Monday 2 July 2012

Wimbledon Day Seven

The only thing which can disrupt the proclaimed 'greatest day in tennis' is the unpredictable nature British summer weather.

A sketchy forecast stands to upset the day that all male and female singles competitors left at this years Wimbledon compete.


(Andy Murray broke tournament curfew to beat Marcus Baghdatis today he faces Marin Cilic on court one Picture: Getty Images)

Through to this stage for a sixth time is Andy Murray. The world number four overcame a 11pm curfew and a tricky opponent last time out and today may have to battle the elements as well as a 6 ft 6 talented opponent.  Marin Cilic, has a quality serve and power on both wings and also has beaten the home favourite at grand slam level before. The Croat humbled Murray at US Open in 2009 during his ascension to the world's top ten. Still only 23 Cilic looks to be heading back in that direction and was a winner two weeks ago at Queens.

Controversially this contest takes place on court one, leaving Murray at the mercy of British weather. This is the first time this tournament Murray has been shifted court one and it could hardly come at a worse time. The extra rest from a rain delay could be vital, it took him over five hours to see off Sam Querrey in the second longest match in Wimbledon history.


(Roger Federer faces Xavier Malisse a dangerous grass court specialist Picture: Reuters)

Roger Federer is first up on centre court in what is likely to be his second appearance under the roof. Julien Benneteau could hardly have come closer to beating the 16 time grand slam champ under roof and lights on Friday and today will teach us more about Federer's title credentials. A notoriously fantastic indoors player Federer starts heavy favourite against Xavier Malisse. The Belgian has an excellent grass court record and has already beaten Gilles Simon and Fernando Verdasco to reach this spot. Possessing greater power than Federer's French opponent in the previous round Malisse cannot be written off. But having won the last nine meetings against Malisse, the Swiss will be hopeful of moving one step closer to record equaling seventh singles title at SW19.

Also given centre court billing ahead of Murray is world number one, Novak Djokovic. Today he meets a player he first faced at the age of nine in countryman, Viktor Troicki. Djokovic holds an air of superiority over his Davis Cup teammate. The 25 year old has won 11 of his 12 meetings with Triocki. Troicki has a powerful game but nobody is harder to push out of position than the world number one.


(David Ferrer has never reached a Wimbledon quarter final to change that he must beat Juan Martin Del Potro Picture: Bettor)

One of the most intriguing clashes of the day pits seventh seed David Ferrer against Juan Martin Del Potro. The two had a gigantic battle in last year's Davis Cup final and both are playing arguably the best tennis they've ever produced at Wimbledon. Ferrer took out three time finalist Andy Roddick and now looks to be comfortable on his worst surface. While Del Potro came out on the losing end of the best match at last year's Wimbledon in a tight four set match with Rafael Nadal. How the wily 30 year old tries to counter his more powerful opponent will be fascinating.


(Jo Wilfried Tsonga hasn't been broken all tournament today he faces Mardy Fish Picture: Bettor)

Yet to lose his serve more and more people are beginning to believe this tournament will see Jo Wilfried Tsonga reach his second grand slam final. Today's opponent for him is tenth seed Mardy Fish who took out talented 21 year old David Goffin in round three. Fish looked out on his feet against James Ward in the second round and will have been relieved to have wrapped up a straight sets win last time out. Returning from heart problems and not at his peak the American may find Tsonga too difficult to overcome.

The great comeback story of this tournament has been Brian Baker. The American was a standout junior but his professional career has been crippled with injury. Now after multiple surgeries Baker is proving to be a top 50 caliber player maybe even better. Today the American faces a tough test of his credentials against the talented Philipp Kohlschreiber. The German took out Nadal's conqueror Lukas Rosol in the third round and despite multiple fourth round appearances has never reached a grand slam quarter final. Opportunity knocks for one of these two men.


(A reinvigorated Ana Ivanovic returns to the big stage against Victoria Azarenka today Picture: Zimbio)

The glamour tie on the women's side today sees Victoria Azarenka face Ana Ivanovic. Two of the most marketable and talented women in tennis, a lot of eyes will be on centre court when these two do battle. Ivanovic has undergone career rehabilitation and has shown signs of getting back towards her best with work under new coach Nigel Sears paying dividends. Sears, father of Andy Murray's girlfriend Kim, has been working with Ivanovic for a year now and been looking to add variety to the power game which earned the Serbian the world number one ranking and French Open title a few years ago. While Ivanovic is looking to reemerge as a top player, Azarenka is one. The Belarusian has slipped under the radar at Wimbledon this year much like last year, where it took a mammoth effort from champion Petra Kvitova to beat her in the semi-finals.

A repeat of the other Wimbledon women's semi-final kicks off the action on court one where Maria Sharapova meets Sabine Lisicki. Lots of people's pick for the tournament if Sharapova's serve is working expect the world number one to breakdown the big serving German.

Reigning champion Petra Kvitova has been ruthless in her progression to fourth round and could outpower her opponent today. Francesca Schiavone has the unenviable task of trying to stop the dominant Czech. Schiavone has progressed nicely after being given a huge scare in her first round match against Britain's Laura Robson.

One of the biggest stories of a memorable first week at Wimbledon was Yaroslava Shedova's golden set. The first ever seen at Wimbledon where she won every single point of her first set against Sara Errani. The unthinkable milestone was incredibly impressive due to the calibre of her opponent. Errani had contested the French Open final a mere three weeks prior to their match. Shedova faces a big challenge in repeating the feat against four time champion at SW19 Serena Williams. The American was fortunate in her third round contest Jie Zheng and only her serve saved her from an early exit. Williams powered down an excellent 23 aces en route to a 6-7 6-2 9-7 victory.