Author: GREEK WORLD MEDIA

Organiser John Douvartzidis said more than 30,000 people were expected to flock to the Semaphore foreshore for the event on Saturday and Sunday.

What’s your favourite aspect of the festival? Comment below.

Mr Douvartzidis said a highlight of this year’s program was X-Factor Greece contestant Maria Stavropoulou.

Stavropoulou lives in Sydney but travelled to Greece for the competition in 2009.

“She’s the premier Greek female singer in Australia,” Mr Douvartzidis said.

“That’s going to attract a massive crowd.

“She has a massive following Australia-wide.”

There will also be a range of Greek dance groups performing, along with four live bands, up from the usual two.

Mr Douvartzidis said the highlight of the festival for most people was the scrumptious Greek food.

He said festival-goers particularly looked out for yiros, souvlakia, calamari, spanakopita (spinach pie) and Greek sweets like loukoumades (deep-fried dough soaked in honey).

“The food is unbelievable,” he said.

“You won’t find better food anywhere. It’s spoken about by everyone.”

Volunteer Alexandra Vakitsidis said she was looking forward to sharing Greek culture and food with all the visitors to Semaphore.

“Some people can’t go and visit Greece and the island and we make it easier to see what we have in Greece,” Mrs Vakitsidis said.

The festival, in its 35th year, is run by 250 volunteers from the Greek Orthodox Community of Port Adelaide and is the church’s main fundraiser.

Events start at 11am on Saturday and 10am on Sunday, and run until midnight on both days.

Entry is free.

Details: http://www.semaphoregreekfestival.com.au

Nadal – Kokkinakis   6 – 2   2 – 1   2 – 0    Nadal was in a considerable degree of trouble in this game as he faced two break-points on his serve at 15-40. However, the Aussie squandered both those opportunities as the top seed produced two great serves to bail himself out of that tricky situation.

1 – 0    Nadal gets the break here at the outset of the second set and with that takes a 1-0 lead. Even though the Aussie came up with a massive serve to put the game at deuce, the Majorcan wasn’t to be denied as he eventually won the game by drawing Kokkinakis into an error.

Nadal – Kokkinakis   6 – 2    With 16 winners and a 93% winning rate on his first serve points Nadal literally had a walk in the park in the first set as he secured it with a 6-2 score-line in just 32 minutes. Moreover, he committed just the three unforced errors all through the set – a sign that Rafa was at its very best in the set as he faced no problems at all in moving around his rival from one side to the other of the court and reaped rich rewards for his tactics as he broke the Kokkinakis serve twice to accomplish a 5-2 lead. Thereafter, in the ensuing game he served out the set with a perfect hold to love.   5 – 2    Nadal complete control of this first set now as he breaks the Aussie’s serve for the second time and will now serve for the set in the next game. The top seed is playing some fabulous tennis at the moment and is dominating the proceedings with the assistance of his heavy ground-strokes particularly from his forehand wing.

4 – 2    Nadal continues to serve big and into the backhand corner of the Aussie on most occasions than not and with that ploy he cruises through to a love hold to double his lead to 4-2. The former champion is all over the local lad at present and is simply overstretching him with the help of his lefty serves. 3 – 2    Some big serves help the Australian to hold his serve and keep himself right behind the World No.1. Kokkinakis has been serving fast and hard and has unsettled the Spaniard by mixing his serve.

3 – 1    Nadal confirms the break which he accomplished in the previous game with a hold to 15. With a couple of body serves that jammed into the body of his opponent, the World No.1 takes full control of the points in the game to stretch his lead to 3-1. 2 – 1    After a brilliant beginning to the match, Kokkinakis drops his guard in the third game of the match and with that loses his serve to hand over an early break to the World No.1 in this first set. The Spaniard will now look to consolidate the break in the next game.

1 – 1    Even though Kokkinakis struck two brilliant winners in this game, the 2009 champion was still able to hold on to his serve with ease as he fired in three aces – one at the T and two out wide to put the set at 1 game all.0 – 1    The Australian youngster makes a fine start to this match as he holds on to his serve to 30. He didn’t look nervous at all as he served really well and also hit the ball with great depth and precision.

Hello and welcome to our continuing coverage of the Australian Open from Melbourne.  Stay tuned with us as we bring you all the action LIVE only on TennisEarth!

This would be the first meeting between the two players with the Spaniard coming into the match as an overwhelming favorite.

Up next on the Rod Laver Arena is a match between the World No.1 Rafael Nadal and the Aussie youngster Thanasi Kokkinakis for a place in the third round.

