Photos By Mark Jarvis.
What do Eastbourne and Miami have in common?
They both have tennis tournaments renowned for having some of the windiest playing conditions on the WTA and ATP Tours. A few weeks ago the Rome tournament also experienced exceptionally gusty winds. So Eastbourne is certainly not alone in feeling the force of blustery weather, and the effects it can have on tennis balls struck by world-class players.
Today saw some of the windiest conditions most players had ever played against - in effect, they had two opponents: the player on the other side of the net, and the wind. The conditions were also, of course, challenging for the spectators. Yet there was no rain, it was mostly sunny all day, the tennis was fascinating, and often of incredibly high quality; and the line-up of matches was so sumptuous, it wasn't so much a feast as a banquet.
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| Photos by Mark Jarvis. |
Originally due to be semi-finals day, it turned out to be men's quarter-finals day as well. Following the controversial decision, at about 5pm on Thursday, to postpone all men's matches, due to concerns over the weather forecast, fans with tickets to Court 1, or a Ground Pass, had a real treat in store. This included the unlikely scenario of Andy Roddick on Court 3! That became a reality when Court 1 wasn't initially ready for play, due to some of the heavy rain seeping in overnight.
Roddick battled to a three-set win over Fabio Fognini. When court one began play after the hiatus, defending champion Andreas Seppi faced Philipp Kohlschreiber, conqueror last week of Rafael Nadal on grass at the Halle tournament. Unfortunately, Kohlschreiber was forced to pull out, trailing Seppi by a set and 2-1, due to an ankle injury.
Centre court, meanwhile, was witnessing an incredible match between defending champion (and world no. 9) Marion Bartoli, and battling underdog (and world no. 59), Austria's Tamira Paszek.
I saw Paszek play a qualifying match on an outside court last year, and was struck by how bubbly and gregarious she was when greeting autograph hunters after the match. Nearly all players are polite and pleasant on these occasions, but more than most she seems to genuinely love the experience of playing in front of a crowd, and meeting fans afterwards. Before her first match this week, she tweeted a "love Eastbourne" hashtag - she knows how to ingratiate herself with the locals!
Her cheerfulness is particularly impressive considering she hasn't yet achieved the stellar results her early career suggested. In 2007, aged 16, she was beating top players in big matches, and reaching the 4th round at Wimbledon and the US Open. She looked to be a tip for the top, but since then injuries and some weaknesses in her game have seen her struggle to reach the highest level. She's an exciting player to watch, hitting with huge power despite her lack of height. She reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon last year, but her conqueror there, Victoria Azarenka, looked to have bigger shots and more versatility.
Paszek's serve can be a major weakness, and this looked to be an even bigger problem in the wind, as Marion Bartoli seemed to have that extra know-how. The Frenchwoman took the first set 6-4, and raced to a 4-0 lead in the second. It had already been a long match, full of lengthy points and interesting shots, as both players found inventive ways to adapt their games to the extraordinary conditions. But the match was about to get a whole lot longer.
Tamira Paszek gave a superb fightback to win the second set. Marion Bartoli's cause was not helped by a fall in the hard-fought final set. Finally, Paszek managed to dig in and dethrone the champion, in a match that lasted over three hours.
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| Photos by Mark Jarvis. |
The second women's semi-final was a contrastingly short affair. Fifth seed Angelique Kerber is the world no. 8 - another indication of how many top-ranked women play at Eastbourne. This year has seen a huge breakthrough for the 24-year-old German, and on Thursday she recorded her 39th match win of 2012 - more than any other female player. Her left-handed game is looking mighty impressive on grass, while her Czech opponent, Klara Zakopalova, never really looked able to combat the conditions. She hit a few formidable forehands, giving an indication of how she managed to be the only player to take a set off Maria Sharapova at the recent French Open, but it was almost all about Kerber, who triumphed 6-0, 6-3.
On court one, the first ever all-British men's doubles final on the ATP Tour was taking place. Third seeds Ross Hutchins and Colin Fleming beat Ken Skupski and Jamie Delgado 6-4, 6-3.
The whole Devonshire Park site was teeming with matches and spectators. A day like today brings into even sharper focus the importance of all the staff and volunteers across the whole site, in keeping the event going and working. I'd like to, at this point, give a mention to Will and Sophie on the Convex catering stand between centre and no. 1 court. They've been extremely affable and friendly with customers each time I've seen them, despite often being rushed off their feet during the "stampedes" between centre court matches. Today, like everybody, they faced all the extra challenges of the weather, as the wind blew nearly everything that wasn't nailed down (and it's very difficult to nail down packets of sugar, tea-stirrers and coffee-cup lids!).
Andy Roddick made it onto centre court at almost 5pm, for his second match of the day. He'd lost six matches in a row before this event, but now looks to be rediscovering the winning habit. He played well in his semi-final against Belgium's Steve Darcis, but sadly there was another injury withdrawal, as Darcis was forced to retire with a back problem, when trailing by a set and 3-1. This gave Roddick the 600th victory of his career. The word "retirement" has been bandied about a lot recently when referring to Roddick, but right now the word "longevity" seems more appropriate.
But who would he play in the final? His American compatriot Ryan Harrison, or Italian defending champion Andreas Seppi?
20-year-old Harrison is one of the "up and coming" young players Eastbourne is fortunate to witness each year. This week he's gone further in the tournament than the more hotly-tipped Bernard Tomic.
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| Photos by Mark Jarvis. |
Today, Seppi edged the first set 7-5, before charging ahead in the second. Harrison became frustrated and stroppy, earning a code violation warning for ball abuse. His mood did lighten, however, when, at 1-4 and 0-40 down, he turned to one of the members of the now quickly thinning-out crowd (it was well after 7pm, and becoming quite cold), who was calling out support for him, and said, "Thanks. I need all the help I can get right now."
In the end, though, Andreas Seppi pulled off a 7-5, 6-1 victory.
So it's Roddick against Seppi, and Kerber against Paszek, in the singles finals tomorrow, plus there's the women's doubles final. The weather forecast is better, expected to be blustery, but very much less so than today, and likely to be sunny and dry.
So the stage is set for a fascinating finale to the week.
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