Week 33 - WTA125 Chicago, USA Hard

Peter too · Tennis legend

Week 33 - WTA125 Chicago, USA Hard

Jaffa · Challenger level

Shame thats only worth 15 points really.

indiana · Tennis legend

Peter too wrote:
She made it!
7-6(7) 6-3

I think she could do with advice from a sports psychologist on how to finish off a match she has all but won.

She's young and this level is still all very new. I'd say just let her build experience before yet getting overconcerned about such hiccups and building them into too much of an issue, which could even be counterproductive. Just let her play and she will hopefully learn as she goes and become more comfortable in various situations.

Anyway, well done to her on still getting the job done in straight sets. Now W3 L2 against top 100 ( indeed top 60 ) players this summer from a kind of 2021 standing start in a British tour event.

-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 10:18:09 PM

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Emma played some good points, a few sensational returns of first serves, the occasional super forehand and backhand down the line but at times she was too passive and rather gifted van Uytvanck the chance to hit relatively easy winners. The quality of the play was erratic to say the least, both players had some awful spells.

The two matches I've watched on hard court, the vast majority of Emma's first serves have been of the "getting it in play" variety rather than aiming for aces, unreturned serves or the chance for an easy winner off her first ground-stroke. In the long run, that's not going to be enough. I was much more impressed by her serving at Wimbledon, where her first serve had some penetration.

Anyway, she fought hard, got through her bad spells, when she might have disintegrated after missing so many set points in that first set.

Pancho P · Lower Club Player

Well, whatever peeps say about van she was the number 1 seed so have to credit Emma, despite unreliable serve of a fine win. Hope to see her and indeed those cute ball boys later in the week ! ha.

the addict · Tennis legend

I watched bits of the match, including the last few games. A big match for Emma and she fought well.

And I think at least some of those cute ball boys were in fact girls - the tiny one at the net seemed to have a pony tail.

Pancho P · Lower Club Player

the addict wrote:
I watched bits of the match, including the last few games. A big match for Emma and she fought well.

And I think at least some of those cute ball boys were in fact girls - the tiny one at the net seemed to have a pony tail.

Eyes not what they were, still cuties though.

flamingowings · All-time great

kundalini wrote:
Emma played some good points, a few sensational returns of first serves, the occasional super forehand and backhand down the line but at times she was too passive and rather gifted van Uytvanck the chance to hit relatively easy winners. The quality of the play was erratic to say the least, both players had some awful spells.

The two matches I've watched on hard court, the vast majority of Emma's first serves have been of the "getting it in play" variety rather than aiming for aces, unreturned serves or the chance for an easy winner off her first ground-stroke. In the long run, that's not going to be enough. I was much more impressed by her serving at Wimbledon, where her first serve had some penetration.

Anyway, she fought hard, got through her bad spells, when she might have disintegrated after missing so many set points in that first set.

Sounds like many WTA matches if I'm honest.

indiana · Tennis legend

L32: (WC) Emma Raducanu (GBR) WR 184 (CH=179 2021) beat (1) Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) WR 60 (CH=37 2018) by 7-6(7) 6-3

L32: Clara Tauson (DEN) WR 99 (CH=90 2021) beat (Q) Harriet Dart (GBR) WR 172 (CH 121 2019) by 6-1 6-7(2) 6-2

******

L16: (WC) Emma Raducanu (GBR) WR 184 (CH=179 2021) vs Clara Burel (FRA) WR 101 (CH=98 2021)

09/08/21 rankings

dodrade · Futures qualifying

Another great result for Emma, strangely no mention of it on the BBC Sport Page.

Wasn't Burel her arch enemy on the junior circuit?

-- Edited by dodrade on Wednesday 18th of August 2021 12:49:38 AM

indiana · Tennis legend

dodrade wrote:
Another great result for Emma, strangely no mention of it on the BBC Sport Page.

Wasn't Burel her arch enemy on the junior circuit?

