Hantuchova beats home favorite on Daniel Island

Photo by Daniel Ward

Experience matters, and that point was emphasized by Daniela Hantuchova this morning in Charleston when she defeated local favorite Shelby Rogers 7-5, 7-5. Hantuchova was all over the place, alternating winning and losing streaks, but when it counted, she went into aggressive mode and got the better of her opponent.

The Slovakian veteran is currently coached by Peter Lundgren. Lundgren, of course, has a lot of experience coaching ATP players, and Hantuchova talked about the changes he's going through as he gets more acquainted with the WTA.

"I'd have to say he's very surprised how fast we play. We hit the ball really fast, where the guys use maybe more spin. But overall it's pretty much the same, except the thinking part, where we, I think in general, like to make things a little bit more complicated than the guys."

Hantuchova also challenged the assumption that the green clay courts at the Family Circle Cup are faster than European red clay courts. She said that the really slow courts like those in Berlin and Hamburg, are gone, that Madrid and Paris have very fast courts, and that the courts in Charleston are now some of the slowest-playing courts in the world.