It should be a thrilling day of quarter-finals at Wimbledon

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There were no surprises yesterday as the top four women’s seeds reached the semis (we thought Azarenka might pull off a shock before remembering she was facing a Williams sister at Wimbledon). The men’s quarter-final draw couldn’t be better though: Federer v Karlovic sees the enduring grass master face the in-form King of Aces, Djokovic v Haas is a repeat of the Halle final, Roddick v Hewitt sees two of the decade’s finest grass court players handed another chance to shine and then there’s Murray v Ferrero, the weakest of the line-up but with huge public interest. Here are three stats on each match:

Tommy Haas (24) v Novak Djokovic (4)
» Djokovic has a 2-1 head-to-head record with Haas but the German beat him in the final at Halle on grass last month.
» This is the furthest Haas has ever got at Wimbledon, continuing a trend where each of the last seven Halle winners have reached the last eight. He has reached three Grand Slam semis but all in Australia.
» Djokovic has won 13 of his last 15 quarter-finals and has reached the last four of six of the last seven tournaments he’s entered.

Lleyton Hewitt v Andy Roddick (6)
» Both men have won 27 career titles, reached four Grand Slam finals and won at Queen’s four times. Therefore it’s no surprise that they are almost inseparable head-to-head, with Hewitt holding a 6-5 advantage.
» Roddick has the advantage on grass though having won their two previous

Posted: July 1st, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 1 Comment

Andy Murray is 6/4 to make history by winning at Queen’s

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Photo Credit: Sean Dempsey, PA Wire

Reigning champion Rafael Nadal is injured and runner-up Novak Djokovic has opted to join Roger Federer in Halle so Paddy Power have made Andy Murray the 6/4 favourite to win the AEGON Championships. Before last year, it was Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt who ruled the roost at Queen’s, sharing the title between them for eight consecutive years and both will be eager to regain it. Here are some stats about the leading contenders:

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Andy Murray (6/4): There’s no such thing as home advantage at Queen’s, with no Brit triumphing in the men’s tournament’s 37-year history. During that time, local heroes have had their dreams crushed in the final six times.

Andy Roddick (4/1): A-Rod is the King of Queen’s, having won four of the last six AEGON Championships, reaching the semis of the other two. The American has won just two tournaments in the last 15 months however.

Posted: June 8th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment