List of Australian Open women's singles champions
Statistics -- Champions by country
Table:
Country

Amateur Era

Open Era

All-time

First title

Last title

Australia (AUS)
33
10
43
1922
1978

United States (USA)
7
17
24
1938
2017

Germany (GER)[m]
0
5
5
1988
2016

Switzerland (SUI)
0
3
3
1997
1999

Great Britain (GBR)
2
1
3
1935
1972

Yugoslavia (YUG) ¤
0
3
3
1991
1993

Belarus (BLR)
0
2
2
2012
2013

Belgium (BEL)
0
2
2
2004
2011

Czechoslovakia (TCH) ¤[k]
0
2
2
1980
1987

France (FRA)
0
2
2
1995
2006

China (CHN)
0
1
1
2014
2014

Denmark (DEN)
0
1
1
2018
2018

Japan (JPN)
0
1
1
2019
2019

Russia (RUS)
0
1
1
2008
2008

Drawing on the accompanying table and the relevant paragraphs listed below.

Give the answer to the question: What was abolished in the second half of the 19th century in the country that won its first title at the 31st edition of the Australian Open and won its last title at the most recent Australian Open ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia , is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent , the island of Tasmania , and numerous smaller islands . It is the largest country in Oceania and the world 's sixth-largest country by total area . The population of 26 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard . Australia 's capital is Canberra , and its largest city is Sydney . The country 's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne , Brisbane , Perth , and Adelaide . Indigenous Australians inhabited the continent for about 65,000 years prior to the first arrival of Dutch explorers in the early 17th century , who named it New Holland . In 1770 , Australia 's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788 , a date which became Australia 's national day . The population grew steadily in subsequent decades , and by the time of an 1850s gold rush , most of the continent had been explored and an additional five self-governing crown colonies established . On 1 January 1901 , the six colonies federated , forming the Commonwealth of Australia . Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy , comprising six states and ten territories . Australia is the oldest , flattest , and driest inhabited continent , with the least fertile soils . It has a landmass of 7,617,930 square kilometres ( 2,941,300 sq mi ) .
The 1922 Australasian Championships was a tennis tournament that took place on outdoor Grass courts at the White City Tennis Club , Sydney , Australia from 2 December to 9 December . It was the 15th edition of the Australian Championships ( now known as the Australian Open ) , the third held in Sydney , and the third Grand Slam tournament of the year . It was the inaugural year for the women 's singles , women 's doubles and mixed doubles competitions . The singles titles were won by Australians James Anderson and Margaret Molesworth .
The 1978 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts at the Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne , Australia and was held from 25 December 1978 to 3 January 1979 . It was the 67th edition of the Australian Open and the fourth Grand Slam tournament of the year . The singles titles were won by Argentinian Guillermo Vilas and Australian Chris O'Neil .
The United States of America ( USA ) , commonly known as the United States ( U.S. or US ) or America , is a country consisting of 50 states , a federal district , five major self-governing territories , and various possessions . [ g ] At 3.8 million square miles ( 9.8 million km2 ) , it is the world 's third or fourth-largest country by total area [ b ] and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe . Most of the country is located in central North America between Canada and Mexico . With an estimated population of over 328 million , the U.S. is the third most populous country in the world . The capital is Washington , D.C. , and the most populous city is New York City . Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago . European colonization began in the 16th century . The United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast . Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies led to the American Revolutionary War lasting between 1775 and 1783 , leading to independence . The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century - gradually acquiring new territories , displacing Native Americans , and admitting new states - until by 1848 it spanned the continent . During the second half of the 19th century , the American Civil War led to the abolition of slavery in the United States . The Spanish-American War and World War I confirmed the country 's status as a global military power .
The 1938 Australian Championships was a tennis tournament that took place on outdoor Grass courts at the Memorial Drive , Adelaide , Australia from 21 January to 31 January . It was the 31st edition of the Australian Championships ( now known as the Australian Open ) , the 7th held in Adelaide , and the first Grand Slam tournament of the year . The singles titles were won by Americans Don Budge and Dorothy Bundy Cheney .
