is now 3-3 in WTA singles finals. Marion had never before been beyond the 3rd round at Wimbledon; her best prior performance in a Grand Slam tourney was reaching the 4th round at Roland Garros last month. Marion's record at Wimbledon is now 10-5; she will add $580,031 to her $1,560,063 career earnings prior to
. Despite losing the final, Marion's ranking on Monday will be a career high # 11.
in the ladies' doubles final, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The girls' singles final, usually played on Saturday, was also played on Sunday, as were the girls' doubles final, and the mixed doubles final, due to the rain delays.
Rain, which delayed play on opening Monday, and also stopped play at Wimbledon on Wednesday, stopped play with a brief downpour on Friday, but play resumed fairly quickly. On middle Saturday, however, rain delayed the start of play until almost 3pm--and ended play less than 2 hours later.
Rain delayed play on every day of week two until Friday. Tuesday is normally ladies' quarterfinals day, but due to rain had only 4th round matches scheduled. Quarterfinals were postponed to Wednesday and Thursday, and the semis postponed to Friday.
WTA SCOREBOARD: The Championships at Wimbledon
On Thursday, June 21, 2007, attendees of the Branson-sponsored WTA player party at Kensington Roof Gardens included 2003 champ Serena Williams and 2000, '01 & '05 champ Venus Williams, 1997 champ Martina Hingis, Mary Pierce (currently sidelined by injury), Tatiana Golovin (just returning from an injury), and 2004 champ Maria Sharapova...
Venus Williams and Martina Hingis worked out on Wimbledon practice courts on Saturday... On Monday, Nicole Vaidisova and Elena Dementieva, perhaps suspecting they might not play their 1st round matches until Wednesday in rainy London, decided to chow down with WTA sponsor Whirlpool gear and their WTA Love Food cookbooks... On Tuesday, Zi Yan presented a racquet to one of the execs for the new, enlarged, China Open tourney
Special Report: Svetlana's Hair!Svetlana Kuznetsova is shown on Mar 16, 2007 at Indian Wells, on Jun 3, '07 at Roland Garros, and on Jul 3, '07 at Wimbledon. How does this work? How does a mild-mannered WTA player grow about 2 feet of hair (accounting for braids) in less than 4 months? Hair tonic? Beer shampoo? Stealing from Anna Chakvetadze's lunchbox? Only Sveta knows for sure (and old bald guys want to know).
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Wimbledon, 1st Round Mon-Tue Jun 25-26 noon
loser's prize: £10,000 = US $19,941 (2006: $14,589); points: 2
rain delayed play on Monday
#1 s1 Justine Henin BEL d #119 q Jorgelina Cravero ARG 6-3, 6-0 Mon
Justine driving a forehand, and Jorgelina serving
Justine won the Eastbourne title on Saturday. Justine said: "The grass is slower here than it was in Eastbourne I thought. I needed a little bit of time to get used to the surface. It's not easy to come for a tournament and forget about it and get ready on the next one, especially for a Grand Slam.
"But that's what I wanted to do. I have no regrets about that because that gave me a lot of confidence. I just needed a few games to get used to another rhythm.
"The day has been long also. It's good to win this way, and that we could finish tonight." postmatch interview
Justine, now 25, refuted a Belgian press report that claimed she would retire in two years due to injuries. Justine said: "No, I think it's been a little kind of mistake in that... It's going to be in four, five more years, I don't know, three more years. Depends on my injuries, but not in two for sure."
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#2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS d #50 Yung-Jan Chan TPE 6-1, 7-5 Tue
Maria delivering a twist serve, Yung-Jan fielding a backhand, Maria following a backhand, and after winning a point
Maria said: "I was happy with the way I started, with the way I controlled the match. Didn't feel like I did the same thing the second set. I was a little bit passive, especially on [Yung-Jan's] second serves, which I attacked really well in the first but didn't really take advantage of in the second. I think that was clearly the difference, especially in the score...
"I served pretty well, was able to hold my serve when I needed to. I lost that one break in the second. Other than that, if you look at what really was the difference, I think it was just I wasn't as aggressive on my return game." AP story
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#3 s3 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #179 wc Anne Keothavong GBR 6-2, 6-0 ppd-Tue
Anne following a cannonball serve, Jelena following a backhand drive, and after match point
#4 s4 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #156 Jamea Jackson USA 6-1, 6-3 Tue
Jamea's forehand drive, and Amelie about to swat a backhand
Amelie said: "It's great to be back as the defending champion here. I feel good. This year is a little bit different because really I didn't feel that well at the French Open, so it definitely makes it better here this year for me." postmatch interview
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#5 s5 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #42 Julia Vakulenko UKR 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 Tue
Julia about to launch a forehand, Svetlana driving one, and after winning a point
#6 s6 Ana Ivanovic SRB d #137 Melinda Czink HUN 6-0, 7-6(3) ppd-Wed
Melinda's lefty forehand, and Ana's backhand
Ana said: "I started a very good match. I think I played some really good tennis. But then [Melinda] started being much more aggressive. I didn't adjust to that really quickly. I was more trying to still just put the ball in, and she used that opportunity.
