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Tennis: Hantuchova wins Birmingham generation battle

Agence France-PresseJune 16, 2013 11:31
Daniela Hantuchova won the sixth title of her career and a battle of the generations which saw the defeat of the new golden girl in the Birmingham WTA final. Many of the crowd came to see whether Donna Vekic, at 16 the youngest player in the world's top 350, could win the Wimbledon warm-up event. However after almost snatching the first set the teenager was beaten by an opponent nearly a decade and a half older. The former world number five from Slovakia showed she still has remarkable resilience as she beat the sensational new girl from Croatia 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

Tennis: Vekic into final in Sharapova echo

Agence France-PresseJune 15, 2013 18:55
Donna Vekic, the 16-year-old whose grass court promise has been likened to that of Maria Sharapova at the same age, upset the seedings a third time to reach the Birmingham WTA final on Saturday. Vekic did that with a staccato, tortuous, frequently rain-interrupted 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-3 win over the former champion, Magdalena Rybarikova, to move into the final of the Wimbledon warm-up event.

Tennis: Vekic into final in Sharapova echo

Agence France-PresseJune 15, 2013 16:13
Donna Vekic, the 16-year-old whose grass court promise has been likened to that of Maria Sharapova at the same age, upset the seedings a third time to reach the Birmingham WTA final on Saturday. Vekic did that with a staccato, tortuous, frequently rain-interrupted 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-3 win over the former champion, Magdalena Rybarikova, to move into the final of the Wimbledon warm-up event. It is already the second final of Vekic's brief career, and Saturday's progress has taken her one step further than Sharapova on her debut in Birmingham 10 years ago.

Tennis: Lisicki riled by Riske shout

Agence France-PresseJune 15, 2013 11:23
Sabine Lisicki's Wimbledon build-up came to grief with an unexpected defeat amidst prolonged controversy in the quarter-finals of the Birmingham WTA tournament on Saturday. Lisicki, the champion here two years ago, had hoped to win the title as she prepares for Wimbledon which she believes she can win after reaching the semi-finals and quarter-finals in the past two years. However, she lost a ten-minute argument with the umpire and the tournament referee, and the match in three sets to Alison Riske of the United States.

Tennis: Gritty Hewitt downs Russell to end losing streak

Agence France-PresseJune 10, 2013 18:32
Lleyton Hewitt admitted he was relieved to be back on his favourite grass court as the Australian ended his losing streak with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory over America's Michael Russell in the first round at Queen's Club on Monday. Hewitt is a four-time champion at the pre-Wimbledon warm-up event, but thoughts of a record fifth crown were some way from the former world number one's thoughts as he arrived in west London. The 32-year-old is well into the twilight of his career and his lowly 82nd position in the world rankings reflects that diminished status.

Tennis: No Greta Garbo as Serena yet to peak

Agence France-PresseJune 8, 2013 21:32
Serena Williams warned her punchdrunk rivals that she is still to realise her potential and that retirement is not on her agenda as she targets adding to her 16 Grand Slam titles. The 31-year-old American world number one defeated defending champion Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-4 to capture her second Roland Garros on Saturday, 11 years after her first. But if her flagging rivals on the tour were desperately hoping that Williams was contemplating quitting, then she told them to think again.

Tennis: No regrets from Sharapova after Paris defeat

Agence France-PresseJune 8, 2013 20:53
Her French Open title ripped away from her, a fourth defeat in a Grand Slam final and a 13th straight loss to Serena Williams, but Maria Sharapova says she will leave Paris with no regrets. That was the Russian's mindset in the wake of her 6-4, 6-4 loss to the American in the final at Roland Garros on a day where she could have led 3-0 in the first set and battled her way back to 4-4 in the second, but in the end failed to grab her chances. Dwelling on what had happened was not something she would entertain, Sharapova said.

Have I peaked yet? Serena not satisfied with number 16

June 8, 2013 19:27
By Martyn Herman PARIS (Reuters) - Serena Williams's love affair with winning tennis tournaments, and Paris, began 14 years ago and the American's passion for both remains intense after winning the French Open on Saturday. The 31-year-old claimed the first of her 52 singles titles in the Paris indoor tournament in 1999 and has since gone on to become one of the greatest players of all time.

Serena Williams dethrones Sharapova, wins 2nd Roland Garros title

Agencia EFEJune 8, 2013 18:33
Paris, Jun 8 (EFE).- American Serena Williams captured her second French Open title with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over 2012 champion Maria Sharapova in Saturday's final. Williams ended a long drought at tennis' clay-court Grand Slam tournament, dethroning the Russian by hitting her 10th ace on match point. Her other Roland Garros title came in 2002, when she defeated her sister Venus in the final.

Tennis: Misery of 2012 drives Serena to Paris triumph

Agence France-PresseJune 8, 2013 17:36
Serena Williams admitted that her first round humiliation at the 2012 French Open helped inspire her to victory in Saturday's final, her second Paris title coming 11 years after her first. The 31-year-old American became the oldest women's winner at Roland Garros in the Open era with her 6-4, 6-4 victory over defending champion Maria Sharapova. It gave her a 16th Grand Slam singles title and took her record to 74 wins in 77 matches since she suffered her worst loss at a major 12 months ago when Virginie Razzano dumped her out of the first round in Paris.
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