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Fed Cup day 1 highlights
Duration: 6.58 The first day's play ended with scores tied at one rubber apiece. Check out some of the highlights from Australia and Spain's World Group II first-round match and post-match interviews with the players. View more...
Posts Tagged ‘Wimbledon’
Sam and Rennae drop short in Wimbledon final
5 July 2009
Serena and Venus Williams beat Australians Samantha Stosur (pictured left) and Rennae Stubbs (right) in the Wimbledon women’s doubles final on Saturday.
The fourth-seeded Americans defeated the No.3 seeds 7-6(4) 6-4 for their fourth doubles title from the All England Club.
Just four hours before the match started, Serena beat older sister and defending champion Venus in straight sets to claim her third Wimbledon singles crown.
Stubbs and Stosur had only played a handful of matches together when they lost to the siblings in the third round of this year’s Australian Open.
And Stubbs said she and Stosur had learned from that encounter.
“They’re very intimidating and they put a lot of pressure on you,” Stubbs said.
“They put a lot of pressure on your serve because they return so well … and they serve just massive.
“Coming in here we’d had a lot more matches and more experience and we felt that we had a chance if we served well and we knew we could break them from time to time because we’d done it before.
“I think we proved today that we were one or two points away from maybe flipping that around, that score.”
Stosur said: “I actually don’t know if it’s better or worse playing them after a singles final because they’re obviously playing well and they’ve already played and felt it out there, but it’s a Wimbledon final and it’s something to be proud of.”
The Australians claimed an early break for a 2-1 lead, but the Williamses broke back to draw level at 4-4 in the first set.
Stubbs, the 38-year-old veteran playing her 19th Wimbledon, saved a break point that would have given her opponents the set with a neat half volley under pressure that Venus could not get back over the net and the Australians held serve to force the tiebreak.
But mini-breaks on the second and final points gave the American duo a one-set lead.
In the second set, the Australians fought off three break points in the third game.
But the turning point came in the seventh game when Serena converted a break point with an excellent volley that sailed past Stosur and bounced deep in the back of the court.
Stosur and Stubbs avoided being broken again on championship point but Serena sealed victory in the next game with an ace.
Serena said: “There’s nothing like winning a title with your sister. It’s really a good feeling.”
Venus agreed: “Definitely.”
The Williams sisters also won the doubles at SW19 in 2008, 2002 and 2000.
Stubbs was making her first Grand Slam finals appearance since winning the doubles at Wimbledon with Cara Black of Zimbabwe in 2004.
That victory came three years after Stubbs teamed up with American Lisa Raymond to win the 2001 title.
Stosur and Stubbs into doubles final
4 July 2009
Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs will face three-time defending champions Venus and Serena Williams in the women’s doubles final.
The third-seeded Australians booked their place in the title match, which will take place on Saturday (early Sunday AEST), after upsetting Spanish No.2 seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2 in Friday’s semifinal.
The Williams sisters, seeded fourth, beat top seeds Cara Black of Zimbabwe and American Liezel Huber 6-1 6-2.
The American siblings will face off in the women’s singles final before returning to Centre Court for the doubles.
Meanwhile, Bernard Tomic lost his boys’ semifinal to unseeded Russian Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3 7-6(6).
The Australian No.3 seed missed vital break-point opportunities in the first set.
When Kuznetsov grabbed a mini-break on Tomic’s set point in the second, the Russian had match point.
That sparked a war of attrition with a rally that lasted 45 strokes as both players refused to give up, but Kuznetsov prevailed as Tomic netted a backhand.
“I knew he was going to be tough and it was difficult because he liked the way I played and I couldn’t hit any winners past him,” Tomic said.
“I learned from it, that’s the important thing, and a lot of these things can help me.”
Australian Stephen Huss and Ruano Pascual ended their run in the mixed doubles, losing 6-4 6-4 to top-seeded pair Leander Paes and Black 6-4 6-4.
Stosur sets her sights on the top 10
29 June 2009
With a French Open semifinal under her belt and her best-ever performance at Wimbledon, Samantha Stosur is now eyeing a breakthrough into the world’s top 10.
