Wimbledon 2008 – Manic Monday
Nick’s Picks will have complete coverage of Wimbledon 2008, and we are teaming with Tennis Week and The Independent Newspaper in London to provide in-depth analysis throughout the tournament! Also, be sure to listen for Nick on Radio Wimbledon each day at 4pm EST!
What a day it was as the second week began at Wimbledon. Two of the men, Mario Ancic and Andy Murray, came back from two sets down to win in five sets and it took Feliciano Lopez five sets to beat Marcos Baghdatis. We can’t forget about Marat Safin either!! While all that was going on, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal looked comfortable as ever, and the upsets on the women’s side continued.
Mario Ancic kicked off the action with a thrilling five set come-from-behind victory over Fernando Verdasco (who may be Spanish, but certainly doesn’t play like a Spaniard). Ancic won 13-11 in the fifth set to reach the quarterfinals where he will face Roger Federer. This is Ancic’s second five setter, and don’t forget about the grueling four-set match he won over David Ferrer in the third round. I really enjoy watching Ancic play, and it is great to have him back, healthy, and winning again. It is excellent for the sport of tennis.
While Ancic might have started the day, Murray finished it. Britain’s greatest hope was two sets down to Gasquet (who served for the match), but won it in five sets. The fans were crazy, the seen on Henman Hill was nuts, and Murray showed has resilient he can be. How he holds up against Nadal after a draining win like this is a big question.
On the women’s side, the top seeds continued to fall. Right after Jelena Jankovic went down, fourth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova lost to Aggie Radwanska in three sets. That leaves Elena Dementieva (who cruised over Shahar Peer) as the highest seed remaining. At this point, that may not be a good thing!
It was a great day of tennis at the AELTC, and I cannot wait for tomorrow!!
P.S. Congrats to NBTA junior Filip Krajinovic for winning his first round match in the Wimbledon Juniors!
