Fuente : Wimbledon
http://www.wimbledon.org

WIMBLEDON: Rusedski Bows Out in Thriller

/noticias.info/ Wednesday, June 22, 2005

The big-serving Swede Joachim Johansson edged out Greg Rusedski in a four-set thriller that finished at 9.12pm on Centre Court, with the electric scoreboard's lights glowing brightly in the dusk.

Johansson won 7-6 (12-10), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in two hours and 51 minutes after he had complained at 5-5 in the fourth set about the gloomy conditions, attempting to have the match postponed until the next day.

Wimbledon referee Alan Mills came on court and was booed by the capacity crowd eager to see a finish, and a British win for Rusedski if possible. He ordered that the match continue. Although Johansson was clearly unhappy, he did not dispute the decision and was happy enough to achieve a passage into the third round.

For the 31-year-old Rusedski, it was the third successive year he has lost in the second round and he may not be back again.

The size of the task facing Rusedski was evident from Johansson's first service game, in which the fair-haired Swede thundered down three aces, with a second serve ace timed at 123 miles an hour thrown in later on for good measure.

So dominant on serve was the 22-year-old Johansson that the only prospect of a break looked likely to come against the British left-hander. He saved two break points in the seventh game, after which the set headed for what had always seems the obvious conclusion - a tiebreak.

This turned out to be a thriller. Rusedski won the first two points, lost the next four and then faced two set points. Johansson failed to convert either, and thereafter it was a see-saw, Rusedski missing two set points and Johansson also missing two more before finally converting his fifth opportunity by slamming down his ace. The set lasted 50 minutes and included only one decent rally - of five strokes.

So much in command was Johansson with his serve, a weapon with which he holds the joint world record of 51 aces in one match, that the outlook for Rusedski appeared grim. Then suddenly Johnsson's game started to fray at the edges as his concentration wavered and his shotmaking became first erratic and then wild.

This was all the encouragement Rusedski needed to support his own solid play. From a 3-2 lead in the second set the Swede failed to win another game in the set.

First the British player pulled off the first service break of the match as his opponent netted a loose backhand, then as the crowd roared their encouragement, he held serve to love and promptly broke again with a marvellous forehand pass, cunningly swerved into the deepest corner of the court. In contrast, the second set had lasted only 31 minutes.

After a wobble early in the third set, when he had to save a break point with yet another ace to prevent Rusedski going 3-1 ahead, Johansson steadied his game and his confidence. Faced with a resurgent opponent, it was Rusedski who cracked, committing a brace of double faults to drop serve and fall 4-3 behind. Johansson dug in to hold that lead and closed out the third set with his 12th ace of the match.

The fourth set went with serve in failing light, Rusedski needing to save one break point at 3-3. When the match's second tiebreak duly arrived, Johansson summoned all his reserves, moving to match point at six points to five and then walloping his 23rd ace to seal an impressive victory.

Written by Ronald Atkin


Centre Court - Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round
Joachim Johansson SWE (11) 7(12) 3 6 7(7)
Greg Rusedski GBR 6(10) 6 4 6(5) notas_de_prensa_archivo