* !PicBy Pete Bodo*
WIMBLEDON, England—Well, that's one round done and gone. Or almost. A dozen singles matches remain unfinished or unplayed. Yesterday, I commented briefly about the tournament's decision to relegate both Venus and Serena Williams to secondary show courts, but there's at least one person who's been treated with even less deference, and that's former French Open champion and No. 1 Ana Ivanovic.
Yesterday, Ivanovic was put in the "to be arranged" bin, along with a couple of doubles specialists. That usually means you wind up out on Court 24 or thereabouts, alongside the taxi stand and "left luggage" tent, where you play while bathed in blue narcotic exhaust fumes. Well, Ivanovic moved up a notch on the ladder of respect today; she actually has a court assigment and start time: Court 14, 11:30 am. Granted, Ivanovic is seeded just No. 14, but she's one of the most popular WTA stars, and her behavior has been as correct as her attitude has been sunny. She deserved better.
I'm still struggling over which young American player to watch this morning, Jamie Lee Hampton (who plays Heather Watson) on No. 2 Court or Sloane Stephens, who goes up against No. 23 seed Petra Cetkovska on a field court (Court 17). I guess I'll watch Hampton, because of the British angle in play. Watson has been playing well, and I want to get another look at her, too.
Later, I'll take in the finish of Andy Roddick and Jamie Baker on No. 1 Court, along with 34-year-old Michael Russell, who's facing a tough task in Julien Benneteau. I've got to keep an eye on those American players, you know. There are, of course, other compelling match-ups on tap, starting with the first engagement on Centre Court: Fabulous Fabio Fognini vs. equally-fabulous-but-in-a-differen-way Roger Federer. My gut feeling is that it will be entertaining no matter what happens.
The most nervous-making match of the day must be Maria Sharapova vs. Tsvetana Pironkova, who annually turns into a regular Steffi Graf at Wimbledon. She was a semifinalist two years ago, and a quarterfinalist last year. Among the men, does anyone else think that Ryan Harrison could give Novak Djokovic fits? That one bears watching, not least because no matter how you analyze the Xs an Os, Harrison is an excellent and determined competitor will take every inch Djokovic gives him and try to stretch it into a mile.
My upset specials for the day are Tamira Paszek (you all know what she did in Eastbourne) over No. 7 seed Caroline Wozniacki. On the men's side, I'm thinking Xavier Malisse may tap into some of that always dormant magic and knock out No. 13 Gilles Simon.