Time to start this thread
Playoff results in from the TA website https://www.tennis.com.au/news/2017/05/19/fourlis-cabrera-open-play-off-with-wins
Liz def Storm 6-3 6-2
Jaimee def Pri 6-2 3-6 6-3
Des withdrew, so instead of re-shuffling the draw, Izzie received a walk over.
So Arina will face Jaimee and Liz will play Izzie
It sucks for Des that she had to withdraw but she'd have to like her chances of qualifying anyway, Jakupovic and Hsieh are the kind of opponents she'll face in quallies.
I would lol if Wallace won :lol: Imagine the two most recent international playoffs being won by Perez and Wallace
Someone should tell him that she played her quota of tournaments under the age eligibility rules, and she could only play this week because she just turned 17.
I'd much prefer to see Des kill it in the ITFs at this point in her career. It's much better preparation for a Grand Slam.
^ What a narky little comment from Woodbridge. Obviously still hasn't changed his mind from a few years ago when Sam Smith questioned the lavishing of w/c onto Aussie gals and he disagreed. Obviously he feels building a career and winning through to slam main draws the hard and legitimate way is beneath our Aussie players.
I think TA needs to move away from playoffs for Roland Garros and the US Open.
They'd be better off incentivising players by offering a wildcard to the player that gains the most points over the course of the European claycourt season or the US hardcourt swing (pre-US Open), at say a maximum of three events.
Whilst the winner of a playoff has definitely earned the wildcard using this approach, you can't tell me that Fourlis or Wallace has done more this week than Aiava at Saint-Gaudens.
Yes I agree. Seeing Aiava, Arina and even Lizette (poor form now, but deserves her top 200 rank) in qualies, whilst one of these two will be given a MD berth is just laughable really.
I think a play off is a better idea than just handing it out to someone, but to eiminate the possibility of random fluke winners, a "race" type scenario would certainly be welcome.
I have no issue with the play-off, it does provide some real match practice to the girls, before a slam. I just don't think it should be open to a player outside of the top 250.
If its a 3 player round-robin, or a 2 player, do-or-die win at all costs draw..... then so be it.
Disappointing Liz couldn't use her recent higher level experience to beat Izzie. But play-offs provide the strangest results sometimes.
Well done to Jaimee, who should get through tonight.
Lizette and Arina
Hopefully Arinas injury does not keep her out of the French Open Quallies
Would rather they just went with Destanee for the wildcard.
Hopefully Jaimee can bring her A game.
Wallace is the new Nancarrow. Until the Poms give her funding again.
This is just tragic. I mean Fourlis or Wallace for a slam MD I agree that a play-off is the fairest way and it's a good way of evaluating confidence and match-readiness, but it's a bit of a mockery when results like this happen (same with Perez at USO). Either say only Top 250 can be included in the play-off, choose the highest ranked player not in MD or simply forgo the MDWC.
I'm looking at the Frenchwomen who received MD wild cards, and it's the same thing year after year. They love giving undeserved handouts to their journeywomen
I know that Aussie wild card recipients are questionable, but at least most are not handouts. Only 1 or 2 are discretionary now.
As far as I know, none of the French ones are based on play off results, race results or U18s. They're ALL discretionary.
Ferro is young but practically a journey woman already, with a grand total of two games in her last two matches. Lim, Georges, Pacquet and Hesse are ordinary and so so lucky to be given this opportunity
Tessah's results are hardly setting the world on fire, but it's not as bad a choice as some of the above.
Cabrera
(3)Beatriz Haddad Maia v Silvia Soler-Espinosa
Jana Fett v Fanny Stollar
Valentini Grammatikopoulou v Lizette Cabrera
Jil Teichmann v (15)Naomi Broady
------------------------------------------------------
Not that I needed to post more than the R1, she's not winning a match on clay with this confidence.
If she plays well she can beat Valentini. Tiechmann loves clay so QR2 is very tough, QR3 even worse.
Aiava and Rodionova
(10)Ons Jabeur v Misa Eguchi
Victoria Kamenskaya v Cindy Burger
Arina Rodionova v Miyu Kato
Destanee Aiava v (19)Rebecca Sramkova
----------------------------------------------------
Good draw for Des imo! Rebecca is not in form, QR2 is a breeze. Likely Ons in FQR but she has a great shot! Great chance imo.
Rodionova. Lol.
Des and Arina play quite similar games to their opponents lol, Sramkova with the good serve and heavy ball, Hibi a lightweight counterpuncher.
I think they should meet in QR2 and Des has a shot at qualifying.
As for Lizette, actually a good draw. If she doesn't lift her form she's getting straight-setted in qr1 but if she does, she's certainly capable of winning then beating Broady/Teichmann on clay. However this is late-2016 form we need, which she doesn't have.