THE WTA WOMEN’S TENNIS TOUR SHOULD BE RENAMED THE “WALKING WOUNDED TOUR”

Written by: Global Chick on 6th January 2016

Brisbane International Tennis Tournament

THE WTA WOMEN'S TENNIS TOUR SHOULD BE RENAMED THE "WALKING WOUNDED TOUR"

epa05089491 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus celebrates after defeating Saline Bonaventure of Belgium on day 4 of the Brisbane International Tennis Tournament in Brisbane, Wednesday, January 06, 2016. EPA/DAVE HUNT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |

Or Another One Bites The dust. Sharapova, Serena, Simona and Now Muguruza All injured……

Global Chick here and reporting and still really suffering from the jetlag. It still stalks like a lion who hasn’t had a snack in quite a long while (rather like a good night’s sleep!). The tennis players feel it too.

Today should have been all about the Victoria Azarenka and Simona Halep match-up but a slew of injury withdrawals put paid to that. Instead Azarenka was facing lucky loser Ysaline Bonaventure who was an unknown quantity and could be relied upon to perhaps upset the apple cart.

In fact we had a 17-minute game where nerves seemed to grip both players like a hungry raptor (sorry – got carried away watching Jurassic World on my million hour flight).

You had a sense though, especially when Azarenka got the better of Bonaventure after 12 deuces and on the fifth break point that experience would eventually prevail, even if the nerves were evident.

Azarenka admitted: “I felt a little overwhelmed. I think it’s pretty normal when you don’t know what to expect. I felt that I waited too much for the rhythm and there was not going to be any rhythm.”

There is a very real opportunity for the Belarusian to rule the roost now in light if the top half of the draw being blown apart.

However, tonight we get to see Garbiñe Muguruza strut her stuff. (injury alert, Garbine had to retire the match with either a heal injury or plantar something in her foot) She will face Varvara Lepchenko for the chance to face her doubles partner and good friend, Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarter-final.

Garbine Muguruza of Spain returns the ball to Varvara Lepchenko of the USA during their second round match of the Brisbane International Tennis Tournament in Brisbane, Australia, 06 January 2016. EPA/DAVE HUNT

The men’s side has been equally tardy in wheeling out the big guns, and it was the turn of Kei Nishikori to rumble into action. For our money – he is the one that should rise to the top of the chasing pack. He may lack the power and more ‘traditional’ weapons but his speed about the court and his use of angles… it would leave my old school protractor, compass and set-square in a sense of disarray.

Even though Nishikori was broken in the first game, he came back at Mikhail Kukushkin twice in the first set, and forced a tie-breaker in the second after once more coming back from a break. He ran away with it in the second set breaker, and his quiet confidence still makes him a real danger for the season opener.

The first evening session afforded more amusement with grown men flapping over the flapping bugs. I mean, the bat-sized moths at Indian Wells were bad enough, but here… whole different story!

A roar of laughter went up in the media centre as the court was hoovered for bugs with a bespoke machine while Tomic looked in with distate. But here’s the thing… Bernie is a local boy so surely he is used to these flying hooligans with ‘Love’ and ‘Hate’ tattooed on alternate wings?

Australia’s Bernard Tomic serves the ball to Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic during their second round match of the Brisbane International Tennis Tournament in Brisbane, Australia, 06 January 2016. EPA/DAVE HUNT

Meanwhile the footage switched to cool-as-a-Swiss-Alp Roger Federer practicing and barely concerned at the winged menaces all around. Because finally, ladies and gentlemen, he will be taking to the court tomorrow for the final night match.

He will face Tobias Kamke for only the second time, having beaten the German in their Roland Garros opener in straight sets.

With the withdrawal of Sharapova and Halep, the tournament needs a strong draw to come through, and with the business end of the tournament fast approaching, Thursday’s night crowd should be in for a real treat, as they also have Azarenka/Vinci. Who knows – we could well be seeing Sunday’s eventual champions tomorrow night.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Atp World Tour, Bernard Tomic, Garbine Muguruza, global chick, Kei Nishikori, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Sports, Tennis News, Victoria Azarenka, Women's tennis, Wta