Saturday, 7 July, 2007
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Email your feedback 8.15pm. Well that’s it for today from us in the website bunker. Jamie is signing a few autographs, Jelena had gone off, but then she came back to wait for him. Mrs. Murray is looking pretty pleased too. It’s goodbye from us, and it’s goodbye from him. 8.10pm. TWO Js WIN. There into the final tomorrow. A couple of aces from Nestor left Jamie to serve for the match. Two strong points from the Two Js were matched with a fantastic fight-back from D and E. An indirect ace gave them match point. And they win. How cool is that. The Two Js gave each other a gentle peck on each cheek in congratulations. 8.05pm. Another love-game for Jelena. Nestor serving to stay in the match. Mike Flynn from Switzerland asked when the men’s final will start tomorrow. It’ll start at 2pm, Mike. 8.01pm. Jamie serves at 3-2 with new balls. He wasn’t quite so dominating, but he banked the game. Two J high-fives for a Nestor return that dribbled over the net and which Jamie chased to retrieve and tip gently over the net at acute angle. No wonder the guy is called ‘Stretch’. Stretchy and elastic I reckon. Two Js 4-3 up and serving. 7.53pm. Demon play by Elena/Daniel to break the Jelena serve. They’re well back in the match now, but still one break down. 7.50pm. Every time Jamie discusses a point or next play tactics with Jelena, he puts his fist in front of his mouth. We can’t even do any lip-reading down here. Oh No. Two break points on the Jelena serve. One saved as Nestor puts his return fractionally wide. With all the tension out there, Tim says this is worse than watching Henman. Two-J-mania doesn’t have quite the same ring as Henmania, does it? 7.40pm. The Two Js made a cracking start to the final set, breaking the Nestor serve. And Jamie has just held serve to take a 2-0 lead. All the monitors in the website bunker are on this match. Obviously we’re completely impartial down here, but … Luiz Rolla has a theory. He says “It's absolutely great to watch James and Jelena playing the mixed doubles. The way they smile reminds me of the first year Kuerten won the French Open, also smiling all the time. It's great to see how they are enjoying playing, instead of facing it like an obligation, something they HAVE to win! I think that's why they are doing so great!” I reckon you’re onto something there Luiz. It must be off-putting for their opponents too, don’t you think? 7.30pm. OK, Jelena wins her service to love. Tension mounts as shadows stroke the Centre Court. We’ve had blue skies all day here. The Serb-Brit duo continue to smile. The Russo-Canadian duo continue to try and figure out a way past them. And a demon service return from Nestor clinches the second set for them. One set all. 7.24pm. Mike says the set has the feel of going all the way to a tie-break. I agree. It’s all going safely with serve. Though the set is balanced on the 3-4 fulcrum with Jelena serving. 7.15pm. This is the last match playing today. It’s 2-2 in the second at the moment. The Brits in the website bunker are theoretically projecting the Two Js forward to being champions. If they were to pull off such an extraordinary feat, Jamie would be the first Brit to win a Wimbledon title since Jeremy Bates and Jo Durie won the mixed doubles in 1987. I’m taking odds now, folks … 7.00pm. Jamie’s gone off for a toilet break, and the ball boy is sitting in Jamie’s chair, covering his legs with Jamie’s towel. Jelena is sitting next to him, smiling away, as usual. I must say, you usually only get this much light-hearted entertainment with the Invitation Doubles matches. These bring back ‘senior’ players such as Goran Ivanisevic, the ‘Woodies’ Jana Novotna and Hana Mandlikova for round robin tournaments. And they are great fun along with great tennis. 6.56pm. Jamie is serving for the set. A couple of big serves gets them two set points. And it’s in the bag, 6-4. 6.45pm. So then. The Two Js are a break up. And what’s more, it was the Nestor serve. I’ve just spotted Jelena is wearing lovely pink flowers in her hair, which Beci tells me she was wearing during the QF too. I was clearly too focused on telling you the match facts. Tim reckons the Two Js should start advertising toothpaste because the whole time they’re on court, they’re smiling and chatting and really enjoying the tennis, whether they win the point or not. It is so entertaining to watch. 