Celebrities At Wimbledon 2017
Celebrities At Wimbledon 2017
Sep082017
| US Open |
|---|
| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 28 Aug-10 Sept |
| BBC coverage: Live radio and text commentary on selected matches every day. |
Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau are on a roll at this year’s US Open. The 12th seeds narrowly edged top seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers on Thursday to reach their second Grand Slam final together as a team.
The Dutch-Romanian pair’s 1-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 triumph follows a quarter-final upset of No. 4 seeds and defending champions Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares. Rojer and Tecau, who won the Wimbledon crown in 2015, came into New York on the back of winning their third title of the season in Winston-Salem (d. Peralta/Zeballos).
Kontinen and Peers had not dropped a set at this year’s US Open before their semi-final. And the Finnish-Australian duo could have risen to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race to London, had they gone on to win the title.
Rojer and Tecau have now won 18 of 20 sets since 21 August and will face 11th-seeded duo Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez for the title. The Spaniards ended Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan’s bid for a sixth US Open title, dropping their first set of the tournament in a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
In a rematch of their 2016 US Open quarter-final, it was again Lopez and Lopez who gained the better of the American twins. The Spaniards also defeated them in the 2016 Roland Garros final, but lost to them last month at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Mike Bryan broke a tie with Daniel Nestor on Tuesday to become the doubles player with the most match wins in the Open Era. A win would have extended that tally to 1,053.
| US Open |
|---|
| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 28 Aug-10 Sept |
| BBC coverage: Live radio and text commentary on selected matches every day. |
Britain’s Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are into the final of the US Open men’s wheelchair doubles after a straight-set victory over Gustavo Fernandez and Shingo Kunieda.
The second seeds beat the Argentine-Japanese pair 6-3 6-2.
They will face the winner of Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer versus Joachim Gerard and Stefan Olsson.
Hewett, 19, is making his debut at Flushing Meadows, while 25-year-old Reid won the title in 2015.
With the US Open at the semi final stage, the tournament will now have a guaranteed American winner on the women’s…
While much of the excitement will be on the other semi final where Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens face off, Madison…
| US Open |
|---|
| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 28 Aug-10 Sept |
| BBC coverage: Live radio and text commentary on selected matches every day. |
Two all-American semi-finals will take place on day 11 of the US Open as Venus Williams plays Sloane Stephens and Coco Vandeweghe faces Madison Keys.
It is the first all-US last four line-up at the tournament since 1981.
Williams, the 2000 and 2001 champion, and Stephens will be first on the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York at 00:00 BST.
Vandeweghe, seeded 20th, 15th seed Keys and unseeded Stephens are aiming to reach their first Grand Slam final.
Williams and Stephens both won final-set tie-breaks to reach this stage, against Petra Kvitova and Anastasija Sevastova respectively.
Vandeweghe overcame Karolina Pliskova in straight sets to join them, while Keys saw off unseeded Estonian Kaia Kanepi.
Ninth seed Williams, 37, is the oldest semi-finalist at any Grand Slam since Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1994.
“It’s such a wonderful feeling, because you put in so much work to be able to succeed at these moments,” said Williams.
“It has been a great two weeks for American tennis, seeing all the American players in the draw and all of them advancing so deep and competing so well.”
Stephens, 24, added: “Making the semi-finals of a Slam is a complete neutraliser, anybody’s game. I just have to focus on myself.
“Venus is just our leader, everyone looks up to her. She’s a great player, a great person. She’s a great leader.”
Arthur Ashe became the first black man to win a Grand Slam when he triumphed at the 1968 US Open and Williams and Stephens will face each other on the court named after the three-time major winner.
“It’s great for American tennis,” said Stephens. “It’s great for African-American women. I hope that we keep it going.”
Williams, who reached the final at her first US Open in 1997, the same year the Arthur Ashe Stadium made its debut, added: “He’s a total legend.
“He played during a time where he couldn’t just focus on the tennis. I’m very blessed to be able to focus on my game. But he had to fight because of the colour of his skin.
“It was a completely different time. So I can’t even imagine the pressure he was under. To come out of it with grace, as a champion, it’s incredible.”
Vandeweghe was the third American to reach the semi-finals after she saw off world number one Pliskova 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, knocking the Czech off the top of the rankings at the same time.
It is the first time the 25-year-old, who won the junior championship at Flushing Meadows as a 16-year-old in 2008, has reached this stage of the US Open.
