Davenport, Clijsters Barrel Ahead at Wimbledon; Canas Tests Positive for Doping
Posted on June 23, 2005
Safin Beats Philippoussis in Bomb-fest at WimbledonTwo of the games biggest servers faced off in second-round play Wednesday at the All-England Club, with the player who before this Wimbledon said he "hates grass" rolling past a former runner-up in straight sets.
No. 5 seed Marat Safin defeated wildcard Mark Philippoussis 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 6-4, with the two unleashing fearsome serves and brutal groundstrokes that at one point caused the net to collapse and be replaced in the second set.
Philippoussis, a runner-up at Wimbledon two years ago, was hobbled by a ligament problem in his leg that eventually hindered his movement toward the end of the match.
"I felt a little bit in the third set, yeah, he couldn't really move to the sides," said Safin who was out-aced 21 to 20. "That's how I made to him a break actually."
Returning from a spate of injuries and questionable drive, Philippoussis says the best is still yet to come.
"I know my best tennis is ahead of me. It's as simple as that," Philippoussis said. "I know I've proven it to myself here. The eagerness is back. I'm just going to get stronger. I'm going to go back and work hard. This is nothing. I'm going to get over it. There's only more positive things to come."
World No. 1 Roger Federer also cruised to another straight-set victory over an opponent that stretched him to three sets in their last meeting earlier this year in Czech Ivo Minar.
"I was waiting for a tough match because I knew he was serving pretty good from Dubai, because I had my difficulties of breaking him," Federer said. "I knew that if I just stayed tough, you know, he's going to make maybe some shots he shouldn't do, like the dropshot, you know. So I was just hang in there and hoping for those moments really."
Other seeded winners Wednesday were (3) Lleyton Hewitt (d. Hernych in four sets), (9) Sebastien Grosjean (d. Llodra in five), (10) Mario Ancic (d. Udomchoke in four), (11) Joachim Johansson (d. Rusedski in four), (21) Fernando Gonzalez (d. Zib, dropping 32 aces), (23) Juan Carlos Ferrero (d. H.-T. Lee in five), (24) Taylor Dent (d. K.Kim), (25) Nicolas Kiefer (d. Di Mauro), (26) Feliciano Lopez (d. Sherwood), and (31) Mikhail Youzhny (d. Lisnard in four).
"It just didn't go my way and of course you are disappointed when you play so well and you give everything and the crowd's behind you," Rusedski said. "I'll be back next year. Hopefully I can get a seed which will help."
For Dent the wins are coming surprisingly easy considering he has been unable to stay in shape due to an ankle injury.
"My serve was a little hot and cold today," Dent said. "I'd get myself into trouble, but then surprisingly I'd serve my way out of trouble. So that was kind of the underlying theme today of what happened. If I was going to go out and work on something this afternoon, that's what it would be."
Winners in the only two all-unseeded match-ups were German Florian Mayer (d. Verdasco) and Czech Tomas Berdych (d. Burgsmuller).
Three seeds fell by the wayside on the day with Swede Jonas Bjorkman winning over (8) Nikolay Davydenko when the Russian retired in the second set with a wrist injury, French teen Gael Monfils ousting (22) Dominik Hrbaty in four, and surprising American Justin Gimelstob shrugging off a back injury to subdue (29) Nicolas Massu in four sets.
"I think now, hopefully with this, maybe I'll get back in the Top 100," said Gimelstob, who retired during a qualifying match with a back injury, then got into the main draw as a lucky loser. "It will probably be my third time of coming back from oblivion to back in the Top 100. You know, it's tough...But for me, I broke my foot -- at the end of the year, I had foot surgery. I was out seven months. You start from scratch...I've had really bad problems with my back. I mean, even this year I've missed probably six weeks of tournaments with my back. I had my, you know, 13th or 14th cortisone injection Wednesday...Luckily my physical therapist is here with me."
