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By Scoop Malinowski
Count Chrissie Evert as one who was shock and awed by the brilliant display of otherworldly tennis performed last night by Su-Wei Hsieh against Angelique Kerber in their epic fourth round duel eventually won by Kerber 46 75 62.
Just look at these superlatives and praises by Evert, who won 18 singles majors and three doubles in her illustrious career.
“Her tennis looks effortless. Blase.”
“She can do anything she wants with the ball.”
“She doesn’t look impressive but she’s very smart out there.”
“She’s saving energy. No emotion or drama out there.”
“She’s showing that tennis isn’t all about physical power.”
“I didn’t have the variety, like, the hands.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this! Never seen anything like this!”
“Did you see that (drop shot)? Started with two hands then whipped it with one.”
“I’m sure everyone in the locker rooms is rallying around the TVs watching this match.”
“Look at what Kerber has to do to win a point, what she has to go through. A lot of effort for every point.”
“She has no idea of the patterns of Hsieh. She doesn’t either. She plays instinctive. She makes her decision where to hit the ball in the last instant.”
“Then you find yourself watching her – to see what she’s gonna do. Then you take your eye off the ball.”
“The question for me is can Hsieh keep this up?”
“It’s nice to see another style.”
“She uses every inch of the court.”
“That was a fade little cross court touch shot. That’s going to humiliate (Kerber).”
“She is in the ZONE.”
“She never looks rushed. She looks like she has so much time to set up her shots.”
“Her movement is unbelievable. She anticipates beautifully.”
“It would be not human to keep up this level.”
“She’s playing a better match than the other two (with Radwanska and Muguruza). She’s coming up with impossible shots.”
“Remember the name (Su-Wei Hsieh).”
‘I don’t think she has any plans or patterns. She plays instinctively. That’s when you play your best tennis.”
“(Kerber) doesn’t understand where these angles are coming from.”
“She was down 3-1 then we saw the touch come alive. The drop shots, the angles.”
“She’s a reminder this game is not all about power, it’s about finesse. For those young girls out there, she’s an inspiration.”
As it became clear that Hsieh began to tire late in the second set from all the energy she had exhausted to summon perhaps one of the most uniquely special performances ever seen on a Grand Slam tennis court, Evert noticed and said, “She’s putting into this game whatever she has left. Hopefully this tournament will get her the recognition she deserves.”
“She doesn’t want to leave the court. She wants to stay out there.”
Pam Shriver, analyzing from court level for ESPN with Evert and Chris Fowler, added her own high compliments. “I don’t remember ever being more entertained courtside by a match than this one.”
After the magical display concluded, neither could Kerber hold back her respect for Hsieh. “She played unbelievable. I was running all over the court. We will see a lot of her in 2018, that’s for sure.”
Hsieh will have a day off then play the semifinals of the doubles with Shuai Peng.
But this masterpiece effort by Hsieh will surely live in the memories of all tennis enthusiasts who were lucky enough to see it. It was tennis of a quality and caliber that even Chris Evert said she had never seen before.
Brilliant performance tonight by Kerber.