Vandeweghe recently began working with Pat Cash and credits the 1984 men’s singles semi-finalist with helping her to keep calm on court.
“Maybe it’s like some Jedi mind trick,” said the 20th seed.
“I think the biggest thing is channelling my intensity and tenacity out onto the court and putting it into a singular focus. I think that’s probably one of the biggest things he’s implemented into my regimen.”
Keys completed an all-American final four for the first time in 36 years. Tracy Austin – who would go on to be champion – Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Barbara Potter were the last US quartet in the semi-finals.
The 15th seed beat former world number 15 Kanepi 6-3 6-3 in only one hour and eight minutes.
Keys, 22, is bidding to reach a first Grand Slam final with her run at Flushing Meadows this year matching her best performance in a major, when she reached the Australian Open semi-final two years ago.
“I have been taking this whole tournament one match at a time, one point at a time,” said Keys.
“I’m definitely not getting ahead of myself in that way.
“I’m really proud of getting here in the first place. I’m just going to keep focusing on the next match and then breaking it down from there.”
Meanwhile in the men’s wheelchair doubles, Britain’s Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, who retained their Wimbledon title in July, have made it through to the semi-finals.
The second seeds will face the unseeded pair of Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina and Japan’s Shingo Kunieda.
In the women’s wheelchair doubles, Britain’s Lucy Shuker and partner Yui Kamiji of Japan will take on USA’s Dana Mathewson and Aniek Van Koot of the Netherlands in the semis.
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Swiss sums up defeat to the Argentine
“It should hurt, and it does,” admitted Roger Federer in the aftermath of his four-set defeat to Juan Martin del Potro in the quarter-finals of the US Open on Wednesday night.
The Swiss, whose preparations for the final Grand Slam championship of the year were disrupted by a back injury this summer, bowed out of the US Open without the chance to fight Rafael Nadal for the No. 1 ranking in Friday’s semi-finals.
But it is one disappointment in a season of many highs for Federer, who won his 18th and 19th major titles at the Australian Open (d. Nadal) and Wimbledon (d. Cilic). Considering where he was this time last year, injured and unable to play for the second half of the season, it is with clear perspective that Federer was able to process the defeat.
“Of course, you’re always disappointed when you lose in the very moment,” said Federer. “It’s terrible to think of what lies ahead, packing bags, going home. It’s just annoying as a tennis player. It’s just not the fun part. You’d rather think about how you’re going to relax tonight and have a massage and think about the match, think about the great shots you hit.
“Now you see all the bad stuff. And it’s just not so much fun. It should hurt, and it does, rightfully so. But, I think my perspective at this age and with the season that I have had is easier to grasp faster. So I’ll be fine quickly.
“It’s all a bonus at this stage,” continued the 36-year-old Federer. “I’ve had a wonderful year. I can’t win them all. You run into guys who are better than you on the night. Juan Martin fought like a lion, so it’s fine there. I’m upbeat about what’s to come.”
First hampered by his back in defeat to Alexander Zverev in the Coupe Rogers final in Montreal, Federer was then forced to withdraw from the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati in a bid to make sure he would be fit for the US Open. It denied him the chance to go up against Nadal for the No. 1 ranking and also sewed seeds of doubt into his mind going into the US Open.
The right-hander fought his way through two five-setters against Frances Tiafoe and Mikhail Youzhny in the first two rounds, but appeared to have settled into the tournament with straight-set wins over Feliciano Lopez and Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach the last eight. However, Federer admitted he never felt in control of his own destiny, especially against del Potro, who had beaten the Swiss in the 2009 final at Flushing Meadows.
“It was one of those matches where if I ran into a good guy, I was going to lose, I felt,” confessed Federer. “I don’t want to say I was in a negative mindset, but I knew going in that I’m not in a safe place. Might have depended too much on my opponent, and I don’t like that feeling. I had it throughout the tournament, and I just felt that way every single match I went into.
“I didn’t have that feeling at Wimbledon or at the Australian Open, and that’s why rightfully so I’m out of this tournament, because I wasn’t good enough, in my mind, in my body, and in my game to overcome these three pillars.
“If you’re missing all three, it’s going to be tough. I’m okay with it, and I tried until the very end. And smashing certain stuff in the net that I normally wouldn’t, smashing forehand volleys into the back fence, I mean, that stuff sucked. Honestly, it was terrible. Juan Martin did well. He served well, had some big shots when he needed to. That was the part that he did so much better tonight, and that’s why he deserves to win.”
