ROS SATAR SHARES HER FIRST CINCINNATI WESTERN AND SOUTHERN OPEN WITH 10SBALLS_COM

Written by: Global Chick on 18th August 2015

ROS SATAR SHARES HER FIRST CINCINNATI WESTERN AND SOUTHERN OPEN WITH 10SBALLS_COM

epa04888638 Eugenie Bouchard (R) of Canada in action against Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine during their match in the Western and Southern Open at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, USA, 18 August 2015. EPA/TANNEN MAURY |

Boots on the ground In Cincy Tuesday

With all the rain that greeted my arrival in Cincinnati on the first day of the Western and Southern Open, any worries I may have had about a fear of missing out were allayed by one pretty torrential rain in the region – not good news for my well travelled, but ultimately non-rain-proof fabric Converses.

The consequence is a packed schedule on and off the court, as the pre-tournament press conferences continued – with Serena Williams, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic taking centre stage.

On the tennis front though the Masters wheels are rumbling on. Let’s start with the youngsters of the moment (indulge me – at my age everyone is a youngster)!

Belinda Bencic followed up her great run in Toronto with another top scalp as she dispatched Angelique Kerber in straight sets, proving that the excitement of her biggest tournament win to date was not going to end up in a humid hot-mess.

On the court she is the epitome of strategy, but off it, she’s a pretty pragmatic cookie:

When I was in Toronto I wasn’t thinking about this match today. It was just very strange situation. Like you beat Serena in the night session, and then the next day you have to play Halep.

She said: “You have no time actually to enjoy it. You already think the next match. After beating Halep we booked a flight and I was already thinking what I need to do against Kerber. So, yeah, it was very quickly. But, I mean, it’s a good problem to have. (Smiling.)”

Earlier in the day, Andy Murray was in the house – he has had some good results here, and his confidence is up after ending an eight-match losing streak to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

“I feel good, Obviously last couple of matches, I felt like I played very well and it is quite different conditions here, so takes a few days to get used to them and hopefully I can try to get through my first match somehow and hopefully start to feel better as the week goes on, But obviously last week was great for me, in regards of how I play here, it’s good that I managed to get a lot of matches in last week on the hard courts, and it’s a good win for the confidence.”

Federer made short(ish) work of Roberto Bautista Agut, no doubt shaking off a little rust in his first tournament since the Wimbledon final. Ever the perfectionist, there are still things to tweak, but overall he was happy with a strong performance in the first night match on the schedule.

He said: “I’m happy I got through this first one. Now I know what it’s about. I have a day off tomorrow where I can think about how things went today, where I need to improve. There is always a few things. And then looking forward to see who I play on Thursday.”

He also had some warm words about Mardy Fish, who plays out his last matches on the professional tour in the run up to his farewell at the US Open.

“We always got along well. Never had any issues. He crushed me once in Indian Wells. I remember that match. Yesterday I was talking about it, how he came out and just blew me off the court in the semis. He had an interesting career, because at the beginning people were saying he was a bit heavy. He lost a lot of weight and got his act together, so talented, phenomenal player, great timing, one of the best serves in the game there for a while, as well.

“Then he all of a sudden had that anxiety issue right around the time when we were supposed to play at the Open. I saw him the next day at the courts, and he explained to me what happened and all that. It was ‑‑ I mean, it was so early he couldn’t quite explain, maybe didn’t understand the magnitude of it, as well. It was quite intense, actually.”

He concluded: “It’s nice to see him back now playing and winning again, and I hope he can close it out, you know, the way he hopes it is going to go. Not again in something negative, but it seems like he’s approaching it with a positive mindset now. When you see him walking around, he’s happy. That’s what you want to see.”

Your mission, should you choose to accept it…

The wondrousness of this tournament already knows no bounds. Travelling in from the UK is always going to be a bit of a mission, no matter which way you cut it, and I will chat more about the tournament at the end of the week – but part of my mission here for 10sBalls is to try out Graeter’s ice-cream.

Photos by ros Satar for 10sBalls_com.

Sadly I missed out on Andy Murray’s turn as a disguised seller, but in consultation with the good folks in the food-court tent, my first try was their signature Black Raspberry and Chocolate Chip. When they see ‘chip’ they actually mean plank! I had the hugest chunk of chocolate left and this was really fresh and just the ticket after my sub-mission!

My American colleagues have ‘suggested’ I try some super-American cuisine. So my Graeter’s was dessert to Chicken ‘n’ Waffle! It was unusual, but maybe because I skipped the hot sauce which is supposed to bring balance to The Force, or some such! I put the fact that it was not as abhorrent as it sounds down to years of training with McDonalds Sausage and Pancake breakfast meal.

Photos by ros Satar for 10sBalls_com.

Things to try: The rest of the Graeter’s range on site, a Skyline (apparently chili con carne on spaghetti with a lot of cheese), biscuits and gravy… just as well we’re here for the week.

In closing news of the day – both Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova withdraw from the tournament. Williams due to a viral illness and Sharapova with continuing issues around a leg injury that ruled her out of Toronto.

Topics: Andy Murray, Angelique Kerber, Atp, Cincinnati, Cincy Tennis, Novak Djokovic, Roberto Bautista Agut, Roger Federer, Ros Satar, Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Sports, Western & Southern Open, Wta

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10sBalls_com says:

August 18, 2015 at 10:20 pm

-@rfsatar SHARES HER FIRST #Cincinnati WESTERN AND SOUTHERN OPEN WITH @10sBalls_com- http://t.co/eGNFBVeYtk @CincyTennis #CincyTennis