3 quality games in a row from Johanna to wrap up the first set.
It's sometimes difficult, because even when playing well, there are a lot of UE that look ungainly, almost comical - she'll play 2-3 great groundies, set up an earned opportunity, and then play a stinker and miss by miles for no reason.
It's hard on occasion to strip that out when reviewing the play, and remember how amny good shots and points she plays.
Now, can she also address her other bete noire, and keep that focus and consistent level going for another set?
Great hold. Went from cruising at 40-0 to an unsuccessful challenge and struggling with the first serve and it was 40-A in no time, but a fine recovery.
Is there some weird scheduling rule, or broadcasting commitment of which I am unaware?
Whenever a tournament has the situation that they have currently in Montreal - with 'TBF' incomplete matches held over from the previous day - then those matches are never scheduled the first matches of the next days OOP. Today, both Johanna and Halep's matches are second up on their respective courts. There are also R32 matches that did not get started yesterday and are scheduled still later in the day.
Yet, the first matches scheduled today on these courts are both R16 matches!
This is routine practice, all tournaments seem to do this regularly in such circumstances. It seems to make a compound nonsensical and illogical error that ends up doubly benefiting the players unaffected by the weather. There must be a reason though, they wouldn't do it en masse otherwise.
Does anyone have any light to shed in the matter, please?
Yes, certainly very much the norm not to start schedules with unfinished matches but to put these on second.
It is a practice ( not aware of any rule? ) that is certainly broken at times, most particularly I am aware of at the sharp end of big tournaments, eg. the Djokovic vs Nadal Wimbledon SF conclusion preceded the women's final, and clearly that had to be the way to go there.
I guess schedules will often already have been out for the next day with match 1 being whatever and some spectators kind of ready and planning for that so maybe a bit less disruptive to the expectations to begin as already scheduled and slip in the unfinished match second in the revised schedule. Whether that much of a deal but all I can really think of. Also, actually thinking a bit more, if quite a late abandonment the previous day you would also clearly be affecting a bit the plans of the players who were scheduled first on if pushing them back whereas the later players always had much more uncertainty in timing. And yes I guess on occasion broadcasters would prefer to be as sure as can be of at least the opening match. So adding a few things together it maybe just has become a practice that is followed generally even when not seemingly the best way to go in isolation.
As long as the winning player's second match isn't scheduled too quickly on top I'm not sure though that it is a big deal for the players or disadvantage. In fact if well through the first match I would imagine players would prefer not to have too long between their two matches - certainly not very early and very late.
I take the points. If there are any delays today, the players to most likely complete would be those that are already a round ahead.
One 'casualty' of the delay and scheduling is that Jo & Shuai won't get to continue their blossoming partnership:
R16: Johanna KONTA/Shuai ZHANG (GBR/CHN) 199 (129 + 70) lost to Andreja KLEPAC/María José MARTÍNEZ SÁNCHEZ (SLO/ESP) [6] 26 (13 + 13) w/o