Cilic squares off against Haas on Friday
Marin Cilic meets Tommy Haas in the third round of the Wimbledon Championships on Friday. The two are joined by fellow seeds Tommy Robredo and Igor Andreev.
(11) Marin Cilic vs. (24) Tommy Haas
Eleventh seed Marin Cilic is set for a first-time clash with 24th seed Tommy Haas in the third round Friday evening. Both players look to make their second appearance in the round of 16, having successfully passed through the first two rounds of competition. The 20-year-old Croat survived a marathon second-round battle with Sam Querrey, clawing his way back from a set and a break deficit to prevail in five sets over the American, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4. The 31-year-old German, a winner in Halle nine days ago, advanced to the third round of the Championships after Michael Llodra retired midway through the opening set of their second-round match.
(15) Tommy Robredo vs. Dudi Sela
Tommy Robredo trails Dudi Sela 0-2 in the head-to-head series, falling to his third-round opponent twice in 2008. The two players last met at the tournament in Beijing, Sela snagging a straight-sets 6-4, 6-1 win in the quarterfinals. Friday evening’s match marks the first time the players do battle on a grass-court.
The 15th-seeded Spaniard nearly crashed out of the tournament in the second round, needing to rally from two sets down to knock out veteran Austrian Stefan Koubek. Robredo fought for three hours and 29 minutes before notching a win in five sets, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-1. With a win on Friday, the 27-year-old makes his way to the round of 16 for the first time since his Championships debut in 2001.
The 46th-ranked Sela posted a solid win in the second round, besting 18th seed and 2008 semifinalist Rainer Schuettler in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2.
(29) Igor Andreev vs. Andreas Seppi
Igor Andreev takes to the court for the third round of play late Friday, looking for career win No. 6 over Andreas Seppi. The Russian holds a commanding 5-1 advantage in the head-to-head series over the Italian, winning their last encounter at the 2009 tournament in Barcelona. The duo have never played on grass prior to their third-round meeting.
The 25-year-old cruised to a second-round victory over 34-year-old veteran Vincent Spadea in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2. Andreev aims to advance to the round of 16 for the first time in five attempts.
Seppi, who upset 17th James Blake in the opening round, barely made it through his second round match against Marc Gicquel on Wednesday. The Italian surrendered a two-sets-to-love lead before hanging on to secure the win in five sets, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7, 5-7, 6-4.
