On Tuesday, fans at Wimbledon’s Centre Court looked on as Serena Williams defeated Amra Sadikovic, Andy Murray defeated fellow Brit Liam Brody, Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Caroline Wozniacki, and Coco Vandeweghe beat Kateryna Bondarenko. For a complete list of results, you can go to Wimbledon’s website.
Center Court Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [3] vs. Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) - Round 1, 8am Twenty-seven-year-old Agnieszka Radwanska has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the world. She’s making her 11th appearance at Wimbledon, where she lost to Serena Williams in the finals in 2012, and fell in the semis in 2013 and 2015. She made it to the semis at the Australian this year, losing to Serena, and lost to Tsvetana Pironkova in the 4th round at Roland Garros.
(Coverage starts at 7am ET on ESPN, all times Eastern)
Yesterday saw Novak Djokovic take James Ward in straight sets, 6-0 7-6 6-4; Garbine Muguruza best Camila Giorgi, 6-2 5-7 6-4; and Roger Federer struggle to get past Guido Pella in straight sets, 7-6 7-6 6-3 – you can find the complete results here. Today we get the greatest female tennis player in the universe, as well as a hometown hero taking Centre Court.
Serena Williams (USA) [1] v Amra Sadikovic (SUI) 8:00am And so it begins: Serena Williams’ latest attempt to tie Steffi Graf’s Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam titles. Williams’ 2016 started by bailing midway through the Hopman Cup in deference to inflammation in her knees; then she fell in the finals of the Australian... Read More
(Coverage starts at 7am ET on ESPN, all times Eastern)
Wimbledon will be played for the first time in a long time without two of the sport’s brightest stars, Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal. Sharapova is awaiting an appeal of her 2-year ban from tennis for doping, and has decided to spend her newfound free time by enrolling in Harvard Business School, while Nadal is nursing the wrist injury that forced him to drop out of the French Open. But enough about who’s not playing, here’s a look at today’s Center Court action.
Novak Djokovic (SRB) [#1] v James Ward (GBR), 8:00am Rarely has men’s tennis been so dominated by a single figure as it is now by Novak Djokovic, winner of the won last five Grand Slam titles,... Read More
Mention the name Serena Williams in casual conversation and you’ll most likely hear some of the same adjectives again and again: fierce, tough, strong, competitive, aggressive, dominating, unbeatable. That last one is perhaps the most accurate. She’s the number one female tennis player in the world with 21 Grand Slam titles and counting, has won four Olympic gold medals, and holds more WTA titles than are possible to mention here. And she was the first woman to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year issue.
But the new, original EPIX documentary SERENA: The Other Side of Greatness, directed by Ryan White, offers a rare and revealing glimpse into the private life of an elite athlete like nothing we’ve seen before.
It’s a big day down under at the Australian Open, where they are packing in both women’s semi-final matches, plus one of the men’s at night. And let’s be honest, it’s that one men’s match that everyone is talking about – Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in their (gasp) 44th meeting. I’m already nervous.
First, though, let’s talk about who will likely meet in the women’s final on Saturday.
Serena Williams v Agnieszka Radwanska: I’d like to say Radwanska has a chance, but she’s only ever taken one set from Serena. She might be able to repeat it but she’s not winning this match. Sorry Aga!
Johanna Konta v Angelique Kerber: Few picked these two women to emerge from the bottom half of the draw, especially Konta, who had to... Read More
The second week of the Australian Open has begun, and all the men’s and women’s quarterfinalists are set. On both sides, you’ll see the usual suspects, plus a few surprises, but it’s still difficult to imagine anyone but Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic holding the trophies on Sunday. Until then, there are some great matches to play – and see. Here’s your quick guide tonight’s schedule.
Agnieszka Radwanska v. Carla Suarez Navarro: The Polish ninja takes on the scrappy Spaniard with the one-handed backhand. This is a tough one to call – the only sure thing is that whomever wins gets the unlucky reward of meeting Serena Williams in the semi-finals. Okay, we’re not totally sure that Serena’s going to win her match, but…
Serena Williams v. Maria Sharapova: Like... Read More
Serena and Venus Williams fought a bittersweet battle against each other to progress to the semifinals. A normally vocal Serena was quiet and reserved when it came to celebrating important and difficult points, careful not to rub it into her older sister’s face. But Venus did not go quietly: The first set belonged to Serena at 6-2, but the second set overwhelmingly went to Venus 6-1, forcing a third set, which Serena clawed her way to win 6-3.
Serena continues her quest to make history in the semifinals against Roberta Vinci (Italy), who she’s beaten all four times they’ve played, tonight at 7pm ET on ESPN.
Novak Djokovic defeated Feliciano Lopez (Spain) in a quick but aggressive match that stacked up 6-1, 3-6,... Read More
Another one bites the dust as Serena Williams tallies up another victory against Kiki Bertens (Netherlands). During her round 2 meetup, Williams stumbled upon occasion, but ended the match 7-6, 6-3.
She will go head-to-head with Bethanie Mattek-Sands (U.S.) at 7pm ET Friday.
In round two, Novak Djokovic faced a slightly tougher opponent than in round one, but still walked – or danced – away with the win over Andreas Haider-Maurer (Austria). With a close first set of 6-4, Haider-Maurer fell to the wayside with 6-1, 6-2 losses in the next two sets.
Djokovic will face number 25 ranked Andreas Seppi (Italy) in round three Friday morning.
Simona Halep defeats Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko who... Read More
The 2015 U.S. Open tennis tournament is proving to be all about the women. Or, rather, one woman: Serena Williams. While her chances of completing a calendar Grand Slam sweep seem likely, especially with fierce competitor Maria Sharapova out due to an injury, there are several other contenders that could give her a run for the title.
Williams breezed through round one with a swift victory over Vitalia Diatchenko (Russia). After two sets, both of which scored 6-0, Diatchenko retired from the match due to an injury. Williams is set to play Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) in the second round on Tuesday.
Like Williams, Simona Halep’s (Romania) match against Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) ended quickly after two sets – 6-3 and 2-0 – when Erakovic forfeited due to injury. Halep... Read More
7 Days in Hell premieres on HBO at 11pm on Saturday, July 11, and is available now to watch on demand.
As the real Wimbledon draws to a close, it’s a good time to look back at the greatest match ever played there. The greatest match in the history of tennis, for that matter: the 2001 Charles Poole/Aaron Williams match that stayed stuck in Deuce for seven excruciating days.
Of course, that match never happened, but the new HBO mockumentary Seven Days In Hell goes to great pains to make it look like it did, by using official HBO Sports iconography and personalities like Soledad O’Brien and Jim Lampley, commentary by real tennis stars Serena Williams, John McEnroe, and Chris Evert, and grave-sounding narration... Read More
Like the grass it’s played on, the Wimbledon tournament moves fast. The fortnight feels as if it just started, yet we’re down to just eight men and eight women in the draw. Tomorrow, all four Ladies' Quarterfinal matches are scheduled and there’s an intriguing mix of veterans and newcomers on the docket – and a potential for drama and delays with the rainy weather forecast (Centre Court has a roof; Court 1 does not).
First up on Centre Court is 2004 winner Maria Sharapova versus American underdog Coco Vandeweghe. Sharapova’s got the experience and the drive, but Coco’s serve is dangerous on this surface and could put just enough pressure on her opponent to pull off an upset. Plus, they’ve never played each other before and it’s easy to swing... Read More
