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W.6- Holy Hsieh!

July 7, 2018, 4:15 pm
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If one survives Hsieh Su-wei's traveling, death-defying roadshow of tennis Sudoku they'll likely end up better off for it. Today, though, Simona Halep did not. Survive, that is.



As has turned out to be the reality for so many top players at this Wimbledon, it just wasn't mean to be for the world #1. Granted, her game is not as proficient on grass as clay. The Romanian has talked about her less-than-perfect comfort level with her movement on the surface, even to the point of thinking during a point about when she'd slide if it was clay that was beneath her feet. Still, she'd managed to often look dominant in her first two rounds this week at SW19, winning while those around her were meeting with Triumph and Disaster and failing to treat those two impostors just the same.

That run ended today. Displaying what was her first truly scratchy form in her first event back since winning in Paris, the world #1 became ninth Top 10 women's seed to fall before the start of the second week of this upset-crazy Wimbledon. Of course, much of Halep's difficulties can largely be place at the feet of her opponent.



Hsieh plays a brannd of tennis that serves as something akin to a rite of passage that it'd be easy to believe that players should have to endure, no matter how much they might not want to. The game of the 32-year old from Taiwan is perfectly aligned to bedevil opponents, and generally must be solved before it can be moved on from. Some just aren't *able* to find a way. What happened today isn't even the first time we've seen this scenario play out at a major this year. In Melbourne, Hsieh badgered Garbine Muguruza into nearly four dozen errors in a 2nd Round win, then won an all-magician battle against Aga Radwanska in her next match. In the 4th Round, she went about twisting Angelique Kerber into a soft pretzel with her varied series of drop shots, slip-sliding forehand slices, hooks, flat change-of-direction winners down the line, angled brain-twisters, curling hand-cuffers, and, of course, her more "normal" corner-to-corner groundstrokes that served to leave the German perpetually out of position for most of two full sets. Kerber was bewitched, bothered and bewildered almost to the point of being on the brink of defeat. Almost. As a tiring Hsieh hit the physical wall in the 3rd, Kerber finally hit *her* stride and pulled away.

As difficult as it was, Angie found a way. That never happened for Halep.

Throughout, and especially when it mattered down the stretch of *today's* 3rd set, the slight Hsieh, who often looks like she's hardly working even while she's expertly running an opponent all over the court, was able to use her great shot anticipation to get to nearly everything Halep threw at her as she positioned herself perfectly during rallies and gave herself just enough extra time to perfectly time her step-in-and-change-direction shots as to leave the great defensive mover Halep flat-footed, unable to read the direction of the incoming ball quickly enough to prevent an appearing-out-of-thin-air winner, or get enough of her own racket on a retrieved ball to produce an *effective* response. Utilizing her double-handed shots to produce some Selesian angles around the court, Hsieh led Halep to be seen performing the same move that so many of her vanquished foes end up doing: suddenly going from being in the middle of an even rally to doing the old one-step-forward-and-then-head-down-turn-back-to-the-baseline move because they have *zero* chance to get to a ball they didn't think to anticipate going *there*.

Add to that Halep not giving a particularly pristine accounting of her own in-match problem-solving skills, and she was set up for a difficult day, win or lose. Her own form was off, and her serve wasn't up to par. She didn't significantly change up her approach as Hsieh's game became more and more effective, allowing herself to be lured into a series of cross court rallies that made her opponent's game plan even "easier" to implement. As a result, when she wasn't off balance or fooled so well that she couldn't even offer a stab at a defensive get, Halep often found herself racing in vain to chase down shots.

Still, though, a frustrated Halep didn't drive herself up an emotional wall, as she might have a few years ago. In fact, she almost won.

The Romanian took the 1st set 6-3 with a break of serve. Even after Hsieh had pushed things to a 3rd, Halep held a seemingly commanding lead (5-2) there, and served at 5-3. Hsieh's four-winner game allowed her to hold for 5-4 in the final set, but a game later Halep upped her aggression and took a 15/30 lead on Hsieh's serve, forcing an error and reaching MP.

Halep's worst mistake may have been to allow Hsieh back into a match she appeared to have on her racket in spite of everything. Having survived the test, she'd have moved on with relief, knowing she wouldn't have to face down trying to solve this particular puzzle again any time soon. But once she *didn't* end the match when she had the chance she was at the mercy of tennis fate, against an opponent whose style (and career of late) laughs at the very notion of such a thing.

After Halep didn't convert her MP, she never saw another. In fact, she didn't win another game.

Halep saved a GP in game #10, but then sailed a forehand to give Hsieh a second chance. She saved *it* at the net (though even then Hsieh's anticipation allowed her to get a significant part of her racket on the Romanian's smash). A netted forehand gave Hsieh a third GP, and a long Halep backhand allowed the veteran to hold for 5-5.

A game later, after falling down 15/30, Halep double-faulted on GP, was forced into an off-balance forehand error on #2, and fired a backhand long on #3. Hsieh converted a BP and served for the match at 6-5. She fell down 15/40, but then proceeded her pull Halep around the court as if she were on the end of a string. Side to side, up and back. Essentially, at times, the Romanian looked like a fidget spinner in all-white tennis gear. Every stroke was a scramble since she didn't really know where any were going, a situation made worse by the ever-present fear that Hsieh might just suddenly step in and pull off a hard down the line shot. The BP's squandered in game #11 left Halep just 7-of-23 on the day, 2-of-10 in the 3rd, and it was here that she paid for it.

