International sports, Australian Open Tennis
Sydney, Australia (GenevaLunch) - Swiss star Roger Federer displayed his best tennis of the tournament as he swept past his countryman Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1,6-3, 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, 25 January. He conceded only one break-point as he put 70% of his serves in, and broke Wawrinka’s serve five times. Wawrinka was a shadow of the man who dominated Andy Roddick in the previous round but with Federer serving as well as he did there was little chance of an upset.
Links to other sites: Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Open, BBC
International sports, Australian Open tennis
Longest women’s match on record won by 30-year-old Schiavone
Sydney, Australia (GenevaLunch) - Canton Vaud’s Stanislas Wawrinka beat Andy Roddick in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. In the semi-finals he will meet Roger Federer, who came past Tommy Robredo 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
It is the first time two Swiss men have reached the quarters of a Grand Slam.
Wawrinka played a masterful match against the big serving American, dominating the rallies with his backhand and hitting more aces. In the top half of the draw, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray are looking in ominous form. Murray and Novak Djokovic easily beat their opponents but 4th seed Robin Soderling lost to Ukrainian Alexander Dolgopolov in five sets.
In the women’s draw, Maria Sharapova was knocked out by German Andrea Petkovic. The best match was won by Italy’s Francesca Schiavone who beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 1-6, 16-14. The match ended after 4 hours, 44 minutes, setting a record as the longest women’s Grand Slam match in the Open era, notes the Canadian Press news agency.
Schiavone is 30 years old, but playing better than she did in her younger years. The Sunday match was 14 minutes longer than the previous record, set in 2010, also in Sydney, when Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova beat Regina Kulikova.
She will meet top seed Caroline Wozniacki in the quarters.
Links to other sites: Australian Open, Swissinfo
International sports, tennis
Ouf! as Swiss player fends off tough Frenchman Simon
Melbourne, Australia (GenevaLunch) – Fans of Roger Federer watched with trepidation as their hero slipped past French player Gilles Simon in a match that saw the Basel player strong, then soft and finally a winner against a determined Simon.
Final score in Federer’s favour: 6-2 6-3 4-6 4-6 6-3. I hope I never have to play him again,” Federer said to reporters after the three hour 13 minute match.
International sports, tennis
Doha, Qatar, UA Emirates (GenevaLunch) - Roger Federer won his first tournament of 2011, and the 67th of his career, when he beat Nikolay Davydenko 6-4 6-4 in the final of the Qatar Open Saturday 8 January. Davydenko had earlier beaten world number one Rafa Nadal in the semi-finals.
Stanislas Wawrinka defeated Belgian Xavier Malisse to win the ATP Madras tournament in Chennai, India.
International sports, tennis
Madrid, Spain (GenevaLunch) - Rafael Nadal won the second of the two exhibition matches with Roger Federer 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 in Madrid 22 December after the Swiss player won the first in Zurich the previous evening. Both matches went to three sets of high class tennis but lacked the normal intense rivalry expected when the top two players in the world go on court. The real winners, “Unidos por la Infancia,” were the two charitable foundations set up by the players.
Links to other sites: Roger Federer Foundation, Rafael Nadal Foundation
International sports, tennis
O2 Arena, London, England (GenevaLunch) - Roger Federer rounded off one of his best weeks of tennis for some years with a masterful win over his Spanish rival, and current ATP number one, Rafael Nadal, in the end-of-season ATP World Masters series in London 28 November. The Swiss player won 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to follow up his 6-1, 6-4 crushing of Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. Rafa Nadal had a much harder time before edging out Andy Murray 7-6, 3-6, 7-6. Federer dominated the first set with immaculate serving, driving forehands and unusually aggressive whipped backhand shots. He dipped slightly in the second set but quickly took command in the final set as Nadal appeared to run out of energy and ideas.
International sports, tennis
London, England (GenevaLunch) – Roger Federer was on top of his form Tuesday evening 23 November, defeating Andy Murray 6-4 6-3 at the ATP World Tour finals. Federer showed beautiful form while, as the Guardian put it, “Murray searched in vain for something like his best form while his opponent gave a masterclass.” Federer lost only one point in his first five service games and polished off the struggling Murray in one hour 15 minutes, without conceding a break point.
Murray will now need to beat David Ferrer, who was defeated Sunday by Federer, to stay in the finals.
Diego Maradona, football star, met with Federer after the match.
International sports, tennis
O2 Arena, London (GenevaLunch) - Andy Murray looked in excellent form as he swept past Robin Soderling 6-2 6-4 in their round-robin match on the opening day of the end of season ATP World Tour Finals 21 November. Roger Federer also made short work of his match with David Ferrer, winning 6-1 6-4. The winners will meet Tuesday.
