Women's Singles
I'm sick of Vera being overlooked. She's #7 in the world (coming off a career-high #5, which she held for four weeks earlier this year), and yet she has been omitted from every single list of contenders or "women to watch" that I've seen for this year's Wimbledon. The BBC has only televised one match of Vera's in the last two years (her second-round loss at Wimbledon 2008), and even though she's drawn a Briton in the first round, that match has been scheduled on the non-televised Court 4 - how could Wimbledon 'Stoop' so low? :fiery:
Vera beat four top-seven players (#4 Ana Ivanovic, #7 Svetlana Kuznetsova, #1 Jelena Jankovic and #5 Elena Dementieva) to reach the final of the Sony Ericsson Championships last November, and her world-beating success continued in the early months of 2009.
Vera reached her first Major semi-final at the Australian Open, beating #11 Nadia Petrova 7-5 6-4 in the fourth round and #17 Marion Bartoli (who had upset #1 Jelena Jankovic) in the quarter-finals, before losing 6-3 7-6 to #3 Dinara Safina. None of her matches were televised by the BBC, though! :fiery:
Vera followed that up by winning her eighth WTA singles-title at Pattaya City, beating #35 Peng,Shuai 6-2 6-3 in the quarter-finals, #48 Shahar Pe'er 6-1 6-4 in the semi-finals, and #126 Sania Mirza 7-5 6-1 in the final.
Vera won her first Premier singles-title at Indian Wells. Having been overlooked as a title-contender (as usual), she beat #13 Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-2 in the quarter-finals, #11 Victoria Azarenka 6-3 6-3 in the semis, and #7 Ana Ivanovic 7-6 (7/5) 6-2 in the final.
But just as Vera's career appeared to be reaching a crescendo as she headed into the clay-court season (historically her best surface), she retired from Charleston on 16th April with a very nasty right-ankle injury (two torn ligaments: one full, the other partial), and missed everything up to and including the French Open. It was a very bitter pill to swallow after the tremendous progress she had made in the previous eight months.
Had that horrible injury not happened, Vera would certainly have been among the leading contenders to win the French Open - and my personal favourite. With her flairsome power allied to excellent retrieval-skills and tremendous resourcefulness, she is a potential Major champion (in singles - she's already won three Majors in doubles) and a joy to watch.
What hurts me the most is the lack of media-attention Vera has been getting despite her success, which had seen her take a firm grip on the #6 ranking before the injury. I really thought she was going to make the whole world sit up and take notice of her this summer... and I hope she can still make an impact at Wimbledon!
Vera played her first match since the injury at Eastbourne the week before Wimbledon, but got the toughest unseeded opponent she could have drawn: Wimbledon 2006 champion Amélie Mauresmo, who beat her 6-3 1-6 6-3. I'm just pleased that she was able to play a three-set match there.
Her first-round match against Georgie Stoop may not be televised, but the BBC might get another chance to put the "vera" back in "coverage" in the second round, where she could face another Briton: Melanie South (though I hope the much more attractive Mathilde Johansson will have something to say about that).
Vera has a nasty-looking potential third-round encounter against her nemesis Virginie Razzano, who leads their head-to-head 4:2 (including one retirement apiece - in fact it was Razzano she was playing when she injured her ankle at Charleston).
Should Vera survive that skirmish, the seedings project a fourth-round meeting with Marion Bartoli, but Marion's participation is in doubt because of the thigh-injury with which she retired from Eastbourne, so I'm going to predict Aleksandra Wozniak - who reached the Eastbourne semi-finals after thrashing French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-0 6-3 - to come through there instead.
In the quarter-finals, Vera could face world #4 and Wimbledon 2008 semi-finalist Elena Dementieva, although Dementieva hasn't been in great physical shape recently, losing to Samantha Stosur in the third round of the French Open, and to Razzano in the second round of Eastbourne.
Instead of Dementieva, I'm going to make an unseeded prediction for Vera's quarter-final opponent: Yanina Wickmayer, who reached the finals of Birmingham 2008 and 's-Hertogenbosch 2009, and also took a set off Maria Sharapova in the quarter-finals of Birmingham 2009.
I do think Vera has a chance to reach her second Major semi-final, especially because she's in a weak quarter of the draw, with Razzano looking like her biggest threat. At this stage, I'm not going to speculate too much about her potential semi-final opponent, because that quarter of the draw is absolutely packed: former champions Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, Miami-champion Victoria Azarenka, Birmingham-champion Magdaléna Rybáriková, and dangerous floater Lucie Šafárová.
After the nightmare-draw of Amélie Mauresmo at Eastbourne, Vera can at least ease her way into Wimbledon against #185-ranked British wild card Georgie Stoop.
I saw Stoop play in the Eastbourne Cup 2006: an exhibition-tournament for players who lost early in the main tournament or in qualifying. Having lost 6-0 6-0 to Akiko Morigami in the first round of qualifying, Stoop lost 6-3 6-0 to Aiko Nakamura in the Cup, although she did put up surprising resistance at the end of the first set.
Stoop's career-highlight came in November 2006, when she won ITF Nuriootpa, beating #256 Raquel Kops-Jones in the final, having dropped just 24 games in six matches - against players ranked no higher than #243 - to reach the final as a qualifier.
Stoop has an 8:13 record for 2009 so far, and most of those matches have come on the ITF Women's Circuit, so she's way below the level of most players who get to play in the main draw of a Major.
In February, Stoop reached the quarter-finals of ITF Surprise, and lost to #79 Yanina Wickmayer 4-6 6-2 6-3.
In March, she reached the quarter-finals of ITF Fort Walton Beach by beating #142 Jessica Moore 6-3 6-1, but lost 7-5 6-3 to #445 Karolína Plíšková. She then reached the semi-finals of ITF La Palma by beating #136 Yvonne Meusburger - the highest-ranked player she's beaten in 2009 - 6-3 6-1; she then lost 6-3 6-7 6-3 to #182 Kristína Kucová.
