Week 14 - ITF (W25) Bolton, GB Hard

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Week 14 - ITF (W25) Bolton, GB Hard

the addict · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
Tara lost, don't know the score

It was 6-4 6-3

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Looks like it's going to be a slightly disappointing end to the day.

Kerkhove serving for the match at *5-3, no shame there if Maia does indeed lose, but with those chances for *4-3 second set as well as all those other good GB indoor wins, could have been an opportunity and then have an unseeded player next. Maia did lose 6-3 in the third

Naomi look like being Naomi. Only 3 points won on the opponents 4 service games so far and has been broken.

Tara losing isn't really a surprise - would have been a bonus had she come through.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Naomi loses the first set 4-6. A hold to 15 this time for the French woman.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Broken in the opening game of the second set and if she gets as much joy returning as she did in the first set, this won't last long.

But then she gets as many return points in that one game as she did in the entire first set, breaks to 30, and back on serve. Wow. *1-1

-- Edited by Ace Ventura on Wednesday 3rd of April 2019 03:02:43 PM

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Looks an interesting battle going on between a 17 and 16 year old. 3-3 in the deciding set tie breaker.

And it's the 17 y/o Polish direct entrant Maja Chwalinska who comes though to play Ponchet.

-- Edited by Ace Ventura on Wednesday 3rd of April 2019 03:31:43 PM

Ian1314 · Lower Club Player

Tara was playing reasonably well for the bits I saw on livestream.

Serving and volleying too only her first serve would just miss all too often

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Naomi has taken the 2nd set 6-4.

Ian1314 · Lower Club Player

Interesting to see Naomi and Liam playing on neighbouring courts.

indiana · Tennis legend

So we have a 16 yo, 18 yo and 19 yo through to R2. Let's have a 29 yo to chaperon them along.

Naomi 4-3* final set. No breaks.

indiana · Tennis legend

Tight service game won after a couple of deuces.

5-4*

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

This 29 year old coming through will be the deciding factor as to whether I'd consider it a good or a slightly under par return on the 9 games.

Going to be a tense finish here. Suspect a deciding set TB.

indiana · Tennis legend

Deciding set TB it is.

indiana · Tennis legend

And at 3-7 it decides that it is just the 3 teens through to R2.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Lost 4-6 6-4 6-7(3).

Naomi losing is never a big shock these days, but you do genuinely have to question where she goes next.

Playing a home 25k event against unremarkable qualifier ranked in the 500s who Mandy beat in straight sets the other week and in her 2 other events this year lost 6-0 6-1 to Reix in the 1st round and then lost 6-4 6-3 to Tubello in another 1st round. Despite winning just 6 pro matches in 11 months, Naomi was still made the 4/11 favourite and you can't really afford to be not taking advantage of generous draws like that. It was a tight scoreline, so an extra DF for the opponent here and there and it may well have been different, but watching that from the 2nd set onwards, Noel probably was the better player, she won 9 extra points overall, and generally looked the more likely of the two to get the break.

Both Kalinskaya and Badosa Gibert are in line to play WTA Lugano quals thi Saturday, so you don't know how motivated they will be for the rest of Bolton. It finally could have been a little opening she needed to get something going and try and save some of the points that are due to come off imminently, but it's another huge step back. Pretty much every non seed who makes the main draw in Sunderland next week will be hoping that Naomi is the seed they will face before the QF.