Player: Ksenia Pervak
Age: 20
Nation: Russia
Current Ranking: 89
Notable Conquests: Andrea Petkovic (11th seed, Germany) and Shahar Peer (22nd, Israel)
Today's Result: lost to Tamira Paszek (Austria) in three sets
Photo via Wikipedia
It was quite an impressive showing from Pervak. In her very first Wimbledon, she took out two seeds and reached the second week. Her ranking will get a very big boost heading into the hardcourt season.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Nadal-del Potro match - very high quality. It wasn't del Potro's day in the end but I love the way he tests the limits of Nadal's game. You're gonna run down every shot? Fine, let's see it. The Argentine hits the ball so hard and so deep into the corners that Rafa has a much wider court to cover than he has against almost anyone else. Tennis is a better sport with JMDP healthy and playing at this level. Here's hoping for more of the same in New York.
Catching Up with Old Friends
Richard Gasquet (Curtain Call, US Open Day 8) - Early on, it looked like Gasquet might give Andy Murray (4th, UK) a real match today, losing the first set in a tie-break. Alas, he went down fairly meekly in sets two and three. Nonetheless, this is the fourth consecutive Slam in which Gasquet has shown improvement so I shall award him The Golden Squid!
Photo via world tennis players
Photo via Tenhand
Gasquet is a puzzle, a child prodigy with loads of talent who's never gotten his head sufficiently in order to mount a challenge to the top-ranked players. He has just turned 25 and it's possible that his window has passed. Then again, he's just the sort who could steal a Slam title some day if he gets hot for two weeks.
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