Girls: US Open Juniors - Grade A (Week 36)

DavidC · Tennis legend

RE: Girls: US Open Juniors - Grade A (Week 36)

DavidC · Tennis legend

Izzy has to play the Bryans of junior doubles: the Czechs have not lost a set this year, whilst winning Wimbledon, Roland Garros, the Canadian G1 and the European Championships. Harriet appears to have the best chance of progress, but her team trails 4-6

In answer to Indiana's points/questions: yes they are playing no-Ad and the third set tiebreaks are the norm for juniors in slams - Wimbledon being the exception.

Doubles R2

(1) Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE) v Samir/Wallace (EGY/GBR)
Dunne/Jorovic (GBR/SRB) v (5) Kalinina/Shymanovich (UKR/BLR)
Adachi/Yamamoto (JPN) v Dart/Fett (GBR/CRO)

Spectator · All-time great

Well done to Ms Boulter. Hibi is a tough ask - played qualies in women's draw, too, didn't she?

DavidC · Tennis legend

Spectator wrote:
Well done to Ms Boulter. Hibi is a tough ask - played qualies in women's draw, too, didn't she?

Yes, she won a round, which will take her into the WTA top 250, and won back to back Challengers in the States during the summer, so Katie will do well to keep it close

DavidC · Tennis legend

Adachi/Yamamoto (JPN) d. Dart/Fett (GBR/CRO) 6-4 6-2

DavidC · Tennis legend

All down to Katie, though Izzy & partner achieved the rare feat of an extended set against the Czechs

Doubles R2

(1) Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE) v Samir/Wallace (EGY/GBR) 6-2 7-5
(5) Kalinina/Shymanovich (UKR/BLR) d. Dunne/Jorovic (GBR/SRB) 6-2 3-6 [10-3]
Adachi/Yamamoto (JPN) d. Dart/Fett (GBR/CRO) 6-4 6-2

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Unfortunately, that was over rather fast.

Mayo Hibi (JPN) 11 def. Katie Boulter (GBR) 6-1 6-0

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

In the QF, the top seed, Belinda Bencic (SUI), has just been knocked out in two sets by Antonia Lottner (GER) while the unseeded, and brilliantly named, Tornado Alicia Black, (USA) age 15, is through to the semis.

DavidC · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
In the QF, the top seed, Belinda Bencic (SUI), has just been knocked out in two sets by Antonia Lottner (GER) while the unseeded, and brilliantly named, Tornado Alicia Black, (USA) age 15, is through to the semis.

Antonia (Eleanor Dean's one-time regular doubles partner) thus gained revenge for a rather one-sided Roland Garros defeat by Belinda. Tornado on her name: " I used to like hate it because a lot of kids would make fun of me, but now I'm getting used to it. I like it now. They all ask me if I was born in a tornado" She has a younger sister called Hurricane (http://www.hurricanetyrablack.com/)

Tornado Alicia comfortably dealt with Katy's conqueror, but Katie's nemesis Hibi, who has grown up in the States, removed the third seed.

SF

(7) Lottner v (WC) Black

(11) Hibi v (2) Konjuh

Only Konjuh, of the 4 semifinalists has dropped a set (a set and 4-1 down to Ostapenko in round 1)

-- Edited by DavidC on Saturday 7th of September 2013 10:21:17 AM

korriban · Challenger level

I think the fact that Konjuh came back from a set and 4-1 down says a lot about her mental toughness and her will to win. I'm almost certain she will have been one of the youngest girls in the whole competition, although it's nice to see another youngster, Tornado Black going well.

A year ago Tornado Black and Jazzi Plews were vying with each other to emerge as the superstar players among the class of 98 (Konjuh was born late December 97, so misses out even though she's the same age - and frankly she's probably a level above anyway). Jazzi has had a torrid year (winning 21 matches in a row in 2012 mid/late then losing 9 matches in a row from late 2012 to June 2013 - what has happened?), Ms Black hasn't pushed on as much as one might have imagined, so at least 1 of the 2 ends the year on a high.

Would be good to see someone "special" emerging from the young British girls - a large number of very competitive, highly rated and talented girls for sure (I suspect far more so than the boys) amongst the 96-99 crop, although no standout superstars just yet.