6.30pm Update on the other mixed doubles matches. The other semi-final match will definitely NOT be played this evening. Expect to see the 5th seeds Bjorkman/Molik versus the unseeded Santoro/Bremond up early tomorrow. Tim predicts Bjorkman/Molik to go all the way. But actually he wants the Two Js to lift the title. They’ve just got the small issue of a semi-final to win first. 6.20pm. The Two Js are out on Centre Court, for their semi-final encounter with 11th seeds Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva. Do we really think the Two Js can do it again? OK, they’ve beaten the 9th seeds, the 14th seeds and the 3rd seeds. The Two Js have just completed a 2.5 hour match. N and L were also on court today, but for half that time, and they’ve had a longer rest period. Who do we have for the winners? 6.10pm. The French pair have done it! Santoro and Bremond have got through to the mixed doubles semi-final, beating Paes/Shaughnessy in a big three-setter. Bjorkman and Molik have won too. They’ve come from a set down to clinch their quarter-final. This is already Alicia Molik’s third match today. First the ladies doubles semi (which she lost), and two mixed matches. 6.05pm. Carlos M from Portugal sends in some evocative prose for the men’s final. “In Roland Garros the bull ruled. Let's see how it goes in the matador's garden ... either way history will be made, and Fed can thank Rafa for making his reign of tennis just a bit more perfect by having a nemesis.” Will the men’s final be the microcosm of powerplay versus finesse flow? 5.55pm In the junior girls’, Urszula is on course to emulate her sister, Agnieszka. Agnieszka won the junior girls’ singles title in 2005. She plays her final tomorrow. Father Robert is both their coach, so he’s clearly no slouch. More names for you to watch, I say. 5.45pm. Over to the junior doubles: No. 1 seeds Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Urszula Radwanska have just beaten, in straight sets, Mariana Duque Marino and Michelle Larcher de Brito, in their quarter-final match. Our Mike here has just reminded me that Urszula, from Poland, has already today booked her place in the girls’ singles final. She was out first thing this morning to play that singles match. Urszula will be up against the fiery Madison Brengle from the USA. Adam says she looks like Gillian Anderson of X Files fame. 5.35pm. With both French contenders in the singles tournament having gone out, it is being left to the mixed doubles for French pair Fabrice Santoro and Severine Bremond to wear that nation’s hopes. They’ve just levelled their quarter-final match at one set all. Veteran Jonas Bjorkman, with Alicia Molik, are also clawing their way back into their quarter-final match. Jonas has served to level the match one set all. 5.18pm. We’ve just heard that the Two Js are next up on Centre Court for their mixed doubles semi-final against the 11th seeds Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva. Fortunately for the Two Js, Santoro/Bremond are 5-2 up in the second set, so look like levelling their quarter-final against Paes/Shaughnessy. You heard it here first: It’s been confirmed that the men’s final will start at 2pm tomorrow. 5.00pm. Two Js WIN. They need to rest up before coming out again later for a semi-final against Nestor and Likhovtseva, who won earlier today. Kerr and Bondarenko have just taken the first set QF against Bjorkman and Molik. 4.53pm In their mixed doubles quarter-final, Paes/Shaughnessy have indeed raced to win the first set, 6-2. In the Two Js marathon quarter-final, Jelena is serving for the match. Back to the junior doubles: No. 1 seeds Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Urszula Radwanska are on court again today, after a break of about an hour and a half. AP played four times yesterday and UR played three times, so they’re well into their grooves. They’ve just started their quarter-final match against Mariana Duque Marino and Michelle Larcher de Brito. 4.45pm Ramón Barquero from Spain says “Rafa will be number one in a couple of years: He is the strongest both mentally and physically and has both the ambition and the skills.” Well, Ramón, I agree with you up to a point. But call me an old fuddy-duddy if you will, but I’m a fan of finesse, and of mixed-up play. Powerplay is one thing, and clearly a championship-winning thing, but from a spectator’s perspective, I reckon finesse of shot, net-play, varied shot selection are all much more enjoyable to watch. What do you guys think? Powerplay or finesse of flow? 4.36pm Paes/Shaughnessy are racing away with the first set, already 4-1 up and serving. Bjorkman and Molik, in their second match of the day, are a break