WTA June 21-July 4: Wimbledon The Championships Wimbledon, GBR Grand Slam Prize$: £13,725,000 (all events) 128 players - outdoor: grass matches: statistics Live Scores - OOP - results draws: W sing, pdf - mix doub women's: qualif. - singles - doub men's: qualif. - singles - doub pics: DL - Y! sport - news| WTA TV Sched: US - Australia Wimbledon wallpaper Radio Wimbledon - Video Gallery BBC Radio: Five Live text: news - interviews - history tourney sched - venue - website map London: radar - forecast - news #1 S Williams, #2 V Williams #3 C Wozniacki, #4 J Jankovic

tourney archive: previous tourney page     next tourney page Wimbledon: #1 Serena Williams 5'9" 135lb RH 2H-BH Wimbledon: #22 Vera Zvonareva 5' 7¾" 130½lb RH 2H-BH Wimbledon: 4th Wimbledon Singles Title 37th WTA Singles Title

On Saturday in London, England, in the final of The Championships at Wimbledon, the 2002, 2003 and 2009 tourney champion (and 2010 Australian Open champ), 28-year-old #1 Serena Williams from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, won her 4th Wimbledon singles title by defeating last year's champ at Indian Wells, 25-year-old 21st-seeded #22 (career-high: #5) Vera Zvonareva from Moscow, Russia, 6-3, 6-2 (photos shown).     Serena struck 29 winners (including 9 aces) with 15 unforced errors (including 3 double faults); Vera hit only 9 winners (4 aces) with 11 errors (2 DFs). Serena converted 3 of 7 break points agains Vera; Vera did not reach a break point against Serena during the match.

    Although Serena's average 1st serve speed (105 mph) was only 5% faster than Vera's, excellent placement allowed Serena to win an incredible 94% of her 1st serve points (Vera: 63%). match stats

    Serena's prize is £1,000,000 (about $1,455,200 US); Vera's prize is £500,000 (about $727,600 US).

    It was Serena's 13th Grand Slam singles title, putting Serena in sixth place on the all-time list of women's Grand Slam champions (Margaret Smith Court won 24). Serena said: "That's actually my lucky number. I'm happy to win 13. You never know what tomorrow brings. I'm happy to have gotten this far. Who would have thought?... I honestly never served like this. At Wimbledon, whenever I come on this grass and play on this amazing court I start serving well.
    "Vera has been through so much and everyone should give her a big cheer—she really defines what a champion and never giving up means." postmatch interview - AP story - BBC story

    Vera said: "I think I'm a little bit disappointed at the moment. Maybe I was not able to show my best today, but I think Serena just didn't allow me to show my best... She's a human being. She's not a machine. It's very difficult to beat her. You have to play your best. But if you do, you can do it." postmatch interview

    Serena now leads Vera 6-1 in career matches, and has won the last three times they have played. Prior to this match they had not met since 2008, when Serena defeated Vera on green clay in the final at Charleston, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Vera's win over Serena came on a hardcourt in the Cincinnati semifinals in 2006, when Vera defeated Serena 6-2, 6-3.

    13-time Grand Slam tourney champion Serena is now 37-14 in WTA singles finals. She won this year's Australian Open, and the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and WTA Championships titles last year. Serena has a 25-4 singles match record in 2010.
    Vera is now 10-13 in WTA singles finals; after she won at Indian Wells last year she tore ankle ligaments at Charleston, and had surgery to remove scar tissue in November. In January at the Australian Open Vera said it would still take a while before she was 100% healthy again. Vera has a 27-11 match record this year.

final game-by game: BBC "As It Happened"
Friday pre-final interviews: Serena Williams - Vera Zvonareva

Men's final: s2 Rafael Nadal ESP d s12 Tomas Berdych CZE 6-4, 7-5, 6-4

◄ click for women's singles draw in the video frame   2010 Major Skirmishes, Top Half 4th Round: #1 Serena Williams d #17 Maria Sharapova 7-6(9), 6-4 #61 Petra Kvitova d #3 Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-0 #10 Na Li d #8 Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 6-2 #79 Kaia Kanepi d #66 Klara Zakopalova 6-2, 6-4 Quarterfinals: #1 Serena Williams d #10 Na Li 7-5, 6-3 #61 Petra Kvitova d #79 Kaia Kanepi 4-6, 7-6(8), 8-6 Semifinal: #1 Serena Williams d #61 P Kvitova 7-6(5), 6-2   2010 Major Skirmishes, Bottom Half 4th Round: #2 Venus Williams d #90 Jarmila Groth 6-4, 7-6(5) #22 Vera Zvonareva d #4 J Jankovic 6-1, 3-0 retired #9 Kim Clijsters d #18 Justine Henin 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 #81 Tsvetana Pironkova d #12 M Bartoli 6-4, 6-4 Quarterfinals: #81 Tsvetana Pironkova d #2 Venus Williams 6-2, 6-3 #22 Vera Zvonareva d #9 Kim Clijsters 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 Semifinal: #22 Vera Zvonareva d #81 T Pironkova 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 name in italics = arrived by upset of higher ranked player

    2010 prize money is listed below; although the prizes in pounds have increased, because the pound has fallen so far against the dollar, the prizes in US currency through the 3rd round are lower than in 2009 (and last year all the prizes were lower than in 2008).

WTA SCOREBOARD: The Championships at Wimbledon s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? prizes in US $ are at Jun 11 conversion rate The Championships,  Wimbledon, London, England   tourney time:        = GMT +1 hours        = US EDT +5 hours        = US PDT +8 hours London News - England News - UK News Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar     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.   click for broader view All England Club Latitude: 51.434113 Longitude: -0.214491 goto link for World Wind MultiMap's photo-map - venue map, .pdf All England Lawn Tennis Club address: London SW19, England, UK 2010: On Thursday, June 17 at Kensington Roof Gardens in London, Holly Branson was a scenic replacement for her dad Sir Richard at the Virgin-sponsored WTA player party... Players & celebs at the party included 2000, '01, '05 '07 & '08 Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, 2004 champ Maria Sharapova (showed doing a SonyEricsson promo earlier in the day), '02, '03 & '09 champ Serena Williams, and Anne Keothavong, who was British #1 until injured last year... row 2: Preeya Kalidas, Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki & Agnieszka Radwanska, Elen Rives, and Andrea McLean... row 3: Sugarbabes Jade Ewen, Amelie Berrabah & Heidi Range, Kimiko Date Krumm, Jessica Lowndes, and Heather Watson & Elena Baltcha...

