2013 Tennis Thread

Federer double bagels Zverev in Halle

World number three Roger Federer whitewashed German wildcard Mischa Zverev 6-0 6-0 in just 39 minutes on Friday to set up a Halle Open semi-final with fellow 30-something and defending champion Tommy Haas.
The 31-year-old Swiss, without a title so far this season, was in spectacular form on Halle's grass courts as he dished out a double bagel for only the second time in his career.
"I feel sorry for Mischa," said 31-year-old Federer, preparing to defend his Wimbledon crown later this month.
"This is not really how I want to win my games, it is a bit uncomfortable," added the five-times Halle champion who was runner up to Haas last year. "Now I need to switch from today's match to tomorrow's difficult encounter."
The 35-year-old Haas, who is shooting up the rankings after enjoying an injury-free season, had a much harder time against Frenchman Gael Monfils and battled into the last four with a 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3 win.
The former world number two failed to earn a single break point in the first set but twice got the better of Monfils in the next two sets as his serve improved and he got more aggressive.
A sizzling trademark one-handed backhand down the line gave the German a 4-2 lead in the third and the chance to serve out the match two games later.
"I managed to stay patient even after going a set down," Haas, up to 11th in the world after his French Open quarter-final run and his Munich victory in April, said.
"It is these matches you are looking forward to," said Haas ahead of the rematch with Federer. "He is one of the best players of all time, maybe even the best ever but I am really looking forward to it."
Last year's victory was Haas' first against Federer since 2002.
Frenchman Richard Gasquet, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, showed his skills on grass as he beat Germany's Florian Mayer 6-3 7-6(4) to set up a semi-final against Mikhail Youzhny of Russia.

Halle Open men's results

Quarter-finals

Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) beat 6-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) 6-3 6-2

3-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Gael Monfils (France) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3

2-Richard Gasquet (France) beat 8-Florian Mayer (Germany) 6-3 7-6(4)

1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Mischa Zverev (Germany) 6-0 6-0
 
16-year-old Vekic to face Hantuchova in Aegon Classic final

16-year-old Donna Vekic reached the final of the Aegon Classic in Birmingham after defeating 16th seed Magdalena Rybarikova 7-6(5) 1-6 6-3.
Teenager Vekic overcame the blustery conditions and falling 4-5 down to take the first set on a tie-breaker against the 2009 champion.
Rybarikova rallied to claim the next set at a canter but the rain delay at the end of the second appeared to suit Vekic, who turns 17 in two weeks, as she re-found her composure to seal the deciding set 6-3 with a wonderful backhand winner from behind the baseline.
“I am just going to enjoy every second, if I win that’s great but I have lots more years to play and lots more titles to win,” said Vekic.
“The support here has been amazing. They helped me a lot today. The crowd was really, really good. I think they wanted me to win and I’m happy that I made them happy. So hopefully they will support me tomorrow as well.”
Vekic will face former world number five Daniela Hantuchova in the final, who overcame Alison Riske.
“I thought she played really well, she is a difficult player,” said Hantuchova. “I was a little bit unlucky in the first set but I am really happy that I turned it around. Tomorrow is another day. I have to give it my best.”
Riske had controversially upset another former champion Sabine Lisicki 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 in a rain-delayed quarter-final earlier on Saturday.
Lisicki claimed that Riske should have been penalised for shouting "come on" just four points before the end of the match but she lost a ten-minute argument with the umpire and match referee before succumbing to the American.
That win was in vain for Riske though as Hantuchova reached a second Aegon Classic final in three years courtesy of a 5-7 6-1 6-4 win in just over two hours.

WTA Birmingham

Semi-final

Donna Vekic (Croatia) beat 16-Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 7-6(5) 1-6 6-3

Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat Alison Riske (U.S.) 5-7 6-1 6-4

Quarter-final

Alison Riske (US) beat 5-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 7-6(2) 2-6 6-4
 
Federer fights back to beat Haas, will meet Youzhny in Halle final

World number three Roger Federer edged closer to his first title of the season when he beat defending champion Tommy Haas 3-6 6-3 6-4 at the Halle Open on Saturday to book a spot in Sunday's final.
Roger Federer edged closer to his first title of the season when he came from a set down to beat defending champion Tommy Haas 3-6 6-3 6-4 and book a place in Sunday's Halle Open final against Mikhail Youzhny.
After a patchy start on Saturday the Swiss looked sharp on the grass as he prepares for his title defence at Wimbledon later this month.
Federer, five-times champion at Halle, will take on Russian Youzhny, who outclassed former Wimbledon semi-finalist Richard Gasquet of France 6-3 6-2.
"I felt good out there, and as I had predicted it was a tough match," Federer, the world number three, said in a courtside interview.
"I have not won a title this year, twice I have lost here in the final in the past years. It will not be easy but I am really looking forward to it."
Federer's unusually erratic forehand earned 35-year-old Haas his first break points at 3-2, and another long crosscourt forehand by the Swiss gave the world number 11 a two-game cushion.
Haas, whose 2012 Halle final win over Federer was his first in 10 years against him, saved two break points at 5-2 to serve out the set when Federer pushed another forehand long.
The tables were turned in the second set, with Federer racing to a 3-0 lead after breaking Haas, whose injury-free season has seen him win in Munich and reach the French Open last eight.
After drawing level, Federer went 3-1 up in the decider when Haas double-faulted twice in a row, and the 31-year-old clinched victory on his second match point.
Youzhny, who has lost all 14 past encounters against Federer, enjoyed a more comfortable afternoon, breaking Gasquet early on to race to a 4-1 lead in the first set.
Two quick breaks in the second took him away from the Frenchman, and the world number 29 wrapped it up in just under an hour for his first final appearance of the year.

