Chinese history-maker Zheng Jie and Elena Dementieva will attempt to derail the Williams sisters’ Wimbledon express in the semifinals on Thursday.
Roger Federer’s traditional Wimbledon waltz is set to be transformed into a dogfight as Rafael Nadal plots to shatter the world number one’s dream.
Russia’s Dinara Safina pulled off a second successive miracle French Open comeback to reach her first career Grand Slam semifinal at Roland Garros on Wednesday.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will square up in a French Open heavyweight clash on Friday determined to ignore the history-tinged implications of their mouth-watering contest.
French Open drawcards Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova survived French Open scares on Friday but 2002 women’s champion Serena Williams was knocked out in her worst performance in Paris since 1999. Nadal needed treatment on his blistered right foot before brushing aside Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 to make the last 16.
Maria Sharapova almost became the first women’s top seed in French Open history to lose in the opening round on Wednesday as Rafael Nadal showed her the way to master a Roland Garros sandstorm. Russian golden girl Sharapova toiled for two-and-a-half hours before squeezing past teenage compatriot and world number 104 Evgeniya Rodina 6-1, 3-6, 8-6.
Torrential rain brought chaos to the French Open on Tuesday, with six hours of play lost and title favourites Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal amongst the victims of the deluge. Only 13 of the day’s planned 72 ties were finished in the three hours of play possible between the downpours, leaving 59 of 128 first-round meetings still to be completed.
Roger Federer cruised into the French Open second round on Monday while rival and triple champion Rafael Nadal was left kicking his heels in the locker room as torrential rain swamped Roland Garros. The world number one then had the unexpected bonus of seeing potential quarterfinal danger man Richard Gasquet pull out of the tournament.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have turned to playing mind games ahead of the latest instalment of their epic French Open rivalry. Federer believes he is the more positive of the two men while Nadal, bidding for a fourth historic trophy, says the world number one’s decision to bring in Jose Higueras as coach could backfire.
Pete Sampras tried 13 times to win a French Open and 13 times he failed. Roger Federer, who is surely destined to surpass the American’s 14 Grand Slam titles, is about to embark on his 10th attempt to solve the intricate mysteries of the Roland Garros clay. The 12-time Grand Slam title winner, is enduring, by his lofty standards, a poor season.