Puig Survives Gruelling Match to Reach the Fourth Round at Wimbledon

Monica Puig’s Cinderella run at Wimbledon continues…

The 19-year-old Puerto Rican tennis player, who started her run at the sport’s most prestigious tournament with a surprising upset of No. 5 seed Sara Errani, rallied to beat Czech qualifier Eva Birnerova 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday, to reach the fourth round at the All England Club.

Monica Puig

The first set was domintaed by the Birnerova, who won 79% of the first-serve points and converted 2/4 break points, to win the opening set in 51 minutes.

But Puig came back strong to capture the second set in 42 minutes.

Both women looked firm on their serve in the deciding set. But Puig produced some sensational shots in the middle, which helped her steal a break, and eventually went on to take the third in 42 minutes.

Competing in her first Wimbledon, Puig has now surpassed her best performance in a Grand Slam with Saturday’s grueling win. She’d previously reached the third round at the French Open.

Puig, the first woman in the Open era to represent Puerto Rico at this stage, now faces American Sloane Stephens in the fourth round.

“She’s 17 in the world and she’s earned that spot so a lot of respect for her,” said Puig. “I haven’t really seen her play too much, it’s something I’ll have to go back to the drawing board tomorrow and just enjoy the day today.”

Puig is ranked No. 65 in the world.

Puig Continues Her Winning Ways at Wimbledon with Second Round Victory

Mónica Puig’s instant love affair with the All England Club continues…

Following her upset victory over fifth-seed Sara Errani on Monday, the 19-year-old Puerto Rican rising tennis star is still alive and kicking at Wimbledon.

Monica Puig

Puig registered a hard-fought, three-sets victory over by Spain’s Silvia Soler Espinosa, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, in her second-round match on Wednesday.

Puig, competing in only her second Grand Slam tournament, is playing in her first grand slam tournament as a professional player.

She made her Grand Slam debut this year at the French Open, where she became the first woman from Puerto Rico to reach the third round.

Puig next faces the Czech Republic’s Eva Birnerova in the third round.

Puig Upsets Fifth-Seed Sara Errani in the First Round at Wimbledon

Mónica Puig has registered the first major upset at Wimbledon

The 19-year-old Puerto Rican tennis player hit 38 winners to defeat Italy’s Sara Errani, the tournament’s fifth seed, 6-3, 6-2 on Monday in the first match on Court 18 of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.

Monica Puig

Puig, playing in her first grass-court tournament as a professional, completely outplayed Errani with her hard-hitting baseline game.

Errani was the runner-up at last year’s French Open and had reached at least the semifinals of three of the last five Grand Slams. But on the slick grass at the All England club on Monday, she had only 13 winners and was broken four times.

Puig squandered five match points before hitting a forehand winner past Errani to close out the match. She then dropped her racket to the turf and covered her face in her hands.

Errani withdrew from last week’s grass-court warmup at Eastbourne with a leg injury, but showed no signs of any physical problems during the match.

It’s the third time a top-5 women’s seeded player has lost in the first round at Wimbledon since 2001. The others were Martina Hingis in 2000 and Francesca Schiavone in 2010.

Monday’s defeat marked another humbling Wimbledon exit for Errani.

Last year, the Italian went an entire set without winning a point in losing 6-0, 6-4 in the third round to Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan. Shvedova was the first player in a Grand Slam to achieve a so-called “golden set” by winning 24 straight points.

Puig reached her first WTA main draw quarterfinal at the 2013 Portugal Open. She defeated number 8 seed and former top-15 player Julia Görges in round one before beating former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in the second round. She lost in the quarterfinals to number 4 seed Carla Suárez Navarro of Spain.

At the 2013 French Open, Puig had the most remarkable win of her career before her big Wimbledon win when she defeated world number 11, Nadia Petrova, in three sets.

She next faces Spain’s Silvia Soler Espinosa in the second round.

Nadal Makes History After Winning His Eighth French Open Title

Rafael Nadal has etched his name into the annals of tennis history…

The 27-year-old Spanish tennis star beat David Ferrer in the French Open final Sunday 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 to become the first man to win eight titles at the same Grand Slam tournament.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal, proclaimed The King of Clay, also broke the men’s record for match wins at Roland Garros, where he improved to 59-1, with his lone defeat against Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009.

