If anyone tipped Alexander Popp to be alive after three rounds of play at Wimbledon, I certainly didn't hear about it. The 23-year-old German giant (6'7") had played a grand total of eight matches on the main ATP tour before this tournament, winning only 2, and appeared destined to spend his career on the fringe of the sport. But he has been impressive in England, grinding out a five-set win over noted marathon man Michael Chang before sweeping aside French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten in straight sets .

Popp, who hails from Sandhausen, Germany and is ranked 114 in the world, serves as a reminder of the advantage that big men can have on the serve-friendly grass courts. We need only recall the surprising success of 6'8" Belgian Dick Norman in 1996, who upset Stefan Edberg in the match that convinced Edberg it was time to think about retirement, and went on to reach the round of 16. Norman then proceeded to lose just about every match he played after that ? although he is currently attempting a comeback in lowly Futures tourneys ? but he and Popp show that it is not surprising to see tall players make periodic waves at the "Big W".

One peculiarity about the man the German newspapers are calling "Super-Poppi" is that he possesses dual German and British citizenship. His father Rainer studied at the University of Leeds, where he met and fell for a local girl named Jennifer. They were married, and decided to make Germany their home. British reporters of course seized on this, and wondered whether Alexander might be lured to play for the Union Jack alongside Greg Rusedski and company. What started as a joke at the beginning of the week became more serious as he collected his impressive wins, and now Popp talks as though, even though he considers himself German first and foremost, he would not rule out playing for his mother's homeland. But not until he feels he deserves the honour. "I want to really prove that I'm good enough to play and beat the great guys," says the racquet-wielding giant, "before I go into playing for a country."

Is Popp a one-tournament wonder or late-blooming star on the rise? We don't know what Alexander's future holds, but we wish him a more successful follow-up to his Wimbledon breakthrough than Dick Norman's!

Another surpising player at Wimbledon ? considerable more well-known than Popp but still a surprise ? has been the pride of the Canary Islands, left-hander Magui Serna. The talented 21-year-old eliminated the French Open champion and third seed Mary Pierce in the second round, 7-6, 7-6, in what was probably the best-played women's match of the first week, and like Popp, is a surprising second-week factor.

We should have perhaps seen this coming. Pierce has never been past the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, and was perhaps due for a letdown after an impressive Roland Garros showing. Meanwhile, Serna has beaten the Frenchwoman before in a Grand Slam tournament (the 1998 French Open). But what's a Spaniard doing pulling off an upset like this on grass?

It should be pointed out that Serna is not your stereotypical defensive-minded Spanish player. In fact, she says her favourite surface is grass: a rare admission from an Iberian! Magui has a potent lefty serve ? always a great weapon on grass ? and does not hesitate to conclude points at the net. Her versatility stems from the fact that she grew up playing on hard courts in her native Canary Islands, before being schooled in the clay court game after moving to the European mainland to develop her talent . Serna uses a vast array of spins, as well as flatter, attacking strokes, and now has the tools to be a threat on all surfaces.

However, her potential has never really been realized, at least not yet. In fact, Magui's big week at Wimbledon was surprising primarily because her career appeared to be sliding backwards since the beginning of 1999. 1998 had been a breakthrough year for her, with fourth round appearances at the French Open and Wimbledon, as well as wins over the likes of Jana Novotna and Steffi Graf. The then 19-year-old seemed destined for big things, and cracked the top 20 at the end of the year. However, she see med to let her fitness and dedication slide a bit in 1999, compiling a disappointing 20-28 won-loss record and slipping out of the top 50. By the end of last year she was once again forced to enter the qualifying rounds of tournaments.

Despite her impressive wins in the past, the shy, smiling Spaniard has only reached one semifinal in her career. Could it happen again at this year's Wimbledon? It's possible, since the rash of upsets have left no seeded players in her quarter of the draw. Serna, already a celebrity in her native Canaries, would become much better known around the world should that happen.