Wimbledon 2011: Men's Semifinals Preview

by Mad Professah, contributing writer 

Here are my predictions for the men's semifinals at the Wimbledon Championships for 2011.

Last year I predicted 1 of 4 men's quarterfinals correctly and 0 of 2 men's semifinals correctly. This year I correctly predicted 3 of 4 men's quarterfinals, 4 of 4 women's quarterfinals and 2 of 2 women's semifinals. 

Rafael Nadal ESP (1) vs. Andy Murray GBR (4). For the second year in a row, Andy Murray's goal to win his country's Grand Slam must go through World #1 Rafael Nadal.

 Head-to-head Nadal leads 11-4 with a 2-0 record on grass (2010 Wimbledon semifinal and 2008 Wimbledon quarterfinal). With Nadal allegedly not at 100 percent fit to play (a claim I am somewhat skeptical of) I think this gives Murray the best chance he has ever had to date to end the long drought of having a male British citizen appear in the Wimbledon final, let alone actually win the bloody thing. The four times Murray has beaten Nadal he has done it on hard courts with very strong serving, combined with first strike tennis using the forehand cross-court and the backhand down-the-line to Nadal's backhand. Murray is an excellent defender and loves to play long grueling points to demonstrate his fitness and mentally exhaust his opponents. This is exactly the wrong game plan against the (almost psychotically) mentally tough Spaniard.

Nadal has lost four consecutive times to Novak Djokovic this year because Djokovic has been getting multiple free points on his improved serve and is ridiculously flexible and strong enough to convert balls hit from defensive positions instantaneously  into offense. Murray can get free points on his serve if he serves well (i.e. in the 130 mph) but he shouldn't even THINK about playing defense. The way to beat Nadal is relatively clear: you have to bash him off of a very fast court (c.f. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's 2008 Australian Open semifinal win, Juan Martin del Potro's 2009 U.S. Open semifinal win, Murray's own 2010 Australian Open quarterfinal win).

Basically you have to be prepared to hit 4 or 5 winners to win a single point and not get frustrated about doing it for two or three hours. Murray has been in 3 career Grand Slam finals so far and has failed to win a set in any of them. For all intents and purposes, this semifinal (just like last year's Wimbledon semifinal) is even more important than a final to Murray's career. So, if past performance is a predictor of future performance, Murray will under-perform his ability and lose in 3 sets to Nadal again. However, I strongly believe that Murray is getting closer and closer to a breakthrough and one indication was his strong showing in the 2011 French Open semifinal against Nadal (which Murray lost in straight sets but he had a LOT of chances, which he was unable to convert). I believe he will take that experience of having opportunities in Paris and the strong crowd support in London to give him a very decent chance to win this match and warm the hearts of a nation. PREDICTION: Nadal in 3 OR Murray in 4 or 5 sets.

Roger Federer SUI (3) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA (12) vs. Novak Djokovic SRB (2). 

This is also a match which is "bigger" than a Grand Slam final, to one of the competitors (Djokovic), at least. If the Serb wins, he will be ranked World #1 for the first time in his career. If the Frenchman wins he would be the first of his countrymen to be in the Wimbledon final in the Open era. There are far fewer men (24) who have been ranked World #1 at some point since the rankings began in 1973 than have won a major final in that time period (almost 60).  It just so happens that this match-up is a reprise of the 2008 Australian Open final, won by Djokovic, but since that first encounter Tsonga has won 5 of 6 matches the two have played, including a stunning 5-set win in the 2010 Australian Open quarterfinals. The 2008 Australian Open final is an instructive match to analyze in understanding the dynamics between the two players because then, like now, Tsonga is coming off the biggest win of his career (in 2008 a surprisingly vicious beat down of Nadal in the Australian Open semifinal, in 2011 a stunning dismissal of Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon).

Then, Tsonga didn't start the match playing his best tennis until the second set and Djokovic exploited the lead to run away with the match and the title. However, it must be noted that what Tsonga achieved Roger Federer had not happened in 178 of the Swiss Great's 5-set Grand Slam matches--he lost the first two sets and then won the match (rather comfortably) with an early service break in each subsequent set and denying his opponent even a sniff at breaking his own.

Djokvic is a much better service returner than Federer so it's doubtful that strategy will work again but Tsonga has so much talent there are others that could work (serve and volley as much as possible, deny pace to Djokovic and then suddenly blast the ball for a winner) and most of all, Tsonga believes he can win. Djokovic has played 47 matches so far in 2011 and won 46 of them. This is an astonishing feat. Lately, his opponents have gotten closer and the new unbeatable Djokovic has shown some of the familiar tics of the old, retiring Djokovic, but I still believe that somehow, Nole will find a way to fulfill his destiny and win the match and reach the pinnacle of men's tennis.  PREDICTION: Djokovic.  

