Murray makes Gulbis pay for jibes

Latvian Ernests Gulbis reaches long for a backhand retrieve during his defeat by 3rd seed Andy Murray. As schoolboy errors go, Ernests Gulbis’s one was a belter. Before he took on Andy Murray and 15,000 of his flag-waving friends on Centre Court, he had dared to accuse the Scot of being a bit of a fraud and not exactly a true sportsman. Note to Mr Gulbis: you don’t want to be getting Murray angry. Not before you have to play him. Not this week. Not at Wimbledon. When Gulbis last played “Braveheart” in London, at Queen’s Club last year, he gave him a decent workout and actually had him at 4-4 in the third set. And then Murray fell over, hurt his hand and called for the trainer. Gulbis was not convinced. He reckoned Murray was trying it on and was using the medical delay as a stalling tactic. So, when Gulbis recalled the incident and discussed it with the media before their second round match at Wimbledon this year, Murray was livid. That really was not what Latvia’s No.1 wanted. Not at all. Murray’s 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 demolition of the world No.74 today was swift, it was ruthless and it was just what the Centre Court crowd had wanted to see. Murray’s first round four-setter against Robert Kendrick had been good enough but it was not quite the statement of intent the faithful wished to see from the man they hope and believe can become their first British winner in 73 years. This performance was positively vindictive. Now that was more like it. In some ways it did not seem fair – Britain’s No.1 having to take on Ernests. Two of them? Latvians in plural? But it would not have mattered how many Gulbises (or should that be Gulbii?) Murray faced today, he was more than a match for the lot of them. Gulbis first came to everyone’s attention last year when, as a young and talented lad with a welting serve, he started to annoy the top boys at the top tournaments: Rafael Nadal here in SW19 and Andy Roddick at the US Open. He was not beating them but he was impressing them. But at only 20, he was still learning his trade and maintaining that form was a little beyond him. This year he has struggled and his ranking has slumped to No.74 in the world but, still, everyone knows that beneath that boyish exterior there is a golden talent – and it is bound to emerge at some point. Murray, then, was determined to put his younger rival in his place. Where “Tiger” Tim Henman used to walk on to the Centre Court with a tense look of hope and desperation, Murray marched on and sent Gulbis packing with a flea in his ear: this is my court, pal, and you are not welcome. Gulbis was clearly not used to being treated in such a manner. His father is a multi-millionaire businessman and his mother is a famous actress (well, famous in Latvia). From a seriously well-heeled family, he is rumoured to have been flown to the Beijing Olympics in Daddy’s personal jet. He even has a website dedicated to his story called “The Importance of Being Ernests”. Our friend from Latvia is obviously used to the good life. But there was precious little that was good for Gulbis as he took on Murray. He started by trying to hit the ball as hard as possible – that really didn’t get him very far. He tried serving a fast as possible – but he was up against one of the best returners in the game. Then he tried a drop shot or two – but Murray was moving like a whippet on wheels, so that didn’t work either. At the other end of the court, Scotland’s finest was going through his repertoire. His serve was earning him free points like it was going out of fashion (11 aces are good; 36 unreturned serves are better), his backhand was tearing Gulbis to shreds and his lobs and dropshots were played to perfection. After a set or so of this, Murray more than had Gulbis’s measure. Now he was toying with his opponent and luring him into a large hole with the word “trap” above it. Taking the pace off the ball, he sliced Gulbis into little pieces, dragging him closer and closer to the edge of the pit. And every time, Gulbis fell into it. It was fascinating to watch – and it must have been hellish to play against. So we have learned two things from Murray’s second round match. First, the Scot is stepping up the pace perfectly for a serious assault on the sharp end of the tournament. Second, never, ever get Murray angry before you have to play him.

