2011 Australian Grand Prix, Report, Race
Later in the race, Alonso and Webber made their second stops much earlier than the others, and a greater picture began to emerge. The new Pirellis afforded several different pit strategies; where Vettel, Hamilton and Petrov were all running two-stop strategies, Alonso and Webber nominated a third stop each. Further down the field, rookie Sergio Pérez defied all expectations by making a single stop in his Sauber. Jenson Button was also running on a two-stop strategy, and had managed to climb back up through the field to be in the points at the halfway point despite his drive-through penalty.


2011 Australian Grand Prix, Report, Race
Elsewhere, Nico Rosberg joined team-mate Schumacher in retirement when Barrichello attempted a pass up the inside into turn three that damaged the Mercedes' side pod, and turned Barrichello around. Rosberg's car gave off blue smoke during the half-a-lap after the collision and he was able to park the Mercedes safely by the circuit, removing the need for the safety car to deploy. Rubens Barrichello later retired his Williams with a similar problem to team-mate Maldonado, leaving the team pointless.


2011 Australian Grand Prix, Report, Race
With the race moving into its final phase, Webber and Alonso both pitted, rejoining the circuit some twenty seconds behind Petrov. Lewis Hamilton had an off-track excursion at the first corner that damaged his undertray. It was enough to stop him from mounting a challenge towards Vettel, but he was able to remain in second place as Webber and Alonso closed on Petrov. Vettel went on to win the race by twenty-two seconds from Hamilton, to become the first driver to win three consecutive Grands Prix since Button won four races in succession in May and June 2009.


2011 Australian Grand Prix, Report, Race
Alonso rapidly caught Petrov, but Petrov held on long enough to secure third place, the only podium finish of his career. With Alonso fourth, Mark Webber equalled his best result at Albert Park, finishing fifth. Jenson Button finished sixth ahead of the Saubers of Sergio Pérez in seventh and Kamui Kobayashi in eighth, while Felipe Massa crossed the line ninth, almost ninety seconds behind Vettel. Sébastien Buemi claimed the final championship point in tenth, one lap down.


2011 Australian Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
During post-race inspection both Saubers of Kobayashi and Pérez were found not to comply with sporting regulations due to a technical infringement involving the uppermost element of the rear wing, disqualifying them both from the standings. The race results were adjusted with Massa placed seventh, Buemi in eighth, and the Force Indias of Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta promoted into ninth and tenth – and points-scoring positions – respectively.


2011 Australian Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
After the race, Sauber stated that they intended to appeal the decision, but elected not to on 29 March after an internal investigation found a manufacturing fault was responsible for producing parts that did not comply with the regulations, though technical director James Key claimed the offending parts offered no additional performance to the car.


2011 Australian Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
A race start in this race ensured that Rubens Barrichello had officially started a race in 19 separate Formula One seasons, breaking the previous record of 18 held by Graham Hill.


2011 Australian Labor Party National Conference
The 2011 Australian Labor Party National Conference was the 46th triennial National Conference of the Australian Labor Party. It was held on 3 December 2011 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour, New South Wales.


2011 Australian Labor Party National Conference, Events, Same sex marriage
On 3 December 2011, the party voted in favour of recognising same-sex marriage in Australia. Party leader and Prime Minister Julia Gillard opposed the legalisation of same-sex marriage, but endorsed bringing the issue to a vote. Previously, over 140,000 Australian citizens signed a petition to Gillard urging her to reconsider her opposition. At the same time, openly lesbian Finance Minister Senator Penny Wong vocally endorsed same-sex marriage becoming Labor policy.


2011 Australian Labor Party National Conference, Events, Same sex marriage
The party, however, also formally endorsed a motion, which Gillard supported, to allow Labor members of parliament a conscience vote on the issue, on a vote of 208 to 184.


2011 Australian Labor Party National Conference, Events, Same sex marriage
The party's endorsement of same-sex marriage was also supported outside of Australia. Boris Dittrich, current LGBTI Program Director for Human Rights Watch and former member of the Tweede Kamer in the Netherlands (Dittrich voted in favour of the Netherlands becoming the first modern nation to legalise same-sex marriage in 2001), sent an open letter to the Labor Party urging delegates to endorse same-sex marriage.


2011 Australian Labor Party National Conference, Events, Same sex marriage
On 19 September 2012, a private members' bill by Labor MP Stephen Jones to legislate same-sex marriage was defeated 98-42 in the Australian House of Representatives. 26 of the 73 Labor MPs voted against the measure. Legalisation would not come until January 2018, after the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey.


2011 Australian Labor Party National Conference, Events, Same sex marriage, Reactions
The Union for Progressive Judaism, the largest denomination of Jewish rabbis in Australia, welcomed the conference vote.


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship
The 2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing championship for car manufacturers. It was the 26th manufacturers title to be awarded by CAMS and the 17th to be contested under the Australian Manufacturers' Championship name. The championship, which was open to modified production touring cars, also incorporated three drivers titles, the 2011 Australian Production Car Championship, the 2011 Australian Production Car Endurance Championship and the 2011 Australian Endurance Championship.


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship
A major change from the 2010 championship saw a greater emphasis on longer races. Only the opening round of the series at Phillip Island comprising two short sprint races. Two rounds were extended into a six-hour endurance race format. The increased emphasis on endurance races saw the return of the long-running Sandown 500 event, last run for V8 Supercars in 2007.


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship
Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi won the Australian Manufacturers Championship, Stuart Kostera won the Australian Production Car Championship, Kostera and Ian Tulloch won the Australian Endurance Championship and the same pairing won the Australian Production Car Endurance Championship.


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship
Defending Australian Production Car Champion, Western Australian Mitsubishi Lancer Evo driver Stuart Kostera dominated the series, winning six races and four rounds with a second position in the final race of the year at Eastern Creek. The result was so impressive, Kostera's part-time co-driver New Zealander Ian Tulloch finished second in the championship. In a clean sweep for Mitsubishi Lancer Evo drivers, Jim Pollicina finished third. The first non-Mitsubishi driver was Queenslander driver Jake Camilleri Mazda 3 in fourth.


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship
The final race of the year, the Eastern Creek Six Hour, was the only race not won by Kostera. It was won by the BMW 335i of Chaz Mostert and Nathan Morcom.


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Points system
Each manufacturer registered for the Australian Manufucturers' Championship was eligible to score points in each race, but only for the two highest placed automobiles of its make in any class.


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Points system
Points towards the Australian Production Car Championship outright title were awarded to drivers based on outright finishing positions attained in each race. Points were awarded using the same two scales as used for the Australian Manufacturers' Championship with the addition of two points for the driver setting the fastest qualifying lap in each class at each round.


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Points system
Points towards the Australian Production Car Championship class titles were awarded to drivers based on class finishing positions attained in each race. Points were awarded using the same two scales as used for the Australian Manufacturers' Championship with the addition of two points for the driver setting the fastest qualifying lap in each class at each round.


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Points system
Points towards the Australian Production Car Endurance Championship were awarded to drivers on a 120–90–72–60–54–48–42–36–30–24–18–12–6 basis for outright finishing positions attained in Rounds 2 and 5 of the championship.


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Points system
Points towards the Australian Endurance Championship were awarded to drivers on a 120–90–72–60–54–48–42–36–30–24–18–12–6 for outright finishing positions attained in Rounds 2, 4 and 5 of the championship.


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Points system
Drivers of Class I Invitational cars were not eligible to score points in any of the championships and points were allocated in all cases as though Class I cars were not competing in the race.


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Championship results, Australian Production Car Championship, Outright
Note: Drivers of Class I Invitational cars were not eligible to score points in any of the championships and points were allocated in all cases as though Class I cars are not competing in the race.


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Championship results, Australian Endurance Championship
The Australian Endurance Championship, which was contested over Rounds 2, 4 and 5 of the series, was won jointly by Stuart Kostera (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) and Ian Tulloch (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X).


2011 Australian Manufacturers' Championship, Championship results, Australian Production Car Endurance Championship
The Australian Production Car Endurance Championship, which was contested over Rounds 2 and 5 of the series, was won jointly by Stuart Kostera (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) and Ian Tulloch (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) from Nathan Morcom (BMW 335i) and Chaz Mostert (BMW 335i).


2011 Australian Open
The 2011 Australian Open was a tennis tournament featuring six different competitions, and part of the 2011 ATP World Tour, the 2011 WTA Tour, ITF Junior Tour and the NEC Tour, as tournaments for professional, junior and wheelchair players were held. The tournament took place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia from 17 to 30 January, it was the 99th edition of the Australian Open and the first Grand Slam event of 2011. The tournament was played on hard courts and was organised by the International Tennis Federation and Tennis Australia.


2011 Australian Open
Roger Federer was unsuccessful in his title defence, being defeated by Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, and Serena Williams was unable to defend her title due to a foot injury she suffered shortly after winning Wimbledon last year. Djokovic won the Australian Open for the second time, and Kim Clijsters, the runner-up to Justine Henin-Hardenne in 2004, won her maiden Australian Open. In the men's doubles the Bryan Brothers won their fifth Australian Open while Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta won their maiden Grand Slam title in the women's doubles. Daniel Nestor claimed his second mixed doubles Grand Slam alongside Katarina Srebotnik who won her fourth mixed title, her first Australian, leaving her one away from a career Grand Slam, as she has now won three of the Grand Slams, needing just Wimbledon to complete her collection.


2011 Australian Open
In the junior tournaments both the singles and doubles titles in the boys and girls events were won by Jiří Veselý and An-Sophie Mestach. Vesely won the doubles alongside Filip Horanský whilst Mestach won her doubles crown with Demi Schuurs. Vesely and Mestach won their first Grand Slam titles and became the first players to achieve the junior double together in any Grand Slam since Kristian Pless and Virginie Razzano achieved this at the 1999 Australian Open.


