Wimbledon is upon us...

[yertle-the-turtle]

well, about a week away, anyway.

here are the seedings:

MEN
---

1. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia
2. Andre Agassi, United States
3. Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spain
4. Roger Federer, Switzerland
5. Andy Roddick, United States
6. David Nalbandian, Argentina
7. Guillermo Coria, Argentina
8. Sjeng Schalken, Netherlands
9. Rainer Schuettler, Germany
10. Tim Henman, Britain
11. Jiri Novak, Czech Republic
12. Paradorn Srichaphan, Thailand
13. Sebastien Grosjean, France
14. Xavier Malisse, Belgium
15. Arnaud Clement, France
16. Mikhail Youzhny, Russia
17. Gustavo Kuerten, Brazil
18. Marat Safin, Russia
19. Fernando Gonzalez, Chile
20. Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Russia
21. Martin Verkerk, Netherlands
22. Felix Mantilla, Spain
23. Agustin Calleri, Argentina
24. Albert Costa, Spain
25. Tommy Robredo, Spain
26. James Blake, United States
27. Younes El Aynaoui, Morocco
28. Wayne Ferreira, South Africa
29. Gaston Gaudio, Argentina
30. Jarkko Nieminen, Finland
31. Vincent Spadea, United States
32. Juan Ignacio Chela, Argentina

WOMEN
-----

1. Serena Williams, United States
2. Kim Clijsters, Belgium
3. Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium
4. Venus Williams, United States
5. Lindsay Davenport, United States
6. Amelie Mauresmo, France
7. Chanda Rubin, United States
8. Jennifer Capriati, United States
9. Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia
10. Anastasia Myskina, Russia
11. Jelena Dokic, Yugoslavia
12. Magdalena Maleeva, Bulgaria
13. Ai Sugiyama, Japan
14. Eleni Daniilidou, Greece
15. Elena Dementieva, Russia
16. Vera Zvonareva, Russia
17. Amanda Coetzer, South Africa
18. Conchita Martinez, Spain
19. Meghann Shaugnessy, United States
20. Patt Schnyder, Switzerland
21. Elena Bovina, Russia
22. Nathalie Dechy, France
23. Lisa Raymond, United States
24. Magui Serna, Spain
25. Anna Pistolesi, Israel
26. Alexandra Stevenson, United States
27. Silvia Farina Elia, Italy
28. Laura Granville, United States
29. Nadia Petrova, Russia
30. Denisa Chladkova, Czech Republic
31. Elena Likhovtseva, Russia
32. Tamarine Tanasugarn, Thailand

Who am I hoping will take it this year? Paradorn Srichaphan. OK, he hasn't had a good year, but he's a really nice guy, a good player, plus well, he's Asian (so am I). However, it's likely Agassi or Hewitt or someone else will take it.

As for the women's draw, I'm hoping it's Justine again.

 

[Flaming Friar Sr]

ah it might be verkerk who knows

good luck to srichaphan

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

ah yes, big martin. i will be rooting for him, as well as for tim henman. after srichaphan i want either of those to win, although the hen slightly more.

 

[brettig]

go lleyton.

 

[Popmartijn]

ah yes, big martin. i will be rooting for him, as well as for tim henman. after srichaphan i want either of those to win, although the hen slightly more.

Srichaphan lost today in Rosmalen to Sluiter. So I'm sorry for you, but the Dutch beat the Asians. Still, this isn't Wimbledon, so who knows...

C ya!

Marty

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

lol, wimbledon is always full of surprises

anyone betting on a third week due to rain delay?

 

[Popmartijn]

Not this year...
More entertaining: who is going to sing during a rain delay?

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

please don't make it Cliff...

or as my mum likes to say

SIR Cliff

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

hurrah, it's today!

Come on Paradorn/Tim/Martin!
Allez Justine!

