Federer shines bright in twilight zone

LONDON, United Kingdom — Roger Federer insists he is only slightly surprised to find himself tantalizingly within touching distance of a record eighth Wimbledon title despite his 36th birthday fast approaching.

The Swiss star reached the Wimbledon semi-finals for the 12th time on Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) win over Milos Raonic.

It was his 100th match at the All England Club and the 50th Grand Slam quarter-final of his career.

At 35, Federer is the second oldest man to reach the semi-finals after Ken Rosewall who finished runner-up in 1974 at the age of 39.

With ‘Big Four’ rivals Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic suffering injury-hit exits on Wednesday and Rafael Nadal having lost in the fourth round, Federer is favourite to reclaim the Wimbledon title on Sunday and break the tie for seven he has shared with Pete Sampras since 2012.

It would also take him to 19 career majors and make him the oldest champion at Wimbledon in the Open era.

“The plan was always to hopefully be strong later on in my career,” said Federer who will face Tomas Berdych in Friday’s semi-finals.

“I don’t see myself playing better than a few years ago. I always hope to improve every year.

“I’m just very happy that I’m still doing so well. Am I surprised? Maybe a little bit.”

The contrast between Federer and Murray and Djokovic on Wednesday was impossible to ignore.

Defending champion and world number one Murray lost in five sets to Sam Querrey of the United States, hobbled by a long-standing right hip injury.

Djokovic, the three-time winner, quit after two games of the second set of his quarter-final against Berdych with a right elbow injury.

Like Murray’s hip, the elbow problem plaguing Djokovic has been a constant menace for many seasons.

It has got so bad that Djokovic admitted he is contemplating either surgery or even an extended break from the sport.

Federer has already trimmed back his schedule, skipping the 2016 and 2017 French Opens which were won by Djokovic and Nadal.

After losing to Raonic in the Wimbledon semi-finals last year, Federer shut down his season to rest a knee injury which had already required surgery earlier in 2016.

He came back in January this year, won the Australian Open for his 18th Slam, added the Indian Wells-Miami Masters double before hibernating again through the claycourt season.

“Once you hit 30, you’ve got to look back and think of how much tennis have I played, how much rest did I give my body over the years, how much training have I done, did I do enough, did I overdo it or not enough,” he explained.

“It’s always calibrating the whole thing. For me it worked out. Sometimes the body and the mind do need a rest.” CBB

source: sports.inquirer.net

Raonic storms into Australian Open quarterfinals

Third seed Milos Raonic charged home to claim a quarter-final spot at the Australian Open with a fluctuating four-set win over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut on Monday.

Raonic had early problems before he recovered under a closed roof to win 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 against the 13th-seeded Bautista Agut in two hours, 52 minutes on Hisense Arena.

The big-serving Canadian will face either 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal or French sixth seed Gael Monfils in the last eight.

He is 3-3 in career matches with Monfils, but trails Nadal 6-2 in their previous meetings.

It is the third straight year Raonic has reached the quarter-finals in Australia, and it is also his sixth quarter-final at a major, the most by any Canadian player.

Raonic, who stretched his record to 5-0 over the Spaniard, served up 33 aces but also had his issues with his serve as he was broken three times, along with nine double faults.

Raonic saved a break point at 4-4 in the third set with a blistering forehand winner, and Bautista Agut double-faulted in the following game to give the Canadian a break and set point.

Raonic then went on a run of seven games as the stadium roof was closed because of rain, changing the complexion of the match as the Canadian’s serve dominated.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Murray wins Wimbledon, beats Raonic in 3 sets

LONDON – After Britain famously endured a 77-year wait between Wimbledon men’s champions, Andy Murray has given the host country a pair of titles in quick succession.

Murray dulled booming serves with quick-reflex returns, played impressively mistake-free tennis while coming up with daring passing shots and beat Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) on Sunday for his second trophy at the All England Club since 2013 and third Grand Slam championship overall.

When he sat in his sideline chair after it was over, Murray wiped away tears with a tournament towel.

The second-seeded Murray was playing in his 11th major final, but the first against someone other than Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer.

But he didn’t need to face either of those rivals this fortnight: The sixth-seeded Raonic eliminated Federer in five sets in the semifinals Friday, and also defeated the player who stunned Djokovic in the third round, Sam Querrey.

