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Michelle Larcher De Brito upsets defending champ Ana Ivanovic in Birmingham

Michelle Larcher De Brito upsets defending champ Ana Ivanovic in Birmingham

  • Posted: Jun 18, 2015

Michelle Larcher de Brito

Michelle Larcher de Brito pulled off the biggest shock of the WTA Birmingham tournament to date with a stunning 6-4 3-6 7-6(6) victory over the defending champion Ana Ivanovic.

The Portuguese famously beat Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon 2 years ago, one of her four top 20 wins in her career. In making it five, she extended her winning record on the surface at main tour level to 10-6. She showed why she held such a record in the first set, rushing into a 3-0 lead over the second seed and eventually holding off Ivanovic to take the first 6-4.

Both players remained solid on serve, with just the one break point opportunity available in set two. Ivanovic, who hit 7 aces in the second set and 15 in total, would take it to gain a 5-3 lead, part of a run of 5 straight games from 3-3 in the second to 2-0 in the deciding set. It seemed like class would tell in the third but Ivanovic faltered, twice giving up break leads with the second when she was serving for the match.

While this was Ivanovic’s first match since the French Open, Larcher de Brito had played six matches on grass this year – something the Serbian admitted played some part in the loss. “It’s tough playing someone who already had a few matches on the grass” the Serbian said.

 

Larcher de Brito has made more headlines for her on court grunting than her actual tennis but proved that she can go toe to toe with some of the best, especially on her favoured surface. Her reward for the victory will be a matchup with either Daniela Hantuchova or Marina Erakovic, the former of which won the title in Birmingham in 2013. A win or two more would strengthen her case for a main draw wildcard at Wimbledon with the tournament having precedent for rewarding players who perform well at the lead up tournaments.

Meanwhile, it remains a disappointing return to the court for Ivanovic in what has been an up and down year. The former No.1 moves onto Wimbledon, a tournament which she has only managed to make it through to the quarter finals or better on one occasion (2007 SF).

Other winners on Day 3 included two former champions. 2007 winner Jelena Jankovic advanced with a straight sets win over Casey Dellacqua while 2009 champion Magdelena Rybarikova defeated Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Klara Koukalova won the last 10 games in her match against Caroline Garcia and Christina Mchale was victorious over Misaki Doi.

 

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Dolgopolov upsets Nadal in Queen’s Club opener

Dolgopolov upsets Nadal in Queen’s Club opener

  • Posted: Jun 18, 2015

Dolgopolov

Following an impressive week in Stuttgart that resulted in his first grass court title in five years, Rafael Nadal was unable to maintain that momentum in the United Kingdom, as he crashed out of Aegon Championships in his opening round match.

Up against Alexnadr Dolgopolov in their round 1 contest, Nadal was forced to contest three sets and even had a break snatched back from him in the decider. In the end, Dolgopolov won the match 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-4.

Nadal was forced to withstand 16 aces from the Ukrainian, 78% of his Dolgopolov’s first service points and seven break point opportunities, three of which made it through and were pivotal to his eventual demise.

“I was fighting in every point,” Nadal said. “I was with the right concentration, with the right motivation, not giving up when I had tough moments.

 

“I’m not happy I lost a match that I had a chance to win, but that’s it. That’s tennis on grass.”

After losing just his second match ever at the French Open last week, Rafael Nadal fought valiantly all week in Stuttgart to arrive in a final against Viktor Troicki. While he needed three sets at various points throughout the week, he managed to claim the title following a straight sets victory. It was his first title on grass since the 2010 Wimbledon Championships.

However, the Spaniard remains confident that his loss at Queen’s Club will not impact his Wimbledon run at the end of the month.

 

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Roger Federer vs Ernests Gulbis Preview – ATP Halle 2015 Round 2

Roger Federer vs Ernests Gulbis Preview – ATP Halle 2015 Round 2

  • Posted: Jun 16, 2015

 

Photo © Ray Giubilo

Another rare clash between 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer and Latvian Ernests Gulbis is scheduled to take place, this time in the second round of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle. This is just the fifth time these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, and their first meeting since Gulbis ousted the Swiss star during the fourth round of last year’s French Open. The head-to-head series is currently tied 2-2.

