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Williams fined $10,000 for damaging court at Wimbledon

  • Posted: Jul 08, 2019

Serena Williams has been fined $10,000 (£7,988) for damaging one of the Wimbledon courts with her racquet.

The incident occurred during a practice session before this year’s tournament at the All England Club.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion, 37, is playing just her sixth tournament of 2019 but beat Carla Suarez Navarro on Monday to reach the quarter-finals.

Italy’s Fabio Fognini has been fined $3,000 (£2,396) after he said that Wimbledon should be bombed.

The 32-year-old made the outburst in his native tongue during his third-round loss to Tennys Sandgren on Saturday.

  • Williams wanted ‘to watch rather than play’ in Murray match

American Williams, seeded 11th, has been suffering from a knee injury this year.

She faces compatriot Alison Riske in the last eight after she upset world number one Ashleigh Barty.

Williams and partner Andy Murray are in the second round of the mixed doubles and are due to meet Fabrice Martin and Raquel Atawo on Tuesday.

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Williams dominates Suarez Navarro to reach last eight

  • Posted: Jul 08, 2019
Wimbledon 2019 on the BBC
Venue: All England Club Dates: 1-14 July
Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full details

Seven-time Wimbledon singles champion Serena Williams reached the quarter-finals at SW19 with a dominant display against Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro.

The American 11th seed, 37, raced to a 6-2 6-2 victory against the 30-year-old world number 31.

Williams will play compatriot Alison Riske in the last eight after she upset world number one Ashleigh Barty.

In another unexpected result, Karolina Muchova beat third seed Karolina Pliskova 4-6 7-5 13-11.

The all-Czech encounter was a game away from becoming the first Wimbledon match decided by the new rule which sees a tie-break played if it reaches 12-12 in the final set.

But world number 68 Muchova, who has never reached a Grand Slam quarter-final before, hit a forehand winner to break at 12-11 up and claim victory after three hours and 17 minutes.

The 22-year-old will face Ukrainian eighth seed Elina Svitolina next, who moved into the last eight with a 6-4 6-2 win against Petra Martic.

  • Top seed Barty knocked out of Wimbledon
  • ‘I can’t put into words how I feel’ – Coco’s Wimbledon fairytale
  • Scores, results and order of play from Wimbledon

Williams is also in the second round of the mixed doubles with Britain’s Andy Murray and said she was happy to have more playing time at the All England Club.

“I have more matches this week than in the past five months, but it is good,” she explained.

“I know I can play and now that I feel better physically I almost feel a relief. I still want it or I wouldn’t be here.”

Williams took control from the outset, breaking Suarez Navarro’s serve in the first game then breaking again to go 5-2 up.

But shortly before that Williams, who played in her first Grand Slam in 1998, had to be reminded of the rules by the umpire as she reached over the net to hit a volley.

The 23-time major winner told the umpire “I thought it was allowed” after the point was overruled, but was ultimately undisturbed as she claimed the first set in 31 minutes.

Williams made an equally commanding start to the second set as she broke Suarez Navarro in her first two service games, but the four-time Olympic champion then dipped momentarily as she lost her serve to love.

Suarez Navarro has never won more than three games in a set against the American though, and Williams ensured that record continued as she broke for a third time then held serve to close out the match in one hour and four minutes.

Elsewhere, Belgian 24th seed Elise Mertens served for the match against the Czech Republic’s Barbora Strycova but was eventually beaten 4-6 7-5 6-2.

The world number 54 will play Britain’s Johanna Konta after she beat Petra Kvitova in three sets.

China’s Zhang Shuai held off Ukrainian 19-year-old Dayana Yastremska 6-4 1-6 6-2 and will now play Simona Halep, who ended 15-year-old Coco Gauff’s run with a 6-3 6-3 victory.

Analysis

American former world number six Chanda Rubin on BBC TV

This was just a classic Serena Williams performance. Everything was firing and on point.

Carla Suarez Navarro is an opponent she has never really had trouble with. Williams broke her in the first game and she never looked back.

She did not have enough against Williams’ power, serving and movement.

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Konta seeks place in Wimbledon semi-finals

  • Posted: Jul 08, 2019
Wimbledon 2019 on the BBC
Venue: All England Club Dates: 1-14 July
Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full details

If Britain’s Johanna Konta finds herself in a third set in Tuesday’s Wimbledon quarter-final, she can draw confidence from the fact that on recent form she is likely to pull through.

The British number one came from behind to beat two-time champion Petra Kvitova to win her 13th of 15 three-setters in 2019 and faces Barbora Strycova next.

“That’s something I can be really proud of,” the 28-year-old said.

“It comes with match fitness, as well, with playing a lot of them.”

Konta will face Strycova on Centre Court after 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams takes on fellow American Alison Riske at 13:00 BST.

The Briton is one win away from emulating her 2017 feat of reaching the last four and two away from becoming the first British women’s singles finalist since Virginia Wade won the title in 1977.

“The experience that I had in 2017 was a magnificent one. It was something that is incredibly special to me,” Konta said.

“Equally how I’m doing so far, I’m just really pleased with the level I’m playing, how I’m competing, how I’m really just trying to find a way in each match that I play.”

She has faced Czech world number 54 Strycova just once before, losing in straight sets on a hard court in Tokyo in 2017.

“She’s a very crafty player,” Konta said. “She knows how to mix up the game. She knows how to play on this surface.

“To know… that I have the capability to stay there as long as I need to for however long, even if losing the first set, I know I have every opportunity to get back into the match.”

  • Konta beats Pliskova to reach quarters
  • Williams through to Wimbledon quarters
  • High hopes for Coco Gauff after astonishing Wimbledon run

Analysis – ‘Konta has a shot at winning’

Three-time Wimbledon singles champion John McEnroe on BBC TV

I admire Konta’s fighting qualities. Everything about her game is very meticulously planned out. To me she is a better player now than when she got to the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2017.

She is mixing up her serve nicely. The team has looked back on her career and realised that variety is the spice of life and that could help her in the end.

I’m not going to say she’s the favourite to win this but she’s got a shot at it, for sure.

Williams faces debutant – and has a Murray debate to settle

If Konta can beat Strycova, she would face the winner of the match between Williams and Riske, who beat world number one Ashleigh Barty to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final.

Williams will play two matches in one day on Centre Court, playing her singles quarter-final before returning to action after Konta’s match to continue her high-profile mixed doubles partnership with Britain’s Andy Murray.

They face American Raquel Atawo and Frenchman Fabrice Martin in the second round as former world number one Murray continues his comeback following hip surgery.

They gelled well in their first crowd-pleasing display on Saturday, but they still need to sort out one issue – their nickname.

“He did tweet Ser-Andy. I was like, ‘I like Murena. My vote is still for Murena’,” Williams smiled.

Seventh seed Simona Halep is the highest ranked player left in the women’s singles after defeats on Monday for Barty and third seed Karolina Pliskova.

She faces China’s Zhang Shuai, who is ranked 50th in the world but who has posed the Romanian problems in the past, including a stunning upset in the 2016 Australian Open first round.

“Things are different now,” Halep said. “I don’t want to think about the past that much. I’m different and I’m feeling different on court. This is what matters.”

In the other quarter-final, Ukrainian eighth seed Elina Svitolina takes on Czech world number 68 Karolina Muchova.

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A Trip To McDonald's Roger Federer Will Never Forget

  • Posted: Jul 08, 2019

A Trip To McDonald’s Roger Federer Will Never Forget

Federer reflects on how he overcame disappointment as a young player

After beating Matteo Berrettini in just 74 minutes in the fourth round of Wimbledon on Monday, Roger Federer was congratulated by the 17th seed’s coach.

“His coach congratulated me and thanked me almost. I was like, ‘Why?’” Federer said. “He was like, ‘It’s good for him to get a lesson.’ You guys are a bit tough [I told him], but I get it. I like the Italians.”

Berrettini entered the match with more grass-court wins in 2019 (12) than anyone else on the ATP Tour. But he was never able to find an opening against Federer, earning only one break point in the match.

“[What is] important is that he’s not too disappointed, because he’s had a great run. It’s important for him to look ahead. There’s so many great moments coming in his career,” Federer said. “I lost sometimes the hard way.”

The first match that came to mind for the 37-year-old was at the 2001 US Open, when he was 20. Federer lost in 83 minutes against former World No. 1 Andre Agassi.

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“I thought like, Oh, maybe I was going to take Andre out, all that stuff. Nah. You get smashed, go home, don’t understand what happened,” Federer recalled. “You realise, ‘Well, I’ve just got to work harder.’ It’s that simple. Maybe got to have a different tactic, maybe got to have a different mindset going into that.”

The following year, Federer was scheduled to play Belarusian Max Mirnyi in a fourth-round encounter in Flushing Meadows. The pair had to wait 10 hours to get onto a court because of rain.

“They sent me out at 11 p.m. Court 7, lost in straight sets, went to McDonald’s at 2 in the morning,” Federer remembered. “You’re like, ‘What happened?’”

At the time, Federer was still on the rise. The Swiss owned just three ATP Tour trophies, and he was unable to break Mirnyi’s serve once.

“I beat him in straight sets and I didn’t think much of him. I walked off the court winning in straight sets and thought, ‘Who’s next?’… it was incredible that less than a year later, the guy was winning Wimbledon,” Mirnyi told ATPTour.com.

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Federer learned from those moments. The Swiss was not immune from disappointment. But the same way Federer was able to overcome those mental hurdles, he hopes Berrettini does the same despite falling short of making his first Grand Slam quarter-final.

