China Open Beijing 2014

[Hoergren]

The draw is out and time for discussions.

Top Half

[1] Serena WILLIAMS (USA) VS Qualifier.
Maria KIRILENKO (RUS) VS Qualifier
Qualifier VS Qualifier
Camila GIORGI (ITA) VS Lucie SAFAROVA (CZE) [13]

[10] Jelena JANKOVIC (SRB) VS Alize CORNET (FRA)
Lauren DAVIS (USA) VS Qualifier
Samantha STOSUR (AUS) VS Francesca SCHIAVONE (ITA)
BYE - Caroline WOZNIACKI (DEN) [6]

[3] Petra KVITOVA (CZE) - BYE
[WC] ZHANG Kai-Lin (CHN) - PENG Shuai (CHN)
ZHANG Shuai (CHN) VS Caroline GARCIA (FRA)
Heather WATSON (GBR) VS Venus WILLIAMS (USA) [16]

[12] Ekaterina MAKAROVA (RUS) VS Garbiñe MUGURUZA (ESP)
Karolina PLISKOVA (CZE) VS Qualifier
Roberta Vinci (ITA) VS Yaroslava SHVEDOVA (KAZ)
CoCo VANDEWHEGHE (USA) VS Agnieszka RADWANSKA (POL) [5]

Bottom Half:

[7] Angelique KERBER (GER) VS Casey DELLACQUA (AUS)
Zarina DIYAS (KAZ) VS Klara KOUKALOVA (CZE)
Svetlana KUZNETSOVA (RUS) VS Daniela HANTUCHOVA (SVK)
Kurumi NARA (JPN) VS Sara ERRANI (ITA) [11]

[14] Flavia PENNETTA (ITA) VS Christina MCHALE (USA)
Carla SUÁREZ NAVARRO (ESP) VS Kirsten FLIPKENS (BEL)
BYE - Elina SVITOLINA (UKR)
Kaia KANEPI (EST) VS Maria SHARAPOVA (RUS) [4]

[8] Eugenie BOUCHARD (CAN) - BYE
[WC] XU Shilin (CHN) VS Sabine LISICKI (GER)
Romina OPRANDI (SUI) VS Bojana JOVANOVSKI (SRB)
Qualifier VS Ana IVANOVIC (SRB) [9]

[15] Andrea PETKOVIC (GER) VS Qualifier
Madison KEYS (USA) VS Alison RISKE (USA)
[WC] ZHU Lin (CHN) VS Anastasia PAVLYUCHENKOVA (RUS)
Barbora ZAHLAVOVA-STRYCOVA VS Simona HALEP (ROM) [2]

The 4 semi finalists in Wuhan all have a bye in first round.

Premier Mandatory event - that is ALL points are counting as in the slams. Do you get 10 points and are out first round you can't replace that with points from another tournament in the top 16 results-

Prize Money: $5,427,105 Surface: Hard
A combined ATP-WTA event, the China Open is the biggest tournament on the Asian leg of the WTA calendar and the fourth and last Premier Mandatory stop of the season.

The tournament, which launched as a Tier II event in 2004 and was upgraded to Premier status in 2009, is staged in Beijing Olympic Park at the China National Tennis Center. The facility - constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics - expanded to 11 courts featuring a new 15,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof in 2011. It utilizes space-age air-cooling technology. In 2006, the China Open became the first tournament outside the United States to implement Hawk-Eye electronic line calling.

Weather

Much cooler than Wuhan, with temperatures from 19 C to 28 C (Thursday). Cool at night. Sunny most days but they predict rain on Friday. Let's hope the smog is lesser this year. If you don't believe it then have a look at the pictures in this site:

http://all-that-is-interesting.com/pollution-in-china-photographs#1

 

[Si Si Simona]

This is a nice development for Simona. The only unfamiliar player she can meet is Strycova in R1.
This will ease the stress she is in because she already played the other players this year or 2013 and knows what to expect.
In her last 2 events she played new players, barroni and Mugu.

Its a lucky draw because it fits Simona's mental state and helps her fight her anxiety.
Not low quality players but just "fitting".

Saying all that she may lose again in R1 against a new player she havent played yet :blush:
No big deal, she lost R2 in Wuhan and now its R1, no difference :cry
At least Strycova is not a big hitter and that can make the difference and put Simona on a roll in this event.
Sometimes, all you need in life is luck and the rest will follow

That was the short version, I can make it longer

 

[faradubii]

Halep is playing doubles in Beijing. Strange.

 

[Si Si Simona]

Halep is playing doubles in Beijing. Strange.

Good for her. She needs ways to relieve her stress and this time it can help.

 

[sk310]

Definitely looks a bit top heavy.

 

[Si Si Simona]

Someone says she will be focused. I hope its as simple as that. It may be
I am surprised how much I already know whats in her head. She also talks about getting into a roll like I said above.
http://www.chinaopen.com.cn/en/news/2014-09-26/1910635.shtml

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Definitely looks a bit top heavy.

You took the words right out of my mouth....

