Britain&#39;s Andy Murray advanced to the men&#39;s Olympic final with a straight sets victory over Japan&#39;s Kei Nishikori today, securing a chance to defend his title and become the first player to win back-to-back singles golds at the Games. 
 
In a commanding performance, the Wimbledon champion and number two ranked player broke Nishikori&#39;s serve early on, breezing through the first set 6-1. After another service break early in the second set, Murray closed out the match 6-1 6-4. 
 
Though Nishikori&#39;s speed allowed him to punch back against Murray&#39;s blazing ground strokes, the Japanese player was plagued by too many unforced errors and could not break Murray&#39;s serve. 
 
In Sunday&#39;s gold medal match, the 29-year-old Briton will face either Spain&#39;s Rafa Nadal or Argentina&#39;s Juan Martin del Potro, who play later on Saturday. 
 
Murray won gold at the 2012 London Games where he defeated Switzerland&#39;s Roger Federer in the final. 
 
But the Briton will have his work cut out for him on Sunday. Del Potro, the bronze medallist in London, has drawn energy from boisterous crowds of fans from neighbouring Argentina at the Games. He pulled off an upset by defeating world number one Novak Djokovic in the first round in Rio. 
 
Nadal, who has been beset by a wrist injury, also appears to have returned to form. He claimed a gold medal for Spain in men&#39;s doubles with partner Marc Lopez on Friday. 
 
If Nadal makes the final he will have a chance to become the first player since 1924 to win a gold medal in both men&#39;s singles and doubles at a Games. 
 
(Reuters)

In tomorrow's gold medal match, the 29-year-old Briton will face either Spain's Rafa Nadal or Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro

Britain's Andy Murray advanced to the men's Olympic final with a straight sets victory over Japan's Kei Nishikori today, securing a chance to defend his title and become the first player to win back-to-back singles golds at the Games. In a commanding performance, the Wimbledon champion and number two ranked player broke Nishikori's serve early on, breezing through the first set 6-1. After another service break early in the second set, Murray closed out the match 6-1 6-4. Though Nishikori's speed allowed him to punch back against Murray's blazing ground strokes, the Japanese player was plagued by too many unforced errors and could not break Murray's serve. In Sunday's gold medal match, the 29-year-old Briton will face either Spain's Rafa Nadal or Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro, who play later on Saturday. Murray won gold at the 2012 London Games where he defeated Switzerland's Roger Federer in the final. But the Briton will have his work cut out for him on Sunday. Del Potro, the bronze medallist in London, has drawn energy from boisterous crowds of fans from neighbouring Argentina at the Games. He pulled off an upset by defeating world number one Novak Djokovic in the first round in Rio. Nadal, who has been beset by a wrist injury, also appears to have returned to form. He claimed a gold medal for Spain in men's doubles with partner Marc Lopez on Friday. If Nadal makes the final he will have a chance to become the first player since 1924 to win a gold medal in both men's singles and doubles at a Games. (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: Murray advances to final to defend London gold

Five-times grand slam champion Maria Sharapova has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) seeking to have her two-year doping ban dismissed or reduced.&nbsp; 
 
The 29-year-old Russian was banned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) earlier this month following a positive test for the banned drug meldonium during January&#39;s Australian Open. 
 
&quot;In her appeal to the CAS, Ms Sharapova seeks the annulment of the Tribunal&rsquo;s decision to sanction her with a two-year period of ineligibility further to an anti-doping rule violation,&quot; sport&#39;s highest tribunal said in a statement. &quot;Ms Sharapova submits that the period of ineligibility should be eliminated, or in the alternative, reduced.&quot; 
 
The statement added that her case had been expedited and a ruling would be made by July 18 at the latest, which means Sharapova still harbours hopes of competing at the Rio Olympics in August provided her ban is reduced to time already served. 
 
The former world number one was named in Russia&#39;s official entry list for the Olympics. 
 
Sharapova had called the ITF&#39;s ruling &quot;unfairly harsh&quot; as an independent tribunal had found that she had not intentionally violated anti-doping rules. 
 
Meldonium was added to WADA&#39;s list of banned substances at the start of the year after mounting evidence that it boosted blood flow and enhanced athletic performance. 
 
The World Anti-Doping Agency said in a statement on Tuesday that it reviewed the tribunal&#39;s decision and confirmed it would not be using its independent right to appeal to CAS. 
 
Since January, about 180 athletes have tested positive for the drug, which is manufactured in Latvia and common throughout eastern Europe. 
 
Sharapova stunned the sporting world in March when she announced that she had tested positive for meldonium, a component of a product named Mildronate which she has taken since 2006 for health issues. 
(Reuters)

"Unfairly harsh" ruling contested, as independent tribunal says drug was taken accidentally

Five-times grand slam champion Maria Sharapova has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) seeking to have her two-year doping ban dismissed or reduced. The 29-year-old Russian was banned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) earlier this month following a positive test for the banned drug meldonium during January's Australian Open. "In her appeal to the CAS, Ms Sharapova seeks the annulment of the Tribunal’s decision to sanction her with a two-year period of ineligibility further to an anti-doping rule violation," sport's highest tribunal said in a statement. "Ms Sharapova submits that the period of ineligibility should be eliminated, or in the alternative, reduced." The statement added that her case had been expedited and a ruling would be made by July 18 at the latest, which means Sharapova still harbours hopes of competing at the Rio Olympics in August provided her ban is reduced to time already served. The former world number one was named in Russia's official entry list for the Olympics. Sharapova had called the ITF's ruling "unfairly harsh" as an independent tribunal had found that she had not intentionally violated anti-doping rules. Meldonium was added to WADA's list of banned substances at the start of the year after mounting evidence that it boosted blood flow and enhanced athletic performance. The World Anti-Doping Agency said in a statement on Tuesday that it reviewed the tribunal's decision and confirmed it would not be using its independent right to appeal to CAS. Since January, about 180 athletes have tested positive for the drug, which is manufactured in Latvia and common throughout eastern Europe. Sharapova stunned the sporting world in March when she announced that she had tested positive for meldonium, a component of a product named Mildronate which she has taken since 2006 for health issues. (Reuters)

Sharapova appeals her two-year doping ban in quest to be eligible for the Rio Olympics

World number eight Tomas Berdych today pulled out of the Olympics due to concerns over the Zika virus, just a day after fellow top ten stars Milos Raonic and Simona Halep also withdrew over similar health concerns. 
 
&quot;I am very sorry to announce that I will not take part in this year&#39;s Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,&quot; Berdych, the 30-year-old Wimbledon semi-finalist, said on Twitter. 
 
&quot;It is because of the Zika virus spread in the country of the Olympics.&quot; 
 
&quot;As I have founded a family recently, to limit health risks towards my nearest is the utmost priority.&quot; 
 
Berdych, who married model Ester Satorova last year, had also pulled out of the Czech Republic&#39;s Davis Cup tie with France, in which the Czechs are trailing 2-1 after today&#39;s rubbers. 
 
Berdych follows a host of other tennis stars who are skipping Rio over the Zika scare. 
 
On Friday, Wimbledon runner-up and world number seven Raonic, as well as Romania`s world number five Simona Halep, the 2014 French Open runner-up, said they would not make the trip to Rio. 
 
Canadian star Raonic, who was defeated by Andy Murray in Sunday&#39;s Wimbledon final, said he had taken the decision &quot;with a heavy heart&quot;. 
 
John Isner of the United States, Austria&#39;s Dominic Thiem, Australian duo Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios as well as Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez have all opted, for various reasons, not to take part in the Olympics. 
 
Italy&#39;s former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone has turned down the opportunity while former world number ones Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka will also be missing. 
 
Sharapova is serving a doping suspension while Azarenka announced Friday that she is pregnant and won&#39;t compete again in 2016. 
Eccentric Latvian player Ernests Gulbis described the Rio event as &quot;tennis tourism&quot; as the Olympics do not offer either prize money or ranking points. 
 
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) moved today to reassure players and fans over the threat posed by Zika at the Olympics which start on August 5. 
 
&quot;While we understand and respect the concerns over the Zika virus, the IOC has assured us that all precautions will be taken to limit the risk to athletes, officials and fans,&quot; ITF president David Haggerty told AFP in a statement. 
 
&quot;We also accept the view of the World Health Organisation that there is no reason at this time to postpone or cancel the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.&quot; 
 
Fears over Zika have already seen the image of the golf event in Rio badly tarnished with the sport`s top four players -- Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson -- all choosing not to play. 
 
(AFP)

He pulled out a day after fellow top ten stars Milos Raonic and Simona Halep also withdrew over similar health concerns

World number eight Tomas Berdych today pulled out of the Olympics due to concerns over the Zika virus, just a day after fellow top ten stars Milos Raonic and Simona Halep also withdrew over similar health concerns. "I am very sorry to announce that I will not take part in this year's Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro," Berdych, the 30-year-old Wimbledon semi-finalist, said on Twitter. "It is because of the Zika virus spread in the country of the Olympics." "As I have founded a family recently, to limit health risks towards my nearest is the utmost priority." Berdych, who married model Ester Satorova last year, had also pulled out of the Czech Republic's Davis Cup tie with France, in which the Czechs are trailing 2-1 after today's rubbers. Berdych follows a host of other tennis stars who are skipping Rio over the Zika scare. On Friday, Wimbledon runner-up and world number seven Raonic, as well as Romania`s world number five Simona Halep, the 2014 French Open runner-up, said they would not make the trip to Rio. Canadian star Raonic, who was defeated by Andy Murray in Sunday's Wimbledon final, said he had taken the decision "with a heavy heart". John Isner of the United States, Austria's Dominic Thiem, Australian duo Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios as well as Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez have all opted, for various reasons, not to take part in the Olympics. Italy's former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone has turned down the opportunity while former world number ones Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka will also be missing. Sharapova is serving a doping suspension while Azarenka announced Friday that she is pregnant and won't compete again in 2016. Eccentric Latvian player Ernests Gulbis described the Rio event as "tennis tourism" as the Olympics do not offer either prize money or ranking points. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) moved today to reassure players and fans over the threat posed by Zika at the Olympics which start on August 5. "While we understand and respect the concerns over the Zika virus, the IOC has assured us that all precautions will be taken to limit the risk to athletes, officials and fans," ITF president David Haggerty told AFP in a statement. "We also accept the view of the World Health Organisation that there is no reason at this time to postpone or cancel the Rio 2016 Olympic Games." Fears over Zika have already seen the image of the golf event in Rio badly tarnished with the sport`s top four players -- Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson -- all choosing not to play. (AFP)

Tennis: Berdych pulls-out over Zika

Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonicm and women&#39;s world number five Simona Halep of Romania, have pulled out from next month&#39;s Rio Olympics due to fears over the Zika virus. 
 
They, along with twice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who is pregnant, will not be making the trip to Rio even though they were included in the final list of participants issued by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) on Friday. 
 
The big-serving Raonic, who lost to Andy Murray in the men&#39;s championship match at the All England Club on Sunday, was the first tennis player to pull out of the Aug 5-21 Olympics due to concerns over the mosquito-borne Zika virus. 
 
&quot;It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing my withdrawal from participation in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games,&quot; world number seven Raonic, 25, said in a statement issued by Tennis Canada. 
 
&quot;After much deliberation with my family and coaches, I am making this decision for a variety of health concerns including the uncertainty around the Zika virus.&quot; 
 
The Zika virus, which the World Health Organisation says is spreading rapidly in the Americas, has been linked to severe birth defects in infants born to infected women, and possible neurological problems in adults. 
 
Halep, who last month told Reuters she was &quot;very worried&quot; about the long-term effects of the Zika virus, consulted with many doctors before issuing her decision shortly after Raonic. 
 
&quot;I regret to announce that I have decided I will not compete in the Olympic Games. The reason for my decision is the concern regarding the danger posed by the Zika virus,&quot; Halep, a runner-up at the French Open in 2014, said on her Facebook page. 
 
&quot;After several talks with doctors and my family, I concluded that the risks are too high for my career and for my health, especially as a woman. Family is much too important for me and I can&rsquo;t risk not being able to have one of my own after my career in tennis is over.&nbsp;I know the Olympics are a very important event and I truly regret these circumstances. I hope the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee and all Romanians will respect my decision.&nbsp;I will continue to play, to proudly represent Romania in as many tournaments as possible.&quot; 
 
Raonic and Halep joined a growing list of athletes to have pulled out of the Rio Games over health concerns triggered by the outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil, including a number of high-profile male golfers. 
 
Belarussian Azarenka also robbed the Olympics of some star power as the world number six said earlier on Friday that she will miss the rest of the season because she is having a baby. 
 
Raonic, beaten in the second round of the 2012 London Games by Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, said he hopes his decision would not influence others. 
 
&quot;This was a difficult, personal choice and I do not wish for it to impact the decision of any other athlete heading to the Games,&quot; said Raonic. 
 
