Weeks 26-27 - Wimbledon women's main draw

Jan · Hall of fame

RE: Weeks 26-27 - Wimbledon women's main draw

PaulM · Tennis legend

Tara so, so nervous. Meekly down 0-40, saves two, double faults.

5-5*

Jon · Junior player

But three break points...

PaulM · Tennis legend

4 horrific errors from Zvonareva hand Tara a love break and a second chance

*6-5

Jon · Junior player

6-6

I'm not sure whether to applaud Zvonareva's battling qualities or despair at Tara's inability to close this one out.

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Well the standard was high until Tara served for the match. Then Vera played a truly abysmal game to gift Tara another chance. Tara's serve has just gone to pieces both times she's served for the match.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

You could cry . . .

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Shame. Really super performance apart from when serving for the match.

Jan · Hall of fame

so close Tara

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

Tara played really well today in what was a much improved match from both players compared to yesterday, but she couldn't hold it together serving for the match.

Pre-tournament, two players through the first round was about par, but today's match was tough to watch with Tara going so close (and there seems to be one of those matches in the first round every year).

indiana · Tennis legend

Oh nooo !!! Gutting....

BeefyDeedz · Pro player

Disappointing result and it will be painful to take it so close but fair play re. the performance.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

tony_orient wrote:
Tara played really well today in what was a much improved match from both players compared to yesterday, but she couldn't hold it together serving for the match.

Pre-tournament, two players through the first round was about par, but today's match was tough to watch with Tara going so close (and there seems to be one of those matches in the first round every year).

What with her, and JoKo's match, we could well have had 4 girls through to the second round smile cry

But, then, Naomi could well have lost that second set TB too . . .

If 'ifs and ans' were pots and pans, and all that . . .

PaulM · Tennis legend

I thought that was, ultimately, a disappointing performance against a player who was totally out of sorts after months out with injury and just asking to be beaten. Tara really tightened up at the finish line, waited for errors that weren't coming instead of playing the ball in the manner that got her to the brink of victory when she was thinking more clearly and constructing points a bit better. Other than the two points at 30-30 to hold to for 5-4, Vera didn't really bring anything special to the table to turn the end of the match around, it was all Tara sitting back and not forcing the play. I think that, in the end, she just didn't believe she could win.

Twice down 0-40, save two break points brilliantly, and double faults on the third. Really sore one, she should have closed it out and won't get many better opportunities to (finally) kickstart her journey up the rankings and get to the level her game at its best deserves to take her because when she flicked her switch and strung some fantastic passages of play together it was so exciting to watch. She didn't kick on at all after her performance against Kanepi (where she played better than against Vera), but let's hope that this fires something up inside her, rather than causes her to be lost in more self doubt.

So frustrating, because as Sam said, when she's good, she's very very good, and she really should have been going home this afternoon with her place in round 2 secured.

-- Edited by PaulM on Wednesday 25th of June 2014 02:17:11 PM

Forbesman · Social player

What a shame! Played really well throughout that set until it came to serve for the match (twice) and then Tara went to pieces. She admitted in the brief interview afterwards that she was nervous, but she will be kicking herself now that she didn't close it out after such good work beforehand.