Now comes a rematch of the final in Bulgaria. Nadia won 62 61.
Caroline has to hold serve. They way she gave up her 2-0 game in set 1 today is how she played against Nadia.
Her effort level is good. The mental focus has to be there to beat Nadia. She cant get down if Nadia wins some key points, and she has to play well on the big points.
Caro's buddy looked a bit shaky at times today;maybe Caro will get lucky and catch her during a lull in intensity...Sunshine needs to get some Pattaya revenge first,of course
Hard to believe that Caro & Vika havent played a match since 2010, and both have been #1 for 117 weeks since.
Lets see if Caroline can get this win. Nadia is very capable of attacking weak serves and short balls
Many of the players have mentioned how there's a noticeable speed difference between courts in IW. After the Vesnina match, Caro remarked that a reason it took her a couple of games to get her game going was because Centre Court plays slower than other courts. The Petrova match will also be played on CC, so Caro may have a little advantage there the first few games because Petrova hasn't played on CC this tournament and isn't used to it.
Tbh tournaments shouldn't be able to get away with this. They do, and it's coming more common. Same thing at last years USO. I am pretty sure they do it solely because they want Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray in the semi''s (not possible this week), and know making the main court very slow gives the best chance of this.
GM voting and comments (obviously) see Petrova as the fave. I am leaning more towards a 50/50 match, despite Petrova's clear win in Sofia. Court conditions are quite different and any gust of wind will (literally) blow Petrova off course.
Punters have Caro as a 1.65 Vs 2.50 fave. I will probably start with a sneaky bet on Petrova at 2.50 and see how it goes from there
GM voting and comments (obviously) see Petrova as the fave. I am leaning more towards a 50/50 match, despite Petrova's clear win in Sofia. Court conditions are quite different and any gust of wind will (literally) blow Petrova off course.
Had to laugh just a little bit b/c Nadia is a healthy,shapely woman...and I can think of some scrawnier gals who would get blown around more easily.....but I agree with you that Caroline should be given no worse than 50-50 odds.If she can serve effectively,then her chances will greatly improve
Still about 5 or 6 hours to this match. Should tell a lot. Caroline's effort level was excellent against Vesnina. That is what she needs. Petrova has lost to Caro everytime Caro played well. But Caro has to play well on big points, she didnt do it last time they faced
First of all,congrats to Caro on the win;however,a SF berth made possible mostly by a Vika injury or illness leaves me a bit disappointed.Would rather see Caro play her and get a better measuring stick on recent progress(or,as some of you feel,the lack thereof).Wouldn't Kerber be the tougher semifinal test for Caroline at this point??A withdrawal from Caro's buddy is no guarantee at this stage,of course,so let's see how this goes down first
Thats 3 premiers in a row where she got to Aga, Petra, Vika.
Even though Vika might not be 100%, she's been winning, and wont be an easy match.
Caro has to compete hard, but stay mentally positive and dont give up, no matter what. Has to compete for a full match.
I dont think anyone is playing great tennis where Caro is overmatched.
She definately can win any match this week, including this one
She has to start well and compete. Make Vika realize its a long day ahead
Step 1 is successful. Get to YEC players. Step 2 is to win these kinds of matches
Great news to start the morning with. I was worried about this match, I thought it would end up like her matches with Kuznetsova. Looking forward to the rematch with Vika. Caro needs the big wins.
If the player is VISIBLY affected,though,then we can't argue against the relevance of an illness and/or injury,whether it's Caroline winning or some stranger.There are obviously different degrees of seriousness and,personally,I'd rather see how Caroline does vs. a near-100% top player this week.As you hinted,however,if her buddy is even halfway fit,it would still be a nice win for Caroline
I personally don't see any relevance tbh, what's important is the tennis Caro brings to the court, win or loose... It's a long time since, and never with her current stick, that Caro has produced the venom on her BH that enabled her to overcome Maria at the USO and humiliate the same player at IW. I could easily argue we won't see a 100% Caro with Yonex...
All I'm interested to see is progression, and while we have some of that, she was still lacking control yesterday when performing her signiture BH killer DTL. It's going to be quite a while longer before we see a 100% Caro on court, let alone an impovement from from when she won, which we all know she is capable of doing. Dropping another 3Kg on the strings would suggest she is still looking.