A return error gave Hsieh a MP of her own, and another ended it. The 3-6/6-4/7-5 victory puts Hsieh into her third career slam Round of 16 (second this year), while Halep's exit is her earliest at Wimbledon since her 1st Round defeat in 2015.



This wasn't a case of Halep taking an impromptu hike back down the Peaks of Simona to take a gander over The Cliffs, then falling off yet again. While the Romanian didn't exactly *help* her cause, Hsieh would have likely been an Excedrin headache for whichever player might have been unlucky enough to face her today. When she's on her game, defeating her tends to leave her opponent looking like they've been wrestling with a gust of wind on a sunny day: sweaty, exhausted, stressed, and glad it's over.

There won't be another match on Manic Monday to make the memory of this one go away for Simona, though. Thankfully, Halep has a LOT of stored up good will and memories to draw upon from recent weeks as she prepares for the North American hard court season. Come late summer in New York, maybe she even won't have to face a former slam champ and world #1 in the 1st Round. Imagine that.

(Oh no, I guess I just jinxed her and this year she'll draw Vika in the 1st Round at Flushing Meadows, huh?)



For Hsieh, it's another fascinating turn in the spotlight. She seemed to enjoy signing autographs and taking photos after the match as much as the fans she'd been entertaining all afternoon in London enjoyed asking her for them. Her charming personality, injury past and near-decision not too long ago to give up singles and focus on her doubles (talk about a close call) adds yet another intriguing side story to the second week of a slam that already has quite a few going for it that don't even involve anyone named Serena.

Whew.

Seriously, this first week of the fortnight has been r-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s. So much so that you can't even describe it as "ridiculous," you have to pronounce it "RIDICKALUS" to give it its full due.





=DAY 6 NOTES=
...meanwhile, beware The Kasatkina, and make way for Latvian Thunder.

In one of the first matches up on Saturday's schedule, #14 Dasha Kasatkina became the third Russian to advance to the Round of 16 at this Wimbledon, doing so at her second straight major, and third of the last four.



But rarely has a scoreline or simple statement of fact been more of an understatement than simply saying that Kasatkina defeated #17 Ash Barty in straight sets.

While the just-the-facts approach still reveals something impressive on its surface, how the Hordette actually pulled off her 7-5/6-3 victory over the Aussie today says far more about *her*. Winning in two against a good grass court player such as Barty (a former Wimbledon junior champ who was 10-2 this summer on the surface heading into today, with a title in Nottingham) in two sets would be an impressive result at any time, but when one considers that she did it by erasing significant deficits in both of those sets it suddenly becomes a different, but just as important and very Kasatkina-esque, statement of intent as loud and clear as the way Ostapenko has come out trying to rip her opponents into bit-sized, 2017 Paris-flavored chunks the last few rounds.

Kasatkina has a tendency to play the long-game in matches, digging deep and often *going* deep in contests that become battles of attrition that often hurt her chances of carrying her momentum all the way to a title at the end of the week. Through it all, though, the Russian is a fighter. And she put that trait on display today. Barty led 4-1 in the 1st, winning 12 of 12 points on serve, and held a BP for a 5-1 lead. But the Aussie wasn't able to close out the Hordette, who surged back to get the set on serve at 5-5. She carved out a BP opportunity in game #11, secured the break and then served out a 7-5 set. Voila! Like magic, largely because she didn't concede *anything.*

The 2nd set played out in similar fashion, only on a slightly smaller scale. Barty had a BP for a 3-1 lead, but Kasatkina held for 2-2, then broke to take the lead. Barty finally turned around the flow of momentum to get the break back a game later, but as Kasatkina picked up steam down the stretch she couldn't keep up. The Russian broke Barty's serve in two of the final three games of the 2nd set, winning it 6-3, finishing on an eight-point dash, to reach the Round of 16 at SW19 for the first time. While she doesn't blow anyone off the court with huge tennis, Kasatkina's heart is the biggest thing about her game. And it's still beating, maybe more and more loudly in a top half of the draw in which the seed structure is even more decimated than in the bottom.



Not long after Kasatkina was through schooling Barty on Court 3 in what is hopefully the first of many match-up between the two, #12 Alona Ostapenko stepped onto the same patch of grass and played the part of Tasmanian Devil Latvian Thunder, destroying all who dare -- on this day, the unfortunate Vitalia Diatchenko -- to even consider walking across her intended path through this slam.

It's the art of misdirection of the smile that makes her destructive tendencies all the more appealing, I think.



Two days after leaving Kirsten Flipkens no less than Waffle-flavored roadkill via a 1 & 3, 55-minute victory march in the 2nd Round, the 21-year old took on Sharapova-downing Russian Diatchenko and won the first nine games of the match today. Down 6-0/3-0, Diatchenko finally steadied herself amidst the flurry and got a break to get back into the set. But, serving at 4-5, the Russian quickly fell behind 15/40 and Ostapenko secured the love & 4 win after 63 mintues, moving within one victory of matching her post-RG title QF run at SW19 of last year.

Increasingly, the '14 Wimbledon girls champ is looking as if she's more than ready and willing to "throw down!" at this event (hmm, maybe she's heard some of the BBC commentary about her?). And since she's now officially reached the second week, I'll bring up the pre-tournament note that reader/contributor Colt tossed out at the start of the week:

(June 30) "Ostapenko- ...On this list because she is the rare player than can hit through the court off her backhand wing. Also because she won the French Open last year. Why does that matter? Because the last two years (Williams/Muguruza), the previous year's French Open winner won Wimbledon."

Colt didn't say it, but I will: "I'm just sayin'."

...meanwhile, the race to kick almost *all* the seeds out of this slam before the second week heated up again on Saturday. In all, seven of the eight women's 3rd Round matches saw seeds fall. Only Ostapenko, Kasatkina and #Angelique Kerber managed to advance of the seeded players in action, and the latter two were *playing* other seeds so, you know, it was sort of a given.

25 of the women's 32 seeds (and 22 of the men's) are now out before everyone hits the court for the Round of 16 commotion on Monday. Do you hear that? Yes, it's the Tennis Gods snickering derisively at the notion that the majors need to go back to sixteen seeds next year.

While Halep's exit headlined Day 6, the other seeds who followed her out the door by the end of Day 6 included #15 Elise Mertens (taken out by non-#32 Dominika Cibulkova, still stoked by her AELTC passover), #18 Naomi Osaka (simply outplayed by Kerber, who improved to 12-2 in 2018 slams, after going 6-4 last year following her stunning 20-2 '16 run in the majors), #26 Dasha Gavrilova (losing to Aliaksandra Sasnovich, setting up a match vs. Ostapenko which could be all-that-and-a-bag-of-Pringles-and-Pringles-don't-even-come-in-bags-so-you-can-just-imagine-the-spectacle for reasons that don't even necessarily have anything to do with their either's ball-striking abilities), #27 Carla Suarez-Navarro (to Belinda Bencic, still riding high after saved 6 MP in the 2nd Rd. vs. Alison Riske), #28 Anett Kontaveit (falling to Alison Van Uytvanck, following up her win over Garbine Muguruza, and continuing to defy his past slam history which had seen her lose in the 1st Round in 8 of 10 majors since her '15 RG QF, and 12 of 16 in her career)

As it is, the final sixteen women are made up of players from thirteen different countries, as only Russia (Kasatkina/Makarova/Rodina) and Germany (Kerber/Goerges) have multiple participants. Three (Rodina, Sasnovich & Vekic) are in their first career slam 4th Rounds, while a remarkable nine are doing so for the first time at Wimbledon. Kerber is the only player to have reached at least the Round of 16 at all three majors this season, and has the longest active overall slam streak (well, until you factor in Serena's non-consecutive run of twelve, that is).

...in doubles, Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Lucie Safarova won in straights over Kaia Kanepi & Andrea Petkovic.

Elsewhere...



...junior action got underway on Saturday. #7 Eleonora Molinaro (LUX) defeated Bannerette Natasha Subhash, #16-seeded Pastry Clara Burel took out Daniela Vismane (LAT), and #15 Maria Carle (ARG) advanced past Dianne Parry (FRA). Recent G1 winner Lea Ma (USA) won, as did Slovak Lenka Stara, winning over Russian Sofya Lansere in today's match-up of woulda-coulda-shoulda "Game of Thrones" characters at the All-England Club.

Lulu Sun, in her first major since beginning to represent New Zealand (she'd previously played as a Swiss and resides in Geneva), also was victorious. Of course, Kiwis shouldn't get *too* excited, as she's apparently only making the temporary switch (because of passport issues in Switzerland) in order to play in the Youth Olympic Games this fall in Buenos Aires.

LIKE ON DAY 6: Simple words and actions, really.





But, of course...



A MOTHER'S WORK IS NEVER DONE ON DAY 6:



LIKE ON DAY 6: The "Let's Take a Photo Together" Queen of Tennis...



LIKE ON DAY 6: Real Dignitaries in the Royal Box (i.e. not those designated as such by birth and/or marriage)





LIKE ON DAY 6: How Osaka's post-match handshakes are either slathered in shared camaraderie or outright awe.



DISLIKE ON DAY 6: Not what people mean when they talk about "equal treatment"...




...and, finally...




*2018 WIMBLEDON WOMEN'S FINAL 16*
[by ranking]
#8 - Karolina Pliskova
#10 - Angelique Kerber
#12 - Alona Ostapenko
#13 - Julia Goerges
#14 - Dasha Kasatkina
#20 - Kiki Bertens
#33 - Dominika Cibulkova
#35 - Ekaterina Makarova
#47 - Alison Van Uytvanck
#48 - Hsieh Su-wei
#50 - Aliaksandra Sasnovich
#52 - Camila Giorgi
#55 - Donna Vekic
#56 - Belinda Bencic
#120 - Evgeniya Rodina
#181 - Serena Williams (PR)
[by age]
36...Serena Williams
32...Hsieh Su-wei
30...Angelique Kerber
30...Ekaterina Makarova
29...Julia Goerges
29...Evgeniya Rodina
29...Dominika Cibulkova
26...Kiki Bertens
26...Camila Giorgi
26...Karolina Pliskova
24...Aliaksandra Sasnovich
24...Alison Van Uytvanck
22...Donna Vekic
21...Belinda Bencic
21...Dasha Kasatkina
21...Alona Ostapenko
[by nation]
3...RUS (Kasatkina,Makarova,Rodina)
2...GER (Goerges,Kerber)
1...BEL (Van Uytvanck)
1...BLR (Sasnovich)
1...CRO (Vekic)
1...CZE (Ka.Pliskova)
1...ITA (Giorgi)
1...LAT (Ostapenko)
1...NED (Bertens)
1...SVK (Cibulkova)
1...SUI (Bencic)
1...TPE (Hsieh)
1...USA (S.Williams)
[by career slam Round-of-16's]
57 - Serena Williams
18 - Angelique Kerber
15 - Ekaterina Makarova
9 - Dominika Cibulkova
6 - Julia Goerges
6 - Karolina Pliskova
4 - Belinda Bencic
3 - Kiki Bertens
3 - Camila Giorgi
3 - Hsieh Su-wei
3 - Dasha Kasatkina
3 - Alona Ostapenko
2 - Alison Van Uytvanck
1 - Evgeniya Rodina
1 - Aliaksandra Sasnovich
1 - Donna Vekic
[w/ consecutive slam Round of 16's]
3...Angelique Kerber
2...Dasha Kasatkina
2...Serena Williams
-
NOTE: S.Williams 12 in last 12 slam appearances
[by career WI Round of 16's]
15 - Serena Williams
5 - Angelique Kerber
3 - Dominika Cibulkova
3 - Ekaterina Makarova
2 - Belinda Bencic
2 - Camila Giorgi
2 - Alona Ostapenko
1 - 9 players
[w/ consecutive WI Round of 16's]
3 - Angelique Kerber
2 - Alona Ostapenko
-
NOTE: S.Williams in last 3 appearances (DNP 2017)
[WTA career slam Round of 16's - active]
57...SERENA WILLIAMS
50...Venus Williams
38...Maria Sharpova
32...Svetlana Kuznetsova
27...Aga Radwanska
23...Victoria Azarenka
22...Jelena Jankovic
21...Patty Schnyder, Caroline Wozniacki
18...ANGELIQUE KERBER,Francesca Schiavone
[WTA slam Round of 16's since 2010 - active]
25...SERENA WILLIAMS
21...Maria Sharapova
19...Aga Radwanska
18...Victoria Azarenka, ANGELIQUE KERBER
17...Caroline Wozniacki
15...EKATERINA MAKAROVA, Venus Williams
14...Svetlana Kuznetsova, Petra Kvitova
13...Simona Halep
12...Carla Suarez-Navarro
11...Garbine Muguruza
10...Jelena Jankovic, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens, Samantha Stosur
[2018 slam Rd. of 16's - youngest]
20 - Naomi Osaka (AO)
21 - Belinda Bencic (WI)
21 - Dasha Kasatkina (RG)
21 - Dasha Kasatkina (WI)
21 - Alona Ostapenko (WI)
22 - Anett Kontaveit (AO)
22 - Anett Kontaveit (RG)
22 - Madison Keys (AO)
22 - Elise Mertens (AO)
22 - Elise Mertens (RG)
22 - Donna Vekic (WI)
[2018 slam Rd. of 16's - oldest]
36 - Serena Williams (WI)
36 - Serena Williams (RG)
32 - Hsieh Su-wei (WI)
32 - Hsieh Su-wei (AO)
32 - Barbora Strycova (RG)
31 - Maria Sharapova (RG)
31 - Barbora Strycova (AO)
30 - Angelique Kerber (WI)
30 - Angelique Kerber (RG)
30 - Angelique Kerber (AO)
30 - Mihaela Buzarnescu (RG)
30 - Ekaterina Makarova (WI)
29 - Dominika Cibulkova (WI)
29 - Julia Goerges (WI)
29 - Evgeniya Rodina (WI)
29 - Magdalena Rybarikova (AO)
29 - Carla Suarez-Navarro (AO)
29 - Lesia Tsurenko (RG)
[2018 slam Rd. of 16's - unseeded]
AO - Denisa Allertova, CZE (Q)
AO - Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
AO - Petra Martic, CRO
AO - Elise Mertens, BEL
AO - Naomi Osaka, JPN
AO - Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP
RG - Yulia Putintseva, KAZ
RG - Lesia Tsurenko, UKR
RG - Serena Williams, USA (PR)
WI - Belinda Bencic, SUI
WI - Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
WI - Camila Giorgi, ITA
WI - Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
WI - Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
WI - Evgeniya Rodina, RUS (Q)
WI - Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR
WI - Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL
WI - Donna Vekic, CRO
[2018 slam Rd. of 16's - 1st-time GS 4th Rd.]
AO - Denisa Allertova, CZE
AO - Elise Mertens, BEL
AO - Naomi Osaka, JPN
RG - Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
WI - Evgeniya Rodina, RUS
WI - Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR
WI - Donna Vekic, CRO
[2018 slam Rd. of 16's - lowest-ranked]
#451 - Serena Williams (RG) - PR
#181 - Serena Williams (WI) - PR
#130 - Denisa Allertova (AO)
#120 - Evgeniya Rodina (WI)
#98 - Yulia Putintseva (RG)
#88 - Hsieh Su-wei (AO)
#81 - Petra Martic (AO)
#72 - Naomi Osaka (AO)
[2018 slam Rd. of 16's]
3...Angelique Kerber (AO/RG/WI)
2...Caroline Garcia (AO/RG)
2...Simona Halep (AO/RG)
2...Hsieh Su-wei (AO/WI)
2...Dasha Kasatkina (RG/WI)
2...Madison Keys (AO/RG)
2...Anett Kontaveit (AO/RG)
2...Elise Mertens (AO/RG)
2...Karolina Pliskova (AO/WI)
2...Barbora Strycova (AO/RG)
2...Serena Williams (RG/WI)
2...Caroline Wozniacki (AO/RG)
[2018 slam Rd. of 16's - by nation]
5...CZE (3/1/1)
5...RUS (0/2/3)
5...USA (1/3/1)
4...GER (1/1/2)
3...BEL (1/1/1)
3...ROU (1/2/0)
2...CRO (1/0/1)
2...DEN (1/1/0)
2...ESP (1/1/0)
2...EST (1/1/0)
2...FRA (1/1/0)
2...SVK (1/0/1)
2...TPE (1/0/1)
2...UKR (1/1/0)
1...BLR (0/0/1)
1...ITA (0/0/1)
1...JPN (1/0/0)
1...KAZ (0/1/0)
1...LAT (0/0/1)
1...NED (0/0/1)
1...SUI (0/0/1)
[2018 slam Rd. of 16's - by region]
25 - Western Europe/Scandinavia (BEL-CRO-CZE-DEN-ESP-FRA-GER-ITA-NED-SUI-SVK)
14 - Eastern Europe/Russia (BLR-EST-LAT-ROU-RUS-UKR)
5 - North America/Atlantic (USA)
4 - Asia/Oceania (JPN-KAZ-TPE)
0 - Africa/Middle East (none)
0 - South America (none)