 

In one of his toughest matches against the German Philipp Kohlschreiber, Roger Federer managed to save himself from a lose when he was just a few points away from being ousted prematurely from Halle. In the end, he prevailed in three tight sets to secure his place in the second round of the tournament. He won the match 7-6(8), 3-6, 7-6(5) in two hours and 11 minutes to earn his fourth win against Kohlschreiber at this tournament.

“I’m very relieved,” said Federer after the match. “Philipp served at 5-4 in the [third set] tie-break. It’s rough on grass, it takes two serves and maybe that’s it.” “I wasted two match points at 5-4, 15/40 and then saved a break point at five-all, so it was a roller-coaster ride in the end. My nerves are still going a bit crazy right now,”

 

The following morning, Ernests Gulbis stepped out on court to defeat Sergiy Stakhovsky in straight sets to work his way into the second round of the tournament. He fired nine aces, won 76% of his first service points and saved three break points en route to a 6-4, 7-6(3) win against the Ukrainian.

This marks the fifth time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour with the series currently tied 2-2. Three of those meetings took place on clay, while Federer remains undisputed on hard courts. This marks their first encounter on grass and should be an interesting one given their current trajectories on the tour. With an eighth title on the line for Federer, it will be interesting to see how he performs on Wednesday.

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Simona Halep sees off spirited Naomi Broay in Birmingham

Simona Halep sees off spirited Naomi Broay in Birmingham

  • Posted: Jun 16, 2015

 

© Ray Giubilo

Simona Halep is through to the second round of the AEGON Classic after a straight sets win over the British No.3 Naomi Broady 6-4 6-2.

Broady came into the the match against the World No.3 full of confidence after a surprise win over Croatia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in round one and held her own in the early proceedings against a far more decorated opponent, holding fairly easily on each of the first four occasions. Halep finally got the breakthrough at 4-4, serving out the set but not before saving her first break point of the match.

Class begin to tell as time went on with Halep breaking another three times in a row to make it 4-1 as the match begin to get away from Broady. She did at least save 2 match points at 5-1 to ensure the scoreline didn’t reflect too unfairly in her favour but that would be it as Halep closed out the match with a hold from 0-30.

Broady’s big serve did trouble Halep at times but the second serve was punished by an elite returner like Halep, especially in the second where she did not win a single point on the ten second serves she hit.

 

In round two, Halep will play the winner of Klara Koukalova and Carolina Garcia. Meanwhile, Kristina Mladenovic, Timea Babos and Marina Erakovic were winners in the afternoon with wins over Alison Riske, Roberta Vinci and Petra Cetkovska respectively.

Stan Wawrinka vs Kevin Anderson Preview – ATP Queen’s Club 2015 Round 2

Stan Wawrinka vs Kevin Anderson Preview – ATP Queen’s Club 2015 Round 2

  • Posted: Jun 16, 2015

 

Photo © Ray Giubilo

Swiss No. 2 Stan Wawrinka managed to earn the victory and send himself into the second round of the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club. His next on-court appearance will be a compelling match against South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, whom he has lost his two most recent meetings against. The head-to-head series is currently tied 3-3 with all the matches being played on hard court. This is set to be their first grass court meeting.


Coming off a remarkable run at the French Open, where he put his first round loss in 2014 to shame with a fantastic fortnight in Paris to lift his second Grand Slam title in as many years, many believed that Wawrinka would have some trouble in his early transition onto clay. However, that was certainly far from the case on Tuesday, as he began his Aegon Championships campaign with a straight sets win against Nick Kyrgios. He struck nine aces, won 93% of his first service points and saved all three of the break points he faced on serve to close out the match 6-3, 6-4 in 49 minutes.

Wawrinka will come up against Kevin Anderson, the South African No. 1, who during his first match on grass came within a few points of losing to Lleyton Hewitt before he managed to break back in the second set to force a decider. There, he dominated the encounter to oust Hewitt from the Aegon Championships for the final time in the Australian’s professional career. He struck 22 aces, won 78% of his first service points and saved six of eight break points to close out the match 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-2.

 

This marks the seventh time these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with the head-to-head series tied at 3-3. Although Anderson won their two most recent meetings on the ATP World Tour, Wawrinka holds three other Masters 1000 wins against Anderson. Given Wawrinka’s recent performances, as well as his solid start on grass this season, he will likely be able to overturn his two-match losing streak to the South African.

