TENNIS: Wimbledon 2022 so far
Jul. 2nd, 2022 10:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllFirst round:
Monday lunchtime viewing was Norrie bagelling his Spanish opponent (Andujar?), who then started to improve in the second set until the rain came.
Coffee break was an opportunity to select the Alcaraz match, because I wanted to see the wunderkind play. But it turned out that the major force was Jan-Lennard Struff, of whom I’d heard, but I’m fairly certain I hadn’t seen play this well. Apparently, he was back from injury – I didn’t catch any explanation for how he got into Wimbledon at a ranking of 135, but he’d figured/realised that the way to beat Alcaraz, who hasn’t had much grass court experience, was to play super aggressively, and delight a commentating John Lloyd’s heart by serving and volleying. If you’re going to do that, you have to both serve and volley well. He did.
Alcaraz showed why he was a top 10 player, but after an early break, was always on the back foot in the first set. Still, he’d tightened up his game in the second set, which I fast forwarded through a bit – having used the pause button too (iPlayer lets me watch so much more tennis!) but Alcaraz was not letting his serve go, and I saw flashes of why he’s described as a really good returner, but Struff found excellent serves on break points until the end of the set.
The third set was also close, with Struff continuing to play aggressively, helped a few times by the net cord, but Alcaraz pulled off a few stunning shots and every now and then they’d get into a long rally and you could tell how he’d won so many matches on other courts. Tiebreak and Alcaraz, down a mini break, turned it around and served like he meant it.
But Struff broke him in the fourth, didn’t he? I had, I suspect, lucked on to watching the match of the day, because there were so many staggering points. Struff was playing amazingly and strongly, Alcaraz was fast and emphasising, even on this unknown surface, that he’s the real deal. There were a few signs by the fifth set that Struff, who hadn’t had much match play because of his injuries, was tiring (I’d thought this match would favour Alcaraz the longer it went on because of this, but up till that point, with every new set, whether he’d lost or won the last, Struff had stayed strong) in a few double faults, a few stray shots here or there, and Alcaraz kept pushing and at 4-4 broke to serve for the match. He’d later admit he’d never served so well in his life. Well, at 19 he’s already this good and learning. Very exciting.
I dipped in and out of Murray vs Duckworth, and it looked like entertaining tennis, although Murray generally seemed to be playing better in the bits I’d fast forwarded past rather than what I saw. I stopped watching early in the fourth set. (My excuse for not watching any women’s tennis is that I’d just watched them all at Eastbourne.)
On Tuesday morning, I learned that yes, Norrie had won in three sets, despite two rain delays and Murray had beaten Duckworth. Raducanu had won against an awkward opponent in two, Djokovic had won in four. Alcaraz is apparently the youngest man playing Wimbledon, but Cilic and Berrettini (aargh) had pulled out because of COVID, which makes the men’s championship more open. We’ve been talking about Djokovic, Nadal if his body holds out, Murray if his body holds out (this latter out of reflex) as potential winners, and Berrettini after his two tournament wins. But, okay, Ruud and Alcara got through, but would they have been seeded as highly if grass form was still being taken into account? Hercacz is out. It seems as if there’s a lot more opportunity for more men than there has been, although I’m less convinced when Tsitsipas is mentioned as a potential champion given where he’s stalled recently.
I also learned that Haddad Maia had lost and that this would essentially be Djokovic’s last Grand Slam of the year because of US vaccination requirements (and that’s a lot of tournaments he won’t be able to play there too.)
So, day two, and I saw Penniston go through to the second round, then I watched Swiatek play against qualifier Janna Fett. Sam Smith was joined in the booth by the husky-voiced Caroline Wozniacki, who’d played Fett in a memorable Australian Open match and offered sharp insights in her Danish/American accent. Swiatek got foot faulted in her first game and perhaps served with more inhibition as a result, but, nonetheless, both she and the occasion got to Fett, who was bagelled in the first set. But perhaps it was too easy for Swiatek, because she then played more loosely and Fett played better. The world no. 1 wasn’t going to go down two breaks, though, and reimposed herself, helped by Fett’s very very poor ball tosses.
