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Wk.15 (Part 1)- The Brazilian Graduate

April 19, 2015, 8:57 pm
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Where have you gone, Neige Dias? A nation turns it's lonely eyes to you.

Woo-hoo-hoo.



There was so much happening in Week 15 that it'll take two posts to contain it all!



*WEEK 15 CHAMPIONS*
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (Int'l $250K/RCO)
S: Teliana Pereira/BRA def. Yaroslava Shvedova/KAZ 7-6(2)/6-1
D: Goncalves/Haddad Maia (BRA/BRA) d. Falconi/Rogers (USA/USA)


WTA PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Teliana Pereira/BRA
..."This has been the best week of my life," Pereira said after becoming the first Brazilian to claim a WTA singles title since 1988. A week after winning her then-biggest title at a $50K challenger in Medellin, the 26-year old won in the tour-level event in Bogota with victories of Francesca Schiavone, Mandy Minella, Lourdes Dominguez-Lino, #1-seed Elina Svitolina and Yaroslava Shvedova in the final. Her previous WTA bests had been semifinals in this same event in '13 (as a qualifier) and in Rio in 2014. 21-5 on the season, Pereira has now won ten straight matches, and jumps from #130 to a career-high #81 in the new rankings. Her win over #27-ranked Svitolina ties the Brazilian's career-best set with a win over Sorana Cirstea last season in Charleston.


Hey, hey, hey... hey, hey, hey.
=============================
RISER:Mariana Duque/COL
...not surprisingly, the Colombian has been a consistent winner in Bogota, and on clay (she was the '07 RG girls RU to Alize Cornet). She won her only WTA singles title in the city in 2010 (def. first-time finalist Angelique Kerber), and just last year she reached the semifinals there in a $100K challenger. Duque was at it again this past week, defeating Timea Babos, Tatjana Maria and Julia Glushko to reach the first tour SF since she won in Bogota in '10. The 25-year old lost there to Teliana Pereira, who also defeated her in a SF a week ago in the $50K Medellin challenger. The result bumps Duque up twenty spots in the new rankings from #134 to #114.
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SURPRISE:Irina Falconi/USA
...in 2011, Falconi was in prime position to be one of the players that U.S. FC Captain Mary Joe Fernandez could totally ignore on at least two weekends every year. She upset Klara Koukalova (then Zakopalova) and Dominika Cibulkova at the U.S. Open, climbing into the Top 75 and completing her only Top 100 season. Her upward progression didn't continue, but she's shown signs of a resurgence of late. Her multi-tournament challenger run last year won her the USTA's wild card into this season's Australian Open (she reached the 2nd Round), and her Bogota wins over Sorana Cirstea and Dinah Pfizenmaier gave Falconi her first tour-level QF result since Birmingham '12. The 24-year old is 17-9 on the season, is back inside the Top 100 (#83) and is even showing signs of being a "dual threat" after also reaching the Bogota doubles final (the third of her career) with Shelby Rogers. So, I guess she's free game for Mary Joe to ignore again. After all, isn't that what all up-and-coming American players aspire to?

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VETERAN:Yaroslava Shvedova/KAZ
...the 27-year old actually won a tour title in Bangalore back in 2007 when she was representing Russia, but ever since she joined the legions of new Kazakhs beginning in 2008 Shvedova has been the leading contender to become the first Kazakh woman to win a tour-level singles title. Well, we're still waiting (and Zarina Diyas still has a shot!). Shvedova, troubled by inconsistency throughout her career, IS at least getting close. She's reached a pair of QF at Roland Garros in her career (and the Round of 16 twice at Wimbledon) but Shvedova's run to the final in Bogota was her first since she won her lone title eight years ago. Her wins over Maryna Zanevska, Sachia Vickery, #2-seed Monica Puig and Mariana Duque lifted her standing in the new rankings from #75 all the way up to #56.
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COMEBACK:Nastassja Burnett/ITA
...the 23-year old Italian is finally back on the board after taking time off for elbow surgery last summer. In February '14, Burnett had made a semifinal run at the tour-level event in Rio and rose to #121, but she saw the bottom drop out of her results soon after. When she fell to Alexandra Dulgheru in Wimbledon qualifying, she'd dropped six straight matches and ten of eleven. She came into last week's $10K challenger in Pula -- just her second tournament back -- ranked at #765, but managed to string together multiple wins for the first time since her Rio run and ended up walking away with her first ITF title since 2011 when she defeated countrywoman Alice Balducci in the final.
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FRESH FACES:Elina Svitolina/UKR & Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA
...Svitolina, 20, is the second-youngest player (behind Madison Keys) in the Top 30, and had her first #1-seeded experience in a WTA event last week in Bogota. The Ukrainian has been adept at handling such pressures in the past, as she became a rare teenager to defend a tour singles title when she repeated as Baku champ last season. But while her wins over Louisa Chirico, Danka Kovinic and Irina Falconi were nice, her semifinal loss to Teliana Pereira proved to be a tad bit disappointing. But it's already Svitolina's second semifinal of '15 after putting up four SF-or-better results a year ago. Meanwhile, 18-year old Haddad became the youngest singles or doubles champion on tour this year when she teamed with fellow Brazilian Paula Cristina Goncalves to claim the first WTA title for either with a win in the final over Irina Falconi & Shelby Rogers. Earlier this season, Haddad had held three match points against Sara Errani in the Rio QF before seeing the Italian defeat her and then go on to win the title. In Bogota, she made it through qualifying and put up a 1st Round win before falling to Lourdes Dominguez-Lino.
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DOWN:Francesca Schiavone/ITA
...Schiavone will turn 35 in June and, except for the occasional nice run, her results generally speak to a career well beyond twilight these days. She put up five wins earlier this season in Monterrey, but she's 2-8 elsewhere in '15, including her 1 & 4 1st Round loss to eventual Bogota champ Teliana Pereira last week. Since she won a title in Marrakech last April, the former Roland Garros champ (and two-time finalist) has put up a 7-10 record on clay courts.
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ITF PLAYER:Anhelina Kalinina/UKR
...the 18-year old Ukrainian notched her second challenger title in as many weeks with her win in the $25K in Pelham, Alabama. Kalinina put up victories over Olga Ianchuk, new-Bannerette Edina Gallovits-Hall (ah, another player for MJF to overlook!) and #2-seeded Laura Siegemund (the defending champ in the event) in straight sets in the final.
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JUNIOR STARS:Tereza Mihalikova/SVK & Charlotte Robillard-Millette/CAN
...Mihalikova was the Australian Open girls champ earlier this season, and now she's a first-time ITF singles crown winner, as well. The 16-year old Slovak took the title at the $10K in Cairo with wins over the #2 and #5 seeds, then downed #3-seed Dea Herdzelas 7-5/6-3 in the final. She also reached the doubles final. Meanwhile, no matter how disappointing Genie Bouchard's efforts were in Montreal, 16-year old Robillard-Millette joined Francoise Abanda in the encouraging column for the Canadians. The #53-ranked junior, CRM (the #2 seed) won the Grade 2 event in Istres, France to claim her biggest title yet. She took out top-seeded Lucie Wargnier in the final, and was also the doubles runner-up.
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DOUBLES:Paula Cristina Goncalves/BRA
...Goncalves joined Haddad Maia as the final piece in Brazil's sweep of the titles in Bogota. The 24-year old's win gives her her maiden tour-level doubles title after winning fourteen times in her career on the ITF circuit. With BHM, the Brazilians are the seventh and eighth first-time doubles champions on tour this season.
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1. Bogota Final - Pereira d. Shvedova
...7-6(2)/6-1. Pereira was still a few months away from being born when Neige Dias became the last Brazilian woman to claim a WTA singles title when she won in Barcelona in April '88. Of course, thanks to the WTA website reconstruction of a few years ago that eliminated so much tour history and detailed biographical information on players' careers, there's no actual bio page of Dias on the current site. But if you want to know something about Sabrina Dias (born in 1993) and Verusa Dias (1989), then you're in luck! For the record, Dias won two WTA titles in her career, though she was barely a .500 player (78-77) during her time as a professional. At the '87 U.S. Open, she defeated Arantxa Sanchez in the future #1's debut at Flushing Meadows, then lost to Chris Evert a round later. She was 0-2 vs. Steffi Graf, including a "not bad" 6-4/6-3 loss to the German at Amelia Island in 1986 (she was double-bageled in their other meeting), and had a win over Jana Novotna in Rome in '88. Said Pereira of Dias, "I've never seen her, but I know her name because two years ago when I made the semifinals here, it was a big result for Brazil and I heard her name." At least there's proof of her existence on the ITF site.
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2. Bogota 1st Rd. - Haddad Maia d. Herazo
...6-3/2-6/7-6(2). It'd been nice if we'd had an all-Brazilian quarterfinal, but I supposed Haddad Maia was fortunate just to escape the 1st Round. Herazo served at 5-4 in the 3rd set.
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3. $10K Heraklion Final - Raluca Georgiana Serban d. Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar
...6-2/6-3. The former Texas A&M star is still making progress toward that first ITF singles title. But she's not there yet. She didn't have to qualify in Heraklion, and was the #8 seed. But she's now winless in five singles finals over the last eleven weeks.
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HM- Stuttgart Q2 - Mattek-Sands d. Friedsam
...6-2/7-6(4). Maybe BMS was busy rebuilding her ranking -- on clay, by the way -- after her injury layoff. But Bethanie sure would have been useful in Brindisi. I'm just sayin'. I wonder if she was even asked if she was free?
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1. Bogota 1st Rd. - Falconi/Rogers d. Maria Paulina Perez Garcia/Paula Andrea Perez Garcia
...6-0/6-3. Down go the Colombian twins!
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2. Bogota QF - Falconi/Rogers d. Anastasia Rodionova/Arina Rodionova
...7-5/7-6(5). Down go the Russo-Aussies! Ah, but taking out TWO pairs of sisters does NOT ensure victory in the end.
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Although, losing to BOTH Radwanskas doesn't hurt a bit. Right, Martina?



My, how things have changed.
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Maria didn't play in Sochi, but she DID celebrate a birthday on Sunday. Her 28th, in fact.





**WTA CLAY TITLES - active**
11...Serena Williams, USA
10...Maria Sharapova, RUS
10...Anabel Medina-Garrigues, ESP
7...Sara Errani, ITA
7...Flavia Pennetta, ITA
7...Venus Williams, USA
6...Jelena Jankovic, SRB

**2015 LOW-RANKED SEMIFINALISTS**
#181 Hsieh Su-Wei/TPE - Kuala Lumpur
#158 Sesil Karatantcheva/BUL - Acapulco
#134 MARIANA DUQUE/COL- Bogota
#130 TELIANA PEREIRA/BRA - Bogota (W)
#110 Lucie Hradecka/CZE - Charleston
#105 Alison Van Uytvanck/BEL - Katowice

**2015 YOUNGEST DOUBLES CHAMPIONS**
18 - BEATRIZ HADDAD MAIA, BRA (Bogota)
19 - Rebecca Peterson, SWE (Rio)
20 - Ysaline Bonaventure, BEL (Rio,Katowice)
20 - Wang Yafan, CHN (Kuala Lumpur)

**2015 FIRST-TIME WTA DOUBLES CHAMPIONS**
Kiki Bertens, NED
PAULA CRISTINA GONCALVES, BRA
BEATRIZ HADDAD MAIA, BRA
Lydmyla Kichenok, UKR
Nadiia Kichenok, UKR
Rebecca Peterson, SWE
Demi Schuurs, NED
Wang Yafan, CHN





So, which one is it that is going along for the ride with whom, anyway?



Beats being in Brindisi, I suppose.

?? #titanic #pose #tobadthereisnoDiCaprioInthepicture #sorrysascha #nothingpersonal ??????

A photo posted by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on


Queen of the world!




STUTTGART, GERMANY (Premier $731K/red clay indoor)
14 Final: Sharapova d. Ivanovic (Sharapova 2012-14)
14 Doubles Final: Errani/Vinci d. Black/Mirza
15 Top Seeds: Sharapova/Halep
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=SF=
#1 Sharapova d. #3 Kvitova
Muguruza d. #8 Suarez-Navarro
=FINAL=
Muguruza d. #1 Sharapova

...yes, Muguruza would likely have to run something akin to a WTA gauntlet to do this, as Halep, Radwanska, CSN and either Sharapova or Kvitova would probably have to be taken down in successive rounds. But it's time for the Spaniard to finally begin to put up the consistent sort of results that back up her potentially prodigious talent. This would be as good a time as any to start.

That said, she'll probably lose in the 2nd Round to the Swarmette Queen (getting revenge for Muguruza's Fed Cup thrashing of her in February), who'll then go on to take the title and next week's post will be about how Simona might be the favorite to win in Paris.


All right, with both sides of that coin now covered... how did Petko and Co. drown their Fed Cup sorrows?



Here's to what might have been, and what no one will ever really know. But more on that in Part 2 of the Week 15 recap.


All for now.
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Wk.15 (Part 2)- We've Got to Fight for Our Right to Par-tee

April 20, 2015, 2:53 pm
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Well, now THAT was SOMETHING! The Paint-a-Mustache-on-Mary-Joe party at Backspin HQ last night was incredible!

E.P.I.C.

In case any of you missed it (you know who you are... for shame!), here's all that was left in the ballroom that wasn't unrecognizable once we picked through the ruins this morning:



I'm thinking someone is going to have to put this effort in a frame and hang it on the wall. Knowing MJF, it won't take long before there's enough artwork to fill an entire gallery.

Welcome to the Captain Obvious Fed Cup Hall of Shame.



*WEEK 15*

=Semifinals=
CZE (H) d. FRA 3-1
RUS (H) d. GER 3-2
=World Group Playoffs=
ITA (H) d. USA 3-2
NED (H) d. AUS 4-1
SUI d. POL (H) 3-2
ROU d. CAN (H) 3-2
=World Group II Playoffs=
SRB (H) d. PAR 4-1
SVK (H) d. SWE 4-0
BLR d. JPN (H) 3-2
ESP d. ARG (H) 4-0
=Asia/Oceania II Promotion Finals (at Hyderabad, India)=
India d. Philippines 2-1
=Europe/Africa III Promotion Finals (at Ulcinj, Montenegro)=
Denmark d. Greece 2-0
Lithuania d. Moldova 2-1


[Semifinals]


Czech Republic def. France 3-1 [Ostrava, CZE]
...sometimes, even Amelie Mauresmo can't save you. The thought that the Pastries, for all their charms, had bitten off than they could realistically chew with the Czechs ultimately proved to be dead-on. French Captain Mauresmo, with an ailing Alize Cornet a question mark, had few "razzle-dazzle 'em" options at her disposal, so she simply went back to the same well that had worked against the Italians in February -- turn everything over the Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic and hope that her trust in their skills would prove to be enough to tear down the seemingly indestructible Great Wall of Czechs. Garcia gave it a good effort, holding five MP against Lucie Safarova in the opening match, but once the veteran turned around the contest it was just a matter of the Czech's calling the final score. The chance for a fourth title in five years -- in the same W-W-x-W-W sequence as the Russians from 2004-08 -- is no longer just a notion for the Maidens.

[MVP]
Petra Kvitova/CZE
...make no mistake about it, as long as she's "right" (and with just one rare exception, when she rose from her sick bed and was "only" able to provide one win in the Czech effort a few years ago, she always has been when playing for her country), Kvitova is the unquestioned leader of what is one title away from being an official Fed Cup dynasty. Kvitova allowed just seven games to Mladenovic on Saturday, then clinched the return to the final by giving up just five to Garcia a day later. Her back-to-back victories give the Czech team an astounding fifteen consecutive live rubber match wins over the last three seasons.
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[VETERAN]
Lucie Safarova/CZE
...Czech Captain Petr Pala's Mauresmo-esque decision to play the FC vet over Karolina Pliskova against Garcia very nearly backfired. Garcia led 6-4/5-4 and held five match points, but Safarova battled back to win a 7-1 tie-break and then took the 3rd set at 6-1. Safarova, who's taken a turn in the Lead Czech position whenever Kvitova has been absent and/or ill in recent years, didn't need to play again all weekend.
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Match #1 - Safarova/CZE d. Garcia/FRA
...4-6/7-6(1)/6-1. Had Garcia converted one of her five match points in the 2nd set would it have made a difference in the tie? Well, it might have meant that Pala would would have gone with Pliskova on Sunday. If she hadn't been able to get a win, things would have gone to the doubles with Garcia/Mladenovic striving for a second straight epic Pastry upset. But that "What If?" is nothing compared to what happened to the Germans.
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Russia def. Germany 3-2 [Sochi, RUS]
...they'll just never really know. And the Germans will have to live with that unsettling knowledge until 2016. But, make no mistake, this was a tie tailor-made for Germany to steal away with a victory to reach a second consecutive FC final. With Maria Sharapova pulling out mid-week, the talent edge shifted to the visiting team. Or so it seemed. Captain Barbara Rittner left both Andrea Petkovic and Angelique Kerber, the top two ranked players in the tie, off the Day 1 singles slate, meaning that Julia Goerges and Sabine Lisicki had the effort resting solely on their shoulders. Gulp, indeed. Thing is, Rittner nearly got away with it, no matter how the decision came about (Petkovic spoke of being exhausted in Charleston, while Kerber won the title there) or who did or did not decide or ask to be left off the schedule. Had Lisicki converted MP against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Saturday, Germany would have left Day 1 knotted at 1-1, and Petkovic and Kerber's to-the-rescue, blink-and-you-missed-the-entire-match heroics on Sunday would not have gone to waste. In fact, they'd have been carried out of Sochi on the shoulders of their teammates and we'd be asking just how different the Petko dance looked when laced with vodka and borsch. As it turned out, though, Pavlyuchenkova & Elena Vesnina swept out Petkovic/Lisicki in the deciding doubles match, forever leaving the Germans wondering what might have been. What we do know is that it's the Russians -- the last group to win four FC titles in five years -- that now stand as the last remaining obstacle that could prevent the Czechs from matching the Original Hordettes' feat of dominance. Just last year, the Hordettes lost in the 1st Round for the first time since 2006. Things can change fast.


[MVP]

Captain Anastasia Myskina/RUS[Overall FC Weekend MVP]
...back when she was forced to play high-level FC ties with "C"-team Hordettes yet still often managed to get competitive losses out of literal neophytes, Myskina showed more than a few Mauresmoistic tendencies as the Russian Captain. She only grew in stature this week. Consider, she lost her #1 player mid-week when Sharapova pulled out. She then added the versatile Vera Zvonareva to the team as an emergency option on a roster that already had built-in flexibility with Elena Vesnina sitting on the far end of the bench. Meanwhile, her singles players were the will-she-or-won't-she (show up, that is) tandem of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Pavlyuchenkova, who lived up/down to their reputations by only producing one good singles performance each out of their combined four individual matches. But Myskina stuck with Pavlyuchenkova for doubles, as the youngest member of the squad HAD played a vital role in Russia's comeback from 0-2 down vs. France in 2011, and teamed her with smart roster pick Vesnina, a Sochi native and one of the best doubles players on tour. Myskina led the Russian team to Fed Cup glory as an Original Hordette, and now she's got the opportunity to do the same as Hordette Captain. After the deciding doubles victory, Vesnina said of the Czarina, “It was an unbelievable victory and we are so excited and I am so proud of my team. The whole team worked so hard and I just want to thank my Captain as she was amazing and helped us so much."Hmmm, sounds a little like the comments Pastries often make about another Captain with the initials A.M., doesn't it?
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[RISER]
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
...this weekend was Pavlyuchenkova's career results in a nutshell. In the 2:30 match #2 vs. Lisicki, the Russian served for the 2nd set at 5-4, only to see the German hold a MP two games later. Pavlyuchenkova led 4-0 and 5-1 in the 3rd, but failed to serve out the match in her first attempt. On her second try, she finally downed Lisicki on MP #3 to win 4-6/7-6(4)/6-3 to give the Russians a 2-0 advantage. On Day 2, in a possible tie-clinching match, she was almost double-bageled in a 6-1/6-0 loss to Kerber in just fifty-two minutes. But, the enigma that she is, Pavlyuchenkova was right back on the court (hey, she barely broke a sweat in her singles match, after all) for the deciding doubles. Righting her wrong, she and Vesnina sent the Russians back to the FC final for the seventh time in twelve years (and 8th in 15) with a 6-2/6-3 win.
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[VETERAN]
Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS
...Kuznetsova took out Goerges 6-4/6-4 in match #1 to record her 27th career FC win, more than any other Russian. She only registered three games on Day 2 vs. Petkovic, but if she'd opened the weekend with a loss who knows what chaos might have occurred in Sochi where the Hordettes were concerned.
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[DOUBLES]
Elena Vesnina/RUS
...Vesnina sat around all weekend watching Kuznetsova and Pavlyuchenkova rise and fall, not knowing if she'd ever hit the court in a live match. Then when it mattered the most, she stepped into the role of "doubles specialist" (though she's versatile enough to play singles, too... gee, you mean Captains can pick players like THAT???) and filled it quite well, thank you very much. She even pulled off the shot of the day.

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[DOWN]
Team Germany, Captain Barbara Rittner, Sabine Lisicki, Andrea Petkovic & Angelique Kerber... or not
...if there's any blame to be placed, there is surely enough of it to go around. Did Petko beg off playing on Saturday? What about Kerber? Did Rittner go "on feel" and give the German squad a very narrow margin of error, and then place the whole thing on the shifting shoulders of Sabine Lisicki? And what of Lisicki, who failed to convert MP in singles on Saturday and then couldn't hold serve when it mattered in doubles on Sunday in the tie-deciding final contest? The way Petko and Kerber blew past their opponents on Sunday, it's easy to think they'd have gotten at least one victory on Saturday, which could have flipped this result the other way and sent Germay to another final. The German squad, when intact and healthy, is the best FC group around this side of the Czechs. It'd have been interesting to see what might have happened if they'd met in the final. But... well, maybe they'll get that opportunity in '16. Unless the Swarmettes have something to say about it, of course.
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Match #2 - Pavlyuchenkova/RUS d. Lisicki/GER
...4-6/7-6(4)/6-3. History turns here?
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[WORLD GROUP PLAYOFFS]

Italy def. United States 3-2 [Brindisi, ITA]
...without her Williams life vest providing full support and then some, over-her-head U.S. Captain Mary Joe Fernandez once again drowned in Fed Cup waters. This time, at least, she had the decency to do it somewhere other than an American soil. So there's that.

The multifaceted problems with Captain Obvious' tenure as the leader of the American Fed Cup efforts has become a twice-annual tradition in these parts in recent seasons, and Fernandez didn't fail to "bring the goods" this weekend, either.

If Venus Williams hadn't pulled out due to personal reasons, MJF might very well have escaped without much scrutiny. First, no one pays much attention to Fed Cup in the U.S. and, after all, who CAN'T make up a roster and put the Sisters on it and just lean back and watch the victories roll in. But it's "all the rest" that matters for a FC Captain (see Mauresmo, Myskina, et al.), and that's precisely where Fernandez falls woefully short. Madison Keys could be the key to U.S. Fed Cup success in the next generation, and she seemed to learn a valuable lesson about never giving up last April in the U.S. tie vs. France. But, unlike with the young Pastries and Mauresmo, she hasn't been compelled to show loyalty to MJF and sign up for any tie since then. Hard to blame her for not wanting to jump onto the U.S.S. Mary Joe as it scrapes the side of the iceberg known as the "end of the Williams era," which WILL eventually become a reality no matter how hard Captain Obvious fight against it.

Also, you'd think that after losing previous ties due to not including on her rosters a doubles specialist (Kops-Jones, Spears, etc.) or versatile singles/doubles player with good clay court experiences to draw upon (Townsend, Mattek-Sands) that MJF wouldn't paint herself into such a corner yet again. But, then again, you'd think Captain Obvious' woeful decisions in the past would have meant she'd been replaced by a capable male or female former American player by now, as well. But this is the USTA, remember... only about a decade and a half behind in getting a roof on a stadium in NYC, and having just skipped a generation when it came to developing a slam-winning star on either tour in the wake of a super-successful American era (Andy Roddick's one win came within a year of titles from both Sampras and Agassi, so he was well on his way there before that epic ATP/WTA U.S. stretch). I mean, it's not as if there aren't a ton of names on the list to choose from (including Jr. FC coach Kathy Rinaldi, who's actually won team titles with NextGen stars like CiCi Bellis, Tornado Black and Sonya Kenin).

Lauren Davis wasn't a horrible replacement for Venus, as her fiery nature on the court is much appreciated, though she wasn't likely to come through against the mostly-veteran Italian squad in hostile territory. Alison Riske played the "Coco Vandeweghe role" as the "good" player woefully miscast in a clay court tie, while Christina McHale -- probably the best non-Williams selection -- didn't play until the fourth singles rubber. Meanwhile, as things went to the deciding doubles against FC all-stars Sara Errani & Flavia Pennetta, the U.S. team had no doubles specialist to fill a vital need, and a tired Serena Williams (taken to three sets by Errani just before McHale's quick defeat at the hands of Pennetta) was sent out on the court with Riske, who she'd never even met prior to last week. In others words, in Mary Joe's fantasy world, the PERFECT doubles duo to carry the U.S. to victory.

Geez, MJF can't even get "Captain Obvious" right.

[MVP]

Sara Errani/ITA[Overall FC Weekend P.O.W.]
...sure, Pennetta could have won this with her late heroics. But consider this: Errani HAD to get her Day 1 win over Lauren Davis to avoid "pulling a Lisicki" and selling her Captain down the river and ITA falling down 0-2. In Match #3, she became just the second player in FC history (after Anastasiya Yakimova in 2012, of all people) to take a set off Serena. She even served for the match at 6-4/5-4, and forced Williams to battle back to get the win, tiring her out for the deciding doubles that arrived soon after due to Pennetta's quick victory. In the doubles, she and Pennetta destroyed Williams and Riske, handing Serena her first career Fed Cup loss and sending Captain Obvious scrambling to decide what to do next February when another loss would mean the U.S. would be one tie away from falling into zone play come next April.
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[VETERAN]
Flavia Pennetta/ITA
...playing in Pennetta's hometown of Brindisi, Italian Captain Corrado Barazzutti's decision (at least for Day 1) to hold back the veteran FC workhorse from singles play set the stage for Mary Joe Fernandez to possibly be trumped for the "Worst Fed Cup Decision" award for the first time in ages. But the Tennis Gods are so sadistic that they'd allow MJF to benefit from such a thing. So, in true FC hero fashion, Pennetta was called upon in match #4 to down McHale 6-1/6-1 and send things to the doubles. She then teamed with Errani to defeat Serena and Riske easily, winning 6-0/6-3 as the Americans played as if they'd never met before they walked onto the court (which wasn't THAT far off). Pennetta has won twelve straight FC singles matches, having not lost since 2009.
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[COMEBACK]
Team Italia
...after Italy's meltdown against the French in February, it looked like the team's era of relevance might just be over. Team Italia may never win another FC title with this group of (mostly) veterans, but what happened in Brindisi shows that Pennetta, Errani and the current generation of stars would NOT allow their legacy to be tainted by what happened two months ago. This could be their last great Fed Cup victory as essentially a single-souled group, but if it is it'll surely leave a wonderful aftertaste.
=============================
[DOWN]
Captain Mary Joe Fernandez/USA[Overall FC Weekend anti-MVP]
...she's already hijacked this post enough, I think. (But if the U.S. pulls a fully-rostered Spain in the draw for next February, what are the odds that MJF will have her own Paint-a-Mustache-on-Herself party?)
=============================

Match #3 - S.Williams/USA d. Errani/ITA
...4-6/7-6(3)/6-3. Serena is now 16-1 in her Fed Cup career. Hey, sometimes almost winning turns out to be good enough.
=============================

Match #5 - Errani/Pennetta (ITA) d. S.Williams/Riske (USA)
...6-0/6-3. The Italians were up 5-0 just seventeen minutes into the match, and never looked back. Williams' serve was broken at love TWICE in the 2nd, as she lost for the first time in seventeen career Fed Cup matches. After the match, Serena shook the hands of the Italians, though she knows both of them far better than Alison.
=============================


Netherlands def. Australia 4-1 ['s-Hertogenbosch, NED]
...no team has snaked their way through the Fed Cup draw the last few years more quietly than the Dutch. This was set up to be a close tie, but Sam Stosur's removal from playing consideration (back injury) on Saturday turned the odds in the favor of the Netherlands against the 2014 FC semifinalist Aussies. Once again, Kiki Bertens and Arantxa Rus, both of whom play their very best tennis in Fed Cup, starred in 's-Hertogenbosch, though Rus was tested the most in the clinching singles position. The win is the seventh straight victorious tie for the Dutch squad, which reaches the World Group for the first time since 1998.

[MVP]
Arantxa Rus/NED
...Rus lost to Casey Dellacqua when the Aussie replaced Sam Stosur, but I'll go with her as the MVP over the undefeated Kiki Bertens because the 24-year old has proven to be such a Fed Cup "specialist" during the current run of the Dutch team. She's 6-2 in her last eight FC singles matches, and clinched her third consecutive tie in singles with a Match #4 win over Jarmila Gajdosova that saw her surge back from dropping the opening set at love by changing up her game and forcing more errors, fail to convert two match points (losing one w/ a DF, then breaking herself with another DF) after wrestling control of the match away from the Aussie, but then feast on Gajdosova's own pressure-related mistakes down the stretch.

=============================
[RISER]
Kiki Bertens/NED
...with Aga Radwanska's now-straining reliability, Bertens is in the running for the "most consistent" Fed Cup play out there at the moment. She went 2-0 this weekend, allowing just nine games to Jarmila Gajdosova and Casey Dellacqua, running her career FC singles mark to 11-1, and her overall record to 17-2. Many of those numbers have come against "lesser" foes, but that's now starting to change. We'll see in February if she can carry such sterling numbers up to the next level on competition.
=============================

[DOWN]
Team Australia
...my, what a swift fall it has been. A year ago, the Aussies were celebrating a rare trip to the Fed Cup semifinals. Next February, they'll be playing in World Group II after dropping third consecutive high (I hope they say hello to Serbia as their respective ships pass in the FC night). Of course, much if this goes with the territory when Stosur can't play, especially in a road tie. Still, Gajdosova had a chance to send things to the double, where's Dellacqua's skills and leadership ability have allowed Australia to escape with a victory. Gajdosova probably should be singled out as a "winner" here, but the fight she showed in her loss to Rus -- even with her own rollercoaster play -- makes her a narrow miss. Still, she also lost a big FC match vs. Petkovic (8-6 in the 3rd) in February in which she battled, but lost. So I guess I'd better move on before I change my mind.
=============================

Match #4 - Rus/NED d. Gajdosova/AUS
...0-6/7-5/7-5. Rus led 5-2 in the 3rd, holding two MP at 5-3. She double-faulted on one, then broke herself with a second DF in the game. Gajdosova held for 5-5 with three aces, but a game later two consecutive DF brought an end to the 2:23 match on Rus' fourth MP.
=============================


Switzerland def. Poland 3-2 [Zielona Gora, POL]
...the Poles were "put in their place" by the Sharapova-led Russians in February, and they were knocked down still another notch by the Swiss this weekend. Martina Hingis, in her first FC tie since 1998 and playing her first competitive singles matches since 2007 due to the absence of Belinda Bencic, failed to nail down a win in two attempts and injured her thigh (covering so much court on back-to-back days probably made that a given, and hopefully it won't hurt the prospects of the Dream Team with Sania Mirza over the coming weeks). But that didn't matter with Timea Bacsinszky around. The Queen of Mexico -- The People's Timea -- expanded her kingdom to Poland, taking part in all three points as the Swiss now head to the World Group for the first time since 2004.

[MVP]
Timea Bacsinszky/SUI
...Errani narrowly edged out Bacsinszky as the overall PLAYING MVP of the weekend, destroying both Radwanska sisters -- Ula 2 & 1, Aga 1 & 1 -- in singles, then teamed with Viktorija Golubic to deny Aga and Alicja Rosolska a win in a three-set deciding doubles match. This tie was always going to turn one way or the other on the Day 2 clash between Timea and Aga. That it turned out to not even be a contest, no matter that Hingis failed to put away the tie a match later, seemed to signal that all signs pointed to an eventual Swiss victory. And so it turned out to be so.


=============================
[DOUBLES]
Viktorija Golubic/SUI
...the 22-year old stepped in for Hingis in the deciding doubles, and acting as if she aspires to be the "Swiss Good Luck Charm" she joined with Bacsinszky to win a 9-7 3rd set to take the tie. It's Golubic's second career Fed Cup match victory.
=============================
[DOWN]
Aga Radwanska/POL
...there was some hope that Radwanska's WTA skid might be able to be "smoothed over" with an heroic Fed Cup performance. But Aga's fourteen match FC singles winning streak is now a thing of the past. She's lost three of four in '15, as well as a deciding doubles match on home soil. Worse yet, she was destroyed 1 & 1 by Bacsinszky on Day 2 in the most important singles match of the tie.
=============================

Match #1 - A.Radwanska/POL d. Hingis/SUI
...6-4/6-0. Aga proved adept at handling the game of the player whose style her own is most compared to. Better yet, we finally got to see what it looks like when the "cheeky smile" meets the stoic "face of Radwanska." Aga hasn't had a good year, but at least she didn't lose to a player who hadn't played a full singles match in eight years. So there's that.

=============================
Match #4 - U.Radwanska/POL d. Hingis/SUI
...4-6/7-5/6-1. Hingis served for the match at 5-3 in the 2nd, but her injury put an end to her hopes in the 3rd, as well as her long-expected doubles participation. This tie would have been so much easier -- and fun -- had Bencic been around to prevent the 34-year old doubles specialist from being run into the ground before she was actually able to play doubles. Another example of a reason why the ITF should move the FC doubles up to the Match #3, ala the Davis Cup.
=============================
Match #5 - Bacsinszky/Golubic (SUI) d. A.Radwanska/Rosolska (POL)
...2-6/6-4/9-7. The Swiss nearly let this one slip away, failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the 3rd. But Timea is not one to let anything realistically attainable slip away in 2015.

=============================


Romania def. Canada 3-2 [Montreal, CAN]
...the Swarmette roll continues, while Genie Bouchard's tennis comeuppance is very nearly complete. The story at the start of this tie wasn't that Simona Halep (nor Monica Niculescu or Sorana Cirstea) wasn't joining her fellow Romanians in Montreal, it was that Quebec native Bouchard changed her mind at the last moment and decided to come home and play. After what happened to her when she played in Montreal last summer, and then her even figuratively harder fall this weekend, she may never pick up a racket in the city again.

As it turned out, the Montreal native who played best was 18-year old Francoise Abanda. While Bouchard made herself the focus of Romanian competitive aggression by refusing to shake hands when the teams met before the tie (repeating her move from last year's FC tie vs. SVK), then failed to back up her passive aggressive actions on the court (going 0-2), Abanda opened the tie with a huge victory over Irina-Camelia Begu to notch her first career FC win and almost sent things to the deciding doubles a day later when she led Alexandra Dulgheru by a set and a break in Match #4. In a "dead" doubles match, Gabriela Dabrowski and Sharon Fichman notched a victory to "gussie up" (ah, Southern JJ) the final scoreline, but the lingering image of this tie will be Dulgheru's fake handshakes with her teammates in a very public shot at Bouchard, who has staked out an in-your-face "we're not friends" (or maybe, "you don't exist to me?") position that she has so far shown an inability to consistently back up or justify on the court.



Michael Jordan may have been able, in his mind, to cast his opponents as villains that he would soon smite, but Bouchard is not Air Jordan, quite possibly the greatest athlete to play North American team sports in the last half-century, who was simply creating something on which to place a target at which his greatness could be aimed. She's a 20-year old who has shown more than a few of the same mental/emotional/game cracks that so many of her other similarly-aged counterparts have shown in recent years after achieving great success, but rarely have we seen opponents delight in shoving words and actions back in such a player's face as Dulgheru did. A year ago, Bouchard seemed smarter than to allow her outsized opinion of what a champion is SUPPOSED to be to get in the way of her actually BECOMING one. But, as she said the other week, sometimes winning covers up other problems.

Bouchard is currently the WTA's version of Walter White, and she has a decision to make. Does she want to talk big about "breaking bad," or actually rise above the din of something resembling "trash talk" and become the representative of the sport that everyone, from the top of the WTA on down to her fans and fellow Canadians, WANTS her to be?

I think we know how things turned out for "Heisenberg."Watch and learn, Genie. You don't want to be the WTA's "Felina," but you're sure looking like you may become that if you don't pull the rip cord on some of the actions that will only make things more difficult as time goes by.



(And thus I believe a new Backspin nickname is born... make some room, "Current Sloane.")

Quick, somebody better call Saul!

[MVP]
Alexandra Dulgheru/ROU

...Simona Halep might be the Romanian standard bearer, but Dulgheru sure resembled the Swarmette emotional leader in Montreal. Her win over Bouchard could prove to be THE key win in a possible charge to a first-ever Fed Cup title for Romania in the next few seasons, while the come-from-behind victory over Abanda on Sunday creates the template for a group of young players who will fight on the court with as much vigor as their fans will cheer for them in the stands. This weekend, we got some idea of what we missed as Dulgheru was slowed as she dealt with injuries after having been one of the first (in 2009) of the current Swarmette generation to grab a tour singles title. She hadn't played Fed Cup since 2011, but she should be called into action as often as possible from here on out. At 26, if Halep doesn't wish to shoulder the full pressure of having to win ALL the big matches in the ROU run, maybe Dulgheru will prove to be to her what the more veteran Safarova has been for the younger Kvitova during the Czechs' current great stretch.
=============================
[RISING]
The Swarmette Fed Cup Threat
...forget The Radwanska. Maybe we should all fear the Swarm. Serena sure was spooked by the whole notion of a Romanian threat a few weeks ago in Miami, and now the Canadians can confirm that the Swarmettes -- collectively -- are a single-minded force to be reckoned with in North America and beyond. I first started calling this surging generation of Romanians "The Swarm" all the way back in 2008, so it's nice to finally see things coming together. I've been touting a possible FC title run for 2016-17 for over a year, as well, and the last two ties have sure made it look like the process might be moving along right on schedule. In February, even with a Halep loss, a fully-stocked Romanian roster advanced past Spain. Here, on the road without two of their top three ranked players, the Romanians still had enough talent to spare. Only the Czechs have been able to pass through multiple Fed Cup rounds (the Russians at least always had Sveta) even while occasionally going without the unquestioned #1 singles star in recent years, but even the sting of the Romanian "B" players have proven lethal in 2015. Sure, it might take a good 1st Round draw (i.e. one where they don't play the Czechs, and maybe where the Maidens are finally tripped up while playing without Kvitova or Safarova, something which no team could pull off the last two Februarys) for the Swarmettes to stake a claim to a possible FC title as early as next year. But don't be surprised if that's just what we'll be talking about at this time next year.
=============================
[FRESH FACE]
Andreea Mitu/ROU
...the 23-year old made her Fed Cup debut as a substitute for an injured Begu in match #3 against Bouchard. Rather than fall by the wayside, she stunned the Canadian in three sets to complete Genie's "lost weekend" and allow the Romanian 2016-17 plan to continue to breathe life. Begu had pulled the Swarmettes back from the edge of defeat in February after Halep lost her Day 2 singles match, so I suppose it's fitting that the baton was essentially passed by her to Mitu this time around. Hmmm, does this weekend now allow me to put a check mark beside Mitu's name for validating my pre-season pick of her as one of 2015's "Surprise" players?



Francoise Abanda/CAN
...for all that Bouchard did wrong, Abanda did a whole lot right. The win over Begu was a total shocker under the circumstances, but her near-win over Dulgheru trumped that one, even if she didn't ultimately win. Talent often comes in waves for tennis nations, and Abanda's clear rise through the ranks is proving that new growth is spurring even more growth on the Canadian tennis landscape. Oh, and junior Charlotte Robillard-Millette had a nice weekend, too... only further proving the point.
=============================
[DOWN]
Genie Bouchard/CAN
...when your opponent openly mocks your actions during their post-match celebration, your either course correct to make sure that sort of thing NEVER happens again, or you sink still further into the WTA tar pits. Bouchard's loss to Mitu a day later isn't a sure sign of things going in the right direction. Since going 0-3 in Singapore to end '14, and then losing to Sharapova in Melbourne, #7 Bouchard has lost matches, in order, to players ranked #42, #85, #113, #66, #69 and #104.
=============================

Match #1 - Abanda/CAN d. Begu/ROU 4-6/7-5/6-4
Match #4 - Dulgheru/ROU d. Abanda/CAN 3-6/7-5/6-2
...in 2:39, Abanda thrilled the home crowd by winning a match that ended in a dead heat (107-107) in total points on Saturday. A day later, she led Dulgheru 6-4/4-2 before the Swarmette firebrand was able to turn her back.
=============================
Match #2 - Dulgheru/ROU d. Bouchard/CAN
...6-4/6-4. The last game, a hold by Dulgheru, included three break points and four match points. But the final result was still the same, no matter the too-little-too-late fight that Bouchard put forth.
=============================

Match #3 - Mitu/ROU d. Bouchard/CAN
...4-6/6-4/6-1. The loss to the fired-up Dulgheru was one thing, but falling to late replacement Mitu in her FC debut sealed Bouchard's current "Felina" status as a player breaking a little too bad for her own good at the moment.
=============================


[WORLD GROUP II PLAYOFFS]
Serbia def. Paraguay 4-1 [Novi Sad, SRB]
...the Serbs played with their Good Luck Charm is her full glory. 'Nuff said, really. But I'll say a LITLE more.

[MVP]

Aleksandra Krunic/SRB
...the "bright side" of Jelena Jankovic's injury was that Krunic got to once again take on the majority load of a FC tie for Serbia, one more step in righting a wrong that took far to long for the Serbian Tennis Powers That Be to recognize. This time, she did it with Ana Ivanovic on the roster (going 1-0) and JJ watching. She even played a "meaningless" doubles match, guiding the younger Ivana Jorovic just as JJ and AnaIvo had her during Serbia's run to the 2012 final. On the court to clinch yet another tie in her second singles match, Krunic lost a total of nine games in her three matches. She is simply a Fed Cup demon. (The good kind.)
=============================

Match #1 - Krunic/SRB d. Cepede Royg/PAR 6-1/6-3
Match #4 - Krunic/SRB d. Gonzalez 6-0/6-2
Match #5 - Krunic/Jorovic (SRB) d. Cepede Royg/Gonzalez (PAR) 6-1/6-4
...stand up. The Bracelet's passing.


=============================

Slovak Republic def. Sweden 4-0 [Bratislava, SVK]
...without all-time FC leaders Johanna Larsson and Sofia Arvidsson, the Swedes hardly resembled their Fed Cup selves. The Slovaks find themselves in a transition stage as one generation of stars gradually gives way to the next. After a series of FC flops in recent seasons, it's probably a wise move. So far, so good.

[MVP]
Anna Schmiedlova/SVK
...Katowice champ Schmiedlova continued her good run, assuming the #1 singles spot and going 2-0 against young Swedes Rebecca Peterson and Ellen Allgurin. This was SUPPOSED to happen, but Schmiedlova will surely be called upon to take down bigger game down the line. In February, in SVK's 4-1 loss to NED, Schmiedlova put up the sole point won by the team by doing what no one else has ever done in FC competition -- defeat Kiki Bertens (11-1 after this weekend) in singles. If that win played any part in Captain Matej Liptak decision to hand the reigns over to the Slovak-of-a-million-ball-striking-faces, then good on him.

=============================
[VETERAN]
Daniela Hantuchova/SVK
...the former Wonder Girl, Hantuchova is the all-time Fed Cup win and match leader for the Slovaks, and led the 2002 title run by notching a pair of wins in the final vs. Spain. She only played one match this weekend, allowing two games to Susanne Celik, but the role of "chaperon" suited her well enough as the Schmiedlova sisters ushered in the next era of SVK FC tennis. One wonders if Hantuchova might one day find herself in the Captain role overseeing a group of young Slovaks under these very same circumstances. It's not THAT many years away.
=============================
[JUNIOR]
Kristina Schmiedlova/SVK
...Anna's little sister, the #11-ranked junior, was a late addition to the team as a replacement for Magdalena Rybarikova. Thanks to her sister's work, Kristina got on the court at the end of the weekend and posted her first career FC win in the doubles with Jana Cepelova.
=============================

Belarus def. Japan 3-2 [Tokyo, JPN]
...Vika was back for another go in the red-and-green. Naturally, she was at the center of nearly all the action.


[MVP]
Victoria Azarenka/BLR
...after her teammates failed to notch a singles win, Vika ultimately had to work overtime in Tokyo, adding a doubles victory to her own wins over Misaki Doi and Kurumi Nara to ensure Belarus' 3-2 triumph. The pair of victories give her fourteen career FC singles wins, and she's now 10-0 in all Fed Cup competition since 2011.
=============================
[DOUBLES]
Olga Govortsova/BLR
...the Belarusians needed Govortsova to find a way to notch one victory this weekend to provide support for Vika's expected 2-0 run in singles. She lost in three sets on Saturday to Kurumi Nara, but was held out of singles on Sunday as Aliaksandra Sasnovich lost a three-setter to Ayumi Morita (Sasnovich held set point in the 1st, which she ultimately lost) and things went to the doubles. There, Olga got that needed win, with Vika by her side. Unlike with the Bannerettes, this doubles team actually knows each other. In fact, Govortsova and Azarenka won the U.S. Open girls doubles in 2004. In the deciding doubles vs. Japan, they put away the not-to-be-overlooked team of Shuko Aoyama & Morita in straight sets.

Olga & Vika THEN:


Olga & Vika NOW:

=============================

Spain def. Argentina 4-0 [Buenos Aires, ARG]
...this appeared to be a competitive tie. And it was, on the court, even if the final shutout score doesn't show it.

[MVP]
Lara Arruabarrena/ESP
...while her higher-ranked countrywoman sat out, the Fed Cup-debuting Arruabarrena enjoyed her moment in the spotlight. Destroying Maria Irigoyen love & 1, then outlasting Paula Ormaechea in a 9-7 3rd set (not allowing the Argentine to grab the momentum after saving a MP in game #14 of the 3rd after battling back from a 1-4 deficit.

=============================
[RISING]
The Spanish Fed Cup Team
...although this win prevented Spain from falling into Europe/Africa zone play for the first time ever, look out for this squad. With Garbine Muguruza on the roster (but not Carla Suarez-Navarro, which proved to be the missing piece), the Spaniards nearly took out Romania in February. Here, they won on the road with a "B" or "C" team against a team that had put up good FC outings in the past (including vs. the U.S. earlier this year). Throw in a slew of good young players like Sara Sorribes, Paula Badosa and Aliona Bolsova and you've got team that could be formidable in a year or two, and bear to face should both Muguruza and CSN play in the WG II 1st Round next February, then in the WG Playoffs next spring. The Spanish team won four FC titles in five years, and five in eight, during the Sanchez/Martinez heyday. That sort of thing won't be repeated, but they might be able to contend for the first title since 1998 with two years if Muguruza continues her rise, and commits to following the the FC footsteps of her Hall of Fame Spanish footstep-makers. This group won't have to look far for motivation, either. Conchita is the ESP Captain.
=============================
[FRESH FACE]
Sara Sorribes Tormo/ESP
...Sorribes kicked off things in style in Match #1, making her FC debut and downing Paula Ormaechea in three sets after dropping the 1st (and being down a break twice in the 2nd).
=============================
[JUNIOR]
Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov/ESP
...Bolsova was added to the roster as a replacement for Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor and notched her first career FC win with Anabel Medina-Garrigues in the doubles to keep Argentina's "O" on the board.
=============================
[DOWN]
Paula Ormaechea/ARG
...the last few years, Ormaechea has usually traded off the honor for "highest-ranked South American" with Brazil's Teliana Pereira. But on the same weekend when Pereira became the first woman from her nation in 27 years to win a tour singles title, Ormaechea went 0-2 on home soil in a tie against the Spanish "B" team that should have, at the very least, gone to Match #4 in live mode, of not the deciding doubles. In the past, Ormaechea has put up FC wins over the likes of Laura Robson, Johanna Larsson, Aleksandra Wozniak, Kurumi Nara, Misaki Doi and Coco Vandeweghe, but she wasn't able to hold her lead against a debuting Sorribes Tormo in Match #1. The loss set the tone for the tie, as Maria Irigoyen was nearly double-bageled and then Ormaechea lost out in a 9-7 3rd set against Arruabarrena to confirm Spain's victory. Sigh. Not a good weekend.
=============================

Match #1 - Sorribes Tormo/ESP d. Ormaechea/ARG 4-7/7-6(2)/6-1
Match #3 - Arruabarrena/ESP d. Ormaechea/ARG 6-1/4-6/9-7
...Ormaechea had to win these matches against players who made this FC debut this weekend. She led Sorribes by a set and a break (twice) in the teenager's FC debut, then battled Arruabarrena deep into the 3rd in an attempt to extend the tie. She wins one of those matches and things might have turned out differently. She lost both and it was a Spanish sweep.

=============================


[ASIA/OCEANIA II ZONE - Hyderabad, India]
India def. Philippines 2-1
[MVP]
Prarthana Thombare/IND
...with Captain Sania Mirza remaining in the playing background until the very last match of the week, it was 20-year old Thombare who put up the most wins in India's three ties last week in Asia/Oceania II zone play. The #2-ranked Indian woman in singles (behind #248 Ankita Raina), #481 Thombare went 3-0 in singles and 3-0 in doubles (running her career combined FC mark to 12-1), including key wins in the Promotional Playoff vs. the Philippines over Anna Clarice Patrimonio and in the deciding doubles (alongside Mirza) over Patrimonio and Katharina Lehnert.

=============================
[DOUBLES]
Sania Mirza/IND
...as a playing Captain, it was possible that new world doubles #1 Mirza wouldn't need to take the court in order for India to advance out of Asia/Oceania II zone play. But in the Promotional Playoff against the Philippines, Ankita Raina's loss to Katharina Lehnert meant Mirza would be called into action in the deciding doubles. Teaming with Prarthana Thombare, Mirza won her fifteenth straight doubles match in 2015 with a 6-3/6-3 victory over Lehnert and Anna Clarice Patrimonio to secure the tie.

=============================

[EUROPE/AFRICA III ZONE - ]
...two teams were be promoted out of this zone, and it was a teenager and a veteran that made the difference.

Lithuania def. Moldova 2-1
[MVP]
Akvile Parasinskaite/LTU
...the 18-year old powered Lithuania's advancement, going undefeated for the week, including winning both her singles and doubles (with vet Lina Stanciute) matches on Saturday to key a 2-1 victory over Moldova in the Europe/Africa III Promotional Playoff. Parazinskaite, a Bronze medalist in both singles and doubles at last year's Youth Olympic Games, notched three of her four career FC singles wins this week and went a combined 6-0 in her nation's three ties.

=============================

Denmark def. Greece 2-0
[MVP]

Caroline Wozniacki/DEN
...Denmark's promotion from the Europe/Africa III zone was wrapped up by Wozniacki with a 6-3/6-0 win over Greek Maria Sakkari in the Promotional Playoff. Caro went 3-0 for the week, extending her FC winning streak to ten matches. Her last loss came to Patty Schnyder back in 2008 when she was just 17.

=============================
[SURPRISE]
Karen Barbat/DEN
...while another Dane naturally garnered the headlines, Denmark needed a consistent "#2" to maneuver through the Europe/Africa III zone without a potential trip-up. In two of Denmark's three ties this past week, 22-year old Barbat provided a singles victory in match #1, setting the stage for Wozniacki to close out the win. The only tie in which that didn't happen came vs. Norway, when Mai Grage replaced her (and lost) in the lead-off spot, leaving it to Barbat and Grage to return to win the deciding doubles to secure the Group C round robin competition. In the Promotional Playoff, Barbat led off the tie with a hard-fought 7-5/3-6/7-6(4) win in the opener over Greece's Despina Papamichail, the world #356 ranked nearly three-hundred spots above #632 Barbat. "I've had close matches with better-ranked players, so I knew I could do it," Barbat said.
=============================


**2016 FED CUP**
=World Group=
Czech Republic
France
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Romania
Russia
Switzerland
=World Group II=
Australia
Belarus
Canada
Poland
Serbia
Slovak Republic
Spain
United States

**RECENT FED CUP FINALS**
2004 RUS d. FRA 3-2
2005 RUS d. FRA 3-2
2006 ITA d. BEL 3-2
2007 RUS d. ITA 4-0
2008 RUS d. ESP 4-0
2009 ITA d. USA 4-0
2010 ITA d. USA 3-1
2011 CZE d. RUS 3-2
2012 CZE d. SRB 3-1
2013 ITA d. RUS 4-0
2014 CZE d. GER 3-1
2015 CZE vs. RUS


All in a week's work. Out.

I am ??????

A photo posted by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on



All for now.
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Wk.16- Is Kerber's Future Now?

April 26, 2015, 4:33 pm
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So, when things are wrapped up in Paris in a few weeks, will we look back at what happened in Stuttgart and realize that we witnessed the future? Angelique Kerber surely hopes so.



After all, the last three EuroClay seasons have kicked off with concluding images of Maria Sharapova scooting around the court in Germany behind the wheel of a Porsche after claiming the Stuttgart title on three consecutive occasions. All three of those clay court seasons ended with the Russian playing in the Roland Garros final, and she lifted the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen in 2012 and '14.

Sharapova didn't four-peat this week, though. Thank/blame Kerber for that. The German knocked off the Russian in the first match of her latest title defense, then went on to take down two more Top 10 players en route to extending her current winning streak to eleven games and wrapping up her second straight clay court title of the spring.

This time, it was Kerber who capped the weekend by commanding the German driving machine.



In the same event, Simona Halep, the most likely RG favorite not named Maria or Serena, was frustrated by Caroline Wozniacki's defensive tactics in the semifinals in a three-set defeat. The Romanian, a finalist in Paris a year ago, may yet end the spring talking about the wonders of the red stuff, as she did this week when she said, "On clay you have to think about points and I like to think and be creative." But at least for one week, she's left open the door to the possibility that one of the other slam-less woman of the WTA tour might take their turn at breaking through in a major way on the grand slam stage.

It could be Kerber who grabs that moment, or maybe even the Dane, who looked title-worthy all week until Kerber's aggressive play won the big points down the stretch in the final. Wozniacki, who knocked off a pair of Top 10ers herself in Stuttgart, served for the title at 5-3 in the 3rd set, and twice came within two points of her first clay title since 2011 just a week after officially adding three-time Roland Garros champ Arantxa Sanchez to her coaching team. Speaking of Spaniards, Garbine Muguruza is certainly a name to watch in Paris, as well. Remember, she handed Serena her worst-ever slam loss there a season ago. But she lost a break -- and nearly two-break -- lead against Halep in their 2nd Round match-up this past week, so any talk of her ascendency comes with some semi-serious reservations at this point.

Of course, it also pays to remember that the aforementioned Williams is still alive for a true Grand Slam this season, and has yet to lose a match that counts in 2015. If she arrives in Paris with historic intent, well, what everyone else is planning might not matter all too much.

As it is, just a few sunrises away from May, it's Kerber who is this season's Queen of Clay. As of today, at least.

But, hey, who knows. Maybe the future IS now. After all, it's happened before.



