Week 5 - ITF ($100K) - Midland, MI, USA - Hard, Indoor

paulisi · Tennis legend

Week 5 - ITF ($100K) - Midland, MI, USA - Hard, Indoor

blob · All-time great

paulisi wrote:
As well as winning the singles here last year, Naomi has doubles final points to defend.

Yes, she was queen of Midland last year.
With two more wins this year already, she's unbeaten in 11 matches in Michigan now, in all competitions.

indiana · Tennis legend

blob wrote:
paulisi wrote:
As well as winning the singles here last year, Naomi has doubles final points to defend.
Yes, she was queen of Midland last year.
With two more wins this year already, she's unbeaten in 11 matches in Michigan now, in all competitions.

Well she would be if she'd won last year's doubles final. Still pretty good though ...

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

I know a stream has been posted but there is an alternate one from the event itself

https://livestream.com/accounts/277143/DowTennisClassic

wolf · Tennis legend

Just tuned in...Naomi leads 4-3* but it seems a spectator has fallen ill and play has stopped.

wolf · Tennis legend

It looks like the spectator had a heart attack, he's conscious and has been taken to hospital. Play has restarted.

wolf · Tennis legend

Naomi takes the first set 7-6(5).

wolf · Tennis legend

Naomi wins 7-6(5) 6-0.

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

The last woman standing so to speak. Naomi hanging on to her top 100 ranking for now. Midland ITF is a great tournament I believe they really look after the players. Think it was Emily or Naomi Cavaday that posted about this. I watched the semi and final on stream last year as well as the presentation. This was where Naomi broke the top 100 would be a shame if she left it by losing here.

British tennis could maybe look at these examples of how to run a tournament below WTA level. They are probably too busy trying to get a good deal on strawberries at Wimbledon though.

AliBlahBlah · All-time great

R16: Naomi BROADY (GBR) [3] 98 defeated Danielle LAO (USA) 322 7-6(5) 6-0

QF: Naomi BROADY (GBR) [3] 98 v. Sesil KARATANTCHEVA (BUL) 215 (CH 35, Nov. 2005)
> H2H 0-2
> 2015 Linz, Austria - WTA International - Hard, Indoor - QR1 - Karatantcheva by 6-2 4-6 6-4
> 2012 French Open - GS - Clay - SK [q14] - QR1 - Karatantcheva by 6-0 6-1

Priesty · Challenger level

How far does Naomi have to get this week to retain the top 100 ranking?

vohor · Grand Slam Champion

Pretty sure Naomi would need to retain her title Priesty; so far so good smile

Good to see Naomi edging that tight first set and then roaring through the second biggrin

-- Edited by vohor on Friday 3rd of February 2017 08:31:39 AM

vohor · Grand Slam Champion

Jaggy1876 wrote:
The last woman standing so to speak. Naomi hanging on to her top 100 ranking for now. Midland ITF is a great tournament I believe they really look after the players. Think it was Emily or Naomi Cavaday that posted about this. I watched the semi and final on stream last year as well as the presentation. This was where Naomi broke the top 100 would be a shame if she left it by losing here.

British tennis could maybe look at these examples of how to run a tournament below WTA level.

Yes Emily was always singing the praises of this tournament.

Agree there are lessons to be learnt; when this was a 75k and there was a 75k in Shrewsbury, my local tournament, the difference couldn't have been more stark on the organisational and pre-publicity front. But hey, I saw Bally and Katie O'Brien break into the top 100 together so it was great on that score smile

AliBlahBlah · All-time great

Priesty wrote:
How far does Naomi have to get this week to retain the top 100 ranking?

She definitely need to retain the title.
Even that might not be enough. If Boserup is the other finallist here, and Lin Zhu wins the Taipei title, Naomi would still miss out.

As for this event, it's well known to be one of the best regarded women's ITF events.
But, then, they have been holding the same event for 28 years consecutively with the same very enthusiastic large corporate sponsor. Many of the volunteers have also been present the whole run, and have their routines down.
Samantha Murray went to college next door, and commented how this was pretty much the social event of the year in Midland, a real focus for the town, like a carnival might be elsewhere.
You can't just learn that sought of experience and well honed routine by observing it, it comes from the practice; any more than you can suddenly play like Serena just by observing her. I'm sure there are lessons that could be learned, but this event is exceptional largely for reasons that can't easily be copied.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

USTA best tennis town 2009!

But it reminds me of commentary about the cricketwe Mark Waugh when one commentator suggested that he was perhaps the best all rounder in the world to be told "he is not even the best all rounder in his own family". We just don't do sport like the Americans do. It is also the lesser of the 16! midlands, there is also a midland city (and one in California which changed its name because it, California, had two) in the USA from a sporting perspective.

Midland (Tx) has a better baseball team (Rockhounds affiliated to the A's). Football team West Texas Soccers, American football West Texas Tackle and of course mental (it's official tittle) high school football (ref Friday night lights). Best of all there are plans for a 36 court tennis centre "the Bush center" so who knows in a few years time midland may have a rival!

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Friday 3rd of February 2017 03:31:31 PM