All-Indian mixed doubles Wimbledon

 

The experienced pair of Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza defeated the brand new combination of Ramkaumar Ramanathan and Ankita Raina 6-2 7-6 (5) in the historic all-Indian mixed doubles first round match at the Wimbledon here on Friday.

It was the first time in open era that two Indian teams competed against each other at a Grand Slam tournament.

The contest finally brought a Grand Slam debut for Ramkumar, who has made 21 attempts to qualify for the singles main draw of a tennis major.

While the first set ended quickly in favour of the veterans, Ramkumar and Raina presented a good fight in the second set, which even they led for a brief period with a break of serve.

Bopanna was clearly the best player on the court with his powerful serve and solid ground strokes from the baseline as well as the ability to execute a superior net game.

On expected lines, Ramkumar served big while Raina gave her all after growing in confidence.

Mirza’s serve is still not at its best and would improve as she plays more matches.

Mirza has moved has also moved to women’s doubles second round with Bethanie Mattek-Sands while Raina and her American partner Lauren Davis lost in straight sets to the US pair of Asia Muhammad and Jessica Pegula on Thursday night.

The 14th seeds disposed off the challenge from the Raina-Davis pair 6-3 6-2 in 70 minutes.

Bopanna and Divij Sharan are already out, having lost their men’s doubles opening round match.

Paes-Hingis win Australian Open mixed-doubles title

This is Leander Paes' seventh mixed-doubles crown.

India's Leander Paes and Swiss Martina Hingis turned back the clock to post a sensational win in the Australian Open mixed-doubles final and improve their respective Grand Slam count to 15, in Melbourne on Sunday.

The seventh seed Indo-Swiss pair played powerful tennis to serve past third seeds Daniel Nestor and Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 6-3 in the 62-minute battle at the Rod Laver Arena.

While the 41-year-old Paes clinched his seventh mixed doubles crown, Hingis, who came out of retirement for the second time a couple of years back, collected her tenth doubles Slam apart from her five singles titles.

Paes and Hingis broke the Canadian-French pair of Nestor and Kristina once in the first set and twice in the second to put up an entertaining display.

Paes, a veteran doubles specialist, joined forces with the 34-year-old Hingis last year only to come up with a Slam title in quick time.

Hingis, who burst into the scene in 1995, thanked her idol and legend Martina Navratilova for suggesting Paes as her mixed-doubles partner.

“I am thankful to Martina (Navratilova) for getting me partner Paes. It’s incredible to be playing on the surface that I made my debut in 1995. I never imagined that 20 year’s down-the-line I would be still be playing here,” said an excited Hingis — winner of three singles Australian Open titles.

Navratilovia, who also partnered Paes to clinch the Australian Open and Wimbledon mixed—doubles crown in 2003, was in the stands to watch the tennis veterans play.

Djokovic wins Australian Open 2015

The win means Djokovic stays at World no. 1 on the next ATP rankings when they are released on Monday, with Murray moving to four from his current sixth.

Novak Djokovic may never win as many Wimbledon or U.S. Open titles as Roger Federer or as many French Open championships as Rafa Nadal but when it comes to the Australian Open the Serbian reigns supreme.

At Melbourne on Sunday, Djokovic won his fifth Australian Open crown, beating Andy Murray 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0 in an old fashioned slugfest where the pair went toe-to-toe like two prize fighters before the Serb knocked the Scotsman out.

The only man to win more Australian titles than Djokovic is Roy Emerson, who chalked up six in the 1960s when the Grand Slams were restricted to amateur players and the Australian Open was played on grass at different cities all over the country.

But in the professional era, Djokovic is the undisputed king down under, playing in five Australian Open finals and winning the lot.

“I am so privileged and honoured and grateful to be standing here as a champion for the fifth time and to be in the elite group of players with Sir Roy Emerson and Rod Laver and all the legends of our sport,” said the Serb.

“Tough luck tonight, Andy, you are a great competitor, you fight a lot and I want to congratulate your team and wish you all the best for the rest of the season,” he added.

The win means Djokovic stays at World no. 1 on the next ATP rankings when they are released on Monday, with Murray moving to four from his current sixth.

“We have put in a lot of hard work to try and get back in this position after what was a difficult year last year,” said Murray, referring to injuries that dogged his 2014 season.

Murray put Djokovic under immediate pressure with three break points in the third game of the opening set, played in cool and windy conditions on Rod Laver Arena.

But the Serb fought back to hold after an almighty 27-stroke rally and an ace.

Djokovic struck in the next game, breaking Murray to take an early 3-1 lead.

It was hard-fought tennis and the Scot worked his way back by breaking his rival on his third break point in the seventh game.

Djokovic jammed the thumb of his serving hand when he slipped chasing a low volley and needed treatment at the next changeover.

It seemed to bother him briefly only and he broke the Scot a second time before being broken back as he served for the opening set, taking it to a tiebreaker.

