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    Wear any colour you want, as long as it’s predominantly white

    So, Wimbledon 2019 then. Let’s start with the usual of the nominal R3 draws.

    Gentleman's Singles

    Novak Djokovic Srb [1] vs Dusan Lajovic Srb [32]
    Felix Auger-Aliassime Can [19] vs Gael Monfils Fra [16]
    Daniil Medvedev Rus [11] vs David Goffin Bel [21]
    Kyle Edmund GBr [30] vs Stefanos Tsitsipas Gre [7]

    Kevin Anderson RSA [4] vs Guido Pella Arg [26]
    Stan Wawrinka Sui [22] vs Milos Raonic Can [15]
    Karen Khachanov Rus [10] vs Roberto Bautista Agut Esp [23]
    Benoit Paire Fra [28] vs Alexander Zverev Ger [6]


    Dominic Thiem Aut [5] vs Laslo Djere Srb [31]
    Gilles Simon Fra [20] vs Fabio Fognini Ita [12]
    Marin Cilic Cro [13] vs Nikoloz Basilashvili Geo [18]
    Denis Shapovalov Can [29] vs Rafael Nadal Esp [3]

    Kei Nishikori Jpn [8] vs Alex de Minaur Aus [25]
    Jan-Lennard Struff Ger [33] vs John Isner USA [9]
    Matteo Berrettini Ita [17] vs Diego Schwartzman Arg [24]
    Lucas Pouille Fra [27] vs Roger Federer Sui [2]



    Ladies Singles

    Ashleigh Barty [1] vs Garbine Muguruza Esp [26]
    Donna Vekic Cro [22] vs Belinda Bencic Sui [13]
    Serena Williams USA [11] vs Julia Goerges Ger [18]
    Carla Suarez Navarro Esp [30] vs Angelique Kerber Ger [5]

    Kiki Bertens Ned [4] vs Lesia Tsurenko Ukr [32]
    Elise Mertens Bel [21] vs Wang Qiang Chn [15]
    Sloane Stephens USA [9] vs Johanna Konta GBr [19]
    Amanda Anisimova USA [25] vs Petra Kvitova Cze [6]


    Elina Svitolina Ukr [8] vs Maria Sakkari Gre [31]
    Petra Martic Cro [24] vs Anastasija Sevastova Lat [12]
    Marketa Vondrousova Cze [16] vs Anett Kontaveit Est [20]
    Hsieh Su-wei Tpe [28] vs Karolina Pliskkova Cze [3]

    Simona Halep Rou [7] vs Daria Kasatkina Rus [29]
    Madison Keys USA [17] vs Aryna Sabalenka Blr [10]
    Caroline Wozniacki Den [14] vs Caroline Garcia Fra [23]
    Sofia Kenin USA [27] vs Naomi Osaka Jpn [2]


    If you are wondering why there is a no.33 seed in the Men's, it's because Borna Coric withdrew after the draw had been made (the injury he picked up defending his Halle title was clearly a bad one), but obviously before play started given that the tournament is still over 36 hours away. What tournaments tend do in that position is, rather than putting a lucky loser in the seeded slot which will rather blow up a section of the draw, to up the highest ranked non-seed to a seeding and put them into the vacant spot. However, rather than re-numbering all the seeds from the withdraw player on down, that players seeding is simply scraped (if you look closely you won't find a #14 in the Men's draw). That is because if they did redo the seedings, then depending on where the numbers were rjigged from the new 4, 8, 12, 16 and 24 would be in the wrong places. It's therefore easier just to call Jan-Lennard Struff no.33 and proceed with that. The Lucky Loser goes into the spot that Struff was moved from.

    #2
    As for the Brits, here are who they are gather in with.

