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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.”

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

Wimbledon qualifying wrapped-up at the Bank of England Tennis centre in Roehampton. After eight Australian men and seven Australian women competed in round one earlier this week, just Alexei Popyrin and Arina Rodionova have advanced.

Popyrin defeated USA’s Bjorn Fratangelo in three hours and twelve minutes, the final score was 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-7(4), 7-6(6).

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“I think I did pretty well on my serve so that really helped. I think I was holding my serve pretty comfortably throughout the third and fourth sets. It was just a couple of points here and there in both tiebreaks and in the fourth set they went my way,” Popyrin said.

“Hopefully (I can cause some damage in the main draw). I think going into any tournament I can cause damage. Especially on grass, I feel it suits my game so hopefully I can cause some damage.

“(It’s) definitely a dream come true. I did it the hard way today but definitely happy to be in the main draw.”

“That wasn’t a top-spin lob – that was more of a framed lob,” he laughed.

“It’s going great (with 1987 Wimbledon Champion Pat Cash). He’s been really helpful, as you can see – I lost a couple of points at the net but I think I won most of them. So he’s definitely been helpful and it’s great to have him in my corner. And he’s just a great motivator.

“Definitely (it’s more satisfying to qualify). It feels more real; getting wildcards to Aussie Open and French Open, I thought I deserved them.

“But going through qualifying, going through the hard way, I think it was a great achievement for me.”

Rodionova looked to be heading home without qualifying after losing the first set 6-0. She was, however, able to complete a remarkable turnaround taking the next two sets 6-1, 6-1 to be the lone Australian woman to qualify.

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The Australian also staged a big comeback against Asia Muhammad fighting back from 4-1 down in the third set.

Jason Kubler lost his match against Japan’s Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-3, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 and Andrew Harris lost to France’s Corentin Moutet (1) 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.

“I just can’t win like a normal person, I need to make some sort of drama and action. You know, (I’m) all about spectators,” Rodionova said.

“Unfortunately it’s not such an uncommon for me to lose a set easy, because I don’t have a great serve and I feel like she’s the sort of player that it doesn’t matter how big your serve is, she’s gonna get it back anyway.

“I think she started really well. I was definitely fatigued after my match and she made me get down like really low to get her shots back, her slice, especially on the forehand, like I really struggled to get it going, and just felt my hips were a little bit tight.

“Then I started telling myself that she’s probably not going to play the whole match on that level. I thought she played amazing first set and she didn’t really give me any chances, and if she plays like this the whole match, then it’s too good.

“But it’s a hard thing to do. I think I started well second set, I held my serve first game in the second set, it was a really tough game, and then I felt like she took her foot off the gas a little bit. I was pumped for that (laughter).”

Rodionova will be playing at Wimbledon for the second time after also reaching the main draw through qualifying in 2017 before losing in the second round.

Men’s

James Duckworth d Jan Choinski GBR 6-1, 7-5. R2 lost to Viktor Galovic CRO 3-6, 6-3, 11-9
Marc Polmans d Mohamed Safwat EGY 6-1, 6-3. R2 lost to Soonwoo Kwon (24) KOR 6-2, 6-2
Andrew Harris d Enrique Lopez Perez ESP 6-2, 7-5. R2 d SergiyStakhovsky (17) UKR 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Rd3 lost to Corentin Moutet (1) FRA 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
Jason Kubler d Henri Laaksonen (2) SUI 6-2,5-7, 7-5. R2 d Norbert Gombos SVK 7-6(5), 7-6(1). Rd3 lost to Yasutaka Uchiyama JPN 3-6, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
Alexei Popyrin (4) d Federico Coria ARG 6-2, 7-5. R2 d Mats Moraing GER 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. Rd3 d Bjorn Fratangelo (27) USA 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-7(4), 7-6(6)
John-Patrick Smith d Nicolas Mahut FRA 6-3, 6-4. R2 lost to Salvatore Caruso (18) ITA 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Alex Bolt d Jannik Sinner ITA 2-6, 7-5, 12-10. R2 lost to Dennis Novak (14) AUT 6-4, 6-2
Akira Santillan d Jurij Rodionov 6-3, 6-1. R2 lost to Ruben Bemelmans BEL 6-7(5), 6-3, 12-10

Women’s

Zoe Hives lost to Anna Blinkova (2) RUS 6-1,7-5
Destanee Aiava lost to Martina Di Giuseppe ITA 7-6(3), 6-4
Kimberly Birrell lost to Misaki Doi (4) JPN 6-1, 4-6, 7-5
Arina Rodionova d Asia Muhammad USA 7-6(6), 6(2)-7, 8-6. R2 d Misaki Doi (4) JPN 6-4, 6-2. Rd3 d Danielle Lao USA 0-6, 6-1, 6-1
Priscilla Hon (23) d Katarina Zavatska UKR 7-5, 6-3. R2 lost to Catherine McNally USA 6-4, 6-4.
Ellen Perez lost to Elena Rybakina (8) KAZ 6-1, 6-4
Kaylah Mcphee d Maia Lumsden GBR 6-4, 6-4. R2 lost to Liudmila Samsonova (31) RUS 6-2, 7-6(5)