Week 4 - ITF ($50K) - Maui, Hawaii, USA - Hard

indiana · Tennis legend

RE: Week 4 - ITF ($50K) - Maui, Hawaii, USA - Hard

Kounosuke · Intermediate Club Player

indiana wrote:
wolf wrote:
Naomi will probably have to face world #93 Magda Linette next who was a late entry who came through qualifying and thus didn't get seeded, so that's a bit rough.
Pity, though maybe less of an issue for Naomi than others in that I would think that her results are probably more than ordinarily dependant on how she plays, particularly serves, independant of the opposition.
Along the same lines I agree with wimdledont re her looking out for WTA opportunities where she might win big points if she's in the 'zone'.
Related query re Magda Linette : sometimes I see high ranked players come through qualifying and be seeded in the main draw, sometimes not with the main draw being drawn before qualifying is completed. Do the rules on this vary by tournament type or are there no particular rules?

Seedings are only official when the draw is made, which must take place before 7 PM the day before the MD starts. It therefore depends entirely on when qualifying finishes.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Naomi next up on centre and there is a live stream

www.usta.com/Pro-Tennis/Pro-Circuit/2016_pro_circuit_womens_live_streaming/

wolf · Tennis legend

wimdledont wrote:
A note in passing, especially in the hope that Fitzy might visit here...

With apparently less ITFs to go around this year, some of these top-tier tournaments seem to have highly stacked fields.

Next week, for example, Naomi's down as entry 10 for the 100k at Midland - unseeded.

It's a shame she's not also entered the WTA 500k in Taiwan the following week which, other than Venus, seems to have a weaker field. Second seed will be somewhere round WR65.

After most of a decade studying and gaming the ITF entry lists as best she can, I hope she'll also now be keeping an eye out for upcoming WTAs as well. My impression would be that she's much more likely to break into the big time after one week of quixotic brilliance, rising to a big occasion when she's theoretically out of her grade, than by methodically and reliably stringing together a good sequence of consistent results at a median level.

She's direct entry into the main draw of a WTA in Kuala Lumpur in Week 9.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Yeah this was a bad bit of luck given the overall weakness of the draw. Broken after game points

*0-2

wimdledont · Challenger level

Yes, she's now got a good enough ranking to regularly make the cut-off for WTA DAs. I hope she'll take as many as possible. I fancy her chances more to make a breakthrough as an unseeded outsider at these, than as a consistently-performing seed on the ITF.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Sloppy opening service game, 2 dfs and struggled with timing.

paulisi · Tennis legend

PS any idea why Marcus is out there? There are only three Brits in main draw - Naomi, Kyle and Darren Walsh

PaulM · Tennis legend

Playing terribly in the early stages, service winner or unforced error. Barely making any returns. Managed to find some timing off the ground to save a break point in that game.

2-3*

She has far more weapons than Linette, but needs to find the consistency and keep her cool.

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Wow! That was an incredibly bad set of tennis from Naomi. Truly wretched.

41% first serve percentage, 5dfs, 11 forehand unforced errors, 4 backhand unforced errors, one poor drop shot and some pretty awful returns too.

-- Edited by kundalini on Thursday 28th of January 2016 09:48:31 PM

PaulM · Tennis legend

Much better but sloppy on her break points

paulisi · Tennis legend

Agree that Naomi is much better, just a bit tight on the big points. Just need to take the chances when they come and they are coming more frequently

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Finally gets the break, having rather wasted her earlier bp chances.

paulisi · Tennis legend

A deserved break for Naomi.

Linette's defensive qualities are very good. I'd actually forgotten that I saw Gabby Taylor demolish her for a set at Ilkey. She went on to reach the final there.

indiana · Tennis legend

And neatly serves out the set

One set all.