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News -- July 2006
Matildas through to world cup (July 27)
The Qantas-backed Matildas national soccer/football team has emulated the efforts of the socceroos by making it through to the 2007 FIFA World Cup, after winning the Women’s Asian Cup against Japan today.
The 2-0 score happened at the Hindmarsh stadium in Adelaide, ensuring the team is one of the two Asia region representative teams for next year’s main event in China.
Today’s win also puts the team in the final of the current Asian match, and they will face either Korea or China, who play tonight.
Pic: Football Australia – click to visit the site.
Funding a worry for Oceania netball (July 27)
From the Fiji Times: on the development of the game and its future in the region headed the agenda at the Oceania Netball Federation meeting at the FMF Dome yesterday.
ONF secretary Robin Manihera said funding remained the biggest worry for its members.
She said some countries have gone to the extreme of fundraising to bring teams to the qualifying tournament
"Funding is a big issue in all the countries because even though netball is a top women's sport they have to compete with other sporting bodies and no matter what country it's the same for all of them," Manihera said.
Fiji Times home; Story
Australia Rebounds (July 25)
After a comprehensive loss in the first test on the weekend, Australia levelled the netball test series last night in the final game at the Acer Arena in Sydney with a 48-38 victory over New Zealand.
The turn-around came fromin rebounds (reclaiming control of the ball after an unsuccessful shot for goal), accuracy (ratio of successful to unsuccessful shots for goal) and control of the ball through the court.
Australian shooter Susan Pratley Susan Pratley earned the player-of-the-match award with energetic court play and contributing 19 goals before she went to the bench after the third quarter. According to Australian Coach, Norma Plummer on an ABC TV interview after the match Pratley asked to come off the court, as she was “stuffed”.
Australian co-captain Liz Ellis was thrilled with the win. "I'm so happy with this team. We were flogged on Saturday night, we went 12 goals down [and] I guess a lot of people had written us off. But we talked a lot in the last few days about playing netball the Australian way and I think we returned to that tonight and it was good to see."
Solid players for NZ on Saturday night, were goal keeper Davu and shooter van Dyk -- the latter recorded 15 goals from 19 attempts.
By Chris Callanan
See full report from the ABC Netball site
Canoe polo champs soon (July 25)
 Australia’s canoe polo teams are counting down to the 2006 World Championships beginning 9 August to be hosted by reigning champions, Amsterdam, on the famous de Bobsaan rowing track.
Ahead of the championships, Australia will be playing warm up matches throughout Europe as well as training camps at canoe clubs in Germany, France and Belgium.
This fast paced sport, played in teams of five, is reminiscent of basketball, water polo and kayaking. Netball is seen as a popular cross-training sport.
The 2006 Women’s Australian Canoe Polo Team is:
Cassandra Caldwell (NSW) Captain, Sarah Cartwright (NSW), Kate Graham (NSW), Amy Gluyas (WA), Louise McIntosh (SA), Stephanie Sullivan (SA), Ailsa Enting-Hawke (SA) and Coach, Kate Abbey (VIC).
By Amber Hammill
Pic from Canoe.org.au; Also see this international site
Australians bow to Silver Ferns (July 24)
 New Zealand has continued its recent dominance over Australia winning the first match of the Holden Test Series in Brisbane on Saturday night 52-40.
Despite the return from injury of Liz Ellis and Mo’onia Gerrard, Australia was outclassed in a very physical match by the sharp shooting of Maria Tutaia and Irene van Dyk.
Trailing 31-17 at half time, Australia fought valiantly to peg the visitors back to within seven points at the start of the final quarter, before New Zealand again flexed their muscle to shut down the Australian midcourt flow.
Australian co-captain Liz Ellis was disappointed with the result but pleased with Australia’s second half comeback. “We probably let it blow out a bit too much in the second quarter but to our credit we came back well in the second half,” she said after the match.
Australia has a chance to even the series in Sydney on Tuesday night.
