Showing posts with label Sabine Lisicki. Show all posts

Saturday, 24 January 2015

Eugenie Bouchard, Maria Sharapova, Helen Watson and Rafael Nadal attend annual party in Melbourne ahead of Australian Open

Eugenie Bouchard, Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal attend annual party in Melbourne ahead of Australian Open

The Players Party was held on Sunday ahead of the Australian Open
Eugenie Bouchard, Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova all attended
Roger Federer was another tennis star who turned out at the event
The Australian Open kicks off on Monday morning in Melbourne

PUBLISHED: 22:03, 18 January 2015 | UPDATED: 07:58, 19 January 2015

Eugenie Bouchard was joined by Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer as a host of tennis stars attended the annual Players Party in Melbourne on Sunday ahead of the Australian Open.

The 20-year-old admits change can be 'scary', but also believes splitting from her long-time coach was necessary to build on her brilliant performances in 2014.

Bouchard reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and French Open before making her first grand slam final at Wimbledon, where she lost to Petra Kvitova.

VIDEO Scroll down to see Eugenie Bouchard ask for help with her tiny pink shorts

Eugenie Bouchard poses for the cameras ahead of the Sunday's player's party before the the Australian Open

The 20-year-old Canadian attended the annual event in Melbourne with a host of other tennis stars

Eugenie Bouchard asks for a little help with her tiny pink shorts

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer also attended the party ahead of the tournament which begins on Sunday

The Canadian was unsurprisingly voted the WTA's most improved player after climbing from 32nd in the rankings to seventh, but opted to stop working with coach Nick Saviano in the off-season. The pair had worked together since Bouchard was 12.

'It was definitely a different off-season for me. I made a lot of changes,' admitted Bouchard, who is currently working with Diego Ayala as she seeks a coach to take her to the 'next level'.

'I kind of wanted to wait till the end of the year to do that when we have a few months off. I think it was better to not do it in the middle of the season.

'Change can be scary, but change can also be good. It's just about adapting now, I think slowly putting the pieces in the right place. I'm feeling good.'

Maria Sharapova was another tennis star who dressed up for the party in Melbourne, Australia

Tennis stars looking glam at the players party in Melbourne

Bouchard reached the semi-finals in Melbourne 12 months ago in just her fourth grand slam, losing to eventual winner Li Na in straight sets.

But while that came out of the blue, her subsequent performances at Roland Garros and the All England Club ensured that the seventh seed will be expected to reproduce that form in 2015.

'I try to see it as just a new year,' added Bouchard, who takes on Germany's Anna-Lena Friedsam on Monday evening. 'I'm not concerned about defending points from last year. To me it's 2015. I start at zero and try to do as well as I can.

Britain's Heather Watson also posed for photographers at the event in Melbourne

'My past results don't mean anything when I'm going to walk out on the court tomorrow. I still have to fight and try to play as well as I can. I have great memories from last year, but it doesn't really mean anything to me this year.

'This was a great tournament for me last year. It kind of started a great year for me. I think I gained so much more experience after that as well, more big matches, more high-pressure situations. But it's great to be back. I just have memories flooding in all the time, any court I practice on, the locker room, this press room. It's great memories from last year.'

Second seed Maria Sharapova is also in action on the opening day against Croatia's Petra Martic, with third seed Simona Halep up against Italy's Karin Knapp.

Germany's Sabine Lisicki (left) and Petra Kvitova (right) pose for photographers at the event

Halep opens proceedings on Rod Laver Arena and will be followed on court by fifth seed Ana Ivanovic, who takes on Lucie Hradecka.

Top seed Serena Williams and Wimbledon champion Kvitova must wait until Tuesday to play their first round matches, with Kvitova keen to make amends for losing at the same stage 12 months ago.

'I would like to forget about last year. Unfortunately it's impossible,' Kvitova said. 'On the other side I know I can do only better, so that's the good thing.

'I'm excited to play, of course. It's a grand slam. It's what I love to play. I just will do everything that I can to be just better than last year because it was very disappointing. It wasn't really a nice time for me.'

