Showing posts with label Tennis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennis. Show all posts

Thursday, 25 July 2013

Tennis - Point-by-point guide to Murray's decisive game

Here is a point-by-point guide to the remarkable decisive game in which Murray earned and lost three championship points and Djokovic squandered three break points before the Scot triumphed to end Britain's 77-year wait for a Wimbledon men's singles champion.

* Having brilliantly broken for a 5-4 lead Murray looks calm and collected as he lines up to serve the most important game of his life.

* Djokovic sends his backhand opening return beyond the baseline: 15-0.

* After netting his first serve Murray gets into a rally and after running down yet another ill-advised Djokovic drop shot he steers home a forehand winner: 30-0.

* Djokovic sends a service return long and suddenly Wimbledon is in dream land - three championship points for a British player: 40-0.

* A tense 12-shot rally ends with a crisp Djokovic volley: 40-15.

* Murray's tentative second serve comes flying back past him before he can react: 40-30.

* Another missed first serve and a long backhand means the lead has gone. More groans all round. Deuce.

* Murray looks tight and nets a forehand as the Serb top seed walks back to his mark with a wry smile. Advantage Djokovic.

* Murray responds with a big serve: Deuce.

* Djokovic plays another drop shot, this one catches the tape and crawls agonisingly over the net to drop dead and elicit a huge groan from the Centre Court crowd: Advantage Djokovic.

* A brilliant angled cross-court forehand by Murray brings it back to Deuce.

* Djokovic conjures up another unfeasible angle to flick another winner and bring up his third break point: Advantage Djokovic.

* Murray confidently dispatches a volley winner. Deuce.

* Another long rally, with rising oohs and ahs from the edgy crowd, ends with Djokovic netting a volley to give Murray a fourth championship point and lift the hordes on Henman Hill to their feet. Advantage Murray.

* No mistakes from Murray this time as he keeps the ball in play and Djokovic nets a backhand to give the Briton victory.


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Tennis - Radwanska marches through in Stanford

The Pole kicked off her campaign at the Californian event - her first since losing to Sabine Lisicki in the semi-final at Wimbledon - after having received a bye directly into the second round.

Radwanska, who earlier in the week had to defend her decision to pose nude for a sports magazine following criticism in her home country, showed no signs of distraction as she dominated the contest and put herself in a winning position early on.

World number 59 Schiavone, once ranked fourth - a position Radwanska currently occupies - did manage to put a run games together in the second set, but by that time Radwanska was all but home and dry.

She will now meet American sixth seed Varvara Lepchenko, who downed Tamira Paszek of Austria 6-4 6-4.

Samantha Stosur, the second seed, crashed out of the tournament a day earlier to improve Radwanska's hopes of winning a third WTA title this season.

Stanford Classic results

Round two

1-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 6-4 6-3

5-Sorana Cirstea (Romania) beat Coco Vandeweghe (U.S.) 6-3 6-3

6-Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) beat Tamira Paszek (Austria) 6-4 6-4


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Tennis - Serena brushes aside Tatishvili in Bastad

Williams barely broke a sweat, dropping only five games in a match that lasted just over an hour.

It was the first time that the two had faced each other with the world number one and top seed coming through against the world number 104 in typically brutal fashion.

The 31-year-old American struggled with her serve throughout the match, making just 58% of her first serves and was broken 3 times by her Georgian opponent.

Although red-hot favourite, Williams is now in a stronger position with 2nd seed, and world number 23, Simona Halep retiring hurt in her match against Italy’s Flavia Pennetta.

WTA Bastad round two results

1-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Anna Tatishvili (Georgia) 6-2 6-3

Flavia Pennetta (Italy) beat 2-Simona Halep (Romania) 4-6 7-5 2-0 (Halep retired)

Richel Hogenkamp (Netherlands) beat 6-Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-1 2-6 6-3

WTA Bad Gastein round two results

2-Annika Beck (Germany) beat Mandy Minella (Luxembourg) 2-6 6-4 6-4

Yvonne Meusburger (Austria) beat 3-Irina Begu (Romania) 6-3 6-3

Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) beat 6-Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) 7-5 1-6 6-1

Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (Austria) beat Petra Martic (Croatia) 6-4 6-4

Arantxa Rus (Netherlands) beat Estrella Cabeza Candela (Spain) 5-7 7-5 6-3


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Tennis - Serena brushes aside Zakopalova to make Bastad final

Williams’ early dominance was total as she rattled off the first eight games to bagel her Czech opponent and open up a two game advantage in the second set.

Zakopalova did manage to fashion a break of her own to tie the second set at 2-2 but Williams, who lost to Sabine Lisicki in the last-16 of Wimbledon, broke back to take the set and the match just shy of an hour and ten minutes.

Williams will face home hope Johanna Larsson in Sunday’s final.

The Swede came from behind to overpower her Italian counter-part Flavia Pennetta 2-6 6-3 6-4.

WTA Bastad semi-final results

1-Serena Williams (US) beat 3-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) 6-0 6-4

8-Johanna Larsson (Sweden) beat Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 2-6 6-3 6-4

WTA Bad Gastein semi-final results

Andrea Hlavackova (Czech Republic) beat Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) 7-5 6-7(1) 6-4

Yvonne Meusburger (Austria) beat 8-Karin Knapp (Italy) 6-4 6-3


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Tennis - Serena too strong for Karatantcheva in Bastad

The world number one and top seed was too strong for Sesil Karatancheva of Kazakhstan as she raced to a 6-1 6-2 victory.

