L16: Liudmila Samsonova & Yafan Wang (***/CHN) CR 334 (135+199) vs Maia Lumsden & Anna Siskova (CZE) CR 143 (71+72)

L16: Tereza Mihalikova (SVK) & Olivia Nicholls CR 113 (55+58) vs (4) Miyu Kato & Aldila Sutjiadi (JPN/INA) CR 74 (36+38)

Peter too wrote:

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R1: RADUCANU, Emma (GBR) WC 93 (CH=10 2022) def MERTENS, Elise (BEL) (8) 35 (CH=12 2018) 6-2 3-6 6-4

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 I joined it for the last set, watching on tiny phone. Was a bit gruelling to watch to be honest. In the end Mertens lost rather than Emma winning it seemed to me.

Elise starts with a df 0-15, ER super f dtl winner 0-30, df 0-40 M b drive volley winner after good play 15-40, R confident b dtl winner for the break *1-0

Emma misses her first 5 first serves, M agg b dtl after good play 0-15 unreturned 2nd 15-15, awful f error net after 2nd 15-30, M f just wide 30-30, M poor b error net 40-30, poor f error immediately after 1st 40-40 Emma goes for b dtl but misses long 40-A, df for the break 1-1

M smash winner after good play 15-0 M super f winner immediately after 1st 30-0 deep 2nd unreturned 40-0, Emma takes on another b dtl but long again *1-2

ace T 15-0, awful f error net after 1st 15-15, R drive volley winner after good T 30-15, unreturned first 40-15, M goes for ambitious f dtl that lands half-way up net after agg f cc from R 2-2

df 0-15, Super R f dtl winner 0-30, df 0-40, R keeps her b pass low, forcing M into attempting a very difficult half-volley that lands well wide for the break to love *3-2

M f cc just wide 15-0, terrible bounce smash from EM into the net 30-0, M agg f after good return off a 1st 30-15 unret 40-15, poor f error net from Emma after 1st, awful Mertens f error long 4-2

unreturned 1st 15-0, deep b after 2nd 30-0, good wide 2nd 40-0, R f cc winner 40-15, M b dtl error wide 40-30 R punishes a 2nd 40-40, awful M f cc error net 40-A, super f winner after 1st 40-40, super R b dtl winner 40-A, poor return error after 2nd 40-40, R deep b 40-A, M f dtl error long after agg f cc from R for the break 5-2

poor b error long after 1st 0-15, poor M f cc error wide 15-15, deep 2nd unreturned 30-15, terrible f error long after 2nd 30-30, agg b after 1st 40-30, M super b pass winner though R approach a bit short 40-40, ace T A-, R f dtl winner after good play 6-2

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A decent set from Emma, quite aggressive at times though execution erratic. Twice Mertens broken after games that featured two double faults. She was really going for her 2nd serve, clearly worried that Emma would destroy a slower 2nd serve.

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R f winner after good play 0-15, Emma went for f but wide 15-15, Ace out wide 30-15, good T unreturned 40-15, df 40-30, R super f return winner after 2nd 40-40, R f dtl error wide A- M f winner after good wide 1st *0-1

R agg f dtl 15-0 good T unreturned 30-0, ace out-wide 40-0, good T unreturned 1-1

M agg b pass - R approach short 15-0, M ftl error wide 15-15, R b pass forced M volley long 15-30, unreturned 1st 30-30, brilliant b pass winner from Emma 30-40, M f winner after good wide 1st 40-40, unreturned 1st A- ace T *1-2

R f error just wide after 1st 0-15, wild df 0-30, unreturned 1st 15-30, M b error net 30-30, R b cc error wide 30-40, R agg f after 2nd 40-40, ace out-wide A-, deep 2nd unreturned 2-2

Unreturned 1st 15-0, R punishes a 2nd 15-15, R fails to repeat 30-15, M poor f error net 30-30, M agg f 40-30, awful attempt at returning a 2nd *2-3

good T 1st unreturned 15-0, ace T 30-0, ace out-wide 40-0, R big chance but fails to put away shot giving M chance to lob then smash 40-15, M agg return off a 2nd 40-30, another 2nd serve, this time Emma attempts f dtl but sticks it in the net 40-40, R b error long after 1st 40-A, good wide 1st unreturned 40-40, R goes for f but lands wide 40-A, awful f error from EM 40-40, super return winner after 2nd 40-A, awful R f error net after 2nd for the break 2-4*

df 0-15, M poor f cc error net 0-30, unreturned 1st 15-30, repeat 30-30, rubbish return off a 2nd 40-30, poor R f error net *2-5

M f winner 0-15, R f winner after super play 15-15, unreturned 2nd 30-15, M f slice error net 40-15, another unreturned 2nd 3-5

R poor b error net 15-0, df 15-15, R f just long 30-15, Emma takes on another f but once again it lands slightly long 40-15, unreturned 1st 3-6

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Higher first serve percentage from Mertens. Emma's level dropped after back to back aces for 40-0 at *2-3.