DAY 4 – SELECTED MATCHES
Elina Svitolina def Olivia Rogowska 6-4 7-5
Karin Knapp def by Maria Sharapova 3-6 6-4 8-10
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def Thomaz Bellucci 7-6 6-4 6-4
Rafael Nadal v Thanasi Kokkinakis, 2pm @RLA
Blaz Kavcic v Roger Federer, 5pm @Hisense
Nick Kyrgios v Benoit Paire, 7pm @MCA
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova v Victoria Azarenka, 7pm @RLA
Andy Murray v Vincent Millot, Last match @RLA

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PERFORMANCE TIMES

• Tuesday 7pm
• Wednesday 1pm & 8pm
• Thursday 8pm
• Friday 8pm
• Saturday 2pm & 8pm
• Sunday 3pm

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Thanasi Kokkinakis serves in his first round match against Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands during day two of the 2014 Australian Open. Picture: Michael Dodge. Source: Getty Images

While Lleyton Hewitt’s Australian Open ended on Rod Laver Arena, across the way on show court 3 the 17-year-old South Australian was producing a Hewitt-like performance to register a remarkable career breakthrough.

Battling cramp for most of the final set, Kokkinakis fought through the pain to defeat Dutchman Igor Sijsling 7-6 (4) 0-6 7-6 (3) 6-2.

His victory completed a landmark day for the new generation with his good friend Nick Kyrgios also progressing after a hard-fought victory over Germany’s Benjamin Becker.

Kokkinakis, a wildcard entrant and the youngest player in the men’s field, was only playing the second top level match of his career.

His first was in Brisbane a fortnight ago where he won a spot in the main draw through qualifying and was then defeated in the opening round by Hewitt.

Sijsling started an overwhelming favourite in the match given he is ranked No. 73 in the world but he couldn’t capitalise even when his younger opponent was hurting.

Kokkinakis started to experience problems with his calf early in the fourth set and he could barely move at times yet somehow raced to a 3-0 lead.

The cramp started to move further up his leg later in the set but Kokkinankis held his nerve and easily broke Sijsling’s serve to take out the victory in just over three hours.

The South Australian teen said he enjoyed the support from friends and Aussie tennis fans.

“I’m very excited. I had a fair few of my close mates all around,” he said.

“I was trying to pick them out. When I kind of high fived my mates everyone else had their hand out, so I went around with it. It was good fun.”

He admitted that he just managed to “hang in there” when the cramp set in.

“I don’t actually know (how I got through) because, I mean, I started to feel it really early, maybe 5 6 in the third set,” he said.

“I was like, ‘Oh, this ain’t going to end too well’. I just tried to make returns.

“I think he got a little tighter thinking what’s down the other end.

“I was trying to hang in there and try to find the cheap points.

“I was shortening the points as much as I could, because when it was going for a while I wasn’t having much success.

“I broke him early in the fourth, which he should have won that game. Somehow I came up with it. Kind of just tried to keep my serve.”

He said he was sorry that some Aussies bowed out on day two but was optimistic about the state of the game.

“It’s good for Australian tennis to have me and Nick (Kyrgios) through. Unfortunately Lleyton and Bernie obviously didn’t get up.

“But, I mean, Matty (Ebden) is still in. James (Duckworth) I felt put in a good effort against Federer.

“So I think Australian tennis is on the up. Yeah, I know, it’s exciting stuff.”

While Lleyton Hewitt laboured in vain on centre court, the Aussie teenagers slated to replace him withstood the microwave conditions, some injury concerns and their tender years to win their first matches at the Australian Open.

Nick Kyrgios and his friend Thanasi Kokkinakis emphatically redeemed the Australian effort on a Tuesday when others were either being swatted like flies – as in James Duckworth v Roger Federer – were shaded in the heat like Hewitt and Storm Sanders (beaten in a tight three-setter by Italian Camila Giorgi), or melting down like Marinko Matosevic.

Kyrgios rallied following a medical timeout for his shoulder and outlasted plucky German veteran Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 7-6 (7-2), while Kokkinakis likewise recovered from the twin setbacks of losing the second set 6-0 and leg problems that he later said were cramps to overcome Dutchman Igor Sijsling in four sets 7-6 (7-4), 0-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.

Nick Kyrgios keeps his eyes on the ball during his match against Benjamin Becker on Tuesday. Photo: Pat Scala

The teenage pair – described by Davis Cup coach Josh Eagle as the most capable twosome this country has produced in a decade – beat players ranked 81 (Becker) and 73 (Sijsling) in results that suggest that the long dormant men’s division of Australian tennis could be on the turn, and that Bernard Tomic – fortunately – is far from the only hope of the side.

That the emerging teenage pair managed to overcome ailments and that Tomic forfeited his mismatch, invites further harsh comparisons. Kokkinakis will play Tomic’s opponent, world No. 1 Rafael Nadal, on Thursday.

