Wimbledon 2011 – live! | Paolo Bandini

• Press refresh or hit auto-update for the latest • Email paolo.bandini@guardian.co.uk with your thoughts • Click here for today’s order of play • Check out the latest scores here • You can even follow Paolo on Twitter, if that’s your thing 2.21pm: Rezai has just taken the second set against Williams, levelling things up at 6-3, 6-3. But I know you’re not interested in that – what you want to know is how Britain’s own Daniel Cox is getting on over on Court 14. I’m happy to report that after holding serve, Cox is now just 6-2, 6-4, 5-4 down – and has Stakhovsky right where he wants him. 2.14pm: Andy Roddick is doing his thing on Court 1, fizzing down serves at three times the speed of sound to leave Andreas Beck swishing his racket at thin air. Roddick presently leads 6-4, 4-3. Meantime, Alan McWhinney puts me on the spot. “Who would your preference be for best-looking male tennis player of all time,” he demands. Bjorn Borg, clearly. How can you argue with all that hair? 2pm: Time for an email. “Why are there so many empty seats on centre and No 1 courts? (admittedly there are not so many empty seats to see Serena Williams, but Murray’s match last night was half-empty, as were several singles yesterday),” demands someone claiming to be called DJ Sven. “This is the first week singles, when it is virtually impossible to get on to the show courts without queuing for days. You can only assume that these non-occupants must be there on some corporate jolly and are away in some tent stuffing themselves with smoked salmon and not letting the tennis get in the way of their massively important corporate networking. It is a total scandal (not to mention a good way of completely undermining the atmosphere and the value of the championships) that these fat cats are taking seats away from real fans who are camping on the street to get into the ground. Grrrrr!” Well Wimbledon doesn’t give out Corporate seats in the same way as, say the Olympics, Sven, but there will certainly be plenty of debenture holders who have regular access and therefore feel less anxious about being there all the time. Some, indeed, will use the opportunity to invite business associates here and may be more concerned with the talk over lunch than the tennis itself. But it’s also true that some who spend all that money on tickets for the show courts do so because they want to see one match in particular. When that match isn’t on, they might prefer to watch a match on an outside court than the one that happens to be on Centre. 1.55pm: And now some actual news from Twitter – Jamie Murray has just informed the world that he has found himself a partner for the mixed doubles. I have a mixed partner! I’ll be playing this year with Jarmila Gajdosova! 1.52pm: A most perplexing missive from the official Wimbledon Twitter account. Vote now for the best-looking male player in history of #Wimbledon http://bit.ly/kUQXSk Federer currently leading Nadal. Do U agree? Federer, the best-looking of all-time? Really ? 1.49pm: Yeah, that little run is now over. Williams holds serve to take the set. Over on court 14, Britain’s Daniel Cox is going down in entirely predictable flames against Stakhovsky, trailing 6-2, 5-4. 1.43pm: We return to Centre Court to find Rezai clinging on desperately in the first set – 5-2 down and serving to stay in the set. She gets there, too, watching Williams clump a backhand long at 40-30. Meaning that so far Rezai has won three out of three games when I’ve been watching, and nought out of five when I haven’t. Just saying. 1.40pm: Now for something completely different. Tennis, like it used to be. 1.36pm: Keothavong gets into the spirit of things with a huge “Com’ ON!” as she brings up match point at 40-30, but Broady hangs on in there, bludgeoning a two-handed backhand across from right to left to leave her opponent stranded. No matter – Keothavong quickly brings up another, and seals the match with as Broady’s attempt to parry her serve sails an inch long. It was never really in doubt in the end: Keothavong served better and returned better. But it goes without saying that she may find things rather trickier against the eighth seed Kvitova in the second round. 1.28pm: Serena Williams has broken back to tie the first set at 2-2 against Rezai, but I can’t tell you any more than that because I’ve flicked back to the all-British affair on Court 12. Broady ends a lengthy deuce to hold serve with a deft backhand dropshot, but Keothavong will now have the opportunity now to serve for the match. 