23. 06. 2011. ·
Photo: AP
World number 2 Novak Djokovic beat giant South African, world no.36 Kevin Anderson, in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in 1 hour and 54 minutes on Court 1 on Thursday.
Novak comfortably held the first service game of the match with some nice big serves. The big (203 cm) serving Anderson struggled immensely with his serve on his first game. Djokovic went up 40-0 and Anderson then double faulted to hand the game to the in-form Serb.
Nole continued to assert his dominance. He held his serve to 15 and then got the double break with a cross-court forehand that flied past Anderson. It was 5-0 after 15 minutes of play. The South African started playing better and won three games in a row, breaking Nole once, but the 24-year-old served out the set 6-3 in 30 minutes.
A break in the seventh game was enough for Djokovic to take the second set.
Nole broke his opponent’s serve early in the third set when the South African’s volley ended low at the net. The second seed faced three break points in the sixth game, but held and broke Anderson once again for 5-2 lead. He was forced to save two break points in the eighth game before closing the match 6-2.
“I’m really happy with the opening two rounds in Wimbledon,” said Novak. “Two straight-set wins. I cannot ask for more, definitely. And I’m physically feeling great on the court. I’m returning really well, which is important. Using more an efficiency of the serve and precision rather than going for the speed.”
Match statistics: aces (7-8), double faults (4-3), winners (31-22), unforced errors (14-18).
Djokovic will play against world no.30 Marcos Baghdatis for a place in the last 16. The Cypriot defeated no.38 ranked Italian Adreas Seppi 6-4, 7-6(4), 7-5.
Nole and Marcos have met four times, the Serb leads 4-0.
Tennis fans still remember the 2007 Wimbledon classic, when Novak prevailed in five sets 7-6(4), 7-6(9), 6-7(3), 4-6, 7-5.
