"I haven’t thought of a number or an age when I want to stop. I can tell you this: I don’t see myself retiring anytime soon."-- Serena Williams
*3Q Awards - Week 28-36* **TOP PLAYERS** 1. Serena Williams, USA ...after she lost at Wimbledon, Serena didn't immediately give off the usual "I'll show them all" vibe that she sports when she suffers such a surprising slam loss. Her immediate post-SW19 return to the clay in Bastad to win a title there seemed a slightly odd choice heading into the hard court season, too, and her title in Toronto seemed more routine than single-minded. But then she lost to Victoria Azarenka in the Cincinnati final. Afterward, Williams "thanked" Vika for giving her back her focus just in time for the U.S. Open. Well, you know what happened after that. She'd lose just one set (not ironically, to the Belarusian) in Flushing Meadows, and was back in "mission mode" as the final approached. Seventeen slams down, one more to go to catch Chris & Martina. Then, Steffi & Margaret Court can officially begin to look back over their shoulders. ============================= 2. Victoria Azarenka, BLR ...after missing time following her injury-related exit from Wimbledon, Azarenka looked for most of the hard court season like a player working off the rust of too much time out. Her serve never really did cease to become a problem to be overcome. Still, she called upon her hard-won experience and getting-it-done skills to reach the final in Carlsbad, defeat Serena in Cincinnati and somehow compensate for her erratic level of play (and that dress) to return to the U.S. Open final. Once there, she raised the level of her NYC game to once again give Williams her only real competition of the tournament. In the end, she'd earned some of the respect that used to elude her (though Serena and the Williams clan seem to have always looked upon Vika as an equal on the court... or as close anyone can be in the face of the guiding power of Serenativity), having reached four straight hard court slam finals and measuring space for the name to eventually be engraved onto the silver U.S. Open championship cup. Well, that is, if Serena ever lets her vice-like grip loosen just enough for Azarenka, a runner-up two years running in a pair of classically-played finals, to finally wrestle it away from her. ============================= 3. Simona Halep, ROU ...the Swarmette has proven to be THE leader of the group of young Romanians whose presence was noticed on the horizon a few years, but only this season have finally begun to live up to their promise. Halep opened the 3Q with a clay court win in Budapest, giving her three titles in four events (missing out, not shockingly, only at Wimbledon), then closed out the hard court circuit by winning her fourth title (on three different surfaces) of the season in New Haven and reaching her first career slam Round of 16 in NYC, surging into the Top 20 for the first time. ============================= 4. Li Na, CHN ...Li 2.0 has often been impressive in 2013, as the coaching/training tactics of Carlos Rodriguez have paid obvious dividends when it's come to the veteran's game tactics and fitness. But, alas, eliminating all of Li 1.0's "what-the-heck-was-that?" proclivities -- which can sometimes fall out of the sky, causing Li to seem to show up unprepared for any given match -- will be the next chore for this pairing. Still, this summer's hard court success was promising, as Li reached semifinals in Toronto, Cincinnati and the U.S. Open, the latter of which coming as she was a factor in NYC for the first time in four season ('09 QF). One more full offseason of work with Rodriguez and maybe a third appearance in an Australian Open final will be Li's charm. Of which she already has much. ============================= 5. Andrea Hlavackova, CZE ...the Czech began the 3Q by reaching her first career tour singles final in Bad Gastein, then she ended it by wiping the court with everyone at the U.S. Open by sweeping both doubles titles -- taking the Women's with partner Lucie Hradecka, and the Mixed with Max Mirnyi. ============================= 6. Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE ...two years after taking their first slam crown in Paris, the Czechs teamed to take out the Williams Sisters in New York... and then smartly realized that their work wasn't done, going on to win the title, too. ============================= 7. Raquel Kops-Jones & Abigail Spears, USA/USA ...the best (regular) American doubles combo in the world, RKJ and Spears won back-to-back titles early on in the hard court season, taking Stanford and defending their '12 Carlsbad crown. They didn't have the same success at the U.S. Open as a duo, but Spears reached the Mixed final with Bruno Soares. ============================= 8. Washington Kastles ...even without the efforts of Serena Williams (replaced by an out-of-retirement Martina Hingis, who went on to win the WTT's Female MVP award), the Kastles claimed their third straight World Team Tennis crown, defeating the same Springfield team in the final that had earlier ended the Kastles' record 34-match winning streak. ============================= 9. Flavia Pennetta, ITA ...her comeback from wrist surgery took nearly a year, but the thirtysomething Italian showed that she's still got some big results left in her. After reaching a tour semifinal as a qualifier earlier this season, she did so as an unseeded entrant in Bastad to begin the 3Q, then ended it -- while ranked #83 -- by reaching her first career slam semifinal at the U.S. Open. With Pennetta pushing toward the Top 20 for the first time since before last year's Open, the WTA's Italian Renaissance might just have one of the original "masters" (Flavia was the first Italian woman to ever reach the Top 10) around for a while longer, after all. ============================= 10. Roberta Vinci, ITA ...Vinci is still looking to become the fourth Italian woman to reach the Top 10, and she's been attempting to do it by walking over many of her countrywomen this season. In the 3Q, she defeated Sara Errani in the Palermo final (her second win over her doubles partner in '13), then took out two more (Knapp & Giorgi) at the U.S. Open en route to her second straight QF there. Waiting for her? Why, long-time friend Pennetta. It was just one match too many for Vinci, who put up a bit of a fight in the 1st set, then essentially breezed through the 2nd to get out of town. Oh, well. One questionable effort doesn't erase everything Vinci did this quarter, or has done in 2013. ============================= 11. Samantha Stosur, AUS & Dominika Cibulkova, SVK ...both turned what looked to be fabulous stepping stone results -- Stosur winning in Carlsbad, defeating Azarenka in the final, while Cibulkova took Stanford with a win in the decider over A-Rad -- into nearly-forgotten high points over the course of their (overall) disappointing North American hard court campaigns. Both saw the bottom drop out of their results after their wins. Cibulkova went 3-5 (losing her last four) and was upset in the 1st Round of the Open (by Elina Svitolina), while Stosur parted ways with coach David Taylor, went a mediocre 4-3 and was knocked out of the 1st Round in NYC by 17-year old qualifier Vicky Duval. By the end of the 3Q, both their singles rankings were lower than they'd been then it began. ============================= 12. Yvonne Meusburger, AUT ...at 29, the Austrian reached her first tour singles final since 2007 in Budapest, only to lose to Simona Halep. But, have no fear, Meusburger surged to yet another final a week later in Bad Gastein... and this time she finally became a first-time tour champion, defeating Andrea Hlavackova in the final. ============================= JUNIORS - Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE ...the Czech 17-year olds had quite the 3Q. Krejcikova won the singles title at the European Junior Championships, sharing the doubles crown with Siniakova. The pair then reached the doubles final of a $25K ITF event, with both advancing to the QF in singles. Siniakova followed up with a singles title in a $25K before the duo came back together at Flushing Meadows. Both lost early in singles, #4 Krejcikova falling to Tornado Alicia Black in the 2nd Round and #3 Siniakova to Mayo Hibi in the QF, but that ultimately allowed them to focus on the doubles competition -- well, and their dance moves, apparently. As the #1 seeds, they won the title, claiming their third straight junior slam after previous wins in Paris and London.
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**RISERS** 1. Simona Halep, ROU 2. Andrea Hlavackova, CZE 3. Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE 4. Raquel Kops-Jones & Abigail Spears, USA/USA 5. Dominika Cibulkova, SVK 6. Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN 7. Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP 8. Sorana Cirstea, ROU 9. Ashleigh Barty & Casey Dellacqua, AUS/AUS 10. Ekaterina Makarova, RUS 11. Agnieszka Radwanska, POL 12. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN 13. Sara Errani, ITA 14. Alize Cornet, FRA 15. Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK 16. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS 17. Mona Barthel, GER 18. Coco Vandeweghe, USA 19. Johanna Larsson, SWE 20. Zhang Shuai, CHN HM- Misaki Doi, JPN
**FRESH FACES** 1. Alison Riske, USA 2. Elina Svitolina, UKR 3. Sloane Stephens, USA 4. Camila Giorgi, ITA 5. Eugenie Bouchard, CAN 6. Jamie Hampton, USA 7. Kurumi Nara, JPN 8. Zheng Saisai, CHN 9. Vicky Duval, USA 10. Kristina Mladenovic, FRA 11. Michelle Larcher de Brito, POR 12. Lauren Davis, USA 13. Ajla Tomljanovic, CRO 14. Ashleigh Barty, AUS 15. Nicole Gibbs, USA 16. Alexandra Cadantu, ROU 17. Aleksandra Krunic, SRB 18. Timea Babos, HUN 19. Karolina Pliskova & Kristyna Pliskova, CZE/CZE 20. Anna Schmiedlova, SVK 21. Grace Min, USA 22. Madison Keys, USA 23. Duan Ying-Ying, CHN 24. Chanel Simmonds, RSA 25. Jana Cepelova, SVK HM- Ons Jabeur, TUN
**JUNIORS** 1. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE 2. Ana Konjuh, CRO 3. Tornado Alicia Black, USA 4. Barbora Krejcikova, CZE 5. Katerina Siniakova, CZE 6. Antonia Lottner, GER 7. Belinda Bencic, SUI 8. Mayo Hibi, JPN 9. Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP 10. Iryna Symanovich, BLR 11. Louisa Chirico, USA 12. Elise Mertens, BEL 13. Usue Arconada, USA 14. Sachia Vickery, USA 15. Ivana Jorovic, SRB 16. Darya Kasatkina, RUS 17. Petra Uberalova, SVK 18. Brooke Austin, USA 19. Ioana Ducu, ROU 20. Harriet Dart, GBR HM- Jasmine Paolini, ITA
**SURPRISES** 1. Lisa-Maria Moser, AUT 2. Julia Glushko, ISR 3. Karin Knapp, ITA 4. Mandy Minella, LUX 5. Maria Joao Koehler, POR 6. Estrella Cabeza-Candella, ESP 7. Magda Linette, POL 8. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, AUT 9. Sandra Klemenschits & Andreja Klepac, AUT/SLO 10. Shelby Rogers, USA 11. Danka Kovinic, MNE 12. Irina Buryachok, UKR 13. Shuko Aoyama, JPN 14. Olga Govortsova, BLR 15. Lyudmyla Kichenok, UKR 16. Paula Ormaechea, ARG 17. Eri Hozumi, JPN 18. Tereza Martincova, CZE 19. Tetyana Arefyeva, UKR 20. Kerrie Cartwright, BAH HM- Kateryna Kozlova, UKR
"My problem isn't that I lost. I've lost a million times in my life. My problem is trying to find the desire to fight and be on the court ready to fight. For a few weeks, I haven't felt like I wanted to be on the court. That's the problem." - Sara Errani, after losing in the 2nd Round at Flushing Meadows, opening up about the pressure she feels to live up to on-court expectations
**VETERANS** 1. Serena Williams, USA 2. Li Na, CHN 3. Andrea Hlavackova, CZE 4. Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE 5. Flavia Pennetta, ITA 6. Roberta Vinci, ITA 7. Samantha Stosur, AUS 8. Yvonne Meusburger, AUT 9. Jelena Jankovic, SRB 10. Daniela Hantuchova, SVK 11. Casey Dellacqua, AUS 12. Zheng Jie, CHN 13. Klara Zakopalova, CZE 14. Vera Dushevina, RUS 15. Sania Mirza, IND 16. Anabel Medina-Garrigues, ESP 17. Jelena Jankovic & Katarina Srebotnik, SRB/SLO 18. Shahar Peer, ISR 19. Anna-Lena Groenefeld & Kveta Peschke, GER/CZE 20. Virginie Razzano, FRA HM- Cara Black, ZIM & Chanelle Scheepers, RSA
**COMEBACKS** 1. Flavia Pennetta, ITA 2. Jelena Jankovic, SRB 3. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN 4. Shahar Peer, ISR 5. Andrea Petkovic, GER 6. Alisa Kleybanova, RUS 7. Ana Ivanovic, SRB 8. Arantxa Rus, NED 9. Martina Hingis, SUI 10. Vera Dushevina, RUS 11. Christina McHale, USA 12. Lauren Albanese, USA 13. Aleksandra Wozniak, CAN 14. Evegniya Rodina, RUS 15. Sesil Karatantcheva, KAZ HM- Zhang Shuai, CHN
**DOWN** 1. Petra Kvitova, CZE 2. Maria Sharapova, RUS 3. Nadia Petrova, RUS 4. Maria Kirilenko, RUS 5. Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA 6. Venus Williams, USA 7. Melanie Oudin, USA 8. Sara Errani, ITA 9. Yanina Wickmayer, BEL 10. Laura Robson, GBR HM- Julia Goerges, GER & Angelique Kerber, GER
**ITF PLAYERS** 1. Johanna Konta, GBR 2. Polona Hercog, SLO 3. Stephanie Vogt, LIE 4. Nadiya Kichenok, UKR 5. Reka-Luca Jani, HUN 6. Arantxa Rus, NED 7. Anna Morgina, RUS 8. Shelby Rogers, USA 9. Denis Khazaniuk, ISR 10. Richel Hogenkamp, NED 11. Madison Brengle, USA 12. Kristina Kucova, SVK 13. Aleksandra Krunic, SRB 14. Fatma Al Nabhani, OMA 15. Valetini Grammatikopoulou, GRE HM- Karen Barbat, DEN & Bernarda Pera, USA
**TOP PERFORMANCES** 1. [15...16...17...!] Serena Williams makes it seventeen major titles with her fifth U.S. Open victory celebration ============================= 2. [The Cincinnati Kid] Victoria Azarenka defeats Serena Williams in the Cincinnati final, her second three-set win in a championship match against Williams this season ============================= 3. [A Spectacular Simona Summer] Simona Halep wins on clay (Budapest) and hard court (New Haven), giving her four '13 titles on three different surfaces this summer, along with her pre-Wimbledon grass win ============================= 4. [Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold] Dominika Cibulkova wins Stanford, notching come-from-behind wins over both Radwanska sisters, erasing a 4-2 3rd set deficit in the final against Aga to gain some measure of payback for her 6-0/6-0 loss in the Sydney final to A-Rad back in Week 2 ============================= 5. [One for the Road] Samantha Stosur wins Carlsbad, getting Top 4 wins over Azarenka and Radwanska, to pick up her first title since the U.S. Open in 2011. She parts ways with longtime coach David Taylor shortly thereafter. ============================= 6. [Two for the Road] ...Andrea Hlavackova sweeps the U.S. Open women's and mixed doubles title, becoming the first woman to do so at a slam since Cara Black at the U.S. Open in 2008 ============================= 7. [Six + 2... A Pastry's Doubles Half-Dozen?] Kristina Mladenovic wins the Budapest title with Katarzyna Piter, her eighth doubles/mixed title with an eighth different partner over the course of a year. ============================= 8. [Hey, It's Nothing Personal] In Palermo, Roberta Vinci defeats friend and doubles partner Sara Errani in the final to claim her ninth career title ============================= 9. [Czech Maidens III] ...Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova win the U.S. Open Girls doubles title, their third straight junor slam crown ============================= 10. [Winning...the Hard Way] ...Croat Ana Konjuh wins the U.S. Open Girls singles, completing her bookend set of '13 hard court slam crowns after having won in Melbourne in January =============================
And then there's... 11a. Raquel Kops-Jones & Abigail Spears win back-to-back doubles titles in Stanford and Carlsbad 11b. Anabel Medina-Garrgiues' title in Bastad with Klara Zakopalova gives her three doubles titles on three surfaces with three different partners in 2013 11c. Serena Williams wins in Bastad, her tour-leading fifth clay court title of the season 11d. Yvonne Meusburger wins her first career tour title in Bad Gastein at age 29, making her the oldest first-time WTA singles winner since Alberta Brianti (31) in April '11 11e. Washington Kastles win a third straight WTT title 11f. Magdalena Rybarikova defends her title in Washington, D.C.
"She's a champion. She knows what it takes to get there. I know the feeling, too. When two people who want that feeling so bad meet, it's like a clash. That's what happened out there. A battle." - Victoria Azarenka, on Serena Williams and their U.S. Open final
*MEMORABLE MATCHES* Cincinnati Final - Victoria Azarenka d. Serena Williams ...2-6/6-2/7-6(6). Matching the accomplishment of her three-set win over Serena in the Doha final, Azarenka pushes Williams to three and emerges with a win. After the first two sets' scoreline read the same as the '12 U.S. Open final, Azarenka breaks for 4-2 in the 3rd but fails to convert a game point for 5-2. The match is decided by a tie-break, where Serena overcomes a 4-2 deficit and takes a 5-4 lead. With the match on her racket, Williams loses back-to-back service points, missing long on an open court shot and then double-faulting. Azarenka gives herself a second match point in the TB with a low-angled volley off a hard Williams forehand passing attempt, then wins when Serena nets a forehand. Later, Williams credits the loss with renewing her focus for Flushing Meadows. Speaking of... ============================= US Open Final - Serena Williams d. Victoria Azarenka ...7-5/6-7(6)/6-1. A great championship-level performance by Serena in the second straight three-set Open final between the two. Even with Williams' victory, this one is most highlighted by Azarenka, who came within two points of taking the 1st set, and her remarkable 2nd set comeback. Down a double-break at 4-1, Azarenka twice saw Serena serve for the title (a year after Vika had failed to do the same against her in the '12 final) and come as close as two points from locking away the match before a tie-break was needed to decide the set. There, Azarenka overcame another disadvantage -- a mini-break deficit at 3-1 -- and won 8-6 to forced a deciding 3rd. In the end, Serena's experience came to the forefront... but -- for now, at least -- BOTH players emerged as "winners," having done something for which they could be proud. ============================= Cincinnati 2nd Rd. - Sloane Stephens d. Maria Sharapova ...2-6/7-6(5)/6-3. Down a set and 2-0, Stephens comes back to get her first career win over an uncomfortable and less-than-match-tough Sharapova, who commits 62 errors to 16 winners. Buh-bye, Jimbo! And maybe Sharapova until 2014? ============================= US Open 4th Rd. - Carla Suarez-Navarro d. Angelique Kerber ...4-6/6-3/7-6(3). In 2:41, the Spaniard and the German played an exhausting contest that included nearly 100 combined unforced errors, 75 winners and a CSN who served for the match at 5-4 and was broken at love, but lived to tell about it and advance to her first U.S. Open quarterfinal after prevailing in a 3rd set tie-break. ============================= Carlsbad QF - Virginie Razzano d. Petra Kvitova ...6-7(8)/7-5/7-6(8). In 3:35, Kvitova doesn't implode, but she does squander a big opportunity by failing to put away a break point at 5-5 that would have allowed her to serve for a straight sets victory. As it is, the Czech saved three match points while down 5-4 in the 3rd, but failed to put away a MP of her own at 6-5 and 8-7 in the deciding tie-break. Razzano won on her second MP of TB, and her fifth overall. ============================= US Open 2nd Rd. - Zheng Jie d. Venus Williams ...6-3/2-6/7-6(5). Zheng holds break point for a 5-1 3rd set lead, but Williams battles back to 5-5 and forces a deciding tie-break. There, Zheng leads 4-1, only to see Venus even things at 5-5 yet again. But with the dramatic 3:00 match in the balance, Williams dumps a volley into the net and knocks a return shot out to close the match in anticlimactic fashion. ============================= Stanford Final - Dominika Cibulkova d. Agnieszka Radwanska ...3-6/6-4/6-4. Coming in with a 0-4 record against A-Rad, and with the memory still fresh from of her double-bagel loss to the Pole in January, Cibulkova was never discouraged while going 0-for-7 in break point attempts through the first set and a half. On BP #8, Cibulkova converted and went on to take the 2nd set. In the 3rd, the Slovak was twice down a break, and A-Rad served at 4-2, up 40/15. With Aga's usually-clever shot selection abandoning her down the stretch, Cibulkova outhit Radwanska, finally putting away the 2:28 match with a crosscourt winner on her fifth MP. =============================
*TO COME BACK IS NICE, BUT TO STAGE A COMEBACK IS DIVINE* She's Back! ... Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor Alisa Kleybanova plays her first WTA tour event in seventeen months in Toronto, then later at the U.S. Open gets her first slam match win since her 1st Round victory at the 2011 Australian Open, right before her diagnosis. ============================= She's Back in the Winner's Circle! ... Shahar Peer wins the WTA 125 challenger in Suzhou, China to cap a summer that included an appearance in a WTA final in Baku, her first on the regular tour since 2011 ============================= She's Back... and in the Winner's Circle! ... Sandra Klemenschits wins the Bad Gastein doubles for her first career tour crown, five years after the death of her sister Daniela. Both sisters, who'd combined to reach a tour doubles final in '05, had been treated for the same rare form of cancer, forcing them to retire in 2007. ============================= She's Baaaaack... again ... recent Hall of Fame inductee Martina Hingis comes out of retirement for a second time. After winning the Female MVP award for the WTT champion Washington Kastles, the Swiss Miss returns to tour doubles action with Daniela Hantuchova. ============================= Little Miss Turnaround ... Arantxa Rus, fresh off her WTA record-tying losing streak of seventeen matches that dropped her ranking from #61 to #262, finally gets a win in the 1st Round at Bad Gastein, erasing a 4-2 3rd set deficit to defeat Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor. She reaches the QF, then continues her resurgence by winning back-to-back ITF circuit events while putting together a ten-match winning streak. =============================
"It took Daniela a lot courage and inspiration to kind of dig me out of a grave." - Martina Hingis, who last played professionally in 2007, on Daniela Hantuchova convincing her to return to the WTA tour as her doubles parter
*WHEN DOES A "COMEBACK" = A "CHOKE?" PERHAPS... here?* Toronto 2nd Rd. - Sorana Cirstea d. Caroline Wozniacki ...5-7/7-6(0)/6-4. The Dane battled back from a 5-3 2nd set deficit and held two match points at 6-5. After she failed to convert either, she dropped the tie-break at love and lost the 3rd set. Cirstea went all the way to the final. ============================= US Open 3rd Rd. - Daniela Hantuchova d. Julia Glushko ...3-6/7-5/7-6(4). The Slovak vet trailed 5-2 in the 2nd set and saved four match points en route to reaching her first U.S. Open quarterfinal in eleven years. ============================= US Open 3rd Rd. - Ana Ivanovic d. Christina McHale ...4-6/7-5/6-4. Already with a checkered slam history of blowing leads (once, even a 5-0 advantage in the 3rd!), this time McHale's Open resurgence became endangered the moment she failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the 2nd set. ============================= US Open 1st Rd. - Sloane Stephens d. Mandy Minella ...4-6/6-3/7-6(5). No stranger to losing leads herself, Stephens turned the tables on the veteran from Luxembourg. Minella led 4-2 in the 3rd set, then 3-1 in the deciding tie-break, before the American reeled off five straight points and escaped what would have been a deflating end to her successful 2013 slam season. =============================
*TO LIVE AND DREAM... OF UPSETS* US Open 1st Rd. - Vicky Duval d. Samantha Stosur ...5-7/6-4/6-4. In just her second career main draw slam match, 17-year old qualifier Duval served for all three sets, but narrowly avoided a straights loss to the '11 U.S. Open champ when she trailed 4-2 in the 2nd. Stosur's DF to hand a break to Duval lit the fire of the young Bannerette and she broke the #11-seeded Aussie again two games later. After breaking Stosur for 4-3, world #296 Duval expertly held her nerve (and her serve) in the closing games of the 3rd, smacking a winner on her fourth match point. ============================= Washington DC Q1 - Usue Arconada d. Maria Irigoyen ...7-5/6-3. The 14-year old, the #5 Q-seed who was given a late wild card into the draw, overcomes a 5-2 1st set deficit to defeat the Argentine, becoming the youngest player to get a win in a WTA event since Madison Keys (14) in 2009. ============================= Toronto Q2 - Lauren Davis d. Svetlana Kuznetsova 5-7/6-4/6-4 Toronto 1st Rd. - Lauren Davis d. Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6/7-5/7-5 ...it's one thing for the 19-year old to pull off one come-from-behind win over a multiple slam winner, but to turn around and do it all over again when the same veteran stands across the net from her again as a "lucky loser" is something to stand up and take note of. ============================= US Open 3rd Rd. - Camila Giorgi d. Caroline Wozniacki ...4-6/6-4/6-2. Fiery, never-give-up Italian -- do they make them any other way? -- Giorgi stuns Wozniacki in the qualifier's nighttime debut on Ashe, showing no nerves and a personal style that will likely get her a bit of off-court acclaim. Sample next-day headline: "Tiny Blonde Bombshell Italian Goes Wild at Open." ============================= US Open Doubles SF - Hlavackova/Hradecka d. Williams/Williams ...6-4/6-2. Hey, isn't it always an upset... even with a diminished Venus? =============================
**By the Numbers...** 0... number of players not named Sloane in the current Top 39 who have never reached a WTA singles final in their career. #13 Stephens has not. #40 Kristina Mladenovic hasn't, either, but she DID reach and win a WTA 125 challenger final in 2012. ============================= 0-3... record in 2013 grand slam doubles finals of the Aussie duo of Ashleigh Barty & Casey Dellacqua. They might want to take heart, though, as now-reigning U.S. Open champions Hlavackova & Hradecka went 0-4 in finals at Wimbledon, the Olympics the U.S. Open and the WTA Championships in 2012. ============================= 1-3... Sorana Cirstea's record after her run to the Toronto final, which included wins over two former world #1's (Wozniacki/Jankovic) and a pair of slam winners (Kvitova/Li). ============================= 2... number of #1 seeds defeated in '13 junior grand slam singles by German Antonia Lottner. What's more, while Lottner failed to notch a slam crown this season, the two top-seeded girls she beat -- Ana Konjuh & Belinda Bencic -- ended up sweeping all four crowns, with both claiming a pair of championships ============================= 2 & 3... after her win over Serena in the Cincinnati decider, the number of times (2) that Victoria Azarenka has defeated Williams in finals in 2013, matching Maria Sharapova's 2004 feat to join her as the only two women to have ever done it. For her career, Vika has defeated Serena three times in finals, a total matched only by Venus Williams during Serena's time on the WTA tour. ============================= 3... times the #1 seed -- Azarenka, and Serena twice -- won the singles at the four slams this year. It's the first time that has happened in a season since #1 seeds -- Seles, and Graf three times -- swept all four slams in 1996. ============================= 3... number of career Top 10 wins for Sloane Stephens, after her win in Cincinnati over Maria Sharapova ============================= 3.6... millions of dollars (US) won by Serena Williams for claiming both the U.S. Open Series and U.S. Open singles titles this summer. It set a record for the largest amount of prize money awarded for winning a single event... and then was matched one day later when Rafa Nadal completed the same two-for-two summer accomplishment when he won the men's title. ============================= 4-0... Simona Halep's record in 2013 tour singles finals. The only players with more impressive single season records in finals over the past decade have been named Serena (7-0 in '12), Kim (9-0 in '05, 5-0 in '10) and Justine (5-0 in '04). ============================= 6... #1 vs. #2 match-ups in 2013 alone, as many as occurred from 2008-12 combined. And it's just one off the seven 1-vs.-2 matches that happened over the eight-year stretch from 2005-12. ============================= 7 of 8... number of slams won by the "Big 3" of Williams, Azarenka & Sharapova since none of them won major titles in 2011. ============================= 9-1... Roberta Vinci's career mark in singles finals, including six in a row over the last three seasons. ============================= 17-4... Serena Williams' career record in slam singles finals. Her 80.95% win percentage is the best of any woman in the Open era who has appeared in more than three major finals. ============================= #25... Liezel Huber's current doubles ranking, right below former partners Cara Black (#24) and Lisa Raymond (#23). What is it they say about karma again? ============================= 34... match winning streak completed by the WTT's Washington Kastles, breaking the North American team record held by the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, who won thirty-three consecutive games in 1971-72. ============================= 40... career wins by Serena Williams in matches against either world #1's or #2's =============================
=THE GOOD...= Sabine Lisicki & the squirrel ============================= Martina Hingis is safely enshired in the Hall of Fame... then she almost immediately announces her comeback ============================= A roof is coming to the U.S. Open: on Ashe Stadium, as well as on a rebuilt Louis Armstrong. Eventually... but finally, nonetheless. ============================= After starting play at nearly midnight, Sloane Stephens flashes Future style to get her first night match victory on the Ashe Court stage, obliterating Ula Radwanska 1 & 1 in 58 minutes without facing a break point ============================= Danka Kovinic, 18, make her main draw tour debut in Budapest and becomes the first player -- man or woman -- from Montenegro to reach a singles quarterfinal ============================= Casey Dellacqua announced that she'd recently become a mother, along with her partner Amanda, to a son named Blake ============================= The effective Darren Cahill courtside visits with Sorana Cirstea in Toronto
============================= Camila Giorgi's winning debut on Ashe =============================
=THE GOOD FOR BUSINESS, BAD FOR WOMEN'S TENNIS= Rogers Cup tournament officials, in an effort to prop up business at the traditionally lesser-attended event in Toronto (this year's host to the women's event), bring in eliminated men's players -- with all expenses paid, as well as additional money awarded -- from the simultaneous event held in Montreal to play in nighttime exhibition events... making it appear as if the women weren't a big enough draw to support the event without the help of the men. Good work, Stacey.
=THE BAD= Olga Puchkova was defaulted in Washington, D.C. when she smacked a ball in anger and it hit a linesperson ============================= Ye Olde Pink-and-Battleship Grey (Thanks, Nike.)
=THE BAD FOR A-RAD= Agnieszka Radwanska's disappointing summer, which included a semifinal loss at Wimbledon when she was the highest-remaining seed, continued in the 3Q when she was faced with the loud and critical reaction to her ESPN the Magazine nude photos from Catholic groups back home in Poland, a stuffed-to-capacity hard court schedule that produced no titles (and one lost opportunity in Stanford) and extended her title-less streak to thirty-four weeks. Then, she had to return home right before the U.S. Open to attend the funeral of her grandfather. In the Round of 16 in NYC, Aga won the first four games of the match against Ekaterina Makarova, then dropped twelve of the final sixteen to once again fail to reach the Open QF. Meanwhile, The Radwanska was no where to be found in New York City... maybe it was simply exhausted?
=THE RISKY= No-Level Risk: Maria Sharapova splits with Jimmy Connors (who DIDN'T think this was doomed from Day 1?) ============================= Low-Level Risk: Ana Ivanovic splits with Nigel Sears (what's she on, Coach #114 by now?) ============================= Mid-Level Risk: Samantha Stosur splits with David Taylor (early results notwithstanding, she went two years without a title after winning the U.S. Open... and that was WITH Taylor) ============================= High-Level Risk (well, at least if it was anyone else): Maria Sharapova splits with Thomas Hogstedt. Considering the odd "chaos" (see below) that has surrounded the Russian ever since, might karma -- remember, Sharapova essentially swiped Hogstedt from Li Na a few seasons back -- be coming back to bite her? She'll likely land on her feet, though. =============================
=THE STUNNING DEBUT= 22-year old Austrian Lisa-Maria Moser, ranked #725, with a sub-.500 career record and under $10K in earnings, was given the last wild card into Bad Gastein when the player it was supposed to go to was too injured to participate. In her main draw tour debut, Moser upset #1-seeded Mona Barthel and went on to reach the quarterfinals.
=THE STUNNING EXIT= Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli retired after a 2nd Round loss in Cincinnati. Retired... from tennis. Effective immediately.
=THE EXPECTED= In the U.S. Open Round of 16, in their first meeting since Sloane Stephens' upset in the Australian Open quarterfinals (and all sorts of "extracurricular activity" between the two via social media and interviews over the past eight months), Serena Williams handled her countrywoman -- but definitely not "protégé " -- 6-4/6-1.
=THE NATURAL DISASTER= American wild card Tornado Alicia Black put on an unexpected run to the U.S. Open junior singles final, ultimately losing in a 3rd set tie-break. Tornado has a tennis-playing younger sister... naturally, her name is Hurricane. What are the odds on Jelena Jankovic eventually losing to one of them, quite possibly with the playing court being shaken by an earthquake in the middle of the match?
=THE WHAT-HAVE-YOU-DONE-FOR-ME-LATELY?= In 2012, Coco Vandeweghe lost in Stanford qualifying, then entered the main draw as a "lucky loser" and advanced all the way to the final against Serena Williams. One year later, she was forced to go through qualifying once again, but made it through this time... then lost in the 2nd Round to Sorana Cirstea. Epic fail?
=THE WHAT-THE-HECK-IS-GOING-ON?= Since being publicly blasted by Serena Williams in a Rolling Stone interview and responding by uncharacteristically offering up a biting retort of her own, then falling and injuring her hip in an early-round loss at Wimbledon, Maria Sharapova has fired Thomas Hogstedt, the coach who helped guide her successful comeback from shoulder surgery, then hired Jimmy Connors to replace him. After losing her first match under Connors to Sloane Stephens, Sharapova fired Connors. Rumors soon swirled that Sharapova was considering temporarily changing her name to "Sugarpova" during the U.S. Open in order to promote her gummy candies, only to have it announced that the idea was called off because it was "too complicated," and not because it was looked upon as a bit laughable. Soon afterward, she pulled out of the Open with shoulder bursitis, amid unconfirmed reports that she would also miss the remainder of the season. What the heck is going on here, anyway?
=THE LONG-AWAITED?= Tweets by Iveta Benesova about the training plans of Nicole Vaidisova sparked rumors that the former teenage star (still only 24) might be planning a potential WTA comeback
=THE OVERLOOKED= Brit Anne Keothavong retired
=THE HAS IT REALLY BEEN FOURTEEN YEARS?=
=and the HOW MANY YEARS WOULD IT HAVE TAKEN WITHOUT HER?=
=UP-TO-DATE RANKINGS= 1. Serena Williams, USA...a second straight "Ms.B" honor is pretty much signed, sealed and delivered 2. Victoria Azarenka, BLR...so close, but yet so far 3t. Italian Fed Cup Team...suddenly, the Italian team seems even deeper than it was before 3t. Russian Fed Cup Team...the Revolution is over, but the "B+"-team still might be good enough to grab a fifth FC title 5. Simona Halep, ROU...if she can carry over her 2013 summer to '14, she might become the first Romanian to make her debut in the Top 10 in nearly twenty years (Spirlea in '96) 6. Marion Bartoli, FRA...oh, La Trufflette. This is just a temporary parting, right? 7. Maria Sharapova, RUS...has any player had more of a rollercoaster season? 8. Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA), Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS), Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) & Hlavackova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE)...the four slam-winning teams in a season without a dominant duo. 9. Agnieszka Radwanska, POL...after starting the season with two titles in two weeks, her season has been a bit of a letdown. Still, she's the highest-ranked player outside the Big 3. 10. Li Na, CHN...a couple games here or there and she might be nipping at the heels of the woman (Vika) who defeated her in the Australian Open final. On this ranking list... and maybe in the actual rankings, too.
Meanwhile...
"Never say never." - Marion Bartoli, on the possibility of her one day ending her retirement and returning to tennis
Maybe it's the impending changing of the seasons, or the time difference as most of the remaining WTA schedule takes on a decidedly Asian feel in the closing months of the year. Whatever it is, the annual "post-U.S. Open lull" began in earnest last week in Quebec City and Tashkent.
*WEEK 37 CHAMPIONS* QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC CAN (Int'l $235K/Carpet Indoor) S: Lucie Safarova/CZE def. Marina Erakovic/NZL 6-4/6-3 D: Kudryavtseva/An.Rodionova (RUS/AUS) d. Hlavackova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE) TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN (Int'l $235K/HCO) S: Bojana Jovanovski/SRB def. Olga Govortsova/BLR 4-6/7-5/7-6 D: Babos/Shvedova (HUN/KAZ) d. Govortsova/Minella (BLR/LUX)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Bojana Jovanovski/SRB ...BoJo was a late entry into the Tashkent tournament, forcing her into the qualifying event, knowing that if she made it through she'd be installed as the #1 seed in the main draw. Well, with a set-up that sounds very Jankovician, Jovanovski did her countrywoman proud. After making it through qualifying, the suddenly-#1-seeded qualifier got wins over Kurumi Nara, Misaki Doi, Galina Voskoboeva, Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor and Olga Govortsova in the final to earn the 21-year old Serb her second career title. Ahh, Bojana really HAS learned a lot from JJ during those Fed Cup weekends over the years. Of course, I guess that was sort of apparent a while back when she boarded a plane for a tournament in Carlsbad, California and ended up in an airport in New Mexico, huh? ============================= RISERS:Marina Erakovic/NZL & Timea Babos/HUN ...Kiwi Erakovic loves being indoors in North America. She reached her fourth career singles final in Quebec City (she was also runner-up there in '11) with wins over Mallory Burdette, Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, Ajla Tomljanovic and Christina McHale. She won her first tour title earlier this season in Memphis, where she was runner-up in '12. So, not only have all four of her singles finals come in just two events, but they've also been at the only two indoor WTA events held on the continent each season. Babos lost in the 1st Round in the Tashkent singles, but went on to win the doubles with Yaroslava Shvedova, defeating U.S. Open champs Hlavackova/Hradecka in the final. It's the Hungarian's fourth WTA-level doubles crown in 2013, tied for the most on tour, and if you count her 125 Challenger title then she's won more women's doubles crowns than any other player this year. Better yet, she's won the five titles with four different partners, having also celebrated with Mandy Minella, Kimiko Date-Krumm and Michaella Krajicek. ============================= SURPRISES:Olga Govortsova/BLR & Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor/ESP ...the tour's OTHER Belarusian, Govortsova (ranked 111 spots below you-know-who) did something in Tashkent that Vika hasn't this season -- she reached the final in both singles AND doubles. Of course, she went 0-2, dropping her career WTA singles final mark to 0-4. Still, the 25-year old has to feel good about singles victories over Michaella Krajicek, Donna Vekic and Mandy Minella. 21-year old Torro-Flor, Backspin's 2012 ITF Player of the Year (7 titles), reached her first career WTA semifinal in Tashkent with wins over defending champ Irina-Camelia Begu and #3-seed Yvonne Meusburger. ============================= VETERANS:Lucie Safarova/CZE & Mandy Minella/LUX ...Safarova, 26, won her first tour singles title in five years (Forest Hills '08... which isn't even a tournament anymore) in Quebec City to end her string of five straight WTA final losses. Career title #5 came after wins over Anna Tatishvili, Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, Lauren Davis, Eugenie Bouchard and Marina Erakovic in the final. Safarova, who reached the Quebec City final in '09, is now one of four women with WTA and ITF titles this season. Coming off her heartbreaking loss to Sloane Stephens at the U.S. Open, 27-year old Minella rebounded well in Tashkent, reaching her third career tour semifinal (and second in '13) with wins over Olga Puchkova, Vesna Dolonc and Nastassja Burnett. ============================= COMEBACK:Christina McHale/USA ...the last time McHale fumbled away a lead at a slam (5-0 in the 3rd in a 1st Round match vs. Errani at Roland Garros in '11...ouch), she rebounded by going out and winning an ITF title. After failing to put away her 3rd Round match against Ana Ivanovic (the American served for a straight sets win) at Flushing Meadows, she went to Quebec City last week and reached her second career tour semifinal (the first was also in Quebec, in 2010). McHale got wins over Tamira Paszek, Caroline Garcia and Polona Hercog. ============================= FRESH FACES:Eugenie Bouchard/CAN & Ines Ibbou/ALG ...the 19-year old has had a great summer, and she closed it out by being able to celebrate in front of a home crowd (Bouchard is from a suburb of Montreal) the feat of producing the best-ever result by a Canadian woman in the Bell Challenge event, reaching the semifinals (her second such result in '13). Thing is, Bouchard can do even better. The former Girls slam champ defeated #2-seed Kristina Mladenovic and was a set up in the semis against eventual title winner, #3 Lucie Safarova. A month ago in Cincinnati, she took a set off Serena Williams, too. If you don't think Bouchard won't one day (soon) be the first Canadian champion in Quebec City (and elsewhere on tour) then you're not paying very close attention. She's now in the Top 50, and the rise is nowhere near its conclusion. Meanwhile, at a $10K challenger in Tlemcen, Algeria a 14-year old made her professional debut and walked away with a singles title. Algeria's Ines Ibbou is the player in question, and she defeated Pastry Amandine Cazeaux 6-1/6-1 in the final. Looking at her ITF site bio, I almost did a double-take when I looked at her birth year because it seemed like a typo. But then I realized... oh, yeah, I guess she WAS born in 1999. Sheesh. ============================= DOWN:Kirsten Flipkens/BEL ...a year ago, Flipkens' confidence soared after reaching her first career tour final in Quebec City and taking the title. Eventually, it led to the Waffle reaching the Wimbledon semifinals this summer. Well, she went back to Quebec last week as not only the defending champ, but also the #1 seed. It was a different experience, and it didn't last long. Flipkens fell to Polona Hercog in the 1st Round, her third opening match loss in four events since SW19. ============================= ITF PLAYER:Karolina Pliskova/CZE ...the 21-year old Maiden's $50K challenger win in Sanya, China equals her biggest circuit crown ever, and makes her one of four woman to win both WTA (Kuala Lumpur) and ITF singles titles in 2013. Just one of three non-Asian/Pacific players (w/ Maria-Fernanda Alvarez-Teran & Jovana Jaksic) in the singles main draw, Pliskova notched victories over Chinese players Tian Ran, Duan Ying-Ying and Zheng Saisai en route to her eleventh career challenger win. ============================= JUNIOR STAR:Jasmine Paolini/ITA ...the 17-year old Italian put a fight at the U.S. Open, qualifying and then getting main draw junior wins over Victoria Rodriguez and Katy Dunne before falling to Tornado Alicia Black in the 3rd Round (and her doubles loss to the team of Konjuh/Lottner meant Paolini faced three of the four Girls singles semifinalists at some point in Flushing Meadows). Last week in a $10K pro challenger in Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy Paolini (w/ Giorgia Marchetti) defeated the #1 (QF), #2 (Final) and #3 (SF) seeds en route to her first pro doubles title. She won her first singles challenger at a $10K in Locri in August. =============================
1. Tashkent Final - Jovanovski d. Govortsova ...4-6/7-5/7-6. BoJo trailed 4-2 in the 3rd set. ============================= 2. Quebec City Final - Safarova d. Erakovic ...6-4/6-3. Safarova lost to Melinda Czink in the '09 final. This time, she became the third Czech to win a tour title in 2013. ============================= 3. Quebec City 1st Rd. - Davis d. Giorgi 6-7/6-3/6-2 Quebec City 2nd Rd. - Davis d. Hlavackova 6-1/2-6/6-3 Tashkent 2nd Rd. - Voskoboeva d. Glushko 6-3/6-1 Quebec City Doub. Final - Kudryavtseva/An.Rodionova d. Hlavackova/Hradecka 6-4/6-3 ...after U.S. Open success often comes an immediate letdown. Kudos to the Czechs for reaching a second straight doubles final, though. ============================= 4. Tashkent 1st Rd. - Dolonc d. Shvedova ...7-6/7-5. The Serbian Bad Luck Charm defeats the Kazakh in a match-up of former Hordettes. ============================= 5. $50K Trabzon Doubles Final - Kalashnikova/Krunic d. Amiraghyan/Jakupovic ...6-2/6-1. One week after winning an ITF singles titles, the Serbian Good Luck Charm gets hold of something even more in her wheelhouse -- her third doubles crown of the season. Krunic also reached the singles semis. ============================= HM- Quebec City 2nd Rd. - Tomljanovic d. Mattek-Sands ...7-5/3-6/4-1 ret. BMS's career takes a another turn, as she'll miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. =============================
1. $25K Incheon Final - Erika Sema d. Yurika Sema ...6-3/6-4. The 24-year old #2-seeded Sema sister defeats her 26-year old top-seeded sibling, running her pro record against her to 4-1. ============================= 2. Guangzhou Q2 - Nadiya Kichenok d. Lyudmyla Kichenok ...6-4/6-4. Nadiya is now 3-6 against her twin sister in their pro careers. No Radwanska vs. Radwanska match this week, though, as Aga is in Seoul while Ula plays in Guangzhou. ============================= 3. $25K Sofia Final - Mayr-Achleitner d. Kr.Kucova ...6-2/1-6/6-3. Technically, not REALLY a sister result to touch upon, even with Kristina here, as I just wanted to point out that after reaching the U.S. Open 3rd Round as a "lucky loser," Mayr-Achleitner won in Sofia as a #1 seed. Ah, versatility. =============================
**2013 BEST QUALIFIER RESULTS** Champion - BOJANA JOVANOVSKI, SRB - Tashkent (#58/#1 seed) Runner-Up - Jamie Hampton, USA - Eastbourne (#41) SF - Teliana Pereira, BRA - Bogota (#156) SF - Alexandra Cadantu, ROU - Katowice (#117) SF - Simona Halep, ROU - Rome (#64) SF - Flavia Pennetta, ITA - Strasbourg (#158) SF - Alison Riske, USA - Birmingham (#167) SF - Garbine Muguruza, ESP - 's-Hertogenbosch (#70) SF - Magda Linette, POL - Baku (#226)
**ALL-TIME WTA TITLES - CZECHS** 51...Martina Navratilova (1974-81) * 27...Hana Mandlikova (1978-87) 24...Jana Novotna (1988-99) 10...Petra Kvitova (2009-13) 10...Helena Sukova (1982-92) 10...Regina Mariskova (1976-81) 6...Nicole Vaidisova (2004-06) 5...LUCIE SAFAROVA (2005-13) -- * - total before she became American citizen. Navratilova won 4 titles representing Czechoslovakia in 1974-75, and 47 more while "stateless" from 1974-81 following her Sept.'75 defection; she then won 116 more from 1981-94 after becoming U.S. citizen in Sept.'81; career total titles: 167
**SINGLES/DOUBLES FINAL IN SAME EVENT** Paris - Sara Errani, ITA (L/W) Cali 125 - Catalina Castano, COL (L/W) Tashkent - OLGA GOVORTSOVA, BLR (L/L)
**2013 CHAMPIONS - LONGEST SINCE LAST TITLE** 5 yrs, 3 wks - LUCIE SAFAROVA, CZE (Quebec City) - 2008 Forest Hills 4 yrs, 4 mo, 1 wk - Maria Kirilenko, RUS (Paris) - 2008 Seoul [WTA 125 winner] Shahar Peer, ISR - 2013 Suzhou 125 = 2009 Tashkent
**DEFEATED TOP SEED/DEFENDING CHAMP - DIDN'T WIN TITLE** Wimbledon - Sabine Lisicki, GER [S.Williams 4th Rd.; to F] Baku - Ons Jabeur, TUN [Jovanovski 2nd Rd.; to QF] Guangzhou - POLONA HERCOG, SLO [Flipkens 1r; to QF]
**2013 WTA/WTA 125/MIXED DOUBLES TITLES** 5...Kristina Mladenovic, FRA (4 WTA, 1 Mixed) 5...TIMEA BABOS, HUN (4 WTA, 1 WTA 125) 4...Katarina Srebotnik, SLO (4 WTA)
**2013 ITF TITLES** 8...Reka-Luca Jani, HUN 6...Deniz Khazaniuk, ISR 5...Jovana Jaksic, SRB 5...Melanie Klaffner, AUT 4...Monserrat Gonzalez, PAR 4...Anna Morgina, RUS 4...STEPHANIE VOGT, LIE
**2013 WTA & ITF TITLES** Yvonne Meusburger, AUT - 3 ITF / 1 WTA KAROLINA PLISKOVA, CZE - 1 ITF / 1 WTA LUCIE SAFAROVA, CZE - 1 ITF / 1 WTA Elina Svitolina, UKR - 2 ITF / 1 WTA
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (Int'l $500K/hard court outdoor) 12 Final: Wozniacki d. Kanepi 12 Doubles Final: Kops-Jones/Spears d. Amanmuradova/King 13 Top Seeds: A.Radwanska/Kirilenko ============================= =SF= #1 A.Radwanska d. #4 Zakopalova #7 Petkovic d. #6 Goerges =FINAL= #1 A.Radwanska d. #7 Petkovic
...Aga's title drought ends? I will say, though, the presence of the recently-slumping #2-seed Kirilenko -- seven of her twelve career finals, and four titles, have come in events held in Asia -- does give me reason to ponder the prediction. But the Russian has dropped from her Top 10 ranking earlier this season to nearly out of the Top 20, and Aga is 6-3 head-to-head against her. I just went with an all-German semifinal battle, anyway.
