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News just in about the British players who will be competing in the Olympics.

 

Great Britain will have eight players at the Olympic tennis tournament after wildcards were given to the nation's top four women.

Anne Keothavong and Elena Baltacha will play in the singles, while Laura Robson and Heather Watson team up for doubles.

Andy Murray was the only man to qualify for singles, and will play in the doubles with his brother Jamie, along with Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins.

The mixed doubles selections will be made at the start of the tournament.

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Great Britain's Heather Watson has been handed a place in the women's singles in the Olympic tennis tournament.

Alona Bondarenko, of Ukraine, has withdrawn through injury meaning 20-year-old Watson will take her place in the singles alongside fellow Britons Anne Keothavong and Elena Baltacha.

Watson, who reached the third round at Wimbledon, is also competing in the women's doubles with Laura Robson.

Robson is next on the standby list if any other players drop out.

Wimbledon will host the Olympic tennis tournament, three weeks after the end of the annual Championships at the All England Club.

In the men's tournament defending champion Rafael Nadal has had to pull out because of injury, while defending women's champion Elena Dementieva has retired since Beijing.

El Loro

Andy Murray has been handed a tough draw as he bids to win Olympic singles gold at London 2012.

The Scot plays Stanislas Wawrinka, a gold medallist in the doubles in Beijing 2008, in round one.

Murray could then face Richard Gasquet, Tomas Berdych and Novak Djokovic before a possible final against Roger Federer.

 

Heather Watson faces Silvia Soler Espinosa, Anne Keothavong takes on Caroline Wozniacki and Elena Baltacha plays Agnes Szavay.

 

Britain also have four pairs in the doubles event.

Murray and his brother Jamie team up against Austria's Jurgen Melzer and Alexander Peya, while Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins face Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet of France.

Two German pairs await the GB women as Keothavong and Baltacha meet Julia Goerges and Anna-Lena Groenefeld, and Watson and Laura Robson take on Angelique Kerber and Sabine Lisicki.

 

But it is Andy Murray's singles draw that drew most attention.

The 25-year-old has won six of his 10 encounters with Switzerland's Wawrinka, including a five-set epic under the Centre Court roof in their only previous match on grass in 2009.

Wawrinka won doubles gold with Federer in Beijing four years ago and will be a dangerous opponent.

Should he negotiate his opener, Murray will play Somdev Devvarman or Jarkko Nieminen in the second round and could face Frenchman Gasquet in round three.

Murray and Gasquet have twice met in the last 16 at Wimbledon, Murray winning on both occasions including a memorable five-setter in 2008.

A quarter-final against Berdych would be another stern test, the big-hitting Czech having reached the 2010 Wimbledon final and beaten Murray on four of their six meetings in the past.

Second seed Djokovic won bronze in Beijing and leads the head-to-head with Murray 8-5, while world number one Federer has beaten the British number one in three Grand Slam finals, most recently at this year's Wimbledon Championships.

Top seed Federer opens against Columbia's Alejandro Falla and Djokovic plays Fabio Fognini of Italy.

 

British number two Keothavong has the hardest draw of Team GB's female trio in singles action, with Wozniacki of Denmark a former world number one.

Watson will see Spain's Soler Espinosa, a clay-court specialist, as a beatable opponent, as will Baltacha against Szavay of Hungary.

El Loro

Elena Baltacha won her first round match 6-3, 6-3.

 

Heather Watson's first round match is scheduled for tomorrow at 1.30 pm.

 

I was not aware of this but due to a late withdrawal Laura Robson now has a place in the women's singles. She meets Lucie Safarova tomorrow also at 1.30 pm.

 

Roger Federer is through to the second round winning 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

 

Tomorrow's matches include:

Djokovic v Fognini scheduled 12.00 noon

Murray v Wawrinka 2.00 pm

 

El Loro

The weather severely curtailed play yesterday.

Djokovic won his match 6-7, 6-2, 6-2.

Murray won 6-3, 6-3.

 

Today, in the Men's singles Federer meets Benneteau.

 

Heather Watson's and Laura Robson's first round matches were postponed to today,

Elena Baltacha's second round match against Ana Ivanovic is also played today.

 

The weather forecast for Wimbledon today looks considerably better than yesterday so hopefully all scheduled matches will be played.

El Loro

Laura Robson beat Lucie Safarova 7-6, 6-4 in their first round match.

