Alicia Molik’s Australian crew had already loved their Japanese night meal and have been stress-free in entrance of the TV, content material they’d booked their place within the Billie Jean King Cup remaining some hours earlier.
Across city within the shadow of the Celtic soccer floor, their would-be opponents have been left nonetheless scrapping late into Saturday night within the second semi-final – manna from heaven for the early-to-bed Aussies.
The widespread consensus on the Emirates Arena was that Australia would begin as underdogs in Sunday’s remaining, whoever emerged because the winner between the 11-times champions from the Czech Republic and a Swiss crew spearheaded by Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic.
As it turned out, the Swiss received – however didn’t end the job till after 9.30pm, which following warm-downs and press duties meant a late-evening return to their Glasgow lodge.
So, with the ultimate beginning at 2pm on Sunday, wasn’t their later night time a type of equaliser for the Australians, who’d been crushed by the identical crew in final yr’s semi-finals?
Molik appeared to bristle on the notion her crew have been underdogs.
“No, I don’t think an equaliser, no. I feel like we can win tomorrow. I don’t care what time they finish tonight,” she mentioned.
“Players will be in bed early, but they will be definitely watching the matches.”
Still, she agreed the three early-starting ties her crew had loved this week might solely be useful.
“Happy, I mean it’s six o’clock here and we are about to go to dinner. It’s perfect for us. This has been a schedule we have been on since we arrived here. All of our matches were early.
“We have been right here longer than another crew, which I imagine has paid off. So, you understand, we’re actually ready.”
And no-one has been as prepared as Storm Sanders, not so much the Rockhampton rocket as the Rockhampton revelation.
The Queenslander’s played over nine hours of high-octane tennis this week, winning five out of six rubbers, with the only fear being she might be starting to suffer for her efforts when she needed treatment for an unspecified leg problem during her win over Great Britain’s Heather Watson.
Still, she came out a couple of hours later and won the decisive doubles with Sam Stosur.
“I’ll get well tonight, we’ll get some therapy, and simply relaxation. With the ultimate at 2pm tomorrow, I’ll have the morning to sort of relaxation and prepare. Kind of use the excessive from at present to maintain going for tomorrow. I really feel like, yeah, let’s give it the whole lot,” said Sanders.
She’ll open up against either Jil Teichmann or Viktorija Golubic, who’ve both shone in singles this week, while a flat Ajla Tomljanovic will have to improve dramatically on her defeat by Britain’s Harriet Dart if she’s to tame Bencic, who’s won all four of her matches this week.
Ominously, when Teichmann met Sanders and Tomljanovic played Bencic last year, the Australian pair won only eight games between them.
“Switzerland all the time present how good they’re. In large occasions like Billie Jean King Cup and the Olympics, they actually step up,” said Molik of the team that lost to Russia in last year’s final. “Their degree is nice.”
But perhaps it is time for her personal crew to alter their latest tennis historical past. Ever since Evonne Goolagong led the 1974 champions, Australia have reached 9 finals – and misplaced all of them. Tenth time fortunate, maybe?