Saturday, 6 July 2013

Brilliant Bartoli blasts her way to Wimbledon glory after thrashing Lisicki in Women's final

Brilliant Bartoli blasts her way to Wimbledon glory after thrashing Lisicki in women's final

By MARTHA KELNER

PUBLISHED: 15:32, 6 July 2013 | UPDATED: 22:14, 6 July 2013

Marion Bartoli served an ace ‘saved for the best moment’, then sank to her knees before scaling the Centre Court stand into her players’ box after winning Wimbledon.

The 28-year-old ditched her father Walter, who had coached her since childhood, in an official capacity earlier this year.

It was he who she embraced strongest as she celebrated the ‘unthinkable’ — a Grand Slam title, after 47 appearances, the most of any first-time champion.

First of many? Marion Bartoli beat Sabine Lisicki to grab her first ever grand slam title

Until next year: Lisicki, who overcame Serena Williams in the fourth round, had to settle for second

‘Those five, 10 seconds before you shake the hands of your opponent, you feel almost like you’re not walking on earth any more,’ said Bartoli.

‘You’re really flying. I was looking at my dad in the players’ box. He was on his phone for almost the whole match, he was really relaxed.

‘It was the perfect day. It was sunny. I won in two sets. I didn’t drop a set for the whole championship.

'Even in my perfect dream I couldn’t have dreamed a perfect moment like that. That is beyond perfection.’

The vanquished Sabine Lisicki sat, head bowed, in her chair, shielded from the sun. The German wept freely having been unable to hold back tears even until the end of the match.

She had frozen in spectacular style on the biggest stage and it was agonising to watch, like witnessing a child fluff their lines at the school concert.

Delighted: Bartoli dominated her opponent to win 6-1, 6-4

Unstoppable: Bartoli was so thrilled at the end she raced to her box to celebrate with her family

She hugged the runners-up silver plate tightly, as if it might take away the pain. ‘I hope I’ll get the chance one more time,’ she said, looking towards her players’ box, her voice cracking.

‘Can I just thank my entire team,’ she said, before breaking into more tears.

The first set was a 30-minute blur of unforced errors from the German. The hammerhead serves which confounded Serena Williams in the fourth round here and earned her the nickname ‘Boom Boom Bini’ in her homeland, were absent.

The Pat Cash moment: Bartoli scrambling up to her box

The moment she realised: Bartoli has avenged her 2007 defeat to Venus Williams

Lisicki took advantage of the only nerves the Frenchwoman betrayed the whole match, breaking in the first game.

But she was broken straight back and was unable to hold serve again as Bartoli raced through the first set, ripping several unanswerable cross-court backhands.

Lisicki screamed towards the players’ box as she netted her usually reliable forehand to give Bartoli the set.

It was the sort of one-sided tennis that would have Bartoli’s compatriot Gilles Simon guffawing.

French fancy: Bartoli was totally dominant in both sets, forcing Lisicki into numerous errors

Bartoli continued her stunning form from Thursday, strolling to a comfortable victory

The French pair rowed at last year’s Wimbledon when Simon said women’s tennis was less entertaining than men’s and so women should be paid less.

Bartoli won the Championships and a £1.6million prize without beating a top-10 player, but this should not detract from her achievement.

It offered some symmetry that one of the strangest Wimbledon Championships, where the biggest names fell with abandon, was won by the most unorthodox woman playing the game.

No ideas: Things just weren't going Lisicki's way as she struggled to penetrate Bartoli's serve

In full flowing quirkiness, Bartoli jogged to the back of the court, bunny-hopped, hit phantom forehands and pumped her fist after almost every point.

Lisicki briefly threatened a comeback in the second set, breaking Bartoli to force her to serve out the match, which she did as aggressively as she played the whole match.

‘To finish on an ace to win Wimbledon and see the chalk come out of the line, I saw it in slow motion. You went through pain, you went through tears and through low moments and it actually happened.’