I saw a bit of Nadal, but John Inverdale was ‘commentating’ i.e talking over play and making it clear he was more interested in other sports. I missed out on him saying ’game’ for ‘match’, which is my other Inverdale bugbear, because I was fast forwarding and dipping in and out.
I then chose to dip in and out of Tsitsipas against a qualifier who blew him away right at the start of the first set, but Tsitipas played his way back into things and looked like the top 10 player he is facing a player who’d never played on the ATP tour before, let alone a showcourt at a slam. I stopped watching it before the end of the fourth set – Richards had won the third!, although really he should have won the first, being a double break up. Pat Cash had analysed that Tsitsipas’s love of a big swing might be one reason why he hasn’t done so well on grass yet.
I tried to find ‘Today at Wimbledon’, but they were instead showing the Serena Williams match. I may be in a minority, but I was supporting Tan for much of her fightback in the third – I gave up on that for bed before the conclusion. There was a dose of reality when they mentioned when Serena last won a Slam. If she does win this, good on her, but why hold any opponent roll over and let her?
Also, the BBC should rethink ‘Today at Wimbledon’ and its slot if they’re going to be playing late matches with the roof closed for light on Centre Court and Court no. 1 in the first week.
On day 3, I learned that if I’d waited a little longer I would have seen Tan break back and beat Serena in the third. Good on her.
Second round:
I couldn’t settle down to matches on Wednesday. At lunchtime, it was a choice of Peniston or Ruud playing, neither of which I cared about. (Both lost.) I saw some of Djokovic, whose level was up as he played Kokkonassis, whose own game had improved in the second set, but was still trailing on the scoreboard.
The match I watched most attentively (and that wasn’t very) was Norrie against Munar, who was playing lights out, but Norrie eventually took control in the last two of five sets.
I saw a glimpse of Alcaraz’s final set. He’d just broken, then forgot how to get his first serve in – perhaps a lack of focus but he regrouped, broke again and didn’t make the same error. Apparently it was a closer match than the scoreline suggested, but he did win it in three. I’d then have watched Jabeur but her opponent had called for a trainer so I watched Murray vs. Isner while waiting for ‘The Great British Sewing Bee’ to start. Isner was serving well – Murray hadn’t had a sniff on his serve, and was down two sets, but had forced it into a tiebreak in the third, where he imposed his will and won the tiebreak and set.
The crowd and he roared, and as Isner isn’t a bright young thing any more (I was later reminded he’s older than Murray), it felt like old times, except it’s round 2 and the real business happens next week. So I watched until Murray lost a game – due to unforced backhand and forehand errors, and there was a countdown for the roof to close/’The Great British Sewing Bee’ to start. The latter got moved to BBC Two! The indignity!
Murray did lose the match because of that break, and apparently Raducanu lost her second-round match, but to a very good player in Caroline Garcia.
Thursday lunchtime viewing was the very close end of the second set of Kvitova’s match against Bogdan of Romania. Apparently the two-time champion was outstanding at the start, but had to fight by the end of the second, and won in the tiebreak.
During my coffee break, I found out that Pliskova and Boulter were having a rematch. I joined towards the end of the first set. Pliskova was in the lead, but I remembered how Boulter had come through to win in three at Eastbourne, and what I’d thought of her game, paused it, and later rejoined to watch as the Brit did find a way to break what had looked like a devastating serve, and with the Centre Court crowd’s support – which quite a bit bigger than Eastbourne’s - won the second. Oh, and the third. Positive play – it’s attractive and exciting.
And then I learned in the post-match interview that she’d lost her grandmother two days ago but had won through to the third round of a grand slam for the first time – what a mix of emotions for her.