The 2020 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park , from 20 January to 2 February 2020 . It was the 108th edition of the Australian Open , the 52nd in the Open Era , and the first Grand Slam of the year . The tournament consisted of events for professional players in singles , doubles and mixed doubles . Junior and wheelchair players competed in singles and doubles tournaments . As in previous years , the tournament 's main sponsor was Kia . Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka were the defending champions in Men 's Singles and Women 's Singles , respectively . Osaka lost in the third round to Coco Gauff . In contrast , Djokovic successfully defended his title by defeating Dominic Thiem to win the tournament for a record-extending eighth time . This was the first edition of the Australian Open with GreenSet , a hard surface produced by GreenSet Worldwide . GreenSet was the third type of hard surface used for the Australian Open .
Germany ( German : Deutschland , German pronunciation : [ ˈdɔʏtʃlant ] ) , constitutionally the Federal Republic of Germany ( German : Bundesrepublik Deutschland , listen ( help·info ) ) , [ f ] is a country in Central and Western Europe . It borders Denmark to the north , Poland and the Czech Republic to the east , Austria and Switzerland to the south , France to the southwest , and Luxembourg , Belgium , and the Netherlands to the west . Germany includes 16 constituent states , covers an area of 357,386 square kilometres ( 137,988 sq mi ) , and has a largely temperate seasonal climate . With 83 million inhabitants , it is the second most populous state of Europe after Russia , the most populous state lying entirely in Europe , as well as the most populous member state of the European Union . Germany is a very decentralised country . Its capital and largest metropolis is Berlin , while Frankfurt serves as its financial capital and has the country 's busiest airport . Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity . A region named Germania was documented before AD 100 . Beginning in the 10th century , German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire . During the 16th century , northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation . After the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire , the German Confederation was formed in 1815 . The German revolutions of 1848-49 resulted in the Frankfurt Parliament establishing major democratic rights .
The 1988 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at Flinders Park in Melbourne in Victoria in Australia . It was the 76th edition of the Australian Open and was held from 11 through 24 January 1988 and was the first edition of the tournament hosted at Flinders Park . It would mark the first time a Grand Slam final would be played indoors under a roof ; after the first 3 games of the Women 's Final , there was a 1-hour & 23 min delay to close the roof . This was the first Australian Open to have 128-players in each singles category , in line with the other three majors .
The 2016 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park between 18-31 January 2016 . It was the 104th edition of the Australian Open , and the first Grand Slam tournament of the year . The tournament consisted of events for professional players in singles , doubles and mixed doubles play . Junior and wheelchair players competed in singles and doubles tournaments . Novak Djokovic successfully defended the men 's singles title and thus won a record-equaling sixth Australian Open title . Serena Williams was the defending champion in the women 's singles but failed to defend her title , losing to Angelique Kerber in the final ; by winning , Kerber became the first German player of any gender to win a Grand Slam title since Steffi Graf won her last such title at the 1999 French Open . As in previous years , this year 's tournament 's title sponsor was Kia . This edition set a new attendance record for the tournament of 720,363 .
Switzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a country situated in the confluence of western , central , and southern Europe . [ note 4 ] It is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons , with federal authorities seated in Bern . [ note 1 ] Switzerland is a landlocked country bordered by Italy to the south , France to the west , Germany to the north , and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east . It is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau , the Alps , and the Jura , spanning a total area of 41,285 km2 ( 15,940 sq mi ) , and land area of 39,997 km2 ( 15,443 sq mi ) . While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory , the Swiss population of approximately 8.5 million is concentrated mostly on the plateau , where the largest cities are located , among them the two global cities and economic centres of Zürich and Geneva . The establishment of the Old Swiss Confederacy dates to the late medieval period , resulting from a series of military successes against Austria and Burgundy . Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 . The Federal Charter of 1291 is considered the founding document of Switzerland which is celebrated on Swiss National Day . Since the Reformation of the 16th century , Switzerland has maintained a strong policy of armed neutrality ; it has not fought an international war since 1815 and did not join the United Nations until 2002 . Nevertheless , it pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world . Switzerland is the birthplace of the Red Cross , one of the world 's oldest and best known humanitarian organisations , and is home to numerous international organisations , including the second largest UN office . It is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association , but notably not part of the European Union , the European Economic Area or the Eurozone .