Halle Open men's results

Semi-final

1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat 3-Tommy Haas (Germany) 3-6 6-3 6-4

Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) beat 2-Richard Gasquet (France) 6-3 6-2
 
Murray beats Tsonga to reach final

Top seed Andy Murray recovered from a set down to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6 6-3 6-2 in a rain-delayed AEGON Championships semi-final at Queen's Club.
Local favourite Murray now faces champion Marin Cilic in Sunday's final after the fifth-seeded Croat triumphed 6-4 4-6 6-2 against Lleyton Hewitt who was bidding to roll back the years by winning a fifth Queen's title.
After persistent showers kept the players off court for most of the day, Britain's twice champion Murray emerged into the evening gloom to find fourth seed Tsonga playing aggressive tennis of the highest calibre.
The US Open champion was outclassed in the opening set and faced two break points in the seventh game of the second as the big-hitting Frenchman tightened the screw.
Murray, however, managed to get a handle on the Tsonga serve that had bamboozled him in the early stages and turned the encounter on its head, quickly gaining the psychological edge to extend his winning run over his opponent to seven matches.
Having missed the French Open with a back injury, Murray is still easing his way back to full fitness and will be pleased to have come through a testing workout against a player who battled to the semi-finals at Roland Garros this month, beating Roger Federer on the way.
"I'm much happier," the Scot told reporters. "I said yesterday you don't always come into this tournament with high expectations because you haven't had that long to prepare and it's always a tough draw here.
"With the situation I was in, this week has gone well. I have had a good win today against a top player and, providing I get some good practice next week and don't take my eye off the ball and just be content, I have had a good week here."
Cilic finally overcame unseeded Australian Hewitt in a match that began on Centre Court but was shunted to neighbouring Court One when organisers realised there was little hope of finishing both semi-finals on the main arena.
With rain forecast for Sunday, the prospect of a Monday finish is looming but the court switch still frustrated Hewitt.
"It was all weird," he said. "I think the ATP Tour guy panicked under pressure.
"I think he has to take a lot of the blame because there has not been another drop of rain since."
The 32-year-old Hewitt was attempting to become the oldest player to win at Queen's but Cilic proved an awkward opponent.
The Croat's steepling serve bounced high off the skiddy turf, pushing Hewitt out of his comfort zone, and his low slice prevented the veteran attacking with his usual gusto.
Yet after losing the first set, Hewitt scrapped his way back into the match in the second.
While some of the old dynamism has gone, the fiery competitive streak that led the Australian to world number one and two Grand Slam titles in his heyday was still on show as he frequently queried calls and pointed accusing fingers at linesmen.
Tempers flared in the second set when Cilic felt Hewitt's persistent jibes were beginning to have some influence.
The normally placid Croat shouted 'he's putting pressure on your calls' when umpire James Keothavong overruled a linesman in Hewitt's favour.
Cilic kept his head and then piled on some pressure of his own, racing away with the deciding set.
The fifth seed has an 8-1 losing record to Murray including a straight-sets defeat at Wimbledon last year.
"He plays well here," Murray said. "He's won nine matches in a row and he's beaten some top grasscourt players this week.
"He's one of the top 10 grasscourt players in the world, I would say."

Men's singles semi-final results

1-Andy Murray (Britain) beat 4-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 4-6 6-3 6-2

5-Marin Cilic (Croatia) beat Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 6-4 4-6 6-2
 
