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Myskina
built 491 days ago
Sharapova, facing a semi-final with Venus Williams, is No 2 in the world; Myskina, on her way home, is at No 10. Ask her about the rivalry with her compatriot and she gets a shade touchy. “That’s your favourite question,” she said. “She’s a good player. She’s No 2. What else can you say?
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Myskina is one of the better baseline players in the game today, as shown with her French Open title in 2004. Despite this she prefers faster court surfaces, although having all the hallmarks of a genuine clay court champion (fast feet, stamina, all court play, deft touch and court smarts). Her game is characterized by a combination of consistent rallying and aggressive baseline points. Known as one of the smartest players on the tour, Myskina often out-thinks her opponents, toying with them... forcing them into error. Her backhand is her best shot, as her forehand tends to break down during matches. She is adept at using the 'angles' of the court to exploit slower opponents, and is able to mix the pace of her groundstrokes during a point.
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Myskina had no doubts about the reason. "We had only 20 days break between the seasons, which is the biggest reason I am not playing well," she said, somehow managing to make it not sound like an excuse. "I was ... disappointed with the way I played at the Australian Open."
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Myskina had a subdued celebration by Grand Slam standards, perhaps out of respect for Dementieva, her friend since childhood. The two players embraced at the net before Myskina raised her hands to acknowledge the French crowd.
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After massively improving her forehand this year, Myskina is now quite comfortable going toe-to-toe with Dementieva. She’s ... grabbed a massive psychological edge over her childhood friend by proving in the French final has she has far better nerves in big matches. Myskina now leads 6-4 in her head-to-head contests with Dementieva, who despite the defeat, jumped to No. 5 in the rankings behind Svetlana Kuznetsova. But that did nothing to quell Dementieva miserable post match feelings. She served for the first set at 5-3 and then completely fell apart in the second set.
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Myskina starts with serves. Immediately things go well for the Russian 40-0. The Justine edges back with backhand slice 40-30, but Myskina holds 1-0. Justine on serve, and flys forward, but there ... errors 30-15, and deuce. Belgian holds 1-1. The Russian again with an easy service game 40-0, but Justine fights back 2-1.
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