Today was the proof of “it all depends on who shows up” in some of the Wimbledon’s most stunning upsets. Gone are Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios, and Simona Halep.
Gulbis Eliminates A. Zverev
Fourth seeded Alexander Zverev has been eliminated from Wimbledon by World #138 Ernests Gulbis. You shouldn’t be surprised – Gulbis, a former Top 10 player, can beat nearly any player on any given day. Had he had the devotion and passion, Gulbis would undoubtedly have been World #1 at some point. But, it all depends on who shows up; and, today, it was the Gulbis with lightening speed, deft touch, and unyielding rallies, who took out the World #3 in five sets. It was obvious Zverev was frustrated and a brief exchange between the players during the match made it clear that Sasha was not enjoying today’s match-up. Gulbis remained unruffled, stayed the course straight through the 6-0 fifth set. Now here’s the question: How far can Gulbis go? He had to play three matches in the qualifiers just to get into the main draw. He may not have the stamina and conditioning to reach the quarterfinals, made all the more difficult as four of his six matches have gone to five sets. And it’s not going to get easier the deeper he goes. Can Gulbis can keep his winning attitude and form?
Hsieh Takes Out Halep
Top seed Simona Halep won’t be in the Round of 16 lineup as she falls to Hseih in a tight 3-set match. In search of breaking her tie at 73 for most career Grand Slam wins by a Romanian woman, Halep becomes the first #1 player to not make the Round of 16 since Serena Williams’ loss in 2014. Certainly, that was not the stat she wanted next to her name. It wasn’t the usual self-imploding game where her attitude causes the errors. Halep played with purpose and poise. The French Open Champion shows no mental lapse or loss of focus in today’s loss to Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei. Rather, the 32-year-old Hsieh kept a ridiculous amount of balls in play in the later games of the third set. Said Halep, “I had 5-2 in the third set. I had match point,” Halep said. “Just didn’t go my way today. She deserved to win.” Today’s elimination of Halep means only one of the Top 10 Seeds will reach the Round of 16.
Nishikori Ousts Kyrgios
Taking chances on big shots and hitting the ball harder than usual pays dividends to Kei Nishikori as he wins in straight sets over opponent Nick Kyrgios. The first set was over almost as quickly as it started, not just with Nishikori’s tennis prowess, but with Kyrgios basically giving up. Down a set and a break in the second, Kyrgios worked his way back in, and pushed it to the tiebreak. Relentless best describes Nishikori’s play and he takes the set while Kyrgios takes a warning after hitting a ball. As we all know, there’s no nonsense on Mohamed Lahyani’s court! At the end of the second set, we see Nishikori shaking out his right wrist and Kyrgios angrily mumbling under his breath. Kyrgios regained his composure and battled for the third set. There’s no doubt Kyrgios wanted this win, but Kei got his racket on so many of Kyrgios’ first serves working his way into so many points. A little past 9:00 pm with daylight fading, Kei finds his only break of the set and takes the match 6-1, 7-6, 6-4. I’ve never seen him play better than this – see you in the Round of 16, Kei. Ernests Gulbis is waiting!
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