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Rain Foils Roddick and Johansson

Friday, July 1, 2005

Andy Roddick's bid to join Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final for a second year in a row was delayed by rain on the Centre Court this afternoon. The referee finally abandoned play for the evening at around 7.15pm, due to persistent drizzle and fading light.

Roddick was ahead 6-5 in the first set of the semi-final against Thomas Johansson when rain forced the players off court after 33 minutes.

Federer benefits because the delay to the second semi-final gives him much longer to prepare for Sunday's planned final than his eventual opponent.

Roddick and Johansson had met only once before on grass - at Wimbledon four years ago, when Roddick was the winner in four sets - and it was Johansson who went into this semi-final with the better record as far as the 2005 Championships are concerned. Into the semi-finals Johansson had dropped just one set while Roddick had been taken to five sets twice.

Johansson had to fight off a break point in the second game, which he did with a service winner, but by the sixth game Sweden's big hope was serving at 134 mph.

When Roddick was serving at 5-all there was a hint of drizzle on Centre Court and shortly after play was suspended. Although the covers were later removed and the court prepared for play, the return of drizzle denied the players a chance to get back on court.

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Fed Express Rolls Over Hewitt

Friday, 1 July, 2005

There are times when you watch Roger Federer on court and are forced to remind yourself that this superlative player does not hold the Grand Slam. Such is the wondrous quality of his play these days that he goes into every tournament - especially this one - as not just favourite, but a kind of super-favourite. Even Lleyton Hewitt could not begin to bridge the chasm between them as Federer steamrollered the Australian 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) in Friday's semi-final to stay on course for a third Wimbledon title.

It was the first time since 1989 that the world's top two ranked players had met in the Wimbledon semi-finals. Both men have won five grasscourt titles to date, and they were the only two previous Wimbledon champions in the main draw. Yet Federer made beating the second-finest player on the planet look utterly routine.

Indeed, so overpowering was 23-year-old Federer's tennis that the wonder is not that this was his 35th straight win on grass but that there was once a time when someone could touch him on the green stuff. It seems quite hilarious to remember that when Mario Ancic became the last man to defeat Federer on grass three years ago, he did it in straight sets. Some mistake, surely?

Of course, the reason Federer does not hold the Slam is that there are no guarantees in sport. In both Australia and France he was defeated in the semi-final by the eventual winner (Marat Safin and Rafael Nadal respectively). But an extra bit of stardust was required: both men beat Federer on their birthdays. Sadly for Hewitt, his birthday - 25 is the next one - falls in February, not July. There was no stardust today, nor any other sign of a Federer defeat.

The high point for Hewitt was arguably the very first serve he delivered in the match - an ace. Would that it could all have been equally simple for him thereafter. True, he managed to level after an early Federer break, but after that the first set was one-way traffic. It shouldn't have been - only a third of Federer's first serves were hitting the target. It made no difference. Instead of serve-and-volleying, he stayed back and began beating Hewitt at his own game. A Federer return proved beyond Hewitt's reach and that was break point for 5-3; Hewitt netted a backhand for the break. A Federer ace brought up two set points, and the first set was gone in 36 minutes.

What was Hewitt thinking at that moment? For although he stood 8-9 with Federer in career jousts before today, the Swiss had plundered all of their previous seven meetings, including three Slam encounters, and also their last 12 sets of tennis for good measure. Unfortunately for the Australian, he has been developing another nasty statistical habit. Before today, even allowing for the fact that he missed last month's Roland Garros through injury, Hewitt had lost to the eventual champion in the last five Slam events he had contested. What price that becomes six times in a row, once Sunday's final is complete?

What with that and Federer's grasscourt winning streak, upcoming opponents should do themselves a favour and remember not to study Federer's recent stats before the match. It will only depress them. Here's a good one: in that 34-match winning streak before today's encounter, he lost just eight out of 95 sets played. It gets more frightening: of the 87 sets won, he lost no more than two games in 27 of them. Run for your lives.

Today John McEnroe remarked that he felt sure Hewitt really believed he could beat Federer this time, unlike last autumn when he lost to the Swiss in the US Open final. But if that was indeed the case, then self-belief makes not a jot difference when your grasscourt opponent is Federer. Take the second set - the Swiss won nine out of 10 points not only on his first serve but his second too. The inevitable break came for 3-2. Hewitt saved a set point and some self-respect at 3-5, making Federer serve it out. But serve it out he did. There was no stopping him.

Hewitt was effectively on the ropes, forced to take round after round of punching punishment from the Swiss. Time and again Hewitt had to be at his best just to stay in the point. Make no mistake: he did everything he could to make Federer go the extra mile - he was fast around the court, he was hitting lines, but whatever he did, Federer produced something more.

Yet he never stopped wanting it, fighting out a rally of 17 strokes on his way to a 6-5 lead in the third set. Maybe it would be significant after all that the last time Hewitt beat Federer, he came back from two sets and a break down in a Davis Cup rubber. Hewitt even took Federer to 0-30. But it was no crisis by Federer standards. Come the tie-break, he clinched the match. There is no weakness to this man's game.

Before he arrived in The Championships, Federer had already accumulated seven titles in 2005. There may be no guarantees in sport, but it will be a daring punter indeed who bets against that becoming eight by the time Federer leaves Wimbledon.

Written by Kate Battersby

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Davenport Puts Paid to Mauresmo

Friday, July 1, 2005

Lindsay Davenport turned back the clock five years when she completed her victory over Amelie Mauresmo today, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4.

