(Rank/Seed)
Li (9/9) successfully claimed the title in Cincinnati, beating Kerber (7/5) in the final 16 63 61!
First Set
The first set was all about Li's errors, 17 in total and the fact she couldn't hold serve, doing so just once.
Second and Third Sets
When Kerber broke for a 3-1 lead in the 2nd set, all appeared lost until Li gathered some advice from her new coach, Carlos Rodriguez a.k.a Justine Henin's former coach. Suddenly, Li was hitting with more topspin and forcing Kerber to play passively. An epic 9 deuce 8th game saw the entire momentum of the match shift. Li finally broke and didn't look back, winning 11 of the last 12 games to wrap up the match.
Kerber at times appeared to be laughing, ruing her missed opportunities and Li's incredible run of form. It was Li's 1st title since winning last year's French Open, whilst Kerber slipped to 2-2 in finals this year. My prediction of who would win was wrong, but only just!
Monday, 20 August 2012
Sunday, 19 August 2012
Kerber KO's Kvitova, Li Vanquishes Venus
The semifinals saw two heated 3 set matches that lasted late into the night! Kerber and Li moved forward into the final.
(Rank/Seed)
7/5 Kerber beat Kvitova 61 26 64, snapping her 8 match winning streak. Kvitova's unforced errors proved her undoing throughout, and even when Kvitova attempted to up the pace by taking to the net, Kerber continued to force the issue and got her second win over Kvitova this season
9/9 Li beat V. Williams 75 36 61, despite Williams' obvious back problem, causing her serve to travel as slowly as 65mph! Li made hard work of the first set, but Williams was left to rue 2 double faults on break points down to relinquish the set. After dropping an early break, treatment seemed to loosen Williams spirit as she recovered to take the second set. However, the hard work took its toll and Li ran away with the last five games to claim her third win in as many meeting with Venus
Li has beaten Kerber in 4 of their 5 meetings, but it's 1-1 this season. Kerber's in her 4th final of the year and has won 2, whilst Li has yet to win a title this year, going 0-3 in finals so far. Kvitova predicts Li will win, so I'll go for consistent Kerber! We'll see!
(Rank/Seed)
7/5 Kerber beat Kvitova 61 26 64, snapping her 8 match winning streak. Kvitova's unforced errors proved her undoing throughout, and even when Kvitova attempted to up the pace by taking to the net, Kerber continued to force the issue and got her second win over Kvitova this season
9/9 Li beat V. Williams 75 36 61, despite Williams' obvious back problem, causing her serve to travel as slowly as 65mph! Li made hard work of the first set, but Williams was left to rue 2 double faults on break points down to relinquish the set. After dropping an early break, treatment seemed to loosen Williams spirit as she recovered to take the second set. However, the hard work took its toll and Li ran away with the last five games to claim her third win in as many meeting with Venus
Li has beaten Kerber in 4 of their 5 meetings, but it's 1-1 this season. Kerber's in her 4th final of the year and has won 2, whilst Li has yet to win a title this year, going 0-3 in finals so far. Kvitova predicts Li will win, so I'll go for consistent Kerber! We'll see!
Friday, 17 August 2012
Seeds Crash Out!
Quarterfinal action got underway today and the top seeds were dismissed by a series of talented players!
(Rank/Seed)
3/1 A. Radwanska came undone for the second week in a row to Li 61 61! Under attack constantly behind her second serve, Radwanska managed to win one game less than last week in Montreal!
4/2 S. Williams was remarkably beaten by Kerber 64 64! Though she'd looked tired coming into the match, she admitted she felt good at the start. But Kerber's tenacious play and Serena's self admitted lethargy contributed to her 19 match winning streak coming to an end; only Serena's 4th loss of the year!
6/3 Stosur was outlasted by V. Williams 62 67(1) 64 in a great match! Despite coming under fire to begin with, Stosur never let her head drop and fought to the end. However, it was to no avail as Venus (even with a woeful 1st serve percentage) came through in the end
* Mention must be made to Pavlyuchenkova's win over (8/6) Wozniacki in the 3rd round 64 64, which was played over two days due to rain and the fact that Li is actually a top ten player and I haven't been able to comment on her matches until now simply because the tournament likes to give her late night matches!
(Rank/Seed)
3/1 A. Radwanska came undone for the second week in a row to Li 61 61! Under attack constantly behind her second serve, Radwanska managed to win one game less than last week in Montreal!