In the later part of the afternoon, there was a choice of Nadal, Swiatek and Halep matches, I chose Swiatek’s because the score was the most intriguing: one set all against a player who was more used to the challenger events. I watched most of their third set where it became apparent that the Dutch player (she had a double barrel name that I hadn’t taken in) had a lot of variety, and Swiatek was having problems with her forehand. Granted, she’s still figuring out grass, but the habit of winning helped her. She broke and pressed on to win the set.
I had Halep vs Flipkens on in the background. Flipkens was making Halep come to the net in ways she didn’t like, but the Romanian former champion still won and there was a big fuss of Flipkens, who was retiring from singles.
And then I chose to watch long stretches of Draper (left handed! Only 20) against Alex de Minaur, and from the end of the first set to the start of the second, Draper was in blistering form, although his failure to break in the early part of the second would tell. Due to the stream I was watching, actually being a channel, not a match stream, I missed a chunk, and at the point I rejoined it, de Minaur was two sets to one up, and breaking Draper, who looked tired, while de Minaur had tightened his game/improved his level. Still, Draper fought, and it was a very entertaining brand of tennis. He ought to climb up the rankings/improve. De Minaur is Katie Boulter’s boyfriend, and she was watching him by the end of the match at least. De Minaur will next face Liam Broady (!) who will be tired after winning a second five setter, but this time against Diego Schwartzmann, who put him out last year, to go through to the third for the first time.
Some Brits won, some Brits lost, then.
Third round:
For Friday lunchtime, I got to watch a determined Ostapenko win her match. Apparently she’d been down one set, raised her level and won 12 of the last 13 games. I couldn’t help noting that the top of the same design as she’d worn at Eastbourne was absolutely fine in regulation white.
My afternoon coffee break involved willing Heather Watson to close off her match and get into the fourth round in her twelfth Wimbledon appearance. She’d won a tight set against a much younger Juvan, then taken advantage of it and steamrolled on to serve for the match with a double break. but her opponent regrouped towards the end of the second set, lifted her game and made it more difficult for Watson to serve it out. (Wimbledon is the first time she’s strung together wins for 10 months.) Watson did serve it out the second time.
I next got to watch the tennis only to find that Cam Norrie had won in three – dominating the last two sets, which must have been a relief after a five setter in the second round. MacEnroe was a bit dismissive later when he owned his surprise that Norried had made it to the top 10ish, but he does have a few winnable matches ahead if you go by opponent/ranking.
So, I got to watch my first doubles at this year’s Wimbledon, the potentially dazzling pairing of Venus Williams and Jamie Murray against Michael Venus (maybe he pretended to himself when the crowd yelled, ‘C’mon. Venus’ that they were directing it to him), and Tomlianovic (possibly not her name). The last two had both faced Jamie Murray in different grand slam doubles final and lost. The Williams/Murray team had broken the woman’s serve and won the first, but the other pairing improved their level in the second. It was an entertaining match, one of the commentators being Dom Inglot who knows Murray’s game well, and if circumstances had been different, I’d have watched it to the completion, but I was watching on a not so smart TV and chose to watch my first ‘Today at Wimbledon’, well, I say watch, I’d seen Watson win so that was a rewatch. Djokovic seems in fine form, Alcaraz won a tricky opponent and Sinner is another seed who’s come through, but there are opportunities for unexpected men this year. Churn on the women’s side is more expected, Watson’s next opponent will be the player who knocked out Kontaveitt, and Kerber was knocked out today, but Jabeur is through, so we’ll see if she can turn that potential into results here this time. Or whether it’s someone else entirely. I had my usual issues with ‘Today at Wimbledon’ – their roving reporter seemed to delight in jumping on unsuspecting spectators and sticking a hand on their shoulder or a mike in their face, which I found a bit aggressive, and that feature where they surprised Johnny Mac with a minute to recap the day and he tried to rhyme/rap (missing the obvious ‘Sinner/winner’) was unfortunate.
