Andre versus Rafa

Being this is Andre last Wimbledon appearance, I would like to see him do well if not win the whole thing. But the reality is he is playing Rafa who I think is a younger, stronger and faster version of himself. For any chance of advancing to the next round, Andre would have to play the match of his career with some help from Rafa.

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Federer sets record with first round victory

The rain delayed had no effect on Roger Federer as he cruises on to the second round with his record 42nd straight grass-court victory over Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-2 6-2. A lot of fans was expecting the match to be closer as Gasquet had fare very well in his grass-court warmup at Nottingham, England where he defended his title. This goes to show you Federer knows the importance of a fast start at this year's Wimbledon, considering his tough draw.

Other players advancing to the second round:

Andre Agassi, playing his last Wimbledon, def. Boris Pashanski, 2-6 6-2 6-4 6-3
Tim Henman went the distant, defeating Robin Soderling, 6-7(8) 6-3 6-2 1-6 6-3
James Blake def. Danish qualifier Kristian Pless, 6-3, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
Mark Philippoussis, wild-card entrant, def Paul-Henri Mathieu, 5-7 7-6(5) 6-3 7-6(12). Philippoussis serves up 39 aces.
David Nalbandian def. South Africa's Wesley Moodie, 6-3 6-4 6-1
Jonas Bjorkman eliminated fellow Swede Thomas Johansson, 3-6 7-6(4) 6-1 6-1
Igor Kunitsyn of Russia def. Gael Monfils of France, 5-7 7-6(9) 6-3 6-4
Mario Ancic def. Nicolas Almagro-Sanchez, 7-6(7) 7-5 7-6(7)
Tommy Haas def. Jiri Vanek, 7-6(7) 7-5 6-4

Video of John McEnroe takes on the Men's side of the 2006 Wimbledon

First day of Wimbledon ended with about a handful of matches suspended for the day due to rain. Tomorrow will be a full day. In the mean time, watch this Wimbledon 2006 men's preview. The quality of the video is not that great.

Tags: Wimbledon, McEnroe, Federer, grass, court, tennis

Wimbledon 2006 on pause mode

Rain has suspended plays on opening day at the 2006 Wimbledon championships. Prior to the rain delay, Federer was up a set on Richard Gasquet. Federer looking to surpass Borg consecutive wins on grass today with a victory over Gasquet. Lets all pray for rain to stop.

Tags: Wimbledon, Federer, Gasquet, grass, court, tennis

James Blake advances to the Stella Artois Finals

James Blake ended the three-year Queen's Club reign of Andy Roddick on Saturday, making himself a surprise contender for Wimbledon.

Blake beat his fellow American 7-5, 6-4 to reach his first grass-court final, where he will face another three-time former Stella Artois champion Lleyton Hewitt.

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Tags: Queens, club, Stella, Artois, championships, tennis

Roddick versus Blake

Will Blake end his winless streaks in today's semifinals against Roddick at the Stella Artois Championships? Or will Roddick continue to dominate James Blake? This will definitely be on Blake's head until he can jump over that hump. The hump is a bit higher today as the match on grass favors Roddick. Look for Roddick to remain unbeaten against Blake until they meet again on the hard court.

In the other semifinals, Hewitt has just beaten Britain Tim Henman in three
sets, 6-3 3-6 6-2.

results

Nadal retired after splitting set with Hewitt

Hewitt advances to the semifinals of the Stella Artois Championships when Nadal was forced to retired with a shoulder injury. The injury came just after Nadal has nodded the match at one set apiece. Hopefully, Nadal will recover 100% by June 26, the start of Wimbledon.

Hewitt will face Tim Henman in the semifinals. Henman is playing very well and hoping to capture his first Queen's club title. In the other semis, James Blake will face either defending champion Andy Roddick or Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.

Tags: Queens, club, Stella, Artois, championships, tennis

Sharapova pounds her way into the semifinal of the DFS Classic

Today's match against 12th seed Mara Santangelo seems like a practice session as Sharapova handily disposed of the Italian in the quarterfinal match, 6-2 6-2.

Sharapova will face the winner of the match between Elena Likhovtseva of Russia and American Jamea Jackson. In other actions, American Meilen Tu upsets six seed Marion Bartoli of France 6-4, 6-4. Tu will face the unseeded Russian Vera Zvonareva who upset the second seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Tags: Maria, Sharapova, DFS, classic, tennis

The Energizer Bunny...

...in the form of Martina Navratilova, she keeps on going and going...
Martina announced she will play double and mixed double at the 2006 Wimbledon, starting June 26. Looks like she is skipping the senior tour, more fun playing with the kids.

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Tags: Wimbledon, Martina, Navratilova, grass, court, tennis

Babes of the World Cup

World Cup fever, it's contagious. Saw this link while looking at the women of tennis photos. Lets take a little break from tennis and check out the Babes of the World Cup.

Tags: babes, photos, world, cup

Federer advances at the Gerry Weber Open

Federer defeated Richard Gasquet of France 7-6(7) 6-7(7) 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinal of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany. The victory gave him his 38th straight win on grass, three shy of Bjorn Borg record.

Nadal tested in the third round

Fellow Spaniard, Fernando Verdasco, took Nadal to the limit in third round action of the Stella Artois Championships. Nadal came out on top as he managed to squeak pass Verdasco in three sets, 2-6 7-6(3) 7-6(3). Lleyton Hewitt, Fernando Gonzalez, and Dmitry Tursunov also advanced in third round action today. Nadal will face Hewitt in the quarterfinal. Looking at the draw, this should be the best of the four quarterfinals.