    Gentleman's Singles

    Kyle Edmund GBr [30] vs Jaume Munar Esp
    Kamil Majchrzak Pol [Q] vs Fernando Verdasco Esp
    Andrea Arnaboldi Ita [Q] vs Ivo Karlovic Cro
    Thomas Fabbiano Ita vs Stefanos Tsitsipas Gre [7]

    Marin Cilic Cro [13] vs Adrian Mannarino Fra
    Joao Sousa Por vs Paul Jubb GBr [WC]
    Federico Delbonis Arg vs Daniel Evans GBr
    James Ward GBr [WC] vs Nikoloz Basilashvili Geo [18]

    Kei Nishikori Jpn [8] vs Thiago Monteiro Bra [Q]
    Denis Istomin Uzb vs Cameron Norrie GBr
    Steve Johnson USA vs Albert Ramos Vinolas Esp
    Marco Cecchinato Ita vs Alex de Minaur Aus [25]

    Lucas Pouille Fra [27] vs Richard Gasquet Fra
    Alexsander Bublik Kaz vs Guilleme Barrere Fra [Q]
    Jay Clarke GBr [WC] vs Noah Rubin USA [Q]
    Lloyd Harris RSA vs Roger Federer Sui [2]


    Ladies Singles

    Ashleigh Barty Aus [1] vs Zheng Sasai Chn
    Svetlana Kuznetsova Rus vs Alison Van Uytvanck Bel
    Harriet Dart GBr [WC] vs Christina McHale USA [LL]
    Beatriz Haddad Maia Bra [Q] vs Garbine Muguruza Esp [26]

    Kiki Bertens Ned [4] vs Mandy Minella Lux
    Arina Rodionova Aus [Q] vs Taylor Townsend USA
    Laura Siegemund Ger vs Katie Swan GBR [WC]
    Barbora Strycova Cze vs Lesia Tsurenko Ukr [32]

    Sloane Stephens USA [9] vs Timea Bacsinszky Sui
    Wang Yifan Chn vs Tereza Martincova Cze
    Ekaterina Alexandrova Rus vs Kateryna Siniakova Cze
    Ana Bogdan Rou [Q] vs Johanna Konta GBr [19]

    Marketa Vondrousova Cze [16] vs Madison Brengle USA
    Karolina Muchova Cze vs Aleksandra Krunic Srb
    Catherine McNally USA vs Heather Watson GBr
    Shelby Rogers USA [PR] vs Anett Kontaveit Est [20]


    Heather Watson is no longer a wild card as withdrawals meant her ranking of ~110 was enough to sneak in by right. Would have prefer that break at one of the other slams, to be honest. She was always going to get in one way or the other to this one.
    Sloane Stephens won’t be happy to see Konta in her part of the draw. But Alexandrova or Siniakova is a significant hurdle before that for Jo.
    On the Men’s side, none of the match-ups really stand out. It’s more the gathering of three of the Brits in the same section that catches the eye. Kyle Edmund should be content with his first week assignment. It could definitely have been worse, though Verdasco and then Tsitsipas are not in any way easy.

    Comment


      #3
      Anyone up for predicting the singles finals? My predictions:

      Djokovic beats Federer (yeah, bravely picking out the unknowns there, I know)

      Kerber beats Ka. Pliskova

      Other predictions:

      1. Anisimova to take the QF spot for which Konta, Stephens and Kvitova are also competing from that 1/8th of the draw.
      2. Nadal to lose to Kyrgios in R2.

      Comment


        #4
        Yeah, I can see Nadal losing to Kyrgios. (Either that or Kyrgios not actually making it to round 2!)

        Comment


          #5
          I think Raonic will come through that section (but lose to Djok in the semis).

          Comment


            #6
            I've run out of time, so these will have to be partial and updated later.

