The bottom half of the quarterfinals brought an equal measure of thrilling tennis to Centre Court.
Leading off the evening session, Popeye dispatched Kool-Aid Man in three sets, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. However, the score was not as close as it appeared. The clutch serving that guided Kool-Aid Man in his first round match was absent tonight. Against a much better returner, Kool-Aid Man's serve was effectively neutralized and threatened all evening long. In the final set, Kool-Aid Man faced break points at 2-3, 3-4, and 4-5, before finally succumbing to Popeye's suffocating attack. The eighth game was particularly tense, as a late challenge by Kool-Aid Man went overlooked by the Chair umpire, leading to an escalation of words amongst the interested parties.
In the nightcap, Mickey Mouse continued to treat the audience with his brilliant shotmaking, outlasting the #3 seed Snoopy, 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-4. In a match filled with wild momentum swings, both competitors played at a supreme level throughout. Mickey's serve was the key early on, as he was not broken in the first two sets. Unable to win the second set tiebreak, however, Mickey had to gather himself for the deciding set. Both players appeared fatigued, but their level of play remained high during the final stanza. Snoopy broke early in the third for a 2-0 lead, and that appeared to be the backbreaker. But Snoopy was unable to confirm the break, and in the very next game, was broken right back with the assistance of an ill-timed double fault. Mickey continued to mount the pressure with a series of jaw-dropping theatrics and heart-pounding shots that did not apologize for their daring, as he broke again in Snoopy's next service game to go up a break for a 3-2 lead that he would not relinquish.
Next up will be the highly anticipated semifinal clash between Popeye and Mickey: the slugger versus the showman.
No comments:
Post a Comment