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Glenys Furness

Murray & Soares ease into Wimbledon 3rd round

Glenys Furness
Tennis

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By Glenys Furness

  • Jamie Murray & Bruno Soares into 3rd round
  • Rain delays reduce doubles 1st & 2nd rounds to best of 3

LONDON, ENGLAND – Jamie Murray & Bruno Soares began the assault on the Wimbledon title easing into the third round.

Murray & Soares are the third seeds. In their first round match they played Colin Fleming & Jonathan Erlich. The Australian Open champions dominated the first set as the Brit/Israeli were unable to make any in roads on serve. Fleming & Erlich managed to get into the match in the second set, taking it to a tiebreak.

The Brit/Israeli edged the breaker forcing a deciding set. Murray & Soares were in no mood to go out of the tournament early. Taking a grip of the final set the third seeds romped into the second round. 6-2, 6-7(11), 6-3.

In the second round the seeds played Federico Delbonis & Diego Schwartzmann. The Argentines had no answer to the seeds, the Brit/Brazilian never looked in trouble as they secured the win in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.

Wimbledon had decided to reduce the first and second rounds to the best of three sets due to the rain impacting heavily on the schedule. This would hopefully catch up as the organisers tried to finish off all the first week matches by the end of the middle Sunday.

No play traditionally takes place on the middle Sunday, however due to the rain interruptions, play was to take place for only the fourth time in the event history.

Kyle Edmund & James Ward were granted a wildcard. Their first round opponents were Delbonis & Schwartzman. The Brits played with determination and forced a tiebreak in the first set. Edmund & Ward dominated the tiebreak and took the lead. The Argentines fought back in the next and broke the Brits serve to level up the match.

The final set saw only one break of serve, and unfortunately it was Delbonis & Schwartzman that secured it to knock out the Brits 7-6(1), 6-3, 6-4.

Jonny Marray with Adil Shamasdin drew the fourth seeds in the first round. Jean-Julien Rojer & Horia Tecau were also the defending champions. Marray & Shamasdin took control early in the first set breaking the seeds. The defending champions were unable to gain any momentum and soon the Brit/Canadian had secured the lead.

The second set was much closer, with neither side giving an inch. Marray & Shamasdin forced a tiebreak, and dominated throughout to knock out Rojer & Tecau in straight sets 6-2, 7-6(3).

In the second round the Brit/Canadian faced Dustin Brown & Jan-Lennard Struff. Marray & Shamasdin continued where they left off in the first round. The Germans struggled to make any impact as Marray & Shamasdin broke early to seal the set.

Brown & Struff made the Brit/Canadian work harder in the second set, however they were unable to level up the match. Marray & Shamasdin progressed to the third round 6-3, 6-4.

Brydan Klein & Alex Ward had been given a wildcard into the doubles. Their first round opponents were the 15th seeds Pablo Cuevas & Marcel Granollers. The Brits pushed the seeds close, however Cuevas & Granollers edged the win 6-4, 7-5.

Ken Skupski & Neal Skupski played the seventh seeds in the first round. Lukasz Kubot & Alexander Peya showed their higher ranking and dominated the first set. The Brits were not done and the second set kept toe to toe with the seeds. Eventually edging the tiebreak.

The final set has no tiebreak once the score is at six all, as a result one break of serve would seal it. The Skupski brothers took the vital service break taking out the seventh seeds 2-6, 7-6(7), 11-9.

The Brits played Oliver Marach & Fabrice Martin in the next round. Taking the first set with a late break the Skupski brothers needed one more set to reach round three. The Austrian/French pair dominated the second set to pull level. Unfortunately, the Brits were not able to break in the final set as Marach & Martin took the match 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.

Dom Inglot & Daniel Nestor started their Wimbledon quest as ninth seeds. Having recently teamed together, their first event was at Queens, and won their first title in Nottingham, the Brit/Canadian will be hoping to take the partnership further.

Their first round opponents were Fabio Fognini & Andreas Seppi. Inglot & Nestor dominated the first set and the Italians were unable to get a look in. However, the second set proved much closer and the Italians forced a tiebreak. Once in the tiebreak the Brit/Canadian once again dominated to set up a second round clash with Julien Benneteau & Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-2, 7-6(2).

Dan Evans & Lloyd Glasspool drew Malek Jaziri & Lukas Rosol in the first round. The Brits were outplayed in the match losing in straight sets to the Tunisian/Czech team 4-6, 2-6.

On the WTA side Johanna Konta teamed up with Maria Sanchez. The Brit/American drew Kirsten Flipkens & Andrea Petkovic. In a very topsy turvy match, it was Konta & Sanchez that struck first to break and take the first set. The Belgian/German fought back in the second to level up the match.

Having suffered from the rain delay this match finally finished on the middle Sunday, with the Brit/American securing the win in the final set. 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

Laura Robson teamed up with Ashleigh Barty. Their first round opponents were the third seeds Hao-Ching Chan & Yung-Jan Chan. The Brit/American never got a look in during the match, as the Taipei players booked their place in the second round in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.

Tara Moore was playing with Conny Perrin. The Brit/Swiss team played Mariana Duque-Marino & Monica Puig. Moore & Perrin did not get off to a great start as they lost the first set without taking a game. Duque-Marino & Puig continued the momentum in the second set, although closer the Columbian/Puerto Rican edged the set taking the match in straight sets 6-0,7-5.

Jocelyn Rae & Anna Smith found themselves against the fourth seeds. Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina secured the first set by securing the break right at the end. The Brits came back in the second, breaking the Russians to level the match. The final set went the way of the Russians to book their place in the second round 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

Naomi Broady & Heather Watson drew Cagla Buyukakcay & Klaudia Jans-Ignacik in the first round. Neither side would break serve in the set. The tiebreak saw the Brits edge the set and take the lead. The second set went the way of the Brits as they broke the Turkish/Polish team serve to take the match in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-4.

Their second round opponents were Alexandra Panova & Shelby Rogers. This match up proved to be very exciting for those with tickets for middle Sunday. Going one way then the other, both teams refused to give in.

A great doubles match saw the Brits edge both tiebreak sets. Panova & Rogers had several set points in the second, but each time the Brits wiped them out. 7-6(6), 7-6(10)

Play continues Monday 4th July from 11.30am BST on the outside courts and 1pm BST on Centre and Court one