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

Stanislas Wawrinka may face more round of 16 heartache

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After a Wimbledon-less Sunday, things get very exciting today as every single man and woman left in the single’s tournaments will be in action. Here are three stats about each of what we consider today’s four main matches:

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Andy Murray v Stanislas Wawrinka
» Murray has a 4-3 head-to-head record against Wawrinka and has won four of their last five clashes. They have never met on grass.
» The world number three has won all three of the duo’s meetings at the round of 16. Wawrinka has exited five of his last eight tournaments at that stage, with four of those losses coming against players ranked in the top five.
» The Swiss 24-year-old hasn’t reached the last eight of a Grand Slam in 17 career attempts, whereas Murray has done so in three of his last four.

Robin Soderling v Roger Federer
» Soderling and Federer have met ten times and the world number two has

Posted: June 29th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Murray has a chance to make a statement against Gulbis

Five stats about the world number three’s second round match

After an underwhelming performance against Robert Kendrick in the first round, Andy Murray needs to make a statement to prove that he really is a genuine contender to win Wimbledon. A straight-sets victory over Ernests Gulbis tomorrow would do just that:

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» The Latvian has lost just two of his first 22 Grand Slam matches in straight sets. That compares favourably with the records of Roger Federer (five) and Rafael Nadal (four) while breaking through and is on a par with Murray and Novak Djokovic.

» Gulbis was the only man besides Federer to take a set off Nadal last year at Wimbledon - winning the opener of their second-round match 7-5 to become the only man to hold a set lead over the Spaniard at SW19 in 2008.

Posted: June 24th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Stats about the six leading contenders to win Wimbledon

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Hint: It’s everybody in the picture above except Davydenko and Simon

After waiting for an eternity to see Roger Federer dethroned and a new champion crowned, Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal with injury guarantees that there will once again be a changing of the guard at Wimbledon. Here are some statistics about the six men that the bookmakers consider the frontrunners:

Roger Federer
Best Wimbledon Performance: Winner (2003, 2004, 2005, ‘06, ‘07)
Grass Court Win Rate (prior to Wimbledon 2009): 87%
The world number two was unbeaten in 65 matches on grass prior to last year’s final defeat to Nadal and is quite rightly favourite to regain his title in the Spaniard’s absence. However, coming back from losing the previous year’s final is difficult, with Nadal the only person in the last 18 years to have done so, and nobody since Rod Laver in 1962 has completed a French Open-Wimbledon double at the first time of asking (Bjorn Borg and Nadal both have but not in the year of their first win at Roland Garros).

Andy Murray
Best Wimbledon Performance: Quarter-finals (2008)
Grass Court Win Rate: 78%

Posted: June 23rd, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Tiger Woods is 2/1 to retain the US Open at Bethpage

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Usually we’re the first to jump in and point out the ludicrousness of Tiger Woods starting every major as a ridiculously short-priced favourite despite having only won two of the last nine he has contested. However, after winning last year’s US Open with a torn ligament, it’s hard to argue with him starting at 2/1 on Betfair. Here are all the important stats:

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» If Tiger Woods retains he will become the first player to do so since Curtis Strange twenty years ago and only the third since World War Two.

» Last year Woods became the first American winner in five years. Prior to that the locals had dominated the tournament, with 52 wins in 58 years.

» This is the second time that the US Open has been held at Bethpage State Park on the Black Course. The first was in 2002 and on that occasion Woods won by three shots.

Posted: June 17th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 1 Comment

Serena Williams is 2.22 to overcome Elena Dementieva

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Elena Dementieva [1.81] starts as favourite against Serena Williams tonight having triumphed in their last three meetings. However Serena’s price doesn’t take into account her excellent Grand Slam semi-final record:

» Serena has won twelve of her fourteen career Grand Slam semi-finals and has been victorious in her last six.

» In contrast, Dementieva has a two out of six strike rate. She was eliminated at this stage at the last two Grand Slams and hasn’t reached the final of one since the 2004 US Open.

» Serena wins this tournament once every two years and after victories in 2003, 2005 and 2007, it is her turn again this year. Every time she has reached the final four at Melbourne Park she has been crowned champion.

» They have only met once previously at a Grand Slam, with Serena winning in straight sets at Wimbledon 2003.

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Posted: January 28th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment