Watch Wimbledon Live Online on ESPN360.com

Results - Friday, July 3, 2009

Doubles - Semifinals
(4) Williams/Williams (USA/USA) d. (1) Black/Huber (ZIM/USA) 61 62
(3) Stosur/Stubbs (AUS/AUS) d. (2) Medina Garrigues/Ruano Pascual (ESP/ESP) 67(3) 64 62

Schedule for Day 12: Saturday, July 4, 2009

Centre Court 14:00 Start
1. Ladies’ Singles - Finals
Venus Williams (USA)[3] v. Serena Williams (USA)[2]
2. Gentlemen’s Doubles - Finals
Bob Bryan (USA)[1] v. Daniel Nestor (CAN)[2]
Mike Bryan (USA)[1] Nenad Zimonjic (SRB)[2]
3. Ladies’ Doubles - Finals
Serena Williams (USA)[4] v. Samantha Stosur (AUS)[3]
Venus Williams (USA)[4] Rennae Stubbs (AUS)[3]

Court 1 14:00 Start
1. Girls’ Singles - Finals
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)[1] v. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA)[4]
2. Senior Gentlemen’s Inv. Doubles
Jeremy Bates (GBR) v. Joakim Nystrom (SWE)
Anders Jarryd (SWE) Mats Wilander (SWE)
3. Gentlemen’s Invitation Doubles - 2nd Round
Guy Forget (FRA) v. Todd Woodbridge (AUS)
Cedric Pioline (FRA) Mark Woodforde (AUS)

Court 2 12:00 Start
1. Gentlemen’s Invitation Doubles - 2nd Round
Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) v. Donald Johnson (USA)
Richard Krajicek (NED) Jared Palmer (USA)
2. Senior Gentlemen’s Inv. Doubles
Peter Fleming (USA) v. Peter McNamara (AUS)
Guillermo Vilas (ARG) Paul McNamee (AUS)
3. Ladies’ Invitation Doubles
Jo Durie (GBR) v. Zina Garrison (USA)
Hana Mandlikova (AUS) Liz Smylie (AUS)
4. Girls’ Doubles - Semifinals
Beatrice Capra (USA) v. Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)[2]
Martina Trevisan (ITA) Silvia Njiric (CRO)[2]

Court 3 12:00 Start
1. Gentlemen’s Invitation Doubles - 2nd Round
Jacco Eltingh (NED) v. Todd Martin (USA)
Paul Haarhuis (NED) David Wheaton (USA)
2. Boys’ Doubles - Semifinals
Julien Obry (FRA) v. Alexandros-Ferd Georgoudas (GER)
Adrien Puget (FRA) Andrei Vasilevski (BLR)
3. Boys’ Doubles - Semifinals
Carlos Boluda-Purkiss (ESP) v. Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA)
David Souto (VEN) Kevin Krawietz (GER)
4. Girls’ Doubles - Semifinals
Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA) v. Daria Gavrilova (RUS)[5]
Sally Peers (AUS) Ksenia Kirillova (RUS)[5]

Court 4 12:00 Start
1. Gentlemen’s Wheelchair Doubles - 1st Round
Stephane Houdet (FRA) v. Stefan Olsson (SWE)
Michael Jeremiasz (FRA) Peter Wikstrom (SWE)
Not Before:16:00
2. Gentlemen’s Wheelchair Doubles - 1st Round
Robin Ammerlaan (NED) v. Maikel Scheffers (NED)
Shingo Kunieda (JPN) Ronald Vink (NED)

An updated copy of the main draw is available at the official Wimbledon website.

For more information about Wimbledon, please visit the www.wimbledon.org.

Saturday’s championship match at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club will feature two of the best tennis players of this generation.

For the fourth time in their distinguished careers, Venus and Serena Williams will compete for the coveted Venus Rosewater Dish at Wimbledon.

A Closer Look at the Venus Rosewater Dish

I don’t know much about Greek mythology. All I know is that if I had a chance to open Pandora’s Box, I would think twice. Surprisingly, Wimbledon chose to embrace Greek mythological figures in one of its most prized possessions—the ladies’ singles champion trophy, which has not changed in 123 years.

Whoever wins the ladies’ singles final on Saturday will triumphantly raise the 123-year-old Venus Rosewater Dish, a replica of the original made in 1864. The dish is made of sterling silver and partially gilded. The original dish was made from pewter, and in case you’re wondering, it is safely guarded in the Louvre in Paris.

The dish itself spans 18 3/4 inches in diameter (about 48cm) and is etched with many prominent mythological figures. It was first won by Blanche Bingley Hillyard, the Wimbledon ladies’ champion in 1886. Since then, only one dish has been used as the championship trophy. Dates and names of champions from 1884 to 1957 are engraved around the inside of the dish, and champions from 1958 to the present are located around the outside of the dish.

