I have been watching tennis for a couple of decades, and cannot remember a day like this at any Grand Slam event. The draw lost the 2, 3, and 6 seeds, all of whom were legitimate contenders. Safin was his usual off-the-wall self and just was having the wrong type of day. Pete played poorly for the most part, but looked to have played his way through when Bastl shocked him at the end of the match. Agassi played somewhat unevenly and Schrichpan played great.

Cute match of the day -- Roddick versus Martin. I hope Andy consoled Alberto after giving him his whipping.

This does open up the bottom of the draw quite a lot. If Blake can come through (3-3 in the fifth with Kraijcek), then he and Andy have some legitimate chances to win several rounds. Kafelnikov has never impressed, but he could find the way much clearer to the semis and final. It will be interesting to follow.

I think that Pete will be flying home tonight and spending a few weeks contemplating his mental state. He still has the game, but he needs to get himself on the right track mentally if he wants to continue competing. He was uncharacteristically defensive on court at times today.

We need Stat Boy to find out for us when the last time Sampras and Agassi were eliminated the same day in the first week of a Slam. I picked a great day to stay home and pull a couch potato! Hopefully Blake can pull this one out!

C'mon Blake!!! I'm trying to follow this at work on line -- couldn't get much tighter than 9-9 in the 5th. Krajicek has knocked out 30+ aces (so far) and that seems to be keeping him alive in this match.

Oh, James. So close!

Krajicek, the arse, is one of three slam champions left in the draw. Hewitt & Kafelnikov are the other two. Right now chances are looking EXCELLENT that we'll have our ninth champion in nine tries - I just don't think Hewitt will pull it off. At least, I hope to heck he won't. The only thing that men's tennis needs less than a single dominant player is for that player to be Lleyton Hewitt.

Four Americans left. Roddick, I think, has a real shot now. I'm pencilling him in as my new finalist from that half. Malisse could get there too, I think.

Dent/Arthurs will be a yawn-fest.

And how about Olivier Rochus?!? He gave Marat his best shot on clay ... where I thought he'd have his best chance. Instead, he kills him on grass. Yay!

Well Blake played well but lost 9-11 in the fifth. The match was a dead lock the whole way. Only one break in each set. Even the stats are pretty even. Krajicek blew 32 aces by Blake, but Blake leveled that with more winners and fewer unforced errors. Blake's 55 winners to only 19 unforced errors in a long 5 set match is prett remarkable. Too bad these guys had to play so early.

I finished watching the Agassi match. He looked like he was never mentally in it. With him and Sampras gone, it kind of throws the draw wide open. Maybe it even gives Henman a chance to win it all! Ah, who am I kidding? On the 2 websites I went to, I didn't see who Henman plays next? Any idea? Thanks.

Henman next plays Scott Draper, an Australian who's getting back to the tour after his wife died of Cystic Fibrosis at 23. How do you root against this guy??

The bottom of the draw is WIDE open now. From the decimated bottom quarter, my guess is Wayne Arthurs may have the best chance to make the semis but who really knows? The third quarter is full of intriguing players: a slew of monster servers (Roddick, Philipoussis, Rusedski, Krajicek) + Kafelnikov and a seemingly rebounding Kiefer. This could be Andy Roddick's chance for a big breakthrough (though he hasn't looked that great the past few months). One of these players has to make the final, though, and he seems as good a bet as any.

The top half of the draw looks less messy, but who knows what will transpire tomorrow. This is reminding me of the Australian Open. Still, my guess is that the probable Hewitt-Escude match-up in Rd. 4 will be pivotal. I think if Hewitt wins there, he'll get through the whole thing (Henman has never beaten him). If Escude wins, then this is a big chance for Tim Henman. But even if Tim doesn't win, there's still a vague possibility of an English winner...Greg Rusedski. Not likely, but a lot more plausible than it was three days ago.

The top half doesn't look as messy as long as Tim and Lleyton don't crumble. I think some people are definitely going to make a name for themselves, especially in this top half as Lleyton and Tim are the only really household-name players.