GUANGZHOU, CHINA (Int'l $500K/hard court outdoor) 12 Final: Hsieh d. Robson 12 Doubles Final: Tanasugarn/Shu.Zhang d. Gajdosova/Niculescu 13 Top Seeds: Cirstea/Cornet ============================= =SF= #1 Cirstea d. J.Zheng #2 Cornet d. #6 Hsieh =FINAL= #2 Cornet d. #1 Cirstea
...I might be pushing it to go with the #1 seed to reach the final, considering her post-Toronto form. With the draw setting up like it has, if Robson picks up her game a bit, a rematch of last year's final next weekend is totally impossible.
And, finally, a fond farewell to Anna Chakvetadze, who announced her retirement from tennis due to ongoing back problems. The (still just) 26-year old Muscovite was one of the original Backspin favorites, so there's a bit of a melancholy mood around HQ with the arrival of this news.
The slight Hordette won eight career tour singles titles with a game that lacked power, but had great heart and intensity. Her title list includes a truly wonderful win in Moscow in 2006, after which I dubbed her "The Porcelain (or Russian) Doll."
ANNA CHAKVETADZE:"The Porcelain Doll,""The Russian Doll,""The Doll." Yet another Russian, the teenager's fierce heart belied her somewhat fragile-looking outward appearance when she went to Moscow and wiped out three Top 10-ranked Russians to win her first career Tier I crown and put herself into the Top 20 for the first time. "The Doll" nickname comes from those famous Russian nesting dolls (also called Babushka, Matryoshka or stacking dolls) that reveal smaller, sometimes surprising, new dolls inside as each outer shell is removed. With Chakvetadze, after winning her maiden tour title two weeks prior to Moscow in Guangzhou, what was underneath the first shell was quite a revelation.
Less than a year later, she'd reached the QF at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, then the U.S. Open semifinals (pushing Svetlana Kuznetsova to three sets), climbing as high as #5 in the singles rankings in a season in which she won big titles in Stanford and Cincinnati and qualified for the 2007 WTA Championships (where she defeated Serena Williams in round robin play to reach the SF).
Unfortunately, soon after her career had begun to take off, she and her family were the victims of an horrific home invasion just before Christmas in Moscow. Chakvetadze returned to the court, probably a bit too early, the next season and managed one more great moment when she won the Paris indoors early in 2008, and then reached the Wimbledon Round of 16 and New Haven final that summer. But her career would never quite be the same as, much like Monica Seles after her on-court stabbing, the mental toughness that got her through so many tight matches just wasn't as strong as it has previously been. Thus, all the promise that the Russian had shown earlier in her career was never quite recaptured or realized.
A few years later, Chakvetadze rebounded on some level on the court, winning her final singles title in Portoroz in 2010. Late in 2011, she ran for political office back home in Russia, but was defeated. Last year in Tashkent, she reached her final tour final, losing in the doubles with Vesna Dolonc.
Dos-vidaniya (goodbye in Russian, phonetically), Anna. You won't be forgotten.
Just a little weekly WTA recap, yearning to breathe free... but Aga demands a little extra attention.
Thirty-six weeks ago, Agnieszka Radwanska began her 2013 season on a tear, winning back-to-back titles and double-bageling Dominika Cibulkova in the Sydney final. Since then, things have been pretty interesting on the Radwanska front, as she's had quite an eventful year, but it took over eight months for her to return to the winner's circle this weekend in Seoul.
Hmm, let's see, what's happened since January? Well, she had those tastefully nude photos in ESPN Magazine, then was criticized back home in Poland by Catholic groups and dropped as a youth group spokesperson. As the highest-remaining seed in the semifinals at Wimbledon, she looked to have quite possibly her best-ever chance to win a slam crown... until she was ousted by Sabine Lisicki. After leaving London, she came to North America and found still more disappointment there, blowing a big lead in the Stanford final to none other than Cibulkova.
While it's been, at times, both a tough summer and overall season for Radwanska, the world #4 has still had quite a fine, under the radar campaign. Nestled right behind the Big 3.
At the slams, she had arguably her best-ever combined year. Even without matching her Wimbledon final run from '12, she reached at least the Round of 16 at all four slams for just the second time (2008) ever, and for the first time put up three QF-or-better results at those majors as she had, in order, QF-QF-SF-4th Round results. The finishes matched (AO/US) or bettered (RG) her career-best advancement at three slams.
Also, when, or if (I guess), Marion Bartoli's name ever drops out of the rankings, Radwanska will sport the longest active streak of weeks ranked in the Top 20 (she's at 293). She has the third-longest -- behind Azarenka & Sharapova -- current Top 10 streak with 103 weeks, too.
But, wait. There's more.
Aga's fifty-two wins are second on tour to only Serena, she's set to finish in the Top 5 (maybe Top 4) for the second straight season, and her title run this weekend in Seoul not only gives her three crowns in 2013, but it makes this year the third straight in which she's managed to win so often. The only other pro players who can say that? Ummm, just some people named Rafa, Andy, Novak and Vika.
No, she didn't win Wimbledon. Her malicious alter ego played out a scorched earth policy at SW19 that got WAY out of control instead. But, make no mistake, Radwanska demands to be recognized.
If we know what's good for us.
*WEEK 38 CHAMPIONS* SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (Int'l $500K/HCO) S: Agnieszka Radwanska/POL def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS 6-7(6)/6-3/6-4 D: Chan Chin-Wei/Xu Yi-Fan (TPE/CHN) GUANGZHOU, CHINA (Int'l $500K/HCO) S: Zhang Shuai/CHN def. Vania King/USA 7-6/6-1 D: Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) d. King/Voskoboeva (USA/KAZ)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Agnieszka Radwanska/POL ...eleven sets up in Seoul. Ten sets down in Aga's win column. In fact, after easily dusting off the likes of Alexandra Cadantu, Estrella Cabeza-Candela, Vera Dushevina and Lara Arruabarrena, the only set Radwanska lost last week came in a 1st set tie-break against Anastasia Palvyuchenkova in the final as A-Rad swept to her thirteenth career title. Hmmm, thirteen... well, considering what's happened with a few current players when they hit #13 it might be advisable for Aga to get #14 as quickly as possible. Remember, Serena's German restaurant excursion came after winning slam #13, while the likes of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Nadia Petrova are stuck on thirteen career tour titles, and one has to wonder at this point whether they'll EVER get to fourteen. Jelena Jankovic has thirteen titles, as well, but considering who we're talking about there there's no reason to chalk up any occurrences and/or strange moments to anything having to do with anyone's potential case of triskaidekaphobia. Of course, the fear of The Rad might be even stronger than superstition... so Aga will likely be just fine. ============================= RISERS:Zhang Shuai/CHN & Hsieh Su-Wei/Peng Shuai (TPE/CHN) ...if you're Chinese and you want to win your first title, Guangzhou is a pretty good place to visit. Over the weekend, 24-year old Zhang Shuai became the fifth woman from her country to claim a WTA singles title, and the third (after Yan Zi and Li Na) to win her first crown inside China's borders in Guangzhou. A wild card last week, Zhang has placed her name back into many conversations over the course of this season. She first garnered big headlines late in '09 when, ranked at #226, she became the lowest-ranked woman to ever defeat a world #1 (Dinara Safina at the time), a record that still stands. She finished 2010 in the Top 100, so far her only such year-end finish. Still, she hadn't managed to win an ITF crown for three years before she took a $75K challenger earlier this season. Zhang has had success in Guangzhou before, reaching a singles semi in '10 and winning the doubles there a year ago with Tammy Tanasugarn. This time around, wins over Olga Puchkova, defending champ Hsieh Su-Wei, Johanna Konta, Yvonne Meusburger and Vania King have put into another category altogether. Better yet, she insists this isn't just a new career highlight, but is actually just "the beginning." Also in Guangzhou, Hsieh & Peng continued to make a case for being the best doubles duo on tour in '13. Their eighth career title as a team is their fourth this season, more than any other WTA combo, though it's actually quite small compared to their other crowns this year -- "little trinkets" picked up in Rome, Cincinnati and Wimbledon. ============================= SURPRISES:Teliana Pereira/BRA & Jang Su Jeong/KOR ...Pereira reached a tour-level semifinal in Bogota this year as a qualifier, but the 25-year old is still at her best on the ITF level. In a $25K in Saint Malo, France she grabbed her fourth challenger title of the season this weekend, knocking off Pauline Parmentier in the final. Meanwhile, in Seoul, 18-year old wild card Jang, the world #540 and fifth-highest ranked Korean, took out world #33 Klara Zakopalova, the second-ranked Czech, in straight sets in the 1st Round, then followed up with an upset of Ons Jabeur to become the first Korean in a WTA quarterfinal since Cho Yoon Jeong was a finalist at Canberra in 2006. ============================= VETERANS:Francesca Schiavone/ITA & Zheng Jie/CHN ...Schiavone, 33, reached her second semifinal of the season (she won the title in Marrakech) in Seoul with wins over Andrea Petkovic, Virginie Razzano and 42-year old Kimiko Date-Krumm. Once there, she engaged Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a two-set battle that included 13-11 and 8-6 tie-breaks. Unfortunately for Francesca, she lost both of them. In Guangzhou, Zheng advanced to her first semi of '13, getting wins over Yaroslava Shvedova, Timea Babos and '12 finalist Laura Robson. ============================= COMEBACK:Vania King/USA ...the 24-year old is still the youngest American to win a tour singles title since a 17-year old Serena Williams took the U.S. Open by storm in 1999. King, also 17, won a title in Bangkok in '06. Her Guangzhou final run last week, which began in the qualifying rounds, was her best WTA result since that improbable performance in Thailand seven years ago. King's wins included triumphs over Anastasia Rodionova and Chan Yung-Jan in qualifying, and then main draw victories over Chanelle Scheepers, Bojana Jovanovski, Monica Puig and Zheng Jie before losing to Zhang Shuai. To top things off, King also reached -- but also lost -- the doubles final with partner Galina Voskoboeva. ============================= FRESH FACE:Lara Arruabarrena/ESP ...the #113-ranked Spaniard, who won a tour title in Bogota last year and a WTA 125 challenger crown earlier this year in Cali, reached her first regular tour semifinal of 2013 in Seoul. She notched wins over Elina Svitolina, Alexandra Dulgheru and wild card mover-and-shaker Jang Su Jeong. ============================= DOWN:Maria Kirilenko/RUS ...well, on the bright side, at least Kirilenko is maybe finding some extra free time for some wedding planning. Ever since the Russian climbed into the Top 10 for the first time after Roland Garros her fortunes have gone decidedly south. She was 27-10 for the season up until her new career height, but had gone just 7-6 since, including a 2nd Round loss to Kimiko Date-Krumm last week as the #2 seed in Seoul, where she's twice reached the final (winning in '08). Kirilenko, currently #19, is in danger of not even finishing the season in the Top 20 after doing so two of the past three years. ============================= ITF PLAYER:Shelby Rogers/USA ...Rogers grabbed the USTA's wild card into the U.S. Open main draw by putting up the best results in a series of North American challenger events. Well, she's not playing for a spot in a slam now, but she's still winning. She claimed her third ITF title of the season in a $75K in Albuquerque, breaking good with wins over Sachia Vickery, Veronica Cepede Royg and Anna Tatishvili in the final. ============================= JUNIOR STAR:Belinda Bencic/SUI ...the girls Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion picked up her first WTA win in the 1st Round in Tokyo, defeating Daria Gavrilova. She lost today in the 2nd Round to Petra Kvitova. =============================
1. Seoul Final - A.Radwanska d. Pavlyuchenkova ...6-7(6)/6-3/6-4. A-Rad had lost eleven games in her first four matches before dropping fourteen against the Hordette in the final. By the way, it's easy to forget that Pavlyuchenkova has reached a career-best four finals in '13 (as many as she'd made the last three years combined) -- but that's the case mostly because of the seven players who've done it this season the Russian is by far the lowest-ranked. ============================= 2. Seoul SF - Pavlyuchenkova d. Schiavone ...7-6(11)/7-6(6). Schiavone failed to convert on three set points in the 1st, and it took Pavlyuchenkova five tries herself to lock it away. She eventually won the two and half hour (but just two sets long!!) contest on her third match point. ============================= 3. Seoul 1st Rd. - Jang d. Zakopalova ...6-3/6-1. Just based on the numbers -- #540 vs. #33 -- it'll be difficult to top this one in the Upset of the Year contest. ============================= 4. Seoul QF - Schiavone d. Date-Krumm ...4-6/6-4/6-4."You make me feel so young," said Francesca to Kimiko... then she beat her in three sets. ============================= 5. Guangzhou Final - Sh.Zhang d. King ...7-6/6-1. Players ranked #100+ in 2013 finals are 2-12 this season, but a win was assured for one of them here, as Zhang was #112 and King #124. ============================= HM- $25K Dobrich Final - Mayr-Achleitner d. Dinu ...6-1/6-2. The "lucky loser" who reached the U.S. Open 3rd Round has done it again, winning the second of back-to-back ITF challengers as a #1 seed. =============================
1. Ningbo WTA 125 1st Rd - A.Schmiedlova d. Ka.Pliskova ...6-3/6-3. Slovak sister-on-Czech sister crime, in the post-Czechoslovakian era. ============================= 2. Tokyo Q1 - Watson d. Y.Sema 6-1/6-0 Tokyo Q1 - Torro-Flor d. E.Sema 6-7/6-3/6-1 ...last weekend, the Sema sisters were facing off in the Incheon challenger final. They shared an experience in Tokyo this weekend... just not a good one. ============================= 3. Guangzhou 1st Rd - Dolonc d. U.Radwanska 7-5/6-2 Tokyo 1st Rd - Cibulkova d. U.Radwanska 6-3/6-3 ...sure, Ula isn't exactly in good form lately, but is it wise for Dominika to poke a Radwanska with a stick when she could possibly face off with Aga again the 3rd Round? I'm sure A-Rad remembers Stanford in even more detail than Cibulkova did Sydney. =============================
**CAREER WTA TITLES - ACTIVE** 55...Serena Williams 44...Venus Williams 29...Maria Sharapova 20...Caroline Wozniacki 17...Victoria Azarenka 13...AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA 13...Jelena Jankovic 13...Svetlana Kuznetsova 13...Nadia Petrova
**2013 WTA TITLES** 9...Serena Williams, USA 4...Simona Halep, ROU 3...Victoria Azarenka, BLR 3...AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA, POL
**2013 FIRST-TIME WTA/WTA 125 CHAMPIONS** Hobart - Elena Vesnina, RUS (age 26, #68) Memphis - Marina Erakovic, NZL (age 24, #71) Kuala Lumpur - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (age 20, #127) Florianopolis - Monica Niculescu, ROU (age 25, #75) Nuremberg - Simona Halep, ROU (age 21, #58) Bad Gastein - Yvonne Meusburger, AUT (age 29, #86) Baku - Elina Svitolina, UKR (age 18, #71) [won WTA 125 in '12] Guangzhou - ZHANG SHUAI, CHN (age 24, #112) [first-timers in recent seasons] 2006: 11 2007: 13 2008: 6 2009: 13 2010: 9 2011: 6 2012: 13 2013: 8
**DEFEATED DEFENDING CHAMP, WON TITLE** Hobart - Elena Vesnina, RUS (Barthel in Final) Cali 125 - Lara Arruabarrena (Dulgheru in 2nd Rd.) Memphis - Marina Erakovic, NZL (Arvidsson in 2nd Rd.) Miami - Serena Williams, USA (A.Radwanska in SF) Palermo - Roberta Vinci, ITA (Errani in Final) New Haven - Simona Halep, ROU (Kvitova in Final) Guangzhou - ZHANG SHUAI, CHN (Hsieh in 2nd Rd.)
**SINGLES/DOUBLES FINAL IN SAME EVENT** Paris - Sara Errani, ITA (L/W) Cali 125 - Catalina Castano, COL (L/W) Tashkent - Olga Govortsova, BLR (L/L) Guangzhou - VANIA KING, USA (L/L)
**ALL-UNSEEDED FINALS** Kuala Lumpur - Karolina Pliskova/CZE d. Bethanie Mattek-Sands/USA (WC) Florianopolis - Monica Niculescu/ROU d. Olga Puchkova/RUS Birmingham - Daniela Hantuchova/SVK d. Donna Vekic/CRO Eastbourne - Elena Vesnina/RUS d. Jamie Hampton/USA (Q) Bad Gastein - Yvonne Meusburger/AUT d. Andrea Hlavackova/CZE Guangzhou * - Zhang Shuai/CHN (WC) d. Vania King/USA (Q) -- * - all-unseeded semifinalists
**AGE AT FIRST WTA TITLE - CHINESE** 20 - Yan Zi (2005 Guangzhou) 21 - Zheng Jie (2005 Hobart) 22 - Li Na (2004 Guangzhou) 24 - ZHANG SHUAI (2013 Guangzhou) 25 - Sun Tiantian (2006 Tashkent)
**LOWEST-RANKED PLAYER TO DEFEAT WORLD #1** #226 Zhang Shuai def. Safina ('09 Beijing 2nd) #188 Julie Coin def. Ivanovic ('08 US Open 2nd) #133 Zheng Jie def. Ivanovic ('08 Wimb 3rd) #133 Kim Clijsters def. Davenport ('05 IW Final) #132 Chang Kai-Chen def. Safina ('09 Tokyo 2nd) #129 Jelena Dokic def. Hingis ('99 Wimb 1st)
**RECENT JUNIOR FED CUP FINALS** 2003 Netherlands d. Canada 2004 Argentina d. Canada 2005 Poland d. France 2006 Belarus d. Russia 2007 Australia d. Poland 2008 United States d. Great Britain 2009 Russia d. Germnay 2010 Russia d. China 2011 Australia d. Canada 2012 United States d. Russia 2013 Russia vs. U.S.
TOKYO, JAPAN (Premier $2.216m/hard court outdoor) 12 Final: Petrova d. A.Radwanska 12 Doubles Final: Kops-Jones/Spears d. Groenefeld/Peschke 13 Top Seeds: Azarenka/A.Radwanska ============================= =SF= #1 Azarenka d. Kuznetsova #2 A.Radwanska d. Pennetta =FINAL= #1 Azarenka d. #2 A.Radwanska
...what scares Aga most? Hmmm, I don't know for sure. But I bet Vika is pretty high on the list.
NINGBO, CHINA (WTA $125K Challenger/hard court outdoor) 12 Final: ($100K ITF) Hsieh d. Sh.Zhang 12 Doubles Final: ($100K ITF) Aoyama/Chang d. Luzhanska/Sai.Zheng 13 Top Seeds: Jovanovski/J.Zheng ============================= =SF= #1 Jovanovski d. Larsson #4 Meusburger d. #2 J.Zheng =FINAL= #1 Jovanovski d. #4 Meusburger
...BoJo landed in the correct airport and already has a main draw win in Ningbo, so at least she's got that under control. By the way, one look at the draw of this WTA 125 Challenger and you can't help but smirk about how the tour once said these small events were supposed to be designed for young players to get much needed experience, etc.
JUNIOR FED CUP FINAL (Mexico) 12 Final: USA d. RUS ============================= Russia d. United States
...a rematch of the '12 final, but with a different result without the likes of Townsend, Chirico & Andrews on the Bannerette team.
The 2013 season is nearly over. So, it's time to define what "most valuable" means around here.
Yes, the moment has arrived when I piece together this space's second annual listing of the people, personalities, heroines, names (oh, there were some great ones) and notions -- as well as one Alter Ego -- that provided a "helping hand" in shaping this past season of Backspin shenanigans.
HM- Esther Vergeer ...make that, "future Hall of Famer Esther Vergeer"... if there's any justice. And sense. And class. And, well, anything else that would recognize that Newport should be shuttered forever if the most dominant athlete in any sport in the world over the past decade isn't enshrined in five years time. ============================= 30. Tornado Alicia Black ...come on, you know why. Throw in her sister Hurricane and how can you not hope and dream that they both stick around for a long time? Why, it'd be a natural disaster of epic proportions if they didn't. See... the possibilities are endless! ============================= 29. Nicole Vaidisova's "comeback" ...I've been keeping an eye out for it for years, but couldn't help but finally get a bit discouraged as 2013 wore on. Then Iveta Benesova threw out the notion a much-needed lifeline. And. It. Lives. ============================= 28. LZ Granderson ...while Hannah Storm was away, ESPN decided to play. (LZ... stop staring at the camera.) Why LZ was on set, I will not offer a theory, though there are many floating in the ether. (LZ... aren't you going to say ANYTHING?) While Granderson is apparently a well-regarded journalist, his contribution to the network's grand slam coverage was less than nil, as he usually just came off on camera as a well-dressed (and dread-locked) paperweight. He seemed to serve no true, tennis-related purpose. Well, unless you count his making Storm seem quite good and essential by comparison, I suppose. ============================= 27. Redfoo ...Stefan Gordy. The son of Berry Gordy.. I still get a kick out of that. And it got Vika to start listening to Motown music, too. The Tennis Gods work in mysterious ways. ============================= 26. Sabine Lisicki & SW19: A Love Story ...destined to co-star in a future RomCom set at the All-England Club? Ah, but will the two ever "go all the way?" I smell a sequel! ============================= 25. The Chinese Revolution? ...as 2013 has moved along, we've been forced to realize that, much as is the case with the Koreans in the LPGA, if you're going to follow women's tennis in the future you're going to have to learn a whole heap of similar-sounding names. If you thought "Zheng Jie" was unique, what will you think of matches that include some combination of "Zheng Saisai,""Zhang Shuai,""Zhang Yuxuan,""Wang Yafan,""Wang Qiang,""Lu Jia-Jing" and "Duan Ying-Ying?" Match announcers are going to need a bottle of aspirin soon, I suspect. ============================= 24. The Hordettes ...it says something about the declining fortunes (and careers) of what's left of the Original Hordettes, superstars of the mid-2000's (unlike their so-far rather lacking NextGen not-quite-successors), that the most interesting Revolution-related stat from '13 may have been that the 51-slam streak of at least one Russian woman reaching the Round of 16 came to an end this season... but no one really noticed it much, or was too surprised by it. ============================= 23. Anabel Medina-Garrigues ...still no slam quarterfinal. And that's another Backspin ritual that can be checked off the list. ============================= 22. Simona Halep & Co. ...finally, the Romanians, with Halep leading the way, made a move this season. And, after a few years of it (mostly) being tucked in my back pocket, I get to use that "Swarmettes" nickname on occasion, too! ============================= 21. Radwanska vs. Cibulkova ...Sydney's double-bagel showed just how ugly things can get when a Radwanska is around. But Cibulkova, never daring to be bowed or broken, continued to take her opportunity to smite the likes of Ula when she had the chance, even while Aga often waited in the wings, looking for revenge. As it turned out, it was Cibulkova that got some revenge of her own in Stanford. This little rivalry might not garner the headlines -- or the list placement -- of Serena-vs.-Vika, but its sharp angles and multi-pronged attacks are certainly fun. ============================= 20. Kristina Mladenovic ...all right, who's playing doubles with Kristina this week? Umm, wait. Galina... maybe we should talk about this. ============================= 19. Liezel Huber ...karma's sparring partner? Let's see... who has "issues" with the likely-Hall-of-Fame-bound, but-she-can't-seem-to-find-a-regular-doubles-partner Liezel? Umm, well, there's Cara Black, and Lisa Raymond, and Elena Vesnina, and Sania Mirza, and... ============================= 18. Caroline Wozniacki ...there's been some improvement in 2013. But not so much that it's still not actually more fun to ask whether or not "Mystery Coach II" will ever be revealed. ============================= 17. They've Got Next ...while teenagers generally need not apply on tour when it comes to winning titles and making grand slam waves, you could hardly miss the up-ticks of some of the tour's NextGen stars in 2013. From Sloane Stephens and Genie Bouchard to Ashleigh Barty and others, you can see the tour's future being shaped like modeling clay right before your eyes. ============================= 16. The Bannerettes ...while Stephens gets the most attention of the (long-awaited) group of American (potential) stars, she's hardly the ONLY one. The likes of Madison Keys, Taylor Townsend, Alison Riske, Jamie Hampton, etc. are in the mix, as well. ============================= 15. Marion Bartoli ...geez, Marion. As soon as things get REALLY interesting, you "pull a Keyser Söze" and -- poof! -- you're gone. Of course, as La Trufflette herself said... "never say never." ============================= 14. Kim Clijsters & Justine Henin ...yes, STILL, one year after both finished 1-2 in Backspin's "All-Time MVP" competition. Thing is, they're still relevant as far as this space in concerned. Consider, both had kids in 2013. Justine a girl, Lalie, and Kim a boy, Jack. Plus, Clijsters was lauded for her support of Kirsten Flipkens during the Waffle's Wimbledon semifinal run, and then there's the fact that the memory of "La Petit Taureau" lives on with... ============================= 13. Li Na & Carlos Rodriguez ...as Henin's former coach continues to attempt to put a charge into the latter stage of the Chinese veteran's career. Great success has seemingly been on the tip of Li's racket on several occasions in 2013, but 2014 shall tell the real tale, be it remarkable or disappointing, of this unlikely pairing. ============================= 12."Maria Sugarpova" ...seriously, what was she thinking? Of course, the "regular" Maria shot back publicly at Serena, fired Thomas Hogstedt, hired Jimmy Connors then fired Jimmy Connors before considering a temporary name change to promote her gummy candies. Can a player have a "mid-life crisis" at 26? ============================= 11. Reka-Luca Jani ...Reka-Luca Jani! Reka-Luca Jani! Reka-Luca Jani! ============================= 10. The Other Serbs ...Serbian Good Luck Charm Aleksandra Krunic. Serbian Bad Luck Charm Vesna Dolonc. Wrong Way BoJo. Turns out, ALL of the Serbs are tailor-made quirk-fests. Well, either that or JJ is "Patient Zero" of an epidemic for which I hope they never find a cure. Speaking of the original... ============================= 9. Jelena Jankovic ...and the one and only. She's back. Back in the Top 10. Back in the discussion. Arguing with her brother in the stands rather than Ricardo Sanchez. Ah, good times. Queen Chaos has nine lives... and the end is the beginning, and the beginning is the end. ============================= 8. Petra Kvitova ...the promise is the still there. So is the soul-crushing inconsistency, occasional questions of fitness and a coaching situation that often begs for a re-cast. Sigh... I guess we always knew her "Czech-ness" would rear its head. ============================= 7. Carl, Carla & the cavebabies ...the year began with their wedding inadvertently bringing Citizen Anna -- and the world as we know it -- to the edge of extinction, leading to the summer arrival of little Carlo and Carlita. Hopefully, Carl is too busy with midnight feedings to be angry with the cave family's lower-than-normal placement on this list. (Crossing fingers.) ============================= 6. Bring Back the Shorts ...sure, Vika has been great since the shorts made a hasty retreat to "the back of the dresser drawer." But wouldn't it be nice to get the band back together... just for old time's sake?
============================= 5. Current Sloane/Future Sloane/Miss Twitter ...she defeats Serena in Melbourne, but still manages to lose battles against lesser-ranked players while holding leads and serving for matches. She thrives on the biggest stages of the world, yet still hasn't found a way to even reach a tour final, let alone win a title. She calls Serena her "friend" and talks about having her poster on her wall, then rips the media for creating the story of her idolization of and mentoring by said Ms. Williams... then she goes on Twitter and uses a magazine interview to unload the "truth" about how mean Serena is because she didn't sign an autograph when Past Sloane was a toddler and -- egad! -- how downright awful she is because she "un-friended" her. Thankfully, Stephens' talent and potential persist, as well as a personality that CAN shine if not allowed to grow like some slow-moving-but-calculating Blob from a classic horror movie. All should get her far, both on and off court. Eventually. Future Sloane is bound to be great. Current Sloane is still a work in progress. ============================= 4. Aga ...Aga wins. Aga flummoxes. Aga shakes hands... unless she's too upset. Aga threatens to create a clever work of art on every point, and even models a bit in her spare time (with or without clothes). Once in a while, sometimes Aga even smiles. But rarely on court. Well, unless she pulls off something simply as ridiculous as this:
If you'd like Aga to be YOUR friend, call 1-800-XXX-XXXX. ============================= 3."Citizen Anna" ...the world waits with bated breath for Anna's return, with the fate of us all hanging in the balance. ============================= 2. The Radwanska ...The Rad has been largely quiet since Wimbledon. I guess even a power-hungry Alter Ego bent on world domination and destruction deserves a bit of a rest after laying waste to the All-England Club like It did in The Radwanskian Massacre on Day 3 of this year's tournament. ============================= 1. Serena & Vika ...we wanted a rivalry, and we may have finally gotten one. While Williams may hold the decided advantage in the win column, it took Azarenka's uprisings (first in Doha, then Cincinnati) after some well-publicized close calls on big stages for this match-up to be one worthy of attention far and wide. And, thing is, this dance is likely to get even better before it becomes relegated to WTA history. =============================
Well, Carl might not like where he ended up here. Same with The Rad. But I'll say to those two what I say to them all -- there's always next year.
*WEEK 39 CHAMPIONS* TOKYO, JAPAN (Premier $2.369m/HCO) S: Petra Kvitova/CZE def. Angelique Kerber/GER 6-2/0-6/6-3 D: Black/Mirza (ZIM/IND) d. H-C.Chan/Huber (TPE/USA) NINGBO, CHINA (WTA 125 Challenger/HCO) S: Bojana Jovanovski/SRB def. Zhang Shuai/CHN 6-7(7)/6-4/6-1 D: Y-J.Chan/Sh.Zhang (TPE/CHN) d. Buryachok/Kalashnikova (xxx/GEO) Junior Fed Cup (Mexico) F: RUS def. AUS 2-0
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Petra Kvitova/CZE ...in Tokyo, we got Good Petra... but not without a dash of Bad Petra in the 2nd set of the final after a visit from coach David Kotyza. On the bright side, Kvitova held herself together admirably for the vast majority of the week, getting wins over Belinda Bencic, Madison Keys, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Venus Williams and Angelique Kerber en route to her second title of the season. Against Williams, in particular, Kvitova shined under pressure, not dropping her serve once in the final two sets and running out to a 6-0 lead in the deciding tie-break. In the 1st set of the final against Kerber, the story was much the same. Petra had seventeen winners to just five unforced errors, never lost her serve and won the set handily at 6-2. Of course, it was then that Kotyza decided to impart his wisdom... and Kvitova went out and lost the 2nd set at love, dropped all three serve games, and saw her winner/UE numbers essentially flip as Kerber took over the momentum of the match. The Czech righted things in the final set after heading off court between the 2nd and 3rd, and not listening to any of Kotyza's advice on the sideline. Throw in the fact that Kvitova's previous '13 title came in Dubai, a perfectly content week in which Kotyza was absent, and the anecdotal evidence is starting to mount that the coach/pupil pairing that got so much positive attention when she won Wimbledon in 2011 might not necessarily be as much of a "strawberries-and-cream" combination as it may have once been. ============================= RISERS:Bojana Jovanovski/SRB & Zhang Shuai/CHN ...if the Serb keeps this up, she might have to start being called "RIGHT Way" BoJo around here. Just weeks after grabbing her second career regular-tour singles title in Tashkent, Jovanovski once again managed to make it to the correct city AND win another crown in the $125K WTA Challenger in Ningbo, China with wins over Virginie Razzano, Anna Schmiedlova, Johanna Larsson and Zhang Shuai in the final. Speaking of Zhang, her trip to the Ningbo final (she was also a runner-up there in '12 when the event was positioned as a $100K ITF challenger) was her second such trip in two weeks, as she won the tour-level event in Guangzhou a week ago. The Chinese woman said last weekend that she looked at her result as a "beginning," and she proved herself correct with additional wins over Zheng Jie, Anabel Medina-Garrigues and Yvonne Meusburger. Zheng also reached the doubles final with Chan Yung-Jan, and her efforts proved even more successful there as she picked up the fourth WTA/WTA 125 doubles title of her career. ============================= SURPRISE:Tornado Alicia Black/USA ...well, not that it was really up for any serious debate, but it looks like the 15-year old Bannerette's unexpected run to the U.S. Open girls final was no aberration. Black opened up her turn in the $10K challenger in Amelia Island, Florida with an upset of #3-seed Maria-Fernanda Alves, then ended it with a victory in the final over #2-seeded Alexandra Mueller to grab her first career professional title. After dropping the opening set 6-4, Black charged back to take the next two sets, BOTH AT LOVE. ============================= VETERANS:Venus Williams/USA & Cara Black/Sania Mirza (ZIM/IND) ...when you least expect it, Venus shows us that, when all things can be close to equal, she's still a force to be reckoned with. With her previous back issues apparently behind her (allowing her serve to once again be a huge weapon -- she even put up a WTA best-ever 129.9 mph shot in the QF, though it won't count as an "official" record because its speed wasn't recorded with the "correct" technology) and her Sjogren's not slowing her down, Williams strung together wins over Mona Barthel, Victoria Azarenka, Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard before finally going out in a 3rd set tie-break against Kvitova in the SF, where Venus played with her thigh heavily wrapped and seemed to sport a slight limp. This was Williams' best result since a semifinal in Florianopolis in Week 14. In the Tokyo doubles, Cara Black and Sania Mirza teamed up to grab their first tour title as a duo. The win is Black's 56th career crown, and her second of 2013, while Mirza picked up her 18th, and fourth with three different partners this season. The pair got wins over '12 Tokyo finalists Groenefeld/Peske, Hsieh/Peng and, in a result that was surely especially satisfying for both women considering their respective checkered histories with Liezel Huber, knocked off the American (w/ Chan Hao-Ching) in the final after saving two match points in the 3rd set breaker. ============================= COMEBACKS:Angelique Kerber/GER & Melanie Oudin/USA ...Kerber is still pretty title-deficient for a player ranked as high as she is, for as long as she has been. But her performance last week in Tokyo may have done a great deal for her chances of following up her Top 5 ranking from a season ago with a Top 10 finish in '13, not to mention give her a shot at returning to the WTA Championships field in Istanbul. Wins over Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor, Ana Ivanovic, '12 runner-up Aga Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki to reach just her second final (Monterrey) this season didn't do anything to end the title drought that now extends back to April of last year, but it at least showed that after a probably-too-packed schedule, as well as the decision to often play through injuries, the German is still able to call upon the talent that has twice gotten her into grand slam semifinals. Meanwhile, it seems as if Oudin's career has consisted of one never-ending comeback attempt ever since that run to the U.S. Open QF in 2009 just a year after she'd made her grand slam debut in Flushing Meadows the previous summer. Little MO ended that season at #49, and she's been chasing the tail of the dragon the past four years. Her year-end ranking fell to #65 in '10, then #139, before jumping up to #84 last season as she claimed her first tour singles title in Birmingham. For the most part, though, 2013 has been a return to past post-Open form. She went into the $50K Las Vegas challenger ranked #141 and with a 4-13 season won/lost record in main draw matches. Things turned out okay, though, as the now 22-year old American took the title -- her first of '13 -- with wins over Petra Rampre, Shelby Rogers, Chanel Simmonds, Mayo Hibi and Coco Vandeweghe in the three-set final of the Party Rock Open. ============================= FRESH FACES:Eugenie Bouchard/CAN & Anna Schmiedlova/SVK ...Bouchard's star continues to rise in Asia as she jacked up her results yet again with an early win in Tokyo over Monica Puig, then a pair of Top 20 upsets over Sloane Stephens and Jelena Jankovic to reach the QF. After that, she qualified in Beijing. Meanwhile, in the Ningbo 125, Schmiedlova got a win over another tennis-playing sister, Karolina Pliskova, and Vesna Dolonc to reach the QF. In Beijing, the Slovak got a win over Ningbo semifinalist Johanna Larsson before ultimately losing in the final Q-round to Bouchard. ============================= DOWN:Sloane Stephens/USA & Laura Robson/GBR ...Stephens has proven to be a good grand slam player but, on the whole, she's been something far less elsewhere on the schedule. In Tokyo, Current Sloane reared her head once again in the 2nd Round against Bouchard as Stephens lost yet another match in which she served for the win. Robson hasn't been without her highlights this season, including an Australian Open win over Petra Kvitova, a Round of 16 berth at Wimbledon (and the first Top 10 win there by a British woman since '98), and a victory over Aga Radwanska. But a coaching change and the gradual eroding of her '13 results has made this a mixed bag season. She went to Tokyo with her ranking at #38 after finishing '12 at #53, but with her 1st Round loss to #62 Ayumi Morita Robson is just 17-20 overall and has ten losses to lesser-ranked players this season. ============================= ITF PLAYER:Teliana Pereira/BRA ...the 25-year old Brazilian won her third consecutive ITF crown, extending her winning streak to fifteen matches since she lost in the opening round of U.S. Open qualifying to Vicky Duval last month. At a $25K challenger in Seville, Spain Pereira notched wins over Timea Bacsinszky, Alize Lim and Florencia Molinero in the final. ============================= JUNIOR STARS:Russian Junior Fed Cup Team ...another generation of Hordettes is coming, but living up to the Originals is always going to be a difficult-to-master task. No matter, the teen set was successful in their own right this past week in Mexico as the Russian girls -- Darya Kasatkina, Veronika Kudermetova & Aleksandra Pospelova -- claimed their nations' fourth Junior Fed Cup crown. Wins by Kasatkina and Kudermetova, the latter of which went undefeated this week, in the final against Australian sealed the title. =============================
1. Tokyo SF - Kvitova d. V.Williams ...3-6/6-3/7-6(2). In one of the better-played matches all season, there was but one break of serve (of Venus) in the final two sets, and none in the 3rd. It's a pity that that deciding tie-break didn't live up to the rest of the match, as it began with a 6-0 rush by Kvitova. ============================= 2. Tokyo 2nd Rd. - Bouchard d. Stephens ...5-7/7-6(7)/6-3. Hmmm, Stephens is bested in the clutch by her "less accomplished" (on the WTA tour, but not in the juniors) fellow North American contemporary in a match-up that might just very well come up in the not too distant future on a stage even bigger than the one provided in Tokyo. Sloane led 7-5/5-3 and served for the match at 5-4, then lost out in a 2nd set tie-break that was tied at 6-6. It seems that Sloane NEEDS to be on the biggest stage possible to be at her best. Well, Beijing might not be able to be the host of a slam-level rematch of this one, but we'll soon get a quick Part II of this potential future rivalry in the 2nd Round this week in China. ============================= 3. Tokyo 3rd Rd. - V.Williams d. Halep 4-6/7-5/6-3 Beijing 1st Rd. - U.Radwanska d. Halep 7-6(4)/7-6(2) ...what occurred in Flushing Meadows -- failing to close out the 2nd set vs. Pennetta both before and after a rain delay -- has become an icky habit for Halep. The Swarmette was up a set, and up a break on three different occasions (1-0, 3-2 and 4-3) in the 2nd vs. Williams. Then, this weekend in Beijing. Halep led 5-3 in the 1st and held two set points vs. U-Rad, then 5-2 in the 2nd with another SP before dropping three straight service games, then all four serve points in the tie-break, as well. ============================= 4. Tokyo Final - Kvitova d. Kerber ...6-2/0-6/6-3. Typically, we got good Petra (1st set) and bad Petra (2nd) before the battle for Czech dominance was decided inside Kvitova's head in the 3rd. Of course, even there, she went up 4-0, threw in a three-DF game as things got a little closer, then took four MP to finally put the German away. Speaking of Germans, with this loss they're a combined 1-8 in tour singles finals this season (with Mona Barthel, of all people, being the only one with a win). ============================= 5. Ningbo WTA $125K Final - Jovanovski d. Sh.Zhang ...6-7(7)/6-4/6-1. Asian players -- women from CHN, JPN and TPE... so far -- are now a combined 0-4 in the five WTA 125 singles finals that have been held since last year. ============================= HM- Tokyo SF - Kerber d. Wozniacki ...6-4/7-6. Wozniacki had a good week in Japan, but it was ultimately undone in a match in which she turned a 5-1 1st set deficit into something respectable on the scoreboard, but then lost a 4-2 advantage of her own in the 2nd to drop to 2-5 vs. Top 10 players this season. =============================
1. Tokyo 2nd Rd. - V.Williams d. Azarenka ...6-2/6-4. Vika fails to become just the fourteenth different woman to defeat both Williams Sisters in the same season. ============================= 2. Tokyo 1st Rd. - Cibulkova d. U.Radwanska 6-3/6-3 Tokyo 3rd Rd. - A.Radwanska d. Cibulkova 6-3/6-4 ...Dominika just never learns. Check that, maybe she DOES. She and Aga could have faced off yet against in the 2nd Round in Beijing this week. But Dominika took care of that by losing in the 1st Round on Sunday to Madison Keys. ============================= 3. Tokyo Doubles Final - Black/Mirza d. H-C. Chan/Huber 4-6/6-0/11-9 Ningbo WTA $125k Doubles Final - Y-J. Chan/Sh.Zhang d. Buryachok/Kalashnikova 6-2/6-1 ...one Chan sister wins a final, while the other doesn't (both have now separately won WTA 125 doubles titles the last two seasons). Yung-Jan won two previous tour-level titles in '13 with two other partners (her sister in Shenzhen and Kristina Mladenovic in Oeiras). Meanwhile, one Black sibling emerges with a title, too, while neither Wayne nor Byron do the same... well, at least as far as anyone knows. Maybe one or both of them played in some contest... somewhere... and, uh, won something? =============================
**2013 WTA/WTA 125 TITLES** 9...Serena Williams, USA 4...Simona Halep, ROU 3...Victoria Azarenka, BLR 3...Agnieszka Radwanska, POL 2...Maria Sharapova, RUS 2...PETRA KVITOVA, CZE 2...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS 2...Elena Vesnina, RUS 2...Roberta Vinci, ITA 2...BOJANA JOVANOVSKI, SRB * -- * - w/ WTA 125
**WTA/WTA 125 TITLES WON AS #1 SEED** 8 - Serena Williams 3 - Agnieszka Radwanska 2 - Victoria Azarenka 2 - BOJANA JOVANOVSKI * 1 - S.Errani, J.Jankovic, N.Li, M.Sharapova -- * - w/ WTA 125
**2011-13 WTA FINALS - active players** 21...3/7/11 Serena Williams (18-3) 20...5/9/6 Victoria Azarenka (12-8) 18...4/9/5 Maria Sharapova (7-11) 13...7/2/4 PETRA KVITOVA (10-3) 13...8/4/1 Caroline Wozniacki (8-5) 12...3/5/4 Agnieszka Radwanska (9-3) 10...3/4/3 Li Na (4-6)
**2013 HARDCOURT WTA/WTA 125 TITLES** 4 - Serena Williams 3 - Victoria Azarenka 3 - Agnieszka Radwanska 2 - BOJANA JOVANOVSKI * 2 - PETRA KVITOVA -- * - w/ WTA 125
**2013 WTA/WTA SINGLES & DOUBLES TITLES** Lara Arruabarrena, ESP (1/1) Mona Barthel, GER (1/1) Sara Errani, ITA (1/3) Jelena Jankovic, SRB (1/1) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (2/1) Elena Vesnina, RUS Roberta Vinci, ITA (2/3) ZHANG, SHUAI, CHN (1/1) * -- * - w/ WTA 125 doubles title
**RECENT JUNIOR FED CUP FINALS** 2007 Australia d. Poland 2008 United States d. Great Britain 2009 Russia d. Germany 2010 Russia d. China 2011 Australia d. Canada 2012 United States d. Russia 2013 Russia d. Australia
BEIJING, CHINA (Premier $5.185m/hard court outdoor) 12 Final: Azarenka d. Sharapova 12 Doubles Final: Makarova/Vesnina d. Llagostera-Vives-Mirza 13 Top Seeds: S.Williams/Azarenka ============================= =SF= #1 S.Williams d. #3 A.Radwanska #2 Azarenka d. #4 Li =FINAL= #1 S.Williams d. #2 Azarenka
...a month after their U.S. Open final clash, is it time for another round of Serena/Vika next weekend? Quite possibly, yes. That is, if Vika can keep her serve together for five non-slam matches in order to get there. Of course, if you took the prospect of Azarenka pointing herself toward a match-up with Serena out of the equation, I might replace this Vika pick with Li.
