[6] Tinne Gilis (BEL) 3-0 [15] Sana Ibrahim (EGY) 3-0 11-7, 11-2, 11-6 (32m)
Clinical, sharp, accurate. Today, I don’t think Sana did much wrong, but Tinne was in the zone from 5/5 in the first game. Maybe Sana tired a bit then from her huge match yesterday against Melissa Alves – not just physically but also mentally, as she had never beaten Melissa – but the Belgium was on fire.
Maybe she wanted to avenge her sister’s defeat in the event against Sana last year… But joke apart, it was a sublime performance today, and her association with David Palmer, Jesse Englebretch and SJ Perry is working beautifully for her!
Tinne
Obviously she had a hard one with Melissa yesterday and after a training block in summer you never know what players are going to be like or if they’ll have changed something.
“When I looked at her the first time after summer I felt like she looked good and fit. I know she’s put in a lot of work and was going to be on fire. And she played really well here last year. To be fair she’s always fired up, wants to win and fights for every point.
“I was expecting a big battle and wanted to push myself today because I haven’t been feeling comfortable. I wanted to step on court and do what I could, give it my all and see what happens. I enjoyed my time on court today and that really helped.
“I’ve been working [with David Palmer] for just over a year. He’s in the US so I don’t see him so much but I’ll talk with him regularly and then Jesse [Engelbrecht] helps me mentally.
“When I’m in Europe I work with SJ a lot. Her knowledge of the game is incredible. She sees so many things nobody had even mentioned. She’s been helping a lot, even though I’d only stayed with her for two weeks, she’s already taught me so much. I definitely want to keep working with her. I’m so happy with the team I’ve got around me. They make me feel good and comfortable and that’s all I need.
