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

WIMBLEDON: Tursunov Continues Winning Streak

/noticias.info/ It was the battle of the injured when Russia's Dmitry Tursunov took on Germany's Alexander Popp. Tursunov, who knocked out Tim Henman in the previous round, emerged the victor but the match was far from spectacular and laced with errors.

Both men entered the tournament on protected rankings of 91 and 76 respectively due to injury and this lack of match play was evident in their performances.

Indeed, for Tursunov the meeting could not have been more different than the Henman game. He was playing on an outside court, Court 14, a far lowlier affair than the grand surroundings of Centre Court, against an unseeded player.

However, his 28-year-old opponent, although not as daunting as Henman, still posed a dangerous threat. Popp has twice reached the quarter-finals in this event. In 2000 he lost to the eventual runner-up Pat Rafter and in 2003 he was knocked out by Mark Philippoussis who also went on to take the runner-up position that year.

When Popp stepped on court for his match today, it was fair to say he was somewhat warmed up. The German won his second round encounter against Wayne Arthurs 14-12 in the fifth, in a match lasting four hours and 10 minutes. During that roller-coaster he saved two match points.

And the comeback king was alive and kicking during the first set today. Tursunov raced to a 4-1 lead, thanks to Popp who was spraying balls wide or long. But then the German started to tighten up. His serves grew in accuracy and pace and the roles were reversed. This time it was the turn of the Russian to hit balls inches out of the court as he came under increasing pressure. Popp turned the set around, winning five games on the trot, to take it 7-5.

The unforced errors from both men were, perhaps, not surprising. Popp had surgery for a right shoulder injury in October 2004 and missed seven months after the 2004 US Open. Tursunov, meanwhile, has recently returned from a six-month lay-off after breaking a vertebra in a boating accident last July. He also has a knee injury.

But the Russian managed to play Queens and Nottingham before coming into Wimbledon and it has clearly set him in good stead. His form eventually returned at the end of the second set, which he clinched on a tie-break.

Popp then became despondent, Tursunov grew stronger and the match was over as he gobbled up the final two sets 6-2, 6-2 in just over two and a half hours. Afterwards, the Russian had every reason to smile - he has made the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.

Written by Helen Gilbert notas_de_prensa_archivo