"My second serve, I hit it with a lot of pace, too. So even if my opponent knows where it's going, if it's on the line, close to a hundred miles an hour, it's tough to return. So the serve has been key for me here. I never felt very happy about my groundstrokes here. But my serve, I felt like any time I needed it, it was putting me out of any bind."
Serena was up a break in the 1st set, but could not hold on to the lead.
"I think I just lost rhythm and then I just made a lot of errors. I just couldn't get the balls in. Nothing I was doing was seeming to work... My balls just started flying, and then [Venus] started serving really well,."
(about $1,476,645 US); Serena's £375,000 (about $738,322).
6-2, 6-2; for this they will split an additional £230,000 (about $452,838 US). Lisa & Sam's prize is £115,000 (about $226,419).
, and they are also tied at 2-2 on the chlorophyll courts at SW19. Serena still leads Venus 5-2 in Grand Slam tourney finals.
is now 37-22 in WTA singles finals. Wimbledon is her first title this year (she won last year at Wimbledon, Memphis and Seoul). Venus now has a 21-7 match record in 2008.
is now 31-l2 in WTA singles finals. She won the titles this year at Bangalore, Miami and Charleston. Serena now has a 31-4 match record this season.
WTA SCOREBOARD: The Championships at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, London, England
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tourney time: = GMT +1 hours
= US EDT +5 hours
= US PDT +8 hours
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London News - England News - UK News
The Championships at Wimbledon have 32 seeds, with no 1st-round byes. There are 12 qualifiers and 8 wild cards in the main draw. Qualifying finals are on Thursday. Early round play begins at noon local time, QFs & SFs at 1pm, and the Final at 2pm on Saturday.
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All England Lawn Tennis Club address: London SW19, England, UK
2008: On Thursday, June 19, attendees of the Branson-sponsored WTA player party at Kensington Roof Gardens included 2000, '01, '05 & '07 champ Venus Williams, Indian # 1 Sania Mirza, 2004 champ (and current Aussie Open champ) Maria Sharapova, 2003 champ Serena Williams, 2nd seed Jelena Jankovic, and top seed & French Open champ Ana Ivanovic...
row 2: On Saturday, June 21, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic, and Venus Williams practiced at Wimbledon, while Ana Ivanovic diverted the attention of the members of the media...
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Wimbledon, 1st Round Mon-Tue Jun 23-24 noon
loser's prize: £10,250 = US $20,181; points: 2
#1 s1 Ana Ivanovic SRB d #102 Rossana De Los Rios PAR 6-1, 6-2 Mon
Ana driving a forehand, and after match point
It was Ana's first match on grass this year. Ana said: "I think I played quite well today, considering it's the first match. Especially first match on the grass. It's quite a big change, but I was very happy to be back on central court...
"[Rossana started] hitting the ball really well from the beginning, so I had to stay focused. I served really well, and that's something that really helped me. I was quite aggressive, so I was pleased with the way I played today." match highlights: watch - download postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
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#2 s2 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #113 Olga Savchuk UKR 6-3, 6-2 Tue
Olga and Jelena driving forehands
Jelena said: "There were some entertaining points. Overall I thought I played a pretty good match for the first round because always the first rounds are the toughest. I always have some trouble in the beginning of the tournaments. But today I was quite pleased with the way I played. Only I had a slow start in the beginning. I couldn't find my rhythm. But then I cruised through the match." postmatch interview
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#3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d #104 q Stephanie Foretz FRA 6-1, 6-4 Tue
Stephanie and Maria driving backhands, and Maria after winning a point
It was Maria's first match on grass this year. Maria said: " I've had different experiences in Grand Slams. Sometimes I feel like I start off slow and I find my rhythm throughout the tournament. I get better and better.
"In France, even though I lost in the fourth round, I really feel like my level had stepped up from my three rounds. I was so close to winning the match, and then you end up talking about losing the match. Very thin line between winning and losing.
"Obviously it's very important to start off the tournament on a good form. I knew [Stephanie] had already played a couple of matches. Going on to Court 1 today, I knew the court would be a little bit different as the practice courts. It's not as worn out, as well.
"Just wanted to get a feel for it as fast as I could, and do the right things and win the match as quickly as I could." postmatch interview interview video: watch - download match highlights: watch - download
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#4 s4 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #124 q Mathilde Johansson FRA 6(5)-7, 7-5, 6-3 Mon
Svetlana fielding a backhand, and Mathilde at ready
#5 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #140 q Maria Elena Camerin ITA 6-3, 6(7)-9, 6-3 Tue-dark-Wed
Maria Elena driving a backhand, and Elena following a forehand, both on Wednesday
#6 s6 Serena Williams USA d #35 Kaia Kanepi EST 7-5, 6-3 Mon
Serena firing a forehand, and Kaia belting a backhand
Serena said: "I don't think I had time to play myself into this match. I think I had to start straightaway. I think I played myself into the first game. I'm really excited I was able to win that first game. But I couldn't play myself into this match. I needed to get started right away with it." postmatch interview
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#7 s7 Venus Williams USA d #199 wc Naomi Cavaday GBR 7-6(5), 6-1 Tue
Venus driving a forehand
4-time champ Venus said: "[Naomi] took her chances, really took advantage of her opportunities, and played with poise on this occasion, which is Centre Court in front of a home crowd...
"She served well and really returned the ball with force and ran a lot of balls down, so I was impressed with her game... I think it's nice to have a really challenging opponent early on, especially having not played since the French." match highlights: watch - download postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
Naomi said: "It was a great experience for me. I got off to a great start. I really just went at her. I had to give it everything I got. I gave it my best crack.
"I got the lead in the first... Then the second set got away from me a little bit. I think she started to relax. I didn't make enough first serves. I didn't go at her as much. But she definitely upped in the second." postmatch interview
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#8 s8 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #99 Stephanie Dubois CAN 2-6, 6-1, 8-6 Mon
Stephanie driving a forehand, and Anna's backhand drive
#9 s9 Dinara Safina RUS d #74 Yung-Jan Chan TPE 7-6(8), 6-2 Tue
Dinara volleying a backhand, and Yung-Jan driving one
#10 s10 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #57 Sara Errani ITA 7-6(5), 6-4 Tue
Daniela serving, and after match point
It was Daniela's first match since April due to a right foot stress fracture. She lost the first three games, then got into the match.
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#11 s11 Marion Bartoli FRA d #78 Sabine Lisicki GER 6-2, 6-4 Mon
Marion serving, and Sabine congratulating Marion after match point
*#41 Casey Dellacqua AUS d #12 s12 Patty Schnyder SUI 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 Mon
Lefties: Patty's backhand drive, and Casey's forehand
#13 s13 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #73 Aiko Nakamura JPN 6-1, 6(3)-7, 6-1 Tue
Vera driving a forehand, and Aiko ready to swat a backhand with 2-handed forehand grip (the opposite of Bartoli-style)
#14 s14 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #50 Iveta Benesova CZE 6-3, 6-0 Mon
Agnieszka driving a forehand
#15 s15 Agnes Szavay HUN d #79 Tathiana Garbin ITA 6-1, 6-3 Mon
#16 s16 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #40 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 6-1, 6-1 Tue
Tsvetana about to slice a backhand, and Victoria's forehand drive
*#136 q Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d #17 s17 Alize Cornet FRA 7-6(6), 7-6(4) Mon
Anastasia about to drive a backhand, and Alize about to slice one
Anastasia said: "Maybe easier for me because [Alize is] much higher ranked. I have nothing to lose. I just qualified, and I'm younger, a little bit, one year, so I just went to play my best game.
