When a small fish of lower rank is on a streak – the best players all say – you just have to hold out and wait for it: keep fit, lose my temper. However, some days they do not. On paper, the meeting with Ana Ivanovic Bethanie Mattek-Sands appeared one day disturbances. But Mattek-Sands – the world No158, best known for extreme costumes that have seen their comparison with Lady Gaga – was just spectacular and threw the seventh seed in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, with a relentless display of extravagant, attacking tennis.
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Mattek-Sands was a real loser who comes into the second round match: only once in 2015 had the 30-year-old American won two singles matches back to back before now. He missed half of last year with a hip injury, immersion classification 175, and entered into the draw for Wimbledon only through qualifying. Ivanovic, meanwhile, is a serious contender in the grass: semifinalist in 2007 and a reliable presence in the second week of the tournament. He had a career for the semifinals of Roland Garros in June and looked to be back to the form that made her world No1 in 2008.
From the beginning, however, the classification seemed hemi-odor. Mattek-Sands, wearing flashy long socks and a top mesh backrest is served and volleyed whenever he could, and net skills were infallible. She moved to a 3-0 lead in a blink. Their individual performances could have been erratic this year, but is the form of double-player in the world now. With Lucie Saforova, Mattek-Sands has won titles in both the 2015 Australia Open and Roland Garros – they are halfway to a calendar year Grand Slam; also she won the mixed doubles in Paris with Mike Bryan.
It is not difficult to see why Mattek-Sands has been so successful this year: its long booms and she continues with groundstrokes, without boisterous concessions. In just over an hour against Ivanovic, she hit 32 winners and only 18 unforced errors. Serbian dictated attempt, could only respond with 15 each.
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For Mattek-Sands, however, the biggest change in his game in 2015 has been a year of mind. “Being out for six months, undergoing hip surgery, gave me a perspective of play,” he said. “Last year I was watching these games at home on television.” Even improbable heat wave helped against Ivanovic, she thought. “I feel like we’re in Florida – how hot it is out there.”
Whites-only dress code is cramping style Wimbledon Mattek-Sands’ a little. When asked what she would rather wear, she replied: “Well, I do not even wear white on my wedding so is not white I mean, you can not even use off-white or cream I was like..: “Man, if you wash whites too many times, will be illegal. ‘Best be washed in cold water. ”
The mood at the conference was less humorous Ivanovic. “I think we played a little too passive in the beginning,” he reflected. “She had a good start to give confidence and I think that’s what made the difference in the end.”
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Ivanovic finally ran out of ideas, and took to imploring, pleading look his team in the stands. In the first row was her boyfriend, Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who seemed to be doing the equivalent of kicking every ball courts. He leaned forward in the gate, nervously firing a water bottle, put his hat on, took it off. Tennis can be a tense business.
Mattek-Sands, even showed a bit of tension itself, playing passively for the first time in the first match point. But soon he returned to serve and volley to clinch the biggest single victory of a late-flowering career.
Given that there are players who have basically won Wimbledon with their service – Richard Krajicek windmills to mind – Maria Sharapova might have to do it the hard way if it will succeed again this year. 2004 champion gave up seven double faults in his victory in straight sets against Johanna Konta on Monday; she followed with eight more in an otherwise routine 6-3, 6-1, sending the Netherlands’ Richel Hogenkamp. These are disturbing statistics for the No. 4 seed.
Of course, Sharapova’s first service – when you go in – it is formidable; He won 87% of points against Hogenkamp. But she has recurring problems with his ball throwing and often chooses to let it fall and restored. He took his time between deliveries in Hogenkamp party, perhaps hoping to regain his composure, but sometimes, as he rocked slightly and inhaled deeply, she came across as a person who suffers from vertigo contemplate a leap bungee. There was a gentle breeze on the court, but most viewers fluttering fans to keep cool.
Asked later if she had ever served three double faults successive earlier – as it did in the first set – somewhat tetchily Sharapova responded, “I’m sure, yes.” She continued, “I did not find the rhythm in a few of those games. What good, after that I got my time, I started to throw the ball a little more consistent. That helped me.”
Sharapova serving may have been malfunctioning, but the 28-year-old Russian unleashed any frustrations on their groundstrokes. She fiercely struck off both wings and the bombing of the pact ended 23 years of age, Hogenkamp into submission, especially in the second set. Hogenkamp, meanwhile, had been competitive in the early exchanges; she had obviously decided that the movement from front to back Sharapova was something he could exploit and feathered drop shots around the court. But this tactic as anything Hogenkamp tried, suffered from diminishing returns as the match progressed.