Whew!




*LADIES' SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
Hsieh Su-wei/TPE vs. Dominika Cibulkova/SVK
#12 Alona Ostapenko/LAT vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR
Alison Van Uytvanck/BEL vs. #14 Dasha Kasatkina/RUS
#11 Angelique Kerber/GER vs. Belinda Bencic/SUI
#7 Karolina Pliskova/CZE vs. #20 Kiki Bertens/NED
#13 Julia Goerges/GER vs. Donna Vekic/CRO
#24 Serena Williams/USA vs. (Q) Evgeniya Rodina/RUS
Camila Giorgi/ITA vs. Ekaterina Makarova/RUS

*LADIES' DOUBLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Babos/Mladenovic (HUN/FRA) vs. #13 Flipkens/Niculescu (BEL/ROU)
#9 Bertens/Larsson (NED/SWE) vs. Rosolska/Spears (POL/USA)
#3 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) vs. #14 Hradecka/Hsieh
Maria/Watson (GER/GBR) vs. McHale/Ostapenko (USA/LAT)
#8 Mertens/Schuurs (BEL/NED) vs. #12 Melichar/Peschke (USA/CZE)
#15 Begu/Buzarnescu (ROU/ROU) vs. #4 Klepac/Martinez-Sanchez (ESP/ESP)
#6 Dabrowski/Xu Yifan (CAN/CHN) #17 King/Srebotnik (USA/SLO)
Mattek-Sands/Safarova (USA/CZE) vs. #2 S.-Hlavackova/Strycova (CZE/CZE)



























????

A post shared by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on






*2018 WINS OVER #1*
Australian Open Final - #2 Wozniacki d. #1 Halep
Saint Petersburg QF - #23 Kasatkina d. #1 Wozniacki
Doha SF - #21 Kvitova d. #1 Wozniacki
Indian Wells SF - #44 Osaka d. #1 Halep
Miami 3rd Rd. - #32 A.Radwanska d. #1 Halep
Stuttgart QF - #16 Vandeweghe d. #1 Halep
Madrid QF - #6 Ka.Pliskova d. #1 Halep
Rome Final - #4 Svitolina d. #1 Halep
Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - #48 Hsieh d. #1 Halep

*WIMBLEDON "LAST QUALIFIER STANDING"*
=2006=
Severine Bremond, FRA (QF)
=2007=
Olga Govortsova, BLR
Nika Ozegovic, CRO
Tatiana Perebiynis, UKR
Agnes Szavay, HUN
Hana Sromova, CZE (all 2nd Rd.)
=2008=
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, ESP
Barbora Strycova, CZE (all 3rd Rd.)
=2009=
Melanie Oudin, USA (4th Rd.)
=2010=
Kaia Kanepi, EST (QF)
=2011=
Misaki Doi, JPN (3rd Rd.)
=2012=
Camila Giorgi, ITA (4th Rd.)
=2013=
Eva Birnerova, CZE
Petra Cetkovska, CZE
Michelle Larcher de Brito, POR (all 3rd Rd.)
=2014=
Tereza Smitkova, CZE (4th Rd.)
=2015=
Olga Govortsova, BLR (4th Rd.)
=2016=
Julia Boserup, USA
Jana Cepelova, SVK
Marina Erakovic, NZL (all 3rd Rd.)
=2017=
Petra Martic, CRO (4th Rd.)
=2018=
Evgeniya Rodina, RUS (in 4th Rd.)

