I will be going on all qualifying days and the first 4 days of the main draw, and will post all reports and pics in this thread.
Thursday 16 January 2009
Today was the first day of women's qualifying. Thankfully the weather had cooled down a lot, so it wasn't too hot and not very windy. I saw the following matches.
Vania King(USA)[10] def. Jelena Pandzic(CRO) 6-7(4) 6-1 6-1
This was the first match I watched after I arrived. They were in a first set tiebreak, and Vania made a few too many errors to lose it. However after the first set Vania lifted her game and started to play really well. She kept all her balls deep and worked the point until she could finish it off at the net. Pandzic wasn't a bad player, she hits quite hard off both sides but Vania ended up being too consistent for her.
Stephanie Dubois(CAN)[11] def. Sophie Ferguson(AUS) 4-6 7-5 6-3
When I arrived I saw that Sophie was up 6-4 4-0 and decided to watch King vs Pandzic first. When I returned Steph had won the 2nd set 7-5, which did not really surprise me. Steph was really pumped up and was playing well in the 3rd, while Sophie looked like she'd had enough. It wasn't hard to predict what the final result would be.
Zi Yan(CHN)[8] def. Sally Peers(AUS)6-3 7-5
Yan did not play anywhere near her best and made far too many UEs. Peers was playing really well and hit many good shots. Peers was able to keep it close but Yan was always ahead and never really threatened. Still Peers gave a good account of herself, one of the better performances by an Aussie in qualifying.
Kimiko Date Krumm(JPN) def. Ksenia Pervak(RUS) 6-3 6-3
This was the first time I have seen Kimiko play. She does hit with a rather unorthodox style, but it is effective. She was controlling most of the points by hitting her groundstrokes aggressively and had many more winners and unforced errors than Pervak. Kimiko also came in to finish her points at the net often. Pervak's game did not really look that impressive, she doesn't have a lot of power and mainly hit groundstrokes down the middle of the court. Her serve was pretty crappy too. At 5-1 down in the 2nd set Pervak called the trainer, I'm not sure what her problem was or even if she had a problem. Kimiko was practicing serves while Pervak got her treatment. When they came back Kimiko had problems closing it out and missed a lot of chances, but eventually got there in the end. There were quite a lot of fans watching this match, after the match there was a huge crowd of mainly Japanese fans and media at the exit to Show Court 3, ready to mob Kimiko when she came out.
Eleni Daniilidou(GRE) def. Elena Bovina(RUS) 6-4 7-6(2)
This was an interesting battle between former top 20 players who are trying to return to form after injury. It was one of the better matches of the day, with many close games. It was great to watch the aggressive power play of Bovina against the variety and great defensive skills of Eleni. The match was close but Bovina just made too many unforced errors. There were some Eleni fans supporting her but nowhere near the level as when she was playing the main draw, mainly because there are hardly any spectators in qualifying.
Alexandra Stevenson(USA) def. Stephanie Foretz(FRA)[2] 7-6(5) 7-6(7)
Alex was down a break in the 2nd set but lifted her game and played really well to get it back. She was using her powerful forehand to dictate the points. She didn't look like she was moving very well but then even at her peak I don't remember her being the best mover. As usual she was rolling her eyes at herself every time she made unforced errors.
Arantxa Rus(NED) def. Shannon Golds(AUS) 6-3 6-1
This was an easy match for Rus even though I don't think Rus was playing her best. Golds was just nowhere near this level. Rus doesn't look like she has that much power but places her balls well. It seemed like she made a lot of UEs but still won easily.
Alexandra Panova(RUS) def. Tereza Hladikova(CZE)6-2 6-3
I only saw the start of the match but Hladikova was playing terribly and almost every point was her unforced error.
Neuza Silva(POR) def. Vesna Manasieva(RUS)[17] 6-4 6-7(7) 14-12
This match seemed to go on forever. I think two matches were completed on the next court in the same time these two completed one match. At about 6-5 in the 3rd set Manasieva had 0-40 and 3 match points on Silva's serve, but Silva saved them with great play. After that the match continued on for ages. Manasieva seemed to be the more aggressive player and the one who went for the lines the most, Silva was consistent and kept slicing her backhand back. Silva kept getting the break but then was always broken back straight away, until finally she held her serve to win 14-12. Silva was really pumped up when she got the win and ran straight to her team at the side before she went to the net to shake hands.
