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Australia Australian Open Women's Trophy

2012 One Dollar

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The Australian Open Women's event took place between the 16th and 28th January at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. It is the first Grand Slam event of the year and it is commemorated by the Royal Australian Mint with this uncirculated one dollar. It shows the women's trophy on the reverse along with the lines of a tennis ball flowing across it and the words AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2012 ONE DOLLAR. There is also a men's trophy issue in one dollar and five dollar varieties. The obverse has the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of HM Queen Elizabeth II wearing her crown and facing right. It includes the legend ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2012.

The women's final takes place the day before the men's final but they are now equal on prize money as had been campaigning for some time. The women's final featured Maria Sharapova from Russia up against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. Sharapova had previously won the Australian Open back in 2008 (Go Australia, 2012) Azarenka was seeded at number 3 prior to this tournament whereas Sharapova was seeded number four. It was set to be a great final but the clever money was on Azarenka as she appeared to be in confident mood. Unlike the men's marathon final though, this one was over in two straight sets. The Belarusian Victoria Azarenka was victorious 6-3, 6-0 taking the honours, along with a new world number one ranking.

One of the Worlds biggest sporting events, the Australian Open celebrates its centenary in 2005. The first tournament, known as the Australasian Tennis Championships, was played at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in Albert Park, Melbourne. The first Australian Open men's singles event was won by Alfred Dunlop of Australia beating Reginald Fraser of Australia in straight sets in 1905. The competition became the Australian Open in 1969 and moved to the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park in January 1988. Rod Laver was one of Australia's greatest tennis stars. He was born on 9th August 1938 in Rockhampton, Queensland and won the Australian Open in 1960, 1962 and 1969. He was also Wimbledon Champion four times and was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 1981 (Australian Open, 2013) . Other Hall of Fame member's include Evonne Goolagong, Daphne Jessie Akhurst, Nancye (Wynne) Bolton, John Bromwich, Sir Norman Brookes, Pat Cash, Ashley Cooper, Margaret (Smith) Court, Jack Crawford, Mark Edmondson, Roy Emerson, Lew Hoad, Thelma (Coyne) Long, Ken McGregor, John Newcombe, Gerald Patterson, Patrick Rafter, Mervyn Rose, Ken Rosewall, Frank Sedgman, Fred Stolle, Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.