'22 WTA RG MD Singles Draw & Discussion

[meganfernandez]

It's unusual for Emma to play someone younger and greener on the tour than her. Wonder if that dynamic will hurt or help her.

[ponchi101]

I don't think it will make a difference. Did she know of Noskova prior to being told they are scheduled to the 1st round?
Right now, I say Emma's problems are solely stemming from her. Her body breaks down to easily; it seems to be the root of it all.

[JazzNU]

I don't think it will make a difference. Did she know of Noskova prior to being told they are scheduled to the 1st round?
Right now, I say Emma's problems are solely stemming from her. Her body breaks down to easily; it seems to be the root of it all.

I'll believe her body is breaking down at the rate it seems when she doesn't get an "injury" at a highly opportune moment in the match. She's like the opposite of Bianca at this point where this is concerned. It is not remotely obvious Emma is injured when she calls a trainer, she regularly plays the next tournament after the supposed injury, the injury bothers her a good deal less if she turns the match around, and has disappeared if she really turns it around, only to reappear in the next match when she's in trouble again, etc. Bianca was calling the trainer when she was up 5-2 in a set. That is not what Emma has been doing. She's been calling Yastremska-like MTO's, it's why she's getting a reputation among fans that aren't Emma-stans.

[Deuce]

Cori Gauff is playing Canadian qualifier Rebecca Marino in the 1st round.
This presents a dilemma for Leylah...

Rebecca has been a mentor and 'big sister' of sorts for Leylah, and the two of them are quite close. And Leylah has known Cori and her game for quite a while, going back to Juniors.
So you'd think that Leylah could give Rebecca some tips about how to play Cori...

But Leylah is friends with Cori, as well...

[ashkor87]

Coco has a nice draw, nobody in her vicinity who can be expected to beat her early...until the semis in fact! Anisimova has a tough draw, on the other hand..can she get past Sakkari? 50-50 I would think..

[JazzNU]

Worst case scenario for Paula is: Ferro, Juvan, Kudermetova. With today's parity in the WTA (except Iga, we agree), that is as good as you can hope for.

This is where I disagree. There are much easier draws in the early rounds than someone who got to the 4th Round of RG 2 years ago and should've gotten to the QF (got finessed by Kenin and her dad) and a top 30 player that has a winning record against you. Should it go well for Paula? Yes. But I've learned with her, things aren't as predictable as they ought to be for someone with enough consistency to be ranked in the Top 5. That being said, since I'm saying this, she'll handle these two well, win a tough match I thought she'd lose, then she'll lose to someone I thought she'd beat fairly easily.

And I thought maybe Juvan would be her non-problematic early match, but she's finding her footing on clay, having a fantastic week in Strasbourg whether she wins or loses today. So as I said before, I don't think Paula's draw is soft, there were much better draws to be had and I don't have any confidence about her getting to the second week. She surprises me regularly, in good and bad ways, so we'll see, but my confidence is very low.

[ponchi101]

It could be said that after a week of over-performance from Juvan, a drop is expected. A bit of regression to the mean.
Of course, last year's winner at Strasbourg did sort of well at RG ,but let's see now how Angie and Juvan do.
But, going by form, this latest datum would side with your position. Juvan must have been playing well, to reach the final and push it to 3TB's.

[ti-amie]

[Deuce]

^ One of the best names in tennis in a while.
Sounds like something that happened to a player just before taking a Medical Time-Out...

[JazzNU]

It could be said that after a week of over-performance from Juvan, a drop is expected. A bit of regression to the mean.
Of course, last year's winner at Strasbourg did sort of well at RG ,but let's see now how Angie and Juvan do.
But, going by form, this latest datum would side with your position. Juvan must have been playing well, to reach the final and push it to 3TB's.

I was really talking about her entire week, including the wins over Pliskova and Mertens. In terms of regression to the mean, the main thing about Juvan was that this was who she was projected to be, and confidence and belief in these kinds of matches has been mentioned as potential problems for her. She got 2 big wins and game very close to a third. Enough to turn the tide for her? Whether she does good at RG or not, this could be the turning point she's been working towards. Her mean was never supposed to be top 100 player, not even top 50. She was on the most promising lists with Iga, Coco and Amanda just a few years ago.

[ti-amie]

^ One of the best names in tennis in a while.
Sounds like something that happened to a player just before taking a Medical Time-Out...

[Deuce]

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Leylah video interview...

'Trash Talk' from Dad has Leylah Ready for Battle Against Home Favourite Mladenovic...

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[meganfernandez]

They're expecting a battle? Against Mladenovic? Leylah out to roll over her. The French don't get hostile, even toward a French player's opponent. They only jeer bad sportsmanship. (Thanks for the video.)

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Leylah video interview...

'Trash Talk' from Dad has Leylah Ready for Battle Against Home Favourite Mladenovic...

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[Deuce]

I guess they're thinking that Mladenovic will have extra motivation playing at home, and so may summon up some of the talent she once displayed...

[meganfernandez]

I guess they're thinking that Mladenovic will have extra motivation playing at home, and so may summon up some of the talent she once displayed...

I think they are delusional.

I remember the year Kiki beat Mugu in the fourth round - I think Mugu was defending champ, not sure. Seems like that was Kiki’s last good singles match. (Wait, didn’t she single-handedly win Fed Cup for France vs Australia a couple years later?)


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