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    • Apis Canberra International Tennis
      • Canberra Challenger tournament transferred to Bendigo
      • Zoe Hives takes the Apis Canberra International title from Olivia Rogowska
      • Hoyt and Wu win men’s doubles Perez and Rodionova win women’s doubles at the Apis Canberra International
      • Rogowska moves closer to defending her Apis Canberra International title
      • Santillan jumping for joy as Duckworth left smashing
      • Top seed out of the women’s Apis Canberra International tennis tournament
      • Duckworth gives Polmans an early trip home after their round one Apis Canberra International match
      • 2016 Champion James Duckworth faces 2016 Runner-up Polmans in round one action at the Apis Canberra International
  • Australian Tennis
    • Videos
      • Tennis News
        • Sam Stosur becomes a mum
        • Pro tennis is back in Australia
        • Australian Tennis Results 11-17 February 2019
        • Fed Cup USA v Australia preview
        • Peers and Thompson secure Australia’s Davis Cup finals spot
        • Barty advances to the fourth round for the first time at the Aussie Open
        • de Minaur claims his maiden ATP title in his home town
        • Team Germany Secure Their Spot in the Hopman Cup Final 2019
        • Strong Start for Angelique Kerber at the Hopman Cup
        • Tomljanovic and de Minaur march on in Brisbane, Kyrgios falls
        • de Minaur, Kyrgios and Thomson lead men’s Australian charge in Brisbane
        • Federer Claims Victory in Historic Doubles Match Against Serena Williams
        • Australian results for 14 November
        • Australian Tennis Results 5-11 November 2018
        • Stefanos Tsitsipas gets the better of Alex de Minaur to claim the Next Gen ATP Finals
        • Australian Tennis Results 29 October – 4 November 2018
        • Zoe Hives takes the Apis Canberra International title from Olivia Rogowska
        • Top seed out of the women’s Apis Canberra International tennis tournament
        • Hon claims first ITF title in two years at the expense of Perez in Bendigo
        • Thanasi Kokkinakis into the Las Vegas ATP Challenger Final
        • Ellen Perez – forever the bridesmaid?
        • Australian Tennis Results 8-14 October 2018
        • Marc Polmans into the ATP Challenger Stockton $100,000 final
        • Marc Polmans and Jordan Thompson look to setup an all-Australian ATP Challenger final in Stockton
        • Alex de Minaur set to take over as the top ranked Australian
        • Australian Tennis Results for the week of 24-30 September 2018
        • Bernard Tomic Charges into the 70s as he comes back from four match points to win the ATP 250 title in Chengdu
        • Daria Gavrilova Advances Past Jelena Ostapenko – Ash Barty gets the better of Johanna Konta in Wuhan
        • Australian Tennis Results for the week of 17-23 September 2018
        • Bertens denies Tomljanovic her maiden WTA title as she wins the Korea Open title
        • Australian Tennis Results for the week of 10-16 September 2018 – James Duckworth Claims Cary Challenger Title
        • Ash Barty teams up with CoCo Vandeweghe to claime their first Grand Slam doubles title
        • Can John Millman pull off another big upset against Novak Djokovic at the US Open?
        • Tomic wins Challenger event at Rafa’s home patch
        • Millman marches on as Federer outclasses Kyrgios to setup meeting with Millman
        • Ash Barty advances to round 4 for the first time at a grand slam in singles
        • Kyrgios advances after a bizarre pep talk from the umpire – Federer is next
        • Tomljanovic lets a match point slip away before losing second round match in third set tiebreaker
        • Australia’s Alex de Minaur triumphs again in New York
        • Ash Barty has too much firepower for Lucie Safarova
        • Kyrgios Advances at the US Open
        • Gavrilova and Kubler out of the US Open
        • US Open preview for the Australians
        • Maverick Banes wins his maiden ATP Challenger title
        • The fight is on for a ticket to New York and the US Open – updated – Ellen Perez v Lizette Cabrera in final
        • Maverick Banes ends Alexei Popyrin’s win streak in Korea
  • Grand Slams
    • Australian Open
      • Osaka claims her second Australian Open title
      • Comeback queen Muchova sends Barty packing
      • Serena too tough for Simona
      • Barty cruises into her third straight Australian Open quarterfinal
      • Osaka sees off two match points before bookin a showdown with Hsieh
      • Barty stands alone after Fognini beats de Minaur
      • Djokovic roars back for win after a slip against Fritz
      • Thiem tames Kyrgios serve to advance
      • Kokkinakis falls short after five set marathon against Tsitsipas
      • Ash overcomes Dash in all-Australian matchup
      • Kyrgios fights off two match points enroute to epic win
      • Halep escapes challenge from Tomljanovic
      • Day 1 wrap for the Aussies
      • Australian Open 2021 – Australian women’s preview
