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by Prip There was no secret about how Barbara Schett was going to play today, so the key would be how Elena Likhovtseva was going to perform. The Russian had enjoyed her best Grand Slam performance here exactly a year ago, reaching the quarterfinals in which she lost (and arguably should have won) against Conchita Martinez. Barbara had won all four of their previous encounters very handily, and that would certainly boost her confidence coming into this match. Elena is, however, a very smart and experienced player. She has good anticipation of where the ball is headed, and employed a very effective strategy. Anticipating the direction of Babsi’s shots, she kept getting the ball strategically back across the net, totally frustrating the Austrian. Many times, Babsi would be on the attack, and get the short ball, but Elena would guess right at where the ball was going, and get the ball back for either a winner or keep it in play until Babsi committed the error. Getting more and more frustrated as the match went on, Barbara argued several line calls, and looked like an emotional train wreck on court. It all pretty much depended on Elena, and whether she could keep up her level of concentration. She drifted in and out of the match, while Barbara kept hitting the ball as hard as she could, both players moving each other around the court. With the first two sets split, Elena went ahead in the third, and was mere points away from taking the match. She couldn’t keep the errors down, though, and shot after shot either landed in the net or out of the court. Fully frustrated herself, the Russian crumbled and not only blew the lead, but lost the match 6-4 in the third. Elena has a very smart game that can work against any of the top players, but she continues to have trouble keeping her concentration on court. The Russian also seems to have developed a bad temperament on court, getting frustrated and annoyed easily. With a very refreshing game to watch, the Russian should move back up the rankings as soon as she starts keeping her cool on court. Of course, the same has been said about Schett, who will meet Maria Alejandra Vento in the second round. |