Hewitt tops the winners on Day 4

Lleyton Hewitt salutes the crowd after his thrilling victory over 5th seed Juan Martin Del Potro. Andy Murray and Lleyton Hewitt have a lot in common. That both were victorious on Wimbledon Day 4 is just a minor thing. If Murray can become a Wimbledon winner like Hewitt, it would be a major thing. Murray and Hewitt are the sole representatives in the men’s draw of Britain and Australia, respectively; two proud tennis nations with a shared history, both in the grip of a talent crunch. They have been on the wrong side of public opinion in their homelands, they have said things when they were younger they probably regret and now, here they are, both on the brink of being loved. Most importantly, however, both are winners. Murray's 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Ernests Gulbis was a surprise to no one. The tale of the tape told the story: Murray was the world No.3 and Gulbis the world 74; Murray had won 12 career titles and Gulbis none; the Scot had beaten him in their two previous encounters. But even those statistics could not prepare Gulbis for an opponent who made just five unforced errors and won 88% of points on his first serve. Gulbis had just one game on Murray’s serve where he could have broken the Scot – needless to say, he did not. "I didn't make many mistakes from the ground," Murray said. "When I did get myself into a point on his service game I made him work very hard for the points. I finished points when I was inside the court. I finished points off really well. I didn't make any basic errors, so it was very good." Hewitt's 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 over Juan Martin Del Potro was more surprising. Del Potro was eight years younger, 18cm taller, 51 places higher in the world rankings and he had not undergone hip surgery last year, but Hewitt, by his own admission, produced his best tennis in four years. And Hewitt’s best tennis has won him two Grand Slams among 27 career titles. "I wanted to beat a top five guy," Hewitt said. "These are the places you want to do it, too. It was a lot of fun being out there. I guess, I was kind of the underdog out there a little bit as well. "I know what Andy Murray's going through, though. He's got a good head on his shoulders, though. To me, he handles it extremely well. I thought Tim Henman handled it unbelievably well, as well. I think you're lucky you had a guy like Tim and now you got a guy like Andy that can handle the pressure and the expectation." In the women's draw, every seed who played today won. Defending champion Venus Williams beat Kateryna Bondarenko 6-3, 6-2. Williams hit 20 winners to Bondarenko’s seven and the Ukrainian did not even get a chance to break the Williams serve. Top seed Dinara Safina also denied her opponent the opportunity to break her serve as she won 6-3, 7-5 against Rossana De Los Rios. Safina hit 27 winners.

One to watch: Lleyton Hewitt

Lleyton Hewitt opens the face of the racquet in an attempt to block the ball back and stay in a tough rally. "The sport needs a dominant figure, someone who is a clear-cut No. 1...there is no reason why, in my mind, he cannot do what [Bjorn] Borg did and win this title [Wimbledon] five times, maybe more. He can win five US Opens, too. He has set a benchmark that others have to live up to." That was Boris Becker talking, but it wasn't about Roger Federer. Instead he was talking about Lleyton Hewitt in the aftermath of the Australian's Wimbledon victory in 2002. Hard to believe that was the last time Hewitt lifted a Grand Slam trophy. Instead, the dominant figure Becker described came along a year later in the form of Federer, meanwhile Hewitt has endured a slow descent down the rankings and a diminishing return at the majors. Hewitt is first on Centre Court today, where he plays the fifth seed Juan Martin Del Potro in the second round. The Aussie appears up against it. He is on the wrong side of a seven-year age difference; he is giving away an 18cm height advantage; and he has a problem hip that requires ongoing rehabilitation. On his shoulders he will carry the hopes and expectations of a once proud tennis country that has fallen on hard times — he is the only male from Australia in the main draw of the men’s singles. But in 2009 there is a frisson of excitement about the former world No.1 after his impressive 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 victory over American Robby Ginepri in the first round. There is a whisper, especially among the Australian media, that Hewitt could do what Marat Safin did last year and advance deep into the draw, contrary to his ranking, which is 56 in the world. Taking on an opponent who is bigger, younger and stronger with most people expecting him to lose: that sounds like a challenge that Lleyton Hewitt would relish.

