Artosis Championship Results-Nadal upset, Roddick rolls
Friday, June 15th, 2007The Artosis Championship Quarterfinal results
N. Mahut (ranked 106) defeated Nadal in straight sets 7-5, 7-6.
This loss doesn’t really tell me much. The obvious conclusion that is can be drawn from Nadal losing to such a low ranked player is that Nadal simply isn’t good enough on fast courts to compete near the level he does on clay. I don’t buy that. Mahut has been on fire all week, beating Ivan Ljubicic (ranked 12) and 2006 Wimbledon semifinalist Jonas Bjorkman. In addition Nadal’s game is so used to clay, Queens is truly a warmup tournament to make some adjustments. Nadal also has shown good form this tournament, ousting serve and volley specialist Max Mirnyi the round earlier. Whether or not he’ll ever hoist the champion’s trophy at the All England Club is yet to be seen, but Nadal has been successful at improving his game on grass.
“It’s always difficult to adapt to the surface in just one day, but I reached the quarter-finals,” Nadal said.
“That’s not a bad tournament for me on grass and it’s very important for my Wimbledon preparations. To have three matches is so much better than if I hadn’t come here.”
A. Clement defeated I. Karlovic 7-6, 7-6
Both Clement and Karlovic had big wins this tournament with Clement defeating N. Djokovic and Karlovic defeating M. Safin.
D. Tursunov defeated F. Gonzalez 6-3, 6-7, 6-4
Gonzalez was in control of the third set 2-0 until the match was rain delayed. When it restarted Tursunov took control, posing questions about Gonzalez’s mental toughness.
A. Roddick defeated M. Cilic 6-4, 7-6
Forget Federer, Roddick must be the player most relieved to distance himself from clay season. After his first round exit from the Roland Garros Roddick has gone to work preparing himself for grass. “Wimbledon is the primary goal in my career.” said Roddick of his preparation. He looks in good form at Queens, reaching his fifth straight semifinal, hoping to win is fourth title.
Henin enters this year’s Wimbledon as the slight favorite. She’s just off her third straight Roland Garros win, and the fourth of her career. She has six slam titles, needing only Wimbledon to complete a career slam. She hasn’t enjoyed as much success on grass as she has on other surfaces, possibly due to her height (5-6), making it easier for players like Williams and Sharapova to overpower her on the fast courts. Despite this, her results have been solid, with two semifinal and two final appearances at the All England Club. She uses an all-court style of play, with one of the best backhands in the game of tennis. She can serve and volley, and probably has the best variety of any WTA player.
Sharapova has one of the most powerful baseline games on the WTP tour. Her power suits the fast style of grass well, as indicated by her two semifinal appearances and a title at Wimbledon. As I write this, she is in the 3rd round of the DFS Classic suggesting she is in form. If she can rise past her alleged coaching issues (critics claim Sharapova recieves coaching in the form of hand signals during her matches-she was fined during the 2007 Australian Open for this) expect for her to repeat her past success at Wimbledon.
The young Serbian has has been rising fast in the rankings during the past year, thanks to her US Open and Roland Garros semifinal appearances. She made it to the fourth round of Wimbledon last year and has the potential to go even further in 2007. As I write this she has made it to the third round of the DFS Classic.
Mauresmo enters the grass season looking to defend her 2006 Wimbledon title. She injured her groin in her third round match at the Roland Garros and expects to be fit in time to attempt back to back titles. She boasts a solid, all round game that has carried her to atleast the quarterfinals of every slam. Her greatest success has been on the lawns at the All Engand Club, appearing in three semifinals (2002, 2004, 2005), in addition to her title. Critics used to question her mental toughness before she broke through in 2006, winning two slams.
Kuznetsova has had inconsistent Wimbledon results with a first round exit, a third round exit, and two quarterfinal appearances in the last four years.
Ivanovic is somewhat of a question mark heading into the grass season. She hasn’t been on the tour for very long, yet has risen in the rankings very fast. She has third and fourth round appearances the last two years at Wimbledon. However, she is riding momentum from her 2007 Roland Garros final appearance, with a big win over Sharapova (6-2 6-1) in semifinals.
S. Williams is a two time Wimbledon champion (2002-2003) with another finals appearance in 2004. S. Williams is probably the most powerful player on the WTP tour, able to outgun even Sharapova in this years Australian Open. However at times she can be extremely inconsistent and some question her commitment to training. However when she’s on and focused, she can beat anybody.
The story on V. Williams is almost identical to her sister. She is extremely powerful and inconsistent. Although she hasn’t been in form lately, she could catch a hot streak (like she did at the All England Club in 2005) and add a fourth Wimbledon title to her collection.
Nadal has worked hard on improving his game for grass recently, however he is still a long shot to have a chance to win. He was last years runner-up, however, he is no sure thing to make it to the final this year. He is benefited by the slowing of the lawns at Wimbledon, however his spin-heavy strokes are still foreign at the All English Club. Topspin doesn’t have the kick on grass that it does on clay, and that is Nadal’s primary weapon. In addition grass doesn’t give him the time to play his excellent defensive, grinding game that he accomplishes on clay. Nadal chances are further hurt by his serve which is a slower-kick serve variety. 
Davydenko is no force on grass. His best showing at Wimbledon was in 2005 when he lost in the second round. He is small (5-10) and can be overpowered by larger servers. He takes the ball on the rise well and hits very clean ground strokes, however that matters very little against talented shot-makers on grass.
The 6-2 20 year old really has a chance to make some noise on grass this year. He’s having a breakout year with a masters series win and a Roland Garros semifinal appearance. His 5-2 record at Wimbledon is great for his age, showing he has some talent on grass. He plays a big baseline game, being able to generate great pace off of both wings.
Andy Roddick was the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2004 and 2005. He’s always to force to compete with, largely due to his massive serve (clocked at 150+ mph). However his ground game is lacking. His forehand has regressed since he won his 2003 US Open title, and his backhand remains a weakness. Although he has worked hard and improved at the net, he remains no natural from the part of the court.
Gonzalez has yet to mature into a force to be reckoned with on grass; however this could be the year. He doesn’t move the best on the lawns, however his aggressive playing style benefits from the fast surface. He has what is considered to be one of the largest forehands in the game, coupled with a new slice backhand that should skid low at the All England Club. He has a big serve and decent net play. Gonzalez, with the right draw, has a great chance to best his 2005 results when he appeared in the quarterfinals.
