HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014

Lets celebrate this

blissful,

cheerful,

colorful New year.

with a smile.

Wish you Happy new year.

Merry Christmas

Two things upon this changing earth
can neither change nor end;
the splendor of Christ's humble birth,
the love of friend for a friend.

Sacha Jones Wins New Zealand Tennis Championships

Sacha Jones 23, ranked 287, won her 3rd national senior title by beating Di Hollands by three set at North Harbour 6-0, 4-6, 6-1.

Di Hollands capitalized on Jones basic errors during the second set to win the set 4-6. However, Sacha Jones regained her composer in the 3rd set to win the game.

BBC Sports Personality of the Year: Andy Murray

Wimbledon champion Andy Murray 26, named BBC Sports Personality of the Year on Sunday. He slip by Wales and British & Irish Lions rugby union fullback Leigh Halfpenny and jockey A.P. McCoy to win the award.

Aussie tennis coach Paul Arber Missing

Australian tennis coach Paul Arber has not been seen since Saturday night, he was in Hamilton with a large group of children for a tennis tournament when he went missing on Saturday night.

The 38 year old coach was last seen in Hamilton East, where he was seen to stop and pat a dog being walked by a couple.

He won the 2012 Victorian Jewish Tennis Championships. He is a slightly built Caucasian, 179cm tall, with short dark hair. He was wearing a grey tracksuit with a tennis logo on the left breast of the top and the Wilson tennis logo on the left shoulder of the top.

Sharapova Hires Groeneveld to coach Her

World number 4 Maria Sharapova got Sven Groeneveld to coach her for the 2014 season. She made the announcement on her Facebook page last Thursday.

"I'm happy to announce my official partnership with Sven Groeneveld," Sharapova said on her Facebook page.

"We've been working together since I got back on the court and after seeing him on the opposing side for so many years, I'm excited to have him become a part of my team. It has been a very seamless transition and I have had a lot of fun with the hard work we have put in so far. Looking forward to the year ahead."

Groeneveld had worked with Monica Seles, Mary Pierce and Ana Ivanovic.

Radek Stepanek of Czech Republic defeated Dusan Lajovic in Davis Cup

Czech Republic defended successfully it's Davis Cup title with Radek Stepanek winning against Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 3-2 in the final.

Stepanek won 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 in the deciding match in Belgrade. The Czechs held a 2-1 lead going into today’s play. World No. 2 Novak Djokovic leveled the scores with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 victory over Tomas Berdych.

Djokovic wins Paris Masters title beats Ferrer

Novak Djokovic defeated defending champion David Ferrer of Spain 7-5 7-5 to win the Paris Masters last Sunday and he is hoping to reclaim the world number one spot by the end of this year.

Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic at Paris Masters

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will meet each other for the first time this year at the Paris Masters tournament on Friday Nov 2, for the Semifinals match. While Rafael Nadal will be against fellow Spaniards David Ferrer.

Djokovic force his way into the semi-finals with a big win 6-1, 6-4 over Stanislas Wawrinka, while Federer manage to edge Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Serena Williams wins WTA title defeated Li Na

ISTANBUL — Serena Williams got her 2nd straight WTA Championship and 11th title of the year she defeated Li Na 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 on Sunday.

Serena became the 8th woman to win 11 or more titles a year and the first since Martina Hingis had 12 in 1997.

Li had a quick 2-1 lead, she was quick to break serve. However, in the start of the 2nd set Williams won a key game that went to 9 deuces and lasted 11 minutes. Li served an ace that tied it to 3-3. But she had a double-fault and a forehand error that gave Williams a chance to serve out the set. Williams needed three set points to close it out.

Li had another double-fault that gave Williams a break of serve at the start of the third, and Williams never look back.

Stockholm Open Men's Singles Semifinal matches: Ferrer, Dimitrov reach final

Oct 19 (Infostrada Sports) - Results from the Stockholm Open Men's Singles Semifinal matches on Saturday Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria deafeated Benoit Paire of France 4-6 6-2 6-2. Top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain defeated 5th seed Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 3-6 6-4 6-1

Ferrer and Dimitrov will meet in Sunday's title match.

