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Federer Beats Berdych To Reach 11th Wimbledon Final

  • Posted: Jul 14, 2017

Federer Beats Berdych To Reach 11th Wimbledon Final

Jul142017

Swiss star will play for eighth title at SW19

Following his Wimbledon semi-final loss last season and his six-month layoff last year, Roger Federer had to doubt if he’d ever return to the Wimbledon final. He doesn’t need to wonder any longer.

The seven-time champion will play in his 11th final at The Championships after overcoming some big hitting from Czech Tomas Berdych 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 on Friday during their semi-final. Federer still has not dropped a set at SW19 this fortnight and will be the favourite when he plays for his record eighth Wimbledon title and 19th Grand Slam crown on Sunday.

You May Also Like: Cilic Overcomes Querrey To Reach Wimbledon Final

Federer will meet seventh seed Marin Cilic, who beat No. 24 seed Sam Querrey of the U.S. 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 in Friday’s first semi-final. Cilic, the 2014 US Open titlist, reaches his second Grand Slam final.

Federer leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 6-1, including a 2016 Wimbledon quarter-final win. But the Croatian held three match points during that match and has beaten Federer in the latter stages of a Grand Slam. The 6’6″ right-hander upset Federer in the 2014 US Open semi-finals.

“I’m in for a tough one. We had a great one here last year. At the US Open, he played unreal there against me,” Federer said.

  • See Federer v Cilic FedEx ATP Head2Head Record

If Cilic celebrates his first Wimbledon crown, he’ll jump to No. 5 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday when the new list is published. If Federer wins the title, he’ll rise to No. 3.

<a href='http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/tournaments/wimbledon/540/overview'>Wimbledon”></a></p> <p>The Swiss star was tested by Berdych, who beat Federer en route to the 2010 Wimbledon final. But Federer served himself out of holes and came through in clutch moments to beat Berdych for the eighth straight time and improve to 19-6 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.</p> <p>“I was able to come up with the goods when it mattered… I played good in the ‘breakers… I never played with any sense of panic, which is so important when it gets to crunch time,” said Federer, who saved five of six break points.</p> <p><strong>How The Semi-Final Unfolded<br /> </strong>Berdych erased a break point in his opening service game to start strong in his third Wimbledon semi-final. But Federer, who’s playing in his 12<sup>th</sup> Wimbledon semi-final, came back at him at 2-2, smashing a jumping forehand before hitting a swinging volley for the break. He consolidated the break with a hold to love.</p> <p>Federer used variety, including a steady diet of slice backhands, to keep the big-hitting Berdych off balance. The Swiss sought to stretch Berdych and not allow the 6’5” Czech time to setup on his lethal forehand.</p> <p>But Berdych responded well, swinging freely from both sides while trying to attack Federer’s serve. The Swiss double faulted twice at 4-3, including on break point, to give the break back. At 5-5, Berdych erased two break points with two aces. But his forehand let him down in the tie-break as he netted a sitter at 3/4 to give Federer the mini-break.</p> <p>In the second set, Federer faced pressure on his serve at 3-3 when Berdych nailed a forehand winner to bring up a break point. But the 35-year-old Swiss crushed Berdych’s hopes, hitting three consecutive winners – one forehand and two service – to hold.</p> <p>In the tie-break, the 18-time Grand Slam champion brought more stellar shot-making, teeing off on a Berdych second serve to earn a mini-break at 2/1. Federer then struck back-to-back forehand winners to lead 4/1.</p> <p>Berdych turned away a break point at 2-2 in the third set and had two break points during the very next service game to get himself back into the match. But Federer barely let him hit another ball in that game. From 15/40, Federer hit two aces, a service winner and another ace to hold. He’d break the next game.</p> </p></div> <div id=

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Querrey: 'Hopefully, I Can Do More Of It'

  • Posted: Jul 14, 2017

Querrey: 'Hopefully, I Can Do More Of It'

Jul142017

American aiming to capitalise on grass-court run

Sam Querrey expressed an inner-belief that his best tennis is around the corner on Friday following a semi-final exit to Marin Cilic at The Championships on Friday.

“Before I go for major titles, I need to take some baby steps before that,” said Querrey. “I do feel I can. I feel that if I play well, my level is at a high enough point where I can beat those top guys.”

The American is now looking for prolonged consistency having beaten the defending Wimbledon champions over the past two years – Novak Djokovic in the 2016 third round and Andy Murray in this year’s quarter-finals. He also beat Rafael Nadal in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel final in March.

“To have those three moments, where I really feel like I played well and beat a lot of good players, hopefully there’s more moments like that to come,” said Querrey. “I feel like I’ve really had some ups over the last year, and hopefully there are more of those to come as I get a little bit older.