Wimbledon 2011: Women's Semifinals Preview

by Mad Professah, contributing writer 

Here are my predictions for the women's semifinals at the Wimbledon Championships for 2011. I predicted 4 of 4 women's quarterfinals correctly and 3 of 4 men's quarterfinals correctly. Last year I predicted 2 of 2 women's semifinals correctly.  

Maria Sharapova RUS (5) vs Sabine Lisicki GER . Sharapova appears to be returning to the form that has led her to win 3 major tournaments (2008 Australian Open, 2006 US Open and 2004 Wimbledon) so far after surgery in 2009 really deteriorated her game. Lisicki is a wild card has put on two amazing performances on Wimbledon Centre Court this year, dismissing 2011 French Open champion Li Na in the 3rd round and eliminating 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli in the quarterfinals. With both Williams sisters gone from the tournament (this was Serena's half) this is the most wide open Wimbledon in over a decade. If  you start to match up the two player's games Lisicki has the better serve, while Sharapova has the better return. 

Sharapova has the better second serve, or at least she goes for more, but this also makes it less reliable. Sharapova has 19 aces but also 19 double faults over 5 matches so far. Lisicki has 44 aces and only 13 double faults. Sharapova has a total of 126 winners while Liscki has 157, including an incredible 52 winners in the round before in her 3-set win over Bartoli. Lisicki is probably the better mover but Sharapova is faster than she appears and can do more with the ball when she gets there. Analyzing their groundstrokes you have to give a big advantage to Sharapova, especially on the backhand side, with the forehand side being a bit closer. On grass you have to give the edge to the better server (Lisicki) but all the intangibles (been in this position before, mental toughness) go to Sharapova.I would be delighted if Lisicki wins, but I think it's more likely she will falter than Sharapova will. I was very surprised that Lisicki had to play a 3rd set against Bartoli, after having 3 match points in the second set, but she shook that off to win 6-1. If she gives that opportunity to Sharapova to come back, the Russian will reach her 2nd Wimbledon final. PREDICTION: Who I think will win: Sharapova, Who I want to win: Lisicki.

Victoria Azarenka BLR (4) vs. Petra Kvitova CZE (8). This should be the more interesting match of the two because the higher ranked player is the one with the less experience being in the semifinals of Wimbledon. However, I'm sure in her own mind Azarenka feels like she should have won a major already. Azarenka is like a young Novak Djokovic in that early in his career the Serbian retired in a number of important matches and Azarenka is (in)famous for her withdrawals from multiple matches, especially this year.

They are both incredibly talented players and you totally expect them to win multiple majors. Djokovic has met (and possibly even exceeded) expectations but Azarenka is still waiting for her big breakthrough. If you look at each of the semifinalists' records to this point Azarenka has only had 10 aces to 9 double faults in 5 rounds. Kvitova has had 26 aces to 11 double faults. Interestingly, when you match up their games you see that Kvitova has the better serve and the better ground strokes. Azarenka is by far the better mover and I think the intangibles are pretty even. Kvitova disappointed me when she lost a 2nd set tie-break to Tsevetana "Venus-killer" Pironkova with some bad misses on attempted winners. Then again, like Lisicki, she won the deciding set pretty easily. This second match should be closer than the first semifinal with Kvitova, another left-handed female player born in Czechoslovakia like the great Martina Navratiilova, reaching her first (but probably not her last) Wimbledon final. PREDICTION: Who I think will win: Kvitova, Who I want to win: Kvitova.

Believing In Himself: Tsonga Shocks Federer

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the first Black man to advance to a Wimbledon semifinal since MaliVai Washington in 1996. And he did it in extraordinary style. Down two sets to love against the great Roger Federer, having flailed away a second-set tiebreak, he gathered himself and decided to play the kind of tennis we know he can play when he puts his mind to it.

“He took risks and chances, and it all worked for him," Federer told the press after the match. “It’s hard to accept, because I feel I was as good as he was in terms of how I was playing. But he closed really well and served really well for a long time. I knew he could do it, but it was still impressive to see when you’re across the net.”

I've been on Federer in the past for his remarks in losses, but this time, he gets it completely right. Maturity will do that to you.

A stunning 178-0 was Federer after winning the first two sets at Slams, I'd bet the farm no one saw Tsonga coming all the way back, even after winning the third set. But in the final set, after opening with a break of serve, there were two points when it became clear to me Tsonga would hold his nerve and complete the upset of the tournament. Returning at 3-5, Federer was up 40-0. Two first serves later, it was 40-30. Tsonga hit two winning forehand returns that made the crowd ooh and aah. I almost expected Tsonga to get tight in that return game, have that tightness carry over to match game, and find himself struggling to close. But those two winners told the tale. Tsonga actually believed. Federer held on the next point, the players changed ends, and Tsonga closed out the match to love when a Federer backhand return floated long.

