Week 14 - WTA International ($250K) - Katowice, Poland - Hard, Indoor

DF · Tennis legend

Week 14 - WTA International ($250K) - Katowice, Poland - Hard, Indoor

indiana · Tennis legend

First set away 4-6.

I was wondering how much prior info and when players get given re anticipated pace of courts to help them decide schedules. I read that Katowice was much faster before.

Anyway, Naomi needs her serve functioning, or as best as it can here. She is probably a bit off generally being a top 100 player ( yet ) off the ground, which gives Pauline a great chance.

-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 7th of April 2016 01:04:22 PM

jb288 · Satellite level

The difference in depth between Parmentier's shots and Naomi's feels like the biggest difference today.

Jaffa · Challenger level

She's got the break back in the second.

I agree with indiana but she is more than capable of playing better than she is today.

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Suddenly Naomi looks far more alive on court after Pauline's level drops, allowing Naomi to break for 3-3

vohor · Grand Slam Champion

Was that a tide turning there? Naomi saves a BP at 1*-3 and then get her first break of the match; and then holds :)
4-3*

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

indiana wrote:
I was wondering how much prior info and when players get given re anticipated pace of courts to help them decide schedules. I read that Katowice was much faster before.

It was. This is nothing like main court of the last few years, which was properly indoor-hard-fast. The other court, which Naomi played on in her R1 match, is closer to the surface the players were probably expecting. This year, the redone main court seems to have been crafted from mouldy old dough. It is not only slow, but also very noticeably and verifiably variable of bounce.
Pliskova, Flipkens & Schmiedlova, at least, have all commented unfavourably on how stodgy and different the court is compared to previous occasions.

vohor · Grand Slam Champion

vohor wrote:
Was that a tide turning there? Naomi saves a BP at 1*-3 and then get her first break of the match; and then holds :)
4-3*

Just ebb and flow it seems; Naomi broken to love for 5-6* cry

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

insomniacfolder wrote:
indiana wrote:
I was wondering how much prior info and when players get given re anticipated pace of courts to help them decide schedules. I read that Katowice was much faster before.
It was. This is nothing like main court of the last few years, which was properly indoor-hard-fast. The other court, which Naomi played on in her R1 match, is closer to the surface the players were probably expecting. This year, the redone main court seems to have been crafted from mouldy old dough. It is not only slow, but also very noticeably and verifiably variable of bounce.
Pliskova, Flipkens & Schmiedlova, at least, have all commented unfavourably on how stodgy and different the court is compared to previous occasions.

I think even with prior knowledge, Naomi would always have chosen to play what is the last available WTA hard court tournament for a few months. And having won a round, that decision is justified.

Unfortunately a round is all Naomi will win after being broken again at 5-5

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Naomi managed to lose the last 10 points of the match. From 5-4* her performance level completely collapsed.

Positives: First serve percentage better than usual. A few impressive volleys and the occasional aggressive forehand return of a 2nd serve. Displayed some fight in the 2nd set when it looked like she might give up. Great defence on a couple of points. Negatives: backhand return of 2nd serves was shocking, movement painfully slow, lack of penetration on ground-strokes, far too many incredible errors, couldn't deal with anything that landed near her baseline.

Pauline played well for most of the match though her level did drop for a spell midway through the 2nd set.

Looking at the stats, a significant chunk of the difference between the players was unreturned 2nd serves (P8 - B4) and dfs (P2 - B4)

-- Edited by kundalini on Thursday 7th of April 2016 02:48:13 PM

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

kundalini wrote:
Naomi managed to lose the last 10 points of the match. From 5-4* her performance level completely collapsed.

Positives: First serve percentage better than usual. A few impressive volleys and the occasional aggressive forehand return of a 2nd serve. Displayed some fight in the 2nd set when it looked like she might give up. Great defence on a couple of points. Negatives: backhand return of 2nd serves was shocking, movement painfully slow, lack of penetration on ground-strokes, far too many incredible errors, couldn't deal with anything that landed near her baseline.

Pauline played well for most of the match though her level did drop for a spell midway through the 2nd set.
Looking at the stats, a significant chunk of the difference between the players was unreturned 2nd serves (P8 - B4) and dfs (P2 - B4)

-- Edited by kundalini on Thursday 7th of April 2016 02:48:13 PM

Naomi was 9/27 on 2nd serves and Parmentier was 18/27 - that is a big enough difference to be decisive in most matches.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Better to play that badly in round 2 than round 1 I suppose! Still another Tour win banked as she heads to clay. Interesting to see how she gets on.

indiana · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:
SF: Naomi Broady & Alicja Rosolska (POL) CR 184 (122+62) vs Basak Eraydin & Lidziya Marozava (TUR/BLR) CR 293 (183+110) or Eri Hozumi & Miyu Kato (JPN/JPN) CR 181 (78+103)

It is the Japanese pair that came through. The SF match is first on Centre Court on Saturday, at 2 pm local, 1 pm BST

Already waiting in the final are Valentyna Ivakhenko & Marina Melnikova (RUS/RUS) CR 259 (153+106). They beat the number 2 seeds Kalashnikova & Schuurs CR 135 in the QF

insomniacfolder · Challenger level

Semi final is underway. No stream though

1-0*

paulisi · Tennis legend

Good start 3-0 up