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Lina Preview
by Andrew Clark Acura Classic- San Diego Lina Krasnoroutskaya vs Alexandra Stevenson Lina heads to San Diego on the back of a fairly mixed grass court season. 1st & 2nd round defeats at Hertogenbosch & Wimbledon (respectively), along with an extraordinary run to the semis in the Ladies doubles alongside compatriot Elena Dementieva, showed Lina is making steady progress after the injury which held her back for so long. Here, the hard courts will, of course, offer a different challenge to Lina's preffered surface of grass. The 19 year old will no doubt be wanting to put in a steady performance and try to assert herself amongst the bigger names in the tournament . Fortunately, Lina has had a fairly lucky draw and will not meet any of those players in the early rounds as she did at Wimbledon just a month ago. This will be Lina's first appearance at the Acura Classic and her first round opponent comes in the shape of 22 year old American Alexandra Stevenson. The world no.28 returns after being dumped out in the first round last year by Anna Kournikova, and having never passed the third round here, will be looking for a convincing victory. Of course, we all hope that this will not be the case and Lina will beat her opponent in straight sets, but personally, i dont think either player can or will win the match this way. These two young players will probably maximize the three set's and provide alot of quality tennis- both determined to set themselves up for a good start to the hard court season. With the US Open less than two months away, it is vital that Lina carries momentum and concentrates hard on this match. In recent tournaments, Lina has just seemed to take her eye off the ball slightly when in trouble, so it is imperative that she really does maintain her composure and confidence should it arise. Looking at possible danger areas for Lina, Stevenson's powerful serve could cause a few problems. As of late, the Krasnoroutskaya forehand has seemed a little unsteady and something of which Alexandra could take advantage of . With a little more attention, Lina will cure this problem and partner her already fabulous backhand with equal quality. The Stevenson forehand shouldunt really pose too much hassle in particular for Lina and as long as theres consistency,there wont be any problems. Both are hard-hitters which will probably mean alot of play near the baseline,groundstrokes and long rallies and neither player can expect it easy as it is very evenly matched. Similarly with Lina's serve, its a case of concentration, and recently the first serve and double fault percentage has been satisfactory with no major cause for concern. If Lina manages to make it through the first couple of rounds, she should then of course find herself up against a top name. A big result is really what she needs at the moment, and to do so here would really be a wonderful start. The hard courts have been a bitter sweet experience for Lina and she has had some great results in the past. Notably the Juniors US Open title in 2000.But of course, it was on the hard courts of Australia that spawned her almost career ending injury. Thankfully, she is now back, on the rise and raring to go.:) Lina really deserves a good run this coming week and will hopefully give us something to shout about. She has the game to out perform Stevenson, so will hopefully maximize her performance and be rewarded with victory. :) You can do it Lina!! A.Clark Visit the Anastasia Myskina page here
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