Wimbledon, 1st Round Mon-Tue Jun 21-22 noon loser's prize: £11,250 = US $16,371; points: 5 #1 s1 Serena Williams USA d #148 Michelle Larcher de Brito POR 6-0, 6-4 Tue Michelle and Serena driving forehand and backhand, and Serena after match point     Serena said: "I thought I served well... I thought I could have came to the net more. I think that's something I could have done better...     "[Michelle is] a good player. I played her before. So that was good that I played her before, so I knew what to expect. She doesn't look it, but she definitely packs a punch." postmatch interview #2 s2 Venus Williams USA d #92 Rossana de los Rios PAR 6-3, 6-2 Mon Venus driving a forehand, and Rossana following one     Venus said: "It's good to be back. I love playing on the grass. It was pretty straightforward out there, but it's just the first round, and I'll try to play better with each match...     "I was ready to go. Been practicing on the grass since Wednesday. So I feel like I had a good feel for it. I was just ready to go for it... The first round, plus you never know how the courts are going to play, if it's going to be slippery, how the bounce will be. Each one's playing so different. I was pretty happy with how the court was playing, to be playing clean." postmatch interview - AFP story #3 s3 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #54 Tathiana Garbin ITA 6-1, 6-1 Tue Caro after match point #4 s4 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #236 wc Laura Robson GBR 6-3, 7-6(5) Mon Jelena serving, Laura driving a backhand, Laura serving, and Jelena's backhand drive     Laura struck 13 aces in the match, with 3 double faults. match stats     Jelena said: "It was a difficult match... it was our first match against each other... On top of that, it was my first match on grass [this year]. But I was happy I was able to get through. You know, I had ups and downs. But it's my first match so I couldn't expect something special.     [Laura] has a good potential. She's very young. I think she has a good game. She was serving especially very well today. I think that's one of her strengths."postmatch interview     16-year-old Laura said: "I think the most important thing is that I served well on the big points, when [Jelena] had a breakpoint or something. So it's good that I'm able to do that." postmatch interview *#47 Vera Dushevina RUS d #6 s5 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6(0)-7, 7-5, 6-1 Mon Francesca and Vera launching backhands, and Vera after match point     Vera said: "Francesca is champion of Roland Garros, but it's a really different surface, clay and grass. I was the junior champion of Wimbledon, and I know how to play on the grass. She show really good game in first set; second set was very close to her. So I think we played very good tennis. It's like two hours and 54 minutes. It's really tough to win this match." postmatch interview     Francesca said: "Was tough match. Was different surface, different feeling. But [Vera] played very good, and I didn't take my chance maybe in the second set." postmatch interview fragment *#79 q Kaia Kanepi EST d #7 s6 Samantha Stosur AUS 6-4, 6-4 Tue Samantha volleying a backhand, and Kaia's forehand drive     Samantha said: "I didn't play as well as I know that I can today. But I thought [Kaia] played well. She served very well. I didn't serve as well as her. I think that kind of hurt me." postmatch interview #8 s7 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #70 Melinda Czink HUN 6-3, 6-3 Tue Melinda and Agnieszka driving forehand and backhand #9 s8 Kim Clijsters BEL d #120 Maria Elena Camerin ITA 6-0, 6-3 Mon Maria Elena and Kim driving forehands     Kim said: "I think overall I think I played a good match... What's really important on grass is that you stay on top of your baseline. That's something I'm going to have to do. If I can do that, that's when I know I'm playing some of my best tennis. If I can really be on top of the baseline, when my opponent is playing aggressive, still stay there and take over." postmatch interview #10 s9 Na Li CHN d #87 wc Chanelle Scheepers RSA 7-6(5), 6-2 Tue Na ready to swat a backhand #11 s10 Flavia Pennetta ITA d #37 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 6-4, 6-0 Tue Anabel congratulating her friend Flavia after match point #12 s11 Marion Bartoli FRA d #73 Julia Goerges GER 6-4, 6-3 Mon Julia and Marion driving backhands #13 s12 Nadia Petrova RUS d #94 Tatjana Malek GER 6-4, 6-3 Mon Tatjana slicing a backhand, and Nadia driving one #14 s13 Shahar Peer ISR d #45 Ana Ivanovic SRB 6-3, 6-4 Mon Shahar driving a forehand, and Ana after losing a point #15 s14 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #181 q Mirjana Lucic CRO 6-3, 6-3 Tue Vika after match point #16 s15 Yanina Wickmayer BEL d #146 wc Alison Riske USA 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 Mon Alison and Yanina driving forehand and backhand #17 s16 Maria Sharapova RUS d #128 LL Anastasia Pivovarova RUS 6-1, 6-0 Tue Anastasia driving a forehand, Maria following one, and after match point     Maria said: "It was the first time I played against [Anastasia]... So I think the goal today was to figure things out pretty quickly. And I did a good job of that...     "I feel good. My body feels good. I'm in much better match condition than I was last year." postmatch interview     The Bat: Some folks may have noticed that Maria's current racquet does not have the usual "P" on the strings. That is because it is not a Prince racquet. Since her right shoulder injury in 2008, Maria has been seeking a lower-stiffness racquet which will reduce the chances of another injury. Unfortunately, Prince, which holds a contract to pay Maria about $2.5 million a year from 2006-2015, is known for stiff racquets.     In January 2010, Maria was using an updated version of the Prince O3 Speedport Black called the EXO3 Black. After Indian Wells in March 2010, Maria was sidelined for several weeks by a right elbow bone bruise. When she returned to play at Madrid in May, Maria, with the consent of Prince, was using a Head Youtek Radical which has been painted black, with no logo on the strings. The Youtek Radical Pro has a stiffness of 58 (compared to 70 for the O3 Speedport Black), a 100 sq." string area, 27" length, swingweight of 345, and weighs 11.6 oz strung, balanced 2 points head-light. This is the racquet that Maria swung at Roland Garros and is swinging at Wimbledon this year.     Prince Tennis posted at Facebook: Maria has actually agreed to engage in pioneering a new product development program with us that will have her playtesting some frames over the next few months in practice and actual matches, to help us develop potential future offerings. This may even include some frames not currently in the Prince line. That is all part of our program with her and we are excited to see the data it provides. #18 s17 Justine Henin BEL d #56 Anastasija Sevastova LAT 6-4, 6-3 Mon Justine's forehand drive     Justine said: "I just got here yesterday, flying from Brussels yesterday morning. But at the first minute, it was very good feeling to be back. I think I see things differently at the moment. I probably enjoy it much more. No, it's been only good things since I'm arrived. I'm happy about today's match. Good to be back on the court also. So very positive at the moment." postmatch interview #19 s18 Aravane Rezai FRA d #63 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 6(8)-7, 6-2, 7-5 Tue #20 s19 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #93 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB 6-2, 6(5)-7, 6-4 Tue Akgul ready to serve, and Svetlana driving a backhand #22 s21 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #179 Nuria Llagostera Vives ESP 6-4, 6-1 Mon Vera's forehand drive #24 s23 Jie Zheng CHN d #106 Pauline Parmentier FRA 7-5, 6-4 Tue Jie serving, Pauline driving a backhand, and Jie about to pounce on one #25 s24 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #71 Vania King USA 6(4)-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 Tue-dark-Wed Vania and Daniela backhands, and Daniela after match point *#46 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d #26 s25 Lucie Safarova CZE 7-6(5), 6-4 Tue Domi after match point #27 s26 Alisa Kleybanova RUS d #88 Sandra Zahlavova CZE 6-2, 6-3 Mon #28 s27 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #86 Stefanie Voegele SUI 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 Mon Stefanie and Maria driving backhands #29 s28 Alona Bondarenko UKR d #130 wc Katie O'Brien GBR 6-3, 6(10)-7, 6-4 Mon Katie driving a backhand, Alona following one, and after match point #30 s29 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d #60 Iveta Benesova CZE 6-3, 6-4 Tue #31 s30 Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ d #53 Polona Hercog SLO 6-1, 6-4 Mon #32 s31 Alexandra Dulgheru ROU d #64 Kimiko Date Krumm JPN 6-2, 6(3)-7, 6-1 Tue #33 s32 Sara Errani ITA d #98 Julie Coin FRA 6-2, 6-4 Tue #34 s33 Melanie Oudin USA d #97 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER 6-3, 6-0 Mon Melanie following a backhand *#138 q Greta Arn HUN d #35 s34 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-3 Mon *#111 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #36 Andrea Petkovic GER 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 Tue *#50 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP d #38 Olga Govortsova BLR 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 Tue *#91 Edina Gallovits ROU d #39 Timea Bacsinszky SUI 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 Tue *#67 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE d #41 Elena Vesnina RUS 6-1, 6-3 Tue *#139 q Monica Niculescu ROU d #42 Gisela Dulko ARG 6-3, 6-2 Tue #48 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN d #187 q Eleni Daniilidou GRE 7-5, 7-5 Mon Aleksandra driving a backhand, and Eleni reaching for a forehand *#51 Roberta Vinci ITA d #49 Sybille Bammer AUT 6-3, 6-3 Tue *#100 Ekaterina Makarova RUS d #52 Agnes Szavay HUN 6-4, 7-6(2) Mon Agnes driving a forehand, and Ekaterina about to swat a backhand #55 Angelique Kerber GER d #113 Sania Mirza IND 6-4, 6-1 Mon Sania driving a forehand, and Angelique fielding one on the run *#61 Petra Kvitova CZE d #57 Sorana Cirstea ROU 6-2, 6-2 Tue *#83 Yung-Jan Chan TPE d #59 Patty Schnyder SUI 6-0, 6-2 Mon Patty and Yung-Jan driving backhands *#77 Petra Martic CRO d #62 Elena Baltacha GBR 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 Mon Petra and Elena after match point *#85 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d #65 Sofia Arvidsson SWE 6-4, 6-1 Mon #66 Klara Zakopalova CZE d #82 Yvonne Meusburger AUT 6(1)-7, 6-1, 6-0 Tue #68 Kirsten Flipkens BEL d #125 LL Stephanie Dubois CAN 6-4, 6-4 Mon #69 Regina Kulikova RUS d #234 wc Melanie South GBR 6-1, 6-2 Mon *#102 Ayumi Morita JPN d #72 Tamarine Tanasugarn THA 7-5, 6-1 Tue Ayumi running down a forehand #74 Kristina Barrois GER d #122 Mariya Koryttseva UKR 6-3, 6-4 Mon c19 m3 #75 Alberta Brianti ITA d #101 Jill Craybas USA 6-2, 7-5 Tue #76 Anastasia Rodionova AUS d #157 sr Anne Keothavong GBR 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 Tue Anne and Anastasia driving backhands     Anne said: "I think nerves just got the better of me, to be honest. I really fought my heart out out there. {Anastasia] held her nerve better than I did. She's the one who walks off the court with a win." postmatch interview *#115 Ioana Raluca Olaru ROU d #78 Alizé Cornet FRA 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 Tue *#90 Jarmila Groth AUS d #80 Renata Voracova CZE 6-4, 6-3 Mon #81 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL d #95 Anna Lapushchenkova RUS 6-0, 7-6(7) Mon #89 Kai-Chen Chang TPE d #124 Arantxa Rus NED 6-0, 2-6, 6-3 Tue #96 Alicia Molik AUS d #112 Zuzana Kucova SVK 6-2, 7-5 Mon Alicia after match point #99 Varvara Lepchenko USA d #104 Lucie Hradecka CZE 6-4, 7-5 Mon #107 Karolina Sprem CRO d #103 Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA 6-3, 6-4 Mon Karolina driving a forehand #108 Bojana Jovanovski SRB d #205 sr82 Casey Dellacqua AUS 6-1, 6-0 Tue *#149 q Kurumi Nara JPN d #116 Mariana Duque Marino COL 6-4, 6-2 Tue Kurumi about to launch a backhand #137 q Andrea Hlavackova CZE d #301 wc Noppawan Lertcheewakarn THA 6-3, 6-2 Mon Andrea after match point #140 q Romina Oprandi ITA d #344 wc Heather Watson GBR 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 Tue Heather driving a backhand, and Romina pursuing a forehand #123 q Shenay Perry USA d #143 q Anastasiya Yakimova BLR 6-2, 4-6, 9-7 Mon Shenay about to swat a backhand

