Day 10

:00:47. > :00:51.track. The weather has cleared, the matches have been completed. The men

:00:52. > :00:54.had their day yesterday. The defending champion has departed but

:00:55. > :01:00.Federer and Novak Djokovic Tremain. But that was then, and this is now.

:01:01. > :01:53.It is time for the ladies to take centre stage.

:01:54. > :01:56.It is girl power all the way on Centre Court this afternoon. This is

:01:57. > :02:23.the order of play today. The players arrived earlier today

:02:24. > :02:27.and here is Lucie Safarova, 27 years of age, and it's great to see her

:02:28. > :02:30.hard work rewarded. Her first time going into a major championship.

:02:31. > :02:40.She's up against someone who knows watches doing. Petra Kvitova. She

:02:41. > :02:47.won the title here before. Simona Halep, she is always cool under

:02:48. > :02:52.pressure and she will be put under pressure by Bouchard, the talk of

:02:53. > :02:55.the tour. A quarterfinal victory asleep at InfoWorld's top ten for

:02:56. > :03:01.the first time. A lot to look forward to on Centre Court. People

:03:02. > :03:06.are watching it on Henman Hill and around Wimbledon. So much to enjoy

:03:07. > :03:10.here, not just the tennis but also the strawberries and cream, but

:03:11. > :03:13.today, it looks like an ice cream all the way with temperatures we

:03:14. > :03:20.have, so everyone enjoying the champagne, the ice cream, and just

:03:21. > :03:25.enjoying the whole experience. Hopefully a future champion, we

:03:26. > :03:30.hope. Dad is there to look after her. What a glorious day to play

:03:31. > :03:34.tennis. Everyone is enjoying the weather and looking forward to some

:03:35. > :03:38.entertaining tennis on Centre Court and we are set for the first

:03:39. > :03:55.semifinal between two good friends and team-mates.

:03:56. > :04:12.That is the first of the semifinals and Petra Kvitova add an early break

:04:13. > :04:17.in the first set but Lucie Safarova of comeback and is showing no sign

:04:18. > :04:22.of nerves in her first Grand Slam semifinal so let's join this weird

:04:23. > :04:52.Kvitova serving to stay in the opening set.

:04:53. > :05:00.Kvitova started the semifinal so well, breaking her friend in the

:05:01. > :05:04.opening game. From the point Safarova got herself back into it,

:05:05. > :05:17.you feel she is the one asking the questions.

:05:18. > :05:23.She is hot and cold. She has the bigger weapons but you never know

:05:24. > :06:01.what's around the corner with Kvitova.

:06:02. > :06:08.That serve is just so hard to deal with. Gets it done with placement,

:06:09. > :06:39.so short in the box. Terrific angle. First set percentages are bubbling

:06:40. > :06:48.around the low 60s, which is all right, but not really serviceable.

:06:49. > :06:54.She uses it as a weapon, so she wanted around 65-70.

:06:55. > :07:00.Kvitova is coming in with first serve its percentage at 64% for the

:07:01. > :08:48.tournament. Such a huge difference when Kvitova

:08:49. > :08:51.is able to get the first Serbian and dictate play. The second one in,

:08:52. > :09:03.Safarova gets a good hit on it. -- serve in. Right up the middle, in

:09:04. > :09:47.the brown patch. She is behind the baseline at the

:09:48. > :09:48.moment. The ground is looking more like unbaked clay, it's beginning to

:09:49. > :10:10.appear. So they will swap ends with Petra

:10:11. > :10:15.Kvitova with the mini-break. It's amazing, the difference in the grass

:10:16. > :10:18.between the first and second, as far as feeling confident in your

:10:19. > :10:24.movement. The first three or four days, the grass has so much moisture

:10:25. > :10:30.in it, particularly on the sides of the court, and you are planting to

:10:31. > :10:36.go back to the middle and you feel like you might slip. It's very dry.

:10:37. > :10:41.Doing a lot of running around on it. It's become a lot more compact. It

:10:42. > :10:53.has been pressed down. So, with a mini-break, Kvitova, 4-2.

:10:54. > :11:05.That's the way she has been all set. Her backhand has been

:11:06. > :11:09.exceptional. Pulling Kvitova wide with the angle, and then firing up

:11:10. > :11:21.the line with accuracy. Goodness me! Only

:11:22. > :11:57.the match, but what quality. That could be very costly. Kvitova,

:11:58. > :12:33.two service points to come. Kvitova paid for trying to place her

:12:34. > :12:41.first serve and she was all over it. A great resilience from Safarova.

:12:42. > :13:06.Mentally strong and looking for that forehand. Back on serve, 5-5.

:13:07. > :13:14.Now, this is the wobbly bit of a tie-break where every other point is

:13:15. > :13:17.big and this is a big one at the moment because Kvitova is on the

:13:18. > :13:33.brink of the first set, and she knows it.

:13:34. > :13:41.That serve was very tricky. Kvitova has not played left-handed this

:13:42. > :13:46.tournament and it was 84 mph. It must have hit the line because it

:13:47. > :13:53.stopped, shot up and Kvitova hit it so early.

:13:54. > :14:04.Centre Court has seen a lot of Petra Kvitova down the years but not seen

:14:05. > :14:09.much of Lucie Safarova and her dad. What we have seen of him and her so

:14:10. > :14:19.far, we have enjoyed and there she is, 6-6 in the tie-break.

:14:20. > :14:26.She gave Alison Hughes along State, wondering whether to challenge or

:14:27. > :14:53.not, but the umpire assured her the call was good. -- a long stare.

:14:54. > :15:12.This time it is set point on the Kvitova serve.

:15:13. > :15:27.Her coach leaves the applause. What a wonderful way to start semifinal

:15:28. > :15:34.stage here on Centre Court. That was 51 minutes of some quality, Tracy

:15:35. > :15:38.Austin. Yes, not much between them. A little extra experience at the end

:15:39. > :15:48.about tie-break. A couple of miscues from Safarova. This is what it means

:15:49. > :15:53.to Kvitova, to get that one set lead. A little bit of session in the

:15:54. > :16:02.scoreline. Not under quite so much pressure. And the coach, who was one

:16:03. > :16:08.of her best friends, off the court, through those tricky times when she

:16:09. > :16:13.was Wimbledon champion, she relied on him.

:16:14. > :16:22.These are the statistics. Kvitova was able to get her first serve

:16:23. > :16:32.percentage to 66%. That was just towards the end of the second set.

:16:33. > :16:37.Next points for Kvitova, one from one. Normally she is more than that

:16:38. > :16:42.but Safarova has been keeping the ball so deepen penetrating, not

:16:43. > :16:49.allowing Petra to get near the court. She is one half dozen

:16:50. > :16:58.tournaments since her day of days here in 2011. Wimbledon champion,

:16:59. > :17:03.Petra Kvitova, U.S. Open champion, Tracy Austin, it's something you

:17:04. > :17:09.have to carry around with you for life. Absolutely. Most of us

:17:10. > :17:11.thought, when she won Wimbledon in 2011, she would've won plenty more

:17:12. > :17:17.Grand Slams by now this type of game. Certainly got the weapons. And

:17:18. > :17:31.the former champion is ahead. She starts the second set.

:17:32. > :17:38.I just wonder whether we will see Kvitova play much more freely. She

:17:39. > :17:44.seemed a little tight in that first set. I think, with the expectations

:17:45. > :17:52.of playing someone ranked so much lower than her, a fellow countryman,

:17:53. > :17:58.a good friend, practice partner... With that first set and her belt,

:17:59. > :18:14.now she can play with more freedom. That under her belt.

:18:15. > :18:20.Safarova has been a top 50 player for the last four years. 20

:18:21. > :18:24.Wimbledon ranked 23rd in the world. She is 15 of six finals on tour but

:18:25. > :18:37.nothing like this. I think it's worth mentioning

:18:38. > :18:41.again, this is her ninth Wimbledon, and the best she'd ever done before

:18:42. > :18:43.was the third round back in 2007, so this is a big challenge for

:18:44. > :19:03.Safarova. What you remember of your two

:19:04. > :19:07.Wimbledon semifinals? Your first one, 1979 against Martina. Do you

:19:08. > :19:16.tend to hold much about in your mind? How much do you think about

:19:17. > :19:20.it? The one with Martina was so difficult because her game was

:19:21. > :19:25.tailor-made to the surface, the left-handed serve and volley. I

:19:26. > :19:28.remember more of the Evonne Goolagong match. I felt it had more

:19:29. > :19:34.of a chance in that one on this surface, I should say. Well, she's

:19:35. > :20:09.experiencing memories she will have for ever. Hopefully happy ones.

:20:10. > :20:15.One of the keys to the way she has played this fortnight, played this

:20:16. > :20:16.year really, have been the quality of the ball striking off both sides,

:20:17. > :20:33.the right and the left. I was talking to her coach on the

:20:34. > :20:39.women's tour, who knows both of these players very well, having

:20:40. > :20:41.looked after Ana Ivanovic, and one thing which struck him, looking for

:20:42. > :20:44.differences, it's the quality of the thing which struck him, looking for

:20:45. > :20:46.ball striking on both a forehand on the background from Safarova these

:20:47. > :20:59.days. That, however, was a close run thing

:21:00. > :21:06.from the other side of the net. Yes, I agree with that. Safarova was

:21:07. > :21:10.always known for being a left-handed server, opening the court with it,

:21:11. > :21:12.but always trying to control it with a forehand but the backhand, she's

:21:13. > :21:28.much more solid now. That was one of those shots where

:21:29. > :21:30.all Safarova could do was throw her head back in disbelief. Two break

:21:31. > :22:20.points. Talking of Safarova and her drawer

:22:21. > :22:23.leading up to the semifinals, Kvitova have a third-round clash

:22:24. > :22:27.against another former champion Venus Williams and in the second

:22:28. > :22:33.such was two points away from defeat, so a very tight match.

:22:34. > :22:35.Kvitova has talked about that match as being crucial for her confidence.

:22:36. > :22:43.She said she felt it was the best grasscourt tennis she has played

:22:44. > :23:00.since with Wimbledon champion here in 2011. Back to deuce.

:23:01. > :23:06.No grass in that brown patch. The ball is going to move through it

:23:07. > :23:09.even faster and stay lower. She has got the break right at the

:23:10. > :23:37.start of the second set. We talked a little bit about Petra

:23:38. > :23:43.Kvitova's mental resolve, whether she would loosen up a bit. What's

:23:44. > :23:52.played a part in sorting her head it is that man, her mental coach, and

:23:53. > :24:18.he has done a job to settle her down and convinced her she belongs here.

:24:19. > :24:25.As the prize money has gone up just about every year, players have been

:24:26. > :24:29.able to afford adding to the entourage. Every five years we seem

:24:30. > :24:33.to see another member of the entourage and I think is also worth

:24:34. > :24:36.it, because the margins are so small between the top players, between

:24:37. > :25:08.wins and losses. Their friendship has been

:25:09. > :25:13.temporarily suspended for the duration of the semifinal, I think

:25:14. > :25:54.it's fair to say. There was real intent in that one.

:25:55. > :25:59.When talk about how tough it is to play a friend, the only relationship

:26:00. > :26:03.that would be even tougher, playing your sister. Venus and Serena have

:26:04. > :26:06.had to do that's only times over the years. Talk about blocking the other

:26:07. > :26:22.person out of your mind. -- so many times. That is exquisite.

:26:23. > :26:23.The timing! She's adding to her collection of returns in the service

:26:24. > :27:47.game. That was another. Excellent serve from Kvitova because

:27:48. > :27:51.usually she likes that one up key. -- up the tea. She has done a good

:27:52. > :28:09.job of mixing her serves up. This is a velvet lined box of

:28:10. > :28:12.service returns. Just a quick split step, a slight shoulder turn, and

:28:13. > :28:32.moves forward. Short backswing. It's so important for Kvitova to

:28:33. > :28:59.hold here and get 3-0. A nice cushion in the scoreline.

:29:00. > :29:08.Bacall confirmed by the umpire. -- the call.

:29:09. > :29:19.Once again, it has a right old scrapbook Kvitova comes through. You

:29:20. > :29:23.were talking about the direction of Kvitova's service, where she chooses

:29:24. > :29:28.to put them. We have a graphic illustration of exactly what he's

:29:29. > :29:41.doing at the moment. Likes to serve up the middle the best. She's also

:29:42. > :29:46.been doing a nice job, to the Safarova backhand so Safarova

:29:47. > :29:51.reverie dashing really having to guess. Look at the wide one here.

:29:52. > :29:55.She loves that one. She opens the court and if she can get it short

:29:56. > :29:59.enough in the service box, her opponent has to be so far outside

:30:00. > :30:05.the Ali Bubba court is wide open the second shot. It's a devil of an

:30:06. > :30:30.angle. It helps that Kvitova is six foot tall.

:30:31. > :30:33.Safarova has played so well. She needs to get back to work on here.

:30:34. > :32:13.She is one break down. Safarova is doing a very good job in

:32:14. > :32:14.keeping Kvitova off-balance. Not good enough from the scoreline. But

:32:15. > :32:29.better-than-expected. That is the adjustment that you need

:32:30. > :32:35.to make. Awkward bounce on the grass. And the feet need to keep

:32:36. > :32:56.moving, you need even better footwork on this surface.

:32:57. > :33:04.If we talk about that little step, that little shuffle. To make sure

:33:05. > :33:12.you are exactly in the right position on this surface. It is

:33:13. > :33:20.worthwhile spending some time looking at their feet and movement.

:33:21. > :33:33.You can hear it as well, that scuffling on the turf.

:33:34. > :33:41.That split step happens one fraction of the second before your opponent

:33:42. > :33:46.hits the ball and that needs to happen on every single shot, except

:33:47. > :34:11.for the server. You need to spring to the right and left.

:34:12. > :34:15.Time is running out. You feel the need for Safarova to do something

:34:16. > :34:43.special. I am very impressed with her we turn

:34:44. > :35:06.today. Hard and deep up the middle. -- her we turn. -- her return.

:35:07. > :35:13.Nobody minds the screaming. It is a light shriek whenever they hit the

:35:14. > :35:37.ball, people are not so happy with that.

:35:38. > :36:10.Deep breath. Again, Kvitova was late on that forehand.

:36:11. > :36:29.And that one was angled at the body of Safarova. Very important from

:36:30. > :36:37.Kvitova, right at her body. That is the cardinal sin, you must find

:36:38. > :36:51.somewhere to get it back in play. Keep applying pressure.

:36:52. > :36:58.Safarova has only seen two different break points today. And has only

:36:59. > :37:43.broken one time in the first set. As hard as she tried, Safarova could

:37:44. > :37:48.not hold that quick enough. And that, you think, might we are very

:37:49. > :37:56.big hold, having to fend off that the point. She moves within a couple

:37:57. > :38:04.of games to the final. On the hottest day of the day -- of the

:38:05. > :38:09.year, I am not sure how much Petra Kvitova is suffering from asthma,

:38:10. > :38:15.Carol told me there is a very high pollen count. You can guarantee that

:38:16. > :38:20.somewhere in her bag will be some lotions and potions. That does

:38:21. > :38:30.occasionally a factor, but not so much today. -- effect her. I'm not

:38:31. > :38:39.sure the size of the bag you would need to keep those in! And Colin

:38:40. > :38:53.Firth. And the chairman's wife on his right hand side. Impossible to

:38:54. > :39:00.beat. That little patch of green. All eyes are focused on it at the

:39:01. > :39:03.moment. One person who is left, she was in the box for Lucie Safarova,

:39:04. > :40:33.her doubles partner. No doubt in her mind that the game

:40:34. > :40:39.from Kvitova is definitely elevating this second set, she does feel a lot

:40:40. > :40:43.less pressure, and Safarova is not playing quite as consistently and

:40:44. > :41:07.with as much penetration. You are absolutely right. It was

:41:08. > :41:12.actually the woman who had been here before who seemed to be wound up in

:41:13. > :41:13.chains and the woman who was experiencing that for the very first

:41:14. > :41:28.time, but that has turned round. You would think the

:41:29. > :41:37.has been serving, and that You would think the

:41:38. > :42:09.Safarova's father, these would be match points.