*BEST 2018 SLAM RESULTS*
[HORDETTES]
AO: (3r) Sharapova; (2r) Alexandrova,Kasatkina,Pavlyuchenkova,Vesnina
RG: (QF) Kasatkina,Sharapova
WI: (in 4r) Kasatkina,Makarova,Rodina; (3r) Diatchenko
[MAIDENS]
AO: (QF) Ka.Pliskova; (4r) Allertova,Strycova
RG: (4r) Strycova; (3r) Kvitova,Ka.Pliskova,Siniakova
WI: (in 4r) Ka.Pliskova; (3r) Safarova,Strycova,Siniakova
[SWARMETTES]
AO: (RU) Halep; (3r) A.Bogdan
RG: (W) Halep; (4r) Buzarnescu
WI: (3r) Buzarnescu, Halep
[BANNERETTES]
AO: (QF) Keys; (3r) Davis,Pera
RG: (RU) Stephens; (SF) Keys; (4r) S.Williams
WI: (in 4r) S.Williams; (3r) Keys,V.Williams
[OZZIES...just tryin' that one out]
AO: (3r) Barty; (2r) Gavrilova,Rogowska
RG: (3r) Gavrilova,Stosur; (2r) Barty
WI: (3r) Barty,Gavrilova; (2r) Stosur

*BEST 2018 SLAM RESULTS*
[qualifiers]
4th Rd. - Denisa Allertova, CZE (AO)
4th Rd. - Evgeniya Rodina, RUS (WI) *
3rd Rd. - Marta Kostyuk, UKR (AO)
3rd Rd. - Luksika Kumkhum, THA (AO)
3rd Rd. - Vitalia Diatchenko, RUS (WI)
2nd Rd. - Caroline Dolehide, USA (RG)
2nd Rd. - Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU (RG)
2nd Rd. - Mariana Duque-Marino, COL (RG)
2nd Rd. - Georgina Garcia Perez, ESP (RG)
2nd Rd. - Magdalena Frech, POL (RG)
2nd Rd. - Rebecca Peterson, SWE (RG)
2nd Rd. - Genie Bouchard, CAN (WI)
2nd Rd. - Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU (WI)
2nd Rd. - Claire Liu, USA (WI)
2nd Rd. - Sara Sorribes-Tormo, ESP (WI)
2nd Rd. - Viktoriya Tomova, BUL (WI)
-
* - still to play 4th Rd.



TOP QUALIFIER:Mona Barthel/GER
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Simona Halep/ROU
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q2: #8 Mona Barthel/GER def. Oceane Dodin/FRA 6-3/1-6/8-6 (saves a MP in game #12 of the 3rd w/ Dodin DF at 6-5)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. - #32 Aga Radwanska/POL def. (Q) Elena-Gabriela Rus/ROU 6-3/4-6/7-5 (wins 14-min.,23-pt.,8-deuce game #10 in 3rd, saving 6 MP)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:Yanina Wickmayer/BEL (1st Rd. def. M.Barthel/GER)
FIRST SEED OUT:#19 Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK (lost 1st Rd. to S.Cirstea/ROU)
UPSET QUEENS:United States
REVELATION LADIES:Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS:Ukraine (1-4 1st/2nd Rd; year after Svitolina to 4th/Tsurenko to 3rd, Svitolina 1st Rd. is worst slam since '14 and none to 3rd Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (in 4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING:Katie Boulter/GBR, Ons Jabeur/TUN and Katie Swan/GBR (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BRITS STANDING:Katie Boulter, Johanna Konta and Katie Swan (all 2nd Rd.)
IT ("???"): xx
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: xx
CRASH & BURN:#8 Petra Kvitova/CZE (two-time champ, pre-tournament favorite and '18 tour title-leader loses in 1st Rd. to Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR, dropping 3rd set at love)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON:Katerina Siniakova/CZE (Down 5-2 to Vandeweghe, who served at 5-3 in final set in 1st Rd., wins 8-6; down 5-2 to Jabeur, served at 5-3 in final set in 2nd Round, saved MP and wins 9-7)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): xx
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE: Nominee: D.Vekic (follows up emotional '17 loss to Konta in 2nd Round w/ 1st Rd. upset of #4 Stephens; advances to first career slam Rd. of 16)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
THE RADWANSKA DAY REMEMBRANCE AWARD
June 26 official: In Eastbourne, Aga Radwanska, playing in her first event in two months, saves 2 MP vs. Dasha Gavrilova (both via DF), win a 2nd set tie-break, then takes the 3rd set at love. Gavrilova has 17 DF on the day.
Day 3 observed: As insects swarm the AELTC grounds on Flying Ant Day, reigning AO champ #2 Caroline Wozniacki falls on the infested Court 1 to Ekaterina Makarova, becoming the sixth Top 8 seed to fall in the tournament's first three days. Aga Radwanska flirts with staging a comeback from a set and 5-1 down and force a 3rd set (after having saved 6 MP in the 1st Rd.), saving a MP vs. Lucie Safarova before the Czech staves off a total of seven BP in a game to hold and secure the win. It's Aga's first career "Rad Day" defeat. Later, rain interrupts play for the first time in the fortnight.





