Day 2/3 Qualies; You Just Got To Better On the Day

We’re back again, thankfully after the rain has cleared most of the smoke haze where something more than 10cm can be seen. Some results were better than others, then if I liked tennis players for results then I’d be a Fedalovic which is a very special species of gloryhound

Daniel vs. Milojević

This resumed from 5-5 in the first set. The first 10 games were a lot of long rallies in difficult conditions. It’s always tough to start suspended matches, but it’s part of the sport which players should have coping mechanisms for it.

Daniel started slowly and dropped his first service game and the Serbian took the 1st set 7.-5. The second set started like it was going to be a comfortable game for Daniel who was 40-0 up, then through a combination of errors and solid play from Milojević he manages to break.

The pattern of the 2nd set continues with Milojević just being consistent, not making any errors and while not having a big serve was placing it very effectively. It got to the point he was hitting more lines than a cocaine dealer which lead to extreme frustration from Daniel.

Daniel was late on his forehand quite often and while Milojević’s groundstrokes don’t have much power he moved the ball around effectively. Daniel really has to become more aggressive, perhaps this is what new coach Sven Groeneveld will be looking to add to his game. It was a disappointing loss for Daniel but Milojević was just too solid and deserved the win.

Ruusuvuori vs. Mena

This was the first time watching Ruusuvori live and I do like what I see. This was one of those matches where the result was never in doubt at all.


Ruusovori

The young Finn was a class above Mena. He moved the ball around well, took his opportunities to come to the net which is a good thing in a young player, there needs to be a point of difference. At the same time, he’d normally coming in off good shots and not junk.

Ruusovori should be qualifying here and he won’t be needing to qualify for Slams anymore.

Martinez vs. Villaras

Gimeno Traver’s protégé against the Peruvian Villaras who is definitely more comfortable on the clay and had the crowd behind him, especially this one very vocal ginger Peruvian lad. Martinez had an opponent who was not as awful as Lienz, but continued where he left off in the last round.

Varillas, hasn’t quite worked out how to play on hardcourts as of yet. Martinez was placing the serve well, using angles to open up the court as he doesn’t have the most powerful game. He is a smart player, knows his limitations at the moment and plays within them. Once he got the first set, there was only one winner as Varillas wasn’t playing well enough to change the momentum and put pressure on Martinez.

Rosol vs. Lorenzi

Not enough these days where Rosol is the younger player. This was the classic difference in styles which made this intriguing. Lorenzi, the man who is all heart, endeavour and willing to come to the net whereas Rosol is more see ball, hit ball. Character wise Lorenzi is well respected and admired, grinding all these years on the lower level winning his first ATP title at 34 now still going at 38. Whereas Rosol isn’t the most loved out there, personally I enjoy both cats for different reasons.

Rosol took an early break was looking fairly comfortable in the 1st set, then as he is known to do he threw his one dumb service game and Lorenzi broke back. The match is pretty much as expected with Rosol hitting big from the baseline and Lorenzi scrapping throwing in some off pace balls and sneaking to the net. Rosol was the better player in the 1st set but that’s not how tennis is, got to win the points that count and Lorenzi did that to take the 1st set.

The second set pretty much has exactly the same pattern as the 1st set where Rosol has an early break, but manages to lose it not long afterwards. Rosol going for big forehands and Lorenzi scrapping to another tiebreaker. The buster for the first 5 points all points went against the server. Lorenzi has match points but unable to convert. Rosol takes the buster and it’s 1 set all when he should have been in the locker room.


Onto the decider, the match is definitely on Rosol’s racquet as he’s the more aggressive player but the question is whether he is patient enough or not make donkey errors at the wrong moments. No early breaks but Rosol was down 0-40 and manages to hold service which was a big moment in the match.


Rosol

Good old Rosol he was at his niggling best, just before Lorenzi serving tapped the racquet on the ground, screaming out yes in Italian after he hit a winner. At 6-5 was thinking hope this doesn’t go to a 3rd set buster, as players should be breaking serve to win matches and thankfully this was the case. Rosol was able to break Lorenzi to win the match and he was very emotional after the match, as he knew it was a very difficult match. He ran over to his friend/coach and shared a warm embrace.

Kavčič vs. Gojowczyk

This was probably the best match in terms of quality I’ve seen so far. Kavčič got an early break was unable to hold serve, but broke again. He was playing well and Gojowczyk was making too many errors, as Kavčič was able to take the 1st set.

In the second set the Slovenian lost his serve early and Gojowczyk was making less errors than early in the match. He was playing on and near the baseline making Kavčič going coast to coast who was defending very well but willing to have a go when the opportunity was there. Gojowczyk started placing the serve better leading him to dictate the match with his flat shots taking the 2nd set.


Kavčič

Kavčič dropped serve early in the 3rd set just made some backhand errors and a couple of short second serves. The 3rd set is still Kavčič fighting manfully, hitting well but mostly from a defensive position and the German working the ball around. Unfortunately for Kavčič he was unable to put enough pressure on Gojowczyk’s serve during the 3rd and the German closed it out.

Even though Kavčič lost there were some very good signs for 2020. He has started the season well, it’s a question of being injury free for a year and the results will come. There is still some life in the legs. Tennis is a funny sport, some days you play well and lose, others you play like a drunk donkey but still get the win.