=================
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS (Wimbledon, England; grass; Grand Slam)
================= http://championships.wimbledon.org/
Contents
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1. Quarter-final TV-report: Bartoli v Krajícek
2. Women's Doubles: Second-round TV-report: Bartoli/Tu v
Vaidišová/Záhlavová Strýcová
3. Women's Doubles: Third-round result

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1. Quarter-final TV-report: Bartoli v Krajícek
(Wednesday 4th July 2007)
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Nice winner, nice loser:
+ MARION BARTOLI [18,S] d. MICHAËLLA KRAJÍCEK [31,DF], 3-6 6-3 6-2

A delightful match, and fully deserving of being a Grand-Slam quarter-
final - and of being on a more prestigious court than Two.

Marion may have become the first Selesian ever to reach a Grand-Slam
semi-final (emulating the feat achieved many times by Monica herself,
of course, though just once at Wimbledon, when Monica reached the
final in 1992), but the one who really impressed me was Michaëlla.


Michaëlla Krajícek
------------------

I am a pretty little Dutch girl
As pretty as can be
And all the boys in the neighbourhood
Are crazy over me

I hereby promote Michaëlla to my demi-fanship (my second tier of
favourites, the first tier being my Eternal Fanship).

Although I first saw Michaëlla play at the French Open 2006, and
again at Birmingham 2007 (both first-round losses), she has been a
revelation to me this Wimbledon. She was more impressive in the third
round than her victim Anna Chakvetadze, who is a member of my Eternal
Fanship!

I already knew that Michaëlla serves big and moves great, that she
can play spreading rallies from the baseline, and is also very
willing to come to the net behind her wicked sliced backhand, but her
added value in this match was sharp groundstrokes of flairsome power!

I tuned in at the start of the third set to see Michaëlla hit three
flairsome groundstroke-winners, including a crosscourt backhand
winner onto the sideline just like Karina Habšudová used to do!

Indeed, the match reminded me of my all-time favourite match to
watch: a Wimbledon 2000 first round between Monica Seles and Karina
Habšudová, which was also played on Court 2, and which Monica won in
three sets after dropping the first 3-6.

Michaëlla is also slim, cute and exceptionally pretty, with beautiful
eyelashes. Before she changed her hairstyle from a ponytail to a
short, boyish cut, she was very definitely one of the prettiest girls
in tennis - and, well, once you get used to it and see close-ups on
TV, she still is.

Before the match, my Reason said I should want Marion to win, but as
I watched the third set live, my Passion said Michaëlla.


Marion Bartoli
--------------

I admire Marion for having developed a faithful Selesian game: two-
handed on both sides, with a cross-handed forehand - the major
differences from Monica Seles's groundstrokes are that Marion's are
right-handed, and not as sharp or powerful. But she has a chess-like
ability to work out the rallies, and hit plenty of winners,
particularly crossscourt, and occasionally very fast!

Marion also has a very quirky serve. First, she does a couple of
energy-bounces (or, as Sam Smith calls it, the "Bartoli bop") to
remind herself to use her legs in the serve. Then, she stands with
her feet together, very erect, and holds out her racket as though
preparing for a fencing-duel. She spreads out the fingers of her
plastered right hand, bends her wrist, and very deliberately wraps
those fingers round the bottom of her racket-handle, as though she
has recently learned a new grip. Finally, she goes up on her toes to
hit her serve with that wristy grip. Unorthodox and extremely
effective!

With the sexy María Sánchez Lorenzo having retired at the end of
2006, Marion is my favourite Selesian.


Third set
---------
BARTOLI _* *@*@* 6
KRAJICE * *_____ 2

Michaëlla serving 0-0: Serve + crosscourt forehand winner. 15/0.
Ace #7, out wide. 30/0. Serve + sharp crosscourt forehand winner.
40/0. Michaëlla netted a forehand on the third stroke. 40/15.
Michaëlla pushed a forehand wide off a very short return. 40/30.
Michaëlla hit a crosscourt backhand winner of flairsome power onto
the sideline - a shot reminiscent of Karina Habšudová!

