Latest news with #women'ssingles
ABC News
08-07-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Aryna Sabalenka sets up Wimbledon semifinal date with Amanda Anisimova after surviving huge scare
Aryna Sabalenka will meet Amanda Anisimova for a place in the women's singles final at Wimbledon, which was expected when day nine dawned at the Championships. What was not anticipated was just how hard it would be for both players to reach the last four. World number one and title favourite Sabalenka looked on the cusp of going out against 37-year-old 104-ranked Laura Siegemund when she was 4-3 and a break down in the third set, having also lost the first. Anisimova, meanwhile, almost threw away what had appeared an unassailable lead against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, being forced to save five set points having led 6-1, 5-2 before taking her fourth match point. She finally won 6-1, 7-6 (11-9). Sabalenka subsequently reflected that she would probably have lost had she not put herself through a tough self-appraisal after losing the French Open final to Coco Gauff. In that match, she made 70 unforced errors, losing after winning the first set, and realised she needed to control her emotions better on court. It did not look as if she had absorbed the lesson during the first set, with her body language portraying her frustration as she struggled to deal with Siegemund's unusual mix of slices and chops. "I think there's a big possibility that I would have lost this match if I didn't learn that lesson at the French Open," Sabalenka said after winning 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in 6 minutes short of 3 hours. "In some moments I just … kept reminding myself, 'Come on, it's the quarterfinal of Wimbledon, you cannot give up, you cannot let the emotions just take over you and lose another match'. "I was just reminding myself that it's my dream, why would I give up so easily, so I have to keep fighting … I kept telling myself that, and I was willing to win points, to push myself and to get those tough points." Anisimova also struggled to control her emotions as 50th-ranked Pavlyuchenkova launched her comeback. The 34-year-old won three games on the trot, saving two match points in the process, including hitting a gutsy drop shot winner that completely caught the 13th seed by surprise. Anisimova looked like she was on the verge of breaking down, mouthing to her support group "one more point" as the Russian kept earning set points in the tiebreak. The 23-year-old American failed to qualify for Wimbledon last year but reached the quarterfinal in 2022 and the French Open semifinal, as a 17-year-old, in 2019. In 2023 she took a break from the tour, saying she had been "struggling with my mental health and burnout". "It's been an extraordinary year for me," she said. "So many highs. It's just been such a ride, and I've been enjoying every step of the way. "Even times like today, when you're not sure you're going to cross the finish line, I keep reminding myself to enjoy the moment." The pair met at Roland-Garros, Sabalenka winning 7-5, 6-3, but she said of facing Anisimova on grass: "I definitely think this surface suits her game really well. That's why she's playing so well so far." The remaining women's quarterfinals will feature seventh seed Mirra Andreeva vs Belinda Bencic and eighth seed Świątek vs 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova. AAP
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why is Wimbledon blaming human error for a mistake by its new electronic line-calling system?
Sonay Kartal of Britain returns to Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova during a fourth round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova returns to Sonay Kartal of Britain during a fourth round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Umpire Nico Helwerth checks on a line call as Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova plays Sonay Kartal of Britain during a fourth round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Umpire Nico Helwerth checks on a line call as Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova plays Sonay Kartal of Britain during a fourth round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Sonay Kartal of Britain returns to Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova during a fourth round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova returns to Sonay Kartal of Britain during a fourth round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Umpire Nico Helwerth checks on a line call as Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova plays Sonay Kartal of Britain during a fourth round women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) LONDON (AP) — The All England Club, somewhat ironically, is blaming 'human error' for a glaring mistake by the electronic system that replaced human line judges this year at Wimbledon. The CEO of the club, Sally Bolton, said Monday that the ball-tracking technology was "inadvertently deactivated" by someone for three points at Centre Court during Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova's three-set victory over Sonay Kartal a day earlier in the fourth round. On one point, a shot by Kartal clearly landed past the baseline but wasn't called out by the automated setup — called Hawk-Eye — because it had been shut off. Advertisement Bolton declined to say who made the mistake or how, exactly, it occurred or whether that person would face any consequences or be re-trained. She did note that there were other people at fault: the chair umpire, Nico Helwerth, and two who should have let him know the system was temporarily down — the review official and the Hawk-Eye official. 'We didn't need to put line judges back on the court again,' Bolton said. 'We needed the system to be active.' Is Wimbledon using AI for line calls this year? Not really. But like most big tennis tournaments nowadays — the French Open is one notable exception — Wimbledon has replaced its line judges with cameras that are supposed to follow the balls on every shot to determine whether they land in or out. Advertisement There are those, particularly in the British media, who keep referring to this as part of the ever-increasing creep of AI into day-to-day life, but Bolton objected to the use of that term in this case. 