Daniel Nestor, Kristina Mladenovic win mixed doubles title

 

 London: Daniel Nestor of Canada and Kristina Mladenovic of France saved two match points, then went on to win the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon on Sunday by beating top-seeded Bruno Soares of Brazil and Lisa Raymond of the United States 5-7, 6-2, 8-6.
Nestor and Mladenovic, seeded eighth, saved their match points when trailing 6-5 in the third set on Centre Court. They then broke Soares' serve at 6-6 when Raymond and Soares hit back-to-back unforced errors into the net.
The win for Nestor was his third major mixed doubles title. The Canadian also won the Australian Open in 2007 and '11.

Daniel Nestor of Canada and Kristina Mladenovic of France saved two match points, then went on to win the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon.

How Andy Murray created history

 

 London: Andy Murray had Britain on tenterhooks on Sunday in a nerve- shredding 13-minute final game of the Wimbledon final before winning it to beat Serbia's Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 6-4.
Here is a point-by-point guide to the remarkable decisive game in which Murray earned and lost three championship points and Djokovic squandered three break points before the Scot triumphed to end Britain's 77-year wait for a Wimbledon men's singles champion.
* Having brilliantly broken for a 5-4 lead Murray looks calm and collected as he lines up to serve the most important game of his life.

Point-by-point guide to the remarkable decisive game in which Murray earned and lost three championship points

* Djokovic sends his backhand opening return beyond the baseline: 15-0.
* After netting his first serve Murray gets into a rally and after running down yet another ill-advised Djokovic drop shot he steers home a forehand winner: 30-0.
* Djokovic sends a service return long and suddenly Wimbledon is in dream land - three championship points for a British player: 40-0.
* A tense 12-shot rally ends with a crisp Djokovic volley: 40-15.
* Murray's tentative second serve comes flying back past him before he can react: 40-30.
* Another missed first serve and a long backhand means the lead has gone. More groans all round. Deuce.
* Murray looks tight and nets a forehand as the Serb top seed walks back to his mark with a wry smile. Advantage Djokovic.
* Murray responds with a big serve: Deuce.
* Djokovic plays another drop shot, this one catches the tape and crawls agonisingly over the net to drop dead and elicit a huge groan from the Centre Court crowd: Advantage Djokovic.
* A brilliant angled cross-court forehand by Murray brings it back to Deuce.
* Djokovic conjures up another unfeasible angle to flick another winner and bring up his third break point: Advantage Djokovic.
* Murray confidently dispatches a volley winner. Deuce.
* Another long rally, with rising oohs and ahs from the edgy crowd, ends with Djokovic netting a volley to give Murray a fourth championship point and lift the hordes on Henman Hill to their feet. Advantage Murray.
* No mistakes from Murray this time as he keeps the ball in play and Djokovic nets a backhand to give the Briton victory.

Andy Murray was better player in decisive moments, says Novak Djokovic

 

 London: Novak Djokovic tried drop shots. He tried volleys. He tried just about everything he could think of. None of it worked. The 2011 Wimbledon champion had no answers for Andy Murray on Sunday, and lost 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 on Centre Court at the All England Club.
"I mean, he was getting some incredible shots on the stretch and running down the drop shots. He was all over the court," said the top-ranked and top-seeded Djokovic, a six-time Grand Slam champion playing in his 11th major final and trying to win his second of the year. "He played fantastic tennis, no question about it. He deserved to win."
Although Djokovic struggled with his serve, he still managed to get up a break in the second and third sets. Both times, Murray broke back, and then broke again. Overall, Djokovic was 4 for 13 on break points, while the second-seeded Murray finished 7 for 17.

The 2011 Wimbledon champion had no answers for Andy Murray on Sunday, and lost 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 on Centre Court at the All England Club.

"The bottom line is that he was a better player in decisive moments," Djokovic said. "Both second and third sets, I was 4-2 up and dropped the serve in those games and just allowed him to come back for no reason."
Both Djokovic and Murray play defensive tennis, almost mirroring each other with their get-to-every-ball style of play. But Djokovic, a Serb who has been the best player in the world for the last two years, tried to do something to mix it up on Sunday, to make Murray uncomfortable at his home Grand Slam.
His efforts paid off for only brief moments. "He stands behind the baseline, and when he defends he goes far away. So I try to be aggressive and kind of use the whole court," Djokovic said. "But the volleys and drop shots didn't serve me well. He was getting all of them, basically." Murray started to notice more of those often pesky drop shots coming his way in the third set.
"He didn't do it that much I didn't think the first couple of sets. It was working and he was hitting them well, and that was probably why he continued to do it," said Murray, the first British man to win the Wimbledon title since Fred Perry in 1936. "It's a way of shortening points. And when you hit them as well as that, your opponent's running and you're just standing there really, so it worked well for him."
Djokovic took over the No. 1 ranking two years ago just by making the Wimbledon final. Once there, he beat Rafael Nadal, dropped to the ground and actually ate a blade or two of the Wimbledon grass. He said then that he wanted to see how it tastes.
This year, he leaves tasting defeat. "It's a very high level of tennis that we competed at today. I knew I had to be on top of my game in order to prevail in this match," Djokovic said. "I wasn't patient enough in the moments when I should have been, when I should have looked for the better opportunity to attack, and my serve wasn't as good as it was the whole tournament."

Proud of little brother Andy: Jamie Murray

 

 London: Former Wimbledon mixed doubles champion Jamie Murray congratulated his younger brother Andy for winning the men's singles title here Sunday.
World No.2 Andy Murray created history by becoming the first Briton since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the men's singles title at the All England Club. The 26-year-old Scot beat World No.1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in three hours and nine minutes to lift the Wimbledon title.
"What an incredible day!! So proud of my lil bro! What a champion!!" tweeted Jamie, who had won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 2007 with Jelena Jankovic of Serbia.

