After 77-years of British pain, Andy Murray has finally done it. He's won Wimbledon. Murray managed to continue his unbelievable trend against Novak Djokovic, not dropping a set against him on grass. In an enthralling match, Murray was able to dig deep and win the crown despite missing three Championship points.
Every year that Murray has entered Wimbledon, the pressure has increased tenfold which led to bitter disappointment last year. But he put that behind him with some fantastic performances to get him to this second consecutive SW19 final against Djokovic in a rematch of last year's Olympic semi-final.
Neither player could really get a hold of the opening set as Murray would break in the third game only for Djokovic to reply in the fourth. Murray finally broke for a second time in the seventh game and proceeded to take the first 6-4.
The second set looked like it was going to belong to Djokovic. The Serb took a 4-1 lead and was on course to level the match. But Murray managed to fight back in true Braveheart fashion to level the set. Djokovic was visibly shaken and became irritable after a few tough calls by the umpire. This lapse of concentration may have cost the world number one as Murray took the second set 7-5 to heighten the hope amongst the packed crowd.
Murray looked to have started the third set in great form, taking a 2-0 lead. But the resurgent Djokovic fought back and won four straight games before Murray again came back to level the set at 4-4. That was the game that broke Djokovic and Murray ended up able to serve for the match at 5-4. He raced to 40-0 but failed to convert any of his Championship points. The game fell in to deuce and Djokovic continued to hold on. He managed to gain advantage three times but he just couldn't stop Murray. Murray finally got ahead and ended up winning the match on his fourth Championship point to rewrite British history.
Showing posts with label Tennis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennis. Show all posts
Sunday, 7 July 2013
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
Murray's Major Win At Last
Andy Murray follows on from his gold medal at the Olympics to become the first British man to win a major in 76-years. It was 79-years to the day that Fred Perry won his first US Open and now Murray can finally leave Perry's shadow and can even become World Number One by the end of the year.
Murray didn't do it the easy way against Novak Djokovic and it almost looked like it was never going happen when he relinquished a two set lead. The first set just showed how close these two competitors are with it going to a tie-break, with Murray winning it 12-10.
The wind was a major factor throughout the match and it seemed to unnerve the Serb more than the Scot. Murray moved into a 4-0 lead in the second set and it was his set to lose from there. He almost did as it took a 12th game before Murray could finally close it out 7-5 to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
If anyone could still lose a major final from there, you would have argued Murray definitely could. Djokovic wasn't finished either and he regained his composure to take the third set 6-2. Many pundits claimed that this was okay and that Murray would win in four. But Murray's nerves may have slightly got the better of him and Djokovic would take the fourth set 6-3 to force a nail-biting deciding set.
If Murray was suffering from any nerves, it didn't show as he raced into a 3-0 lead. From there, he looked unstoppable and would take the final set 6-2 to break his major duck, with hopes that it is his first of multiple wins.
Murray didn't do it the easy way against Novak Djokovic and it almost looked like it was never going happen when he relinquished a two set lead. The first set just showed how close these two competitors are with it going to a tie-break, with Murray winning it 12-10.
The wind was a major factor throughout the match and it seemed to unnerve the Serb more than the Scot. Murray moved into a 4-0 lead in the second set and it was his set to lose from there. He almost did as it took a 12th game before Murray could finally close it out 7-5 to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
If anyone could still lose a major final from there, you would have argued Murray definitely could. Djokovic wasn't finished either and he regained his composure to take the third set 6-2. Many pundits claimed that this was okay and that Murray would win in four. But Murray's nerves may have slightly got the better of him and Djokovic would take the fourth set 6-3 to force a nail-biting deciding set.
If Murray was suffering from any nerves, it didn't show as he raced into a 3-0 lead. From there, he looked unstoppable and would take the final set 6-2 to break his major duck, with hopes that it is his first of multiple wins.
Sunday, 5 August 2012
Bolt Still Fastest Man Alive & Murray Wins Gold
A new Olympic Record for Usain Bolt sustains his title of World's Fastest Man. It would be the best 100m final ever as all of the fastest men alive took part. Bolt stood alongside fellow Jamaicans, Yohan Blake and Asafa Powell, Americans, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Ryan Bailey, Richard Thompson of Trinidad & Tobago and Europe's participant, Churandy Martina from the Netherlands.
Places 2-7 finished with the fastest times ever recorded ion those positions with Powell in eighth, the only man to finish outside ten seconds due to an injury. But no-one could take the limelight away from Bolt as he came from a poor start to record a time of 9.63 seconds. Blake won the silver medal with his equalled personal best of 9.75 seconds with Gatlin earning bronze with his personal best of 9.79, 0.01 seconds ahead of Gay in fourth.
Before the 100m final, everyone was talking about GB's latest gold medal winners, Ben Ainslie and Andy Murray. Ainslie started the day off in the Men's Finn Sailing medal race. He managed to stave off another attack from his Danish rival, Jonas Hogh-Christensen, to earn his fourth Olympic gold medal, becoming the greatest Olympian in Sailing history.
Ainslie's gold was followed up by a silver medal for Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson in the Men's Star Sailing medal race. The British pair finished three points behind the Swedish duo, Fredrik Loof and Max Salminen but four points ahead of the Brazilian duo, Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada.
But the lead up today was all about Murray who had the prospect of winning two gold medals. Murray had the unenviable task of playing Roger Federer, his Wimbledon conqueror. But the Brit performed some of his best tennis to completely blow the Swiss away. Murray took the first set 6-2 before storming the second 6-1. Federer tried his hardest to fight the partisan crowd but Murray proved to be too strong and took the third set 6-4 to seal that emphatic gold medal. Juan Martin Del Potro sealed bronze with a fantastic 7-5 6-4 over Novak Djokovic.
A couple of hours later, the pumped Murray returned on court with Laura Robson as they played out their Mixed Doubles final against Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi from Belarus. The British pair got off to a fantastic start with a 6-2 first set after leading 4-0. But the Belarussian pair regained their composure and took the second set 6-3 to force a Champions Tie-Break.
The top seeds took the momentum into the tie-break and took a 9-6 lead. Two fantastic serves from Robson pulled it back to 9-8 before Belarus finally completed the victory to leave Murray and Robson with the silver medal.
GB claimed four other medals today. The Men's Pommel Horse saw Louis Smith miss out on gold on a tie-break after he and gold medallist Krisztian Berki were tied on 16.066 points. Behind those two came Hemel Hempstead's Max Whitlock. The 19-year old posted a score of 15.600 points to earn the bronze medal.
Ed Clancy also picked up a bronze medal in the Men's Omnium Cycling event. Clancy agonisingly finished a single point behind France's Bryan Coquard on 30 points. Denmark's Lasse Norman Hansen took the gold medal with 27 points.
Our final medal today came in the Women's 400m. Christine Ohuruogu performed a season's best, 49.70 seconds, to earn the silver medal in between two Americans. DeeDee Trotter won the bronze medal with her season best time of 49.72 seconds. Sanya Richards-Ross took gold for USA with a time of 49.55 seconds.
The heartbreak of the day came in the Women's Water Polo. Team GB faced Spain in the quarter finals and forced them all the way. After taking a 2-1 lead, GB ended up being 6-2 behind after the second quarter. Three goals in the third quarter slightly pulled the score back to 8-5. The girls then bravely fought back to 8-7 in the final moments in the last quarter before Spain ended the GB hopes in the final 30-seconds to win the game 9-7.
Places 2-7 finished with the fastest times ever recorded ion those positions with Powell in eighth, the only man to finish outside ten seconds due to an injury. But no-one could take the limelight away from Bolt as he came from a poor start to record a time of 9.63 seconds. Blake won the silver medal with his equalled personal best of 9.75 seconds with Gatlin earning bronze with his personal best of 9.79, 0.01 seconds ahead of Gay in fourth.
Before the 100m final, everyone was talking about GB's latest gold medal winners, Ben Ainslie and Andy Murray. Ainslie started the day off in the Men's Finn Sailing medal race. He managed to stave off another attack from his Danish rival, Jonas Hogh-Christensen, to earn his fourth Olympic gold medal, becoming the greatest Olympian in Sailing history.
Ainslie's gold was followed up by a silver medal for Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson in the Men's Star Sailing medal race. The British pair finished three points behind the Swedish duo, Fredrik Loof and Max Salminen but four points ahead of the Brazilian duo, Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada.
But the lead up today was all about Murray who had the prospect of winning two gold medals. Murray had the unenviable task of playing Roger Federer, his Wimbledon conqueror. But the Brit performed some of his best tennis to completely blow the Swiss away. Murray took the first set 6-2 before storming the second 6-1. Federer tried his hardest to fight the partisan crowd but Murray proved to be too strong and took the third set 6-4 to seal that emphatic gold medal. Juan Martin Del Potro sealed bronze with a fantastic 7-5 6-4 over Novak Djokovic.
A couple of hours later, the pumped Murray returned on court with Laura Robson as they played out their Mixed Doubles final against Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi from Belarus. The British pair got off to a fantastic start with a 6-2 first set after leading 4-0. But the Belarussian pair regained their composure and took the second set 6-3 to force a Champions Tie-Break.
The top seeds took the momentum into the tie-break and took a 9-6 lead. Two fantastic serves from Robson pulled it back to 9-8 before Belarus finally completed the victory to leave Murray and Robson with the silver medal.
GB claimed four other medals today. The Men's Pommel Horse saw Louis Smith miss out on gold on a tie-break after he and gold medallist Krisztian Berki were tied on 16.066 points. Behind those two came Hemel Hempstead's Max Whitlock. The 19-year old posted a score of 15.600 points to earn the bronze medal.