That started a losing-streak of 7 matches, which Vera will try to extend to 8 on Monday. Stoop's last three tournaments have been on grass: ITF Nottingham (#160 Shenay Perry 4-6 6-3 4-6), WTA Birmingham (#108 Elena Baltacha 3-6 4-6) and Eastbourne (#46 Ekaterina Makarova 4-6 6-7).
Stoop has never played anyone even close to being in the same class as Vera, so even though Vera will be rusty, she should go into this match with the specific goal of winning 6-0 6-0.
+ VERA ZVONARËVA [7,EF] d. Georgie Stoop [WC], 7-6 (7/0) 4-6 6-4
I had expected Vera to breeze through this match 6-0 6-0, but the first two sets were played late on Monday evening, when it was no doubt cold, slippery, and difficult to see the ball. Conditions were very different when it resumed second on Court 18 on Tuesday.
It's hard to tell from the first- and second-set statistics what went wrong for Vera on Monday night. She had a reasonable W:UE ratio of 21:14 (Stoop's was 21:15), reasonable serve-percentages (better than Stoop's), and had won an impressive 16 of 21 points at the net.
On the other hand, she didn't put much pressure on Stoop's serve, breaking only twice from 5 BPs in the first two sets, whereas Stoop converted all three of her BPs in the first two sets.
I just hoped Vera's right ankle hadn't flared up again.
On Tuesday, the BBC put the "vera" back in its Freeview "coverage" for just the second time since the Australian Open 2007, as the third set was televised on BBC Red Button! :)
Vera really struggled with her movement, which apparently had been worse on Monday. She had a big black support on her right ankle, and just didn't have the footwork that we're used to seeing from her.
Vera had too much class and intelligent placement for the inexperienced Stoop, but sadly, I just can't see her going any further in this Wimbledon with her ankle in the state it's in. Of course she doesn't want to give up on the greatest tournament in the world; I just hope she isn't risking long-term damage by playing on, because injuring your ankle can permanently weaken it.
The third set went with serve until 4-4*, with Vera always having to play catch-up. Then, in a game of two deuces, Vera broke with the help of a couple of volley-winners (one to create a 0/30 opening, and another to save Stoop's game-point) and some good, deep recovery-shots. She then served out the match to love.
ZVONA @*@* * * T 7(7) STOOP @ *@* * * 6(0)
The match was originally scheduled fourth on Court 4 on Monday, but was switched to Court 18. I suddenly got excited when I heard they were putting an extra match with British interest on Court One, but that turned out to be South v Johansson instead, so for Vera, I had to make do with live scores at www.wimbledon.org! :fiery:
The match started at 19:43 BST on Monday.
Vera serving 0-0: I missed this game due to the unexpected court-change. Vera was broken.
Stoop serving 1-0: 0/40 (BP). Broken.
Vera serving 1-1: 40/0. Held.
Stoop serving 1-2: 0/30. 15/40 (BP #1). 30/40 (BP #2). Broken.
Vera serving 3-1: 40/0. Held.
Stoop serving 1-4: 0/15. 30/15. 30/30. 40/30. Deuce #1. Ad Stoop. Deuce #2. Ad Vera (BP). Deuce #3. Ad Stoop. Held.
Disappointed that Vera couldn't break there after saving two game-points and having a BP. I expect nothing less from her against Stoop.
Vera serving 4-2: 0/15. 30/15. 30/40 (BP). Broken.
Shocking. Positively shocking.
Stoop serving 3-4: 0/15. 40/15. Held.
What's wrong with Vera? Is her right ankle bothering her?
Vera serving 4-4: 40/0. Held.
Stoop serving 4-5: 40/0. Held.
Vera serving 5-5: 15/0. 15/15. 40/15. Held.
Stoop serving 5-6: 40/0. 40/15. Held.
Vera just can't put any pressure on Stoop's serve. According to the scoreboard, Stoop just hit a serve at 141 mph. If that's true, then she has broken Venus Williams's record by 13 mph!
6-6 tiebreak: *0/0. 1/0*. 2/0*. *3/0. *4/0. 5/0*. 6/0* (SP #1). Vera won the first set 7-6 (7/0) at 20:29 BST on Monday (46m).
ZVONA * * * * 4 STOOP * * * * *@ 6
Stoop serving 0-0: 0/15. 30/15. 30/30. 40/30. Held.
Vera serving 0-1: 15/15. 40/15. Held.
Stoop serving 1-1: 0/15. 40/15. 40/30. Held.
Stoop just set a new service-speed record of 160 mph, if the scoreboard is to be believed!
Vera serving 1-2: 40/0. 40/15. Held.
Stoop serving 2-2: 40/0. Held.
Vera serving 2-3: 40/0. Deuce. Ad Vera. Held.
BBC 2 just showed a glimpse of this match live in Today at Wimbledon (Deuce: the camera was on Stoop, but I got the impression that Vera hit a forehand winner down the line). It looks very dark, and another court has already been suspended due to poor light. So the only way Vera's going to lose tonight is if - God forbid - she has to retire (I had to word that carefully after I jinxed Jelena Dokic under similar circumstances at the French Open!).
Stoop serving 3-3: 0/15. 40/15. Held.
Vera serving 3-4: 40/0. Held.
Stoop serving 4-4: 0/15. 40/15. Held.
I'm now watching live Johansson v South on Court One. It's so dark that they can hardly see - the commentators are talking about suspending it before the end of the set.
That would explain why this match has been so serve-dominated - it's very difficult for the receiver to see the serve!
