#watchmoredoubles

[tennis-kittens]

Andrea Vavassori & Sara Errani • US Open 2024 Mixed Doubles R1

The comfort mixed doubles pairing i needed 🥹❤️

[stateofsport211]

📸 Eurosport PL

Ruudtek then smoothly kicked off the second set through Casper's service game hold to 1-0, but even though Iga's swift forehand return and Andrea's double-fault slightly put themselves ahead, Andrea's volley flicks confirmed their service game hold to 1-1. The same volleys kicked off the next game for the Italian pair, but Casper's preceding volley finish that got Andrea run over confirmed their service game to 2-1 as the third seeds tried to up their net game. Andrea's timely poach to close the gap in the fourth game (to 2-1* 30-30) points after a baseline exchange between Sara and Iga (that ended with Sara's unforced error) and Casper's fourth-shot forehand error, but the Italian wild cards came in clutch again to hold 2-2, followed by Ruudtek's flawless service game error to 3-2 (bar that one point they conceded). By the end of this game, Andrea took a medical timeout over a left thigh issue.

Afterward, bar an earlier fourth-shot forehand winner from Casper, Sara held her serve to 3-3 before Andrea's working volley kicked off the next game, followed by a flick backhand volley from Sara to put themselves 2 points ahead (to *3-3 0-30), but they somehow had a break point 2 points later thanks to Sara's volley (to *3-3 15-40) before it was immediately converted through her volley to 4-3. Iga's fourth-shot volley then kicked off the next game, but the Italian defending champions finally strengthened their position with a hold to 5-3. Ruudtek then stayed solid and held their serve to 5-4, which meant that Sara/Andrea had an earlier chance to serve for the match.

However, Casper's preceding smash (to *5-4 30-30) to Andrea's unforced error somehow paved the way for his forehand winner to the open court that set up Ruudtek's break point before it was converted thanks to his pass to Andrea's volley error to 5-5. Despite scoring a cross-court forehand winner and surviving 2 consecutive double-faults, Iga held her serve to 6-5 to put the third seeds ahead for the first time after some games in this set. Subsequently, Iga's volleys got Andrea run over 3 points into the 12th game before Casper's forehand winner set up their set point, which conversion came from Iga's backhand return winner to break for the second set 7-5, forcing the (proper) match tie-break to determine the championship.

[stateofsport211]

📸 Eurosport LV

Before the epic Men's Singles finals commenced, the twilight kicked off with the Women's Doubles final between Anna Danilina/Aleksandra Krunic, who notably stunned first seeds Katerina Siniakova/Taylor Townsend 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals before defeating Ulrikke Eikeri/Eri Hozumi 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5 in another epic semifinal, and second seeds Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, who knocked out fourth seeds Mirra Andreeva/Diana Shnaider 6-0, 6-1 in a rapid duel version of the 2024 Summer Olympics gold medal rematch. This match turned out to deliver the point construction goods, but everything also came down to their shot execution at the end.

The match just begun, but A. Danilina's working volley finish put her and A. Krunic a point ahead before a net exchange that ended with S. Errani's failed volley forced the deuce. Another different volley finish from the Kazakh set up their initial break point, but it was foiled before the Italian second seeds held massively to 1-0. The net play continued in the next game as S. Errani passed A. Danilina at the net for a prior lead before the latter missed the volley to J. Paolini's preceding forehand to set up their one-point lead, but the unseeded pair remained solid and held their serves to 1-1 after winning the next few points. Two games later, S. Errani's volley struck back, scoring a crucial equalizer even if A. Danilina/A. Krunic held their serves to 2-2 thanks to A. Danilina's successful volley after surviving a deuce happening due to an unforced error.

The net game still played a significant role in the next game as A. Krunic fired a working volley for an equalizer to 2-2* 30-30, but S. Errani's volley also helped them to hold their serves to 3-2. Subsequently, J. Paolini's return forehand winners not only did set up the second seeds' one-point lead to 3-2* 15-30, but also generated their break point before an unforced error converted it to 4-2. Their defense that ended with A. Danilina's failed volley closed the gap before they faced a break point over a failed lob attempt, but they saved the third break point over J. Paolini's forehand error as A. Krunic slipped. The Serb then fired a forehand winner to create their fourth break point, but they only converted their fifth break opportunity due to the second seeds' third-shot error to 4-3.

The eighth game then kicked off with a backhand return winner from J. Paolini before A. Krunic concluded the out-smashing contest with her final smash, but a long exchange that ended with J. Paolini's forehand down-the-line winner, which turned out to be in, set up the second seeds' latest break point, but the unseeded pair finished a different exchange with a functional volley to secure their gigantic hold to 4-4. After J. Paolini held her serve with a forehand winner, S. Errani's equalizing smash to 5-4* 15-15 paved the way for a possible scoreboard pressure response before J. Paolini's forehand winner created their set point. Ultimately, the Italian second seeds broke for the first set 6-4 due to the unseeded pairs' failed smash, finding their balance through trusting their strokes and net-play combination to technically put themselves a set away from the title.

[stateofsport211]

📸 🎥 Paralympics' official YT

The second set became a similar affair to the first set once Sam/Niels became even more dialed in. The first seed then started the game with an early break to 1-0 only to be broken back due to Niels' forehand errors (1-1), which also was continued with a fumbling of Andy/Greg's game point before Greg's wide forehand secured the Dutch pair's break point, followed by Niels' trademark backhand winner to break back again 2-1. Subsequently, even if Sam/Niels held their serves to 3-1, Andy's exquisite forehand finish minimized the gap for the British pair.