The season is far from over for Federer, though. After the chance to rest his body, the Swiss will look to go full throttle in his last four tournaments – in Shanghai, Basel, Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals in London – to attempt to finish the season on a high note, and maybe even wrest the No. 1 spot from Nadal’s grip.
“I regret that I didn’t get the opportunity to fight for World No. 1 in Cincinnati,” said Federer. “But that’s maybe also part of the process, and I’ll be fine even without No. 1. I have had a great year thus far.
“I have big priorities for the rest of the year, and I usually play very well towards the end. Now I just really need to recover and go back to the practice courts and hopefully just finish strong. Whatever that may be, I just want to play good tennis and enjoy myself.”
| US Open |
|---|
| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 28 Aug-10 Sept |
| BBC coverage: Live radio and text commentary on selected matches every day. |
Roger Federer said he never felt “in a safe place” physically or mentally during a US Open campaign that ended with defeat by Juan Martin del Potro.
The Argentine 24th seed won their quarter-final 7-5 3-6 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 in Wednesday’s night session.
Third seed Federer had struggled with a back injury in the build-up to New York and confirmed he never felt 100% fit.
“It was one of those matches where if I ran into a good guy I was going to lose, I felt,” said the Swiss, 36.
“I don’t want to say I was in a negative mindset, but I knew going in that I’m not in a safe place. It might have depended too much on my opponent – and I don’t like that feeling.
“I had it throughout the tournament, and I just felt that way every single match I went into.”
Federer has enjoyed a stellar year, ending his five-year wait for a Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and adding an eighth Wimbledon victory in July.
The 19-time major champion added: “I didn’t have that feeling at Wimbledon or at the Australian Open, and that’s why rightfully so I’m out of this tournament.
“I wasn’t good enough in my mind, in my body and in my game to overcome these three pillars.”
Having skipped the French Open, Federer arrived at Flushing Meadows unbeaten in Grand Slam matches and with just three defeats all year.
However, the back injury he picked up in Montreal last month disrupted his preparation, and two five-set matches in the first two rounds suggested he was not at his best.
The defeat by 28-year-old Del Potro ended Federer’s hopes, for now at least, of winning a 20th Grand Slam title and taking the number one ranking from Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
“It should hurt, and it does, rightfully so,” said Federer. “But I think my perspective at this age, and with the season that I have had, it’s easier to grasp faster, so I’ll be fine quickly.”
The Swiss had his chances against Del Potro, notably four set points in a dramatic third set tie-break that could have swung the match in his favour.
“I’m OK with it, and I tried until the very end,” he said.
“Smashing certain stuff in the net that I normally wouldn’t, smashing forehand volleys into the back fence, I mean, that stuff sucked. Honestly, it was terrible.
“Juan Martin did well. He served well, had some big shots when he needed to. That was the part that he did so much better tonight – and that’s why he deserves to win.
“I feel I have no place in the semis and he will have a better chance to beat Rafa, to be honest.”
The result not only brings his Grand Slam season to an end but it denies the Flushing Meadows crowd a first meeting between Federer and 15-time major champion Nadal.
It is the sixth time in 10 years that they have missed out by one match on seeing the great rivalry play out in New York.
“I didn’t even think about it as I lost that match,” said Federer.
“I’m dealing with just trying to understand what happened and just to overcome this in the next few hours, days, weeks, whatever it is. I’ll be fine.
“Of course it is a pity, but Juan Martin deserves it more.”
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BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller
Federer says he hasn’t felt well enough in either body or mind over the past fortnight, his confidence affected by the back injury which hindered his preparation.
He looked an unlikely champion when labouring to five-set victories in the opening two rounds and when faced by a competitor like Del Potro he was made to look very uncomfortable and very uncertain.
There were some spectacular misses by Federer, who too often presented himself at the net and invited Del Potro to pass him with his fearsome forehand. The Argentine took Federer up on his offer repeatedly, and served consistently well throughout the match.
And so Federer’s attempt to win three Grand Slams in a year for the first time in a decade has ended at the quarter-final stage.
The ever popular Del Potro, who has had wrist surgery four times since winning the title here in 2009, is one win away from a return to the final of his favourite Grand Slam.
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