Former Husky Kendrick Takes Center Stage At WimbledonFormer Washington All-American tennis player Robert Kendrick was on the grandest stage in tennis today, as he faced third-seeded Scotsman Andy Murray on Centre Court at Wimbledon in the first round. The match was televised live this afternoon on ESPN2. Murray, the current favorite son of the British sports public, was pressured throughout by Kendrick, who played at UW from 1998-99. Murray pulled out the first set, 7-5, then the second headed into a tiebreak. From 3-3, Kendrick won four straight points to take the tiebreak and level the match, with his booming serves and forehand working well on the grass. The third-seed stepped up in the next two sets, earning a break of serve in each set. In both instances, Kendrick had break chances late to get back on serve, but Murray held on for a 7-5, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 win. Kendrick, currently ranked 76th in the world at 29 yearsold, was making the fourth Wimbledon main draw appearance of his career. Today's match recalled Kendrick's 2006 appearance, when he took the first two sets off of then-No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the second round before Nadal fought back to win in five drama-filled sets. Nadal went on to make his first final that year. In other Husky tennis news, several Dawgs competed in the Seattle City Open this past week at the Amy Yee . In the men's draw, junior Derek Drabble reached the final before losing to top-seeded Angelo Niculescu, 7-6, 6-2. Skyler Tateishi, having just finished his sophomore year, also was beaten by Niculescu in the quarterfinals. In doubles, Drabble and Tateishi beat the second and third seeds to reach the final, but were denied by Niculescu and Ryan Pang, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. On the women's side, sophomore Ashley Anderson reached the final as the top seed, but fell 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 to Angela Chen. Former Husky Katherine Costain (1996-97) also made the quarterfinals. The women's doubles title was won easily by two more Husky alums. Three-time All-American Dea Sumantri (2002-05) and Peggy Wu (1997-00) lost just two games in taking the title. Though their careers never overlapped, Sumantri ranks third on UW's career doubles wins list with 83 and Wu is fourth with 74. IMPORTANT LINKSMOST RECENT POSTS
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Former Husky Kendrick Takes Center Stage At Wimbledon - Washington Huskies
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