"But on the other hand, I beat her in the juniors, so I was better in the juniors. Why not I can beat her again?." postmatch interview
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#18 s18 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #186 q Zuzana Ondraskova CZE 6-2, 6-2 Mon
*#60 Vera Dushevina RUS d #19 s19 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-3, 6-3 Mon
#20 s20 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #63 Tamira Paszek AUT 6-3, 5-7, 10-8 Mon-dark-Tue
Francesca volleying a backhand on Tuesday, and Tamira congratulating Fresca after the 18-game 3rd set
#22 s21 Nadia Petrova RUS d #36 Olga Govortsova BLR 6-4, 6-4 Tue
#23 s22 Flavia Pennetta ITA d #82 Julia Vakulenko UKR 6-3, 6-4 Tue
*#101 Julia Goerges GER d #24 s23 Katarina Srebotnik SLO 4-6, 7-6(6), 16-14 Tue
Julia reaching for a backhand, Katarina driving one, and Julia after winning a point
It was by far the biggest win of 19-year-old Julia's career, and the first time she has reached the 2nd round of a Grand Slam tourney (only her 2nd time in the main draw).
The 53-game match lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes; 332 points were played. match stats
It was not quite a record. The longest ladies match in Wimbledon history took place in the 2nd round in 1995, when then # 21 Chanda Rubin defeated # 72 Patricia Hy-Boulais 7-6(4), 6(5)-7, 17-15. The 58 games and 2 tiebreakers took 3 hours and 45 minutes.
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#25 s24 Shahar Peer ISR d #106 wc Katie O’Brien GBR 6-3, 7-5 Tue
#26 s25 Lindsay Davenport USA d #110 Renata Voracova CZE 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 Tue
Renata and Lindsay driving backhands
Lindsay is having knee trouble, which caused her to withdraw from Eastbourne. Lindsay said: "It's not ideal. It's been bothering me now for a few weeks. It's coming more from the back of the knee. Did an MRI and it looked good. In the latter stages of the second set I definitely felt like it was getting worse. I didn't feel great in the third. Luckily I was able to, you know, hit some good shots and go for winners.
"I actually felt like I started hitting the ball a little bit better because I felt like I needed to do more with it. I'm just hoping it pulls up well. Some days it feels okay, and other days it is a problem. This morning it was definitely more swollen and a little bit of a problem. Two days ago it felt perfect." postmatch interview
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#27 s26 Sybille Bammer AUT d #59 Sofia Arvidsson SWE 4-6, 4-1 retired Tue
*#108 Evgeniya Rodina RUS d #28 s27 Virginie Razzano FRA 0-6, 6-2, 6-4 Mon
#29 s28 Alona Bondarenko UKR d #139 wc Melanie South GBR 6-3, 6(1)-7, 6-4 Mon
#30 s29 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #76 Ashley Harkleroad USA 6-4, 6-3 Mon
A view of the sun setting over Court 2 with Ashley in the near court and Amelie in the far court, and Ashley about to connect with a backhand
*#132 wc Jie Zheng CHN d #31 s30 Dominika Cibulkova SVK 6-4, 6-3 Mon
Dominika driving a forehand
#32 s31 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #185 q Eva Hrdinova CZE 6-2, 7-5 Tue
Eva and Caroline driving backhands
#33 s32 Sania Mirza IND d #148 Catalina Castano COL 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4 Tue
Catalina's forehand, and Sania's backhand drive
Sania had arthroscopic surgery on her right wrist on April 10; she returned to play in June at Birmingham and 's-Hertogenbosch.
About her wrist, Sania said: "My wrist, I can't say that it's perfect. Medically, yes, it's fine now. But I think whereas pain is concerned, I still have pain when I hit a late forehand because that's something that even the doctors have said--and I've spoken to some of the players who have had wrist surgery--and they've said that the pain stays. Sometimes it goes away in three months, sometimes it takes eight months. So that's something that you kind of have to play through. It's a new wrist, so it's getting used to taking 100 mile-an-hour balls for over two hours.
"But my recovery was great. I had a very good rehab. And everyone is so surprised to see me here because it's been ten weeks since surgery, and I'm already playing in a Slam." postmatch interview
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#34 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #43 Zi Yan CHN 6-3, 6-0 Mon
Anabel driving a forehand
#38 Ai Sugiyama JPN d #66 Yanina Wickmayer BEL 6-4, 6-2 Tue
Ai's backhand drive
It was Ai's 57th consecutive appearance in the 4 Grand Slam tourneys, a new record.
Ai said: "It was first meeting [with Yanina]. She did well in Birmingham. She went to the finals, so she's good on grass, and I was expected to be 100 percent sharp from the beginning, and I think I focused very good today. Yeah, I'm very pleased the way I played today...
