Williams V/s Lisicki, Round 4

4^th Round and the much anticipated between Sabine Lisicki and Serena Williams, the world no.1 versus world No. 23. The rankings didn’t matter much really, for the first time I felt no one bothered with the rankings as much as with the thought that that Williams could possibly meet her match.  I saw Lisicki for the first time in Wimbledon 2011.  What struck me was her body language, it was high voltage but never high strung, she wore her emotions on her sleeve, smiling and mostly smiling. But it was never anger or verbal self-flagellation.  It was simply like she was on a practice court.  I think her emotions infected Serena as well for I saw her appreciate Lisicki’s shots and even mutter ‘great shot’ once.  Now that is rare.  Even after the match, the proverbial handshake was more than that and not a perfunctory brush of fingers between the conqueror and the vanquished. Serena had words for her and I saw Lisicki mouth thanks you twice.  I hope what Serena said was “all the best Lisicki, you can go all the way”.  

I loved this new Avatar of Serena. 

Yesterday I mentioned that Williams will win albeit in a three-setter.  The first will be a sitter for Lisicki but the second and third will be walkovers for Serena.  It could have come true if Serena had held her nerves, it  affected her game which was intact but for the numerous unforced errors which gifted Licki points at crucial times. Not to say that Lisicki was waiting for an attack of nerves from her opponent.  More often than not, if you don’t wilt under the Serena sun, you stand good chances.  You need to be mentally strong and not heed Williams’ reputation or her fierce stares or her 123mph serves.  

If you can get in edge ways than you can roam like a wild horse in Williams' head.  Lisicki did just that and her natural exuberance helped in blinding her to Serena’s nastiness and surprisingly Williams did not get nasty at all. Lisicki’s best serve came in the last game of the last set when she was serving out for the match.  It looked like the famed Williams flight of the phoenix when a resurgent Williams is absolutely unstoppable.  That’s when Lisicki served her 130mph serve and it whizzed past Serena. She followed it with yet another ace and it was just another few moments when she closed the match and fell face down in joy and disbelief.  She got up immediately and walked over to Serena.  Serena said that she played a super aggressive game and When you have absolutely nothing to lose you can play with so much freedom and you can be so loose. Gracious behavior and kind words personified from Williams. 

Now that I have said what I had to for the loser and the winner, I must say that I expected more from this huge match.  It was engrossing in the way that no one expected how Lisicki would respond to Serena getting ‘serious’ about her play if she wanted to win the 4^th round.  Serena has a better game than Lisicki’s.  There were nail biting moments that would invariably end in the painful anticlimax of an unforced error from Serena with routine shots that she wouldn’t even need to see to be able to hit them.  It was fascinating to watch Lisicki get on without being rattled even once, not at Seren’a winners and not at the errors she herself committed.  In the end you needed a strong head as much as a great pair of hands against the greatest players of our era. 

Day 2- Roberta Vinci V/s Li Na

Roberta Vinci is Sara Errani’s doubles partner and world no.11. I am favouring the World No.11 Li Na to sail through. But having seen how women’s matches go, it might be a three setter with the yo-yo swinging towards Li in the first, then lunging at Vinci in the second and finally towards Li in the third.  This has been happening a lot of late. ..

Anyways, here we go, first set with Vinci serving.  Right now Li Na’s shots-both forehand and back are looking strong as she makes Errani chase fluff in the opening game of the first set.  None have come to the baseline so far and the one time that Vinci does, she is caught wrong-footed with a cross court volley by Li Na. Vinci loses her service game.  Li Na breaks early!

And that’s Li Na’s husband with a grin on his face.  Oh Oh is Li Na going to double fault? A weak second serve but a down the line backhand hits the stands instead of Vinci’s racket.

Another backhand sails right past Vinci. I am impressed- perfect balance on the front right foot and there goes another forehand landing spot on the line!
Li Na’s backhand is the perfect text book variety, great control and the ball landing right where she wants. Li Na holds her serve and s up two games to love.

Vinci’s second serve is expectedly weak.  Li Na is attacking her game from the word go and stamping her authority or should I say stomping her authority of Vinci.  Will it be a double bagel? Well at least Li na knows that her game is rock solid. If anything I see in Li Na a strong opponent to Serena Williams.  She is setting her shots beautifully, constructing points , 3 backhands and then bam..a forehand down the line.  She is using all corners of the court and oh yes that text book- perfect backhand, She is almost kneeling on her right leg and the backhand goes kissing the net. I am seeing Li Na play after a long time.  Almost a year and her play though well-rounded wasn’t imprinted on my mind.  But now if this is how she plays (so far no unforced errors) and there goes one unforced error and also the possibility of Vinci breaking her. But the way I see it is that Li is not being stretched really. She is dictating the play, coming to the net if she thinks it’s a winning point; so no pressure here. And Vinci breaks Li Na. Li Na is still up 5 sets to 1.  Having said that it is painful to watch long rallies on grass being controlled from the baseline.   Vinci double- faults to level the score at thirty all but wins the next point with an ace.  We are 24 minutes into the first set and some lapses in concentration from Li Na.

While the commentators are saying it’s a lapse in concentration, I think for this point it was a last minute change in shot selection.  Technically perfect, is Li Na’s game fun to watch? I am unsure here.  It’s like watching Lendl play only its more staid, solid but staid.  Maybe it’s the opposition, maybe this is her style. But I like her double-handed backhand. Steady, balanced and poised on one knee almost touching the ground.  But then again, I have not seen her being stretched on her backhands.  She seems to have enough time to position herself well behind the ball to hit it at will. 

Li Na wins the first set 6-2.

Second set and Vinci serves.  That’s lovely down-the-line backhand under pressure from Vinci.  Li Na should have won this point by playing a cross court but was unsuccessful.  Vinci is serving and loses her serve.  The last point gifted free of cost as she netted a forehand volley in the net.  

Li Na up by three sets to love.  It’s not that Vinci is not a good player but lacking in strategy? Possibly.  Li Na’s game is faultless…backhand, forehand, serve, volley, finding all the corners of the court from the baseline and also her rushing to the net which is not frequent, has netted her points. Li Na holds her serve and is up four games to love.  Body language is now talking rather than the racket for Robert Vinci and it’s not positive.  Vinci loses her serve and Li Na is now leading at five games to love.  I still think if Vinci had rallied, she might have made a fight out of this score.  Li Na now serving for the match.  She now has 3 match points but a forehand sails wide and now she has 2 match points.  One more match point as Vinci scores one more point and Li Na wins. 6-2, 6-1. In sizzling form, Li Na in a mere 55 minutes. 

Vinci did not deserve this, she will be disappointed with this performance. 

Li Na now in the quarter finals of 2013, for the third time! Cheers and all the best Li Na!

Day 4..Wimbledon

Day 4 sees three players ranked 1 and 2 respectively play seeds 23, 20 and 13 respectively.

The 4^th round match will decide if the old order will be restored or continue to be shattered. 

Serena Williams expects to be tested against Sabine Lisicki, Murray will test his new-found calmness against the temperamental yo-yos of Michail Youzhny and Novak Djokovic will check out the resurgence of Tommy Haas who is cresting on his 17^th outing at the SW19. 

What are the odds that Serena and Novak will fall to Lisicki and Haas and Murray will be beaten in 5 sets? The Odds are low, very low in fact close to zero. Lisicki will probably take Williams to the three set wire but will crumble in the end to the menace of Williams.  Youzhny will be outplayed thoroughly. Haas will pose a problem to Djokovic.  Novak will win but not before Haas takes a set off the No.1 seed. This is my prediction for Day 4 on Centre Court.