American men finished at Wimbledon
Reynolds' third-round loss caps forgettable week of U.S. struggles
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WIMBLEDON, England - Bobby Reynolds’ third-round loss left Wimbledon without an American in the men’s singles draw.
A dozen started Monday, including two-time finalist Andy Roddick, seeded sixth, and James Blake at No. 9. They were all gone on the fifth of 14 scheduled days.
No. 102-ranked Reynolds was under all kinds of pressure Friday, this being the first time since 1926 that only one U.S. man had made the third round.
“I guess at the beginning of the tournament I wouldn’t have thought that it would be me, last one standing,” Reynolds said after his 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 loss to Feliciano Lopez, one of five Spaniards into the third round.
Good friends Roddick and Blake — seeded to meet in the quarterfinals — made their exits within hours of each other Thursday at the end of the second round.
Big-serving Roddick lost to Janko Tipsarevic, saying he “pretty much choked it.”
Blake lost to German veteran Rainer Schuettler and Jesse Levine also crashed out in the second round.
Since Pete Sampras won the last of his seven Wimbledon titles in 2000, U.S. men have found it increasingly hard to go the distance on the lawn courts at SW19.
“Obviously it’s discouraging, I was the last one and it’s only the third round,” Reynolds said. “That’s not something we like to tip our hats to.”
It’s a good thing for the United States, then, that the women are still winning.
At least one is guaranteed of making the quarterfinals with two-time champion Serena Williams due to meet 69th-ranked Bethanie Mattek in the fourth-round after both beat French women on Friday.
Mattek upset last year’s losing finalist, 11th-seeded Marion Bartoli, 6-4, 6-1 for her biggest Grand Slam tournament win, while Serena Williams held off 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo 7-6 (5), 6-1.
Defending champion and elder Williams sister, Venus, was to play her third-round match against Maria Martinez Sanchez on Saturday.
Mattek, 23, had never advanced beyond the second round at a major before, so she’s in new territory.
“This is my best result in a Grand Slam by far,” she said. “Last year it was the first time I won a round actually, so this is a pretty amazing feeling.”
She had a little help on Friday, with Bartoli needing treatment for a shoulder injury in the first set and calling for a medical timeout. But the win boiled down to taking her chances, converting five of her nine breakpoint chances.
Williams, who has won eight Grand Slam titles dating back to the 1999 U.S. Open, has been watching Mattek.
“She’s been playing better tennis and better tennis. It’s good to see some more American players playing well,” said Serena who, as something of a fashion diva, has noticed Mattek’s sense of flair.
“The courage you have to wear something like that in fashion goes a long way to me,” Serena said. “She’s a nice girl. I normally would like to see the best for her, but clearly I want to be able to win.”
Mattek has toned down her outfits at Wimbledon, where the code insists on white clothes, and is concentrating just on tennis.
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Serena Williams has been keeping an eye on the progress of the young American men and had some words of encouragement for them, too.
“I think Andy did great — Tipsaravic, I can’t believe he wasn’t seeded,” she said. “James, he also played a guy who has done well, especially on grass.
“It’s a totally different game, so we’ll be back!”
That’s point on which Reynolds agreed.
“The good thing about tennis is there’s always next year to come back.”
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