SB Nation Tennis Wimbledon 2010
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SB Nation's Ben Rothenberg breaks down the action from Day 8 at Wimbledon.
Petra Kvitova and Kaia Kanepi are tied 6-6 in the third set of their their most anonymous of quarterfinals.
Having blown five match points and a 4-0 lead in the third set, no one in Kanepi’s camp can like her chances too much.
Which is sad, because her coach’s hair is AWESOME.
No. 1 Serena Williams is into her third straight Wimbledon semifinal with a deceptively easy 7-5, 6-3 win over No. 9 Li Na.
Serena earned her first break of the second set from a very loose service game by Li in the fifth game of the set, breaking her at 15 for a 3-2 lead courtesy of an unforced forehand error by Li that found the middle of the net.
Serena got an insurance break just two games later, gaining a 5-2 with Li lead.
Serena then reciprocated Li’s loose serving by being broken in the next game, as she tried to serve for the match, giving Li a window of opportunity to make the second set interesting.
But Li didn’t capitalize and was broken for the third straight time to lose the set 6-3 and the match in straight sets.
It’s fairly absurd how heavily favored Serena will be the rest of the way. She is the only top 20 player in the semifinals, and the only one to have made a grand slam final. If she doesn’t win her fourth Wimbledon on Saturday, it will be one of the biggest shocks in the history of the sport.
No. 1 Serena Williams took the first set 7-5 against No. 9 Li Na in a hard-fought, well-played battle that was won all too easily in the end.
The two played extremely strong tennis through the first ten games, each holding five times with relative ease.
But at 5-5, Li suddenly seemed overwhelmed by the occasion. Leading 40-0, she inexplicably threw in two double faults and three unforced errors to choke away the game and put Serena up a break.
Serena easily held serve in the next game to take the first set 7-5, putting herself one set away from what is looking like the easiest final four at a grand slam in quite some time.
Upsets continued in Day 8’s Ladies’ Singles action, with No. 21 Vera Zvonareva upsetting No. 8 Kim Clijsters 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to make her first Wimbledon semifinal.
It was a classic Clijsters-style loss, as the Belgian seemed to rush more and more as her chances went downhill. Zvonareva, hardly a picture of mental toughness, was able to stay steady as Clijsters allowed her to dictate most points.
Clijsters had won all five of the pair’s previous meetings, including twice on grass, though the two have not played since 2006 (in large part due to Clijsters’ retirement).
It’s Zvonareva’s second career grand slam semifinal, having previously made the final four at the 2009 Australian Open.
Zvonareva will be favored against Pironkova in the semifinal, but only slightly. She should have an easier time generating pace against Pironkova’s junkballs than Venus did, but Pironkova, despite her inexperience, should be considered the more mentally tough of the two.
Should be an interesting (if somewhat surreal) match to watch.
For the second straight day, the No. 82 player in the world rankings has knocked a 2009 Wimbledon finalist out of the second week of the 2010 tournament.
A day after ATP No. 82 Lu Yen-Hsun upset No. 5 Andy Roddick on Day 7, WTA No. 82 Tsvetana Pironkova delivered an even bigger upset in the Ladies’ Singles, comprehensively beating No. 2 Venus Williams 6-2, 6-3 to make the Wimbledon semifinals.
Winning only five games in the match makes this the worst loss of Venus’ Wimbledon career.
Pironkova, 22, had shocked Venus at a major before, beating her in three sets in the first round of the 2006 Australian Open.
Pironkova gave the five-time Wimbledon champion fits with her variety, throwing in all sorts of junky forehand slices and chops that died short in the court, then following them with powerful, penetrating shots that left Williams guessing the entire way.
Venus hit 29 errors to only 6 for Pironkova, but a lot more of those errors were Pironkova’s doing than not. Venus struggled to dictate play or generate any pace, and once Pironkova sunk her teeth into a point she generally won it.
Pironkova, who had never before won more than one match in a row at a grand slam, has not lost a set so far at Wimbledon 2010 (10-0).
With the win, Pironkova becomes the first Bulgarian to reach the semifinals of a grand slam.
No. 8 Kim Clijsters and No. 21 Vera Zvonareva have split the first two sets of their Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles quarterfinal on Centre Court, and are headed to a decisive third.
After the two stayed level until 3-3, Clijsters took the first set 6-3 by breaking twice to the final three games of the frame.