Those wins helped the 25-year-old Raonic make his debut in a Grand Slam title match — the first man representing Canada to make it that far at one of the sport’s four most important tournaments.

He did it, primarily, on the strength of his speedy and intimidating serves, averaging 25½ aces while being broken a total of only five times through six matches. But on a breezy afternoon, at a Centre Court filled with nearly 15,000 partisan fans, Murray basically shut down that integral part of Raonic’s game.

It’s been a rough few weeks for Britain, what with its vote to leave the European Union, the resulting drop of the pound’s value, and the subsequent resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron, who was seated in the front row of the Royal Box on Sunday, several seats over from Prince William and his wife, Kate.

Murray was even asked by a reporter during Wimbledon how it felt being Britain’s “last hope,” a question he jokingly dismissed by replying, “It’s not that bad, is it? Is it that bad?”

Murray, a 29-year-old from Scotland, long dealt with the expectations and pressures that accompanied being the locals’ best chance to find a new champion to succeed Fred Perry, who won the tournament in 1936. But Murray has thrived, with a counter-punching, defensive game and sublime returns of serve.

In a testament to Murray’s ability as a returner — a combination of timing and dexterity — it took Raonic 36 minutes and five service games to record his first ace. Over and over, Murray managed to get the ball back, even one that came in at 147 mph.

Raonic was limited to eight aces in all, only one more than Murray.

And while Murray only managed to break Raonic once, to lead 4-3 in the opening set, that was all it took, because the tiebreakers were both one-way traffic. Just as significant: Murray took 50 of 65 points he served across the first two sets, not only never facing so much as a break point in that span but only once being taken to deuce.

Finally, at 2-all in the third, Raonic got to 15-40 for his first — and, it turned out, only — break points, thanks to a forehand return winner off an 82 mph second serve. But Murray stood tall, taking the next four points to hold, then wheeling toward his box, pumping his right fist and yelling.

He was well on his way, thanks to such clean play that he finished with a mere 12 unforced errors, while Raonic had 29.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Kerber, Raonic rise in rankings after Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia — Angelique Kerber’s upset win over Serena Williams at the Australian Open and Milos Raonic’s second Grand Slam semifinal appearance will ensure they’re the biggest movers among top players in projected rankings to be released this week.

Seventh-seeded Kerber’s three-set win on Saturday, which prevented Williams from securing her 22nd major title, is expected to result in the German player moving to No. 2 on the WTA Tour.

The rankings, expected to be released Monday, should show Williams at No. 1, Kerber at No. 2 and Simona Halep, who lost in the first round at Melbourne Park, dropping one spot to No. 3.

“She’s had a great month,” Williams said of Kerber. “She got to the finals in Brisbane. She won here. So, yeah. I was surprised and really happy for her. I’m like, ‘Whoa, No. 2.’ What’s after 2 is 1, so I guess I better be careful.”

Agnieszka Radwanska, who lost to Williams in the semifinals, remains at No. 4, while Garbine Muguruza drops two places to fifth.

Maria Sharapova, the 2015 finalist who lost to Williams in the quarterfinals this year, moves to sixth, followed by Flavia Pennetta, Carla Suarez Navarro, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova.

Safarova did not play in Melbourne due to a bacterial infection.

On the men’s side, Raonic, the 25-year-old Canadian who lost in the semifinals to Andy Murray, was expected to be biggest mover among the top 15 on the ATP Tour, improving three places to No. 11.

It was Raonic’s second major semifinal after losing to Roger Federer in the final four at Wimbledon in 2014.

Quarterfinalist David Ferrer moved to sixth place in a straight switch with Tomas Berdych, who slips down to eighth.

The top five remained unchanged. Six-time champion Novak Djokovic and five-time losing finalist Murray would have remained 1-2 regardless of the result of their Sunday night final, which Djokovic won in straight sets.

Federer, who lost to Djokovic in the semifinals, remains at No. 3, Stan Wawrinka at 4 and Rafael Nadal, a first-round loser to Fernando Verdasco in Melbourne, rounds out the top 5.

Following Ferrer is Japan’s Kei Nishikori, unchanged at 7 after losing to Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga moves to No. 9, replacing fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who drops to 10. Following Raonic is No. 12 John Isner of the United States.

source: sports.inquirer.net