Week 44 - ITF ($75K) Barnstaple, UK Hard

steven · Tennis legend

RE: Week 44 - ITF ($75K) Barnstaple, UK Hard

steven · Tennis legend

Lisa broke again to lead *3-1 but has since lost 3 games (2 breaks) to go 3-4* down

philwrig · Hall of fame

From what I saw Lisa was playing very aggressively, which was probably the right tactic against which is basically a brickwall in Beck. Some nice stuff but alot of errors as well. Movement could have been better, but overall not a bad effort against a very difficult opponent in good form.

Peter too · Tennis legend

R1: MOORE, Tara (GBR) 260 beat CEPELOVA, Jana (SVK) 4 106 6-3 2-6 6-3
R1: WEBLEY-SMITH, Emily (GBR) WC 447 lost to KERKHOVE, Lesley (NED) 335 4-6 1-6
R1: ELLIOTT, Amanda (GBR) WC UNR lost to BIRNEROVA, Eva (CZE) 125 6-4 2-6 2-6
R1: BAMBURAC, Sabrina (GBR) WC 852 lost to SIBILLE, Constance (FRA) Q 451 0-6 3-6
R1: KEOTHAVONG, Anne (GBR) 3 123 beat MARCINKEVICA, Diana (LAT) 238 6-4 6-4
R1: WHYBOURN, Lisa (GBR) WC 302 lost to BECK, Annika (GER) 5 86 4-6 2-6
R1: DEIGMAN, Laura (GBR) WC 1021 lost to VANKOVA, Katerina (CZE) Q 409 1-6 2-6
R1: BROADY, Naomi (GBR) 279 beat STANCIUTE, Lina (LTU) 385 6-3 6-3

R2: MOORE, Tara (GBR) 260 v SIROTKINA, Marta (RUS) 157
R2: KEOTHAVONG, Anne (GBR) 3 123 v SIBILLE, Constance (FRA) Q 451
R2: BROADY, Naomi (GBR) 279 v BRATCHIKOVA, Nina (RUS) 2 90

PockyTastic · Futures level

Really frustrated that I couldn't catch any of the action so far this week, so I must say that I really appreciate the blow by blow accounts provided on here.

It sounds like Em is still below her best. The report about Amanda seems to confirm that she has a decent serve but after that she is dictated to by other players.

Glad that Anne got the win, hopefully she get a few matches and end her year on a positive note.

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

Some good and some bad performances in R1, but 3 out of 8 wins is a decent return.

Tara's win definitely the highlight, and Naomi also looked in much better form than recent months.

Anne should win tomorrow, a second win would be a massive bonus.

philwrig · Hall of fame

I think Tara can win tomorrow, Sirotkina is solid but no world beater.

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Barnstaple $75K already more profitable for the British contingent than the Shrewsbury version was.

Thursday's OOP starts at 11:00 with Annie, Tara & Naomi's R2 singles, in that order, on the main streamed court.

At NB 16:30 there is a 3/4 GB R1 doubles with Tara & Anne (interesting partnership) taking on Amanda Elliott & Karen Barbat - the token non-Brit.
Emily, alongside Birnerova, plays R2 doubles against the second seeds: 4th up on a different court.

Good luck to all.

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

A real struggle for Anne today against an opponent who shouldn't really prove her any problem. YTD, sibille has just 1 top 200 win - Putintseva (140) - and 3 other wins against 200-300 (249, 269, 299).

Still, 4-3* in the deciding set and from what I've seen pretty even.

In very timely fashion, Annie does now have a BP chance though at 40-30*... Sibille powers a forehand in to the corner down the line, and Annie tries a cross court corner to corner FH on the run, in vain.

2nd BP now though
2nd serve: Anne into the point, a good FH from sibille forces Anne into a semi inside out FH and the French girl dropshots, poorly, Anne too close into the net, and Sibille finds a clever cross court pass guiding it rasther than powering it. Back to deuce.

Sibille eventually holds from her second game point.

*4-4

Love hold for Anne, and her 'come on!'s are getting louder and more frequent - trying to will hertself through this one perhaps.

5-4*

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Thursday 1st of November 2012 01:08:37 PM

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Deuce, brought up by Sibille dismissing the Annie 2nd serve with a return winner.
Anne for the most part just putting the ball back in play mid-court, suddeny find a lovely winner down the line from nowhere. Adv Keothavong.
Moving up to the net to put away a short ball.
Break now I I fear should this go to a breaker!
6-5*

Good support for Anne in the hall throughout. One suspects they are working harder than they might have hoped!

