Monday, June 29, 2009

Live - Safina v Mauresmo

Dinara Safina

Safina v Mauresmo live video

LATEST ACTION (all times BST)
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By Ben Dirs at Wimbledon

Safina 3-2* Mauresmo
Sorry! It's just been pointed out that I inadvertently wrote a rude word below. However, unless you manually refresh the page, you will have to remain morally outraged. Deep sliced backhand from Safina and Mauresmo finds the net with an attempted pass on the run. Mauresmo creates two break points with some tremendous defence, before stiffing a forehand long. Safina winds up and leaves Mauresmo rooted with a backhand down the line, but fails with a challenge and follows up with a wild forehand to hand Mauresmo the game.

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"Why are there great swathes of unused seats on Centre Court today? We are told to stay away or camp for the whole weekend! Who are these dog in the manger tennis seat hogs who do not use their seats but don't pass them on? Any seat not used for half an hour should be sold on to real tennis fans."
Nicky Sawa, West Sussex via text on 81111

Safina *3-1 Mauresmo
Safina goes wide with a forehand return before Mauresmo has the luck of a net cord to go 30-0 up. That's savage from Safina, pelting a forehand return straight down the line, but Mauresmo does well to soak up Safina's power and win the next point from the baseline. Mauresmo gets on the board as Safina sticks a forehand return well long.

Safina 3-0* Mauresmo
Safina not having to work particularly hard at the moment, the Russian is feasting on unforced errors from her opponent. Better from Mauresmo, giving Safina the runaround before finishing off the point with a humdinger of a backhand winner. But Mauresmo sprays another backhand well wide, and it's not much to look at at the moment.

Safina *2-0 Mauresmo
Ripper of a forehand pass from Safina and Mauresmo makes it 15-30 with a backhand into the net. Mauresmo plonks a backhand volley wide, and that's two break points to the Russian. Serious slice from Mauresmo on the backhand wing, and Safina is unable to cope with it, finding the net with a backhand. But Safina takes the next point to break, Mauresmo with another unforced error. Early signs of nerves from the Frenchwoman...

Safina 1-0* Mauresmo
Safina wins the first point of the match on serve, before Mauresmo makes it 15-30 with a punched forehand down the line. But the French woman goes miles long with a backhand and Safina manages to hold. First game on Centre for Safina, but she's passed her first little tester.
* denotes next server

1522: Mauresmo is 29 now, which is ancient in tennis player years. Twenty-five titles to her name though... a bit of a change in the weather though, bit gloomy out there now, but still plenty of heat.

1518: Players are out, and I'm quite shocked at how big Safina is in the flesh. A formidable woman, Mauresmo is dwarfed... an intriguing match-up this, top seed Safina against the 17th-seeded French woman, the winner in 2006. Marusemo is what you might call a dangerous floater...


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