Serena Williams

At the end of Day 9, only one American remains in the singles draw at Wimbledon. That one American? You guessed it, Serena Williams. The other Americans all lost their matches today. Mardy Fish and Brian Baker played their fourth round matches today because of yesterday’s rain delay.

Serena Williams knocked out last year’s Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova in straight sets. Up to this point, Kvitova had been playing really well. But she was no match For Williams’ big serve. She served 13 aces and her fastest serve came at 120 mph. She won the match 6-3, 7-5. Williams will face Victoria Azarenka in the SFs.

Baker played Philip Kohlschreiber of Germany and lost in straight sets, 6-1, 7-6(7-4), 6-3.  This was the furthest Baker had gone in any major. He should be very proud of himself, he played some really good tennis these last two weeks and can only get better. His ranking will be somewhere around 70-80 and if he stays in the top 100, he will receive direct entry to next month’s US Open.

Fish played Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and lost in 4 sets. He had 11 break points, but was only able to convert 2 of them. Despite this, Fish had a very good run, esp considering this was his first tournament since April. Fish was the last American male left in the singles draw.  Originally, he’d been chosen to represent the US, but turned down the chance to let the younger players have a chance.

In an All German QF, Angelique Kerber beat Sabine Lisicki in 3 very close sets. This was one of the most entertaining matches of the day. Kerber, who had beat Kim Clijsters in her previous match, won the first set without a problem. She started off well in the second set, quickly winning the first 3 games.  However, Lisicki came back to win that set in a tie break- 7-6(9-7). The third set  was very close and very nervewrecking for both players. Lisicki came very close to winning the third set, and match. She served for the match at 5-3, but was broken. After that, Kerber win all to win the next 3 games and the match. She will be playing Agnieska Kerber in her first Wimbledon SF.

Andy Murray played against Marin Cilic, who had defeated Sam Querrey earlier in the second longest Wimbledon match. It took Murray a while to win the first set, but he won the next two sets without a problem. He will face David Ferrer in the QF.

Soon to be number 1 (yet again) Victoria Azarenka defeated Tamira Paszek in straight sets. Paszek has surprised a lot of people these past few days. Not only by defeating the former world number one, Caroline Wozniacki, but also by winning her next few matches, proving it wasn’t just a fluke. Even though Azarenka won in straight sets, the match was much closer. This was one of Azarenka’s toughest Wimbledon matches. It won’t get any easier for her she faces Serena Williams next.

David Ferrer is through to his first QF at Wimbledon. He defeated Juan Martin Del Potro in straight sets. Ferrer has been to the QFs in all of the other majors, but never in Wimbledon. He will be playing Britain’s Andy Murray for a spot in the SF.

Sam Querrey and Marin Cilic after playing the 2nd longest match in Wimbledon

5 hours and 31 minutes. That’s how long it took Marin Cilic to defeat Sam Querrey during the third round in the second longest match in Wimbledon history. The longest match was played by Querrey’s occasional doubles partner, John Isner and French player Nicolas Mahut, back in 2010. In the Cilic-Querrey match, the fifth set alone took 2 hours and 7 minutes to finish. The final score was  7-6 (8-6) 6-4 6-7 (7-2) 6-7 (7-3) 17-15. This match had 81 games in total. Both players played some incredible tennis, unfortunately for American fans, Querrey did not emerge as the winner. He should be proud of his perfomance, though. Next up for Cilic is Andy Murray.

Americans Mardy Fish, Brian Baker, and Serena Williams all won their matches today. Andy Roddick won the first set, but ended up losing the next three sets, and the match to David Ferrer. Fish was playing against  David Goffin and won in straight sets. The last two sets went to tie break. This was a much easier match for Fish than his second round match, when he went to five sets with British wildcard James Ward.  Baker played against Benoit Paire and won in four sets. He will be in Wimbledon fourth round for the first time.

