Nadal Opens with Win in Barcelona

Rafael Nadal on winning form in Barcelona but Ferrer Falls

Nadal Wins in Round Two of Barcelona Open 2013

Second seed Rafael Nadal saw off Carlos Berlocq of Argentina in the first of his matches in the Barcelona Open yesterday.  The defending champion beat his opponent in straight sets 6-4 6-2 in 88 minutes.  Nadal had received a first round bye and will now play Frenchman, Benoit Paire in round three.

On his match against the Argentine, Nadal commented, “The conditions today weren't comfortable.
There was a very changeable wind that made it difficult to play at a high level. The most important
thing is to accept the situation and move forward.”

Nadal was beaten in the final of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters just a few days earlier by Novak Djokovic but this match put him back in winning ways.  This latest win puts his winning streak in Barcelona to 35 matches as he goes for his 8th title in a row.

As the tournament is on clay, you would put Nadal as the natural favourite given his 38 titles on the surface.  However the 26 year old is trying not to look too far in to the tournament and take each match as it comes especially following his defeat to Djokovic on Sunday.

“I don’t want to talk about being a title favourite,” Nadal stated.  “I’m just very happy to be playing well and into the third round.  I’m not looking ahead.”

Nadal’s fellow countryman and number one seed for the Barcelona Open, David Ferrer had opposite fortunes however, falling at his first hurdle.  Ferrer lost to qualifier Dmitry Tursunov in three sets 7-5 3-6 6-1.

The ATP world number 66 completely overan Ferrer despite him ranking 62 places below.  Ferrer’s leg injury which forced him out of the Monte Carlo Masters last week affected his game.  Ferrer summarised his opening match saying, “I just did not feel good on the court today.”

Fourth seed, Nicolas Almagro of Spain is also though to the third round and will play local professional, Marcel Granollers.  Tomas Berdych is also through having defeated Nikolay Davydenko 3-6 7-5 6-4 and will now face Tommy Robredo also of Spain.


Author Paula Banks
If you would like to attend Wimbledon in 2013, call us on +44 (0)208 166 5102 or go to our website to purchase your VIP tickets today or to our hospitality site for Wimbledon Hospitality Packages.  For any other great tournaments, our sister company, Eventality Ltd can assist you for French Open, Aegon Championships and the ATP World Tour Finals and many more events.

Nadal is Indian Wells Champion

Rafael Nadal beats Juan Martin del Potro to claim Indian Wells title

Rafael Nadal wins in Indian Wells against Del Potro

Rafael Nadal, the new world number 4, came through against Juan Martin Del Potro in the final of the BNP Parisbas Open in Indian Wells to claim his first hard-court tennis tournament of the year.

Nadal last competed on the hard-courts in the Miami Open in March 2012 where he beat Tsonga in the quarter-finals but lost against Andy Murray as he withdrew from the tournament at the semi-final stage.

At Indian Wells in 2012, the Spanish star reached the semi-finals but was stopped from progressing any further by Roger Federer 3-6 4-6.  Nadal exerted his revenge this year as he beat Federer 6-4 6-2 in the 2013 Indian Wells quarter-finals.

Since his comeback to tennis after having over half a year out due to tendonitis of the knee, Nadal is having a triumphant run.  He narrowly missed out on the Chile Open title losing to Horacio Zeballos in the final but then went on to win the Brazil and Mexico Opens.  Nadal has now added the BNP Parisbas Open to his list of trophies.

Nadal seems not to believe his own come back success after such a spell out of competitive tennis, but is trying to remain focused on the positives.  Nadal stated after his third ATP title win of 2013, “When you have one comeback like I’m having, you remember all the low things, lower moments that you had during the seven months.  Hopefully I passed and can just remember all the people that really helped me a lot during all this time.

“The support since I came back has been huge.  It’s an unforgettable week for me and an unforgettable tournament.”

Under doctor’s orders, Nadal has decided to retire from the Miami Open 2013 but will return to the courts for the Monte Carlo Masters in April, a clay-court tournament which he has won 8 times previously.

Author Paula Banks

If you would like to attend Wimbledon in 2013, call us on +44 (0)208 166 5102 or go to our website to purchase your VIP tickets today.  For any other great tournaments, our sister company, Eventality Ltd can assist you for French Open, Aegon Championships and the ATP World Tour Finals and many more events.

Australian Open 2013: Britsh Robson Reaches Round 2

Laura Robson Reaches Round 2 of the Australian Open for the First Time in her Career

Robson Reaches Round 2 in Melbourne

Teenage British female tennis star, Laura Robson successfully made it to the second round of the Australian Open earlier today when she defeated Melanie Oudin of the USA.  The 18 year old impressed the crowds on Court 3 with 11 aces and almost three times as many winning shots as her opponent to claim victory 6-2 6-3.

