Tennis News

It has been a turbulent few months for Agnieszka Radwanska. The Polish No. 1 has been on a disappointing trend of surprise losses and upsets that were anything but normal from one of the craftiest players on the tour. However, this week at Wimbledon, and during the grass court in general, she was able to regain some of her long-lost fervor and secured her spot in the third round of the tournament. There, she will come up against Aussie Casey Dellacqua, whom she has only faced twice previously on the professional tour. Radwanska leads the head-to-head series 2-0.

Radwanska had little trouble working her way past Ajla Tomljanovic on Tursday to secure her place in the third round of the Wimbledon tournament. She avenged her earlier loss to the rising star by thumping her with a 6-0, 6-2 shellacking in a match that lasted a mere 49 minutes.

Asked about her partnership with Martina Navratilova, Radwanska admitted that she was going through a tough period and that the timing was not at its best when she hired the Grand Slam great.

“Well, I think it was maybe bad timing to hire her when I really had I didn’t feel good. I was a little bit exhausted. I had a couple really tough months. It was the same time she was working with me. Well, now I think, first of all, I’m just feeling much better. I think also grass changed everything, as well. Helps me go to my best level I can play tennis. Well, for sure a couple of good months of experience working with her. But now we’re just friends.”

Radwanska will next come up against Casey Dellacqua, who defeated Elina Svitolina 7-6(3), 6-3 to earn her upset win against the No. 17 seed and secure her place in the third round.

This is just the third time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional series, with Radwanska leading the head-to-head series 2-0. The Pole’s victory took place during a Wimbledon encounter last season, which should serve as a foreshadowing of their potential third rounder on Saturday. While the Pole should find solace in her solid showing on Thursday, she will have to show consistency if she is to advance on a surface that she doesn’t find overly comfortable.

The fourth day of the Wimbledon Championships saw some surprising results as the seeds continued to fall at the All England Club, including two-time champion Rafael Nadal, who exited the tournament as the 10th seed following a four-set loss to Dustin Brown.

Throughout the match, the Spaniard appeared baffled by Brown’s unorthodox style and serve and volley approach to the match. Stuck with a serve that was far from his best, Nadal was unable to remain competitive in the match and eventually suffered a four-set exit to fall to 0-2 against Jamaican-German Dustin Brown. It was his fourth loss at the Championships to a player ranked outside the Top 100.

“Obviously today is a bad moment for me. I need to accept these things can happen… it’s not the end. It’s a sad moment for me, but life continues. My career, too. I have to keep going and working more than ever to try to change that dynamic.”

“I am a good loser,” Nadal said with a smile. “When I am not that good, I always accept [it]… I never considered myself that good to not accept when somebody’s better than you. The last couple of years, I was not ready to compete well here. So I met some players that were better than me.”

Earlier in the day, world No. 2 Roger Federer reached the third round at the Wimbledon Championships following a straight sets win against Sam Querrey on Thursday afternoon. On one of he hottest days in Wimbledon history, Federer ousted the American 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 with some dazzling shots that only he could have completed.

The third seed at this year’s Wimbleon Championships, Andy Murray, continued his fine form on Thursday when he secured his place in the third round with a straight sets win against Robin Haase. It was a surprisingly lopsided affair, as Murray only lost nine points in the entire first set and hit 25 winners to close out the 87-minute affair 6-1, 6-1, 6-4.

Following impressive showings on both ends, a third round match at the 2015 edition of the Wimbledon Championships event will feature world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Australia’s Bernard Tomic in their first meeting in almost three years. Djokovic remains undefeated in the head to head series with a 3-0 record.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic won his 650th tour-level match on Wednesday afternoon when he defeated Jarkko Nieminen in straight sets to advance to the third round at the Championships. He defeated the Finnish player 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 on Centre Court.

“I would rate [the match] probably around 7 or 8 [out of 10],” said Djokovic. “I think it was a very solid performance. I’ve done just enough to win in straight sets. He started off very well, very aggressive, [with] winners in the first couple games. I managed to stay calm and believed that I could come back. That’s what I’ve done. I think the crucial turning point was the 10th game of the first set when I won the set and I started playing more freely. I thought I had the match under control and everything was fine.”

Faced with a more difficult task on Wednesday, Tomic defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets to advance to the third round at SW 19. He actually withstood 21 aces to close out the contest 7-6(3), 6-4, 7-6(5).

“It was not easy,” said Tomic. “Obviously, his game is suited for this surface, so for me it was a very difficult match. I thought I played okay. At the right times, I played very well – served very well. He’s a tricky player.”

