Week 40 - ITF ($10K) - Bol, Croatia Clay

Peter too · Tennis legend

Week 40 - ITF ($10K) - Bol, Croatia Clay

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I have developed rather a soft spot for Soumeya.

She doesn't really look like your standard tennis player, nor play like one either. And (at Roehampton) was held together by so much strapping and tape that you rather feared she might break up in pieces when she took it off.

But she plays doubles with an obvious enjoyment, a quirky smile (even when she completely air shots the ball), a real doubles approach, and flashes of unorthodox brilliance which most certainly aren't in the teaching manual - it's endearing

And they only lost in a MTB to the eventual winners (Emma and Laura), in a 50:50 match...

I assume she's here more for the doubles (Natasha and her should be getting a WTA ranking this week, not that it'll count here yet, I don't suppose).

But good luck to her !

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

No luck in the singles, not too surprisingly: hopefully the duo get into the doubles main draw.

QR1: ANANE, Soumeya (GBR) UNR lost to MRCELA, Klara (CRO) UNR 17yo JCH=1077 6-3 6-4

QR1: BARRETT, Graziella (GBR) UNR lost to PALCATOVA, Barbora (SVK) UNR 18yo JCH= 768 6-0 6-2

QR1: HILLYER, Natasha (GBR) UNR lost to CUBRANOVIC, Milica (SRB) UNR 7-6(4) 6-1

Peter too · Tennis legend

That could have gone better.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Peter too wrote:
That could have gone better.

I think the singles for Natasha and Soumeya is just an aside - it's the doubles that they're focusing on.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Nice of the Croatians to give them a wildcard but poor Tasha and Soumeya have drawn the second seeds in the doubles.....

steven · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
Peter too wrote:
That could have gone better.

I think the singles for Natasha and Soumeya is just an aside - it's the doubles that they're focusing on.

Already focusing almost solely on doubles when playing at 10K level? Surely not - even by British standards of putting doubles before singles, that would be a bit sad.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

It all proved a bit too much for the GB pair: Natasha and Soumeya lost 3-6 0-6