The 1997 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at Melbourne Park in Melbourne in Victoria in Australia . It was the 85th edition of the Australian Open and was held from 13 through 26 January 1997 .
The 1999 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at Melbourne Park in Melbourne , Australia . It was the 87th edition of the Australian Open and was held from 18 through 31 January 1999 . This was the first Grand Slam of the calendar year . Total attendance for the event reached 391,504 . In the singles competition , Petr Korda and Martina Hingis were the defending champions . Korda was unseeded at this tournament and was eliminated in the third round by American 15th seed Todd Martin . This loss resulted in him falling down the rankings from 20th to 76th . Later in July , Korda received a suspension from tennis by the ITF after testing positive for nandrolone at Wimbledon last year . Yevgeny Kafelnikov , on the other hand , ended up becoming the men 's champion , defeating surprise finalist Swede Thomas Enqvist in four sets . With this win , Kafelnikov became the first Russian , male or female , to win an Australian Open title . In the women 's singles , two-time defending champion Martina Hingis successfully defended her title , defeating another surprise finalist in Frenchwoman Amélie Mauresmo . This win allowed Hingis to join Margaret Court , Evonne Goolagong Cawley , Steffi Graf and Monica Seles as the only women to have won three consecutive Australian Open titles .
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the United Kingdom ( UK or U.K. ) or Britain , [ note 11 ] is a sovereign country located off the north­western coast of the European mainland . Existing under its current name since 1921 , the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain , the north­eastern part of the island of Ireland , and many smaller islands . Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland . Otherwise , the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the North Sea to the east , the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the southwest , giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world . The Irish Sea separates Great Britain and Ireland . The total area of the United Kingdom is 94,000 square miles ( 240,000 km2 ) . The United Kingdom is a unitary parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy . [ note 12 ] The current monarch is Queen Elizabeth II , who has reigned since 1952 , making her the world 's longest-serving current head of state . The United Kingdom 's capital and largest city is London , a global city and financial centre with an urban area population of 10.3 million . Other major cities include Birmingham , Manchester , Glasgow , Leeds and Liverpool . The United Kingdom consists of four constituent countries : England , Scotland , Wales , and Northern Ireland . Their capitals are London , Edinburgh , Cardiff , and Belfast , respectively .
The 1935 Australian Championships was a tennis tournament that took place on outdoor Grass courts at the Kooyong Stadium [ a ] in Melbourne , Australia from 1 January to 14 January [ b ] . It was the 28th edition of the Australian Championships ( now known as the Australian Open ) , the 8th held in Melbourne , and the first Grand Slam tournament of the year . Australian Jack Crawford and Dorothy Round from England won the singles titles .
The 1972 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on grass courts at the Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne in Australia and was held from 26 December 1971 to 3 January 1972 . It was the 60th edition of the Australian Open and the first Grand Slam of the year .
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( SFRY ) , also known as SFR Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia , was a country located in Central and Southeastern Europe that existed from its foundation in the aftermath of World War II until its dissolution in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars . Covering an area of 255,804 km² ( 98,766 sq mi ) , the SFRY was bordered by the Adriatic Sea and Italy to the west , Austria and Hungary to the north , Bulgaria and Romania to the east , and Albania and Greece to the south . The nation was a socialist state and a federation governed by the League of Communists of Yugoslavia and made up of six socialist republics - Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia , Macedonia , Montenegro , Serbia , and Slovenia - with Belgrade as its capital . In addition , it included two autonomous provinces within Serbia : Kosovo and Vojvodina . The SFRY 's origin is traced to 26 November 1942 , when the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia was formed during World War II . On 29 November 1945 , the Federal People 's Republic of Yugoslavia was proclaimed after the deposition of King Peter II , thus ending the monarchy . Until 1948 , the new communist government originally sided with the Eastern Bloc under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito at the beginning of the Cold War , but after the Tito-Stalin split of 1948 , Yugoslavia pursued a policy of neutrality . It became one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement , and transitioned from a command economy to market-based socialism . The SFRY maintained neutrality during the Cold War as part of its foreign policy . It was a founding member of CERN , the United Nations , Non-Aligned Movement , OSCE , IFAD , WTO , Eutelsat , and BTWC . Following the death of Tito on 4 May 1980 , the Yugoslav economy started to collapse , which increased unemployment and inflation . The economic crisis led to a rise in ethnic nationalism in the late 1980s and early 1990s ; dissidence resulted among the multiple ethnicities within the constituent republics .
