The sun has set on day two at the All England Club and all the second round spots have been filled – courtesy of the weather that has allowed all matches to take place.
The Big Three March On
Five-time defending champion, Roger Federer, began his quest for a record-breaking 6th consecutive title in style as he eased past Slovakia’s Dominik Hrbaty in straight sets, dropping only 7 games. The world number one, who had a great preparation for Wimbledon this year by capturing the title in Halle less than a fortnight ago, next takes on Robin Soderling of Sweden. The two met on grass once before in Halle in 2005, where Federer came through in 3 tight sets.
World number two, Rafael Nadal, who has come runner-up to Federer the past 2 years at Wimbledon, also earned safe passage to the second round after dismissing Germany’s Andreas Beck.
Nadal claimed his first grass-court title at the Queen’s Club earlier this month with a solid straight sets victory over up-and-coming rival, Novak Djokovic. The title at the Queen’s Club, together with Nadal’s crushing win over Federer in the French Open final both give people a reason to believe that Nadal has a strong chance of dismantling Federer from his 5-year reign at the All England Club. But before the Spaniard considers the thought of beating Federer in the final, he must overcome a tricky second round opponent, Ernests Gulbis, who reached the French Open quarterfinals earlier this June.
Meanwhile, reigning Australian Open champion and last year’s Wimbledon semifinalist, Djokovic, needed four sets to surpass Germany’s Michael Berrer, to set up a second round meeting with former world number one, Marat Safin. Safin, who is struggling to find his lethal form that saw him grab two Grand Slams in 2000 and 2005, has won their sole previous encounter at the 2005 Australian Open, which was the last time Safin lifted a trophy.
Surprise Exits
While the top three players in the world advanced, the tournament lost its number four and seven seeds, Nikolay Davydenko and David Nalbandian, who both crashed out in straight sets. Davydenko lost to Germany’s Benjamin Becker while Nalbandian – a finalist in 2002 – fell to Canadian Frank Dancevic.
Those two shocking defeats seem to benefit Djokovic and Andy Roddick the most, as Djokovic was drawn to potentially face Nalbandian in the quarters, while Roddick had Davydenko as a possible last eight opponent.
Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic, seeded 18, was also sent packing when he suffered a stunning loss to German Simon Stadler. The giant Croat, who is known for his strong serving which gives him a huge advantage on grass, was crowned in Nottingham last Sunday where he successfully defended his title; however Karlovic failed to capitalize on his victory and fell to Stadler in four sets.
Threats to the Big Three
Among the list of potential hiccups for the main contenders for the Wimbledon title is British hope, Andy Murray. The 12th-seeded Scott eased past French veteran, Fabrice Santoro and next faces Xavier Malisse of Belgium. Murray could possibly await Nadal in the quarters.
Another tough potential quarterfinal opponent for Nadal is last year’s semifinalist, Richard Gasquet. The 8th-seeded Frenchman breezed past American Mardy Fish in the first round and next meets his countryman, Sebastien Grosjean.
Mario Ancic is also one to watch this year at Wimbledon. Ancic is the last player to beat Federer at the All England Club and is currently crawling back up the rankings after recovering from a series of illnesses and injuries that knocked him outside the top 10 last year. The Croat claimed his second round spot after Michael Llodra retired during their first round match and will next play a German qualifier.
Ancic could meet Federer in the quarters but has possible obstacles in the form of David Ferrer (seeded 5) or Tomas Berdych (seeded 11th) before he could set up that meeting.
Round Two Matches to Watch
Roger Federer [1] vs. Robin Soderling
Rafael Nadal [2] vs. Ernests Gulbis
Novak Djokovic [3] vs. Marat Safin
David Ferrer [5] vs. Igor Andreev
Andy Roddick [6] vs. Janko Tipsarevic
