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[Blwe_torch]

Federer survives Wimbledon shock
AFP, Jun 21, 2010, 09.34pm IST

LONDON: Roger Federer averted one of the biggest shocks in Wimbledon history when the defending men's champion recovered from two sets down to beat Colombia's Alejandro Falla in the first round on Monday.

The Swiss top seed seemed woefully out of form as his unfancied opponent, the world number 60, stunned the crowd by taking the first two sets in the first match on Centre Court this year.

But the six-time Wimbledon champion recovered to win 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), 6-0.

Federer, who is chasing a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon men's title, has only lost once at the All England Club since 2002, when he lost the 2008 final to Rafael Nadal.

But he avoided becoming only the third ever defending men's Wimbledon champion to lose in the first round by recovering his game.

Federer had won all four of his previous encounters with Falla in straight sets, including both of their last two tournaments - two weeks ago on the grass at Halle, and in the French Open.

They also met here on Centre Court in the second round in 2004, during Falla's debut at the All England Club, as the Swiss defending champion went on to claim his second Wimbledon title.

But despite Federer's previous dominance, the Colombian visibly grew in confidence in the first set, which went with serve until 5-5.

Falla then created two break points on Federer's serve and converted the second with a well-timed volley to stun the Centre Court crowd.

The Swiss then went 0-30 up on his opponent's serve but Falla dug in and won the set when Federer hit a cross-court forehand out.

In the second set, Falla managed to break again for a 4-3 lead. At 5-4, Federer had game point, but he hit the net with a return to take it to deuce.

After a string of deuces, in which the advantage swung both ways, Falla eventually triumphed with a drop shot over the net to shock the crowd further by taking a two-set lead.

In a key game at 4-4 in the third set, the Colombian had three break points, but Federer pulled it back to deuce.

Falla took the advantage but the champion levelled, then held the advantage after a duel at the net, before serving an ace for a 5-4 lead.

Federer had a break for set point when Falla hit a shot long, but the Colombian took it to deuce with a superb shot down the line.

Federer had the advantage when Falla hit the net, and won the set with a cross-court forehand winner which landed just inside the line to start his comeback.

Falla broke on the deuce in the first game of the fourth set to give himself an excellent chance of finishing off his opponent.

Federer had a break point at 4-3 down but wasted it, Falla taking the game when Federer sent another mistimed shot looping out. The Swiss held serve to leave the Colombian serving for the match at 5-4 up.

Federer took two break points and levelled at 5-5 as Falla fired long, and the Swiss made it 6-5 with an excellent slice over the net - the kind of skilful execution that had hitherto been so badly lacking from his game.

In the tie break, Federer broke early and never looked back, taking it 7/1.

Federer broke in the first and third games of the fifth set, and finally began to dominate his opponent, eventually showing the form that has made him an all-time Wimbledon great as he at last exerted his superior skill.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/wimbledon/top-stories/Federer-survives-Wimbledon-shock/articleshow/6076141.cms

[broadbat]

I think Houdini would have been hard pressed to come up with what Federer did yesterday. Nail biting affair till set 4, then magic prevailed.

[dhruvdeepak]

fk this crap im not watching wimbledon.

nobody can or will ever outdo Sampras' 7!

[Blwe_torch]

Sania crashes out of Wimbledon singles
PTI, Jun 22, 2010, 01.38am IST

LONDON: Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza crashed out in the first round of the women singles event in the Wimbledon after slumping to a straight set defeat against Angelique Kerber of Germany.

The 113th ranked Sania, who is making her comeback to the courts after a three-month injury lay-off, lost 4-6, 1-6 to the 55th ranked Kerber in little more than an hour.

Sania, who recently married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, still has a chance to make amends for the opening round loss in the singles as she will compete in the doubles event of the grass court Grand Slam, partnering Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.

The Indo-Dane duo will be up against Anne Keothavong and Melanie South of Great Britain in the opening round.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/wimbledon/top-stories/Sania-crashes-out-of-Wimbledon-singles/articleshow/6076619.cms

[Blwe_torch]

Nadal hails 'amazing' Federer record

Rafael Nadal believes Roger Federer's record of successive grand slam semi-final appearances is a benchmark that will never be beaten.

The Swiss maestro racked up a remarkable 23 consecutive appearances in the last four of majors dating back to the 2004 French Open before he fell to Robin Soderling in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros at the start of this month.

