Day 10 Wimbledon

Wimbledon is back on track. The weather has cleared, the matches

have been completed. The men had their day yesterday. The defending

champion has departed but Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic remain.

That was the -- that was then and this is now, it is time for the

ladies to take centre stage. Girl.

Petra Kvitova marches through to another Wimbledon semifinal!

You Genie Bouchard! Simona Halep is a rising superstar.

-- in Eugenie Bouchard. What a moment for Lucie Safarova.

Plenty of girl power on display this afternoon. What a day it is full

Lucie Sheva Rover, 27 years of age. -- what a day it is for Lucie

Safarova. She is up against Petra Kvitova and

she has the experience of winning a Grand Slam.

Simona Halep was in a Grand Slam final last month and she is in her

first Wimbledon final, she is up against Eugenie Bouchard and she

broke into the world's top ten yesterday.

A clear sky for semifinal state, a new experience for Lucie Safarova,

up against the 2011 champion Kvitova. They will get underway at

one o'clock on Centre Court. -- play.

And the 2012 junior champion Eugenie Bouchard against the highest seed in

the draw, Simona Halep. What a day at Wimbledon, not a cloud

in the sky. Big crowds even though there is not much to watch, there is

always the hill to sit on and enjoy the Wimbledon experience. Most

people are coming for strawberries and cream, traditional at Wimbledon.

But on a day like this, ice cream and champagne is in demand. And

maybe this is a future champion. Hopefully she will be inspired. She

is enjoying her day and I hope her dad is. We are with two Wimbledon

champions, Martina and Lindsay. Ladies semifinal stay, it goes up a

gear, it is a different feel, less people around.

A big occasion. For the players that expect to do well, this is it. Now

you can see the end of the road. The excitement increases and the level

of play needs to ask well, this is what it is about.

Three of the players have been in a Grand Slam semifinal. Do you

remember your first semifinal? I do remember my first Grand Slam

semifinal. My first Wimbledon one was the year I won it, so that was

good luck. It is a very nerve wracking occasion and 20 minutes

ago, Lucie Safarova who has never been in a Grand Slam semifinal, she

came out and she looked around. She looked at the grass and the crowd

and it was a nice moment. She is trying to settle nerves and get a

sense of the atmosphere. I hope she was not thinking, this is

huge! It is bad enough to play your match

on Centre Court, but it is pretty rough at Wimbledon! But she worked

so hard for it. She has to soak it up. Let clear it

up. Howell do you pronounce it? -- let me clear this up, how do you

pronounce it? How you are saying it is fine. There

is also a cheque pronunciation. What about this weather? It has been

fantastic. Yesterday and today, the least windy Wimbledon I remember and

the players have been enjoying it. Maybe it is even to one today but

after Australia, it is a cool day. And the court looks amazing.

-- even to one. We were talking about the heat and maybe that

affects Kvitova some days. She struggles on hot days but it is a

great day and exciting to see that next generation come through.

Not a cloud in the sky, I wonder if that will last. We can find out with

Carol. Their umbrellas but they are not

being used to shield the rain. -- there are umbrellas. We are looking

at a sunny day, temperatures up to 27 Celsius. Blue skies will prevail

into the evening. A lot of blue skies around a gentle breeze. And it

does make you feel that bit cooler so it offers were spied from the

heat. Pollen levels today, once again they are very high. Tomorrow

will be very similar, maybe even a degree higher.

That is good, I just had a look at the thermometer and it is 30 degrees

on Centre Court. We are going to suffer, let alone the players! The

first semifinal, Lucie Safarova will take on Petra Kvitova who has been

talking to others about winning Wimbledon here in 2011.

Petra Kvitova is the Wimbledon champion!

To be under pressure from outside and myself as well, it is difficult

to get used to. Every time I step on the court, you are almost the

favourite of the Mac is so the opponent sometimes has nothing to

lose and it is not very easy. -- the match. New champion, a long

journey. It is very nice to have this feeling

of confidence. I missed it for a long time so I am glad it is

backhand I can play good tennis. You had a difficult start to the

season with an illness and it was a slower start, so why is everything

coming together now? I worked hard all year. I think it

just finally has shown on the court. If you are feeling you are playing

well, you are more comfortable. And on the grass, for me, it is like

being at home. That is nice for me to play. I think I have shown my

performance already in Paris. I think it is going up.

What a way to finish! And Petra Kvitova marches through to another

Wimbledon semifinal. I am not thinking about the future,

just about the next match. That is important. Of course I want to be in

the final, so we will see. I am just thinking about right now and not

what is going to be. What a moment for Lucie Safarova, a

Grand Slam semifinalist after so many years of trying.

We know already what we can expect and from the tennis. It is very

difficult to play your friend. Everybody wants to win so that is

what matters now. It is going to be fascinating, we

have just had wind here and that will change things.

I almost got knocked over! That may change things a bit. Neither of

these players, they have hit the ball flat so that is not an

advantage for either player. Maybe Kvitova can hit through it better as

she is stronger but whoever plays better in the wind, that will not

change the outcome. When she won here in 2011, we

thought she would go up the rankings but that did not happen, it is tough

to defend that. She was almost a reluctant champion

and even after she won Wimbledon, she was sad to get so much attention

in her home country. She is much more settled now and more

comfortable with being a favourite and potential champion. She has

looked to be in a great place emotionally and mentally and that is

important with Kvitova. If she wants it and is well physically and hungry

and playing some of her best tennis...

We have talked about her serve, or what about her nerves? She does have

a tendency to go walkabout. It is more concentration. She does not get

nervous. If anything, she is too fired up sometimes and she needs to

calm down because she is so intense. It is a combination of the

expectation and now she is settling into it. For me, she was not ready

for what would surround her at that, so it is better now, she is

more settled and consistent. A left-handed serve, both. I wanted

to ban left-handed serve as! Pittodrie on a grass court. --

servers. Particularly on a grass court.

Lucie Safarova has to be ready for a forehand return. It is interesting

when you look at their head-to-head games. Lucie Safarova was never

beaten. It will be interesting to see if that left-handed combination,

who it affects more. It affects the point, the big serve, she is in

control. Kvitova can do it against anybody and she has so much power.

These two blade in Eastbourne last week and Kvitova was up, she lost

the game and the set. But she plays well against her friends. I would

make sure she does not like me! They are good friends and Kvitova always

plays well. I am having trouble with the

pronunciation. Lucie, a good all court game and she moves well. She

is a great athlete. She is very well liked. She has worked so hard, she

is extremely fit. She was so close in Australia. She missed the ball by

this much and it did not happen. For her to have success now, a little

bit older, everybody is thrilled with her as she is playing. I worry

about the power of Kvitova, it is so tough to defend against, especially

on grass. Deep ground strokes. Petra's shots reminds me of Lindsay.

A heavy shot. It stays that way. That was like Lindsay, the easy

power that the ball keeps carrying. Hard to deal with.

And you feel if Petra is serving well, that could be the difference?

She has the bigger weapons and if they are firing, yes, she has an

advantage with the serve. Lucie has a good serve as well but it goes to

Petra's forehand and the flat one down the middle, I am not sure.

Maybe whoever can get to the other one's backhands on the return of

serve will stop if Petra is firing on all cylinders, it is her match to

win and lose. -- return of serve. Now we can reflect on Andy Murray's

quarterfinal match yesterday against Grigor Dimitrov.

A good response from the crowd for the defending Wimbledon champion. It

is 20 Czech begin. He has come with a lot of belief. -- Grigor Dimitrov.

Andy is a little flat. I think so because he has had nothing to get

his teeth into. It is slipping away quickly for Andy

Murray in this opening set. A pitch perfect opening set from

Google Dimitrov -- Grigor Dimitrov. Andy Murray has two lives -- has to

lift his head up now. Stunning. And it has stunned Murray

as well. The tennis cathedral falls silent.

Beautiful! That was not as easy as he made it look.

That is outrageously good. Host to the edge of the abyss here for Andy

Murray in the first set -- close. The defence of Andy Murray's

Wimbledon crown is over. I need to go away and make a lot of

improvements in my game. It is a good feeling, I am proud of

what I did, but it is something I worked for.

I need to have a think about things, what I need to improve. I need to

get myself in better shape and to work even harder.

So where does he go after this defeat? Gary Richardson is with one

of Andy's former coaches, Brad Gilbert.

Andy Murray begins the search for answers is the headline. What went

wrong on Centre Court? I do not think he got off to a good

start. I think that helped to relax Dimitrov. The two things coming into

the match that happened that I would not expect was Andy Murray was not

able to have an answer on his return game and his backhand let him down a

bit. Especially when they got into a backhand rally. I would never have

thought Dimitrov would make so much progression.