“The feeling is like maybe beating Nadal in Roland Garros,” Tsonga said after the match. “It’s just amazing. For me, it will be for sure one of the best memories in my career.”

As a spectator, it will be an enduring memory for me too. For Tsonga's game is made for the grass and the grass is where real tennis is contested. He can do anything on the court. Anything at all. But too often, he seems to refuse to bring his magical gifts to bear throughout the course of a match. Not today. At least not through the last three sets. The Frenchman, who ditched a coach in order to become a man and figure out how to win on his own, played the kind of tennis I've always wanted to see from him against this player, on this court, at this event.

Novak Djokovic, who won but struggled against 18-year-old Bernard Tomic, is up next. I'm believing Tsonga will be playing the final.

I'm hoping he's believing it, too.

Wimbledon 2011: Men's Quarterfinals Preview

by Mad Professah, contributing writer 

Here are my predictions for the men's quarterfinals at the Wimbledon Championships for 2011. Last year's I correctly predicted the results of 1 of 4 men's quarterfinals right before I got on a plane to London to attend the men's final. This year I correctly predicted 4 of 4 women's quarterfinals.  

Rafael Nadal ESP (1) vs. Tomas Berdych CZE (6) Mardy Fish USA (10). Who would have thought that the last American player remaining in the draw at Wimbledon deep in the second week would be Mardy Fish? The American took out last year's Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych by exposing the 6'5" Czech mobility deficit with blistering groundstrokes into the corners and confident volleys following very big serves. Nadal was lucky to escape his meeting with Juan Martin del Potro in the 4th round but did not come away unscathed; apparently there is a foot or heel injury which is invisible to MRIs but which caused Nadal to take a 9-minute injury time-out at 6-all in the first set. The 2-time defending champion won that 1st set tie-break (despite being 0-3 down) and went on to win the match 7-6(6) 3-6 7-6(4) 6-4. Mardy has only one won set against Nadal in 5 career meetings, but all of their matches were played before Fish transformed himself by losing 30 pounds and dedicating himself to fitness. The results have been extraordinary: he is now the top rated American male and will likely be so for the foreseeable future. Unless Nadal's injury plays a factor, I still don't see Fish advancing from his first Wimbledon quarterfinal to his first Wimbledon semifinal. PREDICTION: Nadal.

Andy Murray GBR (4) vs. Feliciano Lopez ESP. The only drama in this match will be who will be the first to mention the "controversy" that one of the player's parents finds the other player attractive. Feliciano Lopez is definitely an excellent grass-court player and is unquestionably one of the most handsome players on the tour. He is in his third career Wimbledon quarterfinal, which is the furthest he has ever been in any major.  In 2011 he has already achieved a number of firsts, including having a match point against Roger Federer and defeating Andy Roddick for the first time. That being said, Murray has the hopes of a nation on his shoulders and after a surprisingly good result at this year's French Open appears to be comfortable with pressure he faces to play his best tennis in SW19. Murray has yet to lose on grass this year. He knows he could have played much better in his 2010 Wimbledon semifinal against Nadal last year and wants another chance. I think he'll get it. PREDICTION: Murray.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA (12) vs. Roger Federer SUI (3). This match should be the best of the 2011 Men's Quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Tsonga is a very good grass-court player, playing (but losing) a very good final against Murrayat the Queen's Club. Tsonga actually has a win against Federer (on hard courts) and has only played the Swiss Maestro 5 times so the career head-to-head deficit is not overwhelming. However, the fact that he will be playing Living History, the man who is in his 29th(!) consecutive major quarterfinal  and is trying to win this tournament for a record-tying 7th time must be daunting. Interestingly, since Tsonga had to play Grigor "Baby Fed" Dimitrov earlier in the tournament he may feel well-prepared to handle the real Federer on the big stage this time. Federer was able to dismiss Mikhail Youzhny in four sets after inexplicably dropping the first set tie-break after holding a 4-2 lead at the change over but he really didn't look comfortable to me despite the 6-7(5) 6-3 6-3 6-3 scoreline. Youzhny is a crafty veteran but he does not possess the firepower to really give Federer difficulties at crucial moments. Tsonga does. That being said Federer is aiming for his 27th major semifinal and 22nd major final. I believe that he will reach both. PREDICTION: Federer. 

