Week 25 - WTA Tier 2 - Eastbourne (Main Draw)

Sally · Grand Slam Champion

RE: Week 25 - WTA Tier 2 - Eastbourne (Main Draw)

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Immediately down 0-40. Saves 2bps but can't manage to save the third. 3-4*

Messy match so far. SS serving under 50% and 3 dfs. Neither player really doing enough damage against 2nd serve given the number of dfs they've been gifted.

-- Edited by kundalini at 13:38, 2008-06-16

Sally · Grand Slam Champion

3-5

Sally · Grand Slam Champion

4-5

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Well Katie faced 18 2nd serves in that set. 3 were dfs and she only managed to win 5 of the remaining 15; which isn't very good. SS served at 42% yet took the set 6-4 with 2 breaks to one.

Best hope is that SS throws in a few more dfs in the second set.

Start of the 2nd set. KTOB has game points (at least 2), then faces bp and concedes her serve. 0-1*

SS starts with df no 4. Gets to 30-15 then df no 5. 30-40. Saved. df no 6 brings bp. Saved. Scoreboard all over the place. Seems to suggest another bp chance missed. And another!

A few game points come and go. df no 7 brings about 40-40. SS holds despite 4 dfs in the game and serving under 50%.

KTOB 15-40 down. Broken 0-3.

-- Edited by kundalini at 14:06, 2008-06-16

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Abysmal serving from both players yet SS is managing to hold and KTOB is getting broken, not that surprising given she's managed 33% of first serves in play this set.

KTOB holds for 1-4. (30% of 1st serves in play)

Hope Katie can find some confidence before Wimbledon because this has been a horror show.

SS holds to love for 1-5.

KTOB saves mp. And an ace gets her to 2-5.

df no 8 brings 0-30. 15-30. 15-40 2nd serve and KTOB breaks for 3-5.

KTOB dfs for 0-30 then recovers to 30-30. bp. lost

4-6 3-6.

Expected result in a match of poor serving. Stosur didn't manage to serve above 45% in either set.

-- Edited by kundalini at 14:29, 2008-06-16

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Poor match from Katie and the serving looked to be terrible and as result it's no surprise she lost the match.

When you're opponent serves at 45% you HAVE TO punish them for it, but it didn't look like she did and wasn't helped by her inability to serve again.

She's going to need an easy draw at Wimbledon to defend the points as she's not looking in great form going into it, and will have to serve so much better than today

Mervatron · Masters Series Champion

shame for Katie, thought she had a chance here.

Hopefully she has a shot at defending her wimbledon points otherwise she'll be out of the top 150. But with little to nothing to defend untill october she can climb back up.

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

Thanks for the scores Sally and Kundalini, shame about the news you had to bring.

Peter too · Tennis legend

R1: SOUTH, Melanie (GBR) 154 v KLEYBANOVA, Alisa (RUS) Q 47

This looks a very tough draw for Mel. Alisa is only 18 and is already in the top 50. She was number 3 in the junior rankings at the age of 14.

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Peter too wrote:

R1: SOUTH, Melanie (GBR) 154 v KLEYBANOVA, Alisa (RUS) Q 47

This looks a very tough draw for Mel. Alisa is only 18 and is already in the top 50. She was number 3 in the junior rankings at the age of 14.

Mel will do well to get more than 6 games.

Happycynic · Pro player

To be happily precise

SOUTH, Melanie (GBR) 139

Mel is at her career high after last week

Hope she continues the rocketing form.

DavidC · Tennis legend

Tomorrow's oop (I'm surprised that Bally has not withdrawn from the doubles):

Centre Court (from 11.30hrs)
1. South vs. Kleybanova
2. Vaidisova vs. Govortsova
3. Davenport vs. Razzano
4. Kuznetsova/Mauresmo vs. Peschke/Stubbs
5. Baltacha/Cavaday vs. Grandin/Sfar

Silver · County player

Happycynic wrote:

To be happily precise

SOUTH, Melanie (GBR) 139

Mel is at her career high after last week

Hope she continues the rocketing form.

She'll drop back down to where she was if she loses though, defending round two points... which she defended with her quarter final in Brum... Don't know how good Alisa is on grass but I think Mel has a good chance. Remember her shock win against Molik? Nuff said. She can pull it out.

wolf · Tennis legend

Mel serving at *1-2.