No doubt about it, Rafael Nadal had a tough draw. Even before he started the tournament, he had a lot of big servers and aggressive players standing between him and the Wimbledon final. After three rounds, though, I am concerned. He's played five-setters in his past two rounds, and although he's still in the tournament, the toughest part of the draw is still ahead of him, and he's looking ... less than fantastic. Today, he was again down two-sets-to-one, but he came back and beat Philipp Petzschner 6-4, 4-6, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3.
For his effort, Nadal now gets Paul-Henri Mathieu, who needed four sets and three tiebreakers, 7-6(5), 7-6(6), 6-7(8), 6-4 to take out Thiemo de Bakker. Mathieu is a dangerous opponent, a career underachiever, and if he's not sharp, Nadal could be in for another long day Monday.
And most likely, Robin Soderling will be waiting for the winner of that match in the quarters. Soderling has been sharp so far, and his strong play continued today, with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 win over Thomaz Bellucci. The Swede has to be looking ahead, though. If he gets through David Ferrer, he gets Nadal/Mathieu with a great chance at moving forward, possibly to next Sunday.
So what's the difference between a top player and an almost-top player? Jeremy Chardy led Ferrer by a break through most of their fifth-set ... until he had to serve for it. Then, Ferrer hit a string of winners to break at 15, and swept through the last two games for a 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-5 win. That's the difference. Now, he comes in as a serious underdog against Soderling.
In the third quarter, it's been a tale of the unsurprising upsets. The most interesting Round of 16 match here should be Andy Murray, a 6-1 6-4, 6-4 winner over Gilles Simon, against Sam Querrey. Querrey had a deceptively tough customer in Xavier Malisse, but he outlasted the Belgian in - wait for it - a five-set marathon, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 9-7. After flaming out in Paris, Querrey came to the grass refreshed, and he should give Murray a tough fight. I'd be lying if I said I had a favorite in that one. Murray's going to have the crowd and the home-court advantage in his favor, and that could make the difference.
If he does win this one, Murray will most likely play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Tsonga, coming off a five-set win, was back in top form, taking out Tobias Kamke 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(1) and will now play compatriot Julien Benneteau, who beat Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. One thing you learn if you follow tennis is to never fully trust matches between players from the same country, and I don't fully trust this one. No doubt, Tsonga should be favored, but Benneteau has been in good form these past six weeks.
Back Monday with Round of 16 coverage.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Day 6: The Women
Another day, another blockbuster Round of 16 match. One day after Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin set up their Monday matchup, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova followed suit. Williams got a fight in the second set of her 6-0, 7-5 win over Dominika Cibulkova, and Sharapova was also tested in her 7-5, 6-3 win over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, but both are safely through. My head says Williams wins this one, but after the injuries she's dealt with these past few years, my heart is a little more with Sharapova. Either way, what a Round of 16!
The winner of that match will get the winner of - not a blockbuster in terms of names, but potentially one in terms of interesting tennis. Agnieszka Radwanska isn't the first name that comes to mind when talking about the top women, but make no mistake, she's a feisty, clever player. Na Li has officially joined the upper tier of women in the past 12 months, and she is also feisty, as well as strong and aggressive. And both had nearly identical scorelines - Radwanska beat Sara Errani 6-3, 6-1, and Li bested Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-3.
One player who's had the luxury of floating quietly through her draw is Caroline Wozniacki. I thought Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova might give her some trouble, and she did, but Wozniacki proved to be just a little tougher, winning 7-5, 6-4. She gets to play one of the surprise players in the third round, Petra Kvitova. Kvitova, 20, upset Victora Azarenka 7-5, 6-0, but in tennis circles, this isn't a stunning result. Kvitova's a big player at 6'0" and a big hitter, and she's been to this stage before - she reached the Round of 16 at the U.S. Open last year. Like Pavlyuchenkova, Kvitova has a shot against Wozniacki, but I expect the Dane to keep going.
The final match of the top half will feature a couple more surprise players. Samantha Stosur's upset opened a door in the bottom half of the draw, and Klara Zakapalova and Kaia Kanepi have stepped right through. After beating Stosur on Day 2, Kanepi kept going, and she hasn't dropped a set yet, most recently demolishing 31st seed Alexandra Dulgheru 6-1, 6-2. What's more, she won't be awed by the situation. She's a former top 30 player who had a slump last year, but after qualifying and winning matches at consecutive Slams, I think it's safe to say she's back. Zakopalova, who took out 10th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-3, is much more surprising. This is the first time she's advanced this far at any Slam, and only the second time she's advanced past the second round of a Grand Slam. It's hard to know how she will respond in this situation.
The winner of that match will get the winner of - not a blockbuster in terms of names, but potentially one in terms of interesting tennis. Agnieszka Radwanska isn't the first name that comes to mind when talking about the top women, but make no mistake, she's a feisty, clever player. Na Li has officially joined the upper tier of women in the past 12 months, and she is also feisty, as well as strong and aggressive. And both had nearly identical scorelines - Radwanska beat Sara Errani 6-3, 6-1, and Li bested Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-3.
One player who's had the luxury of floating quietly through her draw is Caroline Wozniacki. I thought Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova might give her some trouble, and she did, but Wozniacki proved to be just a little tougher, winning 7-5, 6-4. She gets to play one of the surprise players in the third round, Petra Kvitova. Kvitova, 20, upset Victora Azarenka 7-5, 6-0, but in tennis circles, this isn't a stunning result. Kvitova's a big player at 6'0" and a big hitter, and she's been to this stage before - she reached the Round of 16 at the U.S. Open last year. Like Pavlyuchenkova, Kvitova has a shot against Wozniacki, but I expect the Dane to keep going.
The final match of the top half will feature a couple more surprise players. Samantha Stosur's upset opened a door in the bottom half of the draw, and Klara Zakapalova and Kaia Kanepi have stepped right through. After beating Stosur on Day 2, Kanepi kept going, and she hasn't dropped a set yet, most recently demolishing 31st seed Alexandra Dulgheru 6-1, 6-2. What's more, she won't be awed by the situation. She's a former top 30 player who had a slump last year, but after qualifying and winning matches at consecutive Slams, I think it's safe to say she's back. Zakopalova, who took out 10th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-3, is much more surprising. This is the first time she's advanced this far at any Slam, and only the second time she's advanced past the second round of a Grand Slam. It's hard to know how she will respond in this situation.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Day 5: The Men
Well, that's more like it.
After two rounds of struggling, Roger Federer played the match we've all expected the No.l player in the world to play. Going up against Arnaud Clement, Federer earned a strong 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory and after a rocky start, and has found his way safely into the second week.
Federer's next opponent is going to be Jurgen Melzer. The Austrian veteran, coming off his career-best result at Roland Garros, followed that up with his best Wimbledon, besting Feliciano Lopez, no slouch on grass, in four sets. Federer's got to like his chances there.
Tomas Berdych got tested for the first time in his third-round match, against Denis Istomin. Istomin won a pair of tiebreakers, but Berdych hung tough, and his greater experience in best-of-five matches probably proved to be the difference, as he is also safely into the Round of 16, 6-7(1), 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4.
He gets to play another big server, German Daniel Brands, who lost the first two sets against Victor Hanescu in tiebreakers but came back, winning the third set, and then breaking Hanescu in the fourth. After winning the set 6-3, he jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Hanescu retired.
After all of the tough matches the top guys have gone through, Novak Djokovic and Lleyton Hewitt are suddenly looking good. Too bad they play each other next. Djokovic has bounced back from being down two-sets-to-one in his first-round, against Olivier Rochus, but he's come through his next two matches easily, including his 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 third round win over Albert Montanes. Hewitt had a potentially tough opponent in Gael Monfils, but his biggest scare came in the second set, when Monfils forced a tiebreaker that went 11-9. After that, it was fairly comfortable sailing, as Hewitt won 6-3, 7-6, 6-4. That sets up a potentially good Round of 16 match, definitely the best one of the top half.
After cruising through his first-round, Andy Roddick has lost sets to Michael Llodra and now to Philipp Kohlschreiber, this time 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3. Still, he's got to be feeling good about his chances, too.
I'll admit, when I looked at the draw, Yen-Hsun Lu was not the guy I expected Roddick to be playing, but here he is, taking advantage of Florian Mayer's retirement at 6-4, 6-4, 2-1. Actually, Lu's had a pretty comfortable road to this point - he's the only man in the top half who hasn't lost a set. It will be interesting to see what he does against Roddick.
Tomorrow, things continue with the bottom half of the men's draw. Matches I'll be follwowing? Mathieu vs. de Bakker and Malisse vs. Querrey. Also in action are Rafael Nadal and Robin Soderling.
After two rounds of struggling, Roger Federer played the match we've all expected the No.l player in the world to play. Going up against Arnaud Clement, Federer earned a strong 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory and after a rocky start, and has found his way safely into the second week.
Federer's next opponent is going to be Jurgen Melzer. The Austrian veteran, coming off his career-best result at Roland Garros, followed that up with his best Wimbledon, besting Feliciano Lopez, no slouch on grass, in four sets. Federer's got to like his chances there.
Tomas Berdych got tested for the first time in his third-round match, against Denis Istomin. Istomin won a pair of tiebreakers, but Berdych hung tough, and his greater experience in best-of-five matches probably proved to be the difference, as he is also safely into the Round of 16, 6-7(1), 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4.
He gets to play another big server, German Daniel Brands, who lost the first two sets against Victor Hanescu in tiebreakers but came back, winning the third set, and then breaking Hanescu in the fourth. After winning the set 6-3, he jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Hanescu retired.
After all of the tough matches the top guys have gone through, Novak Djokovic and Lleyton Hewitt are suddenly looking good. Too bad they play each other next. Djokovic has bounced back from being down two-sets-to-one in his first-round, against Olivier Rochus, but he's come through his next two matches easily, including his 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 third round win over Albert Montanes. Hewitt had a potentially tough opponent in Gael Monfils, but his biggest scare came in the second set, when Monfils forced a tiebreaker that went 11-9. After that, it was fairly comfortable sailing, as Hewitt won 6-3, 7-6, 6-4. That sets up a potentially good Round of 16 match, definitely the best one of the top half.
After cruising through his first-round, Andy Roddick has lost sets to Michael Llodra and now to Philipp Kohlschreiber, this time 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3. Still, he's got to be feeling good about his chances, too.
I'll admit, when I looked at the draw, Yen-Hsun Lu was not the guy I expected Roddick to be playing, but here he is, taking advantage of Florian Mayer's retirement at 6-4, 6-4, 2-1. Actually, Lu's had a pretty comfortable road to this point - he's the only man in the top half who hasn't lost a set. It will be interesting to see what he does against Roddick.
Tomorrow, things continue with the bottom half of the men's draw. Matches I'll be follwowing? Mathieu vs. de Bakker and Malisse vs. Querrey. Also in action are Rafael Nadal and Robin Soderling.
Day 5: The Women
The top women's players certainly haven't made much fuss this first week, have they? In fact, with all the talk about the men's draw, you might have forgotten the women were even playing.
They're still around, though, and they might very well be setting themselves up to upstage the men in the second week of the tournament – especially the bottom half of the draw, which was in action today.
The match to watch, between Justine Henin and Nadia Petrova, ended up being a blowout. Henin came in with a 13-2 advantage, so she was favored to start with, but when she served 80 percent in the first set alone and made just three unforced errors; well, you just knew she was in for a short day. The second set did get a little more interesting – Henin's not the greatest server in women's tennis, so you knew her percentage had to drop, and it did. Petrova took a 3-1 lead early, but Henin bounced back, and her numbers for the match remained gaudy (for her) – 70 percent of her first serves in, six aces, one double fault, five unforced errors and 26 winners, and she ended up winning 6-1, 6-4. Her only two unforced errors of the entire second set were in the game where she was broken. Now, Henin has always been an inconsistent match-to-match player, but if she can keep up anything close to this, she's going to give her next opponent a very tough match.
That next opponent just happens to be her compatriot, Kim Clijsters. Clijsters was never really in trouble against Maria Kirilenko, taking early breaks in each set and not getting pushed in her 6-3, 6-3 win. Clijsters was also impressive on serve, hitting 81 percent of her attempts and hitting five aces against two double faults and 20 winners against 14 unforced errors. Her match against Henin should be a blockbuster. Henin won the last time these two played on grass and leads 2-1 on the surface (the loss was a retirement in 2003), but Clijsters has been the better player in their two matches this year. She's needed third-set tie-breakers both times, but she's also had mental lapses in both of those matches and probably should have won them in straight sets.
The winner of that match will get the winner of Jelena Jankovic vs. Vera Zvonareva. Zvonareva's been up-and-down over the course of her career, but she's on a high right now. She was pretty even with Yanina Wickmayer except for in a crucial category – points won on serve. Zvonareva won 41 percent of the points on Wickmayer's serve, while her Belgian opponent only won 21 percent of her receiving points. The result was a 6-4, 6-2 victory, and Zvonareva's second Round of 16 at a Slam this year.
She might have a tall task to go further, though. After a quiet 2009 and a slow start to 2010, Jankovic is again looking like an elite player. She won 81 percent of her first-serve points in a dominant 6-0, 6-3 win over Alona Bondarenko. However, the next quarterfinal Jankovic reaches here will be her first. She's yet to advance further than the fourth round in seven tries at Wimbledon, and grass has proven to be her weakest surface. Could an upset be brewing here?
Tsvetana Pironkova and Jarmila Groth aren't exactly household names, but neither are nobodies to tennis fans, either. Both are solid players who made some noise as teenagers, and today, both advance to the Round of 16 for the first time at Wimbledon. Pironkova advanced to her first Grand Slam Round of 16 when Regina Kulikova retired at 6-4, 2-0, and Groth got through Angelique Kerber 6-3, 7-5, to reach her second consecutive fourth round.
Both will be hard-pressed to go further. Pironkova will now play Marion Bartoli, who committed just seven unforced errors in her 6-3, 6-4 win over Greta Arn. She was also very strong on serve, winning 83 percent of her points, and she hit 19 winners. The 2007 runner-up should be heavily favored in this Round of 16 match.
Groth has an even tougher opponent, in five-time champion Venus Williams. Williams stayed on serve with Alisa Kleybanova until 5-4, and from there, she never looked back, winning seven of the last nine games. Williams had 24 winners and 15 unforced errors in the match, and she's got a very nice path to the semifinals. There's even a chance she won't play a Top-10 player until the finals, if Henin or Zvonareva comes through the other quarter. No matter who she plays, given her history here, and her opponents' history, it's hard to bet against her playing for Title No. 6 next Saturday.
Back with the men's results later.
They're still around, though, and they might very well be setting themselves up to upstage the men in the second week of the tournament – especially the bottom half of the draw, which was in action today.
