Week 33 - WTA Premier 5 ($2.8M) - Cincinnati, USA Hard

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Week 33 - WTA Premier 5 ($2.8M) - Cincinnati, USA Hard

indiana · Tennis legend

Sabalenka seemed in good form in Montreal before she presumably ran out of steam in her double 3 set shift ( following up beating Wozniacki by losing to Mertens ) on the same day as Jo concluded her win vs Azarenka and then lost to Svitolina.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

I was going to say 'tough draw', but then again, drawing #39 in a P5 is pretty fair on paper.

I know most players will be able to point to big wins in their career and this will sound cliche, but Sabalenka really is one of those players who could beat absolutely anyone on their day with that power game. I see scary potential there and her rise and development these past 8 months has been exceptional - 3 finals in the past 10 months on 3 different surfaces, well established in the top 50 and just turned 20. Always going to be a fair share of UE's with that style, but she seems more controlled and less erratic now and to get 64 winners the other day against someone like Wozniacki is pretty amazing. Huge future and great to watch.

Not sure how the bookies will see this, but I'd personally make Aryna the favourite here. It's Ka Pliskova or Radwanska in R2 if Jo can come through this one.

-- Edited by Ace Ventura on Friday 10th of August 2018 11:26:54 PM

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

I suppose technically I should have said A Radwanska to differentiate her from her younger sister who was losing in R1 of Chiswick this week to someone ranked 848.

AliBlahBlah · All-time great

Zhang is not here this week, so Jo has a new scratch partner.
R16: Johanna KONTA/Jelena OSTAPENKO (GBR/LAT) 170 (129 + 41) v. Raquel ATAWO/Anna-Lena GROENEFELD (USA/GER) 59 (35 + 24)

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Interesting partnership...

AliBlahBlah · All-time great

Ace Ventura wrote:
Interesting partnership...

Wa exactly my original commentary, but then I could hear Indiana scolding me

indiana · Tennis legend

Why ?

If you mean because I have more time for Ostapenko than some do that's partly because she is "interesting".

-- Edited by indiana on Sunday 12th of August 2018 11:36:42 PM

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Jo is 4th on Court 3 tomorrow, following 3 men's matches. Play starts at 4pm, so we're probably looking at around 10pm.

Peter too · Tennis legend

R1: KONTA, Johanna (GBR) 39 v SABALENKA, Aryna (BLR) 34

Rankings updated to 13/8/18

Peter too · Tennis legend

Jo's match is about to start.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Underway now. Jo recovered from 15-40* when BT Sport come on air to A-40*, but it's now advantage Sabalenka.

Weird this. Don't think I've ever wanted Sabalenka to lose and on the fence here.

*0-1

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Konta now saves a couple of BPs (not successive) and now has game point *1-2 A-40.

2-2*. Good hold. 3 aces in the game and saves 2 BPs.

-- Edited by Ace Ventura on Monday 13th of August 2018 10:11:34 PM

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Fist break to Jo (to 15), *4-3.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

4-4*. Konta had 40-15 but Sabalenka replied with 4 straight points. Really close match so far.