Showing posts with label Tennis Online. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennis Online. Show all posts

French Open 2014 Women Finals Live Stream: Sharapova vs Halep

>> Friday, June 6, 2014

Who is going to be the 2014 French Open champion? World no. 4 Simona Halep is going for her first ever Grand Slam champion against a very formidable opponent, world no. 7 Maria Sharapova, owner of a career Grand Slam and the 2012 French Open champion. To watch the French open 2014 women finals live stream, here are the following options:

1. VIDEO / ROLAND-GARROS TV. Link = VIDEO / ROLAND-GARROS TV
2. US TV Schedule:

Saturday, June 7
9:00 am - 1:00 pm: Women's Final, [NBC, Live]
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm: Women's Final, [Tennis Channel, Repeat]
11:00 pm - 12:30 am: Men's Doubles Final, [Tennis Channel, Delay]


Here are what folks are saying about Simona Halep:

The final against Sharapova
“Her second service could get her into trouble. She’ll have to get a high percentage of first services in to keep her out of danger because Sharapova has a really aggressive return of service. It will be important for Simona to hold her ground and move forward. Simona saw where she stacks up against Maria in the Madrid final this year, where she took the first set 6-1 (before falling 1-6, 6-2, 6-3).”

Mental toughness
“I think Simona has been very nervous throughout the tournament. Nevertheless, she has been able to manage her emotions and win all her matches in straight sets. I think that in the final she’ll be more relaxed because she has nothing to lose against such an impressive champion like Sharapova, who has already won the French Open. I think Simona will be much more relaxed than in her previous matches.”

Halep has done something that hasn't been done in almost 16 years.
Simona Halep held off Andrea Petkovic to win the second semifinal, 6-2, 7-6(4), and move through to her first Grand Slam final. She hasn't lost a set all tournament - in fact she is the first player since Lindsay Davenport at the 1998 US Open to reach her first Grand Slam final without dropping a set (and Davenport went on to win that final in straight sets). Read more about the match here.

Sharapova is back up to No.6 now, and No.5 if she wins the title.
Sharapova, who is currently No.8, will rise to No.6 as a runner-up and No.5 as the champion. If that still sounds a little low, don't worry - she has only one match win to defend the rest of the year (last year from this point she lost in the French Open final, fell second round at Wimbledon and lost her opening match in Cincy - and then didn't play the entire rest of the year because of a shoulder injury).

Halep will be No.3 now, win or lose.
In March, Halep became the highest-ranked Romanian in WTA history when she rose from No.7 to No.5 after Indian Wells (separating herself from previous record-holder Irina Spirlea). She moved to No.4 after Rome and now she's going to raise her to No.3. She was No.57 a year ago.

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Stanford 2012 Finals Live Stream: Serena Williams vs Coco Vandeweghe

>> Sunday, July 15, 2012

It will be a battle between a veteran American tennis star and an up-and-coming American player who is 10 years younger and is playing in her first ever WTA finals when top-seeded Serena Williams plays lucky loser Coco Vandeweghe in the 2012 BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC tennis tournament in Stanford, California. The premier level tournament will have it's championship match today Sunday, July 15, 2012 at 1pm local time. The doubles final will follow after the completion of the singles final. Watch the Stanford 2012 finals live online streaming here for non-US viewers. For fans within the United States, online live streaming links are available here.

Vandeweghe, who lost in the last round of qualifying, was allowed in the main draw along with two other lucky loses after three players including no. 7-seed Petra Martic withdrew before the tournament started due to injuries. The young American then went on a tear beating Melinda Czink in the first round, no. 4-seed Jelena Jankovic in the second round, Urszula Radwanska in the semifinals, and finally downing no. 5-seed Yanina Wickmayer 62 36 62 to reach her first ever WTA final.

Vandeweghe is currently ranked no. 120 but her finals appearance guarantees her a jump to at least the top 80 in the rankings which will allow her to gain outright entry into the US Open main draw starting in the last week of August. She also is the first lucky loser to reach the final of a tournament after the same achievement was done by Czink, Vandeweghe's first round opponent, at Canberra in 2005.

In the night match, top seeded and world no. 4 Serena Williams was just too powerful for Romanian no. 9-seed Sorana Cirstea. Their semifinal match was done in an hour with Serena the 61 62 victor. Serena is playing in Stanford after winning her 5th Wimbledon title and 14th Grand Slam last weekend. She is the defending champion and has dominated her opponents losing just 10 games in three matches on her way to the final. She had a first round bye, defeated American wildcard Nicole Gibbs in the second round, beat no. 6-seed Chanelle Scheepers in the quarterfinals before her semi-final against Cirstea. She is aiming to win her fourth title of the year after lifting trophies in Charleston, Madrid and Wimbledon.

Williams has now won 27 of her last 28 matches and is aiming to match the 43 WTA titles her older sister currently have, which is the most amongst active players. Williams and Vandeweghe will be playing each other for the first time and Vandeweghe doesn't have a single top 5 win to her name. The winner takes home the $96,000 top prize money earnings and 470 ranking points. The runner-up wins $53,000 and 320 ranking points.

Watch the 2012 Bank of the West Classic singles finals in Stanford through live online video streaming featuring Serena Williams vs Coco Vandeweghe.

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2012 Newport Tennis Finals: Isner vs Hewitt Live Online Stream

It will be a battle between the American no. 1 and a former no. 1 player from Australia when John Isner and Lleyton Hewitt contest the finals of the 2012 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport today Sunday, July 15, 2012. The men's singles final starts at 2pm local time followed by the men's doubles final between the Great Britain team of Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins vs the Mexican-American pair of Santiago Gonzalez and Scott Lipsky. Watch the 2012 Newport tennis finals featuring Isner vs Hewitt live through online streaming here.

The top-seeded Isner is the defending Newport titlist and is aiming for his first ATP title of the season. He defeated fellow American and no. 6-seed Ryan Harrison 7-6(4), 6-3 in the semi-finals. Harrison and Isner will be representing the United States in the Olympics and both players are using the Newport grass tournament as tune-up for the Olympics event that will also be held in the grass courts of Wimbledon. Isner reflected on his past 12 months which saw him rise all the way to being the top American player.

"It’s feeling very similar to last year... I wasn’t playing well and I was ranked in the 40s when I came here last year. I desperately needed some wins and confidence, and that’s exactly what I got... This year, it’s pretty much the same, although I’m ranked a lot higher than 46th. I didn’t play well in Europe. It’s as simple as that. I’m always most comfortable in the U.S., which is something I need to work on. This is where I play well the most."

Isner's final opponent is Australian's Hewitt who is currently ranked no. 233 in the world. Hewitt holds a 2-0 advantage over Isner winning their initial meeting in the hard courts of Shanghai in 2009 and on the clay courts of Dusseldorf in 2010. Both affairs have been identical 6-2 6-4 wins for Hewitt who has 28 ATP career titles against 3 for Isner. At 6'9", Isner is almost a foot taller than the Australian who stands at 5'11". Hewitt defeated 2009 champion Rajeev Ram 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to reach his first ATP final in more than two years. Hewitt is now through to his eighth grass court final and he has never lost in the seven previous occasions.

The winner takes home $68,220 in prize money earnings along with 250 rankings points. The runner-up wins $35,920 in prize money and 150 ranking points. Watch 2012 Newport Tennis Finals live online and enjoy the men's singles finals match featuring Isner vs Hewitt.

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Watch ATP Newport Tennis 2012 Live Online Stream

>> Wednesday, July 11, 2012

After Wimbledon, the grass court season continues with the only professional tournament played on grass in North America at the 2012 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships held from July 9 to July 15, 2012. The tournament is an ATP World Tour 250 level held at Newport, U.S.A and features a men's singles and doubles events. The total prize money is $398,250. The event has attracted several of the world's top 50 players led by defending champion and top American men's player John Isner. Watch the ATP Newport 2012 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships tennis matches 2012 live online streaming here.

