The Championships, Wimbledon II

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Great win for Narang there. Seeds dropping like flies at the moment.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

The Championships, Wimbledon II - Gentlemen's Doubles
GRAND SLAM - Thursday (1st Round) - Wimbledon,

United Kingdom - Grass

• Top seeds Heath Davis and Jojo Mustard made an imposing start to their title search with a straight sets annihilation of wildcards Jimmy Bolton and David Heath. Things were close in the first set, before... well, there weren't many positives for the British duo to take out of the match. Davis and Mustard tore them apart with clinical fashion to advance to the second round 6-3, 6-0, 6-0. They now play Halle champs Ashim and Seby Kumar who beat Kasper Buur and Anvar Juraev 6-0, 7-6(4), 7-6(7).

• In the same section, prospective quarter final opponents Rob Bowenburg and Jarkko Maxum survived a major scare to beat little known qualifiers Christophe Norman and Bjorn Tol. The eighth seeds looked in complete control after taking the first set 6-1, but stumbled badly to drop the next two sets two and four. Staring down the barrel of a first round exit, the eighth seeds did enough to get back into the match and attacked the Dutchman Tol more aggressively to secure a 6-1, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. They now face an interesting opponent in Almen Benaglio and Becker Haas who, making up for first round singles exits, produced a straight sets win.

• Seeded players out: None.

 

[Mister Wright]

Excellent first up win. This is the slam that Mustard wants.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Nice clean win there. Won't tire us out too much for the next round of singles either.

 

[Mister Wright]

Nice clean win there. Won't tire us out too much for the next round of singles either.

Yeah, let's hop those seeds don't continue to fall...

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

The most perversely interesting second round meeting is James/Robinson vs. Gray/Robinson. Jimmy Gray and Ryan Robinson were given a wildcard entry into the doubles draw. Robinson is the older brother of Ralph Robinson and a three-time Wimbledon singles champ, while Gray won the doubles here pre-Open Era and made the quarters of the singles.

Brutal for Davis/Mustard vs. Bowenburg/Maxum as early as the quarters.

 

[ripper868]

Awesome win for the Lob/Maxum combo, Would have been good to not drop those sets but that's waht happens when you get distracted by the Estonian birds in our box. Or is that in there box. I thangyou.

 

[morgieb]

Nick, who actually won tournaments before the Open era? You always talk about it but I have nfi who exactly they are.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Ah, crap.

 

[Jarquis]

****ing right. Who's Highsmith?

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Nick, who actually won tournaments before the Open era? You always talk about it but I have nfi who exactly they are.

Haha tbh, neither do I. I did a little title history for RG once, but beyond that I just make this **** up.

****ing right. Who's Highsmith?

British No. 2. Couldn't find anyone else to put you with.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

The Championships, Wimbledon II - Gentlemen's Singles
GRAND SLAM - Friday (3rd Round) - Wimbledon,

United Kingdom - Grass

• 23rd seed Heath Davis has cruised into the final sixteen with a third straight sets win for the week as he easily defeated American Randy Bruce. The West CWLander has benefited from a number of upsets in his section, while he was faced with a lower ranked player who had won one of the games of his life on Wednesday. Bruce was shaky early and it cost him with breaks in the first two sets; the American finding it difficult to get back into the contest against the big Davis serve. The big man was having it all his way except for when he let a 3-0 lead slip in the third before consolidating to win 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. He now meets Norwegian giant killer Tom Vollan who beat Spain's Ion Andueza 4-6, 6-0, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

• There was less joy for Rob Bowenburg whose great run came to an end at the racquet of 26th seed Morgan Carter. After dropping the first set, things looked on the up for the unseeded Westerner as he blitzed the Eastbourne champ 6-1 in a dynamic second set display. Unfortunately for him, the American immediately turned the tables to crush him in the third set 6-1 and move into the decider with all the momentum. Bowenburg stayed close, but in the end it was not enough as Carter moved into the fourth round 6-4, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4. He meets 21st seed Davis Kennedy who ousted season I semi finalist Zoltán Varga 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(5), 6-4.

• 31st seed Jarkko Maxum came into his third round match on the back of some impressive victories, but was unable to make an impression against sixth seed József Boros. The Hungarian Boros, the French Open runner up, started like a bolt as he overpowered Maxum with some big groundstrokes in a one-sided first set. After taking the break to compose himself, Maxum had a number of chances to break Boros early in the second but failed to convert. Tied at 5-5, the Hungarian earned the decisive break to edge ahead 6-5 and close out the second set 7-5. Maxum needed a big effort in the third and did enough to claw back from 1-4 down to take the set to a tiebreaker. Unfortunately he couldn't pull off the upset as Boros secured a win 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(5).