:42:10. > :42:20.The sky does not even look real. The reality of the situation for Kvitova

:42:21. > :42:21.could not be brighter. Here she is, serving for another trip to the

:42:22. > :42:44.final. There is no doubt that this is a

:42:45. > :42:48.favourite Grand Slam Justin Gimelstob, she has been so

:42:49. > :42:53.consistent here, she has reached at least the quarterfinals for the

:42:54. > :43:02.fifth consecutive year. No question, her favourite court.

:43:03. > :43:25.It has been all right on the way to Wimbledon for Kvitova, but so often,

:43:26. > :43:28.this place just does bring out the best in her. It does inspire the

:43:29. > :44:18.That long look at her coach. best and she has been inspired.

:44:19. > :44:27.And the that had been suspended for 80 minutes has been renamed. -- the

:44:28. > :44:38.friendship. Petra Kvitova takes place once again in the Wimbledon

:44:39. > :44:48.final. -- takes place. She is having a fabulous tournament, the first

:44:49. > :44:51.final of the year for her. And really starting to come into play,

:44:52. > :44:57.and that is a wonderful reaction from the fans for Lucie Safarova,

:44:58. > :45:01.the tournament of her life, her first time on Centre Court. And she

:45:02. > :45:08.did a brilliant job, particularly in that first set. She handled the

:45:09. > :45:13.situation beautifully. There was a point in the tie-break when you

:45:14. > :45:17.thought that Safarova was going to do it but in hindsight, if she was

:45:18. > :45:21.in the final, she really had to win that first set because right at the

:45:22. > :45:27.start of the second set, it was a very different Petra Kvitova we were

:45:28. > :45:35.watching, she was relaxed, she almost reaffirmed that this was her

:45:36. > :45:47.court. This is where she blossoms. Nice to see such a very big smile on

:45:48. > :45:53.her face. Very difficult situation today, playing such a good friend,

:45:54. > :45:57.somebody who have known for so long, they played at the same club in the

:45:58. > :46:06.Czech Republic. Team members as well. She did seem more and nervous

:46:07. > :46:19.in the match were on her, but she did handle it well. -- and the

:46:20. > :46:27.expectations in the match. They will be back here on Saturday afternoon.

:46:28. > :46:40.That was her point. And this is her moment. And she was into the

:46:41. > :46:45.Wimbledon final once again. She will have a few words... Congratulations,

:46:46. > :46:56.back in the final at Wimbledon, how does it feel? Great, definitely. It

:46:57. > :47:02.was a very tough match, mentally. She is a good friend of mine. We

:47:03. > :47:08.know each other very well. I knew that she could play her best and she

:47:09. > :47:16.did, actually. I am just happy that I won this. You did look in complete

:47:17. > :47:23.command in the second set? Yes, from the beginning of the second set,

:47:24. > :47:29.since winning the tie-break, and she was serving for the first time, but

:47:30. > :47:33.I just kept it going. We have spoken earlier about the fact that being

:47:34. > :47:38.the champion coming back, it has been difficult, but you are now

:47:39. > :47:46.going for the title again. How excited are you? It is great. Just

:47:47. > :47:51.the emotion from this match but to go to the final, and I will try my

:47:52. > :47:57.best out there. I know the feeling when you hold the trophy. I want to

:47:58. > :48:05.win my second title. We wish you the best of luck. Well done.

:48:06. > :48:10.SUE BARKER: So, that was a wonderful performance, that first set

:48:11. > :48:12.tie-break was crucial, she then took command of the match and she is due

:48:13. > :48:20.to the final of Wimbledon once again. The light from her camp. And

:48:21. > :48:27.delight from two very good friends but rivals today. But Petra Kvitova

:48:28. > :48:36.is through to the final and she will be back on Saturday. The first

:48:37. > :48:39.semifinal has been completed, there will be that short break before the

:48:40. > :48:44.players come for the second but we have plenty to entertain you. The

:48:45. > :48:50.first set did look so good and competitive. It went away from her?

:48:51. > :48:53.It fell apart, she handed forehand and she was one set up to him that

:48:54. > :49:03.approach down the line and she missed that, that reminded me of

:49:04. > :49:06.yesterday. With Stan Wawrinka. Those crucial moments are so important and

:49:07. > :49:10.we saw that from Lucie Safarova in the past and a number of times this

:49:11. > :49:17.year, she has almost taken at the top player. Petra Kvitova has so

:49:18. > :49:20.much more experience in this situation and you could see that in

:49:21. > :49:25.the second set when she faced that break point and she have that second

:49:26. > :49:30.serve, for Lucie Safarova to get back, and she missed that. Those

:49:31. > :49:34.margins are so small in these matches and in every match, but that

:49:35. > :49:39.is where those top payers can elevate. I was talking about that

:49:40. > :49:44.serve with Petra Kvitova and how that might dominate. Particularly,

:49:45. > :49:51.in the end, it did. We have some examples. This is such a weapon?

:49:52. > :49:55.Absolutely, for the most part, it goes to the forehand of Lucie

:49:56. > :50:01.Safarova. But that has such a very nice swing on it, around the outside

:50:02. > :50:05.of the ball, on the left-hand side, and it swings away from her

:50:06. > :50:12.opponent, even if they can get a hold of that, it is not a terrific

:50:13. > :50:15.return. But the second serve, Lucie Safarova, I was really impressed

:50:16. > :50:21.with that return. Standing so close to the baseline, hitting the ball

:50:22. > :50:24.well out in front. Great connection. Lucie Safarova, I am sure she is

:50:25. > :50:31.tremendously disappointed, but she played well, but at 27, there is

:50:32. > :50:37.maybe more there. This will give confidence moving forward. Petra

:50:38. > :50:41.Kvitova, she got loose in the second set and once that first set was

:50:42. > :50:47.under her belt, it felt like she had more time. I am always worried about

:50:48. > :50:53.Petra Kvitova because she did look tight in that first set, but she

:50:54. > :50:58.then relaxes. She must get over those nerves. That is why she has

:50:59. > :51:03.that guy for that psychological advantage? She needs the biggest

:51:04. > :51:11.coach at the moment, David, he has done all of his job. When she did

:51:12. > :51:16.win here in 2011, she barely one matches for the next four months. At

:51:17. > :51:21.the end of 2011, she won the Championships but she was not used

:51:22. > :51:25.to all of those expectations and pressure and with those strokes,

:51:26. > :51:29.heading so hard and flat, there is very little margin for error. She is

:51:30. > :51:33.a little bit late and tight, she does back away from the ball little

:51:34. > :51:39.bit and the ball will spray, predict an on the forehand, that is why we

:51:40. > :51:43.can see so much fluctuation, when she is dictating and controlling,

:51:44. > :51:48.her opponent is really reacting to her but at the same time, around the

:51:49. > :51:52.corner, there might be a very different Petra Kvitova coming

:51:53. > :51:56.along. That is the part of her game that she does need to improve and

:51:57. > :52:01.she did get to the top, she has been number two, she is one match away

:52:02. > :52:07.from being number one, leading in that match and she let that go. That

:52:08. > :52:09.has been the difficult part. Petra Kvitova is through to the final on

:52:10. > :52:15.Saturday and will face either Eugenie Bouchard or Simona Halep.

:52:16. > :52:23.Andy Murray might be out but we do have a home-grown grand slam

:52:24. > :52:27.champion. She is 22 years old, she has a brittle bone disease but this

:52:28. > :52:30.year, she became the first British woman to win the wheelchair title,

:52:31. > :52:36.she won doubles in Australia and woman to win the wheelchair title,

:52:37. > :52:47.also at the French Open. We shall acquaint ourselves with this rising

:52:48. > :52:58.star. They named me Jordan after Michael Jordan. Growing up, I was a

:52:59. > :53:05.very big fan of Rafa Nadal but that was because I fancied him. I hate

:53:06. > :53:17.the travelling, I like landing! You have to support Arsenal. I like to

:53:18. > :53:22.play quite aggressive. I grew up in a very nice area, my father was a

:53:23. > :53:29.former Paralympian, he had bronze on the track in 1984 and teacher -- he

:53:30. > :53:35.retired and he took up wheelchair tennis as a hobby and when I was

:53:36. > :53:40.three months old, my dad was burping me and he leaned forward and I broke

:53:41. > :53:45.my theme. And that was it. They diagnosed me. My mother said I broke

:53:46. > :53:51.my leg 26 times. It was tough because I could not go to sleep --

:53:52. > :53:56.sleepovers or birthday parties and I was always breaking. My mother had

:53:57. > :54:01.to watch me because I could climb over things come onto my father's

:54:02. > :54:07.whinger. The primary schools would not take me because I was disabled.

:54:08. > :54:10.They wanted me to go to a very special school and my mother did not

:54:11. > :54:14.want me to so she did battle to get me in and I finally got in and it

:54:15. > :54:20.happened, it was a very nice cool. High school was different, it was

:54:21. > :54:24.quite tough. I was going through major surgery on my legs. I had both

:54:25. > :54:34.of my legs in plaster, for a very long time, and the kids were not

:54:35. > :54:40.very nice. But I had tennis. It was only when I left school that I was

:54:41. > :54:46.able to walk unaided, I went to the prom and was not allowed to wear

:54:47. > :54:53.high heels! As a child, I was always daddy's. He just has a special bond

:54:54. > :54:58.with me, he knew that this pain was excruciating, he took me to

:54:59. > :55:04.training, he trained me with the forehand and backhand and he is

:55:05. > :55:07.pretty cool. As he got older, he did not seem to get older, he looks

:55:08. > :55:14.exactly the same as I remember from earliest moments. I never really had

:55:15. > :55:20.a role model. Because I have always lived up to my dad. Whenever I

:55:21. > :55:27.reached 13, those dreaded teenage years, I was rebelling against dad.

:55:28. > :55:33.I think it was me winning the national is at 14 that made me

:55:34. > :55:40.realise, I thought I could be good at this. -- nationals. London 2012,

:55:41. > :55:51.that has to be my proudest moment. I won the bronze medal. Nothing will

:55:52. > :55:57.ever beat that. This year, I'm going for all the Grand Slams. It is

:55:58. > :56:02.always nice to see I have won all four of them consecutively. That is

:56:03. > :56:05.a different scale to everything else because of the emotion I felt

:56:06. > :56:11.whenever I won bronze, nothing will ever compare to that. I have to win

:56:12. > :56:15.throughout the year. Nothing will ever compare to winning the medal at

:56:16. > :56:28.Mayo Olympic Games. Unless I win the gold medal at real! -- Rio. The

:56:29. > :56:30.wheelchair tennis gets underway tomorrow and if you want to get

:56:31. > :56:40.involved with tennis, visit the website. Get inspired. All the

:56:41. > :56:45.details are there. And Sam Smith has joined us. That was a wonderful

:56:46. > :56:52.story, she wants to win all four Grand Slams. She plays very well?

:56:53. > :56:56.Great character, and I did not hear her name too much until I was in

:56:57. > :57:00.Paris if you mix a girl and she was talking about winning in Australia

:57:01. > :57:03.and profile is going up and her personality has a lot to do with

:57:04. > :57:11.that. Wheelchair tennis has moved on. You have played against

:57:12. > :57:17.wheelchair tennis players? In ten years, the lightness of the

:57:18. > :57:22.wheelchairs can improve and the grip and they can manoeuvre, they have

:57:23. > :57:28.the same group as Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer. Really incredible

:57:29. > :57:33.athletes. And that upper body strength. They really enjoy

:57:34. > :57:37.travelling around the world and I have so much respect for everything

:57:38. > :57:42.they do. We wish her well in her quest for the Wimbledon title. We

:57:43. > :57:47.have certainly been inspired by many of the commentary team and tennis

:57:48. > :58:06.players who have been taking part in this challenge. Watch this,

:58:07. > :58:11.everybody. This is Clare Balding. I will have a very work attempt at

:58:12. > :58:17.this. Not for lack of trying, just technique. -- a very poor attempt.

:58:18. > :58:33.The hassles have not gone well. Here we go. -- reef personals. --

:58:34. > :59:02.rehearsals. I can do that! I am out of breath! Get set, go!

:59:03. > :59:29.40? That was bad. One more try. I am not going to get better than that.

:59:30. > :59:32.90! Andy Murray, keep practising! Tim Henman says he has had more

:59:33. > :59:37.reaction from people on this challenge and either the commentary

:59:38. > :59:42.or even his tennis. He tops leaderboard from Murray, Rafa Nadal

:59:43. > :59:51.and Mark Petchey. What a performance! Lot of fun. If you are

:59:52. > :59:56.a very young tennis player starting off, particularly as a female, you

:59:57. > :00:01.don't often use your feet that way. It is great to stand at the back of

:00:02. > :00:08.the court and practice your keepy-uppy. We don't often go around

:00:09. > :00:14.kicking footballs. I would be like Clare Balding. You don't do that.

:00:15. > :00:17.When I was getting older, one could say, start doing that! Get

:00:18. > :00:29.coordinated with your feet. Very important. And throwing? Throwing

:00:30. > :00:34.doesn't come naturally to us. We have footballs in the warm up, and

:00:35. > :00:38.we had to throw footballs back and forth to get used to the motion. You

:00:39. > :00:44.will see lots of players playing each service box, playing football

:00:45. > :00:51.back and forth and playing a game to each other because it's so good. I

:00:52. > :00:57.can see you've done this often. Not in the shoes escalation

:00:58. > :01:04.May Day could take Tim Henman honour. We have asked this request

:01:05. > :01:05.because we want to see Mark Petchey one more time just to embarrass

:01:06. > :01:20.them. That's about as good as it's going

:01:21. > :01:26.to get. I don't think is ever going to live that down. He can never go

:01:27. > :01:33.back to Essex ever again. No cameras will be near him,. I have a

:01:34. > :01:39.chickened out totally for sure. Not long before our second semifinal but

:01:40. > :01:41.what has been fascinating is the new stars would have come through the

:01:42. > :01:47.tournament, not just at Wimbledon but all through the tour. We have

:01:48. > :01:52.been gauging reaction from the very top of the game about this new

:01:53. > :01:55.generation of stars. The current women's game, we've seen some great

:01:56. > :02:02.young stars potential stars of the future coming through. Like Bouchard

:02:03. > :02:07.and Halep. Do you think there was a changing of the guard? Or the last

:02:08. > :02:11.couple of years, we've had a mix of rising stars and established stars

:02:12. > :02:17.and what we're seeing now are a few of these rising stars coming through

:02:18. > :02:21.and sustaining their play and knocking off some of the established

:02:22. > :02:24.stars which has been great for fans. We've had a very exciting,

:02:25. > :02:33.dramatic, great quality tennis from the fans in 2014. There's a totally

:02:34. > :02:37.different vibe this year in women's tennis and it's good because we've

:02:38. > :02:40.been waiting for these young players to come through and a lot of players

:02:41. > :02:47.are from different countries which helps to grow the sport globally. Do

:02:48. > :02:51.you feel the quality of tennis is increasing or a different type of

:02:52. > :02:54.player coming through? They are better. Every generation gets

:02:55. > :02:59.better. They wanted. These young people are great. Great people. They

:03:00. > :03:06.are going to make women's tennis shine for the next eight years. Each

:03:07. > :03:15.generation dials it up. I think we are seeing that when you watch

:03:16. > :03:19.Bouchard play and they are adapting. Bouchard is much closer, taking the

:03:20. > :03:27.ball much earlier. We've seen players hanging back for the last

:03:28. > :03:32.couple of years. Townsend mixes it up. I think it's great, the variety,

:03:33. > :03:35.which is good for the fans. It's still good to see the older ones

:03:36. > :03:41.dealing with the younger ones coming up but I must tell you, I have been

:03:42. > :03:48.there. I have been coming here for 54 years and it's always harder on

:03:49. > :03:50.the younger ones. They take a stand. You just have to love the

:03:51. > :03:55.competition. It is so competitive and that's why I love to watch. No

:03:56. > :04:03.one was better competitive and Billie Jean King. Also Stacey

:04:04. > :04:07.Alistair, head of the WTA. Exciting times for women's tennis. It feels

:04:08. > :04:11.like this generation believes they are on their way to the top.

