China Open Beijing 2014

[MargaretMcAleer]

I don't think Petra lost because of exhaustion. She played a strategically dumb match. I don't know what her coach is telling her, but she should hire Saviano who will tell her that she can and should outhit anyone on tour.

There is no way Petra should be losing to Pova. This is a sign she is not over her mental lapses. She needs to realize and embrace her tennis identity.

I think when we look at the overall stats in that match,Maria won,due to the fact she had a cleaner match.

My thoughts before the match were,Petra had to have her first serve,she also had to keep her ufe errors low,I also think that Petra has more weapons at her disposal than Maria.

Petra said after the match her serve did let her down at times,also she didnt convert the BP opportunities she had in the match,which I have to agree with.I thought she should have moved Maria around more at the baseline,especially targeting Maria's fhand wing.If you take Maria out wide with a angle on her fhand wing you will usually get a error,in the 2nd set Petra did that,in the 3rd set she didnt.One of the main reason why Petra lost that match was her ufe count which was too high in relation to her winners in the match.Another point I would have like to see Petra do more of,is to use the slice against Maria,also return to her feet more.

 

[kskate2]

I don't think Petra lost because of exhaustion. She played a strategically dumb match. I don't know what her coach is telling her, but she should hire Saviano who will tell her that she can and should outhit anyone on tour.

There is no way Petra should be losing to Pova. This is a sign she is not over her mental lapses. She needs to realize and embrace her tennis identity.

I think when we look at the overall stats in that match,Maria won,due to the fact she had a cleaner match.

My thoughts before the match were,Petra had to have her first serve,she also had to keep her ufe errors low,I also think that Petra has more weapons at her disposal than Maria.

Petra said after the match her serve did let her down at times,also she didnt convert the BP opportunities she had in the match,which I have to agree with.I thought she should have moved Maria around more at the baseline,especially targeting Maria's fhand wing.If you take Maria out wide with a angle on her fhand wing you will usually get a error,in the 2nd set Petra did that,in the 3rd set she didnt.One of the main reason why Petra lost that match was her ufe count which was too high in relation to her winners in the match.Another point I would have like to see Petra do more of,is to use the slice against Maria,also return to her feet more.

If she had just done this one thing consistently, she would have won in straight sets. She was doing it to go up the early break in the 1st and then she started hitting down the middle of court. Hitting down the middle against Maria is virtual suicide because she can hit a winner either way.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

^ We are on the same page.Agree she would have won in straight sets,if she had done that consistently.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I have another couple of questions in regards to Maria winning at Beijing

1. It was Sharapova's first final since Roland Garos,her form after that has been poor.

2. This has been Sharapova's first hard court win,since Indian Wells in 2013

3.I have been of the opinion,with Maria's current game and form,her game to me is suited to slower surfaces,she is slower in movement,she needs more time to prepare on her shots,her serve is always under pressure.

4. How do we evaluate this win for Maria on a hard court.

 

[kskate2]

I have another couple of questions in regards to Maria winning at Beijing

1. It was Sharapova's first final since Roland Garos,her form after that has been poor.

2. This has been Sharapova's first hard court win,since Indian Wells in 2013

3.I have been of the opinion,with Maria's current game and form,her game to me is suited to slower surfaces,she is slower in movement,she needs more time to prepare on her shots,her serve is always under pressure.

4. How do we evaluate this win for Maria on a hard court.

It's a good win, but the conditions in Beijing were cooler which will slow down the court. Also, I think they closed the roof one day when it rained and playing indoors changes the variables for everyone. I still maintain that at this point in her career, she struggles on fast hards (Canada, Cinci and USO) because she doesn't have enough time to create her shots.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

^ Again we are on the page with Maria.Kskate we have to stop agreeing so much......

 

[kskate2]

^ Again we are on the page with Maria.Kskate we have to stop agreeing so much......

Great minds think a like my dear

 

[MashaFan]

It's always fun to read the post match or post tournament analysis because they who analyze always think that they can explain what has happened or that their analysis has any impact on future results :lol: - They always come up with IF this or IF that and loads of intelligent explanations about the final in a tournament - But who the freck cares about all that afterwards? - The only important thing is that Masha has won Beijing AND against all odds at the beginning of the year she is now the #2 in the world with a shot at the #1 position after Singapore - Who would have thought it in January 2014? - Go through all your intelligent analyses and predictions and lemme know which one of you had predicted something right about Masha at the start of the year or even after the Australian Open? - Many thought instead that Masha would have dropped from the top 10 @ the end of 2014 - So many points to defend on clay - She just couldn't do that????? - Yeah right!!