The 1991 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at Flinders Park in Melbourne in Victoria in Australia . It was the 79th edition of the Australian Open and was held from 14 through 27 January 1991 .
The 1993 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at Flinders Park in Melbourne in Victoria in Australia . It was the 81st edition of the Australian Open and was held from 18 through 31 January 1993 .
Belarus ( /bɛləˈruːs/ ; Belarusian : Беларусь , IPA : [ bʲɛlaˈrusʲ ] ) , officially the Republic of Belarus ( Belarusian : Рэспубліка Беларусь , Russian : Республика Беларусь ) , formerly known by its Russian name Byelorussia or Belorussia ( Russian : Белоруссия ) , is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast , Ukraine to the south , Poland to the west , and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest . Its capital and most populous city is Minsk . Over 40% of its 207,600 square kilometres ( 80,200 sq mi ) is forested . Its major economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing . Until the 20th century , different states at various times controlled the lands of modern-day Belarus , including the Principality of Polotsk ( 11th to 14th centuries ) , the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , and the Russian Empire . In the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution , Belarus declared independence as the Belarusian People 's Republic , which was conquered by Soviet Russia . The Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922 and was renamed as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic ( Byelorussian SSR ) . Belarus lost almost half of its territory to Poland after the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921 . Much of the borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939 , when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were reintegrated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland , and were finalized after World War II . During WWII , military operations devastated Belarus , which lost about a quarter of its population and half of its economic resources . The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years . In 1945 the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations , along with the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR .
The 2012 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne , Australia from 16 to 29 January 2012 . It was the 100th edition of the Australian Open , and the first Grand Slam event of the year . The tournament consisted of events for professional players in singles , doubles and mixed doubles play . Junior and wheelchair players competed in singles and doubles tournaments . Novak Djokovic successfully defended his title after he defeated Rafael Nadal in the longest grand slam final in history . The 2012 final passed the 2008 Wimbledon final for the record , finishing after 5 hours and 53 minutes of play . Kim Clijsters was the defending champion for the women 's singles , but lost to Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals . Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova for her first Grand Slam title ; and over took Caroline Wozniacki as the number one ranked player on the WTA Tour . In the doubles Leander Paes and Radek Štěpánek won the title . Paes completed a career Grand Slam with the title while Štěpánek won his first Slam . On the women 's side an all Russian duo of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva took the title . The mixed event was won by Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecău .
The 2013 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne , Australia , from 14 to 27 January 2013 . It was the 101st edition of the Australian Open , and the first Grand Slam event of the year . The tournament consisted of events for professional players in singles , doubles and mixed doubles play . Junior and wheelchair players competed in singles and doubles tournaments . All four of the main events in singles and same-sex doubles were won by the top seeds - Novak Djokovic in men 's singles , Victoria Azarenka in women 's singles , Bob and Mike Bryan in men 's doubles , and Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in women 's doubles . This year 's Australian Open was the first Grand Slam event since that tournament 's 2004 edition in which the women 's singles and doubles were won by the top seeds , and the first Grand Slam event since the 1997 Wimbledon Championships in which the men 's and women 's singles and doubles were all won by the top seeds . In addition , this year 's Australian Open remains the most recent Grand Slam where the men 's and women 's singles titles were both successfully defended .
