Peer’s Wimbledon woe
MIDDLESEX SUNDAY CRICKET LEAGUE DIVISION ONE LMV 1st 2154 (33 overs) Adam Brand 102, Laurence Bensusan 64 not out North London Muslims 82-8 Saul Weitzman 5-34 LMV won by 133 runs Friendly Downsiders 2196 Mikey Tilles 77, Jason Benson 65 Wimbledon 220-3 (37.4 overs) Downsiders lost by three wickets BECC 1st XI 132-9 Michael Blasebalk 30 Rajpal Sampat 133-8 Jonny Evans 3-29 BECC lost by 2 wickets Cockfosters Under-11 114-6 LMV under-11 66-7 LMV lost by 48 runs
Shahar Peer was in reflective mood following her firstround defeat at the hands of Germany’s Julia Goerges.
The Israeli was beaten in convincing fashion, going down 6-2, 6-2 in a rainaffected match.
Peer said: “Truthfully, I am not really excited about this surface. It’s the worst surface for me. I know a lot of others agree.
“Even the preparation is difficult. There are no grass courts in Israel, nowhere to practise. We play two tournaments on grass the whole year.
“I missed small chances. I need to improve the way I move on this surface. I need to practice how to stay in the point and be more aggressive. You cannot play the same game as other surfaces, so it’s tough.”
There was better news for double specialists Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich who came through a five-set marathon against Trent Huey and Dominic Inglot. They saved three match points before winning the final set 9-7.
Like Peer, they have been selected for the Israel Olympic squad.
Ram said: “It will be our third Olympics. The Olympics in London will be a nice adventure, especially with all the Jewish community support. It’s a big one. We know it and we feel it.”
Jesse Levine continued his impressive run with a first-round victory over Slovakian Karol Beck.
The American, ranked 106 in the world, came through the qualifying rounds before beating Beck (94) in four sets. Born in Canada, Levine now lives in Florida and is proud of his Jewish roots.
He said: “I have very close ties to my Jewish background and wear a mezuzah round my neck all the time.
“I keep kosher at home and can read and write Hebrew no problem. I have cousins in the Israeli army and a friend in Mossad who can't even tell me where he is.”
Dudi Sela missed out on a secondround clash against Andy Murray as he was well beaten by Ivo Karlovic.
Wayne Odesnik was another firstround casualty. He succumbed to Bjorn Phau of Germany, 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4.