:04:12. > :04:25.Absolutely, Serena Williams and stole the ball in the world. And Li

:04:26. > :04:34.Na, she won. Maria Sharapova, 27. Eugenie Bouchard is making waves.

:04:35. > :04:36.Halep. Simona Halep was 32, and Bouchard was 66

:04:37. > :04:40.Halep. Simona Halep was 32, and been so consistent, the most wins of

:04:41. > :04:45.everybody in Grand Slam matches this year and then you add to that

:04:46. > :04:51.Madison Keys, who won Eastbourne. A massive forehand. Didn't do well

:04:52. > :04:58.here but she has been on the tour, making a big noise for the last

:04:59. > :05:04.year. You can really see the future getting bright for women's ten. You

:05:05. > :05:05.mentioned the names Bouchard and Halep. They are two the next

:05:06. > :05:36.generation of champions. That is what are looking forward to.

:05:37. > :05:41.Eugenie Bouchard, the 20-year-old on the tour up against Simona Halep,

:05:42. > :05:44.the number three seed, a player who has been banking well in the last 18

:05:45. > :05:56.months. Let's hear from her. It is an amazing match for me. I

:05:57. > :06:01.played well, I came back really well. In the beginning, she served

:06:02. > :06:04.really strong, and I was a little bit lost on court, but then I came

:06:05. > :06:08.back and I found my confidence again. I just felt that I can win

:06:09. > :06:25.that match. Because I have more confidence in

:06:26. > :06:29.myself, it's easier to play on every surface full on a clay court, I

:06:30. > :06:34.played well in the French Open, so now I'm really happy I could make

:06:35. > :06:38.the semifinals again. I like it on grass because the balls come very

:06:39. > :06:43.fast. It is my style to play close to the baseline and finish the point

:06:44. > :06:44.of very fast. For sure, I will do everything I can to

:06:45. > :06:51.of very fast. For sure, I will do expect a very tough match. A lot of

:06:52. > :06:54.people are saying it's the showcase for the next generation of ladies,

:06:55. > :07:01.going head-to-head with Bouchard out there. What do you think about? I

:07:02. > :07:06.think she will be on the top five soon. She is a great player, younger

:07:07. > :07:12.than me. I expect it will be a fight, I think. Still, I'm really

:07:13. > :07:18.happy I can play against her. We have new names, so that's good. I

:07:19. > :07:23.wanted to play with Maria Sharapova regained but, still, I'm happy to

:07:24. > :07:28.play with Eugenie Bouchard. I have confidence in myself I can win that

:07:29. > :07:35.match. I have got to enjoy my first semifinals here at Wimbledon and

:07:36. > :07:39.just to be happy on court. My thanks to Tracy and Samer Fulford I'm now

:07:40. > :07:43.joined by the commentary team for this match, John McEnroe into

:07:44. > :07:50.Davenport. It looks like the dream matchup. I think Bouchard is a

:07:51. > :07:54.little bit more comfortable on the grass, but Halep had a good-looking

:07:55. > :08:03.drawer and I think because of that, her confidence has grown. These are

:08:04. > :08:08.two up and comers. Simona reminds me of Justine Henin. A bit of work to

:08:09. > :08:14.do. Bouchard is following in the footsteps of Maria Sharapova. She is

:08:15. > :08:19.a better match player but Bouchard moves batter and has youth on her

:08:20. > :08:24.side. She has a great chance to win this. She doesn't look intimidated

:08:25. > :08:28.by the occasion. She's had two Grand Slam semifinal for the liberties

:08:29. > :08:32.loving it. That's what you can't teach. She wants the big matches, to

:08:33. > :08:36.be on the show court, to play the best, and she will have learned from

:08:37. > :08:40.the previous two Grand Slam semis, the Australian, the French, and

:08:41. > :08:43.looks at herself as a player who should win this tournament this

:08:44. > :08:48.year, and she wants it more than anybody else. Simona Halep, she's

:08:49. > :08:52.getting better and better as she goes through the match. Some

:08:53. > :08:57.extenuating circumstances, I believe, but she has been wearing

:08:58. > :09:03.that strap the whole time. It doesn't seem to be an issue.

:09:04. > :09:07.Bouchard will have to have the wheels big-time and see the ball

:09:08. > :09:11.early and react. Otherwise, she will be on her heels little bit, so

:09:12. > :09:15.absolutely shows she is learning quickly. She is a tremendous talent

:09:16. > :09:23.and it's nice to see someone of her height doing as well she is doing.

:09:24. > :09:29.Very few unforced errors. You have to work hard to beat her. You do.

:09:30. > :09:32.She works well defensively and offensively. What I love about her

:09:33. > :09:35.game is she not afraid to move in a few steps and take a few chances.

:09:36. > :09:40.We've seen from other players who like to play defence and that's why

:09:41. > :09:46.she's done well on the grass so far. She's trying to add that more into

:09:47. > :09:50.her game, being more offensive, and she's only played one player in the

:09:51. > :09:58.top 20. A bit of a good draw for Halep so far. We've heard from

:09:59. > :10:02.Simona so let's hear from Eugenie. When you think of tennis history,

:10:03. > :10:09.you think of Wimbledon. I love the feel, the grass. I love playing in

:10:10. > :10:13.all white. I love all the traditions. It's my favourite

:10:14. > :10:16.tournament of the year, and I think it's the most prestigious stop that

:10:17. > :10:32.we have on the calendar. It's been a remarkable year for you,

:10:33. > :10:38.hasn't it? It's been a good year, I think. I'm always proud of my

:10:39. > :10:41.results, but never satisfied, so I lost in the semis of two slams this

:10:42. > :10:45.year and I always want to go further, one step further, so that's

:10:46. > :10:49.always the goal. I'm always working every day to try to achieve that.

:10:50. > :10:55.Are you surprised yourself what you have done? No, I'm not surprised. I

:10:56. > :10:59.have put a lot hard work. Hours and hours on the court and in the gym.

:11:00. > :11:03.It's been a long time in the making, not an overnight thing. It's

:11:04. > :11:09.definitely not surprising and it's a bit more expected to me. I have this

:11:10. > :11:12.in the back of my mind, with all the hard work and belief in myself, I

:11:13. > :11:19.believe I can achieve good things. So people at your age would get so

:11:20. > :11:23.far and then there are so other distractions. Why have you achieved

:11:24. > :11:28.what you have achieved? I've always been driven. Whether it's my tennis

:11:29. > :11:31.or homework, I want to be the best. I've had discipline from a young age

:11:32. > :11:35.and it's important in tennis to give the motivation going, and I really

:11:36. > :11:42.want this. I want to win a Grand Slam one day. And try to be as good

:11:43. > :11:49.as I can be in tennis, and iced -- I enjoy it as well. The semifinal?

:11:50. > :11:53.What are your thoughts? Simona is playing well, third in the world for

:11:54. > :11:56.good reasons I'm expecting a good battle for the body changes

:11:57. > :12:00.direction well on the court from going to step in, play my game and

:12:01. > :12:05.we will see what happens. You get the feeling that watches got to do.

:12:06. > :12:10.She can dictate this match. What is in the water in Canada? We've got

:12:11. > :12:17.some work to do in America. Bouchard is talking as if she's going to be

:12:18. > :12:24.number one in the world. It's going to pay off in the long run, but

:12:25. > :12:33.Eugenie is 20 and looks even younger. It will pay off when I get

:12:34. > :12:42.to my age, believe me. They are doing something right up north. Bob

:12:43. > :12:45.Brett has been the guy who has been in Canada four years working with

:12:46. > :12:50.the Canadian federation, so now he has done the work over there so we

:12:51. > :12:56.have got him back over here. He knows what is talking about. This

:12:57. > :13:02.certainly does. She had a great Circle hits ball so hard. Similar to

:13:03. > :13:04.Kvitova comment that first match, she is a more aggressive player.

:13:05. > :13:06.Kvitova comment that first match, match is more in

:13:07. > :13:11.Kvitova comment that first match, and she takes the ball early. Every

:13:12. > :13:16.Kvitova comment that first match, single return in the baseline, she

:13:17. > :13:20.will look to do that again against Halep who doesn't have the biggest

:13:21. > :13:25.of serves. She likes to dictate with a forehand. Can she be consistent

:13:26. > :13:30.enough? That'll be the determining factor. The conditions favour

:13:31. > :13:35.Bouchard right now. The ball will move quicker. It will give Halep

:13:36. > :13:39.less time to react. It will be interesting to see if she can handle

:13:40. > :13:42.Bouchard's pace. Although it's warm at the moment, there are some gusts

:13:43. > :13:48.of wind which could have an impact as well. Bouchard, watching him the

:13:49. > :13:52.semifinal of the French Open, she handles the big occasions well.

:13:53. > :14:04.She's very mature by the way she talks. She is ready for this. Two

:14:05. > :14:09.years ago, she won the juniors. Last, I was watching a on Court

:14:10. > :14:13.number 18 and she more or less threw in the towel, so she's learned a lot

:14:14. > :14:18.in a short period of time and become a better player. Here they are,

:14:19. > :14:21.ready and waiting. Bouchard has been the semifinals of the Australian and

:14:22. > :14:28.French, so not as strange situation for her. Lindsay, it was at a big

:14:29. > :14:33.moment for not only here but for Romanian tennis. Such a great moment

:14:34. > :14:36.and she competed so hard in one manner best played women's Grand

:14:37. > :14:43.Slam finals I've seen for quite some time but I'm so pleased with how she

:14:44. > :14:48.has backed it up here. She could've said it's her favourite surface, but

:14:49. > :14:57.is a fighter, but she has a huge heart but she plays for almost

:14:58. > :15:02.everyone in Romania as well. Her manager won the French Open back in

:15:03. > :15:04.the 70s. She said it caused such a big story in Romania and here they

:15:05. > :15:24.come for the second semifinal. When you look at Bouchard, what

:15:25. > :15:27.impresses me is how early she takes the ball, she almost had said inside

:15:28. > :15:28.the baseline and that the real talent.

:15:29. > :15:32.the baseline and that the real You can't teach that. That's one of

:15:33. > :15:38.the reasons why people expect her to in multiple majors. I like the half

:15:39. > :15:43.an hour break, though. That's a good thing, giving the players at that

:15:44. > :15:49.time frame as to when they are going to get on the court. You can go out,

:15:50. > :15:55.by some merchandise, if you're in the crowd. We get to talk even more.

:15:56. > :15:59.I'm not sure people are happy about that. At least we can introduce the

:16:00. > :16:02.players because this is a new generation and it's exciting for

:16:03. > :16:09.women's tennis. It is, and it's fitting they come out here to a

:16:10. > :16:12.packed crowd. It takes a welcome the atmosphere to get going, but this

:16:13. > :16:15.was the Match Of The Day on the women's side. This is the future of

:16:16. > :16:21.women's ten is. Everyone should enjoy it. She looks so relaxed,

:16:22. > :16:26.doesn't she? You can't tell that she's just come out. You can't teach

:16:27. > :16:32.people to handle a big occasions. I played team tennis last year against

:16:33. > :16:38.13, and she said she was on the sideline and said I want to see best

:16:39. > :16:45.serve and I said, "oh God, I'm in trouble! " She wanted the best, and

:16:46. > :16:48.there was not much about left. She was impressive close and I think

:16:49. > :16:52.people will like what they see if they haven't seen a lot of their

:16:53. > :16:56.already. It shows how athletic women's ten is has become now. You

:16:57. > :17:03.have to be a great player and a great athlete. These girls personify

:17:04. > :17:08.that. Thank you. You can head off to the commentary box. Before we joined

:17:09. > :17:15.the commentators, Sam Smith is take a look. A gig component of Eugenie

:17:16. > :17:19.Bouchard Madiba success is their ability to take time away from her

:17:20. > :17:23.opponents. The most obvious has been on the return of serve where she has

:17:24. > :17:27.taken first and second serves pretty much from inside the baseline.

:17:28. > :17:33.That's very, very rare in women's tennis. By way of comparison, her

:17:34. > :17:38.opponent today Simona Halep is standing far further back to receive

:17:39. > :17:43.first serves and second serves. Here is Eugenie returning a first serve.