And, finally...
Played tennis today. Forgot to bring tennis balls. Brilliant, huh? So, a quick trip to a local K-Mart was necessary on a Sunday morning. What a drag. But, hey, it turned out to be quite interesting, as the three cans of balls I picked up had photos on the label of Juan Martin del Potro... and Anna Chakvetadze! Does the Russian Doll's retirement mean they're "antique" cans now? Either way, it proved what I said a few weeks ago: she will not be forgotten.
Ha! Once again, the Tennis Gods work in mysterious ways.
Has it really already been a month since Serena and Vika faced off on Ashe?
Well, as far as Williams goes... it feels like only yesterday. When it comes to Azarenka... umm, well, not so much.
**PLAYERS OF THE MONTH - WK. 37-40** 1. Serena Williams, USA ...she's sealed up her third year-end #1 ranking, and her win in Beijing added to her career-best season totals for match wins and singles titles ============================= 2. Cara Black & Sania Mirza, ZIM/IND ...these two have been playing forever -- what took them so long to find each other? As a "new" duo, they've won titles in Tokyo and Bejing in the past two weeks. ============================= 3. Petra Kvitova, CZE ...finally showing some life for more than one brilliant set at a time, the Czech strung together eight straight wins while taking Tokyo and reaching the semis in Beijing ============================= 4. Agnieszka Radwanska, POL ...her win in Korea proved that A-Rad had Seoul... for her first singles crown since Week 2 ============================= 5. Jelena Jankovic, SRB ...back in the Top 10, a Beijing finalist and looking to make her return to the WTA Championships for the first time since 2010 ============================= 6. Bojana Jovanovski, SRB ...one of the "Other Serbs," Wrong Way BoJo proved to be quite right in winning a WTA title in Tashkent and WTA 125 Challenger crown in Ningbo ============================= 7. Zhang Shuai, CHN ...the fifth Chinese woman to win a tour singles title (Guangzhou), Zhang followed up with a RU result in the WTA Challenger in Ningbo ============================= 8. Lucie Safarova, CZE ...her win in Quebec City was her first tour crown since 2008 ============================= HM- Russian Junior Fed Cup Team ...the NextGen Hordettes won a fourth Jr. FC crown for Russia =============================
RISERS: Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai (TPE/CHN) and Angelique Kerber/GER FRESH FACES: Eugenie Bouchard/CAN & Anna Schmiedlova/SVK SURPRISES: Jang Su Jeong/KOR & Aleksandra Krunic/SRB VETERANS: Venus Williams/USA & Yvonne Meusburger/AUT COMEBACKS: Vania King/USA & Caroline Wozniacki/DEN JUNIOR STARS: Russian Jr. Fed Cup Team & Tornado Alicia Black/USA ITF PLAYERS: Teliana Pereira/BRA & Shelby Rogers/USA DOWN: Victoria Azarenka/BLR & Sloane Stephens/USA
**TOP PERFORMANCES** #1 - Black & Mirza sweep the Tokyo & Beijing doubles #2 - Serena wins Beijing -- wait for it -- without dropping a set. "Shocking," I know. #3 - Kvitova wins Tokyo -- wait for it -- but not without dropping a set. "Shocking," I know. #4 - Jovanovski enters Tashkent late and is forced to qualify. Then, installed as the #1 seed, she wins the title. #5 - A-Rad finally cures what ails her with a title in Seoul HM - Zhang Shuai wins her first career title in Guangzhou
**By the Numbers...** 0-5... Lucie Safarova's record in her last five appearances in WTA finals before her win in Quebec City ============================= 1... total number of Canadian woman who have ever reached the semifinals in Quebec City after Eugenie Bouchard did it in September ============================= 2... number of WTA events scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur in 2014 after it was announced that the event formerly held in Palermo would move to Malaysia next season ============================= 3... consecutive losses by Victoria Azarenka after her 1st Round exit in Beijing, her longest losing streak since May 2010 ============================= 3-2... final score of playful Beijing exhibition "match" between Li Na and Novak Djokovic
============================= 5... counting Zhang Shuai in Guangzhou, the total number of Chinese woman who have claimed tour singles crowns. Three of the five won their first WTA titles at the Guangzhou event. ============================= 5... number of sets, as in "best-of-five," that WTA CEO Stacey Allaster says the women would be willing to play in the slams ============================= 7... number of years it'd been since a Korean woman reached a tour QF (Cho Yoon Jeong, a finalist at Canberra in 2006) before Jang Su Jeong did it in Seoul ============================= 10... number of singles titles won by Serena Williams this year, a career best ============================= 73... number of match wins by Serena Williams this year, a career best ============================= 99... miles per hour of forehand winner hit by Agnieszka Radwanska in a match vs. Madision Keys in Beijing
============================= 129.9... miles per hour of serve hit by Venus Williams in the Tokyo QF vs. Eugenie Bouchard. It's the fastest recorded serve in WTA history, but it won't be counted as a record because the technology used to measure the serve wasn't the approved technology necessary for a speed to recognized by the tour as being "official" ============================= 2006... the last appearance in a WTA singles final (Bangkok -- and she won, too) by Vania King before her September run in Guangzhou =============================
*MEMORABLE MATCHES* Tokyo SF - Kvitova d. V.Williams ...3-6/6-3/7-6(2). In one of the cleaner, better-played matches this season, Kvitova and Williams held serve in all but one game in the 2nd and 3rd sets. ============================= Tokyo Doubles Final - Black/Mirza d. H-C.Chan/Huber ...4-6/6-0/11-0. Considering both their checkered histories with Huber, you have to wonder what was said under the breaths of Black and Mirza both before, during and after this one... especially after Chan/Huber led the deciding tie-break 9-7 and held two match points. =============================
*COMEBACKS... or chokes?* Tokyo 2nd Rd. - Bouchard d. Stephens ...5-7/7-6(7)/6-3. As is often the case when Current Sloane appears on lists like this, Stephens led 7-5/5-3. She served for the match at 5-4, and was knotted with Bouchard at 6-6 in the 2nd set tie-break. ============================= Tokyo 3rd Rd. - V.Williams d. Halep 4-6/7-5/6-3 Beijing 1st Rd. - U.Radwanska d. Halep 7-6(4)/7-6(2) ...the wonderful 2013 campaign of the Romanian is concluding on a bad note. Against Venus, Halep was up a set and a break on three different occasions -- at 1-0, 3-2 and 4-3 -- but lost anyway. Against U-Rad, she led 5-3 in the 1st and held two set points, then had a 5-2 advantage in the 2nd and had a set point there, too, before dropping serve three straight times and losing all three service points in the tie-break. =============================
*A TITANIC UPSET?* Seoul 1st Rd. - Jang d. Zakopalova ...6-3/6-1. Well, no, not "titanic." But, still, Jang was a wild card ranked #540, and the fifth-best Korean player on the WTA computer. Meanwhile, Zakopalova was #33 and the second-best Czech behind only Kvitova. Needless to say, this result shouldn't happen. =============================
=OVER= Anna Chakvetadze and Jill Craybas retired
=OUT= Bethanie Mattek-Sands, with a knee injury ============================= Maria Sharapova, with a shoulder... but she's still holding out hope for an appearance in Istanbul ============================= Nadia Petrova, still, with a hip injury.
A year ago, the Russian won three titles, finished at #12 and went 39-19. This year, she's won zero titles, is ranked #60 and has gone just 9-13, including 0-4 at the slams. She lost six straight and is without a singles match win since May. Still, she's #3 in doubles, matching her career-best ranking.
Oh, Nadia. =============================
=AND (Knowing Jack) ABOUT (a Waffle)= Kim Clijsters gave birth to Jada's new little brother, Jack
=AS WELL AS, UMM... "pulling a twerking Miley, Vika Style?"
Maybe this has something to do with the losing streak?
*WEEK 40 CHAMPIONS* BEIJING, CHINA (Premier $5.19m/HCO) S: Serena Williams/USA def. Jelena Jankovic/SRB 6-2/6-2 D: Black/Mirza (ZIM/IND) d. Dushevina/Parra-Santonja (RUS/ESP)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Serena Williams/USA ...Williams didn't complete a "Serena Slam," win a Gold Medal or sweep through every major event in the summer and fall as she has in previous seasons, but 2013 might just be her best season ever -- even though she ONLY won two slams -- considering she's had perhaps her most complete, consistently-dominating and (largely) injury-free season while, now at 32, being the senior competitor in nearly every match she's played. The beat went right on rolling along in Beijing as she grabbed her tenth title of the season, extending her current winning streak to 13 matches (her third 13+ streak this year) en route to adding a second China Open title to her career resume. Williams opened the tournament's run in '04 (when it was a Tier II) with a title, and helped it celebrate its tenth edition with another crown this time around following wins over Elena Vesnina, Francesca Schiavone, Maria Kirilenko, Caroline Wozniacki, Agnieszka Radwanska and Jelena Jankovic without dropping a set. Williams' appearance in the Beijing championship is her fifth straight final, second-best on tour in '13... behind only her own earlier string of six consecutive finals. Like I said, factoring in her Roland Garros title run, this just might be Serena's "signature season." Well, at least until maybe 2014 plays out, I guess. ============================= RISERS:Petra Kvitova/CZE & Agnieszka Radwanska/POL ...fresh off her win in Tokyo, Kvitova was weaving her way -- as she often does... if you know what I mean -- through the Beijing draw, as well, with wins over Varvara Lepchenko, Sara Errani and Li Na before surviving a tight 1st set against Jelena Jankovic in the semis. But a lower back injury did her in before her own game's inconsistency could, as she dropped back-to-back 6-1 sets to the Serb and then pulled out of this week's event in Linz (indoors... where the Czech has traditionally been most comfortable). She's in good position for the WTA Championships, and is back up to #7 in the rankings, but now Kvitova has yet another issue to deal with in what little is left of the 2013 season that she's almost managed to salvage -- almost, but not quite -- with a couple of good weeks in Asia. Radwanska didn't get her second 4Q title in Beijing, but she did spin victories over Stefanie Voegele, Madison Keys and Polona Hercog before getting some revenge on Angelique Kerber in the QF after having lost to the German a week earlier in Tokyo. A-Rad faced off with Serena in the semis... but, well, the less said about that the less likely I'll be to rattle the cage of You-Know-What. Needless to say, Aga is now 0-7 in that head-to-head match-up, and she had to eat a Williams shot at the net in this particular meeting, too. ============================= SURPRISE:Aleksandra Krunic/SRB ...the Serbian Good Luck Charm does singles, too. Krunic, even before her current youthful age of 20, had been a Fed Cup doubles stalwart for a couple of seasons. In 2013, though, she's made considerable strides in singles, too. She's won a pair of ITF titles, and qualified for and made her grand slam main draw debut at the U.S Open this summer. With two wins in Linz qualifying (as of this post -- she's still got another round to go to qualify for the MD there) this weekend, Krunic has now won ten of her last eleven matches and is 13-2 beginning with her Flushing Meadows Q-run. ============================= VETERANS:Jelena Jankovic/SRB & Cara Black/Sania Mirza (ZIM/IND) ...Jankovic's resurgent season picked up still more steam in Beijing as she ran through the likes of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Carla Suarez-Navarro, Lucie Safarova and Petra Kvitova to reach her third final of the season, joining Serena Williams and Simona Halep as the only women to reach championship matches on three different surfaces (red clay, green clay and hard) in 2013. Unfortunately for JJ, while she did get a title in Bogota this year, she faced off with Serena in her other two finals. The result: 0-2. Still, her run has pushed her ranking back up to #8 and put her on the cusp of qualifying for the WTA Championships. Oh, and she even found a moment to insert a tiny little "Queen Chaos Moment" into the final when Williams stopped to bend over in pain (with tears in her eyes and a shaken expression on her face) three games into the 2nd set in a service game in which Jankovic ultimately gained a break. During the changeover following that game a player took a medical time out to her have her back worked on. But, naturally, it was JJ that took the time out, not Serena. (Rolling eyes.) Meanwhile, while Black has had a difficult time finding a regular partner following her nasty break with Liezel Huber, then her own maternity leave, Mirza, though a good fit with a slew of partners, had a pretty good thing going with Bethanie Mattek-Sands earlier this year, as the pair claimed two titles in the season's first two months. But with BMS out with injury, the vets from Zimbabwe and India, respectively, have begun to team up and -- voila! -- it's been a great fit. They won the title in Tokyo last weekend, then teamed again over the past week in Beijing. All they did was take out the intriguing team of Mladenovic/Pennetta early on, then #1-seeded Errani/Vinci in the semis before defeating Dushevina/Parra-Santonja in the final. The title gives Mirza a tour-best five doubles titles this season, and ties her with the aforementioned all-Italian pair on the active list with her nineteenth career WTA title. She's the only player to win multiple titles with multiple partners in '13. Black, with three titles this season, now has 57 career crowns, good for 13th-best all-time, just three behind #12 Rennae Stubbs' total of 60. ============================= COMEBACKS:Andrea Petkovic/GER & Arantxa Rus/NED ...the former Top 10 German's comeback continued in Beijing as she put up wins over players who have combined to win four slams, Victoria Azarenka and Svetlana Kuznetsova. She ultimately lost in the 3rd Round to Lucie Safarova, but Petkovic has worked her ranking back into the Top 40 after finishing at #143 following an injury-marred 2012 campaign. Earlier this year, the name of Rus was only being mentioned when she lost. And, unfortunately, that was quite often... as in a tour record number (17) of consecutive WTA main draw matches. After ranking at #61 in August '12, the 22-year old Dutch woman's fall had her at #261 last week even after she'd claimed two recent ITF titles. Well, now let's make it three, as Rus just won another challenger crown in a $25K in Vallduxo, Spain, completing her recent turnaround with an easy win in the final over Alize Lim. This most recent run actually managed to push her '13 season record over .500 to 26-22 in all matches. She's now up to #203, with a return to the Top 200 in sight. ============================= FRESH FACE:Victoria Rodriguez/MEX ...under the radar, a small group of Mexican players have seen their fortunes take considerable upturns on the ITF circuit over the last year or so. This weekend in a $15K challenger in Victoria, Mexico, Victoria (no relation) Rodriguez joined the party... err, I mean fiesta, as the 18-year old grabbed her first career pro title with a win in the final over countrywoman Ana Sofia Sanchez, who retired down 4-0 in the 3rd set. ============================= DOWN:Victoria Azarenka/BLR & Serena Williams/Venus Williams (USA/USA) ...Vika's 1st Round Beijing loss, a three-set double-fault (15) fest against Andrea Petkovic in a tournament in which the Belarusian was crowned champion a season ago gives her her first three-match losing streak since a clay court swing in Rome, Madrid and Paris in the spring of 2010. Meanwhile, the Williams Sisters, for various reasons, are seemingly (or at least currently) no longer the unbeatable doubles force they used to be. They lost to Chan Hao-Ching & Liezel Huber in the 1st Round in Beijing despite having a set and 4-1 lead. Serena double-faulted on match point. After going 13-1 as a duo a season ago, the Sisters were just 7-4 in '13. ============================= ITF PLAYER:Anna Morgina/RUS ...the 22-year old Hordette claimed her fifth challenger title of the season. All of them have come in the many $10K events held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with the most recent the result of a three-set win in the final over Turkey's Ipek Soylu. Morgina, one of five women representing Russia who won ITF challengers this weekend, was one of three (Polina Leykina & Julia Samuseva) to go home with a doubles win, as well. ============================= JUNIOR STARS:Barbora Krejcikova/CZE & Katerina Siniakova/CZE ...these two Czechs have seen their fortunes be closely related throughout much of this season, so it should come as no surprise that the same could be said this weekend... even while the two were playing in ITF challengers in two different nations. The 17-year olds teamed to win three straight junior doubles slams this year (Krejcikova also reached the girls doubles final in Melbourne), and both are positioned in the current Top 4 in the junior rankings. This weekend, Krejcikova won her second career challenger title (first in '13) in Solin, Croatia, while Siniakova won her third of the season in Budapest, topping things off with a victory in the final over vet Alberta Brianti. The two Czechs performed a choreographed on-court dance after winning in Flushing Meadows... maybe they used Skype to keep up the tradition this time? =============================
1. Beijing Final - S.Williams d. Jankovic ...6-2/6-2. Thankfully, JJ didn't experience the sort of mental meltdown that she did in the Charleston final against Serena earlier this season, but the Serb is 1-6 in her last seven finals nonetheless. ============================= 2. Beijing 2nd Rd. - Stephens d. Bouchard ...6-1/1-6/6-4. A week after falling in three sets to the Canadian in the Tokyo 2nd Round, Stephens turned the tables on her North American counterpart this time around. Hmmm, how long until these two meet for bigger stakes on a much larger stage... and can that day get here a bit quicker? Aha! Time machine time!! ============================= 3. Beijing QF - Kvitova d. Li ...4-6/6-2/6-2. In a battle to see player would blink and/or surge at precisely the right moment, Li served 15 double faults and was broken seven times as Kvitova notched her tour-best 24th three-set victory of the season. A disappointing end to Li's run in Beijing, which had begun so pleasingly with momentum-gathering wins over Daniela Hantuchova, Bojana Jovanovski (love & 1) and Sabine Lisicki. ============================= 4. Beijing SF - Jankovic d. Kvitova ...6-7(7)/6-1/6-1. Three-set victory #25 wasn't in the cards for the Czech, though, even after she survived JJ serving for the 1st at 5-4 and 6-5 and holding a set point, then the Serb taking a 5-3 in the tie-break. ============================= 5. Beijing Exhibition - Li d. Djokovic ...3-2. Not quite Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs. But, really, did anyone expect it to be? =============================
1. Beijing SF - S.Williams d. A.Radwanska ...6-2/6-2. Serena doesn't have any Radwanskian-related worries about hitting Aga with a shot at the net because, well, because she's Serena. Enough said.
============================= 2. Beijing 2nd Rd. - Lisicki d. V.Williams ...6-1/6-2. Vika couldn't do it a week earlier in Tokyo, but Lisicki did in Beijing. Namely, she became the fourteenth woman to manage to defeat both Venus and Serena in the same season, extending what has to be considering an incredibly unlikely streak of seventeen straight seasons in which at least one player has been able to pull off the feat. This will apparently be Venus' swan song for '13, as it's been reported that she won't play again until 2014. ============================= 3. Beijing Doubles 1st Rd. - H-C.Chan/Huber d. Williams/Williams ...6-7/6-4/11-9. Pity Serena's poor racket, which had a less-than-noble death after Serena used it to double-fault on match point of a contest in which she and Venus had led 7-6/4-1.
============================= 4. $25K Perth Final - Ar.Rodionova d. Falconi 7-5/6-4 $25K Perth Doubles Final - E.Sema/Y.Sema d. Adamczak/Patterson 7-5/6-1 ...Perth was a haven for sisters, as Arina Rodionova won a singles title in her adopted nation (while still, technically, representing Russia), while the Semas took home their sixth ITF doubles crown as a duo, though it's their first since 2010. ============================= 5. Beijing 2nd Rd. - S.Williams d. Schiavone ...6-4/7-5. Schiavone led 5-3 in the 2nd, and served for the set at 5-4. Not bad. Serena even said she was inspired by Francesca, being that she's actually a little bit older than Williams and is still in top shape. As it turned out, Serena ultimately joined Schiavone as the only 32-year old singles champs on tour this season. =============================
**2013 WTA MATCH WINNING STREAKS** 34...Serena Williams, March-June [ended by Lisicki] 18...Victoria Azarenka, January-May [ended by Makarova] 14...Serena Williams, July-August [ended by Azarenka] 13...SERENA WILLIAMS, August-October * 13...Agnieszka Radwanska, January [ended by Li] 11...Maria Sharapova, March [ended by S.Williams] 11...Simona Halep, June [ended by Li] 10...Victoria Azarenka, July-September [ended by S.Williams] -- * - active streak
**DEFEATED SERENA & VENUS IN SAME SEASON (WTA events)** 1997 - Lindsay Davenport 1998 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (*Sydney-W), Martina Hingis 1999 - Steffi Graf (*Sydney) 2000 - Lindsay Davenport 2001 - Martina Hingis (*Aust.Open) 2002 - Kim Clijsters (*WTA Chsp.-W) 2003 - Amelie Mauresmo 2004 - Lindsay Davenport (*L.A.) 2005 - Silvia Farina Elia 2006 - Jelena Jankovic 2007 - Justin Henin (*U.S. Open-W) 2008 - Jelena Jankovic, Li Na 2009 - Kim Clijsters (*U.S. Open-W), Elena Dementieva 2010 - Jelena Jankovic (*Rome) 2011 - Samantha Stosur 2012 - Angelique Kerber 2013 - Sabine Lisicki -- (*)-defeated both in same event; (W)-won title
**MOST COMMON WTA FINAL MATCH-UPS - 2012-13** 6...Serena Williams vs. Victoria Azarenka (SW 4-2) 5...Serena Williams vs. Maria Sharapova (SW 5-0) 4...Victoria Azarenka vs. Maria Sharapova (VA 3-1) 2...Maria Sharapova vs. Li Na (MS 2-0) 2...Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Dominika Cibulkova (1-1) 2...Victoria Azarenka vs. Sam Stosur (1-1) 2...SERENA WILLIAMS vs. JELENA JANKOVIC (SW 2-0)
**ALL-TIME TIER I + PREMIER MANDATORY/PREMIER 5 TITLES** 31...Martina Navratilova 30...Steffi Graf 17...Martina Hingis 17...SERENA WILLIAMS (10 Tier I + 7 Premier Mand./5) * 11...Maria Sharapova (6 Tier I + 5 Premier Mand./5) * 11...Lindsay Davenport 11...Chris Evert 11...Gabriela Sabatini 10...Justine Henin -- * - active
**2013 WTA SF** 12...SERENA WILLIAMS (11-0+W) 9...AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA (4-5) 8...Victoria Azarenka (6-1+L) 7...Maria Sharapova (5-2) 7...Sara Errani (4-3) 7...Li Na (3-4) 6...JELENA JANKOVIC (3-3)
**2013 DOUBLES TITLES** 5...SANIA MIRZA, IND 5...Kristina Mladenovic, FRA (w/ 1 Mixed) 5...Timea Babos, HUN (w/ 1 WTA 125) 4...Hsieh Su-Wei, TPE 4...Peng Shuai, CHN 4...Katerina Srebotnik, SLO
**2013 CONSECUTIVE DOUBLES TITLES** 3...Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA (January-February) 2...Timea Babos, HUN (March-April) 2...Kristina Mladenovic, FRA (July) 2...Raquel Kops-Jones & Abigail Spears, USA/USA (July-August) 2...CARA BLACK & SANIA MIRZA, ZIM/IND (September-October)
LINZ, AUSTRIA (Int'l $235K/hard court indoor) 12 Final: Azarenka d. Goerges 12 Doubles Final: Groenefeld/Peschke d. Goerges/Zahlavova-Strycova 13 Top Seeds: Kerber/Stephens ============================= =SF= #3 Ivanovic d. #2 Stephens #1 Kerber d. Goerges =FINAL= #1 Kerber d. #3 Ivanovic
...AnaIvo has already won this tournament twice ('08 &'10), and time is running out for her to avoid going back-to-back seasons without a singles title, or even an appearance in a final. Ditto for top-seeded Stephens to finally get the first of either in her career by the end of '13. But I'm going with Kerber, who's in the thick of a long title drought of her own.
OSAKA, JAPAN (Int'l $235K/hard court outdoor) 12 Final: Watson d. Chang 12 Doubles Final: Kops-Jones/Spears d. Date-Krumm/Watson 13 Top Seeds: Jankovic/Lisicki ============================= =SF= #1 Jankovic d. #3 Stosur #5 Bouchard d. #2 Lisicki =FINAL= #1 Jankovic d. #5 Bouchard
...JJ's push for Istanbul (maybe) is deemed a success.
NOTE: with Jankovic's late withdrawal, and her officially qualifying for Istanbul, I bumped Bouchard up as my pick here, with former champ Stosur as the RU
And, finally, Li Na. Just because she looks so happy here during the exhibition with Djokovic.
The presentation of the 2013 Backspin Awards began with the annual "MVP List." Up next, positioning a magnifying glass on the world... region by region.
==NORTH AMERICAN/ATLANTIC REGION== PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Serena Williams, USA POY (RUNNER-UP): Sloane Stephens, USA RISERS:Eugenie Bouchard, CAN& Jamie Hampton, USA SURPRISES: Monica Puig, PUR & Tornado Alicia Black, USA VETERAN: Venus Williams, USA FRESH FACES: Madison Keys, USA & Victoria Rodriguez, MEX COMEBACKS: Vania King, USA & Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA (doubles) DOWN: Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA/USA & Rebecca Marino, CAN JUNIORS: Taylor Townsend, USA & Louisa Chirico, USA DOUBLES: Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears, USA/USA TEAMS: Washington Kastles (WTT) & Stanford Cardinal (NCAA) ITF PLAYER: Shelby Rogers, USA IMPROVED: Alison Riske, USA UNDERRATED: Varvara Lepchenko, USA FED CUP: Serena Williams, USA & Kerrie Cartwright, BAH SISTER TO WATCH: Francoise Abanda, CAN KEY AN EYE ON...: Lauren Davis, USA TOP PERFORMANCE: Serena Williams puts together 34-match winning streak, which includes a title run at Roland Garros NATION TO WATCH: Canada COMEBACK NATION: United States WORRIED NATION: none, really (but, really, the future of the U.S. men on the ATP is almost dismal enough to jump tours and be included here) MOST INTRIGUING NATION: Mexico =MARKET WATCH= BUY: Eugenie Bouchard, CAN &Vicky Duval, USA SELL: Liezel Huber, USA & Venus Williams, USA (as far as a semi-consistent threat to add to her singles title total) HOLD: Christina McHale, USA & Aleksandra Wozniak, CAN
==SOUTH AMERICAN REGION== PLAYER OF THE YEAR:Paula Ormaechea, ARG POY (RUNNER-UP): Teliana Pereira, BRA RISER: Mariana Duque-Marino, COL SURPRISES: Domenica Gonzalez, ECU & Carolina Zeballos, ARG (doubles) VETERAN: Catalina Castano, COL FRESH FACE: Montserrat Gonzalez, PAR COMEBACK: Catalina Castano, COL DOWN: Gisela Dulko, ARG (retired) JUNIOR: Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA DOUBLES: Catalina Castano/Mariana Duque-Marino, COL/COL TEAM: ARG Fed Cup team ITF PLAYER: Teliana Pereira, BRA IMPROVED: Laura Pigossi, BRA UNDERRATED: Maria Irigoyen, ARG FED CUP: Paula Ormaechea, ARG SISTER TO WATCH: Flavia Guimaraes Bueno, BRA KEEP AN EYE ON...: Brazilian Fed Cup team TOP PERFORMANCE: Paula Ormaechea leads Argentine Fed Cup team to victory over GBR in World Group II Playoffs NATION TO WATCH: Brazil COMEBACK NATION: Argentina WORRIED NATION: Venezuela MOST INTRIGUING NATION: Paraguay =MARKET WATCH= BUY: Camila Giangreco Campiz, PAR & Paula Cristina Goncalves, BRA SELL: Roxane Vaisemberg, BRA HOLD: Florencia Molinero, ARG
==ASIA/PACIFIC REGION== PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Li Na, CHN POY (RUNNERS-UP): Hsieh Su-Wei/Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN RISERS: Zhang Shuai, CHN & Ayumi Morita, JPN SURPRISES: Jang Su Jeong, KOR & Australian Jr. Fed Cup team VETERAN: Zheng Jie, CHN & Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN FRESH FACES: Ashleigh Barty, AUS & Misaki Doi, JPN COMEBACK: Sesil Karatantcheva, KAZ DOWN: Samantha Stosur, AUS JUNIOR: Mayo Hibi, JPN DOUBLES: Sania Mirza, IND (non-slam winning) TEAM:Ashleigh Barty/Casey Dellacqua, AUS/AUS ITF PLAYERS: Wang Yafan, CHN & Ksenia Palkina, KGZ IMPROVED: Duan Ying-Ying, CHN & Luksika Kumkhum, THA UNDERRATED: Yaroslava Shvedova, KAZ & Marina Erakovic, NZL FED CUP: Ayumi Morita, JPN SISTERS TO WATCH: Chan Yung-Jan/Chan Hao-Ching, TPE/TPE KEEP AN EYE ON...: Li Na, CHN (w/ Carlos Rodriguez) TOP PERFORMANCE: Li Na defeats two Top 4 players (Sharapova & A-Rad) and reaches the Australian Open final NATION TO WATCH: China COMEBACK NATION: Japan WORRIED NATION: Thailand MOST INTRIGUING NATION: Kazakhstan =MARKET WATCH= BUY: Ashleigh Barty, AUS & Kurumi Nara, JPN SELL: Jarmila Gajdosova, AUS HOLD: Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN
==AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST REGION== PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cara Black, ZIM POY (RUNNER-UP):Julia Glushko, ISR RISERS: Basak Eraydin, TUR & Fatma Al Nabhani, OMA SURPRISE: Mayar Sherif, EGY VETERAN: Nathalie Grandin, RSA FRESH FACES: Ons Jabeur, TUN & Chanel Simmonds, RSA COMEBACK: Shahar Peer, ISR DOWN: Keren Shlomo, ISR JUNIOR: Ipek Soylu, TUR DOUBLES: Cara Black, ZIM TEAM: Tunisian Fed Cup team ITF PLAYERS: Deniz Khazaniuk, ISR & Melis Sezer, TUR IMPROVED: Pemra Ozgen, TUR UNDERRATED: Chanelle Scheepers, RSA FED CUP: Ons Jabeur, TUN SISTERS TO WATCH: Hulya Esen/Lutfiye Esen, TUR/TUR KEEP AN EYE ON...: Ines Ibbou, ALG TOP PERFORMANCE: Cara Black sweeps Tokyo & Beijing women's doubles titles NATION TO WATCH: Turkey COMEBACK NATION: South Africa WORRIED NATION: Israel MOST INTRIGUING NATION: Egypt =MARKET WATCH= BUY: Ipek Soylu, TUR SELL: Nadia Lalami, MAR HOLD: Shahar Peer, ISR
==RUSSIA== PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Maria Sharapova POY (RUNNER-UP):Elena Vesnina RISERS: Ekaterina Makarova & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova SURPRISES: Nina Bratchikova & Valeria Savinykh VETERANS: Maria Kirilenko & Svetlana Kuznetsova FRESH FACE: Daria Gavrilova COMEBACK: Alisa Kleybanova & Evgeniya Rodina DOWN: Nadia Petrova JUNIORS: Elizaveta Kulichkova & Darya Kasatkina DOUBLES: Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina TEAM: Russian Fed Cup &Jr. Fed Cup teams ITF PLAYER: Anna Morgina IMPROVED: Olga Puchkova UNDERRATED: Vera Dushevina & Valeriaa Solovyeva FED CUP: Ekaterina Makarova SISTER TO WATCH: Arina Rodionova (AUS...eventually) KEEP AN EYE ON...: Maria Sharapova's ailing shoulder TOP PERFORMANCE: Ekaterina Makarova leads comeback from 0-2 down vs. SVK in Fed Cup semifinals =MARKET WATCH= BUY: Alisa Kleybanova SELL: Nadia Petrova (singles) HOLD: Vera Zvonareva
==EASTERN EUROPEAN REGION== PLAYER OF THE YEAR:Victoria Azarenka, BLR POY (RUNNER-UP): Simona Halep, ROU RISERS: Monica Niculescu, ROU & Alexandra Cadantu, ROU SURPRISES: Kateryna Kozlova, UKR & Valentini Grammatikopoulou, GRE VETERANS: Kaia Kanepi, EST & Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL FRESH FACES: Elina Svitolina, UKR & Iryna Shymanovich, BLR COMEBACK: Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU DOWN: Anna Tatishvili, GEO JUNIORS: Anett Kontaveit, EST & Anhelina Kalinina, UKR DOUBLES: Irina Buryachok/Oksana Kalashnikova, UKR/GEO TEAM: Anett Kontaveit/Jelena Ostapenko, EST/LAT ITF PLAYER: Nadiya Kichenok, UKR IMPROVED: Lyudmyla Kichenok, UKR & Maryna Zanevska, UKR UNDERRATED: Olga Govortsova, BLR FED CUP: Elina Svitolina, UKR SISTERS TO WATCH: Lyudmyla Kichenok/Nadiya Kichenok, UKR/UKR KEEP AN EYE ON...: Jelena Ostapenko, LAT TOP PERFORMANCE: Victora Azarenka defends her Australian Open crown NATION TO WATCH: Romania COMEBACK NATION: Ukraine WORRIED NATIONS: Georgia MOST INTRIGUING NATION: Belarus =MARKET WATCH= BUY: Elina Svitolina, UKR & Jelena Ostapenko, LAT SELL: Raluca Olaru, ROU HOLD: Sorana Cirstea, ROU
==WESTERN EUROPEAN REGION== PLAYER OF THE YEAR:Agnieszka Radwanska, POL POY (RUNNER-UP): Roberta Vinci, ITA RISERS: Sabine Lisicki, GER & Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP SURPRISES: Maria Joao Koehler, POR & Sandra Klemenschits/Andreja Klepac, AUT/SLO VETERANS:Marion Bartoli, FRA& Daniela Hantuchova, SVK FRESH FACES: Camila Giorgi, ITA & Annika Beck, GER COMEBACKS: Jelena Jankovic, SRB & Michelle Larcher de Brito, POR DOWN: Petra Kvitova, CZE & Serbian Fed Cup team JUNIORS: Belinda Bencic, SUI & Ana Konjuh, CRO DOUBLES: Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA DOUBLES (Jr.): Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE TEAMS: Andrea Hlavackova/Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE & Italian Fed Cup tean ITF PLAYER: Reka-Luca Jani, HUN IMPROVED: Kirsten Flipkens, BEL & Karin Knapp, ITA UNDERRATED: Yvonne Meusburger, AUT & Alize Cornet, FRA FED CUP: Roberta Vinci, ITA SISTERS TO WATCH: Anna Schmiedlova, SVK & Karolina Pliskova/Kristyna Pliskova, CZE/CZE KEEP AN EYE ON...: Bojana Jovanovski, SRB & Aleksandra Krunic, SRB TOP MORTAL PERFORMANCE: Marion Bartoli wins Wimbledon TOP A-RAD PERFORMANCE: Agnieszka Radwanska opens seasons with back-to-back titles in Week 1 & 2 TOP RADWANSKIAN MASSACRE: The Radwanska wreaks havoc on Day 3 of Wimbledon, otherwise known as "Black Wednesday," as seven current/former #1's lose, players stumble, slip & fall all over the grounds, four matches are cancelled via walkovers and three others end with retirements NATIONS TO WATCH: Germany & Poland COMEBACK NATIONS: Spain & Croatia WORRIED NATION: France MOST INTRIGUING NATION: Serbia =MARKET WATCH= BUY: Donna Vekic/CRO, Kristina Mladenovic/FRA & Garbine Muguruza/ESP SELL: Sara Errani/ITA, Tamira Paszek/AUT & Yanina Wickmayer/BEL HOLD: Angelique Kerber/GER, Caroline Wozniacki/DEN & Laura Robson/GBR
And a few more, without international borders...
2014 is MOST IMPORTANT for: Li Na/CHN & Samantha Stosur/AUS... late-career steps will be made. Or not. If it's that latter, time might suddenly be very short for both. 2014 is LEAST IMPORTANT for: Vera Zvonareva/RUS & Williams/Williams, USA... after more than a year away, playing again at a high level is likely a take-it-or-leave thing for the well-prepared-for-life-after-tennis Hordette; while Rio 2016 is the real goal for the Sisters POISED FOR GREATNESS in 2014??: Makarova/Vesnina, RUS & Sabine Lisicki, GER... if Errani & Vinci slip, the Russians could become the best doubles team in the world; while the German's SW19 goals and dreams have only one more step to climb READY TO TURN HEADS in 2014: Eugenie Bouchard, CAN & Ashleigh Barty, AUS... the Canadian gets closer to having fully arrived on a weekly basis, while the Aussie can be seen over everyone's collective shoulder SHE COULD BE FORCED TO CONTINUE TO HOLD HER HORSES in 2014: Sloane Stephens/USA & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS... as talented as both are, inconsistency (everywhere but the slams for Current Sloane, and especially at them for the Russian) could continue to hold one -- or both -- back from what is/was perceived as her "career destiny" LURCHING TOWARD DISASTER in 2014???: Maria Sharapova/RUS & Sara Errani/ITA... if Sharapova's shoulder becomes a lingering issue again, how much longer can she overcome it, or desire to work so hard to try? And Errani seems like she'd be much happier and less stressed if she settled into a ranking slot somewhere around #11-15. It'd still be a higher standing than she would have hoped for two years ago.
October is often the month on the WTA calendar when youngsters take advantage of the relative lull in the action to knock down a few "career-first" doors and trumpet their future arrival on the tour's bigger stages. It's also when players who've faced a season (or two) of disappointment often find the moment and time are just about perfect to right a few wrongs, set their career on a different course and maybe even lock away a handful of very important ranking points that will enable them to close out their year as a member of the select field at the WTA Championships.
Yep, Week 41 had all of the above... as well as another head-shaking performance by a certain Twitter-(but not Serena)-loving American.