2011 Australian Open
Shingo Kunieda and Esther Vergeer both won the singles and doubles in the men's and women's wheelchair tennis events respectively. Kunieda won his fourth consecutive Australian Open, his fifth overall. In the doubles Kunieda was partnered to the title by Maikel Scheffers. Vergeer's singles win was her eighth Australian Open crown, her seventeenth overall, and the fourth time that she has not lost a game during a Grand Slam final. The win in the final was her 404th consecutive match win, she was partnered by Sharon Walraven in the doubles. In the Quad events David Wagner won the singles while Andrew Lapthorne and Peter Norfolk took the doubles crown.


2011 Australian Open, Tournament
The 2011 Australian Open was the 99th edition of the Australian Open, held at Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Victoria. The tournament was an event run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Tennis Australia, that was part of the 2011 ATP World Tour and the 2011 WTA Tour calendars, under the Grand Slam category. The tournament consisted of men's and women's singles and doubles draws as well as a mixed doubles event. There was also singles and doubles events for boys and girls (players under 18), part of the Grade A category of tournaments of the junior tour.


2011 Australian Open, Tournament
There were also events for wheelchair tennis players, they competed in two categories: Paraplegic players where men and women play in separate competitions and a category for Quadriplegics, shortened to Quads and is a mixed event. These competitions are part of the NEC tour, under the Grand Slam category. The tournament was played on Plexicushion Prestige AO hard courts, which were rated a medium-fast pace by the ITF. The tournament took place over twenty-five courts, including three showcourts: the Hisense Arena, the Margaret Court Arena and the Rod Laver Arena (the Hisense and Rod Laver Arenas have roofs which allow play to continue indoors should the roof be needed).


2011 Australian Open, Points and prize money, Point distribution
Below is a series of tables for each of the competitions showing the ranking points on offer for each event.


2011 Australian Open, Points and prize money, Prize money
The 2011 Australian Open offered record prize money to both men and women of a total of A$25 million (US$24 million), up 3.8% on the total prize money from 2010. The winners of the singles titles took home A$2.2 million (US$2.1 million) with the finalists receiving A$1.1 million (US$1 million). To put it into perspective Kim Clijsters and Rafael Nadal both took home US$1.7 million for winning the 2010 US Open. Below is the list of prize money given to each player in the main draw of the professional competitions; all prize money is in Australian dollars (A$); doubles prize money is distributed per pair.


2011 Australian Open, Fundraising for the Queensland floods
Following the widespread flooding in Queensland several players decided to raise money for the cause. The Association of Tennis Professionals and the Women's Tennis Association donated ten dollars for every ace served during the Australian Open and as well as during the two pre tournament joint events in Brisbane, before the Pat Rafter Arena was flooded four days after the conclusion of the 2011 Brisbane International, and Sydney.


2011 Australian Open, Fundraising for the Queensland floods
In Brisbane, Andy Roddick and Sam Stosur pledged a hundred dollars for every ace they hit, which was also matched by Australian player Matthew Ebden when he played in Sydney the following week. Roddick later doubled his pledge to two hundred dollars. In total Roddick hit fifty four aces, raising just under eleven thousand dollars for his efforts during the Brisbane tournament. In addition to this the Brisbane International donated another five thousand dollars. While American Bethanie Mattek-Sands pledged to donate five percent of her prize money from the Hobart International and Australian Open to the cause.


2011 Australian Open, Fundraising for the Queensland floods
Mattek–Sands move was similar to a gesture that she conducted to help the victims of the Nashville floods in 2010. As well the ITF donated $25,000 towards the rebuilding of tennis facilities. In total from the ATP and WTA's $10 per an ace drive they managed to raise $51,070 while Roddick donated over $10,000 from his personal pledge.


2011 Australian Open, Fundraising for the Queensland floods, Rally for Relief
On 16 January, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Kim Clijsters, Novak Djokovic, Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick, Justine Henin, Ana Ivanovic, Victoria Azarenka, Vera Zvonareva, Caroline Wozniacki and Queenslanders Sam Stosur and Pat Rafter played a charity match at Rod Laver Arena to raise money for the flood efforts. Tickets to the event cost twenty dollars, and other events – such as an auction of shirts signed by the players – also took place. Queensland Energy Resources pledged to match the total amount of money raised. The event raised $1.8 million.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors
There were five competitions open to professional tennis players. The Association of Tennis Professionals and Women's Tennis Association awarded ranking points in all events apart from the mixed doubles. The singles draws were contested by one hundred and twenty eight players, while sixty four teams partook in the doubles events, and thirty two teams lined up in the mixed doubles competition.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Men's Singles
At the start of the 2011 Australian Open, World Number one Rafael Nadal was on the edge of history, as he had an opportunity to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slams at the same time, after winning the previous three.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Men's Singles
This would not be the Grand Slam, but the media had dubbed the feat if Nadal was to achieve it the "Rafa Slam", which was taken from the "Serena Slam" which was coined when Serena Williams won all four Grand Slam titles in a row spanning two calendar years, which in turn was taken from the "Tiger Slam" in which golfer Tiger Woods accomplished a similar feat in golf.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Men's Singles
Nadal was the number one seed and led the field. The other top ten seeds were; sixteen time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer, 2008 Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic, two time Grand Slam finalists Robin Söderling and Andy Murray, Wimbledon runner up Tomáš Berdych, David Ferrer, 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick, Fernando Verdasco and Mikhail Youzhny.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Men's Singles
The start of the 2011 Australian Open saw all the seeds apart from Gulbis, Querrey, who lost in the fifth set 8–6 and Davydenko make it to the second round. Montanes, Fish, Monfils, Baghdatis, Tsonga, Bellucci and Nalbandian all survived final set deciders. The second round witnessed all the seeds go through except Michaël Llodra who lost to qualifier Milos Raonic, Feliciano López who went out to Wildcard Bernard Tomic, Juan Mónaco lost to Robin Haase. Fish lost to Robredo and Albert Montañés lost to Malisse.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Men's Singles
While Nalbandian had to retire against Berenkis and Bellucci lost 8–6 in the final set to Hernych. Youzhny, Verdasco, Almagro and Federer all survived final set deciders to progress to the third round. Raonic continued his form from the previous round as he upset Youzhny this time in four sets, the biggest upset to date. While Alexandr Dolgopolov upset Tsonga coming back two sets to one down to win. The third round is also where the seeds meet for the first time, so Garcia–Lopez, Baghdatis, Gasquet, Ljubicic and Troicki all exited to higher seeds.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Men's Singles
While Stanislas Wawrinka who was the nineteenth seed managed to defeat Gaël Monfils the twelfth seed in straight sets. Marin Čilić, semifinalist from 2010 defeated John Isner 9–7 in the final set. The fourth round saw Ferrer end Raonic's run, and Dolgopolov edge out Soderling in the final set for the biggest upset in the tournament to date. There were also wins for Berdych, Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal, all except Federer eliminated other seeds. There was one other upset as nineteenth seed Wawrinka beat Roddick in straight sets.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Men's Singles
Djokovic, Federer and Murray successfully made their way into the semifinals, however the upset of the tournament happened as Nadal went out. The "Rafa Slam" attempt came to an end on Australia Day in straight sets against Ferrer, a year to the day since Nadal last lost a Grand Slam match. The semifinals witnessed Djokovic taking out Federer in straight sets while Murray overcame Ferrer the next night in four sets. In the final Djokovic defeated Murray for his second Australian Open crown in straight sets.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Women's Singles
The 2011 women's draw was missing its defending champion Serena Williams who pulled out in late 2010 due to ligament damage. World number one Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark was the number one seed. The Dane headed up the top ten seeds which included Vera Zvonareva, three time US Open champion Kim Clijsters, seven time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, Samantha Stosur, reigning French Open Champion Francesca Schiavone, Jelena Janković, Victoria Azarenka, Li Na and Shahar Pe'er. Former Grand Slam champions, Justine Henin, Ana Ivanovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova were also seeded.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Women's Singles
The start of the 2011 Australian Open saw all the seeds apart from Rezaï, Hantuchová, Dulgheru. The biggest upset of the first round was Ivanovic losing 10–8 in the final set to Ekaterina Makarova while Schiavone survived after being a set down to win the final set. The biggest loser in the second round was Janković as she lost to Peng in straight sets. The Serb was not the only seed to exit though as Iveta Benešová defeated Maria Kirilenko, Martinez–Sanchez lost to Cornet. Kleybanova, Kanepi, Pironkova, Bartoli and Wickmayer all joined them on the plane home.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Women's Singles
Meanwhile, Schiavone had to survive another final set decider this time winning it 9–7. The third round saw Kutznetsova defeat Henin, in what turned out to be the Belgium's last ever match as she announced her retirement in the second week of the tournament. Andrea Petkovic had a virtual bye into round four as Williams retired after just seven points of their match. Makarova caused another upset as she knocked out Nadia Petrova, while Benešová defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final set. Other seeds who went out to other seeded players were Cibulková and Peer who lost in three sets. While Petra Kvitová ended home hopes as she disposed of Stosur, Sharapova had to come from a set down to progress to the next round.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Women's Singles
The fourth round witnessed women's tennis history, as the match between Kuznetsova and Schiavone broke records. The match became the longest match, in terms of time for women in a Grand Slam as it lasted for 4 hours, and 44 minutes. At 8–7 in the final set Kutznetsova had three match points, but the Italian saved all three. In the next game Schiavone broke her opponents serve but touched the net after hitting the winner, meaning the point went to Kutznetsova, when holding three break points.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Women's Singles
Kutznetsova had another three match points in the next game before a run of four games in a row where the serve was broken. Finally after breaking in the previous game and missing three match points Schiavone closed the match out to win 16–14 in the final set. Other fourth round matches saw Sevastova's run end against Wozniacki and Makarova's end against Clijsters, while Petkovic upset Sharapova in straight sets. Other upsets saw Na Li and Kvitová defeat higher seeded players.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Women's Singles
In the quarterfinals Wozniacki put an end to Schiavone's run by winning a final set decider. Also going into the semifinals were Li who defeated Petkovic, Clijsters who defeated Radwańska and Zvonareva who took care of Kvitová. In the first semifinal Li caused an upset, as she saved match point, to defeat the world number one Wozniacki in three sets. As a result, Li became the first Chinese citizen to reach a Grand Slam singles final. Her opponent in the final, Clijsters, won in straight sets against Zvonareva. In the final Clijsters came from a set down to claim her first Australian Open title. It was her fourth grand slam title in her career and second consecutive slam having won the US Open in 2010.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Men's Doubles
The 2011 men's doubles competition saw the two-time defending champions and four-time champions overall come back to defend the two previous titles in the team of Bob and Mike Bryan, which they were the number one seeded team in the draw. All of the top eight seeds made the quarterfinals, with the exception being the seventh seeded team of Lukáš Dlouhý and Paul Hanley who exited in round one.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Men's Doubles
Lastly, this event saw four teams exit in the quarterfinal round, which those was the 4th seeded team of Łukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach, Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski the 5 seeded team, the 6th seeded and 2010 Wimbledon Champions Jürgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner, and the 8th seeded team of Michaël Llodra and Nenad Zimonjić.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Men's Doubles
In the semifinals Bhupathi and Peas beat Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in the final set. This set up a final against the Bryan Brothers who won in straight sets over Butorac and Rojer. In the championship match the Bryan Brothers won in straight sets for their third title in a row. This was also the Bryan Brothers tenth Men's Doubles Grand Slam title leaving them one behind the Woodies (Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde) all time grand slam record of 11 titles.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Men's Doubles
Bob Bryan /  Mike Bryan defeated  Mahesh Bhupathi /  Leander Paes, 6–3, 6–4.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Women's Doubles
The 2011 women's doubles competition was wide open with no team in the field having previously won a grand slam. Argentina's Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta of Italy led the field as the number one seeds, who had won seven titles in 2010 including the WTA championships but they had never been past a Grand Slam semifinal. Second seeds were the French Open finalists Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik, who had already won a tournament in 2011, the ASB Classic. Number three seeds are the US Open finalists Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova; the number four seeds are the 2009 WTA Champions Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez with Cara Black and Anastasia Rodionova seeded fifth heading the field.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Women's Doubles
All the seeds made it through the opening round with the exception of Francesca Schiavone and Rennae Stubbs, who lost, winning just five games in what was Stubbs' final Australian Open. In round two the biggest casualties were the departure of the number four seeds; Llagostera Vives and Martínez Sánchez in straight sets. In the third round the number six, seven and eighth seeds all crashed out. In the quarterfinals Huber won the battle of the ex-partners as she downed Black's team to set up a semi final with Dulko and Penetta. The other semi was filled by Azarenka and Kirilenko and the number two seeds. In the semis the Number one seeds advanced to the final where after a shock they faced Azerenka and Kilrenko. In the final Dulko and Pennetta came from a set down to win.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Women's Doubles
Gisela Dulko /  Flavia Pennetta defeated  Victoria Azarenka /  Maria Kirilenko, 2–6, 7–5, 6–1.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Mixed Doubles
The mixed doubles field was led by top seeds and US Open champions Bob Bryan and Liezel Huber. Other significant seeds were: number two seeds Daniel Nestor and Katarina Srebotnik, Nestor's ex-doubles partner Nenad Zimonjić and Maria Kirilenko are the third seeds. Fourth seeds were defending champions Leander Paes and Cara Black, while the fifth and sixth seeds were Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Květa Peschke and Wesley Moodie and Lisa Raymond.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Mixed Doubles
All the seeded teams made it through the first round apart from the teams of Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Květa Peschke who lost to Rennae Stubbs and Chris Guccione and Moody and Reymond who lost to Horia Tecău and Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The second round witnessed the number one seeds Bryan and Huber withdraw and the defending champions, Paes and Black go out to Paul Hanley and Chan Yung-jan after two tiebreak sets. The quarterfinals saw no upsets as Nestor and Srebotnik, Zimonjic and Kirlienko, Hanley and Chan and Tecau and Mettek–Sands made the semifinals.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Mixed Doubles
In the semifinals Nestor and Srebotnik won in straight sets against Zimonjic and Kirilenko. Their opponents in the final were Hanley and Chan after they won a match tiebreak 11–9 against Tecau and Mettek–Sands. The final came down to a match tiebreak which the number two seeds, Nestor and Srebotnik won. It was Nestor's second Australian Open mixed title while for Srebotnik it was her first.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Seniors, Mixed Doubles
Katarina Srebotnik /  Daniel Nestor defeated  Chan Yung-jan /  Paul Hanley, 6–3, 3–6, [10–7].


