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For those of you who are interested in tennis, it may be interesting to look out for Heather Watson from Guernsey. She's 18 and seems to be slowly climbing the ratings. She is currently playing in Memphis and earlier today won her second round match so has reached the quarter finals. Even if she loses her next match, she could climb 10 places or so to around 135. Anne Keothavong in the same tournament lost her second round match.

Heather Watson is third in the British women's rankings but is 9 years younger than both Elena Baltacha  (first) and Anne Keothavong (second). Laura Robson is a year younger than Heather Watson, but is out injured at present. It is too soon to say how she will improve during this next year, but at present these two seem to be the future of British tennis.

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Heather Watson did win her next match so has qualified for a place in the main draw for the French Open. This is the first time she has secured a place in one of the Grand Slam tournaments. She has been drawn against French wildcard Stephanie Foretz Gacon. The French wildcard is currently ranked 140 so is 21 places below Heather, but of course has an advantage of playing at home.

El Loro

As a result of Heather Watson's recent success she has moved up in the rankings and is now the number 2 British player.

Rankings published today are:

Elena Baltacha is ranked 74

Heather Watson is ranked 93

Anne Keothavong is ranked 110

 

Heather is in the Aegon Classic tournament which started in Birmingham today. She has won her first match 6:3, 7:5 against Chanelle Scheepers who is seeded 15th in this tournament (but ranked 89 in the world).

 

The WTA rankings also show the WTA race rankings. This is based on results in the current year rather than for the last 12 months. These rankings show that

Elena Baltacha is ranked 63, Heather Watson is ranked 64, and Anne Keothavong is ranked 91. Chanelle Scheepers is ranked 43 so Heather Watson's win becomes more significant. It is premature to say this, but I would not be surprised if she doesn't become British number 1 in the not too distant future.

El Loro

Heather Watson and Elena Baltacha have been given wildcards for next week's Aegon International at Eastbourne. The other British players have to go through the qualifying stages.

 

Heather Watson will face Vera Zvonareva, who is the world number 3, in the first round so this will be Heather's toughest match to date.

El Loro

Today's new rankings reflect the Wimbledon results and shows that:

Elena Baltacha has improved to 58 (as a result of getting through to the second round)

Anne Kethavong has improved to 94 (as a result of getting through to the second round)

Heather Watson had dropped to 106 (as a result of being given a wild card so not having to participate in the qualifying stages then losing in the first round)

Laura Robson has shown the biggest improvement rising from 254 to 185 (as a result of getting through to the second round)

 

El Loro

Overnight from the BBC website:

 

British teenager Heather Watson gave former champion Maria Sharapova an almighty scare before the Russian prevailed on day one of the US Open.

Watson, 19, led 6-3 5-5 at one stage but eventually went down 3-6 7-5 6-3 in a dramatic match at Flushing Meadows.

The Briton had been given little chance against Sharapova, ranked 100 places higher at fourth, but almost produced one of the great US Open shocks.

Watson's fellow Briton Laura Robson earlier made it through to round two.

Robson progressed when her Japanese opponent Ayumi Morita retired with a shoulder injury, but it was Watson's performance that took centre stage on Monday.

The best thing about Watson's magnificent challenge to Sharapova was the self belief. She told me afterwards that she believed she could win from the moment the draw came out and didn't stop believing. And she played like it. From the first game, when she made every first serve, she seemed free of the pressures so many young, lowly ranked players seem shackled by. Even much later in the match, after Sharapova had a 4-1 lead and break points for 5-1, Watson still believed. She broke back and fought to the end. "What did you learn?" I asked her afterwards. "I learned what I'm capable of," she replied. Great answer.

 

"I had a lot of fun today," said the teenager from Guernsey. "It's what I want to do. I want to be out there on the big courts playing the top players. It was a really great match, very competitive. We played some really great tennis.

"I had my chances in the second set. You have to create the opportunity but also execute, and I was probably a bit too defensive on those important points.

"But I always believed I could win. There's no point in my going out there if I don't believe that I can win."

Watson, the 2009 junior champion, was playing in the US Open main draw for the first time, but despite it being the highest-profile match of her life she took to the imposing surroundings of Arthur Ashe Stadium like a natural.

Sharapova, seeded third, was widely seen as the second favourite for the tournament behind Serena Williams, but the erratic serving that has blighted her this year was still in evidence.

Watson needed no encouragement, standing close to the baseline and going toe-to-toe with the Russian's heavy groundstrokes, and she broke to love at the first opportunity.

When Sharapova broke back immediately it seemed the former world number one was about to take control, but another double-fault handed the advantage back to the Briton and she did not relinquish it.

After converting her third set point in game nine, Watson immediately broke at the start of the second set and it was panic stations for Sharapova.

The decibel level increased with the pace of the Russian's groundstrokes and she bludgeoned her way back to parity before the power began to tell and she moved 4-1 clear, but it was not totally convincing and her sixth double fault of the day brought Watson back on serve.

Three superb points got Watson of trouble when she served at 5-4 down and 0-30, but Sharapova made the breakthrough at the next opportunity to level at one set all.

Watson's resistance was far from over and it took a marked improvement in Sharapova's form for the 2006 champion to finally dominate, battling into a 4-1 lead and having break points for 5-1.

The 24-year-old could not quite shake off the Briton, however, and was pegged back to 4-3 before a fine return game gave Sharapova the chance to finally serve for the match.

Few can have expected Watson to keep such an illustrious opponent on court for two hours and 34 minutes but that was how long the Russian required to close out the victory.

"It was one of the toughest (opening matches) that I've had," said Sharapova. "Obviously not really knowing too much about my opponent and not facing her before, she just came out and played really smart.

"There's no doubt that I wasn't playing my best tennis. She was smart in making me hit another ball. I was making so many errors out there. She stuck to her game plan. She kept grinding."

El Loro

Heather Watson is having a really good week at the tournament at Shrewsbury. She has just won her match and has reached the final. She is currently ranked 99th. Her aim at the beginning of the season was to reach the top 100. Her success at Shrewsbury is likely to improve her rankings by around 10 places and will increase her confidence for the rest of the season.

El Loro

Following Anne Keothavong's excellent recent successes she has shot up the rankings. Today's rankings just released and I think are the final rankings this year show for the top British players:

Elena Baltacha 50

Anne Keothavong 73

Heather Watson 92

Laura Robson 131

 

Confirmation that Heather Watson succeeded in her ambition at the start of the season to get into the top 100.

El Loro

From the BBC:

 

Elena Baltacha, Anne Keothavong, Heather Watson and Laura Robson have been named in the Great Britain team for next month's Fed Cup tie in Israel.

The Europe/Africa Zone Group One event, which features 15 teams, takes place in Eilat from 1-4 February.

A top-two finish in the event would see GB progress to April's World Group II play-offs.

Judy Murray will captain the team for the first time since her appointment last month.

"Our team is an exciting mix of youth and experience," Murray said.

