Andy Murray beats Canadian Milos Raonic to win his second Wimbledon title

Andy Murray claimed his second Wimbledon title with a flawless 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(2) defeat of Canadian Milos Raonic in Southwest London today Sunday July 10th.

Raonic was bidding to become Canada's first grand slam singles champion, but failed. Speaking after his victory, Andy Murray said

"This is the second most important tournament for me every year. I had some great moments here and tough losses too so that makes it extra special. I 'm proud to get my hands on the trophy again.

Serena Williams Wins Sixth Australian Open Title

Serena Williams beats Maria Sharapova 6-3 7-6 (7-5) to win the Australian Open title. It is her sixth Australian Open title and her 19th grand slam title. 

Canadians Milos Raonic, Vasek Pospisil win at Australian Open

Milos Raonic fires a serve to Donald Young en route to a second round win at the Australian Open in Melbourne. AP

Bill Scott The Canadian Press
Canadian Eugenie Bouchard had to battle in the opening set, but she hit her winning stride in the second to defeat Caroline Garcia of France 7-5, 6-0 on Friday for a place in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

The seventh seed from Westmount, Que., will next play the unseeded Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania (42nd), who beat Germany’s Carina Witthoeft (104th) 6-4, 6-4 later Friday.

Bouchard made her breakthrough in Melbourne a year ago, reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal and duplicating that showing four months later in Paris before playing the Wimbledon final.

The 20-year-old’s win over the 36th-ranked Garcia made amends for a loss to the French player last year in Acapulco.

Canadian Milos Raonic rolls into Brisbane quarter-finals

Milos Raonic, of Canada, celebrates his third round win over Julien Benneteau, of France, in Rogers Cup tennis action in Toronto on August 7, 2014. CP

John Pye The Associated Press
Third-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic fired 17 aces and didn’t face a break point as he advanced to the Brisbane International quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan Thursday in his opening match of the year.

“Finished last year and we definitely thought I could do a lot better with my serve, so we spent a lot of time this off season on that and I’m happy that it’s going well,” Raonic said.

The 24-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., said he’s coming off his best off-season ever, and is ready to make his breakthrough at the Grand Slam events.

Canadian Milos Raonic pulls out of ATP Finals after injury

Canadian tennis star Milos Raonic leaves a press conference where he announced his withdrawal from the ATP Finals. Getty Images 

The Canadian Press
Canadian Milos Raonic withdrew from his final group match at the ATP Finals on Thursday after suffering a leg muscle tear in a loss earlier this week to Andy Murray.

The seventh-seeded Raonic was scheduled to play U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori of Japan, but was replaced in the Group B pool by Spanish substitute David Ferrer.

Raonic, who was 0-2 at the year-end event, said he suffered the injury late in the first set of Tuesday’s 6-3, 7-6 loss to Murray.

“At first it felt like cramping but when I got up from a changeover and had to stand, I knew it was something else,” he said.

The 23-year-old Canadian said the low-grade tear in his quadriceps muscle measures three by five centimetres and is about a centimetre deep.

Legend Roger Federer Wins Shanghai Master In Straight Sets

Roger Federer celebrates after defeating Gilles Simon in the final of the Shanghai Masters. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

Roger Federer won the Shanghai Masters title as he overcame a determined Gilles Simon 7-6, 7-6 in a tight final in China.

The Frenchman broke in the first game and looked on course for the opening set but Federer broke back and took the tie-break – much to the delight of most of those inside the arena.

Federer, who will move up a place to No2 in the ATP rankings on Monday, was playing the better tennis but the second set also went to a tie-break, and the 17-times grand slam winner wrapped up victory in an hour and 52 minutes.

Canada Eugenie Bouchard is out of the US Open

Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard has been eliminated from the U.S. Open. The 20-year-old from Westmount, Que., dropped a 7-6, 6-4 decision to Ekaterina Makarova of Russia in the fourth round

Canada Milos Raonic Advances to Fourth Round of US Open

Canada's Milos Raonic has claimed his spot in the fourth round of the U.S. Open.

The fifth seed from Thornhill, Ont., struggled at times Saturday but held off unheralded Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic for a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) victory.