• In a day of one-sided floggings, the match that did deliver was the showdown between sixteenth seed Jojo Mustard and CW Open finalist Oneil Stewart. With two convincing straight sets wins under his belt, Mustard was riding high and despite an early hiccup was square at 5-5 with the Jamaican. But after fighting back from a break down Mustard was thwarted by a horribly timed double fault to effectively hand Stewart the first set on a platter. The early warning sides for Mustard became bright neon as he was trounced in a one-sided second set as the Jamaican sensation got the crowd behind him with some typical athleticism. The one-time Grand Slam finalist took the second set 6-1 and had a look at two break points on the Mustard serve in the second but failed to immediately capitalise. Staring down the barrel of a straight sets exit, Mustard made the task ahead of him look significantly easier as, in the sixth game, he earned a big break of serve as he pushed a backhand winner that just clipped the line. The fourth set was just as close as both players dropped service games at inopportune moments. But again, with the set locked at 5-5, Mustard found the slot with his backhand to take a 6-5 lead. Serving for the set, Mustard breezed ahead to three set points and needed all of them as he serve-and-volleyed his way into a fifth set. The athletic Jamaican was noticeably lagging in the fifth as the calmer looking Mustard began to dictate play. His style is technically quite attractive, and although it lacked the flash of Stewart he cruised to a 5-0 lead. There was a second win for Stewart, though, as he managed to break back twice to be serving at 3-5. But he dropped his serve again - this time to love - as Mustard set up a meeting with Boros 5-7, 1-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 after a massive escape act.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Jarkko Maxum;
  
  Oneil Stewart;
  
  Zoltán Varga.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Well well well. Another good result there. A winnable quarter final, but Vollen seems to be in decent form. Hopefully the 5 setter has taken it out of him.

Good to see Mustardo make it through too. Gutted for Bowenburg though.

 

[ripper868]

Spewing...Might as well go travelling for another 9 months until the clay comes back.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

The Championships, Wimbledon II - Gentlemen's Doubles
GRAND SLAM - Friday (2nd Round) - Wimbledon,

United Kingdom - Grass

• Unseeded pairing Spas Delev and Jefferson Drake had no troubles in their second round match with a straight sets mauling of Diego Hurtado and Paolo Mandonna. The dangerous East CWLand pairing dominated right from the word go and looked a far more complete team than they did against a German pairing earlier in the week as they stormed into the third round 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. They now face their biggest test yet after seventh seeds Tal Cohen and Raz Teper came from two sets down to beat Viorel Iftime and Marius Micu.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Lee Inmin &
  
  Qingdong Tsai.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

The Championships, Wimbledon II - Gentlemen's Singles
GRAND SLAM - Saturday (3rd Round) - Wimbledon,

United Kingdom - Grass​

• Eighth seed Jefferson Drake is through to the round of 16 after a comprehensive win over Portugal's Valter Cordiero. One of the pre-tournament roughies, Drake has watched on as many high seeds fell in the top half and was clearly intent on not falling into the trap of underestimating a lower ranked opponent. Cordiero who racked up some impressive wins in his first two rounds, but was clearly out of his depth early against one of the best grass courters in tennis. Drake found Cordiero's range early and never relented in a two-hour clinic as he moved into the fourth round 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 without any troubles. He now plays Spaniard Javier Villaneuva who advanced to his second straight fourth round in Grand Slams after an upset 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 win over France's Patrick Pascaul.

• After a career-best win on Thursday, East CWLand qualifier Ishan Narang has come crashing down with a straight sets mauling at the hands of Christopher Durand. In a match he was widely expected to have a very good chance in, Narang fluffed a perfect opportunity to move into the round of 16 as he was trounced early by the Frenchman. The tall Indian-born player struggled with a disappointing inability to get first serves in, and only started to play good tennis when it was too late. Durand, ranked No. 94 in the world, too good in the end 6-0, 6-3, 7-5. He now meets third seed Radek Špidlá who beat Ivars Emsis 6-0, 6-1, 6-4.

• Finally, fifth seed Sven Oxenstierna is still in the hunt for a quarter final showing after a four-set win over Tal Cohen of Israel. The one-time Grand Slam finalist won out a tight first set, but after taking the second 6-1 he looked set to breeze into the round of 16. The Israeli 28th seed, though, had other ideas as he changed up his style to outhit Oxenstierna in the third set and massacre him 6-1. With his back-to-the-wall, Oxenstierna recovered well to significantly reign in Cohen's hitting ability and snatched a late break to secure a 7-5, 6-1, 1-6, 7-5 win. He now meets fifteenth seed Diego Hurtado after the Colombian came from two sets down to disappoint the nation by defeating the last British player left in the draw Henry Charles.