The 26-year-old Scot beat World No.1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in three hours and nine minutes to lift the Wimbledon title.

Five changes since the last British Wimbledon champ

 

 London: Five notable changes that took place in Britain in the 77 years that elapsed between Wimbledon titles for Fred Perry and Andy Murray, who ended Britain's drought on Sunday:
1. MANY BIRTHDAYS: Queen Elizabeth II was 10 at the time of Perry's victory in 1936 and still known as Princess Elizabeth. Her coronation was in 1953.
2. MANY WINNERS: A total of 39 different men representing 12 different countries won the men's title at Wimbledon, including one from the now-nonexistent country of Czechoslovakia (Jan Kodes).

Five notable changes that took place in Britain in the 77 years that elapsed between Wimbledon titles for Fred Perry and Andy Murray.

3. CHANGES IN PARLIAMENT: The office of Prime Minister exchanged hands 16 times. Some notables: Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher.
4. A NEW WORLD: More than a dozen countries in Africa, along with Hong Kong and large chunks of the Caribbean, including Jamaica, were granted independence from the British Empire.
5. PRICE IS RIGHT: Price for a grounds pass has gone from 3 shillings to 8 pounds ($12). The British stopped issuing shillings for circulation in 1967.

I worked hard in the last game, says Andy Murray after historic win

 

 Andy Murray cemented his place in the history books after his victory over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon men's final on Sunday. After winning the only coveted championship that had eluded him, an emotional Murray said the feeling will take time to sink in.
"This success would take time to sink in. I think winning the Wimbledon is the pinnacle tennis", said Murray after the victory.
The 26-year-old, who became the first Briton to win Tennis' biggest event since Fred Perry in 1936, said he worked upon his level of game for the final against Djokovic.

Cementing his place in the record books, an emotional Andy Murray said he had to work hard on his game.

"The last game almost increased that feeling. I worked so hard in that last game. It's the hardest few points I've had to play in my life. I still can't believe it. Can't get my head around that".

Queen leads Murray plaudits after historic Wimbledon win

 

 London: Queen Elizabeth joined politicians, sports stars and celebrities in congratulating Andy Murray on Sunday after he made tennis history by becoming the first Briton in 77 years to win the Wimbledon men's title.
Millions of tennis fans across the country were glued to their televisions as Murray took to Centre Court for his second Wimbledon final, facing the world No. 1 Novak Djokovic after he lost last year to Roger Federer.
At the All England Club in Wimbledon, up to 30,000 fans packed Centre Court and crowded on to a hill within the grounds recently retagged "Murray Mound" to watch the match live on a giant TV screen, chanting "Murray, Murray, Murray".

Queen Elizabeth joined politicians, sports stars and celebrities in congratulating Andy Murray on Sunday.

Waving Union Jack flags and sheltering from the blazing sun under umbrellas, the tension rose amongst the crowd on the hill as Murray took the first two sets against Serbian Djokovic and erupted when he won in a nail-biting finish.
In Centre Court's royal box, Prime Minister David Cameron cheered on the Scottish player alongside England striker Wayne Rooney, "Hangover" actor Bradley Cooper and Victoria Beckham, the ex-Spice Girl, who cracked a rare smile as Murray won.
"It was an amazing performance from Andy Murray but also an amazing day for British tennis and for Britain. He never gave up and it was magnificent," Cameron told BBC Radio 5.
Cameron earlier said he hoped Murray would add the Wimbledon title to the British and Irish Lions' win over Australia on Saturday which ended a 16-year wait for a series triumph.
One notable absentee from the royal box was the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, who watched Murray last year but is due to give birth to the future heir to the British throne.
Queen Elizabeth is not a tennis fan and last came to the tournament in 2010, her first visit in 33 years, but she was reported to have sent Murray a private congratulatory message.
Sports stars, celebrities and politician jumped on to Twitter to congratulate the 26-year-old Scot who is the first Briton to claim the title since Fred Perry in 1936 - and the first British to win the tournament wearing shorts.
"Pretty sure @andy_murray might have to change his twitter name to @sirandymurray ...... Well played and deserved!," tweeted retired US tennis player Andy Roddick who lost the final at Wimbledon three times.
"77th on the 7th of the 7th.. 2013. Cool," tweeted British actress Emma Watson, star of the Harry Potter films, referring to the fact that the number seven is considered lucky.
"Murray Mania" was running high before Sunday's match when tickets became like gold dust with website viagogo reporting one pair of tickets on sale for a record 71,000 pounds - over 320 times more than the 260 pound face value.
Some fans camped out for two days for the chance to see Murray play and were overcome with emotion when he won.
"I'm crying. This is just amazing. The best day ever," said Hannah Slater, 28, a management consultant from London.
"It's another good thing for the country. We had the London Olympics, we have a royal baby coming soon, and a win like this keeps us on a roll when times are hard," said Graham Bredbere, 47, a railway worker, from Hive in Kent.
The crowd chanted "Judy" as Murray leapt into the players' box to hug his longterm girlfriend Kim Sears, best friend Ross Hutchins who is battling cancer and his mother Judy who has been a constant presence during his career.
His mother broke down in tears and was heard to say "finally" as she hugged other supporters in the box.
As for Murray, he shied away from questions about whether he would drop his usual tea-total lifestyle to celebrate, after admitting that he brushed his teeth with face cream after celebrating his U.S. Open win last year with champagne.
He certainly was not going to get personal when asked if he would now pop the question to Sears and consider starting a family.
"I haven't thought about that yet," he told reporters.