[Edited for typos 27/2/25.]
Monday lunchtime viewing was Norrie bagelling his Spanish opponent (Andujar?), who then started to improve in the second set until the rain came.
Coffee break was an opportunity to select the Alcaraz match, because I wanted to see the wunderkind play. But it turned out that the major force was Jan-Lennard Struff, of whom I’d heard, but I’m fairly certain I hadn’t seen play this well. Apparently, he was back from injury – I didn’t catch any explanation for how he got into Wimbledon at a ranking of 135, but he’d figured/realised that the way to beat Alcaraz, who hasn’t had much grass court experience, was to play super aggressively, and delight a commentating John Lloyd’s heart by serving and volleying. If you’re going to do that, you have to both serve and volley well. He did.
Alcaraz showed why he was a top 10 player, but after an early break, was always on the back foot in the first set. Still, he’d tightened up his game in the second set, which I fast forwarded through a bit – having used the pause button too (iPlayer lets me watch so much more tennis!) but Alcaraz was not letting his serve go, and I saw flashes of why he’s described as a really good returner, but Struff found excellent serves on break points until the end of the set.
The third set was also close, with Struff continuing to play aggressively, helped a few times by the net cord, but Alcaraz pulled off a few stunning shots and every now and then they’d get into a long rally and you could tell how he’d won so many matches on other courts. Tiebreak and Alcaraz, down a mini break, turned it around and served like he meant it.
But Struff broke him in the fourth, didn’t he? I had, I suspect, lucked on to watching the match of the day, because there were so many staggering points. Struff was playing amazingly and strongly, Alcaraz was fast and emphasising, even on this unknown surface, that he’s the real deal. There were a few signs by the fifth set that Struff, who hadn’t had much match play because of his injuries, was tiring (I’d thought this match would favour Alcaraz the longer it went on because of this, but up till that point, with every new set, whether he’d lost or won the last, Struff had stayed strong) in a few double faults, a few stray shots here or there, and Alcaraz kept pushing and at 4-4 broke to serve for the match. He’d later admit he’d never served so well in his life. Well, at 19 he’s already this good and learning. Very exciting.
I dipped in and out of Murray vs Duckworth, and it looked like entertaining tennis, although Murray generally seemed to be playing better in the bits I’d fast forwarded past rather than what I saw. I stopped watching early in the fourth set. (My excuse for not watching any women’s tennis is that I’d just watched them all at Eastbourne.)
On Tuesday morning, I learned that yes, Norrie had won in three sets, despite two rain delays and Murray had beaten Duckworth. Raducanu had won against an awkward opponent in two, Djokovic had won in four. Alcaraz is apparently the youngest man playing Wimbledon, but Cilic and Berrettini (aargh) had pulled out because of COVID, which makes the men’s championship more open. We’ve been talking about Djokovic, Nadal if his body holds out, Murray if his body holds out (this latter out of reflex) as potential winners, and Berrettini after his two tournament wins. But, okay, Ruud and Alcara got through, but would they have been seeded as highly if grass form was still being taken into account? Hercacz is out. It seems as if there’s a lot more opportunity for more men than there has been, although I’m less convinced when Tsitsipas is mentioned as a potential champion given where he’s stalled recently.
I also learned that Haddad Maia had lost and that this would essentially be Djokovic’s last Grand Slam of the year because of US vaccination requirements (and that’s a lot of tournaments he won’t be able to play there too.)
So, day two, and I saw Penniston go through to the second round, then I watched Swiatek play against qualifier Janna Fett. Sam Smith was joined in the booth by the husky-voiced Caroline Wozniacki, who’d played Fett in a memorable Australian Open match and offered sharp insights in her Danish/American accent. Swiatek got foot faulted in her first game and perhaps served with more inhibition as a result, but, nonetheless, both she and the occasion got to Fett, who was bagelled in the first set. But perhaps it was too easy for Swiatek, because she then played more loosely and Fett played better. The world no. 1 wasn’t going to go down two breaks, though, and reimposed herself, helped by Fett’s very very poor ball tosses.
