Ana's best performance so far this season. Nearly perfect, especially from FH. I hope she definitely returns to her old FH that she played tonight so many times.
Needs more 1st serves in, though.
Very good match from both, very good quality, especially the opening set. Gasparyan clearly top 20 material.
Ajdeeeee Ana! Make a deep run here! Back to top 17.
Ana's FH is back There were glimpse of 2014 Ana 1st serve % was pathetic though...
A really nice match there! Some really nice rallies especially in the first set. Both players were hitting winners and painting the lines Gasparyan was goating on serve except the last few games and Ana was clueless like when Maria faces Serena
Ana stayed calm and Gasparyan was a bit shaky during important moments. Missed an easy BH on SP and was a break up in the second then lost 6 games in a row. Was up 0-40 on Ana's serve at 3*-2 but lost 8 points in a row. She might be winning actually if she stayed calm and kept her first serves in.
I just want her to keep this FH that she played tonight. It's her natural one, still not 100%, but SO MUCH better than the shot she produced in her recent matches in Australia.
This was my first glimpse at Gasparyan. Love to see a young player with a nice one-hander! She is good at the net, has a strong serve and great backhand. The forehand looks suspect though. Good match from Ana/VIP!
Watching from the stands i wasn't that much impressed by VIP's game. Her serve wasn't impressive, her groundstrokes for a while looked on par with Gasparyan, which means a lot. She will be in trouble against anyone more experienced and with some variety.
By the way, Ana is to thin and lacks curvs. Still beautiful though, but her body is subpar in comparison with the likes of Vesnina for instance.
People thinking that's a post-match celebration when the score is clear on the image.
That was a decent performance from Ana (Considering she played in January). But that's it.
The forehand was indeed a pleasant surprise. Still not at the max level, but she was actually dictating play and finishing the points off with that wind instead of the mess it was in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne. So there's an improvement.
First serve.... Not that bad. But the serve overall NEEDS work. The backhand forever a liability but did used it wisely at times to open up the court and moved her opening around to hit a forehand. Brain usage, good.
I laughed at some the easy misses and bitched about others. Eh, typical Anci making it harder for herself in the first, really. Could've been easier but made up for it in the second by winning the last six games of the match.
This draw, though. :crying2: Do something here.
Margarita really tried it in the first set. She covers her ground well is nice to watch but still has to develop more. Too erratic at times. But she's heading in the right direction. Did well from 2-4 down in the first. I'll keep an eye on her.
Last but not least, I just love the fact this is an European indoor event. The calendar spot is not suitable but hey, I miss these kind of tourneys.