Bengals1
Hall of Fame
obviously I hoped it was the opposite
I understand its early but Aga's falling into the same troubling pattern that befell her last season. She wins the first match of a tournament easily, struggles in the second match (usually being taken to three sets) and then loses ugly in the third match. (usually to a much lower ranked player - or least most were lower ranked last season anyway)
She was sick with the flu to start the season last year, then suffered from some lingering foot issue most of the spring and then was beset by some mysterious virus in early summer that her camp never fully explained. By the time she was through with all these set-backs the 2017 campaign was nearly at an end and she finished out of the top 10 for the first time in several years.
Now the 2018 season as begun and we're seeing the same disturbing pattern reemerge, win-struggle-lose. I don't think she made it past the third match of a tournament more than once or twice all last season. Here's hoping she's just knocking off the rust and will do better going forward. She's going to be 29 later this year and speed and quickness are basically her entire game.
It's going to get harder and harder to pull off the "run and fetch" strategy she plays too much longer...