Men’s quarter finals
We’ve had an exciting couple of days with both sides of the tournament, but this time it was the men’s turn to shine at Wimbledon. The battle to get into the semi finals caused quite a stir, with one of the top four being knocked out.
Of course, you will all know by now that that player was one Roger Federer. Out of the top four, there were others whom I thought would be more likely to be sent out before the semi finals. Andy Murray could have been crippled by nerves, for example, and Novak Djokovic is hardly his most comfortable on grass. After Rafael Nadal’s injury you might also consider him as a potential candidate to be knocked out ‘early’. But no, it was Roger Federer, and even Jo-Wilfried Tsonga appears to be still reeling from his performance and victory over a man who is a legend at Wimbledon.
Federer is surprisingly upbeat after his defeat, saying with a smile that he still has a lot left in him and he is looking forward to the rest of the year. Either he is very good at putting on a front or he is genuinely quite happy, and I would probably agree with the latter. Federer has definitely broken into a new relaxed – although not laid back or lazy – part of his career, where cramming in as many wins as possible just isn’t the top of his agenda. Tsonga was, unsurprisingly, beaming in the post match interviews.
Tsonga will now play Djokovic, who beat the new pretender Tomic. Tomic has had a superb run, with the 18 year old making waves in the men’s tournament ju more »
Written by:And as for the men…
As for the men’s side of things, they haven’t been without their drama either. Bernard Tomic has caused a stir by beating Xavier Malisse in a four set stunner in the fourth round. His biggest upset, though, was his defeat of Robin Soderling on Saturday. This set Tomic on the road to a fantastic Wimbledon run. He is the youngest man to reach this round since 1990, when Michael Chang got to the same point in the tournament. Tomic was first noticed when he won at the US and Australian Open junior tournaments, and seems to have made a dreamy transition into the men’s tournaments. Malisse was under pressure from the word go, and despite some surges he lost 6-1 7-5 6-4 to the 18 year old. Tomic cites his confidence as a men’s player, leaving behind his junior game.
Mardy Fish got through against Tomas Berdych, which was a relative shock seeing as the Czech world number 6 was a finalist at Wimbledon last year. Fish was dominant in serve, hitting 23 aces, and it certainly played a part in keeping Berdych at bay. He has reached the quarter finals of a tournament for the first time since Feliciano Lopez had a scare against Lukasz Kubot, losing the first two sets before rallying to win 3-6 3-7 (5-7) 7-6 (9-7) 7-5 7-5.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also made it through against David Ferrer, who outranked him but couldn’t outplay him on the day. The big four were up next, with Murray progressing well against Richard Gasquet of France. Britain remain holding their breath. Djokovic played a conv more »
Written by:Women’s tournament excitement
It’s the beginning of week two at Wimbledon, but of course you don’t need me to tell you that. All you need to do is to take a quick glance at the upsets that have made the headlines these last two days to know for sure that we are into a new phase of Wimbledon 2011. The women’s side of the tournament is the most fruitful for fantastic shockers.
First, the Williams sisters went down. Both were knocked out by feisty opponents who refused to see their return to Wimbledon as an excuse to lie down and die. Serena Williams was defeated by the French woman Marion Bartoli, who has caused a stir throughout this tournament after she banished her parents from the court in the middle of a match whilst struggling against Flavia Pennetta. All seemed forgiven though, as it was her parents – sat proudly in the player’s box – who she turned too first when he dream of beating a Williams sister to get through to the quarter finals. Serena was obviously devastated by the loss, but it would be an immense feat for her to return to her former ways after such a long and serious absence.
Her sister Venus, who has won at Wimbledon five times, went down to the Belgian Pironkova, who has only one four matches this season before she arrived at Wimbledon. Before the match she had yet to drop a set. Venus’ game was littered with unforced errors, but it was not just her mistakes that drove the match in Pironkova’s favour. Pironkova played a smart and aggressive game that saw her break and get her nos more »
Written by:And the rain kick starts again
Yes, the rain is back in full force, making this year’s Wimbledon not only traditionally damp but wonderfully British once again. And let’s face it, those who are at Wimbledon have nothing to complain about: at least they are not drowning in a field in Glastonbury.
There is a good reason for why I have left the blog to this late in the week, and that is because the early stages of a tournament rarely throw up many gems to talk about. But when the last few second round and first of the third round matches began, Wimbledon picked pick up speed. First, there was the weather. The roof on Centre court has been closed on a number of occasions now, and the match that started out today underneath its shade was Victoria Azarenka versus Daniela Hantuchova. There was an unusually large crowd watching this match, mostly due to the Murray match that was to follow, so there was a great atmosphere as these two faced off. Azarenka is seeded fourth and Hantuchova gave her a run for her money in the three set game. The rain delay seemed to have worked to Azarenka’s favour, however.
There was a third round upset as Feliciano Lopez played a stunning game and knocked Andy Roddick out of the tournament. Roddick had expected to do well, after all the grass court season really is where he has shone the last few years, and many will be rueing his disappearance. In the women’s side of the tournament, there was another upset as Lisicki knocked out Li Na. Li – who recently won at the French Open, more »
Written by:And Wimbledon gets under way
Yes it’s day two of Wimbledon already. The delightful (sometimes) British summer is now host, and we are at its mercy now until the awards ceremony. So far the weather has behaved itself, with only a few disruptions due to drizzle, and organisers will be hoping for that to remain the same all through the tournament.
The British institution has yet to throw up too many surprises, and all things seem to be running smoothly for the well known players. Britain suffered a simultaneously mild cardiac arrest when Andy Murray dropped his first set, but he soon found the rhythm to make it past Daniel Gimeno-Traver. The Spaniard won the first set 6-4, but the Scot eventually got his head into gear and shifted his tactics according to the man on the other side of the court; which is always helpful.
Other big names: Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Roddick, Ivo Karlovic, Federer and Rafa included, also made it through. Roddick was on impressive form after his disappointing exit at Queen’s and looks set to continue through the tournament with ease at least for now. Delpo looked happy and comfortable with his game which is a relief for his fans after the long wait for recovery. Gilles Simon also made it through to the next round but had a battle on his hands with the feisty Edouard Roger-Vasselin who took him to four sets.
The rematch of all rematches will also take place in day 2, with John Isner and Nicolas Mahut facing one another one year after that mind-boggling score line last ye more »
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