Wimbledon, 2nd Round Wed-Thu Jun 23-24 noon loser's prize: £18,750 = US $27,285; points: 100 #1 s1 Serena Williams USA d #111 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 6-0, 6-1 Thu Serena driving a forehand #2 s2 Venus Williams USA d #100 Ekaterina Makarova RUS 6-0, 6-4 Wed Ekaterina and Venus driving backhands, and Venus after match point     Venus said: "[Eakterina] been playing really well, won a tournament last week [at Eastbourne]. I think the grass suits her game. She hits it low and has a good serve. I was very happy to get off to a good start and then to close it out at the end." postmatch interview #3 s3 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #89 Kai-Chen Chang TPE 6-4, 6-3 Thu Kai-Chen finessing a forehand, Caroline following a backhand, and after match point #4 s4 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #48 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 Wed Aleksandra driving a forehand, and Jelena about to connect with a backhand #8 s7 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #75 Alberta Brianti ITA 6-2, 6-0 Thu Alberta congratulating Agnieszka after match point #9 s8 Kim Clijsters BEL d #107 Karolina Sprem CRO 6-3, 6-2 Wed Karolina about to fire a forehand, and Kim volleying a backhand     Kim said: "This was definitely a match where I wanted to be like ready to go from the start, because, first of all, [Karolina] doesn't give you a lot of rhythm, but you have to, when you get your chances, take your chances. She hits the ball so hard. So in the beginning, I just had to adjust my footwork a little bit and just find that position, whether you be close on top of the baseline or a little bit further back.     "But I was very happy with the way that I went through it. Good that I broke once I think in that first set. And then in the second set, I felt that I was playing better, a little bit more aggressive, and she was missing a little bit more." postmatch interview #10 s9 Na Li CHN d #149 q Kurumi Nara JPN 6-2, 6-4 Thu #11 s10 Flavia Pennetta ITA d #139 q Monica Niculescu ROU 6-1, 6-1 Thu Monica serving, Flavia driving a forehand, and after match point #12 s11 Marion Bartoli FRA d #77 Petra Martic CRO walkover—abdominal injury? Wed #13 s12 Nadia Petrova RUS d #83 Yung-Jan Chan TPE 6-3, 6-4 Wed Nadia about to slice a backhand, and Yung-Jan ready to drive one *#55 Angelique Kerber GER d #14 s13 Shahar Peer ISR 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Wed Shahar driving a backhand, Angelique driving a forehand, and after match point #15 s14 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #108 Bojana Jovanovski SRB 6-1, 6-4 Thu Bojana driving a forehand, Victoria ready to swat one, and after winning a point #16 s15 Yanina Wickmayer BEL d #68 Kirsten Flipkens BEL 7-6(9), 6-4 Wed #17 s16 Maria Sharapova RUS d #115 Ioana Raluca Olaru ROU 6-1, 6-4 Thu Maria serving, Iona Raluca launching a forehand on the run, Maria driving a backhand, and after match point     Maria was up a break in the 2nd set at 6-1, 4-3, when Iona Raluca broke her to reach 4-4. However, Maria was able to break Iona's serve again, and then serve out the match.     Maria said: "I did a really good job of [playing aggressively] from the beginning. Definitely when I do that, I feel really good about my game. I just kind of stopped in the middle of the second set and let [Iona Raluca] back in. But, fortunately, I was able to get that break back." postmatch interview #18 s17 Justine Henin BEL d #74 Kristina Barrois GER 6-3, 7-5 Wed Justine serving, Kristina and Justine driving forehands, and Justine after match point     It was a rematch of the quarterfinals last week in 's-Hertogenbosch, when Justine defeated Kristina 7-5, 6-3.     Justine led 5-1 in the 2nd set, but then Kristina got back into the match. Justine said: "It was good till 6-3, 5-1. I was really into my match. We could see a lot of things having improved. And I think I started the match being aggressive.     "[Kristina] doesn't give a lot of rhythm, so you have to do everything all the time. She's quite smart to play. At 5-1 in the second, the intensity dropped down. For a few games, really I was sometimes too much in a rush to finish...     "Away from that, I was feeling better in my shoulder, could serve better today. So that was the good thing. " postmatch interview *#66 Klara Zakopalova CZE d #19 s18 Aravane Rezai FRA 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 Thu *#76 Anastasia Rodionova AUS d #20 s19 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 Thu Svetlana and Anastasia driving forehand and backhand #22 s21 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #137 q Andrea Hlavackova CZE 6-1, 6-4 Wed *#61 Petra Kvitova CZE d #24 s23 Jie Zheng CHN 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 Thu #67 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE d #25 s24 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 Thu Barbora reaching for a forehand, and after reaching the 3rd round of a Grand Slam in singles for the 2nd time in her career (1st time: Wimbledon 2008) #27 s26 Alisa Kleybanova RUS d #85 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 6-4, 6-2 Wed #28 s27 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #123 q Shenay Perry USA 6-1, 6-4 Wed Shenay and Maria driving backhands #29 s28 Alona Bondarenko UKR d #99 Varvara Lepchenko USA 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 Wed Varvara ready to swat a forehand, and Alona's backhand drive #30 s29 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d #51 Roberta Vinci ITA 6-2, 7-6(1) Thu     Anastasia said: "My match was good. Of course I'm very happy that I pulled it through... last year we play against each other and I lost tough match. So I tried to take everything from last year's match. And we also played a lot of times in the past, so I just tried to play good tactically. I think I did it well. I'm also glad that it wasn't like a stressful match, anything like that; I just play well." postmatch interview *#69 Regina Kulikova RUS d #31 s30 Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ 6-2, 6-4 Wed #32 s31 Alexandra Dulgheru ROU d #140 q Romina Oprandi ITA 6-2, 6-0 Thu #33 s32 Sara Errani ITA d #50 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP 6-2, 6-2 Thu *#90 Jarmila Groth AUS d #34 s33 Melanie Oudin USA 6-4, 6-3 Wed Jarmila about to drive a forehand #46 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d #102 Ayumi Morita JPN 6(4)-7, 7-6(2), 7-5 Thu Dominika and Ayumi driving 1-handed and 2-handed forehands *#81 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL d #47 Vera Dushevina RUS 6-3, 6-4 Wed #79 q Kaia Kanepi EST d #91 Edina Gallovits ROU 6-4, 7-5 Thu *#138 q Greta Arn HUN d #96 Alicia Molik AUS 7-5, 6-4 Wed Greta after match point