As usual Masha made all you doubters and deniers look like fools - In whole Masha's career people (especially those die hard Serena fans and now some fanatic Halep fans as well) have predicted Masha's demise and every time she has risen like the bird Phoenix from the ashes - Masha may not be the greatest tennis player of all time and she may stand in the shadow of Serena Williams but she'll be remembered about her achievements in spite of all her shortcomings - Masha is not the best mover - she is not the best server - she's not the most talented and she may lack other talents which the great Serena has plenty of - Masha maybe a "one dimensional player" - a ball basher and she might lack a plan B or whatever you "experts" have brought forward so far - Masha has still put a big footprint in tennis history because of her sheer will and determination on the tennis court - Do I need to remind you of all her successes even off the tennis court? - That my friends is Masha's legacy and she'll always be remembered for it - Do I need to mention her Wimbledon 2004 final in which she defeated Serena Williams in straights when she was only 17 years old? - That my friends is the start of the Serena fanatics grudge against Masha - They've never forgiven her for that humiliating loss of their hero and no matter how many times Masha is going to lose in a row vs Serena in the future- like 16 - 20 - 30 times in a row - Masha's 2004 Wimbledon title can't ever be unforgotten

All of you who praise Bouchard - Halep - Muguruza at all - just remember that when Masha was only 20 years old she had already won 2 grand slams beside a number of other titles - So who the freck are Bouchard and Halep in comparison to Masha? - They're just dwarfs in comparison and don't you ever forget that when you're talking disrespectfully about Masha's shrieks or her antics on court - Also remember that during her career so far Masha's name has never mentioned in any scandal of some sorts either on or off court - You might hate Masha's style and her shrieks - but your opinion is completely irrelevant as are many of the post match or post tournament analyses - It's not always - like so many of you think - that the greatness of a tennis player can be measured after the number of slams she has won - All your stats and numbers are worthless as long as the general public has forgotten about your "gurl" after she has retired and/or as long they still remember a certain player with admiration and love

 

[Front242]

Sigh. I suppose Serena's injury and poor performances at 3 of the slams had nothing to do with it.

 

[MashaFan]

Sigh. I suppose Serena's injury and poor performances at 3 of the slams had nothing to do with it.

Serena does her thing - Masha's hers - You might explain Masha's success by pointing out how poor Serena was injured and bring forward all kinda excuses - At the end of the day such excuses are irrelevant - Masha can't control what or what not Serena does - she can only play the opponents at the other side of the net - and in Beijing she did it excellently through the whole tournament

Wow!!! - That's a huuuuge trophy!!

 

[Front242]

I never made any excuse for anything, it's a fact. Serena had to pull out of Beijing and may not even be able to play in Singapore because of her knee and we know the result when those 2 play. I'm simply pointing out the obvious that if Sharapova clinches number #1 and even for reaching #2 she has had quite a lot of help along the way. I'm a Federer fan but also a realistic one, and the same goes for him reclaiming number 2. Yes, he's been consistently going deep in most tournaments all year but you'd want to be a raving idiot to not think Nadal being unable to defend 4000 points in the USO swing and now losing early in Shanghai had nothing to do with it.

Btw your last line 2 posts above is so wrong on so many levels where you wrote the following:

"It's not always - like so many of you think - that the greatness of a tennis player can be measured after the number of slams she has won - All your stats and numbers are worthless as long as the general public has forgotten about your "gurl" after she has retired and/or as long they still remember a certain player with admiration and love."

Er, yes actually, slams have long been the gauge of greatness in tennis and will continue to be whether or not you like it and as for the public forgetting about players when they retire, frankly, I dunno what planet you live on but most people still have vivid memories of all the great players of the past and they don't just vanish into thin air once they stop playing and hence why their records live on. Serena is still trying to catch Graf, for example, and probably won't but you somehow think Graf is a forgotten player now? I mean, she only won 22 slams! :nono

 

[special700]

It's always fun to read the post match or post tournament analysis because they who analyze always think that they can explain what has happened or that their analysis has any impact on future results :lol: - They always come up with IF this or IF that and loads of intelligent explanations about the final in a tournament - But who the freck cares about all that afterwards? - The only important thing is that Masha has won Beijing AND against all odds at the beginning of the year she is now the #2 in the world with a shot at the #1 position after Singapore - Who would have thought it in January 2014? - Go through all your intelligent analyses and predictions and lemme know which one of you had predicted something right about Masha at the start of the year or even after the Australian Open? - Many thought instead that Masha would have dropped from the top 10 @ the end of 2014 - So many points to defend on clay - She just couldn't do that????? - Yeah right!!