Murray and Del Potro hang tough, Djokovic imperious

 

 London: Andy Murray's predicted stroll to the Wimbledon final became a hazardous obstacle course on Wednesday as he was forced to claw back a two-set deficit against Fernando Verdasco to join top seed Novak Djokovic in the last four.
The imperious Djokovic, the man Murray is expected to face in Sunday's final, swept past Czech Tomas Berdych 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3 to reach his 13th successive grand slam semi-final without dropping set.
Murray prevailed 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 to reach his fifth successive Wimbledon semi-final but will require soothing balm on his nerves, and some more for his army of fans, before taking on the 140mph serve of Jerzy Janowicz, Poland's first male Grand Slam semi-finalist, on Friday.

Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro, Novak Djokovic and Jerzy Janowicz progressed into the semi-finals.

Towering Argentine Juan Martin del Potro may need extra bandages for his battered left knee after a horrible tumble during fifth point of his quarter-final against David Ferrer looked like dealing him a cruel knockout blow.
The 24-year-old climbed off the deck, however, to pummel the Spanish fourth seed 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(5) with a performance reminiscent of those that took him to the 2009 US Open title.
Janowicz, a qualifier last year who has rocketed up the rankings, beat fellow Pole Lukasz Kubot 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 in an unlikely quarter-final that, had the tournament gone to plan, would have been between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.
The youngest of the eight quarter-finalist will now set his sights on Murray, hoping to wreck the second seed's hopes of becoming Britain's first men's Wimbledon champion since Fred Perry in 1936.
"Right now I'm the most happy person in the world," said the 22-year-old Janowicz, who launched 30 aces past Kubot to surpass the feat of compatriot Wojtek Fibak who lost four grand slam quarter-finals.
"I hope Andy will feel some kind of pressure. I'm sure he will feel some kind of pressure because Britain is waiting for the English champion in Wimbledon."
Murray, who is actually Scottish, is used to handling the pressure of being his country's only realistic Grand Slam hope and delivered a US Open title last year after losing his first Wimbledon final to Federer.
When the draw opened up after a first week of shocks and injuries, Murray's path to the final looked an enticing one.
But things are rarely that simple.
There were a few wobbles against Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round and he endured a full-blown crisis against unseeded Spanish left-hander Verdasco who blazed away with his serve and forehand to move two sets ahead.
Murray won the third with ease but twice had to fend off break points in the fourth before levelling the match in an electrifying atmosphere on Centre Court.
Verdasco refused to cave in, however, and a nail-shredding deciding set went with serve until Murray broke through at 5-5 and kept a cool head to serve out to love and spark wild celebrations around the grounds.
It was the seventh time in his career Murray has recovered from two sets down to win a match.
"I think I've learnt how to come back from tough situations more as I got older," said the 26-year-old who was watched by former Manchester United manager and fellow Scot Alex Ferguson.
"It's a great atmosphere to be playing in. I love it when it's like that. It was extremely noisy."
Six-times Grand Slam champion Djokovic had the tougher task on paper against the hard-hitting Berdych who had won their only previous match at Wimbledon.
He edged a high-quality first set but fell 3-0 behind in the second before finding the extra gear that so often comes to his rescue when faced with danger.
"It was toe-to-toe in the first set and one shot decided the first set," the 2011 champion said. "Even though I started poorly in the second, I still felt quite good on the court. Just really glad to go through in three."
Del Potro's medical team will be working overtime in the next 24 hours, especially as the eighth seed said he needs to be at 110 percent to have a chance against Djokovic.
"I'm not going to put my body at risk," he told reporters. "The doctors tell me with this tape and taking some anti-inflammatories you can play.
"If they say something different, I will think."
Del Potro looked down and out when his already-bandaged left knee crumpled as he tumbled chasing a wide ball.
Grimacing in pain the six foot six Argentine climbed up from the turf and after treatment and a pain-killing tablet unfurled his right arm to its full condor-like wingspan and began to pound French Open runner-up Ferrer into submission.
Such was the venom in his murderous forehand that any injury concerns were put aside as he struck 22 winners on that flank alone, including a screamer on match point.
"I was very close (to pulling out) because I felt a lot of pain in the beginning of the match. I twisted my knee once again and the doctor gave me some magic pills and I could finish the match," said Del Potro.
"I tried to be positive and played unbelievable tennis."

Lisicki favourite ahead of Wimbledon semi-finals

 

London: An improbable scenario that would have prompted a polite chuckle among tennis fans two weeks ago is set to play out on Thursday when Marion Bartoli, Kirsten Flipkens, Sabine Lisicki and Agnieska Radwanska do battle in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
The odds on those players making the last four were 33,379-1 at the start of the tournament but the early departures of Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka opened up the draw and Lisicki knocked out defending champion Serena Williams in the fourth round to blow it wide open.
Lisicki, the new favourite and bidding to become Germany's first grand slam singles champion since Steffi Graf in 1996, will take on last year's runner-up Radwanska. Awaiting the winner in the final will be French 15th seed Bartoli or Belgian Flipkens, a woman who has defied medical advice to continue a tennis career that came close to being destroyed by injury and illness.

