PETRA KVITOVA WINS OVER PENG IN THE CHAMPIOSHIPS WIMBLEDON 2014

For her part, Kvitova, beaming with confidence following her third-round win against five-time champion Venus Williams, wants to play down the comparisons with 2011 and her current run. “I can’t really compare them,” she said. 

 “My game, my personality on court is different now.” The results, however, are the same – and that is surely no bad thing for the No.6 seed. Kvitova is one of three Czech women through to the Ladies’ Singles quarter-finals, a first at The Championships. One is guaranteed to reach the semi-finals – Kvitova set up a showdown with Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, while Lucie Safarova is also in the bottom half of the draw after beating compatriot Tereza Smitkova earlier on Monday. No nation was better represented in either singles draw at the start of the second week. Kvitova can be the best kind of bully on court – hard-hitting, unrelenting and capable of firing back a smart answer when put in an awkward spot. So fierce was her return game that at times Peng found the ball back at her feet before she had recovered her ground. The Chinese 28-year-old cannot generate as much power as Kvitova but she was able to rechannel it, and her quick hands and double-fisted drives from both wings regularly wrong-footed the 2011 champion to keep her in touch in the first set. After saving three early break points, Peng might have stolen a lead at 3-3 when Kvitova overcooked a forehand to trail 30-40, but the Czech fired her wey out of trouble with some more huge hitting from her leftie forehand. With that, Kvitova raised her game, bringing up break point at 3-4 with a smash, and powering another sterling return at Peng’s feet before holding to love to claim the set. Another ripped forehand return at 1-1 in the second paved the way for an earlier break in the second, and with that Peng’s challenge faded. The Czech gave up just one unforced error in the second set and finished the match with 25 winners. In this kind of form, she will take some stopping.

VENUS WILLIAMS INTO 2 ROUND OF THE CHAMPIOSHIPS WIMBLEDON 2014

Venus Williams got her 2014 campaign off to a solid start with a three-set victory over Spain's Maria-Teresa Torro-Flo. 

 At 34 she may be the second oldest female player in the draw but it was another day, another victory for former Wimbledon champion Williams. The five-time Ladies' Singles champion needed three sets to advance to the second round with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 over Spaniard and world No.56 Maria-Teresa Torro-Flo. The seven time Grand Slam title holder fired down 11 aces during the one hour six minute contest.

YANINA WICKMAYER WINS OVER STOSUR IN LONDON 2014.

Finding form at Wimbledon remains a mystery for Sam Stosur, with the No.18-seeded Australian suffering a straight sets loss at the hands of 69th-ranked Belgian Yanina Wickmayer on the opening day. 

SUMMARY_STATS

 After dropping serve in the game, Stosur was unable to gain an edge over the 69th-ranked Belgian, who wielded her most impressive ground strokes as she claimed the 6-3, 6-4 win in 69 minutes. Watched by former world No.1 and compatriot Kim Clijsters from the sidelines, Wickmayer had the same number of winners as Stosur – 25 each – and just one fewer unforced errors than the Australian.
However it was the Wickmayer who gained the advantage on the bigger points, converting four of her six breakpoint opportunities. It marks the sixth time that Stosur has exited in the first round of the Championships. In 12 appearances, her best result has been third round showings in 2009 and 2013.

News day preview of the the championships Wimbledon 2014

The bottom half of the ladies’ draw may lack marquee names like Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, but, as always, interest in the No.2 seed and three-time quarter-finalist Li Na will be immense. 

She and Paula Kania, of Poland, follow Murray and Goffin on to Centre Court. More equal match-ups that intrigue are the first and last on Court 18: Sloane Stephens, the 18th seed, against Maria Kirilenko, and Svetlana Kuznetsova against the young Portuguese Michelle Larcher De Brito, who brought Sharapova’s Wimbledon to an abrupt halt last year.

The singles trophies admire Centre Court. June 2014.

News: Marion Bartoli in the championships Wimbledon 2014,

Marion Bartoli appears at peace with her decision to retire from tennis, even on the return to the scene of her greatest triumph. 

 She arrived with a smile that has proven hard to shake for the past twelve months and a shoulder encased in coral blue support tape. In both body and mind, Marion Bartoli appears at peace with her decision to retire from tennis, even on the return to the scene of her greatest triumph. Bartoli intends to treasure the final two weeks of her reign as Ladies’ Singles champion.
She shed a tear as she collected her accreditation – the All England Club gamely issued her with a competitor’s pass – but the 29-year-old remains adamant that her playing days are now behind her. “Look at my shoulder,” she said after being asked if her return to the Championships might finally spark thoughts of a comeback. “Literally, I can't even lift my arm every morning.
It was the same last year, and didn't improve a year after, even without playing much tennis. So definitely no regrets at all.” Bartoli will watch from the Royal Box on Tuesday as Sabine Lisicki, last year’s beaten finalist, plays the first of the day’s matches on Centre Court, the honour reserved for the defending champion. 
A bittersweet moment, no doubt, but not one that the Frenchwoman intends to dwell on. Indeed, almost a year on from her shock decision to retire after a second-round exit in Cincinnati, one moment supersedes all other memories of her 13-year-career. “What I miss the most is probably the last five seconds of my final,” she said. “I'm about to serve and I serve and I ace – knowing it's an ace, and knowing I won Wimbledon, that's probably what I'm missing. “Do you believe in miracles? I think it was a miracle; I think it was truly a miracle.” Beyond that, Bartoli’s abiding memory is the pain of those final few years of her career. Her shoulder, most recently aggravated by an exhibition appearance last week, remains a constant reminder of the lengths to which she pushed herself to fulfill her “dream” of being crowned Grand Slam champion. Retirement arrived on her terms. 