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Heather Watson Ousted by Aleksandra Krunic in Birmingham

Heather Watson Ousted by Aleksandra Krunic in Birmingham

  • Posted: Jun 16, 2015



Photo Ray Giubilo

The Birmingham crowd were left disappointed after home favourite Heather Watson was knocked out by Aleksandra Krunic in straight sets 7-6 6-4.

While only 5ft4, the Serbian packs a mighty punch and troubled Watson throughout. Both players were serving well with very few break opportunities, each player having two in the first set. For Krunic, they doubled up as set points at 4-5 and 5-6, the second of which was saved with a big serve from Watson.

The British No.1 did earn an early minibreak but some big hitting from Krunic saw her regain the advantage and she would close out the tiebreak 7-5. Despite coming through a tough three setter to qualify, Krunic showed no signs of fatigue in the second set and would strike at 3-3 to earn the first and only break in the match. Despite her best efforts, Watson remained unable to get a foothold into any Krunic service games winning just 25% on return in the second set.

Krunic closed out the match with a hold to 15 to secure her first tour win since late April while Watson prepares to move on to the AEGON International in Eastbourne.

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Svetlana Kuznetsova will be Krunic’s opponent after she defeated Karin Knapp in three sets 7-6 5-7 6-2. Misaki Doi was also a winner on Tuesday, defeating Monica Puig who has now suffered her seventh loss in eight matches.

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Victoria Azarenka recovers from slow start to advance at AEGON Classic

Victoria Azarenka recovers from slow start to advance at AEGON Classic

  • Posted: Jun 16, 2015

Victoria Azarenka

Former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka is through to the second round in Birmingham after a 7-6(7) 6-4 win over the American Varvara Lepchenko.

Azarenka, now outside the top 20, would have been looking at this tournament to make a steady move up the rankings given her favouritism for this event. Of her last five losses, all of them had been to players ranked higher than her while the last four are to either Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.

A slow start saw her fall 0-4 down very quickly but the Belarussian would get back both breaks and force a tiebreak. An early minibreak was followed by two Lepchenko returns to quickly give Azarenka the 3-0* lead. After Lepchenko netted down 5-3,  Azarenka would have 3 set points. However, she double faulted the first of four points lost in a row to give Lepchenko her first set point. Forehand errors wide and netted respectively gave Azarenka a fourth set point with no mistake made this time to take a competitive first set.

Azarenka surged into a 4-1 lead in the second set but a minor blip saw her lose eight straight points as Lepchenko recovered to 4-4. Signs of a further collapse were soon erased after Azarenka held from 0-15, taking the momentum into the 10th game of the set. She quickly carved out three match points, taking the second to book a second route match up with Zarina Diyas, who won in straights over Kateryna Bondarenko this morning.

 

Other early winners include Jelena Jankovic who defeated Tereza Smitkova 6-4 6-4 while Caroline Garcia saved match points in her victory over Tatjana Maria, eventually closing out the match in a final set tiebreak.

 

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Andy Murray’s coach Jonas Bjorkman plans to evolve his pupil’s game

Andy Murray’s coach Jonas Bjorkman plans to evolve his pupil’s game

  • Posted: Jun 16, 2015

 Andy Murray Wimbledon

Back in 2007, a 20-year-old Andrew Murray stepped out on court in Flushing Meadows to challenge Jonas Bjorkman, who was playing his penultimate season on the ATP World Tour. The two contested a thrilling five-set affair that saw Murray prevail 6-1 in the fifth.

Now, eight years later, Bjorkman wants Murray to find that aggression in his game once again, only with a few modern adaptations to his style as well.

“When I lost to him in the US Open when he was young, I think he was more aggressive at the time,” Bjorkman explained to The Tennis Podcast (transcript via The Telegraph).“But the game has changed, everything has changed. Hopefully together with Amelie [Mauresmo] we can work our way to a position where he will feel more comfortable. When you have your position right, you will hit better volleys. So it is all about coming in a little bit more and that was something I always tried myself. I didn’t have big weapons from the baseline so I had to chase the net as soon as I could.”

Ranked No. 3 on the ATP World Tour, Andy Murray compiled a 15-1 record on clay this season, which included two title wins in Munich and Madrid before he reached the semi-final stage at Roland Garros. There, he lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets during a match that was played over two days. Now, with Joras Bjorkman by his side, Murray will attempt to recapture his former glory on grass and carry his current momentum and form forward.