Anne finds a good deep return, and builds that pressure until Sibille cracks, three shots later, pushing a shot wide. 15-15*

15-30*

15-40*

Anne dumps a regulation baseline BH into the net, and it's a TB. I don't fancy this at all!

6-6

-- Edited by insomniacfolder on Thursday 1st of November 2012 01:24:47 PM

steven · Tennis legend

Horrible result (and as SMC says, I'm pretty sure match point was the first time Sibille got ahead, unless she was ahead very early in the 1st set) but the Frenchwoman really went for it and, in the bits I saw, looked to be playing far better than her ranking would suggest, with Anne playing nowhere near as well she would have liked to.

-- Edited by steven on Thursday 1st of November 2012 02:23:35 PM

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

TM comfortable hold finishing with an ace 1-0*
Easy hold for S *1-1
Abysmal game from Tara, no first serves, wild forehands as she is broken to 15 1-2*

Another comfortable hold for S. Tara looking unimpressive *1-3

TM's forehand is a mess right now, 3 into the net from 30-15 1-4*

Tara did strike one super forehand in that game but S holds for *1-5

An ace as Tara holds to love 2-5* If she can keep her first serve % high and land her forehand then she might have a chance

Easy hold for S 2-6

Tara miles off the pace in the opening set. Movement a weakness, groundstrokes totally unreliable on both sides. Serving patchy.

--

Long game to start the 2nd set. Tara saves bp with a good serve and eventually holds 1-0*

Out of nowhere TM plays a brilliant return game, aggressive returns helping her to 0-30 then controls the next two rallies to break to love *2-0

Broken immediately, mix of luck, missed first serves, a df and some nice play from S 2-1*

A rare error from S at 40-0 then Tara crashes a forehand return winner but S dominant as she holds to 30 *2-2

All too easy for S. Tara not helping herself with erratic groundstrokes 2-3*

S holds again *2-4

Quick hold for Tara 3-4*

A rare df from S but she still manages to hold to 30 *3-5

Tara saves 3 mps, winning 5 points in a row 4-5*

Tara breaks with a backhand crosscourt winner that S expected to be called out. A return winner, an ace and a df in that game *5-5

Broken to 15 5-6*

An ace to finish the match as S holds to love 5-7

Tara did well to get back into the contest at 5-5 then won just one more point. Overall a few good points but far too many soft errors especially on the forehand side. S looked a different class though her level did seem to drop for a spell in that 2nd set.

-- Edited by kundalini on Thursday 1st of November 2012 03:02:04 PM

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Naomi super backhand dtl to bring up bp then a lob to break back for 4-4

She follows it with a terrible game to get broken to 15. Missed first serves, wild forehands and a df 4-5*

Nina eventually holds to take the first set in a game of patchy quality 4-6

Naomi can't afford to play poor service games

--

Naomi holds to love including a brilliant top spin backhand crosscourt winner 1-0*

Naomi's movement is horrendous. Barely believe how poor it is. Nina also holds to love *1-1

2 aces, an unret and a super bh dtl as Naomi holds to 15 2-1*

-- Edited by kundalini on Thursday 1st of November 2012 03:54:59 PM

Peter too · Tennis legend

R2: MOORE, Tara (GBR) 260 lost to SIROTKINA, Marta (RUS) 157 2-6 5-7
R2: KEOTHAVONG, Anne (GBR) 3 123 lost to SIBILLE, Constance (FRA) Q 451 6-3 3-6 6-7(5)
R2: BROADY, Naomi (GBR) 279 beat BRATCHIKOVA, Nina (RUS) 2 90 4-6 6-4 6-1

QF: BROADY, Naomi (GBR) 279 v BECK, Annika (GER) 5 86

I hope I have got that right now.

-- Edited by Peter too on Thursday 1st of November 2012 04:58:14 PM

-- Edited by Peter too on Thursday 1st of November 2012 06:08:26 PM

steven · Tennis legend

Beck is on a 17-match winning streak in ITFs (i.e. excluding WTAs she has played in between) and a 22-match winning streak in 75Ks and below. Yet if Naomi can play like she did in the 3rd set today, who knows ...

-- Edited by steven on Thursday 1st of November 2012 05:02:10 PM