Grand sham

Shahar Peer struggled to fight back the tears as her terrible run of form continued with a shock first-round defeat in the ladies singles.

Seeded 22, Peer started well, winning the first set 7-5 against Ksenia Pervak (89) but the Russian raised her game in her first appearance at SW19, to win 7-5, 6-4. Peer refused to blame a shoulder problem that required an injury time-out midway through the second set.

She was inconsolable after the match. "I'm very disappointed," she said. "I'm not used to losing in the first round of back-to-back grand slams but I'm not playing well.

"I didn't underestimate my opponent. I didn't take my chances."

Peer's slump has coincided with a change of coach but believes that this result is no more than a blip, adding: "I'm trying to play more aggressively and improve before the US Open. I'll keep giving everything as I believe I can get into the top 10. I think I'm good enough."

Wild card Dudi Sela bowed out in the second round against 15th seed Gilles Simon of France on Wednesday. The result ended a 16-match winning run. Sela had outclassed Frederico Gil of Portugal 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 in round one.

"It was a great all-round performance," said Sela. "I was nervous at the start, but after that I controlled the match. He didn't have a big serve so he gave me a lot of chances. I hit a lot of winners and that was the most pleasing part."

Sela climbed to 29 in the world in 2009, when he reached round four at Wimbledon, and after winning three consecutive challenger competitions, he now stands at 82.

"I like playing on grass - before I didn't. I've learnt a lot from practising two or three years ago with Harel Levy and Andy Ram. We played a lot of points and I was kicking their backsides and slowly, slowly, I was learning more about playing on the surface and I think the more you play on the grass, the better you can play."

Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich went into the men's doubles tournament in style ? winning the AEGON International title. Reunited after a spell apart, the Israelis wrapped up their first success in three years, defeating Grigor Dimitrov and Andreas Seppi in a rain-delayed final moved to Roehampton for their 13th ATP doubles success.

Source: http://www.thejc.com/sport/sport-news/50765/grand-sham

Birmingham City Francesca Panetta Butterflies Everton Rihanna Taxonomy