This marks the fourth time that Djokovic and Tomic will cross paths on the professional tour, with the Serb leading the series with an unblemished 3-0 record. While Tomic is playing some of the best tennis he has in recent memory, he simply does not have the tool to challenge an in-form Djokovic on grass.

One of the more anticipated third round matches a the Wimbledon Championships is the contest between rising star Grigor Dimitrov and France’s Richard Gasquet. The two will cross paths on Thursday afternoon at the All England Club, where Dimitrov will attempt to secure his first ever win against the Frenchman. Of their four previous encounters, Gasquet holds an undefeated 4-0 record against the Bulgarian.

Seeded 11th at this year’s Championships, Grigor Dimitrov worked his way into the third round of the tournament following a straight set win against Steve Johnson. He fired 47 winners, including 15 aces to secure the 7-6(8), 6-2, 7-6(2). It was one of his best matches in recent memory.

“Obviously it’s good to go through certain matches in that way, especially in straight sets,” he said. “With every match I feel that my game is getting better, but I still feel that there are a couple of things I need to sort of tune up, especially for the next round.”

Dimitrov will next encounter Richard Gasquet, who reached the third round following a breeze of a match against fellow countryman Kenny De Schepper. Gasquet cruised through the entire contest to defeat the Frenchman in straight sets and advance to the end of the first week at the Championships. He converted seven break points to earn the 6-0, 6-3, 6-3 win in a total of 78 minutes.

This marks the fifth time that Dimitrov and Gasquet will cross paths on the professional tour, yet the Bulgarian is yet to earn his first ever win against the Frenchman. Will he be able to overturn his record this time around?

“I’m not thinking about it, to be honest,” Dimitrov said of his winless record against Gasquet. “I think I played him a while back, like two years ago or something, so I’m a different guy since then. I’m a different player. I feel that I’m coming into the match as a favourite to win. At the same time, I don’t have anything to lose. I need to get out there and play my game.”

In another one of her typical dominant matches, Serena Williams stormed past Timea Babos to advance to the third round of the Championships, setting up the clash against Heather Watson. She was broken in the first game of the match but recovered from there to dominate the entire encounter and advance in straight sets. In the end, following 23 winners, Williams beat Babos 6-4, 6-1 in 59 minutes.

“I’ve seen her around the locker room. She’s always smiling – she seems to be so super sweet,” Williams said. “I know Venus has played her before. I’ve watched that match a few times. I feel like she does really well on grass – she’s played well in Eastbourne. And she had a really good win today.

“I know it’s not going to be easy for me. She has nothing to lose. She’s going forward.”

British No. 1 Heather Watson also went down a break early in her match against Daniela Hantuchova but was able to work her way out of that hole to dominate the remainder of the encounter en route to the third round of the tournament. She defeated her opponent 6-4, 6-2, needing one more game than her upcoming challenge.

“I’m really happy with the way I played today,” Watson said. “I went 3-1 down in the first set, made a few double faults in that game, kind of gave that game away – but I thought what I did really well today is I stayed composed. I didn’t let that bother me. I was a lot more aggressive and played my game.”

This marks the first time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour and could make for a highly intriguing encounter if both play of their respective top-forms. It is hard to pick against Williams but anything is possible on grass.

“Serena’s a great player, an amazing athlete, a great champion,” Watson said. “She’s always the one to watch and she’s always the favorite for every tournament she plays – so I think she’s the one to beat.”

A highly intriguing third round contest is scheduled to take place at the 2015 edition of the Wimbledon Championships, as reigning French Open champion Stan Wawrinka encounters Spain’s Fernando Verdasco to determine who will advance to the second week of the prestigious grass court tournament. While the two have not stepped across the net from each other in over three years, the Wawrinka v Verdasco head-to-head series stands at 2-1.

While not at his best on Wednesday afternoon, Stan Wawrinka still had little trouble working his way into the third round of the Wimbledon Championships. He defeated Dominican Republic’s Victor Estrella Burgos in straight sets to maintain his quest for a first-ever Wimbledon trophy. The fourth seed won the match 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 31 minutes.

“It’s never easy. I wish it was, but it’s never easy. It was a good match to win. Had to play my best game. I found a way how to be focus at the end of each set,” said Wawrinka. “I was serving well again, playing generally okay. Not my best tennis, but typical second round of a Grand Slam. The only important thing is to win and it’s good to win in three sets.”

Once again, as is characteristic of the Spaniard, Fernando Verdasco required all five sets to work his way past Dominic Thiem on Wednesday. It was his second consecutive five set win, following a 13-11 finish against Klizan on Monday. He eventually beat Thiem with a decisive break in the fifth set to close out the match 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.