The top seed trailed 2-4 in the tiebreaker but then rattled off five of the next six points to claim the opening set in 72 minutes.

Undeterred, Murray broke for a 2-0 lead in the second set before Djokovic hit back with a double break as the Scot looked in trouble with Djokovic stringing together 13 straight points.

The final was then interrupted by a security scare for five minutes when political activists unfurled a banner in support of refugees.

One of them jumped on court with security guards ringing both players as at least four protestors were escorted out of the stadium.

The stoppage worked in Murray’s favour as he broke Djokovic’s service to level the set at 4-4.

The final went to a second tiebreak in which Murray prevailed 7-4 to level the hard-fought contest.

Djokovic suffered an immediate let-down, dropping his opening service in the third set, but he stormed back with a double break to edge in front two sets to one as Murray flagged.

Fired-up, the top seed then split the final set wide open, racing through the fourth set against a spent and frustrated Murray with a triple break to surge to victory.

Cilic crushes Nishikori to claim US Open title

Marin Cilic of Croatia and Kei Nishikori of Japan hold their trophies after Cilic won

Croatia’s Marin Cilic swept past Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-3 6-3 6-3 to win the U.S. Open on Monday and reach the pinnacle of the sport one year after a doping ban kept him out of the year’s final grand slam.

The big-serving Croatian overwhelmed a weary Nishikori in one hour, 54 minutes to clinch a ruthless victory and deny his 10th-seeded opponent’s bid to become the first Asian man to win a grand slam.

With the win, 14th seed Cilic becomes the first Croatian to win one of the sport’s four grand slam championships since his coach Goran Ivanisevic celebrated a Wimbledon victory in 2001.

“This is all hard work in these last several years and especially this last year,” said Cilic. “My team has brought something special to me, especially Goran, we were working really hard but the most important thing he brought to me was enjoying tennis and always having fun.”

“I enjoyed my best tennis over here and played the best ever in my life.”

The final marked the first time since the 2005 Australian Open that at least one of tennis’s big three of Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer was not playing for the title.

The two players walked onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium court under overcast skies and much more forgiving conditions than the sweltering heat they faced through much of the fortnight.

While both men were playing in their first grand slam final it was Nishikori who displayed more jitters as Cilic quickly found his range and unloaded on his helpless opponent by blasting 17 aces to Nishikori’s two.

Nishikori had his opportunities with nine break chances but could convert just one while Cilic was five of 11 and enjoyed a 38-19 edge in winners.

“It’s a really tough loss but I’m really happy coming to my first final,” said Nishikori, who appeared to run out of gas after beating three consecutive top-10 opponents and having to endure a pair of five-setters. “Sorry I couldn’t get a trophy today but for sure next time.

“It was a really fun two weeks here. I hope I can be coming back next year.”

‘PRETTY NERVOUS’

Cilic had Nishikori on the back foot from start to finish, speeding through the opening set in 33 minutes.

The 14th seed, using his huge wingspan to reach out and bash forehands across court and a booming serve to score easy points, again had an early break in the second and added another to go up 5-2.

Nishikori mustered a fightback to score his only break of the match and close to 5-3 but the relentless Cilic broke right back for a 2-0 lead killing any momentum his reeling opponent was building.

With a maiden grand slam within sight, Cilic kept his foot on the gas and grabbed an early break in the third.

The only nerves Cilic would show came when he double faulted on his first match point.

But it was only a momentary lapse as he buckled down and finished off a reeling Nishikori with a backhard winner before letting out a mighty scream as he fell onto his back and raised his arms in celebration.

“You never know when the nerves are going to kick in,” said Cilic, who returned to competition last October after a four-month ban for what he always maintained was the result of ingesting a banned substance through a tainted supplement.

“I think both of us were pretty nervous in the first set especially.

“Everything I was working for and dreaming came today and I feel for all the other players that are working hard, I think this is a big sign, a big hope that if you are working hard things are going to pay off.”

Sania Mirza-Bruno Soares clinch U.S. Open mixed doubles title

Sania Mirza clinched her third mixed doubles Grand Slam crown as she and partner Bruno Soares overcame a few anxious moments in the match tie-break to win the US Open here on Friday.

The Indo-Brazilian pair, the top seeds, squandered five championship points before registering a 6-1, 2-6, 11-9 win over USA’s Abigail Spears and Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico. The match lasted exactly an hours.

After breezing through the first set, the way they did throughout the championship, Sania and Soares surrendered the second meekly.

In the match tie-break, the top-seeded combination got their act together, racing to a 9-4 lead. Spears and Gonzalez put up a fight to make it 9-9, saving five match points. However, helped by Soares’s serve, the No. 1 seeds took the next point and it was all over when Spears hit the ball long.

It was the first time Sania and Soares were playing together.