"[A rain delay during the 2nd set] helped me a lot because I could take some time and realize what I'm doing wrong. Then from the first moment when I was back on the court, to step more forward and be more aggressive again." postmatch interview
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#7 s7 Serena Williams USA d #57 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP 7-5, 6-0 Mon
Serena's forehand, and Lourdes volleying a backhand
Serena is playing with a slight hamstring injury, but her leg is not taped. Serena said: "I don't think it's a pulled hamstring, it's just a tight hamstring... It's doing okay. I'm just taking it a day at a time. It's getting better better than it was a couple days ago. Flared up, but it's getting better now slowly but surely... Didn't really affect me too much at the French.
"As for my preparation, I took a couple days off here and there, but I was consistently hitting, which is more than I usually do... It's gotten better since I've been getting treatment on it... When it's taped it hurts my other leg. Like the rubbing, I get a burn on my other leg. I hate it." postmatch interview
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#8 s8 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #84 Angelique Kerber GER 7-5, 6-3 ppd-Tue
#9 s9 Martina Hingis SUI d #233 wc Naomi Cavaday GBR 6(1)-7, 7-5, 6-0 Mon
Martina following her serve, lefty Naomi driving a forehand, Martina about to swat a backhand, and after match point
Due to injuries, 1997 Wimbledon champion Martina was playing in only her third match since March. It took her a while to find her rhythm, as they say, in cold (61°F), rainy London, but after facing two break points trailing 4-5 in the 2nd set, Martina won 9 straight games.
About her hip injury, Martina said: "Last Tuesday my doctor said the injury was about 60% or 70% healed. But I didn’t want to miss Wimbledon, no matter what. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest decision. The doctor said I can’t make the injury worse or reinjure it, and that it was up to me. I only just started hitting again last Friday.
"Obviously that wasn’t the ideal preparation coming into Wimbledon, and I felt a little tender at the start of this match. Now I’m just glad I don’t have to play again for a couple of days." Wimbledon story
About playing on Court 2, the Graveyard of Champions, Martina said: "I've never lost on Court 2. I know it's a graveyard of champions, but it's never been to me... Somehow I never felt like, 'Okay, she's on top of me.' I was always hanging in there. It was never like on my mind that I'm going to lose. I was right there with her." postmatch interview
Naomi said: "To play that type of champion is obviously a great honour. I had a fantastic crowd, big buzz, loads of positives I can take from it. But I'm incredibly gutted right now that I didn't take it...
"[Martina] definitely was a big idol for me growing up. I watched her with interest. I loved the way she played. When she came back to the game, I was really, really happy. I think she brings so much to the game of tennis. You know, she's just great." postmatch interview
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#10 s10 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #310 wc Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 6-0, 6-1 ppd-Tue
Daniela showing slice as she prepares to swat a backhand, and Anastasia congratulating Daniela after match point
Daniela said: "I felt like I was doing everything right today on the court, and tactically I think I played very smart. The last few weeks, I started to feel really good on grass, and I think I had two very good tournaments, so I was coming in very confident into this one...
"It's a great feeling to be back in the top ten. I know how to appreciate it this time, you know, where before maybe I was taking too many things for granted and didn't really realize what I was doing." postmatch interview
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#11 s11 Nadia Petrova RUS d #72 Vania King USA 6-0, 6-1 Tue
#12 s12 Elena Dementieva RUS d #48 Nathalie Dechy FRA 6-2, 7-6(7) ppd-Wed
Nathalie waiting to swat a backhand, Elena driving a forehand, and after match point
#13 s13 Dinara Safina RUS d #39 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 7-5, 7-6(7) ppd-Wed
Dinara driving a forehand, and Kateryna's backhand
#14 s14 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #65 Karin Knapp ITA 7-6(6), 6-2 ppd-Wed
Nicole about to connect with forehand and backhand
#15 s15 Patty Schnyder SUI d #76 Camille Pin FRA 6-1, 4-6, 8-6 Mon
Patty smiling before the match, Camille fielding a backhand, and Patty firing a forehand
Patty trailed 1-5 in the 3rd set, then won 7 of the next 8 games to win the match.