2011 Australian Open, Events, Juniors
Sixty four players competed in the boys and girls singles events, with thirty two teams competing in the boys and girls doubles events. The event is one of nine ITF Grade A junior competitions. Qualifying for the main draw took place between 20 and 21 January 2011. Sixty four players attempted to qualify for the main draw of the boys and girls singles. There were eight qualifying spots available to join the forty six direct acceptance, two special exemptions and eight wildcards in the main draw. The qualifying event was held at the Pakenham Regional Tennis Centre. The main draws took place between 23 and 29 January 2011.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Juniors, Boys' Singles
World number one Jiří Veselý led the field. Other top seeds included World number two Dominic Thiem, Orange Bowl Champion George Morgan and World number five Mate Pavić. In the first round of the tournament Pavić exited in straight sets to Karim Hossam. While fellow seeds Dimitri Bretting, Joris De Loore and Ben Wagland also went out of the tournament. Also in action was Vesley and the 2010 finalist Sean Berman who both won their opening matches.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Juniors, Boys' Singles
Luke Saville caused the biggest upset in the second round as he outsted World number two Thiem in straight sets while Veselý and Morgan progressed with straight sets wins. The third round saw Morgan and Saville win epics in the final set. The quarterfinals saw Veselý, Morgan, Carballes and Saville reach the semifinals, where Veselý and Saville reached the final. In the final Veselý claimed his first junior Grand Slam title as he lost just three games against home hope Saville.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Juniors, Girls' Singles
The 2011 Australian Open girls field was led by the World number one, US Open and youth Olympic champion, Daria Gavrilova. Joining the Russian leading the field was An-Sophie Mestach, Irina Khromacheva and Monica Puig. While Orange Bowl champion Lauren Davis who competed in the main draw of the women's singles was the third seed and she was also joined by Caroline Garcia who also appeared in the women's draw. The first round saw all of the seeds bar Natalija Kostic move into the second round.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Juniors, Girls' Singles
Gavrilova, however was not in the second round as she was dumped out in straight sets by fifteen-year-old Kanami Tsuji Puig, in the second round got rid of the last of the home contingent losing just two games in the process. Eugenie Bouchard caused the biggest upset of round three when she lost just three games against Davis. Garcia caused an upset in the quarterfinals as she upset the number four seed Khromacheva in straight sets. The semifinals witnessed Mestach drop her first and only set of the tournament when she defeated Garcia whilst Puig saw off Bouchard in straight sets. In the final Mestach defeated Puig in straight sets to win her first junior Grand Slam title.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Juniors, Boys' Doubles
The first round witnessed Dimitri Bretting and Dennis Novak the fifth seeds and seventh seeds Luis Patiño and Filip Peliwo exit at the first hurdle. All the remaining seeds made it to the quarterfinals, where the number one seeds George Morgan and Mate Pavić who exited to the eighth seeds Mitchell Krueger and Karue Sell in a match tiebreak while second seeds Filip Horanský and Jiří Veselý knocked out sixth seeds Dominic Thiem and Matthias Wunner.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Juniors, Boys' Doubles
Horansky and Vesely reached the final after defeating the fourth seeds Joris de Loore and Mate Delić who received a bye in the previous round in straight sets. While third seeds Ben Wagland and Andrew Whittington took care of Krueger and Sell in a match tiebreak. Horansky and Vesely triumphed in straight sets in the final over Wagland and Whttington.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Juniors, Boys' Doubles
Filip Horanský /  Jiří Veselý defeated  Ben Wagland /   Andrew Whittington, 6–4, 6–4.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Juniors, Girls' Doubles
All the seeds made it through the first round without incident. Nastja Kolar and Danka Kovinić the fifth seeds, Tang Haochen and Tian Ran the seventh seeds and the biggest upset with the second seeds Eugenie Bouchard and Monica Puig all went out in the second round. In the quarterfinals An-Sophie Mestach and Demi Schuurs sent the number one seeds Irina Khromacheva and Yulia Putintseva home for the loss of just three games.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Juniors, Girls' Doubles
While Margarita Gasparyan and Daria Gavrilova the fourth seeds lost a match tiebreaker to Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato whilst Lucia Butkovská and Anna Schmiedlová the eighth seeds won only one game. Kato and Hozumi progressed to the final, where they faced Mestach and Schuurs who knocked out the third seeds Natalija Kostić and Ilona Kremen in a match tiebreaker. In the final Mestach and Schuurs defeated Hozumi and Kato in straight sets for their first Grand Slam doubles title.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Juniors, Girls' Doubles
An-Sophie Mestach /  Demi Schuurs defeated  Eri Hozumi /  Miyu Kato, 6–2, 6–3.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Wheelchair tennis
There are six events in the wheelchair tennis discipline; a singles and doubles draw for each of the three categories. The tournament was played between 26 and 29 January 2011. All events were part of the NEC tour under the Grand Slam category. A total of $63,000 was awarded in prize money across all the events.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Wheelchair tennis, Wheelchair Men's Singles
In the opening round World number one Shingo Kunieda defeated Ronald Vink for the loss of just one game. Kunieda would play Robin Ammerlaan in the semifinals after the Dutchman defeated home hope Ben Weekes. In the other half of the draw Stéphane Houdet saw off Maikel Scheffers while Stefan Olsson saw off Houdet's doubles partner Nicolas Peifer. In the semifinals Kunieda and Houdet emerged victorious in the battle for the final. Kunieda defeated Houdet for his twelfth Grand Slam title losing just three games.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Wheelchair tennis, Wheelchair Women's Singles
There were eight entries into the singles competition. On her Grand Slam debut Marjolein Buis won in three sets against Annick Sevenans to reach the semifinals. Also into the semifinals were World number one Esther Vergeer who recorded her four hundred and second consecutive match win with a 6–0, 6–0 win over her doubles partner, Sharon Walraven. Buis then took on World number two and home favourite Daniela di Toro who lost just three games on Australia Day against Aniek van Koot.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Wheelchair tennis, Wheelchair Women's Singles
While Jiske Griffioen would play Vergeer in the semifinals after defeating Grand Slam debutant Jordanne Whiley in straight sets. The semifinals witnessed di Toro and Vergeer make the final with straight sets wins. In the final Vergeer claimed her eighth Australian Open title as she defeated di Toro without losing a game to chalk up her four hundredth and fourth consecutive win.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Wheelchair tennis, Wheelchair Quad Singles
The tournament was played in a round robin format. Peter Norfolk, the defending champion, opened with a straight sets win over doubles partner Andrew Lapthorne. Whilst World number one David Wagner defeated his doubles partner Nick Taylor for the loss of two games. In the second round of matches Wagner edged Norfolk in a final set decider, whilst Grand Slam debutant Lapthorne recorded his first victory as he won in straight sets against Taylor. The loss for Taylor meant that he was eliminated from the event.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Wheelchair tennis, Wheelchair Quad Singles
In the final round robin matches, Norfolk defeated Taylor for the loss of just three games, while Wagner defeated Lapthorne in straight sets. The win for Norfolk and the loss for Lapthorne meant that Norfolk would play Wagner in the final. In the final Wagner defeated Norfolk for the loss of just five games. It was Wagner's first Australian Open singles title.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Wheelchair tennis, Wheelchair Men's Doubles
There was four teams competing in this event. Shingo Kunieda and Maikel Scheffers beat Wimbledon champions, Robin Ammerlaan and Stefan Olsson in straight sets. They were joined in the final by the all French pairing of Stéphane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer who defeated Ronald Vink and Ben Weekes. In the final Kunieda and Scheffers came from a break down in the first set to defeat the French pair in straight sets.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Wheelchair tennis, Wheelchair Men's Doubles
Shingo Kunieda /  Maikel Scheffers defeated  Stéphane Houdet /  Nicolas Peifer, 6–3, 6–3.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Wheelchair tennis, Wheelchair Women's Doubles
There were four entries to this competition. Esther Vergeer and Sharon Walraven defeated Daniela di Toro and Jordanne Whiley in straight sets to make the final. The final was turned into an all Dutch affair as Aniek van Koot and Jiske Griffioen joined them after defeating Marjolein Buis and Annick Sevenans in two tiebreaks. In the final Vergeer and Walraven lost just two games as they defeated van Koot and Griffioen to claim their third consecutive Grand Slam title.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Wheelchair tennis, Wheelchair Women's Doubles
Esther Vergeer /  Sharon Walraven defeated  Jiske Griffioen /  Aniek van Koot, 6–0, 6–2.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Wheelchair tennis, Wheelchair quad doubles
There were just two entries in the quad doubles, and they played a straight final to decide the championship. In the one-off match history was made as Lapthorne and Norfolk became the first all-British pair to win a wheelchair Grand Slam doubles title. It was Lapthorne's first Grand Slam title and Norfolk's first Grand Slam doubles title as the pair defeated the all-American pair of Taylor and Wagner in straight sets for their fourth win over them.