“Playing with him is a lot of fun. He did not play with me all these years and I don’t know why,” said Sania. She also confirmed that the two will team up for next year’s Australian Open.

Sania’s third

Sania’s previous titles came with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi, the duo winning the Australian Open in 2009 and French Open in 2012.

It was Soares’s second US Open mixed doubles crown.

In 2012, he won the title along with Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova.

On Thursday, Sania and Cara Black of Zimbabwe, the third seeds, lost in the women’s doubles semifinals to the unseeded Swiss-Italian pair of Martina Hingis and Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-4.

Makarova, Vesnina win US Open doubles title

Makarova and Vesnina also won the 2013 French Open.

Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina won their second Grand Slam women’s doubles title, ending Martina Hingis’ run at the U.S. Open.

The fourth-seeded Russians rallied after losing the first set to beat Hingis and Flavia Pennetta 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday night.

“Definitely, it was so amazing,” Makarova said. “I’m just so happy. It was a great two weeks for me.”

Makarova and Vesnina saved three break points to hold and then won the next two games to clinch the championship.

Playing doubles in her latest comeback from retirement, the 33-year-old Hingis was in her first major final since the 2002 Australian Open. She has won nine Grand Slam doubles titles to go with her five major singles championships.

“It was an incredible journey,” she said.

Makarova and Vesnina also won the 2013 French Open.

Makarova was routed by No. 1 Serena Williams 6-1, 6-3 on Friday in her first major singles semifinal. She and Vesnina beat Williams and her sister Venus in the quarterfinals in doubles.

Vesnina said she ran into Serena Williams in the locker room Saturday morning and the 13-time major doubles champion asked if she was playing in the final that day.

“She looked straight at me in my eyes she’s like, ‘Go for it, because you really deserve it,’” Vesnina said, still a bit in awe.

Djokovic defeats Federer to win second Wimbledon title

Novak Djokovic plays a return to Roger Federer of Switzerland during their men's singles final at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London

Djokovic emerges triumphant in a classic tussle; the Serb wins his second Wimbledon title, overcoming a spectacular resurgence by Federer

Two great players nudged each other to even greater heights to produce a Wimbledon final that will go down as one of the finest in its history. One of them, Novak Djokovic, would eventually lift the trophy having beaten his opponent Roger Federer in five close sets 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4.

But the scoreline and the victory seemed to pale before the tennis itself, which was the real winner as these two champions outplayed themselves. This was a match that was undeserving of being assessed by the twists and turns and the thrills and spills, even if there was enough of that edge-of-the-seat suspense which left the audience gasping.

The first set went along customary lines with both players dominating on serve. While the Djokovic service game seemed impregnable, Federer stayed on course to level at 6-6.

Aces: 13- 29 
First serve %: 62-69 
Double faults: 3-5 
Unforced errors: 27-29
Winners: 68-75
Break point conversations: 4/15-3/7 
Net points won: 26/35-44/67
Total points won: 186-180
Fastest serve: 199-kph-204-kph
Match duration: 3h 56 mins

The latter would go up quickly to 3-0, only to find Djokovic clawing back and having two set points, one of which Federer saved with an imperious ace. Eventually, Federer closed out the tie-breaker 9-7 to the delight of the crowd that was firmly behind the Swiss. By now, there were some patterns emerging that would influence the course of the match. It was clear, for instance, that Federer had chosen to attack from the net through a combination of serve and volley, and chip and charge. The former tactic worked well, but although the latter paid off on one critical point in the fourth set, for the most part it failed to work in unsettling Djokovic while serving. Federer is also not the best judge about when to approach the net during a baseline rally and Djokovic was able to repeatedly pass him.
Although he pulled himself out of trouble time and again with big serves, raining 29 aces against Djokovic’s 13, his second serve was vulnerable.

Federer was able to win a mere 44 per cent of his second serves, the main reason he found himself having to dig deep to get out of trouble.

An early break settled the issue in the second set, which Djokovic never seemed like losing, and the third headed unerringly for a tie-break with the Serb failing to convert the two break points that came his way.

In the tie-breaker, Federer, who had begun with a booming ace, handed the first mini-break to his opponent by rushing to the net following a poor shot and finding himself easily passed; he eventually lost 7-4.

It was in the fourth set that the match took on its element of drama, with Djokovic establishing a 5-2 lead and the match seeming well nigh over.

Serving for the championship, Djokovic fluffed an easy shot to the open court after wrong-footing Federer.

From there it was downhill all the way as a resurgent and doubly aggressive Federer clawed his way back to take the next five games after staving off four breathtaking break points to win 7-5.

Medical timeout

Ordinarily, Djokovic, who has beaten Federer in their two previous five-set outings, would have been the favourite at the beginning of the fifth set, but there was a sense that the momentum had shifted.

Federer seemed calm and much lighter on his feet and Djokovic, who needed a medical timeout, seemed a little flustered at having to work so hard to put out his opponent.

