July 02, 2010

Tennis Canada

Thomas Berdych has reached another milestone in his career as he advanced to the final at the All England Lawn Tennis Club on Friday; his first Grand Slam final. He played a flawless semifinal match defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets 6-3, 7-6 (9), 6-3. His toughest challenge from Djokovic came in the second set but he did not let the big points rattle him, saving several set points.

It was a disappointing day for British star Andy Murray who could elevate his game enough to get past world No. 1 Rafael Nadal. He was clearly the crowd favourite to win as he carried the hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders, but he was unable to capitalize on the few opportunities Nadal provided him and fell in straight sets 6-4, 7-6 (6), 6-4.

It will be a thrilling final on Sunday as the world expects a lot from the resurgent Spaniard. But Berdych has been playing some unbelievable tennis in the last while, having also reached the French Open semifinals last month. He is proving to the tennis world and all of his opponents that he is not to be underestimated.

In the women's semifinals, Petra Kvitova gave Serena Williams a run for her money in their match, but it was not enough to break down the four-time Wimbledon champ. Williams defeated the Czech player in straight sets after winning the first set in a tie-break with a final score of 7-6 (5), 6-2.

Bulgaria's big server, Tsvetana Pironkova had never made it past the second round of a major event until now. She was looking solid in the first set, forcing Vera Zvonareva to step up her game which is exactly what the Russian did. Zvonareva came back to win the next two sets and the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The No. 21 seed will now go up against the younger Williams sister who is a seasoned Wimbledon finalist on Saturday.