Hewitt rolls back years to beat fifth seed

Hewitt pumped up Thursday, 25 June 2009 Lleyton Hewitt fired up on Centre Court against Juan Martin Del Potro. Lleyton Hewitt, moving and roaring as if the last seven years had never happened, scored perhaps his finest win at The Championships since becoming the champion in 2002 as he crushed Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3 7-5 7-5 in two hours 32 minutes . The 20-year-old Del Potro, seeded fifth which meant he was theoretically lined up for a semi-final spot following Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal, never looked like subduing the Australian attack dog - the only male representative from his country at a tournament once dominated by great players from Down Under. Hewitt simply carried on where he had left off in his first round destruction of Robby Ginepri, serving beautifully - there were 14 aces - and offering his opponent a devastating lesson in how to move on grass. Del Potro's second round exit was his third in succession at Wimbledon and opens up the top half of the draw even more to Andy Murray's advantage. With the vastly experienced coach and fellow Australian Tony Roche helping him, as he does at all Grand Slams these days, Hewitt was provided with an extra boost, not that he appeared in need of any. "Feisty" is the description normally associated with Lleyton, and he was at his aggressive best for this Little versus Large confrontation with the 6ft 6in Argentine. Offering loud extra support was a large contingent of Australian supporters in their green-and-gold national colours. Meanwhile the taciturn Del Potro, who had been dubbed "Del Boy" by the Hewitt fans, was struggling to unearth the kind of form which has sent him zooming up the rankings in the past 12 months. He was not helped by Hewitt's full-out attacking plan, developed over many years of grass court play though, fortunately, Hewitt's defences were as solid as his aggressive intentions as he fought off four break points in the fifth game and another two in the seventh. In the process of hauling himself out of trouble in that fifth game Hewitt unleashed his famous roar of "C'mon" several times, the first one virtually in Del Potro's face after an exchange of volleys. None of this helped Del Potro's peace of mind, which was further under pressure following an awkward fall which required brief treatment on his right knee at the end of the first set. Del Potro's power off the ground usually ensured he emerged on top of any protracted rallies but whenever Hewitt hustled it was a different story. He built on that break of serve and when it came to clinching the opening set Hewitt's play was exemplary, three successive aces to close it out in 45 minutes. Could Hewitt keep it up in the heat, though, at the age of 28 and battling his way back up the rankings after last year's hip operation? To the delight of the green-and-gold brigade, the immediate answer was a resounding “yes”. Pumping out the aces on a regular basis, Hewitt kept pace with Del Potro through the first 10 games of the second set before striking again to break for a 6-5 lead. Though his first serve promptly deserted him and he faced his seventh break point of the match, the Australian closed out the set with the assistance of some embarrassing errors from his opponent, culminating in a backhand struck well wide. Another massive "C'mon" and it was two sets to Hewitt after an hour and 35 minutes. Now Lleyton had the giant on his knees and he tightened the screw even more by breaking again at the start of the third set. The only wobble came when he served for the match and failed to make it, losing his delivery for the only time in the match. Typically, he bounced right back, broke Del Potro to lead 6-5 and this time closed it out, albeit nervously. But if the winner was visibly chuffed, he was looking dangerously puffed. Centre Court - Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round Juan Martin Del Potro ARG (5) 3 5 5 Lleyton Hewitt AUS 6 7 7

Hewitt warns young pretenders

Lleyton Hewitt dispatches a serve to his second round opponent Juan Martin Del Potro. It's called getting old, Lleyton. That’s why your opponent on Centre Court looked up to you when his was a kid. That’s why you’re getting asked to offer parental advice to expectant father Roger Federer. That’s why you need to put ice on more parts of your body after every match. But it is also why you beat 20-year-old Juan Martin Del Potro. You can’t buy experience. By his own admission, Lleyton Hewitt had wound the clock back with his 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 victory over the fifth seed on Centre Court. John McEnroe said Hewitt had not played that well since his Wimbledon-winning year of 2002, but the Australian considered it not that long ago. "I don't know about 2002," Hewitt said. "The end of 2004 I played extremely well. The start of 2005, I played very well, as well. "[Today] was a big win. I wanted to beat a top five guy. These are the places you want to do it, too. The body felt great as well. So I felt like I could actually go out there and compete 100%. Lay it all on the line. That's what I like to do. "You don't want to go out there and have excuses. Yeah, I wanted to lay it out on the line, playing one of the best guys in the world, and see how you go. I felt like I was able to do that. I competed as well as I've ever competed." Hewitt had clearly enjoyed his match, and he was grateful for the support from the Centre Court crowd, particularly from a row of hardcore Aussies. But he was more grateful that he had fully recovered from last August's hip surgery. "It's been great since I really got on the clay. So around Houston time [in April] I haven't had any problems with the hip at all. At the start of the year after the surgery it was more scar tissue and that from the operation and having to keep doing a lot of rehab on it. "Once I made that commitment to have the surgery and go through the tough rehab, being off the tour for that long, the motivation was there. I think it probably hit home more when the US Open was on last year after I'd had the surgery and I was sitting back at home just twiddling my thumbs, changing nappies and stuff, but not doing a lot of other things. I was really missing not being at the US Open, which is one of my favourite tournaments." Hewitt has effectively beaten the top seed, since Del Porto replaced the injured Rafael Nadal in the number one spot. He showed his experience again by swatting away post-match questions about winning Wimbledon or a possible semi-final against Andy Murray. But he did sound an ominous warning to all the young bucks in the field. “I think there's been patches this year when I've played extremely well. It's taken some of the best players to beat me in the bigger tournaments. "I think if the draw opens up and the body feels good and I can play, execute that kind of style of tennis for over five sets, there's no reason why I can't put a bit of pressure on these guys."

Match analysis: Hewitt v Del Potro

Hewitt serve strategy Two giants of the game squared off against each other today on Centre Court. Argentina’s finest, rising star Juan Martin Del Potro, number five in the world, was up against experienced Aussie fighter Lleyton Hewitt, in what could easily be mistaken for a semi-final match, such is the quality of these two players. In today’s tough contest, experience overcame youth, with Hewitt’s mental strength being greater than his opponent’s as he rekindled the glory days of 2002 to win 6-3, 7-5, 7-5. In 2000, Hewitt became the first teenager to win four titles in a season and qualified for the season-ending Masters Cup. In 2008, Del Potro electrified the tour, becoming the first player to win four straight titles and a trip to Beijing for the Masters Cup. Although Lleyton Hewitt is currently ranked 56 in the world, his performances this year at Queen’s and in the previous round at Wimbledon suggests he is a real threat to the top seeds. Del Potro has yet to develop a grass court game like Hewitt, playing more than 100 fewer games than his seasoned opponent, but he has had a taste of the big time at Wimbledon in 2007, where, as a lanky teenager, he lost to Roger Federer. Hewitt has 90 grass court victories and a cabinet full of trophies. Six have come on grass - one Wimbledon title, four at Queen’s, one at s-Hertogenbosch. In the opening exchanges of the match, Del Potro found the first break point chances relatively easy to achieve, using his reach to flick the ball back in play, occasionally for a clean winner off the return, or otherwise use his monster forehand to take control of the rallies. But he could not capitalise as Hewitt denied the Argentine the early break. However, Hewitt knows his opponent’s strengths and was able to force Del Potro back behind the baseline and into the backhand court with his legendary backhand cross-court returns. Hewitt survived the early break point chances, kept his unforced errors to a minimum, and pounced first, breaking the 6ft 6in Argentine using his finely tuned tactical brain to race ahead 6-3 after 49 minutes. When two great players face each other on grass, the first set is all about patience. Great players tend to serve solidly and wait for the other player to lose concentration in that one game where any errors will be punished. Hewitt was rewarded for playing a wise first set, only gifting his opponent three unforced errors and predominantly hitting to Del Potro’s backhand, although he mixed things up on the serve to keep Del Potro from establishing a rhythm. He tamed the world number five by getting inside the baseline where he was able to hit 43 winners by the end of the match. Hewitt knew he had to raise his game to thwart the Argentine’s advances Del Potro’s ace count began to increase as he analysed his game and realised one per set was not going to win the match. He looked to be becoming more competitive, but Hewitt also knew he had to raise his game to thwart the Argentine’s advances and amazingly won every point on his first serve throughout the second set. He seized the one break of the set, in the 10th game, as a lapse in concentration by Del Potro gifted Hewitt four unforced errors and then led to him serving out the set 7-5. Del Potro would be two sets up against most of the draw with his performance today but could not sustain the intense high levels of play achieved by the two of them. Hewitt, on the other hand, sensed the moment to crush his 20-year-old opponent, and had the experience, drive and confidence to edge ahead early in the third while Del Potro was still deflated from losing the first two sets. Astonishingly, five break points went to the Australian in the first Del Potro service game and he had the third round in his sights. Lleyton just had to keep going, the match was now his to lose. Del Potro briefly levelled the set, breaking Hewitt for the first time after two and a half hours of trying, only to let Hewitt regain his break advantage to go 6-5 ahead. Del Potro was making nervous, unforced errors, particularly on the backhand side. Hewitt’s coach, Tony Roche, would have highlighted that area as the key to winning against Del Potro on grass. The match was won by Hewitt keeping his unforced errors down (14 to 24) and winning 52% of his second serves while Del Potro only managed 48%, the 4% margin between them accounts for the four crucial break points Hewitt achieved.

Murray hurries into last 32

Andy Murray ackowledges the crowd's support after he defeated Ernests Gulbis in the second round. Andy Murray accelerated into the third round with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 win over talented Latvian Ernests Gulbis in 88 minutes, with plenty of indicators that he could rev up British hopes right until Wimbledon's main contenders reach the end of the road a week on Sunday. The first set was something of a stunner – stunningly good from the Scot’s point of view, stunningly tough from the Latvian’s. There was one brief glimmer of hope for 20-year-old Gulbis, right at the start when Murray somehow contrived to let slip his only two break points of the entire match. But not only did the Scot’s mini-crisis pass, it was blasted off court by the sheer authority of Murray’s game from that moment onward. It was a dazzling display. His chance to break came at 2-2 from a combination of his own speed around the court and Gulbis’s errors – and once again it was a loose shot from Gulbis which gave away the break. Murray, 22, was having a fine time of it, clearly able to read much of Gulbis’s play and out-thinking him all the way to the double break for 5-2. Gulbis seemed thoroughly thrown off balance. Murray brought up set point with a delightfully nonchalant drop shot and bagged it with an ace. These two players are linked in more ways than one. For one thing, both shared the dubious honour of losing in last year’s Wimbledon to the eventual champion Rafael Nadal (although only Gulbis managed to win a set). But more notoriously, during their match at Queen’s last year Gulbis accused Murray of “cheating” by taking a medical time-out with a thumb injury. Moreover, Gulbis knocked out one Tim Henman in the first round at Roland Garros two years ago. But having been ranked 38 a year ago, this year has been tougher for him and he has not won back-to-back Tour matches all year. Whatever their mutual history, there were no visible signs of hostility at the start of the second set, as Murray took his chain of successive winning points on his own serve to an impressive 19 before his first double fault of the match ended the sequence. Gulbis seemed more comfortable in this set, and the stellar wattage of Murray’s game was dimmed slightly from the extraordinary level of the first. The Scot had to wait patiently until 5-5 for his first break point. The rally that followed was all touch from Murray and power from Gulbis, until the Latvian tried too hard and dumped the ball in the net. Murray served it out, and after 62 minutes it was all looking very straightforward. Murray was on the Latvian’s case at once in the third, and Gulbis only held serve at a stretch. But in the face of Murray’s variety of play, Gulbis could not manage the feat a second time. Murray passed him with a crosscourt backhand to make it 2-1, and at the death he took the match at his first opportunity with another passing shot. A ratio of 36 winners to just five unforced errors made it a class display. Centre Court - Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round Andy Murray GBR (3) 6 7 6 Ernests Gulbis LAT 2 5 3

