Marvellous - I never knew! I have seen the twitter feed but didnt realise a whole website existed!
I see they havent listed ATP Tour Finals yet, I hope it gets Amazon coverage ( I dont have BT so not happy Stockholm isnt available, although Milan is and great to see WTA Finals and Linz on Prime)
Yeah Pegula is supposedly alt 1, and Mertens alt 2. I guess it's the same continent for the former and she'll have more chance of playing a match, and Mertens was already there, as previously mentioned.
Yeah Pegula is supposedly alt 1, and Mertens alt 2. I guess it's the same continent for the former and she'll have more chance of playing a match, and Mertens was already there, as previously mentioned.
Makes sense although with the ranking points on offer for an alternative who gets to play, I always think this could end up being a big free hit for these players who haven't perhaps got in on ranking
Good thing about Prime is you can catch up on matches you missed - so now watching the second set ! Very impressive that they have built a new stadium for this event in under two months, and also that they have line judges, but also Hawkeye and line-cameras.
I was watching the ladies doubles alongside the mens next gen finals. The presentation is good in both- next gen tennis is really good, but the presentation is too grungy amd I dont like the singles only court. Old WCT events used to use that and it doesnt look right to me. Wta finals for an outdoor event looks good and crowd seems decent and noisy so bodes well.
The evening session last night did feel fr more like the WTA Finals. 2 familiar players (the only ones not to be making their YEC debuts) and a good, passionate crowd, and while a fair few errors, primarily due to the conditions, a gripping match that could have gone either way right until the very end. Pliskova winning 7-6 in the 3rd vs Muguruza, saving at least one MP.
Sakkari vs Swiatek at 8pm, and then Sabalenka vs Badosa at 1.30am, I am planning to watch the latter live, or at least the first set, so might get a couple of hours sleep in before.
The crowd was, perhaps understandably, poor for Kontaveit vs Krejcikova, but hopefully the day sessions might improve as the tournament progresses, especially at the the weekend.
Sakkari beat Swiatek 6-2 6-4 earlier. Iga very emotional on match point and got a time violation for holding up play. Felt sorry for her.
And an amazing turnaround in the other match between Badosa and Sabalenka. Sabalenka was playing so well early on, dictating and dominating, and Badosa was doing well to hang on, but at 4-2 *40-15 it all changed. Paula did play well, but Sabalenka basically turned into an error machine and ended up losing the next 10 games, so Badosa won 6-4 6-0. There was some slight resistance at 1-0 in the second set, but Aryna couldn't convert her only BP of the set, and it was one way traffic after that. It finished just before 3am, a lot earlier than I was expecting.
Iga had a similar reaction after losing in the olympics. She sat there sobbing for around 10 mins... shame. Watched some of the Badosa match ( skipping bits ) this morning. Sab imploded like she did in the open against Leylah. As the commentator said there " if you want to know what pressure can do to you in sports... LOOK RIGHT HERE... ha. Again shame but great win for Paula, and for our friend Ace.