The match to watch, between Justine Henin and Nadia Petrova, ended up being a blowout. Henin came in with a 13-2 advantage, so she was favored to start with, but when she served 80 percent in the first set alone and made just three unforced errors; well, you just knew she was in for a short day. The second set did get a little more interesting – Henin's not the greatest server in women's tennis, so you knew her percentage had to drop, and it did. Petrova took a 3-1 lead early, but Henin bounced back, and her numbers for the match remained gaudy (for her) – 70 percent of her first serves in, six aces, one double fault, five unforced errors and 26 winners, and she ended up winning 6-1, 6-4. Her only two unforced errors of the entire second set were in the game where she was broken. Now, Henin has always been an inconsistent match-to-match player, but if she can keep up anything close to this, she's going to give her next opponent a very tough match.
That next opponent just happens to be her compatriot, Kim Clijsters. Clijsters was never really in trouble against Maria Kirilenko, taking early breaks in each set and not getting pushed in her 6-3, 6-3 win. Clijsters was also impressive on serve, hitting 81 percent of her attempts and hitting five aces against two double faults and 20 winners against 14 unforced errors. Her match against Henin should be a blockbuster. Henin won the last time these two played on grass and leads 2-1 on the surface (the loss was a retirement in 2003), but Clijsters has been the better player in their two matches this year. She's needed third-set tie-breakers both times, but she's also had mental lapses in both of those matches and probably should have won them in straight sets.
The winner of that match will get the winner of Jelena Jankovic vs. Vera Zvonareva. Zvonareva's been up-and-down over the course of her career, but she's on a high right now. She was pretty even with Yanina Wickmayer except for in a crucial category – points won on serve. Zvonareva won 41 percent of the points on Wickmayer's serve, while her Belgian opponent only won 21 percent of her receiving points. The result was a 6-4, 6-2 victory, and Zvonareva's second Round of 16 at a Slam this year.
She might have a tall task to go further, though. After a quiet 2009 and a slow start to 2010, Jankovic is again looking like an elite player. She won 81 percent of her first-serve points in a dominant 6-0, 6-3 win over Alona Bondarenko. However, the next quarterfinal Jankovic reaches here will be her first. She's yet to advance further than the fourth round in seven tries at Wimbledon, and grass has proven to be her weakest surface. Could an upset be brewing here?
Tsvetana Pironkova and Jarmila Groth aren't exactly household names, but neither are nobodies to tennis fans, either. Both are solid players who made some noise as teenagers, and today, both advance to the Round of 16 for the first time at Wimbledon. Pironkova advanced to her first Grand Slam Round of 16 when Regina Kulikova retired at 6-4, 2-0, and Groth got through Angelique Kerber 6-3, 7-5, to reach her second consecutive fourth round.
Both will be hard-pressed to go further. Pironkova will now play Marion Bartoli, who committed just seven unforced errors in her 6-3, 6-4 win over Greta Arn. She was also very strong on serve, winning 83 percent of her points, and she hit 19 winners. The 2007 runner-up should be heavily favored in this Round of 16 match.
Groth has an even tougher opponent, in five-time champion Venus Williams. Williams stayed on serve with Alisa Kleybanova until 5-4, and from there, she never looked back, winning seven of the last nine games. Williams had 24 winners and 15 unforced errors in the match, and she's got a very nice path to the semifinals. There's even a chance she won't play a Top-10 player until the finals, if Henin or Zvonareva comes through the other quarter. No matter who she plays, given her history here, and her opponents' history, it's hard to bet against her playing for Title No. 6 next Saturday.
Back with the men's results later.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Day 4: The Women
So now, we know all 32 women in the third round. The top half of the women's draw completed their second-round matches today, and only 10 of the 16 seeds in this half are still alive.
That group is headlined by Serena Williams, who waited a long time to get on court, and then spent precious little time there once her match started. She clobbered former top 10 player Anna Chakvetadze 6-0, 6-1 on Court 2. It's hard to believe, with that scoreline, that Chakvetadze was once one of the top young players in the sport. She's a long, long way away from that now, and it doesn't look like she's close to getting back to that level.
Williams is still on course to face Maria Sharapova, who was also very strong in her 6-1, 6-4 win over Ioana Raluca Olaru. Those two are now one match away from meeting up in the Round of 16. Serena needs to get through Dominika Cibulkova, and Sharapova needs to bat Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova to make it happen. Definitely doable.
Waiting for them in the quarters will probably be either Na Li or Agnieszka Radwanska. Radwanska has looked good in her first two rounds, and today beat Alberta Brianti of Italy 6-2, 6-0. Li topped Kurumi Nara 6-2, 6-4 and could make it past Radwanska, should the two of them meet. Don't forget, she was a semifinalist at the Australian Open this year and beat Sharapova in the warm-up at Birmingham. She'll be tough to beat.
I haven't seen Caroline Wozniacki play yet, but she can't be complaining too much about her draw. She plays Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next. Both have looked good in their early matches. Pavlyuchenkova gave Serena a fight at Roland Garros, and she's due for a breakthrough against a top player. Is there a chance it could come here? Yes, but probably not a great one. Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka play the other third-round match here. Kvitova's a big hitter who reached the Round of 16 at the U.S. Open last year, and she's in the same generation as Sabine Lisicki, Cibulkova and Yanina Wickmayer. Of the four, she's the least accomplished, but if Azarenka's not 100 percent, and she didn't look like she was in Eastbourne, Kvitova's got a chance.
The winner of that section will most likely advance from that quarter, because the rest of the players there aren't quite so strong. Flavia Pennetta's lived up to her seeding of 10th, but her results on grass haven't been the best. She'll play Klara Zakopalova for the right to play either Alexandra Dulgheru or Kaia Kanepi. Kanepi followed up her first-round upset over Samantha Stosur with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Edina Gallovits, but Dulgheru's been impressive on the grass. Right now, I'm leaning a little bit towards her to get out of that section.
That group is headlined by Serena Williams, who waited a long time to get on court, and then spent precious little time there once her match started. She clobbered former top 10 player Anna Chakvetadze 6-0, 6-1 on Court 2. It's hard to believe, with that scoreline, that Chakvetadze was once one of the top young players in the sport. She's a long, long way away from that now, and it doesn't look like she's close to getting back to that level.
Williams is still on course to face Maria Sharapova, who was also very strong in her 6-1, 6-4 win over Ioana Raluca Olaru. Those two are now one match away from meeting up in the Round of 16. Serena needs to get through Dominika Cibulkova, and Sharapova needs to bat Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova to make it happen. Definitely doable.
Waiting for them in the quarters will probably be either Na Li or Agnieszka Radwanska. Radwanska has looked good in her first two rounds, and today beat Alberta Brianti of Italy 6-2, 6-0. Li topped Kurumi Nara 6-2, 6-4 and could make it past Radwanska, should the two of them meet. Don't forget, she was a semifinalist at the Australian Open this year and beat Sharapova in the warm-up at Birmingham. She'll be tough to beat.
I haven't seen Caroline Wozniacki play yet, but she can't be complaining too much about her draw. She plays Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next. Both have looked good in their early matches. Pavlyuchenkova gave Serena a fight at Roland Garros, and she's due for a breakthrough against a top player. Is there a chance it could come here? Yes, but probably not a great one. Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka play the other third-round match here. Kvitova's a big hitter who reached the Round of 16 at the U.S. Open last year, and she's in the same generation as Sabine Lisicki, Cibulkova and Yanina Wickmayer. Of the four, she's the least accomplished, but if Azarenka's not 100 percent, and she didn't look like she was in Eastbourne, Kvitova's got a chance.
The winner of that section will most likely advance from that quarter, because the rest of the players there aren't quite so strong. Flavia Pennetta's lived up to her seeding of 10th, but her results on grass haven't been the best. She'll play Klara Zakopalova for the right to play either Alexandra Dulgheru or Kaia Kanepi. Kanepi followed up her first-round upset over Samantha Stosur with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Edina Gallovits, but Dulgheru's been impressive on the grass. Right now, I'm leaning a little bit towards her to get out of that section.
Day 4: The Men
Well, we know most of the guys in the third-round of Wimbledon, now. There are still two second-round matches to be completed – Youzhny vs. Mathieu and de Bakker vs. Isner. The winners of those matches play each other for the right to most likely play Rafael Nadal in the Round of 16.
Maybe we should start calling the bottom quarter of the draw the marathon quarter. De Bakker is already the winner of a five-set match that went 16-14, and I won't bother repeating Isner's result. Nadal and his opponent, Philipp Petzschner are also both coming off of five-set matches. Nadal's was a 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 win over Robin Haase, a guy who's just starting to get back to where he belongs in the tennis world after injury, and Petszchner needed 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to top Lukasz Kubot. One thing is for sure, whoever gets to the quarterfinals from this section will have earned it.
Also in that quarter is Robin Soderling, who looked pretty good in his 7-5, 6-1-6-4 win over Marcel Granollers. He gets to play Thomaz Bellucci, who needed a long four-setter to top Martin Fischer of Austria, 6-7(11), 7-6(4), 7-6(1), 6-2. I think the Brazilian's run ends here, but give him some credit – he's done well for a South American who's perceived as a clay-court specialist. Could he be another of the new breed of clay-courters who can succeed on other surfaces? It certainly looks that way.
The other match in that quarter pits the ninth-seed, David Ferrer against unseeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, who won another marathon, 6-3, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-7(5), 8-6 over Lukas Lacko. I'm going with Ferrer in that one, although Chardy might give him some trouble.
In the third quarter, Andy Murray, playing in front of Queen Elizabeth II, made short work of Jarkko Nieminen, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. He will play Gilles Simon, who's had a quiet year, but is in the third round, thanks in part to a walkover. The other U.S. man in the bottom half, Sam Querrey, plays Xavier Malisse for a shot at Murray. Querrey will be favored there, and rightfully so, but don't take Malisse too lightly. He is a former Wimbledon semifinalist who knows how to play on grass.
Whoever comes out of that section will probably be playing a Frenchman. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the highest seed left, but he needed another marathon – 10-8 in the fifth – to beat Alexandr Dolgopolov. For his efforts, he gets unseeded Tobias Kamke for the right to play either compatriot Julien Benneteau or Fabio Fognini. Fognini followed up his upset win over Fernando Verdasco with a 3-6, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(6), 6-3 win over Michael Russel, and Benneteau also needed – you guessed it – five sets to beat Andreas Beck 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.
Up tomorrow on the men's side will be the end of the second round (hopefully) and the start of the third. Back with more on the men then.
Maybe we should start calling the bottom quarter of the draw the marathon quarter. De Bakker is already the winner of a five-set match that went 16-14, and I won't bother repeating Isner's result. Nadal and his opponent, Philipp Petzschner are also both coming off of five-set matches. Nadal's was a 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 win over Robin Haase, a guy who's just starting to get back to where he belongs in the tennis world after injury, and Petszchner needed 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to top Lukasz Kubot. One thing is for sure, whoever gets to the quarterfinals from this section will have earned it.
Also in that quarter is Robin Soderling, who looked pretty good in his 7-5, 6-1-6-4 win over Marcel Granollers. He gets to play Thomaz Bellucci, who needed a long four-setter to top Martin Fischer of Austria, 6-7(11), 7-6(4), 7-6(1), 6-2. I think the Brazilian's run ends here, but give him some credit – he's done well for a South American who's perceived as a clay-court specialist. Could he be another of the new breed of clay-courters who can succeed on other surfaces? It certainly looks that way.
The other match in that quarter pits the ninth-seed, David Ferrer against unseeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, who won another marathon, 6-3, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-7(5), 8-6 over Lukas Lacko. I'm going with Ferrer in that one, although Chardy might give him some trouble.
In the third quarter, Andy Murray, playing in front of Queen Elizabeth II, made short work of Jarkko Nieminen, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. He will play Gilles Simon, who's had a quiet year, but is in the third round, thanks in part to a walkover. The other U.S. man in the bottom half, Sam Querrey, plays Xavier Malisse for a shot at Murray. Querrey will be favored there, and rightfully so, but don't take Malisse too lightly. He is a former Wimbledon semifinalist who knows how to play on grass.
Whoever comes out of that section will probably be playing a Frenchman. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the highest seed left, but he needed another marathon – 10-8 in the fifth – to beat Alexandr Dolgopolov. For his efforts, he gets unseeded Tobias Kamke for the right to play either compatriot Julien Benneteau or Fabio Fognini. Fognini followed up his upset win over Fernando Verdasco with a 3-6, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(6), 6-3 win over Michael Russel, and Benneteau also needed – you guessed it – five sets to beat Andreas Beck 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.
Up tomorrow on the men's side will be the end of the second round (hopefully) and the start of the third. Back with more on the men then.
6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68
Because of my day job, I don't get to watch too much tennis coverage, but I do tune in when I can. On the ESPN coverage Wednesday morning, I got to see some of the resumption of the match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut. The two had split the first four sets on Tuesday when play was suspended, and when they picked things up again, it was clear that neither wanted to give up the match. I think it was about 9-9 when I left for work, and it didn't look like the end was anywhere in sight, but I didn't think that necessarily meant anything – the match could have gone into the teens or 20s … or it could end in the next two or three games. That seems to be the way these matches go.
So imagine my amazement when I checked the scores during my lunch break and found they were still going on. I had to do a take a second look, to make sure I had seen right. At that point, the score was in the upper-30s . . . I think. I checked the scores a couple more times that afternoon, and my amazement only grew. When the match ended for the second consecutive day, tied at 59-59, I mentioned the score to one of my co-workers and told her, "This doesn't happen."
Anyone who's been a tennis fan for a while knows that. This doesn't happen – at least, it has never happened before. By the time it got done, and Isner had advanced to the second round, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68, this match had shattered all kinds of records. It is the longest match in tennis history – 11 hours, five minutes, four hours, 32 minutes longer than the second longest. The fifth set alone – at eight hours, 11 minutes – was over two hours longer than the second-longest match. The two played a total of 183 games, the most for one match, and the most games in one set – 138.
The two combined for a mind-boggling 215 aces – Isner now has the all-time record for most aces served in a match, 112, and Mahut is second, at 103. The previous record was 78, set last fall by Ivo Karlovic. On Jon Wertheim’s twitter feed, I read that 10 women have served over 103 aces – for all of 2010. The man with the third-most aces for the entire tournament, Ilija Bozoljac, has 58 – in two matches. Slacker.
No doubt, this match will stay with both players for a long time. Most of the time, you can point to a few moments where a win or loss may have come. How many can Mahut point to in this one? How many places can he look and say “I could have won it here?” What will this match do to his career moving forward? This has got to be a devastating loss, no doubt about it, but can he bounce back? We’ll find out.
Isner immediate future is clear – he goes on to the second round, where he’ll play Thiemo de Bakker, and if you thought Mahut was a dangerous opponent … Isner’s got to be exhausted coming out of this one, but de Bakker also had a tough first round, beating Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 16-14. No doubt about it, 16-14 is nothing compared to 70-68, and de Bakker’s gotten an extra day of rest, but Isner might not necessarily be a dead man walking when they play tomorrow.
From a logistics standpoint, this match has created a nightmare for tournament organizers. While Isner and Mahut were finishing this first-round match, most of the rest of the bottom half was playing second round matches. Now, Isner vs. de Bakker, and the match featuring their third-round opponent – Mikhail Youzhny vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu – will both be played tomorrow, with the winners playing Saturday for a chance at the Round of 16. The good news is that a lot of the other matches in this section have gone long, meaning the competitive advantage won’t be quite as much as it would have been otherwise. Still, whoever enters the Round of 16 from Rafael Nadal’s section will have an undisputable edge.