Williams is the red-hot favourite for the tournament with the second seed in the event – Romania's Simona Halep– being ranked only 23rd in the world.

Still it is a popular event on the tour and was voted WTA's tournament of the year in 2012.

A packed crowd watched Serena in action but the contest last only 64 minutes as world number 131 Karatancheva found the step up in class a little too much.

Next up for Williams is a clash with Georgia's Anna Tatishvili, who defeated Swiss wild card Belinda Bencic in three sets.

WTA Bastad round one results

Andrea Gamiz (Venezuela) beat 4-Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) 6-1 6-3

1-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Sesil Karatantcheva (Kazakhstan) 6-1 6-2

6-Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) beat Anastasia Grymalska (Italy) 6-3 5-7 6-1

Richel Hogenkamp (Netherlands) beat Lara Arruabarrena Vecino (Spain) 6-3 6-3

3-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) beat Ellen Allgurin (Sweden) 6-1 6-1

Nina Bratchikova (Russia) beat Lesley Kerkhove (Netherlands) 6-3 6-1

Anna Tatishvili (Georgia) beat Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) 2-6 6-4 6-4

Teliana Pereira (Brazil) beat Dinah Pfizenmaier (Germany) 3-6 6-2 7-5

Alexandra Dulgheru (Romania) beat Caroline Garcia (France) 7-6(2) 6-1

Mathilde Johansson (France) beat Julia Cohen (U.S.) 6-2 6-3 

WTA Bad Gastein round one results

Petra Martic (Croatia) beat 4-Andrea Petkovic (Germany) 6-7(5) 7-5 6-3

Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (Austria) beat Tereza Mrdeza (Croatia) 6-4 6-3

Alexandra Cadantu (Romania) beat Maria Joao Koehler (Portugal) 6-2 6-4

Mandy Minella (Luxembourg) beat Dia Evtimova (Bulgaria) 6-2 2-6 6-3

2-Annika Beck (Germany) beat Shahar Peer (Israel) 7-5 6-3

6-Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (Slovakia) 6-1 6-4

Andrea Hlavackova (Czech Republic) beat Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) 6-3 6-1

Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) beat Michaela Honcova (Slovakia) 6-2 6-2

Lisa-Maria Moser (Austria) beat Elena Bogdan (Romania) 7-6(6) 2-6 6-4

Viktorija Golubic (Switzerland) beat 5-Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) 6-2 6-2

Estrella Cabeza Candela (Spain) beat Tadeja Majeric (Slovenia) 6-1 6-3


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Tennis - Stosur stunned in Stanford

The Australian, playing her first match of the US hardcourt season after having received a first-round bye, dropped to a shock 6-2 6-4 defeat to her 83rd ranked opponent from Belarus.

Stosur's outing at the tournament in California was serving as a warm-up for her tilt at the upcoming US Open, which she won in 2011.

But Stosur's current form is a far cry from that which landed her a first and only singles Grand Slam title two years ago, and Govortsova was able to run away with victory.

The Belarusian won the first four games of each set while Stosur double-faulted 10 times.

The Australian's attempted fightback late in the second was too little too late and Govortsova sealed victory to ease into the third round, where she will now meet either Sorana Cirstea or Coco Vandeweghe.

Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska has a tough opening match against Francesca Schiavone in the second round.

Stanford Classic results

Round 2

Olga Govortsova (Belarus) beat 2-Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-2 6-4

Round 1

7-Urszula Radwanska (Poland) beat Christina Mchale (U.S.) 6-1 6-3

Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) 6-2 4-6 6-0

Vera Dushevina (Russia) beat Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) 6-2 6-1

Coco Vandeweghe (U.S.) beat Monica Niculescu (Romania) 6-0 6-3

Tamira Paszek (Austria) beat Alla Kudryavtseva (Russia) 6-1 6-7(4) 3-0 (Kudryavtseva retired)

6-Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) beat Michelle Larcher de Brito (Portugal) 6-2 6-4


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Tennis - Williams wins fourth clay title of season in Bastad

It made it 28 clay court wins in a row for Serena with five of her seven 2013 titles coming on the surface - four on red clay and one on green clay (Charleston).

Larsson got off to a good start in her home tournament, breaking in the opening game, and was 3-1 in front early but the eight seeded Swede only went on to win two more games as Serena took control.

It was the 53rd WTA title of Williams' career and puts her level with Monica Seles for ninth on the all-time list in the Open era.

Meanwhile in Bad Gastein, Austria, Yvonne Meusburger delighted the home fans by winning the first title of her career against Andrea Hlavackova of Czech Republic 7-5 6-2 .

Meusburger is ranked only 86th in the world but enjoyed a fantastic tournament – not dropping a single set all week.


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Tennis - WTA rankings

points

1. (1) Serena Williams (United States) 11705

2. (2) Maria Sharapova (Russia) 9235

3. (3) Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 8825

4. (4) Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 5965

5. (5) Li Na (China) 5555

6. (6) Sara Errani (Italy) 5100

7. (8) Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) 4435

8. (7) Marion Bartoli (France) 4365

9. (9) Angelique Kerber (Germany) 3970

10. (10) Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 3660

11. (11) Roberta Vinci (Italy) 3220

12. (12) Maria Kirilenko (Russia) 2976

13. (13) Samantha Stosur (Australia) 2965

14. (15) Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) 2886

15. (16) Sloane Stephens (United States) 2870

16. (14) Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) 2865

17. (17) Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) 2740

18. (18) Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 2650

19. (20) Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) 2430

20. (19) Nadia Petrova (Russia) 2306


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