Johnson claims Nottingham title, Baltacha into women's final

American Steve Johnson celebrated his first grass court title at the Aegon Nottingham Challenge on Saturday with a wild card into Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, British number one Elena Baltacha will face Slovenian seventh seed Tadeja Majeric in the women’s singles final on Sunday.
Baltacha, 29, who won the Aegon Nottingham Challenge crown in 2011, will feature in her first decider since undergoing foot surgery last year after easing past Italian fourth seed Nastassja Burnett 6-0 6-4.
“It is quite amazing really, I’ve not played for nine months and I just feel it is my tournament,” Baltacha said.
“I can't put it into words how happy I am to be in this final - especially in Nottingham, a place which is very special to me as this is my third final here.”
The Aegon Team GB star blitzed the world number 136 by taking the first set in 23 minutes.
Burnett started brightly in the second and broke the Scot early. But it was just the first twist, as neither one of them managed to hold their serve in four successive games.
Baltacha eventually composed herself to go 5-4 up, and then broke the right-hander for the third time in the set to seal the win.
The Scot was quick to pay tribute to her support staff for getting her to the final.
“All the work I have done with Nino (Severino), Louie (Cayer), Ben Haining and Alisdair Jones feels like it is paying off,” Baltacha said.
“Alisdair has played a massive part in my recovery. I did my rehab with him, and he is with me this week which has been so important. This morning I was feeling a little bit battered and Alisdair really came to the rescue and patched me up.”
Elsewhere, Majeric brought qualifier Miki Miyamura’s remarkable run to the last four to an abrupt end with a 6-0 6-4 win.
The world number 135 suffered an early exit in the Aegon Trophy at the same venue a week early, beaten by Briton Tara Moore.
The Slovenian’s form reversal was clear as fought her way past second seed and Aegon Trophy champion Petra Martic in Friday' quarter-final.
In the men’s final, Johnson fought back from a break down in both sets to overcome the Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium 7-5 7-5 in less than 90 minutes.
It is Johnson’s second ATP Challenger tournament win and first outside of America after he claimed his maiden crown in Aptos, California, in 2012.
Johnson knew that victory at the Nottingham Tennis Centre could see him follow Australian Matthew Ebden, who claimed the Aegon Trophy at the same venue six days earlier, into Wimbledon.
“It means a lot to me. It is only my second tournament on grass and to come here and win it, play five good matches like I did and beat a player like Ruben is special,” Johnson said.
“That was a tough final, and to start with I felt I was fighting myself a little bit – I was uptight and nervous, it is my first grass court final, there were a lot of points and stuff on the line that people may not realise.”
Johnson said he was suffering from the fatigue of his first European campaign during the Aegon Trophy, as he bowed out in the second round to eventual finalist Benjamin Becker who then went on to the quarter-finals of the Aegon Championships as The Queen’s Club.
Now, the big-hitting American hopes to capitalise on his surge of form on the biggest grass stage of them all.
“Last week I was feeling a little tired and fried, and now to come out here and put a week together like this gives me a lot of confidence going into Wimbledon,” Johnson said.
Bemelmans, who looked in control of proceeding when serving for the first set at 5-4, praised Johnson for his combination of power on the forehand and momentum swinging slice game.
“I played well today, but Steve has a really big forehand and he puts a lot of pressure on you - once you are under pressure it is tough to get out,” Bemelmans said.
"I was feeling well and playing well, I was up in both sets. It was unfortunate for me as he played great on all the big points - all credit goes to him.”

Aegon Nottingham Challenge results – Saturday 15 June

Men’s singles - Final

S Johnson (USA) d R Bemelmans (BEL) 7-5 7-5

Women’s singles – Semi-finals

E Baltacha (GBR) d [4] N Burnett (ITA) 6-0 6-4

[7] T Majeric (SLO) d [Q] M Miyamura (JPN) 6-0 6-4
 
Halep claims maiden title in Germany

Simona Halep won her first WTA title in Nurnberg with a 6-3 6-3 win over Andrea Petkovic on Saturday.
The world number 58 from Romania took the title in one hour and 24 minutes, using a strong long ball game to best the German.
Home hope Petkovic, competing in her first final in two years, is a former top 10 player whose ranking has dropped to 109th in the world thanks in part to a string of injuries.
Seventh-seed Halep dropped just one set en route to victory in Germany.
 
Vekic denied first WTA title by Hantuchova

*******-year-old Croatian Donna Vekic was denied her first WTA title as she lost 7-6(5) 6-4 to Daniela Hantuchova in the Aegon Classic final in Birmingham on Sunday.
Vekic, the youngest player in the top 350 in the rankings, fell in her second final of the year as Hantuchova's greater experience edged her to her first title at the Wimbledon warm-up event at Edgbaston, having been runner-up in 2011.
"She played a very good match and deserved to win," London-based Vekic, who is trained by Tim Henman's old coach David Felgate, said afterwards.
"This was my second WTA final and I'm still only 16. Things have gone fast so far in my career but I'm hoping when I make my third final I will win it.
"But it's been a great week considering it was my first grasscourt event on the WTA Tour. Now I'm really looking forward to Wimbledon."
Vekic, ranked 89th in the world, showed her mettle to break the Hantuchova serve in the eighth game after losing her own to a double fault, going on to take the former world number five into a tie-break.
Slovakian Hantuchova, 30, then pounced in the 10th game of the second set to claim her sixth career title.
All eyes will be on Vekic, who reached her first WTA final in Tashkent last year, when she makes her Wimbledon main draw debut this year.
 