In addition to the selected quartet, world number 317 Tara Moore will travel as the reserve for an event that also features Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Sweden.

And Murray added: "In Elena and Anne we're lucky to have two established Tour players who are great competitors and so passionate about representing their country.

"With Heather, Laura and Tara, we have three young and very promising players who will bring a lot of energy to the team and will be looking to make their marks.

"Our goal is to progress through the group and, while we know this will be tough, if we play to our potential it is achievable."

 

 

Although Great Britain has a fair chance in this event, based on the 2011 final rankings, Romania are likely to be the favourites, but the second place is not unrealistic.

 

Although Heather Watson had an ankle injury which meant that she withdrew from the first tournament of the season in New Zealand, she is hoping to be in the next tournament which starts in Australia on the 6th as part of her preparation for the Australian Open which begins on the 16th. And the signs are that she is intending to take part as she landed in Australia yesterday.

 

El Loro

Following the somewhat disappointing first round exits in the Australian for the British players, these are the current rankings:

 

Elena Baltacha 57 from 54

Anne Keothavong 88 from 73

Heather Watson 106 from 105

Laura Robson 118 from 134

 

Laura Robson's rise was due to her being the only one of the above 4 to have to go through the qualifying matches where she won all three matches and so gets a boost in the ratings.

El Loro

The British players are currently involved in the Federation Euro/Africa Zone Group I matches this week taking place in Israel. They are in Group C. There are 4 groups. The winners of Group A will meet the winners of Group C. The winners of Group B will meet the winners of Group D. The winners of the two matches will then move to the World Group II playoffs in April.

 

They won their first set of matches against Portugal 3-0.

Anna Keothavong beat Maria Joao Koehler 6-3 6-4 before Elena Baltacha saw off Michelle Larcher de Brito 6-2 6-3 to seal the tie, being played in Israel.

Heather Watson and Laura Robson then defeated Koehler and Larcher de Brito 7-5 6-0 in their doubles match.

 

They won their second set of matches against the Netherlands 2-1.

British number two Anne Keothavong lost 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 to Bibiane Schoofs.

Elena Baltacha responded from being a break down in the second set to beat Michaella Krajicek 6-3 6-3 before doubles duo Heather Watson and Laura Robson secured victory 7-5 7-6 (7-5).

 

The third set of matches are against the home country, Israel and are currently in progress.

Anne Keothavong has won her match against Julia Glushko 6-2, 6-1.

Elena Baltacha's match against Shahar Peer (who is ranked 37 in the world) is ongoing. Elena Baltacha has won the first set 6-4, and had just won the second set 6-3 therefore winning this match.

 

This means that regardless of the result of the doubles match and the other matches being played in Group C, Great Britain has won Group C and will meet the winners of Group A.

El Loro

The first match between today'smatches between Great Britain and Austria was between Anne Keothavong (ranked 57) and Patricia Mayrachleitner (ranked 96). Anne Keothavong won 7-6, 6-3.

 

The second match was between Elena Baltacha (ranked 88) and Tamira Paszek (ranked 48). Elena Baltacha has won 6-1, 6-4.

 

This means that regardless of the doubles match, Great Britain has beaten Austria and therefore qualify for the playoffs in April.

El Loro

Although Judy Murray had hoped for a home draw in the Federation Cup World Group II play offs, Great Britian has been drawn away to Sweden. The matches will be played on 21 and 22 April. Of the 4 countries they could have been drawn against, Sweden were seeded third. They have 2 players in the top 100 - Johanna Larsson (62) and Sofia Arvidsson (74), but no-one else in the top 500. Whichever country wins will be promoted to World Group II.

El Loro

After a disappointing start to the season where Heather Watson has slipped to 129 in the rankings, things are starting to improve.

Heather Watson stormed into the third round of the Miami Masters with a superb 6-2 6-1 victory over world number 25 Lucie Safarova.

The 19-year-old wildcard from Guernsey, ranked 129, wrapped up her second-round win in one hour, 20 minutes. Her next match will be much tougher as she faces world number one Victoria Azarenka, who thrashed her 6-1 6-0 in the Australian Open. But then she was playing with an ankle injury.

 

El Loro

Although Laura Robson missed out on qualifying for the French Open, Heather Watson has qualified. She qulaified last year and got through to the second round. She needs to do at least as well if she has any chance of getting selected for the Olympics.

 

The first round draws for the British players are:

Elena Baltacha ranked 67 v Samantha Stosur seeded 6 and a tough match for Baltacha

Heather Watson ranked 109 v Elena Vesnina ranked 80

(if Heather wins she would face the winner of Lucie Hradecka ranked 66 v Julia Goerges seeded 25)

Anne Keothavong ranked 76 v Melinda Czink ranked 116

(If Anne wins she would face the winner of Greta Arn ranked 104 v Anastasia Pavlvuchenkova seeded 22)

El Loro

The French Open results for the British players will be critical for the British women as to who qualifies. There will be 56 players who qualify. These would be based on rankings but there is a cap of 4 players from any one country. So it is thought that the players in the top 70 have a fair chance of qualifying. That means that Elena Baltacha will be right on the edge of qualifying as she got to the 2nd round last year at the French Open so could drop in the rankings.

Anne Keothavong only got to the first round last year so she has a decent chance of getting to the second round this time so could go up in the rankings.

Heather Watson would have to do better than she did last year when she got to the second round, so she will have to get to at least the 3rd round to have any chance of getting qualification to the Olympics.

 

There are 8 wildcards for the Olympics so there may still be a chance for those who don't qualify by right.

 

El Loro

Yesterday Laura Robson was beaten by Anabel Medina Garrigues who won 6-2, 6-1.

 

Today Anne Keothavong was beaten by Melinda Czink who won 6-1, 6-2.

 

However Heather Watson has beaten Elena Vesnina 6-2, 6-4. She is now the only British woman left and will face Julia Goerges seeded 25 in round 2.

 

If she doesn't win that match Britain could find itself in the rather embarassing position of having no women in the Olympics other than through wildcards.

No pressure then.

 

El Loro

It's worth repeating Jonathan Overend's (BBC correspondent) analysis of Heather Watson's match today.

 

"With the exception of one poor game in the second set, for which she can surely be excused, this was an excellent performance from Watson. She served and returned superbly and moved around the clay court like a seasoned pro. A technical change to her service motion has given her more bite, especially on the first delivery on which she didn't lose a single point in a dominant first set. Her beaming smile, as she left the court, illuminated this little corner of western Paris. Back in "happy land". "

 

El Loro

Laura Robson beat second seed Roberta Vinci in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals of the Italiacom Open.

England's Robson, 18, won the first set 6-3 but was a break down at 5-3 in the second set in Palermo, Sicily.

However, the world number 113 twice broke Vinci, ranked 27th, and then served out to take the set 7-5.

In the last eight she faces fifth seed Carla Suarez Navarro, who beat Anna Tatishvili 6-1 3-2 after the Georgian retired because of injury.

