In the second installment of her blog from Down Under, Judy Murray takes us on the journey to Hobart to see Heather Watson win the Hobart International with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Madison Brengle.
Happy for Hev in Hobart:
Well, I'm so glad I made the trip to Hobart for The Heather Watson Show. It was fab. The fabbest in fact. The weather conditions were tough - windy and cold - so the final against American qualifier Madison Brengle wasn't the prettiest.
At the start of the match it was a challenge just to toss the ball up to serve. But, you don't have to play your best tennis every match, you only have to play better than the person on the other side of the net....and Hev did exactly that!! It was so important to be positive and patient in the wind and it mirrored the conditions in the semi-final win over No.8 seed Alison Riske the previous night.
It's been 30 years since a Brit won two WTA titles so it is a bit of history for Hev!! She was rewarded for her 6-3, 6-4 win with a wooden trophy shaped like Tasmania and which has zero chance of fitting into her racket bag.
Hev's new wooden trophy!
It was also a big moment for Hev's Argentinian coach Diego Veronelli. They have worked together for just over a year and it was his first Tour title with a player. Great moment!!! They are a good team.
After the final, there is the trophy ceremony, followed by some cool down time on the bike, fluid replacement, shower, media, physio, volunteer’s award ceremony, then more photos at the marina with the trophy.
Presentation ceremony at the Hobart International
Finally :) we got to go for a celebration dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and yes, there was ice cream.
Eyes on Australian Open:
Back to Melbourne tomorrow morning. It's an hour and a bit flight. Day off for Hev with a bit of physio, gym work and media commitments but no tennis. Her first round match at AO is on Tuesday v Tsvetana Pironkova, a tricky Bulgarian who made the semis at Sydney this week. This week's wins over Rybarikova, Stephens, Vinci, Riske and Brengle make a six match streak (including the Hopman Cup win over Dellacqua) and that is a real confidence boost going into the Aussie Open. And as anyone who is involved in sport will tell you, confidence is the king!!
Well done boys:
Great to see Kyle Edmund come through a marathon to qualify. Three GB men in the main draw is a step in the right direction. Sorry that Liam Broady didn't make it. I was seriously impressed with his two wins in qualifying. He's come a long way in the last six months.
Kyle & Liam taking an ice bath in preparation for their 3rd round qualifiers
Kids Day:
It was Kids Day at Melbourne Park today. I was sorry to miss that. It's always mobbed and the entertainment across the grounds is colourful, fun and varied.
Rod Laver Arena also always has a fantastic exhibition match involving many top players.
The stars turn out for an exhibition match on the Rod Laver Arena
Tomorrow, I'm going to take you into the player cafe and show you the food stations. And yes, they do have cake.......they could be bigger, but at least they have some :)
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