Bernard Tomic AUS  vs. Novak Djokovic SRB (2). For the first time in 25 years one of the men's quarterfinalists is an 18-year-old, Bernard Tomic. Australians, especially his father, have been talking up Tomic's talent for years so it is impressive the youngster has matched a feat last achieve by Boris Becker. But there the similarities end. Tomic's game is like Murray 2.0 when he was 18: lots of different spins, excellent movement, full of guile and almost zero aggression.  It is not an attractive picture. Djokovic, despite only losing one match (out of 46 played!) all year long, has progressed through the draw like a ninja, silently dispatching his opponents by gliding around the court, seeming to do very little only to see the vanquished drop to the ground, defeated. He had a slight hiccup against a game Marcos Baghdatis, but one never really believed that the World's #2 was in any danger of losing. I have a very similar feeling about this match. Most likely for the second major in a row, the Top 4 players will reach the semifinals.   PREDICTION: Djokovic. 

Wimbledon 2011: Women's Quarterfinals Preview

by Mad Professah, contributing writer

Here are my predictions for the women's quarterfinals at the Wimbledon Championships for 2011. Last year I correctly predicted 2 of 4 women's quarterfinals.

Caroline Wozniacki DEN (1) Dominika Cibulkova SVK (24) vs Maria Sharapova RUS (5). For the first time since 2006 Maria Sharapova is in a Wimbledon quarterfinal when there is no possibility of a facing a Williams sister in order to win the title. Her immediate challenge is to defeat a woman who is almost a full foot shorter but who has beaten her the one time they played in a major. Cibulkova embarrassed Sharapova 6-0 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the 2009 French Open. Amazingly, all four of their career meetings have been on clay, and  the two are locked at 2-all, with the shorter player having won the last 2 matches, including one this year. However, Sharapova is much more comfortable on grass than clay. Cibulkova is also coming off one of the best wins of her career by basically blasting the World #1 Caroline Wozniacki off the court with nearly 20 forehand winners in a 1-6 7-6(5) 7-5 victory. The match-up on paper looks like a clear win for Sharapova, but Cibulkova has beaten her before and believes in her game. The question will be if Sharapova believes in her game, especially her (second) serve. PREDICTION: Sharapova in 3 sets.

Sabine Lisicki GER  vs. Serena Williams USA (7) Marion Bartoli FRA (9). Sabine Lisicki had one of the most outstanding performances by a female tennis player this year when she saved 2 match points against #3 seed Li Na (the most successful player at the Grand Slam tournaments this year) to win 3-6 6-4 8-6 in the second round. Lisicki has yet to lose a match on grass this year, having won in Birmingham right before Wimbledon, but she had to write the All-England Lawn Tennis Club in order to get a wildcard to enter the tournament, which was granted. 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli  put on an incredible performance in the 4th round of Wimbledon to dismiss the 2-time defending champion Serena Williams by out-hitting and out-serving the 13-time major champion in two sets 6-3 7-6(6). Bartoli had more aces (10 to 8) than Serena and in most of the rallies was hitting the ball harder and more aggressively. Serena did not play her best, true, but Bartoli won the match more than Serena lost it. Head-to-head Lisicki leads Bartoli 2-1 including a win over the Frenchwoman this year but Bartoli's lone win was on grass at Wimbledon in 2008. Bartoli had 11 aces in the first 3 rounds and 10 in the fourth. I seriously doubt she can play as well two rounds in a row. The German wild-card is a real contender to win the entire tournament. PREDICTION: Lisicki in 2 sets.

Tamira Paszek AUT  vs. Victoria Azarenka BLR (4). The highest remaining seed is the hard-hitting (and ear-splitting) Belarussian who has reached her 5th career grand Slam quarterfinal at this year's Wimbledon but who has never reached a major semifinal. I expect that streak to end on Tuesday. Her opponent, Paszek had an impressive win over 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in the 3rd round 3-6 6-4 11-9 after nearly four hours of play. Paszek had been long touted as a player to watch about 3 or 4 years ago but injuries got in the way and the 20-year-old is the furthest she has reached in a major since her breakthrough debut year in 2007. Azarenka has the power and mentality to dismiss most players outside of the Top 10. Paszek is not an exception.PREDICTION: Azarenka in 2 sets. 

Petra Kvitova CZE (8) vs. Venus Williams USA (23) Tsvetana Pironkova BUL (32). Pironkova must be Bulgarian for "kryptonite" because there is no other explanation for why the greatest women's grass court player of her generation would lose in two consecutive years to the same player, by the same exact score (6-2 6-3)! Last year Pironkova's stunning win was one round later and she followed it by losing a hideous match against Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals. The player in the other semifinal last year was Petra Kvitova who lost a high-quality affair to eventual champion Serena Williams. This year, Pironkova has to face the hard-hitting, fearless lefty who has the game to defeat anyone on the tour but didn't quite believe in herself enough. This year she has the belief that she can do it, and she can. PREDICTION: Kvitova in 2 sets.

Last American Standing

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The last time Mardy Fish was the last American standing at a big tennis event he made the final. Remember? The 2004 Athens Olympics. The event where Tomas Berdych defeated Roger Federer.

