So onto the grass, the last un....
WTA 2011 Tour Top 3 Grass Court Season Matches
Number 4: 2011 AEGON International, Eastbourne 2nd Round, Vera Zvonareva d. Serena Williams, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-5.
While its always the shortest season there was plenty to choose from in the grass courts, but I definitely thought Serena Williams comeback in this tournament was worth watching alone, and this match against Vera Zvonareva was one of the best of the year. Prior to this Vera had never beaten Williams, but this gave her an opporunity to get even for her loss last year in the Wimbledon final. Clearly though Williams who had just gotten back into the game at this point, wasn't at her fittest, but despite that she still managed to put on a terrific match as she battled it out against Vera for 3 hours. But in the end it was Vera who managed to pull through and get the win, and 3 hours it was sure worth it.
Number 3: Wimbledon Championships, Quarter Finals, Sabine Lisicki d. Marion Bartoli, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-1.
This match was an interesting one, firstly because it took place underneath the roof on centre court during a heavy thunderstorm (which cause Sabine to jump out of her skin at one point!) but also for being easily one of the most thrilling contests this year. Lisicki clearly though was the better athlete in this one, as Bartoli as always, fought about as valiantly as she could, and for the most part they created an amazing match, particularly in the 2nd set which featured a superb tiebreak, with Bartoli winning it to push the match into a 3rd set. However by the 3rd, exhaustion and fatigue started to set in for Marion, and Lisicki raced to 6-1, but overall it was a great match and a fine display with the crowd behind em all the way an that.
Number 2: AEGON International, Eastbourne, Final, Marion Bartoli d. Petra Kvitova, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.
Well this is a very late entry (as I have updated this in March of 2012!) but definitely a very worthy one as it saw to the best players of the women's tour go at it on a very very windy day at the Eastbourne final. And despite the wild and windy conditions, the level and quality of play from both players in this match was quite extraordinary. In the first set it was Marion who came out of the blocks and played brilliantly through the windy conditions, breaking Petra twice in the first set with ease. However in the second set despite being a break down, Petra broke back and then went on to take the 2nd set, and in the third it was Marion's turn to go down a break, but she stuck in there and fought back to take the crucial break at 6-5, to win the title. This really was a very enjoyable and highly entertaining final, and both Marion and Petra deserve great credit for delivering some great tennis in such adverse weather conditions. Marion is one of my favourite players on the womans tour, especially with her unorthodox style of play, and her amusing jumping up and down on the spot in between points. It was also great to see Petra fight back from the literal whirlwind that is Marion Bartoli and turn it into a match after a one sided first set, and even though she lost this one, she would go on to win the big one in a few weeks time.
Number 1: Wimbledon Championships, 2nd Round, Venus Williams d. Kimiko Date Krumm, 6-7(6), 6-3, 8-6.
It really has to be said about this match, that its arguably the finest one of the year, and despite how it might have read on paper as being a scoosh for Venus Williams, it was anything but, as the Japanese Kimiko Date Krumm proved to be more than a handful for Venus. Matches really don't get much better than this, and the first set was one of the most riveting displays you will probably ever see on a tennis court (whether it be grass or whatever!). Prior to the match it ws cheekily referred to as the zimmer match, as both players combined age was 71 (Venus being 31, and Kimiko 40), but the level of stamina and energy put on display would easily have put most of the younger players on tour to shame, as it was all laid oot here. In the last set, in the tradition of the slams except the US Open, there is no tiebreak, which saw the ladies fight out till the winner was two games clear, but in the end it was Venus that prevailed. It would have been great if Kimiko won, but in the end it didn't matter, what mattered was she took part in probably the best match of 2011.
Anddddd that's eeeeettt!
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