Since 2007, the ladies’ Wimbledon singles champion has received a 14-inch replica of the Venus Rosewater Dish to replace the one presented to them on-court. Prior to 2007, players had received an 8-inch replica.
- Paula Vergara

Previewing the Final Match

Not much has changed since this time last year at Wimbledon. Of course, the landscape has improved with the advent of the new Centre Court roof, but apart from that, it has been business as usual at the AELTC. Even three of the four semifinalists were the same. And once again, one family has ruled the grass courts.

It has been twelve months since Venus Williams clutched her fifth Wimbledon trophy. In the twelve-month interim, we have also seen a renewed period of dominance by Serena as she has recaptured the number one ranking and won two additional major titles.

Calling a winner of an All-Williams final is extremely difficult as not much separates these two former champions. Plus, unseen forces, such as the emotional bond between two sisters and best friends, also have a crucial role. Upon analyzing strictly the games of Venus and Serena, clearly Venus is the superior grass court player. She doesn’t have the steely persona of her younger sister, but Venus is a textbook example of fluidity in motion on the pristine lawns.

She’ll face her toughest match on grass since the 2008 final on Saturday, but based upon her performance thus far, Venus Williams appears headed for her sixth Championship title.
- Aaress Lawless

Watch the Finals Live on Wimbledon Live!

Catch the final weekend action on Wimbledon Live - the official online streaming site for the Wimbledon Championships 2009. Buy your Wimbledon Finals Weekend Pass now to get ready for a blockbuster weekend in tennis! Click here to buy your finals pass for just $14.99 now!

Twitter Says

Can you tell in 140 characters or less who will win the title—AND WHY? Our Twitter followers gave it a try yesterday!

“I’m going w/Venus this time…she is on a roll!” (@writerchickmc)

“Serena - she may have had a tough semi but she showed the fight inside which will help against inform Venus!! Team Serena!!!” (@daniellews)

“V will win cuz even tho DS didn’t show-up 4 her SF match, V would have still won. SW got lucky w/her SF win. V is stronger!” (@SLYZemanek)

“I’m going with Serena. She’s proven she can be tested and still win!” (@TennisSpin)

Enter OTB’s Pick the Winner’s Contest

How well do you know tennis? Do you think you can pick the winner of Saturday’s final? Guess correctly and you might be one of the three lucky people chosen to win a pair of Drymax tennis socks!

To enter, simply select your pick for the winner of Saturday’s match between Serena Williams (USA)[2] vs. Venus Williams (USA)[3]. All entries must be received by 9:00 AM ET on Saturday. Only one entry per person.

Entry for today has ended.

NBC and ESPN360.com Schedule for Saturday

All times are Eastern

Saturday, July 4, 2009
Ladies’ Final - NBC - 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM (LIVE)
Ladies’ Final - ESPN360.com - Watch Replay Online

Watch Wimbledon Live Online on ESPN360.com

July 2 Results - Singles - Semifinals

(3) Venus Williams (USA) d. (1) Dinara Safina (RUS) 61 60
(2) Serena Williams (USA) d. (4) Elena Dementieva (RUS) 67(4) 75 86

Schedule for Day 11: Friday, 3 July 2009

Centre Court 13:00 Start
1. Gentlemen’s Singles - Semifinals
Tommy Haas (GER)[24] v. Roger Federer (SUI)[2]
2. Gentlemen’s Singles - Semifinals
Andy Roddick (USA)[6] v. Andy Murray (GBR)[3]

Court 1 13:00 Start
1. Ladies’ Doubles - Semifinals
Cara Black (ZIM)[1] v. Serena Williams (USA)[4]
Liezel Huber (USA)[1] Venus Williams (USA)[4]
2. Ladies’ Invitation Doubles
Tracy Austin (USA) v. Martina Navratilova (USA)
Kathy Rinaldi-Stunkel (USA) Helena Sukova (CZE)
3. Mixed Doubles
Leander Paes (IND)[1] v. Stephen Huss (AUS)[12]
Cara Black (ZIM)[1] Virginia Ruano Pascual (ESP)[12]
4. Senior Gentlemen’s Inv. Doubles
Mansour Bahrami (IRI) v. Kevin Curren (USA)
Henri Leconte (FRA) Johan Kriek (USA)

Court 3 13:00 Start
1. Ladies’ Doubles - Semifinals
Samantha Stosur (AUS)[3] v. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP)[2]
Rennae Stubbs (AUS)[3] Virginia Ruano Pascual (ESP)[2]
2. Ladies’ Invitation Doubles
Annabel Croft (GBR) v. Ilana Kloss (RSA)
Samantha Smith (GBR) Rosalyn Nideffer (USA)
3. Senior Gentlemen’s Inv. Doubles
Vijay Amritraj (IND) v. Ken Flach (USA)
John Fitzgerald (AUS) Danie Visser (RSA)

