BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS STEAMS PAST ANA IVANOVIC – GLOBAL CHICK’S WIMBLEDON DIARY

Written by: Global Chick on 1st July 2015

BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS STEAMS PAST ANA IVANOVIC - GLOBAL CHICK'S WIMBLEDON DIARY

Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the USA in action against Ana Ivanovic of Serbia during their second round match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 01 July 2015. EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA |

Bethanie Mattek-Sands steams past Ana Ivanovic – Global Chick’s Wimbledon Diary

Phew what a scorcher – that is generally the perceived feeling as this searing ball of flame in the sky is sending everyone all of a dither. On the one hand, it is a bizarre custom in this green and pleasant land that once the sun comes out, it is an unwritten rule to go cook ourselves immediately.

But then we British like nothing if not a good moan, so of course as opposed to being too wet and grey, wouldn’t you know it, it is too hot and bright.

One brightlette who will not be gracing the lawns of SW19 is Ana Ivanovic, whose patchiness continues as she was roundly bounced out by “qualifier” Bethanie Mattek-Sands. I say that because any-one who has followed tennis knows that Ms Mattek-Sands is one of the enduring characters of the sport, and she has the chops on the court to prove it.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in action against Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the USA during their second round match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 01 July 2015. EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA

She completely dismantled Ivanovic, who is very much a confidence player. The Serb is far too nice to bully points, like some of the big power hitters, and in truth we were a little disappointed that the aggressive stance that took her to a resurgence of sorts last year seems to have deserted her, as Mattek-Sands moved her effectively around the court and demonstrated a cute deftness of stroke time and time again to keep Ivanovic on the back foot throughout.

Mattek-Sands brings colour to the all-white reflecting glare of the dress code, with her unique sense of style, but she is genuinely one of the nicest people out on tour. I am reminded of her and her doubles partner Lucie Safarova throwing themselves into an impromptu quiz about each other in Stuttgart with much laughter throughout.

Maybe best known for her doubles more recently, her singles ranking made her plough through the qualification rounds this year, so taking out the seventh seed is a mighty impressive feat.

Next up for Bethanie will be latest Swiss wunderkind on the block, the charming Belinda Bencic. It is really hard to believe that the only grass in Switzerland, according to Bencic, are where the cows are! Bencic has rounded out into great form this grass court season, and with Mattek-Sands striking the ball and moving as she is out there, it is sure to be a corker.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the USA in action against Ana Ivanovic of Serbia during their second round match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 01 July 2015. EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA

Let’s divert our attention to the World No. 1 as Serena Williams at times looked as though she was being tested perhaps more than she was, as she eased past Timea Babos 6-4 6-1. Breaking in the first game of the first set, she kept the Hungarian at bay, but took complete charge in the second set, as she sets up a date with British No. 1 Heather Watson. In fact it is worth pointing out that Watson stood up for the Hungarian opponent, when asked about facing Williams in her press conference before the pair had actually played.

“I don’t think that’s really fair that people do that. I know she’s, you know, the favourite to win that, but she hasn’t played yet.”

That being said through, the Brit is relishing the chance of playing once more on the big stage against the World’s best player.

She added: “Serena’s a great player. She’s an amazing athlete, a great champion. She’s always the one to watch. She’s always the favourite for every tournament she plays. So I think she’s the one to beat in tournaments like this. She’s probably the toughest opponent.”

Meanwhile in the dying moments of the sun, sister Venus was out on No. 2 Court against feisty Yulia Putintseva. It may have only been two sets but it was one of the most entertaining matches, and there was no doubting just how much it meant to Venus for the win.

By comparison the men seemed to coast through on a breeze, as Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka eased into the next round, with Djokovic leading the applause for his opponent Jarkko Nieminen who played in his last Wimbledon.

Djokovic explained: He said: “When I was coming into the professional tennis as an 18 year old, I was playing some challenger in Helsinki in Finland, that’s where I met him the first time. Ever since then he’s been very kind to me. He’s one of the nicest guys on the tour that I know on the court and off the court.

“Just out of respect. There are these moments. In the present moment, maybe you are not aware how important it is, it’s a milestone for him, it’s his last match in Wimbledon. I’m sure he wanted to enjoy it a little bit. So he deserved the ovation.”

Once more into the breach on Day Four with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray on show.

Topics: AELTC, Ana Ivanovic, Andy Murray, Belinda Bencic, BETHANIE Mattek-Sands, global chick, Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Stan Wawrinka, Sw19, Tennis News, Venus Williams, Wimbledon 2015, Wta

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10sBalls_com says:

July 1, 2015 at 2:12 pm

-@BMATTEK-SANDS STEAMS PAST @AnaIvanovic – GLOBAL CHICK’S @Wimbledon DIARY- http://t.co/zNeAXtkHRV #tennis #Wimbledon2015 #WTA #MattekSands