            Men’s picks

            Trivia question (with answer) to try and stump people with tomorrow.
            Q: “Who was the last man other than Djokovic, Federer, Murray or Nadal to win Wimbledon, and when did he do it?”
            A: “Lleyton Hewitt, 2002”
            There are people in the main draws this year who weren’t born when that happened! If you had told people in 2010 that come Wimbledon 2019, only one of those four would have “retired” (or has he?) and the other three would still be the no.s 1-3 in the world and would have split the last ten slam titles pretty evenly between them, i) people would assume the player no longer going was Federer and ii) more than an eyebrow would have been raised about that prediction. And yet, here we still are.
            Will the next two weeks be the time we look back three years down the line and pinpoint as when the guard finally changed and a new generation moves into place? Well, it is going to happen soon, simply because it cannot not as time ages bodies. Federer is 37, which is bloomin’ ancient in historical terms in Men’s Tennis, and whilst Nadal and Djokovic are ‘only’ 33 and 32 respectively that used to be very much veteran territory and both have playing styles that are extremely intense on their bodies. If they are all still here in two years time, well [throws hands up in the air]. So it’s coming. But not yet. Not quite yet. I think the 2020 Olympics is going to be the watershed, the time these guys say ‘enough’ and depart stage left. So we are living in the last days of Rome, with all the glory, predictability and seeming eternity that such a period will have.

            #1 Novak Djokovic
            The defending champion, and favourite. And for good reason. Last year was his fourth Wimbledon crown and signalled his return to the top after an unusually long barren spell (it seems remarkable now that Djoker was the 12th seed 12 months ago – Kevin Anderson was ranked hugher). Following Wimbledon he won the next two Slams and only fell two wins short of completing the first “Serena-Slam” in Men’s tennis for eons. The slight negative is the sense the Nole has been licking his wounds since the unexpected defeat to Thiem in the Paris semis; he hasn’t played a competitive warm-up event instead limiting himself to a couple of exhibition matches in the grounds of a country house (or as I prefer to consider it a venue in the suburbs of Slough!). However that is also how Djokovic warmed up in many other years when he won Wimbledon, so we shouldn’t’ read too much into it. The clear favourite, and if anyone tips differently they are taking a massive risk. I’m not.

            #2 Roger Federer
            World No.3 but upped to #2 in the seedings by Wimbledon’s grass formula (Rafa has been diplomatic about this whilst making his negative feelings crystal clear). Champion in Halle and at Wimbledon in 2017, he is still very much a force in grass. The 13-11 fifth set defeat to Anderson in the QFs last year was the earliest elimination the Swiss had suffered at SW19 in five years. With Nadal now as close as he has ever been in Slam titles, just two behind, Federer must believe that to retain his overall no.1 status for titles he needs another one or two before calling it a day. London is by far the most likely place to achieve that. In that sense, there is pressure on Roger he isn’t used to operating under. The draw has been kind, and unkind. The only player in the bottom quarter with a realistic chance of preventing Federer reaching the Semi is John Isner, but once there he is looking at beating Nadal and Djokovic back-to-back. That is probably too great an ask for 37 year-old legs and reactions.

            #3 Rafael Nadal
            The last of the big three according to the seeding committee, which clearly rankles the two time champion and three time runner up. Yes, but those were years ago you might say. And it’s true the last final reached was 2011 and there was a six year spell of going out in R4 or earlier. However, in 2018 Nadal made a return to the Semis and was only beaten 10-8 in the deciding set of that by Djokovic in one of the greatest matches seen for many, many years. Like Djokovic, he hasn’t played a warm-up tournament as he rests up after the 12th(!) Roland Garros crown and so would have been hoping to ease himself in. A grudge match against a motivated Nick Kyrgios was probably the last thing he wanted to see on the schedule. But Kyrgios is damaged goods and Rafa will also be highly determined. And that sounds scary. On the road to be the beaten finalist, in my view.

            #4 Kevin Anderson
            It feels unfair to call Anderson a lesser light, after his magnificent effort in being runner-up last year and at the 2017 US Open. However, injury and veteran age are marks against him. He has missed chunks of 2019, and when he did come back for the grass at Queens he got knocked out in R2. If the elbow is restricting his serve, he has no chance.

            #5 Dominic Thiem
            Thiem has developed more in the last 12 months, and he was already a top 5 player. He won his first Masters Series event in Indian Wells, beating Federer in the final. He also beat Djokovic in the Roland Garros Semis in five, and toughing out Djoker in such circumstances is wildly impressive. He was brilliant for two sets against Rafa in the final and even won one of them. But then he faded. And that has to smart, as clay remains clearly his surface. Retired hurt during R1 last year, which he will have hoped to do better than but may not having drawn Sam Querrey in R1. Has never been beyond R4 at SW19. A first QF would be an achievement not to be sneezed at.