The No.1 seeded American booked a place in this year's ladies' singles final when she completed her unfinished semi-final with Mauresmo in less than 5 minutes. She will now play Venus Williams on Saturday in a repeat of their ladies' final at the Millennium Championships.

Rain had already left a deep imprint on this match. Persistent showers not only meant that play did not begin until after 5pm yesterday but the semi-final was also shunted from Centre Court to No.1 Court to allow both ladies' semi-finals to take place simultaneously.

The precipitation paused for just long enough for a wonderful match to unravel. At the same time that Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams were playing a thrilling match on Centre Court, Davenport and Mauresmo were themselves carving out a classic.

Like so many semi-finals, this was a tremendous display of skill, tenacity and power between two players desperate to reach the final. Davenport lost in the semis last year to eventual winner Maria Sharapova, while Mauresmo had never gone past the last four at The Championships. While the Frenchwoman took the first set and broke early in the second to gain the initial advantage, Davenport broke back and proceeded to level the match at a set apiece.

The American took control in the third set and seemed ready to win the match last night. However, with the score left precariously at 6-7, 7-6, 5-3 in Davenport's favour and 0-15 on Mauresmo's serve, the heavens opened and no more play was possible.

Only seven points were possible today and although Mauresmo managed to win her service game, Davenport was unflustered and rounded off the match with cool efficiency, serving out the match to love.

Davenport will now be looking to avenge her defeat against Venus Williams in the 2000 final on Saturday.

Written by David Bates

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Hewitt Accepts He's Number Two

Friday, 1 July, 2005

Lleyton Hewitt did his best to be philosophical after his straight sets semi-final defeat to Roger Federer. But there was no concealing his disappointment.

"I've no doubt I'm the second best player around at the moment," said the No.3 seed after losing 3-6, 4-6, 6-7. "It's just that the best player is pretty bloody good.

"There's no doubt he was the better player today. He served better. He dictated play better. The biggest turnaround in his game over the last couple of years is that he used to give you a lot more cheap points on your service games, and you just don't get those anymore. On his own service he can rely on big serves to get him out of trouble at 0-30 or 15-30. That's why he's the best player around.

"I just have to keep biding my time, keep grinding away and looking for answers, I guess. I'm not sure there's anything I can add to my game to match him. Of course I'm always looking for ways to improve. I have to keep improving or else there's no point in continuing to play. I have small areas I can work on. But I don't know what Roger's got to work on. There's no doubt he's among the top few I've seen, up with the greats. It would be very hard to go against Roger winning the title again."

Hewitt did, however, manage to find something good in his eighth straight defeat to Federer, the fifth successive loss in which he had failed to relieve the Swiss of so much as one set.

"It's definitely a challenge," he said. "In some ways it's a huge positive that I can keep putting myself in these positions. I can't remember a time in the last 18 months that I've lost a bad match to an average player. But when you get to a Slam semi-final, you want to take the next step and hold up the trophy."

Written by Kate Battersby

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Historic Win for Huss/Moodie

Friday, July 1, 2005

A pair of unheralded players made history this afternoon by becoming the first qualifiers ever to reach the final of the Wimbledon Men's Doubles event.

Playing on Court 2 - the court dubbed the Graveyard of Champions, Wesley Moodie and Stephen Huss defeated No.1 seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).

Before Wimbledon, the South African/Australian duo had only ever played one tournament together, a challenger event in Noumea earlier this year. They won that event and enjoyed the experience so much that they decided to tackle the Wimbledon qualifying event.

It was a good decision. Since securing a place in the main draw two weeks ago, the pair has been unstoppable. On the way to the semi-finals they have swept aside No.6 seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and defending champion Todd Woodbridge; No.9 seeds Frantisek Cermak and Leos Friedl; and, in the quarter-finals, No.3 seeds Mark Knowles and Michael Llodra.

Today, it looked as though their luck might just run out. The qualifiers faced their toughest opponents yet in the form of Bjorkman - who won the title the past three years with Woodbridge - and his new partner Mirnyi.

In the first set, the No.1 seeds refused to miss anything, firing balls past their opponents with power and accuracy. Within 31 minutes they took it, 6-2.

The qualifiers' successful run looked set to end in front of a sprinkling of spectators. But then they were thrown a lifeline by the Belarusian known as The Beast. Mirnyi served two double faults in the opening game of the second set and the qualifiers snatched an early lead.

It was enough to restore the confidence that has buoyed Moodie and Huss in their previous matches. Soon the score stood at a set apiece. Moodie's serves crept up to the 130mph mark and the No.1 seeds were barely able to touch them. Tight net play and consistent hitting secured the qualifiers an historic place in the finals.

For Moodie and Huss, the reality is still sinking in. Speaking after the match, both men said they were just happy to have qualified for the main draw, and began the tournament without expectations.

Huss described making it into the history books of Wimbledon as 'incredible', particularly as the tournament has always been his favourite. He also enjoyed his first Centre Court experience in the quarter-finals, admitting he was more than usually nervous in the locker room.

For Moodie, the best match of the tournament was the victory over the No.1 seeds today. "It's making that step from the semis to the finals," he said. Huss, meanwhile counts their victory over Todd Woodbridge, the most successful player in the open era, as his favourite.

"Being an Australian, to beat Woodbridge, who's got a key to the courts here, is amazing," he said. "But the match today was the toughest. We were 6-2 down and managed to turn it around."

Now both men are looking forward to the final. Moodie joked: "We're unbeaten, we haven't lost a match yet." Huss agreed: "I think when we walk on the court we'll be confident. We've proven that this match. There are only two teams so we'll have a chance."

Written by Helen Gilbert

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