Forehand slicer Aoi Ito beat Kenin after down 2-5 in third set.

SeeItHitIt

Professional
Kenin came out like gangbusters when young, but like many other young players (especially ladies, e.g. Keys and yes, Osaka), too much $$ from endorsements without corresponding and prolonged dominance on court stole their edge. Poof. Enjoy your $$.

Ito is a club player, just terrible. Embarrassing.
 

Mark-Touch

Legend
When you reach the pro tour and think the stage of your sports life when you can finally forget about moonballers, slicers, dinkers and all kind of junkballers... just to get sc**ed again.
I hear ya.
Well these pros are going to have to add a new routine to their practice.
Their training staff will have to become proficient junk-ballers and get their
player prepared, especially before matches with them.
 

boredone3456

G.O.A.T.
Ever since 2021 She's been a wreck form wise. First she got appendicitis in early 2021 and missed a bunch of tournaments. Then she came back and I think almost immediately split with her coach. Then in 2022 she suffered an injury that made her miss like 75% of the year I think and caused her ranking to fall to like 300 in the world. 2023 she claws her way back to the top 40 by the end of the year...now here were are and she isn't even in the top 150 right now. I'm not surprised whenever she loses to anyone lately because she can't seem to string together enough consistency.
 

1H-Backhand

Rookie
You can only play who is in front of you and they are allowed to hit the ball however they like, within the rules of course, which she does
 

Mark-Touch

Legend
Ever since 2021 She's been a wreck form wise. First she got appendicitis in early 2021 and missed a bunch of tournaments. Then she came back and I think almost immediately split with her coach. Then in 2022 she suffered an injury that made her miss like 75% of the year I think and caused her ranking to fall to like 300 in the world. 2023 she claws her way back to the top 40 by the end of the year...now here were are and she isn't even in the top 150 right now. I'm not surprised whenever she loses to anyone lately because she can't seem to string together enough consistency.
I know another player who's had similar problems the past few years.
Her name begins with A and ends with U. :)
 
kenin looks confused
Wish she was my neighbour or more!
P6BLi01.gif
 

davced1

Hall of Fame
Watched the highlights and I’m not sold on the style. She hits regular backhands so she uses the forehand slice to set up offensive shots with her backhand instead of setting up with backhand slice and be offensive with the forehand. I just can’t see why giving up the potentially strongest shot the forehand top spin is beneficial.
 
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vokazu

Legend
Watched the highlights and I’m not sold on the style. She hits regular backhands so she uses the forehand slice to set up offensive shots with her backhand instead of setting up with backhand slice and be offensive with the forehand. I just can’t see why giving up the potentially strongest shot the forehand top spin is beneficial.
She does hit topspin FH occasionally, but when she hits it, it's always a weak slow moonball FH that often drops short. I guess she's not comfortable to hit a drive forehand or she doesn't have the technique to hit a flatter or more powerful forehand. Maybe she needs to learn to hit two handed forehand like Seles.
 

tennis4me

Hall of Fame
I happen to catch an Aoi Ito match now at ITF W100 in Takasaki (Japan) against Nugroho. I thought she was just hitting a one off FH slicer until I continue seeing her hitting those shots throughout the matches. What an interesting playing style. Amazing how far it gets her with this type of FH. When she's not slicing, she hits a very slow loopy moonball-ish defense FH.

Guess what her UTR is ... 11.85, whereas Kenin is 11.91. She's at career high 148. She's type of player that if you see her video, you'll underestimate her until you get on the other side and play her.

She plays with no rhythm, hits unorthodox shots/shot choices, hits with many no-pace balls (and suddenly hit winners with BH), hits a lot of short no-pace crosscourt angled BH.

Currently she's outgrinding another grinder. 6-1,5-4.
 

a10best

Legend
She plays with no rhythm, hits unorthodox shots/shot choices, hits with many no-pace balls (and suddenly hit winners with BH), hits a lot of short no-pace crosscourt angled BH.