As usual Masha made all you doubters and deniers look like fools - In whole Masha's career people (especially those die hard Serena fans and now some fanatic Halep fans as well) have predicted Masha's demise and every time she has risen like the bird Phoenix from the ashes - Masha may not be the greatest tennis player of all time and she may stand in the shadow of Serena Williams but she'll be remembered about her achievements in spite of all her shortcomings - Masha is not the best mover - she is not the best server - she's not the most talented and she may lack other talents which the great Serena has plenty of - Masha maybe a "one dimensional player" - a ball basher and she might lack a plan B or whatever you "experts" have brought forward so far - Masha has still put a big footprint in tennis history because of her sheer will and determination on the tennis court - Do I need to remind you of all her successes even off the tennis court? - That my friends is Masha's legacy and she'll always be remembered for it - Do I need to mention her Wimbledon 2004 final in which she defeated Serena Williams in straights when she was only 17 years old? - That my friends is the start of the Serena fanatics grudge against Masha - They've never forgiven her for that humiliating loss of their hero and no matter how many times Masha is going to lose in a row vs Serena in the future- like 16 - 20 - 30 times in a row - Masha's 2004 Wimbledon title can't ever be unforgotten

All of you who praise Bouchard - Halep - Muguruza at all - just remember that when Masha was only 20 years old she had already won 2 grand slams beside a number of other titles - So who the freck are Bouchard and Halep in comparison to Masha? - They're just dwarfs in comparison and don't you ever forget that when you're talking disrespectfully about Masha's shrieks or her antics on court - Also remember that during her career so far Masha's name has never mentioned in any scandal of some sorts either on or off court - You might hate Masha's style and her shrieks - but your opinion is completely irrelevant as are many of the post match or post tournament analyses - It's not always - like so many of you think - that the greatness of a tennis player can be measured after the number of slams she has won - All your stats and numbers are worthless as long as the general public has forgotten about your "gurl" after she has retired and/or as long they still remember a certain player with admiration and love

Are you nuts? Who do you think the public would remember more after retirement Pova or Serena? You are living in a fantasy world my dear.

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

I don't think it's nuts, Maria may not be as successful as Serena in Tennis terms but she is a household name, very successful entrepreneur as well in addition to being a multi slam champion. She is also the greatest Russian EVER.
Down the road, both will be remembered like Chrissy and Martina. Not in the same Tennis accomplishment terms, but being rivals, their name will ALAWAYS come up together!

BTW, here is my write-up:
http://www.tennisfrontier.com/news/wta-tennis/sharapova-bests-beijing/

 

[MashaFan]

Are you nuts? Who do you think the public would remember more after retirement Pova or Serena? You are living in a fantasy world my dear.

Time will tell who the general public will remember when time has passed after retirement - My personal trust is that it will be Masha because of the fact that she's the more recognized face and name - Only real tennis fans like yourself may count slams and whatnot to measure greatness but really - the general public favors and remembers sports icons in a whole different way - like who had to fight the hardest to achieve the goals in spite of all sorta handicaps - Just ask yourself - Who would the - against all odds - has kicked the BIG guy's ass at least once? - I know who I would remember *laffs*

 

[MashaFan]

I never made any excuse for anything, it's a fact. Serena had to pull out of Beijing and may not even be able to play in Singapore because of her knee and we know the result when those 2 play. I'm simply pointing out the obvious that if Sharapova clinches number #1 and even for reaching #2 she has had quite a lot of help along the way. I'm a Federer fan but also a realistic one, and the same goes for him reclaiming number 2. Yes, he's been consistently going deep in most tournaments all year but you'd want to be a raving idiot to not think Nadal being unable to defend 4000 points in the USO swing and now losing early in Shanghai had nothing to do with it.

Btw your last line 2 posts above is so wrong on so many levels where you wrote the following:

"It's not always - like so many of you think - that the greatness of a tennis player can be measured after the number of slams she has won - All your stats and numbers are worthless as long as the general public has forgotten about your "gurl" after she has retired and/or as long they still remember a certain player with admiration and love."