Stosur’s ranking surged to a career high of No.18 in June after her fairytale run at Roland Garros and the Queenslander is determined not to rest on her laurels so she can go even higher.
“Once you get [into the top] 20 you want to get to 10,” she told reporters after her third-round exit at Wimbledon on Saturday.
“But that’s not going to happen without hard work and that’s not just going to suddenly appear.
“I have to keep working hard and working on my game and doing all the things I have that have got me to this point.
“It’s going to be tough but I think it’s possible.”
While Stosur was beaten 7-5 6-2 by Serbian glamour girl Ana Ivanovic in the third round at Wimbledon, it still represented a breakthrough moment for the Australian.
Stosur had never before made it past the second round at the all England Club and had entered the grasscourt Grand Slam with lofty ambitions after notching up the highest achievement in her singles career in Paris.
But she says she still has plenty of work to do if she wants to crack into the top 10.
Her usually reliable kick serve serve let her down at Wimbledon, especially against Ivanovic when she made five double faults.
“It’s always something you’ve got to work on,” Stosur said.
“I just know that now I`ve got the confidence so I think now I can really start to try and build on what I’ve got and try and make things better.”
Her former coach, Renae Moller, certainly thought she had what it takes to enter tennis’s elite club of top players.
“Absolutely. No question about it,” he said after Stosur won her quarterfinal match in Paris.
“She’s got the game, there’s no reason why she shouldn’t be a top 10 player. She’s got all the tools.”
Not only has Stosur’s ranking improved this season, so have her pay packets.
She walked away with AUD$468,400 from the French Open and collected another AUD$59,535 when she exited the singles draw at Wimbledon.
The 25 year old remains in the doubles draw with compatriot Rennae Stubbs at Wimbledon and plans to head home to the Gold Coast for a few weeks once their campaign ends.
It will be the first time she has seen mum Diane and dad Tony since her claycourt success in Paris, and no doubt a family celebration is on the cards.
Stosur plans to take a week or two off before resuming training and heading to the United States to play at the Stanford hardcourt event in late July and then a series of other tournaments ahead of the US Open in August.
“I actually wasn’t going to go home and decided, `why not?’,” she said.
“I only told them a few days ago, so I think they’re pretty happy that I’ll be home for a week.
“And I’m looking forward to getting home, definitely.”
Stosur’s Wimbledon dream over
28 June 2009
Samantha Stosur’s Wimbledon dreams have crumbled after a straight sets defeat to 13th seed Ana Ivanovic in their third-round match on Saturday.
The Serbian glamour girl enjoyed a comfortable 7-5 6-2 win over the 18th-seeded Queenslander who was completely outclassed in the 70-minute match.
Despite the disappointing result for Stosur, who had a fairytale run to the French Open semifinals in early June, she walked away from the tournament having broken her second-round losing streak at Wimbledon.
Stosur’s departure leaves Lleyton Hewitt as the only Australian left in the main draw.
He defeated German Philipp Petzschner in their third-round clash.
Stosur, who was cheered on by a loud group of Australian fans, struggled with Ivanovic’s powerful serve and forehand throughout the match.
Ivanovic, a 2007 Wimbledon semifinalist, stamped her authority from the very first game when she broke the Australian’s serve and then went on to fire off five aces during the set.
Stosur managed to mount a mini-comeback in the eighth game to level the scores at 4-4 and then held her serve.
However, two double faults from the Australian gave Ivanovic the chance she needed to break back and take a 6-5 lead before she held serve and wrapped up the set.
The start of the second set was nearly identical to the first with the Serb breaking in the first game and then again to go 4-0 ahead.
But she blew a match point in the seventh game when she misfired a forehand return into the net off Stosur’s serve.
She made no mistakes in the final game.
With two match points up her sleeve, the Serb let out a squeal of delight as Stosur sent a forehand long.
The 21-year-old Serb stretched her win-loss record against Stosur to 2-1 having also defeated her at the Australian Open in 2006.
