Vondrousova Wins Final Five Games to Reach Wimbledon Semifinals by Beating Pegula

Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova speaks after beating US player Jessica Pegula during their women's singles quarter-finals tennis match on the ninth day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 11, 2023. (AFP)
Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova speaks after beating US player Jessica Pegula during their women's singles quarter-finals tennis match on the ninth day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 11, 2023. (AFP)
TT

Vondrousova Wins Final Five Games to Reach Wimbledon Semifinals by Beating Pegula

Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova speaks after beating US player Jessica Pegula during their women's singles quarter-finals tennis match on the ninth day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 11, 2023. (AFP)
Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova speaks after beating US player Jessica Pegula during their women's singles quarter-finals tennis match on the ninth day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 11, 2023. (AFP)

Marketa Vondrousova won five straight games in the final set to beat fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 and reach the semifinals at Wimbledon on Tuesday.

Vondrousova, a left-handed Czech player who reached the French Open final in 2019, trailed 4-1 in the third set but didn't lose another game after that.

“I’m just trying to stay in every game. It can change pretty quickly,” Vondrousova said. “She got so much better in the second set. She was pushing me today.”

Pegula is now 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterfinals. The 29-year-old American was playing at this stage at Wimbledon for the first time.

Vondrousova had won only four matches on grass heading into the tournament at the All England Club. But she has won five in a row on the surface over the last eight days.

“My best result here was second round. It’s amazing. I’m just loving grass now,” Vondrousova said.

The victory for Vondrousova is her fourth over a seeded player at this year's Wimbledon tournament. She beat No. 12 Veronika Kudermetova in the second round, No. 20 Donna Vekic in the third round and No. 32 Marie Bouzkova in the fourth round.

Pegula was leading 3-1 in the third set when play was suspended so that the roof over No. 1 Court could be closed with rain approaching. Pegula then held serve in the next game to lead 4-1 before Vondrousova took over.

Top-seeded Iga Swiatek was playing Elina Svitolina on Centre Court in another quarterfinal match. The four-time major champion is playing in the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time.

The winner of that match will face Vondrousova in the semifinals.

Later Tuesday in the men's quarterfinals, seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will face Andrey Rublev on Centre Court and Jannik Sinner will play Roman Safiullin on No. 1 Court.



Djokovic Claims he Was 'Poisoned' Before 2022 Australian Open Deportation

Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends a press conference ahead of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, 10 January 2025. EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA
Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends a press conference ahead of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, 10 January 2025. EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA
TT

Djokovic Claims he Was 'Poisoned' Before 2022 Australian Open Deportation

Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends a press conference ahead of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, 10 January 2025. EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA
Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends a press conference ahead of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, 10 January 2025. EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA

Novak Djokovic has claimed that he was "poisoned" by lead and mercury in his food while he was briefly held in Melbourne in 2022 before being deported on the eve of the Australian Open, AFP reported.

The former world number one had his visa cancelled and was eventually kicked out of the country over his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid.

He was held in a detention hotel as he fought a fruitless legal battle to remain.

"I had some health issues. And I realized that in that hotel in Melbourne I was fed some food that poisoned me," the 37-year-old Djokovic told GQ magazine in a lengthy interview published Thursday.

"I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but discoveries that I had a really high level of heavy metal. I had lead, a very high level of lead and mercury."

When asked if he believed his food was contaminated, the Serb replied: "That's the only way."

Djokovic refused to elaborate on Friday in Melbourne when asked if he had any evidence that his high heavy metal blood levels were linked to the food he was given.

But he did not back down from the poisoning allegations.

"The GQ article came out yesterday ... I've done that interview many months ago," Djokovic said as he was preparing for a tilt at an 11th Australian Open title and 25th Grand Slam crown.

"I would appreciate not talking more in detail about that because I'd like to focus on the tennis and why I am here.

"If you want to see what I've said and get more info on that, you can always revert to the article."

A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Home Affairs said it could not comment on individual cases "for privacy reasons".

But the government says a lease agreement with the Park Hotel where he was held provides for freshly cooked, individually portioned lunches and dinners for detainees.

- No grudge -

All catering staff have undertaken food safety certifications, it says.

And, as of December 31, 2021, the hotel had been providing samples of the food provided to detainees at each meal to the contractor responsible for detention services.

Australia says detainees had access to a variety of food and drink that was nutritious, culturally appropriate and satisfied specific medical or dietary requirements.

They were also offered breakfast items such as bread, cereal, noodles, tea and coffee at any time of the day or night.

Djokovic insisted that he does not hold "any grudge over the Australian people" despite the 2022 controversy. A year later, he returned to Melbourne where he swept to the title.

"A lot of Australian people that I meet in Australia the last few years or elsewhere in the world, have come up to me, apologizing to me for the treatment I received because they were embarrassed by their own government at that point," he said in the GQ article.

"And I think the government's changed, and they reinstated my visa, and I was very grateful for that.

"I actually love being there, and I think my results are a testament to my sensation of playing tennis and just being in that country."

However, he added: "Never met the people that deported me from that country a few years ago. I don't have a desire to meet with them. If I do one day, that's fine as well. I'm happy to shake hands and move on."