Australian (Aus) Open 2010, Australian Open 2010 live, Australian Open 2010 live streaming, Australian Open 2010 live tennis, Australian Open 2010 online streaming, Australian Open 2010 sopcast

Duration: 18th Jan to 31st Jan

Venue: Melbourne

Australian Open 2010 live streaming

Aus Open 2010 live streaming

Australian Open 2010 live streaming

The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam event to be held each year in January. The inaugural tournament took place in 1905 when it was contested on the grass courts of Kooyong. Due to the enormous amount of time it took for the top tennis players in the world to travel to Australia, the event virtually faded out into obscurity.

With the advent of air travel, the tournament was revived and in 1988 it moved to a hard court base, called Flinders Park – now better known as Melbourne Park. The tournament grew in popularity with the likes of Agassi, Wilander and Lendl fighting it out for the Norman Brookes Trophy . It became a truly ‘Grand Slam’ event, and has been consistently supported by the very best in world tennis.

The draw for Australian Open 2010 was held at Melbourne Park on Friday morning, with tennis legend John McEnroe and Serbian star Ana Ivanovic taking part in the official draw ceremony.

Men’s defending champion Rafael Nadal faces Aussie Peter Luczak in the first round, while 15-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer could meet Russian sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko in the quarter-finals, with Davydenko beating Federer in their last two meetings. Federer opens against Russian Igor Andreev, while Aussie Lleyton Hewitt could be Federer’s fourth round opponent; the 22nd seed starts his 2010 campaign against a qualifier.

Last year’s semi-finalist Fernando Verdasco has a potentially tricky first-round meeting with big-serving Australian Carsten Ball, while Andy Murray opens up against a qualifier. Frenchman Richard Gasquet, on the comeback trail after missing most of 2009 after a drug-related suspension, starts his Melbourne Park campaign against Russian Mikhail Youzhny, while Juan Martin Del Potro, winner of the US Open last September, could face flamboyant American shot-maker James Blake in round two.

Australian Bernard Tomic, who became the youngest man ever to win a main draw match at the Australian Open last year, faces a qualifier in round one, with the winner of Marin Cilic and French veteran Fabrice Santoro looming in the second round should he advance.

Returning Belgian star Justine Henin will meet compatriot Kirsten Flipkens in the opening round of the women’s tournament, and faces a tough draw after more than a year away from the game, potentially meeting fifth seed Elena Dementieva in the second round. Fellow returnee Kim Clijsters, who won her first major back after a lengthy absence at last year’s US Open, could meet Henin in a blockbuster quarter-final match-up. The pair recently met in the final of the Brisbane International, with Clijsters emerging victorious in three tight sets.

Also on the women’s side, defending champion and top seed Serena Williams will open against Urszula Radwanska, the younger sister of 10th seed Agnieszka Radwanska, while Australian Sam Stosur and Serbian Ana Ivanovic both play qualifiers in the first round. Stosur faces a potential match-up with Serena Williams in the fourth round, while 2008 women’s champion Maria Sharapova will line up against Russian Maria Kirilenko in a glamorous first-round clash.

Australian Jelena Dokic, who thrilled local audiences with her barnstorming run to the quarter-finals last year, faces Alisa Kleybanova in the opening round. Dokic, who was eventually ousted by runner-up Dinara Safina, beat Kleybanova in her surprise run to the final eight in 2009.

In a nightmare match-up for commentators and chair umpires, women’s fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki will meet Canada’s Alexsandra Wozniak in the first round.