How challenger tournaments prep players for the tour - 5/17/2011

Date: 5/17/2011
Result: Brussels R1, Alison van Uytvanck def. Patty Schnyder, 6-3 2-6 6-2
Why it matters:
- Van Uytvanck is having an incredible year.  Ok, so it's on the 10K futures circuit (with a 25K mixed in), but she's only got one loss this year - to former top 15er Anna-Lena Groenefeld - and she follows it up with a win over the crafty veteran on home soil.  She has to know that the crowd support she's getting in Belgium won't always be there, but she should count her blessings that her first tour level win is not just at a WTA level event where she's having this great support, but a Premier level event, meaning extra prize money and extra ranking points.  She's still young and probably will prioritize juniors for awhile, but van Uytvanck has a promising future ahead of her, and with role models like Clijsters and Henin, maybe a lot of ambition as well.
- I highlighted Schnyder back in my first match analysis, and a lot of the same applies.  Her motivation seems low and she's just going through the motions.  A player with her experience and success probably just hits the wall at the end, but it's getting sad.  I'm sure Schnyder probably wants to see the year out and do a final tour, but that kind of tour is pointless if either (a) she's not competitive due to lack of motivation or (b) she's not competitive due to deterioration of skills.  I doubt it's the latter given her craftiness, so let's hope Schnyder figures out how to push it for a few more months before she's ready to call it quits once and for all.

Honorable Mentions:
- Dusseldorf RR, Mikhail Kukushkin def. Sam Querrey - 36 75 75 - See yesterday's post.  Only it's worse because Kukushkin is no Soderling even when he's on, and he's been VERY off this year.  Enough said.
- Dusseldorf RR, Dusan Lajovic def. Igor Andreev - 16 76 64 - Lajovic has been winning a lot of matches this year, but like van Uytvanck, most on the lowest level.  But now he, too, can chalk up his first tour level victory against a very solid clay court player in Andreev.  And more impressively, he won coming back from a horrid first set.  Andreev's been amiss this year though, but he always seems to get inspired at the French, so hopefully for his sake this won't stunt his progress.  But the most important question, is what did Tipsarevic have to do with this win? "You can call me Mourinho... Lajovic vs. Andreev 1/6 7/6 6/4" -@TipsarevicJanko