Federer's staggeringly consistent level of performance has been key to his career haul of 16 grand slam titles, but Nadal admits even that statistic pales beside Federer's run of semi-final appearances.

Asked which of Federer's records is his most impressive, Nadal replied: "Every one. Every one is amazing. If I have to say something, 23 semi-finals in a row at grand slams.

"Because it is five-six years, playing all four grand slams. You can have no injury, not one bad day, so it is amazing. That's my feeling.

"So 23 semi-finals in a row, in my opinion, it is impossible to do it another time."

Nadal joined Federer in the second round at SW19 yesterday with a straight-sets win over Kei Nishikori of Japan, a match which presented the Spaniard with a much easier workout than that faced by the top seed a day earlier.

Federer admitted to being in "disarray" during Monday's dramatic victory over Alejandro Falla, which saw the defending champion come perilously close to a first-round exit.

World number 60 Falla took the opening two sets and then secured three break points to put himself in position to serve for the match, before eventually succumbing in five sets.

Asked for his views on Federer's brush with disaster, Nadal said: "Well, it was close. Always I say the first round is very difficult.

"Normally for him it is easier than for the rest of the other players because he plays his normal tennis here on grass. He needs to adapt his game less than the rest of the players.

"But Falla is a great player and he had his chance."

Joining Nadal and Federer in the second round is British hope Andy Murray, who recovered from a shaky start to cruise through his first-round match against Jan Hajek.

The British number one dispatched his Czech opponent 7-5 6-1 6-2 in little over an hour and a half, but things did not look quite so straightforward when Hajek broke in only the third game.

But Murray levelled at 4-4 and from then on it was one-way traffic in favour of the world number four.

Murray said: "The start was tough, I hadn't seen him play much but I started to play better once I got the break back and the second and third sets were much better."

Fernando Verdasco became the biggest casualty so far in the men's draw as he was beaten 7-6 (11/9) 6-2 6-7 (6/8) 6-4 by Italy's Fabio Fognini.

The eighth seed would have fancied his chances of at least matching his fourth-round appearance of last year but instead he fell at the first hurdle.

Sixth seed Soderling barely broke sweat as he booked his place in the second round with a one-sided 6-2 6-2 6-3 victory over Robby Ginepri.

The Swede enjoyed the upper hand throughout the contest, breaking the hapless world number 72 five times in a Centre Court encounter that lasted just one hour and 18 minutes.

Ninth seed David Ferrer advanced with little drama as he dispatched unseeded German Nicolas Kiefer 6-4 6-2 6-3, while 10th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga survived a gruelling four-set battle with American Robert Kendrick, 7-6 (7/2) 7-6 (8/6) 3-6 6-4.

http://www.espnstar.com/tennis/news/detail/item457472/Nadal-hails-%27amazing%27-Federer-record/

[Blwe_torch]

Longest ever match suspended at 59-59 in final set
AFP, Jun 23, 2010, 11.51pm IST

LONDON: Nicolas Mahut and John Isner will drag their weary bodies back onto court at Wimbledon on Thursday to resume the longest match in tennis history as Queen Elizabeth II makes her first visit since 1977.

A string of tennis records were blown away as Mahut and Isner came off court on Wednesday at 59-59 in the final set, having slugged it out for 10 hours when play was suspended as they ran out of daylight.

Tennis fans packed out the 782-capacity Court 18, with people lining the roof of the Wimbledon broadcasting centre several deep, and straining to peer through any gaps they could to catch a glimpse of the epic match.

The unfinished fifth set itself was longer than the previous longest match ever played.

That match took six hours and 33 minutes. The shattered record was set at the 2004 French Open, when Fabrice Santoro beat fellow Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 16-14.

Despite the draining effects of their heroic battle, a winner must still be found and Mahut and Isner are scheduled to return to action in the third match on Court 18 on Thursday.

"Nothing like this will ever happen again, ever," said an exhausted Isner, while Mahut added: "We played for too long."

The conclusion of the historic encounter will take the spotlight later on Thursday, but attention will be fixed firmly on Centre Court when British number one Andy Murray is set to play in front of the Queen.

Murray, the world number four, takes on Finland's Jarkko Nieminen in a second-round match due to start at 1200GMT, with the Queen expected to watch from the Royal Box.

The Queen may then watch women's third seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark play Taiwan's Chang Kai-Chen, before French Open champion Rafael Nadal plays his second-round match against Holland's Robin Haase.

