QF:- Emina Bektas (USA) / Tara Moore (GBR) CR402 (201+201) def Elizabeth Mandlik (USA) / Katie Volynets (USA) CR2138 (824+1314) [WC] 6-4 (5)6-7 11-9

Semi-final opponents are the winners of this match

Erin Routliffe (NZL) / Aldila Sutjiadi (INA) v Ashlyn Krueger (USA) / Robin Montgomery (USA) [WC]

SF:- Emina Bektas (USA) / Tara Moore (GBR) CR402 (201+201) v Erin Routliffe (NZL) / Aldila Sutjiadi (INA) CR354 (165+189)

I was looking at the pre match odds the other day, and it was Harriet 8/11, Volynets evens (2.00) at Bet365, and I was thinking, at the time, that looked pretty good value for Harriet, and thought it was a decent draw. Volynets is obviously a little bit of a cult on here, given her surname, and while still very young, and well connected (numerous overseas WCs), she hasn't really had the most impressive pro results thus far, but her recent form has been eye catching, loads of higher ranked scalps, particularly the manner of them.

She's only dropped 12 games in her 3 matches this week including 2 and 1 over Brengle (#81) yesterday, and 3 and 1 over Zarazua (#140) the other day, this following a win over mini green clay week 1 finalist Wang Xinyu (#138) last week, as well as a 2 and 0 win over Storm Sanders (#165) who is still (somehow) #76 in the live WTA race.

I'm not sure if it's just a really good couple of weeks for her, like a purple patch, or if she actually is pushing on, but she's comfortably beating players in and around Harriet's ranking, some a lot higher, like Brengle (who she narrowly lost 5-7 6-7 to last week), so it would have been an interesting match for sure, but yes, a(n unbeaten) QF, especially followed by 50 points for a W100 SF, as an unseeded player, was a solid return from her US trip, and presumably more time on the red stuff as you say.

-- Edited by Ace Ventura on Saturday 15th of May 2021 11:51:20 AM

Doubles semi-final under way

Just watching a bit of this Volynets SF match in the background, and I see the ITF site has got multi cameras for it. I'm not sure if it is being broadcast by another source, and the ITF site are just picking it up from there, but I don't think I have ever seen an ITF site match away from the basic, one fixed camera.

I assume it must have been like that earlier CD for the doubles with you referencing the facial expressions? It really is so much better.

JonH comes home wrote:

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I wonder how sensible two players in a relationship is playing together as a doubles pair? Its their call of course, I thankfully have a wife who never played tennis , we would have been so close to divorce if we had ever played together ! I played with my mum and my dad as a pair when I was a teenager, for our club team, and many snappy teenage backbiting was heard!

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 There could be a book in it, especially having to regularly play her ex as well. 

emmsie69 wrote:

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JonH comes home wrote:

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I wonder how sensible two players in a relationship is playing together as a doubles pair? Its their call of course, I thankfully have a wife who never played tennis , we would have been so close to divorce if we had ever played together ! I played with my mum and my dad as a pair when I was a teenager, for our club team, and many snappy teenage backbiting was heard!

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 Not really much different to couples owning businesses together, some manage it well, some don't.

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 Im sure youre right Emmsie and, again, it wouldnt work for me/us! But all couples are different !