Rome: Rafa Nadal beat Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych 6-2 6-4 to reach the Italian Open final on Saturday with a dominant performance that he described as emotional after his long injury absence. Nadal, who returned to action in February after seven months out with a knee problem, will have the chance to win his sixth title since his comeback when he faces either Roger Federer or Benoit Paire in Sunday's final.
The sport's dominant claycourt player was at his aggressive best in dismantling the heavy hitting Berdych, breaking in the first and fifth games of a one-sided first set before clinching a decisive advantage in the ninth game of the second. Nadal wrapped it up when his opponent sent a backhand return long and then said he could not have hoped to be playing better after his lengthy layoff.
"I am feeling better physically," the 11-times grand slam winner said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster Teledeporte. "These are emotional moments for me as I think I have managed to turn around a situation in which after many months of doubts I am able to play at a level that I would not have dreamed of four months ago."
Serena Williams crushed Romanian qualifier Simona Halep 6-3 6-0 to book her place in the women's final and extend her winning streak to 23 matches. World number one Williams, who is chasing a fourth consecutive tour title, will face Victoria Azarenka in Sunday's final after the
11:49 PM, May 18, 2013
Rome: Serena Williams is on the longest winning streak of her career. The top-ranked American beat Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-0 Friday to reach the Italian Open semi-finals and extend her victory run to 22 matches. Williams had twice won 21 in a row before, although both of those streaks came a decade ago, in 2002 and 2003. In the other half of the draw, two-time defending champion Maria Sharapova...
06:43 PM, May 17, 2013
Rome: Laura Robson overcame strong winds to beat Venus Williams 6-3, 6-2 at the Italian Open on Monday and set up a second-round match with top-ranked Serena Williams. Both players struggled with the wind at the Foro Italico, with Robson hitting eight double-faults and Venus six, although Venus' errors came at more inopportune times, notably two double-faults in the final game. Robson, who at No. 39 is ranked 15 spots...
08:34 PM, May 13, 2013
Madrid: Defending champion Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the Madrid Open on Sunday to both retain her No. 1 ranking and collect her 50th career title. With the top ranking at stake, Williams stormed out to an early lead as Sharapova struggled with her serve. The second-ranked Russian briefly recovered her poise in the second set, but Williams' form never dipped as she eased...
06:34 PM, May 12, 2013
Madrid: Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will play for the No. 1 ranking and the Madrid Open title after winning semifinals in straight sets Saturday. The top-ranked Williams will have a chance to win her 50th title after beating Sara Errani of Italy 7-5, 6-2. No. 2 Sharapova got her 500th win at all levels after defeating Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-3. Sharapova has won all 10 sets she has played...
05:06 PM, May 11, 2013
Madrid: Top-ranked Serena Williams outlasted Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 0-6, 7-5 to reach the Madrid Open semi-finals on Friday. Williams appeared to wear down against the scrappy Spaniard on the red clay court, and after getting blanked in the second set she fell behind 4-2 in the decider. But the defending champion rallied back to break Medina Garrigues' serve twice to move on. "It was definitely a battle," Williams said....
05:36 PM, May 10, 2013
Madrid : Rafael Nadal cruised into the Madrid Open quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory Thursday over Mikhail Youzhny that featured an array of creative shots. Top-ranked Serena Williams and No. 2 Maria Sharapova also reached the quarterfinals in straight sets. Having already established control by winning Youzhny's second service game, Nadal kept a point going with a deft no-look backhand flick before nailing a winner down the line to...
07:01 PM, May 09, 2013
Madrid: World number one and defending champion Serena Williams continued her serene progress at the Madrid Open tennis when she eased past Spanish wild card Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-2, 7-5 in the second round on Tuesday. Chasing a fourth title of the year and the 50th of her career, Williams had too much power for the slightly-built Dominguez Lino, who nonetheless managed to unsettle her illustrious opponent with some clever...
08:48 PM, May 07, 2013
Madrid: Top-ranked Serena Williams won her opening match on the red clay of the Madrid Open on Sunday. She and other stars are glad the tournament returned to the traditional surface after its trial with blue "Smurf" clay flopped last year. After dispatching Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 7-6 (5), 6-1, the defending champion said she liked the new courts at the Caja Magica. "I think these clay courts are really...
11:01 PM, May 05, 2013
London: Wimbledon is increasing prize money by 40 percent this year and plans to build a retractable roof over Court No. 1. Total prize money for the Grand Slam event will be 22.6 million pounds ($34.4 million), an increase of 6.5 million pounds ($9.9 million) from last year, the All England Club said on Tuesday. The club called it the largest single increase and biggest total prize fund in the...
06:07 PM, Apr 23, 2013
Florida: Venus Williams needed eight match points in the final game to beat Johanna Larsson 6-3, 7-5 and give the U.S. an insurmountable 3-1 lead against Sweden in the Fed Cup World Group Playoff. It marked the first time that the 21st ranked Venus Williams, a former No. 1, has clinched a Fed Cup tie for the United States. Earlier Sunday, No. 1-ranked Serena Williams boosted the U.S. to a...
09:17 AM, Apr 22, 2013
Florida: Serena Williams evened the United States' Fed Cup World Group playoff match against Sweden, waiting out a long rain delay to beat Johanna Larsson 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday night. In the opening match, Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson beat Sloane Stephens 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. The top-ranked Williams finished off the 66th-ranked Larsson in 66 minutes under the lights. "I've been through many rain delays so I know what to do," Williams...
08:31 AM, Apr 21, 2013
Charleston: It took a feisty exchange with Jelena Jankovic for Serena Williams to calm down. Then, settled and able to return to business, she was a winner once more. Williams defeated Jankovic 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 Sunday for her second consecutive Family Circle Cup title. Momentum swung for good at the start of the second set, when Williams said Jankovic was serving too quickly, before she was ready. Jankovic disagreed, but...
08:13 AM, Apr 08, 2013
Serena Williams only had three days to make the transition from hard courts to clay and it showed a few times as she won her opening match at the Family Circle Cup. ...
09:00 AM, Apr 03, 2013
Sharapova is 2-11 against Serena, with both of the wins way back in 2004. Serena has won their past 10 meetings and their past 13 sets. ...
08:54 AM, Mar 29, 2013
Five-time champion Serena Williams defeated No. 5-seeded Li Na 6-3, 7-6 (5). ...
07:24 AM, Mar 27, 2013
The 31-year-old will face World No.1 Serena Williams in the quarter-final of the Miami Masters. ...
04:06 PM, Mar 26, 2013
Third seed Sharapova shrugged off the challenge of Klara Zakopalova, easing to a 6-2 6-2 victory over the Czech to advance to the quarter-finals and inch closer making it fifth time lucky in Florida. ...
11:28 AM, Mar 26, 2013
The top-ranked Williams, seeking her sixth Key Biscayne title and first since 2008, was down a service break trailing 4-1 in the second set before she swept the final five games of the set. ...
04:29 AM, Mar 26, 2013
Serena Williams beat Ayumi Morita 6-3, 6-3 in the third round of the Sony Open. ...
02:39 PM, Mar 24, 2013