:17:44. > :17:48.She is half a metre inside, rushing the server on the first ball against

:17:49. > :17:58.Angelique Kerber. The second serve, look where she is standing. There's

:17:59. > :18:01.no time to recover after her serve for Angelique Kerber. She cuts off

:18:02. > :18:05.the angle and look at the sort of return she gets. Angelique Kerber

:18:06. > :18:10.can't deal with it off her very best serve. Simona Halep brings a

:18:11. > :18:14.particular strengths to the semifinal, as well, and one of those

:18:15. > :18:20.is a backhand down the line, which has been devastating. Right-handers

:18:21. > :18:25.have been court time and time again down the backhand line. She uses the

:18:26. > :18:29.backhand cross to pull an opponent out of court and then opens up the

:18:30. > :18:36.line time and time again. Here, she's having to defend a little. The

:18:37. > :18:41.line is open there it goes. Another great strength is her movement. She

:18:42. > :18:43.is one of the best movers in women's tennis. She is almost like a female

:18:44. > :18:49.Novak Djokovic, very tough to get Novak Djokovic, very tough to get

:18:50. > :18:55.the ball past. Look at those little quick steps. She is so light on her

:18:56. > :19:00.feet. She is everywhere. And that is going to be a problem for Eugenie

:19:01. > :19:05.Bouchard in the semifinals today. This really has all the ingredients

:19:06. > :19:08.of being one of the matches of the tournament and I'm looking forward

:19:09. > :19:16.to it. Before the warm up, this happened a short time ago over on

:19:17. > :19:21.Court Number One. We saw our TB at the challenge and look at bad

:19:22. > :19:25.stepper neck. I think he will be on the leaderboard and that was on

:19:26. > :19:31.Court Number One. So well done to him but we are now ready for the

:19:32. > :19:35.lady semifinals. They will meet Kvitova in the final. It's time to

:19:36. > :19:45.join the commentators. Euro to yes, what a huge day for

:19:46. > :19:49.Romanian and Canadian tennis. Simona Halep, the first Romanian

:19:50. > :19:54.Romanian and Canadian tennis. Simona get to the semifinals. Ilia Nastase

:19:55. > :19:59.was a finalist back in 1972. Eugenie Bouchard has yet to drop a set in

:20:00. > :20:04.the tournament. A much tougher route and longer, as well. Five hours, 58

:20:05. > :20:08.the tournament. A much tougher route minutes for Simona Halep. John and

:20:09. > :20:16.Lindsay, of course, memories of your first semifinals for you. John, you

:20:17. > :20:25.whether junior French champion. You qualified and took Jimmy Connors to

:20:26. > :20:29.four sets. Also in Brazil. I was shaking when I played Jimmy Connors

:20:30. > :20:31.in the semifinals. That's why I was so impressed, just to break away for

:20:32. > :20:41.a second. He was comfortable, not stressed,

:20:42. > :20:48.believed he was going to win. This is a great match and potentially,

:20:49. > :20:52.you can see how close it was. Bouchard up a break in the final set

:20:53. > :21:00.before succumbing. I like her chances. On this quick court, the

:21:01. > :21:06.occasion as big as it gets. These two young ladies can't ask for

:21:07. > :21:11.anything more at this time. Couldn't possibly ask for a better voice to

:21:12. > :21:19.call the school than this man. The voice. From France. You were talking

:21:20. > :21:23.about how Bouchard was taking the return but the big returns, it's

:21:24. > :21:26.similar to how you played, Lindsey. You played a qualifier in your first

:21:27. > :21:32.semifinal here at Wimbledon. That's right. Even though it was my first

:21:33. > :21:36.Wimbledon semifinal, I was expected to win so a lot of pressure in that

:21:37. > :21:41.circumstance. For these two, they now have 11 Grand Slam semifinals

:21:42. > :21:47.under their belt and both of them, it's a new occasion. I would think

:21:48. > :21:51.the nerves are equal out there. Halep got through the French last

:21:52. > :21:59.month and for Bouchard, she still looking for her first Grand Slam

:22:00. > :22:06.semifinal win. Bouchard's draw was more difficult. In the men, we saw

:22:07. > :22:12.when Murray played, it was too easy for him. Federer, also suffering

:22:13. > :22:18.early in that match perhaps lucky would be the wrong word, because

:22:19. > :22:24.he's arguably the best player who ever lived but Stan Wawrinka was not

:22:25. > :22:27.he's arguably the best player who feeling right because in the second

:22:28. > :22:31.half was being outplayed, so this'll be interesting to see how Halep

:22:32. > :22:33.steps out on the court, because even when she played Sabine Lisicki, not

:22:34. > :22:40.long into that match, she completely lost whatever chances she believed

:22:41. > :22:44.she had. It went away in a heartbeat. And that's not going to

:22:45. > :22:49.happen with Bouchard. We have talked in the last few years about younger

:22:50. > :22:52.women being one-dimensional. Plan a is pretty much how Bouchard plays.

:22:53. > :23:00.Whereas, Halep us only is pretty much how Bouchard plays.

:23:01. > :23:03.to play. Yes, we'll Halep try to play more offensive tennis against

:23:04. > :23:10.Bouchard to take a play out of her hands? The first few rounds, it will

:23:11. > :23:13.be Halep defending in trying to get back to neutral because Bouchard

:23:14. > :23:18.takes the ball early on her serve and it's a great matchup. A lot of

:23:19. > :23:19.excitement about the semifinal. Can you imagine back home, their

:23:20. > :23:36.respective homes? Montr?al. Halep won the spin of a coin and

:23:37. > :25:19.chose to receive. Good start. Five first serves for

:25:20. > :25:26.Bouchard. I think Halep's serve will be key to this match, how aggressive

:25:27. > :26:01.Bouchard can be. Doesn't have Eugenie's height.

:26:02. > :26:06.So many coaches talk about one point at a time. It's all about

:26:07. > :26:09.So many coaches talk about one point at a time for Bouchard and she has

:26:10. > :26:42.been working on that very hard. Both these players have come out

:26:43. > :26:47.with their first serves. That is key on grass. It's very tough to defend

:26:48. > :27:38.against a very good return when you are hitting a lot of second serves.

:27:39. > :27:45.very few of those. Three in the last round. Otherwise, just two doubles

:27:46. > :28:03.in the last three matches and one in her opening round.

:28:04. > :28:08.Nice to get your opening service game and your belt. Even getting

:28:09. > :28:12.that first game on the scoreboard helps to get some of the nerves out,

:28:13. > :28:32.but especially if you can establish your service game early on.

:28:33. > :28:36.I'm not sure if that returned was planned but it worked out perfectly

:28:37. > :30:16.for Halep. You can see already with Eugenie

:30:17. > :30:21.Bouchard, just how low she can head the ball, despite how tall she is.

:30:22. > :30:33.Have you ever seen anybody leaning into shots as much before? Serena

:30:34. > :31:02.Williams, at best. And Lindsay. -- at her best.

:31:03. > :31:11.If there is one negative thing about Eugenie Bouchard, she has a tendency

:31:12. > :31:36.to pull off the backhand before she has made contact with the ball.

:31:37. > :31:48.It just feels like there is a lot of nerves are there, when they set...

:31:49. > :31:56.Halep, her father was a footballer. And she has inherited his legs. They

:31:57. > :32:06.need to move the way you have said, Eugenie Bouchard, that is father.

:32:07. > :32:11.But the early return from Bouchard is extraordinary? It is one of the

:32:12. > :32:14.biggest weapons we have seen at Wimbledon this year. The way that

:32:15. > :32:22.she can make contact with her return. A lot of pressure was taken

:32:23. > :32:28.off her because Eugenie Bouchard made only one out of six serves.

:32:29. > :32:34.This is a totally different situation to return. Not too often

:32:35. > :32:42.she can hit returns behind the baseline. Look at her going after

:32:43. > :32:47.the attack. She will be inside that second serve. What has impressed me

:32:48. > :32:55.is the first served. And with that return, she has a very clear mindset

:32:56. > :33:02.with what she wants to do. That certainly was a very tight game.

:33:03. > :33:07.That was a bit of a gift for Simona Halep to get that very bright. --

:33:08. > :33:26.early break. You said that she reminds you of

:33:27. > :33:33.Justine Henin. She also reminds me of Kim Clijsters. The same as her

:33:34. > :33:50.father, he also played for all. -- football.

:33:51. > :33:52.from, with the sun. That is why both of them are missing so many.

:33:53. > :34:23.Struggling with their first. He is breathing pretty heavily,

:34:24. > :34:34.also. That was a great return. Looking to

:34:35. > :35:22.get that break right back. The left ankle. She is in trouble.

:35:23. > :35:37.That is not a very good sign. Clearly, she did look like she

:35:38. > :35:49.turned over on it. -- turn. It has been taped up. That shot has become

:35:50. > :35:55.very prevalent in our sport. Two hands, you often push off into it.

:35:56. > :36:06.You do not bank on something that happening, it seemed like she went

:36:07. > :36:11.with it pretty well. Concern from the nearest and dearest. This is a

:36:12. > :36:18.huge occasion. And so early on, 12 minutes. She had to pull out of

:36:19. > :36:36.Holland with a back injury. You minutes. She had to pull out of

:36:37. > :36:44.she is OK. At the she gets treatment, when she comes back out,

:36:45. > :36:56.if she can put any weight on that foot? The first thing they should do

:36:57. > :36:57.is whatever they can legally give in terms of painkillers, because that

:36:58. > :37:06.will take 30 terms of painkillers, because that

:37:07. > :37:12.that before you start with tape. But you would be surprised how much tape

:37:13. > :37:21.can help. In basketball, in the NBA, it is the rule that they must tape.

:37:22. > :37:30.They are coming down so often. I can see Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer,

:37:31. > :37:44.and Serena Williams, she does tape before every match. It is her right

:37:45. > :37:50.ankle, and most players, an enormous number do this, especially with that

:37:51. > :37:58.heavy step on the grass on the outside leg. How many slips did last

:37:59. > :38:03.year because of those little steps? I would not take the chance. Players

:38:04. > :38:14.can feel more secure with that. There was only so much you can turn

:38:15. > :38:18.when you have a good tape job. Some players will have that for the

:38:19. > :38:24.duration of their career. Which I am sure is what she is thinking right

:38:25. > :38:37.now! Why did it -- wide I not tape my left ankle? -- wide date. -- why

:38:38. > :38:44.did. It is tough to get into the mindset of somebody who is still

:38:45. > :38:51.100% fit. Someone who is extremely aggressive, Eugenie Bouchard. She is

:38:52. > :38:56.thinking, should I change anything? Probably not but it is hard not to

:38:57. > :39:03.look at what you are up against and think, why should I take as big of a

:39:04. > :39:09.chance if I do not have to. You can play in the same position and play

:39:10. > :39:22.it safe. You do not have to go as close to the line. That would be my

:39:23. > :39:29.suggestion if I was her coach. He has got Saviano all over his heart

:39:30. > :39:36.and his watch. It is mentally tough, this is early in the match. What is

:39:37. > :39:44.going to happen whenever I start adding weight onto this? Can I still

:39:45. > :39:54.slide into the shots? Can I injure this even more? This is not an easy

:39:55. > :39:58.position for either player? What a great job that these trainers do.

:39:59. > :40:05.They call them primary health care. They get trained and there is timing

:40:06. > :40:11.and it cannot be too tight, to stop circulating. They only have three

:40:12. > :40:14.minutes to treat. You should see them practising in the training

:40:15. > :40:23.room! They have the stop watch. Getting that timing. Certain players

:40:24. > :40:27.have their own trainer with them. So that does become an issue because

:40:28. > :40:35.that is not permitted under the rules of the sport. We will soon

:40:36. > :41:29.find out what the effect of that will be.

:41:30. > :41:32.This is exactly what you do not want to do if you are Eugenie Bouchard.

:41:33. > :41:52.Easier said than done. This has changed the vibe in the

:41:53. > :42:15.stadium. There is no obvious limp. No, still

:42:16. > :42:23.getting used to managing whatever pain she is in. She does not look

:42:24. > :42:28.comfortable coming out. But nothing too worrying. She has not had to

:42:29. > :42:48.run, yet. That would be the shot I would go

:42:49. > :43:17.after, if I was Eugenie Bouchard. Pull her weight to the backhand.

:43:18. > :43:31.Good recovery, she has got her focus back. That is a perfect example of

:43:32. > :43:38.what Lindsay said about dealing with that pain. She got 0-30. And she had

:43:39. > :43:44.a pretty good look at the serve. If she had better concentration, she

:43:45. > :43:47.would not have missed that return. And that started to take some

:43:48. > :43:53.pressure off. Followed by that good first served. That is what is very

:43:54. > :44:01.hard to do, she cannot help but think about what is going on.

:44:02. > :44:09.Definitely, 30% of her focus has come away from the match. She landed

:44:10. > :44:15.in that same position on the court. She did not spring into the ball.

:44:16. > :44:18.She was afraid to do that. That is where Eugenie Bouchard should take

:44:19. > :44:54.this advantage. I think she is going to get more comfortable moving.

:44:55. > :45:04.Well played. In a way, she might have to become more aggressive? That

:45:05. > :45:10.is it, it forces some players to go for big shots, knowing they cannot

:45:11. > :45:11.run down seven shots. That might serve Simona Halep very well in this

:45:12. > :45:57.match. She is one of the best in going from

:45:58. > :46:25.that defensive position, return, to taking over and winning the point.

:46:26. > :47:06.And that was Bouchard. She was wrong-footed.

:47:07. > :47:08.Trying to break down that Halep forehand. But getting unlucky,

:47:09. > :47:23.losing her balance. There is very little of any grass

:47:24. > :47:25.left behind that baseline. It is hard to get your footing. Excellent

:47:26. > :48:01.return, again. We can see why she is number three

:48:02. > :48:05.in the world, she is trying to force Bouchard to head that awkward shot.

:48:06. > :48:46.She would have been left -- better off letting that one bounce.

:48:47. > :48:51.Halep is trying so hard to get back square. And the return is coming

:48:52. > :49:19.onto her fast. That is a good effort, stronghold.

:49:20. > :49:26.-- strong hold. She does get some solid pop or not serve. Do not let

:49:27. > :49:31.Bouchard unload, she really does go after her returns on a regular

:49:32. > :49:33.basis. Nice to see their does not seem to be any after-effect from

:49:34. > :49:59.that injury. Bouchard looking down at the court.

:50:00. > :50:16.She feels that she slept. To do that and from there is very risky. -- go

:50:17. > :50:25.that day. -- big. It feels like she has a much bigger serve, but it is

:50:26. > :50:32.only to mph quicker. She has been more effective in this match. -- two

:50:33. > :51:34.miles per hour. Again, it is that forehand that

:51:35. > :51:41.Eugenie Bouchard has tried to attack, rather than the backhand of

:51:42. > :51:44.Simona Halep. The backhand of Halep is so smooth and reliable, her

:51:45. > :52:06.forehand is not quite so much. Again, running to the left. The

:52:07. > :52:14.other end, Simona Halep very aware of that movement to that wider ball.

:52:15. > :52:18.That is absolutely right, which is why this will set things up, it

:52:19. > :52:22.could force this young lady to make a decision, do I really want to put

:52:23. > :52:29.all of my weight onto that left foot? Is ready to handle that?

:52:30. > :52:34.Instead, it was one-handed, that shot was maybe not the time to get

:52:35. > :52:39.both hands onto the racquet. But that is certainly going to be an

:52:40. > :52:48.issue. She is hanging tough, she has got new balls. Both players are

:52:49. > :52:51.clearly feeling the moment for different reasons. Little

:52:52. > :52:59.convocations without injury to the ankle, but it seems like she is

:53:00. > :53:17.going to be all right. -- complications with that injury. The

:53:18. > :53:36.star of Hunger Games. And Colin Firth, also.

:53:37. > :53:47.She has to portray and act, Simona Halep. But she is fine. She is doing

:53:48. > :54:07.a very good job of it. That was nice and it -- anticipation

:54:08. > :54:12.from Bouchard. She let that ball get behind her. And the amount of

:54:13. > :54:21.applause after that, the fans are pretty much behind Eugenie Bouchard.

:54:22. > :54:24.She has been winning fans everywhere. And a cuddly toy, also.

:54:25. > :55:06.In Melbourne. Such a difference whenever you miss

:55:07. > :55:07.your first served. It is very important for Simona Halep to get

:55:08. > :55:21.that first serve percentage high. She is not only aggressive, but she

:55:22. > :55:49.does make a lot of returns. That was the hardest serve that

:55:50. > :55:54.Halep had had. -- hit. Well done. Simona Halep has not had a lot of

:55:55. > :56:05.time on this match but that was one occasion when she did.

:56:06. > :56:17.The wind affected that all. She could have taken one or two steps

:56:18. > :56:19.closer. That was a very poor effort. She will be severely disappointed if

:56:20. > :56:35.she loses this game. She made up for that, there! She is

:56:36. > :56:46.going for these break points on the backhand, always so confident.

:56:47. > :56:56.She is quick between the points, Simona Halep.

:56:57. > :57:03.That is one of those rare occasions that the return not going in, I

:57:04. > :57:06.would like to see her pulling that to the middle of the court, you can

:57:07. > :57:12.still go after it and hit the ball very hard. Three seconds under the

:57:13. > :57:39.allotted time. That is a very big hole. Still

:57:40. > :57:43.nervous out there. She has not tested Halep enough with the type of

:57:44. > :57:49.shots that Lindsay was alluding to. Full back, just a little bit, she

:57:50. > :58:19.can move side to side. Hit the short angles.

