TENNIS WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIPS:IN THE scheme of things at Wimbledon, there are players who are ranked by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) because they successfully pick up points all year by playing in the official events and there are players who see only Grand Slams as the measure of a career.
Yesterday, without much fuss or clamour, the second seed fell out of the main singles draw. When she hit the ground few people turned their heads to see what was happening.
Vera Zvonareva, the Russian number two fell meekly to the 33rd-ranked Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova. It took only 77 minutes for the 6-2 6-3 disposal.
As befits the women’s competition, the big names regardless of their ranking, are the main draws. Celebrity status here is an even greater attraction than the ability to keep a tennis ball in play and as the invisible Zvonareva departed, Maria Sharapova stepped in and magnetically drew most of the attention. Oh the glamour.
The real tennis noise was on Court One, where the feisty 17-year-old British player, Laura Robson threatened to unseat the 24-year-old Sharapova. The 2004 champion is the only player in the draw that has won the title along with Venus Williams (five times) and Serena Williams (four times).
But Robson, the 2008 junior champion who has been battling injury and problems associated with a growth spurt, caused all sorts of problems for her opponent in the first set. The former winner had tried to get Martina Navratilova to hit with her in order to get used to a lefty like Robson, but the nine-times winner was too busy with her many television commitments to help out this time.
Robson made the perfect start and raced to a 4-1 lead but Sharapova broke back before taking the set to a tiebreak. The Russian player, who was Robson’s age when she won the title, had to come back from a mini break down before claiming the set. She stepped up a gear in the second set to finally close it 7-6 (4) 6-3 in one hour 48 minutes.
“I think, you know, experience is a big thing,” said Sharapova. “I think it’s really priceless. But I don’t think that calmness and that mental toughness is something that you can just go to someone, and someone can teach you about it. I think it’s just how you see certain situations instead of just being too negative.”
One player who is rarely negative and always tough, Venus Williams, made short work of Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in just over an hour. Williams held the Spaniard to a bagel in the first set 6-0 and although she took her foot off the accelerator in the second, she sped quickly towards the locker room with a 6-2 second. The American was taking no chances.
It’s all business in the first week, especially for those matches off Centre Court that can be rain affected.
“You know, I definitely knew how she was going to play,” said Williams. “I played her here before on the grass. So I thought my best bet was definitely to make sure I took the net away from her first. It worked out really well.
“I’m in the next round. That’s my main goal regardless whether I play amazing, whether I play halfway decent, doesn’t matter. It’s just about finding a way to win.”
Only a few men’s matches yesterday were completed due to the rain that started at tea-time and forced the referee to cancel everything except the Centre Court schedule for the remainder of the evening.
Long after everyone else was finished number four seed Andy Murray was given a strenuous workout under that Centre Court roof by Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic. Despite losing the second set Murray pulled through eventually when taking a tie-break in the fourth.
Richard Gasquet was brisk enough to get through to the fourth round as Italian Simone Bolelli was only moderately resistant as the Frenchman, raced through 6-3 6-2 6-4.
One of the fightbacks of the week took place away from the main glare, when the talented Australian, Bernard Tomic, climbed back from two sets and a service break down to beat Russia’s Igor Andreev. Tomic trailed 4-6 5-7 before coming to life in the 6-3 third set just before it got dark on Thursday. Returning yesterday he kicked on winning the fourth 6-4 and fifth 6-1.
“It’s the first time I’ve been down in my career two sets to love and a break and potentially a double break down. I think I gave it a shot,” said the 18-year-old. “You know, I tested myself to win that match, to get back in that third set, and I did.”