4/2 S. Williams was remarkably beaten by Kerber 64 64! Though she'd looked tired coming into the match, she admitted she felt good at the start. But Kerber's tenacious play and Serena's self admitted lethargy contributed to her 19 match winning streak coming to an end; only Serena's 4th loss of the year!
6/3 Stosur was outlasted by V. Williams 62 67(1) 64 in a great match! Despite coming under fire to begin with, Stosur never let her head drop and fought to the end. However, it was to no avail as Venus (even with a woeful 1st serve percentage) came through in the end
* Mention must be made to Pavlyuchenkova's win over (8/6) Wozniacki in the 3rd round 64 64, which was played over two days due to rain and the fact that Li is actually a top ten player and I haven't been able to comment on her matches until now simply because the tournament likes to give her late night matches!
Thursday, 16 August 2012
Top Seeds Stay Tough
The top seeds were mostly successful in the 3rd round today, advancing into the quarterfinals
(Rank/Seed)
3/1 A. Radwanska struggled at times against up and coming American talent, Stephens, but used her experience to pull through 61 46 64
4/2 S. Williams extended her winning streak to 19 matches, beating U. Radwanska 64 63, winning 6 straight games in the 2nd set
5/4 Kvitova continued her winning ways, this time in comfortable fashion against Peng 62 62
6/3 Stosur eased past Makarova 61 63
7/5 Kerber toughed out her match with Hlavackova 64 76(5)
10/7 Errani however wasn't so lucky, bumping into an inspired WC V. Williams, who romped through the match 63 60. Simply brilliant at times, Venus appeared unaffected by her illness and seemed to hit winners for fun, particularly off the return
(Rank/Seed)
3/1 A. Radwanska struggled at times against up and coming American talent, Stephens, but used her experience to pull through 61 46 64
4/2 S. Williams extended her winning streak to 19 matches, beating U. Radwanska 64 63, winning 6 straight games in the 2nd set
5/4 Kvitova continued her winning ways, this time in comfortable fashion against Peng 62 62
6/3 Stosur eased past Makarova 61 63
7/5 Kerber toughed out her match with Hlavackova 64 76(5)
10/7 Errani however wasn't so lucky, bumping into an inspired WC V. Williams, who romped through the match 63 60. Simply brilliant at times, Venus appeared unaffected by her illness and seemed to hit winners for fun, particularly off the return
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Solid Seeds in Cincinnati
Though there's been a fair few early round casualties amongst the lower seeds, the top seeds appear to be finding their form early on in Cincinnati. As the 2nd round draws to a close, let's take a closer look at the top 10 players and how they managed:-
(Rank/Seed)
Easy Win
(8/6) Caroline Wozniacki trounced Sesil Karatantcheva 61 60
Harder Than It Looked Win
(3/1) Agnieszska Radwanska beat Sofia Arvidsson 64 63, despite trailing by at least one break in both sets
(4/2) Serena Williams was all out of sorts in her win over Eleni Daniilidou 63 64, to extend her winning streak to 18 matches
(10/7) Sara Errani beat Daniela Hantuchova 64 64, despite having only beaten Daniela once in 5 previous meetings!
Only Just Win
(7/5) Angelique Kerber finnally adjusted to beat Timea Babos 36 61 62
(5/4) Petra Kvitova, the newly crowned Montreal champion narrowly survived tricky Mona Barthel 36 62 75!
(6/3) Sam Stosur wins comeback of the day, recovering from 0-4 down in the 3rd set to defeat Anabel Medina Garrigues 63 67(6) 64!
(Rank/Seed)
Easy Win
(8/6) Caroline Wozniacki trounced Sesil Karatantcheva 61 60
Harder Than It Looked Win
(3/1) Agnieszska Radwanska beat Sofia Arvidsson 64 63, despite trailing by at least one break in both sets
(4/2) Serena Williams was all out of sorts in her win over Eleni Daniilidou 63 64, to extend her winning streak to 18 matches
(10/7) Sara Errani beat Daniela Hantuchova 64 64, despite having only beaten Daniela once in 5 previous meetings!
Only Just Win
(7/5) Angelique Kerber finnally adjusted to beat Timea Babos 36 61 62
(5/4) Petra Kvitova, the newly crowned Montreal champion narrowly survived tricky Mona Barthel 36 62 75!
(6/3) Sam Stosur wins comeback of the day, recovering from 0-4 down in the 3rd set to defeat Anabel Medina Garrigues 63 67(6) 64!
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