Roberto Bautista Agut Defeats Kei Nishikori to Reach Fourth Round at Wimbledon

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Roberto Bautista Agut has pulled off an upset…

The 29-year-old Spanish tennis player, seeded No. 18, beat ninth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan in the third round 6-4, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-3.

This was their fifth match against each other on tour — and the first won by Bautista Agut.

“I couldn’t maintain my level high enough,” Nishikori said. “I think he served well every set. Was really tough time (on) my return game.”

Bautista Agut reached the fourth round at the All England Club for the second time, having reached it in 2015. He reached the third round last year. But he has never reached the quarterfinals at any Grand Slam tournament, losing all eight previous times he got to the round of 16 at majors — the most losses without a win by any man during the Open Era, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Bautista Agut’s next opponent is No. 7 seed Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion who advanced by beating No. 26 seed Steve Johnson of the United States, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

Rafael Nadal Wins in Straight Sets to Reach Fourth Round at Wimbledon

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

It’s on to the next one for Rafael Nadal…

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis star beat Russia’s Karen Khachanov 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Centre Court to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Nadal is now three matches away from regaining his former ranking as the No. 1 player in the world.

If he reaches the final at the All England Club, the two-time Wimbledon champion will take over from Andy Murray as the top-ranked player in the world.

The fourth-seeded Nadal also extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 28 sets, tying himself for third among men in the Open Era. He also won 28 sets in a row in Grand Slam events in 2010.

Roger Federer holds the record in the Open Era, winning 36 consecutive sets in Grand Slam matches spanning from 2006 into 2007.

John McEnroe won 35 straight in 1984.

Nadal will next face France’s Gilles Muller in the fourth round.

del Potro Upsets No. 4 Seed Stan Wawrinka at Wimbledon

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Juan Martin del Potro is back and feeling alive…

The 27-year-old Argentine tennis player registered a shock second-round win to knock fourth seed Stan Wawrinka out of the men’s singles at Wimbledon.

del Potro, a former US Open champion, secured a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 win over Wawrinka.

He’s currently ranked No. 165 in the world after missing more than two years because of injury problems.

del Potro, who is in the same half of the draw as Britain’s Andy Murray, will next play France’s 32nd seed Lucas Pouille.

del Potro reached the semifinals at the All-England Club in 2013 but the former world number four is playing in his first Grand Slam since the Australian Open in 2014 after having three wrist operations.

He struggled early on as Wawrinka claimed an early break before comfortably taking the opening set, but del Potro fought back well to take the second.

Both players broke serve twice in the opening four games of a thrilling third set, which del Potro won in a tie-break, before taking the fourth set to wrap up victory.

“It feels amazing,” del Potro told BBC Sport. “I beat one of the guys who is playing great tennis this season and I couldn’t have expected this before today.

“I enjoyed the crowd, they were incredible and I’m very happy.

“It is my second or third career now after all the injuries. I was sad for the last two years and now I am enjoying playing tennis again. I feel alive.”

Muguruza: The Higest-Seeded Latina at This Year’s Wimbledon

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

If all goes her way, Garbine Muguruza will most certainly get a rematch with Serena Williams in the Wimbledon finals…

The 22-year-old Spanish-Venezuelan professional tennis player, who lost to the World No. 1 tennis player 4-6, 4-6 in last year’s final, is seeded No. 2 for this year’s tournament at the All-England Club.

Muguruza, who bested Williams at the French Open to win the first Grand Slam title of her career, cannot face Serena, seeded No.1, until the final at Wimbledon, since they’re both in separate halves of the draw.

Seedings were based on the current world rankings but rearranged to reflect players’ grass-court achievements.

Muguruza is the highest-seeded Hispanic player on the women’s and men’s side. She’s followed by Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro at No. 13 and Caroline Garcia, who recently won her first-ever title on grass at the Mallorca Open, at No. 31.

Spain’s David Ferrer is the highest-seeded player on the men’s side at No. 13. He’s followed by Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut at No. 14, Spain’s Feliciano Lopez at No. 22 and Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas at No. 29.

Play at the third Grand Slam of the year starts Monday.

GENTLEMEN’S SINGLES
1 DJOKOVIC, Novak (SRB)
2 MURRAY, Andy (GBR)
3 FEDERER, Roger (SUI)
4 WAWRINKA, Stan (SUI)
5 NISHIKORI, Kei (JPN)
6 RAONIC, Milos (CAN)
7 GASQUET, Richard (FRA)
8 THIEM, Dominic (AUT)
9 CILIC, Marin (CRO)
10 BERDYCH, Tomas (CZE)
11 GOFFIN, David (BEL)
12 TSONGA, Jo-Wilfried (FRA)
13 FERRER, David (ESP)
14 BAUTISTA AGUT, Roberto (ESP)
15 KYRGIOS, Nick (AUS)
16 SIMON, Gilles (FRA)
17 MONFILS, Gael (FRA)
18 ISNER, John (USA)
19 TOMIC, Bernard (AUS)
20 ANDERSON, Kevin (RSA)
21 KOHLSCHREIBER, Philipp (GER)
22 LOPEZ, Feliciano (ESP)
23 KARLOVIC, Ivo (CRO)
24 ZVEREV, Alexander (GER)
25 TROICKI, Viktor (SRB)
26 PAIRE, Benoit (FRA)
27 SOCK, Jack (USA)
28 QUERREY, Sam (USA)
29 CUEVAS, Pablo (URU)
30 DOLGOPOLOV, Alexandr (UKR)
31 SOUSA, Joao (POR)
32 POUILLE, Lucas (FRA)

LADIES’ SINGLES
1 WILLIAMS, Serena (USA)
2 MUGURUZA, Garbine (ESP)
3 RADWANSKA, Agnieszka (POL)
4 KERBER, Angelique (GER)
5 HALEP, Simona (ROU)
6 AZARENKA, Victoria (BLR)
7 VINCI, Roberta (ITA)
8 BENCIC, Belinda (SUI)
9 WILLIAMS, Venus (USA)
10 KEYS, Madison (USA)
11 KVITOVA, Petra (CZE)
12 BACSINSZKY, Timea (SUI)
13 SUAREZ NAVARRO, Carla (ESP)
14 KUZNETSOVA, Svetlana (RUS)
15 STOSUR, Samantha (AUS)
16 PLISKOVA, Karolina (CZE)
17 KONTA, Johanna (GBR)
18 SVITOLINA, Elina (UKR)
19 STEPHENS, Sloane (USA)
20 CIBULKOVA, Dominika (SVK)
21 ERRANI, Sara (ITA)
22 PAVLYUCHENKOVA, Anastasia (RUS)
23 JANKOVIC, Jelena (SRB)
24 IVANOVIC, Ana (SRB)
25 STRYCOVA, Barbora (CZE)
26 BEGU, Irina-Camelia (ROU)
27 BERTENS, Kiki (NED)
28 VANDEWEGHE, Coco (USA)
29 SAFAROVA, Lucie (CZE)
30 KASATKINA, Daria (RUS)
31 GARCIA, Caroline (FRA)
32 MLADENOVIC, Kristina (FRA)

Muguruza Upsets Agnieszka Radwanska at Wimbledon to Reach First Grand Slam Final

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Garbine Muguruza is experiencing real splendor in the grass…

The 21-year-old half-Spanish/half-Venezuelan tennis phenom has reached the first Wimbledon final of her career after stunning No. 13 seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 at the All-England Club.

Muguruza, who was playing in her first Grand Slam semi-final, showed few signs of nerves to claim a place in Saturday’s showdown against Serena Williams, who she defeated at the 2014 French Open.

Muguruza, the first Spanish woman to reach the finals at Wimbledon in 19 years, was the youngest of the four semifinalists but played with a maturity beyond her years. There were times when Radwanska had no answer to the world No 20’s consistent ball-striking.

Radwanska, whose previously disappointing year had been turned around by her upsurge of form on grass, was playing in her third semifinal here in the last four years, but the 2012 runner-up was frequently knocked out of her rhythm by Muguruza’s big ground strokes.

