Israeli Doubles Team Makes Quarters

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Israel’s Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich are into the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles tennis event at the London Olympics, after stunning the sixth-seeded pairing of Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka in three sets.
The Israeli duo – known locally as AndYoni – were brushed aside in a poor first set, when the Swiss pair raced to a 4-0 lead on the back of two consecutive breaks of service. Despite winning their first game of the match to make it 4-1, the Israelis were then broken for a third time in the seventh game of the set, giving the favored Swiss players a comfortable 6-1 win.
In a tense second set, there were no breaks of serve at all and, after 40 nervous minutes, the players went into a tie-break – which AndYoni won 7-5.
Buoyed by their performance in the second set, the Israelis began confidently and when they broke serve in the fourth game, it became clear that a shock was on the cards. In the end, that was all AndYoni needed and they served out the set for one of their greatest victories.
For more go to Haaretz.com
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
