Thursday 24th April 2025 NB 1330 local
Before we begin this one I would like to mention one of Miri’s key sponsors – Pescobar. Owner of Romania’s Taverna Racilor Seafood Group. Recently opened in Camden Town, London the famous Octopus Kebab. Highly recommend ♥️🐙
Okay, Octopuses aside let’s get our tentacles into this one. Players are warming up…..
Von Deichmann is our opponent today; one significant and very important previous meeting, Miri beat her in the final in the Bucharest last September to claim her first WTA title. It’s been choppy seas since for the Bull Shark. However I was at Bucharest for Miri’s last three matches and there was a gritty determination about her and I saw that Bucharest Bulgaru two days ago. It will not be easy today but I believe the Little Champ can do this in two! Let’s go! Deichmann to serve!
0-1 Good strong start by Miri, body language good and positive. A Bulgaru blaster backhand up the line sets up early break points which Deichmann saves. Miri is doing all the running early and trying to cause some chaos but Deichmann manovers her out of postion and holds serve to start the set off.
0-3 It is a true contrast of styles these two, Deichmann is a disruptor who uses the slice backhand a lot and Miri likes to be aggressive as much as possible. Yet a cute drop shot at 30-15 gives Deichmann something else to think about. A Miri first serve goes long at deuce she works hard behind the second but is betrayed by a poor drop shot miss. Danger is averted as Deichmann goes long on the break point. Miri then pumps a forehand down the line, too hot for Deichmann who sends it into the net. Miri throws everything at Deichmann in the next game point including an impressive lob but Deichmann gets a handle to it and just finds the line. The game goes on and on. Eventually Deichmann breaks as Miri goes long with a forehand, Deichmann stops immediately and the umpire checks the mark to confirm. First blood Deichmann. Deichmann races to 30-0 Miri deploys another drop shot but Deichmann has plenty of time to pass her. Yet the Romanian keeps the game going to 40-30. Unfortunately goes long again with the forehand, she is being a little over ambitious with some of these shots and would benefit from keeping it more simple if she can.
1-4 Miri starts the next game awkwardly to go 0-30 but a very good T serve helps her to level for 30-30 and again goes for the drop at 40-30 which Deichmann reaches yet Miri is ready with the next shot and passes her up the line to get on the board. Lots more Miri animation now, lots of ‘Come ons’ and ‘Hais’ as she tries to summon her best tennis.
First point lost on serve as Deichmann closes in with a smash at the net. A furious Miri screams ‘Come on!’ At the top of lungs as she still tries to get herself going. Quickly down to 15-40 she saves the first break point with some fierce forehands but Deichmann takes the next for a huge lead. She is serving for the set in the blink of an eye. It’s a Deichmann demolition in set one, Miri has not really found her rhythm yet. She needs to reset now and start again…
1-6 0-1 Set two begins and the Little Champ is quickly down to 0-30 and unable to mask her frustrations, another drop shot is picked up and returned back with interest and more break points follow. Miri kicks the clay as she is broken to 15. Not the start she hoped for.
1-6 1-2 An awkward bounces helps Miri into Deichmann’s service game and she works towards a 15-30 lead but Deichmann soon levels to 30-30 Miri then skies a return to give her game point and another error from the Bulgaru racket gives Deichmann daylight in the set score. Miri must hold now. Again Miri cannot get much going as a forehand down the line goes wide and Deichmann passes her once more. Miri fires more forehands across the battlefield and cries with triumph as a winner lands in the open court yet another error follows and she is in trouble again. A volley winner at the net saves her and we are at deuce. Just a few big points like that for the confidence and she will arrive at the party but another forehand goes well long on the baseline on a game point. Miri needs this game desperately. Deichmann gets a break point with a drop shot winner and Miri saves it with an assault of forehands and Jesus some of them are so close! This game is MASSIVE! Deichman sends a backhand into the net and the Little Champ escapes the crucial game with a volley winner into the open court. That was a huge one to win, let’s hope it gives Miri new belief!!!
1-6 1-3 It very windy now you can see and hear it. Miri continues to try and energise herself on every point she wins against the serve, lots of ‘Hais’! 40-30 she is made to hit heavy forehand after heavy forehand absolutely pounding them but Deichmann defends each one so well and Miri switches to the drop shot in panic, it misses and Deichmann holds.
Something has happened here, Miriam furious and remonstrating with the umpire. She throws her racket in frustration and sits down calling for the supervisor. With the game score at 15-0. Unsure if it was a call she was not happy with perhaps? We resume…
1-6 2-3 Despite the dramas Miri holds, again not sure what ticked her off but she exploded and was very annoyed about something. Perhaps she just needed to fire up?
1-6 3-4 Deichmann holds again and again the drop shot from Miri is ineffective that will not help her mood whatsoever. She serves again and shouts ‘Come on!’ On the first point to show she is still fighting. Yet again Deichmann too good for her at the net and storms into Miri’s service game. Another forehand error puts Miri in danger again but Deichmann just goes long for 30-30. Miri works her way to game point sending Deichman end to end with a flurry of forehands but the following passing shot goes long and we are at deuce. Miri fires a Bulgaru bullet into the open court for game point and then Deichmann coughs up an error for the Romanian to hold. There’s a ‘Hai’ and a fist pump. Miri just needs a little spark to ignite this one but she’s running out of time!
1-6 3-5 Hello, deuce on the Deichmann serve, we have not been here for a while. Come on Little Champ! The forehands are firing now and it’s break point! Excellent defending from Miriam chases everything but Deichmann catches her out with a drop shot and back to deuce. A game point is saved with a Miri drop shot, she charges behind it which is risky play yet Deichmann misses the return anyway. It’s another Bulgaru break point and more excellent defending but Deichmann cuts through the middle of the court catching the Little Champ out. Miri misses with the backhand, game point Deichmann and Miri sends a forehand long, the resistance is over and Miri must serve to stay in.
1-6 3-6 A missed serve volley puts Miri in trouble at 15-30 she makes the volley on the next point but Deichmann is there again and lobs but this one goes mercifully long. However we are soon facing a match point, pumping forehands from Miri but Deichmann defending brilliantly yet again forcing Miri to go for more shots, the match is killed in a flash as Miri misses a volley at the net.
In truth Miri was not able to play her game today, Deichmann too good and far too awkward, there were moments when it may have turned as Miri matches often do but a little too much damage was done early on and it was a bad day at the Bulgaru office. There was a lot of encouraging tennis in both her matches this week and she must take that forward into next week.
Leave a Reply