Murray beats Nadal to win Japan Open

Andy Murray of Britain rallied to beat Rafael Nadal 3—6, 6—2, 6—0 and win the Japan Open on Sunday.

Murray overcame losing the first set to win his second straight ATP tour victory.

Murray, who also won last week in Bangkok, broke his Spanish opponent in the fourth game of the second set and then proceeded to win 11 of the next 12 games to clinch the title at Ariake Colosseum.

Nadal, the defending champion, had beaten Murray five straight times entering the match, and had not lost a service game in the tournament.

The title was Murray’s fourth of the season after triumphs at Queen’s Club, Cincinnati and in Thailand.

“There was a lot of close games in the first set and early in the second set, then I started to get the momentum and didn’t give him any chances,” Murray said. “I played some great tennis, especially in the third set.”

Murray added that his performance was the best he had ever played against Nadal. The Briton’s record against the Spaniard improved to 13—5.

“Rafa is one of the greatest players ever,” Murray said. “It is always a pleasure to play against him.”

The match turned for good in the fifth game of the second set. After being broken in the previous game, Nadal squandered four break points and fell behind 4—1.

Murray pressed his advantage after the break, pressuring Nadal the rest of the way.

In the final set, Murray broke Nadal three times, behind a combination of forehand winners and unforced errors by the Spaniard.

“He played unbelievable in the third set with no mistakes,” Nadal said. “His returns were impressive. After I had my chances in the second set, he started playing at a very high level.”

The victory gave fourth—ranked Murray his 20th career ATP tour title.

Nadal is now 3—7 in finals this season, with the first six of the losses coming to Novak Djokovic.

Record prize money for 2012 Australian Open

Next year’s Australian Open will be the richest tournament in Grand Slam tennis history, with the winners of both the men’s and women’s singles to pocket $2.3 million ($US2.2 million).

Organizers announced Tuesday that a total of $26 million ($25 million) will be paid out in next January’s event.

Martina Hingis will be the main attraction to the new women’s legends event, although there was no immediate confirmation of reports the former women’s No. 1 would play mixed doubles with fellow Swiss Roger Federer in preparation for a potential pairing at the 2012 Olympic Games.

Tournament director Craig Tiley said he expected defending champion Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams to bolster a women’s draw that will have added interest for local fans next year following Sam Stosur’s title win at the U.S. Open.

“We know that Kim’s been out for most of the year, but she’s planning on being back to defend her title,” Tiley was quoted as saying by Australian Associated Press. “We’ve still got three months to go, but the last communication is she’s planning on being back.

“The same thing with Serena, she unfortunately missed this year’s Open with her injury, but she’s back playing, we all saw at the finals of the U.S. Open, and she’ll be here too.”

Organizers also announced the Hawk-Eye line calling system will be expanded from two to three show courts for the Jan. 16-29 tournament.

Apple unveils iPhone 4S

Apple Inc. unveiled a new iPhone on Tuesday that is faster and more powerful but stops short of a more radical upgrade. It said Sprint customers will now be able to use one.

The new iPhone 4S has an improved camera with a higher-resolution sensor. The processor is faster, which helps run smoother, more realistic action games. It’s also a “world phone,” which means that Verizon iPhones will be useable overseas, just as AT&T iPhones already are.

There had been speculation that Apple would reveal a more radical revision of the phone, an “iPhone 5.” The no-show leaves room for speculation that Apple will reveal a new model in less than a year, perhaps one equipped to take advantage of Verizon’s and AT&T’s new high-speed data networks.

Apple is including a “personal assistant” application called Siri in the iPhone 4S. It responds to spoken questions and commands such as “Do I need an umbrella today?” It’s an advanced version of speech-recognition apps found on other phones.

The new iPhone also comes with new mobile software that includes such features as the ability to sync content wirelessly, without having to plug the device to a Mac or Windows machine.

The iPhone announcement came during Apple’s first major product event in years without Steve Jobs presiding. New CEO Tim Cook led the show after Jobs, who has been battling health problems, resigned from the post in August.

Mr. Cook, wearing a navy blue button-down shirt and jeans, opened by calling his nearly 14-year tenure at Apple “the privilege of a lifetime.” Those in the audience clapped as he entered, but the reaction seemed more muted than what Mr. Jobs had recently received.

Mr. Cook said the latest iPhone, which came out in June 2010, sold more quickly than previous models, but the iPhone still has just 5 per cent of the worldwide handset market. Apple is hoping to grow that with the new model.

Apple’s new mobile software, iOS 5, will also be available on October 12 for existing devices the iPhone 4 and 3GS, both iPad models and later versions of the iPod Touch.

Apple said October 12 will also mark the launch of its new iCloud service, which will store content such as music, documents, apps and photos on Apple’s servers and let people access them wirelessly on numerous devices.

Apple said the new phone will come in black or white. It will cost $199 for a 16 gigabyte version, $299 for 32 GB and $399 for 64 GB all with a two-year service contract requirement. It will now be available through Sprint Nextel Corp., besides the existing carriers, AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless.

Apple also touted the popularity of its products and unveiled a new line of iPods, including a Nano model with a multi-touch display that promises to be easier to navigate. Apple made no mention of its Classic model, which many people had speculated the company might discontinue.

The event took place in Apple’s Town Hall room, where the first iPod was launched a decade ago. Mr. Cook said Apple has sold more than 300 million iPods worldwide so far, including 45 million in the 12 months through June.