Vera serving 4-5: 0/15. 30/15. 30/40 (SP #1). Stoop won the second set 6-4 at 21:07 BST on Monday (second set 38m, match so far 1h24m), and due to failing light, play was suspended for the day.
The resumption was second on Court 18. Stoop was on court several minutes before Vera, who looked delectable when she arrived.
The BBC commentators said Vera could hardly move yesterday, because of her ankle-injury and the dewy conditions. They said that her movement was getting worse and worse, and that she wasn't likely to have recovered overnight. They said she was looking at her coach Samuel Sumyk like she wasn't ready to be back playing.
Simon Reed: "[Stoop has] an absolutely monstrous forehand, which she was clouting time after time, and Zvonarëva by the end, because of her lack of movement, couldn't really keep it away from the forehand. We had the feeling that when the match was called off because of light last night, if it was able to be carried on, there's no doubt in our minds that Stoop would have won. She had momentum, she had confidence, and Zvonarëva was feeling very sorry for herself."
Virginia Wade: "I would think that Zvonarëva might be hurting quite a lot, if it was beginning to take its toll on her last night. It's not going to have recovered since then, because that was a very nasty, bad injury she had on her ankle way back at Charleston. Such unfortunate luck for her, because she had been having really the best spell of her career. I would think that it's probably not quite ready.
"It would be so fantastic if [Stoop] could come out, hit a few really good shots and demoralise Zvonarëva. That might be all it's necessary to do."
So much for impartial commentating! :fiery:
Virginia Wade: "Zvonarëva [is] one of the smarter of the girls on the Tour. She's been quite a player of two lifetimes, because she used to be so temperamental and always exploding on the court. I remember watching her from when she was 17: she was so talented, but so explosive. Even when she was winning, she would be getting upset.
"She's come back a much more mature young woman: calmer on the court, good concentration. She's been studying: she studied a university degree-course online, and now she's doing a Masters, so she's a multi-talented young woman."
Simon Reed: "[Stoop] played the match last night on her terms - not on Zvonarëva's terms. Can she continue that this afternoon?"
ZVONA * * * *@* 6 STOOP * * * * 4
After a delay of 17h41m, the third set started at 14:48 BST on Tuesday.
Stoop serving 0-0: First serve out wide (right in the corner) + crosscourt forehand winner back behind Vera. 15/0. Vera off-forehand just wide. 30/0. Double fault (second serve just long/wide). 30/15. Vera hit a deep forehand down the middle, but Stoop picked off a off-forehand winner onto the sideline. 40/15. On the third stroke, Stoop hit a crosscourt backhand just wide - fatal indecision. 40/30. First serve down the middle + deep forehand winner down Vera's forehand-sideline: just inside the baseline.
Simon Reed: "It took Zvonarëva a little while to work out, last night, that the forehand was such a big weapon, and by the time she worked it out, it seemed that she wasn't able to keep it off the forehand."
Virginia Wade: "It really looks to me like Vera lost quite a bit of weight. When you've got a bad ankle, you can't do the same amount of training. Vera's legs look a little bit light."
Vera serving 0-1: Second serve down the middle + crosscourt forehand back behind Stoop forced her to hit a forehand long. 15/0. Ace #3: out wide: just inside the sideline. 30/0. Double fault (second serve called long - it looked good to me). 30/15. Vera drew Stoop to the net with a backhand dropshot from the baseline; Stoop hit a deep forehand down the line, but Vera hit an excellent deep backhand lob, forcing Stoop to retreat and hit a weak crosscourt forehand; Vera finished off the point with a pinpoint forehand down the line + off-backhand winner down the other line - both shots landing just inside the sidelines. Virginia Wade: "It's one of the best-constructed points I've seen so far in this tournament. It's not so often you get variety: someone pulling someone in, lobbing them, moving them around like that." 40/15. First serve out wide forced Stoop to bunt a forehand return wide of the tramlines.
Stoop serving 1-1: (new balls) Stoop crosscourt backhand just wide. 0/15. Stoop crosscourt forehand would-be winner just wide (Vera didn't want to move for it). 0/30. Second serve: Vera dumped a sloppy forehand return into the bottom of the net. 15/30. Vera netted a cheap forehand. 30/30. Vera mishit a forehand long - she's not moving well to the ball. 40/30. Vera netted a backhand.
Vera's unforced errors wasted a 0/30 opening. :(
Simon Reed: "Got the feeling last night that if we'd carried on, Stoop was gonna win it, because Zvonarëva looked all over the place: real doubts about her game, about her movement. She's been off court for the best part of two months with an ankle-injury, and it seemed to be affecting her. Stoop came out with this wonderful attitude, and really was cracking her forehand."
Stoop sprayed her head at the changeover, just as she did earlier - not just her hair this time, but her face as well. I've never seen any other player do that. At the time, I thought it was hair-spray, but now I think it might have been Magicool®: the world's first cooling-spray, recently invented in the UK.
Vera serving 1-2: Second serve: Stoop went for an off-backhand return-winner onto the sideline, but it was just wide. 15/0. First serve: forehand return just long. 30/0. Vera stranded Stoop with a crosscourt forehand and went for a forehand winner down the line, but it was just wide. 30/15. Stoop's deep forehand pushed Vera way back behind the baseline; Vera netted a forehand and stumbled. 30/30. First serve down the middle forced Stoop to earth a backhand return. 40/30. Deep first serve down the middle - on the service-line - forced Stoop to hit a forehand return long.
Virginia Wade: "The serve had improved in the early part of this year, but it doesn't look so impressive now."
Simon Reed: "Much better serving, and she seems in a much better frame of mind today. Her movement seems a little better than it was last night, when it seemed to really subside late on in the match. Maybe a lot of it's in her head."
