Moon Tennis – Australian Open

Moon Tennis

Australian Open

Ladies Singles Final

Caroline Wozniacki finally became a Grand Slam Champion after an epic three sets victory over Simona Halep. The Dane needed a tie-break to take the first set in a battle that would also determine who would become World number 1. Halep got a break early in the second set to force a decider winning the second set 6-3 playing some exceptional tennis.

It was Wozniacki who this time would prevail in the end however. She needed a medical time out at 4-3 down which she afterwards said gave her chance to re-focus and then reeled off three games in a row to take the title 6-4. The 27 year old has had a string of finals losses on the WTA tour over the last year, but finally gets over the line in the big one. For Halep, surely a Grand Slam of her own is not far away, but it was not to be this time.

Mens Singles Final

Roger Federer was taken all the way to a deciding set by Marin Cilic but in the end claimed his 20th Grand Slam title. Cilic started poorly with Federer taking the first set 6-2. Cilic settled in the second to force a tie break and got himself back in contention winning it to level the score. Federer got the only break in the third in the sixth game and went on to take the third set 6-3.

Federer got a break early in the fourth and had a point for a double break as he began to look like he was cruising to the title. But Cilic fought right back, saving the break point and then breaking Federer in the next game. In an incredible spell Cilic broke again eventually taking Set 4 by 6-3 to force a decider. The final set proved a letdown after the promise of what had gone before. Federer broke twice to take the final set easily 6-1 as the effort of the Croat finally took it’s toll. 

The legend of Federer continues. 20 Grand Slams and plenty of evidence there could be more to come yet from this top class athlete.

Moon Of Liberty Tennis Results

Australian Open

Ladies Singles Final

AT MELBOURNE PARK, MELBOURNE, VICTORIA< AUSTRALIA

Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) Beat Simona Halep (Romania)

2-1 (7-6 3-6 6-4)

Full Report (The Guardian)

Australian Open

Men’s Singles Final

AT MELBOURNE PARK, MELBOURNE, VICTORIA< AUSTRALIA

Roger Federer (Switzerland) Beat Marin Cilic (Croatia)

3-2 (6-2 6-7 6-3 3-6 6-1)

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Moon Cricket – 5th ODI – Australia v England

MOON CRICKET

England Tour of Australia

5TH ODI

AT THE PERTH STADIUM, PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA

England 259 (47.4) (Root 62 Tye 5-46)

Australia 247 (48.2) (Stoinis 87 Curran 5-35)

ENGLAND WIN BY 12 RUNS

ENGLAND WIN THE SERIES 4-1

England finished the one day series in Australia with a closely fought win in Perth in the first game played at the new Perth Stadium. Joe Root top scored for England with 62 with Andrew Tye taking 5 wickets for the Australians to restrict England to 259, bowling them all out and denying them and extra 14 balls as a result.

The game then kept swinging. Australia got off to a great start and looked like they were heading for the win When Tom Curran’s bowling had top scorer Marcus Stoinis caught by Adil Rahid for 87 the home side were 187-4. Four quick wickets however swung the game back the other way putting England in control at 203-8

Tim Paine who saw Australia home in the last game nearly did it again. His 34 put the Aussies back in it but Curran bowled him to take the final wicket with Australia 12 runs short to ensure England end the series on a high. Curran took 5 Wickets in the end which proved the difference in this game, Australia’s batting was not good enough over the series as a whole and this win will be a big boost to England looking ahead to next years One Day World Cup.

Full Report (Cricbuzz)

MOON OF LIBERTY STAR MAN

Tom Curran (England)

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Moon Cricket – 4th ODI, Australia v England

MOON CRICKET

England Tour of Australia

4TH ODI AT THE ADELAIDE OVAL, ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA

England 196 (44.5) (Woakes 78 Cummins 4-24)

Australia 197-7 (37) (Head 96 Rashid 3-49)

AUSTRALIA WIN BY 3 WICKETS

ENGLAND LEAD THE SERIES 3-1

Australia finally got a win on the board taking full advantage of excellent conditions for bowling in Adelaide. England got off to a dire start and at one stage were 8-5 and Australia threatened to totally annihilate the whole England batting line up. Chris Woakes saved the position with 78 including 5 sixes as the lower order managed to get the score to 196 before being bowled all out. Pat Cummins took four wickets with Josh Hazlewood and Andrew Tye splitting the other with 3 wickets each in an excellent bowling performance.

Australian opener Travis Head got the home side off to a good enough start despite wickets falling at the other end. end eventually fell just short of his century on 96. Australia had enough overs to get the runs, the only question was could England bowl them all out for an unlikely win as Head’s wicket was the sixth to fall. Tim Payne hit 25 Not Out to ensure Australia got home as England only took one more wicket before the hosts got to the target and claim victory.

Adil Rashid’s 3 wickets had helped make for some nervy moments for the Australians along the way, but they got their ‘Australia Day’ victory  England have already won the series with one more game in Perth and the final Australia v England international at the WACA before the new stadium out west is built.

