Manic Monday Preview: Everything You Need to Know

Manic Monday is upon us! All of the round of 16 matches in both the men and women’s draw are scheduled for today, something that doesn’t happen at any other Slam. As unique as this day is, it didn’t get the “Manic” title without reason. Things are going to get crazy at one point or another…unless it rains. Hopefully that doesn’t happen.

I’ll be liveblogging Manic Monday (hopefully I live to tell the tale). You can go there by clicking here.

Let’s look at what’s in store for us:

Centre Court – 1:00 PM Start

H2H: 2-0, Serena. Lisicki has won all of 4 games in two matches (she retired in the first set of their inaugural encounter).

H2H on grass: 0-0.

How excited am I for this match? Not very. Lisicki has that weird stat going for her that she’s beaten the current French Open champion at Wimbledon 3 times or something, but I don’t think she will keep it together (both with her strokes as well as with her mind) long enough to stay with Serena. Also, the backhand mismatch is simply violent. There will be blood.

H2H: 2-0, Murray. They haven’t played each other since 2009.

H2H on grass: 0-0.

How excited am I for this match? A little bit. Dr. Youzhny can definitely play on grass, and he’s performed well on Centre Court in the past. There should be some fun points/games/sets in there, but at this point in both men’s careers, Murray is too much of an overwhelming favorite. This is also when Centre Court ticket holders who are not British leave Centre Court to see something more interesting elsewhere.

H2H: 5-3, Djokovic.

H2H on grass: 2-0, Haas. Both matches were played in the same year, strangely enough: 2009. First it was the Halle final (Haas won in 3 sets), and then it was the Wimbledon quarterfinals (Haas won in 4 sets).

How excited am I for this match? Extremely. This is Manic Monday’s main course. This is Prime Time. If Haas manages to find the calm that eluded him in Paris but flowed freely through him in Miami, this could be a classic, as well as an upset.

 Court 1 – 1:00 PM Start

H2H: 0-0.

H2H on grass: 0-0.

How excited am I for this match? Um…not much, actually. Kanepi is the kind of player Robson has a history of taking down: it’s the consistent types who give Laura fits. Also, Kanepi’s file on performing on the big stage is not very flattering. Should she have a lead in this match, don’t take it seriously until you hear the words “Game, Set, Match, Kanepi.” And then, check to see if you took the wrong meds today.

H2H: 3-0 for the Tower of Tandil, who’s yet to lose a set to Seppi.

H2H on grass: 1-0, Del Po.

How excited am I for this match? Not at all. The only question here is if Del Po has recovered from his nasty tumble from the previous round. However, if Juan  Martín’s knee is OK, he’ll simply roll through. Or, he could be Jaun and get dragged into a Seppi-Unnecessary-Five-Setter-Extravaganza.

H2H: 0-0.

H2H on grass: 0-0.

How excited am I for this match? Very! Simply put, it’s a rising star versus an established Top-10 player who’s made the final at Wimbledon. We might end with a ton of tiebreakers here: Bernie can’t return serve to save his life, and while Berdych is a more accomplished returner, Tomic has found ways to be very effective with his weird serve.

Court 2 – 11:30 AM Start

H2H: 1-0, Ferrer.

H2H on grass: 0-0.

How excited am I for this match? Not at all. This should be a first round match at an ATP 500 somewhere. Also…this is so going 5.

H2H: 7-2, Radwanska.

H2H on grass: 2-1, Radwanska. Both of Aga’s wins were at Wimbledon (2006 and 2007). Pironkova beat the ex-Ninja at Eastbourne last year.

How excited am I for this match? Extremely, actually. Both ladies love the grass, and the clash of styles will make for a very fun match. Sadly, this is destined to be a casualty of Manic Monday, in the sense that it might get overshadowed by other crazy stuff happening elsewhere.

Court 3 – 11:30 AM Start

H2H: 4-1, Kvitova. I see Suárez Navarro beat Kvitova 3 and 2 in Beijing last year and my mind froze.

H2H on grass: 0-0

How excited am I for this match? Not at all. Suárez Navarro should be commended for her progress on grass (she made the ‘s-Hertogenbosch semifinal a little over a week ago), and Kvitova is a giant question mark, even though she won the whole thing not that long ago. This has “unnecessary three setter” written all over it.

H2H: 3-0, Li Na.

H2H on grass: 0-0

How excited am I for this match? Not a whole lot, really. This could be either a lot of fun, or a complete trainwreck. My money is on the latter. This match also has “unnecessary three setter” written all over it.

H2H: 0-0.

H2H on grass: 0-0.

How excited am I for this match? I CAN’T WAIT. Just kidding, LOL.

Court 12 – 11:30 AM Start

H2H: 0-0.

H2H on grass: 0-0

How excited am I for this match? Extremely – but you knew that already! Janowicz has a golden opportunity to make his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, but Melzer is playing well, and he’s found ways in the past to drive big servers crazy. Great clash of styles, too. Still, this is one of those “could be a trainwreck, could be loads of fun” matches. The entertainment value goes up if there’s no Hawk-Eye on Court 12 (How Many Times).

H2H: 1-0, Bartoli.

H2H on grass: 0-0

How excited am I for this match? I honestly had no idea this match was part of Manic Monday. I can tell you this, Marion Bartoli: Pierce Brosnan is not slumming it out to Court 12. So…you’re on your own.

Court 18 – 11:30 AM Start

H2H: 1-1. Both meetings have been at the French Open…but 7 years apart. That is rather bizarre.

H2H on grass: 0-0

How excited am I for this match? I’d be intrigued if so much other stuff weren’t happening on the same day. Also, this is another sad casualty of Manic Monday. The Flipper on grass should be fun against a veteran trying to get back into the mix (Pennetta is currently ranked No. 166). Bold prediction: someone will have a big lead in this match…and that someone will lose said big lead.

H2H: 0-0.

H2H on grass: 0-0

How excited am I for this match? I’m not excited…I’m OUTRAGED that this match has been sent out to Court 18. This could be the beginning of an epic rivalry, and it’s been relegated to the Wimbledon suburbs. I’m judging you very hard, Wimbledon. How could you mess this up? Regardless, you better believe I’ll be paying close attention to this match.

Court 14 – 11:30 AM Start

H2H: 0-0.

H2H on grass: 0-0

How excited am I for this match? Let’s just be happy for these two, who probably had given up on any chance of making the second week of Wimbledon.

And then, let’s forget this match was a part of the second week at Wimbledon.