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feather_ghyllLast week was ‘the final’, the Davis Cup equivalent is later in the year. (Some top male tennis players were/are involved in the Laver Cup.) More by accident than design, I watched most of the third set between Ukraine, as represented by Svitolina, and Spain, as represented by Badosa, who I think was playing her first match since Wimbledon. Ukraine were already one match up. Badosa of Spain had won a tight first set, but Svitolina of Ukraine had won the second 6-2, and, as I started watching, broke Badosa again.
She could not break back, until she got the crowd on-side (it was held in Shenzen, in an indoors court,) and started playing better. She broke back, but Svitolina had the serving advantage. It was certainly entertaining. Badosa started making errors again in the final game, Svitolina showed her usual grit (although playing for Spain certainly seems to energise Badosa), and won. This is the first time Ukraine have ever got through to the semi-final stage (and with Svitolina, Kostuyk and a very decent doubles player…well, they’re facing Italy.)
Billie Jean King herself was watching, alongside Conchita Martinez (who probably felt a pang that Spain lost.)
I also found myself watching the deciding doubles match between USA and Kazakhstan, with Pegula and Townsend (the most experienced doubles players) up one set on Rybakina and Putinseva. The second set was up and down, with the former Russians/Kazakh players breaking Townsend. Putinseva then became the Americans’ target, starting to play tight, especially obvious in her lobs. They broke back, and though Rybakina tried to sway things, in the tiebreak, the Americans were simply superior. All credit to Townsend for excellent smashes/overheads.
The next day, I joined the Ukraine-Italy tie to watch the second set between Kostyuk and Cocciaretto, with Kostuyk continuing to outplay her opponent (she’d won the first set 6-2.) Because Kostyuk was turning defence into offence and hitting so many winners, it was really entertaining tennis. In Cocciaretto’s final serving game, she had loads of game points, but could not convert, and then Kostuyk got a couple of match points and won, putting her country in the lead.
(The backdrop was that Ukraine had never got this deep in the BJK Cup before and had never beaten Italy, although it had been many years since they last played.)
Next up Svitolina v. Paolini, and although the Italian was the higher ranked player, Svitolina lead their head to head 2-0, having won in two Grand Slams this year. The first point was a 20-shot rally, showing that both players had come out to play. After Paolini won her first service game, Svitolina seemed to have honed in and was playing with controlled aggression, winning the first set. Paolini broke her first service game, but Svitolina came right back, breaking back, stalling any momentum. In the sixth game, she broke Paolini to love, but then got just a little tight, Paolini played smart, letting her opponent make mistakes and got rewarded by the set.
There was an epic (nearly 17 minute) game early on in the second set, which Paolini won, on her serve, and then she broke Svitolina, and as the set went on, Paolini’s level improved, meaning that she again was the ‘comeback queen’, having come from behind against China.
I was too tired to watch the deciding doubles, but apparently Errani and Paolini won in two sets, meaning Italy, the defending champions, were through to the final.
I watched a bit of the GB v USA tie. I joined in the middle of the second set, so Kartal had won the first against Navarro, but they seemed to be evenly matched in the second, with Navarro’s higher ranking helping her find a way to win. I only watched a little of the next match – Boulter has a 1-0 record against Pegula, but even if she managed to repeat that, I’d favour the Americans to win the doubles and thus set up a final against Italy.
And lo, USA won.
I was only able to watch the highlights of the Italy vs. US tie. Impressively, given their rankings (although I’ve been underwhelmed by Navarro this year) both now and historically, Cocciaretto beat Navarro in two sets. Paolini and Pegula had a tussle in the first set, but Paolini overcame and then played brilliant tennis in the second. After a brief wobble, she won that too, defending the title, which is so impressive, as the Americans have, on paper, the better team. And Pegula had the better head to head on Paolini.
She could not break back, until she got the crowd on-side (it was held in Shenzen, in an indoors court,) and started playing better. She broke back, but Svitolina had the serving advantage. It was certainly entertaining. Badosa started making errors again in the final game, Svitolina showed her usual grit (although playing for Spain certainly seems to energise Badosa), and won. This is the first time Ukraine have ever got through to the semi-final stage (and with Svitolina, Kostuyk and a very decent doubles player…well, they’re facing Italy.)
Billie Jean King herself was watching, alongside Conchita Martinez (who probably felt a pang that Spain lost.)
I also found myself watching the deciding doubles match between USA and Kazakhstan, with Pegula and Townsend (the most experienced doubles players) up one set on Rybakina and Putinseva. The second set was up and down, with the former Russians/Kazakh players breaking Townsend. Putinseva then became the Americans’ target, starting to play tight, especially obvious in her lobs. They broke back, and though Rybakina tried to sway things, in the tiebreak, the Americans were simply superior. All credit to Townsend for excellent smashes/overheads.
The next day, I joined the Ukraine-Italy tie to watch the second set between Kostyuk and Cocciaretto, with Kostuyk continuing to outplay her opponent (she’d won the first set 6-2.) Because Kostyuk was turning defence into offence and hitting so many winners, it was really entertaining tennis. In Cocciaretto’s final serving game, she had loads of game points, but could not convert, and then Kostuyk got a couple of match points and won, putting her country in the lead.
(The backdrop was that Ukraine had never got this deep in the BJK Cup before and had never beaten Italy, although it had been many years since they last played.)
Next up Svitolina v. Paolini, and although the Italian was the higher ranked player, Svitolina lead their head to head 2-0, having won in two Grand Slams this year. The first point was a 20-shot rally, showing that both players had come out to play. After Paolini won her first service game, Svitolina seemed to have honed in and was playing with controlled aggression, winning the first set. Paolini broke her first service game, but Svitolina came right back, breaking back, stalling any momentum. In the sixth game, she broke Paolini to love, but then got just a little tight, Paolini played smart, letting her opponent make mistakes and got rewarded by the set.
There was an epic (nearly 17 minute) game early on in the second set, which Paolini won, on her serve, and then she broke Svitolina, and as the set went on, Paolini’s level improved, meaning that she again was the ‘comeback queen’, having come from behind against China.
I was too tired to watch the deciding doubles, but apparently Errani and Paolini won in two sets, meaning Italy, the defending champions, were through to the final.
I watched a bit of the GB v USA tie. I joined in the middle of the second set, so Kartal had won the first against Navarro, but they seemed to be evenly matched in the second, with Navarro’s higher ranking helping her find a way to win. I only watched a little of the next match – Boulter has a 1-0 record against Pegula, but even if she managed to repeat that, I’d favour the Americans to win the doubles and thus set up a final against Italy.
And lo, USA won.
I was only able to watch the highlights of the Italy vs. US tie. Impressively, given their rankings (although I’ve been underwhelmed by Navarro this year) both now and historically, Cocciaretto beat Navarro in two sets. Paolini and Pegula had a tussle in the first set, but Paolini overcame and then played brilliant tennis in the second. After a brief wobble, she won that too, defending the title, which is so impressive, as the Americans have, on paper, the better team. And Pegula had the better head to head on Paolini.