down to Kerr and Bondarenko. The Two Js are still a break up in the final set. 4.25pm. Just pausing for breath here. Kiki Tandi from Germany wants to know about the timing of the mixed final. We are playing the quarters today. And all being well with the weather, we’ll try to finish the semis today too, so that the final can be played tomorrow. And spare a thought for Cara Black who is trying to replicate her 2004 performance. She’s already through to the ladies doubles final, with Liezel Huber. She’s out on court now, with Matkowski, against the Two Js. But the Two Js are a break up in the final set. If Cara does get through this match, and win the mixed semis, she’ll be in two finals tomorrow. 4.13pm The Two Js have been taken to a deciding set by the ninth seed pairing of Cara Black and Marcin Matkowski. Everything to play for. 4.10pm. Fourth seeds Katarina Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama have just come back from a set down to put out top seeds Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur in their three-set doubles semi-final, in what Mike says was a pretty exciting encounter. 4.05pm After all the excitement of the Ladies’ final, the two Js are battling away on Court 3 in their mixed doubles quarter-final. They’ve just moved into another tie-break. The other Brits, Bogdanovic and South were beaten by 11th seeds Nestor and Likhovtseva. Next up on Centre Court eighth seeds Leander Paes and Meghann Shaughnessy play Fabrice Santoro and Severine Bremond. The last remaining mixed doubles quarter-final between 5th seeds Jonas Bjorkman /Alicia Molik and Jordan Kerr /Kateryna Bondarenko will play soon. 3.56pm. Richard Williams just hugged Bartoli's dad who had burst into tears when his daughter thanked him in her speech. Venus is waxing lyrical with her thank yous. With her fourth win, she joins Wimbly icons Billie-Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf, who have all held the trophy four times or more. 3.50pm. Well there we go. Venus jumps up to collect her trophy. We have a question from José Evangelista from Canada about the time of the final. Weather permitting, both the ladies and gents finals are always a 2pm kick-off (on different days, of course). 3.46pm. And it’s all over. Venus is Wimbly Champion. Her fourth Wimbly Trophy. (2005, 2001 and 2000 are the others). 3.42pm Marion saves two more break points. But can’t save the game. Venus is serving for the match, at 5-1. Back in the junior doubles, No. 1 seeds Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Urszula Radwanska beat Madison Brengle and Chelsey Gullickson. This was only the second round though. 3.36pm Smiling Sugiyama and Srebotnik have levelled the ladies’ doubles semi-final at one set all. Those Brazilian boys are out. 10th seeds Clement/Llodra are through to the men’s doubles in straight sets. They’ll meet the 2006 champions Bob and Mike Bryan. Marion is serving 1-4 down. 3.31pm. Back to the business of tennis. Marion is serving 0-3 down. And she’s kept her service. Ooh, guess what? Jamie Murray is having a medical timeout, and … um …he’s having his right foot taped up. It looked like he landed a bit funny as he came into the net. 3.27pm. Venus is sitting on the floor with her left leg straight out in front of her. And she has just claimed a medical time out. Something to do with her inner thigh, modestly shielded with a Wimbly towel to keep the predator paparazzi at bay. Serena is wearing a bright top, it looks like a red/brown poppy motif over cream. Marion is now up and about waiting at the baseline. And the crowds are doing those Mexican waves. 3.21pm More foot injuries. Marion Bartoli is having her left foot attended to in a medical time out. Her big toe is already strapped up and she has tape around her heel. It looks like the trainer is putting in some sort of arch support. And has just taped that up. Venus is also having her left leg attended to, by someone else. Bending and stretching it. Too much drama. 3.15pm Two Js have take the first set, 7-1 in the tie-break. Venus has finally broken Marion’s serve. It’s taken a lot of effort and some startlingly good shots by both players. Venus is up 2-0. 3.11pm Two Js (Jamie and Jelena) are holding their own against Black/Matkowski. The first set tie-break is about to start. V bagged her game with ease. M is battling like a trooper. Big long rally to save break point. David’s just said, Venus has only ever lost to Serena in a Wimbly final. 3.00pm. She who grunts loudest, wins. Venus has pulled a couple of fabulous penetrating cross court groundstrokes to the back corner. 