Week 21 - WTA Premier ($690,000) Brussels, Belgium - Clay

blob · All-time great

RE: Week 21 - WTA Premier ($690,000) Brussels, Belgium - Clay

Miriambee · Futures level

2-5 down.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Lepchenko was always going to be a stepup over a badly out of sorts Voegele, but I was still hoping for a little more. Maybe the hip is giving her a bit of jip (no pun intended).

Peter too · Tennis legend

R2: BALTACHA, Elena (GBR) WC 206 lost to LEPCHENKO, Varvara (USA) 7 29 2-6 0-6

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

Still a good tournament for Bally despite being on the receiving end of a heavy defeat today. Against Voegele she battled her way through, winning the close games and coming back from 5-3 down in both sets, but couldn't get close enough today to make use of that fighting spirit.

Bally could well win a round at the French, but will be very dependent on a nice draw.

savva0122 · Intermediate Club Player

All the more surprising she used her PR to get into RG really. Think she'd have had a better chance of winning a Qualifier or two and getting some points, she should get a Wimbledon WC just on loyalty but still surprised.

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

savva0122 wrote:
All the more surprising she used her PR to get into RG really. Think she'd have had a better chance of winning a Qualifier or two and getting some points, she should get a Wimbledon WC just on loyalty but still surprised.

Yeah, but doesn't she get around £15k for just showing up for R1. not a bad reason.

scottie1 · Futures level

would elena not have been better using her PR for the US open?

philwrig · Hall of fame

I wouldn't disagree assuming that was an option.

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

savva0122 wrote:
All the more surprising she used her PR to get into RG really. Think she'd have had a better chance of winning a Qualifier or two and getting some points, she should get a Wimbledon WC just on loyalty but still surprised.

There are only 60 points available for playing qualies, and she got 60 points from playing in Brussels (she couldn't play both Brussels and RG qualifying). Therefore definitely the right decision to use a protected ranking next week.

She should be able to get through the grass court season on wild cards and have a good number of PR tournaments left for the American hard court swing.

paulisi · Tennis legend

How long does the PR last for and does the ranking change?

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

paulisi wrote:
How long does the PR last for and does the ranking change?

1 year. No. Her PR (Special Ranking is the term the WTA use) is her ranking immediately following her last event prior to the injury break. Max of 8 events that she can use PR to gain entry to (rather than her current ranking), of which only one can be a Slam.

RBBOT · Futures qualifying

Pr for the french makes perfect sense to me. Her odds of getting through qualies in the us are better due to more matches and lack of clay. May as well take the r1 money in france and gamble on a 95 pont win.

steven · Tennis legend

True, and she proved this week that if she gets a good draw at RG, she is playing well enough to win a round.

She may also be intending to be top 100 by the time USO entries close - that might be a bit ambitious but not out of the question.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Here's a question who is more likely to win their first round match at the FO ? Bally or Hev. Couldn't call it myself but I'd maybe just shade Hev over Bally.