Brings it into sharp focus for me. If Leylah is playing qualies why doesnt Emma play qualies? Understand she most probably wouldnt have got in for this draw but isnt a very good image me thinks. Anyway good luck Jodie!
Brings it into sharp focus for me. If Leylah is playing qualies why doesnt Emma play qualies? Understand she most probably wouldnt have got in for this draw but isnt a very good image me thinks. Anyway good luck Jodie!
Presumably her aim was to play Auckland and then practise for Melbourne. Am not sure she could enter qualifying at short notice unless she got a wild card.
Brings it into sharp focus for me. If Leylah is playing qualies why doesnt Emma play qualies? Understand she most probably wouldnt have got in for this draw but isnt a very good image me thinks. Anyway good luck Jodie!
Presumably her aim was to play Auckland and then practise for Melbourne. Am not sure she could enter qualifying at short notice unless she got a wild card.
Emna is in Melbourne - had been practising with Fran. Been there for a few days.
Jodie lost 1st set 3-6, one break of serve. Both players winning a high percentage behind the 1st serve, Jodie with the lower 1st serve percentage. Jodie had one bp but was unable to take it. I watched a replay of the point that earned Leylah the only break; Jodie forced on the defensive after what looked like a 2nd serve then ultimately failing to get a difficult f dtl over the net.
I started watching at 2-2 in the 2nd and keeping track of points at 3-3, no more breaks though I believe Jodie had saved a bp in the early part of the set.
Jodie super f winner after a 1st, a good agg f cc 30-0, poor 2nd serve return error from LF, wide 1st unreturned for love hold 4-3*
Fernandez f dtl error wide 0-15, Jodie agg f cc 0-30, Jodie's poor attempt at a blocked return off a 1st lands long 15-30, rubbish 2nd serve return error 30-30 Leylah f just long 30-40, Leylah b error net for the break *5-3
Not much quality from Jodie as she attempted to serve for the set. Deep wide 2nd unreturned 15-0, poor b error long after 1st 15-15, Leylah good return off a 1st set up a f cc winner 15-30, Leylah agg return off a 2nd 15-40. Jodie survived 2 bps thanks to a good wide 1st unreturned, then Leylah failed to get a 2nd serve return in play. 2 more 2nd serves, Jodie b cc just long to set up another bp, that Leylah took with a b cc winner 5-4
A deep return off a 2nd, then a df for 15-30 but Leylah b winner for 30-30 and Jodie went for a b dtl but missed long 40-30, decent Burrage drop shot 40-40, Fernandez f cc winner A-, unreturned 1st 5-5
Good defence from Leylah as Jodie attacked but ultimately Burrage drop shot into the net 0-15, agg f after 2nd 15-15, LF f dtl just wide 30-15, good wide 1st 40-15, df 40-30, super f winner after good T 6-5*
The Fernandez 1st serve went missing as she served to stay in the set. She missed her first 5 1st serves then managed to land 4 out of the next 9. Df 0-15, Burrage return winner 0-30, Burrage agg b dtl 0-40, good rally Leylah b winner 15-40, LF deep shot that Jodie hit in the net 30-40 ace 40-40, LF agg f after 1st A-, Jodie agg b return that Leylah could only fire into the net 40-40, Jodie punished a 2nd serve 40-A, awful 2nd serve return into the net 40-40 Leylah f error long after 2nd 40-A, good wide 1st serve opens up space for f winner 40-40, Jodie has a chance but Leylah defends impressively then fires b pass winner A-, poor f error long from Jodie on another 2nd serve point 6-6
Jodie started the tiebreak with an ace T and produced another ace T for the only other point she won. She went for a few shots that didn't come off and Leylah had far too much quality on the rest. 2-7
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Not sure what to think. Decent effort to keep the score close. It really wouldn't have taken much to win that 2nd set given how many 2nd serves she faced on set points and she earlier had 40-40 when she served for the set but was unable to find the big 1st serves she needed. Leylah looked vastly more talented than Jodie so not quite sure why Jodie blasted so many shots centrally, that may well have troubled other opponents but Leylah dealt with effortlessly.
Anyway, useful match practice for the Australian Open. Somehow needs to play the big points a bit better. Serve out sets if she gets the chance. Punish 2nd serves on bp etc.
-- Edited by kundalini on Saturday 4th of January 2025 03:12:52 PM
Overall I'm pretty encouraged with how Jodie has been performing since she came back from her injury absence. Of course, like almost any player, there will be in there a fair amount of poor shots / choices and the occasionally rubbish. But especially with her break.and how relatively aggressively she plays, looking to me not too bad at all.