ORDER OF PLAY 23 JUNE 2014. the championships Wimbledon

The Championships Wimbledon 2014. TOURNAMENT INFO. 23 JUNE- 6 JULY

TOURNAMENT INFO
TIER: Grand Slams 
PRIZE MONEY: $18,575,979 
SURFACE: Grass
 DIRECTOR: Richard Lewis 

Wimbledon, also known as The Championships, is considered by many the world's most prestigious tournament. Launched in 1877, the event is held in late June and early July at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London and is the only major still played on grass - the game's original surface. Other traditions include no matches on the middle Sunday, a strict player dress code, the eating of strawberries and cream, the absence of sponsor advertising around the courts and royal patronage. Since 2001, Wimbledon's courts have been sown with 100% perennial ryegrass. The main show courts, Centre Court and Court 1, are normally used just during The Championships' fortnight, and the remaining 17 courts are used regularly for other events hosted by the club. To the delight of players, fans and media, a retractable roof was installed prior to the 2009 staging. The show courts were competed on an additional time in 2012, as the facility hosted the Summer Olympics tennis event three weeks after Wimbledon. In another break from tradition, starting in 2015 The Championships will start a week later on the calendar, allowing for three weeks instead of two between the end of the French Open and the start of Wimbledon. WTA legend Martina Navratilova has the ladies tournament record with nine singles titles. She also has the Open Era record with seven doubles titles. On top of that, she has four mixed doubles crowns, giving her a remarkable 20 Wimbledon triumphs altogether. Others who have dominated the event in the Open Era include Steffi Graf with seven singles titles and Serena and Venus Williams, with five each. In fact, a Williams sister has raised the Venus Rosewater Dish in 10 of the past 14 years.

The Championships Wimbledon 2014. TOURNAMENT INFO. 23 JUNE- 6 JULY

TOURNAMENT INFO
TIER: Grand Slams 
PRIZE MONEY: $18,575,979 
SURFACE: Grass
 DIRECTOR: Richard Lewis 

Wimbledon, also known as The Championships, is considered by many the world's most prestigious tournament. Launched in 1877, the event is held in late June and early July at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London and is the only major still played on grass - the game's original surface. Other traditions include no matches on the middle Sunday, a strict player dress code, the eating of strawberries and cream, the absence of sponsor advertising around the courts and royal patronage. Since 2001, Wimbledon's courts have been sown with 100% perennial ryegrass. The main show courts, Centre Court and Court 1, are normally used just during The Championships' fortnight, and the remaining 17 courts are used regularly for other events hosted by the club. To the delight of players, fans and media, a retractable roof was installed prior to the 2009 staging. The show courts were competed on an additional time in 2012, as the facility hosted the Summer Olympics tennis event three weeks after Wimbledon. In another break from tradition, starting in 2015 The Championships will start a week later on the calendar, allowing for three weeks instead of two between the end of the French Open and the start of Wimbledon. WTA legend Martina Navratilova has the ladies tournament record with nine singles titles. She also has the Open Era record with seven doubles titles. On top of that, she has four mixed doubles crowns, giving her a remarkable 20 Wimbledon triumphs altogether. Others who have dominated the event in the Open Era include Steffi Graf with seven singles titles and Serena and Venus Williams, with five each. In fact, a Williams sister has raised the Venus Rosewater Dish in 10 of the past 14 years.

Main draw singles, The Championships Wimbledon 2014, 23 june-6 july

NEWS WIMBLEDON 2014: WTA PRE-WIMBLEDON PARTY

If Wimbledon is the most celebrated tournament of the year, the WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party presented by Dubai Duty Free is the most celebrated celebration on of the year, and this year's event - which is taking place on Thursday night - will be nothing short of spectacular. 

 All the biggest WTA stars will be there - the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Ana Ivanovic and more. And they'll be joined by celebrities too - previous attendees include Kate Middleton, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Kelly Rowland. Who will turn up this year?

The All-England Club has awarded Martina Hingis and Vera Zvonareva a wildcard for Wimbledon doubles competition 2014.

Martina Hingis will appear at Wimbledon for the first time in seven years after receiving a wildcard into the doubles draw. The 33-year-old, who will partner 

Vera Zvonareva, was among the initial wave of wildcards unveiled by the All-England Club on Wednesday. In addition to her singles victory in 1997, Hingis is also a two-time doubles champion at Wimbledon, winning with Helena Sukova in 1996 and Jana Novotna in 1998. 
Aside from the odd outing in the invitational events, Hingis' last appearance at the All-England Club was third round defeat to Laura Granville, in 2007. Last summer, Hingis returned to the tour, partnering Daniela Hantuchova for the US hardcourt season, and this March captured her first title since 2007, when she triumphed alongside Sabine Lisicki in Miami.