Heather Watson's opponent in the semi-finals is Timea Babos who has a world ranking of 110 compared to 112 for Heather Watson. They are of similar ages & similar ranking. Their only previous match was in early January last year where Heather Watson won. Should be a good test of Heather Watson's recovery from that injury. Timea Babos beat Johanna Konta in the Fed Cup earlier this year.
Heather Watson's semi final match yesterday was postponed until today due to rain. The other semi final was also postponed. Both are now scheduled to take place this morning, with the final taking place later today after a rest period.
Johanna Konta has been in another tournament during this last week in France. She got through to the semi final but lost. She doesn't get as many ranking points in that tornament as the one in Prague so I think that regardless of today's match Heather Watson becomes the British number two.
Both Heather Watson and Johanna Konta have been given places in the main draw for Wimbledon. Laura Robson won't be there due to her injury.
And Heather Watson has won the final in Prague beating Anna Karolina Schmeidlova 7-6, 6-0. Excellent result for her and perfect preparation for the French Open.
Although she's certain to be back in the top 100 in the next world rankings to be released she will need to go through the qualifying rounds at Roland Garros unless she gets a wildcard entry into the main draw.
The drawn for the qualifying rounds of the French Open have been made. There are 3 rounds and the 96 players in the qualifying rounds will be whittled down to 12 to go into the main draw.
Heather Watson is seeded 2 for the qualifying rounds. Her first opponent is Irina Falconi (world ranking 162). The only other seeded player in Heather Watson's section is Veronica Cepede Rovg (ranked 135).
Johanna Konta is seeded 4 and her first opponent is Sachia Vickery (ranked 185). The other seeded player in her section is Alexandra Panova (ranked 131).
Those are the only 2 British women in the French Open this year. The qualifying rounds start tomorrow.
I heard that Johanna Konta won her match today but not heard anything of Heather Watson yet.
Heather Watson has beaten Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 6-4 in the quarter finals in Prague. I think this could mean that she gets back into the top 100 rankings or very very close.
I really hope this is the case!
Just seen the post from El Loro from this Monday:
Heather Watson #92
*Note to self... must try and keep up!
I heard that Johanna Konta won her match today but not heard anything of Heather Watson yet.
Johanna Konta won her first round match 6-2, 6-3. Play was halted by rain for the latter part of the day with Heather Watson's match pushed to today. She faces 3 matches in 2 days. The weather forecast at Roland Garros is very showery today and looks as if it will be for much of the tournament.
No play so far today at Roland Garros. Looking at the forecast there may be a few hours of dry weather in a couple of hours. some dry weather tomorrow morning but doesn't look likely that they can get all the qualifying round matches played before Saturday. The weather forecast from then on isn't much better so there must be serious doubts as to whether a complete tournament can be achieved this year.
Heather Watson has just won her first match in the qualifiers beating Irina Falconi 6-2, 6-4. The match between her ooponents for the second round is ongoing.
Johanna Konta's second round match is against Paula Kania (world ranking 169) is is due to take place later today.
Johanna Konta, 23, battled to a 6-4 2-6 6-3 victory over Poland's Paula Kania.
Her third round match is against Yuliya Beygelzimer (world ranking 160) and is scheduled later today.
Heather Watson's second round match is earlier today and is against Kateryna Kozlova (ranking 186). Whoever wins that will face a player ranked 188 or 200. Although the qualifying rounds are scheduled to finish today I assume that if they don't then they can be played tomorrow as the main tournament does not start until Sunday.
Heather Watson eventually beat Kateryna Kozlova 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Not the most convincing win against someone ranked 186, and she was broken 7 times during the course of the match. She faces Anett Kontaveit ranked 188 in the third round. That match will take place tomorrow morning, subject to the weather.
It's too early to say who Heather Watson or Johanna Konta, if they win their 3rd round matches, will meet in the first round of the main tournament. It's possible that one of them could be drawn against Maria Sharapova (that's the toughest 1st round match for a qualifier in the first round), it's possible they could be against Serena Williams in the second round, and it's possible they could meet each other in the first round.
Heather Watson didn't hang about this morning and thrashed Anett Kontaveit 6-1, 6-1 so has got into the main draw of the French Open. I think that regardless of how she gets on that when the next rankings are issued after the conclusion of the French Open that she becomes the British number 1 but I doubt if she will be at all pleased with that as she would far rather have Laura Robson being injury free and able to compete.