By Merrin Hughes
Report from Netball Australia; More stories on our netball page
Oz netballers avenge 2005 defeat (July 21)
Australia’s 21 and under team has avenged last year’s semi-final defeat at the World Youth Championships by defeating New Zealand’s under-21s in the first of a two-test series in Brisbane.
The Australians gave coach Lisa Alexander a perfect start with a 48-36 win over their great rivals in front of a strong crowd at the Insports Cornubia centre in Brisbane’s south.
Source & full story: Netball Australia
Softball team scores fourth (July 20)
 The Australian Open Women's softball team has gone down to Canada 2-0, in their fourth consecutive loss, at the US World Cup finishing in fourth place.
Australia had five hits but was unable to convert, with Canada having six hits converting two runs in the bottom of the third inning.
In the searing heat and high humidity, the Australian team displayed courage and commitment throughout the tournament, having coming off a hard slog of nine days at the Canada Cup which they finished in first place.
At the end of a long campaign the team is satisfied with their overall performance and is looking forward to the International Softball Federation's Women's World Championship, a pre-Olympic qualifying event, held in Beijing in August.
Source: Softball Australia
Jamieson’s run succeeds (July 19)
Victorian middle-distance runner Sarah Jamieson has won the Women's 1500 metres at the 25th Meeting de Atletismo in Madrid.
Running a solid time of 4:05.23, Jamieson beat Ukrainian Iryna Lishchynska in a close race. Lishchynska is currently ranked third in the world over 1500 metres, so this was an impressive win for Sarah who is currently ranked seventh.
Australia's strong international pole vault form continued with Commonwealth Champion Kym Howe and silver medallist Tatiana Grigorieva capping off an exciting meet when they both jumped 4.51 metres to finish first and second respectively in the Women's Pole Vault.
In other results, Clinton Hill ran a respectable 45.70 to finish seventh overall in the Men's 400 metres. Youcef Abdi finished third in his 1500 metre race with a time of 3:41.45, narrowly missing a place in the top ten.
On Wednesday, four Australian athletes will take to the track in Liege, Belgium including former World Cross Country Champion Benita Johnson in the 5000m. Joinng her in the race will be Eloise Wellings, who has been in career best form, whilst Craig Mottram will run the 3000m and Nick Bromley the 800m.
Source: Athletics Australia
Camplin retires (July 18)
 Two- time Olympic medalist Alisa Camplin has retired from aerial skiing after winning a surprise bronze medal earlier this year at the Turin Winter Olympics.
Camplin, 31, made an amazing comeback to win the bronze just weeks after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament. She also won Australia’s first Winter Olympic skiing title in the Salt Lake Games in 2002.
The skiing star said she had spent a lot of time considering her future after Turin.
“It was a shock once the Olympics were over. It was like, 'Hell, what am I going to do now?” Camplin told the Daily Telegraph.
Camplin says she has achieved all she has set out to do in aerial skiing and the time has come for a different chapter in her life.
She has been dating American moguls skier Travis Mayer for two years.
“I’ve achieved so much and it is a risky sport that requires so much dedication and sacrifice."
Camplin has been congratulated in a statement made by Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates.
“On the occasion of your retirement I'd like once more to thank you for your outstanding contribution to the Olympic Movement in this country, both on and off the slopes,” he said.
"We are very proud of you and all you have achieved."
Jessica Craven
More at the AOC web (pictured)
Australia beats Switzerland in Fed Cup (July 17)
 From Tennis Australia: Australia has returned to the elite Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group II following a 5-0 whitewash over Switzerland during this weekend’s play-off, held at Chavannes-de-Bogis.
A comprehensive win by national No.1 Samantha Stosur sealed the victory for Australia. Stosur defeated 17-year-old Swiss Timea Bacsinszky 6-4 6-2 to give Australia an unsurmountable 3-0 lead.
This year Stosur has amassed an impressive 7-0 win-loss record in Fed Cup singles and doubles, each win coming without the loss of a set.
"I thought I played pretty well," said Stosur. "There were some times there when she started to get back and I really had to put my foot down and get back to the way that I was playing at the start. I tried to keep my concentration towards the end and serve it out.”
