Weeks 3 & 4 - Australian Open - Main Draw - Melbourne (Hard)

indiana · Tennis legend

Weeks 3 & 4 - Australian Open - Main Draw - Melbourne (Hard)

9vicman · Satellite level

Lambda wrote:
1987 was the last time we had 4 women through to R2 in Australia (so says Jo Durie)

-- Edited by Lambda on Tuesday 14th of January 2025 01:31:12 PM

That's correct, but two of those players had first round byes as it wasn't yet a 128 draw, so this a better achievement.

markymc1983 · Club Coach

wales1994 wrote:
Kudermetova thrashed Gadecki 6-1 6-1, she might be finding form. But her GS career is hardly stellar either!

Anisimova hasn't started the year in any scary form, but then again, neither has Emma. That could be a chance but Anisimova definitely the front runner.

I'd be shocked if we had more than 1 through.

From what Ive read unfortunately Gadecki froze under such a big stage at her home slam so might not be a true reflection of current form

9vicman · Satellite level

indiana wrote:
wales1994 wrote:
Kudermetova thrashed Gadecki 6-1 6-1, she might be finding form. But her GS career is hardly stellar either!

Anisimova hasn't started the year in any scary form, but then again, neither has Emma. That could be a chance but Anisimova definitely the front runner.

I'd be shocked if we had more than 1 through.
I wouldn't be shocked to see Katie and Emma win. I reckon both will step up on their R1. Decent chance for both though odds against both managing to progress.
Odds ( look fair to me, other than I'd have Emma as at least equal ) :
Katie 8/11 vs Kudermetova 11/10
Emma 11/10 vs Anisimova 8/11
Harriet 10/3 vs Vekic 2/9
Jodie 18/1 vs Gauff 50/2

-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 14th of January 2025 01:35:55 PM

Think I might put some money on Gauff at those odds ;)

Peter too · Tennis legend

We seem to have discovered the art of finishing close sets, winning 3 out of 4 tie breaks and 2 out of 2 at 7-5.

indiana · Tennis legend

9vicman wrote:
indiana wrote:
wales1994 wrote:
Kudermetova thrashed Gadecki 6-1 6-1, she might be finding form. But her GS career is hardly stellar either!

Anisimova hasn't started the year in any scary form, but then again, neither has Emma. That could be a chance but Anisimova definitely the front runner.

I'd be shocked if we had more than 1 through.
I wouldn't be shocked to see Katie and Emma win. I reckon both will step up on their R1. Decent chance for both though odds against both managing to progress.
Odds ( look fair to me, other than I'd have Emma as at least equal ) :
Katie 8/11 vs Kudermetova 11/10
Emma 11/10 vs Anisimova 8/11
Harriet 10/3 vs Vekic 2/9
Jodie 18/1 vs Gauff 50/2

-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 14th of January 2025 01:35:55 PM
Think I might put some money on Gauff at those odds ;)

LOL - change of odds in edit to my original post.

LordBrownof · Futures level

I watched all of Emma's match, and for what it's worth, here are my thoughts -

Yes, it wasn't great tennis. Yes, there was very little to like about her game apart from the fact she played the crucial points well (esp in the tiebreaks). Yes, 99 players on the other side of the net would've beaten her today. And yes, match practice was a huge contributor to that.

But remember, given everything, the best case outcome today was court time and a win, however that came - and that's what she got.

And her opponent, by the way, seeded 26th at this tournament, did have matches in the bank against very good players - Jabber, Fernandez, and Navarro.

So all in all, I was very happy despite desperately hoping it would end quickly to put me out of my misery!

PS - Laura noticed on commentary almost immediately (because Laura is great at her job) a change in service motion and noted quickly how there wasn't enough rotation on the second serve. Cue a slurry of DFs.

dodrade · Futures qualifying

Coup Droit wrote:
It's all got better since Alex has appeared in the stands :)

Let's hope they aren't scheduled to play at the same time next round!

Neil Gee · Club Coach

Oscariyan wrote:
Great to see a record of 6 Brits through to AO R2. Do we think that the LTA are turning a corner and investment is more focused... or something else?

I can't answer your question Oscariyan but thanks for the info. It's always nice to see positive records broken.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Peter too wrote:
We seem to have discovered the art of finishing close sets, winning 3 out of 4 tie breaks and 2 out of 2 at 7-5.

biggrin

This should be pinned to the top of the women's threads

Of course, it won't hold true ongoing, BUT the fact that it was true at one point should be remembered when we lost some close ones and the doom-and-gloomers are saying all our girls are fragile petals, mentally weak, need psychologists, whatever whatever

Oscariyan · Strong Club Player

Admittedly I haven't been avidly watching/following British tennis for that many years but I feel overall tennis in Britain is in a fairly healthy place (and this tournament has shown it so far at least). Along with some potential upcoming talents and depth, junior tennis seems to be improving. There are areas to improve on (such as making tennis more accessible and providing more opportunities to play on clay) which I am sure the LTA are aware of- I hope - but it seems their strategy is to raise the participation numbers and focus on ensuring tennis is a diverse sport and welcoming to everyone (which is great to hear). Not saying it necessarily will have a massive impact but I believe there is every chance. I would hope they are basing some of their strategy on learning from other countries that have/are very successful - Italy perhaps a good example to follow. :)

paulisi · Tennis legend

Oscariyan wrote:
Great to see a record of 6 Brits through to AO R2. Do we think that the LTA are turning a corner and investment is more focused... or something else?

-- Edited by Oscariyan on Tuesday 14th of January 2025 01:28:01 PM

-- Edited by Oscariyan on Tuesday 14th of January 2025 01:29:55 PM

Think the BBC said best since 1968

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Ever in history, but might mean only the pro period

This from the Guardian:

"Six British players have won their first-round matches at the Australian Open for the first time in history after Katie Boulter held her nerve in the tense final stages of a difficult contest against Rebecca Marino of Canada to a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win."

paulisi · Tennis legend

I think either some of the posters on here have either too high expectations of Emma or didn't get that she just been a seed and much higher ranked player.
I only saw the second set and Emma was very good in the first half of the set and it was double faults that were the main issue in the second half of the set. The rest of her game looked very solid bearing in mind, she has not had a warm up match and she has not played much in the last 6 months.
There are a few things to work on - serve consistency etc and players are not expected to peak in round

To knock out a seed ranked 40+,places above you is a very good result

Remember Coco Gauff had all those double fault issues and still went on to dominate some of the big events towards the end of the season.

HarryGem · Club Coach

Great tournament for the GB women so far. One easy win and three hard fought close encounters. Really positive to see our women coming through these tight encounters when in the past it seems to have been quite often the opposite.

I fear Harriet and Jodie have probably got as far as they can but tennis is a funny sport at times and big shocks can happen. Great for Jodie to be on a show court, a true reward for her questioning herself a few months ago and coming through the other side with a positive attitude.

I fancy Katie to progress. She's a completely different player to two years ago. Her game has improved beyond measure. Kudermetova hasn't really been in that great form for quite a while and though her score line looked impressive her opponent was to be polite woeful. Both big hitters but if Katie can serve well she will win.

Don't know what to think about Emma's chances. Playing a good friend is never easy and she is short of court time in truth. I thought she was ok and the result was the main thing. I don't know what others think but I'm sure she used to hit the ball flatter and get more penetration through the court whereas now she seems to use a lot more top spin resulting on a good number of slow mid court shots for her opponent. Is this down to her wrist injury or tactical? To me she always plays best when she's more aggressive. I'd so the match is 50:50 with Emma being the slight underdog.

Anyway good luck to all our women. Nothing to lose for two of them and potential to progress for the others.