Patty said: "I shouldn't be down 5-1. But that's what happened. The only thing I thought was "Now you just go and just think of it being clay, and play at forehand and go to the position you like, more further in the back,' and that's how I think I could rally better. Yeah, somehow I won. But [Camille] also helped me. I mean, she couldn't finish it off...
"I don't have a good record on grass... I played a great first set, I just couldn't keep it up. So then I struggle with confidence, I get upset, and it's really always up and down what I go through on grass court matches. It was really good to come through a difficult one." postmatch interview
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#16 s16 Shahar Peer ISR d #55 Tamarine Tanasugarn THA 7-5, 6-2 Mon
Tammy trying to stay warm before the match, and Shahar about to connect with a backhand drive
#17 s17 Tatiana Golovin FRA d #127 q Su-Wei Hsieh TPE 5-7, 6-3, 8-6 ppd-Wed
Tatiana dispatching a forehand, Su-Wei about to swat her 2-handed forehand, and Tatiana likewise with a backhand
Tatiana's previous match was in the Fed Cup quarterfinals in April, after which she was sidelined by a right ankle injury.
Tatiana said: "I've only had a week of practice before coming here. Obviously I wasn't expecting to play great tennis, or the level of tennis that I played when I stopped, but I did think I did some pretty good things out there. The most important thing is my ankle held up and it wasn't hurting, and even when I was down 5-3 in the third I still wanted to be out there, and I still wanted to fight, and I think that's kind of what made the difference, because I just really didn't see myself going home right away...
"I think as the match went on I was getting a rhythm and starting to get a feel again. I just didn't want to leave the tournament today [smiling]. I'm happy about that." postmatch interview
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#20 s18 Marion Bartoli FRA d #73 Flavia Pennetta ITA 6-3, 6-1 Mon
#21 s19 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #412 wc Elena Baltacha GBR 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-2 ppd-Tue
Elena driving a backhand (no pics of Katarina were available)
Elena said: "I was there with [Katarina]. We played a great standard match. To think what I've done in three months, from literally going from qualifying, which I was actually losing qualifying of challengers in the beginning of March and I wasn't ready to play, but I thought I might as well start from somewhere.
"My ranking dropped to 890. To think in three months' time, I've managed to get my ranking to 270, qualified at Eastbourne last week, beat Anne, British No. 1. That's not bad in three months. We've got to be realistic here.
"This girl is 21 in the world. I was up to the pace of the game. There's a few things that need to get better, but I think as long as I keep getting better, I think I've got a really good future ahead of me. Hopefully, touch wood, I'm not going to have any more problems." postmatch interview
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#22 s20 Sybille Bammer AUT d #102 Varvara Lepchenko UZB 6-2, 6-2 Mon
#23 s21 Tathiana Garbin ITA d #192 q Zi Yan CHN 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 ppd-Wed
Tathiana looking to slice a backhand, and Zi driving one
*#97 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP d #24 s22 A Medina Garrigues ESP 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 ppd-Wed
#25 s24 Alona Bondarenko UKR d #61 Jill Craybas USA 6-1, 6-2 ppd-Tue
#26 s25 Lucie Safarova CZE d #122 Zuzana Ondraskova CZE 7-5, 6-2 Mon
#27 s26 Ai Sugiyama JPN d #204 wc Melanie South GBR 6-3, 6-2 Tue
Ai after winning a point
Ai said: "I'm very pleased the way I played today. I played [Melanie] last year once, and it was a really close one, and I know it's going to be really tough, on grass especially. But I think as a first match, I think I was a good match for me...
"Now I'm playing again a young one, play against Cornet. She just beat Kirilenko, so it's going to be a tough one.
"I'm really happy to be here again. This is my 15th time [in the Wimbledon main draw], so I'm enjoying right now to be here and playing, so hopefully I can stay as long as I can." postmatch interview
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#28 s27 Samantha Stosur AUS d #206 q Kristina Brandi PUR 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 ppd-Tue
Kristina and Sam swatting backhands
#29 s28 Mara Santangelo ITA d #174 q Ayumi Morita JPN 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 ppd-Wed
17-year-old Ayumi following a cannonball serve, and Mara about to belt a backhand
#30 s29 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #120 Anne Kremer LUX 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 ppd-Wed
Anne driving a backhand, and Fresca after winning a point
#31 s23 Venus Williams USA d #59 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 Tue
Venus firing a forehand, Alla driving one on the run, and Venus after match point
Venus said: "It was definitely a well competed match. I think the fans enjoy that. It was nice because I could definitely feel that they were enjoying when I was playing well and coming back...