Full Tennis Australia report
Plus...
Elena Dementieva did her part, and took Russia all the way back to the World Group for 2007 with two singles victories, leading the visitors to a 3-2 World Group Play-off tie victory against Croatia.
On Sunday, Dementieva took only 67 minutes to beat Croatian No. 1 Karolina Sprem 61 63 to give Russia an unassailable 3-0 lead. The two dead rubbers brought some respectability to the scoreline. Sanja Ancic defeated Vera Dushevina 76 62 in the first of the dead rubbers, and then Ivana Lisjak and Matea Mezak defeated Anna Chakvetadze and Elena Vesnina 36 76(3) 62 to make the final scoreline 3-2 to Russia.
Plus…
Belgium turned in a 4-1 victory over the United States in this Fed Cup by BNP Paribas semifinal and will host Italy in the Final, to be held 16-17 September.
Kim Clijsters sealed the victory by defeating 17-year-old Vania King 60 61 to put Belgium 3-0 up, then Kirsten Flipkens added another point when Mashona Washington was forced to retire in the second set of the dead fourth rubber with a sprained right knee ligament with the score 26 31 ret. The USA gained its only point when Jill Craybas and King defeated Leslie Butkiewicz and Caroline Maes 61 62.
Source: Fed Cup website
Wie loses to heat (July 17)
 Golfer Michelle Wie’s ongoing battle to qualify for the men’s championship in the US suffered a setback over the weekend when she succumbed to heat and cramps. Some pundits are saying the 16-year-old is pushing herself too hard too early in her career. See this report from The Independent. (Pic: Click to see Wie's website)
Independent sport home; Full story
Plus…
While Wie battles for form, the Times Online fondly remembers one of her fore-runners, Babe Zaharias.
It reports: “Zaharias — born Mildred Didrikson to Norwegian parents in Texas in 1914 — showed incredible skill as an all-round athlete from an early age. She played up to 20 sports, mastering basketball, baseball, tennis and diving.”
Times Online home; Full story
Barriers still too high – SMH (July 17)
The barriers that stop women from taking up sport are as high as ever, according to a recent report in the Sydney Morning Herald…
SMH home; Full story
Bump & training grind not impossible -- The Scotsman (July 17)
Meanwhile The Scotsman has published an interesting report on high-profile sportswomen and how they have coped with pregnancy..
Scotsman home; Full story
Over 60 submissions to sport inquiry (July 13)
The Senate inquiry into women in sport and recreation in Australia has published 61 submissions from a variety of people and organisations, including sporting bodies, academics, government departments and media. All are available online.
See this link
Netball flourishes in the Caymans (July 12)
 Just to show that netball is developing true international appeal, the Cayman Net News website tells us: “In excess of 500 people play netball in the Cayman Islands, making it the number one women's sport. In the schools, netball also ranks number one amongst female sports in terms of playing numbers. National Tournaments and National Leagues feature regularly on Cayman Islands' annual Netball programme.
In excess of 500 people play netball in the Cayman Islands, making it the number one women's sport. In the schools, netball also ranks number one amongst female sports in terms of playing numbers. National Tournaments and National Leagues feature regularly on Cayman Islands' annual Netball programme.”
Full story
ETSA to host regional netball champs (July 11)
SA netball’s regional championships, sponsored by the Be Active campaign, will descend on ETSA Park this week and chances are the next generation of the game’s stars will be quickly identified.
The championships will be played on July 12 and 13.
Some of the big names to emerge from past championships include Medibank Adelaide Thunderbirds goalie Natalie Medhurst and current McDonald’s Hunter Jaegers captain and Australian player Jane Altschwager. The most recent talent to emerge from the event is Emily Beaton, who is currently playing with the AIS in Canberra.
Netball SA coach and Junior Development Manager Jodie Freund says the championships have quickly established themselves as the premier event for young regional talent. Jodie says this is the sixth championship she has organised and the strength of country netball is seen today with six of the eight regions running their own development academies. She says each region will send teams for 17 and Under, 15 and Under and 13 and Under with up to 12 players in each team.
