|
by Prip Barbara Schett (AUT) [12] vs. Julie Halard-Decugis (FRA) [6] Just like in her previous matches, Julie was in full control, hitting the ball hard from corner to corner, not having any trouble handling the pace of the balls coming at her. Tathiana Garbin and Daja Bedanova don't hit the ball anyway near as hard as often as Barbara, and I still find it amazing how Julie could get the ball back with as much pace, even on the full run. She doesn't necessarily need to feed off the pace of the ball either, generating a lot of it by having a very technically sound motion, maximizing the use of her body weight. The only player whose looks I find are more deceiving is Justine Henin who, despite her small frame, generates so much racquet head speed by the time it comes in contact with the ball that it's not funny. Anyway, Babsi was in all sorts of trouble, hitting the ball all over the place, and finding the balls coming back at her with nearly as much pace and better accuracy. Babsi could do a lot better if she improved her footspeed, characteristically enough of hard-hitters of her generation and before, but considering the way that power is dominating the women's game nowadays, the younger players have a huge advantage in that they can both hit the ball hard and move around the court well. Babsi looked more and more distressed as the first set went to Julie who didn't even look like she was breaking a sweat in taking it 6-2. Equal portions of the crowd were there to support either player, but one difference between the Olympic games and any other tournament was that a lot of the people who came knew very little about tennis, and were just there for the "Olympic experience". A lot of them were there just to watch the tennis, and unless an Aussie is playing, it usually takes about three quarters of a match for the crowd to decide which player they'd cheer for (usually the one on the losing end), and start to get into it. Of course, Babsi's attractive looks helped quite a bit here, and the fact that Julie is French didn't help her out with the popularity contest. I don't quite know if the crowd factor affects Barbara at all, but she certainly did turn the match around. She got her shots under control, not letting Julie set up so easily, and was moving around the court better, not giving up on balls that easily. Not many players can keep up with the Austrian if her shots find their mark, and Julie was being run all over the court. Although the momentum hadn't shifted quite as suddenly as the score suggests, Julie prompty lost the second set by the same score as the first, but certainly not for the lack of effort. By the third set, Julie looked like she had run out of gas, and didn't put up much of a fight. She had a lot of trouble controlling the ball off the racquet, and wasn't as quick to get to the ball anymore. This suited Babsi perfectly, and the Austrian blasted her way to a 2-6 6-2 6-1 victory, looking very happy with herself. She had come through her three matches with three tough starts. Barabanschikova/Zvereva (BLR) vs. Martinez/Sanchez-Vicario (ESP) [2] Next, I decided to see if my prediction that the Belarussians would make it through to the final to get the silver against the Williams sisters would come one step closer to coming true. Their toughest challenge before then would be the Spaniards, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Conchita Martinez, seeded second in the doubles draw and deservingly so. As I took my seat in the stands, I thought that it would be interesting to see how it would work out -- the Spaniards would take most of the first set before warming up, while the Belarussians would be at their weakest a couple of games into the second set. Sure enough, the Spaniards were slow to start. They hung in there by playing smart and winning the big points, but the Belarussians looked to be in control. The match was certainly entertaining, showcasing smart doubles instead of players trying to blast the head off the opponent at net, and the crowd appreciated both the crafty play of the experienced Spaniards and the flashy shots from the Belarussians. Olga and NZ got the break to take the first set 6-4, and took the opening game of the second set. The Spaniards were starting to play better, reacting quicker and choosing better shots to play, or at least executing them better. They fought hard to try and get ahead in the second set, but the Belarussians did their best to keep things even. Sure enough, a couple of games into the second set, when a shot from Arantxa landed out to give the Belarussians the game, Arantxa contested the point with the umpire, while the Belarussians sat down for the changeover. The ball was very clearly out, and Arantxa probably knew that, but was either trying to intimidate the ump or was trying to affect her opponents psychologically at their most vulnerable. It didn't work, though, and both teams kept up their games. Olga was doing especially well on the return