It takes something special to outshine six-time champion Roger Federer and five-time women's winner Venus Williams at Wimbledon, but Mahut and Isner did just that.

Federer edged into the third round with a 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) win over Serbian qualifier Ilija Bozoljac.

Federer needed to reassert his authority at the All England Club after he was forced to come back from two sets down and break to save the match in his first round clash win over Colombian Alejandro Falla.

But the Swiss did just enough to see off the unheralded Bozoljac, ranked 152nd in the world, and the air of invincibility that usually surrounds the world number two was absent.

Last year's beaten finalists Williams and Andy Roddick both made it through to the third round.

Fifth seed Roddick came back from a set down to beat France's Michael Llodra in four sets, while there was no such trouble for his fellow American, who beat Russia's Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets.

Williams, who has won nine Wimbledon trophies in all, cruised through the first set 6-0 but was broken in the second, despite taking it 6-4.

Three-time Wimbledon finalist Roddick was making his first appearance on Centre Court since his epic 16-14 last set defeat to Federer in last year's final.

The American number one beat Llodra 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (7/2).

Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic beat Taylor Dent of the United States 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, 6-4.

Nikolay Davydenko became the highest seed to crash out of the men's singles at this year's Wimbledon when the Russian seventh seed was beaten 1-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (10/8), 6-1 by Germany's Daniel Brands.

In the women's singles, fourth seed Jelena Jankovic fought back to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 against Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/wimbledon/top-stories/Longest-ever-match-suspended-at-59-59-in-final-set/articleshow/6084043.cms

[Blwe_torch]

Defying traditional rivalry for a winning combination

Friday, 25 Jun, 2010


Qureshi and Bopanna have stayed in each other’s homes, and want to stage a goodwill exhibition at year’s end at the Wagah border crossing between India and Pakistan. —Reuters Photo

WIMBLEDON: An Indian and a Pakistani hope their partnership in the men’s doubles at Wimbledon can chip away at the enmity between their countries, which have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947.

Rohan Bopanna of India and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan also want to win, and they did so Wednesday in the first round with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (6) victory over Somdev Devvarman of India and Treat Conrad Huey of the Philippines.

Bopanna and Qureshi, both 30 years old, have played doubles together in the past, winning one ATP title in Johannesburg earlier this year and reaching four tour finals since 2007. This year, they are wearing sweat shirts with slogans reading “Stop War, Start Tennis” as part of a peace campaign. A Monaco-based group called Peace and Sport is backing the initiative. Prince Albert is a promoter of the group.

“If we can get along, normal people can as well,” Qureshi said. “If we can change some people’s lives in India and Pakistan, it’s a very positive thing.”

Qureshi has a world doubles ranking of 42, and Bopanna is ranked 51st in doubles. The players complement each other, with Qureshi strong in his volley game and Bopanna providing a big serve and solid backcourt game. On court, Qureshi talks in Urdu to Hindi-speaking Bopanna, who understands because of the language similarities.

“They play to win and they play for a living,” said former Indian player Vijay Amitraj. “They look at it more as a question of you playing a good deuce court and me playing a good ad court. The most important thing about it is, ‘Are we going to make a good team?”‘

Bopanna said he doesn’t view their on-court partnership as a political gesture. For him, it’s just a sign that people from a background of division can work together. He and Qureshi have stayed in each other’s homes, and want to stage a goodwill exhibition at year’s end at the Wagah border crossing between India and Pakistan. They wrote to their governments to seek permission for the event.

Qureshi’s grandfather played for India before its partition and the creation of Pakistan at the time of independence, and his mother was a national tennis champion in Pakistan. He drew negative attention at home in 2002 when he partnered Amir Hadad of Israel at Wimbledon, where they reached the third round in the doubles, and at the U.S. Open, where they made the second round.

David Ferrer, the No. 9 seed from Spain, wore a sweat shirt with the “Stop War, Start Tennis” slogan earlier in the week, but said it was handed to him and he was unaware of the goodwill campaign by Bopanna and Qureshi. Israeli player Dudi Sela also didn’t know about the campaign, but it appealed to him.

“It’s a very good idea,” Sela said. “If I can help somehow, I will.”

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/sport/07-defying-traditional-rivalry-for-a-winning-combination-ha-12

[dhruvdeepak]

what is this bhai bhai rubbish

[vincent]

Good to see Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara wecomed (among other sport greats) as the two great Cricketers of our times into the Royal Box at Centre Court today. I hope SRT liked the games on display which were good.

