Sorry, but if we're not sure how much of a form guideline what has happened directly between two players the week before ( without any particularly known extenuating circumstances ) we might as well give up analysing matches !   I sometimes query in my mind the value of H - H info from well in the past but c'mon.

It's not as if Samantha is some precocious youngster who might be improving at a phenomenal rate ( even then ! ).  She is 23 yo, has played a lot of university tennis in the USA and has come to senior tennnis with presumably a very good grounding.

Also she had already displayed very encouraging performances in her first two senior tournaments back where in her 3 matches she won one and lost two to players in the top 500.  In Barnstapl lost to 450  6 - 4  6 - 2,  then 2 weeks later in Glasgow beat  488  6 - 2  6 - 4 and lost to 442  6 - 4  3 - 6  7 - 5.

None of her results this week are out of line with these other than the Tara win, and we do know that Tara had a slight illness and shoulder ailments and possibly more relevantly was maybe feeling a bit sorry for herself.  They in general do not "far surpass" what she had already showed in her two senior tournaments before last week''s British tour event.

I know Phil himself saw some of that match, but nothing he has said makes me see this huge rate of improvement that should particularly lessen the relevance of that Fitzy defeat last week.

I do see Samantha had a tight 3 setter with Holly Richards in the QF last week so maybe wasn't playing great but still.....

Having gone on at ( probably too much ) length about the Fitzy result of course being a rather relevant form gudeline, no doubt it will now be totally reversed  

All said, Samantha is a very welcome addition to the GB girls on tour and I look forward to watching her progress.

-- Edited by indiana on Sunday 7th of November 2010 02:00:43 PM