I saw a bit of Nadal, but John Inverdale was ‘commentating’ i.e talking over play and making it clear he was more interested in other sports. I missed out on him saying ’game’ for ‘match’, which is my other Inverdale bugbear, because I was fast forwarding and dipping in and out.
I then chose to dip in and out of Tsitsipas against a qualifier who blew him away right at the start of the first set, but Tsitipas played his way back into things and looked like the top 10 player he is facing a player who’d never played on the ATP tour before, let alone a showcourt at a slam. I stopped watching it before the end of the fourth set – Richards had won the third!, although really he should have won the first, being a double break up. Pat Cash had analysed that Tsitsipas’s love of a big swing might be one reason why he hasn’t done so well on grass yet.
I tried to find ‘Today at Wimbledon’, but they were instead showing the Serena Williams match. I may be in a minority, but I was supporting Tan for much of her fightback in the third – I gave up on that for bed before the conclusion. There was a dose of reality when they mentioned when Serena last won a Slam. If she does win this, good on her, but why hold any opponent roll over and let her?
Also, the BBC should rethink ‘Today at Wimbledon’ and its slot if they’re going to be playing late matches with the roof closed for light on Centre Court and Court no. 1 in the first week.
On day 3, I learned that if I’d waited a little longer I would have seen Tan break back and beat Serena in the third. Good on her.
Second round:
I couldn’t settle down to matches on Wednesday. At lunchtime, it was a choice of Peniston or Ruud playing, neither of which I cared about. (Both lost.) I saw some of Djokovic, whose level was up as he played Kokkonassis, whose own game had improved in the second set, but was still trailing on the scoreboard.
The match I watched most attentively (and that wasn’t very) was Norrie against Munar, who was playing lights out, but Norrie eventually took control in the last two of five sets.
I saw a glimpse of Alcaraz’s final set. He’d just broken, then forgot how to get his first serve in – perhaps a lack of focus but he regrouped, broke again and didn’t make the same error. Apparently it was a closer match than the scoreline suggested, but he did win it in three. I’d then have watched Jabeur but her opponent had called for a trainer so I watched Murray vs. Isner while waiting for ‘The Great British Sewing Bee’ to start. Isner was serving well – Murray hadn’t had a sniff on his serve, and was down two sets, but had forced it into a tiebreak in the third, where he imposed his will and won the tiebreak and set.
The crowd and he roared, and as Isner isn’t a bright young thing any more (I was later reminded he’s older than Murray), it felt like old times, except it’s round 2 and the real business happens next week. So I watched until Murray lost a game – due to unforced backhand and forehand errors, and there was a countdown for the roof to close/’The Great British Sewing Bee’ to start. The latter got moved to BBC Two! The indignity!
Murray did lose the match because of that break, and apparently Raducanu lost her second-round match, but to a very good player in Caroline Garcia.
Thursday lunchtime viewing was the very close end of the second set of Kvitova’s match against Bogdan of Romania. Apparently the two-time champion was outstanding at the start, but had to fight by the end of the second, and won in the tiebreak.
During my coffee break, I found out that Pliskova and Boulter were having a rematch. I joined towards the end of the first set. Pliskova was in the lead, but I remembered how Boulter had come through to win in three at Eastbourne, and what I’d thought of her game, paused it, and later rejoined to watch as the Brit did find a way to break what had looked like a devastating serve, and with the Centre Court crowd’s support – which quite a bit bigger than Eastbourne’s - won the second. Oh, and the third. Positive play – it’s attractive and exciting.
And then I learned in the post-match interview that she’d lost her grandmother two days ago but had won through to the third round of a grand slam for the first time – what a mix of emotions for her.