 

El Loro

Laura Robson reached the semi-finals of a tournament on the main WTA tour for the first time as she defeated Carla Suarez Navarro at the Italiacom Open.

The 18-year-old Briton beat the fifth seed 6-4 2-6 6-3 in two hours and two minutes in fierce heat in Sicily.

Robson, ranked 113th in the world, overcame the world number 41 in a match briefly delayed at the start of the third set because of the heat.

The final set had five breaks of serve in a row before Robson held to win.

On Thursday Robson had claimed the highest ranked victim of her career when she beat world number 27 Roberta Vinci, the second seed, to reach the last eight of the clay court tournament.

 

This result will probably mean that Laura Robson will break into the top 100 when the rankings are next announced, presumably on Monday.

El Loro

Heather Watson must be even happier than usual:

On the BBC website:

 

Heather Watson has won her first WTA tour title with a doubles victory at the Bank of West Classic in Stanford and has also become British number one.

The 20-year-old and her New Zealand partner Marina Erakovic beat Vania King and Jarmila Gajdosova 7-5 7-6 (9-7).

"This is my first WTA title, so I'm really happy right now," said Watson.

She rises to 71st in the singles rankings - making her the lead Briton for the first time - with three compatriots also in the top 100.

Anne Keothavong drops a place to 76th, Laura Robson is the youngest player in the top 100 at a career-high 91st and Elena Baltacha is 100th.

It is the first time Britain has had four women in the top 100 since 12 March 1991 when Jo Durie, Sara Gomer, Sarah Loosemore and Monique Javer formed the quartet.

 

Rise of the Brits

  • Heather Watson - world number 71
  • Anne Keothavong - 76
  • Laura Robson - 91
  • Elena Baltacha - 100

It was Watson's first title of any description on the WTA tour and serves as ideal preparation for her Olympic campaign.

She will compete for Team GB alongside 18-year-old Laura Robson after the pair were handed a doubles wildcard.

Against King and Gajdosova, Watson and Erakovic broke three times to win the first set before slipping behind early in the second.

They fought back to serve for the match at 5-3, only to let the lead slip and waste two match points on their opponents' delivery.

But Watson and Erakovic held firm in the tie-break to clinch victory.

"It's such a nice feeling getting to the end of the week and being the last ones here," the Briton added.

"We knew it wasn't going to be an easy match today - they're both great players and we knew we would really have to win it, they weren't going to give it to us."

El Loro

Having 4 Brits in the top 100 didn't last long. Only Heather Watson's ranking has improved in the last week moving up from 71 to 67. Anne Keothavong remains at 76. Laura Robson dropped to 96 and Elena Baltacha dropped out of the top 100 to 102. The players around the 90 to 100 rankings have similar levels of points, so it is not unusual to have fluctuations from week to week.

Heather Watson's rankings will probably drop a bit this week as she isn't playing this week with the Olympics doubles coming up.

 

El Loro

Current British singles ratings after the Olympics:

 

Heather Watson 70

Anne Keothavong 78

Laura Robson

Elena Baltacha 103

 

There were no ratings points added for the Mixed Doubles so Laura Robson's silver had no effect on her rating. There are separate doubles ratings, but the only British player in the top 100 is Heather Watson at 78.

 

 

El Loro

Current British singles rankings after the US Open:

 

Heather Watson 72

Laura Robson 75 (going up the rankings following her progress at the Open)

Anne Keothavong 82

Although Elena Baltacha is shown as a fall to 146, she has now retired and so will drop out of the rankings.

Johanna Konte had a good run at the Open and her ranking has shot up from 203 to 148.

 

El Loro

Laura Robson is continuing her good form. She's just beaten Zheng Jie 6-3 6-3 to reach the last eight of the Guangzhou Open.

The 18-year-old needed just 92 minutes to beat the second seed.

The left-hander dominated her Chinese opponent, ranked 52 places above her in the world, winning over 50% of points both serving and receiving.

She will now face another Chinese player, world number 48, Peng Shuai, in the quarter-finals.

 

Laura is steadily climbing the rankings and is currently the number 1 British woman. At the rate she is going, and considering the rankings of the players she has recently beaten, it is quite realistic to hope that she will get into the top 50 by the end of the season.

El Loro

Laura Robson has reached her second WTA singles semi-final with victory over Peng Shuai at China's Guangzhou Open.

After more than three hours, 74th-ranked Robson overcame China's world number 47 Peng to win 7-5 5-7 6-2.

Robson, 18, will play Romania's Sorana Cirstea, ranked 30th, in the last four after she saw off Alize Cornet 6-4 6-3.

The Londoner is aiming to become the first British woman to contest a main tour singles final since Jo Durie in 1990 in Newport, USA.

The last British woman to win a WTA singles title was Sara Gomer in July 1988 in Aptos, California.

Having won a silver medal in the Olympic mixed doubles and reached the US Open last 16, Robson's superb season continues.

She beat Zheng Jie to make the last eight and having battled past Peng in hot conditions, she will play Cirstea for the first time.

Robson broke the Peng serve three times, and decisively in game 12, to secure a tight opening set.

It was roles reversed in an equally combative second, but Robson composed herself to dominate the decider.

El Loro
Originally Posted by El Loro:

Current British singles rankings after the US Open:

 

Heather Watson 72

Laura Robson 75 (going up the rankings following her progress at the Open)

Anne Keothavong 82

Although Elena Baltacha is shown as a fall to 146, she has now retired and so will drop out of the rankings.

Johanna Konte had a good run at the Open and her ranking has shot up from 203 to 148.

 

Ahhh! I wondered what had happened that Baltacha had seemingly dropped away so dramatically.

Extremely Fluffy Fluffy Thing

Laura Robson has become the first British woman for 22 years to reach a WTA singles final with victory over Sorana Cirstea in Guangzhou, China.

The Londoner, 18, beat the Romanian third seed 6-4 6-2 to match Jo Durie's 1990 run to the final in Newport, USA.

Robson will play Chinese Taipei's Su-Wei Hsieh on Saturday after the world number 53 beat fourth seed Urszula Radwanska 6-1 3-6 6-0.

Sara Gomer was the last Briton to win a WTA singles title in 1988.

Robson, who became British number one on Monday with a career-high ranking of 74, has maintained the stunning form she showed in winning a silver medal in the Olympic mixed doubles and then beating Kim Clijsters and Li Na on her way to the fourth round of the US Open.

The Briton, who won the junior Wimbledon title as a 14-year-old, employed new coach Zeljko Krajan after the Olympics and has since gone on the best run of her developing career.

After beating seventh seed Shuai Peng and second seed Zheng Jie on her way the semi-finals in Guangzhou, Robson had too much for third seed Cirstea on Friday.

The teenager survived three break points in the opening game of the match before taking charge, building a 5-1 lead, only for Cirstea to find her range and blast her way back to 5-4 down.

Her hard work was undone, however, as Robson finally earned two set points on the Romanian's serve and converted the first with a thumping forehand winner.