Robson played to her ranking, being 31 positions higher than Oudin at WTA Rank 53, and quickly got four games under her belt.  It took the British Number 2 just 35 minutes to claim the first set.  Robson was not without fault and indeed made more errors than the American, 30 to 24, but Robson made sure her winning shots counted and came away with victory after an hour and a quarter.

Robson’s first round win adds to the British contingent through to the second round including herself, Andy Murray and Heather Watson.  Sadly, Jamie Baker who made it through the qualifying stages was not able to progress from the first round.

Laura Robson will now be met with a tough challenge in the second round in the form of Petra Kvitova the number 8 seed and former Wimbledon title holder.  Both Robson and Kvitova are ‘lefties’, so it should be an interesting contest between these two talents.

Although this is the first time that Robson has reached the second round in Melbourne she will be able to draw on her experience from the US Open in 2012 where she defeated a number of high profile players to reach the quarter finals.  Robson commented, “I’ll go in with nothing to lose again. I seem to play pretty well when I do that.  It’s going to be tough, two lefties playing each other. I haven’t played a lefty in a while, so I’m going to have to try as best I can.”

Author Paula Banks
Watch world class tennis at Wimbledon 2013, French Open 2013,  Aegon Championships 2013, US Open 2013 and the ATP World Tour Finals for 2013 - for hospitality packages and tickets go to our sister company Eventality. Call us on 0844 293 2355 or +44 (0)1543 441762 or request a call back via e-mail.

You can book your Wimbledon 2013 hospitality packages today. Call us on 0844 293 2350 or +44 (0)208 166 5102 or go online www.wimbledonhospitalityonline.co.uk

Andy Murray Wins in Brisbane

Andy Murray retains his Brisbane International title for a second year running

Murray Retains Brisbane International title

Andy Murray has triumphed in the Brisbane International having a nervy start to the final which was played against world number 48 Grigor Dimitrov. This tournament is described by many as a warm up tournament for the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open and Andy Murray has showed the tennis world that he is fully prepared for the major. After a poor start to the final, Murray eventually retained his Brisbane title for a second successive year defeating Dimitrov 7-6 (7-0) 6-4 in just over an hour and a half.

This Brisbane International was an emotional win for the British world number three as he said, whilst holding his tears in, “I'd like to dedicate this victory to one of my best friends. He's back home watching - you're going to get through it.” Murray didn’t say who exactly he was talking about but we can guess as his fellow Davis Cup team-mate Ross Hutchins announced later on Sunday that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer.

Andy Murray looked as though he was going to lose his title as he lost 11 of the first 12 points going 3-0 down in the first set. However, he dug deep and pulled the set back to being 4-3 down where Murray found his form and broke Dimitrov again taking it to a tie-break which the Scot dominated 7-0. In the final set, Murray comfortably saw the match out breaking Dimitrov once winning it 6-4 securing his second consecutive Brisbane International. Now Murray’s sights will be set on a second Grand Slam title in the Australian Open later this month.


Author Daniel Foster.
See top class tennis players such as Andy Murray play at Wimbledon 2013, French Open 2013, Aegon Championships 2013, US Open 2013 and the ATP World Tour Finals for 2013 - for hospitality packages and tickets go to our sister company Eventality. Call us on 0844 293 2350 or +44 (0)208 166 5102 or request a call back via e-mail.
You can book your Wimbledon 2013 tickets & hospitality packages today. Call us on 0844 293 2350 or +44 (0)208 166 5102, request a call back via e-mail or go online www.wimbledonticketsonline.co.uk

Williams meets Pavlyuchenkova in Brisbane International final

Serena Williams will play Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the Brisbane International final

Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams after a match in 2012

Serena Williams has made it to the final without having to play what was guaranteed to be a difficult semi-final against Victoria Azarenka. The world number one had to pull out of the tournament after having a ‘bad pedicure’ leaving her big toe with an infection making it impossible to play tennis. The Belarusian said that she would rather forfeit the Brisbane International and play in the Australian Open than not even attempt to defend her title in the opening Grand Slam of the year.

Azarenka, who won the Sydney International before claiming her first Grand Slam win at the Australian Open last year during a 26-match winning streak, has lost all but one of her previous 12 matches against Williams. Even if the match did go ahead, Azarenka has always struggled against the American who aims to get a clean sweep in the Grand Slams winning every one in 2013, and so had a good chance of losing to her. The top seed announced her withdrawal 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the match, stating that the infection had got so bad that she had needed to visit a doctor to have part of the nail removed.

In the other semi-final Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeated Lesia Tsurenko 4-6 6-1 6-2. Pavlyuchenkova got off to a poor start losing the first set in 48 minutes but after she knuckled down and found her form, she dominated the next two sets finishing off the match in just under 2 hours. Pavlyuchenkova said this after the semi-final, “I'm really pleased with how I came back and with what I've done this week. I'm really happy to be in the final of my first tournament of the year here in Brisbane.”