Today, on the day that Serena and Venus Williams, both on the comeback from injury and/or illness, were dismissed, Mardy beat Tomas Berdych in straight sets to advance to his first Wimbledon quarterfinal and become the last American player in either singles draw.

He's 29-years-old.

There have been a few veterans' day tales at this Championships. Poland's 29-year-old Lukasz Kubot, a doubles specialist, made the second week of a Slam for the first time in his singles career and was a point away from making the final eight before allowing Feliciano Lopez, who ousted three-time finalist Andy Roddick, to take the match 7-5 in the fifth. 40-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm and 31-year-old Venus Williams gave us a finals-worthy epic in the second round.

But Mardy's is the tale that warms the most and might be the most under appreciated. He's battled injury after injury, weight, and the shadow of Andy Roddick. He can beat anybody when he puts his mind to it, but has faltered on the biggest stages. Like when he blew a two-set-to-love lead to Nicolas Massu in the Athens Olympics Gold Medal match.

At a Slam, he's never been here before.

He's 29-years-old.

For the life of me, I can't remember where I read that the top American men aren't getting the respect they deserve from the American tennis media. It was an article about tennis stats, I think. Whoever wrote it, and I credit you, was onto something.

On the ATP (some would say it's biased toward Americans) tennis page, as of this writing, Mardy's accomplishment isn't even a headline. I suppose the "Royal Watchers" took his place? Is Mardy the oldest player in the Open Era to make a debut in the Wimbledon quarterfinals?

I'm not a stats guy, so I'm not sure.

As the last American standing, I'm also not sure Mardy makes the final this time. He has a puncher's chance. If John Isner can get two sets off Rafa on clay, on grass, Mardy can get....

I don't know. But whatever happens next...

Mardy deserves a standing ovation.

Get up.

Wimbledon 2011 Day 7 Open Thread

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Fans of Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan pose for pictures as he plays against France's Michael Llodra in a Men's Singles match during the 2011 Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Tennis Club, in south-west London, on June 25, 2011.

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They call it the best day in tennis. All round of 16 matches from both tours.

On Centre Court, Gasquet finally gets a Slam victory over Murray, Venus gets revenge, and the defending champion isn't too troubled at all.

On Court 1, all the top seeds advance, though Djokovic could be tested the most.

For the rest, I'm going with the X-Man, Sabine, Petra, Vika, Lukasz, Nadia, Jo-Wilfried, Maria, Dominika, Mardy, and Ksenia.

action WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011
INTENDED ORDER OF PLAY FOR MONDAY 27 JUNE 2011

CENTRE - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

Andy Murray (GBR) [4] vs Richard Gasquet (FRA) [17]
Venus Williams (USA) [23] vs Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) [32]
Rafael Nadal (ESP) [1] vs Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) [24]

COURT 1 - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

Marion Bartoli (FRA) [9] vs Serena Williams (USA) [7]
Michael Llodra (FRA) [19] vs Novak Djokovic (SRB) [2]
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) [18] vs Roger Federer (SUI) [3]

COURT 18 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

Bernard Tomic (AUS) vs Xavier Malisse (BEL)

COURT 12 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

Sabine Lisicki (GER) vs Petra Cetkovska (CZE)
Petra Kvitova (CZE) [8] vs Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) [19]

COURT 3 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

Nadia Petrova (RUS) vs Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [4]
Lukasz Kubot (POL) vs Feliciano Lopez (ESP)
David Ferrer (ESP) [7] vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [12]

COURT 2 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

Shuai Peng (CHN) [20] vs Maria Sharapova (RUS) [5]
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [1] vs Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) [24]
Mardy Fish (USA) [10] vs Tomas Berdych (CZE) [6]


COURT 14 - 12.00 NOON START

Tamira Paszek (AUT) vs Ksenia Pervak (RUS)

Wimbledon 2011 Day 6 Open Thread

AP

Tennis fans shelter from the rain as they watch Great Britain's Andy Murray play against Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic from the so-called Murray Mount, free viewing hill just outside the tennis showground, during day five of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon, England, Friday June 24, 2011.

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As of this moment, Mardy Fish is choking the second set away to Robin Haase of the Netherlands.

It's going to be that kind of day.

I'm hoping for three upsets.

WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011
INTENDED ORDER OF PLAY FOR SATURDAY 25 JUNE 2011 ALL COURTS - SINGLES ONLY

CENTRE - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

1. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [1] vs Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) [27]
2. David Nalbandian (ARG) [28] vs Roger Federer (SUI) [3]
3. Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) [32] vs Novak Djokovic (SRB) [2]

COURT 1 - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) [1] vs Gilles Muller (LUX)T/F 7/6(6) 0/0
2. Maria Kirilenko (RUS) [26] vs Serena Williams (USA) [7]
3. Robin Soderling (SWE) [5] vs Bernard Tomic (AUS)

COURT 2 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Klara Zakopalova (CZE) vs Maria Sharapova (RUS) [5]
2. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) [24] vs Gilles Simon (FRA) [15] T/F 7/6(8) 2/4
3. Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [12]

COURT 3 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) [24] vs Julia Goerges (GER) [16]
2. Gael Monfils (FRA) [9] vs Lukasz Kubot (POL) T/F 3/6 6/3 3/3
3. David Ferrer (ESP) [7] vs Karol Beck (SVK)

COURT 12 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Marion Bartoli (FRA) [9] vs Flavia Pennetta (ITA) [21]
2. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) [6] vs Tamira Paszek (AUT) T/F 6/3 4/6 2/3
3. Xavier Malisse (BEL) vs Jurgen Melzer (AUT) [11]

COURT 18 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Melinda Czink (HUN) vs Shuai Peng (CHN) [20]
2. Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA) vs Tomas Berdych (CZE) [6] T/F 2/6 4/6 3/4
3. Ana Ivanovic (SRB) [18] vs Petra Cetkovska (CZE)
4. Nicolas Almagro (ESP) [16] vs Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) [18]

COURT 14 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Mardy Fish (USA) [10] vs Robin Haase (NED)
2. Sabine Lisicki (GER) vs Misaki Doi (JPN)
3. Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) vs Michael Llodra (FRA) [19]

Wimbledon 2011 Day 5 Open Thread

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Tennis fans wear hats featuring the cups during the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Tennis Club, in southwest London on June 23, 2011.

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Both Andy's are on Centre Court today, and both of them will be given stiff enough challenges to cause potential upsets. In my own brackets, I saw them both making this round and bowing out. The American Andy is playing far better than I would have suspected, his wife is in the stands, and his parents are attending Wimbledon for the first time in his career, so he might fight off the Spaniard after all, but the Scottish Andy's level has dropped tremendously from his efforts at Queens. The veteran Croatian knows how to beat top players when he puts his mind to it. Should be interesting.

Sandwiched in between a resurgent Daniela Hantuchova faces a sketchy Victoria Azarenka. I predicted the one who retires from matches routinely would make another quarterfinal here, but not I'm not so sure. Dani can do it if she keeps her head.

On Court 1, more potential upsets loom. You don't really pick against Venus Williams at Wimbledon, but the tricky lefty from Spain can give anyone fits when she feels like it. The umpire better watch her carefully. And the defending champion will face the last player not named Federer to beat him at SW19. As a friend posted elsewhere yesterday, "I'm never convinced any player is going to win against Gilles Muller at a slam." I believe Rafa will ultimately prevail, but he may need to go the distance.

Wimbledon 2011
Schedule for Day 5: Friday 24 June 2011-Partial Schedule

Centre Court 13:00 Start Time

[8]Gentlemen's Singles - 3rd Round
Feliciano Lopez(ESP) vs. Andy Roddick(USA)
Ladies' Singles - 3rd Round
Daniela Hantuchova(SVK)[25] vs. Victoria Azarenka(BLR)[4]
Gentlemen's Singles - 3rd Round
Andy Murray(GBR)[4] vs. Ivan Ljubicic(CRO)

No. 1 Court 13:00 Start Time

Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Laura Robson(GBR) vs. Maria Sharapova(RUS)[5]
Ladies' Singles - 3rd Round
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez(ESP) vs. Venus Williams(USA)[23]
Gentlemen's Singles - 3rd Round
Rafael Nadal(ESP)[1] vs. Gilles Muller(LUX)

COURT 2 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [1] vs Virginie Razzano (FRA)
2. David Ferrer (ESP) [7] vs Ryan Harrison (USA) T/F 6/7(6) 6/1 4/6 4/2 0*-0
3. Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) [32] vs Vera Zvonareva (RUS) [2]
4. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) [24] vs Gilles Simon (FRA) [15]

COURT 3 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Marion Bartoli (FRA) [9] vs Lourdes Dominguez Lino (ESP)
2. Igor Andreev (RUS) vs Bernard Tomic (AUS) T/F 6/4 7/5 3/6 0/0 0*-0
3. Gael Monfils (FRA) [9] vs Lukasz Kubot (POL)

COURT 14 - 12.00 NOON START

Nadia Petrova (RUS) vs Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR)
Ksenia Pervak (RUS) vs Andrea Petkovic (GER) [11]
Richard Gasquet (FRA) [17] vs Simone Bolelli (ITA)

Face Of The Day

by Craig Hickman


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Another emotional victory for a woman on the mend. Another great match under the roof on Centre Court. The slugfest between Sabine Lisicki and Li Na didn't have quite the variety from both sides of the net as did the Venus Williams Kimiko Date-Krumm instant classic, but boy were the rallies scintillating.