*WEEK 16 CHAMPIONS*
STUTTGART, GERMANY (Premier $740K/RCI)
S: Angelique Kerber/GER def. Caroline Wozniacki/DEN 3-6/6-1/7-5
D: Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova (USA/CZE) d. Caroline Garcia/Katarina Srebotnik (FRA/SLO) 6-4/6-3


PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Angelique Kerber/GER
...a few weeks ago, Kerber sat at 8-9 for this season, with just three wins in her last ten matches. Well, things have changed. The clay -- be it the green or red variety -- has been very, very good to the German. In fact, she hasn't lost in her last eleven matches. Her title run in Stuttgart, her second in a row after winning Charleston, gives her back-to-back wins in finals for the first time since she won the Paris Indoors and in Copenhagen to grab the first two titles of her career in 2012. She lost eight of her next nine championship matches before ruling the courts in April (though not for that extra match on Fed Cup weekend vs. Russia... but, hey, no one said Angie's perfect, even if she HAS been for a month now). Kerber knocked off three Top 10 players in Stuttgart: #2 Maria Sharapova in the 2nd Round, #8 Ekaterina Makarova in the QF and #5 Caroline Wozniacki in a seesaw final that included a comeback after the Dane served for the match at 5-3 in the 3rd and twice got within two points of victory. Kerber becomes the fourth German winner of the Stuttgart event, joining Anke Huber (1991 &'94) and Julia Goerges (2011, when she also def. Wozniacki in the final), and will rise to #12 in the new rankings.


=============================

RISERS:Caroline Wozniacki/DEN & Madison Brengle/USA
...so, was it a two steps forward and one step back week for the Dane, or the other way around? There was surely a great deal to get excited about in Stuttgart regarding Arantxa Sanchez's current clay court science project, but something to continue to worry about, as well. Wozniacki opened with a win over #13 Lucie Safarova, then had back-to-back Top 10 wins over Carla Suarez-Navarro and Simona Halep, the latter an impressive showing in which Caro's defense frustrated the Swarmette and made one wonder if maybe she could actually be a factor in Paris later this spring. The results put Wozniacki into her first clay final since 2011, and at her first Premier event since 2012. She opened up the final in aggressive form, taking the 1st before having Angelique Kerber turn the tables on her in the 2nd. The 3rd played right into the Dane's hands. Well, until it didn't. She served for the title at 5-3, coming within two points of the win before being broken. She was two points from the title a game later, as well. But as has been the case on more than one occasion against top players in '15, Wozniacki failed to win the big points down the stretch. In the Auckland final, Caro lost to Venus Williams after taking the 1st set, then did the same vs. Halep in the Dubai semis. Twice, she's been obliterated by Vika Azarenka in '15. Against Kerber, she saved three match points while impressively winning a series of long points in game #12 of the final set, but the German wasn't to be denied on MP #4. All in all, it was a very good week for Wozniacki. But the way it ended left a few dangling questions about her season that she'd been wise to cut off when she had the chance. Now, they'll linger a while longer until, well, she takes the clippers to them. If she does, that is.


As for Brengle, the biggest question is whether or not the current U.S. Fed Cup Captain is totally oblivious to the field of Americans at her disposal when it comes to constructing a FC roster, or if Mary Joe just has something against Madison. After all, Brengle has been one of the surprise stories on tour over the last year. After a decade of trying, as well as twenty-seven failed slam qualifying attempts, BrengleFly finally notched her first career MD win at a major at last year's U.S. Open. Since then, she hasn't looked back. At 24, she reached her first tour QF late last season in Linz, climbed into the Top 90 for the first time in October and had her first Top 100 finish She reached her maiden tour final in Hobart in January, then the Round of 16 at the Australian Open. She entered Stuttgart ranked in the Top 50, after having seen the similarly-ranked Alison Riske chosen for FC duty vs. Italy on clay (a surface on which she's had spotty-at-best results) last weekend as Brengle prepped for the start of her EuroClay campaign. All she did in Germany was open with a win over ITALIAN Alberta Brianti (the Tennis Gods are so cheeky), then notched her first career Top 10 victory over #4 Petra Kvitova (FC star), and took out Caroline Garcia (who bedeviled MJF's squad in last year's FC) to reach her first career Premier semifinal. She lost there to eventual champ Kerber, but she'll rise to yet another new career-best ranking (#36) on Monday, and now sports a 33-22 record on clay the last three years. You know, just in case anyone is paying attention... which we know she isn't.

=============================
SURPRISES:Petra Martic/Stephanie Vogt (CRO/LIE) & Marina Melnikova/RUS
...well, they did it. Some team was bound to at some point, and it turned out to be Martic/Vogt. In their first-ever match as a duo, they took out the Dream Team doubles combo of Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza in the 1st Round in Stuttgart, ending their 14-0 run. Of course, it might have helped a LITTLE that both vets had to fly in from Fed Cup action last weekend (Mirza all the way from India), and that Hingis was essentially run into the ground playing two singles matches in two days for Switzerland (going solo in full matches for the first time since '07), literally limping to the finish last Sunday with a leg injury. She was treated for a back injury during this match in Stuttgart, as well. Still, all congrats to Martic/Vogt, who went on to defeat Goerges/Lisicki (also in post-FC action) and reach the semifinals, where they suffered a rare shutout (10-0) in a deciding match tie-break loss to Mattek-Sands/Safarova.

Meanwhile, 26-year old Melnikova (#194) notched a career-best victory over #69 Kirsten Flipkens in the Stuttgart Q-rounds when the Waffle retired. But Melnikova failed to make it through qualifying, losing to countrywoman Evgeniya Rodina and failing for the 23rd time in twenty-three career attempts to reach a tour-level main draw. Ah, but her week wasn't through, as a slew of FC-related pull-outs resulted in the Hordette making her WTA MD debut as a lucky loser and putting up her first tour victory in the 1st Round over -- making her second appearance in this category this week! -- Petra Martic. Melnikova would fall once again to another Russian, Ekaterina Makarova, in the 2nd Round. But it didn't put a damper of what turned out to be a career week.

=============================

VETERANS:Sara Errani/ITA & Alexandra Stevenson/USA
...Errani for following up her FULL Fed Cup weekend with more good tennis, and Stevenson for, well, just still being around after all these years. After wearing down Serena Williams and then taking her out in doubles (w/ Flavia's help) in Brindisi, the Italian knocked off Aga Radwanksa in Stuttgart to notch her first Top 10 win of the season (though that designation might not apply to A-Rad for much longer), then got a win over Zarina Diyas to reach the QF. As for Stevenson, she didn't win a title this week, but she WAS playing as a wild card entrant in the $50K Dothan challenger in Alabama. The 34-year old, who reached the semis as a qualifier in her Wimbledon debut back in '99 (having beaten fellow qualifier Jelena Dokic in the QF, and joining equally surprising Mirjana Lucic in the AELTC final four), opened with a victory over #1-seeded Grace Min (she was 5 -- not in ranking, but in years alive on earth -- when Stevenson made her SW19 run), then defeated two-time '15 ITF champ Olga Ianchuk before losing in the QF to Paula Cristina Goncalves (who won the doubles last week in Bogota). Stevenson hasn't won an ITF title since 1998, and after getting five MD slam wins at Wimbledon sixteen years ago she's had four the rest of her career (she hasn't played in the MD in a major since 2004). She finished at #18 in 2002 and finished '03 in the Top 100, though she hasn't had a Top 200 season since. But she's still out there (last week she was ranked #473), and will soon play her 750th career match as a professional. She's already started playing in a $50K event in Charlottesville this weekend, opening with a win on Sunday. Sometimes, longevity is an accomplishment in and of itself.

=============================
COMEBACK:Shahar Peer/ISR
...it seems like every time Peer shows up here I end up pulling out the, "I can't believe she's still only (insert current age)" line. Well, it's time to do it again. I can't believe she's still only 27. On Friday, I'll be able to change the "27" to a "28," by the way... so wish The Corporal an early happy birthday (whew! I haven't used THAT nickname in a while). The Israeli picked up her first ITF title in eleven years at the $50K challenger in Istanbul with a 1-6/7-6(4)/7-5 win in the final over Kristyna Pliskova. It was a match in which the vet held just one break point on the Czech's big (though not likely as big as her sister's) serve, but converted it at 5-5 in the 3rd set and then served out the championship, winning on her fifth match point. Pliskova won more points (106-95), but the #124-ranked Peer was the last woman standing. The tour has missed Peer in recent seasons, as she's fallen a bit off the radar after making so much noise early in her career. She reached a pair of slam QF in 2007, and put up five Round of 16 results in majors from 2006-08. In 2011, she reached #11 and came within one match victory of being the first Israeli to reach the Top 10. Since then, she's slowly slid down the rankings. When she finished last season at #119 it ended her nine-year run of Top 100 finishes (Top 80, actually). Peer had a losing record for 2015 before this past week's run, which included additional wins over Indy De Vroome, Jana Fett, Olga Govortsova and Anett Kontaveit. Her fifth career ITF title joins with her five WTA singles crowns (the last of which came in 2009, though she won a WTA $125K Series title in '13).

SSSSSOOOOO HHHHHHAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPYYYYYYYYY ????????????????????????

A photo posted by shaharpeer (@shaharpeer) on


=============================
FRESH FACE:Belinda Bencic/SUI
...the Swiss didn't need BB to take out the Poles in last week's Fed Cup World Group Playoffs, so the teenager was well-rested heading into Stuttgart. As it turned out, she needed everything she had to take out Fed Cupper Julia Goerges in the 1st Round. Bencic trailed the German 4-5, love/40 in the 3rd set but overcame that triple match point moment and went on to take the final set at 7-5. She went down to Carla Suarez-Navarro a round later, but her Houdini-esque feat surely won't be forgotten come time for the year-end Backspin Awards. It'll be on the "Comeback of the Year" list.

=============================
DOWN:Maria Sharapova/RUS, Ana Ivanovic/SRB, Garbine Muguruza/ESP & Aga Radwanska/POL
...my, these "Down" categories have been crowded lately. Makes you wonder what kind of a slam Roland Garros is going to be this year. A year ago, the Stuttgart final was contended between Sharapova and Ivanovic. AnaIvo jumped out 5-0 in the 1st set, and held a 6-3/3-1 lead, as well as a point for 4-1. Sharapova saved it, then won eleven of thirteen games to win her third straight title at the event. This year the finalists went a combined 0-2 in their return to Germany. Ivanovic lost in the 1st Round, falling for the third time this season to Caroline Garcia; while Sharapova (2nd Rd.) suffered her third straight one-and-out result with her three-set loss to Angelique Kerber. After quick starts to her clay season ultimately led to three straight RG finals (and two titles in Paris) from 2012-14, might this signal a very different EuroClay campaign for the Russian? Showing a few competitive cracks in three-set matches in recent months, and nursing a leg injury, Sharapova is just 3-2 on clay in '15. Muguruza is once again having trouble holding onto leads, something which has occasionally dragged her down in between her other eye-popping results on tour. She went into her 2nd Round match in Stuttgart vs. Simona Halep with a 2-0 career mark against the Swarmette Queen, and had every opportunity to make it a three-peat. She had a break lead in the 3rd set, with break points for a double-break advantage, before the Romanian found a way to win. And, lastly, Aga lost early again in the same tournament, following up her 1-2 Fed Cup overall performance with a 1st Round defeat at the hands of FC star Sara Errani. Oh, and then her team lost a Hall of Famer soon afterward... though we sort of saw that coming a few weeks ago.



Hmmm, maybe Andre was his own Kuznetsova Curse this week? Well, either that or he transferred all their mojo to Steffi. Who, let's be honest, already had more than enough to spare...


=============================

ITF PLAYER:Louisa Chirico/USA
...it was an all-Bannerette final at the $50K Dothan, Alabama challenger in the first leg of the USTA's Wild Card Playoff for a spot in the Roland Garros main draw. 18-year old Louisa Chirico defeated 17-year old Katerina Stewart to win her third career ITF crown, and her biggest yet. Chirico defeated tour-level Monterrey (2014) finalist Jovana Jaksic in the semis before ending Stewart's hopes for her third '15 title and her sixth straight win in a final. In the championship match, Chirico took a pair of tie-break sets by a combined 14-1 score in a 7-6(1)/3-6/7-6(0) victory. Stewart served for the match at 5-3 in the 3rd, and led 30/love.
=============================

JUNIOR STARS:Charlotte Robillard-Millette/CAN & Bianca Andreescu/CAN
...it was an all-Canadian final at the Grade 1 junior event in Beaulieu-sur-Mur, France. #5-seeded Charlotte Robillard-Millette, 16, knocked off #9 Bianca Andreescu, 14, in straight sets in what was the first career G1 final for both girls. CRM, who reached the Australian Open junior QF in January and won a Grade 2 event last week, also knocked off the #3, #10 and #12 seeds in the event. Andreescu, for her part, defeated the #7, #11 and #14 seeds.
=============================


DOUBLES:Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova (USA/CZE)
...well, they're at it again. After the first-time teaming of BMS and Safarova resulted in an Australian Open title in January, but a 1st Round exit in their second outing in Indian Wells, the duo got back on the brilliant side of the ledger in Stuttgart. With the Dream Team going out early, the title was there for the taking. And the #3 seeds took advantage with a win over Martic/Vogt (#1 Hingis/Mirza's conquerors) in the semis, then a straight sets triumph in the final over the #2 duo of Caroline Garcia & Katarina Srebotnik. It's Mattek-Sands' fifteenth career title (three this year) and her second in Stuttgart ('09 w/ Nadia Petrova), while Safarova now has six. Before she proved that an American CAN indeed play doubles on red clay (not that MJF is ever paying attention), BMS also made it through singles qualifying, ending the three-match losing streak she carried into Germany after her last successful Q-run in Monterrey. So far, Mattek-Sands is 10-7 in singles and 15-3 in doubles this season after having returned late last year from hip surgery.
=============================


Not surprisingly, having Flavia Pennetta in your corner is a good thing...




Being in charge of administering Laura Robson's drug test? Not so much.



But, being Sam Stosur on an off week? Priceless.







1. Stutt Final - Kerber d. Wozniacki
...3-6/6-1/7-5. Kerber spoiled the day for Caro's home fans in the Copenhagen final in 2012, but the Dane couldn't do the same in front of a German crowd on Sunday. She came close... but this ain't horseshoes.
=============================
2. Stutt SF - Wozniacki d. Halep
...7-5/5-7/6-2. In this one, Halep was the one who couldn't win the big points. The Romanian was 0-for-5 on break point chances in the 1st set, and very nearly blew a two-break lead in the 2nd (the Dane closed to 5-5). After being frustrated by Wozniacki's defense, which dragged out rallies and forced her to hit extra shots, Halep showed the fight that she said a while back that she'd always have. Wozniacki got to within two points of a straight sets win before Halep forced a 3rd. In the final set, she saved three MP at 5-1 before Wozniacki finally converted on #4. The win raised the Dane's mark to 9-10 vs. Top 10 players the last two seasons. She's 4-6 vs. players in the Top 5.
=============================

3. Stutt 2nd Rd. - Brengle d. Kvitova
...6-3/7-6(2). BrengleFly celebrated, but Petra didn't let it get her down for long. A BMW will tend to do that.

=============================
4. Stutt QF - Wozniacki d. Suarez-Navarro
...6-0/6-3. The win is good. The scoreline is super impressive vs. CSN on clay. It was her first Top 10 win in 2015.

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5. Stutt 2nd Rd. - Kerber d. Sharapova
...2-6/7-5/6-1. Kerber has now defeated Sharapova twice in a row.
=============================
6. Stutt 1st Rd. - Bencic d. Goerges
...3-6/6-3/7-5. Down 4-5, love/40 in the 3rd, the New Swiss Miss prevailed. Hmmm, if the Swiss team hadn't won last weekend vs. Poland would Captain Heinz Guenthardt have been heavily criticized for not getting Bencic onto the roster while Hingis' singles game was brought out of moth balls and went 0-2? Another reason to be thankful for The People's Timea.
=============================
7. Stutt 2nd Rd. - Halep d. Muguruza
...3-6/6-1/6-3. Muguruza was up 2-1 with a break in the 3rd, and had two BP for a double-break lead. Halep might have lost this match a few months ago, but she won it in April. She's back up to #2 in the new rankings.

=============================
8. Stutt QF - Brengle d. Garcia
...3-6/6-3/6-3. This wasn't one of them, as Garcia is at #29, but Brengle has posted three Top 25 wins since she won her first slam match at the Open last August.
=============================

9. Stutt 1st Rd. - Garcia d. Ivanovic
...7-6(6)/6-4. Garcia didn't get upset about France's Fed Cup loss. She just came to Germany and took down AnaIvo for the third time (already) this season.
=============================
10. Stutt 1st Rd. - Diyas d. Lisicki
...6-0/6-0. Did someone say something about not allowing a bad Fed Cup aftertaste to carry over? Umm, yeah... Sabine didn't do that.

=============================
11. Stutt 1st Rd. - Martic/Vogt d. Hingis/Mirza
...6-3/6-3. How long will Martic & Vogt be members of an exclusive club? Well, it might depend on just how healthy Hingis is after her you've-got-to-question-the-intelligence-of-it-now Fed Cup sojourn, even if it did serve to make her eligible for Rio.
=============================
12. Stutt 1st Rd. - Chan Chin-Wei/Liang Chen d. Bencic/Halep
...6-1/5-7 [10-8]. The clay court transition often leads to strange doubles court bedfellows.
=============================
13. Stutt Q3: Mattek-Sands d. Brianti 6-1/6-2
Stutt 1st Rd. - Brengle d. (LL) Brianti 6-4/6-4
...TWO different Americans take down an Italian on clay. It was a week too late for it to matter to MJF, though. Not that she takes note of such results or anything. By the way, BMS is now 17-7 on clay since 2013, and well above .500 for her career.
=============================
14. $50K Istanbul QF - Margarita Gaspayan/RUS d. Donna Vekic/CRO
...2-6/6-4/7-6(6). Vekic stepped down to the challenger level in a $50K event in which she was the #1 seed. She produced essentially the same result she's had on tour over the last year, though.
=============================
15. Marrakech Q1: Siegemund d. Riske
...6-4/6-3. Sheesh! It's a good thing Riske wasn't called upon to win a big match on clay anytime recently or anything. Oh, wait.
=============================
16. $25K Pula Final - Anne Schaefer/GER d. Alize Lim/FRA
...6-4/6-3. The German grabs her third ITF title of the season. Schaefer has played in six challenger finals in the first sixteen weeks of 2015.
=============================
17. $10K Heraklion Final - Raluca Georgiana Serban/ROU d. Anna Bondar/HUN
...4-6/6-1/6-4. The 17-year old Swarmette wins her second title in as many weeks. Bondar, who won the doubles, denied Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar her sixth '15 final with a defeat in the SF.
=============================
18. $15K Guadalajara Final - Marcela Zacarias/MEX d. Victoria Rodriguez/MEX
...4-6/6-4/7-5. Zacarias and Rodriguez have teamed to win seven ITF doubles crowns over the last twelve months, but the Mexican pair didn't play together this week in Guadalajara. In fact, 21-year old Zacarias and Laura Pigossi downed 20-year old countrywoman Rodriguez and Kim-Alice Grajdek in the semis, then went on to take the title. She then completed the V-Rod sweep in the singles final, winning her ninth career circuit crown.
=============================
19. $10K Port El Kantaoui Final - Jenny Claffey/Kathinka von Deichman (IRL/LIE) d. Eetee Maheta/Greta Mokrousova (IND/RUS)
...6-4/6-2. 24-year old Claffey, a player/coach from Dublin, made her ITF pro debut last month after playing three Fed Cup ties for Ireland from 2009-13. Last week in Tunisia she put up a win over the event's #4 seed (world #637 Deborah Kerfs) and reached the semifinals (she's 6-3 the last three weeks), then won her first career pro title in doubles. She'll have her first world ranking on Monday. When she made her debut a few weeks ago, she reported about her experiences on Facebook via Tennis Coach Ireland, saying, "Being apart of a professional tournament is a great environment to be in. It is something you don't get to experience when you are training. You see all the different styles of players, attitudes, and you learn a lot by watching other players. Some of the girls are not friendly whatsoever and then there are others who are if you make the effort." And, no, Felina wasn't there.
=============================
20. Prague Q1: Vondrousova d. Hlavackova
...2-6/6-3/6-3. A generational clash, as the junior Czech takes out her veteran countrywoman in front of a Prague crowd. [Side note: Yikes! I think this is a "Matches of the Week" record number of entries!]
=============================
HM- Marrakech Q2: Pereira d. Melnikova
...6-2/6-2. Bogota champ Pereira, when you factor in her ITF wins while claiming a $50K challenger in Medellin two weeks ago, has now strung together twelve straight victories. She'll have to take down a Radwanska -- Ula -- in the final round of qualifying to make it thirteen.
=============================


Rumor has it that Genie Bouchard unfollowed Madison Keys after this Tweet because she couldn't be associated with such sentiments.





1. Stutt 1st Rd. - Errani d. Aga Radwanska
...7-6(8)/6-4. For what it's worth, this will serve as the "line of demarcation" which will serve as 2015 ground zero, as we'll see how things have gone with Aga from this point when we check back in on her in a few weeks. Martina Navratilova ("officially," because she doesn't have enough time to fully commit to her role on the Radwanska team) jumped off the sinking ship... err, I mean... decided to part ways with A-Rad a few days after the Pole's latest disappointing result.




Not a surprise, whether Martina was being 100% truthful, or if it was a mutual decision just for the sake of change. Although, now we won't get to see Navratilova confer with Radwanska on how to win ON GRASS. Perhaps the two sides should have made it a "grass season only" connection in the first place, which would have taken less of Navratilova's time and might have led to better short-term results, as well. Other than their similar love of the lawns, it always seemed like a odd combination of forces to begin with. Of course, this move now leaves ACTUAL RADWANSKA COACH Tomasz Wiktorowski alone on the deck of what's looked a little like the Titanic for much of the last year and a half. Is it time to rearrange ALL of the deck chairs?
=============================
2. $50K Istanbul Final - Lyudmyla Kichenok/Nadiia Kichenok d. Ivakhnenko/Monova
...6-4/6-3. The Ukrianians add a nineteenth ITF title as a sisterly duo to the one WTA title they claimed earlier this season in Shenzhen.
=============================
3. $25K Shenzhen Final - Hsieh Su-Wei d. Yang Zhaoxuan
...6-2/6-2. The 29-year old has had mixed (and mostly disappointing) doubles results in '15, but she picked up her 24th career ITF singles title in Shenzhen.
=============================



Thieves in the night... I mean day.



With a window on the future?

Smile,it is the key that fits the lock of everybody's heart ??

A photo posted by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on



Meanwhile, all critters great and small are drawn to Timea...




**2015 WTA FINALS**
3...Simona Halep, ROU (3-0)
3...Timea Bacsinszky, SUI (2-1)
3...CAROLINE WOZNIACKI, DEN (1-2)

**2012-15 WTA FINALS**
29 - Serena Williams (27-2)
21 - Maria Sharapova (10-11)
17 - Victoria Azarenka (9-8)
15 - Simona Halep (11-4)
13 - ANGELIQUE KERBER (4-9)
12 - Sara Errani (6-6)
12 - CAROLINE WOZNIACKI (5-7)

**2015 DEFEATED TOP SEED & DEFENDING CHAMPION**
Monterrey - Caroline Garcia, FRA (SF-Ivanovic) [RU]
Stuttgart - Angelique Kerber, GER (2nd-Sharapova) [W]

**2015 DEFEATED DEFENDING CHAMPION, WON TITLE**
Auckland - Venus Williams, USA (F-Ivanovic)
Sydney - Petra Kvitova, CZE (SF-Pironkova)
Katowice - Anna Schmiedlova, SVK (QF-Cornet)
Charleston - Angelique Kerber, GER (SF-Petkovic)
Stuttgart - Angelique Kerber, GER (2r-Sharapova)

**2015 LONG WINNING STREAKS**
15...Timea Bacsinszky [ended by S.Williams]
14...Simona Halep [ended by S.Williams]
12...Serena Williams [ended by walkover] #
11...ANGELIQUE KERBER [active]
11...Maria Sharapova [ended by S.Williams]
--
#- has won 8 matches since walkover; also won final three matches of '14

**REACHED 2015 FINAL IN HOME NATION**
Miami - Serena Williams, USA [W]
Charleston - Madison Keys, USA [L]
Stuttgart - Angelique Kerber, GER [W]
[doubles]
Shenzhen - Liang/Y.Wang, CHN [L]
Pattaya - Tamarine Tanasugarn, THA [L]
Antwerp - Mestash/Van Uytvanck, BEL [L]

**2015 WTA FINALS ON MOST SURFACES**
2 - Anna Schmiedlova, SVK = Red Clay,Hard
2 - Angelique Kerber, GER = Green Clay,Red Clay
2 - Caroline Wozniacki = Hard,Red Clay

**BEST 2015 RESULTS BY LUCKY LOSERS**
=SF=
Acapulco - Sesil Karatantcheva, BUL
=QF=
Brisbande - Alla Kudryavtseva, RUS
Katowice - Elizaveta Kulichkova, RUS
=2nd Rd.=
Sydney - Nicole Gibbs, USA [had 1st Rd. bye]
Pattaya - Yuliya Beygelzimer, UKR
Pattaya - Zhu Lin, CHN
Acapulco - Mariana Duque, COL
Miami - Zheng Saisai, CHN
Stuttgart - Marina Melnikova, RUS



Barbara Rittner Fed Cup postscript. The German Captain was criticized by journalists back home for the team not playing Kerber or Andrea Petkovic on Day 1 against Russia. The Hordettes took a 2-0 lead and, even with singles wins from both players on Sunday, won the tie by a 3-2 score to reach the FC final. Apparently, not only did Petkovic ask out of play on Day 1, but so did Kerber, who similarly said she was too tired after her Charleston run. As it turned out, it worked out pretty well for Kerber, though, I'd say.

"We were not rewarded in the end. The disappointment is immeasurable. At some point we will win this f---ing thing." - Rittner, on Germany's Fed Cup loss... and future




So, riding a camel worked well for Simona in Dubai. How do you think it will work out for Christina in Marrakech?



Yeah, I don't think it'll make much difference, either.



MARRAKECH, MOROCCO (Int'l $250K/RCO)
14 Final: Torro-Flor d. Oprandi
14 Doubles Final: Muguruza/Oprandi d. Piter/Zanevska
15 Top Seeds: Muguruza/Bacsinszky
=============================
=SF=
#1 Muguruza d. #3 Pennetta
#2 Bacsinszky d. #4 Svitolina
=FINAL=
#2 Bacsinszky d. #1 Muguruza

...can Timea be the Queen of Morocco, too? Or are there rules about these sort of things?


PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (Int'l $250K/RCO)
=new tour event=
14 $100K Singles Final: Watson d. A.Schmiedlova
14 $100K Doubles Final: Hradecka/Krajicek d. Hlavackova/Safarova
15 Top Seeds: Ka.Pliskova/Safarova
=============================
=SF=
#1 Ka.Pliskova d. Niculescu
#2 Safarova d. Brengle
=FINAL=
#1 Ka.Pliskova d. #2 Safarova

...a Czech -- SOME Czech, ANY Czech -- HAS to win the Prague Open, right? And if the winner isn't a Maiden then, gosh darn it, they'll MAKE her one. Just ask Heather Watson(ova), the champion of last year's $100K Prague Open challenger...



"When in doubt, hug a tree." - said by someone, surely, at some point in time... right?



Thanks, Maria.


All for now.
↧

Wk.17- Ladies and Gentleman, Karolina Has Entered the Building

May 3, 2015, 3:06 pm
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Up until Week 17, Karolina Pliskova's season had consisted of what amounts to very filling, though ultimately empty, calories. But in Prague, the Czech feasted and managed to plump up her career resume with her overdue first title of 2015.



Nitpicks aside, for all intents and purposes Pliskova has been having a spectacular season. She reached the Sydney final and pushed countrywoman Petra Kvitova in a pair of tight sets, then matched her career-best slam result in Melbourne. Playing in the #1 singles position, she led the Czech Fed Cup team out of the 1st Round in her maiden outing in the lead role and reached the Dubai decider before losing to Simona Halep. Not only that, but the clean-striking, big-serving game of the sometimes-startlingly calm Czech went into this weekend's Prague final against Lucie Hradecka leading the tour -- or in a close second -- in more categories than a Maiden can throw a milkshake out.

When it comes to matches, wins and aces no woman has done more in '15 than Pliskova. Her three finals are tied for the tour lead, while her four semis are in a dead heat for second-best. She's even won the second most points on her 1st serve and recorded the shortest match win (:38), as well as the third-longest (3:13) march to victory.

But through eight events she had no titles to show for her efforts, after having won two in the weeks following the U.S. Open last season.

Finally, though, Pliskova now has some tangible championship hardware to put in her '15 trophy case. Sure, she had to play a trio of three-setters to get it, but the extra work proved to be worth it. Prague saw six quarterfinalist slots filled by Czechs, as well as three in the semis and both finalists (not to mention two more in the doubles final). But none stood as tall -- literally or figuratively -- as the six-foot-one Pliskova. Her fourth career win is her first on clay, after having come up short against Genie Bouchard in the Nurnberg final last spring.

Ladies and gentlemen, Karolina has finally entered the building... and taken a seat in the front row.

At #13 in the rankings, the view is pretty good from there. But you get the sense that the Maiden can still get a little closer to the big stage before the end of this season. There haven't been multiple Czechs in the Top 10 in ages. But Karolina's grasp may yet extend beyond even that next career milestone.



*WEEK 17 CHAMPIONS*
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (Int'l $250K/RCO)
S: Karolina Pliskova/CZE def. Lucie Hradecka/CZE 4-6/7-5/6-3
D: Belinda Bencic/Katerina Siniakova (SUI/CZE) d. Kateryna Bondarenko/Eva Hrdinova (UKR/CZE) 6-2/6-2
MARRAKECH, MOROCCO (Int'l $250K/RCO)
S: Elina Svitolina/UKR def. Timea Babos/HUN 7-5/7-6(3)
D: Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA) d. Laura Siegemund/Maryna Zanevska (GER/UKR) 6-1/7-6(5)


PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Karolina Pliskova/CZE
...it wasn't an easy week for Pliskova, but the end results were sweet. She was taken to three sets in three of her five matches in Prague, having to go the distance to down Tsvetana Pironkova, Denisa Allertova and Lucie Hradecka in the final (while Annika Beck and Yanina Wickmayer fell in straights) to claim career title #4 in her ninth final appearance. It's a good thing, too, as the Czech was really overdue to take home some hardware after putting up such great numbers this season while not actually WINNING anything. In all, this was Pliskova's eighth singles final since the start of the '14 season, more than any player on tour not named Serena (w/ 9) or Simona (also 8) over that stretch. Just like her title-winning counterpart Elina Svitolina, Pliskova has already been able to carry over her momentum to the no-rest-for-you, crazily-scheduled Madrid event. A day after winning in Prague, the Czech was put to work on Sunday against Silvia Soler-Espinosa and recorded a straight sets win to increase her tour-best match win total to 29.
=============================

RISERS:Timea Babos/HUN & Kristina Mladenovic/FRA
...the BFF's and doubles duo won the title in Prague as a team, but they put up impressive singles results, as well. Babos, courtesy of her win in the semis over Mladenovic, pulled ahead for the week with a trip to her second career final (she was Monterrey '12 champ) and became the first woman this season to play in both the singles and doubles finals of the same event. Mladenovic notched wins over Marina Erakovic, #1-seeded Garbine Muguruza and Lara Arraubarrena en route to her fifth career tour singles semi. Babos knocked off Mona Barthel, Teliana Pereira (ending the Brazilian's long winning streak) and Flavia Pennetta before denying her Pastry friend an appearance in her first tour-level singles final.
=============================
SURPRISES:Tereza Smitkova/CZE & Denisa Allertova/CZE
...both of these under-the-radar Czechs notched career-first wins in a Fed Cup tie vs. Canada back in February, and both were grabbing headlines when the tour stopped off in Prague last week, as well. 20-year old Smitkova (world #65), who reached the Round of 16 at Wimbledon last year, got her first career Top 20 victory with an upset of fellow Maiden (and #2-seed) Lucie Safarova in the final match to be completed in the 1st Round. She had little time to celebrate, though, as she was back out on the court later that day to play another Czech, Lucie Hradecka. Smitkova led that one 5-1 in the 3rd set, and held three match points, but couldn't make it a two-for-two day. 22-year old Allertova (#103), who got her first career slam main draw win in Melbourne this year, put her wild card into the Prague event to good use, getting wins over Coco Vandeweghe and Alize Cornet to reach the QF.

=============================

VETERANS:Lucie Hradecka/CZE & Hsieh Su-Wei/TPE
...Hradecka has been the WTA's clay court workhorse this spring. In Charleston, she qualified and battled all the way to the semis. Last week in Prague, she was at it again. The 29-year old made it through qualifying, then took out Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Tereza Smitkova (saving 4 MP), Klara Koukalova and Katerina Siniakova, winning a trio of three-setters in her four main draw matches to reach her first singles final since 2013. Facing countrywoman Karolina Pliskova in the decider, Hradecka was playing in her seventh career final (at least one in four of the last five years, and six of eight). But just as was the case in her previous six finals, the Czech went home with the runner-up's check, dropping to 0-7 in career tour singles finals. Still, her loss to Pliskova was a three-setter, just the second in her seven losses. Hradecka will rise from #74 to #57 in the new rankings, an improvement of exactly 100 spots since since her #157 finish in 2014, and not that far off the career-best ranking of #41 she set in 2011. On the ITF circuit, Hsieh Su-Wei claimed her second singles titles in as many weeks in the $25K in Nanning, China. The 29-year old defeated Sabina Sharipova, Nudnida Luangnam, Klaartje Liebens (I wish she'd win more often -- I've always loved that name), Lauren Embree and Jang Su-Jeong in a 6-2/6-3 final. She's now won 24 career ITF singles crowns (the first came fourteen years ago), as well as a pair of WTA titles in 2012.
=============================

COMEBACK:Yanina Wickmayer/BEL & Anastasiya Sevastova/LAT
...once upon a time, Wickmayer was a young player surging up the charts. At 20, in just her seventh slam, she reached the semis of the U.S. Open in 2009. The Belgian won three singles titles from 2009-10, climbed as high as #12 and finished in the Top 30 for four straight years. But she's never quite lived up to that early success. Since that '09 run in NYC, she's yet to reach another slam QF. She's lost in her last four appearances in singles finals since 2011, and hasn't reached one since since 2013. Last season, she followed up her #59 finish in '13 with a ranking of #67, her worst season-ending standing since 2008, in a season that saw her fail to reach a final for the first time since 2007. 2015 has been something of a walk on a tightrope for the Waffle. While the 25-year old won three straight three-setters to reach the Round of 16 at the Australian Open, her best result at a major since 2010, she immediately lost six of seven matches after the accomplishment. She stood at 4-8 on the season and was ranked #92 heading into Prague last week. But then her results bobbed above the surface again. Wickmayer strung together victories over Camila Giorgi, Aleksandra Krunic and Danka Kovinic to reach her first tour-level semifinal since her run on the grass in Eastbourne in 2013. This result will lift her to #82 in the new rankings but, considering what happened after Melbourne, it's more important for Wickmayer to not slide back down the rungs of the ladder that she just managed to climb. On the ITF circuit, Sevastova's comeback from an injury-related early retirement continues to go phenomenally well. This weekend she won the $25K Wiesbaden final over Czech Tereza Martincova 6-1/6-3 to grab a tour-leading fourth title of 2015. It's the Latvian's second straight successful qualifier-to-titlist run, giving her a 13-match winning streak and an overall 25-1 singles mark for the season. Soon, she'll be back in the Top 300.

=============================
FRESH FACES:Elina Svitolina/UKR & Belinda Bencic/Katerina Siniakova (SUI/CZE)

...Svitolina is proving to be adept at something very important on the WTA tour -- winning. That's no small thing, either (see Hradecka's 0-7 career mark in finals). The 20-year old Urkainian's title run in Marrakech -- which included wins over Donna Vekic, Christina McHale, Karin Knapp, Anna Schmiedlova and Timea Babos -- gives her a 3-0 mark in tour finals to go along with her 6-2 standing on the ITF circuit. In her three WTA finals, she's yet to lose a set, going six-for-six against three players who'd entered the final already having lifted tour-level singles trophies in their careers. In her eleven pro finals, Svitolona is 5-1 in tie-breakers, including a win in her 7-5/7-6(3) victory this weekend over Babos. She entered the week at a career-best ranking of #25, and will now improve upon that by rising to #21 on Monday. Of course, what with the ridiculous early start in Madrid, Svitolina had to quickly race from her final in Morocco on Saturday to play her 1st Round match in Spain on Sunday. She's in such good form, though, it didn't matter -- she simply destroyed Daniela Hantuchova 6-0/6-3 to advance. Meanwhile, Bencic & Siniakova's weeks ended well together in doubles after very different results in their singles games. A week after saving triple MP in her opening match in Stuttgart, Bencic engaged in another wild 1st Rounder in Prague. Against Ana Konjuh, the player with whom the Swiss split the four 2013 junior slam titles, she saved nine match points (six in a row), then failed to convert three of her own before losing on the Croat's 10th MP. The Swiss is already out of the if-you-got-tickets-for-during-the-week-then-screw-you-since-we-want-to-play-on-a-second-weekend-even-if-it-means-losing-a-third-of-our-star-players-24-hours-into-the-tournament Madrid event for Week 17, losing on Sunday to Ajla Tomljanovic. Siniakova's Prague singles experience included knocking off Irina-Camelia Begu, Polona Hercog and Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova en route to her first career WTA singles semi, which she lost in three sets to Lucie Hradecka. The teenagers then combined to take the doubles, becoming the third and fourth teenagers to claim titles on tour in '15. The title is 19-year old Siniakova's second, joining her win last year in Tashkent with Aleksandra Krunic, while it's the first for Bencic as the 18-year old became the youngest champion on tour so far in 2015.

=============================
DOWN:Garbine Muguruza/ESP
...the Spaniard's consistency is still wanting. And the consistency of results she HAS had -- that is, when it comes to grabbing early leads and then being unable to close out a match -- hasn't been good. A week after losing despite holding a break lead in the 3rd set (w/ points for a double-break advantage) against Simona Halep, #1-seeded Muguruza lost in a straight sets, double tie-break match vs. Kristina Mladenovic in the 2nd Round in Marrakech. She had a two-break lead at 3-0 in the 1st, only to drop the set in a TB. In the 2nd set breaker, the Spaniard led 3-1 but -- are you sensing a trend? -- lost that one, too. A season ago, Muguruza reached the QF in Paris after handing Serena her worst-ever slam defeat. She was just 5-3 in her clay lead-up to RG last spring, but that included a 3-1 record compiled during a semifinal run in Marrakech. Garbi will need to find her match play elsewhere this time around.
=============================
ITF PLAYERS:Zheng Saisai/CHN & Allie Kiick/USA
...top-seeded Zheng took home her sixth career ITF circuit title at the $75K in Gifu, Japan. The 21-year old defeated Naomi Broady, Kristyna Pliskova, Mayo Hibi and Naomi Osaka (the 17-year old was going for her maiden crown after opening with a victory over #2 Wang Qiang) in a 3-6/7-5/6-4 final. Meanwhile, in the $50K in Charlottesville, Virginia it was another all-Bannerette final in the second of the USTA's three-event playoff for a wild berth in the Roland Garros main draw. Last week in the Dothan $50K, Katerina Stewart served for the match against Louisa Chirico, getting to within two points of the title, only to lose 7-6(1)/3-6/7-6(0). Wouldn't you know it, Stewart faced off with Chirico again in the 1st Round in Charlottesville. The 17-year old got revenge in the form of a 6-2/0-6/6-3 victory and advanced to the final against Allie Kiick, 19. It was another battle. Stewart saved MP in the 2nd set and forced a 3rd, but Kiick picked up her first ITF title since 2013 (the biggest of her four career title runs) with a 7-5/6-7(3)/7-5 victory. The WC race is super tight and will be decided this coming week in Indian Harbour Beach.

=============================
JUNIOR STARS:Paula Badosa Gibert/ESP & the U.S. Junior Fed Cup teams
...17-year old Badosa's 3rd Round run in Miami, which included wins over Petra Cetkovska and Zheng Saisai (as well as a 7-6/6-1 loss to Karolina Pliskova), hinted that the New York City-born Spaniard (hmmm, that could produce some fun moments in the late summer down the line, huh?) might have some big moments within her reach in '15. In the qualifying rounds for this week's event in Madrid, Badosa flashed once again with straight sets wins over Ana Konjuh and Lauren Davis to reach the main draw. But even with all her work in Madrid, Badosa didn't last until Monday, as the stupid weekend play at the event resulted in the teenager retiring just three matches into her 1st Round encounter with Sara Errani. Meanwhile, in Junior Fed Cup action in Boca Raton, the success of the U.S. girls squads (in stark contrast to the mounting disappointments on the next level) continued as both the 14-and-under and 16-and-under squads advanced through qualifying and will play in the 16-team round robin Junior FC finals this September. In the 16's, CiCi Bellis led the U.S. team to an undefeated week along with Michaela Gordon and Kayla Day (doubles). In Bellis' first day of action, the 16-year old took part in a pair of double-bagel wins in singles and doubles. Dominican opponent Penelope Abreau even asked for a photo with the '14 U.S. Open star after the match. And, yes, as noted by Bellis, the photographic moment to remember was indeed a first for the American in her young career. In the most competitive 16's tie vs. Canada, Gordon took out Charlotte Robillard-Millette 6-4/5-7/7-5 after having been forced to a 3rd set when CRM saved match points in the 2nd. On her third attempt, Gordon finally served out the 3:00+ match. In the 14's, Hurricane Tyra Black, Caty McNally and Amanda Anisimova lost just 22 games in nine matches. Colette Lewis has a full recap of the final day of the U.S. sweep into all four girls and boys finals at Zoo Tennis.

=============================
DOUBLES:Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA)
...yep, they're TWO-time award winners in this week's Backspin Player Awards, as the longtime best friends are finally living up to their pedigree as a doubles duo. Despite teaming up quite a bit over the years, Babos & Mladenovic didn't win their first tour title together until earlier this year in Dubai. They grabbed their second this week in Prague, where they also faced off (with Babos prevailing) in the singles semifinal. Their run included an early win over Katowice champs Bonaventure/Schuurs and a straight sets victory in the final over Siegemund/Zanevska. For Mladenovic, it's career title #10, while Babos now has nine. Mladenovic has famously won a slew of titles with different partners during her career (20 mixed/doubles pro crowns with 14 partners), but has rarely produced multiple titles with those players. Win #2 with Babos equals the most titles the Pastry has won with a partner on any level as a pro, and Galina Voskoboeva is the only other woman with whom she's shared two tour level doubles crowns.
=============================

Love the caricatures: TennisWeek.de




1. Prague 1st Rd. - Konjuh d. Bencic
...7-5/6-7(6)/7-6(3). For the second straight week, Bencic engaged in a thriller. This time, though, she wasn't able to pull out the victory. In a battle of two-time 2013 junior slam champs, Konjuh got to match point with a 6-0 lead in the 2nd set tie-break. Bencic saved those six consecutive MP, then three more at 5-4 in the 3rd set as the Croat double-faulted to break herself. Up 6-5 in the 3rd, Bencic actually held three MP of her own, but Konjuh proved that turnabout is more than fair play by saving all three, then finally winning on her own 10th MP. Much as was the case with Bencic's opening win in Stuttgart, Konjuh couldn't get herself up for her next match, which she lost to Klara Koukalova. She's already lost to Paula Badosa in Madrid qualifying, too.


=============================
2. Madrid 1st Rd. - Duque d. Watson
...0-6/6-3/7-6(11). Madrid has already provided one scintillating comeback. On Sunday, after dropping the opening set at love, Duque pushed Watson to a 3rd. The Colombian saved three MP at 6-5 in the final set, then two more in the deciding tie-break. On her own sixth MP in the tie-break, Duque finally prevailed.
=============================
3. Marr 2nd Rd. - Mladenovic d. Muguruza
...7-6(4)/7-6(6). Muguruza led by a two breaks at 3-0 in the 1st, lost the advantage, then reclaimed a break lead at 4-3. She lost that, and then the 1st set tie-break. In the 2nd set TB, the Spaniard led 3-1, but lost 8-6 to go down in straight sets. Frustrating.

=============================
4. Marr 2nd Rd. - Babos d. Pereira
...6-0/6-7(5)/6-4. Babos' victory ended Pereira's multi-circuit 14-match winning streak.
=============================
5. Marr Final - Svitolina d. Babos
...7-5/7-6(3). The youngest singles final of the year -- 20-year old def. 21-year old -- led to Ukraine becoming the 12th nation to produce a tour singles champion in 2015.
=============================

6. Prague 1st Rd. - Smitkova d. Safarova 6-3/2-6/6-4
Prague 2nd Rd. - Hradecka d. Smitkova 6-3/4-6/7-6(11)
...Smitkova didn't get to celebrate her career-best win over Safarova for long, as she was back out for her 2nd Rounder later in the same day. Jubilation resulted in a 5-1 3rd set advantage, which crumbled to dust after she failed to put away Hradecka after holding four match points. Hradecka won on her own 4th MP.
=============================
7. Marr SF - Babos d. Mladenovic 6-4/6-4
Marr Final - Babos/Mladenovic d. Siegemund/Zanevska 6-1/7-6(5)
...friends. Briefly on-court frenemies. Then friends/partners again. Felina could never do this dance.


=============================
8. Prague 1st Rd. - Zhang Shuai d. Kuznetsova 6-4/6-3
Madrid 1st - Kuznetsova d. Makarova 6-2/6-1
...naturally, Sveta benefited from the obtuse scheduling of the start of the Week 17 Madrid event before Week 16 had actually ended in Prague.
=============================
9. Prague 1st Rd. - Wickmayer d. Giorgi 4-6/6-3/7-5
Madrid 1st Rd. - Pironkova d. Giorgi 6-1/6-1
...this isn't supposed to happen to an Italian on red clay.
=============================
10. Marr 2nd Rd. - Arruabarrena d. Puig
...7-5/6-2. PicaPower just wasn't working in Morocco. This happened a hour or so after her loss:

=============================
11. Madrid Q1 - Niculescu d. Dabrowski
...4-6/6-3/6-0. The ROU/CAN Fed Cup match-up that never happened. But it produced a similar result.
=============================
12. Madrid Q1 - Karatantcheva d. Shvedova
...6-3/6-2. This used to be an all-non-Kazakh-born, all-Kazakh match-up.
=============================
13. Madrid 1st Rd. - Stephens d. Mattek-Sands
...3-6/6-1/6-4. Sloane wins the Mary Joe No-Show Bowl, with the winner getting Serena in the 2nd Round.
=============================
14. $10K Heraklion Final - Al Nabhani/Sanchez-Quintanar d. Kawasaki/Negreanu
...6-4/6-1. CSQ lost in the singles SF to eventual champ Zheng Saisai, but grabbed her second '15 doubles title playing alongside Al Nabhani.
=============================

15. Madrid 1st Rd. - Cornet d. Halep 7-6(6)/6-3
Madrid 1st Rd. - Sharapova d. Bacsinszky 6-2/6-3
Madrid 1st Rd. - Stosur d. Kerber 4-6/6-3/6-3
Madrid 1st Rd. - Zahlavova-Strycova d. Bouchard 0-6/6-3/6-3
Madrid 1st Rd. - Petkovic d. Pennetta 6-3/7-5
Madrid 1st Rd. - Tomljanovic d. Bencic 6-4/6-3
...and if you wanted to actually follow a slew of the "big names" in Madrid this week, you're outta luck. A ton of them were forcibly removed from the tournament on Sunday afternoon. I'm sure the Monday/Tuesday ticket holders who thought they'd have a cornucopia of stars to observe are really happy about it all.
=============================
HM- Marr 1st Rd. - McHale d. Hantuchova
...6-4/6-2. The camel ride did the trick! Well, up to a point. McHale lost her next match (but has won her 1st Rounder in Madrid).

Some wins mean more than others and this was a good one for me. Thanks for your support! #wta #marrakech #letsgo

A photo posted by Christina McHale (@christina_mchale) on


=============================

TPT's week that was...






"You Don't Know Jack: The Airtime Adventures of Madison & The Sock"





1. Marr QF - Anna Schmiedlova d. Bacsinszky
...6-3/3-6/7-5. What was more impressive: Schmiedlova's title run in Katowice, or that she maintained her roll through a Fed Cup weekend (2-0) and then extended her winning streak to ten matches with this win over Bacsinszky? The Swiss was up a break in the 3rd and served at 4-3. Ultimately, she was broken by Schmiedlova to end the match a few games later, ending her eight-match winning streak in three-setters since the Australian Open.
=============================
2. Marr SF - Svitolina d. Anna Schmiedlova
...6-0/6-3. These two were born one day apart back in September '94, just won titles three weeks apart... and met on the court here. It wasn't the match we might have expected, but the Slovak was bound to hit the wall at some point.
=============================
3. Madrid 1st Rd. - Azarenka d. Venus Williams
...6-3/7-5. An impressive start to Vika's red clay season, as she grabs her second '15 win over Venus before anyone is really even paying attention to the events in Madrid.

=============================
4. $50K Charlottesville Q3 - Elizaveta Ianchuk d. Stevenson
...6-2/6-0. Last week, Stevenson defeated Elizaveta's sister Olga in another $50K. Blood revenge served warm? Check.
=============================
5. $50K Charlottesville 1st Rd. - Francoise Abanda d. Tornado Black
...6-2/6-4. Continental sisters form different mothers.
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6. Prague Final - Karolina Pliskova d. Hradecka
...4-6/7-5/6-3. After a drought that extended back to 2009, there have now been a pair of all-Czech finals this year. Both included Pliskova.
=============================
7. $75K Gifu QF - Zheng Saisai d. Kristyna Pliskova
...6-1/3-6/6-2. Hey, Karolina's early season WTA success folded into Kristyna's recent title-winning runs on the ITF circuit. Now the proverbial shoe is on the other Maiden's foot.
=============================
8. Prague QF - Kateryna Bondarenko/Hrdinova d. Lyudmyla Kichenok/Nadiia Kichenok
...6-7(3)/6-0 [10-5]. A sister was bound to win in Prague. It's just that her non-Czech name wasn't Bondarenko OR Kichenok.
=============================






Just finished ??????(hills) I need it some oxygen ????

A video posted by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on



Meanwhile, on Caro Corner...




Doing the (extra) work. Hey, at least she avoided an opening weekend loss in Madrid. Coincidence? Hmmm.





**2015 #1 SEED WON TITLE**
Shenzhen - Simona Halep (d. Bacsinszky)
Brisbane - Maria Sharapova (d. Ivanovic)
Sydney - Petra Kvitova (d. Ka.Pliskova)
Australian Open - Serena Williams (d. Sharapova)
Dubai - Simona Halep (d. Ka.Pliskova)
Rio - Sara Errani (d. A.Schmiedlova)
Kuala Lumpur - Caroline Wozniacki (d. Dulgheru)
Miami - Serena Williams (d. Suarez-Navarro)
Prague - Karolina Pliskova (d. Hradecka)

**MOST 2015 WTA...**
=FINALS=
3...Simona Halep (3-0)
3...Timea Bacsinszky (2-1)
3...Caroline Wozniacki (1-2)
3...KAROLINA PLISKOVA (1-2)
=SF=
5...Simona Halep (2-2+W)
4...KAROLINA PLISKOVA (3-1)
4...Caroline Wozniacki (3-1)
3...Timea Bacsinszky (3-0)
3...Maria Sharapova (2-0+L)
3...Serena Williams (2-0+L)
3...Angelique Kerber (2-1)
3...ANNA SCHMIEDLOVA (2-1)
3...Carla Suarez-Navarro (2-1)
3...Andrea Petkovic (1-2)
3...ELINA SVITOLINA (1-2)

**2015 UNSEEDED FINALISTS**
Sydney - Karolina Pliskova (L)
Hobart - (Q) Madison Brengle (L)
Hobart - Heather Watson (W)
Pattaya - Daniela Hantuchova (W)
Pattaya - Ajla Tomljanovic (L)
Antwerp - Carla Suarez-Navarro (L w/o)
Doha - Lucie Safarova (W)
Doha - (WC) Victoria Azarenka (L)
Kuala Lumpur - Alexandra Dulgheru (L)
Bogota - Teliana Pereira (W)
Stuttgart - Angelique Kerber (W)
Marrakech - Timea Babos (L)
Prague - (Q) Lucie Hradecka (L)

**2015 FINALS w/ TITLE-LESS PLAYERS**
[w/ career W/L]=
Hobart - Madison Brengle (L - 0-1)
Pattaya - Ajla Tomljanovic (L - 0-1)
Rio - Anna Schmiedlova (L - 0-1)
Katowice - Anna Schmiedlova (W - 1-1)
Katowice - Camila Giorgi (L - 0-3)
Bogota - Teliana Pereira (W - 1-0)
Prague - Lucie Hradecka (L - 0-7)

**2013-15 ALL-NATION WTA FINALS**
2013: 1 (Italy)
2014: 2 (1-China, 1-Serbia)
2015: 2 (Czech Rebublic)

**2015 REACHED FINAL IN HOME NATION**
Miami - Serena Williams, USA (W)
Charleston - Madison Keys, USA (L)
Stuttgart - Angelique Kerber, GER (W)
Prague - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (W)
Prague - Lucie Hradecka, CZE (L)
[doubles]=
Shenzhen - Liang/Y.Wang, CHN (L)
Pattaya - Tamarine Tanasugarn, THA (L)
Antwerp - Mestash/Van Uytvanck, BEL (L)
Prague - Katerina Siniakova, CZE (W)
Prague - Eva Hrdinova, CZE (L)

**2015 TITLES - DOUBLES TEAMS**
3 - Hingis/Mirza [2 Hard, 1 Green Clay]
2 - Mattek-Sands/Safarova [1 Hard, 1 Red Clay]
2 - Babos/Mladenovic [1 hard, 1 Red Clay]

**CAREER WTA TITLES - active**
[4 titles]=
Dominika Cibulkova (last title: 2014)
Alize Cornet (2014)
Kaia Kanepi (2013)
Sabine Lisicki (2014)
KAROLINA PLISKOVA (2015)
Lisa Raymond (2003)
Aravane Rezai (2010)
Magdalena Rybarikova (2013)
Katarina Srebotnik (2005)
Tamarine Tanasugarn (2010)
Zheng Jie (2012)
[3 titles]=
Timea Bacsinszky (2015=2)
Mona Barthel (2014)
Klara Koukalova (2014)
Michaella Krajicek (2006)
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (2014)
Tamira Paszek (2012)
ELINA SVITOLINA (2015)
Yanina Wickmayer (2010)

Another week, more birthdays...





Hey, how'd SHE get in there?

More Gibbsian Wisdom:



And the Eternal Sunshine of the Gavrilovian Mind...










MADRID, SPAIN (Premier Mandatory $4.185m/RCO)
14 Final: Sharapova d. Halep
14 Doubles Final: Errani/Vinci d. Muguruza/Suarez-Navarro
15 Top Seeds: S.Williams/Halep
=============================
=SF=
#1 S.Williams d. #15 Errani
#3 Sharapova d. Muguruza (I wouldn't have picked this semi if the 1st Round wasn't already over, though)
=FINAL=
#1 S.Williams d. #3 Sharapova

...last year in Madrid we were given a preview of the Roland Garros final that would come a month later. We very well could be treated to a similar scene this time around.

Of course, who knows, since this tournament's cutting-off-your-nose-to-spite-your face SATURDAY start (and I thought I was "secure" in only detesting events with Sunday starts!) has already decimated much of the field, including '14 finalist Halep, in-form clay court queen Kerber, the killer B's (Bencic, Bacsinszky & Bouchard), Flavia (felled by Petko) and Venus (lost to Vika).

Under normal circumstances, the winner of this event might emerge as the favorite for Paris, but with such a bass-ackwards set-up it's difficult to know for sure. Well, you know, unless Serena wins to keep her undefeated season alive and well, I guess.