Favorites: Last year, Isner became the first top seed to win the title since the inaugural edition in 1976. It was a battle featuring one of the tallest players on tour against one of the shortest player as 6’9’’ American defeated 5’6’’ Olivier Rochus in straight sets to win his second ATP World Tour title. This year, Isner reached a ranking milestone of entering the world's top 10 for the first time and becoming the top-ranked American as well. Top Japanese player Kei Nishikori is the second seed while Canada's no. 1 Milos Raonic is the third seed. Both Nishikori and Raonic are playing in Newport for the first time.

Two young Americans who are Olympics-bound are using this tournament as tune-up for the 2012 London Games that will be played in the grass courts of Wimbledon. Ryan Harrison is seeded no. 6 and reached the quarterfinals of this event in 2010. Donald Young is seeded no. 7 and he reached the round of 16 in his previous visits in 2008 and 2011. Besides Harrison and Young, sixteen other players in the draw, including Isner, Nishikori and Raonic have also qualified for the Olympic tennis men's singles draw.

Isner and Raonic are both on the top half of the draw and are seeded to meet in the semi-finals. Nishikori and no. 4-seed Dennis Istomin are the top seeded players in the bottom half of the draw. Wildcard spots were awarded to former world no. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia and American Jack Sock.

2012 Newport Tennis: Points/Prize Money (Singles)
Points Prize $
W 250 68,220
F 150 35,920
SF 90 19,460
QF 45 11,085
R16 20 6,530
R32 0 3,870
--
--
Q 12
Q3 6 660
Q2 0 315
Q1 0 0

2012 Newport Tennis: Points/Prize Money (Doubles)
Points Prize $
W 250 21,800
F 150 11,480
SF 90 6,220
QF 45 3,560
R16 2,090

Watch the ATP Newport 2012 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships tennis matches 2012 live online streaming through TennisTv.com.

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Watch WTA Stanford Tennis 2012 Live Online Stream

>> Tuesday, July 10, 2012

After three weeks on grass, the WTA tour shifts to the hard court season in preparation for the year's last Grand Slam in Flushing Meadows, New York this coming September. The first tournament on the North American summer calendar is the Bank of the West Classic held in STANFORD, USA from JULY 9 - 15, 2012. The tournament is a WTA premier-level and for 2012, it has attracted four of the world's top 20 players. The surface is hard courts and the tournament director is Kim Hall Uliasz. The total 8prize money for the tournament is $740,000. TennisTv.com will start broadcasting tennis matches starting July 13 to July 15. Watch WTA Stanford tennis matches live online here.

Fresh from winning her 7th Wimbledon title, American tennis star and defending Stanford champion Serena Williams is the top-seeded player and top attraction for the 2012 Bank of the West Classic. The world no. 4 Serena used this tournament last year as part of her comeback after almost a year away from tennis. Ranked no. 169 last year, she rampaged through the draw, defeating then world no. 5 and no. 2-seed Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals en route to her first tournament win in 2011.

In this year's draw, Serena is joined by world no. 10 Marion Bartoli who will be this year's no. 2 seed. Bartoli finished runner-up to Serena in 2011 and has a good history in this tournament. She reached the finals in two other previous occasions winning in 2009 and finishing runner-up in 2008. Third-seeded Dominika Cibulkova - a semifinalist in Stanford last year - and fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic will both be seeking to shake off first round losses at Wimbledon.

2012 BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC: Order Of Play
Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Stadium (from 11.00hrs)
1. Michelle Larcher de Brito vs. Chanelle Scheepers
2. Yanina Wickmayer vs. Heather Watson
3. Serena Williams vs. Nicole Gibbs (NB 15.00hrs)
4. Erakovic/Watson vs. Kops-Jones/Spears
5. Coco Vandeweghe vs. Jelena Jankovic (NB 20.00hrs)

Court 6 (from 13.30hrs)
1. Chan/Chan vs. Cibulkova/Husarova
2. Gajdosova/King vs. Cirstea/Keothavong (NB 14.30hrs)
3. Burdette/Gibbs vs. Grandin/Uhlirova (NB 17.00hrs; after suitable rest)

2012 BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC: Seeded Players

1. WILLIAMS, Serena
2. BARTOLI, Marion
3. CIBULKOVA, Dominika
4. JANKOVIC, Jelena
5. WICKMAYER, Yanina
6. SCHEEPERS, Chanelle
7. MARTIC, Petra (withdrew)
8. ERAKOVIC, Marina
9. CIRSTEA, Sorana

2012 BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC: Prize Money (Ranking Points)

Winner $96,000 (470)
Finalist $53,000 (320)
Semi-Finalist $28,500 (200)
Quarter-Finalist $15,500 (120)
2nd Round $8,750 (60)
1st Round $4,600 (1)

Watch WTA Stanford Tennis 2012 live online stream through TennisTv.com.

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Wimbledon 2012 Men's Finals ESPN Live Stream: Federer vs Murray

>> Saturday, July 7, 2012

Tennis fans around the world can watch the Wimbledon 2012 men's singles finals live stream through the ESPN.com website here. Whatever the result will be, it is going to be a historic moment. World no. 3 Roger Federer is aiming to tie Pete Sampras record of 7 Wimbledon titles and at the same time, he will have a chance to rise up to become the world no. 1 tennis player and again tie Sampras record of 287 weeks at the top ranking. His opponent, world no. 4 Andy Murray is carrying the hopes of the whole United Kingdom who has not seen a local men's champion since Fred Perry won in 1936.

Play will commence on DAY 13: SUNDAY 8 JULY with the men's singles final starting at 2pm local time and live tennis action will be broadcast through ESPN.com.

SCHEDULE OF PLAY

Centre Court
2:00 PM GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES - FINAL
Roger Federer (SUI)[3] vs Andy Murray (GBR)[4]

MIXED DOUBLES - FINAL
Leander Paes (IND)[4] / Elena Vesnina(RUS)[4] vs Mike Bryan (USA)[2] / Lisa Raymond(USA)[2]

Watch the preview of the Wimbledon 2012 men's singles final by clicking on the link below:
ANDY MURRAY V ROGER FEDERER: THE COUNTDOWN

Read the ATP Tour's WIMBLEDON FINAL PREVIEW: FEDERER VS. MURRAY here.

Television Networks covering the Wimbledon 2012 Men's Singles Final Live:

Sunday, 8 July, 2012
Fox Sports 3 (Australia) 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. LIVE
ESPN (United States) 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET LIVE
BBC 1 (United Kingdom) 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. LIVE
BBC 2 (United Kingdom) 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. LIVE
WOWOW HV (Japan) 8:50 p.m. - 0:00 a.m. JST LIVE
BBC 2 (United Kingdom) 10:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. Highlights
Tennis Channel (United States) 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. ET Repeat

International TV Broadcasters that will cover the Wimbledon 2012 Men's Singles Final Live:

EUROPE

United Kingdom - BBC TV, BBC Radio; Albania & Kosovo - Supersport; Austria - ORF Radio; Belgium - VRT, VTM (VMMA), RTBF TV; Bulgaria - TV+; Cyprus - Lumiere TV; Czech Republic - Novasports (ARQ); Denmark - TV2; France - Canal+, RMC, RTL, Europe 1; Georgia - GMG Georgia Sport; Germany - Sky Deutschland; Greece - Nova (Grece & Cyprus); Hungary - Digi Sport; Ireland - TG4; Israel - Sports Channel (Sport 5); Italy - Sky Italia; Malta - Go Multiplus; Netherlands - Sport 1; NOS - TV BNR; Poland - Polsat; Portugal - Sport TV, Digi Sport - Romania; Russia - NTV Plus; Serbia - B92; Balkans - Sportklub/IKO; Spain - Prisa TV (Canal + /Sogecable); Onda Cero; Cadena Cope; Sweden - TV4 (C More); Switzerland - SRG/SSR TV (includes RTS, RSI, SRF), SRG Radio (includes DRS, SR); Turkey - Media Eye.