      • Australian Open 2021 – Australian men’s preview
      • 3 Positive COVID-19 tests – Keys out, Sandgren in, Murray maybe
      • Tomic the lone Aussie to advance through qualifying
      • More to get wild about at the Aussie Open
      • Australian Open wild cards so far
      • Australian Open dates confirmed
      • Australian Open dates still up in the air
      • Djokovic is great at eight
      • Ram and Salisbury claim their first Grand Slam doubles title
      • Kenin completes the fairytale as she claims her maiden Grand Slam title
      • Barty blows it twice and Kenin swoops to take her place in the final
      • Could this be the changing of the guard?
      • Saville and Purcell advance to their first Grand Slam semifinal
      • Federer pulls off another escape act to advance to the semis
      • Barty books semifinal spot against Kenin after dismantling Kvitova
      • Kyrgios pushes Nadal to the limit before world no. 1 marches into the quarter finals
      • Barty bounces Riske to setup Kvitova quarterfinal rematch
      • Polmans gets breakthrough win at the Australian Open
      • The rain is the big winner at the Australian Open on day 1 but Barty advances
      • Aussies at the Australian Open – round one matchups and previews
    • French Open
      • Swiatek becomes first Pole to win a singles grand slam
      • Australian lucky losers and protected ranking player advance
      • Nadal the King of Clay reigns supreme at Roland Garros
      • Barty cruises to Grand Slam glory in Paris
      • Barty rides the rollercoaster into the French Open final
      • Barty charges into the French Open semifinals
      • Barty books French Open quarterfinal match against Keys
      • Barty enters new territory at Roland Garros
      • Top Aussies Barty and de Minaur advance at Roland Garros
      • Angelique Kerber is first to lose on the new Philippe Chatrier Court
      • Ash Barty headlines Aussie charge at Roland Garros
      • Nadal Stays Perfect in Roland Garros Finals and Claims Title Number 11
      • Simona Halep Finally Lifts a Grand Slam Trophy after Winning at Roland Garros
      • Gavrilova and Stosur crash out of the French Open
    • Wimbledon
      • Wimbledon cancelled for 2020 due to coronavirus
      • Djokovic fights off two match points to retain the Wimbledon title
      • Halep first Romanian to claim the Wimbledon Ladies singles title
      • Serena doing it for the mums at Wimbledon
      • Riske is rewarded as she bundles Barty out of Wimbledon
      • Kyrgios v Nadal match lives up to the hype as Nadal advances
      • Barty eases through to the third round
      • Tomljanovic and Popyrin lose their round two matches
      • Four Aussies still alive in Wimbledon qualifying draw
      • Mixed day for the Aussie women after a perfect start for the Aussie men at the Wimbledon qualifying
      • Aussies off to a perfect start at Wimbledon qualifying
      • Off Court News – What Have Some of the Players Been Up To Since Wimbledon
      • Novak Djokovic completes the comeback with a surprise Wimbledon title
      • Angelique Kerber Claims First Wimbledon Title
      • Aussies wiped out on Wimbledon’s opening Saturday
      • Barty, Gavrilova, Kyrgios, Ebden and de Minaur advance to the third round at Wimbledon as Tomic falls
      • Top three Australian women safely through to the second round of the Wimbledon Ladies’ singles
      • Day one Wimbledon wrap for the Australians
      • Australian Preview for Gentlemen’s Singles at Wimbledon 2018
      • Kubler, Smith and Bolt win through to the Wimbledon main-draw
      • Five from Eight Australian Men Advance at Roehampton in Wimbledon Singles Qualifiers
    • US Open
      • Mother of all comebacks falls short as Osaka claims title
      • Thiem tramples de Minaur to advance to semifinals
      • de Minaur into his first grand slam quarterfinal
      • Coric defeats Thompson to advance to the quarterfinals
      • Jordan Thompson advances to a grand slam fourth round for the first time
      • de Minaur advances Millman and O’Connell are out
      • Jordan Thompson advances to third round
      • Day two US Open Aussie review
      • Aussies fight hard but only Thompson advances
      • Aussies at the US Open – preview
      • Nick Kyrgios says no to the US Open
      • Barty confirms she won’t be playing the US Open
      • Wang Qiang ends Barty’s US Open
      • Barty and de Minaur take their place in the US Open round of 16
      • Rain sends most players packing at the US Open but Barty marches on
      • A good day for the Aussies in New York
      • Barty recovers from a slow start to Open her US Open campaign
      • Novak Djokovic joins Pete Sampras with 14th Grand Slam singles titles after defeating Juan Martin del Potro at the US Open
      • Ash Barty teams up with CoCo Vandeweghe to claime their first Grand Slam doubles title
      • Japan’s Naomi Osaka claims first Grand Slam title amid Serena coaching controversy
      • Lightning doesn’t strike twice as Djokovic advances past Millman