Sabine Lisicki takes on Agnieska Radwanska in the women's singles semi-final at Wimbledon. (Getty Images)

Nicknamed "Flipper", she was languishing at 262nd in the world a year ago, after suffering blood clots in her legs that put her at risk of a pulmonary embolism or thrombosis.
She said she felt tired after a flight from Thailand and went to have it checked out before heading on to Tokyo.
"The doctor told me that if I had taken the flight I would have come out blue," she said.
Her fightback has been nothing short of extraordinary. Her freefall down the rankings left her in the tennis wilderness where she was not even deemed good enough to play in the qualifiers for last year's competition.
FIRST BELGIAN
She became the first Belgian to reach the last four at Wimbledon since Justine Henin in 2007 with a three-set victory over former champion Petra Kvitova.
Now all that stands between her and a place in the final is Bartoli, the 2007 runner-up to Venus Williams, whose punchy groundstrokes are tailor-made for grass. The Frenchwoman came through a bizarre rain-interrupted quarter-final that featured eight successive breaks of serve.
Lisicki is now tipped as the player most likely to lift the famous Venus Rosewater dish. Having ended Williams's hopes of a sixth title in arguably the biggest shock of a tournament filled to bursting with surprise results, she beat unseeded Estonian Kaia Kanepi in just 65 minutes to reach the last four.
Lisicki's career has also been dogged by injury - she dropped outside the world's top 200 in 2011 - but she is a potent force on grass. She possesses one of the fastest serves on tour and her Wimbledon record contrasts markedly with her performances in the three other grand slams.
She has a 18-4 record in singles at the All England Club compared to 16-15 at the Australian, French and US Opens. Lisicki reached the semi-finals in 2011 before losing to Maria Sharapova, but is feeling more positive this time around.
"I think this time I'm more ready," she said. "I just feel like I'm hitting the ball well. I think I'm moving well. I feel good.
"And having had the experience in the past, all that together helps me a lot."
Her semi-final opponent is no novice. Radwanska reached the final last year against the odds and surprised many still further by taking Serena Williams to three sets when everyone was predicting a mauling.
She is the highest remaining seed and shuns the hard-hitting muscular tennis that currently dominates the women's game for a more cerebral and wily approach

Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna, Sania Mirza go on court on Thursday

 

 London: Indians Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza will play their doubles matches at the All-England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon on Thursday.
First to go on Court One will be Bopanna with his French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin. They will be playing top seeds Bryan twins Bob and Mike in the men's doubles semi-final at 1200 hrs GMT (1730 IST).
After Bopanna's match, Sania and her Romanian partner Horia Tecau will get on to Court One to play their mixed doubles quarter-final. The No. 2 seeds will play Canada's Daniel Nestor and France's Kristina Mladenovic, the No. 8 seeds.

Indians Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza will play their doubles matches at the All-England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon on Thursday.

On Court Two, fourth-seeded Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek will play their men's doubles semi-final against 12th-seeded Croat Ivan Dodig and Brazilian Marcelo Melo after 11th-seeded Marcin Matkowski Poland and Czech Kveta Peschke finish their mixed doubles quarter-final against third-seeded Serb Nenad Zimonjic and Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik, starting at 1030 hrs GMT (1600 IST).

Marion Bartoli crushes Kirsten Flipkens to reach Wimbledon final

 

Marion Bartoli punches the air after winning a point during her semi-final victory. (Getty Images)
  

 London: Marion Bartoli wasted little time in advancing to her second Wimbledon final, dancing and grunting her way to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Kirsten Flipkens on Thursday. The 15th-seeded Frenchwoman jumped ahead 3-0 in the first set and broke early in the second for another 3-0 lead. Flipkens, a Belgian seeded 20th, was making her first semi-final appearance at a major tournament.
"I was hitting the ball very cleanly from the start, right away," said Bartoli, who won in 62 minutes. "I had some great passing shots and some great lobs. Everything was working so perfectly. To do that in the semi-finals of Wimbledon was an amazing feeling."
Bartoli also reached the final in 2007, losing to Venus Williams in straight sets. She next faces the winner of Thursday's other semi-final between fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and No. 23 Sabine Lisicki of Germany. Lisicki eliminated defending champion Serena Williams in the fourth round.

Bartoli was pumped from the start on Centre Court, mixing two-handed backhands and forehands with little hops between points, as she usually does.
In the first set, she faced only one break point, nearly putting Flipkens back on serve in the third game. But despite a double-fault and a backhand into the net to eventually get behind 30-40, Bartoli dug herself out of the hole and finished the game with the first of her five aces.
Flipkens, who again took the court with her right knee taped, called for a trainer after being broken for the second straight time at the start of the second set. The trainer added tape to the knee while Bartoli sat in her chair sipping water.
Whatever she needed, it briefly worked. Flipkens, after the medical timeout, broke for the first and only time, making it 3-1. But a few minutes later Bartoli broke again and held to make it 5-1.
"I think maybe she was a bit injured today," Bartoli said. "It must be hard for her to be injured in the semi-final of Wimbledon, but she deserved a lot of respect."
Bartoli is now 2-1 in Grand Slam semi-finals with both wins at Wimbledon. Six years ago, she beat another Belgian, top-seeded Justine Henin, in the semi-finals. But then she ran into Venus Williams, who that year won the fourth of her five Wimbledon titles.

Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna, Sania Mirza crash out of Wimbledon

File photo of Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna. (Reuters)

London: Indian challenge in the men's doubles competition of the Wimbledon ended on Thursday with both Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna losing their respective semi-final matches after being engaged in gruelling five-setters.
Bopanna and his French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin today gave the formidable US pair of Mike and Bob Bryan a scare before losing 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-3 5-7 6-3 in a battle that lasted for two hours and 48 minutes. Paes and his Cezch partner Radek Stepanek lost to 12th seeds Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Brazilian Marcelo Melo. The Croat-Brazilian pair won 3-6 6-4 6-1 3-6 6-3 after two hours and 55 minutes.
It is the experience of the US twins at this level of the competition that helped them blow away the Indo-French pair of Bopanna and Roger Vasselin in the fifth set of their semi-final match. A decisive 3-0 lead early in the final set sealed the match in favour of the Bryans despite a brave fightback from Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin.

In the ninth game when Bob Bryan was serving for the match, Bopanna with a fantastic down the line shot saved a match point but the left-handed Bob served brilliantly to close out on the match on the next match point. It started well for Bopanna and his French partner as they won the first on tie-breaker at 7-4. Bopanna did hit some booming aces. The Bryans did well to comeback in the next two sets as they broke serve once in the second set and twice in the third set to win them 6-3 and 6-4 respectively.