Court 4 12:00 Start
1. Boys’ Singles - Semifinals
Devin Britton (USA) v. Jordan Cox (USA)
2. Girls’ Singles - Semifinals
Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA)[4] v. Timea Babos (HUN)[6]
3. Ladies’ Invitation Doubles
Gretchen Magers (USA) v. Jana Novotna (CZE)
Conchita Martinez (ESP) Andrea Temesvari (HUN)
4. Boys’ Doubles - Quarterfinals
Julien Obry (FRA) v. Devin Britton (USA)
Adrien Puget (FRA) Jordan Cox (USA)
5. Girls’ Doubles - Quarterfinals
Jana Cepelova (SVK) v. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA)
Vivien Juhaszova (SVK) Sally Peers (AUS)

Court 12 12:00 Start
1. Girls’ Doubles - Quarterfinals
Fatma Al Nabhani (OMA) v. Daria Gavrilova (RUS)[5]
Yana Buchina (RUS) Ksenia Kirillova (RUS)[5]
2. Boys’ Doubles - Quarterfinals
Andrea Collarini (ARG)[1] v. Carlos Boluda-Purkiss (ESP)
Agustin Velotti (ARG)[1] David Souto (VEN)
3. Boys’ Doubles - Quarterfinals
Evan King (USA)[4] v. Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA)
Denis Kudla (USA)[4] Kevin Krawietz (GER)

Court 14 12:00 Start
1. Ladies’ Wheelchair Doubles - 1st Round
Korie Homan (NED) v. Katharina Kruger (GER)
Esther Vergeer (NED) Sharon Walraven (NED)
2. Ladies’ Wheelchair Doubles - 1st Round
Daniela Di Toro (AUS) v. Florence Gravellier (FRA)
Lucy Shuker (GBR) Jiske Griffioen (NED)

Court 18 12:00 Start
1. Boys’ Singles - Semifinals
Bernard Tomic (AUS)[3] v. Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS)
2. Girls’ Singles - Semifinals
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)[1] v. Miyabi Inoue (JPN)
3. Boys’ Doubles - Quarterfinals
Alexandros-Ferd Georgoudas (GER) v. Cheng Peng Hsieh (TPE)[2]
Andrei Vasilevski (BLR) Liang-Chi Huang (TPE)[2]
4. Girls’ Doubles - Quarterfinals
Miyabi Inoue (JPN) v. Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)[2]
Sachie Ishizu (JPN) Silvia Njiric (CRO)[2]
5. Girls’ Doubles - Quarterfinals
Beatrice Capra (USA) v. Isabella Holland (AUS)
Martina Trevisan (ITA) Christina McHale (USA)

TBA
Not Before:17:00
1. Mixed Doubles
Jamie Murray (GBR) v. Mark Knowles (BAH)[9]
Liezel Huber (USA) Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER)[9]
2. Gentlemen’s Invitation Doubles - 2nd Round
Pat Cash (AUS) v. Mark Petchey (GBR)
Chris Wilkinson (GBR) Greg Rusedski (GBR)

An updated copy of the main draw is available at the official Wimbledon website.

For more information about Wimbledon, please visit the www.wimbledon.org.

Venus and Serena Williams have advanced for the second consecutive year into the women’s final.

Serena Williams played one of the most spectacular matches of her career on Thursday. Serena, who finished as runner-up to Venus in 2008, outlasted Elena Dementieva in an epic encounter on Centre Court.

Both Williams and Dementieva brought their finest tennis to the court today, and after nearly three hours of play, Serena Williams emerged as the winner with a 6-7(4), 7-5, 8-6 victory.

Dementieva, one of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s most notoriously poor servers, gave Serena one of her toughest matches of the year as she dominated on serve.

Late in the second set it appeared as though Dementieva would break at 5-4, but Williams recovered to force a third and deciding set. Dementieva again had an opening in the tenth game, but Williams managed to save a match point at 5-4 with a gutsy volley at the net.

“I think it was a very close match, and I think we both were playing very well today. It was a good fight,” Dementieva said afterward. “Actually, I feel very satisfied the way I was playing today. The only regret I have, maybe I should take a little bit more risk on match point, should [have gone] down the line.”

By stark contrast, Venus Williams achieved her final berth with a far easier score and in one-third of the time. The defending champion swatted past reigning world number one Dinara Safina in straight sets 6-1, 6-0 in just fifty-one minutes.

But Venus and Serena Williams, two formidable opponents, are standing in their way.

Only two Russians have reached the championship match at Wimbledon during the Open Era, Olga Morozova (runner-up in 1974) and Maria Sharapova (champion in 2004). Russia remains the most dominant nation in women’s tennis and swept the medal platform at last year’s Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Elena Dementieva (RUS)[4] v. Serena Williams (USA)[2]

Expect this match to be the most hotly contested of the semifinals. Elena Dementieva appears to have rediscovered her serve, something that has been a long time coming. While she is still hitting just as many double faults, she is winning the crucial points on serve, and has only been broken three times in her past three matches combined.

