Wimbledon Update
So far today nothing too big has happened. Both Federer and Roddick won easily, while Gonzalez took care of business after losing the first set to Ginepri.
Federer defeats Gabashvili 6-3,6-2, 6-4
This match probably did a lot to silence Federer’s critics who were stating he wouldn’t be ready for Wimbledon and there was something psychologically wrong with him. He served a decent 62% first serves and only allowed one (unsuccessful) break chance for Gabashvili. He hit only 13 unforced errors, while he hit 33 winners and 9 aces.
Roddick defeats Gimelstob 6-1, 7-5, 7-6
Roddick took care of business this match, serving well and playing consistent. He served 74% first serves and had just one double fault. He also kept his unforced errors down with only 11, while he hit 36 winners and 16 aces. Roddick didn’t approach the net as much as I expected, with only 16 approaches, but he was 75% on converting his net chances.
Haas defeats Fleishman 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Haas looked good in his match, easily dispatching Fleishman. He didn’t allow a single break point, while winning 92% of his first serves. He hit 31 winners, while only 9 unforced errors. To top it off, he played well at the net, converting 18 out of 24 chances.
Gonzalez defeats Ginepri 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-2,
Gonzalez had a little trouble at the beginning of this match, but ended up taking control in the third and fourth sets. He hit 22 unforced errors and 48 winners. The best sign that I saw from Gonzalez was his 27 of 34 (79%) net conversions.
Right now I am watching an absolute gem of a match between Henman and Moya. Its most exciting match I’ve seen today with Moya and Henman trading sets (Moya taking the first and third and Henman taking the second and fourth.) Neither players are what they used to be, but the match is still extremely entertaining. Henman is one of the few remaining serve and volley players, while Moya has been coming to the net and finding success. It looked like the match was over after the third set, but Henman came back, and has gotten the crowd back into it. As I type this, Moya breaks Henman in the fifth, showing how much of a roller coaster this match has been. The best part is that this is on ESPN 2, giving Americans exposure to some exciting tennis. The winner comparison so far is Moya:39 and Henman:39. The atmosphere is absolutely great, with the British crowd cheering Henman on after every point. This is tennis! I’ll update as the fifth set progresses.
Henman just won his service game after being down 15-40. He resort to some big serving and some crafty chip and charging to pull it even to deuce and eventually win it. He’s still down and break, and Moya has looked good this set on serve, but hopefully the crowd can will Henman onto a break!
MOYA DOUBLE FAULTS AND HENMAN BREAKS! The crowd is absolutely going crazy between points. The score is 4-4 with Henman serving.
And Henman wins a tough service game on an ace! He was down 30-40, but once again fought his way back, through two deuces. Its Moya’s turn to serve and the momentum is in Henman’s favor, but that can change easily.
Match point for Henman after two great passes!
Oh, and he then misses two more passes Adv Moya. Double fault! Deuce.
Amazing point for Henman! Returned an overhead, and then hit a great pass. Second match point. Henman nets the return, deuce.
Great return by Henman, third Match point. Service winner by Moya, followed by an ace. Adv Moya.
Double fault! Deuce number five! Late call on long groundstroke by Moya. Fourth match point, after a challenge by Moya.
Good drop shot by Moya, Moya goes on to take the game. 5-5, Henman’s serve.
And the match gets postponed (due to light)! Wow, talk about anti-climatic. Henman failed to convert four match points, and its been postponed until tomorrow. What a match so far. C
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