I'm glad that some other posters went to this match- too bad we didn't hang out, but anyways...<br />There were definitely some bad calls going on, particularly second serve faults from both players that were called in, but it was still a win by Anna!!<br />The biggest impressions for me from the match were:
1) Jen has put on some weight in the tummy, if not elsewhere. I was watching a tape of her semi-final vs. Dementieva at the Ericcson just for fun a few hours before this match, and she is definitely not in the same shape that got to the OZ final or to the finals of that tourni....
2) Anna did seem to favor her foot and right leg at times (stretching quickly, etc.) , but I think that she is trying to be especially attentive to her body and not re-injur herself. Good scrappiness and definitely her backhand was working well.
3) Anna's serve wasn't big, but she didn't self-destruct, and she served two aces in the match (maybe three?).
4) Capriati's return of serve wasn't there at all nor was her first serve.
5) The size of the court was smaller than in tour events, and sometimes it seemed that Jen couldn't run full out to her forehand to return an angle from Anna due to the size of the court? I'm wondering if anyone else noticed this?
6) Anna really made very few unforced errors. She still maintained a very aggressive style of play, but made less silly mistakes than Jen. (She did miss one gimmy forehand on her serve, but won the game anyway on the next point)
7) Jen's parents are both very nice!!!
8)Anna is very pretty and although there was a swarm of people trying to get her autograph (she couldn't sign them all), she signed for me because I said "great match, really well played" and she noticed me and signed my program. Other attendees were just shouting "Anna!!, i love you, etc....."- She seemed to notice someone (ME) who appreciated her tennis, not just her looks.
9)Anna is extremely thin and at times I thought she almost looked fragile. She could probably benefit from putting on some extra muscle? Maybe not though, that could just be her body type????
10)Anna and Jen were very friendly with each other after the match, chatting and having fun while playing a few points with people who got to hit a few balls with them after the match.
I plan to go the Miami like I've done in other years, but it was still fun to see these two hit it out and I think a win (or a loss), exhibition or otherwise, does something for a player's confidence and is a good experience to learn from. Jen showed many flashes of athleticism and hit many good shots, but she just seemed a little rusty and out of shape. She admitted that she hadn't been practicing until just recently and I think Anna's other exhibition matches helped her prepare well for this match.