 

[HawkEye]

This is a nice development for Simona. The only unfamiliar player she can meet is Strycova in R1.
This will ease the stress she is in because she already played the other players this year or 2013 and knows what to expect.
In her last 2 events she played new players, barroni and Mugu.

Its a lucky draw because it fits Simona's mental state and helps her fight her anxiety.
Not low quality players but just "fitting".

Saying all that she may lose again in R1 against a new player she havent played yet :blush:
No big deal, she lost R2 in Wuhan and now its R1, no difference :cry
At least Strycova is not a big hitter and that can make the difference and put Simona on a roll in this event.
Sometimes, all you need in life is luck and the rest will follow

That was the short version, I can make it longer

Not the easiest R1 I suppose. Barbora has a very unique play. Simona will prevail in the end but it won't be easy.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I honestly don't know the reasoning behind why these tournaments have to overlap? why can't there be a couple of days off between each one.
I still have some question marks with some players in this tournament,due to the viral illness that players picked up in Wuhan that are competing here in Beijing.

 

[Sundaymorningguy]

Well Serena may have another opportunity to take on Cornet.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

^ I didn't want to mention that fact Sunday...

 

[Si Si Simona]

Simona will prevail in the end but it won't be easy.

Thanks for the jinx :s It will be her hardest match because she is a slow starter and its an unfamiliar player.

the viral illness that players picked up in Wuhan.

We only know about one player. JJ suffered from the "shopping in Beijing" virus and others just saved energy before a mandatory because it rhymes.

 

[Si Si Simona]

So Sorana Cirstea... lost her last 2 qualifiers in first round, ranked 100, her worst crises ever and she doesnt change anything yet? If she doesnt change coach in the next days she should quit tennis.
Kiu, how are you gone wake up your girl ?

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I dont mind Ana Invanovic's draw,if she can produce the same form of late on the HC,she could be a dark horse in this event.

 

[Si Si Simona]

break her moni, break her now

and.. she did 4-2 :clap
.. 5-2 comn, one more game and you are in the main draw where you will destroy Kirilenko and many others

 

[Si Si Simona]

oh baby! I present you with the new China open winner, :wow: the one and only, the SLICER...
MONICA NICULESCU !!!

She won her last 7 WTA matches in a ROW !
She dropped 23 games in her last 7 matches, an average of less than 4 games per match !
She is going bananas.
Any player meeting her after a long hard season will suffer now.
She is fresh, she is happy she waited whole year to see the other girls getting tired so that she can
SLICE THEM TO DEATH :snigger :snigger

Good plan Monica !

What a revivel, she jumped from 60 to 41 last week, who knows what she wil do next, she is locko in a good way

 

[Si Si Simona]

Mona, Monica, Belinda will be very dangerous in R1. Watch out.

 

[Si Si Simona]

Riske takes no risks. Keys takes every risk but she wont take Riske

 

[Hoergren]

Order of play Saturday September 27, 2014 TV Stream from at least 3 courts

NATIONAL TENNIS STADIUM
12:30 - Madison Keys (USA) V Alison Riske (USA) 63 67 75
14:30 - Lin Zhu (CHN) V Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 63 33 ret.
16:30 - Coco Vandeweghe (USA) V [5] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 46 36
19:30 - Shilin Xu (CHN) V Sabine Lisicki (GER) 64 26 06
21:30 - Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) V Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 62 64

LOTUS COURT
11:00 [1] Belinda Bencic (SUI) d [14] Shelby Rogers (USA) 57 76 61 Q
12:30 - Romina Oprandi (SUI) V Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) 62 64
14:30 - Xinyun Han / Kai-Lin Zhang (CHN / CHN) V Klaudia Jans-Ignacik / Karolina Pliskova (POL / CZE) 64 36 10-6
16:30 - Zarina Diyas (KAZ) V Klara Koukalova (CZE) 61 64

MOON COURT
12:30 - [2] Varvara Lepchenko (USA) V [10] Silvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) 61 57 26 Q
14:30 - Casey Dellacqua / Lisa Raymond (AUS / USA) V Darija Jurak / Megan Moulton-Levy (CRO / USA) 60 62
16:30 - Samantha Stosur / Shuai Zhang (AUS / CHN) V Jarmila Gajdosova / Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS / CRO) 63 26 10-12

COURT 3
11:00 [5] Mona Barthel (GER) d Marina Erakovic (NZL) 63 63 Q

COURT 4
11:00 [3] Monica Niculescu (ROU) d [12] Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) 63 62 Q
13:00 [11] Polona Hercog (SLO) d [7] Monica Puig (PUR) 63 61 Q

COURT 7
11:00 [4] Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) d [9] Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO) 63 61 Q
13:00 Yi-Fan Xu (CHN) d Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) 62 61 Q

COURT 8
12:30 - [8] Stefanie Voegele (SUI) V Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 46 46 Q

 

[Si Si Simona]

Riske takes no risks. Keys takes every risk but she wont take Riske

Another day at the WTA office Riske had 2 match points at 5-3 and then Keys woke up from the dead and started to hit winners all over the place. Typical women tennis action