&quot;I am very proud to have competed for Canada at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, and on the world stage at several Davis Cup events. I look forward to cheering on Team Canada this summer.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Milos Raonic and Simona Halep joined a growing list of athletes to pull out of Rio Games due to health concerns

Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonicm and women's world number five Simona Halep of Romania, have pulled out from next month's Rio Olympics due to fears over the Zika virus. They, along with twice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who is pregnant, will not be making the trip to Rio even though they were included in the final list of participants issued by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) on Friday. The big-serving Raonic, who lost to Andy Murray in the men's championship match at the All England Club on Sunday, was the first tennis player to pull out of the Aug 5-21 Olympics due to concerns over the mosquito-borne Zika virus. "It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing my withdrawal from participation in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games," world number seven Raonic, 25, said in a statement issued by Tennis Canada. "After much deliberation with my family and coaches, I am making this decision for a variety of health concerns including the uncertainty around the Zika virus." The Zika virus, which the World Health Organisation says is spreading rapidly in the Americas, has been linked to severe birth defects in infants born to infected women, and possible neurological problems in adults. Halep, who last month told Reuters she was "very worried" about the long-term effects of the Zika virus, consulted with many doctors before issuing her decision shortly after Raonic. "I regret to announce that I have decided I will not compete in the Olympic Games. The reason for my decision is the concern regarding the danger posed by the Zika virus," Halep, a runner-up at the French Open in 2014, said on her Facebook page. "After several talks with doctors and my family, I concluded that the risks are too high for my career and for my health, especially as a woman. Family is much too important for me and I can’t risk not being able to have one of my own after my career in tennis is over. I know the Olympics are a very important event and I truly regret these circumstances. I hope the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee and all Romanians will respect my decision. I will continue to play, to proudly represent Romania in as many tournaments as possible." Raonic and Halep joined a growing list of athletes to have pulled out of the Rio Games over health concerns triggered by the outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil, including a number of high-profile male golfers. Belarussian Azarenka also robbed the Olympics of some star power as the world number six said earlier on Friday that she will miss the rest of the season because she is having a baby. Raonic, beaten in the second round of the 2012 London Games by Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, said he hopes his decision would not influence others. "This was a difficult, personal choice and I do not wish for it to impact the decision of any other athlete heading to the Games," said Raonic. "I am very proud to have competed for Canada at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, and on the world stage at several Davis Cup events. I look forward to cheering on Team Canada this summer." (Reuters)

Raonic and Halep withdraw from Rio Olympics over Zika

Adjusting quickly to the Olympic atmosphere and its unfamiliar environment will be key for Andy Murray as he bids to defend the title he won in London four years ago, the world number two has said. 
 
The Scot, who beat Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer en route to gold in 2012, is representing Britain in the men&#39;s singles in Rio and will also partner his brother Jamie in the men&#39;s doubles. 
 
&quot;Here it&#39;s totally different conditions, different venue, different country, so I&#39;ll try and treat it like any other tournament and prepare as best I can,&quot; he told reporters. 
 
&quot;I remember when I was in Beijing (in 2008), the whole atmosphere surrounding an Olympics is different because you&#39;re around loads of the best athletes in the world. 
 
&quot;It was just nice being surrounded by the best athletes from your country, seeing them coming back with medals, it feels a lot more like a team environment.&quot; 
 
Half of the men&#39;s top 10 will miss this month&#39;s Olympics. World number four Stan Wawrinka pulled out with an injury on Tuesday, joining his Switzerland team mate Federer in sitting out the Games. 
 
Other notable absentees include Canadian Milos Raonic and Czech Republic&#39;s Tomas Berdych, who withdrew citing concerns over the Zika virus, and Austrian Dominic Thiem, who has decided to focus on the ATP Tour. 
 
Murray, however, said the competition would still be fierce. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s still a pretty strong field, a lot of the top-20 players are here even if unfortunately there&#39;s a few of the top 10 missing,&quot; the 29-year-old added. 
 
The tennis competition at the Rio Games takes place from Aug. 6-14. 
 
(Reuters)

'Here it's totally different conditions, different venue, different country, so I'll try and treat it like any other tournament'

Adjusting quickly to the Olympic atmosphere and its unfamiliar environment will be key for Andy Murray as he bids to defend the title he won in London four years ago, the world number two has said. The Scot, who beat Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer en route to gold in 2012, is representing Britain in the men's singles in Rio and will also partner his brother Jamie in the men's doubles. "Here it's totally different conditions, different venue, different country, so I'll try and treat it like any other tournament and prepare as best I can," he told reporters. "I remember when I was in Beijing (in 2008), the whole atmosphere surrounding an Olympics is different because you're around loads of the best athletes in the world. "It was just nice being surrounded by the best athletes from your country, seeing them coming back with medals, it feels a lot more like a team environment." Half of the men's top 10 will miss this month's Olympics. World number four Stan Wawrinka pulled out with an injury on Tuesday, joining his Switzerland team mate Federer in sitting out the Games. Other notable absentees include Canadian Milos Raonic and Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych, who withdrew citing concerns over the Zika virus, and Austrian Dominic Thiem, who has decided to focus on the ATP Tour. Murray, however, said the competition would still be fierce. "It's still a pretty strong field, a lot of the top-20 players are here even if unfortunately there's a few of the top 10 missing," the 29-year-old added. The tennis competition at the Rio Games takes place from Aug. 6-14. (Reuters)

Rio 2016: Andy Murray bids to defend title he won in London four years ago

Former Olympic champion Venus Williams was eliminated in the first round at the Rio Games on Saturday after Belgian underdog Kirsten Flipkens mounted a spirited fight back to cause the biggest upset of the opening day. 
 
Another notable casualty on the first day of competition was former world Number 1 Ana Ivanovic, who surged ahead in the first set against world Number 12 Carla Suarez Navarro but lost 2-6 6-1 6-2 after two error-strewn sets. 
 
With US secretary of state John Kerry and gymnastics gold medal favourite Simone Biles looking on, seven-times grand slam winner Williams won the first set but became frustrated as the match wore on, losing 4-6 6-3 7-6(5) to the world number 62. 
 
Flipkens collapsed on to the court after winning the final set tie-breaker and the rowdy Brazilian crowd serenaded her with chants of &quot;ole, ole, ole&quot;. 
 
Flipkens later thanked the &quot;amazing&quot; Brazilian crowd for helping her pull off one of the biggest wins of her career. 
 
&quot;To beat Venus Williams on the centre court, one of the biggest champions in our history, that (gave me) goosebumps all over the place,&quot; she told reporters. 
 
The loss will not be the end of the competition for 2000 Sydney Games champion Williams, however, as the 36-year-old is bidding to win her fourth doubles gold medal with sister Serena. 
 
Former French Open winner Ivanovic rued letting her chances slip away. 
 
&quot;I had a chance to come back in the third set but every time I came close to pegging her back, I missed the opportunity,&quot; said the world Number 26. 
 
Ivanovic&#39;s match, like all the others on centre court, was played in a stadium that was more than half empty, something likely to disappoint organisers. 
 
But the size of crowds did not bother Japan&#39;s Kei Nishikori, who opened the men&#39;s singles tennis tournament on centre court by knocking out Spain&#39;s Albert Ramos-Vi?olas with ease, winning 6-2 6-4 in two sets. 
 
Some players said conditions were tricky due to soaring temperatures and a strong breeze drifting across from the ocean. 
 
&quot;Here it&rsquo;s very difficult to play because it&rsquo;s fairly open, there is constantly some kind of wind,&quot; said Croatia&#39;s Marin Cilic, who beat Bulgaria&#39;s Grigor Dimitrov 6-1 6-4. 
 
One player who thrived in the Rio sun was Australia&#39;s John Millman, who became the first Olympian to win a men&#39;s singles match without losing a game. 
 
Millman&#39;s &quot;double-bagel&quot; 6-0, 6-0 victory came against Lithuania&#39;s Ricardas Berankis. The Australian, who has battled back to fitness after several shoulder surgeries that threatened his career, took part in Friday&#39;s late-night opening ceremony, which many Olympians competing early on Saturday skipped. 
 
&quot;That was a really stirring moment for me. It&#39;s hard to explain the emotions I got walking into that stadium, and obviously that carried over to today,&quot; said the 27-year-old. 
 
(Reuters)

World number 62, the Belgian Kirsten Flipkens, mounted a spirited fightback and beat her 4-6 6-3 7-6(5)

Former Olympic champion Venus Williams was eliminated in the first round at the Rio Games on Saturday after Belgian underdog Kirsten Flipkens mounted a spirited fight back to cause the biggest upset of the opening day. Another notable casualty on the first day of competition was former world Number 1 Ana Ivanovic, who surged ahead in the first set against world Number 12 Carla Suarez Navarro but lost 2-6 6-1 6-2 after two error-strewn sets. With US secretary of state John Kerry and gymnastics gold medal favourite Simone Biles looking on, seven-times grand slam winner Williams won the first set but became frustrated as the match wore on, losing 4-6 6-3 7-6(5) to the world number 62. Flipkens collapsed on to the court after winning the final set tie-breaker and the rowdy Brazilian crowd serenaded her with chants of "ole, ole, ole". Flipkens later thanked the "amazing" Brazilian crowd for helping her pull off one of the biggest wins of her career. "To beat Venus Williams on the centre court, one of the biggest champions in our history, that (gave me) goosebumps all over the place," she told reporters. The loss will not be the end of the competition for 2000 Sydney Games champion Williams, however, as the 36-year-old is bidding to win her fourth doubles gold medal with sister Serena. Former French Open winner Ivanovic rued letting her chances slip away. "I had a chance to come back in the third set but every time I came close to pegging her back, I missed the opportunity," said the world Number 26. Ivanovic's match, like all the others on centre court, was played in a stadium that was more than half empty, something likely to disappoint organisers. But the size of crowds did not bother Japan's Kei Nishikori, who opened the men's singles tennis tournament on centre court by knocking out Spain's Albert Ramos-Vi?olas with ease, winning 6-2 6-4 in two sets. Some players said conditions were tricky due to soaring temperatures and a strong breeze drifting across from the ocean. "Here it’s very difficult to play because it’s fairly open, there is constantly some kind of wind," said Croatia's Marin Cilic, who beat Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 6-1 6-4. One player who thrived in the Rio sun was Australia's John Millman, who became the first Olympian to win a men's singles match without losing a game. Millman's "double-bagel" 6-0, 6-0 victory came against Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis. The Australian, who has battled back to fitness after several shoulder surgeries that threatened his career, took part in Friday's late-night opening ceremony, which many Olympians competing early on Saturday skipped. "That was a really stirring moment for me. It's hard to explain the emotions I got walking into that stadium, and obviously that carried over to today," said the 27-year-old. (Reuters)

Venus knocked out in Rio upset

Japan&#39;s Yoshihito Nishioka continued his remarkable run at the Atlanta Open, by stunning Horacio Zeballos 6-4, 6-4 to reach his maiden ATP Tour semi-final on Friday. 
 
Nishioka did not drop a serve as he posted his most dominant victory so far in a week that also saw him oust fourth seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov. 
 
The 20-year-old Nishioka advances to the semis where he will face second seeded Aussie Nick Kyrgios, who won a tight match against fifth seed Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-7 (7/5), 6-3. 
 
&quot;I`ve been working on my serve a lot. More percentage, more power,&quot; said Nishioka. 
 
&quot;And before I was very emotional, throwing racquets and getting frustrated. But I&#39;ve been more calm since Wimbledon. I think that&#39;s why I`m winning more now.&quot; 
 
Nishioka, who is ranked 97th in the world, opened the match by breaking Zeballos, and then maintained the lead throughout the remainder of the set. Nishioka lost just three points on serve in the opening set. 
 
The second set was identical to the first, with Nishioka breaking the Argentine in the opening game and only dropping three points on serve to clinch the match. 
 
Nishioka broke into the top 100 last month after winning the lower level ATP Challenger Tour event in Winnetka, Illinois. He also reached the quarter-finals of the Memphis Open five months ago. 
 
Kyrgios broke Verdasco to jump out to a 3-0 lead in the final set. He dropped just five points on his serve in the final set to win the match.&nbsp;With the victory, Kyrgios reaches his first semi-final since the Estoril Open in April. 
 
(AFP)

Nishioka served his most dominant victory so far in a week which led him to beat fourth seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov

Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka continued his remarkable run at the Atlanta Open, by stunning Horacio Zeballos 6-4, 6-4 to reach his maiden ATP Tour semi-final on Friday. Nishioka did not drop a serve as he posted his most dominant victory so far in a week that also saw him oust fourth seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov. The 20-year-old Nishioka advances to the semis where he will face second seeded Aussie Nick Kyrgios, who won a tight match against fifth seed Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-7 (7/5), 6-3. "I`ve been working on my serve a lot. More percentage, more power," said Nishioka. "And before I was very emotional, throwing racquets and getting frustrated. But I've been more calm since Wimbledon. I think that's why I`m winning more now." Nishioka, who is ranked 97th in the world, opened the match by breaking Zeballos, and then maintained the lead throughout the remainder of the set. Nishioka lost just three points on serve in the opening set. The second set was identical to the first, with Nishioka breaking the Argentine in the opening game and only dropping three points on serve to clinch the match. Nishioka broke into the top 100 last month after winning the lower level ATP Challenger Tour event in Winnetka, Illinois. He also reached the quarter-finals of the Memphis Open five months ago. Kyrgios broke Verdasco to jump out to a 3-0 lead in the final set. He dropped just five points on his serve in the final set to win the match. With the victory, Kyrgios reaches his first semi-final since the Estoril Open in April. (AFP)

Tennis: Japan's Nishioka advances to Atlanta Open semi-final

Novak Djokovic maintained his unbeaten record against Frenchman Gael Monfils with a 6-3 6-2 win in the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup in Toronto on Saturday, while Japan&#39;s Kei Nishikori also reached the final after beating Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka. 
 
World number one Djokovic, now 12-0 against Monfils, has the opportunity to become the tournament&#39;s first four-time winner when he meets Nishikori in today&#39;s final. 
 
Nishikori came from 2-5 down in the opening set to stun Wawrinka 7-6(6) 6-1 in the first semi-final at the Aviva Centre. 
 
Monfils came into the semi-finals having won nine straight matches, including the Citi Open title in Washington, DC last Sunday.&nbsp;Djokovic overcame a service break in the third game and was dialled in the rest of the way in the 74-minute match. 
 
The Serb evaluated his play as his best of the week.&nbsp;Djokovic is 9-2 against Nishikori, and has won their last eight meetings, including the hard-court final in Miami earlier this year. 
 