Raonic hammered over 22 aces and 52 winners, breaking on three of 11 chances against the 34-year-old -- the oldest man left in the draw -- in the match that took two hours and 45 minutes.

"It was difficult. He's playing well. He's playing with a lot of aspiration," Raonic said his opponent, who was making his New York debut.

"It was a lot of fun, the atmosphere out there. I'm glad that I was able to play well in the important moments. I had a bit of an understanding what to expect. I played him about four years ago now, so I knew him a little bit."

The 23-year-old Raonic will next face tenth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan, who defeated Argentine Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.

The Canadian won the last meeting between the two, in the fourth round at Wimbledon, but lost to the Japanese player in Madrid last spring and Tokyo last fall in the Japan Open final.

U.S. Open: Eugenie Bouchard, Milos Raonic Advances To Round 3

Canadians Milos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard reached the third round of the U.S. Open on Thursday, earning tough night-time victories in swirling wind against dangerous opponents.

Fifth-seeded Raonic took revenge for a summer loss on grass in Halle, Germany as he defeated German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in New York.

Wimbledon women's finalist Bouchard, from Westmount, Que., needed a lift in the third set to defeat Romanian Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4. Bouchard will face Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in the third round.

The 20-year-old Bouchard won the first set and twice recovered from a break down in the second set as her fighting spirit at the big events came into evidence. But Cirstea, ranked 80th after standing 21st a year ago, took the match into a third set as midnight approached.

"I had to battle in the second set, her game was getting a lot more solid," said Bouchard. "I believed in myself. I told myself to keep fighting. I started taking the ball early and it paid off."

The seventh seed went up an early break in the final set but lost it, only to break the Romanian back for 4-3 on a double-fault.

Cirstea saved a match point in the ensuing game before Bouchard finally served out the winner after more than two hours a game later, firing off back-to-back service winners.

"It's so special to play my first match on Ashe stadium at night," said Bouchard . "I'm so excited to have a chance to play another match. I want to improve my tennis for that one."

Milos Raonic only Canadian winner Still Standing At U.S. Open

Milos Raonic emerged as the only Canadian survivor from five starters on opening day at the U.S. Open Monday.

The fifth seed reached the second round over Japan's Taro Daniel with a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (1) victory.

Raonic had a smooth ride in the first two sets, but hit speed bumps as he tried to serve it out.

"Maybe just lacked a little bit of intensity," Raonic said after the match. "Where I needed to, I played well.

"It's really hard to gauge my level because of the way things went throughout the match. But I feel like just the way I've prepared for this event, I'm feeling more comfortable than any of the other ones, so that's a good thing."

The Thornhill, Ont., product saved two break points with aces in the 10th game leading 5-4 but hit the net with a backhand to make it 5-5 in the third set. The set went to a tiebreaker where Raonic finally got the job done.

Raonic took just over 90 minutes to earn victory with 20 aces and nearly 60 winners.

"I've been playing my best tennis this year," he said. "I put a lot of focus into this event. I'm glad to be here and start playing.

"I'm hoping to stay for as long as possible."

Vasek Pospisil fell victim to a shoulder injury sustained from practise last week.

The 46th-ranked Vancouver player who won the Wimbledon doubles title, lost to clay-courter Simone Bolelli 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Pospisil revealed that he hurt his shoulder on one serve last Tuesday but added that the problem is slowly healing.

Pospisil fired 13 aces but was weighed down by 51 unforced errors and managed only 21 winners. He won his only match in New York during his 2011 debut after also going out in the first round a year ago.

"I've not been serving much, I lost my rhythm," said the Canadian. "I still have pain in my shoulder and that's never a good thing.

"I couldn't serve like I usually do, that seemed like a big part of the match today. It's only my serve that's affected. But you're then not as confident on serve and not as loose on return games. It changed the whole outlook on the match.

"I'm not stressed about doubles, the shoulder is getting better. Four days ago I could barely serve."
Sharon Fichman of Toronto, Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., and Montreal's Francoise Abanda were also eliminated in the women's draw.

Fichman returned from arthroscopic knee surgery to a crushing 6-1, 6-0 loss to fourth-seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in a match that took 47 minutes. Wozniak lost to Japan's up-and-coming Kurumi Nara, 6-2, 6-1, in 59 minutes.