Ksenia Palkina(KGZ) def. Corinna Dentoni(ITA)7-5 6-4
This was an entertaining match to watch. Both have very solid baseline games and can generate pace to hit winners when they get a chance. Palkina had a thicker build than Dentoni and could hit quite hard off both sides. Dentoni was very emotional and showed every emotion on court. She complained about a lot of line calls and would let off a really long high pitched scream every time she was really disappointed in her shot. You could hear her screams from a few courts away. Palkina was very intense, she kept jumping up and down on the spot pumping her fist and urging herself on between points, Sharapova style.
Mervana Jugic-Salkic(BIH) def. Ivana Lisjak(CRO)1-6 6-4 6-1
I only saw the end of this match but from what I saw Lisjak the brainless ball basher was hitting every ball out and Mervana didn't really need to do much to win. Mervana had some very loud support from Bosnian fans with their flags and football shirts who would go crazy and make so much noise every time she got a point, even if it was UE from her opponent.
Catalina Castano(COL)[22]def. Petra Martic(CRO)3-6 6-4 6-4
This was a good match and both played well. Martic has very nice groundstrokes with impressive power from both sides, and also a decent serve. She looks very skinny. Castano certainly hits the ball quite flat for a claycourter. In the end there were just a few too many unforced errors from Martic.
Elena Baltacha(GBR)[19] def. Anastasija Sevastova(LAT) 6-3 6-4
I only saw about 3 games of this. Baltacha was serving very well. Sevastova has a solid baseline game but not really any big weapons.
Karolina Sprem(CRO) def. Anna Tatishvili(GEO) 6-2 6-3
Sprem was playing really well, and she easily hit the hardest out of any of the girls in qualifying. Tatishvili couldn't really do much and was overpowered. Tatishvili doesn't really look like she has any weapons and looked pretty bad against Sprem.
Katalin Marosi(HUN)def. Aiko Nakamura(JPN)[23] 7-6(5) 6-3
Aiko just made tons of unforced errors and definitely wasn't playing near her best. She had a chance to take the 2nd set at about 6-5 and was dominating the point but as usual refused to volley so she couldn't put the floating balls away and just let them bounce and hit straight back to her opponent. I really wish Aiko would learn to come in and finish the points properly. Anyway in the tiebreak Marosi was leading all the way and Marosi also got the early break in the 2nd set. Marosi was solid and just had to let Aiko make UEs.
Thursday 16 January 2009
Today was the first day of women's qualifying. Thankfully the weather had cooled down a lot, so it wasn't too hot and not very windy. I saw the following matches.
Vania King(USA)[10] def. Jelena Pandzic(CRO) 6-7(4) 6-1 6-1
This was the first match I watched after I arrived. They were in a first set tiebreak, and Vania made a few too many errors to lose it. However after the first set Vania lifted her game and started to play really well. She kept all her balls deep and worked the point until she could finish it off at the net. Pandzic wasn't a bad player, she hits quite hard off both sides but Vania ended up being too consistent for her.
Stephanie Dubois(CAN)[11] def. Sophie Ferguson(AUS) 4-6 7-5 6-3
When I arrived I saw that Sophie was up 6-4 4-0 and decided to watch King vs Pandzic first. When I returned Steph had won the 2nd set 7-5, which did not really surprise me. Steph was really pumped up and was playing well in the 3rd, while Sophie looked like she'd had enough. It wasn't hard to predict what the final result would be.
Zi Yan(CHN)[8] def. Sally Peers(AUS)6-3 7-5
Yan did not play anywhere near her best and made far too many UEs. Peers was playing really well and hit many good shots. Peers was able to keep it close but Yan was always ahead and never really threatened. Still Peers gave a good account of herself, one of the better performances by an Aussie in qualifying.
Kimiko Date Krumm(JPN) def. Ksenia Pervak(RUS) 6-3 6-3
This was the first time I have seen Kimiko play. She does hit with a rather unorthodox style, but it is effective. She was controlling most of the points by hitting her groundstrokes aggressively and had many more winners and unforced errors than Pervak. Kimiko also came in to finish her points at the net often. Pervak's game did not really look that impressive, she doesn't have a lot of power and mainly hit groundstrokes down the middle of the court. Her serve was pretty crappy too. At 5-1 down in the 2nd set Pervak called the trainer, I'm not sure what her problem was or even if she had a problem. Kimiko was practicing serves while Pervak got her treatment. When they came back Kimiko had problems closing it out and missed a lot of chances, but eventually got there in the end. There were quite a lot of fans watching this match, after the match there was a huge crowd of mainly Japanese fans and media at the exit to Show Court 3, ready to mob Kimiko when she came out.
