2010 AEGON Masters; Goran Ivanisevic once again overpowers Tim Henman
Goran Ivanisevic got the better of Tim Henman at the AEGON Masters Tennis competition in a repeat of the tandem’s popular grass court Grand Slam semi-final battle from 2001. The final match score was 6-4, 5-7, 11-9.
Playing at the world famous Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday night, Tim and Goran were greeted on the court warmly by a standing ovation from a huge crowd waiting to relish the drama and fun of their fateful three-day Wimbledon final
four clash, a battle that also brought the former top ranked Brit to within two points of a spot in the title battle.
It was once again heartbreak for Tim as he failed to find an answer to Goran’s thunderous left-handed serve. The 36-year-old Henman who made his debut on the ATP World Tour back in 1993 and announced his retirement three years
ago, found some rhythm during the middle set, breaking at 6-5 with a superb backhand lob to win the set at 7-5.
Goran, however, immediately bounced back in the decisive set to secure a lead of 8-5 in the Champions' Tie-Break, but Tim clawed it back before his Croatian foe clinched a win at 11-9 with a lucky net-cord that skipped over Henman’s
racquet.
Henman started his tournament’s campaign with a two setter victory over Younes El Aynaoui in his debut match at the AEGON Masters on Tuesday. The final match score was 6-4, 6-4. The former number one Brit player, did well to avenge
his 2001 Wimbledon loss at the hands of Younes by beating him in straight sets.
The England resident started well, breaking on a single occasion in the opening set to earn a lead of 6-4. The following set was a total opposite story, with the Moroccan taking a lead of 4-1 with some excellent touch-shots to
outmanoeuvre his foe. Henman, however, did well to rediscover his rhythm and further improved his game to win the next five games in a row and thus sealed his victory in the end.
His match against Goran yesterday was his first one since 2001, which the Croatian eventually won before going on to pick up his maiden and only major title on the tour.
After his debut match victory, the right hander reflected, “It was a good start. I thought the quality of the tennis was pretty good so I was pleasantly surprised by that. I did not really know what to expect because it has been
so long since I have played any competitive tennis so that was really good. It is great playing at the Albert Hall as well because, there is such a special atmosphere here. I am not getting ahead of myself. I think Goran, with the way he is serving on this
court, is going to be a tough battle no matter how well I am playing. But I used to enjoy trying to return Goran’s serve and I expect I will have to do a lot of that tomorrow night so that will be good fun.”
Goran, as a result of this victory, will take on Younes El Aynaoui in his last round robin clash on Thursday. A victory will earn him the top berth in Group C and a probable final eight match-up with another former top ranked Brit
player, Greg Russedski.
Henman, despite losing, is still likely to make his way into the quarters. When commenting on Goran’s serve after the match, Henman said, "Goran’s serve in the opening set was as good as anyone’s ever served against me, and I really
mean that.”
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