In the Round of 16, Getting to Know Kenny, Lukasz and Tsvetana
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Version 0 of 1. WIMBLEDON, England — The second Monday of Wimbledon is usually the most star-studded day in tennis, with all 16 men’s and women’s fourth-round singles matches being played. But after a wild first week at the All England Club, Super Monday will be, in the words of Novak Djokovic, “a bit strange.” Roger Federer is not here, missing from the second week of a major for the first time in nine years. Rafael Nadal is not here for the second year in a row. Maria Sharapova is not here. Neither is Victoria Azarenka. Of the 20 top-ranked players — the top 10 men and women — only nine are still around, but four players outside the top 100 are in the second week. Four men and two women playing Monday are in the fourth round at a major for the first time. No. 2 Andy Murray, No. 20 Mikhail Youzhny and No. 24 Jerzy Janowicz are the only seeds left in the bottom half of the men’s draw, and Murray and Youzhny play each other Monday. The fans’ cheers at some of Monday’s matches will be the result of speed dating rather than a longtime love affair. Sure, Djokovic’s match against the ageless wonder Tommy Haas is must-see TV. Sure, the matchup of Sloane Stephens and Monica Puig is a glimpse at the future of tennis. But what is Kirsten Flipkens versus Flavia Pennetta? “There’s some players who have been playing great tennis,” Djokovic said. “I think it’s interesting also to see new faces for the crowd,” he added, and for the “tennis world in general.” Here is an introduction to some of those faces. Tsvetana PironkovaBulgaria, 25, Ranked 72nd HOW DID SHE GET HERE? Pironkova routed No. 21 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round before putting away Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and Petra Martic to reach the fourth round for the third time in four years here. WHO IS SHE? Pironkova, who will face No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska, is not so much a new face as one fans see only once a year, at Wimbledon. A grass-court specialist, she is 14-7 here but 16-23 at the other Grand Slam events. She made the semifinals in 2010, defeating second-seeded Venus Williams and No. 11 Marion Bartoli along the way. She was a quarterfinalist the next year, beating Williams again and Vera Zvonareva, who was the No. 2 seed. “I don’t think there are any universal secrets that would work for anyone,” Pironkova said last week. “Except enjoying what you do. Enjoy that you are here at Wimbledon, this great tournament, playing against the greatest players in the world. So you cannot not enjoy this.” Karin KnappItaly, 26, Ranked 104th HOW DID SHE GET HERE? Knapp topped No. 89 Lucie Hradecka in straight sets in the first round, upset No. 27 seed Lucie Safarova in the second round, and ousted Michelle Larcher de Brito, who had upset No. 3 Maria Sharapova. WHO IS SHE? Surprisingly, Italy, not known as a grass-court haven, is the most represented country in the fourth round, with Knapp, Pennetta, Roberta Vinci and Andreas Seppi still playing. Of them, Knapp, who will play No. 15 Bartoli, is the least familiar. Knapp was ranked as high as No. 35 in 2008, but she had not made the main draw of a Grand Slam event since the 2011 United States Open. She celebrated her birthday Friday with her first berth in the Round of 16 at a major. Among the remaining women, Knapp has the most aces (33), and only Serena Williams has won a greater percentage of her first-serve points than Knapp (77 percent). Kenny de SchepperFrance, 26, Ranked 80th HOW DID HE GET HERE? De Schepper beat Paolo Lorenzi in straight sets in the first round, advanced to the third round when No. 10 Marin Cilic withdrew with a knee injury, and defeated No. 22 seed Juan Mónaco in four sets to reach the Round of 16. The victory over Mónaco was de Schepper’s first over a player in the top 50. He has a career record of 3-10 against players in the top 100. WHO IS HE? Fifteen men from France began this tournament, more than any other country, but no one would have guessed that the only two playing the second week would be de Schepper and Adrian Mannarino, the 10th- and 13th-highest-ranked French players. The 6-foot-8-inch de Schepper did not turn pro until 2010, and he plays mostly on the Challenger and Futures circuits. The left-handed de Schepper broke into the top 100 for the first time in May, but he had never been past the second round of a Grand Slam event. By advancing this far (and being in Murray’s quarter), de Schepper faced English questions at a news conference Saturday, which had to be translated from French. He joked on Twitter later about trying to improve his English. He faces his fellow left-hander Fernando Verdasco, a former top-10 player, on Monday. Adrian MannarinoFrance, 25, Ranked 111th HOW DID HE GET HERE? After beating Pablo Andújar in straight sets in the first round, Mannarino advanced to the third round after No. 18 John Isner retired with a knee injury after two games. In the third round, Mannarino defeated the crowd favorite Dustin Brown, who had beaten Lleyton Hewitt, who had upset No. 11 Stanislas Wawrinka. WHO IS HE? Mannarino’s three Wimbledon victories are his only ATP Tour main-draw wins this year. He won only once on the ATP Tour last year. Like de Schepper, Mannarino is left-handed and plays primarily on the Challenger series. He will earn more money at Wimbledon (at least $159,700) than at his previous tournaments this year combined ($106,205). Mannarino was ranked as high as 49th in 2011, but before this tournament, he had never made it past the second round of a Grand Slam event, compiling a 3-13 record. Amazingly, Mannarino is the higher-seeded player in his matchup with Lukasz Kubot. Lukasz KubotPoland, 31, Ranked 130th HOW DID HE GET HERE? Kubot defeated Igor Andreev in the first round and was scheduled to play Steve Darcis next, but Darcis withdrew because of a shoulder injury sustained in his first-round victory over No. 5 Rafael Nadal. Kubot then upset No. 25 Benoît Paire in straight sets. Kubot has lost only 16 games in the tournament, the fewest of any player into the Round of 16 at Wimbledon in the Open era. WHO IS HE? Poland has two men in the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in the Open era. While Janowicz, 22, is a rising star, Kubot is a journeyman, one of a record nine players 30 and older in the fourth round here. He achieved his highest ranking, No. 41, in April 2010, and from 2009 to 2011, Kubot was the top men’s singles player from Poland. Although he has no singles titles on the ATP Tour, he has won eight doubles titles and is also still alive in the men’s doubles at Wimbledon, seeded 15th with his countryman Marcin Matkowski. Kubot’s match with Mannarino is relegated to Court 14, the only fourth-round singles match not on a show court. But by Monday afternoon, Kubot or Mannarino will be a Wimbledon quarterfinalist. |