"I'm very happy. When I heard the number of the Grand Slams I play, it's actually really huge numbers. I came here 16 times. This is my 16th Wimbledon, and it's been great. I don't want to be just be here, but I wanted to perform well, as well. postmatch interview
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#42 Gisela Dulko ARG d #61 Aravane Rezai FRA 1-6, 6-0, 6-2 Tue
Gisela volleying a backhand
#44 Elena Vesnina RUS d #88 Nuria Llagostera Vives ESP 6(6)-7, 6-4, 6-4 Mon
#45 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR d #200 q Rika Fujiwara JPN 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 Mon
Rika fielding a drop shot, and Kateryna driving a forehand
*#86 Emilie Loit FRA d #46 Lucie Safarova CZE 6-3, 7-6(4) Tue
#47 Alisa Kleybanova RUS d #120 Tzipora Obziler ISR 6-4, 6-0 Tue
#48 Na Li CHN d #72 Anastasia Rodionova AUS(RUS) 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 Mon
Anastasia and Na driving backhands
*#85 Tamarine Tanasugarn THA d #49 Petra Cetkovska CZE 6-4 6-3 Tue
*#54 Marina Erakovic NZL d #51 Michaella Krajicek NED 7-6(3), 7-6(6) Tue
Marina volleying a backhand, and Michaella at ready
#52 Shuai Peng CHN d #156 q Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR 6-3, 6-4 Tue
#53 wc Carla Suarez Navarro ESP d #89 Galina Voskoboeva RUS 6-2, 6-4 Tue
*#56 Pauline Parmentier FRA d #55 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB 7-5, 6-4 Mon
*#191 wc Urszula Radwankska POL d #58 Klara Zakopalova CZE 6-1, 6-4 Mon
*#162 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d #62 Ekaterina Makarova RUS 6-0, 6-4 Tue
#64 Marta Domachowska POL d #77 Jill Craybas USA 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 Mon
#65 Tatiana Perebiynis UKR d #70 Petra Kvitova CZE 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 Mon
#67 Bethanie Mattek USA d #111 q Severine Bremond FRA 5-7, 6-0, 6-1 Mon
Bethanie driving a backhand
#68 Sorana Cirstea ROU d #97 Ekaterina Bychkova RUS 6-4, 6-4 Tue
#69 Timea Bacsinszky SUI d #98 Julie Ditty USA 7-5, 6-3 Tue
*#95 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN d #71 Mariya Koryttseva UKR 7-5, 6-4 Tue
*#109 q Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE d #80 Camille Pin FRA 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 Mon
#81 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP d #160 Milagros Sequera VEN 6-1, 6-4 Mon
#83 Edina Gallovits ROU d #84 Yvonne Meusburger AUT 6-1, 6-2 Mon
#87 Monica Niculescu ROU d #114 q Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 Mon-dark-Tue
#91 Nathalie Dechy FRA d #112 Meng Yuan CHN 6(7)-7, 6-3, 6-0 Mon
Nathalie driving a backhand
*#115 Su-Wei Hsieh TPE d #92 Stephanie Cohen-Aloro FRA 6-3, 6-2 Tue
#93 Anne Keothavong GBR d #94 Vania King USA 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 Tue
Vania driving a forehand, Anne driving a backhand, and after match point
Anne said: "I'm pleased obviously to get through today's match. It was incredibly tight in the first set. It was a horrible kind of feeling. But I managed to regroup and I managed to turn the match around, and I'm pleased about it." postmatch interview
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*#192 Mara Santangelo ITA d #96 Maret Ani EST 7-5, 6-3 Tue
#100 q Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP d #103 Martina Muller GER 6-1, 6-1 Tue
*#144 wc Elena Baltacha GBR d #125 Angelique Kerber GER 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 Mon
Angelique and Elena driving backhands
Elena said: "I was looking at the draw and I thought, 'Okay, she'll be tough, but it's a very winnable match.' There was a bit of pressure there on me because it wasn't a top seed and it was very winnable. I was nervous, emotional. When I finally won it, you know, it was just pure relief, to be honest." postmatch interview
Angelique said: "The third set was unlucky for me. [Elena] had so many nets. Normally I have a lot of chances in the third set. It was 4-2 for me, and I have two times at 5-4 and 6-5 my serve, and she played well. She played good tennis today. But I was a little bit unlucky. She was happy and lucky, and well done for her." postmatch interview fragment
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*#157 wc Samantha Stosur AUS d #145 Ioana Raluca Olaru ROU 6-2, 6-2 Mon
After being bitten by a tick, Samantha was sidelined by Lyme's disease and viral meningitis for most of the past year. Samantha said: "I felt great. Really settled and calm and wasn't too nervous and thought I hit the ball well. Overall played pretty well. I felt good out there, and I felt fine after." postmatch interview
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Wimbledon, 2nd Round Wed-Thu Jun 25-26 noon
loser's prize: £17,000 = US $33,471; points: 60
#1 s1 Ana Ivanovic SRB d #91 Nathalie Dechy FRA 6(2)-7, 7-6(3), 10-8 Wed
Ana serving, Nathalie driving a low backhand, Ana driving a high forehand, and both young ladies at net presenting their compliments after match point
While trailing 4-5 in the 2nd set, Ana successfully defended against 2 match points. On the 2nd match point, the ball struck the net cord, but popped over. match highlights: watch - download
Ana said: "I feel very lucky. It was a tough match. [Nathalie] played very well. I feel lucky just to have a chance to play again...
"I felt like time stopped for a moment because I thought I hit pretty good shot and I moved forward, so there was a momentum going forward. Then ball hit the net and it was in air for a couple of seconds. It was moving away, so I thought maybe even it will go out. Just so many thoughts at same moment.
"I just thought the match would be over. I felt like you have some situations through your career that you feel, you lose the match, and afterwards you think, I should have done that differently.
"So you really want to go out and play again the match. After that point, I felt like it was a new match for me and I had a new opportunity."postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
Nathalie said: "Playing this level against a top player was something that I didn't do for such a long time. So I was really happy and enjoying that kind of level, for sure."
Ana kissed the net after the match, Nathalie said: "The net deserved it... I think [Ana is] a great, great champion, and it's nice to see her at the top. She's great for women's tennis. So if she can go really far, I'll be even more happy." postmatch interview
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#2 s2 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #53 wc Carla Suarez Navarro ESP 6-1, 6-3 Thu
Jelena about to fire a forehand, and Carla driving one
Jelena won despite lingering respiratory illness, which has troubled her for many weeks. Jelena said: "The first set I was playing quite well, and the second set I had a long game which I should have won. At 3-1, I think I had 40-15 and I let that game go. But other than that, it was fine...
"After the French Open I had some health problems. I was sick and I had an injury with my arm throughout the French Open, and after that I couldn't also practice for nine days. And now I can finally play without pain, and I'm still not 100 percent healthy. I want to enjoy the games and try to play my best tennis." postmatch interview
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*#162 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d #3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS 6-2, 6-4 Thu
Maria driving a forehand, Alla about to connect with a backhand, and after match point
Maria had 22 unforced errors, including 8 double faults (Alla: 9 errors, 3 DFs). Worse, Maria won only 27% of her 2nd serve points, and only 37% of her receiving points (Alla: 62% and 52%). match stats
match highlights: watch - download
Alla said: "Maybe it will sound a little too much for me, but I did expect to win. I did think about winning, not just going and playing. For sure beating her is a big deal for me. The best day of my tennis life? Yes.
"I think what helped is last year's match with Venus Williams [2007 Wimbledon 1st round]. I was so close to winning and then just played a little too passive in the end. Today, there was no way I'm going to do the same mistake again, so I went for my shots."
BBC story - postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
Maria said: "[Alla] just did everything better than I did. She played much better. She hit the ball harder. She served and returned better. On grass, you know those are two important elements.
"Once you don't have a lot on the ball then your opponent can take advantage of that. Obviously she had nothing to lose. She went for her shots. I was just pretty tentative... I wasn't playing my game. I was letting her take control of the majority of the points."
postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
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#4 s4 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #45 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 6-2, 6-3 Wed
Svetlana slicing a backhand, Kateryna firing a flying forehand, and Sveta after match point
Svetlana said: "I played much better, and I started to play much better on grass. So this is one of the days when you go through one, two, three rounds it's great. You start to play a different game and really happy with that... I was just playing a little bit more like you should play on grass, not on clay court. I was inside, I was hitting the ball from the start. Yesterday I played three sets. Just when I had very important moment I started to play better, but today I started from the start, so it was okay." postmatch interview
match highlights: watch - download
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#5 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #69 Timea Bacsinszky SUI 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 Thu
Timea about to belt a backhand, and Elena driving one
#6 s6 Serena Williams USA d #191 wc Urszula Radwankska POL 6-4, 6-4 Wed
Serena about to swat a backhand, Urszula following one, and Serena after winning a point
The match was played on Court No. 2, aka The Graveyard of Champions, where 2003 Wimbledon champ Serena was defeated by then # 83 Jill Craybas in the 3rd round in 2005, 6-3, 7-6(5).
