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feather_ghyllWednesday: In the first set of Beatriz Haddad Maia’s match against Emma Navarro, it seemed as if having a bye as a top 4 seed was not such a bonus. Haddad Maia looked far more comfortable and was getting to play her way, winning the first set. Navarro started improving, though, and the second set was more competitive. But by its end, Haddad Maia was clearly playing with extra tension – she’s had a tough year results wise, although Navarro has had a few wobbles recently. BHM could not take a match point, and it went to a tiebreak. She had a mini break, but after they had to briefly stop play because someone in the crowd had fallen ill, she didn’t win another point, losing two serves with double faults. Navarro had drawn level – that second set lasted longer than the next couple of matches.
In the third set, the top 10 player (Navarro) was able to make use of her athleticism and, occasionally, her slice, while BHM was very inconsistent. Eventually, Navarro won.
Next up, Amanda Anisimova v. Sonay Kartal, and Anisimova was very much the ball-striking world no. 15. Kartal could do very little, except hang in there and not put so much pressure on herself when there were chances that she couldn’t take them. Anisimova won the first set very easily and quickly. The second set was slightly more competitive, with Kartal lengthening the points, and Anisimova being a little less consistent, but if she were consistent (and improved some aspects of her game?), she could dominate like a Sabalenka or a Rybakina, or indeed a Keys.
Anastasia Zakharova, the qualifier who’d beaten Donna Vekic and cracked the top 100, would be facing Madison Keys, and in fairness to Zakharova, she turned up in a feisty mood, breaking the Keys serve. She looked like she was sixteen, until she interacted with the ballgirls, and was clearly taller and a willowy woman in her early twenties. Keys took it in her stride, started getting used to her opponent, the grass (she’s had great results on the surface, but this was her first match on it this year) and then her power and speed told. Zakharova endeared herself to the crowd by being a trier.
If there was a theme, it was the confirmation of how well American women’s tennis is doing at the moment.
Thursday: Katie Boulter was facing leftie no 5 seed Diana Shnaider. Her serve was much better than in the first round, allowing her to get the plus one into the corner and either win with that or get an easy shot next. She won the first set, and was up 40-0 early on in the second set and then there was a lapse in concentration, while Shnaider, who is at a career high, was improving. Boulter’s first serve wasn’t there often enough, and, despite a rain delay, it was the seed who won the match. (I fast forwarded a bit.)
Next up, Heather Watson, facing Elena Rybakina, playing her first singles match (although the BBC coverage is so parochial that only British players’ doubles matches merit a comment.) Watson may more experienced on grass, but it was a question of former Wimbledon chapmion Rybakina finding her rhythm (and she’d won in doubles, so it wasn’t far off,) although Watson was playing intelligent tennis at first. But the power was too much, and Rybakina’s not half bad at the net, especially if the ball is being hit back at her, plus she’s tall enough to be hard to pass. She broke and sailed through the first, maybe flowing a bit more in the second, breaking twice, and only really struggling when she served for the match, throwing in some double faults all of a sudden, while Watson tried to make her play. But the first serves came back and Rybakina was through.
With all the other Brits out, Raducanu was facing Sramkova, who is not too far away from her in the rankings, but nowhere near as experienced on grass. I don’t know what Raducanu’s been doing to get ready to play matches here, but she came on court fired up. Breaks, serves, middling the racquet. Sramkova was thinking everything (including letcords) was against her, because when she got up 0-40 in a game, Raducanu fought back and was soon serving for the set at 5-0. But Sramkova swung more freely, Raducanu tightened up, and Sramkova won her first game. Good thing Raducanu had got three breaks, so it took her a while to regroup and, with the help of the British crowd, win the first set.
After a break, Raducanu returned to court with the same intensity, whether it was a return or a serve, and Sramkova was often feeling as if everything was against her, because when she did have an opportunity, she was quite often lacking accuracy. She’s one who should probably try to play on another grass tournament or two before Wimbledon. Meanwhile, Raducanu, having survived her wobble, had overtaken Boulter in the rankings and as British no. 1 (which is a somewhat meaningless thing outside of Billie Jean Cup).
Last match was between Qinwen Zheng, top seed here, and Macartney Kessler, another ex college American player. I didn’t follow it all as closely, but Zheng’s quick arm won her the first set, but she was probably guilty of going too big for shots, which let Kessler in the second, and apparently the American was up 4-1 in the third, but Zheng came back to win it. She’s not done all that well on grass, but hey, she’s only 22, and her best play really was world-class.
