The Championships - Wimbledon 2008

[eXcentris]

Originally Posted by LurkerDan

Spoiler:

Sharapova gone!!!

And

Spoiler:

Roddick and Blake

[zekeburger1979]

Spoiler:

I hope Maria's early exit will prompt her to ditch the shorts and go back to the short skirts.

[eXcentris]

Day 4 Summary
---------------

Nadal (2) over Gulbis 5-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-3

Well done by Rafa. This wasn't an easy match and the young Latvian has tons of talent but his inexperience showed at key points in the match. He made a lot of errors by trying to hit the ball as hard as he could instead of choosing the right time in the rallies to attack. And you knew he wasn't going to outlast Rafa.

And then there were upsets:

Kudryavtseva over Sharapova (1) 6-2, 6-4.

Sharapova played like crap and was once again bitten by the double faults bug. The 154th player in the world can play well on grass since she lost 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to Venus Williams in last year's Wimbledon.

Kudryavtseva, who lost to Sharapova at the 2007 French Open, said one of her motivations to win had been a dislike of Sharapova’s outfit and the domination of fashion in the news over tennis.

Whatever motivates you I guess.

Tipsarevic over Roddick (6) 6-7, 7-5, 6-4, 7-6.

This is Roddick's earliest exit (2nd round) ever at Wimbledon. He didn't play that badly but was apparently struggling with a shoulder injury. Tipsarevic is a solid player with a good serve and all around game, who makes few mistakes. He had pushed Fed to 5 sets (10-8 in the 5th) in the 3rd round of the last Australian Open.

Schuettler over Blake (9) 6-3, 6-7 (10-8), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4

Kleybanova over Hantukova (10) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1

Tanasugarn over Zvonareva (13) 7-6, 4-6, 6-3

Davenport withdrew because of a knee injury.

Advanced:

Murray (12), Tursunov (25), Gasquet (8), Youzhny (17), Kiefer (27), Mathieu (14), Stepanek (16) and Tommy Haas (unseeded).

V. Williams (7), Safina (9), Janvovic (2), Peer (24), Azarenka (16), Petrova (21), Dementieva (5)

Day 5 Preview
-------------

Fed vs Gicquel, a 31 y/o Frenchman who has never won a tournament. Should be quick and painless for Fed.

S. Williams vs Mauresmo. Intriguing. The reason Mauresmo is ranked so low is that she suffered a ton of injuries and only recently started playing again.

Mario Ancic vs David Ferrer. Ancic was the last person to beat Federer on grass in 2002... We'll see what the little pitbull clay courter Ferrer can do on grass.

Trivia: The deeper we get into the tournament, the faster the surface gets. Advantage to big servers.

[eXcentris]

If I'm boring anyone please let me know.

[zekeburger1979]

Originally Posted by eXcentris

If I'm boring anyone please let me know.

You could liven up the posts by posting pics of the ladies.

[otto24]

Am stuck in Germany for work over the summer so missing all the games! Thanks for these!

[FunkDaddy J]

Aw man, Ivanovic is on the brink. Well, at least now she should be available for a weekend getaway in London with me.

[LurkerDan]

good stuff, eXcentris, thanks for the summaries.

[eXcentris]

Day 5 Summary
---------------

Fed over Gicquel 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.

As I expected, quick and painless.

S. Williams over Mauresmo 7-6, 6-1.

Mauresmo obviously wasn't "match tough" but put up a good fight in the first set. With her leg heavily taped however, she was no match for Serena in the 2nd.

And they keep (top seeds) dropping like flies:

Zheng over Ivanovic (1) 6-1, 6-4.

Ivanovic got away with playing poorly against Dechy, not this time. A disapointing performance from the world's #1 who lost against the 133rd ranked player, and a doubles specialist! Is it the pressure of being #1?

"It has been a very emotional past couple of weeks and it took its toll," she claimed.

Toughen up girl, because even if you now hold the Miss Congeniality title (since Kim Clijsters has retired), everybody is gunning for your #1 spot.

Ancic over Ferrer (5) 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6

6'6" Super Mario used a barrage of aces (23) and winners (58) combined with an old style serve and volley game to send the 5th seeded Ferrer on his way home. Last year Ancic watched Wimbledon from his sick bed, too weak to even walk. Well done by the last guy to beat Fed at Wimbledon in 2002.

Safin over Seppi 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4

Evil Safin reared it's ugly head at times today but still managed to come thru in a hard fought match, to continue his run into the 4th round.

Also advanced:

Hewitt (20), Verdasco (22) (over Berdych (11)), Baghdatis (10), Warinka (13), Lopez (31)

Kuznetsova (4), Radwanska (14), Chakvetadze (10), Szavay (15), Vaidisova (18)

Top seeds eliminated so far:

Mens: Djoker (3), Davydenko (4), Ferrer (5), Roddick (6), Nalbandian (7), Blake (9) (ouch!)

Womens: Ivanovic (1), Sharapova (3), Bartoli (5)

Day 6 Preview
--------------

Murray (12) Vs Haas.

