FEATURE: Australian Open season

The 2010 Australian Open has wrapped up with thrilling finals that saw the game's top players triumphant against strong challengers, to claim the first Grand Slam titles of 2010.

Last Updated: Mon, 1 Feb 2010 09:44:00 +1100

World number one Roger Federer won his fourth Australian Open and 16th grand slam title, while on the women's side, Serena Williams picked up her fifth Australian Open crown.

Federer's remarkable level of consistency continued when he defeated Scottish sixth-seed Andy Murray in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11) on Rod Laver Arena.

The world number one clinched victory in a gripping tie-breaker, 13 points to 11, after Murray missed five set points opportunities.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams ended the hopes of a return title for former champion Justine Henin with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory at Melbourne Park on Saturday.

Henin had enjoyed a fairytale run into the final of her comeback grand slam and thoroughly tested Williams in the opening set despite going down 6-4, but broke through in the second 3-6 to force a deciding set, which allowed Williams to claim her 12th Grand Slam singles title.

Serena Williams also picked up the womens doubles title with her sister Venus, while the Bryan brothers - Mike and Bob - took out the men's doubles title.

India's Leander Paes and his partner, Zimbabwean Cara Black, won the mixed-doubles.

On the women's side of the draw, China was given reason to celebrate, when Zheng Jie and Li Na both reached the semi-finals, making the two players the most successful in China's Grand Slam history.

Australian hopes

Australia's hopes of a home grand-slam victory were dashed in the fourth round, when the top mens and women's seeds finished Australia's top contenders.

Lleyton Hewitt's fourth round clash with Federer ended in a straight sets loss, his fifteenth in a row against the world number 1, with a rivalry between the two stretching back 14 years.

Samantha Stosur, the thirteenth seed equalled her previous best Australian Open performance, in 2006, with a third round win to book a match against Serena Williams, but was unable to progress, losing to the American in straight sets.

Other Australians to progress in the competition included Casey Dellacqua, who lost to Venus Williams in the third round, and Bernard Tomic, whose second-round loss to Croatian Marin Cilic resulted in controversy, after Tomic said was "ridiculous" a 17-year-old would be expected to play a game finishing at 2am.

Security concerns

The 2010 Australian Open has not been without controversy.

Organisers beefed up security after the past three championships were marred by violence between fans, but more than 60 people have been ejected from Melbourne Park in the first three days of the event.

A group of 35 fans who disrupted the second-round match between Chile's Fernando Gonzalez and Turkey's Marsel Ilhan, while on the first day of competition, eleven people were ejected from the Open, including two who had smuggled in flares.

Those spectators threatened to disrupt the match between Czech player Radek Stepanek and Croatian Ivo Karlovic, and were warned about their behaviour before being escorted out.

Victorian Premier John Brumby described the behaviour as an embarrassment to the state, while the president of the Australian Croatian Association, Paul Sariac, says he will try to work on ways to stop such aggressive behaviour.

And Brazilian tennis player Marcos Daniel was investigated and cleared of any wrongdoing by Australian Open officials over an alleged altercation involving a female spectator, following his first round loss.

But there was also a strong display of international support for the victims of Haiti's earthquake, with the tournament opening with the 'Hit for Haiti', a star-studded fund-raising event which saw Federer, Nadal, Serena Williams and Stosur team up with other players in a series of exhibition and mixed doubles matches.

Future plans

The Australian Open attracts record crowds every January, with more than 600,000 spectators viewing the two weeks of competition, in an event worth an estimated $US61 million to the country's economy, and described as the biggest annual sporting event in the Southern Hemisphere.

A global audience of millions on television and the Internet also tune in to the event, which traditionally kicks off a year of major sporting events for the city of the Melbourne, including the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the AFL Grand Final and the 'race that stops a nation' - the Melbourne Cup.

Melbourne was the city where the Australian Open was first held in 1905, and its permanent home since 1972, and during this year's event, the Victorian government moved to secure a place for the tournament in the state's sporting fixture for many years to come.

Premier John Brumby unveiled details of a $US328 million redevelopment of Rod Laver arena and the surrounded Melbourne Park courts.

The plans include a face lift of the outdoor Margaret Court Arena - including the installation of a retractable roof and an extra 1,500 seats - as well as a new eastern plaza and 21 new courts, which will mean the Australian Open becomes first Grand Slam host in the world to boast three undercover courts.

The government says the revamp will ensure the event stays in Melbourne until 2036.