Most likely, we won't see the effect of this match on Isner's career until further down the road. It's impossible to know for sure what he'll take out of it, but one thing's for sure - there can be no disputing his toughness. After all, how many tennis players have ever 70-68 to win a tennis match? None of them!
The past three days have been about much more than logistics, though. They’ve been about the sheer beauty and randomness of tennis. After all, who would have thought five days ago, that we’d be talking about Isner and Mahut above any other player in the tournament right now? And absolutely no one would have pointed to this match as being the definitive moment of either man’s career to date. Now, long after both men’s careers are done, their names will go down in the annals of tennis history for one magical match, stretched out over three days, where they played the match no two professional tennis players ever had before.
So imagine my amazement when I checked the scores during my lunch break and found they were still going on. I had to do a take a second look, to make sure I had seen right. At that point, the score was in the upper-30s . . . I think. I checked the scores a couple more times that afternoon, and my amazement only grew. When the match ended for the second consecutive day, tied at 59-59, I mentioned the score to one of my co-workers and told her, "This doesn't happen."
Anyone who's been a tennis fan for a while knows that. This doesn't happen – at least, it has never happened before. By the time it got done, and Isner had advanced to the second round, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68, this match had shattered all kinds of records. It is the longest match in tennis history – 11 hours, five minutes, four hours, 32 minutes longer than the second longest. The fifth set alone – at eight hours, 11 minutes – was over two hours longer than the second-longest match. The two played a total of 183 games, the most for one match, and the most games in one set – 138.
The two combined for a mind-boggling 215 aces – Isner now has the all-time record for most aces served in a match, 112, and Mahut is second, at 103. The previous record was 78, set last fall by Ivo Karlovic. On Jon Wertheim’s twitter feed, I read that 10 women have served over 103 aces – for all of 2010. The man with the third-most aces for the entire tournament, Ilija Bozoljac, has 58 – in two matches. Slacker.
No doubt, this match will stay with both players for a long time. Most of the time, you can point to a few moments where a win or loss may have come. How many can Mahut point to in this one? How many places can he look and say “I could have won it here?” What will this match do to his career moving forward? This has got to be a devastating loss, no doubt about it, but can he bounce back? We’ll find out.
Isner immediate future is clear – he goes on to the second round, where he’ll play Thiemo de Bakker, and if you thought Mahut was a dangerous opponent … Isner’s got to be exhausted coming out of this one, but de Bakker also had a tough first round, beating Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 16-14. No doubt about it, 16-14 is nothing compared to 70-68, and de Bakker’s gotten an extra day of rest, but Isner might not necessarily be a dead man walking when they play tomorrow.
From a logistics standpoint, this match has created a nightmare for tournament organizers. While Isner and Mahut were finishing this first-round match, most of the rest of the bottom half was playing second round matches. Now, Isner vs. de Bakker, and the match featuring their third-round opponent – Mikhail Youzhny vs. Paul-Henri Mathieu – will both be played tomorrow, with the winners playing Saturday for a chance at the Round of 16. The good news is that a lot of the other matches in this section have gone long, meaning the competitive advantage won’t be quite as much as it would have been otherwise. Still, whoever enters the Round of 16 from Rafael Nadal’s section will have an undisputable edge.
Most likely, we won't see the effect of this match on Isner's career until further down the road. It's impossible to know for sure what he'll take out of it, but one thing's for sure - there can be no disputing his toughness. After all, how many tennis players have ever 70-68 to win a tennis match? None of them!
The past three days have been about much more than logistics, though. They’ve been about the sheer beauty and randomness of tennis. After all, who would have thought five days ago, that we’d be talking about Isner and Mahut above any other player in the tournament right now? And absolutely no one would have pointed to this match as being the definitive moment of either man’s career to date. Now, long after both men’s careers are done, their names will go down in the annals of tennis history for one magical match, stretched out over three days, where they played the match no two professional tennis players ever had before.
Day 3: The Women
Really, the bottom half of the women's draw is a tale of two quarters. There's the Venus Williams quarter, where the second-seed is now one of just three seeds remaining, and there's the third quarter, where all eight seeds are still in, and some very intriguing matches await.
Williams followed sister Serena's pattern in her second-round win over Elena Makarova – win the first set 6-0, get tested in the second but come through 6-4. Easy, right? Up next for Williams is Alisa Kleybanova. After watching Kleybanova in Australia this year, I'll repeat what many others have said – on talent alone, she's a Top 10 player. Add in the fitness, though, and well, you get a player in the second half of the Top 30, who seems destined to live up to her seeding and not do too much more, because she isn't ranked highly enough to get better draws at the big events. Venus should get through that, as well as her fourth round match, against the winner of Angelique Kerber and Jarmila Groth. I'm going to give Groth a little edge here, mainly because of her strong run at Roland Garros. She and Kerber both knocked out seeded players – Kerber took out Shahar Peer 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Groth topped Melanie Oudin 6-4, 6-3 – in the second round. I have a feeling Oudin, who was promoted when other players withdrew, would have had a better chance if she'd stayed in the top quarter, where she would have been playing less dangerous players.
Williams' likely quarterfinal opponent is Marion Bartoli, who didn't even have to pick up her racket Wednesday. She earned a walkover over Petra Martic, who was apparently suffering from an abdominal injury. Bartoli now plays Greta Arn, who knocked out Alicia Molik, a dangerous player on the grass, 7-5, 6-4. The other match in that section will feature Tsvetana Pironkova vs. Regina Kulikova. Pironkova has more experience than Kulikova, but that's about all I can really say about this one. It will be interesting, that's for sure.
As I mentioned before, the bottom half is a tale of two quarters, and the top quarter is where things are really interesting. Jelena Jankovic is getting no love from the press so far, even though she's the fourth seed here. She got pushed in the first round, and in the second round, she was pushed a little further – 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, but she's through and will play Alona Bondarenko next. These two should be getting to know each other pretty well. They played in Australia and at Roland Garros this year, splitting matches.
If Jankovic gets through that, she'll play the winner of Yanina Wickmayer vs. Vera Zvonareva. Zvonareva's looked pretty good, but she hasn't had any tough opposition yet – both of her opponents so far were qualifiers. She beat Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-4, 6-1 and then Andrea Hlavackova 6-1, 6-4. Wickmayer was struggling coming in, but she got revenge for her Eastbourne loss to Alison Riske in a three-set match and then out-toughed compatriot Kirsten Flipkens, 7-6(9), 6-4. I'm going to give her an edge in that one.
The top section also features a pair of very intriguing matches. Kim Clijsters, the eighth seed, will be playing Maria Kirilenko, seeded 27th. Really, Clijsters should be heavily favored in that one, but Kirilenko has come up good in the Slams this year. It will be interesting to see if she can get another big upset.
The winner of that match will get the winner of the match of the third round, Nadia Petrova vs. Justine Henin. These two have played twice this year, and Henin's won both, but it's been close – 7-5, 7-5 in Brisbane and 7-6(3), 7-5 at the Australian Open. If Clijsters and Henin both get through, we could be in for a great Round of 16 match. Stay tuned to fine out.
Williams followed sister Serena's pattern in her second-round win over Elena Makarova – win the first set 6-0, get tested in the second but come through 6-4. Easy, right? Up next for Williams is Alisa Kleybanova. After watching Kleybanova in Australia this year, I'll repeat what many others have said – on talent alone, she's a Top 10 player. Add in the fitness, though, and well, you get a player in the second half of the Top 30, who seems destined to live up to her seeding and not do too much more, because she isn't ranked highly enough to get better draws at the big events. Venus should get through that, as well as her fourth round match, against the winner of Angelique Kerber and Jarmila Groth. I'm going to give Groth a little edge here, mainly because of her strong run at Roland Garros. She and Kerber both knocked out seeded players – Kerber took out Shahar Peer 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Groth topped Melanie Oudin 6-4, 6-3 – in the second round. I have a feeling Oudin, who was promoted when other players withdrew, would have had a better chance if she'd stayed in the top quarter, where she would have been playing less dangerous players.
Williams' likely quarterfinal opponent is Marion Bartoli, who didn't even have to pick up her racket Wednesday. She earned a walkover over Petra Martic, who was apparently suffering from an abdominal injury. Bartoli now plays Greta Arn, who knocked out Alicia Molik, a dangerous player on the grass, 7-5, 6-4. The other match in that section will feature Tsvetana Pironkova vs. Regina Kulikova. Pironkova has more experience than Kulikova, but that's about all I can really say about this one. It will be interesting, that's for sure.
As I mentioned before, the bottom half is a tale of two quarters, and the top quarter is where things are really interesting. Jelena Jankovic is getting no love from the press so far, even though she's the fourth seed here. She got pushed in the first round, and in the second round, she was pushed a little further – 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, but she's through and will play Alona Bondarenko next. These two should be getting to know each other pretty well. They played in Australia and at Roland Garros this year, splitting matches.
If Jankovic gets through that, she'll play the winner of Yanina Wickmayer vs. Vera Zvonareva. Zvonareva's looked pretty good, but she hasn't had any tough opposition yet – both of her opponents so far were qualifiers. She beat Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-4, 6-1 and then Andrea Hlavackova 6-1, 6-4. Wickmayer was struggling coming in, but she got revenge for her Eastbourne loss to Alison Riske in a three-set match and then out-toughed compatriot Kirsten Flipkens, 7-6(9), 6-4. I'm going to give her an edge in that one.
The top section also features a pair of very intriguing matches. Kim Clijsters, the eighth seed, will be playing Maria Kirilenko, seeded 27th. Really, Clijsters should be heavily favored in that one, but Kirilenko has come up good in the Slams this year. It will be interesting to see if she can get another big upset.
The winner of that match will get the winner of the match of the third round, Nadia Petrova vs. Justine Henin. These two have played twice this year, and Henin's won both, but it's been close – 7-5, 7-5 in Brisbane and 7-6(3), 7-5 at the Australian Open. If Clijsters and Henin both get through, we could be in for a great Round of 16 match. Stay tuned to fine out.
Wimbledon Day 3: The Men
The Roger Federer watch has been completely pushed to the back-burner by the first-round match that's turned into the story of the tournament so far. For now, here's what's going on in the rest of the men's tournament.
It doesn't look like Federer's struggles were a one-time thing. After being pushed to the brink in the first round – remember, Alejandro Falla served for that match in the fourth set – Federer really needed to come out and stomp his next opponent into the ground to let people know that match was a fluke. He didn't exactly do that, although he did go four sets without dropping serve in his 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(5) win over Ilija Bozoljac. Clearly, he's still working his way into the tournament. Up next for him is Arnaud Clement. That match should be all kinds of fun, but Federer's got to be glad for his draw right now. The most dangerous opponent in his quarter is now Tomas Berdych, and they aren't seeded meet until the quarterfinals.
Both Federer and Berdych had nice draws to start with, but Berdych's has gotten much nicer after two rounds. Rather than the 20th seed, Stanislas Wawrinka, he will get Denis Istomin in the third round for the right to play either Victor Hanescu or Daniel Brands of Germany in the fourth. I think he'll get through that to get his shot at Federer, and if the top seed's level of play doesn't improve, his tournament could very well end there. Berdych is too dangerous of an opponent to face on an off fortnight.
In the bottom quarter, things have largely gone to form. The surprise third-round match is Forian Mayer vs. Yen-Hsen Lu, but the other six seeds, including No. 3 Novak Djokovic, No. 5 Andy Roddick and No. 15 Lleyton Hewitt are all in and looking tough. Djokovic got a test in the first set of his match against Taylor Dent but advanced in three (7-6[5], 6-1, 6-4). After beating two opponents, in Dent and Olivier Rochus, he has lost to in the past, Djokovic has got to be feeling good about himself moving forward.
Hewitt, after dropping his first set of the tournament, has only lost 11 games in four-and-a-half sets, (His second-round opponent, Evgeny Korolev, retired trailing 6-4, 6-4, 3-0 yesterday.) Now, he gets a real test, against 21st seed Gael Monfils, who needed four sets to get through Karol Beck 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4. This is, without a doubt, the most interesting match of the men's third round.
It's Roddick who has to be feeling best about his tournament so far. He got tested against Michael Llodra, a dangerous grass-court player, but still advanced in four (4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6[2]). Now, he plays a tired Philip Kohlschreiber, who needed 9-7 in the fifth to beat Teimuraz Gabashvili. Roddick should get through that one, as well as his fourth-round match, against either Mayer or Lu, to get to the quarterfinals.
As for the Isner vs. Mahut match, well, I'll post on that when (if?) it ends.
It doesn't look like Federer's struggles were a one-time thing. After being pushed to the brink in the first round – remember, Alejandro Falla served for that match in the fourth set – Federer really needed to come out and stomp his next opponent into the ground to let people know that match was a fluke. He didn't exactly do that, although he did go four sets without dropping serve in his 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(5) win over Ilija Bozoljac. Clearly, he's still working his way into the tournament. Up next for him is Arnaud Clement. That match should be all kinds of fun, but Federer's got to be glad for his draw right now. The most dangerous opponent in his quarter is now Tomas Berdych, and they aren't seeded meet until the quarterfinals.
Both Federer and Berdych had nice draws to start with, but Berdych's has gotten much nicer after two rounds. Rather than the 20th seed, Stanislas Wawrinka, he will get Denis Istomin in the third round for the right to play either Victor Hanescu or Daniel Brands of Germany in the fourth. I think he'll get through that to get his shot at Federer, and if the top seed's level of play doesn't improve, his tournament could very well end there. Berdych is too dangerous of an opponent to face on an off fortnight.
In the bottom quarter, things have largely gone to form. The surprise third-round match is Forian Mayer vs. Yen-Hsen Lu, but the other six seeds, including No. 3 Novak Djokovic, No. 5 Andy Roddick and No. 15 Lleyton Hewitt are all in and looking tough. Djokovic got a test in the first set of his match against Taylor Dent but advanced in three (7-6[5], 6-1, 6-4). After beating two opponents, in Dent and Olivier Rochus, he has lost to in the past, Djokovic has got to be feeling good about himself moving forward.
Hewitt, after dropping his first set of the tournament, has only lost 11 games in four-and-a-half sets, (His second-round opponent, Evgeny Korolev, retired trailing 6-4, 6-4, 3-0 yesterday.) Now, he gets a real test, against 21st seed Gael Monfils, who needed four sets to get through Karol Beck 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4. This is, without a doubt, the most interesting match of the men's third round.
It's Roddick who has to be feeling best about his tournament so far. He got tested against Michael Llodra, a dangerous grass-court player, but still advanced in four (4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6[2]). Now, he plays a tired Philip Kohlschreiber, who needed 9-7 in the fifth to beat Teimuraz Gabashvili. Roddick should get through that one, as well as his fourth-round match, against either Mayer or Lu, to get to the quarterfinals.
As for the Isner vs. Mahut match, well, I'll post on that when (if?) it ends.