Tennis Highlights: Djokovic defeated del Potro to win Shanghai Masters

Novak Djokovic has dominated China beating Juan Martin del Potro 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (3) on Sunday to win his second Shanghai Masters title. He also extend his winning streak to 20 in China.

Djokovic has completed a back-to-back sweep of titles at the China Open in Beijing and the Shanghai Masters for the second straight year. He's now won seven titles overall in China.

Djokovic beats Nadal for China Open crown his fourth

Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in the finals of China Open on Sunday 6-3 6-4. This is Novak's fourth China Open title in five years.

The Serbian improved his tournament record to 19-0 after beating Nadal in one hour and 27 minutes.

Djokovic had also won the tournament in 2009, 2010 and 2012, while missing out in 2011 due to injury.

Li Na wins against Daniela Hantuchova

Li Na sneak out a win by overcoming Daniela Hantuchova late run that gave home fans a scare. Hantuchova from Slovakia, has defeated Li four times in their past six meetings, then staged an impressive comeback until Li regained her composure to close in on victory.

Raonic win Thailand Open against Berdych

BANGKOK - Milos Raonic defeated top-seeded Tomas Berdych 7-6 (4), 6-3 at the Thailand Open last Sunday for his fifth title.

Raonic from Canada, provided 18 aces to overwhelm and defeat Berdych in the final game at the Impact Arena that lasted 1 hour, 17 minutes.

This was Raonic's fifth tour victory (San Jose from 2011-13 and Chennai in 2012). He also improved his unbeaten record over Berdych to 2-0 after also beating the Czech player in the Cincinnati Masters last year.

Agnieszka Radwanska rallies to beat 3rd seed Pavlyuchenkova

Polish Agnieszka Radwanska

Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Polish top seed Agnieszka Radwanska uses late rally to beat 3rd seed Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-7(6) 6-3 6-4 in the final of the Korea Open in Seoul on Sunday and it's her 3rd WTA title of the year.

The game lasted two hours and 45 minutes, it's a grueling final match and the 24 year-old world number 4 came through bagging her 13th career title.

"After a great match, almost three hours of great tennis at a really high level, of course I'm very happy," Radwanska said after her win.

Pavlyuchenkova, who lost to Radwanska in the U.S. Open last month as well, came back after losing the first three games and saved four set points to eventually win the opening set in the tie-breaker.

Radwanska wrested back control after breaking the third-seeded Russian early in the second set and closed out the match with a break in the 10th game of the deciding set.

"It was a very close match - tight sets, all of them - but I was just a little bit better in the important moments today," Radwanska said.

"And at the end of the third set I think I was playing a little bit more aggressively than she was, and I managed to win a couple more points in the end.

"In the third set I was just trying to fight every point and stay calm, and I'm happy I made it."

Pavlyuchenkova complained of fatigue and jet lag after playing non-stop in the lead-up to last month's U.S. Open but was not too disappointed with the result in Korea.

"It's tough losing this match after fighting so long and coming so close," she said. "It's difficult and frustrating, but in tennis you can be up then down and you lose some and you win some.

"I'm actually proud of myself. I had a great week. I showed some good tennis and it was a great final."

Pan Pacific Open women's singles results

Sept 23 (Infostrada Sports) - Results from the Pan Pacific Open Women's Singles matches on Monday
Round 1

Madison Keys (U.S.) beat 10-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) 5-7 7-5 6-2                       
Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) 6-2 5-7 6-0                     
Peng Shuai (China) beat Risa Ozaki (Japan) 6-2 6-1                                         
Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) beat Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 2-6 6-4 6-2                   
Kimiko Date-Krumm (Japan) beat Anastasia Rodionova (Russia) 6-2 4-1 (An. Rodionova retired)
Misaki Doi (Japan) beat Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) 6-7(3) 6-0 7-5                            
Flavia Pennetta (Italy) beat Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 6-3 6-3                         
Ayumi Morita (Japan) beat Laura Robson (Britain) 7-6(4) 6-3                                
Casey Dellacqua (Australia) beat Kristina Mladenovic (France) 7-5 6-1                      
Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) beat Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) 6-0 6-4                           
11-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) beat Annika Beck (Germany) 6-1 6-1

Safarova wins in Quebec for first title in 5 years

QUEBEC, Ontario (AP) -- Lucie Safarova defeated world No. 6 seed Marina Erakovic 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday night in the finals of the Bell Challenge, claiming her first WTA Tour title in five years.