“Eyre, Lower North, Mt Lofty, Murray, South East, Southern, Northern and Spencer all have academies now and we are hopeful Northern and Spencer will also have theirs up and running by next year,” Jodie says.
“Those regions with an academy select players from their squads so they have been in training since March this year, which will ensure a very high quality of competition,” she says.
Source: Netball SA
Happy Gilmore wins South Africa surf round (July 10)
 Australian Eighteen-year-old Stephanie Gilmore became the new Mr Price Pro Champion after defeating traveling buddy Jessi Miley-Dyer (Aus), to take her second five-star World Qualifying Series title of the year, before a sea of spectators at Durban’s North Beach, on Saturday.
A standout throughout the ten-day competition, Gilmore is the youngest competitor ever to win a Mr Price Pro title, and has sent her to number one on the ASP WQS ratings.
Locking-on to the only set wave that pulsed through Durban’s North beach in an otherwise desperately flat final, Gilmore got to work on the crumbling wall with a series of punchy, trademark snaps to earn a 6.67 out of a possible ten points, which she backed up a with a 5.50 (out of ten) to take the win over Miley-Dyer.
Drenched in Champaign, sporting her enormous wooden trophy, Gilmore said, “This is my second WQS victory this year and you can’t ask for much better. The wave has been pretty fun all week. You can’t expect to get really good waves at QS’s so this has been decent really. I always feel really comfortable surfing right handers and I just couldn’t be happier right now!
“Funnily enough I didn’t come up against any South Africans in the competition and it’s probably a good thing because they were surfing really well. Rosy Hodge was the overall standout of the event and I’m stoked I didn’t have to surf against her.”
Gilmore’s victory earned her 2000 points, which has sent her from fourth to first on the WQS; a prize complemented by a R28,000 (US$4000) winners cheque.
 Plus…
Surfing well from the very first round and winning every single one of the six heats she contested on her way to yesterday’s final, Schuyler McFerran has won the inaugural Roxy ASP Women’s World Longboard Championship.
Overcoming fellow Cali-girl Jennifer Smith in the final at Cote de Basque in Biarritz, in three foot (one meter waves), McFerran has cemented her spot in the history books by becoming the first-ever ASP Women's World Longboarding Champion.
Source: ASP website
Mitchell second at Golden League (July 10)
Victoria Mitchell has placed second in the 3000m steeplechase last weekend at the Gaz de France Golden League meeting, six points behind leader Jeruto Kiptum from Kenya.
Fellow Australia Tatiana Grigorieva finshed fifth in the pole vault, clearing 4.51m.
The 100m sprint ended in victory for American Marion Jones, who is back into the competition after several months of turmoil. Jones performed a time of 10.93 ahead of Sherone Simpson (Jamaica) and her compatriot Torri Edwards.
Golden League website
Mauresmo takes Wimbledon (July 9)
 From Wimbledon.org: In a match where she might so easily have crumbled, top seed Amelie Mauresmo magnificently captured her second Grand Slam title of the year on Centre Court. Having surrendered the first set and seen a hard-earned break of serve in the second wiped out, Mauresmo found the strength to overcome Justine Henin-Hardenne 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to take her first Wimbledon title. She is the first Frenchwoman to accomplish the feat since the great Suzanne Lenglen in 1925.
Full story from Wimbledon
Singles Final Preview (July 8)
From Wimbledon.org: Discounting the absence of a glamour ingredient, the ladies' singles final at the 2006 Championships is about as perfect as it could get, with world number one Amelie Mauresmo, winner of the Australian Open in January, facing the third seed and winner of last month's French Open, Justine Henin-Hardenne, for the world's premier title. Two talented, hard-working ladies who take a positive attitude about their profession and who should make this a memorable occasion.
Mauresmo thinks this will happen if they both achieve the level of performance they are capable of. "Considering our style of play on grass, it's going to be pretty exciting," she predicted. It will certainly be more exciting than the Australian final back in January, Mauresmo's breakthrough victory in a Grand Slam. A joyous moment for her, but a forgettable match for the spectators, with Henin-Hardenne forced to call it a day early in the second set because of illness.
