Fake it until you make it

A phrase that suits Jones well..

…given the fake MTO strategy that worked perfectly yesterday against the Austrian Kraus. What a commedia dell’arte. Kraus trampled her in the first set and was up 3–1 with the match well under control. Jones then called an MTO for her left leg. It’s worth noting that Jones is a repeat offender when she’s being soundly outplayed. She has a rare physical particularity, playing with eight fingers and seven toes, combined with an uncommon illness, which obviously commands respect. But it has to be said that almost every time she finds herself in big trouble, some external factor comes along to completely break the momentum of the match. The occurrences are quite striking.

We can also see that when the sun is really strong on one side of the court and she loses the toss, the frustration immediately shows on her face. A true MTO strategist. And the worst part is, it worked. Kraus completely lost the thread after the interruption, and Jones strung together a run of success that at times defied the laws of probability. Quite incredible to watch.

Against today’s opponent, however, that lever shouldn’t be enough. Chinese players are generally very disciplined and show little emotion. Wang offers a complete, varied game, and is serving very well here in Auckland. She’s capable of quickly ramping up the pace, as she’s already shown in her first two matches. A doubles champion as well, she likes to move forward and finish points. The Briton’s run should logically end here, probably not without a fight.