The third-seeded Czech, who is ranked 36th in the world and hadn't won a championship since Forest Hills in 2008, earned the fifth WTA title of her career.

"It was just about a few points today, but I was more consistent with my game and more aggressive, and I think that's why I won," Safarova said.

Serena Williams wins U.S. Open against Azarenka

Serena Williams, who turns 32 on Sept. 26, raised her Grand Slam singles title count to 17, the sixth-most in history and one shy of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Williams collected a $3.6 million prize, including a $1 million bonus for producing the best results during the North American summer hard-court circuit leading up to the U.S. Open.

Helped by nine aces, one at 126 mph, Williams improved to 67-4 with a career-best nine titles in 2013. Since a first-round exit at the 2012 French Open, Williams is 98-5 with 14 titles, winning four of the past six Grand Slam tournaments.

source Associated Press

US Open final: Men's Rafael Nadal(2) vs Novak Djokovic (1), Women's Victoria Azarenka (2) vs Serena Williams (1)

Rafael Nadal has an easy time going into the US Open final with a 21-match hardcourt unbeaten streak while world number one Novak Djokovic had to withstand a five-set, limit-testing struggle to join him.

Second-ranked Spaniard Nadal, whose 12 Grand Slam titles include the 2010 US Open, routed French eighth seed Richard Gasquet 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), 6-2, to reach his third final in four years. Nadal missed the 2012 event with knee injuries.

 

While in Women's, World number one Serena Williams 31, will try to capture her 17th Grand Slam title and become the oldest women's champion in US Open history in a repeat of last year's final which she won in three sets. She will be against familiar foe world number two Victoria Azarenka on Sunday.

Azarenka, a 24-year-old from Belarus, sees herself as a more versatile and dangerous player than when she lost to Williams 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in the final a year ago.

Serena Williams trump over Stephens now in Quarter Finals

NEW YORK -- In an intense, close and very entertaining game Sloane Stephens stayed right with Serena Williams. In the fourth round of the U.S. Open the top two American women put on a show as both hit powerful serves topping 115mph.

The Stephens 20, time at the top of tennis may come but for now, Serena Williams is still the top dog. Taking eight of the last nine games, defending champion Williams returned to the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows by beating Stephens 6-4, 6-1.

"When you give her that opportunity to take that step forward, she definitely makes her move," Stephens said. "Unfortunately, today she made her move. I just couldn't get back in."

Still, all in all, it was remarkably compelling and, within individual points, rather evenly played for what turned out to be such a runaway.

"I definitely think it was a high-quality match," said Williams, 64-4 with eight titles this year. ''We both came out today to play."

She advanced to play No. 18 Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain, who defeated No. 8 Angelique Kerber of Germany 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Asked whether there's any chance of a letdown after getting past Stephens, Williams replied: "Absolutely not. I mean, I've been at this for a long time, so for me in my career, there are no letdowns."

In Sunday's other fourth-round women's matches, No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska lost 6-4, 6-4 to No. 24 Ekaterina Makarova, and 2011 French Open champion Li Na eliminated 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 6-0.

In men's third-round action, the last of 15 Americans in the field lost, making this the first U.S. Open in history without at least one representative from the host country in the fourth round. Wild-card recipient Tim Smyczek, who is ranked 109th, was beaten 6-4, 4-6, 0-6, 6-3, 7-5 by Marcel Granollers of Spain.

Maria Sharapova will not play in the U.S. Open due to shoulder injury

The U.S. Open will start on Monday and just days before it begin the third-seeded Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the tournament, because of continued problems with her right shoulder injury.

