The rain played havoc on the grounds Monday, with fourteen ladies matches being canceled, but the weather report on Tuesday bodes well for the possibility of a full day of tennis at Wimbledon.
If the skies hold up, defending champion Amelie Mauresmo will be taking to the court for her first round match, along with second seed Maria Sharapova and third seed Jelena Jankovic, who saw her match canceled on Monday.
Key Matches for Tuesday, June 26
(2) Maria Sharapova vs. Yung-Jan Chan
If Maria Sharapova is going to get knocked out before the second week of action at Wimbledon, it will happen in the first round, because Sharapova is a notoriously slow starter at Grand Slams (remember the Aussie Open in January). Fortunately for her, Yung-Jan Chan is a less experienced player than Camille Pin and has never reached the second round of a major. Chan likes to hug the baseline, which will help her a little against the second seed, but the most she will get off of Maria on Tuesday is seven games.
My Pick: Maria Sharapova in two sets.
(3) Jelena Jankovic vs. Anne Keothavong
Anne Keothavong is one of the brightest stars to come out of the United Kingdom in recent years, and despite her slow ascent into the pros, she has made waves both in her homeland and abroad. On paper, she has no chance against the world number three, but don’t forget that Jankovic is coming off of a hamstring injury that she sustained at the Ordina Open last week.
My Pick to Win: The extra day of rest helps propel Jankovic into the second round.
(4) Amelie Mauresmo vs. Jamea Jackson
With her first Grand Slam title unfortunately having an asterisk beside it, Wimbledon is the site of Mauresmo’s greatest triumph. Her first major might have been the result of a retirement, but her second was pure gold. Returning to SW19 as defending champion is a new experience for Amelie, but a role that she is relishing. She spoke with reporters on Sunday about how happy she is to be back, and in an uncharacteristic show of relaxation, even added that she was counting herself as one of the contenders for the title.
After pushing Justine Henin to her limit on Saturday at Eastbourne, I’d say Mauresmo was not far off in her comments. If she can stay relaxed, cope with the pressure, and remember that she has nothing left to prove, we’ll see Amelie Mauresmo go deep into the second week of action. Her opening match won’t be a walk through the park, but with Jamea Jackson still trying to recover from hip surgery, Amelie should still be able to score a straight sets win.
My Pick to Win: Amelie Mauresmo in two sets.
Shenay Perry vs. Aravane Rezai
A year ago, I would have picked Shenay Perry to win this match handily. Unfortunately, as one of the players stuck with the pressure of being the future of American tennis, she has hit a slump and has not won two back-to-back matches all season. Wimbledon would be an excellent time for her to turn her season around before heading into the US Open Series at home, but she’ll be in for a tough match on Tuesday against France’s Aravane Rezai.
My Pick to Win: Rezai overpowers Shenay from the baseline for a three set victory.
Naomi Cavaday Says
About her experience against Martina Hingis on Monday:
“Obviously to play that type of champion is obviously a great honour. I had a fantastic crowd, big buzz, loads of positives I can take from it. But I’m incredibly gutted right now that I didn’t take it. Yeah, mixed feelings really. So many positives to take from it as well as so much to go away and work on.”
On what Martina Hingis told her after the match:
“She just said it was tough, that I was one point away, which I didn’t need reminding of obviously (smiling). But she said, Tough, one point away. She said, Well, you took it away from me in the first when she had set points. I think it was a fair assessment of the match. It was very close.”
When asked if she can mimic a decent Southern accent after spending so much time in the United States:
“A decent Southern accent? I don’t know, I wasn’t there for that long. It’s definitely pretty different to the British one. I mean, they love the Brits coming out there. They love all our accents.”
What’s Happening at Wimbledon?
Richard Williams The Tennis Father Travel
Richard Williams wants to help you out with all your travel needs.
An email conversation with Andrew Jarrett: ‘You need to defuse rather than inflame situations’
Replacing the indomitable Alan Mills is no small task, but Andrew Jarrett is up to his job as tournament referee.
Hingis writes off her Wimbledon chances
Confidence thy name is not Martina Hingis.
Buy Tickets for Tomorrow Online
The AELTC is teaming up with Ticketmaster to offer Wimbledon tickets online.
USA Television Listings for Tuesday
All times are Eastern
Day 1 Highlights – ESPN2 – 2:00 am to 6:00 am
Wake up to Wimbledon – ESPN2 – 7:00 am to 8:00 am (Daily Preview Show)
Early Round Coverage (Day 2) – ESPN2 – 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (LIVE)
