Week 26 - WTA500 - Eastbourne, Great Britain Grass

Brendan F · Lower Club Player

RE: Week 26 - WTA500 - Eastbourne, Great Britain Grass

markymc1983 · Club Coach

The LTA live scores is working

Grachka · County player

markymc1983 wrote:
Dart 0-3. Courts seem slow and heavy is it just me?

Yes I thought the same - super slow and heavy bounces. I think the wind is also slowing the balls up somewhat.

It's on serve, *4-5 in the first set, but Harriet quite lucky to be in touching distance. Not playing well and only Zhang's very shaky confidence keeping her in this first set. Zhang admittedly playing a lot better than I saw in Nottingham.

Grachka · County player

Harriet breaks for *6-5 and will serve for the first set.

I feel very sorry for Shuai, who is a shadow of her former self right now. She hit two or three really wayward shots to gift Harriet the break there and generally looks very fragile. If Harriet played like in Nottingham or Birmingham, this wouldn't be close.

HarryGem · Club Coach

Var wrote:
markymc1983 wrote:
Yes just been confirmed that Rybakina and Linda Fruhvirtova have both withdrawn. Dropping like flies..Heather might still get in yet.
Oh dear, more top players dropping out. Suppose the Brits need all the help they can get! Still have Coco and Jess, with Garcia as well and Ons easy points here for them!

Really think this should be downgraded to a 250 and Birmingham upgraded to a 500. Wouldn't matter so much with all these late withdrawals and would also mean people wouldn't have to keep travelling to London or the South East to see the best players.

markymc1983 · Club Coach

HarryGem wrote:
Var wrote:
markymc1983 wrote:
Yes just been confirmed that Rybakina and Linda Fruhvirtova have both withdrawn. Dropping like flies..Heather might still get in yet.
Oh dear, more top players dropping out. Suppose the Brits need all the help they can get! Still have Coco and Jess, with Garcia as well and Ons easy points here for them!
Really think this should be downgraded to a 250 and Birmingham upgraded to a 500. Wouldn't matter so much with all these late withdrawals and would also mean people wouldn't have to keep travelling to London or the South East to see the best players.

Plus the constant wind makes it very frustrating to play and watch

HarryGem · Club Coach

Grachka wrote:
Harriet breaks for *6-5 and will serve for the first set.

I feel very sorry for Shuai, who is a shadow of her former self right now. She hit two or three really wayward shots to gift Harriet the break there and generally looks very fragile. If Harriet played like in Nottingham or Birmingham, this wouldn't be close.

Yes agree. She couldn't even win a point when Dart was on the floor. This is Harriet's for the taking she just needs to keep a decent level and the ball in play

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

HarryGem wrote:
Var wrote:
markymc1983 wrote:
Yes just been confirmed that Rybakina and Linda Fruhvirtova have both withdrawn. Dropping like flies..Heather might still get in yet.
Oh dear, more top players dropping out. Suppose the Brits need all the help they can get! Still have Coco and Jess, with Garcia as well and Ons easy points here for them!
Really think this should be downgraded to a 250 and Birmingham upgraded to a 500. Wouldn't matter so much with all these late withdrawals and would also mean people wouldn't have to keep travelling to London or the South East to see the best players.

Wasnt Birmingham a 500 until a few years back, Berlin then took the 500 badge and Brum got downgraded? I suspect there will be some issue around two 500 events in the same week, ie Brum and Berlin at the same time?

But agree - never liked Eastbourne, womens and mens, largely the wind and also that position the week before Wimbledon really makes it purely a warm up as opposed to an event in its own right, IMO

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

JonH comes home wrote:
HarryGem wrote:
Var wrote:
markymc1983 wrote:
Yes just been confirmed that Rybakina and Linda Fruhvirtova have both withdrawn. Dropping like flies..Heather might still get in yet.
Oh dear, more top players dropping out. Suppose the Brits need all the help they can get! Still have Coco and Jess, with Garcia as well and Ons easy points here for them!
Really think this should be downgraded to a 250 and Birmingham upgraded to a 500. Wouldn't matter so much with all these late withdrawals and would also mean people wouldn't have to keep travelling to London or the South East to see the best players.
Wasnt Birmingham a 500 until a few years back, Berlin then took the 500 badge and Brum got downgraded? I suspect there will be some issue around two 500 events in the same week, ie Brum and Berlin at the same time?
But agree - never liked Eastbourne, womens and mens, largely the wind and also that position the week before Wimbledon really makes it purely a warm up as opposed to an event in its own right, IMO

Remember the good old days when Martina used to win Eastbourne and then win Wiimbledon. Not to mention the doubles with Pam Shriver.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Harriet in danger of playing Zhang into this match.

Misses break point again

*2-3

This court really does look heavy and slow. Unless it's just the quality of tennis making it look like it's playing at half speed.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Nets a sitter at 30-15*, but makes amends with a beautiful floating slice pass down the line. Error from Zhang and finally Harriet has a break in the second.

*4-3

PaulM · Tennis legend

Very poor game to be broken when serving for the match, but recovers and will get another go

*6-5

PaulM · Tennis legend

Can't do it. Zhang breaks on a net cord and the wind is really tricky now.

Grachka · County player

I mean, I know the wind is bad today but this match has been really, really bad quality.

markymc1983 · Club Coach

How on earth did Harriet lose that set?