Radwanska was in trouble from the very first game, in which Muguruza converted her second break point. In the fifth game she broke again as Radwanska’s attempted drop shot landed in the net. When Radwanska served at 1-5 the Pole saved two break points, but in the following game Muguruza served out to love to take the opening set in just 34 minutes.

When Muguruza went 2-0 up at the start of the second set a swift finish looked likely, but Radwanska dug deep and quickly turned the momentum around. From 3-1 up Muguruza lost six games in a row as Radwanska leveled the match and struck the first blow in the deciding set.

The key to the second set was a tight game when Muguruza served at 2-3. Having fought back from 0-30 down, the Spaniard dropped serve for the first time in the match when Radwanska forced her into a forehand error. Two games later she was broken again and Radwanska went on to serve out for the set.

In the first game of the deciding set Muguruza saved a first break point with an ace but put a forehand long on the second. Radwanska was on a roll, but Muguruza responded in admirable fashion in the following game. Hitting a series of big returns, she broke to 15 to level at 1-1.

The set then went with serve until Muguruza broke to lead 4-2. At 15-40 the Spaniard won one of the points of the match. At the end of a thrilling rally, during which she hit a stunning defensive lob, Muguruza hit a decisive blow with a backhand winner.

Radwanska clung on to her serve in the next game but Muguruza was not to be denied and went on to serve out for victory. On Sunday she will attempt to become the first Spanish woman to win the title since Conchita Martinez in 1994.

Muguruza Becomes First Spanish Woman in 18 Years to Reach Wimbledon Semifinals

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Garbiñe Muguruza continues her winning ways…

The 21-year-old Spanish-Venezuelan tennis player defeated Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky 7-5, 6-3 in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon on Tuesday.

In the process, Muguruza became the first Spanish woman in 18 years to reach the semifinals at the All-England Club (the last was Arantxa Sánchez Vicario).

Muguruza, a rising star on the WTA tour, had to overcome a strong challenge from her Swiss opponent. The pair had previously battled in the third round of the Australian Open, and this match was equally hard fought from the get go, the opening game a display of clean, powerful hitting.

Bacsinszky’s unorthodox shots kept her well-defended against Muguruza’s attacking groundstrokes. With her unusual, over-rotated grip, which sometimes leaves the right-hander holding her racket in her left, Bacsinszky sliced and chopped and more than once caught Muguruza at the back of the court while dropping the ball in just behind the net. Recognizing her opponent’s ability on the court, Muguruza threw everything at her first serve, and it was she who won the crucial break in the final game of the first set.

Consecutive breaks at the start of the second set left the players back on level terms, but as the match wore on it became increasingly apparent that Bacsinszky’s bag of tricks was running low. At 4-3 and 15-all Muguruza dispatched one of Bacsinszky’s wacky slices with a commanding down-the-line forehand, then took the first of two break points and served out the match in an hour and 27 minutes.

It was Muguruza’s first Wimbledon quarterfinal, and after her win Muguruza said she was surprised that her first Grand Slam semifinal will be played on this surface, especially after she had claimed after her first grass tournament in Birmingham that she was “never coming back”.

Muguruza celebrated her victory by bunny-hopping about the court. “It was a very intense game, the last one,” she said, “so it was happiness and relief.” She was three when Sánchez-Vicario reached the second of her Wimbledon finals and while she is not considering her place in history just yet, you cannot doubt her growing assurance. “All this experience helps a lot when you believe that you can do it. So I’m going to be more confident.”

Muguruza, the tournament’s No. 20 seed, will next face No. 13 seed Agnieszka Radwanska.

Muguruza Defeats Caroline Wozniacki to Reach the Wimbledon Quarterfinals

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a little splendor in the grass for Garbine Muguruza…

The 21-year-old Venezuelan-Spanish professional tennis player upset former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round at Wimbledon, reaching the last-eight at the prestigious All-England Club for the first time in her career.

Muguruza, seeded No. 20, defeated No. 5 seed Wozniacki in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

Both players had opportunities in a tight opening set, but it was Muguruza that took hers, claiming the solitary break when the Dane framed a forehand beyond the baseline. Despite a lapse in concentration at the start of the second, Muguruza displayed her growing maturity by wrestling back the momentum, producing a brilliant game – including one inspired backhand lob – to break for a 5-4 lead, then holding her nerve to serve out the match in a fraught final game.