This could give her a fighting chance against Serena. The younger Williams sibling played blisteringly efficient tennis against Victoria Azarenka. Azarenka, who is known for giving all the top players a good battle on court, only managed to win five games.

While Dementieva does not have the same fight and aggression as Azarenka, she does have far more experience. Elena has faced off against Serena eight times in the past, so she knows that she won’t be seeing anything new on Centre Court. Plus, there is also that little matter of confidently knowing that she has beaten Serena in four of their last five matches.
Prediction: Serena Williams in three sets

Dinara Safina (RUS)[1] v. Venus Williams (USA)[3]

For her own sake, I hope Dinara Safina comes out on court Thursday playing far more aggressive tennis than what she displayed in her past few matches. Her three set quarterfinal win against Sabine Lisicki was painful to watch as the top seed posted fifteen double faults. Nerves and a lack of confidence? Absolutely.

Safina is continuing to show her mettle as a fighter, but even she admitted afterward that once again she came out on court flat and sluggish. She could get away with this against the inexperienced young German, but Venus Williams will be a completely different story.

Based upon the way Venus is playing now, the only way she can be beaten is for a player to strike first, starting with the opening point of the match. Safina’s strength lies in her ability to come from behind and remain focused in a deciding set. Unfortunately, for the world number one, she might not get a chance to attempt that on Thursday.
Prediction: Venus Williams in two sets

Enter OTB’s Pick the Winner’s Contest

How well do you know tennis? Do you think you can pick the winner of Thursday’s featured match? Guess correctly and you might be one of the three lucky people chosen to win a pair of Drymax tennis socks!

To enter, simply select your pick for the winner of Thursday’s match between Elena Dementieva (RUS)[4] v. Serena Williams (USA)[2]. All entries must be received by 7:00 AM ET on Thursday. Only one entry per person.

NBC, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com Schedule for Thursday

All times are Eastern

Thursday, July 2, 2009
Ladies’ Semifinal - ESPN2 - 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM (LIVE)
Ladies’ Semifinal - ESPN360.com - 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Watch Live Online)
Semifinal Coverage - NBC - 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM (LIVE and Taped)

Watch Wimbledon Live Online on ESPN360.com

Results - Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Doubles - Quarterfinals
(1) Black/Huber (ZIM/USA) d. (11) Llagostera Vives/Martínez Sánchez (ESP/ESP) 46 63 60
(2) Medina Garrigues/Ruano Pascual (ESP/ESP) d. Kleybanova/Makarova (RUS/RUS) 64 75
(3) Stosur/Stubbs (AUS/AUS) d. Barrois/Garbin (GER/ITA) 16 63 64
(4) Williams/Williams (USA/USA) d. (12) Groenefeld/King (GER/USA) 62 75

Schedule for Day 10: Thursday, 2 July 2009

Centre Court 13:00 Start
1. Ladies’ Singles - Semifinals
Elena Dementieva (RUS)[4] v. Serena Williams (USA)[2]
2. Ladies’ Singles - Semifinals
Dinara Safina (RUS)[1] v. Venus Williams (USA)[3]
3. Gentlemen’s Doubles - Semifinals
James Blake (USA) v. Daniel Nestor (CAN)[2]
Mardy Fish (USA) Nenad Zimonjic (SRB)[2]

Court 1 13:00 Start
1. Gentlemen’s Doubles - Semifinals
Bob Bryan (USA)[1] v. Wesley Moodie (RSA)[9]
Mike Bryan (USA)[1] Dick Norman (BEL)[9]
2. Mixed Doubles - 4th Round
Leander Paes (IND)[1] v. Andre Sa (BRA)[11]
Cara Black (ZIM)[1] Ai Sugiyama (JPN)[11]
3. Mixed Doubles - 4th Round
Mark Knowles (BAH)[9] v. Bob Bryan (USA)[2]
Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER)[9] Samantha Stosur (AUS)[2]

Court 2 12:00 Start
1. Gentlemen’s Invitation Doubles - 3rd Round
Pat Cash (AUS) v. Donald Johnson (USA)
Chris Wilkinson (GBR) Jared Palmer (USA)
2. Mixed Doubles - 4th Round
Kevin Ullyett (ZIM)[4] v. Stephen Huss (AUS)[12]
Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE)[4] Virginia Ruano Pascual (ESP)[12]
3. Senior Gentlemen’s Inv. Doubles
Jeremy Bates (GBR) v. Peter McNamara (AUS)
Anders Jarryd (SWE) Paul McNamee (AUS)

Court 3 12:00 Start
1. Ladies’ Invitation Doubles
Ilana Kloss (RSA) v. Gretchen Magers (USA)
Rosalyn Nideffer (USA) Conchita Martinez (ESP)
2. Ladies’ Invitation Doubles
Jo Durie (GBR) v. Martina Navratilova (USA)
Hana Mandlikova (AUS) Helena Sukova (CZE)