But the Serb recouped wonderfully by the end of the fifth, discovering the fire and energy within just when he needed it to get ahead 5-4 and attack the Federer second serve to win his second championship and with it, regained his place as the World No 1.

Kvitova overpowers Bouchard to win 2nd Wimbledon title

Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic celebrates defeating Eugenie Bouchard of Canada in their women's singles final at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon

Petra Kvitova overwhelmed Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0 in less than an hour on Saturday to win Wimbledon for the second time.

The Czech left-hander completely outplayed the 20-year-old Canadian playing in her first major final with her big serve, aggressive returns and flat ground-strokes.

Kvitova, the 2011 champion, put on a clinic of power tennis, ripping baseline winners off both wings and leaving Bouchard looking helpless. Kvitova won the final seven games, finishing with another clean winner a cross-court backhand.

Bouchard was the first Canadian to reach a Grand Slam final.

Rafael Nadal won French Open for 9th time

Rafael Nadal will carry on as normal after making history with a ninth French Open title at the weekend, with the Spaniard set to make the abrupt switch from clay to grass as the Wimbledon countdown gains pace.

Nadal put his season right as he defeated Novak Djokovic in four sets in the final to end a four—match losing streak to the Serb and hang on to the world number one ranking.

The victory in three and a half hours was clearly emotional for Nadal, who held back his tears of joy.

But the steely Spaniard, who turned 28 last week, is already pointing his attention towards Wimbledon, which begins in a fortnight.

Nadal admitted that the Roland Garros effort used every reserve he had.

“Physically I felt I was totally empty, drained, exhausted,” said the king of clay. “I don’t know if could have played a five set match. I was not feeling well at all, physically speaking.

“But the motivation and also the hope that I could perhaps win this match, win the tournament, the appetite I had, well, these are the reasons why I managed to stick to it to the very end.” Djokovic was also feeling poorly, telling Serbian media that he had vomited several times in recent days.

Nadal’s ninth Paris honour puts his career total of grand slam singles crowns at 14, three less than the all—time best of 17 held by Roger Federer. But Nadal insists he’s not thinking of that particular record.

“He has 17 and I have 14, that’s true. But I’m not really worried. It’s not a source of motivation for me. I’ll follow my own path, then when my career is over, we’ll count.

“I don’t really care that much about the records. I’ll still play with a lot of intensity, I’ll still be motivated. Time will tell if I can have another record or not. For the time being, I’m so happy to have reached 14.” Nadal cannot help but be somewhat impressed by his career Paris record. “The fact that I won my ninth Roland Garros in a row is a very good thing. Mentally it really shows that I can play in a very consistent way for many months.

“It’s not just a one-week preparation. You have to work hard and practise for days and weeks and months. To me, winning is the result, the equivalent of lots of effort; therefore, I feel more serene and personally I’m very satisfied.” Nadal insists that he will got to the grass in Halle, Germany, to start his Wimbledon preparation at a tournament featuring Federer.

The Spaniard played there in 2005 and reached 2012 quarterfinal but cited exhaustion for a 2013 pullout.

“I want to try to play well again in Wimbledon. I’m healthy, that’s the most important thing, I feel. I hope my knee will have the positive feeling on grass, because I feel my knee better than last year on the other surfaces.”

Peng, Hsieh win French Open women's doubles

Top-seeded Peng Shuai of China and Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan won their second Grand Slam title together by defeating Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-4, 6-1 in the final of the French Open women’s doubles on Sunday.

Peng and Shuai also won the women’s doubles title at Wimbledon and the WTA Championships in 2013.

Peng became the first Chinese player to hold the top spot in the rankings.

The Italian team blew a 3-1 lead in the first set as Errani dropped serve three times.

Peng and Hsieh won six straight games in the second set and clinched the victory when Errani sent a forehand return wide.

Stanislas Wawrinka won Australian Open mens Single 2014

Stanislas Wawrinka held firm in a match of high drama to defeat an injured Rafa Nadal 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 and win his maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open on Sunday.

The eighth seed roared to a two-set lead after top seed Nadal struggled with an apparent back injury sustained early in the second set, but the Swiss was left stunned as his opponent suddenly revived in the third at Rod Laver Arena.

Though restricted in his movement, Nadal fought back into the match with a barrage of clean hitting, completely throwing the Swiss off his game who surrendered the third set in a hail of unforced errors.

Wawrinka captured a break in the fourth set, surrendered it with a terrible service game, but recovered again to earn a chance to serve for the match.

He stayed cool when it counted, serving strongly and sealing the win with an imperious forehand rocketing down the line.

A relieved Wawrinka raised his hands in the air in celebration and after shaking hands with a gloomy Nadal, went to console the Spaniard at his chair.

"First, Rafa, I'm really sorry for you, I hope your back is okay, you are a great friend and a great champion," Wawrinka said at the trophy ceremony.

