournament. The elder Williams missed a break-point chance in the sixth game and then, after getting to 40-30 on serve in the ninth, inexplicably fired three consecutive double-faults to surrender a break and just about the set to No. 22-seeded Ekaterina Makarova. She took a 3-0 lead in the third before her unforced error toll climbed to 56 and Makarova won six of the next seven games for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 win. The 33-year-old Venus Williams, the second-oldest player in the tournament, has struggled with injuries and illness in recent seasons but reached the final of the WTA event at Auckland to start 2014 and came to Melbourne saying she was feeling better than she had in years. "The last 12 months I have had issues," she said. "But this year I definitely am looking forward to having a good run and feeling well." Three-highly-ranked players were beaten in the first round, including 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and two Italians, No. 7 Sara Errani and No. 12 Roberta Vinci. Sixth-seeded Kvitova lost 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 to No. 88-ranked Luksika Kumkhum of Thailand, who was playing in just her second Grand Slam tournament. Womens winners included two-time Australian Open finalist Li Na, Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens, No. 9 Angelique Kerber, 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur, No. 14 Ana Ivanovic, No. 26 Lucie Safarova, No. 28 Flavia Pennetta, No. 30 Eugenie Bouchard and No. 31 Daniela Hantuchova. Eighth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka, who won the recent Chennai Open, was the first man into the next round, advancing after just 15 games when Andrey Golubev retired with an injured left leg. Other winners were third-ranked David Ferrer, No. 7 Tomas Berdych, No. 9 Richard Gasquet, No. 14 Mikhail Youzhny, No. 17 Tommy Robredo, No. 19 Kevin Anderson, No. 23 Ernests Gulbis, No. 29 Jeremy Chardy, No. 32 Ivan Dodig and American Sam Querrey. On Tuesday, in the tougher top half the mens draw, top-seeded Rafael Nadal, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and Roger Federer are all in action. Marshawn Lynch Jersey . Make the extra pass, take care of the ball, play defence and get more out of his bench. Eddie Vanderdoes Raiders Jersey . Gauteng High Court Judge Dunstan Mlambo ruled Tuesday that South African media houses will be allowed to install three remote controlled cameras in court for the Olympic athletes trial starting next week to capture images that likely will be seen by millions around the world.Its being reported that embattled Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling (yes hes still the owner) has hired four private investigation firms to dig up "dirt" on the NBA owners, as well as the past Commissioner David Stern and current Commissioner Adam Silver. Sterling has retained investigators as part of his overall litigation strategy. Recently, he filed a lawsuit against the NBA in response to his lifetime ban and his forced sale of the team. Part of that lawsuit alleges breach of contract. He is alleging that the NBA did not follow its own rules when it imposed its very dramatic and unprecedented punishments on him. To support that argument, he wants to be able to point to instances where the league took a much softer approach against other owners who may have committed transgressions of their own. Ultimately, Sterling wants to show that the leagues application of the NBA Constitution and its rules has been wholly inconsistent and that he was unfairly and too harshly treated. The NBA will of course argue that it has not breached its rules and that no other owner has ever said or done anything that has so profoundly and adversely impaacted the league, its reputation and goodwill. Gareon Conley Jersey. Remember the NBA will focus on the impact of Sterlings statements and not what he said. In light of this distinction, Sterling will have a difficult time finding an owner who has inflicted similar damage on the league. Of course, this investigation reminds us that Sterling is looking to embarrass the league. His lawsuit will give Sterling the opportunity to depose Silver, Stern and a number of owners all with a view to getting the league to air its dirty laundry. In part, he may hope that the pressure of litigation and disclosure under oath may encourage the NBA to lift its lifetime ban and let him keep his team. Will that happen? At the outset, the NBA would have mapped out all possible consequences of forcing Sterling to sell his team, and litigation would have been at the top of that list. The league is prepared to litigate and may sue him right back for interfering with the sale of the team and the business of the league. The NBA is not going anywhere and it will fight. The NBA also knows that Sterling has serious credibility issues. And that is buying the league time with its fans. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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