How Come? Canada Heavy Weight Bouchard eliminated in shocking loss at Rogers Cup

Shelby Rogers scored a shocking 6-0, 2-6, 6-0 victory over the listless crowd favourite Eugenie Bouchard at the US$2.44 million women's Rogers Cup on a Tuesday thrown into confusion by a more than seven-hour power outage.

Play went on despite the lack of electricity, which shut down scorboards and umpires' microphones, and left the players without light or hot water in their clubhouse.

Bouchard, the rising star from Westmount, Que., suffered a power shortage of her own after walking onto centre court to a standing ovation.

"It was cool to see the support she has here and it's fun to see that much support for tennis," Rogers said. "I knew what I was getting into so I was prepared for it. I hope that doesn't happen too often, but I know she's a mega superstar up here."

The 20-year-old Bouchard, perhaps rusty from not having played since reaching the Wimbledon final last month, couldn't make a shot in the first set, hitting normally routine shots long or wide.

The crowd went quiet watching as Bouchard's body language suggested she'd like to crawl into a cave and stay there.

Bouchard rebounded in the second set, hitting the crisp mix of shots that took her to at least the semifinals of the first three grand slam events this year. But nothing worked for her again in the third set.

King of Canadian Tennis Milos Raonic Wins Citi Open

The king of Canadian tennis isn't ready to give up his throne just yet.

Milos Raonic delivered a strong message Sunday with a workmanlike 6-1, 6-4, win against countryman Vasek Pospisil in an anti-climactic Citi Open final in Washington, D.C. The match marked the first all-Canadian final in ATP history and took just 67 minutes to complete.

"It gives me a lot of confidence," said Raonic, who earned his first ATP title of 2014 and will rise one spot in the latest ATP rankings and match his career-high of No. 6 in the world

"I've always said that hard courts are by far my favorite, and having done as well I did on clay and grass (this year), it got me really excited about this week. For that to be my showing right away this week was great."

Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., was nearly perfect in his first tournament since a semifinal run at Wimbledon. As the second seed in Washington, Raonic did not drop a set all week thanks largely to what the 13th-seeded Pospisil called "the best serve in the game right now."

Raonic won 92 per cent of his first serve points in Sunday's final and faced just one break point against in beating Pospisil for the second time in as many ATP meetings. Raonic also beat Pospisil in three sets in the semifinals of last year's Rogers Cup in Montreal.

King Djokovic Survives Federer Test, Wins Second Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic ended his Grand Slam drought and Roger Federer's hopes of a record eighth Wimbledon title with a thrilling five-set victory.

The Serb, 27, came through 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 6-4 to win his second Wimbledon and seventh Grand Slam title.

After letting a championship point slip in the fourth set, he won Wimbledon's first five-set final since 2009.

Djokovic had lost his previous three major finals, and will now reclaim the number one ranking from Rafael Nadal.

After losing the fourth set it wasn't easy to go on and win the fifth set, I don't know how I did it," Djokovic told BBC Sport.
"This is the best tournament in the world and the one I always wanted to win so to be able to compete at such a high level I am so grateful."

Federer, 32, had hoped to surpass Pete Sampras with an eighth title and become the oldest winner in modern times.

The Swiss was willed on by much of the 15,000-strong crowd throughout the final, with chants of "Roger! Roger!" ringing around Centre Court when he reeled off five successive games from 5-2 down in the fourth set.

But Djokovic recovered his nerve to fend off break points in the decider and clinch a dramatic win after three hours and 56 minutes, before kneeling on the turf and eating some grass - just as he had done after winning in 2011.

He then headed into the stands to celebrate with his team, including three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker, brought in by Djokovic at the start of the year to help end his run of 18 months without a major win.

Match stats
Novak Djokovic		Roger Federer
Match time: 3 hrs 56 minutes
13	Aces	29
3	Double faults	5
62	1st serve %	69
73	1st serve win %	77
65	2nd serve win %	44
68	Winners	75
27	Unforced Errors	29
4 of 15	Break points won	3 of 7

Wimbledon Doom For Canada Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic

Eugenie Bouchard is projected to rise to seventh in the women’s rankings despite her loss. Credit Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

Petra Kvitova swept past Canada's Eugenie Bouchard with a stunning performance of controlled power to win her second Wimbledon title.