"The first set went so fast, and my balls were just flying out and I didn't have any answers. That really bothered me because when things are going wrong, I can figure it out and change my game or adjust. But that first set, I was like, 'Okay, what am I doing wrong?' Because there has to be something if it's not going in." postmatch interview
Alla said: "I think I had a better chance to beat [Venus] in the second set actually, even though I was 2 Love up, love 30, then 2-1, 40-15, a couple advantages on my serve later in the set, and I think if I would have used those chances I would have way better chances.
"In the third set she played good. She played the way she should play. I played a little bit above my level probably, so that's how I could keep up stay the same leg with her." postmatch interview
Alla, who started in Moscow and moved to Miami for a while, is now based in Bradenton, Florida. Alla said: "I was based in Russia and I had a Russian coach, and then I met Nick [Bollettieri], and he offered me the conditions in the States are way better than Moscow. You have a lot of courts, you have great weather, you don't have to play indoors for six months of the year. Well, it's just easier."
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*#68 Elena Vesnina RUS d #32 s30 Olga Poutchkova RUS 6-1, 6-3 ppd-Tue
#33 s31 Michaella Krajicek NED d #81 Tzipora Obziler ISR 6-2, 6(6)-7, 6-1 Mon-Tue
Michaella's backhand drive
#34 s32 Martina Muller GER d #166 Anna Smashnova ISR 6-0, 6-0 ppd-Wed
Anna signing autographs in Miami in March, 2005, and winning her 12th WTA singles title in Budapest on July 30, 2006
5' 2" 30 year old Anna Smashnova, who has been slowed by injuries in the past year, announced in March she would retire after this year's Wimbledon. Anna, who reached a career high rank of # 15 in 2003, has won over $2.2 million in career prize money, and finishes with a 401-304 career match record. Anna's record in WTA singles finals: 12-1. Haaretz story - WTA profile
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*#44 Eleni Daniilidou GRE d #35 Gisela Dulko ARG 5-7, 6-3, 8-6 Mon-Tue
Eleni about to slice a backhand, and Gisela driving her 2-hander
*#105 Jarmila Gajdosova SVK d #36 Meghann Shaughnessy USA 6-2, 6-4 ppd-Tue
#37 Severine Bremond FRA d #95 Ekaterina Bychkova RUS 6-4, 6-4 Tue-dark-Wed
#38 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #110 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 6-2, 6-1 ppd-Wed
#40 Nicole Pratt AUS d #113 q Casey Dellacqua AUS 6-3, 6-4 ppd-Wed
#41 Meilen Tu USA d #71 Edina Gallovits ROU 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 ppd-Wed
*#140 LL Alize Cornet FRA d #43 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-4, 6-4 Tue
#45 Emilie Loit FRA d #108 Tiantian Sun CHN 6-3, 6-1 ppd-Tue
Tiantian about to belt a backhand drive (no photos of Emilie were available)
#46 Sania Mirza IND d #80 Yaroslava Shvedova RUS 6-0, 6-3 Tue
*#169 q Hana Sromova CZE d #47 Shuai Peng CHN 6-4, 6-4 Tue
#49 Elena Likhovtseva RUS d #67 Maria Elena Camerin ITA 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 ppd-Tue
*#101 Yvonne Meusburger AUT d #51 Virginie Razzano FRA 6-4, 7-5 Tue
#52 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #86 Jelena Kostanic Tosic CRO 6-3, 6-1 ppd-Wed
#53 Roberta Vinci ITA d #77 Ashley Harkleroad USA 6-2, 6-1 Mon
#54 Tamira Paszek AUT d #145 q Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE 6-4, 7-6(3) ppd-Wed
#56 Milagros Sequera VEN d #114 Julia Schruff GER 6-3, 6-2 ppd-Tue
#58 Kaia Kanepi EST d #94 Tatjana Malek GER 6-1, 6-4 Mon
#60 Aravane Rezai FRA d #82 Shenay Perry USA 6-2, 7-6(4) ppd-Wed
#62 Akiko Morigami JPN d #103 Alberta Brianti ITA 6-4, 6-0 ppd-Wed
*#118 Bethanie Mattek USA d #64 Vasilisa Bardina RUS 6-1, 6-0 Tue
*#74 Alicia Molik AUS d #69 Anastasia Rodionova RUS 6-3, 6-2 Mon
#70 q Agnes Szavay HUN d #98 Eva Birnerova CZE 6-4, 6-1 ppd-Tue
#75 Laura Granville USA d #92 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 7-6(4), 6-3 Mon
#78 Vera Dushevina RUS d #89 Timea Bacsinszky SUI 6-4, 7-5 Mon
#85 Aiko Nakamura JPN d #134 Martina Sucha SVK 7-5, 6-2 Mon
Aiko waiting to lightly tap a backhand
#88 Tatiana Poutchek BLR d #159 wc Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR 6-4, 6-2 ppd-Tue
*#96 Iveta Benesova CZE d #93 Catalina Castano COL 6-0, 7-5 ppd-Wed
*#154 q Olga Govortsova BLR d #99 Greta Arn GER 6(5)-7 7-6(4) 6-1 Mon-Tue
#104 wc Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #132 Anastasiya Yakimova BLR 7-5, 6-2 ppd-Wed
Anastasiya driving a backhand, 2006 Wimbledon juniors champ Caroline's running forehand, and after winning a point
*#188 wc Katie O'Brien GBR d #106 Sandra Kloesel GER 6-3, 7-5 Mon-Tue
Katie said: "I started last night, quite late last night. Went on quite unexpectedly. Difficult conditions. The court was even wet before we started. I managed to get a 5-3 lead, so I was obviously quite pleased going in this morning, that I had that cushion...