In the later part of the afternoon, there was a choice of Nadal, Swiatek and Halep matches, I chose Swiatek’s because the score was the most intriguing: one set all against a player who was more used to the challenger events. I watched most of their third set where it became apparent that the Dutch player (she had a double barrel name that I hadn’t taken in) had a lot of variety, and Swiatek was having problems with her forehand. Granted, she’s still figuring out grass, but the habit of winning helped her. She broke and pressed on to win the set.
I had Halep vs Flipkens on in the background. Flipkens was making Halep come to the net in ways she didn’t like, but the Romanian former champion still won and there was a big fuss of Flipkens, who was retiring from singles.
And then I chose to watch long stretches of Draper (left handed! Only 20) against Alex de Minaur, and from the end of the first set to the start of the second, Draper was in blistering form, although his failure to break in the early part of the second would tell. Due to the stream I was watching, actually being a channel, not a match stream, I missed a chunk, and at the point I rejoined it, de Minaur was two sets to one up, and breaking Draper, who looked tired, while de Minaur had tightened his game/improved his level. Still, Draper fought, and it was a very entertaining brand of tennis. He ought to climb up the rankings/improve. De Minaur is Katie Boulter’s boyfriend, and she was watching him by the end of the match at least. De Minaur will next face Liam Broady (!) who will be tired after winning a second five setter, but this time against Diego Schwartzmann, who put him out last year, to go through to the third for the first time.
Some Brits won, some Brits lost, then.
Third round:
For Friday lunchtime, I got to watch a determined Ostapenko win her match. Apparently she’d been down one set, raised her level and won 12 of the last 13 games. I couldn’t help noting that the top of the same design as she’d worn at Eastbourne was absolutely fine in regulation white.
My afternoon coffee break involved willing Heather Watson to close off her match and get into the fourth round in her twelfth Wimbledon appearance. She’d won a tight set against a much younger Juvan, then taken advantage of it and steamrolled on to serve for the match with a double break. but her opponent regrouped towards the end of the second set, lifted her game and made it more difficult for Watson to serve it out. (Wimbledon is the first time she’s strung together wins for 10 months.) Watson did serve it out the second time.
I next got to watch the tennis only to find that Cam Norrie had won in three – dominating the last two sets, which must have been a relief after a five setter in the second round. MacEnroe was a bit dismissive later when he owned his surprise that Norried had made it to the top 10ish, but he does have a few winnable matches ahead if you go by opponent/ranking.
So, I got to watch my first doubles at this year’s Wimbledon, the potentially dazzling pairing of Venus Williams and Jamie Murray against Michael Venus (maybe he pretended to himself when the crowd yelled, ‘C’mon. Venus’ that they were directing it to him), and Tomlianovic (possibly not her name). The last two had both faced Jamie Murray in different grand slam doubles final and lost. The Williams/Murray team had broken the woman’s serve and won the first, but the other pairing improved their level in the second. It was an entertaining match, one of the commentators being Dom Inglot who knows Murray’s game well, and if circumstances had been different, I’d have watched it to the completion, but I was watching on a not so smart TV and chose to watch my first ‘Today at Wimbledon’, well, I say watch, I’d seen Watson win so that was a rewatch. Djokovic seems in fine form, Alcaraz won a tricky opponent and Sinner is another seed who’s come through, but there are opportunities for unexpected men this year. Churn on the women’s side is more expected, Watson’s next opponent will be the player who knocked out Kontaveitt, and Kerber was knocked out today, but Jabeur is through, so we’ll see if she can turn that potential into results here this time. Or whether it’s someone else entirely. I had my usual issues with ‘Today at Wimbledon’ – their roving reporter seemed to delight in jumping on unsuspecting spectators and sticking a hand on their shoulder or a mike in their face, which I found a bit aggressive, and that feature where they surprised Johnny Mac with a minute to recap the day and he tried to rhyme/rap (missing the obvious ‘Sinner/winner’) was unfortunate.
[Edited for typos 27/2/25.]
