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Radwanska edges past Bouchard
EASTBOURNE, UK: Agnieszka Radwanska relied on a steady serve and a solid game to beat Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-3 in a battle of former Wimbledon finalists for a place
EASTBOURNE, UK: Agnieszka Radwanska relied on a steady serve and a solid game to beat Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-3 in a battle of former Wimbledon finalists for a place in the quarterfinals of the WTA Eastbourne event on Wednesday. Radwanska next faces 12th seed Dominika Cibulkova, a 7-6(3), 6-3 winner over Kateryna Bondarenko.
Qualifier Monica Puig defeated 2009 champion Caroline Wozniacki 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, was upset by Johanna Konta, who pulled off a 5-7, 6-4, 6-0 fightback over the fifth seed. Russian Elena Vesnina beat Madison Brengle 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.
LAVER HOPES TO WITNESS NOVAK’S GRAND SLAM
SAN DIEGO: If Novak Djokovic wins Wimbledon and the US Open to complete a Grand Slam, he’ll have a big fan in the last man to do it. Rod Laver knows what it takes to complete tennis’ ultimate achievement, having won the Grand Slam as an amateur in 1962 and again as a pro in 1969. Djokovic is halfway there heading into Wimbledon, which starts Monday. “I think he’s got a good shot at pulling it off and I’d be happy seeing it,” Laver said. “You don’t own the territory. It’s a feather in his cap if he can pull off a Grand Slam. He’s got two already.”
INJURED AZARENKA OUT OF WIMBLEDON
LONDON: Former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka has withdrawn from Wimbledon with a knee injury, organisers said on Thursday. Belarussian Azarenka , who would have been seeded six at the championships, has not played since retiring from a first-round match at the French Open last month.
ZIKA VIRUS FEARS FOR SERENA, BERDYCH
LONDON: Serena Williams says she is concerned about the zika outbreak ahead of August’s Rio Olympics, but has faith in the support team dealing with worries over the mosquito-carried virus.
World No 9 and f or mer Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych admitted that the zika virus could force him to skip the Rio Olympics in August. “Zika is definitely something that is in my mind. I have to really look at it and think about it.”