At least one person is keeping hope alive. And considering how she's played leading up to Madrid, she NEEDS to.

It only takes one strong mind to get through the work. #trainhard #workhard #playhard #photooftheday

A photo posted by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on


Hmmm, something seems to be missing from the end of this post...




Nice, Sam. But, no, that's not it.



Sania's first doubles partner is great, too. But, nope.



Ah, there it is! Thanks, Maria.

The latest edition of the Monthly BSA's is up next.

All for now.
↧

Monthly BSA's 4: Past Imperfect

May 6, 2015, 3:56 pm
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What is this woman so happy about?



That and more in the latest monthly edition of the Backspin Awards...

**PLAYERS OF THE MONTH - WK. 14-17**

1. Angelique Kerber, GER
...sure, Kerber may have gotten more attention for a Fed Cup match she DIDN'T play last month than for the 11-0 record she compiled from Week 14-17. But no matter what happens from now until Paris (and the German is already 0-1 in the new month), Kerber was 2015's first "Queen of Clay"... and she has a brand new Porsche to prove it. Thing is, a month ago she stood at 8-9 for the season, with just three wins in her last ten matches. But the clay -- be it the green or red variety -- soon became very, very good to her. After a season-defining title-run in Charleston, she backed up her resurgent form with another win in Stuttgart. The run gave her back-to-back wins in finals for the first time since she won the Paris Indoors and Copenhagen to grab the first two titles of her career in 2012. She lost eight of her next nine championship matches before ruling the courts in April (though not for that extra match on Fed Cup weekend vs. Russia... but, hey, no one said Angie's perfect, even if she WAS for a month). After notching two Top 20 wins in Charleston, Kerber knocked off three Top 10 players in Stuttgart, including #2 Maria Sharapova and #5 Caroline Wozniacki in a seesaw final that included a comeback after the Dane served for the match at 5-3 in the 3rd set. Will any of this mean anything at Roland Garros? Well, just to set the table, the last German to win in Paris was in 1999. Her name was Steffi. Angie was 11 years old at the time. I'm just sayin'.
=============================
2. Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
...through three Premier tournaments, it was three titles for Hingis/Mirza. A 14-0 run. Although, they DID slip a little in Charleston, as they opened with a tight three-set match against the Rodionova sisters, then dropped a set each against defending champs Medina-Garrigues/Shvedova and Hordettes Kudryavtseva/Pavlyuchenkova before taking out their anger about all that extra work in the final by blitzing Dellacqua/Jurak 6-0/6-4 to claim the title. Of course, the result of all this was that Mirza became the #1-ranked doubles player in the world, the first Indian woman to ever hold the top spot on the WTA computer. The pair DID finally lose a match in Stuttgart after returning from Fed Cup weekend, but have since picked up where they left off. Of course, there IS a little footnote that goes with Mirza's accomplishment. While she's the 33rd woman to be ranked #1 in doubles, and has three Mixed slam crowns, she's the only one without a women's doubles slam title on her resume. She's not going to be hounded like a certain Dane about that little fact, but it's surely a glaring -- and surprising -- omission that needs to be rectified. Going into the Charleston final, Hingis stated that her goal was to get Mirza the #1 ranking. Well, mission accomplished. Now onto the NEXT challenge. Hint, hint.
=============================
3. Czech Fed Cup Team
...sometimes, even Amelie Mauresmo can't save you. The thought that the Pastries, for all their charms, had bitten off than they could realistically chew with the defending champion Czechs in the FC semifinals ultimately proved to be dead-on. French Captain Mauresmo, with an ailing Alize Cornet a question mark, had few "razzle-dazzle 'em" options at her disposal, so she simply went back to the same well that had worked against the Italians in February -- turn everything over the Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic and hope that her trust in their skills would prove to be enough to tear down the seemingly indestructible Great Wall of Czechs. Garcia gave it a good effort, holding five MP against Lucie Safarova in the opening match, but once the veteran turned around the contest it was just a matter of the Czech's calling the final score. At that point, Petra Kvitova took control... as usual. Kvitova is the unquestioned leader of what is one title away from being an OFFICIAL historic Fed Cup dynasty. She allowed just seven games to Mladenovic on Saturday, then clinched the return to the final by giving up just five to Garcia a day later. Her back-to-back victories give the Czech team an astounding fifteen consecutive live rubber match wins over the last three seasons. The chance for a fourth title in five years -- in the same W-W-x-W-W sequence as the Russians from 2004-08 -- is no longer just a notion for the Maidens. Of course, now the Hordettes are the only thing that stands in their way from the accomplishment. If the Maidens conquer the Fed Cup yet again later this year, what will be next on their agenda? Hmmm...

=============================
4. Sara Errani & the Italian Fed Cup Team
...oh, ye -- well, me -- of little faith. After Italy's meltdown against the French in February, it looked like the team's era of relevance might just be over. Some -- cough, cough -- even suggested that it was LIKELY the case. Team Italia may never win another FC title with this group of (mostly) veterans, but the win over the Serena Williams-led (and MJF-sandbagged) U.S. squad in Brindisi shows that Flavia Pennetta, Sara Errani and the current generation of stars would NOT allow their legacy to be tainted by what happened two months ago. This could be their last great Fed Cup victory as essentially a single-souled group, but if it is it'll surely leave a wonderful aftertaste. Viva Italia!
=============================

5. Anastasia Myskina & the Russian Fed Cup Team
...back when she was forced to play high-level FC ties with "C"-team Hordettes yet still often managed to get competitive losses out of literal neophytes, Russian Fed Cup Captian Anastasia Myskina showed more than a few Mauresmoistic tendencies as the Hordette leader of women. She only grew in stature last month. Consider, she lost her #1 player mid-week when Maria Sharapova pulled out. In a very un-Fernandez-like move, she then added the versatile Vera Zvonareva to the team as an emergency option on a roster that already had built-in flexibility with Elena Vesnina sitting on the far end of the bench. Meanwhile, her singles players were the will-she-or-won't-she (show up, that is) tandem of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who lived up/down to their reputations by only producing one good singles performance each out of their combined four individual matches. But Myskina stuck with Pavlyuchenkova for doubles, as the youngest member of the squad HAD played a vital role in Russia's comeback from 0-2 down vs. France in 2011, and teamed her with smart roster pick Vesnina, a Sochi native (the site of the tie) and one of the best doubles players on tour. The pair rewarded her with a clinching win over the team of Petkovic/Lisicki in the deciding doubles match, sending the Hordettes to their ninth FC final since 1999. Myskina led the Russian team to Fed Cup glory on the court as an Original Hordette, and now she's got the opportunity to do the same as their Captain. After the deciding doubles victory, Vesnina said of the Czarina, “It was an unbelievable victory and we are so excited and I am so proud of my team. The whole team worked so hard and I just want to thank my Captain as she was amazing and helped us so much."Hmmm, sounds a little like the comments Pastries often make about another Captain with the initials A.M., doesn't it?
=============================
HM- Karolina Pliskova, CZE
...when it comes to matches, wins and aces no woman has more in '15 than Pliskova. Her three finals are tied for the tour lead, while her four semis are in a dead heat for second-best. She's even won the second most points on her 1st serve and recorded the shortest match win (:38). But through eight events she had no titles to show for her efforts this season. That changed in Prague. It wasn't an easy week for the Czech, but the end results were sweet. She was taken to three sets in three of her five matches, but her win over Lucie Hradecka in the final gives her four career titles in nine final appearances. On the cusp of joining Petra Kvitova in the Top 10, Pliskova is poised to soon assume the #2 position behind her countrywoman on the ungodly successful Fed Cup team, as well. She led the January effort with Kvitova and longtime #2 Lucie Safarova absent, and very well could be called upon to win a tie-clinching match come the FC final against Russia. The best is yet to come for this one.
=============================

*RISERS*
1. Angelique Kerber, GER
2. Karolina Pliskova, CZE
3. Anna Schmiedlova, SVK
4. Madison Keys, USA
5. ROU Fed Cup Team
6. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
7. Timea Bacsinszky, SUI
8. Camila Giorgi, ITA
9. Lucie Hradecka, CZE
10. Madison Brengle, USA
11. Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU
12. NED Fed Cup Team
13. SUI Fed Cup Team
14. Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
15. Timea Babos, HUN
16. Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU
17. Zarina Diyas, KAZ
18. Lara Arruabarrena, ESP
19. ESP Fed Cup Team
20. Mariana Duque, COL
HM- BLR Fed Cup Team

*FRESH FACES*
1. Elina Svitolina, UKR
2. Belinda Bencic, SUI
3. Katerina Siniakova, CZE
4. Ana Konjuh, CRO
5. Danka Kovinic, MNE
6. Carina Witthoeft, GER
7. Denisa Allertova, CZE
8. Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL
9. Francoise Abanda, CAN
10. Elizaveta Kulichkova, RUS
11. Tereza Smitkova, CZE
12. Andreea Mitu, ROU
13. Jelena Ostapenko, LAT
14. Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP
15. Maryna Zanevska, UKR
16. Akvile Parazinskaite, LTU
17. Jana Fett, CRO
18. Silvia Njiric, CRO
19. Danielle Lao, USA
20. Gabriela Pantuckova, CZE
HM- Marie Bouzkova, CZE


"This has been the best week of my life." - Teliana Pereira, after winning the Bogota title to become the first Brazilian singles champ on tour since 1988


*SURPRISES*
1. Teliana Pereira, BRA
2. Lucie Hradecka, CZE
3. Madison Brengle, USA
4. Lara Arruabarrena, ESP
5. ESP Fed Cup Team
6. Andreea Mitu, ROU
7. Tereza Smitkova, CZE
8. Tatjana Maria, GER
9. Petra Martic/Stephanie Vogt, CRO/LIE
10. Laura Siegemund, GER
11. Olga Govortsova, BLR
12. Danielle Lao, USA
13. LTU Fed Cup Team
14. Marina Melnikova, RUS
15. Alexandra Panova, RUS
16. Kathinka von Deichmann, PHI
17. Ankita Raina, IND
18. Lu Jiajing, CHN
19. Prarthana Thombare, IND
20. Karen Barbat, DEN
HM- Jenny Claffey, IRL

*VETERANS*
1. Angelique Kerber, GER
2. Sania Mirza, IND
3. Sara Errani, ITA
4. Martina Hingis, SUI
5. Lucie Hradecka, CZE
6. Andrea Petkovic, GER
7. Flavia Pennetta, ITA
8. Yaroslava Shvedova, KAZ
9. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
10. Serena Williams, USA
11. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
12. Shahar Peer, ISR
13. Kateryna Bondarenko, UKR
14. Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, CZE
15. Lourdes Dominguez-Lino, ESP

*COMEBACKS*
1. ITA Fed Cup Team
2. RUS Fed Cup Team
3. Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU
4. Victoria Azarenka, BLR
5. Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
6. Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
7. SRB Fed Cup Team
8. Evgeniya Rodina, RUS
9. SVK Fed Cup Team
10. Shahar Peer, ISR
11. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
12. Nastassja Burnett, ITA
13. Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
14. Kateryna Bondarenko, UKR
15. Irina Falconi, USA

*JUNIOR STARS*
1. Charlotte Robillard-Millette, CAN
2. Paula Badosa Gibert, ESP
3. Tereza Mihalikova, SVK
4. CiCi Bellis, USA
5. Michaela Gordon, USA
6. USA Jr. Fed Cup Teams
7. Bianca Andreescu, CAN
8. Anhelina Kalinina, UKR
9. Claire Liu, USA
10. Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
11. Kristina Schmiedlova, SVK
12. Katie Swan, GBR
13. Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov, ESP
14. Eva Guerrero Alvarez/ESP
15. Rebeka Masarova/SUI

*DOWN*
1. Aga Radwanska, POL
2. Genie Bouchard, CAN
3. GER Fed Cup Team
4. USA Fed Cup Team
5. POL Fed Cup Team
6. Maria Sharapova, RUS
7. Garbine Muguruza, ESP
8. Simona Halep, ROU
9. CAN Fed Cup Team
10. Sabine Lisicki, GER
11. ARG Fed Cup Team
12. Paula Ormaechea, ARG
13. Francesca Schiavone, ITA
14. Donna Vekic, CRO
15. AUS Fed Cup Team



*DOUBLES*
1. Sania Mirza, IND
2. Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
3. Sara Errani/Flavia Pennetta, ITA/ITA
4. Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic, HUN/FRA
5. Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
6. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
7. Timea Bacsinszky/Viktorija Golubic, SUI/SUI
8. Victoria Azarenka/Olga Govortsova, BLR/BLR
9. Ysaline Bonaventure, BEL
10. Ysaline Bonaventure/Demi Schuurs, BEL/NED
11. Belinda Bencic/Katerina Siniakova, SUI/CZE
12. Paula Cristina Goncalves/Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA/BRA
13. Petra Martic/Stephanie Vogt, CRO/LIE
14. Lyudmyla Kichenok/Nadiia Kichenok, UKR/UKR
15. Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar, ESP
HM- Casey Dellacqua/Darija Jurak, AUS/CRO

*ITF PLAYERS*
1. Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
2. Hsieh Su-Wei, TPE
3. Zheng Saisai, CHN
4. Fatma Al Nabhani, OMA
5. Katerina Stewart, USA
6. Anne Schaefer, GER
7. Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
8. Kristyna Pliskova, CZE
9. Louisa Chirico, USA
10. Allie Kiick, USA
11. Marcela Zacarius, MEX
12. Anhelina Kalinina, UKR
13. Clothilde de Bernardi, FRA
14. Nicoleta-Catalina Dascalu/ROU
15. Fernanda Brito, CHI
16. Ralucu Georgiana Serban/ROU
17. Katarzyna Kawa, POL
18. Reka-Luca Jani, HUN
19. Ksenia Palkina, KGZ
20. Julie Coin, FRA
HM- Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar, ESP

*FED CUP*
1. Sara Errani, ITA
2. Petra Kvitova, CZE
3. Timea Bacsinszky, SUI
4. Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU
5. Sara Errani/Flavia Pennetta, ITA
6. Flavia Pennetta, ITA
7. Arantxa Rus, NED
8. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/Elena Vesnina, RUS
9. Timea Bacsinszky/Viktorija Golubic, SUI
10. Lara Arruabarrena, ESP
11. Victoria Azarenka, BLR
12. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
13. Aleksandra Krunic, SRB
14. Anna Schmiedlova, SVK
15. Kiki Bertens, NED
16. Lucie Safarova, CZE
17. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
18. Andreea Mitu, ROU
19. Victoria Azarenka/Olga Govortsova, BLR
20. Akvile Parazinskaite, LTU
21. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
22. Prarthana Thombare, IND
23. Sania Mirza, IND
24. Karen Barbat, DEN
25. Francoise Abanda, CAN
HM- Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP


**TOP PERFORMANCES**
#1 - Angelique Kerber becomes 2015's first "Queen of Clay," winning back-to-back titles in Charleston (her first since '13) and Stuttgart, putting up three Top 10 victories (def. Sharapova, Makarova & Wozniacki) while becoming just the third German (Anke Huber '91/'94, Julia Goerges '11) to be crowned champion in the 37-year history of the tournament
=============================
#2 - In Charleston, in their third event as a duo, Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza win their third straight title. The win lifts Sania Mirza into the #1 doubles ranking, making her the first Indian woman to ever top the WTA rankings.

=============================
#3 - Teliana Pereira wins in Bogota, becoming the first Brazilian woman to claim a tour singles title since 1988. Combined with a $50K challenger title, a WTA-level qualifying run and main draw victory, Pereira's overall winning streak hit fourteen matches.

=============================
#4 - With Belinda Bencic absent and Martina Hingis' singles comeback producing no wins (0-2), Timea Bacsinszky puts the Swiss Fed Cup team on her back in the World Group Playoffs. Bacsinszky has a hand in all three points for the Swiss, defeating both Radwanska sisters and singles and Aga a second time in the deciding doubles along with Viktoriya Golubic, as the "Queen of Mexico " -- The People's Timea -- expands her kingdom to Poland, sending the Swiss into next season's World Group for the first time since 2004.
=============================
#5 - Karolina Pliskova, already leading the tour in too many categories to count -- other than titles, that is -- finally gets her first '15 singles title in front of a home crowd in Prague, winning a trio of three-set matches, including her second all-Czech final (vs. Kvitova in Sydney) this season against Lucie Hradecka
=============================


[Best Imperfect-but-Redemptive Performance]
Sara Errani was at the heart of Italy's collapse on home court red clay in February vs. the Pastries. But she and her countrywoman made good use of their second chance. After handling Lauren Davis on Day 1 of Italy's World Group tie vs. the U.S., Errani took a set off Serena Williams (just the second in the world #1's FC career) on Day 2 and even served for the match. She didn't hand Williams her first-ever FC loss there, but she wore her down enough to make her easy prey (w/ Alison Riske) in the deciding doubles, which became necessary after Flavia Pennetta made her long-awaited appearance in her hometown and added another singles win to her heroic FC history. Errani and Pennetta then destroyed the American duo 6-0/6-3, erasing what had been a 2-1 deficit mid-way through Sunday's play, regaining a large chunk of the current veteran Italian generation's Fed Cup reputation, which had been dented a bit courtesy of Amelie & Co. earlier this season. They Italians have won three titles in four FC finals since 2007, but their era of success looked close to ending when that 2-0 lead over France was lost in a Fed Cup of epic proportions. Of course, it could be that this was indeed this generation's last big FC win. If so, they left us with one more wonderful memory. Grazie.


[Best Non-Dream Team Doubles Result]

Winners selfie!!! 2nd title!! Great week in Stuttgart!! @matteksands #stuttgart #title #happy #pojd

A photo posted by Lucie Safarova (@lucie.safarova) on


Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova teamed for the first time in January in Melbourne. All they did was win the Australian Open. It sort of set the bar a bit high. The duo failed to live up to their own standards in Indian Wells, losing in their opening match. But they teamed up for a third time in Stuttgart and went about setting things right, winning the title and keeping alive the hope of a Grand Slam season. Yeah, that crazy sort of accomplishment isn't likely. But the Dream Team can't do it. Only BMS and Safarova can... and they've already won on hard courts and red clay.

[Best Non-Championship Weeks]
Caroline Wozniacki didn't win in Stuttgart (though she served for the title and came within two points of claiming it... twice), but she notched two Top 10 victories (CSN & Halep) to reach her first clay court final since 2011, and her first at a Premier event since 2012.
=============================
Lucie Hradecka was the clay court workhorse of the last month. Twice she qualified for events in Charleston and Prague, advancing to the semifinals and final, respectively, in the two events. She's still 0-7 in career tour singles finals... but why quibble with near-success?

[Best NextGen Moments]
In Katowice, Anna Schmiedlova won her first career tour singles title and put together a ten-match winning streak (which included her second Fed Cup anchor stint for the Slovak squad this season) that was snapped in the Marrakech semis by Elina Svitolina, the 20-year old Ukrainian who upped her record in WTA finals to 3-0. Last year, Svitolina defended her maiden career title (Baku) and became the first teen with multiple career singles crowns since 2010. She's now swept all six sets in her three career finals, each of which included her defeating a player who'd previously won a tour singles title in the championship match.

[Most Expected Result]

Serbia downed Paraguay 4-1 in the World Group II Playoffs, winning back-to-back Fed Cup ties for the first time in three years. With The Bracelet around, what else would you expect? The one "bright side" of Jelena Jankovic's Charleston injury was that Serbian Good Luck Charm Aleksandra Krunic got to once again take on the majority load of a FC tie for Serbia, going one more step toward righting a wrong that took far to long for the Serbian Tennis Powers That Be to recognize. After having ably held down the #1 singles position in February as the Serbs claimed a tie in FC for the first time since winning in the 2012 semifinals, Krunic led the way again with Ana Ivanovic on the roster (going 1-0) and JJ watching. She even played a "meaningless" doubles match, guiding the younger Ivana Jorovic just as JJ and AnaIvo had her during Serbia's run to the 2012 final. On the court to clinch yet another tie in her second singles match, Krunic lost a total of nine games in her three matches. She is simply a Fed Cup demon. (The good kind.)

[Best New Threat to Civilization?]
Forget The Radwanska. Maybe we should all fear the Swarm. Serena Williams sure was spooked by the whole notion of a Romanian threat a few months ago in Miami, and now the Canadians can confirm that the Swarmettes -- collectively -- are a single-minded force to be reckoned with in North America and beyond. I first started calling this surging generation of Romanians "The Swarm" all the way back in 2008, so it's nice to finally see things coming together. I've been touting a possible FC title run for 2016-17 for over a year, as well, and the last two ties have sure made it look like the process might be moving along right on schedule. In February, even with a Simona Halep loss, a fully-stocked Romanian roster (led by Irina-Camelia Begu) advanced past Spain. In April, on the road without two of their top three ranked players, the Romanians still had enough talent to spare, advancing past Canada with the likes of Alexandra Dulgheru (who hadn't played FC in four years) and Andreea Mitu (subbing for an injured Begu and making her own debut) leading the charge. Only the Czechs have been able to pass through multiple Fed Cup rounds (the Russians at least always had Sveta) even while occasionally going without the unquestioned #1 singles star in recent years, but even the sting of the Romanian "B" players have proven lethal in 2015. Sure, it might take a good 1st Round draw (i.e. one where they don't play the Czechs, and maybe where the Maidens are finally tripped up while playing without Kvitova or Safarova, something which no team could pull off the last two Februarys) for the Swarmettes to stake a claim to a possible FC title as early as next year. But don't be surprised if that's just what we'll be talking about come '16.


[Fed Cup Captain Threat Level Chart - 2015 SF/WG I Edition]
=CALM=
French Captain Amelie Mauresmo
Dutch Captain Paul Haarhuis
Romanian Captain Alina Cercel-Tecsor
Swiss Captain Heinz Guenthardt
=CONCERN=
German Captain Barbara Rittner
Italian Captain Corrado Barazzutti
Australian Captain Alicia Molik
=PARANOIA=
Polish Captain Tomasz Wiktorowski
=ALARM=
Canadian Captain Sylvain Bruneau
=PANIC=
U.S. Captain Mary Joe Fernandez
=READY FOR A RUMBLE=
Czech Captain Petr Pala
Russian Captain Anastasia Myskina

[Best Comedy Team]





"The fans help tremendously, especially when you're an emotional wreck." - Andrea Petkovic


*MEMORABLE MATCHES*
Charleston Final - Angelique Kerber d. Madison Keys
...6-2/4-6/7-5. Things got off to an error-heavy start for both, but as the match went on it transformed into both an offensive (Keys) and defensive (Kerber) clash full of momentum swings, ultimately becoming a pretty tense and dramatic contest down the stretch. Keys' errors ultimately did her in, though, as she failed to hold in three of her first four and two of her last three service games in the match, losing a 4-1 3rd set lead. Serving at 5-5, Keys led 40/love, but Kerber edged back and the American double-faulted to give the German a break point. An unforced error gave Kerber a 6-5 lead, and she then served out the match at love.
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Prague 1st Rd. - Ana Konjuh d. Belinda Bencic
...7-5/6-7(6)/7-6(3). In a battle of two-time 2013 junior slam champs, Konjuh got to match point with a 6-0 lead in the 2nd set tie-break. Bencic saved those six consecutive MP, then three more at 5-4 in the 3rd set as the Croat double-faulted to break herself. Up 6-5 in the 3rd, Bencic actually held three MP of her own, but Konjuh proved that turnabout is more than fair play by saving all three, then finally winning on her own 10th MP.
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Fed Cup World Group Playoffs - Serena Williams/USA d. Sara Errani/ITA
...4-6/7-6(3)/6-3. Going into the match, Williams had lost just one set in fifteen career matches in FC competition. Errani made it two by taking the 1st, then served for the match at 5-4 in the 2nd. Williams ultimately claimed the win (and point), but the Italian won the war as Errani and Flavia Pennetta returned shortly afterward and handed a tired Serena (w/ Alison Riske) her first-ever FC loss (6-0/6-3) to win the tie in front of on the home crowd in Brindisi.
=============================
Stuttgart SF - Caroline Wozniacki d. Simona Halep
...7-5/5-7/6-2. In this one, Halep was the one who couldn't win the big points. The Romanian was 0-for-5 on break point chances in the 1st set, and very nearly blew a two-break lead in the 2nd (the Dane closed to 5-5). After being frustrated by Wozniacki's defense, which dragged out rallies and forced her to hit extra shots, Halep showed the fight that she'd said earlier in '15 that she'd always have. Wozniacki got to within two points of a straight sets win before Halep forced a 3rd. In the final set, she saved three MP at 5-1 before Wozniacki finally converted on #4.
=============================
Stuttgart Final - Angelique Kerber d. Caroline Wozniacki
...3-6/6-1/7-5. Kerber spoiled the day for Caro's home fans in the Copenhagen final in 2012, but the Dane couldn't do the same in front of a German crowd on Sunday. She came close... but this ain't horseshoes. The Dane opened up the final in aggressive form, taking the 1st before having Kerber turn the tables on her in the 2nd. The 3rd played right into Carol's hands. Well, until it didn't. She served for the title at 5-3, coming within two points of the win before being broken. She was two points from the title a game later, as well. But as has been the case on more than one occasion against top players in '15, Wozniacki failed to win the big points down the stretch.
=============================
Fed Cup World Group Playoffs - Francoise Abanda/CAN d. Irina-Camelia Begu/ROU
...4-6/7-5/6-4. The 18-year old from Montreal opened the CAN/ROU tie in her hometown with a bang, winning a tight match (107-107 in points) in 2:39 to notch her first career FC win. Now, if only teammate -- and fellow Quebec native -- Genie Bouchard had shown similar verve.

=============================
Fed Cup World Group Playoff - Timea Bacsinszky/Viktorija Golubic (SUI) d. Aga Radwanska/Alicja Rosolska (POL)
...2-6/6-4/9-7. In the deciding doubles, the Swiss battle back from a set down and don't fold against the Poles after failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the 3rd. The win allows the Swiss to reach the World Group round for the first time since 2004.
=============================
Fed Cup World Group Playoff - Arantxa Rus/NED d. Jarmila Gajdosova/AUS
...0-6/7-6/7-5. Gajdosova has a history in Fed Cup play of playing long, drawn-out matches and ultimately losing them. It happened again here. In a seesaw final set, Rus led 5-2 and held two MP at 5-3. She double-faulted on the first, then another DF broke herself. Gajdosova held for 5-5 in a three-ace game, but back-to-back DF from the Aussie two games later, the last on Rus' fourth MP, sealed the fate of herself and the Aussie team as the 2:23 match -- and the "live" nature of the tie -- came to an end. This is the third straight tie in which Rus has provided the clinching point for the Dutch.
=============================

Fed Cup World Group II Playoff - Lara Arruabarrena/ESP d. Paula Ormaechea/ARG
...6-1/4-6/9-7. The Spaniard nearly blew a 4-1 lead in the 3rd, and Ormaechea saved a MP in game #14 of the set. But Arruabarrena converted on her second attempt to keep Spain from dropping down into zone play for the first time in the nation's Fed Cup history.
=============================
Fed Cup World Group Playoff - Aga Radwanska/POL d. Martina Hingis/SUI
...6-4/6-0. Aga proved adept at handling the game of the player whose style her own is most often compared to. Better yet, we finally got to see what it looks like when the "cheeky smile" meets the stoic "face of Radwanska." Of course, Hingis hadn't played a full singles match that counted since 2007, and while the solo return of the Swiss Miss was nice, Martina's 0-2 singles mark for the weekend ultimately left her limping, exhausted an unable to take part in what was rightly considered the main benefit of having her on the team in the first place -- the ability to call upon her doubles skills in a deciding concluding match. As it turned out, the Swiss won the deciding doubles without her. So it's all right be be nostalgic about Martina the Singles Player without feeling guilty about it, I suppose.

=============================

*WINS AND LOSSES ARE FINE, BUT COMEBACKS ARE FOREVER*
Stuttgart 1st Rd. - Belinda Bencic d. Julia Goerges
...3-6/6-3/7-5. Sparking memories of her breakout Fed Cup debut in '14, the New Swiss Miss spoils the days for a player in front of a partisan crowd. Down 4-5, love/40 in the 3rd set, Bencic survives her triple match point moment and goes on to take out the German just days after Goerges was part of Germany's lost Fed Cup moment vs. the Russians.
=============================
Fed Cup Semifinals - Lucie Safarova/CZE d. Caroline Garcia/FRA
...4-6/7-6(1)/6-1. Had Garcia converted one of her five match points in the 2nd set against Safarova, picked by Czech Captain Petr Pala to play over Karolina Pliskova, would it have made a difference in the tie? Well, it might have meant that Pala would would have gone with Pliskova on Sunday, and if she hadn't been able to get a win, things would have gone to the doubles with Garcia/Mladenovic striving for a second straight epic Pastry FC upset (after overcoming a 0-2 deficit vs. Italy in February). But after Safarova won, the rest of the tie proved to be rather elementary, as the the Maidens advanced to their fourth final in five years.
=============================
Stuttgart 2nd Rd. - Simona Halep d. Garbine Muguruza
...3-6/6-1/6-3. 0-2 lifetime against the Spaniard, and with the memory of her February Fed Cup beat down still fresh in her mind, Halep found herself down a break in the 3rd set. She saved two break points to avoid a double-break disadvantage, and then the promising Muguruza did what unfortunately still occurs far too often -- she let a victory slip through her fingers.
=============================
Fed Cup World Group Playoff - Alexandra Dulgheru/ROU d. Francoise Abanda/CAN
...3-6/7-5/6-2. Abanda very nearly made up for teammate Genie Bouchard's FC weekend misfires against the Romanians. The teenager opened the tie with a victory, then was tasked with evening the score in match #4 after Bouchard went 0-2 in singles. She led Dulgheru, the emotional leader of the Swarmettes and the player who'd shown up a defeated Bouchard a day earlier, 6-3/4-2 before the Swarmette seized the moment once again by surging back and clinching the tie.
=============================
Fed Cup Semifinals - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS d. Sabine Lisicki/GER
...4-6/7-6(4)/6-3. Things could have been so very different for Germany had Lisicki been able to put away Pavlyuchenkova when she had the chance. Captain Barbara Rittner may not have been criticized for not playing Petkovic and Kerber (both of whom had asked out of play due to tiredness) on Day 1, and the Germans' furious comeback attempt on Day 2 (Petko and Kerber notched fiery wins to send things to the doubles) wouldn't have needed to be absolutely flawless. Instead, Lisicki failed to convert a MP at 6-5 in the 2nd set, then quickly fell behind 5-1 in the deciding 3rd as the Hordettes took a 2-0 lead that proved to be large to overcome.
=============================
Prague 2nd Rd. - Lucie Hradecka d. Tereza Smitkova
...6-3/4-6/7-6(11). Hours after notching a career-best win over countrywoman Lucie Safarova, Smitkova was asked to face yet another fellow Czech. Up 5-1 in the 3rd, and with a MP at 5-4 and three more in the deciding tie-break, Smitkova looked like she was going to celebrate for a second time. But Hradecka battled back to win on her own fourth MP and went on to reach the final, where she lost to yet another Czech, Karolina Pliskova.
=============================
Fed Cup World Group Playoffs - Urszula Radwanska d. Martina Hingis
...4-6/6-7(5)/7-6(4). Hingis was looking to clinch the tie for Switzerland in her second singles match of the weekend. She served for the match at 5-3 in the 2nd, but after failing to put away the tie she literally limped to the finish with a leg injury as U-Rad forced things to a deciding doubles contest. Ailing and exhausted, Hingis skipped the doubles, but she still cheered on/helped coach Timea Bacsinszky & Viktoriya Golubic to a win to send the Swiss into the World Group in 2016.
=============================
Charleston 1st Rd. - Jana Cepelova d. Elena Vesnina
...6-2/6-7(5)/7-6(4). For one match, Charleston was home for Cepelova all over again. Vesnina served for the match at 5-4 in the final set, but surprise '14 Charleston finalist Cepelova re-lived her glory of a year ago (she def. Serena, remember) and found a way to advance. A sequel wasn't mean to be, though, as the Slovak dropped her next match.
=============================
$15K Leon Final - Danielle Lao d. Aleksandrina Naydenova
...3-6/6-3/7-5."The Little Giant," a two-time NCAA All-American at USC, wins her first ITF singles title by knocking off three seeded players. In the QF vs. #1-seeded Mayo Hibi, Lao saved six match points, then in the final against Naydenova she overcame a 4-1 3rd set deficit and finally served out the match on her second attempt despite trailing her opponent (95-94) in total points won during the match.

Cannot tell you how much this strong finish means to me. Thank you Leon! I'll never forget this week. #soblessed

A photo posted by Danielle Lao (@thelittlegiant) on

=============================
Marrakech QF - Anna Schmiedlova d. Timea Bacsinszky
...6-3/3-6/7-5. What was more impressive: Schmiedlova's title run in Katowice, or that she maintained her roll through a Fed Cup weekend (2-0) and then extended her winning streak to ten matches with this win over Bacsinszky? The Swiss was up a break in the 3rd and served at 4-3. Ultimately, she was broken by Schmiedlova to end the match a few games later, ending her eight-match winning streak in three-setters following the Australian Open
=============================



"I don't want to comment on the gesture, it depends on the person's education. I would never do that but it's maybe just how she was raised and we have to accept this attitude. Alex played really well and I'm very happy she beat Bouchard. (The Celebration) was very well thought of and actually funny." - Simona Halep, on Genie Bouchard and Alexandra Dulgheru


*LOOK! UP IN THE SKY! IT'S A BIRD! IT'S A PLANE! IT's SUPER-... umm, UPSETS*

Fed Cup World Group Playoff - Alexandra Dulgheru/ROU d. Genie Bouchard/CAN 6-4/6-4
Fed Cup World Group Playoff - Andreea Mitu/ROU d. Genie Bouchard/CAN 4-6/6-4/6-1
...after at first deciding against it, Bouchard's late announcement that she would indeed join the Canadian team back home in Montreal was initially greeted with enthusiasm. Little did everyone know that it would simply be the first act of Genie's "lost weekend." Playing against a Romanian team without Simona Halep, Bouchard was expected to carry the team on her shoulders. Instead she caused it to bite the dust, losing on Day 1 to Alexandra Dulgheru in the injury-plagued Swarmette's first FC action since 2011. The last game, a hold by the Romanian, included three break points and four match points. But the final result was still the same, no matter the too-little-too-late fight that Bouchard put forth. Afterward, Dulgheru openly mocked Bouchard's refusal to shake hands with her opponents during the ceremony attended by both teams earlier in the week. Day 2 proved to be even worse for the (what-does-it-take-for-her-to-be-chagrined?) Canadian, as she was taken down by Irina-Camelia Begu's late replacement, Andreea Mitu, who clinched the tie in her FC debut.
=============================
Charleston 1st Rd. - Lauren Davis d. Genie Bouchard
...6-3/6-1. Not to pile on, but Felina makes it so easy. In this case, Davis grabbed her first career Top 10 win as Bouchard suffered her third consecutive loss, all to players ranked #65+. Numbers four and five in a row would come a week later in Fed Cup play vs. Romania.
=============================
Stuttgart 2nd Rd. - Madison Brengle d. Petra Kvitova
...6-3/7-6(2). BrengleFly's hard-earned upward mobility continued, as she skipped over one milestone in favor of an even greater one. The Bannerette had never defeated a Top 10 player in her career, but that didnt' stop her from taking out Top 5er Kvitova in the wake of the Czech's undefeated Fed Cup weekend.
=============================
Fed Cup World Group Playoff - Sara Errani/Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Serena Williams/Alison Riske (USA)
...6-0/6-3. On her first weekend of play on red clay this season, the poor roster makeup of the U.S. team and absence of sister Venus proved to simply be too much for even Serena to overcome. Of course, a resurgent Italian team still smarting from a February FC collapse had something to do with it, as well. After being forced to a tie-break in a straight sets win on Saturday, then having to battle for three sets to defeat Errani (the Italian took just the second ever set lost by Serena in FC competition and even served for a straight sets win) earlier in the day, Williams was forced into action yet again for Mary Joe Fernandez's why-would-we-ever-need-a-doubles-player? squad and simply wasn't able to bring anything to the table. Serena hadn't played FC doubles in a dozen years. Playing with Riske for the first time (they hadn't even met until earlier in the week) in the deciding doubles match, the Americans fell behind 5-0 in just seventeen minutes as the Italian duo thrilled the crowd -- Pennetta was playing in her hometown -- and proved that the fabled veteran squad had at least one more heroic weekend left for which history would be able to judge them. Williams was broken at love twice in the 2nd set, as she suffered her first loss in seventeen career Fed Cup matches.
=============================
Stuttgart 1st Rd. - Petra Martic/Stephanie Vogt d. Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza
...6-3/6-3. Martic & Vogt, playing in their first match as a duo, become charter members of the exclusive We Beat the Dream Team Club, ending the undefeated run of Hingis/Mirza after fourteen straight wins. Of course, it likely helped that Hingis wasn't exactly 100% after a weekend of Fed Cup singles action, and both she and Mirza had to fly into Germany (Sania all the way from Hyderabad) after both had participated in FC action just a few days earlier.
=============================
Fed Cup World Group II Playoffs - Sara Sorribes Tormo/ESP d. Paula Ormaechea/ARG
...4-6/7-6(2)/6-1. Ormaechea has been Argentina's best FC player the last few years, but the Spanish teenager made her debut for Team Espana a memorable one, setting the tone for a disappointing performance for the host nation. Sorribes dropped the 1st set, then staged a successful comeback despite twice being down a break in the 2nd. After having nearly pushed the Williams-stacked U.S. squad to the doubles in February, Argentina went on be shut out by the Spanish "B"-team, with Ormaechea dropping a second match against Lara Arruabarrena, who was also playing in her first career FC tie.
=============================



Team spirit #Belarus #fedcup ??????

A photo posted by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on


I am ??????

A photo posted by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on



Meanwhile, on Caro Corner...



And Martina on a horse... just because.



Brazilian tennis
Holy Maria Bueno! The Brazilians are coming, the Brazilians are coming! Well, maybe not like a Russian horde or a Romanian swarm, but... something. Fifteen months before the Rio Olympics, Brazilian women's tennis at least won't be a laughingstock heading into next summer. Not with the likes of Bogota champ Teliana Pereira, who became the first Brazilian to win a tour singles title in twenty-seven years, leading the way along with players like Paula Cristina Goncalves & youngster Beatriz Haddad Maia, who took the doubles title in Bogota to give the nation a sweep of both tournament titles.
=============================
The Bannerettes...just not when MJF is around
Mary Joe Fernandez's ongoing Fed Cup disaster aside, the American presence continues to grow roots of success. In the last month, Madison Keys reached the Charleston final, Madison Brengle clipped Petra Kvitova en route to the Stuttgart semis, Lauren Davis upended Genie Bouchard, CiCi Bellis once more led the U.S.'s super-successful junior FC efforts, while fellow teens Katerina Stewart, Louisa Chirico and Allie Kick flashed on the ITF circuit. AO doubles champ Bethanie Mattek-Sands won another doubles title, too. Heck, even Romanian vet Edina Gallovits officially began to play under the flag of the stars-and-stripes. Of course, she should expect to be asked by MJF to play Fed Cup... just ask Varvara Lepchenko and Anna Tatishvili (just to name a few).
=============================
The Czech Fed Cup Dynasty
They're at it again. Later this season, the Czech FC team will play in another FC final, seeking a fourth title in five years. Not only that, but they've won fifteen consecutive "live" matches during their current run.
=============================
Sveta's Hall of Fame Resume?
Svetlana Kuznetsova's pair of slam titles and long Fed Cup history may have already secured a future place in Newport, but any little bit more helps. Her 27th match win in FC play this past month made her the most successful Russian ever in the competition, and she'll likely be called upon to deliver in this year's Fed Cup final if the Russians are to have any legit chance to take down the defending champion Czech squad and claim a fifth title of their own to quite possibly put a final period (Maria's future slam results aside) at the end of the story of the Russian Revolution that kicked in over a decade over.
=============================
The Dutch Force
You usually don't think of the Dutch when it comes to great tennis accomplishments. At least not since Wimbledon champ Richard Krajicek retired more than a decade ago. But the women's Fed Cup team, led by Kiki Bertens and Arantxa Rus, have now advanced to the World Group in '16 for the first time since 1998. The Dutch women's win over Australia, a 2014 semifinal nation, was their seventh straight victorious tie in FC competition.
=============================
Sam Stosur 2.0?
The Aussie has recently reconnected with former coach David Taylor, and she's already flashed a bit of her old spunkiness in Madrid.
=============================
Caro & Arantxa?
Could the addition of slam-winning, clay-loving former #1-ranked Arantxa Sanchez to Caroline Wozniacki's coaching team prove to be the "back door hire" that, while it came without all the hoopla of her previous coaching decisions, might prove to be her best decision yet? After middlin' clay results in the past, the Dane's impressive run to the Stuttgart final was surely intriguing. The Spaniard's run-for-days gameplan made her a force to be reckoned with on the clay. Maybe the Danish Marathoner will be the same by the end of this spring, as well?
=============================

The New Spanish Threat
Speaking of the Spaniards. Spain hasn't produced a whole heap of great results since the end of the Sanchez/Martinez era, but from top to bottom the nation might have its best group of women's players ever. Carla Suarez-Navarro recently became the first Spaniard to debut in the Top 10 since Conchita Martinez in 1989, and Garbine Muguruza looks to be the first true new threat to one day win a slam in twenty-five years. But it doesn't stop there. Lara Arruabarrena led Spain's recent "B"-team winning Fed Cup effort, while youngsters like Sara Sorribes, Paula Badosa and Aliona Bolsova are suddenly putting up big wins against WTA competition. Had CSN been on the roster in February, Spain might have taken out the Halep-led Romanians in FC play. If she and CSN and doubles partner Muguruza play, Spain is going to be a bear to face down in '16. The great Spanish teams won four FC titles in five years, and five in eight, during the Sanchez/Martinez heyday. That sort of thing won't be repeated, but they might be able to contend within two years for the nation's first title since 1998 if Muguruza continues her rise and commits to following down the FC path taken by her Hall of Fame Spanish footstep-makers. The group won't have to look far for motivation, either. Conchita is the Team Espana Captain.
=============================


The What Might Have Been
Last year's run to the Fed Cup final was Germany's first since 1992. Not even the Graf Era produced back-to-back FC final appearances (the nation only pulled that off in the pre-Steffi 1982-83 seasons), but this year's squad had a real chance to do it. If either Angelique Kerber or Andrea Petkovic had played on Day 1 vs. Russia, or Sabine Lisicki had been able to put away the match she led against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the Germans would have avoided the 0-2 deficit that ultimately proved to be too much to overcome as the Russians won the deciding doubles. Kerber, who'd just won in Charleston, then went on to take Stuttgart a week later. Petko, Angie & Co. might very well return to the FC final in 2016, but that wouldn't erase the fact that history slipped through the team's fingers this time around.
=============================
Captain Obvious' Luck
U.S. Fed Cup Captain Mary Joe Fernandez's roster and lineup mistakes are usually covered up by the Williams Sisters. They don't play every tie, but when at least one does they generally are able to make up for multiple previous, Williams-less disastrous weekends for the team. Not against Italy, though. With even the presence of a Williams not enough to make up for the absence from the roster of most of the deep American talent pool, what will be the Captain's move for 2016? To resign, maybe? [Oh, did I say that out loud?]

=============================
The End of the Odd Experiment
Aside for their mutual love of grass court tennis, Aga Radwanska and Martina Navratilova always seemed to be an odd combination when the Pole announced that the serve-and-volleying all-time great was being brought onto Team Aga before the season. After a disappointing start to A-Rad's year, and with the given reason that she isn't able to fully commit enough time to help their teaming become a successful one, Martina walked away from the situation.



The turn in Aga's fortunes over the past season-plus are no more apparent than in her Fed Cup results in 2015. She entered the year having won fourteen straight matches for Poland, but in a pair of ties against Russia and Switzerland she's lost three of four singles matches and dropped a deciding doubles match on home soil. Hmmm, maybe Mary Joe Fernandez should be the only coaching A-Rad?
=============================

The gift that I'm glad I didn't carry over with me. It weighs over 30 pounds! #lips #thanksteamUN

A photo posted by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on


Whither Maria?
Maria Sharapova, dealing with a leg injury and a few troubling matches in which she wasn't able to call upon her usual inner fortitude to put away a tight match, ended her month by losing in her first match of an event for the third straight time. Thankfully, she's opened her stint in Madrid in far better form. Might the defending champ, possibly armed with the #2 ranking should Simona Halep's clay results this spring continue to be wanting, turn out to be a co-favorite on the opposite side of the draw from Serena in Paris, after all?
=============================
Are AnaIvo's Nightmares in French?
Maybe it's just something about France. Ana Ivanovic's career took a hit AFTER she won her sole slam title in Paris. The Serb has rebounded in recent seasons, but Caroline Garcia is having none of it this year. With her win this past month in Stuttgart, the Pastry is now 3-0 against AnaIvo in 2015.
=============================


And, it's about time...




So, there. Are we done?



All right then. If you two say so.

All for now.
↧
↧

Wk.18- Good Petra, Bad Petra... Happy Petra!!

May 10, 2015, 7:42 pm
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Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Well, here we go again? Right? Petra Kvitova wins something big, we all think even bigger. Then everything comes crashing down a short time later. Not in any disastrous, never-come-this-way-again-if-you-know-what's-good-for-you sort of way. But in disappointing fashion that raises frustrating doubts about our original opinions about her, but doesn't banish all hope from thee who enter these gates.

Oh, Petra. Sometimes you get the idea that the best thing that can happen to Kvitova is for her to become a champion... but that it's always possible that it's the worst thing, too.

Kvitova's run to the title last week in Madrid to claim the second clay court title of her career saw her peak as the tournament moved along, leading to her ultimate destruction of a pair of (albeit compromised, either "Serenativitally" or physically) former Roland Garros champions in Serena Williams (5 games allowed) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (3). With the season's second grand slam just a few weeks away, no player has been able to hold onto any "Queen of Clay" notions for long this spring. So that means Petra, healthy and in-form as mid-May approaches, moves right into the discussion when it comes to Paris contention, where she's been a semifinalist in the past and will enter as a Top 4 seed.

But is she REALLY a Roland Garros "favorite?"And would it be best to de-emphasize that sort of talk... you know, for her own good? Kvitova seems to think so.

“I didn't expect this. No, for sure I'm not feeling as the favorite of the French Open right now. Yeah, I had a great run for sure, but the French Open, it's different. I was there in the semifinal one year, so I know I can play good there,” Kvitova said, perhaps intentionally leaving out any instructions about -- please, for the love of the Tennis Gods! -- not placing those sort of expectations on her shoulders. It usually doesn't turn out well.

Whether it's her asthma, her fitness, or the uncomfortability in the spotlight that has been the culprit, SOMETHING has always seemed to provide a final obstacle that Kvitova hasn't been able to overcome. She even came within two victories of reaching the #1 ranking at the beginning of the 2012 season, only to come up short and re-start the climb all over again.

To her credit, unlike some first-time slam champs in recent seasons, Kvitova has never gone away. She always comes back fighting, reminding everyone why they got so excited about her future in the first place. She's won a second slam title in London, and reached the final four at two other majors. She's won the U.S. Open Series (but not the Open itself), and led the Czech Maidens to three Fed Cup championships.

But, still, it's been a time-honored tradition during Kvitova's career for her to often shine so brightly that she grabs EVERYONE'S attention, then has her results fizzle a bit (well, at least until it's time to dazzle yet again and start the process anew). Just when many are expecting her to finally climb to the tip-top of the sport, winning major titles somewhere other than at the All-England Club, she takes a step back and forces her fans to grapple with just how comfortable they'll be if she's destined to "only" be a great champion at ONE of the four majors.

That's not exactly a "normal" conundrum for an average player, or even a very good one with a resume that was nipping at the heels of being Hall of Fame-worthy before she turned 25. But it's a reality in Kvitova's case because we all KNOW that she has the ability to win everywhere.

Just don't say it too loudly. I mean, you can think about it, but don't go around casually mentioning that the last time she won a title on clay (in 2011) she ended up winning THE biggest grass court tournament in the world for the very first time, so there's evidence that Kvitova showing good form in the spring generally speaks well for her summer. Oh, no... what did I just do?

We never really know whether Good Petra or Bad Petra will be awaiting us around the corner, but we can all agree on one thing. Happy Petra is a delight to see...



Oh, Petra. Don't think TOO much and everything might just work out.



*WEEK 18 CHAMPIONS*
MADRID, SPAIN (Premier Mandatory $4.185m/RCO)
S: Petra Kvitova/CZE def. Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS 6-1/6-2
D: Casey Dellacqua/Yaroslava Shvedova (AUS/KAZ) d. Garbine Muguruza/Carla Suarez-Navarro (ESP/ESP) 6-3/6-7(5) [10-5]


PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Petra Kvitova/CZE
...one never knows whether a title-winning week will prove to simply be a case of Kvitova showing what she's capable of, or something much more. Often, it's only a few weeks (or days) before she proves that nothing is ever a "sure-thing" when it comes to predicting her results. Good form and good results don't always like up perfectly for the Czech over multi-tournament stretches, so it's best to simply appreciate the wonderful moments when things go her way... then realize later whether or not any was a stepping stone victory. Or not. Who knows, maybe this win WILL be a prelude to something big, considering that no one seems to want to hold onto the "Queen of Clay" title this spring and Kvitova HAS shown she can go deep in Paris ('12 SF). See, it's just so easy to fall into the trap. In Madrid, Kvitova followed up her '14 semifinal result with her second title (2011) at the event, expertly timing her rise (and likely running into Serena Williams on the perfect day for an "upset"... which you can't ever really be sure a win over Williams is when it's Kvitova pulling off the victory, especially on clay). The Czech's wins over Olga Govortosova, Coco Vandeweghe, Irina-Camelia Begu, Serena (2 & 3) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (1 & 2) paved the way for her sixteenth career title, but just her second ever on the red stuff. Make of it what you will... or won't.

=============================
RISERS:Alize Cornet/FRA & Caroline Garcia/FRA
...the Pastries rose, but then they fell, as well. Still, it's difficult to overlook Cornet's impressive start in Madrid last Sunday, where she handed '14 runner-up Simona Halep a 1st Round loss and collected her fourth win over a Top 2 player since last February (and, finally, she got one over someone other than Serena Williams, proving that she's not a one-trick pony who can only beat one top player... and, yes, I'm kidding... sort of). Cornet wasn't able to follow up the upset, though, losing to Roberta Vinci a round later. Garcia, too, flew high, only to be unable to stay at such a high altitude for long. In the 2nd Round, she upended Prague champ Karolina Pliskova, but a round later she wasn't able to hold on in a match against Maria Sharapova that went deep into the 3rd set without either woman gaining a clear advantage. Ultimately, the Russian got a late break and then served out the match at 7-5.
=============================
SURPRISES:Marcela Zacarias/MEX, Fernanda Brito/CHI & Alexandra Stevenson/USA
...pretty much all the real surprises took place in the 1st Round in Madrid, so I'll drop down to the ITF circuit for a trio of Week 18 honorees here. First, a pair of singles winners. 21-year old Mexican Zacarias swept the singles and doubles titles at the $15K challenger in Ciudad Obregon to claim both disciplines in an event for the second straight week, running her current combined s/d winning streak to sixteen matches. She took out Vojislava Lukic when the Serb retired down 2-1 in the 3rd set, grabbing career ITF singles title #10 and tying for the 2015 circuit lead with four. Her doubles title was also her fourth of the year. After not playing with her last week (but beating her in both singles and doubles), Zacarias again teamed with successful doubles mate Victoria Rodriguez to win their eighth title as a pair (Zacarias' 12th overall), with all the titles coming since last April. Oh, and after Marcela defeated her in the singles final last week, she did it again in the semis here... so I guess V-Rod's motto for the week was, "If you can't beat her, join her." Zacarias is 7-2 in their career head-to-head.

In the $10K in Villa Maria, Chilean Fernanda Brito defeated Top 15 junior Julieta Lara Estable (the Argentine was playing on home soil) to win her ninth career crown and her third consecutive event this season. The 23-year old burst into the final having won four of the eight sets at love that she'd played during the week, including dropping just one game in her last five sets. Estable got fifteen games off her in the final, but Brito won the deciding 3rd set tie-break 7-2. The third winner here goes to Stevenson, who game up short of actually winning a title. I've sort of jumped on the uptick in the 34-year old's results of late, and it very nearly paid off in the $50K Indian Harbour Beach challenger. Stevenson reached the doubles final with Angelina Gabueva, losing to the top-seeded team of Maria Sanchez & Taylor Townsend 6-0/6-1. But her run is still noteworthy because it's just the sixth professional final she's ever played in, and only the second since 2002. Stevenson lost in the 2009 Carson $50K singles final, but before this weekend that was her only final in the last thirteen years. Her career WTA and ITF finals:

1998 $50K Midland (s) - WON def. S.Reeves
2002 Memphis WTA (s) - RU to L.Raymond
2002 Leipzig WTA (d) - WON partnering S.Williams
2002 Linz WTA (s) - RU to J.Henin
2009 $50K Carson (s) - RU to V.Tetreault
2015 $50K Indian Harbour Beach (d) - RU partnering A.Gabueva

So the last time Stevenson played in a doubles final she did it while being alongside Serena Williams. And in case you were wondering, yes, that is the only women's doubles title ever won by Serena without Venus as her partner. Stevenson came into the week just outside the Top 400 in singles, and at #1270 in doubles. That she put together a doubles run is quite an odd occurrence, as she hasn't even played enough to earn a season-ending ranking for most of the last decade-plus. She was #1026 in 2010, but that's her only year-end doubles rank since 2004. She had three Top 100 double seasons in 2000, '02 and '03.
=============================
VETERANS:Maria Sharapova/RUS & Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS
...the week didn't quite turn out the way either of these two Original Hordettes might have hoped, but they left Madrid having proven something to themselves. Sharapova had three straight one-and-out results heading into the week, but the defending champ in the event (and at RG) handled Timea Bacsinszky (2 & 3) and Mariana Duque, then outlasted Caroline Garcia and Caroline Wozniacki in a pair of three-setters before losing in straight sets to Kuznetsova in the semis. The win over Wozniacki, in particular, was important for Sharapova, as she strung together back-to-back three-set wins (she won four in a row to take Paris last spring, remember). "This was an important match for me to see where my level is," said Sharapova. It might not be where she'll need it to be to win a third title at Roland Garros, but she's getting closer. Next up: Rome.


Kuznetsova isn't a likely TRUE contender in Paris, but on any given day... well, ANYTHING can happen where she's concerned. In Madrid, that's just what occurred, too. After handling Ekaterina Makarova 2 & 1, Kuznetsova outlasted Garbine Muguruza in three sets, overcame herself (and a game Sam Stosur) in another three-setter, and saved two MP against Lucie Safarova just to reach the semifinals. In all, it took Sveta eleven hours of competition to get through those four matches, and after she'd defeated Sharapova (rather quickly in comparison) for the first time in seven years to reach her first final in nine months, she didn't have much more to give. Against an in-form Petra Kvitova in the final, Kuznetsova was treated by trainers on multiple occasions, played with a strapped leg, had stomach issues and even was allowed to leave the court during the changeover at 5-2 down in the 2nd set of her 6-1/6-2 loss. Whew! Now THAT was a week. Not an easy one for Sveta, but surely super sweet since it came in her "adopted" second home of Spain.