REST OF THE WORLD

Asia - Star Sports, Beijing TV, Guagdong TV, Sohu TV; Australia - Fox Sports, Channel 7, Cross Court, Australian Broadcasting Corporation; Canada - TSN Canada; Fiji - Fiji TV; Japan - NHK, Gaora, Wowow; Latin America - ESPN International; Middle East - ADMC; South Africa - Supersport; Thailand - Quu FM Sport; United States of America - ESPN, Tennis Channel.

The final is going to be an encounter to remember. Watch Wimbledon 2012 Men's Finals ESPN Live Stream featuring Federer vs Murray. Enjoy!

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Watch Serena vs Radwanska Wimbledon 2012 Finals Highlights, Interviews

American Serena Williams defeated Poland's no. 1 player and world no. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska to win her fifth Wimbledon crown and the 14th Grand Slam tournament in her career. Williams scored a 61 57 62 victory in just over two hours. With the win, Serena rises up to become world no. 4 while Radwanska reaches her top career ranking of no. 2. Victoria Azarenka, the Australian Open winner becomes the new no. 1 while Maria Sharapova, the French Open champion falls from no. 1 to no. 3. Watch the highlights of the Wimbledon 2012 women's singles finals here featuring Serena vs Radwanska. Other featured videos in the above link include: Agnieszka Radwanska Press Conference - 07/07/2012 || Serena Williams Press Conference - 07/07/2012.

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Murray vs Tsonga in Wimbledon 2012 Men's Semifinal Live Online

>> Friday, July 6, 2012

It's Murray-mania time in the whole United Kingdom. After world no. 4 Andy Murray reached the Wimbledon semi-final for the fourth time in the past four years, all of the kingdom's morning newspapers featured the Scot in the headlines. On Friday, in the second match at Centre Court, Murray will attempt to reach a milestone by gunning for his first ever Wimbledon final against the best player from France in world no. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Watch the Wimbledon 2012 men's semifinal live online stream here.

After Murray beat world no. 5 David Ferrer to book his place in the last four earlier this week, the look of relief and delight that spread over Andy Murray’s face on Wednesday night said it all. Now he could allow himself a little smile. Now he could admit that the draw had opened up for him. Now he did not have to play world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. Ever since Nadal packed his bags and headed for home in the second round, Scotland’s finest has been telling anyone who would listen – and very few would as Andymonium started to build – that the stunning upset made not one jot of difference to him. It would only affect his challenge for the title if he reached the last four – and he did that on Wednesday evening with a lung-bursting marathon of a match to beat David Ferrer 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (4).

That said, the draw has still only opened up a bit: he may not be playing the former champion but he still has to find a way to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the world No.6, on Friday. It is not as if Rafa left a ticket to the final pinned on Murray’s locker door before he caught the first flight back to Manacor. The fact that Murray leads the Frenchman 5-1 in career meetings will give him some comfort but this is still a Grand Slam semi-final; from now on, the form book means nothing – it is who has the heart and the nerve to take their chances that matters.

Heading into their semifinal encounter, Murray will be the favorite. He leads Tsonga 5-1 in their career head-to-head series, including wins at 2010 Wimbledon and the 2011 AEGON Championships final. Murray is attempting to become the first British man to reach the Wimbledon final since Henry "Bunny" Austin in 1938. The last British man to lift the title was Fred Perry, two years earlier. Murray has a 0-3 record in Grand Slam championship finals losing once at the US Open final and twice at the Australian Open.

Tsonga’s best major championship result came at the 2008 Australian Open, where he finished runner-up to world no. 1 Novak Djokovic. Last year at Wimbledon, he lost to Djokovic in the semi-finals. The last Frenchman to reach the Wimbledon final was Cedric Pioline in 1997. Yvon Petra was France’s last titlist at the All England Club in 1946. Tsonga reached his second straight Wimbledon semifinal into the Wimbledon semi-finals for a second straight year on Wednesday with a hard-fought 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-2 victory over No. 27 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.

Who will reach his first ever Wimbledon final? Watch Wimbledon 2012 men's semifinal live online stream featuring Murray vs Tsonga.

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Wimbledon 2012 Mens Semifinal Live: Djokovic vs Federer

>> Thursday, July 5, 2012

There is plenty at stake when world no. 1 Novak Djokovic meets world no. 3 Roger Federer in the Wimbledon 2012 men's singles semifinals. If Djokovic loses, Federer will be the first ever player to reach eight Wimbledon finals. Furthermore, it provides the opportunity for Federer to supplant Djokovic at the top of men's tennis world rankings, a position he hasn't held since May 2010. This will only happen if Federer wins his seventh Wimbledon title, tying Pete Sampras with the most Wimbledon wins. Watch Wimbledon 2012 men's semifinal live online stream featuring Djokovic vs Federer here.

Federer is already assured of supplanting Rafael Nadal as the world no. 2 after the rankings will be released next Monday. The pair will be meeting for the 11th time at a Grand Slam championship when they take to court on Friday. Both have split their last 10 meetings in Grand Slams but it was the Serbian who has had recent success winning semifinal encounters in last year's US Open and this year's Australian Open. In their over-all career head-to-head, Federer leads 14-12 but it was Djokovic who has emerged victorious in their previous two meetings this year in Melbourne and Rome.

For Federer, a return to the top ranking will mean that he will equal Pete Sampras' 286 weeks at no. 1, and due to top players inactivity in the week after, he is also expected to break that tie in a record that looks to stand for a very long time. Many tennis fans and observers believe that Federer deserves that world record as he also is the player with the most Grand Slams and whose dominance in tennis was unparalleled in the Open era. Still, Djokovic is expected to battle well and with his previous form, will not go down easily even in the tournament that Federer has owned as his personal playground. Djokovic is aiming to be the first repeat winner at Wimbledon since Federer did the same in 2007.

When asked about potentially losing the World No. 1 ranking to Federer, Djokovic said, "When you're playing at this stage of a Grand Slam against one of your biggest rivals, there is a lot of things involved, a lot of things on the line. It's not the first time that I'm playing to win or lose a ranking. It's not something that I think about too much. I really just want to focus on the match."

Djokovic added, "It is a challenge when you play Roger and Rafa or any of the top players. Roger has been on the top of the men's game for so long. This is where he won six titles. He definitely wants to prove himself and to everybody else that he can win it once again... We [have] never played on grass, so we'll see how that is going to turn out. He has a really smart game for this surface. But I [have] improved playing on grass in last couple of years. I won the title here last year, got to another semi-final this year, so I'm feeling good about this surface, about myself on the court. I really have nothing to lose."

Come Friday, expect the tennis world to be tuned in to the Centre Court at Wimbledon as both players step into the court for their 1pm semifinal date. Watch Wimbledon 2012 men's semifinal live online stream featuring Djokovic vs Federer. May the best man win.

