Federer claims record eighth Wimbledon title

Roger Federer, playing at Indian Wells in March, broke a tie with Pete Sampras
and William Renshaw for the most men's singles titles at Wimbledon.
Photo by Mal Taam

   There is no king of England.
   Except Roger Federer.
   The Swiss star dominated ailing Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 today to win his record eighth Wimbledon singles title. Federer had been tied with Pete Sampras (1993-2000) and William Renshaw of Great Britain (1881-89).
   "It means the world to me to hold this trophy, particularly when I haven't dropped a set," Federer, who missed the last half of 2016 to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery, told the BBC. "It's magical. I can't believe it yet. It's too much, really. It's disbelief that I can achieve such heights.
   "I wasn't sure if I'd be in a final again after last year, especially some tough losses to Novak (Djokovic) in 2014 and 2015. But I kept believing, and if you believe, you can go a long way in your life. Here I am with an eighth title. It's fantastic."
   Cilic said afterward he developed a painful blister on his left foot during his semifinal Friday, reported The Associated Press.
   The 1-hour, 41-minute final was the most one-sided in men's singles at Wimbledon since Lleyton Hewitt whipped David Nalbandian 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in 2002.
   Federer, who will turn 36 on Aug. 8, became the oldest Wimbledon men's champion since the Open Era began in 1968 and the second player in that period to win the title without dropping a set. Bjorn Borg accomplished the feat in 1976.
   Federer has won two Grand Slam singles crowns this year and a record 19 overall. Rafael Nadal is second with 15. Before triumphing in the Australian Open in January, Federer hadn't won a major title since Wimbledon in 2012.
   Federer improved to 7-1 against Cilic, who led two sets to none and held three match points before falling to Federer in the Wimbledon quarterfinals last year.
   Cilic, 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters), was trying to earn his second Grand Slam singles championship and join Goran Ivanisevic (2001) as the only Croatians to win Wimbledon.
   Cilic overpowered Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 for the 2014 U.S. Open title. Cilic also outclassed Federer 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals.

Cancer survivor Duval to play in Stockton qualifying

   Former top-100 player Victoria Duval, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2014, is scheduled to play Sunday morning in the first round of qualifying for the $60,000 University of the Pacific Stockton Challenger.
   Duval, seeded first with a world ranking of No. 440, will face UCLA's Alaina Miller of Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area at 9 a.m. at Pacific's Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center.
   Duval, 21, of Bradenton, Fla., missed one year after her diagnosis.
   Miller uses two hands on both sides.
   A temperature of 84 degrees (29 Celsius) is forecast for the beginning of the match, rising to a high of 105 (41 Celsius) at 4 p.m.
   Here are the qualifying draw and Sunday's schedule. The main draw will begin Tuesday.

Muguruza, entered at Stanford, wins Wimbledon

Garbine Muguruza, playing in the 2015 U.S. Open, beat
Venus Williams today for her second Grand Slam title.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Nothing against Venus Williams, but organizers of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford clearly were rooting for Garbine Muguruza in today's Wimbledon women's final.
   Muguruza is entered in the Bank of the West; Williams is not. The tournament is scheduled for July 31-Aug. 6 at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
   Muguruza, a 23-year-old Spaniard, rolled to a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Williams, 37, for her second title in three Grand Slam finals. She won the French Open last year and lost at Wimbledon in 2015, facing Serena Williams each time.
   Muguruza, seeded 14th, saved two set points serving at 4-5 in the first set and swept the last nine games. Ranked No. 15, she will return to the top five on Monday. Muguruza climbed to a career-high No. 2 after winning the French Open last year. She is the only player to beat both Williams sisters in a Grand Slam final.
   Venus Williams, seeded 10th, was seeking her first Grand Slam title since Wimbledon in 2008. The seven-time major singles champion was diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, which saps energy and causes joint pain, in 2011.
   Williams, the oldest Wimbledon singles finalist since Martina Navratilova lost to Conchita Martinez of Spain in 1994 at the same age, lost in a major final for the second time this year. She fell in the Australian Open to Serena, who has not played since then because she is pregnant with her first child.