Dimitrov said, he did not seem right in the warm up, Andy Murray.

I heard that and I have been around the sport a long time and I have

noticed somebody before, when you notice they are sick or something.

To noticed somebody is not playing well in the warm up, maybe I am not

paying close enough attention to the warm up, that was an interesting

comment. Andy was talking to his box and

making gesticulations, which is never a good time.

Everybody gets frustrated and he had kept it in. He had 14 matches easy

and he did not wrap -- drop a set last year but this guy was a better

player. We just have to accept he cannot win

every match. It is one of those days that will

not end up being the demise of his career. It was one match he did not

play and it is the first time he has lost in straight sets since 2010, he

will be back. Dimitrov is making great strides.

We have two of the big four and 223-year-olds and we will find out

if he will be the next future star -- two 23-year-olds.

What did you make of his performance?

He was flat emotionally, he tried to get fired up in the second set and

it was not enough. It was more about Dimitrov playing outstanding tennis

and Andy could not find a defence. He was able to neutralise when Andy

did something and most of the time Andy was to passive -- too passive.

Amazing. The same, he looked flat and whether

that was the pressure of defending the title or getting through so

easily the first four rounds, he knew he would have to step it up to

beat Dimitrov. Everybody had a sense Dimitrov would have a breakthrough

soon and most likely in 2014. He was very close at the Australian Open.

Andy has to go backhand take time away, he has to train and get back

to playing aggressive tennis -- has to go back, take time away.

The body language, if we look at some of this, it was so not what we

we used seeing, particularly with Ivan Lendl. -- used to seeing. This

is not a great sign for your opponent.

Dimitrov has no pressure on him. The expectation is so much higher as he

played so well in the first games. He was too frustrated with himself

here. He did not play with that frustration during the match. It was

between the points and not during the points. He needed to compose

himself. A lot of reports in the paper said

he'd used colourful language towards his box saying, white helmet that

before going on court? They said, they does she often uses colourful

language. -- why are you telling me that. They say he is talking about

himself. It is frustrating in this goldfish bowl of Centre Court.

No matter what sometimes, that day is not there for you and Dimitrov

was at the height of his possibility and Andy played one of the worst

matches and he could not match up. In three sets, he could never turn

the match around. He was talking to himself more than I have seen him

before. Amelie Mauresmo has been brought in.

He made a slip in the press conference and he said, I have

enjoyed, past tense working with her. It has been a difficult time

for her. Yes, to take the job, so

high-profile. And it seems to break barriers to hire a female coach, and

is to have her here in his home country, that was pressure on that

relationship. It seems like they will take time and try to talk after

the tournament, nobody knows if it will continue. He seemed happy

before the match, we will see. He has to go back to square one,

training before the hard court season goes to the states.

Amelie Mauresmo may not fancy at all seeing this. -- the United States.

It is too quick, you need months of helping the player before you can

make a positive difference. Any difference she made would have been

mental and not actual. To continue, it needs more time.

Andy also said in his press conference he has been in three

Grand Slam is and he has lost them in straight sets, he knows he has to

improve, he did not make excuses. A turning point was the second set

rate. Dimitrov had come in to make things happen. -- second set rate.

Andy seemed to get passive. He knew he had to take chances, Dimitrov. He

has to play points more aggressive. He has not got to the point he was a

year ago. His safety zone was always to hand backhand he made himself go

forward but his body let him down. His body is OK but he needs to be

more forward and aggressive. Everybody loses a match now and

again and it does not make him a bad player overnight.

Back to the ladies semifinals and it is Simona Halep later against

Eugenie Bouchard. What a time for Canadian tennis.

These must be extremely exciting times for Canadian tennis being so

involved, what is it like to have Genie in the semifinals and on what

Milos Raonic is doing in Canada? It is exceptional and the first time

for Canada to have two players in a semifinal at a Grand Slam. The

popularity of tennis is growing. More people are interested and

watching it on television. We hope this will have an effect and more

younger players will play the sport. We saw Genie win the juniors a

couple of years ago. Is her rise to the top wicker than you expected

with three Grand Slam semifinals in a row this year?

We always believed in her in Canada. Two years ago, I would have

suggested she would be in the Grand Slam finals, probably not. She has

really improved fast, she is on a fast-track and doing very well.

She is still a relatively new name to the British viewing public, what

can you tell is about the characters Shias and how she is able to perform

on this grand stage? -- character she is. She is driven, self

disciplined, as professional as you can get and she loves these moments,

the big stage and the big tournament, and she rises to the

occasion. It gets the best out of her.

Today's semifinal, she is up against Simona Halep who has never

experienced this year. She was at the final in the French. Does her

game match up well to Simona and how will a new, to the semifinal stage

react to it? Genie has played, this is her third

semifinal and she is a bit more experienced. Simona Halep is a tough

player and she has improved a lot and it is her first semifinal at

Wimbledon. She is a great player. Genie will be aggressive as she is

all the time, it is a tough match. We look forward to it and I am sure

you are enjoying her success, long may it continue.

Thank you. That is the Canadian red Cup

captain, he is very impressed by Genie and so are we -- Federation

Cup. What composure!

It is remarkable and we have been waiting for the next generation in

tennis and it is great to see her once to her hold the grand slam --

want to hold the grand slam trophy. She is ready for the big stage. We

saw it with Maria ten years ago and certainly with Eugenie Bouchard.

She has future number one written all over her.

I saw her play Ana Ivanovic and I thought, this is a future champion.

I did not think it would happen this fast but I thought she was two years

ago -- away. She reminds me of Novak Djokovic in her approach to the

game. The champions play well in practice but better in matches. The

middle of the road players play better in practice and they cannot

put it together in a match, she is a definite champion.

She has already been in two Grand Slam finals so no big surprises

here. She had the first in Australia and

she was a bit overwhelmed. She played well in Paris and she ran

into Maria Sharapova who played so well. This is her third semifinal so

she is used to a semifinal day and she is playing an opponent she

thinks she should beat on this surface.

And if you break her going down, she has a big shot.

She moves well on the ground and she takes the ball early, she has hit

four returns on the baseline. Everything is inside the baseline so

the ball gets to the opponent quicker. But Simona Halep has

impressed me with her ability to adapt her game to being more

aggressive on the ground. It will be interesting to see who can impose

their game on the other. It is about timing. Yes,

anticipation. Eugenie Bouchard stays low Welsh -- when she hits. Her

return of serve, she takes it so early and it is back to the server

so early you cannot get ready for the next shot and Simona Halle has

to make a height and centage of first serves because the second,

Simona Halep will be all over it -- a high percentage.

Eugenie Bouchard has the weapons. She has to be solid because if

anybody hits an extra shot, it is Simona Halep. She got to a ball

against Sabine Lisicki I thought she had no chance with. So fast, a

smooth mover and a quick thinker, so it will be a rate match and who can

play better on the big shots. -- rate much.

Eugenie Bouchard has the big weapons but can she overcome the speed of

Simona Halep? That is the second semifinal but we

are now ready for the first. The last time there were two Czech

players in the semifinal of a Grand Slam was at the French Open in 1986.

A big moment that Petra knows very well but this is a new experience

for the easy. And the tournament referee is keeping them waiting.

This is precision timing so they come out at exactly the right time.

He is checking the clock. This must be one of the worst moments for

Lucie. It is, but these two are good

friends. They are already exchanging words. That should help pick the ice

for Lucie. They look like they are going to

play doubles together! They are friends and that should not change.

It does help Lucie in this particular time rather than be with

somebody paying no attention to you. That should make for a good match.

You can be friends but on court, it is a faceless person at the other

end. You are playing a tennis ball, not

them, it is not that person. They have met five times and Lucie

has not won one of them and although it was very close at ease born, she

has not won. -- is born. That is a mental hurdle. First time

on Centre Court, never beating your opponents, tough three things to

overcome. -- should -- you have never beaten your opponent.

This is the most special court we have. I think every kid dreams of

playing on this court. Did you, Martina? It was the only one we had

on TV. Wimbledon was always it for a supplier. The history and all the

players who have played on this particular court, you just

appreciate this is what our sport is all about. It is great for Lucie. A

lot of the big names have gone out but all you can do is beat the

person in front of you. Last year she did not beat anyone ranked

higher than her but that was not her fault or her problem. She has worked

hard, as you said. She came close to beating Li Na and also Maria

Sharapova. She has short, compact strokes which is why she has done

well on the grass. She is trying to enjoy this and soak it in. Do we

believe it? Yes. We have heard from Petra. Now let's hear from Lucie

Safarova. What a moment for Lucie Safarova!

The biggest moment of her tennis career. Here at Wimbledon, the home

of tennis. It is unbelievable. I still cannot believe it. I am so

happy. It is the best day of my life, I think. When did the reality

sink in for you? It is still approaching me. I just cannot

describe how happy you get out there, reaching such a great result.