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Wimbledon 2012 Women's Semifinals Live: Radwanska vs Kerber

A new finalist will be welcomed into the Wimbledon 2012 singles championship match on Saturday as first time Wimbledon semifinalists, world no. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and no. 8 Angelique Kerber of Germany battle each other in the first of two women's singles semifinals slated today, Thursday afternoon 1pm, at Wimbledon's Centre Court. On Tuesday, Radwanska finally dropped her unwanted tag of being the "only player in the Top 15 without a Grand Slam semifinal" when she scored a tough 75 46 75 victory over Maria Kirilenko. By doing so, Radwanska also put herself in position of attaining the world no. 1 ranking for the first time ever if she wins Wimbledon and current world no. 2 Victoria Azarenka fails to make the finals. Watch the Wimbledon 2012 women's semifinals live online streaming featuring Radwanska vs Kerber here.

Radwanska had been 0-5 in Grand Slam quarterfinals coming in, a three-time quarterfinalist in Australia and a two-time quarterfinalist in Wimbledon. In Kerber, she will be going against the most improved player in the past 12 months. As recently as last August, Kerber was out of the Top 100 - now, not even a year later, she is the World No.8 with two Grand Slam semifinals (she was also a semifinalist at the US Open last year). She also has more match wins than anyone on the WTA - 45 (Azarenka and Radwanska are next with 43). Kerber won a drama-filled all-German quarterfinal last Tuesday against No.15 seed Sabine Lisicki, 63 67(7) 75. Kerber originally led 63 30 and held three match points later in the second set, which Lisicki saved with winners - Lisicki would eventually go up 5-3 in the third set before Kerber put forth her own comeback.

Kerber is aiming to become the first from Germany to reach a Wimbledon singles final since Steffi Graf in 1999. She lost in Wimbledon's first round last year and stood at 100 in the rankings, so her progress to eighth seed has to stand as phenomenal progress especially as she won her first two WTA titles this year at the Paris indoors and in Copenhagen. Radwanska has also made such huge strides this year, rising from eighth to third in the world. The opportunity to reach the top ranking for the first time in her career is also a great incentive for her. Whoever wins their semifinal will be in their first Grand Slam final, and it's sure to bring out the best in both players. Radwanska and Kerber have met four times before and split their four encounters. This is their first meeting with both of them being in the top 10.

RADWANSKA vs KERBER - tied at 2-2

2008 BERLIN CLAY R64 A.Radwanska 6-0 5-3
2010 BEIJING HARD R64 A. Kerber 5-7 7-6(3) 7-5
2011 US OPEN HARD R64 A. Kerber 6-3 4-6 6-3
2011 TOKYO - PAN PACIFIC HARD R32 A.Radwanska 3-6 6-3 6-3

Watch Wimbledon 2012 women's semifinals live online via video streaming featuring Radwanska vs Kerber.

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Wimbledon 2012 Live: Serena vs Azarenka in Women's Semifinals

It's down to the final four in the Wimbledon 2012 women's singles tournament and only one of the four remaining players have ever gone beyond the semifinal stage. But that one player, Serena Williams, the no. 6-seed player is not only the favorite of the remaining four to win the title, she's already proven herself time and again at the Championships by lifting the trophy four times previously - in 2002, 2003, 2009, and 2010. So, when she faces higher ranked world no. 2 Victoria Azarenka on the second match at Centre Court, the fans of women's tennis around the world will be focused on this encounter. Watch the Wimbledon 2012 women's semifinals showdown between Serena and Azarenka live here.

Williams leads Azarenka in their head-to-head series, 7-1. She has won their last five meetings which included three encounters at Grand Slams including a straight set demolition of the Belorussian in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2009. Their most recent encounter this year, at the finals in Madrid, it was the American who emerged as the victor via a 61 63 score. Much as Serena appear to be the heavy favorite for this encounter, she has seemed vulnerable as of late. Serena struggled to get past her third and fourth round opponents although she did look solid in dethroning 2011 champion Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals. As for Azarenka, she reached the semifinal stage without dropping a set including a fourth round demolition of former world no. 1 Ana Ivanovic with the loss of just one game.

Serena vs Azarenka Head-to-Head

2008 AUSTRALIAN OPEN HARD R32 S. Williams6-3 6-4
2009 AUSTRALIAN OPEN HARD R16 S. Williams3-6 4-2
2009 MIAMI HARD F V.Azarenka6-3 6-1
2009 WIMBLEDON GRASS Q S. Williams6-2 6-3
2010 AUSTRALIAN OPEN HARD Q S. Williams4-6 7-6(4) 6-2
2011 TORONTO HARD S S. Williams6-3 6-3
2011 US OPEN HARD R32 S. Williams6-1 7-6(5)
2012 MADRID CLAY F S. Williams6-1 6-3

Azarenka refuses to be unfazed with her not so impressive record against Serena. "I don't really like to look back in history because every time you step on court it's a new story," she said. "You kind of write your own history every time. Serena is a great champion. It's going to be a tough match, but that's what you expect to have in semi-finals. We've had good matches, we've had bad matches. We'll see." Azarenka will be going into the match knowing that if she wins, she will regain her no. 1 ranking which she lost to Maria Sharapova when the Russian won at the French Open. Earlier this year, she recorded the best start to a tennis season in 15 years when she blitzed to a 26-match winning streak. She hasn't faced Serena at a Grand Slam since she won her first major at the Australian Open.

Even Serena knows that it will be a tough match. "Victoria's playing unbelievable. She's played so well this year," Williams said of the Belarusian. "Already having a Grand Slam under her belt is really great. She did it in such style, so it's not going to be easy if I play against her." Still, her current form in the past 12 months had enabled her to post a perfect 9-0 record against Top 5 players in the past 12 months. Expect an exciting battle between the two, so be sure to watch the Wimbledon 2012 women's semifinal live featuring Serena vs Azarenka on July 5, Thursday afternoon.

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Wimbledon 2012 Men's Quarterfinals Live: Federer, Djokovic, Murray in Action

>> Tuesday, July 3, 2012

It's down to the last eight in the third Grand Slam of the year. Five of the top eight seeds have made it to the Wimbledon 2012 men's singles quarterfinals, and three lower ranked seeds have crashed the party. On July 4, Wednesday afternoon, world no. 1 Novak Djokovic, no. 3 Roger Federer, local favorite and world no. 4 Andy Murray, and world no. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga all take on lower ranked opponents as they aim to advance to the semi-finals of the only major played on grass. Watch Wimbledon 2012 men's singles quarterfinals live featuring Federer, Djokovic, Murray, and Tsonga in action here.

Wimbledon 2012 Schedule of Play, Wednesday, July 4
Centre Court
1:00 PM Gentlemen's Singles - Quarterfinals
Roger Federer (SUI)[3] vs Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)[26]
David Ferrer (ESP)[7] vs Andy Murray (GBR)[4]

No. 1 Court
1:00 PM Gentlemen's Singles - Quarterfinals
Novak Djokovic (SRB)[1] vs Florian Mayer (GER)[31]
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)[5] vs Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)[27]

First off at the Centre Court is six-time Wimbledon champ Federer who is going for a record tying seventh Wimbledon title. He is slated to meet surprise quaterfinalist in no. 26-seed Mikhail Youzhny. Federer had not been playing up to par, but it is a given that he should win the match-up against the Russian. Federer leads Youzhny 13-0, winning all their previous encounters.

Next up in Centre Court is the UK's best hope for a men's champion in Murray. The Scot has reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in the past three years and is faced with good fortune this year as world no. 2 Rafael Nadal was bundled out of the tournament leaving Murray as the top seed remaining in this half of the draw. Still, it won't be easy as Murray is the only one facing a top 10 seed in world no. 7 David Ferrer. It is a rematch of their French Open 2012 quarterfinals where the Spaniard emerged the victor.

Meanwhile, the first match on Court No. 1 belongs to top ranked Djokovic and no. 31-seed Florian Mayer. Djokovic is the defending champion but alas, he needs to reach the finals to ensure that he'll remain at the top of the rankings by next week. Federer has a chance to get back to the world no. 1 ranking if he wins the whole tournament, and that's something Djokovic doesn't want to happen. Expect the Serb to come out firing and advance to the last four in straight sets.