Ed Clancy also picked up a bronze medal in the Men's Omnium Cycling event. Clancy agonisingly finished a single point behind France's Bryan Coquard on 30 points. Denmark's Lasse Norman Hansen took the gold medal with 27 points.
Our final medal today came in the Women's 400m. Christine Ohuruogu performed a season's best, 49.70 seconds, to earn the silver medal in between two Americans. DeeDee Trotter won the bronze medal with her season best time of 49.72 seconds. Sanya Richards-Ross took gold for USA with a time of 49.55 seconds.
The heartbreak of the day came in the Women's Water Polo. Team GB faced Spain in the quarter finals and forced them all the way. After taking a 2-1 lead, GB ended up being 6-2 behind after the second quarter. Three goals in the third quarter slightly pulled the score back to 8-5. The girls then bravely fought back to 8-7 in the final moments in the last quarter before Spain ended the GB hopes in the final 30-seconds to win the game 9-7.
Saturday, 4 August 2012
Record Day For Team GB
Team GB secured six gold medals on a day that hasn't been matched for over a hundred years, cruising into third in the medals table and showing no signs of slowing down. It all began this morning when Katherine Copeland and Sophie Hosking claimed GB's first ever Women's Lightweight Double Sculls gold medal. The British pairing finished over two seconds ahead of Dongxiang Xu and Wenyi Huang of China.
That was followed with the Men's Four gold, making it three consecutive golds in the event. Alex Gregory, Tom James, Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge finished just under two seconds ahead of the Australian foursome. It could well have been three golds in the rowing today when Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter lead in most of the Men's Lightweight Double Sculls. But, with 250m left, the Danish pairing of Mads Rasmussen and Rasmus Quist overtook the Brits to finish .61 seconds ahead.
Britain's third gold became their fourth in the Cycling as we took the Women's Team Pursuit event with yet another World Record. Dani King, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell set a time of 3:14:051 to out class the Americans and the Canadians. The gold is even more special for Rowsell who suffers from alopecia.
The other three gold medals were our first in the Athletics events. After her amazing display yesterday, Jessica Ennis rounded off her fantastic Heptathlon with a score of 6955, the fifth highest score in Olympics history and a new British and Commonwealth record. The Sheffield girl finished 306 points clear of silver medallist Lilli Schwarzkopf of Germany. Ennis has now put herself alongside Bradley Wiggins and many others as candidates for Sports Personality of the Year.
Ennis' gold was quickly followed up by Mo Farah who put on a fantastic performance in the Men's 10,000m. Farah finished .48 seconds ahead of USA's Galen Rupp to cap a brilliant two years for the athlete. GB's final gold medal of the day came from a surprise source, Greg Rutherford from Milton Keynes. Rutherford managed to finish .15m ahead of Mitchell Watt from Australia in the Long Jump.
All eyes will be on Andy Murray tomorrow who has the opportunity to win a further two gold medals for GB. Murray will play against Roger Federer in the Men's Singles and then team-up with Laura Robson who will take on Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi from Belarus in the Mixed Doubles Final.
Robson and Murray started the day against Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Stosur in the quarter finals. The Brits took the first set 6-3 before the Australians responded with a 6-3 set victory of their own. This produced a Champions Tie-break which Murray and Robson won 10-8 to reach the semi-finals.
A couple of hours later, Robson and Murray were on court again, this time against Sabine Lisicki and Christopher Kas of Germany. The British pairing once again stormed out of the gate quickly, taking the first set 6-1. The second set then went to a tie-break, which Murray missed a winner that caused the Germans to take it 9-7. So, for a second time today, Robson and Murray were once again enthralled in a Champions Tie-break. At 7-7, Britain broke the Kas serve to lead 8-7 before Robson held both of her serves to win the set 10-7 to put GB's name in tomorrow's final and a guaranteed silver medal.
The Women's Tennis event came to an end today with Serena Williams securing a career Golden Slam after thrashing Maria Sharapova. Williams took the first set to love before Sharapova managed to take a game in the second set. Azarenka took the bronze medal with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Russia's Maria Kirilenko.
The Bryan brothers went home with the Men's Doubles gold, making it two golds for Team USA. Bob and Mike faced Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the final. The Bryan's took the first set 6-4 before taking the second set 7-2 in the tie-break. Fellow Frenchmen, Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet took the bronze medal with a 7-6 6-2 win over David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez of Spain.
The heartbreak of the day once again came from a penalty shoot-out in the football. The men's team faced South Korea and found themselves 1-0 down just before the half hour mark when Sunderland's Ji Dong-Won leathered a shot past Jack Butland. GB levelled seven minutes when they were awarded a penalty for handball, Aaron Ramsey stepped up and just squeezed his effort through the keeper.
Five minutes before half-time, GB were awarded a second penalty when Daniel Sturridge was brought down in the box. Ramsey again stepped-up but this time his effort was saved. The score remained 1-1 and the dreaded penalty shoot-out was upon us. The shoot-out stood at 4-4 before Daniel Sturridge stepped up and had his shot saved. Celtic's Ki Sung-Yeung placed South Korea's fifth attempt past Butland to dump GB out of the event.
That was followed with the Men's Four gold, making it three consecutive golds in the event. Alex Gregory, Tom James, Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge finished just under two seconds ahead of the Australian foursome. It could well have been three golds in the rowing today when Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter lead in most of the Men's Lightweight Double Sculls. But, with 250m left, the Danish pairing of Mads Rasmussen and Rasmus Quist overtook the Brits to finish .61 seconds ahead.
Britain's third gold became their fourth in the Cycling as we took the Women's Team Pursuit event with yet another World Record. Dani King, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell set a time of 3:14:051 to out class the Americans and the Canadians. The gold is even more special for Rowsell who suffers from alopecia.
The other three gold medals were our first in the Athletics events. After her amazing display yesterday, Jessica Ennis rounded off her fantastic Heptathlon with a score of 6955, the fifth highest score in Olympics history and a new British and Commonwealth record. The Sheffield girl finished 306 points clear of silver medallist Lilli Schwarzkopf of Germany. Ennis has now put herself alongside Bradley Wiggins and many others as candidates for Sports Personality of the Year.
Ennis' gold was quickly followed up by Mo Farah who put on a fantastic performance in the Men's 10,000m. Farah finished .48 seconds ahead of USA's Galen Rupp to cap a brilliant two years for the athlete. GB's final gold medal of the day came from a surprise source, Greg Rutherford from Milton Keynes. Rutherford managed to finish .15m ahead of Mitchell Watt from Australia in the Long Jump.
All eyes will be on Andy Murray tomorrow who has the opportunity to win a further two gold medals for GB. Murray will play against Roger Federer in the Men's Singles and then team-up with Laura Robson who will take on Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi from Belarus in the Mixed Doubles Final.
Robson and Murray started the day against Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Stosur in the quarter finals. The Brits took the first set 6-3 before the Australians responded with a 6-3 set victory of their own. This produced a Champions Tie-break which Murray and Robson won 10-8 to reach the semi-finals.
A couple of hours later, Robson and Murray were on court again, this time against Sabine Lisicki and Christopher Kas of Germany. The British pairing once again stormed out of the gate quickly, taking the first set 6-1. The second set then went to a tie-break, which Murray missed a winner that caused the Germans to take it 9-7. So, for a second time today, Robson and Murray were once again enthralled in a Champions Tie-break. At 7-7, Britain broke the Kas serve to lead 8-7 before Robson held both of her serves to win the set 10-7 to put GB's name in tomorrow's final and a guaranteed silver medal.
The Women's Tennis event came to an end today with Serena Williams securing a career Golden Slam after thrashing Maria Sharapova. Williams took the first set to love before Sharapova managed to take a game in the second set. Azarenka took the bronze medal with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Russia's Maria Kirilenko.
The Bryan brothers went home with the Men's Doubles gold, making it two golds for Team USA. Bob and Mike faced Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the final. The Bryan's took the first set 6-4 before taking the second set 7-2 in the tie-break. Fellow Frenchmen, Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet took the bronze medal with a 7-6 6-2 win over David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez of Spain.
The heartbreak of the day once again came from a penalty shoot-out in the football. The men's team faced South Korea and found themselves 1-0 down just before the half hour mark when Sunderland's Ji Dong-Won leathered a shot past Jack Butland. GB levelled seven minutes when they were awarded a penalty for handball, Aaron Ramsey stepped up and just squeezed his effort through the keeper.
Five minutes before half-time, GB were awarded a second penalty when Daniel Sturridge was brought down in the box. Ramsey again stepped-up but this time his effort was saved. The score remained 1-1 and the dreaded penalty shoot-out was upon us. The shoot-out stood at 4-4 before Daniel Sturridge stepped up and had his shot saved. Celtic's Ki Sung-Yeung placed South Korea's fifth attempt past Butland to dump GB out of the event.
Friday, 3 August 2012
Eight Golds As First Week Concludes
With the first week of the Olympics coming to a close, Team GB currently sit fourth in the medals table with another three gold medals accumulated today. Our first came in the Women's Double Sculls; Katherine Grainger had three managed to gain three silver medals in previous games, but today she finally found that elusive gold with the help of Anna Watkins.
The British pairing finished almost three seconds ahead of the Australian duo, Kim Crow and Brooke Pratley, to earn GB's second gold medal in the rowing. The overall medal tally for rowing now stands at six after claiming a further two bronzes. The first of which came from Alan Campbell who achieved third in the Men's Single Sculls. Campbell was well off the pace set by gold medal winner Mahe Drisdale of New Zealand and silver medallist Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic, but he did stave off a late fight from Sweden's Lassi Karonen to gain that impressive bronze.
The second bronze medal in today's rowing came in the Men's Pair. George Nash and William Satch claimed the third place but only finished an agonising .66 of a second behind France's Germain Chardin and Dorian Mortelette. New Zealand's Eric Murray and Hamish Bond took the gold medal.