2011 Australian Open, Events, Wheelchair tennis, Wheelchair quad doubles
Andrew Lapthorne /  Peter Norfolk defeated  Nicholas Taylor /  David Wagner, 6–3, 6–3.


2011 Australian Open, Spectatorship, Broadcast
The 2011 Australian Open was broadcast around the world with eleven different broadcasters officially screening the event. Channel 7 was the host broadcaster, with ESPN covering North America with its International franchise covering South and Latin America. Eurosport holds the rights to broadcast the tournament in Europe. In Asia broadcasts were covered by ESPN Star Sports and in Japan by WOWOW and by CN Sports Interactive Media Group in China. In Africa coverage is by SuperSport, and in the middle east by Abu Dhabi TV.


2011 Australian Open, Spectatorship, Broadcast
Pacific coverage was broadcast by Sky New Zealand in New Zealand and by FIJI TV in Fiji. During the course of the tournament, Tennis Australia and Eurosport, announced that they had extended their partnership for another five years, which extends Eurosports unbroken coverage of the Australian Open to over twenty years.


2011 Australian Open, Spectatorship, Broadcast
For the first time in the history of the Australian Open, the qualifying competition for the main draw was streamed live on the internet. Camera's covered courts number three, five, six and seven, as the competition was streamed live on australianopen.com, foxsports.com.au, yahoo7.com, livestream.com and on the Australian Open's Facebook page. The qualifying competition was broadcast between 12 and 15 January. The charity event Rally for Relief was also broadcast live on australianopen.com and Australian network channel seven.


2011 Australian Open, Spectatorship, Broadcast
During the first week of the tournament, viewing figures in Australia were down for the second year running. 1.36 million people tuned in for the Men's singles final which was lower than the rating which the women's final received according to figures released by OzTAM.


2011 Australian Open, Spectatorship, Attendance
2011 introduced a kids tennis day event, which took place on the Saturday before the tournament took place, the final day of qualifying (But due to play being washed out Sunday was the final day of qualifying). Around eight thousand fans attended the day, as fans entertained themselves in a variety of activities, including watching stringers string racquets and arts and crafts. But the highlight of the day for many fans was a chance to watch past and present players on show court three. These players included, Pat Cash, Henri Leconte, Peter Luczak, Alicia Molik and Anastasia Rodionova.


2011 Australian Open, Spectatorship, Attendance
A full house of 15,000 people watched the charity fund-raiser Rally for Relief on the Rod Laver Arena, while another twelve hundred watched in the grounds bringing the attendance for the day to 16,220.


2011 Australian Open, Spectatorship, Attendance
A total of 651,127 patrons attended the tournament throughout the two weeks, which was lower than the attendance in 2010, although daily records were set on several days. The middle Saturday witnessed a record breaking crowd. As 51,276 filled Melbourne Park, which was a record for the middle Saturday and the biggest crowd ever at the Australian Open for a day session. A further 25,845 attended the evening session which brought the total number of patrons for the day to 77,121 which was again record breaking as it was the largest number of spectators to have attended on one day.


2011 Australian Open, Players, Professional Players, Singles Seeds
The men's and women's singles draw of the 2011 Australian Open seeded the top thirty-two players who were not injured. The seeds were set on the ranking system's that the Association of Tennis Professionals and the Women's Tennis Association use; so the top thirty-two players seeded were the top thirty-two players according to their rankings.


2011 Australian Open, Players, Professional Players, Main Draw wildcard entries
Tennis Australia awarded eight wildcards for the men's and women's professional singles competitions. Former Australian Grand Slam champions, Pat Rafter and Todd Woodbridge helped to select the four discretionary wildcards in the men's draw. In an agreement with the United States Tennis Association, Tennis Australia gave one man and one woman from the United States a wildcard into the Australian Open. Tennis Australia also has a similar agreement with the French Tennis Federation. The Australian Open is promoted as "the Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific"; one male and one female player from this geographical area was awarded a wildcard. The final wildcard was awarded to the winner of the Australian Open wildcard playoff, a tournament between Australian players, who do not receive direct entry into the draw. Below is a list of players and teams who received wildcard entries into the main draw.


2011 Australian Open, Players, Professional Players, Protected ranking
The following players were accepted directly into the main draw using a protected ranking:


2011 Australian Open, Players, Professional Players, Qualifiers entries
In the men's singles one hundred and twenty eight players, including eight wildcards competed for sixteen entries into the main draw of the 2011 Australian Open. Matches commenced on 12 January and concluded on 15 January 2011, with players required to win three matches to qualify. On the second day of qualifying, the entire schedule was washed out by rain. This was the first time since the Australian Open moved to Melbourne Park from Kooyong in 1988 that play has failed to take place on at least one court. Below is a list of qualifiers for the main draw of the men's and women's singles events.


2011 Australian Open, Players, Professional Players, Qualifiers entries
The following players received entry from a lucky loser spot:


2011 Australian Open, Players, Withdrawals
The following players were accepted directly into the main tournament, but withdrew with injuries.


2011 Australian Open, Players, Juniors
Below is a list of the sixteen seeds for the boys and girls singles and the eight qualifiers for each event.


2011 Australian Open, Players, Juniors, Qualifier entries
Qualifying for the junior events took place between 20 and 21 January 2011 at the Pakenham Regional Tennis Centre.


2011 Australian Open, Players, Wheelchair Tennis
Below is a list of the seeds for the singles tournaments of the wheelchair tennis event.


2011 Australian Open Grand Prix Gold
The 2011 Australian Open Grand Prix Gold was a badminton tournament which took place at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in Melbourne, Australia on 5–10 April 2011 and had a total purse of $120,000. This is for the first time Australian Open was rated as a Grand Prix Gold event, where before in 2009–2010 were a Grand Prix events.


2011 Australian Open – Boys' Doubles
Dutch players Justin Eleveld and Jannick Lupescu chose to not defend their 2010 title, when they defeated Kevin Krawietz and Dominik Schulz in the final. Filip Horanský and Jiří Veselý won this year's title, by defeating Ben Wagland and Andrew Whittington 6–4, 6–4 in the final match.


2011 Australian Open – Boys' Singles
Tiago Fernandes was the defending champion, having defeated Sean Berman in the 2010 final. He chose not to defend his title. Jiří Veselý won the title defeating Luke Saville 6–0, 6–3, in the final. The player from Czech Republic won every match in straight sets.


2011 Australian Open – Boys' Singles, Seeds
Note: Bruno Sant'anna forgot to apply for a place in the tournament. He was given a wild card for the qualification round through which he qualified for the tournament.


2011 Australian Open – Day-by-day summaries
The 2011 Australian Open was a tennis tournament held at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia from 17 January to 30 January 2011. It was the 99th edition of the Australian Open and the first Grand Slam event of 2011. The tournament was played on hard courts and was organised by the International Tennis Federation and Tennis Australia.


2011 Australian Open – Day-by-day summaries
The women's singles competition was won by Kim Clijsters, and the men's singles by Novak Djokovic.