&quot;It is going to be a great match and I&#39;m hoping to have another great performance as I have tonight,&quot; Djokovic said in a courtside interview. 
 
Nishikori is seeking his first ATP Masters 1000 title after reaching the third final of his career in the elite events. 
 
Wawrinka, a two-times grand slam champion who has won 14 ATP World Tour titles, became increasingly dispirited as he lost 11 of the last 13 games after squandering four set points in that opening set. 
 
Nishikori, serving at 40-0, sealed victory on the first of his three match points when an overhead smash prompted an unforced error from his opponent, ending an encounter that lasted just under an hour-and-a-half. 
 
Results: 
 
1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat 10-Gael Monfils (France) 6-3 6-2 
 
3-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beat 2-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) 7-6(6) 6-1 
 
(Reuters)

Novak Djokovic can become the tournament's first ever four-time winner when he meets Nishikori in Sunday's final

Novak Djokovic maintained his unbeaten record against Frenchman Gael Monfils with a 6-3 6-2 win in the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup in Toronto on Saturday, while Japan's Kei Nishikori also reached the final after beating Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka. World number one Djokovic, now 12-0 against Monfils, has the opportunity to become the tournament's first four-time winner when he meets Nishikori in today's final. Nishikori came from 2-5 down in the opening set to stun Wawrinka 7-6(6) 6-1 in the first semi-final at the Aviva Centre. Monfils came into the semi-finals having won nine straight matches, including the Citi Open title in Washington, DC last Sunday. Djokovic overcame a service break in the third game and was dialled in the rest of the way in the 74-minute match. The Serb evaluated his play as his best of the week. Djokovic is 9-2 against Nishikori, and has won their last eight meetings, including the hard-court final in Miami earlier this year. "It is going to be a great match and I'm hoping to have another great performance as I have tonight," Djokovic said in a courtside interview. Nishikori is seeking his first ATP Masters 1000 title after reaching the third final of his career in the elite events. Wawrinka, a two-times grand slam champion who has won 14 ATP World Tour titles, became increasingly dispirited as he lost 11 of the last 13 games after squandering four set points in that opening set. Nishikori, serving at 40-0, sealed victory on the first of his three match points when an overhead smash prompted an unforced error from his opponent, ending an encounter that lasted just under an hour-and-a-half. Results: 1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat 10-Gael Monfils (France) 6-3 6-2 3-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beat 2-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) 7-6(6) 6-1 (Reuters)

Djokovic beats Monfils, heads to Rogers Cup final

Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka advanced into the semi-finals at the Rogers Cup with a comprehensive 6-1 6-3 victory over big-serving South African Kevin Anderson at the Aviva Centre in Toronto yesterday. 
 
Wawrinka raced into a 4-0 lead as he swept through the opening set in 30 minutes, and then overcame tougher resistance by Anderson in the second before wrapping up the win in one hour, 14 minutes. 
 
The 31-year-old from Lausanne, who hit 14 winners and lost only five of his first service points, will next face Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori, who battled past unseeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 3-6 6-2 in the last eight. 
 
&quot;I started really well from the first game,&quot; said Wawrinka, a two-times grand slam champion who is seeking his 15th ATP World Tour title. &quot;It showed me that I was ready, aggressive, moving really well. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s one of the best matches of the year I played, I think. I was calm. Serving really good. Mixing a lot. I was reading the game well, good in defence and found a way to come back and attack.&quot; 
 
Nishikori, who reached the final in Miami and the last four in both Madrid and Rome in ATP Masters 1000 events earlier this season, beat Dimitrov in a see-sawing encounter that lasted just over two hours. 
 
Later yesterday, top-seeded Serb Novak Djokovic was scheduled to meet Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych before local favourite Milos Raonic, the fourth seed, takes on Frenchman Gael Monfils. 
 
(Reuters)

Nishikori beat Dimitrov in a see-sawing encounter that lasted over two hours. Wawrinka will next face Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori

Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka advanced into the semi-finals at the Rogers Cup with a comprehensive 6-1 6-3 victory over big-serving South African Kevin Anderson at the Aviva Centre in Toronto yesterday. Wawrinka raced into a 4-0 lead as he swept through the opening set in 30 minutes, and then overcame tougher resistance by Anderson in the second before wrapping up the win in one hour, 14 minutes. The 31-year-old from Lausanne, who hit 14 winners and lost only five of his first service points, will next face Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori, who battled past unseeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 3-6 6-2 in the last eight. "I started really well from the first game," said Wawrinka, a two-times grand slam champion who is seeking his 15th ATP World Tour title. "It showed me that I was ready, aggressive, moving really well. "It's one of the best matches of the year I played, I think. I was calm. Serving really good. Mixing a lot. I was reading the game well, good in defence and found a way to come back and attack." Nishikori, who reached the final in Miami and the last four in both Madrid and Rome in ATP Masters 1000 events earlier this season, beat Dimitrov in a see-sawing encounter that lasted just over two hours. Later yesterday, top-seeded Serb Novak Djokovic was scheduled to meet Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych before local favourite Milos Raonic, the fourth seed, takes on Frenchman Gael Monfils. (Reuters)

Wawrinka, Nishikori reach semi-finals at Rogers Cup

Top seed Novak Djokovic breezed into the quarter-finals as the Rogers Cup continued pretty much according to script at the Aviva Centre on Thursday. 
 
Djokovic beat Czech qualifier Radek Stepanek 6-2 6-4 in a friendly encounter, during which both players repeatedly hammed it up for the crowd. 
 
Djokovic is the only member of the so-called &quot;big four&quot; competing in Toronto, with last year&#39;s champion Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal all absent from the $4.7 million event. 
 
In a tournament so far devoid of major upsets, the top five seeds advanced to the quarters, with Swiss Stan Wawrinka, Japanese Kei Nishikori, Canadian Milos Raonic and Czech Tomas Berdych booking last eight berths. 
 
Only Berdych needed three sets to progress and the fifth seed&#39;s reward is a showdown against Djokovic, who leads their head-to-head by a staggering 24-2 margin. 
 
Wawrinka won a hard-hitting battle with American Jack Sock, 7-6(3) 6-2. 
 
Next up for the two-time grand slam champion is unseeded South African Kevin Anderson, who rallied for a 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory over the 12th seeded Australian Bernard Tomic. 
 
Nishikori had little trouble getting by American Rajeev Ram, requiring just 68 minutes to register a convincing 6-3 6-4 win. 
 
&quot;The first set I played really good tennis. I had some tough times, but this score shows I was dominating a little bit,&quot; Nishikori, who next plays Bulgaria&#39;s Grigor Dimitrov, told reporters. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m still not 100 per cent yet, but feeling pretty strong. We&#39;ll have to see after a couple of more matches, but right now I feel good.&quot; 
 
A confident Gael Monfils extended his recent run of form with a 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 minor upset of Belgian seventh seed David Goffin to book his spot in the quarter-finals. 
 
The 10th-seeded Frenchman, who arrived in Toronto fresh off earning his first tournament win in two-and-a-half years, will play Raonic in the quarters, after the local favourite dusted off American qualifier Jared Donaldson 6-2 6-3. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m going for the shots,&quot; Wimbledon runner-up Raonic said. 
 
(Reuters)

Novak Djokovic is the only member of the so-called 'big four' who is competing in Toronto

Top seed Novak Djokovic breezed into the quarter-finals as the Rogers Cup continued pretty much according to script at the Aviva Centre on Thursday. Djokovic beat Czech qualifier Radek Stepanek 6-2 6-4 in a friendly encounter, during which both players repeatedly hammed it up for the crowd. Djokovic is the only member of the so-called "big four" competing in Toronto, with last year's champion Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal all absent from the $4.7 million event. In a tournament so far devoid of major upsets, the top five seeds advanced to the quarters, with Swiss Stan Wawrinka, Japanese Kei Nishikori, Canadian Milos Raonic and Czech Tomas Berdych booking last eight berths. Only Berdych needed three sets to progress and the fifth seed's reward is a showdown against Djokovic, who leads their head-to-head by a staggering 24-2 margin. Wawrinka won a hard-hitting battle with American Jack Sock, 7-6(3) 6-2. Next up for the two-time grand slam champion is unseeded South African Kevin Anderson, who rallied for a 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory over the 12th seeded Australian Bernard Tomic. Nishikori had little trouble getting by American Rajeev Ram, requiring just 68 minutes to register a convincing 6-3 6-4 win. "The first set I played really good tennis. I had some tough times, but this score shows I was dominating a little bit," Nishikori, who next plays Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov, told reporters. "I'm still not 100 per cent yet, but feeling pretty strong. We'll have to see after a couple of more matches, but right now I feel good." A confident Gael Monfils extended his recent run of form with a 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 minor upset of Belgian seventh seed David Goffin to book his spot in the quarter-finals. The 10th-seeded Frenchman, who arrived in Toronto fresh off earning his first tournament win in two-and-a-half years, will play Raonic in the quarters, after the local favourite dusted off American qualifier Jared Donaldson 6-2 6-3. "I'm going for the shots," Wimbledon runner-up Raonic said. (Reuters)

Djokovic domination continues, enters Toronto quarters

Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka won a hard-hitting battle with American Jack Sock on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals at the Rogers Cup with a 7-6(3) 6-2 triumph. 
 
Wawrinka and Sock held serve throughout the first set to force a tiebreak that was won easily by Wawrinka, who went on to dominate the second set where he charged out to a 4-0 lead, and dropped just five points on serve to take the match. 
 
Next up for the two-times grand slam champion is unseeded South African Kevin Anderson, who rallied to a 4-6 6-3 6-4 upset win over number 12 seed Bernard Tomic of Australia. 
 
Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori had little trouble getting by American Rajeev Ram, as he needed just 68 minutes to register a convincing 6-3 6-4 win. 
 
&quot;The first set I played really good tennis. I had some tough times, but this score shows I was dominating a little bit,&quot; said Nishikori.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;m still not 100 per cent yet, but feeling pretty strong. We&#39;ll have to see after a couple of more matches, but right now I feel good.&quot; 
 
A confident Gael Monfils extended his recent run of form with a 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 upset over Belgian seventh seed David Goffin to book his spot in the quarter-finals. 
 
The 10th-seeded Frenchman, who arrived in Toronto fresh off earning his first tournament win in two-and-a-half years, will play either Canadian fourth seed Milos Raonic or American qualifier Jared Donaldson in the last eight. 
 
(Reuters)

Stan Wawrinka prevailed over Jack Sock at the Rogers Cup with a 7-6(3), 6-2 triumph

Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka won a hard-hitting battle with American Jack Sock on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals at the Rogers Cup with a 7-6(3) 6-2 triumph. Wawrinka and Sock held serve throughout the first set to force a tiebreak that was won easily by Wawrinka, who went on to dominate the second set where he charged out to a 4-0 lead, and dropped just five points on serve to take the match. Next up for the two-times grand slam champion is unseeded South African Kevin Anderson, who rallied to a 4-6 6-3 6-4 upset win over number 12 seed Bernard Tomic of Australia. Japanese third seed Kei Nishikori had little trouble getting by American Rajeev Ram, as he needed just 68 minutes to register a convincing 6-3 6-4 win. "The first set I played really good tennis. I had some tough times, but this score shows I was dominating a little bit," said Nishikori. "I'm still not 100 per cent yet, but feeling pretty strong. We'll have to see after a couple of more matches, but right now I feel good." A confident Gael Monfils extended his recent run of form with a 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 upset over Belgian seventh seed David Goffin to book his spot in the quarter-finals. The 10th-seeded Frenchman, who arrived in Toronto fresh off earning his first tournament win in two-and-a-half years, will play either Canadian fourth seed Milos Raonic or American qualifier Jared Donaldson in the last eight. (Reuters)

Wawrinka advances to Toronto quarter-finals

Stan Wawrinka survived a thriller against Mikhail Youzhny in the second round of the Rogers Cup on Tuesday, fighting back in both sets to prevail 7-6(3) 7-6(8). 
 
The Swiss second seed trailed 5-4 in the first set and had to break Youzhny&#39;s serve to force a tiebreak. He then fell behind 3-0 in the second before launching a comeback that saw him fight through set point in a heated tiebreak and ultimately pull through to close out the match. 
 
Wawrinka, who had failed to advance past the second round in his last two tournaments, now has a third-round match up with American Donald Young. 
 
Earlier in the day, Gael Monfils, fresh off his tournament win in Washington, cruised by Portugal&#39;s Joao Sousa 6-3 6-3 to ease into the second round. 
 
The 10th seeded Frenchman won 50 percent of his return points against Sousa and hammered down eight aces to extend his win streak to six matches. &ldquo;I think I&#39;ve put in good work with my team. What I try to do is keep working with them and then see the results later,&rdquo; said Monfils, two days after his first tournament win in two-and-a-half years. 
 
&ldquo;I like to think when I&#39;m in my top game and with consistency, I can beat a lot of players at the top.&rdquo; 
 
Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych, playing his first match since losing in the Wimbledon semi-final to eventual champion Andy Murray, secured his spot in the third round with a 4-6 6-1 6-4 win over Croatia&#39;s Borna Coric. 
 