GB's other two gold medals came in today's cycling events. The first came in the Team Pursuit where the British team set another World Record in the Velodrome. Ed Clancy, Steven Burke, Peter Kennaugh and Geraint Thomas put in an amazing performance to score a time of 3:51:659, almost three seconds ahead of the Australian team who won Silver.
After her disappointing disqualification yesterday, Victoria Pendleton put that behind her to come through and take the Women's Keirin gold medal. Pendleton beat China's Shuang Guo and Wai Sze Lee of Hong Kong to victory, claiming Britain's third gold in the cycling events.
GB also amassed a further two bronzes today. Rebecca Adlington followed up her 400m Freestyle bronze with her second bronze in the 800m Freestyle. Adlington finished almost six seconds behind USA's Katie Ledecky who claimed gold by setting an Americas record. Spain's Garcia Mireia Belmonte claimed silver.
Our final medal today was awarded to Karina Bryant who claimed bronze in the Women's +78kg Judo event. Bryant lost to Japan's Mika Sugimoto in the semi-finals but the Japanese had to settle for silver as she lost to Idalys Ortiz of Cuba in the final.
Jessica Ennis has began her quest for Heptathlon gold by breaking her own personal record in the 100m Hurdles, setting a time of 12.54 seconds which would have won gold in the proper event. She currently has a 184 point lead over Lithuania's Austra Skujyte going into the second day.
Andy Murray has also guaranteed himself silver after providing a fantastic performance to overcome Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. Murray won in straight sets, 7-5 7-5, to set up a Wimbledon rematch with Roger Federer. The Swiss overcame Juan Martin Del Potro in the longest ever Olympic Tennis match. Del Potro took the first set 6-3 before Federer fought back, winning the second set tie-break 7-5. The third and final set went into overtime where Federer finally came through with a 19-17 victory.
The disappointment of the day came in the Women's football. Unfortunately, Team GB couldn't continue their fantastic performance against Brazil and ended up losing 2-0 to Canada. The men's team face South Korea in tomorrow's quarter final.
The British pairing finished almost three seconds ahead of the Australian duo, Kim Crow and Brooke Pratley, to earn GB's second gold medal in the rowing. The overall medal tally for rowing now stands at six after claiming a further two bronzes. The first of which came from Alan Campbell who achieved third in the Men's Single Sculls. Campbell was well off the pace set by gold medal winner Mahe Drisdale of New Zealand and silver medallist Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic, but he did stave off a late fight from Sweden's Lassi Karonen to gain that impressive bronze.
The second bronze medal in today's rowing came in the Men's Pair. George Nash and William Satch claimed the third place but only finished an agonising .66 of a second behind France's Germain Chardin and Dorian Mortelette. New Zealand's Eric Murray and Hamish Bond took the gold medal.
GB's other two gold medals came in today's cycling events. The first came in the Team Pursuit where the British team set another World Record in the Velodrome. Ed Clancy, Steven Burke, Peter Kennaugh and Geraint Thomas put in an amazing performance to score a time of 3:51:659, almost three seconds ahead of the Australian team who won Silver.
After her disappointing disqualification yesterday, Victoria Pendleton put that behind her to come through and take the Women's Keirin gold medal. Pendleton beat China's Shuang Guo and Wai Sze Lee of Hong Kong to victory, claiming Britain's third gold in the cycling events.
GB also amassed a further two bronzes today. Rebecca Adlington followed up her 400m Freestyle bronze with her second bronze in the 800m Freestyle. Adlington finished almost six seconds behind USA's Katie Ledecky who claimed gold by setting an Americas record. Spain's Garcia Mireia Belmonte claimed silver.
Our final medal today was awarded to Karina Bryant who claimed bronze in the Women's +78kg Judo event. Bryant lost to Japan's Mika Sugimoto in the semi-finals but the Japanese had to settle for silver as she lost to Idalys Ortiz of Cuba in the final.
Jessica Ennis has began her quest for Heptathlon gold by breaking her own personal record in the 100m Hurdles, setting a time of 12.54 seconds which would have won gold in the proper event. She currently has a 184 point lead over Lithuania's Austra Skujyte going into the second day.
Andy Murray has also guaranteed himself silver after providing a fantastic performance to overcome Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. Murray won in straight sets, 7-5 7-5, to set up a Wimbledon rematch with Roger Federer. The Swiss overcame Juan Martin Del Potro in the longest ever Olympic Tennis match. Del Potro took the first set 6-3 before Federer fought back, winning the second set tie-break 7-5. The third and final set went into overtime where Federer finally came through with a 19-17 victory.
The disappointment of the day came in the Women's football. Unfortunately, Team GB couldn't continue their fantastic performance against Brazil and ended up losing 2-0 to Canada. The men's team face South Korea in tomorrow's quarter final.
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
Golds At Last
In a very typically British manner, we've waited the best part of a week for a British gold medal and then two come at once. Firstly this morning, Helen Glover and Heather Stanning pulled off a fantastic victory to win gold in the women's pair rowing. With a time of 7:27:13, the pair were a whole two seconds clear of the Australian couple who took silver ahead of New Zealand.
That was then followed by the sportsman of the year, Bradley Wiggins. He is, without doubt, set to scoop the BBC Sports Personality of the year award and probably a knighthood. Not only has he become the first British rider to win the Tour De France in majestic fashion, he has now taken the gold medal in the men's individual time trial. Wiggins finished just under a second ahead of Germany's Tony Martin to move Britain into eleventh in the Medals Table. Christopher Froome backed Wiggins by grabbing the gold medal to heap extra celebration for the GB cycling team.
The two golds take Britain's medal tally up to nine with more set to come. The cycling team have won another medal as Elizabeth Armitstead took silver in the women's road race. Zara Phillips and company have also taken silver in the team eventing equestrian event.
Big medal hopeful, Louis Smith, has helped his men's gymnastic team take bronze behind Japan and China. The men's eight in the rowing have also taken bronze alongside that emphatic gold by the women pair. Team GB have also accumulated two medals from swimming. Michael Jamieson has made a name for himself by taking silver in the Men's 200M Breaststroke with the bigger name of Rebecca Adlington, taking bronze in the Women's 400M Freestyle and she is also looking to make history by regaining her gold in the 800M.
In other sports, Andy Murray has made his way into the fourth round of the tennis tournament. Both the men's and women's football teams have made it out of their groups to take their places in the knock-out phases. After two games in the hockey tournament, the men's team are currently second in their group whilst the women are first in theirs.
Two startling records have taken place in the tennis and football. Ryan Giggs became the oldest player to score in an Olympic tournament during GB's 3-1 win over UAE. After John Isner and Nicolas Mahut's 70-68 thriller in the 2010 Wimbledon tournament, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Milos Raonic paid homage to that by breaking the Olympic record. With the match tied at one set apiece, the third set went into a tie-break. But the pair still couldn't be separated at 23-23 before the fourth seed finally saw off the plucky Canadian to squeeze through. Tsonga has since beaten Feliciano Lopez in straight sets to join Murray into the fourth round.
Sunday, 8 July 2012
Seventh Heaven For Federer Alongside Five Star Williams
It was going to be an historic day whatever happened at SW19 today but, for many, it didn't go quite as planned for the home crowd. Roger Federer matched Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon titles in a great battle against Andy Murray, placing himself back as world number one.
Murray became the first Brit in a Wimbledon final since 1938 and also took his first set in a Grand Slam final. Murray booked his place in the final by beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-5. On the other side, Federer continued his record setting assault by beating the, now former, world number one Novak Djokovic 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3 to make it into the final.
The day began in optimistic fashion when Murray broke the opening game of the match. He then managed to hold onto this break of serve by claiming the first 6-4. Murray then looked to be on the charge when was a break ahead in the second set. But Federer came back before the rain disrupted proceedings.
This would mean that Wimbledon would have a men's final completed under the roof for the first time. The five time US Open champion would always perhaps have the upper hand in the indoor conditions and ended up taking the second 7-5 to level the match.
Murray was then broken early on in the third set and the Swiss took full control of the set, and possibly the game, running out a 6-3 third set winner. Murray continued to show his heart and made sure Federer fought hard for his victory. But Federer again managed to break the Murray serve early on in the fourth set, leaving Murray with too much to do to comeback. Federer did have to serve his way to victory, taking the fourth set 6-4 to claim his seventh title.
The women's draw concluded yesterday with Serena Williams claiming her fifth Wimbledon victory against third seed Agnieszka Radwanska. It would ultimately be another final where history would be made regardless of the result.
The American looked in ominous form when she dismantled Radwanska 6-1 in the opening set. But the Pole rallied round to make a final of it, taking the second set 7-5. Unfortunately, the third set was as close as the second, relieving the crowd of any nervous tension. Williams took the third set 6-2 to reclaim her place amongst the elite of current ladies tennis, as well as the elite in the whole of ladies tennis.
It's not all bad news for the British tennis players. Jonathan Marray won the doubles title with his Danish team-mate, Frederik Nielsen. They faced fifth seeds, Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Horia Tecau of Romania in an epic five set battle. The seeded pairing took the opening set 6-4 before Marray and Nielsen levelled the match via a 6-4 second set victory. They then took the lead with a 7-5 tie-break victory in the third before Lindstedt and Tecau equalised with a 7-5 tie-break win of their own. The fifth and final set finished 6-3 to Marray and Nielsen. Marray becomes the first Brit to win the doubles championship since Pat Hughes and Raymond Tuckey took the title in 1936.
Murray became the first Brit in a Wimbledon final since 1938 and also took his first set in a Grand Slam final. Murray booked his place in the final by beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-5. On the other side, Federer continued his record setting assault by beating the, now former, world number one Novak Djokovic 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3 to make it into the final.