Paris, France (GenevaLunch) - Robin Soderling moved up from number 5 to 4 in the world after gracefully putting down Gaël Monfils 6-1, 7-6 Sunday 14 November to win the Paris ATP Masters. It is Soderling’s first ATP Master 1000 title and he is now gunning for a top spot at the O2 in London 21-28 November.
Monfils defeated Roger Federer the day before in a long fight, winning with three tie-break sets in 2 hours, 41 minutes: 7-6(7), 6-7(1), 7-6(4). It was Monfils’s first win over Federer in six encounters.
Links to other sites: ATP tennis, Guardian, Tennis Earth
Sunday’s hot shot, ATP
International sports, Swiss Indoors tennis
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Roger Federer won his fourth Swiss Indoors title Sunday 7 November when he beat last year’s winner Novak Djokovic 6-4 3-6 6-1.
The first two sets were balanced, with a single service break in each one, but Djokovic fell apart in the final set. Federer beat Andy Roddick 6-2 6-2 in the semi-final.
The results confirmed the Swiss star’s second place in the ATP rankings, behind Rafa Nadal. Djokovic is third with Scot Andy Murray next.
Federer was in dominant form all week, apart from a lapse in the second set of the final when his Serbian rival produced some wonderful shots.
The Bryan brothers won the Basel doubles final to end the season at the top of the rankings. David Ferrer won the final in the Valencia Open, beating Marcel Granollers 7-5 6-3 after beating Robin Soderling in the semi-final.
International sports, tennis and football
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Roger Federer strolled through his second round match in the Swiss Indoors championship, but his beloved local football team could not match his example on Wedesday 3 November.
The Swiss star, currently second in the ATP rankings, swept past Janko Tipsarevic 6-3 6-4 in one hour. He did not drop serve and won every point where his first serve was in court.
In other matches Andy Roddick beat fellow American Sam Querrey 7-5 7-6 and Tobias Kamke beat Tomas Berdych 6-4 6-1. Federer won his hometown tournament in 2006, 2007 and 2008 but lost in the final last year to Novak Djokovic.
The football did not go well for Basel as they went down 2-3 against Roma in the Champions League. Chelsea won against Spartak Moscow 4-1 but Arsenal went down 2-1 against Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk.
International sports, tennis
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Roger Federer eased into the second round of the Swiss Indoors tournament in his home town of Basel, losing only four points on his service. He beat Alexandr Dolgopolov in 6-4 5-2 when the Ukrainian was forced to retire after straining his ankle in a vain attempt to return an angled shot. Federer is seeking his fourth win in the tournament, after triumphing in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The Swiss star is currently second in the ATP rankings, more than 4000 points behind Rafa Nadal.
Danish player Caroline Wozniacki heads the women’s rankings despite the fact that she has yet to win a Grand Slam title.
International sports, ATP Masters tennis
Shanghai, China (GenevaLunch) - Scotland’s Andy Murray outplayed Roger Federer in the final of the Shanghai Masters to win 6-3 6-2, Sunday 17 October. Murray got off to a flying start when he chose to receive service and won the vital break in the first game. Federer could not win points quickly and ended up hitting too many unforced errors, including some embarrassing blunders as Murray forced him to play yet another shot. Federer had been in good form through the week, especially when beating Novak Djokovic in the semi-final. The Shanghai ATP Masters is the final big tournament before the end of season ATP World Tour finals which will take place in London.
Flushing Meadows, New York, USA (GenevaLunch) – Swiss tennis star Roger Federer Wednesday evening 8 September solidly defeated his nemesis, Swedish player Robin Soderling, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in the quarter-finals of the US Open tennis tournament. Tough wind conditions had most players complaining, but Federer said after the match that he enjoys playing in the wind, which gives him the opportunity to play differently.
Links to other sites: US Open video news report, Yahoo news
video, 5 minutes of match
International sports, tennis
Stan Wawrinka
Flushing Meadows, New York, USA (GenevaLunch) - Lake Geneva region’s own Stanislas Wawrinka defeated American player Sam Querrey 7-6 (9), 6-7 (5), 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in a long and tough fight Tuesday night 7 September.
For much of the match it appeared to be two equals battling it out. When Wawrinka eventually wore down Querrey, he ended US hopes of having a player in its own Open.
The 25-year-old Swiss player now has his first quarter-finals slot in a Grand Slam tournament. He and Roger Federer are both in the final eight, the first time Switzerland has had two players at this stage since 1968, when tennis became a professional sport.
Wawrinka began training 1 August with Swedish coach Peter Lundgren, Roger Federer’s former coach.
