I got the match from 3-2 in the second set. Daniela played really well and was dictating the play for pretty much the entire match but Bencic started playing really well from 5-2 and saved 3 MPs including one with her first ace and Daniela wasn't getting in too many first serves but Daniela got the job done when she served at 5-4.

Apparently Daniela won 8 games in a row during the match.

Daniela's doubles match is second on Court 4 after a singles match, play starts at 11 am.

Daniela's next opponent will be Date Krumm. A very good grass court player. She battled past Puig 76 (7!) In the 3rd for two hours so hopefully Daniela can take advantage of being the fresher of the two.

Daniela's the second match on Centre Court, play starts at 11am.

AEGON CLASSIC

June 10, 2014

Daniela Hantuchova

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND

D. HANTUCHOVA/B. Bencic
6‑1, 6‑4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Well done today.
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Thank you.

Q. Did it feel like you have never been away?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: It did. Yeah, yeah, I love that court. Like I said, for me it's the most exciting time of the year to be on the grass.
I was really looking forward just to be out there and play a match finally.

Q. What were you pleased with about your game most? It all seemed to be working very well.
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: I think just being really aggressive on my shots, moving well, returning extremely well when I need to.
Yeah, I thought it was a very good performance. She's a very talented player, and I knew it was going to be a tough match. But for set and a half, I felt like I was doing all the right things.

Q. Are you slightly irritated to lose your serve when you were serving at the end of the match?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, it's normal. First match on grass you're always going to have little dips and downs. It's important just to accept them and work on your game every single game and try to improve it with the matches.

Q. When you talk about a court that you like, that you come back to, and you have good positive, feelings, is that kind of a commentary of how important confidence is‑‑
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: It is.

Q. ‑‑ when you play tennis? Is that what it is, you feel confident on that centre court and you produce that kind of tennis?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, I think all the top sports, at the top level, confidence makes the biggest difference. It's always nice to come back to places where you feel good and you know your game most of time is going to work.
Yeah, it's just I just always feel great coming back here. Every time the grass court season comes, I just naturally feel a little bit more confident.

Q. With the grass obviously the ball bounces lower. Has that been something that ‑ you're pretty tall that ‑ you've really had to adjust to, or is it just the way that you produce your shots, the low ball is in your strike zone? Why can you play so well on this surface?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: I think definitely movement is the part that I have to adjust and work on quite a bit. But as far as strokes, I think that's where grass fits my game, because they are not as spinny and they're quite flat.
I think also growing up in indoors, winter, we always had to play on fast courts. So I think we got used to that speed since we were very little.
I think that's my reason why it feels so nice. Like I said, the movement, that's something I always have to work hard on.

Q. So do you see it as a positive thing that next year the grass season will be a little bit longer?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, finally. I never thought I would still be around but, hey, here I am. It's nice to hopefully still be part of that and have an extra week on grass.

Q. Is that because you like the surface and you're good at playing on it, or does it also give the players a little bit more time to maybe not feel as much pressure? With two weeks, sometimes you overplay and get injuries.
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah.

Q. If we protract it out, is it just a little bit calmer period?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, sometimes when you're rushing that's the highest risk to get injured and do something you don't want to do.
Also emotionally, mentally, after a Grand Slam it's always like you're going to have a little down time. It's nice to have those extra days to just be calm and work on your game and come, let's say, here very well‑prepared.

Q. Just few words about Belinda. In your opinion, what does she lack to be a champion?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: I mean, she's still very young and she's got all here future in front of her. She's got a great game, a very good head, and you can just see the touch of Martina's game in her game.
It's nice to see somebody like this that actually uses her brain on the court, like I always said like Martina used to.
I think she just needs time and a little bit more experience. I'm sure we going to see a lot of her.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

I missed the match and just got the result right now and it is just shocking and stunning. I thought that Date-Krumm wouldn't have much left after beating Puig but she plays amazingly today while Daniela has an off day. A perfect storm.

I'll say it again, I don't think Peter Lungdren is the right coach for Daniela.

Daniela must treat Eastbourne next week as if that's her Wimbledon as she just lost her seeding.[/b]

Daniela loses her title and her Wimbledon seeding but I suppose a conciliation is that she hardly has any points to defend until the US Open so any sort of run between then and now will boost her points and I know that she'll play well sometime.

The biggest coaching mistake that Daniela made was getting rid of Liptak. I'm not sure that getting rid of Liundgren would accomplish too much as the chances are Daniela would have trouble getting a good coach and she'd probably end up with someone like Pistolesi. Wawrinka and Dimitrov have done better post-Lundgren while Federer became dominant when he replaced Lundgren with Roache. Lundgren did a good job with Marat Safin as Safin won the Australian Open in 2005. Daniela's form has been erratic ever since her injury in 2012 and she's had a few coaches since then. I do feel that Lundgren's been someone that's worked with great players rather than created great players but he is a good coach and Daniela seems to respect him - even if it is because he worked with Federer - and the constant turnover of coaches hasn't done her too much good over the past couple of years.

There are a lot of weird results today as Dellacqua's just beaten Stosur.