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Match Preview: Indian Wells Round 3
by J.M. Indian Wells 2003 has already had its fair share of exciting matches with the number 6th (Jelena Dokic) and number 7th (Anastasia Myskina) seeds falling in their second round matches. However, another thrilling match took place earlier today when Conchita Martinez, the number 26th seed here, dug deep to produce an outstanding win against one of France’s best up-and-coming players, Virginie Razzano. Down a set and 4-1 in the second, Martinez pulled through with an absolutely amazing three set win, downing her French teenager opponent 5-7 7-6 (5) 6-3. The reward gets even better! Seeing as though Dokic was eliminated, Conchita has a great chance to progress to the 4th round if she can hold off German, Barbara Rittner in their third round encounter. Rittner 2003 Record (including Indian Wells)Tournaments Played: 4 Win/Loss Record: 2-3 Highest Ranked Player Defeated: Jelena Dokic (Indian Wells) Titles: 0 Martinez 2003 Record (including Indian Wells) Tournaments Played: 5 Winn/Loss Record: 5-4 Highest Ranked Player Defeated: Eleni Daniilidou (Dubai) Titles: 0 Rittner, who turns thirty in April, would understandably be high on confidence at the moment after defeating one of the tournaments top seeds today and could therefore be troublesome for Conchita. She has won back-to-back three set matches and will not be afraid of a challenge. In fact, every single one of her matches this year has gone to three sets and she has been fortunate enough to win her last two here at the Pacific Life Open, Indian Wells! Prior to this tournament, the German veteran had not won a match, losing to players such as Evie Dominikovic, Elena Likhovtseva and Nadia Petrova in her earlier tournaments. In addition, she had to take a couple of weeks off to recuperate after suffering bronchitis so her wins in this tournament are definitely monumental for her, especially because she is playing extremely well considering she has had no match practice since the Australian Open in January. After her defeat of Dokic, Rittner commented on her ability to run down every ball, as they were often slow and heavy. If these conditions exist during their third round match up, Conchita’s moonballs won’t be as nearly effective as they normally would so dropshots would be a solid choice of shot as the balls will not be able to bounce up as high. Slicing should also be advantageous for her though as Rittner will be forced to get under the ball and generate her own pace of shot, which could be quite a hassle for her. Rittner, on the other hand, has showed she has the ability to be a good volleyer, seeing as though she has won 3 doubles titles over the years, and Martinez should really be wary of this because serve-and-volleyers have often caused many difficulties to her game as of late, such as players like doubles expert, Lisa Raymond. Experience really should not play a big part in the result of this match as both players have at least one career title to their name (Conchita certainly exceeds this limit with 32 titles to her credit!) and at their age, both players would have gained enough experience over their careers to handle the big points. In addition, the fact that both players have defended last year’s points will ease the pressure and subsequently both players will have nothing to lose! Head-to-Head Record: Martinez and Rittner have met twice in their careers, with Martinez winning both of them in straight sets. However, as their last encounter was in 2000, their record will have no bearing on predicting who will win this match considering both players would have gained more experience over the years with new coaches. Both their games would probably have changed slightly with regards to fitness levels due to Conchita’s ankle injury that has plagued her game over the past year and a half, as well as Rittner’s recent bout of bronchitis. Seeing as though they have both made it to the 3rd round though, neither of these illnesses has fortunately been seen. Prediction: Martinez defeats Rittner in three tough sets. Good luck to both players, as the winner will progress to the 4th round where one of them will meet the winner of the Gagliardi/Black match up. Visit the Conchita Martinez page here
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