Links to: San Francisco Chronicle, US Open, Wawrinka site
Federer in top form at the US Open - Photo Rob Loud/US Open
(GenevaLunch.com) – Swiss tennis players Roger Federer and Patty Schnyder have reached the third round at the US Open.
Federer won 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 over Andreas Beck of Germany. He will now play Paul-Henri Mathieu of France.
“It’s the perfect start, sure. I played Monday, had two days off. I had another easy one physically today, and here I am in the third round feeling like I’m completely in the tournament,” Federer said.
On the women’s side, Patty Schnyder, now ranked 51, won over Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez from Spain 7-6, 6-4.
Schnyder’s reached quarterfinals at the US Open only twice in 1998 and 2008.
Two other Swiss, Stanislas Wawrinka and Marco Chiudinelli play on 3 September.
International sports, tennis
Flushing Meadows, New York, USA (GenevaLunch) – Roger Federer has made it past his first hurdle in the US Open, defeating Brian Dabul from Argentina 6-1 6-4 6-2 in a night match. But it wasn’t his overall win that captured the crowd so much as his third set winning shot, between the legs. The Swiss player told reporters afterwards that “I’ve only hit a few in my life. To do it twice at the US Open centre court… it’s amazing to share this moment with you guys.”
Links to other sites: BBC, Guardian, US Open
Video
International sports, tennis
Cincinnati, USA (GenevaLunch) - Swiss star Roger Federer took another step in his quest to seize back the ATP top ranking when he won the Cincinnati Masters 22 August, the last big tournament before the US Open.
Federer beat American Mardy Fish in a closely fought three sets, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4.
There was a single break of serve in the match and Federer only really showed his best form in the second set tie-break. It was Federer’s fourth win at the tournament, a record shared with Mats Wilander.
Links to other sites: Cincinnati Masters,CNN
International sports, tennis
Cincinnati, USA (GenevaLunch) - Mardy Fish won the all-American semi-final of the Cincinnati Masters against Andy Roddick 4-6, 7-6, 6-1 in a match that was twice interrupted by rain. Roger Federer continued to cruise through the tournament with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Marcus Baghdatis. The Cypriot lost his way in the second set when his normally reliable first serve went wayward. Federer has benefited from bye in the first round followed by two opponents abandoning. He also beat Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets.
The final will be shown on Swiss television and on Sky sports from 18:00 Sunday 22 August.
Links to other sites: TSR, CNN, cincytennis
International sports, tennis
Cincinnati, USA (GenevaLunch) - Roger Federer beat Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 7-5 to reach the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters. Two of his main rivals lost. Andy Murray was unable to fight the heat, fatigue and a solid Mardy Fish. He lost in three sets 6-7, 6-1, 7-6. Fish will now face fellow American Andy Roddick. Rafael Nadal, the ATP top ranked player, lost to unseeded Cypriot Marcus Baghdatis 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Baghdatis played an aggressive game and was helped by the many errors from Nadal. The Cypriot, ranked 20th in the world will next face Federer in a re-run of the 2006 Australian Open final.
Serena Williams, the top seed, has pulled out of the US Open with foot injury problems.
Links to other sites: Cincytennis.com, NY Times
International sports, tennis
Toronto, Canada (GenevaLunch) - The trophy is called the Rogers Cup but someone forgot to tell Andy Murray. The Scot powered past Roger Federer 7-5 7-5 to take the tournament after beating Rafa Nadal in the semi-final. Federer was satisfied with his performance in the tournament, which serves as a warm-up for the US Open. He beat Novak Djokovic in the semi-final to claim back his second place in the ATP rankings.
Toronto, Canada (GenevaLunch) – Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer is back in the game and in top shape. Federer beat Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina 7-6(7), 6-3 at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
Federer, currently the world’s number three, became the all-time leader at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000. Andre Agassi had held the record from 1990 to 2006 with a 209-73 mark.
“I felt like I had to win the game three times” said Federer who considers normal being a bit “rusty.” This was his first game after a month-long break. “It was a bit of a dog fight,” he added.
International sports, tennis: Swiss star takes Annacone for trial period
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – Swiss tennis star Roger Federer will work with US coach Paul Annacone on a trial basis, Federer announced Tuesday 27 July.
Annacone, who has coached Pete Sampras and Tim Henman in the past, is currently head coach of Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association and Britain’s Davis Cup team, but in May he announced he would be leaving both in November 2010.
Federer is now in third place in the ATP rankings, behind Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the first time since 2003 that the Swiss has not been one of the world’s top two tennis players, officially.
Annacone is a former ATP tour player who made the Wimbledon semi-finals in 1984, but whose winning record was stronger for doubles than singles.