You work every day, so hard and you want to do great, especially on the

big tournaments, and being in the semis here at Wimbledon, it is a

country. You know each other really well. When you have to face each

other, is that something you want to do well for yourself but you play

your friends? It is tough but obviously, you are not so pumped as

you would be against other players because you're playing your friend.

But on the other hand, it is a semifinal. I think each of us wants

to reach the finals really badly. We will be two fighters there on the

court. When the match is finished, I hope we can go for a drink and be

friends again! SUE BARKER: She is so enjoying the

occasion. I love it when someone who has worked hard for years gets

rewarded with a match like this. There is pressure on the big players

but this might be the only time she is in this situation so the pressure

grows exponentially for Lucie Safarova. She has never been here

before so this might be held one Olympic moment so she had better

seize it. As far as the match goes, Lindsay, is it up to Petra to take

command? Kvitova has the ability to take the player out of her

opponent's hand. Especially on grass, she will try to simplify it.

With her heavy ground strokes on grass, as Martina said, the match is

in her hands. Can she be consistent enough? We will have to see. De

YouGov for Kvitova. She's the favourite on every level. If one

person can be territories Lucie. It is lovely to hear from two former

champions. Martina has taught me how to say Safarova's name, but I think

we will stick with the current pronunciation.

What a day for her. We have had checked players appearing before but

the first time they have played in the same semifinal, great mates,

Lucie Safarova against Petra Kvitova. And for the next hour or

so, friendship will be put on hold. Their latest meeting was very

recently. Look how close it was on the grass at Eastbourne, Tracy.

These two have such a long history. They actually grew up in the same

club in the Czech Republic. Petra is three years younger but they will

frequently practised together. They have been on two winning Fed cup

teams. And they are both less des. There are so few leftys on the tour.

That is the coach on the right-hand side in the shades with the tide

back hair. And behind is dad, used to be her coach. Her mum, and sister

will be watching somewhere in the USA. They are not here today. That

is the coach from Canada. He travels with Lucie. He does not train much

with her in the Czech Republic. What are we to make of this?

Petra Kvitova has only been broken three times. She is the one with the

big weapons on court today. The lefty serve and big forehand. Alison

Hughes is the umpire today. Alison Lang, as was. Just the most perfect

day and the most perfect ten is setting. You wonder how this young

lady is feeling, 27 years old and making it to her first semifinal on

her 37th attempt. She must have been thinking, will that ever happened?

She needs to make the most of it and enjoy the situation. It is her first

time on Centre Court so it is more reported for Safarova to have a

quick start. Czech against Tech one -- Czech another two.

Do you remember the utter disbelief on her face when she became

Wimbledon champion? Kvitova is so handy around the

forecourt. Great technique on her volleying.

Her site has been heavily strapped all fortnight. -- her side.

Petra, a very clean all striker. Ball striker. She has a lot of

weight to the ball. The best of starts for the former

champion. Her coach is bottom left. He first

saw her when she was a 16-year-old playing at the Czech tennis academy

and immediately thought she looked promising. One of the rare long

coaching relationships on the tour. This matchup reminds me a little bit

of the Roger Federer Stan Wawrinka matchup.

How would you play good mates on tour? You must have done it.

It is hard. Safarova has never beaten Kvitova. There is always that

added element. The first and second aces of the

match. There are so many check marks in the

Kvitova box, she has got the big serve and more power.

Such lengths on those ground strokes.

The hint of an opportunity to break back.

She knows she have to be playing full of confidence.

It would be very rare for Safarova to win five matches in a row. She

has only had five titles in her career.

Through to her first semifinal, Safarova, without losing a set. Her

longest match was an hour and three quarters. She upset the 10th seed in

the next round, and then less than an hour against Ekaterina Makarova.

She has had the advantage of a pretty nice draw. You can only beat

the players that are put in front of you and she has done a nice job of

winning pretty handily, for the most part. It is a day for hats and a day

for sunglasses. Everyone is at their stylish best, including Eleanor

Sukova. She played in the 1980s, part of the last all Czech pairing

in a Grand Slam semifinal. A little bit of history today on Centre

Court. Just enough top-spin in the soft

nets at Wimbledon. They usually dribble over.

Safarova settling nicely early on in this match.

The determination to recover what might have been a situation. The

constant barrage of power coming at you from both wings.

Holding onto the early break of serve by her fingernails, Petra

Kvitova. What a way to get back into this

semifinal! Look at her dad's face! How wonderful is that? He is so

pleased. Lucie's mum and dad flew over on

quarterfinals day. He said, why didn't she play this well ten years

ago? ! Every parent watching this will

understand the motion, the sheer joy on his face as his daughter did what

she just did on Centre Court at Wimbledon semifinal.

That was a confident backhand. Stepping inside the court, hitting

the ball early. Really hit it with conviction.

she is ahead. It is the closest she has been to experiencing anything

quite like this. She was a quarterfinalist at the Australian

Open a while ago but never previously beyond the end of the

first week. Open a while ago but never

previously beyond the end of It must be tough for her to digester. Her

last Wimbledon summers have ended in the second round, first round,

second round, first round, first round on her debut. Now she is a

semifinalist. At the other majors she has not gone deeper often as

well. Quarterfinals in 2007 at the Australian Open and just two other

fourth rounds. One very good question are chatting to one very

good swimmer. Have you ever been interviewed by

Michael Parkinson? No, I have not. Delight you have not had. Now then,

Kvitova, having been ahead, behind. That is way we see Kvitova with such

hot and cold matches -- that is why. If she wins the first set, you

never know what will happen in the second. She was known as 3-set Petra

because of that! She even joked about that. She said

my name Petra, instead of the E, it becomes a three.

It would not have been far away and she might have considered Hawk-eye.

She decides to hold on to one of her challenges. It is an interesting

dynamic of the match. Kvitova's favourite serve is out wide and it

goes to the forehand of Safarova. Important game for Kvitova.

Most impressive performance for Petra Kvitova this fortnight was the

third round win against Venus Williams, she held her nerve after

losing the first set. Two and a half hours but that was a real test and

it showed what she had. Well executed. We have seen how

quickly she is able to move to the forecourt. Great movement.

Really impressive from Safarova the way she is able to absorb the

power, the body blow from Kvitova on the second shot.

It is not just the way she is playing outward tennis, there could

be inner turmoil. If there is, it is not apparent. Completely in control

of herself at the moment. Every crochet of the net post and another

from the wall. -- a ricochet. No damage done.

How about that? In her first Grand Slam semifinal, does she look out of

place? I do not think so. She is really up for the Tasker today, very

impressive. Dashed the task. She is 27, it has taken so long, she has

real perspective. I love that shot. She was not in a good position so

she goes back to neutral and she goes big out wide. She got it the

end she can really rely on her movement here. She scrambles to her

left. And she pulls the trigger. Fired up will stop -- fired up. That

is my daughter! 27, she is the oldest of the four

semifinalists. The other three were born in the 1990s which either makes

you feel very good or very bad. Safarova was born in 1987, Kvitova

in 1990. The old guard are doing all right at the moment. Petra Kvitova

in the first set of this semifinal. New bulls. -- balls. They will help

Kvitova with her serve. It was clipping the baseline but

that is enough. Really tremendous anticipation and defence. And she

takes her time here. Great footwork. She puts it away.

Already up to four. She does use that 6-foot tall powerful frame to

good effect behind that serve. Kvitova is doing what she does best,

she is hurrying the opponent. The ball getting to them a fraction of a

second before they want it. She is rushing her opponent. The key with

Kvitova is consistency. She won here in 2011 playing matches like that.

After becoming champion. After becoming Wimbledon champion,

she struggled with the expectation and the pressure. It was so new to

her and she hardly won a match until autumn that year. Then she got back

on track. She is a little bit shy and on

assuming. -- on assuming. She found the fame a lot, being recognised in

the street. Everything that comes with being champion.

Great depth from Safarova. The forehand is usually her biggest

weapon. A backhand, she is really on fire today. -- at her backhand. That

is the coach of Kvitova getting a little nervous. Really impressive

from Lucie Safarova. I am sure there might have been people fearing a

first semifinal blow out like Kerstin Liggins suffered -- Sweden

Microsoft had against Marion Bartoli. -- Kirsten Flipkens.

Against a former champion, it has not looked that way so far. She has

steadied her nerves early on. She has changed her shoes. Like Djokovic

yesterday. I assume there is a standard pattern

on the bottom? I am not sure if you are an expert on patterns!

Particularly this year, they have become more strict with the white

rule. Top players have to send in pictures of their outfits before the

tournament. To make sure they are OK.