Serena said: "I thought [Urszula] was a really good opponent. I think she has a very bright future. I felt I played okay. I felt like I was a little tight out there, and jus didn't want to go out on the Court 2. But I was just happy to get it over. [The court's reputation] did kind of cross my mind. I was excited to get the first set under my belt. It was windy, too the conditions weren't great. I felt like I should just get it over with." postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
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#7 s7 Venus Williams USA d #93 Anne Keothavong GBR 7-5, 6-2 Thu
Venus and Anne driving forehand and backhand
Venus said: "I played two really great girls in the first two rounds, and they were very challenging. So I think it will be great for Wimbledon and great for British tennis if they would continue playing as they did here. So it looks really bright." postmatch interview interview video: watch - download
match highlights: watch - download
British # 1 Anne said: "It was my first time out on Centre Court. And I've been, leading up to this match, really excited and looking forward to it. Until you're out there you're not quite sure what's going to happen, but I really enjoyed it and I tried my hardest out there...
"I really felt I was with [Venus] in that first set. And it was just a few points here and there. I really believed I could have won that match today. And it's just playing those kind of matches week in, week out, that's kind of really where I want to be." postmatch interview
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#8 s8 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #83 Edina Gallovits ROU 6-4, 6-2 Wed
#9 s9 Dinara Safina RUS d #115 Su-Wei Hsieh TPE 6-3, 6-2 Thu
Su-Wei serving, and Dinara's backhand drive
Dinara said: "I think I've been serving pretty good today, and after 4-3 I started to really be much more aggressive. Until 4-3 I still didn't know what to expect from [Su-Wei], and I was a little bit dependent on her. And then at 4-3 I just turned the match around, and I started to go much more for my shots, and I started to focus more on myself." postmatch interview
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*#47 Alisa Kleybanova RUS d #10 s10 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-3 4-6 6-1 Thu
Daniela about to slice a backhand, and Alisa driving one
#11 s11 Marion Bartoli FRA d #65 Tatiana Perebiynis UKR 6-2, 7-5 Wed
Marion and Tatiana demonstrating their motor skills on backhand and forehand
*#85 Tamarine Tanasugarn THA d #13 s13 Vera Zvonareva RUS 7-6(10), 4-6, 6-3 Thu
Vera about to slice a backhand, and Tammy driving one
#14 s14 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #64 Marta Domachowska POL 6-1, 6-3 Wed
Agnieszka's backhand drive
#15 s15 Agnes Szavay HUN d #87 Monica Niculescu ROU 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 Wed
#16 s16 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #68 Sorana Cirstea ROU 6-1, 6-3 Thu
#18 s18 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #157 wc Samantha Stosur AUS 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 Wed
Nicole and Samantha driving forehands, and Nicole lining up a backhand
*#34 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #20 s20 Francesca Schiavone ITA 3-6, 7-5, 9-7 Wed
Francesca about to fire a forehand, and Anabel's backhand drive
#22 s21 Nadia Petrova RUS d #192 Mara Santangelo ITA 6-4, 7-5 Thu
*#38 Ai Sugiyama JPN d #23 s22 Flavia Pennetta ITA 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-2 Thu
Flavia and Ai driving forehands
Ai said: "At the beginning I tried to give everything because [Flavia is] a tough player and she's very consistent. She served good, ground strokes is also good, so I've got to really start really good. So that's what I was preparing for, so I was ready for it. But it was very even. I broke her first and I was serving for the set 5-3, but I couldn't hold my serve that game and then it was really tight again. But luckily I got through the tiebreaker. It was really even. It could be either way.
"But second set she raised the level, and then I probably stepped back a little bit. I was playing behind the baseline and I wasn't aggressive enough. So my ground stroke is a bit short, and she was always dominating in second set, so I tried to step in the court. And also I was a little bit tense at the second set so my body turn wasn't really great. So I tried to work on that, then it went my way in the third set." postmatch interview
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#25 s24 Shahar Peer ISR d #86 Emilie Loit FRA 6-3, 6-4 Thu
#42 Gisela Dulko ARG d #26 s25 Lindsay Davenport USA walkover--knee injury Thu
Lindsay said: "after my match a couple days ago from - literally straight from the press conference - I went to the hospital and did an MRI, which came out looking actually good.
"The cartilage looks good. All the structure looks fine, the ligaments, the tendons. It just showed I had some inflammation and some fluid behind the kneecap, which my first thought was like major relief. It had nothing to do with my previous surgery on my knee. No immediate danger. It was just really inflamed and painful.
"So wanted to give it a rest all day yesterday. Did treatment twice. Wanted to see how I pulled up today in warmup. After warming up, I felt like I was about 25, maybe 30 percent. In a first, second round match, it's just not good enough. It's not going to get better the more I play on it. Prescribed rest." postmatch interview
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*#52 Shuai Peng CHN d #27 s26 Sybille Bammer AUT 7-6(7), 4-6, 6-3 Thu
Shuai driving a backhand, and Sybille's forehand drive
*#109 q Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE d #29 s28 Alona Bondarenko UKR 6-3, 3-0 retired Wed
Alona serving, and Barbora following a forehand
#30 s29 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #81 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 Wed
Amelie's forehand, and Vivi volleying on the run
#32 s31 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #95 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 6-1, 6-1 Thu
Caroline serving, Aleksandra fielding a drop shot, and Caroline after match point
*#100 q Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP d #33 s32 Sania Mirza IND 6-0, 4-6, 9-7 Thu
Maria Jose about to fire a forehand, Sania running one down, and Maria Jose after match point
#41 Casey Dellacqua AUS d #56 Pauline Parmentier FRA 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 Wed
Casey driving a backhand, and Pauline about to slice one
*#108 Evgeniya Rodina RUS d #44 Elena Vesnina RUS 6-1, 7-6(0) Wed
*#136 q Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d #48 Na Li CHN 6-2, 6-4 Wed
#54 Marina Erakovic NZL d #101 Julia Goerges GER 6-2, 7-6(5) Thu
Marina and Julia driving backhands
*#67 Bethanie Mattek USA d #60 Vera Dushevina RUS 7-6(6), 6-4 Wed
Vera and Bethanie driving backhands
#132 wc Jie Zheng CHN d #144 wc Elena Baltacha GBR 6-2, 7-5 Wed
Elena following a forehand, and Jie's backhand drive
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Wimbledon, 3rd Round Fri-Sat Jun 27-28 noon Friday: rain delayed play, play resumed ~ 2:30pm and was completed
loser's prize: £28,125 = US $55,374; points: 90
*#132 wc Jie Zheng CHN d #1 s1 Ana Ivanovic SRB 6-1, 6-4 Fri
Ana's forehand drive, Jie's backhand, and after match point
Jie was ranked # 27 in 2006, but last year injured her left ankle and was sidelined for the year after Roland Garros.
At the French Open in 2004, Jie became the first Chinese woman ever to reach the 4th round of a Grand Slam tourney in singles. In 2006, Jie and partner Zi Yan won both the Australian Open and the Championships at Wimbledon doubles titles. At this year's French Open, Jie went through qualifying and won 6 straight matches before losing to eventual finalist Dinara Safina in the 3rd round. These are the credentials which earned her a Wimbledon wild card.
