WIMBLEDON
Junkovic
AFP, London
Daily Xpress
Published on July 1, 2008
Tamarine dumps Jankovic to reach first Grand Slam quarter-final
Tamarine Tanasugarn became the first Thai to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final as she sent Serb second-seed Jelena Jankovic crashing out of Wimbledon yesterday. Tamarine, ranked 60, took advantage of Jankovic's struggles with a knee injury to overpower the world No 3 and claim an historic 6-3 6-2 fourth round victory. The 31-year-old, who had appeared in the last 16 of Grand Slams eight times without success, will now face defending champion Venus Williams in the last eight. While Tamarine wept tears of joy on Court 18, Jankovic joined the growing list of top players to suffer an embarrassing exit from the All England Club this year. After top-seed Ana Ivanovic and third-seed Maria Sharapova were humbled last week, Jankovic, who had reached the semi-finals at both Grand Slams this year, was left as the highest seed still in the women's singles. But the Serb bowed out tamely. Told she was playing "a Thai girl" in the last 16, Jankovic had replied "Tiger who? Tiger Woods?". There can be no doubt she knows who Tamarine is now. Jankovic arrived with a bandage on her left leg, a legacy of her third round win over Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, and it was clearly limiting her.
Her movement was never as fluid as she would have liked and it seemed to sap her morale. She constantly flexed the leg between points and cried out in frustation as Tamarine took control. Jankovic is renowed for her ferocious groundstrokes but Tamarine was able to out-hit her time and again. After missing two break points in the sixth game, Tamarine battered Jankovic into submission, forcing the Serb to net and concede the first break. Tamarine, the oldest player left in the women's singles, scented the moment was right to go for the kill and she broke again in the first game of the second set. Both players needed treatment soon after but were able to continue. Tamarine called for another back massage after breaking for a 4-1 lead. Jankovic pulled a break back but it was only a brief respite as Tamarine broke again and closed out the match in convincing style.
Federer shatters Hewitt Roger Federer shattered father-to-be Lleyton Hewitt's Wimbledon hopes with a 7-6 (9/7) 6-2 6-4 victory which took him into the quarter-finals. Federer, bidding to become the first to win six successive titles, racked up his 63rd straight grass-court victory and will face either Spain's Fernando Verdasco or Croatia's Mario Ancic to advance.
Mum says luck with Tamarine
Sunetr Tanasugarn believes destiny will fire her daughter Tamarine to her first victory over Venus Williams when both square off in today's quarter-final at Wimbledon. An overwhelmed mother, who watched Tamarine's performance on a new 32-inch flat screen TV, said Lady Luck was smiling on her daughter. "I believe she can stop Williams. Sometimes luck counts more than anything else. "Tammy has had luck in her recent matches,'' said Sunetr, whose daughter has never beaten the American defending champion in six previous encounters. "She had always wanted to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals but she had never done it. As a mother, I had to support her dream and believed she could. She did it finally. I don't know what to say."
Daily Xpress
Tamarine Jankovic 1st Serve % 28 of 49 = 57% 31 of 51 = 61% Aces 1 3 Double Faults 1 5 Unforced Errors 6 19 Winning % on 1st Serve 21 of 28 = 75% 19 of 31 = 61% Winning % on 2nd Serve 13 of 21 = 62% 7 of 20 = 35% Receiving Points Won 25 of 51 = 49% 15 of 49 = 31% Break Point Conversions 4 of 7 = 57% 1 of 2 = 50% Net Approaches 5 of 6 = 83 % 1 of 2 = 50% Total Points Won 59 41 Fastest Serve 101mph 108mph
|
)
)
