Wimbledon 2010 Champions: Day 2 Round Up(Mens)

There was no drama for Rafael Nadal(1) against Kei Nishikori(204) at the centre court on tuesday blissfull first round 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.

Rafael Nadal mentioned “It was a very special moment coming back to the nicest centre court in the world and it was lovely being back in my favourite tournament,” said a delighted Nadal afterwards.

Robin Soderling(6) didnt had any problem defeating Robby Ginepri(69), showed his confidence of defeating both Federer and Nadal at French Open. Final score was 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 in the name of Soderling.

Court 1 witness, British No.1 Andy Murray(4) v Jan Hajek(80), of which Murray won comfortably with score of 7-5, 6-1, 6-2. Murray said "It obviously helps coming here. It's a great place to play and I've had good results here the last few years,". Another match was Robert Kendrick(162) v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga(10) of which Tsonga had to struggle abit with 7-6(2), 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-4, first 2 set was won on tie-break and losing the next set and only 1 break in the final set. Tsonga was doubtful for Wimbledon 2010 because of the hip injury while in the fourth-round match at the French Open.

Court 2 match Nicolas Kiefer(184) v David Ferrer(9), Ferrer won in a straight set 6-4, 6-2, 6-3, an easy victory. The major upset in the court 2 was match Juan Carlos Ferrero(14) v Xavier Malisse(75), Ferrero broke in the opening game surrendered the last five games 6-2, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-1. This is the first time Ferrero have lost his first match at All England Club.

Court 5, saw a upset of Robin Haase(151) v James Blake(110), After losing in first round Blake mentioned that his plagued by tendinitis in his right knee and he might even reassess his tennis career after the U.S. Open. Marcos Baghdatis(24) v Lukas Lacko(73), was upset of the top seed Baghdatis crumbles against Lacko gave up in four set 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Court 8, Mikhail Youzhny(13) v Dudi Sela(60) of which Dudi made him run for his money, but later Youzhny won in four sets, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6.

Court 12, Fabio Fognini(83) sends Fernando Verdasco(8) home with a 7-6(9), 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-4 victory. "I broke my big toenail and it did hurt like hell, I was almost crying," said Verdasco.

Nicolas Almagro(19) v Andreas Seppi(68) match on court 19 also witnessed a very good match between them of which Seppi won 7-6(4), 7-6(7), 6-2.

ATP Tour Finals 2009: Day 3 Report

First match was between my favo Fernando Verdasco, he suffered a last minute defeat at the hands of Juan Del Porto. It was first meeting against each other. They were neck-and-neck throughout most of the match, until Verdasco suffered an defeat during the final tie-break, with Del Potro winning the set by 7-1.


The game lasted 2 hour 20 min and had audience over edge of the seat. Verdasco started edgily in front of an expectant crowd of more than 15,000, and trailing 2-1 in the first set, the Spaniard mis-hit the simplest of forehands. His winners was 34 to 24 but his unforced error costed him dear 38-27 against Del Potro.

"Of course I was nervous, because I knew if I lost, I would probably be going home," Del Potro later admitted.


"The win was important for my confidence, and now I hope to play my best tennis against Roger," said Del Potro.

Fed Express came through 3-6 6-3 6-1 against Murray at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, a reminder of the gap Scotland's finest must bridge if he is to unseat the world No.1 next year. Murray's serve, which had been so dominant early on, faltered as Federer broke three times to wrap up the win.



Murray said: "I served terribly and that was the main difference in the match. "You can't serve at 40% against Roger because you give him so many opportunities to dictate play, but that's what I did.


Federer said: "I played a great match and him as well. I'm glad it lived up to the expectation. "Andy was playing well and I couldn't get a proper read on his first serve. "He's also one of the best returners in the game and when you're behind against the top guys it's not easy. "But it's a huge improvement and gives me confidence."

ATP Tour Finals 2009: Day 1 Report

British number one Andy Murray wins end of year event against US Open Champion Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. He doesn't feel under pressure to deliver a home triumph in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.


Murray has won six ATP titles in a year, still haven’t won any GrandSlam. Who has compiled a 65-10 match record, is looking for his second title on home soil after ending a 71-year wait for a homegrown winner at the AEGON Championships in June.

Murray was able to transition well from defence to attack and took his opportunities to carve out an early 5-0 lead in the first set.

"When I got close to winning at the end of the match, the atmosphere was excellent," said Murray of the capacity crowd on centre court at The O2. "That's going a make a big difference going into the next couple of matches."


