2009 Wimbledon Day 9
All 8 remaining men were in action today for the quarterfinal round. The top remaining seed, number 2, Roger Federer continued his quest for a record 15th Grand Slam title. Standing tall in his way was 6ft 10 inch Ivo Karlovic, who had not suffered a break in his 79 service games at Wimbledon. Federer paid no attention to that statistic as he broke Karlovic’s serve in only the 4th game of the 1st set. From that point, it appeared Karlovic’s spirit was broken with his serve. Federer turned the tables, never even facing a break point in the entire match. Though Karlovic had 21 aces, for a tournament total of 158, Federer’s victory was never in doubt.
Number 3 Andy Murray, the hope of Britain, beat unseeded Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets. Ferrero, a former world number 1, was simply no match for Murray. Murray got stronger with each set and appears to be a strong contender for the title.
In the day’s only upset, number 4 seed Novak Djokovic lost a tough battle with no. 24 Tommy Haas. Haas, 31, is the oldest remaining player in the tournament. Djokovic was the youngest man. The age difference turned into a clash of styles, with Haas playing the old-fashioned game of attacking the net and Djokovic playing the modern powerful style. The match was even the first two sets, with Haas coming out just enough ahead to win both sets. Djokovic pulled himself together enough to win the 3rd set, but was visibly not confident. Haas closed it out in the 4th set.
American hopeful, the resurgent Andy Roddick, faced Lleyton Hewitt, in another battle of veterens. Hewitt, the former number 1 and former Wimbledon champion, has played his best tennis in years at this event. This battle was arguably the best match of the day, with each player using his best weapons.
Roddick served 43 aces on the day, reaching speeds of 140 mph. More importantly, he served them when it mattered most. The match was tight deep into the 5th set. With the score at 4-4, Roddick finally broke Hewitt and went on to serve for the victory.
In the semifinals, Roddick plays Murray, while Federer goes up against Haas.