The day began in optimistic fashion when Murray broke the opening game of the match. He then managed to hold onto this break of serve by claiming the first 6-4. Murray then looked to be on the charge when was a break ahead in the second set. But Federer came back before the rain disrupted proceedings.
This would mean that Wimbledon would have a men's final completed under the roof for the first time. The five time US Open champion would always perhaps have the upper hand in the indoor conditions and ended up taking the second 7-5 to level the match.
Murray was then broken early on in the third set and the Swiss took full control of the set, and possibly the game, running out a 6-3 third set winner. Murray continued to show his heart and made sure Federer fought hard for his victory. But Federer again managed to break the Murray serve early on in the fourth set, leaving Murray with too much to do to comeback. Federer did have to serve his way to victory, taking the fourth set 6-4 to claim his seventh title.
The women's draw concluded yesterday with Serena Williams claiming her fifth Wimbledon victory against third seed Agnieszka Radwanska. It would ultimately be another final where history would be made regardless of the result.
The American looked in ominous form when she dismantled Radwanska 6-1 in the opening set. But the Pole rallied round to make a final of it, taking the second set 7-5. Unfortunately, the third set was as close as the second, relieving the crowd of any nervous tension. Williams took the third set 6-2 to reclaim her place amongst the elite of current ladies tennis, as well as the elite in the whole of ladies tennis.
It's not all bad news for the British tennis players. Jonathan Marray won the doubles title with his Danish team-mate, Frederik Nielsen. They faced fifth seeds, Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Horia Tecau of Romania in an epic five set battle. The seeded pairing took the opening set 6-4 before Marray and Nielsen levelled the match via a 6-4 second set victory. They then took the lead with a 7-5 tie-break victory in the third before Lindstedt and Tecau equalised with a 7-5 tie-break win of their own. The fifth and final set finished 6-3 to Marray and Nielsen. Marray becomes the first Brit to win the doubles championship since Pat Hughes and Raymond Tuckey took the title in 1936.
Thursday, 5 July 2012
Ladies' Semi-Finals
The sun shone on Wimbledon today as the ladies' semi-finals took place. Eighth seed Angelique Kerber faced third seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the first of the two ties. But Radwanska wasn't in the mood to hang around and quickly took the first set 6-3. Only one break was required in the second set as Radwanska then took the second set 6-4 to book her place in Saturday's final. She creates history by becoming the first Polish woman to feature in a Grand Slam final.
Radwanska would meet either sixth seed, Serena Williams, or second seed, Victoria Azarenka. Williams also looked like she wasn't looking to stay for long, taking the opening set 6-4. Azarenka then forced a tie-break in the second set and forced it into over-time, but Williams managed to take it 8-6 to force her way into the final. The American will now be looking to seal her fifth Wimbledon triumph.
Radwanska would meet either sixth seed, Serena Williams, or second seed, Victoria Azarenka. Williams also looked like she wasn't looking to stay for long, taking the opening set 6-4. Azarenka then forced a tie-break in the second set and forced it into over-time, but Williams managed to take it 8-6 to force her way into the final. The American will now be looking to seal her fifth Wimbledon triumph.
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
Murray Into Semis
Andy Murray makes it into the Wimbledon semi-finals for the fourth consecutive year after facing his toughest test so far. Murray faced the lively David Ferrer who pushed the fourth seed all the way. Three of the four sets went to a tie-break and Ferrer had three set points to go 2-0 ahead.
The Spaniard had broke Murray on in the first set and took a 5-4 lead, serving for the set. But Murray broke and the set was forced into a tie-break which Ferrer won 7-5. The sixth seed then took a 5-3 lead in the second set before Murray fought back to force a second tie-break. This time, Ferrer was 5-2 in the lead before Murray overturned the deficit to take it 8-6.
Play was suspended midway through the third set due to the British weather. When play resumed, Murray took the third set 6-4 before Ferrer pushed for a third tie-break in the fourth. Murray again came out on top, sealing the match with the 7-4 tie-break victory.
With Rafael Nadal out of the picture, all that lies between Murray and a place in Wimbledon's final is fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Frenchman was also in a tight battle against Philipp Kohlschreiber but also came through in four sets. The opener went to the tie-break which Tsonga took 7-5.
The German proved that he wasn't there to make up the numbers and took the second set 6-4 to make the match a best of three sets. The third set also went to a crucial decider which Tsonga took 7-3. This looked have broken Kohlschreiber's spirit as Tsonga ran out a 6-2 fourth set victory to set up the semi-final tie.
It was a little easier for the other semi-finalists as both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer came through in straight sets to set up their date. Djokovic took on Florian Mayer and took the game 6-4 6-1 6-4. Federer looked even more impressive beating Mikhail Youzhny, seeded five places higher than Mayer, 6-1 6-2 6-2. Suggesting this year's Wimbledon champion is likely to come from this gargantuan semi-final.
The Spaniard had broke Murray on in the first set and took a 5-4 lead, serving for the set. But Murray broke and the set was forced into a tie-break which Ferrer won 7-5. The sixth seed then took a 5-3 lead in the second set before Murray fought back to force a second tie-break. This time, Ferrer was 5-2 in the lead before Murray overturned the deficit to take it 8-6.
Play was suspended midway through the third set due to the British weather. When play resumed, Murray took the third set 6-4 before Ferrer pushed for a third tie-break in the fourth. Murray again came out on top, sealing the match with the 7-4 tie-break victory.
With Rafael Nadal out of the picture, all that lies between Murray and a place in Wimbledon's final is fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Frenchman was also in a tight battle against Philipp Kohlschreiber but also came through in four sets. The opener went to the tie-break which Tsonga took 7-5.
The German proved that he wasn't there to make up the numbers and took the second set 6-4 to make the match a best of three sets. The third set also went to a crucial decider which Tsonga took 7-3. This looked have broken Kohlschreiber's spirit as Tsonga ran out a 6-2 fourth set victory to set up the semi-final tie.
It was a little easier for the other semi-finalists as both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer came through in straight sets to set up their date. Djokovic took on Florian Mayer and took the game 6-4 6-1 6-4. Federer looked even more impressive beating Mikhail Youzhny, seeded five places higher than Mayer, 6-1 6-2 6-2. Suggesting this year's Wimbledon champion is likely to come from this gargantuan semi-final.
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
Murray Through to Quarters
Andy Murray comes through in straight sets to book his place in tomorrow's quarter-finals. On paper, he has faced a tough draw but Murray still hasn't looked ruffled against any of his opponents. His fourth round opponent was Queens winner, Marin Cilic.
After a rain affected day yesterday, Murray and Cilic came back onto court one with Murray a set and 3-1 up. He continued where he left off and strolled to take the second set 6-2 and then asserted his dominance to take the third set 6-3, easing into the last eight.
Murray's tough matches keep on coming as he will face seventh seed, David Ferrer, in the last eight. They have met ten times, never on grass, and both have won five matches. Ferrer took on ninth seed, Juan Martin Del Potro, and also went through in straight sets. Ferrer took the first set 6-3 before making it 2-0 with a 6-2 second set victory. Del Potro didn't play badly, but he was totally overwhelmed by the Spaniard who took the third 6-3 to book his place in the quarters.
With only one quarter-final match-up decided yesterday, the remaining five places had to be finalised. Novak Djokovic had already booked his place in the quarter-finals but wasn't sure who he would be playing. He now knows it will be 31st seed, Florian Mayer, who perhaps surprisingly beat 18th seed, Richard Gasquet. The German took the first two sets 6-3 6-1 to take a commanding lead. Gasquet forced a fourth set by taking the third 6-3 before Mayer won the match with a 6-2 victory in the fourth to set the tie against the world number one.
The last quarter-final will see fifth seed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, battle it out against 27th seed, Philipp Kohlscreiber. Tsonga had to see off a difficult Mardy Fish, seeded tenth, in four sets. Another shock was possible when the American took the opening set 6-4. The second set went to a tie-break which Tsonga crucially won 7-4. The Frenchman then took the following two set 6-4 to progress into the final eight. Kohlscreiber took on another American in the form of impressive Brian Baker. The German steam-rolled his way to a 6-1 first set victory. Baker managed to fight back and force a second set tie-break but he lost it 7-4. The German then took the third set 6-3 to book his place alongside Tsonga.
Today was ladies' quarter-finals day and, despite rain showers, all four were completed with three of them played under the roof of centre court. The second of which saw sixth seed, Serena Williams, face fourth seed and defending champion, Petra Kvitova. Williams stormed into a 6-3 first set victory and a mistake from the Czech allowed the American to break the second at 6-5. Williams then held her serve to take the second set and the place in the semi-finals.
Williams will now face second seed, Victoria Azarenka, who managed to oversee Eastbourne champion, Tamira Paszek. Azarenka took the first 6-3 before Paszek battled to a second set tie-break, but the Austrian couldn't overcome the Bulgarian and Azarenka took it 7-4.
The first quarter-final of the afternoon was an all German affair. 15th seed, Sabine Lisicki, faced eighth seed, Angelique Kerber. It was Kerber who would take the first set 6-3 and would then miss two match points to take the second set, a set that went to tie-break. Lisicki fought hard and it paid off, taking the tie-break 9-7 to force a final set. Kerber again saw herself with three match points taken away from her before she finally won the set 7-5, booking her first semi-final place at Wimbledon following her first appearance on centre court.
Kerber will take on second seed, Agnieszka Radwanska, who endured the rain to come through against 17th seed, Maria Kirilenko. The match started a 2:20 but didn't end until 7:15 because of various rain delays. We were treated to a three set thriller though as Radwanska took the first set 7-5. Kirilenko battled hard and forced the final set with a 6-4 second set victory. The third and final set also went all the way before Radwanska took the 12th game to book her place alongside Kerber.
