05-06-2024, 11:19 AM
Yeah, I saw that scoreline and you could probably hear my teeth grinding a thousand miles away!
Ma sitting out singles is a question mark--I would've liked to see the full lineup play, to be honest. With Yu, I felt like we had an interchangeable part with Xu or even Hui, and to be seven deep with great players is a tremendous benefit. But without Yu, we're really 6 deep. We can still win overall matches with Houghton at 6, but there's a sizable dip in quality from Yu to her, and we're probably winning those matches while eating a loss at 6.
Like BC noted, the fact Ma played in doubles suggests she's probably fine. And if she's got a minor tweak, she's got a week to let it heal. Hopefully it's nothing. But it should go without saying that without Ma in the singles lineup, we're not winning a title.
Both Blokhina and Xu were bound for third sets, but there's always something about fighting back from a first-set loss and taking the second and going to the decider with all the momentum that just always feels better. Blokhina had lost the first 6-4 but was storming back in the second, up 5-2. Meanwhile Xu served up a bagel in the first but then lost the second. Now, you are how you finish, and we have no way of knowing whether they would have imposed their will in their respective third sets, and in the hypothetical world where Xu won 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 or something like that, we could construct a narrative of that match where she ran into some adversity but then overcame it and dominated through the finish. But nonetheless, she played someone she just shouldn't drop sets against.
The final score was 4-0, but it was moments away from being 4-1 with Houghton about to lose on Court 6, and had Blokhina and Xu ended up losing, this could've been 4-3. And 4-3 against this LSU team is just flat-out unacceptable.
Ma sitting out singles is a question mark--I would've liked to see the full lineup play, to be honest. With Yu, I felt like we had an interchangeable part with Xu or even Hui, and to be seven deep with great players is a tremendous benefit. But without Yu, we're really 6 deep. We can still win overall matches with Houghton at 6, but there's a sizable dip in quality from Yu to her, and we're probably winning those matches while eating a loss at 6.
Like BC noted, the fact Ma played in doubles suggests she's probably fine. And if she's got a minor tweak, she's got a week to let it heal. Hopefully it's nothing. But it should go without saying that without Ma in the singles lineup, we're not winning a title.
Both Blokhina and Xu were bound for third sets, but there's always something about fighting back from a first-set loss and taking the second and going to the decider with all the momentum that just always feels better. Blokhina had lost the first 6-4 but was storming back in the second, up 5-2. Meanwhile Xu served up a bagel in the first but then lost the second. Now, you are how you finish, and we have no way of knowing whether they would have imposed their will in their respective third sets, and in the hypothetical world where Xu won 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 or something like that, we could construct a narrative of that match where she ran into some adversity but then overcame it and dominated through the finish. But nonetheless, she played someone she just shouldn't drop sets against.
The final score was 4-0, but it was moments away from being 4-1 with Houghton about to lose on Court 6, and had Blokhina and Xu ended up losing, this could've been 4-3. And 4-3 against this LSU team is just flat-out unacceptable.