Top seed Djokovic, the only member of the &#39;Big Four&#39; in Toronto, will play his first singles match since Wimbledon when he takes on Luxembourg&rsquo;s Gilles Muller today. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Wawrinka, who had failed to advance past the second round in his last two tournaments, now has a third-round match up with Donald Young

Stan Wawrinka survived a thriller against Mikhail Youzhny in the second round of the Rogers Cup on Tuesday, fighting back in both sets to prevail 7-6(3) 7-6(8). The Swiss second seed trailed 5-4 in the first set and had to break Youzhny's serve to force a tiebreak. He then fell behind 3-0 in the second before launching a comeback that saw him fight through set point in a heated tiebreak and ultimately pull through to close out the match. Wawrinka, who had failed to advance past the second round in his last two tournaments, now has a third-round match up with American Donald Young. Earlier in the day, Gael Monfils, fresh off his tournament win in Washington, cruised by Portugal's Joao Sousa 6-3 6-3 to ease into the second round. The 10th seeded Frenchman won 50 percent of his return points against Sousa and hammered down eight aces to extend his win streak to six matches. “I think I've put in good work with my team. What I try to do is keep working with them and then see the results later,” said Monfils, two days after his first tournament win in two-and-a-half years. “I like to think when I'm in my top game and with consistency, I can beat a lot of players at the top.” Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych, playing his first match since losing in the Wimbledon semi-final to eventual champion Andy Murray, secured his spot in the third round with a 4-6 6-1 6-4 win over Croatia's Borna Coric. Top seed Djokovic, the only member of the 'Big Four' in Toronto, will play his first singles match since Wimbledon when he takes on Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller today. (Reuters)

Stan Wawrinka battles past Mikhail Youzhny in Rogers Cup

Former Grand Slam champions Petra Kvitova and Samantha Stosur were unfazed by opening-day weather delays, cruising into the second round of the WTA hardcourt tournament in Montreal on Monday. 
 
Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, seeded 12th, needed just 59 minutes to get past Poland&#39;s Magda Linette 6-1, 6-2. 
 
The Czech, who won her first North American hardcourt title in Montreal in 2012, didn&#39;t face a break point against the young Pole, who pushed former world number one Venus Williams to three sets in Stanford last week.&nbsp;Kvitova, playing her first tournament since Wimbledon, broke Linette twice in each set and finished her off with an ace. 
 
Former US Open champion Stosur, seeded 13th, had to work a little harder to dispatch Britain&#39;s Heather Watson 7-5, 6-3.&nbsp;After some first-set struggles, however, she broke Watson three times in the second to wrap up the win. 
 
&quot;To get through in straight sets, I&#39;m pretty happy,&quot; the Australian said. &quot;Overall I thought I served pretty well. There weren&#39;t a lot of points off my serve where she could dictate off the first shot.&quot; 
 
A string of rain delays stopped play for a total of four hours.&nbsp;Organisers eventually pushed the scheduled last match of the night, between Canadian Francoise Abanda and Chinese qualifier Zheng Saisai, to today. 
 
The only other seed in action, 17th-seeded Elina Svitolina, advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over American qualifier Jennifer Brady. 
 
The top eight seeds, now led by second-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany after the late injury withdrawal of world number one Serena Williams, have first round byes. 
 
Croatia&#39;s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni booked a second-round meeting with Wimbledon finalist Kerber, with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Japan&#39;s Nao Hibino. 
 
Britain&#39;s Naomi Broady beat Puerto Rico&#39;s Monica Puig 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to line up a clash with third-seeded French Open champion Garbine Muguruza who was installed at the top of the revised draw after Williams pulled out with inflammation in her shoulder. 
 
(AFP)

Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbeldon champion, won her first North American hardcourt title in Montreal back in 2012

Former Grand Slam champions Petra Kvitova and Samantha Stosur were unfazed by opening-day weather delays, cruising into the second round of the WTA hardcourt tournament in Montreal on Monday. Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, seeded 12th, needed just 59 minutes to get past Poland's Magda Linette 6-1, 6-2. The Czech, who won her first North American hardcourt title in Montreal in 2012, didn't face a break point against the young Pole, who pushed former world number one Venus Williams to three sets in Stanford last week. Kvitova, playing her first tournament since Wimbledon, broke Linette twice in each set and finished her off with an ace. Former US Open champion Stosur, seeded 13th, had to work a little harder to dispatch Britain's Heather Watson 7-5, 6-3. After some first-set struggles, however, she broke Watson three times in the second to wrap up the win. "To get through in straight sets, I'm pretty happy," the Australian said. "Overall I thought I served pretty well. There weren't a lot of points off my serve where she could dictate off the first shot." A string of rain delays stopped play for a total of four hours. Organisers eventually pushed the scheduled last match of the night, between Canadian Francoise Abanda and Chinese qualifier Zheng Saisai, to today. The only other seed in action, 17th-seeded Elina Svitolina, advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over American qualifier Jennifer Brady. The top eight seeds, now led by second-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany after the late injury withdrawal of world number one Serena Williams, have first round byes. Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni booked a second-round meeting with Wimbledon finalist Kerber, with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Japan's Nao Hibino. Britain's Naomi Broady beat Puerto Rico's Monica Puig 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to line up a clash with third-seeded French Open champion Garbine Muguruza who was installed at the top of the revised draw after Williams pulled out with inflammation in her shoulder. (AFP)

Kvitova, Stosur advance in WTA hardcourt tournament

Britain&#39;s Johanna Konta captured her first WTA title in style on Sunday, beating former world number one Venus Williams 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 at the WTA hardcourt tournament in Stanford, California. 
 
Konta, ranked 18th in the world and seeded third, appeared on her way to an emphatic victory in her first career final after racing to a 4-1 lead with two breaks of serve in the second set. 
 
But Williams, seeking her 50th career title, won six of the next seven games to knot the match at a set apiece. 
 
The 25-year-old Konta, who fired 12 aces to three from Williams, didn&#39;t let the seven-time Grand Slam champion&#39;s resurgence rattle her. 
 
&quot;Quite honestly you&#39;d expect nothing less of a champion that she is,&quot; Konta said. &quot;That&#39;s what great champions do. They raise their level. They definitely don&#39;t give away a match.&quot; 
 
Refreshed after a brief bathroom break, she broke Williams in the third game of the final set, and took a 3-1 lead with her 10th ace of the match. 
 
She broke Williams again to serve for the match at 5-2, and despite a couple of nervy missteps in the final game sealed the victory on her third match point. 
 
&quot;It was quite an incredibly humbling experience,&quot; said Konta, the first Briton to win the tournament since Sue Barker in 1977. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s a great validation of the hard work you do put in, and it&#39;s a great motivator on the things you want to keep getting better at, the length you want to go to become that much more better at your discipline. &quot; 
 
Konta had launched her career-best season with a win over Williams in the first round of the Australian Open, where she went on to reach the semi-finals. 
 
Britain&#39;s top player has since gone from strength to strength, making the second week of both Indian Wells and Miami, and reaching the semi-finals at Eastbourne. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s daily work,&quot; Konta said of her rise. &quot;It&#39;s daily desire to keep getting better.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Johanna Konta, who ranked 18th in the world is the first Briton to win the tournament since Sue Barker in 1977

Britain's Johanna Konta captured her first WTA title in style on Sunday, beating former world number one Venus Williams 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 at the WTA hardcourt tournament in Stanford, California. Konta, ranked 18th in the world and seeded third, appeared on her way to an emphatic victory in her first career final after racing to a 4-1 lead with two breaks of serve in the second set. But Williams, seeking her 50th career title, won six of the next seven games to knot the match at a set apiece. The 25-year-old Konta, who fired 12 aces to three from Williams, didn't let the seven-time Grand Slam champion's resurgence rattle her. "Quite honestly you'd expect nothing less of a champion that she is," Konta said. "That's what great champions do. They raise their level. They definitely don't give away a match." Refreshed after a brief bathroom break, she broke Williams in the third game of the final set, and took a 3-1 lead with her 10th ace of the match. She broke Williams again to serve for the match at 5-2, and despite a couple of nervy missteps in the final game sealed the victory on her third match point. "It was quite an incredibly humbling experience," said Konta, the first Briton to win the tournament since Sue Barker in 1977. "It's a great validation of the hard work you do put in, and it's a great motivator on the things you want to keep getting better at, the length you want to go to become that much more better at your discipline. " Konta had launched her career-best season with a win over Williams in the first round of the Australian Open, where she went on to reach the semi-finals. Britain's top player has since gone from strength to strength, making the second week of both Indian Wells and Miami, and reaching the semi-finals at Eastbourne. "It's daily work," Konta said of her rise. "It's daily desire to keep getting better." (AFP)

Konta topples Venus for first WTA title

France&#39;s Gael Monfils, seeking his first ATP crown outside Europe, and Ivo Karlovic, nearing titles in consecutive weeks at age 37, advanced to the ATP and WTA Washington Open final in sweltering conditions Saturday. 
 
The 29-year-old Frenchman, whose most recent of five career titles came in 2014 at Montpellier, ripped ill German teen Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-0 in one hour. 
 
&quot;It was difficult conditions,&quot; Monfils said. &quot;It was very warm. It was very difficult to keep the ball in. I changed up the pace a little bit and it was tougher for him to handle it.&quot; 
 
Croatia&#39;s 35th-ranked Karlovic fired 14 aces to defeat US fifth seed Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4 in a match where temperatures on the court reached 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 Celsius). 
 
&quot;There was this moment when I just wanted to lay down on the court. But I kept going,&quot; Karlovic said. &quot;It was difficult.&quot; 
 
Monfils has split four career ATP matches against Karlovic, winning their most recent meeting at Madrid in 2011 but losing their only prior hardcourt matchup in 2009 at Cincinnati. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s only one Ivo,&quot; Monfils said. &quot;Sometimes you only have one opportunity so you have to make the passing shot and then stick with the serve.&quot; 
 
Karlovic, averaging 20 aces a match, has not surrendered a service break this week. 
 
&quot;This is my game. This is my strength,&quot; Karlovic said. &quot;It is really working this week.&quot; 
 
Zverev, ranked a career-best 27th but sick with food poisoning, warned Monfils could test Karlovic with quick returns. 
 
&quot;He&#39;s the quickest player on tour,&quot; Zverev said of Monfils. &quot;He will get a lot of returns back.&quot; 
 
Monfils, who seeks his first outdoor crown since Sopot in 2005, is 5-19 in ATP finals, including a 2011 loss at Washington to Radek Stepanek. 
 
Karlovic, 7-8 in ATP finals, won his seventh career title last week on Newport grass to become the oldest tour singles champion since 1979. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m confident from winning last week,&quot; Karlovic said. &quot;In my old age, it&#39;s good when you can meet your goals still.&quot; 
 
Karlovic broke in the third game of the match and took the first set in 38 minutes, ending it like the second with back-to-back aces. 
 
In the third game of the second set, Karlovic rocketed a service return forehand winner past Johnson and then dropped a slice backhand winner on the line to break for a 2-1 lead. 
 
&quot;I tried to be as aggressive as I could and it paid off,&quot; Karlovic said. &quot;In all the crucial moments I was able to make a good shot.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Frenchman Monfils has split four career ATP matches against Croatian Karlovic, winning their most recent meeting at Madrid in 2011

France's Gael Monfils, seeking his first ATP crown outside Europe, and Ivo Karlovic, nearing titles in consecutive weeks at age 37, advanced to the ATP and WTA Washington Open final in sweltering conditions Saturday. The 29-year-old Frenchman, whose most recent of five career titles came in 2014 at Montpellier, ripped ill German teen Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-0 in one hour. "It was difficult conditions," Monfils said. "It was very warm. It was very difficult to keep the ball in. I changed up the pace a little bit and it was tougher for him to handle it." Croatia's 35th-ranked Karlovic fired 14 aces to defeat US fifth seed Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4 in a match where temperatures on the court reached 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 Celsius). "There was this moment when I just wanted to lay down on the court. But I kept going," Karlovic said. "It was difficult." Monfils has split four career ATP matches against Karlovic, winning their most recent meeting at Madrid in 2011 but losing their only prior hardcourt matchup in 2009 at Cincinnati. "There's only one Ivo," Monfils said. "Sometimes you only have one opportunity so you have to make the passing shot and then stick with the serve." Karlovic, averaging 20 aces a match, has not surrendered a service break this week. "This is my game. This is my strength," Karlovic said. "It is really working this week." Zverev, ranked a career-best 27th but sick with food poisoning, warned Monfils could test Karlovic with quick returns. "He's the quickest player on tour," Zverev said of Monfils. "He will get a lot of returns back." Monfils, who seeks his first outdoor crown since Sopot in 2005, is 5-19 in ATP finals, including a 2011 loss at Washington to Radek Stepanek. Karlovic, 7-8 in ATP finals, won his seventh career title last week on Newport grass to become the oldest tour singles champion since 1979. "I'm confident from winning last week," Karlovic said. "In my old age, it's good when you can meet your goals still." Karlovic broke in the third game of the match and took the first set in 38 minutes, ending it like the second with back-to-back aces. In the third game of the second set, Karlovic rocketed a service return forehand winner past Johnson and then dropped a slice backhand winner on the line to break for a 2-1 lead. "I tried to be as aggressive as I could and it paid off," Karlovic said. "In all the crucial moments I was able to make a good shot." (AFP)

Monfils to face Karlovic in Washington Open final

Serena Williams will miss next week&#39;s Women&#39;s Tennis Association event in Montreal after the world number one withdrew with a shoulder injury, tournament organisers announced today. 
 
&quot;Due to inflammation in my shoulder, I unfortunately must withdraw from the (tournament). I was looking forward to competing in Montreal and I look forward to returning soon,&quot; Williams said in a statement. 
 
Williams, a three-time winner of the event that rotates between Montreal and Toronto each year, equaled Steffi Graf&#39;s Open era record of 22 Grand Slam titles with her victory at Wimbledon earlier this month. 
 
&quot;Of course, we are disappointed that Serena will not play in the tournament this year,&quot; said tournament director Eugenie Lapierre. 
 
