Great from 1-3 to 3-3!! But got broken to 3-4

3rd set:

1-0, Daniela holds on her 4th GP, saved a BP.
1-1, Petkovic holds after a long game with loads of deuces, Daniela had 2 BPs.
1-2, Daniela broken to 15. Winning the second game would have been huge for her momentum, but she's going to have to fight and really dig in.
1-3, Petkovic holds to 15.
1-4, Petkovic breaks on her 4th BP. Daniela was 30-0 but served a DF at 30-15 and then it was BP, deuce, BP until Petkovic broke.
1-5, Petkovic holds to 15.
1-6, Daniela saves 3 MPs from 0-40 but Petkovic wins the next 2 points.

This sucks

It does, eddy, it really does. Petkovic won all the crucial points and games in the last two sets. Daniela had her chances and could have won it in straight sets, she had the momentum when she came back from 1-3 down to 3-3 in the second but then she got broken and she had a BP at 4-5 when Petkovic was serving for the second set. The crucial game was Petkovic's first service game of the third set which was a really long game. Daniela had 2 BPs and if she'd won that she'd have been in a strong position in the match but Petkovic held and broke Daniela in the next game and then ran away with it. Petkovic won 87% of 1st serve points in the 3rd set & 63% of her service points while Daniela won only 43% of her service points. Daniela's serve got weaker as the match went on while Petkovic's serve - or at least her first serve - got stronger.

I think Daniela will give it another year at least as she'll want to give the Fed Cup, Indian Wells and the slams another go and she still seems to be enjoying herself and her tennis. Hopefully she can get a decent draw at the US Open but the only points she has to defend is Luxembourg at the end of the year. Pretty much every tournament she enters is a chance for her to gain points. Daniela's always had at least one first round exit in the US Open series so hopefully this is it and she can put in good runs in New Haven and the US Open.

Daniela's having a traditional career trajectory as her best years were from her teens to her mid twenties but as injuries, age and wear & tear have mounted it's taken a toll on her, her level has been dipping as she gets older into her 30s. That's basically what's happened to pretty much every player in the past. It's amazing how so many players who were average journeywomen throughout their 20s are suddenly playing their best tennis in their late 20s and early 30s. Even just the players who are amazing in their 30s. That's unprecedented in tennis history until the past few years. I wonder how they do it.

Worst thing is that I was expecting this. Oh, Daniela.

I don't think she should retire, because at least she is winning titles (which didn't come before). But it is just frustrating knowing she could do much better.

Hope doubles goes better.

Daniela & Martina are in the 3rd match on Court 9 (again). That would roughly be between 3 & 4 PM EDT. Both Vinci and Errani have 11 AM matches. May each of them take 3 hours and 27 minutes!

Petkovic is giving Vinci a hard task.

Errani battled to 3 sets win, so hopefully both will be tired for a fresher Daniela/Hingis

From the players' lounge at the Western and Southern Open
FS OHIO STAFF |
Published: Wednesday, August 14, 2013, 12:01pm | 0 Comments
From the Players Lounge
By Daniela Hantuchova

Editor’s note: During the Western & Southern Open, WTA tennis star Daniela Hantuchova will be blogging about life on tour and her time in Mason, Ohio. Follow her on Twitter @dhantuchova.

Well, it was a tough day on the court yesterday for my singles match. I started out strong with a 6-2 first set win over Andrea Petkovic but lost the next two, 6-4 and 6-1. Andrea had a strong run in the qualifying rounds here and she is a tough competitor. Andrea has come back from a series of injuries to make it back into the top 50 in the WTA rankings. I wish her the best here at the tournament.

But I’m not finished yet, as my doubles partner, Martina Hingis, and I will play Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci for the chance to move into the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles.

People ask me all the time about playing doubles along with singles. Playing doubles is a great way to enjoy the tennis on the court because there’s not so much pressure, especially now, because having a partner like Martina makes it really fun to play doubles.

I always thought about doubles as a great way to improve for my singles. Obviously you have to hit the returns well and make good serves, and obviously the game at the net helps a lot in the doubles and in singles as well.

So come out and cheer for Martina and me as we play doubles here at the Western & Southern Open!