2011 Australian Open – Day-by-day summaries, Day 2 (18 January)
The second day saw both Nadal and Murray win when their opponents retired. There was also a win for wildcard Bernard Tomic whilst Baghdatis had to go to five sets before sealing victory, while Del Potro came through his first Grand Slam match since injury in straight sets. Both Tsonga and Verdasco came from two sets down to move into the next round. On the women's side both Molik and Radwańska won marathon final sets to advance into the second round. There was also a win for home hope Sam Stosur and world number two Vera Zvonerva. While the 2008 finalist Ana Ivanovic crashed out 10–8 in the final set.


2011 Australian Open – Day-by-day summaries, Day 2 (18 January)
In the evening matches on Rod Laver could not have been more different. The first match was a battle between two former number ones, Kim Clijsters and Dinara Safina. Clijsters did not lose a game in the forty five minutes they spent on court. The men's evening match on Laver was a repeat of the 2002 Wimbledon final between home hope Lleyton Hewitt and Argentine David Nalbandian. The pair traded breaks and shared the first four sets. Nalbandian got an early break in the deciding set.


2011 Australian Open – Day-by-day summaries, Day 2 (18 January)
At 5–4 the Argentine served for the match, and Hewitt just as he did in the fourth set broke Nalbandian as he served for the set. At 5–6 Hewitt had two match points which Nalbandian saved, only for the Argentine to force Hewitt to save break points in the next game. At seven all the Argentine broke to love and held on to serve the match out for a 3–6 6–4 3–6 7–6(1) 9–7, win at seven minutes past one in the morning after close to a five hours battle.


2011 Australian Open – Day-by-day summaries, Day 7 (23 January)
History was created in the match between Kuznetsova and Schiavone. The match became the longest match, in terms of time for women in a Grand Slam as it lasted for 4 hours, and 44 minutes. At 8–7 in the final set Kutznetsova had three match points, but the Italian saved all three. In the next game Schiavone broke her opponents serve but touched the net after hitting the winner, meaning the point went to Kutznetsova, when holding three break points. Kutznetsova had another three match points in the next game before a run of four games in a row where the serve was broken. Finally after breaking in the previous game and missing three match points Schiavone closed the match out to win 16–14 in the final set.


2011 Australian Open – Day-by-day summaries, Day 10 (26 January)
Australia Day witnessed the last four quarterfinals in the men's and women's singles and the start of the wheelchair tennis competitions. In the first of the men's quarterfinals Murray over came Dolgopolov after a four set battle.


2011 Australian Open – Girls' Doubles
Slovak pair Jana Čepelová and Chantal Škamlová were the defending champions. They defeated Tímea Babos and Gabriela Dabrowski in the 2010 final, but chose to not start this year.


2011 Australian Open – Girls' Doubles
An-Sophie Mestach and Demi Schuurs won the title, defeating Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato in the final, 6–2, 6–3.


2011 Australian Open – Girls' Singles
Karolína Plíšková was the defending champion; she chose, however, not to defend her title.


2011 Australian Open – Girls' Singles
An-Sophie Mestach won the tournament, defeating Monica Puig in the final, 6–4, 6–2.


2011 Australian Open – Men's Doubles
Bob and Mike Bryan, the two-time defending champions in this event, successfully defended their title. They defeated Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes 6–3, 6–4 in the final.


2011 Australian Open – Men's Singles
Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 in the final to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 2011 Australian Open. It was Djokovic's second Australian Open title and second Major title overall.


2011 Australian Open – Men's Singles
Roger Federer was the defending champion, but was defeated in the semifinals by Djokovic. With his quarterfinal win over Stanislas Wawrinka, Federer broke Jack Crawford's record for the most match wins at the Australian Open. Federer later became the first player to win 100 matches at the Australian Open, achieving the feat in 2020.


2011 Australian Open – Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal, the 2009 champion, had the chance to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam tournaments at once, having won the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in 2010, but was defeated in the quarterfinals by David Ferrer. Djokovic would later achieve the feat at the 2016 French Open.


2011 Australian Open – Men's Singles
This was the last Australian Open appearance for 2001 finalist and former top 10 player Arnaud Clément.


2011 Australian Open – Men's Singles Qualifying
The 2011 Australian Open was a tennis tournament featuring six different competitions, and part of the 2011 ATP World Tour, the 2011 WTA Tour, ITF Junior Tour and the NEC Tour, as tournaments for professional, junior and wheelchair players were held. The tournament took place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 17 January to 30 January, it was the 99th edition of the Australian Open and the first Grand Slam event of 2011. The tournament was played on hard courts and was organised by the International Tennis Federation and Tennis Australia.


2011 Australian Open – Mixed Doubles
Cara Black and Leander Paes were the defending champions, but they lost in the second round to Chan Yung-jan and Paul Hanley.


2011 Australian Open – Mixed Doubles
Katarina Srebotnik and Daniel Nestor won the mixed doubles title at the 2011 Australian Open, defeating Chan and Hanley in the final 6–3, 3–6, [10–7].


2011 Australian Open – Wheelchair Men's Doubles
Stéphane Houdet and Shingo Kunieda were the defending champions, but they chose to not participate together this year. Houdet partnered to his compatriot, Nicolas Peifer and Kunieda played with Maikel Scheffers. They all met in the final and 1st seeds won this match 6–3, 6–3.


2011 Australian Open – Wheelchair Men's Singles
Shingo Kunieda was the defending champion. He reached the final, where he won against Stéphane Houdet in straight sets, 6–0, 6–3.


2011 Australian Open – Wheelchair Quad Doubles
Nicholas Taylor and David Wagner were the defending champions, but they lost in the final 3–6, 3–6, against Andrew Lapthorne and Peter Norfolk.


2011 Australian Open – Wheelchair Quad Singles
Peter Norfolk was the defending champion, but David Wagner defeated him 6–2, 6–3 in the final.


2011 Australian Open – Wheelchair Quad Singles, Draw, Round Robin
Standings are determined by: 1) Number of wins; 2) Number of matches; 3) In two-players-ties, head-to-head records; 4) In three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, or of games won; 5) Steering Committee decision.


2011 Australian Open – Wheelchair Women's Doubles
Florence Gravellier and Aniek van Koot are the defending champions, but only van Koot will try to defend her title. She played with Jiske Griffioen, but they lost to Esther Vergeer and Sharon Walraven in the final 0–6, 2–6.


2011 Australian Open – Wheelchair Women's Singles
The 2011 Australian Open – Wheelchair Women's Singles was a tennis tournament featuring 8 paraplegic women tennis players, which was part of the NEC Tour. The tournament took place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 17 January to 30 January, it was the 9th edition of the Australian Open women's wheelchair event and the first Grand Slam event of 2011. The tournament was played on Plexicushion Prestige AO hard courts, which were rated  a medium-fast pace by the ITF. The competition was organised by the International Tennis Federation and Tennis Australia.


2011 Australian Open – Wheelchair Women's Singles
Dutchwoman, Korie Homan was the defending champion, but she didn't participate this year due to injury. Her compatriot Esther Vergeer won the title in straight sets against Daniela di Toro. Vergeer's singles win was her eighth Australian Open crown, her seventeenth overall, and the fourth time that she has not lost a game during a Grand Slam final. The win in the final was her 404th consecutive match win


2011 Australian Open – Wheelchair Women's Singles, Tournament
On her Grand Slam debut Marjolein Buis won in three sets against Annick Sevenans to reach the semifinals. Also into the semifinals were World number one Esther Vergeer who recorded her 402nd consecutive match win with a 6–0, 6–0 win over her doubles partner, Sharon Walraven. Buis then took on World number two and home favourite Daniela di Toro who lost just three games on Australia Day against Aniek van Koot. While Jiske Griffioen would play Vergeer in the semifinals after defeating Grand Slam debutant Jordanne Whiley in straight sets. The semifinals witnessed di Toro and Vergeer make the final with straight sets wins. In the final Vergeer claimed her eighth Australian Open title as she defeated di Toro without losing a game to chalk up her 404th consecutive win.


2011 Australian Open – Women's Doubles
Serena Williams and Venus Williams were the defending champions from 2010; however, they were unable to defend their title because of Serena's foot injury, sustained in the middle of the 2010 season.


2011 Australian Open – Women's Doubles
Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta won the title beating Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko 2–6, 7–5, 6–1 in the final. This was to be Dulko and Pennetta's only Grand Slam doubles title.


2011 Australian Open – Women's Singles
Kim Clijsters won her first Australian Open title and her fourth Grand Slam overall by beating Li Na 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 in the final to capture the Women's Singles tennis title at the 2011 Australian Open. Li became the first Asian player to make the final of a Grand Slam in singles. Though she lost in the final, she would go on to win the French Open a few months later. Serena Williams was the two-time defending champion, but a foot injury during the middle of the 2010 season prevented her defending the title.


2011 Australian Open – Women's Singles
The fourth round match between Svetlana Kuznetsova and Francesca Schiavone, which lasted 4 hours and 44 minutes, was the longest women's singles match in Grand Slam, with Schiavone winning it in the third set, 16–14.


2011 Australian Open – Women's Singles
Notably this was the last Grand Slam that two former world No. 1 players Justine Henin and Dinara Safina would ever play, being forced into Henin's second retirement due to an elbow injury and Safina's back injury.


2011 Australian Open – Women's Singles
This was also the first Grand Slam that Caroline Wozniacki competed as the World No. 1; she lost to Li in the semifinals.


2011 Australian Open – Women's Singles, Seeds
Click on the seed number of a player to go to their draw section.


2011 Australian Open – Women's Singles Qualifying
The 2011 Australian Open was a tennis tournament featuring six different competitions, and part of the 2011 ATP World Tour, the 2011 WTA Tour, ITF Junior Tour and the NEC Tour, as tournaments for professional, junior and wheelchair players were held. The tournament took place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 17 January to 30 January, it was the 99th edition of the Australian Open and the first Grand Slam event of 2011. The tournament was played on hard courts and was organised by the International Tennis Federation and Tennis Australia.