Belgium , [ A ] officially the Kingdom of Belgium , is a country in Western Europe . It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north , Germany to the east , Luxembourg to the southeast , France to the southwest , and the North Sea to the northwest . It covers an area of 30,689 km2 ( 11,849 sq mi ) and has a population of more than 11.5 million , making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe , with a density of 376 per square kilometre ( 970/sq mi ) . The capital and largest city is Brussels ; other major cities are Antwerp , Ghent , Charleroi and Liège . The sovereign state is a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system . Its institutional organization is complex and is structured on both regional and linguistic grounds . It is divided into three highly autonomous regions : the Flemish Region in the north , Wallonia in the south , and the Brussels-Capital Region . Brussels is the smallest and most densely populated region , as well as the richest region in terms of GDP per capita . Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups or communities : the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community , which constitutes about 60 percent of the population , and the French-speaking Community , which comprises about 40 percent of all Belgians . A small German-speaking Community , numbering around one percent , exists in the East Cantons . The Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual ( French and Dutch ) , although French is the dominant language . Belgium 's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its political history and complex system of governance , made up of six different governments .
The 2004 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament held in Melbourne , Australia from 19 January to 1 February , 2004 . Andre Agassi was unsuccessful in defending his 2003 title , being defeated in the semi-finals by Marat Safin . This ended a 26-match winning streak for Agassi at the Australian Open , having previously won in 2000 , 2001 and 2003 , missing 2002 through injury . Roger Federer won his first Australian Open title , defeating Safin in the final . Serena Williams was unable to defend her 2003 title after withdrawing from the tournament due to a left knee injury . Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated compatriot and rival Kim Clijsters in the final to win her only Australian Open title .
The 2011 Australian Open was a tennis tournament featuring six different competitions , and part of the 2011 ATP World Tour , the 2011 WTA Tour , ITF Junior Tour and the NEC Tour , as tournaments for professional , junior and wheelchair players were held . The tournament took place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne , Australia from 17 to 30 January , it was the 99th edition of the Australian Open and the first Grand Slam event of 2011 . The tournament was played on hard courts and was organised by the International Tennis Federation and Tennis Australia . Roger Federer was unsuccessful in his title defence , being defeated by Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals , and Serena Williams was unable to defend her title due to a foot injury she suffered shortly after winning Wimbledon last year . Djokovic won the Australian Open for the second time , and Kim Clijsters , the runner-up to Justine Henin-Hardenne in 2004 , won her maiden Australian Open . In the men 's doubles the Bryan Brothers won their fifth Australian Open while Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta won their maiden Grand Slam title in the women 's doubles . Daniel Nestor claimed his second mixed doubles Grand Slam alongside Katarina Srebotnik who won her fourth mixed title , her first Australian , leaving her one away from a career Grand Slam , as she has now won three of the Grand Slams , needing just Wimbledon to complete her collection . In the junior tournaments both the singles and doubles titles in the boys and girls events were won by Jiří Veselý and An-Sophie Mestach . Vesely won the doubles alongside Filip Horanský whilst Mestach won her doubles crown with Demi Schuurs . Vesely and Mestach won their first Grand Slam titles and became the first players to achieve the junior double together in any Grand Slam since Kristian Pless and Virginie Razzano achieved this at the 1999 Australian Open . Shingo Kunieda and Esther Vergeer both won the singles and doubles in the men 's and women 's wheelchair tennis events respectively . Kunieda won his fourth consecutive Australian Open , his fifth overall .
Czechoslovakia , or Czecho-Slovakia ( /ˌtʃɛkoʊsloʊˈvækiə , -kə- , -slə- , -ˈvɑː-/ ; Czech and Slovak : Československo , Česko-Slovensko ) , was a sovereign state in Central Europe that existed from October 1918 , when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire , until its peaceful dissolution into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 January 1993 . From 1939 to 1945 , following its forced division and partial incorporation into Nazi Germany , the state did not de facto exist but its government-in-exile continued to operate . From 1948 to 1990 , Czechoslovakia was part of the Eastern Bloc with a command economy . Its economic status was formalized in membership of Comecon from 1949 and its defense status in the Warsaw Pact of May 1955 . A period of political liberalization in 1968 , known as the Prague Spring , was forcibly ended when the Soviet Union , assisted by several other Warsaw Pact countries , invaded Czechoslovakia . In 1989 , as Marxist-Leninist governments and socialism were ending all over Europe , Czechoslovaks peacefully deposed their government in the Velvet Revolution ; state price controls were removed after a period of preparation . In 1993 , Czechoslovakia split into the two sovereign states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia .
The 1980 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts at the Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne , Australia . It was the 69th edition of the Australian Open and was held from 26 December 1980 through 4 January 1981 . The singles titles were won by American Brian Teacher and Czechoslovakian Hana Mandlíková .
The 1987 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on grass courts at the Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne in Victoria in Australia . It was the 75th edition of the Australian Open and was held from 12 through 25 January 1987 .
France ( French : [ fʁɑ̃s ] ( listen ) ) , officially the French Republic ( French : République française , pronounced [ ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛːz ] ( listen ) ) , is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories . [ XIII ] The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea , and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean . It is bordered by Belgium , Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast , Switzerland and Italy to the east , and Andorra and Spain to the south . The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian oceans . The country 's 18 integral regions ( five of which are situated overseas ) span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres ( 248,573 sq mi ) and a total population of 67.02 million ( as of July 2019 [ update ] ) . France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris , the country 's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre . Other major urban areas include Lyon , Marseille , Toulouse , Bordeaux , Lille and Nice . France , including its overseas territories , has the most number of time zones of any country , with a total of 12 . During the Iron Age , what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls , a Celtic people . Rome annexed the area in 51 BC , holding it until the arrival of Germanic Franks in 476 , who formed the Kingdom of Francia . The Treaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned Francia into East Francia , Middle Francia and West Francia . West Francia , which became the Kingdom of France in 987 , emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages , following its victory in the Hundred Years ' War ( 1337-1453 ) .
The 1995 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at Flinders Park in Melbourne in Victoria in Australia . It was the 83rd edition of the Australian Open and was held from 16 through 29 January 1995 .
The 2006 Australian Open was played between 16 and 29 January 2006 . Marat Safin could not defend his 2005 title , due to an injury he suffered in late 2005 . Roger Federer won his second Australian Open title , defeating Marcos Baghdatis in the final in four sets . Serena Williams was unsuccessful in defending her 2005 title , losing in the third round against Daniela Hantuchová . Amélie Mauresmo won her first Australian Open title , defeating 2004 champion Justine Henin in the final ; Henin-Hardenne was forced to retire at 1-6 , 0-2 down due to a stomach virus . It began Henin-Hardenne 's run of reaching the final of all four Grand Slam events , winning the French Open .
China ( Chinese : 中国 ; pinyin : Zhōngguó ) , officially the People 's Republic of China ( PRC ) , is a country in East Asia and is the world 's most populous country , with a population of around 1.428 billion in 2017 . Covering approximately 9,600,000 square kilometers ( 3,700,000 sq mi ) , it is the third largest country by area . [ j ] Governed by the Communist Party of China , the state exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces , [ k ] five autonomous regions , four direct-controlled municipalities ( Beijing , Tianjin , Shanghai , and Chongqing ) , and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau . China emerged as one of the world 's first civilizations , in the fertile basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain . For millennia , China 's political system was based on hereditary monarchies , or dynasties , beginning with the semi-mythical Xia dynasty in 21st century BCE . Since then , China has expanded , fractured , and re-unified numerous times . In the 3rd century BCE , the Qin reunited core China and established the first Chinese empire . The succeeding Han dynasty , which ruled from 206 BCE until 220 CE , saw some of the most advanced technology at that time , including papermaking and the compass , along with agricultural and medical improvements . The invention of gunpowder and movable type in the Tang dynasty ( 618-907 ) and Northern Song ( 960-1127 ) completed the Four Great Inventions . Tang culture spread widely in Asia , as the new Silk Route brought traders to as far as Mesopotamia and the Horn of Africa . Dynastic rule ended in 1912 with the Xinhai Revolution , when the Republic of China ( ROC ) replaced the Qing dynasty . China , as a whole , was ravaged by feudal warlordism and Japan during World War II .