The Indo-French pair did well to get a break of serve in the fourth set that they won 7-5. In the decider, the Bryans broke the serve in the second game and held their serve on either side of the break to take a 3-0 lead which sealed the issue. Sania Mirza's unimpressive campaign at the Big W ended as she and her Romanian partner Horia Tecau lost to eight seeds Daniel Nestor of Canada and Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic in two-break sets in the mixed doubles quarter-final.
Nestor and Mladenovic won 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) with Mirza making a number of unforced errors in the second tie-breaker which cost them the match. Mirza and Tecau infact broke the opposition's serve in the second set only to lose the initiative and couldn't make any further inroads. Mirza's service also was a problem as Nestor repeatedly attacked her second serve while 20-year-old Mladenovic's net play was far better than her much senior Indian opponent.

Sabine Lisicki, Marion Bartoli reach Wimbledon final

 

 London: Sabine Lisicki advanced to her first Wimbledon final a couple of hours after Marion Bartoli reached her second. Lisicki, a 2011 semi-finalist at the All England Club, beat fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 2-6, 9-7 Thursday on Centre Court, overpowering her opponent at the start and then hanging on at the end.
"I just fought with all my heart," Lisicki said. "I believed that I could still win no matter what the score was."
Bartoli took control early and never let up in a quick 6-1, 6-2 victory over Kirsten Flipkens. Bartoli also reached the Wimbledon final in 2007, losing to Venus Williams in straight sets.

Sabine Lisicki advanced to her first Wimbledon final a couple of hours after Marion Bartoli reached her second.

Saturday's final will be the second at Wimbledon in the 45-year Open era between two women who have never won a Grand Slam title. Lisicki may have the edge in that match with a 3-1 record against Bartoli, including a quarter-final win at Wimbledon in 2011 in their last meeting.
Lisicki, who beat defending champion Serena Williams in the fourth round, dictated play in the first set by winning 22 of her 30 points on serve and breaking once. But her serve deserted her after that. Once the second set started, Radwanska came alive and Lisicki crumpled.
Lisicki lost all four of her service games, with the low-light coming in the final game of the second set. Leading 30-0, Lisicki lost four straight points, including two double-faults.
In the third, Lisicki was again broken early but finally held to make it 3-1 and then broke to get back on serve. Both players held serve until Lisicki got the deciding break in the 15th game when Radwanska hit a volley long.
"It's just one break," Radwanska said. "She was serving very well. So the one break on one side was a lot, and on other hand was not really."
A few minutes earlier, Radwanska had been two points from victory. The two were tied at 30-30 and later at deuce in the 12th game with Radwanska leading 6-5. "I had a lot of chances. Just two points from the match," Radwanska said. "Then she serve second serve like 100 miles per hour. Then, you know, it just turned the other way."
Lisicki said her big win over Serena Williams helped her on Thursday. "I thought, 'I've done it against Serena so you can do it today as well, just hang in there'," Lisicki said. "It gave me so much confidence and I'm just so, so happy I was able to finish it."
Bartoli wasted little time in her match, dancing and grunting her way to victory over the 20th-seeded Belgian who was playing in her first major semi-final. "I played great. I executed very well. I hit lobs, passing shots, winners, returns, everything worked out perfectly," said Bartoli, who won in 62 minutes. "When I fell on the grass after match point, it was just so emotional. I dreamed about that moment, about returning to the Wimbledon final."
Amelie Mauresmo, the 2006 Wimbledon champion who now coaches France's Fed Cup team, was in the stands for the early match and had plenty of praise for Bartoli. "She just played a great match, definitely the best match of the tournament for her," Mauresmo said. "Marion put huge pressure on her right from the beginning, first of all returning very well, serving better, which she had to do today."
Bartoli was pumped from the start on Centre Court, mixing two-handed backhands and forehands with little hops between points, as she usually does.
In the first set, she faced only one break point, nearly putting Flipkens back on serve in the third game. But despite a double-fault and a backhand into the net to eventually get behind 30-40, Bartoli dug herself out of the hole and finished the game with the first of her five aces.
"I tried my slices. She didn't have any problem with that," Flipkens said. "I tried the drop shot. She got it. I played a passing, she came to the net. I tried a lob. I tried everything, actually."
Flipkens, who again took the court with her right knee taped, called for a trainer after being broken for the second straight time at the start of the second set. The trainer added tape to the knee while Bartoli sat in her chair sipping water.
Whatever she needed, it briefly worked. Flipkens, after the medical timeout, broke for the first and only time, making it 3-1. But a few minutes later Bartoli broke again and held to make it 5-1.
"First of all, I'm not going to use it as an excuse, that's for sure. I mean, Marion played an amazing, good match," Flipkens said. "But I fell in the first set. Straightaway I didn't feel anything, but I fell on my bad knee. At that moment I didn't feel it, but a couple of games later I started to feel a really sharp pain like I had four weeks ago."
Bartoli is now 2-1 in Grand Slam semi-finals with both wins at Wimbledon. Six years ago, she beat another Belgian, top-seeded Justine Henin, in the semi-finals. But then she ran into Venus Williams, who that year won the fourth of her five Wimbledon titles.
On Saturday, Bartoli will be on relatively equal footing against Lisicki.
"It's a good opportunity. She has experience at least," Mauresmo said of Bartoli. "Maybe it's going to help her for the final."