2011 Australian Rally Championship
The 2011 Australian Rally Championship is series of five rallying events held across Australia, including the World Rally Championship event, Rally Australia and Asia Pacific Rally Championship event, 2011 International Rally of Queensland. It is the 44th season in the history of the competition and the first in several decades to not feature any former champions.


2011 Australian Rally Championship
Mitsubishi driver Justin Dowel leads the points race by 21 points over Toyota driver Ryan Smart. Both drivers broke through for their first Australian Rally Championship victories this season, Smart at the season opening Forest Rally, Dowell at the most recent event, Rally SA. The pair between them have won all Legs and Rallies. Mitsubishi driver Mark Pedder sits third in the points, 19 behind Smart, with a string of second placings contributing to the pointscore.


2011 Australian Rally Championship, The Rallies
The 2011 season featured five rallies, each held in a different state. Rally Australia returns to the calendar but Rally Tasmania and Coffs Coast Rally have been dropped.


2011 Australian Rally Championship, Teams & Drivers
The following are the competitors from the 2011 ARC season.


2011 Australian Royal Visit Honours
The 2011 Australian Royal Visit Honours for Australia were announced on 18 November 2011.


2011 Australian Sports Sedan season
The 2011 Australian Sports Sedan season was the 27th season of Australian Sports Sedan motor racing in which a national championship or national series has been contested. The season featured the 2011 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series, which began on 14 May 2011 at Mallala Motor Sport Park and ended on 6 November at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit after fifteen races. The series was televised on SBS program Speedweek.


2011 Australian Sports Sedan season
After winning four rounds and ten races in the 2011 Series, Western Australian Alfa Romeo GTV driver Tony Ricciardello took his seventh Sports Sedan series victory, expanding his own record. Ricciardello won by 112 points from Queensland Chevrolet Camaro driver Shane Bradford.


2011 Australian Sports Sedan season, Eligible vehicles
Automobiles that complied with the provisions of any one of the following groups were eligible to compete in the Series:


2011 Australian Sports Sedan season, Teams and drivers
The following drivers competed in the 2011 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series.


2011 Australian Sports Sedan season, Race calendar
The 2011 Kerrick Sports Sedan Series was contested over five rounds, each of which was held at Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships rounds.


2011 Australian Sports Sedan season, Point system
Points were awarded 20–17–15–13–12–11–10–9–8–7–6–5–4–3–2 based on the top fifteen race positions in each race, with each other race finisher receiving 1 point. There were two bonus points allocated for pole position. Pole position is indicated in bold text.


2011 Australian Suzuki Swift Series
The 2011 Australian Swift Series was the second running of the series. It was based around seven rounds in four different states. The season featured drivers like former 1987 Bathurst 1000 winner Peter McLeod and his son, former V8 Supercar competitor Ryan McLeod. Former V8 Utes driver Rob Jarvis, joined by his speedway driving son Allan, were regulars. Production Car racers Richard Mork, BJ Cook and New Zealanders Rex McCutcheon and Mark Gibson made appearances throughout the season. The final round was taken out by two time Australian Formula Vee National winner Ryan Simpson.


2011 Australian Suzuki Swift Series, Calendar
The 2011 Australian Swift Series was contested over seven rounds, starting at Mallala in May and finishing at Eastern Creek in December.


2011 Australian Swimming Championships
The 2011 Australian Swimming Championships were held from 1 April until 8 April 2011 at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, New South Wales. They doubled up as the national trials for the 2011 World Aquatics Championships.


2011 Australian V8 Ute Racing Series
The 2011 Auto One V8 Ute Racing Series was a motor racing series for Ford Falcon and Holden utilities (or "utes") built and conforming to V8 Utes series regulations and those holding valid licences to compete as issued by series organisers Spherix and Australian V8 Ute Racing Pty. Ltd. It was the eleventh running of a national racing series for V8 Utes in Australia. The series began on 17 March 2011 at the Adelaide Street Circuit and ended on 2 December at the Homebush Street Circuit after 8 rounds.


2011 Australian V8 Ute Racing Series
The series was won by Kiwi Chris Pither, over former V8 Supercar driver David Sieders and in third place was Ryal Harris.


2011 Australian V8 Ute Racing Series, Teams and drivers
The following drivers competed in the 2011 V8 Utes series.


2011 Australian V8 Ute Racing Series, Race calendar
The 2011 V8 Utes Series will consist of eight rounds, all of which will be held on the support programme of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.


2011 Australian federal budget
The 2011 Australian federal budget for the Australian financial year ended 30 June 2012 was presented on 10 May 2011 by the Treasurer of Australia, Wayne Swan, the fourth federal budget presented by Swan, and the first budget of the Gillard Government. The budget forecast a $22.6 billion deficit and delivered a  $44.4 billion deficit.


2011 Australian federal budget, Spending and expenditures
Total expenses for 2011–2012 is expected to be $365.8 billion, which is an increase of 1.0% from estimated expenses as reported by the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2010–2011.


2011 Australian federal budget, Significant cuts
Many significant cuts were made by the Australian Government in the 2011–12 federal budget. The government will phase out the dependent spouse tax offset, which will save $755 million. $1.1 billion will be saved from increasing the public sector efficiency dividend, while $470 million will be saved by removing access to the Low Income Tax Offset for the unearned income of minors.


2011 Australian federal budget, Significant cuts, Welfare
Before the release of the federal budget, speculation was arising about crackdowns on the welfare system. On 5 May 2011, Prime Minister Gillard announced a proposal to force teenage mothers back into secondary education on or before their child turns one. If the mothers refused to return to their appropriate schooling, their social security payments would be cut. The Prime Minister defends the policy by saying that those recipients are at a lifetime of disadvantage if they do not return to school by the required time.


2011 Australian federal budget, Significant cuts, Welfare
The Gillard Government's first budget has been strongly based on the changes to the welfare system. In a push to put more people in work and to lower unemployment by refining who is a worthy recipient of welfare and better targeting of family payments. This will provide savings of approximately $2 billion. Higher income earners will lose more than $5 billion in welfare benefits and concessions.


2011 Australian federal budget, Non Budget expenditure
The budget does not capture all of the spending commitments made by the Australian Commonwealth Government. Costs associated with commitments such as the National Broadband Network are dealt with separately


2011 Australian football code crowds
Australia is home to four professional football codes. This is a comprehensive list of crowd figures for Australian football codes in 2011. It includes several different competitions and matches from soccer, Australian rules football, rugby league and rugby union (international rules football is a code of football played by Australian rules footballers). Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have teams represented in all four codes. Hobart and Darwin are Australia's only capital cities without a professional football team. Crowds exceeding 80,000 gathered 11 times for football games in Australia during 2011: 9 of them for Australian rules matches and 2 for rugby league matches.


2011 Australian football code crowds, Included competitions, National competitions
Several football codes have national (domestic) competitions in Australia, the following are taken into consideration:


2011 Australian football code crowds, Included competitions, National competitions
Two of these leagues, specifically the NRL and A-League, have one club each in New Zealand, while only five of the fifteen Super Rugby franchises are located in Australia, with the other ten are split evenly between New Zealand and South Africa. Attendance figures for non-Australian clubs are not taken into account in the figures on this page.


2011 Australian football code crowds, Included competitions, Other competitions
Other competitions, such as international and representative competitions, included are:


2011 Australian football code crowds, Included competitions, Other competitions
Note: For these competitions, only figures for games that take place in Australia are taken into account


2011 Australian football code crowds, Included competitions, Non-competition games
Some non-competition matches (such as friendly and exhibition matches) are also included:


2011 Australian football code crowds, Included competitions, Non-competition games
Note: this list will be updated as more games are scheduled.


2011 Australian football code crowds, Competitions not included
There are several notable semi-professional regional and state based competitions which draw notable attendances and charge an entry fee that are not listed here. These are worth mentioning as some of their attendances rival those of national competitions and compete for spectator interest.


2011 Australian football code crowds, Competitions not included
As the attendance figures for some of these competitions can be difficult to obtain (many don't publish season figures and some play matches as curtain raisers to other events), they have not been included in the official lists.


2011 Australian football code crowds, Attendances by Code
In order to directly compare sports, the total attendances for each major code are listed here. The colour-coding of the different codes is used throughout the article.


2011 Australian football code crowds, Attendances by Code
Note that only the competitions that appear on this page excluding those specifically not included are considered, there are many other (generally smaller) competitions, leagues and matches that take place for all of the football codes, but these are not included. The following are included:


2011 Australian football code crowds, Attendances by League
Some codes have multiple competitions, several competitions are compared here.


2011 Australian football code crowds, Attendances by Team
Total home attendances for domestic league competitions are listed here.


2011 Australian football code crowds, Attendances by Match
Attendances for single matches are listed here. Note that not all matches are necessarily included.


2011 Australian football code crowds, Attendances by Match, Representative Competitions
These are matches that are part of a regular representative competition.


2011 Australian football code crowds, Attendances by Match, Single matches
These are once-off matches, that aren't part of any regular league competition.


2011 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2011 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix was the sixteenth round of the 2011 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 14–16 October 2011 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.


2011 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix
Australian rider Casey Stoner clinched the 2011 MotoGP World Championship with his fifth consecutive victory at his home Grand Prix on his 26th birthday. Italian rider Marco Simoncelli recorded his final podium finish at this event before being fatally injured at the following race in Malaysia.


2011 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix, 125 cc classification
The race was stopped after 20 laps due to an accident involving Niklas Ajo.


2011 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix, Championship standings after the race (MotoGP)
Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round sixteen has concluded.


2011 Austrian Figure Skating Championships
The 2011 Austrian Figure Skating Championships (German: Österreichischen Staatsmeisterschaften im Eiskunstlauf 2011) took place between 17 and 19 December 2010 at the Sportwelt NÖ, Eissporthalle in Sankt Pölten. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing on the senior level. The results were used to choose the Austrian teams to the 2011 World Championships and the 2011 European Championships.