Author Daniel Foster.
See top class tennis players such as Serena Williams play at Wimbledon 2013, French Open 2013, Boodles 2013, Aegon Championships 2013, US Open 2013 and the ATP World Tour Finals for 2013 - for hospitality packages and tickets go to our sister company Eventality. Call us on 0844 293 2350 or +44 (0)208 166 5102 or request a call back via e-mail.

You can book your Wimbledon 2013 tickets & hospitality packages today. Call us on 0844 293 2350 or +44 (0)208 166 5102, request a call back via e-mail or go online www.wimbledonhospitalityonline.co.uk.

Andy Murray advances in Brisbane

Andy Murray reaches the third round in the Brisbane International

Andy Murray edges victory in Brisbane International

Andy Murray survived a fright in the middle of his second round match in the Brisbane International to advance into the third round. The top seed Andy Murray was against Australian John Millman and he suffered quite a scare by the hand of the 23 year old Australian as he lost the second set 5-7. Murray cruised through the first set dropping only one set to take an early 6-1 lead but Millman dug deep and matched Murray levelling the match 1-1. This match proved to be helpful for the Scot as he would have been treating this tournament as a warm up for the big Grand Slam, the Australian Open, the tough competition being a great preparation for what is to come in Melbourne.

Andy Murray dropped his serving percentage from 75% in the first set to 57% in the second set as Millman broke twice allowing the match to be levelled. It took the world number three more than two hours to overcome the world 199 after receiving a bye in round one. However, Murray ended the match with a positive flourish, his serving prowess returning in the third and final set to win the match 6-1 5-7 6-3 and advance to the third round. The Scot will next play Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin who defeated Lleyton Hewitt in order to be in the third round.

Murray’s upcoming opponent Denis Istomin, who is ranked world number 43, used youth to defeat veteran and 31-year-old Australian Lleyton Hewitt 7-5 7-5 who had experience being the former Wimbledon and US Open Champion. The second seed, Milos Raonic failed to reach the quarter-finals after a 6-3 6-4 defeat by Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov which is good news for Murray as the competition is getting easier in terms of rankings.

Author Daniel Foster.
See top class tennis players such as Rafael Nadal play at Wimbledon 2013, French Open 2013, Boodles 2013, Aegon Championships 2013, US Open 2013 and the ATP World Tour Finals for 2013 - for hospitality packages and tickets go to our sister company Eventality. Call us on 0844 293 2350 or +44 (0)208 166 5102 or request a call back via e-mail.

You can book your Wimbledon 2013 tickets & hospitality packages today. Call us on 0844 293 2350 or +44 (0)208 166 5102, request a call back via e-mail or go online www.wimbledonhospitalityonline.co.uk.

Andy Murray ready for 2013

Andy Murray has said he is ready for the big tournaments in 2013

Andy Murray after his historical US Open victory

Andy Murray had a great year in 2012 ending Britain’s wait for a British male Grand Slam Champion for 76 years after he defeated the world number one, Serbian Novak Djokovic in the US Open final. Along with that historical victory, Murray also took part in the London 2012 Olympics where he defeated his Swiss rival Roger Federer to win the men’s singles Gold. This wasn’t the only silverware Murray earned in the Olympics though as he took the stage with Laura Robson to grab Silver in the mixed doubles tournament.

The tennis world number 3 said, “The last few years I got close but never managed to get over the final hurdle. Now that I've managed to do it, I hope that when I'm in those situations again I'll deal with them better. I probably just feel a little bit more relaxed than I normally do a few weeks before a slam. I prepared very well in Miami and trained hard to get myself ready for the new season.” The Scot begins 2013 as the number one seed at the Brisbane International and will face local qualifier John Millman, the world number 199, on Thursday after receiving a first-round bye in a tournament which acts as a warm-up for the Australian Open.

This time last year Andy Murray teamed up with 8 times Grand Slam Champion Ivan Lendl as he became Murray’s new coach and since then, Murray has been playing some of his best tennis. At the end of 2012, Andy Murray received an OBE and it was well-deserved for his contribution towards British sport. Already Murray has been named favourite for the Sport Personality of the Year award for 2013 after he is expected to do exceptionally well this year.

Author Daniel Foster.
See top class tennis players such as Rafael Nadal play at Wimbledon 2013, French Open 2013, Boodles 2013, Aegon Championships 2013, US Open 2013 and the ATP World Tour Finals for 2013 - for hospitality packages and tickets go to our sister company Eventality. Call us on 0844 293 2350 or +44 (0)208 166 5102 or request a call back via e-mail.

You can book your Wimbledon 2013 tickets & hospitality packages today. Call us on 0844 293 2350 or +44 (0)208 166 5102, request a call back via e-mail or go online www.wimbledonhospitalityonline.co.uk