After a rain affected day yesterday, Murray and Cilic came back onto court one with Murray a set and 3-1 up. He continued where he left off and strolled to take the second set 6-2 and then asserted his dominance to take the third set 6-3, easing into the last eight.
Murray's tough matches keep on coming as he will face seventh seed, David Ferrer, in the last eight. They have met ten times, never on grass, and both have won five matches. Ferrer took on ninth seed, Juan Martin Del Potro, and also went through in straight sets. Ferrer took the first set 6-3 before making it 2-0 with a 6-2 second set victory. Del Potro didn't play badly, but he was totally overwhelmed by the Spaniard who took the third 6-3 to book his place in the quarters.
With only one quarter-final match-up decided yesterday, the remaining five places had to be finalised. Novak Djokovic had already booked his place in the quarter-finals but wasn't sure who he would be playing. He now knows it will be 31st seed, Florian Mayer, who perhaps surprisingly beat 18th seed, Richard Gasquet. The German took the first two sets 6-3 6-1 to take a commanding lead. Gasquet forced a fourth set by taking the third 6-3 before Mayer won the match with a 6-2 victory in the fourth to set the tie against the world number one.
The last quarter-final will see fifth seed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, battle it out against 27th seed, Philipp Kohlscreiber. Tsonga had to see off a difficult Mardy Fish, seeded tenth, in four sets. Another shock was possible when the American took the opening set 6-4. The second set went to a tie-break which Tsonga crucially won 7-4. The Frenchman then took the following two set 6-4 to progress into the final eight. Kohlscreiber took on another American in the form of impressive Brian Baker. The German steam-rolled his way to a 6-1 first set victory. Baker managed to fight back and force a second set tie-break but he lost it 7-4. The German then took the third set 6-3 to book his place alongside Tsonga.
Today was ladies' quarter-finals day and, despite rain showers, all four were completed with three of them played under the roof of centre court. The second of which saw sixth seed, Serena Williams, face fourth seed and defending champion, Petra Kvitova. Williams stormed into a 6-3 first set victory and a mistake from the Czech allowed the American to break the second at 6-5. Williams then held her serve to take the second set and the place in the semi-finals.
Williams will now face second seed, Victoria Azarenka, who managed to oversee Eastbourne champion, Tamira Paszek. Azarenka took the first 6-3 before Paszek battled to a second set tie-break, but the Austrian couldn't overcome the Bulgarian and Azarenka took it 7-4.
The first quarter-final of the afternoon was an all German affair. 15th seed, Sabine Lisicki, faced eighth seed, Angelique Kerber. It was Kerber who would take the first set 6-3 and would then miss two match points to take the second set, a set that went to tie-break. Lisicki fought hard and it paid off, taking the tie-break 9-7 to force a final set. Kerber again saw herself with three match points taken away from her before she finally won the set 7-5, booking her first semi-final place at Wimbledon following her first appearance on centre court.
Kerber will take on second seed, Agnieszka Radwanska, who endured the rain to come through against 17th seed, Maria Kirilenko. The match started a 2:20 but didn't end until 7:15 because of various rain delays. We were treated to a three set thriller though as Radwanska took the first set 7-5. Kirilenko battled hard and forced the final set with a 6-4 second set victory. The third and final set also went all the way before Radwanska took the 12th game to book her place alongside Kerber.
Monday, 2 July 2012
Sharapova Out
Women's tennis continues to be unpredictable as world number one, Maria Sharapova, is the latest big name to fall from Wimbledon. She faced last year's semi-finalist, Sabine Lisicki, who continued her loving relationship with SW19 with another brilliant display.
Lisicki managed to break Sharapova on her way to taking the opening set 6-4. The French Open champion tried her hardest to fight back and produced some great offensive tennis. But it proved to be insufficient against Lisicki who took the second set 6-3 to book her place into the quarter-finals. The 15th seed will now face fellow German, eighth seed Angelique Kerber, who dispatched Kim Clijsters 6-1 6-1.
But there are still five seeds from the top ten, including Kerber, in the quarter finals. Second seed Victoria Azarenka beat former number one, Ana Ivanovic, 6-1 6-0 to set up a quarter final tie against Eastbourne champion Tamira Paszek. World number three, Agnieszka Radwanska, saw off Camila Giorgi 6-2 6-3 to face Russia's Maria Kirilenko in the final eight.
Fourth seed, Petra Kvitova, saw off a tough test in Francesca Schiavone. The Czech came from a set behind to win 4-6 7-5 6-1. She will now face sixth seed Serena Williams in the quarter final. The veteran American saw off Yaroslava Shvedova 6-1 2-6 7-5 to progress through.
The men's quarter final draw is far from complete after rain stopped play. Novak Djokovic was able to complete his match and progress into the final eight. The world number one took on fellow Serb, Viktor Troicki, and won 6-3 6-1 6-3. He will face either Richard Gasquet or Florian Mayer, their fourth round match was postponed with Mayer taking the first set 6-3 and having a 2-1 lead in the second.
The only quarter-final we do know about is third seed, Roger Federer, will be taking on Mikhail Youzhny who makes it into the last eight for the first time. Federer needed four sets to see off Belgium's Xavier Malisse, the Swiss took the first set 7-1 on the tie-break and then won the second 6-1. Malisse took the third set 6-4 before Federer ended the game with a 6-3 fourth set victory. Youzhny beat Denis Istomin 6-3 5-7 6-4 6-7 7-5 to go through.
Andy Murray will go into tomorrow with a 7-5 set one victory and a 3-1 second set lead against Croatia's Marin Cilic.
Lisicki managed to break Sharapova on her way to taking the opening set 6-4. The French Open champion tried her hardest to fight back and produced some great offensive tennis. But it proved to be insufficient against Lisicki who took the second set 6-3 to book her place into the quarter-finals. The 15th seed will now face fellow German, eighth seed Angelique Kerber, who dispatched Kim Clijsters 6-1 6-1.
But there are still five seeds from the top ten, including Kerber, in the quarter finals. Second seed Victoria Azarenka beat former number one, Ana Ivanovic, 6-1 6-0 to set up a quarter final tie against Eastbourne champion Tamira Paszek. World number three, Agnieszka Radwanska, saw off Camila Giorgi 6-2 6-3 to face Russia's Maria Kirilenko in the final eight.
Fourth seed, Petra Kvitova, saw off a tough test in Francesca Schiavone. The Czech came from a set behind to win 4-6 7-5 6-1. She will now face sixth seed Serena Williams in the quarter final. The veteran American saw off Yaroslava Shvedova 6-1 2-6 7-5 to progress through.
The men's quarter final draw is far from complete after rain stopped play. Novak Djokovic was able to complete his match and progress into the final eight. The world number one took on fellow Serb, Viktor Troicki, and won 6-3 6-1 6-3. He will face either Richard Gasquet or Florian Mayer, their fourth round match was postponed with Mayer taking the first set 6-3 and having a 2-1 lead in the second.
The only quarter-final we do know about is third seed, Roger Federer, will be taking on Mikhail Youzhny who makes it into the last eight for the first time. Federer needed four sets to see off Belgium's Xavier Malisse, the Swiss took the first set 7-1 on the tie-break and then won the second 6-1. Malisse took the third set 6-4 before Federer ended the game with a 6-3 fourth set victory. Youzhny beat Denis Istomin 6-3 5-7 6-4 6-7 7-5 to go through.
Andy Murray will go into tomorrow with a 7-5 set one victory and a 3-1 second set lead against Croatia's Marin Cilic.
Saturday, 30 June 2012
Murray's Late Show
Andy Murray had to play past the witching hour to book his place into the second week of Wimbledon. His third round opponent was much respected Cypriot, Marcos Baghdatis. With centre court being held up by the previous matches, Murray and Baghdatis began their match a little later than build and that brought fears that the match wouldn't be able to finish until Monday.
The magic time was 11:00pm where only a couple of minutes of extra time would be allowed to finish a game. Before they got anywhere near that time, Murray took the first set 7-5 in just under an hour. Baghdatis responded with a 6-3 second victory before Murray made it 2-1 with another 7-5 victory. The question was begged as to whether play should continue with only 20-minutes until 11.
But the fourth set went ahead and Murray went 4-1 ahead with five minutes left. The Scot then broke Baghdatis' serve to make it 5-1 as the clock struck 11. The umpire gave the nod to allow Murray to attempt to serve out the match. Baghdatis didn't really offer much fight and Murray would win the game to love to win the match with the clock saying 11:02.
As expected, Murray will be the only Brit into the second week after Heather Watson crashed out at the third round. Watson took on third seed Agnieszka Radwanska and looked to be a little starstruck, losing the first set 6-0. The Pole continued to assert her authority and took the second 6-2 to ease into a fourth round match against Camila Giorgi.
History was made at Wimbledon today during Yaroslava Shvedova's and Sara Errani's battle. The Kazakhstani became only the second player to win a golden set. Shvedova beat the tenth seed in the opening set 6-0, without conceding a single point. Errani tried to restore some pride in the second set but still lost it 6-4, Shvedova will now face a tough task in Serena Williams in the fourth round. Williams beat China's Jie Zheng 6-7 6-2 9-7.
After Nadal's surprise defeat, the other top seeds must have been a little anxious to not follow suite. Novak Djokovic faced Radek Stepanek and lost the opening set 6-4. The Serb then regained his ominous form to take the other three sets 6-2 to book a fourth round match against fellow Serb, Viktor Troicki.