The last quarterfinal is between no. 5-seed Tsonga and another German, world no. 27-seed Philipp Kohlschreiber. The German took Nadal's spot in the draw and has the game to take out the top-ranked Frenchman but Tsonga was a semi-finalist last year and would like to go one step further at Wimbledon. Of the three quarterfinals, this is the most un-predictable but expect Tsonga to come out and edge Kohlschreiber in four tough sets.

Watch Wimbledon 2012 men's singles quarterfinals live online featuring Federer, Djokovic, Murray, and Tsonga through the Live @ Wimbledon website.

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Wimbledon 2012: Serena vs Kvitova Live Online Stream

When the quarterfinals of the women's singles at 2012 Wimbledon starts for the day, all eyes will be focused on the most promising encounter - the Serena Williams vs Petra Kvitova encounter at Centre Court. It is the second match in the main show court and features the last two winners at Wimbledon. The 6th-seeded Serena is the champion in 2009 and 2010, and in two other earlier occasions. Kvitova won her first major last year defeating Maria Sharapova in the final. Watch Serena vs Kvitova in Wimbledon 2012 women's singles quarterfinal live online here.

Serena and Kvitova are two of the three remaining Grand Slam champions left in the draw. The other major champion is this year's Australian Open champ, world no. 2 Victoria Azarenka who will be going against the only unseeded player left in Austria's Tamira Paszek. Azarenka and the world no. 3, Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, are in the running for the world no. 1 ranking after top-ranked Maria Sharapova lost a straight set shocker to German Sabine Lisicki. Azarenka is in Serena and Kvitova's half of the draw which means that there will be a first time Grand Slam finalist, and a 50% chance of having a first time Grand Slam winner, in this year's Wimbledon.

The day's most important - and fascinating - contest will be that between Williams and Kvitova and the sadness is that one will depart the scene. It is a tough one to call. Serena, four times a champion and twice the runner-up at Wimbledon, has the experience, the background and, at 30, definitely the incentive to hoist the Venus Rosewater Dish one more time, while Kvitova, the hard-hitting left-hander from the quiet Czech town of Fulnek, will understandably want to repeat last year's performance.

Serena has the edge when it comes to previous clashes, having won both. She conceded just three games to Kvitova in the second round of the 2010 Australian Open and then pulled off a much closer victory 7-6, 6-2 in the 2010 Wimbledon semi-finals. But as the sport's Serena-watchers have observed since she fought back from a serious illness and injury lay-off, a degree of uncertainty has crept into that once iron-clad game of hers. Will the errors outweigh the winners? Will the Kvitova howitzer forehand be too much? A great match is in prospect.

Serena Williams' passage to the quarterfinals has certainly not been plain sailing, and with defending champion Petra Kvitova standing in her way next, the journey is unlikely to get any smoother. In her third and fourth round matches, against Zheng Jie and Yaroslava Shvedova, Williams had to summon upon all her reserves of physical and mental energy, scraping by both in three grueling sets.

Kvitova had a scare of her own on Monday; coming from a set and a break down to defeat an inspired Francesca Schiavone. This was in stark contrast to the first three rounds, in which the Czech had barely broken sweat and looked to be approaching the devastating form that took her to last year's title. As one of the few players on tour capable of trading on equal terms with Williams, an on-form Kvitova will believe the match is on her racquet. What makes the encounter all the more intriguing is that Williams is undoubtedly thinking the exact same thing.

The winner for sure will be tennis fans who are excited about this match-up. But, who will show up for the day? Will it be the Serena who won thirteen Grand Slams, or the Kvitova who played fearless tennis in her first major final last year? Watch the Wimbledon 2012 semi-final between Serena and Kvitova live online through the Live @ Wimbledon website.

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Watch Eastbourne 2012 Women's Final Live: Kerber vs Paszek

>> Friday, June 22, 2012

A rising German star and a surprise finalist is set to battle for this year's 2012 AEGON International women's singles crown. World no. 9 Angelique Kerber is vying for her third tournament win this year while Tamira Paszek is hoping to revive a season where she lost in 11 first round matches and won only two matches prior to the start of the tournament. Watch the 2012 Aegon Internation women's final live online here featuring Kerber vs Paszek as both women go for their first ever title in Eastbourne, England. The match will start at 12 noon local time on Saturday, June 23, 2012.

While Kerber is seeded fifth, Paszek is unseeded in a tournament where the top three seeds were all beaten in the first round. World no. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska, world no. 4 and reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, and world no. 7 and former world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki all lost their opening matches. Kerber advanced to the final with a 60 63 win over Klara Zakopalova while Paszek advanced by rallying past world no. 9 and former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli to move into her very first Premier final.

Paszek, who was already in her first Premier semifinal, lost the first set then was down 4-0 in the second set and 2-0 in the third but fought back each time, eventually beating the No.9-ranked Frenchwoman in three hours, five minutes. "Early in the second set I had my chances, but with the wind things just weren't working out," Paszek said. "But I just tried to stay there. I knew I was at the same level, and that I just had to wait for my chances again. Chances came... It feels amazing to be in the final. I love Eastbourne. My godparents live here, so for me it already feels like home. It's a pleasure coming back every year."

Paszek already showed signs of her grass court prowess last year, when she made her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon. "We have a pretty green country at home, it's probably that," the Austrian joked. "No - it just suits my game, same as hardcourt. I love fast surfaces. I just enjoy the grass. It's a special atmosphere to come here and have the different shoes, and all in white." Paszek got the third Top 10 win of her career, having beaten Ana Ivanovic at Montréal in 2008 and Francesca Schiavone at Wimbledon last year.

Bartoli needed a strapping on her thigh when she trailed 2-3 in the final set. "It was a nightmare to play in these conditions, honestly," said the 2007 Wimbledon finalist. "My leg got pretty tight and then tired, but I think in two or three days it will be back to normal... I felt I had chances in almost every game and ended up losing them. In these conditions, even if I was leading, you never felt comfortable... I didn't make one ace today, where yesterday I served 10 or 12. It's really levelling when you have those kind of conditions.

Bartoli was disappointed but very gracious towards Paszek. "I lost the match so I can't really say I'm happy about it, but on the other hand I really felt like I tried my hardest and there wasn't much I could have done better," Bartoli said. "And Tamira played really well. She deserved to win. She really fought hard and came back to win the match. Of course I'm disappointed, but I tried my hardest."

As for Kerber, she won her last three matches in straight sets but unlike Paszek who beat two seeded players on her way to the final, Kerber didn't meet a single seeded player. She raced into the final taking the first seven games of her match with Zakopalova and closing the Czech out after a closer second set, 60 63. "I came here a week ago and the plan was to have a lot of matches before Wimbledon, so it feels very good," Kerber said. "I can't get any more matches than this now, so I'll just focus on my last match here and then on Wimbledon... It's my first time reaching a final on grass, and it's a big thing for me."

Kerber's win was also her 40th match win of the year, the first to cross the big 4-0 this year (Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska are next at 38). Kerber and Paszek have an identical 2-1 career record in WTA finals, though Kerber is the only one who has been to a Premier final before (winning Paris [Indoors] this year). The winner will receive $107,000 in prize money and 470 ranking points. The runner-up will take home $57,000 in earnings and 320 ranking points.

Watch 2012 Aegon Internation women's final live online from Eastbourne featuring Kerber vs Paszek at TennisTV.com.

