Conflicted Sad Face. She had her chances and opportunities to keep this miracle run going, but in the end I just think the Snot Rocket ran out of gas. He fell to Dina in three sets 64 46 64. I loved seeing her fight though. The rest of the girls on tour (*cough*Ana*cough*) could learn from watching her play. Focused, direct, and just so awesomely old school. I think my favorite thing about Snot Rocket is how she'll just serve with any ball that's given to her. So cool.
As for Dina, this was a gift. Plain and simple. Because if she wasn't "Dinara Safina" and we didn't have her body of work to judge her, you know everyone would be reaming her right now. Four double faults to give away a set??? Seriously? She's never looked sharp throughout an entire match this tournament. She should have been dumped by The Cone last round and she should have lost last night.
If she can turn it around against Bepa then all power to her. But right she doesn't look great. Everything about her game looks fragile. Ugh. So frustrating. That said, I'll give her a lot of credit for not going bonkers last night. Her service woes, combined with the crowd, combined with the stress of being the overwhelming favorite in the match, could have led to a third set implosion. Quite a sign of maturity to stay in the match and tough it out.