This marks the fourth time that Wawrinka and Verdasco will meet on the professional tour, with the Spaniard leading the head-to-head series 2-1. However, this will mark their first meeting in over three years as well as their first encounter not on a clay court, which should certainly shake things up score-wise. Wawrinka should manage to level the head-to-head series on Thursday.

Following their respective matches on Wednesday afternoon, the stage is set for an intriguing third round clash at the Wimbledon Championships between reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic and American No. 1 John Isner. This marks the fifth time that the two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Cilic leading the head-to-head series with an unblemished 4-0 record.

In arguably the match of the tournament so far, Marin Cilic was forced to rally to avoid an upset from Ricardas Berankis, whom he defeated in five sets in a thrilling encounter on Centre Court. Cilic was reeling late in the match but was able to save all four of the break points he faced in the final set to edge out the victory 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-5 after Bernakis double faulted on match point.

“The match was very, very high quality match,” said Cilic. “I think Ricardas was playing extremely well. Even after I broke him in the first set, I think he was playing really, really good until the end of the match, and [it was] very difficult to find some openings.

“I’m just really glad that I won and that the most positive things from today are that I was serving really, really well and I was staying mentally in the match. I saved a couple of break points at end of the fifth, and I think nerves got to Ricardas at the end, and that, I think, decided a little bit.”

Isner is once again through to the third round at the Championships following a straight sets win against Matt Ebden. He struck 49 winners and 323 aces to win the match 6-2, 7-6(8), 6-4.

“I think the thing that he does the best, in my opinion, he’s always calm and composed on the court,” Isner said of Cilic. “He’s never getting angry at himself out there. He just stays the path, and it’s paid very big dividends for him in his career, especially last year at the US Open. My opinion, that’s what he does best, along with his serve and groundstrokes. He’s a cool customer out there.”

One of the more intriguing third round matches in the ladies draw on Friday will be the compelling encounter between American Sloane Stephens and Czech Lucie Safarova. This marks just the second time that the two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour following their first ever meeting last season in Dubai. Safarova leads the head-to-head series 1-0 with a straight sets win on the Middle Eastern hard court.

In a solid performance on Court 8, Sloane Stephens dispatched Lauren Davis in straight sets to advance to the third round at the All England Club. She struck 4 aces, 17 winners and matched it with 17 unforced errors to finish the contest 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and seven minutes on court.

“It was fun. Obviously it was tough, I was playing an American. But it was good. It was fun. I have been playing well. Like I started off well last week and I got a pretty good groove. Yeah, I’m feeling good. My shots are going in, so that’s good. I mean, grass is always tough, but it’s tough for everybody. I mean, you kind of just gotta get out there and do the best you can.“

In a similarly straightforward affair, Lucie Safarova advanced to the third round of Wimbledon following a straight sets win against Su-Wei Hsieh. Safarova hit 24 winners, 4 aces and matched it with 16 unforced errors to complete the contest 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and five minutes. It was a solid showing overall and sets her up well for her next encounter on Friday.

This marks just the second time that Stephens and Safarova will cross paths on the professional circuit, with Safarova leading the head-to-head series 1-0. While that win was on hard courts a season ago, the Czech No. 2 should find a way to extend her record over the American to 2-0.

For the first time since 2008, 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer will step across the net vs American Sam Querrey. Federer leads the head-to-head series 2-0, including a win at a previous Grand Slam event. However, given the seven-year gap between matches, it will be interesting to see how well he does against the American on Thursday.

Fresh and ready to begin his quest for an eight title at Wimbledon, Roger Federer stormed past Damir Dzumhur in straight sets on Centre Court to advance to the second round of the tournament. He defeated Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 in a match that saw him hit 26 winners and as little as 12 unforced errors. He also faced no break points throughout the entire encounter.

“[The grass] changes as the tournament progresses,” commented Federer. “It’s easier to move once you enter, I’d say, third round. Then especially the second week, just because of the used bit in the back, you have more grip, whereas in the beginning of the tournament it’s softer, it’s more slippery where the green patches are.

“[Playing on Centre Court] is exciting. It’s a privilege to be there,” added Federer. “I was trying to think how many times I’ve played there now. I don’t know. I know it’s been often. Still, every time it feels like it’s a special occasion, for sure.”

Next up for Federer is Sam Querrey, who reached the second round of the tournament following a straight sets win against Igor Sijsling. He won the match 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 19 minutes and also struck a total of 30 aces.

This marks the third time that Federer and Querret will step across the net from each other. Federer leads the head-to=head series 2-0 and is yet to drop a set against the American. This, however, will mark their first ever meeting on grass.