Brits Murray, Konta win on a distracting day in Melbourne
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Andy Murray and a much lesser-known British player, Johanne Konta, advanced to the Australian Open semifinals Wednesday, when the action on court had to compete with news about the integrity of the sport.
Murray, making his 18th trip to a Grand Slam semifinal, beat David Ferrer 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday. Konta, who will be playing in her first major semi, had a 6-4, 6-1 win over Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai.
It's the first time since the December 1977 version of the Australian Open that two British players - John Lloyd and Sue Barker that year - have advanced to the final four of any major.
Konta, the first British woman to advance to a Grand Slam semifinal since Jo Durie at the 1983 U.S. Open, will play Angelique Kerber, who beat two-time champion Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 7-5.
The No. 2-seeded Murray, who has lost four finals at Melbourne Park, will have to wait until later Wednesday to find out whether he'll play Milos Raonic or Gael Monfils in a semifinal Friday. Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will contest the other semifinal Thursday.
From the start, the first Grand Slam of the season has been overshadowed by media reports alleging that tennis authorities had failed to thoroughly investigate evidence of match-fixing.
On Wednesday, just as Kerber began her match with Azarenka, the governing bodies of tennis announced they will commission an independent review of their anti-corruption unit to restore ''public confidence in our sport.''
In announcing the review, ATP Chairman Chris Kermode said the reports had ''caused damage to the sport,'' which compelled the major stakeholders in tennis - the International Tennis Federation, ATP and WTA tours, and the four Grand Slams - to take quick action to address the issue.
A BBC and Buzzfeed News report which coincided with the start of the Australian Open alleged 16 players - all ranked at some stage in the top 50 - had been flagged for being involved in matches where suspicious betting activity was detected. No players were identified and no specifics were published, and many critics believed the data was based on matches that had already examined.
Back on the courts, Murray's match with Ferrer involved plenty of long rallies. Two of them - at 27 and 31 shots in length - came during the second-set tiebreaker, and Murray lost both of those points. But the Scotsman moved out to a 4-1 lead in the third set, during which there was a brief break when the roof on Rod Laver Arena was closed due to an approaching thunderstorm.
Murray liked it with a roof over his head.
''That helped me a little bit. It's tough in those situations,'' Murray said. ''I like playing indoors, I grew up in Scotland, it's not quite like here.''
The 27-year-old Zhang entered the Australian Open with a 0-14 record in Grand Slam singles matches. She said her two weeks in Melbourne and seven match wins in a row, including three in qualifying, should result in a big rankings boost.
''In my heart I feel like I've won this tournament because I've won seven matches,'' Zhang said. ''It didn't matter winning or losing today.''
Kerber went down a break in the second set before winning five consecutive games and saving five set points before beating Azarenka, the result coming as a surprise despite the difference in seedings. No. 7 Kerber broke No. 14 Azarenka's serve to end the match, her first win in seven matches against the Belarussian.
''When I was down 2-5, I was actually playing more aggressive,'' Kerber said.
Six-time champion Serena Williams and No. 4-ranked Agnieszka Radwanska will meet in the other women's semifinal, also on Thursday.
The independent review announced in a news conference at Melbourne Park, earlier reported by The Associated Press, will be funded by the Tennis Integrity Board, which oversees the anti-corruption unit set up by the sport in 2008 to combat match-fixing. It will be led by Adam Smith, a London-based lawyer who is an expert in sports law.
Kermode acknowledged that the announcement of the review helped keep the topic of match-fixing prominent in and around the tournament action.
''It has been hard on the Australian Open, no question about it,'' Kermode said. ''Obviously the report was timed to hit at this point, try to create as big a story as possible. But (Australian Open organizers) have been unbelievably supportive of the actions we've taken. They agree we had to hit this head-on now even though it was during the championships.''