Stoop serving 2-2: Deep first serve out wide + crosscourt forehand winner just inside the sideline. 15/0. Double fault (second serve long). 15/15. Stoop spread Vera with a crosscourt forehand + off-forehand, forcing Vera to hit a defensive one-handed backhand just long. Vera stood with her hands on her hips, indicating that she didn't like the call. 30/15. After a long rally, Vera hit a crosscourt forehand onto the sideline, but Stoop hit an amazing forehand winner into the corner and onto the sideline from outside the tramlines!! Simon Reed: "It was out until the last possible moment." 40/15. Stoop went for an ace down the middle, but it was just wide. Deep second serve out wide: Vera netted a forehand return.
Vera serving 2-3: Ace down the middle: on the service-line. 15/0. Vera crosscourt backhand + crosscourt forehand deep into the corner forced Stoop to hit a forehand. Simon Reed: "That's what she does best: manoeuvring opponents around the court from side to side." Virginia Wade: "She is really one of the absolute best at creating angles for herself." 30/0. Vera took the initiative with a deep crosscourt backhand onto the baseline, went to the net behind a deep, sharp crosscourt forehand, and left Stoop's crosscourt forehand pass to land just wide. 40/0. Stoop played an aggressive rally, and painted the sideline with a crosscourt backhand winner. 40/15. On the third stroke, Vera hit a loose off-backhand long. Virginia Wade: "You don't usually see Zvonarëva missing basic groundstrokes." 40/30. Vera pinned Stoop back with a crosscourt backhand deep into the corner, then hit a backhand dropshot from the baseline, forcing Stoop to net a forehand.
Vera's service-speed is restricted by her not pushing off on her injured right ankle.
Stoop serving 3-3: First serve down the middle forced Vera to lunge and hit a backhand return long. 15/0. Stoop's down-the-line backhand induced Vera to hit a forehand long. 30/0. Vera forehand just long - called by the umpire (how I wish Vera were playing on a Hawk-Eye court!). 40/0. Double fault (second serve clipped the netcord and landed just long). 40/15. Vera didn't move up to a short ball, and hit a forehand long.
Vera serving 3-4: First serve out wide, but Stoop's crosscourt forehand return induced Vera to net a forehand. 0/15. Vera's deep crosscourt backhand forced Stoop to hit a backhand long. 15/15. Vera unforcedly netted a forehand on the third stroke. 15/30. Deep ace down the middle, curling away from Stoop. 30/30. Vera dominated the rally, and pounced on a short ball to hit a sharp, flairsome crosscourt forehand winner. 40/30. First serve out wide forced a short backhand mini-lob; Vera went to the net behind a crosscourt backhand deep into the corner, forcing Stoop to hit a floating crosscourt backhand wide.
Virginia Wade: "Zvonarëva didn't give Georgie any chances from 15/30 - three very well-played points."
Stoop serving 4-4: Big first serve down the middle, but Vera bunted a deep backhand lob-return, inducing Stoop to hit a down-the-line forehand would-be winner just wide. 0/15. Vera hit an off-forehand just inside the sideline, forcing Stoop to hit a defensive backhand floater; Vera went to the net and hit an off-forehand volley-winner back behind Stoop. Simon Reed: "She's playing percentage-tennis here, and playing it very well." Virginia Wade: "I really like the way Zvonarëva plays. She's definitely got some intellect in the game. Clever volley, wasn't it? She didn't just go to the open court." 0/30. Vera hit a very acute crosscourt forehand, but Stoop used the angle to hit one back behind Vera for a winner. 15/30. First serve down the middle forced Vera to stretch and net a forehand return. 30/30. Double fault (second serve very long). 30/40 (BP #1). First serve out wide: backhand return just long. Deuce #1. Vera hit a down-the-line forehand just wide, because she didn't move close enough to the ball before she hit it. Ad Stoop. Vera hit an acute crosscourt forehand just inside the sideline, forcing Stoop outside the tramlines to bunt back a forehand floater; Vera went to the net and hit a crosscourt backhand drive-volley winner into the wide-open court. Virginia Wade: "What Zvonarëva does so well is that not only can she hit the ball deep in the corners, but she uses the angles - good short-angled crosscourt forehand there." Deuce #2. Second serve: Vera hit a deep crosscourt forehand return, forcing Stoop to stretch wide and hit an uncontrollable off-forehand lob wide. Ad Vera (BP #2). Vera neutered Stoop's early initiative with some good, deep recovery-shots, then Vera's deep crosscourt backhand induced Stoop to net a backhand, giving Vera the first break of Tuesday.
Virginia Wade: "There are so many players who hit the ball so well, but they tend not to be able to defend quite so well. That was a perfect example with Zvonarëva having to handle some really difficult shots, and she still managed to defend, and then hit a shot with something on it.
"When you work yourself up into the top of the game and you win so many matches, you know how to hang on. Refuse to lose."
Vera serving 5-4: Vera spread Stoop with an off-forehand + crosscourt forehand, but Stoop got around it to take the initiative with an acute crosscourt forehand, pushing Vera outside the tramlines, but Vera hit an excellent sliced forehand recovery-shot down the middle, inducing Stoop to run around her backhand and net a forehand. 15/0. Vera hit a series of crosscourt forehands, an acute one to the sideline forcing Stoop to bunt a down-the-line forehand lob into the tramlines. 30/0. Vera took the initiative on the third stroke with a short off-forehand just inside the sideline, forcing Stoop to hit a defensive one-handed backhand; Vera came forward and hit a half-volley forehand dropshot that caught Stoop way behind the baseline, forcing her to run forwards and earth a forehand. 40/0 (MP #1). First serve clipped the netcord and landed just wide. Second serve out wide: deep crosscourt backhand return; Vera hit an early backhand down the line; Stoop hit a forehand long. Vera won 7-6 (7/0) 4-6 6-4 at 15:28 BST on Tuesday (third set 40m; match 2h04m net, 19h45m gross).
