Category Archives: Australian Open

Australia news live: Victoria reports no new Covid cases as national cabinet to consider raising international flight caps

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Quarantine worker who yesterday tested positive confirmed to have UK variant; federal government in talks on regional quarantine facility

Melbourne is forecast for an afternoon downpour today and parents are being urged to be careful while picking up kids from school.

Melbourne is tipped to receive between 15 and 35mm of rain this afternoon, AAP report.

Here’s the full story on the Burgess verdict.

Related: Sam Burgess, former NRL and England rugby player, found guilty of intimidation

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Australian Open gets green light for 30,000 a day as WA loosens border restrictions

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WA premier Mark McGowan says travellers from Queensland and Victoria will no longer have to quarantine upon arrival

Crowds at this year’s Australian Open will be capped at half the pre-Covid average, after Victoria’s top health official signed off on allowing up to 30,000 spectators to attend the start of the tournament next month.

On Saturday, Victoria’s sports minister, Martin Pakula, confirmed the government had agreed to a plan that would allow daily crowd capacity of 30,000 for the first eight days of the tournament, reducing to 25,000 per day from the start of the tournament quarter-finals.

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Coronavirus Australia live: Victoria, NSW and Queensland record no local Covid cases as three new cases linked to Australian Open

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Two tennis players have tested positive, but hard lockdown of those who shared flights remains. Follow latest updates

  • NSW hotspots; Queensland hotspots
  • State-by-state restrictions and lockdown rules explained
  • Follow the global coronavirus liveblog

    • As our West Australian readers start to log-on, I bring to you news of possible secession. I have not clicked through to see what other images/tweets etc come up under #WAXIT but please feel free to do so:

    A group of business leaders in Western Australia want the state to break away from Australia… calling the campaign #WAXIT.

    Should WA be allowed to break away and form an independent nation? #9News pic.twitter.com/mtStO3Ayzh

    A $7bn funding injection into social housing would address surging homelessness caused by the pandemic, advocates say.

    This just in from AAP:

    Social housing advocates fear a surge in homelessness stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic, and are urging swift action from the federal government to ensure Australians have a roof over their heads.

    A national campaign to end homelessness, Everybody’s Home, estimates a $7bn injection into social housing would make a serious dent in homelessness, while creating 18,000 jobs a year over the next four years.

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    Coronavirus Australia live: Australian Open tennis quarantine disarray; Victoria opens border to most of Sydney as NSW records no local cases

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    Victoria premier Daniel Andrews says people in most of Sydney can apply for a permit to travel to the state while 10 LGAs still remain in red zones. Follow latest updates live

    The ABC has spoken to one of the tennis players who is isolating as part of strict restrictions applied to those who travelled for the Australian Open.

    #AusOpen player Artem Sitak happy to be in Melbourne for the tournament. A lot of the players have now realised it's an unfortunate situation. News of the long Victorian lockdown & of Australians unable to return home is making them feel very lucky to be in Melbourne. #Springst pic.twitter.com/EgQ9CEix9P

    Of course I’m happy. As I said, I was prepared for the worst and unfortunately it happened to me, but I’m – I’m definitely happy. I’m here, I love Australian Open. I think it’s going to be any sixth or seventh Australian Open and I love playing here. There’s always a really – a really vocal huge crowd. Hopefully this time it will be – I don’t know the percentage of spectators that are allowed but there will still be a lot of people. We haven’t played in front of spectators since back in August. And this is going to be a lot of fun.

    The Victorian police union is less welcoming of news that Covid-19 fines in Victoria will be waived. Here’s what Victorian Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said on radio station 3AW earlier today, according to AAP:

    It’s a wee bit frustrating.

    None of this was fun for our members. It was bit of a thankless job.

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    Coronavirus live: UK ‘considering all measures’ including quarantine hotels; Sydney struggles to quash cluster

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    Dominic Raab says UK needs to respond to variants from Brazil and South Africa; New South Wales records six new cases

    Reaction has been coming today from Russian sources after Brazil’s health regulator said it was seeking further data on Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine before considering its approval for emergency use.

    Documents supporting drugmaker Uniao Quimica’s application for emergency use of the vaccine have been returned to the company because they did not meet its minimum criteria, the watchdog said on Saturday.

    While people over 75 living at home will be able to get vaccinated from Monday in France, there are concerns in the field that there are not enough doctors, Le Monde reports today.

    Jacques Battistoni, president of MG France, a trade union for general practitioners, said: “We expect tensions and a difficult start to the week.”

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    Australian Open records fourth Covid case as tennis player warned for breaking quarantine rules

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    Authorities say player ‘opened his door’ to have conversation with friends as players in strict isolation say they risk injury if not allowed to train

    An Australian Open tennis player has been warned for breaching strict isolation rules by “opening his door” to talk to his friends, as players complain about “insane” quarantine requirements ahead of the tournament.

    Four people have now tested positive for Covid-19 on charter planes bringing players in for the competition, which has forced 47 players into strict isolation where they cannot train for 14 days.