So far, I would say that Tim and Lleyton's biggest challenges will be from their own eighths of the draw.

In Tim's eighth, I'm keeping an eye on Ferreira (always good for a tough 5-setter... talk about conditioning), Kratochvil and Sluiter--the Dutch and Swiss always seem to do quite well on the grass.

Meanwhile, in Lleyton's eighth, I'd hate to be looking at his potential 4th round opponents. There's the always unpredictable Rosset, Youzhny (4th round last year), and Escude (who'd have thought a Frenchman on grass?).

These two have a great opportunity, I think. We'll have to wait and see if the same can be said after tomorrow. Happy watching guys!

JT is right, Henman needs to look out for Ferreira. Blood is in the water and scrappy players like Ferreira are going to come out guns-a-blazin' for the rest of the event.

Re: Escude, Look Out! If he gets past Rosset (and he really should), the Frenchman should make it to the semi's. I said it before and I'll say it again: Escude has beaten Hewitt on grass TWICE, once at last year's Wimbledon.

On the bottom half, I think an opportunistic Yevgeny Kafelnikov is most likely to benefit. I've been backing Greg Rusedski, but I don't like what I saw from him today. Conversely, Roddick looked very solid. I think Roddick will spaz out, though, if he goes up against Yevgeny.

I'm glad I switched my pick from Gambill to Arthurs--I think the Australian will face Clement in the quarters, and that Clement will meet Kafelnikov in the semis.

Clement's certainly the most complete player left in the bottom quarter, but that doesn't always matter on grass.

In addition to Ferreira, I think Canas is worth keeping an eye on. He has a better record on grass than you'd expect, and has won his last three matches against Henman (never played on grass, though). Bjorkman claims Center Court is playing slower this year, and that could work to Canas advantage if he winds up against Henman in a Q.F. Maybe Sluiter, too--he's been hot lately.

Confidential to the Wimbledon Seeding Committee: Next year, seed the unknowns.

Wimbledon is just wacky this year. Canas lost. Sluiter even lost. What the hell is going on?!?

Ferreira did win in 5, and Henman just won, too. So there is some order, it appears...

Escude just won,too. PHEW!

Umm, except Ferreira was unseeded & beat a seeded big-serving Ljubicic.

What's really crazy is having the two Brazilians, Sa and Saretta, facing each other in the third round. Meaning one of them has a great chance at getting to the quarters!

BMan, sorry, but Escude won't get past Youzhny on Saturday. This tourney will be the young Russian's chance to shine, and he'll play a five-setter against Hewitt next week. Who wins that one might come down to pure luck.

Well, another fun day at Wimbledon! Ferreira did it in typical 5-like fashion, and Youzhny hung around. And how bout lucky loser Jeff Morrison??? With only one Spaniard through to the 3rd round (via two "extra-inning" 5-setters), they've done little to justify their historic complaints about the seeding. I like a lot of the Spanish guys, but you've got to play in an attempt to prove your point.

ANYhow... looking at the upcoming bottom half--third round: I know I'd rather be in the top. With 6 former top 10 players in the bottom mix...whew! (Krajicek, Kiefer, Philippoussis, Rusedski, Lapentti & Clement).

Srichaphan had a great day against Agassi, but he's gonna need that level of play the rest of the way (no breaks in sight)...and I don't see that happening.

Dent/Arthurs winner I'm thinking gets to the quarters, and I'll got out on a limb and see if Dent can live up to his name. Both him and Arthurs have beaten a seeded player, although both of those seeds have been on a downslope since highs at the beginning of the year. Their quarters opponent? I'm keeping my eye on Pavel...quietly having a solid year. So let's see, IF I were a betting man (which I've long learned I shouldn't be) I'll take Bastl, Dent, Pavel and Clement.

Then there's the top quarter in that bottom half...well, I'm rooting for Andy, and he'll have some outstanding wins if he makes it. These third rounders are all close with a couple dependent on whether one of the guys can mentally stay focused (Kiefer, Yevgeny). But I'll give the edges to Kafelnikov, Roddick, Philippousis & Krajicek.

- Waiting for the weekend so I can really watch for a change!