&quot;Because this is an Olympic year, the players have very full schedules. Sometimes your body needs rest. We hope that Serena will recover quickly and wish her much success for the rest of the season.&quot; 
 
Williams, who turns 35 in September, is aiming to defend her Olympic singles crown in Rio next month and will also team up with sister Venus in search of a fourth gold medal in the doubles. 
 
(AFP)

Williams equaled Steffi Graf's Open era record of 22 Grand Slam titles with her victory at Wimbledon earlier this month

Serena Williams will miss next week's Women's Tennis Association event in Montreal after the world number one withdrew with a shoulder injury, tournament organisers announced today. "Due to inflammation in my shoulder, I unfortunately must withdraw from the (tournament). I was looking forward to competing in Montreal and I look forward to returning soon," Williams said in a statement. Williams, a three-time winner of the event that rotates between Montreal and Toronto each year, equaled Steffi Graf's Open era record of 22 Grand Slam titles with her victory at Wimbledon earlier this month. "Of course, we are disappointed that Serena will not play in the tournament this year," said tournament director Eugenie Lapierre. "Because this is an Olympic year, the players have very full schedules. Sometimes your body needs rest. We hope that Serena will recover quickly and wish her much success for the rest of the season." Williams, who turns 35 in September, is aiming to defend her Olympic singles crown in Rio next month and will also team up with sister Venus in search of a fourth gold medal in the doubles. (AFP)

Serena Williams withdraws out of Montreal due to shoulder injury

Top-seed Venus Williams will play for her 50th WTA title on Sunday in Stanford, in the tournament where she made her professional debut 22 years ago. 
 
Williams defeated tenacious Alison Riske 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) to reach the championship match, where she`ll face third-seeded Briton Johanna Konta. 
 
Konta, ranked 18th in the world, reached her first career WTA final with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over second-seeded Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova. 
 
After sailing through the opening set, Williams had to fight her own inconsistent serve in the second. 
 
Up 5-4 in the second and serving for the match, Williams produced three double faults, wasting two match points. 
 
Two games later Williams saved two set points to force the tiebreaker, which she dominated. 
 
Williams, who won the Stanford title in 2000 and 2002, won her 49th career singles title in Taiwan in February. 
 
The 36-year-old winner of seven Grand Slam titles turned back the clock with a run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon. 
 
Konta, who reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January, and at Eastbourne in June, has rebounded well from a second-round exit at the All England Club. 
 
&quot;I`m really happy to have come through that and to be in my first final,&quot; Konta said. &quot;I`m really happy that it`s here in California, where the weather is unbelievable.&quot; 
 
Konta dominated on serve, winning four of her five service games in the first set at love. 
 
She closed out the first frame with an ace, and delivered more of the same in the second set, when she won 27 of the 29 points on which she put her first serve in play. 
 
&quot;I definitely felt I needed to take care of things on my end the best possible way,&quot; Konta said. &quot;I was very effective with my breathing and just really playing within myself.&quot; 
 
Cibulkova said power wasn`t Konta`s only advantage on serve. 
 
&quot;Her placing was very good,&quot; Cibulkova said. &quot;Her serve was fast, but it wasn`t the main problem. She was just placing the serve really well, and it was really hard to read it.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Top-seed Venus Williams will take on world number 18 Johanna Konta on Sunday

Top-seed Venus Williams will play for her 50th WTA title on Sunday in Stanford, in the tournament where she made her professional debut 22 years ago. Williams defeated tenacious Alison Riske 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) to reach the championship match, where she`ll face third-seeded Briton Johanna Konta. Konta, ranked 18th in the world, reached her first career WTA final with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over second-seeded Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova. After sailing through the opening set, Williams had to fight her own inconsistent serve in the second. Up 5-4 in the second and serving for the match, Williams produced three double faults, wasting two match points. Two games later Williams saved two set points to force the tiebreaker, which she dominated. Williams, who won the Stanford title in 2000 and 2002, won her 49th career singles title in Taiwan in February. The 36-year-old winner of seven Grand Slam titles turned back the clock with a run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon. Konta, who reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January, and at Eastbourne in June, has rebounded well from a second-round exit at the All England Club. "I`m really happy to have come through that and to be in my first final," Konta said. "I`m really happy that it`s here in California, where the weather is unbelievable." Konta dominated on serve, winning four of her five service games in the first set at love. She closed out the first frame with an ace, and delivered more of the same in the second set, when she won 27 of the 29 points on which she put her first serve in play. "I definitely felt I needed to take care of things on my end the best possible way," Konta said. "I was very effective with my breathing and just really playing within myself." Cibulkova said power wasn`t Konta`s only advantage on serve. "Her placing was very good," Cibulkova said. "Her serve was fast, but it wasn`t the main problem. She was just placing the serve really well, and it was really hard to read it." (AFP)

Venus Williams eyes 50th WTA title

Top-seeded Venus Williams booked her semi-final berth at the WTA hardcourt tournament in Stanford, California, on Friday with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over 17-year-old wild card CiCi Bellis. 
 
Ranked seventh in the world, the 36-year-old Williams needed only an hour to get past the 203rd-ranked Bellis in an all-American clash. 
 
Williams, who captured the most recent of her 49 singles titles in February in Taiwan, next faces another American, Alison Riske, who was leading 6-3, 0-1 when fourth-seeded Coco Vandeweghe retired from their quarter-final with a right ankle injury.&nbsp;Vandeweghe left the court in a wheelchair, pressing an ice pack to her ankle. 
 
Bellis, playing in her first WTA quarter-final was buoyed by an early service break.&nbsp;But former world number one Williams quickly regained the break and broke again with a backhand winner down the line to secure the opening set.&nbsp;It was all Williams in the second set as she moved a step closer to a third Stanford title to go with those she won in 2000 and 2002. 
 
The other semi-final will pit second-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia against third-seeded Johanna Konta of Britain.&nbsp;Cibulkova won 11 straight games after trailing 2-5 in the opening set en route to a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Japanese fifth seed Misaki Doi.&nbsp;Konta defeated China`s Zheng Saisai 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. 
 
Cibulkova`s victory ensures she will return to the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in more than 18 months.&nbsp;Her 2016 campaign has included two titles and a run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. 
 
&quot;Today was really, really tough. She was playing fast from the first ball, but once I found out what I needed to do to win I was doing the right thing all the way through the match,&quot; said Cibulkova, who won the Stanford title three years ago. &nbsp;&quot;I know the court, I know the balls, I know what I have to do to go all the way here,&quot; she said. 
 
(AFP)

Williams moved a step closer to a third Stanford title, to go with those she won in 2000 and 2002

Top-seeded Venus Williams booked her semi-final berth at the WTA hardcourt tournament in Stanford, California, on Friday with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over 17-year-old wild card CiCi Bellis. Ranked seventh in the world, the 36-year-old Williams needed only an hour to get past the 203rd-ranked Bellis in an all-American clash. Williams, who captured the most recent of her 49 singles titles in February in Taiwan, next faces another American, Alison Riske, who was leading 6-3, 0-1 when fourth-seeded Coco Vandeweghe retired from their quarter-final with a right ankle injury. Vandeweghe left the court in a wheelchair, pressing an ice pack to her ankle. Bellis, playing in her first WTA quarter-final was buoyed by an early service break. But former world number one Williams quickly regained the break and broke again with a backhand winner down the line to secure the opening set. It was all Williams in the second set as she moved a step closer to a third Stanford title to go with those she won in 2000 and 2002. The other semi-final will pit second-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia against third-seeded Johanna Konta of Britain. Cibulkova won 11 straight games after trailing 2-5 in the opening set en route to a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Japanese fifth seed Misaki Doi. Konta defeated China`s Zheng Saisai 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Cibulkova`s victory ensures she will return to the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in more than 18 months. Her 2016 campaign has included two titles and a run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. "Today was really, really tough. She was playing fast from the first ball, but once I found out what I needed to do to win I was doing the right thing all the way through the match," said Cibulkova, who won the Stanford title three years ago. "I know the court, I know the balls, I know what I have to do to go all the way here," she said. (AFP)

Venus Williams beats CiCi Bellis, books Stanford semi-final

Roger Federer will kick off his 20th season as a professional at the Hopman Cup next year, returning to the international team tournament in Perth for the first time since he teamed up with his now wife Mirka in 2002. 
 
The 34-year-old Swiss will be partnered at the Perth Arena from Jan. 1-7 by compatriot Belinda Bencic, who was a year old when Federer turned professional in July, 1998. 
 
&quot;I do remember it was a good preparation way back when so I thought it would be nice to do it again,&quot; the 17-times grand slam champion, a Hopman Cup winner with Martina Hingis in 2001, said in a video release. 
 
&quot;I can&#39;t wait to come back because I think it will be the perfect way to start the new season.&quot; 
 
Federer and the then Miroslava Vavrinec lost two of their three group matches at the 2002 Hopman Cup, which was won by Tommy Robredo and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario for Spain. 
 
Earlier this year, Nick Kyrgios and Daria Gavrilova teamed up to give Australia their first Hopman Cup triumph since 1999. 
 
(Reuters)

Roger Federer returns to the international team tournament in Perth for the first time since he teamed up with his now wife Mirka in 2000

Roger Federer will kick off his 20th season as a professional at the Hopman Cup next year, returning to the international team tournament in Perth for the first time since he teamed up with his now wife Mirka in 2002. The 34-year-old Swiss will be partnered at the Perth Arena from Jan. 1-7 by compatriot Belinda Bencic, who was a year old when Federer turned professional in July, 1998. "I do remember it was a good preparation way back when so I thought it would be nice to do it again," the 17-times grand slam champion, a Hopman Cup winner with Martina Hingis in 2001, said in a video release. "I can't wait to come back because I think it will be the perfect way to start the new season." Federer and the then Miroslava Vavrinec lost two of their three group matches at the 2002 Hopman Cup, which was won by Tommy Robredo and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario for Spain. Earlier this year, Nick Kyrgios and Daria Gavrilova teamed up to give Australia their first Hopman Cup triumph since 1999. (Reuters)

Federer to open 20th pro season at Hopman Cup

The top seed at the Citi Open in Washington, US player John Isner, produced a dominating display against Australia&#39;s James Duckworth, winning his second round match 6-3, 6-4.&nbsp;The 31 year-old Isner hit 14 aces and lost just three points on his first serve, beating his 24-year-old opponent in just over an hour.&nbsp;Isner has made it through to the final of the Citi Open three times, and will be looking to go seven consecutive seasons winning at least one ATP World Tour title. 
 
France&#39;s Gael Monfils, who made it through the Washington final in 2011, defeated Taiwan&#39;s Yen-Hsun Lu 6-3, 6-2.&nbsp;It was a strong showing from Monfils, who has barely played over the last two months due to a virus, making 10 aces and did not face a break point.&nbsp;He now goes on to face Croatia&#39;s Borna Coric. 
 
Australian third seed Bernard Tomic beat US player Donald Young 7-6(4), 6-3.&nbsp;He won the game in just under an hour and half, and now goes on to face Ivo Karlovic in the third round.&nbsp;In a match between two young up-and-coming talents, Germany&#39;s 19-year-old Alexander Zverev defeated Taylor Fritz, winning 6-4, 6-2. 
 
(Reuters)

John Isner has made it through the the Citi Open final three times, and looks to go seven consecutive seasons winning at least one ATP title

The top seed at the Citi Open in Washington, US player John Isner, produced a dominating display against Australia's James Duckworth, winning his second round match 6-3, 6-4. The 31 year-old Isner hit 14 aces and lost just three points on his first serve, beating his 24-year-old opponent in just over an hour. Isner has made it through to the final of the Citi Open three times, and will be looking to go seven consecutive seasons winning at least one ATP World Tour title. France's Gael Monfils, who made it through the Washington final in 2011, defeated Taiwan's Yen-Hsun Lu 6-3, 6-2. It was a strong showing from Monfils, who has barely played over the last two months due to a virus, making 10 aces and did not face a break point. He now goes on to face Croatia's Borna Coric. Australian third seed Bernard Tomic beat US player Donald Young 7-6(4), 6-3. He won the game in just under an hour and half, and now goes on to face Ivo Karlovic in the third round. In a match between two young up-and-coming talents, Germany's 19-year-old Alexander Zverev defeated Taylor Fritz, winning 6-4, 6-2. (Reuters)

Isner, Monfils win at ATP Washington Open

Australian top seed Samantha Stosur, defending Washington Open champion Sloane Stephens and German teen star Alexander Zverev are setting aside Zika virus fears to compete at the Rio Olympics. 
 
But Sam Querrey, who upset world number one Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, isn&#39;t going to Brazil because it just isn&#39;t that big a deal to him. 
 
Differing views over the mosquito-carried Zika virus and the rash of recent tennis withdrawals from Rio came out Monday on day one of the ATP and WTA event, the first hardcourt stop on the path to the US Open. 
 
&quot;It`s not something you want to take lightly,&quot; Stosur said after beating Russian qualifier Alla Kudryavtseva 6-3, 6-0. 
 
&quot;Other people say there are going to be far worse things going on than Zika. It`s about being smart, following all the guidelines. I`ve had all the vaccinations. It certainly has entered my mind this time around.&quot; 
 
Several top NBA players, more than 20 men&#39;s golfers and several top tennis players have withdrawn from Rio, many but not all citing the potential for contracting Zika, which causes severe illness and has been linked to birth defects. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m kind of scared but I`m not having any kids any time soon so I should be OK,&quot; said Stephens, a 23-year-old American set to make her Olympic debut. 
 
&quot;Some people are way more sensitive and some people aren`t. It just depends on the person.&quot; 
 
Canada&#39;s seventh-ranked Milos Raonic, who lost the Wimbledon men&#39;s final to Britain&#39;s Andy Murray earlier in July, eighth-ranked Czech Tomas Berdych and Austria&#39;s ninth-rated Dominic Thiem all said no to Rio. 
 