Garbine Muguruza talks to the media during the 2014
Bank of the West Classic at Stanford. Photo by
Paul Bauman

   Martinez, the only previous Spanish woman to win Wimbledon, coached Muguruza during the tournament. Muguruza's regular coach, Sam Sumyk,  stayed home in Los Angeles because his wife, former professional player Meilen Tu of the United States, is expecting their first child.
   Sumyk, a Frenchman, formerly guided Victoria Azarenka to the No. 1 ranking and two Australian Open singles titles.
   Venus Williams, knowing she has few chances left to win majors at her advanced age, likely felt more pressure than Muguruza. Williams also was coming off emotional victories over surprise French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and British hope Johanna Konta.
   Furthermore, Williams was involved in a two-car accident near her home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., last month in which a 79-year-old man later died. She broke down when asked about the crash in her initial post-match news conference at Wimbledon last week. The man's family has sued Williams for wrongful death.
   Both Williams and Muguruza have won Bank of the West titles. Williams captured the singles championship in 2000 and 2002 and was the runner-up in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2016. Muguruza took the doubles crown with countrywoman Carla Suarez Navarro and reached the singles quarterfinals in 2014, her only appearance at Stanford to date.
   Also entered in singles at Stanford this year are Azarenka, former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova and local favorite CiCi Bellis, 18.

Querrey falls to Cilic in Wimbledon semifinals

Marin Cilic, serving at Indian Wells last year, reached his
second Grand Slam final. He won the 2014 U.S. Open.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   The task was too tall for Sam Querrey.
   In more ways than one.
   Coming off three consecutive five-set victories, the 29-year-old San Francisco native faced a Grand Slam champion today in a semifinal matchup of 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) players at Wimbledon.
   Marin Cilic, 28, triumphed 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-5 to reach his second major final. He overpowered Kei Nishikori of Japan for the 2014 U.S. Open title.
   Querrey, the first player to win three straight five-set matches at Wimbledon since Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 10 years ago, must settle for becoming the only active U.S. man to advance to a Grand Slam semifinal and earning $719,451. The champion will pocket $2,877,805.
   "Before I go for major titles, I need to take some baby steps,” Querrey, who now lives in Santa Monica in the Los Angeles area, told reporters. “I do feel I can. I feel that if I play well, my level is at a high enough point where I can beat those top guys.”
   Querrey beat Novak Djokovic in the third round at Wimbledon last year, Rafael Nadal in the Acapulco final in March and Andy Murray in the Wimbledon quarterfinals this year.
   Djokovic, who remains in a slump, had just won the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam, and personal problems may have contributed to his loss to Querrey. Murray hobbled with a sore hip after leading Querrey by a set and a break on Thursday.
   Cilic, the seventh seed and tallest Wimbledon finalist since the Open Era began in 1968, will face Roger Federer, seeded third, on Sunday at 6 a.m. PDT (ESPN). Federer, a father of four who will turn 36 on Aug. 8, beat Tomas Berdych, the Wimbledon runner-up in 2010, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-4.
   Federer, the oldest finalist at the All England Club since 39-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1974, seeks his first Wimbledon singles title since 2012. He shares the record of seven with Pete Sampras (1993-2000) and William Renshaw of Great Britain (1881-89). Federer would be the oldest Wimbledon men's champion in the Open Era.
   The Cilic-Querrey match lasted "only" 2 hours, 56 minutes. Cilic outlasted Querrey 17-15 in the fifth set in 5 1/2 hours in the third round at Wimbledon in 2012. It's the second-longest match by time in Wimbledon history behind John Isner's 11-hour, 5-minute victory over Nicolas Mahut spanning three days in 2010.
   Cilic improved to 5-0 against Querrey (3-0 at Wimbledon) and became the first Croat to reach a Wimbledon singles final since Goran Ivanisevic edged Pat Rafter of Australia 9-7 in the fifth set in 2001.
   Cilic played brilliantly today. He had 25 aces and only one double fault, won 88 percent of the points on his first serve (69 of 78) and 67 percent on his second delivery (28 of 42), ripped 70 winners and committed 21 unforced errors. Cilic converted 4 of 14 break-point opportunities.
   Querrey, seeded 24th, finished with 13 aces and three double faults. He won 48 percent of the points on his second serve (26 of 54) and had only three break-point chances, capitalizing on two.
   Federer leads Cilic 6-1 in their head-to-head series, In their last meeting, Cilic led two sets to none and held three match points before falling in the Wimbledon quarterfinals last year. Cilic dominated Federer 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals of the 2014 U.S. Open.
   Cilic, one of the nicest guys on the tour, served a four-month doping suspension in 2013. He said he inadvertently ingested a stimulant in a glucose tablet bought at a pharmacy.