Ivanovic is trained by Australia’s Darren Cahill as part of the Adidas player development program.
She next faces defending champion Venus Williams in the fourth round.
Stosur said despite her disappointing third-round exit, she still hoped to crack the top 10 world rankings after enjoying a surge to No.18 following her French Open success.
“It’s disappointing losing always but I guess that’s one thing I can take away – I finally got past the second round,” she told reporters.
“I’ll move on, and it certainly doesn’t make me feel really bad about my tennis or anything like that.
“I know there are things I can work on and I know I can play better than what I did today.”
Stosur said her usually powerful service game had let her down against Ivanovic, especially when she notched up two double faults in the first set.
“My serve is usually really safe,” Stosur told reporters.
“I go for it but it’s got a lot of margin.
“I don’t usually hit too many double faults no matter how hard I try and hit my second serve.
“So today to hit five or six or whatever I hit is not very good.
“She definitely served well and when she did get her first serve in she hit pretty much near the lines and it wasn’t easy for me to get a read on that.”
Sam battles her way into third round
26 June 2009
Sam Stosur is into the third round at Wimbledon for the first time in her career.
Australia’s Samantha Stosur finally broke her second-round hoodoo at Wimbledon, staging a remarkable comeback to beat little-known qualifier Tatjana Malek on Thursday.
The German threatened to become known as the Aus-sassin after dispatching Stosur’s compatriot Jelena Dokic in the first round, but a gutsy performance from the No.18 seed secured victory 4-6 7-6(6) 6-4 in two hours and 14 minutes.
It is the first time in seven appearances at the All England Club that Stosur has advanced beyond the second round.
Against Malek, the French Open semifinalist could not find her rhythm as she struggled with her two main weapons, faltering on her serve and repeatedly firing her forehand long.
The world No.101 made early inroads, breaking the Australian in the fifth game.
She had four opportunities to break her opponent again to claim the set, but Stosur fought off each of them.
Stosur’s reprieve was short-lived, however, when Malek converted the first of two set points on her next service game.
As Stosur’s unforced error count soared, she served a double fault and then sent a forehand long to hand Malek three break points in the third game of the second set.
The 25-year-old Queenslander saved two, but when a forehand hit the net cord and bounced out, Malek had another early break at 1-2.
Stosur converted her first break point of the match to draw level at 4-4.
She fought back from 0-40 down in the 12th game, but missed the chance to break her opponent and claim the set when she sent a backhand return wide and Malek went on to hold serve to force the tiebreak.
Stosur dug herself out from 0-4 down in the tiebreak to win five points in a row.
After a marathon 31-stroke rally, Stosur took a 7-6 lead and sealed the set on Malek’s serve when the German sent a backhand wide.
Malek raced to a 3-0 lead in the decider.
Stosur broke back in the seventh game, however, and was forced to save a break point in the next game before levelling at 4-4 as Malek vented her frustration by smashing her racquet into the ground.
When Stosur made the crucial break in the next game, she earned the right to serve for the match and, at 40-0 up, she won with a drop shot Malek could not get back over the net.
Stosur was pleased with her ability to come back from adversity.
“It wasn’t easy out there, I didn’t start the way I wanted to start and was getting quite frustrated with the way things were going,” she said.
“Every time I had no choice but to pull myself back together, I did.
“Things went bad again at the start of the third [set] but I had no choice but to back myself and pull myself back together again.”
Stosur lost in the opening round in her first three attempts at Wimbledon and bowed out in the second round on the next three.
She is the only Australian woman left in the singles draw after Jarmila Groth was humbled by No.2 seed Serena Williams on Wednesday.
Williams signalled her intention to thwart older sister Venus’s bid for a third straight title by completely outclassing the Australian 6-2 6-1 in the second round.
Stosur, who next plays Serbian No.13 seed Ana Ivanovic, admitted breaking the second-round barrier had played on her mind.
“I thought that during the match,” she said.
“I remember being in this same room saying I want to get past the second round.