Sharapova has played only one match on tour since her surprising second-round exit from Wimbledon in June. Most recently, she made news earlier this week when seeking to play under the name "Maria Sugarpova," a reference to her new brand of gummy candies.

Azarenka clinches Cincinnati title, shocks Serena Williams

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Victoria Azarenka toppled world No. 1 Serena Williams 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) to claim the Cincinnati WTA title and establish herself as a contender for the US Open.

The two-and-a-half-hour epic featured multiple momentum shifts after Azarenka, the second seed from Belarus, began the afternoon with two double faults to lose the opening set in under 30 minutes.

She managed to steady herself and held on to beat the top-seeded Williams for only the third time in 15 matches.

It was her second victory over the American this year, after a triumph in the final at Doha.

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” said Azarenka who earned her 17th career title and first in Cincinnati. “It was a tough match and we both fought really hard. It was an incredible week for me.

“I’m feeling very good. Obviously, it’s a big win. It was a great match. I’m really, really pleased with the way I pulled it out. It was a great battle.”

Azarenka had played sporadically over the past months due to injuries suffered at both Wimbledon and this month in California. The Belarussian was competing in only her 10th event of an injury-hit season.

“I’m really excited to be back playing,” said the former world No. 1. “The last month was really tough.”

Azarenka lost a second set in which Williams saved eight break points in the sixth game. With the sets level, the third went to a decider as the pair traded four breaks in five games.

Williams double-faulted for a match point in the tiebreaker, but Azarenka gave it back with an error. Azarenka then shipped over a winner for a second winning chance and followed through for the win a point later.

Williams had been trying for two major hard-court titles in a row after winning Montreal last weekend.

“She played really aggressive in the last two sets, which really changed momentum,” said Williams.

“She’s a great player. There’s a reason why she’s winning Grand Slams and doing so well. I have tough matches, particularly against her,” Williams said.

“We go against each other really tough. It’s a good rivalry. I’m number one, she’s number two. So we have that rivalry which consists of meeting in the final, which makes it even more so exciting.”

Between them, Williams and Azarenka have claimed five of the last seven Grand Slam singles titles dating to the 2012 Australian Open.

Williams beat her rival in the US Open final a year ago. — AFP

Williams beat Li Na will face Azarenka for Cincinnati crown

World number one Serena Williams fought a hard battle and beat defending champion Li Na 7-5 7-5 to reach the final of the Western and Southern Open on Saturday and close in on one of the few titles that elude her.

The 31-year-old Serena can fill that hole in her resume on Sunday when she takes on Belarusian world number two Victoria Azarenka, who was a 4-6 6-2 6-3 winner over 2009 champion Jelena Jankovic of Serbia.

Williams, who has been critical of her performance in Cincinnati despite making it to the final for the first time, was not at her dominating best against Li but it was a good enough effort to put herself in line for a $1 million bonus.

Her appearance in Sunday's final combined with a win last week in Toronto has put Williams at the top of the U.S. Open Series bonus challenge and sends her to Flushing Meadows with a chance to compete for the largest payout ever awarded at the year's final grand slam.

Williams can pocket $3.6 million, with the million-dollar bonus supplementing the $2.6 million cheque for winning the women's singles at the U.S. Open.

In a career that has generated 54 singles titles including 16 grand slams, Williams has won just about everything there is to win in her sport but Cincinnati, one of the WTA Tour's most prestigious tournaments, is not among them.

Li stepped onto centre court well-rested having received a walkover into the semi-finals when Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska withdrew from the tournament to attend her grandfather's funeral.

But the 31-year-old fifth ranked Chinese got off to a sluggish start as Williams recorded the early break to move ahead 4-1.

Li hit back, sweeping through the next four games to pull in front 5-4, but Williams upped her game when needed, breaking her Chinese opponent twice more to take the set.

Williams and Li held serve to open the second but the set would soon dissolve into series of breaks.

In the end, Williams claimed the decisive one when Li double-faulted.

While Williams and Li may have struggled with their serves, their problems were minor compared to Azarenka and Jankovic, who managed to hold serve a grand total of just four times over three ugly sets.