Wimbledon Day 2: According to Form - Mostly
Fabio Fognini’s had quite a month, hasn’t he? At Roland Garros, the Italian stunned Gael Monfils in the second round of a competitive, controversial five-set match en route to the third round. At Wimbledon, he drew Fernando Verdasco in the first round … and put together a four-set upset, knocking out the eighth seed 7-6(9), 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-4 win.
In another upset in the third quarter of the draw, Xavier Malisse, the former Wimbledon semifinalist, took out Juan Carlos Ferrero, who’s also been competent on grass, but who hasn’t played as well as his ranking and draws have suggested he should at the Slams this season. That’s in the section with American Sam Querrey, who was up two sets when his opponent, s’Hertogenbosch winner Sergiy Stakhovsky, retired with an injury.
More surprising, to my mind, was Marcos Baghdatis’ four-set loss to Lukas Lacko. With his talent, Baghdatis is a guy I expected to go further in the draw, especially since, historically, he’s been good on fast surfaces.
Surprisingly, those losses mean surprisingly little. The favorites in the bottom half are still Rafael Nadal, despite his tough draw, Andy Murray and Robin Soderling. Also lurking is the ninth seed, David Ferrer, if we see a couple upsets in the bottom quarter.
In the top quarter, Murray shouldn’t have too much to worry about. He should have a tough match against in-form American Sam Querrey in the Round of 16, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga should be waiting in the quarters, but that’s what I expected at the start. Julien Benneteau is a dangerous player in Tsonga’s section, but I’m still favoring the 10th seed to get through there.
Nadal, seeded second, had a straightforward win over Kei Nishikori and still has a brutal second round, against Robin Haase of the Netherlands. After that, believe it or not, his draw seems to ease up in the third and fourth rounds. The players I favored to be there, Thiemo de Bakker or John Isner have both had very long early matches, and now, I think there’s a distinct chance neither will be there for Nadal in the fourth round. Really, the five guys still in that section probably all have decent chances of getting through.
The women’s draw was mostly the same, although there was a this-changes-everything moment when Samantha Stosur went out in the first round to qualifier Kaia Kanepi. Granted, Kanepi is a very talented player – she’s been ranked much higher in the past. Still, you’re coming off a Grand Slam final, you’re a top doubles player with an attacking game, and you go out 6-4, 6-4 in the first round? Not a good result.
Believe it or not, Stosur was one of only two seeds on the women’s side to lose today. The second was Lucie Safarova, who lost to Dominika Cibulkova. In reality, though, that’s probably an upset on paper only. Cibulkova’s been to a Grand Slam semifinal and been ranked higher than Safarova. Still, this has to be a disappointing result for her. She’d had a good stretch on the clay and seems to be sinking back into old form.
Serena Williams looked like she wanted to make a statement, when she won the first set of her match against Michelle Larcher de Brito 6-0. Larcher de Brito showed some fight in getting the second set to 6-4, though. Despite the challenge, I doubt Serena will be too worried, and her draw, although interesting, shouldn't be too challenging until the fourth round, where she could play Maria Sharapova, who also looked impressive in her 6-1, 6-0 win over Anastasia Pivovarova.
Right now, there’s not too much more to say. Both Roland Garros finalists are out, but the “A” list contenders – Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova – are all in and got through their matches comfortably. If things keep up this way, we could be in for one of the better Grand Slams in recent memory.
In another upset in the third quarter of the draw, Xavier Malisse, the former Wimbledon semifinalist, took out Juan Carlos Ferrero, who’s also been competent on grass, but who hasn’t played as well as his ranking and draws have suggested he should at the Slams this season. That’s in the section with American Sam Querrey, who was up two sets when his opponent, s’Hertogenbosch winner Sergiy Stakhovsky, retired with an injury.
More surprising, to my mind, was Marcos Baghdatis’ four-set loss to Lukas Lacko. With his talent, Baghdatis is a guy I expected to go further in the draw, especially since, historically, he’s been good on fast surfaces.
Surprisingly, those losses mean surprisingly little. The favorites in the bottom half are still Rafael Nadal, despite his tough draw, Andy Murray and Robin Soderling. Also lurking is the ninth seed, David Ferrer, if we see a couple upsets in the bottom quarter.
In the top quarter, Murray shouldn’t have too much to worry about. He should have a tough match against in-form American Sam Querrey in the Round of 16, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga should be waiting in the quarters, but that’s what I expected at the start. Julien Benneteau is a dangerous player in Tsonga’s section, but I’m still favoring the 10th seed to get through there.
Nadal, seeded second, had a straightforward win over Kei Nishikori and still has a brutal second round, against Robin Haase of the Netherlands. After that, believe it or not, his draw seems to ease up in the third and fourth rounds. The players I favored to be there, Thiemo de Bakker or John Isner have both had very long early matches, and now, I think there’s a distinct chance neither will be there for Nadal in the fourth round. Really, the five guys still in that section probably all have decent chances of getting through.
The women’s draw was mostly the same, although there was a this-changes-everything moment when Samantha Stosur went out in the first round to qualifier Kaia Kanepi. Granted, Kanepi is a very talented player – she’s been ranked much higher in the past. Still, you’re coming off a Grand Slam final, you’re a top doubles player with an attacking game, and you go out 6-4, 6-4 in the first round? Not a good result.
Believe it or not, Stosur was one of only two seeds on the women’s side to lose today. The second was Lucie Safarova, who lost to Dominika Cibulkova. In reality, though, that’s probably an upset on paper only. Cibulkova’s been to a Grand Slam semifinal and been ranked higher than Safarova. Still, this has to be a disappointing result for her. She’d had a good stretch on the clay and seems to be sinking back into old form.
Serena Williams looked like she wanted to make a statement, when she won the first set of her match against Michelle Larcher de Brito 6-0. Larcher de Brito showed some fight in getting the second set to 6-4, though. Despite the challenge, I doubt Serena will be too worried, and her draw, although interesting, shouldn't be too challenging until the fourth round, where she could play Maria Sharapova, who also looked impressive in her 6-1, 6-0 win over Anastasia Pivovarova.
Right now, there’s not too much more to say. Both Roland Garros finalists are out, but the “A” list contenders – Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova – are all in and got through their matches comfortably. If things keep up this way, we could be in for one of the better Grand Slams in recent memory.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Wimbledon Day 1: The Women
Compared to their male counterparts, the women's draw was a little lackluster today. Of the 32 matches played, only six went to three sets. The biggest upset proved to be Vera Dushevina's 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-1 win over Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone. The 2002 junior champion here, Dushevina was dangerous, but I confess that I thought Schiavone could get through that one. Not quite.
There were four other junior champions in action today, and Dushevina wasn't the only one to find success. Her successor, 2003 champion Kirsten Flipkens, had a far less eventful match, topping lucky loser Stephanie Dubois 6-4, 6-4. No doubt Flipkens is feeling lucky, herself – Dubois could have easily been Melanie Oudin, not a junior champion, but a young player who's dangerous on the grass. Oudin, promoted to the 33rd seed after withdrawals, advanced with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Anna-Lena Groenefeld. Up next for Flipkens is compatriot Yanina Wickmayer, and this match could be more interesting than it appears on paper. Wickmayer has been struggling recently, and Flipkens is coming off a good run at s'Hertogenbosch, and she hardly embarrassed herself when she played Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros. She's got to be thinking she has a chance here.
Oudin, however, can't be feeling nearly as lucky. She now plays Jarmila Groth, another former junior great (although not a Wimbledon champion), who is coming off a strong Roland Garros, and if she gets through that, is headed for a collision course with Venus Williams. Tough break, because Williams didn't have too much trouble with Rossana de los Rios, winning her opener 6-3, 6-2.
The other player promoted by withdrawals, Flipkens' successor, 2004 junior champ Kateryna Bondarenko, didn't do so well, going out in three sets to qualifier Greta Arn (7-6[1], 3-6, 6-3). The past two junior champions, Laura Robson (2008) and Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (2009), also went down in defeat. Robson, 16, can be forgiven for losing – she drew fourth-seed Jelena Jankovic and went down 6-3, 7-6(5). Lertcheewakarn went down 6-3, 6-2 to qualifier Andrea Hlavackova. Not a promising result if you're looking to make your way onto the WTA Tour.
Three of the biggest names in the bottom half of the draw are all in the third quarter, and all three got through just fine. Besides Jankovic, Kim Clijsters, the eighth seed, got through Maria Elena Camerin 6-0, 6-3, and 17th seed Justine Henin beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-4, 6-3. They're two wins from a tantalizing Round of 16 match.
Their potential third round opponents, Maria Kirilenko (Clijsters) and Nadia Petrova (Henin) will hope to have something to say about that, though. Kirilenko had the biggest scare of the seeded players, having to come from behind to beat Stefanie Voegele 2-6, 6-4, 7-5. She's got a tough second-round against an opponent in Shenay Perry who should be about as tired as she will be. Perry beat Anastasiya Yakimova 6-2, 4-6, 9-7. Petrova had a much easier time, taking out Tatjana Malek of Germany 6-4, 6-3.
For the most part, the draw went about the way I expected, so I don't feel like there's much more to say. Other notable winners today were Vera Zvonareva, Alona Bondarenko, Yaroslava Shvedova, Marion Bartoli, Shahar Peer (in one of the more disappointing matches of the day – I thought Ana Ivanovic would put up more fight than 6-3, 6-4.) and Alisa Kleybanova. Among the other interesting of the unseeded players who won were Eastbourne champion Ekaterina Makarova; Alicia Molik, who could do some damage in the section vacated by Schiavone; and Karolina Sprem, who beat Venus here a few years ago.
Back with more tomorrow.
There were four other junior champions in action today, and Dushevina wasn't the only one to find success. Her successor, 2003 champion Kirsten Flipkens, had a far less eventful match, topping lucky loser Stephanie Dubois 6-4, 6-4. No doubt Flipkens is feeling lucky, herself – Dubois could have easily been Melanie Oudin, not a junior champion, but a young player who's dangerous on the grass. Oudin, promoted to the 33rd seed after withdrawals, advanced with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Anna-Lena Groenefeld. Up next for Flipkens is compatriot Yanina Wickmayer, and this match could be more interesting than it appears on paper. Wickmayer has been struggling recently, and Flipkens is coming off a good run at s'Hertogenbosch, and she hardly embarrassed herself when she played Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros. She's got to be thinking she has a chance here.
Oudin, however, can't be feeling nearly as lucky. She now plays Jarmila Groth, another former junior great (although not a Wimbledon champion), who is coming off a strong Roland Garros, and if she gets through that, is headed for a collision course with Venus Williams. Tough break, because Williams didn't have too much trouble with Rossana de los Rios, winning her opener 6-3, 6-2.
The other player promoted by withdrawals, Flipkens' successor, 2004 junior champ Kateryna Bondarenko, didn't do so well, going out in three sets to qualifier Greta Arn (7-6[1], 3-6, 6-3). The past two junior champions, Laura Robson (2008) and Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (2009), also went down in defeat. Robson, 16, can be forgiven for losing – she drew fourth-seed Jelena Jankovic and went down 6-3, 7-6(5). Lertcheewakarn went down 6-3, 6-2 to qualifier Andrea Hlavackova. Not a promising result if you're looking to make your way onto the WTA Tour.
Three of the biggest names in the bottom half of the draw are all in the third quarter, and all three got through just fine. Besides Jankovic, Kim Clijsters, the eighth seed, got through Maria Elena Camerin 6-0, 6-3, and 17th seed Justine Henin beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-4, 6-3. They're two wins from a tantalizing Round of 16 match.
Their potential third round opponents, Maria Kirilenko (Clijsters) and Nadia Petrova (Henin) will hope to have something to say about that, though. Kirilenko had the biggest scare of the seeded players, having to come from behind to beat Stefanie Voegele 2-6, 6-4, 7-5. She's got a tough second-round against an opponent in Shenay Perry who should be about as tired as she will be. Perry beat Anastasiya Yakimova 6-2, 4-6, 9-7. Petrova had a much easier time, taking out Tatjana Malek of Germany 6-4, 6-3.
For the most part, the draw went about the way I expected, so I don't feel like there's much more to say. Other notable winners today were Vera Zvonareva, Alona Bondarenko, Yaroslava Shvedova, Marion Bartoli, Shahar Peer (in one of the more disappointing matches of the day – I thought Ana Ivanovic would put up more fight than 6-3, 6-4.) and Alisa Kleybanova. Among the other interesting of the unseeded players who won were Eastbourne champion Ekaterina Makarova; Alicia Molik, who could do some damage in the section vacated by Schiavone; and Karolina Sprem, who beat Venus here a few years ago.
Back with more tomorrow.
Day 1: The Men
No doubt about it, there's a big difference what was, and what could have been. What could have been after Day 1 – and very easily as it turns out – was a top half of the men's draw without Roger Federer, Nikolay Davydenko or Novak Djokovic. It would have been thrilling today, no doubt about it, but imagine Andy Roddick in 12 days, possibly playing a surprise opponent for a spot in the Wimbledon finals. It would be a TV fiasco.
The good news is that all three survived their first-round matches. Federer got through Alejandro Falla – 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-0. Djokovic topped nemesis Olivier Rochus – the only Belgian, man or woman, to lose today – 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the latest ever finish at Wimbledon, and Davydenko eked out a win over Kevin Anderson – 3-6, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 7-5, 9-7. The good news is that those three are still in the tournament, and the men's draw is better for it. The bad news is that all three suddenly have a lot of tennis on their legs. We'll see if that comes back to bite them down the road.
Especially with other top guys struggling much less. Victor Hanescu, the 31st seed, needed five sets to advance (6-7[4], 7-6[3], 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 over Andrey Kuznetsov), but he's the only other seeded player who had a really tough win. Roddick advanced easily - 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 over Rajeev Ram. Lleyton Hewitt needed four sets, but the last three went 6-0, 6-2, 6-2. I'm sure he's not complaining too much. Gael Monfils is through in three as is Tomas Berdych and Albert Montanes. Feliciano Lopez, Philipp Kohlschreiber and Jurgen Melzer needed four sets to get through. But they're all through.
There were a few upsets on the grass today, in some of the more interesting matches. Denis Istomin, a guy who's been around the lower levels for awhile, topped 20th seed Stanislas Wawrinka in five – for my money, that was probably the most surprising upset of the day. Florian Mayer's upset of Marin Cilic was far less surprising – as I wrote before, Mayer is a former quarterfinalist with a big serve – but the style of the loss was surprising, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(1). If Cilic wants to belong at the top level, hopefully he shows a little more heart than that in the future. Ivan Ljubicic, the 17th seed, was also a Day 1 casualty, going down to Michal Przysiesny of Poland in three. Tough loss for Ljubicic, but at the same time, he's a player who doesn't have the strongest history at the majors.
The best news for Federer may be that his draw is still very kind. If he can get his head back in the game and focus, he won't get a seeded player until at least the Round of 16. He's got time to play himself into the tournament. Maybe this was the kick in the behind he needed to jump-start his season again after a lackluster spring. In the meantime, if you're Lopez or Melzer or Berdych, how are you not thinking you at least have a prayer, now? Federer's close call against Falla may have just let a lot of guys into the tournament. And what about (presumably) Djokovic, Hewitt or Roddick down the road? I have to admit, I never thought the men's draw would be this interesting after the first day. It makes you wonder what tomorrow's gonna bring.
