05-24-2018, 10:11 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-24-2018, 11:00 AM by ColoradoTree.)
Nice job bouncing back from Arbuthnott, who breaks right back and takes the second set. (She was promptly broken in the first game, but it's not like Kuhlman has been serving well, either.) Frankie was out there with Gordon for a while, but talked to Arbuthnott on the set break to get her third set started the right way.
Drama in Gordon's match! A close line call by Gordon on deuce point (it was either wide like she called it, or it just caught the line--I couldn't say for sure based on the video), the chair umpire doesn't overrule, and Talaba and her coaches are heated. That was a few minutes of arguing, but Gordon's call stands, and she gets the pivotal break to go up 4-3 in the third.
Well, whether Michaela's line call was correct or not, Talaba responded to the situation better and came out strong in the next game, breaking right back to level at 4-4.
Biiiiig break for Gordon, and she's up 5-4 and will serve for the match.
Meanwhile, Arbuthnott broke back and held to go up 2-1 in her third.
Three terrific points to open Gordon's service game, but they all go Talaba's way. But after a service winner and two great points of her own, Gordon forced a deuce point that was also a match point for her. After another lengthy point--this is great tennis, by the way--Talaba got the break and we're back on serve at 5-5. Darn. Gordon has stayed aggressive, and got to a deuce point on Talaba's serve, but Talaba held to go up 6-5, and Gordon will serve to force a tiebreaker for the match.
Arbuthnott, for her part, broke again and consolidated, and is now serving up 4-2 in the third.
Arbuthnott was broken, so it's now back on serve at 4-3 in the third, and that causes a visit to the mound, with Frankie trying to get her back on track.
Gordon held a deuce point to force a tiebreaker. Great drama!
Talaba up a minibreak early, 2-0. But Gordon wins the next three and gets the minibreak back, going up 3-2 before Talaba wins the next point on Gordon's serve, and we're 3-3 as they change ends. Gordon has been terrific at the end of this first set. When she's losing points, it's because she's perhaps being a bit too aggressive and just missing deep or wide. But she is working the angles, and Talaba is just trying to get many of these back. Now back down a minibreak, with Talaba serving up 4-3. Talaba won both points to get within a point of the match at 6-3, but Gordon wins both her points to get to 5-6.
Frankie's pep talk worked, as Arbuthnott broke right back and then held a deuce point to win her match 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Sigh. Talaba takes it, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(5). A great match between two great players. And Emily Arbuthnott is a singles All-American!
Doubles is in under 2 hours--not ideal after two long matches.
In the Round of 16, there are 4 players each from the ACC, SEC, and the West Coast Conference, 2 from the Pac-12, 1 from the Big 12, and 1 from the AAC.
Arbuthnott's reward for making the Round of 16 and securing All-American status in singles is to play Vanderbilt's Astra Sharma, who only lost one game in her match today. Emily will fight, because that's what she does, but I just can't see it.
Doubles still to come today, but Stanford's All-American honors are set. Michaela Gordon and Emily Arbuthnott are All-Americans in both singles and doubles.
Drama in Gordon's match! A close line call by Gordon on deuce point (it was either wide like she called it, or it just caught the line--I couldn't say for sure based on the video), the chair umpire doesn't overrule, and Talaba and her coaches are heated. That was a few minutes of arguing, but Gordon's call stands, and she gets the pivotal break to go up 4-3 in the third.
Well, whether Michaela's line call was correct or not, Talaba responded to the situation better and came out strong in the next game, breaking right back to level at 4-4.
Biiiiig break for Gordon, and she's up 5-4 and will serve for the match.
Meanwhile, Arbuthnott broke back and held to go up 2-1 in her third.
Three terrific points to open Gordon's service game, but they all go Talaba's way. But after a service winner and two great points of her own, Gordon forced a deuce point that was also a match point for her. After another lengthy point--this is great tennis, by the way--Talaba got the break and we're back on serve at 5-5. Darn. Gordon has stayed aggressive, and got to a deuce point on Talaba's serve, but Talaba held to go up 6-5, and Gordon will serve to force a tiebreaker for the match.
Arbuthnott, for her part, broke again and consolidated, and is now serving up 4-2 in the third.
Arbuthnott was broken, so it's now back on serve at 4-3 in the third, and that causes a visit to the mound, with Frankie trying to get her back on track.
Gordon held a deuce point to force a tiebreaker. Great drama!
Talaba up a minibreak early, 2-0. But Gordon wins the next three and gets the minibreak back, going up 3-2 before Talaba wins the next point on Gordon's serve, and we're 3-3 as they change ends. Gordon has been terrific at the end of this first set. When she's losing points, it's because she's perhaps being a bit too aggressive and just missing deep or wide. But she is working the angles, and Talaba is just trying to get many of these back. Now back down a minibreak, with Talaba serving up 4-3. Talaba won both points to get within a point of the match at 6-3, but Gordon wins both her points to get to 5-6.
Frankie's pep talk worked, as Arbuthnott broke right back and then held a deuce point to win her match 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Sigh. Talaba takes it, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(5). A great match between two great players. And Emily Arbuthnott is a singles All-American!
Doubles is in under 2 hours--not ideal after two long matches.
In the Round of 16, there are 4 players each from the ACC, SEC, and the West Coast Conference, 2 from the Pac-12, 1 from the Big 12, and 1 from the AAC.
Arbuthnott's reward for making the Round of 16 and securing All-American status in singles is to play Vanderbilt's Astra Sharma, who only lost one game in her match today. Emily will fight, because that's what she does, but I just can't see it.
Doubles still to come today, but Stanford's All-American honors are set. Michaela Gordon and Emily Arbuthnott are All-Americans in both singles and doubles.