Suliso wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2023 8:32 am I liked Merida too. Was there 3 years ago...

Suliso wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2023 8:32 am I liked Merida too. Was there 3 years ago...

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Mon Feb 20, 2023 3:19 pm

Suliso wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2023 8:32 am I liked Merida too. Was there 3 years ago...

It's high on my list. I love those Spanish colonial cities. Did you go to Izamal, the all-yellow city?

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:25 pm several interesting players here.. Osorio, Sloane, Parks.. Sloane is prima facie the best, but she seems out of the habit of winning.. would be interesting to see Osorio Serrano vs Parks - contrast of styles..on the whole, Parks should win this event but you never know with young people..

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 6:41 pm

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:25 pm several interesting players here.. Osorio, Sloane, Parks.. Sloane is prima facie the best, but she seems out of the habit of winning.. would be interesting to see Osorio Serrano vs Parks - contrast of styles..on the whole, Parks should win this event but you never know with young people..

Or will Niemeier get her first title?

JazzNU wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 7:26 pm

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 6:41 pm ...

Or will Niemeier get her first title?

I'd be surprised if she did, but that would be a good sign that she's building off of last season. So far feels like she's taken a step back. Like they were doing too much in the off season and adjusted some things in her game for the worse.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:25 pm several interesting players here.. Osorio, Sloane, Parks.. Sloane is prima facie the best, but she seems out of the habit of winning.. would be interesting to see Osorio Serrano vs Parks - contrast of styles..on the whole, Parks should win this event but you never know with young people..

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 8:13 pm

JazzNU wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 7:26 pm

meganfernandez wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 6:41 pm ...

Or will Niemeier get her first title?

I'd be surprised if she did, but that would be a good sign that she's building off of last season. So far feels like she's taken a step back. Like they were doing too much in the off season and adjusted some things in her game for the worse.

I side with she has taken a step back. She has done very little since Wimbledon.

ti-amie wrote: ↑Wed Feb 22, 2023 1:29 am Sloane seems to have romped over the qualifier Jeanjean

JazzNU wrote: ↑Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:34 am

ti-amie wrote: ↑Wed Feb 22, 2023 1:29 am Sloane seems to have romped over the qualifier Jeanjean

I think she's the one that made a minor splash at the French Open last year, right? Time is running out for her to do something with those points. Her ranking isn't high right now since she's a qualifier at a 250, so I imagine she'll be playing ITFs and WTA 125s soon if she's not careful, not able to even get into qualifying at most WTA Tour events (outside of France, that is).

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 11:54 pm Giorgi? I mean, I can't dislike a girl with her looks, but, if I go by your definition of class, she simply does not fit.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 24, 2023 12:50 am Peterson is exactly the kind of solid pro Parks will have to learn to deal with as she grows...this time, she couldn't..

ti-amie wrote: ↑Sat Feb 25, 2023 2:15 am

Did anyone watch this match?! I mean...what?!

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 25, 2023 2:24 am In 46 minutes? Was there an injury?

Suliso wrote: ↑Wed Feb 22, 2023 6:10 am Perhaps Linette is a favorite here. She's in the top 10 in this year's points.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 24, 2023 3:28 pm

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 24, 2023 12:50 am Peterson is exactly the kind of solid pro Parks will have to learn to deal with as she grows...this time, she couldn't..

That was the reason I felt that your claim that she would be a Wimby champion one day was a bit premature.
As you say, a solid veteran played what seems to be a routine match (the stats appear that way) and Parks was unable to gain traction. She had a very good week, beating some solid competition (her previous win), and this time, was taken to three sets by a player outside of the 150, and was beaten with relative ease by a 27 yo ranked 140.
The fluctuations are large. And that is what the real good players control best. The level is high, but it does not drop below a certain level.
Let's hope she manages this better in the upcoming tournaments.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 24, 2023 12:50 am Peterson is exactly the kind of solid pro Parks will have to learn to deal with as she grows...this time, she couldn't..

Ainsley wrote: ↑Sat Feb 25, 2023 3:02 pm

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 24, 2023 12:50 am Peterson is exactly the kind of solid pro Parks will have to learn to deal with as she grows...this time, she couldn't..

Parks has a lot more than just Peterson to figure out and deal with. She cannot just rely on her serve and think that is what will get her through a match or even tournaments. She needs to take the ball much earlier on her ground strokes. There were many times and especially on her backhand that she hit the ball late resulting in an unforced error. The unforced errors will continue to mount up if she does not correct her preparation into her ground strokes. I don't know if it a mechanics thing she has to work on or if it is a problem in her foot work.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 25, 2023 3:25 pm i hadnt observed that.. good to hear from someone who is actually watching the matches

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 25, 2023 3:41 pm

Ainsley wrote: ↑Sat Feb 25, 2023 3:02 pm

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 24, 2023 12:50 am Peterson is exactly the kind of solid pro Parks will have to learn to deal with as she grows...this time, she couldn't..

Parks has a lot more than just Peterson to figure out and deal with. She cannot just rely on her serve and think that is what will get her through a match or even tournaments. She needs to take the ball much earlier on her ground strokes. There were many times and especially on her backhand that she hit the ball late resulting in an unforced error. The unforced errors will continue to mount up if she does not correct her preparation into her ground strokes. I don't know if it a mechanics thing she has to work on or if it is a problem in her foot work.