*WEEK 41 CHAMPIONS* LINZ, AUSTRIA (Int'l $235K/HCI) S: Angelique Kerber/GER def. Ana Ivanovic/SRB 6-4/7-6 D: Ka.Pliskova/Kr.Pliskova (CZE/CZE) d. Dabrowski/Rosolska (RUS/POL) OSAKA, JAPAN (Int'l $235K/HCO) S: Samantha Stosur/AUS def. Eugenie Bouchard/CAN 3-6/7-5/6-2 D: Mladenovic/Pennetta (FRA/ITA) d. Stosur/Sh.Zhang (AUS/CHN)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Angelique Kerber/GER ...it probably shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Kerber's results have taken a bit of an upswing -- she's reached two 4Q finals and her eleven wins tie Aga Radwanska for the most on tour since the U.S. Open) -- since it's safe to assume that after (unwisely?) playing through injuries all season she may finally have outlasted her maladies and might just be healthier now than she has been for most of the past year. If so, it's hard to blame the German to trying to strike while the iron is hot, as she slipped into the Linz draw last week as a very late entry (knocking Austrian wild card Lisa-Maria Moser out of the main draw) and was installed as the #1 seed -- at the BOTTOM of the draw -- to the consternation of many. In the end, though, she made it all worth her while as she managed to qualify for the WTA Championships in Istanbul, and her string of victories over Monica Niculescu, Alexandra Cadantu, Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, Carla Suarez-Navarro and Ana Ivanovic finally ended her eighteen-month title drought after having not won since doing so in Copenhagen in April of last year. ============================= RISERS:Eugenie Bouchard/CAN, Kristina Mladenovic/FRA & Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP ...look out above, here come Genie and Kristina! 19-year old Bouchard, already the highest-ranked teenager on tour, managed to take yet another step up in her career last week in Osaka. Coming in at #35, the Canadian was the second highest-ranked player (behind #12 Sloane Stephens) without an appearance in a WTA singles final. Well, no more. The now #32-ranked Bouchard's run to her first career final, and the first on tour by a Canadian since Aleksandra Wozniak in Ponta Vedra Beach in '09, included wins over Varvara Lepchenko, Luksika Kumkhum, Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova and Kurumi Nara. In the final against Sam Stosur, even with her first serve not being at full strength, she won the 1st set and was on serve at 4-4 in the 2nd before the more experienced Aussie pulled away to take her second Osaka crown. Meanwhile, in doubles, Pasty Mladenovic seems to have found yet another doubles partner who'll likely jump at the chance to play with her again. Teaming with Flavia Pennetta for the second straight event, the very intriguing duo were crowned champions in Osaka with a win in the final over Stosur & Zhang Shuai. Counting her Mixed slam win with Daniel Nestor at Wimbledon, this is Mladenovic's sixth different doubles title this season -- and she's won them with six different partners. Since the summer of '12, the 20-year old has shared her nine tour-level, WTA 125 or slam titles with nine different players. Now, if only she could add a little more confidence to her singles game, where she once again lost early (2nd Rd. - Zheng Jie) after, as the newly-appointed #9 seed, she slid into Jelena Jankovic's spot at the top of the draw when the Serb withdrew after having officially qualified for the year-end championships in Istanbul. And, so as not to slight her for another week, it should be noted that Carla Suarez-Navarro continues to put up some great non-clay results. In Linz, the Spaniard had her fourth SF-or-better result of '13 (on three different surfaces) with wins over Kristyna Pliskova, Elina Svitolina and Kirsten Flipkens. CSN lost in the semis to eventual champ Angelique Kerber, leaving her as the second-highest ranked player (#17), behind only Stephens, without a tour singles title in her career (though she's reached five finals). ============================= SURPRISES:Stefanie Voegele/SUI & Katarzyna Piter/POL ...Voegele continued her under-the-radar ascent last week in Linz. Earlier this summer, the 23-year old Swiss reached a career-high ranking of #47. After her third semifinal result of the season, which included victories over Klara Zakopalova, Karin Knapp and the come-from-behind salvaging of a match against Sloane Stephens, she's left with a current ranking of #54 as she seeks her first career year-end Top 50 finish. She's already assured of just her second Top 100 (and first since '09) at the conclusion of '13. Piter, 22, still lives in the Polish shadows of Aga and Ula, but she's been putting up some of her best-ever results in recent weeks. Earlier this season, Piter reached her first $100K challenger final (losing to Polona Hercog in the Czech Republic) and claimed her maiden WTA tour title of any kind when she won the Budapest doubles with Kristina Mladenovic. Last week, she qualified in Linz, notching a win over Irina-Camelia Begu before finally going down to renowned-Radwanska-foe Dominika Cibulkova in the 2nd Round. She also reached the doubles semis with Irina Buryachok. This weekend in Luxembourg, she put up a qualifying win over Christina McHale and, as of this post, stands one additional win away from joining the main draw there, as well. In the new WTA rankings, Piter, the highest-ranked Pole not named Radwanska, has achieved new career-highs in both singles (#144) and doubles (#81). ============================= VETERANS:Samantha Stosur/AUS & Flavia Pennetta/ITA ...one could say that Stosur's singles career finally began to take shape when, finally, after going 0-5 in tour finals, she won her first in the inaugural WTA event in Osaka in 2009. With her confidence stoked concerning her decision to de-emphasize her brilliant doubles career and instead focus on singles, she won the U.S. Open less than two years later. Of course, it nearly took two more years for her to win another title, this summer in Carlsbad. Immediately afterward, she parted ways with longtime coach David Taylor, then started working with Alicia Molik. When she was upset by 17-year old Vicky Duval in the 1st Round of the Open, and as her ranking nearly slipped out of the Top 20, it was apparent that Stosur's career would once again have to begin a new chapter. Or else. And what better place for it to start than Osaka? Again. Wins over Johanna Larsson, Belinda Bencic, Misaki Doi, Madison Keys and Eugenie Bouchard gives Stosur two titles in a season for the FIRST TIME IN HER CAREER, as she's now 19-3 in her five trips to the Japanese city. Sure, she might still only be 5-12 in career finals, but this crown does tie her with Molik on the all-time Aussie WTA title list. After her victory in singles, Stosur had the chance to do something that no other woman had done this season -- sweep both the singles and doubles at a tour-level event. The Aussie was the sixth woman to give it a go in both finals as she reached the doubles decider with Zhang Shuai. She wasn't able to pull it off, though Stosur, who's won just one doubles title ('11 Stuttgart) since '07, is the only one of the six to win the singles title during her attempt to take both crowns. Also in Japan, Pennetta's successful comeback from wrist surgery, after an early singles loss at the hands of Vania King, struck some unexpected gold in that Osaka doubles final, as it was the Italian & Kristina Mladenovic who defeated Stosur & Zhang for the title. Prior to this, Pennetta's only doubles crown over the past three seasons came when she teamed with Gisela Dulko to win the Australian Open title in 2011. ============================= COMEBACKS:Ana Ivanovic/SRB & Arantxa Rus/NED ...it'd been nearly two years since AnaIvo had reached a tour singles final (Sofia TOC '11) before her runner-up result this past week in Linz, the same event that the Serb won in both 2008 and '10. Wins over Yanina Wickmayer, Francesca Schiavone, Dominika Cibulkova and Stefanie Voegele sent Ivanovic to the final, where she at least put up something of a fight against Angelique Kerber, fighting off three match points, then holding four set points of her own in the 2nd, before finally losing on MP #4. Of course, that AnaIvo would shine at this time of the year, when the schedule is populated with indoor events, is no shock. Five of her eleven singles titles have come indoors, and she hasn't lifted a trophy at an outdoor event since she won Roland Garros in 2008. Meanwhile, Rus continues to totally re-write the story of her 2013 season. Earlier this year in Bad Gastein, the Dutch woman finally put an end to that WTA record-tying streak of eighteen straight main draw tour event losses, eventually reaching the QF at that tournament. Since then, she's gone 23-3 on the ITF circuit, a stretch that has included four successful appearances in challenger finals, including her second in as many weeks this past weekend in the $25K in Sant Cugat, Spain when she defeated Alberta Brianti in three sets in the championship match. ============================= FRESH FACES:Madison Keys/USA, Kurumi Nara/JPN & Karolina Pliskova/Kristyna Pliskova (CZE/CZE) ...it was a week of firsts. Keys, 18, defeated Anna Schmiedlova, Zhang Shuai and Zheng Jie in Osaka to reach her first career tour semifinal, while 21-year old Nara, a wild card in the same event, knocked off Caroline Garcia, Monica Puig and Polona Hercog to also reach HER first career WTA semi after having never even advanced to a QF before last week. Meanwhile, in Linz, the 21-year old Pliskova sisters, less than three months after reaching their first tour final in Baku as an all-sisters doubles duo (after previously winning five ITF crowns), won the first WTA doubles title for both with a straight sets win in the final over Gabriela Dabrowski and Alicja Rosolka. Karolina also won her first tour singles title earlier this season in Kuala Lumpur. ============================= DOWN:The Brits & Sloane Stephens/USA ...a year that began (Robson def. Kvitova in Melbourne) with much promise for British tennis, and included Andy Murray's triumph at Wimbledon, isn't ending with nearly as high spirits. Murray is out after having an operation on his back, while the nation's two best women's players are stumbling over the 2013 finish line. A season ago, Robson became the first British woman to reach a tour singles final (Guangzhou) since 1990 and just three weeks later (in Osaka) saw Watson became the first to win a crown since 1988. Both women had year-end rankings either just inside or outside the Top 50. In 2013, Watson's season has included a prolonged bout with glandular fever and a coaching change. As the defending champ last week in Japan, she was ousted in the 1st Round by Monica Puig. Meanwhile, #42 Robson, also changed coaches and dealt with a wrist injury. Additionally, she's been saddled with many losses throughout the season to lesser-ranked foes. In Osaka, she was taken out by such a player once again, in the form of 42-year old, #54-ranked Kimiko Date-Krumm in another opening round match. For the season, #92 Watson is 11-19 while Robson is 18-22. Stephens, on the other hand, has seen her ranking jump from #38 at the end of last season to #12 as she's become a big stage (both on and off) star, complete with wins over Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. At 37-22, her record is great for an up-and-coming player, but her spectacular 15-4 mark in slams glows far brighter than her more pedestrian 22-18 mark away from the sport's brightest lights. Last week in Linz, the penchant for Current Sloane to make Future Sloane wince at her fumbled-away potential victories popped up yet again. While the American was swiped of the #1 seed with Angelique Kerber's (controversial) late addition to the draw as the top seeded player, Stephens nonetheless kept her place at the top of the draw. She even got a few wins from that position. But, in the QF, Sloane's version of "Groundhog Day" happened again as once more she exited via a come-from-ahead loss, this time to Swiss Stefanie Voegele. After leading the 1st set 5-2, Stephens failed to convert eight set points before being forced to a tie-break. There, she finally took the set on SP #10, only to drop the 2nd. In the 3rd, she once again led 5-2, then proceeded to drop the final five games of the match to be sent out in defeat as she maintains her standing as, at #12, not only the highest-ranked player without a tour singles title, but the highest-ranked without an appearance in a final. The only other similarly final-less Top 50 players (now that Bouchard's name has been removed from the list)? Stephens' younger American counterpart Madison Keys (#36), who reached her first career semi in Osaka, #47 Kristina Mladenovic (though she has won a WTA $125 crown) and #49 Monica Puig. Of course, the stat doesn't stick like flypaper to any of those three... considering they haven't already reached a slam semifinal and don't have wins over the world's #1 and #3 players. ============================= ITF PLAYER:Mirjana Lucic-Baroni/CRO ...the 31-year old Croat claimed the title at the $50K event in Joue-les-tours, France, defeating An-Sophie Mestach in the final to win her first challenger crown since 2010. Now ranked #106, Lucic-Baroni, after season-ending rankings of #105, #116 and #108 the last three years, is looking for her first Top 100 finish since 1999, the same season that she was a surprise Wimbledon semifinalist. ============================= JUNIOR STAR:Tornado Alicia Black/USA ...after winning her first ITF-level singles title two weeks ago, 15-year old Black dropped down a level and claimed her biggest junior title yet at the Grade B1 ITF Pan-American Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The #1 seed, Black double-bageled #13-seeded Bannerette Kaitlyn McCarthy in the final match. McCarthy, 15, just led the U.S. Girls to the Junior Fed Cup semis after Black had been left off that team's roster despite having reached the U.S. Open girls final just a few weeks earlier. =============================
1. Linz Final - Kerber d. Ivanovic ...6-4/7-6. Kerber becomes the twenty-first #1 seed to claim a tournament crown this season, while Germany is the ninth nation to produce multiple singles champions. ============================= 2. Osaka Final - Stosur d. Bouchard ...3-6/7-5/6-2. Their only other match-up came earlier this season in Charleston when, still nursing a calf injury from Indian Wells, Stosur retired in the 2nd set just nine games into the match. In this one, the games that never happened in Match #1 were where the Aussie pulled away in Match #2. ============================= 3. Linz QF - Voegele d. Stephens ...6-7/6-4/7-5. Maybe Commander (Future) Sloane should abandon The Cause and come back and rescue Current Sloane from herself? ============================= 4. Linz 2nd Rd. - Hercog walkover Lisicki ...The German might have gotten a win over Venus in Beijing the other week, but she's just 6-5 (and now this walkover) since defeating A-Rad in London to reach the Wimbledon final. ============================= 5. Osaka 1st Rd. - Date-Krumm d. Robson ...6-4/6-4. As the season gets later... the 42-year old gets stronger. =============================
1. Osaka Doubles QF - Mladenovic/Pennetta d. Hsieh/Hsieh 6-2/6-2 Linz Doubles Final - Pliskova/Pliskova d. Dabrowski/Rosolska 7-5/6-4 ...there was room for only one all-sisters champion doubles team in Week 41, but beating a pair of siblings gave you a leg up on winning it all. Apparently. ============================= 2. $25K Asuncion 2nd Rd. - Adamczak d. Y.Sema 3-6/6-4/6-3 $25K Ascuncion QF - Adamczak d. E.Sema 6-4/6-0 $25K Asuncion Doubles SF - Adamczak/Patterson d. S-J.Kim/Y.Sema 7-6/6-4 ...Aussie Adamcak filled her stomach with yummy Sema sister bits-and-pieces last week in Paraguay. ============================= 3. $25K Asuncion Doubles Final - Lertcheewakarn/Ar.Rodionova d. Adamczak/Patterson ...6-2/3-6/10-8. But that just made her susceptible to a Rodionova sister sneak attack -- or maybe it was just indigestion? -- in the doubles final. Apparently. =============================
**SINGLES/DOUBLES FINALS IN SAME EVENT** Paris - Sara Errani, ITA (L/W) Cali 125 - Catalina Castano, COL (L/W) Tashkent - Olga Govortsova, BLR (L/L) Guangzhou - Vania King, USA (L/L) Ningbo 125 - Zhang Shuai, CHN (L/W) Osaka - SAMANTHA STOSUR, AUS (W/L)
**2013 WTA/WTA 125 SEMIFINALISTS BY NATION** 27...United States 20...Russia 17...Italy 15...Germany 14...Czech Republic, Romania 13...China 11...Serbia, Spain 10...Poland [total # of nations in SF in recent seasons] 2010: 32 2011: 31 2012: 34 2013: 33
**MLADENOVIC DOUBLES TITLES w/ partners** [2012] Montreal: Klaudia Jans-Ignacik Quebec City: Tatjana Malek (Maria) Taipei 125: Chan Hao-Ching [2013] Memphis: Galina Voskoboeva Charleston: Lucie Safarova Oeiras: Chang Yung-Jan Wimbledon Mixed: Daniel Nestor Palermo: Katarzyna Piter Osaka: Flavia Pennetta
**2013 FIRST-TIME WTA/WTA 125 FINALISTS** Bogota - Paula Ormaechea, ARG (lost to Jankovic) Kuala Lumper - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (def. Mattek-Sands) Eastbourne - Jamie Hampton, USA (lost to Vesnina) Bad Gastein - Andrea Hlavackova, CZE (lost to Meusburger) Baku - Elina Svitolina, UKR * (def. Peer) Suzhou 125 - Zheng Saisai, CHN (lost to Peer) Guangzhou - Zhang Shuai, CHN (def. King) Osaka - EUGENIE BOUCHARD, CAN (lost to Stosur) -- * - first-time in regular WTA final (previously in WTA 125 final)
**2013 WTA/WTA 125 SINGLES & DOUBLES TITLES** Lara Arruabarrena, ESP (1 singles, 1 doubles) Mona Barthel, GER (1/1) Sara Errani, ITA (1/3) Jelena Jankovic, SRB (1/1) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (2/1) KAROLINA PLISKOVA, CZE (1/1) Elena Vesnina, RUS (2/2) Roberta Vinci, ITA (2/3) Zhang Shuai, CHN (1/1)
**2013 DOUBLES TITLES** 6 - KRISTINA MLADENOVIC, FRA (5 WTA + 1 Mixed) 5 - Sania Mirza, IND 5 - Timea Babos, HUN (4 WTA + 1 WTA 125) 4 - Katarina Srebotnik, SLO 4 - Hsieh Su-Wei, TPE 4 - Peng Shuai, CHN
**2013 ITF CHALLENGER TITLES** 8...Reka-Luca Jani, HUN 6...Denis Khazaniuk, ISR 5...Montserrat Gonzalez, PAR 5...Jovana Jaksic, SRB 5...Melanie Klaffner, AUT 5...Anna Morgina, RUS 5...Teliana Pereira, BRA 4...Anna-Lena Friedsam, GER 4...ANETT KONTAVEIT, EST 4...ARANTXA RUS, NED 4...Stephanie Vogt, LIE
MOSCOW, RUSSIA (Premier $794K/hard court indoor) 12 Final: Wozniacki d. Stosur 12 Doubles Final: Makarova/Vesnina d. Kirilenko/Petrova 13 Top Seeds: #2 Vinci/#3 Kirilenko (#1 Kerber w/d) ============================= =SF= Pavlyuchenkova d. #6 Suarez-Navarro #4 Ivanovic d. #2 Vinci =FINAL= #4 Ivanovic d. Pavlyuchenkova
...I may regret not going with Halep here, but I've got the Swarmette's (slight) late-season slip -- when it comes to putting away winnable matches -- playing on my mind. So, I'll go with AnaIvo as she gives it another go indoors.
LUXEMBOURG, LUXEMBOURG (Int'l $235K/hard court indoor) 12 Final: V.Williams d. Niculescu 12 Doubles Final: Hlavackova/Hradecka d. Begu/Niculescu 13 Top Seeds: Wozniacki/Stephens ============================= =SF= #7 Bouchard d. #1 Wozniacki #2 Stephens d. #5 Safarova =FINAL= #7 Bouchard d. #2 Stephens
...Canadian vs. American. The proverbial rubber meets the proverbial road. Current Genie vs. Current Sloane, with their Future selves watching with great interest, as well as amusement. It'd be a fitting conclusion to what would be a trilogy of 4Q head-to-head meetings.
As the season reaches its final turn, available singles titles are getting scarce. And, though it seems like it's been the case over the last five months, it's really NOT because Serena Williams and Simona Halep have pretty much hogged them all.
With the clock ticking down on 2013, Caroline Wozniacki finally managed to grab one of her own.
While Halep's improvement has been apparent for all to see since early this summer, as five titles and a Top 20 ranking have gone hand-in-hand with a more aggressive approach that has paid immediate dividends for the Romanian, similar things haven't come quite so quickly for Wozniacki.
The former #1 has been working to improve all season, but it's been a struggle to escape her lifelong affinity for the ultra-defensive game that got her to the top of the sport even while never forcing her to actually defeat the very best players to get there. Slowly but surely, after briefly dropping out of the Top 10 in February, the Dane has realized that she needs to add to her game to become relevant once again. As she's tried to play catch-up with the women who've passed her by in the rankings, Wozniacki has experienced a great deal of one-step-forward-and-two-steps-back sort of stretches in her results. Just when she seemed to be on the right track, such as reaching the final at Indian Wells, her results would soon tail off once again. Still, as the season has gone along, her improvements have been more noticeable as her serve has been altered and improved, and her willingness to move forward more often to end points has reared its pretty head on occasion, as well, while not pushing aside the defensive prowess and consistent groundstrokes that have long been the hallmark of Caro's game.
Even before last week, Wozniacki had posted '13 wins over the likes of Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber and Sloane Stephens (twice). But as she came into Luxembourg time was running out to actually win something tangible, and her possible spot in the WTA Championships field had just been pulled like a rug out from under her feet via Angelique Kerber's "LinzGate" maneuvering and eventual title a week ago (the Dane will instead be an alternate in Istanbul).
Quite possibly figuring out a way to put things together, or maybe just still perturbed at the circumstances that caused her to issue a complaint to WTA CEO Stacey Allaster, Wozniacki finally rose above the crowd.
Much as she did in the closing weeks in 2012 with wins in Seoul and Moscow, the Dane salvaged a portion of her 2013 season with a title run that extends her seasons with at least one crown to six, as she dropped just one set all week and quite possibly put what will be a final flourish on what will be her fifth straight year-ending Top 10 ranking, tied with Azarenka for the longest current streak on tour.
Of course, winning titles just before the lights are turned off for a WTA season doesn't always mean much the following year. The Dane will have to continue to improve in order to even get close to regaining some of the footing -- and ranking -- she had a few seasons ago.
After all, while this latest Wozniacki title -- she's behind only the Williams Sisters and Sharapova amongst active players -- is her twenty-first, an impressive number for someone still so young (23) in this era of tennis, it also means that she now officially shares with Pam Shriver a more dubious honor that the Dane really wants nothing to do with. You see, now Shriver and Wozniacki are tied with the most career singles titles without having won a grand slam. Soon, Caro will stand alone. Whether she ever reverses history and stands alone at the end of a major is still a huge question, but at least she seems to have finally gotten herself pointed in something resembling the correct direction.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Simona Halep/ROU ...although Halep was just the #5 seed in Moscow, she received a bye in the 1st Round after Angelique Kerber's withdrawal from the event. How much did it matter? Probably not much, as the Romanian, after a few weeks of falling into the habit of letting some leads (and matches) slip away, once again picked up the head of steam that she's been carrying for the last five months. And what a productive five months it's been, too. In May, she was ranked #64 and was just 8-9 on the season. Then she put together a run to the Rome semis as a qualifier. From Rome until now, Halep's gone 40-8, won five titles -- on three surfaces, and both outdoors and indoors -- and, after her title in Moscow, lifted her ranking as of Monday to #14, yet another new career high for the Swarmette. Halep reached the final by giving up just seven total games in victories over Magdalena Rybarikova, Alisa Kleybanova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She lost eight in the final against Sam Stosur, but still managed to prevail in straight sets with her thirteenth win over a Top 20 player since May. ============================= RISERS:Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS & Stefanie Voegele/SUI ...after having gone 0-5 in her previous trips back home to play in the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, Pavlyuchenkova managed to show that she might not be totally and forever destined to disappoint in big stage events and/or in places when expectations are high. Nice wins over Caroline Garcia, Maria Kirilenko and Daniela Hantuchova paved her way to the semifinals. Meanwhile, in Luxembourg, Voegele followed up her semi run in Linz with another, her fourth of the season. It wasn't the only accomplishment that the Swiss repeated from a week ago, either, as she got her second victory over Sloane Stephens in less than a week (in the QF), putting the victory alongside others over Mona Barthel and Karolina Pliskova before being forced to retire from her SF match with Annika Beck. The 23-year old is up the #44, a new career high. ============================= SURPRISES:Stephanie Vogt/Yanina Wickmayer (LIE/BEL) ...in a battle for the Luxembourg doubles crown between teams consisting of four women looking for their first career tour doubles title, Vogt & Wickmayer triumphed over Kristina Barrois & Laura Thorpe (who'd earlier upset #1 seeded Petrova/Srebotnik) after having advanced to the final when Polona Hercog (w/ Lisa Raymond) was forced to retire in the semifinals. ============================= VETERANS:Samantha Stosur/AUS & Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS ...on the whole, Stosur's season hasn't been a good one. But, wow, what a difference two weeks can make when it comes to the 2014 prospects of the Aussie under the tutelage of coach Alicia Molik. Two weeks ago, other than in her title run in Carlsbad, Stosur hadn't had another semifinal-or-better performance all year. Then she went to Osaka and won a second title (more than she's ever won in a single season) and, after pretty much having left her doubles career behind years ago, reached the doubles final, too. In Moscow, she was at it again. Singles wins over Kaia Kanepi, Alize Cornet, Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova put her in finals in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2005 (Gold Coast and Sydney in Weeks 1-2). She reached the doubles final again, as well. This time, Stosur flipped her results, losing in the singles decider to Simona Halep and winning the doubles with Kuznetsova for career crown #24, but just her second since '07. Speaking of Kuznetsova, who notched doubles win #16 (but just her second since '09), she also had a nice run in singles, taking out Lesia Tsurenko, Sofia Arvidsson and Roberta Vinci en route to her first semifinal since Auckland in January 2012. ============================= COMEBACKS:Caroline Wozniacki/DEN & Alisa Kleybanova/RUS ...a year after winning the Kremlin Cup title, Wozniacki switched gears and went to Luxembourg and won there instead. It's the first title the Dane has claimed since that successful trip to the Russian capital last October. All but one (QF vs. Bojana Jovanovski) of Wozniacki's five matches was wrapped up in straight sets, including wins over home favorite Mandy Minella, Monica Niculescu, Sabine Lisicki and youngster Annika Beck in the final. In Moscow, an even bigger comeback continued, as Kleybanova's return from Hodgkin's lymphoma now includes her first tour level QF since her return to the WTA. The Hordette notched victories over Carla Suarez-Navarro and Varvara Lepchenko. ============================= FRESH FACES:Annika Beck/GER & Katarzyna Piter/POL ...these two pitted off in the best match of the week, a 3:12 clash in the Luxembourg quarterfinals won by the 19-year old German. Piter, 22, saved two match points in the 2nd set, only to see Beck save one in the 3rd set before going on to win. Ultimately, Beck, the Roland Garros girls champ last year, reached her first tour level final after additional wins over Tsvetana Pironkova, Lucie Safarova and Stefanie Voegele. Piter, a Lux qualifier a week after being the same in Linz, got main draw wins over Belgians Kirsten Flipkens and Yanina Wickmayer and reached the doubles semis with Kristina Mladenovic. ============================= DOWN:Maria Kirilenko/RUS ...as the #3 seed, Kirilenko moved into #1-seeded Angelique Kerber's spot at the top of the draw when the German withdrew after having qualified for Istanbul. She promptly lost in the 2nd Round to countrywoman Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Since the conclusion of Roland Garros, when Kirilenko became the first Russian to make her Top 10 debut in six years, she's gone just 9-8 after putting up a 27-10 season record up to and including Paris. Accordingly, her ranking has dropped nearly out of the Top 20 (she's currently #18). ============================= ITF PLAYERS:Kristyna Pliskova/CZE & Mariana Duque-Marino/COL ...a week ago, Pliskova was winning her first tour doubles title with her sister Karolina in Linz. This weekend she locked up a $50K ITF challenger crown in singles in Limoges, France. The Czech defeated the likes of Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, Tara Moore, Anhelina Kalinina and Anna-Lena Friedsam before taking out Tamira Paszak in three-set final. Duque-Marino claimed the $25K in Rock Hill, South Carolina with wins over Allie Kiick, Melanie Oudin and Anna Tastishvili in the final. It's her fifteenth career challenger title, and third this season. She's up to #97 with the win, just three spots behind the career-best ranking she achieved in February '10, as MDM looks like she'll wrap up '13 with her first year-end Top 100 finish. The 24-year old from Bogota also took the doubles with Maria Irigoyen. ============================= JUNIOR STARS:Belinda Bencic/SUI, Barbora Krejcikova/CZE & Elise Mertens/BEL ...in Week 42, increasing ITF success came in inverse order as far as the current junior rankings are concerned. #1 Bencic was the singles runner-up to Kazakh Zarina Diyas in the $25K in Makinohara, Japan, while #4 Krejcikova reached the singles semis and won the doubles (w/ Lenka Jurikova) at the $10K in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It was #7 Mertens, though, who had the most success, taking her second challenger title of 2013 in the $10K in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt with a win over fellow Waffle Klaartje Liebens in the final. =============================
1. Moscow Final - Halep d. Stosur ...7-6/6-2. I said last week that I might end up regretting not taking Halep to win in Moscow. I guess I should have listened to myself. ============================= 2. Lux F - Wozniacki d. Beck ...6-2/6-2. Well, since the Dane recently expressed displeasure with such queries, I hope no one asked Caro about Rory McIlroy since, you know, theirs is a relationship that both strive to keep ultra private. Why, you'd hardly even know they've been seeing each other considering how little they appear in public togeth-... oh, wait. ============================= 3. Lux QF - Voegele d. Stephens ...6-3/3-6/6-2. Well, now Voegele is most definitely NOT going to be Sloane's mentor. "Unfriend" her at your own risk, Stefanie. ============================= 4. Lux 1st Rd. - Petkovic d. Bouchard ...2-6/7-5/6-1. The path to success is not without the occasional bump in the road. ============================= 5. Moscow QF - Kuznetsova d. Vinci ...6-2/6-3. A Russo-Italian clash BEFORE the Fed Cup final. ============================= 6. Lux Doub SF - Barrois/Thorpe d. Petrova/Srebotnik ...6-2/3-6/10-8. Petrova and Srebotnik get in some action before heading to Istanbul, one year after Nadia won there with Maria Kirilenko. ============================= 7. Moscow Doub SF - Kudryavtseva/An.Rodionova d. Huber/Rosolska ...7-5/6-2. Rosolska is Huber's tenth different doubles partner in a WTA event in 2013. ============================= 8. $10K Quintana Roo MEX Final - Denise Muresan/USA d. Renata Zarazua/MEX ...6-4/6-1. Another young Mexican, this one is just 16 and reached the final in just her third career ITF event. Amongst the first main draw pro wins of her career was a semifinal victory over Ashley Weinhold. ============================= HM- $10K Pereira COL Final - Anna Katalina Alzate Esmurzaeva/NED d. Szabina Szlavikovics/HUN ...6-1/6-2. Oh, so many letters. (Between the two, sixteen of the twenty-six letters in the alphabet, to be exact.) =============================
1. Lux Doubles 1st Rd. - Hercog/Raymond d. Hsieh/Hsieh ...6-7/7-6/10-7. Thus, the Hsieh siblings didn't become the tenth all-sisters duo to win a tour doubles crown. ============================= 2. Lux 2nd Rd. - Voegele d. Ka.Pliskova 6-1/3-6/6-3 $50K Limoges Final - Kr.Pliskova d. Paszek 3-6/6-3/6-2 ...one week after the Pliskovas became the ninth WTA sister team to be crowned a champion, Kristyna had a more suitable follow-up result than Karolina. ============================= 3. Lux 1st Rd. - S-W.Hsieh d. K.Kucova ...4-6/7-6/6-3. A rare Hsieh-vs.-Kucova, "lower level" sister-vs.-sister head-to-head clash. =============================
With WTA Championships Day 1 play having begun in Istanbul for the final year (the event shifts to Singapore in '14), thus begins Backspin's daily recap of the scheduled matches.
On Tuesday, the top two players in the world kicked off play in the round robin portion of this tournament. The Red Group is headed by #1 Serena Williams, who has more career wins in this event than a combination of six (minus Victoria Azarenka) of the other seven qualifying players in the field. Her group seems to be the toughest of the two, as it consists of Serena along with Agnieszka Radwanska, Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber. #2 Azarenka's White Group, made up of four players who all sported losing career records in these Championships heading into this week, includes Li Na, Sara Errani and Jelena Jankovic.
Williams and Azarenka would seem to be safe bets to finish in the top two in their respective groups and advance to the semifinals, but the competition for the other two spots should lead to some interesting and potentially tension-filled matches later this week when it could come down to tie-breakers such as "sets lost" when it comes to determining the second place finishers in the groups.
Here's a recap of Day 1's matches:
(2) Azarenka/BLR d. (6) Errani/ITA 7-6(4)/6-2 ...in a tightly-contested match (at least for a while), Azarenka battled against the diminutive Italian as well as her own slow start and poor serving. Again. Just like she did all the way to the final at Flushing Meadows, the last place Vika actually won a match before arriving in Istanbul on an uncharacteristic three-match hard court losing streak. In the 1:27 1st set, Errani jumped to an early two-break lead before the world #2 noticeably picked up her game. Errani served for the set at 5-2, 5-4 and 6-5 before Azarenka pushed things to a tie-break. There, the Belarusian again fell behind (3-1) before taking command down the stretch to win 7-4, taking the set despite a 59% 1st serve percentage and six double-faults. Vika is now 9-1 in tie-breaks this season. Errani suffered a calf injury in the 2nd set and was treated on multiple occasions by a trainer. Her movement suffered, as it was apparent she wasn't willing to put much pressure on her leg. And an Errani without her wheels isn't much of an obstacle. Azarenka won the set 6-2 to push her record in the last 100 matches in which she won the 1st set to 99-1 (36-1 in '13), but her difficulty in holding serve once again looks like it will make this tournament a nail-biting affair on her part. As for Errani (now 1-31 vs. Top 5 players), one wonders if she'll be back in the singles round robin (it'd mean Caroline Wozniacki would step in), especially if she wants to maintain her availability in the doubles competition, where she and Roberta Vinci are the #1 seeds. Errani is the only player in the WTA Championships who qualified in both singles and doubles (though Vinci is the third singles alternate).
(1) S.Williams/USA d. (8) Kerber/GER 6-3/6-1 ...most of Serena's matches in Istanbul are to be expected to be somewhat routine, at least until the semifinals (unless Kvitova turns her game up yet another notch later this week), and this one followed that script. After ducking under fences and reading the fine print of the WTA rules to find a way to sneak into the Championships field in the closing weeks of the season, Kerber's opening match was over in just 1:03. In her second trip to the year-end event, she's still looking for her first match win.
(5) Kvitova/CZE d. (3) A.Radwanska/POL 6-4/6-4 ...what looked to be the best match-up of Day 1 closed out the session as the '11 Wimbledon champ faced off with the '12 Wimbledon runner-up. Kvitova has had a fine 4Q, winning in Tokyo and reaching the Beijing semis, and is the only player other than three-time champ Serena who has a WTA Championships title (2011). Radwanska, too, won an Asian swing crown in Seoul, ending a title drought that went all the way back to Week 2 of this season when she won her second of back-to-back events to open 2013. Here, Kvitova opened the match with a break of A-Rad's serve and held that advantage for the rest of the 1st set, winning 6-4 and never facing another break point after saving three in Game #2. Kvitova leads the tour in three-set wins, but that's not really because of her great mental strength, and instead is because of the Swiss cheese-sized mental holes in her game that cause her to so often throw away sets by 6-1 (or worse) scores due to an overabundance of errors, forcing things to a deciding set. One more three-setter in Istanbul and Kvitova will break her tie with Patty Schnyder (36 in 2005) for the most such matches in a single season. After Kvitova followed up her 2nd set opening break by dropping her own serve one game later with a double-fault on break point it looked as if history might be about to be made. But no. Don't worry... I'm sure #37 will come at some point this week. Despite all of Radwanska's cleverness, sometimes when she goes up against a highly-ranked power player she stations herself behind the baseline and allows her opponent to control all the points and simply hit her off the court. It eventually leads to her "trying too hard" on some points, losing her cool focus and committing uncharacteristic errors that are simply deadly to her game. That's what happened here. Kvitova broke in Game #3 and, notwithstanding a few sprayed shots that presented a potentially open door for Aga to stroll through and make a match of things, never really looked back. Well, check that... serving at 5-4, Kvitova fell down 15/40, faced four break points and double-faulted on her first of three match points (the last converted after Petra stopped play to successfully challenge a Radwanska ball that had been called in on the baseline) before winning the 2nd at 6-4. The win extends to 30-3 her record in her last thirty-three indoor hard court matches.
By the way, kudos to Brett Haber and Lindsay Davenport's match prep for their roles in Tennis Channel's coverage today. Of course,, maybe the nod should go to whomever it was that put together all the stats that they pulled out of their back pockets throughout the day... many of which I used in this recap.
The Tournament of "Champions" draw for Sofia, Bulgaria is out, and it includes:
Simona Halep (#14) Ana Ivanovic (#16) Maria Kirilenko (#18) Samantha Stosur (#19) Elena Vesnina (#25) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (#26) Alize Cornet (#27) Tsvetana Pironkova (#118)
Of course, two of those players -- Ivanovic and Pironkova -- weren't champions at all in 2013. Never-a-champion Pironkova, from Bulgaria, was added as a wild card after Wozniacki decided against heading to Sofia. I suspect wild card AnaIvo is there because she won this tournament twice (2010-11) when it was held in Bali, but she hasn't won a tour title since that TOC run in '11. So, contrary to what Haber said on TC today, inclusion in this field -- as it never really has been in actual practice, to be truthful -- doesn't always require a player to be among the eight highest-ranked players not in the Championships field who have also won a title during the current season.
Hmmm, so maybe I should retract that kudos from earlier? Well, I'll still give a nod to Davenport. Plus, it gives me a chance to note that the next Backspin post will be a rundown of the Hall of Fame prospects of today's top players, as well as some recently retired ones who are still on queue for Newport. A list which includes... Davenport. Ta-da!!
(Yeah, I know... that was a little bit of a "sneaky" promotion. Where's Patty Schnyder -- also mentioned here! -- when you need her? Has she reached the end of The White Mile yet? Just wondering.)
Meanwhile, on Day 2 in Istanbul, Li Na and Jelena Jankovic will play their first matches... and, quite possibly, Wozniacki will, as well. Also, The Serena faces The Rad.
(Shiver.)
*CAREER WTA CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS - 2013 field* 21-5...Serena Williams (1-0) 8-8...Victoria Azarenka (1-0) 6-1...Petra Kvitova (1-0) 5-5...Agnieszka Radwanska (0-1) 4-10...Jelena Jankovic (-) 2-4...Li Na (-) 0-2...Sara Errani (0-1) 0-4...Angelique Kerber (0-1) [alternates] 6-6...Caroline Wozniacki 0-0...Sloane Stephens 0-0...Roberta Vinci
Players don't commit to a life in tennis with the express goal of being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
It's an honor -- a gift, really -- bestowed upon them years later, after their careers have been completed (well, unless your name is Martina Hingis and you get enshrined and then say, "Psych! You THOUGHT I was retired -- but I fooled you!"), when they can better process it, allowing them to appreciate that their career will be remembered by future generations, immortalized by this one final "championship run." At that moment, it will be apparent that all the sacrifices were worthwhile, and some may well wish that they could go back and re-live everything -- or at least the good parts -- all over again. But a day of celebration in Newport will have to suffice.
Well, again, unless you're Martina Hingis.
The Hall is filled with greats large and small. But which players, both current and retired, are the next to join their ranks? A consideration...
=COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS= ...will they go into the Hall of Fame? Actually, it'd probably be more appropriate to say when. Justine Henin & Kim Clijsters, BEL/BEL (both retired) ...for a bit, it looked as if the two Waffles might just walk arm-in-arm into Newport in the same year, but since Henin's final retirement came in 2011, while Clijsters toughed it out for one more season despite embarking on her comeback from early retirement before her Belgian counterpart did the same, it'll be La Petit Taureau who'll make her way in the Hall of Fame before Barbie. Hmmm... does that count as a "final victory" in their career-long push-pull? ============================= Lindsay Davenport, Mary Pierce & Conchita Martinez, USA/FRA/ESP (all retired) ...all three are amongst the Hall nominees for enshrinement next year, and it'd be no big surprise if all three are passed through (possibly along with Nick Bollettieri) in what would be a super-duper-sized class of former slam winners. At the very least, Davenport -- a former singles and doubles #1, with three singles and three doubles slam wins -- is a shoo-in to be inducted in her first year of eligibility. ============================= Amelie Mauresmo, FRA (retired) ...by this time next year, the two-time slam champ and former #1 will surely be a HOF nominee. Soon after, she'll waltz through the doors in Newport as gracefully as she glided over the surface of the lawns at the All-England Club in 2006. ============================= Esther Vergeer, GER (retired) ...all the Wheelchair great -- the most dominant athlete in any sport over the past decade -- did was win twenty-one slam singles and, twenty-three slam doubles crowns, as well as four Paralympic Golds. She was ranked #1 for thirteen years, 668 weeks, and won 120 tournaments in a row during the astounding 470-match winning streak that ended only when she played her final match in 2012. Oh, and she won eighty-nine matches in a row BEFORE her last loss, making her 559-1 in her last 560. There are currently just two Wheelchair athletes in the Hall of Fame, sport founder Brad Parks (2010) and men's player Randy Snow (2012), but no women's WC athletes have yet to be inducted. Vergeer should be the first. =============================
=THE ACTIVE "GIMMES"= ...Game. Set. Match. Serena Williams, USA ...seventeen singles slams, thirteen doubles and two mixed doubles. Multiple Olympic Golds. The oldest singles #1 ever, and a holder of the top spot, by the time of the '14 Australian Open, for 170+ weeks. When she gets to 179 she'll move past HOFer Monica Seles for the fifth-most all-time. I could go on, but there's really no need. ============================= Venus Williams, USA ...while her seven singles majors are less than half her sister's total, they've shared thirteen doubles slams, and Venus, too, has twice won in mixed doubles. Her four Olympics Golds are the most ever for a tennis player. The only real eyebrow-raiser in Venus' career is that she barely spent more weeks (just eleven) as the singles #1 as she did in doubles (eight), where she was a part-time player, at best. ============================= Maria Sharapova, RUS ...the best of the Russians, and one of just three women in the last twenty-five years to put together a Career Grand Slam in singles. And, assuming her shoulder doesn't preclude it, she's not finished yet, either. =============================
=THE "GIMMES": DOUBLES EDITION= ...they only cover half the court, but it's more than enough. Lisa Raymond, USA ...with 137 weeks as the doubles #1, Raymond has held the position during her career for longer than all but three players. Six slam doubles and four mixed crowns, as well as the sixth-most overall doubles titles all-time on the WTA tour would seem to make the American a safe HOF pick. Earlier in her career, the two-time NCAA champion won four tour singles titles, too. ============================= Cara Black, ZIM ...Zimbabwe's Black is one of the women with more weeks (163) than Raymond as the doubles #1, including a 33-consecutive month stretch second only to Martina Navratilova's forty-one. Fifty-seven tour doubles titles, including five doubles slam crowns and five mixed championships, as well, make Black one of the most accomplished doubles stars of the last twenty years. In her younger days, she was a fantastic junior -- she was #1 in 1997 -- and won a tour-level singles title in 2002. ============================= Liezel Huber, USA (former RSA) ...only Navratilova has held the doubles #1 longer than the oft-disliked (by her peers) Huber, who has held the spot for 200 weeks, including thirty consecutive months in one stretch while partnering with Black. The South African-turned-American has won fifty-three tour titles, five doubles slams and two mixed. =============================
=OPEN AND SHUT CASES?= ...for various reasons, they would seem to be safe reservations for a future weekend in Newport... umm, right? Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS ...Kuznetsova has been an enigma throughout her career, but it's hard to imagine a two-time slam winner with a sterling Fed Cup history for Russia being kept out of the Hall of Fame no matter what the rest of her career holds in store. Just a year ago, when Tennis Channel ranked the 100 best players of all time in the sport, Sveta was one of the relatively few active players to make the list. She came in at #92, ahead of Andy Roddick, a likely future inductee, and Michael Chang, who's already enshrined. ============================= Li Na, CHN ...if the HOF was based solely on pure numbers, Li wouldn't stand a chance with seven singles crowns and just one slam win. But Li is so much more than the sum of her parts. No player active on tour today fits more snugly into the "Hall-worthy because of contributions to the game" subset than Li, as she (based on pure numbers that are in her favor this time) is the biggest WTA superstar in the world and the forerunner of the coming future generations of Chinese champions who will point to her as their idol and inspiration. That said, another slam win might just remove any "contributions asterisk" (*) that might be attached to her name upon induction. ============================= Virginia Ruano Pascual & Paola Suarez, ESP/ARG (both retired) ...as a doubles duo, their case is pretty strong. Suarez held the #1 ranking for 87 weeks, while Ruano Pascual did the same for 65, including a 16-month run in 2004-05. As a team, they combined for eight slam crowns (VRP won two more with another partner, as well as a mixed slam). A dual entry into the HOF is not without precedence, as 14-time slam winners Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva entered as a doubles team in 2010. The answer here will now take a little while longer, though both retired years ago (VRP in '09, two years after Suarez), as Suarez briefly returned to the tour last year in order to play doubles for Argentina in the London Olympics. =============================
=ARGUMENTS-R-US= ...one Hordette has her HOF supporters, while those of the other are a little more sparse. But should they be? Elena Dementieva, RUS (retired) ...when she retired, the consensus was that she was the best player in the world without a slam title. Dementieva, who went from "Punch-Drunk" to "Punch-Sober" over the course of her career as she learned how to win, seems a borderline HOFer and will be a real test case for the many players of both the current era and her own who had wonderful careers but failed to break through the slam threshold in the Williams/Belgians Era. Two slam finals, contributions to multiple Russian Fed Cup championship teams and an Olympic Gold Medal in singles are the chips that the Russian will soon push to the middle of the table. We'll see if Newport accepts her offering. ============================= Anastasia Myskina, RUS (retired) ...in many ways, Myskina seems to have as good as or a better HOF case than Dementieva based on some of her accomplishments and standing. The first Russian slam winner ('04 Roland Garros), The Czarina had multiple Top 10 seasons, was THE Russian Fed Cup leader and assumed the "mother" role amongst the Spartak Hordettes who broke through in the early 2000's. =============================
=TIME IS ON THEIR SIDE...= ...not yet, but check back in a few years. Victoria Azarenka, BLR ...a multiple grand slam winner, former #1 and burgeoning (only) rival for Serena, she might have accomplished enough to already at least be nominated for the Hall of Fame. The future looks bright, brighter and brightest for Vika. ============================= Petra Kvitova, CZE ...the promise is still there for the Czech who burst through the slam bubble at Wimbledon in '11, was named WTA Player of the Year and reached #2 in '12. Things have been a bit -- to say the least -- up-and-down since then. In the end, her leading of the Czechs to (so far) two Fed Cup titles could work greatly in her favor when it comes to eventual (possible) enshrinement. =============================
=ONE BRICK -- OR TWO -- SHY OF A FULL LOAD?= Samantha Stosur, AUS ...much like Jana Novotna, a HOFer in '05 who was enshrined in her second year of eligibility, Stosur might have been able to make case for Newport on her doubles career alone. Well, that is, if she hadn't essentially abandoned it after 2007 in favor of her singles progress. Like Novotna, both reached #1 in doubles, won multiple mixed slams, and have a sole singles slam win to their credit. But the Czech's other numbers dwarf those of the Aussie: 24 singles titles to 5, 76 doubles crowns to 24 and 17 overall slam titles to 5. Both are known for their mental meltdowns and some big stage singles disappointments, but the overall breath of Novotna's versatile career was enough to get her over the hump. As of now, Stosur can't say the same. Another slam win (or two?) might do the trick, though. ============================= Ana Ivanovic & Jelena Jankovic, SRB/SRB ...it's likely a both-or-neither case when it comes to the Serbs in the Hall of Fame. If neither ever get the last few pieces of the puzzle that would make their case a less than controversial one, they'll go down as a memorable two-headed near miss. Both reached #1, but only JJ finished a season there. Jankovic reached a slam final, while AnaIvo reached three and is the only Serbian woman to win one. But that was back in 2008, and her career has been a disappointment since then. Jankovic has actually been the more consistent threat, not to mention the most entertaining player on tour over the past decade. If only JJ could have led the Serbs to a Fed Cup title last year in what might have been her last best shot at a true "defining moment," her career-long series of FC highlights might have provided a basis for a discussion. Now, though, she'd likely have to put together an unexpected late-career surge to get back in the conversation. ============================= Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA ...the Italians both reached -- or nearly so, as Vinci has been #11 -- the Top 10 in singles, but it's as a doubles duo that they might have a HOF (long) shot. Thing is, their accomplishments -- three slams and 16 overall tour titles -- are contained within a relatively small window. All their slams have come during the past two seasons, when they've held or shared the #1 doubles ranking since September '12. A few more years of dominance, and maybe three or four more slams, could be cause for them to have some hope to one day celebrate. Another Fed Cup title for Italy this month wouldn't hurt, either. Still, when Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva went into the Hall as a combo entry they had fourteen slam titles as a duo to form the foundation for such an arrangement. The Italians aren't likely to get anywhere near close to that number. ============================= Flavia Pennetta, ITA ...I know, it seems a bit of a wild hair to put Pennetta in this category. But in reviewing her career, there might be enough to warrant a future nomination. For one, she's quite possibly the best Fed Cup player of the past decade. A member of three FC championship teams, Pennetta provided the clinching singles win in the final for Italy in both 2009 and '10. A grand slam doubles champion in 2011, the Italian held the #1 doubles ranking for eighteen weeks in 2011, the first Italian woman to do so. In 2009, she was also the first Italian to reach the singles Top 10. After coming back from wrist surgery, just this season at the U.S. Open, Pennetta reached her first slam singles semifinal. It also doesn't hurt that she's one of the most well-liked players of recent years, either. Of course, any legitimate HOF chance isn't likely... but wouldn't it be nice? =============================
=THE HALL OF THE VERY GOOD= Caroline Wozniacki, DEN ...she just tied Pam Shriver with the most tour singles titles (21) without having also won a slam. #1 for 67 weeks in 2010-12 and a U.S. Open runner-up in '09, Wozniacki doesn't have the doubles background to make up the difference ala HOFer Shriver. At 23, the Dane's still got time to make a better case... and up to thirty more tries, at least, to get a difference-making slam win on her career resume. ============================= Daniela Hantuchova, SVK ...a Fed Cup stalwart, but with a thwarted singles career. She picked up a Career Grand Slam in mixed doubles, though. ============================= Rennae Stubbs, AUS (retired) ...the Aussie won seven slams (5 doubles, 2 mixed), 60 titles (12th all-time) and briefly (3 weeks) held the #1 doubles ranking. Not on her side: Larisa Savchenko (Neiland) had nearly identical career numbers -- 2 doubles and four mixed slams, 66 titles and 4 weeks at #1 -- and isn't a HOF contender. ============================= Katarina Srebotnik, SLO ...a former doubles #1, junior singles slam champ ('98 Wimbledon) and six-time slam winner (5 mixed & 1 doubles). ============================= Dinara Safina, RUS (retired?) ...the longest-standing Russian in the #1 ranking (26 weeks to Sharapova's 21), she never won a slam and is best known for her very public implosions in three slam finals. ============================= Francesca Schiavone, ITA ...she'll always have Paris, and a slew of great Fed Cup moments. It's not likely enough for Newport consideration, though. =============================
=THEY'VE EARNED MANY HEARTS & MINDS, BUT NOT A WHIFF OF INTEREST FROM RHODE ISLAND= Agnieszka Radwanska, POL: who's more fun to watch play than Aga? Of course, the voters will pay later for saying it's not enough. Ai Sugiyama, JPN (retired): the best Japanese player ever? A four-time doubles/mixed slam winner, and a former doubles #1. Vera Zvonareva, RUS: with a '14 return on the docket, another of the Original Hordettes might still yet have something left to prove Patty Schnyder, SUI (retired): Sneaky Patty should be in the Hall of Something Marion Bartoli, FRA (retired): at least she saved the best for last Zheng Jie, CHN: an early groundbreaker, but Li would be chosen as the "flagbearer" for Chinese tennis Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN: just on longevity alone, she deserves at miniature plaque, don't you think? I mean, she reached her first slam SF when many of today's young stars were still in diapers. Literally. Sania Mirza, IND: the best female player from India. Ever.
