http://championships.wimbledon.org/
Escude Survives Early Scare

Barry Newcombe

Tuesday, June 25, 2002

Nicolas Escude, the 16th seeded French player, survived
a demanding first round test against the youngest player
in the Wimbledon field, 18-year-old British wild card
Alex Bogdanovic, before progressing to the second round
by 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Bogdanovic, 18 years and one month old, has had an
exciting month because he was wild carded into the
tournament at Queen's Club before Wimbledon. Four months
earlier, he had won his first senior title at a Futures
event in Nottingham.

Bogdanovic kept the momentum of his year going by winning
the first set but Escude let the pressure ride and came
back convincingly to win the next three sets for victory.

Escude has been suffering from an abdominal muscle strain
recently. He had two outstanding victories over Lleyton
Hewitt, the top seed at Wimbledon, in 2001. He beat Hewitt
in the fourth round at The Championships乸nd at the end of
the year beat him in the Davis Cup final between France
and Australia on an indoor grass court in Melbourne.