Wimbledon Day 7.... or 8?

First topic message reminder :

Here we are, the most magical time of the tennis calendar.  The second week of Wimbledon is where legends are made.  16 will start the week.  Only 1 will be victorious.

Centre Court 1.00pm

LADIES' SINGLES - FOURTH ROUND Serena Williams (USA) [1] v Sabine Lisicki (GER) [23]  GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES - FOURTH ROUND Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) [20] v Andy Murray (GBR) [2]  GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES - FOURTH ROUND Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] v Tommy Haas (GER) [13]

No.1 Court 1.00pm

LADIES' SINGLES - FOURTH ROUND Laura Robson (GBR) v Kaia Kanepi (EST)  GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES - FOURTH ROUND Andreas Seppi (ITA) [23] v Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) [8]  GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES - FOURTH ROUND Bernard Tomic (AUS) v Tomas Berdych (CZE) [7]

 Source: http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/schedule/index.html

First up on Centre Court is the irrepressible, unstoppable Serena Williams against the grass court specialist Sabine Lisicki in what will most likely be the American's toughest test on the way to her very likely 6th Wimbledon singles title.  The German is not to be underestimated as she possesses the weapons to make life more than uncomfortable for Williams, especially her first serve which regularly tops 115mph.  Also on Lisicki's side is her Wimbledon record against the year's French Open champions: in 2009 she defeated Kuznetsova, in 2011 she defeated Li Na and in 2012 she beat Sharapova.  Will it be fourth win in a row against a reigning French Open champion?  With the form Williams is in, I doubt it.  Prediction: Williams in straight sets.

Next onto Centre is home hero Andrew Murray against Mikhail Youzhny.  Murray has a 2-0 record against the Colonel but the last of those meetings was a few years ago so not much can be read into the head-to-head.  Whilst Youzhny is in superb form on the grass, having only lost to Federer on the cow food in for what seems like every previous tournament, the 2nd seed will be the heavy favourite to progress and on his current form and and with his grass court pedigree, who would disagree?  Prediction: Murray in straight sets, perhaps 4.

The final match of the day on Centre Court is the veteran Tommy Haas (ATP Comeback Player of the Year 2004 AND 2012) against a certain world number 1 Novak Djokovic.  Haas has had previous success against Djokovic at Wimbledon and also won their most recent meeting but Djokovic these days at majors compared to Masters is a different beast altogether.  After throwing in a sublime performance against Jeremy Chardy and making the Frenchman look completely weaponless, this will be a different test for Djokovic and Haas must not be underestimated but at 35 years old, could he go to 5 sets against The Ironman of tennis?  Prediction: Djokovic in 4 sets.

Starting off proceedings on Court 1 we have "Princess" Laura Robson against Kaia Kanepi who already has one British scalp to her name so far in this tournament.  Kanepi's on the comeback trail after injury and is no doubt a top 20 player (where she was ranked before injury) but if Robson can bring her first serve along and does not crack under the pressure, I can see her winning and taking her place in her maiden major quarter-final.  Prediction: Robson in 3 sets.

8th seed Juan Martin del Potro never really had much success on grass until last summer's Olympics where he was oh-so-close to a gold medal match.  However, the big man managed to shrug off the disappointment of losing out to Federer deep into a 3rd set to out-gun Djokovic in straight sets and claim bronze.  He threw in a below-par performance at Queen's but has looked in good shape this tournament and has not dropped a set heading into the 4th round.  Up against del Potro is Italian Andreas Seppi, a man more suited to the clay courts of Western Europe rather than the grass of England.  Seppi has done incredibly well to reach this round, especially after defeating Kei Nishikori in 5 sets, but he does not have anything to trouble del Potro who is looking more comfortable on grass with every match he plays.  Prediction: del Potro in 3 sets.

The last match of the day is possibly the most eagerly anticipated match in the men's 4th round.  Australian playboy Bernard Tomic has reached the quarter finals here before but after a couple of years of average results and off-court drama, perhaps he is turning a corner in his career.  However, he's up against Tomas Berdych who has made a potentially dangerous first 3 rounds look fairly easy except a below-par serving performance against Kevin Anderson.  Tomic was highly impressive against perennial disappointment Richard Gasquet but faces a much tougher challenge against the big serving, big hitting Czech.  This is possibly a bridge too far for the Aussie but I think he will give all he has on the court.  Prediction: Berdych in at least 4, possibly 5 sets.

Fantastic 2 games from Murray there, getting the crowd buzzing as well!!!

BELIEVE IN THE MURRAY 

Murray breaks back! a bit tight from Youzhny, particularly off the FH, and Murray conjures up a nice BH to seal the deal. Once more exhorting himself (and the crowd) for a bit of a lift.

Hopefully.....  that's him back.

That backhand  

Best lobber in the game?

Stop holding your side. There is nothing wrong with you.

Considering that was the area of the back that caused him to drop out of the French, I hope you're right Juan!

Seeing as he only does it after he loses a point I think it's just a reaction and as he's done it for years it must be ingrained.

that is a superb finish to the TB from Murray, just stunning

That was a very good tiebreak and hopefully he can get this wrapped up 6-3/4.

