Game, Set, Surprise: Wimbledon Round 2 Recap by Nadya Vlassoff
Week 1 at the storied grounds of Wimbledon was
filled with jubilation and crushed dreams as players
and fans alike took to the grass sideline stands
to catch the on-court action. Two-time returning
champion, Venus Williams, was eyeing to build
on her Wimbledon legacy as Venus began her bid
for a 6th title. Roger Federer was also looking
for his 6th trophy and the chances were good for
Federer who was fresh off of a French Open title.
With Rafael Nadal out with injury, Federer became
the Wimbledon favorite as a few dark tennis horses
emerged along the way.
The
first round of Wimbledon saw a variety of surprises
as the majority of top seeds eased through Week
1 grass-play. Former Slam champions such as
Novak Djokovic, Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams,
and Andy Roddick all made it through to the
round of 16 despite a few slight struggles along
the way. The biggest upset of the first round
came when the unheralded American, Jesse Levin,
beat the 14th seeded Marat Safin in four sets.
The big-serving Safin will soon be retiring
from tennis and his 2009 Wimbledon play wasn't
quite the way anyone wanted to see Marat end
his career . Joining Safin were Frenchwoman
Alize Cornet (22) who was defeated by Vera Dushevina,
and Swiss veteran Patty Schnyder who lost to
the tenacious Ai Sugiyama of Japan. Anna Chakvetadze
also lost in the first round, falling to Sabine
Lisicki in three sets when she lost a heart-breaking
second set tiebreak. Chakvetadze is still struggling
to find the form that allowed her to enter the
Top 10 on the WTA rankings and Cornet is failing
to show the promise that so many had expected
after she tore her way to a 4th round appearance
at this year's Australian Open.
The 2nd round began as more big names began to fall with fan favorites failing
to live up to their expectations. Former Wimbledon
champ, Maria Sharapova fell to Argentina's Gisela
Dulko in three sets when Maria failed to capitalize
on the similar momentum from winning seven games
in a row. Leyton Hewitt, who looks to have finally
recovered from nagging injuries, flew under
the radar in the first week, dismantling the
5th seeded Juan Martin del Potro in the 2nd
round in one of the major upsets of 2009 Wimbledon
action. Hewitt continued his charge for the
second week with another win over Phillip Petzschner
to set up a 4th round clash with Radek Stepanek.
The biggest upset of the week came with the surprise straight-sets drubbing of Svetlana Kuznetsova at the hands of Germany's Sabine Lisicki. Week 1 of Wimbledon was a disappointing showing for Kuznetsova who was fresh on the heels off her second Slam win at Roland Garros where she proved to everyone that she was still a force to be reckoned with. Kuznetsova's loss was a follow-up to Jelena Jankovic's surprise trouncing by the 17 year-old American, Melanie Oudin in the third round. In a tough first set that Jankovic eventually won after a 10-8 tiebreak, Oudin took control after making the decisive break in the second set and then crushing Jankovic 6-2 in the third set to never look back. In her post-match interview, Jelena Jankovic was none too gracious to Oudin, as Jelena went on to blame her loss on a dizzy spell during the match. Melanie Oudin now faces the 11th seeded Agnieszka Radwanksa, who will be one a tricky opponent for Oudin. Radwanska, is no stranger to big name matches and relishes the thrill of close play.
Another Wimbledon sleeper was Victoria Azarenka who hasn't dropped a set in three matches to date and could be match breaker for some, although she hasn't faced a highly seeded player. Azarenka's next opponent is the 10th seeded Russian, Nadia Petrovam and the current Top 10 Azarenka will need to keep her emotions in check while controlling her ground game in order to advance. Petrova, the notorious head case, is looking to improve on disappointing runs at Grand Slam events after early exits in Australia and Paris this year. Petrova did reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year although she may be exhausted due to the fact that that she's also pulling triple on-court duty in the women's doubles and mixed doubles events.
One of the biggest women's matches for Monday sees Venus Williams square off against Ana Ivanovic who is looking to dethrone Williams from her perch at the height of Wimbledon's hierarchy. It will be a tall order for Ivanovic who lost to Venus in the semi-final at Wimbledon in 2007. Serena Williams is also looking to make it to another Wimbledon final as she takes on the resurgent Daniela Hantuchova who came into Wimbledon unseeded but certainly stronger than the first half of the 2009 season.
In
the men's Round of 16, several familiar faces
made it through as Roger Federer stares down
at a rematch with French Open finalist Robin
Soderling. If Federer is as dominating on Monday
as he was in the final of the French Open, there
should be little doubt that Federer will roll
over Soderling with minimal effort. A solid
Andy Roddick took on Jurgen Melzer in the third
round where Roddick dropped the third set before
Andy got down to business to maintain his service
game and keep good range on the ball while making
key volleys.
Ivo Karlovic made it back to the Round of 16 after failing to live up to potential earlier this year. The hard-hitting Karlovic has one of the deadliest serves on tour although it wasn't enough to beat Leyton Hewitt in the first round of the 2009 French Open despite serving up over fifty aces. Can Karlovic keep control of his game rather than use full power?
Britain's shining beacon of hope, Andy Murray, made into the second week at Wimbledon and has the weight of the world on his shoulders as he faces the monumental task of bringing glory back to the Brits. Murray, seeded 3rd, has confronted the pressure head-on despite looking ahead to a tough second week at Wimbledon. Murray must first defeat Stanislas Wawrinka before a potential quarter-final match-up against Gilles Simon and a possible semi-final against Andy Roddick. If Murray can manage both the pressure and his game, there is a big possibility that Andy could square eventually find himself staring down the racket barrel of Roger Federer in the final. A Murray - Federer Wimbledon final would be a huge media draw for British television since Murray would potentially be the first British male to win Wimbledon in 73 years.
Week 2 is underway after a brief grass respite on Sunday and the pressure is on as the courts and crowds heat up for more Wimbledon action. More surprises are sure to come as former champions may fall to make way for new tennis stars.
The
first round of Wimbledon saw a variety of surprises
as the majority of top seeds eased through Week
1 grass-play. Former Slam champions such as
Novak Djokovic, Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams,
and Andy Roddick all made it through to the
round of 16 despite a few slight struggles along
the way. The biggest upset of the first round
came when the unheralded American, Jesse Levin,
beat the 14th seeded Marat Safin in four sets.
The big-serving Safin will soon be retiring
from tennis and his 2009 Wimbledon play wasn't
quite the way anyone wanted to see Marat end
his career . Joining Safin were Frenchwoman
Alize Cornet (22) who was defeated by Vera Dushevina,
and Swiss veteran Patty Schnyder who lost to
the tenacious Ai Sugiyama of Japan. Anna Chakvetadze
also lost in the first round, falling to Sabine
Lisicki in three sets when she lost a heart-breaking
second set tiebreak. Chakvetadze is still struggling
to find the form that allowed her to enter the
Top 10 on the WTA rankings and Cornet is failing
to show the promise that so many had expected
after she tore her way to a 4th round appearance
at this year's Australian Open.
In
the men's Round of 16, several familiar faces
made it through as Roger Federer stares down
at a rematch with French Open finalist Robin
Soderling. If Federer is as dominating on Monday
as he was in the final of the French Open, there
should be little doubt that Federer will roll
over Soderling with minimal effort. A solid
Andy Roddick took on Jurgen Melzer in the third
round where Roddick dropped the third set before
Andy got down to business to maintain his service
game and keep good range on the ball while making
key volleys.