Joe Soriano
O.J. LewisWimbledon Gentlemen's Round 2 - First Day Results
June 26th 2008 06:30
Safin Gets it Done in Round Two
I sat here and watched/listened to ESPN’s pre-match analysis prior to the Novak Djokovic – Marat Safin match shortly after I posted the day’s Wimbledon schedule, and right before I actually wandered off to bed. Coverage of Wimbledon comes on here in Tulsa, Oklahoma at 6A.M.. I listened as the experts praised Djokovic and suggested he had a shot at winning it all. At the same time they didn’t just say Djokovic was going to beat Safin, they were saying how Safin did everything wrong, and how he had little to no chance of winning. I am hardly, nor do I claim to be a tennis expert by any means at all, so I went off to bed thinking, “Oh well, my prediction of Safin beating him will just look silly for a couple days until it fades into the background with the older posts.”
I woke up and did the normal things I do after waking up, as well as coming in to the computer to check only the score of that match. As I stood behind the desk chair and loaded the scores to see that Safin had won in straight sets I backed up and pumped my arm in victory as if I had just won the match myself. As my one dog looked at me as if to ask, “are you OK?”, I looked down to explain that you don’t need to be an expert, sometimes you just need to have a feeling. He wandered off as if to say, “Well, I have a feeling I am hungry, and you might need to get some help.”
So Marat Safin had an incredible match, and to dispute the “experts” a little bit more, Djokovic was quoted in his post match interview as saying that Safin was “mentally there.” A side of things they criticized Safin heavily about earlier in the day. I did go and watch it on the DVR later in the day. It was indeed a good match. I am glad to be possibly the only person, including Safin who said he was even surprised, to not be surprised by the outcome. I do realize this probably means my picks for the next 4 or 5 months will be way off. Take that fact and run with it if you are a betting person, just remember me if you win.
Another less impactful surprise for the day was that World #1 Roger Federer needed a third set tie-break to down Swede Robin Soderling. Just another little factor to add into argument as to why he will not win the title this time around in England.
Lleyton Hewitt also needed a tie-break, but his was in the first set of his match against Albert Montanes of Spain. Hewitt would cruise to an easy win in sets two and three, 6-0, 6-2.
With most Americans leaving England early, Bobby Reynolds kept some people’s hopes alive as he got past Canadia Frank Dancevic in four set, which included a second set tie-break which he won 12-10.
Marat Safin upsets #3 Djokovic in Round 2. Image courtesy G. Kirk.
I sat here and watched/listened to ESPN’s pre-match analysis prior to the Novak Djokovic – Marat Safin match shortly after I posted the day’s Wimbledon schedule, and right before I actually wandered off to bed. Coverage of Wimbledon comes on here in Tulsa, Oklahoma at 6A.M.. I listened as the experts praised Djokovic and suggested he had a shot at winning it all. At the same time they didn’t just say Djokovic was going to beat Safin, they were saying how Safin did everything wrong, and how he had little to no chance of winning. I am hardly, nor do I claim to be a tennis expert by any means at all, so I went off to bed thinking, “Oh well, my prediction of Safin beating him will just look silly for a couple days until it fades into the background with the older posts.”
I woke up and did the normal things I do after waking up, as well as coming in to the computer to check only the score of that match. As I stood behind the desk chair and loaded the scores to see that Safin had won in straight sets I backed up and pumped my arm in victory as if I had just won the match myself. As my one dog looked at me as if to ask, “are you OK?”, I looked down to explain that you don’t need to be an expert, sometimes you just need to have a feeling. He wandered off as if to say, “Well, I have a feeling I am hungry, and you might need to get some help.”
So Marat Safin had an incredible match, and to dispute the “experts” a little bit more, Djokovic was quoted in his post match interview as saying that Safin was “mentally there.” A side of things they criticized Safin heavily about earlier in the day. I did go and watch it on the DVR later in the day. It was indeed a good match. I am glad to be possibly the only person, including Safin who said he was even surprised, to not be surprised by the outcome. I do realize this probably means my picks for the next 4 or 5 months will be way off. Take that fact and run with it if you are a betting person, just remember me if you win.