=============================
COMEBACKS:Samantha Stosur/AUS & Vika Azarenka/BLR
...Stosur reuniting with former coach David Taylor seemed to pay immediate dividends in Madrid. The Aussie started quickly by ending Angelique Kerber's 11-match winning streak last weekend, then followed up with a victory over Kaia Kanepi. In a losing effort in the 3rd Round, she battled Svetlana Kuznetsova until the bitter end. But she leaves Spain in a good "head space."And that's SUPER important where Stosur is concerned.

Meanwhile, Vika came THIS CLOSE to the first SUPER week of her comeback. Things got off to an impressive start in Madrid with a straight sets win over Venus Williams, her second this season. After taking out Ajla Tomljanovic, Azarenka used her own aggression -- and Serena Williams' in-and-out play -- to put herself in prime position to notch her first win over the world #1 since Cincinnati '13 (when she won an 8-6 3rd set tie-break in the final). But while Vika's game and body are rounding into shape, some of the rough edges of her match toughness are still a work in progress. Remember when she opened her season in January in Brisbane by holding -- but failing to convert -- two MP vs. Karolina Pliskova? The idea then was that that would get ironed out as the season went on. It still might, but it hasn't yet. Against Williams, she squandered a 5-1 lead in the 1st set tie-break and lost the last six points of the set. But she then won the 2nd set and erased a 3-0 3rd set disadvantage, saved a MP at 4-5, then broke serve and soon found herself serving with up triple MP at 6-5, 40/love. Then her service game imploded... but only after nearly emphatically giving her the victory. On MP #3, she seemingly hit a wide ace into the Ad court and started to the net to celebrate, only to have the ball be called out. She was never able to regain her focus. On her second serve, she double-faulted. Then did it again, and a third straight time to break herself to send things to a deciding tie-break. Williams won it 7-1, winning twelve of the final thirteen points of the match after Azarenka was up triple MP. Maybe more troubling than the collapse is that her inability to win tie-breaks extends back ever further than her return to the tour this season. Azarenka is 0-5 in breakers in '15, but is now 0-8 since March 2014. Her last TB win came in the 1st Round of the '14 Australian Open. She's taking the optimistic view, among other things, noting the process of her improvement. "I think an entire tennis career is full of ups and downs," she said in Madrid. "It is very difficult to play 15, 20 years without any physical problems. I take the positive side of things. When I could not play, I had to learn to live within the margins of the competition. When you can play again it feels in an incredible manner. I love tennis. The sport is my passion. My first love."

=============================
FRESH FACES:Zheng Saisai/CHN & Katerina Stewart/USA
...Zheng, 21, walked away from Anning, CHN with her second $75K challenger win in as many weeks. The #1 seed in the event and the defending singles champ, Zheng did herself one better by sweeping the singles AND doubles this time around (her first two-title weekend), defeating Han Xinyun in three sets to take the singles, and teaming with Xu Yifan in doubles. It's her 6th career ITF singles title, and 8th in doubles.

In Indian Harbour Beach, the third $50K leg of the USTA's playoff for the reciprocal wild card into the Roland Garros main draw, had a very familiar look. Two weeks ago, Louisa Chirico defeated Katerina Stewart in the Dothan final. A week later, Stewart defeated Chirico en route to the Charlottesville final, which she lost to Allie Kiick. This week, Stewart defeated Kiick en route to her third straight final, where she met and defeated Chirico for a second time during the stretch. Not that it mattered, as Chirico ended up winning the wild card berth in an inane tie-break system that gave it to her because she's ranked higher than Stewart after they "tied" in the playoff standings because only the best two results from the three-event stretch are counted. Ummm, wasn't the point of having this playoff to reward the player who earned the WC through better results over the assigned three-event period? So, it's not really a true "playoff," considering pretty much all of the contending players played in all three events. Apparently, no one thought about a tie-breaker that included the "best points average" over the playoff, which would have given the WC to Stewart.

One has to figure that this loop hole will be fixed like most things associated with the USTA -- after the point which it shouldn't have been something that needed to be corrected in the first place. Not to slight the 18-year old Chirico, who rose through qualifying to reach her second final in three weeks, but 17-year old Stewart, whose win gives her three challenger tittles this season, should be the one assured of making her slam debut later this month (I'm not sure if she'll get a shot in the Q-rounds or not). It seems fairly elementary. But, remember, this is the USTA that still employs Mary Joe Fernandez as its Fed Cup coach and Patrick McEnroe as whatever his title happens to be at the moment. I suppose we should expect unexplainable, head-shaking craziness.
=============================

DOWN:Simona Halep/ROU & Serena Williams/USA
...after what happened last Sunday in Madrid, there were quite a few victims to choose from here. But I'm only going with one of the vanquished big names from the Madrid Massacre -- Halep. The Swarmette Queen's best pre-Roland Garros result on red clay last season was her runner-up in Madrid, which set her on course for an appearance (and spirited match against Maria Sharapova) in the final in Paris, which was a rematch of their final in Spain. Halep recently moved past the Russian to reclaim the #2 ranking, but while she's said she doesn't particularly care about passing the Russian, she probably should. At least as far as being the #2 seed at RG is concerned. No matter what form Serena Williams brings to the terre battue, it's always best to be situated as far away on the other side of the draw as possible (and cross your fingers that Sharapova gets stuck in the world #1's half of the draw, too). Losing in the 1st Round in Madrid to Alize Cornet wasn't helpful to the Romanian's cause in this endeavor. Oh, and speaking of Serena... are those whispers about clay not being her best surface again? Her Fed Cup play on the surface wasn't sterling, and while she was dominant at times in Madrid she rightly should have lost early to Vika Azarenka in the 3rd Round after being down triple match point and only getting back into the match because of a barely missed ace on MP #3 and then three straight DF from the Belarusian. Williams barely registered at all against Petra Kvitova in the semifinals, winning just five games to see her string of twenty-seven matches without a defeat come to an end.




This doesn't look good for Serena's chances in Paris. But, still, she's Serena... so it might end up meaning absolutely nothing. Though it's pretty plain that Williams isn't in the top clay court, she's-got-something-to-prove form that she was when she ended her long RG title drought in 2013. For what that's worth... which might not be much in a few weeks.
=============================
ITF PLAYERS:Carina Witthoeft/GER & Danka Kovinic/MNE
...a pair of $100K winners. Witthoeft, 20, lived up to her #1 seed in Cagnes-sur-mer, France by winning the biggest title of her career with wins over Nicole Gibbs, Cagla Buyukakcay, Sharon Fichman, Kiki Bertens and Tatjana Maria (Carina's fellow German was going for her second $100K of '15) in a 7-5/6-1 final. Witthoeft had to do some heavy lifting afterward, but it'll just count as an extra sets of reps in the weight room. And I'm sure she's fine with that.

Meanwhile, Jelena Jankovic's Montenegran protege Kovinic, 20, has managed to carry over the momentum of her qualifier-to-quarterfinalist run in Charleston. In Trnava, SVK she won her first career $100K challenger (improving to 7-3 in career ITF finals) after putting up victories over Jelena Ostapenko, #1-seeded Tereza Smitkova, Yanina Wickmayer, Darya Kasatkina and Margarita Gasparyan in a 7-5/6-3 final. Gasparyan, who was going for a singles/doubles sweep in the event, had been 9-0 in career ITF singles finals before the loss, including a 3-0 mark in '15.

=============================
JUNIOR STARS:Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov/Priscilla Hon (ESP/AUS) & Hurricane Tyra Black/USA
...keeping up my recent spotlight on the NextGen Spanish players, I'll go with Bolsova, a quarterfinalist in this year's Australian Open junior competition who rose as high as #4 in the girls rankings in 2014. A two-time singles winner on the ITF circuit, the Moldova-born Bolsova reached the singles final at the $10K Pula challenger, losing to Italian Bianca Turati. Bolsova won the doubles with 16-year old Aussie Priscilla Hon, who picked up her third '15 ITF doubles crown. Hon won her maiden pro singles crown at a challenger event in March. Meanwhile, in the Delray Beach Grade 4 junior event, Hurricane Tyra Black followed up her role on the 14-and-under U.S. Fed Cup team with her third title run of the season. Already a winner of a pair of earlier G4 events -- in Barbados and Trinidad -- in April, Black defeated two seeded girls en route to the final, including #1 Karianne Pierre-Louis in the semis (via ret.). The 14-year old defeated fellow Bannerette Taylor Johnson, also 14, 6-3/6-2 in the final. Black now sports an 18-1 record this season. For her part, Johnson had defeated three seeds while seeking her first title.
=============================

DOUBLES:Casey Dellacqua/Yaroslava Shvedova (AUS/KAZ) & Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova (USA/CZE)
...Dellacqua & Shvedova proved to be the last team standing in Madrid, becoming the most recent combo to end up in the winner's circle in their debut appearance as a doubles duo. The Aussie-Kazakh team's list of victims was impressive, including the likes of Hsieh/Pennetta, Mattek-Sands/Safarova and Muguruza/Suarez-Navarro in the final, won in a 3rd set super-tiebreak after Dellacqua/Shvedova had failed to convert three MP in the 2nd. The title is the biggest yet for the 30-year old Dellacqua (thanks to her and Ashleigh Barty losing three slam finals in '13), and the fifth of her career. Earlier this season, the Aussie lost in the Charleston final (w/ Darija Jurak) to the team of Hingis/Mirza, who won their first three tournaments as a duo. Shvedova, 27, has appeared in twenty tour doubles finals, and is now undefeated in her last five doubles championship matches. She's won eleven WTA doubles titles with six different partners.

Mattek-Sands & Safarova started the '15 trend of winning big titles in their first pairing when they took the Australian Open crown in January after having never played together before. The duo didn't follow up their Stuttgart title with their third of the season in Madrid, but for a day or two they could have rightly viewed themselves as the best doubles team in the world. Maybe they still do.

In the QF, what looks to be the "most fun" doubles duo on earth took out the #1-ranked Dream Team of Hingis/Mirza, dropping the veteran pair to 15-2 for the season (after a 14-0 start). If BMS/Safarova had gone on to win the title, they'd stood at 15-1. But Dellacqua/Shvedova knocked them out a round later. Still, Bethanie and Lucie were in good spirits soon afterward. What the video to the end... it's more than a bit crazy.

=============================


1. Madrid Final - Kvitova d. Kuznetsova
...6-1/6-2. Kuznetsova simply hit the physical wall, though she may have been taken out by the in-form Czech on any occasion. This was just the third clay final (two at this event) of Kvitova's career, while former RG champ Sveta was playing in her 12th. The Russian is now 3-9 in those finals.

=============================
2. Madrid 3rd Rd. - Kuznetsova d. Stosur
...5-7/6-2/7-6(5). Kuznetsova held two MP at 5-4 in the 3rd, and two more at 6-5. Between DFs and all the usual Sveta tight match drama, she was lucky to survive. But Kuznetsova has made a career out of doing just that (or threatening to, at least), hasn't she?
=============================
3. Madrid QF - Kuznetsova d. Safarova
...5-7/7-6(5)/7-6(3). Safarova led 3-1 and 5-2 in the 2nd set TB, then held two MP at 5-4 in the 3rd. See above about Sveta's survival skills.

=============================
4. Madrid QF - Mattek-Sands d. Hingis/Mirza 6-7(5)/6-3 (11-9)
Madrid SF - Dellacqua/Shvedova d. Mattek-Sands/Safarova 5-7/6-3 (10-7)
...euphoria is fleeting.
=============================
5. Madrid Final - Dellacqua/Shvedova d. Muguruza/Suarez-Navarro
...6-3/6-7(5) (10-5). Dellacqua/Shvedova had three MP in the 2nd, but were forced to a match tie-break. Muguruza/CSN lost seven of their eight service points in the TB, as the Spaniards repeated their '14 Madrid RU result.
=============================
6. Madrid SF - Kuznetsova d. Sharapova
...6-2/6-4. Sveta's words ABOUT Sharapova may be more interesting than the result of their match, as it likely speaks to why she's one of the most popular players on tour. "I believe that people don't have a right to judge her without knowing her. I will tell you even more that I don't think I know her that well. She's really famous and has lots of fame around her, and I think it's the right thing how she takes it. She separates it away and only has close people. Otherwise it's very difficult to be in her situation and to play such a great level of tennis and have so much commercial and to be so popular. It's really hard to combine these two things," Kuznetsova said. "The real Maria, only the real people around her know that. Other people, if she doesn't let them go in her life, doesn't mean that they can tell her that she's bad. I don't believe that." That's why, even with the rollercoaster ride she's often provided her fans over the years, it's easy to root for Sveta.

=============================
7. Madrid 2nd Rd. - Pavlyuchenkova d. Errani
...3-6/7-6(6)/6-4. I guess the Fed Cup polish has worn off. Errani held three MP here: one serving at 5-4, one serving at 6-5 and a final one up 7-6 in the 2nd set tie-break.
=============================

8. Madrid 3rd Rd. - Sharapova d. Garcia
...6-2/4-6/7-5. Garcia has gotten close to defeating Sharapova in the past, but she's always comes up a just a bit short. Here Sharapova got a late break for 6-5 in the 3rd and served out the win. Sharapova is 4-0 vs. the Pastry, but this loss was even closer than Garcia's other three-setter in the mix at Roland Garros in 2011. One day, youuuuu. Maybe even this week in Rome.
=============================
9. Madrid QF - Sharapova d. Wozniacki
...6-1/3-6/6-3. The Dane goes three sets against a top player, but ends up losing. This is what you call a '15 trend.
=============================
10. Madrid 3rd Rd. - Suarez-Navarro d. Ivanovic
...7-5/2-6/6-4. Stop me if you've heard this before.

=============================
HM- $50K Ind.Harbour Beach 1st Rd. - Erica Oosterhout d. Taylor Townsend
...6-4/3-6/6-2. The #894-ranked wild card, who'll be a freshman at Harvard for 2015-16, takes down #1-seeded defending champion Townsend. Oosterhout lost her 2nd Round match to Storm Sanders, while Taylor rebounded to take the doubles title with Maria Sanchez.
=============================


Maybe Sania Mirza just has a thing about "cute." Remember, she burst onto the scene at the U.S. Open a decade ago with a string of message t-shirts worn during press conferences, including the fabled one that read, "I'm cute? No shi*..."


She stepped back into the "cute" arena this past week...

Just saying ?????????? buuhahahah ????

A photo posted by Sania Mirza (@mirzasaniar) on


No word yet on any t-shirts.




1. Madrid 1st Rd. - Azarenka d. Venus Williams 6-3/7-5
Madrid 3rd Rd. - Serena Williams d. Azarenka 7-6(5)/3-6/7-6(1)
...the last time Serena saved 3 MP and won? The '09 Sydney QF vs. Wozniacki. "She almost hit an ace. She missed it by not even three centimeters. I thought, 'Wow.' This is definitely an escape. I've had some other escapes, but I don't think I've been down love/40 on someone's serve before," Serena noted. If she'd won, Vika would have become the first player since 2010 (Jankovic) to defeat both Sisters in the same event.

=============================
2. Madrid 2nd Rd. - Serena Williams d. Stephens
...6-4/6-0. Serena has won six of seven sets vs. Sloane since losing to her in the 2013 AO semifinals. Stephens and Sharapova should talk.
=============================
3. Madrid 3rd Rd. - Wozniacki d. Aga Radwanska
...6-3/6-2. Two ships passing in the WTA night? Speaking of, due to scheduling/travel difficulties in regards to family commitments, Arantxa Sanchez has left the Wozniacki fold with the promise to return down the line in '16. We'll see.
=============================
4. Madrid QF - Serena Williams d. Suarez-Navarro 6-1/6-3
Madrid SF - Kvitova d. Serena Williams 6-2/6-3
...the win over CSN was Serena's 27th without a loss (on the court) since the WTA Finals, and her 19th in a row in Madrid. Petra wasn't in awe of the numbers.

=============================
5. $50K Fukuoka Final - Kristyna Pliskova d. Hibino
...7-5/6-4. Kristyna answered the call, matching Karolina's Prague title last week with one of her own in Japan. It's the eighth of her career, and her third in four ITF finals in 2015. She also won the doubles with Naomi Broady.
=============================
HM- $10K Mytilene SF - Stamatova d. Sara Tomic
...6-4/7-5. Tomic, 17, had defeated #1-seeded Daiana Negreanu in the QF to reach her first career ITF semi.
=============================





Meanwhile, on Caro Corner...



More "The Eternal Sunshine of the Gavrilovian Mind"...



And more...








**2015 WTA SINGLES TITLES**
3 - Simona Halep [Shenzhen,Dubai,IW]
2 - Serena Williams [AO,Miami]
2 - Petra Kvitova [Sydney,Madrid]
2 - Angelique Kerber [Charleston,Stuttgart]
2 - Timea Bacsinszky [Acapulco,Monterrey]

**CAREER WTA TITLES - active**
66...Serena Williams
46...Venus Williams
34...Maria Sharapova
23...Caroline Wozniacki
17...Victoria Azarenka
16...PETRA KVITOVA
15...Ana Ivanovic
14...Svetlana Kuznetsova
14...Aga Radwanska

**ALL-TIME WTA SINGLES TITLES - #23-#34**
23.Caroline Wozniacki (23)
24.Pam Shriver (21)
25t.Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere (19)
25t.Nancy Richey (19)
27t.Victoria Azarenka (17)
27t.Mary Pierce (17)
27t.Kerry Melville Reid (17)
30t.Elena Dementieva (16)
30t.Ann Haydon Jones (16)
30t.PETRA KVITOVA (16)
33t.Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat (15)
33t.Ana Ivanovic (15)

**2015 WTA WINNING STREAKS**
15 - Timea Bacsinszky, FEB-MAR (ended by S.Williams)
14 - Simona Halep, FEB-ARP (ended by S.Williams)
12 - Serena Williams, JAN-MAR (ended by walkover) #
12 - Serena Williams, MAR-MAY (ended by Kuznetsova) #
11 - Maria Sharapova, JAN (ended by S.Williams)
11 - Angelique Kerber, APR (ended by Stosur)
10 - Anna Schmiedlova, APR-MAY (ended by Svitolina)
--
# - Williams 24-0 stretch, with walkover loss after 12th victory

**LONG WTA WINNING STREAKS, 2005-15**
34...Serena Williams, 2013
32...Justine Henin, 2007-08
26...Victoria Azarenka, 2012
25...Serena Williams, 2013-14
24...Justine Henin-Hardenne, 2005
--
Note: S.Williams 27-0 stretch from 2014-15 (walkover loss after victory #15)

**2015 PREMIER 5/PREMIER MANDATORY FINALS**
Dubai (HC) - #4 Halep def. #18 Ka.Pliskova
Indian Wells (HC) - #3 Halep def. #21 Jankovic
Miami (HC) - #1 S.Williams def. #12 Suarez-Navarro
Madrid (RC) - #4 Kvitova def. #29 Kuznetsova

**USTA ROLAND GARROS WC PLAYOFF WINNERS**
2013 Shelby Rogers
2014 Taylor Townsend
2015 Louisa Chirico


**EVENTS w/ SERENA, SHARAPOVA & AZARENKA WON BY OTHER PLAYERS**
[since Azarenka reached #1 in January 2012]
2012 Miami - Aga Radwanska
2013 Wimbledon - Marion Bartoli
2014 Australian Open - Li Na
2014 Wimbledon - Petra Kvitova
2014 Montreal - Aga Radwanska
2015 Indian Wells - Simona Halep
2015 Madrid - Petra Kvitova

**2015 ITF TITLES**
4...Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
4...Marcela Zacarias, MEX
3...Fernanda Brito, CHI
3...Margarita Gasparyan, RUS
3...Sofia Kvatsabaia, GEO
3...Kristyna Pliskova, CZE
3...Anne Schaefer, GER
3...Katerina Stewart, USA


Meanwhile, comebacks coming soon to a court near you (Zheng this week in Rome, in fact)...





And another. Hopefully. At some point. She promises. I think.








ROME, ITALY (Premier 5 $2.708m/RCO)
14 Final: S.Williams d. Errani
14 Doubles Final: Peschke/Srebotnik d. Errani/Vinci
15 Top Seeds: S.Williams/Halep
=============================
=QF=
#1 S.Williams d. #7 Ivanovic
Azarenka d. Garcia
#10 Suarez-Navarro d. #4 Kvitova
#2 Halep d. (LL) Mladenovic
=SF=
Azarenka d. #1 S.Williams
#2 Halep d. #10 Suarez-Navarro
=FINAL=
#2 Halep d. Azarenka

...some unconventional picks. Which, of course, means we'll have all four top seed reach the semis, with #1 Serena taking out #2 Halep in the final. That's just the way things go.


And finally...






All for now.
↧

Wk.19- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Crown

May 17, 2015, 3:10 pm
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Hmmm. Well, the crown never really made its way onto the head of either Serena Williams or Simona Halep, but the mythical "reigning Queen of Clay" title has surely been something of a shared bit of royal finery this spring.

First, Angie Kerber tried it on. But she left it in the back seat of her new Porsche. Karolina Pliskova wore a knock-off version of the crown in Prague, but the real one popped up again in Madrid. There, Sveta Kuznetsova was seen sporting it in public for a few days, but Petra Kvitova was the one who took it home. Still, by the time things had reached the final stages in Rome, it'd been passed around yet again. For a time, Carla Suarez-Navarro looked as if she might have to have the crown retro-fitted in order for it to properly adorn her head going into Paris. But, as it turned out, there is no retro-fitting such an illustrious piece. It may have been a bit too large for CSN but, like a perfectly-fitting glass slipper, it was suddenly discovered that it fit SOMEONE rather perfectly.

Now, who could that be?



Oh, yeah. I think we all know HER.

Of course, Maria Sharapova's title run in Rome, the surest sign yet that she may have timed out her progression in perfect alignment with the goings-on that begin next Sunday in Paris, doesn't necessarily mean that the defending Roland Garros champion will become a three-time champ on the terre battue three weeks from now.

But there's as good or better a chance that that'll happen as anyone else lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen, right? I mean, Sharapova knows clay. She knows Roland Garros. And she surely knows how to handle-



Hmmm.

Well, I guess we really have no true idea what's going to happen in Paris. But in the final stages of the pre-RG schedule, it's Sharapova who has managed to rise to the surface. She's been there before, and managed to stay there through two weeks of play in Paris, winning twice in both dominating and/or hard-bitten fashion, depending on what's been necessary at the time. We'll soon know if Sharapova can do it all over yet again.

Winning in Rome, where she managed to avoid a certain decade-long nemesis (and put herself in position to possibly do so in Paris, as well) is a good sign, though. A good sign indeed.



Before we get to the rest of Week 19, I know this isn't ATP Backspin but, really, could Federer look any more "Joe Cool-ish" on the streets of Rome?




*WEEK 19 CHAMPIONS*
ROME, ITALY (Premier $2.428m/RCO)
S: Maria Sharapova/RUS def. Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP 4-6/7-5/6-1
D: Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA) d. Hingis/Mirza (SUI/IND) 6-4/6-3



PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Maria Sharapova/RUS
...Sharapova knows a little about this clay court stuff. The winner of two of the last three titles at Roland Garros, and a finalist there three years running, the Russian has mostly -- except when Serena has been on the other side of the net -- been the class of the field on the red stuff since 2012. After nursing a leg injury coming out of the North American swing, she got off to a slower start than usual this spring. But she showed signs of getting to where she wants to be a week ago in Madrid, reaching the semis, and then improved upon that while grabbing her third title in Rome (2011-12) this week. Sharapova didn't lose a set while advancing to her 58th career final, taking out Jarmila Gajdosova, Bojana Jovanovski, Vika Azarenka and Daria Gavrilova. She was forced to dig down a little deeper in the final against Carla Suarez-Navarro, dropping the 1st set and having to find a way to take the 2nd as it was a handful of points away from turning in the Spaniard's favor in the late going. As it was, Sharapova got a late break and claimed the final eight points of the set to knot the match, then turned things on to take the 3rd at 6-1 to pick up career title #35, tying Serena for the most clay court titles among active WTA players with eleven. Her week will lift Sharapova back up to #2 in the rankings, which means she'll be "safely" nestled on the opposite side of the draw from Williams in Paris. And that could make all the difference.
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RISERS:Christina McHale/USA & Alexandra Dulgheru/ROU
...McHale turned 23 off court in Rome, and had her best week in quite a while on it, as well. An opening victory over Barbora Strycova (now minus the married Zahlavova) was followed by advancements past both the 2014 Rome finalists, first with an actual victory over Sara Errani (McHale's first win over a Top 20 player since Doha '12 over Lucie Safarova) and then via a walkover from Serena Williams (elbow), as she reached her first tour QF since a semifinal result last September. At 9-10 for the season, McHale will attempt to reach .500 in her 1st Round meeting with Madison Keys in Strasbourg. Also in Rome, a month after her Fed Cup heroics, Dulgheru had another banner week. While her QF result isn't her best of '15 (RU in Kuala Lumpur), it's her best big event performance since 2011 (Miami QF). Getting her first wins since Fed Cup weekend, the Romanian made it through qualifying, then knocked off Misaki Doi, Lucie Safarova (finally closing things out on her 8th MP) and Ekaterina Makarova. The win over the Russian gives Dulgheru her second Top 10 win (Bouchard in FC) of the season, though her tired loss to fellow Swarmette Simona Halep in the QF (she won just one game) surely showed that the Romanian WTA hierarchy is in no danger of being shaken up just yet.
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SURPRISES:Anastasiya Komardina/RUS & Nadja Gilchrist/USA
...for over a decade now, there's always been another (or several) young Hordettes lurking in the shadows, putting up good results when no one is looking. This week it was 17-year old Komardina. The world #594 claimed her second career title ('13 Arad) in the $10K challenger in Bol, completing her first sweep of both the singles and doubles at an event. The teenager defeated the #8 and #1 seeds to reach the final, then took out #2 Lina Gjorcheska there to claim the championship.

Meanwhile, former NCAA All-American Gilchrist, 24, continues forward on her quest to play at the 2015 U.S. Open. The former team captain of the Georgia Bulldogs, where she was a fine doubles partner to longtime Backspin fave Chelsey Gullickson, has been training and trying to raise money to help her fund the travel that comes with making her tennis dreams come true. As of last week, she was only 10% of the way to the monetary goal that would help her get the chance to play at the U.S. Open this summer. Her on-court results are picking up, though. After winning a doubles title at a challenger event in her home of Hilton Head in 2008, Gilchrist attended Georgia and didn't play another ITF event until the spring of last year. A week ago she won her first career singles title at a $10K challenger in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt and then followed up with another run to a final there this week. Gilchrist lost it to Hungarian Julia Terziyska (who's won three circuit crowns in '15), but she's still sporting a 12-2 record in recent weeks as the summer -- and the Bannerette's chances to play in New York -- come into sharper focus over the next few months. Assuming her Open goal likely might include trying to win the USTA's three-tournament wild card playoff swing, Nadja would be wise to not put up anymore RU results there if she knows what's good for her, since the "rules" don't really favor players who string together three consecutive good weeks (and instead give the nod to who can play best in two out of three). Just ask Katerina Stewart. Nadja's name means "hope," though, so maybe things can work out for her. After all, while Stewart didn't win that WC into the RG main draw, she DID earn a WC into RG qualifying. Playing in the Open qualifying might not be the top end of Gilchrist's dream, but it WOULD meet her 2015 goal. Crossing fingers for her.
=============================
VETERAN:Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP
...sometimes it pays big time to listen to the advice of your coach. Ever since CSN, always a threat but rarely a finisher over the years, took the words of her coach to heart that she was going to need to become more aggressively offensive in her approach if she was ever going to become the player she COULD be, the Spaniard has seen her tour standing improve. She finally won her first title last year, and this year she became the first Spaniard since the Sanchez/Martinez glory days to reach the Top 10. Last week in Rome she became the first WTA player to reach the 30-win mark in 2015, notching three Top 10 wins (giving her nine this season vs. seven different players), including defeats of two players in the Top 5 to reach the biggest final of her career. Wins over Mona Barthel, Heather Watson, Genie Bouchard, Petra Kvitova (her third win over the Czech this season) and Simona Halep (she's undefeated against her on clay) put her in with Maria Sharapova in the final. She took the 1st set, but wasn't able to outlast the Russian. No one's played in more three-setters in '15 than CSN, but seemingly no one has won more of them on clay in recent seasons than Sharapova. It was no different in the Rome final. Still, CSN will climb to #8 in the rankings this week and has assured herself of a Top 8 seed in Paris, where she reached the QF a season ago nine years after she'd made her slam debut there with the same result back in 2008. For a player who has won just a single title in her career, it seems a stretch to call her a contender to WIN at Roland Garros... but she very well could be a big factor in who does. And, hey, who knows? Players without a bushel of career titles have managed to sneak through the draw in Paris before (see Majoli, Schiavone and Li). Maybe CSN could add her name to the list.

=============================
COMEBACKS:Vika Azarenka/BLR & Anastasija Sevastova/LAT
...it wasn't an easy week for Vika, but she managed to put up some good results even if the manner in which she did it sometimes made you cover your eyes rather than jump from your seat. A week after failing to take down Serena Williams in Madrid after holding triple match point, Azarenka labored to put opponents away again in Rome. She struggled in her opener against Lucie Hradecka, getting her blood pressure checked during the match but managing to push her way through. She defeated Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets to get her third Top 10 win of the season, but she had to use five MP before she could finally slam the door shut on the Dane. Irina-Camelia Begu was set to go out in straight sets, but Vika failed to serve out the match and had to play a 3rd set before advancing. Azarenka fell in straights to Maria Sharapova in the QF, losing to the Russian for the fourth straight time. The progress that Vika has made in '15 is apparent, but so are the things she needs to work on. Hard courts have been, are and always will be her bread-and-butter, though, so we'll have to check in on her later this summer to see where she TRULY is in this comeback season. She DID finally win her first tie-break in fifteen months this week (vs. Caro), though, so maybe still more breakthroughs will come over the next few months. Hopefully she'll hit her peak in NYC. Meanwhile, Sevastova's comeback from early retirement really couldn't be going much more swimmingly, could it? Actually, the biggest disappointment for the 25-year old Latvian thus far might be that her final against Romina Oprandi at the $25K challenger in La Marsa this weekend had to be pushed back to Monday. Sevastova notched wins over the likes of Maria Irigoyen and Stephanie Foretz during the week to reach the final, her fifth in six events this season. She goes into the championship on a 17-match winning streak and with a 29-1 mark for 2015 as she tries for her third consecutive, and fifth overall, title this season.
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FRESH FACES:Daria Gavrilova/RUS-AUS & Kajsa Rinaldo Persson/SWE
...all respect to Maria and Carla, but no one worked harder -- or longer hours -- than Gavrilova last week. Almost two months after a career week in Miami, in which the Russian-Aussie put up her first career Top 10 win in an upset of Maria Sharapova, she was even better (and more of a drama magnet) in Rome. First, Gavrilova made it through qualifying with victories over Kurumi Nara and Silvia Soler-Espinosa. That wouldn't have been a bad week right there, but she then followed up by coming back from a set and 4-2 down to defeat Belinda Bencic, fought off Ana Ivanovic to record her second career Top 10 win, didn't blink in downing Timea Bacsinszky to reach her first career WTA QF, and then had her easiest MD match against Christina McHale to go one better and put up a SF result. After around thirteen hours on the court, Gavrilova then had to face off again with Sharapova in a rematch. Even after all that work, she managed to hang close with Maria throughout the 1st set, getting broken late as Sharapova took the lead at 7-5. After being treated for an abdominal injury (no shock after her week) that caused her to take quite a bit off her serve, Gavrilova still was able to grab a 3-1 lead in the 2nd before Sharapova finally seized control and ended the 21-year old's 14+ hour on-court work week. Not that Gavrilova, a former junior star, is going to follow in the Romanian's footsteps over the next two seasons, but it's an interesting comparison when you consider that this very event is where a 21-year old Simona Halep (ranked #64 at the time) really began to make her mark, going from Rome qualifier to semifinalist over the span of a week and eventually ending that season in the Top 15. Halep's list of Roman victims in '13 included the likes of Hantuchova (Q), Kuznetsova, Radwanska, Vinci and Jankovic before she lost to Serena Williams. Gavrilova's opponents were a shade less impressive this week, but her ranking will rise to #45 on Monday after having been #78 a week ago. She ended 2014 at #233.

Now, a rare treat -- a Swede! We don't see many Swedish award winners around here these days, but 17-year old Persson is threatening to change that. After reaching the final a week ago in the $10K Bastad challenger, she reached another there this weekend. This time the #730-ranked player in the world claimed her first career title, defeating Valeria Prosperi in the final after having defeated Norway's Melanie Stokke in the QF. Also a semifinalist in a challenger event in Bol in April, Persson is 12-2 in her last three events.
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DOWN:Ana Ivanovic/SRB & Angelique Kerber/GER
...well, AnaIvo is on coach, umm, well, it seems like about #167, doesn't it? While she managed to stage multiple comebacks in her 2nd Round match with Daria Gavrilova in Rome, the Serb still lost to fall to 12-9 in tour matches this season (the second-fewest match wins, after Genie Bouchard, by any current Top 10 player in '15). After going 16-10 vs. Top 20 players a year ago when she returned to the Top 5, Ivanovic is down to #7 while going 0-4 against them in '15. Her last victory over a Top 20 player? Against Simona Halep at the WTA Finals in that match where the Romanian winning a set allowed Serena Williams to slip into the semifinals (and, ultimately, take the title). Meanwhile, 2015's first "Queen of Clay" continued to see her fortunes dip heading into Paris. Kerber, who once upon a time sported an 11-match clay court win streak, fell to 1-2 since that stretch with her 6-3/6-3 loss to Irina-Camelia Begu in the 2nd Round in Rome. Rather than rest up for Roland Garros, though, the German is installed as the #2 seed this week in Strasbourg. A case could be made that she might need the work after the last few weeks, but most true contenders for the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen don't necessarily feel the need to play potentially right up until the start of play next week, which Kerber would end up doing if she hits her stride once again in her final tune-up event. So, I guess even Kerber isn't quite sure whether she's the TRUE contender she appeared to be a few weeks ago, or whether she's just a caricature of her recent self.

=============================
ITF PLAYER:Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor/ESP
...all hail the Bailaoras, as the latest of the "Spanish dancers" to grab some headlines for herself is Torro-Flor. At the $50K challenger in Saint-Gaudens, the Spaniard set an ITF record when she broke Casey Dellacqua's mark (31) of consecutive singles matches won on the circuit. Sure, the 23-year old has had a two and a half year absence from ITF competition dating back to 2012 (around the time when Dellacqua set the record), but her title run this week extended her overall ITF streak to 35 victories. Record-breaking win #32 came earlier in the week over Mariana Duque, then Torro-Flor followed up with victories over Johanna Konta, Magda Linette and Jana Cepelova in a 6-1/6-0 final. MTTF, who won a WTA singles title last year in Marrakech, has now claimed twelve career ITF singles titles (in fifteen finals), including going undefeated in her last nine finals dating back to 2011.
=============================
JUNIOR STARS:Marketa Vondrousova/CZE & Anna Blinkova/RUS
...15-year old Vondrousova, the #6-ranked junior, claimed her first career ITF singles title in the Zielona Gora $10K challenger in Poland. The Czech defeated the #2 and #5 seeds en route to the final, where she downed #1-seed Natela Dzalamidze 6-3/6-3. She also won her second ITF doubles title, taking the crown with fellow Maiden Miriam Kolodziejova (who she defeated in the singles semi). The pair won the girls doubles at this year's Australian Open. Meanwhile, in the Santa Croce, Italy junior event, 16-year old Russian Blinkova swept the singles and doubles, claiming her first career Grade 1 titles. The #23-ranked junior defeated Italy's Jessica Pieri in the final, completing her improvement upon her runner-up result in the Grade 1 Yucatan Cup in March. Blinkova is being coached by recent WTA player Nina Bratchikova.
=============================

Our ?????? team title #RomeMasters Great week partner ???? @timibabos

A photo posted by Kristina Mladenovic (@kristinamladenovic93) on

DOUBLES:Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA)
...suddenly, "The Club" has gained a pair of new members, as Babos & Mladenovic joined Martic/Vogt and Mattek-Sands/Safarova as the only teams to beat the Hingis/Mirza Dream Team since it's inception a few months ago. In Rome, the veteran pair reached their fourth final in six events, but dropped to 4-3 on red clay (they're 14-0 on hard court and green clay) as they fell in straight sets for just the second time in their history to the younger duo. Babos/Mladenovic received an earlier walkover in Rome from BMS/Safarova, then defeated Kudryavtseva/Pavlyuchenkova to reach their second consecutive final before getting a second win to go with their previous title on the clay in Marrakech. It gives them three wins (w/ a hard cout title in Dubai) in 2015, matching Hingis/Mirza for the most by any team on tour this season. Both Babos and Mladenovic had birthdays over the past week, and Babos noted that they're doing better with "more experience.""We're the same age and we've known each other for a long time -- we were born just four days apart," Mladenovic added. "And Timi is my best friend - we spend a lot of time together off the court, and we also complement each others game very well."


Hmmm, just a guess, but I don't think Sania likes being a runner-up.
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When in Rome... have a look at Rome.

City Guide: #Rome #IlBarSottoIlMare

A photo posted by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on




But even with all the beautiful things to see in Rome, the Pietrangeli court is worth a mention. I mean, really, that's a great design.





1. Rome 1st Rd. - Gajdosova d. Vesnina
...1-6/6-2/7-6(14). What do you get when you match up a pair of players with a history of dramatic losses? Well, this match. Gajdosova led 3-0 in the 3rd, but Vesnina surged to take a 5-4 lead and hold MP. Things went to a deciding TB in which both players held five MP each, trading off opportunities throughout. For the record, Vesnina was a point away from the win at 6-5, 7-6, 10-9, 12-11 and 14-13; while Gajdosova had her shots at 8-7, 9-8, 11-10, 13-12 and 15-14, the latter of which finally became a converted chance. The Aussie then promptly won just three games off Sharapova before retiring in the 2nd set in the next round.

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2. Rome QF - Sharapova d. Azarenka
...6-3/6-2. Sharapova now leads the head-to-head with Azarenka 8-7, including four straight wins since losing to her in the 2012 Beijing final. 2012 was the height of Vika's mastery of the Russian, as for the season she went 4-1, including 2-0 in slams and 3-1 in finals. Of note, Azarenka's one loss to Sharapova that season came on red clay.
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3. Rome 1st Rd. - Gavrilova d. Bencic
...6-7(2)/7-5/6-2. Little did qualifier Gavrilova know that her escape from a 7-6/4-2 hole against the New Swiss Miss would only be the beginning of her main draw drama.
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4. Rome 2nd Rd. - Gavrilova d. Ivanovic
...5-7/7-6(2)/7-6(7). AnaIvo made Gavrilova work for what would become a career week. The Serb came back from 7-5/4-0 down, preventing Gavrilova from serving things out at 5-4, and winning a TB to force a 3rd set. There Ivanovic erased a 4-2 deficit, saved three MP at 6-5 and then saved four more MP in the TB after falling behind 4-0 and 6-3. Finally, on MP #8, the Russian-Aussie advanced.


=============================
5. Rome 3rd Rd. - Gavrilova d. Bacsinszky
...6-4/7-6(0). Normally, this would have been a headline-grabber, but it got lost in everything else Gavrilova did in Rome. So, take note how Bacsinszky has been such a fighter all season... and then realize that Gavrilova shut her out in the 2nd set tie-break. Timea, being Timea, was as good a "loser" as she is a winner.

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6. Rome 2nd Rd. - Kvitova d. Knapp
...6-3/4-6/7-6(1). Kvitova would ultimately fall in the QF, but the Madrid champ avoided a one-and-done trip to Italy by cutting off Knapp when the Italian was serving up 5-2 in the 3rd set. Knapp got to within two points of the win at 5-3, 40/40. But Kvitova reeled off nine straight points to pull out of that hole, turning the match in her favor. She won a 7-1 rout in the deciding TB.
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7. Rome 3rd Rd. - Suarez-Navarro d. Bouchard
...6-7(2)/7-5/7-6(7). With the season's second slam just around the corner, Bouchard had her best week in quite a while. She ended her six-match losing streak in the 2nd Round, and nearly tripped up CSN here. She likely should have won. She served for the match at 7-6/5-4, then again at 5-4 and 6-5 in the 3rd. In the deciding TB, CSN led 6-2, but Bouchard saved four MP and got one of her own at 7-6. She failed to convert, and the Spaniard won on #5 of her own. It says something about Bouchard's recent results that this squandered match can be seen as "encouraging," I guess.
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8. Rome QF - Suarez-Navarro d. Kvitova 6-3/6-2
Rome SF - Suarez-Navarro d. Halep 2-6/6-3/7-5
...CSN's two Top 5 wins in Rome. Things went a bit more smoothly in her third '15 win over Kvitova than in her fourth career win on clay (4-0) over Halep. In the 3rd set against the Romanian, the two traded breaks through the first eight games, with Suarez-Navarro being unable to hold her break advantage on four straight occasions. Halep finally held in game #9, only to see CSN refuse to blink and finally close her out on her third MP. The loss, along with Sharapova's SF win, sealed Halep #3-seed fate for Paris, while Suarez-Navarro got her ninth Top 10 win of the season, as well as her fourth over a Top 5 player in '15.
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9. Rome SF - Sharapova d. Gavrilova
...7-5/6-3. In a rematch of Gavrilova's Miami upset, Sharapova won in straights. But what would have happened had Gavrilova not already played thirteen hours during the week to get there, and she wasn't troubled by a hardly-surprising abdominal injury after such a heavy workload? The two were knotted up deep in the opening set, and Gavrilova grabbed a 3-1 lead in the 2nd not long after being treated for the injury.
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10. Rome Final - Sharapova d. Suarez-Navarro
...4-6/7-5/6-1. CSN was not without her chances in the 2nd set to take this title away from Sharapova, but what happened there and in in the 3rd is the difference between being a 35-time tour singles champ and a player who has now reached eight finals and won just one title. CSN opened the 2nd with a break, but never held serve in the set and lost the last eight points. With the Spaniard tiring and Sharapova surging in the big moment, the 3rd set produced the expected result.
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11. Rome 1st Rd. - Keys d. Brengle
...6-2/6-4. Keys is 2-0 in "Battle of the Madisons" action in '15. Since the first match-up in Melbourne, Brengle has gone 12-11, while Keys (who lost to Bojana Jovanovski in the 2nd Rd.) is 7-6. Brengle lost in the Strasbourg 1st Round on Sunday, giving her five straight losses on red clay heading into RG. Translation: Mary Joe will now SURELY pick her to play in the next Team USA Fed Cup tie on clay.
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12. Rome 2nd Rd. - Azarenka d. Wozniacki 6-2/7-6(2)
Rome 3rd Rd. - Azarenka d. Begu 6-4/5-7/6-1
...while Vika is 3-0 against Caro this season, and the Dane hasn't taken a set off her since 2010, she took five MP to put her away here. On the bright side, Azarenka ended her tie-break losing streak, getting her first win since AO '14. A round later, she served for the match against Begu at 5-4, 30/30 in the 2nd set only to be forced to play the 3rd.
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13. Rome QF - Halep d. Dulgheru
...6-0/6-1. While Dulgheru had a good week, the true identity of the Swarmette Queen was never in question. Plus, it's never a bad thing to be called a "tough cookie."

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14. Strasbourg Q1 - Muhammad d. Tatishvili
...4-6/7-6(6)/6-2. Anna T. has returned... so the path back to being able to be passed over by Mary Joe again in 2016 has officially begun.

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15. $10K Mozon Final - Georgina Garcia Perez d. Cristina Sanchez Quintanar
...6-4/6-2. Well, it continues. CSQ has climbed inside the Top 500, and was the #2 seed at this challenger. But yet another loss in a singles final drops her to 0-6 in 2015. One of these days.
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HM- $50K Saint-Gaudens QF - Jana Cepelova d. Teliana Pereira
...7-6(5), default. Remember when Pereira experienced the high of winning a tour title a few weeks ago? Well, she's now gotten the boot end of the results equation, as well. After losing the 1st set to Cepelova, she was defaulted from this QF match for throwing her racket into the stands in frustration.

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Flavia and the determined autograph-seekers. (It just made me laugh.)




And Aga and her fan mail (oh, someone sent her five dollars!):




Meanwhile, can you find Francesca? (And, no, that's not a comment on her recent results... I mean in the photo!)





1. Rome 1st Rd. - Safarova d. Anna Schmiedlova
...7-6(6)/6-7(3)/6-4. Schmiedlova might have been the "lucky loser" here, but Safarova was lucky she didn't lose to her in the 1st Round. The Slovak led 4-1 in the 3rd set before the Czech swept the final five games.
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2. Rome 1st Rd. - Venus Williams d. Siniakova
...6-2/6-2. The Czech only won four games overall, but she battled Williams through a 16-minute opening game a day after her 19th birthday (which she briefly got a little emotional about in the middle of the match when it was noted on the scoreboard). Venus lost just eleven points on serve all match.
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3. Rome 3rd Rd. - McHale walkover Serena Williams (elbow)
...Christina knows better than to poke the bear Serena.

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HM- Rome 1st Rd. - Bacsinszky d. Karolina Pliskova 6-4/6-0
$50K Kurume SF - Hozumi d. Kristyna Pliskova 7-6(5)/6-3
...both sisters have picked up singles titles (Karolina WTA, Kristyna ITF) in recent weeks, but things didn't go quite as well this week.
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What's up there, anyway?

Do we look alike? Whats up there? ??

A photo posted by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on


Not The Russian Doll... because she's right next to Vika! Yep, it's a real live Anna Chakvetadze sighting!



And this...











Although... does, "Omg omg omg omg omg" really apply to meeting... umm, Ben Stiller? I'm just sayin'. (Raises eyebrow.)

Omg omg omg omg omg

A photo posted by Daria Gavrilova (@daria_gav) on




**2015 WTA**
[SF]
6...SIMONA HALEP (2-3+W)
5...MARIA SHARAPOVA (3-1+L)
4...Caroline Wozniacki (3-1)
4...Karolina Pliskova (3-1)
4...CARLA SUAREZ-NAVARRO (3-1)
4...Serena Williams (2-1+L)
[FINALS]
3...Simona Halep (3-0)
3...MARIA SHARAPOVA (2-1)
3...Timea Bacsinszky (2-1)
3...Caroline Wozniacki (1-2)
3...Karolina Pliskova (1-2)
3...CARLA SUAREZ-NAVARRO (0-2+L)

**ALL-TIME WTA SINGLES TITLES**
10.Monica Seles (53)
11.Venus Williams (46)*
12t.Justine Henin (43)
12t.Martina Hingis (43)
14.Kim Clijsters (41)
15.MARIA SHARAPOVA (35)*
16.Conchita Martinez (33)
17.Tracy Austin (30)
18.Arantxa Sanchez (29)
19t.Hana Mandlikova (27)
19t.Gabriela Sabatina (27)

**CSN 2015 TOP 10 WINS**
Sydney - #10 Ekaterina Makarova
Dubai - #3 Petra Kvitova
Doha - #4 Petra Kvitova
Miami - #8 Aga Radwanska
Miami - #10 Andrea Petkovic
Madrid - #7 Ana Ivanovic
Rome - #6 Genie Bouchard
Rome - #4 Petra Kvitova
Rome - #2 Simona Halep

**2015 CONSECUTIVE WTA DOUBLES FINALS**
4 - Sania Mirza, February-April (3-1)
3 - Hingis/Mirza, March-April (3-0)
2 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands, January (2-0)
2 - BABOS/MLADENOVIC, May (2-0)
[TITLES]
3 - Hingis/Mirza, March-April (IW-Mia-Chas)
2 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands, January (Syd-AO)
2 - BABOS/MLADENOVIC, May (Marr-Rome)

**BEST 2015 QUALIFIER RESULTS**
[RU]
Hobart - Madison Brengle (#84/USA, lost to Watson)
Prague - Lucie Hradecka (#74/CZE, lost to Ka.Pliskova)
[SF]
Sydney - Tsvetana Pironkova (#67/BUL)
Charleston - Lucie Hradecka (#110/CZE)
Rome - Daria Gavrilova (#78/RUS-AUS)

**2015 WTA DOUBLES/MIXED TITLES**
[INDIVIDUAL]
5 - Martina Hingis, SUI (4/1)
4 - Sania Mirza, IND
3 - TIMEA BABOS, HUN
3 - KRISTINA MLADENOVIC, FRA
3 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
2 - Ysaline Bonaventure, BEL
[TEAM]
3...Hingis/Mirza - 2 HC,1 GC
3...BABOS/MLADENOVIC - 1 HC,2 RC
2...Mattek-Sands/Safarova - 1 HC,1 RC

**2015 ITF TITLES - NORTH AMERICANS**
4 - Marcela Zacarias, MEX
3 - Katerina Stewart, USA
2 - Alexa Glatch, USA
2 - Sachia Vickery, USA
1 - Usue Arconada, USA
1 - CiCi Bellis, USA
1 - Julia Boserup, USA
1 - Louisa Chirico, USA
1 - Nadja Gilchrist, USA
1 - Allie Kiick, USA
1 - Danielle Lao, USA
1 - Gloria Liang, CAN
1 - Claire Liu, USA

**2015 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP - WOMEN'S SEEDS**
[May 20-25 - visit Zoo Tennis for coverage]
=SINGLES=
1.Robin Anderson, UCLA
2.Carol Zhao, Stanford
3.Brooke Austin, Florida
4.Maegan Manasse, California
5.Lauren Herring, Georgia
6.Julia Elbaba, Virginia
7.Jamie Loeb, North Carolina
8.Sydney Campbell, Vanderbilt
-#9-16 (alphabetical)-
Hayley Carter, North Carolina
Danielle Collins, Virginia (2014 champion)
Joana Eidukonyte, Clemson
Lorraine Guillermo, Pepperdine
Julie Jones, Mississippi
Josie Kuhlman, Florida
Giuliana Olmos, USC
Stephanie Wagner, Miami
=DOUBLES=
1.Maya Jansen & Erin Routliffe, Alabama (2014 champions)
2.Taylor Davidson & Carol Zhao, Stanford
3.Catherine Harrison & Kyle McPhillips, UCLA
4.Beatrice Gumulya & Jessy Rompies, Clemson
-#5-8-
Pleun Burgmans & Emily Flickinger, Auburn
Maegan Manasse & Denise Starr, California
Klara Fabikova & Zsofi Susanyi, California
Brooke Austin & Kourtney Keegan, Florida


McHale wasn't the only one having a birthday last week...










STRASBOURG, FRANCE (Int'l $250K/RCO)
14 Final: Puig d. Soler-Espinosa
14 Doubles Final: Barty/Dellacqua d. Bua/Seguel
15 Top Seeds: Keys/Jankovic
=============================
=SF=
#4 Cornet d. Mladenovic
#3 Stosur d. #2 Jankovic
=FINAL=
#4 Cornet d. #3 Stosur

...maybe the memory of the coffee and coconut gelato will fuel Sam to an even better result, though?




NURNBERG, GERMANY (Int'l $250K/RCO)
14 Final: Bouchard d. Ka.Pliskova
14 Doubles Final: Krajicek/Ka.Pliskova d. Olaru/Peer
15 Top Seeds: Petkovic/Kerber
=============================
=SF=
#1 Petkovic d. Babos
#5 A.Schmiedlova d. #4 Vinci
=FINAL=
#5 A.Schmiedlova d. #1 Petkovic

...although they're the top two seeds, what are the odds of a Petko/Kerber final actually happening?


ALSO:ROLAND GARROS QUALIFYING



Up next: The Roland Garros "contenders" puzzle!

Also this week: RG Q-Awards, the Week 20 recap and a (likely abbreviated, because of that cursed Sunday start) Paris preview.

And, finally, after all these years, she still manages to sneak into Backspin in the oddest ways...



But I guess that's what all-time Backspin MVP's do.


All for now.
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Backspin Puzzle Break! (RG15 Edition)

May 18, 2015, 10:23 pm
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The second slam of 2015 is nearly here. So, who's the favorite to win? Well, here are a few of the contenders (in puzzle form):




Here's what the puzzle will look like when it's finished.

All for now.
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Search

RG.Q- The Week Before Paris...in Paris

May 22, 2015, 2:45 pm
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Main draw play begins in Paris on Sunday, but work has already been done on the terre battue.



Here's a quick recap of the qualifying rounds...


Q-PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR (#174)

...the 23-year old from Paraguay, already a Fed Cup star earlier this year, has just missed out on making her slam MD debut four times in the past, losing in the final round of qualifying each time (including in Paris three years ago). She burst out in the opening round this week with a win over CiCi Bellis then didn't look back, taking out #23 Laura Siegemund before downing Sorana Cirstea in the final round. Grand slam main draw... meet Veronica.
=========================================================
RISERS:Teliana Pereira/BRA (#77) & Paula Kania/POL (#162)
...in recent weeks the Brazilian, in the Q-rounds despite her Top 100, has experienced the thrill of winning a WTA singles title, as well as the sting of being defaulted in an ITF match for angrily throwing her racket into the stands after losing a tie-break. On Friday, she finished off a successful qualifying run as the #1-seeded woman in the draw. The 26-year old posted victories over Stephanie Foretz, Renata Voracova and Laura Pous Tio. Her only career slam MD win came in the 1st Round in Paris year ago. Kania, 22, doesn't have a slam MD win to her credit, but her Q-run will allow her to make her RG debut. Now the question is whether or not she'll be the Last Pole Standing in Paris. Hey, don't laugh. If she can get past her 1st Round vs. Mona Barthel (who went out in the 1st Round this past week in Strasbourg) her 2nd Round opponent would likely be... Aga Radwanska. There's something to be said for having your fate in your own hands. I'm just sayin'.
=========================================================
SURPRISES:Dinah Pfizenmaier/GER (#142) & Johanna Konta/GBR (#144)
...Pfizenmaier, 23, reached the 3rd Round at Roland Garros in 2013 (where she defeated U-Rad, but lost to A-Rad). The German posted wins over Akgul Amanmuradova, #22 Anna Tatishvili and Vera Dushevina this week. Australia-born Brit Konta, 24, has one MD slam win to her credit (US '12). Her week included wins over Jovana Jaksic (ret.), #7 Elizaveta Kulichkova and wild card Pastry Clothilde de Bernardi.
=========================================================
VETERANS:Lourdes Dominguez-Lino/ESP (#113) & Andrea Hlavackova/CZE (#191)
...at 34, LDL is the oldest '15 slam qualifier so far. Her route to the main draw included wins over teenager Barbora Krejcikova and veteran #13 seed Shahar Peer. The Spaniard has a pair of slam 3rd Round results on her resume: at RG in '09 and the U.S. Open in '10. Hlavackova, 28, took out #10 Julia Glushko, Naomi Broady and Anastasia Rodionova to reach her third main draw in Paris. So far, she's 0-2... and next gets Serena Williams in the 1st Round.
=========================================================
COMEBACKS:Sesil Karatantcheva/BUL (#104), Alexa Glatch/USA (#184) & Petra Martic/CRO (#155)
...welcome back, Sesil. The Bulgarian-turned-Kazakh-turned-Bulgarian reached the QF in Paris as a personality-plus 15-year old a decade ago. Much has happened since then, but the (still only) 25-year old's successful Q-run became a reality with her Q3 win over Tamira Paszek on Friday. Her 1st Round match will be just her second main draw outing in Paris since that QF run ten years ago. And, get this. As if trying to make up for all that lost time (and potential craziness), the Draw Gods have put her up against JJ in the 1st Round. Hopefully the Serb will be physically able to make it as fun as it could be.