Venus avenges Stanford loss to Konta

Venus Williams, shown during the Bank of the West Classic
at Stanford last July, today reached her first Wimbledon final
since 2009. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Venus Williams today reached her first Wimbledon final since 2009 and avenged a loss to Johanna Konta in the Bank of the West Classic final at Stanford last July.
    Williams, 37, outslugged Konta
6-4, 6-2 to become the oldest Wimbledon singles finalist since Martina Navratilova lost to Conchita Martinez of Spain in 1994 at the same age.
   The sixth-seeded Konta, 26, was trying to become the first woman from Great Britain to win Wimbledon since Virginia Wade 40 years ago. Konta was born to Hungarian parents in Sydney, Australia, moved to Great Britain at 14 and became a British citizen in May 2012.
   Five of Williams' seven Grand Slam singles titles have come at Wimbledon. Her last major crown came at the All England Club in 2008. She was diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, which saps energy and causes joint pain, in 2011.
   Williams was involved in a two-car accident near her home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., last month in which a 79-year-old man later died. She broke down when asked about the crash in her initial news conference at Wimbledon last week.
   Williams, seeded 10th, will face Garbine Muguruza, seeded 14th, for the title on Saturday at 6 a.m. PDT (ESPN). Muguruza, a 23-year-old Spaniard, dismissed unseeded Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-1, 6-1.
   Muguruza will be playing in her third Grand Slam singles final. She lost to Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2015 and won the French Open last year.
    Venus Williams, 6-foot-1 (1.85 meters), is 3-1 against Muguruza, 6 feet (1.82 meters). This will be their first meeting on grass. Williams won the first three encounters on hardcourts, and Muguruza triumphed 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 on clay in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open in May.
   Muguruza heads the field in this year's Bank of the West Classic, July 31-Aug. 6 at Stanford's Taube Family Tennis Stadium. Also entered are former world No. 1s Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka, but Venus Williams and Konta are not.
   Serena Williams, who has won the last two Wimbledon titles and seven overall, is not playing in this year's tournament because she is pregnant.

Querrey ousts ailing Murray in Wimbledon quarters

Sam Querrey, playing in the 2014 Sacramento Challenger, today
reached his first Grand Slam semifinal. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Sam Querrey achieved the biggest victory of his career today, ousting top seed and defending champion Andy Murray 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-1 at Wimbledon to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal in 42 appearances.
   Murray, who also won Wimbledon in 2013 to end Great Britain's 77-year title drought in men's singles at the All England Club, struggled with a nagging hip injury after leading Querrey by a set and a service break.
   Still, the 24th-seeded Querrey told reporters that his victory is "a really big deal. It's my first (major) semifinal. To beat Andy, to have it be at Wimbledon, was even a little more special. (It was) just an incredible match. I'm just so happy right now.
   "I was a little nervous at first when we got out there," added Querrey, who stunned Novak Djokovic in the third round at Wimbledon last year en route to the quarterfinals. "I had a little bit of a shaky game, my first service game. But then when I broke back in the second set, (I) kind of took a deep breath and settled in a little bit. As the match kept going, I just felt more and more confident, more and more like I belonged (out there).
   The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey pounded 27 aces, and the 6-foot-3 (1.90-meter) Murray had eight. Both players committed two double faults.
   Querrey won 84 percent of the points on his first serve (62 of 74) to Murray's 73 percent (60 of 82). Querrey had 70 winners and 30 unforced errors vs. Murray's 33 and 19, respectively.
   Although Querrey graduated from Thousand Oaks High School in the Los Angeles area and lives in nearby Santa Monica, he has strong Northern California ties.
   Querrey was born in San Francisco and briefly lived in nearby Santa Rosa before moving to Las Vegas and then Thousand Oaks. In his professional debut just after graduating from high school in 2006, he won the $50,000 Yuba City Challenger.
   Querrey reached the semifinals in the now-defunct SAP Open in San Jose in 2010 and the final edition in 2013, and won the doubles title there in 2010 with Mardy Fish.
   Querrey also played part-time for the now-defunct Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis in 2012 and 2013, and swept the three-week NorCal Challenger swing through Napa, Sacramento and Tiburon in 2014.
   Another San Francisco native, 18-year-old CiCi Bellis, lost today in the women's doubles quarterfinals, and Sacramento native Sam Riffice was eliminated in boys singles and doubles.

