Right, that’s it from me, here’s Simon Cambers’s match report. Thanks for reading and for your contributions, on a day when Dustin dazzled on Centre Court, Nadal felt a terrible sense of deja vu, Andy Murray and James Ward reached the third round but Aljaz Bedene went out, and Roger Federer and Petra Kvitova won emphatically. Please join us for more of the same tomorrow. Bye!
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Some words from the victor:
Playing first time on Centre Court – I’ve never been on the court before – I thought I’d freak out but it felt very familiar. My plan was to come and play good tennis. I didn’t think past 9pm tonight.
A stat that would have graced any era... @DreddyTennis #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Ux6zutDt9Z
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2015
As wonderful as it was to watch Brown play like that, it was sad to see Nadal look so subdued and short of confidence. What now for Nadal? It’s hard to see him turn around his season on the US hard courts, given the problems he’s had on the surface in recent years because of his knees.
Murray must have enjoyed that. He was seeded to meet Nadal in the quarter-finals. Instead, he’ll now face (assuming he gets there, of course) one of either James Ward, Vasek Pospisil, Viktor Troicki or Brown.
Brown beats Nadal 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4!
Brown gets off to an inauspicious start as he double faults. 0-15. Brown then serve-volleys, 15-all. A volley from Brown at full stretch and Nadal misses the forehand pass by a millimetre. 30-15. The German serves out wide and Nadal can’t get the return into play. 40-15, another two match points. And an ace out wide blows Nadal out of Wimbledon! It’s the biggest victory of Brown’s career, the journeyman (which almost seems an inappropriate description for such an extravagant player) has beaten the 14-times grand slam champion, who goes out of this tournament to a man ranked outside the world’s top 100 for the fourth year in a row. To the list of Rosol, Darcis and Kyrgios, you can now add Brown. Brown lifts up his sleeveless shirt and taps his tattooed torso. What an entertainer.
WATCH Standing ovation in appreciation of an epic win. #herestoperfection #Wimbledon https://t.co/qKrxC4Ocq5
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2015
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Nadal 5-7, 6-3, 4-6, 4-5 Brown* (*denotes next server)
A routine forehand from Nadal drifts beyond the baseline. And there’s another wayward shot! 0-30. Brown is two points from victory. This time Nadal takes his time before bludgeoning a backhand which Brown can’t get back into play. 15-30. Brown pulls off some amazing defence on the next point, and Nadal nets! 15-40, two match points. Brown comes in to the net and then takes his racket away from a ball he could have hit, but Nadal’s shot lands just in! A misjudgment there. And on match point No2 Nadal serves an ace down the middle. Deuce. Phew. Advantage Nadal as the Spaniard steps in and puts away the winner. Three in a row for Nadal. And Brown goes wide! He’s lost the game from two match points up but will still get the chance to serve this out.
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Nadal* 5-7, 6-3, 4-6, 3-5 Brown (*denotes next server)
Yes, Rosol is break down, 3-2 in that final set against Pablo Andujar. But back on Centre, Brown serves at 30-15. Which soon becomes 40-15. And then game Brown, as he makes it ace No12. He’s potentially one game away ...
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No escaping the spectre of Lukas Rosol. It happened in the 2nd rd, on the first Thursday. And he's on the grounds now. Court 8, 5th set.
— DavidLaw (@DavidLawTennis) July 2, 2015
Nadal 5-7, 6-3, 4-6, 3-4 Brown* (*denotes next server)
The rankings of last three players to beat Nadal at Wimbledon? 100, 135 and 144. Brown is 102. The 30-year-old’s highest ranking was 78 in June of last year. He’s more used to playing on the Challenger Tour than in grand slams. But it’s Nadal who looks like the challenger right now. Brown holds comfortably once more. However, some resistance from Rafa as he then comes through to love.
Nadal 5-7, 6-3, 4-6, 2-3 Brown* (*denotes next server)
Nadal at 30-15 ... Brown comes back at the Spaniard with a flamboyant jump smash on the backhand side, which almost takes Nadal’s head off. 30-all. 40-30. Deuce, with a Brown bullet down the line. Advantage Nadal. The crowd almost sound disappointed. You sense they want the unorthodox underdog to win this one. But Nadal edges through.
Brown gets to 40-0 with an extravagant drive volley on the run. He then serve-volleys for what feels like the 723rd time of the day, and that’s the game. 3-1 Brown.
The door’s ajar for a double break. But Nadal does just enough to push it shut. Brown leads 2-1.
Nadal’s already on the ropes in the fourth set. The punches keep on coming from Brown, as he goes for an early break which could prove to be a knockout blow in this match. And Brown gets it! This time Brown changes tack and goes for the patient approach. Nadal’s forehand is wild and wayward. The two-times champion looks absolutely flummoxed. And Brown holds to 15 in the following game to consolidate the break. He leads 2-0.
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Brown wins the third set 6-4 to lead Nadal by two sets to one!
So, Brown serving for a two sets to one lead. The German sends an ace out wide, 15-0. Nadal, off-balance, shanks a return into row Z, 30-0. This time Nadal gets it right on the return, 30-15. Nadal attempts a pass on the next point but Brown is on to him, 40-15, two set points. And Nadal’s return hits the tape before flying back on to Nadal’s side of the court!
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A straightforward hold for Nadal, to love. OK Dustin, over to you ...