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Watch Eastbourne 2012 Men's Final Live: Roddick vs Seppi

Former world no. 1 Andy Roddick is aiming to continue a streak of 12 consecutive years of winning at least one ATP tour title when he battles defending champion Andreas Seppi in the finals of the 2012 AEGON International in Eastbourne, England. Watch the live online streaming coverage here starting at 1.30 pm local time on Saturday, June 23, 2012. Roddick's best finish in the tournament is a semi-final appearance in 2001 while Seppi won the title on his fourth visit last year. Both players have met just once before in 2008 with Roddick a straight set victor during the 2008 US Open.

No. 6 seed Roddick, a wild card entry, is appearing in his first ATP World Tour final since winning his 30th title in Memphis in February 2011 (d. Raonic). The 29-year-old American is attempting to increase his ATP World Tour title streak to 12 consecutive years and match Roger Federer, who has the longest streak among active players. Roddick is 30-20 in career finals and his last grass court title came at the Queen’s Club in London in 2007. Roddick came into Eastbourne losing six consecutive matches (the longest streak of his career) and ranked No. 33 (apart from being No. 34 during this year’s Miami fortnight, his lowest ranking in almost 11 years). But he’s only dropped one set this week, that coming in the quarter-finals on Friday vs. Fabio Fognini. Americans are 0-3 in ATP World Tour finals this year and the last American winner was John Isner in Winston Salem, N.C. last August.

Prior to Eastbourne, Roddick had endured a frustrating couple of months. Sidelined since the U.S. hard court swing with a hamstring injury, he returned to action in late May to lose all three of his round-robin matches in Dusseldorf and then his following two opening matches at Roland Garros and Queen’s Club. Roddick had requested a wild card to play at this ATP World Tour 250 tournament, and benefitted from two retirements - against Sam Querrey in the first round and Steve Darcis in the semi-finals. “Hey, I'll take them how I can get them,” he said with a smile.

No. 3 seed Seppi, who had an opening round bye, has not dropped a set this week. Seppi is making his fourth career ATP World Tour final showing (2-1) and the second of the season. Last month he picked up his second career title in Belgrade (d. Paire). The 28-year-old Italian is putting together the best season of his career. He advanced to a Grand Slam-best fourth round at Roland Garros, losing to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in five sets (after winning first two sets). Afterwards he improved to a career-high No. 24. The winner will take home €71,000 and 250 ranking points, the runner-up earns €37,400 in prize money and 150 ranking points.

Watch the Eastbourne 2012 men's final live online featuring Roddick vs Seppi.

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Sharapova vs Errani French Open 2012 Women's Finals Live

>> Saturday, June 9, 2012

Two very different players, two very different styles, one dream. When Maria Sharapova and Sara Errani step on court on Saturday, 3pm local time, both players will be aiming for the French Open 2012 women's singles title. It will be the fourth title for Sharapova completing a career Grand Slam while for Errani, it will be her first ever major win. Watch Sharapova vs Errani French Open 2012 Women's Finals live stream here. The two players have never met before but Sharapova is the overwhelming favorite. She has won two major tune-ups for the year's second Grand Slam - in Stuttgart and in Rome - although one can be argued that Errani is the most successful clay court player this year after winning three smaller clay court events in the first three months of the season.

Surprisingly, it was Errani who has beaten more impressive opponents on her way to the final. She eliminated former champions Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third and fourth round stages respectively. Then, she beat two top 10 players back-to-back in Angelique Kerber and Samantha Stosur, her first top 10 wins in her career. Stosur herself was a previous French Open 2012 finalist. As for Sharapova, her only top 10 opponent was world no. 4 and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova who she beat impressively in the semi-final. See below for the players that Sharapova and Errani had to beat to reach the 2012 Roland-Garros women's singles final:

Sara Errani's Road To The Final
First Round: d. Casey Dellacqua, 46 62 62 (1:52)
Second Round: d. Melanie Oudin, 62 63 (1:14)
Third Round: d. Ana Ivanovic, 16 75 63 (2:00)
Fourth Round: d. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 60 75 (1:33)
Quarterfinals: d. Angelique Kerber, 63 76(2) (1:39)
Semifinals: d. Samantha Stosur, 75 16 63 (2:04)

Maria Sharapova's Road to the Final
First Round: d. Alexandra Cadantu, 60 60 (0:48)
Second Round: d. Ayumi Morita, 61 61 (1:00)
Third Round: d. Peng Shuai, 62 61 (1:06)
Fourth Round: d. Klara Zakopalova, 64 67(5) 62 (3:11)
Quarterfinals: d. Kaia Kanepi, 62 63 (1:14)
Semifinals: d. Petra Kvitova, 63 63 (1:17)

Former titlist Martina Navratilova is more than impressed by the 25 year old. "She hits all the right shots," she said. "She plays so well within herself, doesn't go for too much. At the very end of the match [against Stosur] she hit a couple nervous shots, and maybe beginning of the third set there was a shot that she should have made that she missed. She missed a backhand crosscourt into an open court. I was like, Wow, this is really the first shot that she missed that she should've made the whole match. Good technique, great technique. She's got that grip that works okay. Because she's short, but she can hit a high ball that way. She's got a lot of confidence now."

What is unknown is how Errani will react in her first Grand Slam final. Some players have been outstanding, such as Sharapova at 2004 Wimbledon, Ivanovic at 2008 Roland Garros, Francesca Schiavone at 2010 Roland Garros and Li Na at 2010 Roland Garros. Others such as former Roland Garros finalists Natasha Zvereva and Dinara Safina, froze when they got to the big stage. Sharapova is attempting to win a career grand Slam, which will certainly put some pressure on her, but while she has performed badly in a couple of Grand Slam finals, in particular earlier this year in the 2012 Australian Open final when she was bullied by Victoria Azarenka, that is usually because she is lacking confidence against a particular foe, rather than being overrun with nerves.

Sharapova has survived some career storms—right shoulder surgery sidelined her for nine months from 2008 to 2009, ravaging her once imposing serve and causing her ranking to plummet to No. 126. She’s rallied, but has suffered humbling thrashings in Grand Slam finals to Serena Williams, Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka. But through it all, Sharapova has never lost sight of her major dreams. When she steps onto Court Philippe Chatrier to face Sara Errani for the first time in tomorrow's French Open final, she'll be playing for more than her first Roland Garros title—she'll be playing for career-defining legacy.

Winning her first Roland Garros crown would complete the career Grand Slam and put Sharapova in rare air as one of only 10 women in history to consummate the milestone. She would also become the first Russian to master all four majors, and the first woman since Serena won the 2003 Australian Open to achieve the feat—a challenge that has eluded several elite champions, including Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams, and Monica Seles. It would be an unprecedented crowning achievement to a committed comeback: Sharapova stands one victory away from becoming the first woman to master a major after undergoing surgery to her serving shoulder.

Whoever wins - it would be a wonderful 2012 Roland-Garros women's tournament. Watch Sharapova vs Errani French Open 2012 Women's Finals live online stream through B2LiveTV.com.

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Roland Garros 2012: Nadal vs Almagro Live Online

>> Tuesday, June 5, 2012

There are three men to have reached the French Open 2012 quarterfinals without losing a single set. All are Spanish players, all are in the bottom half of the draw, and two of them are meeting each other tomorrow for a spot at the semifinals of this year's Roland-Garros tournament. World no. 2 Rafael Nadal will battle Spain's no. 3 player and no.12-seed Nicolas Almagro as Nadal continues his march to an unprecedented 7th French Open title. Watch Roland Garros 2012 live online featuring Nadal vs Almagro here. The match is the second one scheduled at Court Philippe Chatrier and the day's session starts at 2pm local time. Expect an all out clay court battle as two specialists on this surface, both hoisting the trophies in their previous tournaments, try to out-do each other for that precious final four spot.

