WIMBLEDON 2014

I can't believe they were still playing when I got home/in that light! 100% expected it to be called off at 6-6. Did Berdych actually explicitly ask for it to be suspended? Can't imagine he'd have been made to play on.

That match was gonna be our third on No 1 but I can't complain after we got Li/BZS and Dimitrov/Dolgopolov, what a day. Li's form has been bad since the AO, but it's remarkable given her past rep how she's turned winning ugly into her MO. As tricksy and grass-loving as I know BZS can be, she'd never been to a Slam second week or beaten a top 10 player and I didn't expect she'd keep it together - she can do a lot with the ball but her lack of power, lack of temperament for grinding and general emotions always get in the way at some point. Probably the best match I've seen by her, toughing out a messy first set and then really peaking throughout the second with those awesome volleys and dropshots on key points. Li was just intermittent and mostly awful. Ludicrous ending - BZS genuinely thought that Li shot was out, she was celebrating for real, and the crowd couldn't believe that Li's desperation challenge worked. AND THEN LI HANDED THE REPLAY OVER ON A DF ANYWAY LMAOOOOOOOO.

Was really disappointed that Dolgopolov, once again, spurned so many chances to put the final nail into the match through sheer sloppiness throughout the fourth set, then of course his first serve disappears at the worst time and then the fifth is a formality. I mean, Dimitrov was woeful towards the end of the third and start of the fourth, but he was always searching for a way back in - as well as the chip and charging as Roz noted he started taking a lot of pace out of the rallies, giving Dolgopolov little to work with. Still, I see that more as one that got away from Dolgopolov than a grand comeback. Oh well, at least I got Dimitrov nudity.

Most disappointing result surely Kuznetsov's letdown? A letdown is natural but to a terrible claycourter like LEONARDO MAYER? When you've just ousted the hundred-times-better version of him? Come on now.

I can only imagine how the final two sets of Fognini's loss looked like from the scoreline. Shame Konjuh couldn't do much against Wozniacki but Woz tends to be a nightmare for that sort of young player, Konjuh's improvement on grass between qualies and the Wickmayer match was already leaps and bounds beyond what I could have hoped. Future champ here, 100%. Ew, though, Wozniacki probably in the QFs...though I guess she needs something to rub in McIlroy's face.

Pity I missed Petra/Venus, this is their third super-tight classic in a row I think? Maybe fourth? Intended to pop outside to watch on the screen but prioritised seeing Dimitrov and Dolgopolov IRL. I am against watching matches on the screen on principle. Tutted out loud at the people who left post-Dimitrov to watch Murray on Aorangi Terrace (I refuse to acknowledge its nickname) when the RODIONOVA SHOW was upcoming in mixed doubles. Turns out the joke was on me, I left after the one-sided first set and it turns out it went to 9-7 in the third. I was very cold and hungry though.

So Smitkova is the only qualifier in the second week! 10-8, wow. I TOLD Y'ALL SHE WAS GOOD in my qualies report. LMAO that the previous week she lost in the first round of $50K *qualies* to a British junior.

A bit in love with Wimbledon this year

Excellent roundup Lex!

the most impressive thing about Dimitrov's win was that his backhand, while still the weakest part of his game, held up for most of the match which is prob a testament to Roger Rasheed's fitness regime than anything else. And agreed, Dolgopolov should have taken his chances but then again, he almost never zones longer than two sets. It was only a matter of time before the errors crept in.

am working the night shift today so will miss most of the matches. But they all seem a bit boring on paper anyway, apart from Halep-Bencic, and maybe Petkovic/Bouchard.

gonna miss all of monday so today had better be good

oh is it just gonna rain all day?

intermittent showers I guess? anyway I just caught the last game of Kvitova/Venus on replay, lol @ how Petra was a hundred times more animated on winning than when she won Wimbledon. Great win for her though given that much the same happened in their last two matches, I'm not gonna get excited about how she's BACK!!!!1111 - but she's gotten very lucky in that everyone else left in the bottom half is a really good match-up for her (whereas Flipkens last year was the type she was always going to flop to). Then who knows what can happen in a final...