This match has shades of Kyrgios from last year, and of Rosol from 2012, with Nadal struggling in the face of such attacking play. Brown moves 40-30 ahead on serve, and thinks he’s won the game, but HawkEye shows Nadal’s shot grazed the baseline. Deuce. Advantage Brown. Deuce. Advantage Brown. Game Brown, who moves 5-3 up. Nadal must hold serve to stay in the third set.
Brown holds, 5-3 in third. If Nadal loses, it's four straight #Wimbledon losses to opponents ranked 100+. After five straight* finals here.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 2, 2015
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Brown has the chance to move two breaks ahead, with Nadal 30-40 down on serve. Brown misses with a chipped return. Deuce. Brown chops another return long. Advantage Nadal. Deuce. Nadal nets a forehand, and here’s a second break point. And now it’s Brown’s turn to net. Deuce. Advantage Nadal. And Nadal gets a bit of fortune as his effort clips the tape and trickles over the other side. Game Nadal, but he’s still a break down, 4-3.
Brown, still shooting from the hip, fires himself 40-0 up on serve. Nadal gets back to 40-30. But Brown consolidates the break, 4-2. Nadal just isn’t getting any time between points, Brown is moving so fast. Nadal looks at Uncle Toni as if to say: “What should I do?”
Brown, who used to represent Jamaica before switching to Germany, once looked into the possibility of playing Davis Cup for Britain. That would have be fun, wouldn’t it? Brown is pushing on Nadal’s serve, and gets a break point chance at two games all. And Brown charges to the net once again to dispatch a backhand volley! Brown leads 3-2 in the third set.
Serve and volley points won: Dustin Brown 33/51 Rafael Nadal - 0/0 #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/GazZrlyokB
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2015
Bedene loses to Troicki, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
Troicki is serving for the match against Bedene on Court No12. From 30-15, Troicki goes for broke down the line and misses by a whisker. 30-all. Bedene can’t force a break point though, prodding his backhand long, and instead it’s match point Troicki. The Serb goes for too much on both his first and second serves, double faulting. Deuce. Advantage Bedene, when Troicki dinks a drop shot wide. Deuce. Advantage Troicki. Game, set and match Troicki with a forehand cross-court winner. So Bedene goes out, but two out of three isn’t bad, is it? Britain still has Murray and Ward into the third round.
Nadal whistles a forehand down the line and has a set point on Brown’s serve. Brown gets a bit of extra oomph on his serve to get to deuce. Brown digs out a quite ridiculous backhand volley, but Nadal’s on to him and whips away another winner. A second set point. And this time Nadal takes it as Brown volleys into the net! Nadal wins the second set 6-3.
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Bedene has progressed from headbutting the ball and is now slamming his racket into the grass as he falls behind in the fourth set. Troicki leads 4-3 with the break and is poised to go 5-3 ahead.
Do you think Rafa is a "Wizard of Oz" now @katymurrells? His power, retrieving and will have shrunk to the human scale. It happens in sports
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) July 2, 2015
There’s no doubt that Nadal is not the Nadal of old. I think the strangest thing to see is his self-doubt, having previously been the most bullish of competitors. Despite that, I can still see him winning this match, because can Brown keep up the level of the first set over five? Nadal still has the break in the second set and now leads 5-3.
Tomorrow’s order of play is in and Heather Watson will play Serena Williams in the third match on Centre Court:
Friday's Centre Court OOP: #Wimbledon Dimitrov v Gasquet Djokovic v Tomic Serena v Watson
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2015
Friday's No.1 Court OOP: #Wimbledon Wawrinka v Verdasco Sharapova v Begu Cilic v Isner
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2015
Friday's No.2 Court OOP: #Wimbledon Kyrgios v Raonic Stephens v Safarova Krunic v Venus
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2015
Berdych serves it out, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
Nadal finally has something to smile about as he breaks Brown, cue a steely fist pump and a “vamos”, and then holds serve. Elsewhere, Bedene slips two sets to one down against Troicki, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has defeated Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, Tomas Berdych is serving for the match against the marathon man of 2010, Nicolas Mahut, leading 6-1, 6-4, 5-4, and Andreas Seppi has edged through 6-1 in the final set against Borna Coric, to set up a Saturday date with Andy Murray.
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Here’s how Brown won that opening set.
WATCH Dustin Brown leaps into the air having snatched the first set from Rafael Nadal. #Wimbledon http://t.co/fd1m3j9lY1
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2015
“Afternoon Katy,” writes Simon McMahon. “That was quite a set, and not just because of the tennis. It’s not often Nadal comes up against someone who makes him look like a Henman-esque English gentleman in the style stakes.”
Meanwhile, Ruth Purdue asks: “Is it me, or do these players always seem to bring it against Rafa?” I think in the past, Ruth, many players feared Nadal so much that they were almost beaten before they went on court. But now they see him as vulnerable, they think they have a chance. Nadal says he’s OK physically and his knees aren’t a problem, but I wonder whether that’s true. He isn’t moving as well as he used to and he seems to be lacking confidence. He’s only seeded 10 here this year, his lowest seeding at Wimbledon.
Nadal squeezes through is opening service game in set two, but only just. It’s 1-1.
Brown put away 20 winners in that set and won 17 points at the net. Over on Court No12, Bedene is headbutting the ball in frustration after dropping serve. Troicki leads 4-2.