-- Edited by dodrade on Wednesday 18th of August 2021 12:49:38 AM

That'll be the other Clara, Clara Tauson who beat Harriet as mentioned. She's a month younger than Emma and while I don't know about arch enemy, as two precocious junior talents, they had some interesting junior encounters. Clara Tauson subsesequently has had more pro circuit experience while Emma completed her A level studies though Emma did beat her in a 25K SF in Sunderland shortly before lockdown last year.

Whilst Emma and Clara T are 18 yo, Clara B is pretty young too at 20 yo. Both Claras have been junior WR 1.

I see that Emma and Clara B did meet in the US Open Juniors QF in 2018 when Emma was 15 yo and Clara B 17 yo. Clara won by 6-2 6-0.

-- Edited by indiana on Wednesday 18th of August 2021 06:09:13 PM

Priesty · Challenger level

Well if she can beat the WR60 in straights without playing all that well at times I think that's still pretty darn impressive and let's not forget the kid is still only 18, plenty of time yet.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Priesty wrote:
Well if she can beat the WR60 in straights without playing all that well at times I think that's still pretty darn impressive and let's not forget the kid is still only 18, plenty of time yet.

I agree ! She's got a very good/great serve. The fact that yesterday it wasn't firing too well or - for some reason - she didn't want to use it doesn't mean it's not there. And obviously it didn't matter. I thought her attack on the second serve was still very impressive - even when it goes wrong, it destabilises the opponent, makes them look a bit of an idiot, and has knock-on benefits. And her pick-ups and reflexes were great. And with big penetration on most shots. Great result.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Priesty wrote:
emmsie69 wrote:
Better start to 2nd set, Harriet has the break 2-3*. We moan about her 2nd serve but as bad as it is she still often gets a higher % off it than her opponent manages on their 2nd serve.

-- Edited by emmsie69 on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 05:05:35 PM
There was an interesting theory proposed by Naomi B in last week's commentary on the Fernandez match that she deliberately serves low speed so she can draw an aggressive return and then feed off its pace.

Dementieva said that she was the world's number one at the third shot of the exchange and that was the key to her success.

She worked SO hard on that shot.

i.e. she was 'happy' to serve weakly (well, not happy as such smile , but couldn't do a lot about it and realised it wasn't always a major setback) because, on the ball that came back, she was instantly in position to move, great flex of legs, used the pace and basically creamed the opponent on that third shot (her second shot).

Big servers take far longer (relatively) to recover from the serve.

So maybe Harriet was/is going down that track? Or at least balancing it with service improvement (She's a good commentator, our Naomi)

emmsie69 · Top national player

Coup Droit wrote:
Priesty wrote:
emmsie69 wrote:
Better start to 2nd set, Harriet has the break 2-3*. We moan about her 2nd serve but as bad as it is she still often gets a higher % off it than her opponent manages on their 2nd serve.

-- Edited by emmsie69 on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 05:05:35 PM
There was an interesting theory proposed by Naomi B in last week's commentary on the Fernandez match that she deliberately serves low speed so she can draw an aggressive return and then feed off its pace.

Dementieva said that she was the world's number one at the third shot of the exchange and that was the key to her success.
She worked SO hard on that shot.
i.e. she was 'happy' to serve weakly (well, not happy as such , but couldn't do a lot about it and realised it wasn't always a major setback) because, on the ball that came back, she was instantly in position to move, great flex of legs, used the pace and basically creamed the opponent on that third shot (her second shot).
Big servers take far longer (relatively) to recover from the serve.
So maybe Harriet was/is going down that track? Or at least balancing it with service improvement (She's a good commentator, our Naomi)

Harriet is nothing if not a smart tennis player so I'm inclined to think that Naomi is right and that it is a deliberate strategy to compensate for her weak 2nd serve. If it's not going to do any damage at 75-80km, better to take another 15kph off it and give yourself half a chance on the 3rd shot. I think that combined with the odd '1st serve on 2nd serve' will serve her best in the long run.