Er, yes actually, slams have long been the gauge of greatness in tennis and will continue to be whether or not you like it and as for the public forgetting about players when they retire, frankly, I dunno what planet you live on but most people still have vivid memories of all the great players of the past and they don't just vanish into thin air once they stop playing and hence why their records live on. Serena is still trying to catch Graf, for example, and probably won't but you somehow think Graf is a forgotten player now? I mean, she only won 22 slams! :nono

My friend

All I'm saying is that all these "facts" - excuses and IF this... and IF that.. are irrelevant in the big scheme of things - In time no one cares why Masha won Beijing or why she reached the #1 spot after Singapore (if that even happens) - In tennis history it won't be mentioned that this player won a tournament because another player was injured or absence for whatever reason - All that is important is that a certain player won a particular tournament - right? - Right!!!

Note also that I didn't refer to the "tennis" fans like yourself but to the general public - I'm sure Masha will be remembered way longer than "your babe" - who ever she might be - I've just traveled to "down under" and back and guess who's face I saw displayed in every airport I visited for transit? - Right - not one of your babe but plenty of my babe- *winks* - Just saying

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I don't think it's nuts, Maria may not be as successful as Serena in Tennis terms but she is a household name, very successful entrepreneur as well in addition to being a multi slam champion. She is also the greatest Russian EVER.
Down the road, both will be remembered like Chrissy and Martina. Not in the same Tennis accomplishment terms, but being rivals, their name will ALAWAYS come up together!

BTW, here is my write-up:
http://www.tennisfrontier.com/news/wta-tennis/sharapova-bests-beijing/

Maria cannot be called a rival of Serena when she could not beat her
even once over a period of 10 years now.

They cannot be called rivals (except in the weak sense of 1b) below

Here is the dictionary meaning of rivals.
ri·val (rvl)
n.
1. One who attempts to equal or surpass another, or who pursues the same object as another; a competitor.

2. One that equals or almost equals another in a particular respect.

 

[MashaFan]

Maria cannot be called a rival of Serena when she could not beat her
even once over a period of 10 years now.

They cannot be called rivals (except in the weak sense of 1b) below

Here is the dictionary meaning of rivals.
ri·val (rvl)
n.
1. One who attempts to equal or surpass another, or who pursues the same object as another; a competitor.

2. One that equals or almost equals another in a particular respect.

I agree completely re the "rival" discussion - However - it's not the Masha's supporter camp which is insisting that it's a rivalry situation - The main issue is that Masha is the #2 again (with an additional slam) in spite of 16 losses in a row to some high praised and GOAT player - That my friend is an accomplishment which demands respect

Kiu also emphasized that Masha and Serena are rivals in the sense that their names always are linked to each other in comments - so - what do you have to deny this?

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Masha Fan,

I have no problem with you defending your favorite player.

What I do have a problem with other fans undermining other players.

Serena Williams is one of the all time great tennis players,I have watched the game for well over 30 years plus,I have seen many great Champions,I will never forget what they brought to the game.

Personally speaking I am not interested in how much money a player earns in their career,or with their own personal outside interests, to me is will be always be about their own personal contribution to our game.

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

I don't think it's nuts, Maria may not be as successful as Serena in Tennis terms but she is a household name, very successful entrepreneur as well in addition to being a multi slam champion. She is also the greatest Russian EVER.
Down the road, both will be remembered like Chrissy and Martina. Not in the same Tennis accomplishment terms, but being rivals, their name will ALAWAYS come up together!

BTW, here is my write-up:
http://www.tennisfrontier.com/news/wta-tennis/sharapova-bests-beijing/

Maria cannot be called a rival of Serena when she could not beat her
even once over a period of 10 years now.

They cannot be called rivals (except in the weak sense of 1b) below

Here is the dictionary meaning of rivals.
ri·val (rvl)
n.
1. One who attempts to equal or surpass another, or who pursues the same object as another; a competitor.

2. One that equals or almost equals another in a particular respect.

You are being technical GSM, they play during the same era, they will always be rivals, granted it's been a one sided rivalry for a decade...
But what if Maria wins the next 2?

 

[MashaFan]

Masha Fan,

I have no problem with you defending your favorite player.

What I do have a problem with other fans undermining other players.

Serena Williams is one of the all time great tennis players,I have watched the game for well over 30 years plus,I have seen many great Champions,I will never forget what they brought to the game.

Personally speaking I am not interested in how much money a player earns in their career,or with their own personal outside interests, to me is will be always be about their own personal contribution to our game.

I've no problem whatsoever with who supports which tennis player - You love Serena - fine!! - Another likes Wozniacki or Ivanovic - great!!!

Just don't try to diminish "my babe's" accomplishments by using your babe's injuries or "viral whatever" - else we're good