ATP M1000 WTA 1000 Rome 5/9 - 5/21 2023

[ponchi101]

Ok, we were wrong. It will conclude soon.
Plus the 25 minute break, they should be on court in about 45 minutes.

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

Thursday, May 18, 2023 Day 11

Center Court Starts At 1:00 Pm

(1) Coco Gauff/Jessica Pegula VS (3) Desirae Krawczyk/Demi Schuurs
Not Before 3:00 Pm
QF
(Q) Yannick Hanfmann VS (3) Daniil Medvedev
Not Before 7:00 PM
(4) Storm Hunter/Elise Mertens VS TBD
Not Before 8:30 Pm
QF
(5) Stefanos Tsitsipas VS (15) Borna Coric

[ti-amie]

Early in the first set of their match Iga, with Rybakina a40, stopped play to answer her phone, then took it to someone in her entourage to answer whoever it was and went on to win the set 6-2. I give Rybakina credit for dismissing the nonsense and taking the second set 7-6(3) playing a very good tie break.

Iga then took a long MTO and came back with a strapping on her right upper thigh to start the third set.

Has anyone ever seen a player stop play to answer their phone before?

[ti-amie]

And Swiatek retires at 2 all in the third.

[ponchi101]

And the instance in which she seems to have injured herself was not that "dramatic"; no falls, no slips, nothing like that.
One of those injuries that are scary: no contact, and yet she retires.

About the phone incident: truly odd. And no, I can't recall anything like that.

[ashkor87]

Both Rybakina and Swiatek can be satisfied with the match...except S needs to recover from the injury..if she had tried to continue, it could have been worse ...

[ashkor87]

Rybakina vs Swiatek...am eagerly looking forward to it . On a slow court like this I would have said Rybakina would have no chance..but that is what I said at IW roo ..interesting..

I am changing my tune. Watching Ostapenko, who is also a maniacal hitter of the ball, the only way to make a winner on this slow clay involves creaming the ball.
So, it will be a matter of: will Elena's shots land in?
I do give her a chance. Not a favorite, though.

Yes, or come to the net and volley...

[ashkor87]

The rain seems to have made the conditions slower and heavier...Djokovic says he couldn't hit through the court..

[Owendonovan]

Early in the first set of their match Iga, with Rybakina a40, stopped play to answer her phone, then took it to someone in her entourage to answer whoever it was and went on to win the set 6-2. I give Rybakina credit for dismissing the nonsense and taking the second set 7-6(3) playing a very good tie break.

Iga then took a long MTO and came back with a strapping on her right upper thigh to start the third set.

Has anyone ever seen a player stop play to answer their phone before?

I would think answering your phone (was the ringer was on?) wasn't allowed with or without on court coaching. Now, I wait for some site to proclaim match fixing.

[Owendonovan]

And the instance in which she seems to have injured herself was not that "dramatic"; no falls, no slips, nothing like that.
One of those injuries that are scary: no contact, and yet she retires.

About the phone incident: truly odd. And no, I can't recall anything like that.

There's better money to be made on a deep run in Paris.

[ashkor87]

Early in the first set of their match Iga, with Rybakina a40, stopped play to answer her phone, then took it to someone in her entourage to answer whoever it was and went on to win the set 6-2. I give Rybakina credit for dismissing the nonsense and taking the second set 7-6(3) playing a very good tie break.

Iga then took a long MTO and came back with a strapping on her right upper thigh to start the third set.

Has anyone ever seen a player stop play to answer their phone before?

I would think answering your phone (was the ringer was on?) wasn't allowed with or without on court coaching. Now, I wait for some site to proclaim match fixing.

yes, hope not but it will happen.. too easy to come up with a scenario.. i think these players have too much to lose so I wouldnt think they would descend into such things - low-ranked players, struggling to get by, might be tempted but not players at this level, one would think..

[ashkor87]

now can Rybakina survive Ostapenko? that would be a good match, Rybakina did beat her at the AO but on a much faster surface.. here, it would be much more even..60-40 Rybakina, I would say.

[ponchi101]

Agree. I say Rybakina can match Ostapenko's power, and is more consistent (which is quite the statement).
The serves are nowhere near comparison.

[ponchi101]

The rain seems to have made the conditions slower and heavier...Djokovic says he couldn't hit through the court..

The court is so slow that players are not getting flecks of dust on the back of their shirts. That means the clay is so clumpy it is not flying.
Yesterday Rybakina played for over two hours and her white sweater was completely clean by the end. That's how slow the clay is.