For fans enthralled by Nadal’s semifinal victory over top-ranked Novak Djokovic, the final may have seemed anticlimactic. But not for Nadal.

His path to the French Open title was more arduous than usual. He fell behind in each of his first three matches and needed a fifth-set comeback to beat Djokovic.

And the latest title was especially sweet for Nadal because of his comeback after a seven-month layoff caused by knee trouble.

”This one is very special one,” Nadal said. ”When you have period of time like I had, you realize that you don’t know if you will have the chance to be back here with this trophy another time.”

Since returning in February, he’s 43-2 with seven titles in nine tournaments, and he has won his past 22 matches. With his 12th Grand Slam tournament championship, Nadal moved into a tie for third place with Roy Emerson behind Roger Federer‘s 17 and Pete Sampras‘ 14.

Nadal came into the final with a 16-match winning streak on clay against Ferrer, who was a big underdog playing in his first major final at age 31. Ferrer had a few chances to make Nadal uneasy but converted only three of 12 break points and double-faulted five times.

Ferrer Reaches His First Grand Slam Final

It’s a career first for David Ferrer

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 in the semifinals at the French Open to reach his first Grand Slam final.

David Ferrer

Ferrer showed great focus from the get-go to completely silence the crowd of roughly 15,000 at Court Philippe Chatrier, winning the first five games of the match by hitting aggressive forehand and backhand shots and chasing down every ball.

He even out-served Tsonga in the first set, hitting two aces and winning 67 percent of his first-serve points, compared to one ace and a 50 percent winning percentage for his French opponent.

Tsonga briefly got some momentum in the second set by breaking Ferrer en route to a 3-0 lead, but the Spaniard managed to get back on serve and then force a pivotal tiebreaker, which he dominated from start to finish.

Tsonga seemed deflated in the third set, losing his serve two more times as his bid to become the French man to win Roland Garros since 1983 ended on a disappointing note.

“I’m very, very happy,” Ferrer, the world No. 5, said after the match. “This tournament is very special for me and to be the first final of a Grand Slam in Roland Garros is amazing.”

“Now I want to enjoy this moment, to rest tomorrow, and to try my best in the final.”

Next up in the championship match will be fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who advanced to his eighth French Open final earlier Friday with an epic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 9-7 victory over Novak Djokovic.

Nadal owns a 19-4 lead in their head-to-head matchup,a s well as a more lopsided advantage over Ferrer on clay, having won 16 of their 17 contests on that surface.

Sunday’s match will be the fourth all-Spanish men’s singles final at Roland Garros and the first since Albert Costa upset Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2002.

Sánchez Vicario to Present Winner’s Trophy at French Open

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario will face either Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova at the French Open

No, the 41-year-old retired Spanish tennis star, a former World No. 1, won’t be playing against either player.

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario

The four-time Grand Slam champion will present the winner of the women’s final her trophy at the French Open this weekend.

The French Tennis Federation says Sanchez Vicario, who won the French Open three times, will be alongside the organization’s president Jean Gachassin at Roland Garros for the final on Saturday, handing the trophy to either Williams or Sharapova.

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario

As a 17-year-old, Sánchez Vicario became the youngest winner of the women’s singles title at the 1989 French Open, defeating then-World No. 1 Steffi Graf in the final. Her record would be broken the following year by Monica Seles, who would win the title at the age of 16.

In addition to her eight Grand Slam singles titles, Sánchez Vicario also has six women’s doubles titles and four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.

Sánchez Vicario, who retired in November 2002, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007. She was the first Spanish woman to be inducted.

Nadal Soundly Defeats Roger Federer to Earn His Seventh Italian Open Title

Once again, Rafael Nadal is proving to be the man to beat on clay…

The 26-year-old Spanish tennis star dropped only four games in beating Roger Federer in 68 minutes to earn his seventh Italian Open title.

Rafael Nadal

“I’m playing much better than I dreamed of a few months ago,” Nadal said. “I’m doing the right things to play well.”

In the 30th career meeting between the archrivals, who share 28 Grand Slam singles titles amongst them, Nadal claimed the 6-1 6-3 victory at Rome’s Foro Italico.

He has now won six of his eight tournaments since returning in February from a seven-month break due to knee injury.

