Tag: Wimbledon

LONDON: The Spaniard Rafael Nadal announced on Thursday to withdraw from Wimbledon after failing to recover from his abdominal injury.

Nadal, who battled out the injury in the enduring quarterfinal against Taylor Fritz on Wednesday, has announced his withdrawal from the tournament in a press conference.

“I have to pull out of the tournament. As everybody saw yesterday I have been suffering with the pain in the abdominal area. I have a tear in the muscle,” he said

Spaniard’s semifinal opponent Nick Kyrgios, as a result, has received a walk over to the final where he will face either the defending champion Novak Djokovic or Britain’s Cameron Norrie.

Nadal was seen struggling with the injury during the hard-fought quarterfinal victory over Fritz, which lasted four hours and 21 minutes. The Spaniard also took medical time in the second set and returned to the court and recovered twice from a set down to claim a hard-earned victory.

READ: Nadal defies injury to set up Wimbledon semi-final against Kyrgios

LONDON: No.3 seed Ons Jabeur carried on her astounding Wimbledon run as she thumped Tatjana Maria 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to become the first Tunisia player to book a Grand Slam final berth.

In-form Jabeur, fuelled with momentum, drew an early lead for herself as she broke Maria 2-1 to start the proceedings on a high before extending her lead to 5-2 and did not face a break point before claiming a straightforward first set.

The second set, however, drew a contrasting result as Maria pushed Jabeur on the back foot with her aggressive approach and nullified the latter’s lead by claiming the second set 6-3.

Maria’s exceptional comeback forced Jabeur to recollect herself and it seemed to have worked for the Tunisian as the World No.2 completely dominated Maria in the third set to claim a historic victory.

Following her qualification to the Wimbledon final, Jabeur has become the first Tunisian, Arab, and African woman to reach a grand slam final.

World No.2 will now face Elena Rybakina in the final, who claimed a straight-set victory over Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 to book her final berth.

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LONDON: The unseeded Australian Tennis player Nick Kyrgios carried on his astounding Wimbledon run as he thumped Cristian Garin in a straight-set victory 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 to qualify for the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time.

The Australian after dropping his serve in the opening game roared back and went on to display a contrasting performance for the rest of the match to seal a comprehensive victory over Garin.

Kyrgios utilized his service skills to the fullest as he claimed a straightforward second set to move within one from the victory.

Fuelled with momentum, the Australian soon pulled ahead in the third set with a dominant early lead of 6-3 to leave himself on the verge of semi-final qualification. Garin, however, did not give up and sealed the next three games to force the match into the tiebreaker.

The Chilean then could not continue his astounding comeback and failed to claim the tiebreaker, allowing Kyrgios to run away with the victory and earned his semi-final spot for the first time.

The Australian will now face the winner of Rafael Nadal and Taylor Fritz’s quarter-final.

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LONDON: Rafael Nadal reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the eighth time on Monday with a straight-sets defeat of Botic van de Zandschulp.

Nadal, who has already won the Australian and French Opens to stand halfway to the first calendar Grand Slam since 1969, triumphed 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6).

Next up for the 36-year-old Spaniard is a clash against American 11th seed Taylor Fritz, who beat him in the Indian Wells final earlier in the year.

“To be back in the quarter-finals after not being here for three years is amazing,” said the 2008 and 2010 champion.

“I expect a very tough match against Taylor — he won his first Masters title this year against me in the final.

“The quarter-finals of a Slam are always very tough.”

Nadal had already defeated Van de Zandschulp in straight sets at the French Open and he was hardly troubled Monday until a third set blip.

He broke the world number 25 Dutchman in the 10th game to secure the opening set.

The 22-time major winner backed it up with a double break in the second set.

Van de Zandschulp managed to stem the bleeding, retrieving a break in the third to get to a tiebreak.

He saved three match points before his challenge ended with a wild smash.

READ: Tomljanovic beats Cornet to reach Wimbledon last eight

LONDON: Ajla Tomljanovic reached her second straight Wimbledon quarter-final on Monday, beating French veteran Alize Cornet 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Both players struggled to win their service games in a match featuring 16 breaks of serve.