Williams didn’t have such an easy match on Saturday. She lost the first set in a tie break and then cruised through the second set winning 6-2. However, she struggled a little during the third set. She finally won the set at 9-7. Roddick lost in what many people think is his final match in Wimbledon. He started off great, and as I said won the first set. He lost the second set in a very close tie break – 7-6 (10-8). After losing the tie break, it seemed like Roddick just wasn’t able to compete with Ferrer and lost the next two sets 6-4, 6-3.

The player who upset Caroline Wozniacki earlier this week, Tamira Paszek, is through to the QFs after defeating Yanina Wickmayer in the third round 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5.  Another player who also upset a former number one wasn’t so lucky. Lukas Rosol defeated Rafael Nadal in the second round, but lost to Philip Kohlschreiber in the third round, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6).

Something else happened during Wimbledon that rarely happens in tennis. Yaroslova Shvedova won a “golden”set against the 10th seeded player Sara Errani. A “golden set” is when a player wins a set without dropping a single point, in other words winning 24 points in a row.  She won this match 6-0, 6-4.

The favorites all won their matches. Victoria Azarenka didn’t struggle at all during her 6-3, 6-3 win over Jana Cepelova.  Neither did the defending champion, Petra Kvitova, who won 6-1, 6-0 over American Varvara Lepchenko in less than 45 minutes.  Andy Murray won in four sets over Marco Baghdatis.  One of my favorites, Juan Martin Del Potro also won in straight sets against Kei Nishikori.

World Number 100 Lukas Rosol upsets World Number 2, Rafael Nadal

Day 4 had the biggest upset of the day. Actually, the biggest upset of the week. Rafael Nadal, ranked number 2, lost to Lukas Rosol, ranked number 100. This was Rosol’s first time playing in Wimbledon. When he was up 2 sets to 1, everyone believed Nadal would be able to come back and win the next two sets and the match. He won the 4th set and it looked like he was starting his comeback. But Rosol was too good and Nadal lost the 5th set 6-4. This was considered one of the biggest upsets in recent majors. Nadal had just won the French Open and it seemed like he was going to win back to back majors. One of the things that helped Rosol today was his serve. His average serve was 124 mph, his second serve came at 101 mph. During the whole match, Nadal was visibly upset. In fact, during the changeover, Nadal bumped into him. Rosol believes (and so do many people) that it was intentional. He also kept complaining to the chair umpire. Apparently, Nadal was annoyed that Rosol kept moving when he was getting ready to serve. Rosol is the lowest ranked player to ever beat Nadal in a major.

The other favorites did much better. Andy Murray, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, and Victoria Azarenka all won their matches. Andy Murray had a tough match with Ivo Karlovic. He won in 4 sets, but struggled a little with Karlovic’s serve. After this match, Karlovic accused the line judges of favoring Murray because they kept calling foot faults on him, including during some very critical points in the match. Williams’ match wasn’t as controversial. She had a much easier match, winning 6-1, 6-4 against Melinda Czenk. Azarenka and Kvitova cruised through their matches, winning 6-2, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-4. The one favorite who did struggle a little was Sharapova. She won the first set 7-6, but lost the second set 6-7. However, she was able to improve her game in the third set and won 6-0.

David Goffin, who was given a wildcard to Wimbledon, is through to the hird round after defeating American Jesse Levine in four sets. Goffin lost the first set, but stepped up his game and won the next 3. He has been very impressive in his Wimbledon. Some people have even started calling him the next Roger Federer. Next up for Goffin is American Mardy Fish.

Most of the Americans did well today. Brian Baker had another great match in Wimbledon. He defeated veteran Jarkko Nieminen in the second round, 6-0, 6-2, 6-4. Baker had a strong performance in today’s match. This is Baker’s first time at Wimbledon and he’s made it to the third round without a problem. Next up for Baker is Paire, which should be a winnable match, although there’s never a sure thing in tennis or any sport, for that matter.

The other two Americans who won today were Fish and Christina McHale. It took Fish five sets and a little over 4 hours to defeat British wildcard, James Ward. At times, it looked like Fish was struggling on the court. Most of it could be due to the humidity both players had to endure. McHale was able to win in straight sets and will be moving on to the third round.

