Week 43 - ITF ($25K) - Lagos, Nigeria - Hard

steven · Tennis legend

RE: Week 43 - ITF ($25K) - Lagos, Nigeria - Hard

steven · Tennis legend

Bratchikova throws in a double fault to give Broady hope at 15-30, but Nina reels off three straight points to tidy up the game. 7-6 4-2...

steven · Tennis legend

Another comfortable hold Broady gets her to 3-4, but she's got to manufacture a break to avoid a second straight semi-final loss in Lagos.

steven · Tennis legend

Naomi grabs the first point of the game, but that's the closest she comes to Nina's serve. Bratchikova can see the finish line. 7-6 5-3...

steven · Tennis legend

Naomi flirts with elimination at 0-30, but she throws down a couple of big ones to stay in the tournament. She trails 4-5 in the second set.

steven · Tennis legend

Moment of truth for Bratchikova as she serves for a place in the final. What have you got, Naomi?

Game, Set and Match Bratchikova. That's a very fine win for the second seed. She's into the final after a 7-6 6-4 victory over Naomi Broady.

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Pity, but it's been well worth the trip to West Africa for Naomi this past fortnight

TomTraubert · Futures level

encouraging again all week and even in the defeat seems a good showing
compare where naomi was this time last year when she almost stropped off court in barnstaple to now and its all upside
seems to have found a path back and long may it lead her upwards

steven · Tennis legend

SF: Naomi Broady WR lost to (2) Nina Bratchikova (RUS) by 7-6(4) 6-4

indiana · Tennis legend

Good trip ending with another decent looking performance.

Naomi certainly has the ability and weapons to be back into the top 200 and indeed to get into the top 150. Whether she will or not, I really don't know. Needs to find much more consistency.

Priesty · Challenger level

I remember Sam Smith commentating on Naomi's match with Annie K at Wimbledon in 2011 and saying she felt Naomi could make top 100 - but would probably need to change about 20-30 things in her game from a technical point of view.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Priesty wrote:
I remember Sam Smith commentating on Naomi's match with Annie K at Wimbledon in 2011 and saying she felt Naomi could make top 100 - but would probably need to change about 20-30 things in her game from a technical point of view.

yes, LOL, I remember that commentary too.

Sam also said something along the lines of : well, at least she knows that her upside potential is huge because so much is technically so poor.

Spectator · All-time great

Talk about backhanded compliments ...

indiana · Tennis legend

Unfortunately I have always felt that Naomi's tennis has hugely suffered from the family reaction to the LTA's possibly over-reaction to Naomi's social media activities.

It is all very well having principles, but never lose sight of the bigger goal. I think that she missed out on some very important conventional coaching at an important age.