...meanwhile, in Gentlemen's Singles on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: tourney story - story 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

Wimbledon, 3rd Round Fri-Sat Jun 25-26 noon loser's prize: £31,250 = US $45,475; points: 160 #1 s1 Serena Williams USA d #46 Dominika Cibulkova SVK 6-0, 7-5 Sat Serena's service toss, Dominika fielding a low forehand, Serena driving a backhand, and after match point     Serena struck 38 winners (including 19 aces) with 9 unforced errors (including zero double faults); 5' 3" Dominika's 28 winners included 13 aces; she had 13 errors (1 DF). Serena's fastest serve was 120 mph, her average 1st serve 107 mph, and her average 2nd serve 90 mph (Dominika: 118 mph, 100 mph, 87 mph). match stats     Serena said: "I serve well at Wimbledon for some unknown reason. I want to keep doing it. I wish I could serve like this every tournament. For the most part my serve works when I'm in trouble. At Wimbledon it works the whole match...     "[In the 2nd set Dominika] definitely picked her game up. She's a good player. I also think I slid a little bit. It's important for me to stay level and stay with my game. But I wasn't able to do that." postmatch interview     Serena will play Maria Sharapova in the 4th round on Monday. Serena leads Maria 5-2 in career matches, and Serena has won the last four times they have played. Their most recent match was on Har-Tru green clay in the quarterfinals at Charleston in 2008, when Serena defeated Maria 7-5, 4-6, 6-1. Their only previous encounter on grass was in the 2004 final at Wimbledon, when Maria won her first Grand Slam title, 6-1, 6-4.     Serena said: "[Maria is] obviously really good, especially on grass... It's really good [to see her doing well after her shoulder injury]. It's always good to see someone that's a champion out on the court, returning and do well, winning tournaments already...     "I think she really knows my game. I think she really studies it. I pretty much know her game. So I don't think much has changed." #2 s2 Venus Williams USA d #27 s26 Alisa Kleybanova RUS 6-4, 6-2 Fri Venus driving a backhand, and after match point     Venus said: "There were definitely some games that were really back and forth. [Alisa] was competing really well. I was competing well. I think we both served pretty good today. So there was some games that went close. But thankfully I got most of them." postmatch interview #3 s3 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #30 s29 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 7-5, 6-4 Sat Caroline's service toss, Anastasia driving a backhand, Caro ready to swat one, and after match point #4 s4 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #29 s28 Alona Bondarenko UKR 6-0, 6-3 Fri Jelena driving a forehand, Alona and Jelena driving backhands, and Jelena after match point     Jelena was treated during the match for what appeared a thigh muscle strain. Jelena said: "I had some pain during the match after first set, but hopefully it will be all right. I have maybe two days to rest and get some treatment. Hopefully everything will be okay...     "I'm happy with the way that I'm playing in this moment. Especially today, in that first set I played really well. That's the game I would like to play. That's the real me. That's something that I was working for: trying to play more aggressively, serving well, playing very well in the returning games, and coming to the net. So I think I did overall pretty well today. I hope I can continue like that." postmatch interview #8 s7 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #33 s32 Sara Errani ITA 6-3, 6-1 Sat Sara following a forehand, and Agnieszka driving one     Agnieszka said: "[It] wasn't 'pretty easy,' for sure... We played almost two hours. I think she's a great player on the clay court and a little bit worse, I think, on the grass. So I think that's why it was three and one. But anyway, it was long and tight match. I was just very happy that I keep my serving very well from the beginning till the end." postmatch interview #9 s8 Kim Clijsters BEL d #28 s27 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-3, 6-3 Fri Maria following a forehand, and Kim's backhand drive     Kim said: "I was a little bit surprised because I thought [Maria] would hit the ball harder. I felt she was hitting the ball hard on faster shots of mine if I was getting out wider to her backhand. I felt she was really playing very aggressively from when she had to, when it was kind of all or nothing.     I kind of felt that I was always in control of the rallies. Obviously, that was a good feeling to have. I also know that her forehand is a little bit of her weaker side. She's very comfortable playing that backhand side.     So I was really trying to go for that, play a little bit more to the forehand today, and just mix it up, opening it up wide to the backhand, and playing into the forehand.     Felt comfortable. Served well today. So it was good." postmatch interview     About playing Justine Henin in the 4th round on Monday, Kim said: "In the two matches we played each other this year, we've brought out the best in each other... I started off really well in both those matches. She came back well in the second set...     "[Justine] has good hands. Obviously, the slice is something she was naturally born with. That's something that for me took a lot of hard more work. Obviously, I'm bigger, stronger in a sense, but I think she's improved a lot in that aspect as well. I think she's definitely improved a lot on her serve...     "She moves well. Without sounding too cocky or confident, I think also I'm not a bad mover out on court. She brings back a lot of balls and a lot of tough balls even when you feel like you're dominating. I think that's one of her strengths." #10 s9 Na Li CHN d #76 Anastasia Rodionova AUS 6-1, 6-3 Sat Anastasia reaching for a backhand, and Na driving one *#66 Klara Zakopalova CZE d #11 s10 Flavia Pennetta ITA 6-2, 6-3 Sat Flavia ready to slice a backhand, Klara driving one, and after match point #12 s11 Marion Bartoli FRA d #138 q Greta Arn HUN 6-3, 6-4 Fri Greta and Marion driving backhands     Marion said: "I think I played pretty consistent. I had a walkover in the second round, so it was not easy to come back the court. I have three days off in a row, and it feels almost like another tournament was starting.     "I just stayed focused. [Greta] had some really good stroke on the breakpoints. The second set I thought I could win the second set at 6-2 or 6-1. I mean, not that close at 6-4, but she came up with some great shot. I just stayed focused towards the end." postmatch interview *#18 s17 Justine Henin BEL d #13 s12 Nadia Petrova RUS 6-1, 6-4 Fri Justine and Nadia driving forehands, Justine serving, and after match point     About playing Kim Clijsters in the 4th round on Monday, Justine said: "Of course, we play different kind of tennis. Kim is very powerful, but she's moving very well, and she has big weapons in his game. A real fighter also. The attitude is unbelievable.     "And I just try to use these different kind of things. I have to move forward. I have to be very aggressive if I want to have a chance. I know what I'll have to do. But it's not that easy to do it on the court. So to do it on the court...     "I would say in our first career [before they both retired, then returned to WTA play], we never played our best tennis against each other. This year it's been two times 7-6 in the third, so very close, and I hope it's going to be another good one." postmatch interview *#61 Petra Kvitova CZE d #15 s14 Victoria Azarenka BLR 7-5, 6-0 Sat Victoria driving a backhand, Petra following one, and after match point *#22 s21 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #16 s15 Yanina Wickmayer BEL 6-4, 6-2 Fri Yanina about to swat a forehand, Vera driving one, and after match point     Vera hit 31 winners (including 6 aces) with 13 unforced errors (including 8 double faults), won 94% of her 1st serve points, and scored on all 9 of her trips to the net. match stats     Vera said: "Yanina is a tough opponent, and I'm happy to win, and to win in two sets... I played I think pretty good match... you could always say that maybe I double faulted a little bit too many times today. But I did serve well when I needed it. I think that was good." postmatch interview #17 s16 Maria Sharapova RUS d #67 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE 7-5, 6-3 Sat Maria serving, Barbora and Maria driving forehands, and Maria after match point     Maria hit 34 winners (including 3 aces) with 35 unforced errors (including 6 double faults); Barbora hit 11 winners (0 aces) with 26 errors (4 DFs). Maria's fastest serve was 114 mph, her average 1st serve 104 mph, and her average 2nd serve 92 mph (Barbora: 105 mph, 98 mph, 85 mph). match stats     Maria said: "[Barbora] was a really, really tough opponent, especially on grass. A lot of the balls she hit just stayed really low. In the beginning I had a little bit of trouble with that, and I was making a few more errors than I should have. But then I picked myself up, which is good. But it was good to have that, kind of be down a break, have to fight back. She served very well, as well. So it was a good match." postmatch interview     About playing Serena Williams in the 4th round on Monday, Maria said: "I love playing against [Serena]. She's the defending champion. She's great on this surface. She's won numerous Grand Slams. If there's a challenge ahead of you, it's definitely playing against her, and I enjoy that...     "Execution's a big part. Also just staying aggressive. She's a really big hitter. She is a big server. You've got to really take your chances when you have them." *#79 q Kaia Kanepi EST d #32 s31 Alexandra Dulgheru ROU 6-1, 6-2 Sat Alexandra and Kaia about to swat forehands *#90 Jarmila Groth AUS d #55 Angelique Kerber GER Fri Angelique ready to launch a forehand, Jarmila driving a backhand, and after match point *#81 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL d #69 Regina Kulikova RUS 6-4, 2-0 retired—low back injury Fri Tsvetana driving a forehand

