Today, the heatwave drew my Swedish friend Markus and I into the shade of Margaret Court Arena. After an entertaining doubles match, we stayed put for the third round matchup between South African Kevin Anderson and Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Some may be surprised to learn that Anderson is currently ranked 21 in the world, but with his booming serve serve and monster groundstrokes he certainly warrants this lofty position. In the opposite corner, Roger-Vasselin's greatest strength is that he has no weaknesses. A decent serve, solid groundstrokes, competent volleys - he is a tough opponent.
The match got off to a slow start with Anderson's backhand breaking down with alarming regularity. Roger-Vasselin was not doing anything special, but soon found himself with a two sets to love lead. To be honest, we could have walked out after a set and a half. The match was desperately lacking in both quality and excitement. But over five sets anything can happen, maybe Anderson will pull off an epic comeback, so it was worth sticking around.
Over the course of a best of five set match there can be numerous shifts in momentum that are fascinating to observe. At the start of the third set, the pendulum swung towards Anderson. The 6ft8 South African sorted out his backhand and began an onslaught, raining down aces and leathering the ball from the back of the court. Roger-Vasselin couldn't cope and his two set lead was cut in half. Meanwhile, the Frenchman was suffering in the 40 degree heat and required the attention of both the trainer and doctor during the third set. 30 minutes ago it looked like a straightforward Roger-Vasselin victory, now Anderson was favourite.
By this point the crowd had began to choose sides. The Australians have an amusing habit of calling players nicknames they've probably never had, such as 'Ed' and 'Ando', and were shouting out stuff like "you're the best Rog on the tour". From time to time, a small group would stand up for a little chant, such as "Roger fans, in the stands, if you're here, clap your hands". It was all a bit daft, but it made for a fun atmosphere.
In the fourth set Ed upped his game and as a result it was possibly the highest standard set I saw all week. The players were throwing everything they had at each other and fittingly it went to a tie-break. This was what the whole match had been boiling up to. 2 hours 45 minutes was up and the key moment had arrived. If Ed wins the tie-break he is through to the second week, if Ando prevails then surely he will keep up the momentum and also claim the fifth set. It was exciting stuff and especially thrilling because we had watched the match unfold from the very start. Ed raced into a 4-0 lead and then missed a tricky but makeable volley. Would this prove costly? At 5-0 the tie-break and match is surely over, but at 4-1...Ando dug in and took the next four points, including winning the longest rally I've witnessed this week. Ando's groundstrokes were firing but his serve had deserted him for the tie-break and at 5-4 he double faulted. With the tension reaching a crescendo, Ando snuck ahead to 6-5 then won another epic rally and we were heading to a fifth set! Fists were pumped on court and in the stands. It was a memorable moment.
A five setter can be full of twists and turns and towards the start of the decider Ed broke serve. We had now been watching for over three hours but still had no idea what was coming next.
At 4-3 up, Ed hit the shot of the tournament. Ando nudged a volley towards the sideline which appeared to be heading for a winner. Some of the crowd were already cheering as Ed scampered across the court and whipped around the side of the ball, so that it flew past the long reach of Ando and then curled back inside the line. It was a miraculous shot, especially considering how long the match had been running. Had it been struck by Federer and not the unheralded Roger-Vasselin then it would be racking up millions of YouTube hits as you read.
Two sets all. 5-4 Ed. Serving for the match. This would be the test of the man. I am a firm believer that winning the first point of a game is of vital importance to holding serve, especially when the pressure is on. The opening point of this game should have been taken by Ed. He hit a good serve, a solid approach, and simply had to stick an easy forehand volley into the open half of the court. But he amateurishly swung at the volley and sent it long. He was broken. At 5-5 Ed saw two break points come and go and five minutes later Ando completed a remarkable comeback by breaking Ed again to triumph. It was a classic match and sitting through the entire contest had been very rewarding.
The match finished at 7:02pm and my buddy Markus headed home. However, a mouthwatering clash between Fognini and Querrey was up next and I had a great seat right behind the court. Was I going anywhere? Not a chance. Bring on another five sets.
That was brilliant commentary Alistair. You had my pulse racing despite the fact that I've never heard of any of these players and don't care which wins.Your knowledge and enthusiasm shines off the page.
ReplyDeleteWhat? You're not going to be there next week? Still no Andy Murray games covered! That seems strange.
Beware of the bush there, it's all on fire, or soon will be.
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