Andy Murray, playing at Indian Wells in 2015, struggled with a nagging hip
injury after leading Sam Querrey two sets to one today. Photo by Paul Bauman

   In Friday's men's singles semifinals, Querrey will face another 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) player, No. 7 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia, and No. 3 Roger Federer will meet No. 11 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic.
  Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion, ended the run of Gilles Muller, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-5, 5-7, 6-1. Muller, a 34-year-old left-hander from Luxembourg, had ousted Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.
   Federer, who won the last of his seven Wimbledon singles titles in 2012, eliminated No. 6 seed Milos Raonic, last year's runner-up.
   Berdych led Djokovic, a three-time Wimbledon champion, 7-6 (2), 2-0 when the 30-year-old Serb retired with a right shoulder injury.
   Querrey became the first player since Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 10 years ago to win three consecutive five-set matches at Wimbledon. And he could make it four straight.
   Cilic, 28, is 4-0 against Querrey, 29, but each match (three on grass and one on a hardcourt) has been close. They have met twice at Wimbledon, and both encounters were marathons. Cilic prevailed 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-7 (3), 17-15 in 5 1/2 hours in the third round in 2012 and 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4 in the second round in 2009.
   The 2012 clash between Cilic and Querrey is the second-longest by time in Wimbledon history, trailing John Isner's victory over Nicolas Mahut, 70-68 in the fifth set, in 2010. That epic lasted 11 hours, 5 minutes over three days.
   Bellis and 18-year-old Czech Marketa Vondrousova lost to No. 9 seeds Hao-Ching Chan of Taiwan and Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-3, 6-4.
   Riffice fell to Constantin Bittoun Kouzmine of France 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5) in the second round and teamed with Duarte Vale of Portugal in a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Americans Vasil Kirkov and Danny Thomas in the first round.
   Both Bellis and Riffice are now based at the new USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.

Konta, Venus to meet in rematch of Stanford final

Johanna Konta, playing in last year's U.S. Open, became the first
British woman to reach the Wimbledon semifinals since Virginia
Wade in 1978. Photo by Paul Bauman

   The Wimbledon semifinal between Johanna Konta and Venus Williams on Thursday will have a familiar feel for Northern California fans.
   Konta defeated Williams in three sets in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford last July for her first WTA tour title.
   The sixth-seeded Konta, from Great Britain, edged the second-seeded Simona Halep, from Romania, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-4 today to become the first British woman to reach the Wimbledon semis since Virginia Wade in 1978.
   Halep's loss ensures that Karolina Pliskova, a Czech who lost in the second round at Wimbledon, will replace Angelique Kerber at No. 1 when the new world rankings are released on Monday. Pliskova narrowly lost to Kerber in the 2015 Bank of the West final. Halep would have ascended to No. 1 with a victory.
   The 10th-seeded Williams eliminated 13th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko, a 20-year-old Latvian, 6-3, 7-5 in the previous match on Center Court.
   Williams, who has won five of her seven Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon, is the second-oldest woman to reach the semifinals there at 37 years, 29 days. Martina Navratilova was 37 years, 258 days old when she advanced to the 1994 final.
   Ostapenko shocked Halep to win the French Open last month for her first tour-level title.
   Williams was involved in a car accident near her home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., last month in which a 79-year-old man later died. She broke down while trying to discuss the tragedy during a post-match news conference last week.

Venus Williams, practicing at the BNP Paribas
Open in Indian Wells in March, is the second-
oldest woman to reach the Wimbledon semis.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Neither Konta nor Williams is scheduled to play in this year's Bank of the West Classic, July 31-Aug. 6 at Stanford's Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
   In the other Wimbledon semifinal, 14th-seeded Garbine Muguruza of Spain will face unseeded Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia.
   Muguruza, the 2015 Wimbledon runner-up to Serena Williams, dismissed seventh-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 6-3, 6-4.
   Rybarikova, who had never advanced to the second week of a Grand Slam tournament, outclassed 24th-seeded CoCo Vandeweghe, the runner-up to Serena Williams in the 2012 Bank of the West Classic, 6-3, 6-3.
   Rybarikova, 28, underwent wrist and knee surgery last year and fell to No. 453 earlier this year. She is now No. 87.
   Konta, 26, is 3-2 against Williams, 37. If the seventh-ranked Konta wins their first meeting on grass, she will become the fourth British woman to crack the top five.
   Konta was born to Hungarian parents in Sydney, Australia, moved to Great Britain at 14 and became a British citizen in May 2012.
   In boys singles at Wimbledon, Constantin Bittoun Kouzmine of France leads Northern California product Sam Riffice 7-6 (8), 3-2 in a second-round match that was suspended by rain.
   Riffice, 18, was born in Sacramento and lived in nearby Roseville until age 15, when he moved to Florida to train full-time with the USTA. Ranked ninth nationally in the 18s, Riffice has given a verbal commitment to the University of Florida for the fall of 2018.