:58:20. > :58:24.The first ball that she has hit by pushing off that left foot. Even

:58:25. > :58:56.though she missed that, that might be a very good sign for Halep.

:58:57. > :59:01.Something has tickled the audience? Why are we the only ones not to say

:59:02. > :59:39.that? -- see that. not a very good drop shot, perhaps

:59:40. > :59:42.not moving at 100%, but perhaps between 80 or 90%. She could not get

:59:43. > :00:18.as much on it as she wanted. Some big hitting therefrom

:00:19. > :00:23.Bouchard. More of a green light at 40-0, but that is the style she

:00:24. > :00:31.wants to play. She was low over the net, it was very hard, but a margin

:00:32. > :00:37.from the sidelines. Halep in the first 12 minutes, it was like she

:00:38. > :00:44.had a heavy tackle. It is a question of being able to run it off,

:00:45. > :00:51.hopefully. That is the biggest problem, there are no substitutes in

:00:52. > :00:56.tennis. You have to do everything on your own. Her coach keeps reminding

:00:57. > :01:03.her, it does not talk tactics, it is one shot at a time, the focus of

:01:04. > :01:14.footwork, setup and preparation on each shot. I am not sure what

:01:15. > :01:19.exactly he is saying, but he has done an excellent job, no question

:01:20. > :01:25.about that. She is a great talent and I think he sensed mentally how

:01:26. > :01:32.tough she is, that is what it really comes down to, she wants it more

:01:33. > :01:59.than anyone out there, it seems. Halep serving to stay in the opening

:02:00. > :02:07.set at 4-5. O, close. It is a really smart shout. It was from an awkward

:02:08. > :02:12.position. -- shot. She is able to come up with the right shot at the

:02:13. > :02:13.right moment, it was in. A low ball with not much on it and that would

:02:14. > :02:44.have given her time. Very well done. The former champion in the Royal

:02:45. > :03:15.box. She covered a lot of ground, but

:03:16. > :03:23.slipped again going up to the forehand side. It is definitely an

:03:24. > :03:28.issue out there for these two ladies who covered the court very well. --

:03:29. > :03:51.cover. Halep has got more on her second

:03:52. > :03:57.serve then you would think. A good example there, 97. She has gritted

:03:58. > :04:05.her teeth, give her credit for hanging tough.

:04:06. > :04:20.In her fourth round, Halep only lost nine points. She did not offer a

:04:21. > :05:16.break point. She let Halep off the hook there.

:05:17. > :05:25.That was a ball you did not want in this. I am surprised she missed it.

:05:26. > :05:39.The tension, her first time here, both of them here for the first

:05:40. > :05:41.time, you can feel it. Did you both feel more nervous when it was

:05:42. > :05:49.Wimbledon compared to the other Wimbledon compared to the other

:05:50. > :05:56.majors? Yes. But I was pretty nervous at the other ones as well. I

:05:57. > :06:07.grew up in New York. Any Grand Slam semifinal shook me to my core! Keep

:06:08. > :06:29.the feet moving, that has not happened in the last two points.

:06:30. > :06:37.She has slowed down again, moving that way, Halep. Brilliant return.

:06:38. > :07:03.So unusual for Halep to miss those shots. She is normally so precise.

:07:04. > :07:20.APPLAUSE. You talked about Halep having athletic legs stop the same

:07:21. > :07:34.holds true for Bouchard who uses her legs well. She is more dependable.

:07:35. > :07:42.You can use that power, take some stress of other parts of your body.

:07:43. > :07:44.You can use that power, take some -- off. A bit of a late challenge,

:07:45. > :08:06.it would appear. It does not matter. Brockley questioning the timing of

:08:07. > :08:20.that if Halep had already missed her shot -- Bouchard.

:08:21. > :08:42.The crowd does not know what of this right now, because a lot

:08:43. > :08:48.seems to have happened, mainly the injury, but you can really sense the

:08:49. > :08:54.tension right now, how big this part of the match is, the end of the

:08:55. > :09:01.first set. This has been huge. Does that then relax if you have lost it?

:09:02. > :09:10.We do not know the full answer to this, because how injured is Halep?

:09:11. > :09:14.The good news is that she does not have to go to the best of five. She

:09:15. > :09:21.can see the finish line sooner. If she were to lose this, how deflated

:09:22. > :09:25.would it be, how much would her mind tell her that the ankle hurts more?

:09:26. > :09:32.What a boost it would be if she could pull out the first set. That

:09:33. > :09:36.would be rather amazing. You feeling that there is a lot more at stake

:09:37. > :09:44.for her rather than Bouchard at the moment. Bouchard seems to be a bit

:09:45. > :09:51.off in her return games so far. That is one of the strengths of the

:09:52. > :09:56.Canadian's game. Right now Simona Halep is winning a higher percentage

:09:57. > :10:01.of points with her second serve. Once Bouchard locks in the radar

:10:02. > :10:04.onto the second serve return, it will be harder for Halep to Hynde on

:10:05. > :11:12.in the service games. -- to hang on. There is what she needed, push back

:11:13. > :11:20.with her left foot. She could not do it. Excellent return off that second

:11:21. > :11:37.serve set up this advantage for Bouchard.

:11:38. > :12:05.Some good pace there, the harder serve she had chanced for the

:12:06. > :12:52.tie-break. That is beautiful, best part of the

:12:53. > :12:57.march by far. -- match. She will feel awfully good about getting out

:12:58. > :13:02.of that game. Halep has not played a tie-break, Bouchard has played just

:13:03. > :13:34.the one and she won it. Not many of the backs of the seats

:13:35. > :13:54.being used. I think Halep thought the serve was

:13:55. > :13:59.in. Can you challenge your own serve? I was thinking the same

:14:00. > :14:17.thing, not after you miss your back out, that is for sure! -- backhand.

:14:18. > :15:00.That was great defence that time from Bouchard.

:15:01. > :15:13.Challenged by Halep, she thought it was wide. Just give her a fairer

:15:14. > :15:15.serve if it was in. That was out, we will not know the answer -- fairer.

:15:16. > :16:03.Good challenge. -- fair. Always tricky getting the ball is

:16:04. > :16:09.down to a certain end and I think someone has been taken on well in

:16:10. > :16:13.the crowd. It is a very warm day. There was an incident in Eastbourne

:16:14. > :16:23.the week before Wimbledon and it held up play for 15 minutes. The

:16:24. > :16:28.gentleman has spotted it and because lots of people are standing up, the

:16:29. > :16:34.best thing to do is halt the match. You would hope that whatever has

:16:35. > :16:41.happened, the person is OK. A very awkward time to stop the match. I

:16:42. > :16:45.cannot see what is happening. I know many of you were very concerned

:16:46. > :16:52.about the gentleman in Eastbourne, he was OK. Many of you were phoning

:16:53. > :16:58.in and sending messages. That ended happily. The players at Eastbourne

:16:59. > :17:07.were taken off the court for a 15 minute delay in the end. Let us hope

:17:08. > :17:15.it is related to the sun or dehydration, something like that. It

:17:16. > :17:22.is all happening in this match! What is next? A tough time for these

:17:23. > :17:34.players. To sit down in the tie-break...

:17:35. > :17:45.It is an exacting score, 1-1, the scorer -- the focus you have to

:17:46. > :17:49.keep, I think... If this goes on for much longer, the players would be

:17:50. > :17:59.better to move back inside and get away from this. It might help them,

:18:00. > :18:07.put it into perspective. That is what the players said in Eastbourne.

:18:08. > :18:11.How lucky you are to be out in that court, playing in a Wimbledon

:18:12. > :18:17.semifinal. Both of them are feeling the stress, no question about that,

:18:18. > :18:22.it is a huge occasion. What is concerning, whoever is not feeling

:18:23. > :18:35.well, they are still there, they are not able to walk away. It is over 80

:18:36. > :18:37.degrees and that is in the shade, it could be over 90 degrees on Centre

:18:38. > :18:52.Court in the full glare of the sun. SUE BARKER: We hope all will be well

:18:53. > :18:59.on Centre Court. The ambulance is there. We will take this opportunity

:19:00. > :19:06.to say after the tennis finishes here on Sunday, it is golf all the

:19:07. > :19:13.way on the BBC. Next week we have the women's British Open. It starts

:19:14. > :19:18.on Thursday. On BBC Two, it will start at one p.m.. 1pm on Thursday,

:19:19. > :19:23.then following that, we will be start at one p.m.. 1pm on Thursday,

:19:24. > :19:56.from Liverpool for the Open Championship.

:19:57. > :19:59.Thomson puts the finishing touch on the play-off. Would you believe

:20:00. > :20:20.that? He has done it. So, it was a quick serve to the

:20:21. > :20:25.backhand of Bouchard and a return into the net. The first point on the

:20:26. > :20:28.restart. The lady has been helped away from Centre Court. 4-2 to

:20:29. > :21:04.Halep. Lucky this time. That is very

:21:05. > :21:08.lucky. I think Halep would have got into beforehand and the court would

:21:09. > :21:12.have been open. That appeared to be the only way to win the point. What

:21:13. > :22:05.a break for the Canadian? Smart play from Bouchard to go

:22:06. > :22:12.behind Halep, who has been affected by that ankle injury. She is not

:22:13. > :22:20.moving quite as fast as we are used to seeing.

:22:21. > :23:12.APPLAUSE. Challenged by Halep. This all turned on that court. She will

:23:13. > :23:44.be down a couple of set points, that was bad luck.

:23:45. > :23:55.All or nothing from Simona Halep. Better returns, better from Bouchard

:23:56. > :23:58.on the second serve. Better defending from Halep. It is still

:23:59. > :24:29.set point. She has got it! It has taken one

:24:30. > :24:41.hour, with two interruptions, but Bouchard wins the opening set, 7-6.

:24:42. > :24:49.What a set! Not the best tennis from the pair of them. The match is heavy

:24:50. > :24:57.in terms of the expectation and with the drama as well. What is almost

:24:58. > :25:05.more amber bowl, is the fact that you have seen them fight through

:25:06. > :25:12.adversary, particularly from Halep -- impressive. She has shown a lot

:25:13. > :25:17.of character. You would not think they were human if they did not have

:25:18. > :25:22.nerves in a match like this. The heat is an issue, it is hard to keep

:25:23. > :25:28.your composure and keep your thoughts clear. We expected it to be

:25:29. > :25:33.close and it definitely has been. Last year, Andy Murray does not know

:25:34. > :25:41.how he got through that final game! When you are at that nervous and

:25:42. > :25:45.carrying a bit of a niggle and there are injuries, but this one shot at a

:25:46. > :25:51.time, how difficult is it to achieve that? Do you have to take a

:25:52. > :25:57.time-out? How do you go about the process? You have to restart the

:25:58. > :26:02.match now if you are Simona Halep, she is two sets away from a

:26:03. > :26:06.Wimbledon final and that is how she has to approach it, especially at

:26:07. > :26:13.the start of the second set. She needs to get momentum going and get

:26:14. > :26:23.a lead. That point at 4-2 in the breaker, that was huge. All the

:26:24. > :26:31.moment then went to the Canadian. -- momentum. It could be hard for her

:26:32. > :26:38.to keep that intensity as high, but she needs to do it. She needs to get

:26:39. > :27:05.some easy service games. Harder. That hit from Halep. She is

:27:06. > :27:11.hitting the ball with authority. It could benefit her, the ball staying

:27:12. > :27:18.low, she is not that tall, she can use her legs to get the strength.

:27:19. > :27:23.She cannot go for too big a shot, it is a hard shot to pull off over the

:27:24. > :27:26.higher part of the net. She needs to be aware of the chants she is

:27:27. > :28:03.taking. -- chants. -- chance. APPLAUSE. A good game. It was a

:28:04. > :28:07.really good game for a couple of reasons, won, she won it easily and

:28:08. > :28:12.then she started hitting through the ball and the ball was really moving

:28:13. > :28:18.through the court well. She is a great match player. She is great at

:28:19. > :28:21.solving puzzles. If you talk about the last year, how well she has

:28:22. > :28:24.solving puzzles. If you talk about done, it has been remarkable. She

:28:25. > :28:25.solving puzzles. If you talk about said that a switch flicked in Rome

:28:26. > :29:07.last year and she This is some of the movement we were

:29:08. > :29:14.expecting throughout the match from Halep. Credit to Bouchard, she is

:29:15. > :29:21.not afraid to move forward and put balls away and take those swing

:29:22. > :29:26.volleys out of the air. If Halep wants to turn this around, she has

:29:27. > :29:31.to be a bit more offensive, it is not totally natural for her, but for

:29:32. > :30:14.so much of that first game, she had to take more chances.

:30:15. > :31:02.Beforehand has been better than previously in the course of this

:31:03. > :31:04.match. -- her forehand. She is finding range and trying to hit it

:31:05. > :31:33.with more authority. That looked wide, she is going to

:31:34. > :31:46.challenge. She hit a lob earlier in the game. APPLAUSE

:31:47. > :31:52.Forget about serve and volley. You feel like you take the pressure off.

:31:53. > :31:59.I think Bouchard has only volleyed once in the tournament. Still

:32:00. > :32:09.pristine, the service lines. Federer talk about that, it is tricky to

:32:10. > :32:10.move. - talked about. APPLAUSE Tricky to move on the baseline with

:32:11. > :32:51.all of that dirt and dust. If she had pushed it, hit it harder,

:32:52. > :32:58.she could really have gone after Bouchard. Pushed off the net. She

:32:59. > :33:12.will be wishing she had done something different there.

:33:13. > :33:17.Where did that come from? What happened there, what caused her to

:33:18. > :33:37.hit that shot as poorly as she did? That is when you are thinking about

:33:38. > :33:42.the previous couple of points. Exactly, she started with a drop

:33:43. > :33:57.shot she doesn't go after. Two more break points.

:33:58. > :34:04.APPLAUSE It died a little in the wind perhaps

:34:05. > :34:10.but again wonderful defenceman Bouchard. She is showing everyone

:34:11. > :34:16.she's not just an offensive player, as John said she is a great athlete

:34:17. > :34:18.as well. Maybe not as natural a move as Halep but she anticipates well,

:34:19. > :34:48.pushes off. A strong first step. APPLAUSE

:34:49. > :34:52.How costly is that? It makes you good back to the ankle. There have

:34:53. > :34:58.been a couple of gruelling points. Lots of running with the shorter

:34:59. > :35:01.ball she had to come up to. As it aggravated the ankle? I don't think

:35:02. > :35:06.so, I think it is losing the first set tie-break. She has tried to keep

:35:07. > :35:15.the intensity high, she had a good look at a few boards. You mentioned

:35:16. > :35:20.a few times already, I being told to stay in the moment, one shot at a

:35:21. > :35:27.time. -- if you ball smack. It is hard to do it, especially when you

:35:28. > :35:31.have just blown a couple. -- a few balls. Thinking about the short ball

:35:32. > :35:37.she should have gone over, and in the next shot it hit the line, she

:35:38. > :35:41.seemed shocked. She had time to do a lot with that, she threw in a double

:35:42. > :35:45.fault. Suddenly you are disgusted with yourself and you cannot get out

:35:46. > :35:57.of the game. And you find yourself a set and a break down. She will have

:35:58. > :36:05.to find something soon. She took Sharapova in the French, having lost

:36:06. > :36:08.the first. She was very much the underdog in the semifinal against

:36:09. > :36:11.Sharapova, much more of a favourite in this match. Bouchard 2-1 with the

:36:12. > :36:40.break. APPLAUSE

:36:41. > :36:44.These two have just about the same amount of unforced errors. Bouchard

:36:45. > :36:49.goes for so much more, and some more unforced errors. She has to get be

:36:50. > :37:01.more offensive shots going or cut down on those errors.

