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Djokovic, Radwanska, Federer Advance At Rainy Wimbledon

Jun 29th 2016

Due to more rain, play was limited at Wimbledon once again. With matches forced onto the covered Centre Court for much of the day, the schedule fell behind. And much like Tuesday, many matches were left in limbo as the day concluded. But a handful of favorites made their way through the draw despite the weather.

Federer Ends British Dream Story

Very seldom does Roger Federer take a back seat role on Centre Court at Wimbledon, but that was the case as he faced British surprise Marcus Willis on Wednesday. And though the match was never in doubt, the fans got more than their money’s worth during Federer’s 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 victory.

Entering SW19 ranked world no. 772, Willis was forced to succeed at a pre-qualifying tournament just to enter the Wimbledon qualifier draw. He came through that draw and then shocked the grounds with the upset of the tournament, defeating Ricardas Berankis in the first round.

Despite falling behind, Willis clearly enjoyed himself as he engaged the crowd with fist pumps, gestures, and chatter. The fans cheered at every point as the Brit attempted to win his first game and the applause continued throughout the match. And after settling down, he would admirably compete against the 7-time Wimbledon champion in the second and third sets, bringing a smile to Federer’s face at times.

The 25-year old nearly gave up his dream of playing professionally, but after lifestyle changes and efforts to achieve a higher fitness level, he decided to revive his career.

Roger Federer

Meanwhile, Federer would advance to the third round where he will face the winner of Alexandr Dolgopolov and Daniel Evans, who were beginning their first-set tiebreak when play was suspended.

Federer appeared to move more freely on the court and shake off some rust during his win. He suggested that the match would be one that he would never forget, “It was very different. Marcus brought some unbelievable energy to the court with the fans, his play and his personality as well,” he said. “It was very refreshing. I always knew it was going to be a completely different match than I'd played at Wimbledon before. Marcus had nothing to lose. He could go out and enjoy himself and I thought he did that wonderfully.”

Meanwhile, Willis put his day into perspective, “It sounds funny but I am disappointed to lose,” he stated afterward. “It's daunting. It's tough. I was playing alright at first, I settled into the match. I was enjoying it. If I was playing well and competing with Roger for a couple of sets I was doing well. I've earned myself a beer now!”

Djokovic Through to Third Round

Novak Djokovic continued his high level of play with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory over Adrian Mannarino on Centre Court. It was the Serb’s 30th consecutive grand slam match victory. Only Rod Laver and Don Budge have longer streaks (with 31 and 37 respectively).

Djokovic rolled through the first two sets and appeared to be on course to close out the match on his serve, in the third. But serving at 5-4, some shaky offerings opened the door for the Frenchman who promptly evened the set with a service break. The set advanced to a competitive tiebreak but it was the world no. 1 who would prevail.

Novak Djokovic

The match was played under a closed roof on Centre Court, which suited Djokovic well. “The atmosphere when the roof is closed is a little more special,” he said. “It gets loud and when I failed to serve it out at 5-4 in the third, the crowd really got into it. It was fun.”

Djokovic will await the winner of the Sam Querrey-Thomaz Bellucci match. Querrey held a 6-4, 5-2 advantage when play was suspended.

Radwanska Rolls

Third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska made quick work of Kateryna Kozlova in a 6-2, 6-1 route on Wednesday.

It was mostly one-way traffic for the Pole who broke serve 5 times as her steady baseline strokes forced Kozlova into 24 unforced errors in a match that lasted just over an hour.

The 2012 finalist was happy to have an opportunity to play and advance during a day that brought so much rain, “I'm very happy with that win and just looking forward to the next one,” she said. “Without the sun and without the wind it's a different game, but it's good we could play today. I'm trying every year to do better and better.”

Kvitova Off To A Successful Start

Despite not playing her best in 2016, it is still expected that Petra Kvitova will be a factor at Wimbledon. The two-time champion was fast out of the gate with a 6-0, 6-4 win against Sorana Cirstea.

Petra Kvitova

The Czech has been hampered by injuries this season but is clearly at home on the London grass, as evidenced by her 2011 and 2014 titles. She overpowered the Romanian in just 52 minutes behind 20 winners to just 8 unforced errors. She was strong behind a first serve that produced 8 aces on the day.