howzdat

[howzdat]

Joining this one with Konta serving for the first set having already secured a break against Garcia. She does well to get to deuce from 0-30 down. From the look of things Konta has the game to beat Garcia, on top of which the latter is prone to making too many unforced errors but we will see.

Oh oh there is a bit of controversy in the crucial tenth game and would you believe it Garcia breaks to level the set at 5; she must hold her serve to stand any chance of putting up challenge in this match. She does, as does Konta in the 11th game and two more holds get us to a six games all score and a tie-break which Garcia starts with a double-break followed by two more unforced errors and so next time she serves she is 0-3 down!

Konta's game has moved on far more than has Garcia's in the two years or so that I've been watching out for the french lady's results and on this basis I Conta's fanbase will be hoping that this ends in a straight sets win.
But we will see - Come on Caroline!

Lo and behold Garcia earns herself two breaks of the Konta serve to take a 4-1 lead! She holds serve in game six to take a 5-1 lead. And eventually wins the set to level the match.

Alas, Garcia's technical frailty and Konta's better all round game results in Konta breaking the Garcia serve in the 10th and deciding game of the third set to win the match 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-4 and so proceed to the quarter finals of the tournament.

[howzdat]

And will play Australia's Ashleigh Barty. Will be a tough one for Caroline to win but come what may I will be backing her. We will see

[howzdat]

Readers of my often crazy pronouncements on these pages would have noted that Caroline Garcia's performances on the tennis court have long since attracted my unwavering support. And so it is with pleasure that I update the topic to announce that Caroline Garcia overpowered Ashleigh Barty, to claim maiden Wuhan Open title. Ranked 20 in the world, Garcia battled her way through two tight sets against Barty before breezing the third to claim the biggest title of her career

Hubei: Caroline Garcia overpowered Australia`s Ashleigh Barty 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-2 to claim her first Wuhan Open title on Saturday in a thrilling see-saw final in the Chinese city.

Ranked 20 in the world, Garcia battled her way through two tight sets against Barty before breezing the third to claim the biggest title of her career.

"It was a such a fight all the week and especially today," the French player said after the match.

"A title is the best thing you can have in tennis, that`s why you fight all year long. I`m over the moon for sure."

Garcia stormed her way into an early lead in the first set but a resilient Barty twice came from a break down to force a tiebreak that she went on to dominate.

The Aussie served for the match twice in the second, while her opponent also had two chances to nab the set before it was forced into another tiebreak.

The third set was simpler for Garcia, who fell to her knees in celebration after Barty fired a return into the net.

"My first serve deserted me a bit but I put myself in a position where I was only a few points away from the final," said Barty, ranked 37 in the world.

"Disappointing to not come away with it in the end but sometimes it crumbles that way," she added.

"But it`s still been a hell of a week, probably the best week of my tennis career."

Barty, who began the year ranked outside the top 300, trounced French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in the semis, seeing off the last seed at a shock-prone Wuhan.

The 21-year-old had already triumphed over former world number one Karolina Pliskova, Agnieszka Radwanska, seeded nine, and Johanna Konta, the fifth seed in a dream run in the Chinese city.

Those victories came in her first full season back after a successful stint with the Brisbane Heat cricket team.

Garcia also toppled her fair share of seeds in the early rounds -- including Dominika Cibulkova, seeded seven, and number 12 seed Angelique Kerber -- before trouncing Greece`s Maria Sakkari in the semis.

It was the first professional meeting between the pair after 23-year-old Garcia beat Barty on her way to the 2011 US Open Girls` final.

Congratulations and the first of many more I hope for Sweet Caroline

[howzdat]

Earlier this month Carolina Garcia followed up winning the Wuhan Open tennis tournament with victory against Simona Halep in the China Open final! She is now 8th in the WTA rankings, Heather Watson, whom has also had previous mentions on this topic is ranked 74th; Johanna Konta who was nowhere to be seen on this topic at the time that Caroline came into the limelight is ranked 9th. With these rankings in mind I hafi seh datzhow my prediction has indeed come to pass. As for the future, who knows. Well done Caroline and keep up the good work.

[howzdat]

@howzdat hash-tagging @NoPanFlash again

Like I said, Marcus is @NoPanFlash! and I hope that he keeps on keeping on. His England performances have also shown great character.

[howzdat]

Sir Lord Baje of the Bluefoots contacted me a few days back to appraise me that he has heard from a few of his fellow knighted contacts in the UK House of Lords querying the apparent very, very very low profile being kept in public by any form of activities, be they commemorative, celebratory or even merely paying lip-worship to Black History Month in God Bless the Queen Land!

You can well imagine datzow this random contact from a Sired One updating me on such a random observation left me rather perplexed! And immediately the wonderful efforts of mikesiva on the Famous Jamaicans in History topic came to mind plus a few other things. So the question is wha 'appen to Black History Month ina Hingland! I feel seh if is amy way datzhow Sir Lord Baje of the Bluefoots observations dem are worthy of further investigation then somebody ought to ask a question in Parliament!

STOP PRESS: Talking of Black History I just hear seh that Robert Miugabe has had his United Nations World Health Organisation role of goodwill ambassador cancelled. All things considered, it did escape me as to how it was that an institution of worldwide renown like the United Nations could in all seriousness expect that conferring such an accolade on Mr. Mugabe would pass without protest, Damned foolishness if yuh ask me, but dem didn't so some will be quick to assert that that particular episode will be going down in United Nations records as a bit of 'blackened history'

Whee were we? Ah yes was about the apparent disappearance of Black History Month ina Hingland!

Just in case Sir Lord Baje of the Bluefoots is onto something will call 999 and file a missing personage report but I can betcha datzhow the Queen couldn't give a damn. Ah well Black history monthless this year! Maybe will appear again in 2018 but I hafi tell Sir Lord Baje NOT to hold his breath in anticipation ... he might expire!

[howzdat]

UPDATE: Sir Lord Baje of the Bluefoots send me an urgent! telex to remind me datzhow is still 8 days and plenty hours to go on October for Black History Month to get an honourable mention ina Hingland!

I listen him good, den after considering the whole alleged situation I turn and tell him seh datzhow I know for sure he hafi be a condamned fool if he reckon that he not going to expire if he successfully conduct a 8 day Royally Proclaimed breathing strike on account of this 2017 Black History Month gwan missing ina Hingland business.

To end the story I wish him luck, shut down my telex machine and open up a browser pon the worldwide web to update allyuh that I hear seh datzhow Black history monthless this year!

[howzdat]

Garcia really has upped her game in recent times.

France's Caroline Garcia produced a stunning fightback against Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki to reach the WTA Finals last four at the expense of world number one Simona Halep. Garcia recovered from a desperate first set to beat Wozniacki 0-6 6-3 7-5, American Venus Williams will play France's Garcia in Saturday's 2ndr semi-final.

But she has just lost in the semi final against Venus Williams 6-7, 6-2, 3-6. So Venus Williams will play Caroline Wozniacki in the final.

[howzdat]

6-4, 6-4. Wonderful match. Great fightback, as we have come to know is possible when either of the Williams' sisters have their backs to the wall, from 5-0 by Venus. But in the end Wozniacki won through. Congratulations to Venus for still putting up a fight against the younger players. But of course, most of my plaudits are reserved for Caroline Garcia who has improved immensely in these end of seasons tournaments,

[howzdat]

Well, well, well look here...