"You did a remarkable comeback last year. For me it's the best grand slam ever.

"Right now I still don't know if I'm dreaming. I guess I'll find out in the morning."

The 2009 champion Nadal shed tears at the trophy ceremony, overcome by the emotion of a roller-coaster match.

"First thing I want to say, is thanks to Stan, we have a great relationship and you really deserve it today, so many congratulations and all the best.

"To all the crowd, it's been an emotional two weeks sorry to finish this way, I tried very, very hard.

"Last year was a tough when I wasn't able to play here, thanks for your support, see you next year."

The triumph capped a remarkable fortnight for Wawrinka who became the first man in 21 years to beat the top two seeds at a grand slam since Sergi Bruguera pulled off the feat at the French Open in 1993.

Five days after ending second seed Novak Djokovic's three-year reign at Melbourne Park, Wawrinka denied a distraught Nadal from becoming only the third man to have won all four majors at least twice.

BREAKING JINX

Though Nadal's injury clearly affected his game, Wawrinka had been well on top of their match early on and surged 3-1 clear in the first set after an early break.

Without a hint of nerves, Wawrinka blasted two aces before holding to lead 4-1, leaving the centre court crowd stunned.

Wawrinka stumbled when serving for the set to fall behind 0-40 but saved them all, as Nadal's returning went awry, and took the set with a crosscourt ace.

In all his previous 12 meetings against Nadal, Wawrinka had never won a set. Breaking that jinx propelled him on.

He broke Nadal in the first game of the second to march to a 2-0 lead before the Spaniard suddenly doubled over in pain.

He grimaced after a first serve and immediately signalled for a trainer and winced again after belting a forehand into the net from the baseline.

Nadal successfully held serve to trail 2-1 but quickly left the court for a medical time out, leaving Wawrinka to argue with the chair umpire about the lack of disclosure over the injury.

Nadal re-emerged after six minutes amid some jeers from the Rod Laver Arena crowd but his movement was clearly restricted and he was unable to generate any pace on his serve.

Wawrinka simply went about his business, marching to a 4-1 lead as Nadal double-faulted repeatedly and struggled to reach wide balls.

Nadal had more treatment on his back from a physio at the change of ends, then underlined his fighting spirit by holding serve to trail 5-2, but Wawrinka went on to serve out the set with an ace.

Whether it was painkillers or just pure grit, Nadal showed signs of a revival in the third set as he saved two break points before holding serve with a barrage of sweetly-struck forehands.

A searing forehand winner down the line gave Nadal two break points and astonishingly, the Spaniard broke a flat-footed Wawrinka when the Swiss bunted a bloodless forehand into the net.

As Nadal rallied, his eighth-seeded opponent sunk, spraying shots all over the court with his concentration clearly affected by the sudden momentum switch.

Still restricted in his movements, Nadal began gunning for the lines and his stand-and-deliver approach saw him march to a 5-2 lead.

With Nadal serving for the set at 5-3, Wawrinka had a chance to break back but was unable to flush the tension out and conceded the set when he smashed a forehand into the net.

As Nadal battled with his body, Wawrinka continued to battle with his mind as he broke Nadal in the final set and then gave it straight back.

Amid the doubts, the Swiss's serve never quite deserted him and it carried him to match point before his forehand sealed it to raise thunderous cheers from the terraces.

Li Na after her maiden Australian Open title 2014

Finally I got her, last two matches vs Cibulkova were very close. Thanks to my team, my physio, who is doing a very good job. Thanks to my husband for leaving everything for me. My husband is very lucky.... to have me. He does all the odd jobs like even fixing my racquet.

# Li Na wins her second Grand Slam title and maiden Australian Open after a 7-6 6-0 win over 20th seed Dominika Cibulkova.

# World No.4 taking full control here with a second break of serve against Cibulkova. Li leads the match 7-6 4-0.

Nadel Won US Open Grand Slam

The Spaniard lifted his tenth title of the season with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 defeat of Novak Djokovic to win a second US Open title on Monday.
Rafael Nadal mounted a serious threat for year-end world number one status after the Spaniard lifted his tenth title of the season with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 defeat of Novak Djokovic to win a second US Open title on Monday.

The 2010 champion in New York, who only began his 2013 season in February after seven months of knee injury absence, claimed the 13th title of his career at a grand slam, moving to within four of all-time leader Roger Federer.

Spain’s emotional Nadal dropped to his knees and rolled on the cement of the Ashe stadium like it was his favourite clay after securing victory in just under three-and-a-half hours against his world number one Serbian rival.

“This is a very very emotional day for me,” said the teary-eyed winner. “My team knows how much this means for me today.

“Playing Novak always brings a very special feeling; no one brings my game to the limit like he does.

