'23 RG Women's Draw & Discussion

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

[ashkor87]

Svitolina vs Kasatkina was a strange match...it was almost as if K didn't really want to win..sabalenka will almost certainly come through now to the semis, against Muchova...
So I guess Muchova is the 'surprise' semifinalist...except the only real surprise there is how steadily she has been playing ..of course, Pavs could beat her, but I really think Muchova is the better player right now.

[ponchi101]

I had forgotten how much of an all court player Muchova is. Today's match Vs Avenesyan showed so many weapons: solid at the net, strong defense, and one thing that I really like: NO SWINGING VOLLEYS! When the ball is high, she comes quickly in and SMASHES THE DAMN THING.
Martina would approve.
Still a bit far, because PAVS is showing why she reached the final two years ago. If the semi on that side is PAVS/Sabalenka, ball changes will have to be every 5 games; they are both belting he ball.

[ashkor87]

BHM not coming to the net much...I thought she was a volleyer,?

[ponchi101]

Plays a lot of doubles, but nowadays that means so little.

[ashkor87]

Plays a lot of doubles, but nowadays that means so little.

True but somehow I had the impression...
Saw no sign of it today .
Don't give her much of a shot against Jabeur...

[ponchi101]

Hard to see somebody that was pushed to a 3:51 hours match vs SST with any chance against anybody. But BHM puts up the fight. I say 25% chance.

[ashkor87]

Hard to see somebody that was pushed to a 3:51 hours match vs SST with any chance against anybody. But BHM puts up the fight. I say 25% chance.

Being generous

[ashkor87]

I had forgotten how much of an all court player Muchova is. Today's match Vs Avenesyan showed so many weapons: solid at the net, strong defense, and one thing that I really like: NO SWINGING VOLLEYS! When the ball is high, she comes quickly in and SMASHES THE DAMN THING.
Martina would approve.
Still a bit far, because PAVS is showing why she reached the final two years ago. If the semi on that side is PAVS/Sabalenka, ball changes will have to be every 5 games; they are both belting he ball.

'no swinging volley' - i totally agree! why they cant smash the thing, I dont know.. it is not only the women, though...

[ponchi101]

I wrote about it. I consider the Swinging volley to be a terrible shot. Look at matches and you will see how many times the players miss it, or simply hit it back at the opponent. A solid, regular volley would have done the job.
But of course, what do I know. I am an old fashion S&V player.
And, as you say, it is in both tours.

[JTContinental]

Somewhere we had a discussion about the women's draw collapsing and the seeds bowing out before their projected exit. Assuming making the QFs is "living up to your seeding," I'm counting only 10/32 seeds doing that:

Swiatek
Sabalenka
Gauff
Jabeur
Kasatkina
Haddad Maia
Alexandrova
Potapova
Begu
Mertens

[ti-amie]

I wrote about it. I consider the Swinging volley to be a terrible shot. Look at matches and you will see how many times the players miss it, or simply hit it back at the opponent. A solid, regular volley would have done the job.
But of course, what do I know. I am an old fashion S&V player.
And, as you say, it is in both tours.

I look at the swinging volley like the overhead smash. It's a matter of timing. You can't rush it or your shot will end up in the next county and if you wait too long you've lost the point as the ball goes over your head. When it works it's a thing of beauty for me.

[ponchi101]

The thing is: for me, a properly hit FH volley is also a thing is beauty. A Mandlikova FH volley was a 99% effective shot. The woman just never missed it, and put it away for good on most occasions.
Mugu: she misses swinging volleys on a regular basis. For her, it is a liability. So, a regular volley would have been such a great addition to her game.