Roger Federer also wasn't immune to a potential shock. He took on France's Julien Benneteau and lost the first set 6-4 before finding himself two sets down, losing 7-3 in the second set tie-break. But Federer regained composure to win the third set 6-2 before finding himself in danger of losing in the fourth. But the world number three held out to take the fourth set 8-6 via the tie-break. That seemed to have broken the Frenchman's fight as Federer would take the final set 6-1 to set up a fourth round tie against Belgium's Xavier Malisse.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's passage into the fourth round was a lot easier against Slovakia's Lukas Lacko. The Frenchman won 6-4 6-3 6-3 to find himself up against a tougher test in tenth seed Mardy Fish in the next round.
Maria Sharapova is also safely into the fourth round after beating Su-Wei Hsieh. The world number one took the first set 6-1 before taking the second 6-4 to set up a last 16 tie against last year's semi-finalist Sabine Lisicki.
The world number two, Victoria Azarenka, will face former world number one, Ana Ivanovic, in a tasty sounding fourth round tie. Azarenka beat Jana Cepelova 6-3 6-3 with Ivanovic winning against Julia Georges 3-6 6-3 6-4.
Fourth seed, Petra Kvitova, is also into the fourth round and will face the 2010 French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone. Kvitova only dropped one game against Varvara Lepchenko while Schiavone dropped four games in the second set against Klara Zakopalova.
The magic time was 11:00pm where only a couple of minutes of extra time would be allowed to finish a game. Before they got anywhere near that time, Murray took the first set 7-5 in just under an hour. Baghdatis responded with a 6-3 second victory before Murray made it 2-1 with another 7-5 victory. The question was begged as to whether play should continue with only 20-minutes until 11.
But the fourth set went ahead and Murray went 4-1 ahead with five minutes left. The Scot then broke Baghdatis' serve to make it 5-1 as the clock struck 11. The umpire gave the nod to allow Murray to attempt to serve out the match. Baghdatis didn't really offer much fight and Murray would win the game to love to win the match with the clock saying 11:02.
As expected, Murray will be the only Brit into the second week after Heather Watson crashed out at the third round. Watson took on third seed Agnieszka Radwanska and looked to be a little starstruck, losing the first set 6-0. The Pole continued to assert her authority and took the second 6-2 to ease into a fourth round match against Camila Giorgi.
History was made at Wimbledon today during Yaroslava Shvedova's and Sara Errani's battle. The Kazakhstani became only the second player to win a golden set. Shvedova beat the tenth seed in the opening set 6-0, without conceding a single point. Errani tried to restore some pride in the second set but still lost it 6-4, Shvedova will now face a tough task in Serena Williams in the fourth round. Williams beat China's Jie Zheng 6-7 6-2 9-7.
After Nadal's surprise defeat, the other top seeds must have been a little anxious to not follow suite. Novak Djokovic faced Radek Stepanek and lost the opening set 6-4. The Serb then regained his ominous form to take the other three sets 6-2 to book a fourth round match against fellow Serb, Viktor Troicki.
Roger Federer also wasn't immune to a potential shock. He took on France's Julien Benneteau and lost the first set 6-4 before finding himself two sets down, losing 7-3 in the second set tie-break. But Federer regained composure to win the third set 6-2 before finding himself in danger of losing in the fourth. But the world number three held out to take the fourth set 8-6 via the tie-break. That seemed to have broken the Frenchman's fight as Federer would take the final set 6-1 to set up a fourth round tie against Belgium's Xavier Malisse.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's passage into the fourth round was a lot easier against Slovakia's Lukas Lacko. The Frenchman won 6-4 6-3 6-3 to find himself up against a tougher test in tenth seed Mardy Fish in the next round.
Maria Sharapova is also safely into the fourth round after beating Su-Wei Hsieh. The world number one took the first set 6-1 before taking the second 6-4 to set up a last 16 tie against last year's semi-finalist Sabine Lisicki.
The world number two, Victoria Azarenka, will face former world number one, Ana Ivanovic, in a tasty sounding fourth round tie. Azarenka beat Jana Cepelova 6-3 6-3 with Ivanovic winning against Julia Georges 3-6 6-3 6-4.
Fourth seed, Petra Kvitova, is also into the fourth round and will face the 2010 French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone. Kvitova only dropped one game against Varvara Lepchenko while Schiavone dropped four games in the second set against Klara Zakopalova.
Thursday, 28 June 2012
England 0 Italy 3 (But Murray and Watson Through)
Sara Errani became the latest Italian to heap misery onto English shoulders. The tenth seed faced Anne Keothavong in the second round of Wimbledon and the French Open runner-up continued her good form to face Yaroslava Shvedova in the third round. There wasn't a lot the Brit could do against Errani who ran out 6-1 6-1, sending a message to her fellow competitors.
Elena Baltacha is also out after facing another seeded star, fourth seed Petra Kvitova. The Czech took the first game to love before Baltacha began showing what she can do. She took four games against Kvitova but it wasn't enough to prevent the fourth seed from going through. Kvitova will now face Varvara Lepchenko of America in the third round.
Britain are also down to just one man after Jamie Ward lost a five set thriller to Mardy Fish. The tenth seed looked extremely comfortable, taking the first set 6-3. Ward fought back to take the second set 7-5 but found himself behind again when Fish took the third 6-4. But Ward wasn't about to bow out and despite facing match point, he took Fish to a tie-break and subsequently won it 7-3. Unfortunately, Ward couldn't continue his fantastic resistance and the American took the final set 6-3 to stumble into the third round to take on David Goffin.
It's not all bad news for Britain though, Heather Watson became the first British woman into the third round for ten years. She took on American Jamie Lee Hampton and only needed two sets to set a date against third seed Agnieszka Radwanska. Watson took the first set with only conceding one game before winning the second set 6-4.
Andy Murray is also into the third round, squeezing past a tough test against Ivo Karlovic. The Scot took the first set 7-5 before the 6" 10' Croatian levelled the match via a 7-5 tie-break. Murray then responded with a 6-2 third set victory before taking the fourth set 7-4 on the tie-break. Murray will now face Marcos Baghditis in his tricky draw.
The news gets even better for Murray as Rafael Nadal has been knocked out by world 100 Lukas Rosol. The Czech's ambition was shown straight from the off, forcing a tie-break which Nadal eventually won 11-9. Any thoughts that that would ultimately defeat Rosol mentally were diminished when he fought back to take the second and then the third set 6-4. The world number two levelled the match with a 6-2 fourth set victory and would have been the favourite to go on to win the match. But Rosol was again undeterred and won the set 6-4, finishing with an ace to create the biggest shock of the tournament so far.
World number five, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also suffered a set back, but he fought back to beat Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. The first set went into a tie-break which Lopez won 7-3. But Tsonga avoided any more scares, taking the second set 6-4, the third 6-1 and the fourth 6-3, setting up a third round match against Lukas Lacko.
It was a bit easier for Novak Djokovic who went through in straight sets against Ryan Harrison of America. The Serb won all three sets 6-4 to take on Radek Stepanek in the next round. Roger Federer also strolled into the next round after beating Fabio Fognini 6-1 6-3 6-2, he will take on Julien Benneteau.
Maria Sharapova wasn't immune to the SW19 scares. The world number one faced Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova in the second round and won the first set 7-3 on the tie-break. The match had to be finished today after bad light postponed the conclusion of the match. Pironkova came back and took the second set 7-3 on another tie-break. But the Russian then regained her composure to take the third set to love and will now face Su-Wei Hsieh from the Chinese Taipei.
The world number two, Victoria Azarenka, strolled into the third round. She beat Switzerland's Romina Oprandi 6-2 6-0 to face either Anabel Medina Garrigues or Jana Cepelova. Serena Williams is also through after beating Melinda Czink 6-1 6-4 and will face China's Jie Zheng in the next round.
Elena Baltacha is also out after facing another seeded star, fourth seed Petra Kvitova. The Czech took the first game to love before Baltacha began showing what she can do. She took four games against Kvitova but it wasn't enough to prevent the fourth seed from going through. Kvitova will now face Varvara Lepchenko of America in the third round.
Britain are also down to just one man after Jamie Ward lost a five set thriller to Mardy Fish. The tenth seed looked extremely comfortable, taking the first set 6-3. Ward fought back to take the second set 7-5 but found himself behind again when Fish took the third 6-4. But Ward wasn't about to bow out and despite facing match point, he took Fish to a tie-break and subsequently won it 7-3. Unfortunately, Ward couldn't continue his fantastic resistance and the American took the final set 6-3 to stumble into the third round to take on David Goffin.
It's not all bad news for Britain though, Heather Watson became the first British woman into the third round for ten years. She took on American Jamie Lee Hampton and only needed two sets to set a date against third seed Agnieszka Radwanska. Watson took the first set with only conceding one game before winning the second set 6-4.
Andy Murray is also into the third round, squeezing past a tough test against Ivo Karlovic. The Scot took the first set 7-5 before the 6" 10' Croatian levelled the match via a 7-5 tie-break. Murray then responded with a 6-2 third set victory before taking the fourth set 7-4 on the tie-break. Murray will now face Marcos Baghditis in his tricky draw.
The news gets even better for Murray as Rafael Nadal has been knocked out by world 100 Lukas Rosol. The Czech's ambition was shown straight from the off, forcing a tie-break which Nadal eventually won 11-9. Any thoughts that that would ultimately defeat Rosol mentally were diminished when he fought back to take the second and then the third set 6-4. The world number two levelled the match with a 6-2 fourth set victory and would have been the favourite to go on to win the match. But Rosol was again undeterred and won the set 6-4, finishing with an ace to create the biggest shock of the tournament so far.
World number five, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also suffered a set back, but he fought back to beat Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. The first set went into a tie-break which Lopez won 7-3. But Tsonga avoided any more scares, taking the second set 6-4, the third 6-1 and the fourth 6-3, setting up a third round match against Lukas Lacko.