“I really just [need to] commit to the style of play and be a little more aggressive. I think in the past maybe I haven’t done that. I seem to commit to that a little better here on the grass. I think if I just do that at the other Slams, I think it will be a little bit better.”

You May Also Like: Cilic Overcomes Querrey To Reach Wimbledon Final

The 29-year-old Querrey insisted that it wasn’t the fatigue of three consecutive five-set wins that played a factor in his loss to Cilic in his first Grand Slam championship semi-final.

“I was actually more nervous against Andy in the quarter-finals. Today I felt pretty good. The first set we traded holds early. That really settled me… I didn’t really have any questions about myself going in. I knew I was a good tennis player. I felt like I had this in me. To do this has been fun. Hopefully I can do more of it.”

With the help of his coach Craig Boynton, the World No. 28 will also be hoping to move closer to his career-high of No. 17 in the Emirates ATP Rankings (31 January 2011) over the course of the hard-court U.S. summer circuit.

<a href='http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/tournaments/wimbledon/540/overview'>Wimbledon”></a></p> </p></div> <div id=

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Wimbledon 2017: Roger Federer through to face Marin Cilic in final

  • Posted: Jul 14, 2017
Wimbledon 2017 on the BBC
Venue: All England Club Dates: 3-16 July
Live: Coverage across BBC TV, BBC Radio and BBC Sport website with further coverage on Red Button, Connected TVs and app. Click for full times.

Roger Federer is one win from a historic eighth Wimbledon title after beating Czech 11th seed Tomas Berdych in straight sets in the semi-final.

The Swiss, 35, won 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to reach his 11th Wimbledon final, having last won the title back in 2012.

He will face Croatia’s Marin Cilic after the seventh seed beat American 24th seed Sam Querrey 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 on Centre Court.

Cilic, 28, is into his second major final after winning the 2014 US Open.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Cilic, the second Croat to reach the men’s final after Goran Ivanisevic won in 2001.

“The way this tournament has unfolded I’ve been playing really great tennis.”

Federer has already added to his lengthy list of achievements by reaching a record 29th Grand Slam final, becoming the second-oldest man to do so after the 39-year-old Ken Rosewall reached the 1974 Wimbledon final.

Having waited five years to win his 18th major title at this year’s Australian Open, the Swiss could make it 19 just six months later.

Cilic return gives him the edge

Querrey, 29, had played three successive five-set matches to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final, and almost forced a fourth before Cilic finally saw off the American’s challenge.

Both men had more than 100 aces to their name heading into the semi-finals, and it was the Croat who had more success in breaking down the big serve.

Cilic won more than twice as many points on return and earned 14 break points to Querrey’s three, but the American saved 10 and was two service holds from taking it to a fifth set.

He edged the first set from 4-1 down in the tie-break before Cilic earned the first break of the match at 3-3 on his way to levelling at one set all.

The match was over two hours old before two loose shots from Querrey – a backhand error followed by a forehand into the net – separated the pair in the third set tie-break.

The pair’s previous meeting at Wimbledon in 2012 lasted over five hours and finished 17-15 to Cilic in the fifth set, and when a wayward Cilic smash helped Querrey move ahead in the fourth, another final set seemed inevitable.

However, Cilic played a fine game to level at 4-4 with a drop volley and an attacking return of serve, and avoided the need for a third tie-break when he earned two match points at 6-5 and found a forehand winner on the second.

“Sam was playing high-level tennis, especially in the first set,” added Cilic.

“I was 4-1 up in the tie-break and didn’t convert. After that I was better in the return games. I thought the level was really high.”

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Cilic Overcomes Querrey To Reach Wimbledon Final

  • Posted: Jul 14, 2017

Cilic Overcomes Querrey To Reach Wimbledon Final

Jul142017

Croatian looks to become the first seventh seed to capture the Wimbledon trophy

Marin Cilic grit his teeth and battled to overcome a mental struggle on Friday at The Championships to move to within one match win of a second major trophy. The Croatian will look to emulate his former coach, 2001 wild-card champion Goran Ivanisevic, when he plays seven-time former titlist Roger Federer or 2010 runner-up Tomas Berdych for the sport’s ultimate prize.

Cilic, one of the cleanest hitters on the ATP World Tour, denied the United States its first finalist since Andy Roddick in 2009, when the seventh-seeded Croatian defeated No. 24 seed Sam Querrey 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-5 in two hours and 56 minutes. It was their third meeting at the All England Club, which includes Cilic beating Querrey 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-7(3), 17-15 in the 2013 Wimbledon third round.

The 28-year-old Cilic, with his coach Jonas Bjorkman, will now prepare for his first Wimbledon final on Sunday.

