* !Picby Pete Bodo*
WIMBLEDON, England—Here we are again, at the best day in tennis: The second Monday at Wimbledon. We're down to the last 16 matches, the 32 players who survived the first week. The question, as usual, is,Will the sweet 16 survive the weather? Once again, it seems that the gods of tennis are planning to rain on the parade. For the first time this tournament, I walked down the hill from Wimbledon village wearing my rain jacket. It does not look good.
Nevertheless, we'll plough on. I made a poor call on Saturday, suggesting that Varvara Lepchenko might upset Petra Kvitova. A look back at their head-to-head might have warned me off it, but I made the change at the last minute when I felt guilty about making Sara Errani my upset pick for the second time. It just didn't seem fair to the combative little French Open finalist, so I elected to call for Kvitova's head instead. Then Yaroslava Shvedova goes and beats Errani, with a golden set to boot! Grrrr. . .
Anyway, Kvitova's performance against Lepchenko was, to my mind, one of those corner-turners. Kvitova came here a stressed and slumping defending champion, but she burst into the second week with the kind of match that can yield an enormous confidence dividend. Today, Kvitova plays Francesca Schiavone on Court 3, an entirely tame assignment given the advantages grass bestows on long-limbed lefthanders who can crack the serve.
Let's break down today's action in a slightly different way before we pick our upsets:
Most Interesting ATP Match: Brian Baker vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber (No. 27), the German who is hoping to make his first Grand Slam quarterfinal in 33 attempts. No pressure or anything—Fabrice Santoro went 53 Grand Slam tournaments before he reached his first quarterfinal.
Most Interesting WTA Match: Serena Williams (No. 6) vs. Yaroslava Shvedova (wild card), the only woman in pro tennis' recorded history to record a golden set (she didn't lose a single point in the first set of her 6-0, 6-4 win over Errani in my Grrrr match on Saturday). Shvedova has been coming on strong in recent weeks.
Least Interesting ATP Match: Novak Djokovic (No. 1) vs. Viktor Troicki, a fellow Serb. That's kind of the problem, because Djokovic's role as a national hero, and the way his pro countrymen have benefited from Nole's success and stature, leave the other Serbs with a sense of indebtedness that's reflected in their records. Troicki is 1-11 vs. Djokovic. Good effort by Big Viktor to get this far, though.
Least Interesting WTA Match: Maria Kirilenko (No. 17) vs. Peng Shuai, a match I just can't get my head around. They each have a win against one another and it's their first meeting since 2006. The incentive is to advance in a soft spot in the draw, with the winner to meet either Agnieszka Radwanska or Camila Giorgi. That's a better assignment than most, so the better player (Kirilenko) will be under a lot of pressure to come through.
Connoisseur's Special, ATP: Mikhail Youzhny vs. Denis Istomin will look like a battle of unknowns to most spectators, but if you pay close attention, this is a pretty intriguing match-up. Istomin is an on-the-rise 25-year-old (and the first Uzbek to make the round of 16 at a Grand Slam) and Youzhny an accomplished Wimbledon veteran striving to make the quarters for the first time. In fact, he's the only man to make six previous fourth rounds without ever penetrating to the final eight.
Connoisseur's Special, WTA: Kim Clijsters vs. Angelique Kerber (No. 8) is a tantalizing match-up between a part-timer—but former world No. 1 and multiple Grand Slam champion—and the fast-rising German who's won more matches this year than any other WTA player. Kerber is a lefty, but her serve can be attacked, and the return is one of Clijster's strengths.
Upset Special, ATP: Baker has been an inspirational story, and for an unseeded player he must be pretty happy to have Kohlschreiber at this juncture.
Upset Special, WTA: Kerber over Clijsters sounds good to me.
As usual, much of this might be academic. . .