Wimbledon - Women: Safina through under roof

Eurosport - Tue, 30 Jun 13:30:00 2009

World number one Dinara Safina needed all her battling qualities to beat former champion Amelie Mauresmo 4-6 6-3 6-4 under the closed Centre Court roof.

Dinara Safina of Russia reacts after defeating Amelie Mauresmo of France during their match at Wimbledon REUTERS - 0

Safina, the world's top ranked player who still awaits a Grand Slam title, found it difficult to impose her all-guns blazing baseline game on the Frenchwoman but finally prevailed after two hours and nine minutes.

Mauresmo, seeded 17, trailed 3-0 in the opener before finding her form and taking it with two breaks of serve.

Safina hit back to level the match and though Mauresmo - who became the first player to hit a ball under the new roof when drizzle halted play - led 2-0 in the decider, the Russian kept her focus to hold serve for the match, clinching it when Mauresmo netted a forehand.

She will next play unseeded German Sabine Lisicki, who added Danish ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki to her list of Wimbledon scalps this year with a 6-4 6-4 victory.

Lisicki, the world number 41 who accounted for French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round, played with more consistency and poise to come through in an hour and 19 minutes on Court Four.

A single break of serve was sufficient in each set for the 19-year-old, who sealed victory when Wozniacki ballooned a forehand long.

Defending champion Venus Williams booked her place in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon after Serbian 13th seed Ana Ivanovic retired injured in their fourth-round clash.

Venus, chasing her third straight title and sixth overall, was making a mockery of Ivanovic's former world number one ranking by storming to the first set 6-1 when the Serb called for the trainer in the opening game of the second.

Former French Open champion Ivanovic received treatment to her hip and then held her serve to go 1-0 up in the second before tearfully informing the umpire she could not carry on.

Williams will play 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska for a place in the semi-finals, after the Pole ended the run of 17-year-old American qualifier Melanie Oudin 6-4 7-5.

Olympic champion Elena Dementieva became the first player to book a place in the last eight when she cruised past fellow Russian Elena Vesnina 6-1 6-3.

The fourth seed reached the last eight for the second year in a row at the All England Club after displaying superior shot range and court coverage to world number 37 Vesnina, whom she has now beaten in all three of their career meetings.

Dementieva cruised through the first in 29 minutes without Vesnina getting close to a break point, and duly polished off the second set when Vesnina sent a backhand volley long after an hour and 10 minutes.

She will play Francesca Schiavone next, after the Italian beat French 26th seed Virginie Razzano 6-2 7-6(1).

Second seed Serena Williams wasted little time in joining sister Venus in the quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-1 demolition of unseeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova.

Serena, a two-time champion here and the reigning Australian Open champion, never looked in any danger as her superior power in all departments gave Hantuchova minimal options.

She raced to the opening set in just 30 minutes before Hatuchova's game folded completely in the second and she clinched victory after just 56 minutes when the Slovak sent a forehand on the run wide.

She will play Victoria Azarenka for a place in the semi-final, after the eighth seed battled her way into through with a hard-fought 7-6(5) 2-6 6-3 victory over Russia's Nadia Petrova .

The eighth seed, the first woman from Belarus to reach the last eight at Wimbledon since Natasha Zvereva in 1998, will have to raise her game to stand a chance against Serena in the last eight.

An abysmal first set was awash with unforced errors, both players each losing their serve three times apiece before Azarenka, yowling with effort on every point, squeaked home 7-5 in a tight tiebreak.

Petrova, treated at the end of the set with ice packs to counteract the heat, came back with all guns blazing to level the match but could not maintain the pressure in the decider and Azarenka wrapped it up after two hours and 25 minutes.

Reuters

Comment 48 - 67 of 67

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  1. adding to my last comment, i also think that the LTA­ should think about fining female players who grunt­ above a certain level...and even consider barring them­ from future Wimbledon's if they persist in loud­ grunting/screeching, and don't tone it down abit.­ It isn't sexy, it's damaging the women's­ game and it's unsportsmanlike - ok,­ unsportswomanlike.

    From Gizmo1, on Tue 30 Jun 2:11PM

  2. yea, i agree with the guy who said that the LTA should­ be looking at match attendances more not TV ratings. I­ also think something has to be done about the grunting­ and screeching that goes on in the women's game -­ seriously. While there are some women that don't do­ it - and i applaud you, more and more ARE doing it, and­ it's getting beyond a joke. Not only is it­ offputting for spectators, it is starting to impact­ negatively on the womens game - interms of levels of­ interest. I simply don't believe that some women do­ it because they can't help it - rubbish! it's­ done on purpose with the sole aim of unnerving the­ opponent. Is this what the womens game has stooped­ to....unsportsmanship conduct? come on ladies, sort it­ out otherwise you'll start putting people off - and­ when they leave in their droves, it'll be very hard­ to win them back.

