Week 34 - WTA ($220K) - Texas, USA Hard

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

RE: Week 34 - WTA ($220K) - Texas, USA Hard

philwrig · Hall of fame

Thanks insomniacfolder for again some impressive reporting.

From the stats it looks like Hev was just a little bit inferior on all the key serving stats. I thought it was a match that Hev was going to win, but with the proviso if Wickmayer found her best form it was probably going to be too tough. Sadly it seems that Wickmayer brings her 'A ' game when she plays Hev. Back not a problem today. Also Hev likely to be a bit rusty after not playing for nearly 3 weeks.

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Summary
R1: WATSON, Heather (GBR) 70 lost to WICKMAYER, Yanina (BEL) WC [4] 30 3-6 4-6

WD R1: KEOTHAVONG, Anne (GBR)/PARMENTIER, Pauline (FRA) lost to DABROWSKI, Gabriela (CAN)/HSIEH, Su-Wei (TPE) 1-6 6-1 [7-10]
WD R1: WEBLEY-SMITH, Emily (GBR)/BENGSON, Stephanie (AUS) lost to ELIE Jennifer (USA)/MUHAMMED, Asia (USA) 6(10)-7 4-6

Anne's singles is 22:00 tonight UK time and will be streamed on betting sites and elsewhere.
Heather's doubles is last up, so likely to be in the region of 03:00 Tuesday morning (I'll probably be up!)

Hopefully there'll still be some British interest for GB fans after tonight. This week so far, in Dallas and New Haven, has rather ended before it even began. cry

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

steven wrote:
That doesn't sound like fun though ...

You couldn't be more right about that.

Lovely looking day in Dallas. Anne to serve first. Come on Anne, lets have a good win today!

Ack! My grandmother decides she finally wants her dinner, with impeccable timing. hmm

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Monday 20th of August 2012 09:19:35 PM

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

insomniacfolder wrote:
Heather's doubles is last up, so likely to be in the region of 03:00 Tuesday morning (I'll probably be up!)

I've got too ask - when do you sleep?

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

What? I was only gone about an hour... theyr'e almost done?
Ouch. That first set seems like a shocker from Anne. Is she beating herself again?

Well, at least she seems in the second set. The Damascene conversion into world beater starts now!

4-4*

Anne with 3 BP's @ 40-0. UE BH into the tape for the 1st. Nice FH winner down the line to break, and a chance to level it up.

*5-4

A long, if rather aimless, rally ends with a Keothavong BH slice drifting long. She also has the DF plague - #7 gives *0-30. A fantastic FH winner down the line when she looked completely out of the point! (Why can't she believe in that ability more) get's it back to *30-30. Good play from Marina earns a BP - but she misses an almost open court to go back to deuce. Erakovic's good length forces a high short ball from ANne that's easily put away - BP #2. UE error From Annie, and broken back, as she gazes up at the sky beseechingly...

5-5*

Marina seems clearly in charge in the rallies - Anne sometimes using a moon or semi-moon ball as a defensive mechanism. Good FH winner gives AK 30-15*. Strong service, 30-30*. Good strong well constructed rally from Anne finishing with a FH down the line into the corner earns a BP. And, it's converted as Marina commits the UE.

Can Annie hold this time?

*6-5

Marina UE FH half way up the net, *15-0. Lovely FH down the line winner by Anne, *30-0. Strong serve from Anne, short return, but a wild FH error long and wide (and ugly), *30-15. Eep! Same again FH wide UE, *30-30. MArina error, *40-30 - set point... taken!

Anne can't possibly have played this well in set 1? Not to say she's playing well, but there are good bits in there - the set 1 summary seemed awful.

Keep it going now...

7-5

Ack! comfort or coaching break taken. I don't like it when Anne gets time to think about what she's doing, it often ends badly, especially after having levelled it up.

**Correction** Match suspended - heat. Same effect though. Anne was looking on the up. After the break, who knows which Anne will come out: Set 1, or Set 2?

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Monday 20th of August 2012 10:52:42 PM

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Into the decider. Marina serving. 2 nice points in a row by Anne, forcing errors. 30-30* - followed by two FH UE's.

*0-1

Stream froze, but Marina broke cry

0-2*

Game 3. Marina fails to deal with a short, desperate hoisted ball form Anne, and AK puts the result away - lucky there, 15-0*. Decent rally building, but FH error long from Anne, 15-30*. Awful drive volley attempt from Marina gives Anne a break back point. Good return by Anne, and Erakovic nets. Good show!

*1-2

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Monday 20th of August 2012 11:10:01 PM

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Good rally - Anne seemed out of it, but good defense kept her alive, then on top at one point, opening up a nice inside out forehand cross court, but Marina eventually wins the rally forcing the error, long. DF from Marina then brings up deuce. Anne forces a BP and takes it, as Marina can't handle some good deep length from Anne. Nose in front!