      • Can John Millman pull off another big upset against Novak Djokovic at the US Open?
      • John Millman claims the biggest win of his career as he knocks off Roger Federer
      • US Open – Barty fails to captilise on break points and bows out to Pliskova
      • Millman marches on as Federer outclasses Kyrgios to setup meeting with Millman
      • Alex de Minaur goes down fighting against Marin Cilic
      • Ash Barty advances to round 4 for the first time at a grand slam in singles
      • Tomljanovic lets a match point slip away before losing second round match in third set tiebreaker
      • Australia’s Alex de Minaur triumphs again in New York
      • Kyrgios advances after a bizarre pep talk from the umpire – Federer is next
      • Ash Barty has too much firepower for Lucie Safarova
      • Gavrilova and Kubler out of the US Open
      • Kyrgios Advances at the US Open
      • US Open preview for the Australians
      • The fight is on for a ticket to New York and the US Open – updated – Ellen Perez v Lizette Cabrera in final
      • Six US Open Winners Headline the 2018 US Open Women’s Singles field
  • Women’s Tennis Association
    • ATP and WTA announce an extension of the COVID-19 suspension
    • Ash Barty wins the WTA Finals to cap off an amazing year but one prize still remains
    • Videos
    • Premier
      • Aussie summer of tennis is go
      • Kenin bundles Barty out of the Rogers Cup – Osaka one win from no. 1 ranking but Pliskova also in the hunt
      • Pliskova sends a warning ahead of Wimbledon
      • Ash Barty is two wins away from no. 1 after advancing past Venus Williams in Birmingham
      • Barty overcomes a tough first round opponent in Birmingham
      • Barty could take world no.1 ranking in Birmingham
      • Barty can’t halt Halep surge for no. 1
      • Barty punctuates her top-ten arrival by claiming Miami Open title
      • Barty beats the rain and Kontaveit to reach the Miami final
      • Barty finally gets the better of Kvitova to advance to the Miami semifinals and lock-in top-ten ranking
      • Andreescu completes her Indian Wells fairytale
      • Barty sets up Svitolina showdown in Indian Wells
      • Perfect day for the Aussies at Indian Wells with wins for Barty, Gavrilova, Bolt and Popyrin
      • Tomljanovic and Thompson advance – Stosur, Millman and Ebden are out at Indian Wells
      • Daria Gavrilova breaks her duck in Indian Wells
      • Bencic claims the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship title
      • Mertens claims another top-10 scalp on the way to the Qatar Total Open title
      • Bertens overcomes a slow start against Vekic to claim the St Petersburg title
      • Bertens and Vekic to face off for the St Petersburg title
      • Vekic ends Kvitova’s win streak in St Petersburg
      • Kvitova begins St Petersburgh Ladies Trophy title defence defeating Azarenka
      • Gavrilova’s 2019 winless streak continues
      • Petra Kvitova breaks Aussie’s hearts as she claims her second Sydney International title
      • Barty defeats Bertens to book her second consecutive final at the Sydney International
      • Barty advances to semifinal showdown against Bertens
      • Kvitova ends Kerber’s title defence at the Sydney International
      • Sydney International Tennis Stars Cruise the Harbour
      • Birrell stuns world no. 10 Kasatkina at the Brisbane International
    • International
      • Konta ends Tomljanovic’s run in Rabat
      • Anisimova denies Sharma her first WTA title as she wins her first in Bogota
      • Astra Sharma advances to her first WTA semifinal after a tricky encounter with Sara Errani
      • Sharma marches into new territory in Bogota
      • Azarenka Outlasts Kerber to Advance to Final in Monterrey
      • Yastremska claims second WTA title at Toyota Thailand Open
      • Yastremska secures spot in Toyota Thailand Open Final
      • Tomljanovic cruises into Toyota Thailand Open Final
      • Yastremska too hot for Muguruza in Thailand – Tomljanovic, Linette and Zidansek also advance
      • Tomljanovic toughs it out in Thailand
      • Muguruza mounts comeback to oust Barthel at the Toyota Thailand Open
      • Muguruza defeats Lisicki to open Toyota Thailand Open campaign
      • Bertens denies Tomljanovic her maiden WTA title as she wins the Korea Open title
      • Ajla Tomljanovic into Korea Open final after upsetting Hsieh Su-Wei
      • Ajla Tomljanovic battles past Mandy Minella to earn a semifinal spot in Seoul
      • Olga Danilovic is the first-ever lucky loser to claim a WTA singles title
      • Alizé Cornet heads to Gstaad final after Bouchard retirement
      • Sam Stosur Can’t Get Past the Mallorca Defending Champion
    • ITF
      • Ash Barty wins the WTA Finals to cap off an amazing year but one prize still remains
      • Honours even after Fed Cup day one – Australia v Belarus
      • Fed Cup finals spot up for grabs
      • Rogowska adds clay title to her Canberra hard court title
      • Hon to take on Rogowska for the ACT Clay Court International #2 title
      • Aussies shine despite gloomy weather for the ACT Clay Court International #2