Venus power batters Bondarenko

Bondarenko battling Thursday, 25 June 2009 Kateryna Bondarenko battling to stay in her second round match against Defending champion Venus Williams. Venus Williams starred in another kind of sister act this afternoon when she faced Kateryna Bondarenko, ranked 73 in the world, for a place in the third round. The older Williams sibling was completely untroubled by the younger Bondarenko sister, winning 6-3, 6-2 in a straightforward display of power tennis lasting just 59 minutes. It was her 16th successive match win at Wimbledon. The defending champion, now 29, took to the court with a heavy strapping on her left leg above and below the knee. The left is the leg that is key for Venus as she pushes off with her service action – but as she powered down three aces in her opening service game, it did not seem to be causing her all that much difficulty. At 1-1 when reaching for a shot that she dumped in the net, it did seem that she cried out and was on the verge of putting her hand on her leg – but she did not, and the moment passed. Bondarenko, too, had strapping, although hers was on her right forearm, the one she serves with. She also sported an eye-catching tattoo between her shoulder blades. As so many find against Williams, Bondarenko was on the defensive from the outset, saving break point in the first game of the match. But it was not long before Venus made the breakthrough. The five-time Wimbledon champion sent a backhand down the line to bring up two break points for 3-2, and Bondarenko sent a forehand way long for Venus to convert the second. Then at 3-5, a massive return from a weak second serve gave Venus set point. Another huge return wrapped up the set. Venus was watched from the stands by her mother Oracene Price, and also her father Richard Williams, with his new wife Lakeisha Graham. Both parents, of course, play a coaching role in the professional lives of Venus and Serena, but this was the first time observers could recall the two watching a match from the same box since their divorce in 2002. Richard Williams appeared to see enough to concern him that at 2-1 in the second set he called out: “Come on, Vee!” It seemed more as if 22-year-old Bondarenko was the one requiring encouragement, judging by her body language. She saved break point for 2-4 with a most wonderful dropshot at the end of a 19-stroke rally, only for successive errors to hand over the tamest of breaks. Venus underlined her superiority with the fastest serve of the day, and within 10 minutes she took the victory with her first match point. Court 1 - Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round Venus Williams USA (3) 6 6 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 3 2

Venus gives press the runaround

Venus Williams celebrates her victory over Kateryna Bondarenko on Centre Court. Five-time champion Venus Williams played a jovial game of cat-and-mouse with journalists trying to pin her down on the reason why she had worn heavy strapping on her left leg during her straight sets victory over Kateryna Bondarenko. When the 29-year-old was asked what had been bothering her, you could spot rows of journalists at her post-match press conference lean forward ready to note down anything that might throw a big – newsworthy – obstacle in the way of her progress towards the latter stages of The Championships. Williams simply responded that she felt “comfortable in the strap” and it was “really nice”. Not exactly the answer the press was expecting – or wanting. So on to question two. What was the problem that prompted her to wear the strapping? Another less than informative reply followed from the normally chatty player. “Just for support,” she explained. Still things were no clearer so another question followed. “There’s nothing you aggravated, was there, the other day?” another journalist asked. “No. It’s just for support. That’s all,” she said. “What caused you to use it, and how did your condition change so that you did use it this time and you haven’t before,” another journalist attempted. Then the fun and games began. “Well, what happened was that I needed some support, and then I went and got the support, and then I wore it in the match,” she said with just a touch of sarcasm. “I’ll be wearing it in the doubles too. So it’s working out. I mean, I think all the players might start wearing it because it’s so… supportive,” she laughed. Williams would not budge on the issue and refused to confirm whether the tape was in aid of anything serious. However, she admitted that she hates the stuff and was only wearing it because the tournament was ‘Wimbledon’. Even when an effort was made to move on to another subject, another journalist returned to the issue, asking what sort of pain in the leg had prompted the need for the strapping. By now even Williams was seeing the funny side: “Ah teamwork. It’s just like the men’s doubles!” Again, she added that she felt she needed support on her leg and it had worked well. It is perhaps understandable that Williams is holding her cards close to her chest – she is competing for her sixth Wimbledon crown and if she is injured, even in a minor way, she clearly will not want her opponents knowing about it. But there was one element of support the older Williams sister was happy to talk about and that was in the form of American president Barack Obama. When asked whether she would consider inviting him to watch her at Wimbledon, she said: “Oh, he’s got a lot on his plate. I don’t know if he has time for me. I would be honoured if he was here.”