“Against Andy, always the match is very tough,” explained del Potro. “We play three sets in every tournament, every match. Today was a little strange, but he played great tennis in the third set.

Four-time Barclays ATP World Tour Finals champion Roger Federer survived a scare on Sunday evening against Spain’s Fernando Verdasco before prevailing 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the second Group A match at The O2 arena in London.


He had arrived in London on the back of successive defeats in the final of the Basle Open, his home event, by Novak Djokovic, and then in his opening match of the Paris Masters, defeated by Julien Benneteau of France.

Verdasco, like his compatriot Rafael Nadal a left-hander, has had an excellent year, reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open and qualifying for this elite eight-man field for the first time.


Verdasco will take on Del Potro with both men knowing a win is vital if they are to maintain a realistic challenge.

Wimbledon 2009: Daily preview (Day 5) Men’s

The golden rules of sport kept Roger Federer on Centre Court for rather longer than he would have liked today. The Swiss slipped into experimental mood rather than applying the killer touch and paid for it when he dropped his first set of the tournament before bouncing back to win 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1.


For 28th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, that fateful day came in the third round here at Wimbledon. “When the draw came it I thought it was probably the worst one I could have got,” he said with a philosophical shrug after his 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-1 defeat to the de facto top seed in the absence of Rafael Nadal. “You look to see when you’ve got Federer and then think ‘well that’s the end of the line’.”

A four-hour marathon on No.1 Court was suspended in the gathering darkness at 9.33pm with Marin Cilic and Tommy Haas standing level at 5-7, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) and the final set on a knife-edge at 6-6. By the time they were forced to give in to the failing light.


Novak Djokovic, the fourth seed and probably the greatest threat to Roger Federer's peace of mind in the lower half of the men's singles draw, marched into the last 16 with a solid and competent 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory in one hour 58 minutes over Mardy Fish of the US.


Ivo Karlovic served his way to victory with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) win over the eighth seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France on No.1 Court. It was a fine win for the 22nd seed at the age of 30 because he had been beaten in the first round for each of the past four years here and despite having a game suited for grass.

Facing such a big server, Tsonga knew what was coming even though he had not played Karlovic previously. But the Frenchman is no slouch himself when it comes to serve and volley, which is why he was able to sustain his challenge for so long.


Fernando Verdasco came from a set behind to dispose of Albert Montanes 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) victory played in glorious conditions on No.2 Court this afternoon . Verdasco wasn’t playing badly in the first set but that Montanes simply slapped the life out of the ball and hit the lines with incredible accuracy, giving the illusion that his top 10 opponent was a tad slow around the court.


Soderling beat Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (9-7), 6-4, 6-4 in just under two hours on Court 3 to set-up a replay of the French Open final against Roger Federer in the fourth round. Soderling was so consistent on his serve that Almagro did not get a break point opportunity all match. Yet it was hard work for him to manufacture break points of his own.

Wimbledon 2009: Daily preview (Day 3) Men’s

Roger Federer's Wimbledon stroll continues. Having conceded a mere seven games in the first round, the second seed and five-time champion permitted Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain just eight games as he forced his way into the last 32 of the men's singles.

His display in a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win in the Centre Court sunshine was another master class of tennis. It is already becoming very clear that the Swiss will take some stopping at the 2009 Championships.

Federer was impregnable on serve, dropping just five points in a 27-minute first set - one of which was that eye-opening rarity, a double fault from the Swiss - and he faced only two break points in the entire match.

There cannot have been many observers on No.1 Court expecting much of Simon Greul in his second-round match against fourth seed Novak Djokovic, entertaining attacking play, before Djokovic emerged the 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 winner.

Loose shots from Djokovic, along with a double fault, handed a break to the German in the first game. Greul was developing a taste for grasscourt play, fooling his opponent with an approach to the net and a great dropshot on the half-volley. But when he tried another dropshot from the baseline, it tipped back on the wrong side of the net to give Djokovic break point.


The battle of the big hitters between California and Croatia went the way of Europe in the late evening on Centre Court when Marin Cilic outlasted Sam Querrey in a five-set marathon 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 in three hours 24 minutes.


For much of this gripping encounter, it was Querrey's ability to produce an ace - he hit 24 of them. The 11th-seeded Cilic needed a touch of good fortune, and found it when he broke the Querrey serve with an outrageously lucky net cord that fell dead into the American's side of the court.

There was more good news for Croatia as the 6ft 10in Ivo Karlovic defeated Belgium's Steve Darcis 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to join Cilic in the third round.

