Wimbledon 2011 got under way this week and today saw, for the first time since its erection, the roof being used at the start of a day's play. And thank god that roof was there because it meant we were able to witness a breathtaking second round match. Before this match, the newspapers had dubbed as the zimmer frame game as forty year old Komiko Date-Krumm took on thirty-one year old and five time champion Venus Williams.
But this game was anything but slow and there times of absolute brilliance. Williams looked at little uncomfortable in the warm-up and her performance suffered as the returning Date-Krumm took a 3-0 lead in the opening, winning the first game to love against serve. Williams pulled a game back before Krumm went onto 5-1. All of a sudden, Williams got herself into her groove and battled back. The American hit two aces on her way to making 5-2. Williams then lead 15-40 before Date-Krumm made it the first deuce game, but she went onto make a double fault although hawk-eye revealed the second one was in and Williams reduced it to 5-3. Date-Krumm missed three set points in the following two games and Williams then produced three aces to take the lead 6-5. This time it was Williams who missed a set point and the set went into a tie break. The tie break was deja vu as Date-Krumm took a 3-0 lead before Williams aced to make it 3-1. Krumm then went 6-2 ahead before another Williams ace helped her to equalise at 6-6. But Date-Krumm wasn't going to be denied and made it 7-6 after an unsuccessful Williams challenge and Krumm took the set 8-6 on the tie break.
The second started by going with serve. Williams broke in the third game to love and went onto lead 3-1. Krumm halved the deficit and then fought back to 4-3 before Williams ran away with it to take the second set 6-3. The stat of the day had to be that only thirty-six of the participating women was born when Date-Krumm first took to the professional courts before retiring in 2005 at the age of twenty-six. But, now out of retirement, Date-Krumm battled hard in an exciting third set.
Williams aced the first game before a double fault allowed Krumm fight back to 2-1 behind. After seven deuces Date-Krumm equalised and did so again after Williams won the fifth game to love. Williams then pulled two aces out of the bag to take a 5-4 but there was no shaking Krumm off and it was soon 6-6. With no tie break in the final set, play continued and a tiring Krumm played an out shot which gave Williams the set at 8-6 to give her the 2-1 win, in what was an emphatic battle.
In other news, possible semi-final opponents Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray cruised into the third round. Nadal beat Ryan Sweeting 6-3 6-2 6-4 whereas Murray beat Germany's Kamke 6-3 6-3 7-5. Unfortunately for Britain, Heather Watson fell at the first hurdle to France's Johansson. Despite winning the first set 6-2, Johansson fought back to win 6-4 in the following sets to progress.
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