            Comment


              #7
              Women’s picks

              #1 Ashleigh Barty
              The World No.1. the French Open champion. A player on a 13-match winning streak that encompasses the two most different surfaces the sport is played on, clay and grass. During that spell, she has only lost two sets. And her best surface is grass! To say her confidence must be sky-high is an understatement. The favourite for the title, with good reason. Barty’s quickness of mind and hands is a major part of her success on the original surface (and also why she is good at cricket). But what she also had going for her is mental stability and toughness under pressure. Her reaction to winning the point in Birmingham that made her World No.1 was initially a wry smile as if to say “well now!”, which then became joyous laughter. But it’s also that she was back on court and winning so soon after the slam triumph that really makes me believe this is the next dominant player on the WTA. There was no sense that Barty was weighed down by it all, unlike Naomi Osaka in recent months. Maybe it will come with time, but from everything seen to date I doubt it. And if there is calmness at being the big cheese, added to a perfect grass court game, you have a colossus in the making.
              Again, my tip for the crown and a back-to-back French Open-Wimbledon double that is a rare feat. She may also win the Women’s Doubles for good measure.

              #2 Naomi Osaka
              The player Barty replaced at the top of the rankings. Recently it’s been easy to forget that Osaka is still the reigning US and Aussie Open champion, and that she won both of those against tough opponents playing very, very well (Serena in New York, Kvitova in Melbourne). However, things have clearly not been right on a personal level throughout 2019, with the split with coach Sascha Bajin shortly after the Aussie Open success indicative of someone who is both at the top of their profession and in a mess at the same time. The pressure she clearly felt under to perform during the clay court swing was making her actively miserable on the court, which negatively affected her game as she needs belief and confidence to play the brand of power Tennis that got her to the point she was at. However, if Barty taking over at the top relieves the pressure, then that game is still there and it is made for grass. Osaka hits both the serve and the groundstrokes astonishingly hard. If she is finding her targets, she is close to impossible to beat. Facing Barty would be a dream final because of the contrast in approaches, but I worry that she may exit in R1 (she has a tough draw).

              #3 Karolina Pliskova
              To say Pliskova was on fire in Eastbourne is an understatement. She was a blazing inferno, reduces other players hopes to ashes in double quick time. She blew people away. At one point in the final against Kerber, Pliskova was getting 80% of her first serves in. And Karolina’s first serve is the second best on the WTA after Serena. It is a devastating weapon when it goes in, and if it’s going in that often she becomes completely unplayable on a grass court. But it was more than that. Pliskova looked fit and determined in the rallies as well. She was bludgeoning her groundstrokes, but she was also springy and recovering position. It wasn’t all or nothing when dragged wide, it was defend with a slice and reset into position. Basically, it was sublime grass court Tennis. The fly in the ointment is she has done this at Eastbourne before, and somehow lost it all on the drive up the A22. Her best ever performance at Wimbledon remains, bafflingly, only R4 which she made last year. Prior to that she had never been beyond R2. And this is a player who has been World No.1 and made the Semis or better of all three other slams. There is something of a mental block here, clearly. Which makes her hard to call for this one. If she gets flying, then she could win the whole shebang, but week one is where the danger lies to the Czech.

              #4 Kiki Bertens
              Bertens is actually a better grass court player than her reputation is a clay specialist would have one expect. It was her who beat Karolina Pliskova last year when the Czech finally seemed to be rolling at Wimbledon as she made her first ever QF at this venue, and she was in a grass court final just a few weeks ago. What works on the clay is also effective on grass in a different way. Bertens can slice brilliantly, and that is a very effective shot on this surface. There was one ridiculous (and deliberate) cross court forehand slice she played in the Rosmalen final which encapsulate why she is a tough opponent on the surface. She also possesses a big serve. However, in the end, her clay court positioning, way behind the baseline, is her undoing on grass. She could and possibly should make week two, but being around on the last weekend is unlikely. And the last player I said that of based on good form but the wrong surface as Ash Barty a month ago…