I had to rewatch the ending of the Li match even though I saw it live just for the sheer hilarity. THAT FLOP DF WHEN SHE'D BEEN HANDED A LIFELINE

No one has put the conclusion of the Smitkova match on Youtube yet :(((((

Serena - Kvitova final plz.

Q. In the good old days you always got to the fourth round, a couple years in the doldrums. You seem to do better when Rory is not about.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Is that a statement or a question? I'm not sure.

Q. It's a question.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I think it was more of a statement.

Her game is still a boring nothing but awww, way to stick it to cunts, Woz, love it.

BEPA/ZARINA TIME

BBC2 showing a replay of Dimitrov even though Serena/Cornet has started. Fuck's sake

watched about 2 games of Diyas-Mladenovic on wednesday but it was just Kiki spraying errors so i moved on

Rafaelol Nadalol, amirite?

soooo today's schedule is already backed up, the weather doesn't look like it's going to get much better...and Wimbledon confirm that unfinished matches will roll over to Monday. FUCK STUPID SUNDAY FOREVER

play resuming on outside courts again fyi everyone

11(?) deuce opening game between Bencic and Halep

cornet up a break against Serena in the 3rd. can she do it again?

up a double break now! please don't choke

lol serena got one of the breaks back, then gave it away with dumb errors.

that was really bad, Serena

wtf is happening to Serena?

There has probably been enough play not to push anything to Sunday.

Zarina just won.

just looks like she has no confidence.
idk if she has lost a step of pace and that has affected the rest of her game and that has affected her confidence and has sent her into a defeatist spiral like with Federer last year

Manic Monday not so manic - looks like they've pushed all of the bottom half of the men's to Tuesday, seeing as only Nadal-Kyrgios and Federer-Robredo are ready to go in that section. They've rolled Halep-Diyas to Tuesday too, as the rest of that quarter is still stuck in R3.

Ah, Wimbledon, showing the distinction between doing it right and getting it right.

Also I managed to work out that it was possible to make my mostly-broken bedroom TV split-screen Kyrgios/Vesely and Serena/Cornet and more or less for the last set the points and between-point breaks coincided awesomely well! Only I only had the sound of the latter.

PETRA THIS IS YOUR TIME DO NOT FUCK IT UP. (I don't see A-Rad getting through her parade of big lefties, but I guess grass helps her v the first two.)

WELP.

Was at a bbq, SO lucky that a fellow guest - fuelled by shared disgruntlement at the football that was on the TV - checked the scores midway through the third set. Together, we took over the TV :D

Cornet beating Serena on hard courts in Dubai was bizarre enough, but to repeat that on grass at a Slam? I mean, Cornet is a) the kind of retriever who can drive Serena nuts, b) unintimidateable, c) not actually as bad/powerless as she's made out to be, but WTF how did that happen.

Easily Serena's strangest year on tour, she's not generally slumping, no player has won more titles than her, yet she's completely flopping at the Slams. Outfought by Ivanovic and Cornet, trashed by Muguruza. Horrible to think about what this does for the draw for the second Slam in a row.

We kept the tennis on and football off the TV for Diyas :D I love Bepa but I also love Zarina and am so thrilled she's made a Slam second week.

Wimbledon organisers once again displaying maximum stupidity scheduling-wise. It's a glorious day for tennis today FYI.

Also, so weird to think that I saw Cornet's entire first-round match, and she started off her Wimbledon by going down 0-4 to Schmiedlova in five minutes.

*stares at draw*

SURELY Lisicki can't end up beating the RG champion yet again? It'd have to happen in the SF...and I can actually see it.

Really hoping that Halep (or DIYAS) comes through the top half though. Would be sweet to get revenge over Ma$ha on grass.

Halep vs Kvitova could be a really good final.
Halep is bringing so much to the tour already <3

Thanks wanted to know how Cornet was in that match (certainly not listed in the young ones coming thru articles I've been seeing) but it rained then you know football, etc. That was frustrating, was hoping the singles was going to be mostly done by 5.

