Week 42 - ITF ($10,000) - Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt (hard)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

RE: Week 42 - ITF ($10,000) - Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt (hard)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I know what you mean, Josh, and say it VERY softly but Laura did actually get a bit of help with her two QFs (got two victories by retirement in the last one and had a R1 bye in the other). Not taking anything away - in fact well done on her for going and taking advantage of it - but maybe not a good base for a comparison.

And just to be complete:

QF : Ola ABOU ZEKRY (EGY) / Karina VENDITTI (BRA) [2] def. Katy DUNNE (GBR) / Ashmitha EASWARAMURTHI (IND) 7-6(4) 6-1

sorry - that crossed with the others . ..

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Thursday 17th of October 2013 03:05:56 PM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Katy 4-0 up and scoreboard moving along quickly !

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Katy wraps us that set 6-0.

Nice to see her taking advantage of the lucky break (yashina's w/o) and doing so decisively.

However, Mertens has just won her second match in a row 6-0 6-0 and will be the potential QF match for katy - a far more challenging challenge !

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

L16: Katy Dunne WR 800 def. (Q) Reem Fayed (EGY) UNR 6-0 6-1

QF : Katy Dunne WR 800 v. (5) Elise Mertens (BEL) 751

Elise (age 17) has only really played a couple of tournaments back in spring (probably doing her exams in June/July) but won the last 10k and made the semi-final in other.

Josh · Challenger level

Is this tournament a fair bit stronger than the ones Laura Deigman was playing here a few weeks ago? Or has Katy just got a pretty rough QF draw?

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Josh wrote:
Is this tournament a fair bit stronger than the ones Laura Deigman was playing here a few weeks ago? Or has Katy just got a pretty rough QF draw?

steven's your man for this.

But this one in Egypt is actually a LOT weaker than the current tournaments in Greece and Turkey.

I think the QF draw is quite exciting - they're both exactly the same age (well, Elise is 6 months younger), both up and coming, I expect they know each other from juniors (DavidC ?) - it's time to move up to adults.

steven · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
Josh wrote:
Is this tournament a fair bit stronger than the ones Laura Deigman was playing here a few weeks ago? Or has Katy just got a pretty rough QF draw?
steven's your man for this.
But this one in Egypt is actually a LOT weaker than the current tournaments in Greece and Turkey.
I think the QF draw is quite exciting - they're both exactly the same age (well, Elise is 6 months younger), both up and coming, I expect they know each other from juniors (DavidC ?) - it's time to move up to adults.

It tends to only be the first couple of rounds here that are really easy - WR 751 isn't too scary for a QF opponent, Mertens just happens to be very strong for a WR 751 (she's junior no. 7) and, as CD said, hasn't dropped a single game so far this week.

As DavidC would confirm, they do know each other from juniors - in fact Katy beat her 5-7 6-4 6-4 in Osaka around this time last year! Katy's pretty good for a WR 800 too, after all! (though admittedly Mertens does seem to be making a slightly more impressive transition to seniors thus far)

Josh · Challenger level

Ok maybe just my perceptions then.

I was thinking if even Deigman can make a couple of QFs here then surely Katy is a decent bet for a final or a title during the trip. Then to run into a top 10 Junior, even if she has a winning record against her, in just the Quarters seemed pretty tough luck.

wolf · Tennis legend

QF: Ola ABOU ZEKRY (EGY) / Karina VENDITTI (BRA) [2] beat Katy DUNNE (GBR) / Ashmitha EASWARAMURTHI (IND) 7-6(4) 6-1

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, though as Steven indicates, seeding and rankingswise, Katy, as unseeded WR 800, is meeting the number 5 seed, WR 751, in the QF of a 10K, which in those terms can in no way remotely be described as indicating a tough draw in a stronger tournament.

The fact that it is probably a markedly underranked WR 751 is quite another matter.

steven · Tennis legend

Josh wrote:
Ok maybe just my perceptions then.

I was thinking if even Deigman can make a couple of QFs here then surely Katy is a decent bet for a final or a title during the trip. Then to run into a top 10 Junior, even if she has a winning record against her, in just the Quarters seemed pretty tough luck.

All I meant was that the field as a whole wasn't noticeably stronger than for the other Sharm 10Ks - you're right that by the standards of the draws here this year, meeting a top 10 junior in the QFs is pretty rough luck.

It could be the highest standard QF they've had here for a while!

indiana · Tennis legend

Just looking further, there were very easy draws to be had outside the seeds in any of the Egypt weeks, though the depths of seeds was less when Laura played, with her managing to be no 5 seed while WR 961 in week 39 and no 8 seed while WR 933 in week 40.

There still seemed to be relatively highly ranked top seeds with Laura meeting the no 3 seed and WR 449 in the QF in week 40.

PockyTastic · Futures level

Shame... onto next week with 4 points in the bag so far this trip. The entry list for next week looks of a similar standards; a few strong competitors have entered (Zaniewska, Mertens) but if she can avoid them in the 1st round or 2, there is a good chance for Katy to replicate this week or push on deeper before returning to the UK to play Barnstaple, Loughborough and Manchester.

-- Edited by PockyTastic on Friday 18th of October 2013 10:45:50 AM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Katy and Elise have started
3*-1 to Mertens