      • No. 1 seed Hon advances while the defending champion goes down at the ACT Clay Court International #2
      • Priscilla Hon headlines the ACT Clay Court International #2 tournament
      • Destanee Aiava finally claims a Canberra title
    • Players
      • Angelique Kerber
  • ATP Tour
    • ATP and WTA announce an extension of the COVID-19 suspension
    • de Minaur back in action in Spain
    • Videos
    • Masters 1000
      • Indian Wells tournament called off due to coronavirus fears
      • Kyrgios and Thompson crash out of Miami along with Djokovic
      • Jordan Thompson steps it up in Miami
      • Kyrgios the entertainer marches on in Miami
      • Thiem overcomes Federer for Maiden Masters Title in Indian Wells
      • Perfect day for the Aussies at Indian Wells with wins for Barty, Gavrilova, Bolt and Popyrin
      • Tomljanovic and Thompson advance – Stosur, Millman and Ebden are out at Indian Wells
      • Potential Desert Duel for Kyrgios and Djokovic
      • Matt Ebden loses to Borna Coric in the quarterfinals at the Shanghai Masters
      • Djokovic finally gets his Cincinnati Masters title and completes career Golden Masters
      • Federer and Djokovic set to meet for the 46th time in the Cincinnati Masters final
      • Nick Kyrgios goes walkabout against Juan Martín del Potro
      • Rogers Cup – Barty Collects the Doubles Title in Montreal and Peers wins the Toronto Title
      • Kyrgios feeling the pain after falling to Wawrinka at Toronto
      • Nadal takes Rome Masters 1000 title from Zverev
    • ATP Cup
      • Australia defeats Great Britain in a thriller to advance to the ATP Cup semifinals
      • Australia takes another step toward the ATP Cup quarterfinals after despatching Canada
      • Kyrgios and de Minaur get Australia a winning start at the ATP Cup
    • World 500
      • Kyrgios Claims second ATP 500 title as he defeats Medvedev for the title in Washington – to rise to no. 1 ranked Australian
      • Kyrgios reaches ATP 500 final in Washington after rollercoaster ride against Tsitsipas
      • Nick Kyrgios silences the critics as he caps off an amazing week in Acapulco with title
      • Federer joins exclusive 100 club after claiming Dubai crown
      • Kyrgios ices Isner in Acapulco to book Zverev finals showdown
      • Federer one match away from 100 titles as he takes on his Australian Open conquerer Tsitsipas
      • Kyrgios Conquers Nadal in Acapulco
      • Kyrgios and de Minaur advance Popyrin falls in Acapulco
      • Alex de Minaur earns his first ATP 500 finals berth after epic battle against Andrey Rublev
      • Injured Kyrgios Withdraws from Washington – Duckworth into ATP 500 Third Round
      • Dominic Thiem proves too good for John Millman on the Hamburg clay at the ATP 500 event
      • John Millman Defeats Jan-Lennard Struff at Hamburg ATP 500 Event
      • Cilic Too Good for Kyrgios at the Queen’s Club
      • Kyrgios halts Murray’s comeback at Queen’s Club
      • Borna Coric takes the Halle title from Roger Federer
    • World 250
      • Millman claims his maiden ATP title in Nur-Sultan
      • Humbert defeats de Minaur to claim European Open title
      • de Minaur to take on Umbert for European Open title
      • de Minaur advances in Atlanta – Popyrin and Tomic are out
      • Thompson falls short in first ATP level final
      • Popyrin falls to defending champion in Estoril
      • Thompson fights back from defeat in Houston
      • de Minaur claims his maiden ATP title in his home town
      • Seppi into Sydney International Tennis final
      • John Millman falls short of Sydney International semifinal
      • Some late night Hewitt entertainment at the Sydney International
      • No. 1 seed knocked out of the Sydney International by Andreas Seppi
      • Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andreas Seppi preview
      • de Minaur Overcomes Thompson in an All Aussie Quarterfinal Clash at the Sydney International
      • Local hopes end as de Minaur and Tomljanovic bow out of the Brisbane International
      • Tomic grabs a top-100 ranking as he marches into the Chengdu final
      • Ebden falls to Isner in Atlanta – Thompson and Rodionova advance to finals in Binghamton and Granby
      • Ebden into Atlanta semis as Kyrgios retires against Norrie and Thompson marches on at Binghamton Challenger
      • Federer gets past Kyrgios to claim world no. 1 and reach the Stuttgart final
    • Challenger
      • Polmans wins the Zhangjiagang $54K ATP Challenger Title
      • Polmans overcomes a slow start to defeat Banes in Bangalore at the ATP Challenger Tour $150,000 event
      • Jordan Thompson rockets his ranking up to 73 after back-to-back ATP Challenger titles
      • Thompson aiming for eighth ATP Challenger final in 2018
      • Jordan Thompson wins his second ATP Challenger title for 2018
      • Thanasi Kokkinakis into the Las Vegas ATP Challenger Final
      • Jordan Thompson reaches back-to-back ATP Challenger finals
      • Kokkinakis and Smith roll into Las Vegas semifinals