The good news is that all three survived their first-round matches. Federer got through Alejandro Falla – 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-0. Djokovic topped nemesis Olivier Rochus – the only Belgian, man or woman, to lose today – 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the latest ever finish at Wimbledon, and Davydenko eked out a win over Kevin Anderson – 3-6, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 7-5, 9-7. The good news is that those three are still in the tournament, and the men's draw is better for it. The bad news is that all three suddenly have a lot of tennis on their legs. We'll see if that comes back to bite them down the road.
Especially with other top guys struggling much less. Victor Hanescu, the 31st seed, needed five sets to advance (6-7[4], 7-6[3], 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 over Andrey Kuznetsov), but he's the only other seeded player who had a really tough win. Roddick advanced easily - 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 over Rajeev Ram. Lleyton Hewitt needed four sets, but the last three went 6-0, 6-2, 6-2. I'm sure he's not complaining too much. Gael Monfils is through in three as is Tomas Berdych and Albert Montanes. Feliciano Lopez, Philipp Kohlschreiber and Jurgen Melzer needed four sets to get through. But they're all through.
There were a few upsets on the grass today, in some of the more interesting matches. Denis Istomin, a guy who's been around the lower levels for awhile, topped 20th seed Stanislas Wawrinka in five – for my money, that was probably the most surprising upset of the day. Florian Mayer's upset of Marin Cilic was far less surprising – as I wrote before, Mayer is a former quarterfinalist with a big serve – but the style of the loss was surprising, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(1). If Cilic wants to belong at the top level, hopefully he shows a little more heart than that in the future. Ivan Ljubicic, the 17th seed, was also a Day 1 casualty, going down to Michal Przysiesny of Poland in three. Tough loss for Ljubicic, but at the same time, he's a player who doesn't have the strongest history at the majors.
The best news for Federer may be that his draw is still very kind. If he can get his head back in the game and focus, he won't get a seeded player until at least the Round of 16. He's got time to play himself into the tournament. Maybe this was the kick in the behind he needed to jump-start his season again after a lackluster spring. In the meantime, if you're Lopez or Melzer or Berdych, how are you not thinking you at least have a prayer, now? Federer's close call against Falla may have just let a lot of guys into the tournament. And what about (presumably) Djokovic, Hewitt or Roddick down the road? I have to admit, I never thought the men's draw would be this interesting after the first day. It makes you wonder what tomorrow's gonna bring.
Wimbledon Warm-Ups
While waiting to see if a couple of the big upsets potentially underway will fully materialize ...
Most of the time, you can get some inkling of what will happen at a Grand Slam by looking at who does well and who doesn't in the "warm-ups." You know, those events in the three or four weeks leading up to a major tournament, where most of the big names show up on the same courts at the same time. Well, Wimbledon isn't exactly like that - at least not all the time.
Mainly, that's because there are so few of them - Queen's Club, Halle, Eastbourne and s'Hertogenbosch for the men and Birmingham, Eastbourne and s'Hertogenbosch for the women. Seven tournaments total. Is it any wonder so many players skip those two weeks all together?
Interestingly, most of the top men don't skip the warm-ups, so by the time Wimbledon rolls around, we've already seen many of them (Federer, Nadal and Roddick, just to name three) on the grass courts. In Federer's case, that loss to Lleyton Hewitt at Halle didn't seem indicative of anything at the time, but all of a sudden, just over a week later, he's just getting ready to go to a fifth set against Alejandro Falla at Wimbledon. Even if he does get through this one, maybe that match will prove more meaningful down the road.
Or it might not. After all, we've only seen him in one warm-up tournament. And he is the six-time champion. He's reached at least the finals here every year since 2003. And losing to Lleyton Hewitt isn't exactly a bad loss, especially not on grass. That's part of the infuriating beauty of the warm-ups. Right now, we don't know if Halle means anything. It's only after Wimbledon that we will be able to assign meaning – if there is any – to that loss.
The women's game is very similar, especially since Venus and Serena Williams, undoubtedly the queens of grass, are among the many players who make a habit of punching their grass-court tickets at Wimbledon – and only Wimbledon – each year. Not considering them, though, it's still hard to know what to make of the warm-ups. Sometimes, they do end up meaning something, sometimes, they mean nothing. There have been years when players who have won warm-ups have flamed out in the first round of Wimbledon. Other times, players who have excelled in the warm-ups have done well. The year she won Wimbledon, in 2004, Maria Sharapova was the winner at Birmingham, and she has remained pretty faithful to that event since. When she reached her first Grand Slam final, at Wimbledon in 2001, Justine Henin was coming off a three-set win over Kim Clijsters at s'Hertogenbosch. In 2006, Henin beat Amelie Mauresmo in the final of Eastbourne. Two weeks later, they played for the title, this time with Mauresmo winning.
So, what can we take from the warm-ups? At this point, not much more than the winners – Hewitt in Halle, Sam Querrey at Queen's Club, Michael Llodra at Eastbourne, Sergiy Stakhovsky at s'Hertogenbosch, Li Na at Birmingham, Elena Makarova at Eastbourne and Henin at s'Hertogenbosch. We know that Hewitt is a former champion at Wimbledon, and Henin is a former finalist, so these results should give them confidence. Llodra is a dangerous opponent on grass as well, and Li Na is coming off a semifinal run in Australia earlier this season, so these wins would seem to suggest they'll at least be names to watch on Wimbledon's lawns.
And what of the losers in the warm-ups? Well, that's a pretty impressive group - certainly more impressive than the winners. Besides the three aforementioned men (You have to borrow a hand to count the number of Wimbledon finals they've reached.), there was Murray, Djokovic, Lopez, Davydenko, Sharapova, Clijsters, Safina, Bartoli and Azarenka, just to name a few. What did playing in and losing those tournaments do for them? Did they get enough matches to feel confident coming into Wimbledon or not?
Stay tuned to find out.
Most of the time, you can get some inkling of what will happen at a Grand Slam by looking at who does well and who doesn't in the "warm-ups." You know, those events in the three or four weeks leading up to a major tournament, where most of the big names show up on the same courts at the same time. Well, Wimbledon isn't exactly like that - at least not all the time.
Mainly, that's because there are so few of them - Queen's Club, Halle, Eastbourne and s'Hertogenbosch for the men and Birmingham, Eastbourne and s'Hertogenbosch for the women. Seven tournaments total. Is it any wonder so many players skip those two weeks all together?
Interestingly, most of the top men don't skip the warm-ups, so by the time Wimbledon rolls around, we've already seen many of them (Federer, Nadal and Roddick, just to name three) on the grass courts. In Federer's case, that loss to Lleyton Hewitt at Halle didn't seem indicative of anything at the time, but all of a sudden, just over a week later, he's just getting ready to go to a fifth set against Alejandro Falla at Wimbledon. Even if he does get through this one, maybe that match will prove more meaningful down the road.
Or it might not. After all, we've only seen him in one warm-up tournament. And he is the six-time champion. He's reached at least the finals here every year since 2003. And losing to Lleyton Hewitt isn't exactly a bad loss, especially not on grass. That's part of the infuriating beauty of the warm-ups. Right now, we don't know if Halle means anything. It's only after Wimbledon that we will be able to assign meaning – if there is any – to that loss.
The women's game is very similar, especially since Venus and Serena Williams, undoubtedly the queens of grass, are among the many players who make a habit of punching their grass-court tickets at Wimbledon – and only Wimbledon – each year. Not considering them, though, it's still hard to know what to make of the warm-ups. Sometimes, they do end up meaning something, sometimes, they mean nothing. There have been years when players who have won warm-ups have flamed out in the first round of Wimbledon. Other times, players who have excelled in the warm-ups have done well. The year she won Wimbledon, in 2004, Maria Sharapova was the winner at Birmingham, and she has remained pretty faithful to that event since. When she reached her first Grand Slam final, at Wimbledon in 2001, Justine Henin was coming off a three-set win over Kim Clijsters at s'Hertogenbosch. In 2006, Henin beat Amelie Mauresmo in the final of Eastbourne. Two weeks later, they played for the title, this time with Mauresmo winning.
So, what can we take from the warm-ups? At this point, not much more than the winners – Hewitt in Halle, Sam Querrey at Queen's Club, Michael Llodra at Eastbourne, Sergiy Stakhovsky at s'Hertogenbosch, Li Na at Birmingham, Elena Makarova at Eastbourne and Henin at s'Hertogenbosch. We know that Hewitt is a former champion at Wimbledon, and Henin is a former finalist, so these results should give them confidence. Llodra is a dangerous opponent on grass as well, and Li Na is coming off a semifinal run in Australia earlier this season, so these wins would seem to suggest they'll at least be names to watch on Wimbledon's lawns.
And what of the losers in the warm-ups? Well, that's a pretty impressive group - certainly more impressive than the winners. Besides the three aforementioned men (You have to borrow a hand to count the number of Wimbledon finals they've reached.), there was Murray, Djokovic, Lopez, Davydenko, Sharapova, Clijsters, Safina, Bartoli and Azarenka, just to name a few. What did playing in and losing those tournaments do for them? Did they get enough matches to feel confident coming into Wimbledon or not?
Stay tuned to find out.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Wimbledon Draw: The Gentlemen
What a draw! Roger Federer comes in as the top seed but is ranked second, and Rafael Nadal is the second seed, but is ranked first. Like I posted before, in practice, it means nothing, besides bragging rights. That being said, this is going to be a very fascinating tournament. For the entire gentlemen's draw, go here: http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/scores/draws/ms/index.html
First Quarter
I'm going to be straightforward - I can't imagine Roger Federer not reaching the quarterfinals. He lucked out with the draw by not getting Robin Soderling or Andy Roddick. In fact, he probably drew the weakest of the 5-8 players - Nikolay Davydenko. I've got Federer playing (and beating) Tomas Berdych in the quarters. Feliciano Lopez is an up-and-down player, but he's probably got the best shot at reaching the Round of 16 out of his section. Davydenko doesn't have a very strong history at Wimbledon, and he's just coming back from injury, besides. He opens against South African Kevin Anderson, and it's not too hard to imagine his Wimbledon ending there. There's a lot of dangerous players, but I think Victor Hanescu, the 31st seed, reaches the fourth round out of Davydenko's section.
Second Quarter
Novak Djokovic is the highest seed, but the draw gods were not kind to him. He starts with Olivier Rochus, who upset him this year at Miami and then could get serve-and-volleyer Taylor Dent, a qualifier, in the second round. His third round should be fairly comfortable, but then he will likely get either Gael Monfils or Lleyton Hewitt in the Round of 16 - not fun.
The bottom part of that quarter features Marin Cilic and Andy Roddick. I like Roddick's draw, but Cilic, like Djokovic, got a brutal draw, starting with former quarterfinalist Florian Mayer in the first round. Either Bernard Tomic or Mardy Fish could come in the second round, and then Ivan Ljubicic in the third. I've got Cilic playing Roddick, but I'm not confident about my pick.
Third Quarter
Quick everybody - when was the last time a British man won Wimbledon? If you answered Fred Perry in 1936, you've seen more than your share of Wimbledon men's coverage over the years. This year, Andy Murray picks up the baton again and tries to end the longest home-country drought in Grand Slam tennis. And really, with this draw, he should at least put himself in position to do so. Murray should reach the Round of 16 without too much trouble, but there, he'll have a tough match, probably against American Sam Querrey. Juan Carlos Ferrero is the 14th seed in Murray's section, but he's got a tough draw and could lose in the first round, to former semifinalist Xavier Malisse.
In the top part of the quarter, Fernando Verdasco is the top seed, but I think the Spaniard overextended himself on the clay, and he might have a tough time here. Julien Benneteau will be a dangerous third-round opponent, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will probably be favored, should Verdasco reach the fourth round. I think Murray comes through the section.
Fourth Quarter
But who will the British favorite play for his chance at the final? Well, for his welcome back to Wimbledon (after a two-year absence), Rafael Nadal probably got the toughest draw of anybody. Kei Nishikori, a wildcard, is his first-round opponent, and then he could get nemesis James Blake in the second round ... for the right to play Ernests Gulbis in the third. After his upset loss in Paris, the pressure should be off Gulbis, which might make him very dangerous. If Nadal is still in after all that, he'll probably play either Mikhail Youzhny, John Isner or Thiemo de Bakker, and that's just to get to the quarters!
Nadal had the bad luck of being drawn against Robin Soderling. These two played a tough grudge match, won by Nadal, in 2006, but that was a lifetime ago in tennis years. Soderling is a much different player, now. I've got him into the quarterfinals, and I don't think he'll have much trouble getting there. If he plays Nadal, I'm looking for the upset.
Fearful Predictions
Again, given the draw some of these guys have, I'm terrified about making these predictions, but I think the men's draw might be a little crazy this year. Here are my fearful picks, starting with the Round of 16:
(1) Roger Federer vs. (22) Feliciano Lopez
(12) Tomas Berdych vs. (31) Victor Hanescu
(3) Novak Djokovic vs. (15) Lleyton Hewitt
(11) Marin Cilic vs. (5) Andy Roddick
(32) Julien Benneteau vs. (10) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
(18) Sam Querrey vs. (4) Andy Murray
(6) Robin Soderling vs. (24) Marcos Baghdatis
(23) John Isner vs. (2) Rafael Nadal
Quarterfinals
Roger Federer vs. Tomas Berdych
Lleyton Hewitt vs. Andy Roddick
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Andy Murray
Robin Soderling vs. Rafael Nadal
Semifinals
Roger Federer vs. Andy Roddick
Andy Murray vs. Robin Soderling
Finals
Andy Roddick vs. Robin Soderling
Champion: Andy Roddick
First Quarter
I'm going to be straightforward - I can't imagine Roger Federer not reaching the quarterfinals. He lucked out with the draw by not getting Robin Soderling or Andy Roddick. In fact, he probably drew the weakest of the 5-8 players - Nikolay Davydenko. I've got Federer playing (and beating) Tomas Berdych in the quarters. Feliciano Lopez is an up-and-down player, but he's probably got the best shot at reaching the Round of 16 out of his section. Davydenko doesn't have a very strong history at Wimbledon, and he's just coming back from injury, besides. He opens against South African Kevin Anderson, and it's not too hard to imagine his Wimbledon ending there. There's a lot of dangerous players, but I think Victor Hanescu, the 31st seed, reaches the fourth round out of Davydenko's section.
Second Quarter
Novak Djokovic is the highest seed, but the draw gods were not kind to him. He starts with Olivier Rochus, who upset him this year at Miami and then could get serve-and-volleyer Taylor Dent, a qualifier, in the second round. His third round should be fairly comfortable, but then he will likely get either Gael Monfils or Lleyton Hewitt in the Round of 16 - not fun.
The bottom part of that quarter features Marin Cilic and Andy Roddick. I like Roddick's draw, but Cilic, like Djokovic, got a brutal draw, starting with former quarterfinalist Florian Mayer in the first round. Either Bernard Tomic or Mardy Fish could come in the second round, and then Ivan Ljubicic in the third. I've got Cilic playing Roddick, but I'm not confident about my pick.