“He’s an amazing player and is having an amazing career. I’m sure he will finish as one of the best in the history of tennis.” Nadal has now won 10 titles this season, going unbeaten in 22 consecutive hard-court matches in 2013. The 26-year-old stands a solid 60-3 as the season of his life moved into the autumn phase.

Nadal won the opening set, dropped the second but came back to win the last two — the fourth lasted only 40 minutes against a fading Djokovic — to add the trophy to on her lifted at the event in 2010.

The Spaniard finished with 27 winners and just 20 unforced errors while Djokovic committed 53 mistakes, converting on just three of 11 break chances. Nadal broke seven times from his dozen opportunities, including twice in the fourth set.

Djokovic sent a forehand wide with most of the court available to him to yield two Nadal match points, with the Spaniard claiming the victory on his first from the Serb’s forehand into the net.

Djokovic, who won the January Australian Open, played finals in three of the four grand slams this season, He fell to 22—15 against Nadal, who has won six of their last seven matches dating to January, 2012.

“It’s disappointing to lose a match like this,” said Djokovic.

“But it’s a huge privilege to be fighting for this trophy, one of the most valuable in our sport.

“Congratulations to Rafa, he was too good and deserved to win this match and this trophy.” Nadal was playing a final for the 12th time in his last 13 tournaments in 2013. He came to the title match having been broken only been broken once and lifted the trophy with the loss of just two sets over the fortnight. He now owns 60 career titles.

Djokovic was the first player to reach four straight New York finals since Roger Federer advanced to six straight from 2004-09 (winning five). Djokovic was playing his 12th Grand Slam final and stands 6-6 in that category. The loss was his eighth of the season.

Serena Williams beats Victoria Azarenka for 5th US Open title

Top-seeded Serena Williams won her fifth U.S. Open championship and 17th Grand Slam title overall by beating No. 2 Victoria Azarenka 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-1 in a windy final.

Sunday's match was the toughest test these two weeks for the No. 1-seeded Williams, who also beat Azarenka in three sets in last year's final.

Williams hadn't lost a set in her previous six matches but was bothered by the swirling air and Azarenka's strong play. Seemingly in control in the second set, Williams was broken while serving for the match at 5-4 and 6-5.

After Azarenka took the tiebreaker, Williams chucked her racket, and it bounced onto the court.

Paes-Stepanek win US Open men’s doubles title

Leander Paes won his eighth men’s doubles Grand Slam title, and 14th overall, as he combined with Radek Stepanek to clinch US Open trophy with a dominating victory over Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares in the title clash, in New York on Sunday.

The fourth seeded Indo-Czech pair demolished the second seeded Austria-Brazilian pair 6-1 in 6-3 in one hour and 12 minutes at Arthur Ashe stadium.

It was a perfect climax for Paes and Stepanek, who came into the US Open with title in Winston Salem Open, as they won their second major title together, having won Australian Open last year.

It was third US Open title for 40-year-old Paes and the previous two had also come with Czech partners. In 2006, the Indian won with Martin Damm and in 2009 with Lukas Dlouhy.

Last year at the US Open, Paes had ended runner-up with Stepanek, losing to Bryan brothers.

Now Paes has 14 major titles in his cupboard, including six mixed doubles trophies. Stepanek has two Grand Slam titles, both with Paes.

It was one of the most lop-sided US Open title match as Peya and Soares failed to put up a fight. They had no clue whatsoever on how to counter the rampaging Indo-Czech combine.

Peya also required a medical timeout for a back problem in the second set while trailing 1-3. Peya was in pain but did not give up and even went on to hold his serve in that game.

Paes hit a forehand winner to earn the championship point and then hit a backhand volley to seal the trophy win.

Paes and Stepanek 23 winners to eight of their rivals.

They won 66 points while Peya and Soares 40.

Paes acknowledged Stepanek’s resilience as he came back well from a back surgery early this year.
“Find someone from Czech republic that’s my advise to anyone who is looking for a doubles partner. They are hard working guys. I have to thank him. He had lot of adversities this season, coming out of injury and surgery it’s amazing to stand here. I have to thank him,” Paes said.

“It is no shame to lose to these guys,” said Peya.

Peya and Soares struggled to hold serve and too many unforced errors only made the job tough for them.
In contrast, whatever Paes and Stepanek did, yielded them desired result. Yet again Stepanek’s serve and Paes’ net play was superb.

Peya and Soares had two break chances — in the first and fifth games in the opening set — but could convert none.

The back problem to Peya in the second set reduced the match to a formality as the second seeds could not have challenged their in-form rivals with an injury handicap.

At the start, Peya hit a crushing forehand winner to earn a breakpoint in the very first game but Stepanek served well to hold and what followed was complete annihilation of pair.

Paes and Stepanek raced to a 5-0 lead as they broke both Peya and Soares comfortably.

Soares held game number six to save themselves blushes as Paes served out the set in the next game.