[ June 27, 2002: Message edited by: JTnCarolina ]

Kafelnikov's gone now. 7-6, 7-5, 6-1. I'm a little surprised Malisse was able to get the job done (always thought of him as more of a clay-courter), but it looks like he served quite well today. But I think the Roddick/Rusedski winner will beat him and advance to the Q.F.

[quote]Henman next plays Scott Draper, an Australian who's getting back to the tour after his wife died of Cystic Fibrosis at 23. How do you root against this guy??

---

Oh man, I didn't know that. Poor lad--CF is ghastly. Still, I want Henman to win!

Do any of y'all know a good site to go to get the draw in table form (like the NCAA B-ball tournament draw that they have in the paper)? It's so confusing to keep track of, esp. now that the whole thing is wide open. Thanks.

EDITED TO ADD: Henman won in 4 sets. Order is restored to the Universe!

[ June 28, 2002: Message edited by: Jim Allen ]

The bottom half of the draw is completely void of seeds at this point. However, the striking aspect of the draw is that Rusedski, Kraijcek, and Phillipoussis are all in the same quarter (Mark vs. Richard and Greg vs. Xavier in the 16s). The finalist should come from that group, and my money is on Mark at this point. (Although Rusedski spoke very loudly today with his thrashing of young Andrew.)

The top half of the draw will shape up after tomorrow.

One of the greatest days in tennis will come Monday. All round of 16 matches will be contested over the course of about eight hours and we will have our quarterfinalists. Lots of great tennis to tune in.

Now you all know why I'm not a betting man! (Only 4 out of 8). mmm! And looks like Andy got spanked! And Dent/Arthurs must have been nothing but pounding serves! Ah, at least the weekend is here.

Looking at who's left in the draw, I think I'd like to see a Henman-Rusedski final. I certainly at least hope Tim makes it through. The energy in Centre Court would be amazing.

George, I agree, that would be quite the match. So like what the hell is wrong with Roddick??? He is definitely plateaued for the moment. Too much partying in Florida? Or what? US Mens tennis is in trouble at the moment.

I don't know if it's quite fair to say that Roddick has plateaued. He hasn't even turned 20, let's not forget. All the teenybopper grand slam champions (more on the women's side) make us expect too much too soon from rising stars. Let's not forget that Sampras was a month shy of 22 when he had his big breakthrough (1993 Wimbledon, I think the 1990 U.S. Open was a fluke - and Pete does too) and Agassi was 22 when he won his first major -- and those two are amongst the most talented to ever play the game! I hope Andy doesn't start feeling the burden of expectations and start freaking out because he'll exit his teenage years without a major (oh the shame). As long as he continues to work hard and improve, it'll happen for Andy. By the way, didn't see the whole match, but it looked like Rusedski could do no wrong out there today. Mary Carillo got it right before the match: Rusedski's serve is just as good as Roddick's (with the lefty advantage) and he's a much better volleyer than Andy is.

As for who's left in the draw, I'm starting to get this sinking feeling that Hewitt might quietly make his way through (very little focus on him because of all the upsets) and be the last man standing. I'd much rather see Henman win it, if for no other reason than to see all of Merry Old England simultaneously "O" on match point.

It'll be interesting to see a couple of guys come off the milk carton and make a big splash at this W. It's crazy trying to predict anything at this Championships, but I'm guessing that Rusedski and either Flip or Krajicek make it to the semis. Rusedski hasn't been playing much (I'm assuming he's been injured), Philippoussis has had chronic knee problems, and Krajicek has played only one ATP match in the last 18 months! But all three know their stuff on grass, and I think one of them will make it into the final.

Final note: George Bastl lost 2-2-2 to #28 seed David Nalbandian??? Man oh man, Sampras must be feeling **REALLY** lousy now.

Hewitt and Henman in one semi and ??? in the other...I really don't like Rusedski though he's quite talented at times...i hope Kraijeck or Mark P. get through to the final - they're both talented enough and nice enough...With all the big servers still around, Hewitt's (as the best returner out there) certainly got the best chance take this trophy home...