• Seeded players out:
  
  David Champion;
  
  Henry Charles;
  
  Tal Cohen;
  
  Patrick Pascaul;
  
  Zhijun Sun.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

The Championships, Wimbledon II - Gentlemen's Doubles
GRAND SLAM - Saturday (2nd Round) - Wimbledon,

United Kingdom - Grass

• For the second match running, top seeds Heath Davis and Jojo Mustard were untroubled in doubles competition after running riot in a straight sets mauling of Indian duo Ashim and Seby Kumar. The Kumars took home the title in Halle a fortnight ago, but produced an insipid display against the West CWLand top seeds who were on fire right throughout the contest. It took two-and-a-half sets of tennis before the Indian pairing held serve having broken early in the first as they lacked the firepower and desire to match it with the world's top pairing. The two-time Grand Slam champs had little trouble in dispatching the duo en route to a 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 win. They face an actual task next after Gai Kai and Lu Xun yesterday advanced to the third round with a 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-0 win over Sergio Joaquin and Javier Villaneuva.

• Wildcard entrants Marcuss Deane and Oscar Highsmith impressed in their second straight sets win in a row; defeating Belgian tenth seeds Mark Harmel and Yves Parmentier. The Belgian pairing came through the first round confidently, but were met with a difficult task early as the British-born team played solid tennis. Harmel had a set point on his serve but failed to convert; allowing the wildcards to steal the first set 9-7 in a tiebreaker. The panic button was being slammed down by the Belgians in the second as Highsmith made a tremendous smash reaching from back over his head to set up a 5-2 lead before Deane served the set out with some tricky placement. The Belgians took a break lead twice in the third, but were chased down by the dogged wildcards who booked a shock third round berth 7-6(7), 6-2, 7-5. They now play fifth seeds Andrej Konc and Evgeny Maximov after they beat Gunther Heug and Pascal Schmidt in four sets.

• Also through were eighth seeds Rob Bowenburg and Jarkko Maxum after an impressive four set win over Almen Benaglio and Becker Haas. The pairing had only just escaped with a victory in their first round match earlier in the week, and despite taking the first set in a scrappy encounter they started slowly. The German-Swiss duo, singles stars for the most part, were playing the better tennis and after taking the second set 6-3 could count themselves unlucky to not be two sets up. Finally the team that performed so well at Roland Garros lifted; caning the makeshift pairing to love in the third set and, with a great passing shot from Bowenburg, moving ahead 3-0 in the fourth. Benaglio snatched a break back with a lob over an out-of-position Maxum but they could not avoid defeat as the eighth seeds advanced 7-5, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3. They now play Carlo Amato and Roel Hervelle who beat ninth seeds Ion Andueza and Sanchez Emelio.

• Finally, third seeds Hayden and Ross Onwye got a measure of revenge for their Roland Garros exit by defeating Brett Read and Scotland Rivers in straight sets. The Moroccan brothers were stunned by Read and Björn Donaldson in straight sets in the second round at Paris, but half-avenged that defeat against Read with a comprehensive win. The West CWLanders were never in the hunt as they collapsed under the strain on a truly cohesive pairing; the Onwyes cruising into the third round 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Ion Andueza &
  
  Sanchez Emelio;
  
  Wayne Boyd &
  
  Morton Blundell;
  
  Mark Harmel &
  
  Yves Parmentier.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Wow. That's the sort of comprehensive victory that we needed. On and off the court in quick time.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

The Championships, Wimbledon II - Gentlemen's Singles
GRAND SLAM - Sunday (Rest Day) - Wimbledon,

United Kingdom - Grass

With both the singles and the doubles teams taking a well-earned rest, we'll quickly preview Monday's eight fourth round showdowns.

Tom Vollan NOR vs. 23-Heath Davis FRC
Talk about a fourth round matchup no one expected. Davis has been absolute dynamite this week, though he's been monstering players of less ability than him for sure. He's yet to drop a set, and meets a player who has dropped at least one in each of his three matches so far. The plus for the Norwegian is that he holds a victory over the World No. 1, but on the back of a pretty taxing showdown with Ion Andueza he might find it tough. The weekend break will help him, and it will clearly be a question of who serves best in the battle of the big men. Prediction: Davis in four. Markets: Davis $1.50, Vollan $2.46.

