Schett vs. Likhovtseva
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.
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Last updated 26 September 2015
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