Federer battles back to clinch Halle Open title

World number three Roger Federer clinched his first title of the season when he battled back from a set down to beat Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 6-7(5)6-3 6-4 and win the Halle Open on Sunday.
Federer, who has now won the Wimbledon warm-up event on grass six times, needed to dig deep for his 77th career title and extend his head-to-head with Youzhny to an impressive 15-0.
"I have won a lot in my career but not recently," said Federer, whose last tournament win was in August 2012 in Cincinnati. "I am happy it worked for me today.
"I was satisfied with my game in the past 10 months. Maybe people thought I was playing badly. That was not the case. I was playing well but when it mattered the others were just better. Today it worked well," he said in a courtside interview.
The 31-year-old won three break points in the first game but Youzhny's powerful serve got the world number 29 out of early trouble.
The Russian, who defeated three seeded players en route to the final, held serve and matched Federer's skill on grass with hammering groundstrokes.
Federer, who has now beaten Youzhny five times at Halle since 2002, saved a set point at 5-6 but conceded another in the tiebreak for the Russian to take the lead with a well-placed volley.
Federer improved his first serve and refused to buckle, finally getting his first break when Youzhny double-faulted for 5-3 before he served out the second set.
The Swiss patiently waited for his next break opportunity and got it after a sizzling exchange of groundstrokes, Federer going 4-3 up and holding serve to clinch his maiden 2013 title after two hours and two minutes.
"He just played better," said Youzhny, whose battling spirit won him a lot of crowd support. "In fact he has been playing better all my life."
Wimbledon starts a week on Monday.
 
Brit Baltacha claims Nottingham title

Elena Baltacha won her first title since returning from career-threatening injury, beating seventh seed Tadeja Majeric in the Aegon Nottingham Challenge final 7-5 7-6(7).
Baltacha came from behind in both sets to wear the world number 135 down in under two hours and reclaim the title she held in 2011.
Her last tournament win at the Nottingham Tennis Centre was also the last time she clinched a title.
It was an emotional triumph for the 29-year-old, who spent more than eight months out of the game and came close to calling it quits.
"There is something about Nottingham, this is the third time I've won a title here and I've never lost a final,” she said.
“It is a very, very special place - it is magic for me to be honest.
"It means absolutely everything to me. I was pretty much bawling my eyes out.
"To think I actually nearly retired after the Olympics nearly a year ago. To then have ankle surgery, then go through rehab, I can’t believe how far I’ve come in such a short space of time. Having already scored two top 100 wins is incredible and now I’ve got this title.
"To come back and play tennis like that, consistently in five matches this week, was such amazing feeling – it is such a special win.”
The Aegon Team GB Fed Cup star called on every good omen she could in the first set as she struggled to contend with Majeric’s combination of stunning winners, sleek court movement and knack for producing the unbelievable.
From double faulting the first serve of the match, Baltacha failed to hold her first three service games. Her only response was to break the Slovenian to make it 1-3, and even then Baltacha dropped her next service game.
It wasn’t until Majeric was 5-1 up that the Scot finally held her first serve.
The Slovenian was then broken as she served for the first set. Baltacha fought on, saving two set points at 3-5, and then blitzed the 22-year-old to claim the see-sawing set 7-5.
Whatever momentum Baltacha thought she had at that stage was ripped from her as Majeric then broke the Brit in the first game of the second set.
The seventh seed held service before Baltacha wrestled the match back in her favour, going 5-2 up in another blistering display. At 5-3 up, Baltacha served for the match for the first time, and twice had championship point snatched from her by the unrelenting Majeric.
The Slovenian clawed her way back from the brink once again, taking the set to a tiebreak.
Neither one of them managed to take control early. The Slovenian had one set point at 6-5 in a see-sawing spectacle that summed up the battle, before the world No. 217 sealed victory.
“It was so exciting to be part of something like that – credit to her because she was unbelievable out there,” Baltacha said.
"At this point of my comeback, a tough match like that is something I really needed - I needed to get pushed hard to find things out about myself.
"One of the things I’ve definitely picked up on is that I’m stronger - I'm mentally stronger, my heart seems to be bigger and my stomach can tolerate much more now, which is exciting for me moving forward.
"I am going to Eastbourne and Wimbledon with the best form I possibly can. I couldn’t have had a better week getting ready for it."
Majeric, who fell in the first round of the Aegon Trophy at the same venue a week earlier, praised Baltacha’s fighting spirit.
“I played good out there, we both did,” Majeric said.
“It was a pretty interesting match - I was up 5-1 and lost the first set and then she was up 5-2 and I had a great comeback, but still she won it.
“I had my chances to win it, but still it has been a very good week for me heading into Wimbledon qualies.”
 
