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  • Wimbledon round two preview: Bottom quarter of the draw

    6/26/08 4:47 AM | Cheryl Murray
    - The bottom quarter of the draw remains packed with seeds on Thursday as Gasquet, Murray and Stepanek attempt to make the third round.

    Richard Gasquet vs. Sebastien Grosjean

    World number ten Richard Gasquet of France looked impressive in his straight set win over Mardy Fish in their first round match on Tuesday. His opponent in the second round is countryman Sebastien Grosjean. The two men have met just twice and they've split their wins. Gasquet won their most recent encounter in Miami back in 2007. Grosjean does not play his best tennis on grass; a win on Thursday over Gasquet seems unlikely. Gasquet's backhand has been deadly recently, and his movement on grass is much improved over clay.

    Andy Murray vs. Xavier Malisse

    Britons will be cheering one of their own when Scotsman Andy Murray takes on Xavier Malisse. Malisse is a tempermental Belgian who has historically been known more for his on-court displays of anger than his tennis game. And he does have game, he is just inconsistent with it. When his game is on, Malisse is a true ball striker. Murray is just the opposite of a ball basher. He plays something of a finesse game, using changes of pace, slices and dropshots to keep his opponents on their toes. Especially with the crowd support, Murray should be able to slide past Malisse with a minimum of fuss.

    Radek Stepanek vs. Viktor Troicki

    Serve and volley is not dead after all. Radek Stepanek is doing his best to keep it alive and kicking. The Czech has what was once the standard game for grass courts. Baseliners have essentially taken over the game, but Stepanek's style is still effective - particularly on grass. Viktor Troicki will likely have a frustrating day at the office, because Stepanek will force him to hit passing shots all match long. Troicki is ranked 89 in the world and his best result for the year was just last week in s'Hertogenbosch, where he reached the quarterfinals. Expect Stepanek to use Troicki for target practice. Stepanek in three.

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Did you know that... The record for most number of Grand Slam tournaments played is 56 and held by South African Wayne Ferreira.

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