2015 Australian Open

2015 Australian Open
The 2015 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park from 19 January to 1 February 2015. It was the 103rd edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Stan Wawrinka was the defending champion in men's singles but lost to four-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. Reigning women's champion Li Na did not defend her title, as she retired from professional tennis in September, 2014. Novak Djokovic won an Open Era record fifth men's singles crown by defeating Andy Murray in the final, and this was the third time they met each other in the final. Serena Williams won an Open Era record six women's singles championships by defeating Maria Sharapova in the final, and this was the second time they met each other in the final.
Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini teamed up to win the men's doubles title for the first time over the team of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Šafářová teamed up to win the women's doubles crown for the first time over the team of Chan Yung-jan and Zheng Jie. Martina Hingis and Leander Paes teamed up to win the mixed doubles title, it was the second for Hingis and third for Paes, over the defending champions Kristina Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor.
Tournament
The 2015 Australian Open was the 103rd edition of the tournament and was held at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The tournament was run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and was part of the 2015 ATP World Tour and the 2015 WTA Tour calendars under the Grand Slam category. The tournament consisted of both men's and women's singles and doubles draws as well as a mixed doubles event. There were singles and doubles events for both boys and girls (players under 18), which was part of the Grade A category of tournaments, and also singles, doubles and quad events for men's and women's wheelchair tennis players as part of the NEC tour under the Grand Slam category.
The tournament was played on hard courts and took place over a series of 16 courts with Plexicushion surface, including the three main showcourts – Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena and Margaret Court Arena. The latter was unveiled with a capacity increase from 6,000 to 7,500 and also as the third Melbourne Park venue with fully operational retractable roof to make the Australian Open the first Grand Slam tournament with three such tennis stadiums. Partly due to the new roof, the 2015 event set an all-time attendance record of 703,899 fans. The cooler than normal temperatures may also have played a role.
Broadcast
The tournament was broadcast in more than 200 countries around the world. In Australia, all matches were broadcast live by the Seven Network on the network's primary channel under the banner Seven Sport. In the Asia/Pacific region, the tournament was covered by CCTV, iQiyi, SMG (China), Fiji One (Fiji), Sony SIX (India), Wowow, NHK (Japan), Sky TV (New Zealand) and Fox Sports Asia, in Europe by Eurosport, NOS (Netherlands), SRG SSR (Switzerland) and BBC (United Kingdom), in the Middle East by beIN Sports, in Africa by SuperSport, while in the Americas coverage was provided by ESPN.
In 2015, live coverage emanated from all sixteen courts. Qualifying tournaments, draw ceremony and Kids' Day were shown on official tournament website, AusOpen.com.
Controversy
Following a second round victory in Women's singles Canadian Eugenie Bouchard was approached by an interviewer, Ian Cohen, who cited tweets made by Bouchard the previous evening which complimented fellow competitor Serena Williams's on court attire. The interviewer, explaining that Williams "was kind enough to give us a twirl", asked Bouchard to offer her own twirl. Though Bouchard obliged, the request was met with criticism, with many accusing the interviewer of being sexist. The controversy was referred to by some media outlets as "twirlgate." Billie Jean King responded to the interview by saying "This is truly sexist. If you ask the women, you have to ask the guys to twirl as well." For her part, Bouchard said the request would not be sexist if men were asked to "flex their muscles and stuff." At least one media outlet pointed out that as part of a pre-tournament interview Rafael Nadal was asked to take off his shirt for the enjoyment of female fans.
Point and prize money distribution
Point distribution
Below is a series of tables for each of the competitions showing the ranking points on offer for each event.
Senior points
Wheelchair points
Junior points
Prize money
The Australian Open total prize money for 2015 was increased to A$40,000,000, with men's and women's singles champions to receive a tournament-record 3.1 million Australian dollars reward. Out of total prize money, A$28,796,000 was paid for players competing in singles main draw, further A$1,344,000 for players, who lost in qualifying, A$5,165,200 – for doubles players, A$480,000 for mixed doubles players and A$605,330 for competitors in other events, while A$3,609,470 was used to cover other fees, including players' per diem and trophies.
1Qualifiers prize money is also the Round of 128 prize money.
