Wimbledon Preview: Day Three

The 2008 Wimbledon Championships are moving into the second round and there have been no real surprises in results to date.

Top seed Ana Ivanovic aims to keep her back-to-back Grand Slam title pursuit alive as she faces France’s Nathalie Dechy on Wednesday.

Tania’s Picks for Wednesday

1 – Ana Ivanovic (SRB) vs. Nathalie Dechy (FRA)
No signs of the yips yet from the racket of Ivanovic, who lost only three games in the previous round. She won 76% of the points off her 1st serve and looks quite convincing on grass. Nathalie Dechy pulled through her match against Meng Yuan of China, despite producing an unflattering 32 unforced errors. Ivanovic should be too good for the Frenchwoman.
Ana Ivanovic in 2 sets

4 – Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) vs. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR)
Both girls struggled in their first round matches, needing three sets to dispose of their opponents. Bondarenko has not had a great singles record at the Grand Slam level. She has a potential clash with sister Alona in the third round if she is successful here, and this will likely serve as a motivation to progress.

Svetlana has reached the quarters previously, and based on her semifinal showing in France, will similarly be keen to move into the second week at Wimbledon, despite her inconsistency at times.
Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2 sets

18 – Nicole Vaidisova (CZE) vs. Samantha Stosur (AUS)
Nicole and Sam only lost four games in their respective matches; each progressing through quite comfortably. Nicole’s form has been shaky of late, evident in her first round loss at the French Open. The Czech is however a past quarterfinalist at The Championships. Stosur has not played this well for some time and coming off a semifinal appearance at Eastbourne last week, expect an upset here.
Samantha Stosur in 3 sets

29 – Amelie Mauresmo vs. Virginia Ruano Pascual (ESP)
Mauresmo beat American Ashley Harkleroad in the first round and now faces Ruano Pascual in the second round. Virginia is an established doubles player (winning 9 Grand slam doubles titles) but should not cause Amelie any trouble here. Despite the Frenchwoman’s slip in the seedings this year, she should move into the next round.
Amelie Mauresmo in 2 sets

She Said What?

Lindsay Davenport about her injured knee:
“It’s been bothering me now for a few weeks. It’s coming more from the back of the knee. Did an MRI and it looked good. In the latter stages of the second set I definitely felt like it was getting worse. I didn’t feel great in the third. Luckily I was able to, you know, hit some good shots and go for winners.

I actually felt like I started hitting the ball a little bit better because I felt like I needed to do more with it. I’m just hoping it pulls up well. Some days it feels okay, and other days it is a problem. This morning it was definitely more swollen and a little bit of a problem. Two days ago it felt perfect. It’s frustrating. I’m not really sure what to say every day.”

What Else is Happening at Wimbledon?

The Places to Be
Steve Tignor at Tennis Elbow gives a first-hand look at the courts of Wimbledon.

Tennis stars visit new Habitat for Humanity homes in Peckham
Agnes Szavay and Maria Kirilenko helped deliver Whirlpool products to be installed in new Habitat for Humanity homes.

USA Television Schedule

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Early Round Day 3 - ESPN2 - 7:00 am - 5:00 pm (LIVE)

*All times are Eastern.