"Broke serve to win the set 6-3. Then I lost my serve beginning of the second set. I was 5-3 down. I kind of just kept fighting and found a way to win 7-5...
"I think I probably had the most favorable draw out of all the Brits. Yeah, I'm really glad that I've managed to do British women a favor." postmatch interview
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*#189 q Nika Ozegovic CRO d #109 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER 6-3, 6-2 ppd-Tue
Anna-Lena said: "It's now exactly one year that I'd say that I dropped my level a little bit, then there came the thing with my [former] coach [Rafael Font de Mora], and it's still going on...
"He goes up to my opponent, and someone is coming up to me and telling me, 'He gave them all the tactics' how she had to play me today. When you know that, it's always in your head and you just can't throw it away...
"I don't want to go down to his level. It's just sad to see a guy doing things like this... I have to learn to deal with it. But it's not that easy." postmatch interview
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*#202 q Tatiana Perebiynis UKR d #131 Emmanuelle Gagliardi SUI 6-3, 6-3 ppd-Wed
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Wimbledon, 2nd Round Wed Jun 27 noon Thu Jun 28 11am
loser's prize: £16,325 = US $32,554 (2006: $23,832); points: 60
rain delayed play on Wednesday
#1 s1 Justine Henin BEL d #78 Vera Dushevina RUS 6-0, 6-4 Wed
Justine and Vera driving forehands, and Justine watching the Hawkeye replay after match point
About the topless Centre Court, from which the long-standing partial roof has been removed to make room for a fully closeable retractable roof in 2009, Justine said: "It doesn’t feel like the same court, it didn’t feel familiar. I liked it in the old days, so it’s a bit sad. – it was a beautiful Centre Court. It’s better for some, but I miss the old one. It certainly changes things a lot. There’s more light, and it’s a bit less cozy. You feel that the fans are further away." postmatch interview
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#2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS d #37 Severine Bremond FRA 6-0, 6-3 Thu
Severine dispatching a serve Mariaward, Maria's flying forehand, Severine having less fun than last year (she reached the QFs) Maria fielding a backhand, and after match point
Maria said: "I think I played a really solid first set. It was really hard with the conditions, because the wind was swirling, so I was quite happy that. I was able to hold my serve after getting that break in the second set. And I was able to follow through...
"I think [Severine is] a very tough grass court player. She has good slice, serves, and volleys. Clearly that's what she did last year to get to the quarterfinal. In the past when I used to play those kind of opponents, I wasn't patient enough. I used to go for too much off the slices, try to win the point as quickly as I could. That's one of the things that I've definitely improved... I'm much more patient.
"I still didn't feel like I came in as much as he could have, especially in the second set. I had so many opportunities that I didn't take. But, it's still a work in progress." postmatch interview - interview video: watch now - download & save
About her 3rd round opponent, Ai Sugiyama, Maria said: "[Ai's] a fighter. She's feisty. She gets a lot of balls back. I'll definitely need to be looking to come in more, unlike in the second set today. I played her on grass when I won here. It was a pretty tough match, but that was a long time ago and this is going to be a new one."
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#3 s3 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #105 Jarmila Gajdosova SVK 6-1, 6-1 Wed
Jelena's backhand drive
Jelena said: "I think I'm the player who has the most matches played on grass [this year] and I feel quite confident. In general I enjoy playing more on faster surfaces. It suits my game a lot better than clay. So I really enjoy my time here in Wimbledon, and hopefully I can make it.