A heavy backhand return into the corner set up a break point early in the second set and the inconsistent Cirstea netted a forehand to put the Briton 2-0 ahead.

Robson looked to have done enough when she won an epic sixth game of the set, converting her sixth break point to move 5-1 clear, but once again failed to serve out the set at the first time of asking.

It did not signal a prolonged fightback from Cirstea, however, with Robson attacking the Romanian's serve to break for the sixth time in the match and wrap up victory after one hour and 30 minutes.

 

El Loro

Laura Robson failed in her bid to become the first British woman since 1988 to win a WTA singles final as she was beaten 6-3 5-7 6-4 by Su-Wei Hsieh at the Guangzhou Open.

After Hsieh took the first set 6-3, the British number one saved five championship points at 5-3 down in the second set and battled back to win 7-5.

Robson continued to build momentum into the third set, taking a 3-0 lead.

But Hsieh then won five successive games and closed out the win.

 

El Loro

The current rankings released today:

Laura Robson 57 (up from 74) (as a result of getting to the final)

Heather Watson (78 from 75) (did not play last week)

Anne Keothavong 80 (no change) (did not play last week)

 

Laura Robson is taking a week off before next week's Chinese Open. Heather Watson in playing in Tokyo this week. Her first match is against Sabine Lisicki (ranked 30) and if she wins that she's likely to face Maria Sharapova (ranked 2).

 

El Loro

Britain's Heather Watson beat world number 30 Sabine Lisicki in straight sets to earn a second-round clash with Maria Sharapova in Tokyo.

The 20-year-old, who came through two matches in qualifying over the weekend, saw off Germany's Lisicki 6-4 7-6 (7-3) at the Pan Pacific Open.

Watson next faces Sharapova, who had a first-round bye as the second seed.

British number one Laura Robson has risen to 57 in the world after reaching her first WTA final on Saturday.

The 18-year-old had planned to play in Tokyo but her run to the final in Guangzhou, where she was beaten 6-3 5-7 6-4 by Su-Wei Hsieh, meant she was unable to make it to Japan for the qualifying rounds.

Watson, ranked 78th, will hope to close the gap in the developing battle for the British number one spot in Tokyo, although she faces a huge test against Sharapova in round two.

The pair have met once before, with the Russian prevailing in three sets at the 2011 US Open.

However, Watson will be buoyed by her victory over Lisicki, who was ranked 12th in the world in May.

A solitary break was enough to give the Briton the opening set as she saved four break points and, after two breaks apiece in the second, Watson dominated the tie-break, moving to 6-1 and converting her third match point.

El Loro

Britain's Heather Watson was knocked out of the Pan Pacific Open in Japan with a narrow defeat by world number two Maria Sharapova of Russia.

The 20-year-old from Guernsey was edged out 6-7 (7-9) 6-3 6-4 in a match lasting more than three hours and featuring 14 breaks of serve.

Sharapova hit 14 double faults but held firm to repeat her three-set victory over Watson at the 2011 US Open.

Watson came through qualifying and upset Sabine Lisicki in round one.

The world number 78 beat 30th-ranked Lisicki 6-4 7-6 (7-3) but saw her run brought to an end by Sharapova.

"It was a tough three-setter, very physical, but I went out there to win and I gave it everything I had," Watson, who aims to finish 2012 inside the world's top 50, told the Tennis Space website. 

"I maybe didn't take advantage of winning that close first set and trying to get ahead quick in the second.

"But I've gained more experience today, I know what I need to do, I know where I stand, I know what I need to improve."

Watson twice came from a break down in the first set to force a tie-break, in which she overturned a 3-0 deficit and saved set points before coming through when Sharapova netted a forehand.

The Russian broke early in set two and, although Watson struck back, she held for a 3-2 lead with a sixth ace of the match.

Three successive breaks followed, Sharapova with two of them to take control before serving out to force a decider.

For the third set in succession, Watson lost her first service game - but again she found the same response, levelling at 1-1.

Sharapova broke for the eighth time in the match to lead 4-3 and, serving at 5-4, a ninth ace helped her over the line.

"I didn't play my best tennis but I ended up winning the match and I have a chance of going out tomorrow and playing better," said 2009 winner Sharapova, who made 67 unforced errors.

"I hope to be the champion again, I have such good memories of this court. It was the first major tournament I won after my shoulder surgery."

El Loro

Although Heather Watson won her first round in the qualifying stages for this week's Chinese Open she lost the second round match so misses out on the main competition.

 

Laura Robson fared better winning both rounds of the qualifung stages. Her first match in the main competition was against Kimiko Date-Krumm (one of the more delightful names in tennis). She has won that match winninh 6-4, 6-4. Laura Robson's opponent in the second round is Lourdes Dominguez Lino.

El Loro

Laura Robson's hopes of breaking into the world's top-50 for the first time suffered a setback when she was knocked out of the China Open in round two.

The 18-year-old Briton was defeated 7-5 6-3 by Spain's Lourdes Dominguez Lino.

An evenly matched opening set went with serve until Dominguez Lino converted the first break point of the contest in the very last game.

Quick breaks saw the Spaniard take a 3-1 lead in the second and she wrapped up victory in just over 90 minutes.

Robson, who won Olympic mixed doubles silver with Andy Murray this summer, has risen from world number 131 to 60 in a year and became the first British woman to reach a WTA final since 1990 when she was a runner-up at the Guangzhou Open in September.

She also reached the fourth round of the US Open, before losing to defending champion Samantha Stosur.

Robson returns to action at next week's HP Open in Osaka, Japan.

El Loro

Not a lot of change in the rankings released today:

Laura Robson 56 (from 60)

Heather Watson 71 (no change)

Anne Keothavong 82 (from 80)

 

Laura Robson and Heather Watson are playing in Osaka this week. Laura Robson is seeded 8th and if she gets to the semi-finals stage I think she could break into the top 50. Heather Watson would have to win to have any chance of also getting into the top 50.

 

El Loro

Elena Baltacha has undergone successful surgery on a foot injury as the Scot contemplates whether to continue her tennis playing career.

The 29-year-old former British number one said in July she would be taking six months off to recover from injury.

She has now posted photographs  of her foot in plaster on Facebook.

"It looks like I'll be on crutches for a few weeks, but, after that, there'll be no stopping me."

Baltacha, now based in Ipswich, has slipped outside the top 100 in the world rankings and now lies at 135 following her inactivity since competing at the Olympics in London.

And she is down to number four in the British rankings behind Laura Robson, Heather Watson and Anne Keothavong.

"I have had the problem for about five years, but this year has been the worst," Baltacha told BBC Sport before her surgery. "I've missed quite a few tournaments and been told that I have to have surgery."

Baltacha said she be looking to do some "pre-season" training in November or December before deciding whether to return to the tennis circuit in February or retire.

She might instead dedicate her time to the Elena Baltacha Academy she has establsihed in Ipswich.