Court 4 11:00 Start
1. Girls’ Singles - Quarterfinals
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)[1] v. Sloane Stephens (USA)[7]
2. Boys’ Singles - Quarterfinals
Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) v. Dino Marcan (CRO)
3. Boys’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Tom Farquharson (GBR) v. Alexandros-Ferd Georgoudas (GER)
Stefan Sterland-Markovic (GBR) Andrei Vasilevski (BLR)
4. Boys’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Tennys Sandgren (USA) v. Cheng Peng Hsieh (TPE)[2]
Yasutaka Uchiyama (JPN) Liang-Chi Huang (TPE)[2]
5. Boys’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Maximilian Neuchrist (AUT) v. Julien Obry (FRA)
Tristan-Samuel Weissborn (AUT) Adrien Puget (FRA)

Court 7 11:00 Start
1. Girls’ Singles - Quarterfinals
Zsofia Susanyi (HUN) v. Miyabi Inoue (JPN)
2. Girls’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Valeria Solovieva (RUS)[8] v. Beatrice Capra (USA)
Maryna Zanevska (UKR)[8] Martina Trevisan (ITA)
3. Boys’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Evan King (USA)[4] v. Sandro Ehrat (SUI)
Denis Kudla (USA)[4] Dominik Wirlend (AUT)
4. Girls’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR)[4] v. Fatma Al Nabhani (OMA)
Zsofia Susanyi (HUN)[4] Yana Buchina (RUS)

Court 12 11:00 Start
1. Boys’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Lewis Burton (GBR) v. Carlos Boluda-Purkiss (ESP)
George Morgan (GBR) David Souto (VEN)
2. Girls’ Singles - Quarterfinals
Timea Babos (HUN)[6] v. Quirine Lemoine (NED)
3. Girls’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Nicole Gibbs (USA) v. Daria Gavrilova (RUS)[5]
Camila Silva (CHI) Ksenia Kirillova (RUS)[5]
4. Girls’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Quirine Lemoine (NED) v. Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)[2]
Angelique Van Der Meet (NED) Silvia Njiric (CRO)[2]
5. Girls’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Isabella Holland (AUS) v. Timea Babos (HUN)[3]
Christina McHale (USA) Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO)[3]

Court 14 11:00 Start
1. Girls’ Singles - Quarterfinals
Silvia Njiric (CRO)[11] v. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA)[4]
2. Boys’ Singles - Quarterfinals
Agustin Velotti (ARG)[4] v. Jordan Cox (USA)
3. Girls’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Samantha Vickers (GBR) v. Jana Cepelova (SVK)
Lisa Whybourn (GBR) Vivien Juhaszova (SVK)
4. Girls’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Emi Mutaguchi (JPN) v. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA)
Akiko Omae (JPN) Sally Peers (AUS)
5. Boys’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Andrea Collarini (ARG)[1] v. Filip Horansky (SVK)
Agustin Velotti (ARG)[1] Jozef Kovalik (SVK)

Court 18 11:00 Start
1. Boys’ Singles - Quarterfinals
Dominik Schulz (GER)[9] v. Bernard Tomic (AUS)[3]
2. Boys’ Singles - Quarterfinals
Alexander Domijan (USA) v. Devin Britton (USA)
3. Boys’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) v. Jack Carpenter (GBR)
Kevin Krawietz (GER) James Marsalek (GBR)
4. Girls’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Magda Linette (POL)[6] v. Miyabi Inoue (JPN)
Heather Watson (GBR)[6] Sachie Ishizu (JPN)
5. Boys’ Doubles - 2nd Round
Devin Britton (USA) v. Marin Draganja (CRO)
Jordan Cox (USA) Dino Marcan (CRO)

TBA
Not Before:17:00
1. Senior Gentlemen’s Inv. Doubles
Vijay Amritraj (IND) v. Mansour Bahrami (IRI)
John Fitzgerald (AUS) Henri Leconte (FRA)
2. Gentlemen’s Invitation Doubles - 3rd Round
Jacco Eltingh (NED) v. Todd Woodbridge (AUS)
Paul Haarhuis (NED) Mark Woodforde (AUS)

An updated copy of the main draw is available at the official Wimbledon website.

For more information about Wimbledon, please visit the www.wimbledon.org.