Wimbledon cancelled for 2020 due to coronavirus

April 5, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

For the first time since World War Two there will not be a tournament held for The Championships.

Below is the text from an email that was distributed by the All England Tennis Club to announce the news.

Dear Guest

You will no doubt have heard the news yesterday that, with great regret, the Main Board of the All England Club (AELTC) and Committee of Management of The Championships took the difficult decision that the 134th Championships, due to be staged in 2020, will be cancelled and instead staged from 28 June to 11 July 2021.

The highest priority in our decision making has been our regard for public health, and the wellbeing of all those who come together to make Wimbledon happen. Please refer to the detailed media announcement on wimbledon.com alongside a list of frequently asked questions.

We appreciate that this news will have been received with great disappointment by all those looking forward to The Championships this year. We have been overwhelmed by the passion for Wimbledon expressed as a result of the announcement and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your understanding of these unique and unquestionably challenging circumstances. It is your love for The Championships that has shaped our event over the years, and will continue to do so.

We are developing our plans to use the Wimbledon channels to showcase the best of The Championships over the years and do our best as much as possible to fill the gap left by no tournament this year as we also turn our attentions to preparing a fantastic Championships for 2021, so please do follow along across wimbledon.com and our social media platforms.

If you are interested in attending The Championships 2021, we will be opening the registration process for the Wimbledon Public Ballot for 2021 in the autumn of 2020. With that in mind, we ask you to ensure that your email address remains up to date via your myWIMBLEDON profile so that we can continue to contact you.

In addition to planning for The Championships 2021, our efforts will now be focused on contributing to the emergency response and supporting those affected by the coronavirus crisis. We have made contact with the local authorities in Merton and Wandsworth as well as the NHS to offer our facilities and whatever other assistance we can, including equipment, and we are distributing food supplies through our partnership with City Harvest. Through our charity, the Wimbledon Foundation, we are offering support within our local communities, and more broadly for the London and UK population through donations to the British Red Cross, the Foundation’s emergency response charity partner.

We thank you for your continued support at this difficult time and hope you and your families remain safe and well.

Kind regards,

The All England Lawn Tennis Club

Filed Under: Wimbledon

Djokovic fights off two match points to retain the Wimbledon title

July 15, 2019 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

World no. 1 Novak Djokovic has fought off two match points in the fifth set to go on to win a thrilling match against Roger Federer.
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The match lived up to expectations going the distance after both players could not close out the match before the 12-12 limit was reached sending the final into the first ever fifth set tie-breaker.Embed from Getty Images
It was Federer that could have taken the title after he broke Djokovic in the 15th game of the fifth set then served for the match at 8-7 earning two break points along the way.

The first match point was lost due to sloppy footwork when Federer failed to get into position and he hit his shot wide.

The second match point was gone after Djokovic saw Federer charge the net and then the world no. 1 calmly whipped the ball past Federer.

A Boris Becker like dive might have given the Swiss maestro the match if he connected with a diving volley. Instead, he was left stranded at the net as the ball zipped past.

From 15-40 and facing the match points, Djokovic won four straight points to break back. The defending champion actually ran off seven straight points to move to 40-0 in the 17th game.

If you look at the stats from the match it is hard to see how Djokovic won, but he did win thanks to winning the points that mattered in the first, third and fifth set tiebreakers.

Federer hit 94 winners to 54 from Djokovic. The unforced errors favoured Djokovic 52 to 62. Total points won was 218 to 204 in favour of Federer.

Federer also broke seven times to three, won more first serve points, won more second serve points, but he still lost.

The three tie breaks got him over the line, winning the Championship 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(3).

It is the fifth time Djokovic has won the Wimbledon title. Federer was denied his ninth singles title. It is also now four runner-up plates for Federer.

The match will be remembered for some time however too many points were ended by an error instead of a winner, but it was still a high-quality match.

Djokovic, who at 32 years-old closes the all-time Grand Slam gap to four behind Federer on 20.

You would have to think if Djokovic can stay motivated for another five years and maintain form he will end up with the most Grand Slam singles titles in men’s tennis.

The US Open is the next Grand Slam, and Djokovic is again defending the title. Can Federer bounce back to claim his sixth US Open? He has not won the US Open since the last of five straight in 2008.

Filed Under: Wimbledon

Halep first Romanian to claim the Wimbledon Ladies singles title

July 14, 2019 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Simona Halep dominated the 2019 Ladies final against Serena Williams winning 6-2, 6-2 in 55 minutes.

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Halep was always in control. She raced out to a 4-0 lead as Williams was looking a step behind Halep. The unforced errors were piling up for the American.

Halep played almost the perfect match. She had just three unforced errors to 26 from Serena. The winners favoured Serena 17-13 but the unforced errors were too much to overcome.

Serena only looked in the match late in the first set and early in the second before Halep again started to dominate.

Serena was again denied her first Grand Slam title since becoming a mother, also she missed out on matching Margaret Court’s 24 Grand Slam singles titles.

Halep added to her 2018 French Open title to now become a multiple Grand Slam winner. She will also move up to no. 4 in the rankings.