              #5 Angelique Kerber
              The defending champion. So a know quantity. Angie has been there and done that more than once on grass. Last year was no one-off, she had previously made the final in 2016 and the Semi in 2012. 2016 was a QF. However, the odd numbered years have not been quite so good, R4 or worse in all of them. Kerber is also good on grass elsewhere as three Eastbourne finals show, most recently two days ago. Defending a title is difficult though. And Kerber is under pressure – the title last year comprises a significant chunk of her ranking points currently. She would drop to around #10 with an early elimination, possibly lower. Why is Kerber good on grass? Well, she defends on the baseline. It’s the ability to hit the ball on the squat that does it. That is as much of a signature shot for her as it was for Aga Radwanska previously. Holding that spot and being able to time the ball as it skids through at ankle height takes significant time away from an opponent. Then there is the mental toughness. Remember, this is a player who has gone toe-to-toe with Serena in Slam finals and won them (plural). Always a threat, but 2020 is her next big year, I think.

              Comment


                #8
                Day 1 selections

                Men’s

                #1 Djokovic vs Kohlschreiber – 1st on Centre
                Hurkacz vs #32 Lajovic – 3rd on #6
                #19 Auger-Aliassime vs Pospisil – 2nd on #12
                #4 Anderson vs Herbert – 1st on #3
                Vesely [Q] vs #6 A.Zverev – 2nd on #1

                Unusually tough match for Djokovic to start. Kohlscheiber is very much into the veteran category, but in his prime he was a good grass court player, a winner of the Halle Open and runner-up in two other grass court events. He also made the Wimbledon QFs back in 2012, losing to Tsonga in four. It’s all a fair while ago now, though he did make R3 in SW19 last year (l to Anderson in three). The German is unlikely to really challenge Djoker, but he might force him to play at 95% or more.
                Hubert Hurkacz and Dusan Lajovic are two players at rather different stages of their careers (Hurkacz is 22, Lajovic 29) for whom 2018 and 2019 will be memorable. For Hurkacz this is because these are the years when he has established himself as an ATP Tour player, and a capable one as his run to the Quarters of Indian Wells attested. How good can he be remains an open question, but there is real promise there. As for Lajovic, we probably know he is never going to make a slam champion, but getting into the top 25 and making a Masters Series final (Monte Carlo, l to Fognini) was special. Neither is particularly adept on grass as per past form with most of their lower level titles on clay and no notable past record on these courts (Lajovic twice reaching R2 in his five previous attempts and Hurkacz going out in R1 on his debut in 2018) but in both cases their form is at a completely different level now previously and for whoever wins this it could be the start of a run that makes a lasting impression.
                The all-Canadian match up is something of a treat for fans with ground tickets, as Court 12 is a show court but a non-reserved seating one. There will have been queues outside, as Felix Auger-Aliassime is both fresh and also an established name after his SF showing at Queens. His compatriot, Vasek Pospisil, has been deeply unlucky with injuries for about six years now, basically ever since reaching the Montreal Semis as a wild card. That pushed him into the top 50 and a couple of years later he made the Wimbledon QFs. Expect lots of big serving as both players do that, and also net rushing as both are comfortable coming forward. Should be a good ‘un.
                Kevin Anderson vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert has already happened, Anderson stepping impressively over a banana skin in three (3,4,2). I though Herbert, with his combination of high class double skills (he completed the career grand slam in Melbourne in January) and a singles ranking of 39 would make him a really tricky opponent for an undercooked foe. But clearly not. Chapeau, Kevin.
                Jiri Vesely and Sascha Zverev were both high class juniors expected to establish themselves at the top of the Men’s game. Zverev has managed that, and Vesely? Well, he hasn’t. Aged 25, the big Czech has never been higher than 35 in the world and had to get through qualifying for this event. However, he is here now and he is a threat to Zverev and his poor Wimbledon record (never beyond R4). That is because the grass has been Jiri’s friend – he has never lost in R1 of Wimbledon. Then again, for all the early departures, neither has Sascha. So something has to give. Maybe it will be the court 1 backboards, which will slowly crumble under the pneumatic drill of so many thunderous serves from two players where the little one is 6’6” (that is Zverev, Vesely is listed 2cm taller).