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray face giant challenges

 

 Wimbledon: Wimbledon 2013 will be remembered as a tournament of shocks but unless giants Juan Martin del Potro and Jerzy Janowicz can chop Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray down to size, Sunday's men's final will be a showdown between the world's top two players. In a sport that plays on the psychologically vulnerable and demands supreme levels of physical endurance, the consistency of Djokovic and Murray in reaching the business end of grand slams is nothing short of remarkable.
When Djokovic takes to Centre Court to play Argentine Del Potro, it will be his 13th successive semi-final at a major, while Murray's match-up against Janowicz will be his fifth consecutive appearance in the last four at Wimbledon. Should they both win, it will be the third time in the last four grand slams that they have met in the final.
Their rivalry has usurped that of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal as the biggest draw in the sport and with the Swiss maestro and the Spanish matador having been dumped out early, two different faces will contest Friday's semis. Del Potro, a grand slam winner at the U.S. Open in 2009, is hardly an unknown, but Janowicz has emerged from obscurity and will enter the world's top 20 next week.

When Djokovic plays Del Potro, it will be his 13th successive semi-final at a major, while Murray's match-up against Janowicz will be his fifth consecutive appearance in the last four at Wimbledon.

Both players are imposing figures on court. Poland's Janowicz stands at 6-foot-8 and Del Potro is a mere two inches shorter. Both have booming serves and heavy duty forehands and both are distant outsiders to cause an upset - bookies have Djokovic a 1-6 favourite to beat Del Potro and Murray is 1-5 to end Janowicz's surprise run.
Del Potro will do well just to make it on court. After a nasty tumble in his third-round match, when he collided with a chair, he has played with heavy strapping around his knee. His quarter-final against David Ferrer looked like it was going to be over after just five points when the Argentine eighth seed slipped, over-extended the wounded knee and needed a medical timeout.
The emphatic way he came out hitting, however, pummelling forehands past one of the sport's best defensive players, showed that although his movement might be restricted, he remains a major threat as long as the ball is within range. "I'm not going to put my body at risk," he said. "The doctors tell me with this tape and taking some anti-inflammatories you can play. "If they say something different, I will think."
He will need to be 100 percent to have a chance against Djokovic. The only former champion in the last four has a 8-3 winning record against Del Potro, is one of the game's very best returners and will keep him working his wounded limb from start to finish. Some comfort for Del Potro is that he won their last meeting at the Indian Wells Masters in March as well as the bronze medal match on the Wimbledon lawns at last year's Olympics. Murray, looking to shed the millstone of becoming the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the Wimbledon title, faces a similar threat.
Janowicz, a qualifier last year who has rocketed up the rankings and beat compatriot Lukasz Kubot in straight sets in the last eight with the help of 30 sizzling aces. He is Poland's first male grand slam semi-finalist and, at 22, is the youngest man to reach the last four at Wimbledon since Murray in 2009.
"I hope Andy will feel some kind of pressure," he said. "I'm sure he will feel some kind of pressure because Great Britain is waiting for the champion of Wimbledon." The pair have played each other twice with U.S. Open champion Murray winning one and Janowicz the most recent encounter at the Paris Masters in November. "It will be a very tough match," Murray said. "He has a big serve. He's a big guy with a lot of power. He also has pretty good touch. He likes to hit dropshots and doesn't just whack every single shot as hard as he can."

Wimbledon 2013: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray enter the semi-finals

London: It was a sporting spectacle that was hard to match, as the American legend John McEnroe said, "The final point of the match said it all." World No.4 David Ferrer, who had run the No.8 Juan Martin del Potro ragged, then pulled him wide on his forehand, producing an angle that appeared a tad too sweet for the Argentinian battling on one leg.

The 24-year-old responded with a lunge, stretching to flick a forehand down-the-line that gave him game, set and match. Del Potro, 6 ft 6, the tallest man to win a Grand Slam in the open era, twisted his knee in the third game of the opening set, with Ferrer serving at 15-40. The Argentine lay sprawled on the court with a concerned Ferrer looking on.

For a while it appeared like Del Potro would pull out. The 2009 US Open champion, who admitted that thoughts of conceding the match did cross his mind as he lay on the ground, pulled himself up and returned to the court with a heavily taped knee.

The key was in the returning. In the final count, it was as much his serve as it was his returns, punishing and penetrating, that was responsible for the 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) result that came after 2 hours and 16-minutes of play.

"It was my best forehand of the match," Del Potro said of the stroke that put him in the semifinals, "I was in a lot of pain when I fell. The doctor bandaged my leg and gave me some magic pills (anti-inflammatories) that helped me continue.

He is a tough player to play, he never gives up, he's fighting all the time. I had to play my best tennis to beat the most consistent performer so far this season."

Next up for Del Potro, who has lost serve just twice in The Championships so far, is the world No.1 Novak Djokovic. The Serb beat the big-serving Czech Tomas Berdych 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-3 in another quarterfinal clash.

The last time Del Potro and Djokovic met at this venue was in the bronze medal play-off at the 2012 London Olympics in which the Argentine upset the Serb with his ferocious all-court game.

In another quarterfinal match, big-serving Pole Jerzy Janowicz, ranked 22, stopped his 130th-ranked countryman Lukasz Kubot 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

Murray comeback lifts home spirits

Andy Murray gave the home fans jitters as he came back from two sets down to book a place in the Wimbledon semifinals with an edgy 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 win over unseeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco on Wednesday.

Murray's hopes of ending Britain's 77-year wait for a men's Wimbledon champion were on the verge of being shredded as he found himself playing catch-up.

Murray, who has now reached five successive Wimbledon semis, will face Jerzy Janowicz in the last four.

 It was a sporting spectacle that was hard to match, as the American legend John McEnroe said, "The final point of the match said it all." World No.4 David Ferrer, who had run the No.8 Juan Martin del Potro ragged, then pulled him wide on his forehand, producing an angle that appeared a tad too sweet for the Argentinian battling on one leg.

The 24-year-old responded with a lunge, stretching to flick a forehand down-the-line that gave him game, set and match. Del Potro, 6 ft 6, the tallest man to win a Grand Slam in the open era, twisted his knee in the third game of the opening set, with Ferrer serving at 15-40. The Argentine lay sprawled on the court with a concerned Ferrer looking on.