Wimbledon, 4th Round, Mon Jun 28 noon loser's prize: £62,500 = US $90,950; points: 280 #1 s1 Serena Williams USA d #17 s16 Maria Sharapova RUS 7-6(9), 6-4     career matches: Serena leads Maria 6-2 Serena serving, Maria driving a forehand, Maria serving, and Serena's backhand drive     Each player scored on 100% of her break points against the other. However, Serena reached break point only twice against Maria, and Maria reached break point only once against Serena. Serena struck 19 aces with 5 double faults; Maria hit 3 aces, with 7 DFs. match stats     Serena said: "I served well today... But [Maria] returned really well. It forced me to serve really well... She's so good and mentally focused and she's so in it for every point. Even on match point, she's really trying 200%." postmatch interview     Maria said: "[Serena] served extremely well, some of the best she served against me. And I think today that was really the difference. I had a few looks at her serve. I think even when you had a good look and the ball's coming at you in the 120s, it's pretty tough to do much with it.     "That's certainly how she wins a majority of her matches. By serving so well, it makes you think that you really need to hold on to your service games. I did a good job of that. But just not enough. I was going for it when I had my opportunities. Just fell a little short." postmatch interview #2 s2 Venus Williams USA d #90 Jarmila Groth AUS 6-4, 7-6(5)     career matches: Venus leads 1-0 Venus serving, Jarmila driving a backhand, Venus following a forehand, and after match point     Venus said: "I think we both were serving very well, so that definitely made it close. There wasn't a lot of room for error for either one of us against each other's serve. I think [Jarmila] just played really well today. I didn't think she made too many errors. Just really played some smart tennis and took advantage of opportunities. So I thought I played well at the end to close it out." postmatch interview     Jarmila said: "I tried to be aggressive, take the chance when I could, because otherwise [Venus] would make me run a lot. It's not easy to play her. She's very tall, she moves well, so it's really hard to get her going. That's what I tried to do." postmatch interview *#61 Petra Kvitova CZE d #3 s3 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 6-2, 6-0     career matches: Caroline leads Petra 2-1 Petra driving a backhand, and Caroline congratulating Petra after match point     Petra said: "I play very well on the grass, and I play very fast. So [Caroline] didn't play her game, so maybe that's why was [the match was so] quick." postmatch interview *#22 s21 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #4 s4 Jelena Jankovic SRB 6-1, 3-0 retired—low back injury     career matches: tied 6-6 Vera driving a forehand, and Jelena, after treatment from the trainer, telling Vera she cannot continue     Vera said: "I'm not sure exactly what [Jelena's injury was]. She said something is really bothering her. I just wished her a quick recovery. I hope it's nothing serious and she can recover quick, be back for the hard court season." postmatch interview *#10 s9 Na Li CHN d #8 s7 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 6-3, 6-2     career matches: tied 2-2 Agnieszka volleying a backhand, and Na driving one     Na said: "Before the match, I was be like, 'Oh, my God,' because I lose her last year, same Court 18, same opponent. So I was walk from the locker room to the court. I feel like I should be win this match. I didn't want the same like last year." postmatch interview #9 s8 Kim Clijsters BEL d #18 s17 Justine Henin BEL 2-6, 6-2, 6-3     career matches: Kim leads Justine 13-12 Kim serving, Justine and Kim driving forehands, and Kim after match point     The stats do not reflect the final score. Kim struck 22 winners (including 1 ace) with 23 unforced errors (including 6 double faults); Justine's 18 winners included 5 aces; she had only 10 errors (2 DFs). match stats     Kim said: "I was overwhelmed in the beginning by the speed of [Justine's] game. She was definitely overpowering me on every aspect of the match. She was serving extremely well, returning extremely well. I wasn't helping myself by giving her a lot of second serves.     "Because she was playing so well, I started trying to focus a little bit more on trying to, whenever I had the chance, go for the lines, maybe overdoing it a little bit too much. Obviously, I had to do that.     "In the second set, I was able to do what I was trying to do at the end of the first set. I was definitely going for the lines a lot better, keeping the pressure on her. Made a lot more first serves. For me, that was a very important change I think in the match." postmatch interview     Justine injured her right elbow in a fall, but continued playing after receiving treatment. Justine said: "Still very early just to say what happened. It's a little worse now after the match than during the match. I thought it was really the tendon. We're not quite sure, so I'll have to wait probably a day or two before checking what's happening there. I hope nothing serious. But it's quite painful now...     "Kim did a lot of mistakes in the first set, and I was really into it. Slowly but surely, she started to be more intense in the second, putting me under more pressure. I've never been after that really able to come more into the court, you know, and just be in the control of the release. I was running after the ball. That wasn't that easy.     "You know, a break on grass, things can go pretty fast. So in the second and the third, she took all the opportunities and played pretty consistent at that time. So I haven't been aggressive enough on the return of the second serve, especially, and I wasn't enough moving forward. " postmatch interview *#81 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL d #12 s11 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-4, 6-4     career matches: Marion leads Tsvetana 3-1 Marion and Tsvetana driving backhands, and Tsvetana after match point *#79 q Kaia Kanepi EST d #66 Klara Zakopalova CZE 6-2, 6-4     career matches: Kaia leads Klara 2-0 Klara and Kaia driving forheand and backhand