Marion serving 1-0: Michaëlla sliced backhand long. 15/0.
Serve + crosscourt backhand on the sideline forced Michaëlla to hit a
backhand wide. 30/0. Michaëlla hit a deep forehand return onto the
baseline, but hit a forehand long on the fourth stroke. 40/0.
Service-winner out wide.

Michaëlla serving 1-1: Ace out wide. 15/0. Michaëlla finished a
superb rally with an off-forehand volley-winner. 30/0. Service-
winner. 40/0. A superb-angled first serve out wide forced a very
short return, and Michaëlla hit a dropshot-winner.

Marion serving 1-2: Michaëlla came to the net behind a sliced
backhand down the line, but Marion hit a forehand pass-winner down
the line - great point from them both. 15/0. Michaëlla fired a sharp
crosscourt backhand winner just inside the sideline. 15/15. Michaëlla
forehand long. 30/15. Michaëlla ran down a dropshot and netted a
backhand. 40/15. Marion came to the net, forcing Michaëlla to hit a
forehand lob long.

Michaëlla serving 2-2: Service-winner out wide. 15/0. Marion backhand
dead netcord-winner. 15/15. Michaëlla netted a sliced backhand off a
forehand return down the line from Marion that caught the outside
edge of the sideline. 15/30. Serve + forehand winner down the line.
30/30. Marion stood /way/ inside the baseline to receive. Michaëlla
hit a backhand long off a deep ball from Marion, screamed, and burst
into tears! 30/40 (BP). Marion hit a deep, error-forcing backhand
down the line to score the first break of the decider.

Marion serving 3-2: Serve + crosscourt forehand forced Michaëlla to
hit a forehand wide. 15/0. Service-winner out wide. 30/0. Service-
winner out wide. 40/0. Marion went for a backhand down the line, but
it was just long. 40/15. Michaëlla forehand long.

Sam Smith said Michaëlla was playing well enough to win, but hadn't
bargained on how well Marion has served after losing the first set.

Michaëlla serving 2-4: Marion took the initiative with a good one-two
punch, and hit a screaming crosscourt forehand winner on the fifth
stroke, off a short- high ball. 0/15. A deep ball from Marion forced
another short floater from Michaëlla, which Marion dispatched with
another impressive crosscourt backhand winner. 0/30. Service-winner.
Michaëlla shouted something that sounded like the German "komm
jetzt". 15/30. Michaëlla came to the net, but Marion hit a crosscourt
backhand pass-winner. 15/40 (2 BPs). Serve out wide + forehand winner
down the line. 30/40. Michaëlla forced a very short ball from Marion,
and hit a crosscourt forehand winner. 40/40. Ace #9, down the middle,
106mph. Ad Michaëlla. Marion down-the-line backhand return virtual
winner. Deuce #2. Marion hit a dipping crosscourt forehand return at
her feet, forcing her to hit a half-volley wide. Ad Marion (BP).
Michaëlla saved it with a crosscourt forehand winner + forehand smash-
winner. Deuce #3. Michaëlla netted a forehand. Ad Marion (BP #2).
Marion broke with a backhand return-winner down the line.

Sam Smith: "There's a lot of star-quality about Krajícek. She's not
afraid of the big moments in a match."
Andrew Castle: "She's refusing to feel intimidated. But she's being
outmanoeuvred by the cunning and guile of Marion Bartoli, who is
reading all her moves perfectly."

Marion serving 5-2 (new balls): Michaëlla crosscourt backhand just
wide - too many unforced errors. 15/0. Marion netted a forehand on
the third stroke. 15/15. A good serve out wide forced a very short
return, giving Marion an easy forehand winner down the line. 30/15.
Michaëlla sprayed a forehand wide off a deep ball from Marion.
Michaëlla looked close to tears. 40/15 (2 MPs). Michaëlla netted a
backhand. Marion won 3-6 6-3 6-2 at 17:09. They exchanged kisses at
the net, and Michaëlla left the court looking very upset.