    From Gizmo1, on Tue 30 Jun 2:06PM

  3. Yes, Safina displayed a powerful game and a strong­ character. Yet I don’t like her lifting a­ racquet too high while preparing her forehand.(Like­ matador does before killing a bull) I think this very­ movement accounts for her frequent unforced forehand­ errors.

    From Bulat, on Tue 30 Jun 1:27PM

  4. Ronald(50)....you can get lucky with SERENA and marry­ her but you have to start off on the right foot with­ her by spelling her name right. It isn't spelt­ "Serina"!

    From Chukwuemeka, on Tue 30 Jun 1:08PM

  5. I’m impressed with Safina, she is getting more an more­ serious !

    From Igor K, on Tue 30 Jun 9:30AM
  6. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    All sports lovers, great place for all big and tall­ singles, please check: ---BigTalls Co M ---- ,More­ fun waiting for you...

    From milishaang, on Tue 30 Jun 3:18AM

  7. Watching any sport in front empty stadiums whether­ it's tennis, football, cricket or anything is just­ plain boring and it's time the WTA started looking­ at the numbers at matches, not TV ratings;­ Wimbledon's fine you Brits are tennis crazy God­ knows why you've been loyal to the sport for so­ many years, living in dreamland I suppose. but I­ visited Roland Garros and the outside courts were like­ a morgue even the show courts didn't fill up until­ the later stages. I leave court-side when the women­ start grunting like pigs or squealing like­ banshee's and I know others who won't attend­ matches for this reason. The TV companies mute the­ sound so armchair viewers think it's not to bad,­ but court-side it's a problem and if spectators­ stop going there will be no atmosphere and TV viewers­ will stop watching. Come on WTA think of the fans, curb­ this unnecessary din, in some cases it's cheating­ or gamesmanship at best. Think of the fans give our­ ears a rest.

    From Jamie C, on Tue 30 Jun 3:03AM

  8. Womens tennis might have more supporters if many of­ them didn't grunt and squeal like pigs when they­ hit the ball. It's fine for the armchair fans as­ the sounds are muted by the TV companies but courtside­ it's disgusting and I won't go to a match if a­ loud grunter or squealer like Sharapova is playing.­ It's disturbing, it's cheating, it should be­ controlled.

    From Jamie C, on Tue 30 Jun 2:07AM

  9. Congrats Dinara, you deserve to have this title , go­ for it. Greetings from Turkey.

    From Nazan, on Mon 29 Jun 11:24PM
  10. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    safina can't win in the finals, though.

    From badongskie, on Mon 29 Jun 10:55PM

  11. A SAY, I WAD SHEG THAS WE GARL SAFENA.

    From Donney, on Mon 29 Jun 9:09PM

  12. DAD SHAY PARAYSHOOT AN?

    From Donney, on Mon 29 Jun 8:52PM

  13. Go Dinara!
    A mighty fine comeback win, and the­ temperament was not too bad either!
    Quietly and­ efficiently doing the business; no hype, no fuss, no­ theatrics . . . just steady (if unspectacular) tennis.

    From cameron w, on Mon 29 Jun 8:21PM

  14. LISICKI SAFINA NEXT For your Victories List..!!

    From Milot S, on Mon 29 Jun 8:16PM

  15. WAT DAD SHAY CAME THROO THA ROOF FAE? WASH AT REELAY­ NASESARAY? CAD SHAY NAT JAST HAY WACKED AN?

    From Donney, on Mon 29 Jun 8:06PM
  16. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    No Ronald, she is none of those things. Quite the­ opposite in fact.

    From Bobito, on Mon 29 Jun 7:40PM

  17. IF YOU LIKE & ADMIRE ONE PLAYER

    THERE IS ~~ NO ­ need ~~ for you to DISLIKE any other player ..!! NO­ obligations

    From pitcrew66, on Mon 29 Jun 6:54PM

  18. In women tennis,it is the williams sisters againsts the­ Russians.There has been so much talk that women should­ get the same pay as men.Now,they are getting it but l­ know were most of the money is going to.Do l think­ women tennis pulls more fans than the men's? I­ leave this question to you, the reader of this­ comment.I would love to marry Serina. She is beauty­ itself,elegant ,confident ,speaks her mind and a­ champion.

    From Ronald, on Mon 29 Jun 6:53PM

  19. CONGRATULATIONS to DEAR DARLING DINARA SAFINA ~~­ Victory in FIRST match under the roof

    CAN SHE DO THE­ SAME NEXT TIME ....?????

    From pitcrew66, on Mon 29 Jun 6:52PM
  20. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    All this racist punks here can't take it when­ blacks dominate

    From Godwin, on Mon 29 Jun 6:00PM
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