Ana, usually one of the fastest servers on the Tour, averaged only 98 mph on 1st serves (Jie: 94 mph). Ana won only 46% of her 1st serve points (Jie: 67%). And while Ana converted only 1 of 7 break point opportunites, Jie converted 4 of 7. match stats - match highlights: watch - download
Ana said: "I think [Jie] played really well today. It was tough match for me. I'm definitely disappointed with my loss. But still I look at it as a learning experience...
"She's a good player and she plays well on grass. She has very powerful shot. She stays very low, so the balls are coming much faster through the air. I had a little bit tough time to adjust to the balls with the timing. It was also a little bit windy. I think grass suits very well with her...
"It was tough. I tried to play balls higher, to try to get under the ball and play with lot of spin. But, like I said, I found it hard to get good timing. So I was a little bit holding back. I made too many mishits, I think, as well.
"She played well. She served also very good. I found it hard to mix my serve. She was reading my serves very well. Even when I tried to kick it and bounce the ball high, she was still there on the ball."
postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
Jie said: "I didn't think I can win in two sets. I feel it's a tough match because [Ana has] the big serve and big forehand. But on the court I just try keep going. I just try tell me 'She's the better player, I need a hundred percent for play the every point...' I know she had the big forehand. I try to give the ball more to the backhand." postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
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#2 s2 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #32 s31 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 Sat
Jelena driving a forehand, Caroline following one, and Jelena after match point
The match was very close. Jelena converted 4 of 9 break points; Caroline, 3 of 11. Jelena scored a total of 96 points; Caroline, 90. match stats - match highlights: watch - download
Jelena hurt her left knee early in the match. Jelena said: "I slid and my leg went straight and then bent so quickly, and it was a sharp pain in that moment. I continued to play and play, and it was getting worse and worse. Because especially on grass you have to stay low every time. You have to bend a lot. And especially in the end, in the third set, I was struggling a little bit, but somehow came through."
The trainer taped Jelena's knee, but Jelena later removed the tape. Jelena said: "It was getting numb... I never, never had any problems with my legs, with my knee, and I couldn't move. I just had even more pain [with the tape on]. The physio was not happy about that because I was taking a risk to get injured even more. That's what I chose because I wanted to win. With the tape I felt like I couldn't move, and I was having a lot more pain...
"It's very sore now. After this press conference I will go to do an MRI and just make sure that just to know what I have and what it is. I hope for the best so that I will be able to play my next match... It's a little bit swollen at the moment, but I don't think it's that bad. I didn't break anything so I'm not able to walk or move on the court. I have pain on it, but I don't play tomorrow [there are no matches on Middle Sunday at Wimbledon], and hopefully now I can get some treatment and feel better for my next match."
postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
Caroline said: "[Jelena is] a very good player. I don't know why I had problems from the deuce side [returning serve]. I guess her serves were just difficult to take... I was trying to stay aggressive not make too many unforced errors. But she was just good at the right moments." postmatch interview
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#4 s4 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #109 q Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE 6-2, 6-4 Fri
Barbora looking to slice a backhand, Svetlana's forehand drive, and after match point
Svetlana said: "I think it was a bit rough start because I didn't play [Barbora] for a while, so I didn't know much to expect. I had problems with my return games, and then I get used to it.
"I was up one set 6-2, and it was 2-love, and then rain started and it was really dark out there. I get some food, and straightaway we went on the court, so I was not feeling the greatest. But still, I had to play.
"I was not moving well in the end, I think, and that's why she broke me two times. She was doing many unforced errors and I was not serving that well, and I was missing so many approaches." postmatch interview
It is Sveta's 23rd birthday. Svetlana said: "We're going probably for dinner in London some nice place. Some people will come, friends of mine, so hopefully we have a good time. But I cannot have a big celebration, otherwise it's not Wimbledon for me anymore."
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#5 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #42 Gisela Dulko ARG 7-6(2), 7-5 Sat
Gisela and Elena driving forehand and backhand, and Elena after match point
Gisela took a 4-0 lead at the beginning of the match. Elena said: "I had a really slow start in the beginning. I've played a couple times against Gisela before, and I never beat her. So maybe today in the beginning I felt a little bit nervous and couldn't get my game in the way. After Love-4 I just decided not to think about the score, just to play every single point and be focused on the game; I feel like I already lost this set.
"I was trying to fight until the end, and I felt like it was a little bit lucky at the end of the first set, but it was really a big fight to win the first set...
"This is the last thing you want to have, to have a slow start on a grass surface because everything is so fast, you really have to be ready to start from the first point and be aggressive and take the advantage, especially against a girl like her who moves really well, who plays everything back. You just want to take the opportunity and finish the point quicker, go to the net, be aggressive. And instead of this, I was just standing still and waiting for a mistake that she didn't make...
"I think I was feeling like this set is really I lost it, I really lost it. But what I need to do is just to get my game on and just start to play aggressively and not to think about the score. That was the way I was playing in the end." postmatch interview
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#6 s6 Serena Williams USA d #30 s29 Amelie Mauresmo FRA 7-6(5), 6-1 Fri
Serena's forehand drive, Amelie volleying a backhand, and Serena after match point
Serena said: "It was so windy, I couldn't make my shots so I was a little frustrated. It was definitely intense. I didn't play my best but I was glad I was able to pull through. I haven't been playing my best but I'm thinking positive and I have so much more I can do. I think in the second week I should do a lot better."
BBC story - postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
match highlights: watch - download
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#7 s7 Venus Williams USA d #100 q Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP 6-1, 7-5 Sat
Venus and Maria Jose driving forehands, and Venus after winning a point
Venus said: "I was happy with that one. The first set was pretty clean. The second set [Maria Jose] just changed her strategy, started playing better, and got that break back. Played aggressive to get the break back. I was pretty happy because she started putting some pressure on. I had some good answers." postmatch interview
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#8 s8 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #108 Evgeniya Rodina RUS 6-4, 6-3 Fri
Evgeniya and Anna driving backhands
It is the first time that Anna has reached the 4th round at Wimbledon. Anna said: "I finally passed third round in Wimbledon, so it feels great, and I'm happy to be in the second week... I think I played much, much better than my previous rounds; especially my first match was horrible. And then match by match I feel better.
"5-love up [in the 2nd set] I lost concentration a little bit, but still was able to finish the match in two sets, and I'm really happy with my result. I had some tough time this year, and I think to be to play the fourth round, it's a good result already." postmatch interview
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*#25 s24 Shahar Peer ISR d #9 s9 Dinara Safina RUS 7-5, 6(4)-7, 8-6 Sat
Dinara serving, Shahar driving a backhand, and happy Shahar after the match
*#67 Bethanie Mattek USA d #11 s11 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-4, 6-1 Fri
Marion following a twist serve, Bethanie following a forehand, and after match point
Bethanie said: "This is my best result in a Grand Slam by far obviously. Last year it was the first time I won a round actually, so this is a pretty amazing feeling.
