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NASDAQ 100 OPEN, MIAMI. 24th March-4th
April
Welcome to the first article to be written for this website. If you’re here, its probably because you have heard something about the young French girl who cant stop knocking seeds out of tournaments. That girl is Tatiana Golovin. You know this of course, because otherwise, you would not have got to this page in the first place. So yes, this is the first article for this website, which will hopefully cover a great number of successful years for Tatiana and her tennis. Those that are familiar with my work normally will know the style of my tournament previews. Mine are good in comparison to say, those produced by Rich Paveley (after you’ve read this, check out the Lina site. It isnt on a par with this one, but its worth a giggle). What will normally be the case is that the article will begin with a bit of info on Tatiana’s performance in her last tournament, what it means for her ranking, and her progression overall. Then a little info on the tournament itself will follow, and then focus goes to the draw, and what Tatiana’s chances are for the week. It’s a formula that has worked for the last 16 months, and don’t be surprised if you see a similar style on the Krasnoroutskaya site. Last weeks performance in Indian Wells secured Tatiana a top 100 ranking, at 91 spot. Few would have expected such an achievement at the start of the year. Indeed, even our own dear Rich Paveley laughed off the prospect of her beating Lina at the Aus Open this year, then had the audacity to suggest that Lina had a semi spot in sight. That’s another story, and it isnt really that interesting as it involves Rich, and so ill return to more important matters, such as paint drying, or in this case, Tatiana and her game. The start of this year has certainly thrown up some impressive results from Tatiana, and she will do well to maintain such a standard throughout the season at such an age. Of course, we all want her to do well, but at this stage of the year, and interesting suggestion I put forward is that it may help Tatiana’s development should she lose first round this week. Im sure that all those around her are doing all they can to ensure her feet stay on the ground, but beating all these top players may make her get ahead of herself. What must be remembered is that she is still very young. She will have plenty of time over her career to defeat top players. The last thing she needs is an arrogance creeping into her mind, where she begins to think that she can beat anyone she wants if she puts her mind to it. Imagine the scenario that she had lost first round in Aus Open. With the exception of Paris, its unlikely that she would have received any of the wild cards she has done for this week or Indian Wells. Had this been the case, she would be training harder to make sure she made the step up into the top 100 and beyond. Having made that step a lot earlier than anticipated, the effort in training may subside somewhat, and will affect her game long term. Let us not be under any illusions here. It would be fantastic should she pick up another couple of wins this week, and as the draw shows below, it looks like she has a shot at getting them. But it wouldn’t be the end of the world if she did lose first round. There is plenty of time for her to develop, and in the long run, an early loss after tasting the glory at Paris and the Aus Open will make her even more motivated, and her game will come on even more. THE DRAW
Having not been seeded, Tatiana may have suffered a nasty draw, facing one of the top ten in the second round. As it is, she has luck on her side, ahs a draw where its conceivable that she could get into the third round, and maybe even the fourth. First round is the Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues. At 73, she is ranked higher that Tatiana, but that has never put her off before, and won’t daunt her this week either. The Spaniard has been producing average results, reaching round three at the Aus Open, but a disappointing second round as 5th seed at Bogota. Based on past results, Tatiana should come through this match. She disposed of a higher ranked player last week in Asagoe, and should come through this match too. Second round, she faces the 23rd seed Safina. She too has had a good season, reaching a semi in Paris, although she suffered a shock defeat in Antwerp the week after. That was her last tournament, and Tatiana’s reputation will precede her. Safina will be aware of the threat Tatiana poses, and at 32 in the world, is professional enough not to let it bother her. However, Tatiana likewise will not be put off the match, and will look at it as a good draw she can come through and beat another seed. I think that it will be a good match, and that Tatiana will come through it and into the next round. Third round, she will come up against 14th seed Magdalena Maleeva. At world number 22, she is a tough draw for Tatiana. That said, Maleeva has been in some shocking form of late, and will not want to face Tatiana. A win in the second round will not boost her confidence a great deal, and in Golovin, she faces a youngster who will trouble her. I think that this will be easier on court than it will on paper, and so im going for a relatively easy two set win for Tatiana. Fourth Round, she will play Capriati. Here is where Tatiana will drop out. Confidence and reputation is one thing, but the void is such in womens tennis that she has little to no hope of beating someone from the top band. Capriati is in that band, and will beat Tatiana comfortably. However, fourth round is a good performance, and will add to Tatiana’s experience, and set her up nicely for the clay season, and for the appearance at her home Slam, either through a wildcard entry, or through qualification by her own right. Round One: Tatiana def Garrigues in straights Round Two: Tatiana def Safina in three Round Three: Tatiana def Maleeva in straights Round Four: Capriati def Tatiana in straights. If you have any questions or comments, then drop me an email. Matty_donaldson1@hotmail.com. See you next time Visit the Andy Roddick's page here
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