:37:02. > :37:17.APPLAUSE A good example of being aggressive

:37:18. > :37:21.than paying a high percentage shot. -- but playing. Forcing Bouchard

:37:22. > :37:31.into some awkward positions. Hoping her level drops a little bit.

:37:32. > :37:36.APPLAUSE That is where the first serve is

:37:37. > :37:59.key, it keeps Eugenie Bouchard ahead in the point. Dictating play.

:38:00. > :38:12.APPLAUSE Comfortable, extends lead.

:38:13. > :38:21.Talking about excellent preparation there, she really lined this up, her

:38:22. > :38:30.balance is perfect. A great way to end that game.

:38:31. > :38:50.Wow. I mind ankle hurts more. After the first

:38:51. > :38:51.set she didn't win it, it is a lot further to the finish line for

:38:52. > :39:11.Halep. -- her mind. Brilliant. APPLAUSE

:39:12. > :39:23.It needs to be. Bouchard is playing better and better.

:39:24. > :39:44.We saw her push off her left that common this is mind over matter. --

:39:45. > :39:50.foot. She has defined another gear mentally. Bouchard is trying not to

:39:51. > :39:57.let her. -- to find. Smothering her right now.

:39:58. > :40:08.Nice. The challenge coming, I didn't see it, there was the chair in the

:40:09. > :40:29.way. APPLAUSE

:40:30. > :40:34.Down to two challenges. I can feel a big... Coming out of John 's pocket.

:40:35. > :40:36.I don't know why he chose to do it at that time, but at any rate, this

:40:37. > :40:50.is crucial, for the double break. APPLAUSE

:40:51. > :40:58.Halep is fading. Bouchard is shining. Halep 's big hope now is

:40:59. > :41:05.that Bouchard becomes overwhelmed by the moment, or nerves. Halep 's

:41:06. > :41:08.level has dropped so far off her high

:41:09. > :41:13.level has dropped so far off her play. Combine that with an opponent

:41:14. > :41:18.in Bouchard who is very eager, very hungry, and plays a great grasscourt

:41:19. > :41:22.game. She says from a very early age she has been so unbelievably

:41:23. > :41:26.driven. We tend to spend a lot of time in Britain, and you guys as

:41:27. > :41:31.well in the States, with your worst performance here for 100 years! The

:41:32. > :41:34.money, and all of that sort of thing. But Bouchard comes from a

:41:35. > :41:38.good background in terms of that sense, it is all about the

:41:39. > :41:44.individual. Money, sure, makes things available, but it has to come

:41:45. > :41:48.from you. Think about the two greatest players of this generation,

:41:49. > :41:54.Nadal and Federer. It's not like they came from this horrible

:41:55. > :41:58.situation. Nadal, a summer resort in Majorca. Roger growing up in

:41:59. > :42:07.Switzerland. Upper middle-class families. You are right, Eugenie

:42:08. > :42:12.Bouchard has got that champion, you can see a champion in the making. It

:42:13. > :42:21.could be this year, it will be a shock if she uses this match. From a

:42:22. > :42:29.set, 4-1. The likelihood is she will be out there a whole lot longer.

:42:30. > :42:35.Kvitova is going to be knowing who she will play very shortly. Bouchard

:42:36. > :42:38.has only played Kvitova once, last year, back home. She lost three and

:42:39. > :42:53.two. Looking ahead, Kvitova is one of the

:42:54. > :42:57.few players that can take the play out of Bouchard 's hand. With the

:42:58. > :43:01.strength of her shots. Something Halep hasn't been able to do, she

:43:02. > :43:06.hasn't been able to hit through the court. She hasn't been able to do

:43:07. > :43:32.what she needed to do in this match so far. APPLAUSE

:43:33. > :43:43.APPLAUSE That was wonderful.

:43:44. > :43:49.This is the scrambling we were expecting from Halep through the

:43:50. > :43:52.match. There, really showing off her biggest weapon, perfect speed. --

:43:53. > :44:03.her foot speed. Her mother and brother getting very

:44:04. > :44:51.excited. For Bouchard. Finishing touches though, they can

:44:52. > :44:59.be the toughest. Foundations built. APPLAUSE

:45:00. > :45:06.This has got the adrenaline pumping, though further past couple of Serbs,

:45:07. > :45:29.among the fastest of the match. -- over the past couple of serves.

:45:30. > :45:41.And a deer. She found some nerves there, that's for sure. -- oh dear.

:45:42. > :45:58.APPLAUSE A great response of the short ball.

:45:59. > :46:08.Serving the tournament at 1-10. I would like to see what her heart

:46:09. > :46:22.rate is now. To get to the Wimbledon final. APPLAUSE

:46:23. > :46:25.A game away. I feel bad for Halep now. Early in the match, she

:46:26. > :46:30.sprained her ankle, and she relies so much on her speed and defence. It

:46:31. > :46:46.is harsh out that at times. No mercy. -- out there.

:46:47. > :46:55.On top of that she really had a good shot to win the tie break. She could

:46:56. > :47:03.have got a 5-2 lead. It doesn't seem like it is meant to have been her

:47:04. > :47:06.day. Another day, a bit of fatigue may be left over from the long six

:47:07. > :47:11.weeks of tennis from the French Open. Through here at Wimbledon. It

:47:12. > :47:18.seems to all had come to a head here in this second set. Hasn't she

:47:19. > :47:21.played three days in a row? Yes. Halep? She has been busy this week.

:47:22. > :47:41.Four even? A better back and there. Saturday,

:47:42. > :47:46.Tuesday, and Wednesday. -- backhand. Three days in a row. Winning the

:47:47. > :47:53.opening set would have been a great painkiller. That is true,

:47:54. > :48:01.absolutely. Unfortunately for her, it has done the opposite.

:48:02. > :48:10.APPLAUSE Two points to make the final at

:48:11. > :48:29.Wimbledon. Somebody was calling out, she

:48:30. > :48:46.stopped. I cannot hear what he is saying. Someone is screaming. I

:48:47. > :48:58.cannot do that. I would feel, if I was Halep... She doesn't want to be

:48:59. > :49:08.out there as it is. I haven't seen it. I would hate for this to matter.

:49:09. > :49:18.It doesn't make sense. I don't know what happened there but it was

:49:19. > :49:23.weird. Still much point. -- two match point.

:49:24. > :49:46.APPLAUSE Deuce.

:49:47. > :50:27.APPLAUSE Made it.

:50:28. > :50:51.APPLAUSE Back to where we started a few

:50:52. > :51:27.moments ago. Being challenged. The ball was

:51:28. > :51:30.called in. This gives Bouchard a couple more

:51:31. > :51:30.called in. This gives Bouchard a before coming back to play this

:51:31. > :52:23.point. Brilliant holds. Three match points

:52:24. > :52:32.saved. The match continues. APPLAUSE Second set by 1-0. You dream about

:52:33. > :52:37.it as a kid tennis player to be in this position on the Centre Court at

:52:38. > :52:40.Wimbledon. There is an unbelievable amount of expectation you put on

:52:41. > :52:44.yourself when you realise you are good enough to handle this situation

:52:45. > :52:49.like this, good enough to possibly go all the way and win an event like

:52:50. > :52:58.this. The stress of little things like not knowing when you're going

:52:59. > :53:03.to play exactly. Someone painting during the tie break. All sorts of

:53:04. > :53:09.things. Do you have two throw even more stress? You get too much point,

:53:10. > :53:16.Halep is washing to finish it off. -- you get to match point. Rushing.

:53:17. > :53:19.She wasn't ready to play, she looked up, it shouldn't have happened, but

:53:20. > :53:25.it happen. Just another thing. She is clearly ready to return it but

:53:26. > :53:34.she stops playing. And didn't say anything. That is what the umpire 's

:53:35. > :53:38.point was, he didn't hear anything and his vision had gone to Halep. I

:53:39. > :53:40.wish it hadn't happened, I hope it doesn't alter the

:53:41. > :53:43.wish it hadn't happened, I hope it doesn't alter outcome of this match

:53:44. > :53:52.as she serves now. Still up two breaks in the set.

:53:53. > :54:04.APPLAUSE Maybe it will make it tough in the

:54:05. > :54:09.end. She overcame another obstacle. She is so markedly composed anyway.

:54:10. > :54:31.After a brief argument with the umpire, she went back to business.

:54:32. > :54:39.That is close as well. She is going to challenge that. Certainly whether

:54:40. > :54:45.second look. A potential double fault. Let's see. It is in. That is

:54:46. > :54:49.a big difference. It is a first serve back. That is the answer to

:54:50. > :54:51.her question earlier, it gives her the first serve. That was a second

:54:52. > :55:57.serve she challenged. APPLAUSE

:55:58. > :56:26.First serve softening the point again. Two more. Final points.

:56:27. > :57:34.APPLAUSE Advantage Halep. I would have fought

:57:35. > :57:39.breathing would be difficult now. We were talking about her heart rate.

:57:40. > :57:40.It must be high enough. Her blood is boiling a lot more now. -- I would

:57:41. > :57:57.have thought. Lifeline point. APPLAUSE

:57:58. > :57:59.If she loses her serve here she will be a lot more upset about what

:58:00. > :58:20.happened in the previous game. Advantage Bouchard. The six match

:58:21. > :58:51.point. APPLAUSE

:58:52. > :58:55.That will do it. Two years ago Bouchard was junior Wimbledon

:58:56. > :59:04.champion. As a senior this is just her six major. She has a chance to

:59:05. > :59:11.become the senior champion. She still has not dropped a set in the

:59:12. > :59:23.tournament. So driven, this ambitious young woman. She is in her

:59:24. > :59:28.first major final. Fantastic efforts by Halep, hampered early on in the

:59:29. > :59:34.fourth game of the match when she injured her. She gave everything.

:59:35. > :59:39.She tried, it definitely wasn't our day. This young lady, what a

:59:40. > :59:43.celebration. Pretty muted. She knows she still has another match to

:59:44. > :59:48.celebration. Pretty muted. She knows and it doesn't look like she is

:59:49. > :59:55.satisfied with just a semifinal win. I think it said it all at the end

:59:56. > :00:01.when he was shaking his head, imagine if she looked up and you can

:00:02. > :00:04.see your father... Not per day, a lot of things went against her.

:00:05. > :00:13.Bouchard showed a lot of character in the end. To maintain her

:00:14. > :00:19.composure beautifully. Number three in the world, what a year she's had.

:00:20. > :00:23.Her first semifinal here, second in a row after the final at the French.

:00:24. > :00:27.We will hear an awful lot more of Simona Halep. And this woman,

:00:28. > :00:45.Eugenie Bouchard. Bouchard stays wide awake to achieve

:00:46. > :00:52.it. I think we will be during more about her success in the future.

:00:53. > :01:01.There is going to be a lot of majors coming her way, I suspect. She will

:01:02. > :01:12.play Petra Kvitova in the final on Saturday.

:01:13. > :01:22.There are plenty of autograph hunters around. A bit of royalty

:01:23. > :01:32.with Eugenie Bouchard by Christian name and by looks as well. 7-6, 6-2,

:01:33. > :01:36.one hour and 32 minutes for Bouchard to make the final. Here she is.

:01:37. > :01:44.congratulations, through to the final, you said that the ending was

:01:45. > :01:54.stressful. It was a little bit crazy.

:01:55. > :01:59.I was happy that I kept my focus. A Wimbledon final, describe your

:02:00. > :02:05.emotions come. I am excited, I have a day off. I will go for it, I will

:02:06. > :02:08.probably have my toughest match yet and I am looking forward to the

:02:09. > :02:12.challenge. This has been an excellent year for you, are you

:02:13. > :02:17.surprised at how well you have done? I never say I am surprised because I

:02:18. > :02:21.have put in a lot of hard work and this has been years in the making

:02:22. > :02:26.and I believe in myself and expect good results and I always want more.

:02:27. > :02:31.I had a good start to the season and I expect myself to do even better.

:02:32. > :02:40.You're showing great mental strength, how do you work on that?

:02:41. > :02:45.It took mental strength to stay focused. I will not give away my

:02:46. > :02:51.secrets. It is important for me to enjoy being out there and also focus

:02:52. > :02:59.on how I want to play. Can you enjoy it? Yes, it is tough work, but I

:03:00. > :03:04.love working hard and I love tough moments and challenges. Petra

:03:05. > :03:09.Kvitova next, she has said that she will look at DVDs and really plan

:03:10. > :03:16.for you, what do you say to that? Good! I expect a tough challenge.

:03:17. > :03:20.She will prepare and I will be prepared. My coach will watch her

:03:21. > :03:26.and give me tips. I will play my game. I think I can play even better

:03:27. > :03:30.than I played today. What a lovely occasion for you and all your family

:03:31. > :03:36.are here. What a great day it will be. It is really cool. I am glad I

:03:37. > :03:48.have stayed here. I want to give my best effort. Congratulations. Thank

:03:49. > :03:54.you. She is a breath of fresh air. SUE BARKER: We are enjoying watching

:03:55. > :03:58.her. She is only 20 years old. She is through to the final and she

:03:59. > :04:04.might be the Wimbledon champion on Saturday. Her coach is pleased with

:04:05. > :04:15.the way she finished it off although it was tense, but she is through and

:04:16. > :04:22.what a final we have in prospect. So, that is how it finished off.

:04:23. > :04:27.What a match that was, great tennis from Bouchard. Let us get further

:04:28. > :04:38.reaction. It got a little bit tense towards the end. One guy did not

:04:39. > :04:43.handle it well. I'm Ilie respect her efforts, it was a weird ending and a

:04:44. > :04:49.weird match because of what happened earlier with Halep injuring her

:04:50. > :04:54.ankle and someone in the crowd fainting. That affected things in

:04:55. > :05:02.the tie-break and that complicated matters. The way that it ended got

:05:03. > :05:07.weird, it was nice to see Bouchard when it in the end without too much

:05:08. > :05:19.extra stress. We heard the shout in the crowd. She complained about it.

