God, she's adorable, what with the headband and the matching nail art and the general cuteness.
Anyway, Pavs, it's official. You're on the payroll. Dinara needed a match with someone who was willing to go toe-to-toe with her, and you gave it to her (okay, at least you gave her a set). She needed someone to make her realize that playing 9 feet behind the baseline is a crappy strategy, and you fed her dropshots and short balls until it hammered through her thick skull. She needed someone who was going to force her to step her game up from where it had been languishing in idle, and you did.
(Ha! Adidas matching.)
Poor Pavs. She threw the kitchen sink at Dina in the first set, even had a positive winners/UE ratio, and still lost it 6-2. It was sad to watch her collapse in the second set, at least until she stepped it up at 0-5. First set she was willing to try anything, second set she looked like she didn't believe there was anything she could do that would work. Hopefully she and her braces and her headband can get back on track for some solid wins over the summer, I just love how plucky she is.
Dinara, for her part, finally seemed to process that playing "her game" is all well and good, but sometimes your game needs to incorporate things other than running around 3 meters behind the baseline. It seemed to click late in the first set and she never looked back. The other sign that her head finally came together, at least for today, at least for this match? No searching for Zeljko between sets, games, points, shots, or other discernable tennis units. Good for her.
And as far as I'm concerned, Pavs, if Dinara ever needs a practice partner, you're welcome anytime.