 

[Popmartijn]

And don't forget Schalken! Yesterday he won the Ordina Open tournament here in the Netherlands, beating Clement in 2 sets. I was there, in person, on the centre-court and I enjoyed it. I mean, a Dutchman won, so why shouldn't I be happy. Still, it's not Wimbledon and Schalken has to play again today. The Wimbledon organisation does not take into consideration any achievements of the players over the weekend prior to the tournament... At least Schalken has won (another) ATP tournament.

C ya!

Marty

 

[Flaming Friar Sr]

hey yertle srichaphan has just beaten hrbaty. i suppose a tough match, since it took 5 sets

 

[Popmartijn]

And Hewton is out! Last year he was a winner, this year he lost in the first round! Shocking!
(I believe this has happened to either Becker or Edberg many, many years ago).

Oh, and the only Dutch female tennis player in the tournament lost. She was a lucky loser at the start and lost in the end.

C ya!

Marty

 

[Flaming Friar Sr]

yeah the dutch chicks are nuthing at playing tennis

 

[cujo]

go lleyton.

Oh he's going. Home.



That's too bad... come out of retirement Rafter!

 

[cass]

Andre Agassi go man
Lleyton..better luck next time

karma?

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

ouch. I was way too tired to post here yesterday, considering I spent all evening watching the tennis.

They showed Srichaphan-Hrbaty first, and were probably expecting a quick three setter (they kept promising COMING UP: KARLOVIC-HEWITT). Unfortunately Paradorn lost his concentration and almost lost the match. Still, nice to see the old boy win a match (finally, I think the last time I saw him win on TV was the final in Chennai when he whacked Kucera).

Anyway, they cut briefly to the tiebreak second set (which Lleyton lost). Surprisingly, when they cut back again, the fourth set was starting - and Hewitt had lost the third 6-3! Amazing stuff. Poor Lleyton, he's had an awful year. And man, is that Karlovic guy big. The last time this happened was actually in '67, the only time it happened. So ouch.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

IN

Justine up: ), Serena, Ferrero, Henman up: )

OUT

Coria, Malisse, Verkerk down: )

condolences to the Dutchies, hope Schalken does better.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

alright I'm listening to Sluiter playing Kafelnikov on Radio Wimbledon...he's just taken the first set, I think. 7-5.

 

[Popmartijn]

Yay! Sluiter beat Kafelnikov in 5 sets! Way to go Raemon. And a nice match it was to see (at least for us Dutchies ). A nice heroic battle by Sluiter on the centre court, pity that it was only the 1st round. The tournament is just starting.

As for Verkerk, I haven't seen the match, but I heard from him that he wasn't playing well at all. He still misses the experience at playing on grass. He hopes to be better in a few years. Still, I had hoped he could have survived the first round...

C ya!

Marty

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

rain delay! hopefully this will help paradorn, whose shot making against olivier mutis has been horrific to say the least, and he's down 2 sets to love and just threw away a 5-1 lead in the third.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

3rd set tiebreak. *nail bite*

 

[Popmartijn]

I'm following it too through the Internet (the real-time scoreboard of Wimbledon). It isn't looking good though for him (even though it's 2-1 for Srichapan in the tie break).

C ya!

Marty

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

2-1!
edit: that meant sets. he finally took it, but he was pretty lucky. hopefully the rain delay would have "woken him up from lunch", as vijay amitraj (the commentator we have) has said.

 

[Popmartijn]

Unfortunately, he's again 2-4 behind in the fourth set. This going to be tough...

C ya!

Marty

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

oh God he just saved a break.

really up against it

come on paradorn!

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

15-15 at 3-5, fourth set.

turn it round! turn it round!

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

2 match points saved! come on!

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

YES! HE LEVELLED UP! COME ON!

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

YEEEES! 2-2! (7-5 to Paradorn in the fourth). COME ON!

 

[Popmartijn]

Phew, that was close. 2 Match points saved? OK, I only saw the last one on my scoreboard (hey, I have to work too ). Again a gruelling 5-set match...

C ya!

Marty