steven wrote:

---

 

Piers Newbery: Pretty gruelling stuff on court 5 as Keothavong trails 1-4, then serves for it at 5-4, Min eventually takes it 7-5. AK: "That's tragic!"

---

Very disappointing from Anne, not just a straight sets loss in Q1, but more the manner of the loss to a lower ranked player with patchy form, giving up 21 break points in 2 sets. From her outburst, quoted by Steven above, it sounds like she is frustrated at her tennis, not her medical issues, whatever they were.

Unfortunately her level of tennis has been consistently average for a very long time now, since well before the grass court season, with her ranking somewhat protected until the very end of 2012 by a stellar end to 2011. With the ability to enter WTA events without qualifying now gone, and hence the luxury of a few one off wins delivering big points, she needs to be playing top 100 tennis consistently week in week out in WTA qualies and ITFs to stop her ranking sliding rapidly. Hope she can, but there was little evidence in the second half of 2012, with no injury issues of note.

Personally, I would have loved to see how Sam Murray would have got on in AO qualies, given her success at the end of 2012 against players at this level. But without Team Aegon support for travel and related costs, its a much bigger financial risk for the player, so its no surprise she didn't try. I just hope that if Anne cannot turn things around soon, that the LTA acts rationally, not sentimentally, with its WC selections in the summer. Very good win by Johanna. definitely a player on the up. Top 100 for sure, maybe not this year, but I think its a case of when, not if. Bring on Q2!

Update: Monica Puig beaten in Q1 by a much lower ranked Chinese player with little previous form. Staggered!!