“I would have been very disappointed if I didn’t get through today. I’m very pleased that I’ve gotten over that hurdle.”
Sam’s Wimbledon blog part 2
24 June 2009
We had a nice warm sunny day here at Wimbledon today which I have to say is not exactly the type of weather you normally associate with London! Read more
Sam’s Wimbledon blog part one
24 June 2009
Well Wimbledon time and it is a very exciting time for me after all the fun of the French Open. Read more
Ready to make the switch
12 June 2009
There was no time for lavish celebrations following Sam Stosur’s semifinals appearance at the French Open last week. Instead, the 25-year-old Queenslander toasted her greatest achievement at a major to date with pizza and a glass of wine. Read more
Sam shifts her sights to Wimbledon
10 June 2009
Photo: Ron Angle
AAP
Brimming with confidence from her career-best performance at the French Open, Samantha Stosur is setting her sights on making another major mark at Wimbledon.
PHOTO GALLERY: Sam takes part in a Lacoste photo shoot in Paris
Despite losing a tight semifinal 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3 at Roland Garros to Russian seventh seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, the Australian says she can do at least as well at the famous grasscourt Grand Slam.
The 25-year-old Queenslander said her performance in Paris, where she defeated world No.4 Elena Dementieva on the way to making her debut in a Grand Slam final four, had given her a massive confidence boost.
“I’ve got to adapt a few little things for the grass, but I’m certainly looking forward to getting in there for another Grand Slam,” Stosur said.
“Hopefully I can bring out some of the same kind of tennis and find myself in a similar position.
“It would be great.”
Despite having previously been touted as a potential Wimbledon champion by her former coach Gigi Fernandez and former Fed Cup captain John Alexander, Stosur has never gone beyond the second round at the All England Club in six previous attempts.
But coach Rene Moller said Stosur’s performance in Paris boded well for another long run at Wimbledon.
“Luckily we’ll have a week to practice and try to get a feel for the grasscourts,” he said.
“I know it’s a cliche but she still has to go out there and take every match at a time and by the end of the two weeks if she’s in the final, then that would be great.”
On the back of her dramatic run to the French Open semis, Sportingbet have slashed her price to win Wimbledon from $101 to $51.
Serena Williams is the $3.50 favourite.
Stosur’s remarkable run in Paris made her the first Australian woman to reach the last four since Nicole Bradtke (nee Provis) 21 years ago.
Stosur put in an almighty fight to come from one set down and 5-2 behind in a second set tiebreak to force Kuznetsova to a third set on Thursday.
But the Russian was too strong and seized her chance to set up an all-Russian final against world No.1 Dinara Safina.
Glued to their TV set on the Gold Coast were Stosur’s parents, Diane and Tony, who sent their daughter a message of support after her match.
“Mum sent me an email … [saying] `you should have heard us all cheering and yelling and screaming for you,” Stosur said.
Stosur’s consolation prize from Paris will be to see her world ranking rocket up 14 places to about No.18 and pocket €265,000 (AUD$468,400) in prize money – nearly double what she has made this year.
The Australian started 2009 wanting to crack the top 20 and now she has done that is aiming even higher.
“I’ve kind of proven I can do it in a Grand Slam and where it really counts,” she said.
Stosur said her own success in Paris and that of compatriot Jelena Dokic in making the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in January augured well for the women’s game in Australia.
“For the last couple of years now, women’s tennis back home has been definitely moving in the right direction,” she said.
“And with Jelena’s success in Melbourne and now mine here … everyone is going to look at that and want to try and follow.
“There’s definitely a good group of girls coming up, so I think we’re definitely in a good spot.”
Mark Woodforde, who with Todd Woodbridge won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles including one French Open and a record six Wimbledons, said it was “about time” Australian tennis fans had someone to celebrate at a major.
“Back in Australia we’ve been waiting for someone to make a real push in the latter stages of a Grand Slam,” he said.
“Dokic earlier this year was a fabulous result and Sam’s got a formidable game and hopefully she can now recognise how deep her strengths are.”
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