2 set points to Venus. One saved by a cracking double-handed backhand cross court as V approached the net. But Venus got the other break point. First set to Venus 6-4. Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur, no. 1 seeds in the ladies doubles, have cruised to the first set 6-1, in 24 minutes. 2.55pm Oh well, I rather shot my bolt with the Brazilian boys. The 10th seeds are two sets to love up already. Well I guess they wouldn’t be the 10th seeds otherwise. And Marion is serving at 4-5 to stay in the first set. 2.49pm. Now Marion’s broken back, we have a prediction for a Bartoli victory (thank you Kishan Shah). Well, she certainly is a fighter, and she seems to grip terrier-like to every point. And she doesn’t mind racing round the court as though her life depended on it. 2.40pm. Jamie and Jelena (Murray and Jankovic) have just started their mixed doubles semi-final against 9th seeds, Cara Black and Marcin Matkowski. Cara Black is back on court having earlier sealed her place in the ladies doubles with partner Liezel Huber. But Cara is so full of verve that I’m sure she has energy to share. In 2004 she had to play three matches in one day to win the ladies and mixed doubles finals. Don’t mess with this woman. And, wait for it … Bartoli has just broken back. Now serving 2-3. 2.30pm Ah yes, there we go. Venus has broken the very first Bartoli serve, after a bit of a struggle, and is now 3-0 up. So who else is due to be in the royal box, apart from HRH the Duke and Duchess of Kent, who are loyal royal supporters of Wimbly. And he’s the President of the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Bjorn Borg and his missus are there. Billie-Jean (King) is there, Martina (Navratilova) is due, and Virginia (Wade). Terry Wogan might be a bit anglophilic for many of you, but he’s something of a long-standing TV and radio bod. 2.20pm. In case it helps with anything, Williams has just won the opening game to love. I hope you’re all following the unseeded Brazilian marathon-matchers in the men’s doubles. These are the guys who wowed the crowds with a 28-26 victory in the final set over the sixth seeds. They’re now playing the semis against 10th seeds Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra. The French pair have taken the first set. Second set just starting. I’ll keep you posted, because these all boys are fun to watch. 2.15pm. We have a convincing win for Venus suggested by Aussie Peter, saying Marion will get only three games. Adam from the USA reckons Marion will get the first set, then Venus will win. Peter from the Netherlands predicts a straight sets win for Venus. I can’t put up all your predictions, but does anyone reckon Bartoli can pull this off? 2.04pm Well it’s just after two o’clock and Marion and Venus have emerged onto Centre Court. Apparently Pierce Brosnan is due to be in the royal box. So maybe he’ll inspire Bartoli to perform extraordinary feats again. Time for you all to reel out all those 007 titles and James Bond puns… 1.59pm. Djokovic had been on court for over 17.5 hours to get to the semi-final. Nadal looked disappointed too. Consoled Novak on court. What a shocker! Oh well, I guess Rafa will get a bit of rest before the match we’ve all been waiting for tomorrow. 1.55pm Djokovic has RETIRED. Oh-my-goodness! Massive round of applause, standing ovation on No. 1 Court. That blister did look like really serious business. But Helen here says his back might have been bothering him too. 1.52pm Federer WINS. Supreme cross court sliced backhand for the match point. And in the time it’s taken me to write that, he’s won. With a cross-court forehand. 13.48pm. FedEx is serving for the match. It’s all going to be over very quickly. Nadal has broken in the third game. Now leading 3-1. Over in the juniors Donald Young has eased his way into the finals. The no. 1 seed, Vladimir Ignatic, of Belarus, is his opponent. 13.45pm And I’m guessing you want an update on the action. Federer has just broken Gasquet to take a 4-3 lead. Our Jon was chatting with Mary Pierce out on Court 13. Apparently she’s working as a commentator for French TV in the finals. She said Bartoli’s win yesterday was a big surprise but she has a chance in the final. She deserves to be there because she’s a hard worker. She also says she wants to be back playing soon. 13.40pm. OK, I’m taking predictions for the Ladies’ Final result. In the bunker here, we have only one vote for Marion winning, and there’s 10 of us in here at the moment. I’m also in the Venus camp, but being as English as they come, I’m a sucker for the underdog (unless there’s a Brit out there), so I’ll be routing for the Frenchwoman. And that’s going to be weird, given the state of Anglo-French historical relations. 