:05:20. > :05:24.She did put her hand up and say it. Are you surprised the point was

:05:25. > :05:28.given away? It was surprising. She did not say anything and he had

:05:29. > :05:35.turned his attention to the other side of the court. There was some

:05:36. > :05:41.confusion. It is unbelievable it was on her first match point to get to

:05:42. > :05:47.the final. The way she recovered says a lot about Bouchard as well

:05:48. > :05:53.and her ability to stay can -- composed. I have never seen anything

:05:54. > :05:58.like that on such a big point. It is going to play on your mind and for

:05:59. > :06:23.someone that young to not let it affect her. She was able to serve it

:06:24. > :06:28.out. It was not the fault of Halep. If she had lifted her game and

:06:29. > :06:33.somehow found another gear to get back into the match, all credit to

:06:34. > :06:38.her, but you would have hate to see a change because of that. I was

:06:39. > :06:42.surprised with Halep, she did not make Bouchard play those balls. She

:06:43. > :06:48.was tight, there was a chance she could have turned the set around,

:06:49. > :06:53.but she made a couple of mistakes. It seemed that Halep ran out of gas

:06:54. > :07:00.emotionally. She was normally mentally tough but you seem to get

:07:01. > :07:07.tired. Especially in the second set. I was not sure that she had the same

:07:08. > :07:15.level of fight. You have watched Bouchard all around the world, is

:07:16. > :07:19.this the best you have seen? Yes, what is so impressive is how she

:07:20. > :07:23.handles the situation. She was so driven and so ambitious and she

:07:24. > :07:29.seems to be on a mission every time she steps the tennis court. She is a

:07:30. > :07:35.quick learner learner, she did not look fast on the clay and then she

:07:36. > :07:38.won at Nuremberg and then made the semi-finals of the French Open. We

:07:39. > :07:47.have seen her continued to grow and I think the women's game is in a

:07:48. > :07:50.healthy place and is so exciting. The bookies have Petra Kvitova as

:07:51. > :07:58.the favourite, who is your favourite? I picked Bouchard to win

:07:59. > :08:03.the tournament. Petra Kvitova is the most difficult opponent for almost

:08:04. > :08:08.anyone to play on this surface unless Serena Williams brought her

:08:09. > :08:18.top game. She hits a big ball. She reminds me very much of someone on

:08:19. > :08:26.my right, very dangerous. Did you pick Bouchard? I did, before the

:08:27. > :08:31.tournament. I am not changing. I was going to go with Petra Kvitova. Her

:08:32. > :08:38.game is one of the few that can push Bouchard back. That left serve will

:08:39. > :08:43.force to make an adjustment. I like how composed Petra Kvitova has been.

:08:44. > :08:56.She is in a good place and physically. Thank you. Just as

:08:57. > :09:01.Bouchard left the interview, she was looking at the cameras at Wimbledon

:09:02. > :09:05.and she was watching herself in slow motion and enjoying the moment and

:09:06. > :09:10.the reaction from her coach. That was her enjoying her time at

:09:11. > :09:14.Wimbledon. She is through and she is facing Petra Kvitova who came

:09:15. > :09:19.through the first of the semi-finals and she came through in straight

:09:20. > :09:28.sets. The first set went to a tie-break and she won it and then

:09:29. > :09:36.she won the second set 6-1. Bouchard has not been here before. Petra

:09:37. > :09:48.Kvitova has. She was celebrating on Centre Court and shortly afterwards,

:09:49. > :09:53.she spoke to fill. Congratulations. -- Phil. How did you get your mind

:09:54. > :10:12.set on the job in hand? It was very difficult. I was trying to not think

:10:13. > :10:21.about it. It was just some player on the other side. I played

:10:22. > :10:27.aggressively. I think she was a better player in the first set. I

:10:28. > :10:32.was better in the tie-break and that was the most important thing. In the

:10:33. > :10:39.second set, when I broke for the first time, I more confident.

:10:40. > :10:44.Everything was easier for me -- I was more confident. Were you pleased

:10:45. > :10:51.with the way you finished the match? Definitely. My last service

:10:52. > :11:00.game was great. I did everything I should have. I have had a difficult

:11:01. > :11:06.two games. I served well. Is there any point when you're so far ahead

:11:07. > :11:14.in second set were the reality starts to hit about what you are

:11:15. > :11:23.about to achieve? When I was 4-1, I was starting to think about it, but

:11:24. > :11:39.it was there and perhaps emotionally, I feel more confident.

:11:40. > :11:44.Perhaps it helped me. There you are, in the final, once again and after

:11:45. > :11:49.that victory, I suppose you know what to go through over the next

:11:50. > :11:58.couple of days. The first time, everything was new, now you can get

:11:59. > :12:04.your head into gear more stop I am not sure. I did not know what would

:12:05. > :12:10.happen in my first time in the final. I did not care about

:12:11. > :12:15.anything, I did what I had to do and that was it. I came onto the cord

:12:16. > :12:26.and I was not the first favourite -- I was not the favourite. -- court.

:12:27. > :12:31.This time, I know what will happen. I know that I will be nervous, but I

:12:32. > :12:37.am not really sure if that is good to know what will happen. Obviously,

:12:38. > :12:44.it is a good experience and I hope that will help me in the end. Let me

:12:45. > :12:49.ask you about the mentality of it. That is something you have been

:12:50. > :12:53.working on, because there are so many talented players out there, you

:12:54. > :12:57.are one of them, and in the key moments, a champion is born and it

:12:58. > :13:06.perhaps comes from the mind rather than the body, what do you think?

:13:07. > :13:13.Everyone knows how to hit forehand or backhand. When the match is

:13:14. > :13:18.close, you have to be in that moment and know what you should play and

:13:19. > :13:23.how you hit it. Of course, with experience, it is coming, but I

:13:24. > :13:29.think if you are strong, it is helpful. I hope it is helpful that

:13:30. > :13:34.you have experienced it before and you enjoy the occasion. Well done

:13:35. > :13:41.today. Thank you. Experience counts for a lot. SUE BARKER: We have a

:13:42. > :13:47.final to look forward to on Saturday and if you want to enjoy highlights

:13:48. > :13:59.of the semi-finals, you can tonight, join us at 8pm on BBC Two. Why not

:14:00. > :14:13.send a question to us on the radio tonight. John McEnroe and then the

:14:14. > :14:17.Henman are taking the calls. -- Tim Henman. The doubles are playing

:14:18. > :14:29.catch up. The men's quarterfinals have been in action. Radek Stepanek

:14:30. > :14:33.and Leander Paes won their match. They are the reigning US Open

:14:34. > :14:49.champions and having tremendous success here. They are through the

:14:50. > :15:07.semi-finals. They will play the seeded doubles winners. -- unseeded.

:15:08. > :15:13.-- Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock. We are heading back to Centre Court for

:15:14. > :15:26.what promises to be an entertaining Mixed Doubles max. Jamie Merry is

:15:27. > :15:28.playing with his partner. -- Jamie Murray. Let us join our

:15:29. > :16:03.commentators. We have got a fantastic match in

:16:04. > :16:08.progress with Jamie Murray. He knows all about playing doubles at the

:16:09. > :16:24.highest level. He is ranked 29th in the world. He is playing with Greg

:16:25. > :16:33.Rusedski from Australia. -- Casey Dellacqua. She is a former top

:16:34. > :16:51.player. They are up against an experienced pair, including Horia

:16:52. > :17:05.Tecau. He is playing with Sania Mirza. She has won 20 doubles

:17:06. > :17:15.titles. Again, all four players on court this afternoon have vast

:17:16. > :17:24.amounts of experience stop -- vast amounts of experience. It was breezy

:17:25. > :17:31.earlier today. It will hopefully have settled down a little bit. I'm

:17:32. > :17:35.sure once everyone has had an opportunity to get something to eat

:17:36. > :17:41.and drink, they will be back on Centre Court to support Jamie Murray

:17:42. > :17:45.in the hope that we will get one brother through to the finals day.

:17:46. > :17:56.It should be fascinating, this match. I hope so. Four top-notch

:17:57. > :18:00.doubles players and when you have four players who understand where

:18:01. > :18:09.they need to be and what they need to do, it can be really exciting.

:18:10. > :18:25.Jamie Murray will use his great length and quickness to try and

:18:26. > :18:48.intimidate Sania Mirza. That is a nice positive start.

:18:49. > :19:01.APPLAUSE. Now, that is a tactic that I do not quite understand. Why would

:19:02. > :19:07.Sania Mirza stay back? It is a get out clause for Jamie Murray if Horia

:19:08. > :19:10.Tecau hits a great return stop if she were in a more threatening

:19:11. > :19:35.position, it could be a volley winner. Good tennis.

:19:36. > :19:49.There is his mother, she always has a busy fortnight trying to keep up

:19:50. > :19:58.with everything that is happening with her sons.

:19:59. > :20:24.What a shot! Wonderful. He has always had a good forehand.

:20:25. > :20:34.APPLAUSE. In the Mixed Doubles, if you allow a mob over your head, you

:20:35. > :21:02.lose 50% of your prize money. A quick discussion in terms of worth

:21:03. > :21:04.the serve will go and Greg Rusedski will do it at the net as a result of

:21:05. > :21:44.that. -- Casey Dellacqua. That is a mistake there from Jamie

:21:45. > :21:47.Murray. Some decent returning already from Horia Tecau. On no less

:21:48. > :22:12.than three separate occasions. Perhaps a little confusion between

:22:13. > :22:15.Casey Dellacqua and Jamie Murray. He thought his partner would cut in

:22:16. > :23:18.front of him and take that. What a terrific point. I could not

:23:19. > :23:20.believe when Casey Dellacqua kept pummelling Horia Tecau at the net!

:23:21. > :23:26.When she is back on the baseline, pummelling Horia Tecau at the net!

:23:27. > :23:52.that is as safe play, but she kept attacking and it paid off. --

:23:53. > :24:05.That is a wonderful return again. Not quite enough on the serve. Horia

:24:06. > :24:08.Tecau and Sania Mirza are a good pair, well established. They

:24:09. > :24:20.understand each other's games well. That is a better serve. Just ten

:24:21. > :24:26.miles an hour or makes all the difference. -- ten miles an hour

:24:27. > :24:57.more. That is a shame. A gutsy move, very

:24:58. > :25:03.ambitious. That is his strength, Jamie Murray, he understands

:25:04. > :25:06.doubles, he understands where to go, how to take advantage of

:25:07. > :25:15.opportunities, unfortunately, he did not make it.

:25:16. > :25:50.The lob goes up. Very much the responsibility of the male player.

:25:51. > :26:01.I was having a look at your record. 60 career titles, seven Grand Slam

:26:02. > :26:11.'s. I was googling for a long time but could not find any Mixed Doubles

:26:12. > :26:18.titles. I did not play often enough, but I did play once at the U.S. Open

:26:19. > :26:25.and lost in the final with Martina Navratilova. You lose with her and

:26:26. > :26:27.you are riddled with shame for the rest of your life! It was the case,

:26:28. > :26:57.I am afraid. You obviously stuck by that rule of

:26:58. > :27:09.picking a really good partner. I am not as stupid as I sound!

:27:10. > :27:17.He is a very experienced player, Horia Tecau, and he is a doubles

:27:18. > :27:23.specialist. He played in the junior event here at Wimbledon.

:27:24. > :27:31.Normally most players would try the singles and if they do not have a

:27:32. > :27:37.lot of success, tend to become a doubles specialist. He decided that

:27:38. > :27:50.that is what he would concentrate his attention on at an early age.

:27:51. > :27:55.Some people are better suited to team games. Others are purely

:27:56. > :28:17.individuals. Horia Tecau please doubles with a

:28:18. > :28:55.male player and -- plays. Acer per move. That is a great move

:28:56. > :29:00.and it will send a message to Casey Dellacqua that she needs to hit a

:29:01. > :29:07.lot of balls down the line -- a great move. She needs to keep Horia

:29:08. > :29:17.Tecau honest and allow him liberties at the net.

:29:18. > :29:27.APPLAUSE. I guess it is important to be assertive, but not overly so. You

:29:28. > :29:54.need to get the balance right. Is that primarily to give the return

:29:55. > :30:09.something different to think about? Yes, all these formations... The aim

:30:10. > :30:18.of all of them is merely to throw off the returners rhythm. Distract

:30:19. > :30:58.them -- distract him or her -- returner's. There it is again. She

:30:59. > :31:32.thumped the ball. APPLAUSE I was going to say, that was a

:31:33. > :31:38.spectacular volley. I think he caught a bit of the frame.

:31:39. > :31:58.You asked why I didn't play more Mixed Doubles. In those last couple

:31:59. > :32:01.of points, it was a great illustration is to buy. The

:32:02. > :32:06.successful Mixed Doubles players are the quick ones, Jamie Murray is a

:32:07. > :32:13.great mix double player because he is so quick at the net and

:32:14. > :32:20.intimidates players so often, against a woman player, they are not

:32:21. > :32:24.used to seeing it like that. The Mixed Doubles only happens four

:32:25. > :32:28.times a year. He is nothing like they would normally encounter in a

:32:29. > :32:34.women's doubles match. It is off-putting. I was a little more

:32:35. > :32:40.static. I was pretty good covering my little corner of the court.

:32:41. > :32:55.But... That wasn't my game, to run all over the net, and intimidates

:32:56. > :33:09.opponents. He is one of three brothers. Exactly right. He is the

:33:10. > :33:11.oldest. They all played on the tour. Now it is her turn to serve. No

:33:12. > :33:47.brakes as yet. -- breaks. A shame. That is the other strength

:33:48. > :33:52.of a great doubles play, anticipation, knowing where to move

:33:53. > :34:04.at what time. -- player. Absolutely. A little more formation here.

:34:05. > :34:21.A quick signal from Tecau, where he wants to serve and where he is going

:34:22. > :34:28.to move thereafter. APPLAUSE I tell you what, so far the tennis

:34:29. > :34:46.as being of the highest quality. -- has been.

:34:47. > :34:54.Very much of the old school, as soon as he hits the return, he comes in

:34:55. > :34:59.behind it, to join his partner at the net. That is his strength, he is

:35:00. > :35:03.a great body, he has a bit of a liability on the forehand that he

:35:04. > :35:29.tries to cover up as much as possible.

:35:30. > :36:12.Some sensible serving there, making good use of the week of forehand

:36:13. > :36:18.return. All four Butterfield they have got themselves involved in the

:36:19. > :36:33.match by holding their opening service game. -- the weaker

:36:34. > :36:41.forehand. All four will feel. Some pace on the forehand. She has had

:36:42. > :36:44.some injuries throughout her career. One wrist injury in particular

:36:45. > :36:50.doctor for a few seasons. You could see why it might cause her a bit of

:36:51. > :37:20.pain. -- in particular caused her problems. There is some subtlety to.

:37:21. > :37:30.Tecau Moves forwards to put the pressure on Murray. A call on the

:37:31. > :37:45.left baseline, the ball was called in. APPLAUSE

:37:46. > :37:50.Good challenge. 15-30. That is the importance of Hawk-eye, we take it

:37:51. > :37:59.for granted now, but without it they would be facing three break points

:38:00. > :38:07.here. 30-30. APPLAUSE Some pace on that, 122 mph. A

:38:08. > :38:13.relatively high ball toss, sometimes he loses his rhythm a little bit.

:38:14. > :38:21.The conditions are perfect. It shouldn't trouble him.

:38:22. > :38:30.That was a little obvious on the first volley.

:38:31. > :39:01.Has been returning very well so far. A chance to break.

:39:02. > :39:15.APPLAUSE 3-2 first set. It was interesting,

:39:16. > :39:19.you were talking about the fact you didn't play a lot of Mixed Doubles

:39:20. > :39:23.back in the day. Three of the four players we watching this afternoon

:39:24. > :39:27.doubles specialists. Casey Dellacqua There is a lot of singles as well

:39:28. > :39:33.and has a lot of success when she does. Currently ranked 36th in the

:39:34. > :39:36.world. When did this phenomenon of becoming a doubles specialist art to

:39:37. > :39:44.materialise? Did you have them back in the day? -- plays a lot. When the

:39:45. > :39:54.ATP formed their own tour, the prize-money doubled or tripled. It

:39:55. > :39:59.really exploded. Back in my day, you could not make enough money playing

:40:00. > :40:08.doubles. The big tournaments, we won a bunch of those, the equivalent,

:40:09. > :40:12.made $4000, for the winners. Now we can get 60,000 or something. These

:40:13. > :40:16.guys make a very good living, the top ten doubles players. Back in the

:40:17. > :40:25.day, it wasn't worth it so you had to play singles or you staffed.

