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  • Wimbledon Preview: Second Round, First Quarter

    6/25/08 7:06 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - The toughest quarter of the Wimbledon draw is back in action on Wednesday for second-round play. In addition to Roger Federer's tilt against Robin Soderling, Day 3 also features Lleyton Hewitt, Fernano Gonzalez, and David Ferrer.

    (20) Lleyton Hewitt vs. Albert Montanes

    Hewitt missed the entire clay-court swing leading up to the French Open, but he stormed out of nowhere to score two easy wins in Roland Garros before giving David Ferrer an absolute battle in a five-set third-round loss. Even better things seem to be in store for Hewitt on grass. The Aussie reached the quarterfinals at Queen's Club two weeks ago and his past Wimbledon record garnered him the No. 20 seed despite being ranked No. 27 in the world. Hewitt won the title in 2002 and has reached the fourth round twice, the quarterfinals twice, and the semifinals once. On Monday he survived dangerous Dutchman Robin Haase in five sets. Monatanes had a much easier time of it in the first round, but that was against fellow dirtballer Carlos Berlocq. Hewitt is a much different beast and he will give Montanes a fast grass-court lesson.

    Simone Bolelli vs. (15) Fernando Gonzalez

    Gonzalez spent his Monday by adding to his dominance over Robby Ginepri, while Alex Bogdanovic extended Bolelli to a fourth-set tiebreaker. Those respective results bode well for Gonzalez, and so too does his Wimbledon history. The Chilean has lost in the first round just once in six trips to the All-England Club and he is a former quarterfinalist (2004). Bolelli is a fast-rising Italian who has soared onto the ATP scene in 2008, but he is just 2-3 lifetime on grass. The experience edge definitely goes to Gonzalez and the overall edge goes to him as well. Gonzo in four rather tight sets is the pick.

    Igor Andreev vs. (5) David Ferrer

    On clay courts this would be something close to a titanic showdown, but on grass it should not be anything more than the second-round matchup that it is. Ferrer, however, is more accomplished on the slick stuff simply because of his relatively surprising triumph last week at the Ordina Open. The Spaniard is just 1-4 lifetime against Andreev, but this will be their first meeting on grass. In the first round Ferrer rolled over Sergiy Stakhovsky in straight sets while the Russian battled with Jiri Vanek through two tiebreak sets before blowing things open in frames three and four. Given the way Ferrer has looked on grass recently, he should be heavily favored to find himself in the Wimbledon third round.

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