Sometimes a clash of certain styles does not make for the greatest spectacle. It has proven to be the case in boxing, and tennis, with its many parallels to the sweet science, is no different.
Two big servers thumping aces for hours on end until one emerges victorious on a tie-break is not what most would call top-class entertainment.
So was the case on Monday night on Centre Court in what was billed as the main event of Day 1 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Last year’s runner-up Karolina Pliskova faced American CoCo Vandeweghe in the final match of the evening. Two players in possession of power games meant that if it clicked we could expect a spectacular slugfest.
If it did not, then tennis’ equivalent to Floyd Mayweather’s sleep-inducing bout with Manny Pacquiao could unfold. Unfortunately for everyone in attendance, they were treated to the latter, and the absence of any crowd atmosphere was a reflection of the lack of on-court excitement.
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Lots of big serves, even more errors, and too few winners resulted in a thoroughly disjointed match.
We should have known what the contest was going to offer from the very first game; eight points, all errors. In fact, game 5 of the first set summed it up perfectly. After taking a 0-30 lead, Pliskova put two forehands long to surrender the advantage. Vandeweghe repaid her opponent’s generosity by producing a double fault for break point, only to pull out three big serves to save the game.
You would not have needed Nostradamus to predict the first set ending in a tie-break, and after trading blows and unforced errors, it was Vandeweghe that edged ahead to claim the opener.
The tie-break ultimately proved a knockout blow to Pliskova, whose previously unwavering serve was broken three times in the second set. The first break in Game 4 seemed to give Vandaweghe a new lease on life and her decision to go on the attack was continuously rewarded before she closed out the match 6-1.
It may not have been a classic, but it is unlikely to concern Vandeweghe, who registered her first win of the 2016 season to move into the second round and a clash with Kristina Mladenovic.
“I just went out there, focused on the gameplan, and had some fun,” Vandeweghe, 24, said.
“When someone is playing so well off their serve you have to focus on taking care of your own service games.
“Then in the tie breaker, when I had my opportunity I was going to take it. I wasn’t going to allow her to dictate.
“In the second set, getting that early break was key, and from there I went into a rhythm and continued to steamroll.”
For Pliskova, the defeat will be tough to take given her accomplishments in Dubai last year, and the Czech said her inability to find any momentum led to her downfall.
“She is a very dangerous player and was serving really well, especially in these conditions when the court is very fast,” the world No 14 said.
“Maybe if I won the first set it would have been different but she was playing really well and I didn’t get many chances.”
jturner@thenational.ae
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