WOMEN’S FINAL
[47] Dayana Yastremska (UKR) vs. [49] Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS)
FIRST SET NERVES
This was the second final for the Ukrainian and the fourth for the Australian; yet, Yastremska has a title to her name and Tomljanovic had yet to win her first title. The nerves were apparent in the first set for the Australian who struggled to find her serve the entire set. At 5-1 up, a bit of tension crept into the game of the Ukrainian and she lost her serve; however, the reprieve for Tomljanovic was short lived as she was promptly broken in her next service game to lose the first set 2-6.
SECOND SET TENSION
Now one set away from capturing her second WTA trophy, the Ukrainian began to get tight. She made more errors off the ground because she stopped moving freely and she lost the rhythm on her serve. Tomljanovic was quick to capitalize on her opponent’s tension and broke to take the lead. Despite breaking back, Yastremska could not hold on the her serve and for the second consecutive service game, she double faulted to give the break back to her opponent.
The most unpredictable variable on the tennis court is not the weather, it is pressure. Every player reacts to pressure negatively; yet, some are more able to fight through the tension better than others. Yastremska came out playing seemingly without any pressure and she ran away with the first set; however, that was not the case in the second set, the pressure caught up to her as she contemplated the prospect of winning her second title. She either hit the ball into the net or sent it long and Tomljanovic won the second set 6-2.
ONE SET TO DECIDE THE WINNER
Both players were tense. Yastremska could barely serve and Tomljanovic could barely get the ball in play. The winner of this match would be the player who could shrug off the tension long enough to play consistently quality tennis. The veteran Tomljanovic shrugged off her nervous start and buckled down in the deciding set to play some of her best tennis. She kept the ball in play better than Yastremska, who tried to punish every ball. The Australian changed the pace on her shots and employed the drop shot to unravel the Ukrainian.
MEDICAL TIMEOUT PLOY – PERHAPS?
At 2-5 down, Yastremska took a medical timeout for left leg/ankle injury. This completely rattled Tomljanovic, who subsequently went on to lose back to back service games. At 5-6 down, Tomljanovic quieted the nerves, held her serve and forced a deciding set tiebreak. However, it was not enough as Yastremska won the breaker 7-6(3) to win her second WTA title. Tomljanovic comes up short once again and this one may be a quite bitter pill for her to swallow under the circumstances.
Yastremska won 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(3).
SOURCE OF IMAGES: Zimbio.com (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America: Dayana Yastremska-main photo).