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R agg b cc 15-0, M f cc error net after R b slice 30-0, R f winner after wide 1st 40-0, unreturned 1st 1-0*

good T unreturned 15-0, good wide 1st unreturned 30-0, awful f error long after 2nd 30-15, poor M drop shot into the net 30-30, M f winner after good T, M f winner after decent 2nd 1-1

unreturned 2nd 15-0, R drive volley winner after good play 30-0, M f dtl just long 40-0, super f winner after 2nd 2-1*

poor f error net from Emma 15-0, M struggles to deal with R b slice 15-15, M f error net 15-30, M b error long 15-40 M smash winner 30-40, df for the break *3-1

df 0-15, good T unreturned 15-15, ace out-wide 30-15, R goes for f dtl but lands wide 30-30, M f winner after deep return off a 1st 30-40, super f winner from EM for the break 3-2*

M agg b after 1st 15-0, super F dtl winner from Emma 15-15, M f cc error net after R f slice 15-30, ace T 30-30, R f dtl winner after rally 30-40, M deep b - R a bit passive given it was a 2nd serve 40-40, poor R drop shot gets punished A-, R super f pass winner 40-40, M b error after 1st 40-A, M super f dtl winner 40-40, unreturned 1st A-, df 40-40, super b dtl winner from M A- df 40-40, M smash winner after good play A- repeat only this time after a 2nd serve 3-3

Terrible f drive volley error after good 1st 0-15, poor f error wide after 1st 0-30, M poor f error net 15-30, unreturned 2nd 30-30, R super b dtl winner 40-30, R poor f dtl error net 40-40, R waits instead of moving to meet mid court ball, awful b dtl wide 40-A, unreturned T 40-40, R has chance but doesn't do enough, then f error net 40-A, R drop shot followed by volley winner 40-40, df 40-A, unreturned T 40-40, M drive volley winner after good play 40-A, R super f winner after 1st 40-40, M dominates a 2nd finishing with f dtl winner 40-A, poor return error off a 2nd 40-40, unconvincing b drive volleys from R but M f pass into the net A-, R agg b cc 4-3*

M b cc error net 0-15, good play from R finishing with volley winner 0-30, M b winner after good wide 1st 15-30, R good agg b dtl 15-40, R f far too short but M simply blasts it wide for the break *5-3

M f cc error net 15-0, df 15-15, 1st serve not wide enough so M blasts impressive f return winner 15-30, R rubbish f dtl into the net 15-40, R b error long after 1st for the break 5-4*

R agg b cc 0-15, R's return stays low and lands mid-court, making for a difficult shot for M who can't control it 0-30, chance for R but b pass is wide 15-30, good play finishing with R volley winner 15-40 df to finish the match 6-4

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Both players had impressive spells and fairly dreadful spells too. Conditions seemed quite slow towards the end. Emma varied her tactics, sometimes surprisingly aggressive, other times loopy backhands that allowed Mertens to dominate. The Raducanu blasted out-wide serve from the advantage side simply didn't work all night.

JonH comes home wrote:

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Feels to me like winning tough isnt a bad thing! Well done, Emma.

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 Agree! Up to 75 ish on live rankings with not much going on this week with other players at the Olympics. Seems like a good strategy to focus on US hard court swing! 

the addict wrote:

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Var wrote:

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JonH comes home wrote:

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Feels to me like winning tough isnt a bad thing! Well done, Emma.

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 Agree! Up to 75 ish on live rankings with not much going on this week with other players at the Olympics. Seems like a good strategy to focus on US hard court swing! 

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 Despite the Olympics there are still 14 players in Washington that are (live) ranked above Emma, including 6 in seeding places for the USO. So still very competitive.

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 Yes, but shes been doing a pretty good job of beating them! Martens 8 twice, Pegula, Sakkari. So impressed with the way Emma is managing her return to top flight tennis. 

Play suspended for Olivia at 2-2 in the MTB.

Emma's match is first on John Harris court starting at 4pm.