Week 34 - ITF ($15K) - Caslano, Switzerland Clay

AliBlahBlah · All-time great

Week 34 - ITF ($15K) - Caslano, Switzerland Clay

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

As before, Sandy Marti is Yann Marti's sister, coached by their dad, and was/is a very serious player, although not one completely in the system (as could be expected from the Marti family).

AliBlahBlah · All-time great

Coup Droit wrote:
As before, Sandy Marti is Yann Marti's sister, coached by their dad, and was/is a very serious player, although not one completely in the system (as could be expected from the Marti family).

Yes, maybe.

She has played regularly enough on the ITF, over a long period though that her CH of 973 and her lack of notable wins in that career to date make it still surprising, to me at least, that the match today is progressing quite as it is.

1-6 *1-3

AliBlahBlah · All-time great

Curious and a big old

1-6 1-6

the addict · Tennis legend

And not a single hold of serve in the match cry confuse

indiana · Tennis legend

Eeek confuse

Peter too · Tennis legend

QF: JONES, Francesca (GBR) 2 455 lost to MARTI, Sandy (SUI) 973 1-6 1-6

There is nothing I can see from Marti's past that would suggest she is under ranked so she either has a very odd style that confused Fran or Fran had a very bad day at the office.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Peter too wrote:
QF: JONES, Francesca (GBR) 2 455 lost to MARTI, Sandy (SUI) 973 1-6 1-6

There is nothing I can see from Marti's past that would suggest she is under ranked so she either has a very odd style that confused Fran or Fran had a very bad day at the office.

I don't agree. Sandy is a very talented tennis player. An extremely talented sportsperson all round.

She beat Conny Perrin (WTA 141 at the time) 6-2 6-2 a month ago.

Her problem is that she is also worldclass in half-pipe (she was the Swiss champion in 2015), without even doing much training in that either. (She is also a top ice hockey player and was runner-up in the Swiss championships in slopestyle).

She is, in her own words, too 'dispersée' - too spread out over a whole lot of things without concentrating on any one in particular.

If she ever gave 100% commitment to tennis, she would probably be top 200 in the blink of an eye but I don't think it's really in her character.

I don't think it was any surprise that Fran would lose, certainly not if it was a day that Sandy decided to actually concentrate.

steven · Tennis legend

Thanks, CD - that puts a different complexion on the otherwise strange-looking result. I can't find her win against Conny on her ITF record, so I assume she beat her in a Swiss comp? (where do you find out these things? LOL)

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Interesting background obviously a talent and top quality athlete, like many, arguably too good to focus on Tennis because of other exciting opportunities. Makes you wonder what would have happened if Tracey Neville had picked up a tennis racket at the age of 8.

AliBlahBlah · All-time great

I understand the point being made, but the fact is that, looking at her long playing record, she rarely does anything of note, at all.
Perhaps she could beat 50% more or greater players if she concentrated, but her many matches show that she does't. Neither do they indicate any previous particular great untapped ceiling. There's no reason to believe she would just steamroller Francesca today in the manner that she did - she would have done so to other similar players at some point in the last ten years.
I don't think you can predicate the argument on one result against Conny - it might have been Conny on that day that, for whatever reason, was absolutely awful.

Marti may have been good today, but the delta between her winning the match - entirely within the realms of possibility - and allowing Francesca only 2 games, as she did, is, for my money far, far too large to be explained away just by her being a good athlete that could do better if she weren't otherwise perpetually distracted, despite there being no real no consistent record of this ever in her results.

But, vive la difference

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

steven wrote:
Thanks, CD - that puts a different complexion on the otherwise strange-looking result. I can't find her win against Conny on her ITF record, so I assume she beat her in a Swiss comp? (where do you find out these things? LOL)

It was in the LNA Interclubs at the start of August. I think Tara played in them too. There's an interesting article about Sandy here, she's definitely a real character, I think somewhere in the article it says that she's the biggest 'wasted talent' that Switzerland has ever had. Which is a bit sad but I guess everyone makes their life choices :

https://www.lematin.ch/sports/tennis/sandy-marti-soeur-realise-truc/story/10545015

Strongbow · All-time great

Given Fran's issuis it's unrealistic for her to be at her best every week. Good luck biggrin

typo - and another one aww

-- Edited by Strongbow on Thursday 23rd of August 2018 10:51:02 PM

-- Edited by Strongbow on Thursday 23rd of August 2018 10:54:15 PM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Having taken out the fifth seed for the loss of two games, and the second seed (Fran) for the loss of two games, Sandy beat the fourth seed (top 300 last year) today, also in two sets (4&4).

Michael D · All-time great

And Sandy won the final against Tess Sugnaux, the 3rd seed, 6-2 6-2. In 5 matches she lost no sets and only 20 games - so her ave score per match was 6-2 6-2, which is pretty good going for the whole tournament as an unseeded player!