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Normalcy returns to Wimbledon
I beat Federer and his legend, says Stakhovsky
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Slips and splits continue on Day Four
West Indies, Lanka lock horns in tri-series
opener
None recommended for Khel Ratna award by BCCI
Contador promises a different Tour script
confed cup
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Normalcy returns to Wimbledon
London, June 27 “Kimiko is incredibly inspiring,” said Williams after her win. “She is so fit and does so well. I don't know how she does it. I've never played her but I watched her when I was super young and growing up.” The 100-ranked Garcia failed to qualify for Edgbaston earlier this month, leaving Birmingham with $500 prize money to set against her expenses, but reached Wimbledon through that route. If she was overawed it did not show as she matched the world No.1 for the opening four games. She was then broken, however, and with Williams serving accurately and powerfully a break-back always looked beyond the French teenager. Garcia saved a trio of set points at 3-5 down, but hit a forehand smash into the net on the fourth with the court open. That gave the defending champion the first set in 30 minutes. The break in the second set again came on Garcia's third service match, Williams seizing upon a weak second serve to lash a drive past her opponent. Prior to that Garcia had frequently gone overlong as she sought to pin Williams back for fear a short return would be pounced upon and bludgeoned past her. Williams followed up her break with a near-perfect service game. One return at the net had Garcia holding her arms aloft as if to say 'what can I do?'. The next two points were won with two shots that showcased Williams' range: a 123mph ace, then a delicate drop shot. Williams broke again to close out the set and the match in 67 minutes. “Caroline is a really good player, incredibly promising, so it was good to get through,” said Williams. “I live and die for every match at Wimbledon, I have so much fun here.” Meanwhile, Bernard Tomic progressed to the third round with a straight sets win over James Blake, despite the continued absence of his father and coach John. Australian Tomic beat James Blake 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 on Court 18. The 20-year-old has urged Wimbledon and the ATP to lift the ban on his father, who faces an assault charge for allegedly headbutting his son's former training partner. John Tomic has denied attacking Thomas Drouet but Tomic senior has been banned from attending tournaments as his son's coach, while Wimbledon have prevented him from buying a ticket to watch. Order restored in men’s draw Top-ranked Novak Djokovic beat Bobby Reynolds 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 6-1. Former runner-up Tomas Berdych and former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro were among those restoring order in the men's draw Thursday at Wimbledon. The seventh-seeded Berdych and eighth-seeded del Potro managed to post second-round wins at the world's most prestigious tennis event. The Czech Berdych, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2010, handled German Daniel Brands 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-2, while the 6-foot-6 Argentine del Potro dismissed former American and now Canadian Jesse Levine 6-2, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3. — Agencies results Men’s singles 2nd round 9-Richard Gasquet (France) beat Go Soeda (Japan) 6-0 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3, Ivan Dodig (Croatia) beat Denis Kudla (U.S.) 6-1 7-6(4) 7-5, Igor Sijsling (Netherlands) beat 17-Milos Raonic (Canada) 7-5 6-4 7-6(4), Feliciano Lopez (Spain) beat Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) 6-3 5-1 (Mathieu retired), 12-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beat Leonardo Mayer (Argentina) 7-6(5) 6-4 6-2, 8-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) beat Jesse Levine (Canada) 6-2 7-6(7) 6-3, 7-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Daniel Brands (Germany) 7-6(6) 6-4 6-2, 27-Kevin Anderson (South Africa) beat Michal Przysiezny (Poland) 6-4 7-6(2) 6-4 Bernard Tomic (Australia) beat James Blake (U.S.) 6-3 6-4 7-5, 23-Andreas Seppi (Italy) beat Michael Llodra (France) 7-5 (Llodra retired) Women’s singles 2nd round 4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Mathilde Johansson (France) 6-1 6-3, Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) beat 24-Peng Shuai (China) 7-6(6) 6-2, 11-Roberta Vinci (Italy) beat Jana Cepelova (Slovakia) 6-1 4-6 9-7, Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) 7-5 6-3, 32-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) beat Annika Beck (Germany) 7-6(5) 6-3, 1-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Caroline Garcia (France) 6-3 6-2, Kimiko Date-Krumm (Japan) beat Alexandra Cadantu (Romania) 6-4 7-5, 6-Li Na (China) beat Simona Halep (Romania) 6-2 1-6 6-0, Petra Martic (Croatia) beat Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) 7-6(7) 6-1, 23-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) beat Elena Vesnina (Russia) 6-3 6-1. |
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I beat Federer and his legend, says Stakhovsky
London, June 27 On Wednesday, however, the man who hails from Kiev and is ranked outside the world’s top 100, wiped the smile off Federer’s face after evicting the Swiss from his own back yard. Since winning the first of his record 17 grand slam titles on Center Court in 2003, no one had managed to eject the grasscourt master from Wimbledon before the quarter-finals.