Haas is unseeded but a dangerous grass court threat who has seen his promising carreer riddled with injury. The Brits hopes are on Murray's shoulders, and hes has performed brilliantly so far. Should be an interesting match

Nadal (1) vs Kiefer (27)

Kiefer is an experienced player but I don't believe he will give Rafa much trouble, unless Rafa has spent a wee bit too much time celebrating Spain's victory in the Euro semi-final.

Jelena Jankovic will open Centre Court proceedings against Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

For those who have lamented the lack of pictures in this thread, let us take a moment to bid farewell to Ana Ivanovic, who's tragic loss leaves us all with infinite sadness. All together now:

"Ana, we'll miss your incredible hmmm... well... talent... and... also... errr... "

[LurkerDan]

Nadal is the 2 seed, isn't he?

[eXcentris]

Originally Posted by LurkerDan

Nadal is the 2 seed, isn't he?

Yup!

[civiclx]

aww my first time venturing into the sports forum. I was looking for any tennis threads but I didn't think I'd find any. I haven't watched much of Wimbledon but I hope to catch a little tomorrow. It starts at 4am on ESPN2 over here in California. Would loved to have seen the Safin-Djoker match.

Feel like a prick for saying this but I'm kind of glad Roddick got sent home. I watched him get booted first round at the USO in '05.

I can't believe Sharapova got beaten so early. She's so mentally tough that I would never expect her to get beaten by such a low ranked opponent...to be honest though I'm not sure what her opponent's rank is.

I haven't checked the schedule on ATP tennis so does anyone know what matches are being played today? Sorry if this has been mentioned in the previous posts...

Last but not least, I wish Justine was still playing!! I would have really liked to have seen her win the career Grand Slam by adding a Wimbledon title.

[wendersfan]

Originally Posted by civiclx

I haven't checked the schedule on ATP tennis so does anyone know what matches are being played today? Sorry if this has been mentioned in the previous posts...

http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/score...ule/index.html

[eXcentris]

Day 6 Summary
---------------

Don't have much time so this is going to be quick.

Murray over Haas 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2

Murray has been impressive so far and the Brits hopes, including those watching from Murray Mound (formerly Henman Hill) are on his shoulders. He will likely face Rafa in the semis IF he manages to beat Gasquet (8), who has also been impressive.

Rafa over Kiefer 7-6, 6-2, 6-3

Comfortable win for Rafa who will meet the pesky Youzhny (17) next. Since it took five long sets for Youzhny to defeat Stepanek (16), he better hit the massage table and rest. Luckily he has en extra day off tomorrow.

Jankovic over Wozniacki 2-6, 6-4, 6-2

Jankovic struggled but eventually came thru. However, a leg injury could be a factor in her next match.

Also advanced:

Gasquet (8), Tipsarevic and Cilic (unseeded but both threats on grass).

V. Williams (7), Dementieva (5), Petrova (21), Peer (24) (over Safina (9))

4th Round play resumes on Monday.

[Slumbering Fist]

Note to US Sports TV Programmers: When you have top mens seeds (Murray & Gasquet, Safin & Someotherguy) playing good matches for a spot in the quarters, dont cut away from that action to show the Williams sisters playing freakin' doubles on the outer courts. NO ONE REALLY CARES.

[eXcentris]

Day 8 Summary
----------------

Fed and Rafa are thru easily but aside from that, some great tennis, and a couple of marathon matches.

Fed over Hewitt 7-6, 6-2, 6-4

Rafa over Youzhny 6-3, 6-3, 6-1

Safin over Warinka 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1

Schuettler over Tipsarevic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6

Lopez over Baghdatis 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 8-6

Ancic over Verdasco 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 13-11

Murray over Gasquet 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4

Good to see Safin continue his run. I don't know how much Ancic and Murray will have left in the tank against Fed and Rafa. But if someone can give Rafa trouble the way he's playing now, it's Murray.

Quarter finals:
-------------

Roger Federer SUI (1)
v
Mario Ancic CRO

Marat Safin RUS
v
Feliciano Lopez ESP (31)

Rainer Schuettler GER
v
Arnaud Clement FRA

Andy Murray GBR (12)
v
Rafael Nadal ESP (2)

---------------------------------------------------

On the women's side and with Jankovic out, the Williams sisters have to be the favorites.

Quarter Finals
--------------

Jie Zheng CHN
v
Nicole Vaidisova CZE (18)

Agnieszka Radwanska POL (14)
v
Serena Williams USA (6)

Elena Dementieva RUS (5)
v
Nadia Petrova RUS (21)

Venus Williams USA (7)
v
Tamarine Tanasugarn THA

[eXcentris]

Day 9 Summary
---------------

Well pretty boring matches and it looks like its going to be another Wllliams final. Meh..

Kudos to Jie Zheng for being the 1st Chinese to reach a Grand Slam semi-final. Pretty good for someone who only got into the tournament because she got a wild card for having won the doubles in 2006. Plus:

Surprise semi-finalist Zheng Jie has pledged to donate the prize money she earns from this year's Championships to victims of the Chinese earthquake, which killed 69,000 people in her homeland in May.

Semis:

Jie Zheng CHN
v
Serena Williams USA (6)

Elena Dementieva RUS (5)
v
Venus Williams USA (7)

Tomorrow are the men's quarter finals.