In 3 easy boys, easy

That aggression from Murray after the double fault was tremendous.

That's the kind of play he reserves for playing against the big boys, he has used variety and consistency all tournament but backed into a corner went onto the front foot. Good stuff.

Hopefully that will be the drama over and he'll race through the third.

JMDP has beaten Seppi pretty handily in straight sets, that's a good result considering Seppi has been playing decently this tournament. With Ferrer seemingly off the boil somewhat, he has a realistic shot of getting to the SF for the first time.

QF lineup so far: JDMP vs Ferrer, JJ vs Kubot (Polish QF!), Verdasco vs Murray (probably).

Pity Youzhny couldn't make a game of it.

Murray making an absolute meal of this, can't see him winning the tourny whilst Djokovic remains in it.

Youzhny with the trainer on for his shoulder.

it was a good response from Murray in the TB (and indeed in recovering from 5-2 down in the set), but he hasn't been quite there today. The good thing is he has played some splendid shots at times, the worry is the back, his movement looks OK though, so fingers crossed it's just his usual tugging away thing...

If DelPo's knee holds up I can see him beating his nemesis and therefore to get to the final, Djokovic must beat Berdych (likely) and DelPo which isn't too easy, on top of Tommy.

How did The Colonel lose that set?

A massive sigh of relief, there.

Cannot believe Youzhny isn't eating Murray's 2nd serve for dinner

It's been pants

Juan - Ferrer has won the last 4 against Delpo, so I think he'll make it 5 in a row. I hope you're right though, Delpo v Novak a lot tougher to call than Ferrer v Novak.

Novak always swats Ferrer away.

Danny_1982 wrote:Juan - Ferrer has won the last 4 against Delpo, so I think he'll make it 5 in a row. I hope you're right though, Delpo v Novak a lot tougher to call than Ferrer v Novak.

Novak always swats Ferrer away.

Aye I think it'll be tough. I just think Ferrer's looking a bit leggy and DelPo might be able to swat him off the court but I'd still make Ferrer favourite based on their history (and last year). Ferrer is nothing more than a slight annoyance to Djokovic whereas DelPo is certainly a danger.

Olly wrote:Cannot believe Youzhny isn't eating Murray's 2nd serve for dinner

It's been pants

Doesn't really have the power to do it though does he. Probably why Murray is happy to roll in it. He puts much more on the second serve when against a better returner.

Mind you, just putting it back hasn't worked out too bad for Youzhny. He's won about 60% on Murray's second serve.

This is more like it! 

Tomic and Berdych are currently on serve, 3-4 in the opener. Not too many opportunities at all thus far, both are looking strong on serve but pretty evenly matched when a rally emerges. You'd think that Tomic needs to get ahead as early as he can against a seasoned campaigner like Berdych though.

Murray through in straight sets again. Just a minor slip in the second set, but his class kicked in eventually. Hasn't dropped a set yet.

 

That'll do.

If its good enough for straight sets against Youzhny on grass it's more than good enough for me.

Next up, Verdasco. Play mostly to his backhand please Andy.

Average performance from Murray, a wobble in the second set, but if you contrast this with Murray of perhaps only a year ago it marks an improvement. He's won comfortably playing so-so in the sort of match which would have taken 4 sets or even worse previously.

Fantastic from Murray 

Well that was an incredibly "meh" performance but it's a case of job done and nothing more. I'm certain he'll improve against Verdasco in the next round but the semi will be a very interesting affair should he get there. Today was a match that he'd have lost a year or two ago. I feel we're saying that more often these days. Is that a good thing?

The Berd is in a massive scrap here against Tomic.

Anybody been listening to Talksport/following them on twitter? Apparently Laura Robson is a loser becuase she hasn't won a Grandslam aged 19.  

Phew! Is all I can say.

Now, general point. Perhaps this has occurred in previous years, but is it just me that can hear the commentators talking "sotto voce" when we're not supposed to? Happening all the time...... (I mean the off mic stuff)

Phew! Is all I can say.

Now, general point. Perhaps this has occurred in previous years, but is it just me that can hear the commentators talking "sotto voce" when we're not supposed to? Happening all the time...... (I mean the off mic stuff)

The Special Juan wrote:Well that was an incredibly "meh" performance but it's a case of job done and nothing more.  I'm certain he'll improve against Verdasco in the next round but the semi will be a very interesting affair should he get there.  Today was a match that he'd have lost a year or two ago.  I feel we're saying that more often these days.  Is that a good thing?

Yes, if you want the guy to win, it is a sign of improvement, which is good.

Djokovic making a more than impressive start. Seems to have added a little something to his serve since the clay? He's going to be very very difficult to beat...

Here's a stat for you... since his loss to Federer in the final last year, Murray is on a 15-match winning streak on grass!

Olympics: 6-0
Queens: 5-0
Wimbledon: 4-0

If you break it down in to sets, it looks pretty damn handy too!

Olympics: 13-1
Queens: 10-2
Wimbledon: 12-0

Total: 35-3 sets across 15 matches.

Cogen wrote:Here's a stat for you... since his loss to Federer in the final last year, Murray is on a 15-match winning streak on grass!

