TENNIS NEWS – WHO IS SAMANTHA CRAWFORD? WAS ROGER FEDERER O.K. TO PLAY IN BRISBANE? 10SBALLS CHECKS IN FROM OZ

Written by: Staff on 7th January 2016

Brisbane International Tennis Tournament

TENNIS NEWS - WHO IS SAMANTHA CRAWFORD? WAS ROGER FEDERER O.K. TO PLAY IN BRISBANE? 10SBALLS CHECKS IN FROM OZ

epa05090957 Samantha Crawford of the USA returns the ball during her match against Andrea Petkovic of Germany on day 5 of the Brisbane International Tennis Tournament in Brisbane, Australia, 06 January 2016. EPA/DAVE HUNT AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |

That might well be a question Andrea Petkovic will be asking over a Swiss hot chocolate with Belinda Bencic as she joined the casualty list at the hands of the young American qualifier!

While Petkovic’s compatriot Angelique Kerber (the highest seed standing, by the way) whizzed through her match, there was plenty of whizzing going on in Pat Rafter Arena and not for the German’s gain, as Crawford trounced her 6-3 6-0.

Of course cue a lot of “If she keeps playing like that she’ll be Supergirl”… and that is a big if, but she certainly comes across as articulate and well grounded, and the kind of person you can cheer for.

We’re easily pleased – that kind of giddy enthusiasm in a sometime-cynical face the press world makes it easy to wish nothing but the best for someone who is only 20 but was being seen as a ‘late-bloomer’ on Twitter. Please. She has a great future in front of her, IF she can be consistent, IF she can stay healthy etc.

She will face Victoria Azarenka, and despite all her experience, she was nervy and as jumpy as a cat on coals facing a player she had no knowledge of in the previous round. So what on earth will she make of Crawford?

And you know that – that works just fine for the young American.

“I think that’s the great thing about tennis: anything can happen on a given day – anyone can beat anyone. So, yeah I just want to play well and enjoy it.”

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus returns at the net during her quarter final match against Roberta Vinci of Italy on day 5 of the Brisbane International Tennis Tournament in Brisbane, Australia, 07 January 2016. EPA/DAVE HUNT

On the subject of Azarenka she was fired up to face a very resurgent Roberta Vinci. Now people may kvetch about on court coaching, and one really shouldn’t afford oneself a chuckle but the animated exchange between Vinci and her coach as Azarenka opened up a comfortable lead was entertaining.

But as much as the Italian was slicing and dicing, Azarenka (who is actually no slouch when she comes in at the net from time to time) was on it like a hawk, ripping through a 6-1 6-2 victory in positively indecent haste.

The main event though had to be defending men’s champion Roger Federer. It’s time to be honest. When the schedule for Wednesday hit our clever… no wait… smart devices on Tuesday night, I nodded sagely and knowledgably to a colleague. The lack of Federer on the schedule reminded us both, without any prompting, of Stuttgart last year when three time defending champion Maria Sharapova had asked for the latest start time and date possible to give herself the best chance to recover from a leg injury.

The rumours have been flying around all day – did he have a cold? Had any of his limbs fallen off? Is the sunshine going to stay all week and can I wear my shorts tomorrow?

There was not much to read by his arrival shortly before the start of the Azarenka match.

In truth he had a head cold, and had been feeling pretty rotten. If he had been out in that rain earlier in the week I am not surprised! Either way he was not hanging around. He afforded the German just his opening game in the first set, and although Kamke put up a fight, saving a break point in the process before waving a forlorn farewell to two of his service games.

If Federer was going to be smart, he was going to try and keep his service games as short as possible, under the watchful eye of new coach Ivan Ljubicic, as he wrapped up the first set in just under half an hour.

Roger Federer of Switzerland returns to Tobias Kamke of Germany during their match on day 5 of the Brisbane International Tennis Tournament in Brisbane, Australia, 07 January 2016. EPA/DAVE HUNT

Mr Federer is nothing if not consistent as he wrapped up the second set bang on the same time for a 6-2 6-1 victory, and to put not too fine a point on it, the tournament was saved. To lose not one, not two, but three big hitters in the space of a few days must have been a blow to the field, and to know that Federer was also not feeling great will have been a worry.

And… what of those rumours?

Federer explained: “I was anyway going to take off on the Monday, and then on Tuesday I was going to hit in the afternoon but I didn’t feel so well. So I said, Let’s wait it out. Then didn’t feel good at all actually on the Tuesday. On the Wednesday I started to feel a little bit better, so I asked the tournament if they could move it for a Thursday start, which I know they can do very easily, which was helpful.

“So started to feel a little bit better. That’s why I came out yesterday for a hit, just to see how things are. I was happy. I felt somewhat okay. There was no need to push it at all. I am not somebody that needs to play much before matches. Yeah, I’m quite surprised that it went so well today.”

Federer will face Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the quarter-finals, and at the start of a grueling back to back run of matches, if he wants to defend his title.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Andrea Petkovic, Atp World Tour, Belinda Bencic, Roger Federer, Samantha Crawford, Tennis, Tennis News, Victoria Azarenka, Wta