All evidence point to a Nadal victory. The world no. 2 is a perfect 7-0 against Almagro, including 5-0 on clay, but they haven't played each other since Nadal beat Almagro in the same stage of the French Open in 2010. That match was won in straight sets by Nadal, but the first two sets were decided on tie-breaks. Nadal is going for his 50th match win in Roland-Garros where he now boasts a dazzling 49-1 record. Almagro has reached the quarterfinal stage twice before, in 2008 and 2010, and would certainly like to improve on his current 17-8 record in the tournament by reaching the semi-finals for the first time in his career.

Nadal has been in blistering form though. This is the fourth time in eight appearances at the clay-court Slam that the Spaniard has reached the quarter-finals without the loss of a set. On those previous three occasions, he went on to claim the title. Nadal had conceded just 10 games to Juan Monaco in their three other clay-court meetings, and once again dominated the 13th-seeded Argentine on Monday during their fourth round match. He allowed just two games, breaking Monaco eight times from 10 opportunities during the one hour, 46-minute match. The 19 games Nadal has lost en route to the quarter-finals are the fewest in the first four rounds of any of his Roland Garros campaigns. No player has dropped fewer games through the Round of 16 in Paris since 1982, when Guillermo Vilas lost 16 games.

Almagro, meanwhile, continued his incredible run that began in the first round of the Nice Open. Since that match, the Spanish no.12 seed has yet to drop a set, winning the tournament in the south of France and racing into the quarter-finals here. Almagro's latest victim was Janko Tipsarevic, no less, the no.8 seed from Serbia. Tipsarevic was outplayed in every part of the game by the Spaniard who must be starting to feel invincible, such is his form. Almagro was understandably delighted to reach the last eight: "Yes, of course I'm very happy. I think I played great tennis today. The day was a little bit cloudy, but now it's really sunny for me. (Smiling.) Now that win is one of the best moments of my career, and I want to enjoy and I'm very happy with my tennis."

Nadal vs Almagro Career Head-to-Head: Nadal leads 7-0

Year Tournament & City Surface Round Winner & Score
2010 Roland Garros
France Clay Q Nadal, Rafael
7-6(2), 7-6(3), 6-4 Stats
2010 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid
Spain Clay S Nadal, Rafael
4-6, 6-2, 6-2 Stats
2009 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Paris
France Hard R32 Nadal, Rafael
3-6, 7-6(2), 7-5 Stats
2009 US Open
NY, U.S.A. Hard R32 Nadal, Rafael
7-5, 6-4, 6-4 Stats
2008 Roland Garros
France Clay Q Nadal, Rafael
6-1, 6-1, 6-1 Stats
2006 Barcelona
Spain Clay S Nadal, Rafael
7-6(2), 6-3 Stats
2004 Palermo
Italy Clay R32 Nadal, Rafael
6-1, 7-5 Stats

Watch Roland Garros 2012: Nadal vs Almagro live online stream through B2LiveTV.com.

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French Open 2012: Stosur vs Cibulkova Live Stream

2009 French Open finalist and the current US Open champion, world no. 6 Samantha Stosur take to court aiming to reach her third Roland-Garros semifinal when she takes on no. 15-seed and former semifinalist Dominika Cibulkova. The Stosur-Cibulkova match will start at 2pm local time at the Court Philippe Chatrier, the grand slam's main show court. Watch the French Open 2012: Stosur vs Cibulkova quarterfinal live stream here. Stosur and Cibulkova have met once before, in the hard-courts of Stanford in 2009, and Stosur was the straight set victor that time winning 6-4 6-3.

Stosur vs Cibulkova Preview: Head-to-head: Stosur leads 1-0

Dominika Cibulkova may be the shortest player in the Top 100, but against Victoria Azarenka on Sunday she looked like a giant. For 107 minutes, Cibulkova outhit, out-thought and outfought the World No.1 to secure a thrilling upset victory and advance to the last eight in Paris for the second time in four years. Here she will meet 2010 French Open runner-up Samantha Stosur. Over the past few years, Stosur has established herself as one of the WTA's leading exponents of clay court tennis, with her trademark kick serve and big forehand propelling her to 55 wins on the surface since 2009.

Stosur's formidable weapons, lofty ranking and experience at the business end of majors see her start as favorite, but Cibulkova will not be daunted by the challenge; she holds 13 career Top 10 wins and demonstrated against Azarenka that she is certainly not afraid to fight fire with fire.

4th Round Recap: Stosur beats young American

The fourth round proved a match too far for Sloane Stephens, who succumbed to the US Open champion Samantha Stosur. The rising young American was always challenging without ever quite threatening an upset.

Stephens, 19, a new name to many at Roland Garros, is the first American teenager through to the fourth round here since a certain Serena Williams 11 years ago. She reached her first WTA semi-final, in Strasbourg, only days before the French Open began. That performance earned her a new career high ranking of 70, and she will rise into the top 60 as a result of her impressive performance in Paris this week where she did not drop a set in her first three rounds.

But Stosur was a huge jump in class for her. She rose to the challenge gamely in the first set, and came back heroically in the second when all appeared to be lost, using her backhand to full effect to break twice from 1-5 down. In the gathering twilight on Court 1, Stosur – seeded no.6 here – won 7-5, 6-4 in 83 minutes.

4th Round Recap: Cibulkova takes down Azarenka

The last time they played she had the match on her racquet, blasting forehand winners from anywhere on the court and up 61 52 at one point. She couldn't seal the deal that time but this time did - Dominika Cibulkova beat World No.1 Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round of the French Open. Just like in their fourth round match at Miami in March, Cibulkova took the role of the aggressor, using her huge forehand - and some very sharp backhands - to take control of the majority of the rallies. And it was paying off in a big way for most of the match as the No.15-seeded Slovak built a hefty 62 42 lead.

For a quick moment though, she may have started having flashbacks from Miami, as that 4-2 second set lead became 4-all, and then 5-all, then 6-all... "You can't be human if you weren't thinking about that," Cibulkova said. "Today the same thing happened: I got nervous. I wasn't going for my shots anymore... But I managed to get through these emotions. When she was 6-5 up I said, 'Hey, come on, you have to play your game and just make it.' And for the tie-break I'm very, very proud of myself that I was still going for my shots and that I made it, because she would never give me the match. I just made it."

Cibulkova ended up closing it out, 62 76(4), for her third career win over a reigning World No.1 - she beat Caroline Wozniacki twice last year. "I think she plays much better against the top players than maybe a little bit lower-ranked players," Azarenka said. "She really has that desire. I don't know what motivates her to play that way. But she's a dangerous opponent - she has had big wins before, and it was no surprise she was playing that well today."

Watch French Open 2012: Stosur vs Cibulkova quarterfinal live stream through B2LiveTV.com

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Roland Garros 2012: Federer vs Del Potro Live Online

Two electrifying men's quarterfinal matches are on display today, June 5 Tuesday, when world no. 1 Novak Djokovic battles France's no. 1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and world no. 3 and 2009 champion Roger Federer goes against no. 9-seed Juan Martin del Potro. Given that Roger Federer has an 11-2 career record over Juan Martin Del Potro, and that the Argentinean has not won a single set in their last five meetings, you might find the anticipation over their quarter-final meeting at Roland Garros 2012 a tad baffling. But in that case you would need to have been on Mars in September 2009 when a then 20-year-old Del Potro beat Federer in five sets to win the US Open. Watch the exciting Roland Garros 2012 quarterfinals live stream featuring Federer vs Del Potro here.

