WeeK 39 - WTA Premier 5 ($2.05M) - Tokyo, Japan - Hard

Armchair · County player

RE: WeeK 39 - WTA Premier 5 ($2.05M) - Tokyo, Japan - Hard

philwrig · Hall of fame

Very frustrating as Laura was dictating most of the points, and could have realistically won this match. Hopefully she can take away the positives get a lttle bit more consistent and make a push for the top 100 in the next 6 months.

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

Philosophical tweet from Laura: 'You win some, you lose some.'

I can't remember Laura tweeting anything after losing a match before but certainly it's another match she can learn from. If she keeps giving herself the opportunities against top players, then I'm sure she will start to win more of the key points and games.

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

Thanks for the commentry.
I really hate it when you read the twee reports that the LTA Beeb throw out. (Did you see the naff few lines about Heather's final?). I feel lke I know how Robbo/Ana played now, not just that Robbo lost.

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

philwrig wrote:
Very frustrating as Laura was dictating most of the points, and could have realistically won this match. Hopefully she can take away the positives get a lttle bit more consistent and make a push for the top 100 in the next 6 months.

Yes that'd be great. I was hoping that she'd have made it this year but she had so many injuries, and loses her concentration still. Hopfully she'll grow out of that. I only hope that she gets a wildcard for Beijing.

Jan · Hall of fame

Thanks for all that. Good to hear that Laura pushed Ana that close - maybe with a bit more maturity these losses will become wins. But some good points in the bag from her earlier win, so well done Laura!

LordBrownof · Futures level

She's still only 17! A little perspective people...

Good match, lots of positives.

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

LordBrownof wrote:
She's still only 17! A little perspective people...

Good match, lots of positives.

So her breakout year is next year?

indiana · Tennis legend

Helen40 wrote:
LordBrownof wrote:
She's still only 17! A little perspective people...

Good match, lots of positives.
So her breakout year is next year?

The thing Laura still needs is quite a bit more consistency, but after the first half of the year was very interrupted I have been very encouraged by how competitive she has been with very good players in the last few months. Real progress. I have been disappointed to see her damned a bit at times, not really meaning here today, just because she doesn't yet put it all together yet and appears to ( OK, to be fair does ) make bad mistakes at times. She will still lose matches like this just now that were probably winnable, but its great experience at a good level and she's still to my mind pretty well on track. And yes she has the shots now to really trouble top 50 players, but to me understandably not yet consistently enough to be a favourite to beat them. Yes, maybe a little more perspective at times.

No rules on what should be her breakthrough year, but yes, if she stays fit and healthy next year and with no tournament limitations after her 18th birthday in January, I would be disappointed if she wasn't getting well into the top 100 during next year, how quickly she then rises and where she ultimately gets to is I hope going to be fun following.

But with much more match play against top players, and varied tournaments as she rises in the rankings, will hopefully more and more come that consistency and of course the thing that ultimately excites remains that she has such a big game. She is to me still the most exciting prospect in British male or female tennis and that includes Heather and our top junior boys. Yes, we may sometimes want it all yesterday, but to me it's still looking pretty good. smile

-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 27th of September 2011 09:43:31 AM

Julia Carrot · All-time great

Yes, what he says ^ ^

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

indiana wrote:
Helen40 wrote:
LordBrownof wrote:
She's still only 17! A little perspective people...

Good match, lots of positives.
So her breakout year is next year?

The thing Laura still needs is quite a bit more consistency, but after the first half of the year was very interrupted I have been very encouraged by how competitive she has been with very good players in the last few months. Real progress. I have been disappointed to see her damned a bit at times, not really meaning here today, just because she doesn't yet put it all together yet and appears to ( OK, to be fair does ) make bad mistakes at times. She will still lose matches like this just now that were probably winnable, but its great experience at a good level and she's still to my mind pretty well on track. And yes she has the shots now to really trouble top 50 players, but to me understandably not yet consistently enough to be a favourite to beat them. Yes, maybe a little more perspective at times.
No rules on what should be her breakthrough year, but yes, if she stays fit and healthy next year and with no tournament limitations after her 18th birthday in January, I would be disappointed if she wasn't getting well into the top 100 during next year, how quickly she then rises and where she ultimately gets to is I hope going to be fun following.
But with much more match play against top players, and varied tournaments as she rises in the rankings, will hopefully more and more come that consistency and of course the thing that ultimately excites remains that she has such a big game. She is to me still the most exciting prospect in British male or female tennis and that includes Heather and our top junior boys. Yes, we may sometimes want it all yesterday, but to me it's still looking pretty good.

-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 27th of September 2011 09:43:31 AM

Hi, think you misunderstood me (almost like we're married )

By breakout, I meant when do the limitations on the number of tournaments she can play stop. So essentially where Heather was this year.

indiana · Tennis legend

Helen40 wrote:

Hi, think you misunderstood me (almost like we're married
By breakout, I meant when do the limitations on the number of tournaments she can play stop. So essentially where Heather was this year.

Ahh, you're right, I did rather misunderstand that ashamed

However, actually during my general waffle I did accidentally answer that question. She has no tournament limitations after her 18th birthday in January ( 21st January to be precise ) while still having limitations in the year to 21st January, so essentially she's "free" next year.

Debatable how much it really has restricted her this year since she was restricted anyway by her various injury issues earlier in the year. I'd say a little but not hugely. But it will be great if she is basically fit and healthy next year to take full advantage of her new freedom.

-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 27th of September 2011 05:50:50 PM

steven · Tennis legend

Somewhat surprisingly, Maria Kirilenko thrashed Ana 3 & 1 in R3, having also beaten Sam Stosur in R2.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Not that surprising, given Ana was not at her best yesterday and Kirilenko was brilliant against Stosur. Ana also had treatment on a back problem during the match.

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

Blimey, I just checked the Beeb website, and they've got Robbo losing in big headlines.

'Laura Robson beaten in straight sets by Ana Ivanovic' - and a really negative report. They didn't mention it was a R2 match in a WTA premier tournament, or that she just beat the world no 55 in R1.