Andy Murray won Wimbledon

Rewrites Wimbledon history by bringing the men’s crown back to Britain after 77 years

Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic to become the man to bring the Wimbledon singles crown back to Britain after a gap of 77 years.

Murray won in three sets 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 against a Djokovic who struggled to be on top of his game.

The first game of the match, in which Djokovic went down 0-40 before managing to reel off the next five points, were a presage of the difficulties that the Serb would have with his serve.

This is something no one could have predicted. The serve that stood solidly by him all fortnight was a major reason for his not having dropped a set before reaching the semifinals.

Moreover, this is an improved weapon, honed with small but significant changes in technique — for instance, a higher elbow on the toss and a greater knee bend — that have contributed to greater power and accuracy.

But on Sunday, Djokovic’s serve cracked, the first time to give Murray a 2-1 lead in the first set. An immediate break back by the Serb only found him dropping his serve once again to give Murray a 4-3 advantage.

It was a lead he hung on to, ending the game emphatically, with three great serves, one of them an ace.

The first set, which lasted an engrossing 59 minutes, seemed a closely fought one on the face of it. But the statistics showed that the Scotsman was ahead on almost every count, making more aces and winners.

It was the head-to-head comparison on serve that told the story — Djokovic was winning a mere 54 per cent of the points on his first serve against Murray’s 84 per cent. As for unforced errors, Djokovic had committed 17 against Murray’s six.

It was Djokovic who drew first blood in the second set by breaking Murray to go up 3-1 and then hold his serve. But the match changed course from there, with Murray working himself back into the game to level 4-4 and then breaking a seemingly edgy Djokovic to go up 6-5.

Losing his cool

Having exhausted his challenges, Djokovic lost his cool and screamed at the umpire after a ball that Murray hit was called in. It was the Serb — who thought it was out — who was wrong and Hawk-Eye showed the ball had clipped the baseline.

With the break in the bag, Murray sealed the set with an emphatic game, going up 40-0 and then serving it out with a deafening ace. The beginning of the third set suggested that Murray was almost home and dry when he went up 2-0.

But Djokovic, who was 0-30 down on his serve, suddenly seemed to gather himself. Holding his serve, he broke Murray to go up 4-2, playing as confidently as he has done for most of the last fortnight.

But another wild swing in momentum changed the course of the match with Murray breaking and surging ahead. The Briton, thanks to a mix of great serving, and Djokovic’s relapse into making uncharacteristic mistakes, was poised to serve for the match.

Up 40-0, the match seemed well but over, but in an exciting twist, Djokovic came back from the dead, saving three straight championship points. However, Murray hung in to finish the game even as it threatened to slip away from him.

Bryan won on Wimbledon Doubles

Bob and Mike Bryan became the first doubles team to hold all four Grand Slam titles in the Open era when they won Wimbledon for the third time on Saturday.

The top seeds beat Croatia’s Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo of Brazil 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

The brothers, taking part in their 25th Grand Slam final, had also won the Olympics in 2012.

They now have 15 men’s doubles titles at the Grand Slams, and extended their winning streak to 24 matches.

Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman are the only pair to have completed the calendar Grand Slam back in the pre-Open era of 1951.

Bouncing back

The top-seeded twins lost the first five games of the match but fought back strongly to outclass Dodig and Melo, and extend their Grand Slam record number of titles to 15.

The 35-year-old Bryans, who also won the Olympic gold medal last year, got the measure of their 12th-seeded opponents through the telepathic understanding which has brought them 91 career doubles titles.

They made the decisive break in the ninth game of the fourth set, and Bob Bryan served it out for victory which he sealed with an ace, prompting a trademark chest-pump by the brothers.

If they win the U.S. Open, they’ll join McGregor and Sedgman as the second men’s team to complete a calendar Grand Slam. The Aussie duo did it in 1951, 17 years before the Open era began.

Bartoli won her 1st Grand Slam champions in Wimbledon

A damp squib of a match flickered briefly to life, showed promise of growing into a roaring and incandescent fire, before being summarily, almost cruelly, doused out.

Sabine Lisicki, favourite with bookmakers and experts alike ahead of the final, was confronted with two opponents on Centre Court on a warm and sunny Saturday — Marion Bartoli and her own nerves.

It was difficult to say which the bigger threat was at times in what was a strange women’s final in what has been possibly the weirdest Wimbledon in a long time.

Nervy start

The first game, which saw Bartoli’s serve broken, thanks to a couple of wonderful shots by Lisicki, and a couple of double faults, revealed nothing about what was in store.

From then on, it was the French player all the way, as she reeled off the next six games to 6-1, as a despairing Lisicki struggled to cope with the pressure of the big occasion and by Bartoli’s searing returns, particularly off the backhand side.

Unable to find her rhythm and trying to hit her way back into the game, Lisicki ended up making more and more errors, frequently overcooking the forehand that she had used to lethal effect to defeat the likes of Serena Williams and Agneiszka Radwanska.