Simon Reed: "She doesn't look like the winner of the tournament from what we've seen here. Her movement was impeded - particularly last night - but she's found a way. Zvonarëva has really knuckled down to the task, and that's a performance of real maturity there."
Both girls had identical W:UE ratios of 28:20, although Stoop's peaked at 10:3 for the second set, while Vera's was quite consistent from set to set.
Vera put up an impressive display at the net, winning 21 of 26 points there (81%), while Stoop won 5 of 8 points at the net (63%). In the third set, Vera won 5 of 5 points at the net, while Stoop only came in once, and lost that point.
Vera got 59% of her first serves in, winning 76% of the points when she did so (this improved from set to set), and 64% on second serve. Ironically, her first-serves-in percentage was at its highest in the second set (75%), but she only won 43% on second serve in that set.
Stoop got 60% of her first serves in, winning 71% of the points when she did so, but only 49% on second serve. Stoop's second-serve winning-percentage appeared to be the deciding factor, as it peaked at 70% for the second set, but troughed at 33% for the third.
Their service-speeds were quite evenly matched (Vera's first): fastest 102-103 mph, average first serve 95-94 mph, average second serve 87-84 mph.
Vera served 5 aces (3 in the third set) and 3 double faults (2 in the second set), Stoop 4 aces and 9 double faults (5 in the first set + 4 in the third).
Vera broke 3 times from 7 BPs, while Stoop had only 3 BPs but converted them all! There were two breaks apiece in the first set, only one BP in the second (Stoop's SP), and Vera converted one of the 2 BPs she had in the third (both at 4-4*).
In points, Vera won 99-86 (first set 42-30 (amazingly one-sided for a 7-6 set!), second set 25-29, third set 32-27).
Britons shine but fail to win on Day 1
Written by Beci Wood (www.wimbledon.org, Monday 22nd June 2009)
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There might not have been a British winner on Day One of The Championships, but there was enough quality on show to give UK fans a boost.
Joshua Goodall and Georgie Stoop should trot back home this evening with a lot of pride. Their first-round ties, against vastly more experienced players, are well and truly alive after both of them put in solid displays that mesmerised the home-crowds.
<snip>
Goodall's compatriot Georgie Stoop found herself in a similar predicament as her late-night match-up with experienced Russian Vera Zvonarëva – the 7th seed – was also called off at one-set all due to the bad light.
Cheered on by doubles-partner Laura Robson, Stoop dug deep to force the match into a Day 2 decider after breaking a squealing Zvonarëva's serve in the 10th game to take the set 6-4.
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Stoop is edged out [Teletext 497] (Tuesday 23rd June 2009)
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Georgie Stoop lost her resumed first-round match with Russian seventh seed Vera Zvonarëva 6-7 6-4 4-6.
The 21-year-old from Cambridge, England, ranked No.183 in the world, had been in the ascendency when bad light had cut short her match on Monday evening.
Stoop also set the pace in blazing sunshine, but crucially dropped her serve in the ninth game of the decider, which handed victory to Zvonarëva.
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Stoop: Experience vital [Teletext 497]
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Georgie Stoop believes only a lack of experience prevented her pulling off a shock first-round win over Russian seventh seed Vera Zvonarëva.
The Cambridge 21-year-old went down 6-7 6-4 4-6 after the match had been halted by bad light on Monday evening.
Stoop said: "I'm feeling pretty down, but it was a great experience. I do think experience was the key - she's seven in the world for a reason."
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O'Brien and Stoop both slip out (Phil Maiden, BBC Sport)
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Cambridgeshire's Georgie Stoop lost 7-6 (7/0) 4-6 6-4 to Vera Zvonarëva.
The 21-year-old went out in the first round of her Wimbledon début in a match that had to be played over two days.
The seventh-seeded Russian had come through a first-set tiebreak, before she was pegged back by the British number five in the second.
But she held her nerve to deny Stoop a place in the second round.
Play was stopped on Monday because of bad light when Stoop had responded to going a set down by winning the next 6-4.
The Brit started confidently in Tuesday's third set and, with the score at 30/15 in the fifth game, she rounded off a rally superbly, placing the ball into Zvonarëva's far right-hand corner.
But the Russian held firm and, with the score at 4-4, she broke Stoop for the first time in the final set.
Zvonarëva went on to win the next two games and secure her second-round place.
After her brave performance against Russian number-seven seed, Stoop said she was pleased with her début at the All-England Club.
"It was a fantastic experience for me, and I've got a lot to be proud of," she told BBC Sport.
"There's so many positives to take from today. I think the more I get into these situations, the better I can be.
"I've got lots of positives to take away, and the fact that I can compete with these top girls is an amazing thing for me, and I'll go back to the drawing-board and we'll start again."
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Elena Baltacha's victory averts new British low (Sandy Macaskill, The Daily Telegraph - UK)
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Josh Goodall and Georgie Stoop had forced their matches into the second day, and made their opponents go the distance like Baltacha, but having given their supporters a glimpse of glory, they could not keep their composure at the business-end.
Stoop put up a spirited performance when her match against Vera Zvonarëva restarted at 7-6 4-6 0-0. Having come on to Court 18 in an iPod-cocoon, impatiently swishing at thin air with her racket as she waited for the seventh seed to arrive, Stoop soon had the crowd going with a succession of stunning forehands, but she too faltered, this time at 4-4 in the final set. Zvonarëva broke, held serve and that was that.
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'Lack of depth in British tennis is unacceptable', says Andy Murray (The Daily Telegraph - UK)
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One player who could be a hope for the future is 21-year-old Georgie Stoop from Cambridge.
She resumed her match against Vera Zvonarëva today at one-set all, and was buzzing with focus.