Third Quarter
Quick everybody - when was the last time a British man won Wimbledon? If you answered Fred Perry in 1936, you've seen more than your share of Wimbledon men's coverage over the years. This year, Andy Murray picks up the baton again and tries to end the longest home-country drought in Grand Slam tennis. And really, with this draw, he should at least put himself in position to do so. Murray should reach the Round of 16 without too much trouble, but there, he'll have a tough match, probably against American Sam Querrey. Juan Carlos Ferrero is the 14th seed in Murray's section, but he's got a tough draw and could lose in the first round, to former semifinalist Xavier Malisse.
In the top part of the quarter, Fernando Verdasco is the top seed, but I think the Spaniard overextended himself on the clay, and he might have a tough time here. Julien Benneteau will be a dangerous third-round opponent, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will probably be favored, should Verdasco reach the fourth round. I think Murray comes through the section.
Fourth Quarter
But who will the British favorite play for his chance at the final? Well, for his welcome back to Wimbledon (after a two-year absence), Rafael Nadal probably got the toughest draw of anybody. Kei Nishikori, a wildcard, is his first-round opponent, and then he could get nemesis James Blake in the second round ... for the right to play Ernests Gulbis in the third. After his upset loss in Paris, the pressure should be off Gulbis, which might make him very dangerous. If Nadal is still in after all that, he'll probably play either Mikhail Youzhny, John Isner or Thiemo de Bakker, and that's just to get to the quarters!
Nadal had the bad luck of being drawn against Robin Soderling. These two played a tough grudge match, won by Nadal, in 2006, but that was a lifetime ago in tennis years. Soderling is a much different player, now. I've got him into the quarterfinals, and I don't think he'll have much trouble getting there. If he plays Nadal, I'm looking for the upset.
Fearful Predictions
Again, given the draw some of these guys have, I'm terrified about making these predictions, but I think the men's draw might be a little crazy this year. Here are my fearful picks, starting with the Round of 16:
(1) Roger Federer vs. (22) Feliciano Lopez
(12) Tomas Berdych vs. (31) Victor Hanescu
(3) Novak Djokovic vs. (15) Lleyton Hewitt
(11) Marin Cilic vs. (5) Andy Roddick
(32) Julien Benneteau vs. (10) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
(18) Sam Querrey vs. (4) Andy Murray
(6) Robin Soderling vs. (24) Marcos Baghdatis
(23) John Isner vs. (2) Rafael Nadal
Quarterfinals
Roger Federer vs. Tomas Berdych
Lleyton Hewitt vs. Andy Roddick
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Andy Murray
Robin Soderling vs. Rafael Nadal
Semifinals
Roger Federer vs. Andy Roddick
Andy Murray vs. Robin Soderling
Finals
Andy Roddick vs. Robin Soderling
Champion: Andy Roddick
Wimbledon Draw: The Ladies
You know, this draw looks a little like the Roland Garros draw, in that there are two pretty strong quarters and two fairly predictable ones. We might get to see a couple blockbuster Round of 16 matches, but I'm not going to lie – I have a hard time imagining much besides a Serena Williams vs. Venus Williams final on the second Saturday. The entire women's draw can be found here: http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/scores/draws/ws/index.html
Here's a few thoughts and a few predictions of what might happen in the next two weeks:
Top Quarter
You know, Serena Williams will probably get through to the finals (and pretty easily, too), but she's got a lot of interesting players in her path, starting with her first-round match against Michelle Larcher de Brito. de Brito has been in a slump for the better part of the past year, but she's a young player, and she's had some good results in the past. Next up could be Andrea Petkovic, a German who is one of the top unseeded players in the draw. Grass-court specialist Tamarine Tanasugarn could be a third-round opponent, or it could be mercurial Lucie Safarova. Most likely, 2004 champion Maria Sharapova will be waiting in one of those five-star Round of 16 matches I mentioned. The bottom part of that quarter features ninth-seeded Na Li, 19th-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova and seventh-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska. I've got Radwanska coming through to meet Serena in the quarters.
Second Quarter
Here, I really think it's Samantha Stosur's quarter to lose, provided the Roland Garros runner-up can get over the disappointment of losing that final. Caroline Wozniacki is the third-seed here, but her path to looks pretty straightforward. Beyond those two, though. I think we're going to see a few upsets to the lower-seeded players, so don't overlook this quarter.
Assuming Stosur can get over that Roland Garros loss, her route looks pretty nice, too. I've got her and Wozniacki reaching the quarterfinals, and then I think Stosur has too many weapons for her Danish opponent. A couple players to keep an eye on in this quarter: 1995(!) semifinalist Kimiko Date-Krumm, who's got a nice draw, and 1999 semifinalist Mirjana Lucic, who plays 14th-seeded Victoria Azarenka. That should be one of the better first-round matches, and an upset wouldn't be stunning.
Third Quarter
You may as well call this the Belgian quarter - there are four Belgian women in the draw, and they all ended up here. It's Jelena Jankovic who is the highest-seeded player (at fourth), and she's kind of like Serena - she should reach the quarterfinals, but she might have an interesting path there, starting with 2008 junior champion Laura Robson. Robson, 16, of Great Britain has been one of the more hyped young players in the past two years, but her results don't really match that hype. The second-round could feature a grass-court specialist in qualifier and former top 20 player Eleni Daniilidou, and the third could bring Alona Bondarenko, who Jankovic has faced twice in the Slams this year. I could easily imagine a surprise player reaching the Round of 16 in this section. Yanina Wickmayer and Vera Zvonareva are the other seeded players, but neither has been in great form lately. Allison Riske just beat Wickmayer in Birmingham, Melanie Oudin reached the Round of 16 here last year, and Kirsten Flipkens (2003) and Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (2009) are former junior champions here.
In the top part of the quarter, Kim Clijsters is seeded eighth, but she had a tough loss in Eastbourne, so I'm not sure what to make of her chances. She's been very inconsistent in 2010 so far, but I'm expecting her first two rounds to be pretty straightforward. In the third round, she's drawn Maria Kirilenko, who's had a couple upsets over countrywomen (Sharapova in Australia, Kuznetsova at Roland Garros) at the Slams this year. In the Round of 16, she'll most likely play either Nadia Petrova, who upset her in Australia, or Justine Henin, who's in the finals at s'Hertogenbosch this week. Either way, she's probably in for the second potential blockbuster of the fourth round. For my money, this is, undoubtedly, the most interesting quarter.
Fourth Quarter
If she's healthy, I've got Venus Williams going all the way, and there just aren't any players in this quarter who worry me against her. She starts with a clay-court specialist in Rossana de los Rios, and she might not face a top 10 player until the finals. As the draw sits, she's guaranteed not to meet one until the quarterfinals, and that's assuming Francesca Schiavone comes through her section. That, of course, is assuming Schiavone can come back to Earth after her stunning win in Paris, and I don't think she will. I've got her reaching the Round of 16, but it's easy to imagine her going out as early as the first round - she's drawn against Russian (and 2002 junior champion) Vera Dushevina. I think Marion Bartoli goes through to meet Venus.
Fearful Predictions
They're fearful, because I'm not at all certain they'll come true, but I'm going to put myself on the line anyway and tell you what I think is going to happen, starting with the Round of 16.
(1) Serena Williams vs. (16) Maria Sharapova
(9) Na Li. vs. (7) Agnieszka Radwanska
(3) Caroline Wozniacki vs. Petra Kvitova
(18) Aravane Rezai vs. (6) Samantha Stosur
(8) Kim Clijsters vs. (17) Justine Henin
(21) Vera Zvonareva vs. (4) Jelena Jankovic
(5) Francesca Schiavone vs. (11) Marion Bartoli
Jarmila Groth vs. (2) Venus Williams
Quarterfinals
Serena Williams vs. Agnieszka Radwanska
Caroline Wozniacki vs. Samantha Stosur
Justine Henin vs. Jelena Jankovic
Marion Bartoli vs. Venus Williams
Semifinals
Serena Williams vs. Samantha Stosur
Justine Henin vs. Venus Williams
Finals
Serena Williams vs. Venus Williams
Champion: Venus Williams
Here's a few thoughts and a few predictions of what might happen in the next two weeks:
Top Quarter
You know, Serena Williams will probably get through to the finals (and pretty easily, too), but she's got a lot of interesting players in her path, starting with her first-round match against Michelle Larcher de Brito. de Brito has been in a slump for the better part of the past year, but she's a young player, and she's had some good results in the past. Next up could be Andrea Petkovic, a German who is one of the top unseeded players in the draw. Grass-court specialist Tamarine Tanasugarn could be a third-round opponent, or it could be mercurial Lucie Safarova. Most likely, 2004 champion Maria Sharapova will be waiting in one of those five-star Round of 16 matches I mentioned. The bottom part of that quarter features ninth-seeded Na Li, 19th-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova and seventh-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska. I've got Radwanska coming through to meet Serena in the quarters.
Second Quarter
Here, I really think it's Samantha Stosur's quarter to lose, provided the Roland Garros runner-up can get over the disappointment of losing that final. Caroline Wozniacki is the third-seed here, but her path to looks pretty straightforward. Beyond those two, though. I think we're going to see a few upsets to the lower-seeded players, so don't overlook this quarter.
Assuming Stosur can get over that Roland Garros loss, her route looks pretty nice, too. I've got her and Wozniacki reaching the quarterfinals, and then I think Stosur has too many weapons for her Danish opponent. A couple players to keep an eye on in this quarter: 1995(!) semifinalist Kimiko Date-Krumm, who's got a nice draw, and 1999 semifinalist Mirjana Lucic, who plays 14th-seeded Victoria Azarenka. That should be one of the better first-round matches, and an upset wouldn't be stunning.
Third Quarter
You may as well call this the Belgian quarter - there are four Belgian women in the draw, and they all ended up here. It's Jelena Jankovic who is the highest-seeded player (at fourth), and she's kind of like Serena - she should reach the quarterfinals, but she might have an interesting path there, starting with 2008 junior champion Laura Robson. Robson, 16, of Great Britain has been one of the more hyped young players in the past two years, but her results don't really match that hype. The second-round could feature a grass-court specialist in qualifier and former top 20 player Eleni Daniilidou, and the third could bring Alona Bondarenko, who Jankovic has faced twice in the Slams this year. I could easily imagine a surprise player reaching the Round of 16 in this section. Yanina Wickmayer and Vera Zvonareva are the other seeded players, but neither has been in great form lately. Allison Riske just beat Wickmayer in Birmingham, Melanie Oudin reached the Round of 16 here last year, and Kirsten Flipkens (2003) and Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (2009) are former junior champions here.
In the top part of the quarter, Kim Clijsters is seeded eighth, but she had a tough loss in Eastbourne, so I'm not sure what to make of her chances. She's been very inconsistent in 2010 so far, but I'm expecting her first two rounds to be pretty straightforward. In the third round, she's drawn Maria Kirilenko, who's had a couple upsets over countrywomen (Sharapova in Australia, Kuznetsova at Roland Garros) at the Slams this year. In the Round of 16, she'll most likely play either Nadia Petrova, who upset her in Australia, or Justine Henin, who's in the finals at s'Hertogenbosch this week. Either way, she's probably in for the second potential blockbuster of the fourth round. For my money, this is, undoubtedly, the most interesting quarter.
Fourth Quarter
If she's healthy, I've got Venus Williams going all the way, and there just aren't any players in this quarter who worry me against her. She starts with a clay-court specialist in Rossana de los Rios, and she might not face a top 10 player until the finals. As the draw sits, she's guaranteed not to meet one until the quarterfinals, and that's assuming Francesca Schiavone comes through her section. That, of course, is assuming Schiavone can come back to Earth after her stunning win in Paris, and I don't think she will. I've got her reaching the Round of 16, but it's easy to imagine her going out as early as the first round - she's drawn against Russian (and 2002 junior champion) Vera Dushevina. I think Marion Bartoli goes through to meet Venus.
Fearful Predictions
They're fearful, because I'm not at all certain they'll come true, but I'm going to put myself on the line anyway and tell you what I think is going to happen, starting with the Round of 16.
(1) Serena Williams vs. (16) Maria Sharapova
(9) Na Li. vs. (7) Agnieszka Radwanska
(3) Caroline Wozniacki vs. Petra Kvitova
(18) Aravane Rezai vs. (6) Samantha Stosur
(8) Kim Clijsters vs. (17) Justine Henin
(21) Vera Zvonareva vs. (4) Jelena Jankovic
(5) Francesca Schiavone vs. (11) Marion Bartoli
Jarmila Groth vs. (2) Venus Williams
Quarterfinals
Serena Williams vs. Agnieszka Radwanska
Caroline Wozniacki vs. Samantha Stosur
Justine Henin vs. Jelena Jankovic
Marion Bartoli vs. Venus Williams
Semifinals
Serena Williams vs. Samantha Stosur
Justine Henin vs. Venus Williams
Finals
Serena Williams vs. Venus Williams
Champion: Venus Williams
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wimbledon Seeds: The Gentlemen
It sounds odd, I know, but Wimbledon's just a little different from the other Slams – that's what they call the men, although the way they compete sometimes, gentlemen doesn't quite seem like the right term. Anyway, here are the Top 32 men, as decided by Wimbledon's seeding formula:
1. Roger FEDERER (SUI)
2. Rafael NADAL (ESP)
3. Novak DJOKOVIC (SRB)
4. Andy MURRAY (GBR)
5. Andy RODDICK (USA)
6. Robin SODERLING (SWE)
7. Nikolay DAVYDENKO (RUS)
8. Fernando VERDASCO (ESP)
9. David FERRER (ESP)
10. Jo-Wilfried TSONGA (FRA)
11. Marin CILIC (CRO)
12. Tomas BERDYCH (CZE)
13. Mikhail YOUZHNY (RUS)
14. Juan Carlos FERRERO (ESP)
15. Lleyton HEWITT (AUS)
16. Jurgen MELZER (AUT)
17. Ivan LJUBICIC (CRO)
18. Sam QUERREY (USA)
19. Nicolas ALMAGRO (ESP)
20. Stanislas WAWRINKA (SUI)
21. Gael MONFILS (FRA)
22. Radek STEPANEK (CZE)
23. Feliciano LOPEZ (ESP)
24. John ISNER (USA)
25. Ivo KARLOVIC (CRO)
26. Marcos BAGHDATIS (CYP)
27. Thomaz BELLUCCI (BRA)
28. Gilles SIMON (FRA)
29. Ernests GULBIS (LAT)
30. Albert MONTANES (ESP)
31. Philipp KOHLSCHREIBER (GER)
32. Tommy ROBREDO (ESP)
No, that's not a mistake – missing Wimbledon last year probably cost Rafael Nadal the No. 1 seed this year. In practice, there's really no difference, though. He'll still get drawn against Murray or Djokovic in the semis, a 5-8 player in the quarters, 13-16 in the Round of 16 and 25-32 in the third round. Mainly, it's an issue of bragging rights, and Federer gets them for at least one more Slam this year.