Murray wins third Queen's title

Top seed Andy Murray capped his return from injury by winning the Aegon Championships title at Queen's with a 5-7 7-5 6-3 victory over defending champion Marin Cilic.
After a three-hour rain delay to the start of the match, Murray added the 2013 title to those he won in 2009 and 2011 when Cilic netted a forehand after nearly two-and-a-half hours.
"I've worked very hard in the time that I had off and got myself back in the best shape possible," said Murray.
"My team helped me a lot, they were patient with me and it's why I was able to come out and play so tough in the last couple of matches.
"Marin is one of the best grass court players in the world. We've played each other since juniors and we've had a lot of close matches. I was lucky to come through at the end because he was playing such good tennis."
Murray made a blistering start to the match, breaking in just the second game with a cross court forehand winner off a shorter, defensive ball from Cilic.
At 4-2 up the Scot looked to be cruising towards the first set only to throw in a poor seventh game and allow Cilic to break back, Murray netting a forehand to concede his serve.
Things looked to be getting even worse for the world number two when he went down heavily on the baseline in the next game, slipping while trying to change direction and staying down for a while after the fall.
Cilic took the next two points to hold and fully level up the first set before breaking again in the 12th game and going on to serve out the opening set with a backhand winner.
Murray cut a distracted, frustrated figure in the early stages of the second set before eventually starting to enjoy some success against the Cilic serve in the sixth game.
But he could not take advantage of break points in that game and was ****** to wait until the 13th before he made the breakthrough; stealing the Croat's serve to take the second set and level the match.
The final set was a one-sided affair, Murray cruising through his own service games before breaking in the fourth after a series of missed ground-strokes from Cilic.
A sensational running forehand passing shot winner across court at full stretch earned Murray more break points two games later, although he was unable to take either of them, while a match point followed in the seventh game.
Credit should go to Cilic, not only for battling back in the first game after being comfortable outplayed in the opening few games, but also for continuing to fight right until the very end.
The Croat saved the first match point with a big serve that Murray could only return into the net before going on to hold and ***** the Scot to serve it out.
Which is exactly what Murray did. An inside-out forehand approach shot winner across court earned the top seed two more match points before he sealed victory and wrapped up the title on the second when Cilic's defence finally broke down.
 
Radwanska, Haase through at Den Bosch

Urszula Radwanska progressed into the next round of WTA Den Bosch after she cruised past Olga Govortsova 6-2, 6-0.
Radwanska lost to Russian Nadia Petrova in last year's final but took just a little over fifty minutes to dispatch Govortsova.
Also in action were Michaella Krajicek and Anabel Medina Garrigues - both of whom recorded straight sets wins.
Krajicek beat Silvia Soler-Espinosa 7-5, 6-4 while Medina Garrigues overcame Kiki Bertens 6-1, 6-2 in one hour and six minutes.
Meanwhile, in the men's event, world number 58 and home hope Robin Haase was victorious in a match that was just shy of the two hour mark.
Haase battled back from a set down to beat Argentine Leonardo Mayer 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 at Autotron Rosmalen.
Daniel Brands beat another local hope Jesse Huta Galung 6-3, 6-2.

Den Bosch women's round one results

Michaella Krajicek (Netherlands) beat Silvia Soler Espinosa (Spain) 7-5 6-4

7-Urszula Radwanska (Poland) beat Olga Govortsova (Belarus) 6-2 6-0

Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) beat Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) 6-1 6-2

Den Bosch men's round one results

Daniel Brands (Germany) beat Jesse Huta Galung (Netherlands) 6-3 6-2

Robin Haase (Netherlands) beat Leonardo Mayer (Argentina) 4-6 6-1 6-4
 
Britain's Edmund wins first Tour match to progress at Eastbourne

Britain’s Kyle Edmund won his first ATP Tour match as he defeated Kenny de Schepper 6-4 6-4 in the first round in Eastbourne.
Edmund, a wildcard, sealed his progression at the grass-court Wimbledon warm-up tournament in 64 minutes, capitalising on two of his seven break points on the Frenchman’s serve.
De Schepper, the world number 82 – ranked 360 places higher than his opponent – could not muster a single break point opportunity on the Brit’s serve on centre court in front of an ecstatic crowd.
Edmund will next face another Frenchman in the shape of second seed Gilles Simon, with the world number 17 representing a significantly stiffer challenge for the 18-year-old from Yorkshire.
The way the Brit closed out his first ATP Tour win with a service hold to love capped a stunning performance with just nine points lost on his serve in the entire match.

ATP Eastbourne results

Fernando Verdasco (Spain) beat 6-Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) 1-6 6-3 6-2

7-Andreas Seppi (Italy) beat Guillaume Rufin (France) 3-6 6-3 6-4

8-Fabio Fognini (Italy) beat Grega Zemlja (Slovenia) 6-7(6) 6-2 6-4

Albert Ramos (Spain) beat James Blake (U.S.) 6-2 6-4

Kyle Edmund (Britain) beat Kenny De Schepper (France) 6-4 6-4

Ryan Harrison (U.S.) beat Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) 6-4 2-6 7-6(4)

ATP s'Hertogenbosch results

Evgeny Donskoy (Russia) beat 3-John Isner (U.S.) 6-7(3) 6-3 6-4

Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) beat 6-Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 6-2 6-4

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) beat 7-Victor Hanescu (Romania) 6-4 6-3

Andrey Kuznetsov (Russia) beat 8-Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) 7-6(4) 6-3

Paolo Lorenzi (Italy) beat Thiemo de Bakker (Netherlands) 7-6(2) 7-6(4)

Roberto Bautista (Spain) beat Stephane Bohli (Switzerland) 3-6 7-6(5) 7-6(12)
 