13.30pm Hi guys and gals. Sally here again. How are you all? I don’t want to tempt the gods, but this looks like our second consecutive full day’s play. We can barely keep up the pace in the website bunker. I hope all the girlies were watching the Nadal/Djokovic match. Young Novak has just changed his shirt. Djokovic’s left foot is being attended to now. He has an ugly looking blister on his little toe, open red and sore. I remember having one of those from walking 28 miles in a day in boots that didn’t really fit. Yuk. 1.27pm: Nice play from Rafa who broke Djokovic to take a 5-1 lead before then holding his serve to claim the second set and square the match at a set apiece. Maybe these early starts aren't good for him and needs to wake up a little - it was similar in his match against Mikhail Youzhny earlier in the week when he lost the first two sets before storming back to win the last three. On Centre Court, Richard Gasquet is having some treatment on his left ankle. The physio's taping up the ankle after the Frenchman twisted it during the second set. You have to wonder how Richie will be able to cope with a troublesome ankle playing against the best player in the men's game. 1.17pm: Nadal holds his serve to take a 4-1 lead. Djokovic rubs his back a little - hopefully he's not feeling the effects of his the 10 hours of tennis he's played in the past three days. On Centre Court Federer now has a two set lead after claiming the second set 6-3. 1.14pm: The defending champions in the men's doubles have got through to the final after beating Santoro/Zimonjic. Federer's now 5-2 up in the second set against Gasquet, while Nadal is leading 3-1 in his second set against Djokovic 1.09pm: Fed's now 4-1 up in the second set. After taking the first set, he's now getting closer and closer to that fifth final appearance at Wimbledon. 1.06pm: Max Fieg from the US is someone else who wants to know what's wrong with Nadal. Well Max, from Rafa had a bit of a slow start, but he's starting to get in the groove. He's now 3-0 in the second set. Over on Centre, Richie has held onto his serve but is still losing 3-1 to Fed. 1.03pm: Federer holds his serve and now has a 3-0 lead in the second set. Meanwhle on No.1 Court brilliant play from Rafa as he scampers to the net after Novak plays a neat drop shot, then a after a brief exchange, he smashes decisively to break the Serb. He now leads 2-0 in the second set. 1.00pm: Bjorn Borg's in the Royal Box watching the Federer-Gasquet semi. Federer is of course just two matches away from matching Borg's five successive men's singles titles. He breaks Gasquet to establish a 2-0 lead in the second set. 12.57pm: Brilliant backhand from Rafa, whipping a cross court shot to hold his serve in the first game of the second set. 12.56pm: Remember that you can choose between which men's semi-final match you want to see now on Wimbledon LIVE 12.54pm: Anne Mandel of Estonia wants to know what's wrong with Rafa. From what I've seen, Djokovic is in sparkling form today - as indeed he has been throughout The Championships and Rafa hasn't really got any answers at the moment Anyway, Novak takes the first set against Nadal 6-3, while over on Centre Court, Roger breaks Gasquet to take the first set of their match. 12.48pm: Richard Gasquet has a break point against the mighty Fed. However, for the upteenth time today, Rog cooly saves the break and then goes on to hold his serve with some beautiful shots. 6-5 to Federer. Over on No.1 Court, it's 5-2 to Djokovic. 12.44pm: It's looking food for Novak Djokovic. He's 4-2 up against Rafa on Court 1 and is serving. Meanwhile, there's still not been any breaks of serve yet on Centre Court. It's 5-5 in the first set. 12.37pm: The match on Centre Court is still going to serve, with the score now 4-4. On No.1, Nadal gets his first game after holding his serve. It's now 3-1 to Djokovic over there. The camera pans to the Royal Box and ex-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is settling down to watch Fed's match against Gasquet. 12.31pm: Another Aussie has written in, with Alasdair Gyngell thinking that Djokovic will be the new Roger Federer in a few years. The way he's motoring today Alasdair, he could be facing the mighty Fed in tomorrow's final. Djokovic now has a 3-0 lead after holding his serve against Rafa. 12.28pm: There some wonderful shot making going on in both matches. Djokovic's just broken Nadal to take a 2-0 lead while Gasquet takes Fed to break point, which the defending champion saves with an ace and then goes on to hold his serve. 