Laura Robson did something we had not seen at Wimbledon for some time in beating tenth seeded Maria Kirilenko on court number one in the first round. Not only did she take out a highly-seeded opponent on a big court but she did it with the conviction one has come to expect of the uber-confident young Eastern Europeans of the last decade or that was so common with the young Americans of the nineties.
A season that started so well with her epic win in Melbourne over Kvitova but dwindled into a series of early defeats perked up again on the big stage, a stage Robson likes shining on, a factor missing from British female players the last couple of decades.
From 3-3 in the first set Robson did all the things she did well and better than she had done for a while. Robson served big and moved forward to put away the short balls. She went down the line on both wings to hit winners. And she did well with her weaknesses, too; her movement much improved. Romping into a 4-1 lead in the second set, Robson looked like it was she who was the top tenner and not her experienced opponent, a player tasting top ten success for the first time the last month.
At 4-1 Robson stumbled and her opponent took the chance to execute her game plan, taking the ball early and moving Robson side to side, a game plan that until Robson had begun to think about the prospect of an upset had been subdued by the inspired Briton’s play. With that play now dipping, Kirilenko broke Robson for 3-4.
Fortunately for the British fans and Robson, the lapse was just a temporary and very human glitch; Robson picking up her game again to hit the ball with all the cleanness and precision of a perfectly programmed machine to hold serve for 5-3.
At 5-4, Robson served for the match. Kirilenko did her best to get back into the match, moving Robson side to side and coming in to strike a forehand winner to take the first point but Robson was not to be denied. Playing with her strengths, she was also in control of her weaknesses. Try as Kirilenko might, she could not exploit them. At 30-15, Robson ran side to side to chase down the deep balls struck by Kirilenko and sent them back with interest to force the net-waiting Russian into error on the volley to get her first match point. A nervous Robson faulted on the first serve and had to throw the second service ball twice. She hit it in though and then took on the deep return to her body to hit a forehand cross-court winner, her 31st winner of 62 points won, to seal the match 6-3 6-4 in 1 hour and 18 minutes.
Robson now has a chance to move through the draw and take Kirilenko’s place in the last sixteen where a scheduled encounter with Serena Williams awaits. For a woman who has taken out the likes of Clisters, Li Na and Kvitova in Majors on the big courts, such a prospect will fill her with the correct concoction of nerves and excitement to allow her to compete with the confidence and clear-thinking, clean-hitting play we are coming to expect of a very un-British and very world-class female tennis player.
thetennisreview 
Leave a comment