Watson progresses in Eastbourne, Ivanovic out

British number two Heather Watson made a winning start to WTA Eastbourne as she beat Varvara Lepchenko of the USA 6-3 6-4 in their first-round match.
Watson, ranked at number 57 in the world, dropped her serve early on but ****** her way back in determined fashion to overcome the American in 86 minutes.
While British number one Laura Robson begins her campaign at the grass-court warm-up event on Tuesday, Watson was the highlight of the centre court action as she defeated the world number 27 – in what was their first meeting on tour - with three breaks in the match.
The 21-year-old struggled with her serve at times with five double faults, but she did enough to progress through to the last 16, where she will take on Elena Vesnina after the Russian upset seventh seed Ana Ivanovic.
Ivanovic had led their head-to-head record 2-0, having defeated the Russian in straight sets in Cincinnati and Rome three years ago, but she suffered a three set 2-6 6-4 6-3 defeat having lost the opening set.
Robson takes on Yuliya Beygelzimer of Ukraine - the world number 187 - on Tuesday as she continues her preparations for Wimbledon.

WTA Eastbourne results

6-Maria Kirilenko (Russia) beat Bojana Jovanovski (Serbia) 7-6(5) 6-1

Elena Vesnina (Russia) beat 7-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) 2-6 6-4 6-3

Heather Watson (Britain) beat Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) 6-3 6-4

Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) beat Christina Mchale (U.S.) 6-3 6-4

Marion Bartoli (France) beat Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 6-3 6-2

WTA s'Hertogenbosch results

2-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Spain) 6-1 6-7(5) 7-6(3)

3-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) beat Johanna Larsson (Sweden) 6-3 6-2

Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) beat 5-Mona Barthel (Germany) 7-5 1-6 6-2

Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) beat 8-Kristina Mladenovic (France) 6-4 6-4

Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Arantxa Rus (Netherlands) 7-5 6-2

Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) beat Ayumi Morita (Japan) 3-6 6-2 6-4

Simona Halep (Romania) beat Annika Beck (Germany) 6-1 2-6 6-3

Irina Begu (Romania) beat An-Sophie Mestach (Belgium) 6-7(6) 6-3 6-4

Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) beat Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan) 7-5 4-6 7-5

Lauren Davis (U.S.) beat Andrea Hlavackova (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-4
 
Baker wins in qualifying, British pair fail

Jamie Baker became the first Brit to win through the opening round of Wimbledon qualifying with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 win over Matteo Viola.
Baker, a wildcard who also qualified for last week’s tournament at the Queen’s Club before bowing out in the first round, roared back from a set down to beat the number 17 seed.
The 26-year-old admitted he initially struggled against his Italian opponent, who at 138 is world ranked 166 places above him, but he grew into the match at the Bank of England grounds in Roehampton.
“The grass was a bit slower than I expected it to be, so my game plan at the start was not quite working,” he told the Wimbledon website.
“It took me a bit of time to figure that out and I had to be a bit more aggressive than I was at the start, the court wasn’t doing as much for my shots as I hoped it would be but I had to get him rushing.
“He’s very good when he’s on the baseline and controlling the points and at the start I was doing too much running, by the end I’d reversed that.”
Both men struggled to hold serve in windy conditions, but Baker thrived from the back of the court and ended up serving out for the match at 5-4 up in the third set having recovered admirably.
“These tournaments are really tough, everybody in here’s ranked a lot higher than I am so every match is tough,” Baker added. “Getting through the first one and getting comfortable. Once you do that it sets you up for the next one.”
On the neighbouring court, fellow Brit Alex Bogdanovic beat Marek Semjan 7-6(5) 6-3 to secure his progression with an impressive win over his Slovak opponent, but Lewis Burton and Josh Goodall fared less well in their qualifying campaigns.
German Dustin Brown took just 52 minutes to dispose of Burton 6-4 6-3, while Goodall was sent packing by Australia’s Samuel Groth 6-4 7-6(6) in 78 minutes.
 
