Sunday 9 July 2017

Round of sixteen reached

As we reach the first Sunday at Wimbledon - its rest day - the round of sixteen has been determined with third round matches largely going to seedings.  French fans will be disappointed though, seeing both Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12) and Gael Monfils (15) exit.  Adrian Mannarino, Benoit Paire and Caroline Garcia remain.

Sam Querrey (24) dismissed a much larger name last year in Novak Djokovic but still Tsonga has been a semi finalist here previously so this win is big in Querrey's career.
He has a chance of making his second Wimbledon quarter final in succession and will play unseeded Kevin Anderson on Monday.

Monfils lost to fellow Frenchman Adrian Mannarino after leading two sets to one.  Unseeded Mannarino similarly overcame Yuichi Sugita in the second round, having to win the final two sets.  Mannarino lost in the lead up Antalya tournament final to Sugita so his form has been solid.
Next for Mannarino is second seed Djokovic.

Murray (1), Djokovic (2), Federer (3) and Nadal (4) all have breezed into the final 16, although Murray was almost forced into a fifth set by Fabio Fognini.
Others to impress through to this point include Milos Raonic (6), Marin Cilic (7), Dominic Thiem (8), Alexander Zverev (10), Tomas Berdych (11), Grigor Dimitrov (13) and Gilles Muller (16). 

Benoit Paire, unseeded, and a replacement Frenchman if you like, has done well to find his way to a fourth round match with Andy Murray, and 18th seed Roberto Bautista Agut has earned a clash with Cilic following a fine victory over ninth seed Nishikori.

We lost a number of potential female Wimbledon winners early but it has firmed up since with top players demonstrating top tennis.

In the round of sixteen we see last year's finalist Angie Kerber gaining better and better form as the tournament progresses.  Her three sets win over Shelby Rogers may have come with an opening dropped set but her winners (25) to unforced errors (14) count over the whole match suggested a fight and then control not seen enough earlier in 2017.

The fourth round match with 2015 finalist Garbine Muguruza (14) will potentially be one to remember, Muguruza also improving steadily with each match, disposing of Sorana Cirstea for the loss of just 4 games in the third round.

Other top seeds joining those two in the round of sixteen include Simona Halep (2), Elina Svitolina (4), who since her close first round shave has been dominant, losing just nine games in two matches, Caroline Wozniacki (5), Brit favourite Johanna Konta (6), and twice Grand Slam title winner Svetlana Kuznetsova (7).

Five time Wimbledon champ, and the only woman left to have won the title here, 37 year old Venus Williams, is incredible.  The older sister is playing as well as anyone and her fourth round encounter with Croatian teenager Ana Konjuh (27), almost half the age of the American legend, is one to savour.

Previous finalist Aga Radwanska (9) has had an ordinary season by her high standards, but her ability on grass has launched her into the last 16 and a match up against long time rival Kuznetsova.

Roland Garros Champ Jelena Ostapenko (13) is threatening again and will play Svitolina in another showcase match among the round of sixteen.

The unseeded clash sees the Pliskova (3) conqueror, Magdelena Rybarikova continuing her terrific tennis, playing Croatian qualifier Petra Martic.

Of the two remaining Americans Coco Vandeweghe defeated one of her own, Alison Riske, to earn a clash with Wosniacki, and French player Caroline Garcia (21) dismissed another Amercian, Madison Brengle, to reach the fourth round against Konta.

Possibly the favourite of the impartial supporters is Vika Azarenka.  The recent mum is only just back to the tour and yet she is through to a round of sixteen match against second seed Simona Halep.
Halep will start favourite but should watch out.  Vika has won two matches from a set down, proving that her fighting qualities are still there.  She also knocked out a quality grass court seed in Elena Vesnina (15), so all the double Grand Slam title holder abilities appear to be retained and on display.

No comments:

Post a Comment