Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Serena Williams, photo uploaded on Flickr on 31 Dec 2008.
Showing posts with label Tennis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennis. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Venus Williams: the first woman to reach the last 16 of French Open
Photo: Venus Williams returns the ball to Switzerland's Patty Schnyder during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris on May 23, 2010.
Second seed Venus Williams was the first woman to reach the last 16 of French Open following the 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Slovakian 26th seed Dominika Cibulkova in the third round. The American will face either rising French star Aravane Rezai (15th seed) or Russian 19th seed Nadia Petrova for a quarter final berth, after their third round match was suspended because of fading light at 7-7 in the last set.
Venus Williams has beaten Patty Schnyder 6-3, 6-3 in the first round and Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-2, 6-4 in the second. It is the first time since 2006 that she is past the third round at the French Open. She is joined by third seed Dane Caroline Wozniacki and 14th seed Italian Flavia Pennetta contesting for the fourth round.
Serena Williams to face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Saturday
Photo: Serena Williams (USA) and Stefanie Voegele (CH).
With the sun shining at Roland Garros, the world number one Serena Williams demolished German world number 77 Julia Goerges 6-1, 6-1 in just 55 minutes in a second round match. She will face on Saturday Russian 29th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the third round for a place in the last 16, as she bids to lift the trophy for the first time in nine years.
Earlier, at the French Open, Serena Williams defeated Stefanie Voegele 7-6(2), 6-2 in the first round. She also is playing doubles with Venus Williams as the top seeds. They are scheduled to play Daniela Hantuchova and Caroline Wozniacki in the second round.
Once known for her unusual and colorful outfits on court, Williams has also presented new designs off-court. She formerly had a special line with Puma and currently has a line with Nike. The deal, signed in April 2004 with Nike is worth $40 million, it has been reported. Since 2004, she has also been running her own line of designer apparel line, ‘Aneres’ (‘Serena’ spelled backwards). In 2009 she launched a signature collection of handbags and jewelry.
Maria Kirilenko moves on to fourth round of French Open
To move on to the fourth round for the first time Maria Kirilenko beat defending champion and fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova out of the French Open on Friday, at the third round stage. The sixth seed Kuznetsova lost (6-3, 2-6, 6-4) to 30th-seed Kirilenko.
Earler Kirilenko defeated Karolina Sprem in the first round match (7-6(5) 6-4). In the second round, she defeated Yvonne Meusburger (6-3 6-3). Kirilenko will now meet 17th seeded-Italian Francesca Schiavone for a place in the quarterfinals.
Svetlana Kuznetsova crashed out of French Open
Defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova crashed out of the French Open on Friday, at the third round stage, beaten in three sets by fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko. The sixth seed Kuznetsova lost (6-3, 2-6, 6-4) to 30th-seeded Kirilenko.
"I didn't come here with my best game, but I gave my all and I fought all I could," said Kuznetsova, adding, "You cannot play great all the time. It's up and downs. I haven't been playing well this claycourt season or this season. It happens and I'll be back. It's just a matter of time."
Maria Sharapova to meet Justine Henin on Saturday
The former world number one Maria Sharapova will contest the four-time champion and 22nd seed Justine Henin for a place in the last 16 on Saturday. The 12th seed Sharapova completed a victory in straight sets in the second round over Henin's Belgian compatriot Kirsten Flipkens.
Maria Sharapova, who seems to shadow Henin's efforts for a fifth Roland Garros crown said, "I'm looking forward to it… We've had some great matches in the past. We've had some battles and I've had some tough losses and some great wins, so I look forward to this one."
The Siberian who trails Henin 6-3 in head-to-head career matches, and who last week came through five matches in Strasbourg to win her first career title on red clay, and has won a couple of rounds in the French Open, will meet the greatest dirt-baller of her generation, Justine Henin.
Sharapova is a French Open away from a full set of grand slam titles. Earlier she defeated Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens 6-3, 6-3. It will be their first meeting since Henin returned to professional tennis early this year.
Justine Henin to contest Sharapova for a place in last 16
File photo: Justine Henin at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, CA (photo by George Walker).
The four-time champion and 22nd seed Justine Henin and former world number one Maria Sharapova will contest for a place in the last 16 on Saturday after comfortably winning second-round matches that had been held over because of rain on Thursday. Looking forward to a fifth Roland Garros crown, Henin handed a straight 6-3, 6-3 defeat to the Czech Klara Zakopalova, and the 12th seed Sharapova completed a victory in straight sets in the second round over Henin's Belgian compatriot Kirsten Flipkens.
"Playing again in front of the Paris crowd and all the Belgian supporters warms my heart," said Henin, who returned to tennis earlier this year after retiring in 2008. Her last visit to Roland Garros in 2007 won her fourth title. "I've missed it and the sensations are coming back bit by bit," she said.
Elena Dementieva wins over Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak
In the French Open third-round matches, the Russian fifth seed Elena Dementieva, who was a losing finalist here in 2004, pulled out a grueling 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-4 win over Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak. Dementieva sank to her knees in relief at the end of the 2-hour-43-minute match. She will have to tackle the South African qualifier Chanelle Scheepers, who is the first woman from South Africa to reach the last 16 here since Amanda Coetzer did it in 1997.