Glatch, 25, has won a pair of ITF titles this season. She returns to the RG main draw after competitive wins over Olga Govortsova (8-6 in the 3rd), Ekaterina Bychkova (winning in straights after saving 5 SP in the 1st) and Kateryna Bondarenko (in three sets). The American reached the RG 2nd Round in '09 and '12. Martic, another 25-year old, has qualified for her second 2015 slam. The Croat is looking to recapture a bit of the magic that saw her put up a Round of 16 result at Roland Garros three years ago.
=========================================================
FRESH FACES:Margarita Gasparyan/RUS (#117) & Olivia Rogowska/AUS (#196)

...hmmm, one-handed backhands have traditionally looked pretty good in Paris, and Gasparyan (an habitual winner, she's 9-0 in ITF singles finals, including three wins this season) used hers to become the youngest (20) qualifier in the RG '15 batch. The Hordette came back from 4-2 down in the 3rd set in the Q3 vs. Maryna Zanevska to ensure her slam MD debut. Meanwhile, the "Wild Card Queen" actually won her way into a slam this time around. Rogowska has appeared in ten slam main draws, but nine of those times she's gotten there via a wild card (7 consecutive times at the AO). This Paris run was her first successful qualifying attempt. The 23-year old defeated #18-seed Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first round of qualifying, then staged a comeback to defeat Beatriz Haddad Maia in the third round after the Brazilian served for the match in the 2nd set. Rogowska had a MD win in Paris in '09 as a 17-year old.
=========================================================
DOWN:Katerina Stewart/USA
...the teenager was robbed of the USTA's wild card into the RG main draw despite putting up by far the best three-event stretch during the assigned "playoff," but her consolation prize was a wild card berth in the qualifying rounds where she'd have to win three MORE matches in order to be able to made her slam MD debut. Stewart wasn't able to get through one on the terre battue, losing to Anett Kontaveit 6-3/7-6(3) in her first match. I guess that debut will have to wait a little while long... but with a surging ranking now into the Top 170, Stewart's big day should come soon (at worst, it's hard to believe she won't at least get a WC into the U.S. Open draw).

Meanwhile...

=========================================================

=QUALIFYING MATCHES=
Q1:Wang Yafan d. #15 Richel Hogenkamp
...2-6/7-6(7)/8-6 Hogenkamp served for the match at 5-4 in the 2nd, and held quadruple MP (take that, Vika!) at 6-2 in the tie-break. Wang ultimately won 8-6 in the 3rd.
=============================
Q1:Veronica Cepede Royg d. CiCi Bellis
...6-4/6-0. Paris isn't Flushing Meadows.
=============================
Q1:Tereza Mrdeza d. Kimiko Date-Krumm
...6-4/6-3 2015 isn't 1995, either. That the year KDK was a Roland Garros semifinalist.
=============================
Q1:Julie Coin d. Aravane Rezai
...7-5/6-3. Hey, at least Rezai is finally back on the court.


=============================
Q2:Sorana Cirstea d. #2 Mariana Duque
...7-5/2-6/6-3. Top seeds should beware the Swarmettes. A good sign for Simona, or a reverse hoo-doo jinx or something?
=============================
Q2:Maryna Zanevska d. Wang Yafan
...0-6/6-4/9-7. Wang led this one 6-0/3-1. In the 3rd, it was a race to see who wanted the win least (or most, depending on how you look at it, I guess) as thirteen of the sixteen service games ended with breaks of serves.
=============================
Q2:Olivia Rogowska d. Tessah Andrianjafitrimo
...3-6/6-3/6-4. The 16-year old Pastry didn't make it through qualifying, but she did put up a Q1 win over Patricia Mayr-Achleitner and took Rogowska to three sets here. She's surely a name to watch, though. Not to mention one to vex commentators the world over. [Evil laugh.]

=============================
Q3:#1 Teliana Pereira d. Laura Pous Tio
...3-6/6-0/7-5. The 12-game 3rd set had nine breaks of serve, including eight in a row.
=============================
Q3:Olivia Rogowska d. Beatriz Haddad Maia
...3-6/7-6(5)/6-3. Haddad lead 6-3/4-2 and served for the match at 6-5.
=============================
Q3:#11 Margarita Gasparyan d. Maryna Zanevska
...6-3/6-7(5)/6-4. Zanevska led 4-2 in the 3rd, but the Hordette swept the last four games to reach her first slam MD.
=============================


=Sisters Who Will Try to Forget Paris...=
Q1 - Chan Yung-Jan d. #5 Urszula Radwanska 6-4/6-4
Q1 - Gabriela Dabrowski d. #8 Kristyna Pliskova 6-4/6-4
Q1 - Tamira Paszek d. #21 Hsieh Su-Wei 6-4/6-4
Q1 - Andrea Hlavackova d. #14 Kristina Kucova 6-3/6-0

=A Sister Who'll Try to Forget SOME of What Happened in Paris...=
Q2 - Petra Martic d. Chan Yung-Jan 6-4/6-2

=...and Two More Who'd Rather Forget Paris, as well=
Q3 - Alexa Glatch d. Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2/3-6/6-3
Q3 - Andrea Hlavackova d. Anastasia Rodionova 6-2/6-7(5)/6-3


*ROLAND GARROS "Q-PLAYER OF THE WEEK" WINNERS*
2006 Julia Vakulenko/UKR
2007 Timea Bacsinszky/SUI & Raluca Olaru/ROU
2008 Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez/ESP & Yanina Wickmayer/BEL
2009 Yaroslava Shvedova/KAZ
2010 Kaia Kanepi/EST
2011 Sloane Stephens/USA
2012 Kiki Bertens/NED
2013 Anna Schmiedlova/SVK
2014 Grace Min/USA
2015 Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR
[2015 slams]
AO: Renata Voracova, CZE
RG: Veronica Cepede Royg, PAR

*WILD CARDS*
Manon Arcangioli/FRA = the 20-year old got the final WC and will make her slam debut
Katerina Stewart/USA Louisa Chirico/USA = the "winner" of the USTA's "three-event playoff," Chirico has reached three ITF finals (winning one) this season and is making her slam MD debut
Oceane Dodin/FRA = the Pastry won her debut slam MD match as a WC in Melbourne, and lost a spirited three-set 2nd Rounder to Karolina Pliskova
Fiona Ferro/FRA = the youngest of three 18 year-old RG WC's (Dodin & Chirico), Ferro gets her second straight WC into Paris
Amandine Hesse/FRA = playing in just her third career slam MD, she's searching for her first win
Mathilde Johansson/FRA = the 30-year old had her career-best slam result (3rd Rd.) in Paris in '12
Alize Lim/FRA = Lim has lost six straight ITF singles finals since winning two in 2010, and is playing in just her second slam MD (as a WC, she lost to Serena Williams in Paris in '14)
Virginie Razzano/FRA = the 32-year old pulled off a huge upset of Serena Williams in the 1st Rd. at RG in '12. She's 14-15 in Paris since her MD debut there in 1999, reaching the Round of 16 in '09.

*LUCKY LOSER*
none so far

=YOUNGEST 2015 SLAM...=
WC: 18-Fiona Ferro(RG), 18-Oceane Dodin(AO), 18-Oceane Dodin(RG), 18-Louisa Chirico(RG)
Q: 20-Ons Jabeur(AO), 20-Margarita Gasparyan(RG), 21-Denisa Allertova(AO)
=OLDEST 2015 SLAM...=
WC: 32-Virginie Razzano(RG), 30-Mathilde Johansson(RG)
Q: 34-Lourdes Dominguez-Lino(RG), 33-Stephanie Foretz(AO), 31-Renata Voracova(AO)





All for now. Roland Garros Preview and Week 20 recap coming soon.
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Roland Garros Preview: "Human nature is the same everywhere; it deifies success, it has nothing but scorn for defeat." *

May 22, 2015, 10:10 pm
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Determining which woman is truly at the head of the "Queen of Clay" class is a long discussion. Thankfully, the answer will literally play out on the court in Paris over the next two weeks.

But before that happens, how about we take a quick glance at history to see what a title run would mean for some of the players who might soon be holding up the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen?

So, in other words...

"When in doubt, tell the truth."
- Mark Twain



Serena Williams: Williams arrives in Paris having won the last two slams. If she wins a third straight she'd be the first woman to do it since... well, herself. She won four straight during "Serena Slam" in 2002-03.
Maria Sharapova: a third title in a four-year stretch would be the best run by any woman in Paris since Justine Henin won three in a row from 2005-07
Simona Halep: last year, Halep became the first Romanian to reach a slam final since Virginia Ruzici did so in Paris in 1980. Ruzici (RG '78) is the only woman from Romania to win a major. So far, at least.
Petra Kvitova (or Karolina Pliskova, or any other Czech Maiden): the last player playing under a Czech flag to win a slam other than Wimbledon was Hana Mandlikova on the grass in Melbourne in 1987. Czech-born Martina Navratilova, as an American citizen, won the U.S. Open in '87, and last won Roland Garros in 1984.
Angelique Kerber (or '14 semifinalist Andrea Petkovic): the last German woman to win a slam singles crown was -- guess who -- Steffi Graf in Paris in 1999
Carla Suarez-Navarro or Garbine Muguruza: the last Spanish woman to win a slam was Arantxa Sanchez in 1998, while the most recent finalist was Conchita Martinez in 2000. Both happened in Paris
Victoria Azarenka: the Belarusian, a semifinalist in her last trip to Paris in 2013, is 1-6 in tour-level clay finals. Her only win came in Marbella in 2011 (she won an ITF clay event in '05, as well). In that Marbella win, Azarenka defeated Irina-Camelia Begu in the final. She just beat the Romanian in Rome. Hmmm.
Caroline Wozniacki: the Dane would remove her name from the list of former #1's without a slam title, and would simultaneously make Pam Shriver the player with the most career WTA singles titles without a major in the bunch



And then there's...

Genie Bouchard (or any North American not named Serena): hard as it is to remember at the moment, Bouchard was a RG semifinalist a year ago. The last North American other than Serena to win a major was Venus at Wimbledon in 2008, while the last to win in Paris was Jennifer Capriati in 2001.

and...

ANY first-time slam champ, or finalist: there have been four first-time slam finalists who "hit the big time" at the last five get-togethers in Paris. Three players -- Ivanovic '08, Schiavone '10 and Li '11 -- were crowned maiden major winners there in the last seven seasons.

So there's all that. Oh, and this...

* - quote from Mark Twain, in "Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc"

In the past, I've often employed a "co-author" during the Daily Backspin countdown of each day during a slam. From Soren Kierkegaard to "Hamlet," to Yogi Berra and Hans Christian Andersen I've managed to find ways to weave their words, wit and/or wisdom into my two weeks of chattering. I thought I'd bring all that back for this edition of Roland Garros, finally utilizing the quotes and works of Mark Twain for the good of all things WTA (and maybe beyond), as I've been wanting to do for quite some time.

Mark Twain
(born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910). American author, lecturer and humorist. Writer of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Twain's writing and large personality made him a public figure and, ultimately, an American icon. A renowned traveler, Twain entertained fans around the world with his opinionated wit.

“In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their language.”
Mark Twain

Should be fun.



Here's a quick overview of the women's draw, quarter-by-quarter:

=WILLIAMS QUARTER=
*TOP CONTENDERS*
1. Serena Williams, USA(1) ...this spring she hasn't been the dominating Serena on clay that we've seen since her post-hospitalization return of a few years ago. Plus, she's got a fairly tricky draw (Hlavackova 1st Rd., Vika or Hradecka 3rd, Venus 4th). But you still pick against Serena at your own risk.
2. Sara Errani, ITA(17) ...she pushed Serena on clay in Fed Cup, and has a potentially-injured Petkovic in her section along with a hampered Jankovic and Wozniacki, who's never been much of a factor in Paris over the years.
THE BRACKET BUSTER:#27 Victoria Azarenka ...Vika held triple MP on Serena in Madrid, but her inability to close matches without unnecessary trials-and-tribulations came back to bite her as she went down in a hail of double-faults. She could get another shot at Williams in the 3rd Rd. in what would be THE match of the first week.
THE WILD CARD:#10 Andrea Petkovic ...the German has been dealing with exhaustion and a thigh injury in recent weeks, so her ability to last long seems questionable. But she was a semifinalist a year ago, so we know what she's capable of doing if her luck (and body) holds out.
FIRST BIG SEED OUT?:#5 Caroline Wozniacki ...the Dane has only reached the Round of 16 once (2010) in Paris. She opens with Karin Knapp, who's playing in the Nurnberg final this weekend. And things only get tougher from there.
DON'T COUNT HER CHICKENS:#15 Venus Williams ...everyone will be pointing to a possible Round of 16 match-up with Serena (they last played in Paris in the 2002 final, the first leg of "Serena Slam"). But Venus lost early to Anna Schmiedlova last year, and might not get to that Serena match this time, either. If Sloane Stephens can keep her head, even she might get her in the 1st Round.
THE POOR SOUL:(Q) Andrea Hlavackova ...she plays Serena in the 1st Round, and Williams is 57-1 for her career in slam opening rounds. Of course, that one came in Paris (vs. Virginie Razzano in 2012).

=KVITOVA QUARTER=
*TOP CONTENDERS*
1. Petra Kvitova, CZE(4) ...she won in Madrid, proving once again that she needn't have grass under her feet to win a big title. But can she maneuver through a very good draw (probably the best of all the top seeds) without having one of those Bad Petra days that tend to pop up and take her down at every slam other than Wimbledon?
2. Karolina Pliskova, CZE(12) ...she's never advanced to a slam 4th Rd., but she recently won a title in Prague and very well could reach the QF without having to play another seeded player.
THE BRACKET BUSTERS:Belinda Bencic & Taylor Townsend ...might these two former junior stars be on an upset-riddled path toward a 3rd Round match-up? Townsend, who reached the 3rd Round as a WC last year, could face Timea Bacsinszky in the 2nd Round, while Bencic could face Madison Keys.
THE WILD CARD:#18 Svetlana Kuznetsova ...which Sveta will show up, and for how long? A legitimate path is there for Kuznetsova to put together another second week run. It should be noted that the Russian has reached at least the Round of 16 in Paris every year but one since 2004, and has reached the QF the last two years.
FIRST BIG SEED OUT?:#23 Timea Bacsinszky ...after a super start, the Swiss' results haven't kept pace on the clay. She faces a potentially tough Lara Arruabarrena in the 1st Round, with possibly Taylor Townsend and Belinda Bencic or Madison Keys in the next two rounds. Chances don't look great that she gets through all that clutter.
DON'T COUNT HER CHICKENS:Kristina Mladenovic ...the Pastry reached the 3rd Round in Paris last year (def. Li) and is playing in the Strasbourg final this weekend. She gets Genie Bouchard in the 1st Round, which gives her the chance for another big slam victory. But then you remember that Bouchard, for all her troubles of late, has yet to crash out of a slam in the early stages.
THE POOR SOUL:Francesca Schiavone ...Schiavone's lost eight straight slam matches, including seven consecutive 1st Rounders. Still, she's a two-time RG finalist (winning in '10). She opens with Wang Qiang, so maybe that slam streak losing streak will end (but it's not a given). She could face '09 RG champ Kuznetsova in the 2nd Round.

=HALEP QUARTER=
*TOP CONTENDER*
1. Simona Halep, ROU(3) ...despite her mediocre 5-3 clay tune-up record, Halep is the solid favorite to take this quarter. The '14 finalist is the class of the bunch here, but that doesn't mean there aren't players who can beat her if her nerves once again creep up behind her and steal her heart (and legs). Young players and a Radwanska lurk, but are any of them up to taking out The Pride of Romania? Probably not.
THE BRACKET BUSTER:#31 Caroline Garcia ...the Pastry is still seeking her slam breakthrough, and this Roland Garros may finally provide her with her best opportunity. If she can get to a 3rd Round match-up with AnaIvo, she'll be super confident. If she gets her fourth 2015 win over the former RG champ, she'd suddenly become THE French story of the tournament.
THE WILD CARD:#19 Elina Svitolina ...the Ukrianian is THIS close to making a big mark on a big stage. It might not happen in Paris, but it COULD. If she gets a win over Aga Radwanska in the 3rd Round, she'd probably face Simona Halep in the Round of 16. Moment... meet Elina. It may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
FIRST BIG SEED OUT?:#7 Ana Ivanovic ...the 2008 champion (and '07 RU) hasn't reached the QF in Paris since her title-winning run. If Yaroslava Shvedova doesn't get her in the 1st Round, Caroline Garcia (3-0 vs. AnaIvo in '15) will in Round 3.
DON'T COUNT HER CHICKENS:#14 Aga Radwanska ...2015 is turning out to be a disaster for Radwanska. I mean, look at her seed -- she's all the way down to #14, and it doesn't look like she'll even live up to that "less than lofty" standing. She'll probably make her way past Annika Beck, but Mona Barthel in the 2nd Round would be tougher (and fellow Pole Paula Kania would present a different sort of pressure in that round). If she gets past that, things get REALLY hairy. In the form of Elina Svitolina, then Simona Halep. A-Rad might be fighting to hold onto her Top 20 ranking come the U.S. Open.
THE POOR SOUL:(WC) Louisa Chirico ...the Bannerette may have gotten the USTA's wild card into the MD over Katerina Stewart, but her slam debut won't likely last very long. She gets #9 Ekaterina Makarova in 1st Round.

=SHARAPOVA QUARTER=
*TOP CONTENDERS*
1. Maria Sharapova, RUS(2) ...right on schedule, Sharapova rose to the occasion to win Rome and enters Paris on a roll and likely feeling prepared to put on another two week-long show. She's the defending RG champion, has reached three straight finals, and has advanced to at least the Final Four for four years running. Getting the #2 seed and getting as far away in the draw from Serena as possible is a fine trick, too. If only Halep had been drawn into the top half with Williams, Maria would be sitting even prettier. Of course, she'll likely still have to win at least a few three-setters to pull off a third title in four years, but Sharapova has done all that she could over the past few weeks to give herself a good chance to win another title in Paris. Now it's just about going out and doing it.
2. Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP(8) ...a more aggressive CSN is an entirely different player, and one that might finally be able to put together the sort of deep slam run that she's seemed capable of in the past. Her runner-up result in Rome (along with another RU in Miami earlier this year) proves that she can string together wins in big events, but doing it on the slam stage is something else. If she can hold her seed, though, she'll get the chance to play for her first career slam semifinal. That's all she could ask for, really.
THE BRACKET BUSTERS:#26 Samantha Stosur or Daria Gavrilova ...ever since rejoining forces with coach David Taylor, Stosur's results have sparked. She's in the Strasbourg final and could face Sharapova in the 3rd Round in Paris. Gavrilova has shown an ability to knock off multiple high-level players in a single event, and might have to get through BOTH #20 Sabine Lisicki and #13 Lucie Safarova to have a shot at the Sharapova/Stosur winner in the Round of 16. But if she gets that far, it'd be no sure thing that she'd go home the loser after the match.
THE WILD CARDS:#21 Garbine Muguruza & Camila Giorgi ...both of these players could ride a wave to a stunning second week run, but both put up the sort of inconsistent results that scare you away from picking anything great. Muguruza upset Serena in Paris last year, but she hasn't won multiple matches in a tournament since February. Giorgi is as fiery as anyone, but can disintegrate under pressure, too. They could face each other in the 2nd Round, so one might get a shot at Kerber in the 3rd.
FIRST BIG SEED OUT?:#11 Angelique Kerber ...it's hard to figure out Kerber. She looked good early in '15, then not good at all. Then she looked great at the start of the clay season, then not anything close to that. In Nurnberg, she reached the semifinals and retired. Just what will we see in Paris? She's had QF-4r-4r results the last three years, and is a legit threat here to everyone in this quarter, including Sharapova. But I find it hard to muster up any confidence in her.
DON'T COUNT HER CHICKENS:#28 Flavia Pennetta ...it'd be nice to pick Flavia to have a nice time in Paris but, well, she never has. Despite the "Italian on clay" thing, she's only reached the 4th Round twice (that last time coming in '10).
THE POOR SOUL:(WC) Virginie Razzano ...did the Pastry's semifinal run (ended by retirement) in Strasbourg drive her chances for anything (anything at all) in Paris into a ditch? Remember, as a wild card in 2012, Razzano upset Serena Williams in the 1st Round. She'll get qualifier Veronica Cepede Royg this time, but probably Carla Suarez-Navarro in Round 2 if she survives that one.




**ROLAND GARROS #1 SEEDS**
2008 Maria Sharapova (4th Rd.)
2009 Dinara Safina (RU)
2010 Serena Williams (QF)
2011 Caroline Wozniacki (3rd Rd.)
2012 Victoria Azarenka (4th Rd.)
2013 Serena Williams (W)
2014 Serena Williams (2nd Rd.)
2015 Serena Williams

**RECENT WOMEN'S SLAM WINNERS**
2011 WI: Petra Kvitova, CZE
2011 US: Samantha Stosur, AUS
2012 AO: Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2012 RG: Maria Sharapova, RUS
2012 WI: Serena Williams, USA
2012 US: Serena Williams, USA
2013 AO: Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2013 RG: Serena Williams, USA
2013 WI: Marion Bartoli, FRA
2014 US: Serena Williams, USA
2014 RG: Maria Sharapova, RUS
2014 WI: Petra Kvitova, CZE
2014 US: Serena Williams, USA
2015 AO: Serena Williams, USA

*RG FINALS - active*
3...Maria Sharapova (2-1)
2...Serena Williams (2-0)
2...Ana Ivanovic (1-1)
2...Svetlana Kuznetsova (1-1)
2...Francesca Schiavone (1-1)
1...Sara Errani (0-1)
1...Simona Halep (0-1)
1...Samantha Stosur (0-1)
1...Venus Williams (0-1)

*RECENT RG SEMIFINALISTS*
2006: Henin-Hardenne (W) - Kuznetsova (RU) - Clijsters/Vaidisova
2007: Henin (W) - Ivanovic (RU) - Jankovic/Sharapova
2008: Ivanovic (W) - Safina (RU) - Jankovic/Kuznetsova
2009: Kuznetsova (W) - Safina (RU) - Stosur/Cibulkova
2010: Schiavone (W) - Stosur (RU) - Dementieva/Jankovic
2011: Li (W) - Schiavone (RU) - Bartoli/Sharapova
2012: Sharapova (W) - Errani (RU) - Kvitova/Stosur
2013: S.Williams (W) - Sharapova (RU) - Azarenka/Errani
2014: Sharapova (W) - Halep (RU) - Bouchard/Petkovic

**LOW-SEEDED RG SEMIFINALISTS - since 2005**
#30...Samantha Stosur, 2009
#28...Andrea Petkovic, 2014
#21...Mary Pierce, 2005 (W)
#20...Dominika Cibulkova, 2009
#18...Genie Bouchard, 2014
#17...Francesca Schiavone, 2010 (W)
#16...Elena Likhovtseva, 2005
#16...Nicole Vaidisova, 2006
#13...Dinara Safina, 2008
#11...Marion Bartoli, 2011
#10...Justine Henin, 2005 (W)

*ROLAND GARROS GIRLS FINALS - since 2006*
2006 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
2007 Alize Cornet/FRA def. Mariana Duque-Marino/COL
2008 Simona Halep/ROU def. Elena Bogdan/ROU
2009 Kristina Mladenovic/FRA def. Daria Gavrilova/RUS
2010 Elina Svitolina/UKR def. Ons Jabeur/TUN
2011 Ons Jabeur/TUN def. Monica Puig/PUR
2012 Annika Beck/GER def. Anna Schmiedlova/SVK
2013 Belinda Bencic/SUI def. Antonia Lottner/GER
2014 Darya Kasatkina/RUS def. Ivana Jorovic/SRB

**BEST RG GIRLS/WOMEN'S RESULTS**
[won Girls & Women's titles]
Sue Barker (1974 Jr. Champion; 1976 Women's Champion)
Jennifer Capriati (1989 Jr. Champion; 2001 Women's Champion)
Justine Henin (1997 Jr. Champion; 2003, '05-'07 Women's Champion)
Mima Jausovec (1973 Jr. Champion; 1977 Women's Champion)
Hana Mandlikova (1978 Jr. Champion; 1981 Women's Champion)
[others]
Renata Tomanova (1972 Jr. Champion; 1976 Women's RU)
Martina Hingis (1993-94 Jr. Champion; 1997/99 Women's RU)
Natasha Zvereva (1998 Jr. Champion; 1988 Women's RU)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (2001 Jr. RU; 2009 Women's Champion)
Simona Halep (2008 Jr. Champion; 2014 Women's RU)

**FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AT ROLAND GARROS**
[Open Era]
1971 Evonne Goolagong, AUS
1974 Chris Evert, USA
1976 Sue Barker, GBR
1977 Mima Jausovec, SLO
1978 Virginia Ruzici, ROU
1987 Steffi Graf, GER
1989 Arantxa Sanchez, ESP
1990 Monica Seles, YUG
1997 Iva Majoli, CRO
2003 Justine Henin, BEL
2004 Anastasia Myskina, RUS
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2010 Francesca Schiavone, ITA
2011 Li Na, CHN
--
NOTE: Ann Haydon-Jones won first career slam at '61 Roland Garros, before Open era began in '68

*ACTIVE SINGLES PLAYERS - FIRST SLAM FINAL*
1997 U.S. Open - Venus Williams
1999 U.S. Open - Serena Williams (W)
2004 Wimbledon - Maria Sharapova (W)
2004 U.S. Open - Svetlana Kuznetsova (W)
2007 Roland Garros - Ana Ivanovic
2008 U.S. Open - Jelena Jankovic
2009 U.S. Open - Caroline Wozniacki
2010 Roland Garros - Francesca Schiavone (W)
2010 Roland Garros - Samantha Stosur
2010 Wimbledon - Vera Zvonareva
2011 Wimbledon - Petra Kvitova (W)
2012 Australian Open - Victoria Azarenka (W)
2012 Roland Garros - Sara Errani
2012 Wimbledon - Agnieszka Radwanska
2013 Wimbledon - Sabine Lisicki
2014 Australian Open - Dominika Cibulkova
2014 Roland Garros - Simona Halep
2014 Wimbledon - Genie Bouchard

*RUSSIAN RG SEMIFINALISTS, since 2003*
2003 Nadia Petrova
2004 Elena Dementieva (RU), Anastasia Myskina (W)
2005 Elena Likhovtseva, Nadia Petrova
2006 Svetlana Kuznetsova (RU)
2007 Maria Sharapova
2008 Svetlana Kuznetsova, Dinara Safina (RU)
2009 Svetlana Kuznetsova (W), Dinara Safina (RU)
2010 Elena Dementieva
2011 Maria Sharapova
2012 Maria Sharapova (W)
2013 Maria Sharapova (RU)
2014 Maria Sharapova (W)

*BACK-TO-BACK AO/RG TITLES - Open era*
1969 Margaret Court
1970 Margaret Court
1973 Margaret Court
1988 Steffi Graf
1991 Monica Seles
1992 Monica Seles
2001 Jennifer Capriati

*THREE+ CONSECUTIVE SLAM TITLES - Open era*
[6]
1969-71 Margaret Court
1983-84 Martina Navratilova
[5]
1988-89 Steffi Graf
[4]
1993-94 Steffi Graf
2002-03 Serena Williams
[3]
1972 Billie Jean King
1981-82 Martina Navratilova
1982-83 Chris Evert
1989-90 Steffi Graf
1991-92 Monica Seles
1995 Steffi Graf
1996 Steffi Graf
1997-98 Martina Hingis

*MOST RECENT THREE-TITLE STRETCHES*
AO: Serena Williams won three in four years from 2007-10
RG: Justine Henin won three straight from 2005-07
WI: Serena Willliams won three in four years from 2009-12
US: Serena Williams has won three straight from 2012-14

*SLAM TITLES AFTER AGE 30*
6...Serena Williams (2 at 30, 2 at 31, 1 at 32, 1 at 33)
3...Martina Navratilova (2 at 30, 1 at 33)
3...Margaret Court (2 at 30, 1 at 31)
2...Billie Jean King (30 & 31)
2...Chris Evert (30 & 31)
1...Virginia Wade (31)
1...Ann Haydon Jones (30)

*TOP 4 SEEDS TO SLAM SF - OPEN ERA*
AO (4): 1969,1970,1974,1993
RG (1): 1992
WI (10): 1973,1976,1978,1979,1988,1992,1995,2003,2006,2009
US (1): 1975




=ROUND OF 16 PREDICTIONS=
#1 S.Williams d. #15 V.Williams
#17 Errani d. #5 Wozniacki
#4 Kvitova d. Townsend
#18 Kuznetsova d. Mladenovic (this section could produce an even bigger surprise than either of these two)
#31 Garcia d. #9 Makarova
#3 Halep d. #19 Svitolina
#8 Suarez-Navarro d. Giorgi
#2 Sharapova d. Gavrilova

=QUARTERFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#1 S.Williams d. #17 Errani
#4 Kvitova d. #18 Kuznetsova
#3 Halep d. #31 Garcia
#2 Sharapova d. #8 Suarez-Navarro

...yeah, the Top 4 seeds have only advanced to the semis in Paris once (1992) in the Open era, but who'd be best to leave out? Serena might have the toughest draw, but she's Serena. Kvitova is the most susceptible to an early upset, but Petra might have the best draw. Halep getting upset is tempting, but it'd probably be a first-timer taking her place in the semis (and are Garcia, Svitolina, etc. ready for that?). And Sharapova is playing the best of them all coming into Paris. So I'll just play the odds, stick with all four, and figure maybe three will actually make it that far.

=SEMIFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#4 Kvitova d. #1 S.Williams
#2 Sharapova d. #3 Halep

...largely because I know which player I'm picking to win the title, and if I don't pick Petra to knock out Serena I'm essentially picking against myself because if Williams is in the final she's not going to lose it.

=FINAL PREDICTION=
#2 Sharapova d. #4 Kvitova

...you win Roland Garros, you get views like this, I guess.


Paris, you are so photogenic! #Travel #Instagram #InstaDaily

A photo posted by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on


Check out Galileo West's women's picks on ATP Backspin.



As far as the men are concerned, as usual, history is at play with them, as well.

Rafa Nadal, already the only man to win nine singles titles at any slam (the next most in the Open era are Roger Federer's seven Wimbledon crowns), will be looking to win a tenth Roland Garros championship. The notion that the Spaniard, currently working on a five-year run as RG champ, is the favorite in Paris until he actually LOSES there will surely be put to the test over the next two weeks. Due to his injury absences last season, Nadal is ranked outside the Top 5 for the first time in a decade, and even his 66-1 mark on the terre battue doesn't erase the fact that Rafa's form on the EuroClay circuit has been shaky, at best. He comes into Paris without a tune-up clay title under his belt for the first time, having lost five matches on the surface. But, then again, all those matches were of the best-of-three sets variety, not the best-of-five that will be necessary for someone to master against Nadal at Roland Garros. That might be the key to another Rafa title run, but for the first time since his initial RG win in 2005 Nadal doesn't LOOK like the odds-on favorite to win... and his lower seeding means he may have to play Djokovic in the QF, Murray (who's already beaten him this clay season) in the SF and Federer in the final. That's a tough road to travel.

But Nadal's not the only one chasing a bit of history.

Federer is still looking to become the first man to win multiple titles at all four majors in the Open era (and only the third ever, with Roy Emerson and Rod Laver). His sole RG title came in 2009 when Nadal suffered his only career loss in Paris (to Robin Soderling). Might a late-stage absence of Nadal prove to work to his advantage again? And what about Andy Murray? The Scot had never even reached a clay final before winning back-to-back titles on the surface a few weeks ago, including a dominant performance in the Madrid decider over Nadal. A win in Paris would put him three-quarters of the way to a Career Slam, with only an Australian Open title (he's reached four finals in Melbourne) absent from his resume. A win in Paris would raise Murray's career standing considerably, and put him one title away from tennis immortality.

But the Serbian elephant in the room in Novak Djokovic.

The world #1 arrives in Paris riding a 22-match winning streak. He's 35-2 on the season, with a 6-1 mark against Nadal, Federer and Murray in 2015. After dropping a three-setter to Ivo Karlovic in January, Djokovic has won eleven consecutive matches that went down to a deciding set (including one AO five-setter). Novak's quest for a Career Slam needs only a RG title to be complete, and Nadal has been the man standing in Djokovic's way in recent attempts, losing to the Spaniard three straight years in Paris, including in a pair of five-setters in 2013-14. Thing is, with the Serbian Prince's current form, a win in Paris might simply be a stepping stone to something even greater. No player has a better chance than Djokovic does this season to win the first true Grand Slam on the men's side since 1969 (Rod Laver). He's already the AO champ, and will attempt to defend his Wimbledon title next month. He's reached the U.S. Open final four of the last five years, winning once.

If Djokovic can rise to the top in Paris, the chances are that he'll head to New York later this summer with some REAL history on his racket.

He just has to get past Rafa at Roland Garros first. That's all.

Talk about something to get that "numbers guy" excited.


=ROUND OF 16 PREDICTIONS=
#1 Djokovic d. #20 Gasquet
#6 Nadal d. Coric
#3 Murray d. Seppi
#7 Ferrer d. #23 Mayer
#19 Bautista d. #5 Nishikori
#4 Berdych d. #22 Kohlschreiber
#26 Garcia-Lopez d. #12 Simon
#2 Federer d. #21 Cuevas

=QUARTERFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#1 Djokovic d. #6 Nadal
#3 Murray d. #7 Ferrer
#19 Bautista d. #4 Berdych
#2 Federer d. #26 Garcia-Lopez

=SEMIFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#1 Djokovic d. #3 Murray
#2 Federer d. #19 Bautista

=FINAL PREDICTION=
#1 Djokovic d. #2 Federer

...well, if Djokovic can do it, taking out Nadal, Murray and Federer in order to complete a Career Grand Slam would surely add an intriguing argument to his case for putting his career numbers up against the other members of the "Big 4," wouldn't it?

Check out Galileo West's take on the men's draw at ATP Backspin.





All for now. Day 1 -- and the Daily Backspin -- awaits.
↧

Wk.20- The Power of Positive Thinking

May 23, 2015, 3:45 pm
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The cursed Roland Garros Sunday start is only hours away. But there's still a whole week of WTA, ITF and junior action to recount. And while hardly anyone actually pays attention to these pre-slam events, they DO count.

Thus...

*WEEK 20 CHAMPIONS*
STRASBOURG, FRANCE (Int'l $227K/RCO)
S: Samantha Stosur/AUS def. Kristina Mladenovic/FRA 3-6/6-2/6-3
D: Chuang Chia-Jung/Liang Chen (CHN/CHN) d. Nadiia Kichenok/Zheng Saisai (UKR/CHN) 4-6/6-4 [12-10]
NURNBERG, GERMANY (Int'l $227K/RCO)
S: Karin Knapp/ITA def. Roberta Vinci/ITA 7-6(5)/4-6/6-1
D: Chan Hao-Ching/Anabel Medina-Garrigues (TPE/ESP) d. Arruabarrena/Olaru (ESP/ROU) 6-4/7-6(5)



PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Samantha Stosur/AUS
...things are suddenly starting to come together again for Stosur. Likely not coincidentally, her surge has coincided with her reconnecting with former coach David Taylor a few weeks ago. After ending '14 on an 8-1 run with a title in Osaka, the Aussie began '15 at 6-10 before her recent improvement. Putting up multiple wins in two of her last three events, Strasbourg ended up providing her with a lot more. Not just career title #7 (her first on red clay) after a win over defending champ Monica Puig (love & 3) and back-to-back-to-back three-set victories against Ajla Tomljanovic, Sloane Stephens and Kristina Mladenovic, either. Better yet, she now heads to Paris with the power of positive thinking working in her favor again. And while most players are more than better off after getting a confidence boost, the sometimes-she-has-to-be-forced-to-believe Stosur has always seemed to need it a little more than most. She's traditionally done her best big stage work in Paris and New York... so maybe this is going to time out pretty well.
=============================

RISERS:Karin Knapp/ITA & Kristina Mladenovic/FRA
...Knapp won't likely ever rise to the career heights of any of her more veteran Italian countrywomen, but the 27-year old notched her second tour singles title in the last nine months with her win on Saturday in Nurnberg. Victories over Antonia Lottner, Anna-Lena Friedsam, Yulia Putintseva and Lara Arruabarrena placed her into the tour's first all-Italian singles final since 2013 against Roberta Vinci. After winning the 1st set in tie-break, Knapp went on to take the match in three sets. She'll be up to #42 in the new rankings, within shouting distance of the career-high (#35) she reached back in 2008. In Strasbourg, Mladenovic, who recently climbed into the doubles Top 5, added her maiden singles final to her list of 2015 accomplishments. Wins over Pauline Parmentier and Alison Riske, then a QF walkover from Madison Keys and SF retirement from Virginie Razzano will allow her to push closer to returning to the Top 40 at #44. Kiki, who also reached the Marrakech semis on red clay earlier this spring, now heads to Paris, where she upset Li Na en route to the 3rd Round a year ago.
=============================
SURPRISES:Virginie Razzano/FRA & the NCAA champion Vanderbilt Women's Team
...32-year old Pastry Virginie Razzano made much noise three years ago when she received a wild card into Roland Garros, then upset Serena Williams in the 1st Round while being inspired by the memory of her fiance and former coach Stephane Vidal, who'd died of a brain tumor prior to RG one year earlier. Ranked #251 last week, she received another WC into Roland Garros, just as she did in order to play in the main draw in Strasbourg. As it turned out, it was a good move for the event... even if it does make any additional Parisian heroics from Razzano even less likely. After Mona Barthel retired from their 1st Round match, Razzano knocked off Francesca Schiavone and Elena Vesnina before retiring herself in the semifinals against Kristina Mladenovic. The SF run was her best since the same result in Carlsbad in 2013. She hasn't reached a final since 2009, her only Top 20 season. Still, it was quite a week. "It is something that will remain engraved in my memory," said Razzano. "I am really very happy of what I have done here."

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt was crowned the surprise NCAA Division I tennis champions last week. It's the first-ever title for the school. The Commodores were led by redshirt Freshman Astra Sharma of Australia, who pulled off a big singles win in the semifinals against Southern Cal's Chanelle Van Nguyen. Vanderbilt then went on to defeat the defending champion UCLA squad 4-2 in the women's team final.

=============================
VETERANS:Roberta Vinci/ITA & Maria Fernanda Alvarez-Teran/BOL
...Vinci, 32, has seen the bottom drop out of her singles ranking (and her #1-ranked doubles partnership break up, as well) since she opened 2014 in the Top 15. She managed to put together a pair of appearances in finals last season even while nearly falling out of the year-end Top 50 (#49), and added another this week after arriving in Nurnburg at #42. Wins over Vitalia Diatchenko, Tereza Smitkova and Kurumi Nara preceded a walkover from Angelique Kerber in the semis that presented Vinci with her thirteenth career final appearance. She lost in three sets to fellow Italian Karin Knapp, but her week will lift her back into the Top 40 as play begins in Paris. Meanwhile, 27-year old Bolivian Maria Fernandez Alvarez-Teran will play in the singles final of the $10K challenger in Antalya, Turkey against Brit Anna Brogan, seeking her first ITF crown since 2012. A consistent Top 350 player from 2008-13 and a winner of ten ITF titles, MFAT fell outside the Top 700 after missing the last half of last season. She entered last week ranked #1153.
=============================
COMEBACKS:Sloane Stephens/USA, Madalina Gojnea/ROU & Jessica Pieri/ITA
...sure, you'd like Stephens to NOT end EVERY tournament by dropping a set at love. But you take progress where you can get it with Current Sloane. And she did accomplish something last week in Strasbourg -- she reached her first tour singles semifinal in twenty-eight months. Yep... since she faced Vika Azarenka in the 2013 AO final four. Things have never really been the same for Stephens since then, and not in a good way. So this is just a small step, especially when you consider she needed a QF retirement from Jelena Jankovic to reach this week's semi. Still, Sloane should take her full match wins over Nadiia Kichenok and Coco Vandeweghe, as well as the first two sets of her loss to Samantha Stosur, and try to use them as motivation for Paris. She'll need it, since she faces Venus Williams in the 1st Round. Down a level, Romanian Gojnea -- one of the Original Swarmettes eight years ago, when she was ranked inside the Top 150 and climbing -- returned to pro tennis last week in the $10K Sibiu challenger after having retired at age 25 two years ago due to a number of injuries. After making it through qualifying, she's reached the final and will face off with Anna Bondar on Sunday in an attempt to win her first ITF singles title since 2010 (she's 12-4 in finals). Down still another level, junior Pieri reached the semis of the Grade A Milan girls singles this weekend. The 18-year old lost there to Charlotte Robillard-Millette, but only after knocking off Miriam Kolodziejova to become the first Italian girl to reach the final four at the event since 2010. Pieri has been dealing with injuries for a few seasons, namely a back ligament ailment that has lingered for over two years, that have prevented her from maintaining a consistent schedule. She's still not healthy, as she's talked about her pain during this week's run, but she's still managed to put up additional good results on both the junior (a recent Grade 1 final in Santa Croce) and challenger (a $10K singles semi in January) levels this season.

=============================
FRESH FACE:Yulia Putintseva/KAZ
...the 20-year old Kazakh, trying to climb back into the Top 100, make it through Nurnberg qualifying last weekend, then was on the winning end of #1-seeded Andrea Petkovic's 1st Round retirement. Putintseva then saved a match point and downed Kiki Bertens to reach her first tour QF since she put up the same result in Osaka last October.
=============================
DOWN:Madison Brengle/USA, Andrea Petkovic/GER & Jelena Jankovic/SRB
...the good news for Madison is that summer is the time for movie sequels. So, maybe she'll star in the WTA-produced "The Summer of Brengle III" soon. The original, remember, arrived last year in North America when the Bannerette's decade-long quest finally produced her first slam main draw victory. In January, during the Aussie summer ("The Summer of Brengle II: Madison Down Under"), Brengle reached her first tour singles final and then the Round of 16 in Melbourne. She's gone 12-11 since she reached the AO 4th Round, but the clay season hasn't been kind to her. Her 1st Round loss in Strasbourg to Ajla Tomljanovic gives Brengle five straight clay court losses. But, hey, it'll soon be summer again in North America. Since reaching back-to-back semis in Miami and Charleston, Petkovic has won just two matches, skipped Day 1 in Fed Cup semifinal action because of exhaustion, lost in a walkover in Madrid and retired with a thigh injury after losing the first five games in the 1st Round of Nurnburg against Yulia Putintseva. Jankovic's retirement after losing the 1st set of her Strasbourg QF match against Sloane Stephens gives the Serb her third retirement/walkover exit already this season. JJ, who fell out of the Top 20 at the start of the week, has been troubled by an ailing back since last season.
=============================
ITF PLAYER:Darya Kasatkina/RUS
...a year ago, the Hordette was two weeks away from winning the Roland Garros girls singles title. This weekend, the 18-year old won the $25K Caserta, Italy challenger, defeating 19-year old Turk Ipek Soylu in the final. Kasatkina is now 4-0 in career challenger singles finals, with three $25K titles.

????

A photo posted by Darya Kasatkina (@kasatkina) on


=============================
JUNIOR STARS:Marketa Vondrousova/CZE & Marketa Vondrousova/CZE
...these two have have been the movers-and-shakers of the junior circuit in recent weeks. A week ago the #4-ranked Vondrousova, 15, swept the singles and doubles titles at $10K pro event; while #21 Robillard-Millette, 16, entered this past week having won back-to-back Grade 2 and Grade 1 girls events. In the Grade A event in Milan, both have advanced to the singles final. Voundrousova, the #2 seed, has defeated Michaela Gordon and Katherine Sebov en route, while #7-seed CRM extended her winning streak to fifteen matches with a win in the semis over Italian Jessica Pieri.

AO girls doubles champs Vondrousova and Miriam Kolodziejova have already locked away the Milan doubles crown.

=============================
DOUBLES:Chuang Chia-Jung/Liang Chen (CHN/CHN) & Chan Hao-Ching/Anabel Medina-Garrigues (TPE/ESP)
...in the week before Paris, most of the top duos sat things out, but there were quite a few doubles specialists who teamed up with uncommon partners to great success in Week 20. Nadiia Kichenok joined with Zheng Saisai to reach a final, while Raluca Olaru followed up her RU result in Nurnberg last year with Shahar Peer with the same result this time around with Lara Arruabarrena (who did double duty by also reaching the singles semis). But it was Chan Hao-Ching and Anabel Medina-Garrigues who were crowned champions in that Nurnberg event, as Chan won her sixth career title and added another '15 win to the title she won in Pattaya with her sister Yung-Jan, who was busy in RG qualifying (she lost in the final round). AMG, now a doubles-only player, claimed her second title of the season (Antwerp), and the 25th of her career. Strasbourg champs Chuang/Liang have won together before, taking a title in Guangzhou last September. It's Chuang's 22nd career crown, while Liang now has three (having gone 1-1 in previous '15 finals with Wang Yafan, including losing the Shenzhen championship match to BOTH Kichenok sisters in January).
=============================

You know it's a "Gibbsian moment" when you stop and think about it and suddenly see the logic...



I mean, she DID go to Stanford, after all.


1. Stras 2nd Rd. - Keys d. Lucic-Baroni
...4-6/7-6(3)/7-6(0). Hmmm, is this match a candidate for "Comeback of the Year,""Choke of the Year" or maybe both? Lucic-Baroni led Keys 6-4/5-0 in windy conditions, but was sent packing as Keys' Fed Cup '14 lesson about NO match EVER really being over until, you know, it actually IS once again came to the forefront. Even more spectacular than the blown lead, Lucic never managed to even hold a MP after taking that lead. She served for the match twice in the 2nd set, but the closest she got was within two points of victory on Keys' serve in game #6. At one point, Keys won 16 straight points and took the 2nd set TB 7-3. In the 3rd, Lucic served for the match for a third time at 5-4 (again coming within two points of the win), but failed to put it away there, as well. Ultimately, she lost the deciding TB 7-0. Of course, while this is an extreme example, Lucic's results have been more than wanting since she won her first title in sixteen years last September in Quebec City. She's gone just 7-14 since, with all but one loss coming this season.

=============================
2. Nurn Final - Knapp d. Vinci
...7-6(5)/4-6/6-1. This was the third all-nation final of 2015, but the first that didn't include a pair of Czech Maidens.
=============================
3. Nurn 2nd Rd. - Putintseva d. Bertens
...6-4/5-7/7-5. Bertens served up 5-2 in the 3rd set, holding a MP at 5-4.
=============================
4. Nurn 2nd Rd. - Arruabarrena d. Lisicki
...6-2/6-7(3)/7-6(3). Sabine sent the German fans home with disappointment on their minds. She served for the match at 5-4 in the 3rd set.
=============================
5. Nurn 1st Rd. - Putintseva d. #1 Petkovic 5-0 ret.
Stras QF - Mladenovic walkover #1 Keys
Stras QF - Stephens d. #2 Jankovic 6-1 ret.
Nurn SF - Vinci walkover #2 Kerber
...predictably, any ailments the top seeds have while playing in an event the week before a slam usually results in an early exit. Hopefully, these will serve to be "precautionary" moves in order to maintain their viability in the draw in Paris. But at least in the case of Petko and JJ, who've been dealing with physical issues for a month or more now, this isn't an encouraging development for this summer.
=============================
6. Stras QF - Stosur d. Tomljanovic 6-4/3-6/6-1
Stras SF - Stosur d. Stephens 6-3/3-6/6-0
Stras Final - Stosur d. Mladenovic 3-6/6-2/6-3
...hopefully all the late-week work won't doom Stosur in the early rounds in Paris.

=============================
7. Stras SF - Mladenovic d. Razzano
...6-3/1-2 ret. Ditto for Razzano. But I'm guessing she probably wouldn't trade this past week for the next few days, though.
=============================


Nurnberg 1st Rd. - Doi d. Anna Schmiedlova
...6-2/6-1. Not exactly the best lead-in to Paris for Schmiedlova. At last year's Roland Garros, the Slovak upset Venus Williams in the 2nd Round.
=============================



Coolest T-shirt ever or whaaaaaaa? ??????#vikalovesmickey

A photo posted by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on




Beautiful day at the gym pretending to be a gymnast. #handstand #gym #mccc

A photo posted by Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki) on







**2015 OLDEST WTA CHAMPIONS**
[singles]
34 - Venus Williams, USA (Auckland)
33 - Serena Williams, USA (Miami)
33 - Serena Williams, USA (Australian)
31 - Daniela Hantuchova, SVK (Pattaya City)
31 - SAMANTHA STOSUR, AUS (Strasbourg)
[doubles/mixed]
34 - Martina Hingis, SUI (4 doubles, 1 mixed)
33 - Abigail Spears, USA (Doha)
32 - Raquel Kops-Jones, USA (Doha)
32 - ANABEL MEDINA-GARRIGUES, ESP (Antwerp/Nurnburg)
32 - Arantxa Parra-Santonja, ESP (Antwerp)

**2015 NATIONS w/ MULTIPLE CHAMPIONS**
3...Czech Republic - Kvitova, Ka.Pliskova, Safarova
2...United States - S.Williams, V.Williams
2...Germany - Petkovic, Kerber
2...ITALY - Errani, Knapp
2...Slovak Repubic - Hantuchova, A.Schmiedlova

**2015 FIRST-TIME FINALISTS**
Hobart - Madison Brengle (#84, 24/USA - RU)
Pattaya - Ajla Tomljanovic (#68, 20/AUS-CRO - RU)
Rio - Anna Schmiedlova (#75, 20/SVK - RU)
Bogota - Teliana Pereira (#130, 26/BRA - W)
Strasbourg - Kristina Mladenovic (#54, 22/FRA - RU)

**ALL-TIME WTA TITLES - AUSTRALIANS**
92 - Margaret Court, 1968-76
68 - Evonne Goolagong, 1970-80
17 - Kerry Melville-Reid, 1968-79
15 - Dianne Fromholtz-Balestrat, 1973-79
9 - Wendy Turnbull, 1976-83
7 - SAMANTHA STOSUR, 2009-15
6 - Jelena Dokic, 2001-11
5 - Alicia Molik, 2003-05

**2015 WTA LOW-RANKED SEMIFINALISTS**
#251 VIRGINIE RAZZANO/FRA (Strasbourg)
#181 Hsieh Su-Wei/TPE (Kuala Lumpur)
#158 Sesil Karatantcheva/BUL (Acapulco)
#134 Mariana Duque/COL (Bogota)
#130 Teliana Pereira/BRA (Bogota champion)
#110 Lucie Hradecka/CZE (Charleston)
#105 Alison Van Uytvanck/BEL (Katowice)

**2015 WTA SF - BY NATION**
14 - United States
13 - Czech Republic
8 - Germany, Romania, Russia (w/ Gavrilova)
6 - Spain
5 - France, Italy

**RECENT NCAA WOMEN'S TEAM CHAMPIONS (Division I)**
2009 Duke
2010 Stanford
2011 Florida
2012 Florida
2013 Stanford
2014 UCLA
2015 Vanderbilt
[most team titles]
17...Stanford
6...Florida
2...Georgia
2...UCLA
2...USC
2...Texas
1...Duke
1...Georgia Tech
1...Vanderbilt




ROLAND GARROS; PARIS (GS/RCO)
14 Final: Sharapova d. Halep
14 Doubles Final: Hsieh/Peng d. Errani/Vinci
14 Mixed Final: Groenefeld/Rojer d. Goerges/Zimonjic
14 GS Final: Kasatkina d. Jorovic
14 GD Final: Ducu/Rosca d. Bellis/Vondrousova
14 WC Final: Kamiji d. Van Koot
14 WD Final: Kamiji/Whiley d. Griffioen/Van Koot


Meanwhile, go figure...




All for now.
↧

RG.1- Personal Recollections of Simona of Constanta *

May 24, 2015, 1:58 pm
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Enter The Woman in Black. On the terre battue.



Pay no mind to how much of the red dirt her outfit might collect over the next two weeks. If things work out, it'll just be a badge of dusty honor.

As the 2014 Roland Garros runner-up, Simona Halep once again enters the arena. Of expectations. Of pressure and nerves. Of the fear of not living up to the former, as well as the notion of allowing either of the latter to get the best of her. Again.

In her last grand slam appearance back in January in Melbourne, the Romanian was run out of the draw -- and she surely helped, too -- by Ekaterina Makarova. Halep was uncharacteristically frustrated, her feet often seemed frozen in place and she seemed to want to be anywhere but where she was. So she got out of the match as quickly as possible. It didn't look good. Rather than pass off her (lack of) performance or sneer at the rather obvious questions posed about it, The Pride of Romania has addressed her failings on that day head-on at various times over the past few months. Not only has she admitted that she let the pressure get to her, but she's called upon the memory as an example of a version of herself that she vows to never present on a court again.

So far, while she's often felt similar pressure since and wasn't at her best on the clay (posting a 5-3 tune-up record), she's held to her promise. Against Evgeniya Rodina in her 1st Round match of Day 1 of this slam, she again was presented with an opponent who was pressuring her into a corner, seeing if she'd crack once again.

Halep did nothing of the kind.

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear -- not absence of fear."
- Mark Twain


Halep took a 4-1 1st set lead over Rodina today, only to see the Hordette surge back to tie things at 5-5. Serving at 30/30 to stay on serve, Rodina missed an elementary low forehand volley, pushing it just wide to give Halep a break chance. A double-fault handed the Swarmette a 6-5 lead. Seizing the opportunity presented to her, Halep held at love, putting away the 7-5 set with an ace. In the 2nd, she went up a break only to immediately give the advantage back to the Russian, who pulled even at 4-4. But Halep didn't blink. Instead, she figured things out and held firm to win a tight 7-5/6-4 decision and advance to the 2nd Round.




The next opponent for the current-and-still reigning "next first-time slam champ" (see, the pressure never ends... so she knows she needs to get used to it)? Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, the same person who shockingly sent Halep out of the last year's U.S. Open in the 3rd Round, her worst result in her last six slams since the current world #3 climbed into the Top 30 in the rankings two summers ago.

"She (Lucic) played really well that day," Halep said. "I don't really have good memories from that match. But I feel I have my chance this time. It's another match, another day, so I will train and speak with my team about this match and see how I have to play this time. Maybe I'll even watch the match again."

A rolling Swarmette gathers no moss. But the Woman in Black will get as dirty as necessary.



=DAY 1 NOTES=
...needless to say, it wasn't a good day for the Pastries. In all, they went 0-3 and were involved (on the wrong end) of both of Day 1's hallmark moments -- the First Win/Loss and The First Seed Out -- as well as being part of possibly the biggest squandered lead of the opening afternoon in Paris.

Wild card Fiona Ferro isn't the youngest of the eight teenagers in the women's draw (Ana Konjuh is), but the 18-year old was the first to pack her bags in Paris. As half of one of the four "first-up" women's matches at the start of play on Sunday (on Court 7 vs. qualifier Teliana Pereira), Ferro was already staring at the possibility of being the "First Loser" in the MD of this Roland Garros. But it was when Evgeniya Rodina began to put up a fight against Simona Halep on Chatrier Court that she could figuratively see the writing on the wall. Or even written in the footprints and ball marks on the terre battue.

The Brazilian, with just one career slam win in her career (at last year's RG), only slightly stumbled in the closing moments of the match. Pereira served at 6-3/5-1, only to be broken, opening the door for Halep to possibly bail out Ferro a few courts away. But it didn't happen. Pereira broke the Pastry in the next game, closing out the win in around an hour and five minutes.

Halep finally downed Rodina a short time later to become the second winner of the day. But Ferro's fate could not be altered.

A French player played a part in the second recordable moment of Day 1, as well, as #31 seed Caroline Garcia continued to come up short in grand slams. For all the promise she's shown in WTA and Fed Cup action the last few years, Garcia has still never advanced beyond the 3rd Round in her thirteen MD appearances in majors. Today she was sent out by teenager Donna Vekic, who's been enduring a pretty dreadful run since winning her first career title in Kuala Lumpur early in 2014, losing in three sets, 3-6/6-3/6-2.