So did 16th-ranked John Isner, the Washington men&#39;s top seed, and Querrey, who doesn&#39;t see tennis or golf as true Olympic sports. 
 
&quot;For tennis and golf, the Olympics isn&#39;t a top priority,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;We have four other Grand Slams. Those are the main focus. 
 
&quot;Some sports in the Olympics, (tennis) and golf, I feel like maybe shouldn`t be in there. It just wasn&#39;t a priority of mine at all.&quot; 
 
That&#39;s a stark contrast to 19-year-old Zverev, who at 27th in the world has become the youngest man to crack the top 30 since Djokovic in 2006. 
 
And Zverev has even suffered severe illness after a bug bite. 
 
&quot;I was at the US Open and something bit me,&quot; Zverev said. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m going to be very careful because of that. I only won one match the rest of the year. My leg got a lot swollen. I was really sick with fever, lost a lot of weight, couldn`t eat. 
 
&quot;You think about it, that&#39;s quite a serious thing. You don&#39;t want to get something but the Olympics is a very big event. 
 
&quot;I`m a little bit worried about the Zika virus. A lot of people have pulled out. But it&#39;s going to be a lot of fun.&quot; 
 
Isner has a first-round bye and a round-two date with Australian qualifier James Duckworth, who ousted American Tim Smyczek 7-5, 6-1. 
 
Aussie John Millman, Rio bound as well after Olympic pullouts by Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic, advanced to a second-round match with Cypriot Marcus Bagjdatis by downing American Denis Kudla 7-5, 6-0. 
 
(AFP)

Alexander Zverev as become the youngest man to crack the top 30 since Djokovic in 2006

Australian top seed Samantha Stosur, defending Washington Open champion Sloane Stephens and German teen star Alexander Zverev are setting aside Zika virus fears to compete at the Rio Olympics. But Sam Querrey, who upset world number one Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, isn't going to Brazil because it just isn't that big a deal to him. Differing views over the mosquito-carried Zika virus and the rash of recent tennis withdrawals from Rio came out Monday on day one of the ATP and WTA event, the first hardcourt stop on the path to the US Open. "It`s not something you want to take lightly," Stosur said after beating Russian qualifier Alla Kudryavtseva 6-3, 6-0. "Other people say there are going to be far worse things going on than Zika. It`s about being smart, following all the guidelines. I`ve had all the vaccinations. It certainly has entered my mind this time around." Several top NBA players, more than 20 men's golfers and several top tennis players have withdrawn from Rio, many but not all citing the potential for contracting Zika, which causes severe illness and has been linked to birth defects. "I'm kind of scared but I`m not having any kids any time soon so I should be OK," said Stephens, a 23-year-old American set to make her Olympic debut. "Some people are way more sensitive and some people aren`t. It just depends on the person." Canada's seventh-ranked Milos Raonic, who lost the Wimbledon men's final to Britain's Andy Murray earlier in July, eighth-ranked Czech Tomas Berdych and Austria's ninth-rated Dominic Thiem all said no to Rio. So did 16th-ranked John Isner, the Washington men's top seed, and Querrey, who doesn't see tennis or golf as true Olympic sports. "For tennis and golf, the Olympics isn't a top priority," he said. "We have four other Grand Slams. Those are the main focus. "Some sports in the Olympics, (tennis) and golf, I feel like maybe shouldn`t be in there. It just wasn't a priority of mine at all." That's a stark contrast to 19-year-old Zverev, who at 27th in the world has become the youngest man to crack the top 30 since Djokovic in 2006. And Zverev has even suffered severe illness after a bug bite. "I was at the US Open and something bit me," Zverev said. "I'm going to be very careful because of that. I only won one match the rest of the year. My leg got a lot swollen. I was really sick with fever, lost a lot of weight, couldn`t eat. "You think about it, that's quite a serious thing. You don't want to get something but the Olympics is a very big event. "I`m a little bit worried about the Zika virus. A lot of people have pulled out. But it's going to be a lot of fun." Isner has a first-round bye and a round-two date with Australian qualifier James Duckworth, who ousted American Tim Smyczek 7-5, 6-1. Aussie John Millman, Rio bound as well after Olympic pullouts by Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic, advanced to a second-round match with Cypriot Marcus Bagjdatis by downing American Denis Kudla 7-5, 6-0. (AFP)

No Zika bite fright for Rio-bound Stosur, Zverev

Reigning champion Andy Murray, fresh from capturing his second Wimbledon title earlier this month, has withdrawn from next week&#39;s Toronto Masters, Tennis Canada announced today. 
 
Murray, the world number two, said his body simply needs more rest after his grass-court championship run. 
 
&quot;My body needs some recovery time after reaching the latter stages of tournaments over the past few months,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;m sorry to my fans in Toronto but I look forward to being back in Canada next year.&quot; 
 
The three-time Toronto winner, who also won Grand Slam titles in 2012 at the US Open and 2013 at Wimbledon, had not missed the event since his 2006 debut. 
 
&quot;Certainly we are disappointed,&quot; tournament director Karl Hale said. &quot;Andy is one of the very top players in the world and a fan favourite. He will be missed but we wish him continued success.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

The Scottish tennis star said his body needs rest after reaching the latter stages of tournaments over the past few months

Reigning champion Andy Murray, fresh from capturing his second Wimbledon title earlier this month, has withdrawn from next week's Toronto Masters, Tennis Canada announced today. Murray, the world number two, said his body simply needs more rest after his grass-court championship run. "My body needs some recovery time after reaching the latter stages of tournaments over the past few months," he said. "I'm sorry to my fans in Toronto but I look forward to being back in Canada next year." The three-time Toronto winner, who also won Grand Slam titles in 2012 at the US Open and 2013 at Wimbledon, had not missed the event since his 2006 debut. "Certainly we are disappointed," tournament director Karl Hale said. "Andy is one of the very top players in the world and a fan favourite. He will be missed but we wish him continued success." (AFP)

Andy Murray pulls out of Toronto masters

Davis Cup holders Britain edged into a 2-1 lead in Serbia after Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot won Saturday&#39;s doubles. 
 
Rain meant only one of Friday&#39;s two scheduled singles were completed but Serbia quickly squared up the quarter-final on day two as Dusan Lajovic thrashed James Ward 6-1 6-3 6-2. 
 
However, Murray and Inglot were too strong for veteran Nenad Zimonjic and Filip Krajinovic, winning 6-1 6-7(2) 6-3 6-4 to put Britain one rubber away from the semi-finals. 
 
Serbia are without world number one Novak Djokovic while Wimbledon champion Andy Murray travelled with his British teammates, but will not feature in the tie. 
 
In other action Argentina lead Italy 2-1 in Pesaro while Wimbledon doubles champions Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert won Saturday&#39;s doubles to give France a 2-1 lead over the Czech Republic. 
 
The US lead Croatia 2-0 in the other World Group tie. 
 
(Reuters)

Britain's Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot won Saturday's doubles match

Davis Cup holders Britain edged into a 2-1 lead in Serbia after Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot won Saturday's doubles. Rain meant only one of Friday's two scheduled singles were completed but Serbia quickly squared up the quarter-final on day two as Dusan Lajovic thrashed James Ward 6-1 6-3 6-2. However, Murray and Inglot were too strong for veteran Nenad Zimonjic and Filip Krajinovic, winning 6-1 6-7(2) 6-3 6-4 to put Britain one rubber away from the semi-finals. Serbia are without world number one Novak Djokovic while Wimbledon champion Andy Murray travelled with his British teammates, but will not feature in the tie. In other action Argentina lead Italy 2-1 in Pesaro while Wimbledon doubles champions Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert won Saturday's doubles to give France a 2-1 lead over the Czech Republic. The US lead Croatia 2-0 in the other World Group tie. (Reuters)

Davis Cup: Britain take 2-1 lead over Serbia in quarter-final

Rohan Bopanna today steered India to an emphatic 4-1 victory over South Korea in the Asia/Oceania Davis Cup Group I tie after winning his reverse singles match in Chandigarh city, in northern state of Punjab. 
 
India, which had secured a world play-off berth on Saturday by taking a 3-0 lead, led 4-0 after Bopanna&#39;s triumph but South Korea managed a consolation win in the final match. 
 
Bopanna, who took court in place of Saketh Myneni, was given a hard time by Hong Chung but prevailed 3-6 6-4 6-4 on the grass court of the Chandigarh Club. 
 
South Korea&#39;s Yong-Kyu Lim then spoilt India&#39;s hopes of a clean sweep after serving past Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-3 5-7 7-6 in the fifth and final rubber. 
 
Earlier the doubles pair of Bopanna and Leander Paes had already sealed the tie on Saturday after the singles players had given India a 2-0 cushion on the opening day. 
 
It was a great tune-up for Bopanna and Paes who have been made to team up for the men&#39;s doubles draw in the upcoming Rio Olympics by the Indian tennis association. 
 
(AFP)

Rohan Bopanna who took court in place of Saketh Myneni was given a hard time by Hong Chung but prevailed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4

Rohan Bopanna today steered India to an emphatic 4-1 victory over South Korea in the Asia/Oceania Davis Cup Group I tie after winning his reverse singles match in Chandigarh city, in northern state of Punjab. India, which had secured a world play-off berth on Saturday by taking a 3-0 lead, led 4-0 after Bopanna's triumph but South Korea managed a consolation win in the final match. Bopanna, who took court in place of Saketh Myneni, was given a hard time by Hong Chung but prevailed 3-6 6-4 6-4 on the grass court of the Chandigarh Club. South Korea's Yong-Kyu Lim then spoilt India's hopes of a clean sweep after serving past Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-3 5-7 7-6 in the fifth and final rubber. Earlier the doubles pair of Bopanna and Leander Paes had already sealed the tie on Saturday after the singles players had given India a 2-0 cushion on the opening day. It was a great tune-up for Bopanna and Paes who have been made to team up for the men's doubles draw in the upcoming Rio Olympics by the Indian tennis association. (AFP)

Bopanna steers India to 4-1 win over South Korea

Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna made an ideal start to their Olympic preparations as they sealed a Davis Cup world play-off berth for India, winning the doubles rubber against South Korea in Chandigarh today. 
 
The duo&#39;s win gave India an unassailable 3-0 lead on the grass courts of the Chandigarh Club after the team won both the singles matches of the Asia/Oceania Group I tie. 
 
Paes and Bopanna, who were chosen as a doubles pair by India&#39;s tennis association for the Rio Games, outplayed the Korean pair of Seong Chan Hong and Hong Chung 6-3 6-4 6-4. 
 
Bopanna, who had voiced his displeasure of &quot;not being given a say&quot; in choosing his Olympic partner, insisted he shared a good &quot;on-court chemistry&quot; with Paes. 
 
&quot;Chemistry was great. If it wasn&#39;t good, we could not have got such convincing win. We did not push much and just made sure that we come out strong,&quot; said Bopanna. 
 
The 43-year-old Paes, who is set for his seventh Olympic participation, also enjoyed the doubles win. 
 
&quot;We have won in three sets. We are playing well. It has been a great season for us. We are sharp. 
 
&quot;Even if the competition was tough, we could have raised the level of our game,&quot; Paes, a winner of 18 Grand Slam titles, said. 
 
Earlier India&#39;s Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan had won their respective singles on Friday to hand India a 2-0 cushion. 
 
The reverse singles matches slated for Sunday now remain a mere formality as the Koreans will be playing for pride against an upbeat India. 
 
(AFP)

They gave India a 3-0 lead after the team won both the singles matches of the Asia/Oceania Group I tie

Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna made an ideal start to their Olympic preparations as they sealed a Davis Cup world play-off berth for India, winning the doubles rubber against South Korea in Chandigarh today. The duo's win gave India an unassailable 3-0 lead on the grass courts of the Chandigarh Club after the team won both the singles matches of the Asia/Oceania Group I tie. Paes and Bopanna, who were chosen as a doubles pair by India's tennis association for the Rio Games, outplayed the Korean pair of Seong Chan Hong and Hong Chung 6-3 6-4 6-4. Bopanna, who had voiced his displeasure of "not being given a say" in choosing his Olympic partner, insisted he shared a good "on-court chemistry" with Paes. "Chemistry was great. If it wasn't good, we could not have got such convincing win. We did not push much and just made sure that we come out strong," said Bopanna. The 43-year-old Paes, who is set for his seventh Olympic participation, also enjoyed the doubles win. "We have won in three sets. We are playing well. It has been a great season for us. We are sharp. "Even if the competition was tough, we could have raised the level of our game," Paes, a winner of 18 Grand Slam titles, said. Earlier India's Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan had won their respective singles on Friday to hand India a 2-0 cushion. The reverse singles matches slated for Sunday now remain a mere formality as the Koreans will be playing for pride against an upbeat India. (AFP)

Tennis: Paes, Bopanna seal India's Davis Cup play-off berth

World number two Andy Murray has set his sights on overtaking Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings after capturing his second Wimbledon crown on Sunday. 
 
Murray, who reunited with coach Ivan Lendl last month, has reached the finals of his last five tournaments, winning in Rome and at Queen&#39;s Club before beating Milos Raonic in straight sets to end a 36-month hunt for a third grand slam title. 
 
Murray&#39;s triumph and Djokovic&#39;s third-round loss means 4845 ATP ranking points now separate them. 
 
&quot;I would love to get to number one, for sure, and the way to do that is to show up every week and be focused on that event,&quot; Murray told British media. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s definitely a goal. It&#39;s something I spoke to my team about, something I chatted to Ivan about. 
 
