A friendly atmosphere, a large crowd of tennis fans at the night match, victories for Marčinko, Würth and Martić — another superb day of tournament tennis in Makarska draws to a close.
A quick summary of the day — Petra Marčinko, Petra Martić and Tara Würth all advance. Tena Lukas, unfortunately, was unable to overcome last year’s champion Katie Volynets, with the American prevailing 6:2, 6:4.
On several occasions it seemed as though Tena might even turn the match around, with the crowd cheering her on and celebrating her every good shot. Tena fed off their energy, showing her frustration when things went against her — her Kaštela spirit there for all to see. It was a genuine pleasure to watch this entertaining match at the WTA Makarska Open, which runs through June 8.
In the stands, national team coach Marin Bradarić and his assistant Izrudin Žunić were among those cheering her on.
“Tena’s match was interesting and competitive, the crowd enjoyed it. There were some excellent points played. But in my view, Tena needed to take a bit more risk on her opponent’s serve — the opponent serves quite consistently, almost every time you know exactly where it’s going, and it’s fairly soft for this level of tennis. The rallies were good and engaging, no complaints there. Tena had plenty of chances but made poor use of her break points. Volynets converted virtually all of hers. Perhaps a low first-serve percentage in the first set was a factor. Either way, my message to Tena would be to go back to her father and work on the basics,” commented Marin Bradarić.
TARA IS PLAYING EXCELLENT TENNIS
Petra Martić cruised past France’s Margaux Rouvroy 6:3, 6:4, while Marčinko was facing Miriam Bulgaru when the Romanian retired injured at 6:4, 2:0. Tara Würth came out on top in the all-Croatian clash against Sara Svetac, winning 6:0, 6:3.
“Tara put on a phenomenal performance today — I would say at least top 50 level. I think these conditions suit her very well: the courts, the fast high-bouncing balls and the heat. She plays an extremely demanding brand of tennis for any opponent, especially on clay. If she keeps this up and stays healthy, she is without doubt a bright future for Croatian tennis. I would also like to praise Sara Svetac, who studies in the United States and shows improvement year on year — she produces fine results every time she comes back to Croatia in the summer and gets a tournament opportunity. She played an excellent match, even if the scoreline didn’t always reflect it. Tara was leading 6:0, 3:0 and I was telling Sara’s mother how well she was playing despite losing. Things got a little complicated towards the end, but Tara showed such quality and focus that she never allowed a comeback. My colleague Izo and I see someone emerging from the shadows who has a real chance — in our view — of even winning the tournament if she continues playing at this level,” said Bradarić in praise of young Tara.
MARTIĆ AND MARČINKO HAVE GREAT CHANCES TOMORROW
Izrudin Žunić looked ahead to tomorrow’s matches for the Croatian players. Petra Martić faces Czech tennis player Sara Bejlek, who made a notable run at Roland Garros.
“Sara came through qualifying and the first round. Petra played her about a month and a half ago, so they know each other well. Petra definitely showed an impressive level today — she reminded us why she was once ranked in the top 15 in the world. We are looking forward to seeing those two styles clash tomorrow: Sara as a defensive player against a Petra who has a full range of shots and can impose herself from the very first game. Petra Marčinko plays Mexico’s Zarazua, and that is a good match-up for Petra, as Zarazua is a defensive player. Petra will have the chance to play her own game and test Zarazua. If she imposes herself early — and Petra is capable of that — she will have a great chance tomorrow. Zarazua is experienced, but Petra is showing better tennis with every match,” concluded Žunić.
