e_Paper, Wednesday, July 05, 2017

Sports 19
DT
WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 2017
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in action during his first round match against Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka in the Wimbledon Championship in London on Monday
Wawrinka stunned by debutant Medvedev
Muguruza, Kerber and Nadal march on
• AFP, London
Stanislas Wawrinka’s Wimbledon
hopes were shredded in the first
round on Monday as the fifth seed,
hobbled by a niggling knee injury,
came up against one of tennis’s
new generation of heavy hitters in
the shape of Russian Daniil Medvedev.
World No 3 Wawrinka was the
opening day’s biggest casualty, losing
to debutant Medvedev.
Swiss fifth seed and French
Open runner-up Wawrinka was
knocked out by Medvedev, 6-4,
3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
World No 49 Medvedev, making
his Wimbledon debut, handed
33-year-old Wawrinka a sixth first
round loss at the All England Club,
although his efforts were hampered
by a left knee injury which
required an ice pack at the changeovers.
“I wasn’t feeling the way I wanted
to feel. But I played against a
great player who was confident,”
said Wawrinka whose pain was
eased slightly when girlfriend Donna
Vekic won her opening match.
Medvedev, 21, kissed the Centre
Court grass to celebrate his victory,
his first at any Slam.
“A year ago I was ranked 250.
If someone told me in one year I
would win on Centre Court I would
tell you you are joking,” said the
Russian.
The Russian, making only his
third grand slam appearance, was
full of energy as he hauled his giant
frame around the court.
In contrast, Wawrinka had
struggled to find any sort of rhythm
and was clearly bothered by the
niggling knee problem he said had
been dogging him since the end of
last year.
Having never got past the quarter-finals
at the All England Club,
Wimbledon is Wawrinka’s least
successful grand slam and his
hopes of ever completing his collection
of majors look forlorn unless
he can master the slick lawns.
The Swiss had looked unruffled
as he held his opening two service
games, dropping just two points,
but it was not long before Medvedev
found his range and started to
put Wawrinka under pressure.
The Russian broke to love in the
fifth game of the first set, and crafted
two more break points in the
seventh as the 32-year-old Wawrinka
reeled under a barrage of heavy
hitting.
The Swiss briefly sparked into
life at the start of the second, levelling
the match after breaking for
a 2-0 lead and then breaking for a
second time in the eighth game after
Medvedev had clawed his way
back on serve.
They went toe-to-toe in the
third set before Wawrinka sent a
forehand wide in the 10th game to
give the Russian a set point, which
he gobbled up to edge back in front.
There was to be no way back
for Wawrinka, who was then completely
outgunned as Medvedev
raced clear in the fourth set, breaking
twice to go 5-1 ahead.
He fired down his 10th ace to
bring up match point and wrapped
up the victory when Wawrinka
sent a forehand long, with the Centre
Court rising as one to acclaim
his efforts.
“It was just something special. I
don’t know how to explain it,” said
Medvedev who next faces 124thranked
Belgian Ruben Bemelmans.
Meanwhile, world No 2 and twotime
champion Nadal secured his
850th career victory with a 6-1, 6-3,
6-2 demolition of Australia’s John
Millman.
Fresh from winning his 10th
French Open title, Nadal goes on to
face Donald Young for a place in the
last 32.
“I haven’t had many matches
on grass for the last few years, but
I had some positive feelings,” said
Nadal, who missed last year’s tournament
with a wrist injury.
In the women’s event, Venezuela-born
Spaniard Garbine Muguruza
romped into the second round
after beating Russia’s Ekaterina
Alexandrova 6-2, 6-4 while Germany’s
Angelique Kerber followed
suit, defeating Irina Falconi of the
US 6-4, 6-4. •
ITINERARY
July 5
July 6
July 7
July 9
July 11
July 13-15
1st one-day
2nd one-day
3rd one-day
4th one-day
5th one-day
3-dayer
REUTERS
BCB HP Unit play
first one-dayer in
Australia today
• Tribune Report
The BCB’s High Performance Unit
will play the first of their five
one-dayers against Northern Territory
today in Darwin. The visiting
side in their first day in Darwin on
Monday remained at the team hotel
to recover from jet lag.
HP squad
Anamul Haque, Saifuddin, Liton
Das (C), Tanbir Hayder, Mehedi
Hasan, Imtiaz Hossain, Abu Haider,
Abu Jayed, Nazmul Hossain (VC),
Ebadat Hossain, Tasamul Haque,
Abul Hasan, Irfan Sukkur, Yasir Ali,
Nihaduzzaman and Jubair Hossain
All the matches will be played
in Darwin