Watch Wimbledon Live Online on ESPN360.com

Results - Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Singles - Quarterfinals
(1) Dinara Safina (RUS) d. Sabine Lisicki (GER) 67(5) 64 61
(2) Serena Williams (USA) d. (8) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 62 63
(3) Venus Williams (USA) d. (11) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 61 62
(4) Elena Dementieva (RUS) d. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 62 62

Schedule for Day 9: Wednesday, 1 July 2009

Centre Court 13:00 Start
1. Gentlemen’s Singles - Quarterfinals
Ivo Karlovic (CRO)[22] v. Roger Federer (SUI)[2]
2. Gentlemen’s Singles - Quarterfinals
Andy Murray (GBR)[3] v. Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP)

Court 1 13:00 Start
1. Gentlemen’s Singles - Quarterfinals
Tommy Haas (GER)[24] v. Novak Djokovic (SRB)[4]
2. Gentlemen’s Singles - Quarterfinals
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) v. Andy Roddick (USA)[6]

Court 2 12:00 Start
1. Ladies’ Doubles - Quarterfinals
Serena Williams (USA)[4] v. Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER)[12]
Venus Williams (USA)[4] Vania King (USA)[12]
2. Gentlemen’s Doubles - Quarterfinals
Mahesh Bhupathi (IND)[4] v. Wesley Moodie (RSA)[9]
Mark Knowles (BAH)[4] Dick Norman (BEL)[9]
3. Ladies’ Doubles - Quarterfinals
Kristina Barrois (GER) v. Samantha Stosur (AUS)[3]
Tathiana Garbin (ITA) Rennae Stubbs (AUS)[3]
4. Mixed Doubles - 3rd Round
Daniel Nestor (CAN)[5] v. Mark Knowles (BAH)[9]
Elena Vesnina (RUS)[5] Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER)[9]

Court 3 12:00 Start
1. Gentlemen’s Doubles - Quarterfinals
Simon Aspelin (SWE) v. James Blake (USA)
Paul Hanley (AUS) Mardy Fish (USA)
2. Ladies’ Doubles - Quarterfinals
Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) v. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP)[2]
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) Virginia Ruano Pascual (ESP)[2]
3. Senior Gentlemen’s Inv. Doubles
Kevin Curren (USA) v. Ken Flach (USA)
Johan Kriek (USA) Danie Visser (RSA)

Court 4 12:00 Start
1. Ladies’ Doubles - Quarterfinals
Cara Black (ZIM)[1] v. Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP)[11]
Liezel Huber (USA)[1] Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP)[11]
2. Mixed Doubles - 3rd Round
Kevin Ullyett (ZIM)[4] v. Christopher Kas (GER)[16]
Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE)[4] Chia-Jung Chuang (TPE)[16]
3. Mixed Doubles - 3rd Round
Mike Bryan (USA)[6] v. Jamie Murray (GBR)
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)[6] Liezel Huber (USA)

Court 5 11:00 Start
1. Girls’ Singles - 3rd Round
Ksenia Kirillova (RUS) v. Silvia Njiric (CRO)[11]
2. Girls’ Singles - 3rd Round
Richel Hogenkamp (NED) v. Zsofia Susanyi (HUN)
3. Girls’ Doubles - 1st Round
Christina Mathis (AUT) v. Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)[2]
Sachia Vickery (USA) Silvia Njiric (CRO)[2]
4. Girls’ Doubles - 1st Round
Khunpak Issara (THA) v. Daria Gavrilova (RUS)[5]
Natchanok Saenyaukhot (THA) Ksenia Kirillova (RUS)[5]
5. Boys’ Doubles - 1st Round
Alessandro Bega (ITA) v. Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA)
Emanuele Molina (ITA) Kevin Krawietz (GER)

Court 7 11:00 Start
1. Girls’ Singles - 3rd Round
Miyabi Inoue (JPN) v. Beatrice Capra (USA)
2. Girls’ Singles - 3rd Round
Camila Silva (CHI)[10] v. Sloane Stephens (USA)[7]
3. Boys’ Singles - 3rd Round
Dino Marcan (CRO) v. Harry Fowler (USA)
4. Girls’ Doubles - 1st Round
Beatrice Capra (USA) v. Katarena Paliivets (CAN)
Martina Trevisan (ITA) Chanel Simmonds (RSA)
5. Boys’ Doubles - 1st Round
Marin Draganja (CRO) v. Facundo Arguello (ARG)[3]
Dino Marcan (CRO) Julen Uriguen (GUA)[3]

Court 12 11:00 Start
1. Boys’ Singles - 3rd Round
Carlos Boluda-Purkiss (ESP) v. Dominik Schulz (GER)[9]
2. Girls’ Singles - 3rd Round
Timea Babos (HUN)[6] v. Yana Buchina (RUS)
3. Boys’ Singles - 3rd Round
Agustin Velotti (ARG)[4] v. Filip Horansky (SVK)
4. Girls’ Doubles - 1st Round
Fatma Al Nabhani (OMA) v. Brooke Bolender (USA)
Yana Buchina (RUS) Alexandra Cercone (USA)
5. Girls’ Doubles - 1st Round
Tamara Curovic (SRB) v. Timea Babos (HUN)[3]
Alexandra Krunic (SRB) Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO)[3]

