Tuesday, June 22, 2010

In praise of Serena--and Michelle

Serena Williams was nothing short of spectacular in her Wimbledon first round match against Michelle Larcher De Brito today. Williams had a first serve win percentage of 100, and what can you say about that?--it speaks for itself. She also hit 15 aces, double-faulted only once, hit 47 winners, and won 75% of the times she went to the net. She won the first set 6-0 against a totally frustrated Larcher De Brito, and one wonders if any player could have won many games against her.

But I also want to commend Larcher De Brito for not giving up, for having a very admirable attitude, and for finding a way to win games in the second set. The second set, in fact, was quite entertaining, with the crowd doing everything possible to bolster the 17-year-old. Larcher De Brito hits hard, and can find some really good angles. Known for double-faulting, she did so only three times in this match. She ran, she dove, she fell onto the grass, and her effort made for a good second set.

Next for defending champion Williams is Anna Chakvetadze, a former top 10 player who has had a hard time of it for the last couple of years. Chakvetadze defeated up-and-comer Andrea Petkovic in the first round.

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