 

Heather watson beat Silvia Soler Espinosa 6-2, 6-2 in their first round match.

 

So that's 3 of the British women through to the second round.

 

Laura Robson's opponent in the second round is Maria Sharapova, so a far tougher match tomorrow for her. The only time they've met before was in last year's Wimbledon when Laura lost.

 

Heather Watson's opponent is Maria Kirilenko, so a harder match for her. They haven't played each other before.

El Loro

Elena Baltacha lost her second round match against Ana Ivanovic 4-6, 6-7.

 

This may be her last match as a professional as a couple of days ago she announced that she needed surgery on at least one of her ankles which could take her out of competition for some 6 months.

 

In the men's singles Roger Federer had little trouble beating Julien Benneteau 6-2, 6-2.

El Loro

Laura Robson lost 6-7, 3-6 and Heather Watson lost 3-6, 2-6.

 

In the longest ever Olympic tennis match Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Canadian Milos Raonic 6-3 3-6 25-23.

 

Key matches today:

Federer v Istomin 12.00 noon scheduled start

Murray v Baghdatis 4.00 pm

Djokovic v Hewitt 2.00 pm

 

Azarenka v Petrova 2.00 pm

Sharapova v Lisicki 4.00 pm

Serena Williams v Zvonareva 12.00 noon

 

El Loro

Federer beat Istomin 7-5, 6-3.

Djokovic beat Hewitt 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. He meets Tsonga in the quarter finals.

Murray has just beaten Baghdatis 4-6,6-1, 6-4. He meets Almagro in the quarter finals.

 

Azarenka beat Petrova 7-6, 6-4. She meets Angelique Kerber (who beat Venus Williams) in the quarter finals.

Serena Williams crushed Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-0.

Sharapova beat Lisicki 6-7, 6-4, 6-3.

 

El Loro
Last edited by El Loro

Today is Quarter Finals day.

Murray (3) v Almagro 12.00 noon scheduled start

Tsonga (5) v Djokovic (2) 2.00 pm

Federer (1) v Isner (10) 4.00 pm

Nishikori (15) v Del Potro (8) 4.00 pm

 

Azarenka (1) v Kerber (7) 12.00 noon

Kvitova (6) v Kirilenko (14) 1.30 pm

Serena Williams (4) v Wozniacki (8) 2.00 pm

Clijsters v Sharapova (3) 6.00 pm

 

The start times are those shown on the Olympics website.

 

There are no British players left in the Men's or Women's Doubles. The Mixed Doubles started a few days ago but have been hit by the weather. Andy Murray and Laura Robson's first round match has been rescheduled but the day and time is not yet scheduled.

 

El Loro

Semi finals today:

Mens are Federer v Del Potro

and Murray v Djokovic scheduled to start at 4.00 pm.

 

The Federer v Del Potro match is underway and each of them has won a set. Early days in the final set.

 

Womens are Azarenka v Serena Williams

and Sharapova v Kirilenko both scheduled to start at 2.00 pm.

 

In both the Mens and Womens singles competition, the losers of the two semis will play each other for the bronze.

 

In the Mixed Doubles, Laura Robson and Andy Murray won yesterday and play Stosur and Hewitt today at 6.00 pm.

That timing seems ridiculous for Murray.

El Loro

Yesterday Federer beat Del Potro 3-6, 7-6, 19-17

and Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic 7-5, 7-5.

The match for the bronze will presumably start at noon tomorrow with the final after that.

No rest day for Murray though as the Mixed Doubles match with Laura Robson was postponed from yesterday and is currently underway. If they were to win that then the semi finals are also today.

 

The Womens singles bronze match between Azarenka and Kirilenko was scheduled to start at noon today but has been delayed.

The final between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will follow. The way Serena Williams has been playing in the last week must mean she is favourite to get gold.

 

El Loro

Serena Williams (Gold) beat Maria Sharapova (Silver) 6-0, 6-1.

Victoria Azarenka (Bronze) beat Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-4.

 

In the Men's Singles, the match for Bronze between Novak Djokvic and Juan Martin Del Potro is scheduled to start at noon.

The final between Andy Murray and Roger Federer is scheduled to start at 2 pm.

This will be over a possible 5 sets rather than the 3 sets for the previous games.

 

The Mixed Doubles final between Andy Murray and Laura Robson against the number 1 seeds Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi is scheduled to start at 4 pm, but in reality will start later.

 

El Loro

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