Of the 27 games played, 23 ended in breaks, with the miserable serving display marred by 20 double-faults, 11 by Azarenka and nine from Jankovic.

Nadal beats Raonic in Montreal final

MONTREAL (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal crushes Canada's Milos Raonic 6-2 6-2 in the final of the men's Rogers Cup on Sunday to capture his eighth ATP title this season and boost his confidence ahead of the U.S. Open, starting later this month.

This is his first tournament since losing the opening-round at Wimbledon. Nadal showed he was back to near his best form and his ailing body was ready for the grueling demands of the North American hardcourt season. Less than 24 hours after his hard-fought semi-final win over Novak Djokovic on Saturday, Nadal easily beat the dangerous Raonic in just over an hour, playing with all the conviction and freedom of a man near the peak of his powers.

Sunday's victory provided Nadal with his third win at the Rogers Cup and his 25th career Masters title and the Spaniard will rise to three in the world rankings when they are released on Monday.

Raonic will move into the top 10 for the first time after becoming the first Canadian man in more than half a century to reach the Rogers Cup final.

Genie Bouchard and Monica Seles vs Serena and Venus Williams Exhibition Match

Monica Seles has comes out of retirement to play with Bouchard for doubles clash with the Williams sisters. Monica Seles and Eugenie Bouchard both from Canada kicked off the Rogers Cup with a doubles match against Serena and Venus Williams on Monday.

The Williams sisters won 8-5.

Cibulkova defeated Radwanska to win at Stanford

 

STANFORD, Calif.  - Slovak Dominika Cibulkova not just won the game against Agnieszka Radwanska, she won the tournament. Cibulkova avenged her one of the worst losses ever in a WTA Tour final, rallying to beat Radwanska 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the Bank of the West Classic final Sunday.

7 months after she failed to win a single game against Radwanska in the Sydney final, Cibulkova came out aggressive and put the top-seeded Radwanska on the run. Cibulkova, seeded third, overcame two service breaks in the final set - both on double-faults - before winning the final four games.

"The difference between Sydney and today was that I made the first game. And after the first game I looked at my coach and was like, 'Here we go. I'm out here, and it's going to be good today," she said.

The victory gave Cibulkova her third career singles title and first win against Radwanska in four tries. She is 3-5 in WTA finals and is projected to rise from 25th to 21st in the rankings. Radwanska, ranked No. 4 in the world, fell to 12-5 in WTA finals.

Top seed Catherine "CiCi" Bellis wins USTA girls title

Top-seeded Catherine "CiCi" Bellis became the second-youngest player to win the United States Tennis Association's 16 Girls Clay Court Championships, downing second-seeded Katerina Stewart 7-5, 6-1 at the Virginia Beach Tennis & Country Club.

Julie Shiflet is believed to be the only champion younger than Bellis, who turned 14 in April.

In the finals were the top and 2nd seed are against each other, Stewart looked stronger in the early rounds. After Bellis took a 2-0 lead in the opening set, Stewart won the next four games.

Then Bellis found her rythm and won 11 of the final 13 games and in the process did not drop a single set in seven tournament matches.

Roger Federer beat Jan Hajek reached German Tennis Championship quarterfinals

HAMBURG, Germany — Top-seeded Roger Federer beat Czech qualifier Jan Hajek easily 6-4, 6-3 to reach the German Tennis Championships quarterfinals on Thursday.

The four-time Hamburg champion is playing his first tournament since losing in the second round of Wimbledon.

Roger used only three of 13 break points and needed six match points to close out the match. He did it with his seventh ace, shortly after producing a spectacular overhead smash winner with a flick of the wrist while stepping back in the final game.

Federer has dropped to No. 5, his lowest ranking in a decade. He will next play either Florian Mayer of Germany or Feliciano Lopez of Spain.

Martina Hingis inducted 2013 Tennis Hall of Fame class

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Martina Hingis became one of the youngest players to be enshrined into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She led a large 2013 class that was inducted Saturday during an on-court ceremony that lasted just over 90 minutes.