"It was pretty cool being able to beat the finalist last year today. [Marion is] a good player and she's tough on grass. I think it's one of her better surfaces. So I'm really excited." postmatch interview
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#14 s14 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #136 q Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 6-3, 6-2 Fri
Anastasia about to swat a forehand, and Agnieszka running one down
Agnieszka said: "I think it was not the best tennis that I can play, but enough to win." postmatch interview
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#15 s15 Agnes Szavay HUN d #34 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-2 Fri
Agnes and Anabel driving forehand and backhand, and Agnes after match point
*#22 s21 Nadia Petrova RUS d #16 s16 Victoria Azarenka BLR 7-6(11), 7-6(4) Sat
Victoria and Nadia driving backhands
Nadia said: "It was a tough match, especially on grass. [Victoria is] a very powerful player, and she really strokes the ball very hard. The ball comes very fast indeed when she serves well. It was very important today, really serving well, which I thought I did, and then looking for break.
"Pretty much same thing in the tiebreaker; try to get a break and hold on to your own serves and try not to give any free points, but it's really hard to have long volleys here on grass. It's really hard to control the ball.
"I find the courts this year are more drier and the baseline is really worn out, and it's really difficult to get a good bounce on the baseline, so you've really got to keep it short." postmatch interview
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#18 s18 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #41 Casey Dellacqua AUS 6-2, 6-4 Fri
Nicole driving a forehand, Casey about to tap one, and Nicole following a backhand
The opening matches at Wimbledon on Friday were interrupted by rain. Nicole said: "I Definitely played a great match. I was unlucky to go off the court because of the rain. Started really well off after the rain delay, which was very good. So I can be only happy with my match today... It's always tough being in the lead, coming back after an hour or so. But I think I handled it very well." postmatch interview
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*#47 Alisa Kleybanova RUS d #38 Ai Sugiyama JPN 6-4, 6-4 Sat
Alisa serving, Ai and Alisa driving backhands, and Alisa after match point
The loss ended Ai's 57th consecutive Grand Slam tourney participation, an all-time record. Ai will be 33 years old on July 5.
Ai said: "I'm a little bit disappointed after losing this, but I think [Alisa] played really great. She served so good, and ground stroke very powerful and also attacking the ball so good. Yeah, nothing much I could do today...
"Each Grand Slam is the bonus for me, and I'm sure I'm going to play US Open. But about the next year, I don't know yet." postmatch interview
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*#162 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d #52 Shuai Peng CHN 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 Sat
Alla and Shuai driving backhands
*#85 Tamarine Tanasugarn THA d #54 Marina Erakovic NZL 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 Sat
Tammy driving a forehand, Marina reaching for a backhand, and Tammy after match point
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Wimbledon, 4th Round, Mon Jun 30 noon
loser's prize: £50,000 = US $98,443; points: 140
*#85 Tamarine Tanasugarn THA d #2 s2 Jelena Jankovic SRB 6-3, 6-4 career matches: tied at 1-1
Tammy and Jelena driving forehands, Tammy after match point, and injured Jelena kindly congratulating Tammy on a match well played
Always adept on chlorophyll courts, Tammy reached Wimbledon's 4th round six times before, but now will make her first appearance in the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam.
Tammy said: "Can I say, wow, wow, wow?... in the fourth round so many years and I make this year, so was very happy. You know, wow, it's really good feeling." postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
Jelena was hampered by a left knee injury she incurred in her 3rd round win on Saturday. Jelena said: "I was really happy just to be on the court, especially when I did an MRI two days ago. The doctors were telling me that I'm questionable to play, so I was just happy that I could go out there and play the match.
"But I was very, very late on every shot. I was always one step behind, away from the ball, so it was very hard for me to follow the game. I tried the best that I could, and [Tammy] was quite solid. She didn't make many mistakes. She was just blocking all those balls. She did quite well, so credit to her...
"I have meniscus tear or something... I'm not really quite sure. But there is some tear in there... Today it was good that I didn't do anything that could make my knee worse, but I couldn't play at my best." postmatch interview
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*#14 s14 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #4 s4 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 career matches: Sveta leads 4-2
Agnieszka serving, Svetlana's forehand drive, Agnieszka driving a backhand, and after match point
Svetlana led 4-1 in the 3rd set. Then Agnieszka won 6 of the next 7 games.
Agnieszka said: "In the first set I think I was playing more aggressive. Then from the second set till 4-1 in the third set, [Svetlana] was the boss on the court. But then I was fighting and also trying to play more aggressive like the first set, because this is just the way to win the match. There was like 50/50 in the end...
"Actually I like the grass. Actually, I'm doing very good every year. I just like the surface." postmatch interview
Svetlana said: "4-1. I was leading [in the 3rd set]. This is gonna be my subject I'm thinking for next few days...
"I lost first set. I was not very comfortable. I was getting used to [Agnieszka's] game, and her game is very tough for grass court. Mine is not so tough... So I decided, 'Okay, I have to serve and volley and I have to come to the net...' I was playing unbelievably well for grass court. I was surprised by myself.
"I was 6-4, 4-1 up. I don't know why at that moment, but I stopped doing whatever I was doing was bringing me success... Suddenly I started play on the baseline, a few points there. It goes quick on grass. She just made me one break. I lost like breakpoint she had. Easy forehand I hit in the net. I just lost my chance there...
"For me she was there all the time. I think she played good enough, but I was not at my best in important moments." postmatch interview
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#5 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #25 s24 Shahar Peer ISR 6-2, 6-1 career matches: Elena leads 4-1
Elena's forehand drive, Shahar about to slice a backhand, and Elena driving one
#6 s6 Serena Williams USA d #67 Bethanie Mattek USA 6-3, 6-3 career matches: Serena leads 2-0
Serena serving, Bethanie following a forehand, Serena about to swat a backhand, and after match point
Reporters asked several players about the fact that former champions Venus and Serena were scheduled for Court 2 today, and 2nd (top remaining) seed Jelena Jankovic for Court 18, while the top male players are always scheduled for Centre Court or Court No. 1.
Serena said: "Initially I thought, 'Okay, is this the right schedule?' I thought maybe there was a mistake. But, you know, I can't dwell on that. I have to really focus on winning. I have to focus on just doing the best that I can do whether I'm on Court 2 or Court 20." postmatch interview
Bethanie said: "[Serena] played really well. She came up with some big serves. I think that was the difference was really the service games, and I wasn't able to hold the couple of games that I should have, and that was really the difference." postmatch interview
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#7 s7 Venus Williams USA d #47 Alisa Kleybanova RUS 6-3, 6-4 career matches: Venus leads 1-0
Alisa serving, Venus leaping for a forehand, and after match point
Venus has not yet lost a set in the tournament. She also never lost a set in her six previous matches against Tammy Tanasugarn, her quarterfinal opponent.
