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/ 29 May 2008

Sharapova struggles as Nadal and Djokovic cruise

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.

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/ 18 December 2007

Federer eyes Sampras’s grand-slam record

Roger Federer again came close to winning the Grand Slam in 2007, reaching the final at all four major tournaments and winning three of them. This year, however, the top-ranked Swiss also came close to losing his record 54-match winning streak on grass at Wimbledon, and then struggled a bit after winning the United States Open.

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/ 3 September 2007

Venus belts out warning with Ivanovic win

Venus Williams underlined her title credentials at the US Open on Sunday after she reached the quarterfinals with an impressive 6-4 6-2 victory over fifth seed Ana Ivanovic. The Wimbledon champion, seeded 12th, was close to her dominant best as she made it four wins out of four against the Serb, clinching victory in 80 minutes.