Really wanted to see prime Serena and Kvitova - dream final that won't happen but there is lots of interest out there.

Cornet isn't a young player coming through, lol, she's 24. Though she was the first '90s-born player to get a ranking and a leading teenager in 2007-09! Then that heartbreaking AO R4 loss to Safina happened (and it became clear she was a limited player) and she really slumped for a few years. Improvement and resurgence in the last two years but I don't think this foreshadows imminent greatness.

The 2012 Serena/Petra QF was pretty decent iirc.

ok must've missed it.

What we have of a last 16 so far:

(25) Alize Cornet vs. (13) Eugenie Bouchard
(9) Angelique Kerber vs. (5) Maria Sharapova
(3) Simona Halep vs. Zarina Diyas
(11) Ana Ivanovic or (19) Sabine Lisicki vs. Madison Keys or Yaroslava Shvedova
(Q) Tereza Smitkova vs. (23) Lucie Safarova
(22) Ekaterina Makarova vs. (4) Agnieszka Radwanska
(6) Petra Kvitova vs. Shuai Peng
(16) Caroline Wozniacki vs. Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova

Predict: Bouchard, Sharapova, Halep, Lisicki, Smitkova, Radwanska, Kvitova, Wozniacki
Cheer: Cornet, Kerber, either, Shvedova, Smitkova, Radwanska, Kvitova, Zahlavova-Strycova

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (14) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Jeremy Chardy vs. (26) Marin Cilic
(3) Andy Murray vs. (20) Kevin Anderson
(11) Grigor Dimitrov vs. Leonardo Mayer
(5) Stanislas Wawrinka or Denis Istomin vs. (19) Feliciano Lopez or (9) John Isner
(23) Tommy Robredo vs. (4) Roger Federer
(8) Milos Raonic vs. (LL) Simone Bolelli or (10) Kei Nishikori
(WC) Nick Kyrgios vs. (2) Rafael Nadal

Predict: Djokovic, Cilic, Murray, Dimitrov, Lopez, Federer, Raonic, Nadal
Cheer: Djokovic, Chardy, Murray, Dimitrov, Istomin, Federer, Nishikori, Kyrgios

Anyone see the post match interview with Nadal - with this clueless twat who has no discernible talent for anything but for some reason ended up at the BBC (I assume he knew someone) and who they've tried using at every other sport going, to no avail, so now they're trying him with tennis, I don't know the guy's name but you'd recognise him - where Nadal, having just come off court, was asked what he thought of the fact that whenever he took his shirt off he got a big cheer from the crowd. Good work, BBC!

One held-over match down - Keys w/d with the injury she sustained on Sat. Real shame for her - her injuries are very ill-timed, the shoulder thing just as I thought she'd make a big move during the US swing last summer and now this, just off her first title and with a friendly draw. I love Shvedova but have a million times less confidence in her to take out Ivanovic/Lisicki.

First time ever we have two Kazakhs in the second week of a Slam, I presume (albeit Shvedova is a Fake Kazakh)

Also Czech domination

I swear Nishikori is the most frustrating player to support. Why was that game such a mess? (even though he won it.) Why is he in a fifth set against a LL in the first place? Why the errors? Completely needless. YOU CAN PLAY BETTER I HAVE SEEN YOU DO IT SO DO IT HERE PLEASE

Giving away cheap points on return from 15-30 up UGH.

But now its MP

Only needs one!

Through, thanks to Bolelli descending.

Z-S a break up vs Woz

Sweet volleying on SP and BZS is a set up on Wozniacki :D

two breaks for the set - upset is more than on.

Safarova didn't choke like I suspected she might, Smitkova never got into it - Lucie into her first Slam QF since AO 2007. God, she should have made so many more...

BZS is playing even better than she did against Li imo. Always known she was resourceful and skilled, never seen her grind out tough points like this and cover up her weaknesses so well before

Woz on the brink: 0-40

terrific return for the break