She was born in Czechoslovakia before moving to Switzerland at a young age, Hingis was named after a women's tennis great.

"My biggest influence was my mom because she was a professional player, too," Hingis said during an interview. "She started me when I was 2 years old. Another was Martina Navratilova, obviously — (my mom) gave me the name so that was the destiny that was programed already. When I started playing at 2 years old, that was the path."

Hingis is the fourth youngest to be inducted, behind Tracy Austin (30), Bjorn Borg (31) and Hana Mandlikova (32).

Hingis 32, burst onto the professional Tennis when she was still 14. After two years, she won three of the four major tournaments, taking the titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open in 1997.

The memories were great. The pictures of a thin teenager, well, she'll pass on those.

Martina won five Grand Slam singles championships — including three straight at the Australian Open from 1997-99 — and 43 singles titles overall. She also was a part of 37 doubles titles.

Hingis, often troubled by foot injuries, retired for a second time in 2007, when she drew a two-year suspension for testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon. Hingis denied taking the drug but did not appeal the ruling.

Andy Murray wins Wimbledon, first British man to win Wimbledon for 77 years

Andy Murray knocked off top-ranked Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 to win Wimbledon. He is the first British man to win Wimbledon for 77 years, since Fred Perry won the last of three in a row in 1936.

"I still can't believe it," Murray said a couple of hours after sending the Kingdom into collective delirium. "Can't get my head around that."

Djokovic remains No. 1 in the rankings.

Serena Williams ousted from Wimbledon by Sabine Lisicki

London - Serena Williams has joined the list of marquee names eliminated early at this wild and unpredictable Wimbledon.

World No.1, defending champion, and five-time Wimbledon winner Serena Williams was defeated by 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 in the fourth round of Wimbledon on Monday, becoming the latest tennis giant to make a surprise exit from the tournament. It also ended Williams' career-best 34-match winning streak.

Williams join second seed Victoria Azarenka and world number three Maria Sharapova out of the women's tournament, while defending champion Roger Federer and two-time Wimbledon winner Rafael Nadal suffered shock exits from the men's draw in the first week.

"I probably couldn't be more disappointed," Williams said. "I think I may have backed off of a success. I was playing something successful. I didn't continue that path. The result didn't go the way it could have gone had I continued to play the way I did in the second set."

Federer, Sharapova lose at Wimbledon

LONDON (AP) - Roger Federer of Switzerland was beaten by Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine in their Men's second round singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Wednesday, June 26, 2013.

Roger Federer is a seven-time Wimbledon champion and 17-time Grand Slam champion, while the man that beat him Sergiy Stakhovsky, is ranked 116th.

His 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5) defeat against Sergiy Stakhovsky marked Federer's earliest Grand Slam exit in a decade.

He lost in the first round of the French Open on May 26, 2003, back before he owned a single trophy from any of the sport's most important sites..

The third-seeded Federer simply was unable to derail Stakhovsky's serve-and-volley style, breaking the 27-year-old Ukrainian only once.

Still, there actually was a real chance for Federer to get back in the thick of things. Ahead 6-5 in the fourth, he held a set point as Stakhovsky served at 30-40. But Stakhovsky came up with this sequence: volley winner, 111 mph ace, serve-and-volley winner.


Maria Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion, who lost 6-3, 6-4 to 131st-ranked Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal will join Federer on their way home; The other losers are, Caroline Wozniacki; Ana Ivanovic; Jelena Jankovic; Azarenka; and Lleyton Hewitt, who won Wimbledon in 2002.

All told, five players who have combined to win 26 Grand Slam titles headed home, along with another three who have been the runner-up at a major tournament.

Murray recovers from slip to win Queen's title

Andy Murray took a tumble the recover to beat  Croatia's Marin Cilic 5-7 7-5 6-3 to win the Aegon Championships for the third time at Queen's Club on Sunday June 16, 2013.

Murray, world number two missed the French Open because of a back injury.  He suffered a painful slip when leading 4-3 in the first set, screaming in pain and rolling to the turf, he lose the opener against the defending champion.