The 24-year-old Belgian clearly wants to put all that behind her and refuses to be drawn into what she learned from it or whether the public reactions were a little unfair. "That was January and already we are in July," was her retort. The only that matters is what happens here in the final. What happened in Australia is far away, I'm a different player now. I don't want to think too much about that. It has been a bad experience and that's it."
Wimbledon.org report
Women’s world cup to start soon (July 7)
 From UEFA : Barely two days after the FIFA World Cup is done and dusted in Germany, over the border in Switzerland the next international tournament gets under way. The UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship may be on a slightly more modest scale than the global male event, but female football is booming right now and the number of young players making their way at the top level is proof that the junior tournament, less than a decade old, is coming of age. (Picture: Last year’s winning team, Russia, celebrates.
Full preview from UEFA
Wimbledon round-up (July 7)
Henin sees off Clijsters
Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne maintained her consistent record in Grand Slam play this year when she defeated compatriot Kim Clijsters in straight sets to reach the ladies’ singles final.
The No.3 seed's 90-minute 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win over second-seeded Clijsters was achieved in familiar fashion against an opponent she knows so well. This was their 22nd meeting, and Henin-Hardenne now leads the series 12-10.
Wimbledon.org report
 Mauresmo silences Sharapnova
Centre Court bore witness to a personal resurrection this afternoon when Amelie Mauresmo battled through to her first Wimbledon final – and retained her world number one spot to boot – by beating 2004 champion Maria Sharapova.
To a huge ovation from the crowd Mauresmo came back from a disastrous second set to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to secure her place in Saturday’s final, where she will play Justine Henin-Hardenne. It will be an intriguing occasion as it will be a rerun of the Australian Open final from January, which the Belgian decided not to complete as a result of stomach ache, handing Mauresmo the title.
Wimbledon.org report
Navratilova out of doubles
Martina Navratilova's dream of marking her final Wimbledon with an eighth ladies doubles' title -- 20 years after her seventh -- evaporated when she and partner Liezel Huber were beaten in the quarter-finals.
Fourth seeded Chinese pair Zi Yan and Jie Zheng beat Navratilova and defending ladies’ doubles champion Liezel Huber 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in a match carried over from yesterday.
Wimbledon.org report
Woman captains men’s cricket team (July 6)
 The Knutsford Cricket Club in the UK has appointed 22-year-old Sarah Hollins as Captain of its Second XI mens team.
Hollins started playing for the team when they were short of players and soon found herself in the vice-captain role. Now she has been asked to step into the top job.
See this report from the Manchester Evening News
Belgian final for Wimbledon (July 6)
From Wimbledon.org: As the tournament progresses to its business end, one thing is certain: there will be a Belgian in the ladies’ singles final on Saturday.
It is, to put it mildly, quite remarkable that one of the smallest nations in Europe (pop. 10 million) regularly provides two of the finest contenders at this, or any other, Grand Slam. The head-to-head statistics show just how long, and how evenly contested, has been the rivalry between Justine Henin-Hardenne of French-speaking Wallonia and Kim Clijsters, from the Flemish-speaking part of the country. And also how close are their skills and achievements.
Full story
Wimbledon round-up (July 5)
 Naked Capers Fail to Shake Sharapova
It takes a lot to upstage Maria Sharapova, but it is possible. A streaker did it on ladies' quarter-final day but opponent Elena Dementieva was exposed in her efforts to do so.
Full story
The Sound of Maria
She didn't blame it for her loss, but Elena Dementieva took issue with Maria Sharapova's grunting on court today.
Full story
Mauresmo Hopes For French Double
Amelie Mauresmo wants to ensure that France has a day to remember on Sunday, if both she and the French football team can win their respective semi-final clashes this week.
Full story
Clijsters Shows Her Class
In defeating China's Na Li, Kim Clijsters has set up a semi-final encounter with Justine Henin-Hardenne. A win would level the pair's head-to-head tally at 11-11 and propel the No.2 seed to her first Wimbledon final.