How many dimples you have and how far around the outside of the shoe

they come. One of the great and the good of the club watching with

interest here. The chairman. He, and does, wondering if the former

champion can hold onto her serve and stay in the set -- and bars.

No doubt part of the game plan from Safarova is to attack the serve,

hitting it early, staying on the baseline.

Kvitova's fifth ace of the match but only 59% of first serves in.

Let's have a look at where Lucie Safarova has been attacking Petra

Kvitova. Three or four shots are going to the forehand of Petra

Kvitova. That is the side when she feels rushed and she can start to

make more unforced errors. I should say errors because a lot of them or

forced. -- a forced. That is the side that I feel Kvitova

can use a bit more subtlety. She has a big backswing on every shot and

she has to recognise the shot she is receiving and shorten that and take

away some pace. That is the gift from Kvitova. At

such a crucial stage. Better shot tolerance from Kvitova.

Safarova does not mind a long rally but Kvitova was a bit more patient.

It is a big point. And how well she played it. A little squeal at the

end of the previous point suggested she knew the enormity of it.

We know her dad has been enjoying this. I think his daughter is

feeling the same at the moment. She is calm and composed. Not fazed by

the day she is experiencing. The key for me here with Safarova is, can

she sustain this? We have seen throughout her years on tour and a

sample this year where she gets so close to beating big players at

events. The Australian Open, she had match point in the third round. She

missed a backhand down the line by one inch. A couple of other events,

in Germany she lost to Maria Sharapova in the third. It will

build the experience. Build two days like this against Kvitova. --

build-up to days like this. Kvitova started this semifinal so

well, breaking her friend in the opening game. But from the point

that Safarova got back into it, you felt she has been the one asking the

bigger questions. What has shone through as the

resolve of Kvitova. -- is the resolve. So hot and cold. She has

the bigger weapons but you never know what is around the corner with

Kvitova. That is so hard to deal with. She

does not get it done placement, so short in the box will stop --.

SUE BARKER: we are moving this match on BBC Two, it continues on BBC One.

We have another option on BBC Two, we are going to Court Number One for

Men's Doubles. The remaining US Open champion is against Daniel Nestor

and his partner who were champions here twice in 2008 and 2009. They

have taken the first set so we can join our commentators John Lloyd and

Barry Davies. We have a challenge from Daniel

Nestor. It is called out quite clearly -- it

is called out, quite clearly it is in.

Serving for the first, to take the first game of the second set.

Two double faults in this game. Daniel Nestor, with a cap.

First foot fault call of the match. Two doubles in this game.

Good recovery by Radek Stepanek! Back to his normal self, which she

has not been in this match so far. -- he has not. Zimonjic so angry at

himself and he has left his team in trouble with two double faults. Now

break point down. Best serve of his match. That is

big. 119, out wide. His second base. -- ace.

I think there was an element of irritation at the conclusion of

that! He had not played well in that game. They have been getting the

that! He had not played well in that better of their opponents. They

started so well. Radek Stepanek has been the weak link on his side. He

lost his serve twice and he was downed break point on the game he

held. I wonder them -- I wondered if they might change ends but they are

not doing so. -- he was down. That would normally come from the players

themselves. So far, he has not served well and he has not acted up

well. -- act it up well. It is a bit windy. It is normally so competent,

his serve. And he maybe has the best volley in the game. He has not

looked like it today. He moves well. We saw how athletic

he was in the singles in that match against Novak Djokovic. That is a

better game. Where was that in the first set?

One of the fascinations of that match was that he seemed to get

One of the fascinations of that fitter as it went on. He is playing

with three players who are his senior. He is the baby of the party

at 35. Daniel Nestor has such great rhythm

on his serve. Goran Ivanisevic is watching, he could hit on ace in his

time -- and ace. One of the great servers of all time.

This is the height you want to hit the volley. Those make you look

good. Love game following love game. Three

players have played well but Radek Stepanek has not played well at the

moment, but he will get better, I am sure of that. Sloppy first set but

he will get it back. He will keep working hard. They are a good team

and it is great to see doubles out here. Probably 75% here only play

doubles so they like to see doubles. Doubles has been pushed down the

list these days in regular tournaments. It goes to lower courts

and they have best of two sets. So when the players come to Wimbledon,

this is the ultimate for doubles. Best of five sets, they have respect

here and they love being here so it is nice to see and I think the

British crowd really appreciate good doubles.

can do with his serve, despite the fact he has not looked the wallop of

the others. As far as I can see, he is still holding his serve, no

problem. A trusty left arm and that left

reach. They have crossed extremely well. They seem to be picking the

returns so well. Certainly an art to that.

He beats his partner by four aces to two.

He was put off by somebody in the crowd.

He was annoyed he missed that. It is fun to hit those shots. You do not

get a chance to hit many of them round the post. A very delicate

angled drop volley from Nestor. Stepanek picked it. It went round

the post. He thought he had it. Those are the ones you love because

it is a shot you do not see many times. It is fun to hit that. Just

go back to the point, in the regular tour they only played two sets. It

is a tribute to the consistency of his players that they consistently

is a tribute to the consistency of get to the semis and finals. At

use, whoever wins the point, wins the point. Each player's serve is so

big, it is almost like Russian roulette, it is like playing

tie-break tennis every game. And yet the top players generally come

through. It shows you how sharp those players are to win those

through. It shows you how sharp matches day in, day out.

Stepanek keeps on going. He played the French Open, lost early, played

a second challenge on clay, then Queens.

I would not think there is anybody who plays more matches and

tournaments than Radek Stepanek throughout the year.

The first ace for Stepanek. His partner, Leander Paes, applauded

him. It will keep him feeling confident when things were not

working. Zimonjic almost leaning over the net

when he hits this. That is the way to step into the volley.

At the moment, Paes and Stepanek, are not combining. One is playing a

key, then the other one has a dip. They are not sinking together at the

moment. It looks as if it will be very difficult for them to break

serve. Their best bet is in the tie-breaker. At the moment, they do

not look like they are in these games, really. Nestor and Zimonjic

are so strong. They back up their serves well. Maybe they might stay

back, both of them, to try and make a few returns.

Just a little touch of macro in the crowd. --.

The smallest man on the court could not get down to that. The return of

serve has been very good from Daniel Nestor.

A slight threat therein that game. It was taken away with some style.

Couple of times he has been a whisker away of catching them out at

the net. Stepanek was persevering with the

log. -- lob. They both wanted that one badly.

Barry, talking about Leander Paes, who is up there in years now, he has

been a great doubles player over the years and he still is ranked very

high, but a little bit of pace lost now on his service speed and also

getting into the net, you see here on his serves, they are mostly in

the 80 mile an hour range and he was so quick behind it. Look where he is

hitting this first volley now. That is three feet behind where you want

today. It is not getting up there as quick as you want to. Having said

that, he has not lost a service game yet because his volleys are so good

but he is having to hit them from that position on the court and there

are only so many times you can get away with that.

That really was a well worked point by Daniel Nestor.

That is one of the reasons why he is fun to watch.

What a return. What a game Nestor is playing here. He is the best on

court. In club tennis you would give your

partner a big stare after this and say, what were you thinking?

I think he had just too much time to think on that shot. He had plenty of

time to get up to that ball. About three or four different options. He

went straight for the middle of the net.

There was a conversation between the umpire and one of the line judges.

They are guaranteed a tie-break in this set. But they should have

already won the set. They certainly should. Nestor played a fantastic

game. He sets his partner up here with really a donation. He is

thinking, do I go down the middle? Do I hit the angle? He has too much

time to think and then he just dumps it into the middle of the net.

It was good that Nestor was serving the next game after that because he

got back to business. If they were to lose that set, then he will

certainly regret that. That was a very easy shot. It happens

I think from the public point of view, both here and watching on

television, this match really needs a tie-break to bring it to life. We

have had one or two moments that it has not got to you to the edge of

your seat. As reading a newspaper would seem to confirm, at least in

that gentleman's opinion. That was a great half-volley from

pays. -- Paes. Zimonjic may still be thinking about

the points he missed. Didn't do enough with the first

poorly. -- volley. Nestor did not have to move to hit that one.

shots. Having one of those days where he is reading everything. He

seems to know where the ball is going before it is hit. Up a third

set point. he played point by Nestor. He did

the hard work there, Zimonjic and then missed the easy one.

first ball he has hit where he was. Regulation folly.

That's some know from Paes. A huge point, he makes this shot BBC and it

was not easy. -- makes this shot look easy.

Once again Nestor is showing he's the best player on the court today

so far. He set up a point with the first return, keeping it low.

Getting round the outside of that ball and dipped that forehand wide.

Oh, what a shot! That's his best shot of the whole match so far.

