Cash bonuses for stars of Oz Open

THE world's best players will earn more than ever on their January jaunt to Australia despite the dire economic conditions across the globe. The 16 players to qualify for the men's and women's quarter-finals at next year's Australian Open will share a prizemoney increase of $500,000. The two players to claim next year's Open will each receive $1.62million of the $22m on offer in prizemoney, an increase of $300,000 on last year, according to Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood. The players vanquished in the Saturday and Sunday twilight finals will receive $810,000, an increase of $130,000. Adding lustre to next year's event is the prospect of Swiss champion Roger Federer equalling Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam singles titles following his victory in the US Open last month. "This year we have decided to really... [read full story]