After pushing one shot wide of the sideline, she rebuked herself with a sharp: "Don't you ever do that again."
Every shot came with a grunt and a flash of her fiery red knickers.
But the Russian seventh seed was too much for her, despite two heavily-strapped ankles.
Afterwards, Stoop said she was "feeling pretty down", but had played as well as she could.
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Q. Can you sort of sum up how you're feeling right now?
GEORGIE STOOP: Feeling pretty down. But on the other hand, that was a great experience for me today. I fought as hard as I possibly could, and I thought I gave a really good performance.
Obviously I'm a bit disappointed, because obviously I would love to have won.
Q. You were so close in the final set. Do you think maybe experience...
GEORGIE STOOP: I definitely think the experience was probably the key factor at the end of the match. But, uhm, you know, she's [number] seven in the world for a reason. I think that's probably the reason why.
Q. What did you do last night?
GEORGIE STOOP: I was okay, actually. I left here about 10:00 [p.m.], and went straight back to my house, ate and went straight to bed.
Q. You didn't dream about what might happen today?
GEORGIE STOOP: No dreams. <smiling>
Q. What was your mindset coming into today? Was it completely nothing to lose, or were you starting to feel that you could win it?
GEORGIE STOOP: Of course, you have those feelings of, you know, I could possibly win this, having come off last night, you know, having made it a set all.
To be honest, I was still out there with nothing to lose. But you still want to win, so...
Q. Vera was struggling with her ankles. Did you know in advance that would be a problem for her? Having seen how she struggled, coming back today, did you have a tactic to try to move her around the court?
GEORGIE STOOP: Yeah, I did feel that. But on the other hand, when you're playing against people who are injured, it's sometimes even tougher to play your game because there's always... you're always thinking maybe at the back of your mind: "Are they really fit? Is everything okay?"
But to be honest, I don't think anything was... nothing in my game changed today. I did everything I possibly could to win.
Q. Did you find it easier because she was ranked so far above you in world?
GEORGIE STOOP: No, not at all. I think I went out there and I played as well as I could in the situation I was in, to be honest.
Q. But after last night, there were a lot of people out there would have hoped you could do something special today.
GEORGIE STOOP: Yeah, no.
Q. Did you feel any of that pressure?
GEORGIE STOOP: Of course I felt a little bit of pressure, but it was more a case of wanting to win so much.
But, no, I think she... like I said, I think she's ranked number seven in the world for a reason.
Q. Taking into account where you were this time last year, and where you are now, are you then confident that next year you can come back and build on this?
GEORGIE STOOP: Yeah, definitely. I think I can take a lot of confidence out of today. I think there's a lot of positives I can take back to the drawing-board as of this afternoon.
You know, I think to be here next year is a massive goal of mine, and hopefully on my own ranking.
Q. You seemed to be reading something I think yesterday when you were 1-4 down at the changeover, and again today. Can you tell us what that was?
GEORGIE STOOP: It's a personal thing. But it was just something to remind me of a few things I needed to do.
Q. What's the biggest thing you've learnt from this?
GEORGIE STOOP: That I can compete with the highest girls. I mean, it's been an amazing experience for me. Like I said, I just want to be back here next year. I feel that there's not that big a difference. I think one massive thing is the experience.
Q. Did you not feel that before this match, before here?
GEORGIE STOOP: Yeah, you do. But I think the more you play against these higher-ranked girls, the better they are, you get to realise actually they're not actually that far ahead of you, so...
Q. Was there a part of you that just thought, "Drat, it got dark." I know you can never know, but it did feel like you were in the...
GEORGIE STOOP: I feel I had the momentum going with me. I felt really confident going into the third set.
But to be honest, I think to see the ball was really difficult last night. Even at three-all, when I looked at the sky, I was struggling, and therefore went to the chair-umpire.
She said, "No, we have to carry on until the referee of the tournament comes out."
I think it was for both of us. You know, she obviously didn't want to carry on, because the momentum wasn't in her favour.
But either way, it didn't really bother me.
Q. How do you feel the crowd helped you both last night and also today?
GEORGIE STOOP: Oh, it was a fantastic environment. To be honest, I've never played in a situation like this before, and I felt really good out there. To have so many people behind me was an amazing experience.
Vera has never played Mathilde Johansson before. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be worried for Vera, but the way she was moving in her first-round match with her injured right ankle, I don't fancy her chances against the world #86.
Although Johansson is now 24, she doesn't have much experience on grass, having failed to qualify for Wimbledon in 2006 and 2007; in 2008, she successfully qualified, but lost 6-7 7-5 6-3 to world #4 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the first round.
Johansson has a poor 9:14 record for 2009 so far. She reached the second round of the Australian Open by beating #65 Jill Craybas 6-2 1-6 7-5, but lost 6-3 4-6 6-3 to #21 Daniela Hantuchová.
Johansson reached the quarter-finals of Bogotá by beating players ranked #165 and #181, then was thrashed 6-1 6-2 by #46 Gisela Dulko.
Johansson also reached the quarter-finals of Acapulco, beating #95 Rossana de los Ríos 6-4 6-1, and receiving a walkover in the second round. She lost 6-1 6-3 to #34 Iveta Benešová.
Johansson reached the second round of Miami, beating #100 Sania Mirza 1-6 7-6 7-6, and losing 6-1 6-3 to #2 Dinara Safina.
But her recent results have been poorer: in fact she came into Wimbledon on a 5-match losing-streak. She lost in the first round of the French Open 2-6 6-2 10-8 to #153 Vitalia Diatchenko after squandering eight match-points!
She followed that up with a 6-0 6-2 loss to #124 Klára Zakopalová in the first round of ITF Marseille (clay).