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So, can Nadal hold serve to take us into a tie-break? Brown rips a forehand cross-court winner and it’s 0-15. Nadal’s struggling to win points on his first serve, and that’s credit to Brown. The German then comes up with a drop shot and volley combination, it’s 0-30. Nadal needs a first serve here, and he gets it. 15-30. But Nadal then dumps a lazy forehand into the net. 15-40, two set points. Nadal saves the first with his fifth ace, but Brown takes the second with a skidding backhand that Nadal is unable to dig out of his shoelaces, as the Spaniard swats at thin air! Brown wins the first set 7-5!
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Make that 6-5 to Brown, on serve. I can’t keep up with this man he’s playing so quickly.
Apparently the Duchess of Cornwall was the lucky recipient of a sweaty wristband thrown by Murray on Court No1 earlier, but she’s been slow to take her seat in the Royal Box for Nadal v Brown. She’s missing a treat. It’s now five games all.
Don't wash it... The Duchess of Cornwall picked up a special memento from @andy_murray #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/CmPI9Om50Q
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2015
“I heard that she was coming today,” Murray said in his press conference. “I saw her briefly after the match. But the wristband actually hit the chairman of Wimbledon. He was there with her. Normally you see who catches it. Then the Duchess opened up her bag and my wristband was in there, so he obviously had given it to her.”
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The Bedene fightback is on, over on Court No12. He’s taken the second set 6-3, though it’s difficult to concentrate on proceedings there, what with Brown doing his thing on Centre Court. Brown holds serve in the blink of an eye to lead 4-3. “I’ve watched tennis since 1977, even before, and I’ve never seen a guy drop shot or drop volley as much as Brown has in these early games,” says John McEnroe on the BBC.
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Brown holds serve to reduce his arrears to 3-2, and then has a glimmer on Nadal’s serve at 0-30, courtesy of a blistering backhand return. Make that 0-40, three break points. Nadal misses with the first serve, gets the second into play, but Brown is aggressive from the off, putting Nadal under pressure, and there’s the break back! It’s three games all.
Brown’s brilliance doesn’t continue, as Nadal breaks. But Brown’s still smiling, that’s the way he is on court. Nadal then consolidates the break, despite some more unpredictability at the net from Brown, the highlight an improvised volley which loops off his racket and drops just inside the baseline. Nadal leads 3-1.
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Bedene loses out in the opening set, 6-4 to Troicki, as his serve falls apart and Troicki settles matters with a smash. Bedene endeared himself to his new home crowd with his fightback and attitude when he came from behind in the opening round – can he do the same here?
Meanwhile, on Centre, there couldn’t be more of a contrast between Brown, who rattles through the points at breakneck speed, barely pausing for breath before serving, and Nadal, who is, of course, well known for his slow play. Brown shows what he’s all about in the opening game, pulling off a staggering drop volley from just inside the service line. Brown holds serve. And then Nadal squeaks through his serve to level up at 1-1.
Bedene v Troicki is back on serve, four games all opening set. Feliciano Lopez has gone out in five sets to the qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga leads Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, while Rafael Nadal has just stepped on to Centre and is doing his usual pre-match jig at the net and sprint to the baseline. Nadal plays the dreadlocked German Dustin Brown, in what could be a cracker of a match. Brown won their only previous encounter, on the grass at Halle last year. It’ll be interesting to see who the crowd sides with; Brown is a great entertainer, but Rafa is, well, Rafa. He’s almost as revered as Federer here.
Federer beats Querrey 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
Bedene already leads by a break! It’s 3-2 on Court No12, just as Federer brings up match point on Centre. Querrey goes wide and Federer advances 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Can Federer win a record eighth title here that would see him eclipse Pete Sampras and William Renshaw? It’s a big ask at the age of 33, he’s not as strong as he used to be over best-of-five-set matches, as shown by the fact he’s not won a grand slam since Wimbledon 2012, but he’s looking in tremendous touch so far.
Several matches are just starting, including Britain’s No2, Aljaz Bedene, against Viktor Troicki on Court No12. Bedene, playing at Wimbledon as a Brit for the first time following his switch from Slovenia, is looking to make it a hat-trick of British victories following Murray and Ward’s wins earlier.
And a words on Gael Monfils and Adrian Mannarino, who are beginning on Court No3. So how does Mannarino plan to counter such unpredictability as this?
With science, apparently.
My plan for next match against gael pic.twitter.com/aA7CGSCPN1
— Adrian Mannarino (@AdrianMannarino) June 30, 2015
Radwanska’s victory took only 48 minutes, by the way. Anything Kvitova can do ...
"This is what they paid for, this is what they want." The Federer lob-tweener winner vs. Querrey at #Wimbledon: https://t.co/iuwv0JTHz5
— Ed McGrogan (@EdMcGrogan) July 2, 2015
Lleyton Hewitt just can’t resist a five-setter, can he?
Lleyton Hewitt gets a win in his last #Wimbledon in an epic. In doubles with Kokkinakis, beats Draganja/Kontinen 6-7, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 8-6.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 2, 2015
James Ward now knows he will play Vasek Pospisil in the third round. Pospisil, the world No56, has seen off Fabio Fognini in four sets. The last 32 will be unchartered territory for both Ward and Pospisil, who’s making his debut here.
Gilles Simon is through, 6-1, 6-1, 6-7, 6-1 against Blaz Kavcic, as is Agnieszka Radwanska, who eased past Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 6-0, 6-2.
