Sports: Big Weekend

• July 3rd, 2011
• Posted by EUEditor

One busy weekend’s sport for Australian contenders with a promising win, for Luke Saville (picture) in the boys’ tennis — and another for the Matildas.

WIMBLEDON TENNIS

Defeating his British opponent Liam Broady 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, the seventeen year-old, from South Australia, said: “I believe I can be a top 10 player one day.”

Already, young Bernard Tomic was ahead of him in the ambition stakes.

Just after his game quarter-final loss last week (29.6.11), to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, the Queensland player, 18, said he hoped to “win one of the majors in two years”. (See EUAustralia Online, “Tennis: Tomic falls, honourably …”, 30.6.11).

Also at Wimbledon, Samantha Stosur, Australia, with German partner Sabine Lisicki, were defeated, 6-3, 61, in the final of the Women’s Doubles – by Květa Peschke (Czech Republic) and Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia).

Major events at Wimbledon, finals:- Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic)  beat Maria Sharapova (Russia) in straight sets on Saturday; the first and second seeded players, Rafael Nadal (Spain, defending champion)  and Novak Djokovic (Serbia) were facing off in the men’s on Sunday. Djokovic won in four sets, his first victory at Wimbledon.

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WORLD  CUP

The Matildas soccer side are hanging in, in their drive for a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup, defeating Equatorial Guinea, 3-2, at Bochum on Sunday.

The Australians began the contest, being held in Germany, with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Brazil.

TOUR DE FRANCE CYCLING

Another promising start was made in Round One of the Tour de France, by Cadel Evans.

The Australian had got clear of the peleton, chasing the winner on the day, Philippe Gilbert of Belgium, and missing a pile-up that put several players out of immediate contention.

He expressed satisfaction with his second placing, for now.

Having twice come second overall in the Tour de France, he would not be wanting to make too much of a habit of it.

Reference

ABC – Australia, Sydney, “Saville aims high after Wimbledon win”, 3.7.11. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/07/03/3259704.htm?site=sport&section=all, (3.7.11).

Gregor Brown, “Evans jumps ahead in Tour de France opener”, Cycling Weekly, Haywards Heath-UK, 3.7.11. http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/529202/evans-jumps-ahead-in-tour-de-france-opener.html, (3.7.11).

FIFA Women’s World Cup: Germany 2011 (home), Zurich, Live: Australia _ Equatorial Guinea, (3.7.11).  http://www.fifa.com/live/competitions/womensworldcup/matchday=8/day=1/match=300144450/index.html, (3.7.11).

Piers Newbery,   Wimbledon 2011: Petra Kvitova beats Maria Sharapova to title, BBC Sport, London, 2.7.11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/14002512.stm, (3.7.11).

Barry Ryan, “Evans pleased with early Tour de France gains”, Cycling News, Bath, 2.7.11. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/evans-pleased-with-early-tour-de-france-gains, (3.7.11).

Wimbledon Tennis, Wimbledon, Ladies Doubles, 2.7.11.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/draws/wd/index.html, (3.7.11).

Picture Tennis Australia