WIMBLEDON 2000

REVIEWS BY MARK NEWMAN

ANOTHER FIVE SETS FOR PHILIPPOUSSIS!

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 (10) Mark Philippoussis def. (8) Tim Henman 6-1 5-7 6-7 (7-9) 6-3 6-4

I predicted that Philippoussis would win, but then again I also said that he would start slowly. Well, anything but. Henman managed just five points in the first set, two of them on Philippoussis double faults, before the set was gone in a whirlwind of booming serves. It seemed as if the Australian would race away with it. Henman though was not discouraged and took the second set. After clinching the third set in a tense tiebreak 9-7 it seemed as if the Brit was through to the quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive year. Surely Philippoussis could not pull off another five set win after his five hour epic on Saturday. But he could. The serving got bigger as he got more tired, as the tiredness seemed to relax him. All he had to do was wait to pounce on a weak Henman service game, and that is what he did in the fourth and fifth sets. Henman smashed his racket after a second serve ace from Philippoussis on match point, and British hopes were gone for another year. Henman played some magnificent tennis, but he was simply outplayed by the big serving Aussie.

(2) Lindsay Davenport def. Jennifer Capriati 6-3 6-3

The pick of the women’s fourth round matches was this booming baseline battle between defending champion Davenport and former semi-finalist Capriati. Capriati dropped her opening service games in each set, and though she held break back points in each set that initial break proved decisive in each set. In the second set she fell 0-5 down and, staring defeat in the face, began to loosen up. She rolled off three straight games before Davenport gritted her teeth and served out the match to love. A heartening display from Capriati, who continues to make progress back towards the Top 10, and a dangerous sign for forthcoming opponents of Lindsay Davenport. The defending champion is back to her best form.

Other News

Monica Seles and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario produced a fantastic tussle, more epic than the 6-3 6-4 scoreline to Seles would suggest… Pete Sampras shrugged aside Jonas Bjorkman, and all injury fears have been forgotten now. The only other seed in his side of the draw, Thomas Enqvist, lost to Jan-Michael Gambill, giving Sampras a clear run to the final… Andre Agassi had a straight sets win and meets Philippoussis in the quarterfinals. It is Philippoussis’s third consecutive Wimbledon quarterfinal… Patrick Rafter moved ahead, as did qualifier Vladimir Voltchkov… Jelena Dokic will meet Magui Serna in the unseeded quarterfinal battle… Venus and Serena Williams headed ever nearer to the semi-final sister showdown. Venus will need to defeat top seed Martina Hingis, Serena has it easier against Lisa Raymond, who plays in her first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal (as does Serna)… And isn’t it sad to see the British press so desperately clinging to the hope that German Alexander Popp will decide to play for Britain because of his English mother. We have already imported one Brit. Let’s try and grow our own from now on!