She's just served 3 double faults but also served 4 service winners, and won the game.

Her first serve has been good, done damage, her opponent is definitely not completely AWOL, (although no where near her top level) but the first set was actually pretty close, and Harriet played some good and clever tennis to take it.

Wow 1 more hold please

But, Em, her first serve has been excellent today - she's winning 77% of them (compared to Buz.'z 50%), and getting 50% in, which is not top but passable.

And it's not been fluke either, or B being feeble, they've been really well placed, if not hugely fast.

And she's winning 41% on second serve, compared with Buz. at 18%, which is just horrible.

She's outserved Buz by a country mile. 

 

Buz lost the will to live in the second half of that second set, but Harriet really ran her down and kept the initiative when she needed to, at the end of the first and start of the second, to really take the stuffing out of her opponent. A really good match. 

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Tuesday 22nd of September 2020 02:05:11 PM

Playing smarter with her serves will reap dividends but carries more risk, definitely her best option as it's clear she won't ever have a particularly fast serve. Thrilled she won this

emmsie69 wrote:

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It looks as though her serve improved in the 2nd set significantly, 1st set under 50% in could have been punished on another day

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 Well, she served way more double faults in the second set. Which was not because she was going for first second serves. Although that would have been a reasonable tactic. 

But her first serve was definitely on song in that set. 

Rather like Dementieva, Harriet defends her weak second serve quite well, although she could work on that third shot even more. 

 

Really good win against a tricky and unorthodox opponent!

Just had a look through Harriet's record on ITF.

Over 9 years, she's played in 163 tournaments (inc FED cup). Just 14 on clay, with a 15-14 W-L record aftter today.
Not a favourite surface !