All for Day 6. Middle Sunday tomorrow.

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W.MS- Gone Fishin'

July 8, 2018, 5:11 am
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Finally, a day without upsets at SW19. Yes, it's the Middle Sunday. So...


All for now.
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W.7- Strawberries, Cream & Latvian Thunder

July 9, 2018, 3:53 pm
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Keep an ear out, for you may hear it soon. The sound of Latvian Thunder making a sudden and lasting impact on this Wimbledon could be mere hours away.



While all the chaos has been taking place at this slam, #12 Alona Ostapenko has steered clear and wide of it all thus far. For those paying attention, what has happened has increasingly resembled the path she took en route to winning in Paris last year. No one who needed to do so managed to recognize what was happening until it was too late. As Diane Dees noted at Women Who Serve the other day, the Latvian has been "performing so far under the radar, she could blow down the stadium and no one would notice."

They still aren't watching will all eyes, really. Neither the two in the front, nor those in the back of their head. But that could change.

A year ago, the now 21-year old followed up her Roland Garros championship with an arguably "more impressive" QF result at Wimbledon in the shadow of her great clay court success, becoming the first since Kim Clijsters to produce a QF-or-better finish in the major that came *after* her maiden slam title run. Well, a year later, this time after bombing out of Paris, she's proven she's "so over" that blip on the radar and is looking for new land to conquer. It could be that she's chosen the grass courts of the All-England Club to make her stand. After defeating Aliakandra Sasnovich today by a typically-spiked-with-dominant-stretches 7-6(4)/6-0 scoreline, Ostapenko has returned to the final eight at SW19 without losing a set, firing winners seemingly without consciousness from all positions, and doing so on a surface where she won a junior slam four years ago. She had 28 winners vs. the Belarusian, with a comparably minimal (and, for her, lethally so) number of errors (15, six of which were DF, revealing just how accurate her groundstroke missiles were).



After blasting out of the gate at top speed vs. her first three opponents, stunning them and not seeing them recover their balance until mid-way through the 2nd set, Ostapenko was the one who had to dig out of an early hole against Sasnovich. The Kvitova Conqueror held a two-break lead in the 1st, and held GP for 4-1. But Ostapenko got the key break of serve, then held at love a game later. Sasnovich broke and led 5-2, but Ostapenko twice denied her while serving for the set in games #8 and #10. While the Latvian's serve isn't anything resembling a finished product, she *has* improved it of late. While she DF'd and faced a BP at 5-5, she ultimately held serve with an ace. The set went to a tie-break, which Ostapenko led 4-1, then 5-2 via a huge forehand winner.

That was when the Tennis Gods decided to get cute, denying a net tape shot from Alona that made it 5-3, then pushing a Sasnovich net cord shot over and seeing her close to 5-4. But the Belarusian's DF when she tried to go for too much to avoid having to face down Ostapenko's big groundstrokes instead handed her a SP at 6-4. A big deep backhand forced an error off Sasnovich's racket, giving Ostapenko the 7-4 TB win.

Ostapenko hit full sprinting speed in the 2nd, breaking for 1-0. Confidence soaring, she pulled out a sweet drop shot off a mid-court ball to hold for 2-0, and then swept the set at love to finish off Sasnovich in 1:18, giving new coach Glenn Schaap, who replaced David Taylor this spring, an immediate first-hand look-see at what she's capable of, sort of like she did with Anabel Medina-Garrigues in their still-fresh partnership during her RG run a year ago.

"See what I can do? Isn't it fun to watch?"

Hmmm, maybe those BBC commentators should have though better of riding Alona's tail during one of her dominant wins last week. For, of course, the only thing Latvian Thunder might enjoy more than doing a mean tango is dancing circles around those who dared to question her ability to do so.

Will they never learn? Well, hopefully, umm, no.



=DAY 7 NOTES=
...the "Manic Monday" schedule of sixteen women's and men's Round of 16 matches began with the women going four-matches strong at the start of play on Day 7.



#20 Kiki Bertens def. #7 Karolina Pliskova 6-3/7-6(1)
While Pliskova is perceived as the better grass court player, having won multiple singles titles on the surface, the Czech seems to need some convincing. Her comeback from a set and 4-1 down vs. Mihaela Buzarnescu in the 3rd Round, though, did manage to get her into the Round of 16 for the first time at Wimbledon. She faced off with the '16 Roland Garros semifinalist, and perceived "clay court specialist," Bertens, who has proven to be surprisingly effective on the surface, having decided to go for more on serve and off the ground and finding that it's been able to make her more of a threat on the lawns. Bertens won an 8-6 3rd set over Venus Williams last time out, and similarly out-hit Pliskova today. Taking early break leads in both sets, the 26-year old Dutch woman had to fight off a late 2nd set challenge from the Czech as things went to a TB, but she jumped out to a 5-0 lead and won it going away to take the straight sets victory (well, at least she did after she'd waited to see how Pliskova's replay challenge went).