Olympics: 6-0
Queens: 5-0
Wimbledon: 4-0

If you break it down in to sets, it looks pretty damn handy too!

Olympics: 13-1
Queens: 10-2
Wimbledon: 12-0

Total: 35-3 sets across 15 matches.

Now that's the type of stat I like Thanks very much.

The Special Juan wrote:Well that was an incredibly "meh" performance but it's a case of job done and nothing more.  I'm certain he'll improve against Verdasco in the next round but the semi will be a very interesting affair should he get there.  Today was a match that he'd have lost a year or two ago.  I feel we're saying that more often these days.  Is that a good thing?

I think people say this too much about Murray. Virtually all the Super 4 have matches that they had wobbles with

Today's match was going to be his most tricky, simply because Murray doesn't like playing potentially great players who play with varied pace. I also fail to see how the semi will be interesting at all if JJ plays like he did today

Put another way, Murray's form today vs JJ's form today - it's the final for Andy

But first things first - what can he do against Verdasco

The Special Juan wrote:

Cogen wrote:Here's a stat for you... since his loss to Federer in the final last year, Murray is on a 15-match winning streak on grass!

Olympics: 6-0
Queens: 5-0
Wimbledon: 4-0

If you break it down in to sets, it looks pretty damn handy too!

Olympics: 13-1
Queens: 10-2
Wimbledon: 12-0

Total: 35-3 sets across 15 matches.

Now that's the type of stat I like  Thanks very much.

And it shows we fret about him too much  

Don't get me wrong, I too was shaking my head at his second set implosion - but you know that these days he will always pull it around in a slam away from the French

BBC have list interest with Djokovic v Haas, not surprising given how one sided it is, and switched to Berdy v Tomic.

This is a really good match. Berdych hitting well but the variety from Tomic is tremendous to watch. And the speed between his points on serve is about 12 seconds.

Must admit I love watching him. I wonder if he's more likely to upset Novak with his variety than Berdych?

Feel sorry for Haas here - every service game is such a struggle. Totally getting outclassed...

banbrotam wrote:

The Special Juan wrote:Well that was an incredibly "meh" performance but it's a case of job done and nothing more.  I'm certain he'll improve against Verdasco in the next round but the semi will be a very interesting affair should he get there.  Today was a match that he'd have lost a year or two ago.  I feel we're saying that more often these days.  Is that a good thing?

I think people say this too much about Murray. Virtually all the Super 4 have matches that they had wobbles with

Today's match was going to be his most tricky, simply because Murray doesn't like playing potentially great players who play with varied pace. I also fail to see how the semi will be interesting at all if JJ plays like he did today

Put another way, Murray's form today vs JJ's form today - it's the final for Andy

But first things first - what can he do against Verdasco

Novak's in my head, he has me rattled. How can he be that good? *breathe*

I do expect JJ to lose against Murray because big servers don't have a good record against Murray at the majors, however it will be an interesting match anyway to see hope JJ copes with the pressure. If Murray keeps it tight like he did against Raonic at the USO (I couldn't fault him that night) he'll cruise it.

ALPanorak wrote:Feel sorry for Haas here - every service game is such a struggle. Totally getting outclassed...

Haas is settling down, he looked lot nervous at the start of the match, themore he settles down the more we can expect a better game from him.

When ever Novak is nervous on his service he serves big centre down the T, I hope Haas covers the T more than cross court, its getting very predictable, and all his Aces were down the T.

When ever Novak is nervous on his service he serves big centre down the T, I hope Haas covers the T more than cross court, its getting very predictable, and all his Aces were down the T.

Danny_1982 wrote:BBC have list interest with Djokovic v Haas, not surprising given how one sided it is, and switched to Berdy v Tomic.

This is a really good match. Berdych hitting well but the variety from Tomic is tremendous to watch. And the speed between his points on serve is about 12 seconds.

Must admit I love watching him. I wonder if he's more likely to upset Novak with his variety than Berdych?

Haas just broke Nole, if you didn't know. 

Here's where Novak is at.

The 'Djokovic' skills - serve, return, ground strokes - are looking very good indeed.

The slice is also looking good.

But anything around the net is looking uncomfortable. Even when he makes it, it looks a little hesitant.

Interesting. Thanks IC, I'm going to have a look now after this tie break.

Tomic takes the 2nd set. The Berd seems a bit off today but I can't quite think what's off his game. Something's not right.

Meanwhile, I am rather envious of Kyle Edmund who's playing mixed doubles with Eugenie Bouchard.

Danny_1982 wrote:Interesting. Thanks IC, I'm going to have a look now after this tie break.

But I have to say I miss Berdy-Tomic match, I want Tomic to win and hence I am so nervous, so get me the update pls. 

The Special Juan wrote:Tomic takes the 2nd set.  The Berd seems a bit off today but I can't quite think what's off his game.  Something's not right.

Meanwhile, I am rather envious of Kyle Edmund who's playing mixed doubles with Eugenie Bouchard.

Well what ever little I saw, Tomic is not giving anything to Berdych and repeatedly taking him out of comfort zone, the pre match thinking has gone good so far.