Court 14 12:00 Start
1. Ladies’ Invitation Doubles
Tracy Austin (USA) v. Zina Garrison (USA)
Kathy Rinaldi-Stunkel (USA) Liz Smylie (AUS)
2. Boys’ Singles - 3rd Round
Tom Farquharson (GBR) v. Bernard Tomic (AUS)[3]
3. Boys’ Singles - 3rd Round
Daniel Berta (SWE)[1] v. Alexander Domijan (USA)
4. Boys’ Doubles - 1st Round
Carlos Boluda-Purkiss (ESP) v. Jordan Kelly-Houston (NZL)
David Souto (VEN) Ben McLachlan (NZL)
5. Girls’ Doubles - 1st Round
Nicola George (GBR) v. Quirine Lemoine (NED)
Jennifer Ren (GBR) Angelique Van Der Meet (NED)

Court 15 11:00 Start
1. Girls’ Singles - 3rd Round
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)[1] v. Akiko Omae (JPN)
2. Boys’ Singles - 3rd Round
Jordan Cox (USA) v. Andrei Vasilevski (BLR)
3. Boys’ Singles - 3rd Round
Tiago Fernandes (BRA) v. Devin Britton (USA)
4. Boys’ Doubles - 1st Round
Federico Gaio (ITA) v. Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS)[7]
Francesco Picco (ITA) Dominik Schulz (GER)[7]
5. Boys’ Doubles - 1st Round
Devin Britton (USA) v. Harry Fowler (USA)
Jordan Cox (USA) Johannes Robert Van Overbeek (USA)

Court 18 12:00 Start
1. Gentlemen’s Invitation Doubles - 3rd Round
Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) v. Mark Petchey (GBR)
Richard Krajicek (NED) Greg Rusedski (GBR)
2. Girls’ Singles - 3rd Round
Quirine Lemoine (NED) v. Laura Robson (GBR)[2]
3. Senior Gentlemen’s Inv. Doubles
Peter Fleming (USA) v. Joakim Nystrom (SWE)
Guillermo Vilas (ARG) Mats Wilander (SWE)
4. Girls’ Doubles - 1st Round
Laura Robson (GBR)[1] v. Samantha Vickers (GBR)
Sloane Stephens (USA)[1] Lisa Whybourn (GBR)

Court 19 11:00 Start
1. Girls’ Singles - 3rd Round
Tamaryn Hendler (BEL)[13] v. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA)[4]
2. Boys’ Singles - 3rd Round
Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) v. Hiroyasu Ehara (JPN)
3. Boys’ Doubles - 1st Round
Mitchell Frank (USA) v. Cheng Peng Hsieh (TPE)[2]
Sudarwa Sitaram (IND) Liang-Chi Huang (TPE)[2]
4. Girls’ Doubles - 1st Round
Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA) v. Richel Hogenkamp (NED)[7]
Sally Peers (AUS) Lesley Kerkhove (NED)[7]
5. Boys’ Doubles - 1st Round
Hiroyasu Ehara (JPN)[6] v. Maximilian Neuchrist (AUT)
Shuichi Sekiguchi (JPN)[6] Tristan-Samuel Weissborn (AUT)

TBA
Not Before:16:00
1. Gentlemen’s Invitation Doubles - 3rd Round
Guy Forget (FRA) v. Todd Martin (USA)
Cedric Pioline (FRA) David Wheaton (USA)
2. Ladies’ Invitation Doubles
Annabel Croft (GBR) v. Jana Novotna (CZE)
Samantha Smith (GBR) Andrea Temesvari (HUN)

An updated copy of the main draw is available at the official Wimbledon website.

For more information about Wimbledon, please visit the www.wimbledon.org.

Both Williams sisters advanced to Thursday’s semifinals, along with Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva.

For the first time since 2006, the seedings have held with all top four seeds reaching the semifinals.

Standing in the way of a second consecutive All-Williams Wimbledon final is the Russian pair, who will each face a sister on Thursday.

The top seed and world number one Dinara Safina reached the final four after an erratic win over German Sabine Lisicki 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1.

“It was a little bit disappointing because yesterday was a good match,” Safina said about her performance on Tuesday. “Today again I had a very slow start, like I’m playing half of my tennis until I’m not down, and then I start to play better.”

Second seed Serena Williams had a much easier time in her quarterfinal match on Centre Court. The ten-time Grand Slam champion played near perfect tennis to dispatch Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-3.

Her older sister Venus also needed just two sets to book a berth in the semifinals. Venus, the defending champion at Wimbledon, ousted Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 6-2.

“That first set for me was really almost perfect,” said the third seed later when discussing her match. “The second set I think I got a little bit impatient the first couple of games, but I was able to mentally bring it back and realized that maybe I did have to hit a few more balls, because everyone lifts their game, especially after a first set that was one-sided.”

Fourth seeded Elena Dementieva advanced after beating Francesca Schiavone in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.

Dinara Safina will take on Venus Williams in the semifinals, while her countrywoman Elena Dementieva is set to play Serena Williams for a spot in Saturday’s championship match.

This article is part of a four part series at On the Baseline by tennis coach Joe Dinoffer designed to help parents get their kids involved in the sport at an early age. The first installment deals with games and drills for 2-3 year-old children and is available here.

