No mention of Heather Watson yet?

I know men's tennis is obviously the better to watch but we still need to give congratulations to Heather for winning the Japan Open this morning, the first British female since 1988 to win a title on the WTA tour!

Congrats to Heather

We have a GB thread, where this was mentioned:
https://www.606v2.com/t35421p50-gb-player-watch

it was mentioned on here https://www.606v2.com/t35421p50-gb-player-watch

There isn't many posters on here today so far.

Have to confess I rarely watch women´s tennis but thats no excuse CONGRATULATIONS HEATHER well done

Wonderful stuff from Heather. 2 British women in finals over the last month, the Brits are taking over women's tennis!!!

Ok, bit over the top there, but lets hope that Heather and Laura can push each other into the top 20. Congrats Heather!

A great win for Heather in what was a gruelling match and she came out on top. The first British woman to win a WTA title since Sarah Gomer in 1988. Hopefully, onwards and upwards for her and Laura Robson. Surely, just a matter of time before both are inside the top 50 in the world.

Well done Heather! Didn't watch but I'm not surprised. Excellent attitude and solid style. She's always impressed me.

Enthusiastic comment from hawkeye alert.

I got here as quick as i could.... What's happening guys? I came straight to this thread when my "enthusiastic comment from Hawkeye" alarm system started going off, and referenced this discussion.

Well done Heather. Hopefully along with Laura there will be two British players in the top echelons of the womens game soon.

Danny_1982 wrote:I got here as quick as i could.... What's happening guys? I came straight to this thread when my "enthusiastic comment from Hawkeye" alarm system started going off, and referenced this discussion.

I wouldn't get too excited. She's only enthusiastic about Heather because she's slightly anti-Laura. (I say slightly, because I wouldn't want people to think it's anywhere near her Murray level of mentalism.)

Interesting to note that none of her "knockers" i.e. those who were so dismissive of her in their love of Laura have posted so far.

Just for the record not only the first British winner on the WTA tour since who remembers when but also now British no. 1 and set to enter the top 50. Of course they'll be those who say that's nothing compared to making the second week of a slam but then again they would wouldn't they?!

First of all, I have seen a few articles like this "Why hasn't anyone posted on..." Probably a fair point, but maybe better just to do an article yourself discussing in more detail the topic you think worthy of discussion, rather than just bemoaning the lack of said discussion or article.

I am really interested in this match, although when I saw it wasn't on TV (that I saw anyway) I watched the Murray match instead, and even forgot about it until I saw this article. If anyone has any highlights to link to would surely take a look.

This is a tremendous achivement by Watson, and certainly one better than Robson's similar achievement in reaching a final. It is interesting that Watson beat in a final set tie break the same player that Robson lost to in the same tournament in a final set tiebreak, there is obviously not much between them!

Watson also did well to reach the doubles final, although she and her partner lost it.

I said well before the US Open that I thought Robson was the most likely to beat top players in her career because of the attacking game she has, more so than Watson, and that was proved right (so far) at that tournament. I don't remember Watson achieving victories against top players like that. Watson this week didn't beat any really well known players, so her victories this week were less impressive than Robson's at the US Open, then again, a title is a title. In some ways the fact that Watson has a trophy makes her achievement the more impressive.

I personally feel that on current form, Robson, the slightly younger player, is moving up a curve faster towards a higher ranking, and will be British number one sometime next year. But I could be wrong they are both doing very well and potentially set to take British women's tennis to a higher level. Haven't seen Watson play much, or recently, so hopefully will get the opportunity soon. Both of them look set at the very least to making a decent living out of it.

Well in the latest rankings there have been interesting changes. Heather Watson has leapt up to No.50 following her first title win two places above Laura Robson ranked 52 in the world. Both are now very close to breaking into the top 50.

Well Heather at 50 is actually in the top 50, CC, but I get your point. I'm really pleased - and a little surprised - for Heather as I felt if anyone was gonna get a tournament win it would be Robson.
Laura has the big weapons but Heather has the fight. I know Djoko came back from a number of match points down yesterday, but Heather faced three in a row at 5-4, 40-0 in that final set but somehow got out of it.
The big advantage of this surge of form by the two Britons is automatic entry to the big touneys into 2013 and the chance to get those rankings even higher.

Congratulations to Heather on winning the title - clearly showed good mental strength to come back from MPs down and close it out. Perhaps she didn't face the toughest draw (iirc, she only beat one player with a higher ranking), but she seized the opportunity well after Chang had cleared out the seeds from the other side of the draw.

