Murray and Konta Through, Kvitova Out
Andy Murray is rebounding not only from some poor performances during clay court season, but also from his hip injury which had been bothering him before the tournament. During his match against Dustin Brown, Murray might have gotten off to a rough start, with both players seeming apprehensive, but he would go on to dominate the match.
It only took Andy and hour and 36 minutes to win his second round match in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Although Dustin was entertaining, using his variety of spins and drops to make the match fun, Murray would out class him with his strong and steady playing style, as well as his impeccable movement which enabled him to reach many of Dustin’s drops, a shot that Murray was undeniably expecting throughout the match.
“He started very well, coming up with some great drop volleys. Once I got the break, the momentum was with me, got to the drop shots, came up with some good passing shots.”
“I was getting a lot of free points off my serve, much better than in the first round. I also put a lot of returns back in play, didn’t give him too many free points on serve,” said Murray after the match.
Although Murray has been performing well, and hasn’t faced any major issues during his first two matches, his third round match may be an entirely different story, with him facing the tricky Fabio Fognini, who can be a tough man to beat on his good days.
Fognini defeated Jiri Vesely, 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-2 in his second round match, and just like Dustin he will enjoy the opportunity to play against Murray and his supporting crowd. Murray has the privilege of playing two eccentric opponents in a row.
Even though both players have a 3-3 head to head, they have never played each other on grass. If all goes well, Murray should be able to pull this one out.
Konta made it through an extremely tough match against Donna Vekic, which lasted three hours and ten minutes of intense and high level play from both sides of the net. While Konta had lost to Vekic in the first round of Nottingham recently, Konta proved that she had what it takes to best her opponent and make it through to the third round of the tournament beating her opponent 7-6 (4), 4-6, 10-8.
It was a heart wrenching match for both players. Vekic would net a forehand in the last game of an epic third set, and while Konta celebrated her win, Vekic would burst into tears. Konta would then console her opponent at the net.
“I think after such a battle, you kind of feel both your own and her emotions. Because there wasn’t much separating us I could put myself in her shoes and feel what she was feeling. As players, we have all been in that position,” said Konta.
“I definitely looked to keep a good perspective, to enjoy the moment, enjoy the battle that I was a part of. Once it steps over the three hour mark there is a number of other battles going on,” reflected Konta.
In her third round match Konta will play Maria Sakkari, a Greek unseeded player.
Kvitova’s Wimbledon run has reached an end, to many people’s disappointment, especially those who looked forward to her comeback and were rooting for her after her strong performance last week.
She lost in three sets to 95th ranked American Madison Brengle 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. It seems like Petra’s mental and physical short comings caught up with her during the match, as she said that she felt nauseous and couldn’t breathe.
“My body didn’t feel the best. I’m not sure what happened, I could not breathe and was feeling a bit sick as well. Sometimes that happens. Unfortunately it happened at Wimbledon,” said Kvitova.
“I’m glad it’s over. It was really tough and I feel really empty right now. I know my body is not great but mentally I’m glad it’s all over.”
Hopefully Kvitova will take some time to rest and be back in time for hard court season.