Links to other sites: ATP rankings, Swissinfo, Times, UK, Wikipedia
International sports, Wimbledon tennis
Wimbledon, London (GenevaLunch) - Rafael Nadal, the world’s top player according to the ATP rankings, ended Andy Murray‘s hopes of becoming the first British player since 1938 to reach the Wimbledon final. Nadal won in three sets, 6-4 7-6 (8-6) 6-4. The match was closely contested but Nadal never seemed threatened and managed step up a level when it was really needed. The other semi-final saw Czech Tomas Berdych beat the number three seed, Serb Novak Djokovic, also in straight sets 6-3 7-6 (11-9) 6-3. Berdych always looked in control as the two fought it out from the baseline: the only time Djokovic came to life was in the second set tie-break when he survived four successive set points to level before surrendering the set with a double fault. Berdych now has the chance to beat the top three players in the world after beating Roger Federer in the quarter- finals.
The women’s final will feature Serena Williams against Vera Zvonareva.
International sports, Wimbledon tennis
Wimbledon, England (GenevaLunch.com) – Roger Federer is out of Wimbledon, after losing to Czech player Tomas Berdych 6-4 3-6 6-1 6-4 Wednesday. The six-time Wimbledon winner did not make it to the semi-finals, just as he missed them at Roland Garros in Paris earlier in the season. Wimbledon, where he has made it to the final each of the last seven years and won six of those matches, has been seen as Federer territory until today.
Links to other sites: Guardian blog, UK, TSR (Fre), Wimbledon
International sports, Wimbledon tennis
Wimbledon, London (GenevaLunch) - The Wimbledon record for the longest ever match was smashed by almost five hours, and the match still isn’t over! American John Isner and French player Nicolas Mahut were deadlocked at 59-59 in the fifth set after more than ten hours of play when bad light stopped play. The match, which started on Tuesday, will continue on Thursday.
Roger Federer played a somewhat shorter match but was still forced to four sets by Ilija Bozoljac, a Serbian qualifier, before winning 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).
International sports, Wimbledon Tennis
Wimbledon, London (GenevaLunch) - Roger Federer’s attempt to win a seventh Wimbledon almost ended as he fought back from being two sets down against Alejandro Fella, the ATP 60th ranked Colombian clay court specialist. Fella played an aggressive game and quickly took a two set lead before Federer pulled back in the third. Fella refused to give up however and broke the Swiss star’s serve next game and looked like he would take the fourth set until Federer fought back from 0-40 to win the ninth game.The set went to a tie-break where Federer lost only one point. He then swept ahead to take the final set without loss, winning 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-0.
Federer not a winner this year - Photo Gerry Weber World
Halle, Germany (GenevaLunch) - Roger Federer, who recently lost his top ATP ranking to Rafael Nadal, lost his first match for six years on the grass courts of Halle.
The German tournament has been the Swiss star’s preferred preparation for Wimbledon and he won the last five titles without losing a set. This time he lost to Leyton Hewitt 3-6 7-6 6-4 in his first loss to the Australian after 15 wins.
Most of the other players opted to compete at Queen’s in London, where Sam Querrey beat fellow American Mardy Fish 7-6 7-5 in the final. Earlier rounds had seen the departure of favourites like Rafa Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.
Chinese player Li Na beat Maria Sharapova in the final of the women’s tournament at Birmingham.
International sports, tennis
Roland Garros, Paris (GenevaLunch) - Roger Federer was eliminated by Robin Soderling 3-6 6-3 7-5 6-4 in a revenge match dating back to the final of the French Open last year. The Swiss star started well to take the first set but immediately lost his service game in the second and was unable to break back against the big serving Swede. Federer’s loss put an end to his sequence of 23 successive semi-finals in Grand Slam events. Soderling deserved the victory as he dominated a strangely lacklustre Federer and handled the rain breaks better.
Links to other sites: Roland Garros, BBC
International sports, tennis
Roland Garros, Paris (GenevaLunch) -Swiss tennis champion Roger Federer swept past his friend and doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3 7-6 6-2 to move into the quarter-final of the French Open Sunday 30 May. He will meet Robin Soderling in the next match. The Swedish player beat Rafael Nadal last year before falling to Federer in the final. In other matches Andy Murray was knocked out 6-4 7-5 6-3 by Tomas Berdych while home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsongas retired injured against Mikhail Youzhny, meaning there are no French players left in the singles.
Justine Henin won her match against Maria Sharapova 6-2 3-6 6-3. Another ex-number one, Venus Williams, was eliminated by Russian Nadia Petrova.
Links to other sites: Roland Garros, BBC