of serves while Natasha rarely did much with hers, which is why Olga was playing on the ad side despite being ranked 170 places below her more experienced partner. I actually really wonder why Olga's ranking is so low in doubles. I can understand her singles ranking being in the 60's because of her difficulty in maintaining a high level of concentration coupled with her flashy low-percentage shots, but the effects would have less of an impact in a doubles game. Not to mention that Olga's versatility making her a heckuva doubles partner. Maybe getting a good partner and perhaps concentrating a bit more on the doubles than singles for a while might help her make some progress in solving her singles woes. In the end, the Spaniards were simply out-played by the Belarussians, with Natasha finally picking up her game to make up for Olga's slight lapse. They got the break at the very end, just managing to avoid playing a tie-breaker which would more likely be in the Spaniards' favour. Delighted, Olga went over to hug NZ tightly before shaking her opponents hands and all but skipping over to her chair. Williams/Williams (USA) vs. Myskina/Likhovtseva (RUS) Way over on the other side of the New South Wales Tennis Centre, the Williams sisters were in action against the Russians Anastasia Myskina and Elena Likhovtseva. Not only were the stands packed, but the lines to get in were so long that even when Spectator Services opened up the accredited seating, people were still lining up to get in. The Russians had taken a big boost from their first round match, especially the younger one, and started this match a lot more positively than they had their first. In fact, they broke Venus Williams's serve to open the match. The crowd was pleasantly surprised, and was glad to be given a good reason to cheer the underdogs on. The Americans of course were there with their chants of "Yew, Ess, AYY!" while forming the letters with their hands, but crowd participation was probably not what they were expecting -- the Aussies had decided that they would be cheering the Russians on. Unlike the New York crowd, though, they weren't cheering them on simply because they were the David in the battle against Goliath, but because they appreciated the fighting spirit and effort put in. Serena had a much better service game, and Venus soon managed to groove her serve, but the Russians put everything into holding on to the break of serve. Elena played tough, fighting very hard, and Anastasia was holding her own. Elena was trying to come up with very well placed serves, knowing that her partner was a little more vulnerable at net than she. With a lot of gutsy playing, The Russians served out the set, hanging it tough and coming through on the big points. The second set also started well, and for the first time, I actually considered that the Williamses might lose the match. And just as the thought entered my head, the Williamses got the break and started to pick up their games. Their lobs started landing a little deeper, their drop shots a little shorter. Venus managed to keep the unforced errors down, and Serena's serves were getting her more free points. The Americans managed to turn the match around and took the second set 6-2. By the third set, Elena was working hard at trying to find a way to break through the Williams' armour. But there wasn't anything specific that either player was having particular trouble with. Both Russians played hard, not going away without a fight, and kept the points going, but the rallies were going the Williamses way more often than not. Down 2-5, Anastasia had the task of serving to keep her team in the match. It looked like the match was all over for them, but the Russians fought their way back, saving match points, and bringing the game to deuce. The crowd was absolutely thrilled by the number of times the Russians saved match point, and finally, after what seemed like forever, Anastasia actually held serve to bring it to 5-3, Serena serving. Likhovtseva and Myskina had only prolonged the inevitable, though, and after the changeover, Serena served the match out easily. The crowd gave the Russians a standing ovation, appreciating their effort, and although they both looked tired and a little disappointed, they managed a wave and a smile to the crowd. I have absolutely no idea whether the Russian camp were happy or disappointed as they left the stands and headed to the locker room, they were stoic as ever, and were discussing something among themselves. Julie Halard-Decugis and Amelie Mauresmo were playing against Elena Tatarkova and Anna Zaporozhanova of Ukraine. I stayed for a few games, but the French were having little trouble with the match, and I didn't think I'd catch Albert Costa and Alex Corretja in doubles action even if they were playing against Jiri Novak and David Rikl -- it was the only match playing in the outside courts and the lines to get in were so long it would probably take half the match to get in. |