2011 Austrian Open Kitzbühel
The 2011 Bet-at-home Cup Kitzbühel was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 67th edition of the Austrian Open Kitzbühel, as part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour. It took place at the Tennis stadium Kitzbühel in Kitzbuehel Austria, from August 1 through 7, 2011. It was demoted to the ATP Challenger in 2010, made its return to the ATP World Tour in 2011.


2011 Austrian Open Kitzbühel, ATP entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2011 Austrian Open Kitzbühel, Champions, Doubles
Daniele Bracciali /  Santiago González defeated  Franco Ferreiro /  André Sá, 7–6(7–1), 4–6, [11–9]


2011 Auto Club 400
The 2011 Auto Club 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on March 27, 2011 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Contested over 200 laps, it was the fifth race of the 2011 season. The race was won by Kevin Harvick for the Richard Childress Racing team. Jimmie Johnson finished second, and Tony Stewart clinched third.


2011 Auto Club 400
There were four cautions and 18 lead changes among ten different drivers throughout the course of the race. It was Harvick's first win in the 2011 season, and the 15th of his Sprint Cup Series career. The result moved Harvick up to the ninth position in the Drivers' Championship, 30 points behind Carl Edwards in first. Toyota became the leader in the Manufacturers' Championship, tied with Chevrolet, and Ford, with 31 races remaining in the season. A total of 88,000 people attended the race.


2011 Auto Club 400, Report, Background
Auto Club Speedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races. The standard track at Auto Club Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2 miles (3.2 km) long. The track's turns are banked at fourteen degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at eleven degrees. The back stretch has 3 degrees of banking. The racetrack has seats for 92,100 spectators.


2011 Auto Club 400, Report, Background
Before the race, Kurt Busch was leading the Drivers' Championship with 150 points, one point ahead of Carl Edwards in second. Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman followed in third and fourth with 138 points, two ahead of Paul Menard and five ahead of Kyle Busch in fifth and sixth. Jimmie Johnson, with 130, was in the seventh position ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Martin Truex, Jr. rounded out the first ten positions with 123 points. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Ford was first with 27 points, two ahead of Toyota and five ahead of Chevrolet. Dodge was in the fourth positions with 14 points. Jimmie Johnson was the race's defending winner from 2010.


2011 Auto Club 400, Report, Practice and qualifying
Three practice sessions are scheduled to be held before the race; the first on Friday, which lasted only 45 minutes after a rain delay. The second and third were both on Saturday afternoon, and lasted 45 and 60 minutes long. David Reutimann was quickest with a time of 38.680 seconds in the first session, 0.263 seconds faster than Denny Hamlin. Greg Biffle was just off Hamlin's pace, followed by Brad Keselowski, Jamie McMurray, and Kasey Kahne. Montoya was seventh, still within a second of Reutimann's time.


2011 Auto Club 400, Report, Practice and qualifying
Forty-three cars were entered for qualifying. Montoya clinched the sixth pole position of his career, with a time of 38.992 seconds. He was joined on the front row of the grid by Hamlin. Joey Logano qualified third, Regan Smith took fourth, and Stewart started fifth. David Ragan, Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Newman and Mark Martin rounded out the top ten. Once the qualifying session concluded, Montoya stated, "It seems like we have a lot of potential this year and it’s pretty exciting. Pit crew is doing an amazing job week in and week out. They are getting so much faster than they were doing before. Just everybody on the team is really excited and pumped up — it’s nice to see."


2011 Auto Club 400, Report, Practice and qualifying
In the second practice session, Kevin Harvick was fastest with a time of 39.747 seconds, more than six hundredths of a second quicker than second-placed Hamlin. Edwards took third place, ahead of Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Stewart. In the third and final practice, Ragan was quickest with a time of 39.785 seconds. Stewart followed in second, ahead of Edwards and Martin. Gordon remained fifth quickest from the second session, with a time of 39.929 seconds. Kyle Busch, Bowyer, Menard, Trevor Bayne, and Burton rounded out the first ten positions.


2011 Auto Club 400, Report, Race
The race, the fifth in the season, began a 3:00 p.m. EST and was televised live in the United States on Fox. The conditions on the grid were dry before the race with the air temperature at 56 °F (13 °C). Motor Racing Outreach's Jeff Hamilton began pre-race ceremonies, by giving the invocation. Next, Zanzibar Records recording artist Richard Marx  performed the national anthem, and Actor Christian Slater gave the command for drivers to start their engines.


2011 Auto GP Series
The 2011 Auto GP Series was the second year of the Auto GP, and the thirteenth season of the former Euroseries 3000. The championship began on 14 May at Monza and finished on 4 September at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, after seven double-header rounds.


2011 Auto GP Series
The series became part of the World Touring Car Championship meetings and received Eurosport coverage. The series also adopted the Formula One points system for the first race of the weekend, with a consequent change in the lower points-awarding second race. The season champion and the top driver under 21 years of age Kevin Ceccon received a GP2 Series test.


2011 Auto GP Series
Ombra Racing driver Kevin Ceccon claimed the championship title, taking just one victory on Hungaroring with four other podium placings. Luca Filippi who missed Oshersleben's round due to GP2 Series commitments finished season as runner-up with one win at Brno. Sergey Afanasyev missed Donington Park round because of problems with British visa scored three wins at Budapest, Oshersleben and Valencia, more than any other driver in this season. He finished season on the third position in the standings.


2011 Auto GP Series, Calendar
A seven-round calendar was published on 22 November 2010. Six of the seven rounds will support World Touring Car Championship events, with the other event being held as a stand-alone event, with other series in support. On 8 March 2011, the round due to be held in Marrakech was dropped from the calendar, and will be replaced by the Hungaroring. On 23 June 2011, the round scheduled to be held in Bucharest was dropped from the calendar due to financial and track difficulties. It will be replaced by a headline event, with the Italian Formula Three Championship in support, held at Mugello.


2011 Autumn International Series
The 2011 Autumn International Series was a series of three rugby league test matches played between France, Ireland and Scotland in 2011. It was a similar format to the Rugby League European Cup which was to next be held in 2012. The series included the first test match between Ireland and Scotland since the two teams gained test status.


2011 Autumn International Series, Other Matches
Ireland also lost to Wales 6–30 and France lost to England 18–32. Both Wales and England were preparing for the Four Nations. France also lost to the England Knights 18–38.


2011 Avispa Fukuoka season
The 2011 Avispa Fukuoka season was Avispa Fukuoka's first season in J. League Division 1 since 2006, and 8th overall in the top division. It also includes the 2011 J. League Cup, and the 2011 Emperor's Cup. Avispa Fukuoka finished the J. League season in 17th place and were relegated to the 2012 J. League Division 2.


2011 Aylesbury Vale District Council election
The 2011 Aylesbury Vale District Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of Aylesbury Vale District Council in Buckinghamshire, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2011 Aylesbury Vale District Council election, Election result
The results saw the Conservatives retain control of the council after winning 37 of the 59 seats. Conservative cabinet member Huw Lewis lost in Buckingham North, but the party gained a seat in Aylesbury Central by 1 vote over Liberal Democrat mayor Graham Webster. The Liberal Democrats lost seats, dropping to 17 councillors, with the Liberal Democrat group leader Alan Sherwell being defeated in Bedgrove.


2011 Aylesbury Vale District Council election, Election result
Both the UK Independence Party and the Labour party won 2 seats, while independent Peter Cooper retained his seat in Wingrave. For the UK Independence Party the 2 seats they won in Quarrendon were the first seats the party had ever won on the council, while Labour returned to the council for the first time in over 10 years after winning seats in Buckingham South and Southcourt.


2011 Aylesbury Vale District Council election, By-elections between 2011 and 2015, Oakfield
A by-election was held in Oakfield on 3 October 2013 after the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Steve Patrick. The seat was held for the Liberal Democrats by Alison Harrison with a majority of 81 votes over UK Independence Party candidate  Philip Gomm.


2011 Aylesbury Vale District Council election, By-elections between 2011 and 2015, Gatehouse
A by-election was held in Gatehouse on 11 December 2014 after the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Stuart Jarvis. The seat was held for the Liberal Democrats by Anders Christensen with a majority of 28 votes over UK Independence Party candidate Graham Cadle.


2011 Aylesbury Vale District Council election, By-elections between 2011 and 2015, Southcourt
A by-election was held in Southcourt on 11 December 2014 after the resignation of Labour councillor Michael Beall. The seat was gained for the Liberal Democrats by Peter Agoro with a majority of 163 votes over UK Independence Party candidate Brian Adams.


2011 Azad Kashmiri general election
General elections were held in Azad Kashmir on 26 June 2011 to elect the members of ninth assembly of Azad Kashmir.


2011 Azerbaijani protests
The 2011 Azerbaijani protests were a series of demonstrations held to protest the government of President Ilham Aliyev. Common themes espoused by demonstrators, many of whom were affiliated with Müsavat and the Popular Front Party, the main opposition parties in Azerbaijan, included doubts as to the legitimacy of the 2008 presidential election, desire for the release of political prisoners, calls for democratic reforms, and demands that Aliyev and his government resign from power. Azerbaijani authorities responded with a security crackdown, dispersing protests and curtailing attempts to gather with force and numerous arrests.