Articles
--------

Bartoli nap helps her to semi-finals
By Paul Majendie
>>>
LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - France's Marion Bartoli, refreshed by an
hour's sleep nap in one of Wimbledon's rain-breaks, battled her way
into the semi-finals on Wednesday with a 3-6 6-3 6-2 victory over
Michaëlla Krajícek.

Bartoli, who says she needs 10 hours' sleep a night to be at her
best, took a much-needed nap when rain stopped play.

Much refreshed after bedding down in the locker-room, she came from a
set down to book her place in the last four of a Grand Slam for the
first time at the age of 22.

Bartoli, explaining her unorthodox route to victory, said she was
late to bed last night when her doubles-match was finally postponed
and, as a result, got only eight hours' sleep.

"I need at least 10 hours each night for me to sleep, so I am missing
two hours," she said.

Cat-napping in the locker-room worked wonders. "After one hour of
sleep it was much better," she said.

Reporters at her post-match news-conference wondered how she woke up.

She explained: "When I heard the referee's office announcement,
'We are uncovering the court, checking the court and we'll get back
to you as soon as possible,' I knew it was time to wake up!"

The refreshed number 18 seed dropped just five points on her own
serve in the second set. In the decider, Bartoli, who is coached by
her doctor father Walter, twice broke the disconsolate Dutch
teenager's serve to coast to victory.

Bartoli will certainly need her full quota of sleep before her semi-
final, as she will be facing the most redoubtable opponent the
tournament has to offer - number one seed Justine Henin.
<<<

PA SportsTicker
>>>
In the only other quarter-final match scheduled for Wednesday, No. 18
Marion Bartoli of France continued her shocking run through the
tournament by dispatching Michaëlla Krajícek 3-6 6-3 6-2.

Bartoli, who had never made it past the third round in four previous
appearances here, used a nearly error-free attack to successfully
follow up her win over third-seeded Jelena Jankovic on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old Frenchwoman had just 10 unforced errors, and recorded
three breaks in reaching her first Grand-Slam semi-final, where she
will face Henin.

"It was the first time to be in the quarters," Bartoli said. "To be
able to go through that match, even if I [didn't] start very well,
was good. I found the key after the rain-delay, and I play very good.
I'm really happy to go through and to be in the semi-final."

Krajícek had been winless in one previous trip to the All England
Club prior to this year.
<<<

-------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Women's Doubles: Second-round TV-report:
Bartoli/Tu v Vaidišová/Záhlavová Strýcová (Wednesday 4th July 2007)
-------------------------------------------------------------------

+ Marion Bartoli [S]/Meilen Tu
d. Nicole Vaidišová [EF]/Barbora Záhlavová Strýcová, 7-5 7-6 (8/6)

I did hope Nicole wouldn't come to regret playing this match between
19:13 and 20:50 BST when she had her singles quarter-final the next
day!

But the Czechs seemed determined to force a third set, although they
didn't succeed. They could actually have won both sets, because they
had Marion serving at 4-5 (15/30) in the first, Tu serving at 5-6
(15/30) in the second, and had three set-points at 6/3* in the
tiebreak.

It was my first time to see Barbora Záhlavová Strýcová play. She may
not look pretty in the photos I've seen, but she does look much
better and cuter on TV. She also hit some impressive leaping smashes!

Louise Pleming: "Nicole always plays doubles with a friend. It's all
about relaxing and practising her serve."
Jo Durie: "It's nice to be able to talk to someone in your own
language - not have to use English."

My full TV-report includes a point-by-point description:
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/vaidi/wimbledon2007.html

--------------------------------------
3. Women's Doubles: Third-round result (Wednesday 4th July 2007)
--------------------------------------

+ (Peng,Shuai [S]/Yan,Zi [S]) d. (CHAN,YUNG-JAN/CHUANG,CHIA-JUNG)[3],
6-3 6-2

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html