Week 10 - ITF (W25+H) - Irapuato, Mexico - Hard

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Week 10 - ITF (W25+H) - Irapuato, Mexico - Hard

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

But that's as good as it got. Lost 6-4 0-6 3-6.

the addict · Tennis legend

Lost the last 8 points cry

Similar patterns throughout the match. Dasha's 9 DF in the first set made the score look a bit more respectable !

-- Edited by the addict on Wednesday 6th of March 2019 11:02:14 PM

steven · Tennis legend

I was so hopeful when Emily won the 1st set (that in itself broke a 25-set losing streak in 25K singles main draws stretching back to April 2017) and even when she came back from 1-4 to 3-4 in the 3rd set but she has now lost 15 Round 1 matches in a row at this level - her one 25K R1 win was in her very first 25K, when she beat qualifier Beth Askew (now Grey) at Woking-Foxhills in 2015, when she went on to take a set off top seed Vrljic in R2.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

steven wrote:
I was so hopeful when Emily won the 1st set (that in itself broke a 25-set losing streak in 25K singles main draws stretching back to April 2017) and even when she came back from 1-4 to 3-4 in the 3rd set but she has now lost 15 Round 1 matches in a row at this level - her one 25K R1 win was in her very first 25K, when she beat qualifier Beth Askew (now Grey) at Woking-Foxhills in 2015, when she went on to take a set off top seed Vrljic in R2.

Wow, knew she had a bad record at 25k level, didn't realise it was that bad cry .

Peter too · Tennis legend

R1: APPLETON, Emily (GBR) IR 742/45 lost to IVANOVA, Dasha (USA) IR 633/50 6-4 0-6 3-6
R1: SWAN, Katie (GBR) 7 177 def RODRIGUEZ, Victoria (MEX) 298 6-3 6-3

R2: SWAN, Katie (GBR) 7 177 v KOSTIC, Natalia (SRB) 284 =CH

Michael D · All-time great

Similar draw for Katie next up and she should win this too. For Emily, where does she go from here. I know she's an optimistic person but...

-- Edited by Michael D on Thursday 7th of March 2019 12:21:17 AM

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

Given Emily has a much better record at 15K, I assume the losing run at the next level up has got well and truly inside her head and tightens her up in those matches.

Michael D · All-time great

The Optimist wrote:
Given Emily has a much better record at 15K, I assume the losing run at the next level up has got well and truly inside her head and tightens her up in those matches.

Yes, she probably needs a sports psychologist now as much as anyone. I'm sure she's worried about her Sky Sports scholarship and her underperformance at this level. Last year her aim was to break into the top 500, which she just failed to do on her run of 15k wins. Without those points she is now only half that ranking at around 750, and isn't going to go back up much at the moment. She passed up a college scholarship because she wanted solely to play tennis rather than study further and combine the two. So... she needs just to go out and try and enjoy herself, and not worry too much about scores now if she can. Most importantly she needs one or two better weapons, so just focus on honing those. Her first serve stats weren't bad yesterday, but lower than 50% in, and far too many DFs. She got 5 breaks too, so improve that first serve percentage, do something a bit more with the second serve, and keep practicing those returns... And most of all just go for it. She has the scholarship for this year, so nothing to lose

Peter too · Tennis legend

Michael D wrote:
Similar draw for Katie next up and she should win this too. For Emily, where does she go from here. I know she's an optimistic person but...

-- Edited by Michael D on Thursday 7th of March 2019 12:21:17 AM

I seem to remember that Amanda Carreras had a similar problem in making the transition from 10K to 25K. She kept winning or getting RU in 10Ks and then going out in the 1st round or occasionally the 2nd round of a 25K. She persisted, eventually getting to a couple of 25K finals and a 50K+H semi-final.

RedSquirrel · Satellite level

The Optimist wrote:

Given Emily has a much better record at 15K, I assume the losing run at the next level up has got well and truly inside her head and tightens her up in those matches.

When you dig into her record at 15K it demonstrates why she isn't successful at 25K level. She may be in the top 50 of the ITF rankings, have won two 15K titles in the last year and lost in a couple of SFs, but the quality of opponents she has beaten hasn't been close to being 25K level. In the last 52 weeks Emily has won 24 main draw matches at 15K level. According to tennisabstract, of those 24 matches, 17 have been won against unranked opponents. The rankings of the other 7 opponents she has beaten in the main draw of a 15K are 509, 939, 1060, 1106, 1108, 1168 and 1214. For completeness she does have some wins against players ranked in the 700/800s in 25K/100K qualifying rounds in the last year.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Yes, she's voyaged the world, playing a lot of 15ks, not even choosing particularly carefully, in my view, but just going for quantity. Which is fine if health and finances allow it. Coz you're bound to get the benefit then of certain kinder draws, good play streaks, whatever. But it's not really a basis for moving up.

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, unfortunately the 25K problem is I think simply much more about her tennis level than the effect of all these losses and needing a sports psychologist.

In 15Ks although she has clearly had many wins on her travels, she has habitually struggled when meeting anyone around or above her ranking. As RedSquirrel shows, looked into much she doesn't really have a 15K record that points to likely 25K success.

I have not noticed any say tension related issues, like not crossing the line from good positions or that many close losses. I just see losses and the first thought has to remain her tennis level whatever else is going on in the background. Though as previously discussed maybe there are some outside targets that have to some extent unhelpfully impacted her schedule and development.

She has clearly not pushed on In the last year or so and needs to find something else to her game which is consistently not delivering as she must have hoped. Really do hope that she can find that something(s) sooner rather than later as her game has seemingly plateaued for too long.

Michael D · All-time great

Yes, I was rather grasping at straws since I don't think she's going to find what she's looking for simply on a tennis court!!! As most of us said at the time she'd have been better off taking up that college scholarship she was offered, even though it doesn't seem she considered it much as an option. She might well want such an option more by the end of this year though.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

I see Thandi beat the 4th seed Trevisan earlier so Katie would avoid a fellow seed should she come through later on. Mind, the Indian player beat Katie in straight sets the last time they met at the back end of last year, so perhaps not that much of an opening.