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Dubai.....Ladies

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Dubai.....Ladies

Post by rex » Feb Sun 16, 2020 12:58 pm

This event marks the return of Kim Clijsters. However, there is already a change to the opponent she'll face in the lst round. Instead of Kiki Bertens (withdrawal), who just won St. Pete', Kim will face Garbine, who was going to meet Svitolina, who now gets a qualie. For PGame purposes, a few gamers had Elina as the fmKO. Now, I think some will make a change for that prediction....

Main draw:

Simona Halep (1) vs Bye
Alison Riske vs Ons Jabeur (wc)
Elise Mertens vs Qiang Wang
Maria Sakkari vs Aryna Sabalenka (7)

Elina Svitolina (3/wc) vs Q
Marketa Vondrousova vs Anastasija Sevastova
Q vs Dayana Yastremska
Kim Clijsters (wc) vs Garbine Muguruza (wc)

Petra Martic (8) vs Q
Amanda Anisimova vs Barbora Strycova
Q vs Anett Kontaveit
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Belinda Bencic (4)

Sofia Kenin (5) vs Elena Rybakina (SE)
Karolina Muchova vs Q
Q vs Q
Bye vs Karolina Pliskova (2)


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Re: Dubai.....Ladies

Post by rex » Feb Sun 16, 2020 1:22 pm

Main draw schedule is out for tomorrow and Kim's match with Garbine begins at 9:00 am. Midwest stateside. I'll give that a look-see....

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Re: Dubai.....Ladies

Post by rex » Feb Sun 16, 2020 9:26 pm

Kim practicing with Simona......


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Re: Dubai.....Ladies

Post by Graveller » Feb Mon 17, 2020 4:18 am

All my complaining about Rybakina not given a WC helped: some WTA-official is reading this forum, haha...

So they gave her a Special Exempt entry. And were smart enough to schedule her R1 tomorrow. A R1 vs Slam-winner Kenin is another test for her.

Mixed feelings about the F in St.Pete; a bad score for Rybakina (1-6 3-6), but she played so many 3-setters and survived MPs in her SF (missed that match), and I also read that Bertens was outstanding. So maybe the score is not too indicative. The match vs Kenin will be tough (no expectations) but in any case she gets some match-game in the heat of the Middle East as preparation for Doha.

R1 between Pav's and Bencic is a match that I do not like: I want to see both going deep. But the draw is not too horrible in the next rounds, so hoping to see the winner in the SF.

Top quarter looks great too: Mertens vs Wang and Sabalenka vs Sakkari, and if the doubles-team Mertens-Sabalenka meet each other in R2, then the winner gets Halep as reward in the QF...

And then there is Clijsters - I know it is weird to say for me (being belgian), but I could not care less.
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Re: Dubai.....Ladies

Post by Graveller » Feb Mon 17, 2020 4:21 am

And Rex, thank you for the fmKO-warning on Svitolina: I literally changed my pick minutes before Anisimova started.

If Svitolina now loses her R1, I will blame you, obviously :-)
"Never argue with an idiot - they take you down to their level and then beat you on experience"

"Don't wrestle with a pig: you both get dirty, but the pig actually likes it"

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Re: Dubai.....Ladies

Post by Graveller » Feb Mon 17, 2020 9:39 am

I could not resist to tune into Clijsters vs Muguruza... want to see the train crash with my own eyes.
I think that Muguruza fits twice into Clijsters.

Anyway, Garbine leading 2-0

But I must admit that the way that Clijsters uses the court and makes Garbine run from left to right in some rallies, is something you do not see that often...
"Never argue with an idiot - they take you down to their level and then beat you on experience"

"Don't wrestle with a pig: you both get dirty, but the pig actually likes it"

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Re: Dubai.....Ladies

Post by Graveller » Feb Mon 17, 2020 9:43 am

Clijsters avoids a double bagel... 1-2*, Garbine serving

tbh, I may have to eat humble pie... if some of these rallies and points are the quality of a rusty Clijsters, then she actually could cause damage in some events if she gets at her best (for her age).
"Never argue with an idiot - they take you down to their level and then beat you on experience"

"Don't wrestle with a pig: you both get dirty, but the pig actually likes it"

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Re: Dubai.....Ladies

Post by Graveller » Feb Mon 17, 2020 9:53 am

Well well, she was not my favorite compatriot, but in 5 games she shows that she still is more talented than 99% of the tour...
That defense, in combination with the point construction, accuracy and power from the baseline... did not expect that she could pull off some of those points.

Feel gutted that we were stolen a 4-way rivalry from 2005 until 2020 due to babies,injuries and illness (Serena, Venus, Clijsters, Henin). JUst imagine those 4 at their best for an additional 15 years...
"Never argue with an idiot - they take you down to their level and then beat you on experience"

"Don't wrestle with a pig: you both get dirty, but the pig actually likes it"

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Re: Dubai.....Ladies

Post by Graveller » Feb Mon 17, 2020 10:00 am

Double break Garbine... serve and return make the difference at the moment... a lot of DFs.. But in the rallies? I actually think that Kim is the better one.

And serve/ROS is expected to be low quality at this point of the comeback.

Edit . Garbine wins 6-2, but was 0-40 down... and then 5 winning first serves. Serena-esque... Any other player would have been broken by Kim here. Impressed by Muguruza here.
"Never argue with an idiot - they take you down to their level and then beat you on experience"

"Don't wrestle with a pig: you both get dirty, but the pig actually likes it"

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Re: Dubai.....Ladies

Post by Graveller » Feb Mon 17, 2020 10:54 am

Second set... well... from 0-3* down to 5-4 up... gosh... would those young players watch this?

Edit: 6-5*... she got the TB as a mininum.
Well, This match tells all that she (and we) need to know. If you can do this against the most recent Slam finalist at her prime age, well, then I am pretty sure that her current # of WTA-titles (41) will increase in the near future (if she stays injury-free)
"Never argue with an idiot - they take you down to their level and then beat you on experience"

"Don't wrestle with a pig: you both get dirty, but the pig actually likes it"

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