And, finally...
=AN OVERDUE CASE FOR...= Helena Sukova, TCH/CZE ...while it's par for the course to debate the Hall of Fame potential of current or recently retired players, how about doing so for one who retired fifteen years ago but whose career has sort of gotten lost in the shuffle in the intervening decade and a half? I'm talking about Helena Sukova.
Playing in an era that included Navratilova, Evert and also Graf, the Czech still managed to have one of the most undervalued careers ever. From 1983-98, she reached four slam singles finals (losing one each to Martina and Chris, and twice to Steffi), claimed nine slam doubles titles and five more in mixed. In doubles, Sukova was ranked #1 for 68 weeks (9th all-time) and finished as the year-end #1 twice, winning 69 titles (8th) and two Olympic Silvers. Against heavy competition, she won ten career singles titles and rose to as high of #4 Throw in her membership on four Fed Cup title-winning teams for Czechoslovakia and you've got quite a case that can be made for her enshrinement.
Oh, but that's not all. In the Australian Open in 1984, Sukova ended Navratilova's 74-match winning streak, dashing Martina's chances for a "true Grand Slam" (the AO was the fourth slam of the year and held in December at that time) despite her having won six consecutive slam titles. Then, in 1987 at Eastbourne, Sukova ended another mammoth Navratilova streak -- a 69-match grass court run. She even defeated Evert in that same event.
In 2006, at 41, Sukova was granted a wild card into the Mixed draw at Wimbledon along with her brother Cyril. They didn't win their 1st Round match, but it says something of the regard in which Sukova family (mother Vera also played on tour, and was RU at Wimbledon in '62) was held that the siblings were granted such a request by the All-England Club. Still, though, Sukova sits on the outside looking in when it comes to Newport.
Granted, when you think of the greatest Czech-born tennis stars Sukova's name doesn't come up until you're at least five or six spots down the list, at least. But she can't help her great national tennis heritage, which just recently added another name to its Roll of Champions in Petra Kvitova. Kvitova might someday arrive in Newport as an honored guest, and it'd be nice if Sukova had already walked down the same path by then.
On Day 2 in Istanbul, the veterans came out to play, and (mostly) dominate.
With the four top seeded players in action on Wednesday at the WTA Championships, one of the themes of recent seasons -- that veterans often rule -- played out on the court. With two thirtysomethings prowling the court, the average age of today's winners was 30.3 years, as this tournament continues to search for its first three-setter.
Here's a recap of Day 2's matches:
(4) Li/CHN d. (6) Errani/ITA 6-3/7-6(4) ...after injuring her calf yesterday, there was a question whether or not Sara Errani would compete in singles for the rest of this event, what with being in the doubles draw, as well as the Fed Cup final next week. But here the Italian was on the other side of the net as Li made her '13 debut in Istanbul. Ah, can you hear Caro sigh? She didn't seem to be bothered by the injury, though the bright blue tape stretching from heel-to-thigh on BOTH legs was a little hard to miss. Still, Errani came in having lost ten straight sets to Li, and she was able to do nothing to change that recent history today. A double-fault on break point handed Li a 4-2 advantage in the 1st set, which she went on to take 6-3. In the 2nd, though, some of the lingering inconsistency in the Chinese vet's game resurfaced. Carlos Rodriguez or no Carlos Rodriguez, some of the spots of Li's game have not been changed. Errani led 3-1, but gave the break back a game later. Li had the chance to serve out the match at 5-4 and 6-5, but was broken both times and failed to convert a match point. As occurred yesterday vs. Azarenka, Errani took at 3-1 in the tie-break here, but wasn't able to close it out. After Li took a 6-3 lead, the Italian saved two match points, but wasn't able to do so a third time. At 0-2 with no sets won, Errani is essentially out of this round robin competition, so you have to wonder if Wozniacki might actually get on the court in Errani's next scheduled match on Friday against Jankovic. Speaking of...
(7) Jankovic/SRB d. (2) Azarenka/BLR 6-4/6-3 ...in the second match, Azarenka tried to double her cumulative post-U.S. Open win total with a victory over JJ. Against one of best returners in the game, Vika once more got off to a slow start and had difficulty holding serve. But Azarenka's own return game been her saving grace through the back half of '13 as her second serve has bedeviled her on a regular basis, and it helped keep the 1st set from quickly getting away here. Still, it was the Serb who played the important points best. After falling down 40/love in Game #5, she followed up her break for 2-1 with another for 3-2. In an eleven-minute game, JJ held for 5-3. After saving two set points, Azarenka held for 5-4, but then had an error-strewn game a few minutes later, ultimately pulling a crosscourt backhand on another set point as Jankovic won the 1st at 6-4. The 2nd set, for the most part, was more of the same. Azarenka opened the set with a double-fault and soon missed an overhead, though she held serve after facing two break points. In Game #2, she made Jankovic work for her own service game, but JJ finally held on her sixth game point. A game later, Azarenka had her serve broken yet again. Down 3-1, Azarenka double-faulted to fall down 15/40, but managed to fight off six break points in a three-DF game that lasted thirteen and a half minutes as she held serve with the "French touch" drop shot she used so effectively at the U.S. Open. During that game, Queen Chaos poked her head out of the ground to see what was going on, as JJ lightly hit back an out Azarenka 1st serve. Vika wasn't watching, and she ultimately had to duck at the baseline while preparing to serve and watched the ball bounce directly above her head. Oh, the stare she shot back at QC was priceless... though JJ had a hard time suppressing a slight laugh at the situation, even as she "apologized." Even better, though, was Tennis Channel's Lindsay Davenport noting how Jankovic has always annoyingly hit back out balls, and once even hit HER in the head with one. She, like Vika, was not pleased. Down the stretch, Azarenka looked tired, and her recent talk about scheduling things better next year seems to have much validity as she's been more than "off" in 2013's closing months. Serving down 5-3, Azarenka's fight was M.I.A.. A weak mid-court backhand effort was netted, and JJ won in straight sets to get her first win over a Top 4 player in over three years, ending a 0-17 mud slide for the former world #1. While Jankovic was all smiles after another affirming victory late in this WTA season, Vika was off the court in a flash. Once she was gone, you got the sense she just wants 2013 to end so that she can have some rest and move on, and her post-match comments about searching for motivation to play at the moment more than backed up the notion. And all that might play a big role in her final match, against Li on Friday in a contest that could determine one of the semifinalists to emerge from the White Group.
(1) S.Williams/USA d. (3) A.Radwanska/POL 6-2/6-4 ...hmmm, one had to think that it wasn't a really good sign that Aga's coach was spotted in the stands watching the Azarenka/Jankovic match rather than preparing his charge to face off with Serena in the next scheduled contest. Of course, after the way Radwanska played against Kvitova yesterday, maybe he realized it was a waste of time. If A-Rad is going to sit back and let power players have their way with her game without really even trying to put up much of a fight, a coach can only say the same thing so many times before he or she gives up because the advice is just going in one ear and out the other. In her pre-match interview, Aga said all the right things about "trying her best" and "maybe having a better result" than the bad one she had on Day 1. But, basically, you could tell she just didn't want to get beaten TOO badly. Unlike in the 2012 Wimbledon final vs. Williams, where the Pole forced Williams to three sets in her best-ever outing against her, the thought of actually being able to win the match wasn't really taking up too much space in her head. Of course, the All-England Club holds a certain Radwanskian appeal to her... as we and so many top-ranked players saw at SW19 this summer. At the start, before Serena really got into the match, Radwanska actually had two break points on Williams' serve. She didn't convert either, and went on to lose in straight sets. But Aga didn't play nearly as ineffectually as the final scoreline, or at least the in-match one that read 6-2/3-1, might suggest, as she often made Williams' service games last longer than might typically be the case. Radwanska finally got a break of serve on her ninth break point attempt of the night to get back on serve at 3-2 in the 2nd after Serena's game included just enough unforced errors to keep her from racing to the finish line as quickly as she'd prefer. She even held serve and threatened to inch close to having another break chance. But it never happened. Mid-way through Game #9, Serena clicked the "on" switch back into an upright position, solidly closed out her service game and then took it to A-Rad a game later, pulling off a b-e-a-u-tiful drop shot and then put away the match with a mid-court backhand. Howl and clenched fist immediately followed. WTA Championships title #4 is probably only four days away.
...ALSO SEEN IN THE STANDS: Carlos Rodriguez. In the shadows. After Li's match, during Azarenka/Jankovic. So, naturally, knowing that cameras wouldn't regularly be aimed at him, he went sans his advertising placard... err, I mean cap.
...Meanwhile, the Fed Cup rosters have been released, and the troubles stalking the Russian Federation (no, not The Rad... at least I don't think so) are no longer able to hide in the shadows. While the Italians will field a sterling, though Schiavone-less, team consisting of Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci, Flavia Pennetta and Karin Knapp, the Hordettes in Cagliari, Sardinia will be Alisa Kleybanova, Alexandra Panova, Irina Khromacheva and Margarita Gasparyan. None of them are ranked in the Top 100.
Yeah, that's the team in the FC final, not in a World Group II playoff scenario.
Russians left and right are either injured (Sharapova & Makarova), playing in Sofia instead (Kirilenko, Pavlyuchenkova & Vesnina) or made themselves unavailable (Kuznetsova & Gavrilova). All or much of this stems from the players' dispute with the federation over a lack of support and other issues, and their "virtual boycott" of the final is a truly embarrassing moment for the Russian tennis authorities, the Fed Cup and the WTA, as the totally unessential TOC shouldn't even be scheduled in the same week as the FC so that it could be used as a minor excuse in a situation such as this.
...and, finally, on some levels it looks like the "face of Backspin" and Backspin sort of think alike, considering Vika has offered up the possibility of the men playing best-of-three matches at the slams. A few weeks ago, when Stacey Allaster talked of the women being willing to play best-of-five matches after yet another bit of squawking by an ATP player about the women not providing as much entertainment for the same prize money in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York, I suggested the idea of both the men and women playing best-of-three in the early rounds, then both switching to best-of-five at some point later, either in the Round of 16, QF or SF. The potential for exciting early-round upsets would increase on the men's side, overall scheduling would be less harried, and both sides would be playing the same number of sets, but the prospect of a classic five-setter in the latter stages of a tournament wouldn't be lost.
In the land of the Turks, Serena is the Queen. Still... and for as far and long as the eye can see.
As she puts the finishing touches on what might just be the best season of her career (75+ wins, two slams, 10 titles, the #1 ranking, etc.), Serena Williams shows no signs of slowing down. At 32, she's already the oldest top-ranked WTA player ever, and with her eye on history and the idea of sticking around on tour for as long as she can, we and all the women currently on tour (and quite a few who aren't even there yet) might just be now settling in for a bit of late-career style domination that this sport has never before witnessed. For a decade, people have often wondered just how much the already 17-time slam champ Williams could win if she was healthy and fully focused for multiple consecutive seasons. Well, we might just find out over the next year or two. Or three? Or maybe even four?
And the likes of Steffi Graf (22 slams in the Open era), and maybe even Margaret Court (24 overall major titles), might be wise to do some stretching exercises for their necks... for they might be looking over their shoulders very, very soon.
Here's a recap of Day 3's matches:
(4) Li/CHN d. (7) Jankovic/SRB 6-3/2-6/6-3 ...going in, considering the rollercoaster nature of both these players, the thought was that a very up-and-down contest with shifting momentum could very well be possible. And that's what happened, as this tournament finally saw it's first three-setter. Early on, though, Li looked to to be in command, getting a quick break and taking a 3-0 lead. She even led 40/love on Jankovic's serve, with three chances for 4-0. Naturally, it wasn't meant to be. JJ held and ran off eleven of twelve points while getting back on serve. Still, Li got another break and then, avoiding the same sort of strung out set that she had against Sara Errani, served out the 1st at 6-3. In the 2nd, after Li had failed to convert break points in the first game, Jankovic converted hers in the second, only to give back the break a game later. After falling behind 15/40, Li held for 2-2, but after going up 40/love on serve two games later she was broken by the Serb for 4-2. JJ broke her again in Game #8 to win 6-2 and take things to the 3rd. There, Jankovic went up 40/love on serve, but frittered away the lead. Li held two break points, but didn't win either. She got a break for 2-1, though, and at 3-1 took a 30/love lead on JJ's serve. Jankovic held, as Li fell to just 4-of-17 on break point chances, then saw JJ break her to get things evened-up at 3-3. They weren't on serve for long, though. Li broke Jankovic on her second attempt in Game #7 to get to 4-3, held for 5-3, then got to 30/love on the Serb's serve a game later. On her second match point, Li was given a final error by Jankovic to close out the match. After having never advanced out of the round robin in her previous two appearances (2011-12) in the Championships, at 2-0, Li would normally seem a good bet to do so this time. But with her final match against a who-knows-if-she'll-show-up-but-if-she-does-she'll-be-tough Azarenka (1-1), and with Jankovic (1-1) facing Errani (0-2... but having managed to keep Caro's racket silent all week), it could come down to sets won/lost, or even games won/lost tie-breakers to decide who ends up facing Serena in the Final Four (the #2 placing woman in the the White Group), or who gets a breather and faces someone else there as a nice little prize for winning the group.
(8) Kerber/GER d. (3) A.Radwanska/POL 6-2/6-2 ...as this tournament goes forward, you eventually get some matches where one or both players have no realistic chance to advance beyond the round robin, either because of earlier losses or the wins of other players in their respective group. In matches like those, there's a chance that at least one of the players will already be enjoying her offseason in her mind even while still having a match or two to play. That was sort of the case with this match as A-Rad, already 0-2 and "playing out the string" in her final match of '13, looked to be going through the motions while Kerber was sharp and looking to put up her first career Championships win in her fifth attempt, hoping to even still slip into the semis at the last minute just like she did into the field of this tournament. Of course, on some level, Radwanska has had some hint of "sigh, is it 2014 yet?" to her in ALL her matches in Istanbul, save for some good at-least-it-wasn't-a-total-loss moments yesterday against Serena, as the usual mental computations and artistic shot-making that are her hallmark have only made a few cameo appearances this week. The 1st set went by in the blink of an eye, with Kerber winning 6-2 without facing a single break point. In the 2nd, the German opened with a break of Aga's serve in the very first game and blitzed the Pole until the very end. Radwanska never got to break point in the match, as Kerber served things out at love, firing an ace up the "t" on match point and then waving her finger at the Player's Box in celebration. See ya next year, Aga. Go take a nap on the beath... you've looked like you've needed one all week.
(1) S.Williams/USA d. (5) Kvitova/CZE 6-2/6-3 ...while Kvitova looked pretty good against Radwanska the other (although, considering A-Rad's Istanbul form and focus, or lack thereof, maybe that should be re-assessed?), and her fitness seems to have improved after working with Radek Stepanek's trainer in recent months, we know what happens when Serena isn't being weighed down by some physical malady, or (on occasion) Vika is on the other side of the net in a hard court match. Aside from a few slow starts in this event, another of which occurred today, Williams has looked untouchable so far. After facing break points in Game #1 vs. Aga in her last match, Serena faced the same situation vs. Kvitova. She was down 15/40 to the Czech this time out. Of course, Serena being Serena, she just pulled out her weapon... err, I mean racket... and fired in two aces to save those break points. She escaped another a few moments later and went on to hold. In the next game, she quickly broke Kvitova and then held at love to go up 3-0 and had break point for a 4-0 lead, as well. But Kvitova held and got her footing, on some level, later in the set. But it was TOO late. After Kvitova held at love for 4-2, Serena did the same for the third time in three games since being pushed in Game #1. Williams might have done so for a fourth straight game in the 1st, if she'd had to. Instead, she broke Kvitova -- on a double-fault -- to take the set 6-2. When Serena finally had that next service game, she was a bit charitable, allowing Kvitova one point before holding for 1-0. Through the 2nd, Kvitova played Williams closer, but it didn't matter. The Czech joined the crowd and fell to 0-5 in her career head-to-head vs. Serena, failing to win a set for the fourth match in the series. At 3-0 in round robin play, Serena has now won thirteen consecutive matches at the WTA Championships. Her last loss in the event game was in 2008, when she was injured (stomach muscle) and withdrew from the tournament after her second match, in which she'd lost the 3rd set at love to her sister Venus. Venus ultimately won that title in Doha, a result that was recently voted by fans on the WTA website as their favorite WTA Championships moment.
Afterward, Serena said she might go to the mall tomorrow when she has a day off. Considering the record-breaking amount of prize money she's won this year, I'm sure the merchants are crossing their fingers and toes.
...SEEN IN THE STANDS: Carlos Rodriguez. During the Li/Jankovic match. Without his advertising hat! Hey! What gives!?! Oh, check that, a few minutes later, there was Rodriguez again... now with his hat in place. Hmmm, did someone see him on TV and quickly send off a text to remind him of something he was forgetting? Just a guess.
...and, finally, with the WTA Championships moving to Singapore for three years beginning in 2014, there are some very intriguing changes coming to the tournament beginning next season, as it grows and expands and, almost, begins to resemble a "mini (all-female) slam" event.
While the field of eight in singles remains, the competing doubles teams will be doubled from four to eight (as is the case in the ATP Finals). Also, a competition amongst younger players (ala Bouchard , Keys and others) is being added, and another with a small field of juniors could be created, as well. I'm liking this. While there's always been a cozy nature to the Championships over the years, with each match being given center stage throughout the event, increasing the activity makes the entire tournament seem like more of a "happening." Maybe it will make it a bigger event on the overall sports landscape, too. As of now, it's an important TENNIS event, though one covered and publicized far, far less than the other big tournaments of the season. Putting forth an "everyone comes to Singapore" vibe seems like a good idea, and maybe even one that helps the women's game take a bit of a step forward.
On the final day of round robin play in Istanbul, it was all about how much the players wanted something.
A birth in the semifinals. A single match win. Or, in a specifically Belarusian case, to deliver one final punch to the heart of an old, stinging reputation... no matter how much it hurt.
Here's a recap of Day 4's matches:
(4) Li/CHN d. (2) Azarenka/BLR 6-2/6-1 ...in a rematch of the Australian Open final, both women came in playing for an outright berth in the semis, give or take a few scenarios regarding two or three-set matches here and in the Jankovic/Errani contest that would close out the night. After having ruminated earlier in the week on her struggles with a lack of motivation in the closing months of the season, a feeling which she hadn't felt "in a while" (essentially, back when Vika was that "crazy kid" that she left in her past two seasons ago), the big question heading into Friday was whether or not the world #2 would rediscover that motivation with something on the line in what could be her final match of the season if she were to lose. Early on, things didn't look good. Azarenka's errors were loose and she fell behind 3-0 before holding serve to stem what could have been an embarrassing tide. It seemed to spark her, as Li's game went down just a notch at the same time. Azarenka saved game points and slapped a return winner to break the Chinese vet to get to 3-2. But, in Game #6, Vika winced at the end of a rally and bent over to stretch out her back. Moments later, she hurt herself more severely while serving and nearly fell down. Again, she attempted to work out some painful difficulty in the lower right area of her back. Soon, after Li had thrown in an error that cut her lead on Azarenka's serve to 15/40, Vika was being taken off court by a trainer for treatment. When she returned, she quickly lost the final point of her service game. Then the waiting game began. When would she retire from the match? As Azarenka had a difficult time moving around the court, often lumbering around in zombie-like fashion, she continued to try to stretch, would often push with violent aggravation on the area of the injury and even began to avoid her usual pre-serve move of flipping her ponytail over her shoulder with a flick of her torso, choosing instead to go the less painful route of using her hand to put her hair into position. When she was broken at love to end the 1st set after fifty minutes of action, her chance to win a straight sets match to automatically advance to the semis was gone, and it seemed a fait accompli that she would cut her losses and retire. But she never did. Azarenka started 2013 by showing that she was a "tough cookie" as she won in Melbourne. After a season that included injuries to her toe, ankle, knee and (finally) back, Vika showed today in Istanbul that she, indeed, is STILL a pretty tough biscuit. Even in a loss. In this case, a long, drawn out, sometimes painful to watch loss in which, in between and around more visits from the trainer, you couldn't help but try to read her mind as she screamed and winced in pain on points where she sometimes didn't even swing at a ball, constantly took deep breaths as she played through the tears in her eyes and various bouts of biting her own hand or wristband as if it were a stick placed in her mouth for her to chomp down on as she underwent battlefield surgery without any painkillers. Her sole purpose seemed to be to prove, maybe just to herself, that she could play through pain and avoid her very first in-match retirement of the 2013 season in her final match of the year. Since she played her first full season as a pro, in 2006, the season after which she'd been the junior #1, Azarenka had never had a season that didn't include a mid-match retreat due to illness or injury. The flow of retirements has been constant for Vika over the years:
2006: 1 (in an ITF event in Pittsburgh) 2007: 2 2008: 4 2009: 2 2010: 6 2011: 4 2012: 1
The Belarusian seemed determined to change that and avoid a "ret." in ANY of the scorelines of her 2013 defeats, be it by hook or by crook (much like how many accused her of operating at the Australian Open in January), and end what has turned out to be, while successful, also a very trying season for her with something resembling a final reputation-busting moment that maybe would finally put to rest all the past talk of a "fragile" or "faking" Azarenka who would retire at the drop of a hat, then come right back out and play a match a day or two later. As the 2nd set played out, it wasn't a question of whether or not Li would win, but how Vika would finish. As it turned out, Azarenka managed to hold serve for 5-1, even hitting an ace during the game (and following it up with as wry a smile as she could muster, as there was little room for much of anything but pain on her face). Li promptly served out the victory to reach her first-ever semifinal at this event, while Azarenka ends her season on a 1-5 slide since reaching the U.S. Open final. But today wasn't about winning a match for Vika, it feels like it was about proving a point. For what it's worth, she looks to have accomplished that goal. Hopefully the pain was worth it.
Vika's parting 2013 interview is up at the WTA website.
(5) Kvitova/CZE d. (8) Kerber/GER 6-7(3)/6-2/6-3 ...this one was quite simple: winner goes to the semis, while the loser ends her season. And right off the bat, Kvitova's game was clean. She hit two aces in the first game, and soon got a break to go up 3-1. Up 4-2, though, the Czech opened the door for Kerber by letting a few errors and a double-fault creep into her game. The German grabbed the chance, and Kvitova gave her another error to break herself for 4-3. Good serving from Kerber got the 1st set into a tie-break where Kvitova took a 2-1 lead and had an open court forehand for a 3-1 advantage, only to overcook the shot and sail it long. It sent her into a slide, as more Kvitova errors and another double-fault, coupled with good defensive play from Kerber, saw the German win three of the Czech's four remaining service points, and six of the final seven points overall, to take the set. Kerber held at love to open the 2nd, and had two break points in Game #2. But Kvitova held and soon took a break lead at 3-2. Back-to-back DF from Kerber led to her losing a 40/15 lead and being broken again for 5-2. Kvitova served things out to produce her 37th three-setter of the year, breaking her tie with Patty Schnyder (2005) for the most ever on tour in a single season. There, the women traded breaks on three straight service games to start before Kvitova saved two break points and held to take a 3-1 lead. From there, she avoided the sort of slips in her play that have bedeviled her the past two seasons. Instead, it was Kerber who blinked. Down 5-3, but up 30/15 with a chance to hold and force Kvitova to serve out the match, the German missed on a mid-court forehand down-the-line into an open court. This time Kvitova was the one who took the opportunity and ran with it, or at least made Kerber run because of it, dragging her from one side of the court to the other with angled ground strokes to get to deuce. Two Kerber errors ended the proceedings and gave the Czech the final spot in the semifinals. 31-4 in her last 35 indoor hard court matches, Kvitova will next face Li.
(6) Errani/ITA d. (7) Jankovic/SRB 6-4/6-4 ...this turned out to be the only match that held no "live" significance, as far the semifinals are concerned, in this entire event. That's a pretty good record for these Championships, I'd say. JJ wanted to win, but she didn't run through a wall to do it, for a win over the Italian wasn't likely to mean much when it comes to facing Serena on Saturday. Kudos to Errani, though, who seems to have gotten back a bit of her former fire after baring her soul at the U.S. Open about her difficulty handling the pressure of her recent success. Errani came in with a very mediocre (at best) record in the second half of the season, and injured herself in her opening day loss to Azarenka. With doubles and Fed Cup still on her '13 agenda, she could have pulled up and not given this event her all and no one would have held it against her. But she didn't do that. Instead, she acquitted herself well in her second match against Li, and then more than did the same here while getting her first-ever career match win at this event. Sure, while serving at 5-3 for the 1st set against JJ, Errani failed to put things away, making her 0-4 while serving for sets this week in Istanbul. But she didn't let it get her down, and broke Jankovic to take the set instead. In the 2nd, Errani failed to convert two match points and fell to 0-for-5 when serving for a set. But, again, she came out a game later and went up love/40 on Jankovic's serve. Finally, on her fourth match point, Errani won the match on a JJ error. The stats showed how much Errani wanted this one, as she was much more aggressive than usual, hitting 20 winners to just nine errors (3 in the 1st set) and going 10-for-16 at the net.
...JJ MOMENT OF THE DAY: while Jankovic surely had some good ones during her conversations with the Croatian chair umpire (from whom she elicited a laugh more than once, when she wasn't admonishing the Serb to get ready to return serve after being tired out after a particularly long 2nd set rally), since I don't know exactly what they said to each other I'll go with the point in which Jelena's ponytail got caught in her racket on her follow-through in the middle of a point. It caused her to throw up her arms and then stand for a moment with her normally tightly-pulled back hair a mess atop her head, with one of those oh-so-Jankovician looks of exasperation on her face. Have no fear, though... she simply pulled her hair back even tighter and went on with the next point.
...FACES IN THE CROWD: Piotr Wozniacki sitting next to a rather glum-looking Caroline during the Li/Azarenka match. Guess that trip to Turkey didn't turn out to be a working one, after all, huh? Curses, you plucky little Italian! Ah, but speaking of the Woz clan, regular site commenter Leif ("Hoergren"), from Backspin's "Scandinavian Outpost," noted to me yesterday that the father Wozniacki has now said that the official reveal of the name of Caro's "mystery coach" (all right, I'M calling him/her that, not the Danish clan) will be next week. Bated breath. No, really... it'll be interesting to see who'll be fired by next spring if Caroline gets off to a slow start in 2014.
Kidding. Well, sort of.
...if Serena gets her 14th and 15th straight WTA Championships victories this weekend, which would give her a season-ending 18-match winning streak that is second this season behind only her own 34-match springtime run, she'd finish 2013 with a 78-4 record. That's a .951 winning percentage, which would rank as the ninth-best season win percentage in WTA history, and the best since Steffi Graf in 1989. The current Top 10 (fewer than 10 losses, minimum 50 matches won):
.989 - Martina Navratilova, 1983 (86-1) .977 - Steffi Graf, 1989 (86-2) .975 - Martina Navratilova, 1984 (78-2) .974 - Steffi Graf, 1987 (75-2) .968 - Martina Navratilova, 1982 (90-3) .967 - Martina Navratilova, 1986 (89-3) .960 - Steffi Graf, 1988 (72-3) .953 - Margaret Court, 1973 (102-5) ==.950 - Serena Williams, 2013 (currently 76-4)== .949 - Chris Evert, 1978 (56-3) .948 - Margaret Court, 1970 (109-6)
...and, finally, Tennis Channel's recent poll asked which player was most likely to win her first major title in 2014. The results:
I'm tempted to go with "other" just because the pool of possibilities is so much larger, and quite possibly more likely than any of the other four women included on the list. As for them, though, I'd embrace a run by Aga (at Wimbledon, no doubt, but you have to wonder if she'll ever have as clear a shot there as she did this summer) the most, and would find one from the Dane the most interesting potential result, and not just because of what might have happened to everyone else to make it possible, either. Of course, Stephens would be the BIGGEST story... but with a busy offseason ahead, much more pressure to succeed next season and a whole lot of slam points to defend, you've got to think a slip from her current #11 ranking might be likely, and "34%" might be closer to referring to her chances of reaching her first tour FINAL rather than lifting her maiden slam crown.
A little quiet would do Sloane some good, and results of polls like that probably won't help that become a reality.
*2013 WTA SF* 13...SERENA WILLIAMS (11-0 +W) 9...Agnieszka Radwanska (4-5) 8...Victoria Azarenka (6-1 +L) 8...LI NA (3-4) 7...Maria Sharapova (5-2) 7...Sara Errani (4-3) 7...JELENA JANKOVIC (3-3) -- IN WTA CHSP. SF: Kvitova's 6th SF of '13 (she's 4-1 so far)
*2013 WTA CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLES SF* (1) Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) vs. (4) Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS) (3) Petrova/Srebotnik (RUS/SLO) vs. (2) Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN)
Hmmm, was the I-just-can't-get-myself-up-for-this "virus" that Agnieszka Radwanska brought with her to Istanbul contagious? First, Vika Azarenka began to suffer from the same malady. Then, today, Serena Williams did, as well.
Spooky, or just a coincidence?
(in a whisper: "ahhh... Radwanska!")
Here's a recap of today's semifinals:
(4) Li/CHN d. (5) Kvitova/CZE 6-4/6-2 ...Kvitova owes Li a beat down. At some point. After all, many of the reasons that the Czech rose to only as high as #2 in the rankings after she won Wimbledon in 2011, rather than becoming #1, can be traced directly back to the Chinese vet. In the 2011 year-end rankings, Kvitova finished just 115 points behind #1 Victoria Azarenka, meaning she actually ended up one slam match win short of finishing in the top spot... and she'd led Li in their Round of 16 encounter at Roland Garros by a 3-0 score in the 3rd set, only to lose. The following January, Kvitova played Li in the Sydney semifinals, and that time she led by a 6-1/3-1 score. If she'd won she'd played for the #1 ranking in the final, but Li came back to snatch the victory -- and any shot the Czech ultimately had at #1 -- from Kvitova's grasp.
Considering both players' propensity to lose and regain focus, sometimes more than once, during their matches, the chances of this one turning into a rollercoaster affair were great. Those sort of momentum swings did occur in the match, often multiple times within a single game, but Li never let things get too far away from her.
The trend began right from the jump, as Li broke Kvitova in Game #1 (courtesy of an error), then managed to hold despite two double-faults of her own one game later. Game #3 was, in microcosm, a good example of how these two often go about their business:
Kvitova served and held game point, but committed an error and then a hit a double-fault to go down break point. After saving it, on her second game point, she double-faulted again. On #3, it was an error that held her back. Li's beautiful back-to-back volleys on another Kvitova game point kept the rally alive, and Kvitova made an error on her third passing attempt. Another double-fault gave Li her second break point, but she missed on her return. A forehand error from Kvitova gave Li BP #3, and when the Czech netted a forehand -- her thirteenth error in the first three games -- Li took a 3-0 lead.
Of course, back-to-back Li errors gave the break back a game later and, after the Chinese missed on four straight returns Kvitova easily held for 3-2. At 4-3, Li led 40/15 on serve, but Kvitova got back on serve when she converted on her third break attempt of the game. One game later, Kvitova held a game point, but ultimately double-faulted on break point. Li then served out the 1st at 6-4, as the two women combined for 32 unforced errors in the set.
The 2nd set began with three straight breaks of serve, but the most important turned out to be the fourth of the set, when Li broke Kvitova for 3-2, then saved a break point on her own serve to take a 4-2 advantage that she would never relinquish. After Kvitova double-faulted on a game point, she followed that with a wild error to give Li a BP. On her second attempt, Li took the game and served for the match at 5-2. After double-faulting on her first match point, Li ended things on her second. With the win, Li advances to her first career WTA Championship final (another "Chinese first" for Na, who Tennis Channel's Brett Haber has often this week called the "pied piper" of tennis in her nation) and will move to #3 in the rankings next week, a new career high. Lindsay Davenport called this Li's "best" and "most solid" win of the season. Though it was a fairly nice one, I suppose, I'm not sure I'd agree with that... but, then again, I think Lindsay may currently have a bit of a minor "glitch" in her thinking. But more on that in moment.
(1) S.Williams/USA d. (7) Jankovic/SRB 6-4/2-6/6-4 ...these two have shared some odd moments in the past, the most recent of which being the minor "verbal altercation" they engaged in in the Charleston final this spring when the subject of pace of play came up in, umm, the middle of a game. At the time, Jankovic had just won the 1st set and was looking very good. From that point in, Serena, quite possibly piqued, won twelve of the final fourteen games.
While Serena entered on a 16-match winning streak, including a 3-0 mark in round robin play in Istanbul, Jankovic was just the fourth woman to advance to the Championships semifinals with a 1-2 record for the week. But "moments" seem to follow these two around, and another happened -- or nearly did, at any rate -- today, too. Almost from the beginning, Serena was sporting the sort of "hangdog," barely lifting her feet, serving at three-quarter speed form that often is a prelude to one of those losses that boggle the mind and are never officially "explained." With her second serve a shadow of its usual self, as she lost seven of her first eight points on it, Williams was broken for 3-1. Of course, JJ, with the great help of a double-fault, promptly gave the break back a game later. Still, at 3-2, Williams spent more than a minute, unmoving, with her face buried in a towel during the changeover. Oh, no... now what? With her service speed routinely cut by about 20 mph, there was an open question about a potential back injury, something which had nagged Serena for a while earlier this season. Still, even while in less-than-fine form, Williams got a break to take a 4-3 lead, then served out the set at 6-4. Then things got even worse.
Jankovic again got a break for 3-1 in the 2nd, but this time she followed it up with a hold of serve for 4-1. Williams was lackadaisical and often didn't even run after some balls. After going down 5-1, she even heard some whistles from the stands in Istanbul. Perhaps as a response, she DID up her game a bit in Game #7, getting a break, but then she gave it back to drop the set at 6-2 a game later. If things didn't change soon, it looked like Serena's best season was going to have a rather ignominious ending.
In the 3rd, the two traded off breaks in the first three game before Serena finally held for 3-1, then broke Jankovic to take a 4-1 lead as she began to "somewhat" resemble her usual self, but only barely. She served for the match at 5-2, holding a match point, only to falter and drop serve. She restrained from smashing her racket, then tried to win it again at 5-4. Williams would face another BP, which she erased with an ace. On match point #2, Serena put away an overhead to take the match and advance to her sixth career WTA Championship final (behind only Navratilova & Evert), despite a choppy and often disconcerting effort in this match. Afterward, Williams talked, much like A-Rad and Vika, of "hitting the wall" physically and emotionally, and said her "tank was empty," but hoped to have an adrenaline boost tomorrow.
We'll soon see whether she does, I guess.
As for JJ, while she went 1-3 in Istanbul, she still played in the Championships for the first time since 2010, reached the semis for the first time since '09, and earlier notched her first win over a Top 4 player (Azarenka) in over three years, ending what had been a 0-17 slide. Back in the Top 10, she's now joined the resurgent group of late twentysomethings (or older) who have shown such strength in recent seasons. Good for her. Let Chaos continue to reign.
...JJ STATS OF THE DAY: in a bit of odd figures, Jankovic's numbers from today showed why it's always a good idea to look at as many details from one of her matches as possible since there's always a chance something will make you shake your head. From today: JJ had 22 winners, and 22 errors. She had three aces, and three double faults. She won 14 games, and lost fourteen games. Heck, Serena even got into the act, with 40 winners and 40 errors for the day.
It's always something.
...MAYBE LINDSAY SHOULD STEAL ANNA'S TIME MACHINE... OR MAYBE THIS ISN'T THE REAL LINDSAY?: she's done it before on occasion this season during her TC commentary, and Davenport once again today maintained that the comments often made by Jankovic about putting on muscle prior to the 2009 season don't really make any sense to her. According to Davenport, because so many other players' games improve because of added strength training, Jankovic's game wasn't negatively impacted a few seasons ago. Plus, Davenport said that JJ "looked exactly the same" that season as she had the previous year.
Umm, no.
I think Davenport is just confused. As anyone who actually remembers watching JJ play in, especially, the first half of that season, she WAS noticeably more bulky in '09 than she had been in her #1-ranked season of '08. It really wasn't even debatable... it was quite clear that she was physically bigger and less streamlined than she'd been previously. And while Davenport maintains that added muscle couldn't have hurt Jankovic's game, it, too, was quite clear in '09 that the Serb's added weight had caused her to lose a bit of her court speed and maneuverability. And with a game that so depended on Jankovic defensively racing around the court to keep rallies going in order to set up an occasional winner of her own, or force an error from an opponent, that slight difference in speed made quite a difference. Anyone who watched JJ in 2008 and 2009 would know that, so I think Davenport might have been busy with other things at the time.
I'll grant Davenport is logically correct about players always improving when they get stronger. But, remember, this was Queen Chaos, still being coached by Ricardo Sanchez at the time. "Normal" meant absolutely nothing. Increased strength seemed like a good idea for JJ's game at the time, in order to better deal with power players, but the sort of training that the Serb undertook on her offseason trip to Mexico between the '08 and '09 seasons changed Jankovic's body in a way that wasn't conducive to helping her tennis game. That was one of the reasons why she fired her fitness trainer in the spring of '09, and Sanchez didn't last a whole lot longer, either.
...the doubles semifinals were also contested on Saturday, and while the Hordettes won't have their #1 doubles team next weekend in the Fed Cup final in Italy, Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina gave a sample of what Team Russia will be missing when they staged a come-from-behind victory against top-seeded Italians Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, winning a deciding tie-break 3rd. They'll face off with #2-seeded Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai, who downed Nadia Petrova (who won the title last year w/ Maria Kirilenko) & Katarina Srebotnik in straight sets.
No Chinese woman has ever won a title at the WTA Championships, but with both Li and Peng still alive on Sunday there's a chance the nation could get a share of both titles this time out.
*RECENT WTA CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS* [singles] 2009 Serena Williams/USA d. Venus Williams/USA 2010 Kim Clijsters/BEL d. Caroline Wozniacki/DEN 2011 Petra Kvitova/CZE d. Victoria Azarenka/BLR 2012 Serena Williams/USA d. Maria Sharapova/RUS 2013 Serena Williams/USA vs. Li Na/CHN [doubles] 2009 Llagostera-Vives/Martinez-Sanchez (ESP/ESP) d. Black/Huber (ZIM/USA) 2010 Dulko/Pennetta (ARG/ITA) d. King/Shvedova (USA/KAZ) 2011 Huber/Raymond (USA/USA) d. Peschke/Srebotnik (CZE/SLO) 2012 Kirilenko/Petrova (RUS/RUS) d. Hlavackova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE) 2013 Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) vs. Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS)
*2013 WTA FINALS* 13...SERENA WILLIAMS (10-2) 6...Victoria Azarenka (3-3) 5...Simona Halep (5-0) 4...Agnieszka Radwanska (3-1) 4...Petra Kvitova (2-2) 4...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2-2) 4...LI NA (1-2) 4...Sara Errani (1-3)
We saw a few different versions of Serena Williams this past week in Istanbul. But all that really mattered was the one that showed up at the end.
While both Williams and Li Na, combining for a rare match-up of thirtysomethings in the WTA Championships final, entered Sunday's final with matching 4-0 records in round robin and semifinal play, their paths really couldn't have been more different. Serena began the week in fine form, then degenerated into a lead-footed and seemingly disinterested competitor who'd "hit the wall" physically at the end of a very long season by the time the weekend arrived. Li, fresher at this time of the season than she's EVER been after her mid-season "tune-up" regimen with coach Carlos Rodriguez, spend the week offering everyone tantalizing glimpses of the aggressive and fearless player she'd like to be in the final stages of her career. Even with Williams' career 9-1 advantage in their head-to-head history, complete with a sixteen-set winning streak, there was some real question about what might happen when they faced off.
But, when push came to shove, both ultimately lived up to PAST reputations rather than any that might have been created over the past few days.
Once again in the final, Williams looked tired and started slowly. Meanwhile, Li was on her game, seizing the control of rallies and pushing the issue at the net. She got an early break for 2-1, then held for 3-1. Employing serve-and-volley tactics one game, she used her return as a weapon in others, including an angled backhand return winner that broke Serena for a 4-1 advantage. Her taking of the 1st set at 6-2 ended Li's long set losing streak to Serena, but the match was hardly over.
Having braided her pulled-back hair into a long ponytail between sets, Serena gradually pulled together her game and desire over the final two sets of the match, as well. After surviving a nine-deuce, two break point game to open the 2nd set with a hold, Williams put herself into position to take an immediate advantage one game later. Li successfully served-and-volleyed while down break point in Game #2, but she then followed it up by missing on a forehand, as well as a volley attempt, en route to getting broken for 2-0. Down 3-0, and with errors beginning to slightly creep into her game, Li keep them at bay while Williams' game was still not quite where she wanted it to be. Li held for 3-1, then got the break back thanks to a forehand error from Williams off a deep Li return. In Game #8, Li double-faulted and fell behind love/40, and an error led to the dropping of her serve as Williams got the opportunity to serve for the set at 5-3. Li held break points on Serena's serve, but wasn't able to convert as Williams sent things to a 3rd set, where she's been the best in the world the past four seasons (going 27-7 in the span).
The same would hold true here.
A Li double-fault led to a break of serve in the opening game of the final set, and the race was on. Li lost her aggressive edge as her errors overtook her game, and Williams, as usual, pulled out her big serve to get her out of anything that resembled trouble. Serving for the match at 5-0, Serena fell behind 15/40, and faced four break points in all, but she used wide serves and a (now) noticeable desire to win to pull her over the finish line of her best-ever season. A backhand winner up the line closed out the love set as Williams became the oldest WTA Championships winner ever, winning 2-6/6-3/6-0 to end the year on an 18-match winning streak.
Of course, this sort of thing is really nothing new for Serena. But, as Williams has often done over the years, she finds a way to keep things "interesting." So does Li. And if her work in Istanbul is any indication, the Chinese vet might just be the most interesting woman in the tennis world at some point in 2014.
Then again, as long as Serena is still Serena, it might not matter.