                Women’s

                #8 Svitolina vs Gavrilova – 1st on #18
                #28 Hsieh vs Ostapenko – 4th on #18, not before 6pm
                V.Williams vs Gauff – 3rd on #1
                Rybarikova vs #10 Sabalenka – 2nd on #3
                Putinseva vs #2 Osaka – 2nd on Centre

                Another where I’m too slow is Elina Svitolina vs Dasha Gavrilova. Svitolina has had a terrible season with persistent injuries and loss of form. I thought the spunky little Aussie might give her troubles, but Gavrilova is also not the player she has been previously and Svitolina won 5&0.
                The Hsieh Su-wei- Jelena Ostapenko match has a not before time that makes it look like the one the organisers have identified to potentially move if things on one of the big show courts get done overly swiftly. It would be a fascinating contrast in styles of the all-out hitting of Ostapenko versus the all-out guile a slices of Hsieh. But the fly in the ointment is whether Jelena is fit. She was limping badly when exiting Eastbourne, and against Hsieh running, twisting and turning is a certainty. Given the situation I have to think the seed wins this, and Ostapenko’s ranking plummets even further. She made the SFs last year, losing to Kerber, and the QFs the year before, losing to Venus.
                Talking of whom… Cori Gauff was born in March 2004. Venus Williams had already played in four Wimbledon finals at that time, winning two (2001 and 01). She had also won the US Open twice. After Gauff was on this earth, Venus won the Venus Rosewater dish three more times (‘05, ‘07 and ’08) but after her eighth Wimbledon final appearance in 10 years in 2009 the Sjogren’s syndrome struck. Since then it was only the late renaissance in 2017 when she was runner-up to lil’ sis in Melbourne and Muguruza here when she has really featured at the back end of Slams. It’s no wonder it’s Serena rather than Venus and Serena that Gauff references. But she will still revere Venus, and must put that aside to make a match of this. Venus is takeable these days, and Gauff out to have the precociousness of youth on her side. And it’s great they have a big stage for the match (Court 1 will do, Centre would have been better though…)
                Probably the most fascinating match of the day is the one pitting 2017 Semi-Finalist Maggie Rybarikova against Aryna Sabalenka, who has never brought it at Wimbledon yet. In fact, Sabalenka has only won one match in her two visits to SW19, which is a bit nuts if one considers how outstanding she looked in reaching the Eastbourne final last year. However, the Belarussian has looked somewhat lost on court recently as if she and coach Dimitry Tursonov have decided she gets over emotional, this isn’t helping and she needs to keep her emotions bottled up. I sense a shock here as I think Rybarikova’s serve-and-volley game will put Sabalenka under too much stress and her fragile temperament may break. She might nail the Slovak a few times prior to that, though. And it’s going to take great courage for Rybarikova to come to the net in the face of the likely barrage (Sabalenka only plays one way!).
                Another stylistic contrast is Yulia Putinseva against Naomi Osaka. That one is all-out attack from Osaka against tenacious defence from Putinseva. However, I don’t think anyone can successfully defend against Osaka on a grass court if she is landing her shots, so this match is on the Japanese’s racquet. If she gets a good proportion of first serves in and that builds a base for the rest of her game then it’s one way traffic. However, if she starts missing then Putinseva could get under her skin. And the Kazakh can be very irritating, both with her scrambling and her in-your-face on court personality. The first few games could well decide which of these two distinctly different possible courses the match takes.
                Last edited by Janik; 01-07-2019, 14:55.

                Comment


                  #9
                  You've missed out the most important thing, Janik. The fact that we may finally get the Bertens - Mertens show down.

                  Can't see past Djokovic. In the womens', I think Ostapenka might finally start living up to her potential and go quite far.

                  I'd love Halep to win, but I think there are now too many players who can overpower her on grass.