Zvonareva went up a break at 5-2 in the second, but allowed Clijsters to break back for 5-4. Zvonareva responded from the letdown quickly (something she is not known to do), breaking right back to take the set 6-4 and force a decider.
Unseeded Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova has jumped out to a surprising early advantage against five-time Wimbledon champion No. 2 Venus Williams in their quarterfinal match on Court 1, winning four games in a row to take the first set 6-2.
Pironkova has been doing a tremendous job of prolonging rallies making Venus hit additional shots, extending points until an error comes from the Williams side. Pironkova is also mixing up her forehand extremely well, throwing in a lot of slices and chops that have kept Venus off-balance.
Venus has struck thirteen unforced errors to only one from Pironkova.
After the glut of tennis on Monday, it's quality over quantity time the rest of the way at Wimbledon. That's the idea, anyway.
Tuesday's Day 8 action features all four Ladies' Singles quarterfinals, and no Gentlemen's Singles matches.
With no matches on outer courts, play starts an hour later than it has before at 1 PM London time (8 AM EDT).
1. Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) vs No. 2 Venus Williams (USA) -- This is a dangerous match-up for Venus, who lost to Pironkova in the first round of the 2006 Australian Open. Pironkova never capitalized on the enormous potential and ball-striking ability she showed in that match, and is definitely overdue for the slam run she's been having during this tournament. Still, Venus is the far more talented and experienced player, especially when it comes to the business end of Wimbledon. Prediction: Venus in 2.
2. No. 8 Kim Clijsters (BEL) vs No. 21 Vera Zvonareva (RUS) -- After an impressive win over her nemesis Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters seems poised to make her first Wimbledon semifinal since 2006. Zvonareva is in her first Wimbledon final, thanks largely to a soft draw (two qualifiers) and an injury to her fourth round opponent, Jelena Jankovic. Clijsters is the more consistent and faster of the two, and the more emotionally balanced (as is everyone in comparison to Zvonareva). It should be a pretty convincing win. Prediction: Clijsters in 2.
3. No. 1 Serena Williams (USA) vs No. 9 Na Li (CHN) -- The two played an extremely tough semifinal at this year's Australian Open, with Serena winning in straight sets despite an injury to her right knee. Although she's been playing phenomenally well this tournament, this is a rough draw for Li, who would be considered the clear favorite against Pironkova, Zvonareva, Kvitova or Kanepi. But if she's ever going to win a slam, she might as well earn it. No one has been playing better than Serena in this tournament, but Sharapova did have three set points against her. I think Li will be able to take it one step further and actually win a set, but no more. Prediction: Serena in 3.
4. Petra Kvitova (CZE) vs Kaia Kanepi (EST) -- As anonymous as this match-up is, it's actually the second time the two have met in the second week of a slam. Want to catch the highlights of their previous slam encounter, from the fourth round of the 2008 French Open? Too bad. Despite being an extremely close match that was postponed on its first day due to darkness and lasted longer than any other women's fourth round match that year, the two had to play on a non-TV court. Kanepi went on to win that match 6-1 in the third, but Kvitova won their most recent encounter in a third set tiebreaker, in Memphis this February. I've seen more of Kvitova's matches, and have been extremely impressed with her form, so I'll say she takes this one as well to make this a true grand slam breakthrough. Prediction: Kvitova in 2.
Wimbledon: Petra Kvitova Wins 8-6 In The Third, Makes First Grand Slam Semifinal
Once she was able to level the final set at 6-6, Petra Kvitova quickly finished out her quarterfinal with Kaia Kanepi, beating the Estonian qualifier 4-6, 7-6(8), 8-6 to make her first career grand slam semifinal.
Except for on Kanepi’s match points, I never lost the feeling that Kvitova was going to win this match. Not only is her game superior to Kanepi’s—her self-belief is as well.
Kvitova has ousted an incredible roster of players to make this final, of which, ironically, Kanepi is the least prestigious. She beat Sorana Cirstea, Zheng Jie, Victoria Azarenka, and Caroline Wozniacki on her way to the quarterfinals, each of whom has previously made a grand slam quarterfinal (or better).
Kvitova will have her hands more than full against Serena Williams in the semifinals, but might be able to catch Williams off guard if Serena believes all the talk about how the title is already hers. Kvitova still won’t win in that event, but she would at least be able to make things significantly more interesting.
Jun 29 1:17p by Ben Rothenberg - 0 comments