*WEEK 43 CHAMPIONS* WTA CHAMPIONSHPS (Istanbul/HCI) S: Serena Williams/USA def. Li Na/CHN 2-6/6-3/6-0 D: Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) d. Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS) 6-4/7-5
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Serena Williams/USA ...for the second straight year, Serena went through the WTA Championships without losing a match, though her sometimes-lethargic play on semifinal/final weekend caused her to drop a pair of sets. Still, she's now won fifteen straight Championship matches, and her season mark ends up at 78-4, by far the most matches she's ever played in a season. Her eleven titles is the most she's ever won, too. ============================= RISERS:Hsieh Su-Wei/Peng Shuai (TPE/CHN) & Petra Kvitova/CZE
...Li became the first WTA Championships singles finalist to hail from Asia, but long-time friends Hsieh & Peng became the first Asian champions in the event, taking the doubles title in straight sets in the final over Russians Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina, who'd battled back a day earlier to knock off top-seeded Errani & Vinci in the semis. The Italians may be 2013's #1-ranked team, but Hsieh & Peng have really made a very strong case to be declared the Doubles Team of the Year. While Errani & Vinci have won three titles, including the Australian Open, Paris Indoors and Doha, Hsieh and Peng has claimed five, including wins in Rome, Cincinnati, Wimbledon and now the Championships. Kvitova, showing improvement in her fitness and (for the most part, though she wasn't without her lapses) consistency, lived up to her indoor tennis reputation by reaching the Championships semifinals, and also set a tour record with her 37th three-setter of the season in a round robin win over Angelique Kerber. ============================= SURPRISES:Casey Dellacqua/AUS & Shuko Aoyama/JPN ...both these two are much better known for their doubles than singles, but both pulled off ITF titles all by their lonesome this weekend. Dellacqua, 28, is a Top 10er in doubles but is currently barely in the Top 200 in singles. But after failing to reach the WTA Championships with Ashleigh Barty (they were ranked 5th in the points race, just missing the four-team field), she played a $50K challenger in Bendigo, Australia and got wins over Irena Pavlovic, Irina Falconi and Noppawan Lertcheewakarn in the final to grab her first singles crown of '13 and match the biggest title of her career (she now has three $50K titles). Aoyama, 25, is in the Top 50 in doubles, but just inside the Top 300 in singles. She hadn't won a singles title since taking a $10K in Tokyo in 2010 before she went through the draw at the $25K event in Hamamatsu this past week. Aoyama, who won two tour doubles titles and reached the Wimbledon doubles semis earlier this season, defeated Eri Hozumi in the singles final, and also picked up a more familiar trophy in the doubles with Junri Namigata. ============================= VETERAN:Li Na/CHN ...she faded down the stretch and came up short in the final against Serena, but Li continued to break records for Chinese and Asian tennis, becoming the first Championship singles finalist and finishing the season at #3 (and doing that in a year in which she didn't win a slam, and claimed just one title, shows how much more consistent her overall results were than in previous seasons). One more offseason, especially since it won't be as much of a shock to her system as the last, with Carlos Rodriguez and we might finally see the "finished product" of their partnership. Melbourne waits with bated breath. ============================= COMEBACK:Jelena Jankovic/SRB ...sure, JJ ultimately went just 1-3 in Istanbul. But it was a fine conclusion to a season which saw her reclaim a Top 10 ranking and make her first appearance in the WTA Championships since 2010. Once in Istanbul, her win over Victoria Azarenka was her first over a Top 4 player in over three years, and ended her 0-17 slide in such matches. Her semifinal result -- though she was just the fourth woman to ever advance out of round robin play with a losing record -- was her best in the event since 2009. Sure, she had a shot to put away a barely-there Serena on Saturday, but no one ever accused Jelena of being perfect. If she was... well, that just wouldn't, and couldn't, and shouldn't, be, well, "right." ============================= FRESH FACE:Ons Jabeur/TUN ...in the $50K challenger in Saguenay, Canada, the 19-year old Tunisian won her sixth career ITF crown (4th in '13), matching her two previous biggest-ever titles in $50K events. In what has to amount to a career week, Jabeur, the 2011 RG girls champ, notched wins over Alexandra Stevenson, Marta Domachowska and Timea Babos before downing Coco Vandeweghe in three sets in the final. ============================= DOWN:Agnieszka Radwanska/POL ...Vika might have talked of lacking motivation, and dragged her injured body around the court in her final match, finishing up her first-ever professional season without an in-match retirement, but at least she got a win in Istanbul. Radwanska didn't even show up. Oh, she was there in body... but not in mind. Nowhere to be found was the clever thinker and shotmaker, as the Pole defined "playing out the string," failing to win even a set in three matches (vs. Kvitova, Serena and Kerber) and, as a result, losing the #3 season-ending ranking to Li and falling from #4 to #5. ============================= ITF PLAYERS:Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR & Anna Tatishvili/GEO ...Vika had a bad week, but at least one Minsk-born Belarusian had a good one. 19-year old Sasnovich, ranked 237 spots below Azarenka, claimed the biggest of her eight career challenger titles in claiming the $100K in Poitiers, France. Unseeded, Sasnovich defeated Mandy Minella, Pauline Parmentier, Alexandra Cadantu and Sofia Arvidsson en route to the title. Last year's winner in Poitiers was Monica Puig in a foreshadowing of what turned out to be a breakthrough season for the Puerto Rican teenager in '13. In Florence, South Carolina, Anna Tatishvili reached her third straight challenger final in the American South in recent weeks. After splitting her previous two finals, the 23-year old from Georgia (just not the American one) got wins over Asia Muhammad, Catalina Castano, Chalena Scholl and Madison Brengle in a three-set final. ============================= JUNIOR STARS:Ivana Jorovic/SRB & Christina Makarova/USA ...Jorovic, 16, won the Osaka Mayor's Cup as the 4th seed, taking out Ilka Csoregi in the quarterfinals before dusting off #1-seeded Hordette Varvara Flink in the final. Meanwhile, in the aforementioned $25K in Florence, South Carolina, Makarova -- the Montreal-born 17-year old with the Russian-sounding name who is actually a Bannerette -- qualified and advanced all the way to the quarterfinals, picking up a nice win over Petra Rampre along the way. =============================
1. WTA RR - Li d. Azarenka ...6-2/6-1. 2013 began with Li tripping and falling against Azarenka in the Australian Open final, and it ends with Azarenka hurting her back in Istanbul against Li and losing for the fifth time in her last six matches. Maybe, for their own safety, they should just try to avoid each other in 2014? ============================= 2. WTA SF - Li d. Kvitova ...6-4/7-5. And with this win, Li becomes the first Asian to reach the WTA Championships final, as well as assuring herself of also being the highest-ranked at #3 (surpassing Kimiko Date-Krumm's #4). ============================= 3. WTA Doubles Final - Hsieh/Peng d. Makarova/Vesnina ...6-3/3-6/6-2. Hmmm, I guess Makarova wasn't was injured as Vesina hinted she was the other week when she said that was one of the reasons she was skipping the Fed Cup final to play in Sofia. ============================= 4. $25K Casablanca Final - Victoria Kan/RUS d. Olga Savchuk/UKR ...6-4/6-4. Yep, another Hordette not playing next week in Italy. The 18-year old won her 3rd challenger of the year in a season in which she's seen her ranking jump over 200 spots since the end of 2012. (Oh, and if you thought I might think about making some sort of "Casablanca" allusion here -- like say, nothing that this title might not mean "a hill of beans in this crazy world" when it comes to the FC final, or something like that -- than you would have been correct... but I decided against doing it. Too obvious.) ============================= 5. $10K Dubrovnik Final - Barbora Krejicikova/CZE d. Polona Rebersak/SLO ...6-1/3-6/6-0. One more game in the 1st, and the scoreline would have matched the WTA Championship final. The 17-year old junior #4 wins her second '13 challenger, and it's a defense of the same title she won a year ago, as well. ============================= HM- $10K Sharm El Sheikh Final - Elise Mertens/BEL d. Klaartje Liebens/BEL ...6-7/6-1/6-3. Speaking of repeats, this is the same final match-up as in the challenger LAST week in Sharm El Sheikh. In fact, the 17-year old Waffle, a Top 10 junior, has won three titles there this season. She claimed the doubles, too, with Sandra Zaniewska, the same player Mertens defeated in the singles semifinals. =============================
1. WTA Final - S.Williams d. Li
...2-6/6-3/6-0. Serena claims her tenth three-set win of 2013 (which, for once, IS NOT a record for her -- she won eleven in '09). ============================= 2. $50K Bendigo Doubles Final - Sema/Sema d. Adamczak/Rogowska ...3-6/6-2/11-9. The Japanese sisters win their third title as a duo in '13, and their seventh in their careers. ============================= 3. $25K Herzlia ISR Final - Yuliya Beygelzimer/UKR d. Kristina Kucova/SVK ...6-3/4-6/5-2 ret. Alas, not all tennis sisters could win in finals this weekend. =============================
**MOST WTA CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES** 8...Martina Navratilova 5...Steffi Graf 4...SERENA WILLIAMS 4...Chris Evert 3...Kim Clijsters 3...Monica Seles
**BEST WTA WIN PCT. SEASONS** [minimum 50 matches won, fewer than 10 losses] .989 - Martina Navratilova, 1983 (86-1) .977 - Steffi Graf, 1989 (86-2) .975 - Martina Navratilova, 1984 (78-2) .974 - Steffi Graf, 1987 (75-2) .968 - Martina Navratilova, 1982 (90-3) .967 - Martina Navratilova, 1986 (89-3) .960 - Steffi Graf, 1988 (72-3) .953 - Margaret Court, 1973 (102-5) .951 - SERENA WILLIAMS, 2013 (78-4) .949 - Chris Evert, 1978 (56-3)
**2013 WTA FINAL WIN PCT. - 3+ finals** [best] 1.000 - Simona Halep (5-0) .846 - SERENA WILLIAMS (11-2) .750 - Agnieszka Radwanska (3-1) .667 - Samantha Stosur (2-1) [worst] .250 - Sara Errani (1-3) .250 - LI NA (1-3) .333 - Jelena Jankovic (1-2) .333 - Angelique Kerber (1-2)
**2013 WTA DOUBLES TITLES - TEAMS** 5...HSIEH SU-WEI & PENG SHUAI, TPE/CHN 3...Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA 3...Nadia Petrova & Katarina Srebotnik, RUS/SLO
**MOST FED CUP TITLES** 17...United States 7...Australia 6...Czechoslovakia 5...Spain 4...RUSSiA 3...ITALY
**2013 ITF $100K FINALS** [February] Midland, USA - Lauren Davis/USA d. Alja Tomljanovic/CRO [May] Cagnes-Sur-Mer, FRA - Caroline Garcia/FRA d. Maryna Zanveska/UKR Prague, CZE - Lucie Safarova/CZE d. Alexandra Cadantu/ROU [June] Marseille, FRA - Andrea Petkovic/GER d. A.Medina-Garrigues/ESP [July] Biarritz, FRA - Stephanie Vogt/LIE d. Anna Schmiedlova/SVK Olomouc, CZE - Polona Hercog/SLO d. Katarzyna Piter/POL Astana, KAZ - Nadiya Kichenok/UKR d. Maria Joao Koehler/POR [August] Vancouver, CAN - Johanna Konta/GBR d. Sharon Fichman/CAN [October] Poitiers, FRA - Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR d. Sofia Arvidsson/SWE
**TOURNAMENT OF "CHAMPIONS" WINNERS** 2009 Aravane Rezai, FRA 2010 Ana Ivanovic, SRB 2011 Ana Ivanovic, SRB 2012 Nadia Petrova, RUS
FED CUP FINAL (Cagliardi, ITA; red clay/outdoor) 12 Final: Czech Republic d. Serbia ============================= Italy d. Russia 3-0
...really, you can sort of see the Russians wanting to get this one over as quickly as possible, what with the embarrassment of fielding a team of non-Top 100 players in the FC final. That said, Alisa Kleybanova was once (and, who knows, maybe could be again) a Top 20 player, so maybe she'll be able to scratch out a win and make the scoreline look a little less hurtful. Either way, it's hard to believe even four matches will be played in this one... although I guess the new rule that allow the doubles to be played at #4 in a dead rubber situation could be enacted, and the score turns out to be 4-0.
TOURNAMENT OF "CHAMPIONS"; SOFIA, BULGARIA (hard court indoor) 12 Final: Petrova d. Wozniacki ============================= =FIELD= #14 Simona Halep #16 Ana Ivanovic (WC) #18 Maria Kirilenko #19 Samantha Stosur #25 Elena Vesnina #26 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova #27 Alize Cornet #119 Tsvetana Pironkova (WC) alternates: #29 Lucie Safarova, #33 Daniela Hantuchova
=FINAL= Halep d. Stosur
...the draw isn't out yet, but assuming this match-up is possible I'll go with a repeat of the Kremlin Cup final
NANJING, CHINA (WTA $125K Challenger/hard court) 12 Final: =new event= 12 Doubles Final: =new event= 13 Top Seeds: Date-Krumm/Wickmayer ============================= =SF= #1 Date-Krumm d. #8 A.Schmiedlova #3 Zhang Shuai d. Shvedova =FINAL= #3 Zhang Shuai d. #1 Date-Krumm
...hmm, KDK is the #1 seed here, and Wickmayer is #2. Both are former slam semifinalists. Yep, these 125 Challengers really ARE about giving young players an extra chance to succeed, aren't they? Of course, since the Tournament of "Champions" doesn't contain a full field of actual champions, who's to quibble?
All for now. 2013 BSA Player Lists later this week.
Lists have always been a stock and trade component of Backspin, and that's never more the case than with the annual Backspin Awards.
The final "Ms. Backspin" standings (w/ the performance/match/rankings recaps) won't show up in this space until next week. Of course, the only real question there will revolve around the placement of the players ranked after a certain seventeen-time major champion.
Naturally, you know who that is. Right?
Anyway, here are 2013's player lists (and a recap of past BSA winners):
*RISERS* 1. Simona Halep, ROU 2. Hsieh Su-Wei/Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN 3. Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS 4. Agnieszka Radwanska, POL 5. Angelique Kerber, GER 6. Ashleigh Barty/Casey Dellacqua, AUS/AUS 7. Sabine Lisicki, GER 8. Sara Errani, ITA 9. Kirsten Flipkens, BEL 10. Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP 11. Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears, USA/USA 12. Elena Vesnina, RUS 13. Maria Kirilenko, RUS 14. Dominika Cibulkova, SVK 15. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS 16. Andrea Hlavackova/Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE 17. Ekaterina Makarova, RUS 18. Bojana Jovanovski, SRB 19. Stefanie Voegele, SUI 20. Zhang Shuai, CHN 21. Mona Barthel, GER 22. Kaia Kanepi, EST 23. Marina Erakovic, NZL 24. Sorana Cirstea, ROU 25. Monica Niculescu, ROU 26. Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Sania Mirza, USA/IND 27. Alize Cornet, FRA 28. Petra Cetkovska, CZE 29. Andrea Hlavackova, CZE 30. Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK 31. Petra Martic, CRO 32. Kazakh Fed Cup Team 33. Julia Goerges, GER 34. Vania King, USA 35. Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU 36. Lucie Hradecka, CZE 37. Urszula Radwanska, POL 38. Polona Hercog, SLO 39. Varvara Lepchenko, USA 40. Ayumi Morita, JPN 41. Johanna Larsson, SWE 42. Misaki Doi, JPN 43. Yaroslava Shvedova, KAZ 44. Chan Hao-Ching/Chan Yung-Jan, TPE/TPE 45. Caroline Garcia, FRA HM- Coco Vandeweghe, USA
*FRESH FACES* 1t. Sloane Stephens, USA 1t. Eugenie Bouchard, CAN 3. Elina Svitolina, UKR 4. Ashleigh Barty, AUS 5. Annika Beck, GER 6. Camila Giorgi, ITA 7. Garbine Muguruza, ESP 8. Jamie Hampton, USA 9. Madison Keys, USA 10. Laura Robson, GBR 11. Alison Riske, USA 12. Monica Puig, PUR 13. Karolina Pliskova, CZE 14. Kristina Mladenovic, FRA 15. Anna Schmiedlova, SVK 16. Karolina Pliskova/Kristyna Pliskova, CZE/CZE 17. Mariana Duque-Marino, COL 18. Michelle Larcher de Brito, POR 19. Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino, ESP 20. Vicky Duval, USA 21. Timea Babos, HUN 22. Donna Vekic, CRO 23. Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor, ESP 24. Canadian Fed Cup Team 25. Katarzyna Piter, POL 26. Aleksandra Krunic, SRB 27. Kristyna Pliskova, CZE 28. Kurumi Nara, JPN 29. Montserrat Gonzalez, PAR 30. Wang Qiang, CHN 31. Alexandra Cadantu, ROU 32. Ons Jabeur, TUN 33. Kiki Bertens, NED 34. Lauren Davis, USA 35. Zheng Saisai, CHN 36. Ksenia Pervak, KAZ 37. Duan Ying-Ying, CHN 38. Sharon Fichman, CAN 39. Mallory Burdette, USA 40. Yulia Putintseva, KAZ 41. Carina Witthoeft, GER 42. Jana Cepelova, SVK 43. Richel Hogenkamp, NED 44. Chanel Simmonds, RSA 45. Johanna Konta, GBR 46. Lesia Tsurenko, UKR 47. Maryna Zanevska, UKR 48. An-Sophie Mestach, BEL 49. Oksana Kalashnikova, GEO 50. Ana-Sofia Sanchez, MEX 51. Gabriela Dabrowski, CAN 52. Zarina Diyas, KAZ 53. Daria Gavrilova, RUS 54. Grace Min, USA 55. Alison van Ulytvanck, BEL 56. Ines Ibbou, ALG 57. Marcela Zacarius, MEX 58. Jessica Pegula, USA 59. Amanda Mueller, USA 60. Ximena Hermoso, MEX
*UP-AND-COMERS, JUNIORS & NCAA* 1. Belinda Bencic, SUI 2. Ana Konjuh, CRO 3. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE 4. Barbora Krejcikova, CZE 5. Katerina Siniakova, CZE 6. Nicole Gibbs, USA (NCAA Champion/Stanford Univ.) 7. Antonia Lottner, GER 8. Louisa Chirico, USA 9. Tornado Alicia Black, USA 10. Elise Mertens, BEL 11. Russian Jr. Fed Cup Team 12. Taylor Townsend, USA 13. Anett Kontaveit, EST 14. Mayo Hibi, JPN 15. Jelena Ostapenko, LAT 16. Ana Konjuh/Carol Zhao, CRO/CAN 17. Allie Kiick, USA 18. Elizaveta Kulichkova, RUS 19. Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA 20. Ipek Soylu, TUR 21, Anett Kontaveit/Jelena Ostapenko, EST/LAT 22. Sachia Vickery, USA 23. Christina Makarova, USA 24. Kristina Schmiedlova, UKR 25. Jamie Loeb, USA 26. Sara Sorribes-Tormo, ESP 27. Darya Kasatkina, RUS 28. Usue Arconada, USA 29. Iryna Shymanovich, BLR 30. Anhelina Kalinina, UKR 31. Jasmine Paolini, ITA 32. Ivana Jorovic, SRB 33. Victoria Rodriguez, MEX 34. Petra Uberalova, SVK 35. Anna Danilina, KAZ 36. Renata Zarazua, MEX 37. Ilka Csoregi, ROU 38. Australian Jr. Fed Cup Team 39. Ioana Ducu, ROU 40. Barbara Haas, AUT 41. CiCi Bellis, USA 42. Fiona Ferro, FRA 43. Jana Fett, CRO 44. Domenica Gonzalez, ECU 45. Carol Zhao, CAN 46. Brooke Austin, USA 47. Sabrina Santamaria/Kaitlyn Christian, USA/USA (NCAA Champions/Univ. of Southern Cal.) 48. Harriet Dart, GBR 49. Maria Bouzcova, CZE 50. Kaitlyn McCarthy, USA HM- Veronika Kudermetova, RUS
*SURPRISES* 1. Karin Knapp, ITA 2. Julia Glushko, ISR 3. Paula Ormaechea, ARG 4. Teliana Pereira, BRA 5. Silvia Soler-Espinosa, ESP 6. Maria Joao Koehler, POR 7. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, AUT 8. Reka-Luca Jani!... Reka-Luca Jani!... Reka-Luca Jani!, HUN 9. Shelby Rogers, USA 10. Mandy Minella, LUX 11. Valeria Savinykh, RUS 12. Sandra Klemenschits/Andreja Klepac, AUT/SLO 13. Danka Kovinic, MNE 14. Brazilian Fed Cup Team 15. Shuko Aoyama/Chanelle Scheepers, JPN/RSA 16. Irina Buryachok, UKR 17. Lyudmyla Kichenok, UKR 18. Olga Govortsova, BLR 19. Kristina Kucova, SVK 20. Stephanie Vogt, LIE 21. Estrella Cabeza-Candela, ESP 22. Dinah Pfizenmaier, GER 23. Nina Bratchikova, RUS 24. Vesna Dolonc, SRB 25. Nastassja Burnett, FRA 26. Luksika Kumkhum, THA 27. Nadiya Kichenok, UKR 28. Lisa-Maria Moser, AUT 29. Magda Linette, POL 30. Tadeja Majeric, SLO 31. Anastasija Sevastova, LAT 32. Stephanie Foretz-Gacon, FRA 33. Zuzana Kucova, SVK 34. Maria Sanchez, USA 35. Kateryna Kozlova, UKR 36. Ayu-Fani Damayanti, INA 37. Clothilde de Bernardi, FRA 38. Tereza Mrdeza, CRO 39. Varatchaya Wongteanchi/Varunya Wongeanchi, THA 40. Eri Hozumi, JPN HM- Tetyana Arefyeva, UKR & Kerrie Cartwright, BAH
*VETERANS* 1. Serena Willliams, USA 2. Li Na, CHN 3. Marion Bartoli, FRA 3. Maria Sharapova, RUS 4. Jelena Jankovic, SRB 5. Roberta Vinci, ITA 6. Kirsten Flipkens, BEL 7. Samantha Stosur, AUS Maria Kirilenko, RUS 8. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 9. Daniela Hantuchova, SVK 10. Cara Black, ZIM 11. Nadia Petrova/Katarina Srebotnik, RUS/SLO 12. Francesca Schiavone, ITA Lucie Safarova, CZE 13. Anabel Medina-Garrigues, ESP 14. Yvonne Meusburger, AUT 15. Flavia Pennetta, ITA 16. Ana Ivanovic, SRB 17. Sania Mirza, IND 18. Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Sania Mirza, USA/IND 19. Jelena Jankovic/Katarina Srebotnik, SRB/SLO 20. Martina Hingis, SUI (WTT) 21. Venus Williams, USA 22. Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN 23. Lisa Raymond, USA 24. Shahar Peer, ISR 25. Zheng Jie, CHN 26. Klara Zakopalova, CZE 27. Lourdes Dominguez-Lino, ESP 28. Vera Dushevina, RUS 29. Chanelle Scheepers, RSA 30. Anna-Lena Groenefeld/Kveta Peschke, GER/CZE 31. Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL 32. Galina Voskoboeva, KAZ 33. Casey Dellacqua, AUS 34. Mandy Minella, LUX 35. Sofia Arvidsson/Johanna Larsson, SWE/SWE HM- Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, CRO & Virginie Razzano, FRA
*COMEBACK PLAYERS* 1. Jelena Jankovic, SRB 2. Alisa Kleybanova, RUS 3. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN 4. Andrea Petkovic, GER 5. Flavia Pennetta, ITA 6. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 7. Cara Black, ZIM 8. Petra Kvitova, CZE 9. Alize Cornet, FRA 10. Kaia Kanepi, EST 11. Ana Ivanovic, SRB 12. Petra Martic, CRO 13. Vera Dushevina, RUS 14. Vania King, USA 15. Shahar Peer, ISR 16. Arantxa Rus, NED 17. Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU 18. Olga Puchkova, RUS 19. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA 20. Yanina Wickmayer, BEL 21. Martina Hingis, SUI 22. Christina McHale, USA 23. Michaella Krajicek, NED 24. Asia Muhmmad, USA 25. Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, CZE 26. Aleksandra Wozniak, CAN 27. Catalina Castano, COL 28. Anastasija Sevastova, LAT 29. Sesil Karatantcheva, KAZ 30. Evgeniya Rodina, RUS HM- Lauren Albanese, USA & Swedish Fed Cup Team
*TEAMS* 1. Hsieh Su-Wei/Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN 2. Italian Fed Cup Team 3. Washington Kastles (WTT) 3. Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA 4. Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS 5. Ashleigh Barty/Casey Dellacqua, AUS/AUS 6. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE 7. Kristina Mladenovic/Daniel Nestor, FRA/CAN (mixed) 8. Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears, USA/USA 9. Russian Jr. Fed Cup Team 10. Spanish Hopman Cup Team 11. Stanford Cardinal Team (NCAA Team Champions) 12. Andrea Hlavackova/Max Mirnyi, CZE/BLR (mixed) 13. Russian Fed Cup Team 14. Jelena Jankovic/Katarina Srebotnik, SRB/SLO 15. Karolina Pliskova/Kristyna Pliskova, CZE/CZE 16. Lucie Hradecka/Frantisek Cermak, CZE/CZE 17. Jarmila Gajdosova/Matthew Edben, AUS/AUS (mixed) 18. Agnieszka Radwanska/Urszula Radwanska, POL/POL 19. Sofia Arvidsson/Johanna Larsson, Swedish FC 20. Sabrina Santamaria/Kaitlyn Christian, USA/USA (NCAA Champions/Univ. of Southern Cal.) HM- Erika Sema/Yurika Sema, JPN/JPN & Ana Konjuh/Carol Zhao, CRO/CAN
*DOWN* 1. Nadia Petrova, RUS 2. Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA/USA 3. Maria Kirilenko, RUS (after the Top 10) 4. Tamira Paszek, AUT 5. Liezel Huber, USA 6. Laura Robson, GBR 7. Russian Fed Cup Team (off-court) 8. Sloane Stephens, USA (in non-slam events) 9. Slovak Fed Cup Team 10. Serbian Fed Cup Team 11. Heather Watson, GBR 12. Jarmila Gajdosova, AUS (singles) 13. Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP 14. Vera Zvonareva, RUS 15. Jelena Dokic, AUS HM- Samantha Stosur, AUS (avoiding a Top 2 "Down" finish w/ great close to '13)
**HARD COURT PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS** 2004 Lindsay Davenport, USA 2005 Kim Clijsters, BEL 2006 Maria Sharapova, RUS 2007 Justine Henin, BEL 2008 Serena Williams, USA 2009 Elena Dementieva, RUS 2010 Kim Clijsters, BEL 2011 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN 2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR 2013 Serena Williams, USA
**CLAY COURT PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS** 2004 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA 2005 Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL 2006 Nadia Petrova, RUS 2007 Justine Henin, BEL 2008 Dinara Safina, RUS 2009 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 2010 Samantha Stosur, AUS 2011 Li Na, CHN 2012 Maria Sharapova, RUS 2013 Serena Williams, USA
**GRASS COURT PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS** 2004 Maria Sharapova, RUS 2005 Venus Williams, USA 2006 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA 2007 Venus Williams, USA 2008 Venus Williams, USA 2009 Serena Williams, USA 2010 Serena Williams, USA 2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE 2012 Serena Williams, USA 2013 Marion Bartoli, FRA
**INDOOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS** 2004 Anastasia Myskina, RUS 2005 Mary Pierce, FRA 2006 Maria Sharapova, RUS 2007 Justine Henin, BEL 2008 Jelena Jankovic, SRB 2009 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA 2010 Ana Ivanovic, SRB 2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE 2012 Angelique Kerber, GER 2013 Serena Williams, USA
*"RISING PLAYER" WINNERS* 2002 Daniela Hantuchova, SVK 2003 Elena Dementieva, RUS 2004 Maria Sharapova & Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS/RUS 2005 Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER 2006 Nadia Petrova, RUS 2007 Jelena Jankovic & Ana Ivanovic, SRB/SRB 2008 Dinara Safina, RUS 2009 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN 2010 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN 2011 Victoria Azarenka, BLR 2012 Agnieszka Radwanska, POL 2013 Simona Halep, ROU
*"FRESH FACE" WINNERS* 2002 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 2003 Maria Sharapova, RUS 2004 Tatiana Golovin, FRA 2005 Nicole Vaidisova, CZE 2006 Nicole Vaidisova, CZE 2007 Agnes Szavay, HUN 2008 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN 2009 Victoria Azarenka, BLR 2010 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS 2011 Monica Niculescu, ROU 2012 Laura Robson, GBR 2013 Sloane Stephens, USA & Eugenie Bouchard, CAN
*"UP & COMING" WINNERS* 2002 Vera Zvonareva, RUS 2003 Vera Dushevina, RUS 2004 Maria Kirilenko & Nicole Vaidisova, RUS/CZE 2005 Ana Ivanovic, SRB 2006 Olga Puchkova, RUS 2007 Tamira Paszek, AUT 2008 Michelle Larcher de Brito & A.Pavlyuchenkova, POR/RUS 2009 Melanie Oudin, USA 2010 Alisa Kleybanova, RUS 2011 Caroline Garcia, FRA 2012 Taylor Townsend & Eugenie Bouchard, USA/CAN 2013 Belinda Bencic, SUI
*"SURPRISE" WINNERS* 2002 Anna Smashnova, ISR 2003 Anca Barna, GER 2004 Claudine Schaul, LUX 2005 Samantha Stosur, AUS 2006 Severine Bremond, FRA 2007 Sybille Bammer, AUT 2008 Aleksandra Wozniak, CAN 2009 Yanina Wickmayer, BEL 2010 Vania King/Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ 2011 Galina Voskoboeva, KAZ 2012 Sara Errani, ITA 2013 Karin Knapp, ITA
*"COMEBACK" WINNERS* 2002 Chanda Rubin, USA 2003 Lina Krasnoroutskaya, RUS 2004 Mary Pierce, FRA 2005 Venus Williams, USA 2006 Martina Hingis, SUI 2007 Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA 2008 Flavia Pennetta, ITA 2009 Kim Clijsters, BEL 2010 Justine Henin, BEL 2011 Sabine Lisicki, GER 2012 Hsieh Su-Wei, TPE 2013 Jelena Jankovic, SRB
*"VETERAN" WINNERS* 2002 Monica Seles, USA 2003 Ai Sugiyama, JPN 2004 Lindsay Davenport, USA 2005 Lindsay Davenport, USA 2006 Martina Hingis, SUI 2007 Venus Williams, USA 2008 Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA 2009 Serena Williams, USA 2010 Francesca Schiavone, ITA 2011 Li Na, CHN 2012 Serena Williams, USA 2013 Serena Williams, USA
*"DOWN" WINNERS* 2002 Meghann Shaughnessy, USA 2003 Daniela Hantuchova, SVK 2004 Jelena Dokic, SRB 2005 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 2006 Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA 2007 Maria Sharapova, RUS 2008 Nicole Vaidisova, CZE 2009 Ana Ivanovic, SRB 2010 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 2011 Venus Williams, USA 2012 Vera Zvonareva, RUS 2013 Nadia Petrova, RUS
*"DOUBLES" WINNERS* 2003 Martina Navratilova, USA 2004 Virginia Ruano Pascual, ESP 2005 Cara Black, ZIM 2006 Lisa Raymond, USA 2007 Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA 2008 Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA 2009 Nuria Llagostera-Vives/Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP/ESP 2010 Gisela Dulko, ARG 2011 Liezel Huber, USA 2012 Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA 2013 Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
*"TEAM OF THE YEAR" WINNERS* 2003 Virginia Ruano Pascual/Paola Suarez, ESP/ARG 2004 Virginia Ruano Pascual/Paola Suarez, ESP/ARG 2005 Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA/USA 2006 Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS 2007 Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA 2008 Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA 2009 Italian Fed Cup Team 2010 Gisela Dulko/Flavia Pennetta, ARG/ITA 2011 Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik, CZE/SLO 2012 Czech Fed Cup Team 2013 Hsieh Su-Wei/Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN
In the end, the final results of the last "official" week of the 2013 WTA season weren't surprising on any level. But, sometimes, the path there turns out to be far more surprising than one could have ever expected.
So, Viva Italia!
But, whew, that was a bit more dramatic than we were expecting, wasn't it?
*WEEK 44 CHAMPIONS* FED CUP FINAL (Cagliari, ITA/RCO) Italy def. Russia 4-0 TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS (Sofia, BUL/HCI) Simona Halep/ROU def. Samantha Stosur/AUS 2-6/6-2/6-2 NANJING, CHINA (WTA 125 Challenger/HC) S: Zhang Shuai/CHN def. Ayumi Morita/JPN 6-4 ret. D: Doi/Xu (JPN/CHN) d. Shu.Zhang/Shvedova (CHN/KAZ)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Simona Halep/ROU ...finally, a reason for the Tournament of "Champions" to exist: to give Halep one final moment (or five) of triumph, a dash of additional credit, a season-ending rank (#11) that rightly puts her ahead of Sloane Stephens on the WTA computer and, better yet, a chance to shine in front of her family. Halep brought twenty-five family members to Bulgaria from neighboring Romania, treating the Sofia tournament as her "home event" since the WTA tour does not currently have an event on its schedule that is hosted by her home nation. Going 5-0 in round robin and SF/F play in Sofia, Halep managed to play through a leg injury and end her breakout 2013 season on a nine-match winning streak as the 22-year old picked up her sixth title of the year. With very few points to defend from her less-than-spectacular first half of this season, the Top 10 surely beckons for the Romanian in '14. She'd be the first woman from her nation to debut there since Irina Spirlea in 1996. After that, who knows? But she's surely set herself up as the leader of the formerly leader-less (at least since they were first spotted on radar and named as such in this space back in 2008) Swarmettes. Of course, it may take a few more seasons to know exactly what THAT will turn out to mean. ============================= RISERS:Zhang Shuai/CHN & Ayumi Morita/JPN ...back in September, when Zhang, 24, claimed her first tour-level singles title in Guangzhou, she said she was looking at her accomplishment as "just the beginning." Well, she's lived up to her words so far. A week later, she reached a WTA 125 Challenger final in Ningbo, then this weekend in Nanjing she finally won one, defeating the likes of Julia Glushko, Zheng Saisai and Yanina Wickmayer before a very tired and sore Ayumi Morita retired against her after dropping the 1st set in the final. Zhang, 19-4 since the U.S. Open (and playing again this week in Taipei), is the first woman to ever win a WTA, WTA 125 and ITF singles title in the same season. Up to a new career-best #51 in the rankings, Zhang also reached the doubles final with Petra Martic. The Nanjing runner-up, Morita, ended up having to be content with an amazing week of work, even if she didn't take home a title. A pair of three-hour matches, against Martic and Anna Schmiedlova, saw her save eight total match points over the course of three days as she advanced to the biggest final of her career (technically, a "WTA final," but not really... even though the tour "counts" wins in 125 Challengers as a "WTA title"... well, except when it doesn't... anyway, you know how it goes when it comes to the tour and "keeping it simple"). Whatever the accomplishment the 23-year old Morita achieved, or nearly did, in China, it was still the best week of her career. ============================= SURPRISES:Alexandra Panova/RUS & Xu Yi-Fan/CHN ...the pride and desire that Panova showed on her way to what turned out to be a defeat is precisely what the Fed Cup is supposed to be about. It's a good lesson on an FC final weekend that was scuttled by whatever dispute -- likely money-related -- that kept every able Top 100 Russian off the Hordette roster in the championship tie against Italy. But Panova DID show up, and she made her debut FC match one of the most dramatic in recent memory. In the end, she served for the match against Roberta Vinci three times, held four match points and played to an 8-6 3rd set in 3:15 against her heavily-favored (though it should be noted that Panova DID reached a tour-level final last season in Bogota) opponent. Yeah, Panova lost... but she "won" in so many ways that aren't measurable on the scoreboard. Meanwhile, in the WTA 125 Challenger in Nanjing, Xu claimed the doubles title along with Misaki Doi. Earlier this year, the 25-year old Chinese woman, ranked a season-ending #99 in doubles, also won a tour-level doubles title in Seoul with Chan Yung-Jan. ============================= VETERANS:Roberta Vinci/ITA (FC MVP) & Samantha Stosur/AUS ...Vinci played just one match, but oh what a match it turned out to be. Playing with an injured neck, Vinci set the tone for what was expected to be a triumphant Fed Cup weekend for the Italians, taking down a very, very game Alexandra Panova, who delivered a stronger-than-anyone-anticipated Match #1 punch on Saturday. Down a set and 5-2, Vinci came back seemingly from the dead, saving four match points in 3:15, pumping up the already-excited crowd, summoning her Italian teammates (Schiavone, Pennetta & Knapp) to follow her to each end of the court to offer her vocal support from the stands and, quite simply, showing all the absent Russians just what Fed Cup is supposed to be about. Sara Errani may be the highest-ranked Italian, winning two matches this weekend, including the title-clincher on Sunday, but make no mistake that it has been Vinci -- Backspin's Team Italia MVP in all three rounds of FC play in '13 -- who has inherited the role of team leader after the likes of Schiavone and Pennetta put the team on their backs en route to the nation's three previous FC crowns. As for #4, it belongs to Vinci... but, as is their wont, every Italian has a right to celebrate. Ultimately, Stosur didn't get to celebrate at the TOC in Sofia, losing a set lead in the final and bending to Simona Halep's will, losing to the Romanian in a final for the second time (w/ Moscow) in three weeks. But, still, this result helped the Aussie put one more log on the fire of a season-saving 4Q that included a title in Osaka, three straight finals, a (Molik-inspired and ultimately strategic?) return to doubles to hone her game and the legitimate belief that '14 might just be something for her to look forward to. ============================= COMEBACK:Jarmila Gajdosova/AUS ...the former world #25 has had a 2013 to forget. Already having seen her year-end ranking drop from #33 to #180 from 2011 to 2012, Gajdosova has been out since April with a wrist injury. She came into Nanjing ranked #300 with just fourteen matches (6-8) under her belt this season and was sporting a four-match losing streak. But after making it through qualifying, the Aussie got wins over Misaki Doi and Wang Qiang to reach the semifinals, becoming the lowest-ranked woman to reach the Final Four at any WTA/WTA 125 event since Nuria Llagostera-Vives (#410) in Estoril in 2007. The result bumped Gajdosova up to #232 in the rankings, though it'll continue her multi-season downward spiral as far as her year-ranking is concerned. ============================= FRESH FACES:Anna Schmiedlova/SVK & Vicky Duval/USA ...in Nanjing, 19-year old Schmiedlova double-bageled Irina-Camelia Begu en route to the QF, where she held a match point against Ayumi Morita in a 3:00 match. Meanwhile, in a $50K challenger in Toronto, 17-year old U.S. Open star Duval claimed her first ITF singles and doubles crowns. In singles, as the #7 seed, Duval knocked off Gabriela Dabrowski, Indy De Vroome, #2-seeded Mandy Minella, Andrea Hlavackova (running her record to 3-0 vs. the Czech, who just announced that she'll focus more on singles in '14 and will no longer partner with Lucie Hradecka in doubles) and #1-seed Timea Babos in the final when the Hungarian retired after losing the 1st set. The win jumps Duval's ranking from #198 to a career-best #168. A week after being runners-up in the Saguenay ITF challenger, Duval and Canadian Francoise Abanda won the doubles, as well, defeating #2 seeds Melanie Oudin & Jessica Pegula in an 11-9 3rd set tie-break in the final. ============================= DOWN:Maria Kirilenko/RUS & Tsvetana Pironkova/BUL ...ever since she reached the Top 10 for the first time earlier this season, the remainder of Kirilenko's 2013 campaign has been a myth. Fittingly, her year ended at the TOC in Sofia with a retirement, as the Russian pulled up and out with a knee injury after dropping the first five games in her opening round robin match against Alize Cornet. Last year, Kirilenko withdrew from the same season-ending event (after two matches) with a viral illness. A year ago, Pironkova was included in the TOC field despite having never been a champion in a tour level event. This year, once again, Pironkova -- still title-less -- was given a free wild card pass into the Sofia draw in order to drum up local support. The Pironkova then proceeded to "pull a Radwanska," going 0-3 and dropping all six sets she played. So far, in two years at the TOC, she's 1-6, playing an extra match a year ago after slipping into the semifinals with a 1-2 record largely because of Kirilenko's late withdrawal and inability to advance. ============================= ITF PLAYER:Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR ...Sasnovich, 19, remains undefeated in 2013 ITF finals after winning her fifth in five tries in the $50K event in Nantes, France. The Belarusian defeated Lara Arruabarrena, both Lyudmyla AND Nadiya Kichenok and then Magda Linette in a three-set final. It's her second title in the past two weeks. ============================= JUNIOR STAR:Barbora Krejcikova/CZE ...in the $10K challenger in Umag, Croatia, the 17-year old won her second straight challenger title, and her third in her last four tournaments, with a victory in the final over Hungary's Agnes Bukta. Of note, Krejcikova's fellow Czech and doubles partner Katerina Siniakova also has three challenger titles in '13. Is is time for them to dance again? =============================
1. FC Final Match #1 - Vinci d. Panova ...5-7/7-5/8-6. In what was supposed to be a "drama-free" weekend, who'd have guessed we'd end up with a candidate for Match of the Year? That's what we got, though, as the Hordettes -- in the form of a debuting Panova -- hit the Italians with anything and everything they had (for the whole weekend) in the FC final's opening match. And it still wasn't enough. The atmosphere was crazy exciting as Vinci played through a neck injury, while Francesca Schiavone, Flavia Pennetta and Karin Knapp cheered her on from the edge of the stands, switching ends of the court along with Vinci throughout the match. Vinci led 4-2 in the 1st set, but an aggressive Panova turned things in her favor, breaking the Italian three straight times to win the set, then taking a 5-2 lead in the 2nd as Vinci again dropped three straight service games. The Russian twice served for the match, and held three match points at 5-3, but Vinci reeled off five straight games as the Italian fans in the stands exploded and Vinci fully embraced her newly-inherited role of team leader. Still, she didn't breeze through to victory in the 3rd, even after grabbing an early break advantage. Again, Panova battled back and put herself into position to snatch a stunning opening match victory. She served for the match for a third time at 5-4, holding her fourth MP of the day, but was broken yet again. Finally, Vinci, on her own second match point, put away the victory at 8-6 in the 3rd. This moment, and the act of either rising or falling in the face of it, is what the absent Hordettes missed, and will never be able to reclaim from their "lost weekend." Actually, "A"-team Russians be damned, the only thing that spoiled this one was chair umpire Alison Hughes (nee Lang) issuing Vinci a coaching warning in the 3rd set due to the shouts of Schiavone & Co. Really, Alison? You mean there was coaching going on... in the Fed Cup final? Really? I'm shocked that such a thing would ever happen, what with coaches sitting a few feet off the court for the entire match and all. Oh, well. The disapproving glare Vinci gave Hughes as she walked to the changeover area after that particular game pretty much said it all. ============================= 2. Nanjing 2nd Rd. - Morita d. Martic 6-7(7)/7-6(10)/6-4 Nanjing QF - Morita d. A.Schmiedlova 6-7(8)/7-6(0)/7-5 ...in the 2nd Rd., over two days, Morita played nearly 3:00 and saved seven match points against Martic. A round -- and three more hours -- later, she saved another match point against Schmiedlova. ============================= 3. Nanjing Final - Shu.Zhang d. Morita ...6-4 ret. (hamstring) And you could sort of see this coming. Even Ayumi (and her sore hammy) had to eventually pay the piper in Nanjing. ============================= 4. TOC Final - Halep d. Stosur ...2-6/6-2/6-2. Halep was 6-0 in finals this season. Other Swarmettes... the ball is now in your court. ============================= 5. Fed Cup Final Match #3 - Errani d. Kleybanova ...6-1/6-1. And Kleybanova got the unenviable task of trying to pick up the pieces of Russia's lost opportunity on Day 1. Or she played the role of the sacrificial lamb led to proverbial slaughter as the book on this Fed Cup final was officially closed. Take your pick. Either way, the result was the same -- Errani became the latest player to etch her name in FC history by clinching a championship in singles play. ============================= 6. TOC rr - Pavlyuchenkova d. Svitolina ...6-2/6-4. Kirilenko's latest withdrawal led to the Ukrainian teen -- who actually won a tour title in the '13, which is more than some in the original field could say -- getting an unexpected call to action in Sofia. ============================= 7. Nanjing QF - Zhang Shuai d. Zheng Saisai ...6-1/6-2. A chance to brush up on your Chinese name pronouncing skills. And you might get another chance later this week, too! (See below.) ============================= 8. TOC rr - Cornet d. Kirilenko 5-0 ret. (knee) TOC rr - Vesnina d. Ivanovic 6-4/3-6/7-6 TOC SF - Stosur d. Pavlyuchenkova 6-1/1-6/6-3 ...while their fellow Hordettes were biting the dust in Italy, absent Fed Cuppers were in Sofia. One retired (Kirilenko), one (Vesnina) won the match she had to win, but dropped an important set that allowed AnaIvo to advance to the semis over herself (and then saw Stosur def. Pironkova to grab the final semifinal berth and eliminate the Russian altogether), and another (Pavlyuchenkova) stumbled around the final turn. Hmmm... could this be a case of karma getting the last laugh? ============================= 9. $50K Bendigo AUS Final - Casey Dellacqua d. Tammi Patterson ...6-3/6-1. The Aussie gets her second ITF singles crown in two weeks. ============================= 10. $50K Taipei TPE QF - Paula Kania/POL d. Arantxa Rus/NED 7-5/6-4 Taipei WTA 125 Q2 - Kerkhove d. Rus 6-4/6-4 ...Kania's win ended Rus' twelve-match winning streak, but there's no mistaking the line of demarcation separating the Dutch woman's two seasons -- her QF run in Bad Gastein that ended her WTA record seventeen-match losing streak in opening round tour matches. Before that week in Austria, Rus was 6-19 on the season, and 7-26 stretching back to the summer of '12. After BG, she went 25-5. While she lost to eventual champ Kania in the ITF challenger in Taipei, Rus went on to win the doubles title with countrywoman Lesley Kerkhove, who then defeated her today in the final round of qualifying for this week's WTA 125 event in the same city. Yep, 2013 has been a head-spinning mixed bag for Rus. But her rebounding rather than resigning herself to her unfortunate fate, which many players would have done under similar circumstances, was more than admirable. ============================= HM- $50K New Braunfels TX Final - Anna Tatishvili/GEO d. Elitsa Kostova/BUL ...6-4/6-4. The Georgian reaches her fourth straight (and 5-of-6) challenger final, winning her third ITF event of 2013. Tatishvili is currently on a 19-1 (and 26-3) run. =============================
1. Nanjing 2nd Rd. - A.Schmiedlova d. Begu ...6-0/6-0. Beware... The Schmiedlova? ============================= 2. $75K Barnstaple GBR Final - Sirotkina d. Kr.Pliskova 6-7(5)/6-3/7-6(6) $75K Barnstaple Doubles Final - Broady/Kr.Pliskova d. Olaru/Paszek 6-3/3-6/10-5 ...a Pliskova will not be denied. ============================= 3. $50K Nantes FRA 2nd Rd. - Sasnovich d. L.Kichenok 6-4/6-2 $50K Nantes SF - Sasnovich d. N.Kichenok 6-3/6-1 ...to win in Nantes, you had to beat not one, but TWO, Kichenoks. ============================= HM- $50K Nantes FRA Doubles SF - Hradecka/Krajicek d. Kichenok/Kichenok 6-2/6-2 $50K Nantes Doubles Final - Hradecka/Krajicek d. Foretz-Gacon/Hrdinova 6-3/6-2 ...see? TWO Kichenoks. Good for Hradecka, as she gets a successful early start on her new '14, no-Hlavackova-in-sight, doubles teaming with Krajicek. =============================
**RECENT FED CUP FINALS** 2004 Russia def. France 3-2 2005 Russia def. France 3-2 2006 Italy d. Belgium 3-2 2007 Russia d. Italy 4-0 2008 Russia d. Spain 4-0 2009 Italy d. United States 4-0 2010 Italy d. United States 3-1 2011 Czech Republic d. Russia 3-2 2012 Czech Republic d. Serbia 3-1 2013 Italy d. Russia 4-0 [recent FC Final singles clinchers] 2002 Janette Husarova, SVK 2003 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA 2007 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 2008 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 2009 Flavia Pennetta, ITA 2010 Flavia Pennetta, ITA 2012 Lucie Safarova, CZE 2013 Sara Errani, ITA
**2013 WTA/WTA 125 TITLES** 11...Serena Williams, USA 6...SIMONA HALEP, ROU 3...Victoria Azarenka, BLR 3...Agnieszka Radwanska, POL 2...Maria Sharapova, RUS 2...Petra Kvitova, CZE 2...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS 2...Elena Vesnina, RUS 2...Roberta Vinci, ITA 2...Samantha Stosur, AUS 2...Bojana Jovanovski, SRB (w/ 125) 2...ZHANG SHUAI, CHN (w/ 125)
**MOST 2013 FINAL MATCH-UPS** 4 - S.Williams vs. Azarenka (2-2) 3 - S.Williams vs. Sharapova (SW 3-0) 2 - A.Radwanska vs. Cibulkova (1-1) 2 - HALEP vs. STOSUR (SH 2-0)
**2013 SINGLES/DOUBLES FINALS IN EVENT** Paris - Sara Errani, ITA (L/W) Cali 125 - Catalina Castano, COL (L/W) Tashkent - Olga Govortsova, BLR (L/L) Guangzhou - Vania King, USA (L/L) Ningbo 125 - Zhang Shuai, CHN (L/W) Osaka - Samantha Stosur, AUS (W/L) Moscow - Samantha Stosur, AUS (L/W) Nanjing 125 - ZHANG SHUAI, CHN (W/L)
**LOW-RANKED SEMIFINALISTS - since 2007** No Ranking - Kim Clijsters, 2009 U.S. Open No Ranking - Justine Henin, 2010 Brisbane No Ranking - Justine Henin, 2010 Australian Open #410 - Nuria Llagostera-Vives, 2007 Estoril #325 - Sorana Cirstea, 2007 Budapest #300 - JARMILA GAJDOSOVA, 2013 Nanjing 125 #278 - Betina Jozami, 2008 Bogota #262 - Kirsten Flipkens, 2012 s'-Hertogenbosch #254 - Raluca Olaru, 2007 Memphis
**MOST FED CUP TITLES** 17...United States 7...Australia 6...Czechoslovakia 5...Spain 4...ITALY 4...Russia
**TOURNAMENT OF "CHAMPIONS" WINNERS** 2009 Aravane Rezai, FRA 2010 Ana Ivanovic, SRB 2011 Ana Ivanovic, SRB 2012 Nadia Petrova, RUS 2013 Simona Halep, ROU
TAIPEI, TAIWAN (WTA $125K Challenger/hard court) 12 Final: Mladenovic d. Chang 12 Doubles Final: H-C.Chan/Mladenovic d. Chang/Govortsova 13 Top Seeds: Date-Krumm/Wickmayer ============================= =SF= #3 Zhang Shuai d. Puchkova Zheng Saisai d. #5 Nara =FINAL= #3 Zhang Shuai d. Zheng Saisai
...hey, why not? The chances that I end the season on a six-for-six run of correct champion predictions probably isn't likely, anyway.
