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feather_ghyllApparently the Alcaraz vs Munar match was the longest at Queen’s since the early 90s.
The first quarter final featured Jacob Fearnley vs Jiri Lehechka, and things were very encouraging when Fearnley got the first break. But in the next serve, instead of consolidating it, he strung together three break points. He would do so again at the end of the first set, handing the set to Lehechka. You can’t do that! (The commentators would later report he’d been having difficulties with feeling in his hands. Yikes. But still, you can't do that!)
I fastforwarded through the next set, which Lehechka won 6-2, earning himself a semi final spot (as his ranking and experience suggested he might.) During the match, I was reminded of how crazy far Fearnley has come in the past year.
Second on, Jack Draper vs Brandon Nakashima, and I thought Draper would have more than Nakashima. He did in the first set, earning a break, although when he was serving for the set, he lost a run of points, meaning Nakashima had break points. But Draper upped his level and eventually won the set.
Nakashima’s level improved a bit, and due respect to his more-than-solid serving and ability to keep a good length. Draper can’t be too happy with his first serve percentage, and I really didn’t get why he was using the drop shot so much, as his opponent usually read it and then won the points. Nakashima broke even by winning the second set, and it was going on serve, more or less, in the third, when Draper, who was often to be heard geeing himself up, found another gear. Pace and power, and enough composure after he thought he’d converted a break point (because the cheering was so loud he couldn’t hear the fault called on a very near miss) got him through. Admittedly, he faced break points when he was serving it out, because Nakashima had maintained his level, but Draper’s is higher when he finds it, and he and the crowd had reason to celebrate.
Third, Alcaraz vs Rinderknech in a rematch of the first round two years ago. Rinderknech having beaten Ben Shelton as a lucky loser this year. He had to serve big and come in whenever he got the chance. Big ask. From Alcaraz’s reaction when he broke him and served out the set, he very much wants to win here, and I think he got to enjoy himself in this match. We saw a handful of THOSE forehands, much better drop shots than in the last match and a peach of a lob over his six foot five opponent. He broke and responded well whenever his serve was under pressure, winning in two sets, and probably relieved it was shorter than the second set of his last match. But it made worrying about how drained he was after the French, celebrating and the lengthy second-round match seem ridiculous.
Fourth on, Holger Rune vs. Roberto Bautista-Agut, and it was soon clear that Rune’s level was erratic. We saw the good, the bad (usually going long) and the mistimed. Bautista-Agut was a lot more consistent, but your sense was that it was all on Rune’s racquet – the most telling stat was probably the high, high number of break points Bautista-Agut had, but failed to convert, and some of them were real chances, as Rune did not lift his game in all of them.
But the first set went to a tiebreak, won deservedly by Bautista-Agut. It was more of the same in the second set, with Rune turning on his box, Bautista-Agut managing his service games. He tensed up a little (and when you recall that this run has come from nowhere this season) and Rune won the second set tiebreak and thus the set.
Just as you thought that this would springboard Rune into playing better more consistently, it didn’t. Bautista-Agut broke his first service game and finally did lift his game to take advantage of the in-and-out play from the other side. Rune really wasn’t there – I think Draper was unhappy with his level of tennis, but he was present and trying which is why he’s now no. 4, a ranking Rune once held, but doesn’t any more. And yes, he is younger than you think (about Alcaraz’s age) because he’s been around for so long, but he’s no longer a teenager. Alcaraz will probably be happy to face his compatriot (so long as he doesn’t pull a Munar on him), Rune with his head in the right place might have given him a harder time, but Rune did not play well enough to win that quarter-final.
The tournament and media will be happy the top two seeds and draws are through.
The first quarter final featured Jacob Fearnley vs Jiri Lehechka, and things were very encouraging when Fearnley got the first break. But in the next serve, instead of consolidating it, he strung together three break points. He would do so again at the end of the first set, handing the set to Lehechka. You can’t do that! (The commentators would later report he’d been having difficulties with feeling in his hands. Yikes. But still, you can't do that!)
I fastforwarded through the next set, which Lehechka won 6-2, earning himself a semi final spot (as his ranking and experience suggested he might.) During the match, I was reminded of how crazy far Fearnley has come in the past year.
Second on, Jack Draper vs Brandon Nakashima, and I thought Draper would have more than Nakashima. He did in the first set, earning a break, although when he was serving for the set, he lost a run of points, meaning Nakashima had break points. But Draper upped his level and eventually won the set.
Nakashima’s level improved a bit, and due respect to his more-than-solid serving and ability to keep a good length. Draper can’t be too happy with his first serve percentage, and I really didn’t get why he was using the drop shot so much, as his opponent usually read it and then won the points. Nakashima broke even by winning the second set, and it was going on serve, more or less, in the third, when Draper, who was often to be heard geeing himself up, found another gear. Pace and power, and enough composure after he thought he’d converted a break point (because the cheering was so loud he couldn’t hear the fault called on a very near miss) got him through. Admittedly, he faced break points when he was serving it out, because Nakashima had maintained his level, but Draper’s is higher when he finds it, and he and the crowd had reason to celebrate.
Third, Alcaraz vs Rinderknech in a rematch of the first round two years ago. Rinderknech having beaten Ben Shelton as a lucky loser this year. He had to serve big and come in whenever he got the chance. Big ask. From Alcaraz’s reaction when he broke him and served out the set, he very much wants to win here, and I think he got to enjoy himself in this match. We saw a handful of THOSE forehands, much better drop shots than in the last match and a peach of a lob over his six foot five opponent. He broke and responded well whenever his serve was under pressure, winning in two sets, and probably relieved it was shorter than the second set of his last match. But it made worrying about how drained he was after the French, celebrating and the lengthy second-round match seem ridiculous.
Fourth on, Holger Rune vs. Roberto Bautista-Agut, and it was soon clear that Rune’s level was erratic. We saw the good, the bad (usually going long) and the mistimed. Bautista-Agut was a lot more consistent, but your sense was that it was all on Rune’s racquet – the most telling stat was probably the high, high number of break points Bautista-Agut had, but failed to convert, and some of them were real chances, as Rune did not lift his game in all of them.
But the first set went to a tiebreak, won deservedly by Bautista-Agut. It was more of the same in the second set, with Rune turning on his box, Bautista-Agut managing his service games. He tensed up a little (and when you recall that this run has come from nowhere this season) and Rune won the second set tiebreak and thus the set.
Just as you thought that this would springboard Rune into playing better more consistently, it didn’t. Bautista-Agut broke his first service game and finally did lift his game to take advantage of the in-and-out play from the other side. Rune really wasn’t there – I think Draper was unhappy with his level of tennis, but he was present and trying which is why he’s now no. 4, a ranking Rune once held, but doesn’t any more. And yes, he is younger than you think (about Alcaraz’s age) because he’s been around for so long, but he’s no longer a teenager. Alcaraz will probably be happy to face his compatriot (so long as he doesn’t pull a Munar on him), Rune with his head in the right place might have given him a harder time, but Rune did not play well enough to win that quarter-final.
The tournament and media will be happy the top two seeds and draws are through.