Wimbledon, QFs, Tue Jun 29 1pm loser's prize: £125,000 = US $181,900; points: 500 #1 s1 Serena Williams USA d #10 s9 Na Li CHN 7-5, 6-3     career matches: Serena leads 5-1 Serena serving, Na and Serena driving forehands, and Serena after match point     Serena said: "[Na is] definitely tricky at times, and I've had a run-in with her several times. So in the first set, even the second, she definitely has her ups... She's good at moving the ball around. So I worked on that. She's good at making unbelievable shots. She's a good server. Believe it or not, she serves really, really well. Really well... She has excellent placement." postmatch interview     About her semifinal opponent, Petra Kvitova, Serena said: "Early in the tournament, I saw her playing a couple rounds and I was like, 'Wow, she's doing really well.' She was just hitting the ball so clean. Obviously, when she beat Wozniacki I wasn't surprised, because I just saw how well she was doing and how well she was playing. She's a really tough player, especially on grass." *#81 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL d #2 s2 Venus Williams USA 6-2, 6-3     career matches: Tsvetana leads 2-1 Tsvetana following a forehand, Venus reaching for a backhand, Tsvetana about to connect with one, and after match point     Venus reached break point against Tsvetana only 3 times during the match, scoring on just one of those occasions. Tsvetana converted 4 of 12 break points she held against Venus. Tsvetana struck 12 winners (3 aces) with only 6 unforced errors (1 double fault); Venus hit 22 winners (3 aces) but with 29 errors (5 DFs). match stats     Tsvetana said: "Coming here, I really just wanted to play a good game, to maybe win or two rounds. But semifinal looked to me very far... I didn't have a particular strategy against [Venus]. I just tried to play my game, which is like move her as much as possible. I tried to put my first serve as much as I could in the court. I think I also did a very good defense...     "Winning 6-2, 6-3, it was the biggest surprise for me. I expected like a longer match." postmatch interview     Venus said: "I just didn't get enough balls in today... I had a lot of opportunities and a lot of short balls. I just seemed to hit each one out. Obviously [Tsvetana] played well to get this far, but I don't think I did anything right today... One of her biggest strengths is she's pretty quick around the court." postmatch interview     Tsvetana will play Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals on Thursday. They have met only once before, in the 2nd round in Moscow last autumn, when Tsvetana won, 6-2, 6-0.     Tsvetana said: "I really hope that I have more to offer. I'll just try to do all the right things: to rest well, to prepare well for the next match. I'll just try to do my best and we'll see what happens...     "I played against [Vera] once last year in Moscow. It was November, I think. I made a convincing win. I won 6-2, 6-Love. I played really well." *#22 s21 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #9 s8 Kim Clijsters BEL 3-6, 6-4, 6-2     career matches: Kim leads 5-1 Vera serving, Kim and Vera driving forehands, and Vera after match point     Vera struck 23 winners (including 3 aces) with 19 unforced errors (including 2 double faults); Kim hit 33 winners (2 aces); but she had 36 errors (4 DFs). Vera converted 4 of 13 break points she reached against Kim; Kim scored on only 2 of 7 break points she held against Vera. match stats     It was Vera's first win over Kim in the six times they have played. Vera said: "I was just trying to play one point at a time. I was not looking around. I was trying to stay concentrated, keep my concentration on all the time, trying to think what I will do in my next point... I think that helped me a lot, because I was able to play pretty good tennis from the beginning till the end." postmatch interview     Kim said: "I think [Vera] was good at keeping me under pressure. She hits the ball very hard, flat and deep. It was up to me to try to go for the lines, open up the court a little bit more, especially to her forehand. I was trying to pull her out of the court a little bit.     "She was really on top of my game I felt today. Her backhand is her stronger shot. It's very hard to read the shot. Especially when she goes down the line, it's like a last-second. You can't even read it. I was kind of always on my toes, obviously trying to go to the forehand a little bit more. But it's not easy when the balls are coming from the cross-court down the line. With the backhand I was trying to go down the line before she would. I was trying to, like I said, go for the lines. But it's not easy when they're coming that hard and deep." postmatch interview     About playing Tsvetana Pironkova in the semifinals, Vera said: "I think [Tsvetana is an] all-over-the-court player. It's hard to predict what she's doing on the court. Sometimes she can slice; sometimes she can hit the ball; sometimes she can play slow; sometimes she can play fast. You never know what to expect, so you lose your rhythm. Then you start thinking maybe too much on the court.     "I just know that in that match I will have to concentrate on myself and execute my game no matter what the score, no matter what she's trying to do. Just try not to look on the other side and try to concentrate on myself." #61 Petra Kvitova CZE d #79 q Kaia Kanepi EST 4-6, 7-6(8), 8-6     career matches: tied 2-2 Petra and Kaia driving backhands, and Petra after match point     Petra said: "I just try my best tennis play and I'm in semifinals. What is dream? I don't believe now... Unfortunately I played very bad my serve today. But without serve I won, so I don't believe also this." postmatch interview     Kaia said: "It's very positive for me to have so many matches on grass, good matches. Obviously right now I feel disappointed, but I think it's going away in a few hours." postmatch interview     About playing Serena Williams in the semifinals, Petra said: "I'm not favorite, so I can play just my game and just play and enjoy. So we will see."

Wimbledon, SFs, Thu Jul 1 1pm both semifinals game-by game: BBC "As It Happened" loser's prize: £250,000 = US $363,800; points: 900 #1 s1 Serena Williams USA d #61 Petra Kvitova CZE 7-6(5), 6-2     career matches: Serena leads 2-0 Petra serving, Serena driving a forehand, Petra following a backhand, Serena driving one, Serena serving, Petra driving a backhand, Serena following one, and after match point     Serena struck 19 winners (including 7 aces) with 14 unforced errors (including 3 double faults); Petra hit 24 winners (5 aces) with 20 errors (4 DFs). Serena converted 3 of 6 break points agains Petra; Petra scored on only 1 of 3 break points against Serena. match stats     Serena trailed by a break of serve in the 1st set, but managed to break back in time to bring about the tiebreaker. Serena said: "I always think I have to break back, hopefully sooner than later. I think, Well, should have held. I had a chance. I screwed it up myself...     "I think I took my points better in the second set. I had some opportunities, you know, to not lose serve in the first and then make some key shots. I could have broke.     "But [Petra] served really well. So it wasn't very easy, but I still had some opportunities that I probably could have capitalized on." postmatch interview     Petra said: "Serena plays very well... So I think was very great match for me. It was just close in the first set. At the second, two breaks. So I think so it was good match. I believe that next time it will be better for me." postmatch interview     About playing Vera Zvonareva in the final, Serena said: "On paper it looks like I should win. But Vera—I've played her several times; she's beaten some good people. Her last two matches she's been down a set, so she's obviously a fighter. She never gives up. The biggest thing, is for me to stay positive and not put too much pressure on myself... It's tough playing a player like that who doesn't really have one real weakness, and everything pretty much is a strength, from her forehand to her backhand to her movement." #22 s21 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #81 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 3-6, 6-3, 6-2     career matches: tied at 1-1 Tsvetana's service toss, Vera running down a forehand, Tsvetana about to swat one, Vera driving a forehand, Tsvetana following one, Vera watching her backhand fly, and after match point     Vera struck 31 winners (including 2 aces) with only 13 unforced errors (including 2 double faults); Tsvetana hit 23 winners (3 aces) with 16 errors (1 DF). Vera converted 3 of 5 break points she reached against Tsvetana; Tsvetana scored on only 1 of 4 break points she held against Vera. match stats     Vera said: "I'm very excited. I think I haven't realized it yet that I will be playing in the final... I knew what to expect against Tsvetana. I think in the beginning was very difficult because she's very difficult opponent, especially here on the grass. But I managed to turn it around." postmatch interview     Tsvetana's WTA ranking on Monday will rise to a new career-high in the top 35. Tsvetana said: "I felt pretty good. I felt confident. I started really well. But Vera started to play amazingly in the second set and in the third one... I tried my best. I tried every point, every game. But she was playing very aggressive and she was pushing me all the time, and I just couldn't do it...     "Reaching the semifinals in Wimbledon, it's like a dream to me. Of course I wanted to go to the final, but I guess didn't happen this year. So I learned a lot... It's a very good experience for me." postmatch interview - tourney story     About playing Serena Williams in the final, Vera said: "[Serena's serve is] a very big advantage, especially here on the grass. But I think if you can find the timing you can return it. It's very difficult when she's serving well, but there are moments where she may not serve as well. You just have to use those chances. If she served well, okay. You go to the other side, try to return the next one. But there will be moments where she doesn't make a first serve. I haven't seen anyone make a hundred percent of first serves. So then you will just have to take your chances then.     "I played a very good match against her in Cincinnati one year, and I was able to beat her. It was a very, very tough one, but I think I was able to play the right way against her. So I will just have to try to do it again."

