Week 1 - WTA 500 - Brisbane, Australia (outdoor hard)

adz1983 · Intermediate Club Player

Week 1 - WTA 500 - Brisbane, Australia (outdoor hard)

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Good week for our top women, one way or another. Heather has put to bed that doubles top spot battle for now at least !

wolf · Tennis legend

SF: Greet Minnen (BEL) & Heather Watson CR 136 (62+74) defeated Cristina Bucsa & Alexandra Panova (ESP/***) CR 125 (66+59) by 2-6 6-4 [10-8]

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Final: Greet Minnen (BEL) & Heather Watson CR 136 (62+74) vs Lyudmyla Kichenok & Jelena Ostapenko (UKR/LAT) CR 66 (32+34)

9vicman · Satellite level

What a shame Heather is playing with Lucia Bronzetti at the Australian Open. The Italian is ranked 916 and won only one doubles match in 2023, albeit in BJK Cup. Maybe Heather can inspire her. Going to be interesting how she approaches singles and doubles going forward. I recall she once had a regular pairing with Marina Erakovic but since then has been mix and match.

indiana · Tennis legend

adz1983 wrote:
Heather into the final after a champions tiebreak. If she wins the final she'll be just outside the top 50. Possibly going to be some tough decisions about her schedule now. Go for bigger events in doubles and just cross everything that she gets into qualifying or play smaller events to get her singles ranking up and hope that a limited schedule in doubles will reap enough rewards to maintain a suitably high ranking?

I suppose it's very much about how she feels regarding her singles going forward. The doubles ability has always been there but it has been an add-on to her singles focus.

I'd like to think that is how it will continue for some time yet. So while wanting to do well in doubles when she has the opportunity, without doubles ranking focus or particular scheduling.

Whatever really most inspires her going forward.

Nix · Futures level

I agree.

She obviously enjoys playing singles and has beaten a number of top 50 players this year. I hope she continues to play singles as well for the time being. Always think she can beat some very good players if it all clicks for her on the day.

PaulM · Tennis legend

If her goal is Paris then doubles is really the only option of making it. But her singles is still more than good enough to let her do both, whether that's big challengers or playing qualies in WTA events - she's perfectly capable to stringing together plenty of wins in there and keeping the ranking top 150 and hopefully moving it up back towards the 100 mark too.

I agree it's a shame she hasn't got a better partner for Melbourne but at the point of the cut off she just had to make sure she made it in.

-- Edited by PaulM on Friday 5th of January 2024 08:10:23 PM

Blue_Belle · Club Coach

Final: Greet Minnen (BEL) & Heather Watson CR 136 (62+74) LOST TO Lyudmyla Kichenok & Jelena Ostapenko (UKR/LAT) CR 66 (32+34) 5-7 2-6

Strongbow · All-time great

Blue_Belle wrote:
Final: Greet Minnen (BEL) & Heather Watson CR 136 (62+74) LOST TO Lyudmyla Kichenok & Jelena Ostapenko (UKR/LAT) CR 66 (32+34) 5-7 2-6

A pity - but still a very good week for Heather biggrin