Heads or tails?

I have a little idea.

I still wonder today how the Romanian Ruse managed to get past the Yastremska hurdle. 11 winners for 31 unforced errors, 5 double faults, 38% of second serves… Ah, but I know: Yastremska self-sabotaged, as she does far too often. Despite a reaction in the second set, where the Ukrainian came back from 0–4 to 5–5, meaning she finally started playing tennis again, she got broken in a silly way right after. A peak Yastremska performance… in terms of inconsistency. The Ukrainian lost her match more than Ruse won hers.

On the other side, we have the local player Ajla, who came out triumphant from a long match against Starodubtseva, strongly backed by the crowd. There were doubts about her shoulder, but I didn’t see any discomfort during the match. She had retired in Adelaide against Joint, probably more as a precaution than anything else. It was still a good match, where Tomljanović’s defensive qualities showed up in the key moments. Very clutch in the second-set tiebreak, even though the favorite had largely been in control until then.

After that, we saw a more assertive Ajla, with a much looser forehand that she was able to add to her defensive arsenal. A nice, healthy reaction, and above all a sign that she’s regained confidence in her tennis.

The match-up here will pit a fairly enterprising Romanian with a good serve against a real defensive wall who’s also capable of stepping on the gas at the right moment. Tomljanović will be ultra motivated by the atmosphere in the John Cain Arena and its 10,000 spectators. In six attempts, she’s still never reached the third round here at the Australian Open, in her own country. A real personal goal to go after.