 

“It’s quite easy because with Andy he has so many big weapons, such a huge game, and he is so professional on and off the court,” said Bjorkman, who has not coached on the tour before.”You get very inspired as well, being part of this team.”

Murray himself has grown in confidence, as he believes he has regained the form that helped him win Major championships back in 2012-13 before his surgery.

“From the beginning of this year I’ve felt ready to win major competitions again,” said Murray, who was searching for his best form in 2014 following back surgery. “It’s been huge, huge progress from where I was this time last year. I’ve played extremely well so far this year so I have to be happy about that.”

 

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Andy Murray vs Yen Hsun Lu Preview – ATP Queen’s Club 2015 Round 1

Andy Murray vs Yen Hsun Lu Preview – ATP Queen’s Club 2015 Round 1

  • Posted: Jun 16, 2015

MURRAY

Andy Murray’s 2015 grass court campaign will commence with a contest against a player whom he faced during his historic run to the Wimbledon Championships crown back in 2013: Yen Hsun Lu. During that time, Murray was an unstoppable sensation on grass – a motivational force on a one-track course to capture the title denied to Brits for over seven decades. However, this time around, all eyes will be on the Scot as he attempts to follow up on an impressive clay court season. Of their three previous meetings on the professional tour, Murray leads the head-to-head series 2-1.


Ranked No. 3 on the ATP World Tour, Andy Murray compiled a 15-1 record on clay this season, which included two title wins in Munich and Madrid before he reached the semi-final stage at Roland Garros. There, he lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets during a match that was played over two days. Now, with Joras Bjorkman by his side, Murray will attempt to recapture his former glory on grass and carry his current momentum and form forward.

“From the beginning of this year I’ve felt ready to win major competitions again,” said Murray, who was searching for his best form in 2014 following back surgery. “It’s been huge, huge progress from where I was this time last year. I’ve played extremely well so far this year so I have to be happy about that.”

 

Murray’s upcoming opponent Yen Hsun Lu has already played three matches on grass so far this season, including two wins in the qualifying round here at Queen’s Club. Prior to that, he lost his opening match on the surface this season when Adrian Mannarino at the TopShelf Open ousted him.

This marks the fourth time that Murray and Lu will meet on the professional tour but also the first time since the 2013 Wimbledon Championships. Murray leads the head-to-head series 2-1 and has not lost a match to Lu since 2008. Given that he is the stronger and more comfortable player on this surface, Murray should be able to work his way into the second round of the tournament.
 

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Rafael Nadal vs Alexandr Dolgopolov Preview – ATP Queen’s Club 2015 Round 1

Rafael Nadal vs Alexandr Dolgopolov Preview – ATP Queen’s Club 2015 Round 1

  • Posted: Jun 16, 2015

Rafael Nadal

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and Alexandr Dolgopolov with cross paths once again on the professional tour in what is scheduled to be their sixth meeting to date. The Nadal vs Dolgopolov head-to-head stands at 5-1, yet they have not met since the Indian Wells tournament, which took place last season.

 

After losing just his second match ever at the French Open last week, Rafael Nadal fought valiantly all week in Stuttgart to arrive in a final against Viktor Troicki. While he needed three sets at various points throughout the week, he managed to claim the title following a straight sets victory. He won the match 7-6(3), 6-3 to earn his third title at the Mercedes Cup. It was his first title on grass since the 2010 Wimbledon Championships.

“It’s a very special title,” said Nadal. “Since 2011 I didn’t play a final on grass, so win a title here is very good news for my game and for my mentality too. Congrats to Viktor for a great tournament. He’s playing great and will have some positives for the week.

 

“At this point of the season, every victory is important and every title means a lot to me. I’m happy for that… Thank you very much for all the support here in Stuttgart.”

Nadal will come up against Alexandr Dolgopolov, who is coming off a opening round loss to Philipp Kohlschreiber at the Mercedes Cup.

This marks the sixth time these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Nadal leading the series with a 5-1 score. The first and last wins came on clay, while the remaining ones took place on hard courts. However, Dolgopolov actually won their most recent encounter at Indian Wells. While this may be the case, Dolgopolov is not as capable on grass courts and will likely not put up the same fight here.
 

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