Currently she's outgrinding another grinder. 6-1,5-4.
Outgrinding a grinder with junk and different paces. Interesting. Grinders are not known for hitting winners as they're primarily counter puncher/fitness players and just trying to hit one more ball back than you. A top WTA player should be able to consistently destroy Ito's weak serve or suffer in Ito's fun house.
 

ey039524

Hall of Fame
Love the cat and mouse points. Interesting to see a different style than the ubiquitous topspin from both sides. That's why Ash Barty was so good. WTA opponents weren't used to her variety.
 

Mark-Touch

Legend
Outgrinding a grinder with junk and different paces. Interesting. Grinders are not known for hitting winners as they're primarily counter puncher/fitness players and just trying to hit one more ball back than you. A top WTA player should be able to consistently destroy Ito's weak serve or suffer in Ito's fun house.
Kenin is definitely a top WTA player and yet she too fell prey to Ito's cat and mouse game.
 

tennis4me

Hall of Fame
Kenin is definitely a top WTA player and yet she too fell prey to Ito's cat and mouse game.
Had not watched the Kenin match until I see your post above. So it looks like Kenin cannot play her game and was drawn into playing Aoi's game in a few points. The funny thing is when Kenin was playing like that, then Aoi turned the table and attacked or put away those balls - the same junk balls that Aoi was giving Kenin.

I guess Kenin is one of those players that can't handle this type of style.
 

tennis4me

Hall of Fame
She's scheduled to play Final today at 5pm against another up-and-coming 20yo from China, Sijia Wei. Both at their career high ranking now at #130 and #139, respectively.

I am finding this amusing. Made me smile to watch her weak serves (and how no one can seem to attack it consistently), her body language when she missed our lost a point (yeah, she looked more like club player's gesture then a Pro). I want to see how someone finally "solve" this puzzle.
 

Subway Tennis

G.O.A.T.
I am an Ito fan and might have watched more of her matches than others on here.

Regarding the forehand, she is no Monica Nicelescu. Ito also hits a very effective top spin forehand and can take the ball very early to rob the opponent of time.

Against a rhythm player like Kenin the off-pace approach and mixed spins and floaty slice balls are very effective, but it’s pigeonholing Ito to suggest that this is the full extent of her game. She has every shot in the book and is also a brilliant volleyer.

Ito’s problem is she has a power deficit unfortunately, but the attacking side of her game really comes alive on the faster hardcourt events in Japan where she gets some extra help with pace.
 

Mark-Touch

Legend
bet dollars to donuts she has soft tennis background, that fh drive and slice both borrowed from soft.
Never heard of soft tennis before your post.
I just checked it out and it looks like a cross between tennis and pickleball. Yuk!
Do you think they play soft tennis in Japan?
 

tennis4me

Hall of Fame
Collected another W at the ITF $100k Takasaki, won 7-5,6-4 against Shija Wei. I thought for a moment that Shija was going to steamroll Aoi as Shija was up 4-1 quickly in 1st set. Shija was hitting balls early, opening up the court better with cross-court BH then hitting DTL winners. Then slowly Aoi starts to be a little more consistent and hitting more pressure balls. It was actually a fairly close match, but many long points were eventually won by Aoi. Seems like the endless defense of Aoi (that often turned to offense+winner) eventually exhaust Shija, at times opting to dropshot; only to be either put away by Aoi or landed short not making it to the other side of the court.

She's now at UTR 11.90 - just 0.01 under Kenin's 11.91.

No money until you get to maybe the top-100?? Around $12k for winning this ITF $100k tournament. YTD Career earning around $78k. But, but her opponent Wei at #131 has YTD around $600k because of some WTA 1000 WC in China and a few qualifying entry into GS tournaments. What a difference in earnings. It helps to be from a country with one or more GS or WTA 1000 tournaments.
 

Mark-Touch

Legend
They've been playing soft tennis in Asian Games since 1994.





Thanks for the history and clips.
I know most of the clips were indoor games, but still, the whole thing was extremely noisy!
Between the balls/rackets, indoor acoustics and the crowd going bananas it was very
unpleasant to watch.

