One of the major difficulties in the game of professional tennis is its constant pace. Regardless of how impressive a player’s accomplishment may be or how well they perform, each week brings a fresh tournament, different conditions, and, above all, new opponents who are determined to outplay you.
After accomplishing her biggest career milestone yet, winning the WTA 500 title in San Diego and climbing into the top 30 in the world rankings, Katie Boulter was faced with a difficult challenge. In her first match at Indian Wells, she was easily defeated by Camila Giorgi, who dominated the match with a 6-3, 6-2 victory in just 78 minutes.
Andy Murray, meanwhile, played one of his best matches of the season to move into the second round in California with a dominant 6-3, 6-2 win over David Goffin. As Murray tries to find some form after a difficult start to the season, he will face Andrey Rublev, the fifth seed, in the second round on Friday.
Based on form, Boulter entered the court in Indian Wells heavily favoured to beat the Italian, who has struggled badly since last year and fell out of the top 100 this week to No 106, her lowest ranking since 2013. But Giorgi, a former top 30 player and champion at the WTA 1000 event in Montreal three years ago, can hit practically anyone off-court when in full flow.
In 2018, prior to her match against Serena Williams in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, Giorgi was questioned about her thoughts on the 23-time grand slam champion’s playing style. Her reply was: “I am not familiar with tennis.” Giorgi has a strong control over her own game and is known for her relentless drive to win by hitting each ball with full force.
On days when the 32-year-old is not in top form, the outcome can be disastrous. However, Wednesday was one of her exceptional days. Giorgi dominated the baseline from the start, hitting powerful shots from both sides and putting Boulter on the defensive as she controlled most of the rallies.
Giorgi’s aggressive shots from both wings caused Boulter to struggle to keep up. As a result, Boulter’s frequent mistakes and difficulty with her serve led to a more passive performance throughout the match. Additionally, losing her serve early in both sets caused Boulter to prioritize simply holding on rather than settling into a comfortable rhythm.
Boulter, who would have been seeded if the WTA had used this week’s rankings for the main draw, has shown she can perform at a high level and string matches together against top opposition, but the next challenge is learning how to do so week in, week out, regardless of the conditions or opponent across the net. Thankfully for her, the fast-paced nature of professional tennis works both ways; she will have another opportunity in a few weeks at the Miami Open.
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Unfortunately, Jack Draper was not able to replicate his recent success in his disappointing loss to Christopher O’Connell from Australia in the first round of the Indian Wells tournament. Despite arriving at the tournament with excellent momentum, as he had reached the semi-finals in last week’s Acapulco event and secured a victory against the world No 14 Tommy Paul, the 22-year-old could not overcome O’Connell and fell 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. In the finals, Draper faced eventual champion Alex de Minaur but was forced to retire due to illness in the final set.
At the start of play in the Californian desert, Draper appeared to maintain his exceptional performance from the previous match at Indian Wells, comfortably winning the first set. However, Draper’s performance took a sharp turn at the start of the second set, losing momentum and quickly falling behind 0-3.
The player from Britain had a weak serving performance for the remainder of the game and ultimately suffered as a result of his lack of aggression on the slow courts of Indian Wells. His opponent from Australia took advantage of this and engaged him in extended rallies, ultimately outmatching him in the final set.
Source: theguardian.com