Fernando Verdasco of Spain was forced to fight for nearly three hours before overcoming Kristof Vliegen of Belgium in a battle of the big servers on Court 3. Verdasco, the seventh seed, eventually won 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, the score reflecting the dominance of both players’ serving on a warm day when the conditions complimented power play.


Both players maintained the intensity of their serving through to the fourth set when Vliegen was the victim of the only service break. With Verdasco ahead 5-4, and on the match point, the Belgian gifted him the match with a forehand error off the service return.


Surprise French Open runner-up Robin Soderling was pushed all the way in his 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4, 7-5 victory over Marcel Granollers. Throughout the two hour 46 minute contest.Granollers had begun the season by reaching the semi-finals at Chennai and peaking at No.44 in the world but was then unable to string together two wins in a row. Soderling was on a similar run, even dropping down to the Challenger circuit when he lost in the first round at Indian Wells.

Wimbledon 2009 – Daily Preview (Day 1) Men’s

Federer's warm welcome to officially open the 2009 Championships was probably a mixture of affection for the five-time champion and approval for his eye-catching and stylish apparel - long trousers, jacket with the collar turned up and, underneath that, a fitted waistcoat, all in white and all discarded prior to the Swiss marching out to hold his first two service games to love.

Roger Federer justified his role as favourite to win the 2009 men's title by swatting aside the challenge of Yen-Hsun Lu from Taipei 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 on a Centre Court where, despite overcast conditions, the new roof remained open throughout.

Blake was not so lucky against Andreas Seppi. Seppi is the chap who once confessed self-depreciatingly to booking his flight home before even taking to the court against Nadal. But the Italian can bash a ball, as Blake discovered, and his 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 victory was relatively straightforward, leaving Blake to consider how his excellent run at Queen's led to this.

Verdasco, an Australian Open semi-finalist this year, spelled out the pattern of the match in the opening game, where his swashbuckling strokeplay plundered an immediate break. That was the case today when the number seven seed Fernando Verdasco saw off James Ward 6-1, 6-3, 6-4.

Fourth seed Novak Djokovic survived an endurance test against Frenchman Julien Benetteau to win through to the second round but he needed three hours and 28 minutes of concerted effort to complete the job.

Benettau, in his sixth Wimbledon, shocked Djokovic by winning a 61-minute first set but was hit by falls in the third game of the third set and the last game of the match, which did not help his cause and it allowed Djokovic to clinch victory 6-7 (10-8), 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-4 on his third match point.

The new No. 2 Court witnessed a thriller as ninth seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga battled through his first round match against Kazakhstan’s Andrey Golubev, a man ranked 62 places below him, in four sets, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5).



Robin Soderling was a star. The Swede was the first man to beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros and, from that fourth-round victory, he went all the way to the final. And then he lost. Now he has another shot at the fame game in SW19 after beating Gilles Muller in the first round 6-7 (7-4), 7-5, 6-1, 6-2. The 13th seed almost missed his chance, mind you, dropping the first set, but after he got his nose in front in the second, it was plain sailing.

Now he has another shot at the fame game in SW19 after beating Gilles Muller in the first round 6-7 (7-4), 7-5, 6-1, 6-2. The 13th seed almost missed his chance, mind you, dropping the first set, but after he got his nose in front in the second, it was plain sailing.

An even longer match occurred on court 18 as Feliciano Lopez became the second seed to go out of the men’s tournament, following James Blake’s earlier exit to Andreas Seppi. The Spanish No.21 seed was beaten in a marathon five- setter 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 by Karol Beck of Slovakia in three hours, 45 minutes.


Spectators on Court 12, meanwhile, were treated to a very un-Wimbledon-like experience: the sight of a chair umpire doubling up as a bouncer when hostilities broke out between Juan Monaco and Nicholas Almagro in their epic match which ended 6-7, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 8-6 in the latter's favour.

French Open: Day 4 Update

The most spectacular moment of Andy Murray’s second-round win at Roland Garros came when he attempted to chase down one of Potito Starace’s devilishly good drop-shots, lost his footing and ended up inadvertently performing a forward-roll across Court Philippe Chatrier. A giant red smear of clay appeared on the back of his black shirt. There was also a stage when it appeared as though the red clay was going to be smeared over Murray’s French Open ambitions, as he was twice a point away from going two sets to one down.

In the end, Murray went through, but not before he had had that tumble on the clay, been bamboozled by those well-disguised drop-shots, and had lost his way in the second set and for the first half of the third set. If Murray’s tennis was decidedly average for a long period, his four-set, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory was anything but ordinary.