In this 1st Round match-up, it was the Croat who rose to the occasion, converting five of eight break points attempts in the match compared to Garcia's 3-for-12 numbers. Three of Vekic's breaks came in the 3rd set, where she surged ahead of the 21-year old Frenchwoman. Vekic, who had 13 aces on the day, won 72% of her 1st serve points in the match, but was even better than that in the final set, winning 82%. She converted three of her four BP chances, and even won 14 of 22 points on the receiving end of Garcia's serve in the deciding stanza. As Garcia was broken for the final time in the match, the contest ended with the Pastry committing five straight errors before Vekic ended things with an ace on match point.

Vekic's first career RG victory matches her best result in any major (she's now won a match at all four).

Garcia has learned a great deal from French Fed Cup Captain Amelie Mauresmo the last few years. But while it's a good thing to emulate Mauresmo in most instances, adopting her disappointing career trait of coming up disappointingly short in Paris is probably a characteristic that she should try to avoid. I'm just sayin'.

Meanwhile, the other Pastry to play on Sunday, wild card Oceane Dodin, may have squandered the biggest lead of the day. The 18-year old led Kurumi Nara 6-3/3-1, but won just three of the final fifteen games as the Japanese player won 3-6/7-5/6-1.

...hmmm, has Garbine Muguruza simply been playing possum? Or maybe opossum?

After consistently underperforming most of the year, the #21-seeded Spaniard arrived in Paris as an under-the-radar threat one year after handing Serena Williams her worst-ever career slam loss there. She dominated qualifier Petra Martic today, winning 6-2/7-5, losing just five points on serve all day.

So, after picking her to do good to great things all year (including reaching a slam semi Down Under), is Muguruza now going to finally string something together in the first slam of the year in which I didn't pick her to pull off such things? Now that I think about it, it's not that unlikely a scenario.

BACKSPIN QUIZ: Serena Williams is the #1 seed at a slam for the seventeenth time in her career. Who was the last woman seeded #1 at a major who wasn't Serena? (Hint: This is the ninth consecutive slam in which Williams has been the top seed.)

DAY 1 QUALIFIER WINS: Teliana Pereira/BRA

DAY 1 WILD CARD WINS: None (0-3)

DAY 1 PASTRY WINS: None (0-3)

...probably the biggest winner from Day 1 was #7 Ana Ivanovic. Not only did she get a 1st Round match-up with one of the worst "closers" in the business -- Yaroslava Shvedova -- but the HUGE obstacle that loomed ahead of her in the draw is no longer there.

The '08 RG champ has been dealing with a toe injury and all "the usual" that we've seen from her for years (disappointing losses and coaching changes) through the opening months of 2015, and things didn't look good for her chances in Paris, either. She faced off with Shvedova, a Kazakh with far more ability than actual results (and that's COUNTING her pair of QF results at RG), on Day 1. Not surprisingly, Shvedova got out of the gates quickly, taking the 1st set 6-4. But that was the end of her threat. She won two games the rest of the match. TWO. Yes, AnaIvo's lethal forehand had something to do with that... but these sort of things -- actually, usually with even more drama -- tend to happen to Shvedova.

Even better for AnaIvo, Garcia -- the Pastry is 3-0 vs. Ivanovic this season -- is no longer a potential 3rd Round stumbling block ahead of her later this week. Ana might just get to that Round of 16 match-up with Halep yet.

And me suggesting that probably assures that that will now not happen. Not because I said it, but because the Serb probably sees that "clearer path" now, as well... and that's never good where she's concerned.

...Lucie Safarova put in a lot of work against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. And she didn't even have to play a 3rd set. The #13-seeded Czech needed four set points to win a tie-break 1st set, then had to play another TB in the 2nd after failing to put away any of four match points. In the breaker, Pavlyuchenkova held three set points, but Safarova saved them all and finally won on her seventh MP.

#28 Flavia Pennetta nearly blew it, but she didn't. The Italian vet served up 6-3/5-3 against Poland's Magda Linette, but failed to secure the win and dropped the final four games of the set. Forced to a 3rd, the proverbial cream rose to the top there, as Pennetta won out 6-1.

#24 Peng Shuai, who's done nothing but see most of her standing slip away (in both singles and doubles) since her U.S. Open semifinal run last summer, slipped even farther down the rabbit hole today in Paris. The second seed to exit failed to win a game against Polona Hercog before finally retiring down 6-0/2-0. She's 6-7 on the season. and that's counting the three wins she had in Melbourne. Not only that, but former doubles #1 Peng (now #9) also won the RG doubles a year ago with Hsieh Su-Wei, but the pair ended their partnership at the end of '14 and she's put up a 0-4 doubles record so far in '15.

Ugh. Maybe Li Na has taken Chinese tennis with her.

...elsewhere, to finish off the Week 20 ITF recaps from yesterday:

* - Hordette Anastasiya Komardina, in a rematch of last week, once again defeated Lina Gjorcheska in a $10K final in Bol to win her second straight title.

* - Bulgaria's Julia Terziyska won her fourth '15 circuit title, defeating Brit Naomi Cavaday in the $10K Sharm El Sheikh final.

* - Romania's Madalina Gojnea, in her first event back after a two-year retirement, lost the $10K Sibiu final to Anna Bondar.

* - Bolivian Maria Fernanda Alvarez-Teran defeated Brit Anna Brogan in the $10K Antalya final to win her first ITF crown since 2012.

Meanwhile, 15-year old Czech Maiden Marketa Vondrousova completed her sweep of the titles at the Grade A junior event in Milan, ending 16-year old Canadian Charlotte Robillard-Millette's 15-match winning streak with a 6-2/6-2 victory in the final.

...the NCAA's Division I women's singles semifinals were played today. #7 Jamie Loeb (North Carolina) defeated #9-16 Stephanie Wagner (Miami), while #2 Carol Zhao (Stanford) defeated #9-16 Josie Kuhlman (Florida) in the other match. They'll meet tomorrow in the Memorial Day final.

The NCAA champ usually gets a wild card berth into the U.S. Open main draw, and that may very well happen again if Loeb wins. A New York native, she attended John McEnroe Academy, for Mac's sake. Zhao, though, being Canadian, may have to play her way in if she becomes the fifteenth woman from Stanford to win the women's title. No woman from UNC has ever won the title. Last year, Loeb's fellow ACC player Danielle Collins became the first player from the University of Virginia to take the crown.

And, remember, she played a very good 1st set vs. Simona Halep in the opening round of the Open.

And, thus, we end where this post began. With Si-mo-na.

...DISLIKE FROM DAY 1: Leave it to the French to make things difficult.



...SO-DOES-A-TRAGEDY-HAVE-TO-HAPPEN-AROUND-HERE-BEFORE-THEY-GET-THE-MESSAGE? FROM DAY 1: Ask Monica Seles. And this coming from "security" in the same city as Charlie Hedbo?






Too little, (almost) too late...



...ALL SORTS OF CREEPY FROM DAY 1:Really, I don't even know where to start.



..."I HEAR YA" FROM DAY 1:



Really, there's no better day of the year than the four days AFTER the end of a slam, is there? As good as the two weeks can be, that following Monday is sweet.

BACKSPIN QUIZ ANSWER: Victoria Azarenka at the 2013 Australian Open. (Factoid: While this is Serena's ninth consecutive #1-seeded slam, before her current streak the previous TEN slam draws were headed by women other than Williams. Players other than Serena were seeded #1 at twenty-one straight slams from 2004-09.)


...and, finally, the Tennis Gods have returned a level of balance to the tennis universe.

Louisa Chirico "won" the USTA's wild card into the RG main draw despite putting up lesser results compared to Katerina Stewart's in the three-event "playoff" leading into Paris. While Stewart put up RU-RU-W results compared to Chirico's W-1st-RU output over the three-events, and going 2-1 vs. Chirico, the latter Bannerette was awarded the WC based on a "tie" in the standings because of her higher ranking since only the best two of three events were counted toward the race. Never mind the fact that Stewart actually led the "playoff race" heading into the final event, defeated both players tied for second (Allie Kiick and Chirico) AND won the event... meaning that there was no more a "tie" in the race as it was actually something that could be dubbed a true "playoff."

(Why not have the tie-breaker be head-to-head record or a player's points average at the three events rather than ranking, which has nothing to do with the actual playoff? Because the USTA is running things, of course.)

Well, Stewart was given a consolation WC into qualifying, where she lost her first match... while Chirico made her slam debut today. It didn't last long, though, as #9 Ekaterina Makarova (a semifinalist at the last two slams, though never quite as effective on clay) defeated her 6-4/6-2. Chirico put up a fight, forcing the Russian to use eight set points to win the 1st (five on Chirico's serve, then the final three on Makarova's).

Of course, you wouldn't really know any of the details of this situation if you were listening to USTA employees Patrick McEnroe and Mary Joe Fernandez call the Chirico match on ESPN2 on Sunday. Holding to form, they doled out the bare minimum of information on the awarding of the wild card. McEnroe at first said that Chirico had the most points in the playoff (wrong), then corrected himself and said that she won the tie-break because of a points "tie" (again, not REALLY... and surely worthy of more explanation.). Only MJF even mentioned Stewart's name... though I'm sure she'll forget it once she's a possible FC team roster member. Fernandez talked about Chirico saying that clay court is her favorite surface, though. Again, that'll surely be forgotten by Captain Obvious in short order, as well.

Of course, McEnroe and MJF are hardly the people to turn to if you want to hear anything about the flaws in the USTA system. The fact that they're in the positions they are sort of reveals a great deal about the USTA to begin with... and they're surely not going to bite THAT very generous hand.

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
" - Mark Twain







The day has nearly arrived.

Good morning #RG2015 #paris ??????

A photo posted by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on







This Daria-related tweet was retweeted by... Daria!




*RECENT RG "FIRST VICTORY" HONORS*
2009 Li Na/CHN (def. Domachowska/POL) & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS (def. Olaru/ROU)
2010 Dominika Cibulkova/SVK (def. Ivanova/RUS)
2011 Simona Halep/ROU (def. Kudryavtseva/RUS)
2012 Samantha Stosur/AUS (def. Baltacha/GBR)
2013 Sara Errani/ITA (def. Rus/NED)
2014 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL (def. Sh.Zhang/CHN)
2015 Teliana Pereira/BRA (def. Ferro/FRA)

*RECENT RG "FIRST SEED OUT"*
2005 #25 Dinara Safina/RUS (lost to Razzano/FRA)
2006 #18 Elena Likhovtseva/RUS (lost to Sprem/CRO)
2007 #31 Severine Bremond/FRA (lost to Krajicek/NED)
2008 #15 Nicole Vaidisova/CZE (lost to Benesova/CZE)
2009 #19 Kaia Kanepi/EST (lost to Shvedova/KAZ)
2010 #10 Victoria Azarenka/BLR (lost to Dulko/ARG)
2011 #19 Shahar Peer/ISR (lost to Martinez-Sanchez/ESP)
2012 #30 Mona Barthel/GER (lost to Davis/USA)
2013 #11 Nadia Petrova/RUS (lost to Puig/PUR)
2014 #25 Kaia Kanepi/EST (lost to Niculescu/ROU)
2015 #31 Caroline Garcia/FRA (lost to Vekic/CRO)





TOP QUALIFIER:Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Wang Yafan/CHN d. #15 Richel Hogenkamp/NED 2-6/7-6(7)/8-6 (saved 4 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:(Q) Teliana Pereira/BRA (def. WC Ferro/FRA)
FIRST SEED OUT:#31 Caroline Garcia/FRA (lost 1st Rd. to Vekic/CRO)
UPSET QUEENS: xx
REVELATION LADIES: xx
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Early Nominee: France
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Day 1 wins: Pereira/BRA
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Day 1 wins: none
LAST PASTRY STANDING: Day 1 wins: none
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT "??": xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: xx
CRASH & BURN: xx
ZOMBIE QUEEN: xx
JOIE DE VIVRE: xx
DOUBLES STAR: xx
KIMIKO DATE-KRUMM VETERAN CUP (KDK CUP): xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx



* - a nod to Mark Twain's Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (1896)


...born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910). American author, lecturer and humorist. Writer of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Twain's writing and large personality made him a public figure and, ultimately, an American icon. A renowned traveler, Twain entertained fans around the world with his opinionated wit.





All for Day 1. More tomorrow.
↧

RG.2- Is The Radwanska Dead? *

May 25, 2015, 1:44 pm
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Unless something drastic happens over the next five months, Aga Radwanska is going to want to redact her entire 2015 season from her career biography. And her memory.



On Day 2, glittery diamond/disco ball dress and all, she was run out of Roland Garros by world #81 Annika Beck, the same 21-year old German that the Pole had sandblasted out of Indian Wells 6-0/6-0 last season in their only other previous meeting.

“I can’t really do what I want on court and it’s not really working. That makes me nervous and angry,” Radwanska told TENNIS.com."Maybe (I'm) getting older,” she said when admitting that she is slipping for the first time in her career.



Considering their previous encounter, no matter the surface of action, today's 6-2/3-6/6-1 loss has to strike right at the heart of Radwanska, who's looking these days much like a lapsed magician who has seen all her tricks exposed and being explained from the audience before she's able to perform any slight of hand. If you now can't defeat a player you handed double bagels barely a year ago, it's difficult to see any progress in your flagging game. It's Aga's worst slam loss since the 2009 Australian Open, and the lowest-ranked opponent she's been defeated by since going down by the hand of an #82-ranked Olga Govortsova in New Haven in 2012.

Worse yet, a longer-term trend has been established for her in the big events in which she longs to perform her best. Ever since her run to the Wimbledon final in '12 and the six slams that followed (in which she reached at least the 4th Round each time, including two SF and a two QF), her results trajectory has only pointed downward. Not only is she 1-6 in her last two WTA Finals, but her last five majors have seen her results struggle to bob above the surface of merely "good" (3r-4r-2r-4r-1r).



“Clay season is not really my favorite one, and I guess it's not getting better, even when I'm really trying to do everything,” Radwanska said. “So I just want to forget about that and focus on grass. My game is not really working together.”

While the 26-year old Pole has never really liked to play on clay courts (she's 2-3 on the surface this year), the loss gives her a mediocre 15-13 mark for her entire season, and a 22-21 record since she won her a tour title in Montreal last summer. After recently falling outside the Top 10 for the first time in 187 weeks, then the second-longest streak on the tour, the current #14-ranked Radwanska might soon see her tour-best streak of 379 straight weeks in the Top 20 become endangered, as well.

Desperate times call for desperate measures... but a trip back to the All-England Club will have to suffice.

So, it's off to the grass court circuit for Aga, with her eye on a return to the AELTC, the site of her teenage dreams ('05 girls champ), her career-best moment ('12 Ladies runner-up, when she came within a set of a slam title and the #1 ranking) and the moment of opportunity that could have made her career, but instead provided a ghastly pivot point from which her career has never fully recovered (the loss to Sabine Lisicki in the '13 semis when she was the odds-on favorite to take the title, which was followed by the "non-handshake handshake").



It's become clear that the old "malevolent entity" that seemed to walk in Radwanska's footsteps not that long ago has since abandoned her. Who knows, maybe It is dead and gone and will never be fully resurrected in Its well-known, frightening form. Its spirit does likely still reside on the grounds of the AELTC, though, no matter that Its masterpiece now looks more like a swan song of epic proportions than a signal of evil things to come.

Could Aga's longing for a return to the lawns be a secret call to It for a fateful resurrection, to save her tennis soul? And if so, will her plea for some otherworldly assistance be answered? Aga has never needed Its help more than she does now, after all.



Bless her... and prepare for the possible repercussions for the rest of us should things go a certain way.

"There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable." - Mark Twain





=DAY 2 NOTES=
...while Day 1 was pretty dreadful for the Pastries, Day 2 was a bit better. Sunday's 0-3 mark was followed up by a 3-2 record today.



#29 Alize Cornet contributed a nice comeback win in the Chatrier court opener over Roberta Vinci, winning 4-6/6-4/6-1 to avoid a fifth straight loss to the Italian vet. Unlike her countrywoman Caroline Garcia (see below), Cornet was grateful for being placed on the tournament's biggest court.

"I was really glad that this court was chosen for me today," she said. "The ambiance on this court is amazing," adding, "I think that's why I could actually come back in this match, because the people were behind me. It's just a great atmosphere in this court."

Maybe she and Caroline should talk.



Wild card Virginie Razzano, fresh off her (retirement-shortened) semifinal run in Strasbourg, notched her fourth RG victory in the last three years with a 2-6/6-4/6-2 win over Q-Round Player of the Week Veronica Cepede Royg. The woman from Paraguay was the better player early, while Razzano's injury led to her pulling out an underhand serve (shades of Michael Chang in '89) in the 2nd set. As she pulled away in the 3rd, she pulled out the underhand(ed?) serve again on a second serve match point... and seemed to have a bit of an evil gleam in her eye after she did it, too, to be honest. It sailed long, but she closed out the match soon afterward.



Of course, Razzano hasn't worried about using tactics that might aggravate an opponent in the past. Just ask Elena Vesnina, who said as much last week after the Pastry utilized a number of medical timeout/treatment opportunities during their match.



The other Frenchwoman to win on Day 2 was another wild card, Amandine Hesse. The 22-year old defeated Jarmila Gajdosova to notch her first career slam victory.

...other winners on Monday included Strasbourg champ Samantha Stosur, who defeated Madison Brengle 6-1/6-3 to hand the Bannerette her sixth straight loss on clay this spring. Angelique Kerber reminded everyone why she was an early "Queen of Clay" nominee last month, taking down Timea Babos 6-0/6-1. And Carla Suarez-Navarro, who won't stay "under the radar" very long in this event, scored her tour-best 32nd win of 2015 with a 6-2/6-2 victory over Monica Niculescu.

While Aga didn't reach the possible all-Pole 2nd Round match that I talked about in the RG Preview post, qualifier Paula Kania did. She eliminated Mona Barthel and WILL be the Last Pole Standing at this slam.




...it hasn't been a great week for Monica Puig. Last week, she lost in the 1st Round of her maiden title defense in Strasbourg. She then dedicated her first match at Roland Garros:



Puig lost today to #20 Sabine Lisicki. Well, it was still a nice thought.

...as it turned out, the first meeting between #15 Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens turned out to be one of those matches from Venus that you just throw in the round file and move on from. She seemed well on her way in the 1st set, moving to the net and taking charge in the tie-break. She was serving up 4-3 and then, well, she just wasn't the same the rest of the match.

Stephens won four of the final five points of the set, including all three of the points on the Williams serve. In the 3rd, Stephens committed fewer errors, didn't show any nerves and essentially coasted to the win with little of the outright opposition from Venus that we see when she's recalling her glory days. Sloane added a slam win over the older Williams Sister to her one over the younger in Melbourne in '13 with a 7-6(5)/6-1 triumph.



Stephens, coming off her first semifinal result in twenty-eight months last week, even closed out things rather well, hitting her second ace of the day on match point to put away a surprisingly quiet victory. Which isn't really what most were expecting when this match-up was announced in the draw last week.

#27 Vika Azarenka's first match in Paris since 2013 was a rather quiet one (insert own joke here), as well. She handled Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor with none of the drama that accompanied many of her recent matches, winning 6-2/6-1. She even won BOTH sets on her very FIRST set point opportunity in each! (Affirmative head-shake required here.)

#2 Maria Sharapova, battling illness (though, as she said, she'd have to be "in a coffin" to skip this event because of it), opened up her title defense with a 6-2/6-4 win over Kaia Kanepi. She's now 65-6 on clay since 2012.



Late in the day, a crazy little match took place between Denisa Allertova and British qualifier Johanna Konta. After a 1st set that included no breaks of serve, the tie-break featured fifteen set points shared by the two women in a record-breaking 36-point contest. Konta held eight SP at 6-4, 6-5, 10-9, 12-11, 13-12, 14-13, 15-14 and 17-16; while Allertova held seven at 7-6, 8-7, 9-8, 11-10, and 16-15 before finally converting her final chance at 18-17.



The 2nd set had similar late-stage drama, as a serving Allertova saved four break points before Konta knotted the match by converting on her fifth chance to send things to the 3rd. Things calmed down considerably there, as the Czech won out to take the match 7-6(17)/4-6/6-2.

...oh, and -- not that we haven't heard this before -- Tsvetana Pironkova took out another seeded player in another grand slam. Today it was #22 Barbora Strycova. Welcome to the victim's club.

DAY 2 QUALIFIER WINS: Paula Kania/POL

DAY 2 WILD CARD WINS: Amandine Hesse/FRA, Virginie Razzano/FRA

DAY 2 PASTRY WINS: Alize Cornet, Amandine Hesse, Virginie Razzano

...the NCAA singles championship was played today in Waco, Texas with #2 Carol Zhao (Stanford) taking on #7 Jamie Loeb (North Carolina).



With Loeb leading 6-2/0-1, the weather sent things indoors.



Loeb ultimately won the match, 6-2/4-6/6-1, to become the first North Carolina Tar Heel to take the women's title.



Loeb won the Billie Jean King USTA event that accompanied the U.S. Open last summer, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I actually picked Loeb to be this season's NCAA champion in the Prediction Blowout before this season began. Ha!


"I was born modest. Not all over, but in spots." - Mark Twain


In the women's doubles, it'll be defending champions Maya Jansen/Erin Routliffe of Alabama taking on California's Klara Fabikova/Zsofia Susanyi.

Read all about the tournament at Colette Lewis'Zoo Tennis.

...LIKE FROM DAY 2:



...DISLIKE FROM DAY 2:For the rest of the women in the draw, I'm guessing.



..."WHERE IN THE WORLD IS TIMEA BACSINSZKY?" FROM DAY 2: Have you seen this woman? And can she ride on these city buses for free by just saying, "Hey, I'm already ON the back of the bus."



..."HMMM..." FROM DAY 2: The REAL cause of the "absence" of The Rad???



...????? FROM DAY 2: Ummm, this.



..."WHAT IF?" FROM DAY 2: Imagine if someone -- injured or not -- who wasn't French did this what the overwhelming crowd reaction would be. Whatever the situation, Razzano throwing in a surprise underhand serve on a second serve match point seems a tad, what shall I say, "cheeky."




I mean, defending champ Maria Sharapova, suffering from a cold and having a hard time talking, was booed today for not doing an on-court interview. French people. Heehee. (It's the Mark Twain influence.)

...LIKE FROM DAY 2: Nothing can hold Vicky back! Hopefully we'll see her on court again soon.



"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." - Mark Twain


...PROVING THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE ON DAY 2:



Fashion Tip #493: Never wear glittery dresses on a partially-overcast day. All the intended impact is lost. Sigh.

...and, finally, some Caroline Garcia postscript from Day 1.

There's losing in the 1st Round of a slam, and there's losing in the 1st Round of your HOME slam. And then there's losing in the 1st Round of your home slam, and then openly admitting that -- even as the top women's singles hope for your nation for the next decade -- that you simply can't handle the pressure of playing on the tournament's #1 court and asking to have your match placed on a "hidden court where there is nobody."

The latter is the category in which Garcia placed herself yesterday. And while the honesty is admirable, it sort of makes you want to totally reassess your opinion about the trajectory of her entire career.



“I’m disillusioned,” Garcia said after her loss to Donna Vekic on Sunday, dropping her career RG mark to 2-5 despite flashing considerable potential in her '11 debut in Paris when she pushed Maria Sharapova in their 2nd Round encounter. “Every French Open I can’t play tennis, whether I’m playing a Top 10 player or Vekic, who is a good player. I can’t make it here."

She tried to get tournament organizers to move her match away from Chatrier, preferably to a far smaller court, but the powers that be would have none of it. "It’s a big court,” Garcia noted. “It does encapsulate what Roland Garros is. For me, it’s too much to play on this court, and next year I will ask to play on Court No. 9, a sort of hidden court where there is nobody.”

Not to drag out the old "pressure is a privilege" comment from Billie Jean King, which has always been the Hall of Famer's attempt to convince a young/old star to not look at the pressure of playing in a big moment on a big stage as a bad or overwhelming thing, but to instead embrace the experience that all their hard work and talent has allowed them the privilege to take part in. But it IS more than a bit applicable here.



Not only that, but how often are slam organizers rightfully brow-beaten for NOT placing a women's match on the #1 show court in favor of a men's contest? For once, Roland Garros showcased a home-grown women's match on Day 1 on Chatrier... and the player in question practically begs to be placed elsewhere because she just can't handle it? The thing is, if Garcia is going to become the player she could be she's going to face pressure moments all over the place, whether they be in Paris or elsewhere. Sure, playing in your home slam brings a special kind of level of expectation and stress (just ask Sam Stosur, and French FC Captain Amelie Mauresmo... something, by the way, which Garcia admitted yesterday she HAS NOT done even while struggling, just like Mauresmo, to play her best tennis at Roland Garros), but it probably doesn't help that she had already pretty much psyched herself out BEFORE she'd even stepped on the court yesterday.

That's a sure recipe for career disappointment.

"We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it -- and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit on a hot stove lid again -- and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore." - Mark Twain

Garcia at least strives to get better. "It doesn’t depend on the opponent. It just depends on myself, and I can’t play here at the French Open, and hope that will change in the future.”

“It’s very tough for me to play in Paris,” she said, “far more difficult than in other tournaments. I’m quite emotional at times." She added, "So far being emotional hasn’t helped me (at Roland Garros), so I will continue to work and to make strides.”

One would hope so, since [insert BJK quote here].













Taking the Australian thing to an expected corner... without the help of an "Army." Well, not yet, at least. Hmmm, just what would a Gavrilovian Army look like, anyway?




*NCAA WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS*
[recent singles winners]
2010 Chelsey Gullickson, Georgia
2011 Jana Juricova, California
2012 Nicole Gibbs, Stanford
2013 Nicole Gibbs, Stanford
2014 Danielle Collins, Virginia
2015 Jamie Loeb, North Carolina
[overall singles champions by school]
14 - Stanford
4 - Florida
3 - Georgia
2 - California, Duke
1 - Baylor, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, San Diego, UCLA, USC, Virginia, Wake Forest
[most singles titles]
2 - Sandra Birch, Stanford
2 - Patty Fendick, Stanford
2 - Laura Granville, Stanford
2 - Amber Liu, Stanford
2 - Lisa Raymond, Florida
2 - Nicole Gibbs, Stanford





TOP QUALIFIER:Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Wang Yafan/CHN d. #15 Richel Hogenkamp/NED 2-6/7-6(7)/8-6 (saved 4 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:(Q) Teliana Pereira/BRA (def. WC Ferro/FRA)
FIRST SEED OUT:#31 Caroline Garcia/FRA (lost 1st Rd. to Vekic/CRO)
UPSET QUEENS: xx
REVELATION LADIES: xx
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Early Nominee: France
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Rd.1 wins: Kania/POL, Pereira/BRA
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Rd.1 wins: Hesse/FRA, Razzano/FRA
LAST PASTRY STANDING: Rd.1 wins: Cornet, Hesse, Razzano
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT "??": xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: xx
CRASH & BURN: Nominee: #31 Garcia (1r; doesn't want pressure of Chatrier Court)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: xx
JOIE DE VIVRE: Nominee: Cornet/FRA, Razzano/FRA (underhand serves)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
KIMIKO DATE-KRUMM VETERAN CUP (KDK CUP): xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx



* - a nod to Mark Twain's Is Shakespeare Dead? (1909)

...born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910). American author, lecturer and humorist. Writer of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Twain's writing and large personality made him a public figure and, ultimately, an American icon. A renowned traveler, Twain entertained fans around the world with his opinionated wit.





All for Day 2. More tomorrow.
↧
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RG.3- A Czech's Tale *

May 26, 2015, 1:22 pm
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Good Petra. Bad Petra. Happy Petra. Still Alive Petra. And on Day 3, that'll have to do.



#4-seed Petra Kvitova, who won the Madrid title just a couple of weeks ago, entered this Roland Garros with seemingly the "best" draw of the Top 4 seeds. Of course, such a thing is relative, as any player -- even a dangerous-but-inconsistent, will-she-or-won't-she type player like the Czech's Kiwi foe today, Marina Erakovic -- can pose a serious threat under the right circumstances. Of course, with Kvitova also inserted into the equation, the chances for head-shaking craziness on the scoreboard increase with double-digit intensity as far as percentages go.

Today was another case of just that. Though, this time, a teetering Petra managed to swerve away from the edge of defeat for at least one round in Paris.

Erakovic, a Split, Croatia-born New Zealander who's actually won a tour singles title (and reached three other finals since 2011) generally tends to not do as well as one would expect, then suddenly she'll rise up and make everyone wonder why she doesn't do it more often. One of two players representing New Zealand to have ever reached the WTA Top 50, she came to Paris with five Top 20 wins in her career and five Top 100 season finishes over the last seven years. Still, the 27-year old has advanced to the 3rd Round of a slam just twice (both times in '13) since going so in just her second career slam MD at Wimbledon in 2008. Kvitova, of course, is a two-time Wimbledon champion who nearly became #1 back in 2012. A slam semifinalist at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros (both also in '12), she's proven that she CAN compete and challenge to win major titles somewhere other than at the All-England Club. If she can just get out of her own way.

She barely did on Day 3, as Erakovic has every reason to believe that she probably should have scored an upset that would have matched her best-ever victory (matching her win over then #4 Vika Azarenka at Stanford in '11). The Kiwi had big chances against the Czech, and (with a lot of help from the all the errors coming off Kvitova's racket) gave Petra all she could handle.

In th 1st set, Erakovic led 4-2, with a break point for a 5-2 advantage. But Kvitova surged back to take the final four games and claim the set. In the 2nd, Erakovic jumped ahead quickly again and knotted the match by taking the set at 6-3. In the 3rd, she looked to possibly be on her way to handing Kvitova her first opening match loss in Paris since 2010 after the Czech twice went up a break and immediately gave back the advantage both times. With Erakovic serving to take a 5-4 lead, Kvitova -- with accompanying celebratory barks -- strung together back-to-back, beautifully constructed points that ended with winners to gain a break and edge ahead for the third time in the set.

Whether the moment broke Erakovic's final line of defense, or Kvitova simply finally began to play up to her talent level, the match was over in a flash after that. Kvitova held at love to win the match, though the Kiwi actually held the overall points advantage (109-106) once the red dust had settled on Chatrier. Kvitova's 47 unforced errors nearly sent her packing, but her 38 winners (to 24 for Erakovic) saved her skin.

The 6-4/3-6/6-4 victory is Kvitova's fifth match win in Paris since she won five en route to the semifinals there three yearas. She's 9-2 on clay this season, while Erakovic drops to 10-12 overall in '15.

Bring on the 2nd Round. I guess.



=DAY 3 NOTES=
...well, the not-for-the-faint-of-heart 1st Round match-up between Jelena Jankovic and Sesil Karatantcheva did indeed come loaded with drama, just not as much as one would have hoped. Mainly because it didn't last long enough for things to get truly sticky.



Still, their meeting was literally a decade in the making, as their only past match-up took place on the Kremlin Cup carpet in Moscow in 2005. Karantcheva won 6-2/6-1 then, and followed up with a 6-3/6-4 win today over the #25 seed.

JJ, who turned 30 in February, came into this match dragging along a recent injury history that stretches back to either last season, when she was troubled by a bad back, or to her results since her run to the Indian Wells final in March. Since then, she's pulled out of the 2nd Round in Charleston and retired in the QF of Strasbourg, falling out of the Top 20 and even briefly causing a stir today when it was wrongly reported that she'd called a press conference and some thought she was about to pull out of this tournament, as well.



So, really, a Jankovic loss isn't much of a shock. Her 49% 1st serve win percentage and 45 unforced errors (the last on a forehand volley attempt on MP) sort of wrote her ticket out of this slam, her worst result in Paris since '05. Karatantcheva is the story here.

The Bulgarian burst onto the scene in this very event ten years ago, arriving in Paris as a mouthy 15-year old without a slam win on her resume... until she reached the Roland Garros QF. Since then, she's changed her representing nation twice (to KAZ, then back to BUL), gone through a drug suspension, outlived her pregnancy "tall tale" that attempted to explain the positive test, grown up a bit, and then staged a hardly-a-sure-thing comeback that saw her climb her way out of the ITF circuit and back into the "big leagues." She was great fun back then -- enough to be included on the All-Time Backspin MVP List a few years ago -- but you always felt like disaster was just around the corner. Turned out, it was. But now she's back... maybe better than before? Or possibly at least more equipped to stick around for a while. Remember, Sesil is still only 25.

"Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen." - Mark Twain

Karatantcheva won her way through qualifying to get into the main draw, and her win over JJ is just her second (w/ a 1st Rd. win in '12, when she reached the 2nd Round as a lucky loser) at RG since that QF run in 2005. In all, she's now 5-8 in slam main draw matches since her original Paris run, and just 3-6 since 2006. Today's victory is her first over a Top 30 player in a decade.

We got a little of the old Jankovician drama down the stretch, as the Serb was arguing with the members of her team in the players box while Karatantcheva was four points away from advancing to the 2nd Round. It wasn't the sort of chaos that we might have gotten out of this pairing under better circumstances, but you sometimes have to go with the Queen Chaos you have, not the one you want or wish to have at a later time.

"Fame is a vapor; popularity an accident; the only earthly certainty is oblivion." - Mark Twain


...later, "World's Most Marketable Athlete" Genie Bouchard, one year after reaching the semis, is now an afterthought in Paris. The #6 seed was sent out by Pastry Kristina Mladenovic 6-4/6-4 on Day 3, suffering the first opening round loss in her nine-major career. The Canadian had reached at least the Round of 16 in her last five slams.



So, Mladenovic adds another big win in front of the Parisian fans (are you taking notes, Mademoiselle Garcia?) to the one she got over Li Na at Roland Garros last year. After taking a 5-0 2nd set lead, Mladenovic nearly double-faulted away her advantage against Bouchard, but her lead was far too big to overcome.

Whether Bouchard will be able to overcome her long slump is another question, as her "regular season" troubles have jumped the slam gate. At 7-10 in '15, she's the only player ranked in the Top 10 to have not yet reached double-digits in wins this season. But that'll change soon... as she's now set to fall OUT of the Top 10 at the end of this Roland Garros.



...Anna Schmiedlova won her first career title in Katowice in early April, but things haven't gone all that great of late. The 20-year old reached the Marrakech semis a few weeks later, but the well has gone completely dry since then. The Slovak's post-title slump continued today in Paris one year after she upset Venus Williams there en route to her best-ever (3rd Rd.) slam result.

Schmiedlova's 7-6(4)/7-6(7) loss to Alison Van Uytvanck on Tuesday drops her to 1-5 since her QF win in Morocco over Timea Bacsinszky. Even worse, though, were the circumstances of her defeat today, as Schmiedlova squandered nearly a dozen opportunities to force a 3rd set against the red-headed Waffle who entered with a career 1-5 mark in majors. In the 2nd set, Schmiedlova led 4-0 and had eight set points on Van Uytvanck's serve in game #9. After the Belgian held serve, she immediately broke Schmiedlova and things soon went to a tie-break.

There Schmiedlova again held the early advantage, holding three more SP at 6-4, 6-5 and 7-6. But Van Uytvanck saved them all as Schmiedlova went 0-for-11 in SP opportunities in the 2nd, notching her first career win in Paris less than a week before the celebration of Justine Henin Day at Roland Garros (well, at least it's a big day here -- June 1st, La Petit Taureau's birthday -- mark your calendar!).



In all, despite her two-set final advantage, Van Uytvanck only held a two-point (95-93) edge in total points. The winners/errors numbers were more interesting, as the Belgian filled the scorecard with a 43-to-47 winners-to-unforced errors ratio while Schmiedlova had a more than respectable 29-to-26. But Van Uytvanck won the big points, converting three of her four BP chances, vs. Schmiedlova's 3-of-14.

...Francesca Schiavone was welcomed back to Roland Garros today. And into a grand slam 2nd Round. And maybe even back to relevance?

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." - Mark Twain

The 34-year old Italian, the oldest woman left in the draw (after Venus, six days older, lost yesterday), came into Day 3 riding an eight-match slam losing streak, including seven in a row in the 1st Round (as well as at nine of the last ten majors). Playing in the 3rd set with China's Wang Qiang, Schiavone trailed 3-1 and looked to be ready to continue to limp into the record books (more on that in a second).



Thankfully, for everyone who wishes to remember the height of Francesca's slam career rather than the last two years, things turned around today. Schiavone won 3-6/6-3/6-4 and recorded her 102nd career win in a major (her 39th in Paris, by far her most at any of the four slams).

As far as the "record-breaking" part, it's notable that this is Schiavone's 59th consecutive appearance in a slam, the second-longest streak ever in women's tennis and the third-longest overall. Ai Sugiyama, currently tied with Roger Federer with 62 in a row, holds the WTA record, but Francesca is closing in on taking it as her own. As she's been on this long slam losing streak, I've wondered if either her ranking would drop (thankfully, she's done well enough on the regular tour to continue to automatically get into the MD of all the majors) and her streak might end in the Q-rounds, or she might just decide to call it a career. I'm not sure what her plans are for '16, but the soon-to-be 35-year old will at least have to play into next season in order to catch the Japanese veteran for the most slam appearances in WTA history.

If she was questioning things, maybe this win today will lead to her deciding to at least play through Rio. Considering how many players get injured and miss at least one slam in their careers, if Schiavone can set the record at between at least 63-65 slams in a row in '16 she's probably going to hold onto the top spot all by her lonesome for a very long time.

There might be only one WTA player that you might think could play long enough, began appearing in multiple draws before turning 18, and has a Federeresque ability to avoid major injuries that would allow her to challenge the mark. The Dane. But Caroline Wozniacki, who's never missed a slam in her career since making her major debut at age 16 in Paris in '07 (she played in six slams before turning 18), has currently played in 33 straight. She'd have to play every slam for seven-plus additional years just to catch Schiavone's current string of 59 in a row, and would have to do so for around nine straight years if the Italian can push the number just a bit farther next season.

So, I suppose you could say that Francesca's really "playing for immortality" over the next 3-4 slams.

=ALL-TIME CONSECUTIVE SLAM MAIN DRAWS=
62...Roger Federer (active)
62...Ai Sugiyama
59...Francesca Schiavone (active)
56...Wayne Ferreira
54...Nathalie Dechy
54...Stefan Edberg
54...Elena Likhovtseva

Earlier in the day, #18 Svetlana Kuznetsova finally got on court for the first time at this Roland Garros and, Sveta being Sveta, she easily won the 1st set, quickly fell behind big in the 2nd before making things close, then easily took the 3rd to advance. Sveta in a nutshell.

Kuznetsova and Schiavone, the '09 and '10 RG champions, face off in the 2nd Round.

...while JJ's injury-saddled lead-up to Roland Garros didn't end well in Paris, the similarly recently-injured #10-seed Andrea Petkovic's 1st Round went well. Very well, in fact. The German defeated Shelby Rogers 6-2/6-1.

Karin Knapp's Nurnberg title run didn't help her in Paris. She lost on Day 3 in her opening round match to #5 Wozniacki, 6-3/6-0. The Dane, while it's not as impressive a number as Serena's, is now 29-4 in career slam 1st Round matches. Late in the day, 34-year old Lourdes Dominguez-Lino saved two match points in the 2nd set and defeated Christina McHale in three sets. McHale has lost in the 1st Round in five of her six appearances in Paris.

Oh, yeah. And Serena Willams opened her Roland Garros with a no-mess 6-2/6-3 win over qualifier Andrea Hlavackova. The little sound you hear is the rest of the field swallowing hard.

...meanwhile, the women's doubles draw has been released. Some notable pairings:

* - there are all-Pliskova and all-Rodionova duos, but not an all-Kichenok team. Lyudmyla & Nadiia are playing with different partners. Hmmm.

* - Hingis/Mirza isn't the only all-vet combo. We've also got Hantuchova/Stosur, Jankovic/Lucic-Baroni and, in a SuperVet pairing, Date-Krumm/Schiavone (combined age: 78)

* - Nurnberg singles finalists Knapp & Roberta Vinci are playing together (this time on the same side of the net), while Vinci's former partner Sara Errani isn't in the doubles draw

* - Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez returned from her pregnancy break in March, and will now join forces with Vera Dushevina to play in her first slam since the 2013 Roland Garros

DAY 3 QUALIFIER WINS: Lourdes Dominguez-Lino/ESP, Sesil Karatantcheva/BUL

DAY 3 WILD CARD WINS: none

DAY 3 PASTRY WINS: Kristina Mladenovic/FRA

...late yesterday in Waco, Alabama's Maya Jensen & Erin Routliffe defended their NCAA Women's Doubles championship.






...LIKE FROM DAY 3: Fans and words of encouragement always help. Especially on bad days.



..."OH, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY ABOUT THIS ONE" FROM DAY 3: Ummm, "At least she's paying attention and wants to cheer for Sesil," maybe? Take the good where you can get it, I guess.



..."HMMM, I'M NOT SURE THIS IS A GOOD SIGN" FROM DAY 3: After all, Sloane and Twitter -- or at least Sloane and other famous people on Twitter -- should probably keep things at arm's distance. Remember your history so that you don't repeat any part of, Miss Stephens. I'm just sayin'.

...LIKE FROM DAY 3: Memories... and new memories to come?



...MARIA GETTING SOME COMPETITION ON DAY 3: Well, at least as far as Russians-in-magazines are concerned. Of course, who knows? Sharapova and Diatchenko face off ON the court in the 2nd Round.



...EQUAL TIME FROM DAY 3: Hey, I DID pick her to win the title, after all.



...LIKE FROM DAY 3: Sania being Sania. Next up: Dream Team doubles with Martina.



...ANYONE-SENSE-A-MARKETING-OPPORTUNITY? FROM DAY 3: You don't know Jack! But, after today, Grigor surely does.



...and, finally, after three days, the 1st Round is complete. Some trends are apparent:

* - the final 64 includes seven Germans, six Czechs and six Russians (w/ Daria Gavrilova). While the U.S. had the most women in the draw (17), only four won their 1st Round matches -- and two of those defeated a fellow Bannerette to get there. That number tied for the fourth-most players to advance to the 2nd Round, along with the Romanians (from 5 in the MD), Italians (6), Spaniards (6), French (11) and Croatians (5, counting Croatian-Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic).

* - the eight teenagers in the draw went 3-5, with Belinda Bencic, Donna Vekic and Ana Konjuh (the youngest of the bunch) getting victories

* - four qualifiers (Dominguez-Lino, Paula Kania, Karatantcheva & Teliana Pereira) won 1st Round matches, along with two wild cards (Amandine Hesse & Virginie Razzano) and four Pastries (the latter two, as well as Alize Cornet & Mladenovic)

As far as the "Nation of Poor Souls" award, while the Li-less Chinese went 0-4, and the French rebounded from a pretty dreadful start (going a combined 4-7), I'm going to go with the Bannerettes, who combined to go 4-13, though the four who made it through include a 19-time slam champ and a pair of former slam semifinalists (along w/ Irina Falconi). More should be expected.

The "Revelation Ladies" and "Upset Queens" are even tighter races.

Possible "RL" honorees include the Czechs, Romanians, Germans, Croats and Japanese. But I'll go with the "New Australians," as the growing lot of home-grown Aussies are being more than bolstered by a great number of players who have migrated Down Under. In the past, Jelena Dokic, the Rodionovas and Jarmila Gajdosova have been in this category, and now it's Daria Gavrilova and Ajla Tomljanovic. Both are still listed by the WTA as representing Russia and Croatia, respectively, but they now make their homes in Australia and are listed with AUS next to their names in the slams. Both notched 1st Round victories in Paris, so I'll go with them.

As for the "UQ" award, I'm going to hold out to see what happens in the 2nd Round. Right now, the Bulgarians (Pironkova d. Strycova, Sesil d. JJ) are slightly ahead of the likes of the Croats (mostly Vekic d. Garcia) and Germans (Beck d. A-Rad). But there have been few big upsets so far, so let's see if any nation can pull away... or if Bulgaria already has enough if no nations get on an unexpected roll.

The same goes for the "Crash & Burn" winner. Right now, I'm torn a bit between Caroline Garcia and Aga Radwanska. #14 A-Rad may have finally hit bottom with her first one-and-out slam in six years, but #31 Garcia was the First Seed Out and then talked about not wanting to have to play on Chatrier Court anymore because it's just too much for her to handle. #6 Bouchard's early loss isn't surprising enough to rise above, either. Maybe someone else will exit in the 2nd Round and make this an elementary choice.












Vegemite with avocado on toast. 'Nuff said. (Gag.)





*NCAA WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS*
[recent doubles winners]
2010 Hilary Barte / Lindsay Burdette (Stanford)
2011 Hilary Barte / Mallory Burdette (Stanford)
2012 Mallory Burdette / Nicole Gibbs (Stanford)
2013 Kaitlyn Christian / Sabrina Santamaria (USC)
2014 Maya Jansen / Erin Routcliffe (Alabama)
2015 Maya Jansen / Erin Routcliffe (Alabama)

*RG "REVELATION LADIES" WINNERS' NATION/REGION*
2006 France
2007 Italy
2008 Czech Republic
2009 Australia
2010 Germany
2011 North America
2012 France
2013 North America/Atlantic
2014 Spain
2015 Australia (The New Aussies)

*RG "NATIONS OF POOR SOULS"*
2012 Romania (1-5 in 1st Rd.; Cadantu double-bageled)
2013 Czech Republic (2-8 in 1st Rd.)
2014 China (0-4 in 1st; Sh.Zhang "1st Loss"& #2 Li "Crash-and-Burn")
2015 United States (4-13 in 1st Round - 4th best; had most players in draw)

*CONSECUTIVE MATCHES WON AT A SLAM - MEN*
41 - Bjorn Borg, Wimbledon 1976-81
40 - Roger Federer, Wimbledon 2003-08
40 - Roger Federer, US Open 2004-09
36...RAFAEL NADAL, Roland Garros 2010-15 (active)
31 - Pete Sampras, Wimbledon 1993-96
31 - Rafael Nadal, Roland Garros 2005-09

*SERENA WILLIAMS at THE SLAMS - Rd.-by-Rd.*
58-1...1st Rd.['12 RG: Razzano]
55-2...2nd Rd.['98 AO: Venus; '14 RG: Muguruza]
47-8...3rd Rd.
39-8...4th Rd.
26-13...QF
23-3...SF [Venus '00,Henin '03,Clijsters '09]
19-4...F [Venus '01,Sharapova '04,Venus '08,Stosur '11]

*WOMEN'S OVERALL WON/LOST - BY NATION*
[through 1st Rd.]
[North America/Atlantic]
4-13...United States
0-1...Canada
0-1...Puerto Rico
[South America]
1-0...Brazil
0-1...Paraguay
[Russia & Eastern Europe]
6-3...Russia (w/ Gavrilova)
4-1...Romania
2-0...Bulgaria
1-0...Belarus
1-1...Ukraine
0-1...Estonia
[Western Europe & Scandinavia]
7-3...Germany
6-5...Czech Republic
4-1...Croatia (w/ Tomljanovic)
4-2...Italy
4-2...Spain
4-7...France
2-1...Switzerland
2-2...Serbia
1-0...Denmark
1-0...Montenegro
1-0...Slovenia
1-1...Great Britain
1-2...Belgium
1-2...Poland
1-2...Slovak Republic
0-1...Hungary
0-1...Netherlands
0-1...Sweden
[Asia/Pacific]
3-3...Australia (w/ Gavrilova/Tomljanovic)
2-0...Japan
2-1...Kazakhstan
0-4...China
0-1...New Zealand
[Africa/Middle East]
none





TOP QUALIFIER:Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Wang Yafan/CHN d. #15 Richel Hogenkamp/NED 2-6/7-6(7)/8-6 (saved 4 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:(Q) Teliana Pereira/BRA (def. WC Ferro/FRA)
FIRST SEED OUT:#31 Caroline Garcia/FRA (lost 1st Rd. to Vekic/CRO)
UPSET QUEENS: xx
REVELATION LADIES:The New Australians
NATION OF POOR SOULS:United States (most players in draw w/ 17, but tied for 4th w/ just 4 1st Round winners)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Rd.1 wins: Dominguez-Lino/ESP, Kania/POL, Karatantcheva/BUL, Pereira/BRA
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Rd.1 wins: Hesse/FRA, Razzano/FRA
LAST PASTRY STANDING: Rd.1 wins: Cornet, Hesse, Mladenovic, Razzano
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT "??": xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Karatantcheva/BUL
CRASH & BURN: Nominees: #14 A.Radwanska (1r-Beck; worst slam since '09), #31 Garcia (1r; doesn't want pressure of Chatrier Court)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominee: Dominguez-Lino/ESP (saved 2 MP vs. McHale in 1st Rd.)
JOIE DE VIVRE: Nominee: Cornet/FRA, Razzano/FRA (underhand serves), Mladenovic/FRA (con. years w/ big RG upsets)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
KIMIKO DATE-KRUMM VETERAN CUP (KDK CUP): Nominee: Schiavone/ITA (34; ended 8-match slam losing streak)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx



* - a nod to Mark Twain's A Dog's Tale (1904)

...born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910). American author, lecturer and humorist. Writer of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Twain's writing and large personality made him a public figure and, ultimately, an American icon. A renowned traveler, Twain entertained fans around the world with his opinionated wit.





All for Day 3. More tomorrow.
↧

RG.4- A Double Barrelled Upset Story *

May 27, 2015, 12:21 pm
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Heavy wears the crown of the Swarmette Queen, and the prohibitive "next first-time slam champ."Especially when Mirjana Lucic-Baroni is trying to knock that crown off her head. Once again, the Croatian veteran proved successful in her attempt today.



So, Simona Halep is out of Roland Garros, and as she goes forward she'll have a great deal to think about. Mostly about what's going on between her ears... and how to quiet the storm within.

"Life does not consist mainly -- or even largely -- of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that are forever blowing through one's mind." - Mark Twain


#3-seeded Halep's 6-4/6-1 loss to Lucic-Baroni, her second loss to the current world #70 in the last three slams, was as much a case of the Romanian once again succumbing to the pressure of the moment as it was the Croat playing well. In many ways, this crooked path began with Halep's first loss to Lucic, in the 3rd Round of last year's U.S. Open, her first major since back-to-back runner-up and semifinal results in Paris and London. Then, in their WTA Finals championship match in Singapore, Halep went out rather meekly to Serena Williams after having defeated the world #1 earlier in the week. It was a disappointing ending to her season. But it was a "career season" for Halep, so it was mostly seen as an aberration.

But around multiple corners during this 2015 season, the secondary path has continued to be cut through a sea of otherwise good Halep results. In Melbourne in January, Halep was frustrated in the quarterfinals by Russia's Ekaterina Makarova, ultimately going out in ugly fashion for a potential major champion, seemingly dumping points and looking to "get out of Dodge" as quickly as possible in the closing games. After admitting her failures immediately afterward, and then doing so again when she was run off the court in a home Fed Cup tie by Garbine Muguruza, the Romanian vowed to never put up that sort of (lack of) effort under pressure again.

For the most part, even while things have sometimes been rocky for stretches in some matches, she's held her word ever since. The pressure of expectation, especially back home in Romania, has made the problem-solving Swarmette's abilities to persevere and, well, problem-solve a hit and miss prospect for much of this year. But she seemed to have found a way to get some hold on it, to throw up a wall that her inner will would not allow the demons to climb up and over. As we saw in Halep's in-and-out 1st Round victory over Evgeniya Rodina, she'd developed a pattern and knack for getting into trouble and seeming to experience the same tightness and frustration that accompanied her earlier "marked" defeats, but then finding a way through the darkness of those moments and winning anyway. Even after a mediocre clay court tune-up season, Halep seemed to have developed a new, better pattern when it came to dealing with the storm of thoughts forever blowing through her mind.

Earlier this spring, Halep talked of her enjoyment of playing on the clay, and how it was good for her game. "On clay you have to think about points," she said, "and I like to think and be creative."

As Roland Garros began on Sunday, despite letting the #2 seed slip through her fingers a week earlier, Halep was still installed in one of the top two or three "favorite" positions to win the title. Everyone -- maybe even Halep herself, once she cleared away the mental clutter -- believed that the '14 RG runner-up was deserving of the praise and capable of claiming the honor, as well. And she WAS, too.

Until today, that is. Now she's forced to move on.



Make no mistake, Halep's abilities, possible future and '15 accomplishments (three titles, 30+ match wins) are not to be overlooked or pushed to the back of the line in any conversation about the Swarmette. This loss, just like the others were, is just a single defeat. But a trend is developing, and it isn't a good one. The problem has not been solved... and Halep has to figure out how to deal with the moments that cause it to flare up and become a worrisome topic all over again.

Of course, Halep's lingering (and expanding) issues take nothing away from Lucic's win. Sure, she's sort of playing the role of "Pironkova" to Halep's "Venus" when it comes to grand slam upset bids, but this victory is another happy chapter in HER remarkable comeback story. The U.S. Open Round of 16 run and Quebec City title last summer, both coming fifteen years and a lifetime's worth of problems since she entered the scene as a 16-year old title-winner and Wimbledon semifinalist in 1999, are still the unquestioned high points, for sure. But this win is quite large, as well. In fact, while Lucic said today that thinks her game is in fine shape at the moment, capable of winning on any surface, she may have really NEEDED this win.



Lucic came into Paris having gone just 7-14 since winning in Quebec City, when she broke the tour record for years between WTA titles. Last week in Strasbourg, she lost a match to Madison Keys in which she was leading 6-4/5-0 to drop to 2-8 in her last ten matches. And today it looked as if she might suffer a similar fate vs. Halep.

Lucic served in the 1st set at 5-3, only to be broken to see the Romanian tie the set at 5-5. But 33-year old Croat held serve and broke Halep (her serve, and her spirit, it turned out) to win the set 7-5. In the blink of an eye, she'd bullied her way to ANOTHER set and 5-0 lead on a tennis court in France. She didn't let this one slip away. The 7-5/6-1 win was highlighted by a huge 29-5 edge over Halep in winners, as well as an xx% 1st serve win percentage. Lucic closed things out with an ace on match point. It's her third career Top 5 win -- two over Halep, and one over Monica Seles in '99. Her second Top 3 win actually gives her more in her career than Halep, who has "only" her commanding win over Serena Williams last October in her column.



But, barring one of the most unexpected slam runs in history from Lucic, it's the plight of Halep that this match will be remembered for. The creativity was absent, but the heavy legs and clouded thinking were back... and the conversation is starting to change. If the Romanian is as smart and level-headed as she has so often appeared to be in the past, that can change, though.



In fact, for Halep, it HAS to.



=DAY 4 NOTES=
...the diminutive Swarmette Queen being the very large exception today, the drumbeat of the dominance of the favorites continued on Day 4. First up was the defending champion, who resumed her role of resident fellow Russian butt-kicker that was briefly (and with an Aussie asterisk) interrupted earlier this season in Miami by Daria Gavrilova, and in "classic form" by Sveta Kuznetsova in Madrid. Facing off with Vitalia Diatchenko, #2 Maria Sharapova dropped just four games in a 6-3/6-1 victory.



On court at the same time, Samantha Stosur was even more stingy vs. French wild card Amandine Hesse, allowing just one courtesy game after taking at 6-0/5-0 lead as she continued with the high level of play she exhibited while winning the Strasbourg title last week.



Sharapova and Stosur will face each other in the 3rd Round. The Russian is 15-2 in their head-to-head, but the Aussie has forced things to three sets in two of their last three clay court match-ups since 2012.

...meanwhile, Germany's Annika Beck might want to pick up an additional check for janitorial services rendered before she leaves Paris, as she has almost single-handedly rid the grounds of Poles this week. After tossing #14 Aga Radwanska over the fence in the 1st Round on Monday, she returned today and made quick work of Polish qualifier Paula Kania.



