Wimbledon 2012 Update: McHale and Baker Lead American Charge in England
Christina McHale of the United States has advanced to the third round at a fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament, after her 7-5, 7-5 second-round victory over Mathilde Johansson of France on Thursday. The 28th-seeded McHale, a 20-year-old from Englewood Cliffs, N.J., will next face the eighth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany.
”It was weird: The first and second sets went exactly the same. I am still not finding my best tennis consistently over the two matches I have played,” McHale said. ”I was just staying in there, taking advantage when she does make some unforced errors and then just staying with it when she is playing really well. I still feel I can be a lot more offensive.”
Ranked 126th in the world, American Brian Baker scored an upset at the All England Lawn Tennis Club on Thursday, after a 6-0, 6-2, 6-4 victory over 44th-ranked Jarkko Nieminen of Finland. Baker had reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in February 2008, and his advancing to the next round at Wimbledon is his best showing to date at a Grand Slam. After missing majors for six-and-a-half years due to a series of operations, Baker returned to Grand Slam action last month by earning a wild card entry into the French Open.
Baker advances to face France’s Benoit Paire, a 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 upset winner over the number 22 seed, Alexandr Dolgopolov of the Ukraine.
