I didn't expect to see any more tennis this week, but I had a friend who got free tickets to Hantuchova vs. Frazier. We didn't get to the match until 3-2 in the first set when Frazier broke.
Despite the easy scoreline of 6-2, 6-4 this match was pretty close...almost all of the games went to deuce. And most of the deuce games went to at least 3-4 deuces. I had never seen either play in person, but I'm assuming that Daniela has been playing the same tonite as she has throughout the year, or at least at the same level. Daniela's serve was really weak...throughout the entire match she didn't even crack a serve over 100mph. In fact her serves ranged from 80-90mph with her second serve dipping into the 70s. Daniela had pretty good placement though, although because she wasn't hitting it big enough, Frazier was able to capitalize on Daniela's serve. Frazier on the other hand consistently served in the 90s, her second serve dipped no lower than 80.
Based on serves, and service returns alone...you could tell Frazier was going to win the match. Frazier consistently put Hantuchova on the defensive with the return of serve. Hantuchova seemed to have a hard time reading Frazier's serve...she just never seemed to get a good look. Hantuchova only had one good service game throughout the match. Frazier though has good deep returns which could have been the reason Hantuchova was put on the defensive.
In terms of groundstrokes, both players hit deep and hard as well as have a knack for changing the direction of the ball. There were some good rallies between the two. In fact Hantuchova's backhand up the line kept her in the match. In the span of two or three games, she had hit like 5 winners off that shot. I was suprised at how well both players were aiming for the lines and keeping it in. The only separation between the two was Frazier's consistency. It was really weird it was almost as if Hantuchova could not string more than a point together. She would play brilliantly on one point, but then hit an unforced error straight into the net. Hantuchova racked up a lot of errors, especially when there were easy put aways, or when Frazier was off the court. Another big difference between the two was movement. Hantuchova was constantly hitting in awkward positions...hunched over or slicing because she wasn't in position.
Both players were tragic at the net, Hantuchova passed Frazier on many occassions. But so did Frazier. When either player tried to come up to the net, they seemed unsure...they both hit their volleys BEHIND the service line.
Frazier and Hantuchova hit a lot of errors in the match, but Amy played better as Daniela was very up and down. The last time I saw Hantuchova was Eastbourne 2002 when she played against Chanda Rubin. While she seems to go for less winners now (read less winner happy), she seems to be lacking any type of consistency.
The plus for Hantuchova? The new Nike outfit makes her look less anorexic because of the horizontal stripes.
Despite the easy scoreline of 6-2, 6-4 this match was pretty close...almost all of the games went to deuce. And most of the deuce games went to at least 3-4 deuces. I had never seen either play in person, but I'm assuming that Daniela has been playing the same tonite as she has throughout the year, or at least at the same level. Daniela's serve was really weak...throughout the entire match she didn't even crack a serve over 100mph. In fact her serves ranged from 80-90mph with her second serve dipping into the 70s. Daniela had pretty good placement though, although because she wasn't hitting it big enough, Frazier was able to capitalize on Daniela's serve. Frazier on the other hand consistently served in the 90s, her second serve dipped no lower than 80.
Based on serves, and service returns alone...you could tell Frazier was going to win the match. Frazier consistently put Hantuchova on the defensive with the return of serve. Hantuchova seemed to have a hard time reading Frazier's serve...she just never seemed to get a good look. Hantuchova only had one good service game throughout the match. Frazier though has good deep returns which could have been the reason Hantuchova was put on the defensive.
In terms of groundstrokes, both players hit deep and hard as well as have a knack for changing the direction of the ball. There were some good rallies between the two. In fact Hantuchova's backhand up the line kept her in the match. In the span of two or three games, she had hit like 5 winners off that shot. I was suprised at how well both players were aiming for the lines and keeping it in. The only separation between the two was Frazier's consistency. It was really weird it was almost as if Hantuchova could not string more than a point together. She would play brilliantly on one point, but then hit an unforced error straight into the net. Hantuchova racked up a lot of errors, especially when there were easy put aways, or when Frazier was off the court. Another big difference between the two was movement. Hantuchova was constantly hitting in awkward positions...hunched over or slicing because she wasn't in position.
Both players were tragic at the net, Hantuchova passed Frazier on many occassions. But so did Frazier. When either player tried to come up to the net, they seemed unsure...they both hit their volleys BEHIND the service line.
Frazier and Hantuchova hit a lot of errors in the match, but Amy played better as Daniela was very up and down. The last time I saw Hantuchova was Eastbourne 2002 when she played against Chanda Rubin. While she seems to go for less winners now (read less winner happy), she seems to be lacking any type of consistency.
The plus for Hantuchova? The new Nike outfit makes her look less anorexic because of the horizontal stripes.