The Germans, who already advanced the most women (7) into the 2nd Round from any nation, are really rounding into an impressively cohesive force in Paris. [Insert own World War joke here... but be tasteful, as always.] Opposition was literally surrendering in front of them today. [Insert own French WWII joke here, and follow the aforementioned rules.] Unfortunately, the opponent in question in this case was Gavrilova.

The Russian-Aussie's qualifier-to-semifinalist run in Rome two weeks ago was rendered (ultimately... though she gave it a good go vs. Sharapova on that day) ineffective in its final stage because of an abdominal injury, and things ended in even worse fashion today against German #20-seed Sabine Lisicki. After Lisicki won the 1st set at 6-1, Gavrilova tearfully had to call it a day.

Lisicki, who knows a little bit about going out of slams with tears and a bum body part, offered Gavrilova some heartfelt comfort.



The third German to advance today was #11 Angelique Kerber, who has picked up right where her previous 11-match clay winning streak left off a few weeks ago. She won another straight-sets destruction today, defeating Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3/6-2 to give the German forces a clean sweep of the landscape on Day 4. [You know the drill.]

...suddenly, Donna Vekic is unbeatable. The Croatian teen followed up her win over Caroline Garcia with another on Day 4 against Bojana Jovanovski, 6-4/6-3. The 18-year old is into her very first slam 3rd Round. This is also the only time she's put up multiple main draw victories at a tour-level event since she won her sole WTA singles title in Kuala Lumpur thirteen months ago. She did manage to win twice after dropping down to play an event in Istanbul on the ITF circuit last month, and she had a pair of Q-round wins (good ones over Beck and Ajla Tomljanovic, too) in the WTA Wuhan event last September.

Garcia may not like playing on big courts in Paris, but Kristina Mladenovic and Alize Cornet don't mind it all. Cornet became the first Pastry to advance to the 3rd Round today with a hard-fought win today over Alexandra Dulgheru.



Hesse's earlier loss and Virginie Razzano's 2nd set retirement vs. Carla Suarez-Navarro means the Pastries will share the "Last Wild Card Standing" award.

...late in the day, #19 Elina Svitolina and Yulia Putintseva squared off in a long (neary three hours), fiesty match that included drops shots, moon balls, blown leads, an "interestingly-timed" medical timeout, an extended 3rd set and, finally, an not-exactly-heartwarming hard slap of hands at the net in lieu of a more traditional handshake and/or hug. The two were old junior adversaries, when Putintseva went 3-0 against Svitolina, also adding wins in a pair of challenger events in 2012. Svitolina finally got her first win over the Kazakh in January in the 1st Round of the Australian Open.

Putintseva was in charge early, winning the 1st at 6-1 and taking a 3-0 lead in the 2nd. Svitolina then broke her serve four straight times to claim the set 7-5 and force a 3rd. There the Ukrainian fell behind 4-1, only to battle back once more as things got more and more crazy.





As things went past the twelve-game mark of the 3rd, Putintseva served at 7-7, 30/love only to see her serve broken yet again. Svitolina served out the match, winning 1-6/7-5/9-7 to reach the 3rd Round at her second straight slam and once again send Putintseva out of a major.




And with that the "Zombie Queen" was crowned in Paris.



Someone does. With Halep's exit, either Svitolina, Cornet, Lucic or Beck will reach the QF out of her section.

...in doubles, the Schiavone Express continues on. A day after notching a win in singles, the 34-year old Italian joined with 44-year old Kimiko Date-Krumm to save a match point against Denisa Allertova/Petra Cetkovska and win their 1st Round match 2-6/7-6(8)/6-1.

Hingis/Mirza, Babos/Mladenovic, Hantuchova/Stosur, Hlavackova/Hradecka and the Rodionova sisters were also winners on Wednesday.

...LIKE FROM DAY 4: Kristina Mladenovic's black dress from yesterday. In color...



And in B&W...



So, supposes Kiki is the OTHER headlining "Woman in Black" at this Roland Garros. So, I guess it's official... black is the new black.

...THOUGHT FROM DAY 4: Maybe Simona should never have switched out of the black outfit she wore on Sunday. After all, even a black-clad Ana Ivanovic managed to pull out a comeback win today over Misaki Doi.

...NEWSFLASH FROM DAY 4: Well, at least one Canadian is in the Top 5...



...LIKE FROM DAY 4: A junior reunion. Bencic and Konjuh both won two girls singles slams in 2013, while Siniakova is the New Swiss Miss' doubles partner at Roland Garros. They won their 1st Round match today.



...LIKE FROM DAY 4: Petko delivering more personality with a look than most Tennis Channel personalities can for an entire tournament. Though I do mostly like Haber, but that may have something to do with him being a D.C. area sportscaster for the CBS affiliate for a few years before he joined TC full-time.



...LIKE (in spite of the rest) FROM DAY 4: While the ending wasn't a good one, at least Gavrilova wasn't wearing the exact same outfit as Lisicki. The Gavrilovian Mind, I tell ya.



..."HOW TO KEEP A GOOD DOUBLES PARTNER" FROM DAY 4: By Sania...



...and, finally, waiting a day proved to be the correct course of action.

Halep's loss on Day 4 makes the "Crash & Burn" award a pretty cut-and-dry decision. Though, I suppose a loss by an even HIGHER seed tomorrow -- and Serena DID share the award with Li Na last year in a similar situation -- could add another name to the (dis)honoree list.

Meanwhile, Lucic-Baroni's win over Halep, along with Vekic's second upset this week, makes it official: The Croats are the "Upset Queens" of Roland Garros!

Ha! Knew it all along. Kinda sorta.













Sometimes, the sun briefly slips behind a dark cloud.





*ALL-TIME ROLAND GARROS MATCH WINS - WOMEN*
84...Steffi Graf
72...Chris Evert
72...Arantxa Sanchez
62...Conchita Martinez
54...Monica Seles
52...MARIA SHARAPOVA
51...Martina Navratilova
48...SERENA WILLIAMS
46...SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA
[matches]
94...Steffi Graf
85...Arantxa Sanchez
80...Conchita Martinez
78...Chris Evert
62...MARIA SHARAPOVA
62...Martina Navratilova
62...Monica Seles
--
ALSO: Serena Williams (59)

*RG "ZOMBIE QUEENS"*
2008 Dinara Safina, RUS (2 MP down in 4r, 2 MP down in QF; reached final)
2009 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (down 7-5/4-1 in 3r, match susp./darkness; reached QF)
2010 Samantha Stosur, AUS (down MP in QF; reached final)
2011 Maria Sharapova, RUS (down 6-3/4-1 in 2r; reached SF)
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (down 7-6/4-0 in 1r; avoided earlier #1 exit; reached 4r)
2013 Marion Bartoli, FRA (down break 3 times in 1st & 2 MP in 3rd in 1r; 4-1 1st & break in 2nd set in 2r)
2014 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS (down 3-1 in 3rd set, opp.served for match twice in 3r; to QF)
2015 Elina Svitolina, UKR (down 6-1/3-0, 4-1 in 3rd set in 2r; wins 9-7)

*RG "UPSET QUEENS" NATIONS*
2004 Ukraine
2005 France
2006 United States
2007 Romania
2008 Czech Republic
2009 Kazakhstan (ex-Russians)
2010 Australia
2011 Romania
2012 United States
2013 Slovak Republic
2014 France
2015 Croatia

*RG "CRASH-AND-BURN" WINNERS*
2008 Serena Williams, USA (lost 3rd Rd.)
2009 Elena Dementieva, RUS (lost 3rd Rd.)
2010 Dinara Safina, RUS (lost 1st Rd.)
2011 Kim Clijsters, BEL (lost 2nd Rd.)
2012 Serena Williams, USA (lost 1st Rd.)
2013 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (lost 2nd Rd.)
2014 Serena Williams/USA (2nd Rd.) & Li Na/CHN (1st Rd.)
2015 Simona Halep, ROU (lost 2nd Rd.)

*RG "LAST WILD CARD STANDING"*
2008 Mathilde Johansson/FRA & Olivia Sanchez/FRA (2nd Rd.)
2009 Olivia Rogowska/AUS (2nd Rd.)
2010 Jarmila Groth (Gajdosova)/AUS (4th Rd.)
2011 Iryna Bremond/FRA, Caroline Garcia/FRA & Pauline Parmentier/FRA (2nd Rd.)
2012 Claire Feuerstein/FRA, Melanie Oudin/USA & Irena Pavlovic/FRA (2nd Rd.)
2013 Virginie Razzano/FRA (3rd Rd.)
2014 Pauline Parmentier/FRA (4th Rd.)
2015 Virginie Razzano/FRA, Amandine Hesse/FRA (2nd Rd.)




TOP QUALIFIER:Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Wang Yafan/CHN d. #15 Richel Hogenkamp/NED 2-6/7-6(7)/8-6 (saved 4 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:(Q) Teliana Pereira/BRA (def. WC Ferro/FRA)
FIRST SEED OUT:#31 Caroline Garcia/FRA (lost 1st Rd. to Vekic/CRO)
UPSET QUEENS:The Croats
REVELATION LADIES:The New Australians
NATION OF POOR SOULS:United States (most players in draw w/ 17, but tied for 4th w/ just 4 1st Round winners)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: In 2nd Rd.: Dominguez-Lino/ESP, Kania/POL(L), Karatantcheva/BUL, Pereira/BRA(L)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Virginie Razzano/FRA & Amandine Hesse/FRA (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: In 2nd Rd.: Cornet(W), Hesse(L), Mladenovic, Razzano(L)
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT "??": xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Karatantcheva/BUL, Lucic-Baroni/CRO
CRASH & BURN:#2 Simona Halep/ROU (lost 2r to Lucic-Baroni/CRO)
ZOMBIE QUEEN:#19 Elina Svitolina/UKR (2nd Rd. vs. Putintseva - down 6-1/3-0, then 4-1 in 3rd; won 9-7 deciding set)
JOIE DE VIVRE: Nominee: Cornet/FRA, Razzano/FRA (underhand serves), Mladenovic/FRA (con. years w/ big RG upsets)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
KIMIKO DATE-KRUMM VETERAN CUP (KDK CUP): Nominee: Schiavone/ITA (34; ended 8-match slam losing streak), Date-Krumm/Schiavone (78-year old doubles duo)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx



* - a nod to Mark Twain's A Double Barrelled Detective Story (1902)

...born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910). American author, lecturer and humorist. Writer of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Twain's writing and large personality made him a public figure and, ultimately, an American icon. A renowned traveler, Twain entertained fans around the world with his opinionated wit.





All for Day 4. More tomorrow.
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RG.5- The Celebrated Jumping Francesca of Milan, Italy *

May 28, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Whenever she finally calls it a career -- and maybe that'll be longer from now than would be the case with most almost-35 year old tennis stars -- Francesca Schiavone should construct a tent, build a fire, pop open a bottle of wine, toast some marshmallows and then slip into a comfy sleeping bag and simply take up residence on the grounds of Roland Garros.

Really, why would she ever want to leave? And why would anyone want her to?



Age is relevant only when someone wishes to believe it to be so, even if the calendar says otherwise. Still, as she came to Paris to play for the fifteenth consecutive year, in her fifty-ninth straight major (just three off the WTA record), it was apparent that Schiavone's opportunities to light up the Roland Garros sky were dwindling. And fast.

"When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it's a sure sign you're getting old."
- Mark Twain


While Schiavone might be one of the most fit players on tour (if not THE fittest), the last few seasons have seen her career take a sharp turn away from the (seemingly, at the time) late-career peak of 4-5 years ago when she reached back-to-back finals in Paris, winning her sole grand slam title in 2010 to become the oldest first-time slam champion ever at just a shade under thirty years of age. She arrived in France last week having lost eight straight slam singles matches, a streak of futility that even included a 1st Round exit in Paris a year ago that seemed to quite possibly be a tennis career's version of "the canary in the coal mine." The end seemed near. The Italian ended 2014 ranked #82, her first finish outside the Top 50 in fourteen years. She failed to reach a final for just the second time (w/ 2008) in the last decade, and every early loss (she's had eight one-and-done tournament results in '15, and lost to players outside the Top 100 seven times) made one wonder just how many more her pride would allow her to endure.

But Paris changed her career. It gave her a legacy. And over the last few days, it's given Schiavone new life.

And who better to help bring it out of her -- and share the moment -- than Svetlana Kuznetsova? The 29-year old '09 RG champion, a recent Madrid finalist, has also had her most consistent slam success in Paris, and the last time they met -- when Schiavone was a spry pup of 30 -- they combined to devastating effect when it come to the grand slam record books. At the 2011 Australian Open, Schiavone saved six match points and claimed a 16-14 3rd set to finish off a 4:44 contest that is the longest slam match in the Open era. What were the odds that they could combine to produce anything close to that classic this time out?

Well, at it turned out, they were, ummm, pretty good.

In a marathon match of amazing drama and fun, Schiavone and Kuznetsova engaged in another memorable duel. It had defense, offense, drops shots, high volleys, low volleys, long scrambles, artistic slides, game-changing saves, lost leads, engaging comebacks, a saved match point, a kitchen sink and even a few ice trays thrown in just to keep things fresh. Even better than all that was the outright, visible joy with which Schiavone engaged in the battle.




Early on, it was Kuznetsova who excelled during the thrill of the chase. She saved a set point, and converted on her own fourth attempt to grab a 13-11 tie-break that ended the nearly hour-and-a-half opening set. As Schiavone fell down a break early in the 2nd, she rebounded -- as everyone sort of expected, because we're talking about Francesca in Paris... and Sveta, well, anywhere she sets down her racket bag -- to win the set 7-5 to knot the match. After 139 minutes on court, though, they were hardly finished. The first two sets were just the appetizer for a more thrilling 3rd.

Switching rolls, Kuznetsova took the early lead this time, going up 4-2 and serving for the match four times. But Schiavone broke the Russian as she served while leading 5-4, 6-5, 7-6 and 8-7 to stay alive in the city that habitually breathes new life into her energetic body, which reciprocates by providing drama the likes of which we saw on Court 1 today. Kuznetsova held a match point at 6-5, but the Italian saved it with a stunning one-handed slice backhand passing shot that she guided behind the Russian as Sveta closed in on the net to reach what she hoped would be a down-the-line shot that she could put away with a volley that would send her forward into the 3rd Round at Roland Garros for the twelfth straight year.



As the drama of the final set carried on and on, it didn't matter that ten of the final eleven games would include breaks of serve. Every point was a novel all its own, with wailing competitors unleashing shots that couldn't possibly be answered with anything remotely similar... until they were. And then the process would simply begin anew a few moments later. As it was, Kuznetsova was the one who blinked in the closing moments, but she didn't lose the match because of her inability to do anything. Schiavone won it because her abilities once again outdistanced any vague notion of time and the limitations it may place on us all.



Schiavone held serve in game #17 of the set, then reached match point during Kuznetsova's service game soon after. The Russian dumped a forehand volley into the net, ending the 1:35 deciding set to put the finishing touch on a 6-7(11)/7-5/10-8 score that favored the Italian. At 3:50, it's the third-longest women's match in Roland Garros history.






As the excitable Italian bounded around the court in celebration of her win, she still looked as fresh as she had four hours earlier. In fact, she looked like she could go another three hours on the dirt in her brightly-colored outfit and glowing yellow shoes. If she had to. Or, you know, just for the heck of it.

Another Roland Garros memory is in the books for Francesca. The magic is alive. In the grit. In the grind. And, looking at her draw (no seeded players stand between her and the QF), this might not be the last time we see the celebrating jumping Italian from Milan sparkling in her element during this tournament, either.

Paris might be the City of Light... but, for Schiavone, it's also the City of Life. And may she live there forever.





=DAY 5 NOTES=
...even with all the excitement of Kuznetsova/Schiavone, it's worth noting that the match was very nearly upstaged by the upsets of a pair of Top 4 seeds, #1 Serena Williams and #4 Petra Kvitova. Playing in cool conditions that, to their detriment, slowed down the courts, both women -- with Maria Sharapova, two of the three currently reigning slam champions on the WTA tour -- fell behind early but managed to take down their mounting errors long enough to fight their way through to the 3rd Round.

Of course, we've seen these sort of outings from both in the past. Williams generally finds a way to win anyway, while Kvitova often doesn't. So far in Paris, though, the Madrid champ has escaped legit upset challenges in both of her matches. Today against Silvia Soler-Espinosa, the same old pattern developed, as the Czech took a 4-2 1st set lead and held set point at 5-4. But she failed to convert it, then let errors slip into her game and ended up dropping a 7-4 tie-break to fall behind in the match. Late in the 2nd, she held a break advantage, only to give it back to knot the set at 4-4. SSE got within six points of a straight sets victory, but Kvitova pulled off a break on her third BP of game #9 and then served out the set. She pulled away in the 3rd to win 6-7(4)/6-4/6-2.




As close as Petra looked to defeat, in some ways Williams appeared to be even closer. Well, except when you considered that she's Serena, and things could totally turn around in a few points. And that's ultimately what happened against German Anna-Lena Friedsam.

World #105 Friedsam came to Paris having a dreadful year. She was 5-12 with just one main draw WTA victory in '15 (last week in Nurnberg). Williams' last loss to a player ranked outside the Top 100, though, was her 1st Round defeat by Virginie Razzano at Roland Garros in 2012. For a few moments, it looked as if that might be the foreshadowing "Stat of the Day." But, instead, Serena ran her career record in slam 2nd Rounds to 56-2 as she avoided her second straight 2nd Round loss in Paris, having suffered her worst-ever slam loss last year against Garbine Muguruza at this very stage of the tournament (her only other 2nd Round loss came vs. Venus in Melbourne in 1998).

Williams dropped her serve in two of her first three service games of the match, and her unforced error broke her serve a third time in the 1st to gave Friedsam the chance to serve out the set. She did, winning it 7-5. After Williams got a break of serve to go up 4-2 in the 2nd, things seemed to be turning in her favor, but then her service issues continued as she immediately went down love/40 and handed her advantage back. This is where the "it's always something" tone of Williams' trips to Paris from 2003-12 looked ready to seize the day once more. But with the set on serve with Serena up 4-3, Williams held firm to win the final two games and knot the match, then broke the German in the opening game of the 3rd.



That was enough to put Serena in front for good. She won 5-7/6-3/6-3, but will likely have to clean up some of the numbers she put up today -- 52 unforced errors and eight DF -- in her next match against Vika Azarenka if she's to win the second leg of a true Grand Slam two weekends from now. Remember, Vika had Williams dead to rights just recently in the 3rd Round in Madrid, holding triple match point before crumbling in a hair of double-faults.

...speaking of Vika, the #27-seed had the "honor" -- or "misfortune," depending on your point of view -- of being the next-up match following the marathon Schiavone/Kuznetsova clash on Court 1.




After having such difficulty closing out matches coming into Paris, Azarenka has been very efficient this week. Just like in her 1st Round win over Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor, Azarenka put things away today on her first match point in a 6-2/6-3 victory over Lucie Hradecka.

...elsewhere, my preseason pick of Swarmette Andreea Mitu as one of 2015's surprise players is starting to look pretty good. First, she shined in Fed Cup play against Canada this spring, then today she pulled off an even bigger win, taking down #12 Karolina Pliskova to reach her first career slam 3rd Round. The Romanian lost the 1st set to the Czech, and Pliskova looked as if she might advance in straights after she saved nine break points over two games and then broke Mitu to take a 4-3 lead. But Mitu immediately broke back on her twelfth BP attempt of the set. Mitu had three set points at 5-4 before Pliskova held and then pushed things to a tie-break. There, Mitu evened up the match by converting on her fifth SP.

In the 3rd, Mitu opened with another break of serve, then broke the big-serving Czech in her third and fourth service games of the set, as well. Finally, on her fourth MP over the last three games (Pliskova saved two on serve), Mitu closed out the biggest win of her career with a hold to claim a 2-6/7-6(5)/6-4 victory.



...earlier, #5 Caroline Wozniacki had become the second Top 5 seed to fall in Paris, as her Roland Garros fortunes continued to come up short. The Dane lost to Julia Goerges, 6-4/7-6(4), dropping to 4-4 in their head-to-head and failing to advance beyond the 3rd Round in this event for the eighth time in nine tries. She's failed to get out of the 2nd Round in Paris the past three years.




...in doubles, winners included Makarova/Vesnina, Mattek-Sands/Safarova, Dellacqua/Shvedova, Hsieh/Pennetta, Pliskova/Pliskova and Garcia/Srebotnik. And Caroline got to play on Court 16, so all is well there. Lisicki/Petkovic and Muguruza/Suarez-Navarro (at the hands of fellow Bailaoras, Soler-Espinosa & Torro-Flor) lost.

In Mixed, Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Mike Bryan handed Genie Bouchard (w/ Max Mirnyi) another loss, while Chan Yung-Jan (w/ Leander Paes) defeated sister Hao-Ching (w/ Marin Draganja). Martina Hingis won her 1st Round match with Paes (they're the AO champs), but Sania Mirza lost hers with Bruno Soares. Mirza/Soares were the #1 seeds here and reached the semis in Melbourne.

...LIKE FROM DAY 5: Oh, Francesca. Go ahead... do what you wish. You've earned it.



..."WHAT DOES IT SAY...?" FROM DAY 5: ...that when Schiavone and Kuznetsova play I sometimes just start to laugh at the quality of noises coming from both sides of the net? Seriously, it's like they're torturing animals out there or something. And yet I can't stop listening.



...SOMETIMES-IT-WORKS-OUT FROM DAY 5: No player has gotten more on-air material out of a loss than John McEnroe has from his squandered lead against Ivan Lendl in what turned out to be his best chance to ever win a Roland Garros title. He's now been lamenting -- and feeding off -- that defeat for thirty-one years.



...LIKE FROM DAY 5: Maria being Maria




..."OMMMMMMMMMMMMM" FROM DAY 5: Maybe Petra should just go do some yoga on a hill and have a Coke and a smile. It might bring her enlightenment. Ding!



...and, finally, the final 32 is set. While a few trends from the 1st Round have held up, some have gone by the wayside.

There are still more Germans standing than women from any other nation, including the entire Fed Cup front line (Kerber, Petkovic) and "second team" (Lisicki & Goerges), as well as a member of the NextGen (Beck). Meanwhile, while the Bannerettes had a bad 1st Round (4-13), they went undefeated in the 2nd, including straight sets wins by Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens. The Czech youngsters faltered, as the more accomplished Maidens (Kvitova, Safarova) advanced, while the opposite occurred with the Romanians as only Begu and Mitu have survived. Almost the entire fabled Italian veteran class (Errani, Pennetta & Schiavone) are alive, and perhaps still smelling the celebratory vapors of that FC win over the U.S.. While only one teen (Vekic) has reached the 3rd Round, five thirtysomethings join her there.

Oh, yeah... and Tsvetana Pironkova has once again found a way to slip through the crowd. A "surprise," but also no surprise at all when you consider her now-you-see-me-now-you-don't career where she alternates between the "most dangerous player in the draw" status and "was she even in the draw?" early-round exits. In her career, the Bulgarian has exited slams in the 1st or 2nd Rounds thirty-three times, while this is just the fifth time she's reached the 3rd Round. But whenever she's gotten this far, she's put up a perfect 4-0 mark in the Final 32. Other than in a final, the 3rd Round is the only slam round in which she's never lost. She's twice lost in the Round of 16, and has put up a QF and SF result at Wimbledon.

A few awards...

* - with the Germans leading the way, I'll go with Angelique Kerber as the "Top Early-Round Player." She's allowed a total of six games through two matches... but she'll face Garbine Muguruza next. So, maybe she'll repeat her "Queen of Clay" great start/bad finish scenario?

* - today's results mean that the "Last Qualifier Standing" is a four-headed beast, with Lourdes Dominguez-Lino, Paula Kania, Sesil Karatantcheva and Teliana Pereira sharing the honor. This is the earliest the draw has been cleared of qualifiers in a slam since the 2007 Wimbledon, and the earliest in Paris since 2005.

* - Francesca Schiavone gets the "Joi de Vivre" Award, for obvious reasons, becoming just the second non-Pastry winner since I first handed it out in 2011.

Kristina Mladenovic defeated Danka Kovinic today to join Alize Cornet in the 3rd Round, keeping the face for "Last Pastry Standing" alive for at least a little while longer. Kiki didn't go through quite the late-match drama when it came to serving out this match as she did vs. Bouchard, but she WAS broken serving up 5-3 for a straights sets win. Eventually, she broke Kovinic to lock away the win. Maybe the key was sticking with the all-black outfit?



The 3rd Round will feature match-ups of former #1's & slam champs with Serena/Vika and Sharapova/Stosur (Maria won in the RG 4th Rd. in '14) facing off, and we'll also see a rematch of one of last year's quarterfinals (Petkovic/Errani) two rounds earlier.

A doubles duo (Makarova/Vesnina) will meet on the singles court, as well. Makarova leads the head-to-head 5-1, not counting a win in a junior event in Russia in 2002. Vesnina's only win in the series came in a challenger event in 2004.





I miss my @sunny.cali ????

A photo posted by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on













*WOMEN'S FINAL 32 - BY NATION*
5...GER (Beck, Goerges, Kerber, Lisicki, Petkovic)
4...USA (Falconi, Keys, Stephens, S.Williams)
3...ITA (Errani, Pennetta, Schiavone)
3...RUS (Makarova, Sharapova, Vesnina)
2...CRO (Lucic-Baroni, Vekic)
2...CZE (Kvitova, Safarova)
2...ESP (Muguruza, Suarez-Navarro)
2...FRA (Cornet, Mladenovic)
2...ROU (Begu, Mitu)
1...AUS (Stosur)
1...BEL (Van Uytvanck)
1...BLR (Azarenka)
1...BUL (Pironkova)
1...SRB (Ivanovic)
1...SUI (Bacsinszky)
1...UKR (Svitolina)

**RG "EARLY-ROUND TOP PLAYER" WINNERS**
2002 (Week 1 POW) Serena Williams, USA *
2003 (Week 1 co-POW) Serena Williams, USA & Kim Clijsters, BEL
2004 (Week 1 POW) Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2005 (Week 1 POW) Kim Clijsters, BEL
2006 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2007 Justine Henin, BEL *
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB *
2009 Dinara Safina, RUS
2010 Venus Williams, USA
2011 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2012 Maria Sharapova, RUS *
2013 Serena Williams, USA *
2014 Simona Halep, ROU
2015 Angelique Kerber, GER
--
* - won title

*RG "LAST QUALIFIER STANDING"*
2006 (3rd) Julia Vakulenko/UKR, Aravane Rezai/FRA
2007 (3rd) Dominika Cibulkova/SVK, Alla Kudryavtseva/RUS & Ioana-Raluca Olaru/ROU
2008 (QF) Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP
2009 (3rd) Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR, Yaroslava Shvedova/KAZ
2010 (4th) Chanelle Scheepers/RSA
2011 (3rd) Chan Yung-Jan/TPE, Nuria Llagostera-Vives/ESP
2012 (QF) Yaroslava Shvedova/KAZ
2013 (3rd) Paula Ormaechea/ARG, Dinah Pfizenmaier/GER
2014 (4th) Kiki Bertens/NED
2015 (2nd) Lourdes Dominguez-Lino/ESP, Paula Kania/POL, Sesil Karatantcheva/BUL, Teliana Pereira/BRA

*RG "JOIE DE VIVRE" WINNERS*
2011 Virginie Razzano, FRA
2012 Virginie Razzano, FRA
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2015 Francesca Schiavone, ITA





TOP QUALIFIER:Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#11 Angelique Kerber/GER
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Wang Yafan/CHN d. #15 Richel Hogenkamp/NED 2-6/7-6(7)/8-6 (saved 4 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - Francesca Schiavone/ITA d. #xx Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS 6-7(11)/7-5/10-8 (3:49; third-longest RG match)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:(Q) Teliana Pereira/BRA (def. WC Ferro/FRA)
FIRST SEED OUT:#31 Caroline Garcia/FRA (lost 1st Rd. to Vekic/CRO)
UPSET QUEENS:The Croats
REVELATION LADIES:The New Australians
NATION OF POOR SOULS:United States (most players in draw w/ 17, but tied for 4th w/ just 4 1st Round winners)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Lourdes Dominguez-Lino/ESP, Paula Kania/POL, Sesil Karatantcheva/BUL, Teliana Pereira/BRA (2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Virginie Razzano/FRA & Amandine Hesse/FRA (2nd Rd.)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: In 3rd Rd.: Cornet, Mladenovic
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT "??": xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Azarenka/BLR, Lucic-Baroni/CRO, Stosur/AUS, Stephens/USA
CRASH & BURN:#2 Simona Halep/ROU (lost 2r to Lucic-Baroni/CRO)
ZOMBIE QUEEN:#19 Elina Svitolina/UKR (2nd Rd. vs. Putintseva - down 6-1/3-0, then 4-1 in 3rd; won 9-7 deciding set)
JOIE DE VIVRE:Francesca Schiavone/ITA
DOUBLES STAR: xx
KIMIKO DATE-KRUMM VETERAN CUP (KDK CUP): Nominees: Schiavone/ITA (34; ended 8-match slam losing streak; def. Kuznetsova 10-8 3rd set in 2nd Rd.), Date-Krumm/Schiavone (78-year old doubles duo), S.Williams/USA
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx



* - a nod to Mark Twain's The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (1867)

...born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910). American author, lecturer and humorist. Writer of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Twain's writing and large personality made him a public figure and, ultimately, an American icon. A renowned traveler, Twain entertained fans around the world with his opinionated wit.





All for Day 5. More tomorrow.
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RG.6- The Gilded Alize: A Tale of Today *

May 29, 2015, 3:51 pm
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As for the whole of Day 6, there was really nothing particularly "earth-shattering" that went down. No matter how much Alize Cornet made it SEEM as if something had occurred that had never before been seen in the history of planet earth.

But that's just her way... so she gets a pass on making the THIRD round seem like the SEVENTH.




Of course, if you just won a match that included nearly 100 unforced errors, you'd fall on your back and thank the Tennis Gods for allowing you to survive, as well.

In the closing moments of #29 Cornet's match with Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, the Pastry found herself serving up 5-4, 30/30 in the 3rd set. Looking to reach match point, Cornet aimed her serve towards the deuce court to her left and saw the ball come off her racket and smack into the net on the far right side... of the ad court. Hey, at least she kept it IN the court. Technically. She was broken a point later to tie things at 5-5.

Was Alize going to collapse in an oh-so-French way, with throw-your-hands-up-and-shake-your-head craziness and the-earth-has-just-imploded-so-I'm-going-to-make-the-most-of-this-moment style drama?

Well, maybe that might have happened. But Lucic let Cornet off the hook. Seeking to reach her third career slam 4th Round, but second in the last three majors after her maiden Round of 16 run in London in 1999 at age 16, the 32-year old Lucic threw in a hail of errors of her own. Three consecutive groundstrokes were shot into the net to give the break advantage back to Cornet, allowing her to serve for the match a second time. After failing to get shots over the net in game #11, Lucic perhaps overcorrected in the windy conditions and sailed multiple shots long in game #12. Lucic's 59th unforced error of the day ended things, with the Pastry winning 4-6/6-3/7-5 to give France back-to-back years (Parmentier '14) with women in the Round of 16 in Paris for the first time since at least one woman reached the 4th Round every year from 1997-2007.

"When you cannot get a compliment any other way pay yourself one." - Mark Twain



Of course, it was all enough to cause Cornet to hit the dirt on Chatrier Court and roll around on the terre battue like a, umm, well... like a Pastry in the Round of 16.




But that's okay. After all, at least for today, it's all about Cornet.





=DAY 6 NOTES=
...Alize aside, maybe the most interesting winner on Friday was #7 Ana Ivanovic. Three matches in, and we're STILL waiting for the Serb to realize just what an opportunity she has at this Roland Garros. Once she does, it'll probably be all over for her. But, until then, hope for AnaIvo springs eternal all over again.



The 2008 champ trundled the last remaining teenager in the draw out of the women's draw today, eliminating Donna Vekic 6-0/6-3. This is Ivanovic's third Round of 16 result in Paris since she won the title in her second of consecutive appearances in the RG final seven years ago. After turning around her unfortunate post-2008 slam fortunes a few seasons ago, reaching two QF and four Round of 16's over a seven-slam stretch that ended with the '14 Australian Open, AnaIvo came into Paris having put up 3r-3r-2r-1r results in majors over the last twelve months. Ironically, that has been the very stretch during which she's climbed back into the Top 10 for the first time since 2009, finished in the Top 5 for the first time since 2008 and ended a tour title drought of over two years by winning four crowns in '14, setting a new career high number for sustained success over the course of a single season.



So, after all these years (and all those coaches), Ivanovic is still trying to get that perfect balance. For one brief moment, she had it all in Paris. The #1 ranking. A slam title. The label as the new star of the WTA tour.

That didn't work out so well, though.

If things work out this time (and with just one former slam finalist/champion standing between her and the final in the bottom half of the draw, it just might), she could find herself within arm's reach of that perfect balance yet again. Just don't tell her about this situation.... it might ruin her chances.

So, shhhhhh.

...in what was the "marquee" match-up of the day for the women, well, what we saw was more of a trailer for the real show that Maria Sharapova will be striving to star in next week. Oh, Samantha Stosur opened well, getting a break of serve to take a 2-1 lead in the 1st set. But that was the extent of the Aussie's challenge on Day 6. She immediately lost her serve a game later, the first of three straight times Sharapova was to break Stosur in the set. Stosur won just 40% of her 1st serves in the set (Sharapova won 67%), while she had just seven winners vs. nineteen unforced errors.

Sharapova saved a BP in game #2 of the 2nd, then never looked back. The Russian didn't face another break point, while she broke Stosur mid-way through the set and never relinquished the advantage.



...in a match-up of doubles partners, Ekaterina Makarova handled fellow Hordette Elena Vesnina 6-2/6-4 to reach her first Round of 16 in Paris.



In other 3rd Round matches, in a stark contrast to the first two rounds of play, the Germans most definitely did not have their day on Friday. #13 Lucie Safarova eliminated the first of the five women from Germany who reached the Final 32, defeating #20 Sabine Lisicki 6-3/7-6(2), then #21 Garbine Muguruza took out another, taking down #11 Angelique Kerber 4-6/6-2/6-2 as the Stuttgart champ's early run in Paris turned out to be just like her "Queen of Clay" push earlier this spring -- short-lived. Kerber had been 3-0 vs. the Spaniard coming into the match.

Meanwhile, 20-year old #19 seed Elina Svitolina became the youngest woman to advance in the bottom half with a 6-3/2-6/6-4 victory over fellow twentysomething Annika Beck, making the Germans 0-3 on Day 6. Maybe Beck's team should have convinced her that Svitolina was born in Warsaw rather than Odessa?



Germany still has Andrea Petkovic and Julia Goerges remaining to play on Day 7, though.

In the final 3rd Rounder of the day, 33-year old Flavia Pennetta (#28) became the oldest Round of 16er (so far, as she can still be topped by TWO players in the top half -- Serena and Francesca) with her surprisingly swift 6-3/6-4 win over #8 Carla Suarez-Navarro, who turned in her "dark horse" title contender status a bit earlier than most anticipated.

...in doubles, Hingis/Mirza, Hlavackova/Hradecka, Knapp/Vinci and the Rodionovas advanced, while Bencic/Siniakova upset Kudrayatseva/Pavlyuchenkova. In mixed, Kiki Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor, seeking to win the third leg of a Career Mixed Grand Slam as a duo (they've won Wimbledon and the AO) won, though another Pastry, Caroline Garcia, lost playing alongside Bob Bryan.

...LIKE FROM DAY 6: If looks could kill... Kiki would still be wearing black.



...FLASHBACK FRIDAY FROM DAY 6: Timi of the People: The Early Years




...LIKE FROM DAY 6: Smiling in Paris has officially become an annual habit for Garbi



..."THE ROAD TO SW19 BEGINS" FROM DAY 6:



...and, finally, the full Round of 16 List-A-Palooza arrives tomorrow, but here's a mini-look at some stats involving the women who've reached the 4th Round in the bottom half of the draw:

#2 Maria Sharapova: she's reached 6 consecutive slam 4th Rounds, 5 in a row in Paris
#7 Ana Ivanovic: her first slam 4th Rd. since Melbourne '14
#9 Ekaterina Makarova: 4 consecutive slam 4th Rounds (she's had 3 straight QF, 2 straight SF)
#13 Lucie Safarova: she's reached the 4th Round at 4 of the last 5 slams (before this run, she was 0-for-27 in slams, and 2-of-35 in her career)
#19 Elina Svitolina: this is her first career slam Round of 16
#21 Garbine Muguruza: she's been iffy on the regular tour at times, but she's shined in majors: 2 consecutive slame Round of 16's, 2 consecutive in Paris
#28 Flavia Pennetta: her last Round of 16 in Paris came in 2010
#29 Alize Cornet: maybe she had reason to celebrate wildly. This is just her third slam 4th Round, and the first at RG. She's yet to reach a QF.




=WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
#7 Ana Ivanovic/SRB vs. #9 Ekaterina Makarova/RUS
#19 Elina Svitolina/UKR vs. #29 Alize Cornet/FRA
#28 Flavia Pennetta/ITA vs. #21 Garbine Muguruza/ESP
#13 Lucie Safarova/CZE vs. #2 Maria Sharapova/RUS

=MEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
#5 Kei Nishikori/JPN vs. Teymuraz Gabashvili/RUS
#14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/FRA vs. #4 Tomas Berdych/CZE
#8 Stan Wawrinka/SUI vs. #12 Gilles Simon/FRA
#13 Gael Monfils/FRA vs. #2 Roger Federer/SUI












Maman et Papa à Paris

A photo posted by Daria Gavrilova (@daria_gav) on




*FRENCH WOMEN IN RG ROUND OF 16 - since 1997*
1997 Mary Pierce
1998 Sandrine Testud
1999 Julie Halard-Decugis
2000 Amelie Mauresmo, Mary Pierce
2001 Sandrine Testud
2002 Amelie Mauresmo, Mary Pierce
2003 Amelie Mauresmo
2004 Amelie Mauresmo
2005 Mary Pierce
2006 Amelie Mauresmo
2007 Marion Bartoli
2008 -
2009 Virginie Razzano, Aravane Rezai
2010 -
2011 Marion Bartoli
2012 -
2013 -
2014 Pauline Parmentier
2015 Alize Cornet
--
NOTE: Mladenovic still to play 3rd Rd.




TOP QUALIFIER:Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#11 Angelique Kerber/GER
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Wang Yafan/CHN d. #15 Richel Hogenkamp/NED 2-6/7-6(7)/8-6 (saved 4 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - Francesca Schiavone/ITA d. #xx Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS 6-7(11)/7-5/10-8 (3:49; third-longest RG match)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:(Q) Teliana Pereira/BRA (def. WC Ferro/FRA)
FIRST SEED OUT:#31 Caroline Garcia/FRA (lost 1st Rd. to Vekic/CRO)
UPSET QUEENS:The Croats
REVELATION LADIES:The New Australians
NATION OF POOR SOULS:United States (most players in draw w/ 17, but tied for 4th w/ just 4 1st Round winners)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Lourdes Dominguez-Lino/ESP, Paula Kania/POL, Sesil Karatantcheva/BUL, Teliana Pereira/BRA (2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Virginie Razzano/FRA & Amandine Hesse/FRA (2nd Rd.)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: In 3rd Rd.: Cornet(W), Mladenovic
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT "??": xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Azarenka/BLR, Lucic-Baroni/CRO, Stephens/USA, Ivanovic/SRB
CRASH & BURN:#2 Simona Halep/ROU (lost 2r to Lucic-Baroni/CRO)
ZOMBIE QUEEN:#19 Elina Svitolina/UKR (2nd Rd. vs. Putintseva - down 6-1/3-0, then 4-1 in 3rd; won 9-7 deciding set)
JOIE DE VIVRE:Francesca Schiavone/ITA
DOUBLES STAR: xx
KIMIKO DATE-KRUMM VETERAN CUP (KDK CUP): Nominees: Schiavone/ITA (34; ended 8-match slam losing streak; def. Kuznetsova 10-8 3rd set in 2nd Rd.), Date-Krumm/Schiavone (78-year old doubles duo), S.Williams/USA
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx



* - a nod to Mark Twain's The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873)

...born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910). American author, lecturer and humorist. Writer of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Twain's writing and large personality made him a public figure and, ultimately, an American icon. A renowned traveler, Twain entertained fans around the world with his opinionated wit.





All for Day 6. More tomorrow.
↧
↧

RG.7- Tennis As She Is Taught *

May 30, 2015, 3:40 pm
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This is how she does it. And not only to Vika.



Sporting pink shorts and the same look that made her a champion a few years ago, for a time on Day 7 Victoria Azarenka more than resembled the bouncy, confident player who won multiple slams, reached #1 and (briefly) became the only player who truly seemed capable of becoming an honest-to-goodness challenger to Serena Williams, even when the American was close to top form. In fact, she WAS that player Rediscovered, polished and unleashed upon the Parisian landscape like an escaped -- and famished -- lioness looking for a meal.

For a set and a half, Vika feasted on the still-thriving lifeforce of Williams. While the #1-seed wasn't her sometimes-elite self -- they just shut down the tournament early and hand her the check when that happens -- she was hardly a shadow of her nineteen slam-winning self, either. It was like it was 2013 in North America again. For that was inarguably the high water mark for Azarenka in her career series with Serena. She defeated Williams in two finals that summer, and nearly claimed a third. At the time, their meetings were the most anticipated matches on the WTA tour, before an injury-riddled '14 campaign saw Azarenka's ranking slip and put her in her current role of challenger rather than the something-close-to-equal-footing position she inhabited two years ago.

But while Azarenka has had success against Williams in the past, the specter of "Serenativity" -- the ability of Serena, with varying levels of fierceness, to call upon her all-time talent to win ANY match, whether she be in blisteringly dominant form, or in the mode of surging forward until something "clicks" -- arriving at the last moment to save the day has always a factor. Williams came into today's match with a 15-3 record against Azarenka, but with her Belarusian opponent having lost multiple matches against her that were seemingly within her grasp. Often, it's happeend on Azarenka's favored hard court. In 2009 in Melbourne, heat illness forced a retirement from a match Vika was leading. A year later in Australia, she failed to close out a match in which she led 6-4/4-0. In the 2012 U.S. Open final, Azarenka served for the match at 5-4 in the 3rd, but still lost. Just a few weeks ago on the clay in Madrid, she served for the match and held triple match point. A few double-faults later, Vika had lost twelve of thirteen points and Serena advanced.

But as they met in the 3rd Round in Paris, Azarenka seemed to have put Madrid behind her. Her 2015 issues with closing out matches after her return from injury -- which popped up right out of the gate when she lost a match to Karolina Pliskova in Brisbane after having held two MP -- weren't evident through the first two rounds at Roland Garros. She finished off both her wins on her first match point, while Williams had struggled to pull away from #105 Anna-Lena Friedsam in notching her 2nd Round victory.

But Serena is never more dangerous than when she's backed into a corner, and Azarenka learned that lesson today. Yet again. But she also learned that she's close to getting back to where she wants to be. Also, once again.

In the 1st set, there was no "fuzzy math" in Azarenka's performance. She was aggressive and focused, with her return game in top form and her groundstrokes keeping Williams at bay. She broke Serena in her first service game of the day then, after having given the break back, got another to lead 4-2. With the old gleam in her eye, she held for 5-2 with a wide serve and volley put-away combination that forced Williams to implore herself ("Come on, Serena!) to get things into gear before it was too late. Williams held serve to force Azarenka to serve things out. She did, winning the set 6-3.

Williams was even more solid and aggressive early in the 2nd set, but Azarenka maintained her position. She crushed a crosscourt backhand return, and Williams' replay went long as Vika got another break to take a 2-1 lead. Azarenka got to within 30/30 on Williams serve in game #5, but Serena got the important hold for 3-2. A game later, Williams yanked a backhand return wide, then sailed a forehand return as Azarenka held to lead 4-2.

Serena wasn't going away, but Vika needed to only hold twice to win. Easier said that done.

Ever so slightly, Azarenka blinked and kept Williams in the match, turning a tight game in Serena's favor and then shooting a shot long to deliver a break that knotted the score at 4-4. Then what may have been the point of the match -- or at least it'll be the one we'll see replayed quite a bit the next time these two play -- changed everything. Briefly, and then for the rest of the match. Serving down 4-5, Azarenka faced a set point. During a rally, her shot landed deep in the right corner of the backcourt. Williams' swung at the ball, sending it into the net. A split second after Serena had struck the ball, the linesperson had called the ball out. As chair umpire Kader Nouni checked the mark -- the ball was actually in -- Serena argued that the late call had interrupted and affected her shot.



Nouni ruled that the point would be replayed. But Azarenka was having none of it, as she and Williams had a brief exchange that ended when Vika incredulously waved her hand and walked back to the baseline. Still down SP, Azarenka served again and ended up losing the point as Williams evened up the match by winning the 2nd set 6-4.

"When angry, count four; when very angry, swear."
- Mark Twain


Still testy about Nouni's ruling, Azarenka walked to the changeover area and cursed loudly as she looked in the players box. She was given a code violation.

After a bathroom break between sets, Azarenka channeled her anger into another good start. She quickly went up love/40 on Williams' serve, and took the lead on a Serena double-fault. Vika held for 2-0 and it seemed that it was a "game on" moment. But it didn't turn out that way.

Because that's when the "Serenativity" set in. Williams turned things on, while Azarenka belatedly hung onto the bad call at the end of the 2nd, becoming more and more distracted any time she disagreed with any additional calls. Williams quickly got back on serve, then took the lead when Vika shot a forehand long to give Serena a break lead at 4-2. With another potential win over Williams slipping away, Azarenka's frustration grew. After narrowly missing a shot, she flailed at a bouncing ball, framing it and sending it into the stands. Meanwhile, Serena's confidence grew. She was the lioness now, and Vika was her prey.

It didn't last much longer. Williams swept the final six games of the match, winning 3-6/6-4/6-2 in a little over two hours,



While Serena, having faced down possibly the biggest challenge she'll face before a possible semifinal meeting with Petra Kvitova (who defeated her in Madrid, Williams' only loss in '15), is now the first woman to garner fifty match wins at all four slams in the Open era. She now moves forward in search of career slam #20. Meanwhile, Azarenka will have to resume fighting her way back up the rankings on the grass, with an eye on the summer hard court season where she has so often thrived in the past.

She didn't win this match, and stated that she and Serena "have no air to clear" after their on-court disagreement, but Vika is clear on her current path.



Azarenka is close to being "close to equal" with Williams again. To be continued. Maybe in New York. If we're lucky.




=DAY 7 NOTES=
...earlier in the day on Saturday, none of the other seven 3rd Round women's matches even went three sets.

#4 Petra Kvitova finally had an day where she didn't have to sweat out the result, defeating #30 Irina-Camelia Begu 6-3/6-2. She'll face #28 Timea Bacsinszky, who hasn't given up hope of adding a "Queen of Clay" crown to the "Queen of Mexico" one she claimed earlier this year. She defeated #16 Madison Keys 6-4/6-2 to reach her first career slam Round of 16.

"How little a thing can make us happy when we feel that we have earned it." - Mark Twain




There was the possibility of an all-German 4th Round match-up two days from now, but only unseeded Julia Goerges held up her end of the deal, reaching her second 2015 slam Round of 16 with a 6-4/6-1 win over Irina Falconi. She would have faced countrywoman and '14 RG semifinalist Andrea Petkovic next, but the #10 seed lost to #17 Sara Errani as the Italian avenged her QF loss to Petko in Paris a year ago with 6-3/6-3 win this time out.



...in the Section That Time Forgot, the emerging quarterfinalist will be ranked outside the Top 90.



#93 Alison Van Uytvanck eliminated Kristina Mladenovic (Alize Cornet... your "Last Pastry Standing") 6-4/6-1, while there's still a chance that a non-Simona Swarmette will reach a quarterfinal, as #100 Andreea Mitu continued her remarkable run in Paris after having entered without a main draw win at a major in her career.



Mitu, 23, ended the electric run of Francesca Schiavone, winning 7-5/6-4. The 35-year old Italian had led 4-1 in the 1st set, and served at 5-3 before dropping her serve three straight times to lose the set. Mitu broke her a fourth straight time to start the 2nd. After giving back the break in game #6, the Romanian got another in game #9 to give herself a chance to serve out the match. After saving a break point, she won on her third match point.





Mitu has had a quite a year, and it wasn't even SUPPOSED to happen at all. As noted in "The Beginners Guide to Andreea Mitu", the Swarmette planned to retire at the end of last year's grass court season, having missed seven months with shoulder tendonitis earlier in '14 and having problems with her mind, game and finances. But then she made a qualifying run at Wimbledon, and suddenly had great success on the ITF circuit, winning four post-SW19 titles last summer. This season, she's won her first main draw WTA match, broke into the Top 100, pulled off a tie-turning win over Genie Bouchard in Fed Cup for her first Top 10 win and then made this RG run, which included a come from behind win over #12 Karolina Pliskova in the 2nd Round. Now she has a win over a former slam champ, too.

...in the day's other 3rd Round match, Sloane Stephens had another drama-free afternoon, never losing control of the momentum of her match (though she WAS broken when serving for the match up 5-0 in the 2nd) and eliminating Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4/6-1. She'll next face Serena in their fourth meeting since Stephens upset Williams in the QF of the 2013 Australian Open. Just last week in Strasbourg, Stephens reached her first tour singles semifinal since that run in Melbourne, so might that be a good omen for her in the Round of 16 match?

=SERENA vs. STEPHENS=
2013 Brisbane QF (H) - Williams 6-4/6-3 ("disrespectful")
2013 AO QF (H) - Stephens 3-6/7-5/6-4 (1st younger US to beat)
2013 US 4th (H) - Williams 6-4/6-1 (post-Twitter/ESPN Magazine)
2015 IW 4th (H) - Williams 6-7(3)/6-2/6-2
2015 Madrid 2th (C) - Williams 6-4/6-0
2015 Roland Garros 4th (C) - ??

Fact is, she's a huge underdog now that Serena has seemingly gotten into something of a groove in this event. But it is on clay... so maybe Stephens has a SMALL shot. But she only got four games off her in Madrid a few weeks ago.

At least she's learned something through experience...



...in doubles, Chan Yung-Jan & Zheng Jie won their match today to reach the Round of 16. They were all smiles afterward...



But it might not stay that way, since they'll face off against each other with different partners in the Mixed QF.

Other doubles winners included Makarova/Vesnina, Mattek-Sands/Safarova and Dellacqua/Shvedova. But Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic lost to the all-vet pair of Daniela Hantuchova/Samantha Stosur, while the SuperVet duo of Kimiko Date-Krumm & Francesca Schiavone lost to Michaella Krajicek & Barbora Strycova.

In Mixed, Martina Hingis & Leander Paes lost to Katarina Srebotnik & Horia Tecau in a 10-6 match tie-break.

...The junior draws have been released. Here are the girls seeds:

1. Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
2. Xu Shilin, CHN
3. Katerina Stewart, USA
4. CiCi Bellis, USA
5. Dalma Galfi, HUN
6. Charlotte Robillard-Millette, CAN
7. Usue Arconada, USA
8. Katie Swan, GBR (AO finalist)
9. Gabriela Ruse, ROU
10. Tereza Mihalikova, SVK (AO champ)
11. Sonya Kenin, USA
12. Paula Badosa Gibert, ESP
13. Miriam Kolodziejova, CZE
14. Anna Blinkova, RUS
15. Julieta Estable, ARG
16. Anna Kalinskaya, RUS


=QF=
#1 Vondrousova d. #5 Galfi
#6 Robillard-Millette d. #14 Blinkova
#9 Ruse d. #13 Kolodziejova
Bolsova d. Andreescu
=SF=
#1 Vondrousova d. #6 Robillard-Millette
Bolsova d. #9 Ruse
=FINAL=
#1 Vondrousova d. Bolsova

...for what it's worth. The Czech Maiden has been the most in-form junior this spring, with CRM a close second.

...LIKE FROM DAY 7: Ummm, Roger who?



..."DAY OF THE WAFFLE" FROM DAY 7: Sometimes you find the real danger in the oddest places.





...LIKE FROM DAY 7: Ipek Soylu... doing her best Sania impression?

????

A photo posted by Ipek Soylu (@ipek_soylu) on



...DISLIKE FROM DAY 7: Here's a thought: why not include the first names and nations of players on the actual draw pages shown on the Roland Garros website rather than force visitors to clink on yet another link to go to yet another page that includes such relevant information? That "redesign" has so many things that it doesn't need, as well as missing so many things that it should.

The Wimbledon and U.S. Open sites should be improved upon based on the many complaints posted about the one for Roland Garros.

"Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest." - Mark Twain


But what are the odds of that?

..."The Nascent Ad Campaign Draws Closer" FROM DAY 7: You don't know Jack! But Born Coric does.





...and, finally, here's a mini-look at some stats involving the women who've reached the 4th Round in the top half of the draw:

#1 Serena Williams: her 4th Rd. match-up with Stephens is the first all-American Round of 16 match in Paris since 2002 (Venus d. Chanda Rubin)
#4 Petra Kvitova: this is just her second slam 4th Rd. in her last seven (w/ last year's Wimbledon title run the other)
#17 Sara Errani: she's reached the 4th Round at 7 of 14 slams. She'd been 0-for-17 before the current stretch.
#23 Timea Bacsinszky: her best two career slam results have been her last two (w/ AO 3r)
Julia Goerges: this is the first time she's reached the Round of 16 at a slam other than the AO
Andreea Mitu: her only previous slam MD appearance was last year at Wimbledon after a successful Q-run
Sloane Stephens: she's reached the Round of 16 in Paris four of the five times she's played there
Alison Van Uytvanck: this is the Waffle's sixth slam. She was 1-5 for her career before this current run. She's the first Belgian in the RG 4th Round since Henin in 2010.

The full Lists-A-Palooza for the Round of 16 follows...




=WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Serena Williams/USA vs. Sloane Stephens/USA
#17 Sara Errani/ITA vs. Julia Goerges/GER
#4 Petra Kvitova/CZE vs. #23 Timea Bacsinszky/SUI
Andreea Mitu/ROU vs. Alison Van Uytvanck/BEL
#7 Ana Ivanovic/SRB vs. #9 Ekaterina Makarova/RUS
#19 Elina Svitolina/UKR vs. #29 Alize Cornet/FRA
#28 Flavia Pennetta/ITA vs. #21 Garbine Muguruza/ESP
#13 Lucie Safarova/CZE vs. #2 Maria Sharapova/RUS

=MEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Novak Djokovic/SRB vs. #20 Richard Gasquet/FRA
Jack Sock/USA vs. #6 Rafael Nadal/ESP
#3 Andy Murray/GBR vs. Jeremy Chardy/FRA
#9 Marin Cilic/CRO vs. #7 David Ferrer/ESP
#5 Kei Nishikori/JPN vs. Teymuraz Gabashvili/RUS
#14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/FRA vs. #4 Tomas Berdych/CZE
#8 Stan Wawrinka/SUI vs. #12 Gilles Simon/FRA
#13 Gael Monfils/FRA vs. #2 Roger Federer/SUI

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Hingis/Mirza (SUI/IND) vs. #14 Knapp/Vinci (ITA/ITA)
Bencic/Siniakova (SUI/CZE) vs. #7 Mattek-Sands/Safarova (USA/CZE)
#4 S-W.Hsieh/Pennetta (TPE/ITA) vs. Husarova/Kania (SVK/POL)
#8 Garcia/Srebotnik (FRA/SLO) vs. #12 Dellacqua/Shvedova (AUS/KAZ)
#13 Krajicek/Strycova (NED/CZE) vs. Hantuchova/Stosur (SVK/AUS)
Soler-Espinosa/Torro-Flor (ESP/ESP) vs. #11 Y-J.Chan/J.Zheng (TPE/CHN)
#15 Rodionova/Rodionova (AUS/AUS) vs. #2 Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS)

=MEN'S DOUBLES QF=
x/x vs. x/x
Albot/Rosol (MDA/CZE) vs. x/x
x/x vs. #3 Dodig/Melo (CRO/BRA)
x/x vs. x/x

=MIXED DOUBLES QF=
YJ.Chan/Peers (TPE/AUS) vs. J.Zheng/Kontinen (CHN/FIN)
x/x vs. x/x
Srebotnik/Tecau (SLO/ROU) vs. Martinez-Sanchez/Lindstedt (ESP/SWE)
x/x vs. #2 Mattek-Sands/M.Bryan (USA/USA)














????????

