Right so this post will cover the men's quarter final matches from Wimbledon which saw the last eight battle it out for a place in the semi finals, so let's have a look at the matches....
Right so starting with the first match on centre court we had David Ferrer who took on the giant Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro. Both men were looking for the first semi final at SW19 and it promised not to be an easy task, and straight away there was a scare for Delpo as he took a bad fall and injured his already bruised knee (which he sustained an injury from in a previous match) in the first game. However after some more bandaging and treatment, Delpo bravely marched on and it was worth it as he broke Ferrer twice to take the opening set. In the 2nd set Ferrer fought on but big Delpo had the answers and he broke the Spaniard again to take a two set lead. The 3rd was much tighter as it went by serve and Ferrer kept his hopes alive by pushing the match into a tiebreak, however after a few hiccups Delpo came through as he put down the hammer and ended Ferrer's run at Wimbledon and reached his first Wimbledon semi final with a 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 win. This was a terrific effort from Del Potro who did very well to fight through his injury and make it into the final four, where he will face the winner of the next match I will discuss...
Which was between Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych, and the two men had a previous encounter at SW19 which Berdych won in straight sets three years ago. However the tables were turned this time as Nole is not the same player he was three years ago, and despite a tight opening set, which featured some great tennis, Novak took the opening set on the tiebreak. In the 2nd set Berdych seized the early initiative and broke Nole twice to go 3-0, however he was unable to maintain his lead and let Novak back in and before we knew it was Novak's turn to break and take the two set lead. And in the 3rd Nole established his dominance and broke Berdych again and put out the big Czeck with a convincing straight set win of 7-6, 6-4, 6-3. This match really sees Djokovic playing exceptionally well so far, almost scarily so and it still has to be said that he looks to be the top favourite to win the title, however that still depends on the progress of the other four guys I will mention in the next two matches.
Which brings me onto the next quarter final which was between two very unlikely opponents, two Poles, the big serving Jerzy Janowicz and his fellow compatriot Lukas Kubot, and both men were looking make history by becoming the first of their nation to reach the Wimbledon semi finals. But it was Janowicz who came through in the end as he used his big weapons, namely his serve and his blootering forehand to beat his opponent and he came through in straight sets 7-5, 6-4, 6-4. Janowicz afterward was very emotional as he warmly hugged his good friend Kubot and he could barely speak in his post match interview as he was so overcome with emotion. This really is a great landmark for Polish tennis and Janowicz who established himself last year at the BNP Paribas Paris Masters by reaching the final there has done incredibly well in getting so far in this tournament, however he will face a real uphill battle ahead of him.
And this brings me onto the final match of the day, which was between Andy Murray and the world no.54 and Spanish no.9, Fernando Verdasco. This match was potentially quite a testing one for Andy who so far had not been pushed too much in the tournament. However that changed dramatically as Verdasco came out firing on all cylinders as he played very aggressively and he pinned Andy back behind the baseline, as he forced the Muzza into playing defensively. And as a result Andy's game suffered in the opening set as he double faulted to hand the set to Verdasco, and in the 2nd set his poor form worryingly continued as despite going a break up, he quickly squandered it and let Verdasco go on to break Andy and take a two sets to love lead. In the 3rd set Andy had to start fighting back and he did just that as he took the initiative and nabbed a double break to take the set and keep his chances alive. In the 4th set Andy managed to secure another break, but Verdasco was still game and kept things close, yet Andy managed to level the match at two sets all. In the 5th set play was tense and Andy at one point was even staring down the barrel as at 2-3 he faced break points, which he managed to save with some gutsy serves and he went on to hold. And play went by serve until 5-5 when Andy made his move on Verdasco's serve and broke after a tense rally, and at 6-5 he managed to serve it out and seal his place in his fifth straight Wimbledon final with a dramatic victory in 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5.
There's no doubt this match was one of the highlights of the tournament so far, and Andy once again showed his incredible fighting spirit as he came from two sets to love down for the seventh time in his career to beat Verdasco. Verdasco also played his part in a terrific match and for the most part he played exceptionally well and showed that form that previously saw him as a top 10 player and this match even echoed his form at the Australian open four years when he had his remarkable encounter with Rafa in the semi final. But in the end there was an inevitability that even though he looked down and out that Andy would come through and win the match and its testament to his mental strength and inner belief that he managed to do so. Both players also shared a nice exchange at the net at the end where Verdasco said to Andy that he couldn't believe he got him, and frankly nor could we!
So that sets up a tantalising semi final line up for the men's with Novak Djokovic vs Juan Martin Del Potro and Andy Murray vs Jerzy Janowicz. So who do I tip to win for these two???? Well its hard to look past the top two seeds, but both matches could be very tough, although Del Potro's injury could sideline him and might force him to withdraw or retire, but hopefully not as it could be a great match and a real test for Novak. As for Andy well for me he has the tougher of the two matches as Janowicz is a very dangerous player, not only because of his big powerful serve, but also because despite his 6ft 8 size, he also moves well around the court. But I can still see Andy win this one as I think his experience in the majors is far greater and that will hopefully see through to his second final at Wimbledon, but we will just have to wait and see. But assuming there are no retirals or major upsets I think Andy and Nole win both these in four sets.
So that's it for now, more will follow once the ladies semi finals are over and we know who's in the final.
Till the next one bye for nowww.
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