1.22pm: That said, it is a shame they couldn’t have got Ms Ross to pitch in with some kind of opening ceremony … 1.20pm: Rezai shows what I know by breaking Williams’s opening service game. Diana Ross has been spotted watching on Centre Court. With rain forecast for this afternoon, let’s just say it’s a more promising start than Cliff Richard. 1.17pm: The first British winner of the day could be confirmed shortly, too, as Keothavong has broken Broady again in the second set and leads 6-2, 6-4. That Glatch win, meanwhile, means Daniel Cox will be up shortly on Court 14 for his match against Sergiy Stakhovksy. 1.15pm: The first two results of the day are in. Petra Kvitova has beaten Alexa Glatch 6-2, 6-2; while Tsvetana Pironkova overcame Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-1. 1.06pm: A lot of people have tipped this match between Rezai and Williams as a potential upset – a comment that surely stems at least in part from memories of the Frenchwoman’s win over Venus Williams in last year’s Madrid Open final. Certainly Rezai has the raw power to trouble anybody, but in truth that is not a quality Serena Williams traditionally has that much trouble with. Of course there is uncertainty over the American given the extent to which the various surgeries to her foot and lung have disrupted her year, but Rezai too has had her share of difficulties off the court – most notably a very public falling out with her father. Earlier this month, she was reported to have contacted the police in France, accusing him of ‘harassment, intentional violence and death threats’, as well as ‘swindling tens of thousands of euros’ . 1.03pm: “I know of at least one underdog who absolutely no one is fond of ,” notes Sam Brydges. Fair. 1.01pm: Unlike her sister yesterday, Serena Williams is out on time to get things started on Centre Court. Also unlike her sister, she has opted for a sensible cardigan. 12.57pm: With the cricket Test series against Sri Lanka finished, my colleague Matt Scott spotted some familiar faces making their way through the gates. He writes: England’s victorious cricketers have headed to Wimbledon this week fter their success in the Sri Lanka Test series. (Actually, it was more of a two-part mini-series than a proper examination of Test mettle, but history records it as a win so who are we to judge?) Everyone from James Anderson to Jonathan Trott, with Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton thrown in, are present. And at 6ft 7in it was impossible to miss Chris Tremlett on the way to his seat. So I confronted him to ask if this was his opportunity to interrogate the royals about the piecemeal distribution of gongs in the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours to the England cricket team, with Alistair Cook MBE and Andrew Strauss OBE the only players recognised from among the Ashes winners. “No, no I won’t be doing that,” said the seamer who has taken 45 Test wickets at 25.20. “But I did notice they all went to the batters,” he added, before remembering he was talking to a journalist. “…Although they did deserve it. 12.51pm: Keothavong takes the first set as Broady clumps a forehand into the net. Does this now make her the underdog? We’re supposed to love them right? Just behind the umpire, a nice lady in a twinset and pearls breaks down at the sheer confusion of it all. 12.44pm: For the record Niland is actually the first Irishman to play at Wimbledon since 1980 – not 1984, as our very own Simon Cambers explains. The American-born and raised Matt Doyle became an Irish citizen in 1985, but his last appearance at Wimbledon came the year before, when he was still a United States player. So instead Niland will be following in the footsteps of Sean Sorensen, who lost to Rod Laver in the first round in 1977 and played for a second time in 1980. 12.42pm: Middle Britain aren’t the only ones with their flags out today, as deeman1782 notes below the line. “Come on Conor Niland, the 1st Irishman to play in Wimbledon since 1984,” he hurrahs. Niland, ranked 184th in the world, is here very much on merit having battled through three rounds of qualifying in Roehampton this week, but his opponent Adrian Mannarino will be the strong favourite when they trot out on Court 17 later today (they are third up on the court). The pair have only played once – Niland losing in three sets at a Futures tournament back in 2006 – but the 22-year-old Mannarino is playing the best tennis of his career, and threatening to break into the top 50. 