Querrey, probably still befuddled by Federer’s mastery, is broken and then Federer serves out the set. Federer leads 6-4, 6-2.
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Another point to add to Federer’s career showreel, if there’s any space left on it, as he pulls off a hot-dog lob against Querrey. Though by Federer’s exacting standards, it wasn’t quite as good as this ...
Kvitova’s win took 57 minutes, by the way. So add that to her 35-minute long first-round match and she’s spent only 92 minutes on court so far. Better not ask Gilles Simon what he thinks about that. The Frenchman, who caused controversy here in 2012 when he said female players should be paid less than men, has been on Court No3 for well over two hours where he is 6-1, 6-1, 6-7, 3-1 ahead against Slovenia’s Blaz Kavcic.
Kvitova’s charge continues. After dropping only one game in her opening match, the defending champion’s conceded two games this afternoon, powering past Nara 6-2, 6-0. Kvitova took a couple of months off Tour earlier this year due to what she described as mental exhaustion. She seems fully recovered now.
It was a good match from my side. I was really prepared and really happy with how I played today. It doesn’t matter the time or the score, what’s important is the last point.
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Federer is sticking to the script on Centre Court, where he leads Querrey 6-4, breaking in the penultimate game of the first set. Les has more over in the game-by-game.
So, is Petra Kvitova the player with the greatest chance of halting Serena Williams’ charge to a second Serena Slam? In my opinion, she is. The world No2 said she struggled with the pressure and expectation of being the defending champion in 2012, despite reaching the quarter-finals, but she seems very comfortable with herself this time. Kvitova’s been unable to match the mere 35 minutes of her first-round win, but she’s in compete control on Court No1, leading Kurumi Nara 6-2, 4-0.
As Emma says, Ward will next play either Canada’s Vasek Pospisil or Italy’s 30th seed, the flashy Fabio Fognini. They’re currently duking it out on Court No12, Pospisil leading by two sets to one.
Another match report: Emma John was watching Ward’s win:
James Ward may have lost his place as Andy Murray’s de facto deputy before this tournament, but he has ensured that his friend will not be going it alone into the third round at Wimbledon.
The 28-year-old, who had dropped from British No2 to No4 with the arrival from Slovenia of Aljaz Bedene, beat Jiri Vesely – ranked 65 places higher than him – in four sets to secure a place in the top 100 for the first time. His next-round tie against either Vasek Pospisil or Fabio Fognini will be the furthest Ward has reached in any grand slam tournament.
Ward is a fashion protege of Ray Kelvin, otherwise known as Mr Ted Baker, who has been designing him a daring sequence of bespoke outfits for the tour this year. At Wimbledon, the only flash has been the little hint of orange on his collar and his socks – but there was plenty more in his play. He sent his first serve of the game past Vesely’s airshot of a backhand, and two more aces followed in his opening game. He ended up hitting 15 in total.
The full report is here.
Here’s Kevin Mitchell’s match report on Murray’s one-sided win:
Andy Murray, in the form of his life this summer, put a blip in the first round behind him here on Thursday to embarrass Robin Haase out of Wimbledon in less than an hour and a half. It was a breathtaking exhibition of focused skill and invention, to which the Dutchman had hardly a single worthwhile answer.
After struggling briefly to find his rhythm in beating Mikhail Kukushkin in straight sets on Tuesday, Murray began like a purring Rolls Royce on No1 Court on day four and finished with controlled ease to win 6-1, 6-1, 6-4. It was a miserable performance by Haase, who took a set off Murray in each of two matches in the US Open, most recently last year, but was woefully out of his depth here.
The difference between good and great players is not just talent, but concentration and patience. For all that Haase is a fine strokemaker and moves with lovely balance and judgment across the grass, he finds the strain of doing it rally after rally as exacting as anyone who comes up against Murray, whose ability to get the last ball in is extraordinary.
You can read the rest by clicking here.
Having had time to catch my breath, here’s a quick look around the grounds.
- Sabine Lisicki has come from a set down on Centre Court to see off Christina McHale 2-6, 7-5, 6-1.
- Lisicki’s win means Roger Federer is just getting under way against the big-serving Sam Querrey, the former Queen’s champion. Don’t expect too many rallies in that one. Les Roopanarine is game-by-gaming the match here.
- Petra Kvitova needed only 35 minutes to start her title defence on Tuesday, and she’s not hanging around today either, already 4-1 up against Japan’s Kurumi Nara.
- And Agnieszka Radwanska, the runner-up to Serena Williams in 2012, leads Ajla Tomljanovic by an early break, 2-0.
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Fantastic win for @JamesWardtennis, will move him into top 90 and secure direct entry into US Open. Not bad for someone with a foot injury
— Simon Cambers (@scambers73) July 2, 2015
Ward looks to the skies and roars with delight, while his father, a London cabbie who bears an uncanny resemblance to Murray’s dad – jumps up and down in the stands. Ward then walks off court for his post-match interview:
I have a lot of belief in myself and it all comes from the Davis Cup matches. I’m just glad to be showing it at Wimbledon as well. I’ll probably switch my phone off now as there’ll be too many of them [messages]. I’ve got doubles later, then I’ll rest up tomorrow and get ready for Saturday.
WATCH 4,000 rise as one to congratulate a fired up @JamesWardtennis who becomes a top 100 player for the 1st time http://t.co/qzOY8Ry02I
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2015
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Ward wins 6-2, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3!