The Czech sixth seed reclaimed the title she first won in 2011 with a 6-3 6-0 victory in 55 minutes.

It is the 24-year-old's second major title and will see her move up to fourth in the world rankings.

Bouchard, 20, had made history by becoming the first Canadian to reach a Grand Slam final.

Eugenie Bouchard arrived at Centre Court with cool confidence and a ruthless tennis game to match.

 

Bouchard, a 20-year-old Canadian, had captured the affection of her country and of the British tabloids, her looks, play and marketability drawing gawking comparisons to Maria Sharapova.

 

Bouchard now has something else in common with Sharapova. She, too, has been dominated by Petra Kvitova in a Wimbledon final.

 

Federer took his record against Raonic to 5-0 and denied the Canadian a first major final

 

Seven-time champion Roger Federer dismantled the big-serving game of Canadian Milos Raonic to reach his ninth Wimbledon final.

The Swiss, 32, broke Raonic in the first game and went on to win 6-4 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 42 minutes.

He will take on top seed Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final, after the Serb beat Grigor Dimitrov in four sets.

Federer is trying to win his 18th Grand Slam title, and his first since beating Andy Murray at Wimbledon in 2012.

Fifteen years after making his first appearance at the All England Club, Federer has the chance to extend the record he has already set for major victories and break new ground for Wimbledon titles in the men's game.

Match stats
Match time: 1hr 41mins
Federer		Raonic
6	Aces	17
1	Double faults	4
65%	1st serve	55%
81%	1st serve win	80%
68%	2nd serve win	50%
32	Winners	36
11	Errors	17
3/7	Break points	0/1

Eugenie Bouchard Advances to First Ever GrandSlam Final #Wimbledon

Eugenie Bouchard of Canada waves to the crowd after defeating Simona Halep of Romania in their women’s singles semifinal match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Thursday, July 3, 2014. (AP / Ben Curtis)

Eugenie Bouchard defeated Romania's Simona Halep 7-6 (5), 6-2 in semifinal play at Wimbledon on Thursday to become the first Canadian women's singles player to advance to a Grand Slam final.

Bouchard, from Westmount, Que., converted her sixth match point to complete the victory in one hour 34 minutes.

The 13th-seeded Canadian will next face sixth-seeded Petra Kvitova on Saturday. Kvitova beat fellow Czech left-hander Lucie Safarova 7-6 (6), 6-1 in the early semifinal.

It's my first Grand Slam final so I'm just going to go for it," Bouchard told ESPN. "I'll have probably my toughest match yet so I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Another Canadian is in the final four of the men's draw. Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., will take on Switzerland's Roger Federer in semifinal play Friday.

In a semifinal that was delayed twice in the first set -- first by a left ankle injury to the third-seeded Halep and then by an ill woman on Centre Court during the tiebreaker -- Halep double-faulted on break point in the second set and then was broken again by Bouchard to give the Canadian a 4-1 lead.

Canada Bouchard beats Kerber, Now in Wimbledon Semifinal

Eugenie Bouchard of Canada plays a return to Angelique Kerber of Germany during their women's singles quarterfinal match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Wednesday, July 2, 2014. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard will break into the ranking top 10 for the first time after defeating ninth seed Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-4 Wednesday to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon.         

The 20-year-old from Westmount, Que., is expected to reach at least eighth on the WTA list next Monday, equaling the career-best WTA ranking held by a Canadian (Carling Bassett-Seguso).

Bouchard will be playing her third semi from as many Grand Slams this year on Thursday as she faces French Open finalist and third-seed Simona Halep after the Romanian crushed 2013 Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 6-0.

Bouchard struggled to close out her win over Kerber, who she beat a month ago on the clay of Paris.
The Canadian finally advanced after 72 minutes on her first match point, which she set up with a down-the-line winner followed a point later by a Kerber backhand error.

"It was a tough battle, I've played her before and I knew what to expect. I had to just keep fighting and I pulled it out at the end," Bouchard said.

The Canadian saved two break points in the final game and ended with three breaks of serve from 13 chances. She had 29 winners and 20 unforced errors.

"In the last game, I was just trying to stay in the moment," said the winner, now 7-1 at Wimbledon. "I was not thinking ahead. That's something I've been working on."