[vincent]

There he is:

         

[vincent]

Does anyone here care for Wimbledon?

[Blwe_torch]

Pironkova stuns Venus Williams at Wimbledon
REUTERS, Jun 29, 2010, 07.15pm IST

LONDON: Five-time champion and second seed Venus Williams lost 2-6, 3-6 to Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon on Tuesday.

Williams, whose loss meant she failed to reach the final for the first time since 2006, was outplayed from the outset by the world number 82 on Court One at the All England Club.

Pironkova, the lowest ranked player left in the women's draw, will play either Belgium's Kim Clijsters or Russian Vera Zvonareva for a place in Saturday's final.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sports/Events-Tournaments/Wimbledon/Top-stories/Pironkova-stuns-Venus-Williams-at-Wimbledon/articleshow/6106765.cms

[Blwe_torch]

Does anyone here care for Wimbledon?

Why is this happening?
May be an over-does of sports....sports-coverage on  TV.............or a general slack period.

[dextrous]

Does anyone here care for Wimbledon?

normally, yes. has  federer lost yet?

[vincent]

It is good to see some new faces in Women's Tennis. Great! Clijsters should have won but this was her "off day".

[vincent]

Does anyone here care for Wimbledon?

normally, yes. has  federer lost yet?

Not yet. Nadal will face Soderling again. It will be a great match to watch. Also Tsonga against Murray will be good.

[justforkix]

I think L can beat Djokovic - he looked wornm out in the last match. Only Rafa-Soderling is according to seeding.

[vincent]

And Shoaib is bored with Tennis...

 

[justforkix]

Does anyone here care for Wimbledon?

normally, yes. has  federer lost yet?

almost there - goes down 1-6 in 3rd set and 2 sets to 1 down !!!

[justforkix]

down a break now 3-4in 4th set !!!

[justforkix]

Fedrer lost to Berdych in 4 sets !!! So, now you can start watching

And Nadal down 0-5 to Soderling in 1st set 

[vincent]

Congratulations to Leander Paes (and Cara Black) for winning yet another Grand Slam after losing the final at French Open.

[dhruvdeepak]

Rafa is back on top!!! what a champion!!

[dextrous]

Congratulations to Leander Paes (and Cara Black) for winning yet another Grand Slam after losing the final at French Open.

these two are the last of a dying breed...the kind of volleys they pull off at the net is a sight that i'll take over many singles matches

[Blwe_torch]

Congratulations to Leander Paes (and Cara Black) for winning yet another Grand Slam after losing the final at French Open.

these two are the last of a dying breed...the kind of volleys they pull off at the net is a sight that i'll take over many singles matches

I agree....that was a great match, last evening.

[justforkix]

Rafa is back on top!!! what a champion!!

8 Grand Slams and he is just 24 !!! Fedex had won 6 at the same age !! Probably the only guy who can break Fedex's GS record.....

[vincent]

Congratulations to Leander Paes (and Cara Black) for winning yet another Grand Slam after losing the final at French Open.

these two are the last of a dying breed...the kind of volleys they pull off at the net is a sight that i'll take over many singles matches

Yes,it was a beauty to watch volleys with great angles at the net.

[dhruvdeepak]

Rafa is back on top!!! what a champion!!

8 Grand Slams and he is just 24 !!! Fedex had won 6 at the same age !! Probably the only guy who can break Fedex's GS record.....

only if his knees last him till hes 30. no way hes winning 8 GS' in any time less than that

[dextrous]

Rafa is back on top!!! what a champion!!

8 Grand Slams and he is just 24 !!! Fedex had won 6 at the same age !! Probably the only guy who can break Fedex's GS record.....

only if his knees last him till hes 30. no way hes winning 8 GS' in any time less than that

if fedex retires soon, that'll help

[justforkix]

Rafa is back on top!!! what a champion!!

8 Grand Slams and he is just 24 !!! Fedex had won 6 at the same age !! Probably the only guy who can break Fedex's GS record.....

only if his knees last him till hes 30. no way hes winning 8 GS' in any time less than that

if fedex retires soon, that'll help

fedex won't for at least another 3 years, unless he starts losing in 1st round of every GS - he has said he wants his girls to watch him play 

Yup - Nadal's knees are the only thing that can stop him. But if he remains fit, I'm sure he can win 8 in another 4 years.