Kyrgios, a Canberra product who won the Australian Open juniors this time last year, showed both his formidable arsenal – particularly a frightening serve – and a willingness to scrap. At various stages, the 18-year-old seemed close to crumbling, under the burdens of the heat and a shoulder that saw him call for the trainer when down a break early in the fourth set. He had missed the lead-in events in Brisbane and Sydney due to shoulder soreness.

Australian Open Tennis Day 2

Andreas Seppi celebrates his win over Lleyton Hewitt during Day 2 of the Australian Open. Photo: Pat Scala

Kokkinakis, just 17 and from Adelaide, recovered brilliantly from the second-set rout and, like Kyrgios, showed a fair measure of mettle and self-confidence in the key moments – such as the decisive third-set tie-breaker. Both kids enjoyed their victories on the same showcourt three, with Kokkinakis, who played the late match, completing a lap of the court in which he high-fived the whole front row.

Whereas Kyrgios played before a crowd of 300-400 that had been muted by the intensity of the sun, the numbers swelled somewhat for Kokkinakis – a belated bandwagon materialising as the ferocious sun set.

Kokkinakis’ victory was a case of winning the points that mattered; he won two tie-breakers, broke serve three times from a mere five opportunities, while saving five of the nine break points he faced. If he did not win as many ”free” points on serve as his doubles partner Kyrgios, he fared better in the rallies.

Kyrgios sent down 34 aces and won more than 90 per cent of the points when he landed the first serve – peak velocity of 215km/h. He converted six of his eight break points.

Kyrgios appeared to be both in some pain and at pains to avoid a fifth set, which might have favoured the seasoned Becker – a 178-centimetre veteran clearly not related to booming Boris. The Aussie teenager’s serve had been slowing, along with his legs, but late in the fourth set he resolved to attack and attempt a quick kill. ”I thought it would be smart to get it worked on,” said Kyrgios of his shoulder.

He viewed this victory as more satisfying than his first-round win at the French Open against Radek Stepanek.

The shoulder, he added, should be fine for his second-round encounter with 27th seed Benoit Paire, of France.

Kyrgios was impressive when breaking back at 5-6 in that fourth set and then by routing Becker in the tie-breaker.

Standing 193 centimetres, Kyrgios’ arsenal includes a forehand that can be pretty potent and a two-handed backhand.

It’s unclear how quickly he covers the court, since no one was moving too quickly in mid to late afternoon, but he has the loose limbs of a basketballer. His volley was seldom seen.

The Kyrgios/Kokkinakis combination of Greek heritage, large or very large serves and height has drawn comparisons with Mark Philippoussis, long seen as a great under-achiever, but in view of our struggles to penetrate the top 30, would be celebrated as a success today.

Whether they come up short or surpass Philippoussis, the teenager pair have undoubtedly given Australian tennis a timely fillip.

The latest is beleaguered ­Victorian parliamentary Speaker Ken Smith who announced he will not re-contest the next election, citing family ­reasons.

“Over the past 25 years I am proud to have served as a member of the Liberal Party in the Legislative Council and ­Legislative Assembly under the leadership of premiers Jeff Kennett, Ted Baillieu and Denis Napthine,” Mr Smith said in a statement on Monday.

He did not say if he would continue in his role as Speaker, which has recently been plagued by controversy.

Mr Smith was responsible for ­referring rogue Frankston MP Geoff Shaw to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee over alleged misuse of his parliamentary vehicle.

Victoria Police cleared Mr Shaw of all charges last month.

Mr Smith came under fire last year when Mr Shaw, who holds the balance of power in the Lower House, accused the Speaker of not doing enough to ­protect him from protesters outside Parliament House.

Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews accused Mr Smith of bias and has called for him to step down immediately and be replaced by Deputy Speaker ­Christine Fyffe.

It was revealed last week that Mr Smith was facing a challenge in his safe Liberal seat of Bass from 27-year-old Aaron Brown.

Mr Brown is an agricultural scientist and son of former Liberal state leader Alan Brown.

Monash University professor Nick Economou said the Victorian coalition didn’t resemble a first term government with the high number of departing senior members. “The amount of ­resignations shows the government is disintegrating and this puts voters off,” Dr Economou said.

“It’s an electoral risk to undertake, what they are calling a renewal of the party in your first term as government. The number of incumbent candidates for the party is not a good look in the eyes of the electorate and usually the large number of resignations before an election is because they think the party is going to be defeated.”

On Sunday, Energy Minister ­Nicholas Kotsiras announced he would resign from his safe Liberal seat, paving the way for Planning Minister Matthew Guy to move to the Lower House.

This follows former minister Andrew McIntosh and Liberal power broker Philip Davis both announcing their resignations last year.

Dr Napthine said he would meet with the deputy premier and leader of the Nationals, Peter Ryan, once the party’s preselections had concluded before a decision was made on reshuffling the cabinet.