Thanks all.

Anna found it hard to focus today. She was tired, and the games were too slow for her liking.

Afterwards, she had to have a good hit with Aidan to help build some intensity back into her game.

From now on, the matches will be more testing, especially the women's doubles.
Her first mixed doubles match tomorrow will also be tough, against Eva and Arthur.

I'm sorry, but Anna's picture of the mixed doubles draw is blurred. 

AnnaM wrote:

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In today's women's doubles, Anna had three on court against her. Her partner sat on the floor, refused to play, and even said she would lose the match. This despite Anna getting them to 4-3 up with a break. The coach was not impressed with the sabotage.

The mixed doubles was better and they overcame a good team 6-3.

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 Whoa, that is weird! I couldnt tell her partners name from the blurred photo, is that unusual behaviour for her? 

I guess that there is probably a wide range of learning disabilities in the players, do you find there is some strange behaviour that Anna struggles with from partners/opponents, or does she take it in her stride? 

AnnaM wrote:

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JonH comes home wrote:

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AnnaM wrote:

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In today's women's doubles, Anna had three on court against her. Her partner sat on the floor, refused to play, and even said she would lose the match. This despite Anna getting them to 4-3 up with a break. The coach was not impressed with the sabotage.

The mixed doubles was better and they overcame a good team 6-3.

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 Whoa, that is weird! I couldnt tell her partners name from the blurred photo, is that unusual behaviour for her? 

I guess that there is probably a wide range of learning disabilities in the players, do you find there is some strange behaviour that Anna struggles with from partners/opponents, or does she take it in her stride? 

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 Anna encounters many strange behaviours, often in mainstream events. She can get annoyed, but deals with most things well and tries to make the best of a bad job. In this case, it is not unusual behaviour; there have been issues in the past. We complained, but got nowhere. It did not go down well when Anna picked a different partner for the OZ Open. As the weaker player, she was asked by the coach to let Anna see more of the ball. She did not like this, said it was a sh*t tactic that she does not like and then insulted Anna by saying all the mistakes were her fault and that she is sh*t at tennis. This is not the first time she has said these things. Despite being 5 UTR points lower than Anna, she really believes this. I can only assume her disability, mixed with what the coach and people around her tell her, has contributed to this. 

In the mixed Anna broke a racket while serving. It slipped out of her sweaty hands right onto the floor. Archie Graham did the same thing in another match just after that. A colourful event for sure.

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 Well, at least Anna is progressing well in the singles, presumably that is her main aim and ambition. 

Is she now into the semis of the singles or is there still a group match to play?

AnnaM wrote:

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The primary goals are to defend the titles of singles and mixed doubles.

Anna has one more singles box match against the other player who has already qualified, so that match will decide which semi-final they play in. The same applies in the other group, with Eva and Hanne playing off for which semi they play in. However, the Oz team is arguing for three people to qualify from each group. Guess where the Oz player is likely to finish in the other group?

The mixed doubles final will likely be a replay of today's mixed doubles match, but you never know in tennis.

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 Shouldnt the rules be clearly agreed beforehand if they are holding this up as a world championship -  changing Qualification rules is most unfair! 

JonH comes home wrote:

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Hi Annas dad - did the arguments on who progresses get sorted and how did the tennis go today? Are they are semis lineup stage yet?

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Order of Play (8th of May).pdf

Hi, lol. I am not 100% certain, as the day was another drama and I was busy at work. But it looks like, from the order of play, just two from each group are through. In one semi-final, Anna is playing Hanne, the second-placed player from the other box. While Eva is playing, Kelly, the second-placed player from Anna's group, is in the other semi-final.  The matches will be just after 6:30 am UK time. Barring bad matches or injuries, it looks like an Eva V Anna final again for the 3rd time running. 4th if you include the last Australian Open. 

The women's doubles will play the final box match tomorrow. Then, on another day, they will play a final and a 3rd/4th place play-off, which will be a daft repeat of tomorrow's final box match. I expect Anna and Lily to win that doubles match. Anna did her best to stay positive today and ignore things. She will do so for the remaining doubles matches.