So, Ward serving at 5-3 ahead. He wins a quick first point, but loses out on a longer second, looking a little edgy as he miscues an attempted drop shot. 15-all. 15-30. An ace down the T settles his nerves, 30-all. Luck’s on his side on the next point, his forehand skips off the top of the net and Vesely goes on to lose the point. 40-30, match point. And Ward wins when Vesely plants a backhand into the net! Ward is through to the third round of Wimbledon for the first time in his career at the age of 28, and will break into the top 100 for the first time!
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Ward still has the advantage of a break, he leads 5-2 despite a few nervous moments on serve. Vesely must now hold serve to stay in the Championships. And that he does to love. Now it’s up to Ward to serve for a place in the third round ...
The Duchess of Cornwall is here today, and she’s revealed herself to be a Rafa fan. Camilla met Nadal before play got under way on Centre Court, where she’s in the Royal Box. When she was introduced to the two-times champion, the Duchess said: “Rafa, how lovely to meet you. Are you playing today?” When Nadal said he was, she replied: “I hope you win.” The Scottish Daily Record is reporting this as a slight on Murray.
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Serena Williams’s conqueror of last year, Alize Cornet, has been conquered herself, losing 7-6, 2-6, 6-1 to the qualifier Olga Govortsova.
And Lisicki has forced a deciding set on Centre Court, sneaking the second set against McHale 7-5.
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Murray wins 6-1, 6-1, 6-4!
The 2013 champion has put Haase out of his misery on Court No1. Now, over to you Mr Ward ...
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Without wanting to tempt fate, if Murray, Ward and Bedene all win, Britain will have three British men in the third round for the first time since 1999.
And look here, Ward has two break points! 15-40 on Vesely’s serve ... Vesely’s shot sails into the tramlines and Ward has the breakthrough! He leads 3-1.
Murray is serving for a place in the third round, leading Haase 6-1, 6-1, 5-4. Flick over to here if you want to follow it.
Ward is flirting with danger, 0-30 down on serve at one game all in the fourth set, but he claws his way to 30-all, with the help of an ace and a “C’MON”. From there, the two go down the middle at each other and Ward blinks first, slapping into the net. He’s break point down, 30-40. But this time it’s Vesely’s turn to snatch at his shot. Deuce. Ward then steps in to the middle of the court to rifle a forehand away. Ward looks to have the initiative on the next point as his opponent scrambles to the net to pick up a drop shot, but Vesely gets there just in time and goes for Ward’s body. Deuce. Advantage Ward. And an ace settles matters. Ward leads two games to one, on serve.
Vesely is now taking a medical time-out to receive treatment to his left shoulder.
Heather Watson’s on a roll, adding to her two singles victories with an opening win in the women’s doubles, alongside New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic. Watson will now have the rest of the day to ponder tomorrow’s meeting with Serena Williams.
Meanwhile, Ward is able to hold serve comfortably, but Vesely then does the same to take the third set 6-3. The pair engaged in some rat-a-tat-tat at the net on the opening point, Vesely prevailed, and Ward didn’t get a look-in after that, Vesely rounding things off with a swinging ace out wide.
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Vesely holds, Ward holds, Vesely holds. So Ward trails 5-2 in the third set and will come out shortly to serve to stay in it.
Murray’s running away with it on Court No1, taking a two sets to love lead for the loss of only two games, 6-1, 6-1. Here are the stats of the match so far, you can follow the story of the match with Jacob’s game-by-game here.
STATS Clinical stuff from Murray so far... #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/aUavTGBche
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2015
Andrew Benton writes: “Dear Katy, might you inspire us with stories of the brilliance (or potential brilliance) of D Inglot (of D Inglot & E Roger-Vasselin (GB/Fr) fame) and the (presumably) brothers Skupski - K Skupski & N Skupski (GB)? Sadly, I have never heard of these Brits before, and I fear I probably never will again...”
Well, Dominic Inglot and Edouard Roger-Vasselin are currently two sets to love up in their men’s doubles match on Court No19, with the brothers Skupski to play later. I’d be lying if I said I’d watched any of the action on Court No19, but let’s take an educated guess based on the scoreline and say they’ve been brilliant.
Ward’s brilliance of today, though, has disappeared, though hopefully only temporarily. He’s been broken to 30 - Vesely whipping a vicious forehand winner down the line to go 3-1 ahead in the third set.
There’s a potential upset brewing on Centre Court, where Lisicki has conceded the first set to McHale, 6-2.
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Murray has got the bit between his teeth, leading Haase 6-1, 3-1. Murray is playing well, but Haase has been fairly poor. Meanwhile, on Court No2, Ward finds himself break point down, which he saves with a monumental effort having been forced to scamper back and retrieve a lob. Deuce. And from there he holds. It’s one game all in the third set.
Big roar of relief from Caroline Wozniacki as she beats Denisa Allertova 6-1, 7-6 having been 5-1 up in the second set
— Simon Cambers (@scambers73) July 2, 2015
Another top 10 seed is uprooted: world No.8 Ekaterina Makarova falls 6-2, 7-5 to Magdalena Rybarikova #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/9rR5KSlJvL
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2015
Vesely makes it three successive errors and Ward takes the tie-break seven points to four, to lead by two sets to love!
Ward 6-4 Vesely* (*denotes next server)
Before throwing in another error to give Ward two set points!
