Saturday - Day 5

[lexpretend]

Khalifa Tennis Complex (from 13.00hrs)

1. Peschke/Stubbs vs. Srebotnik/Sugiyama
2. Black/Huber vs. Medina Garrigues/Ruano Pascual
3. Zvonareva vs. Dementieva (NB 17.30hrs)
4. Jankovic vs. V.Williams

[lexpretend]

The best possible match-ups for me: I want a Bepa/Jelena final, and that's most possible with this SF line-up.

[DBBN]

Go away, doubles.

[lexpretend]

In news which will surprise no one, the Bepa vs Demented match is highly chokey. Demented responded to getting away with a terrible drop shot in the TB by...playing two more terrible drop shots consecutively, and getting away with neither! Truly, she is a master tactician. Bepa then tried her best to piss away a *5-1 lead, crumpling to the ground with her head in her hands at one point, but Demented put a forehand into the bottom of the net on her SP, and Bepa came through

[DBBN]

Bepa down 1-4 in the second

Now that Serena chumped out, ED only has to win this match to become #2. THIS CANNOT HAPPEN. DAVAY BEPA.

[lexpretend]

BEPAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

WIN! IT! ALL!

Such great play from her.

[Wagasi]

Almost choked that 4-1 lead in the third but Lena never failed to disappoint.

[DBBN]

UNBELIEVABLE!!

Now she has to go into 2009 knowing she can win a Slam. So, it's up to her whether she makes it happen or not.

[lexpretend]

Well, let's win something above Tier III first. Or maybe just make a second Slam QF.

Jelena doesn't know what game to employ here...she started off going for winners, and ended up making a bunch of UEs. But when she backed off, she let Venus dominate.

[DBBN]

No, SLAMS ONLY! Like Su-Wei Hsieh!

[Ceca]

Bepa

I always believed that she could play like this, but why has her game lifted so dramatically this week?

Prior to this week, she was something like 10-53 against top 10 players. This week, she has taken out the world #1, #4, #5, and #7.

What is going on?

[lexpretend]

Bepa's played very aggressively and purposefully this week, and for the most part she's been making her shots - it really does seem as simple as that. Though I never really got why people insisted on categorising her as a counterpuncher - she's always gone for her shots, but after setting up the point rather than as first-strike brainlessness. The main difference I've noticed is that, in the past, losing a tough point would result in a cascade of lost points following it - here she's been regrouping very quickly indeed, whether from her opponents' raising their levels, her own level dropping or BAG's cheating antics. Bepa's been playing matches, rather than points or games, and she's adapted her game to the ebb and flow of the whole match.

Jankovic and Venus have split sets...when did Venus's BH become the worse shot than her FH, which is now a fairly significant weapon? Jankovic's FH sucks but she's hustling away.

[lexpretend]

Wow...Jankovic just lost a mammoth, many-deuced game at 2-3*, wasting a few chances to break back - and then turns around and plays her best service game of the match.

[DBBN]

V vs. V for the title.

[lexpretend]

Well, there went Jankovic's last chance to be taken seriously as the year-end No 1.

[leelee]

Bepa's played very aggressively and purposefully this week, and for the most part she's been making her shots - it really does seem as simple as that. Though I never really got why people insisted on categorising her as a counterpuncher

Bepa has always gone for her shots. It's that, including this week, she's not going to blast winners from anywhere like most of this field can.

She played very well today, though. She's not losing bunches of points like you mentioned. She's staying in there mentally... well, better than her opponents so far. Which isn't saying much. Demented was ghastly in the 3rd.