Johanna Konta has been beaten by Yuliya Beyheizmer 7-6, 5-7, 0-6 so doesn't get into the main draw of the French Open.
I wonder what happened to Konta in that third set?
Johanna Konta has been beaten by Yuliya Beyheizmer 7-6, 5-7, 0-6 so doesn't get into the main draw of the French Open.
I wonder what happened to Konta in that third set?
Maybe she ran out of energy from 2 very close sets.
Heather Watson's first round opponent is the Czech B.Zahlavova Strycova who has a world ranking of 57. Although Heather's ranking at present is poorer, she has beaten quite a few players recently with similar rankings to her opponent and she will be up for it.
The winner is likely to face the number 4 seed Simona Halep. Heather Watson has played her once before in last year's US Open where Simona Halep beat her 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Britain's Heather Watson made it through to round two of the French Open with a straight-sets win over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.
Watson, who came through qualifying, took her winning run at Roland Garros to four matches with a 6-3 6-4 victory.
The 22-year-old from Guernsey will next face Romanian fourth seed Simona Halep.
"I didn't feel I played as well as I have been today, but she's a very different sort of player," said Watson.
"She is very tricky. She hits drop shots and comes to the net on random balls, not usually the 'right balls', to throw you off.
"So it's different playing a different opponent. I just had to deal with what I was given today."
Watson went into Tuesday's match on a cool and blustery Court Six as the outsider in terms of rankings, at 92 to Czech Zahlavova Strycova's 63.
But the Briton made it as high as 39 early last year before illness and injury struck, and she appears to be back in that sort of form.
Watson had talked earlier in the week about her new attacking game plan and her forehand in particular kept Zahlavova Strycova on the move as she went 3-0 in front.
There was even time for an embarrassed smile from Watson after she completely missed a smash but, thinking quickly, flipped the ball over her head and watched as her opponent blazed a backhand wide.
Watson appeared to have been pegged back when she dropped serve in game five - having earlier thought she had won the game, only to touch the net as she slid on the clay.
A double-fault from Zahlavova Strycova handed back the initiative in the next game, however, and Watson eased through four consecutive games to move a break up in the second set.
Again there was a brief lull in the Briton's game and Zahlavova Strycova came back to lead 3-2.
But a time violation appeared to upset the Czech in game seven and she promptly netted a backhand on her way to falling behind once again.
Watson gave the large British contingent in the stands a few nervous moments before converting her third match point, maintaining a run that is likely to see her regain the British number one spot from the injured Laura Robson in the weeks to come.
"I'm not really thinking about that at the moment, to be honest," said Watson.
"I'm just enjoying my tennis, doing everything I can right the right way, and all that will come with itself if I keep doing the right things."
She added: "I was very confident today, even though I fresh-aired a smash at the beginning. That was really funny. I kept playing and it served me well."
"Heather Watson showed bags of composure and quality as she reminded us of the form which once took her into the top 40 in the world. She is expected to climb back into the top 80, and regain the British number one ranking, as a result of her run here - but more importantly, now looks a more threatening competitor with a much more attacking outlook."
Well done Heather Watson
Her second round match will clearly be far tougher though.
Well done Heather Watson
Her second round match will clearly be far tougher though.
I agree. the second round match will be a lot tougher. I think it's scheduled for Thursday. Heather Watson has a world ranking of 92 at present but recent results show that 92 is not a true reflection. The WTA now has an alternative set of rankings "Road to Singpore" which just include tournaments played in 2014 rather than the last 12 months. She is shown as having a ranking of 54 and that's deflated by the time out through injury. Provided she remains healthy and injury free, it's quite possible that by the end of the year she'll be close to being ranked 39 which is where she was before she came down with glandular fever.
Well done Heather Watson
Her second round match will clearly be far tougher though.
I agree. the second round match will be a lot tougher. I think it's scheduled for Thursday. Heather Watson has a world ranking of 92 at present but recent results show that 92 is not a true reflection. The WTA now has an alternative set of rankings "Road to Singpore" which just include tournaments played in 2014 rather than the last 12 months. She is shown as having a ranking of 54 and that's deflated by the time out through injury. Provided she remains healthy and injury free, it's quite possible that by the end of the year she'll be close to being ranked 39 which is where she was before she came down with glandular fever.
That's very interesting.
I'm guessing a top 50ish ranking would also guarantee a place in the main draw at WTA events and eliminate all of these arduous qualifying matches.