So, Tatiana Maria, once a semi-finalist at Wimbledon, and Raducanu are the only non-seeds through to the quarter finals. The grass is showing some wear, but less than it would if it had been men playing.
In the third set, the top 10 player (Navarro) was able to make use of her athleticism and, occasionally, her slice, while BHM was very inconsistent. Eventually, Navarro won.
Next up, Amanda Anisimova v. Sonay Kartal, and Anisimova was very much the ball-striking world no. 15. Kartal could do very little, except hang in there and not put so much pressure on herself when there were chances that she couldn’t take them. Anisimova won the first set very easily and quickly. The second set was slightly more competitive, with Kartal lengthening the points, and Anisimova being a little less consistent, but if she were consistent (and improved some aspects of her game?), she could dominate like a Sabalenka or a Rybakina, or indeed a Keys.
Anastasia Zakharova, the qualifier who’d beaten Donna Vekic and cracked the top 100, would be facing Madison Keys, and in fairness to Zakharova, she turned up in a feisty mood, breaking the Keys serve. She looked like she was sixteen, until she interacted with the ballgirls, and was clearly taller and a willowy woman in her early twenties. Keys took it in her stride, started getting used to her opponent, the grass (she’s had great results on the surface, but this was her first match on it this year) and then her power and speed told. Zakharova endeared herself to the crowd by being a trier.
If there was a theme, it was the confirmation of how well American women’s tennis is doing at the moment.
Thursday: Katie Boulter was facing leftie no 5 seed Diana Shnaider. Her serve was much better than in the first round, allowing her to get the plus one into the corner and either win with that or get an easy shot next. She won the first set, and was up 40-0 early on in the second set and then there was a lapse in concentration, while Shnaider, who is at a career high, was improving. Boulter’s first serve wasn’t there often enough, and, despite a rain delay, it was the seed who won the match. (I fast forwarded a bit.)
Next up, Heather Watson, facing Elena Rybakina, playing her first singles match (although the BBC coverage is so parochial that only British players’ doubles matches merit a comment.) Watson may more experienced on grass, but it was a question of former Wimbledon chapmion Rybakina finding her rhythm (and she’d won in doubles, so it wasn’t far off,) although Watson was playing intelligent tennis at first. But the power was too much, and Rybakina’s not half bad at the net, especially if the ball is being hit back at her, plus she’s tall enough to be hard to pass. She broke and sailed through the first, maybe flowing a bit more in the second, breaking twice, and only really struggling when she served for the match, throwing in some double faults all of a sudden, while Watson tried to make her play. But the first serves came back and Rybakina was through.
With all the other Brits out, Raducanu was facing Sramkova, who is not too far away from her in the rankings, but nowhere near as experienced on grass. I don’t know what Raducanu’s been doing to get ready to play matches here, but she came on court fired up. Breaks, serves, middling the racquet. Sramkova was thinking everything (including letcords) was against her, because when she got up 0-40 in a game, Raducanu fought back and was soon serving for the set at 5-0. But Sramkova swung more freely, Raducanu tightened up, and Sramkova won her first game. Good thing Raducanu had got three breaks, so it took her a while to regroup and, with the help of the British crowd, win the first set.
After a break, Raducanu returned to court with the same intensity, whether it was a return or a serve, and Sramkova was often feeling as if everything was against her, because when she did have an opportunity, she was quite often lacking accuracy. She’s one who should probably try to play on another grass tournament or two before Wimbledon. Meanwhile, Raducanu, having survived her wobble, had overtaken Boulter in the rankings and as British no. 1 (which is a somewhat meaningless thing outside of Billie Jean Cup).
Last match was between Qinwen Zheng, top seed here, and Macartney Kessler, another ex college American player. I didn’t follow it all as closely, but Zheng’s quick arm won her the first set, but she was probably guilty of going too big for shots, which let Kessler in the second, and apparently the American was up 4-1 in the third, but Zheng came back to win it. She’s not done all that well on grass, but hey, she’s only 22, and her best play really was world-class.
So, Tatiana Maria, once a semi-finalist at Wimbledon, and Raducanu are the only non-seeds through to the quarter finals. The grass is showing some wear, but less than it would if it had been men playing.
