emmsie69 wrote:

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adz1983 wrote:

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I was on Centre Court today for Emma's match. Have to say some of the comments on here are a bit wide of the mark. Lulu Sun played incredibly well. It didn't feel like Emma was particularly passive. I think watching on TV sometimes you don't always get the sense of weight of shot like you do in real life. Lulu hits a huge ball. Emma was trying to mix things up a little bit but nothing seemed to faze her opponent. Although on paper a disappointing result but Sun has already beaten a Top 10 opponent and is clearly no slouch. She is one to keep an eye on.

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 I watched some of it on TV and I concur with your observation that Lulu was playing very well. I did think Emma would pull it back and there were opportunities but Lulu snuffed them out pretty decisively. 

Hoping for a Paolini win I think this year.

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 I think this is one of the problems why people are being a little harsh on Emma

Just before Emma's match, Paolini v Keys was one of the best matches I've seen for years 

SUCH good, full-on, intense and creative tennis 

It really made Emma's match (both players) looke very pale in comparison (which is possibly unfair ... or not....) 

JonH comes home wrote:

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I didnt follow yesterday but what happened to Keys to make her retire?

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 She was in pain-her leg.

JonH comes home wrote:

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I didnt follow yesterday but what happened to Keys to make her retire?

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 She pulled her hamstring 

Right towards the end

But, as I remember, not at 5-2 - Paolini was already staging a comeback - it was more like half-way through the 5-3 game 

Rich2310 wrote:

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Not the outcome any of us wanted and agree Emma did not seem the same player she was in the previous two rounds.
It's a disappointment for sure but let's hope Emma is alright and no serious injury.

Let's take the positives

Semi finals at Nottingham
Quarter finals at Eastbourne
Last 16 at Wimbledon
Back inside the worlds top 100 next Monday.

She has made big strides back and can now focus on the US swing and pushing that ranking even higher.

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 Agree. Overall definitely more positives than negatives to take from Emma and most of the rest of the GB women this year. Not just at Wimbledon but also over the grass court season.

There are some caveats though. 

Why, as you rightly point out, was Emma not the same player of the previous two rounds?  In her press conference she said she had been nursing a stiff back for the past 24 hours.  As well as her opponent played Emma didn't really compete in any sort of aggressive way. if it is physical then there is an issue there as after surgery and injuries it becomes harder to trust your body. Hopefully just a niggle but sometimes it is a mental block following a long lay off which can be hard to overcome.

Why did Katie basically implode in her match with Harriet. Was it 75 unforced errors? She's been so good all year but seemed to collapse almost as if Harriet had got inside her head or maybe the pressure of the occasion got to her?

Why can't Harriet control her negative emotions and turn them to her play in a positive manner. She's played so well this grass court season but this aspect really needs addressing and if it could be then I think she could be ranked nearer to 50 than 100.

How do we now help Sonay to build on a really positive season?

A few negatives which could be turned into positives with the right guidance and a bit of luck.  Feels good to be a GB fan right now not having to reflect on a load of dismal first round defeats.

Coup Droit wrote:

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JonH comes home wrote:

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I didnt follow yesterday but what happened to Keys to make her retire?

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 She pulled her hamstring 

Right towards the end

But, as I remember, not at 5-2 - Paolini was already staging a comeback - it was more like half-way through the 5-3 game 

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 And it is worth remembering that Ms Paolini won the second from 5-1 down.