-- Edited by korriban on Saturday 7th of September 2013 10:44:27 AM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

DavidC wrote:
Coup Droit wrote:
In the QF, the top seed, Belinda Bencic (SUI), has just been knocked out in two sets by Antonia Lottner (GER) while the unseeded, and brilliantly named, Tornado Alicia Black, (USA) age 15, is through to the semis.
Antonia (Eleanor Dean's one-time regular doubles partner) thus gained revenge for a rather one-sided Roland Garros defeat by Belinda. Tornado on her name: " I used to like hate it because a lot of kids would make fun of me, but now I'm getting used to it. I like it now. They all ask me if I was born in a tornado" She has a younger sister called Hurricane (http://www.hurricanetyrablack.com/)
Tornado Alicia comfortably dealt with Katy's conqueror, but Katie's nemesis Hibi, who has grown up in the States, removed the third seed.
SF
(7) Lottner v (WC) Black
(11) Hibi v (2) Konjuh
Only Konjuh, of the 4 semifinalists has dropped a set (a set and 4-1 down to Ostapenko in round 1)

-- Edited by DavidC on Saturday 7th of September 2013 10:21:17 AM

I didn't know about the younger system Hurricane - that's just brilliant ! Thank you so much - made my day.

korriban · Challenger level

At 4-5* down in the first set, 15 year old Tornado Black took a MTO requiring her to leave the court and make her opponent wait just as she was about to serve for the set......

Guess what happened next, when she finally came back.

They teach them young. Please someone tell me this isn't coached in as a clear instruction - if this happens, take a MTO....

It has to STOP!

indiana · Tennis legend

Well, only the authorities can realistically really stop it and what would you suggest ?

I find it difficult to condemn individual players when so many do it and it so often works.

korriban · Challenger level

indiana wrote:
Well, only the authorities can realistically really stop it and what would you suggest ?

I find it difficult to condemn individual players when so many do it and it so often works.

Tornado Black won the next 3 games to take the opening set, from a break down, then took the second set to reach the final. A tremendous recovery from the injury which was so bad, it required her to leave the court. I assume she will be smashed by Ana Konjuh in the final - which I won't lose too much sleep about.

The fact that other players use gamesmanship is never a justification for doing it yourself [Lance Armstrong attempted to use this sort of argument with Oprah re doping and it is a slippery slope]. All sports have it to a lesser or greater extent, but it doesn't make it right. Most sporting authorities do their best to clamp down on it, but I agree it is hard to police.

I would outlaw toilet breaks after the first set. Only after 2 sets should they be allowed.

I would limit a player's MTOs to 3, 4 or 5 per season (or whatever the authorities believe the right number should be). Perhaps the men should have more given the 5 set matches they play. If a player has reached this number, and they genuinely need a MTO they forfeit the match. If a player "genuinely" needs 4 or more MTOs in an entire season, they have an injury or conditioning problem, so shouldn't really be playing.....in that sense you could argue it would be protecting the health of the player. I don't think a system which relies on some third person determining if a player's need is genuine or not at the time would work, so I think MTO's should be limited by number.

At the moment, Indiana, for certain female players who are down in big matches, you can almost guarantee that this WILL happen and even WHEN it will happen. I don't see how players could object to an approach as per the above, unless they themselves were serial culprits.

indiana · Tennis legend

Thanks korriban for setting that out.

I just tend to think if I was a top sportsman I have my doubts whether I would not be prepared to employ quite common gamesmanship if I thought it really would be helpful. Maybe that makes me a bad person ( although I don't really think so ) and I have come to realise one person's gamesmanship is another person's cheating - eg. recent discussion about Rafa's on court antics ( which don't hugely perturb me at all ).

But I would certainly have a line - most obviously such as doping, but also such as clear cheating in claiming points you knew were not yours. Anyway, that's between me and my maker LOL

Anyway, interesting suggestions and I can see merit in some. The one I would definitely disagee with is forfeiting the match if "genuinely" needing to exceed some MTO quota. OTT I'd say with some score penalty much more appropriate. What would you say the penalty should be for peeing on court, especially if you had asked for a MTO and had ben refused it and / or told you would forfeit the match if you took one ?!