Week 43 - ITF ($60K) - Liuzhou, China Hard

Peter too · Tennis legend

Week 43 - ITF ($60K) - Liuzhou, China Hard

flamingowings · All-time great

Please, please beat Errani Laura.

Priesty · Challenger level

Didn't know Errani had dropped that far down the rankings, bit shocked.

blob · All-time great

Priesty wrote:
Didn't know Errani had dropped that far down the rankings, bit shocked.

Drugs ban.
It's a damned shame that she's already back, but she's served her time - just two months - and that's that. The mitigation is that she claimed she ingested her mothers breast cancer medication.
Horrible shame for Laura.

Edit: I should have added that she also had 5 months results annulled, hence the large drop in ranking; she was also clsoe to dropping out of the top 100 through poor performance at the time of the positive test as well. Used to be one I had a lot of time for; not now.

-- Edited by blob on Monday 23rd of October 2017 07:57:03 PM

indiana · Tennis legend

The explanation given as to how Errani ingested the medication is wonderful comedy / fantasy if it wasn't such a serious matter. The ITF seem to work on the basis that if you can't disprove an explanation ...

I guess the problem is that say one in a hundred of the ludicrous explanations given for taking banned drugs may well be true. Folk can do the strangest things. So do you accept some poor individual will get the rough end sometime and say stuff of nonsense and give out a more appropriate ban and put the ball back in their court or what?

skibbarriz · Strong Club Player

ITF are still better than Fifa. Cling on to that.

blob · All-time great

Second seeded Laura, with Jacqueline Cako, started very well, the second set has been tougher, and they just saved two set-points, 6-0 5-5*

blob · All-time great

And, they come through in a second set, tie break.
Maybe playing the doubles prior to the singles this week will help acclimatise, or something, and generate better R32 singles fortune than was the case last week, though the opponent looks tougher.

R16: Robson/Cako (GBR/USA) [2] 219 defeated Guo/Ye (CHN/CHN) 305 6-0 7-6(5)

blob · All-time great

2 breaks each already, 3-3*

blob · All-time great

There was only one further break in the set, but it went the wrong way, 4-6

blob · All-time great

Second serve completely destroyed (15.4% won - 2/13).
First serve appears good, even allowing for perhaps taking something off it in order to not have to make a second serve, in light of the above. 1st Serve % & win % still held up.

It was a horrid draw, but this is a $60K, you get those, and you've got to deal with them. Where next?

4-6 1-6

Peter too · Tennis legend

blob wrote:

It was a horrid draw, but this is a $60K, you get those, and you've got to deal with them. Where next?

Shenzhen, China $100K the week after next.

blob · All-time great

Peter too wrote:
blob wrote:
It was a horrid draw, but this is a $60K, you get those, and you've got to deal with them. Where next?
Shenzhen, China $100K the week after next.

Ah, thank you. Well, the good news is that Errani doesn't look like she'll be there, and the acceptance list looks considerably weaker for that $100K than is the case for this $60K.

Just have to hope for a compatible draw, and that something clicks.

hoots · Intermediate Club Player

Not good enough I'm afraid

scottie1 · Futures level

blob wrote:
Second serve completely destroyed (15.4% won - 2/13).
First serve appears good, even allowing for perhaps taking something off it in order to not have to make a second serve, in light of the above. 1st Serve % & win % still held up.

It was a horrid draw, but this is a $60K, you get those, and you've got to deal with them. Where next?

4-6 1-6

Sara Errani is way under ranked and will be back in top 50 probably in next 6 months. I never thought Laura would beat her. Little wins this year for Laura should drop down to 25k or 15k tournaments to get those wins to boost her confidence