Full story
Justine Keeps Her Eye on the Prize
She's in impressive form, but Justine Henin-Hardenne won't be drawn on her chances of winning her first ladies' singles title at Wimbledon this week. That's just not her style.
Full story
Super Swede trifecta (July 5)
 From the US Open: It took 90 holes of gritty golf, but Annika Sorenstam prevailed with her third Women’s Open victory Monday at Newport Country Club. What the 37-year-old Pat Hurst could not do in the 18-hole playoff, Sorenstam did. That’s why Sorenstam won, shooting 1-under 70 to Hurst’s 3-over 74.
It was the 10th playoff in Women’s Open history, the last occurring at Pumpkin Ridge in 2003 when Hilary Lunke defeated Kelly Robbins and Angela Stanford. Hurst fell to 0-4 in career playoffs, ironically losing to Sorenstam in three of them. Monday marked the most lopsided defeat in a Women’s Open playoff dating to 1956 when Kathy Cornelius beat amateur Barbara McIntire by seven strokes.
Full story
Netball UK Challenge Cup finals (July 5)
 Despite soaring temperatures, six teams from around the country maintained their cool to qualify for the finals of the 2006 Netball UK Challenge Cup Competition.
In the Cup itself, reigning National Clubs League division one champions Linden set up a mouthwatering final against former champions Hucclecote, after crushing Kent side Comets 73-20. Hucclecote qualified for the final after a nailbiting 36-34 win over Essex Open.
In the plate semi finals, Purley Netball Club beat Carole Anne NC`s first team 77-40. However, Cobham failed to make it an all-Surrey final, after a 36-22 loss to Imagine8 from Warrington.
Wiltshire`s Pinehurst cruised into the final of the shield competition with a 39-22 win over Applemore. Meanwhile, their opponents in the final, Halton from Runcorn, had a weekend away from competition, after being given a walkover into the final by Swan Centre NC.
All three play offs for the inaugural Netball UK Challenge Cup finals will take off at Bath University`s Sports Village on 15 July 2006 from 11am. Netball UK is one of the country`s leading suppliers of netball clothing, shoes and supplies, online at www.netballuk.co.uk
Source: England Netball
Clijsters too strong for youngster (July 4)
 From Wimbledon.org: Experience triumphed over youth this afternoon on Court Two, as Kim Clijsters saw off last year's Wimbledon girls' champion Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-2. Despite the defeat, the 17-year-old showed more promise than the scoreline suggested and at times stretched the number two seed with some exciting play.
That the young Pole reached the fourth round on her first appearance in a Grand Slam tournament surely merits congratulation. Ranked 217 in the world – a figure which will receive a huge boost when the new rankings are released next Monday – Radwanska made her Tour debut barely two months ago, in Warsaw, where she beat the 2004 French Open champion Anastasia Myskina en route to the third round. Here at Wimbledon she was only the fifth wildcard ever to progress to the last 16, and she did it without so much as dropping a set.
Full story
Seven new faces in Australian team (July 3)
The Australian 21 and Under Netball Team to take on New Zealand in a two match series later this month was announced today after a gruelling weekend training camp at the AIS in Canberra.
The team consists of seven new faces from the side that last met New Zealand at the 2005 World Youth Cup in Florida, USA.
Victorian Julie Prendergast will again lead the team as Captain, continuing in her role from last year. Joining her as first time Vice Captain will be Kimberlee Green.
“Both women are experienced international campaigners and have significant court time with their respective Commonwealth Bank Trophy teams, said Head Coach Lisa Alexander. They also show great leadership both on and off the court,”
Alexander, who is confident of her team’s success in Brisbane, makes her international coaching debut for the Team against current World Number One side, New Zealand.
“I feel very excited about the strength of the team,” said Alexander. “They are very powerful and mentally tough and I believe they will rise to the challenge.”
