Key Biscayne - Peer v. Medina Garrigues

by Lance Harke, TW Contributing Writer

It was a scorcher out on Key Biscayne, but I'm not referring to the Peer/Medina Garrigues match.  I mean it was in the high 80s today, full sun, and after an hour or so in the stands you could easily feel more overheated than the players on the court.

I wanted to see Shahar play, in part because she was kind enough on Sunday to headline a Maccabi World Union charity tennis fundraiser that my law firm helped to organize and sponsor.  She played a very lively and fun set of mixed doubles with Monica Puig, Luis J. Cuellar, and Eric Hechtman, all of whom very graciously donated their time for a good cause.  I even got to go on court and return a few of her serves (I hit a forehand winner down the line, but I'm pretty sure she let me).

So I was excited to see her take on Anabel Medina Garrigues, about whom I know very little about, though Anabel was ranked as high as 16 in 2009 and won the doubles at the French Open two years straight (2008 and 2009).

Isn't tennis a wild sport?

Pete called Peer "about as vulnerable a No. 10 seed in a big event as you can find" and he was spot-on.  Peer never looked comfortable on court, wasn't moving very well, and found herself outmatched backhand to backhand with Medina Garrigues, who used that well-constructed stroke to dominate points and keep Shahar on her heels.

Shahar almost was bageled the first set, though she rebounded near the end to only go down 6-2.  And while Anabel struggled with her first serve, Shahar likewise struggled to exploit Anabel's second serve, and played too passive on key points.  Peer also hurt herself with inexplicable errors off both wings on what I would call neutral balls.  In general she seemed. . . tired.

I also had trouble understanding Peer's match strategy.  Shahar kept going toe to toe on cross-court backhands, but that is Anabel's best stroke, while her forehand is more loopy and not very penetrating.  Anabel won the second set easily, also 6-2.

She will play the winner of the Vesnina/Wickmayer match, which is underway as a I write this.

We've already had a bunch of upsets this tournament, and more are likely on the way.

Tennis really is a wild sport, huh?