Ward 5-4 Vesely* (*denotes next server)
Vesely then shanks a forehand
Ward* 4-4 Vesely (*denotes next server)
Wards gets a slice of luck as his shot clips the net before skidding over
Ward* 3-4 Vesely (*denotes next server)
This time Vesely gets in on the drop shot and lobbing act
Ward 3-3 Vesely* (*denotes next server)
Ward gets the mini-break back by drawing Vesely in and lobbing his opponent
Ward 2-3 Vesely* (*denotes next server)
Before steadying himself by taking his next service point
Updated
Ward* 1-3 Vesely (*denotes next server)
Ward gets on the board with a smash
Ward* 0-3 Vesely (*denotes next server)
Before a Ward error makes it three unanswered points
Ward 0-2 Vesely* (*denotes next server)
Vesely then puts away a raking winner
Updated
Ward 0-1 Vesely* (*denotes next server)
Ward concedes an early mini-break as he goes high and wide
Score updates.
- Murray has rattled through the first set, 6-1, against Haase. You can follow that with Jacob here.
- Sabine Lisicki, the runner-up in 2013 and seeded 18 this year, has started slowly on Centre Court, trailing the American Christina McHale 4-2.
- Wozniacki is a set up, 6-1, but into a second set tie-break against Allertova.
- The 10th seed, Angelique Kerber is already through, courtesy of a 7-5, 6-2 win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
- And we’re into a second set tie-break between Ward and Vesely, so let’s go point-by-point ...
Updated
A few oohs and aahs in the press room, as Murray comes up with a wonderful backhand lob to break Haase for the second time and go 4-1 up in the opening set on Court No1. Meanwhile, on Court No2, Ward has a set point on Vesely’s serve at 30-40, but the British No4 is unable to take it. Vesely then takes two quick points and it’s five games all.
Ward is wobbling. After the disappointment of missing those six break points, he slides 0-30 down on his serve, before finding some resolve to get to 30-all and then 40-30. Ward then goes well long with a backhand – personally I think the line judges should cry “WELL OUT” when the shots are that errant – but I digress. From deuce, Ward holds to lead 5-4, forcing Vesely to hold serve to stay in the set.
The second set of Ward v Vesely is following the serving script until, with Ward leading 4-3, he forces three break points. Ward misses the first, the second and also the third, dumping a backhand return into the net. The crowd groan. And then cheer, when Vesely makes a mistake to bring up Ward’s advantage. This time Vesely thwacks away a smash. Deuce. Which turns into Ward’s advantage, a fifth break point. Ward does better than he did on the last break point, getting a sliced return back into play, but Vesely goes on to win the rally. Deuce. Ward’s advantage, a sixth break point. The pair engage in a lengthy rally, which Vesely decides he’s had enough of when he throws in a winning drop shot. Deuce #4. Advantage Vesely. And Vesely sneaks a hold. It’s four games all in the second set.
Musings. Jacob and I have just been discussing the fact that although Haase is left-handed, he plays with his right hand. In the words of Jacob, “Haase is the anti-Nadal”. Which got us wondering: what if Nadal just turned up one day and started playing with his right hand? How would he fare? It may be enough to bamboozle Novak Djokovic, if only for a game or two. And if Ronnie O’Sullivan can do it in snooker ...
Updated
It’s going with serve early in the second set of Ward’s match, by the way, two games all. Andy Murray is about to get under way against Robin Haase on Court No1, I’ll be keeping one eye on it here, but Jacob Steinberg will be keeping two eyes on it in his game-by-game, so if you want to follow the match closely, here’s the link.
It’s not going well for the Czechs. Denisa Allertova has lost the first set, 6-1, to Wozniacki, who is also a break up, 3-1, in the second. And there’s no rest for Heather Watson. After playing her opening two singles matches over three days, she’s now in action in the women’s doubles. Partnering New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic, they’re a set to the good against Serbia’s Bojana Jovanovski and Ukraine’s Nadiia Kichenok. Watson, of course, faces the small challenge of Serena Williams in the singles third round tomorrow.
Updated
Vesely appears on course for a comfortable hold at 40-0 but Ward then produces possibly the shot of the match so far – it certainly looked the fastest – with a ferocious forehand winner on the run and, buoyed by that, Ward takes the next 1-2-3 points to get to advantage and set point. And Ward takes it! The 28-year-old screams in delight, a scream that was arguably even louder than the crowd’s collective roar. Ward wins the first set 6-2 in only 25 minutes!
Updated
Vesely holds to love but he still seems uneasy, swiping at thin air in Ward’s next service game. Ward then draws Vesely in, before throwing in a lob, and then finishing his opponent off when Vesely can only prod the ball straight back at Ward, who comes up with the winner. It’s 5-2 and Vesely must serve to stay in the set.
Ward looks like he’s charging away, 0-30 on Vesely’s serve, but the Czech wins four points on the spin, one with a cute drop shot, to take the game, then he shakes his racket in celebration in that way tennis players do, like it’s some kind of magic wand.
A hint of danger for Ward in the following game at 15-30 and then again at deuce but a backhand pass followed by a winner on the forehand side – just for symmetry’s sake – brings up the game and Ward is 4-1 ahead.
Updated
Just as I was checking in on Wozniacki, already 4-0 up in the opening set against Denisa Allertova, Ward goes and breaks Vesely. He’s looking relaxed, no sign of any early jitters, and he then puts away a delicate volley in his following service game to demonstrate just how good he’s feeling. From there, he holds to 15. And Ward leads 3-0.
