Showing posts with label Serena Williams. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Serena Williams. Show all posts

Wimbledon 2010 Championship: Day 2 Schedule

After a dramatic win of 2 top seeded player Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at the centre court. Today you can witness World No.1 Rafael Nadal(1) v Kei Nishikori(204) in action, the winner in 2008 Wimbledon and due to knee injury was unable to defend his title in year 2009. Before Nadal takes on centre stage Women's champion Serena Williams(1) v Michelle Larcher De Brito(148). Other Centre court match will be between Robin Soderling(6) v Robby Ginepri(69). Soderling upsetted Rafael Nadal in 2009 French Open and later this year troubled Roger Federer to defend his title at the French Open.

Court 1: Robert Kendrick(162) v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga(10) and later British No.1 Andy Murray(4) taking on Jan Hajek(80).

Court 2: Some very interesting match have been scheduled here. Ladies 1st round Akgul Amanmuradova(93) v Svetlana Kuznetsova(19), Anastasia Pivovarova(127) v Maria Sharapova (16). Mens 1st round match Nicolas Kiefer(184) v David Ferrer (9), Juan Carlos Ferrero(14) v Xavier Malisse(75).

Court 5: Robin Haase(151) v James Blake(110), Marcos Baghdatis(24) v Lukas Lacko(73).

Court 6: Gilles Simon(26) v Guillermo Alcaide(235).

Court 8: Mikhail Youzhny(13) v Dudi Sela(60).

Court 19: Nicolas Almagro(19) v Andreas Seppi(68).

Above mentioned are some of the big matches to watch out for today

Wimbledon 2009: Roger Federer – What Legends Say?

Roger Federer won his 15th grand slam by defeating Andy Roddick in the Men's Singles final at Wimbledon, reaction from the sporting world of Legends.


Rod Laver: "Roger's got too many shots, too much talent in one body. It's hardly fair that one person can do all this - his backhands, his forehands, volleys, serving, his court position... the way he moves around the court, you feel like he's barely touching the ground, and that's the sign of a great champion."

Pete Sampras: "I'm a fan of how he plays, what he's about... he's a class guy on and off the court. He's fun to watch. Just his athletic ability, what he's able to do on the run. I think he can and will break every tennis record out there."

Bjorn Borg: "He simply does not have any more weaknesses left in him. It is such a pleasure to see him play. To me, Roger Federer is the right model for anyone aspiring to be a tennis player. It is such a pleasure to just watch him play. His shot-making has got better and I doubt there is any shot he cannot make in any part of the court."

Jimmy Connors: "In the modern game, you're a clay-court specialist, a grass-court specialist or a hard-court specialist... or you're Roger Federer."

John McEnroe: "He's the most gifted player that I've ever seen in my life. I've seen a lot of people play. I've seen the Rod Lavers, I played against some of the great players - the Sampras, Becker, Connors, Borg, you name it. This guy could be the greatest of all time. That, to me, says it all."

Mats Wilander: "I'd like to be in his shoes for one day to know what it feels like to play that way."

Tim Henman: "I don't think there's anyone that hits the ball like that. Sure, if you take Roddick's serve and Andre Agassi's returns and my volleys and Lleyton Hewitt's speed and tenacity, then you've probably got a good chance against Federer."

Tiger Woods: "What he's done in tennis, I think, is far greater than what I've done in golf."

Tracy Austin: "I've never enjoyed watching someone playing tennis as much as Federer. I'm just in awesome. Pete Sampras was wonderful but he relied so much on his serve, whereas Roger has it all, he's just so graceful, elegant and fluid - a symphony in tennis whites. Roger can produce tennis shots that should be declared illegal."

Serena Williams: "Roger is obviously a pinnacle athlete across all sports and he just does a great job. He's so graceful out there. I love watching him play. I learn so much from him."

Andy Roddick: "It's almost impossible. That's one of the most impressive stats that we'll see in tennis." (Federer's 21 consecutive grand slam semi-finals).

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

In the ladies’, Second seed Serena Williams is safely through to the second round of the 2009 Championships, but she was given a more demanding test than many had expected before overcoming qualifier Neuza Silva 6-1, 7-5 in one hour 14 minutes on Centre Court.


Jie Zheng is safely through to the second round. Another run could be on the cards after the 16th seed disposed of Germany’s Kristina Barrois in twin tie-breaks, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4). Zheng faces Daniela Hantuchova, conqueror of junior champion Laura Robson in the second round.


Russian Alla Kudryavtseva stunned the tennis world when she knocked out her compatriot Maria Sharapova last year in the third round. But she was unable to repeat the feat against countrywoman Elena Dementieva this time. No.4 seed Dementieva barely had to break sweat as she won 6-4, 6-1.