Eleni Daniilidou(GRE) def. Elena Bovina(RUS) 6-4 7-6(2)
This was an interesting battle between former top 20 players who are trying to return to form after injury. It was one of the better matches of the day, with many close games. It was great to watch the aggressive power play of Bovina against the variety and great defensive skills of Eleni. The match was close but Bovina just made too many unforced errors. There were some Eleni fans supporting her but nowhere near the level as when she was playing the main draw, mainly because there are hardly any spectators in qualifying.
Alexandra Stevenson(USA) def. Stephanie Foretz(FRA)[2] 7-6(5) 7-6(7)
Alex was down a break in the 2nd set but lifted her game and played really well to get it back. She was using her powerful forehand to dictate the points. She didn't look like she was moving very well but then even at her peak I don't remember her being the best mover. As usual she was rolling her eyes at herself every time she made unforced errors.
Arantxa Rus(NED) def. Shannon Golds(AUS) 6-3 6-1
This was an easy match for Rus even though I don't think Rus was playing her best. Golds was just nowhere near this level. Rus doesn't look like she has that much power but places her balls well. It seemed like she made a lot of UEs but still won easily.
Alexandra Panova(RUS) def. Tereza Hladikova(CZE)6-2 6-3
I only saw the start of the match but Hladikova was playing terribly and almost every point was her unforced error.
Neuza Silva(POR) def. Vesna Manasieva(RUS)[17] 6-4 6-7(7) 14-12
This match seemed to go on forever. I think two matches were completed on the next court in the same time these two completed one match. At about 6-5 in the 3rd set Manasieva had 0-40 and 3 match points on Silva's serve, but Silva saved them with great play. After that the match continued on for ages. Manasieva seemed to be the more aggressive player and the one who went for the lines the most, Silva was consistent and kept slicing her backhand back. Silva kept getting the break but then was always broken back straight away, until finally she held her serve to win 14-12. Silva was really pumped up when she got the win and ran straight to her team at the side before she went to the net to shake hands.
Ksenia Palkina(KGZ) def. Corinna Dentoni(ITA)7-5 6-4
This was an entertaining match to watch. Both have very solid baseline games and can generate pace to hit winners when they get a chance. Palkina had a thicker build than Dentoni and could hit quite hard off both sides. Dentoni was very emotional and showed every emotion on court. She complained about a lot of line calls and would let off a really long high pitched scream every time she was really disappointed in her shot. You could hear her screams from a few courts away. Palkina was very intense, she kept jumping up and down on the spot pumping her fist and urging herself on between points, Sharapova style.
Mervana Jugic-Salkic(BIH) def. Ivana Lisjak(CRO)1-6 6-4 6-1
I only saw the end of this match but from what I saw Lisjak the brainless ball basher was hitting every ball out and Mervana didn't really need to do much to win. Mervana had some very loud support from Bosnian fans with their flags and football shirts who would go crazy and make so much noise every time she got a point, even if it was UE from her opponent.
Catalina Castano(COL)[22]def. Petra Martic(CRO)3-6 6-4 6-4
This was a good match and both played well. Martic has very nice groundstrokes with impressive power from both sides, and also a decent serve. She looks very skinny. Castano certainly hits the ball quite flat for a claycourter. In the end there were just a few too many unforced errors from Martic.
Elena Baltacha(GBR)[19] def. Anastasija Sevastova(LAT) 6-3 6-4
I only saw about 3 games of this. Baltacha was serving very well. Sevastova has a solid baseline game but not really any big weapons.
Karolina Sprem(CRO) def. Anna Tatishvili(GEO) 6-2 6-3
Sprem was playing really well, and she easily hit the hardest out of any of the girls in qualifying. Tatishvili couldn't really do much and was overpowered. Tatishvili doesn't really look like she has any weapons and looked pretty bad against Sprem.
Katalin Marosi(HUN)def. Aiko Nakamura(JPN)[23] 7-6(5) 6-3
Aiko just made tons of unforced errors and definitely wasn't playing near her best. She had a chance to take the 2nd set at about 6-5 and was dominating the point but as usual refused to volley so she couldn't put the floating balls away and just let them bounce and hit straight back to her opponent. I really wish Aiko would learn to come in and finish the points properly. Anyway in the tiebreak Marosi was leading all the way and Marosi also got the early break in the 2nd set. Marosi was solid and just had to let Aiko make UEs.