flipfanatic
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 Round 2 articles
Dark horse Scud misses target as Mirnyi wins artillery duel
Mike Anstead at Wimbledon
Thursday June 29, 2006
The Guardian
Scud versus The Beast. It read like one of the wrestling bouts that frequented TV screens until the mid-80s. Mark Philippoussis did battle with Max Mirnyi as the sun went down yesterday - a contest between two of the dying breed that understands little else but serve and volley.
Once loved at Wimbledon, proponents of the power game are now threatening to join wrestling and one or two others in the bin marked Former British Favourites.
The retirements of Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Richard Krajicek and Goran Ivanisevic have left Wimbledon almost devoid of big-hitters. Critics claim they have no place in the 21st century game, saying that courts and balls are too slow to accommodate their style, but those who gathered in the lofty surroundings of Court 18 in the evening were treated to a return to a bygone era. Spectators broke into spontaneous applause at the sight of any rally consisting of three shots or more.
It was one of those matches when the male line-judges wished they had packed a cricket box on their way into work.
When Philippoussis and Mirnyi came on to court, a peek into their eyes said it all: this was a scrap to the death, a journey down memory lane. They did not disappoint. Belarus's Mirnyi, one year younger than the 29-year-old Australian, took the opening set 7-6 and aces were always going to dominate.
Mirnyi produced one more than Philippoussis on his way to winning the tie-break. The eastern European was firing and he did not require a tie-break to secure the second set, however, thanks to a rare break of the Australian's serve.
Philippoussis was clearly frustrated but the setback appeared to galvanise the 2003 finalist. Scud unearthed nine more aces to snatch the third in a tie-break after a break apiece during the set.
But as the light started to fade, so did Philippoussis's hopes of emerging as a surprise contender to this year's crown. Mirnyi served only two aces during the fourth and final set but by breaking his opponent in eighth game, he managed to book his place in the third round 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.
Among the beauty remains The Beast.
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“It’s in my heart to give it one more go” - Mark
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29/Jun/06, 15:25
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Marcia5
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Re: Round 2 articles
Thanks, Val.
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29/Jun/06, 23:57
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flipfanatic
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Re: Round 2 articles
Scud bows out, but vows top-100 comeback
30jun06
MARK Philippoussis intends to return to the top 100 by January's Australian summer circuit after rebuilding his career on the US Challenger circuit.
And Philippoussis has not ruled out pushing for selection for Australia's Davis Cup semi-final tilt against Argentina in Buenos Aires in September.
Flattened by a tight 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 second-round loss to Max Mirnyi yesterday, 210th-ranked Philippoussis swallowed his pride and outlined plans to revive a deflated ranking.
"This is no time to be fussy," the Victorian said. "No matter what tournament it is, just go out there and play it.
"I'm happy, obviously I'm disappointed with the result. But if I look at the bigger picture, I'm healthy, I feel like I'm back.
"Now I have to go out there and play as many tournaments as I can. That's all I can do. I've got to sit down with the agent and see what's out there. I'm sure there's a whole bunch of Challengers in America."
Philippoussis hit 66 winners, 26 aces and made only 24 unforced errors against the 53rd-ranked Mirnyi, a day after toppling 32nd seed Paul-Henri Mathieu.
He should have won the first set yesterday after holding two points on his own serve at 5-4 in the tiebreak.
"That first set was huge, 5-4 serving (in the tiebreak), I definitely let a big opportunity slip from my hands," Philippoussis said.
"He had momentum going his way, and he's one of those guys who's a frontrunner and his confidence grew."
Philippoussis will discuss his future with agent Carlos Fleming, coach Peter McNamara and his father Nick before drawing up plans to reclaim a double-digit ranking.
"The only thing that I set for myself is to finish in the top 100 and I know that I am capable of a lot more," he said.
"The good thing about my ranking -- if there is a good thing -- you win matches, you definitely move up really quickly.
"I'm positive that I'll be in the main draw starting the year, summer circuit in Australia."
While relatively non-committal on Davis Cup, Philippoussis did not rule it out.
"I'm looking forward to playing, no matter what it is," he said. "Mentally, my mind's in the right place. My heart's in the right place. I'm just enjoying it again."
Philippoussis's defeat left Lleyton Hewitt as the lone Australian male in singles.
Hewitt finished last year at world No. 4, despite contesting only 10 events -- 12 fewer than in 2002, when he finished as season-ending No. 1.
Currently ranked ninth, Hewitt will continue to restrict his appearances to protect against burnout as he focuses on adding to his haul of two majors.
"When I was No. 1, it's something you love being," he said. "There's no doubt it's a good feeling for anyone when you reach the pinnacle of your chosen profession.
"But I'm not going to go and play 40 tournaments a year just to get my ranking a couple of spots higher.
"At the end of the day, the four majors are what's important to me.
"I played the four majors last year, and played well in all those, finished in the top four.
"If you have good results in the four bigger tournaments, in the Masters Series, you're going to be around the mark anyway."
Hewitt last year reached the Australian Open final and the semi-finals of Wimbledon and the US Open.
Hewitt will take a break immediately after Wimbledon before entering tournaments in Los Angeles, Toronto and Cincinnati before the US Open in New York from August 28-September 10.
He is likely to contest about 18 tournaments this year, depending on his health.
Hewitt held the No. 1 ranking for 81 weeks and was No. 2 in August last year, despite his fleeting appearances.
The Australian needs to reach the last four at Wimbledon to avoid a sizeable rankings hit.
His brilliant 6-1 6-1 6-3 destruction of Italian Filippo Volandri yesterday was his easiest Wimbledon win since his 6-2 6-2 6-1 whipping of Uruguayan Marcelo Filippini in 1999.
Hewitt was due to play Korean Hyung-Taik Lee overnight for a place in the third round.
He was jubilant after a near-flawless handling of Volandri.
"It's the perfect result," Hewitt said. "Things couldn't have gone better.
"It went as well as I could have expected."
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“It’s in my heart to give it one more go” - Mark
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30/Jun/06, 8:47
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