&quot;This has been a great tournament for me but, if I want to win a few slams over the next few years, I am going to have to get better. I know that he (Djokovic) will come back strong from this because of the player he is.&quot; 
 
Djokovic arrived in London as the holder of all four grand slams and the Serb had not been beaten on the big stage since losing to Switzerland&#39;s Stan Wawrinka in the 2015 French Open final. 
 
&quot;Novak is still clearly number one in the world right now. He is not just going to go away because he has had one bad tournament. You can&#39;t forget what he has done in the last 18 months or so - it has been incredible,&quot; Murray added. 
 
(Reuters)

'I would love to get to number one, and the way to do that is to show up every week and be focused on that event,' Murray said

World number two Andy Murray has set his sights on overtaking Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings after capturing his second Wimbledon crown on Sunday. Murray, who reunited with coach Ivan Lendl last month, has reached the finals of his last five tournaments, winning in Rome and at Queen's Club before beating Milos Raonic in straight sets to end a 36-month hunt for a third grand slam title. Murray's triumph and Djokovic's third-round loss means 4845 ATP ranking points now separate them. "I would love to get to number one, for sure, and the way to do that is to show up every week and be focused on that event," Murray told British media. "It's definitely a goal. It's something I spoke to my team about, something I chatted to Ivan about. "This has been a great tournament for me but, if I want to win a few slams over the next few years, I am going to have to get better. I know that he (Djokovic) will come back strong from this because of the player he is." Djokovic arrived in London as the holder of all four grand slams and the Serb had not been beaten on the big stage since losing to Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka in the 2015 French Open final. "Novak is still clearly number one in the world right now. He is not just going to go away because he has had one bad tournament. You can't forget what he has done in the last 18 months or so - it has been incredible," Murray added. (Reuters)

Murray eyes top ranking after Wimbledon triumph

A Court of Arbitration for Sport decision on the two-year doping ban for Maria Sharapova has been put back two months to September, the court said today, ruling the tennis superstar out of the Rio Olympics. 
 
The 29-year-old Russian, one of the biggest names in tennis, tested positive for the banned medication meldonium during January`s Australian Open, in a severe blow to her reputation. 
 
&quot;Maria Sharapova and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) have agreed to defer the CAS decision until September 2016,&quot; said a CAS statement. 
 
&quot;Due to the parties requiring additional time to complete and respond to their respective evidentiary submissions, and several scheduling conflicts, the parties have agreed not to expedite the appeal. A decision is expected to be issued by September 19, 2016.&quot; 
 
The original ruling was expected by July 18, with Sharapova hoping that a successful appeal would have allowed her to spearhead the Russian tennis team in Rio. 
 
Russia&#39;s participation at the Games, which begin on August 5, is already under fierce scrutiny after its track and field team was banned for separate state-sponsored doping. 
 
Sharapova&#39;s ban was backdated to January 26 this year, when she tested positive for the prohibited substance. 
 
Meldonium was added to the world anti-doping WADA list on January 1. Sharapova said she had been taking it for 10 years to help treat illnesses, a heart issue and a magnesium deficiency. 
 
Sharapova has previously blasted the ban as &quot;unfairly harsh&quot;. 
 
The CAS statement added: &quot;In her appeal to the CAS, Ms Sharapova seeks the annulment of the (ITF) tribunal`s decision to sanction her with a two-year period of ineligibility further to an anti-doping rule violation.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Ms Sharapova submits that the period of ineligibility should be eliminated, or in the alternative, reduced. The final decision will be announced and published by CAS when it is available.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Maria Sharapova, one of the biggest names in tennis, tested positive for the banned medication meldonium during January's Australian Open

A Court of Arbitration for Sport decision on the two-year doping ban for Maria Sharapova has been put back two months to September, the court said today, ruling the tennis superstar out of the Rio Olympics. The 29-year-old Russian, one of the biggest names in tennis, tested positive for the banned medication meldonium during January`s Australian Open, in a severe blow to her reputation. "Maria Sharapova and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) have agreed to defer the CAS decision until September 2016," said a CAS statement. "Due to the parties requiring additional time to complete and respond to their respective evidentiary submissions, and several scheduling conflicts, the parties have agreed not to expedite the appeal. A decision is expected to be issued by September 19, 2016." The original ruling was expected by July 18, with Sharapova hoping that a successful appeal would have allowed her to spearhead the Russian tennis team in Rio. Russia's participation at the Games, which begin on August 5, is already under fierce scrutiny after its track and field team was banned for separate state-sponsored doping. Sharapova's ban was backdated to January 26 this year, when she tested positive for the prohibited substance. Meldonium was added to the world anti-doping WADA list on January 1. Sharapova said she had been taking it for 10 years to help treat illnesses, a heart issue and a magnesium deficiency. Sharapova has previously blasted the ban as "unfairly harsh". The CAS statement added: "In her appeal to the CAS, Ms Sharapova seeks the annulment of the (ITF) tribunal`s decision to sanction her with a two-year period of ineligibility further to an anti-doping rule violation. "Ms Sharapova submits that the period of ineligibility should be eliminated, or in the alternative, reduced. The final decision will be announced and published by CAS when it is available." (AFP)

Sharapova out of Rio as CAS delays doping decision

Milos Raonic made Roger Federer feel his age at Wimbledon on Friday as the Canadian sharp-shooter bombarded Centre Court with a succession of 140 mph missiles to flatten the seven-time champion and reach his first grand slam final. 
 
Raonic appeared to be down and out as he trailed Federer by two-sets to one and 15-40 in the fifth game of the fourth set, but somehow he managed to cling on for a 6-3 6-7(3) 4-6 7-5 6-3 win, and became the first Canadian man to reach a major final. 
 
&quot;It&rsquo;s an incredible comeback for me,&quot; said the sixth seed, who will be seeking to win his first grasscourt title when he meets 2013 champion Andy Murray on Sunday in a repeat of last month&#39;s Queen&#39;s Club final.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I was struggling throughout the third and fourth sets, he was playing some really good tennis and just on a little opening I managed to turn it around and finish it off in a great match.&nbsp;I showed a lot of emotion today, always positive, and that&rsquo;s what got me through. Mentally I had one of my best matches in my career and I think that&rsquo;s what made the biggest difference.&quot; 
 
Federer, who had survived a five-set thriller two days ago against Croatian Marin Cilic, added: &quot;He fought. He believed, like I did against Cilic. Credit to him for hanging in there.&quot; 
 
 
STAYING POWER 
The Swiss had come into the tournament with &quot;no idea&quot; about his own staying power as he had been forced to miss last month&#39;s French Open with a back injury. 
 
Some of those questions were answered when he recovered from two sets and three match points down to beat Cilic, but many pundits believed Raonic&#39;s younger limbs would deliver the knockout blow as two days was not enough for a 34-year-old&#39;s body to recover from such a taxing showdown. 
 
Yet, incredibly, it was Raonic, 25, who appeared to be heading for a second semi-final defeat in three years against Federer as the third seed surged ahead and earned two break points in the fifth game of the fourth set. 
 
Raonic kept his wits about him to save both, and he survived a third in the ninth game as his thunderbolt serve got him out of trouble again. 
 
When Federer moved to 40-0 in the 12th game, the contest was poised to enter a fourth-set tiebreak. But two days after the Swiss boldly stated that &quot;my second serve has always been there for me,it never lets me down&quot;, guess what? It let him down. 
 
Two successive double faults brought Raonic to deuce and while Federer saved two set points -- with an unreturnable serve and a volley winner, his luck ran out on the third. 
 
A blazing backhand passing shot had Raonic pumping his fists towards his support box as a shell-shocked Federer, who had come back from two sets and three match points down to beat Cilic on Wednesday, was left wondering how the set got away from him. 
 
&quot;Federer had it all going his way, but you couldn&#39;t script that this would go on and on,&quot; exclaimed Raonic&#39;s grasscourt mentor John McEnroe. 
 
MENTAL SCARS 
The 17-time grand slam champion, who was about to contest his 10th set in three days, called on the trainer to massage his aching limbs back to life, but it was the mental scars that could not be rubbed away. 
 
Four games into the final set, with the score at deuce, Federer rolled his left ankle as he lunged after a flying forehand winner from Raonic and found himself sprawled face down on his beloved turf. 
 
He lay still for what seemed an eternity before getting back to his feet and then slumped into his chair rather than heading for the baseline.&nbsp;The crowd started to chuckle, wondering if Federer was staging a sit-in protest, but in fact he had called on the trainer again to manipulate his left knee and leg. 
 
The Swiss, chasing a record-extending 11th appearance in the final, managed to save that break point but Raonic refused to let him off the hook and four points later the Canadian had the break for 3-1 as he ended a dazzling net exchange with a rasping crosscourt passing shot. 
 
From them on there only seemed to be one winner and, after firing down 23 aces, with his fastest serve being clocked at 144 mph, Raonic bagged a place in the final when Federer floated a tired forehand long to end the three hours 25 minutes duel. 
 
&quot;This one clearly hurts, because I could have had it. I was so, so, close,&quot; summed up Federer after coming off second best for the first time in 11 Wimbledon semi-final appearances. 
 
(Reuters)

Federer, the 17-time Grand Slam champion, rolled his ankle as the young Canadian fired down 23 aces

Milos Raonic made Roger Federer feel his age at Wimbledon on Friday as the Canadian sharp-shooter bombarded Centre Court with a succession of 140 mph missiles to flatten the seven-time champion and reach his first grand slam final. Raonic appeared to be down and out as he trailed Federer by two-sets to one and 15-40 in the fifth game of the fourth set, but somehow he managed to cling on for a 6-3 6-7(3) 4-6 7-5 6-3 win, and became the first Canadian man to reach a major final. "It’s an incredible comeback for me," said the sixth seed, who will be seeking to win his first grasscourt title when he meets 2013 champion Andy Murray on Sunday in a repeat of last month's Queen's Club final. "I was struggling throughout the third and fourth sets, he was playing some really good tennis and just on a little opening I managed to turn it around and finish it off in a great match. I showed a lot of emotion today, always positive, and that’s what got me through. Mentally I had one of my best matches in my career and I think that’s what made the biggest difference." Federer, who had survived a five-set thriller two days ago against Croatian Marin Cilic, added: "He fought. He believed, like I did against Cilic. Credit to him for hanging in there." STAYING POWER The Swiss had come into the tournament with "no idea" about his own staying power as he had been forced to miss last month's French Open with a back injury. Some of those questions were answered when he recovered from two sets and three match points down to beat Cilic, but many pundits believed Raonic's younger limbs would deliver the knockout blow as two days was not enough for a 34-year-old's body to recover from such a taxing showdown. Yet, incredibly, it was Raonic, 25, who appeared to be heading for a second semi-final defeat in three years against Federer as the third seed surged ahead and earned two break points in the fifth game of the fourth set. Raonic kept his wits about him to save both, and he survived a third in the ninth game as his thunderbolt serve got him out of trouble again. When Federer moved to 40-0 in the 12th game, the contest was poised to enter a fourth-set tiebreak. But two days after the Swiss boldly stated that "my second serve has always been there for me,it never lets me down", guess what? It let him down. Two successive double faults brought Raonic to deuce and while Federer saved two set points -- with an unreturnable serve and a volley winner, his luck ran out on the third. A blazing backhand passing shot had Raonic pumping his fists towards his support box as a shell-shocked Federer, who had come back from two sets and three match points down to beat Cilic on Wednesday, was left wondering how the set got away from him. "Federer had it all going his way, but you couldn't script that this would go on and on," exclaimed Raonic's grasscourt mentor John McEnroe. MENTAL SCARS The 17-time grand slam champion, who was about to contest his 10th set in three days, called on the trainer to massage his aching limbs back to life, but it was the mental scars that could not be rubbed away. Four games into the final set, with the score at deuce, Federer rolled his left ankle as he lunged after a flying forehand winner from Raonic and found himself sprawled face down on his beloved turf. He lay still for what seemed an eternity before getting back to his feet and then slumped into his chair rather than heading for the baseline. The crowd started to chuckle, wondering if Federer was staging a sit-in protest, but in fact he had called on the trainer again to manipulate his left knee and leg. The Swiss, chasing a record-extending 11th appearance in the final, managed to save that break point but Raonic refused to let him off the hook and four points later the Canadian had the break for 3-1 as he ended a dazzling net exchange with a rasping crosscourt passing shot. From them on there only seemed to be one winner and, after firing down 23 aces, with his fastest serve being clocked at 144 mph, Raonic bagged a place in the final when Federer floated a tired forehand long to end the three hours 25 minutes duel. "This one clearly hurts, because I could have had it. I was so, so, close," summed up Federer after coming off second best for the first time in 11 Wimbledon semi-final appearances. (Reuters)

Raonic ends Federer's run to reach first major final

What started as a social media joke seems to hold some special powers - #thelendleffect is working. 
 
It began after world number two Andy Murray rehired his old coach Ivan Lendl last month, and immediately began a nine-match winning streak on grass to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals. 
 
The return of the Czech eight-times grand slam champion prompted much talk from pundits about the quick impact on Murray&#39;s game after their relationship the first time round netted the Scot the 2012 Olympic gold, the 2012 US Open and the 2013 Wimbledon title. 
 
Murray&#39;s brother Jamie, ranked doubles number one, quipped on Twitter: &quot;Just ordered my Thai takeaway decisively with the minimum of fuss. #thelendleffect.&quot; 
 
Doubles partner Bruno Soares picked up the theme: &quot;Feel like I&#39;m playing better already because Lendl is back with Andy, that&#39;s Jamie`s brother, that is my partner. #thelendleffect.&quot; 
 
Vesnina who plays mixed doubles with Soares replied back in June: &quot;Bruno, so logically, I should be the next who will be under #thelendleffect.&quot; 
 
And so it came to pass as she beat 19th seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 6-2 to Tuesday set up a semi-final showdown with world number one Serena Williams. 
 