[eXcentris]

Day 10 Summary
----------------

Fed over Ancic 6-1, 7-5, 6-4

Rafa over Murray 6-3, 6-2, 6-4

Safin over Lopez 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-3

Clement vs Schuettler (suspended because of rain at one set all)

Woah, that was an impressive display by both Fed and Rafa over potentially tough opponents. I thought Murray could give Rafa a run for his money but he just rolled over him like he wasn't there. Both Fed and Rafa only lost 10 total points on their serve in their entire match. Fed had 6 unforced errors and 40 winners, Rafa had 8 unforced errors and 30 some winners. If all goes according to plan, although Safin, who continued his run, might have something to say about that, this should be one hell of a final between Fed and Rafa.

[Slumbering Fist]

Williams-Williams in the women's final. *yawn* Not that they dont deserve it, but the past matches they've played versus each other (that I've seen - I know they've only had a handful) were absolutely underwhelming and awkward. They dont seem to have much of a sibling rivalry, so that makes for some boring tennis. For that reason, I was pulling for Zheng. She faltered but at least she made a match of it. Oh well,...

Fed could have it tough with Safin. Nadal, by most accounts, is going to get away very easy because not only is he getting a "how the hell did he make it?" opponent but one that is coming off a tough five setter that went through lots of delays. That could very well be the deciding factor between the two this year.

[skatefan20]

2nd Women's SF:

Poor Zheng -- DF on match point.
Came very close to making it a 3-setter w/ Serena ( if Zheng had only cracked a BH cross-court instead of down the line on break/Set point.)

Guessing Venus will be coming out the victor in what probably will be another sloppy Williams/Williams final.

Originally Posted by Slumbering Fist

A complaint about the US coverage (well two, Brad Gilbert's an idiot)

Agree with you there...plus the graphics (esp. the horizontal bar) cluttering the ESPN screen is becoming more + more ridiculous.

[bhk]

Nadal has been playing amazing tennis. As has Federer(esp. against Ancic). Looking forward to their Final. Safin(now that the Safinettes are no longer in the enterouge) could give Federer a tough match if he gets into a lot of crosscourt backhand to backhand rallies. Safin's backhand is very good and could give Fed trouble.
Neither Schutler or Clemaunt will give Nadal any problems.

[eXcentris]

Yeah I'm not that thrilled about an all Williams final either... But kudos to Zheng for hanging in there. Serena's big serve saved her from going into a 3rd set, but then again, that's what great players do.

And yes, Safin could give Fed trouble but something tells me it's a matter of time before Evil Safin rears it's ugly head. I hope Fed can make this quick and painless because if he gets bogged down in a long 5 set match, that won't bode well in a final against Rafa.

[zekeburger1979]

Am I crazy or did NBC show that Venus match AFTER the Serena match? I knew after the Serena match that the Williams sisters were playing against each other in the final, but when the Venus match started, they were talking about the possibility.

We could've had this:

vs.

Instead, we get this:

vs.

;(

[eXcentris]

Well, we're going to get the final everyone was expecting.

Fed over Safin 6-3, 7-6, 6-4

Rafa over Schuettler 6-1, 7-6, 6-4

Fed put on a masterful display of efficiency against Safin. Effortless, always in control with only 2 break points against his serve (quickly erased), doing just enough to win without spending too much energy. Even in the close 2nd set, you never got the feeling that he was going to lose it. And it was all over after 1 hour and 45 minutes.

An 'A' performance by Fed.

Rafa rolled over Schuettler in the 1st set, but give Schuettler credit for not giving up. Despite being 32 y/o and having played two long 5 setters before this one, he hung in there and made it a good match. And in these last two sets was the first time Rafa appeared beatable in this tournament. He struggled with his movement at times, and made a number of uncharacteristic errors. But his serve was still solid and in the end, he overpowered Schuettler, closing the match in a little over 2 hours. You saw Rafa clutching his left leg (thigh) a number of times during the last two sets and he appeared in the post match interview with that thigh heavily taped.

A 'B' performance by Rafa.

Even though I'll be rooting for Fed, I hope Rafa is 100% in the final. I want to see these two guys battle it out at the top of their game.

Other scores:

Canuck Daniel Nestor and his partner Nenad Zimonjic reach the doubles final by defeating the pair of Paes-Dlouhy 7-6, 4-6, 6-1, 4-6, 8-6

The Williams sisters reach the women's doubles final by beating the duo of Dechy/Dellacqua 6-3, 6-3

Kudos to 14 y/o Brit Laura Robson for reaching the girl's final by defeating 17 y/o Romana Tabakova of Slovakia 6-2, 7-5. Note that the youngest girl to ever win the juniors tournament at Wimbledon was Martina Hingis at 13 y/o.

Tomorrow - Women's Final
-------------------------

V. Williams vs S. Williams

[astrochimp]

Have Venus and Serena ever played an exciting match against each other?

Cant wait for Federer/Nadal since Nadal's been getting closer to beating Fed on grass,unlike Fed trying to beat Nadal on clay which has gotten further away.

That being said.....go Fed!