Tags: Queens, club, Stella, Artois, championships, tennis

Women Wimbledon tuneup tourney in Birmingham, England

Maria Sharapova, two-time defending champion, won her second round match over American Ahsha Rolle, 6-4 6-2. Her next opponent is China, Na Li.

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Draw Sheet

Updates: Sharapova marched forward with her third round win over China Na Li in straight sets, 6-2 6-4.

3rd Round Results

Tags: Maria, Sharapova, photos, tennis, championships

Roddick struggles in second round match against the Canadian

Three-time defending champion, Andy Roddick regained his momentum after dropping the first set to defeat Canadian Frank Dancevic 2-6 6-4 6-3. Srichaphan, Henman, and Monfils all advanced to the third round. In progress is the match between the number one seed, Rafael Nadal and the American Mardy Fish. First set nodded at 3-3 on serve.

Updates: Nadal defeated Mardy Fish in straight sets, 7-6(1) 6-1.
We'll see how comfortable Nadal is on grass in the later rounds. Robby Ginepri also moved on to the third round with a win over J Tipsarevic, 7-6(4) 6-4.

Tags: Queens, club, Stella, Artois, championships, tennis

James Blake moves on to the third round

American James Blake advances to the third round by defeating fellow American Justin Gimelstob, 7-5 6-1. Roddick will take the court later today against Canadian Frank Dancevic.

Results...

Tags: Queens, club, Stella, Artois, championships, tennis

Stella Artois Championships 2006

The tuneup for Wimbledon has begun. Players including veterans, Andre Agassi and Tim Henman as well as some top seeds, Rafael Nadal, Lleyton Hewitt, and Andy Roddick (the favorite and three-time defending champion) fine tune their grass court game as they prepared for Wimbledon which starts in less than two weeks.

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Tags: Queens, club, Stella, Artois, championships, tennis

What the Pros are Playing with...

Men

Roger Federer - Wilson Tennis nSix-One Tour
Rafael Nadal - Babolat Aeropro Drive
Lleyton Hewitt - Yonex Tennis RDS-001
Andy Roddick - Babolat Pure Drive
Andre Agassi - Head Flexpoint Radical
Marat Safin - Head Liquidmetal Prestige
Guillermo Coria - Prince O3 Tour
Robby Ginepri - Babolat Pure Storm


Women

Maria Sharapova - Prince O3 White
Lindsay Davenport - Wilson Tennis nTour
Amelie Mauresmo - Dunlop Tennis M-Fil 300
Kim Clijsters - Babolat Pure Drive Team
Venus Williams - Wilson Tennis n4
Serena Williams - Wilson Tennis n3

If you know of any other players, let me know and I'll add them to the list.

Tags: Rackets, pros, Agassi, tennis, Nadal, Federer

Next Stop, Wimbledon...

Wimbledon 2006 runs from Monday 26th June until Sunday 9th July.

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Nadal still reigns the red clay

Despite the quick start from Federer to jump ahead 6-1 in the first set, Nadal shooked off the nerve, took the second set 6-1 and never look back as he captured his second French Open final in as many years.

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Tags: Paris, French, Open, tennis, Nadal, Federer

Federer v Nadal: a tailor-made final

By Christian Lacaze

We wanted it, we got it. Roger Federer (No1) and Rafael Nadal (No2) will meet in Sunday's showdown. This will be the first time since 1984 that the top two seeds have made it through to the final.

There won't be an empty seat in the house at 3pm on Sunday when Federer faces Nadal on Court Philippe Chatrier for the final of the 76th French Open. The last time that the top two seeds faced off for the crown was when Ivan Lendl (No2) overcame John McEnroe (No1), who led two sets to love and would never again get so close to winning Roland Garros (3-6 2-6 6-4 7-5 7-5).

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Tags: Paris, French, Open, tennis, Nadal, Federer

Henin-Hardene captures her third title

In yet another gutsy effort from a woman who loves Court Philippe Chatrier the most, Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne won her third Roland Garros crown with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final on Saturday.

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Tags: Paris, French, Open, tennis

Justine Henin-Hardenne looks to repeat...

Henin-Hardenne for the past two weeks has shown us that she is indeed at the top of her game and is anything but fragile. It was disappointing to see her retired from the Australian Open final back in January with a gastrointestinal issue. She has proven she is back with a vengeance. Repeating as French Open champion will be the exclamation point to the state of her health.

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Tags: Paris, French, Open, tennis, ESPN

The Much Anticipated French Open Final Now a Reality

The moment tennis fans have been waiting for is less than two days away. This will be a great boost for the game. Gone are the days of the great rivalry: McEnroe/Lendl, Agassi/Sampras. Will Sunday's final mark the beginning of the new great rivalry. We certainly hope so. I don't remember the last time, if ever, Federer steps on to the court as the underdog. Hard to imagine but he is the underdog comes Sunday. Federer will have to play the match of his career to dethrone Nadal, aka the King of Clay. Anyone who has a shot at preventing Nadal from winning his 60th straight matches on clay would be the No.1 player in the world.

Tags: French, Paris, Open, tennis, final

Nadal into the Final to face Federer

Nadal, true to his form, defeated Ljubicic in straight sets, 6-4,6-2,7-6(7). Ljubicic played well in the third set hoping to take the set from Nadal, but the king of clay showed the crowd why he is indeed the king, winning his 59th straight matches on the surface.

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Tags: Paris, French, Open, tennis, Nadal, Federer

Women of the French Open Photos

                                  Photo Courtesy of the FFT


Photos of the women tennis players taken throughout the two weeks of French Open plays by FOX Sports

Tags: Paris, women, photos, French, Open, tennis