Maria Sharapova celebrates after defeating Venus Williams in their third round match at the Australian Open.
Maria Sharapova celebrates after defeating Venus Williams in their third round match at the Australian Open.

Australian Open: Maria Sharapova brushes aside Venus Williams



Venus Williams was unable to stop the Maria Sharapova juggernaut as the Russian powered into the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Sharapova, who won her first two matches in Melbourne without dropping a game, was irresistible as she crushed the seven-time major winner 6-1 6-3 in just 79 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

It had been expected Williams would provide the second seed with a stiff challenge but she was unable to match her opponent's power off the ground, not to mention her intensity, until the latter stages.

Sharapova said: "I really wanted this victory. I was 5-1 up (in the second set) and made a couple more errors than I would have liked so I was very pleased to have served it out."

The 25-year-old admitted the match was one she had been eagerly anticipating.

"When we both looked at the draw this was the match-up that we were both looking forward to," said Sharapova.

"I was really excited to play Venus again. She is a great athlete and no matter where she is ranked she's always a very tough player to play."

A forehand winner in the opening game handed Sharapova a break and, having staving off the threat of an immediate response, she never looked back.

A further break helped her establish a 4-0 advantage before Williams finally got on the board - ending Sharapova's run of successive games to start the tournament at 28.

It did little to stem the flow of the match, however, as Sharapova marched on, breaking the American's serve for a third time to take the opening set.

She swiftly moved into a 3-0 lead in the second with Williams looking shellshocked.

To her credit, the 32-year-old continued to fight on and she bravely held off three break points in game four, hitting back from 0-40 to take the game with a blistering forehand down the line.

It proved a minor distraction for Sharapova as, despite Williams' best efforts, she broke for 5-1 at the fourth attempt.

She could not serve it out, however, as Williams' pride forced her to break the Sharapova serve for the first time.

But despite some surprising late jitters from Sharapova, the 25th seed could not repeat the feat when the 2008 Melbourne champion served again at 5-3.

Kirsten Flipkens is the next player to stand in Sharapova's way after the Belgian beat Russian qualifier Valeria Savinykh 6-2 4-6 6-3.

Earlier Agnieszka Radwanska, Angelique Kerber and Li Na all moved into round four.

Radwanska eased past British number one Heather Watson, Kerber downed American wild card Madison Keys and Li dropped just five games against Sorana Cirstea.

With all the attention surrounding title favourites Victoria Azarenka, Sharapova and Serena Williams, the chasing pack have gone largely unnoticed but all three were impressive today.

Fourth seed Radwanska certainly has momentum behind her - the 6-3 6-1 defeat of Watson was her 12th on the trot in 2013, a run which saw her claim the titles in Auckland and Sydney coming into the season's first grand slam.

"I have played a lot of good matches against top players this year and I must say I am playing well, everything is working," she said.

"I just hope I can keep going. But now it is going to be harder and harder playing against seeded players. We'll see."

German Kerber, the fifth seed, was given some nervy moments by 17-year-old Keys before coming through 6-2 7-5 while Li, a finalist here in 2011, enjoyed a solid 6-4 6-1 win over Romanian Cirstea.

Li will next meet Julia Goerges, who overcame another Chinese player Zheng Jie 6-3 1-6 7-5.

Radwanska will take on Ana Ivanovic, who won the all-Serbian tussle with Jelena Jankovic.

Much has been made of the rivalry between the two but Ivanovic insists it has been overblown.

"Our relationship is fine, it's really good," she said.

"We had a really good week in Prague for the final of the Fed Cup. We were hanging out a lot, joking. It's nice, we have known each other for a while."

Kerber next plays Ekaterina Makarova, who stunned 11th seed Marion Bartoli 6-7 (4/7) 6-3 6-4.

Azarenka and Serena Williams are in action tomorrow, as is Britain's Laura Robson. Robson is third on court two for her match with American Sloane Stephens.

In the men's draw world number one Novak Djokovic remained on course for a third successive Australian Open title after an entertaining win over Radek Stepanek.

Stepanek threw some different challenges at the world number one - charging the net on 67 occasions - but Djokovic was still too strong, winning 6-4 6-3 7-5 in two hours 22 minutes.

The contest featured a host of wonderful rallies with both players pushed to the limit and Djokovic admitted it was enjoyable to play in.

"It was a great match, great fun," he said.

"He is a very talented player, very skilful. He made a lot of great first volleys and made me play the extra ball.

"He was chipping and charging, not a lot of players do this any more. A lot of the players stay on the baseline."

Djokovic has looked good in the first week and will play either Sam Querrey or Stanislas Wawrinka in round four.

"I have played well in the first few rounds, slowly getting into my rhythm," he said.

"I can play better but I cannot be dissatisfied with my performances."

The first two sets were similar - Stepanek holding his own before Djokovic struck at key times.

The top seed broke through in the 10th game to claim the opener when Stepanek netted a makeable volley and a wonderful backhand pass handed him a 5-3 advantage in the second.

It remained on serve in the third until 5-5 when Stepanek dumped a weak backhand into the net at 15-40.

Eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic won through to a meeting with Nicolas Almagro after prevailing in another five-set thriller.

The Serbian, who was taken all the way by Lukas Lacko on Wednesday, saw off Frenchman Julien Benneteau 3-6 6-4 2-6 6-4 6-3.

Spaniard Almagro, seeded number 10, had a much easier time of it against Jerzy Janowicz, winning 7-6 (7/3) 7-6 (7/4) 6-1.

Kei Nishikori ended the run of Russian Evgeny Donskoy 7-6 (7/3) 6-2 6-3 and awaits the winner of the clash between fourth seed David Ferrer and Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.

Fernando Verdasco is out, though, going down in five sets to big-serving South African Kevin Anderson.

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

UAE SQUAD

Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Transmission: seven-speed auto

Power: 420 bhp

Torque: 624Nm

Price: from Dh293,200

On sale: now

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Cryopreservation: A timeline
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  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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The biog

Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi

Favourite TV show: That 70s Show

Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving

Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can

Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home

Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

US Industrial Market figures, Q1 2017

Vacancy Rate 5.4%

Markets With Positive Absorption 85.7 per cent

New Supply 55 million sq ft

New Supply to Inventory 0.4 per cent

Under Construction 198.2 million sq ft

(Source: Colliers)

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
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  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
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The Bio

Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959

Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.

He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses

Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas

His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s

Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business

He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery 

Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

RESULTS

4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer)

4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jordan Sport, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass

5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Conditions $200,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Jungle Cat, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Kimbear, Patrick Dobbs, Doug Watson

6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $300,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Blair House, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby

6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $400,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: North America, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

7.30pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 $250,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner: Hawkbill, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.

Sonchiriya

Director: Abhishek Chaubey

Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment

Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey

Rating: 3/5

Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:

1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

Fanney Khan

Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora

Director: Atul Manjrekar

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand

Rating: 2/5 

Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.