SW19 holds no fear for Radwanska any more

Wimbledon can hold no fear for Agnieszka Radwanska this year, after she survived all the way to the final last July.
Having got her maiden Grand Slam final out of the way, conquering her nerves and taking eventual winner Serena Williams to three sets, the Polish world number four is feeling relaxed about returning to the All-England Club next week.
"Everything around the final was a huge, huge thing and for me it was the biggest day," Radwanska told Reuters as she prepared for Wimbledon at the Eastbourne grasscourt tournament on Monday.
"It was such a big difference from other finals I've played before and I think it doesn't matter if you win or lose a grand-slam final it's just a great experience, one of the biggest experiences of my life, and hopefully I will have more opportunity to be in major finals."
Radwanska, who has dyed her brown hair blonde in time for Wimbledon and is known as "Aga" to her friends, smiled as she recalled how she felt when she was preparing for last year's final.
"Every match like that is a huge experience and now I know how it is to go on court and play this big match," said the 24-year-old, who was struck down by a throat infection on the eve of last year's final.
"Everything around it, and even the day before, everything was huge and of course (there was) a lot of adrenalin those days.
"I was really nervous before and also on court as well but I think now I know how it is and I think I will go on court feeling more relaxed than before."
Grass has long been Radwanska's favourite surface, even though it was ***** to her until midway through her teens.
"I don't have any grass courts in my home town in Poland so I was playing on synthetic grass for many years," said the former world number two who hails from Krakow.
"It was a little bit similar, it has a low bounce and it was a little bit faster, but my first time on grass was when I was playing junior Wimbledon.
"The first time I played on grass I was 16 and just after the first practice I said I really like that surface and I really enjoyed every point."
Her enjoyment showed: Radwanska won the Wimbledon girls' title that year, 2005.
This year has thrown up another surface that Radwanska particularly enjoys - clay. A fortnight ago, she reached her first French Open quarter-final, losing to Italian Sara Errani.
"I was very excited about that, and another quarter-final in a Grand Slam is a very good result for me so I was very happy about that," said Radwanska who has made it into the last eight of every Grand Slam except the US Open.
Hard work ahead of the clay season had paid off, she said.
"I was trying to do a lot of fitness and doing a lot of things off court. I was really preparing a lot before the Grand Slam."
A quick trip home, lots of phone chats with younger ****** Urszula, who is playing in Den Bosch this week, and the older Radwanska was ready to switch to grass.
"It's always hard when you are changing the surface after a couple of weeks but it's good," she said.
As for Wimbledon, she is just determined to enjoy being back.
"There's always a bit of pressure when you are defending a final (appearance) but I'm just trying not to really think about it, just enjoying playing on grass, enjoying Wimbledon - it's my favourite Grand Slam."
 
Ward beaten in Eastbourne

British number two James Ward was beaten 6-3 6-4 by Australia's Bernard Tomic in the first round at Eastbourne.
World number 64 Tomic has endured a difficult season and was ****** to retire from the French Open at the first round stage with a hamstring injury but was rarely stretched in what was a first meeting between the players.
Tomic broke the serve of world number 216 Ward to take a 5-3 advantage in the first set before holding to confirm the set, and it was a similar story in the second as it went with serve until the Australian secured a late break to wrap up the win in just over an hour.
The win was Tomic's first match in almost two months - his first since his ******, John, was charged with allegedly assaulting Bernard's former training partner, Frenchman Thomas Drouet, in May.

ATP Eastbourne results

Julien Benneteau (France) beat 5-Kevin Anderson (South Africa) 7-6(4) 6-2

Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) beat Marinko Matosevic (Australia) 6-3 6-2

Ivan Dodig (Croatia) beat Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) 6-3 6-4

Martin Klizan (Slovakia) beat Viktor Troicki (Serbia) 6-3 6-2

Bernard Tomic (Australia) beat James Ward (Britain) 6-3 6-4

Feliciano Lopez (Spain) beat Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) 7-6(3) 7-6(5)
 
Ferrer stunned by Malisse in Netherlands

World number four David Ferrer suffered a shock first round loss to Xavier Malisse at the Topshelf Open in s'Hertogenbosch.
The Spaniard's preparations for Wimbledon were dealt a big blow as the veteran Belgian recorded a 7-6 6-3 victory.
The 33-year-old former Wimbledon semi-finalist took the opener 7-3 in the tie-break after there were no breaks of serve.
The first break of the match came in the eighth game of the second set as defending champion Ferrer dropped his serve to love and Malisse, now ranked 60th in the world, completed the job in 88 minutes.
Ferrer was riding high following his first Grand Slam final appearance at Roland Garros and followed fourth seed Benoit Paire out of the tournament.
It takes the tally of seeds eliminated to six after John Isner, Marcos Baghdatis, Victor Hanescu and Daniel Gimeno-Traver crashed out on Monday.
Second seed Stanislas Wawrinka survived though as he defeated Steve Darcis 7-6(5) 6-4.

ATP s'Hertogenbosch Round 1 results

2-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Steve Darcis (Belgium) 7-6(5) 6-4

Jan Hernych (Czech Republic) beat David Goffin (Belgium) 6-3 3-6 7-6(4)

Nicolas Mahut (France) beat Ricardas Berankis (Lithuania) 6-1 6-4

Xavier Malisse (Belgium) beat 1-David Ferrer (Spain) 7-6(3) 6-3

Michael Llodra (France) beat 4-Benoit Paire (France) 3-0 (Paire retired)

5-Jeremy Chardy (France) beat Lucas Pouille (France) 7-5 6-4

Marius Copil (Romania) beat Rogerio Dutra Silva (Brazil) 6-7(4) 6-4 6-2

Lu Yen-Hsun (Taiwan) beat Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France) 6-1 7-6(3)
 
