British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

the addict · Tennis legend

RE: Week 22- WTA 125 - Birmingham UK - Grass

PaulM · Tennis legend

Nicely done! When she cracks it clean is some strike.

sammmm · Junior player

Interesting to hear Mika say she admired Sharapova growing up in her interview especially after you drew comparisons Coup Droit

paulisi · Tennis legend

Nice win - pretty sure that will guarantee a MDWC to Wimbledon.
Mika is very much a confidence player and when she gets into a groove, she is hard to stop

Sheddie · administrator

Mika! What a win. That serve is such a formidable weapon, and as PaulM says, she certainly has some big shots in her locker. Watched bits of the match today and the exciting thing is that she's still so so raw - she can improve her net game a lot, and her shot selection too - just realising that she doesn't need to hit the cover off every single ball, and sometimes on big points, just getting it deep is enough without needing to go for outrageous winners all the time.

But that will come as she develops. She's already a formidable package and mentally tough too - I was wondering whether she might subside in the third set today after playing a relatively poor second set tiebreak, but instead she raised her game. Up to a new CH of 257 on the basis of these two wins and she's certainly capable of winning her quarterfinal too

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

sammmm wrote:
Interesting to hear Mika say she admired Sharapova growing up in her interview especially after you drew comparisons Coup Droit

Oh yes - right for a little kid, Mika modelled her game on Sharapova - and the resemblance (to me) is astonishing - obviously they have a very similar morphology too which makes it an easier fit (Hannah Klugman had a phase of saying she was trying to play like Ash Barty - it made you shake your head in bewilderment)

But Mika moves forward just like Maria, and constructs her shots very like Maria - the good and the bad (or vice versa in this case smile )

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

paulisi wrote:
Nice win - pretty sure that will guarantee a MDWC to Wimbledon.
Mika is very much a confidence player and when she gets into a groove, she is hard to stop

Following BJK, and Bates' input, that was never ever in question

indiana · Tennis legend

Very good

Mika will rise to a further new CH. She is now live ranked 257 and live under 18 #2, behind Emerson Jones who of course she beat in R1

There are some rather good 18 yos out there, headed by a certain Iva Jovic, but a) IMO too much negative comparison hss already been made on this forum between our young prospects and the outstanding Jovic, and b) as Sheddie says, Mika still has so much more potential development.

-- Edited by indiana on Thursday 4th of June 2026 01:00:06 PM

sammmm · Junior player

Did anyone see any of Katie's match against Taylah? Was Katie struggling physically or was she simply outplayed?

the addict · Tennis legend

R1:- Katie Swan (GBR) WR203 [WC] def Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) WR100 [7] [WC] 7-6(4) 3-2 retired
R1:- Taylah Preston (AUS) WR127 def Alicia Dudeney (GBR) WR281 [WC] 6-4 (4)6-7 6-3

*****

L16:- Mika Stojsavljevic (GBR) WR288/JCH=5 [WC] def Elvina Kalieva (USA) WR135 6-4 (2)6-7 6-2

L16:- Taylah Preston (AUS) WR127 def Katie Swan (GBR) WR203 [WC] 6-4 6-2

foobarbaz · Club Coach

sammmm wrote:
Did anyone see any of Katie's match against Taylah? Was Katie struggling physically or was she simply outplayed?

No didn't see any of the play, just watching the score tick over. Seemed a little unusual, Swan not able to put the squeeze on her opponent as is usually the case. Maybe Preston just played top tennis? Maybe there was a little problem?

I think the tennis stats on the ITF website is way better than the WTA / LTA offering. Especially the point by point summary on the ITF site, which gives a really good impression of how closely fought the games are. The LTA point by point is pretty useless, just indicating whether a point is won on the 1st or 2nd serve, that's all.

-- Edited by foobarbaz on Thursday 4th of June 2026 03:58:22 PM

sammmm · Junior player

Katie and Taylah have resumed their doubles match which suggests there's no physical issue which is good news, stats from their match appear to suggest Taylah punished Katie's second serves and Katie couldn't do the same so maybe it was just small margins

the addict · Tennis legend

Doubles

L16:- Viktoria Hruncakova (SVK) / Vendula Valdmannova (CZE) CR284 (135+149) def Ivana Corley (USA) / Kayla Cross (CAN) CR229 (89+140) [3] 7-5 7-6(3)

*****

QF:- Talia Gibson (AUS) / Janice Tjen (INA) CR170 (128+42) [1] def Taylah Preston (AUS) / Katie Swan (GBR) CR1442 (330+1112) 6-4 6-2
QF:- Viktoria Hruncakova (SVK) / Vendula Valdmannova (CZE) CR284 (135+149) def Greet Minnen (BEL) / Hanne Vandewinkel (BEL) CR1686 (832+854) 1-0 retired

QF:- Kayla Day (USA) / Mary Stoiana (USA) CR1215 (822+393) def Jodie Burrage (GBR) / Mika Stojsavljevic (GBR) CR521 (216+305) [WC] 6-3 6-0
QF:- Harriet Dart (GBR) / Maia Lumsden (GBR) CR170 (106+64) [2] def Emily Webley-Smith (GBR) / Celine Naef (SUI) CR670 (179+491) [ALT] 6-1 3-6 10-8

*****

SF:- Talia Gibson (AUS) / Janice Tjen (INA) CR170 (128+42) [1] v Viktoria Hruncakova (SVK) / Vendula Valdmannova (CZE) CR284 (135+149)
SF:- Kayla Day (USA) / Mary Stoiana (USA) CR1215 (822+393) v Harriet Dart (GBR) / Maia Lumsden (GBR) CR170 (106+64) [2]

Edit - Updated with missing result

-- Edited by the addict on Thursday 4th of June 2026 07:27:16 PM

PaulM · Tennis legend

Emily and partner were 8-5* up in the MTB

indiana · Tennis legend

PaulM wrote:
Emily and partner were 8-5* up in the MTB

Aww, shame.

As it is, Emily is live ranked 163 ( GB #7 ) and on Monday will achieve her highest ranking since WR 161 in 2021. If she had won that match she would have been up to her highest ranking since WR 142 in 2020.