I remain upbeat, patient, and optimistic though. I also think she has a more than fair chance here if she can keep the ball inside the lines.
Caroline has done well to get this far. These are the kinds of matches that will test her focus and confidence. She has to start well, and when Vika plays some great points, she has to maintain her focus & confidence, and keep competing. Make Vika have to play well the whole match.
I'm looking forward to this. One of these matches of Caro vs a top 5 will relaunch her career. This could be it.
If she keeps getting thru draws, it will come
I have now watched the 4R Vs Petrova ... From comments (in GM) and the -20 W/UE count for both, I was expecting the worst tennis match - ever.
But it wasn't. There was some good play from both. Many of the UEs were actually forced errors. Caro also missed a few herself, when going for a shot. I'd rather see that sort of UE than a plain rally shot being netted.
Caro's FH worked well. Solid and with good depth. She generally moved forward, when the chance was there. Dare I say, not many players in the world will beat Caro if she keeps this level.
Mood : Optimist .. Opening Bet for QF : Back Caro @ 5.0 (already placed, so now I sorta have to watch the match. DO NOT schedule it for 4:30AM CET, I/W organizers. Do you hear me?!?!).
Mood : Optimist .. Opening Bet for QF : Back Caro @ 5.0 (already placed, so now I sorta have to watch the match. DO NOT schedule it for 4:30AM CET, I/W organizers. Do you hear me?!?!).
I was wondering if she could ever recapture her glory days.
But her effort level is impressive right now. That kind of effort with good focus will make Caroline very tough.
I expect Vika to play. She already was criticised a lot this year, and if she withdrew, it would be 2 times in 3 years in this exact situation.
I think Vika will play, and if Caro fights and focuses, she has a great chance
Am not trying to question your integrity at all,but I don't recall it being QUITE that bad.Anyway,with your clay court reference,I'm thinking that Vesnina was Caro's opponent in the match you mention.Frankly,she's not known for being too mentally strong on court and,like Hantuchova,she might be prone to go easy on an injured foe rather than go all-out for victory.As I said---am not badmouthing you;however,I'd like to see a link to that old match with Caro,if you have one,so that I can check it out for myself
I must have missed the day Steffi showed up to play and finished the match with an achilles tear. Next you will be suggesting that beating woofy is only valid if she isn't playing like an inconsistent fool, even if that only occurs once a year near a full moon.
A win is a win, and GM is for "beat her better'er than your one and it doesn't count because she had a zit on her nose".
Don't know who 'woofy' is,so I couldn't offer you any comment on your obscure choice of nicknames:lol:.Unlike you,I don't go to GM,either,so I haven't done any analysis on their frail brand of GroupThink that's devoid of critical thinking but,if it's any consolation to you,you're wrong,because I'd never use avoidable poor play as an excuse for a defeat.I'll let you sober up first before inviting you to ponder the disparity in severity between an achilles tendon tear and a zit:lol:.Also,I fail to see any clear analogy with lousy execution and a fluke injury to a player with sound training habits(though you might be pleased to read that aye AM disinclined to accept injury-themed,'poor-me' whining from players who fail to work with a respected fitness coach).
Further,I'll agree with you that the more random injuries are part of the sport,so I promise to not piss on the victory parade if Caro beats her buddy,okay?Caro has had her own share of bad luck over the years,so I'll be glad for her advancement no matter how she gets it(barring something gruesome such as the murder of her opponent).It's been a long,long day,Burisleif,so that's all I've got for tonight....will see you around
I hope Caro isn't hitting her 1st serve in the mid 80 mile per hour range like she was against Petrova. Unlike a lot of players Vika will take advantage of weak 1st serves.
I hope Caro isn't hitting her 1st serve in the mid 80 mile per hour range like she was against Petrova. Unlike a lot of players Vika will take advantage of weak 1st serves.
Just had a look at the highlights and yes - some of Caro's 1st serves looked without any pace. I hope she can get a good 1st serve percentage in and have a bit more bite to them for her match today. One of the things with Vika - she is so good on ROS and as you say - Vika will be able to take advantage of weak 1st serves.
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Tennis Forum
33.4M posts
98.7K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to Tennis players and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about players, gear, matches, scores, guidelines, and more!