Full Scorecard/Commentary (Cricbuzz)

MOON OF LIBERTY STAR MAN

Pat Cummins (Australia)

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Moon Cricket – 3rd ODI in Sydney – Australia v England

MOON CRICKET

England Tour of Australia

3RD ODI AT THE SCG, SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

England 302/6 (50) (Buttler 100* Woakes 53*)

Australia 286/6 (50) (Finch 62 Stoinis 56 Marsh 55)

ENGLAND WIN BY 16 RUNS

ENGLAND LEAD THE SERIES 3-0

England showed they have batting strength in depth to turn around a poor start to claim a series victory against Australia in Sydney. The visitors were struggling at 189-6 and a competitive total was looking unlikely. However a partnership of 113 between Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes got ensured England got above 300 to post 302. Buttler got his century off the last ball of the innings. His 100 Not Out included four sixes, Woakes ended on 53 Not Out.

With a good total on the board England’s bowlers remained disciplined. Aaron Finch again top scored for Australia but was out for 62 when he was given out leg before wicket to Adil Rashid’s bowling. For Australia to win someone else would need to set up and get a big score. While there were decent contributions from Macus Stoinis (56) and Mitchell Marsh (55) nobody could go on and get a big century. With key wickets falling at important moments Australia fell behind the run rate and in the end they were 16 runs short of the target.

There are two more contests to go but the win means England have already won the series and can now try and pursue a whitewash. What a turnaround from the Test Series where Australia won 4-0 to the one day series with England 3-0 up.

Full Report (Cricbuzz)

MOON OF LIBERTY STAR MAN

Jos Buttler (England)

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Moon Tennis – WTA Tour Round Up

MOON TENNIS

WTA Tour Round-Up

Former World number 1 Angelique Kerber sent out a message she is ready for the Australian Open winning her first WTA Title since the US Open in 2016 with suggestions she is getting back to her best. She defeated home favourite Ashleigh Barty with a break in each set to take the title in Syndey 6-4 6-4. She beat Lucie Safarova and Venus Williams on her way to the final having her best week in a long time. With Serena Williams out of the Australian Open, Kerber must have a good chance to take another Grand Slam in this form

In the other WTA event this week in Hobart, Tasmania, Belgian Elise Mertens took back to back titles beating Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu in a rain affected final. The Romanian was in her first WTA final having beaten Alize Cornet to get here, but in the end Mertens experience was the difference as she held it together better as the players were taken off court four times during the contest. Mertens won the deciding set 6-3 to become the first player to win in Hobart twice in it’s 25 year history.

MOON OF LIBERTY WTA TENNIS RESULTS

Sydney International

Sydney International Final

AT THE NEW SOUTH WALES TENNIS CENTRE, SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

Angelique Kerber (Gemany) Beat Ashleigh Barty (Australia)

2-0 (6-4 6-4)

Full Report (Tennis.com)

Hobart International

Hobart International Final

AT THE HOBART INTERNATIONAL TENNIS CENTRE, HOBART, TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA

Elise Mertens (Belgium) Beat Mihaela Buzarnescu (Romania)

2-1 (6-1 4-6 6-3)

Full Report (ESPN)

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Moon Tennis – ATP Tour update

MOON TENNIS

ATP Tour Round Up

Heading into the US Open next week, Australia and New Zealand were the venues for this week ATP Tour events. In Auckland Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain took his second title in three years at the venue defeating Juan Martin Del Potro. Agut raced through the first set 6-1 but Del Potro hit back to take it to a decider. The key break came at 5-5 giving Agut the advantage and chance to serve for the match. He had to save a break point but held his nerve to save it and then serve it out to claim the title.

In Sydney it was the battle of the youngsters as 18 year old home favourite Alex de Minaur in his first ATP Title, took on the rising star from Russia, 21 year old Daniil Medvedev. The Australian got off to a stunning start taking the first set 6-1 but the experience of Medvedev slowly took over. The Russian broke in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead and served out to level. Medvedev then took a double break to lead 4-0 in the decider. The Aussie showed great resilience to fight back, recover both breaks and get the score back to 5-5. de Minaur could not sustain it though, at this point Medvedev broke once more and this time he served it out to take the title after two hours of top class tennis.