"The courts had taken a bit of a pounding this week and it's been extremely wet," Murray said. "It was just a bit sore on the groin area but thankfully it wasn't too bad."

Murray appear in control in the opening set, he broke Cilic's opening service game with ease and moving comfortably into a 4-2 lead. However, Cilic took advantage of some Murray errors to storm back in the seventh game but looked set to hand Murray the initiative again in the following game as he slipped 15-40 behind.

He saved the first break point but on the second the Murray slipped awkwardly behind the baseline and shouted in pain as his fans watched on anxiously. Murray looked tentative and hurt while Cilic took advantage to break in the 11th game and serve out the set.

The second set went with serve until Cilic wavered at 5-6. A silky lob from Murray gave him a glimmer of a break and he took his chance to level the match.

Murray dominated the final set, going up 3-1 when Cilic made a forehand error.

Nadal beats Ferrer for record 8th French Open win (2013)

Rafael Nadal is now in a class of his own in the history of tennis after beating David Ferrer for his eighth French Open title on Sunday at Roland Garros. He is now the only man in tennis history to win the same Grand Slam eight times.

Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova for French Open title

Serena Williams beats defending champion Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-4 to win the French Open title. Williams was too powerful for Sharapova as she captured her 16th major title. Williams was the favourite, having won 13 times for two defeats against the Russian and stormed into the final for the loss of just one set, taking her career-best winning streak to 31.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stunned Roger Federer at French Open quarterfinal

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Federer 7-5, 6-3, 6-3. Federer got an early break in the first set and it looked like we could cruise to a 1-0 lead in this quarterfinals match, but Tsonga made a run , winning the first set, getting off to a hot start in the second and then continuing his domination in the third just as it seemed the 17-time Grand Slam champion was finally figuring out how to play a man he has had plenty of battles with over the years.

Tsonga will face David Ferrer in the semifinals, and if he can get past him it will most likely be Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal in the finals.

Federer comes back beat Simon at French Open

 
PARIS - Early in the game Roger Federer twist his foot and he awkwardly tumble to the ground and his chances looked gloom he is in danger of his earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament in nine years.

Good thing he was able to regroup and come back eventually from a two-sets-to-one deficit to beat 15th-seeded Gilles Simon of France 6-1, 4-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 Sunday in the fourth round to reach his 36th consecutive major quarterfinal.

"I didn't hurt myself or anything," Federer said. "But maybe I did lose that touch of confidence for a little bit, and then I was out of the match there for a bit."

Venus Williams falls to Urszula in first round of French Open

Tennis Player Venus Williams bow out in the first round of the French Open for only the second time as she lost to Urszula Radwanska of Poland 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (4-7) 6-4.

Radwanska, 22, defeated the seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus William, 32, in three hours and 20 minutes, despite blowing a 4-0 lead in the second-set tie-break.

She will face German qualifier Dinah Pfizenmaier in the next round.

Serena Williams, Venus's sister progressed on the opening day, as did Roger Federer and David Ferrer in the men's tournament.

She was asked if this would be her final French Open, she said "If it's the last match, I'll let you know. That's pretty much how it works."

Venus, who is suffering from Sjogren's syndrome - an incurable immune system disease - has now lost in the first round twice in the last four Grand Slams following her early exit at Wimbledon last year.

"With what I've gone through, it's not easy," she added. "But I'm strong and I'm a fighter."

"I don't think I'm just playing for me now. I'm playing for a lot of people who haven't felt well. It's a positive to be able to play three hours."

Nadal vs Federer in Rome final

Roger Federer will be up against his rival Rafa Nadal in the Italian Open final after the Swiss held off a spirited challenge by unseeded Frenchman Benoit Paire on Saturday.

Roger Federer the world number three scored 7-6 6-4 to beat Paire. 

Nadal beat Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych 6-2 6-4 with a dominant performance that he described as emotional after a long injury absence which saw him return to court in February after seven months off with a knee problem.

The Spaniard has won six titles since returning, while Federer is yet to register a title in 2013.

"For me it's already a good tournament. He (Nadal) is the favorite but he's near the end of a long claycourt season, it may be my chance," Federer told reporters.