The second set began with Lisicki flattering to deceive, holding serve with imperious ease. In the next game, she earned four break points but missed out on converting any of them.

Then it was Bartoli’s turn to pile on the pressure as Lisicki found her serve, particularly the second, going to pieces.

The mis-hits and the unforced errors kept coming as the increasingly despairing German seemed to almost be pleading with herself to stop going down the path of self-destruction.

Serve fails

Lisicki’s serve, her most potent weapon, suffered the most from her lack of self-belief. At 103 mph, her average first serve speed — and she is one of the biggest servers in the women’s game — was not much more than Bartoli’s. Her second serve speed was astonishingly slow; no wonder Bartoli stepped in to cream winners off them.

Overall, Lisicki was able to win only 52 per cent of her first serve points against Bartoli’s 79 per cent. The German also made many more unforced errors — 25 to Bartoli’s 14.

At the other end, the ball was coming off Bartoli’s racquet with that tidy thwack that comes from being hit dead centre.

A 5-1, with Lisicki two break-points down, it seemed all over bar the prize-giving and curtseying. The saving of those two break-points only led to a third, but Lisicki dug herself out of the hole with a couple of fine serves, including an ace.

Brief show of defiance

The free-stroking German then showed us — but only ever so briefly — why she has the ability to beat the best in the game.

Breaking Bartoli, who may have had a small touch of nerves herself, she proceeded to play like the Lisicki the audience has known over the last fortnight by sealing her service game with a couple of brilliant shots — the first a backhand down the line, and then one of those searing forehands.

It was impossible not to wonder at this juncture if this could be the beginning of another astonishing comeback.

If this was the beginning of the comeback by a player who can be very, very good when she is good — and, frankly, pretty awful when she is bad — then she had left it much too late.

Bartoli had neither nerves nor sympathy when serving again for the championship, taking game, set and match with an ace.

In the end it was not Bartoli’s unwavering consistency that got the better of Lisicki’s whimsical genius.

The Clay King Rafael Nada won French Open for 8th time

Coasts to a straight-set victory over compatriot David Ferrer in the French Open summit clash

Rafael Nadal made history as he beat Spanish compatriot David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 on Sunday to win a record eighth French Open title, in a final marred by anti-gay marriage protests in the stands and by an intruder with a flare on the court.

The world number four — who will drop to fifth in the ATP rankings despite his title — becomes the first man in tennis history to win eight singles titles at the same grand slam in the Open era which started in 1967.

He fell to his back on the wet clay after sending over a baseline winner of first match point after two and quarter hours.

A shirtless man wearing a Phantom of the Opera-style white mask, believed to be part of the anti-gay marriage group, jumped out of the courtside seats with a lit flare and managed to rush onto the Nadal side of the court before being body-slammed by security and hauled off through the players’ entrance.

The incident briefly rattled Nadal, who double-faulted for a break point and dropped the game to lead 6-3, 5-2. But it was then Ferrer’s turn to blink, with the challenger producing back-to-back double faults to hand over three set points to Nadal.

One was enough as Ferrer returned wide to go down two sets to love, and then double-faulted to give Nadal a deciding 5-3 lead in the third.

Nadal came to the court against the compatriot whom he has now beaten in 20 of 24 matches as the only player at Roland Garros with seven trophies alongside Chris Evert.

The match played in heavy conditions with the treat of rain was not conducive to sun-loving Nadal, but the Spaniard got on with the job.

The contest was the first all-Spanish final in Paris since Albert Costa beat Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2002.

Nadal leads the ATP with 43 victories this season, winning a pacesetting 38 on his favoured clay. The Spaniard has won 59 of his 60 career matches at Roland Garros, with his only loss coming in the 2009 fourth round to Robin Soderling.

He now owns a dozen Grand Slam titles, five less than all-time leader Roger Federer.

Serena Williams won a second French Open title on Saturday 11 years

Serena Williams won a second French Open title on Saturday 11 years after her first with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Maria Sharapova.

The world number one landed a concluding ace after one and three-quarter hours to win her 16th major crown.

Williams becomes the oldest women’s champion at Roland Garros after beating Sharapova.

“It was a very difficult match today, I was nervous well,” said Williams. “To win is incredible. I’ll be back next year for sure.” “After 11 years it’s incredible to win it again, I’m so excited.”

The final was the first for women between the first and second seeds since 2004 when number one Justine Henin beat Kim Clijsters.

“I’ve played great tournament but I ran into a really good champion today,” said Sharapova. “She’s been playing so well the last two years.

“This court has brought me lots of nice memories. It was nice to be back on this stage, even if I wished I could have won it again.” The match continued a trend of two-set women’s finals. The last time they went three was in 2001 when Jennifer Capriati beat Clijsters.

THE RESULTS

Women: Final: 1-Serena Williams bt 2- Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-4.