Venus said: "I did lose serve today. I was almost not about to lose serve. And I think that's four times this tournament. So I try to keep it to a minimum. That always helps. But, yeah, I'm happy with the progression. Every player's challenging. I didn't know what she was going to do. I'm very happy to have gotten through." postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download match highlights: watch - download
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*#18 s18 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #8 s8 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 4-6, 7-6(0), 6-3 career matches: Nicole leads 3-0
Nicole and Anna driving forehands, Nicole's backhand drive, Nicole serving, Anna fielding a forehand on the fly, Nicole driving another backhand, and after match point
Each player broke the other's serve only once in the match. But Nicole won 7 more points (110) than Anna (103), all in the 2nd set tiebreaker, in which Anna was scoreless. match stats
Nicole also reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals last year, but for much of the first half of this year she was struggling, partially due to a wrist injury. Nicole said: "Playing here in the quarters last year and being back here just feels very good... I played a great tiebreaker. I think that kind of got [Anna] down." postmatch interview
Anna said: "It was a pretty close match, all the sets was pretty close. I broke the first one, broke [Nicole's] serve the first set. Then in the second set, in the tiebreaker, I think in the beginning she made two net balls, you know. It was very disappointing for me...
"She's a good player and she deserve definitely this win. Maybe I didn't use my opportunities in the second set. But still, she served really well today, and it was tough to return." postmatch interview
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*#132 wc Jie Zheng CHN d #15 s15 Agnes Szavay HUN 6-3, 6-4 career matches: Jie leads 1-0
Jie's forehand drive, Agnes driving a backhand, Jie lining one up, and after match point
Jie said: "I just played so well today. I just give her the forehand more. [Agnes's] backhand is unbelievable good. Have too much winner for me. It's very tough." postmatch interview
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#22 s21 Nadia Petrova RUS d #162 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 6-1, 6-4 career matches: Nadia leads 1-0
Nadia about to slice a backhand, Alla driving one, and Nadia fielding a forehand
It has been 2½ years since Nadia last reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal, at the 2006 Australian Open. Nadia said: "I realized that I really have a good draw to be in the quarters, and all I need to do is just stay there, have my head focused, and play the right tactics, play a smart game.
"That's what I've been doing until the middle of the second set, then I really started to think a little bit too much ahead. Because of that a little bit tightened up and wasn't as aggressive as I was in the beginning of the match. But then by the end of the second set I got myself together, and I knew I had to close it." postmatch interview
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Wimbledon, QFs, Tue Jul 1 1pm
loser's prize: £93,750 = US $184,581; points: 250
#5 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #22 s21 Nadia Petrova RUS 6-1, 6(6)-7, 6-3 career matches: Nadia leads 7-5
Elena serving, Nadia and Elena driving forehands, and Elena after match point
Elena took a 5-2 lead in the 2nd set, but each time she served for the match her serve was broken by Nadia, who then won the tiebreak, forcing the third set. BBC game-by-game match highlights: watch - download
Elena said: "I felt so tight when I served for the match in the second set. I was so close to finishing in two sets and don't know what happened... It was so difficult to play in the beginning of the third set but I tried to stay positive... It was extremely hard during the match because of the heat. I feel exhausted right now." BBC story - postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
It was the first time Nadia had reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal since the 2006 Australian Open. Nadia said: "This match has been an opportunity, and I missed a big one... Well, it's been a good fun for me. I've had a good result. I'm happy I'm getting my matches back. I'm feeling my game better."
postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
Elena will play # 7 Venus Williams in the semifinals on Thursday. 2000, '01, '05 & '07 Wimbledon champ Venus leads Elena 5-2 in career matches. But they have never met on grass, and their last match on a fast surface was in 2004, when Elena defeated Venus in the Miami quarterfinals, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(3). Venus has a 19-7 match record this year, Elena is 34-9 in 2008.
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#6 s6 Serena Williams USA d #14 s14 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 6-4, 6-0 career matches: Serena leads 2-0
Serena serving, Agnieszka driving a backhand, Serena reaching for a forehand, and after match point
Serena said: "I definitely felt I stepped it up a notch, mostly with my serve. I expected Radwanska to get a lot of balls back, like she did, and make some good shots, like she did, you know, hit an extra ball, like I had to do out there." postmatch interview match highlights: watch - download
Agnieszka said: "[Serena] was serving unbelievable today, especially in the second set. Sometimes four aces in a game. It's too much... I broke her also once. But if she's on a good game and she's serving, she's doing her best on the court, it's very tough to play against her, even if I'm serving. She was playing too good for me today." postmatch interview
Asked what sharing an apartment with her sister Venus will be like on Saturday morning if they both reach the final, Serena said: "I'm going to sabotage her and eat all the breakfast. I'll eat all the Wheaties so she doesn't have any chance, if we get that far."
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#7 s7 Venus Williams USA d #85 Tamarine Tanasugarn THA 6-4, 6-3 career matches: Venus leads 7-0
Venus following a forehand, Tammy about to swat one, Venus driving a backhand, and Tammy congratulating Venus after match point
Venus said: "I think it was a good match. Obviously [Tammy] was playing well to get to the quarterfinals. You have to play really well to get to the quarters of a slam. I think her game is really suited for the grass. Her serve is a slice that turns into you and it stays low. Her shots are really, really low to the ground. A lot of time I think I was battling just to stay down on the shots, and I felt good when I got one up in my strike zone." postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download match highlights: watch - download
Tammy's ranking is projected to rise to # 37 next week. Tammy said: "I go out there and try the best I can. And I think I was choking myself, I have so many breakpoints in the first set. But Venus... served very well during the breakpoints. So what can I do? I try the best I can today." postmatch interview
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#132 wc Jie Zheng CHN d #18 s18 Nicole Vaidisova CZE 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 career matches: Nicole leads 2-1
Jie serving, Nicole driving a forehand, Jie about to pounce on a backhand, and after match point
Jie reached a career high of # 27 in 2006, but spent most of 2007 sidelined by a left ankle injury. At Roland Garros in 2004, Jie became the first Chinese woman ever to reach the 4th round of a Grand Slam tourney. Now she is the first Chinese player ever to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.
BBC game-by-game match highlights: watch - download
Nicole said: "I feel like [Jie] was the better player today. She was hitting the ball great. I was just trying to hang in there and try to turn it around in the second set. It worked a little bit. Actually, I have to give her credit. She played great." postmatch interview
Jie will play # 6 Serena Williams the semifinals on Thursday. 2002 & '03 Wimbledon champ Serena and Jie have met once before, in the 1st round at Wimbledon in 2004, when Serena won, 6-3, 6-1. Serena has a 30-3 match record this season, Jie is 22-9 for the year.
Jie said: "Serena, with no doubt, is outstanding player, and so far I haven't found any weak link about her. But as a first time to enter the semifinal, I would rather now enjoying the game than anything else."
postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
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Wimbledon, SFs, Thu Jul 3 1pm
loser's prize: £187,500 = US $369,161; points: 450
*#7 s7 Venus Williams USA d #5 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS 6-1, 7-6(3) career matches: Venus leads 6-2
Venus serving, Elena driving a backhand, Venus about to swat a forehand, and after match point match highlights: watch - download
Venus and Elena both put 63% of their 1st serves in the box, and both had 3 double faults. But Venus won 76% of her 1st serve points (Elena: 58%) and 46% of her 2nd serve points (Elena: 36%). Venus also averaged 116 miles an hour on 1st serve, and an impressive 96 mph on 2nd serve (Elena: 100 mph & 87 mph). Venus converted 4 of 14 break points; Elena, only 1 of 7. match stats
Elena said: "I expected such a good game from [Venus] because she's the defending champion. I think she started really well. In the beginning of the match she really dominated, put a lot of pressure on my serve. She was serving unbelievably well, so it was really hard to just make her play...
