Week 18 - ITF ($50K) - Indian Harbour Beach, USA Clay

Julia Carrot · All-time great

RE: Week 18 - ITF ($50K) - Indian Harbour Beach, USA Clay

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

Laura managed to limp over the line, literally.

All in all an impressive performance from Laura I thought, apart from the lapse midway through the first set.

Certainly her return was much improved from yesterday and she had the edge on the rallies against a solid if unspectacular opponent (solid being a reference to her game, not her appearance).

-- Edited by tony_orient on Friday 6th of May 2011 09:47:44 PM

steven · Tennis legend

Reading back through the 1st set comments, was it not 4 & 5?

Peter too · Tennis legend

SF: ROBSON, Laura (GBR) 256 v RISKE, Alison (USA) 1 114

We can only hope she recovers in time to take part but it wouldn't be worth taking any risks at this time.

Maza1987 · Challenger level

^I want more originality.

RBBOT · Futures qualifying

Peter too wrote:
We can only hope she recovers in time to take part but it wouldn't be worth taking any risks at this time.

Or any Riskes - come on, this isn't the sort of place to let a possible injury stand in the way of a good pun!

One of the things I've always liked about the way Laura plays is how close to the baseline she stands when receiving serve - at times today she had both feet inside the court for Alvarez's first serve, whereas Alvarez was a good 4-5 feet back for Laura's. It really helped her at the end too when her mobilty was impaired, as there is less distance to move to reach them, the closer you are.

The comentator was also spot on with her biggest weakness - not being that good when its necessary to move back and switch to a defensive stance mid-point after losing the initiative - fortunately it wasn't necessary that often today and had she stayed fit throughout this would have been a walk in the park.

Finally, although I lay no claim whatsoever to any fashion sense, lime green skirt and pink trainers? I know its a surfer's town but still...

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

steven wrote:
Reading back through the 1st set comments, was it not 4 & 5?

It was 6-4 7-5 but the score which came up on the live stream had the 1st set incorrectly as 6-3, which is where the confusion came from.

steven · Tennis legend

Ah, now it makes sense - thanks for solving that little mystery

indiana · Tennis legend

I really do hope Laura takes no risks today if her leg isn't right. The strapping may have initially been precaution but with the time out, holding the leg and limping there clearly are ongoing issues. Maybe play if all seems basically well, but be prepared to withdraw if she starts and it is acting up at all.

It must be frustrating stop / start and probably a temptation when playing again to just want to keep playing. Far better though, presuming it's not really serious just now, to rest up for a week or so and hopefully get it right rather than really risk it becoming serious.

From what we have seen this year, her game does seem in pretty good order and I am sure she'd have fairly easily cracked the top 200 again without this year's injury problems. But it will come and much more, don't push it.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Great effort in the second set to win it and the match given the injury.
From what I saw of the match she seemed to lack the improved foot speed that she showed in the second round. However she was a class above her opponent and when really on her game looked like a top 100 player already. I thought she accentuated the limp on the way to the net at the end of the match maybe to show her opponent that she had been not feigning any type of injury. Will be interesting to see whether she takes to the court today/ whether she can play the full match. Her opponent Riske has looked good this week, but she put up quite a nervy performance yesterday maybe as she is very close to the Wimby main draw cut off point.

Semi is live at 6pm BST.

RIPSEVE

indiana · Tennis legend

Like it. She possibly feigned quite how bad her limp was on the way to the net to show that she hadn't be feigning any type of injury biggrin

Ratty · County player

philwrig wrote:
when really on her game looked like a top 100 player already.

Ah, but isn't that the point? Lots of players look great when they're smacking it around. It's whether you look like a top 100 player when you're NOT on your game, that counts.

Laura seems incredibly injury prone. Good health is of course a sine qua non to get to the top.

indiana · Tennis legend

Ratty wrote:
philwrig wrote:
when really on her game looked like a top 100 player already.
Ah, but isn't that the point? Lots of players look great when they're smacking it around. It's whether you look like a top 100 player when you're NOT on your game, that counts.
Laura seems incredibly injury prone. Good health is of course a sine qua non to get to the top.

There's probably a cross-over point for players with age and experience when I'd be more concerned re consistency and how they are when not on their game.

When Laura was younger her results were much more inconsistent, but she could get some tremendous looking results and be acknowledged as having played really well.

Some would worry about the poorer results but I argued that at that age what really interested me was her best and her best was very good. which really encouraged me for her future. Consistency would come.

To a large extent at now 17, and in a very interrupted season, I still believe that. With these interruptions a little inconsistency is still to be expected, but I have reasonable confidence from what i saw last year she is now playing more consistently to a good level. For the moment in Laura's case I still have more interest in what she is like when she is really on her game.

Yes, Laura is a bit injury prone which isn't helping her progress at the moment. Hopefully just bad luck. What you do want to avoid is making injuries and possibly picking up related unjuries, which is why I was concerned above about her playing today if still at all effected by her leg issue. I would always play on the side of caution in these cases.

-- Edited by indiana on Saturday 7th of May 2011 01:43:30 PM

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

RBBOT wrote:
Finally, although I lay no claim whatsoever to any fashion sense, lime green skirt and pink trainers? I know its a surfer's town but still...

I have no fashion sense whatsoever (just not interested), but yikes (or should that be "yuck"?!!)! .

And in the doubles, a Riske managed ( wink )in the QF, but it was a battle:

Irina Falconi & Alison Riske (USA/USA) wR 613 lost to (4) Timea Babos (HUN) & Mel South WR 361 by 4-6 7-6(5) [9-11]

SF: (4) Timea Babos (HUN) & Mel South WR 361 vs Christina Fusano & Alexa Glatch (USA/USA) WR 382

I doubt that one's going to be any easier!

The Knight · Challenger qualifying

Maza1987 wrote:
^I want more originality.

Let's hope Laura can rob her opponent of a final place