On Thursday's schedule at the All-England Club are (6) Tim-"bledon" Henman vs. Tursunov, Daniele "Choppin'" Bracciali vs. (2) Roddick, Muller vs. (4) Rafael "The Prodigy" Nadal, (14) Stepanek vs. Murray, (15) Guillermo "El Mago" Coria vs. Xavier "X-Man" Malisse, Fabrice "The Original El Mago" Santoro vs. (28) Novak, Andreev vs. Sanguinetti, Guillermo "G-Lo" Garcia-Lopez vs. Djokovic, (33) Olivier "The Roach" Rochus vs. Max "Pest Control" Mirnyi, Tipsarevic vs. Lu, (27) Gasquet vs. Elseneer, Hanescu vs. (9) Grosjean, Pavel vs. (12) T.Johansson, Calatrava vs. Jurgen "Tuna" Melzer, Alexander "My Serve Has" Popp vs. Wayne "The Serving Machine" Arthurs, and Kucera vs. (18) Nalbandian.
Davenport, Clijsters Lead Perfect Day for Seeds at Wimbledon
World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport and former No. 1 and No. 15 seed Kim Clijsters led the favorites at Wimbledon Wednesday, pounding their way into the third round with wins over "C"-level Americans.
Davenport baked a bagel before finishing off countrywoman Jamea "Action" Jackson 6-0, 6-3, while Clijsters baked breadsticks in rolling over Marissa Irvin 6-1, 6-1.
"The first set was easy. The second set was not," Davenport said. "It was tough. I was down 3-1. I think she had a point for 4-1. A couple other games went to deuce. So definitely had some close games there in the second set."
Clijsters said she is feeling her grasscourt roots again as she gets deeper into the tournament.
"This is the best I felt for a long time," Clijsters said. You know, I'm very, very -- you know, very happy with this win. Especially with the way I played and sort of the way I was focusing out there. So I think on a scale of 10, I would give myself an 8."
Other winners on a day where there were no seeded casualties were (3) Amelie Mauresmo (d. Sanchez-Lorenzo), (5) Svetlana Kuznetsova (d. Mirza in three), (6) Elena Dementieva (d. Klaschka 8-6 in the third), (9) Anastasia Myskina (d. Nakamura), (13) Elena Likhovtseva (d. Shaughnessy), (17) Jelena Jankovic (d. Diaz-Oliva), (22) Silvia Farina Elia (d. Vento-Kabchi in three), (27) Nicole Vaidisova (d. Pastikova), and (30) Dinara Safina (d. Strycova).
"It wasn't my day at all," said Kuznetsova after struggling past the Indian Mirza in her distracted first appearance on Centre Court. "You know, as professional player, I ask myself to go through, to play through it, you know. I couldn't -- I didn't play at all. I couldn't do anything. I was just -- I couldn't move. I was so tense that my nerves just get me today...I was looking like maybe a duck on the court today because I just -- I mean, I was silly, even embarrassed for my game because I just can't imagine how I could play that way."
Winners in all-unseeded matches were Americans Mashona Washington (d. Sfar in three) and Shenay Perry (d. Tanasugarn), Italy's Roberta Vinci (d. Kremer) and Antonella Serra Zanetti (d. Arvidsson in three), and Bulgarian Maggie Maleeva (d. Kirilenko).
On tap for Thursday are (4) Serena vs. Santangelo, an all-teen screamer in Karatancheva vs. (2) Sharapova, (16) Dechy vs. O'Donoghue, (14) Venus vs. Pratt, (8) Petrova vs. Beltrame, Vakulenko vs. (12) Pierce, Peschke vs. (11) Vera "The Crying Game" Zvonareva, Daniilidou vs. Granville, Srebotnik vs. Cho, Panova vs. A.Bondarenko, (19) Ivanovic vs. Foretz, Black vs. (32) Razzano, Brandi vs. the former champ Martinez, (29) Bartoli vs. Craybas, Gisela "Sgt." Dulko vs. (26) Flavia "Of the Day" Pennetta, and Peer vs. (20) Hantuchova.
