I think we may need a thread to discuss Danish tennis in general (non-juniors). Maria Jespersen is starting a pro career at the moment, and some others like Anna Signe Rasmussen and Malene Stripp, who are in their last junior seasons, have already tried their luck on the pro circuit a few times in 2012. And I guess there will others the next few years. Creating a new thread for each player might be a bit excessive.
This thread can also be used for Danish Fed Cup discussions now that Caro isn't playing on the team.
Maria Jespersen, 20 years of age, is the most recent Danish pro player. She's been playing as a qualifier i Greece this week, and performed pretty well in some tough matches.
$10,000 Heraklion, Greece
QR1 Maria JESPERSEN (DEN) d. Alessia CAMPLONE (ITA) 7-6(5) 6-1 QR2 Maria JESPERSEN (DEN) d. [13] Giulia BRUZZONE (ITA) 6-3 3-6 6-1 QR3 Maria JESPERSEN (DEN) d. Sabrina BAMBURAC (GBR) 3-6 7-5 7-6(8)
1R [2] Jasmin STEINHERR (GER) d. Maria JESPERSEN (DEN) 4-6 6-3 6-3
Pretty good effort against the 2nd seeded player! Here's Maria's own report from the match (brutally excerpted and translated from an article here):
We both held serve during the first set until I broke her love at 5-4! I'd been serving really well in the 1st set. I also began the 2nd set really well but I lost the concentration and didn't really believe I could win. I lost the set 6-3.
Then I began to play again like I had done in the 1st set. I was immedialtely up 3-1 with three breakpoints to 4-1! I was serving with new balls at 3-2 when I started to think too much about it. The pressure was growing and it was really important to hold serve. I had won my previous service game to love with four perfect first serves. But she was returning really well so I was broken to 3-3.
The last three games were really close but she eventually won the set 6-3.
We talked after the match, and she told me about her own struggles earlier in her career when she had gone through qualification only to lose against one of the top seeds in the first round of MD. She also told me, that the most experienced won today, but she complimented my game - my time will come. I'm already looking forward to my next tournament.
BTW: I got a new nickname at this tournament. Players and coaches call me Karlovic! They're all very impressed with my serves and the countless aces I've been serving here in Greece.
(1/wc)Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) v Ekaterina Yashina (RUS)
Richel Hogenkamp (NED) v Kristina Kucova (SVK)
Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) v (wc)Simone Alipieva (DEN)
Zuzana Luknarova (SVK) v (8)Sarah Gronert (GER)
(3)Kiki Bertens (NED) v Johanna Konta (AUS)
Lenka Jurikova (SVK) v (wc)Frederikke Svarre (DEN)
Daria Gavrilova (RUS) v Irina Buryachok (UKR)
Lina Stanciute (LTU) v (6)Reka-Luca Jani (HUN)
Alipieva spiller 6. kamp på Centre Court i morgen, lørdag, hvor også danske Frederikke Svarre skal i aktion. Hun spiller tidligere på dagen mod slovakiske Jurikova.
37m 40s. Det er s'gu hurtigt selv for en 60 60'er. Håber ikke hun tager det for hårdt. Arrangørerne, eller er det WTA, skulle have dummebøder for det her.
6-0 6-0 is not really surprising. I don't think she will take it too hard. Pro players like Barbat and Ejdesgaard have also been double-bageled in Copenhagen. And Svarre is not even an elite junior. But why she got a Wild card? I don't know.
@backhandsmash: cheer up No need to be worried. Kvitova schooled Caro at 2010 Wimbledon 6-2 6-0. Caro didn't win much more points than Frederikke Svarre today (percentage wise). But Caro was ranked #4 and Kvitova #62! It seemed like a disaster for Caro, but she had her best year ever after that event!
Noone expects Alipieva to creat miracles. I'm sure it'll be great for her no matter what the outcome. Only I hope Simone isn't too tired having already played two matches today (she also won her doubls SF at the junior's today).
I am in a pretty cheery mood today actually. But as you (or was it Jorn?) mentioned: She's being "thrown to the wolves" or something like that.
But maybe the whole idea of this WC circus, was to give the youngsters an idea of the level played on the WTA tour? I don't think so, though.
(1)Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) v Urszula Radwanska (POL)
Q v Pauline Parmentier (FRA)
Alize Cornet (FRA) v (wc)Malou Ejdesgaard (DEN)
Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (AUT) v (8)Sofia Arvidsson (SWE)
(4)Monica Niculescu (ROU) v Valeria Savinykh (RUS)
Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) v Stefanie Voegele (SUI)
Q v Petra Martic (CRO)
Q v (7)Ksenia Pervak (KAZ)
(5)Kaia Kanepi (EST) v Anastasia Rodionova (AUS)
Timea Babos (HUN) v Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN)
(5)Yulia Putintseva (RUS) v (wc)Karen Barbat (DEN)
Laura Robson (GBR) v (3)Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
(6)Mona Barthel (GER) v Johanna Larsson (SWE)
Kristina Barrois (GER) v Alberta Brianti (ITA)
Q v Anne Keothavong (GBR)
Stephanie Foretz Gacon (FRA) v (2)Angelique Kerber (GER)
Man, are there really no streams available for this? I have only ever watched 1 livestream of her before, which was that doubles match against 2 russians.