“It means a lot because I haven’t played a lot matches on grass, so I didn’t know how to prepare for Wimbledon,” Muguruza said. “I think it’s like the third time I play here. So for me was something new. That’s why it’s special.

With the win, Muguruza becomes the first Spanish woman to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon since Conchita Martinez – who was announced as the new Spanish Davis Cup captain on Monday – in 2001.

Muguruza’s victory means it’s guaranteed that the Wimbledon ladies’ finalist from the bottom half of the draw will be ranked outside the top 10.

Muguruza next faces Swiss No. 15 seed Timea Bacsinszky after she fought back from a set down to beat Romanian Monica Niculescu 1-6, 7-5, 6-2.

The other quarterfinal match in the bottom half will be contested on Tuesday by big-serving American Madison Keys and Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska.

Muguruza Reaches Wimbledon’s Round of 16 with Upset Win Over Angelique Kerber

Posted on July 4, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Garbine Muguruza has pulled off an All-England Club upset…

The 21-year-old Venezuelan-Spanish tennis player dismissed former Wimbledon semifinalist Angelique Kerber in three sets in a third-round match on Saturday.

Muguruza is no stranger to causing a Grand Slam shock, having claimed the biggest scalp of them all in beating Serena Williams at the French Open last year.

But she had no Wimbledon track record to speak of, making a 7-6 (14/12) 1-6 6-2 victory over German 10th seed Kerber particularly impressive.

The tie-break that settled the opening set on Court Two was finally won when Muguruza put away a drive volley and then, on the next point, pressured Kerber to plant a forehand wide.

The setback didn’t deter Kerber, who swiftly leveled the match, but she then let her playing standards slip in the decider, and dropped serve twice on her way out of the tournament.

Muguruza, whose only Wimbledon win in two previous visits came against Britain’s Anne Keothavong in 2013, has Caroline Wozniacki in her sights after the Dane breezed through to the last 16.

Their clash on Monday was confirmed by Wozniacki’s 6-2 6-2 victory against Italian Camila Giorgi on Court One.

Wozniacki, the former world number one, has never been beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon, and will be aiming to avoid a fifth defeat at that stage when she tackles Muguruza.

Giraldo Advances to the Third Round at Wimbledon

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It may have taken two days and five sets, but Santiago Giraldo is still alive at Wimbledon.

The 26-year-old Colombian tennis player defeated Spain’s Marcel Granollers, the No. 30 seed, 4-6, 7-6, 1-6, 6-1, 7-5 in the second round on Friday.

The hard-fought match was played over two days due to weather delays at the All England Club, and Giraldo had to go deep into a fifth set to clinch the win and match his best showing at a Grand Slam tournament. He previously reached the third round at the 2012 French Open.

Giraldo, currently ranked No. 35 in the world, will next face a stiff challenge from former World No. 1 Roger Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam winner with seven Wimbledon titles.

Ahead of Saturday’s clash Federer holds a 1-0 head to head record against Giraldo, after a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win at the 2011 US Open.

Delgado Sets a New Men’s Record at Wimbledon

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Forget the strawberries and cream… It looks like Jamie Delgado is the real fixture at the All England Club, at least for the last two decades…

The 37-year-old half-Spanish tennis player set a men’s record by playing at Wimbledon for the 23rd consecutive year on Wednesday.

The British Delgado, predominantly a doubles specialist, and his partner Gilles Muller of Luxembourg won their first-round doubles match 2-6, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-2 over Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan and Divij Sharan of India.

The International Tennis Federation said Delgado played junior Wimbledon tournaments from 1992 to ’95 and played in Wimbledon men’s singles or doubles from 1995 to 2014.

Delgado isn’t playing in the men’s singles draw this year.

Delgado shared the Wimbledon men’s mark of 22 years in a row with Mark Knowles of the Bahamas. Knowles played men’s doubles last year, but he only entered an exhibition doubles event this year.

The longest consecutive Wimbledon streaks are held by two women — Virginia Wade played 26 years in a row and Martina Navratilova 24.

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