Wimbledon 2009: Here Comes the Rain...Day Seven

"He who lives by the crystal ball soon learns to eat ground glass…"

— Edgar R. Fiedler

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It is not without some small amount of pride that I boast of my over 80 percent accuracy rate in selecting who would advance into the quarterfinals of the men’s and women’s singles at the 2009 Wimbledon tennis tournament. 

Maniac Monday came and went in superlative fashion with the top 16 survivors on the women’s side and the men’s side doing battle to advance to the quarters.

I missed two out of eight possible winners on Monday on the women’s side of the draw.  That hurt—hurt deep.  I was sure Amelie Mauresmo would show Dinara Safina the door.  But, Dinara dug down deep and came back against the flashy, polished grass game of Mauresmo—a former champion here at Wimbledon in 2006.  Safina won, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Perhaps there is hope for the number one seed Safina who will face unseeded and seemingly unshakable Sabine Lisicki on Tuesday.  Safina reaches the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the first time.

Lisicki took out the number nine seed Caroline Wozniacki in a tense and tightly fought contest.  Wozniacki, my pick, had numerous opportunities to swat the German teenager aside but she failed to convert any of her six chances to break serve.

Licksi whose blood seems never to boil or freeze took advantage once in each set to send the Danish blond bombshell back home as she won, 6-4, 6-4.  A black mark on my scorecard...

Otherwise I was right on the mark in my predictions.  Venus Williams diced and sliced Ivanovic in short order as the Serbian beauty retired with injury.  Equally, Serena made short work of her opponent, the classical Slovakian beauty Daniela Hantuchova.

The match between Nadia Petrova and Victoria Azarenka was closer than expected but in the end Azarenka pulled through, 7-6, 2-6, 6-3, and will face Serena Williams once again in the quarterfinals.

Agnieszka Radwanska put away American teenage qualifier Melanie Oudin as I predicted, 6-4, 7-5.  Francesca Schiavone also sent Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano back home while the Russians dueled and Elena Dementieva outlasted Elena Vesnina, 6-1, 6-3.  It wasn’t even that close if the truth be told.

So, you ask, what about tomorrow, oh seer of seers?  Well, it is going to be a tough call, but I have a theme to answer your queries...it comes from my crystal ball that I call Wimbledon Clarity...it focuses upon this adage: Age is something that doesn’t matter unless you are cheese or a tennis player...

Venus Williams will defeat Agnieszka Radwanska decisively.  Venus is on a mission.  Get out of her way, please.

Dinara Safina will punch the German air out of the Lisicki balloon and send her back to earth—though there is nothing to be ashamed of in reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.

If there is any justice in the world of tennis then Elena Dementieva should surpass the unseeded Francesca Schiavone and make her way into the semis.  No one has paid her dues more than the scrappy Dementieva.  We pick her because we desire to see her win.  This is her best chance in ages.

The match of the day should come between Serena Williams and the feisty and defiant, young Victoria Azarenka.  Neither player would win sportsmanship trophies or fan favorite accolades but they are fiery competitors who hate to lose and don’t mind showing it.  We pick an upset with Azarenka taking the match.

The semifinals should align with Dementieva against Azarenka and Venus Williams against Dinara Safina.  The Wimbledon Clarity crystal ball has spoken.

On the men’s side, I missed only one match—the one between Juan Carlos Ferrero and Gilles Simon.  That is because I have soft spot when it comes to French guys.  They let me down every time!  It is that sexy accent...

Otherwise, I was perfect in terms of predicting the outcomes of the men’s matches today! Give me something...

This year we see the classic contest between the experienced player vs. the younger, inexperienced one and we slide toward the path more worn, more familiar.  And we wonder when the scales will tip.

Is this the year for Azarenka to break through or for Murray to stake his claim on the Wimbledon crown?  Or, rather, will the masters—Venus Williams and Roger Federer—reclaim glory once again?

Stay tuned...