"I think the surface really suits to her game, because she doesn't like to play long rallies. She doesn't like to play long matches. So it's an excellent surface for her." postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
Asked how she would play her sister Serena in the final, Venus said: "Obviously I rely on my serve a lot. When I get it going it helps me out a ton. I think being able to go out there and return really well will be key for me. I'll definitely use my speed. As always, to win a title, you've got to play aggressive and not just hope that your opponent misses. So all of those things." postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
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#6 s6 Serena Williams USA d #132 wc Jie Zheng CHN 6-2, 7-6(5) career matches: Serena leads 2-0
Serena serving, Jie driving a forehand on the run, Serena following a backhand, and after winning a point match highlights: watch - download
Both players made 65% of their 1st serves good, and Jie had only 1 double fault. But Serena had zero DFs (almost unheard of these days) and fired 14 aces (Jie: 1 ace). Serena averaged 108 miles an hour on 1st serve, and 90 mph on 2nd serve (Jie: 95 mph & 80 mph). Serena converted 3 of 10 break points; Jie, 1 of 2. match stats
Jie had a set point in the 2nd set, but failed to score. Jie said: "Probably I was thinking too much about it, then I didn't get the chance. I lost the set point...
"During today's match, actually I've been winning more points than Serena did [from the baseline]. However, her serve was simply too big." postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
Serena said: "I definitely felt like I wanted to win it now, but at the same time I was ready for the third set. I would have had a lot of confidence going into the third set." postmatch interview - interview video: watch - download
About playing her sister Venus in the final on Saturday, Serena said: "I obviously really, really, really want to win. But most of all, I'm gonna just try to stay focused... I don't talk about my opponent's weakness for fear she might read this interview... I'll have to definitely come up with some big returns, as well as she. And definitely will have to serve well."
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Wimbledon, Final, Sat Jul 5 2pm
loser's prize: £375,000 = US $738,322; points: 700
winner's prize: £750,000 = US $1,476,645; points: 1000
*#7 s7 Venus Williams USA d #6 s6 Serena Williams USA 7-5, 6-4 career matches: tied at 8-8
Serena serving, Venus driving a backhand, Serena's backhand, Venus running down a forehand, Serena driving a forehand, Venus reaching for one, Serena driving a backhand, Venus volleying one, and after match point
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Wimbledon, Doubles Final, Sat Jul 5 cC m3
losers' prize: £115,000 = US $226,419
winners' prize: £230,000 = US $452,838
*cdr201 s11 Serena Williams & Venus Williams d cdr57 s16 Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-2
Wimbledon, Mixed Doubles Final, Sun Jul 6
losers' prize: £46,000 = US $90,568
winners' prize: £92,000 = US $181,135
*Samantha Stosur & Bob Bryan d s1 Katarina Srebotnik & Mike Bryan 7-5, 6-4
Wimbledon, Girls' Singles Final, Sat Jul 5 c1 m2
*wtaNR jr36 Laura Robson GBR d wta478 jr5 s3 Noppawan Lertcheewakarn THA 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
16-year-old Noppawan about to swat a backhand, 14-year-old Laura following a forehand, and holding the hardware after the match
Laura is the first British girl to win the Wimbledon juniors in 24 years. Annabel Croft won the title in 1984. The last British girl to win the title before Annabel was Ann Haydon (later Jones) in 1956. Ann, as "Mrs P.F. Jones," won the big kids title in 1969, defeating Billie Jean King.
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Wimbledon, Girls' Doubles Final, Sun Jul 6
s6 Polona Hercog SLO & Jessica Moore AUS d Isabella Holland AUS & Sally Peers AUS 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
Polona & Jessica are on a roll: they also won the French Open juniors doubles
Wimbledon, Invitation (over 35) Doubles Final, Sun Jul 6
losers' prize: £14,000 = US $27,564
winners' prize: £17,000 = US $33,471
Jana Novotna CZE & Kathy Rinaldi USA d Martina Navratilova USA & Helena Sukova CZE 5-7, 6-3, (10-5)
Kathy and Jana during the final
Wimbledon, Qualifying Finals Thu Jun 19
Q1st loser's prize: £1,625 = US $3,199; 2 points
Q2nd loser's prize: £3,250 = US $6,399; 15 points
Qfinal loser's prize: £6,500 = US $12,798; 25 points
#100 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP d #174 Corinna Dentoni ITA 7-5, 5-7, 6-3
#104 Stephanie Foretz FRA d #131 Anastasiya Yakimova BLR 6-2, 6-1
#109 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE d #167 Jarmila Gajdosova AUS(SVK) 6-3, 6-4
#111 Severine Bremond FRA d #218 Youlia Anne Fedossova FRA 6-0, 6-4
#114 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK d #207 Regina Kulikova RUS 7-5, 6-2
*#124 Mathilde Johansson FRA d #116 Jelena Kostanic Tosic CRO 6-4, 6-3
*#185 Eva Hrdinova CZE d #130 Olga Puchkova RUS 6-4, 6-1
#136 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d #165 Kathrin Woerle GER 6-3, 6-0
#140 Maria Elena Camerin ITA d #153 Tatiana Poutchek BLR 6(1)-7, 6-3, 7-5
#156 Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR d #177 Kristina Barrois GER 5-7, 6-2, 7-5
*#186 Zuzana Ondraskova CZE d #181 Ekaterina Dzehalevich BLR 6-3, 6-2
#200 Rika Fujiwara JPN d #230 Kumiko Iijima 6-4, 6-2
Wimbledon, Withdrawals/Non-entries
#21 Tatiana Golovin FRA still recovering from March surgery
#39 Karin Knapp ITA
#75 Akiko Morigami JPN
#107 Maria Emilia Salerni ARG
#138 Meilen Tu USA
#150 Meghann Shaughnessy USA knee injury
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, who has spent the past couple of months sidelined by a right foot stress fracture,
. At Wimbledon in 2007, players on these courts will be allowed three incorrect challenge-video replays in each set, after which they can no longer challenge calls in that set. The
both utilize the Hawkeye instant replay system on show courts, and allow players to challenge calls and request replays until they lose two challenges in each set. Roland Garros does not yet have any form of instant replay gear installed for
call challenges--of course, on clay courts, ball marks are generally used to judge questionable calls.
, officials announced. Construction will begin after
in July, 2006. The 2007
will be played with no roof at all (the current partial roof removed), a new fixed partial roof will be in place in 2008, and the retractable roof completed in 2009. The roof will take 10 minutes to deploy, so Centre Court rain delays of up to 30 minutes will still be possible, but the roof is being installed to assure TV networks of almost continuous coverage, even if it rains. The arena's capacity will also be increased from 13,800 to 15,000.
The article on equal pay for women in pro tennis, the Slims Tour, and the formation of the WTA, formerly reproduced here, is permanently archived on the
Link to many postmatch interview & match highlight videos of WTA players at the
: the current top 20 Women's Tennis rankings with player photos, links, and bio info.
).