"I'm happy with my performance today for my second round. It was good winning 6-1, 6-1. It's not something that happens often. It's so tough to break anyone, and I was quite focused today and did quite well." postmatch interview - interview video: watch now - download and save
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#4 s4 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #101 Yvonne Meusburger AUT 6-1, 6-2 Thu
#5 s5 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #118 Bethanie Mattek USA 7-6(2), 6-4 Thu
Svetlana after lightly tapping a backhand
#6 s6 Ana Ivanovic SRB d #41 Meilen Tu USA 6-4, 6-3 Thu
Ana firing a cannonball (14 aces in her first two matches), Meilen fielding a backhand, and Ana after winning a point
Ana said: "It was a very tough match for me. I don't know how much score indicates that, but it was fight. [Meilen] played really well today. We had lot of long rallies. It was tough. But my serve was working very well today. I was mixing it a lot. That helped me a lot to get through today's match." postmatch interview - interview video: watch now - download & save
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#7 s7 Serena Williams USA d #74 Alicia Molik AUS 7-6(4), 6-3 Wed
Serena driving a backhand, after match point, and Alicia congratulating Serena
Serena said: "[Alicia] was serving really well. She's playing really well on the grass court. She has one of the biggest serves in women's tennis. She has a very consistent serve. She's hitting a lot of slice. She's really a good grass court player. If she hadn't have played me, she probably would have gotten really far in this tournament. I knew that going in. It was just a match like that...
"I'm excited to get through today because I knew it wasn't going to be really easy at all." postmatch interview - interview video: watch now - download and save
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#8 s8 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #88 Tatiana Poutchek BLR 6-2, 6-1 ppd-Thu
#9 s9 Martina Hingis SUI d #85 Aiko Nakamura JPN 6-1, 6-2 Wed
Martina and Aiko driving forehands, and Martina driving a backhand
Martina said: "I could only be happy that I was still in the draw. So try to make the best out of it.
"I think today first game was pretty key, first couple games, because I held serve being down 40-15. Then also [Aiko] had game points on her own serve and didn't make it. Then I just kind of swept through it, through the first set, broke her down a little bit mentally...
"I think the score [was not as close as] what the match kind of showed, because 6-1, 6-2, I beat her like that last time we played in Australia. It was definitely much more difficult today, especially in the beginning. I just tried to focus and keep the momentum." postmatch interview - interview video: watch now - download and save
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#10 s10 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #49 Elena Likhovtseva RUS 7-5, 7-6(3) ppd-Thu
Daniela serving, Elena ready, and Elena and Daniela driving backhands
#11 s11 Nadia Petrova RUS d #46 Sania Mirza IND 6-2, 6-2 Thu
Sania and Nadia driving backhands
Sania said: "I had a lot of break points, which I could have converted a lot of times, but either [Nadia] came up with a big serve, or I was putting too much pressure on myself because I knew that she was going to hit a big serve the next time around and I really wanted to finish the point. So I was forcing the issue of it. I think she served really well today, and I knew that, though, she's one of the bigger servers on the circuit...
"I felt like I was on the defensive all the time... Every time I did attack, I won the point. I felt that I was always three feet behind the baseline when I should have been on the baseline. She got me moving better than I got her moving. I know that she likes her backhand more than her forehand... It was a match where, even though after losing 2 and 2, you still feel you could have won that match because you have had so many chances.
"I started off really well, Love-30 on someone serving so big. You have to get those games. I just feel I didn't convert the points that I should have, which I did better in the first match that I played, because every time I got a break point I converted it. But I couldn't do that today for whatever reason." postmatch interview
Sania is seeded 16th in doubles, partnered with Israeli Shahar Peer. Muslim Sania said: "We've grown up together. We're great friends. So we said, why not? It didn't cause controversy, the controversy was caused by you guys, so let's not even go there now. We're playing, and it's very hard she didn't have a partner, I didn't have a partner. I played with six different partners in six different tournaments the last six weeks...
"I think we were both very lucky to find each other, because it's someone who suits each other's game. I have a big forehand, she has a big backhand. We've done well in the past... We're playing tennis, we're not making statements. We're just here to play tennis and we're here to perform and be the best we can be."
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#12 s12 Elena Dementieva RUS d #96 Iveta Benesova CZE 6-2, 6-2 Thu
Elena following a forehand, lefty Iveta driving a backhand, and Elena after match point
*#62 Akiko Morigami JPN d #13 s13 Dinara Safina RUS 6-4, 7-5 Thu
Akiko's 2-handed forehand, and Dinara and Akiko driving 2-handed backhands
Akiko said: "I know that [Dinara is] a really, really good player, but I've been playing a lot of top ten players well, so I really didn't think, like, 'Oh, I'm playing against No. 13 in the world.' I just tried to focus on my game and was very aggressive...
