Brian Baker Advances to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England – Another chapter was written in the remarkable story of Belmont men's tennis assistant coach Brian Baker as he won his third round match at Wimbledon on Saturday to advance to the round of 16 at Wimbledon. He beat Benoit Paire of France in four sets: 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, and 6-3.
After both players split the first two sets, Baker took control of the match. He broke Paire three times in the third set and held off a small Paire rally in the fourth to clinch the victory. At one point during the third and fourth sets, Baker won nine straight games from the frustrated Frenchman. For the match, he hit 35 winners and only had 20 unforced errors.
The victory puts the Nashville native in round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. Brian will face Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in a round of 16 match on Monday. Kohlschreiber, seeded #27, beat Lukas Rosol in straight sets on Saturday. Rosol knocked out Rafael Nadal in the second round on Thursday.
The win also vaults Baker to a ranking of #78 in the world. When the year started, Baker was ranked 458th in the world rankings.
For updated news, scores, and videos from this year's Wimbledon, go to www.wimbledon.com
** Brian's match on Monday was postponed due to rain. His match has been rescheduled for 5:30am CT on Tuesday on Court 12. You can watch the match on ESPN3.com or ESPN2. **