Powerful Roddick too strong for Kunitsyn

Andy Roddick There were no fancy jackets, no monogrammed shirts or waistcoats and very little by way of fanfare but nevertheless, Andy Roddick has stated his intent at The Championships with a 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win over Igor Kunitsyn to reach the third round. Kunitsyn is what you might term one of nature’s triers. He is 27-years-old and has been plugging away at the Grand Slam circuit for six years. In all that time, he has won just three matches at the major events – and one of them was two days ago here against Grigor Dimitrov, last year’s Wimbledon Junior Champion. Admittedly, Dimitrov retired hurt with a gammy knee but, at this stage in his career, Kunitsyn will take a win however it is packaged. Away from the Grand Slam scene, wins have been pretty thin on the ground, too. The only time he managed to win two matches or more in a row was back in February when he got to the quarter-finals in the Memphis event. Since then, it has been pretty thin pickings, with seven first round defeats. With that sort of background, it was asking a lot to expect Kunitsyn to turn his form around on a sixpence and suddenly start knocking holes in Roddick’s defences. The American is flying a little under the radar here this year but, no matter, he is still a former finalist on the Wimbledon grass (twice, with two losses to Federer) and a former world number one. Sure enough, Roddick seemed to be his usual powerful self. The serve was working well as he thumped down 18 aces and 39 unreturnable serves and kept his serving statistics at a healthy 71% accuracy. The ground strokes seemed to be a hefty as ever as he cracked in 35 winners and, more importantly, the error count was kept to a minimum at 22 – and half of them were committed in the third set. After feeling his way for the first few games, Roddick broke for a 3-2 lead in the first set and set off towards the finish line at a canter. Kunitsyn was trying his best to compete. He, too, has a vicious serve on him and, for the first few games, was keeping pace on the thunderbolt tally with his opponent. But the Russian was always punching above his weight and forced to play eyeballs-out at all times if he was to make any headway. He was always going to be dragged into errors. In all, he racked up 78 of them, both forced and unforced, and that was never going to win him a place in the next round. His only hope was that Roddick would take his eye off the ball for a few moments and allow the Russian back into the match. That duly happened in the third set when, after throwing in only five unforced errors until that point, the American reached double figures for the third set alone. And at the very moment that Roddick starting fluffing the shots he had previously been planting as winners, Kunitsyn started attacking the net. The combination was enough to cost Roddick the third set but once he had stamped his authority on the fourth, breaking in the second game, he was back on track. After the match, Roddick was not concerned about being broken in the third set. "A win is a win.The set I got broken, I had numerous break chances and [he] got the one that [he] had. "I knew I was getting the better of him. I knew I was getting a lot more looks at his serve than he was at mine. I probably played my best set by far in the fourth set. It was comfortable most of the time." Court 1 - Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round Igor Kunitsyn RUS 4 2 6 2 Andy Roddick USA (6) 6 6 3 6

Ivanovic finds her form to beat Errani

Ivanovic punches the air Two days ago, Ana Ivanovic of Serbia was twice a point from going out of Wimbledon. Today, the comeback began in earnest as she defeated Sara Errani of Italy 7-5, 6-1 to reach the third round. What a contrast to the opening day for 13th seeded Ivanovic. She struggled then in the evening gloom and rarely looked remotely satisfied against Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic. Today, in the sunshine on Court 18, Ivanovic did not have things all her own way but when her game was at its peak she responded with vigorous arm pumping and squeals of delight. This was much more like it and she knew it. The 22-year-old Errani, ranked 39th, had no intention of being beaten in a hurry and made an aggressive and optimistic start to the match in her second appearance at Wimbledon. She buzzed around the court, stating her case by breaking the Ivanovic serve in the first game to give herself a useful platform. The Italian did lose her serve in the fourth game but her strong hitting on both flanks kept her in the contest and too often Ivanovic made errors after the longer rallies. Ivanovic was behind again after the seventh game but when Errani double faulted for 5-all it appeared that Ivanovic was about to take control. But she had to fight off four break points before leading 6-5 and then swept Errani aside for a love game to win the first set. Ivanovic’s confidence was now boosted. Even though the Serb dropped her serve in the third game, Errani was a fading force now. She let four games slip away for Ivanovic to win on her first match point after one hour and 17 minutes. Ivanovic is in her fifth Wimbledon and her best performance was to reach the semi-finals two years ago. After today’s performance, she showed she is not wasting this new opportunity to try again for the title. After the match, she said: "I'm really enjoying my tennis at the moment and I love competing and I enjoy challenges. I'm just excited to have opportunity to play in the third round, you know, and against good players. It's going to be exciting, I think." Court 18 - Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round Sara Errani ITA 5 1 Ana Ivanovic SRB (13) 7 6