Sensational forehand. Stayed down well on this first return and this

one. But this, spectacular. He had to go across his partner there,

almost laid him out! Beautiful shot. They've got a double break advantage

here. The ball was called in. Is it

clutching at straws? A bad mistake at 5-2. This one here.

Wasn't sure if this was going out, very close. Two service points lost,

didn't make a first serve on either one of them. And it's back on serve.

A very brave cross there, 5-5 on the tie-breaker, second serve.

That is amazing that they lost that second set. Absolutely through that

one away. It all really changed from that

challenge. I must say, I thought he was just gambling like mad but the

ball was quite comfortable. He actually touched the ball as it went

through his legs, I thought, but he didn't. When you go back to the set

points, Zimonjic missed two very simple ones. Then Nestor missed an

easy backhand volley. He has been immaculate until that point. Then

Zimonjic had 5-2, two serves to come and missed a comfortable volley on

that one you were mentioning and then didn't make a first serve

again. It shows you if you hang in there, Paes and Stepanek had no

right to win that set, they were without question the weaker of the

two pairs but they won the most important point. Quite extraordinary

really. And if they lose this match, Nestor and Zimonjic, they

will no -- know the reason why. They should be coasting now. Now they are

back into a big battle and the momentum now from Paes and Stepanek,

because they think they are going to start playing better, too, because

they'd not played well, but they are 1-1.

What a change in how the two this end must be feeling.

Leander Paes made to that wonderful cross, he is starting this third

set. That's huge applause but not a patch

on Tim Henman. For Nestor, they just can't get

close to his serve. It's not a change of ends, you've

got a problem. That's what happened there!

I do feel that the confidence level has gone up with Paes and Stepanek

and down with the other two. Forget what might have been and get back on

the job. They don't say too much between

points. Pays and Stepanek of a lot more animated, the communication

seems to be a lot stronger. If he checks the footage from the

BBC, he's not quite in the same quality. Certainly Tim Henman, I

wouldn't say surprised everybody, but it was a brilliant performance.

Was it 96? Something like that, just short of 100. I think Alan Shearer

made a bit of a mistake, he did his out on the beach. I think he got

six, it's a bit embarrassing! Has this Swannell or not? I suppose it

depends on how quickly the other two clear their ends. You'll A it's too

early yet, but there's no question there's a difference body language

wise. Stepanek looks like his confidence went bit there after

having all those chances. This is a very important service came for him

coming up right now, he needs this one to re-establish himself. Get

back contracts. -- on track. When you look back at it now,

Zimonjic, it's when he came to this end to serve the tie-breaker. It was

very windy, he didn't catch the ball toss. He hasn't missed a serve.

That was his fifth ace. He has served well until the most important

time in the tie-breaker. I think his partner might have

covered that. I'm not sure that was the right decision. Paes, he got so

close to the net after that volley. He charged in there. Very nice

disguise on the lob. For a moment it looked good and I

think they thought it looked good. There will be a challenge to what

seemed to me to be the umpire's decision.

What are your views about how partnerships get on? You said that

two of them are talking to each other, the other two are almost

ignoring each other. It's strange. Some teams in my day, Hewlett and

Macmillan, they never said a word hardly a changeover. Then they went

out there and were an amazing pair. But then you had other pairs where

they were very animated at the changeover. A lot of times you would

have a leader of the pair. The one that instigated the conversation and

would get into the tactics and encourage when needed. It looks with

Nestor and Zimonjic, there's not really a leader there, they don't

say too much, they just get on with business, really. Paes and Stepanek

are a lot more animated. It's however your personality is,

whatever works. Almost one good move following

another. Roddick Stepanek is certainly more lively than he was.

That might be his worst volley he has hit, apart from the one with the

set point. So little pressure on his serve. Lost his concentration of

it. It's Stepanek who has the last word!

What a funny old game this is. How they won that Valley. Very

popular with the crowd. It looked like Nestor wasn't going

to have his serve broken all day or night. Then just a couple of sloppy

follies, no real danger and then all of a sudden, just like the

tie-breaker, things can change. Stepanek gets better every time as

the match progresses. The stretch of that left arm again.

It seemed to have a reach more than its length and the bracket length.

-- racket. I love how Stepanek keeps that left

arm up, it makes him hit up the ball.

He likes a bit of drama, which sometimes results in his opponent

getting a bit upset about it. He is a showman, that is the right word. I

thought he was going to do a cartwheel there for a minute! The

wind of change. It is the belief they have had in themselves, just

hanging in, because they really should be sets to love. It is

remarkable they are in this position. That momentum change after

the second set, it has carried them into this third set. Daniel Nestor

and Zimonjic have got to get their act together fast because they look

like they have lost a bit of spirit. They are not the most animated duo

at the best of times but they look to me to be a little flat. They need

to do a bit of fist pumping or something. The crowd are fully

engaged but unfortunately, they are supporting the other team.

Can Leander Paes stand what must be pressure on his serve?

The amount of half volleys he has had to hit... He has hit these balls

low enough to win the point. We have lost one of the players. He

is going off with his bag as well, I think he is leaving. We may never

see him again! They are going to but at least they are not bringing their

racket bag. Maybe there is something of great value in it he does not

want to take his eyes off! I don't think I have ever seen anyone do

that. He is sitting there on his own, what did I do wrong? ! This set

was all a momentum change. It just went off the boil for Nestor and

Zimonjic. The return of service, they just were not there, they were

not clicking. The service statistics, phenomenal.

There was a pew meant change after the second set. They should be up to

max sets to one but they are not, now they have got a big fight on

their hands. -- a pew and momentum change.

Normally when one goes off the court, their partner goes with them.

When one goes off, that counts as one of the brakes so their

partnership go off at the same time. -- breaks. I am still not sure why

he took his bag of, extraordinary. It has been an interesting match at

times. There have been some periods of some spectacular shots that you

hope to see, but not consistent enough, it has been a little bit up

and down, we have not had many cases where all four players have been

playing well at the same time when you obviously get the great matches.

Nestor was definitely the best player up until the second set

tie-break and then he faded a little bit. I think Leander Paes has been

the best player since then, his spirit more than anything else has

kept his team in the hunt. And now, he has held his serve every time.

Sometimes it looks amazingly awkward, how he is doing so, but he

is getting the job done. A bit of extra work for the ball

boys but you cannot really blame Daniel Nestor. They still have not

got Zimonjic, the other two have come back. Maybe he has left! Big

smile, and some jigging of those two. Stepanek... Not Stepanek,

Nestor has won 85 doubles titles. So perhaps he could play on his own! He

might have to in a minute! It must be getting close.

This is a long break. That is why one of the reasons why I think it

would be great to have a stop clock at the end of the courts. 20 seconds

in between and also these types of occasions. So the crowd can count

down and the umpire stays out of it, it is not his responsibility.

Because the clock is the boss and if it is up on the wall, nobody can

argue about it. I have not timed it but he has been off an awful long

time and now three players are waiting for one. No response from

the umpire. I think the umpire will give a time

warning when he comes on, that is my guess, I might be wrong, but this is

getting a little bit ridiculous now. He took the bag with him, perhaps he

will come out with a completely different kit on! He could have left

his kit in the room anyway. Why he would need to bring it in his

bag... Strange. I think he is coming now. Here he comes with his bag.

UMPIRE: Time. I cannot believe he did not get a warning. The question

is, what time? CHUCKLES 12 aces. And the Nestor -Zimonjic

combination. They will have the advantage of

serving first. The match so far has not stuck with the usual rules and

forecasts. Some gentlemen in the crowd trying

to get everybody else to wake up! A very rare chip return. Most of the

players go for big, powerful returns.

A good cross here, a bit of a faint -- faint from Stepanek. What a time

for a foot fault, that is. That is a lack of concentration when you do

that. Really good recovery, that. 98 mph,

second serve, that is bigger than Leander Paes's first serve.

It is not the same man that he was in the first set. Just that split

second move from Stepanek where he faked and went the other way. This

time Zimonjic has fallen for it. Nestor trying to get his partner

pumped up there. Come on, just sending the message out there.

Some good returns of serve from Stepanek and Paes, some good

crossing and Zimonjic was being sucked into folly into the open

court. Stepanek was reading it all the time. He did well to hold on.

Very good second serve, 98 mph. He has not returned well today,

Zimonjic. He is what I would call a blaster on the return, he goes for

everything. It is rarely that he chips it. He will go through a

period when he will not make any returns. Nestor is a more solid

return. Zimonjic is the one who goes for the big shot and sometimes he

can get a run going but at the moment, he has not been able to.

They rely on him to keep having goes and hoping it will click but today,

the majority of the time, they have not been combining well, not manage

to get two in a row. -- not managed.