"If I miss that tennis life and want to get on a plane and give it another go, I will do that," he said. "But, if I decide that I want to dedicate my life to the academy, that's what I'll do."

El Loro

Mixed fortunes in today's quarter finals:

 

Britain's Heather Watson advanced to the semi-finals of the Japan Open in Osaka but British number one Laura Robson lost in a final set tie-break.

World number 71 Watson beat Pauline Parmentier of France, ranked 73, 7-5 6-3 in just under two hours and is now guaranteed to move into the top 60.

The 20-year-old faces Japan's Misaki Doe after she beat seventh seed Chanelle Scheepers 2-6 6-1 6-3.

But eighth seed Robson lost 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-4) to Chang Kai-chen of Taipei.

Watson's match featured 12 breaks of serve in the 21 games, with the Guernsey player recording her fourth late in the first set and three more in the second.

Robson,18, the world number 56, dropped her serve twice as she lost the first set to the world number 134, but the deciding set went with serve all the way, with not even a break point for either player, before Chang claimed the crucial advantage.

El Loro

Britain's Heather Watson is through to her first WTA Tour singles final after beating home favourite Misaki Doi in two tight sets at the Japan Open.

Watson, 20, prevailed 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 in Osaka to set up a meeting with Australian top seed Sam Stosur or Kai-Chen Chang of Chinese Taipei.

Each player broke once in the first set before Watson easily won the tie-break.

World number 71 Watson broke four times to Doi's three in the second set to triumph in two hours, one minute.

Watson's achievement comes just three weeks after Laura Robson became the first British woman to reach a WTA singles final.

Robson, 18, lost in three sets to Su-Wei Hsieh at the Guangzhou Open, with Watson aiming to go one better in Sunday's final.

 

 

El Loro

Heather Watson has become the first British woman to win a WTA singles title since 1988 after beating Chang Kai-chen in the Japan Open final.

Watson, who had served for the match at 5-3 in the second set, saved four match points when 5-4 down in the third.

The world number 71 recovered to be victorious in the deciding tie-break, winning 7-5 5-7 7-6 (7-4).

Sara Gomer was the last British woman to win on the tour, four years before 20-year-old Watson was born.

Watson's win in Osaka comes less than a month after compatriot Laura Robson made it to the final of the Guangzhou Open in China, becoming the first British woman to reach a WTA singles final since Jo Durie in 1990.

Watson had not previously gone past the quarter-finals of a WTA event and will now replace Robson as the British number one.

The 2009 US Open girls' champion earned 16 break points but conceded 17 in a see-saw battle with world number 134 Chang.

Watson broke four times in the first set, only to drop her serve three times in the second to let the 21-year-old from Chinese Taipei back in to the contest.

And Chang, who beat Sam Stosur in the semi-finals, looked set for victory when she held three match points when serving in the 10th game of the decider.

But Watson, from Guernsey, fought back, and sealed the biggest success of her career with her second match point in the tie-break.

She has also reached the doubles final alongside Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm.

They will play United States pair Abigail Spears and Raquel Kops-Jones, with Watson bidding to become the first Briton to win both the singles and doubles at the same WTA tournament since Anne Hobbs in 1985.

El Loro

Rankings issued today show little change:

Heather Watson remains at 49

Laura Robson remains at 53

Anne Keothavong has fallen to 143

Johanna Keothavong has slipped to 156

 

I believe that the women's tennis season has now finished so I expect these rankings to stay unchanged until next year. There is every reason to hope that Heather Watson and Laura Robson will improve in the rankings.

 

El Loro

Laura Robson is the WTA's Newcomer Of The Year.

 

Since winning the Wimbledon junior title as a 14-year-old in 2008, she had been touted as one of the next big things in the pros - and in the second half of 2012 she came through on that promise in a big way with a string of big results, most notably a run to the second week of the US Open. And with that, Laura Robson is the WTA's Newcomer Of The Year.

Though she had played some close matches with top players for years, Robson left Wimbledon this year without having converted on any of those, and having never won back-to-back matches at the WTA level - but something clicked on the clay of Palermo the week after Wimbledon, as Robson made her first WTA semifinal, scoring her first Top 30 win along the way against Roberta Vinci.

Two more huge results followed at the end of the summer, as Robson made it all the way to the fourth round of the US Open, the first Brit in 14 years to make the second week of a Grand Slam, then the final of Guangzhou, the first Brit in 22 years to reach a WTA final. Her US Open run was of particular note as she beat Kim Clijsters in the former No.1's last pro match in the second round, as well as beating Li Na in the third round, the first Top 10 win of her career.

Robson finished the year with another WTA quarterfinal over in Osaka.

Having gone into Palermo in July ranked No.113, Robson went as high as No.52 in October, then finished at No.53 on the November 5 year-end rankings.

Robson commented on being the WTA's Newcomer Of The Year.

"It's a huge honor to have won the 2012 WTA Newcomer Of The Year award," Robson commented. "I looked at the list of past winners and it's certainly a very impressive line-up that includes many of my idols growing up - I hope that I can go on to achieve close to what many of the past winners have achieved in their careers. 2012 has been a very enjoyable year for me and I look forward to building on the progress that I have made in 2012 and the season ahead."

And what were Robson's personal highlights from her breakthrough season?

"There have been a few great moments this past year; making the Olympic team and coming away with a silver medal in the mixed doubles, partnering Andy Murray, was a very special moment for me and gave me the extra bit of confidence that helped me play some of my best tennis at the US Open. I reached my first WTA semifinal in Palermo earlier in the year along with my first WTA final in Guangzhou and finished the year with a career-high ranking.

"I am working hard and it's nice that the hard work is paying off!"

 

 

Past winners of the WTA Newcomer of the Year award have included the likes of the Williams sisters, Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova.

 

 

El Loro

On the BBC website:

 

Elena Baltacha hopes to return from injury in March and believes she can play for at least two more years.

The Scot, 29, under went foot surgery in October and, having not played since the Olympic Games in July, admitted she had doubts over coming back.

She has slipped to 173 in the world but has a protected ranking of 103, so will qualify for Grand Slams on her return.

"My motivation to come back is that I think I've still got two or three more years," Baltacha told BBC Sport.

"I don't think having that last match at the Olympics against Ana [Ivanovic] was the right time to pack it in. To be honest, I really needed that break. I didn't realise how exhausted I was, mentally and emotionally, and I hit a wall.

"Having the six months off, doing a bit of coaching with the EBAT (Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis)  girls, really made me realise where I fell short as a player. Not seeing it as a player but as a coach, it made me realise where I struggled as a player and what I needed to do."

Asked if she believed she could overhaul the likes of Laura Robson and Heather Watson to regain the British number one spot, Baltacha said: "I think anything is possible."

Watson and Robson have excelled in her absence, with the former becoming the first British woman to win a WTA title since 1988 and ending the year ranked 49, and the latter rising to 53 in the world and being named WTA newcomer of the year.

"I'm not ruling anything out but I'm not going into it thinking, 'I have to be number one,'" Baltacha added.