“When you come here, on the cover of the Wimbledon book... is Roger Federer. Our sport is Roger Federer,” Stakhovsky said after becoming the latest giant killer to light up Wimbledon with a 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 7-5 7-6(5) victory. “He’s the greatest player we had. He’s the biggest name we had and we still have.” “You’re playing the guy and then you’re playing his legend, which is following him because he won it seven times. He’s holding all possible career records here. “When you play Roger Federer at Wimbledon, it’s like you’re playing two persons. First you play Federer and then you play his ego. “When you’re beating one, you still have the other one who is pressing you. You’re saying, ‘am I about to beat him? Is it possible?’” Impossible possibleNo matter where he looked, Stakhovsky did not belong on the same court as Federer yet after Wednesday it is unlikely the Swiss or any other sports fan will forget the Ukrainian’s name. Playing a brand of fearless and brash serve-and-volley tennis many dream of but only the brave produce, Stakhovsky caused one of the biggest upsets seen in tennis. It left the Swiss shell-shocked, the crowd stunned and Stakhovsky blinking in disbelief as he added his name to a select band of players who have dared to bring the mighty down. Peter Doohan conquered Boris Becker in the second round in 1987, George Bastl tamed Pete Sampras at the same stage in 2002 and Ivo Karlovic beat defending champion Lleyton Hewitt on the opening day in 2003.
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Slips and splits continue on Day Four
London, June 27 In the Open Era (1968 to present) the most singles retirements and walkovers at a Grand Slam tournament overall is 17 players (11 men and 6 women) at 2011 U.S. Open. The total number of singles retirements and walkovers at 2013 Wimbledon so far is 11 players. On Thursday, Frenchman Michael Llodra added to the growing injury list after he retired hurt during his second round match.
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West Indies, Lanka lock horns in tri-series opener
Kingston (Jamaica), June 27 West Indies were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions trophy when they lost to South Africa via Duckworth Lewis method while the Lankans were humbled in the semifinals by eventual champions India. Sri Lanka had beaten Australia and finalists England en route to the knockout stage while the Caribbeans were disfavoured by luck as weather put paid to their hopes in the crucial match against the Proteas. The teams have come into the tournament with almost the same set of players except that the hosts have left out Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jason Holder. The Lankans were forced to leave out injured opener Tillakaratne Dilshan. Wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin has re-joined the West Indian side after serving his ban for wrongly claiming a catch against Pakistan in the Champions trophy. The Lankans have not played much in this part of the world. The last time they competed here was in the 2007 World Cup but the conditions may support their spin-oriented attack, which also has Ajantha Mendis, who of late has been labelled a Twenty20 specialist. Like Champions Trophy, weather is a matter of concern here too and if rain gods allow a full game, it will be an interesting contest between the West Indies batting and Sri Lankan bowlers. The spin trio of Ajantha Mendis, Sachithra Senanayake and Rangana Herath will pose a threat to the Caribbeans, who would rely on good starts by the flamboyant Chris Gayle. The Lankan batting will once again revolve around the ever-reliable senior duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. India arrives in West Indies
An upbeat Indian cricket team landed here on Thursday to compete in an ODI tri-series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka starting on Friday. “Jamaica welcomes us with bright sun shine and some lovely cricket fans. Not to forget hoardings of the great Usain Bolt," tweeted off-spinner R Ashwin upon arrival here. The Indian team, riding high on its unbeaten run in the Champions Trophy, will start its campaign on Sunday against the hosts. The first three matches of the series would be played in Jamaica (from June 28 to July 2) before the action shifts to Trinidad (from July 5 to July 11). — Agencies |
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None recommended for Khel Ratna award by BCCI
New Delhi, June 27 The BCCI has recommended dashing batsman Virat Kohli's name for the Arjuna Award while legendary opener and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar's name has been recommended for the Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement. “BCCI hasn't sent any names for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award as it didn't find anyone who is fitting to get this award this year. There is absolutely no point in sending a recommendation just for the sake of it. The BCCI found out that Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar are the two deserving names for the Arjuna and Dronacharya award,” a senior BCCI official told PTI today. Incidentally, former captain Rahul Dravid's name was doing the rounds last year for Khel Ratna award, but he didn't get it which many thought was due to absence of BCCI representative Ravi Shastri during the awards committee meeting. — PTI
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Contador promises a different Tour script