They need to start getting if you returns back into play. At least put

a bit of pressure and Paes and Stepanek. At the moment, the games

are far too easy, these service games.

It is the time to serve them if you are going to do it.

That was a good return but unfortunately, down 40-15, you want

to get the first point. A chance to get into the game.

Maybe it is not too late. Two good points, started with the double

fault at 40-0. And two big returns of serve.

That was a pity, though good return of serve, good volley, but they

should have got them back into the middle of the court, put it up high.

Still seems to be quite a feeling in the crowd in support of Paes and

Stepanek. Sometimes, the crowd at this stage

one to see the result going the way that they will be off in the fifth

set. -- they will be offered a fifth set.

Yes. LAUGHTER Goes off with another little

backward run. I loved the emphasis there. The showman, here he comes,

he comes in and there is the little jolt at the end. Crowd-pleaser,

there he goes. Excellent point. He has definitely

had moments of inspiration. looking as serious as he usually

does. The two backhand is sometimes put a

really good use. Better points, Nestor and Zimonjic,

shop around the net. They just have to work on this return of serve

sequence. The last game they came back from 40-0 down but it got back

to deuce with the help of one double fault. Very rarely are they starting

the game off well. They don't seem to be getting any zero -15s.

Zimonjic is not returning well at the beginning of games. Not giving

Nestor a chance to get ahead. They are not combining well in the return

of serve aspect of the game. At least they are taking care of their

side of the court, that's the business side. They do have the

advantage of serving first in the set. They have to start making a few

more returns now. 97 mph and it had him at full

stretch. It wasn't a call, as far as I could

tell. He looks pretty confident that this was out. He got it wrong.

Based on the second serve. He moved a fraction too soon there. He hooked

it wide into the open court. It was going so well for Zimonjic in

this game compared to recent times. Now suddenly break point.

It's just not going his way today, is it?

They certainly should have been up two sets to love. Since then, it's

been difficult for him to lift his game. Nestor's level has dropped as

well. Having said that, the first two said he was very good indeed.

Imperious. He missed the one set point on his backhand volley, which

you should have made, but other than that, quite frantic, the set should

have been over before that anyway. Zimonjic has been very up and down

today. He has served well in patches but as you saw that last game, a

double fault and break point, no first serves in the tie-breaker when

he needed them, he's just not been returning well enough. Without going

into detail, you do have to ask yourself how well he is feeling. He

was away for a long time and it does make you wonder. But it's a real

opportunity. That break confirmed they are in

winning position. That was a gorgeous lob of the

return. We've seen a couple of them today, both have been from Leander

and they've both been beautifully done. But that was a bit of a dodgy

forehand there, a pity. They've got 15 aces but they need a

joker now, don't they? Leander Paes is by far the weakest of the four in

terms of pace, but he hasn't lost his serve and he's backed it up

well. His partner has helped him out, the combination has worked.

This is a big game right here. No matter how many times you've done

it, how many titles you've won, all the experience when you are serving

for a place in the semifinals at Wimbledon, you get a little bit

tired. This is going to be a very interesting game here.

They've won 52 doubles titles. I think a lot of the cheering is for

Leander Paes. Eight Grand Slams, seven times

runner-up. You have to make some returns,

you've got to get some balls in play here.

I can't believe that shot from Stepanek!

A poor attempt at a lob, but Paes won't be complaining. Three match

points. It's out! That would have been an

interesting angle. They love it and the crowd loved it

with them. It's an extraordinary turnaround of what should have been

for the others, what, in the end, is for Stepanek and Paes. 3-1. They are

in the semifinal. It's so good to see that enjoyment. It is. The crowd

loved that. They warmed to Stepanek and Leander Paes, they liked their

spirit. Even when they weren't playing well in the first two sets,

they got the crowd going once they got into the match and one that

second set. Then they were clear crowd favourites because they put a

brand of entertainment down onto the court. It's exciting to watch them.

They deserve the match but, quite frankly, their opponents, they will

be kicking themselves that they were not up to-0, how they lost that

second set. They will be going through each point in their mind

when they get into the locker room. They cannot believe that they are

going off the court losing this match in four sets, they should have

been at least 2-0 up. But if you don't close it out on the big

points, that's what happens. They paid the price in the end. It looked

as though they had recovered from their errors, they had two breaks in

the tie-breaker. They couldn't take them.

The crowd applauding of the losers. Paes and Stepanek joining them.

This is a popular victory, there's no doubt about that. Many more wish

them through their semifinal, too. Leander Paes just keeps on going.

His age, he loves to play doubles and mixed. He is still very

successful, getting to Grand Slam semifinals. He won the Open last

year, a remarkable record really. His partner hasn't won here. That's

a little bit extra in the support they were given.

The crowd have been thoroughly entertained, no doubt about that. A

match that lasted for two hours and 32 minutes. Victory to Roddick

Stepanek and Leander Paes. A hard-fought match but you are

through to the semifinals. How much does that mean to you? It definitely

plays a lot, we are playing at the best tournament in the world. We got

to the semis, we didn't play much this year so it's a great effort so

far. We want to keep going like that. The second set was a crucial

turning point in the match. Yes, I'm glad he left that ball go between

his legs so I could challenge it. Things seemed to change from them.

What I love about him is he keeps persevering. The first set and a

half they were all over us. We managed to win the second set and

take over the match. Some days are going to be hard like this when

you've got guys serving up 90%, but we find our way, that the strength

of our team. The crowd really got behind you, how much did that help?

It helps a lot. The crowd is amazing, even when I played single

with Djokovic, the atmosphere was unforgettable. Today it was the same

thing. The crowd got behind us. There's not a better feeling than

this one. It really does help you get through tough situations when

you know you've got the crowd on your side. We know we've got each

other on each other's side. That's the great part about it. I know I

come from a country back home where there is 1 billion Indians

supporting us, that's some support! Between Prague and the Czech

Republic and India, we've got a great following behind us. We want

to entertain the crowd, we play hard for them. We look forward to more

entertainment in the semifinals. Lots of support behind both of you.

Good luck. SUE BARKER: We do wish them well.

Leander Paes had so much success previously, but now he's found with

Stepanek. They are the US Open champions and have reached the

semifinals here. Stepanek always manages to put in some sort of

straight move on court. Wonderful victory for them, they reached the

semifinals here last year and through to the semifinals once

again. The crowd loved all the entertainment out on Court One. Just

one double quarterfinal remains, we'll be taking you out to that on

Court Two in a moment. Let's update you with what will be happening on

Centre Court, on ladies semifinal day. First up, the champion here in

2011, Kvitova, came through in straight sets against Lucie

Safarova. That big left-handed serve was once

again a weapon for Petra, she had too much firepower for her team-mate

today. A warm embrace at the net. Well done Kvitova, she is through to

the Wimbledon final once again. Petra, many congratulations, you are

back in the final at Wimbledon. How good does that feel? It's great,

definitely. I can't really describe how I'm feeling right now. It was a

tough match mentally as well because Lucie is a good friend of mine we

know each other well on and off the court. I knew she was going to play

best tennis. I'm just happy that I won. You looked very good out

there, the first set going to the tie-break, but you looked in

complete command in the second set. I tried to be focused from the

beginning of the second set. I break her when she was serving for the

first time. I just kept going and served well in the last point. We've

spoken earlier in this tournament about the fact that being the

champion coming back, it's been a bit difficult. But now you are going

for the title again from a different perspective. How excited are you?

It's great. I'm emotional from this match but I still had two days to go

to the final. I will try my best out there. I know how you feel when you

hold the trophy, so I really want to win by second title here and will do

everything I can. We wish you the best of luck.

SUE BARKER: Very confident performance from her today.

Geanie Bouchard, the 20 a-macro from Canada, just two points away from

taking the first set. That match on Centre Court on BBC1. Here on BBC

Two, well, we are going to take you out to find out who Paes and

Stepanek might need in their Wimbledon semifinal.

Pospisil and Sock art two sets to one up.

COMMENTATOR: It's been a match of food opportunity from these two.

COMMENTATOR: It's been a match of food opportunity from these two.

They've been demonstrating some joy nor must forehands.

Still, they are two sets to one up. Peya of Austria and Sock of Brazil.

It has made for compelling viewing. Pospisil and Sock have had some

cracking returns but just not able to blend together.

Bruno Soares has been holding emphatically throughout. He's been

relatively untroubled but his partner today, Peya, from Austria,

he has really been struggling up against it. It's not through a lack

of pace, he's a very strong six footer, but the return is seemingly

getting all over his service games. He yielded once on his very first

serve, held on thereafter but lost out narrowly in the first set

tie-break and find themselves trailing 2-1 down. But it's been an

interesting match. We've had a few slips underfoot and the court

supervisor has been called to the court, Wayne MacEwan. He then came

back bringing Neil stubbly, the head groundsman, with him, just to

inspect the court from a distance. It's all gone since that initial

conflab with the umpire. It's been a fascinating match,

actually. You do feel at the moment the momentum is very much with the

Canadian American duo, in picture. Pospisil and Sock. The 6-foot

four-man from Vernon, British Columbia.

