Week 23 - ITF $75k - Nottingham, UK - Grass

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

RE: Week 23 - ITF $75k - Nottingham, UK - Grass

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Prove me wrong, Anne ! Please ! Uncook those carrots . . .

PaulM · Tennis legend

The hope has to be Paszek freaks out at the thought of winning her first match in 5 months. She's not playing well at all, and Anne seems to have picked her level up a little after a dreadful start to the second set.

korriban · Challenger level

CD. When Anne plays "better" players, she tends to play aggressive nerveless tennis when well behind, and sometimes even when scores are levelish early in sets. When the finishing line approaches, especially the last point, or when she is under pressure herself is when the problem often starts.......she's certainly not alone on that score.

Almost inevitably, 0-3 down she's now playing nerve-free tennis......I wouldn't be surprised if she went close in this set or even won it; the challenge for her is crossing the finishing line when ahead at the end of sets (first/last), or saving key points when under pressure at the end of sets.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

So who does she work with at the LTA to help sort this out ? Do they have top sport psychologists ? I've seen the work some of them do and it's amazing. (Not for everybody, of course, and not everyone needs it but it certainly sounds as though she does, from your description, Korriban).

korriban · Challenger level

No idea. Anne's always had a reputation for getting nervous in tight situations.....lots of players do.....and I'm sure she has tried lots of coping techniques to sort it out.

blob · All-time great

Anne has been higher, yes. Tamira may soon drop a lot, yes.
So, if you want to make adjustments at both ends of the scale to denigrate Anne's performance, well, that's perfectly possible.
At the moment though there's over 150 places between them. That's the reality.
The match is not over yet, and this score is not so bad in that light

7-6(6) *3-4

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

That's a shame.
Anne played so well at times, and Tamira was really not that happy, those first set SPs are going to haunt her tonight. Never mind.

blob · All-time great

PaulM wrote:
Take out Tamira's points from Eastbourne and Wimbledon and there are a lot less than 150 spots between them.

Yes. Also, if you take away all of Tamira's points, form all her tournaments, then Anne would be higher ranked!

Those points are still to be defended, why would we arbitrarily remove them?

Just so that we can roll our eyes at Anne in this defeat?

WR 33, who reached last years Wimbledon QF on grass, defeats WR 186 7-6(6) 6-3 on grass.

About par for the course

korriban · Challenger level

Blob.

The facts are that in the YTD race (we are now in June, so its probably a very good yardstick), Tamira Paszek is 204th ranked in the world. This despite the fact that being a top 30 player, she will have been automatically in the MD for every tournament entered, and outside the GSs and Premier events, seeded in those tournaments as well. She is well behind the likes of Tara Moore, for example, who would have had to qualify for this event without a WC.

She's not been playing well for the entireity of 2013. In fact that last statement probably doesn't do justice to how poor her form must be to be ranked outside 200 in the race with all the advantages her WTA ranking gives her.

She played poorly today for all of set 1, and some of set 2. This is a shadow of the top 30 player from 2012.

Both Tamira and Anne played like players in the 200s.....which is precisely what the Championship Race rankings says they are.

steven · Tennis legend

Clearly one that got away, and Paszek's form must have been pretty appalling if she hasn't won a singles match since the AO, yet I kind of agree with blob that it doesn't make sense to arbitrarily ignore Paszek's points given that she got them all the last time she played on this surface. After all, the old Wimbledon seeding formula would have her much higher than 33!

More relevant though is how Paszek was playing today and how Anne let the 1st set get away (I hardly saw any of it so can't comment)

blob · All-time great

PaulM wrote:
Focusing in on Tamira's current world ranking and not putting it in context of any other information is far more arbitrary.

I disagree, but, OK, let's play.

So, we remove the all of the biggest chunk of Tamira's points, although they came on the surface she has proven over time to get the best results on, and presume she will lose first round in both this time. OK.

She is then ranked ~117. Anne is presumably still ranked 186, or do we need to make adjustments up or down for her too?

WR117 defeats WR186 7-6(6) 6-3

What is so awful about that picture, other than that we'd hope that our player could get a better result?

I don't direct this to PaulM especially, but to everyone.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

And, moving onwards, we now have our own D-less Djoko 2-0 up in her match (which actually has rallies!)

Bob the Ball Boy · Junior player

blob- i don't think anyone is saying this was an EASY match or one that going into we expected her to win... rather that given Tamira's form and the situation Anne got herself into, it's disappointing that she didn't take the first set or even the match, and that this is down to Anne's decombustion rather than Tamira being in a different class, which clearly isn't the case given the above arguments on ranking/points/results etc!

anyways, come on joko!!!

korriban · Challenger level

Blob. As Steven says, it's not the result, it's the way Anne played (against a woefully out-of-form opponent) at almost every critical moment which is the frustration. She lost a set that she was effectively handed on a plate several times, and she wilted at the first sign of her opponent getting close to the line in set 2 (having played very well when all seemed lost).

1. On set points up in set 1 (8 lost o/w at least 5 she failed to return the ball off serves that were OK at best)

2. At the start of set 2, when it was essential to fight back immediately.

3. At *3-4 40-15 up....including 2 DFs and groundstrokes which were tight as a drum.