MaKiri has always been a pleasant mystery to me. She seems shy, quiet, and somewhat guarded. But you can never really get a solid reading on foreign players because sometimes it's just a language issue. So to my pleasant surprise, her presser was quite pleasant. She was smiling, laughing here and there, and she's one of those players who makes eye contact with you when she answers your question. Ana and Sam also do that. I wonder if that's an introvert thing. I'm the same way. I don't actually enjoy interacting with people but when I do, I'm right there, making eye contact and engaging you.
Per multiple requests via Twitter, I asked MaKiri about her current doubles partnership with Vika. She said that Aga didn't want to play doubles at Stanford so she teamed up with Vika. They'll play here and in Cincinnati and then she'll reunite with Aga in Montreal and the US Open.
Until then, she'll be playing Aga in her quarterfinal match on Friday. That should be an intriguing match, though I'm not exactly going to bust my ass down to Stanford to catch it. I picked MaKiri as my dark horse to get out of this 1/8. If she wins she'll play the winner of Masha/Elena.
Go on with your bad self, Lil' Mash.