Australian 21U Team
Caitlin Bassett, Perth Orioles
Kate Beveridge, Perth Orioles
Johannah Curran, Melbourne First National Phoenix
Laura Geitz (subject to fitness), AIS Canberra Darters
Kimberlee Green – (Vice Captain), Sydney TAB Swifts
Renae Hallinan, Melbourne First National Phoenix
Clare McMeniman, AIS Canberra Darters
Julie Prendergast – (Captain), Melbourne First National Phoenix
Nikala Smith, AIS Canberra Darters
Joanne Sutton, Sydney TAB Swifts
Caitlin Thwaites, Allied Pickfords Melbourne Kestrels
Vanessa Ware, Sydney TAB Swifts
Queensland will witness two of their own on centre court during the series as defenders Clare McMeniman and Laura Geitz return to represent their country in the highly anticipated clash.
Geitz, who was named subject to fitness, will have two weeks to recover from her shin injury before a final decision will be made on her fitness on Friday July 14, two days before the team departs for Brisbane.
The Australian 21U Team will match up in Brisbane against the New Zealand 21U Team on Thursday July 20 and as the opener for the Holden Netball Test Series on Saturday July 22.
Source: Netball Australia
Williams exits Wimbledon (July 2)
 From Wimbledon.org: Venus Williams headed towards Wimbledon's exit door, admitting that her lack of tennis match practice this year was only partly to blame for the shock defeat to Jelena Jankovic which saw her concede her singles crown before the first week was out.
“It's nice to have a lot of matches going into any tournament. But I definitely think I could have played better tennis whether or not I had more matches,” the three-time Wimbledon champion said.
And the American said that her opponent had done plenty to earn the victory, saying: "She just played well. I wasn't able to play my best. I was having problems with my left wrist. There were definitely some things I could have done better. But as I said, she played well.”
Venus did sound one note of controversy when she explained why she had complained to the umpire about how rapidly Jankovic was serving.
“When I was walking to the line, she would serve immediately, which made it difficult to get ready. As soon as I got into position, like before I could get down, she would start serving.”
But when pressed as to whether she thought this was a deliberate tactic of Jankovic's, Venus opted to remain graceful in defeat. “I just think that maybe she plays at that pace,” she said diplomatically.
Venus, the sole representative of the Williams family at this years’ Wimbledon, admitted that it was strange not to be continuing on to the second week of the tournament. But she insisted she’ll be back.
More from Wimbledon.org
Back-to-back titles for Magic (July 2)
From Netball NZ: The Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic supported by Sleepyhead created a little slice of history when they powered to a second straight National Bank Cup netball title at Mystery Creek, in Hamilton tonight.
In the first final to be held in the North Island, the youthful Magic ended the aspirations of the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Sting’s seasoned campaigners with a comprehensive 67-43 win.
In front of a record National Bank Cup crowd of 5000, the Magic enjoyed the special moment of back-to-back titles in front of their home fans after missing out on the right to host last year’s final.
After a relatively even first half, the Magic exploded into life in the second half to outscore the Sting by more than two goals to one when they raced away with the half 35-16.
The Magic stood out as the better team through all areas of the court with the last line of defence, Casey Williams being the individual standout. The long-limbed defender was instrumental in gaining a string of intercepts for the Magic and keeping her team on the front foot early on.
Williams was well backed up by her team-mates, who overall were more effective on attack and damaging on defence than the Sting, who were appearing in their ninth successive final.
``It’s a lot sweeter beating them at home and it feels even better than last year,’’ Williams said. ``It’s great winning two in a row and this great record we have against the Sting now if we can keep building on it, that will be even better.’’
Netball Australia report (Click the pic to see the Magic's website.)
Sorenstam finds it’s crowded at the top (July 2)
 From the US Open golf website: Annika Sorenstam is right where she wants to be after the second round of the Women’s Open. Problem is, she’s got company.
Pat Hurst matched Sorenstam’s 2-under-par 140, both recording level par Saturday, to head into the third round tied atop the leader board at Newport Country Club. Sorenstam posted her number in the morning, forcing the rest of the field to play chase.
