TENNIS Live

Rome Masters - Quarter final - Men

Nationality Player Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5
SwitzerlandS Wawrinka676--
United StatesJ Blake761--

James Blake

Nationality USA
Date of Birth 28/12/1979
Height 1.85 m
Weight 79 kg
ATP Ranking 8
Player Info Right-handed

Stanislas Wawrinka

Nationality SUI
Date of Birth 28/03/1985
Height 1.83 m
Weight 78 kg
ATP Ranking 10
Player Info Right-handed
 

Live Comments

  1. 6-1 - Wawrinka earns MATCH POINT on the American's serve and confirms the 6-7 (5) 7-6 (5) 6-1 victory over American James Blake to reach his first-career Masters Series semi-final and break into the top-20 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his life. Thanks for following our coverage and up next Roger Federer v Radek Stepanek.

  2. 5-1 - Wawrinka rushes through a hold to 15, and James Blake will have to win four straight games to stay in this match.

  3. 4-1 - There it is! A perfect angle on the forehand side from the Swiss allows Wawrinka to go up a DOUBLE BREAK. He will have this match all but sewn up with a hold of serve now.

  4. 3-1 - Stan rushes through his own service hold to stretch the lead.

  5. 2-1 - Blake dives into the dirt elbows first in the efforts of reaching an impossible backhand in the far corner of the stadium, and he dusts himself off to the applause of the crowd. The American ultimately gets on the scoreboard in this final set with a hold of serve.

  6. 2-0 - Wawrinka, now in a lime-green neon top after changing shirts, fires in the service winner wide to close out a comfortable hold to 15 and looks incredibly energized.

  7. 1-0 - Wawrinka very much on the ascension earns himself a BREAK POINT, and then collects as James Blake dumps the serve-and-volley effort into the top of the net.

  8. 7-6 - (7-5) Wawrinka earns a TRIPLE SET POINT of his own, and this time it's Blake who saves the first two on serve before Wawrinka confirms the tie-break 7-5 with a gorgeous backhand winner up the line to send us to a third set.

  9. 6-6 - Wawrinka comes back from a deficit to hold to 30 and send us to a second tie-break..... You have to give the American the edge in this based on the last one, and based on how Wawrinka's back might be holding up.

  10. ----- - An injury time-out for Wawrinka, who is having some work done on his back now.

  11. 6-5 - Wawrinka again puts the pressure on the American, who will again serve to stay in the set.

  12. 5-5 - James Blake confirms the level score with a LOVE-Service game, and we look set for another tie-break....

  13. 5-4 - Blake saves yet another SET POINT and then goes onto earn himself a BREAK BACK POINT.... And he takes his chance thanks to some sterling defence, despite a lucky net cord from Wawrinka that sends the ball diving, firing the running forehand down the line to break back after a brilliant rally. Back on serve in this second set.

  14. 40-40 - And Wawrinka fails on a third SET POINT, sending the approach shot well long!

  15. 40-40 - And another beautiful return-of-serve winner helps Blake to save another SET POINT.

  16. 40-40 - James Blake saves a SET POINT with a stunning forehand winner down the line. DEUCE.

  17. 5-3 - And Blake slams the ball to the ground in disgust after gifting away the break of serve. Wawrinka will serve for the second set.

  18. 4-3 - Still on serve.......

  19. 3-3 - Another hold for Blake as we remain on serve in another extremely tight set.

  20. 3-2 - Wawrinka gets back on the board with his own easy service hold.

  21. 2-2 - A service winner and a comfortable hold to 15 for James Blake to confirm the break back.

  22. 2-1 - But Blake breaks straight back with some stunning returns of some meek second serves!

  23. 2-0 - And Stan the Man strikes first in this second set, taking an early break of serve!

  24. 1-0 - Wawrinka, still very much in this match, opens up with a comfortable hold of serve.

  25. 6-7 - (5-7) Blake earns himself a TRIPLE SET POINT by coming back from 3-1 down in this breaker. Wawrinka saves the first two on his own serve, but Blake confirms on the third despite some lovely defence from the Swiss.

  26. 6-6 - And despite turning his ankle, Stanislas Wawrinka saves a SET POINT before holding to send this first set into a tie-break.

  27. 5-6 - Blake holds to 15 as Wawrinka hits the error despite a short approach from the American. The Swisss will again serve to stay in this opening set.

  28. 5-5 - Wawrinka steadies himself with a LOVE-Service game.

  29. 4-5 - Blake holds to LOVE and is looking very comfortable after taking his third straight game.

  30. 4-4 - And Wawrinka gifts away the break back to 15 with a string of unforced errors!

  31. 4-3 - Blake comes back with his own hold of serve.

  32. 4-2 - Wawrinka remains on track with a hold to 30.

  33. 3-2 - Blake responds with a LOVE-Service game.

  34. 3-1 - Wawrinka now saves his own BREAK POINT with a great service winner before holding with a great cross-court forehand winner to extend his advantage to 3-1.

  35. 2-1 - Wawrinka breaks early and now has an early advantage.

  36. 1-1 - Stan has a much easier time on his opener, easing through a LOVE-Service game.

  37. 0-1 - Blake is forced to battle through a very tricky opening service game, but the 28-year-old American ultimately holds to DEUCE.

  38. ----- - Wawrinka won the only previous meeting between these two men 6-7 (9) 5-7 6-1 6-3 6-4 in a stunning collapse by the American three years ago in the second round of Roland Garros. Fortunately for Blake there's not chance today's match will go to five sets.....

  39. ----- - The day's first final is between the American number two and the Swiss number two as James Blake meets Stan "The Man" Wawrinka.

ATP Race 2008

Points
1 Rafael Nadal 955 stay
2 Roger Federer 685 stay
3 Novak Djokovic 649 stay
4 Nikolay Davydenko 371 stay
5 David Ferrer 306 stay
6 Andy Roddick 240 stay
7 Nicolas Almagro 238 stay
8 Stanislas Wawrinka 236 stay
9 Andrew Murray 235 down
10 James Blake 231 stay

Full Table »