EASTBOURNE, England—It’s been a good day for Jamie Hampton. The 23-year-old qualifier beat Lucie Safarova for the second time in a month to become the first American since Jennifer Capriati in 2003 to reach the semifinals in Eastbourne. It was tough going, with the start delayed by a rain shower

All photos by Anita Aguilar.

Jamie Hampton, who reached the fourth round of Roland Garros two weeks ago, continues her fine play, upsetting No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska, 7-6 (2), 6-2, in the first round and then beating Su-Wei Hsieh, 6-4, 7-6 (2), today to reach the Eastbourne quarterfinals. Hampton, who qualified for Eastbourne, will play

Today, we’ll take a look at the way Wimbledon has “evolved” in our “Uncomfortable Questions” series. Think of these daily posts as posing questions that nobody wants—or thinks—to ask in the midst of all those animated conversations about the favorite sons and daughters as Wimbledon approaches. Today, I’ll ask: Was

George Bastl, who shocked seven-time champion Pete Sampras at the 2002 Wimbledon in Sampras' final match at SW19, tell Reuters that he plans on continuing to play even though he is 38 and is having trouble winning matches at the Futures level. "Age is not an issue for me," said

EASTBOURNE, England—Today, I’m spending time with one of my favorite players, Petra Kvitova—also known, to the spectators who wander past her match with Monica Niculescu on Court 2, as, “Is that the girl who won Wimbledon?” Or, alternatively and more damningly, “She isn’t the girl who won Wimbledon, is she?”

EASTBOURNE, England—“Welcome to the Sunshine Coast”: These are the words that greet you as you walk off the train at this small seaside town 90 minutes southeast of London. Eastbourne, as more than one local has informed me in the last 24 hours, is the sunniest place anywhere in England.

EASTBOURNE, England (AP)—American qualifier Jamie Hampton upset top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 7-6 (2), 6-2 Tuesday in the first round at Eastbourne on Tuesday. Radwanska, who won the title in 2008, struggled throughout the match at the Wimbledon warm-up tournament. Although Radwanska tied it 5-5 when Hampton served for the first set

Editors' Note: Since this was published, Venus Williams has pulled out of Wimbledon. Today, we’ll shift to the women in our “uncomfortable questions” series. Think of these daily posts as posing questions that nobody wants or thinks to ask in the midst of all those animated conversations about the favorite

EASTBOURNE, England—It takes me about ten minutes after getting off the train and arriving at Devonshire Park, where the AEGON International is played, before I’m rejoicing in being back, in the unique freedom and intimacy of Eastbourne. Loitering for a minute outside the press centre, a group of officials walk

This week, in the run-up to Wimbledon, I’ll dispense with the customary preview mechanics in order to focus on what I would call the uncomfortable questions that loom over the tournament. Think of them as questions nobody wants or thinks to ask in the midst of all those animated conversations

David Felgate, the coach of 16-year-old Donna Vekic who reached the finals of Birmingham, says that his student has much work to do before she becomes a great player. Felgate once coached Tim Henman. "The aspirations of the family are to go to the top, and she may say she

Andrea Petkovic tells Tennis Grandstand that the most embarrassing moment of her career was at the 2010 U.S. Open when she met up with John McEnroe prior her fourth-round match against Vera Zvonareva. “Before my warm-up McEnroe came to me and he was like, 'Good luck, Petko.' I was so

LONDON—Some people really take to Queen’s. It’s the home of the repeat champion: Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, and Boris Becker have all won it four times, and Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors, and Ivan Lendl each did it twice. That’s a pretty prestigious list of winners for a 250-level

BIRMINGHAM, England—It’s a classic confrontation of youth and experience in the AEGON Classic final, as 16-year-old Donna Vekic takes on 30-year-old Daniela Hantuchova. The photos chosen to illustrate today’s programme encapsulate the projected narrative; while both players are in the same posture, the de rigeur fist-pump-to-box, Vekic’s sometimes severe face

LONDON—Does there come a point for the British when the weather itself becomes life’s primary source of entertainment? That’s the way it felt through most of Saturday afternoon here. The rain came down, let up, came down, let up, and came down; the clouds gathered and broke up and gathered

NUREMBERG, Germany -- Simona Halep defeated Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 6-3 Saturday to win the inaugural Nurnberger Versicherungscup for her first WTA title. The seventh-seeded Romanian had six aces and broke serve for a 2-0 lead in the second set. She held off two break points in the final game before

HALLE, Germany -- In a match featuring two men over 30, Roger Federer rallied past defending champion Tommy Haas 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Saturday to reach the final of the Gerry Weber Open. Federer lost last year's final to the German veteran. But he's on course for his first title --

LONDON—Lleyton Hewitt couldn’t have come up with a more appropriate shot to close out his quarterfinal win over Juan Martin del Potro today. Behind a skimming slice approach, the 32-year-old father of three moved in and knocked off what looked like the simplest of volleys. The ball came high to

BIRMINGHAM, England—Madison Keys is not having a good day. Already 5-3 down in the first set of her quarterfinal match with Magdalena Rybarikova at the AEGON Classic, rattled and looking out of her depth, she finally puts together a good sequence of her favored forehands, only to put the last,