Updated
Ward and Vesely are under way, with Ward serving first. He comes out firing with a rocket of a forehand down the line and an ace, but 30-0 soon becomes 30-all. Wards averts the danger with his second ace, and then takes the game with another.
A lesson in handshaking etiquette
To shake or not to shake? That was the question going through the mind of the 18-year-old Latvian Jelena Ostapenko yesterday, after she blew leads in both sets against Kristina Mladenovic to lose 6-4, 7-5. Ostapenko opted for the latter – before being pulled back by her opponent. This was Mladenovic’s less-than-diplomatic response on Twitter ...
I hope I did not pull backwards too hard. #not pic.twitter.com/LaWOAPQ5XP
— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) July 1, 2015
Updated
Ward and Vesely take to the court, just over 40 minutes later than expected. Meanwhile over on Court No12, Caroline Wozniacki, seeded No5 here, is just getting under way in her second-round match.
Regardless of what happens today, @JamesWardtennis looks set to break the world's top 100 for the first time (predicted 97 at moment)
— Simon Cambers (@scambers73) July 2, 2015
The sun is trying to break through, temperatures are rising and over on Court No2 the covers have been peeled back to reveal the green grass, which will shortly play host to James Ward v Jiri Vesely. While Ward, the world No111, is ranked 66 places below his opponent, the British No4 will feel he has a good chance against the Czech left-hander; Ward is strong on this surface and likes the big stage, as shown by his performances in the Davis Cup.
And they're off! Hoping for play at #wimbledon within the next 15/20 mins @BBCTwo http://t.co/mozO5P8sVB https://t.co/byp7wHZuoE
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 2, 2015
Murray managed a 30-minute practice session before the rain came. And he may yet get on to Court No1 at 1pm if the weather continues to improve.
Excited fans crowd court 15 to watch @andy_murray15 practice! BackTheBrits pic.twitter.com/t8ofxhwZL6
— British Tennis (@BritishTennis) July 2, 2015
Good news! It’s looking brighter, the covers are being deflated and it may not be too long before they’re removed. The Voice of Wimbledon does caution though that there’s a risk of rain until mid to late afternoon, while adding that temperatures will only reach an Arctic 25 degrees today. Pah.
The full order of play
CENTRE COURT
1pm start
C McHale (US) v S LISICKI (Ger, 18); S Querrey (US) v R FEDERER (Swi, 2); D Brown (Ger) v R NADAL (Sp, 10)
No1 COURT
1pm
R Haase (Neth) v A MURRAY (GB, 3); K Nara (Jpn) v P KVITOVA (Cz, 2); J-W TSONGA (Fr, 13) v A Ramos-Vinolas (SZp)
No2 COURT
J Ward (GB) v J Vesely (Cz); A RADWANSKA (Pol, 13) v A Tomljanovic (Aus); T BERDYCH (Cz, 6) v N Mahut (Fr)
No3 COURT
E MAKAROVA (Rus, 8) v M Rybarikova (Svk); B Kavcic (Svn) v G SIMON (Fr, 12); G MONFILS (Fr, 18) v A Mannarino (Fr)
COURT 12
C WOZNIACKI (Den, 5) v D Allertova (Cz); V Pospisil (Can) v F FOGNINI (It, 30); V TROICKI (Ser, 22) v A Bedene (GB)
COURT 18
A Pavlyuchenkova (Rus) v A KERBER (Ger, 10); T BACSINSZKY (Swi, 15) v S Soler-Espinosa (Sp); J JANKOVIC (Ser, 28) v E Rodina (Rus); A Dolgopolov (Ukr) v I KARLOVIC (Cro, 23)
COURT FIVE
V Dushevina & MJ Martínez Sánchez (Rus/Sp) v K Koukalova & T Pironkova (Cz/Bul); S Betov & A Bury (Blr) v E Corrie & K Edmund (GB); R Lindstedt & J Melzer (Swe/Aut) v M Bhupathi & J Tipsarevic (Ind/Ser)
COURT SIX
G Muller & Aisam Qureshi (Lux/Pak) v B Becker & R Maytin (Ger/Ven); Liang Chen Liang & R Olaru (Chn/Rom) v Belinda Bencic & K Siniakova (Swi/(Cz); M Linette & M Minella (Pol/Lux) v T BABOS & K MLADENOVIC (Hun/Fr, 4); G García-López & M Jaziri (Sp/Tun) v M Daniell & M Demoliner (NZ/Br)
COURT SEVEN
G MUGURUZA (Sp, 20) v M Lucic-Baroni (Cro); A SEPPI (It, 25) v B Coric (Cro); S KUZNETSOVA (Rus, 26) v K Pliskova (Cz); M Ebden & J Ward (Aus /GB) v T Gabashvili & Lu Y-h (Rus/Tai)
COURT EIGHT
B Paire (Fr) v R BAUTISTA AGUT (Sp, 20); M KEYS (US, 21) v E Kulichkova (Rus); L Rosol (Cz) v P Andújar (Sp)
COURT NINE
B Jovanovski & N Kichenok (Ser/Ukr) v M Erakovic & H Watson (NZ/GB); L Mayer & D Schwartzman (Arg) v I DODIG & M MELO (Cro/Br, 2); HSIEH S-W & F PENNETTA (Tai/It, 7) v E Bogdan & S Halep (Rom); J Erlich & P Petzschner (Isr/Ger) v Treat Huey & S Lipsky (Phi/US)
COURT 10
R Albot & M Kukushkin (Mol/Kaz) v M Fyrstenberg & S González (Pol/Mex); J-S CABAL & R FARAH (Col, 16) v C Guccione & A Sa (Aus/Br); A Cornet & A Krunic (Fr/Ser) v A HLAVACKOVA & L HRADECKA (Cz, 8)
COURT 11
O Govortsova (Blr) v A CORNET (Fr, 25); T Maria (Ger) v Duan Yingying (Chn); M Niculescu (Rom) v J Cepelova (Svk); A-L Grönefeld & C Vandeweghe (Ger/US) v M Brengle & T Maria (US/Ger)
