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Wednesday, June 21 Norman could be tested early By MaliVai Washington Special to ESPN.com |
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The seeds are set. The draw has been held. And here are some of the trends shaping up -- and our analysis of the pairings -- as Wimbledon approaches:
Agassi has it easy Agassi, the No. 2 seed, opens against a qualifier, and although a potential second-round matchup against Todd Martin could easily be among the tournament's early highlights, Agassi might play three qualifiers in the first four rounds should Martin fail to win his opener. Plus, none of Agassi's potential matchups in the first four rounds are solid grass-court players. There are a few clay-court and baseline specialists, but no top-notch grass players. Even 15th-seeded Marat Safin, who has a big serve and good ground strokes, has a suspect volley game.
Not so easy for Norman Woodforde not only is on a roll right now -- he teamed with Todd Woodbridge to win the French Open men's doubles title in straight sets less than two weeks ago -- he's also a very smart player and a left-hander who knows how to play on grass. Norman, a baseliner, could have problems, even as the No. 3 seed.
Rusedski run? Incidentally, Rusedski's first-round opponent is American Vincent Spadea, who on June 19 set an ATP Tour record by losing his 21st consecutive match. Unfortunately for Spadea, once ranked 19th in the world, the streak will probably be extended to 22. Rusedski is one of the biggest servers on the tour.
Down the road A great matchup down the line would be Pete Sampras vs. Rusedski. Not only would be it a great matchup, it would also be on centre court. And a match that pits the top seed against the hometown hero is always fun. Along the same line, a Tim Henman-Agassi match would be incredible for the same reasons. Agassi is the biggest draw in the world, but this is the one match where the crowd wouldn't be pulling for him. The best first-round match might be No. 13 seed Nicolas Kiefer vs. Tommy Haas. Both players are from Germany, and very good in general. It's unfortunate they have to play in the first round. Top potential second-round matches, in addition to Agassi-Martin, could be Henman vs. Goran Ivanisevic and Richard Krajicek vs. Wayen Ferreira.
Let's hear it for the (American) boys Players like Paul Goldstein or Jeff Tarango, or perhaps Jan-Michael Gambill, have a chance to get to the round of 16. |
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