That top four is getting pretty familiar, isn't it? No doubt, we all thought, less than a year ago, that Juan Martin del Potro would be crashing the party, but his wrist has had something to say about that. So we continue on with Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray at the top. It's certainly easy enough to imagine these four in the semis, but there are a lot of dangerous guys who could do their share of damage.
Starting with the guy at No. 5, last year's runner-up, Andy Roddick. Roddick was perilously close to winning last year but came up just short – 16-14 in the fifth. At No. 6, we have the now-two-time Roland Garros runner-up, Robin Soderling, who almost took Nadal out on grass in 2007. With his big game, I expect better from him on the faster surfaces. We'll see what he can do here.
Beyond that group, we have a mixed bag of players' results. No. 10, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga seems to have settled in as a Round of 16, quarterfinal-level player, which is too bad. He's got the talent to go farther, and he's shown it. The three guys behind him, Cilic, Berdych and Youzhny all have the potential to knock off some of the top guys ... or Berdych or Youzhny could flame out in the first round. Former champion Lleyton Hewitt caused a stir when he beat Federer in Halle last week, but it's hard to imagine him playing the final weekend. Jurgen Melzer is in completely new territory as the No. 16 seed. We'll see how he handles the expectations.
Querrey could out-perform his seeding on the grass. Monfils absolutely should. He's another guy who's too talented to be where he is, although Roland Garros hurt his ranking in a big way. Stepanek and Lopez have had some good results on grass, and Isner and Karlovic are capable of runs due to their serves alone. Baghdatis and Gulbis are both players whose talent doesn't match their results. With pressure off, could one of them make a run? And what about Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil? I was impressed that he lived up to expectations in Paris. Now, he has to show that he can match those results on other surfaces.
Back with more later.
1. Roger FEDERER (SUI)
2. Rafael NADAL (ESP)
3. Novak DJOKOVIC (SRB)
4. Andy MURRAY (GBR)
5. Andy RODDICK (USA)
6. Robin SODERLING (SWE)
7. Nikolay DAVYDENKO (RUS)
8. Fernando VERDASCO (ESP)
9. David FERRER (ESP)
10. Jo-Wilfried TSONGA (FRA)
11. Marin CILIC (CRO)
12. Tomas BERDYCH (CZE)
13. Mikhail YOUZHNY (RUS)
14. Juan Carlos FERRERO (ESP)
15. Lleyton HEWITT (AUS)
16. Jurgen MELZER (AUT)
17. Ivan LJUBICIC (CRO)
18. Sam QUERREY (USA)
19. Nicolas ALMAGRO (ESP)
20. Stanislas WAWRINKA (SUI)
21. Gael MONFILS (FRA)
22. Radek STEPANEK (CZE)
23. Feliciano LOPEZ (ESP)
24. John ISNER (USA)
25. Ivo KARLOVIC (CRO)
26. Marcos BAGHDATIS (CYP)
27. Thomaz BELLUCCI (BRA)
28. Gilles SIMON (FRA)
29. Ernests GULBIS (LAT)
30. Albert MONTANES (ESP)
31. Philipp KOHLSCHREIBER (GER)
32. Tommy ROBREDO (ESP)
No, that's not a mistake – missing Wimbledon last year probably cost Rafael Nadal the No. 1 seed this year. In practice, there's really no difference, though. He'll still get drawn against Murray or Djokovic in the semis, a 5-8 player in the quarters, 13-16 in the Round of 16 and 25-32 in the third round. Mainly, it's an issue of bragging rights, and Federer gets them for at least one more Slam this year.
That top four is getting pretty familiar, isn't it? No doubt, we all thought, less than a year ago, that Juan Martin del Potro would be crashing the party, but his wrist has had something to say about that. So we continue on with Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray at the top. It's certainly easy enough to imagine these four in the semis, but there are a lot of dangerous guys who could do their share of damage.
Starting with the guy at No. 5, last year's runner-up, Andy Roddick. Roddick was perilously close to winning last year but came up just short – 16-14 in the fifth. At No. 6, we have the now-two-time Roland Garros runner-up, Robin Soderling, who almost took Nadal out on grass in 2007. With his big game, I expect better from him on the faster surfaces. We'll see what he can do here.
Beyond that group, we have a mixed bag of players' results. No. 10, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga seems to have settled in as a Round of 16, quarterfinal-level player, which is too bad. He's got the talent to go farther, and he's shown it. The three guys behind him, Cilic, Berdych and Youzhny all have the potential to knock off some of the top guys ... or Berdych or Youzhny could flame out in the first round. Former champion Lleyton Hewitt caused a stir when he beat Federer in Halle last week, but it's hard to imagine him playing the final weekend. Jurgen Melzer is in completely new territory as the No. 16 seed. We'll see how he handles the expectations.
Querrey could out-perform his seeding on the grass. Monfils absolutely should. He's another guy who's too talented to be where he is, although Roland Garros hurt his ranking in a big way. Stepanek and Lopez have had some good results on grass, and Isner and Karlovic are capable of runs due to their serves alone. Baghdatis and Gulbis are both players whose talent doesn't match their results. With pressure off, could one of them make a run? And what about Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil? I was impressed that he lived up to expectations in Paris. Now, he has to show that he can match those results on other surfaces.
Back with more later.
Wimbledon Seeds: The Women
Really, at Wimbledon, they're called "Ladies," but no less, here are the top 32 women according to the Wimbledon seeding committee:
1. Serena WILLIAMS (USA)
2. Venus WILLIAMS (USA)
3. Caroline WOZNIACKI (DEN)
4. Jelena JANKOVIC (SRB)
5. Francesca SCHIAVONE (ITA)
6. Samantha STOSUR (AUS)
7. Agnieszka RADWANSKA (POL)
8. Kim CLIJSTERS (BEL)
9. Na LI (CHN)
10. Flavia PENNETTA (ITA)
11. Marion BARTOLI (FRA)
12. Nadia PETROVA (RUS)
13. Shahar PEER (ISR) [13] 13
14. Victoria AZARENKA (BLR)
15. Yanina WICKMAYER (BEL)
16. Maria SHARAPOVA (RUS)
17. Justine HENIN (BEL)
18. Aravane REZAI (FRA)
19. Svetlana KUZNETSOVA (RUS)
20. Dinara SAFINA (RUS)
21. Vera ZVONAREVA (RUS)
22. Maria Jose MARTINEZ SANCHEZ (ESP)
23. Jie ZHENG (CHN)
24. Daniela HANTUCHOVA (SVK)
25. Lucie SAFAROVA (CZE)
26. Alisa KLEYBANOVA (RUS)
27. Maria KIRILENKO (RUS)
28. Alona BONDARENKO (UKR)
29. Anastasia PAVLYUCHENKOVA (RUS)
30. Yaroslava SHVEDOVA (KAZ)
31. Alexandra DULGHERU (ROU)
32. Sara ERRANI (ITA)
Going down the list, there are a few things worth noting. First of all, Venus and Serena Williams should enjoy knowing they won't have to worry about each other until the final weekend. That's the advantage of being ranked first and second. I know they have a formula for figuring these things, but raise your hand if you really believe Wozniacki is the player with the third best chance of winning this tournament. Jankovic at fourth? Schiavone at fifth? Yeah, me neither. I could see Stosur out-performing her seeding (sixth). I started out thinking the same of Clijsters, but she just went down to Victoria Azarenka in Eastbourne, so maybe not. Bartoli, at 11th, is a former finalist, although she hasn't come close to replicating that result. It's very odd to see Sharapova, Henin, Kuznetsova and Safina so close to each other – at 16, 17, 19 and 20, respectively. The rankings say it right now, but no way any of those four should be ranked so low. Hopefully, they move up by the end of the year. Like at Roland Garros, it will be interesting to see who loses the Justine Henin sweepstakes. Here's to hoping it's not Sharapova. That match should never be a third round at a Grand Slam.
As for the rest of the seeded women, there's not a ton to say. Alexandra Dulgheru's won a few matches at s'Hertogenbosch. Kirilenko lost early at that same event, but she's reached the quarterfinals and the Round of 16 at her past two Slams; she might be one to watch at Wimbledon. Daniela Hantuchova is a former quarterfinalist and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez has a good game for the surface. Zheng is a former semifinalist (and held a set point against Serena Williams in that match). Still, it's hard to imagine anyone outside the top 20 holding the trophy in two weeks' time. Of course, it was hard to imagine Schiavone holding up the winners' trophy in Paris, too.
Back later with thoughts on the men.
1. Serena WILLIAMS (USA)
2. Venus WILLIAMS (USA)
3. Caroline WOZNIACKI (DEN)
4. Jelena JANKOVIC (SRB)
5. Francesca SCHIAVONE (ITA)
6. Samantha STOSUR (AUS)
7. Agnieszka RADWANSKA (POL)
8. Kim CLIJSTERS (BEL)
9. Na LI (CHN)
10. Flavia PENNETTA (ITA)
11. Marion BARTOLI (FRA)
12. Nadia PETROVA (RUS)
13. Shahar PEER (ISR) [13] 13
14. Victoria AZARENKA (BLR)
15. Yanina WICKMAYER (BEL)
16. Maria SHARAPOVA (RUS)
17. Justine HENIN (BEL)
18. Aravane REZAI (FRA)
19. Svetlana KUZNETSOVA (RUS)
20. Dinara SAFINA (RUS)
21. Vera ZVONAREVA (RUS)
22. Maria Jose MARTINEZ SANCHEZ (ESP)
23. Jie ZHENG (CHN)
24. Daniela HANTUCHOVA (SVK)
25. Lucie SAFAROVA (CZE)
26. Alisa KLEYBANOVA (RUS)
27. Maria KIRILENKO (RUS)
28. Alona BONDARENKO (UKR)
29. Anastasia PAVLYUCHENKOVA (RUS)
30. Yaroslava SHVEDOVA (KAZ)
31. Alexandra DULGHERU (ROU)
32. Sara ERRANI (ITA)
Going down the list, there are a few things worth noting. First of all, Venus and Serena Williams should enjoy knowing they won't have to worry about each other until the final weekend. That's the advantage of being ranked first and second. I know they have a formula for figuring these things, but raise your hand if you really believe Wozniacki is the player with the third best chance of winning this tournament. Jankovic at fourth? Schiavone at fifth? Yeah, me neither. I could see Stosur out-performing her seeding (sixth). I started out thinking the same of Clijsters, but she just went down to Victoria Azarenka in Eastbourne, so maybe not. Bartoli, at 11th, is a former finalist, although she hasn't come close to replicating that result. It's very odd to see Sharapova, Henin, Kuznetsova and Safina so close to each other – at 16, 17, 19 and 20, respectively. The rankings say it right now, but no way any of those four should be ranked so low. Hopefully, they move up by the end of the year. Like at Roland Garros, it will be interesting to see who loses the Justine Henin sweepstakes. Here's to hoping it's not Sharapova. That match should never be a third round at a Grand Slam.
As for the rest of the seeded women, there's not a ton to say. Alexandra Dulgheru's won a few matches at s'Hertogenbosch. Kirilenko lost early at that same event, but she's reached the quarterfinals and the Round of 16 at her past two Slams; she might be one to watch at Wimbledon. Daniela Hantuchova is a former quarterfinalist and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez has a good game for the surface. Zheng is a former semifinalist (and held a set point against Serena Williams in that match). Still, it's hard to imagine anyone outside the top 20 holding the trophy in two weeks' time. Of course, it was hard to imagine Schiavone holding up the winners' trophy in Paris, too.
Back later with thoughts on the men.
Better Late Than Never
Sorry I missed out on the Roland Garros finals. I've been away from home so much that I haven't gotten to post, and I'll admit to missing both finals, but here's a couple thoughts.
First of all, the men's final. I thought this could be a very competitive match, but Rafael Nadal's 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win looks pretty comprehensive. I have to admit, I didn't expect Robin Soderling to defend his points from last year, but good for him for getting another big win, and even more credit to him for following it up, like he did last year. I'm curious to see, now, if he can bet Nadal in Paris, and if he can beat Federer in Paris, is there a chance he can beat them both and maybe win the title sometime? It certainly seems like it should be possible. Hopefully, Soderling can also start replicating his results on the faster surfaces. He's got the game to be way better than he is on hard courts and grass.
For Nadal, well, there's all kinds of positives for him coming out of this match. Perhaps first of all, he delivered a beating to a player he clearly feels some animosity against. (The feelings seem to be mutual.) He comes out of Paris with the No. 1 ranking, something I didn't think was possible at the start of the event. And he has nothing to defend at Wimbledon. In the best-case scenario for Nadal, he could come out of Wimbledon over 4,000 points ahead of Federer. (He's 295 points in front as of today.) And Federer's got a lot more to defend the rest of this year. Short story even shorter, if Nadal wins Wimbledon, he's going to be very tough to catch this year. The two biggest men's tournaments left after Wimbledon are the U.S. Open and the World Tour Finals. Nadal was a semifinalist at the U.S. Open, and he was abysmal at the WTF. Add that to Wimbledon, and he has all kinds of chances to stretch his lead.
And he should be bursting with confidence. After going so long, almost a year, without a title of any kind, Nadal suddenly reeled off four in a row. His clay-court season can only help him going into the rest of this year.
The women's tournament was wild from the start, so why not save the biggest surprise for the very end? No doubt, Francesca Schiavone is a talented player. Indisputably, her best surface is clay. However, there's no way I would have had her winning her first Grand Slam singles title shortly before her 30th birthday in Paris. That being said, good for her. When she first came on the scene, Schiavone was considered a very good talent, but I never felt she really lived up to that. Two weeks ago in Paris, she did.
So what's the difference between playing to win and playing not to lose? Probably what happened in the women's final. Samantha Stosur got through a murderer's row of players – Justine Henin in the Round of 16, Serena Williams in the quarterfinals and Jelena Jankovic in the semis. She was given a less-than-elite opponent in the finals, and she stumbled at that last hurdle. Schiavone is a very passionate player, and in the second-set tiebreaker, from 2-2, it sounds like Schiavone is the one who went for her shots. The final result: 6-4, 7-6 (2). No doubt, Stosur should be disappointed she didn't win this one, but hopefully it doesn't devastate her. She's looking good in her pre-event warm-up in Eastbourne, but I think we'll get a better idea of how she's handling this disappointment at Wimbledon.
First of all, the men's final. I thought this could be a very competitive match, but Rafael Nadal's 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win looks pretty comprehensive. I have to admit, I didn't expect Robin Soderling to defend his points from last year, but good for him for getting another big win, and even more credit to him for following it up, like he did last year. I'm curious to see, now, if he can bet Nadal in Paris, and if he can beat Federer in Paris, is there a chance he can beat them both and maybe win the title sometime? It certainly seems like it should be possible. Hopefully, Soderling can also start replicating his results on the faster surfaces. He's got the game to be way better than he is on hard courts and grass.