She has reached the second round of Wimbledon with a 7-5 7-6 (7/5) win over British wild card Melanie South - despite squandering a match-point at *5-4 in the second.
+ VERA ZVONARËVA [7,EF] d. Mathilde Johansson, 6-1 6-3
A very satisfactory result for Vera after her desperate struggle in the first round, although it does nothing to allay my worries about her fitness (after tearing two ligaments in her right ankle in April) and her terrible third-round draw (Virginie Razzano). Her arms and legs look so thin and weak in the photos from this match.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch the match, as the BBC decided it was more important to have a lengthy discussion about the state of British tennis, show Querrey v Cilic on two channels, and even show an all-British doubles-match instead of the goddess that is the seventh seed! :fiery:
The first set was one-way traffic, while the second had its moments of concern as Vera squandered a break-point at 2-1*, and broke for *4-2 but was broken back immediately. But she broke for *5-3 after a game of two deuces, then served out to love.
ZVONARËVA @*@* *@ 6 JOHANSSON * 1
The match was third on Court 18, and started at 16:54 BST (to the ignoration of the BBC, who are currently showing García-López v Federer, Haas v Llodra and Pavlyuchenkova v Vinci on Freeview).
Johansson serving 0-0: 0/30. 15/30. 15/40 (BP). Broken.
Vera serving 1-0: 15/0. 15/15. 40/15. Held.
Johansson serving 0-2: 0/40 (BP #1). 15/40 (BP #2). Broken.
No problems for Vera so far, which is surprising after her struggle against Stoop. She didn't break too often in that match, but she's already broken Johansson twice.
Vera serving 3-0: 0/15. 15/30. 30/30. 30/40 (BP #1). Deuce #1. Ad Johansson (BP #2). Deuce #2. Ad Johansson (BP #3). Deuce #3. Ad Johansson (BP #4). Deuce #4. Ad Johansson (BP #5). Deuce #5. Ad Vera. Deuce #6. Ad Vera. Held.
Five break-points saved, and still on for the double bagel.
Johansson serving 0-4: 30/0. 30/30. 40/30. Deuce. Ad Johansson. Held.
Vera serving 4-1: 0/15. 30/15. 30/30. 40/30. Held.
Johansson serving 1-5: 15/0. 15/15. 40/15. Deuce #1. Ad Vera (SP #1). Deuce #2. Ad Vera (SP #2). Deuce #3. Ad Vera (SP #3). Deuce #4. Ad Johansson. Deuce #5. Ad Vera (SP #4). Vera won the first set 6-1 at 17:32 BST (38m).
Currently, the BBC is showing Querrey v Cilic and Pavlyuchenkova v Vinci on the Red Button, while on BBC 1, they're wasting time talking about the state of British tennis! :fiery:
ZVONARËVA * * *@ @* 6 JOHANSSON * * @ 3
Vera serving 0-0: 30/0. The BBC showed a close-up of Vera playing this point when it announced that she had withdrawn before her third-round match: she hit a backhand off a deep ball, then a winner from Johansson went just past her forehand. 30/15. 40/15. Held.
Johansson serving 0-1: 0/15. 40/15. Held.
Vera serving 1-1: 40/0. Held.
Now that Pavlyuchenkova v Vinci is over, that channel is now showing Curtis/Smith v Robson/Stoop, while both BBC 1 and the other Red Button channel are now showing Querrey v Cilic! :fiery:
Johansson serving 1-2: 0/30. 40/30. Deuce #1. Ad Vera (BP). Deuce #2. Ad Johansson. Held.
A 0/30 opening and break-point wasted. It's important for Vera to win in two quick sets if her movement is going to deteriorate as it did on Monday.
Vera serving 2-2: 40/0. Held.
Johansson serving 2-3: 0/15. 15/15. 15/30. 30/30. 30/40 (BP). Broken.
Vera serving 4-2: 0/30. 15/30. 15/40 (BPx2). Deuce. Ad Johansson (BP #3). Broken.
Vera's break is snuffed out immediately, and she's in danger of handing over the whole momentum of this match to Johansson right now.
Johansson serving 3-4: 15/15. 30/15. 30/30. 40/30. Deuce #1. Ad Vera (BP #1). Deuce #2. Ad Vera (BP #2). Broken.
Very important that Vera broke there to reestablish her momentum. Serving for the match is just the icing on the cake.
Vera serving 5-3: 40/0 (MP #1). Vera won 6-1 6-3 at 18:09 BST (second set 37m, match 1h17m).
I did at least see the match-point in a BBC round-up: Vera's deep serve out wide (on the service-line) + deep forehand down the line induced Johansson to hit a backhand long.
What jumps out from the statistics is that Johansson was much more aggressive - and erratic - with a W:UE of 23:33 (13:25 in the first set but 10:8 in the second) to Vera's 10:8 (2:6 in the first set but 8:2 in the second), and winning 15 of 22 points at the net (7 of 8 in the first set, 8 of 14 in the second) to Vera's 3 of 4 (all in the second set).
Vera broke 5 times from 12 BPs, while Johansson converted only one of 8 BPs (she wasted 5 BPs in the fourth game, but broke back when Vera led 6-1 *4-2).
Vera got 69% of her first serves in, winning 68% of the points when she did so, and 65% on second serve. Although her first-serve percentages deteriorated from the first set to the second, she upped her second-serve winning-percentage dramatically from 38% in the first set to 89% in the second!
Johansson got 67% of her first serves in (improving from 56% in the first set to 81% in the second), but she won just 51% of the points when she did so (40% in the first set, 60% in the second), and a mere 36% on second serve (which deteriorated from 44% in the first set to 17% in the second).
Vera's first serve was faster than Johansson's - fastest 103-98 mph, average 96-92 mph - but Johansson had the faster second serve on average: 86-82 mph.