"If I come back and I'm not, I'm still going to be very happy with what I've achieved - being top 50 two years on the trot, all my top-10 wins - I will always be very, very proud of what I achieved.

"If it doesn't happen then that's just the way it is, but if I do, absolutely fantastic."

Baltacha's last match was a second-round loss to Ana Ivanovic at the Olympics, and the Briton admitted that at the time she had not expected to return, saying: "I went in knowing that was going to be my last tournament. I was so tired, mentally and emotionally."

However, Baltacha is now eight weeks into her rehabilitation and several weeks ahead of schedule, with hopes of returning to the practice court in the new year.

The plan is to compete again in Indian Wells,  which would prove a tough test after an eight-month lay-off as one of the most prestigious events on the circuit.

"I know it's probably going to be quite a few levels above what I'll be capable of, but the reason I picked it is it's one of my favourite tournaments," she said.

"It's a good goal and will push me to try and get ready for that and give it a go. If I'm not ready then I'll come back in April and start on the clay. The last two years I've really enjoyed playing on clay. I never thought I'd ever say that but the last two years I've absolutely loved it."

El Loro

From the BBC:

 

Guernsey tennis player Heather Watson is targeting a top-20 world ranking by the end of 2013.

Watson became the first British woman to win a WTA singles title in 25 years when she won the Japan Open in October.

"It was so special, it's given me the confidence to get fit and motivate myself for the new year," she told BBC Guernsey.

"I have a general idea about world rankings and I'd love to be around the 20s at the end of 2013."

The world number 49 had previously never got past the quarter-finals of a WTA event before her win in Japan and she is excited about the future.

The 20-year-old added: "It's been a great year, but I still feel I have a long way to go and a lot of improving to do which is the exciting thing.

"I'm sitting down with my team this week and discussing what my goals are going to be for next year."

El Loro

Laura Robson put on a commanding display to race past American Melanie Oudin and reach round two of the Australian Open for the first time.

The British number two, who turns 19 next week, hit 11 aces and a succession of forehand winners in a 6-2 6-3 win to join compatriot Heather Watson in the second round.

 

Heather Watson's second round match will be against Ksenia Pervak who beat the number 32 seed Mona Barthel.

Laura Robson's second round match is against the number 8 seed Petra Kvitova.

El Loro

Heather Watson produced a miraculous escape from three match points down to beat Ksenia Pervak and reach the third round of the Australian Open.

The British number one, 20, looked as good as out when she trailed the Kazakh by a set and 6-3 in the second set tie-break on a blisteringly hot Court Eight.

But Watson refused to buckle, finally finding her rhythm from the baseline at the crucial moment, and she battled back to win 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 after three hours and two minutes.

She will play in-form fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the last 32.

That will be a mighty test against a player who has won all 11 matches and two titles in 2013, but that is a concern for Friday.

For now, the world number 50 can reflect on a day when her tennis was way below par but her fighting spirit proved irresistible.

 

Whatever happens on Friday, Heather Watson will rise in the rankings to at least 43.

El Loro
Originally Posted by El Loro:

Heather Watson produced a miraculous escape from three match points down to beat Ksenia Pervak and reach the third round of the Australian Open.

The British number one, 20, looked as good as out when she trailed the Kazakh by a set and 6-3 in the second set tie-break on a blisteringly hot Court Eight.

But Watson refused to buckle, finally finding her rhythm from the baseline at the crucial moment, and she battled back to win 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 after three hours and two minutes.

She will play in-form fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the last 32.

That will be a mighty test against a player who has won all 11 matches and two titles in 2013, but that is a concern for Friday.

For now, the world number 50 can reflect on a day when her tennis was way below par but her fighting spirit proved irresistible.

 

Whatever happens on Friday, Heather Watson will rise in the rankings to at least 43.

Great news for British tennis - at long last we're beginning to break through 

Soozy Woo

Today's great news:

 

Per the BBC website:

Laura Robson claimed another big Grand Slam scalp with an epic late-night win over former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova at the Australian Open.

The British number two beat the Czech eighth seed 2-6 6-3 11-9 in an error-strewn but dramatic match that did not finish until 00:30 local time.

Robson, who turns 19 on Monday, recovered from 3-0 down in the final set to join compatriot Heather Watson in the third round.

She next faces American 29th seed Sloane Stephens, with a chance of matching her run at the US Open, where she beat Li Na and Kim Clijsters on her way to the last 16.

"I knew it was going to be a really tough match," Robson said. "I have always struggled against 'lefties' anyway.

"I was just trying to return her serves and it was very hard. But I knew once I got my returns firing a bit and I got a bit more confidence in my serve, I would get myself into the match, and that is what I managed to do."

On a brutal Melbourne day that saw the temperature peak at 40.4C, conditions were still stifling when the pair walked onto Rod Laver Arena at around 9.30pm local time.

It was the first meeting between the pair, whose games are both based around swinging left-handed serves and heavy forehand, and often compared.

Robson played a desperately nervous opening game, double-faulting twice and netting a volley as she was quickly broken to love, only for Kvitova to hand it straight back.

The pattern was set, with Kvitova taking the first set by virtue of making marginally fewer errors and more winners, albeit struggling herself.

Robson levelled with two breaks in the second set as her faltering forehand return began to find its target more regularly, although both players were crippled by service errors.

The match came down to a decider but with the time approaching midnight, and after an hour and a half of largely ugly tennis, a sizeable number of spectators headed for the exit.

They missed out on a gripping finale, a 94-minute final set in which Kvitova opened aggressively and played her best tennis of the match to lead 3-0.

But the double-faults that plagued her evening finally took their toll, two in the fifth game letting Robson back into the set before a repeat performance in the seventh game.

It was Robson who first had the chance to serve out the match at 6-5 up, but Kvitova came out swinging with a drop shot and a thumping return.

After 13 breaks of serve in three sets, the next six games became a shoot-out as the two players showed why their serves can be such devastating weapons, but it was Kvitova who folded once too often.

Her 18th double-fault of the match - to go alongside 18 aces - helped Robson to another break at 9-9 and, cheered on by the majority of the remaining crowd, the Melbourne-born Londoner closed it out to love.

"I don't think that I ever had a worse serve than today," said Kvitova.

The Czech added: "I think that she surprised me with the serve. She's lefty, it's dangerous and I had some trouble with it. She's trying to play very fast and her forehand is good.

"She had a serve for the match and she didn't make it, but she had a second chance and she did it. She did pretty well."

El Loro

Heather Watson's Australian Open run came to an end with a straight-sets defeat by Polish fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska.

After a strong start, the British number one went down 6-3 6-1 in 84 minutes on Hisense Arena.

The classy Radwanska outmanoeuvred Watson in a match that ended under the roof because of rain, and she will face former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic in round four.

 

Laura Robson's match against Sloane Stephens tomorrow will be a good test to see how far Laura Robson has progressed to date in her career as Sloane Stephens (ranked 25) is the closest to Laura in age in the top 50. (Heather Watson is slightly older than both). Sloane Stephens has to be a strong contender for getting to the top of the rankings over the next 2 to 3 years.

