Week 27/28 Wimbledon Main Draw - Singles

wimdledont · Challenger level

Week 27/28 Wimbledon Main Draw - Singles

DF · Tennis legend

Katie takes the opportunities and the set 6-3

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

Really impressive first set from Katie. So composed for her first ever set at Wimbledon. Helped along by McHale playing really badly.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Chrissy McHale is woeful.

But Katie has not been passive about sitting back and waiting for the error. She's played confident, forward hitting tennis.

Go Katie !

DF · Tennis legend

McHale playing better and is now 3-0 up in the second

wimdledont · Challenger level

McHale levels it

6-3, 5-7...

Peter too · Tennis legend

R1: BOULTER, Katie (GBR) WC 235 lost to MCHALE, Christina (USA) 60 6-3 5-7 3-6
R2: BROADY, Naomi (GBR) WC 109 lost to BEGU, Irina-Camelia (ROU) 64 4-6 2-6
R1: KONTA, Johanna (GBR) 6 7 def HSIEH, Su-Wei (TPE) 113 6-2 6-2
R1: WATSON, Heather (GBR) WC 102 def ZANEVSKA, Maryna (BEL) 119 6-1 7-6(5)
R1: ROBSON, Laura (GBR) WC 189 lost to HADDAD MAIA, Beatriz (BRA) 97 4-6 2-6

R2: KONTA, Johanna (GBR) 6 7 v VEKIC, Donna (CRO) 58 CH=57 26/6/17 H2H 1-1
Cincinnati 2016 6-2 6-3
Nottingham 2017 6-2 6-7(3) 5-7

R2: WATSON, Heather (GBR) WC 102 v SEVASTOVA, Anastasija (LAT) 18 19 CH=18 15/5/17 H2H 0-1
Pattaya 2013 6-7(4) 6-4 2-6

wimdledont · Challenger level

And McHale wins 3-6, 7-5, 6-3

Very good performance from KB to take a set off the world number 60.

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Good performance from Katie. First serve looked good at times. Obviously benefited from Christina's shocking opening set. Plenty of areas that should improve over time, and will need to, if she is to get into the top 100.

Shame her first serve deserted her towards the end of the 2nd set. She got away with it when she held for 5-5 but not the 2nd time.

McHale played well in the final set. Katie got the early break but struggled to compete when Christina was striking the ball cleanly.

Katie's fastest serve 111 mph. Regularly serving 104 - 108 mph.

Her drop shots immediately after her serve were delightful.

Hope she can become a bit more aggressive over the next 18 months or so.

-- Edited by kundalini on Tuesday 4th of July 2017 04:20:40 PM

Mervatron2 · Challenger qualifying

Shame that I tuned in at 2-1 in the third. Plenty of positives from Katie but also plenty to work on. Onwards and upwards now. I'd like to see her make the US open qualies and realy get comfortably into the top 200 by the end of the year.

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

I was very impressed by Katie's attitude today, she seemed to enjoy and and she looked relaxed for the most part, which allowed to play well and was a contrast to Laura and Naomi yesterday who were tense and didn't play to the level they were capable of as a result.

Unfortunately McHale upped her game significantly in the 2nd and 3rd sets and exposed some weaknesses in Katie's game. Katie has a lot of work to do to get to a top 100 level game but she already has a good serve and showed some lovely touch on the drop shots today. I'm also confident from today that she will have the mental ability to do well at a higher level if her game improves.

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

Thought Katie B did well. Just not quite able to sustain her level right through the match which let McHale grow (a bit!) in confidence. I only see good things ahead for Miss Boulter.

Regarding Laura R, contrary to (nearly) everyone else, I did see some improvement. A year ago, it was wild slashes at winners and zero point construction with a generous helping of DFs. Serve seemed a bit more reliable, though maybe through going for a tad less speed, none of the constant throwing and catching before every single serve and her whole game was a bit more controlled and contained. Footwork as always let her down and probably made worse by nerves. I just thought she looked a bit more of a solid player all round. At her ranking (which IMO reflects her current standard of play) I don't think we should have expected too much from her. Would have been nice to see her scrapping a bit more in the 2nd set though rather than letting her shoulders drop. Certainly worth a WC (as was Tara) based on her ranking, age, history and the other WCs given out.

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Agree with tony, nice to see Katie enjoying the match, though she got a bit fed up with Christina's ridiculous run of net-cord winners.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Great effort by KB, certainly looked at home on the Wimby courts.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Agree with all the above - Katie made a good fist of her first appearance.
She certainly didn't look 'rabbit in the headlights', like Katie Swan rather did last year (Katie S was obviously a lot younger, but it showed).
There were quite a lot of points where I got the feeling Katie B thought she'd won the point, or should have won the point, because in ITF tennis, she would have done. But for top 100 tennis it was a little tentative at key times and it's obviously not something she's had experience of. But there were some very nice skills, and a good attitude. Enjoyed it.