A very encouraging time for GBs womens tennis - Robson is still the youngest player in the Top 100 and was one victory away from the Top 50, while Watson has made the break-through to be a WTA-level tournament winner and just edged ahead in their competition for British #1 (and is I believe the 2nd youngest player in the new top 50). Given where the Brits were a few years ago, it's great progress.

Excellent that they are both now in rankings that allow them direct entry into just about any tournament they want, and (as with Laura last week) they could even be in the seeded positions for this level of tournament, which is a great help in making the first couple of rounds easier (i.e. in not drawing the likes of Stosur in the first round). At the rate of progress, there's a slight chance that one of them could break into the top 32 by the AO (although they'll probably just run out of time), and a fairly good chance of one or both being seeded by Wimbledon.

The only slight downside is that both hold quite a few points from qualifying rounds in the earlier part of 2012, and so they will have to be regularly winning 2nd round matches in biggish tournaments to make any progress in the rankings.

I agree with Henamn Bill, in seeing Robson as the one more likely to beat the top players, but Watson is very solid and consistent, and has the game to beat most of her opponents most of the time. Just a pity we don't have a player with Robson's shots and Watson's athleticism and mental toughness.

Brilliant from Heather Watson to win in such a way after saving four match points - really gritty. There is a great article in The Telegraph today about her and talks about the sanity of her family who 'don't throw a tantrum if she loses, in fact they often keep well away from her tennis matches' despite being very supportive and having made financial and emotional sacrifices to send her to Bollettieri.

Fantastic from both Watson and Robson to finish 50 and 52 respectively - perhaps the friendship and rivalry will spur each on to greater things?

Quite agree - they'll push each on to greater heights hopefully. Will be very interesting the next time they face each other too given the 'Best of British' (hate that term) bragging rights that will be at play.

newballs wrote:Interesting to note that none of her "knockers" i.e. those who were so dismissive of her in their love of Laura have posted so far.

I am one of the people who thought Laura would get higher in the rankings eventually, and evolve into slightly the better player.... I hope that doesn't make me a 'knocker' of Heather though as I think she's great.

Well for those who felt/feel that the women's game aint getting much exposure here or in the pap[ers, there is a terrific page on Heather in today's D Telegraph.
Interesting that her5 sheer sociability helped open doors for her. As they always say, it don't cost much to be nice. This, of course, is not to detract from her determination on court.
For GB tennis fans, and for the journalists who follow them, we now have the prospect of a seamless "British-interest" scenario which has stretched from the early days of Henmania (1996) thru the Tim/Greg era, into Murraymania and now the Watson/Robson rivalry which should keep everyone going for a good few years yet.
And to think the best we couild manage for many years was Andrew Castle making the third round of Wimbledon or Jeremy Bates reaching 54 in the world.

Danny_1982 wrote:

newballs wrote:Interesting to note that none of her "knockers" i.e. those who were so dismissive of her in their love of Laura have posted so far.

I am one of the people who thought Laura would get higher in the rankings eventually, and evolve into slightly the better player.... I hope that doesn't make me a 'knocker' of Heather though as I think she's great.

No problem with that opinion - but I think it may be wrong. Like Andy (which is why he probably elected to play with the more powerful Robson) Heather has a mental toughness allied with great retreival skills and a very good ability to read the game. I've noticed that a lot of the women players are terrible tactically, hence a lack of power can be overcome

Of course logically, you would think Laura because she can power her way out - but Heather could turn into a delightful Evonne Goolagong with a mixture of Justine Henin thrown in. I certainly think she's one of the most graceful of the Top 50 players

We'll see

That is a good analogy banbro, Heather and Andy are very similar in what they do on court, part from Heather doesn't whinge all the time. Not a coincidence she has been training at the Bolletieri academy and is able to close out tight games.

Josiah Maiestas wrote:That is a good analogy banbro, Heather and Andy are very similar in what they do on court, part from Heather doesn't whinge all the time. Not a coincidence she has been training at the Bolletieri academy and is able to close out tight games.

Andy doesn't whinge all the time :-)

banbrotam wrote: but Heather could turn into a delightful Evonne Goolagong with a mixture of Justine Henin

Huh! In what way? No disrespect to Heather as I really like her but her game bears no resemblance to that of the great Goolagong. There is only one player that even comes close to her natural, fluid, beautiful play and that is the great Federer. Only when Federer is playing on a good day too. Goolagong never did that "shanky" stuff.