Estoril Open 2011 qualies
Sesil Karatantcheva def. Arantxa Rus 57 64 62
Here is my report back then:
"Rus Horror Picture Show"
I've never seen such a comical set in tennis like that 3rd set. Not even in exhos you get such a laughable play.
Got there when Sesil was serving at *5-6, and a bunch of UEs gifted the set to Rus. At the beginning of the 2nd set it seemed Arantxa would get a straight sets wins when she got the BP at 7-5 1-0* ad Sesil wasn't being able to pass Rus on the baseline. She somehow held and found a way to bother the dutch on the baseline rallies: the FH DTL. Sesil tried to do it time to time, even with not much pace, with high success, because Rus was always expecting CC and she's not a fast mover. She broke Rus' serve at 2-2, helding easily until she serve for the set. Rus' saved 2 SPs (FH DTL winner, her best shot, and BH CC winner), but missed the return on the 3rd SP. 2nd set was entertaining, Sesil tried to move Rus when she could, with some angled CC BH, CC FH and then apply that mentioned FH DTL. Rus, sometimes late to the ball, she tried to blast her FH DTL with relative success during the set.
3rd set: as bad as it gets. IIRC, Rus held serve to love, Sesil held too and after that the comic play begins. Somehow, Rus was getting late to the ball, which is pretty hard since Sesil wasn't hitting with any kind of pace. Most of Sesil's BH were to middle or CC angled inside the service square, but in almost slow motion. I guess she figured it out her opponent was getting tired and she was just consistent. From this point on, Arantxa started to lose the patient after each game and as deeper the match got, more blasting FHs she tried, this time with very few success. Her first serve was being missed by miles too. At 7-5 4-6 *2-4, it was the low point of this. Sesil made 2 BH winners (she only had 3 in the 3rd set, the other was an ace) to get to 0-40, but a "I don't give a shit about this anymore" Rus saved those 3 BPs: good 1st serve, blasting FH inside out winner; awful footwork form Rus, she made FH slice followed by a FH frame dinky shot that Sesil couldn't get it back; missed return from Sesil. Rus had a GP, that wasted with an UE and on deuce, Sesil makes a short BH on the service square to the middle of the court, but Rus didn't move her feet and her FH almost went to the middle of the net. In that tight game, she had 2/3 shots that almost were to the bottom of the net. It was pretty awful. Of course, Sesil hold serve after it and won the match. She thanked our support from the crowd waving her hand (the only ones who were supporting her; there was 4teenagers who were cheering for Rus that the umpire told them to shut up during the points).