Week 11 - ITF ($10K) - Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt - Hard

TennisLover · Strong Club Player

Week 11 - ITF ($10K) - Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt - Hard

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Bit like jogging on the spot, you get the exercise but don't go anywhere fast. Part of the problem is that the system works better for boys who mature later, there is little or no point in a 15 yr old boy playing senior tennis but the average top long term top 30 lady probably would have benefitted more.

The way in initially is through 10ks and then 15Ks etc ... Obviously there is little point in playing loads of 10ks if progressing through the tournament, its time to move into qualifiers at the next level. So the best players won't play many. Major junior tournaments where the level is consistently high and appropriate why not play them but its all about development, there are many junior stars everyone has forgotten about and it is really important to make sure that all ours get a good understanding of what they need to do to make it in the senior game early and prepare to do what's necessary.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Laura lost 1 & 4

Katie bagelled the first set on serve in the second

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

And Katie wins 6-0 7-5

great job, youngster, well done !!!

paulisi · Tennis legend

Katie won 6-0 7-5

philwrig · Hall of fame

Even though Katie was a break down in the 2nd set the bookies still had her at ridiculous odds to win the match. Clear what their expectations are.
Came through nicely in the end, winning the 2nd set 7-5.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Re all the interesting comments above about junior versus senior tennis as a path for youngsters, and the relative merits, I don't really have a firm opinion as to which is more successful, tennis wise, or strategy wise.

But I do agree with the points made that one of the problems in playing mainly (successful) junior tennis is that it's easy to become a little 'star', a little princess. And then the transition to seniors is very brutal (or can be).

And I think this is particularly dangerous is the UK because

(a) the media are always looking for the next little star/princess, as we don't have enough/hardly any current stars or princesses and so the pressure is on to find the next one and hype it up, and

(b) there's hardly any domestic tennis so although they're are a few top French juniors, who decide to focus on juniors, and who do get some hype etc., if you look at their full results sheets, they will still have played about 50% of their matches in the domestic leagues and tournaments. So they will have been beaten up by a good variety of very good adult players on a weekly basis, even if it's not in 10ks. This isn't available to UK youngsters and is a major problem so the importance of playing 10ks is probably way more so for them. But is, unfortunately, so much more visible than pure domestic tennis.

vohor · Grand Slam Champion

Coup Droit wrote:
And Katie wins 6-0 7-5

great job, youngster, well done !!!

Great stuff biggrin

Needless to say a career best win (setting the bar nice and high as a starter) with maybe another one needed next as 4th seed Yashina RUS ranked 422 likely to be her QF opponent; she's taken the first set of her R2 6-1

KK · Club Coach

Coup Droit wrote:
Re all the interesting comments above about junior versus senior tennis as a path for youngsters, and the relative merits, I don't really have a firm opinion as to which is more successful, tennis wise, or strategy wise.

But I do agree with the points made that one of the problems in playing mainly (successful) junior tennis is that it's easy to become a little 'star', a little princess. And then the transition to seniors is very brutal (or can be).

And I think this is particularly dangerous is the UK because

(a) the media are always looking for the next little star/princess, as we don't have enough/hardly any current stars or princesses and so the pressure is on to find the next one and hype it up, and

(b) there's hardly any domestic tennis so although they're are a few top French juniors, who decide to focus on juniors, and who do get some hype etc., if you look at their full results sheets, they will still have played about 50% of their matches in the domestic leagues and tournaments. So they will have been beaten up by a good variety of very good adult players on a weekly basis, even if it's not in 10ks. This isn't available to UK youngsters and is a major problem so the importance of playing 10ks is probably way more so for them. But is, unfortunately, so much more visible than pure domestic tennis.

Good point about the little star transition to the brutal world of 10Ks. I always wondered if this was the problem with Oli Golding. I think what led me to this was reading the excruitating things written about him by his parents on first his acting website and then his tennis website. If you are constantly being told how wonderful you are, you may come to believe it and this can make it difficult when you face a few knock backs in later life. Much has been written about parents generally in building up their children's egos too much.

-- Edited by KK on Thursday 19th of March 2015 11:14:41 AM

steven · Tennis legend

L16: (Q) Katie Swan UNR beat (8) Prarthana G Thombare (IND) WR 491 (CH 335 last Aug) by 0 & 5

L16: Laura Deigman WR 857 lost to (7) Julia Terziyska (BUL) WR 490 (= CH) by 1 & 4

QF: (Q) Katie Swan UNR v (4) Ekaterina Yashina (RUS) WR 422 (CH 376 in 2012)

LordBrownof · Futures level

LOL while you're all busy debating the various merits of certain pathways, Katie bagelled a recent top 350 player.

TennisLover · Strong Club Player

LordBrownof wrote:
LOL while you're all busy debating the various merits of certain pathways, Katie bagelled a recent top 350 player.

Don't read too much in the bagelling. It shouldn't be of importance. Depends on where the other player's game has been recently, which based on recent results haven't been up to scratch. So outcome is not that surprising. Katie shouldn't be sidetracked by that but rather be pleased with holding on to the second set to see it through when the other girl put up a bit of a fight.

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

Yes, bagel sets are often not representative of anything and often part of a 'quirky' result, but every player loves dishing 'em out!! Well done Katie.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

It's not often you get a MTB of 17-15 !

So our girls must be jumping around like crazy things (assuming they've got the energy left).

Aimee and Katie win their doubles, 2-6 6-2 17-15

philwrig · Hall of fame

Yashina will be a step up looking at her recent form, so a win tomorrow would be a decent scalp.

Hopefully Katie has bundles of energy left as she's played quite a few more matches this week in singles and doubles.