Nadal improved to 20-10 in his career against Federer, and he showed once again that he will be the player to beat when the French Open starts next Sunday. He’s looking to win an Open-era record eighth title at Roland Garros.

With 11 wins in their 13 previous matches on clay, Nadal was a heavy favorite against Federer in Rome, but the way he dispatched of his competitor was still quite impressive.

“He played very aggressively from the start,” said Federer. “He didn’t make too many mistakes and had a good match overall.

“Rafa has much more topspin than all the guys I played this week, so the change was quite a big one. I tried to play offensively, but unfortunately I didn’t have the best day.”

“It didn’t go the way I was hoping it to go.”

Nadal Hires AMResorts to Operate His Two Mexican Hotels…

Could Rafael Nadal be the next Conrad Hilton?

The 26-year-old Spanish tennis star, who recently won his first title since returning to competitive play after a seven-month absence, has confirmed that U.S.-based hotel management company AMResorts will operate two hotels he purchased in Cozumel.

Rafael Nadal
“I got to know this place a few years ago and I loved it,” said Nadal. “That’s why we invested in it; it’s also an island and there’s a connection with the place where I live as well, which is the (Spanish Mediterranean) island of Mallorca.”

Nadal, who arrived in Cozumel earlier in the week after winning a tournament in Sao Paulo – his second event after a seven-month hiatus due to a knee injury – confirmed in a press conference that his hotels will be managed by AMResorts, which is headed by Mexico’s Alejandro Zozaya.

“It’s nice to invest in a place where you really feel good. The possibility of investing here in Cozumel came up. I love nature, I love the sea, this is a natural paradise,” said the former world No. 1 and 11-time Grand Slam champion.

“In addition to the economic investment, it’s a nice, emotional investment for my future,” said Nadal, who will compete in next week’s Mexican Open in Acapulco.

Zozaya said Nadal’s Secrets Aura Cozumel hotel was remodeled at a cost of $14 million and will cater to high-end clientele and that the Sunscape Sabor Cozumel, also owned by the tennis star, will be ready in the second half of 2013.

Ferrer Advances to Australian Open Semis After Miracle Comeback

David Ferrer is the last Latino standing at the Australian Open

The 30-year-old Spanish tennis star, who will take his injured compatriot Rafael Nadal‘s place at World No. 4 in the rankings next week, pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat Nicolas Almagro 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park.

David Ferrer

Three times in the first four sets, Ferrer faced the prospect of being ousted by a fellow Spaniard who’d never beaten him in a dozen competitive matches.

The No. 4-seeded Ferrer survived once in the third set and twice in the fourth when No. 10 Almagro was serving for the match, but held firm and finally advanced to his fourth semifinal in six Grand Slam events.

“It was a miracle I won this match,” said Ferrer afterwards. “I tried to fight and do my best, but I need to play better than today in the next round.”

Ferrer, an indefatigable workhorse, played two tournaments in the build-up to the year’s opening Grand Slam event.

“Of course I am tired,” he said. “I ran a lot against Nico. Now I will need to rest, but I have a day and a half.”

Ferrer’s victory sets up a semifinal meeting with Novak Djokovic. He’s played in four semifinals in Grand Slams and lost them all.

“In the important moments, I played more consistent in my game,” Ferrer said. “Of course, in the next round, the semifinals, I need to play my best tennis, better than today.”

Nadal Postpones Return to Tennis Due to Stomach Bug

Rafael Nadal will not be returning to competitive tennis as soon as he’d planned after all…

The 26-year-old Spanish tenista was scheduled to compete in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi on Thursday after missing seven months because of tendinitis in his left knee.

Rafael Nadal

But Nadal said on his Facebook page Tuesday that his doctors ordered him to pull out due to a stomach virus and fever, telling him his body needed rest.

“My rehab has gone well, my knee feels good and I was looking forward to competing,” said Nadal.

The 11-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t played since June, when he lost to 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol in the second round at Wimbledon.

The injury prevented Nadal from defending his Olympic singles gold at the 2012 London Games, where he was supposed to be Spain’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony. He also had to pull out of the U.S. Open and Spain’s Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic, which his teammates lost without him.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Andy Murray were also scheduled to play at Abu Dhabi.