大姐頭的地盤

Troicki towel      © AELTC/ S.Wake


In a rain-interrupted Day 4, an army of seeded men successfully navigated sunny periods to march through to the third round at Wimbledon 2011.

navigate: 航行，操縱

But not all of them. No.13 Viktor Troicki became the highest seed to fall at this year's Championships when he lost to Yen-Hsun Lu in straight sets on Court 18. Lu famously dumped Andy Roddick out of last year's event on his way to reaching the quarter-finals, and again had no trouble tackling a higher-ranked opponent, moving into the last 32 in just over two hours. 

tackle: 阻饒，攔截

The outcome of the tight first set had to be determined by a tiebreak, which was equally tight until the Chinese Taipei player took it 7-5. Troicki was hurt by a low first serve percentage while Lu managed to land 75% of his own, and Lu was also a perfect 10-from-10 points when he approached the net.

determine: 決定
approach: 接近

Lu required just one break in each of the next two sets to get the job done, and the 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4 victory means he will next play 19th seed Michael Llodra of France.



Llodra, a throwback to the serve-and-volleying competitors of old, required four sets to subdue Brazilian Ricardo Mello. After claiming the first in less than half an hour, the French lefty came unstuck in the second set when the net game he relies on deserted him. He won only six of 17 points when he approached the net, and soon the match was tied up at a set apiece.

throwback: 返回，倒退 (這裡指Llodra這個老將重回球場)
subdue:征服，鎮壓 
unstuck: 失靈的

The Parisian recovered in style to run out a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 winner, finishing the match with exemplary statistics - 68 winners to just 17 errors and 23 aces to one double fault. Having never progressed beyond the second round at the All England Club until now, Llodra can come out swinging free of pressure in his next match against an opponent defending lots of ranking points.

exemplary: 示範的，懲罰性的
 
Meanwhile, 2002 Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian was quietly going about his business on Court 12, making a comeback after double surgery to repair a hernia in his left groin and a torn lower left leg muscle.

hernia: 疝氣 >///<
groin: 鼠蹊部
 
Despite only playing one tournament in the three months prior to Wimbledon - at Queen's Club where he progressed to the third round - the Argentinian's solid grasscourt form continued with a four-set win over Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer, sending him through to the third round for the sixth time in his career.

He began solidly, going up an early break in the first set and having chances of a double break and although he failed to convert, his crisp returns and laser-like backhands were still too much for Haider-Maurer to handle.

Nalbandian began the second with a service hold capped by a stylish backhand smash winner. But it was not enough to stop Haider-Maurer, ranked 78, winning four straight games from 2-3 down to level the match at one set all.

Nalbandian's experience shone through from this point, and the 29-year-old won the next two sets in identical fashion - 6-4 and each lasting 44 minutes - to cement an impressive victory. His next opponent is likely to be six-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer.

identical: 一致的，一樣的