(Early returns – a first-round loss – suggest ordinary.)But instead of pondering those questions, tennis was slammed with this one: Is the sport crooked?An exhaustive investigation by the BBC and BuzzFeed News, a year in the making and released last Sunday, alleges that match-fixing has been and continues to be a problem, and that the authorities have been aware of it, but have chosen to look the other way.
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The Swiss star becomes the first player ever to win 300 matches in Grand Slam tournaments.
The Serbian had to work for his victory through some long rallies but always looked like he had an extra gear when he needed it.
“It Is A small peculiar from time to time, I’m like he accumulates the backhand and also the forehand (like me)”, Federer stated in a courtside interview.
But as he contemplated his 300 wins – and you can bet that he can probably remember a good 280 of them in detail – Federer revealed that it had not all been easy in his early days. “It’s definitely not built for warmth, but it’s built for speed”.
There was a full house on Margaret Court Arena for the match, including a big section of Japanese supporters waving flags, while matches on uncovered outside courts were delayed because of rain.
The No. 1-ranked Djokovic needed only 25 minutes to win the first set against No. 28-seeded Andreas Seppi but had a tougher time in the next two, saving two set points in the tiebreaker before winning, 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6). Talent takes you only so far.
Goffin praises Thiem for his sportsmanship: “I would like to thank my friend @ThiemDomi for the act of fairplay he made this morning”. But the rest of it is you have to teach it to yourself and learn it, get it right.
“Cannot be prepared to get slams at 16, 18, 17 anymore nowadays, increase the ratings, if you don’t use this planet”.
Sharapova, a four-time finalist, advanced with a 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-0 win over Lauren Davis before she was reminded of the milestone.
“I think it’s a proud number”, five-time grand slam victor Sharapova, who awaits Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, said of reaching 600 wins.
“I just wanted to push the envelope again, just bring pop culture to tennis, kind of make it really fun, ” she said.
“Pain is my second name”, the Pole said. “After the second set, I was just getting a little flat”.
Radwanska next faces 21-year-old German Anna-Lena Friedsam, who beat last year’s U.S. Open runner up Roberta Vinci. Bautista-Agut knocked off 12 seeded Croat Marin Cilic in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(5), 7-5.
The top seed and defending champion saved two third-set points against Seppi before reeling off the next four points to clinch it 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (8/6), his 33rd straight victory over Italian opposition.
Australia’s Daria Gavrilova, conqueror of two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová of the Czech Republic in the second round, dumped another seed out of the tournament as she beat 28th seed Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-4, 4-6, 11-9 in a marathon contest.
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The Bulgarian, who showed his all-court versatility in 2014 by winning titles on three different surfaces and climbing to eighth in the world, found the lofty expectations hard to deal with just a year later.