El Loro

Laura Robson's Australian Open campaign came to an end in a straight sets third-round defeat by Sloane Stephens.

The British number two was repeatedly treated for a shoulder problem as she lost 7-5 6-3 in one hour 49 minutes to the 19-year-old American.

Stephens, seeded 29th made a strong start, as Robson struggled with injury.

A string of unforced errors hindered the Briton's progress in the second set and denied her a second successive fourth-round Grand Slam appearance.

El Loro

Success during this last week for GB in the Federation cup.

 

Great Britain secured a Fed Cup World Group II play-off in April after winning their Euro/Africa Group I play-off against Bulgaria in Eilat, Israel.

Laura Robson put them ahead with a 6-0 6-4 victory over Dia Evtimova.

British number one Heather Watson lost the first set in 25 minutes against Tsvetana Pironkova but captured five successive games to win 1-6 6-4 6-2.

On Wednesday, Britain will learn who they face in the Group II play-off on 20-21 April.

World number 45 Robson was quickly in command against Evtimova, ranked 253, taking the first set in 21 minutes.

Evtimova briefly threatened by breaking the Robson serve early in the second set, but the British number two swiftly broke back and finished things off neatly in under an hour, her fifth win out of five this week.

Watson lost seven games in a row against world number 44 Pironkova but secured her first break of the match in the seventh game of set two and soon took charge of the deciding set, surging into a 4-0 advantage.

Pironkova, 25, broke the Watson serve to get back to 4-2, but Watson promptly broke back then held serve to wrap up the triumph for Britain.

El Loro

Great Britain (ranked 16) has been drawn away to Argentina (ranked 17) in the Fed Cup World Group II play-offs. Matches to be played 20-21 April,

 

The rest of the draw is:

Belgium (13) v Poland (18)

France (15) v Kazakhstan (19)

and Ukraine (14) v Canada (21).

 

GB team:

Heather Watson (41)

Laura Robson (45)

Anne Keothavong (150)

and Johanna Konta (143)

Argentine team:

Florencia Molinero (214)

Maria Irigoyen (215)

Mailen Aureux (280)

and Paula Ormachea (195)

 

Considering that all 4 of the GB players are currently higher ranked than any of the Argentinians, the GB team must be hopeful though they would have much preferred a home tie.

The rankings shown are the current one on the Fed Cup rankings list for the countries and the WTA singles ones for the individuals.

 

El Loro

British number one Heather Watson has moved to a career-high 39th place in the world rankings.

The 20-year-old from Guernsey is up one spot after making the top 40 for the first time last month, while fellow Briton Laura Robson, 19, is still 43rd.

Watson recently made the last eight of the US Indoor Championship and got through to the last 16 in Pattaya City.

Serena Williams holds the number one ranking after regaining it last week.

The top 10 is unchanged, with the exception of Czech player Petra Kvitova, who moves up from eighth to seventh, swapping places with Italy's Sara Errani.

Britain's Johanna Konta, 21, has dropped two places to 153 in the world, while 29-year-old Anne Keothavong moves up two places to 183.

Elena Baltacha, 29, also moves up the rankings to 188 from 191.

El Loro

Laura Robson says she has almost fully recovered from a chest infection that has affected her since London 2012.

The British number two revealed she was struggling with the problem, following her defeat in Dubai last week.

"The infection is in the process of clearing up - I'll be fine for Indian Wells in March," the 19-year-old said.

"I've had another course of antibiotics and I'm as good as new. It's always tough playing when you're ill - it was my decision to play in Doha and Dubai."

Robson is looking to compete in Miami and Charleston, before joining her Great Britain team-mates for the World Group II play-off Fed Cup tie against Argentina in mid-April.

El Loro

Laura Robson and Heather Watson both suffered first-round defeats on a bad day for Britain's women at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu beat British number one Watson - who failed to convert six break points - 6-2 6-4.

Robson then let a commanding 6-2 4-1 lead slip as Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson hit back to win 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-1.

Analysis

A check to the progress of Watson and Robson who for all their promise, and the achievement in getting this far, are both struggling right now.

Robson, who has lost three first-round matches in succession, was dejected as she tried to analyse her defeat to Arvidsson from a commanding position.

Not much analysis required: she just couldn't keep enough in the court. A real shame because she had played so freely in the early stages.

Watson's demise was strangely straightforward and it was unusual to see her struggling to reach balls struck by Begu, her Romanian opponent.

At 39 and 43 respectively, Watson and Robson have rankings to be proud of. But as current results are proving, things are only going to get tougher at this level.

Andy Murray will return to action when the leading men begin their campaigns at the weekend.

Watson, 20, is currently at a career-high ranking of 39 in the world but it did not show against Begu, ranked 53rd and with only two wins in 2013 coming into Indian Wells.

The Romanian, 22, broke twice in each set, saving five break points in the second as Watson put the pressure on, to prevail in one hour and 43 minutes on Court Three.

Watson said afterwards she was "physically 100%", telling BBC Radio 5 live: "Today wasn't my best day at the office.

"I didn't really play well but my opponent is a great player and I feel like these courts really suit her game, and she played very smart. I wasn't really able to keep many balls in play. I wasn't really there today."

She added: "I feel the courts are just very different, like a clay court - they're very, very slow and it bounces very high here."

As that match finished, Robson was already well set over on Court Two as she eased into a healthy lead, and the 19-year-old looked on course to put recent back-to-back defeats in Doha and Dubai behind her.

However, Arvidsson, 29, is ranked just six places lower than Robson at 49 in the world and had won their only previous match in the Fed Cup last April.

As Robson's serve began to let her down, the experienced Swede took advantage, reeling in the Briton and then dominating the tie-break, before racing away with the decider.

Both Robson and Watson will now head to the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, which begins on 19 March.

El Loro

Serious news today from the BBC:

 

Heather Watson plans break from tennis after Miami loss

British number one Heather Watson intends to take a break from tennis after losing in the first round for the second tournament in succession.

She was beaten 1-6 7-5 6-4 by Ayumi Morita of Japan in the Miami Masters, and is yet to win a match since reaching 39 in the world rankings.

"This year I've been going a bit too long so I'm a bit burnt out," she told BBC Radio 5 live.

"I've been thinking about it now for a while and I'm going to take a break."

The 20-year-old, who also lost to Irina-Camelia Begu in Indian Wells earlier this month easily won the first set against Morita and raced into a 4-1 lead in the next.

Analysis

"Watson has done brilliantly to reach number 39 in the world, and will come good again, but her talk of feeling burnt out and needing a break underlines how difficult it is to stay at this level.

"She wasn't going into specifics about the break, but she will want to be fully recharged for the French Open and the grass court season, which are only couple of months away."

But Morita, ranked 11 places below her young opponent, hit back to lead 5-4 and broke Watson again to force a decider.