That's how it's been off his ball a lot of serve and spike from Jack

Sock. Slam dunk. Very assured on his serve. Ranked 33rd in singles,

Sock. Slam dunk. Very assured on his serve. Ranked 94 in doubles.

Pospisil is the Canadian number two, just behind Milos Raonic. We are

going to see more of him soon. He has made three tour semifinals in

singles. The third round Wimbledon doubles

last year with Jesse Levine as well. He has to guard against complacency

here, because they are playing catch up in this set.

You often see it, 40-15 Arp on serve, you get a little bit sloppy.

-- up. You can hear what that meant to Pospisil. Big, big point, that

one, in the context of this match. He knows it.

We have had some very long service games, a ten minute game on the Peya

serve earlier. Pospisil is normally very assured in that regard. This is

as deep as we have seen him. Jack Sock has been very fiery off

the forehand side, as we anticipated, but Pospisil has done

everything really solidly today. Went around the house is a bit there

but got there in the end, so we have parity in this fourth set after just

over two and a half hours. The second seeds had a five set match in

the first round against Mirnyi and Youzhny.

The ever alert Bruno Soares at the net despatching another backhand

volley. He has played some tidy net play, it

has been a solid wall throughout. A bit tetchy as well. A bit of a sour

grapes moment earlier saying the court was very slippery.

The second seeds have been generous today with double faults.

What a different game Men's Doubles is today, the average rally is so

short. It is an art form but it is so explosive and quick, Bremen is

and more of table tennis or badminton. -- reminiscent. Doubles

specialists do not make vast amounts of money. These are the number two

seeds. Soares was going mad in the changing rooms the other day.

Watching the World Cup. Yes, they just wriggled past Chile. Their

career earnings is just past 2 million. I am not saying it is a bad

life but there are not the riches of available in doubles that there are

in singles. It is a match of very little

challenges being used. True. It is available.

Hand signals coming from Pospisil, who is impressive himself. Nice to

see a singles player playing doubles.

Straight finger down, open palm. What does that mean?

SUE BARKER: We are going to leave this match because we are going to

Court Number One right now, but if you want to watch it further you can

on the red button. The winner will go fit -- go through to face Radek

Stepanek and Leander Paes, who won earlier. Before we go to Court One,

on Centre Court here is Eugenie Bouchard serving at set point in the

first set tie-break. And that puts the 20-year-old in front on Centre

Court, looking to reach her first ever grand slam final. Bouchard

leading the third seed one set to love, and that is live on BBC1.

We are heading to Court Number One for a third round in the Mixed

Doubles, where Mergea and Svitolina are taking on British wildcards

Skupski and Broady. Let's join Matt Chilton and Virginia Wade.

Curious that Svitolina is serving first with this team. The first

game, the British pair won five straight points to take the opening

game. What a shot. Mergea, the remaining,

29 years of age. One game each, opening set, and now it is the turn

of Naomi Broady to serve, the 24-year-old from Stockport. An

errant ball needs to be collected. That is some start for Naomi and

that will bring a huge smile to her face, a face which has a ready smile

all the time. She is fun to watch. Nice little punch volley from

Skupski there. The younger brother of Ken, they played Mixed Doubles

together -- they played doubles together. That was waiting to be

public deal -- to be one. -- won. Sometimes when you get an easy ball

like that you think you P and you don't keep your ion it. -- you think

yippee. Great point! That is a really

terrific backhand, some wonderful hands at the net from Mergea.

Not too many fans in the court after the Men's Doubles, a few went off

for refreshment, but with a British pair in action we will expect to see

the seats refill rapidly. What a superb lob. Broady was doing

so well at the net and eaten by a fabulous lob. I see the wind has

picked up, which is probably just as well, because it is actually very

hot indeed out there. Great stuff. Really lively start to

this Mixed Doubles. She has been hitting the ground strokes so well

but she handles the bullies as well. -- the volleys.

Broady just a little bit slow out of the blocks there. Plenty of chat

between the players, confirming the strategy for this next point.

It was the right idea because Skupski had just moved enough to

give his opponent and opening. -- the opening.

Good serve. 111 mph down the centre. Unreturnable.

It is nice to see the umbrellas up. For the right reasons. Sunshades.

They look better when the sun is shining on them than they do with

the rain falling on them. Everything looks better with the sunshine on

it. People are flowing back in now, coming back in in their hundreds. It

is always fun, the last few days on Court Number One. None of the big

singles matches are run but they have some fabulous doubles matches,

and usually some of the legends playing. I guess it is actually a

bit cheaper, the seats, than Centre Court.

Ivanisevic is due on with Ivan Ljubicic so they have a spectacle

this afternoon. It is interesting that both guys are playing in the

deuce court. A great drive volley from Mergea,

from the back of the court. Lovely piece of skill, 30-0.

Mis-hit. And I think he has broken a string as well.

There it is, string and the top of the racket snapped.

That is great play. A really good doubles point altogether, and the

opening is there for Naomi to go down the line and she beats him.

Really nice pace about the early stages of this match.

Tough, clever serve, swirling into the body.

Skupski will be wanting to watch this serve a little closer, deuce

for the second time. That was an interesting idea to lob

off the return but it was not good enough.

of the court, but she could have been anywhere, the serve was too

good. Nearly every game has been well contested here. Close,

exciting, some really interesting close contact tennis, all four

players getting involved. That is the first double fault of

the match. He had a shaky start in his first service game, Neal

Skupski. He went to 0-40 and got five points in a row to save the

service game. Right on cue, the first ace.

He has a low toss on his serve which means it is a very quick action and

he also gets the ball to skid through.

back again, Neal Skupski. It is a big stage for these British

players, biggest tournament in the world, number without -- number one

court, second biggest court in the UK. Well done.

With serve in the opening set and welcome shade offered here. A flood

of returning ticket holders making their way back, very much a day for

sun hats and fans. Fans with fans. I really like the way that

particularly Naomi Broady goes about her tennis. She played so well out

here in her second-round singles match and she really seems to enjoy

playing, she gets pleasure out of winning a good shot like that last

shot of the last rally. They are shot of the last rally. They

communicating well as a team, they are on their toes, ready for action

and definitely enjoying it. 19-year-old Elina Svitolina to serve

now. The Ukrainian, from Odessa originally.

Neil Broady saw Mergea moving across and tried to do that shot.

the last five minutes from Naomi Broady. -- a few too many unforced

errors. You really have to stay in the match the whole time even if it

is not your service. All square at the game. Three games all. No brakes

yet. -- all square again. Skupski and Broady deep in conversation, as

Broady corrects the balls 's -- as Broady collects the balls for this

next service game. Looks like a bad error bird when the

ball comes straight at you it is quite hard to get out of the way at

the net. It is very close to the net as well so you don't have much time

to see it. Yes, that's better. Making absolutely sure with the

overhead. Followed on from an excellent first serve from Broady,

105 mph. Oh, what a good shot! Mergea had seen Neal Skupski shuffle

to the centre of the court. A little bit of a minicrisis. 15-30, 3-3. A

fantastic first serve. Well held by the gentleman in the red baseball

cap! It wasn't a difficult catch, to be honest! LAUGHTER

That he was looking into the sun, it could have been very difficult! This

is true. Excellent catch! That is an absolutely amazing angle. Making you

come back for more when you hit a shot like that. He has shown a lot

of skill. Good hands. It goes almost into the same area of the stand.

Break point. So, the first break of serve goes

the wrong way as far as the crowd are concerned. Hardly a ripple at

the end of that game. There can't be too many Romanians or Ukrainians in

the crowd. The British pair were broken in Game seven of the first

set. Looking a little solemn. Not quite as smiley and happy as they

were on the last changeover. They've got to get themselves back together.

Elina Svitolina. A lot has been talked about this young lady in

terms of her progression, she's just 19, a bright future. Ranked about 34

in the WTA rankings, obviously not experienced on grass, the results

are not good year, losing in the first round, as he said, to a

Japanese girl who is very aggressive. -- as you said. And

losing early in the women's doubles. At least she has stuck around and

played Mixed Doubles because the more experience you get on grass the

better you feel about things. Her partner is about to serve.

! A bit of comedy to start with! After city Lena missed the first

overhead but this was a bit of magic from her partner. He's come up with

a bunch of really beautiful shots. Easily done. Just did not quite

close in on that ball. Right at the body! Sorry, Partner, I

did not mean to get you killed! Quite a shot! Probably Skupski pose

best forehand -- probably Skupski's best forehand of the match.

