Flashes of brilliance in a sea of poo. That's the only way to describe the 2+ hour match between Dani and Fosters Dellaqua. It was a battle of nerves as both ladies were broken over and over again. Fosters had every right to win this match, but she just couldn't shut the door on Dani. The key was the first set tiebreak, which Dani eventually won 13-11. She would go on to win the match 76(11) 64.
On the fashion front, I love the blue on Dani. Also love that she's left her ponytail loose instead of that uptight braid she was rocking last year (it made her look like an insane control freak for some reason). But please, Dani, invest in some Low Beams. It's so damn awkward watching you play sometimes.
Nice win for Chakky over AKO, but my heart goes out to Anne. Tough draw for her. She played well in Auckland and deserved to make it to the second round here. But she showed a lot of heart coming back from a set down. Unfortunately, in today's heat, she just ran out of gas.
One thing that stood out to me watching today's matches was the gulf in fitness levels between the top players and the second tier players. It's mindboggling to me to see players completely tank in second and third sets because their fitness prevents them from dealing with the conditions. I totally agree with Brad Gilbert (reluctantly) that it's inexcusable. This is the first Slam of the year and you've had two months to get into proper shape.
And yes, Strawberry-Lemonade Nads is still in the mix. There's just so much unnecessary color going on in that shot.