*per team
Singles players
2015 Australian Open – Men's singles
2015 Australian Open – Women's singles
Day-by-day summaries
Events
Seniors
Men's singles
Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray, 7–6(7–5), 6–7(4–7), 6–3, 6–0
This was the third time these two players met in the final. The other two times were in 2011 and 2013, when Djokovic won. This time would prove no different with Djokovic winning his fifth title, an Open Era record, to go along with his titles in 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013. This victory was Djokovic's eighth grand slam title, tying him in the Open Era with Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi. This was Murray's fourth loss in the final of the Australian Open, three of them to Djokovic and one to Roger Federer in 2010. This marks the first time since Björn Borg at the US Open that someone has lost all four of his final appearances at a particular grand slam event.
Women's singles
Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, 6–3, 7–6(7–5)
This marked the second time these two players met in the final. The other time was in 2007, which Williams won. This time would be exactly the same, with Williams winning her sixth title (an Open Era record), to go along with wins in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010. This was her nineteenth career grand slam singles title, behind only Steffi Graf's twenty-two titles in the Open Era of tennis. This was Sharapova's third loss in the final; the other two losses were in 2012 to Victoria Azarenka and to Williams in 2007. Sharapova won the title in 2008.
Men's doubles
Simone Bolelli / Fabio Fognini defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert / Nicolas Mahut, 6–4, 6–4
This was the first men's doubles title for the team of Bolelli and Fognini at the event and in their respective careers.
Women's doubles
Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Lucie Šafářová defeated Chan Yung-jan / Zheng Jie, 6–4, 7–6(7–5)
This was the first women's doubles title for the team of Mattek-Sands and Šafářová at the event and in their respective careers. One of their finalist opponents, Zheng Jie won the title in 2006 with Yan Zi.
Mixed doubles
Martina Hingis / Leander Paes defeated Kristina Mladenovic / Daniel Nestor, 6–4, 6–3
This was a match of past mixed doubles champions at the event, which Hingis won with Mahesh Bhupathi in 2006, while her partner Paes won titles in 2003 with Martina Navratilova and in 2010 with Cara Black. Their finalist opponents' won the event last year, but Nestor won titles in 2007 with Elena Likhovtseva and 2011 with Katarina Srebotnik. This was Hingis' second mixed doubles title for her career, and for Paes' it is his seventh mixed doubles grand slam crown for his career.
Juniors
Boys' singles
Roman Safiullin defeated Hong Seong-chan, 7–5, 7–6(7–2)
Girls' singles
Tereza Mihalíková defeated Katie Swan, 6–1, 6–4
Boys' doubles
Jake Delaney / Marc Polmans defeated Hubert Hurkacz / Alex Molčan, 0–6, 6–2, [10–8]
Girls' doubles
Miriam Kolodziejová / Markéta Vondroušová defeated Katharina Hobgarski / Greet Minnen, 7–5, 6–4
Wheelchair
Wheelchair men's singles
Shingo Kunieda defeated Stéphane Houdet, 6–2, 6–2
Wheelchair women's singles
Jiske Griffioen defeated Yui Kamiji, 6–3, 7–5
Wheelchair quad singles
Dylan Alcott defeated David Wagner, 6–2, 6–3
Wheelchair men's doubles
Stéphane Houdet / Shingo Kunieda defeated Gustavo Fernández / Gordon Reid, 6–2, 6–1
Wheelchair women's doubles
Yui Kamiji / Jordanne Whiley defeated Jiske Griffioen / Aniek van Koot, 4–6, 6–4, 7–5
Wheelchair quad doubles
Andrew Lapthorne / David Wagner defeated Dylan Alcott / Lucas Sithole, 6–0, 3–6, 6–2
Singles seeds
Seedings are based on rankings as of 12 January 2015. Rankings and points before are as of 19 January 2015.
Points defending includes results from both the 2014 Australian Open and tournaments from the week of 27 January 2014 (Davis Cup for the men, and Paris and Pattaya for the women).
Men's singles
The following players would have been seeded, but they withdrew from the event.
†The player did not qualify for the tournament in 2014. Accordingly, this was the 18th best result deducted instead.
