Week 17 - ITF (W25) - Santa Margherita Di Pula, Italy - Clay

Michael D · All-time great

Week 17 - ITF (W25) - Santa Margherita Di Pula, Italy - Clay

Mervatron2 · Challenger qualifying

Hoping for better from Fran this week.

Interesting to see how Gabby gets on on the clay.

Michael D · All-time great

In W25 matches and above, Fran has one only 1 of her last 7 matches since mid-Feb, starting with the Shrewsbury W60. She could certainly do with at least reaching the MD here.

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Or to make it sound even worse, lost her last 5 matches, all in straight sets and never beyond 4 games in any of those 10 sets. I echo the above and hope that she can have a bit success here to hopefully get her season going.

RedSquirrel · Satellite level

It is one of the oddities of the new system. The natural pathway would be to progress from 15s to 25 qualifying to 25 main draw. Instead the new system forces you to skip 25s qualifying and, in the early season, expected you to beat established top 300 25K players to progress in the rankings when at 15s level you've been playing players 300+ spots lower. Next week, Fran will drop down the ITF rankings so will unlikely to get any more IR spots and will either need to go through qualifying or get into main draws on WTA ranking which should give her better opportunities and be better for her progression.

Michael D · All-time great

Well Fran has won her first match. After a TB first set, 2nd was much easier. Expect her to have to dig deep though to win her FQR. Pieri put out the q10 seed 6-2 6-2

QR1: Francesca JONES (GBR) [q7] 454/39 beat Lucia CORTEZ LLORCA (ESP) 795/236 (CH:732) 7-6(2) 6-2

FQR: Francesca JONES (GBR) [q7] 454/39 vs Tatiana PIERI (ITA) 560/709 (CH:555 April 19)

-- Edited by Michael D on Monday 22nd of April 2019 07:14:22 PM

Michael D · All-time great

Main draws here only happen tomorrow, with men's and women's qualifying taking two days.

Mervatron2 · Challenger qualifying

Good to see her get a win

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

I'm not a double's person, but the draw is out and compatriots smile Gabi and Naiktha are pairing up and face a pair of WCs in the first round.

Fran's single's FQR match is due around 7pm. I see Aranxtha Rus, last week's winner here and ranked not far out of the top 100 has been handed a QWC - must have made a late decision to want to play - a bit unfair for those who drew her (pleased it wasn't Fran), but it looks like she might be heading into a 2nd set TB to stay in the match against her French opponent ranked 487.

Edit - Rus came through 11-9 in the MTB. How does it work - will she now take the #1 seeding in the main draw and if Gabi/Naiktha draw a Q in the main draw, it won't be Rus?

-- Edited by Ace Ventura on Tuesday 23rd of April 2019 04:55:24 PM

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Fran 6-3 *0-0

3 breaks to 1.

the addict · Tennis legend

It's an unusual situation, and the rulebooks aren't clear. But both the WTA and ITF rulebooks say that seedings aren't confirmed until the draw has been made, which does suggest that Rus could indeed become #1 seed.

RedSquirrel · Satellite level

I think qualifying has to be completed when the main draw is made for a qualifier to be seeded in the main draw. Given there are still two matches to be played and the main draw has to be made by 7pm (which passed almost an hour ago) I don't think Rus will be seeded.

edited for clarity

-- Edited by RedSquirrel on Tuesday 23rd of April 2019 05:53:39 PM

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Fran dropped the 2nd set 3-6 and is currently involved in a MTB. Currently 4-3*

RedSquirrel · Satellite level

RedSquirrel wrote:

I think qualifying has to be completed when the main draw is made for a qualifier to be seeded in the main draw. Given there are still two matches to be played and the main draw has to be made by 7pm (which passed almost an hour ago) I don't think Rus will be seeded.

edited for clarity

-- Edited by RedSquirrel on Tuesday 23rd of April 2019 05:53:39 PM

Although Zimmermann is 2nd seed and Rus 1st seed, so perhaps not.

-- Edited by RedSquirrel on Tuesday 23rd of April 2019 06:17:59 PM

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Fran!!!

Wins 6-3 3-6 10-8. Back and forth MTB, up *5-4 and then down 5-7*, where I thought it was lost, but came back very well.

Well done.