Week 31 - WTA500 - San Jose, USA (Hard)

Sardinia · Improver

Week 31 - WTA500 - San Jose, USA (Hard)

Sardinia · Improver

Tennisteen showing that Tara and Emina are in doubles after withdrawals.

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

Zhang was the player who Jo beat to win Nottingham and Heather had a win by a retirement at Birmingham. Unlike some of the Chinese players who had to prepare for the Olympics she has been very active in Europe this summer. She has been around a long time as her tennis career extends as far back as 2003.

wolf · Tennis legend

Emina has qualified for the singles, big result for her!

PaulM · Tennis legend

And a phenomenal bit of good fortune, originally due to play Olmos/Santamaria, the seeded Czech pair were a late withdrawal, bumping those two up to take their spot as 5th seeds.

So Tara and Emina now play a pair of American alternates with rankings in the 300s. An opportunity for big points here.

the addict · Tennis legend

L16:- Emina Bektas (USA) / Tara Moore (GBR) CR 310 (153+157) v Peyton Stearns (USA) / Maribella Zamarripa (USA) CR839 (498+341)

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

-- Edited by Helen40 on Monday 2nd of August 2021 10:36:05 AM

emmsie69 · Top national player

I'm not sure that this tournament is going to be that great for Emma. After the incident at Wimbledon, they're piling on the expectation with her being the face of the tournament. I hope she does well but I would feel a lot better if her 1st match after Wimbledon had been a little less public. We will certainly get an evn better idea of her mettle if she copes well with tis.

indiana · Tennis legend

emmsie69 wrote:
I'm not sure that this tournament is going to be that great for Emma. After the incident at Wimbledon, they're piling on the expectation with her being the face of the tournament. I hope she does well but I would feel a lot better if her 1st match after Wimbledon had been a little less public. We will certainly get an evn better idea of her mettle if she copes well with tis.

I am feeling much the same. Now that she is full time, and after the Wimbledon experience, i would have been happier to see her initiallly with a lower profile and in less quality ITF tournaments where she could build up experience and hopefully play many more matches ( which she is clearly very short of ) while pushing up her ranking.

Maybe that is more the general plan going forward but for now she finds herself given an opportunity that she and her team felt they couldn't turn down.

Let's just hope it does go well for her in the short and bit longer term.

thegingerlightbulb · Intermediate Club Player

I complete agree. Am a little disappointed that she has taken so long off after Wimbledon. After breaking through at Wimbledon in 2004 or 2005 Murray played a lot of low profile tournaments that saw him maintain his momentum and get into the top 100 before the US open. I hope Emma wims this match because each loss at this level will build more and more pressure on her

-- Edited by thegingerlightbulb on Monday 2nd of August 2021 03:48:02 PM

-- Edited by thegingerlightbulb on Monday 2nd of August 2021 03:49:02 PM

Shhh · Challenger level

All will depend on how she gets on later this evening. I do think she was right to take a little time off but thought the 100k challengers she has entered (starting next week) were the perfect level for her. If she wins big tonight, then that obviously would not be the case though!

wales1994 · County player

Agree with everyone else's comments, wish she'd have just got the matches in at the 60-100k ITF level, building up wins and experience before trying for the bigger stages again. Hope she proves us wrong tonight, but I'm not feeling too optimistic.

flamingowings · All-time great

There are some interesting takes on here so I will add my own:

It's funny how some are commenting that she should be playing down a level - like before we were (incl myself) were wondering if/when she would ever play because it had been ages.
Also, isn't this tournament some connection to her management company? Would it really be likely she could feel like she could turn the opportunity down!? She isn't a major player yet - it doesn't do well to pass on such offers. She did just win several rounds in a grand slam, arguably a higher level than a 500.
Lastly, if you follow Emma, the LTA or any kind of British tennis social media people she has been doing some LTA school events, that again, she may not have felt able to turn down or she wanted a break after her very successful and breakout grass season.

RainDelay · Pro player

Emma broken straight away. Down 0-3

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Shuai Zhang played very well. Her backhand down the line was brutal throughout the match. She dominated the Raducanu 2nd serve, finished points at the net from time to time and even produced a couple of stunning drop shot winners.

Emma struggled with the pace of her opponent's shots. She tried hard to defend but mostly just managed to force Shuai Zhang to hit one more shot; typically an easy winner. No sign of the miraculous passing shots from the Cirstea match. Her forehand down the line was awful and her forehands in other directions weren't that great either.

First set, she saved 3 bps in her opening service game, got to game point then three 2nd serves in a row either got punished immediately, or gave Shuai Zhang total control of the point. Emma's next service game was another long one, good play from her to get to 40-15 then careless errors, saved a bp, more game points came and went, finally held with an ace.

Raducanu then broke to 15 for *2-3 after a poor game from Shuai Zhang. Emma had game point after her 3rd unreturned serve but wasted it with a forehand down the line that was wide, then a df wasted a 2nd game point, broken after a poor backhand into the net. Three super shots from Emma in the next game but she could only get to 40-40 before a poor forehand long. Her best service game to love for 3-5*, then Shuai Zhang closed out the set 3-6.

Emma broken to 40 in the opening game of the 2nd set. Looked as though she had reduced the pace of her 1st serve. She then got 2 bps in Shuai Zhang service game but wasted a big chance with a backhand wide after attacking a 2nd serve. Soon it was 0-4. Emma saved 3 bps before holding for 1-4*, then a more routine hold for 2-5*. Shuai Zhang finished the alarmingly one-sided match 2-6.

A lot to learn from that match.