3-2 Federer. 12.24pm: It's all going with serve at the moment in the Federer-Gasquet match. Currently it's all sqare at 2-2 However, we have the makings of another great match on No.1 Court where Nadal has had a succession of break points against Novak Djokovic in the opening game of the match.. However, Novak saves them all and eventually holds his serve. 12.14pm: Federer holds his first service game to take a 1-0 lead and the Nadal-Djokovic match finally kicks off. Back to your predictions: Peter Wolbers thinks Venus will overpower Bartoli in straight sets. He also thinks Federer won't have too many problems against Gasquet, while he thinks that Novak Djokovic will beat Nadal in four. 12:12pm Michael Fordyce of Australia is on the scrounge, wanting a free t-shirt if he gets his picks right (Federer in four sets, Nadal in five and Venus in two). Unfortunately Michael I don't have a free t-shirt to give away, but nice try. They've just got started on Centre Court and it's Richard Gasquet serving... 12.05pm: It really is a gorgeous day here at the All England Club. Absolutely perfect conditions for tennis. Federer and Gasquet are hitting some gentle shots over the net in their warm-up on Centre Court, while Nadal and Djokovic are posing for pictures. 12.03pm: The men's semis on Centre and No.1 Court are about to start. Roger's being interviewed by the beeb before he goes on court and looks fresh as a daisy. Then Richard Gasquet comes on and he looks somewhat tired - which isn't surprising considering his exhausting win against Andy Roddick yesterday evening. Giovanni from Italy is picking Bartoli in today's final: "If she plays like she did yesterday, bulldozing the best player in the world at the moment, she could take her first grand slam title," he says. Giovanni also wishes luck to Mara Santangelo in the ladies' doubles who is Italy's last hope for a title at this year's Championships. Santangelo is playing with Molik against Black and Huber. 11.37am: David here to take you through the rest of the morning and early afternoon. We've certainly got an interesting day ahead of us with three top matches. Who do you think will win today? Will Venus overpower Marion or will the Frenchwoman play as brilliantly as she did against Justine yesterday? And what about the mens' matches? Does Gasquet have anything left in the tank against a fresh and fully-recharged Roger Federer? And what about the Nadal-Djokovic match? Send us your thoughts... 11.30am The girls’ singles semi-finals are also underway.Poland has two girls featuring in the semis with 6th seed Urszula Radwanska who is 3-0 up against Brit Anna Fitzpatrick on Court 18. Whilst on Court 19 Katarzyna Piter is 3-2 up against Madison Brengle of the USA. 11.23am For those of you following the juniors there are some great matches today.The exciting American 3rd seed Donald Young has started on Court 7 and it is currently going with serve with Young 2-1 up in his semi-final against 6th seed Greg Jones of Australia.Whilst in the other boys’ semi-final, top seed Vladimir Ignatic of Belarus is about to start against Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania on Court 11.
11.15am Don’t forget you can catch all the action on Wimbledon LIVE, where you can watch any of the matches today. So if your want to follow your fave player, subscribe and watch. It’s £2.50 just for one day, or £12.50 for the whole Championships, so you can backtrack a couple of days if you missed a match from earlier in the tournament. How cool is that? 11.10am So what’s happening around the grounds? Starting with the Gentlemen's Doubles Semis Finals - COURT 2 is the place to be. Defending champions Bob and Mike Bryan of the USA take on 4th seeds Fabrice Santoro of France and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia followed by an interesting encounter between the Brazilian pair of Marcelo Melo and Andre Sa against Frenchman Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra. 10.50am Day 2 is set for a great day of tennis. The sun is shining and play gets underway at 11am on the outside courts. The line-up includes the Ladies' singles final between Venus Williams and Marion Bartoli and the two men's semi-finals between Roger Federer / Richard Gasquet and Novak Djokovic / Rafael Nadal. Written by AELTC
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