Wimbeldon 2010

[prydey]

first up, ch9 - footy classifieds isn't more important than wimbeldon!! also, i'm a big cricket fan but this isn't really cricket season in aust. seems ch9 will put the ODI series between us and england on tonight as well, rather than the tennis. come on ch9.

to the tennis...

what a first up match, when it finally came on. federer down 2 sets to 0 and down a break in the 3rd. i thought, surely its not all over in the first round. like a true champ, he dug himself out although falla did crumble somewhat under the pressure of closing out the match.

looking at his(federer) draw, he has a pretty good run so be interesting to see how that match affects him.

haven't seen any other results. went to bed. anyone know how hewitt went?

[Jason[98.EL]]

taken from http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=1074075

Perennial flagbearer Lleyton Hewitt and unheralded journeyman Peter Luczak have led a quartet of Australians into the second round at Wimbledon.

Hewitt, the 2002 men's champion and 15th seed this year, overcame a shaky start to power to a 5-7 6-0 6-2 6-2 win over Argentine Maximo Gonzalez, while Luczak savoured a memorable 2-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 7-5 triumph over Spanish 30th seed Tommy Robredo.

Alicia Molik and Jarmila Groth also safely progressed, but qualifiers Bernard Tomic and Carsten Ball bombed out on the opening day of the championships.

Like top seed and six-time champion Roger Federer - who recovered from the brink against Colombian Alejandro Falla - Hewitt was below his best but still proved classy enough to book a date on Wednesday with Kazakhstan's Evgeny Korolev.

At 30, Luczak was making his long-awaited debut at the All England Club and seized the moment.

"I'm pumped. Thirty years in the making, I've been waiting for this for a long time," he said.

Luczak's victory was even sweeter - and more deserving - considering the honourable Players' Council representative spurned a guaranteed STG10,000 ($A16,800) cheque two years ago when he opted against taking his place in the main draw while less than fully fit.

"I had a hip issue at that time and I really couldn't play. It would have only been to collect the money, so I'm happy I did the right thing," Luczak said.

"I said if I want to play Wimby, I want to do it when I'm fully fit, so it makes this day even more special."

Molik slammed down 14 aces to cast aside Slovakian Zuzana Kucova 6-2 7-5 in her first singles match back at Wimbledon since 2007.

"I've prepared so much and I feel so well," Molik said.

"I've spent the last four weeks - seeing I lost early at the French - hitting on hardcourt, synthetic grass, prior to coming on to the grass in Birmingham, Eastbourne.

"So my preparation could not have been better, so I was just ready, busting to get out there and finally play an actual match."

Groth, who reached the last 16 earlier this month at the French Open, continued her fine grand-slam form with a 6-4 6-3 win over Czech Renata Voracova.

Fellow Australians Samantha Stosur, Casey Dellacqua and Anastasia Rodionova all open their campaigns on Tuesday.

[DJR-351]

^^^SNAP!!!^^^

http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/...120639999.html

News & Photos: Match Reports Hewitt cheered to four-set victory...

Monday, 21 June 2010

Court 2 Gentlemen's Singles - 1st Round

Maximo Gonzalez 7 0 2 2

Lleyton Hewitt 5 6 6 6

Who needs vuvuzelas? The instruments providing the soundtrack to the World Cup in South Africa are banned here at the All England Club but surely they'd be drowned out anyway by the assembled vocal might of any group of Australians supporting one of their own.

That point was (noisily) made on No. 2 Court this evening as such a group gathered to bellow their support as Lleyton Hewitt fought back from a set down to see off Argentine Maximo Gonzalez 5-7 6-0 6-2 6-2.

Not one point passed without loud exercising of the vocal cords, especially in the first set when somewhat oddly their hero struggled against the thoroughly unheralded Gonzalez of Argentina.

That first set really was an oddity. Here was Hewitt - the 2002 Wimbledon champion and statistically the most successful grasscourt player out of all those currently active, including Roger Federer - facing a 26-year-old opponent whom many spectators had never heard of.

Gonzalez is currently ranked 188, but was playing here on a protected ranking of 66, having missed the first five months of the season with a knee injury. He only returned to competition earlier this month.

Moreover, not only was he bidding for his first ever win on grass, but it was only the second match of his life on the surface. This, it seemed, was surely not an encounter to stretch Hewitt.

Yet in that first set some early wayward play from the Australian allowed Gonzalez in for a break, after which he continued to fend off Hewitt in thoroughly unlikely fashion. Gonzalez had a chance to take the set 6-4, and only a powerful return from Hewitt forced an error for 5-5. But unexpectedly Gonzalez broke him again for 6-5 and confident baseline power play brought him the set. Hewitt's tribe of supporters at courtside were undeterred. "He's gonna win 3-1," they chanted at once - and, as it transpired, they were right.

A telling moment came with Gonzalez 0-1 in the second, although it was so fleeting it was easy to miss it. He gave away break point and having done so leaned down momentarily to touch his troublesome knee. Perhaps Hewitt saw him do it. In any case he ran him all over the court to force the error and secure the break. At 3-0 the two of them produced that rarest of modern grass court sights - an exchange at the net - for Hewitt to bring up another break point, and this time it was the passing shot down the line which gave him the winner. "Super Lleyton Hewitt," sang the tribe of Australians. It was a reasonable assessment. He wrapped up the set 6-0 in 22 minutes.

So the match had reached one set all, and yet it felt absolutely like a done deal. Gonzalez did not surrender, continuing to exhibit his peculiar service action, waving his racket around behind his back before finally hitting the ball. But the match was over long before Hewitt cleaned up the third and fourth sets. The Australian may be 29 now but, as those courtside supporters will tell you, he is always a thrill to watch.

by Kate Battersby

[prydey]

well done luczak, getting up over robredo.

[prydey]

sammy stosur out in straight sets. i also noticed f.verdasco didn't make it past the 1st round either.

bad luck for stosur. she's looked much improved lately but not last night.

[prydey]

well done hewitt, took care of g.monfils in straight sets. he has a tough draw though. has djokovic, roddick and federer in his way if he wants to make the final. hardly seems fair.

[GasoLane]

Sorry Rob, but If it ain't got Wheels. I don't watch it.

[jaysway]

be good to see if Hewitt can keep it going.
ch 9 should and will always put odi cricket in front of the tennis.
i agree footy classifieds should be taken off the air, ah sorry shown after the tennis.