Now the rest of the competition segues into a 36-hole marathon that will begin at 6:30 a.m. Sunday. Players will go off in 11-minute intervals, have a 45-minute break between rounds and no one will be re-paired. Inclement weather caused the postponement of Thursday’s first round, leading to the long final day. The last time 36 holes were conducted in a single day at the Women’s Open occurred in 1990 at Atlanta Athletic Club.
Weather has certainly been a factor this week and Saturday wasn’t any different. Swirling winds caused scores to bob up and down more times than a buoy in coarse waters. When calm prevailed, Shi Yun Ahn, amateur Jane Park and Michelle Wie positioned themselves one shot out of the lead. Five players stayed within striking distance at 1-over 143.
"I think it’s going to be a lot of fun," said Wie, who suffered a twinge in her left wrist and will be going for her first major win. "Obviously it’s going to be a very long day, but it’s going to be interesting. I think I’m just not going to take it too seriously. It’s going to be a fun ride, playing 36 holes in one day."
More from the US Open site
Hingis out of Wimbledon (July 1)
Martina Hingis (12) bowed out at Wimbledon on Day 5 yesterday in what should have been an easy victory for the former Wimbledon champion. Japan’s Ai Sugiyami (18) rallied back from 3 games to love down in the third set to take the match from the ‘Suisse Miss,’ 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.
When questioned about what went wrong in the match Hingis explained, “She didn’t miss. She played a great match. She’s probably, on this surface, harder to play than anything else because she’s very fast.”
Hingis is well and truly back from her comeback. She denied poor form as a reason for her early demise; “You know the last couple of weeks, I’ve been training. I thought I was doing better. Also here in the tournament. But definitely Sugi was a different level from the other two matches.”
Sugiyami is a quiet achiever on the circuit never having one a grand slam singles title but performing well over her 14 years as a pro player. The 29 year olds previous best Wimbledon singles performance was in 2004 when she made it to the qualifying round.
Still, even without the singles title, there is no denying Sugiyami’s tennis prowess; having won three out of the four grand slams as a doubles player in the last five years. She was champion at Wimbledon in 2003 but has yet to clinch an Australian open win.
By Antonia Magee
Plus…
Kim Clijsters (2) played a strong third round match against China’s Jie Zheng to play on at Wimbledon. Clijster’s read Zheng’s baseline game well and served strongly to take the match 3-6, 2-6. Fellow countrywoman, Justine Henin-Hardenne (3), also won convincingly against Russian Anna Chakvetadze (30), 2-6, 3-6.
In her post match interview, Clijsters explained that although confident in her tournament thus far, “There’s always room for improvement. Doesn’t matter how good you are playing.”
She also sidestepped the controversial ladies prize money problems and put her support behind Venus Williams who has been very vocal on the issue. “I think Venus wrote a really, really good article in the papers… I think she said what we all think.”
Clijsters denied claims that the women were planning on boycotting the tournament but admitted that this had been part of the discussions among the troops. The women’s singles prize money is £30,000 less than the men’s.
The second half of the women’s third round will played today on day 6 of the grass court championships. Reigning champion, Venus Williams (6), plays Jelena Jankovic (26) in what will be only one of the great games in the remaining six matches of the round.
Russian doll, Maria Sharapova (4), plays US stalwart, Amy Frazier on Centre Court in a potentially tough match for the 2004 Wimbledon champion. This is Frazier’s seventeenth Wimbledon and if she can get past Sharapova, it will be a huge ranking boost for the 32 year old, who must be nearing the end of a long career.
With nearly a fifteen-year age gap between the two players, Sharapova was a twinkle in her parent’s eye when Frazier debuted in 1987; there is a clear game advantage to the young Russian not only in skills but also in prize money. The Russian has almost won a third of the American’s career winnings in 2006 alone.
The other matches include Amelie Mauresmo (1) and Australia’s Nicole Pratt. Unseeded American Shenay Perry plays Sybille Bammer from Austria and Shuai Peng faces Flavia Pennetta (16) to make the fourth round.
By Antonia Magee
Wimbledon web
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