2011 Azerbaijani protests
The European Union, the United States Department of State, Amnesty International, and other organizations called on the government to release political prisoners and allow for free assembly. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani Prosecutor General Zakir Qaralov vowed to "suppress" protests, comparing them to incidents in "other countries" and saying that the government would not allow them to go forward.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Background
On 29 January, more than 100 activists and politicians not affiliated with the Azerbaijani government gathered in Baku to urge President Ilham Aliyev to dismiss the government and call snap elections. Several critics compared Aliyev to then-President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and warned that Azerbaijan could face popular protests as part of a regional wave of civil unrest, though leaders of the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party and Müsavat stopped short of threatening to lead them personally.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Background
Around the same time, 20-year-old web activist and APFP supporter Jabbar Savalan gained prominence for posting increasingly provocative invective against the government on Facebook and other social networking websites, eventually calling in early February for a "Day of Rage" modeled off the protests in Egypt, with major protests to be held in downtown Baku. Authorities reacted by arresting Savalanly in Sumqayit on 5 February and charging him with marijuana possession, a charge his supporters claimed was fabricated. Opposition groups called on authorities to release the young activist and compared his detention to the suppression of dissidents in Egypt and other countries, but police insisted the arrest was not political.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Background
On 6 February, an unsanctioned protest was held at the Egypt–Azerbaijan Friendship Park outside Baku, in the suburb of Xırdalan. Several dozen rally-goers, mostly young men and women, waved signs and chanted slogans calling for Egyptian President Mubarak to step down, but also voiced dissent against several recently adopted Azerbaijani government policies, including price increases for services. Police dispersed the gathering within minutes, making no arrests.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, March
Youth activists Elnur Majidli, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, and others called on Facebook for mass protests on 11 March 2011 to mark the one-month anniversary of both Hosni Mubarak's resignation and the detention of Savalanly on what they called are trumped-up charges. In response, the government reportedly dispatched military forces to Baku to bolster security in the former Soviet republic's capital.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, March
Members of the opposition in the National Assembly indicated support for the demonstrators, demanded the release of political prisoners, and called on the cabinet, led by former Communist Party member Prime Minister Artur Rasizade, to resign over its failure to institute reforms. The government claimed the demonstrations were organized by the parliamentary opposition under the guise of grassroots activism, but activists denied this, citing criticism from politically like-minded allies in the National Assembly over the date of the planned protests as an example of where they differ from the opposition parties.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, March, 11 March – "The Great People's Day"
On 11 March, police foiled several attempted protests, arresting at least 43. The New York Times reported that about 60 people gathered in Baku, the capital city, in response to the scheduled event on Facebook, but security forces quickly clamped down, preventing the demonstration from gaining much steam.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, March, 12 March
A larger protest in Baku, the capital city, drew several hundred people on 12 March, The New York Times reported. The protest was led by Müsavat, in contrast to the smaller youth-led demonstrations of the previous day. Once again, however, police were prepared for the rally and began arresting people on the spot, including at least one person for speaking to a Western journalist, though media reported they had a more difficult time subduing the larger, better-prepared protest than they had on 11 March. About 50 people were arrested on this second day of protests. Although most of the protesters appeared to be supporters of the secular, relatively pro-Western Müsavat and similar parties, a number of young protesters representing the Islamist opposition began chanting "Allahu Akbar", reportedly angering police on the scene.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, March, 12 March
At least 30 people arrested in connection with the protests were sentenced to time in prison, the United States Department of State reported. Müsavat demanded that President Ilham Aliyev step down over the incident. The Azerbaijani Human Rights House and the European Union, among others, criticised Aliyev's government and called on authorities to allow people to demonstrate peacefully.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, March, Other incidents
Reuters reported that at least 150 activists were arrested in Azerbaijan during March, including those detained 11–12 March.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, April
Opposition groups signaled their intention to hold additional protests in April in spite of warnings from authorities not to do so. Officials in Baku pushed government opponents to rally only in a designated part of Bebiheybat, outside the city center of Baku, but the opposition refused any deal by which protesters would not march in downtown Baku. Opposition leader Ali Karimli of the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party said that while activists intended to demonstrate peacefully, "In case of a provocation, however, we will not be responsible."


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, April, 2 April – "Day of Wrath"
Another protest was held on 2 April at Fountain Square in Baku's city center, with between 350 and 1,000 demonstrators in attendance. The APFP and Müsavat called the demonstration a "Day of Wrath" and led the rally downtown instead of holding it in a government-approved stadium on the outskirts of the city. Police arrested well over 200 demonstrators, detaining at least two Azerbaijani journalists covering the protest as well. Isa Gambar, the leader of Müsavat, responded to the crackdown and the government's charging of four opposition leaders with "organizing mass unrest" by vowing to intensify protests. On 10 October, four of the arrested activists were given sentences from 18 months to three years in prison.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, April, 17 April
Police again dispersed an attempted demonstration in Baku's Fountain Square on 17 April, arresting activists chanting pro-democracy slogans, including a mother and her young daughter, and briefly detaining two or three Swedish journalists. The Swedes were later deported. One woman reportedly warned police as they arrested her, "Don't think you'll be able to keep your government. A 30-year-old government collapsed in Egypt." Officials said they detained 65 people in total.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, April, 17 April
While the government again attempted to confine demonstrations to a small area on the outskirts of Baku, Gambar and other opposition leaders have vowed to continue holding protests in the city center in defiance of the law, as its requests to be allowed to gather in front of the Narimanov Cinema downtown were denied and the organizers rejected alternative settings proffered by the city council. The crackdown came in defiance of an appeal from human rights watchdog Amnesty International to allow peaceful protests to go forward.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, April, 20 April
To commemorate the four-year anniversary of Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev, 20 journalists held a one-day hunger strike to protest what they view as his unjust imprisonment. "We want to demonstrate our complaints against the arrest of Eynulla Fatullayev [by striking]," said editor Aynur Elganesh.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, May
Though action by the political opposition was subdued throughout the first half of the month, unrest continued in the capital of Baku.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, May, 6 May
Police swiftly dispersed a protest on 6 May in Baku. Protesters called on the government to allow Muslim girls to wear the hijab in school. Several dozen were arrested, and police reportedly used batons and pepper spray to subdue some of the demonstrators.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, May, 22 May
Youth activists rallied on Baku Boulevard to call for the release of "political prisoners", fellow activists imprisoned on what they believe are trumped-up charges. Four activists and a journalist covering the event were arrested, though the journalist was released later that same evening. The activists were sentenced to between seven and eight days of jail time each.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, June, 19 June
Police arrested "23 of about 80 protesters" affiliated with the opposition Public Chamber in Baku in front of the Narimanov Cinema, a frequent site of attempted rallies against the government during the protests of 2011.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, June, 19 June
Interior Minister Ehsan Zahidov insisted that the protesters, by gathering in front of the cinema instead of at the Bibi Heybat settlement on the outskirts of the city, were "violating the constitutional rights of citizens" and added, "If the Public Chamber rally set for 19 June [was] sanctioned by the Baku Mayor's Office and staged in a venue allotted by it, the police would provide security of rally participants." Police were present in the square an hour before protesters arrived, successfully thwarting the rally.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Political protests, November
Around 30—35 opposition youth activists organised a protest in front of Baku's City Hall on 15 November chanting "Freedom!" but were soon violently confronted by police forces. The arrested activists were released within the next hours.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Hijab protests
Hijab protests in Azerbaijan is a consequence of recently changes specially in formal and social aspects of Azerbaijan. The hijab ban in schools and arresting of social activists can be mentioned as these changes. The government of Azerbaijan arrested a few Leaders of Opposition and this caused a new round of protests and rallies inside the country. these parties include the Popular front of Azerbaijan, the Musavat Party, and the Islamic party. Leaders of these parties face long prison terms. Movsum Samadov, leader of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan, has been charged with preparing an act of terror.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Hijab protests
Several Demonstrations and Rallies took place in Different cities of Azerbaijan Due to Islam-Fighting Policy of Azerbaijan's Government. Thousands of Azeri Muslims have held demonstrations to protest the new policy. Main dates of these protest include: 11 March, 2 April, 6 and 19 May and 10 December 2011. United States Ambassador, The European Union, Amnesty International, The International Press Institute and peoples of some cities of Iran expressed concern over the Azerbaijani government's response to protests in the county.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Tactics
Protesters have used social networking sites such as Facebook to spread information about rallies, including when and where to meet. However, BBC News has noted that as many as 80 percent of Azerbaijanis do not use the Internet, which has perhaps contributed to relatively low turnout compared to protests in neighboring Armenia and Iran, among other places. A BBC analyst also remarked upon a strategy seen at the unsuccessful 17 April rally in Fountain Square, with demonstrators slowly gathering while at least initially trying to appear unorganized, very similar to a smart mob.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Domestic response
The government has striven to keep rallies from gathering much strength, dispersing the initial youth-led protests on 11 March in some cases before they could even start. To accomplish this, authorities have ordered security forces to the scene of planned demonstrations, taking a proactive approach rather than reacting once protests actually break out. Police have generally not hesitated to detain and arrest anyone they judge to be a possible agitator, including Azerbaijanis seen talking to journalists, and on at least two occasions, they have detained journalists themselves.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Domestic response
Authorities have cited the relatively small scale of protests as proof that the Azerbaijani public supports the government and does not approve of the opposition parties. They frequently use the descriptor "radical" to characterize protesters and opposition leaders.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Domestic response
Government officials, including Prosecutor General Zakir Qaralov, have also accused opposition leaders like Ali Karimli and Isa Gambar of being agents of foreign governments. In response, Karimli said after being interrogated for over eight hours on 16 April, "Speaking about who we are working for, there is only one address: the people of Azerbaijan." While the government has attempted to publicly discredit the main opposition leaders, and both Karimli and Gambar have been summoned for questioning, neither has yet been arrested.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Domestic response
Other activists have been charged with such crimes as "inciting hatred". The government has warned the France-based blogger who first called for the 11 March protests on Facebook that he will be prosecuted and could face up to 12 years in prison if he returns to Azerbaijan. His family has reportedly also faced consequences, with his father and cousins briefly being detained and the government allegedly pressuring his parents' employers to fire them from their jobs.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Domestic response
On 25 April, police raided the offices of Gambar's party Müsavat in Baku.


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Domestic response
In mid-May, a top official with the ruling New Azerbaijan Party claimed the only young protesters attending rallies were relatives of opposition leaders, whom he said "must step aside and give their place to a new generation and build new relations" because they "have no popular trust" and have failed to offer new ideas since the 1990s. He also said he believed the government's efforts to curb corruption, a key complaint of protesters, were sincere and making an impact. Claims to the contrary, he said, were "senseless".


2011 Azerbaijani protests, Domestic response
On 26 May, Aliyev issued an unexpected presidential pardon to journalist Eynulla Fatullayev after four years of imprisonment. Fatullayev was duly released from prison. In an interview the next day, he said that if the government guaranteed freedom of the press and promised him he would not be punished for his reporting, he would return to work as a journalist in Azerbaijan.