A video posted by Daria Gavrilova (@daria_gav) on




*RG "IT" WINNERS*
2006 Nicole Vaidisova, CZE
2007 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2008 Dinara Safina, RUS
2009 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
2010 Ons Jabeur, TUN (jr.)
2011 Caroline Garcia, FRA
2012 Sara Errani, ITA
2013 [post-Vergeer WC champ] Sabine Ellerbrock, GER
2014 [Spaniard] Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2015 [Swarmette] Andreea Mitu, ROU

*RG "LAST PASTRY STANDING"*
2008 Alize Cornet & Emilie Loit (3rd Rd.)
2009 Virginie Razzano & Aravane Rezai (4th Rd.)
2010 Marion Bartoli & Aravane Rezai (3rd Rd.)
2011 Marion Bartoli (SF)
2012 Mathilde Johansson (3rd Rd.)
2013 Marion Bartoli, Alize Cornet & Virginie Razzano (3rd Rd.)
2014 Pauline Parmentier (4th Rd.)
2015 Alize Cornet (in 4th Rd.)

*2015 SLAM MATCH-UPS OF PLAYERS RANKED #1*
AO - 2nd Rd. - Azarenka d. Wozniacki
AO - Final - S.Williams d. Sharapova
RG - 3rd Rd. - S.Williams d. Azarenka

*2015 ROLAND GARROS WOMEN'S FINAL 16*
[by ranking]
#1 - Serena Williams
#2 - Maria Sharapova
#4 - Petra Kvitova
#7 - Ana Ivanovic
#9 - Ekaterina Makarova
#13 - Lucie Safarova
#17 - Sara Errani
#20 - Garbine Muguruza
#21 - Elina Svitolina
#24 - Timea Bacsinszky
#28 - Flavia Pennetta
#29 - Alize Cornet
#40 - Sloane Stephens
#72 - Julia Goerges
#93 - Alison Van Uytvanck
#100 - Andreea Mitu
[by age]
33...Serena Williams
33...Flavia Pennetta
28...Lucie Safarova
28...Maria Sharapova
28...Sara Errani
27...Ana Ivanovic
26...Ekaterina Makarova
26...Julia Goerges
25...Alize Cornet
25...Petra Kvitova
25...Timea Bacsinszky
23...Andreea Mitu
22...Sloane Stephens
21...Garbine Muguruza
21...Alison Van Uytvanck
20...Elina Svitolina
[by nation]
2...Czech Republic (Kvitova, Safarova)
2...Italy (Errani, Pennetta)
2...Russia (Makarova, Sharapova)
2...United States (Stephens, S.Williams)
1...Belgium (Van Uytvanck)
1...France (Cornet)
1...Germany (Goerges)
1...Romania (Mitu)
1...Serbia (Ivanovic)
1...Spain (Muguruza)
1...Switzerland (Bacsinszky)
1...Ukraine (Svitolina)
[by career slam Round-of-16's]
48...Serena Williams
34...Maria Sharapova
19...Ana Ivanovic
13...Petra Kvitova
13...Flavia Pennetta
10...Ekaterina Makarova
8...Sloane Stephens
7...Sara Errani
6...Lucie Safarova
4...Julia Goerges
4...Garbine Muguruza
3...Alize Cornet
1...Timea Bacsinszky
1...Andreea Mitu
1...Elina Svitolina
1...Alyson Van Uytvanck
[w/ consecutive slam Round of 16's]
6...Maria Sharapova
4...Ekaterina Makarova
3...Serena Williams
2...Julia Goerges
2...Garbine Muguruza
[by career RG Round of 16's]
11...Maria Sharapova
10...Serena Williams
5...Ana Ivanovic
4...Sara Errani
4...Petra Kvitova
4...Sloane Stephens
3...Flavia Pennetta
3...Lucie Safarova
2...Ekaterina Makarova
2...Garbine Muguruza
1...Timea Bacsinszky
1...Alize Cornet
1...Julia Goerges
1...Andreea Mitu
1...Elina Svitolina
1...Alison Van Uytvanck
[w/ consecutive RG Round of 16's]
5...Maria Sharapova
4...Sara Errani
4...Sloane Stephens
2...Garbine Muguruza
2...Lucie Safarova
[by preseason "Grand Slam Master List" rankings]
1 - Serena Williams
2 - Maria Sharapova
5 - Petra Kvitova
9 - Ana Ivanovic
11 - Ekaterina Makarova
13 - Garbine Muguruza
14 - Sara Errani
17 - Flavia Pennetta
20 - Lucie Safarova
26 - Alize Cornet
36 - Sloane Stephens
63 - Elina Svitolina
76 - Timea Bacsinszky
77 - Andreea Mitu
unlisted - Julia Goerges
unlisted - Alison Van Uytvanck
[WTA career slam Round of 16's - active]
48...SERENA WILLIAMS
41...Venus Williams
34...MARIA SHARAPOVA
27...Svetlana Kuznetsova
21...Jelena Jankovic
21...Nadia Petrova
21...Aga Radwanska
19...Victoria Azarenka
19...ANA IVANOVIC
18...Francesca Schiavone
[WTA slam Round of 16's since 2010 - active]
17...MARIA SHARAPOVA
16...SERENA WILLIAMS
14...Victoria Azarenka
13...Aga Radwanska
11...Petra Kvitova
11...Caroline Wozniacki
10...ANA IVANOVIC
10...Angelique Kerber
10...EKATERINA MAKAROVA
[2015 slam Rd. of 16's - youngest]
19 - Madison Keys (AO)
20 - Elina Svitolina (RG)*
20 - Genie Bouchard (AO)
21 - Alison Van Uytvanck (RG)*
21 - Garbine Muguruza (AO)
21 - Garbine Muguruza (RG)*
[2015 slam Rd. of 16's - oldest]
34 - Venus Williams (AO)
33 - Serena Williams (RG)*
33 - Serena Williams (AO)
33 - Flavia Pennetta (RG)*
29 - Peng Shuai (AO)
[2015 slam Rd. of 16's - unseeded]
AO - Victoria Azarenka, BLR
AO - Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU
AO - Madison Brengle, USA
AO - Julia Goerges, GER
AO - Madison Keys, USA
AO - Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
RG - Julia Goerges, GER
RG - Andreea Mitu, ROU
RG - Sloane Stephens, USA
RG - Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL
[2015 slam Rd. of 16's - 1st-time GS 4th Rd.'s]
AO - Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU
AO - Madison Brengle, USA
AO - Madison Keys, USA
RG - Timea Bacsinszky, SUI
RG - Andreea Mitu, ROU
RG - Elina Svitolina, UKR
RG - Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL
[2015 slam Rd. of 16's - lowest-ranked]
#100 - Andreea Mitu, ROU (RG)*
#93 - Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL (RG)*
#80 - Yanina Wickmayer, BEL (AO)
#73 - Julia Goerges, GER (AO)
#72 - Julia Goerges, GER (RG)*
#64 - Madison Brengle, USA (AO)
[2015 slam Rd. of 16's - by nation]
6...USA
4...RUS
3...ROU
2...BEL,CZE,ESP,GER,ITA
1...BLR,CAN,CHN,FRA,POL,SRB,SUI,SVK,UKR


Whew!





TOP QUALIFIER:Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#11 Angelique Kerber/GER
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Wang Yafan/CHN d. #15 Richel Hogenkamp/NED 2-6/7-6(7)/8-6 (saved 4 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - Francesca Schiavone/ITA d. #xx Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS 6-7(11)/7-5/10-8 (3:49; third-longest RG match)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:(Q) Teliana Pereira/BRA (def. WC Ferro/FRA)
FIRST SEED OUT:#31 Caroline Garcia/FRA (lost 1st Rd. to Vekic/CRO)
UPSET QUEENS:The Croats
REVELATION LADIES:The New Australians
NATION OF POOR SOULS:United States (most players in draw w/ 17, but tied for 4th w/ just 4 1st Round winners)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Lourdes Dominguez-Lino/ESP, Paula Kania/POL, Sesil Karatantcheva/BUL, Teliana Pereira/BRA (2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Virginie Razzano/FRA & Amandine Hesse/FRA (2nd Rd.)
LAST PASTRY STANDING:Alize Cornet (in 4th Rd.)
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: Nominees: Svitolina/UKR, Muguruza/ESP, Van Uytvanck/BEL, Goerges/GER, Bacsinszky/SUI
IT "??":(Swarmette) Andreea Mitu/ROU
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Stephens/USA, Ivanovic/SRB, Martinez-Sanchez/ESP
CRASH & BURN:#2 Simona Halep/ROU (lost 2r to Lucic-Baroni/CRO)
ZOMBIE QUEEN:#19 Elina Svitolina/UKR (2nd Rd. vs. Putintseva - down 6-1/3-0, then 4-1 in 3rd; won 9-7 deciding set)
JOIE DE VIVRE:Francesca Schiavone/ITA
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: Srebotnik/SLO, Mattek-Sands/USA, Mladenovic/FRA
KIMIKO DATE-KRUMM VETERAN CUP (KDK CUP): Nominees: Date-Krumm/Schiavone (78-year old doubles duo), S.Williams/USA, Pennetta/ITA
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx



* - a nod to Mark Twain's English As She Is Taught (1887)

...born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910). American author, lecturer and humorist. Writer of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Twain's writing and large personality made him a public figure and, ultimately, an American icon. A renowned traveler, Twain entertained fans around the world with his opinionated wit.





All for Day 7. More tomorrow.
↧

RG.8- The Mysterious Serbian Stranger *

May 31, 2015, 3:30 pm
$
0
0

The rain in France falls mainly on le pants.

And that was even after a two-and-a-half-hour rain delay early in the day was followed by Alize Cornet failing to get another opportunity to roll around on the terre battue, and Ana Ivanovic once again avoiding the wrong end of the ticking time bomb that just HAS to hit 00:00 SOMETIME once she realizes how close she is to reclaiming what was once hers. Right?

Either way, the rain delayed things long enough that the fourth-up matches on the show courts -- the final two women's Round of 16 matches scheduled for the day -- were pushed back until Monday.

But history was STILL able to be made. Or re-made, as it were.



So far, AnaIvo's return to the scene of the crime -- Paris, circa 2008, when the Serb claimed her only grand slam title -- has been good to her. But her history, and her career, really, make you wonder just how much longer it will last. The now 27-year old Ivanovic's 7-5/3-6/6-1 win today over Ekaterina Makarova, her third three-set victory through the first four rounds of this Roland Garros, puts her into the quarterfinals of the season's second slam for the first time since she won it seven springs ago.

It's a great comeback story. But the problem is, other than her fame, nothing ever really seems to last very long when it comes to AnaIvo.

Maybe we should blame Justine Henin. If not for the four-time RG champion from Belgium's sudden retirement two weeks before play began in Paris in 2008, the then 20-year old Ivanovic would have never been in line to surge into the #1 ranking likely a year or two before she might have been naturally prepared for it and everything that came with it. Prior to that two week run in France, AnaIvo had been on a consistent climb up the WTA ladder. She'd already been a finalist in Paris as a teenager, and had played for another slam title in Melbourne earlier in '08. Henin's sudden removal from the landscape thrust the Serb into the harsh spotlight. Early on, she thrived. Winning a major and assuming the role of "the next face" of the tour.

But it was too much too soon. The small story that spring run in Paris that noted that when she faced off with countrywoman Jelena Jankovic in the RG semifinals, with the winner assured of taking over the #1 ranking no matter what might happen in the final two days later, her inner circle avoided telling Ivanovic about the stakes heading into the match proved to be a key insight into what would happen next. AnaIvo won the match, then defeated Dinara Safina in the final (now that's another story about not handling pressure well, isn't it?), winning all but one set (vs. JJ) during the two-week event. But while she never fell off the face of the WTA earth in following seasons (her talent never fully let her down, and she actually became leaner and faster on the court... so it had to be something else), it was still years before she seemed anything close to resembling the player with the lethal forehand and multiple slam-winning talents that she had been in 2007-08.

She ended up losing the '08 year-end #1 ranking to, ironically, Jankovic. Once her points from the RG win fell off her totals, Ivanovic fell out of the Top 10 a year later. From 2009-13 she spun her ranking wheels with finishes between #13-22, even while never suffering any major injuries that sidelined her for extended periods of time (she's never missed a major since her debut 42 slams ago in 2005).

After going over two years without winning a title, and going through a series of coaches as if they were facial tissues during flu season, 2014 saw an AnaIvo reawakening of sorts. With her forehand in full flight, she knocked off Serena Williams in the Australian Open and reached just her second slam QF ('12 U.S.) since winning in Paris. She'd go on to win four titles (her most consistent season ever), end her five-year Top 10 drought and finished in the Top 5 for the first time since '08. Finally, AnaIvo was said to have gotten her groove back.

And then she changed coaches again mid-stream. And then did it again, adding to her "Who's Who" list of former employees. I mean, take a look (from Wikipedia) at the updated former and current roster:

Nikola Cetnik (1994–2001)
Dejan Vranes (2002–2004)
Eric van Harpen (2004–2005)
Zoltan Kuharszky (2005–2006)
David Taylor (2006–2007)
Sven Groeneveld (?–2009)
Craig Kardon (2009)
Heinz Günthardt (2010)
António van Grichen (2010–2011)
Nigel Sears (2011–2013)
Nemanja Kontic (2013–2014)
Dejan Petrovic (2014–2015)
Mats Merkel (2015-current... what time is it NOW?)

All right, so I added that last part myself. But you get the idea. When it comes to Ivanovic, pretty much everything is temporary, and nothing ever builds to something greater. It comes, then it goes. Then it returns again, only to be misplaced. Well, until the next time. For all the talk about which player on tour is the most talented WITHOUT a slam title to her credit, it goes without saying which active former slam champ should have more shiny trophies resting in a cabinet back home than she actually does.

AnaIvo was a slam "lady-in-waiting" before she grabbed her first title. Ever since then, well, we've all been lounging around in the Ivanovic Waiting Room for nearly a decade.

Before her QF run in Paris this week, Ivanovic had failed to back up her recently-resurgent regular tour success with anything similar on the slam stage. She'd gone out, in order, in the 3rd, 3rd, 2nd and 1st Rounds of her last four majors. And, naturally, while she's now won four matches in Paris, she still sports an 11-9 non-slam record in tour-level events in 2015. One hands never seems to work in tandem with the other. And it says a great deal about how much the Serb is capable of when you consider she's still had a pretty good career even while operating at something far below capacity.

Ivanovic has never seemed too troubled by her inconsistency and/or underachievement, though. After all, it was her great success that made things so uncomfortable in the first place, so there's always been some reason to wonder if some small part of her doesn't want to go back "there." It didn't fit her personality well, and she's managed to continue to be an off-court moneymaker even while her on-court results haven't ever lived up to her early accomplishments. So, at that point, it goes back to the question of how much she really wants to reach her potential on a tennis court. Many times over the past few seasons, slam draws have seemingly presented her with a huge opportunity, only to see AnaIvo fall by the wayside immediately after a big win rather than rise to the occasion in the second week of a major and, in the time-honored sports cliche, "take it home." Deep down, is some internal battle about whether or not she really wants that sort of success again at the heart of her oddly mysterious career?

"All generalizations are false, including this one."
- Mark Twain


Well, either way, another of those opportunities has landed in her lap in Paris. Right where it all began. So maybe we'll soon find out. The mysterious Serb wasn't being talked about in any corners as a possible winner of this year's Roland Garros title a week ago, but no one would have questioned her ABILITY to win it. There's a disconnect there that begs to be explained... and it's existed for full seven years. But maybe it never really will.



But, still, it's intriguing to wonder if maybe it'll all work out this time. Maybe this time Ivanovic really IS in a place where her desire to reclaim her place in the mix at the top of the women's game, after so many years of seasoning, finally outweighs whatever else it's been that has intermittently inspired her, only to soon after become something that no longer interests her.

"A (wo)man cannot be comfortable without (her) own approval." - Mark Twain


What exactly does Ana want? Who knows. The bigger question might be whether or not she does.

Maybe Paris, eventually, will provide a little clarity.



=DAY 8 NOTES=
...seven years after a 20-year old AnaIvo went on to win Roland Garros and become the first woman representing Serbia to reach #1, today 20-year old Elina Svitolina overcame herself, her dramatic (and a little pugnacious) French opponent and the prospect of the Chatrier court crowd becoming a major factor in a possible 3rd set to advance to her first slam QF and surpass countrywoman Alona Bondarenko's career-best mark to become the highest-ranked Ukrainian woman in tour history. She's assured of at least being #16 when this tournament is complete. But she could still climb higher... no matter if she IS 0-6 in her career against Final 8 opponent Ivanovic.



As Svitolina faced off with Alize Cornet, who was looking to be the first Pastry to reach the QF in Paris since Marion Bartoli in 2011 (and for the first time in her own slam career), it looked as if Svitolina was going to have a short day's work. But, remember, she was playing Cornet... so it was never going to be THAT easy.

The #19-seeded Ukrainian won the first five games of the match and led the #29-seeded Frenchwoman 6-2/4-2. She got her first opportunity to serve out the match at 5-4. But even with an animated Cornet pausing between points to gasp for air in the back of the court, she couldn't do it. Stopping a rally during a break point on Cornet's serve and asking for chair umpire Allison Hughes (formerly Lang) to check the mark on the baseline, Svitolina got another chance to serve for the match at 6-5 when the ball was ruled out.

During the changeover, Cornet walked all the way across court and looked at the mark (which replays, though not 100% accurate on clay -- showed to indeed be out, missing by a distance outside the supposed margin of error of the technology), then assailed Hughes about the ruling. Svitolina quickly went up 30/love in game #12 as a desperate Cornet seemed to be spinning all over the court, parts of her ready to fly off, cartoon-like, in all directions at any moment. But, again, she couldn't put the match away, as the fifth straight break of serve in the set sent things to a tie-break, giving Cornet a chance to add a third win this week in which she came back from dropping the opening set.

If she could just push things to that deciding set, the Chatrier crowd and the atmosphere would surely heavily favor Cornet.

But, again, Svitolina pulled ahead 6-3, serving two at triple match point. Cornet saved the first with a crosscourt backhand winner, then the Ukrainian committed an error on a low forehand attempt at the net on the second before firing a backhand long on the third. She got a fourth MP after a forehand put-away, but then followed up by sailing another shot long. When Cornet's drop shot came up short of the net, Svitolina had her fifth chance. Cornet fired a return off a 74-mph 1st serve from Svitolina. It barely caught the baseline, but Cornet was able to follow it up with a put-away winner to stay alive once again.

But it wasn't meant to be. Maybe for all our sanity? Well, maybe not. But, still.

Svitolina followed a backhand into the net to set up a backhand volley winner to reach her sixth MP. Moments later, Cornet finally ended a long rally by sending a ball beyond the baseline. Svitolina won 6-2/7-6(9), with the 2nd set alone taking 1:19 to complete.

So, a Cinderella-on-Acid run by Cornet to the Roland Garros title is not going to happen over the next week. I mean... could you imagine?

The story here now becomes Svitolina, who looked THIS CLOSE to something big coming into Paris and has managed to live up to those possibilities to this point. And, really, she should get extra credit ranking points for having to do it against the dual force of personality that comes along with facing BOTH Yulia Putintseva (2nd Rd.) and Cornet along the way.

"A (wo)man who carries a cat by the tail learns something (s)he can learn in no other way." - Mark Twain


But can she go even deeper into the draw? Sure, she's 0-6 vs. Ivanovic, including a 6-3/6-4 loss in Madrid a few weeks ago. But, make no mistake, AnaIvo is going to know those numbers, as well. So she'll be EXPECTED to win.

Uh-oh.

...as we've moved along in this slam, the original "RG15 Contenders" club has been pared down by two-thirds. There are a few familiar faces still standing, as three of the eventual four semifinalists might still be clearly visible on the 12-woman lineup card with which we began this Roland Garros (though AnaIvo and Svitolina aren't among them). But, of course, that could still all change tomorrow.



...the junior action began on Day 8. Wild card Pastry Margot Yerolymos knocked off girls #2 seed Xu Shilin (CHN) 4-6/6-2/7-5, coming back from a 5-2 3rd set deficit and saving a match point.

Other winners included #8 Brit Katie Swan (def. Michaela Gordon), Aliona Bolsova (who double-bageled Sara Tomic), #16 Anna Kalinskaya (def. Canadian qualifier Bianca Andreescu), #3 Katerina Stewart (unless the USTA successfully lobbies the tournament to only count one of the sets she won, of course) and Canada's Katherine Sebov.

There was also a big near-upset...




And there still could be tomorrow. Bannerette Raveena Kingsley took the 1st set off #1-seeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova but couldn't close out the match before things were shut down due to darkness with the Maiden leading 4-1 in the 2nd. The top-ranked 15-year old lefty came into Paris having just swept the singles and doubles at a $10K pro challenger, as well as at a Grade A junior tournament in Milan.



...in doubles, Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza advanced to the QF, taking out the makeshift (or so it still feels) team of Knapp/Vinci, as the world's #1 Indian tennis star continues to hunt her first career slam women's doubles crown. Dellacqua/Shvedova handled Garcia/Srebotnik 1 & 1, while Hlavackova/Hradecka and Soler-Espinosa/Torro-Flor also advanced.

In mixed, An.Rodionova/Qureshi took out Mladenovic/Nestor, while Kiki's doubles parter -- Timea Babos -- is still alive in the draw with Alexander Peya. With all the mixed QF set (and half the women's doubles Final 8 duos), Rodionova joins Lucie Hradecka and Bethanie Mattek-Sands as the only women still alive for a potential sweep of both titles.

...in Week 21 action away from Paris, 21-year old Thai Luksika Kumkhum won the $50K Xuzhou challenger, defeating Taiwan's Chang Kai-Chen in the final. Kumkhum made quite the most of last year, opening 2014 by upsetting Petra Kvitova at the U.S. Open and finishing in the Top 100. But she came into last week sporting a 5-10 record for '15, including a loss in the opening round of AO qualifying in her return trip to Melbourne. Her title is the twelfth of her career, but her first since 2013.

Meanwhile, 17-year old German Katharina Hobgarski, the #8 seed, won the junior Grade A Astrid Bowl in Belgium, defeating Hordette Elena Rybakina in the final.

Also of note, the biggest story in the RG junior qualifying rounds was probably Aussie Priscilla Hon making it through to the main draw after coming back from a set down twice to pull off three-set upsets of the #10 and #1 (Rebeka Masarova/SUI) seeds. Today she won her 1st Round match, as well.

...LIKE FROM DAY 8: The devil's in the details.



...Never-be-TOO-overconfident-about-an-opinion FROM DAY 8: Umm, actually, by all accounts, it looked like it didn't, Alize.



But, then again...

"The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane." - Mark Twain


[ Ha! I didn't think I'd find a spot to use that one during this tournament. But, viola! ]

...DAY 8 TIME CAPSULE: Elina Svitolina, the 2010 Roland Garros girls champ (singles and doubles)



...LIKE FROM DAY 8: Dinara still being Dinara.



...LIKE FROM DAY 8: Tessah Andrianjafitrimo lives to fight another day in the junior singles! The fitfully-named (because she'll give commentators fits) defeated China's Ma Shuyue today, and will next face Charlotte Robillard-Millette. Well, it was likely only good while it lasted.



...and, finally, light a candle overnight.


Monday is "Justine Henin Day."






=WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Serena Williams/USA vs. Sloane Stephens/USA
#17 Sara Errani/ITA vs. Julia Goerges/GER
#4 Petra Kvitova/CZE vs. #23 Timea Bacsinszky/SUI
Andreea Mitu/ROU vs. Alison Van Uytvanck/BEL
#7 Ana Ivanovic/SRB def. #9 Ekaterina Makarova/RUS
#19 Elina Svitolina/UKR def. #29 Alize Cornet/FRA
#28 Flavia Pennetta/ITA vs. #21 Garbine Muguruza/ESP
#13 Lucie Safarova/CZE vs. #2 Maria Sharapova/RUS

=MEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Novak Djokovic/SRB vs. #20 Richard Gasquet/FRA
Jack Sock/USA vs. #6 Rafael Nadal/ESP
#3 Andy Murray/GBR vs. Jeremy Chardy/FRA
#9 Marin Cilic/CRO vs. #7 David Ferrer/ESP
#5 Kei Nishikori/JPN def. Teymuraz Gabashvili/RUS
#14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/FRA def. #4 Tomas Berdych/CZE
#8 Stan Wawrinka/SUI def. #12 Gilles Simon/FRA
#13 Gael Monfils/FRA vs. #2 Roger Federer/SUI

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Hingis/Mirza (SUI/IND) def. #14 Knapp/Vinci (ITA/ITA)
Bencic/Siniakova (SUI/CZE) vs. #7 Mattek-Sands/Safarova (USA/CZE)
#4 S-W.Hsieh/Pennetta (TPE/ITA) vs. Husarova/Kania (SVK/POL)
#9 Hlavackova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE) def. HC.Chan/Medina-Garrigues (TPE/ESP)
#12 Dellacqua/Shvedova (AUS/KAZ) def. #8 Garcia/Srebotnik (FRA/SLO)
#13 Krajicek/Strycova (NED/CZE) vs. Hantuchova/Stosur (SVK/AUS)
Soler-Espinosa/Torro-Flor (ESP/ESP) def. #11 YJ.Chan/J.Zheng (TPE/CHN)
#15 Rodionova/Rodionova (AUS/AUS) vs. #2 Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS)

=MEN'S DOUBLES QF=
#1 Bryan/Bryan (USA/USA) vs. #7 Matkowski/Zimonjic (POL/SRB)
Albot/Rosol (MDA/CZE) vs. #6 Bolelli/Fognini (ITA/ITA)
#8 Peya/Soares (AUT/BRA) vs. #3 Dodig/Melo (CRO/BRA)
#5 Rojer/Tecau (NED/ROU vs. #2 Pospisil/Sock (CAN/USA)

=MIXED DOUBLES QF=
YJ.Chan/Peers (TPE/AUS) vs. J.Zheng/Kontinen (CHN/FIN)
Hradecka/Matkowski (CZE/POL) vs. #7 Babos/Peya (HUN/AUT)
Srebotnik/Tecau (SLO/ROU) vs. Martinez-Sanchez/Lindstedt (ESP/SWE)
An.Rodionova/Qureshi (AUS/PAK) vs. #2 Mattek-Sands/M.Bryan (USA/USA)









Someone has been digging into the old home videos again.




Do the stanky leg ??

A video posted by Daria Gavrilova (@daria_gav) on




*RG "COMEBACK PLAYER" WINNERS*
2007 Patty Schnyder, SUI
2008 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2009 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2010 Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN
2011 Casey Dellacqua, AUS
2012 Yaroslava Shvedova, KAZ
2013 Jelena Jankovic, SRB
2014 Andrea Petkovic, GER
2015 Ana Ivanovic, SRB

*RECENT BEST AMERICAN WOMEN'S SLAM RESULTS*
=2011=
AO: Venus Williams (3rd)
RG: Vania King & Bethanie Mattek-Sands (3rd)
WI: Serena Williams (4th)
US: Serena Williams (RU)
=2012=
AO: Serena Williams (4th)
RG: Sloane Stephens (4th) & Varvara Lepchenko (4th)
WI: Serena Williams (W)
US: Serena Williams (W)
=2013=
AO: Sloane Stephens (SF)
RG: Serena Williams (W)
WI: Sloane Stephens (QF)
US: Serena Williams (W)
=2014=
AO: Sloane Stephens & Serena Williams (4th)
RG: Sloane Stephens (4th)
WI: L.Davis, M.Keys, A.Riske, S.Williams, V.Williams (3rd)
US: Serena Williams (W)
=2015=
AO: Serena Williams (W)
RG: Serena Williams vs. Sloane Stephens winner

*FIFTY SLAM WINS AT EVERY SLAM - OPEN ERA*
[AO-RG-WI-US]
Roger Federer [75-67-73-72]
Serena Williams [68-50-72-79]
[and in case you were wondering...]
Steffi Graf [47-84-74-73]
Andre Agassi [48-51-46-79]
[and still watching...]
Novak Djokovic [50-45-45-50]
Rafael Nadal [45-69-39-41]
Maria Sharapova [48-53-42-32]
Venus Williams [45-42-73-64]





TOP QUALIFIER:Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#11 Angelique Kerber/GER
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Wang Yafan/CHN d. #15 Richel Hogenkamp/NED 2-6/7-6(7)/8-6 (saved 4 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - Francesca Schiavone/ITA d. #18 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS 6-7(11)/7-5/10-8 (3:49; saved MP; third-longest RG match)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:(Q) Teliana Pereira/BRA (def. WC Ferro/FRA)
FIRST SEED OUT:#31 Caroline Garcia/FRA (lost 1st Rd. to Vekic/CRO)
UPSET QUEENS:The Croats
REVELATION LADIES:The New Australians
NATION OF POOR SOULS:United States (most players in draw w/ 17, but tied for 4th w/ just 4 1st Round winners)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Lourdes Dominguez-Lino/ESP, Paula Kania/POL, Sesil Karatantcheva/BUL, Teliana Pereira/BRA (2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Virginie Razzano/FRA & Amandine Hesse/FRA (2nd Rd.)
LAST PASTRY STANDING:Alize Cornet (4th Rd.)
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: Nominees: Svitolina/UKR, Muguruza/ESP, Van Uytvanck/BEL, Goerges/GER, Bacsinszky/SUI, Stephens/USA
IT "??":(Swarmette) Andreea Mitu/ROU (last Romanian standing)
COMEBACK PLAYER:#7 Ana Ivanovic/SRB (1st RG QF since '08 title)
CRASH & BURN:#2 Simona Halep/ROU (lost 2r to Lucic-Baroni/CRO)
ZOMBIE QUEEN:#19 Elina Svitolina/UKR (2nd Rd. vs. Putintseva - down 6-1/3-0, then 4-1 in 3rd; won 9-7 deciding set)
JOIE DE VIVRE:Francesca Schiavone/ITA
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: Hingis/Mirza (SUI/IND), Mattek-Sands/USA, Hradecka/CZE, An.Rodionova/AUS
KIMIKO DATE-KRUMM VETERAN CUP (KDK CUP): Nominees: Date-Krumm/Schiavone (78-year old doubles duo), S.Williams/USA, Pennetta/ITA
RUSSIAN REVOLUTION SLAM UPDATE:Hordettes have reached the Round of 16 at 58 of 59 slams
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx



* - a nod to Mark Twain's The Mysterious Stranger (1916)

...born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910). American author, lecturer and humorist. Writer of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Twain's writing and large personality made him a public figure and, ultimately, an American icon. A renowned traveler, Twain entertained fans around the world with his opinionated wit.





All for Day 8. More tomorrow.
↧

RG.9- Queen Justine's Jubilee *

June 1, 2015, 1:50 pm
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With the power vested by the spirit of La Petit Taureau, on June 1st, 2014 it was thus decreed that "Justine Henin Day" would be annually celebrated in this space, on this date. As it was on this very day in 1982 that a girl was born in Liege, Belgium.

Eventually, it would be understood why the Tennis Gods were said to be in a particularly good mood that day.

Backspin thanks Them for Their singular gift, and fondly remembers.



Here's last year's puzzle version of the Justine Henin Day collage, as well.

Of course, there's a (slightly altered to fit the occasion) Twain quote that fits rather nicely into any tribute to the diminutive former champ...

"It's not the size of the (Waffle) in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the (Waffle)." - Mark Twain





One additional JH Day honor comes up later.




=DAY 9 NOTES=
...Monday began with the two women's Round of 16 matches cancelled on Sunday being first up on the show courts. What immediately occurred wasn't the only exit of a big name on this day, but it was the biggest.

"If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first." - Mark Twain


In that opening match, 2014 Roland Garros defending champion Maria Sharapova finally fell prey to the lingering injury and battle with a cold that hampered her tune-up for and health during this event. Still, the #2 seed might have managed to find a way to advance, as she did after dropping the 1st set so many times en route to the title a year ago, had she played a player who wasn't in quite the fine form that #13 Lucie Safarova was today. But the Czech was having none of that, as she continued her late-blooming slam success that has now garnered her a second slam QF (w/ Wimbledon semi) in the past year, after having reached just one from 2005-13.



Safarova hadn't beaten Sharapova since 2010 (their first meeting), but she never betrayed any lack of confidence against the Russian. That their last three match-ups had gone to three sets and were battles all the way to the final moments probably had something to do with that. After losing an early break lead in the 1st set, the Czech dominated Sharapova in the eventual tie-break. She took a 6-1 lead and won it 7-3, handing the Russian her first loss of a set at this tournament. In the 2nd, a Sharapova double-fault gave Safarova a 2-0 lead. Sharapova broke to get back on serve in game #5, and the stage seemed to be set for another of her patented comeback wins.

If Sharapova could get to a 3rd set, she'd likely have been the favorite to pull away, as that's generally how things go. But it didn't happen. Sharapova was never really able to penetrate Safarova's game to get any sort of advantage, and with the Czech's forehand forever blasting and her heart and mind not bending in the face of the moment the final moments of the 2nd were key. Right at the moment when Sharapova had to take charge, Safarova easily held at love to take a 5-4 lead. A game later, Sharapova held a game point on serve, but Safarova got things to deuce.

After missing on an up-the-T ace attempt while Safarova was camped out to receive serve in the doubles alley, Sharapova double-faulted to hand the Czech a match point. The Russian's scrambling defense helped win a rally that saved it, but Safarova got another chance after taking a point with one final shot after Sharapova had seemingly been in control the entire rally. On her second MP, Safarova cracked a clean forehand winner to take the match 7-6(3)/6-4. With the victory, Safarova will now climb into the Top 10, becoming the seventh Czech in WTA history to do so.





Meanwhile, Sharapova's RG record falls to 23-2 since 2012 (28-3 since '11), while her ranking will slip from #2 to #4. Petra Kvitova will move up to #2, while Simona Halep remains sandwiched between them at #3.



...Safarova will next face #21 Garbine Muguruza in the QF, as the big-hitting Spaniard has once again flashed on the Roland Garros stage. A year ago, she upset Serena Williams and also reached the final eight.



Muguruza staged comebacks against #28 Flavia Pennetta in both sets of her 6-3/6-4 victory. The Italian vet led 2-0 in the 1st before the Spaniard turned things around and overpowered her en route to winning the set, then she overcame 3-0 and 4-1 deficits in the 2nd. She outpaced Pennetta 30-15 in winners over the match's nineteen games.



...after Sharapova's exit, #1 Serena Williams nearly followed her out the door at the hands of Sloane Stephens, still the only American younger than Williams to ever defeat her.

It took Williams more than a set to finally show up for the match. Playing one of her worst sets in memory in the 1st, she was broken to start the match, then again (via a DF) in game #5 as Stephens took at 4-1 lead. She was broken again two games later, wrapping up the set in twenty-five minutes as Stephens won it 6-1.

Serving down 2-3, 15/30 in the 2nd, Williams claimed a point after Stephens had scurried to all corners of the court to keep the rally alive. Serena let out a yell... and she was different after that. She held with an ace for 3-3, won five straight points and took a 30/love lead on the Stephens serve with a series of stinging groundstrokes. Stephens battled her well, using some big serves to her advantage, but Williams finally got the break on her fifth try to grab a 4-3 advantage.

Many players would have crumbled right there. Including, quite honestly, Stephens at times over the past two years. But the 22-year old Bannerette didn't do that here. She broke back, then held for 5-4. She got to within three points of the win in game #10, but then Williams had effectively had enough of this you-know-what. She held for 5-5, went up 40/love on Stephens' serve, broke her, then went up 40/love on her own serve as she served to even the match. She did, sending things to a 3rd, where Williams was 9-0 in 2015 and 49-20 in slams during her career.

Again, though, Stephens didn't just go away. She held to open the set, then had two BP chances on the Williams serve in game #2. Serena broke in game #5 to finally take her first lead in the match at 3-2, She held with an ace for a 4-2 lead, then had to fight off another BP opportunity for Stephens in a three-deuce game #8 to go up 5-3. A game later, Serena put the finishing touches on another display of her "Serenativity," breaking Stephens to win 1-6/7-5/6-3.

It's Williams' third straight match win in this event after dropping the 1st set. It's just the second time she's done that in her career, with the last time coming at the 1999 U.S. Open when, as a 17-year old, she defeated eventual Hall of Famers Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martinez and Monica Seles in back-to-back-to-back matches. And, umm, we know how that one ended. Hint: she'd only have 18 slam titles without it.



By the way, Serena followed up those wins in New York with two more victories over Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis en route to the title. That's five straight HOFers. To win her maiden slam. Yep, I guess we should have known what her career was going to be like even way back then.

Meanwhile, unlike with many of her losses, Stephens didn't leave the court with her head down. She had the slight trace of a skip in her step as she exited, as she knew she'd played well. In fact, her entire RG run was truly encouraging, as Nick Saviano has seemed to have found a way to foster progress in her game (she's trying to be more aggressive) and mindset this spring. Progress seems to be being made. Maybe the Future IS still possible.

Insisting that her inner "fire" never left her over the recent seasons, afterward Stephens spread her arms wide and said, "The flame is like this big."

...in the other 4th Round matches from Day 9, #17 Sara Errani defeated Julia Goerges 6-2/6-2 to advance to her fourth straight Roland Garros QF.



She'll next face Serena Williams. It COULD be ugly. But, remember, she took Serena to the limit in Fed Cup on clay in April, serving for a straight sets win before (shocking, I know) Williams staged a comeback and won. Later in the day, Errani was part of the doubles team that destroyed Serena & Alison Riske, handing her her only career FC loss as Italy knocked off the U.S. squad in another of Captain Mary Joe Fernandez's poorly-planned weekends. Of course, Williams likely remembers that day, as well.

...in a battle of two players ranked outside the Top 90 who had a combined one career slam MD victory before this Roland Garros, #93 Alison Van Uytvanck quickly jumped on #100 Andreea Mitu, leading 5-0 sixteen minutes into the match. The Swarmette eventually settled down a bit, but the Waffle won 6-1/6-3.



Van Uytvanck, who'll rise into the Top 50 with this result, is the first Belgian to reach the QF in Paris since, well, you know.

In the day's final Round of 16, we had another of those "Oh, Petra" moments we've come to know and not particularly love.

#4 (and now #2-ranked) Kvitova's match with #23 Timea Bacsinszky surely wasn't a fait accompli win for the Czech, but if she managed to avoid one or more of her unforced error-strewn stretches the thought was that she's probably win and maintain at least a small part of "form" for the non-Serena corners of what's left of the RG draw. It worked out that way for about a set. But that was about all.

Playing clean tennis, Kvitova took the 1st set at 6-2 while keeping her errors to a minimum, as they might prove to be a very difficult and sharp thorn to remove from her day should she allow the scrambling, inventive and dogged Swiss woman to find her groove and force the Czech into playing longer points.

That all changed in the 2nd set. After having just nine unforced errors in the 1st, Kvitova had fifteen and seventeen, respectively, in the 2nd and 3rd sets. Shocking no one who is used to watching Kvitova's career, the Czech won ZERO games in the 2nd set. As one shook one's head at her sudden slide, one also figured that she might still clean things up in the final set and move forward, though. But who is this "one" I'm talking about, anyway? It surely wasn't Petra.



In the 3rd, as Bacsinzky remained steady, the battle between Good Petra and Bad Petra carried on on the other side of the net. Kvitova fell behind 15/40 in game #1, but held. She saved five break points in her first three service games in the set, but the Swiss woman converted the sixth. Kvitova got the break back a game later, then gave it away again the game after that. Serving up 4-3, Bacsinszky held at love and it was all over but the I-can't-believe-I-get-to-do-this-for-a-living tears of joy welling up in the "Queen of Mexico's" eyes.



Bacsinszky served out the match, winning 2-6/6-0/6-3 to reach her first career slam QF just two years after she'd essentially decided to give up the sport. Now, she's a Top 20 player who'll next play the world #93 for a shot in a grand slam semifinal.

"Why shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense." - Mark Twain



...in doubles, the win by Australian Open champs Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Safarova sets up a QF clash with the world's #1-ranked Dream Team, Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza.



With 4th Round losses by Pennetta, Ekatarina Makarova and Jack Sock, Safarova is the only player -- male or female -- alive in Paris in both singles & doubles. Pennetta & Hsieh Su-Wei won today and will face Hlavackova/Hradecka, while Makarova (w/ Elena Vesnina) also advanced with a win over the Rodionovas. Sock is alive in the men's doubles with Vacek Pospisil, as the North Americans -- unless the American's burgeoning singles career limits his participation -- look primed to inherit the Bryan twins' throne as the best (and maybe dominant) doubles team in the world.

In mixed, Zheng Jie (w/ Henri Kontinen) defeated doubles partner Chan Yung-Jan (w/ John Peers) in the QF.

...in junior action, #1-seeded Marketa Vondrousova used the overnight break from her Sunday match with Raveena Kingsley to totally collect herself. After dropping the 1st set yesterday, the Czech Maiden led 4-1 in the 2nd before the match called late in the evening. She came back today and won eight of eleven games to advance with a 5-7/6-3/6-1 victory.

So I didn't "Kuznetsova Curse" Vondrousova by picking her to win the title. Well, unless I just did, of course.

Elsewhere, Pastry Fiona Ferro knocked off AO girls champ Tereza Mihalikova (the Slovak was the #10 seed), while Bannerette CiCi Bellis defeated Waffle Greet Minnen (AO girls semifinalist), Junior Swiss Miss Jil Teichmann defeated #9-seeded Swarmette Gabriela Ruse, while Tamara Zidansek (SLO) took out #11 Sonya Kenin of the U.S..

In 2nd Round action, American Caroline Dolehide defeated Margot Yerolymos of France. The Pastry had saved MP and defeated #2 seed Xu Shilin on Sunday. Also, #8 Brit Katie Swann (the AO Jr. RU) eliminated Canadian Katherine Sebov.


...LIKE FROM DAY 9: See!



...(CLEARS THROAT) FROM DAY 9:



...TOO-MUCH-TIME-ON-THEIR-HANDS? FROM DAY 9:



...LIKE FROM DAY 9: Timi being Timi.



..."HMMMM..." FROM DAY 9:Kiss of death?



"I know it'll be you, Serena. Psst... please promise me you'll play Fed Cup next year."




And, anyway, isn't EVERY tournament that Serena enters "hers to lose?" I mean, you know, until she actually loses. If she's anything close to the version of herself that we've know for upwards of most of the last sixteen years, she generally wins.

...FOOTNOTE* FROM DAY 9:



* - and then get married, retire, have a baby and then stage a comeback without all the pressure and have the best stretch of your career. ;)

...JANA NOVOTNA SIGHTING FROM DAY 9: And Martina & Arantxa, too, of course.



..."GARBI ♥ RG" FROM DAY 9:



...NOTE FROM DAY 9: Rafa knows Jack.



...LA TRUFFLETTE RETURNS!!! FROM DAY 9: Well, sort of.




...and, finally...

[with honor and amends to Charles M. Schulz]

=Linus Speech on The True Meaning of Justine Henin Day=

Charlie Brown: Isn’t there anyone, who knows what Justine Henin Day is all about?!
Linus: Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Justine Henin Day is all about. Lights please?

And there were on the Roland Garros grounds ball kids, abiding in the corners of the court, keeping watch over their stock by night. And, lo, the Tennis Gods came upon them, and Their glory shone round about them! And they were sore afraid. And the Tennis Gods said unto them, “Fear not! For, behold, We bring you tidings o great joy, which shall be to all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of Liege a Savior, which is Justine, La Petit Taureau. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the Belgian babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in an empty racket bag.” And suddenly, there was with the Tennis Gods a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising Justine, and saying, “Glory to LPT in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and good will toward Kim.

That’s what Justine Henin Day is all about, Charlie Brown.



Happy 33rd birthday, Justine. From Backspin and beyond.




=WOMEN'S SINGLES QF=
#1 Serena Williams/USA vs. #17 Sara Errani/ITA
#23 Timea Bacsinszky/SUI vs. Alison Van Uytvanck/BEL
#7 Ana Ivanovic/SRB vs. #19 Elina Svitolina/UKR
#21 Garbine Muguruza/ESP vs. #13 Lucie Safarova/CZE

=MEN'S SINGLES QF=
#1 Novak Djokovic/SRB vs. #6 Rafael Nadal/ESP
#3 Andy Murray/GBR vs. #7 David Ferrer/ESP
#5 Kei Nishikori/JPN vs. #14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/FRA
#8 Stan Wawrinka/SUI vs. #2 Roger Federer/SUI

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES QF=
#1 Hingis/Mirza (SUI/IND) vs. #7 Mattek-Sands/Safarova (USA/CZE)
#4 S-W.Hsieh/Pennetta (TPE/ITA) vs. #9 Hlavackova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE)
#12 Dellacqua/Shvedova (AUS/KAZ) vs. #13 Krajicek/Strycova (NED/CZE)
Soler-Espinosa/Torro-Flor (ESP/ESP) vs. #2 Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS)

=MEN'S DOUBLES QF=
#1 Bryan/Bryan (USA/USA) vs. #7 Matkowski/Zimonjic (POL/SRB)
#6 Bolelli/Fognini (ITA/ITA) def. Albot/Rosol (MDA/CZE)
#3 Dodig/Melo (CRO/BRA) def. #8 Peya/Soares (AUT/BRA)
#5 Rojer/Tecau (NED/ROU vs. #2 Pospisil/Sock (CAN/USA)

=MIXED DOUBLES QF=
J.Zheng/Kontinen (CHN/FIN) def. YJ.Chan/Peers (TPE/AUS)
Hradecka/Matkowski (CZE/POL) vs. #7 Babos/Peya (HUN/AUT)
Srebotnik/Tecau (SLO/ROU) def. Martinez-Sanchez/Lindstedt (ESP/SWE)
An.Rodionova/Qureshi (AUS/PAK) vs. #2 Mattek-Sands/M.Bryan (USA/USA)












??????

A photo posted by Daria Gavrilova (@daria_gav) on




*2015 ROLAND GARROS WOMEN'S FINAL 8*
[by career slam QF]
40...Serena Williams, USA
8...Ana Ivanovic, SRB
7...Sara Errani, ITA
3...Lucie Safarova, CZE
2...Garbine Muguruza, ESP
1...Timea Bacsinszky, SUI
1...Elina Svitolina, UKR
1...Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL
[by career RG QF]
9...Serena Williams
4...Sara Errani
4...Ana Ivanovic
2...Garbine Muguruza
1...Timea Bacsinszky
1...Lucie Safarova
1...Elina Svitolina
1...Alison Van Van Uytvanck
[w/ consecutive slam QF]
3...Serena Williams
[w/ consecutive RG QF]
4...Sara Errani
2...Garbine Muguruza
[2015 slam QF - unseeded]
AO - Madison Keys, USA
RG - Timea Bacsinszky, SUI
RG - Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL
[2015 1st-time GS QF]
AO - Madison Keys, USA
RG - Timea Bacsinszky, SUI
RG - Elina Svitolina, UKR
RG - Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL
[2015 slam QF]
2 - Serena Williams, USA
[2015 slam QF - by nation]
4...USA
2...RUS
1...BEL,CAN,CZE,ESP,ITA,ROU,SRB,SUI,SVK,UKR
[WTA career slam QF - active]
40...SERENA WILLIAMS, USA
34...Venus Williams, USA
22...Maria Sharapova, RUS
15...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
13...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
10...Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
9...Nadia Petrova, RUS
8...ANA IVANOVIC, SRB
8...Jelena Jankovc, SRB
8...Petra Kvitova, CZE
[WTA slam QF - 2010-15]
12...SERENA WILLIAMS, USA
11...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
9...Maria Sharapova, RUS
8...Petra Kvitova, CZE
8...Li Na, CHN (ret.)
7...Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
6...Sara Errani, ITA
6...Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
6...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
5...Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
5...Samantha Stosur, AUS

*LOWEST-SEEDED WOMAN IN RG SF, since 2000*
Unseeded - 2002 Clarisa Fernandez, ARG
Unseeded - 2003 Nadia Petrova, RUS
[ Unseeded - Van Uytvanck??? ] *
#30 2009 Samantha Stosur, AUS
#28 2014 Andrea Petkovic, GER
[ #23 - Bacsinszky??? ] *
[ #21 - Muguruza??? ] *
#21 2005 Mary Pierce, FRA (RU)
#21 2012 Sara Errani, ITA (RU)
#20 2009 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
[ #19 - Svitolina??? ] *
#18 2014 Genie Bouchard, CAN
#17 2010 Francesca Schiavone, ITA (W)
[ #17 - Errani??? ] *
#16 2005 Elena Likhovtseva, RUS
#16 2006 Nicole Vaidisova, CZE
==
* - in 2015 RG QF

**WTA "CAREER QF SLAM" - active**
[with slam at which completed]
Azarenka - 2012 US (28th)
Cibulkova - 2014 AO (26th)
Date-Krumm - 1995 WI (23rd)
Ivanovic - 2012 US (32nd)
Kuznetsova - 2006 RG (16th)
Petrova - 2006 AO (24th)
Schiavone - 2011 AO (42nd)
Sharapova - 2005 US (12th)
S.Williams - 2001 RG (12th)
V.Williams - 1998 WI (6th)
Zvonareva - 2010 US (31st)

**ALL-TIME WTA SLAM QF**
54 - Chris Evert
53 - Martina Navratilova
42 - Steffi Graf
40 - Serena Williams #
34 - Arantxa Sanchez
34 - Venus Williams #
31 - Lindsay Davenport
31 - Monica Seles
29 - Billie Jean King
--
#-active

*ACTIVE PLAYERS WITH ONE CAREER SLAM QF*
Timea Bacsinszky, SUI (2015 RG)
Belinda Bencic, SUI
Sorana Cirstea, ROU
Kirsten Flipkens, BEL
Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER
Madison Keys, USA (2015 AO)
Michaella Krajicek, NED
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, CRO
Melanie Oudin, USA
Peng Shuai, CHN
Alexandra Stevenson, USA
Barbora Strycova, CZE
Elina Svitolina, UKR (2015 RG)
Tamarine Tanasugarn, THA
Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL (2015 RG)
Yanina Wickmayer, BEL

*UNSEEDED/WC/Q in SLAM QF SINCE 32-SEED DRAW*
[began w/ 2001 Wimbledon]
01 US - Bedanova
02 AO - Ad.Serra-Zanetti
02 RG - Pierce,C.Fernandez,Suarez
02 WI - Likhovtseva
02 US - Bovina
03 AO - Shaughnessy,Ruano-Pascual
03 RG - Pierce
04 WI - Sprem
04 US - Asagoe
05 RG - Karatantcheva
06 AO - Hingis(wc)
06 WI - Bremond(q)
07 AO - S.Williams[W],Safarova
07 US - Szavay
08 RG - Kanepi,Suarez-Navarro(q)
08 WI - Zheng(wc),Tanasugarn
09 AO - Dokic(wc),Suarez-Navarro
09 RG - Sharapova,Cirstea
09 WI - Lisicki,Schiavone
09 US - Wickmayer,K.Bondarenko,Oudin,Clijsters(wc)[W]
10 AO - Henin(wc)[RU]
10 RG - Shvedova
10 WI - Kvitova,Kanepi(q),Pironkova
10 US - Cibulkova
11 WI - Lisicki(wc),Paszek
11 US - Kerber
12 AO - Makarova,Errani
12 RG - Shvedova(q)
12 WI - Paszek
13 AO - Kuznetsova
13 RG - Kuznetsova
13 WI - Kanepi
13 US - Hantuchova
13 US - Pennetta
14 RG - Muguruza
14 WI - Zahlavova-Strycova
14 US - Bencic
14 US - Peng
15 AO - Keys
15 RG - Van Uytvanck

*RG "MADEMOISELLE OPPORTUNITY" WINNERS*
2004 Anastasia Myskina, RUS & Elena Dementieva, RUS
2005 Mary Pierce, FRA
2006 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2007 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2009 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2010 Francesca Schiavone, ITA
2011 Francesca Schiavone, ITA & Li Na, CHN
2012 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2013 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2014 Simona Halep, ROU
2015 Timea Bacsinszky, SUI & Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL

*CZECHS IN WTA TOP 10*
[by year first reached Top 10]
1975 - Martina Navratilova
1980 - Hana Mandlikova
1984 - Helena Sukova
1989 - Jana Novotna
2006 - Nicole Vaidisova
2011 - Petra Kvitova
2015 - Lucie Safarova





TOP QUALIFIER:Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#11 Angelique Kerber/GER
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Wang Yafan/CHN d. #15 Richel Hogenkamp/NED 2-6/7-6(7)/8-6 (saved 4 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - Francesca Schiavone/ITA d. #18 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS 6-7(11)/7-5/10-8 (3:49; saved MP; third-longest RG match)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:(Q) Teliana Pereira/BRA (def. WC Ferro/FRA)
FIRST SEED OUT:#31 Caroline Garcia/FRA (lost 1st Rd. to Vekic/CRO)
UPSET QUEENS:The Croats
REVELATION LADIES:The New Australians
NATION OF POOR SOULS:United States (most players in draw w/ 17, but tied for 4th w/ just 4 1st Round winners)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Lourdes Dominguez-Lino/ESP, Paula Kania/POL, Sesil Karatantcheva/BUL, Teliana Pereira/BRA (2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Virginie Razzano/FRA & Amandine Hesse/FRA (2nd Rd.)
LAST PASTRY STANDING:Alize Cornet (4th Rd.)
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: Timea Bacsinszky/SUI & Alison Van Uytvanck/BEL (play for spot in first slam SF)
IT "??":(Swarmette) Andreea Mitu/ROU (last Romanian standing)
COMEBACK PLAYER:#7 Ana Ivanovic/SRB (1st RG QF since '08 title)
CRASH & BURN:#2 Simona Halep/ROU (lost 2r to Lucic-Baroni/CRO)
ZOMBIE QUEEN:#19 Elina Svitolina/UKR (2nd Rd. vs. Putintseva - down 6-1/3-0, then 4-1 in 3rd; won 9-7 deciding set)
JOIE DE VIVRE:Francesca Schiavone/ITA
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: Hingis/Mirza (SUI/IND), Mattek-Sands/USA, Hradecka/CZE, Srebotnik/SLO
KIMIKO DATE-KRUMM VETERAN CUP (KDK CUP): Nominees: Date-Krumm/Schiavone (78-year old doubles duo), S.Williams/USA, Pennetta/ITA, Safarova/CZE
RUSSIAN REVOLUTION SLAM UPDATE:Hordettes have reached the Round of 16 at 58 of 59 slams
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx



* - a nod to Mark Twain's reporting for the San Francisco Examiner on Queen Victoria's Jubilee (1897)

...born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910). American author, lecturer and humorist. Writer of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885). Twain's writing and large personality made him a public figure and, ultimately, an American icon. A renowned traveler, Twain entertained fans around the world with his opinionated wit.





All for Day 9. More tomorrow.
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