Week 33 - WTA1000 - Cincinnati, USA Hard

airsmashers · County player

Week 33 - WTA1000 - Cincinnati, USA Hard

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

I thought Vika's returning position, expecting the sliced serve, confused Emma for a while, her first two service games were long, fortunate that Azarenka wasted a bp with poor forehand error into the net.

Azarenka's service games in the opening set were packed full of unforced errors on her initial groundstroke after her serve, with Emma typically contributing one or two good shots towards the break.

Very impressive play from Raducanu to get the break at the start of the 2nd set, followed by a near perfect hold, another break largely gifted to her, then responded well after a df for 4-0. Azarenka rediscovered her form towards the end of the match, the rallies were high quality during this period. Brilliant play from Azarenka to earn 2 bps but Emma saved them with aggressive tennis, then won on her 2nd mp after wasting the first with a poor backhand long.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

airsmashers wrote:
A little bite back to Navratilova. "Yes Martina you've made me very aware of my last 12 months."

Did she say that ? Ha.

marvellous win, if she gets a win over Pegula , then I reckon we can say shes returned.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Rich2310 wrote:
R32: RADUCANU, Emma (GBR) (10) 13 bt AZERENKA, Victoria 22 6-0 6-2

Didn't see that one coming! biggrin

Julia Carrot · All-time great

Looks like Emma and Rybakina have pulled out of doubles.

wales1994 · County player

Both of her opponents so far might not have been at their best, but Emma was night and day better than she's been for months. She was aggressively attacking, even when missing it was positive play. The ball wasn't moonballing to the middle of the court, but penetrating deep and with angles. Biggest improvement of the week is her serve, setting herself up well in many points.

Come on Emma!

the addict · Tennis legend

Julia Carrot wrote:
Looks like Emma and Rybakina have pulled out of doubles.

Yes, their place was taken by Garcia and Martic, who lost in a MTB,

Peter too · Tennis legend

The top two seeds are struggling in their matches, Swiatek is a set and two breaks down and Kontaveit is 4-5* in the 3rd set to Zhang.

-- Edited by Peter too on Thursday 18th of August 2022 07:07:41 PM

Peter too · Tennis legend

Swiatek fought back from set and 0-5 down but finally lost as did Kontaveit. That is the top five seeds out, with the three remaining ones playing tonight.

HarryGem · Club Coach

Peter too wrote:
Swiatek fought back from set and 0-5 down but finally lost as did Kontaveit. That is the top five seeds out, with the three remaining ones playing tonight.

Must be the balls! biggrin

Can someone better informed than me explain what difference these lighter? than usual balls make. They seem to suit Emma. Maybe we should use them in the UK?

Emma served well yesterday and was hitting a bit more down the line and though Azarenka was mainly dreadful must be another confidence boost for Emma. As others have stated Pegula will be a real test. Such a steady player who doesn't often give her opponents that many free points. Emma has a chance but needs to win the first set for me.

Just hope she will at the least be competitive.

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

Some good serves from Emma prevented it from being a completely one-sided contest but Jessica was vastly superior in the rallies; brutal groundstrokes nearly always landing deep, winners out of nowhere.

The Raducanu forehand was desperately poor tonight, so many failing to make it over the net, others simply an invitation to attack, even a couple of wild shanks. Routine backhands landed long too often. Her initial groundstroke after serve was nowhere near good enough, inviting Pegula back into points after the serve had creating an opportunity to attack.

First set Emma lost the first point in each of her service games. Poor forehand errors cost her a game point, then handed Pegula a 2nd break point, Emma long with a backhand after her serve for the break 1-2*

Then a crazy game from Pegula, up 40-15, Raducanu played well to earn bp, saved, Jessica's worst shot of the night presented Emma with a 2nd chance to break but a routine backhand failed to make it over the net, Emma attacked a 2nd serve to get a 3rd bp, Jessica wild error long after her serve. 2-2

Emma down 0-40, a good 2nd serve saved the first bp, a forehand winner crosscourt the 2nd, JP error long on the 3rd bp, eventually Emma held. Easy service games until 4-4 when Emma needed a good 1st serve to save bp after errors got her in trouble, two more good first serves to hold for 5-4* Pegula comfortable hold. Emma started with an error, then found herself down 15-40, Jessica punished a 2nd serve for the crucial break 5-6* Another easy love hold for the set 5-7

2nd set Pegula held relatively easily throughout. Just the one game went to 40-40 when Jessica struggled to land her first serve. Emma hit a terrible smash wide on a point she should have won earlier, another careless error for 15-40 and a df to gift the only break of the set 1-2*. Emma's return of the Pegula 2nd serve wasn't consistent enough, winning just 37%. She tried to be aggressive but missed the court or didn't get her returns deep enough to trouble Jessica. Surprising that Emma didn't use more variety in the rallies given Jessica's dominance; there were a couple of drop shots but one was punished and the other Emma's lob landed wide.

Jessica impressive overall, not much inspiration from Emma beyond her 7 aces and a few good first and second serves.

-- Edited by kundalini on Friday 19th of August 2022 02:20:00 AM

Peter too · Tennis legend

R16: RADUCANU, Emma (GBR) (10) 13 lost to PEGULA, Jessica (USA) (7) 8 5-7 4-6

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Thanks for the report, k

Someone said in the Azarenka match that Emma's serve was miles better.....which surprised me as her serve has been the one thing that, imo, has been pretty decent all along, this year
But seems like we're back to serve, and only serve....
However, overall, that's a decent score against a top player

Rich2310 · County player

Could have been a far worse scoreline for Emma. Let's take the positives. She got three matches this week and beat two former grand slam champions, even if not at their best.

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

I haven't watched a lot of Emma since the USO, so don't have massive comparisons for her form since the USO where she's really been struggling.

I saw the second set last night and she seemed to be playing OK, but making quite a lot of FH errors, also trying to outbash Pegula didn't seem like the smartest tactic. I can only hope that over time she can add more variety to her game, and play more dubs to get that feel at the net. I'm hoping for a few rounds at the USO, which frankly at the start of the week I didn't think would be the case.

I just hope that whoever is making the coaching decisions will stop chopping and changing and that she'll be able to get a stable team around her. Even if her parents reckon that she can learn it all from a coach within in a month or two (which I doubt), it must be tough having to go through that change the whole time whilst travelling the world in a competitive environment where people aren't exactly your bezzies.