FRENCH OPEN REPORT (Partial)

Posted by Simguy on 5/27/2005, 7:06 am

Roland Garros

Anna in white adidas tight tennis top, bare midriff, tight wrap around teal mini skirt, white shoes

Nasti in orange nike tight tennis top, bare midriff, tight wrap around orange mini skirt, white shoes

KO7 Kournikova

You gotta love Kournikova's predatory instincts. Poor Myskina bounced in the first round of the French, aching from off-court personal problems - you couldn't have picked a more psychologically vulnerable opponent for a showcase. Gypsy-dark Myskina wouldn't say nyet to the hated blonde's challenge but for the ousted 2004 champ, discretion would have been the better part of valour in this case.

With no ring, just red clay, the girls boxed Eastern European Conventional: stiff jabs/right hands with long, lean lines of articulation. Really more a fencing match than anything else - angular beauties lunging and fading each other on strong springy legs, the crowd roaring with every right hand landed after long sequences of sporadic thrust-and-parry. From the very start, Anna's western experience was apparent - she leaned into her crosses full-bodied where Anastasia tapped in quick stab-and-retract pokes. Anna also drove home right hands to the body, often punching Myskina full and flat to the chest, driving the lithe brunette back and discouraging her. Pundits were shocked at the high percentage of power shots Anna was able to land on a well respected tennis pro: time and again, poor Myskina would be lit up, her face belted back and to her right (as per great photo reference in newspapers worldwide this week), her hands low as Kournakova bent into the blows. The weight of shot was the difference: Myskina's educated jab was a match for Anna's and Kournikova's face bore the stamp of her Russian rival's precision, but there was no answering Anna's slinging right hand power.

Knockdowns began in the fifth as a series of unanswered Kournikova crosses finally battered Myskina to her knees. Twice more Anastasia would be bludgeoned to clay in the sixth, her legs shot, face a battered ruin: you could not mistake the joy on Kournakova's face as she reveled in Myskina's break down. The seventh was tragic - with Anastasia sadly wilting and shying away from punches - Anna fearlessly muscling up and hurling right hands over and over as she walked her ramshackle foe down. Pounding rights on the ear as Myskina covered up and took finally beat Anastasia to her back. Sprawled, helpless and laid out at Kournakova's feet - the devastated brunette was treated to a roar of approval from the wildly pro-Anna crowd in attendance.

Thanks to Apollo for this repost.

Archer 10/19/09