Working with a child of any age is both fun and challenging at the same time. In this installment of our series on age-specific tennis issues for teaching children, we will focus on pre-school and kindergartners.

Ask any parent to describe their children at four and five years old, and you can be certain that increased socialization will be included in their description. Children at that age start worrying about what their friends think and feel about them. This socialization is a big part of a child’s development, and it greatly affects how parents and other adults work with children this age on a tennis court.

At ages four and five, when groups of children are left alone to play, the largely random play of younger children advances to the beginnings of group games and sports.

Gender-specifics
In this age bracket, there are specific contrasts between boys and girls. As compared to girls, here is what the average boy will be like. He will:
- occupy larger space on playground
- exhibit more individual running
- play more rough and vigorously
- express emotions in actions
- ignore newcomers until they prove their value
- be more interested in objects and things

Girls, on the other hand, will:
- act more cooperatively, and be quieter and less physically active
- will work in groups better than boys
- express emotions more in words
- greet newcomers more warmly
- be more interested in people and relationships

Consequences versus gratification
At this age, the children still largely disconnect from consequences that are not connected immediately to gratification. In other words, they still want immediate pleasure when possible. Yet, unlike the two and three-year-olds of our previous installment, their behavior is also motivated by more awareness of their place among their friends or other children around them. But note, that they are just in the beginning stages of their social development. Some children will be more concerned with it than others, and girls, in particular, will be more socially aware than boys.

Tennis implications
Parents starting their children with tennis in this age bracket have to decide whether to sign them up for private or group lessons. Generally speaking, children of this age will be more motivated by groups of children their own age, in part because it is inevitably more fun, complete with laughter, making friends, and team games that create group enthusiasm difficult to replicate in a private lesson.

If you are thinking group lessons, however, due to the vast behavioral differences between boys and girls, I would strongly recommend dividing boys and girls of this age into separate groups as far as possible. If this isn’t possible, at the very least have even numbers of girls and boys so they can be subdivided within each group. The opposite would be a group lesson with six children, five boys and one girl. What are the chances of the lone girl wanting to come back for more?

Create winners
At this age encourage cooperation, manners, attitude, and effort. And, although it is always tempting to have contests and competition with winners and losers, avoid it. Since the children in this age group are becoming more and more aware of how they stack up in comparison to their peers, you want to make sure that the fragile egos of these children remain intact.

If they show up for a session at three o’clock and leave at four, absolutely make sure they feel good about themselves and how they did. This means that each child must walk away feeling like a winner. The responsibility for this falls in the hands of the adult supervisor. Creating activities where each and every child comes out a winner or, at the very least, ends up moderately successful is the challenge of teaching. Often the simple key to keep in mind is to not try to accomplish too much. Keep it simple.

For example, watch a soccer game with children at ages four and five, and it becomes immediately clear that very few understand position, passing strategy, or skills beyond running and occasionally kicking a ball. If you do create simple competitions, I recommend giving prizes to all participants, regardless if they win or lose.

Boys games
Experts generally say that children in this age group need instructions limited to one or two points for games or drills. And, although many exercises will work well for both boys and girls, there are differences to keep in mind to help everyone have more fun. For example, as compared to girls, boys will enjoy less structure, less control, more power, and overall an environment that will appear somewhat chaotic.

Girls games
Girls, on the other hand, will handle structure better than boys. And, due to their stronger verbal ability and social skills, adding elements of the children cheering one another on, and even calling out simple tips to one another will work. An example would be for the children to call out “happy feet” to keep each other’s feet moving. Also remember that girls can also tend to lock onto one other child in the group and exclude others. Therefore, it is important to constantly rotate partners to avoid any individual from feeling left out.

Class length
The final tip for this article is to discuss the length of the class, whether it be a private or a group. The overall guideline is fun, anything you can do to get them asking for more, to be eager for the next class. But, as a general rule, group classes at this age should last no longer than 40 minutes. For private lessons, 30 minutes should be plenty. Finally, if they are having a blast and, at the end of a class, are nagging you for more, don’t give in. Better to keep the carrot dangling so they are eager to come back for the next session.

Joe Dinoffer is a USPTA and PTR Master Professional. Visit his site, Oncourt Offcourt, at www.oncourtoffcourt.com.

Since its inception in 1994, Oncourt Offcourt has become the world’s leading source for hundreds of creative training aids, books and videos for the tennis industry.

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic will be on an injury-induced vacation for the next few weeks.

Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open champion, has a micro-tear in her left thigh muscle and must rest for the next 1-2 weeks. She suffered the injury on Monday during her fourth round match against Venus Williams at Wimbledon.

“Although highly painful, the injury is not serious,” a spokesperson for Ivanovic said on Tuesday in a statement.

As Ivanovic’s next scheduled tournament is not until August, the injury is not expected to disrupt her Sony Ericsson WTA Tour playing schedule.