(no subject)
Okay, so, just to be clear, so that we're all on the same page:
Sara Errani's 1st serve averages in the low-to-mid 130's of kilometers per hour (KMH) through six rounds of this tournament, and her fastest single (in-play) serve in the last two weeks was 153 KMH. Compare this to Maria Sharapova, whose typical mean 1st service speed by match is around 165 KMH and who regularly mixes in 180+ KMH beaters.
With the perspective that Errani's serve may be something of a softball, consider that Sharapova's return-of-serve has for most of her career been considered her strongest shot. It's the one thing that she's undeniably better at than all the other things. This may be correlated somehow with the fact that, at the 2012 French Open, Sharapova has won about 75% of her opponents' service games. In case you're not a tennis fan, let me clarify that 75% is a staggering statistic in that column.
Errani is an incredibly good mover who manages to excel on clay despite the diminutive wingspan that accompanies her 5'5" frame. (Maria is 6'2" and, interestingly, the same weight.) So I expect that the Italian will have no trouble returning Maria's serves, though with a force that is merely strong and not overwhelming.
Look, Sara Errani is a fantastic tennis player who has in the past few months fueled her own --- to use what is essentially a cliche these days --- meteoric rise. But if I arrive in Boston and someone tries to tell me that she beat Maria Sharapova today, I will reject that person's reality out of hand. Today is the day we see the 10th woman in tennis claim a career grand slam.
Sara Errani's 1st serve averages in the low-to-mid 130's of kilometers per hour (KMH) through six rounds of this tournament, and her fastest single (in-play) serve in the last two weeks was 153 KMH. Compare this to Maria Sharapova, whose typical mean 1st service speed by match is around 165 KMH and who regularly mixes in 180+ KMH beaters.
With the perspective that Errani's serve may be something of a softball, consider that Sharapova's return-of-serve has for most of her career been considered her strongest shot. It's the one thing that she's undeniably better at than all the other things. This may be correlated somehow with the fact that, at the 2012 French Open, Sharapova has won about 75% of her opponents' service games. In case you're not a tennis fan, let me clarify that 75% is a staggering statistic in that column.
Errani is an incredibly good mover who manages to excel on clay despite the diminutive wingspan that accompanies her 5'5" frame. (Maria is 6'2" and, interestingly, the same weight.) So I expect that the Italian will have no trouble returning Maria's serves, though with a force that is merely strong and not overwhelming.
Look, Sara Errani is a fantastic tennis player who has in the past few months fueled her own --- to use what is essentially a cliche these days --- meteoric rise. But if I arrive in Boston and someone tries to tell me that she beat Maria Sharapova today, I will reject that person's reality out of hand. Today is the day we see the 10th woman in tennis claim a career grand slam.