All at sea: Lisicki struggled to get an rhythm going from the back of the court

Two smiling girls: Neither Bartoli or Lisicki had won a Grand Slam title before this year's Wimbledon

Past winners: Martina Navratilova and Martina Hingis were both present in the Royal Box

Monday, 1 July 2013

Sabine Lisicki stuns tournament favourite Williams in fourth round at Wimbledon

Lisicki stuns tournament favourite Williams in fourth round at Wimbledon

By IVAN SPECK

PUBLISHED: 15:23, 1 July 2013 | UPDATED: 18:04, 1 July 2013

Manic Monday lived up to its name with the shock 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 defeat of Serena Williams to Sabine Lisicki.

It is not that her German conqueror is an unknown – her superb record on grass courts always gave her a fighter’s chance – but Serena does not usually waste such opportunities.

Wimbledon champion on five occasions, the world No 1 and the most powerful player in the women’s game, Williams led 3-1 in the final set.

Stunned: Serena Williams was turfed out in the fourth round by Sabine Lisicki

Pure delight: Lisicki got down on her knees after the game and fell to the floor in ecstasy

She had recovered from a disastrous run of four games which lost her the first set to rip the second from Lisicki’s grasp.

Now she stood a break up in the third. Under normal circumstances, victory would be a foregone conclusion.

Lisicki, though, refused to yield, trading bludgeoned forehands and rapier-like backhands. Back and forth they scampered across the Centre Court grass. Every point became an epic and when Lisicki’s final forehand skipped out of Serena’s reach, the 23rd seed had won.

A tearful Lisicki said: ‘I’m still shaking. I’m so happy. Serena is such a tough opponent. It’s an amazing feeling. I want to say thank you to everyone in the crowd for their support. I love this court so much. It’s such a special place.

Hard to beat: Williams was expected to win the tournament but was upset by Lisicki

Sloane Stephens

Serena Williams may be out, but America still have one hope left in the women's singles.

20-year-old Sloane Stephens overcame Monica Puig 4-6 7-5 6-1 and has been tipped for a big future by Williams.

'I think Sloane has a really good chance of winning,' Williams said. 'She has a great draw.'

There has been suggestion of some needle between the pair, but it was not apparent as Williams threw her support behind the Floridian.

'I think she can take it,' Williams said. 'It would be really nice to see her win.'

‘Serena played such unbelievable shots. I just hung in there. I gave it everything I had. I fought for every single point and tried to win it somehow.’

Lisicki’s triumph meant that she has now beaten the reigning French Open champion at Wimbledon for the fourth year in succession, following wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova (in 2010), Na Li (2011) and Maria Sharapova (2012).

By winning she set up a quarter-final clash with Laura Robson's conqueror, Kaia Kanepi.

'I am not thinking about that yet,' Lisicki told the BBC.

'I did enjoy it. She played unbelievable shots, but I fought for every point, hung in there, it's unbelievable.'

Asked if she would be celebrating the win, Lisicki added: 'No, not yet. The tournament is not over.'

Shake on it: The pair speak after the amazing encounter

Meanwhile Petra Kvitova is feeling the pressure of expectation as she continues her bid for a second Wimbledon title.

The 2011 champion has not had a strong season but has found herself in a similar position to Andy Murray as seeds tumbled from the bottom half of the draw.

Early exits for Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki left Kvitova as the standout name, and the eighth seed booked her place in the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (7/5) 6-3 victory over Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro.

On song: Petra Kvitova is aiming to become Wimbledon champion

Next up for 23-year-old Kvitova is Belgian 20th seed Kirsten Flipkens, while 15th seed Marion Bartoli is the highest-ranked player she could meet in the semi-finals.

Kvitova said: 'Everybody is talking about me being the highest seeded player in my half; I'm supposed to be already in the final. That's something it's not really easy to hear.

'The girls who are in these rounds, they are playing their best. They are in good form, they are in good shape. That's quite tricky.'

KATCHING MY I

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