[Tribune-Herald] WIMBLEDON, England — Growing up, Benjamin Becker probably dreamed of playing in the final match on tennis' greatest stage. But not like this.
With the other matches suspended as much as 45 minutes earlier, the former Baylor all-American lost the final three games in gathering darkness and fell to 30th-ranked Fernando Verdasco of Spain, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 4-6, 6-3, 9-7, Wednesday in the second round at Wimbledon.
Becker had taken a 7-6 lead in the final set with a four-ace game before Verdasco held serve, then produced the only break of the set when Becker double-faulted twice and lost a pair of close line calls. Serving at 8-7, Verdasco held to wrap up their four-hour marathon at 9:35 p.m. London time. Final sets at Wimbledon are played out rather than decided by tiebreakers.
It was a stunning end to a match that saw Verdasco, a rangy left-hander from Madrid, in control for most of the first two sets before Becker took command with his dominating serve.
Becker, ranked 161st in the world, didn’t make a dent in Verdasco’s serve for the first 19 games of the match, pushing him to deuce only once. But with Verdasco serving at 5-4 for a two-set lead, Becker finally got that first break, then saved two set points in the tiebreaker to win, 9-7, and square the match.
A more confident Becker rode that momentum through the third set, dropping only two points on serve and winning 18 straight to close out the frame and take a 2-1 lead. He also won eight of his first nine service points to open the fourth set, but Verdasco broke him at 2-3 and served a pair of love games to force the decisive fifth set.
Verdasco will face fourth seed David Nalbandian of Argentina, a comfortable 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 winner over France’s Arnaud Clement, Friday in the third round.
Becker earned about $30,000 and 50 ATP points, enough to move him up to about No. 145 in the next rankings on July 10.
Becker reached the second round with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 48 Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina on Tuesday — his first against a Top 100 player.
“It was kind of a blur at first, especially in the first two sets,” Becker said of his Wimbledon debut in an e-mail from London. “I was looking around a lot and hearing people cheer on big courts next to me and reading the Wimbledon signs. I had a tought time relaxing. But I kept telling myself that this was just another tennis match, and in the middle of the third set I started feeling really loose and started playing a lot better.”
Becker said he was “surprisingly calm” when he served a love game to clinch the victory.
“It was a great relief,” he said. “Chela obviously is a clay-courter, but even on grass he made me play a lot more balls than the guys in the qualifier. He seemed to anticipate my shots well, so I always had to hit another ball to finish the point. But I never thought about who I was playing. I just tried to not get distracted by the atmosphere.”
With the other matches suspended as much as 45 minutes earlier, the former Baylor all-American lost the final three games in gathering darkness and fell to 30th-ranked Fernando Verdasco of Spain, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 4-6, 6-3, 9-7, Wednesday in the second round at Wimbledon.
Becker had taken a 7-6 lead in the final set with a four-ace game before Verdasco held serve, then produced the only break of the set when Becker double-faulted twice and lost a pair of close line calls. Serving at 8-7, Verdasco held to wrap up their four-hour marathon at 9:35 p.m. London time. Final sets at Wimbledon are played out rather than decided by tiebreakers.
It was a stunning end to a match that saw Verdasco, a rangy left-hander from Madrid, in control for most of the first two sets before Becker took command with his dominating serve.
Becker, ranked 161st in the world, didn’t make a dent in Verdasco’s serve for the first 19 games of the match, pushing him to deuce only once. But with Verdasco serving at 5-4 for a two-set lead, Becker finally got that first break, then saved two set points in the tiebreaker to win, 9-7, and square the match.
A more confident Becker rode that momentum through the third set, dropping only two points on serve and winning 18 straight to close out the frame and take a 2-1 lead. He also won eight of his first nine service points to open the fourth set, but Verdasco broke him at 2-3 and served a pair of love games to force the decisive fifth set.
Verdasco will face fourth seed David Nalbandian of Argentina, a comfortable 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 winner over France’s Arnaud Clement, Friday in the third round.
Becker earned about $30,000 and 50 ATP points, enough to move him up to about No. 145 in the next rankings on July 10.
Becker reached the second round with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 48 Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina on Tuesday — his first against a Top 100 player.
“It was kind of a blur at first, especially in the first two sets,” Becker said of his Wimbledon debut in an e-mail from London. “I was looking around a lot and hearing people cheer on big courts next to me and reading the Wimbledon signs. I had a tought time relaxing. But I kept telling myself that this was just another tennis match, and in the middle of the third set I started feeling really loose and started playing a lot better.”
Becker said he was “surprisingly calm” when he served a love game to clinch the victory.
“It was a great relief,” he said. “Chela obviously is a clay-courter, but even on grass he made me play a lot more balls than the guys in the qualifier. He seemed to anticipate my shots well, so I always had to hit another ball to finish the point. But I never thought about who I was playing. I just tried to not get distracted by the atmosphere.”