Russian Nadia Petrova, a quarter-finalist here last year, comfortably saw off the challenge of Anastasiya Yakimova 6-1, 6-1. India's Sania Mirza moved into the second round after beating Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

Victoria Azarenka has won three titles already this year, and she benefited from an injury to her opponent Severine Bremond Beltrame who retired hurt. Azarenka had already taken the first set 6-2 when the Frenchwoman Bremond Beltrame was forced to retire after spraining her knee in a fall.

Another tight game followed on Court 3 saw the first female seed to depart. Francesca Schiavone of Italy came back from a set down to knock out Canadian No.23 seed Aleksandra Wozniak 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

French Open: Day 5 Update

Roger Federer, the Williams sisters, Jankovic, Tsonga, Kuznetsova, Monfils, Roddick and Dementieva are some of the big names who made it through to the third round today.

Roger Federer found himself in a much tighter and tougher match than he would have expected or is used to in the French Open's second round Thursday before producing a 7-6 (8), 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-2 victory over Jose Acasuso of Argentina.

Federer, whose season hasn't been up to his high standards, was up to the task each time, though. "Mentally, I've always been very strong, but I'm not being put in a position like this very often, you know," Federer said. Then, moments later, as if to make sure everyone understood him, Federer added: "Coming through such a match is always a great feeling. Like I said, I'm not part of such close matches that often."

Federer, in contrast, offered this assessment of his performance: "I was not managing and controlling the match the way I should have."

Yet there he was, taking a 6-3 lead in the first-set tiebreaker. Federer erased the first two set points with aces before Acasuso pulled a forehand wide. Then, ahead 7-6, Acasuso shanked a shot to waste No. 4, and Federer eventually claimed that set.

Charismatic Jo-Wilfried Tsonga gave the partisan crowd something to chant, as the electric Frenchmen with the can't-miss-smile stormed back in a fourth set tiebreaker and advanced to the third round over Argentine Juan Monaco, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8).


Excitement was at a fever pitch in the deciding moments of the fourth set as Tsonga, trailing 5-1 in the tiebreak, bravely stormed back to even the score at 5-5. "Tsonga! Tsonga!" chants reverberated throughout the rafters at Court Suzanne Lenglen, and as hard as Monaco tried to stem the tide, he finally wilted on Tsonga's third match point.


Tsonga, who had never won at Roland Garros until the first round this year, will face Belgian Christophe Rochus next in the third round.

Gael Monfils, a semifinalist in last year's French Open, invigorated the French crowds even more, as he was an easy straight set winner over Victor Crivoi, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

The second round match between fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic and Sergiy Stakhovsky was suspended on Thursday due to bad light after 90 minutes of play.Novak is two sets in front, 6-3 6-4.


Venus Williams fought back from a set down and then saved a match point against unheralded Lucie Safarova in her French Open second round match today. The No3 seed, who eventually prevailed 6-7, 6-2, 7-5, will now face 29th seed Agnes Szavay.

Jelena Dokic left the court in floods of tears on Thursday after retiring with a back injury while leading by a set in her French Open second round match against Russian fourth seed Elena Dementieva."It's a shock and a disappointment," the Australian former world number four told a news conference after quitting with the score at 6-2 3-4 against.

"I felt like I had the match in my hands and I was doing well and even if I didn't win, I was playing really well. I felt like I probably played the best tennis that I played this year."

It was a much simpler affair for fifth seed Jelena Jankovic, who reached the third round with a 6-1 6-2 win over Magdalena Rybarikova, and Russian seventh seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, who took less than 50 minutes in a 6-0 6-2 win over Galina Voskoboeva.

French Open: Day 3 Update


Serbian fifth seed Jelena Jankovic has progressed to the second round of the French Open, beating Czech Petra Cetkovska, 6-2, 6-3. Jankovic, who reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year, will next face either Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova or Kristina Mladenovic of France for a place in the third round.


Svetlana Kuznetsova beat French wildcard Claire Feuerstein, 6-1, 6-4, to go through. The Russian seventh seed, runner-up here in 2006, had already broken twice to race to a 5-1 lead before rain interrupted play. Kuznetsova, whose passing shots left her opponent often rooted to the spot, broke again the seventh and eventually sealed victory on her third matchpoint with a powerful forehand that was too good for Feuerstein.


The world No 2 Serena Williams needed celebrated at Roland Garros on Tuesday, jumping up and down on the red clay of Court Suzanne Lenglen, nine match points to complete the win, and it was played in cold and windy conditions that had the former champion picking the clay out of her eyes. With all that to think about, you can understand why Williams marked her 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 win with more than a small smile.


Men's fourth seed Novak Djokovic reached the second round when his opponent, Ecuadorian Nicolas Lapentti, retired because of injury with the Serb leading 6-3, 3-1.