10/30/2009        English Open

Practice makes perfect or perhaps more accurately, perfect practice makes perfect.

Certainly that would appear to the situation for Spain’s Galia Dvorak, the winner of the Girls’ Singles title at the European Youth Championships in 2004; her close to the table fast attacking style of play has proved a winner time and again in opposition to attacking players, a style of play against which she is more than adept.

Very good against attackers and at the English Open on Friday 30th October 2009, she proved herself against backspin skills.

In the opening round of the Under 21 Women’s Singles event she recovered from an opening game deficit to record a five games win over Alena Dubkova of Belarus.

Traditional Style
All defenders are different but Alena Dubkova is somewhat in the mould of a player who emanates from a country that was once part of the Soviet Union.

You can list a string of backspin players from that part of the world, all slightly different but with the common factor that from the backhand, using long pimples, they are safe and sure.

Prime Example
Elena Timina, present in Sheffield, is a prime example as is the lady with whom she gained great success in the 1990s, Irina Palina and it is that player who has helped Galia Dvorak become more and more confident against the backspin artiste.

Good Shape
“I feel I’m in good shape against defenders nowadays”, said Galia Dvorak. “In Berlin I practise with Irina Palina and that has certainly helped me; also at the recent European Championships I beat Xian Yi Fang from France.”

Irina Palina is different from Elena Timina and from the present day superb defender from Belarus, Viktoria Pavlovich; undoubtedly, the variations exerted by Irina Palina in her play are greater than most backspin players and greater than those of the very stylish Alena Dubkova.

Safe
“She was sure in her defence, she was safe”, added Galia Dvorak. “However, as the match progressed, I got into a rhythm, I became more and more used to the spin on the ball and I could take some risks.”

Galia Dvorak asserted her authority more and more as the match progressed; the scores underline that fact. She won 11-13, 11-4, 11-3, 11-1, 11-6.