Reigning champion Matteo Berrettini Enters Queen's last eight | Sporty Flue

 

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Sporty Flue-Queen's Champion Matteo Berrettini needed three sets to see off Denis Kudla as he reached the quarter-finals of the grass-court tournament on Thursday.

Berrettini won 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 but the victory was anything but straightforward for the 26-year-old.

The Italian fell behind as his American opponent took a tight first set before Berrettini, beaten in last year's Wimbledon singles final by Novak Djokovic, edged a second set tie-breaker.

Berrettini then broke serve in the ninth game of the deciding set before he served out for the match after a draining two hours and 47 minutes on a sun-drenched centre court at Queen's, in south-west London.

World No 10 Berrettini will now play Tommy Paul in the semi-finals after the American's emphatic 6-1, 6-4 defeat of three-time Grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka.

The 37-year-old Wawrinka missed most of 2021 with a foot injury that required two surgeries and the Swiss player, now a lowly 290 in the world rankings, is trying to work his way back to form.

Berrettini's success means there are at least two seeds still involved in the Wimbledon warm-up event following Marin Cilic's win on Wednesday.

Rank outsider Ryan Peniston also remains involved, with the last British player left in the draw continuing a memorable week in front of his home crowd thanks to a three-set win over Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo.

The 26-year-old, playing in his first ATP Tour main draw, had already knocked out world number five and French Open finalist Casper Ruud on Tuesday.

And Peniston, a lowly 180 in the rankings prior to this week, was at it again with a 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 win in two hours over Cerundolo that saw him into the last eight.

Wimbledon wildcard Peniston survived cancer as a baby before going on to join the professional tennis ranks after learning his trade in France and at the University of Memphis.

It took Peniston just 20 minutes to complete a first-set 'bagel' on Thursday but Cerundolo put paid to hopes of a quick win by levelling the match before breaking at the start of the decider.

Peniston, however, hit back by winning the last three games in a row and he sealed victory with a winner down the line.

"I don't think I want to wake up from this any time soon," Peniston said on-court.

 Read More: FIH receives Huge multiple bids to host 2026 Hockey World Cups  

Bids from countries in four continents have been submitted to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to host its flagship events, the Men’s and Women’s Hockey World Cups, in 2026.

Bidders were invited by the FIH to apply to host either the men’s or women’s events or both competitions at once.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has launched today the bidding process for hosting the FIH Hockey Men’s and Women’s World Cups which will be played in 2026.

After completion of the bidding process for hosting the 2026 FIH Hockey Men’s and Women’s World Cups, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) is glad to announce that bids from four continents, to host either one or both World Cups, have been received.

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— International Hockey Federation (@FIH_Hockey) June 16, 2022

The prestigious event, for Men like for Women, is the pinnacle of FIH events and is being played every 4 years. Both the Men’s and the Women’s World Cup involve sixteen teams amongst the best ones in the world.

The deadline for submitting the bids is 31 May 2022. The hosts will be decided by the Executive Board on 3 November and announced at the FIH Congress which will be held virtually on 4-5 November this year.

FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “The FIH Hockey World Cup, for Men like for Women, means a lot to the global hockey community, in particular athletes and fans. Therefore, we’re looking forward to receiving numerous bids to host these prestigious events, which will capture the attention of all hockey fans around the world and where legends will be made!”

The next FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup will be played in July this year in Spain and the Netherlands, whilst the next FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup will take place in January 2023 in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, India.