The woman who was carried from the court in a stretcher in Paris outlasted the woman who won the whole thing 3-6, 6-4, 8-6 after saving two match points on her serve. Li served for the match twice. Like Serena Williams, Lisicki cried in her towel on the sidelines when it was all over.

Another player the WTA needs to keep it real is back and taking names.

Standing O.

Match Of The Day

AP


I wasn't able to see most of it, but from what I saw and the match reports that followed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's four-set defeat of Grigor Dimitrov was a high-quality, dramatic affair that the crowd lapped up like cream.

Surprise Of the Day


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Robin Söderling rallied from two sets to love down to defeat Lleyton Hewitt. The result wasn't exactly a surprise, but the path to victory certainly was. Surely Hewitt wouldn't squander such a big lead. Surely Söderling wouldn't dig deep to beat a former Wimbledon champion on a surface he's not particularly fond of. They did. My eyebrows rose.

Wimbledon 2011 Day 4 Open Thread

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Fans catch the sweat band of Spanish player Rafael Nadal after he won over US player Ryan Sweeting during the men's single at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Tennis Club, in southwest London on June 22, 2011.

::

After yesterday's second-round epic worthy of a final between those old ladies Venus Williams and Kimiko Date-Krumm, today will need to prove itself.

Serena Williams is already down a set on Court 2 (!) to Simona Halep because her feet are heavy as wet hay, so it could be another dramatic day for the two-time defending champion. Will the Romanian teenager be able to hold on?

I guess it's nice that they gave former champion Lleyton Hewitt a slot on Centre Court or perhaps it was a nod to Robin Soderling who's never even been to a Wimbledon semifinal?

I'm looking forward most to Li Na vs. Sabine Lisicki. The Roland Garros champion loves the grass but so does the hard-hitting German. Will Li have a letdown?


The Championships 2011
Intended Order of Play for Thursday 23 June 2011


CENTRE - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

1. Robin Soderling (SWE) [5] vs Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
2. Na Li (CHN) [3] vs Sabine Lisicki (GER)
3. Adrian Mannarino (FRA) vs Roger Federer (SUI) [3]

COURT 1 - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

1. Kevin Anderson (RSA) vs Novak Djokovic (SRB) [2]
2. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [12]
3. Laura Robson (GBR) vs Maria Sharapova (RUS) [5]

COURT 2 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Simona Halep (ROU) vs Serena Williams (USA) [7]
2. Olivier Rochus(BEL) vs Juan Martin Del Potro(ARG)[24] To Finish 7-6(7)
3. David Ferrer (ESP) [7] vs Ryan Harrison (USA)
4. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [1] vs Virginie Razzano (FRA)
5. Elena Baltacha (GBR) vs Shuai Peng (CHN) [20]

COURT 3 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) [6] vs Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE)
2. Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) [32] vs Andreas Seppi (ITA)
3. Igor Andreev (RUS) vs Bernard Tomic (AUS)
4. Marion Bartoli (FRA) [9] vs Lourdes Dominguez Lino (ESP)

COURT 4 - 12.00 NOON START

1 Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) vs Sara Errani (ITA)
2 Petra Cetkovska (CZE) vs Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [13]
3 Melinda Czink (HUN) vs Anastasiya Yakimova (BLR)

COURT 8 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Karol Beck (SVK) vs Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) [26]

COURT 12 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Ana Ivanovic (SRB) [18] vs Eleni Daniilidou (GRE)
2. David Nalbandian (ARG) [28] vs Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT)
3. Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) vs Jurgen Melzer (AUT) [11]

COURT 14 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) [19] vs Anna Tatishvili (GEO)
2. Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) vs Rik De Voest (RSA)
3. Somdev Devvarman (IND) vs Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) [18]

COURT 15 - 12.00 NOON START

1 Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) [24] vs Polona Hercog (SLO)
2 Maria Kirilenko (RUS) [26] vs Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA)

COURT 16 - 12.00 NOON START

1 Mathilde Johansson (FRA) vs Julia Goerges (GER) [16]
2 Jie Zheng (CHN) vs Misaki Doi (JPN)
3 Andrea Hlavackova (CZE) vs Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) [27]

COURT 17 - 12.00 NOON START

1. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) [14] vs Nadia Petrova (RUS)
2. Florian Mayer (GER) [20] vs Xavier Malisse (BEL)
3. Lucie Safarova (CZE) [31] vs Klara Zakopalova (CZE)

COURT 18 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU) vs Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) [12]
2. Viktor Troicki (SRB) [13] vs Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE)
3. Nicolas Almagro (ESP) [16] vs John Isner (USA)

COURT 19 - 12.00 NOON START

1 Tamira Paszek (AUT) vs Christina McHale (USA)
2 Ricardo Mello (BRA) vs Michael Llodra (FRA) [19]
3 Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) vs Flavia Pennetta (ITA) [21]

Wimbledon 2011 Day 3 Open Thread

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We're still in the first round and it's raining again. For at least another hour. Which means the only action guaranteed is on Centre Court.