Porto Vecchio, June 27 Double champion Contador of Spain, back in the race after a one-year hiatus because of a doping suspension, is unlikely to settle for second against Team Sky leader Chris Froome, the overwhelming favourite. "We are not the only two actors in this film," Contador, who won the Tour in 2007 and 2009, told a packed news conference at his team hotel on Thursday. "There will be more action than last year." Last year, Wiggins's rivals seemed to quickly abandon hope of winning the Tour as the Briton dominated the time trials and relied on Team Sky's conservative tactics in the mountains. Wiggins is out of the race, which starts on Saturday, for health reasons but Team Sky directors are likely to use the same methods to help Froome to reach Paris with the yellow jersey. Australian Michael Rogers, who was Team Sky's road captain last year but has switched to Contador's Team Saxo-Tinkoff this season, knows a thing or two about the British outfit's way of operating. "I think Sky are more advanced in training, in sports science - they know exactly what's required from domestiques to do the job properly in the last week, they know so much more about the internals of the sport, in my opinion, than any other team," he told reporters. "I think Alberto uses his emotions in the races, whereas I think Chris is very calculated and Brad was very calculated last year. (At Team Sky) you know what you're capable of and you don't go outside of that." Le Tour hits 100
Fans will have the opportunity to commemorate the 100th edition of the Tour de France this weekend by taking to the course of cycling's most famous stage race, two weeks ahead of the Grand Depart. The Tour will celebrate the milestone on Saturday with a host of events organised throughout most of France as part of the “Fete du Tour”. The celebrations are scheduled to take place in all cities through which the race, which gets underway in Corsica on June 29, will pass with numerous activities and rides, ranging from the length of an entire stage to shorter formats of 10 to 50km, planned by tour organisers. Even the 242.5km ride Givors to Mont Ventoux, which will serve as the Tour's 15th stage, will be open for enthusiasts to tackle. —
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confed cup Belo Horizonte, June 27 Fred scored from close range two minutes from half-time to calm the nerves of the five-time world champions and Confederations Cup title holders after Diego Forlan had first missed a penalty for Uruguay. But Edinson Cavani levelled three minutes after the restart and thereafter the hosts were rocking before Paulinho rose high to plant a firm close-range header past Fernando Muslera in the Uruguay goal to pull off a barely deserved victory. “A Brazil match against Uruguay is always really an emotional rollercoaster for me," said Julio Cesar, who said he knew Forlan would fire his penalty to his left. “I played with him at Inter Milan - but it was a good stop.” Cavani said the penalty miss was "a shame as we were playing well but we have to take it on the chin." Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez, who led Uruguay to the Copa America title in 2011 to book a berth here, was sanguine afterwards. “We played with passion and made it tough for them. But we will learn from the experience,” Tabarez said. Matches between the South American neighbours have long been tense affairs - not least since the Uruguayans shocked the Brazilians in the 1950 World Cup final in Rio to deny their hosts a first title. But what gave this meeting added spice were pre-match comments by Uruguayan skipper Diego Lugano labelling Brazilian starlet Neymar a diver. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) issued a furious rebuttal of the claim, but there was clearly no love lost between the sides as they snapped into tackles and scrapped for every bit of territory. Brazil made a sluggish start and Lugano was to the fore as he won a penalty for the Uruguayans after 16 minutes. The veteran defender tussled with Chelsea centreback David Luiz in the box and went down - but Chilean referee Enrique Osses quickly spotted that Luiz had tugged on his rival's shirt and gave the spotkick. Uruguay's record goalscorer Forlan stepped forward but placed his low kick too close to Julio Cesar, the Brazilian keeper diving away to his left to push the ball round the post and elicit a deafening cheer from a 60,000 crowd at the Estadio Mineirao. Police said beforehand they expected trouble but Brazil, mindful of coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's urging them to make their countrymen proud, finally awoke from their nervy slumbers. — Agencies
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Rafa and The Fed may have fallen but Serena Williams' march towards another Wimbledon title continued imperiously yesterday as he brushed aside Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-2 to reach the third round. There the No.1 seed will face Kimiko
Date-Krumm, the 42-year-old Japanese who beat Romania's Alexandra Cadantu earlier in the day.
No matter where Sergiy Stakhovsky looks when he walks around the leafy grounds of the All England Club, he cannot escape the image of a beaming Roger Federer holding aloft the pineapple-topped gold Challenge Cup.
It is on the results board, on the official Wimbledon book, on the roll of honor plaque, on official merchandise - it is basically everywhere.
Wimbledon experienced seven retirements or walkovers on Wednesday, which is believed to be a record for a single day of Grand Slam play according to the International Tennis Federation.
On Wednesday the world finally met a man who did.
