Week 30 - WTA International $220k - Istanbul, Turkey - Hard

steven · Tennis legend

Week 30 - WTA International $220k - Istanbul, Turkey - Hard

steven · Tennis legend

Not sure where they've got it from, but the LTA say Elena has drawn a Turkish WC and the winners of the two R1 matches involving Brits will meet in R2.

DavidC · Tennis legend

R1

(1)Francesca Schiavone (ITA) v Anne Keothavong (GBR)
(wc)Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR) v Elena Baltacha (GBR)

Anne revisits one of her best victories - at the US Open in 2008. That was before Francesca became French Open champion and achieved a top ten ranking. However she hasn't won a match since then.

The Turkish wildcard is ranked inside 200, having won a lot of matches this year including her last tournament in Valladolid, so won't be a pushover for Bally.

Doubles R1

(4) Cirstea/Erakovic (ROU/NZL) v Keothavong/Martic (GBR/CRO)

murray_2k9 · Challenger qualifying

Anne is down an early break, the match is streamed on bet365.

The commentator pronouncing Keothavong as Key-oat-avong and Schiavone as Shee-av-on. Pretty horrendous!

philwrig · Hall of fame

Not looking good, until Anne can sort out her serving woes, she'll not get out of this mini-rut she's in. I thought top 75 by the end of the year was a given about April time now I think just top 100 would be a commendable effort. Tough to judge her against Schiavone, but Anne did beat her in their only previous meeting and the Italian has been suffering post French Open blues. I also feel the knee is not in 100% shape, but surely that can't be the reason for losing 10 mph on your average serve speed.

DavidC · Tennis legend

murray_2k9 wrote:

Anne is down an early break, the match is streamed on bet365.

The commentator pronouncing Keothavong as Key-oat-avong and Schiavone as Shee-av-on. Pretty horrendous!

Down 0-4 before rain intervened. If the rain relents and they get back on it's worth checking whether any of the streams available via www.livescorehunter.com have a different commentator (I would prefer listening in one of the foreign languages which I understand to the brief bit I heard in English). There's no excuse for a commentator mispronouncing either player, as they are both in the WTA player pronunciation guide

DavidC · Tennis legend

They didn't get back on, so they'll resume on Tuesday 3rd match (after Kvitova-Sevastova) and followed by Bally - presumably both matches will be streamed

Peter too · Tennis legend

Anne's match has just restarted.

seagull · Hall of fame

5-0 now

Peter too · Tennis legend

Anne holds and then breaks. *2-5

seagull · Hall of fame

and then gets broken 6-2

steven · Tennis legend

Schiavone up 5-1 in the 2nd but Anne broke her when she served for the match.

2-6 *2-5

steven · Tennis legend

Anne lost 2 & 2, Elena about to start.

indiana · Tennis legend

Shiavone wins 6 - 2 6 - 2. From 5 - 0 down in the second set Anne had points in a long final game to push a mini comeback to 5 - 3, but it was not to be.

No disgrace in that against Shiavone, particularly if Shiavone has got over her post French Open blues and is back on pretty good song.

I'm just a bit more concerned re Anne's generall overall form. She had a pretty encouraging first few weeks in her comeback. But through the rest of the year to date, whilst not doing at all disastrously, Anne just seems some way from recapturing her really good form from before her injury that raised her so high in the rankings.

Hopefully, whatever is missing will begin to click back into gear soon.

At least rankingswise the only way is up until February next year since she has nothing to defend until then. If she can start pulling in the points and in particular get through at least one round of the US Open then one limiting factor may in time be that she has to carry 5 mandatories from this year that total only 20 points with a 6th to come from the US Open which hopefully as I say will be more rewarding. So she may in effect almost end up as if only counting best 10 /11.

-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 27th of July 2010 02:26:59 PM

philwrig · Hall of fame

Another disappointing display on serve, only 43% points won on serve. Against a top ranked opponent that is going to leave you with way too much to do.

Tricky opponent also for Bally it would appear. Young up and coming Turkish player playing at home with nothing to lose, could be a banana skin this one.

0-2*