This is the last "regular" Backspin for 2013, but the weekly awards post will be substituted starting next Monday with the returning "Backspin Backtalk" editions for the rest of the year. They'll touch on the previous week's ITF results (and, next week, the WTA 125 Challenger in Taipei), as well as anything else that seems relevant at the time.
The final "Ms. Backspin" rankings arrive in this space in a few days, quickly followed by 2013's year-ending "Rankings Round-Up." So, until then...
Forty-four weeks of tennis action and it's come to this... giving a brief thumbnail sketch of a season which began with one definitive truth amongst a handful of potentially exciting questions. By the end of the 2013 WTA campaign, even while there were bright moments galore for many of the players not ranked #1, The Truth was still righteous. Even more so than it was before... and maybe ever.
Back in January, though, there were some questions about whether the odds -- and the Tennis Gods -- might be ready to puncture The Truth.
The season opened with a spark of hope for the entire WTA field, for while Serena Williams ended 2012 on a big event tear, winning Wimbledon, the Olympics, the U.S. Open and WTA Championships in succession, she didn't continue her dominant streak by claiming her sixth Australian Open in January. Instead, reigning world #1 Victoria Azarenka, won her SECOND, defending her '12 crown amidst a hail of criticism for "gameswomanship" after a late-match medical timeout in the semifinals, just one year after the Aussie media and fans spent two weeks upbraiding and mocking her on-court shrieks en route to her maiden slam crown. Not only that, Serena actually proved that she was still human. Not 100% healthy, tweaking her back during the match and then being slightly off her game, Williams' unexpected quarterfinal defeat led to the birth of the Sloane Stephens Project in Melbourne as the American pulled off the upset to become the first countrywoman younger than Serena to beat her. Ever. Soon afterward, Williams was knocked off in the Doha final by Azarenka, who opened the season by winning her first seventeen matches (after starting 26-0 in '12).
It was around that time that everything changed, and the tour's rightful balance was soon restored. No, check that. It was RIGHT THERE that it happened, for even while the Belarusian notched her first win over Serena in four years (and got her first ever over a healthy Williams, it should be noted) it was the American who assumed the #1 ranking the next day, as her early '12 hole of inactivity was finally replaced with enough points to lift her into the top spot.
In short order, Stephens got into a misguided public spat with her countrywoman, whom Stephens' herself had previously declared her "good friend" and "idol," simultaneously blaming the media for "creating" the falsely-reported backstory, attacking Williams for being anything but a friend or mentor, and babbling on about some nonsense about the Williams Sisters not signing an autograph for a Kid Sloane and Serena having the audacity to "unfollow" her on Twitter and not seek Stephens out in a friendly fashion after their Melbourne encounter. All in all, it was a series of immature acts from a player with nothing resembling the standing to "call out" Serena on anything other than what was an "off day" Down Under. While Williams, after the Azarenka loss and one-sided social media shoving match, would go on to dominate the clay and hard court seasons, winning her first Roland Garros crown in eleven years and defending both her U.S. Open and WTA Championships titles, Stephens, even while rising to within an eyelash of the Top 10 despite a prolonged post-AO slump, ended 2013 still seeking her first career tour FINAL.
Current Sloane may one day become Future Sloane, rounding into the on-and-off court star that her (marketer's dream) smile and (envious) tennis potential hint could be the case. But, as of right now, the 20-year old is an unpolished find, still as capable of never reaching her full value as she is to shine like the brightest gem in the WTA jewelry box. Until (and if) the latter becomes a reality, Stephens would be wise to listen and learn, not flash and pan. As her relative quiet the rest of the season seemed to indicate, her springtime experiences might have made Stephens realize that it's better to carry a big stick than to simply speak. At least for now.
This is still Serena's time, and the last thing the others players on tour needed was for some upstart with the gift for gab to make Williams angry. By the time the season's hair had grown grey, Williams had gone 78-4 and raised her career slam singles total to seventeen, within striking distance of the all-time greats -- Court (24, w/ 11 in the Open era), Graf (22), Navratilova (18) and Evert (18) -- with which her career will forever be compared. One year after saying that she was finally "playing for history," Serena sharpened what was already a statement that bore considerable teeth, considering that it was someone with the stature of Williams' who'd uttered it.
Of course, that didn't mean that other players didn't find moments to grab, for however briefly, a bit of the spotlight. They did. Sometimes brilliantly, too.
After Williams had fallen to another upset-minded opponent, Marion Bartoli seized upon a career opportunity in the wake of The Radwanskian Massacre in southwest London, claiming an unlikely Wimbledon title... then suddenly retiring from the sport just six weeks later. Azarenka, proving that Doha was no fluke, managed to get another win over Serena in Cincinnati, tying Venus for the most career wins (3) in finals over Serena, and Maria Sharapova (2004) as the only players to ever defeat her twice in finals in a single season. Simona Halep, a good young player looking for a breakthrough for several years, finally made one, putting up Serena-esque stats over the back half of the season, going 39-6, winning six titles in six finals on three different surfaces over a five-month span, ending her year by going 5-0 in the Tournament of Champions event in Sofia a week after Williams had done the same at the WTA Championships in Istanbul. And, to close out the season, the Italians swept through a "C"-team of Russians to claim their fourth Fed Cup championship in the last eight years.
Of course, it all paled in comparison to what was accomplished by Serena. The Truth -- that Williams is quite simply the greatest living (at the very least) on-court spectacle that the sport has to offer -- is sturdy enough on which to build a international social movement. And, even at 31, she's not finished yet. If 2013 was arguably a better-than-the-original follow-up to what was a pretty spectacular 2012, which itself had been something of a late-career encore in a Hall of Fame career, then what does Serena have in store for 2014 in, well, the encore to her encore?
You'd be tempted to say that she's to the point of no longer being able to top herself, but, you know, we're talking about Serena here. It IS possible.
"I feel like my career is almost beginning again or something." - Serena
Hmmm, I'd say that's worth a collective response. So... gulp.
Here are the final "Ms. Backspin" rankings for 2013:
1. Serena Williams, USA ...for many of the top players in the game, injuries, inconsistency and an inability to maintain a high level of motivation over the course of the long season led to uneven '13 campaigns. But, ironically, the player whose Hall of Fame career has often been criticized for a preponderance of injury-related absences, lack of focus and full participation (leading to even the likes of Chris Evert to plead for a full commitment several years ago) suddenly had all of that in spades this season. As great as Serena has been through the years, there has always been a lingering question nibbling at the edges of the consciousness of the tennis world: How good could she be if she was healthy and concentrated on getting the most out of her career? Well, over the past year and a half, we've gotten a pretty good idea... and it's been awesome. This season, though she won "only" two slams, Williams set career marks for titles (11), matches (82), wins (78), longest match win streak (34) and prize money ($12,385,572 USD), producing one of the most dominant seasons in tour history. While the "40 Love" salute to the tour's four-decade history took place throughout the past year, Serena set about carving an even bigger place for herself within it. With a 95.1% win percentage, her season ranked as the ninth-best season in WTA history by a player with 50+ wins and fewer than ten losses. Already, at 31, the oldest women's singles #1 ever, Williams' stranglehold on the top ranking, even while she's found something resembling a legitimate rival in former #1 Azarenka, is greater than it's ever been. Fittingly, after seeing a ten-year span between her first "Ms. Backspin" honor and her second, Serena now becomes the first-ever back-to-back winner. And, who knows, maybe a third time will be the real charm.
Now, for the first time that I can recall, after Serena's easy positioning at #1 on this list, you could find an argument both for and against the final placement of every player in what remains of 2013's official "Ms. Backspin" rankings. It was just that sort of year.
"I guess I'm pretty tough." - Victoria Azarenka
2. Victoria Azarenka, BLR ...it was a strange season for Vika. As usual, she was publicly lambasted and assailed by media and fans in Melbourne, this time for taking a medical timeout at a crucial moment in her semifinal vs. Sloane Stephens. Then, also per usual, she went on to win the Australian Open. After that, up was down, and down was often up. Azarenka won three titles, but battled injuries throughout the season. Her first career Roland Garros semifinal couldn't be celebrated for long, as she slipped and injured herself in her 1st Round match at Wimbledon, forcing her to withdraw from the tournament before her next match and spend the rest of the season trying to get healthy, find her motivation, and rediscover her flagging form. Whatever success she found on all those fronts in the closing months of the season, it didn't come without much struggle. Over the course of 2013, Azarenka mixed in two season-defining wins in finals over Serena, but lost her #1 ranking after one (Doha) and then saw her second (in Cincinnati) mentioned by Williams as something that inspired the American to her latest U.S. Open championship run. Naturally, in a rematch of the '12 final, it was Vika who played and pushed Serena to three sets there, having battled mightily to just reach the final after laboring with her serve and nearly every opponent she faced in Flushing Meadows. Ultimately, she ended the year at the WTA Championships, playing through a back injury, valiantly avoiding her first '13 loss via retirement (making this her first professional season in which she's been able to say that), but also admitting afterward that one of the reasons she didn't play it safe and quit was because, with Melbourne and the past criticism she's received for retiring during matches still taking up space in a corner of her mind, she was leery of the response she might receive if she did. Hmmm, perhaps it was just the rambling of a tired Belarusian who wasn't totally thinking straight. Otherwise, I wonder if such a response to media criticism might be something to worry about. As I've made explicitly clear in this space over the past two seasons, as Vika has replaced Justine Henin as the beloved "face of Backspin," I like my Azarenka funky, thinking for herself, standing up to criticism and not giving a crying shame what her overzealous detractors might think of her. Perhaps as she's been gradually more embraced by fans and the like, and maybe even as her relationship with musician Redfoo has possibly made her more "relatable" and well known, Vika has come to care more and more about her image and reputation and grown weary of defending herself. That's not a bad thing, per se. But she should tread lightly. It's no coincidence that her two best career results have come in grand slams in which she weathered media controversy, allowing her to tap into the innate toughness and will to win that helped her mature from a "crazy kid" into a champion. Azarenka need not create false obstacles to knock down in order to be at her best on the court, but maintaining something of an edge HAS allowed her to refine her focus in her career's most important moments. Vika being Vika, because that's who she is, is a good thing, but an Azarenka that cares TOO much about how people will react to the things she says or does makes one consider whether such distractions could prevent her from continuing to be the champion that she can, and has, been. Of course, maybe I'm overreacting. If she can just spend some time working on her serve, everything will probably turn out just fine.
Now, here's where things begin to get really screwy, so don't be alarmed if the "Ms. Backspin" finishes in no way go hand-in-hand with the actual WTA rankings...
...finally, a Romanian has stepped up. And did she ever. A former junior #1 (2008), Halep has been a player gradually moving up the rankings for some time, recording year-end ranking jumps at the close of every season of her career. After upping her aggression on court, the trend continued in 2013 as her stunning back-half of the season turned her into the hottest player on the WTA tour not named Serena. Halep claimed six titles, winning back-to-back weeks on clay and grass, then picked up hard court crowns both outdoors (New Haven) and indoors (Moscow & the TOC), the latter two to close out her season with another back-to-back title run. While she's still looking for her slam breakthrough, the Romanian DID put up her career-best major result with a Round of 16 at the U.S. Open and ended 2013 ranked #11 after ending last year positioned just inside the Top 50 at #47. It's the biggest rise of any Top 20 player over the last twelve months, and Halep is poised for even more in 2014. She'll likely become the first woman from Romania to debut in the Top 10 in eighteen years.
Meanwhile, Hsieh & Peng aren't the #1-ranked doubles players in the world (they're #3 and #4), but they were the best duo there was in 2013. The longtime friends, who led the tour with five titles as a team, even trumped the top-ranked pair of Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci on red clay, becoming the first team to do so in several seasons. In Rome, the Italians were riding a 31-match clay court winning streak before the Taiwanese/Chinese duo ended their run. In Istanbul, the pair defeated the other two top-ranked doubles teams of '13 -- Makarova/Vesnina and Petrova/Srebotnik -- en route to taking the indoor crown at the WTA Championships, adding the WTA's biggest non-slam title to their slam win on the grass at Wimbledon and Premier event titles in Rome (clay) and Cincinnati (hard court). Come 2014, they could become the first players from their nations to ever reach #1 in the WTA rankings, and the first Asians since Japan's Ai Sugiyama was last a doubles #1 in 2003.
5. Italian Fed Cup Team 6. Roberta Vinci, ITA 7. Maria Sharapova, RUS 8. Marion Bartoli, FRA
...while Italy's groundbreaking group of vets (Schiavone, Pennetta & Co.) are in the process of passing the torch to a new generation, the thirtysomething-heavy Team Italia proved this season that the originals aren't finished winning just yet. Led by Fed Cup MVP Roberta Vinci, having her best season ever at the age of 30, the Italians knocked out the two-time defending champion Czech team in the semifinals, then swept the Hordettes -- playing without a Top 100 player due to a dispute with the Russian Federation -- in the final to claim the title of the most dominant FC team over the past decade with a fourth championship. Vinci's leadership role was only bolstered by her singles success, as she rose to a career-best #11 and her two titles ran her career record in singles finals to 9-1.
In the final count, Sharapova had a great season. She finished at #4, reached the final at Roland Garros, and the semis at the Australian Open. She won Indian Wells, and reached high-level finals in Miami and Madrid, too. Somehow, though, it seems as if we saw something of a "lesser" version of Sharapova this season. Could it have been the perception that the Russian had moments when she appeared to slip a bit from the pedestal on which she's been perched for nearly a decade? Publicly sniping with Serena, being caught by photographers on the streets of Madrid with new boyfriend Grigor Dimitrov as if she was common celebrity tabloid fodder, firing the coach (Thomas Hogstedt) who'd helped bring her back to slam champion form following career-threatening shoulder surgery, hiring and firing Jimmy Connors in a flash (after just one match), seeing a story leak just before the U.S. Open that she had considered temporarily changing her name to "Sugarpova" to promote her candy line, then pulling out of the tournament (and, eventually, the rest of the season) with another shoulder ailment. All those things, along with the sight of her falling multiple times on the slippery grass at Wimbledon, then being shockingly upset in the 2nd Round by Michelle Larcher de Brito, seemed to bring Sharapova down to the level of the rest of us humans after for so long seeming to float in a rarified air just above everyone, out of reach of the sort of salacious and eyebrow-raising media coverage that has become the norm for so many of the tour's other big stars. Of course, maybe it's also the growing perception of Sharapova as a player having a harder and harder time finding a way to close out the sort of big events that made her career when she was a teenager. Even with her 2012 Roland Garros win, she's 3-9 in big event finals (high-level Premier events, the Olympics, slams and the WTA Chsp.) over the past two seasons, and the sort of run the Russian had this year in Melbourne has become common, as she reached the QF while losing a record-breaking low total of nine games, only to promptly lose in the semifinals. Sharapova has overcome worse to return to glory, and she very well may do so again. But, for maybe the first time, there may be some nagging reason to believe she might not have it in her... and it might not having anything to do with whether or not her shoulder continues to be a potentially career-shortening malady, either.
Speaking of a career being shortened. What can I say about Bartoli? On the whole, La Trufflette didn't really have a great season. Her year-end ranking fell, and she had just one semifinal or better result. Oh, but it was at Wimbledon. Which she won. Then she retired in shocking (but not REALLY) fashion just a month and a half later, through she eventually left the door open rather widely for a potential return. If it means anything, while most retired players with high standing have their name removed from the computer rankings within a week or two of the end of their careers, here we are some three months since the delightfully eccentric Bartoli's retirement announcement in Cincinnati and she's still listed as the #13th-ranked player in the world, her tour-best 335th streak of consecutive weeks inside the Top 20 fully intact.
The French word for "unretire" is detretraite (whether that's technically linguistically accurate or not, it's good enough for now). You know... I'm just sayin'.
9. Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA 10. Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS 11. Li Na, CHN
...Errani & Vinci didn't have the dominant season they did in 2012, but they opened the year in still fairly dominating form, winning the Australian Open (their third slam in less than a year) and following up with titles at the Paris Indoors and in Doha as they ran off a string of appearances in four straight finals. But they never won another title all season, and didn't play nearly as often as both put together good singles campaigns. They still finished the season as co-#1's in doubles, but with AO title points to defend, and with Hsieh & Peng only 265 points behind, that might be just a temporary arrangement.
Makarova & Vesnina have the potential to challenge both Errani/Vinci and Hsieh/Peng for doubles prominence in 2014. Just look at their string of results from 2013 as evidence. Twice, the Hordette paired hoisted the Russian Fed Cup team on their shoulders in a deciding doubles match situation. In the 1st Round, they combined to win their match to take the tie vs. Japan and avert a major upset, then completed the team's epic comeback from a 0-2 Day 1 deficit in the semifinals against the Slovaks to get Russia into the FC final. >Of course, then they turned their backs on the team, which ultimately went down in flames at 4-0, no matter how hard Alexandra Panova tried to prevent it from happening... but you can't judge a duo by the matches they DIDN'T play. When the Russians were on the court together they were formidable, winning titles in Indian Wells and Roland Garros, then defeating Errani/Vinci en route to a runner-up result at the WTA Championships.
While Li followed up the most consistent season of her career in '12 with an even better one in '13, finishing #3 while winning just one title, the thirtysomething Chinese vet is still a work in progress as she and coach Carlos Rodriguez attempt to put together a rare late-career surge that might make her a multiple slam winner. It very nearly happened in Melbourne, as Li battled with eventual champ Azarenka in the final and may very well have won the title if not for multiple falls that injured her ankle and gave her a concussion. Forcing the action more than ever in her matches, Li reached four finals this season, tying a career-best. But she went just 1-3, winning only a smaller debut event in Shenzhen, China in Week 1. She closed the season in strong fashion, though, after a mid-year fitness "training camp" with Rodriguez, reaching semifinals at Toronto, Cincinnati and the U.S. Open before appearing in her first WTA Championships final to close out her season. Li is not yet perfect, as she'd surely admit in typically charming fashion... but the best may still be yet to come.
12. Sara Errani, ITA 13. Sabine Lisicki, GER 14. Agnieszka Radwanska, POL 15. Washington Kastles (WTT)
...a year after stunning the tennis world with her rise in 2012, there was little belief that Errani could hold onto her Top 10 ranking in 2013. But after finishing last year at #6, she finished up at #7 this season. Winning the AO doubles with Vinci, and the Fed Cup with her Italian countrywomen, Errani was the epitome of a team player, but her singles results continue to be underrated. She only won one small clay court title in Acapulco, but she reached some big semis (Madrid, Rome and RG) on the surface, as well as finals on hard court (Paris & Dubai), and notched her first-ever match win at the WTA Championships. Of course, the weight of all the self-imposed pressure threw the diminutive Italian down a proverbial flight of stairs at the U.S. Open. But, quite possibly, her willingness to talk openly about her struggles, as well as the season-ending success she experienced afterward, will lift some of that stress from her shoulders in 2014. After all, she'll never again have as many expectations to live up to as she did this year... and she ultimately got through it with her head still atop those very same shoulders that bore so much weight.Complimenti, Sara.
Both Radwanska and Lisicki had good seasons. The Pole opened the year with back-to-back titles, then finally ended the title drought that followed with a late-season crown in Seoul. She finished with her second straight year-end Top 5 ranking. Meanwhile, Lisicki reached three finals and matched her career-best year-end ranking by finishing at #15. But, really, both their seasons revolved around one single match (and, on a lesser scale, the moment that followed it). With the massacre of the top seeds that occurred at Wimbledon, Radwanska, a finalist in 2012, found herself, as the #4 seed, the odds-on favorite to take the title in a semifinal field consisting of other women seeded #15, #20 and #23. But when the latter woman of the group, the #23-seeded German, a semifinalist at SW19 in 2011, outlasted A-Rad in a 9-7 3rd set both their seasons were set in stone. For Lisicki, it was a dream come true to reach her first slam final at the tournament she loves most and, even if she didn't ultimately win the title, her 2013 would forever be a raging success. For Radwanska, it was a lost opportunity -- and maybe as good as any she may EVER have -- to finally win a major title, and it kicked off a disappointing (and, eventually, heart-tugging stretch, as she cut short her pre-U.S. Open schedule to travel home for her grandfather's funeral) summer and back-half of a season that unceremoniously ended in Istanbul when she sleepwalked through three straight matches at the WTA Championships, failing to win a set or even seem able to maintain for more than a brief period the clever brand of tennis that she's become known for the last few years.
Meanwhile, the Washington Kastles, led by Hall of Famer Martina Hingis, broke a North American pro sports team record with their 34th consecutive win, then went on to win a third straight World Team Tennis championship.
*THE REST* 16. Russian Fed Cup Team - good results, but a depressing and embarrassing finish 17. Petra Kvitova, CZE - the usual push-and-pull of a Petra season ended on the positive note with an uptick in results and fitness, and a slight rise in the rankings from #8 to #6 18. Angelique Kerber, GER - the German played through injury all year, but sparked late when she finally was relatively healthy 19. Ashleigh Barty/Casey Dellacqua, AUS/AUS - two-time slam doubles finalists, and on watch to become the first all-Aussie women's slam champs in thirty-five years 20. Sloane Stephens, USA - a lot of talk, but Future Sloane is sill simply a notion... not a foregone conclusion 21. Jelena Jankovic, SRB - Queen Chaos stormed back into the spotlight, rebounding from last year's Fed Cup final disappointment to return to the Top 10 and become relevant to the WTA discussion for the first time in a few seasons 22. Samantha Stosur, AUS - can a shiny 4Q (three finals and a title) erase all the mostly dull surfaces (only one QF+ result, albeit it was another title run) that dominated the rest of her season? Hmmm, almost... but not quite. Titles and finals-wise, the stats says Sammy had her best season. But we know otherwise. 23. Kirsten Flipkens, BEL - who said the days of Belgian slam semifinalists ended with the retirements of La Petit Taureau and Barbie? It wasn't the case this year at Wimbledon. 24. Kristina Mladenovic, FRA (doubles) - always a doubles ringer (six total titles with six different partners), the Pastry next needs to work on her nerves in singles 25. Elena Vesnina, RUS - after having gone 0-6 in singles finals, the Hordette found her groove and won two in 2013, jumping into the Top 25 after finishing last year at #69. HM- Andrea Hlavackova/Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE - they ended their regular partnership with a U.S. Open crown, their second career slam. Hlavackova won the Mixed in New York, too, while Hradecka claimed the same title at Roland Garros. HM- Nadia Petrova/Katarina Srebotnik, RUS/SLO - they won three titles and reached the WTA Championships, but Petrova's injuries deflated what might have been a superior season for the new duo Juniors- Ana Konjuh, CRO & Belinda Bencic, SUI - the top two juniors in the world in 2013, they both left with girls slam trophies in both arms. Melbourne and NYC for Konjuh, and Paris and London for Bencic.
**"Ms. BACKSPIN" WINNERS** 2001 Jennifer Capriati / USA 2002 Serena Williams / USA 2003 Justine Henin-Hardenne / BEL 2004 Maria Sharapova / RUS 2005 Kim Clijsters / BEL 2006 Amelie Mauresmo / FRA 2007 Justine Henin / BEL 2008 Cara Black & Liezel Huber / ZIM-USA 2009 Italian Fed Cup Team 2010 Francesca Schiavone / ITA 2011 Petra Kvitova / CZE 2012 Serena Williams / USA 2013 Serena Williams / USA
=YEARLY "Ms. Backspin" Top 10's= [2001] 1. Jennifer Capriati, USA 2. Lindsay Davenport, USA 3. Venus Williams, USA 4t. Kim Clijsters, BEL 4t. Justine Henin, BEL 6. Martina Hingis, SUI 7. Jelena Dokic, AUS 8. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA 9. Serena Williams, USA 10. Monica Seles, USA [2002] 1. Serena Williams, USA 2. Venus Williams, USA 3. Jennifer Capriati, USA 4. Kim Clijsters, BEL 5. Anna Smashnova, ISR 6. Daniela Hantuchova, SVK 7. Monica Seles, USA 8. Justine Henin, BEL 9. Jelena Dokic, AUS 10. Paola Suarez, ARG [2003] 1. Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL 2. Serena Williams, USA 3. Kim Clijsters, BEL 4t. Anastasia Myskina, RUS 4t. Elena Dementieva, RUS 6. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA 7. Maria Sharapova, RUS 8. Ai Sugiyama, JPN 9t. Virginia Ruano Pascual, ESP 9t. Paola Suarez, ARG [2004] 1. Maria Sharapova, RUS 2. Lindsay Davenport, USA 3. Anastasia Myskina, RUS 4. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA 5. Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL 6. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 7. Virginia Ruano Pascual/Paola Suarez, ESP/ARG 8. Elena Dementieva, RUS 9. Serena Williams, USA 10. Vera Zvonareva, RUS [2005] 1. Kim Clijsters, BEL 2. Lindsay Davenport, USA 3. Mary Pierce, FRA 4. Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL 5. Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA 6. Maria Sharapova, RUS 7. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA 8. Cara Black, ZIM 9. Patty Schnyder, SUI 10. Nadia Petrova, RUS [2006] 1. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA 2. Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL 3. Maria Sharapova, RUS 4. Nadia Petrova, RUS 5. Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS 6. Italian Fed Cup Team 7. Martina Hingis, SUI 8. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 9. Kim Clijsters, BEL 10. Nicole Vaidisova, CZE [2007] 1. Justine Henin, BEL 2. Jelena Jankovic, SRB 3. Venus Williams, USA 4. Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA 5. Serena Williams, USA 6. Ana Ivanovic, SRB 7. Anna Chakvetadze, RUS 8. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 9. Maria Sharapova, RUS 10. Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS [2008] 1. Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA 2. Serena Williams, USA 3. Jelena Jankovic, SRB 4. Maria Sharapova, RUS 5. Venus Williams, USA 6. Dinara Safina, RUS 7. Ana Ivanovic, SRB 8. Russian Fed Cup Team 9. Elena Dementieva, RUS 10. Vera Zvonareva, RUS [2009] 1. Italian Fed Cup Team 2. Serena Williams, USA 3. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 4. Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA/USA 5. Nuria Llagostera-Vives/Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP/ESP 6. Dinara Safina, RUS 7. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN 8. Kim Clijsters, BEL 9. United States Fed Cup Team 10. Elena Dementieva, RUS [2010] 1. Francesca Schiavone, ITA 2. Kim Clijsters, BEL 3. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN 4. Serena Williams, USA 5. Gisela Dulko/Flavia Pennetta, ARG/ITA 6. Italian Fed Cup Team 7. Vera Zvonareva, RUS 8. Samantha Stosur, AUS 9. Vania King/Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ 10. United States Fed Cup Team [2011] 1. Petra Kvitova, CZE 2. Li Na, CHN 3. Liezel Huber, USA 4. Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik, CZE/SLO 5. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN 6. Liezel Huber/Lisa Raymond, USA/USA 7. Samantha Stosur, AUS 8. Czech Republic Fed Cup Team 9. Victoria Azarenka, BLR 10. Kim Clijsters, BEL [2012] 1. Serena Williams, USA 2. Victoria Azarenka, BLR 3. Maria Sharapova, RUS 4. Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA 5. Agnieszka Radwanska, POL 6. Sara Errani, ITA 7. Czech Fed Cup Team 8. Angelique Kerber, GER 9. Petra Kvitova, CZE 10. Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA/USA
*ITF CIRCUIT PLAYERS OF THE YEAR* 1. Reka-Luca Jani!, Reka-Luca Jani!, Reka-Luca Jani!, HUN 2. Jovana Jaksic, SRB 3. Teliana Pereira, BRA 4. Melanie Klaffner, AUT 5. Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR 6. Aranxa Rus, NED 7. Anna Tatishvili, GEO 8. Deniz Khazaniuk, ISR 9. Anna Morgina, RUS 10. Stephanie Vogt, LIE 11. Polona Hercog, SLO 12. Anna-Lena Friedsam, GER 13. Shebly Rogers, USA 14. Lauren Davis, USA 15. Johanna Konta, GBR 16. Nadiya Kichenok, UKR 17. Mariana Duque-Marino, COL 18. Tara Moore, GBR 19. Montserrat Gonzalez, PAR 20. Ons Jabeur, TUN 21. Anett Kontaveit, EST 22. Dinah Pfizenmaier, GER 23. Ana Bogdan, ROU 24. Bernarda Pera, USA 25. Tadeja Majeric, SLO 26. Maryna Zanevska, UKR 27t. Barbora Krejcikova, CZE 27t. Katerina Siniakova, CZE 28. Wang Yafan, CHN 29. Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL 30. Gioia Barbieri, ITA 31. Ksenia Palkina, KGZ 32. Elise Mertens, BEL 33. Alice Balducci, ITA 34. Ajla Tomljanovic, CRO 35. Katerina Siniakova, CZE 36. Ipek Soylu, TUR 37. Elena Baltacha, GBR 38. Ana Sofia Sanchez, MEX 39. Julia Kimmelmann, GER 40. Laura Siegemund, GER 41. Clothilde de Barnardi, FRA 42. Valetini Grammatikopoulou, GRE 43. Barbara Luz, POR 44. Viktorija Golubic, SUI 45. Fatma Al Nabhani, OMA HM- Zarina Diyas, KAZ & Dorotja Eric, SRB
*YEARLY ITF POY WINNERS* 2008 Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER 2009 Barbora Zahlavova-Stryova, CZE 2010 Mathilde Johansson, FRA 2011 Casey Dellacqua, AUS 2012 Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor, ESP 2013 Reka-Luca Jani, HUN
*FED CUP PLAYERS OF THE YEAR* 1. Roberta Vinci, ITA 2. Ekaterina Makarova, RUS 3. Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, RUS 4. Serena Williams, USA 5. Petra Kvitova, CZE 6. Romina Oprandi, SUI 7. Anna-Lena Groenefeld/Sabine Lisicki, GER 8. Daniela Hantuchova, SVK 9. Sofia Arvdisson/Johanna Larsson, SWE 10. Lourdes Dominguez-Lino, ESP 11. Marion Bartoli, FRA 12. Julia Goerges, GER 13. Agnieszka Radwanska, POL 14. Paula Ormaechea, ARG 15. Samantha Stosur, AUS HM- Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP & Eugenie Bouchard/Sharon Fichman, CAN Jr. HM- Veronika Kudermetova, RUS Special HM- Alexandra Panova, RUS (for making the most out of a bad situation)
*YEARLY FED CUP POY WINNERS* 2005 Elena Dementieva, RUS 2006 Francesca Schiavone, ITA 2007 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 2008 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 2009 Flavia Pennetta, ITA 2010 Flavia Pennetta, ITA 2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE 2012 Petra Kvitova, CZE 2013 Roberta Vinci, ITA
Now, just as last year, here's a second opinion from Galileo West, who's been presenting weekly awards for the men over at Backspin's sister (brother??) ATP site this season, including a men's version of the Regional Honors in recent weeks.
*2013 WTA PLAYERS OF THE YEAR* 1. Serena Williams ...When Serena won her opening title of the year at Brisbane, her opponent (A-Pavs) said this after the match in her runner-up speech: "Congratulations Serena - amazing match. I always feel like I don't know how to play tennis when I play against you!" It's fair to say that A-Pavs is a pretty decent tennis player. That quote sums up Serena's stellar season. She is seventh all-time in WTA titles won, having overtaken Davenport and Seles this year. She is, obviously, top among current players. She won eleven titles this year, which is one of the top ten title-winning seasons. She has the greatest win percentage ever at a Year-End Championship, with a stunning 83.3%. She finishes year-end number one for a third time, too. It isn't just her sheer dominance that has been impressive. It's the class that has gone with it. She even dealt with that whole Sloane Stephens debacle pretty well. She has been entertaining in interviews, outgoing and had no outbursts -- I'm not counting stuff like the Jelena Jankovic Charleston disagreement. It wasn't quite Steffi Graf in 1988 -- that was beyond belief -- but two slams, the tour championships and eight other titles is pretty good. And let's not forget that second French Open title, the title she has wanted badly for so many years.
W: BRISBANE, MIAMI, CHARLESTON, MADRID, ROME , FRENCH OPEN, BASTAD, TORONTO, US OPEN, BEIJING, WTA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS ============================= 2. Victoria Azarenka ...The top three are pretty predictable. The rankings, this year, at least, don't lie. Vika has had another solid year. She has had two years in a row where she has won a slam, the same slam admittedly, but that is still consistency. She had also been a consistent top 10er for three seasons straight. However, she has battled injuries and they have prevented her from achieving her full potential. She has achieved so much already but she is injury prone. In fact, the commentators at the YEC said they were worried for her because she looked in such a bad way against Li Na. Anyway, this year she was number one from June last year to February of this -- a total of 32 weeks. She reached a slam semi, slam final and won one, too. Not to mention three finals and three titles, as well. She has been very strong this year and you can expect more of the same in 2014.
W: AUSTRALIAN OPEN, DOHA, CINCINNATI ============================= 3. Maria Sharapova ...She continued the second phase of her career in the same vein this year. She reached back-to-back semifinals at slams, reaching one final. Overall, she reached five finals and won two. Serena stopped her in the other three. She has a serious match-up problem against her, which is well documented. She had her season cut short by another shoulder injury, which I think is related to the first. Can she come back a second time? I think Sharapova is the toughest player out there mentally, barring Williams. Her will and determination should be good enough to return once more. She is very good at getting to the final of Miami, but not great once she gets there. After losing this year, she's now 0-5 in Miami finals. Just something quirky to note.
W: INDIAN WELLS, STUTTGART ============================= 4. Li Na ...She has had a consistent season. Well, consistent at the beginning and the end, at least. She deserves to be at the #3 spot. She made a second Australian Open final. She loves it there. In fact, she is like the anti-Stosur. She beat Sharapova 2 and 2 in that semi and was so close against Vika. She rolled her ankle several times during that match and that may have hampered her season in some ways. Li made back-to-back semis at Toronto and Cincy before making the semis of the Open, where she was beaten by Williams 6-0, 6-3. But, if it makes her feel any better, Safina lost by the exact same score in a slam final at the 2008 Aussie. She has just been a consistent top ten player all year and finally at the tail-end she made her move, more than earning her #3 ranking.
W: SHENZHEN ============================= 5. Marion Bartoli ...I think it would be wrong of me not to include the 2013 Wimbledon champ. Admittedly, she didn't exactly face a high calibre kind of opponent, but she still had to win the thing. Then she retired. It was bizarre. She wanted that Wimbledon title so badly. Not as bad as poor Novotna, who led in two different finals but needed a third to finally get it done, but she still had a long love affair with the hallowed green turf. She finally managed to win it. Bartoli only won one title this year. I was going to put her below Halep, but I just think that winning Wimbledon, well, it should be top five. In all honesty, she didn't have a great year but she won the biggest title there is and if I were Halep I would trade all my titles for a Wimbledon.
W: WIMBLEDON ============================= 6. Simona Halep ...She hasn't been a great slam player. A fourth round showing at the US this year aside, she has never been past the second round, but slam level consistency will come with time. She did get to the semis of Rome and the quarters of Cincinnati. She also went 6-0 in finals, and only Serena won more titles. She also won 53 times , which is second to Radwanska and Williams' 56 and 78, respectively. She began the year at #47 and will finish it at #11. She even won the weird Tournament of Champions -- she went 5-0 -- which pretty much everyone disparages. It was the cherry on the red velvet cake of a fantastic season. ============================= 7. Agnieszka Radwanska ...I know it may be odd to put the world number five so low, but she had an under the radar season, to be honest. It was a strong season but she really suffered after that epic loss to Lisicki. Also, I don't approve of her frosty handshake with Lisicki. I understand why it was frosty but Lisicki is such a pleasant, likable person, like Radwanska is, and I expected a hug at the net along with the handshake. But I digress. She went 3-1 in finals, though they were all Tier 2 or below. She went QF,QF,SF,4th Rd. in the slams and that's consistent achievement. She didn't have a great YEC, though. She had an amazing season last year and this was a decent follow up. She was great at the slams, but I think some of her fight went out after that heartbreaking loss in the Wimbledon semifinal.
W: AUCKLAND, SYDNEY, SEOUL ============================= 8. Petra Kvitova ...She did not do well at the slams, apart from Wimbledon. She did take the Czechs to a semifinals in the Fed Cup. She made the semifinals in the YEC, too. Add to that a quarterfinal run in Indian Wells and a semi run in Beijing, plus quarters in Qatar and Canada and you have a pretty good season. Not only that but she won Tokyo and Dubai. She went 2-2 in finals this year, but she really got back on track. This year was a year she started to develop some consistency. Kind of. Not Halep consistency, but still decent consistency. I think she will win another Wimbledon title one day. I don't know if that is a bold prediction or not, but I think it will happen. Until then, she should try to build consistency in the slams.
W: DUBAI, TOKYO ============================= 9. Jelena Jankovic ...Who doesn't love Jelena Jankovic? She always makes me laugh. She's like a breath of fresh air on the WTA tour. I had forgotten how awesome she is until this year. She was #22 at the start of the year, and now she's #8. That is because she has consistently been putting in big performances. She made the French Open quarters and the US Open fourth round. Li stopped her there convincingly, but her 6-0, 4-6, 3-6 loss to Sharapova in the French quarters was one of the strangest matches I've seen in a while. Jankovic made three finals, winning one that was her first title since Indian Wells in 2010. The two she lost, she lost to Williams.
W: BOGOTA ============================= 10. Roberta Vinci ..."Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" applies to Vinci so much. On and off court. I have seen her play at Wimbledon and she plays such a watchable game. She is a hark to the old days, with a swashbuckling game. She is always difficult to face and this year she was fantastic in doubles but also excellent in the singles. She made a pair of fourth rounds in the slams and a quarter at the US Open. Serena stopped her in the French Open 4th Round. In singles she is 9-1 in finals. In doubles she is 19-15. She had a stellar doubles year again, ending the year as co-#1. In singles, she won a pair of titles. She defeated compatriot, doubles partner and friend Errani in one of her finals. She, too, is a breath of fresh air.
Hmmm, so Galileo had Aga at a "low" #7 on his list, while I had her down at #14 and didn't offer any apologies for it. I guess that means I'll be treated to a healthy dose of smashed melons on my doorstep until The Rad is no longer an "official" threat to humankind... or at least existing in as plain a sight as It did at places like Wimbledon on Day 3 this summer. But I trust that Citizen Anna will save the day... though I guess we'll have to wait until the day before Christmas to find out the details about that, huh?
In the mean time, I'll show A-Rad in a happier light before I go. You know, just to try to curry favor. So...
Okay, am I (temporarily) off the hook now? Good, because I'm not finished yet!
MORE BSA's ARE STILL TO COME: the Rankings Round-Up later this week, then the Performance & Match Lists and, of course, the WTA Yearbook next week.
Rankings, rankings, rise and fall. No one player (not even you-know-who) can win them all. Wish they may, wish they might. Have the ranking they deserve tonight.
Or something like that. Either way, here's the annual whole-lotta-love (and numbers) year-end rankings rundown. I can't promise all these words and numbers will be as mesmerizing as Sara Errani's eyes... but, hey, what can you do, right?
**RANKINGS NOTES OF NOTE** [as of end-of-season ranks on November 4, 2013] Normally, we can count on a Williams Sister pulling a high ranking while playing fewer tournaments than nearly everyone within sight. In 2011, Serena finished at #12 while playing fewer events than anyone in the Top 100, with the next highest-ranked player with the fewest appearances coming in at #103. Her name? Venus Williams. Last year, #2 Serena counted fifteen events (13, really, plus two mandatory event zero totals), while the only Top 70 player with fewer was, again, her #24-ranked big sister. Well, in 2013, the "Williams gimme" is no more, as #1 Serena played more than ever. Her seventeen events (again, 16 plus a zero total for the boycotted mandatory event in Indian Wells) were still on the low side, but two players ranked in the Top 29 -- #4 Maria Sharapova (15) and #2 Victoria Azarenka (16) --built their rankings on fewer tournaments, while two additional players in the Top 50 accumulated points from just fourteen events: #30 Kaia Kanepi and, of course, #49 Venus. Well, some things DON'T change, I guess. No other players ranked in the Top 100 played as few as fourteen events, and we have to look down to #165 Ksenia Pervak (11) to find a player who arrived on site with less frequency. Maybe the most impressive ranking, though, might have been produced by Alisa Kleybanova, embarking on her comeback from Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The Russian, a former Top 20 player, posted a year-end ranking of #185 despite playing just seven events. The next-lowest ranked player with fewer was Ivana Lisjak at #380. ============================= Once again, the South American women lagged far behind their continental counterparts on the ATP tour in 2013. Although, for the first time in ages, there might be a flickering light at the end of the tunnel. The last five seasons have seen the number of men from S.A. ranking in the singles Top 50 outpace the woman by a combined total of 22-2, with the only two Top 50 finishes coming from the now-retired Gisela Dulko. There still aren't any South American women in the Top 50 this year, while there are currently three men. But after the highest-ranked woman from the continent came in at #136 year ago, there are TWO South Americans positioned in the Top 100 this season -- Argentina's Paula Ormaechea, last year's high-ranker, and Teliana Pereira of Brazil, plus another who just missed out at #101. Ormaechea has become the leading contender to be the continent's next Top 50 talent, as the 20-year old reached her first tour singles final in Bogota and has raised her ranking at the conclusion of each of the last five seasons. Meanwhile, with the 2016 Olympics around the corner, keep an eye on Brazil. Last year, there were no Brazilians in the Top 300, with Pereira the highest-ranked at #175, while 2013 sees three in the Top 300, with Pereira leading the way at #90. ============================= Usually, several big names fall from ranking grace over the course of the year. But the 2013 year-end rankings have turned out to be unusually stable at the top. In fact, nine of 2012's Top 10 finished there again this season (only Samantha Stosur fell out), the first time that's happened since 2002. That season, only 2001's #1-ranked player, Lindsay Davenport, failed to maintain her place in the Top 10, though that was because she missed most of the season due to a knee injury.
This is a trend that has been building, as two years ago only four players repeated their Top 10 status, while seven did so in 2012.
TRIVIA!!: When was the last time all of the WTA's Top 10 maintained their rankings one year later? ANSWER: 1992, as all of 1991's Top 10 -- Monica Seles, Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini, Martina Navratilvoa, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Jennifer Capriati, Jana Novotna, Mary Joe Fernandez, Conchita Martinez & Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere -- booked return engagements
Still, the tour wasn't immune to big ranking drops from highly-ranked players. #18 Julia Goerges slipped all the way down to #73 this year, while Yaroslava Shvedova tumbled from #29 to #81. On the other side of the equation, the Top 10 welcomed back Jelena Jankovic (#22 in '12), while the likes of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Andrea Petkovic both returned to the Top 50 after big falls while dealing with injuries. Well, injuries and whatever it is that tends to go on between Sveta'a ears on occasion.. ============================= While players such as Kimiko Date-Krumm (#146 to #54), Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Virginie Razzano all returned to the Top 100 in 2013, the proverbial worm turned the other way for many other "name" players, including no-longer-Top-100ers Heather Watson, Tsvetana Pironkova, Tamira Paszek, Vera Zvonareva and Iveta Benesova, the latter two of which didn't play a match this season. The most disappointing slip, though, maybe have come because of an injury-marred follow-up to a great resurgent season from one of Backspin's long-time favorites, Nadia Petrova. After the Russian won three tournaments and finished at #12 in 2012, she was absent from the court for long stretches in 2013 and fell all the way down to #102.