Women's singles
Doubles seeds
Men's doubles
1 Rankings were as of 12 January 2015.
Women's doubles
1 Rankings are as of 12 January 2015.
Mixed doubles
1 Rankings are as of 12 January 2015.
Main draw wildcard entries
As part of an agreement between Tennis Australia, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and the French Tennis Federation (FFT), one male and one female player from the United States and France received a wild card into the Australian Open singles event. USTA gave it to Denis Kudla and Irina Falconi, thanks to their positions in 2014 USTA Pro Circuit's Australian Open Wild Card Challenge standing, while Lucas Pouille and Océane Dodin were chosen by internal FFT selection.
Further four wildcards were awarded at Asia-Pacific Australian Open Wildcard Playoff into the men's and women's singles and doubles main draw events, while Tennis Australia organized its own playoff competitions, where Jordan Thompson, Daria Gavrilova and Sam Thompson & Masa Jovanovic mixed doubles team received entries to Australian Open.
Remaining wildcard places were filled by Australian internal selection.
Men's singles
James Duckworth
Thanasi Kokkinakis
Denis Kudla
John Millman
Lucas Pouille
Luke Saville
Jordan Thompson
Zhang Ze
Women's singles
Chang Kai-chen
Océane Dodin
Duan Yingying
Irina Falconi
Daria Gavrilova
Arina Rodionova
Olivia Rogowska
Storm Sanders
Men's doubles
Alex Bolt / Andrew Whittington
James Duckworth / Luke Saville
Matthew Ebden / Matt Reid
Omar Jasika / John-Patrick Smith
Thanasi Kokkinakis / Nick Kyrgios
Lee Hsin-han / Zhang Ze
John Millman / Benjamin Mitchell
Women's doubles
Monique Adamczak / Olivia Rogowska
Naiktha Bains / Sara Tomic
Kimberly Birrell / Priscilla Hon
Daria Gavrilova / Storm Sanders
Maddison Inglis / Alexandra Nancarrow
Jessica Moore / Abbie Myers
Yang Zhaoxuan / Ye Qiuyu
Mixed doubles
Chang Kai-chen / Zhang Ze
Casey Dellacqua / John Peers
Jarmila Gajdošová / Mahesh Bhupathi
Daria Gavrilova / Luke Saville
Masa Jovanovic / Sam Thompson
Andreja Klepač / Chris Guccione
Arina Rodionova / Max Mirnyi
Main draw qualifier entries
The qualifying competition took place in Melbourne Park on 14 – 17 January 2015.
Men's singles
Men's singles qualifiers
Tim Pütz
Jürgen Melzer
Elias Ymer
Tim Smyczek
Matthias Bachinger
Jan Hernych
Aljaž Bedene
Jimmy Wang
Michael Russell
Ruben Bemelmans
Marius Copil
Kyle Edmund
Alexander Kudryavtsev
Illya Marchenko
Yuki Bhambri
Laurent Lokoli
Lucky loser
Hiroki Moriya
Women's singles
Women's singles qualifiers
Denisa Allertová
Stéphanie Foretz
Renata Voráčová
Tatjana Maria
Alexandra Panova
Lucie Hradecká
Ons Jabeur
Urszula Radwańska
Richèl Hogenkamp
Evgeniya Rodina
Anna Tatishvili
Petra Martić
Lucky loser
Yulia Putintseva
Protected ranking
The following players were accepted directly into the main draw using a protected ranking:
Men's singles
Juan Martín del Potro (PR 7)
Stéphane Robert (PR 103)
Women's singles
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (PR 52)
Romina Oprandi (PR 40)
Vera Zvonareva (PR 15)
Withdrawals
The following players were accepted directly into the main tournament but withdrew.
Men's singles
Marin Čilić → replaced by James Ward
Juan Martín del Potro → replaced by Hiroki Moriya
Tommy Haas → replaced by Stéphane Robert
Jack Sock → replaced by Máximo González
Radek Štěpánek → replaced by Blaž Kavčič
Janko Tipsarević → replaced by Marsel İlhan
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga → replaced by Kenny de Schepper
Women's singles
Jana Čepelová → replaced by Yulia Putintseva
Petra Cetkovská → replaced by Alison Van Uytvanck
Retirements
Men's singles
Peter Gojowczyk
Martin Kližan
Adrian Mannarino
Tommy Robredo
References
External links