Week 7 - WTA Premier 5 ($3,198,000) - Doha, Qatar

JonH · All-time great

Week 7 - WTA Premier 5 ($3,198,000) - Doha, Qatar

Strongbow · All-time great

Heartbroken wink

the addict · Tennis legend

Waste of a wild card

telstar · Strong Club Player

JonH wrote:
Sharapova lost first round to Niculescu. Shame.

Wish I'd seen that. A triumph for natural guile and unique style over chemically-supported brute strength!

indiana · Tennis legend

First set to Jo against Pera 7-6(5)

3 breaks apiece, I noted the last one was to Jo at 5-6*.

Samson · Lower Club Player

Pera rather fell apart in the 2nd. Jo won it, and with it the match, 6-1.

indiana · Tennis legend

R1: (10) Johanna Konta WR 11 (CH 4 in July 2017) beat (Q) Bernarda Pera (USA) WR 113 (CH 111 last month) 7-6(5) 6-1

Carla Suarez Navarro or Kateryna Bondarenko next with potentially (8) Angie Kerber in R3 ( she plays Sam Stosur in R2 ).

-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 13th of February 2018 03:33:05 PM

blob · All-time great

Good for Jo to correct that AO blemish in convincing fashion at the first time of asking.
Carla has a very good record here in recent years, having won the titel in 2016, and been a semi-finallist in 2015, so if that is the match-up, then that's not going to be easy if CSN's maintains her improved form shown at the AO.

I watched the Niculescu/Pova match. I rarely, if ever have anything good to say about the latter. Monica's slice was in such crisp form, it forced Pova to return in kind, digging out balls, and in the spiritmof trying to find the good in all places, I can say that Maria has a very good slice indeed - forehand and backhand - it's just she never uses it. She lost becasue she made 52 unforced errors, and on at least a half dozen occasions, missed the court completely, entirely outside the tramlines - when going for winners. Monica was patient, and as mosquito-like-annoying as is her métier. The frustration on the other sode of the net was palpable, and then, I'm afraid to say, the schadenfreude took over for me: I rather enjoyed it.

wolf · Tennis legend

Anna about to start, and it is streamed.

blob · All-time great

Carla came through in three, so is Johanna's next opponent.

indiana · Tennis legend

L32: (10) Johanna Konta WR 11 (CH 4 in July 2017) vs Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) WR 29 (CH 6 in February 2016)

Michael D · All-time great

Anna and Renata's doubles have started, but they've lost the first set 3-6. Not looking very good on serve at all, only 1/10 second serves won, and 1/5 service games won. Those stats will have to improve significantly if they want a look in in this match.

Peter too · Tennis legend

Jo played Carla in Wuhan in 2016 winning 7-5 7-6(6)

blob · All-time great

Anna has played sparingly thus far, and us yet to get a useful handhold on the 2018 season. Dubai the kickstarter? Hope so. This wasn't especially close.
R32: Anna SMITH/Renata VORACOVA (GBR/CZE) 81 (47 + 34) lost to Andreja KLEPAC/María José MARTÍNEZ SÁNCHEZ (SLO/ESP) [8] 52 (26 + 26) 3-6 3-6

Michael D · All-time great

blob wrote:
Anna has played sparingly thus far, and us yet to get a useful handhold on the 2018 season. Dubai the kickstarter? Hope so. This wasn't especially close.
R32: Anna SMITH/Renata VORACOVA (GBR/CZE) 81 (47 + 34) lost to Andreja KLEPAC/María José MARTÍNEZ SÁNCHEZ (SLO/ESP) [8] 52 (26 + 26) 3-6 3-6

Yes, slightly better serving stats in the second set and just one break in it, but the score is the same. Nicole Melichar, Anna's partner from end of last year also lost in the first round today. Wonder what Anna's coming partner plans are too, to stick with Renata for a while or continue to twist, having played with Naomi Broady in the Aus Open last up (and of course, Katie B in the Fed Cup, but they are on different tracks at the moment).