'The point I would want to emphasize — and perhaps contrary to some of the reporting we've seen — is it's not an artificial intelligence system. And it is electronic in the sense that the camera-tracking technology is set up to call the lines automatically, but it requires a human element to ensure that the system is functional,' Bolton said. 'So it is not AI. There are some humans involved. And in this instance, it was a human error.' What happened on the missed call at Wimbledon? Russia's Pavlyuchenkova was one point from winning a game for a 5-4 lead in the first set against Britain's Kartal on Sunday when a shot by Kartal landed long. But there was no ruling from Hawk-Eye. Advertisement After a delay, Helwerth decided the point should be replayed, which Pavlyuchenkova thought showed bias toward an opponent competing in her home country. With Hawk-Eye back up and running after a delay, Kartal won that game, but Pavlyuchenkova took that set and the match. The All England Club looked into what happened and found that the line-calling system actually was off for three points before anyone noticed. The system itself worked 'optimally,' Bolton said repeatedly. 'In this instance, sadly,' she said, 'it was the human part of the operation that made a mistake.' Why was the Hawk-Eye system accidentally turned off during a match? Advertisement Bolton said the system is shut down between matches — 'and the humans are the people that need to do the activating and deactivating" — and someone accidentally did so during Pavlyuchenkova vs. Kartal. Asked why, Bolton responded: 'Well, I don't know. It was a mistake, obviously. ... I wasn't sat there, so I don't know what happened." She said Helwerth could have made a ruling himself on the controversial non-call, the way he did on the prior pair of points, but instead just decided to pause the match. 'I'm assuming,' Bolton said, 'he felt he had not seen it properly.' Pavlyuchenkova said after the match the official told her he thought the ball was out. Advertisement What do players think about the use of technology at Wimbledon? Players are divided on whether there even should be electronic rulings during matches — unless it is fool-proof — or whether there should be a return to Wimbledon's old way of doing things. Since 2007 through last year, there was a combination of the human touch and technology: There were line judges on court to make calls, but players were allowed to challenge and ask for a video reply of a point if they thought there was a mistake. 'It's such a big match, big event,' Pavlyuchenkova said. 'Since we have already automatic line-calling and so much invested into this, we should probably look into something else to have better decisions.' Advertisement ___ Associated Press writer Mattias Karén contributed to this report. ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: More AP tennis:
BreakingNews.ie
05-07-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Wimbledon set for another new women's winner after Barbora Krejcikova exit
A new name will be on the Wimbledon women's title for the eighth successive tournament after defending champion Barbora Krejcikova and 2022 winner Elena Rybakina were knocked out in the third round. Krejcikova had her blood pressure taken on court during a medical timeout in the deciding set of her 2-6 6-3 6-4 loss to 10th seed Emma Navarro. Advertisement The 29-year-old Czech player appeared visibly distressed for the remainder of the match. No.1 Court rises for our 2024 Ladies' Singles Champion We look forward to seeing you next year, Barbora 💚 #Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2025 She was frequently bent over with her hands on her knees before being in tears at the back of the court ahead of the final two games. Not since Serena Williams lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish for the seventh and final time in 2016 has a female former champion triumphed in SW19. In contrast, there have only been five different winners of the men's competition – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz – during the past 22 years. Advertisement Rybakina earlier suffered a rain-delayed 7-6 (6) 6-3 upset against 22-year-old Dane Clara Tauson. Elena Rybakina was beaten by Clara Tauson (Ben Whitley/PA) The 11th seed made 31 unenforced errors across the contest, including sending a straightforward forehand long on match point. Tauson's reward for one of the biggest wins of her career is a last-16 meeting with five-time grand slam champion Iga Swiatek, who beat Danielle Collins in straight sets. Teenage seventh seed Mirra Andreeva awaits Navarro after she rushed into round four with a straight-sets win over American world number 55 Hailey Baptiste. Advertisement With inclement conditions temporarily halting play on the outer courts, the 18-year-old Russian cruised to a 6-1 6-3 victory under the Court One roof. Classy. Composed. Clara. 🤩 Clara Tauson defeats 2022 Ladies' Singles Champion Elena Rybakina 7-6(6), 6-3 to move into the fourth round ⚡️ #Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2025 Aside from world number one Aryna Sabalenka, who overcame Britain's Emma Raducanu on Friday evening, Andreeva is the highest seeded player remaining in the women's draw following a series of upsets across week one. Liudmila Samsonova joins compatriot Andreeva in the second week after hitting a monster serve of 128 miles per hour in her 6-2 6-3 victory over Daria Kasatkina. Samsonova's effort was just short of the Wimbledon women's record of 129mph – set by Venus Williams in 2008. Advertisement Kasatkina, who switched allegiance from Russia to Australia earlier this year after publicly criticising her country's LGBTQ+ laws and the war in Ukraine, trailed 6-2 2-0 when play was temporarily halted by rain and could not mount a comeback.
