AEGON tennis Classic
A.Kudryavtseva (RUS) def. H.Watson (GBR) [14]
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
6-4 6-3
D.Hantuchova (SVK) def. L.Robson (GBR) [7]
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
6-3 6-4
S.Lisicki (GER) [5] def. K.Pliskova (CZE)
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
6-4 6-2
K.Flipkens (BEL) [1] def. A.Tomljanovic (CRO)
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
4-6 6-4 7-5
S.Cirstea (ROU) [3] def. T.Pironkova (BUL)
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
6-4 6-4
K.Mladenovic (FRA) [12] def. J.Konta (GBR)
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
6-4 6-1
M.Erakovic (NZL) def. E.Makarova (RUS) [2]
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
78-66 3-6 6-0
B.Jovanovski (SRB) [13] def. A.Hlavackova (CZE)
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
4-6 6-1 6-4
M.Lucic-Baroni (CRO) def. Y.Wickmayer (BEL) [9]
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
6-4 6-0
F.Schiavone (ITA) [15] def. N.Kichenok (UKR)
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
77-64 6-2
There was disappointment for the remaining British women’s contingent in the Aegon Tennis Classic Birmingham when all three were bundled out on a rain-disrupted day on the low-bouncing grass courts of the Edgbaston Priory Club.
While wildcard Johanna Konta’s straight sets exit at the hands of the 12th seed Kristina Mladenovic of France was no surprise, the abrupt departures of British number 1 Laura Robson seeded 7 and 14th seed Heather Watson exposed yet again the patchy form, even of Britain’s brightest young prospects.
Watson, 21, still short of match fitness after a bout of glandular fever which sidelined her for 4 months looked nervy and out-of-sorts against the gritty qualifier Alla Kudryatseva, who at 172 in the world is almost 120 places below her.
The Russian defied the rankings and always looked happy to slug it out from the baseline, mixing up the speed and length of her strokes to deny Watson the pace she relishes.
Watson afterwards admitted that she would have preferred not to be first onto the newly-laid Centre Court with its shooting bounces and that despite her impressive victory last night against Melinda Czink, she paid dearly for her fluctuating form and concentration against Kudryatseva. A cruel overrule on a rare break point to the bubbly British youngster took the wind out of her sails and she capitulated tamely in straight sets.
19-year-old Robson, ranked 37 in the world faced a far tougher proposition in the elegant shape of former top tenner Daniela Hantuchova, who is now ranked improbably low at 60 but immediately proved why she remains such a threat on grass.
Taking full advantage of Robson’s early nerves in her first grasscourt match of the season, the rangy Slovakian, a Tour veteran at the age of 30, produced a string of cleverly-placed aces and fed off her opponent’s tendency to go for broke with big groundstrokes that too often landed just long in the teasing wind. While Robson recovered froma n early break in the opening set, a further break of serve by Hantuchova who pounded the baseline with a string of forehands played hard and flat, seemed to break Robson’s spirit.
The youngster’s shoulder’s drooped visibly and her lateral movement to her left-handed forehand, so often the weakest part of her game, looked positively sluggish as she ripped stroke after stroke into the top of the net. Although she held her serve thereafter, Hantuchova, looking poised and confident served out to love to win 6-3 6-4.
Having taken on former British international Miles Maclagan as her new coach just four days ago, Robson admitted that she had already started working with him on her often suspect serve and was now booked in for practice on the Wimbledon grass tomorrow.
Although she joked that he was already in her bad books for refusing to come and watch a horror movie with her last night, player and coach are well aware of the level of work needed to avoid a repeat of the horror-show of her first-round exit .
2013-06-12
