Wimbledon Juniors

RobC · All-time great

RE: Wimbledon Juniors

Niall · Pro player

Naonu Cavaday bt Kristina Kucova 6-3 7-6(5)

I just caught the end of that match and Cavaday looked to be in impressive form.

RobC · All-time great

Fantastic. 2 Brits past the third round! Here's hoping she can out-do Andy & get to the semis or better!

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

The 2nd set point by point:

Naomi serving

ace (15-0), ace (30-0), deep 2nd serve then 2 x big forehands into the corners - impressive stuff (40-0), opponent volleys long (game)

Kucova serving (0-1)

N error (15-0) nice volley winner (15-15) N fh long error (30-15) unreturned (40-15) strange rally (game)

Cavaday serving (1-1)

Big serve + big fh (15-0) winner (30-0) fh error (30-15) K winner (30-30) N bh error net (30-40) good serve + aggressive fhs + drive volley winner (40-40) N bh error long (40-A) N fh winner (40-40) N drive volley winner (A-40) N fh error (40-40) N big serve + big fh winner (A-40) unreturned serve (game)

Naomi is at her best with the big serve + big fh into the space combination. Once it develops into a rally some of her groundstrokes are short, lacking pace and get treated with contempt by Kucova.

Kucova serving (1-2)

easy game to 15

Cavaday (2-2)

bh error wide (30-40) unreturned (40-40) unreturned (A-40) N huge fh winner (game)

Naomi's defensive play is not very good (at all)

Kucova serving (2-3)

another easy game to 15

Cavaday serving (3-3)

N error (0-15) K wild error (15-15) N fh error (15-30) N bh winner (30-30) N bh volley (40-30) oh dear! hopeless drive volley from N then superb angled bh from K (40-40) ace (A-40) smash (game)

Kucova is a decent player. She hits the ball very flat. Much better backhand than Naomi.

Kucova serving (3-4)

K winner (15-0) K falls over (15-15) unreturned (30-15) K winner (40-15) unreturned (game)

Cavaday serving (4-4)

K winner (0-15) K stumbles (15-15) K bh error net (30-15) superb body serve ace! (40-15) df (40-30) comfortable volley winner (game)

Kucova serving (4-5)

N fh winner (0-15) unreturned (15-15) N runs around bh return to hit big fh then doesn't, (30-15) K takes game to 30 with a bh winner

Kucova hits double-handed on both sides.

Cavaday serving (5-5)

N aggressive fh winner (15-0)N fh down the line winner (30-0)N smash (40-0) K error net (game)

Again big serve, often wide, then aggressive forehand as the initial groundstroke is the winning combination for Naomi

Kucova serving (5-6)

K wild fh long (0-15) N poor fh error net (15-15) df (15-30) superb attacking play from K, several great groundstrokes forcing Naomi from side to side (30-30) repeat (40-30) unreturned (game)

Tiebreak:

rally N fh error wide (0-1) K fh error net (1-1) N bh error net (1-2) K good play then wastes fh long (2-2) N fh error net (2-3) N superb wrong-footing bh (3-3) N aggressive play, K fh long (4-3) N wide serve + fh winner down the line (5-3) N bh error long (5-4) K aggressive fh (5-5) N aggressive fh after long rally (6-5) ace (7-5)

To be honest she was lucky to win that second set. Kucova was holding her serve easily throughout and was much the better player during the long rallies. Naomi's serve + big forehand combination is possibly top 100 standard right now, the rest of her game is probably not top 100 juniors. To her credit she did move forward, coming to the net to put away straightforward volleys, though her drive volleys were less impressive. Her defensive play needs a lot of work, being easily wrong-footed, lobs barely getting over the net, defensive shots not deep enough. The return of serve in the second set was disappointing too.

Kucova is only just 16 and hasn't yet to get a ranking on the women's tour.

-- Edited by kundalini at 19:21, 2006-07-05

Niall · Pro player

Radwanska is leading Cavaday 5-3 with a single break in the first set.

Radwanska looks to be a real good player, I can't see a weakness in her game and she has done her homework on Cavaday whose mocement is a real weakness. However, the Briton is still a dangerous opponent if she gets a chance to swing at the ball and she has fought back from 5-1 down.

Niall · Pro player

6-3 Radwanska

Tough luck for Cavaday, she had a break point in the game and was well in the point but a dead net cord got the Pole out of trouble. Radwanska is a very fine prospect but she looked to be losing the plot there. Naomi will need to come out firing to exert more pressure.

Niall · Pro player

6-3 1-0 Radwanska

That is disapointing. Cavaday saved 3 break points (including 2 aces) but Radwanska is doing an excellent job of attacking the net.

Niall · Pro player

1-1

I love the way Cavaday is fighting in this match often hitting her feircest shot strait at the Pole, jamming up her swing. Radwanska has served a few aces but when Cavaday gets her racket on the ball she is able to do damage.

Niall · Pro player

2-2

Both players hold serve at both are playing well just now.

Niall · Pro player

3-2 Radwanska

Cavaday lost that game to love with 3 bad errors.

Niall · Pro player

4-2 Radwanska

Cavaday got another bp but Radwanska is doing just enough to maintain her lead.

Niall · Pro player

5-2 Radwanska

Another break but this one was earned by the Pole, she did a great job of moving Cavaday arround and hitting winners into the open space.

Niall · Pro player

Radwanska wins 6-3 6-2

Radwanska hit 26 winners and just 13 errors and that pretty much tells the story. The Pole hardly ever hits and error and given the slightest she hits a winner, defiitely a potential star of the future. Cavaday was always competitive but her movement and control of the ball were inferior.

Akhenaten · Pro player

Agnieszka Radwanska reached the last 16 in the main draw.
Seems odd she played in the girls singles at all.

johnnylad · Tennis legend

Akhenaten wrote:

Agnieszka Radwanska reached the last 16 in the main draw.Seems odd she played in the girls singles at all.

That's the older sister who won last years juniors.

This is ursula. They're going to be the next big thing apparently!