The court conditions were tough today folks, with on-court thermometers hitting the 120F mark. But you know what they say, the conditions are the same for everyone and everyone's gotta deal. JJ, the top seed at her second straight tournament, got bounced in straight sets by Akgul, denying us a JJ/Ana quarterfinal. I know that Akgul's big server, but this is a match that you expect JJ to win, using her movement and strokes to grind down her slower opponent in the blazing heat. But I guess Cincy is to Akgul as California is to Dani. She just seems to find some mojo there. The last time a qualifier made the quarters in Cincy? 2007. And yes, it was Akgul. Which means she's building quite the fan base:
A more respectable loss for Caro, losing to Mono in straights in her first tournament in the US after her run to the title in Copenhagen last week. Word on the street is that Caro's beefed up her serve. That's nice to hear, but once again she plays a match that shows that she, just like JJ and Aga, can be hit through. If the field wasn't quivering in their shoes at the thought of playing these counterpunchers before, they definitely aren't quivering now.
It'll be interesting to see how these two rebound in Montreal. Oh, and in a stroke of comedy, they'll swap places heading into to Montreal. That's right, Caro's back to #2.
(pics: Daylife)
