Week 43 - WTA 250 - Cluj-Napoca, Romania Hard

Strongbow · All-time great

RE: Week 43 - WTA 250 - Cluj-Napoca, Romania Hard

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Bogdan really struggled to return Emma's sliced serve out wide. No aces but a huge number of unreturned first serves. Highest percentage of points won behind her first serve in any of her WTA/Slam matches, not sure about ITF.

First serve really good, everything else ordinary to underwhelming. Struggled to win points behind her 2nd serve. A few super shots including a sensational forehand down the line winner from outside the court but mostly fairly safe rally shots, leaving it to Bogdan to determine the outcome of the rallies.

Anyway, did enough to get the win in straight sets. She'll probably need to improve quite a bit to progress further.

indiana · Tennis legend

Before this year's Wimbledon, still less than 4 months ago, that would have been a CH win for Emma, beating her win against Timea Babos WR 112 at the Nottingham 100K+H in June.

It now ranks 12th given she has subsequently won 11 of the 14 matches she has played against top 100 ranked opponents.

paulisi · Tennis legend

A QF win will put Emma into the top 20

LordBrownof · Futures level

I think this win takes her above Coco too.

dodrade · Futures qualifying

kundalini wrote:
Bogdan really struggled to return Emma's sliced serve out wide. No aces but a huge number of unreturned first serves. Highest percentage of points won behind her first serve in any of her WTA/Slam matches, not sure about ITF.

First serve really good, everything else ordinary to underwhelming. Struggled to win points behind her 2nd serve. A few super shots including a sensational forehand down the line winner from outside the court but mostly fairly safe rally shots, leaving it to Bogdan to determine the outcome of the rallies.

Anyway, did enough to get the win in straight sets. She'll probably need to improve quite a bit to progress further.

The more Emma plays she better she gets so hopefully she's gaining confidence and adapting her game to the temporary surface.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

dodrade wrote:
kundalini wrote:
Bogdan really struggled to return Emma's sliced serve out wide. No aces but a huge number of unreturned first serves. Highest percentage of points won behind her first serve in any of her WTA/Slam matches, not sure about ITF.

First serve really good, everything else ordinary to underwhelming. Struggled to win points behind her 2nd serve. A few super shots including a sensational forehand down the line winner from outside the court but mostly fairly safe rally shots, leaving it to Bogdan to determine the outcome of the rallies.

Anyway, did enough to get the win in straight sets. She'll probably need to improve quite a bit to progress further.
The more Emma plays she better she gets so hopefully she's gaining confidence and adapting her game to the temporary surface.

At the US Open, Emma seemed to win a lot of matches 6-4 6-x ie a tight first set and then pulls away - almost like on this surface she lets the opponent beat themselves, being steady and consistent generally

Peter too · Tennis legend

Emma is on 5th tomorrow following Halep. Halep's match is not before 18.00 local time so Emma is likely to be on around 17.30 UK time.

dodrade · Futures qualifying

No studio coverage but I suspect Sam Smith and Annabel Croft wouldn't be commentating this week if Emma wasn't playing.

-- Edited by dodrade on Friday 29th of October 2021 01:59:41 AM

the addict · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
Before this year's Wimbledon, still less than 4 months ago, that would have been a CH win for Emma, beating her win against Timea Babos WR 112 at the Nottingham 100K+H in June.

It now ranks 12th given she has subsequently won 11 of the 14 matches she has played against top 100 ranked opponents.

Out of curiosity I looked up Emma's results from the Battle of the Brits in August 2020. She played 5 singles matches and 3 mixed doubles.

She beat Katie B, Jodie and Naomi in straight sets.

She lost to Heather in straight sets, and to Jodie in a match tie-break.

So her level was getting there even then whilst not competing full-time.

indiana · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
Yes, I thought the return of serve was the most obvious difference from the US Open matches. (Although it was just eye-balling it, no stats)

But I put that down in a large part to the court.

It's so very slow, and 'sticky', the ball doesn't come through very well.

Yes one of the most memorable things about that US Open was the anticipation as Emma stepped in after a first serve miss, and so often she delivered with returns that flew through.

The courts. the draw helped create the perfect storm for Emma at the US Open. Though the talent had to be there and things just happened so very much sooner than anyone expected. Though I have very little doubt that now over time she will prove to be the real deal. But let's give her that time.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Yes, I don't know how much it is confidence and how much it actually is tennis nous and savviness. But I thought against Hercog Emma tried to play like at the US Open, and couldn't, probably because of the nature of the court (or because she was just on a cloud in the US Open). But she battled through it, and in her next match was playing more to the conditions of the court, knowing that she couldn't replicate quite the same sort of attacking returns. I'm going to give her the credit that she adapted her game slightly.

Of course, my main takeaway is that Bates-less Works Best

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes Emma does seem such a quick learner and good coach to herself as to how she needs to adapt. I do fancy that she will have learned enough here to beat Kostyuk in her QF.

the addict · Tennis legend

From an article in today's Times

"A tough test awaits, though. Having played two opponents outside the top 100 so far, she now comes up against a fellow teenage prospect in Marta Kostyuk, the 19-year-old from Ukraine, ranked No 55, and the form book does not bode well for Raducanu. Marta is a great opponent, Raducanu said. She absolutely destroyed me in the juniors every single time.

I looked up Kostyuk's junior record on her ITF profile, but there is no record of them ever having met at Junior level. Perhaps it was earlier and a lower level - I'm sure CD will be able to provide some background wink

Madadman · Masters Series Champion

Looks like Emma lost to Marta at U14 level, I think most of the tennis Europe tournaments are U14. Lost 6-1 6-1 in singles in 2015. Also lost twice in doubles.

www.tenniseurope.org/profile/matches.aspx