“I never thought – I’m very honest – I never thought that I’m able to win on grass with all these players that are very tall and serving with a lot of power,” Halep said. “But this year, I started to feel the game more and more. I started to feel safe on court, which helped me a lot to believe.”

“I knew that I have to be aggressive, being 100 per cent for every ball,” she said, “that I don’t have to let her come back to the match because she’s so powerful and so strong. She knows how to manage every moment. So I knew that I have to stay there, which I did pretty well today.”

“I’m very sure that was the best match of my life. Also on grass against her is never easy. So I’m really proud of my game of today and the whole tournament.

“I thought about the match, but I didn’t think at all against who I play. I always been intimidated a little bit when I faced Serena. Set and 5-2 when I was serving, after few points during the match, I looked at the scoreboard. I said, Okay, it’s 5-2, it’s real. Then I just played every ball. I didn’t think at the score at all.”

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“Seems like every Grand Slam final I’m in recently has been an unbelievable effort to get there. It would be interesting to see how it would be under different circumstances,” Williams said.

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“Maybe playing other finals outside of Grand Slams would be really helpful just to get in the groove, so by the time I get to a Grand Slam final I’m used to what to do and how to play. I can’t say I blame injury. I wasn’t injured when the tournament started. That really is a positive for me. I just have to keep going, keep trying, keep working, maybe be able to play some tournaments uninjured, like I did with this one.”

Filed Under: Wimbledon

Serena doing it for the mums at Wimbledon

July 13, 2019 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Serena Williams is facing Simona Halep at Wimbledon with the title on the line.

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Williams famously had a meltdown against Naomi Osaka at the 2018 US Open. She was penalised by the umpire for receiving coaching from the stands.

In pleading her case after things had escalated she said “Every time I play here, I have problems. I did not have coaching, I don’t cheat. You need to make an announcement. I have a daughter and I stand for what’s right. You owe me an apology.”

Williams will be playing for her 24th Grand Slam singles title, but her first as a mum. This means a lot to her.

Halep is the first Romanian woman to reach the Wimbledon final. She is the 2018 French Open champion, her lone Grand Slam title.

The head-to-head between Williams and Halep stands at 9-1 for Williams. Halep got her sole win at the 2014 WTA finals in round one.

The most recent match was at the 2019 Australian Open during at which Williams defeated Halep in the round of 16.

Halep was coming off a back injury at the start of the year. The Romanian has been in good form recently while Williams has also found form as the tournament progressed.

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Williams had not played a match since the French Open but she steamrolled Barbora Strycova in the semis. Halep also had a comfortable win over Elina Svitolina in the semis.

It was against fellow America Alison Riske that Williams faced her toughest test. Riske was coming off a fourth-round win over world no. 1 Ash Barty and took Williams to three sets.

Williams also dropped a set in the second round against Kaja Juvan, losing the first set.

Halep reached the 2014 Wimbledon semifinals losing to Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets.

At the 2019 Wimbledon tournament, Halep was taken to three sets against fellow Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu in round two, all other matches she was able to win in straight sets.

Williams has the power game but is prone to errors at times. She is however often able to rely on her serve to save break points or close out games.

Halep is a fighter and chases hard to stay in a point. She can also hit the lines or find the open court when required.

This will be a tough battle between perhaps the greatest female player of all time and a determined Romanian.

I am tipping Halep in three sets.

Filed Under: Wimbledon

Riske is rewarded as she bundles Barty out of Wimbledon

July 8, 2019 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Australia’s world no. 1 Ashleigh Barty had not dropped a set en route to the round 4 match against USA’s world no. 55 Alison Riske.
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That came to an end when the American dominated the second set to level the match at 1-1. Barty won the first set 6-3, Riske took the second 6-2.

Barty opened the match in outstanding fashion serving four Aces early in the set.

The signs were good in the first set. Barty hit 13 winners to 6 and it was 5 unforced errors to 9. Barty broke Riske twice, but was broken once herself.

In the second set the match swung in favour of the American. Barty served less Aces and served two double faults. She made 11 unforced errors to two from Riske.

Barty was serving at just 40% in the second set and Riske took advantage of this as she attacked the second serve. Riske broke twice to take the first set against Barty at the 2019 Wimbledon tournament.

In the deciding third set, it was Riske that got a crucial break to go ahead at 5-3 in the third set and she was able to serve out the match.

Barty held a break point in the fifth game of the third set but was denied by the American.

Riske was going for the lines and was relentless in attacking the Australian.

At 5-3 and serving for the match Riske held her composure to move to match point. Barty missed a shot wide and her 15-match win streak was over.

Riske has won most of her Grand Slam matches on the grass courts at Wimbledon. Her record stands at 11-8 after defeating Barty.

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This was the first ever win against a world no. 1 for Riske, she is into her first Grand Slam quarterfinal against either Serena Williams or Carla Suarez Navarro.