Robson sets up Wozniacki clash at Eastbourne

Laura Robson set up a second round clash against Caroline Wozniacki at Eastbourne after winning her opener at the Aegon International.
The British number one had little trouble disposing of Yulia Beygelzimer, as some good serving set her up for a 6-3 6-2 win over the Ukrainian.
Robson will be hoping for revenge after having lost to the Dane at the French Open earlier this month.
Former world number one Wozniacki also cruised into the last 16 when defending champion Tamira Paszek retired.
The Dane, watched by boyfriend Rory McIlroy, was 6-2 2-2 ahead when the Austrian quit with a leg injury.
The top seed Agnieszka Radwanska is out of the tournament though as she lost 7-6(2) 6-2 to up-and-coming American Jamie Hampton.
On court two, 2011 Wimbledon champion and fourth seed Petra Kvitova swept aside Monica Niculescu 6-4 6-1 despite the Romanian saving a stunning 14 break points.
British wild card and local hope Johanna Konta had no answer to Su-Wei Hsieh, losing 6-4 6-3 to the Taiwan player. British number three Konta is at a career-high ranking of 137 and was a break up in the second set before unravelling.
There was better news for Elena Baltacha as she enjoyed a 7-5 7-6 (7-3) win over Kristyna Pliskova. Baltacha is in good form after having won in Nottingham last week.
2011 French Open champion and second seed Na Li defeated Alize Cornet of France 6-2 6-4 and she will next face former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli next.
2011 US Open champion Sam Stosur found a welcome bit of form as she beat eight seed Nadia Petrova 6-2 6-3 after benefiting from a wild card into the tournament.
In s'Hertogenbosch, Daniela Hantuchova, who was fresh off her first WTA grass court title in Birmingham on Sunday, was ****** to retire when trailing Lesia Tsurenko 5-0 in the opening set of their first round encounter.
The Slovak suffered a recurrence of the foot injury she picked up at Edgbaston.
Elsewhere top seed Roberta Vinci beat former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Kaia Kanepi 6-3 6-3.
The powerful Estonian has one of the quickest serves on tour but was broken three times in each set by the Italian.

WTA Eastbourne Round 1 results

Laura Robson (Britain) beat Yuliya Beygelzimer (Ukraine) 6-3 6-2

Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) beat Olga Puchkova (Russia) 6-3 6-0

Samantha Stosur (Australia) beat 8-Nadia Petrova (Russia) 6-2 6-3

2-Li Na (China) beat Alize Cornet (France) 6-2 6-4

3-Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-4 6-4

4-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat Monica Niculescu (Romania) 6-4 6-1

5-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) beat Tamira Paszek (Austria) 6-2 2-2 (Paszek retired)

Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) beat Johanna Konta (Britain) 6-4 6-3

Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) beat Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) 6-4 7-6(3)

WTA s'Hertogenbosch Round 2 results

7-Urszula Radwanska (Poland) beat Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 4-3 (Rybarikova retired)

Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) beat Irina Begu (Romania) 7-6(7) 6-2

3-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) beat Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) 6-3 6-4

Round 1

4-Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) beat Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 3-6 6-3 6-0

1-Roberta Vinci (Italy) beat Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) 6-3 6-3

Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) beat Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 5-0 (Hantuchova retired)
 
No SW19 return for Bogdanovic after qualifying exit

Alex Bogdanovic's disappointing Wimbledon record continued as he crashed out in qualifying to former top 50 player Evgeny Korolev.
Bogdanovic was awarded a wild card to the main Wimbledon draw for eight successive years between 2002-2009 but failed to win a single match at SW19.
He has not qualified for the main draw since and lost 7-5 2-6 6-3 to Korolev in the second round of this year's qualifiers at Roehampton.
David Rice and Jamie Baker were also hoping to move into the third and final qualification round but they too both lost.
Rice was beaten by two-time main draw participant Flavio Cipolla 6-3 6-4 while Baker fell to former world number 35 Igor Kunitsyn 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-4.
In the women's draw there were nine British players in the first round of qualification on Tuesday but only two of them kept their Wimbledon dreams alive.
Naomi Broady had a superb win as she disposed of Canada's Stephanie Dubois 6-2 7-6 (4) despite being 201 places below the world number 144 in the rankings.
While Jade Windley got the better of Tereza Mrdeza of Croatia 6-2 6-4 even though she was also over 200 places lower down in the rankings.
However, Katy Dunne, Lisa Whybourn, Amanda Carreras, Emily Webley-Smith, Anna Smith and Melanie South all crashed out.
 
Venus Williams withdraws with back injury

Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams has withdrawn from this year's event with a back injury.
The American has been struggling with the injury all season and has not won a match since April.
She lost to Laura Robson in straight sets at the WTA Rome event before crashing to Urszula Radwanska in the first round of the French Open.
She is currently ranked number 34 in the world.
“Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in Wimbledon this year," he wrote on her facebook page.
"I am extremely disappointed as I have always loved The Championships, but I need to take time to let my back heal.
"I look forward to returning to the courts as soon as possible, with my goal being to return to Mylan World Team Tennis on July 8th in Washington DC.
"Many thanks to my fans for the love and support and I will be seeing you very soon back on the courts."
Venus won her first Wimbledon title in 2000 with her most recent success coming in 2009.
 
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