Hobart Tennis News

Written by: Staff on 6th January 2013

Hobart Tennis News

epa03372980 Olga Govortsova of Belarus hits a return to Tamira Paszek of Austria during their match on the second day of the 2012 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 28 August 2012. The US Open runs through Sunday 09 September 2012. EPA/LARRY W. SMITH |

It can’t have been fun to be in the qualifying here. As you may have heard, there are about forty fires burning across Tasmania. And the greatest concentration is near Hobart. This is no surprise, because they’re setting all-time temperature records across Australia. It’s like playing in a furnace. It must have been particularly brutal playing three sets in this stuff. And yet, that’s what happened in all four qualifying matches. And, in three out of four cases, the player who lost the first set — usually badly — came through in the end. Heat, perhaps?

Or maybe it was just the power of seeding. Unlike in Sydney, all eight qualifying seeds made the qualifying final — and three of the top four qualified. Our qualifiers are #1 Mandy Minella, #2 Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino, #4 Silvia Soler-Espinosa, and #5 Lauren Davis, who pulled off the only upset as she beat #3 Nina Bratchikova 3-6 6-4 6-1.

Singles – First Round: Olga Govortsova def. (5) Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 6-1

Olga Govortsova is a very big girl. The heat might have been tough for her had she had to play a long match. But, obviously, she didn’t.

Singles – First Round: (8) Sloane Stephens def. Laura Robson 6-4 7-6(7-4)

Sloane Stephens continues to cement her place as one of the top players among the younger Americans. The United States may not have another Serena Williams in the wings, but it’s worth remembering that it does have a lot of solid young players — players who probably will never hit the Top Ten but who could be Top Fifty for many years to come.

Doubles – First Round: Begu/Halep def. (4) Dekmeijere/Moulton-Levy 7-5 6-3

Doubles – First Round: Barty/Bobusic def. Bengson/Moore 6-1 6-3

Doubles – First Round: Muguruza/Torro-Flor def. Dobson/Wlodarczak 6-1 6-1

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Australian tennis news, Hobart Tennis News, Olga Govortsova, Sloane Stephens, Sports