It was a bit easier for Novak Djokovic who went through in straight sets against Ryan Harrison of America. The Serb won all three sets 6-4 to take on Radek Stepanek in the next round. Roger Federer also strolled into the next round after beating Fabio Fognini 6-1 6-3 6-2, he will take on Julien Benneteau.
Maria Sharapova wasn't immune to the SW19 scares. The world number one faced Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova in the second round and won the first set 7-3 on the tie-break. The match had to be finished today after bad light postponed the conclusion of the match. Pironkova came back and took the second set 7-3 on another tie-break. But the Russian then regained her composure to take the third set to love and will now face Su-Wei Hsieh from the Chinese Taipei.
The world number two, Victoria Azarenka, strolled into the third round. She beat Switzerland's Romina Oprandi 6-2 6-0 to face either Anabel Medina Garrigues or Jana Cepelova. Serena Williams is also through after beating Melinda Czink 6-1 6-4 and will face China's Jie Zheng in the next round.
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
England 0 Italy 2 (But Britain Still Going Strong)
After the heartbreak of losing to Italy on penalties, poor Laura Robson had the unenviable task of facing 2010 French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone. Just like the penalty shoot-out, England took the lead and there was strong hope of a victory. Robson performed some her best tennis on television and took the first set 6-2. Schiavone wasn't 100% and she required medical attention, there were slight hopes that the 24th seed would be unable to continue but she came back on court and started to perform.
The second began to go young Robson's way, the was 3-2 ahead and up 40-love verging on breaking serve. But Schiavone fought back to level the set before going onto win the set 6-4. With Schiavone looking the more dominant with Robson's inexperience beginning to show, it was no surprise to see the Italian take a 5-2 lead. But Robson showed her heart to hold serve and then break to make it 5-4. Unfortunately, Robson couldn't level the set and Schiavone would take the final 6-4 to set up a second round match against Czech Republic's Kristyna Pliskova.
But it's not all bad news for Britain's hopefuls at SW19. Andy Murray began his campaign against a tricky sounding, Nikolay Davydenko. However, Murray looked in fine form despite his poor results on grass. He took the first two sets 6-1 before winning the third set 6-4, setting up a second round tie against either Ivo Karlovic or Dudi Sela.
Jamie Ward is also through to the second round after going the full five sets against Spain's Pablo Andujar. Andujar took the opening set 6-4 before Ward responded with a set to love. The Spaniard re-took the lead with a 6-3 win in the third before Ward won 6-3 in the following two sets to win the match.
Jamie Baker is the only other potential second round entrant for Britain, but he faces a tough first round match against Andy Roddick. This is because Josh Goodall lost in four sets to Slovakia's Grega Zemlja (4-6 6-3 6-7 4-5) and Oliver Golding lost against Russia's Igor Andreev despite taking the first set (6-1 6-7 6-7 5-7)
The women look a lot better though despite Robson's defeat along with Johanna Konta's loss to America's Christina McHale (7-6 2-6 8-10) and Naomi Broady's exit courtesy of Lourdes Dominguez Lino (4-6 6-7) . Heather Watson did produce her best television performance on centre court against Iveta Benesova 6-2 6-1. She will face American, Jamie Lee Hampton, in the second round.
Anne Keothavong is also into the second round after beating Spain's Laura Pous-Tio 6-3 6-3. She will face either Coco Vandeweghe of America or tenth seed Sara Errani next. Elena Baltacha will face fourth seed Petra Kvitova after beating Karin Knapp 4-6 6-4 6-0.
The biggest shock of the first round saw Venus Williams lose to Russia's Elena Vesnina. The Russian surprisingly took the first set 6-1 before winning the second 6-3. There was no such drama for Maria Sharapova who won her first round match against Anastasia Rodionova 6-2 6-3, she will face Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova in round two.
Novak Djokovic won in straight sets against Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero. The Serb won 6-3 6-3 6-1 and will face America's Ryan Harrison in the second round. Roger Federer had an easier task against Spain's Albert Ramos, he won 6-1 6-1 6-1 to stroll into a second round match against Italy's Fabio Fognini. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat veteran Lleyton Hewitt 6-3 6-4 6-4 to take on Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in round two. Rafael Nadal is also comfortably through to the second round despite a poor start. The Spaniard took on Brazil's Tomaz Bellucci and found himself 4-1 down in the first set. But Nadal fought back to take the set with a 7-0 tie-break victory before winning the second set 6-2 and the third 6-3 to play Lukas Rosol in round two.
The second began to go young Robson's way, the was 3-2 ahead and up 40-love verging on breaking serve. But Schiavone fought back to level the set before going onto win the set 6-4. With Schiavone looking the more dominant with Robson's inexperience beginning to show, it was no surprise to see the Italian take a 5-2 lead. But Robson showed her heart to hold serve and then break to make it 5-4. Unfortunately, Robson couldn't level the set and Schiavone would take the final 6-4 to set up a second round match against Czech Republic's Kristyna Pliskova.
But it's not all bad news for Britain's hopefuls at SW19. Andy Murray began his campaign against a tricky sounding, Nikolay Davydenko. However, Murray looked in fine form despite his poor results on grass. He took the first two sets 6-1 before winning the third set 6-4, setting up a second round tie against either Ivo Karlovic or Dudi Sela.
Jamie Ward is also through to the second round after going the full five sets against Spain's Pablo Andujar. Andujar took the opening set 6-4 before Ward responded with a set to love. The Spaniard re-took the lead with a 6-3 win in the third before Ward won 6-3 in the following two sets to win the match.
Jamie Baker is the only other potential second round entrant for Britain, but he faces a tough first round match against Andy Roddick. This is because Josh Goodall lost in four sets to Slovakia's Grega Zemlja (4-6 6-3 6-7 4-5) and Oliver Golding lost against Russia's Igor Andreev despite taking the first set (6-1 6-7 6-7 5-7)
The women look a lot better though despite Robson's defeat along with Johanna Konta's loss to America's Christina McHale (7-6 2-6 8-10) and Naomi Broady's exit courtesy of Lourdes Dominguez Lino (4-6 6-7) . Heather Watson did produce her best television performance on centre court against Iveta Benesova 6-2 6-1. She will face American, Jamie Lee Hampton, in the second round.
Anne Keothavong is also into the second round after beating Spain's Laura Pous-Tio 6-3 6-3. She will face either Coco Vandeweghe of America or tenth seed Sara Errani next. Elena Baltacha will face fourth seed Petra Kvitova after beating Karin Knapp 4-6 6-4 6-0.
The biggest shock of the first round saw Venus Williams lose to Russia's Elena Vesnina. The Russian surprisingly took the first set 6-1 before winning the second 6-3. There was no such drama for Maria Sharapova who won her first round match against Anastasia Rodionova 6-2 6-3, she will face Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova in round two.
Novak Djokovic won in straight sets against Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero. The Serb won 6-3 6-3 6-1 and will face America's Ryan Harrison in the second round. Roger Federer had an easier task against Spain's Albert Ramos, he won 6-1 6-1 6-1 to stroll into a second round match against Italy's Fabio Fognini. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat veteran Lleyton Hewitt 6-3 6-4 6-4 to take on Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in round two. Rafael Nadal is also comfortably through to the second round despite a poor start. The Spaniard took on Brazil's Tomaz Bellucci and found himself 4-1 down in the first set. But Nadal fought back to take the set with a 7-0 tie-break victory before winning the second set 6-2 and the third 6-3 to play Lukas Rosol in round two.
Sunday, 17 June 2012
Queen's Comes to an Abrupt End
The Queen's Championships final finished earlier than prompted when David Nalbandian was disqualified for unsporting conduct. His opponent, Marin Cilic, was declared the winner midway through the second set despite being behind in the match.
Nalbandian took the first set 7-6 before Cilic took a 4-3 lead in the second. The game was heating up nicely at this point but the Argentine's emotions got the better of him. After losing the game to go 4-3 down, Nalbandian kicked an advertising board which was in front of a line judge. The board and Nalbandian's foot then went into the line judge's shin, opening up a wound.
The umpire had no choice but to reward the victory to Cilic via default as Nalbandian had broken the rules for violent conduct. The full house at Queen's responded badly to the decision and the wait for the impromptu presentation caused a chorus of boos to line the court.
After Cilic was given the trophy, Nalbandian was asked to give his post-match interview without collecting the runner-up medal. The Argentine did apologise for his action, but instead of saying sorry and leaving it at that, Nalbandian went onto blame the ATP. He believes that the rulebook gets interpreted in different ways in different occasions. It is this apparent inconsistency that frustrates the players, according to Nalbandian, and the final should have been allowed to continue.
As far as the comments are concerned, Nalbandian has made himself to look very foolish. Hype was building around his great form heading into Wimbledon but that has turned into disappointment with his manner. His attack on the ATP will fall on deaf ears as he still stands to lose his prize money for his efforts this week.
Fortunately, the line judge suffered no more than a painful gash that will no doubt bruise heavily. It is not the way anyone would have wanted the final to end. Hopefully, nothing like this happens for a long time, especially not at Wimbledon.
Nalbandian took the first set 7-6 before Cilic took a 4-3 lead in the second. The game was heating up nicely at this point but the Argentine's emotions got the better of him. After losing the game to go 4-3 down, Nalbandian kicked an advertising board which was in front of a line judge. The board and Nalbandian's foot then went into the line judge's shin, opening up a wound.
The umpire had no choice but to reward the victory to Cilic via default as Nalbandian had broken the rules for violent conduct. The full house at Queen's responded badly to the decision and the wait for the impromptu presentation caused a chorus of boos to line the court.