For a while it appeared like Del Potro would pull out. The 2009 US Open champion, who admitted that thoughts of conceding the match did cross his mind as he lay on the ground, pulled himself up and returned to the court with a heavily taped knee.

The key was in the returning. In the final count, it was as much his serve as it was his returns, punishing and penetrating, that was responsible for the 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) result that came after 2 hours and 16-minutes of play.

"It was my best forehand of the match," Del Potro said of the stroke that put him in the semifinals, "I was in a lot of pain when I fell. The doctor bandaged my leg and gave me some magic pills (anti-inflammatories) that helped me continue.

He is a tough player to play, he never gives up, he's fighting all the time. I had to play my best tennis to beat the most consistent performer so far this season."

Next up for Del Potro, who has lost serve just twice in The Championships so far, is the world No.1 Novak Djokovic. The Serb beat the big-serving Czech Tomas Berdych 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-3 in another quarterfinal clash.

The last time Del Potro and Djokovic met at this venue was in the bronze medal play-off at the 2012 London Olympics in which the Argentine upset the Serb with his ferocious all-court game.

In another quarterfinal match, big-serving Pole Jerzy Janowicz, ranked 22, stopped his 130th-ranked countryman Lukasz Kubot 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

Murray comeback lifts home spirits

Andy Murray gave the home fans jitters as he came back from two sets down to book a place in the Wimbledon semifinals with an edgy 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 win over unseeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco on Wednesday.

Murray's hopes of ending Britain's 77-year wait for a men's Wimbledon champion were on the verge of being shredded as he found himself playing catch-up.

Murray, who has now reached five successive Wimbledon semis, will face Jerzy Janowicz in the last four.

Wimbledon 2013: Rohan Bopanna, Leander Paes, Sania Mirza keep Indian hopes alive

London: This time there will be two Indians competing in the men's doubles semifinals at Wimbledon on Thursday. While India's Rohan Bopanna and his French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin went through to the last four earlier on Tuesday, fourth-seeds Leander Paes and Czech Radek Stepanek completed their rain-interrupted match later in the evening.

Paes and Stepanek rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic and Frenchman Julien Benneteau, to set up a last four clash with 12th seeds Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Marcelo Melo of Brazil.

Bopanna and Vasselin go up against the top-seeds Bob and Mike Bryan who ousted India's Mahesh Bhupathi, who played his last match at Wimbledon on Tuesday, and Austria's Julien Knowle 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4).

There was more success for India in the mixed-doubles on Wednesday as the second seeds in the competition - India's Sania Mirza and Romania's Horia Tecau - and seventh seeds Bopanna and China's Jie Zheng - moved into the last eight.

Sania and Tecau blasted past American Eric Butorac and France's Alize Cornet 6-1, 7-5 in one hour. Sania served out the match for the second seeds, who now await the winners of the third round clash between Zimbabwe's Cara Black and Pakistan's Aisam Qureshi and eighth-seeds Daniel Nestort and Kristina Mladenovic.

Bopanna, playing with Jie Zheng, seeded seventh, came through 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-1 against Johan Brunstorm of Sweden and Katolin Marosi of Hungary.

Paes, Bopanna win their doubles matches to enter semi-finals

 

 London: India had a good day in the office as Rohan Bopanna secured his third Grand Slam semi-final berth while Leander Paes too sealed his place in the last four stage in the men's doubles competition at the Wimbledom here on Tuesday.
Bopanna and his French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin, seeded 14th, overcame a fighting Swede-Canadian pair of Robert Lidstedt and Daniel Nestor in a marathon five-setter 7-5 7-6 (3) 6-7 (4) 6-7 (3) 6-2 in the rain-hit match in two hours and 45 minutes at court number two.
Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin had knocked out third seeds Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil in their previous match.

India had a good day in the office on Tuesday as Rohan Bopanna secured his third Grand Slam semi-final berth while Leander Paes too sealed his place in the last four stage.

It will be Bopanna's only third Grand Slam semi-final appearance and first at Wimbledon, having played US Open last-four in 2010, when he ended runners-up to American twins Mike and Bob Bryan and in 2011 when he did not go beyond the semi-final stage.
Bopannaa and Roger-Vasselin had a match point in the fourth set but Lidstedt and Nestor saved that and stretched the set into a tie-breaker, which they won to force decisive fifth set.
An early break handed Bopanna and his partner a 3-1 lead and that stayed with them for a win in the end.
In another quarter-final duel, veteran Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek, seeded fourth, took two hours and 39 minutes to get the better 11th seeds Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia and Julien Benneteau of France.
Mahesh Bhupathi, who had announced at the beginning of the year that this would be his last ATP Tour, and Knowle lost to the Bryan twins from the US, Bob and Mike, in three straight tie-break sets, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4).

Kirsten Flipkens reaches 1st Grand Slam semi at Wimbledon

 

 London: Kirsten Flipkens was diagnosed with life-threatening blood clots in both her legs just over a year ago. On Tuesday, the Belgian reached the Wimbledon semi-finals.
"It's amazing, it's more than a dream come true to be in the semifinals of a Grand Slam, it's ridiculous," the 20th-ranked Flipkens said. "Last year I did not even get into the qualifying at Wimbledon. I was 260th in the world and today I am in the semifinals of Wimbledon. It cannot be better. I still cannot believe it. I am so happy I cannot imagine myself waking up. "
A former Wimbledon and US Open junior winner, Flipkens upset former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance. Playing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, she had only five unforced errors in a gutsy performance. She fell face first on the court and kissed the grass after closing out the match with an ace that was challenged by Kvitova.

A former Wimbledon and US Open junior winner, Flipkens upset former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance.

