WIMBLEDON 2000

REVIEWS BY MARK NEWMAN

TESTUD, SCHETT FALL;

OTHER SEEDS PROGRESS NICELY

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Anna Kournikova def. (10) Sandrine Testud 7-5 5-7 6-4

Let’s get one thing straight right from the start. The girl can play tennis. And she can play it bloody well. Anna Kournikova’s win over Sandrine Testud was the most entertaining women’s match of the day by far, and finished the day as runner-up to Rusedski-Spadea in the entertainment stakes. 10th-seed Testud and Top 20 ranked Kournikova pounded the ball from left to right in some fantastic rallies, until rain forced the match off the court with Kournikova leading 6-5. When the match resumed Testud wobbled, and lost the first game, handing Kournikova the set. The Russian youngster pounded her way to a 7-5 5-2 lead, and the finishing line was in sight. Sandrine Testud was not ready to head back to France just yet, and strung together five games in a row to take the second set 7-5 and level the match. Anna K was left stunned, but gathered herself together again to build a similar 5-2 lead in the final set. But history has a way of repeating itself, and as her nerves crumbed so Testud’s resolve deepened, and pretty soon Testud had put the match back on serve, and was serving to stay in the match at 4-5. Here Kournikova applied the pressure and Testud wobbled, gaining the unfortunate honour of being the first women’s seed to fall. It may only be a first round match, but the grin on Kournikova’s face after matchpoint showed how much it meant.

Olga Barabanshikova def. (15) Barbara Schett 6-2 6-2

Barbara Schett followed Sandrine Testud out of the tournament, the second women’s seed to fall. And fall she did, crashing 2-6 2-6 to Barabanshikova of Belarus.

Elsewhere it was plain sailing for the seeds. The Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, had easy straight sets victories, while top seed Martina Hingis found it plain sailing until 6-1 5-2 against Angeles Montolio when she found she needed eight match points to finish off the Spaniard, who suddenly discovered some awesome form. Hingis was smiling after three match points went by, but after the seventh passed her by the smile was starting to wobble. She is probably desperately trying to forget that she is the first World #1 for a jolly long time to not be a reigning Grand Slam champion. Her last Slam was the Australian Open in 1999. Since then she has reached three further Grand Slam finals, but has had to settle for the runners-up trophy. I’ve got a feeling that her sixth Grand Slam title isn’t too far away though – say about 13 days!