After Cilic was given the trophy, Nalbandian was asked to give his post-match interview without collecting the runner-up medal. The Argentine did apologise for his action, but instead of saying sorry and leaving it at that, Nalbandian went onto blame the ATP. He believes that the rulebook gets interpreted in different ways in different occasions. It is this apparent inconsistency that frustrates the players, according to Nalbandian, and the final should have been allowed to continue.
As far as the comments are concerned, Nalbandian has made himself to look very foolish. Hype was building around his great form heading into Wimbledon but that has turned into disappointment with his manner. His attack on the ATP will fall on deaf ears as he still stands to lose his prize money for his efforts this week.
Fortunately, the line judge suffered no more than a painful gash that will no doubt bruise heavily. It is not the way anyone would have wanted the final to end. Hopefully, nothing like this happens for a long time, especially not at Wimbledon.
Monday, 11 June 2012
Seventh Heaven For Nadal
Rafael Nadal wins his record seventh French Open title after winning a postponed final against Novak Djokovic. The win, in four sets, puts him ahead of Bjorn Borg in the most amount of titles won at Roland Garros.
Before the final, Djokovic hadn't taken a set against Nadal on clay and it was beginning to look ominous at the start of play on Sunday. The first set finished 6-4 to the Spaniard and Nadal was leading 5-2 in the second before Djokovic's complaints of rain was heard and the players went off court.
Just before that, Djokovic's frustration got the better of him when he put his racket through the advertising board on his chair. The Serb got a warning shortly before the rain delayed the action. The players returned around 15-minutes later and the damp court severely changed the momentum of the game.
The players both held serve to give Nadal a 6-3 second set victory. But the heavier balls meant Nadal's dominance on clay was diminishing. With the court hardening, Djokovic knew he had Nadal's number and roared into a 6-2 third set success.
Djokovic then lead 2-1 in the fourth before the heavens opened once again to force play to be stopped. The decision was to postpone the final until today which played straight into Nadal's hands. With a drier, softer court, Nadal could once again play his match winning shots, but the slight dampness in the air meant that Djokovic did still have a chance. The fourth set went all the way until the Serb double faulted to give Nadal a 7-5 fourth set victory and the record breaking seventh French Open title.
Before the final, Djokovic hadn't taken a set against Nadal on clay and it was beginning to look ominous at the start of play on Sunday. The first set finished 6-4 to the Spaniard and Nadal was leading 5-2 in the second before Djokovic's complaints of rain was heard and the players went off court.
Just before that, Djokovic's frustration got the better of him when he put his racket through the advertising board on his chair. The Serb got a warning shortly before the rain delayed the action. The players returned around 15-minutes later and the damp court severely changed the momentum of the game.
The players both held serve to give Nadal a 6-3 second set victory. But the heavier balls meant Nadal's dominance on clay was diminishing. With the court hardening, Djokovic knew he had Nadal's number and roared into a 6-2 third set success.
Djokovic then lead 2-1 in the fourth before the heavens opened once again to force play to be stopped. The decision was to postpone the final until today which played straight into Nadal's hands. With a drier, softer court, Nadal could once again play his match winning shots, but the slight dampness in the air meant that Djokovic did still have a chance. The fourth set went all the way until the Serb double faulted to give Nadal a 7-5 fourth set victory and the record breaking seventh French Open title.
Saturday, 9 June 2012
Maria's Career Grand Slam
Maria Sharapova has once again recorded her name in history after winning a career Grand Slam. With the Roland Garros trophy, the Russian reclaims her world number one spot which could put her in good stead for Wimbledon.
Sharapova won the final in straight sets over Italian Sara Errani who arguably had her big day yesterday. Errani won the doubles tournament in three sets compared to Sharapova taking the day off yesterday, arguably coming into today's final the fresher of the two women.
The Russian instantly broke in the first set, but saw her 3-1 lead levelled by Errani. But any momentum the Italian gained was instantly cut as Sharapova stormed into a 6-3 first set win. The second set saw Errani do her best to battle Sharapova but could only manage two games before the Russian lifted the trophy after three deuce points in the final game. Perhaps the most impressive statistic following this victory is that Sharapova only dropped one single set in the whole tournament.
Sharapova won the final in straight sets over Italian Sara Errani who arguably had her big day yesterday. Errani won the doubles tournament in three sets compared to Sharapova taking the day off yesterday, arguably coming into today's final the fresher of the two women.
The Russian instantly broke in the first set, but saw her 3-1 lead levelled by Errani. But any momentum the Italian gained was instantly cut as Sharapova stormed into a 6-3 first set win. The second set saw Errani do her best to battle Sharapova but could only manage two games before the Russian lifted the trophy after three deuce points in the final game. Perhaps the most impressive statistic following this victory is that Sharapova only dropped one single set in the whole tournament.
Friday, 8 June 2012
Nadal and Djokovic Looking To Create History
Rafael Nadal will be looking to break Bjorn Borg's record by claiming his seventh French Open title while Novak Djokovic will be looking for a career slam, holding all four majors, after both players recorded straight sets victories in the semi-finals.
Nadal overcame fellow Spaniard, David Ferrer, with no real problems once again. The first set saw the players level at 2-2 before Nadal romped home to a 6-2 win. It was the same scoreline in the second set before Nadal went one better and won the third set 6-1 to cruise into the final.
After rain delayed the start of play, Djokovic took to the court against Roger Federer. The Serb took the first set 6-4 before being pushed all the way in the second, which he eventually won 7-5. Federer's fight was all over in the third set with Djokovic taking it 6-3 to set up the final date with Nadal.
Nadal overcame fellow Spaniard, David Ferrer, with no real problems once again. The first set saw the players level at 2-2 before Nadal romped home to a 6-2 win. It was the same scoreline in the second set before Nadal went one better and won the third set 6-1 to cruise into the final.
After rain delayed the start of play, Djokovic took to the court against Roger Federer. The Serb took the first set 6-4 before being pushed all the way in the second, which he eventually won 7-5. Federer's fight was all over in the third set with Djokovic taking it 6-3 to set up the final date with Nadal.
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Fresh Faces In French Final (Sharapova Number One)
Roland Garros will see two new female faces in a French Open final after Sara Errani and Maria Sharapova won the semi-finals on Ladies' Day. First up was the Italian who took on sixth seed Samantha Stosur. The opening set went down to the wire despite the Australian taking an early 2-0 lead. But Errani battled back to take it 7-5. Stosur roared through the second set, taking it 6-1 to force the match into a deciding set. Errani went off court during the break in between sets. This somehow managed to unsettle Stosur and the Italian went 3-1 up. Stosur did manage to level the set which left many thinking would change the momentum. But Errani dug deep to win the set 6-3 to book her place in her first major final. Another surprise result in the women's draw.
Surprisingly, Sharapova hadn't made it into a French Open final until this year, securing another straight sets victory, this time against fourth seed Petra Kvitova. The Russian took both sets 6-3 to book her place against Errani in the final. Regardless of the result, Sharapova has now regained her number one ranking but would love to celebrate with a win over the 21st seed.
Surprisingly, Sharapova hadn't made it into a French Open final until this year, securing another straight sets victory, this time against fourth seed Petra Kvitova. The Russian took both sets 6-3 to book her place against Errani in the final. Regardless of the result, Sharapova has now regained her number one ranking but would love to celebrate with a win over the 21st seed.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Murray Out
Andy Murray's wait for a major continues after a disappointing four set defeat to David Ferrer. The sixth seed took full control of the clay, the weather and the injury to book his place in the semi-finals. Ferrer took the opening set 6-4 before Murray responded by winning the second set tie-break 7-3.
The Spaniard would then take the third set 6-3 as the rain began to come down on Suzanne Lenglen. This forced a temporary break of play which may have affected Murray more than Ferrer. The damp surface meant the balls got heavier and, along with his niggling back injury, Murray's demeanour continued to grow negatively. Luckily, the rain stopped with enough time for a fourth set but this would only last eight games as Ferrer won it 6-2 to earn his place in the final four.
The sixth seed will face his fellow Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, who overcame a tight opening set to breeze past Nicolas Almagro. The first set went into a tie-break which the world number one took 7-4. From there, Almagro had no reply to Nadal's game and he took the next two sets 6-2 6-3 to book his place against Ferrer.
There were no more shocks in the women's draw today as both Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova made it through to face one another in the semi-finals. Kvitova came from a set down against Yaroslava Shvedova, 3-6, to win the following sets 6-2 6-4, ending the Kazakhstani's impressive run at Roland Garros.
Sharapova was again untested by Estonia's Kaia Kanepi. The Russian won 6-2 6-3 to continue her progress and maintain her favourite status to win her first major in four years, her first in Paris.
The Spaniard would then take the third set 6-3 as the rain began to come down on Suzanne Lenglen. This forced a temporary break of play which may have affected Murray more than Ferrer. The damp surface meant the balls got heavier and, along with his niggling back injury, Murray's demeanour continued to grow negatively. Luckily, the rain stopped with enough time for a fourth set but this would only last eight games as Ferrer won it 6-2 to earn his place in the final four.
The sixth seed will face his fellow Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, who overcame a tight opening set to breeze past Nicolas Almagro. The first set went into a tie-break which the world number one took 7-4. From there, Almagro had no reply to Nadal's game and he took the next two sets 6-2 6-3 to book his place against Ferrer.
There were no more shocks in the women's draw today as both Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova made it through to face one another in the semi-finals. Kvitova came from a set down against Yaroslava Shvedova, 3-6, to win the following sets 6-2 6-4, ending the Kazakhstani's impressive run at Roland Garros.
Sharapova was again untested by Estonia's Kaia Kanepi. The Russian won 6-2 6-3 to continue her progress and maintain her favourite status to win her first major in four years, her first in Paris.
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