"I never expected this to happen in my life," she said. "Being in the semifinals of a Grand Slam, of the biggest tournament throughout the year, it has no words."
It was after a long flight in which Flipkens felt the acute pain in her legs and was diagnosed with her condition last April. As a result, she missed two months of competition and her ranking dropped to No. 262.
"Maybe I start to know what's important in life," said Flipkens, who wears glasses when she plays. "I think winning or losing a tennis match doesn't make a big difference. I mean, if you lose, you have a next tournament next week, so ... I just start to see things in perspective."
Flipkens, who had never advanced past the third round at Wimbledon before this year, is clearly on an ascending path. Now training with former World No. 1 and fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters, she reached the final at Rosmalen at her Wimbledon warm-up tournament after losing in the Australian Open fourth round to Maria Sharapova.
Thanks to her good run, she is now boasting a No. 20 ranking.
"I think I've been through a lot of ups and downs throughout my career," she said. "I've had so many injuries. Even after the juniors. I was a world champion junior. The year after I had a really bad back injury. All doctors said my career would have been over normally. But I'm just the kind of person that doesn't like to break, and I keep on fighting back every time. "
After downing the seventh-ranked Kvitova under the retractable roof of the Centre Court, Flipkens paid tribute to Clijsters, who had shared her emotions on Twitter after the win
"Still drying my eyes :-)) So proud of how @FlipperKF handled the big occasion for the first time!" Clijsters wrote.
Flipkens, who will next play Marion Bartoli of France gave credit to the former four-time Grand Slam winner for reviving her career.
"She's in America, but she's been there for me through the good and through the bad times," she said. "Of course, I have to thank her for still believing in me."
Flipkens became the first Belgian to reach the Wimbledon semis since Justine Henin in 2007. That year, Henin lost to Bartoli.
"I never played Marion, so I really have no idea," Flipkens said. "I don't really know what to expect."
The 15th-seeded Bartoli will be on her guard, too.
"She's behind me in the rankings, it's surprising to play her in the semifinals. But she beat Kvitova, she is extremely dangerous," Bartoli said. "She came to prominence very early in the juniors because she was very strong and won a lot of titles. Then she had a lot of injuries and was under a huge pressure in her own country because people saw her as Justine and Kim's heir. It must have been difficult to cope with that."

Marion Bartoli beats Sloane Stephens to each Wimbledon semis

 

 London: Marion Bartoli of France eliminated the last US player at Wimbledon on Tuesday, reaching her third Grand Slam semi-final by beating Sloane Stephens 6-4, 7-5 in a rain-interrupted, break-filled match.
The 15th-seeded Bartoli, the 2007 runner-up at the All England Club, was leading 5-4 with Stephens serving at deuce when they resumed after a 2½-hour rain delay. Bartoli won the next two points, the latter a 27-stroke exchange, to take the opening set.
That began a stretch in which Bartoli broke Stephens five consecutive times, four at love. After Stephens broke to get within 5-4, then held to 5-all, Bartoli took the last two games, including yet another break at love to end the quarterfinal.

Bartoli of France eliminated the last US player at Wimbledon on Tuesday, reaching her third Grand Slam semi-final.

In Thursday's semi-finals, Bartoli faces 20th-seeded Kirsten Flipkens, who defeated 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

Leg-weary Agnieska Radwanska in relaxed state of mind

 

 London: Good shoes, a relaxed mind after negotiating a perilous tournament for top seeds and her experience 12 months ago are standing Agnieska Radwanska in good stead for a tilt at another run to the Wimbledon final.
The Pole eked every last sinew of energy out of her aching legs to reach the semi-finals on Tuesday after finally dousing Li Na's flame with a battling 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-2 victory in a gripping Centre Court match.
Radwanska, her right thigh tightly strapped after a medical timeout at the start of the second set, and requiring attention to her left leg before serving for the match at 5-2 in the third, held her nerve to prevail after spurning seven match points.

Good shoes, a relaxed mind after negotiating a perilous tournament for top seeds and her experience 12 months ago are standing Agnieska Radwanska in good stead for a tilt at another run to the Wimbledon final.

Massage, treatment, rest and watching compatriots Jerzy Janowicz and Lukas Kubot clash in the men's quarter-finals on Wednesday are foremost in her plans before the fourth seed faces German Sabine Lisicki on Thursday.
"It's not really the injury. My legs are a bit overused. A lot of treatment and massage and I will be ready for the semi-final," she told reporters.
Radwanska came through another three-set battle with Tsvetana Pironkova on Monday having also been taken the distance by Madison Keys in the third round.
"A lot of tennis the last couple days, so it's been really tough," she said.
"Especially on grass, everything comes to your legs."
The Pole has, at least, not been getting as closely acquainted with the green turf as some at this year's championships with slipping and sliding players eyeing the courts with suspicion and scepticism.
"Just good shoes," came a smiling Radwanska's answer when asked how she was keeping a sure footing.
The 24-year-old has long been in the upper echelons of the women's game but it was not until last year that she reached her maiden Grand Slam final at the All England club.
Plenty wrote her off even before she even took to the court against Serena Williams but she made the nervous American work for her fifth Wimbledon title in three intriguing sets.
That experience is helping her maintain her focus this year.
"Being in the final of a Grand Slam, this is a very good experience. Especially that I'm in the semi-final of the same Grand Slam," she said.
"So I know how it is, what I have to do, you know, to be in the final again.
"The bigger pressure is in the first week. Now I'm just more relaxed. I will just go on court and try my best again without that big pressure."
Radwanska, at four, is the highest seed remaining after the demise of Williams, beaten by Lisicki in the fourth round, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova.
"I think it was huge surprise for everyone, I guess," she said of Serena's exit.
"The last couple of months she was winning pretty much everything."