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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Marat Safin is now 12-1 in Grand Slam play in 2005...Mark Philippoussis has yet to win consecutive matches this year...At age 48, Martina Navratilova won her doubles match Wednesday with German Anna-Lena Groenefeld...Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez has reached the third round of Wimbledon four straight years. Not bad for a Spaniard, eh?...Roger Federer has won 31 straight matches on grass. 41 is the record by Bjorn Borg, which he did winning only Wimbledons. Federer is doing it by winning Halle and Wimbledon. Quite a difference...Amelie Mauresmo has reached the semifinals the last two times she's played at Wimbledon...After struggling to win at the French Open, Lindsay Davenport has dropped just five games in two matches...2004 junior champ Gael "Force" Monfils has won eight straight matches at Wimbledon...How wacky was it to see the net actually break and collapse on Centre Court during the Mark Philippoussis-Marat Safin match. Last year Ted Watts gets the score wrong, this year the net breaks. We thought this was Wimbledon, not the Birmingham Challenger...Kudos to Rafael Nadal for playing doubles at Wimbledon. The 19-year-old and Feliciano Lopez won in straight sets Wednesday...Daniele Bracciali beat Andy Roddick in doubles at Rome in May, so he has had a look...When was the last time Serena Williams lost in the first or second round of a Grand Slam? Look that up...How nice has the weather been at Wimbledon? Hardly a drop has fallen thus far, and the weather for tomorrow is suppose to remain clear and warm. Brilliant!...Another Argentine (surprise!) has come under the heat lamp for doping, this time Guillermo Canas who told Argentine media he is under investigation by the ATP over a positive test. Canas says he is pulling out of the Davis Cup tie against Australia next month because of the investigation, but says he has done nothing wrong. "I'm being investigated by the ATP for doping," Canas told La Nacion. "The matter of the positive is difficult. I've never looked to taking anything extra or anything which isn't permitted to gain an advantage in tennis."...Wow, props to ESPN for slapping on some Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez/Rafael "The Prodigy" Nadal vs. Cibulec/Rikl doubles on Wednesday, that's thinking out of the box, and -- actually showing some doubles. Which on a side note is all recreational players get to play nowadays in the U.S. with the USTA cutting singles tournaments to replace them with hit-and-giggle doubles leagues. No wonder all of America is fat...Justin Gimelstob on grinding around the Challenger circuit trying to get his ranking back up: "It's kind of a roundabout answer but basically it's symbolic of the whole process. You saw it a few years ago with Vince Spadea. I mean, he was -- that famous quote, he was ready to go work at McDonald's or Burger King. I don't think I would need to go to that extent, but you wouldn't believe the places I've been to try to get my ranking back. Even in the last four weeks I was in -- playing a challenge in Pusan, Korea, then I flew to Sacramento to play a challenger. This is my third continent in four weeks. And, you know, it's just -- it's a struggle. But you actually -- being out there and playing and actually, you know, try to enjoy the moment a little bit. Obviously tension gets the best of you, you want to win. But, you know, you don't -- that's what you're fighting for, is that feeling out there, competing against a great player like that. And actually, you know, to come through is just the icing on the cake."...Mark Philippoussis on the invitation to play mixed doubles from Eleni Daniilidou: "I'm not one for mixed doubles. If I ever do, I'd definitely -- I'd play with her. She is a great girl. I was very happy to see her do well."...Taylor "Acci-" Dent on his workout routine when his ankle is not injured: "Where I work out in Southern Cal when I'm healthy is just actually Orange Coast College. I have a physical trainer, his name is Eric Moreno. We get on a rubber track, so it's nice and easy on my body. He just runs me to death. He makes me do it early, too. Seven in the morning. It's rough. So that's off-court stuff. Then on-court, I just kind of do my own thing with the guy who is here with me. His name is Tom Lloyd. He's just kind of a buddy, somebody to pass the time with. We've known each other since we were like eight years old, so he's like my brother."...Svetlana Kuznetsova on Wimbledon compared to the US Open: "Wimbledon is so different, you know. It's completely like black and blue maybe, or white and black, you know, or red and black, whatever, you know. It's just different. It's like Sprite and Coke, you know. Doesn't matter that I love Sprite more than Coke, but it just completely different. But also I would love to do well here."