11-05-2021, 10:14 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-05-2021, 11:12 AM by ColoradoTree.)
Ma up 4-2 as they change ends, and she'll now serve up 5-4, with the set on her racquet right here.
She wins both points and takes the first set 7-6 (7-4)! That wasn't Connie Ma at her most skillful, but it was a great display of grit. Crawley is playing well, and Ma is like a pitcher finding a way to get outs without her best stuff.
Ma comes out more aggressively to start the second set and holds with ease for a 7-6, 1-0 lead. Now Crawley's looking a bit nervous. Ma had a good chance to break but dumped it into the net and then sailed a forehand long on deciding point. Ugh, that could've really put Crawley in a desperate situation, but now it's 1-1. Winning that game seems to have put a charge in Crawley, who didn't look at her best the first two games of the set, making more errors than she had in the first. Crawley breaks Ma for a 2-1 lead. Looked like Ma hit the line on deciding point there, but Crawley called it wide and the chair umpire was looking right at it, so it was probably just wide.
Ma breaks back for 2-2! But she struggles again in her next service game--still having trouble locating that first serve, and Crawley is taking advantage of the second serves. Unforced errors starting to creep back in, too. Crawley breaks for a 3-2 lead.
Ma fights to a deciding point and takes it to break back again! 3-3 with Ma serving now. Can she get back on the horse and hold here?
Narrator: she could not. Crawley yet again up a break, 4-3. Can Connie summon the same late-set improved form she found in the first?
Of course, Ma then breaks at love and it's 4-4 again. Weird match, this one. Crawley seemed to get tight there. Now can Ma hold serve?! It would be a good time to start finding that first serve again!
*slams head on desk* Ma is broken at love and Crawley will serve for the second set next, up 5-4. Crawley holds for a 6-4 set win and we'll play three. Hopefully we finally see Ma at her best in the third, because we haven't seen it yet, that's for sure.
She wins both points and takes the first set 7-6 (7-4)! That wasn't Connie Ma at her most skillful, but it was a great display of grit. Crawley is playing well, and Ma is like a pitcher finding a way to get outs without her best stuff.
Ma comes out more aggressively to start the second set and holds with ease for a 7-6, 1-0 lead. Now Crawley's looking a bit nervous. Ma had a good chance to break but dumped it into the net and then sailed a forehand long on deciding point. Ugh, that could've really put Crawley in a desperate situation, but now it's 1-1. Winning that game seems to have put a charge in Crawley, who didn't look at her best the first two games of the set, making more errors than she had in the first. Crawley breaks Ma for a 2-1 lead. Looked like Ma hit the line on deciding point there, but Crawley called it wide and the chair umpire was looking right at it, so it was probably just wide.
Ma breaks back for 2-2! But she struggles again in her next service game--still having trouble locating that first serve, and Crawley is taking advantage of the second serves. Unforced errors starting to creep back in, too. Crawley breaks for a 3-2 lead.
Ma fights to a deciding point and takes it to break back again! 3-3 with Ma serving now. Can she get back on the horse and hold here?
Narrator: she could not. Crawley yet again up a break, 4-3. Can Connie summon the same late-set improved form she found in the first?
Of course, Ma then breaks at love and it's 4-4 again. Weird match, this one. Crawley seemed to get tight there. Now can Ma hold serve?! It would be a good time to start finding that first serve again!
*slams head on desk* Ma is broken at love and Crawley will serve for the second set next, up 5-4. Crawley holds for a 6-4 set win and we'll play three. Hopefully we finally see Ma at her best in the third, because we haven't seen it yet, that's for sure.