:40:26. > :40:30.Simple. In 1990 the prize-money went up and the world changed. -- you

:40:31. > :40:54.would go hungry. APPLAUSE

:40:55. > :42:34.A good feel on the log. -- the lob. A lot of mistakes in this game. A

:42:35. > :42:38.good return though from Sania Mirza. Lots of big points being played. It

:42:39. > :42:44.is a little unusual. It sure seems to work for the Bryan brothers. The

:42:45. > :42:47.left-hander plays the deuce court and when they did switch to that

:42:48. > :42:54.formation in their careers really took off. Called on the right server

:42:55. > :42:58.line, the ball was called in. Definitely a puff of chalk Vidic may

:42:59. > :43:06.have been deep on the sideline. -- but it. Took a piece of the service

:43:07. > :43:14.line as well. Lovely serve. In the Mixed Doubles normally the guy will

:43:15. > :43:18.play the outer court, won't he? Yes, but I think Jamie just plays the

:43:19. > :43:33.deuce court so often, that is his strength. Deuce. APPLAUSE

:43:34. > :43:37.Murray and Casey Dellacqua have one challenge remaining. Because his

:43:38. > :43:38.back under so much better than his forehand the deuce court suits him

:43:39. > :44:27.better. -- backhand is. A better

:44:28. > :44:31.excellent service game. 4-2 first set. A couple of unforced errors

:44:32. > :44:37.from Sania Mirza got them in a spot of bother. Excellent surfing from

:44:38. > :44:55.Tecau -- surfing. They now have a 4-2 lead. -- serving.

:44:56. > :45:03.Casey Dellacqua was a finalist in the doubles in 2013. Made the finals

:45:04. > :45:19.of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open that season.

:45:20. > :45:27.A lovely move again. Took it so quickly there. APPLAUSE

:45:28. > :45:31.Some players just seemed to have a sixth sense, Jamie Murray most

:45:32. > :45:32.definitely one of those. He seems to understand where an opponent is

:45:33. > :45:38.going to go. Game on Murray, Sania Mirza. New

:45:39. > :46:20.balls please. 4-3, first set. Most competitive opening set. Always

:46:21. > :46:24.nice for the local fans here at Wimbledon to try to get behind a

:46:25. > :46:28.British player. Jamie and Andy Murray have won a doubles title in

:46:29. > :46:36.Valencia, Masters Series by the hundred. They both started their

:46:37. > :46:40.careers in 2007 when Jamie won at San Jose. There are a couple of

:46:41. > :46:48.famous tennis players, Sir Cliff Richard and Cilla Black. She is the

:46:49. > :46:53.wife of the chairman, Philip Brooke. She has a big forehand, she plays

:46:54. > :46:57.like Sania Mirza, sliced backhand, she plays a lot of tennis, as does

:46:58. > :47:06.Sir Cliff Richard, a proud member of the club. -- Masters Series 500.

:47:07. > :47:10.Nice to see Cilla Black and house as well. Is it an advantage for Jamie

:47:11. > :47:14.to see Andy doing so well or is it hard for him to follow in his

:47:15. > :47:20.footsteps? Very hard, very difficult for him to have to deal with all the

:47:21. > :47:37.people, all the strangers who say, why aren't you as good as Andy? Not

:47:38. > :47:42.many people are, actually. That's why it was able to win a Wimbledon

:47:43. > :47:46.in 2007 with Jankovic, and have success before Andy, as it were.

:47:47. > :48:11.Absolutely, a wonderful week. That one got away. Historically she

:48:12. > :48:15.has had problems with her second serve. A little bit of weakness,

:48:16. > :48:20.especially when she used to placing goals. Some good wins though in

:48:21. > :48:24.singles, she has beaten botany, Azarenka... A very good player. --

:48:25. > :48:43.Bartoli. APPLAUSE

:48:44. > :48:46.A good use of the lob there. Any time you are in that sort of

:48:47. > :48:48.situation, it's vital to keep the ball as low as possible over the

:48:49. > :48:59.net. APPLAUSE

:49:00. > :49:09.A wonderful return. Smiles all round. Why not? 4-4 first set. That

:49:10. > :49:37.was a superb game. All of a sudden it is honours even. 4-4.

:49:38. > :49:55.For Murray and Dellacqua, it is important to stay aggressive. Funny

:49:56. > :50:00.thing, if I just play it back safely to the player on the baseline I'm

:50:01. > :50:07.OK. -- offer you think. But Tecau and Sania Mirza are working so hard,

:50:08. > :50:41.they are very dangerous. -- often. Sania Mirza Especially.

:50:42. > :50:47.Do you play much of that formation in the seniors? I can imagine it

:50:48. > :50:53.would be difficult to get up from that position if you're at the net

:50:54. > :50:56.there? With a crane may be! That doesn't happen too often. But a

:50:57. > :51:15.little win earlier today? We did. Are you still hitting those inside

:51:16. > :51:17.out backhand returns from the deuce court? I ripped them yes, but they

:51:18. > :51:26.don't happen to go in. Game Murray, Sania Mirza. 5-4 first

:51:27. > :52:37.set. They have turned things around very

:52:38. > :52:41.nicely. Jamie had some good success only in his career with Eric B to

:52:42. > :52:47.Iraq in the doubles. They change partners a few times. They found it

:52:48. > :52:50.difficult to maintain that run of form. More recently he has played

:52:51. > :52:56.with Jhon Pirez from Australia. These guys are combining really

:52:57. > :53:02.well. -- John Pierce. It was nice to see them in the finals in Queen's.

:53:03. > :53:04.Winners in Munich earlier, semifinalists in Brisbane,

:53:05. > :53:20.Casablanca, Bucharest and assault. They pay very well together. --

:53:21. > :53:24.Dusseldorf. Once you find somebody you work well lit, it is good to

:53:25. > :53:28.stick with them and build that relationship. No question, chemistry

:53:29. > :53:34.is so important to a successful doubles team. -- work well with.

:53:35. > :53:37.Jamie certainly had that and perhaps thought he was upgrading, he went on

:53:38. > :53:39.to play with Max Meaney. They didn't combine well at all,

:53:40. > :53:44.to play with Max Meaney. They didn't combine well in either their

:53:45. > :53:56.personalities or their games. And then they had to start again.

:53:57. > :54:01.Didn't Jamie and his former partner win six tournaments one year? They

:54:02. > :54:04.were very win six tournaments one year? They

:54:05. > :54:07.tournaments. Still, you would have thought, see how you do against the

:54:08. > :54:36.big good hands, he was ready for that,

:54:37. > :54:44.it was a little high. Always a little easier to folly down, when

:54:45. > :54:48.you get the opportunity. -- volley. Yes, any time you volley down,

:54:49. > :54:53.you're attacking, if you are folly and up, you are defending. -- volley

:54:54. > :55:20.art. Always annoying. -- up. Shame. She played to fantastic half

:55:21. > :56:08.volleys. -- two. with a bit of sliced, moving away

:56:09. > :56:13.from Dellacqua all the time. With that formation, if they can start my

:56:14. > :56:17.son tied to the centreline, to create a little more angle, it makes

:56:18. > :56:19.it doubly difficult for the history and, attempting to return it. --

:56:20. > :56:24.nice and tight. APPLAUSE

:56:25. > :56:46.Superb feel. They have both committed themselves

:56:47. > :56:49.exceptionally well so far, the quality of tennis as a result is

:56:50. > :56:51.very high. Very little to choose between these two in the opening

:56:52. > :57:34.games. She struck 12, it well, just didn't

:57:35. > :57:41.conceive it very well. Always a lot of communication between doubles

:57:42. > :57:50.pairs, Mixed Doubles pairs, low fighting, constantly trying to keep

:57:51. > :57:59.your partners confidence up. -- fiving. APPLAUSE

:58:00. > :58:06.Occasionally you hit a good shots like that and it turns into a high

:58:07. > :58:17.five. Did you do much of that with McEnroe? Almost never. A big shot

:58:18. > :58:22.and a big point, yes. Celebrate. It seems funny to me, you watch doubles

:58:23. > :58:30.teams, they get a double fault, and they have two touch in between. Are

:58:31. > :58:41.you afraid I'm going to run away? Or disown you? Come on! It is a

:58:42. > :59:00.different world. It is funny how things in vogue change.

:59:01. > :59:06.I wonder if there is such a thing as a good double faults, that would be

:59:07. > :59:10.dead, miss it along, at least have an aggressive swing at it. -- that

:59:11. > :59:20.would be it. That's double fault was born of the pressure that Sania

:59:21. > :59:34.Mirza has put on. She has been very aggressive.

:59:35. > :59:41.When she misses the first serve, it essentially takes the racket out of

:59:42. > :59:51.Jamie Murray 's hands. Really struggles to cross on the second

:59:52. > :59:54.delivery. Yes, only winning 38% of the points on the second serve. Big

:59:55. > :00:13.advantage for the returners. Advantage Dellacqua. Once again that

:00:14. > :00:15.return Miss was due 100% to the presence of Jamie Murray in the

:00:16. > :00:29.middle of the court. APPLAUSE

:00:30. > :00:32.Superb move, he's done that so often this afternoon. The timing was

:00:33. > :00:46.absolutely perfect. when I watch club doubles, because

:00:47. > :00:54.everyone plays doubles at club level, but when the ball is not hit

:00:55. > :00:57.directly at them, then they become very static, whereas in the

:00:58. > :01:02.professional game, if you're not actually hitting the ball, it is

:01:03. > :01:07.your job to try and do something to put your opponents off. How many

:01:08. > :01:18.club players move like that? That is why! We are not quite as quick as

:01:19. > :01:22.these players any more. It is hard to move around and knock it past

:01:23. > :01:29.left right and centre. At the highest levels of the game, it is

:01:30. > :01:32.the players who can move well and get into the heads of their

:01:33. > :01:43.opponents, who are the most successful. Centre Court is filling

:01:44. > :01:48.up nicely now. There is an opportunity to pop out and get

:01:49. > :01:52.something to eat and enjoy the gorgeous afternoon. The shadows have

:01:53. > :01:56.not become problematic yet, but they will do so over the next hour or an

:01:57. > :02:14.hour and a half. 5-6. What an angle! I am not sure she

:02:15. > :02:23.quite meant it to be that good! She liked it!

:02:24. > :02:39.There it is a game! As soon as he saw his partner had made the return

:02:40. > :02:44.down the line, he was off. He loves that little drive volley. It reminds

:02:45. > :02:53.me of John Fitzgerald who used to hit that shot very well. Nice and

:02:54. > :02:59.aggressive. You are showing your age there. He did beat me here one year.

:03:00. > :03:17.He used that volley. Yes! Absolutely brilliant! Jamie

:03:18. > :03:27.Murray has taken this game by the scruff of the neck! Horia Tecau is

:03:28. > :03:43.reticent to move across into the middle will stop it cost him.

:03:44. > :03:46.Beautifully done. Fantastic set of tennis, especially the tail end of

:03:47. > :03:53.it as far as Jamie Murray is concerned. SUE BARKER: Big cheers on

:03:54. > :03:58.Centre Court as Jamie Murray and Casey Dellacqua take the opening

:03:59. > :04:03.set. In case you're tuning in, the story of the day from earlier, is

:04:04. > :04:04.set. In case you're tuning in, the that the champion of 2011 Petra

:04:05. > :04:14.Kvitova is through to the final again. She beat Lucie Safarova will

:04:15. > :04:18.stop a wonderful performance from Petra Kvitova. The big left-handed

:04:19. > :04:28.serve winning so many points and she is delighted to be back in the final

:04:29. > :04:36.stop we have an intriguing final to look forward to, because Eugenie

:04:37. > :04:45.Bouchard is bidding to win the main trophy. She beat Simona Halep will

:04:46. > :04:55.stop you still has not dropped a set through the tournament. Wonderful

:04:56. > :05:00.scenes on Centre Court. A great story and she has her sights on the

:05:01. > :05:05.title. That is what happened earlier. We look forward to that on

:05:06. > :05:14.Saturday. Let us go back for the next ten minutes to Centre Court. A

:05:15. > :05:19.fantastic set of tennis from Jamie Murray and Casey Dellacqua stop

:05:20. > :05:32.towards the tail end of this that it was Murray who excels. He used his

:05:33. > :05:36.quickness to intimidate them. We should see Sania Mirza playing more

:05:37. > :05:41.shots down the line. She will try to freeze him a little bit. She will

:05:42. > :05:54.want to know he cannot have everything his own way.

:05:55. > :06:31.Casey Dellacqua at the net there, very important in Mixed Doubles to

:06:32. > :06:32.retain your confidence, do not leave everything to your partner. You need

:06:33. > :06:49.to keep involved. Beautiful combination, that is what

:06:50. > :07:30.the doubles is about. APPLAUSE. It is about pace, quality

:07:31. > :07:33.as well. They need to direct the ball away from your opponent and

:07:34. > :07:43.create a bit of an angle, that is highly effective.

:07:44. > :07:58.Because Jamie Murray does not have the most powerful serve, he needs to

:07:59. > :08:05.place it better than that. Down the middle of the box, it will not get

:08:06. > :08:20.it done. Sania Mirza has a ferocious forehand. A chance to break here.

:08:21. > :08:42.Just enough on that to draw the mistake.

:08:43. > :08:52.Nice change app, tactically, in that formation. -- up. It is easier for

:08:53. > :09:19.Murray now. APPLAUSE. Beautifully done. They are

:09:20. > :09:28.playing very well indeed, now. A pity we often see doubles pairs --

:09:29. > :09:34.it is good we see doubles talking to each other after every point. When I

:09:35. > :09:41.talk to players that used to play, they said they hardly ever spoke to

:09:42. > :09:50.each other. John and I never talked, but we understood each other. It

:09:51. > :09:58.would often be just one word. That was it. That was our communication.

:09:59. > :10:05.It did not take a long time. It only took a nanosecond.

:10:06. > :10:39.Why do you think all of that has changed? I have no idea.

:10:40. > :10:50.He took Elizabeth of a slip their, but recovered well. -- he took a

:10:51. > :11:02.little bit of a slip, there are. -- they are. -- there.

:11:03. > :11:07.I am afraid we have run out of time, but do not worry if you want to

:11:08. > :11:13.watch the conclusion of this match, we will be showing it shortly on BBC

:11:14. > :11:18.Two because our tennis coverage continues there. Before we go, today

:11:19. > :11:19.the ladies were centre stage and tomorrow it is the men's semi-finals

:11:20. > :11:52.day. Two matches to look forward to, the

:11:53. > :11:56.first match on Centre Court is Novak Djokovic against Grigor Dimitrov

:11:57. > :12:13.will stop Novak Djokovic coming through in five sets in his last

:12:14. > :12:31.match and then it is Roger Federer against Raonic. Right now, on the

:12:32. > :12:38.radio, John McEnroe and Tim Henman are on there now. You can see the

:12:39. > :12:48.highlights of the matches today tonight on BBC One at eight o'clock.

:12:49. > :12:53.But, we still have plenty of tennis to come this evening, because Jamie

:12:54. > :12:57.Murray will see the conclusion of his match on Centre Court and

:12:58. > :13:00.Martina Hingis will play a Mixed Doubles match. Today has been the

:13:01. > :13:07.semi-finals for the ladies and we have a final to look forward to, we

:13:08. > :13:19.have Eugenie Bouchard against Petra Kvitova. Goodbye.