Oh, Nadia. ============================= One year after being the youngest player in the Top 200, #86 Donna Vekic, 17, is now the youngest in the Top 100. Oh, and she's still the youngest in the Top 200, as well. But more are coming. Not far behind are a crew of even younger junior achievers who are already slipping into some professional draws and having success. The four junior slam crowns were split between current girls #1 Belinda Bencic and #2 Ana Konjuh. Both are younger than Vekic -- WTA #212 Bencic is 16, while #274 Konjuh won't turn 16 until December 27 -- and moving up the professional ranking ladder rather quickly, as well. The only other 17-year olds in the Top 200 are #168 Vicky Duval, who'll turn 18 later this month, and #164 Ashleigh Barty, just two months older than Vekic. Four more join Bencic & Konjuh with rankings between #201-300. In all, seven teenagers are ranked in the Top 100 (four of them in the Top 50, including Laura Robson, who will finally turn 20 this January), while fourteen more are included in the Top 200. Of note, hidden in there is something rare these days -- a living-and-breathing South American 17-year old tennis player, Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia.
A bit higher up in the rankings, 20-year old #12 Sloane Stephens is the youngest player in the Top 20, while fellow Bannerette Madison Keys (#37), 18, is the youngest in the Top 50.
After slipping out of the year-end Top 100 in '12, 43-year old Kimiko Date-Krumm is back and at #54 for 2013. So, once again, the Japanese vet is, of course, the oldest player in the Top 100 and, naturally -- at least I would expect so -- the oldest in all of the WTA rankings. As it is, the number of players born in the 1970's in the Top 200 is now down to two, KDK and 34-year old Catalina Castano (#196). The oldest non-KDK players in the Top 100 are 33-year olds Venus Williams (#49) and Francesca Schiavone (#42), the latter being the most senior tour singles champion in 2013. #1 Serena, at 32, is the fifth-oldest in the Top 100.
*YOUNGEST PLAYER - end of '13 season* [Top 100] 17...Donna Vekic, CRO (born June 28, 1996) 18...Madison Keys, USA (born February 17, 1995) 19...Anna Schmiedlova, SVK (born September 13, 1994) 19...Elina Svitolina, UKR (born September 12, 1994) 19...Eugenie Bouchard, CAN (born February 25, 1994) 19...Annika Beck, GER (born February 16, 1994) 19...Laura Robson, GBR (born January 21, 1994) 20...Caroline Garcia, FRA (born October 16, 1993) 20...Lauren Davis, USA (born October 9, 1993) 20...Garbine Muguruza, ESP (born October 8, 1993) 20...Monica Puig, PUR (born September 27, 1993) 20...Jana Cepelova, SVK (born May 29, 1993) 20...Kristina Mladenovic, FRA (born May 14, 1993) 20...Timea Babos, HUN (born May 10, 1993) 20...Ajla Tomljanovic, CRO (born May 7, 1993) 20...Sloane Stephens, USA (born March 20, 1993) [#101-200] 17...Ashleigh Barty, AUS (born April 24, 1996) 18...Vicky Duval, USA (born November 30, 1995) - at end of calendar year 18...Sachia Vickery, USA (born May 11, 1995) 18...Yulia Putintseva, KAZ (born January 7, 1995) 19...Danka Kovinic, MNE (born November 18, 1994) 19...Ons Jabeur, TUN (born August 28, 1994) 19...Grace Min, USA (born May 6, 1994) 19...Risa Ozaki, JPN (born April 10, 1994) 19...Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL (born March 26, 1994) 19...Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR (born March 22, 1994) 19...An-Sophie Mestach, BEL (born March 7, 1994) 19...Daria Gavrilova, RUS (born March 5, 1994) 19...Zheng Saisai, CHN (born February 5, 1994) 19...Anna-Lena Friedsam, GER (born February 1, 1994)
*OLDEST PLAYER - end of '13 season* [Top 100] 43...Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN (born September 28, 1970) 33...Venus Williams, USA (born June 17, 1980) 33...Francesca Schiavone, ITA (born June 23, 1980) 32...Lourdes Dominguez-Lino, ESP (born March 31, 1981) 32...Serena Williams, USA (born September 8, 1981) 31...Klara Zakopalova, CZE (born February 24, 1982) 31...Flavia Pennetta, ITA (born February 25, 1982) 31...Li Na, CHN (born February 26, 1982) 31...Anabel Medina-Garrigues, ESP (born July 31, 1982) 30...Roberta Vinci, ITA (born February 18, 1983) 30...Daniela Hantuchova, SVK (born April 23, 1983) 30...Virginie Razzano, FRA (born May 12, 1983) 30...Zheng Jie, CHN (born July 5, 1983) 30...Yvonne Meusburger, AUT (born October 3, 1983) [#101-200] 34...Catalina Castano, COL (born July 7, 1979) 32...Stephanie Foretz-Gacon, FRA (born May 3, 1981) 31...Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, CRO (born March 9, 1982) 31...Anastasia Rodionova, AUS (born March 12, 1982) 31...Nadia Petrova, RUS (born June 8, 1982) 31...Eleni Daniilidou, GRE (born September 19, 1982) 31...Julie Coin, FRA (born December 2, 1982) - at end of calendar year 30...Renata Voracova, CZE (born October 6, 1983) 30...Yuliya Beygelzimer, UKR (born October 20, 1983)
============================= While nine of last year's Top 10 players finished there again in 2013, a few have put together even longer streaks. Four -- Li, Sharapova, A.Radwanska and Kvitova -- have had three straight Top 10 seasons, while Azarenka and Wozniacki are currently enjoying five year runs. Azarenka, in fact, has had back-to-back-to-back Top 3 campaigns (Serena has two), while Sharapova (3) and Radwanska (2) have also been consistent enough to have multiple Top 5 finishes. Stosur, the only 2012 Top 10er to not finish there this year, had her three-year run snapped with her #18 ranking this year. Meanwhile, Top 10 returnee Jelena Jankovic (out since 2010) had her fifth career finish there in '13, which is nice but no match for Serena Williams, who just enjoyed the twelfth in the career. ============================= Before she retired, Marion Bartoli experienced a new career high point when she won Wimbledon. But, somewhat ironically, her career bio will forever hint that, on the whole, she had a WORSE season than in '12, as she fell from #11 to #13 in the rankings. But La Trufflette wasn't the only player to put up big or resurgent results that weren't necessarily reflected in their year-end rankings:
Maria Kirilenko: became the first Russian to debut in the Top 10 in six years, but saw her ranking ultimately slip from #14 to #19 Lucie Safarova: won her first tour singles title (Quebec City) in over five years, but fell from #17 to #29 Daniela Hantuchova: the Slovak won her first career grass title in Birmingham, but still dropped ever so slightly from #32 to #33 Andrea Hlavackova: reached her first career tour singles final in Bad Gastein, but went from #65 to #134 in the span of a year Shahar Peer: she reached her first tour final in two years, and won the WTA 125 Challenger in Suzhou, but neither prevented her from going from #74 to #77 Mandy Minella: she entered '13 with just one career tour semifinal, but reached two this season. She entered as #75, but exited as #115. Camila Giorgi: while the feisty Italian was a player to keep an eye on at the end of 2012 -- and her winning run to the U.S. Open Round of 16 showed why -- Giorgi's year-end ranking went from #79 last year to #93 this time around
On the other hand, some players seemed to have less impact this past season than last, although their rankings managed to rise. Some good examples:
Virginie Razzano: she made headlines with her upset of Serena at Roland Garros in '12. She had no such "moment" in '13, but lifted her ranking from #160 to #96. Vania King: before her appearance in this year's Guangzhou final, King hasn't reached a tour singles final since she won in Bangkok in 2006. Her year-end ranking fell from #70 to #84, though. Laura Robson: the Brit was the WTA's "Newcomer of the Year" award winner last year, went 34-25 and became the first woman from her nation to reach a tour final since 1990. In 2013 she failed to reach a singles semi, and finished with an 18-22 record. But, somehow, she went from a season-ending #53 to #46.
============================= Huge cracks are showing in Russian tennis, and not just when it comes to the relationship between the sport's national federation and potential Fed Cup participants, either. While the Russian numbers in the WTA field are still strong, their high-level impact continues to show wear-and-tear as the NextGen Hordette stars (version 1.0) have still yet to properly follow up the heroics of the "Revolution Generation" in the 2000's. A few of the "originals" are still around, but while Maria Sharapova reached a slam final and finished in the Top 5, she somehow seemed more and more "fallible" as the season progressed, and played just one post-Wimbledon match due to hip and shoulder injuries. Meanwhile, Vera Zvonareva sat out the entire season recovering from her own shoulder injury, and one season after flirting with the Top 10, Nadia Petrova was dumped out of the Top 100 in an injury-marred campaign.
Additionally, after dominating the Top 100 rankings for many seasons, the field isn't as (over)populated by Russians as it used to be. Three years ago, there were sixteen Hordettes in the Top 100. Last year, the U.S. managed to tie Russia with the most players (10) in the Top 100. Then, this year, the bottom dropped out... only six Russians are ranked in the Top 100, good enough to only tie for fourth with Italy on the nations list behind the U.S. (11), Spain (7) & Germany (7). While six Hordettes finished in the Top 20 in 2009, five did in 2010, then four each did so in 2011 and 2012. This year, there were two. For the second straight year, Sharapova is the only Russian in the Top 10. Also, after leading outright or being tied for the most tour singles finalists for every year since the revolutionary season of 2004, the Russians slipped to second place behind the U.S.'s sixteen in '13, with the season total of thirteen finalists being the lowest total by the Hordettes as a group since 2001. It all sort of went hand-in-hand with the end of the Russians' impressive streak of placing at least one player in the Round of 16 at fifty one straight slams, a run that began at Wimbledon in 2000, then ended at SW19 this summer.
But, still, there were some Russian ranking highlights in 2013. Alisa Kleybanova's comeback begin to take off with a Top 200 finish, while Svetlana Kuznetsova rode back-to-back slam quarterfinal results as an unseeded player (becoming the first to do that since the slams when to 32-seeds in 2001) to a near Top 20 finish at #21. Meanwhile, after going 0-6 in tour finals and finishing in the Top 40 just one previous time in her career, Elena Vesnina won two titles and clocked in at #25, one spot below doubles partner Ekaterina Makarova (#24) and one above two-time '13 title-winner Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (#26).
Oh, and the four different singles champions this year -- Sharapova, Kirilenko, Vesnina & Pavlyuchenkova -- were the most by any nation. So, at least there's that. ============================= In a ranking oddity, no Russians ended the season ranked from #27 to #101. Why that's a hole you could drive a fleet of Soviet tanks through. Sorry, old Cold War era joke. Speaking of... ============================= As the Russian numbers have slipped, those of the Bannerettes have taken up the slack. The tour-leading number of twelve Americans in the year-ending Top 100 is the continuation of the resurgent fortunes of U.S. women's tennis. American Top 100 numbers have nearly doubled in just two seasons, with half of those players being young twentysomethings or teenagers... and that's not even counting on-the-rise U.S. Open star Vicky Duval (#168). ============================= The number of nations with players in the Top 100 seems to have reached its limit, or nearly so. The last three season-ending rankings have included players from thirty-seven nations in '11, then thirty-six in both 2012 and again this year. Twenty-three countries are included in 2013's Top 50.
Also, for the second straight season, the Top 11 was actually made up of women from eleven different nations. While fourteen different countries were represented in last year's Top 20, fifteen were included in the WTA this year. ============================= The top four ranked players representing Kazakhstan all formerly played under either the Russian or Bulgarian flags. Last year, the same could be said for the top five-ranked Kazakhs, but after playing under the flag of Kazakhstan from 2011-12, Moscow-born Ksenia Pervak realigned herself with Russia in the summer of 2013. If she still had "KAZ" next to her name in the WTA rankings, though, the world #165 would have been the sixth highest-ranking woman from Kazakhstan this year. ============================= Carla Suarez-Navarro's twenty-six events were the most by any player ranked in the Top 20 (last year's leader, Roberta Vinci, was next with twenty-five in '13). Nine Top 100 women surpassed CSN's event total, led by Karolina Pliskova's thirty-six. Meanwhile, Julia Cohen continues to be the workhorse of women's tennis, leading all Top 200 players in events for the fourth straight season. In succession, the 24-year old American has played thirty-six, forty, thirty-nine and thirty-eight events from 2010-13. After failing to defend her '12 Baku final points, though, Cohen saw her year-end ranking slip from #113 to #186. ============================= At the end of 2009, twelve players rose into the Top 50 after having finished the previous year ranked outside the Top 100. In 2010, only two did it, while from 2011-12 the doors were opened to six women in each season. In 2013, there were eight who made the climb: #32 Eugenie Bouchard, #37 Madison Keys, #39 Andrea Petkovic, #40 Elina Svitolina, #41 Karin Knapp, #44 Stefanie Voegele, #47 Bethanie Mattek-Sands and #50 Yvonne Meusburger. ============================= For two years running, Stephanie Foretz-Gacon was the player with her nose pressed up against the Top 100 glass, finishing #101. Well, the Pastry didn't make the leap in 2013, and instead slipped to #159. The new #101: Colombia's Mariana Duque-Marino
[based on November 4 end-of-season WTA rankings] *TOP 20 BY AGE* [at of end of 2013] 32...Serena Williams 31...Li Na 30...Roberta Vinci 29...Samantha Stosur 29...Marion Bartoli 28...Jelena Jankovic 27...Kirsten Flipkens 26...Maria Kirilenko 26...Maria Sharapova 26...Sara Errani 26...Ana Ivanovic 25...Angelique Kerber 25...Carla Suarez-Navarro 24...Agnieszka Radwanska 24...Victoria Azarenka 24...Sabine Lisicki 23...Petra Kvitova 23...Caroline Wozniacki 22...Simona Halep 20...Sloane Stephens
*REGIONAL RANKINGS* ==EASTERN EUROPE== #2 Victoria Azarenka, BLR #4 Maria Sharapova, RUS #11 Simona Halep, ROU #19 Maria Kirilenko, RUS #21 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS #22 Sorana Cirstea, ROU #24 Ekaterina Makarova, RUS #25 Elena Vesnina, RUS #26 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS #30 Kaia Kanepi, EST ==WESTERN EUROPE== #5 Agnieszka Radwanska, POL #6 Petra Kvitova, CZE #7 Sara Errani, ITA #8 Jelena Jankovic, SRB #9 Angelique Kerber, GER #10 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN #13 Marion Bartoli, FRA #14 Roberta Vinci, ITA #15 Sabine Lisicki, GER #16 Ana Ivanovic, SRB #17 Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP ==ASIA/PACIFIC== #3 Li Na, CHN #18 Samantha Stosur, AUS #45 Peng Shuai, CHN #48 Marina Erakovic, NZL #51 Zhang Shuai, CHN #52 Zheng Jie, CHN #54 Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN #61 Ayumi Morita, JPN #69 Galina Voskoboeva, KAZ #76 Kurumi Nara, JPN ==SOUTH AMERICA== #63 Paula Ormaechea, ARG #90 Teliana Pereira, BRA #101 Mariana Duque-Marino, COL #191 Maria Irigoyen, ARG #196 Catalina Castano, COL #197 Florencia Molinero, ARG #208 Veronica Cepede Royg, PAR #243 Adriana Perez, VEN #271 Paula Cristina Goncalves, BRA #288 Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA ==UNITED STATES== #1 Serena Williams #12 Sloane Stephens #28 Jamie Hampton #37 Madison Keys #47 Bethanie Mattek-Sands #49 Venus Williams #53 Varvara Lepchenko #57 Alison Riske #68 Christina McHale #72 Lauren Davis ==NON-U.S. NORTH AMERICA/ATLANTIC== #32 Eugenie Bouchard, CAN #55 Monica Puig, PUR #106 Sharon Fichman, CAN #200 Stephanie Dubois, CAN #238 Gabriela Dabrowski, CAN #280 Aleksandra Wozniak, CAN #372 Ana Sofia Sanchez, MEX #374 Marcela Zacarius, MEX #382 Heidi El Tabakh, CAN #447 Carol Zhou, CAN ==AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST== #77 Shahar Peer, ISR #80 Chanelle Scheepers, RSA #91 Julia Glushko, ISR #139 Ons Jabeur, TUN #149 Cagla Buyukakcay, TUR #183 Chanel Simmonds, RSA #215 Pemra Ozgen, TUR #277 Basak Eraydin, TUR #317 Deniz Khazaniuk, ISR #342 Melis Sezer, TUR
[SCANDINAVIA] #10 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN #83 Johanna Larsson, SWE #118 Sofia Arvidsson, SWE #368 Ulrikke Eikeri, NOR #440 Rebecca Peterson, SWE #455 Ellen Allgurin, SWE #475 Hilda Melander, SWE #521 Susanne Celik, SWE #570 Sandra Roma, SWE #607 Karen Barbat, DEN
*REVOLUTION CHECKS* ==RUSSIA== #4 Maria Sharapova #19 Maria Kirilenko #21 Svetlana Kuznetsova #24 Ekaterina Makarova #25 Elena Vesnina #26 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova #102 Nadia Petrova #120 Vera Dushevina #133 Olga Puchkova #137 Nina Bratchikova ==CHINA== #3 Li Na #45 Peng Shuai #151 Zhang Shuai #52 Zheng Jie #155 Zhou Yi-Miao #162 Zheng Saisai #173 Duan Ying-Ying #217 Wang Qiang #296 Zhang Yuxuan #301 Lu Fangzhou ==ROMANIA== #11 Simona Halep #22 Sorana Cirstea #60 Monica Niculescu #62 Alexandra Cadantu #124 Irina-Camelia Begu #157 Alexandra Dulgheru #179 Andreea Mitu #213 Cristina Dinu #314 Ana Bogdan #357 Laura Ioana Andrei ==CZECH REPUBLIC== #6 Petra Kvitova #29 Lucie Safarova #35 Klara Zakopalova #67 Karolina Pliskova #92 Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova #121 Kristyna Pliskova #132 Petra Cetkovska #134 Andrea Hlavackova #150 Lucie Hradecka #192 Eva Birnerova ==GERMANY== #4 Angelique Kerber #15 Sabine Lisicki #34 Mona Barthel #39 Andrea Petkovic #58 Annika Beck #73 Julia Goerges #98 Dinah Pfizenmeier #126 Anna-Lena Friedsam #210 Carina Witthoeft #229 Anne Schaefer ==AUSTRALIA== #18 Samantha Stosur #130 Casey Dellacqua #161 Anastasia Rodionova #164 Ashleigh Barty #166 Olivia Rogowska #232 Jarmila Gajdosova #242 Storm Sanders #278 Monique Adamczak #282 Viktoriya Rajicic #287 Sacha Jones #304 Tammi Patterson ==ITALY== #7 Sara Errani #14 Roberta Vinci #31 Flavia Pennetta #41 Karin Knapp #42 Francesca Schiavone #93 Camila Giorgi #169 Nastassja Burnett #202 Alberta Brianti #237 Maria Elena Camerin #246 Giulia Gatto-Monticone ==FRANCE== #13 Marion Bartoli #27 Alize Cornet #56 Kristina Mladenovic #75 Caroline Garcia #96 Virginie Razzano #128 Claire Feuerstein #136 Mathilde Johansson #156 Julie Coin #158 Alize Lim #159 Stephanie Foretz-Gacon ==GREAT BRITAIN== #46 Laura Robson #112 Johanna Konta #119 Heather Watson #199 Samantha Murray #216 Tara Moore #220 Elena Baltacha #256 Naomo Broady #300 Jade Windley #306 Amanda Carreras #326 Lisa Whybourn ==SPAIN== #17 Carla Suarez-Navarro #64 Garbine Muguruza #65 Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor #71 Lourdes Dominguez-Lino #82 Silvia Soler-Espinosa #97 Anabel Medina-Garrigues #100 Lara Arruabarrena #111 Estrella Cabeza-Candela #219 Arantxa Parra-Santonja #236 Beatriz Garcia Vidagany ==JAPAN== #54 Kimiko Date-Krumm #61 Ayumi Morita #76 Kurumi Nara #89 Misaki Doi #180 Erika Sema #188 Risa Ozaki #195 Sachie Ishizu #203 Yurika Sema #218 Eri Hozumi #227 Mayo Hibi ==SERBIA== #8 Jelena Jankovic #16 Ana Ivanovic #36 Bojana Jovanovski #103 Vesna Dolonts #145 Aleksandra Krunic #167 Jovana Jaksic #234 Doroteja Eric ==KAZAKHSTAN== #69 Galina Voskoboeva #81 Yaroslava Shvedova #105 Yulia Putintseva #142 Sesil Karatantcheva #163 Zarina Diyas #459 Anna Danilina #460 Kamila Kerimbayeva ==SLOVAK REPUBLIC== #23 Dominika Cibulkova #33 Daniela Hantuchova #38 Magdalena Rybarikova #74 Anna Schmiedlova #94 Jana Cepelova #154 Kristina Kucova #266 Michaela Honcova #316 Zuzana Zlochova #412 Chantal Skamlova #416 Petra Uberalova ==UKRAINE== #40 Elina Svitolina #70 Lesia Tsurenko #107 Nadiya Kichenok #117 Maryna Zanevska #172 Yuliya Beygelzimer #175 Olga Savchuk #187 Lyudmyla Kichenok #204 Kateryna Kozlova #221 Anastasiya Vasylyeva #231 Valentyna Ivakhnenko ==BELGIUM== #20 Kirsten Flipkens #59 Yanina Wickmayer #129 Alison Van Uytvanck #138 An-Sophie Mestach #321 Ysaline Bonaventure #467 Marie Benoit #577 Elise Mertens #583 Klaartje Liebens ==ARGENTINA== #63 Paula Ormaechea #191 Maria Irigoyen #197 Florencia Molinero #322 Vanessa Furlanetto #355 Catalina Pella #415 Carolina Zeballos #449 Victoria Bosio #453 Andrea Benitez #490 Tatiana Bua #559 Mailen Auroux ==NETHERLANDS== #87 Kiki Bertens #160 Arantxa Rus #178 Richel Hogenkamp #251 Lesley Kerkhove #272 Indy De Vroome #275 Michaella Krajicek #298 Cindy Burger #328 Angelique Van Der Meet ==AUSTRIA== #50 Yvonne Meusburger #99 Patricia Mayr-Achleitner #177 Melanie Klaffner #181 Tamira Paszek #324 Lisa-Maria Moser ==TAIWAN== #85 Hsieh Su-Wei #248 Chan Yung-Jan #325 Chan Chin-Wei #433 Lee Pei-Chi #442 Lee Ya-Hsuan
*RUSSIAN RESULTS ON THE WTA TOUR* 2001...0 titles, 3 RU, 6 SF 2002...6 titles, 8 RU, 11 SF 2003...11 titles, 4 RU, 20 SF 2004...15 titles, 18 RU, 30 SF 2005...9 titles, 8 RU, 36 SF 2006...19 titles, 15 RU, 30 SF 2007...12 titles, 15 RU, 26 SF 2008...18 titles, 20 RU, 21 SF 2009...13 titles, 13 RU, 19 SF 2010...13 titles, 16 RU, 14 SF 2011...7 titles, 7 RU, 18 SF 2012...6 titles, 11 RU, 9 SF 2013...7 titles, 6 RU, 10 SF
*BIGGEST RISES IN THE RANKINGS* =end of '12 to end of '13= [in 2013 Top 25] +51...Svetlana Kuznetsova (#72 to #21) +44...Elena Vesnina (#69 to #25) +36...Simona Halep (#47 to #11) +34...Kirsten Flipkens (#54 to #20) +26...Sloane Stephens (#38 to #12) +22...Sabine Lisicki (#37 to #15) +17...Carla Suarez-Navarro (#34 to #17) +14...Jelena Jankovic (#22 to #8) [2013 Top 26-50] +126...Bethanie Mattek-Sands (#173 to #47) +116...Elina Svitolina (#156 to #40) +112...Eugenie Bouchard (#144 to #32) +112...Madison Keys (#149 to #37) +104...Andrea Petkovic (#143 to #39) +82...Karin Knapp (#123 to #41) +79...Yvonne Meusburger (#129 to #50) +68...Peng Shuai (#113 to #45) +43...Jamie Hampton (#71 to #28) +24...Magdalena Rybarikova (#62 to #38) +20...Bojana Jovanovski (#56 to #36) [2013 Top 51-100] +375...Ajla Tomljanovic (#453 to #78) +138...Anna Schmiedlova (#212 to #74) +122...Alison Riske (#179 to #57) +92...Kimiko Date-Krumm (#146 to #54) +85...Teliana Pereira (#175 to #90) +81...Kurumi Nara (#157 to #76) +79...Julia Glushko (#170 to #91) +73...Paula Ormaechea (#136 to #63) +72...Monica Puig (#127 to #55) +71...Zhang Shuai (#122 to #51) +65...Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (#164 to #99) +64...Virginie Razzano (#160 to #96) +63...Caroline Garcia (#138 to #75) +60...Dinah Pfizenmaier (#158 to #98) +53...Karolina Pliskova (#120 to #67)
*BIGGEST FALLS IN THE RANKINGS* =end of '12 to end of '13= [2012 Top 25] -80...Nadia Petrova (#12 to #102) -60...Hsieh Su-Wei (#25 to #85) -55...Julia Goerges (#18 to #73) -36...Yanina Wickmayer (#23 to #59) -32...Varvara Lepchenko (#21 to #53) -12...Lucie Safarova (#17 to #29) [2012 Top 26-50] -237...Aleksandra Wozniak (#43 to #280) -151...Tamira Paszek (#30 to #181) -104...Lucie Hradecka (#46 to #150) -77...Sofia Arvidsson (#41 to #118) -70...Heather Watson (#49 to #119) -66...Tsvetana Pironkova (#42 to #108) -52...Yaroslava Shvedova (#29 to #81) -47...Anabel Medina-Garrigues (#50 to #97) -35...Christina McHale (#33 to #68) -26...Zheng Jie (#26 to #52) -25...Venus Williams (#24 to #49) -23...Lourdes Dominguez-Lino (#48 to #71) -12...Urszula Radwanska (#31 to #43) -11...Kaia Kanepi (#19 to #30) [2012 Top 51-100] DNP: Iveta Benesova (#81 to NR) DNP: Vera Zvonareva (#98 to NR) -504...Chang Kai-Chen (#89 to #593) -159...Pauline Parmentier (#66 to #225) -149...Melinda Czink (#96 to #245) -92...Arantxa Rus (#68 to #160) -89...Eleni Daniilidou (#100 to #189) -77...Petra Cetkovska (#55 to #132) -74...Anna Tatishvili (#51 to #125) -72...Irina-Camelia Begu (#52 to #124) -69...Andrea Hlavackova (#65 to #134) -57...Petra Martic (#59 to #116) -52...Nina Bratchikova (#85 to #137) -50...Mathilde Johansson (#86 to #136)
*SINGLES & DOUBLES* (singles/doubles ranks) =TOP 25 IN BOTH (5)= Sara Errani (#7, co-#1) Jelena Jankovic (#8, #20) Ekaterina Makarova (#24, #7) Elena Vesnina (#25, #5) Roberta Vinci (#14, co-#1) =TOP 50 IN BOTH (+8)= Marina Erakovic (#48, #28) Daniela Hantuchova (#33, #49) Bethanie Mattek-Sands (#47, #36) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (#26, #21) Peng Shuai (#45, #4) Flavia Pennetta (#31, #32) Lucie Safarova (#29, #18) Samantha Stosur (#18, #47)
*NATIONS WITH TOP 100 DOUBLES PLAYER, BUT NOT SINGLES* GEORGIA: #80 Anna Tatishvili GREECE: #79 Elena Daniilidou INDIA: #9 Sania Mirza LATVIA: #86 Liga Dekmeijere LUXEMBOURG: #62 Mandy Minella THAILAND: #93 Tamarine Tanasugarn ZIMBABWE: #13 Cara Black [singles highs] GEORGIA: #125 Anna Tatishvili GREECE: #189 Elena Daniilidou INDIA: #294 Ankita Raina LATVIA: #252 Diana Marcinkevica LUXEMBOURG: #115 Mandy Minella THAILAND: #114 Luksika Kumkhum ZIMBABWE: none -- 2010: 9 2011: 3 2012: 6 2013: 7
So... whew!
Yeah, Sabine. I know exactly how you feel.
Now, hopefully, I didn't flub up any numbers or figures after all that transcribing.
The first of my "between-seasons" updates, as matches continue to be played, and preparations for 2014 are already underway...
Love/Love... the star of the first post-WTA season week was a Waffle. Alison Van Uytvanck, to be precise. The 19-year old, ranked #129, advanced to the final of and won the biggest title of her career at the WTA 125 challenger in Taipei. She notched wins over Olga Puchkova, Alla Kudryavtseva, Ekaterina Bychkova, Dinah Pfizenmaier and countrywoman Yanina Wickmayer in the championship match -- the first all-Belgian title clash in any WTA-sponsored event since Barbie & LPT met in Brisbane in January '10. AVU reached the doubles final with Anna-Lena Friedsam, as well. ============================= Love/15... in losing 6-4/6-2 to Van Uytvanck, Wickmayer falls to 0-5 in the last three years in WTA and WTA 125 challenger level finals. ============================= Love/30... while Caroline Wozniacki has taken up with Thomas Hogstedt as her new coach, Samantha Stosur will do so with Miles Maclagan in 2014. We'll see how this works out for the Aussie, in particular, because she really seemed to be sparked -- to the tune of three straight appearances in finals -- while temporarily working with Alicia Molik in the closing weeks of '13 following her split with long-time coach David Taylor. ============================= 15/30...
============================= 15/40... Yaroslava Shvedova, one of the former-Hordettes who had to observe from afar the whole Russian Fed Cup mess of a week ago through intrigued eyes, is shining a little light on what was a disappointing murky season in singles in '13 (outside of the Top 80), and something hardly up to her previous standards in doubles (outside the Top 50), as well. For the second straight week, she appeared in the doubles final of a WTA 125 challenger. In Nanjing, she and Zhang Shuai lost, but the Kazakh managed to take the crown in Taipei with Caroline Garcia. Shvedova won two tour level doubles crowns earlier this season. ============================= 30/40... though it didn't help anyone out of a bad situation this year, it should be noted that next season the Fed Cup final will be moved back a week so that it won't conflict with the WTA's fabled Tournament of "Champions" event. ============================= Deuce... the NCAA 2013-14 season is underway, with two majors having already been played. The result of both was the same, with University of North Carolina freshman Jamie Loeb defeating UCLA junior Robin Anderson in the final. A New York state native, new Tar Heel Loeb grabbed her most recent title at the NCAA's USTA/ITA Indoor Championship at Flushing Meadows. ============================= Advantage, Russian... in ITF news, Russian (again) Ksenia Pervak claimed the $50K challenger in Istanbul with a win in the final over Eva Birnerova (CZE) to run her winning streak to ten matches. Of note, the 22-year defeated Hordette Fed Cup (almost) heroine Alexandra Panova in the quarterfinals of the event.
Meanwhile, Mandy Minella (LUX) defeated Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN) in the $50K event at Captiva Island, Florida. The veteran got earlier wins over youngsters Allie Will and Allie Kiick, as well. Dabrowski and Will ended up taking the doubles crown.
In Lima, Peru, 19-year old Mexican Ana Sofia Sanchez defeated Francesca Segarelli (born in Rome, though playing for the Domenican Republic) to take her third ITF challenger of the season, tying her for the most amongst North Americans in 2013.
Also, #10-ranked junior Ivana Jorovic of Serbia won a $10K in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The 16-year old, who recently won the girls title at the Osaka Cup, took her third challenger title of the season with a win in the final over Janina Toljan (AUT). ============================= Deuce...
**2013 SINGLES TITLE COMBINATION TREE** [WTA + WTA 125 + ITF] Zhang Shuai/CHN - 1 WTA / 1 WTA 125 / 1 ITF [WTA + WTA 125] Bojana Jovanovski/SRB - 1 WTA / 1 WTA 125 [WTA + ITF] Yvonne Meusburger/AUT - 1 WTA / 3 ITF Karolina Pliskova/CZE - 1 WTA / 1 ITF Lucie Safarova/CZE - 1 WTA / 1 ITF Elina Svitolina/UKR - 1 WTA / 2 ITF [WTA 125 + ITF] ALISON VAN UYTVANCK/BEL - 1 WTA 125 / 3 ITF
**WTA 125 SINGLES CHAMPIONS** [2012] Kristina Mladenovic, FRA Elina Svitolina, UKR [2013] Lara Arruabarrena, ESP Bojana Jovanovski, SRB Shahar Peer, ISR ALISON VAN UYTVANCK, BEL Zhang Shuai, CHN [2012-13 RUNNERS-UP] Catalina Castano, COL Chang Kai-Chen, TPE Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN Ayumi Morita, JPN Yanina Wickmayer, BEL Zhang Shuai, CHN Zheng Saisai, CHN
**RECENT ALL-NATION FINALS** [2010] Brisbane - Clijsters d. Henin (BELGIUM) Kuala Lumpur - Kleybanova d. Dementieva (RUSSIA) Barcelona - Schiavone d. Vinci (ITALY) Istanbul - Pavlyuchenkova d. Vesnina (RUSSIA) Tashkent - Kudryavtseva d. Vesnina (RUSSIA) [2011] Baku - Zvonareva d. Pervak (RUSSIA) [2012] Acapulco - Errani d. Pennetta (ITALY) Stanford - Serena Williams d. Coco Vandeweghe (USA) [2013] Palermo - Vinci d. Errani (ITALY) Taipei 125 - VAN UYTVANCK d. WICKMAYER (BELGIUM)
**2013 ITF TITLES - North Americans** 3...Bernarda Pera, USA 3...Shelby Rogers, USA 3...ANA SOFIA SANCHEZ, MEX 2...Madison Brengle, USA 2...Victoria Rodriguez, MEX
1. $25K Astana Final - Nadiya Kichenok/UKR d. Ilona Kremen/BLR ...6-3/6-1. Nadiya picks up her third singles challenger crown of the season, and... ------------------------------------- 2. $25K Astana Doubles Final - Kichenok/Kichenok d. Artamanova/Pashkova ...6-1/6-1. She picks up her 17th career ITF crown with her twin sister Lyudmyla, too. ------------------------------------- 3. $15K Phuket 2nd Rd. - Lu Jia-Jing/CHN d. Lu Jia-Xiang/CHN ...6-1/6-1. The 23-year old sisters face off against one another in singles, then... ------------------------------------- 4. $15K Phuket Doubles Final - Lu/Lu d. Plipuech/Varunya Wongteanchai ...6-4/7-5. They make up by joining together to claim their 10th career ITF doubles title. ------------------------------------- 5. Taipei WTA 125 1st Rd. - Ekaterina Bychkova d. Chan Yung-Jan 6-1/7-5 Taipei WTA 125 1st Rd. - Zheng Saisai d. Chan Hao-Ching 6-3/6-1 Taipei WTA 125 Doubles 1st Rd. - Friedsam/Van Uytvanck d. Chan/Chan 6-2/6-4 ...things didn't go nearly as well for the Chan siblings in Taipei, though.
============================= Match... and, finally, I'll be back soon with more Backspin Awards, including the Performance & Match Lists this week, and the WTA Yearbook sometime between today and next Monday. =============================
...after missing time following her injury-related exit from Wimbledon, Azarenka looked for most of the hard court season like a player working off the rust of too much time out. Her serve never really did cease to become a problem to be overcome. Still, she called upon her hard-won experience and getting-it-done skills to reach the final in Carlsbad, defeat Serena in Cincinnati and somehow compensate for her erratic level of play (and that dress) to return to the U.S. Open final. Once there, she raised the level of her NYC game to once again give Williams her only real competition of the tournament. In the end, she'd earned some of the respect that used to elude her (though Serena and the Williams clan seem to have always looked upon Vika as an equal on the court... or as close anyone can be in the face of the guiding power of Serenativity), having reached four straight hard court slam finals and measuring space for the name to eventually be engraved onto the silver U.S. Open championship cup. Well, that is, if Serena ever lets her vice-like grip loosen just enough for Azarenka, a runner-up two years running in a pair of classically-played finals, to finally wrestle it away from her.
...while Hannah Storm was away, ESPN decided to play. (LZ... stop staring at the camera.) Why LZ was on set, I will not offer a theory, though there are many floating in the ether. (LZ... aren't you going to say ANYTHING?) While Granderson is apparently a well-regarded journalist, his contribution to the network's grand slam coverage was less than nil, as he usually just came off on camera as a well-dressed (and dread-locked) paperweight. He seemed to serve no true, tennis-related purpose. Well, unless you count his making Storm seem quite good and essential by comparison, I suppose.
...Stefan Gordy. The son of 
...yes, STILL, one year after both finished 1-2 in Backspin's "All-Time MVP" competition. Thing is, they're still relevant as far as this space in concerned. Consider, both had kids in 2013. Justine a girl, Lalie, and Kim a boy, Jack. Plus, Clijsters was lauded for her support of Kirsten Flipkens during the Waffle's Wimbledon semifinal run, and then there's the fact that the memory of "La Petit Taureau" lives on with...
...she defeats Serena in Melbourne, but still manages to lose battles against lesser-ranked players while holding leads and serving for matches. She thrives on the biggest stages of the world, yet still hasn't found a way to even reach a tour final, let alone win a title. She calls Serena her "friend" and talks about having her poster on her wall, then rips the media for creating the story of her idolization of and mentoring by said Ms. Williams... then she goes on Twitter and uses a magazine interview to unload the "truth" about how mean Serena is because she didn't sign an autograph when Past Sloane was a toddler and -- egad! -- how downright awful she is because she "un-friended" her. Thankfully, Stephens' talent and potential persist, as well as a personality that CAN shine if not allowed to grow like some slow-moving-but-calculating Blob from a classic horror movie. All should get her far, both on and off court. Eventually. Future Sloane is bound to be great. Current Sloane is still a work in progress.
...The Rad has been largely quiet since Wimbledon. I guess even a power-hungry Alter Ego bent on world domination and destruction deserves a bit of a rest after laying waste to the All-England Club like It did in The 
...if the Serb keeps this up, she might have to start being called "RIGHT Way" BoJo around here. Just weeks after grabbing her second career regular-tour singles title in Tashkent, Jovanovski once again managed to make it to the correct city AND win another crown in the $125K WTA Challenger in Ningbo, China with wins over Virginie Razzano, Anna Schmiedlova, Johanna Larsson and Zhang Shuai in the final. Speaking of Zhang, her trip to the Ningbo final (she was also a runner-up there in '12 when the event was positioned as a $100K ITF challenger) was her second such trip in two weeks, as she won the tour-level event in Guangzhou a week ago. The Chinese woman said last weekend that she looked at her result as a "beginning," and she proved herself correct with additional wins over Zheng Jie, Anabel Medina-Garrigues and Yvonne Meusburger. Zheng also reached the doubles final with Chan Yung-Jan, and her efforts proved even more successful there as she picked up the fourth WTA/WTA 125 doubles title of her career.
...for a bit, it looked as if the two Waffles might just walk arm-in-arm into Newport in the same year, but since Henin's final retirement came in 2011, while Clijsters toughed it out for one more season despite embarking on her comeback from early retirement before her Belgian counterpart did the same, it'll be La Petit Taureau who'll make her way in the Hall of Fame before Barbie. Hmmm... does that count as a "final victory" in their career-long push-pull?
...all the Wheelchair great -- the most dominant athlete in any sport over the past decade -- did was win twenty-one slam singles and, twenty-three slam doubles crowns, as well as four Paralympic Golds. She was ranked #1 for thirteen years, 668 weeks, and won 120 tournaments in a row during the astounding 470-match winning streak that ended only when she played her final match in 2012. Oh, and she won eighty-nine matches in a row BEFORE her last loss, making her 559-1 in her last 560. There are currently just two Wheelchair athletes in the Hall of Fame, sport founder 
...with 137 weeks as the doubles #1, Raymond has held the position during her career for longer than all but three players. Six slam doubles and four mixed crowns, as well as the sixth-most overall doubles titles all-time on the WTA tour would seem to make the American a safe HOF pick. Earlier in her career, the two-time NCAA champion won four tour singles titles, too.
...as a doubles duo, their case is pretty strong. Suarez held the #1 ranking for 87 weeks, while Ruano Pascual did the same for 65, including a 16-month run in 2004-05. As a team, they combined for eight slam crowns (VRP won two more with another partner, as well as a mixed slam). A dual entry into the HOF is not without precedence, as 14-time slam winners Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva entered as a doubles team in 2010. The answer here will now take a little while longer, though both retired years ago (VRP in '09, two years after Suarez), as Suarez briefly returned to the tour last year in order to play doubles for Argentina in the London Olympics.
...it's likely a both-or-neither case when it comes to the Serbs in the Hall of Fame. If neither ever get the last few pieces of the puzzle that would make their case a less than controversial one, they'll go down as a memorable two-headed near miss. Both reached #1, but only JJ finished a season there. Jankovic reached a slam final, while AnaIvo reached three and is the only Serbian woman to win one. But that was back in 2008, and her career has been a disappointment since then. Jankovic has actually been the more consistent threat, not to mention the most entertaining player on tour over the past decade. If only JJ could have led the Serbs to a Fed Cup title last year in what might have been her last best shot at a true "defining moment," her career-long series of FC highlights might have provided a basis for a discussion. Now, though, she'd likely have to put together an unexpected late-career surge to get back in the conversation. 
...it was a strange season for Vika. As usual, she was publicly lambasted and assailed by media and fans in Melbourne, this time for taking a medical timeout at a crucial moment in her semifinal vs. Sloane Stephens. Then, also per usual, she went on to win the Australian Open. After that, up was down, and down was often up. Azarenka won three titles, but battled injuries throughout the season. Her first career Roland Garros semifinal couldn't be celebrated for long, as she slipped and injured herself in her 1st Round match at Wimbledon, forcing her to withdraw from the tournament before her next match and spend the rest of the season trying to get healthy, find her motivation, and rediscover her flagging form. Whatever success she found on all those fronts in the closing months of the season, it didn't come without much struggle. Over the course of 2013, Azarenka mixed in two season-defining wins in finals over Serena, but lost her #1 ranking after one (Doha) and then saw her second (in Cincinnati) mentioned by Williams as something that inspired the American to her latest U.S. Open championship run. Naturally, in a rematch of the '12 final, it was Vika who played and pushed Serena to three sets there, having battled mightily to just reach the final after laboring with her serve and nearly every opponent she faced in Flushing Meadows. Ultimately, she ended the year at the WTA Championships, playing through a back injury, valiantly avoiding her first '13 loss via retirement (making this her first professional season in which she's been able to say that), but also admitting afterward that one of the reasons she didn't play it safe and quit was because, with Melbourne and the past criticism she's received for retiring during matches still taking up space in a corner of her mind, she was leery of the response she might receive if she did. Hmmm, perhaps it was just the rambling of a tired Belarusian who wasn't totally thinking straight. Otherwise, I wonder if such a response to media criticism might be something to worry about. As I've made explicitly clear in this space over the past two seasons, as Vika has replaced Justine Henin as the beloved "face of Backspin," I like my Azarenka funky, thinking for herself, standing up to criticism and not giving a crying shame what her overzealous detractors might think of her. Perhaps as she's been gradually more embraced by fans and the like, and maybe even as her relationship with musician Redfoo has possibly made her more "relatable" and well known, Vika has come to care more and more about her image and reputation and grown weary of defending herself. That's not a bad thing, per se. But she should tread lightly. It's no coincidence that her two best career results have come in grand slams in which she weathered media controversy, allowing her to tap into the innate toughness and will to win that helped her mature from a "crazy kid" into a champion. Azarenka need not create false obstacles to knock down in order to be at her best on the court, but maintaining something of an edge HAS allowed her to refine her focus in her career's most important moments. Vika being Vika, because that's who she is, is a good thing, but an Azarenka that cares TOO much about how people will react to the things she says or does makes one consider whether such distractions could prevent her from continuing to be the champion that she can, and has, been. Of course, maybe I'm overreacting. If she can just spend some time working on her serve, everything will probably turn out just fine.
Speaking of a career being shortened. What can I say about Bartoli? On the whole, La Trufflette didn't really have a great season. Her year-end ranking fell, and she had just one semifinal or better result. Oh, but it was at Wimbledon. Which she won. Then she retired in shocking (but not REALLY) fashion just a month and a half later, through she eventually left the door open rather widely for a potential return. If it means anything, while most retired players with high standing have their name removed from the computer rankings within a week or two of the end of their careers, here we are some three months since the delightfully eccentric Bartoli's retirement announcement in Cincinnati and she's still listed as the #13th-ranked player in the world, her tour-best 335th streak of consecutive weeks inside the Top 20 fully intact.
Hmmm, so Galileo had Aga at a "low" #7 on his list, while I had her down at #14 and didn't offer any apologies for it. I guess that means I'll be treated to a healthy dose of smashed melons on my doorstep until The Rad is no longer an "official" threat to humankind... or at least existing in as plain a sight as It did at places like Wimbledon on Day 3 this summer. But I trust that Citizen Anna will save the day... though I guess we'll have to wait until the day before Christmas to find out the details about that, huh?
