Suliso wrote: ↑Thu May 26, 2022 10:09 am
Pliskova is on her way out shortly... Yet another top 10 player gone.
I mostly agree, but this was the same thing we said last year and then she reached the finals at Wimby.
I know, even more of a reason for her to be out of the top ten, as she has a lot of points to defend (and which regardless of the outcome, she won't be able to defend due to the points-ban) but she is not that old.
By now, predictions about the WTA are nothing more than haruspicy.
Iga enjoying her Thursday practice...
Total points for the set: 24-7. Riske remains trying. Good for her, because it takes certain bravery to be shellacked like this.
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu May 26, 2022 2:32 pm
Iga enjoying her Thursday practice...
I hope Alison is able to get on the board so this is a bit less embarrassing.
I watched every single match Iga played in 2020 and she looked like this. I know people thought she looked like this last year, but she was much more dominant in 2020 similar to these scorelines, so this is a good sign for her along with everything else. Highly likely it's just a matter of time before she's crowned. The player in her path that I thought might most challenge her early lost in the first round, but maybe there will be more than just practice matches starting in the 4th round. Or maybe it won't matter who it is like it didn't in 2020.
I would say that you need a very hard hitting player (and Ostapenko is), zoning for two sets. Sabalenka not missing could also be it, as long as her serve is getting in.
Riske is the totally wrong player to beat her, as we can see. Limited power, and no weapons. The second set 6-2 (pending) is an adequate score for Riske.
Halep out of nowhere called for the doctor and they are checking her blood pressure. No idea what's wrong, but she's going to keep playing with the medical staff on standby.
I don't have any idea what happened to her, but actually that's the third or fourth time I've seen her play a match exactly like that this year, minus the blood pressure concern. She starts out playing, in my view, really well and forcing Zheng into errors while dictating the play. Then, suddenly, Zheng stopped making any errors (making me question whether Halep was actually forcing anything or just benefiting from erratic play) and Halep had absolutely no answer. She missed game points for 3-1 in the second set and then blew a 40-0 lead at 2-all. After that, it was one-way traffic.
The match it resembled the most: she was a couple of games away from beating Ostapenko earlier this year, then lost the tiebreak 7-0 and the third set 6-0.
It's not a matter of her not trying as earlier in her career. She just doesn't look like she has the game of a top-50 player once her opponent stops missing. Strange. She beat Gauff and Badosa easily on clay recently, but I saw the Gauff match and Gauff played terribly, so I'm guessing Badosa did the same thing.
jazzyg wrote: ↑Thu May 26, 2022 4:14 pm
Halep's loss was sickening and depressing for me.
I don't have any idea what happened to her, but actually that's the third or fourth time I've seen her play a match exactly like that this year, minus the blood pressure concern. She starts out playing, in my view, really well and forcing Zheng into errors while dictating the play. Then, suddenly, Zheng stopped making any errors (making me question whether Halep was actually forcing anything or just benefiting from erratic play) and Halep had absolutely no answer. She missed game points for 3-1 in the second set and then blew a 40-0 lead at 2-all. After that, it was one-way traffic.
The match it resembled the most: she was a couple of games away from beating Ostapenko earlier this year, then lost the tiebreak 7-0 and the third set 6-0.
It's not a matter of her not trying as earlier in her career. She just doesn't look like she has the game of a top-50 player once her opponent stops missing. Strange. She beat Gauff and Badosa easily on clay recently, but I saw the Gauff match and Gauff played terribly, so I'm guessing Badosa did the same thing.
You're invited to Bar Muguruza to drink with us. Halep might already be in that age where you can still reach your peak level but not as often. It's a different age for everyone. She looked a little ragged at the end to me. Wasn't she touching her chest, like something didn't feel right?
Maybe she doesn't have the same grit anymore. But since she bothered to go work with Patrick, I gather she is trying to find it.
She was never a player with lots of weapons. And indeed, when such players start getting old, winning matches just on grit and determination becomes harder.
I thought she would go farther.
Side note. We are looking at an entire replacement of a generation. Halep is just on the list of players that are slowly fading.
You may be right, but Kerber won Wimbledon at that age and has to work every bit as hard as Halep to win points. Halep played a terrific match against Swiatek at Indian Wells before getting injured in the second set. I think it's something personal going on, but time will tell. She's certainly eons away from the No. 2 ranking I posted was within reach by the end of the year a couple of months ago. Who knows? She might retire.
Great win for Qinwen Zheng. I've said this before, but I like her game a lot and I think she's going to continue to rise. She did not win because of Halep's health struggles, which came very late in the match, when Halep was already down a break in the 3rd set. Qinwen regrouped after losing the 1st set, changed her gameplan and really got into a groove in the 2nd set. Halep lost a 10-minute service game early in the 2nd set that turned the tides for Qinwen.
Collins v. Rogers - Surprised with how relatively easy this match was for Shelby. Only watched the end because I was watching Halep v. Zheng, but Collins made a push at the end to get back into the match, but seemed very frustrated outside of that and was just error prone today. Shelby stayed even throughout, which is all it took at the end to close her out.
jazzyg wrote: ↑Thu May 26, 2022 4:42 pm
Halep's only 30.
...
I think that maybe we have been slightly misled by this generation of extra-longevous, superb champions. The Roger/Serena/Rafa/Novak model might be the exception, not the rule. Most champions retire earlier than that.
Remember how few players won Slams after 30. Maybe it is indeed the time in which almost all players start to decline.
Pegula and Kalinina both had to play doubles a couple hours after their long singles match (not partners). Pegula won with Gauff, Kalinina lost with Bencic. Rough day for Kalinina. On the plus side, she and Bencic lost to the Indy team that got into the tournament yesterday when Bouzkova had to withdraw with Covid. They were first alternates. Now guaranteed 17,000 euros - the're married, so it all goes to the same household. Nice turn of events for them.
Last edited by meganfernandez on Thu May 26, 2022 5:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
jazzyg wrote: ↑Thu May 26, 2022 4:42 pm
Halep's only 30.
You may be right, but Kerber won Wimbledon at that age and has to work every bit as hard as Halep to win points. Halep played a terrific match against Swiatek at Indian Wells before getting injured in the second set. I think it's something personal going on, but time will tell. She's certainly eons away from the No. 2 ranking I posted was within reach by the end of the year a couple of months ago. Who knows? She might retire.
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu May 26, 2022 5:01 pm
I think that maybe we have been slightly misled by this generation of extra-longevous, superb champions. The Roger/Serena/Rafa/Novak model might be the exception, not the rule. Most champions retire earlier than that.
Remember how few players won Slams after 30. Maybe it is indeed the time in which almost all players start to decline.
Yes. The expectations are now for everyone to play at a high level well into their 30s, and that's not always going to be the case. Going to be player by player. I'd say most still won't have that kind of top-level longevity, which is different situation than a player having their best results in their late 20s/early 30s. Ultimately it's just going to be an individual scenario, based on their health, motivations, life circumstances.
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