Andy Murray to Wimbledon win

Andy Murray bowed to Prince William and Kate Middleton today after reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals with a straight sets victory over Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

Wills and Kate, who got a standing ovation when they took their seats in the Royal Box before the match, helped cheer Andy to victory on Centre Court.

Murray turned in a strong performance, triumphing 7-6 6-3 6-2 in two hours four minutes, earning a standing ovation from the crowd - including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The British No.1 admitted afterwards that he didn't even know the royal couple were going to be at the match.

He said: "It was nice. I didn't know they would be there.

As I walked off the practice courts a journalist told me. I didn't practice the bow - I didn't know if my source was correct or if they were winding me up.

"I think it's great for tennis any time you can get royalty to come along."

Kate is becoming something of a Wimbledon regular.

In 2007 she watched Rafael Nadal play Swede Robin Soderling on Court One and returned 12 months later.

Still plain Catherine Middleton, she was given special treatment by the club, which arranged Centre Court tickets for her and assured her some peace and quiet.

Last week a letter she wrote thanking organisers for their hospitality was unveiled in the Wimbledon museum.

Today, the couple arrived amid tight security.

An increased police presence was visible around the grounds and a Metropolitan Police helicopter patrolled for hours before their arrival.

The pair, who married in April, returned to Centre Court after Murray's match to watch five-time ladies' champion Venus Williams take on Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova.

On Court One, Williams's sister and defending champion Serena was knocked out in straight sets by Marion Bartoli, who has reportedly claimed to have an IQ of 175 - putting her in the top 2% of the world's smartest.

Speaking after his five-star royal performance, Murray said he would have shaved if somebody had told him the royal couple were coming.

Appearing relaxed in the post-match press conference, the 24-year-old said he felt no extra pressure playing in front of William and Kate.

The British number one met the pair after his match but felt embarrassed looking so "sweaty and hairy", he said.

Venus Williams Out of Wimbledon 2011

Venus Williams followed sister Serena out of Wimbledon after her 6-2 6-3 defeat by Tsvetana Pironkova ended American involvement in the women's singles

Little over an hour after Serena had been sent tumbling out with a straight-sets defeat by Marion Bartoli, Venus was comprehensively outplayed by the Bulgarian 32nd seed.

It means this year will be the first since 2006 that neither Williams sister has won Wimbledon.

Five-time champion Venus was playing only her second tournament since withdrawing from the Australian Open with a hip injury and she was well short of her best today.

The repeat of last year's quarter-final resulted in an identical outcome as the highly-impressive Pironkova, 23, made light work of the fourth-round match.

Williams, who has reached at least the quarter-finals on 11 of her 14 previous visits to Wimbledon, struggled to find her range and was frequently foiled by the net.

Pironkova accounted for second seed Vera Zvonareva in the previous round and will next meet Petra Kvitova for a place in the last four - a remarkable run for a player who had won just four matches in 14 tournaments this year heading into Wimbledon.

The one-way traffic began in the first set when Williams' serve came under sustained attack in the sixth game and she crumbled after conceding a second break point.

Poor stroke selection from the American, making her 15th appearance at Wimbledon, allowed Pironkova to produce a stinging passing shot that was returned into the net.

Pironkova was trading on equal terms from the baseline and made light work of her next service game to move 5-2 ahead.

Hoping to find refuge on her own serve, Williams instead fell to pieces as she conceding three break points, the third of which she directed into the net.

The problems continued to mount early in the second set for Williams, who was being cheered on by all-time great Billie Jean King, as Pironkova broke once more.

The net emerged as the American's chief tormentor as it came to Pironkova's rescue on two occasions and the Wimbledon exit beckoned for the 23rd seed.

Athletic and composed, Pironkova looked in complete control until a glimmer of hope appeared for Williams in the fifth game with a vicious backhand establishing break point.

The game was proving a key battleground in the set and Williams rose to the occasion, wasting the first chance to break but capitalising on a second by outgunning her opponent from the baseline.

The respite was short-lived, however, and Williams only had herself to blame as she made a series of errors to enable Pironkova to break back immediately.

Two big serves and a sensational backhand passing shot dug Pironkova out of trouble in the seventh.

Three match points followed in the ninth and Pironkova excelled during the second, firing a lightning serve and forehand winner to close out her triumph.

Serena Williams During 2011 Wimbledon Championship

Beyoncé will not get away with a 45 minute set when she headlines Glastonbury tonight.

Kelly Smith will not be playing 30 minutes each way in England's opening game of the womens' football World Cup, against Mexico tomorrow.

Tennis is a little different.

Men and women have the same prize money, but different shift patterns.

Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and top seed Caroline Wosniacki, leading contenders for Wimbledon's £1.1million winners' cheque, each lost precisely five games yesterday.

It may be politically incorrect to support the august members of the All england Club's order of Play Committee, but they have a point.

In terms of entertainment, the womens' game lacks natural rivalries, compelling storylines, and recognisable names.

Complaints about lack of exposure on Wimbledon's show courts do not really stack up.