The 2014 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park between 13-26 January 2014 . It was the 102nd edition of the Australian Open , and the first Grand Slam tournament of the year . The tournament consisted of events for professional players in singles , doubles and mixed doubles play . Junior and wheelchair players competed in singles and doubles tournaments . Li Na won the women 's singles , beating Dominika Cibulková in the final . Stanislas Wawrinka defeated Rafael Nadal in the men 's singles final to win his first grand slam title . Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci defended their women 's doubles title with a victory over Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina . Łukasz Kubot and Robert Lindstedt took the men 's doubles title with a victory over Eric Butorac and Raven Klaasen . The mixed doubles were won by Kristina Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor , with Sania Mirza and Horia Tecău the runners-up . Both defending singles champions lost in the quarterfinals , the first time in the open era . Novak Djokovic was the three-time defending champion in the men 's singles , but failed to defend his title , losing to eventual champion Wawrinka . Two-time defending champion Victoria Azarenka also failed to defend her title in the women 's singles , losing to Agnieszka Radwańska .
Denmark ( Danish : Danmark , pronounced [ ˈtænmak ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Kingdom of Denmark , [ N 10 ] [ N 2 ] is a Nordic country in Northwest Europe . Denmark proper , which is the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries , consists of a peninsula , Jutland , and an archipelago of 443 named islands , [ N 2 ] with the largest being Zealand , Funen and the North Jutlandic Island . The islands are characterised by flat , arable land and sandy coasts , low elevation and a temperate climate . The southernmost of the Scandinavian nations , Denmark lies southwest of Sweden and south of Norway , [ N 11 ] and is bordered to the south by Germany . The Kingdom of Denmark also includes two autonomous territories in the North Atlantic Ocean : the Faroe Islands and Greenland . Denmark has a total area of 42,924 km2 ( 16,573 sq mi ) , land area of 42,394 km2 ( 16,368 sq mi ) , and the total area including Greenland and the Faroe Islands is 2,210,579 km2 ( 853,509 sq mi ) , and a population of 5.8 million in Denmark proper ( Danish egentlige Danmark ) ( as of 2020 [ update ] ) . The unified kingdom of Denmark emerged in the 8th century as a proficient seafaring nation in the struggle for control of the Baltic Sea . Denmark , Sweden , and Norway were ruled together under one sovereign ruler in the Kalmar Union , established in 1397 and ending with Swedish secession in 1523 . The areas of Denmark and Norway remained under the same monarch until 1814 , Denmark-Norway . Beginning in the 17th century , there were several devastating wars with the Swedish Empire , ending with large cessions of territory to Sweden . After the Napoleonic Wars , Norway was ceded to Sweden , while Denmark kept the Faroe Islands , Greenland , and Iceland . In the 19th century there was a surge of nationalist movements , which were defeated in the First Schleswig War .
The 2018 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played at Melbourne Park between 15-28 January 2018 , and was the first Grand Slam tournament of the 2018 season . The tournament consisted of events for professional players in singles , doubles and mixed doubles play . Junior and wheelchair players compete in singles and doubles tournaments . Roger Federer was the defending champion in the men 's singles event and successfully retained his title ( his sixth ) , defeating Marin Čilić in the final , while Caroline Wozniacki won the women 's title , defeating Simona Halep in the final to win her first Grand Slam . The tournament was the 106th edition of the event ( the 50th edition of the Open Era ) . Additionally , it was the 200th Major tournament of the Open Era . It also marked the 30th anniversary of the Australian Open moving from the Kooyong Tennis Club to Melbourne Park .
Japan ( Japanese : 日本 , Nippon [ ɲippoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) or Nihon [ ɲihoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) ) is an island country located in East Asia . It is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east , and spans more than 3,000 kilometers ( 1,900 mi ) along the coast of the continent from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Philippine Sea in the south . Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire , Japan encompasses a stratovolcanic archipelago of about 6,852 islands , with five main islands ( Hokkaido , Honshu , Kyushu , Shikoku , and Okinawa ) comprising 97% of the country 's total area of 377,975 square kilometers ( 145,937 sq mi ) . Japan is officially divided into 47 prefectures and traditionally into eight regions . Approximately two-thirds of the country 's terrain is mountainous and heavily forested , and less than one-eighth of land is suitable for agriculture . Consequently , Japan is among the most densely populated and urbanized countries in the world , with over 90% of its population living in urban areas . The largest of these is the metropolitan area centered on the capital city of Tokyo , which is the most populous in the world