The 23-year-old Japanese player secured two more breaks and completed victory in two hours 45 minutes when she converted a third match point.

"I was looking at the stats and I actually won more points, but that can happen in tennis," Watson observed.

"It really hurts, I think I just need to find myself, find my game again."

Asked about losing the pattern of the match after such a dominant start she said: "I was playing really well, probably the best I've played this year, and I think I lost my concentration a bit, but that was enough for her to gain some confidence and step forward, and it kind of pushed me back and I started to play a lot worse.

"I still tried to fight but it just wasn't good enough, I wasn't aggressive enough."

Despite reaching her current career-high ranking in February, Watson is yet to beat a player ranked higher than her this season.

The Guernsey-born Briton benefitted from the retirement of world number 27 Sorana Cirstea in her season-opening event in Auckland.

She was denied the chance to change that statistic as Ayumi advanced to play Belgian world number 30 Yanina Wickmayer in the next round.

El Loro

British number one Heather Watson has decided to continue with her tennis schedule less than 24 hours after stating she would take a break.

Watson made the initial announcement on Tuesday after a first-round defeat for the second tournament in a row, saying she felt "burnt out".

But she told BBC Radio 5 live on Wednesday that she meant she wanted to return home to Guernsey for a few days.

 

 

Laura Robson is through to the second round of the Miami Masters beating Camila Giorgi, of Italy, 6-2 4-6 6-3.

 

El Loro

On the BBC website today:

Heather Watson will miss next week's WTA tournament in Charleston, South Carolina, with a leg injury.

Her agent says she is being treated at the National Tennis Centre and should be fit in time for the Fed Cup Group II play-off in Argentina on 20 April.

The 20-year-old British number one announced earlier this month she had planned to take a break before changing her mind within 24 hours.

Fed Cup team-mate Laura Robson will take part in the Charleston tournament.

El Loro
Originally Posted by Cold Sweat:

Laura Robson has reached the Miami doubles final which takes place sometime after the Murray vs Ferrer mens final.

Unfortunately she and Lisa Raymond lost 1-6, 6-7. They may decide to pair up again for future doubles. Getting to the finals has shot Laura up the double rankings from 278 to 90 (the mixed doubles at the Olympics did not qualify for any ranking points).

El Loro

Laura Robson eased into round two of the Family Circle Cup with a routine victory over Estrella Cabeza Candela.

World number 42 Robson, seeded 16th for the green-clay event, eased past her Spanish opponent 6-2 6-2 in 74 minutes.

The British number two, buoyed by reaching the women's doubles at the Sony Open in Miami last week, converted five of 11 break points in Charleston against the world number 108.

Next up for Robson, 19, is Canadian qualifier Eugenie Bouchard.

El Loro

It's become clear why Heather Watson has been having a tough time of it in recent weeks.

 

Just posted on the BBC website:

British number one Heather Watson has been diagnosed with glandular fever.

The 20-year-old has had a string of early-round exits of late and in March announced that she would take a break from the sport, before reversing the decision 24 hours later.

Blood tests have revealed traces of the virus, although doctors say she is at the tail-end of the fever.

Watson said: "I am relieved to know what is wrong so that I can get myself on the mend."

 

I hope she recovers quickly as I know glandular fever can hang around for weeks and sometimes months.

El Loro

Heather Watson's announcement on her Facebook page:

 

I had to do some blood tests after Miami and the results have shown that I have traces of Glandular Fever (mono) in my system. There is no prescription for this other than complete rest but the good news is that the doctors have told me I am on the tail end of the fever. This means I have been trying to compete through the symtoms for some time. I have been struggling with both training and playing matches and felt so tired and exhausted for months but now that the doctors have found the cause of this, it explains everything that has been happening to me physically and mentally. I am actually relieved to know what is wrong so that I can get myself on the mend.

I hope to recover as soon as possible by resting my body and getting lots of sleep. I already feel better from being at home for a week, and am looking forward to getting back on Tour soon!

El Loro

The Federation Cup tie between GB and Argentina started today in Buenos Aires. Whichever country wins will play in World Group II next year. It had been hoped that Heather Watson would be in the GB team but with her down with glandular fever she had to withdraw. The team therefore consists of Laura Robson, Johanna Konte, Anne Keothavong and Elena Baltacha who has been out for 8 months and has only just started playing again. With Heather Watson out, a lot falls on Laura Robson to get GB through.

 

The Federation Cup is like the Davis cup. On the first day there are two singles matches. Then on the following day, there's one doubles match followed by teo further singles matches. Whichever team wins 3 of the matches is the winner.

 

The first singles match was between Johanna Konte and Paula Ormaechea. Paula Ormaechea is ranked 143, 21 places higher than Johanna Konte who lost 3-6, 2-6.

 

The second singles match was between Laura Robson (ranked 38) and Florencia Molinero (ranked 224). Laura Robson had quite an emphatic win winning 6-1, 6-1.

 

So it's 1 match each at the end of the first day and all to play for tomorrow.

 

The singles matches are Robson/Ormaechea and Konte/Molinero. The doubles are Laura Robson (doubles ranked 93) and Anne Keothavong (135) against Mailen Auroux (138) and Maria Irigoyen (134). It could be quite a day.

 

 

El Loro

Laura Robson has been having quite a tough time in recent weeks losing many first round matches in WTA competitions. However things are looking up. She won her first round match in the Madrid Open against Magdalena Rybarikova 6-7, 6-2, 6-2. Her second round match was against the 4th seed Agnieszka Radwanska. In the last few minutes Laura has beaten her in straight sets 6-3 6-1. That will do her confidence which had been badly shaken a lot of good.

El Loro
Originally Posted by El Loro:

Laura Robson has been having quite a tough time in recent weeks losing many first round matches in WTA competitions. However things are looking up. She won her first round match in the Madrid Open against Magdalena Rybarikova 6-7, 6-2, 6-2. Her second round match was against the 4th seed Agnieszka Radwanska. In the last few minutes Laura has beaten her in straight sets 6-3 6-1. That will do her confidence which had been badly shaken a lot of good.

I see Robson pushed Ana Ivanovic to a final set tie-break in the last 16.

 

Great to see she can mix it with the elite seeded players.

Cold Sweat
Originally Posted by Cold Sweat:
Originally Posted by El Loro:

Laura Robson has been having quite a tough time in recent weeks losing many first round matches in WTA competitions. However things are looking up. She won her first round match in the Madrid Open against Magdalena Rybarikova 6-7, 6-2, 6-2. Her second round match was against the 4th seed Agnieszka Radwanska. In the last few minutes Laura has beaten her in straight sets 6-3 6-1. That will do her confidence which had been badly shaken a lot of good.

I see Robson pushed Ana Ivanovic to a final set tie-break in the last 16.

 

Great to see she can mix it with the elite seeded players.

Although Ana Ivanovic beat Laura Robson, Laura will have regained her confidence. Whether it will be this year or next she clearly has the potential to get into the top 20.

El Loro

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