Some other winners today were Andy Roddick, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Tamira Paszek. Roddick won his first round match yesterday, after it had been delayed. This match was easy for him, he won in straight sets. Del Potro won his match in 4 sets and will face Kei Nishikori. After upsetting Caroline Wozniacki yesterday, she was able to win her second round match without a problem. She won 6-2, 6-1 against France’s Ailze Cornet. She will face Yanina Wickmayer in the the round.

Wimbledon will be shown on ESPN tomorrow, not ESPN 2. Same time as today- 7 am EST to 5 pm EST.

Mardy Fish (picture courtesy of yahoo sports)

Serena Williams (picture courtesy of ESPN website)

Day 2 of Wimbledon was a much better day for the Americans. While Day 1 had split results, most of the Americans who played on Day 2 made it to the second round, like Mardy Fish and Serena Williams. Some of the other winners of Day 2 were Andy Murray, the hometown favorite, Rafael Nadal, Juan Martin Del Potro, Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka, David Goffin, and Brian Baker.  While the first few names might sound familiar to most people, Goffin and Baker are players that are new.

As I mentioned, Day 2 was very good for the Americans. After disappointing first round losses for  Venus Williams and John Isner on Day 1, many people probably didn’t have their hopes up for the Americans on Day 2. However, S. Williams and Fish won their matches in straight sets. Serena Williams is a 4 time Wimbledon titlist and was looking to bounce back after her first round loss at the Frecnh Open. She got off to a good start at Wimbledon where she won 6-2, 6-4. Mardy Fish recently announced that a few months ago, he had some problems with his heart and had to undergo surgery. He was able to get through his match with no major problems. Some other Americans who won their matches today were Sam Querrey, Christina McHale,  Jesse Levine, and Brian Baker.

The name Brian Baker isn’t familiar to most casual tennis fans. He’s an American player who recently came back to the ATP tour after being away for 6 years. Why was he away for so long? He had 5 serious surgeries over the years and wasn’t able to do the one thing he loved, which was play tennis. After winning the Savannah Challenger and making it to the final of the ATP Nice Open, he was given a wildcard to the French Open where he made it to the second round before losing to Gilles Simon in 5 sets. He had to qualify for Wimbledon, which he did, and beat Portuguese Rui Machado in straight sets. Next up for Baker is Jarkko Nieminen.

Another interesting match today was between the two up and comers- Goffin and Bernard Tomic. Last year, as a qualifier, Tomic was the youngest tennis player (since 1986) to reach the QFs. He upset Robin Soderling, who was the 5th seeded player. Goffin was playing in his first ATP tour-level match on grass and had been given a wildcard into Wimbledon. Although Goffin is older, he had less experience in a major tournament. This was only his second major, his first was this year’s French Open, where he lost in the 4th round to Roger Federer.  None of that mattered today. Although, Tomic won the first set, Goffin was able to step up his game and play the rest of the match as if he had done this plenty of times before. Goffin is a player that you should watch out for. He could just be the next Roger Federer.

The favorites also won their matches today. Nadal started off pretty slow, but was able to win his match against Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci in straight sets. Murray, who is under a lot pf pressure from the English press to do well at Wimbledon, won in a convincing manner, deafeating Russian Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets. It has been a long time since any British tennis player, male or female, has won a major. Murray has been to 3 finals, but  lost all 3. There’s even more pressure on him during Wimbledon. Other players who might have some pressure on them, as recent winners of majors, are Victoria Azarenka and Petra Kvitova. Azarenka is ranked 2nd in the world and won the Australian Open this year. Kvitova is ranked 4th in the world and won last year’s Wimbledon title. Both of them were able to win their first round matches without any problems.

Here are some other players who won today- Del Potro, who defeated Dutchman Robin Haase and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who defeated Roger Federer in last year QF. There were only two upsets today, thought neither of them as big as yesterday’s upsets.  Nieminen beat 14th ranked Feliciano Lopez and Grigor Dimitrov upset 32nd ranked Kevin Anderson. Wimbledon will be on ESPN 2 tomorrow, at 7 am EST. Both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will be playing their second round matches.