Top ten most thrilling major tennis clashes in 2010 - Part II
Here is the second instalment highlighting the most exciting and action packed Grand Slam matches in 2010;
8. Maria Sharapova versus Justine Henin, second round French Open
Maria Sharapova and Justin Henin were coming into the clash attempting to prove themselves capable of winning on big occasions. The Russian, Sharapova was making a comeback after her shoulder injury, whereas, Justine was coming out of a hibernation period
of two complete years.
Therefore, both of them had to show a lot in terms of their game and sporting aptitude.
It was Henin in the end who proved that she rightly deserved her title of "Queen of Clay" by dispatching off Maria in a total of three sets at Roland Garros. The final match score was 6-2 3-6 6-3.
She did well to start off the match strongly by demolishing her Russian tennis foe at 6-2 in the opening set. Maria was simply out-moved and out-classed. Henin in one of her pre-match interviews said that she is going to fight until the end and that exactly
happened that day at Roland Garros. Maria had nearly broken her opponent’s game, however, failed to take any advantage of her many opportunities. Then, the Russian sensation smashed a drop shot over the net and grabbed the second set at 6-3 to level the scores.
In the middle of all this drama, the rain clouds somehow found a way to get pass the security personnel’s and dump all the water they had been holding onto the playing surface. As a result, play was postponed until the next day which further added to the
suspense and thrill of the clash.
As both of them came on the court the next day, the pressure was even more and everyone along with the crowd was excited to let the battle start.
Amazingly, it was Maria who got off to an ideal start by taking the lead of 2-0 and it looked as if her foe was on the verge of major upset at Roland Garros. However, it never happened as Justine prevented the four break point opportunities she faced and
the match suddenly seemed to favour Henin. Sharapova never managed to fight back in the clash and Henin sealed victory in the end.
7. Juan Martin del Potro versus James Blake, third round of Australian Open
The Argentinean tennis player Juan Martin Del Potro and James Blake from the United States of America were nearly hundred positions apart in the ATP World rankings, yet the clash opposite to the betting odds was a tight one in the end.
Prior to the match, all the book makers and tennis experts predicted the match to be an easy one and favoured Del Potro to win it in straight sets without much effort.
However, that was not the case at all in Melbourne!
There is nothing much to say about this clash, which was extended to five sets as the decisive set tells the entire story. At the tail end of the final set, James served on two occasions. However, Potro’s experience and superior quality of game burst through,
and was able to seal the victory 10-8 in the third game. It was simply unfortunate for the Argentinean that the battle was his third five-setter in a row.
The match featured streaks of top quality tennis, however, also lengthy times of errors. In spite of the fact that it was not the most high quality one, the clash was without any question thrilling and exciting right from the start until the end, as nobody
expected it to be that tight. The score board always looked close and Potro’s one set deficit further added to the overall drama.
After such an impressive knock by the American tennis player James Blake, everyone was expecting many more inspiring knocks for the rest of the season. But contrary to the expert’s predictions, the American couldn’t even match his Melbourne level of game
later in 2010.
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