Yes. Worrying times for the British pair. They will have stay in it.

3-5. -- they will have two serves -- they will have to serve to stay in

it. The third service rotation for Neal Skupski. Serving to stay in the

set. Goodness me, a fabulous backhand. He

tried it once before, that return, on Naomi's serve, but it was not

nearly as good as that. But is an amazing shot. -- that is an amazing

shot. Such power in his hands. The interesting thing about Mergea is

that he hits the ball so hard without too much backswing. But with

touch. Just a little too hot to handle for

Broady. A little too much power on that. He

likes to pick on the person at the net. Good game.

So, the British pair maintain an interest in the opening set. Then it

will be dented city Lena and Mergea to serve it out after this of ends.

-- it will be down to city Lena and Mergea to serve it out. The court

again filling up. -- Svitolina Lena. A huge turn out on the Hill as

well, despite the fact that the tournament is winding up, only a few

more days to go, everybody is still magnetised by Wimbledon. On a day

like today with the sky as blue as the one above Southwest 19 at the

moment, there is nowhere else to be. It's a really beautiful place. Even

the planes want to make a detour over Wimbledon at the moment. And

the flowers are exquisite and very sweet smelling. Maybe the Brits can

break Elina Svitolina. Lovely touch on the volley.

Could serve down the centre, plenty of heat on it. 102 mph. -- good

serve. Mis-hits on the return. Exchanging Ms sits there. The

British pair can sense a chance, 30-30 on Elina Svitolina's serve.

Set point! They just couldn't take advantage of the second serve from

Svitolina. She has done well. Oh, no! What a shot! Mergea certainly

the star of the show in this set. An excellent range of shotmaking from

the 29-year-old Romanian. Let's look at the numbers associated with the

first set. The British pair were not outclassed in all departments. But

the majority of the yellow figures favourite city Lena and Mergea. --

they favour Svitolina and Mergea. Only one break of serve. On Naomi

Broady's serve. She has served well, so it was an anomaly that she lost

her serve. I don't think they need to be too discouraged. They just

need to make sure that they don't give away any loose shots, this

second set. This was the final point of the set. The wrong choice from

Skupski, straight into the midriff of Mergea. And he was ready and

waiting. It is going to be Skupski who will

start serving in the second set. Changing ends. Just checking how the

sun and the wind is, down there. Or even the sun and the wind are!

Didn't come through, did it? I think we will forgive him that, having

played so superbly throughout the first set. Bamboozled by the bands,

there. -- bamboozled by the bounds -- bounds there.

In general, the volleys have been absolutely terrific.

He doesn't want to make a meal out of this service game. He struggled

on his opening service game of the match, then pulled through and has

held comfortably. The third double fault from the British pair.

Elegant volley, that. Just knifed it. Very early. Very simple. No

backswing on the volley. No sits down after the first game of the

set. - no sits down. Mergea and Svitolina are playing catch up in

the second set. Can the British pair build on this?

Broady with a view extra words towards Skupski. The second serve.

This will help. -- Broady with a few extra words. It really helps that

the second serve misses by that much! Three break points. The chance

to turn this around. I imagine he's not going to serve into Naomi's

backhand this time. With that fabulous shot. Oh, he is! What a

game! Isn't that the second day short we

have seen from Svitolina? Yes, a carbon copy of what happened before.

2-0. Oh, got shot! -- good shot. Broady and Skupski have a real head

of steam. Ellie just waiting for all the crowd to come back in and get

behind them. -- just waiting for all the crowd to come back in and get

behind them. Not the cleanest volley that Neal

Skupski will ever hit, but he will take it. That's the only possible

problem when you reverse sides for serving. That's the first time she

has served from this end. A bit tricky. Well played. And the smiles

every turned! -- the smiles have returned. They were subdued for a

while but now they are up and running and enjoying their tennis

again. I'll! This needs to be challenged, I think. They can

challenge. Why don't they? I thought that was out. I must say that I'd

agree, I thought the ball was in. And she saw them hit it. I don't

think they are giving her a replay. Very picky. He could easily say,

replay the point. UMPIRE: The call was after you hit the ball. It was

out. Frankly, I think he's right. I think they just have to swallow it,

and make sure that they don't lose concentration. Here it is a game. I

think you're right, I think it was in. I saw the white come up.

Hawk-Eye confirms that it was in. Yes! It matters not any more! They

are 3-0 in front! What a fightback! From Neal Skupski

and Naomi Broady, British wildcards. In this third round in the Wimbledon

Mixed Doubles. It's like Piccadilly Circus. We've got a new set of line

judges coming out, new balls, everything happening. I'm always

amazed by how many people it takes to police a top-level tennis match.

It really does. It's incredible how many people are employed during the

tournament, one way or another. It's probably 100,000. I mean, it's a

lot. So this is a great effort from the two British players. Maybe the

other pair were just leading by a touch, but the standard was high in

the first set. Some really good points going on. 0-3.

Mergea hit some really neat shots. That one came out of nowhere. A damp

volley. -- a dump volley. Very pretty to

watch, very skilful hands. He's got a big range of shotmaking

capabilities, the remaining. -- the Romanian. Ranked 1180 in the world

in singles but in the top 40 in doubles. Speaking of doubles, double

fault from Svitolina. The second of the match from the

Ukrainian-Romanian pair. Oh, a swing and eight miss from

Broady. -- a swing and miss. Naomi just yelled at him to get there, she

was so busy watching him scurrying forward, Skupski, that she became a

spectator instead of a participant. Neal Skupski serving, 3-1. That's a

great return. We've seen that before. The blocked backhand. Short

backswing, truncated follow-through. Works on him. Look at the size of

those forearms, plenty of strength, that right forearm is twice the size

of the loved one! , she has listed! -- oh, she has missed it! It's a

comedy moment for Broady that she won't like to play this one again.

comedy moment for Broady that she won't like to play this It did not

miss by much. She knew exactly what she had to do, she had the whole of

the court, and, oops. The line moved!

And it seems to be beginning to unravel for Broady and Skupski.

Three break back points. They have played so well but every now and

then they string a couple of errors together. It is fine if you miss one

budget got to tighten up again. -- that you have got to tighten up

again. I think that was a good place to

serve to Mergea. He is very deceptive when he returns off his

backhand. Has hit some good forehands. A good serve! This

happened in the first game of the match, they were 0-40 down, and they

fought back to deuce and went on to take the game. They are fighting

back again. From 0-42 deuce. Good serving! -- from 0-40, two deuce.

Now a chance to move 4-1 in front, when two minutes ago that looked

highly unlikely. Doubles match have this kind of

atmosphere? There was a huge amount of applause because there was a

tremendous comeback and it was all fun, the first three points as well.

It is really good to watch. It is always fun and exhilarating at

Wimbledon and you can see people having a good time. This court has

become famous the last few days. Some really wonderful doubles which

normally you would not get a chance to watch. Plenty of big floppy hats

in evidence this afternoon. The breeze of course... The breeze could

be the devil in disguise because it makes everybody feel a little cooler

and suddenly before they know it, they will all be burned and getting

fried by the hottest son of the year so far. Great hats on display this

afternoon. He has had a little trouble with

that forehand return, when it is close to the body.

Neal Skupski just tried to play the cricket shop to get himself out of

trouble. But could not get close enough to it. A slight mishit from

Svitolina. Nothing mishit about that! It is fine when the ball is a

little further away from him, a beautiful shot.

Incredible return of serve but not quite enough to cross the fence.

Can Skupski and Broady move along and take this second set, they will

have new balls to help them out. We saw the break of serve in the

opening set that cost Skupski and Broady their first set. That break

did come and Ioane's serve. -- and Naomi Broady's serve.

He likes to do that, he likes to nail it right at the person at the

net. It is actually good plate of the person at the net's dodging and

weaving and trying to intercept. He is apologising for the body shot but

he does not really need to. This is worrying. They need a bit of

luck here. Hence the discussion in an attempt to get out of this hole.

Good serve. 112 mph. She sometimes gets the toss a little bit too far

in front of her and I think that is deceptive and the other side of the

net. They might think she is not going to hit it. Big serve, isn't

it? She's certainly... The fastest serve we have seen from a male

opponent was at 130 so she is not far behind him.

A hat-trick of hot serves from Broady.

return was straight at Skupski, he would have hoped to have done

better. They have been playing for exactly an hour and Court Number

One. Oh dear, you tried so hard at the

net. Just coming up short a few times. This has got to hurt Neal

Skupski. Another relatively straightforward backhand volley

finding the Court One net. That will be out. A whole series of

good first serves. It is moving enough to put them off