16-Jojo Mustard FRC vs. 6-József Boros HUN
József Boros continues to perform admirably on the grass after finally producing a pretty good display in the third round against Jarkko Maxum after a scratchy win in the second round against Gunther Heug. Mustard, meanwhile, was forced to come from two sets down to oust nineteenth seed Oneil Stewart in a gutsy performance and will no doubt takes bundles of confidence from that win. Boros, though, is an all-courter - last year he beat the likes of Morgan Carter and Henry Charles before succumbing to Jason Hall in the quarter finals, and he has had a lot more time to recover than Mustard who also competes in the doubles. That could be decisive. Prediction: Boros in five. Markets: Boros $1.63, Mustard $2.18.

4-Darcy Cowan USA vs. 10-Dwayne Murdoch USA
The defending champion has dropped just one set this week, and finally put his best foot forward with a 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 mauling of British journeyman Roger Warren in the third round. Now he faces his biggest task yet - Dwayne Murdoch is a serial pest in Grand Slams and has tasted the quarter finals already having lost to Radek Spidla last season. The two are very different players - Murdoch loves the baseline and plays a more versatile game while Cowan can at times rely too heavily on his big serve. That being said, he's 10-0 at Wimbledon and has really started to click into gear. Murdoch starts as an outsider and probably deserves to as Cowan should edge this one in four sets. Prediction: Cowan in four. Markets: Cowan $1.59, Murdoch $2.26.

21-Davis Kennedy CAN vs. 26-Morgan Carter USA
It was one of the upsets of the third round, but Canadian 21st seed Davis Kennedy was ultimately too good for Season I semi finalist Zoltán Varga. After a horrendous run with injuries this season, this is the Kennedy we are familiar with and in Carter he has a great chance to make the quarters. Carter produced some solid tennis to oust Rob Bowenburg and is riding high after taking the Eastbourne title. Kennedy came through his first real test unscathed, but we still wonder what the Canadian's fitness is like as we move into the second week. As a result, we go with safety first. Prediction: Carter in four. Markets: Carter $1.83, Kennedy $1.89.

8-Jefferson Drake CDR vs. Javier Villaneuva ESP
For the second Slam running, Villaneuva finds himself in the round of 16 against all odds. His 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 mauling of Patrick Pascaul stunned pundits, and he's only dropped the one set this week - the first against Carlo Amato. Drake has also dropped the one set, but came through a tight second round meeting to bookend his first week with big victories. You suspect he's only just warming up, though he plays a similar style to Pascaul. If Villaneuva wants to win, he needs to take advantage of Drake's notoriously slow starts. I suspect he can, but I don't think he will. Prediction: Drake in three. Markets: Drake $1.35, Villaneuva $3.02.

Christopher Durand FRA vs. 3-Radek Špidlá CZE
Radek Špidlá was almost unbackable to win last year's Wimbledon yet somehow found a way to lose it. He's gone through the first week without dropping a set and, despite an injury concern leading into Wimbledon, is on the second line of betting behind Cowan. Durand will no doubt benefit from this week in financial terms, but his scalps look unimpressive - Bre, Day and Narang are hardly on the same level as Špidlá on grass. Prediction: Špidlá in three. Markets: Špidlá $1.04, Durand $9.50.

5-Sven Oxenstierna FRC vs. 15-Diego Hurtado COL
Diego Hurtado's name is basically mud here at the All England Club after the Colombian came back from the dead to oust Henry Charles in five sets. He's dropped at least one set in all his matches so far, but has clearly improved on grass since his Season I loss to Charles in the second round (4-6, 0-6, 6-3, 1-6). The Colombian faces another player who isn't particularly comfortable on grass; The Ox won Halle impressively, but was beaten in the opening round at Rosmalen. His first week was fairly uninspiring with no convincing victories. There could be an upset brewing. Prediction: Hurtado in five. Markets: Oxenstierna $1.72, Hurtado $2.04.

12-Rick Henson USA vs. 2-Daniel Páez Blanco ESP
There aren't really many matches to look forward to as much as this one as we finally put to the test Blanco's grass ability against Henson's fitness. Henson has never really found his feet on the PTA Tour after a couple of bad injuries, but showed great composure to clinically dispose of the inform Chinese player Zhijun Sun on Saturday (6-4, 6-1, 6-2). Blanco also had a straight sets win against David Champion (7-6(3), 7-5, 6-0) and it was clearly his best performance after two scratchy wins over qualifiers. This is Henson's real chance, and on grass he won't blow it. Prediction: Henson in four. Markets: Henson $1.78, Blanco $1.90.

PREDICTED QUARTERFINALS
DAVIS vs. BOROS
COWAN vs. CARTER
DRAKE vs. SPIDLA
HURTADO vs. HENSON
​

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Nah look a Colombian winning on grass? That's less realistic than people writing insightful responses to computer-generated tennis results.