The Australian Open has seen many unheralded players punching above their weight. Rediff.com takes a look at a few such unseeded players who went the distance in the new millennium.
Marat Safin beat Jose Acasuso in a nerve-racking fifth and decisive rubber as Russia beat Argentina 3-2 in final.
Marat Safin and Dmitry Tursunov hammered David Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in the doubles to give Russia a 2-1 lead.
The Indian Aces began their 2016 IPTL campaign with an easy 30-17 win over hosts Japan Warriors at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Friday.
The pair weathered a tough opening set to beat Safin and his compatriot 7-5, 6-3.
The former world No.1 Aussie will face twice runner-up Marat Safin in the Australian Open final.
The semi-final line-up for the Masters: Federer vs Safin; Roddick vs Hewitt.
David Nalbandian and Gaston Gaudio must oust Russians Marat Safin and Igor Andreev in the fourth round for Argentina to have four men in the quarter-finals.
All three advanced to the last 16 of the Australian Open with some style.
The Spaniard beat the rising Thai ace 6-3, 6-1 in brilliant fashion to enter the semis of the Sydney International.
UAE Royals notched up their second consecutive win with a comprehensive victory over home team Japan Warriors on the second day of the International Premier League Tennis on Thursday.
Ash Barty's dream of ending her nation's 42-year wait for a homegrown Australian Open champion lay in tatters on Thursday after the world number one crumbled on the big points in a straight-sets semi-final defeat to Sofia Kenin. The 23-year-old Queenslander beat a hasty retreat from Rod Laver Arena after losing her first Melbourne semi-final 7-6(6), 7-5, shaking her head ruefully as she walked down the player's tunnel.
Defending champion Roger Federer argued with an umpire but mostly let his racket do the talking as he beat Tomas Berdych for the ninth time running to reach the Australian Open semi-finals on Wednesday.
Tennis ace Leander Paes said Russia would be a tough opponent in next month's Davis Cup World Group tie but India are capable of defeating any side in the world in the prestigious team competition.
Former champion and world number two Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the Sony Ericsson Open on Friday, falling 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 to Belgian Olivier Rochus in his opening match.
List of Australian Open men's singles champions since the event began in 1905 (Australian unless stated):
Russia's Nikolay Davydenko hopes his dazzling displays to win the ATP World Tour Finals title will finally allow him to step out of the shadow of compatriot Marat Safin who retired this month.
Former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson of Sweden on Friday announced his retirement from competitive tennis at the age of 34.
Rohan Bopanna and Max Mirnyi beat Mikhail Youzhny and Mischa Zverev 6-3, 6-4 to move into the quarterfinals of the St Petersburg Open.
Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova and Dominik Hrbaty ripped up the form book to win the Hopman Cup with victory over Russia in Perth on Friday.
Top seed Andy Murray cruised into the St Petersburg Open final with a 6-0, 6-3 thrashing of Spaniard Fernando Verdasco on Saturday.
Italian Simone Bolelli upset local favourite Nicolas Almagro 7-6, 6-1 at the Madrid Masters on Monday.
Novak Djokovic endured a fierce challenge to his Melbourne Park reign before overhauling Dominic Thiem 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to clinch an eighth Australian Open crown and reclaim the world number one ranking. While Rafa Nadal rules Roland Garros with 12 titles, Djokovic holds sway in the title match at Rod Laver Arena having never lost a final in Melbourne Park.
Champion Venus Williams powered through to her seventh Wimbledon final with a 6-1, 7-6 victory over Russian Elena Dementieva.
Serbia's Ana Ivanovic claimed her first grand slam title with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Russia's Dinara Safina in the French Open final on Saturday.
Rohan Bopanna and his Belarussian partner Max Mirnyi overcame a second-set lapse to advance to the semifinals of $ 1,049,000 St Petersburg Open.
Russia are the overwhelming favourites when they host Argentina in this weekend's Davis Cup final.
Israel reached the Davis Cup semi-finals for the first time on Saturday after Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich gave them an unbeatable 3-0 lead over Russia in their World Group quarter-final.
Roger Federer will complete his preparations for next year's Australian Open at the Kooyong Classic.
Sunita Iyer, lists the10 lesser known facts about the golden girl of Indian tennis.
Rafael Nadal set up a third successive Wimbledon final against champion Roger Federer after brushing aside German Rainer Schuettler. The Swiss accounted for Marat Safin in the other semi-final.
Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy were down a set at 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-1, 3-3 as they battled it out in fading light against Canada's Daniel Nestor and Serb Nenad Zimonjic for a place in the final of the men's doubles at Wimbledon on Thursday night.
Twice winner Serena Williams reached the Wimbledon final for the fourth time and third against sister Venus on Thursday with a 6-2, 7-6 victory over Chinese wildcard Zheng Jie on Centre Court.
Suspected Maoists have killed three persons, including a contractor, in Deogarh district, Director General of Police Amarananda Pattanayak said on Friday.
The Swiss, dreaming of capturing the only Grand Slam title to have eluded him, was drawn on Friday in the same half as several dangerous opponents, including former champion Juan Carlos Ferrero.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances