tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post3713491583932582484..comments2024-03-26T09:23:26.937-04:00Comments on ZooTennis: Pavlyuchenkova Defends Australian Open TitleColette Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14905215531491180014noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-36797633213240754132007-01-28T19:22:00.000-05:002007-01-28T19:22:00.000-05:00Andrew D.--
Thanks so much for your reports on the...Andrew D.--<br />Thanks so much for your reports on the girls' final. It's by far the most informative writing on the match that I've seen. I appreciate your effort on our behalf.Colette Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14905215531491180014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-75145297273511230892007-01-27T20:03:00.000-05:002007-01-27T20:03:00.000-05:00Collette,
In case anyone was interested, Brengle ...Collette,<br /><br />In case anyone was interested, Brengle acquitted herself extremely well and, given the level of her play, if she'd won it would have been no surprise at all.Personally, I did feel that had she won the first set she would, most likely, have won the match. She didn't, but Pavlyuchenkova, who looks quite a bit stronger, physically, than Brengle, wasn't allowed the luxury of most junior matches - an easy final set. <br /><br />We did also see the final set and a half of Brengle's match against Schnyder and I felt it was a far more impressive effort than her run in the juniors. Admittedly, Schnyder isn't the biggest or strongest player on the WTA but her left-handed style and very heavy topspin isn't something many juniors, especially junior girls, will have had to face. It does take a fair bit of physical strength to counter that style of play, especially when it comes from the world #9, but Brengle did well. Actually, she did a bit better than 'well' and did have two break points in the second set that, had she taken them, would have put her ahead 5-1 and serving for the set. <br /><br />Also worth noting is that Schnyeder does play better in Australia than anywhere else in the world (4th round or better at the Aus Open 8 of 11 attempts, including the last 5 years in a row: 3 of her 10 singles titles have been won in Australia) so a match against her at the Aus Open is a far greater test than even her #8 seeding might indicate. To lose 3 and 4 was a very credible effort and should give Brengle hope for the future (if she can continue adding to and improving her game). <br /><br />(*Just noticed that I didn't mention the weather conditions which were reasonably blustery and, no doubt, played a small part in the overall tone of the girls final.*)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-57058042777199996082007-01-27T09:20:00.000-05:002007-01-27T09:20:00.000-05:00wayyy to go for brengle anyway shes playing some a...wayyy to go for brengle anyway shes playing some amazing tennisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10016685.post-37332903110984558432007-01-27T08:26:00.000-05:002007-01-27T08:26:00.000-05:00Collette,
I was fortunate enough to be court-side...Collette,<br /><br />I was fortunate enough to be court-side for the Brengle-Pavlyuchenkova final and, despite the close score, I think it could best be summed up as a 'keenly contested but scrappy affair'. <br /><br />I don't have access to the match stats but I'm pretty sure they'd show that Pavlyuchenkova had almost twice as many unforced errors as Brengle, not to mention a good half dozen, or so, double faults. That isn't to suggest Brengle only stayed close due to her opponent's errors (although they certainly did help). On the contrary, she seemed more than able to hang with Pavlyuchenkova but it's very hard to impose yourself on a match (or convert break points)when your opponent is ending most points with either a winner or an error. The most you can do is maintain your work rate, keep errors to a minimum and not give your opponent room to breath. For the most part, that's exactly what Brengle did. <br /><br />I guess, to take the next step, she'll have to be more proactive, increase her 1st Serve %, points won on first and second serve (Brengle was poor on the first serve, Pavlyuchenkova was appaling on the second serve), do more with break points (which is where being more proactive would help)and winners. <br /><br />Oh, and we were very happy with the result from the Klein-Eysseric match. If you're going to win it must make it extra sweet to take out the number 1, 2, 5, 10 and 14 seeds along the way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com