Watching 'slow tennis' is like watching clay court tennis.
 
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tennis4me

Hall of Fame
Outgrinding a grinder with junk and different paces. Interesting. Grinders are not known for hitting winners as they're primarily counter puncher/fitness players and just trying to hit one more ball back than you. A top WTA player should be able to consistently destroy Ito's weak serve or suffer in Ito's fun house.
Yeah - I think this is the difference between a "typical" grinder and Aoi. She has killer BH that hits many DTL winners - these are hit at the most unexpected times in many occasions; after many seesaw boring rallies/defense. Plus her slice FH is usually placed strategically, either as an effective defense to neutralize the point or to setup the next point for her kill shot.

What an interesting player.
 

a10best

Legend
Kenin is definitely a top WTA player and yet she too fell prey to Ito's cat and mouse game.
True Top WTA players at Kenin's age would destroy Ito's 1st and 2 serves. Gauff, Osaka, Keys, Muchova, Kvitova, Rybakina, Sabalenka. It's a long list. Kenin is now a 3rd tier player.
 

Mark-Touch

Legend
True Top WTA players at Kenin's age would destroy Ito's 1st and 2 serves. Gauff, Osaka, Keys, Muchova, Kvitova, Rybakina, Sabalenka. It's a long list. Kenin is now a 3rd tier player.
She's a 3rd tier player with a 1st tier bank account. :)
3rd tier players don't make it to the 2nd and 3rd rounds of slams (like Kenin is now doing).
 

tennis4me

Hall of Fame
Finally someone (Hina Inoue) was able to counter Aoi's game. I only watched a few games of set 1. To oversimplify, basically a) Hina was not bothered by Aoi's game, b) kept her UE low (many of Aoi's opponents started making many UE due to forcing early winners, directional change, etc ) and c) possesses weapons that can finish points at the right time.
 

Mark-Touch

Legend
Finally someone (Hina Inoue) was able to counter Aoi's game. I only watched a few games of set 1. To oversimplify, basically a) Hina was not bothered by Aoi's game, b) kept her UE low (many of Aoi's opponents started making many UE due to forcing early winners, directional change, etc ) and c) possesses weapons that can finish points at the right time.
I just watched the first set, skipped over the second and watched a bit of the third.
I have totally different take on the match from yours.

It was a nail biter up until the very end. Ito ran out of gas at the end of the 3rd but they were going toe to toe throughout.
Ito could just as easily have won the match.

She has a fascinating game. Great mover. Great touch. Clever tactics. She's blessed with talent.
 

Shaolin

Talk Tennis Guru
I just watched the first set, skipped over the second and watched a bit of the third.
I have totally different take on the match from yours.

It was a nail biter up until the very end. Ito ran out of gas at the end of the 3rd but they were going toe to toe throughout.
Ito could just as easily have won the match.

She has a fascinating game. Great mover. Great touch. Clever tactics. She's blessed with talent.

Definitely kinda fun to see someone with a different style come through. The FH slices are not aesthetically pleasing but she looks very casual on court and plays a thinking/tactical type game.
 

tennis4me

Hall of Fame
I just watched the first set, skipped over the second and watched a bit of the third.
I have totally different take on the match from yours.

It was a nail biter up until the very end. Ito ran out of gas at the end of the 3rd but they were going toe to toe throughout.
Ito could just as easily have won the match.

She has a fascinating game. Great mover. Great touch. Clever tactics. She's blessed with talent.
I didn't watch the 3rd set, so I probably trust your take more than mine. Thanks for that summary.
 

Mark-Touch

Legend
"Should be", but the reality is different. Even the ex-#45 Párrizas Díaz fell to Aoi recently.
Exactly and I know the reason it works for her.
I would wager that absolutely no one on the tour practices with anyone who hits like her.

Everyone is used to having balls come at them with pace so they can feed off of it.
With 'nothing balls' landing deep they have to generate all the pace and that can get frustrating
and tiring.
 
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