Week 41 - WTA ($220K) - Osaka, Japan - Hard

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Week 41 - WTA ($220K) - Osaka, Japan - Hard

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Set 2 - Eleni serving first

Laura, looking for an early break, gets 30-0*, and then 40-30*. The BP is duly converted as, with the break in Set 1, Daniilidou hands it over with a DF - only her second of the match, but both have come at break point down.

*1-0

Game 2: Laura's serve comes under pressure for the first time in 40 minutes at *15-40. Despite missing both first serves, Laura saves both those BP's. From Advantage up, she then issues back-to-back DF's to give Eleni another BP chance, but finds some 1st serves to see her through an eventful game.

Laura has now saved 6/6 BP's against her in the match so far.

2-0*

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 04:38:02 AM

Julia Carrot · All-time great

Oh dear ! Just tuned in and Laura very erratic in this game

But phew, to her immense credit she holds in the end.

-- Edited by Julia Carrot on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 04:38:07 AM

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Game 3: Laura with a chance to break Eleni's spirits immediately, and perhaps does so. Converting a single BP after Eleni was unable to convert multiple chances in the previous game. Double break secured, and a strong looking position for Laura to see home now.
*3-0

Game 4: Eleni exerting more pressure on the Robson serve in this set, had *15-30, and in turn, *30-40 for a BP chance in the second consecutive of Laura's services.

The Greek makes her first conversion of the match, and breaks for the first time. Still work to be done for Laura then, don't want to let Eleni get a head of steam up.

3-1*

Game 5: Robson pressure at 30-15* is to no avail, as Eleni wins 3 straight points to hold.

Laura still with the break, but now under slightly more pressure as she looks to see this one home.

*3-2

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 04:51:16 AM

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Game 6: Eleni, showing more life and powers of recovery than the Greek economy, continues her resurgence, for the third Robson service in a row forcing a BP - from *30-15 to *30-40. Laura stands firm though, and stops the revival by holding.
4-2*

Game 7: Laura, looking to re-establish a safety break, get's 2 BP's at 40-15*. But they are snuffed out by Eleni with her consistent 1st serving (83%). Another DF at a crucial moment gives Laura BP again though. That one is also saved on a 1st serve, only for another to come from the next deuce. This time Eleni misses the 1st serve, and Laura converts.

Good tenacity from Laura after the mini-comeback.

Time to serve it out!

*5-2

Game 8: *30-15, *30-30. *40-30 MP...

Only needs the one chance!

GSM Laura

6-4 6-2

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 05:09:54 AM

Julia Carrot · All-time great

Although *5 - 2 up Laura's performance definitely 'patchy' in this second set.

Edit. Totally steadied the ship serving it out though it appears. Well done Laura. Onwards.

-- Edited by Julia Carrot on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 05:11:41 AM

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

This win for Laura again covers her remaining points to defend this year (30 from Barnstaple, to come off at the end of this month), so any further points gained here will remain in credit at the end of the year.

NB: On a rather unrelated note, I notice this week that Bally rose 5 places in the rankings. By the time (if) she returns, she'll be back in the top 100 wink

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 05:30:45 AM

indiana · Tennis legend

At least Laura and Heather have matched or beaten the remaining points they had to defend this year ( 30 and 24 points respectively ), so already without another win all things being equal they would finish the year about where they are ranked now. But onwards and upwards ! smile

A couple more wins for Laura will not only likely take her into the top 50, but will challenge the CHs of Anne and Elena, WR 48 and WR 49 respectively. It was always likely that she would take these out, but from early on this year I certainly wasn't anticipating it happening this year.

-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 11:16:59 AM

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Julia Carrot wrote:
Oh dear ! Just tuned in and Laura very erratic in this game

But phew, to her immense credit she holds in the end.

-- Edited by Julia Carrot on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 04:38:07 AM

Just unluckly timimg. She's not been troubled much so far (may it continue!)

Julia Carrot · All-time great

Game six crucial to the 'tone' of the match now I feel.

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Julia Carrot wrote:
Although *5 - 2 up Laura's performance definitely 'patchy' in this second set.

I think it was more that Eleni came more in to it - she served better, and started to get inroads on the Robson serve. Laura's serving #'s were pretty similar in each of the sets. I think 4 & 2 in ~90 minutes was a fair reflection, though I would have had the set scores the other way round!

Good win still, Eleni wasn't ~Top 50 for 6 years for nothing.

Up next is either a Q (Zhou) or local WC (Nara - who Johanna beat in USO Qualifying, and thus prompted an epic pun on these pages). So things looking good for a strong run here.

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Laura seemed to play the key points a lot better than Eleni. Surprised she wasn't winning a higher percentage behind her first serve on a fast court, though she did well on 2nd despite the 6 dfs.

Ratty · County player

steven wrote:
I can't stand the original of this and can't work out how on earth it has become so popular, but this take on 'gangnam style' by Laura and best mate Genie Bouchard, with a little help from their friends (especially Heather) is hilarious - http://youtu.be/5gGfIwM38xI

Gosh, people are just fascinating.

There are thousands of vids of teens doing the latest dance craze on YouTube. No, believe me, I don't watch them either.

But by some mysterious process of human psychology, the "celeb" status of the participants takes this particular vid from being "yeah, so what, it's kinda embarrassing" to "hilarious".

smile

Julia Carrot · All-time great

The translated info by Laura's name on the OOP on the Japanese Website reads............

ROBSON, Laura
Robson, Roller (GRE)
ROBSON, Laura
Robson, Roller (GRE)
64 sixty-two

?????

Julia Carrot · All-time great

Ratty wrote:
steven wrote:
I can't stand the original of this and can't work out how on earth it has become so popular, but this take on 'gangnam style' by Laura and best mate Genie Bouchard, with a little help from their friends (especially Heather) is hilarious - http://youtu.be/5gGfIwM38xI

Gosh, people are just fascinating.
There are thousands of vids of teens doing the latest dance craze on YouTube. No, believe me, I don't watch them either.
But by some mysterious process of human psychology, the "celeb" status of the participants takes this particular vid from being "yeah, so what, it's kinda embarrassing" to "hilarious".

'And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane, by those who could not hear the music.' Friedrich Nietzsche