COURT 14
L Hewitt & T Kokkinakis (Aus) v M Draganja & H Kontinen (Cro/Fin, 15); J Murray & J Peers (GB/Aus, 13) v L Bambridge & L Broady (GB); V Lepchenko & C McHale (US) v L Arruabarrena & I-C Begu (Sp/Rom)
COURT 16
L Arruabarrena (Sp) v C GIORGI (It, 31); F López (Sp, 15) v N Basilashvili (Geo); K Skupski & N Skupski (GB) v M Matkowski & N Zimonjic (Pol/Ser, 7)
COURT 17
S Groth (Aus) v J Duckworth (Aus); C Dellacqua (Aus) v E SVITOLINA (Ukr. 17); B Bryan & M Bryan (US, 1) v G Kretschmer & A Satschko (Ger)
COURT 19
D Inglot & E Roger-Vasselin (GB/Fr) v R Junaid & A Shamasdin (Aus/Can); S Giraldo & J Sousa (Col/Por) v M Pavic & M Venus (Cro/NZ); A Petkovic & M Rybarikova (Ger/Svk) v A KUDRYAVTSEVA & A PAVLYUCHENKOVA (Rus, 11)
To be arranged
J Konta & M Sanchez (GB/US) v Chan H-c & A Van Uytvanck (Tai/Bel); Anastasia Rodionova & Arina Rodionova (Aus, 15) v M Barthel & L Kichenok (Ger/Ukr); D Jurak & A Konjuh (Cro) v R KOPS-JONES & A SPEARS (US, 15); L Davis & K Nara (US/Jpn) v Wang Yafan & Zhang Kailin (Chn)
When play does get under way, here are today’s highlights:
• Andy Murray said after his inconsistent but ultimately comfortable opening win over Mikhail Kukushkin that there were improvements to be made, and he’ll be hoping to do that against the Dutch world No78, Robin Haase. After losing to Haase seven years ago, Murray has won their past three meetings, including at the US Open last year when Murray came through in four sets despite suffering badly with cramp.
• Murray’s one of three Brits in singles action today: James Ward is up first on Court No2 against the Czech Jiri Vesely, while Aljaz Bedene continues his first Wimbledon as a British player in the third match on Court No12, against Serbia’s 22nd seed Viktor Troicki, who you may remember lost to Murray in the Queen’s semi-finals a week and a half ago.
• Three multiple Wimbledon champions continue their campaigns: Roger Federer is up against the big-serving American Sam Querrey, Rafael Nadal faces the flamboyant German Dustin Brown and Petra Kvitova, arguably Serena Williams’s greatest rival for the women’s title, plays Japan’s Kurumi Nara.
• Other names in action include Sabine Lisicki, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, Gael Monfils, Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki.
Updated
It’s looking unlikely that play will get under way on the outside courts, as scheduled, at 11.30am BST, unless the covers come off pretty quicksmart. And uh oh, it looks like the covers are now being inflated, which means the Wimbledon weatherman must be expecting a lengthy delay.
Good morning and welcome to live coverage of day four at Wimbledon, where it currently looks a little less like this ...
And a bit more like this ...
The first rain drops of Wimbledon 2015 are coming down – and they could turn into thunderstorms during the first few hours of play. At least there’s the Centre Court roof though, eh? However, organisers have only gone and scheduled Andy Murray in the opening match on Court No1. Gah!
Updated
Good morning
Katy will be here soon enough. While you wait, here is Andy Murray recalling his days in the juniors and revealing there has been no courtside coaching since he has been on the tour. Enjoy.
Andy Murray revealed on Wednesday night he has been coached from the stands during a match – although he was totally unaware of it until afterwards.
On the eve his second match at these championships – against Robin Haase first-up on Court No 1 on Thursday – the Scot has entered the rolling debate on coaches illegally signalling tactics and advice to their players and, typically, he comes at it from an odd angle. He would not be drawn into criticising other players but told a story from his teenage days in Spain that shines an interesting light on a serious subject.
“I wouldn’t want to speak about other players because I don’t know,” he said, “but when I was a junior, one of the coaches Pato [Álvarez] that I used to work with used to do signals to a lot of his players.
“I was playing a futures tournament when I was about 16 out in Spain. I won the match but it was close, not a very good match. And he went: ‘Andy, what are you doing? You never listen to me when you are on the court.’
“I said: ‘What do you mean?’ He said: ‘I was telling you to serve and volley and you weren’t doing it.’ I was, like: ‘You never told me what the signals were.’
“He was there at the back of the court telling me what to do and I didn’t know. He is the only coach that I have ever worked with [to do that]. Since I have been on the tour none of the coaches I have been with have ever given me any hand signals, or anything like that.