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    Australian Open players locked down as two test positive for Covid-19 after flight from US

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    Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens and Kei Nishikori confined to hotel rooms after two people on chartered flight test positive

    Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka is believed to be among a group of players who will be confined to their hotel rooms for the next 14 days after two people on the charter flight QR7493 from Los Angeles tested positive to Covid-19 on arrival in Melbourne.

    A leaked email from Tennis Australia, which was sent to all players and officials who were aboard the flight and was posted on social media by Mexican world No 155 Santiago González, said players on the flight must isolate in their rooms for two weeks. This means they have no ability to train in the vital days leading up to the competition.

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    US tennis player Tennys Sandgren flying to Australian Open despite positive Covid test

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    The American says he first tested positive in November and tournament organisers argue he is therefore not infectious

    The US tennis player Tennys Sandgren is bound for Melbourne after Tennis Australia reportedly intervened so he could board a charter flight despite testing positive for coronavirus.

    In a series of tweets on Thursday, Australian time, Sandgren initially suggested he would not be able to board the flight for the Australian Open, writing “Covid positive over thanksgiving” and “Covid positive on Monday”.

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    Australian Open 2020: day two – live!

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    Second set: Pliskova* 6-1 3-3 Mladenovic (*denotes server): Pliskova holds to love in the time it took me post a tweet and confirm who Sinner faces in the second round.

    Shame to see Max Purcell bow out so early, but Jannik Sinner is a kid going places. The Next Gen Finals champ has Márton Fucsovics next.

    Italian @janniksin wins his first ever #AusOpen match!

    He def. Aussie qualifier Max Purcell 7-6(2) 6-2 6-4 #AO2020 pic.twitter.com/KOZj4JHAJq

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    Roger Federer responds to climate change criticism from Greta Thunberg

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    • Credit Suisse closely linked with fossil fuel industry
    • #RogerWakeUpNow has been trending on Twitter

    Roger Federer has issued a cautiously worded response to mounting criticism, including from climate activist Greta Thunberg, over his sponsorship deal with Credit Suisse.

    A dozen Swiss activists appeared in court on Tuesday after refusing to pay a fine for playing tennis inside branches of Credit Suisse bank in November 2018, in a stunt intended to underscore Federer’s relationship with the Swiss financial giant, which is closely linked with the fossil fuel industry.

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    Naomi Osaka wins Australian Open final to seal back-to-back grand slams

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    This time the tears were of joy. Tennis already had a star in Naomi Osaka; now it has a superstar. After squandering three match points at 5-3 in the second set, the 21-year-old Japanese regrouped brilliantly to beat the Czech Petra Kvitova 7-6 (2) 5-7 6-4 to win a dramatic Australian Open final. Her second consecutive grand slam title ensures she will be the new world No 1 and on this evidence, she might stay there for some time.

    Related: Naomi Osaka v Petra Kvitova: Australian Open women's final – live!

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    Petra Kvitova v Danielle Collins: Australian Open women’s semi-finals – live!

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    • Updates from Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park
    • Any thoughts? Email or tweet @rrjparkin

    First set: Kvitova 6-6 Collins* (*denotes server): The game opens with a 17-hit rally, and it’s Kvitova who seems to expend the most energy during it. Collins races to 40-0 as Kvitova punches a wild forehand well wide. Another love hold, and we have a tie-break.

    First set: Kvitova* 6-5 Collins (*denotes server): Why all this temperature chat matters is of course that with the roof closed, serving conditions are now a little more comfortable. In theory that aids Kvitova, but there are plenty of permutations such as racquet tension, ball speed etc that are affected, and require adjustment.

    Kvitova doesn’t make light work of her second service game in the new conditions, being dragged to deuce with an unforced error. She holds on the first advantage point though, and pumps the fist.

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    Tearful Andy Murray says Australian Open could be last tournament

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    • Murray unsure he will make it to Wimbledon
    • ‘The pain is too much. I don’t want to continue’
    • Latest updates: tributes paid as Murray admits time is up

    Andy Murray’s career is all but over. He expects his match against Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday to be his last but, even if another hip operation were to help him reach a more emotional and perhaps more fitting farewell at Wimbledon, it will never be the same for the player who stood alongside Fred Perry as the greatest Britain has ever had. Many would say Murray was the greater, but it is a fine call.

    The former world No1 and three-time slam champion conceded that the pain that has been running through his right hip with increasing strength the past few months has brought his serious playing days to a reluctant conclusion.

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    Teen charged over ‘vicious and unprovoked’ group bashing of an American surgeon gets bail

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    Teenager charged over 'vicious and unprovoked' group bashing of an American surgeon gets bail after his case manager said he was targeted in prison for being a Muslim A teenager from Afghanistan charged over the 'vicious and unprovoked' group bashing of an American surgeon and his son during the Australian Open tennis has been given bail.

    The Latest: 36, 35, 34 _ Serena says 30s is the new 10

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    Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic makes a backhand return to Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni during their quarterfinal at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. . Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni makes a backhand return to Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during their quarterfinal at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017.

    Wawrinka, Kerber, and Two Highly Rivalrous U.S. Open Finals

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    Before defeating Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open final yesterday, Stan Wawrinka felt nervous, "nervous like never before," he explained after the match. That morning, he had started feeling the pressure building, "the feeling of: you don't want to lose.