Ironically, those rallying behind the mildewed flags of past sex discrimination battles are doing Serena a disservice.

The diversion unintentionally belittles her spirit, the resolve required to win a third successive Wimbledon singles title after a 49-week absence.

The background to her attempt, which gathered momentum with a 6-3 6-2 win over maria Kirilenko, is no less compelling for its sudden familiarity.

Two scars, a blemish on the inside of her left foot, and an ugly weal across the top of her right, are the legacy from an accident in a munich restaurant, four days after Wimbledon last year.

Two operations followed, but were not as remotely traumatic as the "near death experience" of finding blood clots on both lungs.

Serena must still inject herself with anti-coagulant before any flight.

even operating at 60 per cent capacity, she has the athleticism, self-belief, and strength of serve to make her a legitimate contender.

She said: "I wouldn't bet against me. I'm here, I'm alive, and I don't take any moment for granted."

Her serve was, on average 20 mph faster than that of Kirilenko, an identikit russian making her eighth Wimbledon appearance at the ripe old age of 24. The ball sounds so much crisper when it leaves her racquet. once Serena acquires match sharpness, it will be all over for the ovas.

She has won 13 Grand Slam titles, only two fewer than the other 127 members of the original draw.

Apart from the Williams sisters, Sharapova is the only active member of the WTA tour to have won Wimbledon.

She's a mini corporation, with annual income of £20m.

Nice work if you can get it, when the likes of Klara Zakopalova, beaten 6-2 6-3 yesterday, do not detain her unduly.

Wozniacki was similarly untroubled against Jarmila Gajdosova. The Centre Court provided the statutory standing ovation - but this was in honour of servicemen, sitting in the royal box.

The search for other heroines is similarly dispiriting.

Victoria Azarenka, the fourth seed, is apparently big in Minsk. She has an inconsistent serve and sounds like Minnie Mouse succumbing to torture.

It doesn't take much imagination to envisage Serena and Venus facing each other in Saturday's final, for the third time in four years.

Serena's vulnerability - the tears and the tenderness with which she treated cancer victim Jack marshall earlier in the week - has not given her universal popularity.

But, as Marion Bartoli, her fourth-round opponent, admitted "she is the ultimate competitor." Almost too good, in fact for her sport.

Del Potro sets up showdown with Nadal

Former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro set up a fourth round clash against Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon after the Argentine defeated Gilles Simon 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 on Saturday.

Del Potro defeated Nadal in the US Open semi-finals in 2009 en route to the first Grand Slam title of his career and could pose more problems for the Spaniard at the All England Club when they meet on Monday.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Nadal will be aware that Del Potro has won three of their eight encounters and, after missing most of last year with a wrist injury, the Argentine is finally fit and recapturing his best form.

The 22-year-old is currently 21st in the world after previously being ranked as high as fourth and has dropped just one set in his three matches so far at Wimbledon.

Although he has struggled on grass in the past, Del Potro's serve was especially impressive in a hard-fought third round win against French 15th seed Simon.

Del Potro took the first set in a marathon tie-break and then recovered from 4-2 down to win the second set in the same manner.

Simon was unable to make any impact on Del Potro's serve in the third set and one break was all the Argentinian needed to go through.

Serena sets up fourth round clash with Bartoli

Four-time champion Serena Williams reached the fourth round at Wimbledon by beating 26th-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-3, 6-2 with the help of 10 aces.

It was Williams' first straight-set victory in five matches since she returned this month after being away from the tour for nearly a year because of a series of health scares, including blood clots in her lungs.

Despite the long layoff, the seventh-seeded American is trying to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win three consecutive titles at the All England Club.

Against Kirilenko, Williams saved the only break point she faced and put together a 32-9 edge in winners.

Williams will face No. 9 Marion Bartoli, the 2007 Wimbledon runner-up.

Federer, Nadal move into 4th round at Wimbledon

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams - players with a combined 12 Wimbledon titles - won in straight sets on Saturday to move into the fourth round and maintain their pursuit of more championship trophies at the All England Club.

Six-time champion Federer defeated David Nalbandian 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 to move closer to equalling Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon titles.

Two-time winner and defending champion Rafael Nadal committed only three unforced errors in a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-0 victory over Gilles Muller, a 92nd-ranked wild card from Luxembourg.

Williams, chasing a third straight title and fifth overall in her comeback from nearly a year out with serious health problems, served 10 aces in downing 26th-seeded Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-2.

In a match that had been suspended after the first set because of darkness Friday, Nadal never lost serve in defeating the 92nd-ranked wild card from Luxembourg 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-0 on Court 1.

Muller is the last player other than Roger Federer to beat Nadal at Wimbledon, in the second round in 2005.

Nadal will next face another Grand Slam champion, 2009 U.S. Open winner Juan Martin del Potro, who beat Gilles Simon 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5), 7-5. The Argentine missed most of 2010 after surgery on his right wrist.