...Lindsay Davenport on the last time she was scared on court: "I mean, I can remember for sure, really scared in 1993 or '94, Miami tournament. I had to play Steffi (Graf) in the quarters. I couldn't believe I was in the quarters. I was just like crying before I went on the court. I was so scared I wouldn't get a game. I lost the first set 6-0. I remember thinking that I wasn't going to get a game. I was petrified about that match. I'm leaning towards '94, but it could be '93. But then the second set went to a tiebreak. I couldn't have been happier when the match was over. I was like running through the locker room. I was so happy I got some games."...Four teenagers are bidding to reach the third round today: qualifier Novak Djokovic, the youngest man to start in the draw (18 years, 1 month, 1 day); Andrew Murray, the second youngest to start (18 years, 1 month, 8 days); Richard Gasquet (19 years, 5 days); and Rafael Nadal (19 years, 20 days)...ESPN.com's Miki Singh: "Following the Justine Henin-Hardenne first-round stunner and Serena Williams' near-defeat, No. 2 seed Maria Sharapova is now the clear choice to win Wimbledon and successfully defend her crown." Huh? We'll take a pissed-off Serena versus the global icon any day -- at this point Serena is ready to reach across the net and strange Sharapova with her own gold-flaked tennis shoe laces...From Barry Lorge writing for ESPN: "'Wimbledon weather' also whets appetites for more than tennis. Martin Joyce, managing director of the catering company that serves The Championships, said that the accent so far has been on lighter foods: freshly filled baguettes, salads, strawberries are selling fantastically well, and obviously drinks are just going out the window.' The favored alcoholic beverage of Wimbledon is Pimms Cup -- a venerable secret recipe that is similar to sloe gin and is mixed with two measures of lemonade and/or ginger beer, then garnished with fruit, mint and an essential ingredient: cucumber. 'At Wimbledon, we put a little strawberry in, just to give it a nice touch,' Joyce said. 'Here at Wimbledon, we invented Pimms No. 1 in draught form, so it comes in 11-gallon barrels, premixed, so it's perfect.'"...From tennisnews.com: "Daily Tennis has learned that the battle lines have been drawn; the European tournament directors and the US tournament directors have agreed, in amicable terms, to disagree. The battle for European players is about to begin. Happily, this battle will not be using guns and knives, but rather, checkbooks and bags of cash. European tournament administrators do not want to hold tournaments and have the stars playing in the US Open Series, soooo they have decided to attract the players' attention in the most logical place of all; the players' wallets. Daily Tennis has learned that Roger Federer has been offered a breathtaking offer if he plays in Europe before the US Open. At press time, he has not responded to the offer. It is likely that a few other players are going to be shown lucrative offers to stay and play on clay. So, for the top European players the question is posed; whether it is better to play on clay with more money in their pockets as they eye the US Open in August, or go to North America to play for the riches of the US Open bonuses if they play well in the US Open Series Gentlemen; reach for your checkbooks." In other words, same old same old...Japan is putting Maria Sharapova on a postage stamp...From Fox Sports: "Defending women's champion Maria Sharapova was recorded by a tabloid newspaper's unofficial "gruntometer" at 101.2 decibels on Centre Court on Tuesday. The noise, almost as loud as a police siren, was said to have broken her previous record."...The BBC was aflutter when commentator Pat Cash, thinking he was off-air, commented with the camera on Lleyton Hewitt's pregnant fiancee Bec Cartwright, saying "I bet she's up the duff." From the BBC: "We would like to apologize on behalf of Pat Cash because we do feel that the term was inappropriate. It is not a term we would have chosen."...Dutch player John van Lottum speaking to BN/DeStem about drugs in tennis: "I wouldn't be surprised if 50 percent of the Top 100 uses. The risk you get caught is really small, if you do it smart. And if it happens you get a small suspension. And the tennis world stays nice for you. Juan Ignacio Chela is a crowd-puller in Amersfoort, Guillermo Coria got a wildcard in Monte Carlo. And adidas signed Chela. A big shame. These guys should be on the front page with a big picture, to make clear they don't play it fair. Colleagues who were around the 60th place in the rankings, like me, disappeared a couple of months from the circuit. They came back with a complete different body...I have big question marks at Guillermo Canas. I played against him on hardcourt, and after a set he was totally tired. He always had small injuries and got fast cramps. Now he is the fittest player in the circuit after Lleyton Hewitt and he makes the 40th place in the rankings. How is that possible? Mariano Puerta is another example. He's No. 300 of the world, is gone for a while. Comes back and makes it No. 30. His ranking gets worse, he's away for a while and gets to No. 30 again. His father is the guy who gave the drugs to Chela. Well, then one and one is two, right?"