Jankovic win impresses spying eyes

Jankovic joy Jelena Jankovic booked her third round spot by breezing past Iveta Benesova 6-2, 6-4 in an evening match closely observed by Richard Williams, father and coach of her projected quarter-final opponent Venus Williams. Of course, the No.6 seed will need to reach that stage first, having fallen at the fourth round stage three years running, but the Williams spying mission will have gleaned plenty of intelligence that Jankovic will not only be lining up against Venus but ready to give her a good match. Her encounter against Benesova had promised to be a closer affair - with their head-to-head tally standing at 1-1 – but Jankovic got off to a quick start and never looked back. The Serb notched up four break points in the opening game and converted the last with a sizzling forehand winner. An astonishing service game followed in which the Serb proved herself to be the girl with golden serve. Two aces, followed by another two outstanding serves. Benesova could have had an entire dossier of forward intelligence at her fingertips and she wouldn't have been able to live with her opponent at that stage. And that was all before Richard Williams arrived to cast his eye over proceedings. He would have had plenty to take note of as Jankovic upped her attacking play to claim the first set in 25 minutes. Benesova recovered momentarily in the second and familiar Jankovic squeals echoed around the court. But the former world number one was never in doubt, hitting only six unforced errors compared to her opponent’s 15 and firing off 16 winners. Two more similar efforts in the upcoming rounds and she can pit her wits against Venus. Court 2 - Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round Iveta Benesova CZE 2 4 Jelena Jankovic SRB (6) 6 6

Safina powers past Paraguayan

A fierce forehand from No.1 seed Dinara Safina against Rossana De Los Rios Dinara Safina lived up to her No.1 billing by making short work of Rossana de los Rios, winning 6-2, 7-5 in just over an hour to move into the third round, thus equalling her best showing at Wimbledon. While her game lacked variation, any ball that was there to be hit was clinically dispatched, while her service was more of a weapon than in recent times. The Russian will continue to be regarded as a stop-gap world No.1 until she adds a Grand Slam to her trophy cabinet, and her recent travails and high-profile final defeats (at the Australian Open in January and at the last two French Opens) have heaped yet more pressure on her powerful shoulders and fragile psyche. She has reached 13 finals in 22 tournaments since May 2008, a statistic any player would be proud of. Yet the fact that she lost more than half of them serves only to highlight the Jekyll and Hyde nature of her game – brilliant and frustrating in equal measures. On Wednesday, there was more of Doctor Dinara Jekyll than Miss Safin Hyde on display. She won the toss and elected to serve – a surprising move given her lack of confidence over recent months on this most important of shots – and when she opened with a double fault, a disaster was on the cards. The ace and two service winners that followed set a pattern, however. Rare were the moments throughout the match when she ramped it up to 106 mph, preferring to sacrifice a little speed for more accuracy, and she was never in any real danger of being broken. Her game was, and is, all about power. She sliced the ball just once per set and came to the net only to shake hands after the final point. The rest of the match was spent sending flat fore and backhands barely inches over the net to either corner in a display of power and accuracy. Her opponent – a journeywoman whose only successes have come on the lower-ranked ITF circuit and with a daughter as close in age to Safina as she is herself – gave as good as she got, and even had the crowd smiling when asking for a Hawk-Eye challenge when she was called for a foot fault – No.2 Court chair umpire Eva Asderaki politely declined. The Paraguayan held her own in the second set until the 11th game, eliciting some Marat-esque pouts from Safina when she fluffed her returns. But in the end, the Muscovite’s brute strength won the day at a relative canter. And while De los Rios returns to her family and to the ITF circuit, Dinara can continue her elusive quest for the Grand Slam holy grail. She will need another five victories over the next nine days to remove the “always the bridesmaid” and “Marat’s little sister” tags that dog her every step. Court 2 - Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round Dinara Safina RUS (1) 6 7 Rossana De Los Rios PAR 3 5

