SYDNEY, Australia -- James Blake often says that he learns as much, if not more, from a loss as a win. Usually he tries to apply those lessons in his very next match.

In this instance, though, he waited 12 months. Blake, the two-time defending champion in Sydney last year, lost disappointingly in the first round. He flew to Melbourne, made the most of his extra practice time and proceeded to have his best-ever performance at the Australian Open, reaching the quarterfinals before ...

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