"I'm pretty satisfied how I played today. I played pretty aggressive, and maybe grass court is not her favorite surface. But I tried to focus on my game, and I'm pretty satisfied how I played today. postmatch interview
Akiko will play 2000, '01 & '05 Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the 3rd round on Saturday.
Akiko said: "I played against [Venus] at the beginning of this year. I lost to her 6-1 in the third, and it was a pretty close match. I'm just going to play my game and just really don't think what the opponent is going to be."
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#14 s14 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #40 Nicole Pratt AUS 6-3, 6-2 Thu
Nicole V's forehand drive, and both Nicoles driving backhands
#15 s15 Patty Schnyder SUI d #53 Roberta Vinci ITA 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 ppd-Thu
Patty after winning a point (match point?)
#16 s16 Shahar Peer ISR d #58 Kaia Kanepi EST 6-4, 7-5 Wed
*#54 Tamira Paszek AUT d #17 s17 Tatiana Golovin FRA 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 Thu
Tamira's forehand drive, and Tatiana after slicing a serve
Tatiana was playing only her second match after being out two months with an ankle injury.
Tatiana said: "It wasn't really an ideal situation for me, but like I said, it's the tournament and you deal with what comes. I got through yesterday and obviously today was a little bit tougher for me. I was making a few too many mistakes, I think. But [Tamira] was definitely solid, and I wasn't expecting to play any better than I did." postmatch interview - interview video: watch now - download & save
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#20 s18 Marion Bartoli FRA d #154 q Olga Govortsova BLR 7-5, 6-2 Wed
Olga and Marion driving forehand and backhand
#21 s19 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #189 q Nika Ozegovic CRO 6-1, 6-1 ppd-Thu
*#75 Laura Granville USA d #22 s20 Sybille Bammer AUT 6-1, 6-4 Wed
*#52 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #23 s21 Tathiana Garbin ITA 6-1, 6-3 Thu
Victoria's forehand drive
#25 s24 Alona Bondarenko UKR d #70 q Agnes Szavay HUN 6-2, 6-3 ppd-Thu
#26 s25 Lucie Safarova CZE d #44 Eleni Daniilidou GRE 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 Wed-rain-Thu
#27 s26 Ai Sugiyama JPN d #140 LL Alize Cornet FRA 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 Thu
Alize's forehand drive, and Ai following a backhand
Ai said: "I think first set I got a little tight at the end, but also, Cornet, my opponent, the young French player, compete really good in the first set.
"But in the second set I tried to be a little bit more aggressive going to the court. I was maybe a little bit behind the baseline in the first set, but tried to be a little bit close to the baseline or inside the baseline to be aggressive. And that works really good in the second set, and it went my way and I won the [set] 6-0 and got the good rhythm from it. Also, it was huge that I broke her serve first game of the third set." postmatch interview
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*#56 Milagros Sequera VEN d #28 s27 Samantha Stosur AUS 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 Wed
#29 s28 Mara Santangelo ITA d #104 wc Caroline Wozniacki DEN 6-0, 7-6(4) Thu
*#60 Aravane Rezai FRA d #30 s29 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 Thu
#31 s23 Venus Williams USA d #169 q Hana Sromova CZE 6-2, 6-2 Thu
Venus firing a stationary forehand, and one on the run
Venus said: "I think my serve is pretty dynamic right now. It's definitely winning me a lot of points. I feel like my return is really nice. I feel like I'm moving well. I'm solid. I feel like I have a good base to just keep playing aggressively on." postmatch interview - interview video: watch now - download & save
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#33 s31 Michaella Krajicek NED d #188 wc Katie O'Brien GBR 6-0, 6-1 ppd-Thu
Michaella's forehand drive, and Katie about to slice a low backhand
Michaella said: "I think [Katie] was nervous, that's for sure, especially in the first set. She looked really tight. But on the other side, I think I played one a very solid match." postmatch interview - interview video: watch now - download & save
Katie said: "I knew I'd been playing much better the last couple of weeks and I just wanted to try and prove myself. In the end [Michaella] served really well. It was really difficult to break her serve.
"I think I actually probably beat myself through most of the match. Made a few too many errors. Serve let me down as well. Just a disappointing day...