Caroline Wozniacki wins against Alexandra Dulgheru
File photo: Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark at the WTA Tournament Swedish Open in Båstad 2009.
In the French Open, third seed Caroline Wozniacki reached the fourth round after winning 6-3, 6-4 against Romanian 31st seed Alexandra Dulgheru, who won in Warsaw last week. The 19-year-old Dane fought back from 3-1 down in the first set and 4-1 down in the second set to set up a last-16 clash with the Italian 14th seed Flavia Pennetta. Earlier, though troubled by injury, Wozniacki showed no signs of it when she demolished Russia's Alla Kudryavsteva (6-0 6-3) in the first round on Monday.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Venus Williams at the French Open in Paris
Venus Williams has been causing a stir at the French Open Tennis Tournament in Paris by wearing a revealing lacy black corset which rather suits down the road at the Moulin Rouge cabaret, some news reports say.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sania Mirza's engagement with Sohrab Mirza
Tennis star Sania Mirza was engaged to childhood friend and Hyderabad based businessman Sohrab Mirza and the marriage was to take place after two years. The engagement is called off for what is described as "incompatibility". Now Sania will be marrying Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik in April 2010.
Sania Mirza opts for Indo-Pak cross-border marriage
On 29 March 2010, the media in India and Pakistan reported that India’s topmost woman tennis star Sania Mirza, 23, will marry Shoaib Malik, 28, the former cricket captain of Pakistan cricket team. Their marriage will be in April, 2010, as the news was confirmed to the media by her father Imran Mirza.
Shoaib Malik too confirmed the news by tweeting on Twitter that they would get married in April 2010. As per news reports, the wedding celebrations will be held in India and Pakistan. Marriage and receptions are expected to be held in Hyderabad, India, and in Lahore, Pakistan. After the marriage, the couple will be based in Dubai.
Sania met Malik in Dubai in February while she was playing a tennis tournament there and they liked each other. Now their families are looking forward to their marriage. Sania told the Times of India, “This is the biggest day of my life. I have been in the media glare for too long, and would appreciate a little privacy at this very personal moment in my life.’’
Sania said that she hoped she would be fully fit to represent India in the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. “I hope to be fully fit to represent India in the Commonwealth and Asian Games that are scheduled for later this year,’’ she said.
In her career, she had reached a high of 34 in world rankings, though she is currently placed at 92. Frequently troubled by injuries, Sania’s ranking has come down after a debilitating wrist injury that forced her take a break from tennis tournaments. Treatment for her injury continues and she will test her wrist in a tennis competition this summer, though she is targeting a return to international tennis late this year.
Shoaib Malik too has pledged his support for Sania, “I fully understand what it takes to be an international sportsperson. I’ll support Sania in her career as long as she wishes to play. Representing India at the 2012 Olympics is very important to her, and I will be the proudest husband if she can win a medal for her country.’’
Known for her powerful forehand ground strokes, Sania Mirza started her tennis career in 2003. In 2004 she was honoured with the Arjuna award by the Government of India.
In July 2009, in a much-publicized lavish ceremony, Sania Mirza was engaged to Sohrab Mirza, a family friend and a business man from Hyderabad, India, whom she knew from her school days. But on 28 January 2010, the engagement to Sohrab was called off, with Sania citing ‘incompatibility’ as the reason for their split. However, her father Imran Mirza claimed that Sania, Sohrab and their respective families continue to remain on good terms.
Born in Sialkot in Pakistan, Shoaib Malik made his One-Day International cricket debut in 1999 against the West Indies and his Test Cricket debut in 2001 against Bangladesh. He was ranked second, behind his teammate Shahid Afridi, in the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings in June 2008.
Incidentally, Malik is among seven top Pakistani cricket players who are serving a one-year ban imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board on various charges during a recent tour of Australia. Pakistan lost all the three Test Matches, five One-Day International matches, and the only Twenty20 cricket match on the tour that ended in February. However, earlier this month, the Pakistan Cricket Board gave permission to Malik to play in a domestic Twenty20 league match in Bangladesh.
Though Sania Mirza's previous engagement and the subsequent breakup with Sohrab Mirza made headlines, Malik too had linkups and breakups in the past. Malik was involved in a marriage dispute with another Indian woman Alisha with whom he reportedly exchanged marriage vows in 2002, though he has denied the marriage news, claiming he had been cheated in the relationship. However, Sania’s family has downplayed the issue and made no comment on it. Also, in 2008, Malik was dating former Miss India and Bollywood actress Sayali Bhagat.
Sayali, who made her film debut opposite Emran Hashmi in the movie ‘The Train’, had hoped to keep her relationship with Malik under wraps. But the couple was spotted together in a hotel lobby. At that time Malik was also in news when Alisha’s parents claimed that he had married their daughter. But Sayali defended Malik by saying, “That was a marriage proposal that he said no to. Those allegations have been legally proved baseless. Shoaib was always single!” Sayali and Malik had met at a store inauguration in Delhi, and she had said, “Our religion is not an issue; I am more concerned about the distance between us.”
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