The Championships, Wimbledon 2011 Schedule for Day 3: Tuesday 22 June 2011-SINGLES

Centre Court 13:00
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Kimiko Date-Krumm(JPN) vs. Venus Williams(USA)[23]
Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Rafael Nadal(ESP)[1] vs. Ryan Sweeting(USA)
Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Victor Hanescu(ROU) vs. Andy Roddick(USA)[8]

No. 1 Court 13:00
Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Julien Benneteau(FRA) vs. Tomas Berdych(CZE)[6]
Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Andy Murray(GBR)[4] vs. Tobias Kamke(GER)
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Petra Kvitova(CZE)[8]vs. Anne Keothavong(GBR)

No. 2 Court

12:00 Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Mardy Fish(USA)[10] vs. Denis Istomin(UZB)
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Elena Vesnina(RUS) vs. Vera Zvonareva(RUS)[2]
Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Juan Martin Del Potro(ARG)[24] vs. Olivier Rochus(BEL)
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Alexandra Dulgheru(ROU) vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova(RUS)[12]

No. 3 Court

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Mathilde Johansson(FRA) vs. Heather Watson(GBR)
Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Gilles Muller(LUX) vs. Milos Raonic(CAN)[31]
Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Gael Monfils(FRA)[9] vs. Grega Zemlja(SLO)
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Francesca Schiavone(ITA)[6] vs. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova(CZE)

Court 4

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Olga Govortsova(BLR) vs. Agnieszka Radwanska(POL)[13]
Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Sabine Lisicki(GER) vs. Anastasija Sevastova(LAT)

Court 5

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Anabel Medina Garrigues(ESP) vs. Julia Goerges(GER)[16]
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Ksenia Pervak(RUS) vs. Pauline Parmentier(FRA)

Court 6

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Anastasia Rodionova(AUS) vs. Andrea Hlavackova(CZE)

Court 7

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Jie Zheng(CHN) vs. Zuzana Ondraskova(CZE)

Court 8

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez(ESP) vs. Monica Niculescu(ROU)

Court 9

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Kristina Barrois(GER) vs. Petra Cetkovska(CZE)

Court 10

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Alona Bondarenko(UKR) vs. Jarmila Gajdosova(AUS)[27]

Court 11

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Evgeniya Rodina(RUS) vs. Chanelle Scheepers(RSA)

Court 12

12:00 Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Richard Gasquet(FRA)[17] vs. Igor Kunitsyn(RUS)
Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Robin Haase(NED) vs. Fernando Verdasco(ESP)[21]
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Iveta Benesova(CZE) vs. Victoria Azarenka(BLR)[4]
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Yanina Wickmayer(BEL)[19] vs. Anna Tatishvili(GEO)

Court 14

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Misaki Doi(JPN) vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands(USA)[30]
Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Juan Ignacio Chela(ARG)[25] vs. Alex Bogomolov Jr.(USA)
Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Lukasz Kubot(POL) vs. Ivo Karlovic(CRO)
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova(RUS)[14] vs. Nadia Petrova(RUS)

Court 15

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Dominika Cibulkova(SVK)[24] vs. Mirjana Lucic(CRO)
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Kateryna Bondarenko(UKR) vs. Sara Errani(ITA)

Court 16

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Irina-Camelia Begu(ROU) vs. Flavia Pennetta(ITA)[21]
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Tamira Paszek(AUT) vs. Christina McHale(USA)

Court 17

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Tsvetana Pironkova(BUL)[32] vs. Petra Martic(CRO)
Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Rainer Schuettler(GER) vs. Feliciano Lopez(ESP)
Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Dudi Sela(ISR) vs. Gilles Simon(FRA)[15]
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Rebecca Marino(CAN) vs. Roberta Vinci(ITA)[29]

Court 18

12:00 Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Simone Bolelli(ITA) vs. Stanislas Wawrinka(SUI)[14]
Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Angelique Kerber(GER) vs. Laura Robson(GBR)
Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Sergiy Stakhovsky(UKR) vs. Ivan Ljubicic(CRO)

Court 19

12:00 Ladies' Singles - 1st Round
Polona Hercog(SLO) vs. Johanna Larsson(SWE)

TBA

Not Before:17:30
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Stephanie Dubois(CAN) vs. Andrea Petkovic(GER)[11]
Not Before:17:30
Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round
Daniela Hantuchova(SVK)[25] vs. Marina Erakovic(NZL)