A let down after last week was always a possibility but she really threw away sets 1 and 3. Really made a mess of her points for 5-3* and *5-4 in the third. Horrible match to watch, but credit to Maria for just throwing junk at a physically and mentally tired opponent.
-- Edited by PaulM on Tuesday 3rd of March 2020 06:59:36 PM
A let down after last week was always a possibility but she really threw away sets 1 and 3. Really made a mess of her points for 5-3* and *5-4 in the third. Horrible match to watch, but credit to Maria for just throwing junk at a physically and mentally tired opponent.
-- Edited by PaulM on Tuesday 3rd of March 2020 06:59:36 PM
yes, lots of junk. Heather kept trying to find the angles and force the pace, but missed a lot of shots. Not a pretty match. She'll be glad of a few days rest though before Indian Wells.
Not at all an unexpected result from Ms. Watson after a title.
She won the first match after her Osaka 2012 title, but that was 2 months later, and technically her first match of the following WTA year.
She lost her first match after the Hobart 2015 title, in th AO to Pironkova (who I only now, 2 years late to the realisation, discover has retired) the match in which she spoke afterwards about being benighted by the intensity of her period.
Won 1 match in Indian Wells directly after winning Monterrey 2016, against a returning UNR SR Voskobaeva who was playing only her second week on tour in 3 years, and Heather still required a third set to finish that job.
Generally takes a while to hit the ground running after her bugger titles.
She'll hope to do better than usual at the consecutive Premier Mandatories, but history suggests it's a hit and miss affair for her above International level.
Some useful success in Indian Wells - including that win over Aga; precious little in Miami despite many WC due to her Octagon representation.
Next real benchmark will realistically be whether she can either finally make a step up in normal Premiers and win 2 or 3 rounds at least there with some regularity, and/or maintain the excellent form in Internationals that she has shown over the last 6 months.