Filed Under: Wimbledon

Barty extends win streak to 15 and moves into Wimbledon’s second week

July 7, 2019 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Australia’s world no. 1 Ash Barty has extended her win streak to 15, that dates back to her round one match at the French Open.
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Barty got better as the match went on in her third round match against British wildcard Harriet Dart winning 6-1, 6-1 in 53 minutes.

Dart is the world no. 182 and has a career-high ranking of 121.

The match was Barty’s first on Wimbledon’s centre court. She played like a world no. 1 against someone outside of the top-100.

The only time Barty was under pressure during a service game was in the sixth game of the second set when she fought back from 0-40 down.

The winners and unforced errors count show just how much Barty dominated as she hit 23 winners to five from Dart and Barty had six unforced errors to 18 from the Brit.

The Australian was 5-5 on break points and fended off all four against her serve.

Barty’s next opponent is USA’s Alison Riske who is ranked at no. 55. Riske defeated Belinda Bencic to set up a meeting with Barty. The American coming back from 0-3, 0-40 in the third set.

The winner of the Barty-Riske match could face Serena Williams in the quarterfinals if Williams is able to defeat Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro on Monday.

Barty was asked about that possible matchup. “I will give the athlete’s answer and say ‘I’m just going to worry about Alison first,” was her reply.

Filed Under: Wimbledon

Kyrgios v Nadal match lives up to the hype as Nadal advances

July 5, 2019 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

The most anticipated round two match at Wimbledon was the centre court match between Australia’s Nick Kyrgios and Spain’s Rafael Nadal.
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It was a round of 16 match at Wimbledon in 2014 that Kyrgios announced himself to the world of tennis. At the time the Australian was ranked at no. 144 and Nadal was no. 1.

This was a bit of a grudge match after Kyrgios had defeated Nadal at Acapulco earlier in the year and the Australian got under the Spaniards skin after serving underarm at one stage.

“He could win Grand Slams and fight the top positions of the ranking, but there is a reason why he is where he is,’ said Nadal of the world No.43 afterwards. ‘I don’t think he’s a bad guy, not at all. I think he’s a good guy, but what he lacks is a little respect for the public, for his rival, and also for himself. I think he should improve that.” said Nadal after his Acapulco loss.

Kyrgios had added to the tension by calling Nadal ‘Salty’ when he loses.

The round two match was highly anticipated. Nadal got off to a good start winning the first set 6-3 after getting a single break of serve.

The winners were 8-8 in the opening set and unforced errors at 2-2. This was a top quality match.

As time went on Kyrgios showed his full range of shots including an underarm served that won the point when Nadal charged forward and netted in return.

Kyrgios was feuding with the umpire. A fault was called on a Nadal serve and Kyrgios had missed the shot, put off by the call which was found to be incorrect.

The umpire gave the point to Nadal as he said the call didn’t affect the shot from Kyrgios. The Australian was not happy. He basically gave the game away as he battled his emotions.

There was another tension building moment when Kyrgios blasted a shot straight at Nadal when he was at the net. He admitted afterwards he was aiming for Nadal. The Spaniard got his racquet on the ball but expected an apology from his opponent. None was given.

Kyrgios played a great second set. He hit five Aces and had 15 winners to 5. He hit seven unforced errors to Nadal with four. Kyrgios broke twice to win the set 6-3.

From there no player would again face a break point and both of the two final sets were decided in tie breakers. The Australian was 5-0 in tie breakers against Nadal but the Spaniard took the match as he won both breakers.

Nadal winning the match 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(3) in just over three hours.

The Spaniard was full of emotion as the match went on, showing just how much it meant to him as he won key points through the match.

“Been a tough match obviously against a very tough opponent… Very happy the way that I hold the pressure. Very happy the way I played the tie-breaks with the right determination,” Nadal said.

“I mean, I get disappointed, but at the same time (the way) I played today, I left it all out there,” a philosophical Kyrgios said in his press conference.

“I can’t be too disappointed. A couple points here or there. He’s a champion. He played well in those moments. That’s why he’s one of the greatest there is.

“I thought it was a high-level match. Two tiebreaks. I played a couple loose points here or there. That’s all it takes against a player like that. He was just too good today.”

Filed Under: Wimbledon

Barty eases through to the third round

July 5, 2019 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

World no. 1 Ash Barty has cruised into the third round at Wimbledon to match her best performance at this prestigious tournament.
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Barty defeated Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck 6-1. 6-3. The Australian will face Great Britain’s Harriet Dart who is a wildcard.

In 2018 Barty lost to Daria Kasatkina in the third round. That triggered some changes that she wanted to make and started her run to the world no. 1 ranking.

In round one Barty took a little time to adjust to conditions. In the match against Van Uytvanck she was straight away in the groove and she raced through the first set.

Barty had just two unforced errors in the opening set along with six winners. Her opponent matched the winners count but made seven unforced errors. The no. 1 converted two break points from three and did not offer a break point.

In the second set Barty hit eight winners to four and had five unforced errors to 10 from Van Uytvanck.

