Day final out, hello prime time

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BRISBANE International organisers will consider switching the men's final to a prime time evening slot for 2015 following Sunday's star clash between Lleyton Hewitt and Roger Federer.

Tournament director Cameron Pearson will talk to broadcaster Channel Seven about showing the 2015 men's title decider at either 6pm or 7pm Queeensland time

"We'll look at our schedule and what matches were played when and we will review each day's play and the sessions and certainly that's one that I'm going to look at for sure, to look to move towards a night final for the men," Pearson said.

"It's obviously a better time from an audience perspective but also you're showcasing your best match at night, under the lights.

"Keeping away from when the sun comes in on the side of the court would make it a better spectator experience as well."

The setting sun streamed on to the Pat Rafter Arena court through a gap between the top of the stands and the roof as Hewitt took on the 17-times Grand Slam winner.

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Their match, played over two hours and eight minutes, spilled into prime time by chance after the curtain-raiser men's doubles final starting at 2pm went to three sets and lasted 96 minutes.

The Hewitt-Federer match averaged 1.12 million viewers on 7Two and peaked at 1.56 million.

It was the most watched program in its timeslot in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Federer and Hewitt flew out of Brisbane yesterday to continue their Australian Open preparations.

Hewitt, who will contest the AAMI Classic starting at Kooyong tomorrow, will go into the first Grand Slam of the year with increased confidence following his 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 upset of Federer but he said that was incidental to winning in Brisbane, his first title since 2010.

"Playing the best players in the world and finals of tournaments, always it's exciting, that's why you still play the game," said the 32-year-old Australian.

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"For me, it was motivation enough just to try to get the win out there and obviously win another title. It's been a couple years. So I was just ready for the challenge."

The win pushed Hewitt's world ranking from No.60 to 43 but, again, that was just a bonus after beating Federer and world No.17 Kei Nishikori on the way to the title.

"The pleasing thing is how I backed up," Hewitt said.

"I had my first match on Tuesday night, and then after that had one day off and after that had to play four matches in a row.

"At my age and then to come through and do that, the last two wins have been big, quality players as well."

Federer branded Hewitt "the best player I played this week".

"He made it toughest on me," Federer said.

"So I have a clear idea what I need to work on, and I have a clear idea where my mind and body is at.

"I'm very hungry and eager to attack the Australian Open next week."

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Johnson rises cricket's rich list

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PACE sensation Mitchell Johnson is set to become Australian cricket's latest $2 million man on the strength of his Ashes ambush this summer.

Johnson will vault from close to the bottom to the top echelon of Cricket Australia's contract list if he can maintain the form which reaped him 37 wickets at just under 14 runs apiece during the Ashes.

He only just made the last 17-man contract list in April when he was out of favour and not selected for the Ashes tour but he is now the talk of world cricket.

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The top handful of Australian players receive about $2 million including bonuses from CA and Johnson's high rankings in all forms of the game could see him ranked as high as number two on the list behind captain Michael Clarke if he closes the summer with a strong Test tour of South Africa.

No matter what his form in South Africa Johnson is poised to at least treble his earnings in the Indian Premier League.

The tournament winning Mumbai Indians paid just $US300,000 (around $330,000) for Johnson when he was injured and out of form in his last IPL deal but he could earn a $1 million deal this time, essentially because of his exceptional bowling form but also because of his considerable batting and fielding talents.

Johnson's dramatic Ashes form surge will make him a headline act at next month's IPL auction if Mumbai cannot secure him on a new contract beforehand.

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Ballin wants to be one club man

Matt Ballin in training with the Sea Eagles. Source: Martin Lange / News Limited

IN the countdown to his eighth season in the NRL, Matt Ballin revealed his goal of being a one club man by playing his entire career with the Sea Eagles.

The Manly ironman who turned 30 on Sunday got stuck back into training at Narrabeen yesterday with the rest of the top squad following their Christmas break.

"All my first grade games have been here at Manly," Ballin said.

"It's a very strong club and has a very proud history.

"I want to make sure when I look back on my time here I am very proud of it and can say I have been a Manly Sea Eagles player for my whole career."

In the modern era long-serving one team players are becoming an endangered species.

"Obviously the salary cap affects certain players but a lot of players want to stay here for less money," Ballin said.

"It is a good indication that the club and it's community is very close."

The workaholic hooker is under contract to the Sea Eagles for two more seasons until the end of 2015.