12.35pm: Scratch that last comment – Broady just lost her own serve to love. Plus she screeched at one point. Terribly un-British. Has she got some foreign parentage this can be blamed on, muses the lady in the floral hat to the plump man next to her, as he chomps into another strawberry sandwich. Keothavong leads 3-2. Elsewhere on the show courts, Radek Stepanek has broken Fernando Verdasco and leads 3-1. Jelena Jankovic, meanwhile, is level at 3-3 with Maria Jose Martinez. Which probably makes a nice change for her from being asked questions about how Jamie Murray used to flirt with her several years ago. 12.31pm: IIt was awful and it cost me £100000000000,” anounces Oliver Lewis in response to my strawberry sandwich review request. “Hand it over!” Sadly Oliver, your ruse has been blown. I have it on good information that the snack in question is available for just a single English pound. Which probably doesn’t say much for the quality of the strawberries. 12.24pm: Conflict is a-brewing on Court 12, as literally dozens of polite middle-aged men and women struggle to determine which out of Broady and Keothavong they should clap more loudly for. Keothavong would seem the natural choice – Broady, after all, is the bad girl of British tennis, one who famously had her LTA funding cut in 2007 after being photographed *gasp* eating pizza and *faint* posing in a flirty manner. But on the other hand, at 21, Broady’s career is the one with greater upside than Keothavong, whose career has been on a downhill curve since breaking into the top 50 in 2009. Plus she’s got a mean serve and meaty groundstrokes, and most importantly … is winning 2-1 in the first set. 12.17pm: The most troubling piece of news to cross my desk so far today: apparently Tesco are flogging Wimbledon-themed strawberries and cream sandwiches . If anyone is prepared to sample said monstrosity, I will happily reimburse the cost of purchase in return for a review and/or pictures. 12.11pm: And they’re off. Broady biffs down a series of big serves to hold her first service game to 15. An awkward camera angle then makes it briefly appear as though the ball boy is giving her a pat on the bum for encouragement. I’m at least 87% sure that isn’t what happened. 12.06pm: Keothavong and Broady are out promptly to knock up on Court 12. Our man Owen Gibson tweets: Combining two of middle England’s favourite things: Queues at court 12 for the guarantee of a British winner between Keothavang and Broady. 12pm: For those who missed yesterday’s action, or simply have very short memories, here’s a quick refresher: • Andy Murray romped past Daniel Gimeno-Traver and into the second round, but not before fulfilling his contractual obligation to blow a set needlessly and get Middle Britain unnecessarily anxious . • Boris Becker made controversial remarks about Murray’s mother . • Rafael Nadal won. Obviously . • Britain’s Katie O’Brien lost to a formerly retired 40-year-old , then drank some Pimms . • Venus Williams wore a playsuit . Up in the Royal Box, so did Rear Admiral Kilgour . 11.45am: Morning folks. The wind is blowing and the sun fighting a losing battle to be seen behind the grey clouds hovering ominously over SW19, but with a quarter of an hour to go before play starts on the outside courts the good news is that there is not yet any sign of rain. Good thing too – after a restless night camped outside the gates, one or two fans are taking the opportunity to get some shut-eye on the outer courts . Best to get it in now, as we have an eventful day coming up, including: • All three of Serena Williams , Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic (in that order) in action on centre court – as well as Andy Roddick, Robin Soderling and the women’s No1 Caroline Wozniacki on court 1. • An improbable first-round rematch between the most gifted undead tennis players you’re ever likely to see . Last year the decaying corpses of John Isner and Nicolas Mahut went at it for an incredible 183 games in a match that lasted 11 hours and five minutes and had to be played across three days. Today they are fourth up on the recently revamped Court 3 – assuming the weather holds. • Most importantly of all, today we will see A British Winner . In fact, we could even see more than one – a total of eight British players are in action today – but with Naomi Broady taking on Anne Keothavong in today’s first match on Court 12, the prospect of a total failure has at least been eliminated. Wimbledon 2011 Wimbledon Serena Williams Roger Federer Tennis Paolo Bandini guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 21, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.