Well Henman is still around. Took almost 4 hours to down Ferriera in 4 sets. Tim can thank the chair umpire for a very questionable overrule in the third set tiebreak. Ferriera's game went south soon after, dropping the set and eventually the match.

Was it an overrule? I thought it was a late (and dubious) call from the line judge, which the umpire chose not to overrule. While the call was doubtful, the decision not to overrule was correct because the ball was pretty far from the umpire's chair and way too close. In any case, I felt bad for Ferreira. He was playing great when the rug got pulled out from under him. He managed to pull himself together, but not until after Henman was up a couple of breaks in the 4th.

PS: Oops, you were right. Both CNN/SI and ESPN are reporting it was an overrule. Wow, I'm amazed that Ferreira took it so calmly. I would have gone apesh*t.

[message edited to include PS]

[ June 29, 2002: Message edited by: BoSoxRudy ]

Good call on Youzhny, J.T.! I'm sorry I missed the Henman/Ferreira match--all I caught today was part of the Lleyton Hewitt show on NBC. I mean, for fifteen minutes it was a good refresher on why he's #1, but after that, I think I would have rather watched a decent taped match . Youzhny seems to be making a move up to the next level, but I think Hewitt will be too experienced and confident to lose here.

I think Roddick has plateaued for the moment. Just looking at the rankings, he's been about #14 since last summer. While the rankings aren't a perfect reflection of a player's ability, I think it's fair to say he's not a markedly better player than he was a year ago. I wouldn't be too alarmed by this--it's common for players to improve in spurts rather than linearly. Hewitt seemed to have plateaued a bit from 2000 to the summer of 2001 before raising his game to the next level. But Roddick does seem to have some problems handling big servers at the moment.

OK, the Wimbledon men's draw has officially gone nutso. There isn't a single American in the fourth round, but there is an unknown Spaniard (who da heck is Feliciano Lopez?) and an unknown Brazilian (again, who da?), neither of whom have ever gotten past the 2nd round of a slam before. In fact, Lopez has only won one match in a Grand Slam event (made it to the 2nd round of Roland Garros). Since they're playing each other, it's guaranteed that one of them will make it to the Wimbledon quarters.

Still, I have to think that order will ultimately emerge from chaos. Rusedski/Philippoussis/Krajicek will get to the final from the bottom half, and either Henman or Hewitt on the top half.

It's been a peculiarly good Wimbledon for South Americans. Lapentti and Nalbandian are nice players, but I never expected them to do much at Wimbledon. And Sa wasn't even on the radar screen. Incidentally, I read that Lopez is the first Spaniard in the round of 16 since 1972.

I really enjoyed watching the Henman match today, but was torn who to root for in the end. Tim winning the tournament would be a huge story and be rather historical. And who would give up the chance to see Queen Elizabeth show up in the Royal Box and probably present the trophy! (Virginia Wade won exactly 25 years ago during the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Now Tim has a shot to repeat the feat during the Golden celebration. Kind of ironic.)

However, Mr. Kratochvil was one hot Swiss man. And his game (other than the nerves that helped him cough up sets 4 and 5) looked very solid. I had heard some about him, but never had the chance to see him play. I was impressed.

It looks like Lleyton is starting to hit his stride. Poor Pat! Missed out on two great chances to be the next Australian title holder, and then the kid might come along and win the whole thing in his first real try.

Interesting how ordinary Rusedski looked today against Malisse. Not the same man who climbed on top of and really had his way with young Andrew.

It is interesting to see all of the interesting names in the final 8. Sa won today I believe, as did Nalbandian. Nick Lapentti rounds out the South American tri-fecta. Perhaps Guga and Alex should have come and taken their chances. They may have surprised themselves (much as Conchita did in 1994) with a big win at the big W.

Well, a fun 4th round so far. Henman's certainly been tested (and granted a favorable call against Ferreira), but that's good for him. Was hoping Youzhny would put up a little more fight against Hewitt today, but 2 consecutive 4th round Wimbledon's isn't bad. Looking ahead to the quarters, I'd think Hewitt would have the tougher match, but who'd have guessed 3 South Americans??? Krajicek vs. Philippoussis...hard not to root for both of them. The whole draw has a free-for-all kind of feel to it now, although I really am beginning to think it's Henman's to lose. We'll see.