For Nadal, well, there's all kinds of positives for him coming out of this match. Perhaps first of all, he delivered a beating to a player he clearly feels some animosity against. (The feelings seem to be mutual.) He comes out of Paris with the No. 1 ranking, something I didn't think was possible at the start of the event. And he has nothing to defend at Wimbledon. In the best-case scenario for Nadal, he could come out of Wimbledon over 4,000 points ahead of Federer. (He's 295 points in front as of today.) And Federer's got a lot more to defend the rest of this year. Short story even shorter, if Nadal wins Wimbledon, he's going to be very tough to catch this year. The two biggest men's tournaments left after Wimbledon are the U.S. Open and the World Tour Finals. Nadal was a semifinalist at the U.S. Open, and he was abysmal at the WTF. Add that to Wimbledon, and he has all kinds of chances to stretch his lead.
And he should be bursting with confidence. After going so long, almost a year, without a title of any kind, Nadal suddenly reeled off four in a row. His clay-court season can only help him going into the rest of this year.
The women's tournament was wild from the start, so why not save the biggest surprise for the very end? No doubt, Francesca Schiavone is a talented player. Indisputably, her best surface is clay. However, there's no way I would have had her winning her first Grand Slam singles title shortly before her 30th birthday in Paris. That being said, good for her. When she first came on the scene, Schiavone was considered a very good talent, but I never felt she really lived up to that. Two weeks ago in Paris, she did.
So what's the difference between playing to win and playing not to lose? Probably what happened in the women's final. Samantha Stosur got through a murderer's row of players – Justine Henin in the Round of 16, Serena Williams in the quarterfinals and Jelena Jankovic in the semis. She was given a less-than-elite opponent in the finals, and she stumbled at that last hurdle. Schiavone is a very passionate player, and in the second-set tiebreaker, from 2-2, it sounds like Schiavone is the one who went for her shots. The final result: 6-4, 7-6 (2). No doubt, Stosur should be disappointed she didn't win this one, but hopefully it doesn't devastate her. She's looking good in her pre-event warm-up in Eastbourne, but I think we'll get a better idea of how she's handling this disappointment at Wimbledon.
Friday, June 4, 2010
A Stroll Around the Grounds
While waiting on the women's final and to find out who Robin Soderling gets to play in the men's singles final ...
Yes, it is finals weekend, but that doesn't just mean singles. Between the juniors, seniors and wheelchair tennis, there is all kinds of action going on at Roland Garros during this time of the week. Here are a few observations:
• Quick - who's the most successful women's tennis player today? Serena Williams? No. Venus Williams? Try again. Justine Henin? Maria Sharapova? Jelena Jankovic? Wrong.
The correct answer would be Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands, who won the wheelchair women's event – 6-0, 6-0 over compatriot Sharon Walraven. Now, I don't know too much about wheelchair tennis, but Vergeer, through her sheer dominance, has given the event some exposure in the mainstream press. This is now her 15th Grand Slam singles title in the wheelchair event. She has another 14 titles in doubles. Over the course of her tennis career, Vergeer has a singles record of 582-25, has only lost one match since March 31, 2001 and is currently on a 383 match winning streak. Imagine the attention able-bodied WTA players would receive if one of them could win over 95 percent of her matches.
• The junior events are winding down. In the boys' event, Agustin Velotti of Argentina is playing Andrea Collarini of the United States (Yes - the United States!). Collarini apparently grew up and spent his formative years in Argentina, but it's still nice to see a young American player doing well on clay. Collarini is currently ranked 669th in the ATP rankings – it will be interesting to see how he develops. Velotti is also in the finals of the boys' doubles event, which features four players from South America – Velotti and Facundo Arguello are playing Duilio Beretta of Peru and Roberto Quiroz of Ecuador.
In the girls' event, we get a little bit of the international taste of the sport – Elina Svitolina of Ukraine will be playing Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in the final. Both are only 15-years-old. Svitolina is ranked 1,096 in the WTA rankings, and Jabeur is 724. It seems safe to assume that both are going to be moving up in the not-too-distant future.
The girls' doubles features eight players from six nations – spread out over three continents. Timea Babos of Hungary and Sloane Stephens of the U.S. are in the finals as of this writing. I got to see Stephens playing Vera Zvonareva in Indian Wells earlier this year. It doesn't seem likely that she'll be an all-time great player, but she looks like a solid one with a good game. She should be part of the future of U.S. women's tennis once Venus and Serena Williams move on.
• There's plenty of action in the doubles as well. In the mixed doubles, Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjic beat Yaroslava Shvedova and Julian Knowle in a tight three-set match. Srebotnik is a player who came along at about the same time as Kim Clijsters, Jelena Dokic and Justine Henin. She reached 20th in the singles rankings but has made a nice living for herself in doubles, winning four mixed doubles Slams there. This has been a nice event for Srebotnik, as she was also runner-up in women's doubles. Zimonjic has won four mixed doubles titles and two men's doubles titles at the Slams. He and Srebotnik also won Roland Garros together in 2006, but they've been runners-up three other times, making them one of the more successful mixed doubles pairings in recent years.
• Venus and Serena Williams, took the women's doubles final 6-2, 6-3. For all their success in singles, this is the 12th Grand Slam titles for Venus and Serena in doubles – and it's their fourth consecutive Slam. Venus and Serena could very well be the first players to win THE Grand Slam in doubles since 1999, when Martina Hingis accomplished it with two different partners. This final was played on Court Suzanne Lenglen, but you can pretty well guarantee that if Venus and Serena are going for the Slam at the U.S. Open, that final will be on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
• In the men's doubles event, Zimonjic and his partner, Daniel Nestor, will be playing Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy for the title. This result comes on the heels of a win over Mike and Bob Bryan at the Australian Open earlier this season. Don't look now, but Nestor and Zimonjic might also have a chance at THE Grand Slam this season.
More on the singles finals later.
Yes, it is finals weekend, but that doesn't just mean singles. Between the juniors, seniors and wheelchair tennis, there is all kinds of action going on at Roland Garros during this time of the week. Here are a few observations:
• Quick - who's the most successful women's tennis player today? Serena Williams? No. Venus Williams? Try again. Justine Henin? Maria Sharapova? Jelena Jankovic? Wrong.
The correct answer would be Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands, who won the wheelchair women's event – 6-0, 6-0 over compatriot Sharon Walraven. Now, I don't know too much about wheelchair tennis, but Vergeer, through her sheer dominance, has given the event some exposure in the mainstream press. This is now her 15th Grand Slam singles title in the wheelchair event. She has another 14 titles in doubles. Over the course of her tennis career, Vergeer has a singles record of 582-25, has only lost one match since March 31, 2001 and is currently on a 383 match winning streak. Imagine the attention able-bodied WTA players would receive if one of them could win over 95 percent of her matches.
• The junior events are winding down. In the boys' event, Agustin Velotti of Argentina is playing Andrea Collarini of the United States (Yes - the United States!). Collarini apparently grew up and spent his formative years in Argentina, but it's still nice to see a young American player doing well on clay. Collarini is currently ranked 669th in the ATP rankings – it will be interesting to see how he develops. Velotti is also in the finals of the boys' doubles event, which features four players from South America – Velotti and Facundo Arguello are playing Duilio Beretta of Peru and Roberto Quiroz of Ecuador.
In the girls' event, we get a little bit of the international taste of the sport – Elina Svitolina of Ukraine will be playing Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in the final. Both are only 15-years-old. Svitolina is ranked 1,096 in the WTA rankings, and Jabeur is 724. It seems safe to assume that both are going to be moving up in the not-too-distant future.
The girls' doubles features eight players from six nations – spread out over three continents. Timea Babos of Hungary and Sloane Stephens of the U.S. are in the finals as of this writing. I got to see Stephens playing Vera Zvonareva in Indian Wells earlier this year. It doesn't seem likely that she'll be an all-time great player, but she looks like a solid one with a good game. She should be part of the future of U.S. women's tennis once Venus and Serena Williams move on.
• There's plenty of action in the doubles as well. In the mixed doubles, Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjic beat Yaroslava Shvedova and Julian Knowle in a tight three-set match. Srebotnik is a player who came along at about the same time as Kim Clijsters, Jelena Dokic and Justine Henin. She reached 20th in the singles rankings but has made a nice living for herself in doubles, winning four mixed doubles Slams there. This has been a nice event for Srebotnik, as she was also runner-up in women's doubles. Zimonjic has won four mixed doubles titles and two men's doubles titles at the Slams. He and Srebotnik also won Roland Garros together in 2006, but they've been runners-up three other times, making them one of the more successful mixed doubles pairings in recent years.
• Venus and Serena Williams, took the women's doubles final 6-2, 6-3. For all their success in singles, this is the 12th Grand Slam titles for Venus and Serena in doubles – and it's their fourth consecutive Slam. Venus and Serena could very well be the first players to win THE Grand Slam in doubles since 1999, when Martina Hingis accomplished it with two different partners. This final was played on Court Suzanne Lenglen, but you can pretty well guarantee that if Venus and Serena are going for the Slam at the U.S. Open, that final will be on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
• In the men's doubles event, Zimonjic and his partner, Daniel Nestor, will be playing Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy for the title. This result comes on the heels of a win over Mike and Bob Bryan at the Australian Open earlier this season. Don't look now, but Nestor and Zimonjic might also have a chance at THE Grand Slam this season.
More on the singles finals later.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
An Upside-Down Tournament
Sorry for the long break – my day job took me away from the blog.
Whew, what a week! Things usually heat up in the second week of a Grand Slam, but who knew they would reach this level? And we’re barely into the semifinals!
Here’s a few thoughts on what we’ve seen this week:
• Where did Samantha Stosur come from? Coming into Roland Garros, my impression was that she was turning into a solid player who would beat the players she was supposed to beat but stumble against the elite, or “better” players. And then she went out and beat Justine Henin and Serena Williams back-to-back – in matches that went 6-4 and 8-6 in the third. Stosur didn’t just beat Henin and Serena; she out-toughed them. If she doesn’t have a mental letdown, she has to be considered a legitimate contender.
• I’m shamelessly taking this line from the TV coverage I’ve watched, but apparently, no one beats Robin Soderling 13 times in a row – not even if you’re Roger Federer. Soderling was a finalist last year, but this result might be even more stunning that Stosur’s. Everyone knew Federer’s streak of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals was going to end, but in four sets against a player he appeared so comfortable against? Wow.
• Elena Dementieva and Jelena Jankovic are currently two of the best women’s players who have never won a Grand Slam singles title. Now, they’ve reached the semifinals and do not have to worry about Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova or Kim Clijsters. We know Dementieva will come away from this situation without a win, and I can imagine the same thing happening to Jankovic.
• If you’d told me two weeks ago that the Roland Garros semifinals would have featured four women who’d never won a Slam, three men who’d never won a Slam and Rafael Nadal, I’d have thought you were crazy – and I had five Slamless players in my semifinals before play started!
• Don’t look now, but if Rafael Nadal wins Roland Garros, he’ll be No. 1 in the world – over a Roger Federer who has won Wimbledon and the Australian Open and been runner-up at the U.S. Open. It just goes to show that those week-in, week-out tournaments do matter sometimes. That being said, Nadal’s win here can’t be considered a done deal, not with Soderling/Berdych possibly waiting for him in the finals.
• How surprising is Henin’s result in Paris? It probably depends on whether or not you believed her when she said 2010 would be a year of transition. Her season has been made all the more complicated by injury, illness and personal distractions. Read here for more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/nothings-ever-simple-with-henin/article1580685/ Now, expectations on her should drop considerably.
• Over the course of this event, I’ve made three fearless predictions and three fearful ones. Let’s just say they’re fearful for a reason – only one of them came true. Of course, only one of my fearless predictions came true as well – both involved Federer.
• So, how about that Jurgen Melzer? This guy has got to be one of my favorite underdogs in a long time. He knocks off an in-form David Ferrer (maybe the biggest upset this side of Soderling/Federer), gets a qualifier to get to the quarterfinals and then comes back from two sets down to beat Novak Djokovic. On the other hand, if you’re Djokovic, how do you not close out the No. 22 seed when you’re two sets up – and in a fourth-set tie-breaker?
• I’ve said before, I think the women’s winner will come out of the top quarter – as I write this, Stosur has won the first set against Jankovic, and might play Schiavone in the final. If Stosur does win the event, it will be one of the few things I’ve been right about this tournament.
Back later.
Whew, what a week! Things usually heat up in the second week of a Grand Slam, but who knew they would reach this level? And we’re barely into the semifinals!
Here’s a few thoughts on what we’ve seen this week:
• Where did Samantha Stosur come from? Coming into Roland Garros, my impression was that she was turning into a solid player who would beat the players she was supposed to beat but stumble against the elite, or “better” players. And then she went out and beat Justine Henin and Serena Williams back-to-back – in matches that went 6-4 and 8-6 in the third. Stosur didn’t just beat Henin and Serena; she out-toughed them. If she doesn’t have a mental letdown, she has to be considered a legitimate contender.
• I’m shamelessly taking this line from the TV coverage I’ve watched, but apparently, no one beats Robin Soderling 13 times in a row – not even if you’re Roger Federer. Soderling was a finalist last year, but this result might be even more stunning that Stosur’s. Everyone knew Federer’s streak of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals was going to end, but in four sets against a player he appeared so comfortable against? Wow.
• Elena Dementieva and Jelena Jankovic are currently two of the best women’s players who have never won a Grand Slam singles title. Now, they’ve reached the semifinals and do not have to worry about Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova or Kim Clijsters. We know Dementieva will come away from this situation without a win, and I can imagine the same thing happening to Jankovic.
• If you’d told me two weeks ago that the Roland Garros semifinals would have featured four women who’d never won a Slam, three men who’d never won a Slam and Rafael Nadal, I’d have thought you were crazy – and I had five Slamless players in my semifinals before play started!
• Don’t look now, but if Rafael Nadal wins Roland Garros, he’ll be No. 1 in the world – over a Roger Federer who has won Wimbledon and the Australian Open and been runner-up at the U.S. Open. It just goes to show that those week-in, week-out tournaments do matter sometimes. That being said, Nadal’s win here can’t be considered a done deal, not with Soderling/Berdych possibly waiting for him in the finals.
• How surprising is Henin’s result in Paris? It probably depends on whether or not you believed her when she said 2010 would be a year of transition. Her season has been made all the more complicated by injury, illness and personal distractions. Read here for more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/nothings-ever-simple-with-henin/article1580685/ Now, expectations on her should drop considerably.
• Over the course of this event, I’ve made three fearless predictions and three fearful ones. Let’s just say they’re fearful for a reason – only one of them came true. Of course, only one of my fearless predictions came true as well – both involved Federer.
• So, how about that Jurgen Melzer? This guy has got to be one of my favorite underdogs in a long time. He knocks off an in-form David Ferrer (maybe the biggest upset this side of Soderling/Federer), gets a qualifier to get to the quarterfinals and then comes back from two sets down to beat Novak Djokovic. On the other hand, if you’re Djokovic, how do you not close out the No. 22 seed when you’re two sets up – and in a fourth-set tie-breaker?
• I’ve said before, I think the women’s winner will come out of the top quarter – as I write this, Stosur has won the first set against Jankovic, and might play Schiavone in the final. If Stosur does win the event, it will be one of the few things I’ve been right about this tournament.
Back later.
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