2013 Tennis Thread

[Smallville22]

Ivanisevic beats Rusedski at Royal Albert Hall

Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic rolled back the years to beat Greg Rusdedski 7-6(2) 7-6(6) at the Statoil Masters Tennis, held at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
The Croatian then raced to the Hawthorns to watch his beloved West Bromwich Albion play at home to Manchester City only to see his side fall 3-2 to the 2011-12 Premier League champions.
The London crowd were left disappointed when Mark Philippoussis retired with a back injury during the evening session’s singles match against Tim Henman with the Australian 5-4 behind in the first set.
"It was really unfortunate," said Henman. "It's a great new surface this year and I think it really benefits the players.
“You feel like you can construct rallies out there. I think we played some good tennis at times. To end like that is really unfortunate for Mark, hopefully he can recover quickly."
Philippoussis added: "Obviously it’s not the way you want to finish on the court, especially for such a beautiful cause.
“It's a great event so it's incredibly disappointing. I was having a great time out there, it's a great court, so I hope I can rest it for a couple of days, and hopefully see if I can get out there on Friday.”

 

[adultuser10]

Re: 2013 / 2014 Tennis Thread

2014 U.S. Open: Caroline Wozniacki thriving after McIlroy split:

(CNN) - Caroline Wozniacki has had her critics in the past. A defensive game and not landing a grand slam title while she was ranked No. 1 provided fodder for her detractors.

But now everyone, it seems, is rooting for the Dane.

Why? Well, much of it must be down to the fact that Wozniacki was dumped -- and very publicly -- by golf sensation Rory McIlroy only months before they were due to tie the knot.

McIlroy ended the relationship in May, saying he wasn't ready for marriage, and the news left Wozniacki devastated.

She was visibly distraught as she spoke to reporters at the French Open soon after, and exited in the first round, her earliest loss at Roland Garros in seven years.



The Northern Irishman has since rediscovered his vintage form, claiming he is more focused, and has won two major titles and regained his No. 1 ranking.

Wozniacki has also picked up her game after a lengthy slump.

She's the favorite to reach the U.S. Open final from the bottom half of the draw after upsetting Maria Sharapova on Sunday. And whereas Wozniacki said earlier in 2014 she would like to become a young mother -- suggesting her tennis days were numbered -- her own focus is now solely on the court.

That Wozniacki is prospering in New York is slightly ironic -- it was where she was reportedly supposed to marry McIlroy in November. She's sure to return to the Big Apple that month, however, having decided following their split to run in the New York City Marathon.

Wozniacki has so far refused to discuss her relationship with McIlroy at the U.S. Open, not that any of the fans minded.

The crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium in her match against Sharapova was firmly behind the 24-year-old, leading her to gush afterwards: "The crowd was amazing today."

Her victory over Sharapova put Wozniacki into a first grand slam quarterfinal since the 2012 Australian Open.

"The season for me has been a little bit up and down," Wozniacki said. "And it's so nice to kind of start feeling like I'm playing the way I want to.

"This hard-court season has been amazing for me. I actually started already feeling really good on court since Eastbourne (in June). I have just been building on my game since then.

more here: http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/01/sport/tennis/us-open-caroline-wozniacki-tennis/index.html?hpt=hp_c3