OMG, what do you think the London bookmakers' odds were that David Nalbandian, Andre Sa, and Nicolas Lapentti would all reach the 2002 Wimbledon quarterfinals???

charliecstl, I had pretty much the same thoughts during the Henman/Kratochvil match. On one hand, I really didn't want Henman to lose and blow his best opportunity, perhaps ever, to win Wimbledon. Not to mention it would give Hewitt a clear road to the final. But I was rooting for Kratochvil because I hate to see a journeyman squander one of those rare opportunities to break through (sheesh, he really handed Henman the 4th set on a silver platter, huh?), and because (uh, yeah) Kratochvil is waaaaaaay cute. Side note: are there any dentists in England?? Didn't Henman have a comfortably middle class upbringing? So why does he have teeth that look like a prop from the set of "Deliverance"? Back on target, with the methodical ease with which Hewitt is marching through the draw, I'm really afraid he'll get the better of Henman in their semi (assuming they make it that far). But first, perhaps we should wait and see how Hewitt deals with Schalken, his first opponent with an honest-to-goodness grass court resume.

As for the bottom half of the draw, Wayne Arthurs looked like a shadow of his usual grass-court self. While it'll be interesting which of the improbable QF pairing of Nalbandian/Lapentti
makes it to the semi (both must be just pinching themselves that they've made it this far), I gotta think he'll be destroyed by whoever comes through from the other quarter (Rusedski/Flip/Krajicek).

Not to be hateful, but a friend of mine and I talked about the dental situation you bring up. With all of his winnings, you would think a little fixing could be done.

Malisse d. Rusedski in the fifth set, 6-4
I feel bad for Greg...he looked soooo good in defeating Andy Roddick.

Great break for Malisse, though...

Play has been suspended, which sucks, because the Philippoussis v. Krajicek match looked T-I-G-H-T, TIGHT! The score: 7-6, 6-7, 2-2 (at 30-30 on Flip's serve).

Favorite doubles team:

Damm/Suk

Flip and Krajicek couldn't finish their match today b/c of rain. The score: Mark Philippoussis is tied with Richard Krajicek, 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-7.

Wow.

As cute as Rusedski is, and I think he is a furry animal, I wanted Malisse to win. He almost didn't though. That was a great last set. I see Hewitt ending Henmans' run though.....

I think you're right puckman

The longer Hewitt stays in a Grand Slam, the more dangerous he is; my prediction of Henman winning Wimbledon centered on Hewitt not being around.

Hewitt is 5-0 vs. Tim Henman. It wouldn't be a "choke" for Henman to lose, unless he were up a few breaks with a bunch of match points on his own serve...

Hewitt is not a well-liked player, and while many think this may bode well for Henman, remember that the crowd was decidedly anti-Lleyton in his US Open final with Sampras (in large part due to the Blake incident) and Hewitt was focused enough to win anyway.

Are Brittish fans more obnoxious than New Yorkers? They may need to be if they want Timmy to win.

Other factors in Tim's favor:
- they've never played in a Grand Slam
- this has been a tournament of huge upsets
- they've played some close matches (thier 2000 Stuttgart encounter went three sets, as did their recent final at Queen's Club)
- Schalken is a tough player who is playing the best tennis of his career right now; if he doesn't upset Hewitt, Sjeng Schalken still might take a lot out of his tank

I, personally, would hate to see Hewitt win this event.

[ July 02, 2002: Message edited by: The B Man ]

After Ivanisevic "Lazarus-ing" his way to the title last year, I really believe Wimbledon (at least on the men's side) will lose some credibility if either Krajicek or Phillipoussis win the title this year. These guys have both been out of tennis entirely for long periods. I know Krajicek has won here before, but it only adds to the theory that you need only have a huge serve and you can win. This match between them has completed 4 tiebreak sets and yet there is absolutely nothing compelling or interesting about it. Snoozefest in my opinion.

