Week 39 - WTA International ($250K) - Tashkent, Uzbekistan Hard

Mervatron2 · Challenger qualifying

Week 39 - WTA International ($250K) - Tashkent, Uzbekistan Hard

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

I understand your confidence point, but then again, these are surely the type of tournaments that players ranked 150-300 should really want to play? In reference to Hiroshima and Seoul, she's had no problem going to Asia in the past when her ranking was lower (with decent success as well) and Tashkent is one of only 2 WTA events this week and the main draw is good enough for the 8 seeds all in the top 100, plus talents like Potapova are happy enough to attempt the quallies.

Harriet's earned her ranking by having an excellent 2018 beating Swan, Boulter, Gabi, Robson plus a string of players in and around the top 100 (the lesser Pliskova, Kumkhum, Kalinskaya, Wickmayer and a few others on grass). Even Muchova before the grass who we saw beat Yastremska and Muguruza at the US Open. Rodina as well, who has had a great 5 months since that match in Istanbul.

If she was still 300+ in the world like at the start of the season then she wouldn't have got a sniff of even being here unless she was playing doubles or hanging around hoping to sneak in as an alt.

If she has lost her confidence then that is such a shame for the year she has had and taking a set and forcing another tie break against the better Pliskova just 2 months ago.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Mervatron2 wrote:
Also after such a quick rise there is always a levelling period. Look at Gabby too. It's disappointing as these have been certainly winnable matches for Harriet but something isn't quite clicking at the moment.

There are comparisons, but Gabi's was a bit different because I literally don't think she beat a single player in the top 200 in that 25-1 run in India/Australia and since then, it's just (badly out of form at the time) Hev and Stollar in the top 150 - so she was operating at a completely different to what she was used to and struggled at the new level which isn't a big surprise. Dart's rise was admittedly just as fast, but she's beaten about 10 top 150 players in the past 5-6 months (Hogenkamp was another that I didn't mention earlier) and a few of those were in the top 100.

Hopefully it is just a case of finding her feet and she'll come back strong, but this run has been very disappointing and it's a great chance missed to further boost that ranking.

TomTraubert · Futures level

the last 2 weeks you gotta play
3 wta events in a week is rare and thins global field
add in that there were loads of itfs at all levels 60/25/15K which spred fields about
these the weeks you look to make a move, if you helthy you gotta play
dart is right to try the chances she made for herself
it nots come off yet
but none of our players are now playing good or made much of the good chances last week - jodie (Q)QF was ok in the weak week but we didnt get no standouts let alone a number of them
this week is similar with the 64 draw P5 drawing lots of wta players and tashkent taking others away meening the top itfs again have less ringers or vulturing players and all the way down fields are quite soft and good for a run from good players in form...
...but... we been slumping general for a few months now and just the odd player done something like appleton (and even then all complain about her choices of event even if she win or final in it!!!)

not a great start with this loss but hoping we can get back on track around the world this week

darts scedule tho in attacking wtas these last 2 weeks seems spot on to me and she picked the right internationals to go for the best odds roll of the dice just cos it hasnt worked dont make it wrong or a bad plan

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

TomTraubert wrote:
the last 2 weeks you gotta play
3 wta events in a week is rare and thins global field
add in that there were loads of itfs at all levels 60/25/15K which spred fields about
these the weeks you look to make a move, if you helthy you gotta play
dart is right to try the chances she made for herself
it nots come off yet
but none of our players are now playing good or made much of the good chances last week - jodie (Q)QF was ok in the weak week but we didnt get no standouts let alone a number of them
this week is similar with the 64 draw P5 drawing lots of wta players and tashkent taking others away meening the top itfs again have less ringers or vulturing players and all the way down fields are quite soft and good for a run from good players in form...
...but... we been slumping general for a few months now and just the odd player done something like appleton (and even then all complain about her choices of event even if she win or final in it!!!)

not a great start with this loss but hoping we can get back on track around the world this week

darts scedule tho in attacking wtas these last 2 weeks seems spot on to me and she picked the right internationals to go for the best odds roll of the dice just cos it hasnt worked dont make it wrong or a bad plan

Yep, right choices and very winnable matches (clear bookies fave in all 3 Asian defeats) but just hasn't happened for whatever reason. Had she entered Darwin 60k this week instead like Jodie and Freya then she would have been the 3rd or 4th seed, but I see Kuwata (who Dart lost to 2 weeks ago) is 16th on the entry list so she could well have played her or someone ranked higher in the first round.

I'd say Jodie's was just about standout though and better than just OK. She came through quals as you say and then beat the second seed and backed it up by beating someone else ranked higher in the next round (albeit as the favourite). I'm sure she'd have settled for that before the tournament began.

indiana · Tennis legend

Absolutely fair enough IMO for Harriet to be tacklng these WTAs. It's just a pity that her form has deserted her and she hasn't been winning these initial qualifying matches ( which on earlier form she would certainly have had very good chances to ) to add more ranking points and prize money and then progress to stiffer tests and potentially much greater rewards.

She has got herself up to WR 174 ( and doubles WR 156 ). She has very little to defend before March when her 25K title and runner-up points come off so is very secure for Australian Open qualifying. On her pointed to previous quality of wins and points to defend over the next five months she may have had a similar ranking rise but is in a different place from say Gabi.

So really on the face of it I can see why she would want to at this point of the year experience and test herself in WTAs. I absolutely agree with Tom that just because it hasn't worked out doesn't mean that it has been wrong or a bad plan.

She then has the close season to assess things, refresh, build up for next year and take it from there.