Cornet, who ended top seed Iga Switek’s 37-match winning streak in the previous round, took the first set.

But Australia’s Tomljanovic, ranked 44, levelled the match and broke four times in the decider to seal the win, setting up a quarter-final against Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina.

Cornet, ranked 37, was playing in her 62nd consecutive Grand Slam main draw, equaling Ai Sugiyama’s record on the WTA women’s tour.

READ: Djokovic downs Rijthoven, advances to Wimbledon quarters

LONDON: The defending champion Novak Djokovic avoided the scare in his fourth-round match as he defeated Tim Van Rijthoven 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 to qualify for the Wimbledon 2022 quarter-finals.

Djokovic, who enjoyed a near-perfect run in the ongoing tournament thus far, had to fight hard this time around as he sank the wildcard entrant Rijthoven despite dropping the second set.

The Serb displayed sheer dominance in the opening set as he pulled ahead with an early lead of 4-1, the Dutch, however, managed to claim his second game in the next two, only for Djokovic to claim the sixth to seal the set.

The second set then returned a contrasting result as the unseeded Dutch player Ritjhoven stunned Djokovic from 1-2 down to claiming the second set and levelled the match.

Ritjhoven’s astounding comeback in the second set forced Djokovic to be more efficient in the third set by 6-1 to reclaim control.

The fourth set then followed the same pattern as the defending champion did not let the youngster force another comeback and ran away with a comprehensive victory to secure a quarter-finals berth.

Djokovic will play Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals after the Italian thumped Carlos Alcaraz in four sets.

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LONDON: The Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz carried on his wonderful in the ongoing Wimbledon as he outclassed his German opponent Oscar Otte 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 to storm into the fourth round of the marquee event.

In the third-round clash, Alcaraz displayed sheer dominance over Otte and made sure to improvise his Wimbledon by storming into the fourth round for the first time.

Following his qualification in the last 16, Alcaraz has also become the youngest to reach that stage in the iconic event since Bernard Tomic reached the 2011 quarter-finals at the age of 18.

The Spaniard will now lock horns with the 10th seed Jannik Sinner in a bid to qualify for the quarters for the first time.

In his one of the most perfect matches, Alcaraz left no chance for the 32nd seed Otte and dominated in all three sets before running away with the victory in one hour and 38 minutes.

Following his powerful and precise hitting, the teenager finished with 37 winners and just eight unforced errors, winning 88 per cent (35/40) of his first-serve points.

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LONDON: Former World No.1 Novak Djokovic displayed sheer dominance over his countrymate Miomir Kecmanovic in the third round of Wimbledon 2022 to reach the last 16 in pursuit of his title defence.

In a one-sided clash between the two Serbs, Djokovic displayed brilliance as he sealed the third victory of the tournament 6-0 6-3 6-4 to move into the last 16.

The defending champion was unplayable in the opening set as he did not let Kecmanovic open his account before running away with it in 24 minutes.

Kecmanovic, seeded 25, finally found himself in the contest as he scored his first point in the second set – 35 minutes into the match, by taking a long service game.

Djokovic, however, seemed unaffected by the youngster’s brief comeback and soon claimed the second set to move within a set to victory.

The third set then followed the same pattern as the top seed maintained his dominance and claimed his scintillating victory over Kecmanovic to reach the last 16.

In a bid to advance to the quarterfinals, the defending champion will now face Dutch player T. van Rijthoven in a Round of 16 match.

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LONDON: Serena Williams was defeated in her first singles match for a year on Tuesday, going down 7-5, 1-6, 7/6 (10/7) to unseeded Harmony Tan in the first round of Wimbledon.

“For my first Wimbledon it’s wow — just wow,” said Tan.

Seven-time champion Williams was cheered as she walked onto Centre Court for the evening match, but she looked rusty and was broken in her first service game.

Williams, far below her imperious best and apparently lacking fitness, bounced back, breaking in the fourth game to level at 2-2, buoyed by a supportive crowd at the All England Club.

The pair swapped further breaks but Tan, ranked 115th, broke again in the 11th game and held her nerve to close out the set 7-5.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, broke after a mammoth second game of the second set and went on to level the match 6-1.