I agree george. I will probably watch the mens finals, but without the American Men, this years Mens final, doesn't blow my skirt up to high.

[ July 03, 2002: Message edited by: puckman1 ]

I have to say, Tim Henman has been completely unconvincing so far. He's managed to make it to the semis, but against some fairly feeble competition. I'm guessing he gets crushed by a top player like Hewitt, who must be **very** motivated to win this tournament.

Obviously, Krajicek is, or at least used to be, a first-rate grass-court player: huge serve, solid groundstrokes including an excellent slice backhand (grass is the only surface where a slice backhand becomes a weapon), great net game, and good movement for such a big guy. And beating Pete Sampras when Sampras was nigh invincible on grass is one of the most impressive victories of the last decade. But come on! He's played **ONE** ATP Tour match in the last 18 months! There's less rust on the shipwrecked Titanic.

Good point about slice...that was probably a big factor in all those Wimbledon's won by Graf & Navratilova. Maybe a factor in the Mauresmo/JCap match today too?

I was sad to see Mark drop the fifth set to Richard today. Mark's game is more complete and he is far more interesting to watch. Going down an early break is the kiss of death when you are facing a fellow boomer.

Henman has been ill for the past few days, but his tennis has been uninspiring the whole way through the tournament. I think Lleyton will probably bounce him, barring some dramatic change in L's level of play.

It is a shame that the weather has become such a factor. The matches are now being decided partially on a roll of the dice. A player may come out feeling and playing great, but by the end of the day may be a little tight and wore out. I know both players face the same conditions, but it would be nice to see them come on court only when there is a good probability of getting more than 10-15 minutes worth of tennis in. Capriati went out on court about four times today to begin playing. Yikes.

Can one ask a stupid question? Why doesn't Wimbledon get smart and install retractable roofs such as Safeco Field???? Seems like the weather in London is so similiar to Seattle anyway...why oh why? The only thing thats more backed up at the moment is a drain that has grease poured down it...sheesh!!!!

Why don't they? Well Bud Collins answered that question today.

For years they said that you couldn't maintain a grass court with a roof (which was proven wrong by the tournament in Germany.)

It's tradition. Everything in Wimbledon is about tradition.

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Wimbledon did put up a retractable roof. True, Wimbledon's all about tradition, but "tradition" like an old English manor retains all its original detailing and architecture, but with a 21st-Century kitchen. It's easy to focus on the grass and tennis whites and lose sight of all the innovation at W: the first Grand Slam to use Cyclops, the first to use a computerized net-cord monitor, the first to have a woman umpire in a GS singles final ... and that's only a partial list. Now that Halle has successfully employed a retractable roof, I bet the Wimbledon folks are seriously considering it.

Sigh...Hewitt d. Schalken, 6-2, 6-2, 6-7, 1-6, 7-5. At least Schalken took him to five sets.

Henman d. Sa in four sets.

Nalbandian was looking strong against Lapentti, winning the first two sets. The third set seems to be taking a while, and Lapentti whittled away at a Nalbandian lead and is now ahead 5-4.

In a big surprise (to me, at least), Malisse took the first set from Krajicek, 6-1.

I am so glad Malisse beat Krajicek. I dislike the players who are really only servers. Malisse has such a nice fluid game, if not the mental stability to back it up.

Krajicek's really just a server?!? Au contraire, mon ami!! He has one of the best slice backhands in the men's game (it stays incredibly low), great net coverage, and can rip the ball off both wings when necessary, not to mention excellent mobility for a big guy. I've watched Krajicek a few times at the U.S. Open over the years, and while the serve is probably his most dominating weapon, I've always been impressed by the completeness of his game.

Hewitt won??? Crap!! Sorry, I'm sure he's a nice guy off the court (why else would a sweetheart like Kim Clijsters put up with him?), but he turns into a real jerk when he steps on court. I'll be rooting for Tim big-time, but can't say I'm expecting Henman to win. On the other side, both Malisse and Nalbandian (who???) must be pinching themselves that they actually have a chance to get into the Wimbledon final.