Wimbledon, Final, Sat Jul 3 2pm loser's prize: £500,000 = US $727,600; points: 1400 winner's prize: £1,000,000 = US $1,455,200; points: 2000 #1 s1 Serena Williams USA d #22 s21 Vera Zvonareva RUS 6-3, 6-2 Serena's service toss, Vera about to swat a forehand, Serena firing one on the run, Vera and Serena driving forehand and backhand, and both ladies at net after match point

Wimbledon, Doubles Final, Sat Jul 3 losers' prize: £120,000 = US $174,624 winners' prize: £240,000 = US $349,248 d25 Vania King & d49 Yaroslava Shvedova d d41 Elena Vesnina & d193 Vera Zvonareva 7-6(6), 6-2 Yaroslava (2nd WTA doubles title, 1st GS title) & Vania (11th WTA doubles title, 1st GS, their 1st title as a team), and Elena & Vera Wimbledon, Mixed Doubles Final, Sun Jul 4 losers' prize: £46,000 = US $66,939 winners' prize: £92,000 = US $133,878 s2 Cara Black & Leander Paes d s11 Lisa Raymond & Wesley Moodie 6-4, 7-6(5) Wimbledon, Girls' Singles Final, Sat Jul 3 s9 Kristyna Pliskova CZE d s10 Sachie Ishizu JPN 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 Sachie and Kristyna driving backhand and forehand, and Krystina with the hardware after the match Wimbledon, Girls' Doubles Final, Sun Jul 4 s4 Timea Babos HUN & Sloane Stephens USA d s1 Irina Khromacheva RUS & Elina Svitolina UKR 6(7)-7, 6-2, 6-2 Wimbledon, Invitation Doubles Final, Sun Jul 4 losers' prize: £14,500 = US $21,100 winners' prize: £17,500 = US $25,466 Martina Navratilva & Jana Novotna d Tracy Austin & Kathy Rinaldi-Stunkel 7-5, 6-1 Wimbledon, Qualifying Finals at Roehampton, Thu Jun 17 11am Q1st loser's prize: £1,750 = US $2,547; 2 points Q2nd loser's prize: £3,500 = US $5,093; 15 points Qfinal loser's prize: £7,000 = US $10,186; 25 points #79 Kaia Kanepi EST d #175 Ajla Tomljanovic CRO 6-1, 6-2 #103 Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA d #566 Julie Ditty USA 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 *#181 Mirjana Lucic CRO d #121 Michaella Krajicek NED 6-3, 6-2 #123 Shenay Perry USA d #195 Severine Beltrame FRA 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 *#149 Kurumi Nara JPN d #125 Stephanie Dubois CAN 7-6(2) 6-4 *#179 Nuria Llagostera Vives ESP d #126 Vesna Manasieva RUS 7-6(4) 6-4 *#187 Eleni Daniilidou GRE d #128 Anastasia Pivovarova RUS 6-0, 6-0 #138 Greta Arn HUN d #166 Beatriz Garcia Vidagany ESP 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 #137 Andrea Hlavackova CZE d #410 Lisa Whybourn GBR 6-1, 6-2 #139 Monica Niculescu ROU d #188 Junri Namigata JPN 6-4, 6-0 #140 Romina Oprandi ITA v #158 Ekaterina Ivanova RUS 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 #143 Anastasiya Yakimova BLR d #163 Misaki Doi JPN 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 Wimbledon, Withdrawals/Non-entries #5 Elena Dementieva RUS left calf injury at Roland Garros #21 s20 Dinara Safina RUS low back injury #23 s22 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP knee injury #40 Sabine Lisicki GER left ankle injury #43 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP right ankle injury #44 Shuai Peng CHN illness #58 Virginie Razzano FRA right foot & ankle injury #131 Urszula Radwanska POL back injury

The 64 doubles teams, arranged in drawsheet order; teams in red have been eliminated:
TOP HALF s1 Serena Williams USA & Venus Williams USA QF Julie Ditty USA & Renata Voracova CZE r1 Tatjana Malek GER & Andrea Petkovic GER r1 Timea Bacsinszky SUI & Tathiana Garbin ITA r2 Dominika Cibulkova SVK & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS r3 Edina Gallovits ROU 7 Klaudia Jans POL r1 Julie Coin FRA & Marie-Eve Pelletier CAN r1 s15 Alicja Rosolska POL & Zi Yan CHN r2 s12 Iveta Benesova CZE & Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE r3 Eleni Daniilidou GRE & Jasmin Woehr GER r1 Naomi Broady GBR & Katie O'Brien GBR r1 Andrea Hlavackova CZE & Lucie Hradecka CZE r2 Elena Vesnina RUS & Vera Zvonareva RUS F Mariya Koryttseva UKR & Darya Kustova BLR r1 Victoria Azarenka BLR & Anna Chakvetadze RUS r1 s17 Chia-Jung Chuang TPE & Olga Govortsova BLR r2 s4 Gisela Dulko ARG & Flavia Pennetta ITA SF Anastasia Rodionova AUS & Arina Rodionova RUS r1 Regina Kulikova RUS & Anastasija Sevastova LAT r1 Elena Baltacha GBR & Olga Savchuk UKR r2 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP & Ipek Senoglu TUR r1 Jelena Jankovic SRB & Chanelle Scheepers RSA r3 w/o Kirsten Flipkens BEL & Yanina Wickmayer BEL r1 s13 Vera Dushevina RUS & Ekaterina Makarova RUS r2 s9 Yung-Jan Chan TPE & Jie Zheng CHN r1 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB & Kristina Barrois r3 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK & Klara Zakopalova CZE r2 Melinda Czink HUN & Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP r1 Julia Goerges GER & Agnes Szavay HUN QF Naomi Cavaday GBR & Anna Smith GBR r1 Kimiko Date Krumm JPN & Tamarine Tanasugarn THA r1 Kai-Chen Chang TPE & Ayumi Morita JPN r2		BOTTOM HALF s6 Kveta Peschke CZE & Katarina Srebotnik SLO QF Jill Craybas USA & Marina Erakovic NZL r1 Ekaterina Dzehalevich BLR & Tatiana Poutchek BLR r1 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP & Meghann Shaughnessy USA r2 Natalie Grandin RSA & Abigail Spears USA r1 Sara Errani ITA & Roberta Vinci ITA r3 Sofia Arvidsson SWE & Angelique Kerber GER r1 s10 Maria Kirilenko RUS & Agnieszka Radwanska POL r2 s14 Monica Niculescu ROU & Shahar Peer ISR r2 Alona Bondarenko UKR & Kateryna Bondarenko UKR r1 Vania King USA & Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ Alberta Brianti ITA & Alexandra Dulgheru ROU r1 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS & Aravane Rezai FRA r2 Liga Dekmeijere LAT & Petra Kvitova CZE r1 Melanie Oudin USA & Riza Zalameda USA r1 s3 Nadia Petrova RUS & Samantha Stosur AUS r3 s7 Lisa Raymond USA & Rennae Stubbs AUS QF Polona Hercog SLO & Petra Martic CRO r1 Jocelyn Rae GBR & Heather Watson GBR r2 Casey Dellacqua AUS & Alicia Molik AUS r1 Sania Mirza IND & Caroline Wozniacki DEN r2 Anne Keothavong GBR & Melanie South GBR r1 Maria Kondratieva RUS & Vladimira Uhlirova CZE r1 s11 Cara Black ZIM & Daniela Hantuchova SVK r3 s16 Su-Wei Hsieh TPE & Alla Kudryavtseva RUS r3 Michaella Krajicek NED & Patty Schnyder SUI r1 Sally Peers AUS & Laura Robson GBR r1 Kaia Kanepi EST & Shuai Zhang CHN r2 Lucie Safarova CZE & Aleksandra Wozniak CAN r2 Katalin Marosi HUN & Kathrin Woerle GER r1 Sarah Borwell GBR & Raquel Kops-Jones USA r1 s5 Liezel Huber USA & Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA SF

s8 Alisa Kleybanova RUS & Francesca Schiavone ITA withdrew from doubles and were replaced by Kai-Chen Chang TPE & Ayumi Morita JPN.
s1 Serena Williams USA & Venus Williams USA did not appear for their mandatory press conference after losing to Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva in the quarterfinals, and were fined $4,000 each for the violation.

