Vika Ran out of Gas?

Fefe26

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i love the respect serena has for Vicka! Vicka is only going to get better from here and i know she has many more slams in her.
 

Correspondent Kiu

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Vika is the only one that challenges Serena regularly nowadays, proven by her grit in taking the second set from Serena, Vika gave all of us, including Serena, a run for our money.

Vika may have run out of gas, I think she got outplayed and broken in that third set, it was obvious that she had nothing left...but she knows what it takes to beat Serena.
That's the best part, we have a rivalry on our hands, we're now 2-2 for the year!
 

Calvy

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I agree with Kui, they know have a rivalry, somewhat. Let's be honest, both of Vika's win could, and should have been won by Serena, you can't say that about both of Serena's wins.

Also, it wasn't Vika's grit that got her that second set, it was Serena's nerve's. Just like in the 2012 Wimby final, her opponent stayed consistent and Serena let her nerve's get the best of her. Both middle sets were on Serena's racquet, and that was reflected by how Rena ran through the third set of both matches.

I believe ran out of gas because of the occasion and the pressure she put on herself.
 

Sundaymorningguy

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I somewhat disagree. Vika played much better on the points that mattered in set 2. She and Li both took it to Serena with good net tactics in their respective set 2s. That is one area where Serena is going to need to get better is her net play as Vika and even Li were winning a bulk of those against her, and it does look like a tactic they are looking to employ more of that against Serena. Interesting enough, Azarenka backed off from net play in set 3 and made it more of a match Serena liked a baseline exchange.
 

tossip

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13-3 is no rivalry..so near yet so faraway
 

Calvy

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So, Serena double faulting a few times, and making nervous errors had nothing to do with Vika getting that second set?

Okay!!
 

Sundaymorningguy

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I didn't say Serena didn't get nervous, but Vika started returning much, much better which didn't help Serena's case.
 

Calvy

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Vika played the entire second set as well as she played most of the match, the fact is Serena level dropped due to nerves. She got passed the nerves in the third and played more consistent tennis and outlast Vika in rallies.

All props to Vika for staying with it, and doing what she needed to do, stay consistent and let her opponent implode. But, that whole match at any given time was on Serena's racquet, because lets be serious, Serena may give back single breaks, but, whenever have you seen her give back two, being two breaks up?
 

Sundaymorningguy

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That is more Serena's problem. It is no one else's fault but her own in her failure to close people out. Also, it probably didn't help Serena's cause in closing out that Vika played some of her most aggressive, risky tennis in set 2. Like I said, Vika was coming to net more causing Serena to make some stupid errors. I knew Serena was going to lose the breaker because she has lost all her breakers to Vika this year. I am not going to give the second set failure all to Serena. Vika hit some of her most aggressive returns in set 2 as well as like I said played some beautiful net points. Serena was pretty dismal at net, and Vika probably saw how well it worked and continued to use it well in set 2. What was shocking is how Vika backed off from coming into net for set 3.
 

Correspondent Kiu

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Calvy said:
So, Serena double faulting a few times, and making nervous errors had nothing to do with Vika getting that second set?

Okay!!
Could it be Vika's grit that got Serena nervous?
 

RJD11

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Kiu said:
Calvy said:
So, Serena double faulting a few times, and making nervous errors had nothing to do with Vika getting that second set?

Okay!!
Could it be Vika's grit that got Serena nervous?

No. Serena has played Vika what 16 times. She

knows all about Vikas grit and how she fights.

The weight of history got to Serena. For her so

much was riding on that win.
 

Calvy

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RJD11 said:
Kiu said:
Calvy said:
So, Serena double faulting a few times, and making nervous errors had nothing to do with Vika getting that second set?

Okay!!
Could it be Vika's grit that got Serena nervous?

No. Serena has played Vika what 16 times. She

knows all about Vikas grit and how she fights.

The weight of history got to Serena. For her so

much was riding on that win.

Exactly!!

Serena even stated as much, that she aware of the meaning of every major she's trying to win, and that it does effect her nerves during the slams.