Rafael #Nadal and Maria #Sharapova Wins French Open

Nadal won his record ninth French Open championship on Sunday, ceding the first set before taking the next three to defeat Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4. The win is Nadal's fifth straight Paris title and ninth in the last decade.

For a moment, it looked like Novak Djokovic had finally figured out how to take down Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. Then Nadal showed once more why he's the sport's most unsolvable riddle on clay.

Nadal has three more French Open wins than Bjorn Borg's previous open record of six. His ninth title allows him to hold the record for most overall wins at Roland Garros as well, overtaking eight-time amateur champion Max Decugis. No other man has ever won a single Grand Slam tournament more than seven times (Open era), giving Nadal another all-time record.

Nothing came easily for Maria Sharapova in the French Open final.

Serves hit by her surgically repaired shoulder often missed the mark, resulting in 12 double-faults. Shots that would be winners against most opponents were retrieved by Simona Halep and sent right back. Leads that usually hold up vanished in a blink. On a muggy afternoon, with the temperature in the high 70s (20s Celsius), points were lung-searing struggles.

Sharapova was up to the task. In an entertaining and undulating championship match -- the first women's final at Roland Garros in 13 years to go three sets -- Sharapova showed that she's as tough as they come, particularly on the red clay that used to flummox her. She edged Halep 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4 Saturday to win a second French Open title in three years.  

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard loses to Maria Sharapova at French Open semis



Canada's Eugenie Bouchard wipes her forehead with her wristband during the semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament against Russia's Maria Sharapova at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, France, Thursday, June 5, 2014. (AP / Darko Vojinovic)

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard is out at the French Open.

She dropped a three-set decision to Russia's Maria Sharapova in semifinal play today at Roland Garros. Maria Sharapova made it back into the French Open final for the third straight year, beating Eugenie Bouchard of Canada 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 Thursday.

Bouchard was trying to become the first Canadian woman to reach a Grand Slam singles final in the post-1968 Open era.

The 18th seed from Westmount, Que., also reached the semifinals at the Australian Open earlier this year.

Bouchard and Carling Bassett-Seguso, who lost in the US Open semifinal in 1984, are the only Canadian singles players who have made the final four in the Open era.

Sharapova, the seventh seed, will play the winner of the late semifinal between Simona Halep of Romania and Andrea Petkovic of Germany.

 

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard is through to French Open semifinals

Eugenie Bouchard celebrates winning the quarterfinal match of the French Open tennis tournament against Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, France, Tuesday, June 3, 2014. Bouchard won in three sets 7-6, 2-6, 7-5. (AP / Darko Vojinovic)

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard reached her second straight Grand Slam semifinal as she defeated Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-5 at the French Open on Tuesday.

The spot in the final four comes four months after the 18th seed from Westmount, Que., lost to eventual champion Li Na in an Australian Open semifinal.

The 20-year-old Bouchard will next meet Russia's Maria Sharapova after the 2012 champion beat Spain's Garbine Muguruza in a 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 comeback win.

"I'm very content with a win like this," said Bouchard. "It was a battle throughout. She played very well especially on long points.

"The last set was key for me. I'm really excited to be playing Sharapova in a big match here."
Bouchard won the first set in an hour, but dropped the second as she lost her last two service games.

Suarez Navarro jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third set before the Canadian fought back with a key break and service holds.

17-time Grand Slam Roger Federer Knocked Out Pre-QF French Open

French leave: Roger Federer leaves the court having lost to Ernests Gulbis Photo: AP

Roger Federer is knocked out of the French Open by Ernests Gulbis. The 17-time Grand Slam champ loses 6-7 7-6 6-2 4-6 6-3. Does it still qualify as a shock when Roger Federer goes out of a grand slam? After his five-set defeat on Sunday at the hands of the Latvian maverick Ernests Gulbis, Federer has now failed to reach the quarter-finals at three of the past four majors.

This was a tale of opportunities missed as Federer led by a set and 5-3 at one stage, only for one dropped service game to set off a chain reaction. He used to be the sport’s ultimate front-runner but his mystique is waning, and Gulbis pounced to claim what he described as the biggest win of his career: 6-7, 7-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.