They seemed to have lost the first set so convincingly...
God bless the stewards of Court 3 - they had put it on this court and by now it was really hardened fans staying to watch, and they just basically said to us as we filed in "sit ANYWHERE"... we hustled down to the front and it was getting so dark by now...
The crowd were really rauscous... there was really no shortage of support.
Jamie's serve - I can't work out if he's really going for his shots and placement, and that's why he's netting/letting a lot, or whether he's really truly magnetically drawn to the net - but it was a nail-biting affair...
He and Liezel actually have a pretty good partnership - she seems to be a lot more humerous now than when she first started playing with him... she scored a rare ace and was fist-pumping away and more importantly getting involved with the crowd... she was whipping them up a storm last night...
They scrambled themselves to a tie-break and were just ROMPING away with it at 6-1... then Jamie serving it out...
Again - when he serves in - that is one pretty deep hefty serve... and it really did cause a few issues for the oppostition... but... that's when it GOES in!!!!
That 6-1 lead soon evaporated... and I have to say - Liezel's serve just scares the living daylights out of me... it hangs in the hair for the absolute longest time, and her serve action is so languid - but it is obviously preety effective in dubs for her... so who am I to judge, I guess...
All I can say was it was an awesome scrap to take the TB... and the crowd went MENTAL!
Jamie was being watched by Judy, Louis Cayer, and Alan MacDonald and quite frankly I feel happier that Louis seems to be back at the helm of watching/coaching Jamie. I did wonder (when Louis became part of Andy's team) whether Jamie's progress would suffer, and it would appear so.
There are times when there are real flashed of that Stretch Magic of the J&J run of 2007, but to my mind the rest of the time, he almost seems to be over thinking things. His best point scoring was when his reactions were just instinctive...
Liezel started joining in the by now obligatory mexican wave... she's got the measure of the brit crowd, that girl... get 'em on your side and they will roar you home.
Some inspired play from them from now on - their first game was a tough hold for Jamie... but I think once they broke de Voest/Kops-Jones, the crowd were just deafening...
That last shot was an accidental flash shot - by now it was so dark with Liezel serving it out.. I'm surprised they could see ANYTHING!!!
They took the match - and it was just AWESOME... anyone would think they'd won the title.
This gives you an idea of just how dark it was at the end:
But let me leave y'all with this thought...
J&J went down a set, and had to win a tie break and the third in THEIR first round match two years ago...
This may well be the last blog from this year ... and what a way to end it... JJ's awesome match where she proved she means business, and Jamie/Liezel....
Keeping fingers crossed I get another chance to go, but until then... happy for a day off and a chance to watch on the TV (even if it IS Serena on at the moment!)
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