Subsequently, Sam/Niels doubled their break lead to 4-1 thanks to their clean groundstrokes, followed by a massive hold to 5-1 once a forehand error was fired too long from Andy/Greg. Niels' utilization of the angles became helpful for them to set up their one-point lead, followed by his slice finish to secure their match point. Ultimately, the Dutch pair also baked the second-set breadstick, thus securing their gold medal in the quad wheelchair doubles sector.

[stateofsport211]

📸 🎥 Eurosport LV

Purson had a solid start to the second set, but their ability to close things out became further tested toward the end of the match. J. Thompson might have started the set with a forehand return ace to set themselves ahead, but Krapuetz still held their serves to 2-1. Purson only got their break of serve at the end of the fifth game (3-2) thanks to their deep return to the tenth seeds' failed volley after J. Thompson's working smash created their break point. They then swiftly consolidated their lead to 4-2.

M. Purcell continued with a forehand return ace to set themselves a point ahead in the ninth game before somehow having 2 match points in return, but Krapuetz's intuitive volleys saved them before they scored a massive hold to 5-4. Somehow, M. Purcell's failed smash succeeded his double fault at the game that started with his forehand error for Krapuetz to break back to 5-5, where the German pair became more aggressive. A point construction using almost every angle then topped off the next game, where M. Purcell's successful smash was followed by T. Puetz's forehand error as he tried to retrieve the ball from the post, thus creating Purson's break point. However, Krapuetz saved them before holding their serves to 6-5.

Nonetheless, the second set tie-break became inevitable after J. Thompson held his serves for Purson to 6-6. There, K. Krawietz fired a working volley to secure Krapuetz's lead to 2-1 before holding their serves with an unreturned serve to 3-1, M. Purcell scored a crucial forehand return winner to equalize the point 3-2, followed by another return serve to 3-3. Two points later, a double fault from K. Krawietz had Purson led by a mini-break (5-4) before an unreturned serve confirmed their service game hold to 6-4. M. Purcell's ace clinched the championship perfectly for the Australian seventh seed, taking the second set 7-6(4) for their maiden Grand Slam title as a pair.

[stateofsport211]

📸 🎥 Paralympics' official YT

The match tie-break setup also appeared to be topsy-turvy to some extent until Y. Kamiji/M. Tanaka settled in. Y. Kamiji's forehand to Aniek's forehand error created their mini-break lead (3-1) before they held their serves to 4-1, and the Japanese pair extended their lead as the Dutch pair fired their forehand too long to double their mini-break to 5-1. Afterward, 2 drop shots in a row from Diede/Aniek caused a forehand error from the Japanese pair in hopes to minimize the gap to 5-3, where Y. Kamiji's get extended that lead further to 7-3.

Nonetheless, in the next game, a working drop shot from Diede/Aniek closed the gap once again to 7-4, but it took several more points before Y. Kamiji/M. Tanaka secured their championship point to 9-6 thanks to another brilliant point construction. Ultimately, even though they saved 2 of them, which included Diede's half-volley winner to save the second match point (9-8), a volley fired too long from Diede converted the championship point for Y. Kamiji/M. Tanaka, winning the match tie-break 10-8, as well as completing the on-paper upset to win the gold medal for the first time as a pair.

[stateofsport211]

📸 🎥 Paralympics' official YT

The second set almost flowed similarly to the first set, but Alfie/Gordon stayed consistent toward the end of the match. To start, Alfie/Gordon's forehands went after T. Miki/T. Oda's backhand before they generated their break point, which was converted through a forehand winner to break early 1-0 in the first set, where they followed with a swift consolidation to 2-0. They then continued their dominance by starting the next game with a forehand error that got T. Miki's backhand run over before doubling the break to 3-0, but the Japanese second seeds secured their earliest break point thanks to T. Miki's backhand lob before their forehand winner secured their break back to 3-1.

Afterward, T. Miki/T. Oda went back on serve, but Alfie/Gordon responded more aggressively as they began the next game with a backhand winner to set their one-point lead, followed by Alfie's working volley to create their break point before breaking back to 4-1. Conceding one point to start the next game after strengthening their lead with a hold to 5-1, Alfie scored a stunning volley to equalize the point before they ended up having championship points, where even if one of those got saved due to an unreturned serve, Alfie/Gordon sealed the second-set breadstick (6-1) with a functional drop shot to secure their Career Golden Slam as a pair, as well as their Paralympics gold medal this year.

[stateofsport211]

📸 🎥 Paralympics' official YT

The earliest Paralympics medal matches came from the quad wheelchair doubles, where first seeds Sam Schroder/Niels Vink, who defeated eventual vronze medallist Donald Ramphadi/Lucas Sithole 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals, and second seeds Andy Lapthorne/Gregory Slade, who also stunned Leandro Pena/Ymanitu Silva 6-1, 7-5 in the previous round. While this could have been a tricky match at their best, the point construction favored the former pair more as they stood out at the end of the match.

Sam/Niels had a slightly nervy start due to a forehand error, but Sam compensated it with a winner before taking the opening game to 1-0. Niels' slice then secured their one-point lead, followed by a working smash to secure their other lead before breaking early to 2-0, then held to 3-0 thanks to Sam's forehand winner to close the rally.

Interestingly, in the next game, Sam/Niels smoothly constructed their third break point before a working backhand from Niels converted it to 4-0. However, Andy/Greg sliced their way to a 2-point lead before breaking back to 4-1 only to be broken back again to 5-1 thanks to the Dutch pair's clean streak. As a result, Sam/Niels earned the opportunity to serve for the first-set breadstick, which they did (6-1) to secure the first set.