Sunday, 14 July 2019

Ivan Dodig and Latisha Chan Win Wimbledon in Mixed Doubles!

July 14, 2019 - Croatian tennis player Ivan Dodig and his Taiwanese partner Latisha Chan won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon just a month and a half after they celebrated at Roland Garros.

The experienced 34-year-old who has specialized in playing doubles for the last few seasons made it to the men’s doubles semi-final with Slovakian partner Filip Polášek, though with Chan, he has gone all the way.

Dodig and Chan faced Swede Robert Lindstedt and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko in the final on Sunday which they won in two sets, 6:2, 6:3, and managed to overcome their opponents in an hour and nine minutes of play. 

Dodig and Chan came out fierce and ready to win - and in less than 20 minutes, they led 5:0 in the first set. Although the Swedish-Latvian duo won two games in a row, it was impossible to get back into the game, as Dodig and Chan once again took Ostapenko's serve at 6:2.

Lindstedt and Ostapenko held their own in the second set, all until Dodig and Chan led 4:3 and at 15:40 used their first chance to break their opponent. Dodig and Chan had no problem serving for the match - and the rest was history. 

This is Dodig’s fourth Grand Slam title in his career. Recall, he has three titles in mixed doubles (and all three with Chan) and one in the men’s doubles competition. This is, however, his first Wimbledon win, as he has only celebrated at Roland Garros (French Open) so far.

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Saturday, 13 July 2019

Wimbledon 2019: Ivan Dodig and Latisha Chan in the Final!

July 13, 2019 - Croatian tennis player Ivan Dodig and Taiwanese partner Latisha Chan are in the mixed doubles final of Wimbledon! The two-time Roland Garros winners achieved another Grand Slam final after defeating Dutchman Wesley Koolhof and his Czech partner Kveta Peschke 7:5, 6:4 on Friday, reports the Croatian Tennis Federation.

The critical moment of the first set was in the eleventh game where Dodig and Chan realized their second break point to lead 6:5, then won the game by 7:5 and secured the first set. 

The second set saw several rallies, though it was Dodig and Chan to break their opponent first, which came in the third game. However, in the next game, the Dutch and Czech duo managed to equalize at 2:2. In the seventh game, Dodig and Chan broke their opponent again, and this time defended their advantage until the end.After 42 minutes of play,  they won the second set with a score of 6: 4 and thus a spot in the Wimbledon final! 

The Grand slam winners will play in the final against Swede Robert Lindstedt and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko who defeated Dutchman Matwe Middelkoop and Chinese partner Zhaoxuan Yang with a score of 7:5, 6:2 in the semi-final. Recall, Lindstedt and Ostapenko beat Franko Škugor and Romanian partner Raluca Olaru 6:7 (6), 6:3, 7:5 in the quarter-final.

Thus, Ivan Dodig will play in his seventh final at Grand Slam tournaments. So far, he has three titles, and all three at the tennis courts of Roland Garros (men’s doubles in 2015, mixed doubles in 2018 and 2019). This is his second final at Wimbledon after he lost in 2013 with Brazilian partner Marcelo Melo against Rajeev Ram and Raven Klaasen. 

The Wimbledon final will be played on Sunday at 5 pm Croatian time.

Recall, Ivan Dodig is Croatia's last remaining representative at Wimbledon this year. 

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Friday, 12 July 2019

Wimbledon 2019: Ivan Dodig and Latisha Chan in Mixed Doubles Semi-final

July 12, 2019 - Ivan Dodig is the last remaining Croatian representative at the Wimbledon tournament this year, announced the Croatian Tennis Federation.

After losing in the semi-final of men’s doubles, Ivan Dodig and Taiwanese partner Latisha Chan were able to secure a spot in the semi-final of the mixed doubles tournament after overcoming British duo Evan Hoyt and Eden Silva 7:5, 7:6 (5). 

In both sets, Dodig and Chan were a break behind (in the first set they lost 4:1, in the second 5:2), yet they found a way to win in two sets. The two-time Roland Garros winners will play against the 5th seed, Dutchman Wesley Koolhof and his Czech partner Květa Peschke on Friday, though the time is yet to be announced. 

Unfortunately, Franko Škugor and Raluca Olaru were stopped in the quarter-final of the mixed doubles tournament. After a big fight in three sets (6:7(6), 6:3, 7:5) it was Swedish player Robert Lindstedt and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko to secure their spot in the semis. In the third set, Olaru lost her serve on two occasions (the last time at 5: 5), which in the end proved to be crucial for the defeat of the Croatian-Romanian duo. 

Recall, Ivan Dodig failed to advance to his second Wimbledon final in men's doubles since 2013, after he and partner Filip Polášek lost to French duo Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6:2, 7:6(7), 7:6(2).

The Croatian-Slovakian duo poorly opened the match and after 4:0, their opponents had no problem winning the first set. For the rest of the match, the game was far more equal, and Dodig and Polašek missed their chance in the tie-break of the second set when at 6:5 they had a set point on their serve. In tie-break of the third set they led 2:0, then lost seven consecutive points. They did not use any of the five break points in the duel.

Mate Pavić and Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrowski (3rd seed) lost in the third round of mixed doubles after a marathon three hours and 18 minutes of play against New Zealander Artem Sitak and German Laura Siegemund - 5:7, 7:6(5), 13:12(5). Leading 10:9, Pavić and Dabrowski missed a match point and lost a tie-break at 12:12, and continued to lose three consecutive points.

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Friday, 5 July 2019

Wimbledon 2019: Petra Martić Moves into Round of 16!

After Marin Čilić was eliminated on Thursday, Petra Martić remained Croatia’s only representative in the singles competition of the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon.

In the third round of Wimbledon on Friday, Petra Martić met American Danielle Collins, the 25-year-old from Florida who is currently 34th on the WTA ranking, reports 24 Sata on July 5, 2019.

Martić immediately took her opponent's serve in the first game of the match and did not give up her advantage until the end of the first set. Martić did not allow Collins a single opportunity to break her and took the first set with a score of 6:4 after 37 minutes of play. 

In the second set, Collins broke Petra in the sixth game. Martić had the chance to break Collins in the next game and the ninth game, though she was unable to execute and allowed Collins to take the second set at 6:4.

There was no denying that Petra was the queen of the third set. To date, Petra has won 11 third sets in a row, and it only seemed reasonable that this figure would climb to 12.

On the wings of the second set, Collins entered the third and immediately took Martić’s serve in the first game to confirm a 2-0 lead. Collins’ game rose, and Petra’s fell, but it didn’t take long before the fighter in her shined -  Petra won three gems in a row for a brilliant comeback. 

Both players had convincing serves and gave few opportunities to one another. However, Martić led 5-4 and put pressure on Collins. Her nervousness was visible, and Collins missed two easy backhands to help Martić win a spot in the round of 16 with a score of 6:4, 3:6, 6:4.

Thus, Petra’s dream season continues. This year, she won her first WTA title in Istanbul, reached the quarters of Roland Garros as her best result at a Grand Slam tournament, and lost in the semifinal of Birmingham.

The last time Petra played in the round of 16 at Wimbledon was in 2017 when she played a brilliant match against Rybáriková but lost in the third set. 

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