*3-2

Decent defense from Annie, under considerable pressure, and Marina nets, *30-0. Erakovic long, *40-0. AK holds to 15. Keep it together!

4-2*

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Monday 20th of August 2012 11:29:45 PM

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Hold to love, including one lovely forehand winner down the line, for Erakovic.

*4-3

Some decent play from Anne, and more UE's from Marina, *40-0. Anne missed a good FH chance to close, *40-15. MArina's forehand fires this time, and forces an error, *40-30. Eeek! Anne contrives to lose a point she was completely in charge of - deuce! Excellent FH cross court winner from Annie - Ad AK. Out rallied, Deuce #2. Aargh!!! DF gives Marina a BP - and she had a great opportunity on a mid court ball, but put it long. Phew! Deuce #3. Erakovic puts the mid court ball away this time (eventually) for a second BP. But fluffs it. Deuce #4. Marina dictating, but Anne stays in the rally and earns Ad again with a forehand DTL. BH error long from Anne. Deuce #5. Wild UE FH long from Anne, BP #3. It disappears quickly. Deuce #6! Marina FH long twice in a row, and Annie holds. From 40-0 a struggle, but we'll take them however they come at this point!

5-3*

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Monday 20th of August 2012 11:42:28 PM

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

That was a painful hold from 40-0 saving at least 3 bps. One game away.

-- Edited by kundalini on Monday 20th of August 2012 11:43:34 PM

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Marina races to a second consecutive love service hold, and Annie will come out to serve for it. Come on!
*5-4

Excellent FH right into the corner by Annie, *15-15. Then wayward, getting tight (?) *15-30. Maybe not, good again! *30-30... Anne scrambling hard - net choord from Marina throws Anne off, but - what - called out! NO! Looked in to me. But, it's a BP to Marina... saved by Anne following up a good serve efficiently - deuce. UE FH gives BP #2 - Wow! I think that was a serve hit straight up in the air? Either way, it's a DF to give the break back. That and the questionable call might be tough to endure, as Anne's head noticably drops.

5-5*

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Monday 20th of August 2012 11:50:41 PM

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Unsurprisingly, tense now. Anne runs around a 2nd serve to hit a FH at 30-30*, but puts it long. Marina holds.
Now Annie has to serve to stay in it.
5-6*

She does! - Eugh! DF, *15-15. Decent serve sets up the point for Anne, *30-15. UE AK, *30-30. Another good point behind a decent serve - albeit one that looked long, and then a point finished by a smash.

3rd set TB nail biter, as my stream is freezing up disbelief

6-6.

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Monday 20th of August 2012 11:58:08 PM

steven · Tennis legend

PaulM wrote:
I'm heartbroken.

So sad. She plays like someone who doesn't believe they will win

I know what you mean. They both seemed to be giving their opponent every chance to win the match, but Anne looked like she expected to lose even when she had match points.

Then again, she must have a fair bit of fight in her to recover so well from that 1st set drubbing, so who knows.

-- Edited by steven on Tuesday 21st of August 2012 12:18:57 AM

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Bah! Heather and Marina's doubles got (rightly) moved to fit it in today on the smallest court. But that means no stream.

Good start for the 'undefeated' duo.

3-0*

Another break for 'Heatina' as I shall call them.

*5-1

Give one back. Their opponents have actually had more BP's than Heatina. 2/3 against 1/5.

5-2*

Nice routine set - outplaying the opposition, as you might hope given the disparity in class.

6-2.

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Tuesday 21st of August 2012 02:43:54 AM

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Bad start to set two for Heatina though
*0-2

Lumpkin/Schnack have served 100% on serve through 12 service points! That's keeping them ahead in set 22.

*1-3

Heatina's level has dropped badly - they are more threatened now than treatening. 2nd set point split is 61% against them. Indeed Heatina call in their coach after this last break.

2-5*

(Meanwhile on the televised court - Eugenie Bouchard has just systematically dismantled WR 79 Voskoboeva (CH 42 May - 2012) in the first set 6-4 - it was a lot more one sided than that though - she really looks the part, but is only playing Juniors at USO)

The Talking to didn't help, and the second set is lost!

2-6

MTB, they can't have been expecting this... it just gets worse... come on, lively up yourselves!

2-4

3-5

4-5

5-5

6-5

7-5 Pulling themselves together...

7-6

7-7 Or not...

7-8

8-8

9-8

10-8

Well. That was considerably less than convincing after set 1, but hopefully they can wipe the slate clean for the next round.

Meanwhile on the main court, Jankovic/Shvedova only just finished, finally, afer 3+ hours, so LL EWS will get on tonight, 22:30 local time!

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Tuesday 21st of August 2012 03:26:59 AM