TENNIS – Novak Djokovic (1) beat Jarkko Nieminen 6-4 6-2 6-3 in the 2nd round of Wimbledon on an unusual very hot day with temperatures rising to 34°C. The defending champion will take on Bernard Tomic (27) in the third round. Stan Wawrinka (4) beat Victor Estrella-Burgos in 2 sets with 6-3 6-4 7-5. Grigor Dimitrov (11) also won in three sets with 7-6(8) 6-2 7-6(2) against Steve Johnson Diego Sampaolo
Nieminen, who is playing his last Wimbledon, started the 1st set with a break thanks to 3 winners. Djokovic initially had trouble reading the Nieminen serve but finally managed to break serve in the 6th game. Djokovic closed out the set 6-4 when Nieminen made a couple of double faults. Djokovic broke twice the 2nd set for 6-2 before cruising to 6-3 in the 3rd set.
“I am glad with the way I am playing and I am getting into form. As the tournament progresses, hopefully I will be able to elevate the level of my performances,” said Djokovic
Wawrinka defeated Estrella-Burgos 6-3 6-4 7-5 in an hour and 31 minutes. Wawrinka broke serve at 4-3 in the first set, at 4-4 in the second set and at 5-5 in the third. Wawrinka faced two break point chances at 4-5 0-30 in the third set but Estrella Burgos did not convert them. Shortly afterwards Wawrinka converted his first match point. Wawrinka made 28 unforced errors of which 6 were double faults.
Stan the Man set up a 3rd round match against Fernando Verdasco who battled past Dominic Thiem (32) with 5-7 6-4 5-7 6-3 6-4, the second 5-setter of the tournament for the Spaniard. The 1st set went on serve until 5-5 when Verdasco committed 2 double faults and dropped his serve. Thiem closed out the set. The 2nd set was similar to the 1st as it went on serve until the 10th game when Verdasco broke serve to take the set. Verdasco made too many mistakes in the 3rd set to be broken in the 11th game. Thiem again served it out to take a 2-1 sets lead. Thiem did not convert a break point chance at the start of the 4th set and Verdasco broke in the 6th game to win the 4th set with 6-3. Thiem bounced back in the 5th set to take a 3-1 lead but was broken back in the next game. Verdasco clinched the decisive break in the eighth game before closing out on his next service game with a backhand passing shot.
Grigor Dimitrov (11) overcame Steve Johnson 7-6(8) 6-2 7-6(2). The tie-break of the opening set was a close fight. Both players held serve until Dimitrov got a mini-break as he was leading 9-8. The Bulgarian star broke serve twice to clinch the second set with 6-2. In the third set Johnson earned a set point on Dimitrov’s serve but the Bulgarian saved it with his first serve winner. Dimitrov dominated the tie-break 7-2 points.
“I loved out there. I enjoyed it. It was a great day to play tennis. I knew what to expect from Johnson. We have played each other a couple of times and also practised together,” said Dimitrov. Dimitrov will take on Richard Gasquet (21) who beat fellow Frenchman Kenny De Schepper 6-3 6-0 6-3.
Another semifinalist from last year Milos Raonic (7) battled past Tommy Haas 6-0 6-2 6-7(5) 7-6(4). The Canadian hit a 145 mph, the third fastest serve at Wimbledon, and fended off all three break points he faced. Raonic will face last year’s quarterfinalist Nick Kyrgios (26) who beat Juan Monaco 7-6(5) 6-3 6-4 on a match where he did not face any break point chances.
“Playing on Court 1 in Wimbledon at my age, my career was very special. I am not going to forget it, that’s for sure,” said Raonic
Marcos Baghdatis, Australian Open finalist in 2006, fought back from two sets down to battle past World Number 120 John Millman from Australia 6-7(5) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4. Both players traded breaks five times between the 5th and the 10th games. The 1st set came down to the tie-break. Baghdatis got a mini-break at the start of the tie-break but Millman broke twice before closing out on the third set point. Millman broke serve twice in the fifth and the seventh games to take the second set with 6-2. Millman broke serve in the first game of the third set and opened up a 2-0 lead but Baghdatis broke serve twice in the fourth and in the eighth games to clinch the third set with 6-3.
Baghdatis broke at the start of the start of the fourth set and got a double break in the eighth game before closing out on the third set point. In the fifth-set battle Baghdatis broke serve in the third game. Millman failed to convert a break point in the sixth game. Baghdatis wasted two match points on Millman’s serve before closing out the match with 6-4
Marin Cilic (9), last year’s quarterfinalist, battled past Rikardas Berankis 6-3 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 7-5. Cilic started well winning the first set with 6-3 but Berankis broke serve in the 10th game to win the second set with 6-4. Cilic won the third set at the tie-break with 8-6 but committed too many mistakes allowing Berankis to win the fourth set and force the match to the fifth set. Berankis earned two break points at 5-5 but Cilic saved them. Cilic clinched a hard-fought fifth set with 7-5 setting up a third round match against John Isner.
Kei Nishikori (5) withdrew from the tournament before his match against Santiago Giraldo due to a left calf injury which forced him to retire from the semifinal against Andreas Seppi in Halle.
“It got better last week before the first match. I thought it was going to be okay but in the last match against Simone Bolelli in the fifth set I was hurting too much. I tried to warm up today when I was running and walking. I decided not to play today”, said Nishikori