                  Dodgy call, but I'm tipping a teary Osaka win.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Logan, if you haven't put money on Ostapenko yet I would hold fire until we see how fit she is. She literally hobbled off the court when she retired mid-match at Eastbourne a few days ago. There is a very large chance she is only playing as a desperate gamble. She has SF points to defend from last year.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      On the Brit front, an excellent win for Heather Watson already, 7-6(3) 6-2 over Caty McNally. Watson really, really needed that boost. And has been noted about Ms Streaky Pants in the past, once she is rolling...

                      Comment


                        #12
                        And currently on court, Kohlschreiber is a break up in the second set on Djokovic but a set down overall (edit - scratch that, Djoker broke straight back), Rybarikova is a set and a break up on Sabalenka, Anett Kontaveit is into a final set against Shelby Rogers (that one was on my long list of picks but didn't quite make it through) but the Estonian is a break up late in the third, but potentially most remarkably Lin Zhu is serving to level up at a set all with Karolina Pliskova.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Oh, and Pospisil has just broken Auger-Aliassime to claim the opening set of their match.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Janik View Post
                            Oh, and Pospisil has just broken Auger-Aliassime to claim the opening set of their match.
                            That would appear to have been a mistake. Auger-Aliassime is now 4-0 up in set two. You may have woken the beast, Vasek!

                            Pliskova escaped against Zhu, but it was a struggle. Rybarikova is serving for the match against Sabalenka currently. Rybarikova's Wimbledon record is actually pretty remarkable. SF once. R3 once. R1 elimination on 9 other occasions!

                            Comment


                              #15
                              But not this year - Sabalenka is the first seeded casualty of the event.

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Originally posted by Logan Mountstuart View Post
                                You've missed out the most important thing, Janik. The fact that we may finally get the Bertens - Mertens show down.
                                Would be their third meeting of 2019 if they do clash. Mertens heads the h2h 3-1, but Bertens win was this year. See:- http://www.stevegtennis.com/head-to-.../Kiki_Bertens/

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Marketa Vondrousova - Roland Garros finalist, Wimbledon R1 loser to Madison Brengle. Ups and downs. And two seeds in some kinds of trouble in the Men's. Sascha Zverev is a set all with Jiri Vesely and 4-1 down in the third. That is, however, just one break. More seriously, Stefanos Tsitsipas is two sets to one down to Thomas Fabbiano.

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Originally posted by Logan Mountstuart View Post
                                    Dodgy call, but I'm tipping a teary Osaka win.
                                    Very dodgy. There might have been tears though - Osaka has been bundled out in R1.

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      On the Men's side, Tsitsipas survived a 10-8 set four tie-breaker against Fabbiano. I wasn't following at the time, but he presumably was match point down at some stage either in that or the preceding games. It's now on serve early in set five. If Sascha Zverev is going to make R2 he will need to do the same - Vesely leads by two sets to one and 6-5 on serve. Zverev has to hold and win the breaker to stay alive.

                                      I never mentioned that Auger-Aliassime cruised through from a set down against Pospisil, did I? Well, Auger-Aliassime cruised through from a set down. 5-7 6-2 6-4 6-3.

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Double match point for Vesely...

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          Takes the first. Zverev falls in R1. It just gets worse and worse.

                                          Comment


                                            #22
                                            Tsitsipas falls in R1. Didn't see that coming.

                                            Meanwhile on Court 1
                                            "Venus, could you hold this for me?"
                                            "Sure, what is... have you just handed me a hand grenade with the pin pulled out?!?"
                                            "Yep. Just want to see how you handle the situation!"
                                            "..."

                                            First set to Gauff 6-4. And it was won, not gifted in any way. Currently 2-2 in set two. Gauff is serving bullets as well, nearly as quick as Venus. There has just been one service break and no other break points that I remember. This is a very high level match (currently live on BBC2 for those like me just getting home from work).

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                                              #23
                                              Gauff is so quick in defence! 0-30 on Venus' serve.

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                                                #24
                                                And breaks on a double fault. Three games from a statement win...

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                                                  #25
                                                  Love hold. 2 games...

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