Davis Cup
Great Britain 0-0 Austria
Singles latest:
A Bogdanovic (GB)* v J Melzer (Aut)
6-3 2-0
* denotes server
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LATER MATCH - A Murray (GB) v A Peya (Aut)
By Tom Fordyce
Bogdanovic 2-0 Melzer
Melzer's still showing the knock-kneed nerves of a goat in the lion enclosure at London Zoo. A miserable patsy of a volley flops into the net to give Boggo three break points, and when the angry Austrian batters a forehand wide, Boggo has another break. I can't quite believe this. Am I dreaming? And if so, why am I dreaming about male tennis players?
Bogdanovic 1-0 Melzer
Melzer comes out of the traps with vengeance is his eyes. In a flash he has two break points, but a whippy Boggo backhand and thumping first serve drag him back to deuce. When a Melzer backhand goes long, the game is saved. On the front row, an aged gent in a Union flag cap wobbles his wrinkly jowls in excitement.
FIRST SET
Bogdanovic 6-3 Melzer
What has happened to Melzer? It's like he's doing a "Boggo at Wimbledon" impression - a woeful capitulation on his serve, including a forehand battered so long it wouldn't have landed on two courts, hands the set to the Brit on a shining silver salver. We have witnessed tennis history today - Bogdanovic's first ever set in a Cup match that's not a dead rubber. Anyone for a commemorative tattoo?
Bogdanovic 5-3 Melzer
Now then - this is interesting. Melzer, who gave it all that chat earlier this week about the pressure on Andy Murray's shoulders, is starting to crumble himself. Two unforced errors allow Boggo to rattle through his service game to love. The flaky Brit is now just four points from his first ever set in a live Davis Cup match.
Bogdanovic 4-3 Melzer
A jumbo jet rumbles overhead as Melzer lines up his man-sized serve. Boggo deals with it well, stretching to ping a forehand down the line to set up a break point and then ripping a backhand towards the corner that Melzer can only frame into the cloudless blue above. Bogdo has broken - repeat, Bogdo has broken...
Bogdanovic 3-3 Melzer
Melzer has a blast at a big backhand at 0-15 but crashes it into the net. A classy forehand pass from Boggo draws screams from a brace of over-excited ladies in the crowd and takes us to level pegs. Semi-encouraging signs for GB fans.
Bogdanovic 2-3 Melzer
Melzer's now turned his cap back-to-front in the preferred style of the Austrian/Germanic male, and his thrashing leftie serve is too strong for Bogdanovic. In the crowd, a man who looks remarkably like Padraig Harrington is doing the crossword in his morning paper.
Bogdanovic 2-2 Melzer
Whatever Skipper Lloydy said clearly did the business - Boggo holds to love with his best four points of the match. Warm autumn sunshine bathing Court No.1.
Bogdanovic 1-2 Melzer
What a shot from Mel - a forehand drop-volley that saw him stretched like Mike Teevee. Beefy first serving sees him home at a canter, and John Lloyd strolls over for a word as Boggo goes to his chair at the changeover.
Bogdanovic 1-1 Melzer
Uh-oh - Melzer creams a delicious forehand down the line off a whipping Boggo serve to set up two break points. Bog closes out the first with a crispy volley at the net, saves the second when Mel just misses with a bender down the line but then ships another with a woeful mis-hit volley at the net. A big serve and nice deep forehand take us back to deuce; a short second serve marmalised down the line opens up another break point. When Melzer sends a weak drop-shot into the net and over-reaches with a forehand as ambitious as Gordon Gekko, the game is saved. Roars from all corners.
Bogdanovic 0-1 Melzer
Interesting - Melzer looks nervier than Boggo out there, which is saying something. Two double-faults give the Brit a sniff at deuce before a wafting forehand goes long, and when Boggo can only block a slow return skywards, the Austrian has his proud nose in front. Muted reaction from the bellicose crowd.
1106 - from BBC Sport's Caroline Cheese at Wimbledon: "They're shooting t-shirts into the crowd. This cannot be good for the hordes of middle-aged ladies sitting around Court One, one of which is my mum. Run for your life, Mum!"
1057: Anyone else fearful about what all this is doing for Boggo's nerves? In case you'd forgotten, his singles record at Wimbledon reads: played seven, lost seven. Hmmm.
1054: In one of the most surreal openings to a tennis match I've ever seen, an Italian opera singer strolling round the court starts warbling what sounds like an impression of a car alarm. Jurgen Melzer looks stunned. "HERE WE GO!" shouts the MC. "NATIONAL ANTHEMS! If you know the Austrian one, sing along!"
1050: Extraordinary scenes on Number One Court. As the GB and Austria teams stroll out for day one of this Davis Cup tie, vertical cannons launch orange flames into the sky. "ROSSS HUTCHINS!" screams the MC. "ALEX BOOGGGDANOVIC!"
1045: Tennis at Wimbledon in September? In bright sunshine? With Alex Bogdanovic up first? What a feast - what a feast...
(BBC)
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