It was a victory which stunned tennis, and seemed sure to herald the start of a new phase in Del Potro’s career. Instead he picked up a right wrist injury and it has been a long climb back since he had surgery in May 2010. Last year he rose from No.485 to No.18 in seven months. Here at Roland Garros he is seeded No.9 and is carrying a left knee injury which caused him particular problems in his first round win over Albert Montanes. Del Potro insists he is "almost" back to full strength, although much of this mindset appears to rest on him simply "not thinking about (his) knee". All four of his matches so far have featured tie-breaks (three of which he had taken), and there is no doubt he will be stretched by Federer, although "Delpo" treasures the memory of their classic semi-final here three years ago where he almost took the Swiss to breaking point.

Del Potro was bothered by his heavily strapped knee in the early rounds, but gave no sign of discomfort either yesterday or today. His groundstrokes have been wreaking havoc and Roger Federer will need to bring his A-game against the former US Open champion in the quarter-final. Since missing nearly all of 2010 with a wrist injury, tennis fans have been waiting for the giant South American to get back to his devastating best. He is not there yet, but there are growing signs that the Del Potro of old is back, and the 'Big Four' may become a 'Big Five' on this evidence. Looking forward to his quarter-final with Roger Federer, Del Potro was upbeat: "I (need to) play an unbelievable match, try to take my opportunities, serve 100%, trying to play winners with my forehand, with my backhand, and put him to raise his game. I don't like to run too much, so I will try to be more aggressive than his game and looking at unbelievable shots."

No. 3-seed Federer was tested early in his fourth-round meeting with lucky loser David Goffin Sunday at Roland Garros, eventually defeating the Belgian 5-7, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4. "I thought he played really well. Great impression," praised Federer. "He took the ball early every time. Don't hit a very good shot, he can take advantage of that. He's got great potential in terms of his touch and the way he reads the game. I thought it was an interesting match... Obviously in some ways I guess it's tough for me coming out not knowing exactly what his favorite patterns are in the game, the way he serves, when he does what. But, no, he impressed me, and I enjoyed the match today."

Federer is through to his record 32nd consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final and with Sunday’s victory, tied Andre Agassi for second place overall with 36 final eight showings. He is bidding to win his first Grand Slam title since lifting his 16th major trophy at the 2010 Australian Open.

Federer vs Del Potro Career Head-to-Head: Federer leads 11-2

Year Tournament & City Surface Round Winner & Score
2012 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells
CA, U.S.A. Hard Q Federer, Roger
6-3, 6-2 Stats
2012 Dubai
U.A.E. Hard S Federer, Roger
7-6(5), 7-6(6) Stats
2012 Rotterdam
The Netherlands Hard F Federer, Roger
6-1, 6-4 Stats
2012 Australian Open
Australia Hard Q Federer, Roger
6-4, 6-3, 6-2 Stats
2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati
OH, U.S.A. Hard R32 Federer, Roger
6-3, 7-5 Stats
2009 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals
London, England Hard RR Del Potro, Juan Martin
6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3 Stats
2009 US Open
NY, U.S.A. Hard F Del Potro, Juan Martin
3-6, 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 Stats
2009 Roland Garros
France Clay S Federer, Roger
3-6, 7-6(2), 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 Stats
2009 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid
Spain Clay S Federer, Roger
6-3, 6-4 Stats
2009 Australian Open
Australia Hard Q Federer, Roger
6-3, 6-0, 6-0 Stats
2008 ATP Masters Series Madrid
Spain Hard Q Federer, Roger
6-3, 6-3 Stats
2007 Basel
Switzerland Hard R16 Federer, Roger
6-1, 6-4 Stats
2007 Wimbledon
Great Britain Grass R64 Federer, Roger
6-2, 7-5, 6-1 Stats

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Roland Garros 2012: Djokovic vs Tsonga Live Stream

World no. 1 Novak Djokovic, fresh from a comeback from two-sets down on his last match, will play the top player from France for a spot in the semi-finals of the 2012 French Open. Frenchman no. 5-seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga didn't have it easy either in his previous match as he let a 2-0 lead slip away and had to come back the next day to finish his fourth round opponent, Stanislas Wawrinka, and will now play in his first ever French Open quarterfinal. Watch exciting tennis action from Roland Garros 2012 featuring Djokovic vs Tsonga live here.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was a mightily relieved man when he converted his second match point on Stanislav Wawrinska's serve to win 6-4, 7-6(6), 3-6, 3-6, 6-4. The French fifth seed had come into the match carried over from last night with a 4-2 lead and lost the first game to relinquish his precious break. The Swiss then drew level at 4-4 and a potentially tight, drawn-out conclusion looked likely. No doubt annoyed at letting his lead slip, Tsonga had other ideas, running around his forehand to smash winners in the next two games and grasp victory from the valiant Wawrinka. Providing he makes full use of that devastating forehand in tomorrow's quarter-final, the Frenchman must have a (small) chance. Especially if Djokovic starts as sluggishly as he did against Andreas Seppi in the last round.

In Djokovic's last round, Italian Andreas Seppi had the world no. 1 against the ropes but failed to deliver a knockout punch and once he opened the door, the No. 1 raced through it and pulled off a 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 victory in a torturous four hours and 18 minutes. The Djokovic vs. Seppi contest was by no means pretty in windy conditions, but it was highly dramatic as the 28-year-old Italian outplayed the Serb from the backcourt in the first two sets and had chances in the last three sets to put his foot down. But if nothing else on the day, Djokovic was resilient, and in the final three sets played steely defense and mixed in some effective offensive charges in between. Victory was sealed after four hours, 18 minutes.

'Nole' did not dominate off his backhand side as he normally does, could not find a way to be super aggressive with his returns, or confidently outhit the Italian in crosscourt forehand rallies, but the experience he has gained in big matches over the past five years showed, as the five-time Grand Slam champion seized the majority of the big points. Djokovic used his strong legs, his sharp mind and big heart and clawed out a win with the wind whipping around Philippe Chatrier court.
"All the congratulations for his tournament and performance today," he said. " I think he was a better player for first two sets, definitely. I was very fortunate to come through to this match. I was fighting. When I was two sets down, I believed I could win the match, and I think that's the only positive I can really pick up from today's match."

It was only the third time that Djokovic had come from two sets down in his career, but he has now done it twice in the past nine months: against Rodger Federer in the 2011 US Open semifinals, and against Seppi today. The contest was simply about survival for Djokovic, who committed a whopping 77 unforced errors and struck only 45 winners. For his part, Seppi only nailed 43 winners and committed 81 unforced errors. Djokovic is under tremendous pressure in the tournament as he is attempting to become the first man since Aussie Rod Laver in 1969 to win four straight majors. He has not won a title on clay this season.

Djokovic vs Tsonga: Career Head-to-Head: Tied at 5-5

Year Tournament & City Surface Round Winner & Score
2012 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome
Italy Clay Q Djokovic, Novak
7-5, 6-1 Stats
2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Paris
France Hard Q Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried
W/O
2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Canada
Montreal, Canada Hard S Djokovic, Novak
6-4, 3-0 RET Stats
2011 Wimbledon
Great Britain Grass S Djokovic, Novak
7-6(4), 6-2, 6-7(9), 6-3 Stats
2010 Australian Open
Australia Hard Q Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried
7-6(8), 6-7(5), 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 Stats
2009 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami
FL, U.S.A. Hard Q Djokovic, Novak
6-3, 6-4 Stats
2009 Marseille
France Hard S Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried
6-4, 7-6(1) Stats
2008 Tennis Masters Cup
China Hard RR Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried
1-6, 7-5, 6-1 Stats
2008 ATP Masters Series Paris
France Hard R16 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried
6-4, 1-6, 6-3 Stats
2008 Bangkok
Thailand Hard F Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried
7-6(4), 6-4 Stats
2008 Australian Open
Australia Hard F Djokovic, Novak
4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(2) Stats

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