"Off the ground, she wasn't really putting me under that much pressure. I was the one making the errors myself. I mean, obviously she's a step up in class to what I've been used to, so maybe I was a little bit kind of overwhelmed by that. But she wasn't really putting me under that much pressure. I think I was maybe just pressing too hard. Maybe I should have been a bit smarter, you know, bided my time a bit more, been a little bit more patient." postmatch interview
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*#38 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #34 s32 Martina Muller GER 6-1, 4-0 retired Thu
Agnieszka driving a forehand
*#68 Elena Vesnina RUS d #45 Emilie Loit FRA 6-1, 6-2 Wed
#97 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP d #202 q Tatiana Perebiynis UKR 7-5, 6-2 Thu
Thursday doubles: Venus & Serena Williams d Anne Keothavong & Claire Curran 6-1, 6-3
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Wimbledon, 3rd Round Fri-Sat Jun 29-30 11am
loser's prize: £27,050 = US $53,940 (2006: $39,368); points: 90
Friday: rain delayed play Saturday: less than 2hrs play due to rain
#1 s1 Justine Henin BEL d #68 Elena Vesnina RUS 6-1, 6-3 Fri
Justine and Elena delivering backhand volley and drive, and Elena congratulating Justine after match point
Justine has lost only 11 games in her first three matches.
Justine said: "I think it's been good for me this week. I had pretty easy matches, but it was good coming from Eastbourne. I was a little bit tired at the beginning of the week. I could do very good things during my first three matches. Especially today I'm very happy the way I played, very aggressive, very consistent. It's been pretty good.
"My next match is going to be different. We have to start again every day. It's good I don't spend a lot of time on the court because physically I really need to rest a little bit. It's going to be good for my next match, I hope." postmatch interview
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#2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS d #27 s26 Ai Sugiyama JPN 6-3, 6-3 Sat
Maria serving, Ai and Maria driving backhands, and Maria after match point
It was drizzling during the match, and began to rain harder just before match point.
Maria said: "I heard the weather is not supposed to be good for the rest of the day, so it was really good to finish... I was starting to get agitated. I saw the rain in the middle of the second set. I knew if it keeps going, obviously the grass is going to get wet. I didn't want it to be too dangerous to play out there." postmatch interview interview video: watch now - download & save
Maria at her postmatch presscon
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Maria put 81% of her 1st serves in the box, averaging 105 mph, and won 74% of those points (Ai: 66%, 99 mph, and 51%). Maria also hit 30 winners with only 16 unforced errors (Ai: 8 winners, 7 errors). match stats
Maria said: "My serve worked really well today. I had a great percentage of first serves. The average speed was higher than it's been in the last few months, which is great. It's definitely something that will help me going on from here... I felt like I was hitting it well, hitting the spots good, serving smart at the right times, but I didn't really know that I had such a good percentage until I came off. Once you're in the match, you just try to focus on doing the right things. But when you come off, you see it on paper, it's a bigger satisfaction."
Maria has been spending 2 to 2½ hours a day receiving treatment for her injured right shoulder. Maria said: "Ice, massage, strength, needle work [acupuncture]. You name it, I do it really."
Ai said: "I think [Maria] was serving good, also attacking the receive really good. Her ball was really deep. Sometimes hit the chalk, couple times service, and also the groundstrokes. She was the one who was moving me around.
"I wanted to, when I had the chance, to come into the net or had a chance to do something with the ball, I really probably hesitate a little bit. Most of the time she was the one who was moving me around, so that's really hard.
"The thing is, if I miss one shot... she's going to do something. Against the top players, once you got a chance, you have to really take it, take a risk to do something a little bit more extra." postmatch interview
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#3 s3 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #26 s25 Lucie Safarova CZE 5-7, 6(4)-7, 6-2 Fri
Jelena launching a twist serve, lefty Lucie driving a backhand, Lucie firing a cannonball serve, Jelena's backhand drive, and Jelena in front of the Hawkeye replay display after winning a call challenge
Jelena said: "It was a big battle out there. At some point I was thinking, my God, is there any way out? I thought that [Lucie] played really well. She has nothing to lose, so she was just swinging at the ball, and she's making some unbelievable shots.
"I was generally not feeling that well. I was feeling heavy in my legs and not really moving well, which makes a huge difference, because I was late on half of the shots. If you are late half a step, then you give her the chance to play her points and play her game...
"Winning that second set 7-6 gave me confidence when I came back in the third, and then in the third I was solid and won it quite easy, was very focused...
"When you play a player like Safarova, she's quite dangerous, and it's very difficult... She was lucky a few times, my break point, hitting a let, and then I make a bad error, and when it all adds up, she got the break...
"When you have one set under your belt, it's a big difference than when you're fighting to win the second and then have to play the third. Well, now it's finished and now I'm in the fourth round, so that's in the past now." AP story
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#4 s4 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #29 s28 Mara Santangelo ITA 6-1, 6-2 Sat
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