"I am feeling better physically," the 11-times grand slam winner said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster Teledeporte.

"These are emotional moments for me as I think I have managed to turn around a situation in which after many months of doubts I am able to play at a level that I would not have dreamed of four months ago."

Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal win Madrid Open

Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova to keep her No. 1 seed at the Madrid Open finals 6-1, 6-4. And in Men's tennis Rafael Nadal beat Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 for his fifth title since returning from a knee injury.

Sharapova 2nd seed would have overtaken Serena is she won the game. Williams build an early lead as Sharapova struggled with her serve. This is Serena's 50th title.

Williams improved her record against Sharapova to 13-2, with her only two losses coming in 2004.

Serena sweeps past Errani into Madrid final

The defending champion Serena Williams was too strong for the Italian seventh seed Sara Errani, defeating Sara with 7-5 6-2. She is now waiting for a finals match with either Maria Sharapova or Ana Ivanovic.

"I usually just stay in my room really and be the most boring person you can ever imagine. That's kind of the way I get focused," Serena said.

Williams is looking forward to the finals match as Russian Sharapova and Ivanovic of Serbia are among the players on the Tour who can come close to matching her power.

"I look forward to it"

"I feel like this whole tournament I've only played clay court players from my first round to now.

"Everyone was also smaller than me. So I think tomorrow will be a really good match. Different game. More power obviously, but still a lot of the consistency" Williams said.

Tennis Instructor Accused of Lewd Acts with Child

IRVINE, Calif. (KTLA 5 news) — Jarrid Thomas Baldogo, 29 a tennis instructor in Irvine has been arrested at his home in the Westpark area of Irvine on suspicion of lewd conduct with a teenage student, police said.

The suspect is being accused of having inappropriate physical contact with a 13-year-old girl who is one of his tennis students between February and April of this year.

The victim’s parents was alarmed after discovering a text messages on their child’s phone from the instructor, the police said.

Baldogo seeks tennis students over the Internet for the past 2 years. Police were investigating the possibility that there may be additional victims.

If you have any information on this case please contact Detective Jonathan Sampson at jsampson@cityofirvine.org or 949-724-7179.

Ferrer, Wawrinka, Seppi into Portugal semifinals

OEIRAS, Portugal (AP) -- David Ferrer took the lead of the top three seeded players into the Portugal Open semifinals last Friday. He defeated Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-4, 7-6 (2).

Stanislas Wawrinka, second seed beat local favorite Gastao Elias 6-4, 6-4, and No. 3 Andreas Seppi beat No. 8 Tommy Robredo 6-4, 6-3. Pablo Carreno-Busta rallied past fourth-seeded Fabio Fognini 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to complete the final four.

In the women's event, third-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and No. 4 Carla Suarez Navarro will meet in the final on Saturday.

Pavlyuchenkova rallied to beat Romina Oprandi 0-6, 6-3, 6-1 to reach her first title match on clay. Navarro, last year's finalist, overcame Kaia Kanepi 6-4, 6-1.

Venus won’t play at Madrid Open because of back injury

MADRID - Venus Williams withdraw from the Madrid Open because of a back injury. Venus, 32, is a former world number one ranked. She was suppose to have a match in the first round against Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain on Sunday. Stefanie Voegele (rank 56^th)of Switzerland will be replacing her.

Sharapova won Porsche Grand Prix against Li Na

Maria Sharapova beat Li Na again on Sunday and defended her WTA Porsche Grand Prix title 6-4, 6-3.

Sharapova, the top-seeded Russian became the first player to keep the Stuttgart title since Lindsey Davenport in 2005.

"I thought it'd be the toughest match of the tournament, but I played my best tennis today. I was able to step it up," Sharapova said.

Li Na, second-seeded had a double-fault on match point, and another one earlier in the final game.

"I was under pressure on her return. She was aggressive," Li Na said.

Sharapova opened with a break that gave her a 4-1 lead before Li could pull back 1 break. But Sharapova overwhelmed her and closed the set with a service winner.