and home to more than 38 million people . Japan itself is the world 's eleventh most populous country with a population of 126.2 million , of which 97.8% are ethnically Japanese . The kanji ( or Chinese characters ) that make up the name of Japan in the Japanese language mean sun origin ; in the Western world , the country is often known by the sobriquet Land of the Rising Sun . Periods of influence from other regions , primarily China , followed by periods of isolation , particularly from Western Europe , have characterized the history of Japan . While archaeological evidence indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period , the first written mention of the archipelago appears in Chinese texts from the first century AD . Between the fourth and ninth centuries , the kingdoms of Japan became gradually unified under an Emperor and imperial court based in Heian-kyō ( modern Kyoto ) .
The 2019 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park from 14 to 27 January 2019 . It was the 107th edition of the Australian Open , the 51st in the Open Era , and the first Grand Slam of the year . The tournament consisted of events for professional players in singles , doubles and mixed doubles . Junior and wheelchair players competed in singles and doubles tournaments . The 2019 Australian Open was the first Australian Open to feature final set tie-breaks . Roger Federer and Caroline Wozniacki were the defending men 's and women 's singles champions , but were unsuccessful in their respective title defenses ; Federer lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round and Wozniacki lost to Maria Sharapova in the third round . Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the men 's singles title at the 2019 Australian Open , defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain 6-3 , 6-2 , 6-3 in the men 's final . Naomi Osaka of Japan defeated Petra Kvitová of the Czech Republic 7-6 , 5-7 , 6-4 to win the women 's singles title .
Russia ( Russian : Росси́я , tr . Rossiya , IPA : [ rɐˈsʲijə ] ) , or the Russian Federation , [ e ] is a European country located in Eastern Europe with a vast expanse of territory that stretches across Northern Asia . At 17,125,200 square kilometres ( 6,612,100 sq mi ) , it is by far the largest country in the world by area , covering more than one-eighth of the Earth 's inhabited land area , spanning eleven time zones , and bordering 16 sovereign nations . The territory of Russia extends from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east , and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea and the Caucasus in the south . With 146.7 million inhabitants living in the country 's 85 federal subjects as of 2020 , Russia is the most populous nation in Europe and the ninth-most populous nation in the world . Russia 's capital and largest city is Moscow ; other major urban areas include Saint Petersburg , Novosibirsk , Yekaterinburg , Nizhny Novgorod , Kazan and Chelyabinsk . The East Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD . Founded and ruled by a Varangian warrior elite and their descendants , the medieval state of Rus arose in the 9th century . In 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire , beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium . Rus ultimately disintegrated into a number of smaller states , until it was finally reunified by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the 15th century . By the 18th century , the nation had greatly expanded through conquest , annexation , and exploration to become the Russian Empire , which was the third largest empire in history , stretching from Poland on the west to Alaska on the east . Following the Russian Revolution , the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ( Russian SFSR ) became the largest and leading constituent of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR/Soviet Union ) , the world 's first constitutionally socialist state .
The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts . It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open , and the first Grand Slam event of the year . It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne , Australia , from 14 through 27 January 2008 . After twenty years of playing on Rebound Ace , the courts were changed to Plexicushion , a marginally faster surface . The new surface is thinner , and therefore has lower heat retention . This decision was made in a bid to reduce the stick of the court and the frequency of the extreme heat policy being invoked . However , the new surface faced criticism for being too similar to DecoTurf , the surface used at the U.S. Open . Player reaction to the change of surface was generally ambivalent . Both Roger Federer and Serena Williams were unsuccessful in defending their 2007 titles ; Federer losing to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and Williams losing in the quarter-finals to Jelena Jankovic . Djokovic won his first Grand Slam singles title , defeating unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final ; Maria Sharapova , runner-up to Williams in 2007 , defeated Ana Ivanovic to win her first Australian Open title and third Grand Slam title . For the mixed doubles , in every game , the first team to score four points , won the game . In other words , when a deuce happened in a game , the team who won the next point won the game .