What if that is not her style?
During the 90's and with the surge of players like Agassi and Bjorkman (on the serve), that became a mantra. "Take the ball early and on the rise". Seles was the WTA version.
But lately we have seen that that approach is not for everybody. Rafa has been successful taking the ball late and when coming down: his return position is that extreme to give him time. Medvedev has done it too, and there are other players doing it.
Taking the ball early is not as important as taking the ball at your most comfortable point of contact. Edberg could have never taken the ball on the rise; not with that bloody continental grip on his FH. He needed the ball below his shoulder and, again because the grip, he had no issues with very low balls. Agassi was the opposite: low to his FH was a solid play.
I have not seen Parks play. But we are doing the same thing as many people. The week she won the tournament, she was the greatest. She lost now to Peterson? Her whole game has to be revamped.
We need to give people the understanding that in evert match, there will be a loser. And that person simply just had a bad day. Nothing more.

ti-amie wrote: ↑Sat Feb 25, 2023 7:25 pm Day 8 Order of Play

Estadio Akron
Starts at 07:00 PM

Semifinal
SWE R. PETERSON vs USA C. MCNALLY
FOLLOWED BY
Semifinal
[4] Katerina SINIAKOVA CZE vs ITA C. GIORGI

Deuce wrote: ↑Mon Feb 27, 2023 3:34 am Giorgi's M.O. in life is to always look good, no matter what the circumstance.
That has been the most important element of her life for a while now, and she does everything she can to make sure she keeps looking good.

She might have had the talent to be a top 5 player - but whenever there was any threat of perspiring (I'm sure she never refers to it as 'sweating' - yuck), she would choose to tank the rest of the match rather than begin to perspire.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 5:13 am

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 11:54 pm Giorgi? I mean, I can't dislike a girl with her looks, but, if I go by your definition of class, she simply does not fit.

Overall, Giorgi and Sloane are the best players in this field, is what I mean..Linette et al are good players, form players, but at their best, Sloane and Giorgi are better .hope they do play up to their capability..

mick1303 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 26, 2023 5:50 pm WTA site continues to disappoint. The surface of the tournament is just "Hard". Indoor or outdoor - it's just such an unimportant detail to them...

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 27, 2023 8:21 am but i wouldnt expect a tournament in Mexico to be indoors at any time of the year?

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 27, 2023 8:21 am but i wouldnt expect a tournament in Mexico to be indoors at any time of the year?

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 27, 2023 4:38 am

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 5:13 am

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 11:54 pm Giorgi? I mean, I can't dislike a girl with her looks, but, if I go by your definition of class, she simply does not fit.

Overall, Giorgi and Sloane are the best players in this field, is what I mean..Linette et al are good players, form players, but at their best, Sloane and Giorgi are better .hope they do play up to their capability..

Giorgi did, good for her..she is an exciting, attractive player, mid to top of Tier 2 right now..

ti-amie wrote: ↑Mon Feb 27, 2023 7:42 pm



She's from Argentina so I'm surprised that she didn't speak Spanish first. She also has that "glow" from perspiring.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 27, 2023 4:19 pm

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 27, 2023 4:38 am

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 5:13 am

Overall, Giorgi and Sloane are the best players in this field, is what I mean..Linette et al are good players, form players, but at their best, Sloane and Giorgi are better .hope they do play up to their capability..

Giorgi did, good for her..she is an exciting, attractive player, mid to top of Tier 2 right now..

You nailed Giorgi, and Stephens went down to Camila, so, yep. Good calls.
As stated above, Giorgi's main purpose in life is to be beautiful. She has excelled at that. Her second goal is to never smile, and only do that in the most extreme circumstances. My GF follows her in IG, where she posts pictures that my GF does NOT allow me to see, under penalty of gauging my eyes out with a hot spoon.

On the serious side: her father was a combatant for Argentina in the Falkland/Malvinas Islands war. A clear case of PTSD, as the man is so intense and borderline scary that a few years ago, if you remember well, during a Camila match, the chair umpire called for security to come to the court because she (the umpire) was worried about HER safety. I have frequently wondered how far Camila would have gone with a more reasonable father by her side.
And let's not even talk about the financial issues.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 27, 2023 4:19 pm

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 27, 2023 4:38 am

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 5:13 am

Overall, Giorgi and Sloane are the best players in this field, is what I mean..Linette et al are good players, form players, but at their best, Sloane and Giorgi are better .hope they do play up to their capability..

Giorgi did, good for her..she is an exciting, attractive player, mid to top of Tier 2 right now..

You nailed Giorgi, and Stephens went down to Camila, so, yep. Good calls.
As stated above, Giorgi's main purpose in life is to be beautiful. She has excelled at that. Her second goal is to never smile, and only do that in the most extreme circumstances. My GF follows her in IG, where she posts pictures that my GF does NOT allow me to see, under penalty of gauging my eyes out with a hot spoon.

On the serious side: her father was a combatant for Argentina in the Falkland/Malvinas Islands war. A clear case of PTSD, as the man is so intense and borderline scary that a few years ago, if you remember well, during a Camila match, the chair umpire called for security to come to the court because she (the umpire) was worried about HER safety. I have frequently wondered how far Camila would have gone with a more reasonable father by her side.
And let's not even talk about the financial issues.

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 3:56 am well, it is not Giorgi's fault she is beautiful! I dont see her acting like, say, Kournikova - she seems professional enough - something I always admired in Sharapova as well...maybe people here have seen something I haven't.