MOON OF LIBERTY ATP TOUR TENNIS RESULTS

Auckland Open

Auckland Open Final

AT THE ASB TENNIS CENTRE, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain) Beat Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina)

2-1 (6-1 4-6 7-5)

Full Report (ESPN)

Sydney International

Sydney International Final

AT THE NEW SOUTH WALES TENNIS CENTRE, SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

Daniil Medvedev (Russia) Beat Alex de Minaur (Australia)

2-1 (1-6 6-4 7-5)

Full Report (The Australian)

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Moon On Sunday Cricket – 1st ODI Australia v England

MOON CRICKET

England Tour of Australia

1ST ODI AT THE MCG, MELBOURNE,VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

Australia 304-8 (50) (Finch 107 Stoinis 60 M Marsh 50)

England 308-5 (48.5) (Roy 180 Root 91*)

ENGLAND WIN BY 5 WICKETS

ENGLAND LEAD THE SERIES 1-0

England put their test disaster behind them to remind the world they are a serious force in the one day game. Australia batted first with Aaron Finch getting a century (107) supported by Marcus Stoinis (60) and Mitchell Marsh (50) as the hosts posted 304. Opener Jason Roy set about the chase hitting 5 sixes in his brilliant 180 to put England right in contention. Joe Root backed it up with 91 Not Out to lead the visitors home with 7 balls to spare. It’s clear the One Day series will be much more for a contest than the Ashes was and the Barmy Army finally have a win to cheer.

Full Report (Cricbuzz)

Moon Of Liberty Star Man

Jason Roy (England)

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Moon Cricket – The Ashes 5th Test

Moon Cricket

5TH TEST – ENGLAND TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

5TH ASHES TEST MATCH – AT THE SCG, SYDNEY< NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

England 346 (Root 82, Malan 62, Cummins 4-80) & 180 (Root 58*, Cummins 4-39)

Australia 649-7 (Khawaja 171, S Marsh 156, M Marsh 101, Smith 83, Warner 56)

AUSTRALIA WIN BY AN INNINGS AND 123 RUNS

AUSTRALIA WIN THE SERIES 4-0

Australia completed their demolition of England with a crushing win in Sydney. Joe Root top scored with 82 as England put 346 on the board which never looked enough on a flat pitch good for batting. Australia then put England to the sword, Usman Khawaja hit a superb 171 with the Marsh Brothers, Shaun with 156 and Mitchell 101 piling on the pain as Australia declared on 649.

The lead was far too much but England’s capitulation summed up the series. Only Root put up any resistance but he had to retire suffering from de-hydration. The wickets then continued to fall as Pat Cummins led the attack, taking four wickets in each innings. England were finished off for a miserable 180, a fitting climax to a one sided series as Australia celebrated winning back the urn. They also have won nine out of the last ten Ashes matches on Australian soil.

MOON OF LIBERTY STAR MAN

Pat Cummins (Australia)

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Moon of Liberty Rugby Union – Rugby Championship Round 1

Rugby Championship Round 1

Australia v New Zealand In Sydney

New Zealand started their Rugby Championship campaign by thrashing Australia in Sydney. The All Blacks came out of the blocks fast and delivered a blistering first half. Rieko Ioane and Ryan Crotty scored two tries each as New Zealand raced into a 40-6 lead at half time.

Australia made a game of it with three tries in the second half, but further tires from Damian McKenzie and Ben Smith took New Zealand over 50 points to complete a 54-34 win. The two meet again in New Zealand next week.

Report (BBC Sport)

South Africa v Argentina in Port Elizabeth

South Africa got their rugby Championship campaign off to a winning start scoring four tries to beat Argentina in Port Elizabeth. It was a tight first half with Argentina taking an early lad through a Martin Landajo try, but two penalties from the boot of Elton Jantjies and a try from Courtnall Skosan gave the Springboks a 13-5 half time lead.

From there they took control of the set piece and dominated the second half. Three more tries from Raymond Rhule, Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit enabled the hosts to run away with it in the second half eventually winning 37-15 and claiming the four try bonus point in the process. A good start for the Springboks who head to Argentina for Round 2 next week.

Report (Daily Telegraph)

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MOON OF LIBERTY SCOREBOARD

Rugby Championship – Round 1

Australia 34 – New Zealand 54

At The ANZ Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

South Africa 37 – Argentina 15

At The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

MOON OF LIBERTY STAR MAN – Rieko Ioane (New Zealand)

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Moon of Liberty Midweek Newsround

News Digest of the week so far at 10.15 pm on 2nd August 2017

London Evening Standard – Theresa May’s spokesman says freedom of movement will end in 2019 after cabinet row

Huffington Post Opinion – The case for votes at 16, afterall, you can have sex with your MP at 16 – Cat Smith MP

BBC News – Anthony Scaramucci out after just 10 days as White House Communications Director

Fortune.com – Venezuelan currency now worth less than World of Warcraft money

BBC News – British Gas to raise electric prices by 12.5%

Daily Post – 3000 homes to be built in Anglesey after council decision

The Independent – UK Manufacturing unexpectedly strong in July

City AM – Deutsche Bank commits to the City of London easing Brexit fears

Baltimore News – The Queen apparently has four cocktails every day

ABC News Brisbane – 2016 census reveals Australia’s most ‘normal’ town

ABC News Brisbane – Home Ownership beyond most of the young in Queensland

The Independent – President Trump launches ‘Real News’ presented by his daughter In Law

ITV News – Human Embryo editing breakthrough could help find answers to numerous genetic diseases

BBC News – Prince Phillip Carries out final public engagement (BBC News) 

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