Cold Sweat, I think you are right that Heather Watson would avoid the qualifying rounds. Though she has been helped this time as she had been out of action and needed matches to get back to full match fitness and she also gets ranking points from those qualifying matches.
Her second round match against Simona Halep follows the Andy Murray one on the same court and is the last one scheduled for today.
Heather Watson's French Open campaign ended with a battling loss to fourth seed Simona Halep on Court One.
The Romanian broke serve five times in a 6-2 6-4 second-round win that took one hour and 19 minutes.
Halep is the second-highest seed left in the tournament and now faces Spain's Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor.
Watson, who had won her previous nine matches, will regain the British number one ranking from the injured Laura Robson next month.
The 22-year-old from Guernsey had enjoyed a terrific run of form that saw her win 11 matches in May alone as she battles her way back up the rankings after illness and injury last year.
Halep proved too much for the Briton, however, her accuracy keeping Watson constantly on the move and giving her very little to attack.
Watson recovered an early break of serve but slipped behind again in game five and, despite the encouragement of Argentine coach Diego Veronelli sitting courtside, she was finding the going increasingly heavy.
Halep, 22, began to dominate the Watson serve, winning nearly 60% of the points, and another break gave her the opening set in 34 minutes.
Watson hit a rasping backhand winner down the line to stave off an early break point in the second set but again the Romanian got the better of three breaks to take control.
There was no chance of Watson throwing in the towel and she had one last opportunity with a break-back point when Halep served for the match, but her return found the net.
A Halep backhand down the line set up a second match point and she thumped away a forehand winner, leaving Watson to smack her racquet on the clay in frustration.
"Simona was very happy to finish things off because it was beginning to get closer and tighter. Heather can be pleased with her performance and can look back at the video of this match and see what she did well and what she can improve on.
"If Heather had managed to get that second set to 5-5 and took it to a third set, who knows? Now Heather needs to work on the number of unforced errors she concedes. Then she can move to the next level."
I see Halep has powered her way to the QFâs without dropping a set â Heather a bit unlucky to meet such an in-form player early in the tournament.
I see Halep has powered her way to the QFâs without dropping a set â Heather a bit unlucky to meet such an in-form player early in the tournament.
I think it quite likely that Simona Halep will get to the final and that the other finalist will be Maria Sharapova.
I see Halep has powered her way to the QFâs without dropping a set â Heather a bit unlucky to meet such an in-form player early in the tournament.
I think it quite likely that Simona Halep will get to the final and that the other finalist will be Maria Sharapova.
Bouchard is the interesting semi-finalist. 12months ago I would have said (career-progression-wise) Laura Robson and her were on a par.
I see Halep has powered her way to the QFâs without dropping a set â Heather a bit unlucky to meet such an in-form player early in the tournament.
I think it quite likely that Simona Halep will get to the final and that the other finalist will be Maria Sharapova.
Bouchard is the interesting semi-finalist. 12months ago I would have said (career-progression-wise) Laura Robson and her were on a par.
I'm sure Laura Robson will come back though it will take time. Eugenie Bouchard is clearly going to be right at the top, along with Sloane Stephens.
I see Halep has powered her way to the QFâs without dropping a set â Heather a bit unlucky to meet such an in-form player early in the tournament.
I think it quite likely that Simona Halep will get to the final and that the other finalist will be Maria Sharapova.
And the final is between Simona Halep and Maria Sharapova, so a future number 1 against a past number 1, should be a good game. (and at least we can say that Heather Watson was defeated by a finalist)
And the final is between Simona Halep and Maria Sharapova, so a future number 1 against a past number 1, should be a good game. (and at least we can say that Heather Watson was defeated by a finalist)
And it was one of the best finals with Maria Sharapova eventually beating Simona Halep 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4. Sharapova's ranking will improve to 5 and Halep's to 3.
Today's rankings list shows that Heather Watson is now 69th (from 92nd), Laura Robson 80th (from 83rd - she didn't do well at the 2013 French Open which is why little change), and Johanna Konta 110th (from 102nd).
(On the Road to Singapore rankings Heather Watson has moved from 54th to 46th)
The grass court season starts today in the run up to Wimbledon. Both Heather Watson and Johanna are in the Aegon Classic at Birmingham. Their first round matches (scheduled for tomorrow) are against Aleksandra Wozniak (ranked 135) and Kurumi Nara (ranked 39) respectively. The winners will meet in the second round.