Filed Under: Wimbledon

Tomljanovic and Popyrin lose their round two matches

July 4, 2019 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Australians Ajla Tomljanovic and Alexei Popyrin have bowed out of Wimbledon, both losing their round two matches on court 12.

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Things started well for both. Tomljanovic winning the first two games of her match against former world no. 1 Victoria Azarenka and Popyrin winning the opening set against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.

For Tomljanovic things quickly went against her. The Australian played a poor game three and would lose 12 straight games to limp out of Wimbledon with a 6-2, 6-0 loss.
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“Felt like it was vintage Vika out there today,” Tomljanovic said.

“Didn’t think I played my best obviously; had a really bad game at 2-0 (in the first set) which could have been way different if I’d held there, more pressure on her.

“But after that she didn’t give me anything and I had to play really well today to have a shot. Feels bad at this point.”

Tomljanovic had opportunities to get back into the match. She was 40-0 in the fifth game of the second set but her serving let her down in this match, serving at just 49% to Azarenka’s 75%.

Popyrin who made the main draw as a qualifier played a great first set. He served at 80% and hit 17 winners to 10 as he took the opening set in a tie-breaker.

The young Australian had a bad loss of concentration in the second set as he lost 6-1 before bouncing back in the third, breaking his Russian opponent for the first time in the match.

Unfortunately, things did not quite go his way and Medvedev was able to get over the top of Popyrin to move to a 2-1 lead.

Popyrin was not able to trouble Medvedev’s serve in the fourth set going down 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

“He’s just a wall. He’s so solid. He’s so solid from the back. He doesn’t miss,” Popyrin said.

“I tried to do different tactics that me and my team worked on. I tried bringing him to the net. He’s not comfortable at the net, and I reckon I did that pretty well. Tried to mix up the pace. I reckon I did that well with my slices and just most of all just focus on my game; play aggressive, big serve.

“He kind of neutralised that serve today. I didn’t hit as many aces.

“Just a couple of mental dips that I’ve got to work on, but that’s it. That just comes from experience in my eyes.”

After a commendable performance, Popyrin is out in the second round, but it was a good learning experience.

“Every experience, every time I get to play a top-10 player I always feel like I’m in the match,” said a philosophical Popyrin. “I never feel like I’m being blown away, except for that match against Isner at Indian Wells (lost 6-0 6-2 in the second round).

“I always feel like I’ve got the game to compete with these guys – and beat them.”

Filed Under: Wimbledon

Four Aussies in action on day one at Wimbledon

July 1, 2019 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

At the bottom of this post is the list of Australian players and their first round opponents.

Three Australian women and one man will be in action on day one.

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Daria Gavrilova faces the toughest task, at least based on rankings as she faces world no. 8 Elina Svitolina from Ukraine.

Svitolina failed to win a match during the grass court tournaments leading up to Wimbledon. If Gavrilova serves well and maintains her composure she is an outside chance to defeat the Ukrainian.

Ajla Tomljanovic faces former top-ten player Daria Kasatkina. The Russian has really struggled in 2019, this has seen her ranking slip to no. 30. after starting the year at no. 10.

Kasatkina has played just one grass court match going into Wimbledon. The Australian has played six, although like Kasatkina she lost first round last week in Eastbourne. Tomljanovic is a good chance of defeating the Russian.

The final Australian woman playing on day one is new top-100 entrant Astra Sharma. She cracked the top-100 in late May, helped by reaching the final in Bogota.

Sharma face Sofia Kenin, the Mallorca champion just the week before last. If Kenin finds her Mallorca form she should prove too strong for Sharma, but she lost first round last week in Eastbourne.

Kenin played well at the French Open, so has confidence going into Wimbledon. The most likely result is a win for Kenin, but don’t be surprised if Sharma gets the win.

Alexei Popyrin is the sole Australian male taking the courts on day one. He plays Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta the world no. 50. The Spaniard reached the semifinals in Antalya so has some form going into this match.

Popyrin made the main draw through qualifying and that gives him confidence as he steps out on the Wimbledon grass. The world no. 101 has 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash as coach, that could give him the edge in this match.

Ladies

Ash Barty (1) vs Zheng Saisai CHN
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Daria Kasatkina (29) RUS – Monday Ct16 M4
Daria Gavrilova vs Elina Svitolina (8) UKR – Monday Ct18 M1
Astra Sharma vs Sofia Kenin (27) USA – Monday Ct14 M1
Sam Stosur vs Carla Suarez Navarro (30) ESP
Arina Rodionova (Q) vs Taylor Townsend USA

Gentlemen’s 

Alex de Minaur (25) vs Marco Cucchinato ITA
Nick Kyrgios vs Jordan Thompson 
Jordan Thompson vs Nick Kyrgios
John Millman vs Hugo Dellien BOL
Matthew Ebden vs Diego Schwartzman (24) ARG
Bernard Tomic vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA
Alexie Popyrin (Q) vs Pablo Carreno Busta ESP – Monday Ct 8 M3

Filed Under: Wimbledon

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