Jelena Jankovic’s challenge melted in soaring temperatures at Wimbledon on Saturday, while Andy Murray scorched the Centre Court turf as he blasted his way into the second week of the grass-court championships.
Facing an opponent who is allergic to grass, Murray produced a rash of aces — 17 to be exact — to leave Serbia’s Viktor Troicki in agony during a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 demolition job.
For much of the 96-minute third-round match, played under stormy skies, it seemed as if the All England Club’s new retractable roof might finally make its debut, but Murray appeared in a hurry to get off court as thunder rumbled in the distance.
PHOTO: EPA
“It would have been a nice bit of history, I guess, the first match to play under the roof. [But] once it was 5-3 in the third set, I obviously wanted to finish it before the rain came,” said Murray, who is bidding to become the first British man to win the Wimbledon crown in 73 years.
While the Scot was lucky enough to charge his way into the last 16 of the tournament in the cool evening shade, Serbia’s Jankovic looking dazed and confused in searing afternoon heat as she repeatedly called for medical attention.
It was all too much for the former world No. 1 who was stifled 6-7, 7-5, 6-2 in the third round by 124th-ranked teenage American qualifier Melanie Oudin on a roasting Court 3.
PHOTO: AFP
Blaming her plight on “some woman problems”, the sixth seed added: “I was like a ghost... I didn’t know where I was. I felt really dizzy and I thought that I was gonna end up in the hospital. I started to shake. I was losing my consciousness.”
“It’s not easy being a woman sometimes,” she said.
French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova joined Jankovic at the exit door. German Sabine Lisicki ruined the Russian’s 24th birthday celebrations with a 6-2, 7-5 win over the fifth seed.
Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams faced no such problems. They meet each other in the next round.
Williams declared the weather was not hot enough for “a Florida girl.”
“You don’t understand the heat in Florida. I needed a sweater out there,” grinned the five-times champion.
Lleyton Hewitt might also have found the weather too cold to enjoy an ice cream, as he is more used to the 40ºC temperatures in Australia. That did not stop him turning the heat on German Philipp Petzschner with a 7-5, 7-6, 6-3 victory.
He now stands one match away from a potential mouth-watering quarter-final against former finalist Andy Roddick.
The American sixth seed sent down 33 thunderbolt aces as he dispatched Austrian Juergen Melzer 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3.
Amelie Mauresmo, the 2006 champion, overcame 15th seed Flavia Pennetta to set up a Centre Court showdown with top seed Dinara Safina, who reached the last 16 for the first time by easing past Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens 7-5, 6-1.
Germany’s Tommy Haas, stranded at 6-6 in the fifth set overnight, had to toil in the sun for another six games on Saturday before completing a 7-5, 7-5, 1-6, 6-7, 10-8 win over Croatian 11th seed Marin Cilic.
Chilean 10th seed Fernando Gonzalez was also outfoxed in five sets by Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero.
In the mixed doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei, partnered by Zimbabwe’s Kevin Ullyett, won through to the third round after a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Jean-Julien Rojer of Netherland Antilles and Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan.
Second seed in the boys’ singles, Taiwan’s Huang Liang-chi, was knocked out in the first round by Britain’s Ashley Hewitt 6-4, 7-5.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
Also See: India-Pakistan duo create a fans frenzy
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
RSS