The American was first to break in the decider but Tan leveled at 3-3.

Williams broke again in the ninth game, throwing her arms into the air in jubilation but faltered as she served for the match.

She faced a match point on her own serve in the 12th game but saved it with a forehand volley, taking the contest into a third-set tie-break.

Williams stepped up a gear, winning the first four points as the match, under the Wimbledon roof, ticked past three hours.

But still her French opponent was not down and out, winning the next five points to edge ahead.

Williams, looking out of breath, could not find inspiration netting when facing a second match point.

“I’m so emotional now,” said Tan. “She’s a superstar. When I was young, I was watching her so many times on the TV.

“When I saw the draw, I was really scared. She’s such a legend. I thought if I can win one game, two games, that would be really good for me.”

Twelve months ago, Williams quit her Wimbledon first-round match in tears after suffering an injury and she had not played singles tennis since until Tuesday.

Doubts had been growing about whether the former world number one — who has slumped to 1,204th in the rankings after her period of inaction — would return to the sport.

But she warmed up by teaming up with Ons Jabeur in the doubles at Eastbourne last week.

Williams, 40, won the last of her seven Wimbledon singles titles six years ago but reached the final in 2018 and 2019.

The American, who was given a wildcard for this year’s tournament, remains stuck on 23 Grand Slam singles wins — agonisingly one short of Margaret Court’s all-time record.

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LONDON: Serena Williams returns to singles tennis at Wimbledon after a year away on Tuesday as Rafael Nadal begins his quest to win the third leg of a potential calendar Grand Slam.

Women’s top seed Iga Swiatek, who has won her past six tournaments, will kick off proceedings on Centre Court at 1330 local time (1230 GMT) against Croatian qualifier Jana Fett.

But the main focus will be on seven-time champion Williams, who faces unseeded Harmony Tan of France in her first singles match since an injury forced her to pull out of her first-round match last year.

Williams, 40, won the last of her Wimbledon singles titles six years ago but reached the final in 2018 and 2019.

The American, who was given a wildcard for this year’s tournament, is stuck on 23 Grand Slam singles wins — agonizingly one short of Margaret Court’s all-time record.

Doubts had been growing about whether Williams — who has slumped to 1,204th in the world after her period of inaction, would return to the sport.

But she warmed up by teaming up with Ons Jabeur in the doubles at Eastbourne last week and Wimbledon is widely considered her best chance of winning an elusive 24th Grand Slam.

– Nadal eyes calendar slam-

 

Nadal is halfway to winning all four majors this year after following up his Australian Open triumph by winning his 14th French Open title.

No man has achieved the feat since Ron Laver in 1969, with Novak Djokovic falling just short last year when he lost in the final of the US Open.

The Spaniard’s win at Roland Garros earlier this month took him to 22 Grand Slam singles titles — two clear of Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Nadal won the most recent of his two Wimbledon titles in 2010, having captured his first with an epic triumph over Federer two years earlier.

There was a question mark over his durability for the two weeks at Wimbledon having played the entire French Open with his troublesome left foot anesthetized.

The 36-year-old second seed has since undergone a course of radiofrequency stimulation, a treatment aimed at reducing nerve pain in his foot.

“I can walk normally most of the days, almost every single day,” said Nadal, who faces Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in his opening match.

“When I wake up, I don’t have this pain that I was having for the last year and a half.”

Swiatek’s last match was a comprehensive victory against Coco Gauff in the French Open final — her 35th consecutive win.

Wimbledon will test the Polish top seed’s ability to keep the run going. Reaching the fourth round last year was her best performance, even though she was junior champion in 2018.

“Grass is always tricky,” said the 21-year-old. “I actually like the part that I have no expectations there. It’s something kind of refreshing.”

Other players in action in the women’s draw on Tuesday include 2019 champion Simona Halep, who is the 16th seed this year, and last year’s beaten finalist, Karolina Pliskova.

On the men’s side, fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on Switzerland’s Alexander Ritschard while 2021 runner-up Matteo Berrettini, the eighth seed, plays Chile’s, Cristian Garin.

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