“The most important thing is that I found a way to win,” said Murray, but he will need to play a tighter match if he is to have control of events against Tipsarevic, who yesterday put out Spain’s Feliciano Lopez. Murray and Tipsarevic, the world No65, have played four times previously, but this will be their first match on clay.

Sharapova had been away from the slams for so long, because of a shoulder injury, it had almost been forgotten how she likes to mark important victories by blowing kisses at the spectators and down a television lens.

It would not have been that surprising if Sharapova, who played this tournament last year as the world No 1, but who is now ranked 102, had lost to Petrova. But Sharapova's greatest quality has always been her will to win, and that mental fortitude gave her the edge in the decider; she won 6-2, 1-6, 8-6.

In reaching the last 32, Dinara Safina has dropped just two games, as she followed up her 6-0, 6-0 win over Britain's Anne Keothavong by beating Russia's Vitalia Diatchenko 6-1, 6-1. Safina, the Russian world No 1, led 5-0 in the first set, having won her first 17 games of the tournament. Safina, the runner-up last year to Ana Ivanovic, has won her last two clay-court tournaments, in Rome and Madrid, and is in the best form of her tennis life.

Defending champion Ana Ivanovic swept into the French Open last 32 with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-2 victory over Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn. The 21-year-old Serbian has experienced a disappointing 12 months since lifting her first major title at Roland Garros last summer, but she looked in tip-top condition as she engineered her passage into the third round.

Big man Marat Safin crashed out in 2nd round against unseeded Josselin Quanna 7-6(2) 7-6(4) 4-6 3-6 10-8. Marat was leading 2-0 but Qunanna died for each volley and made 2-2, and wins against Marat.

Fernando Verdasco made short work of Philipp Petzschner out on Court 2. The eighth seed is looking in fine fettle and hardly broke a sweat in a 6-1 6-2 6-3 win.

Rafael Nadal's French Open winning streak reached a record 30 consecutive matches Wednesday. Nadal already had bettered Bjorn Borg's men's mark of 28 straight victories at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament; now the Spaniard topped Chris Evert's overall record of 29, too.

Trying to become the first player with five championships in a row at Roland Garros, Nadal moved into the third round by beating 72nd-ranked Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.

French Open: Day 1 Update

This is the 79th French Open, which will bring you the ultimate, the zenith of clay-court tennis. First match was between defending champion Ana Ivanovic and the unfeasibly blue-eyed Sara Errani from Italy. Ana Ivanovic's campaign to defend her title began with a stutter, but ended with a bang in a 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory over Sara Errani in the tournament's opening match on Court Philip Chatrier.


Lleyton Hewitt survived 55-aces from Croatian Ivo Karlovic to reach the French Open second round last night with a 6-7 (1-7) 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 6-3 win. Hewitt, now ranked 50 and who underwent hip surgery in August last year, will face Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan, for a place in the third round where four-time champion Rafael Nadal would be a likely opponent.



Once Hewitt had levelled the tie at two sets apiece, Karlovic needed treatment for dehydration and Hewitt seized his opportunity, breaking to lead 2-1. He claimed the tie after almost four hours.

Verdasco is through in straight sets against Florent Seera. He’s such a good player, particularly on clay. And he always seems to be in Rafa’s quarter of the draw. David Ferrer’s three-set 6-2, 6-4 and 6-4. win over Portugal’s Federico Gil.

Nadal Handed Tough Path To Fifth Roland Garros Title

World number one Rafael Nadal faces a potentially treacherous task in his bid to win a fifth consecutive French Open title. The top seed, unbeaten at Roland Garros since his debut in 2005, is in the same half of the draw as Briton Andy Murray and Spanish eighth seed Fernando Verdasco who gave him a rough time in the Australian Open semi-finals.

Hewitt, battling back from hip surgery last year, and now ranked at 50 in the world, first faces 26th seed Ivo Karlovic, the giant Croatian who shocked him at Wimbledon in 2003. Claycourt specialist David Ferrer, twice a quarter-finalist, is a possible fourth round opponent with Verdasco a likely last eight rival.

Swiss second seed Roger Federer, chasing the only grand slam title to have eluded him, faces Spaniard Alberto Martin en route to a possible fourth consecutive final with Nadal, whom he beat in the Madrid Masters final earlier this month.

Federer has a possible quarter-final encounter against American sixth seed Andy Roddick, beaten in Madrid in their only claycourt meeting in 20 duels.

One of the highlights of Federer's campaign could be a semi-final with world number four Novak Djokovic of Serbia who, following a first-round match against Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti, is looking at a quarter-final clash with Argentine Juan Martin del Potro.