“Some losses you can’t explain. [What is] important is that, especially in those moments when you lost extremely hard, had high expectations, you really get taken down, is that [is] when you take a major step forward,” Federer said. “It’s okay to take a step back, but then you have to take two forward. I hope that’s what he does exactly from today on.”

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Berrettini was seen as a potentially dangerous opponent for Federer, as the Italian took plenty of confidence into their match from his success this year on grass, and he also has weapons in his serve and forehand. But it seemed that Federer could do little wrong on Centre Court, making only five unforced errors in the match.

“In a game [like] today where you almost start feeling whatever you’re going to do is somehow going to work out, you almost can’t explain what it is. Am I reading the opponent well? Am I just feeling good on the day? I have no other thoughts than maybe the next point. Enjoying the crowd support. Everything is just sort of pink, it’s just happy out there. It just feels nice,” Federer said. “Then you rock up to a ball. You’re like, ‘I know I’m not going to miss one.’ You hit a winner. Then you do the same again and again. That’s probably one of the best feelings you can get as a tennis player on a tennis court.”

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Pella Stuns Raonic To Reach First Slam QF

  • Posted: Jul 08, 2019

Pella Stuns Raonic To Reach First Slam QF

Pella, Bautista Agut to meet in QF

Argentina’s Guido Pella has made a name for himself on the ATP Tour with his clay-court success, but at this rate, Pella will soon be well-known for his grass-court results as well.

The 26th seed upset another former Wimbledon finalist on Monday, beating 2016 runner-up Milos Raonic 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 8-6 to make his first Grand Slam quarter-final. The 29-year-old Pella knocked out last year’s finalist and fourth seed Kevin Anderson in the third round, and the left-hander found a way to break Raonic’s serve to get past the fourth round at SW19.

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The 15th-seeded Raonic didn’t face a break point in the first two sets and served for the match at 5-3 in the fourth set. But Pella broke him for the second time in the match and pulled away in the tie-break. Raonic erased three match points while serving in the fifth set – 4-5, Ad Out; 5-6, 15/40 – before Pella broke through when the Canadian sliced a backhand volley into the net.

Before this fortnight, Pella had never reached the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam. He won his first ATP Tour title at the Rio Open presented by Claro in February and is tied with Rafael Nadal for the Tour lead in clay-court wins (21).

But Pella made the third round of Wimbledon last year after upsetting 2016 finalist Marin Cilic in the second round, when he also came back from two sets to zero down.

“Follow

Pella will next meet Roberto Bautista Agut, the No. 23 seed, who competed with great service consistency to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time — equalling his best Grand Slam championship performance (also 2019 Australian Open). The Spaniard beat 28th seed Benoit Paire of France 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 52 minutes. Bautista Agut won the first four games of the third set.

Paire later admitted, “I have a tear in my abdominal, so I tried to serve like 60-70 per cent, but it’s tough. When you play against Bautista Agut, it’s not easy.”

Bautista Agut leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Pella 2-0, but they’ve never met on grass.

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Berrettini Asks Federer How Much He Owes For Wimbledon Lesson

  • Posted: Jul 08, 2019

Berrettini Asks Federer How Much He Owes For Wimbledon Lesson

Italian reflects after 74-minute loss in the fourth round

World No. 20 Matteo Berrettini is getting his wallet out.

After Roger Federer punched a forehand volley into the open court to complete his straight-sets victory, the Swiss congratulated the Italian on a strong grass-court season, leading Berrettini to come back with a witty response.

“I said, ‘Thanks for the tennis lesson, how much do I owe you?’”

Federer lost only 11 service points in the match, cruising to victory after 74 minutes on the back of 24 winners. The 37-year-old made just five unforced errors in the match.

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“I think for sure I didn’t play my best match, but he was just too good for me today. He was playing good and I was kind of tight, also,” Berrettini said. “Before the match I was ready for that stuff, and also when he started to play like this, for me, it was really tough to do anything.

“You can try to change something, but when he’s playing like this, it’s tough to change. You can change mentally but he’s not going to change anything. I think it’s going to be really helpful for my career.”

It took Federer 17 minutes to win the opening set, as he did a good job of blocking the Italian’s 130-plus mph serves back into play to get to neutral in rallies. And it seemed like once the eight-time champion gained the momentum, there was little Berrettini could do.

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“I wasn’t feeling so good about my strokes, my serve, my forehand, backhand, everything. I wasn’t feeling so good, so I didn’t expect that. I expected to be tight, to be maybe not ready, but not like this,” Berrettini said. “I was saying to myself that it was normal. For me, it was [my] first time on Centre Court against him. It’s normal.

“The points were going really fast. Just serve and first shot… I was just playing and trying, but like I said, it was too good.”

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