"He's a fantastic player. He's one of the best players of the world," said Nadal, who for the first time advanced to Wimbledon's round of 16 without dropping a set. "He had an important injury last year, but he's here now all the time and he's at his top level.

"It will be a very difficult match. It will be a fantastic test and I have to be playing my best if I want to have chances, and that's what I'm going to try."

In women's play, 2004 champion Maria Sharapova and top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki won in straights set to reach the round of 16.

Nadal, who saved two break points in the first set Friday against Muller, made no unforced errors Saturday in the second set. But Muller managed to stay even until he sliced a backhand into the net after a long rally to give Nadal a 6-5 edge in the tiebreaker. The Spaniard closed the set in the next game with a forehand winner, then won six straight games, finishing with an ace.

"It was a very difficult match to play, especially the first two sets, when I had not one chance to break him," Nadal said. "It's like a lottery. I'm happy about how I played the tiebreaks, very solid with my serve. ... I feel like in the third set I started to play really, really good."

Nadal said he felt discomfort in his right leg, but that it was not related to the two heavy falls he took at the baseline during the match.

"I started to feel the leg a little bit more tired than usual," he said. "But I played today without problems, and now I (have) one day and a half to rest and recover. I hope it will be perfect for Monday."

Sharapova struggled with her game but reached the fourth round by beating Klara Zakopalova 6-2, 6-3. The fifth-seeded Russian, the only champion in the women's draw other than the Williams sisters, had 21 unforced errors and four double-faults in an inconsistent baseline performance in the wind on Court 2.

But, after falling behind 3-1 in the second set, Sharapova lifted her game to win five games in a row to finish off the 35th-ranked Czech player. Zakopalova had trouble with her footing, slipping at least four times along the baseline.

Sharapova pumped her fist and shouted "Come on!" after hitting a forehand service return winner to break for 5-3 in the second set, then finished the match in the next game with another forehand winner down the line.

Sharapova hasn't reached the semifinals since 2006. She will next face 20th-seeded Peng Shuai of China, who beat Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-2, 7-6 (5).

Wozniacki, still looking for her first Grand Slam title, swept Jarmila Gajdosova 6-3, 6-2 to make the fourth round for the third straight year. Wimbledon is the only major championship in which the Dane has not reached at least the quarterfinals.

Also advancing to the final 16 among the men was last year's runner-up, Tomas Berdych. The sixth-seeded Czech needed only seven points to complete a 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 win over Alex Bogomolov Jr. of the U.S. The match had been suspended because of rain with Berdych leading 4-3, 15-0 in the third set Friday.

Berdych will next play 10th-seeded Mardy Fish, the last American man left in the tournament. He advanced when Robin Haase retired at 1-1 in the fourth set because of injuries. Fish was up two sets to one, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2.

Ninth-seeded Gael Monfils lost to 93rd-ranked Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Kubot, who won three qualifying matches to get into the main draw, also reached the round of 16 at the 2010 Australian Open.

No. 18 Ana Ivanovic, a former top-ranked player and 2008 French Open champion, was knocked out by Petra Cetkovska, 6-2, 7-6 (0). No. 9 Marion Bartoli beat Flavia Pennetta 5-7, 6-4, 9-7.

Paszek survives marathon to shock Schiavone

Unseeded Austrian Tamira Paszek upset the odds as she beat former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 3-6, 6-4, 11-9 in a gruelling third round match at Wimbledon on Saturday.

Schiavone won the longest women's Grand Slam match in the Open era when she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 16-14 in the final set after four hours and 44 minutes on court in the Australian Open fourth round in January.

But the Italian sixth seed couldn't last the pace this time as Paszek finally won a rain-interrupted tie that last three hours and 41 minutes.

Paszek looked on the way out when Schiavone served for the match at 9-8 in the final set, but the world number 80 dug deep to break back and minutes later she fell to her knees in triumph after breaking again to clinch the biggest win of her life.

Schiavone has reached the last two French Open finals, but the 31-year-old's game isn't so well suited to grass courts and she had only been past the third round once in 10 visits to Wimbledon.

Paszek took the first set when the match started on Friday and was on course for a famous victory when she eased into a 3-1 lead in the second set.

Schiavone broke back before rain forced play to be suspended for the day and then won the second set on the resumption on Saturday.

That set the stage for a dramatic two-hour final set, which Paszek finally won to secure a last 16 clash against unseeded Russian Ksenia Pervak.

Li Na returns home after her Wimbledon exit

China's first Grand Slam champion Li Na returned home after her shock second-round exit from the Wimbledon and said she would take a six-week break from tennis.

The French Open champion, who lost to to German wildcard Sabine Lisiciki, flew back to her hometown of Wuhan city in central China yesterday with her coach and husband Jiang Shan.

She was warmly welcomed by her mother and a crowd of local sports officials and media. This is the first time she returned home after her French Open triumph.

"I will go nowhere. I want to stay at home with my family. I like to stay at home," she said.

After Li's exit, China's hopes in Wimbledon now rest on Peng Shuai who managed to enter the fourth round