Another less impactful surprise for the day was that World #1 Roger Federer needed a third set tie-break to down Swede Robin Soderling. Just another little factor to add into argument as to why he will not win the title this time around in England.
Lleyton Hewitt also needed a tie-break, but his was in the first set of his match against Albert Montanes of Spain. Hewitt would cruise to an easy win in sets two and three, 6-0, 6-2.
With most Americans leaving England early, Bobby Reynolds kept some people’s hopes alive as he got past Canadia Frank Dancevic in four set, which included a second set tie-break which he won 12-10.
| Wimbledon Gentlemen's Day 3 | Scores | Winners |
| Second Round | ||
| Roger Federer SUI (1) | 6 6 7(7) | |
| v | Roger Federer SUI (1) | |
| Robin Soderling SWE | 3 4 6(3) | |
| Marc Gicquel FRA | 4 5 7(7) 7(7) 6 | |
| v | Marc Gicquel FRA | |
| Ilia Bozoljac | 6 7 6(1) 6(0) 3 | |
| Lleyton Hewitt AUS (20) | 7(7) 6 6 | |
| v | Lleyton Hewitt AUS (20) | |
| Albert Montanes ESP | 6(4) 0 2 | |
| Simone Bolelli ITA | 7(10) 7(9) 3 7(7) | |
| v | Simone Bolelli ITA | |
| Fernando Gonzalez CHI (15) | 6( 8) 6(7) 6 6(4) | |
| Tomas Berdych CZE (11) | 6(5) 7(8) 6 6 | |
| v | Tomas Berdych CZE (11) | |
| Victor Hanescu ROU | 7(7) 6(6) 1 2 | |
| Olivier Rochus BEL | 6(4) 7(7) 1 1 | |
| v | Fernando Verdasco ESP (22) | |
| Fernando Verdasco ESP (22) | 7(7) 6(5) 6 6 | |
| Mario Ancic CRO | 6 6 6(1) 4 6 | |
| v | Mario Ancic CRO | |
| Philipp Petzschner GER | 1 4 7(7) 6 3 | |
| Igor Andreev RUS | 6 3 4 2 | |
| v | David Ferrer ESP (5) | |
| David Ferrer ESP (5) | 3 6 6 6 | |
| Novak Djokovic SRB (3) | 4 6(3) 2 | |
| v | Marat Safin RUS | |
| Marat Safin RUS | 6 7(7) 6 | |
| Florent Serra FRA | 3 7(7) 2 7(7) 4 | |
| v | Andreas Seppi ITA (29) | |
| Andreas Seppi ITA (29) | 6 6(4) 6 6(5) 6 | |
| Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (21) | 4 4 1 | |
| v Retired | Mischa Zverev GER | |
| Mischa Zverev GER | 6 6 2 | |
| Juan Martin Del Potro ARG | 6(5) 3 5 | |
| v | Stanislas Wawrinka SUI (13) | |
| Stanislas Wawrinka SUI (13) | 7(7) 6 7 | |
| Marcos Baghdatis CYP (10) | 6 6 6 | |
| v | Marcos Baghdatis CYP (10) | |
| Thomas Johansson SWE | 4 4 4 | |
| Thomaz Bellucci BRA | 6 3 1 7(7) 6 | |
| v | Simon Stadler GER | |
| Simon Stadler GER | 3 6 6 6(5) 8 | |
| Feliciano Lopez ESP (31) | 6 6 6 | |
| Feliciano Lopez ESP (31) | ||
| Roko Karanusic CRO | 3 3 4 | |
| Bobby Reynolds USA | 4 7(12) 6 6 | |
| Bobby Reynolds USA | ||
| Frank Dancevic CAN | 6 6(10) 4 4 |
| 73 |
| Vote |
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