    (June 19, 2010) 20th-seeded #21 (and former WTA #1) Dinara Safina withdrew from Wimbledon on Saturday, citing a recurrance of the low back injury which has been troubling her since late last year. Dinara tweeted: "Hi guys...sorry to tell u but I had to pull out today...my back injury came back and I can't play...I tried but I can't...sorry." Dinara at Twitter #34 Melanie Oudin has been declared 33rd seed, and will take Dinara's place in the main draw. #125 Stephanie Dubois, who lost in the qualifying finals, will take Melanie's former place in the draw as "Lucky Loser."

    22nd-seeded #23 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez also withdrew on Saturday due to a knee injury. #35 Kateryna Bondarenko was made 34th seed, and takes Maria Jose's place in the draw. #128 Anastasia Pivovarova has taken Kateryna's former place as a "Lucky Loser," and will play #17 Maria Sharapova in the 1st round. tourney story

The first Ladies Championships at Wimbledon were held in 1884; the drawsheet is at left (photo from Virginia Wade's indispensable book Ladies of the Court).     The "silver flower basket" valued at 20 guineas awarded to champion Maud Watson is now used as the championship trophy at Birmingham, and is known as the Maude Watson Trophy. The 20 guinea valuation seems too high; the cup is not very large, and 20 guineas then would be well over $2000 US today.     The entry fee of 10 shillings and a sixpence equaled about $2.52 US at the time-- which, adjusted for inflation, would be around $56.60 today.     The other "Miss Watson" whom Maude defeated in the final, 6-8, 6-3, 6-3, was her older sister Lillian. Maude would win the title again in 1885, defeating 1884 semifinalist Blanche Bingley.     Blanche, later Mrs. George Hillyard, would win the title six times, a feat matched only by Dorothea K. Douglass Lambert Chambers (7 titles), Suzanne Lenglen (6), Helen Wills (8), Billie Jean King (6), Martina Navratilova (9), and Steffi Graf (7).

from Ladies of the Court by Michael Mewshaw, (pages 122-123):     Years ago the Competitor's Lounge at Wimbledon had, in theory, been the sacrosanct preserve of players and their guests. But, in practice, it had always been a throbbing hive of hustlers, racquet dealers, clothing reps, agents, tournament directors, assorted groupies, gofers, and camp followers. Now journalists had access to this sanctuary. Flashing a special forty-five minute permit, I passed the guard at the door and, during yet another rain delay, climbed the stairs to the third floor and stopped at the Prize Money Office, where a woman cheerfully explained her job.     Once a player lost, he or she popped in here to pick up a check. A player's agent or manager could collect prize money, but only with written permission. "Even though we know, for example, that Ion Tiriac is Boris Becker's manager, we have to have it in writing before we'll hand over Becker's money," the woman said.     "What if the players want cash?" I asked.     "Then they carry the check to the bank here on the grounds."     "Do you deduct U.K. taxes?"     Indeed she did. Foreigners paid a flat 25% on their winnings, but they received a £150 per diem exclusion before British taxes bit into their purse. The Prize Money Office also deducted WTA dues and fines for code violations. Although it sounded complicated, she assured me that "because of computers, we can get a player in and out in thirty or forty seconds. That's a lot different from the old days." She smiled sweetly. "Now I'm afraid I can't say anything else."     "Do you ever get any strange requests?"     The smile never faltered. "Lots, but I'm not allowed to tell you."

from Hard Courts by John Feinstein (page 306):     Wimbledon's qualifying tournament is not played at Wimbledon, it is played at the Bank of England tennis club, at Roehampton, about eight miles from the All England Club.     Everyone who has played there--and almost everyone has at some point--will tell you that the toughest tennis tournament in the world is the one at Roehampton. "There is nothing in the world farther from Wimbledon than Roehampton," John McEnroe once said. "You survive there, you're a hell of a tennis player."     ...There are sixteen courts at Roehampton. Unlike the pampered, protected courts at Wimbledon, they are in constant use--and it shows. There are brown patches everywhere--or, to be accurate, green patches on the brown--and after it rains, players would be well advised to show up wearing cleats rather than sneakers.     ...When the players arrive at Roehampton, they report to the referee's tent to sign in; then they await court assignments. Waiting for their matches to be called, most kill the time sitting on a large, grassy knoll that serves as both the players' and the umpires' lounge. The P.A. system is the focal point of all life at Roehampton. Announcements calling players and umpires to their courts, paging people to the telephone, seeking drivers to take players back to hotels, or updating schedules can be heard around the grounds all day long.     The P.A. is just one of a number of distractions players must deal with while they are playing. Admission to Roehampton is free; there are no ushers and no security...     ...the atmosphere is not the kind tennis players are accustomed to--people talking and laughing while strolling past the courts... if one wants to qualify for Wimbledon, one has to earn it.     Roehampton is both a launching pad and a graveyard...

from Hard Courts by John Feinstein (page 306):     Nothing in tennis can match the tension of day one at Wimbledon.     Everyone is tight, nervous, and ready to explode with pent-up energy. The other Grand Slams are very important; Wimbledon is history... Only at Wimbledon does Centre Court stay empty from the day of the final until the Saturday before the tournament begins the next year.     Only at Wimbledon do you walk underneath the huge sign over the door leading to Centre Court, which quotes Rudyard Kipling: "If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat these two imposters the same."...     ...The weather in England is almost always rotten. Rain cuts practice time, as does a lack of practice courts. At Wimbledon, practice time on the sixteen outside courts is limited to thirty minutes at a time--unless two seeded players are practicing together. Then, they can get an hour. The adjacent practice courts at Aorangi Park (so named because the land was once owned by the government of New Zealand) are not as tight, but still tough to come by. By the time the tournament begins, people are a little tired, a little homesick, frequently frustrated, and very, very nervous.

from Lawn Tennis for Ladies (1910) by 7-time Wimbledon champion Dorothea K. Douglass Lambert Chambers, p.111-112     I once overheard a lady who was watching a match in the centre court at Wimbledon remark, "There, that's the very first time that man has hit the net with the ball, and he has had hundreds of tries!..."     Another lady at Eastbourne, whom I had noticed because she never left her seat, bringing her lunch with her so as not to lose a moment's play, asked me at the end of the week, while watching a double, whether the partners were side by side or opposite, as in bridge!

    (May 23, 2007) The AELTC has installed Hawkeye instant replay gear on Centre Court and Court 1. 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 US and Australian Opens 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 French Open call challenges--of course, on clay courts, ball marks are generally used to judge questionable calls. AP story

    (Jan 6, 2004 revised) Wimbledon will have a new retractable roof for Centre Court in place in 2009, officials announced. Construction will begin after The Championships in July, 2006. The 2007 Championships 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. AELTC Long-Term Plan - original BBC story.

    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 Wimbledon 2007 page.

See also: QuickShop: Sporting Goods - Martina Hingis - Anna Kournikova

Current WTA Results & Tennis News (tennis home page) - 2010 WTA Schedule with links & photos

Link to many postmatch interview & match highlight videos of WTA players at the 2009 WTA Player Videos page.

WTA PhotoRankings: the current top 20 Women's Tennis rankings with player photos, links, and bio info.