Vera hit one ace and 2 double faults, Johansson no aces and 5 double faults (4 in the first set).
In points, Vera won 73-49 (first set 39-26, second set 34-23).
Fish and Azarenka on fire (Michael Burke-Velji, www.wimbledon.org)
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Seventh seed Vera Zvonarëva made light work of Swedish-born French lady Mathilde Johansson, winning 6-1 6-3 on Court 18. The players are separated by 79 places in the WTA Tour rankings, and the class of Zvonarëva showed as she broke her opponent five times during the match, and made just eight unforced errors to Johansson's 33.
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Virginie Razzano would be a nasty draw for Vera at the best of times: although ranked only #23 to Vera's #7, Razzano leads their head to head 4:2:
+ 2003 Strasbourg 1r: Vera 6-0 6-4
- 2005 Amelia Island qf: Razzano 6-4 6-4
- 2008 Montréal 2r: Razzano 6-3 1-6 7-2 (77/2)
- 2009 Dubai qf: Razzano 7-6 (9/7) 7-5
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- 2009 Charleston 3r: Razzano 1-1 retired (right-ankle injury)
Razzano doesn't have a great Wimbledon-record, having lost in the first round in four of her eight previous Wimbledons (including 2006-2008), and in the second round of three Wimbledons. In 2004, however, she reached the third round as a qualifier, knocking out #9-ranked Eastbourne-champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6 3-6 6-4 in the first round.
Razzano has an impressive 26:13 win/loss record for 2009 so far (including her first two rounds here).
She reached the semi-finals of Hobart, reached the third round of the Australian Open by thrashing world #15 Patty Schnyder 6-3 6-1, but lost 6-4 6-1 to #45 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at Paris.
Razzano then had an amazing run to the final of Dubai, beating #2 Dinara Safina 6-4 6-2, #41 Daniela Hantuchová 6-2 1-6 6-2, #5 Vera Zvonarëva 7-6 7-5, and #24 Kaia Kanepi 6-1 6-2, before losing 6-4 6-2 to Venus Williams in the final.
She then retired from the second round of Indian Wells with a mid-back injury, lost to #115 Julia Görges in the first round of Miami, and to #12 Caroline Wozniacki in the second round of Ponte Vedra Beach.
Vera was playing Razzano in the third round of Charleston when Vera suffered her nasty ankle-injury. :sad: Razzano was then hammered 6-2 6-0 by Wozniacki in the quarter-finals.
Razzano beat #51 Magdaléna Rybáriková 6-0 6-7 6-4 in the first round of Rome, then lost 7-6 6-1 to world #1 Dinara Safina. She beat #48 Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-0 4-6 6-3 in the first round of Madrid, then lost 7-5 6-3 to #52 Elena Vesnina.
Razzano reached the fourth round of the French Open, beating #33 Daniela Hantuchová 6-3 6-3, #20 Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-2 6-2 and #71 Tathiana Garbin 7-5 7-5, then surprisingly lost 6-1 6-2 to #32 Samantha Stosur.
Razzano reached the final of Eastbourne, beating #22 Alizé Cornet 7-6 6-2, #4 Elena Dementieva 6-0 3-6 7-6 (7/4), #11 Agnieszka Radwanska (the defending champion) 7-6 7-5, and #12 Marion Bartoli 6-4 1-0 retired. She lost the final 7-6 (7/5) 7-5 to #9 Caroline Wozniacki.
Razzano has reached the third round with the following results:
1r + Tamira Paszek, 6-0 3-1 retired (low-back injury)
2r + Jill Craybas, 6-3 6-0
Vera's route to the third round has been much tougher:
1r + Georgie Stoop [WC], 7-6 (7/0) 4-6 6-4
2r + Mathilde Johansson, 6-1 6-3
Conclusion: Razzano is a streaky player who can be a very dangerous floater at the best of times, and is on particularly strong form at the moment. Given Vera's current lack of fitness and movement, I'm not even thinking about the possibility of her beating Razzano; I'm just grateful that she's at Wimbledon at all - let alone in the third round.
Wimbledon: Day 5 Preview (www.sonyericssonwtatour.com)
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Court 2:
[7] Vera Zvonarëva (RUS) vs. [26] Virginie Razzano (FRA)
Razzano leads 4:2
Head-to-head records don't always reflect ranking-status or overall career-achievements, and this rivalry is a case in point.
Razzano has been the victor three times in the last 12 months, including a match in Charleston this past April, when Zvonarëva retired after two games due to a right-ankle injury.
That led to an eight-week lay-off for the Russian, who didn't return until Eastbourne. The fallout was evident in a tight loss to Mauresmo at that event, and in her near-death experience against British wild card Georgie Stoop in the first round here on Monday.
But, while Zvonarëva has done well to get this far under the circumstances, her retirement from a doubles-match on Thursday afternoon does not bode well. Even if that was just a preventive measure, it should give Razzano - runner-up at Eastbourne, and gunning for her first berth in the last 16 at Wimbledon - even more confidence.
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- VERA ZVONARËVA [7,EF] lt. VIRGINIE RAZZANO [26], walkover (right-ankle injury)
The match was scheduled second on Court 2, but at 13:25 BST - a few minutes after Serena Williams won the first match on that court - Rob Curling told Freeview-viewers that there would be a delay before the next match because Vera had pulled out. :sad:
I think it's a wise decision. It was all too obvious from Vera's first-round match that she wasn't really ready to come back, and in fact she retired from her first-round doubles-match on Thursday (whilst trailing 5-6*).
So 2009 passes by with the BBC having televised just one set of Vera on Freeview all year: her third against Georgie Stoop in the first round here. :fiery:
I hope Vera now takes all the time she needs to recover her right ankle as fully as it can ever be recovered after all the damage it has sustained, even if it means missing the North American hard-court season.