&quot;You see, I have it now. I need to speak about that with Bruno ... That&#39;s definitely the Lendl effect,&quot; she told reporters, laughing. 
 
&quot;I am in the semi-final of Wimbledon. There is something in it.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

Tennis players took to the social media hashtag after Andy Murray started his winning run since rehiring his old coach, Ivan Lendl

What started as a social media joke seems to hold some special powers - #thelendleffect is working. It began after world number two Andy Murray rehired his old coach Ivan Lendl last month, and immediately began a nine-match winning streak on grass to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals. The return of the Czech eight-times grand slam champion prompted much talk from pundits about the quick impact on Murray's game after their relationship the first time round netted the Scot the 2012 Olympic gold, the 2012 US Open and the 2013 Wimbledon title. Murray's brother Jamie, ranked doubles number one, quipped on Twitter: "Just ordered my Thai takeaway decisively with the minimum of fuss. #thelendleffect." Doubles partner Bruno Soares picked up the theme: "Feel like I'm playing better already because Lendl is back with Andy, that's Jamie`s brother, that is my partner. #thelendleffect." Vesnina who plays mixed doubles with Soares replied back in June: "Bruno, so logically, I should be the next who will be under #thelendleffect." And so it came to pass as she beat 19th seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 6-2 to Tuesday set up a semi-final showdown with world number one Serena Williams. "You see, I have it now. I need to speak about that with Bruno ... That's definitely the Lendl effect," she told reporters, laughing. "I am in the semi-final of Wimbledon. There is something in it." (Reuters)

This Wimbledon, everyone's feeling the magic of #thelendleffect

After a 48-minute battering at the hands of Serena Williams on Wimbledon&#39;s Centre Court on Thursday, the last words Elena Vesnina probably wanted to hear were &quot;see you later&quot;. 
 
World number one Williams was not joking, though, as she consoled the Russian at the net, as Vesnina&#39;s consolation for a very public tennis lesson was another encounter with not one, but two Williams sisters in the women&#39;s doubles. 
 
&quot;Serena even told me at the net, see you later.&nbsp;Not long to wait,&quot; 29-year-old Vesnina, partnering compatriot Ekaterina Makarova in the quarter-finals against Serena and older sister Venus, joked. 
 
&quot;It is a little bit strange.&nbsp;But that&#39;s what it is, you know.&nbsp;How to learn, how to actually try to play her serve, how to return her serve.&nbsp;She&#39;s, like, serving 129 miles per hour in the corner, it&#39;s really difficult to read.&quot; 
 
Unfortunately for Vesnina, her reading skills let her down for a second time on Thursday as she and Makarova were beaten in three sets by the Williams sisters. 
 
Vesnina, a three-times grand slam doubles winner, had battled through to a first major singles semi, but her challenge crumbled quickly as dropped her opening two service games. 
 
She managed only 21 points in a match that shaved three minutes off the previous quickest women&#39;s semi-final of the modern era in which Dinara Safina was obliterated by Venus Williams in 51 minutes in 2009. 
 
The Russian, the first unseeded woman to reach the semi-finals since Sabine Lisicki in 2011, never stood a chance against a fired-up Williams who will play Angelique Kerber on Saturday in a repeat of the Australian Open final. 
 
NO CHANCE 
Germany fourth seed Kerber, who stunned a nervy Williams in Melbourne to deny the American a record-equalling 22nd major title, may not want to listen to what Vesnina had to say. 
 
&quot;I felt like I had no chance today,&quot; the Russian told reporters. &quot;I think she has now a big, big chance to win her 22nd grand slam title.&nbsp;I think she&#39;s in the right mood right now.&quot; 
 
Asked whether it was just the Williams serve, that offered up only three points on Thursday, which was so tough, she said the American veteran has a cache of other weapons. 
 
&quot;Today for me was really difficult.&nbsp;She has one of the best forehand crosscourt returns.&nbsp;It&#39;s so fast, you cannot even finish your serve, then the ball&#39;s already passing you,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;Of course, the mental part.&nbsp;She&#39;s the strongest one with the mentality to play on the big courts, the big events, finals, semi-finals, grand slams.&nbsp;She&#39;s the best with this.&quot; 
 
Despite a chastening experience, Vesnina was far from downhearted, especially having risen from 122 in the rankings in February to be back inside the world&#39;s top 25 next week. 
 
&quot;If you&#39;re going to cry and be crazy after every loss, I think your nerves will be dead by the end of your career,&quot; she said. &quot;For me, it&#39;s just a magical tournament.&nbsp;I was in the semi-final.&nbsp;I had good wins.&nbsp;I was fighting. But it was all about Serena today.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Vesnina, a three-time grand slam doubles winner, managed to score only 21 points

After a 48-minute battering at the hands of Serena Williams on Wimbledon's Centre Court on Thursday, the last words Elena Vesnina probably wanted to hear were "see you later". World number one Williams was not joking, though, as she consoled the Russian at the net, as Vesnina's consolation for a very public tennis lesson was another encounter with not one, but two Williams sisters in the women's doubles. "Serena even told me at the net, see you later. Not long to wait," 29-year-old Vesnina, partnering compatriot Ekaterina Makarova in the quarter-finals against Serena and older sister Venus, joked. "It is a little bit strange. But that's what it is, you know. How to learn, how to actually try to play her serve, how to return her serve. She's, like, serving 129 miles per hour in the corner, it's really difficult to read." Unfortunately for Vesnina, her reading skills let her down for a second time on Thursday as she and Makarova were beaten in three sets by the Williams sisters. Vesnina, a three-times grand slam doubles winner, had battled through to a first major singles semi, but her challenge crumbled quickly as dropped her opening two service games. She managed only 21 points in a match that shaved three minutes off the previous quickest women's semi-final of the modern era in which Dinara Safina was obliterated by Venus Williams in 51 minutes in 2009. The Russian, the first unseeded woman to reach the semi-finals since Sabine Lisicki in 2011, never stood a chance against a fired-up Williams who will play Angelique Kerber on Saturday in a repeat of the Australian Open final. NO CHANCE Germany fourth seed Kerber, who stunned a nervy Williams in Melbourne to deny the American a record-equalling 22nd major title, may not want to listen to what Vesnina had to say. "I felt like I had no chance today," the Russian told reporters. "I think she has now a big, big chance to win her 22nd grand slam title. I think she's in the right mood right now." Asked whether it was just the Williams serve, that offered up only three points on Thursday, which was so tough, she said the American veteran has a cache of other weapons. "Today for me was really difficult. She has one of the best forehand crosscourt returns. It's so fast, you cannot even finish your serve, then the ball's already passing you," she said. "Of course, the mental part. She's the strongest one with the mentality to play on the big courts, the big events, finals, semi-finals, grand slams. She's the best with this." Despite a chastening experience, Vesnina was far from downhearted, especially having risen from 122 in the rankings in February to be back inside the world's top 25 next week. "If you're going to cry and be crazy after every loss, I think your nerves will be dead by the end of your career," she said. "For me, it's just a magical tournament. I was in the semi-final. I had good wins. I was fighting. But it was all about Serena today." (Reuters)

No escaping Serena for badly beaten Vesnina

Roger Federer saved three match points to beat Marin Cilic 6-7 (4/7), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11/9), 6-3 and reach a record-equalling 11th Wimbledon semi-final. 
 
The 34-year-old seven-time champion also claimed a new record for Grand Slam match wins of 307 as he made a 40th semi-final at the majors. 
 
His dramatic triumph was his 84th win at Wimbledon taking him level with Jimmy Connors and gave him a semi-final against Canada&#39;s Milos Raonic as he continues his pursuit of an 18th Grand Slam title and a record eighth All England Club crown. 
 
In a thrilling Centre Court confrontation, it was Federer&#39;s 10th career comeback from two sets down. 
 
It was a tie which saw him save three match points in a titanic fourth set as Federer became the oldest Wimbledon semi-finalist since 39-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1974. 
 
Federer fired 27 aces and 67 winners to avenge his semi-final loss to ninth seed Cilic in the semi-finals of the 2014 US Open. 
 
&quot;Marin is such a wonderful player and I knew I was in so much trouble in the third set and in the fourth,&quot; said Federer. 
 
&quot;I wasn&#39;t seeing his serves, he had one chance and took it and then I was down 2-0. He was playing very well and reading my serve and I couldn&#39;t read his.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I just tried to stay in the match and hoped for his level to drop and get a bit lucky. That happened and obviously the breaker was crazy.&quot; 
 
&quot;My legs and back were there and serving was key, plus mentally this will give me a hell of a boost.&quot; 
 
Federer carved out the only break points of the first set in the fifth game, both of which were saved by the giant Croatian. 
 
Serve dominated with the 27-year-old Cilic racing to a 5/0 lead in the tiebreaker and four set points soon after. 
 
Federer saved one but Cilic held his nerve to snatch the opener, leaving the Swiss facing the grim statistic that he&#39;d only taken one point off his opponent&#39;s first serve. 
 
His mood would have darkened knowing that he lost a set in which he had not faced a single break point. 
 
Cilic then showed him the way, breaking for a 2-1 lead and saving a break point in the fourth game when Federer dumped a return off a second serve into the net. 
 
Centre Court groaned when sentimental favourite Federer netted another routine backhand volley in the ninth game before two further uncharacteristic errors off the same wing in the 10th helped Cilic to a two sets lead. 
 
With his coach and 2001 champion Goran Ivanisevic looking on, Cilic looked to have Federer on the ropes, forcing the 17-time major champion into saving three break points in the seventh game of the third set. 
 
But Federer grabbed the lifeline when a fifth double fault by Cilic gave him a first break of the contest before the Swiss star unleashed a text-book backhand drive to secure the set in the next game. 
 
The fourth set, lasting just under an hour, veered from one drama to another. 
 
Cilic sent down his 19th and 20th aces of the afternoon to save break points in the fifth game. 
 
Federer then saved match point in the 10th game thanks to Cilic meekly going long on a return and another with his 18th ace in the 12th. 
 
The Swiss squandered two set points in the tiebreaker, the first with a ballooned forehand with the court at his mercy before he saved a third match point when Cilic netted a forehand of his own. 
 
Then it was Federer&#39;s turn to feel the pressure as two more set points came and went before Cilic played one loose forehand too many into the net and the semi-final was level. 
 
Federer had the momentum and broke for a 5-3 lead in the decider, racing to a famous victory with back-to-back aces. 
 
(AFP)

The 34-year-old seven-time champion also claimed a new record for Grand Slam match wins of 307 as he made a 40th semi-final at the majors

Roger Federer saved three match points to beat Marin Cilic 6-7 (4/7), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11/9), 6-3 and reach a record-equalling 11th Wimbledon semi-final. The 34-year-old seven-time champion also claimed a new record for Grand Slam match wins of 307 as he made a 40th semi-final at the majors. His dramatic triumph was his 84th win at Wimbledon taking him level with Jimmy Connors and gave him a semi-final against Canada's Milos Raonic as he continues his pursuit of an 18th Grand Slam title and a record eighth All England Club crown. In a thrilling Centre Court confrontation, it was Federer's 10th career comeback from two sets down. It was a tie which saw him save three match points in a titanic fourth set as Federer became the oldest Wimbledon semi-finalist since 39-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1974. Federer fired 27 aces and 67 winners to avenge his semi-final loss to ninth seed Cilic in the semi-finals of the 2014 US Open. "Marin is such a wonderful player and I knew I was in so much trouble in the third set and in the fourth," said Federer. "I wasn't seeing his serves, he had one chance and took it and then I was down 2-0. He was playing very well and reading my serve and I couldn't read his. "I just tried to stay in the match and hoped for his level to drop and get a bit lucky. That happened and obviously the breaker was crazy." "My legs and back were there and serving was key, plus mentally this will give me a hell of a boost." Federer carved out the only break points of the first set in the fifth game, both of which were saved by the giant Croatian. Serve dominated with the 27-year-old Cilic racing to a 5/0 lead in the tiebreaker and four set points soon after. Federer saved one but Cilic held his nerve to snatch the opener, leaving the Swiss facing the grim statistic that he'd only taken one point off his opponent's first serve. His mood would have darkened knowing that he lost a set in which he had not faced a single break point. Cilic then showed him the way, breaking for a 2-1 lead and saving a break point in the fourth game when Federer dumped a return off a second serve into the net. Centre Court groaned when sentimental favourite Federer netted another routine backhand volley in the ninth game before two further uncharacteristic errors off the same wing in the 10th helped Cilic to a two sets lead. With his coach and 2001 champion Goran Ivanisevic looking on, Cilic looked to have Federer on the ropes, forcing the 17-time major champion into saving three break points in the seventh game of the third set. But Federer grabbed the lifeline when a fifth double fault by Cilic gave him a first break of the contest before the Swiss star unleashed a text-book backhand drive to secure the set in the next game. The fourth set, lasting just under an hour, veered from one drama to another. Cilic sent down his 19th and 20th aces of the afternoon to save break points in the fifth game. Federer then saved match point in the 10th game thanks to Cilic meekly going long on a return and another with his 18th ace in the 12th. The Swiss squandered two set points in the tiebreaker, the first with a ballooned forehand with the court at his mercy before he saved a third match point when Cilic netted a forehand of his own. Then it was Federer's turn to feel the pressure as two more set points came and went before Cilic played one loose forehand too many into the net and the semi-final was level. Federer had the momentum and broke for a 5-3 lead in the decider, racing to a famous victory with back-to-back aces. (AFP)

Comeback king Federer beats Cilic, reaches 11th Wimbledon semi-final

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