Serena and Safina Reach Aussie Final

Extreme temperatures force delays at Australian Open

(NEWSER) - Rafael Nadal cruised into the semifinals of the Australian Open, winning his fifth straight-set victory at Melbourne Park over France's Gilles Simon, 6-2, 7-5, 7-5. He will face fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, while Roger Federer will play Andy Roddick. Nadal's victory came as the heat in Melbourne reached 110°, forcing tournament officials to suspend play temporarily, Bloomberg reports. More»

(NEWSER) - When the first tennis Grand Slam of the year gets under way in Australia Monday, a familiar name won't be atop the seedings. Roger Federer will be the No. 2 seed after four straight years in the top spot at Melbourne, the AP reports. Spaniard Rafael Nadal will be No. 1 for the men, and Serbia's Jelena Jankovic for the women. Other notables include Andy Roddick (7), three-time winner Serena Williams (2), and her sister, Venus (6). For photos of the stars warming up Down Under, click on the image control. More»

Belgian, 27, in first Grand Slam since ending retirement

(AP) - Former world No. 1 Justine Henin reached the semifinals in her Grand Slam comeback, beating Nadia Petrova 7-6 (3), 7-5 Tuesday to take out the last seeded player in her half of the Australian Open draw. The 27-year-old Henin, unranked and playing on a wild-card entry at Melbourne Park after coming out of retirement this month, went down a break in the second set before winning seven of the next nine games to finish off No. 19-seeded Petrova. More»

Federer throws together 'Hit for Haiti,' raises big bucks

(NEWSER) - Stars of the tennis universe got together today to hit a few—and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Haiti earthquake relief. Less than a day before the start of the Australian Open, Roger Federer threw together "Hit for Haiti," a slate of doubles matches enlivened by the miked players, who included Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Lleyton Hewitt, Kim Clijsters, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Roddick. More»

(NEWSER) - Venus Williams set up another Wimbledon final match against her sister, following Serena’s semifinal victory today over Elena Dementieva with her own thrashing of top seed Dinara Safina, the AP reports. Serena, a two-time winner of the tournament and the No. 2 seed, battled for a 6-7 (4), 7-5, 8-6 win; third-seeded Venus, who beat Serena last year for her fifth title, cruised 6-1, 6-0. More»