  • Cilic has a 1-6 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Federer
  • Cilic is tied at 6-6 against Berdych

Cilic went 7-8 in tour-level matches by early May, prior to winning the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open (d. Raonic). Now 29-13 on the season, the Croatian has gone 12-2 on grass courts in recent weeks, including a runner-up finish to Feliciano Lopez at the Aegon Championships.

<a href='http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/tournaments/wimbledon/540/overview'>Wimbledon”></a></p> <p><strong>How The Semi-Final Unfolded</strong><br /> The Centre Court soon fell silent in awe of the power level of both players, peppered by few groundstroke winners in the early exchanges. It was only in the eighth game, when Cilic led 4-3, that the returner won the first point for 0/15 of a service game. At 1/1 in the tie-break, Cilic broke clear with a forehand crosscourt winner for a run of three straight points, but the momentum swung back in Querrey’s favour as he combined aggressive serving with deft touch.</p> <p>Cilic saved one set point at 5/6, when Querrey struck a backhand into the net. After a Hawk Eye challenge on the next point, overruling a Cilic ace as out, a spectator in the crowd collapsed. After a two-minute delay, Cilic folded in making successive backhand errors to hand Querrey the 48-minute set.</p> <p>Frustrated in not sealing the first set, Cilic controlled his nerves to keep plugging away. Although the Croatian was unable to convert break-point chances in the first and fifth games of the second set, Querrey’s movement became compromised – perhaps as the fatigue of three straight five-setters caught up with him. Cilic roared his approval when he drew Querrey to the net for a backhand pass to break to love for a 4-3 advantage. From there, groundstroke errors began to creep into Querrey’s game, while Cilic’s strong emotional effort reaped dividends.</p> <p>The early stages of the third set became a mental struggle: a personal battle. First for Querrey, when his serve and energy levels appeared to be in terminal decline, then for Cilic as witness to an American resurgence and the recoup of an early break. Both players competed with endeavour in the tie-break, realising the enormity of the situation. But it was Querrey who made two costly errors on serve, when he made a backhand error and forehand approach error to give Cilic a 6/3 lead.</p> <p>Failure to hit first serves into court early in the fourth set put Cilic under pressure and Querrey broke in the third game en route to a 4-2 lead. Yet Cilic regrouped to win five of the next six games to book his place in his second Grand Slam championships final (2014 US Open). At 4-3, Querrey was unable to capitalise on a 30/0 lead and paid the price as Cilic won four straight points ending with a drop shot winner. Though Cilic got tight on a backhand, on his first match point at 6-5, with Querrey serving at 15/40, the Croatian struck his 26th forehand winner – his 70th of the match – on the next point.</p> </p></div> <div id=

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#NextGenATP Ymer Thriving On Home Soil In Bastad

  • Posted: Jul 14, 2017

#NextGenATP Ymer Thriving On Home Soil In Bastad

Jul142017

Teenager rides wild card to semi-finals

Sweden is hungry for another rising star to crack the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, and #NextGenATP player Mikael Ymer is showing that he has the tools to achieve this with his run this week at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Bastad.

The 18 year old delighted the home crowd on Thursday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over second seed Renzo Olivo of Argentina to reach his first Challenger semi-final of the year. Ymer passed through the qualifying rounds in just one of the six Challenger events he’s played this season, but made full use of a wild card to produce an inspired run.

“It feels great. I haven’t had the best Challenger year, so I’ve been trying to find my game and now it’s paying off,” said Ymer. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but I think I can achieve very good stuff.

“Maybe it’s that I have the support of the crowd, but it’s a nice feeling playing at home,” he added. “You know all the restaurants and that the food is good, we’re staying in a house, my family and friends are here. It’s just a very comfortable feeling.”

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Ymer has already dealt with serious injuries in his young career. He was sidelined for nine months with a hip injury before returning to the court this past August. He reached the semi-finals of his second tournament back at the Challenger in Rome, then dropped just three games against Fernando Verdasco this past October for his first ATP World Tour main draw win in Stockholm. He also teamed up with his brother, Elias Ymer, to take the doubles title at that event.

The teenager admitted that the expectations from his performance in Stockholm got into his head, but that he’s finally been able to block them out.

“Because I did well very early in my comeback last year, people were expecting me to do the same thing this time,” he said. “I’ve been able to put that pressure away the past couple of weeks, though, and just play for myself, not anyone else.”

Currently No. 398 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Ymer will move to a new career-high ranking when the newest standings are released on Monday. The Swede is aiming to crack the Top 300 as soon as possible and continue climbing from there.

“I still haven’t been able to compete as much as I’d like and am not in my peak shape, but am playing a bit better with each match. It’s very tough out there and there are a lot of good players. That was the main difference coming from the juniors to Challengers. You need to be ready to compete in every match,” said Ymer. “When you’re away for a long time, it takes a few weeks to get used to competing at this level again. I think I’m in a good rhythm now, though.”

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