I have to say that Vera is certainly still by far the better player, although as a fellow kiwi I'm proud of Marina for winning. There were a few rough calls against Vera, I think, but honestly, if Vera hadn't played nervously she still would have won. Marina has improved quite a lot, when she serves well she is dangerous, and she is probably playing at a level inside the top 100 right now, but not at Vera's level, at least not yet. If Vera plays her best she can challenge the top players, whereas I don't think Marina is capable of that at this stage. The two players were both missing shots at the end, but the way in which they missed was different- Marina missed because she tried to do certain shots which she found difficult to do, whereas Vera missed because she was tight. I think this is why Vera has slipped down the rankings a little- the mind game. What I don't understand is why they had so few linespeople. The linespeople had to call the entire sideline, on their own side and on the other side of the net, which is pretty tough and puts some pressure on the umpire. However, Vera might then go on to have a good Australian Open, often these early year losses don't mean that much. We do tend to get odd results at Auckland, and I'm sure rustiness, and sometimes windiness- not yesterday though- plays a role in that. Marina has shown that her serve can be a real weapon though, so hopefully Marina can continue to play well throughout the year. I think she has to stop slicing her backhand so much- it isn't accurate or powerful- she's better when she topspins it. Oh and I wonder who took the photos of Vera at the restaurant table? Is she on a date with someone? Or just out with friends?
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