The difficulty of a highly-ranked player playing a relatively unknown opponent is that the latter has nothing to lose and everything to gain (‘Sport’ page, “Hsieh casts spell on Halep, causes biggest shock of the day”, July 8). With no expectation to win, there is no pressure on such opponents whereas an established player needs to win and move on to the next round. When seeded players make an unexpected exit, it is not as though they have played below their potential; it is because the carefree opponent had played with unrestricted freedom which sometimes clicks. The only way for the favourites to win is to ensure that they take the bull by the horns without waiting for the opponent to commit mistakes. Simona Halep paid a price for not doing this and it is as simple as that.
V. Lakshmanan,
Tirupur, Tamil Nadu