Kuznetsova rushes past Parmentier

Kuznetsova eyes victory As long as Svetlana Kuznetsova is involved, Wimbledon will not lack for heavy hitters, as she underlined while cruising through to the third round 6-1, 6-3 at the expense of France's Pauline Parmentier. Despite today’s hot conditions, the Russian 5th seed demonstrated plenty of skill and pace to suggest she could become the first woman in seven years to do the “summer double” by collecting the titles at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Parmentier saw evidence of that from the very start. Kuznetsova was fast and accurate as she thundered to a love game on serve. The quickfire start continued as she grabbed a quick break to go 2-0 ahead. There was only a little slowing of the pace as Kuznetsova ran out the first set in 29 minutes, sealing it with a classic backhand down the line, hit almost inch-perfect. Parmentier, in her second Wimbledon and ranked 78 in the world, did push the Russian a little harder in the second set but the chances of seriously threatening Kuznetsova were minimal. The Frenchwoman dropped serve to slip 4-1 behind and Kuznetsova took the match four games later to finish the job in exactly one hour. Court 3 - Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round Pauline Parmentier FRA 1 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS (5) 6 6

Mauresmo breezes through

Amelie Mauresmo If there is such a thing as a routine victory then it belonged to Amelie Mauresmo today as she overcame Slovakian lucky loser Kristina Kucova in the simplest of second round victories. Playing on Court 3 – the old No.2 Court, known as the “graveyard of champions” – the 2006 winner faced little difficulties as she won 6-3, 6-3 in 61 minutes. The first set was deeply uneventful. Mauresmo, as has long been her habit, took a while to get into her stride and her first serve was nowhere to be found. She delivered two double faults in the first game and then compounded the mistakes with another unforced error to give her opponent break point. Presumably 19-year-old Kucova, ranked 149 in the world, was so startled she was unable to take advantage. After all, this is not only her Grand Slam debut but before this week she had not previously made the main singles draw in a Tour event all year (although she has mustered one title on the ITF circuit). Kucova then followed Mauresmo’s example with two double faults of her own, but in her case it simply opened the door for the Frenchwoman to break to love, and from there it was a straightforward stroll through the set. Of course this was a match Mauresmo – who turns 30 the day after the ladies’ final next week – could only have expected to win. Playing in her 45th career Grand Slam, she brought nothing if not experience to the encounter. In the first game of the second set she had the Slovakian running all over the court and broke her again. At 1-3, too many loose shots from Kucova handed over the double break. Mauresmo let a match point go by and managed to give back a break before eventually wrapping up the match at the third time of asking. Court 3 - Ladies' Singles - 2nd Round Amelie Mauresmo FRA (17) 6 6 Kristina Kucova SVK 3 3

Alves gives Simon a tough scrap

Gilles Simon In something of a David and Goliath contest, eighth seed Gilles Simon finally triumphed against Brazilian Thiago Alves after two hours 37 minutes of play, winning in four sets, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. On paper, the Frenchman should have made mincemeat of the Brazilian, ranked 111 places beneath him. And the opening game of the match had the crowd believing it would be thus. The scene was set as Simon thumped down a trio of aces followed by a neat approach to net and volley to snap up the first game in the blink of an eye. But this was a script that the (p)lucky loser had simply not read. Alves only earned his debut place at the tournament courtesy of Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal. Intriguingly, he was also a lucky loser at the French Open, but he lost in the first round. In this, their first encounter, Alves quickly showed how he likes to run around the ball to use his favoured forehand. And he put its power to good use, the echo of its energy reverberating around the court. By the 11th game, the 24-year-old Simon was looking a little bemused at the level of quality on the opposite side of the court, and his defensive backhand strategy of pumping the ball back across the net and waiting for Alves to make an unforced error was not working. Alves took his chance for the first break, and followed it up with a strong service game for the first set. In the second set, the 27-year-old Alves had a couple of advantageous net cord calls in his favour, including one to save break point. But it was the Frenchman who eventually broke, and he looked to the skies in relief at finally making the points pay. Simon’s service game for the set wasn’t easy, but the eighth seed got there. The fourth game of the third set saw Alves earn a break point with that fearsome forehand, with which he then whipped up a delight of a lob for a 3-1 lead. But Simon’s break back was immediate. In the last game of the set, Alves ran deep to retrieve a Simon smash, but ran into a ballboy and the back wall. He needed an ice pack for his racket wrist, but was soon playing the game again, though he dropped the third set a couple of points later. By now, Simon was finding more of his superior form, and with dark, and deeply-focused, eyes revealing his intense concentration, he forced the break in the fifth game for a gutsy 3-2 lead. This was a lead he was not to relinquish, finally allowing him to serve out the match. Court 3 - Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round Thiago Alves BRA 7 3 4 4 Gilles Simon FRA (8) 5 6 6 6