29 Jun 2013

Soggy day at Wimbledon restores normal order

10:46 am on 29 June 2013

The rain arrived on day five at Wimbledon, sparking a sit-down protest over the conditions from angry Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov.

He slipped and fell while serving at a crucial stage in the fifth set against Slovenia's Grega Zemlja, before stomping off to the sidelines. Dimitrov went on to lose.

Andy Murray sent expectations of a first Wimbledon title soaring through the Centre Court roof as the Scottish world number two edged Tommy Robredo in straight sets to reach the last 16 without a blemish - but three giant-slayers fell to earth after bitter reality checks.

Austrian Jurgen Melzer beat Roger Federer's conqueror Sergiy Stakhovsky, the 116th-ranked Ukrainian unable to repeat his second-round feat, while the 131st-ranked Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal, who sent former champion Maria Sharapova packing on the same day as Stakhovsky's exploits, went down 7-5 6-2 to Italy's 104th-ranked Karin Knapp.

Dreadlocked Jamaican-born qualifier Dustin Brown of Germany, who dazzled in a second-round win over former champion Lleyton Hewitt, also came to earth with a thud in a dismal defeat by Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.

Still, all three will each pocket more than $100,000 for their cameo performances and the memories will be priceless.

Meanwhile four-time Auckland champion David Ferrer's also through, the diminutive fourth seed back on schedule after wearing down fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut. Ferrer will be back in third round action against Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov on Sunday.

New Zealand number one Marina Erakovic will play her third round match against Britain's Laura Robson on Court Two on Sunday, rather than the prestigious Centre Court.

Speculation was rife that the All England Club organisers would put the teenage local hope on the main stage against Erakovic, whose second round doubles match was postponed because of rain.