Week 35: US Open (women's main draw) - hard

Miriambee · Futures level

RE: Week 35: US Open (women's main draw) - hard

indiana · Tennis legend

Laura was on R 5Live saying she was pretty disappointed about how she played today and didn't come out with any excuses.

Confirmed that she certainly plans on doing the Asian swing.

First a little time at home and get wisdom tooth / teeth seen to. Locker room have been trying to tell her how awful that will be, in particular "mentioning no names" Jamie Hampton.

Julia Carrot · All-time great

Miriambee wrote:
Heather's doubles with Vesnina about to get underway on ls ct 4.

You working for Sky

Hev and Vera won the 1st game, I think, but no more, in the first set.

2nd set just starting.

airsmashers · County player

Credit to Li Na, she served really good.

BeefyDeedz · Pro player

So that's a 4R, 3R, 1R, 4R and 3R in her last 5 majors. Very impressed about how she hasn't flagged this year and has definitely been consistent in the slams. I have a strange feeling, I think it's known as optimism, about Laura; I think she can win her first title next year.

indiana · Tennis legend

Laura certainly does rise to the occasion. What has relatively let her down this year are non mandatories.

The battle to her 1066 ranking points so far this year has been made up :

4 Slams : 605 points
3 Premier Mandatories : 195 points
11 other tournaments : 266 points

Hopefully she will have a generally healthier body in 2014 and with more overall focus.

Miriambee · Futures level

Julia Carrot wrote:
Miriambee wrote:
Heather's doubles with Vesnina about to get underway on ls ct 4.
You working for Sky

Hev and Vera won the 1st game, I think, but no more, in the first set.
2nd set just starting.

Note the wink - however we refuse Sky package, - just saw it on the US open live score (ls), and nobody else seemed to have spotted it.

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

indiana wrote:
Laura certainly does rise to the occasion. What has relatively let her down this year are non mandatories.

The battle to her 1066 ranking points so far this year has been made up :

4 Slams : 605 points
3 Premier Mandatories : 195 points
11 other tournaments : 266 points

Hopefully she will have a generally healthier body in 2014 and with more overall focus.

Breaking Laura's points down this way makes in pretty clear where she needs to improve! Also, I mentioned before she is 7-0 against players outside the top 50 in grand slams, so she does perform consistently when it matters most, she just needs to bring that level of commitment to the other tournaments.

We are actually coming up to the part of the season where Laura has actually performed well in the lesser tournaments - maybe not having a Grand Slam to work towards helps in that respect. In the other part of the season not close to a Slam (Feb-Apr) Laura has been injured or not 100% healthy.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Press conference was a little contradictory regarding the next few months. First she said we'll see if I'm ready for Gangzhou, then she seemed pretty adamant that she would be ready for all those tournaments. Overall doesn't seem too worried about the wrist, but she will see her doctor when she gets back.
She also said she was pretty disappointed with how her year has gone and is hoping she's not just round the thirty mark for much longer. Given she's all those points to defend being top 30 would be a helluvan achievement, so clearly has high expectations for the Asian swing.

korriban · Challenger level

Simona Halep just beat Maria Kirilenko 6-1 6-0!!!!!!!!

I tell you, this girl is sensational. None of the Hollywood tennis of Laura Robson or Petra Kvitova with outrageous flashy winners and stunning play mixed in with inexplicable and unnecessary UEs and lazy movement. Instead, aggressive tennis with wonderful movement, great point construction, fabulous

athleticism. A breath of fresh air....and probably not a fashion or cosmetics contract in sight.

-- Edited by korriban on Saturday 31st of August 2013 04:07:58 PM

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

Prior to the tournament Simona Halep would have been my pick to make the semi-finals in what is a soft quarter of the draw. After her match against Heather I wasn't so sure as she looked a bit tired by the end of that match but she has now demolished her next two opponents for the combined loss of 4 games. It helped that Kirilenko played as badly as I've seen anyone play in a while.

TomTraubert · Futures level

halep always taken her tennis very serious anyone who opts for the surgery she had to help become a better player aint messing around

makiri looked ill or injured today tho

but theirs something in the womens water today
riske thrashed Petra
pennetta thrashed sveta
mchale is showing AI's program to be faulty - up a set and a break

all that and weve only been going 90 minutes today at this rate cornet will send vika packing too!!!!

Miriambee · Futures level

vika's losing 1-3, so you might be right!!

men's singles going to ranking/form though.

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

Post US Open Rankings:

Laura 35 with 1441 pts (overtaken by a couple of up-and-coming players who had big weeks in Flavia Pennetta and Daniela Hantuchova)

Heather 77 with 825 pts

If Laura wants to be inside the top 32 at the end of the year she will need to gain c. 180 pts, With 380 pts to defend, that leaves a very challenging total of 560 pts. Probably requires a really good run in Tokyo or Beijing.

For Heather the most important thing for her is to be inside the top 100 at the end of the year, and then hope to make strong progress in 2014 once she has had time to get back to full fitness. She has 400 pts to defend and a 150 pt cushion on 101st place, leaving 250 pts to achieve this year. How easy/difficult this is will depend on how well her fitness allows her to perform in consecutive matches in tournaments, because she won't get 250 pts in first rounds alone.

JoKo has 450 pts, but only 32 to defend, so it's not impossible for her to make the top 100 - she would need around 270 ts

PaulM · Tennis legend

I assume you are using "up and coming" in a tongue-in-cheek way tony to describe Flavia and Dani... :p