He hopes that doesn't take bring down the curtain on his career and he can then secure another deal with the club.

"I'd really love to keep playing," Ballin said.

"A lot of things can happen in those two years- whether the club wants me and whether I'm offer the club anything on the field is another matter."

And Ballin is ready to continue his amazing defensive feats in 2014 that have become such a crucial element in the club's success.

"You'd rather have the ball in your hands and not do so much if it," he said.

"But when it comes down to it I am in the middle of the field there and most weeks I play 80 minutes.

"And I have always enjoyed tackling ever since I was a young bloke."

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Explosive start for Dellacqua

Casey Dellacqua is through in Hobart. Source: WILLIAM WEST / AFP

A GAS explosion shook Australia's Casey Dellacqua before she was able to refocus on take out her opening match in the Hobart International yesterday.

Dellacqua was in control 6-4, 5-2 when the loud explosion in the nearby club house shook the Domain Tennis Centre in her match with Belgian qualifier Alison van Uytvanck.

The 125th world ranked left-hander from Perth then dropped the next two games before finally serving out the match to win in an hour and 11 minutes 6-4, 6-4.

``The explosion actually shook me to be honest with you,'' Dellacqua said.

``I kept thinking `I hope everyone is OK' and I know that is probably bad but it just really threw for me for a few games and I was worrying, I just wanted to ask the umpire if everyone is all right.

``I just had to refocus at 5-4.

``I put myself in a good position to win the match, I just had to realise I put myself in that position to serve out the match and to refocus and to get more clarity on what I needed to do in that last game and that was to hit some first serves in and make her play a few extra balls, which I had been doing the whole match.

``I saw smoke obviously coming out and I just kept worrying. I didn't feel like we should keep playing if something had happened.

``I felt like we should stop. I didn't know what happened but it seems like everything is good.''

After a nearly two-hour rain delay and a shaky start, where a number of service breaks were traded freely, Dellacqua took control through her serve (winning 68 per cent on serve) and powerful forehand.

In 2013, the 28-year-old rose to the top 10 in doubles as her singles rankings slid, but this year is all about her own one-woman show.

``I thought it (yesterday) was good, obviously playing qualifiers is never easy because they've had three matches and you never know what conditions you are going to get,'' she said.

``I felt pretty good up until those last few games.

``This summer was about focusing on my singles to really try and get back into the top 100 so the French Open and Wimbledon I'm playing main draw and I'm not playing qualifying and I can put a proper schedule together for singles and doubles.''

Wildcard Dellacqua downed Van Uytvanck 6-4 6-4 after play was delayed for two hours by rain.

The 28-year-old, who made three grand slam doubles finals with Ashleigh Barty in 2013, made the crucial first set break in the ninth game to lead 5-4.

The left-hander converted her first set point with a blistering forehand down the line.

Dellacqua led 5-2 in the second but, serving for the match, was broken by her 19-year-old opponent.

Leading 5-4 she served out the match, converting her first match point when Van Uytvanck hit wide.

The West Australian will play either fourth seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or American Alison Riske in the second round.

The Hobart tournament suffered a second blow in as many days on Monday when fifth seed Flavia Pennetta joined Venus Williams in withdrawing.

Pennetta cited a wrist injury.

Her place has been filled by Belgian lucky loser An-Sophie Mestach.

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'I've never seen anything like it'

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ENGLAND'S miserable Ashes tour was summed up in one memorable moment at the SCG on Sunday.

They had long given up the fight for the urn but a single Ryan Harris delivery, as he marched toward match-winning figures of 5/25, broke their spirit.

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It was nothing more than a defensive shot from England opener Michael Carberry, but the ball split his Kookaburra bat in half. Only the bat's sticker kept the two pieces of willow together.

Australian allrounder Shane Watson was astounded. He's broken bats while playing before, but never with a defensive shot.

"Normally if the bat breaks like that it's from a big pull shot or cut shot, so I'm surprised it didn't go earlier," he said.

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"I'm surprised he did actually have his stickers on as well because that might have flicked back on the stumps. He found some pretty random ways to get out at times throughout the series and that might have topped things off for him."

It was Carberry's first Ashes tour, but it could very well be his last despite ending the series as England's second highest run scorer behind Kevin Pietersen.

Ironically, at the start of the season Carberry appeared in a video promoting his new bat, which is called the Recoil.

"This is what I'll be using this summer," he says.

"Hopefully there will be some runs in it."

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