Bertens' out-hit (35/22 W/UE vs. Pliskova's 23/21, similar numbers to those vs. Venus) and out-aced (7-2) the Czech twin, who thus comes up one win short of a Career QF Slam and assumes the role as the final Top 10 seed to exit the draw.



Camila Giorgi def. Ekaterina Makarova 6-3/6-4
In one of the two match-ups of unseeded players in the Round of 16 in this historically upset-laden major, Giorgi's 26th slam MD appearance saw her playing in her first slam 4th Round match since she reached this stage in career slam MD #2 at Wimbledon back in 2012. Makarova was seeking to reach her second SW19 QF (2014), but her Italian opponent's big-hitting allowed her get on top of the Russian. And, though sometimes her own issues cause the opposite to occur, Giorgi didn't relent. With the four-strong members of the greatest Italian generation of women's players either out of the game, holding on, or dealing with off-court issues on the back side of their career, Giorgi has managed to produce just the second final eight result for her country in the eleven majors contested since the Pennetta/Vinci U.S. Open final in 2015 (w/ Vinci's '16 U.S. QF being the only other).



Dominika Cibulkova def. Hsieh Su-wei 6-4/6-1
Cibulkova has been playing like she's seeking heads to put on the end of pikes since she was hardly-surprisingly pushed out of the seeds by the All-England Club's totally responsible decision to award Serena Williams with the #25 slot. No matter how much huff-and-puff Cibulkova contributed to the issue, it all turned decidedly in her favor when she knocked off #22 Jo Konta in the 2nd Round and assumed her place in the draw. Still, the Slovak has not been assuaged. She entered today having not lost a set and holding a higher percentage of her service games than any other player. Against the Halep-conquering Hsieh, she overcame an early break disadvantage to move within two points of the set as the 32-year old Taiwanese vet served down 4-5, love/30 in the 1st. Then the proverbial s*** hit the fan, forever sullying her run -- wherever it might end -- at this Wimbledon in the eyes of many.



It was then that a Cibulkova return was called long. Hsieh managed to get the ball into the court on the Slovak's side of the net (remember that because it's kinda important). Cibulkova then challenged the line call, and the replay showed that her shot had indeed hit the line. The umpire then gave the point to Cibulkova, giving her triple set point. Understandably, Hsieh protested that the point should be replayed since she'd gotten the ball back in the court. During what turned out to be an eight-minute ordeal, Cibulkova parked herself on the Ad side of her court to return serve, refusing to budge from the notion that the score was love/40. Chair umpire Zhang Juan said she "couldn't remember" whether or not Hsieh's shot had gone in, and Cibulkova said that it hadn't crossed the net. The crowd chanted "replay the point!" When the tournament referee ruled correctly that the point should be replayed, Cibulkova exploded in anger at the "injustice" of it all and dragged out the whole mess even longer, leading to charges from all corners about bad sports(wo)manship, "lying" and her attempts to "cheat" Hsieh out of the point.



Hsieh got things to 30/30, but Cibulkova got the break to take the set, then coasted through the 2nd. Hsieh dropped serve seven times in the match.

Afterward, Cibulkova refused to admit any error on her part, said she had no sympathy for Hsieh's situation, and that..."After [Hsieh] was complaining, they were talking in Chinese, whatever language, I don’t know. It was all wrong.” Hmm... all riiight. (A raised eyebrow about what Domi was getting at there is correctly implied, right? I think so, but I guess I wouldn't stand on a table to enforce it, not being a mind reader.)

Either way, Cibulkova played great and Hsieh was dominated in the match, but no one will remember that. In truth, Cibulkova has a history of griping about perceived wrongs against her and/or not cutting other players a speck of slack on anything, yet also bristling and arguing against a similar notion when challenged with a wrong of her own. She could have chosen to have been the bigger (in fairness, not size) person in the situation simply by telling the truth as she knew it, but she chose not to. Fine, as I know many Serena fans still hold Justine Henin's feet to the fire for the "wave off." But this, like that, will just have to go into the personal file on Cibulkova, I suppose, ready to be pulled out the *next* time (and there will be one) she complains about getting the raw end of a deal, whether she really is getting a raw end or not.

Moving on...

#13 Julia Goerges def. Donna Vekic 6-3/6-2
Though Goerges has played in nearly twice as many slam MD as Vekic, both were seeking their first career slam QF in this one. After failing in five previous 4th Round attempts at majors in her career, the German finally broke through today.



On a side note, it thus means she'll never join that list that (for now) includes only Anna Smashnova and Anabel Medina-Garrigues as players with 10+ tour titles and no slam QF results. Granted, Goerges only has five career titles to this point, but she showed last year (and into this one, when she reached six finals between June and January, winning three straight titles in Moscow, Zhuhai and Auckland) that she can run off a string of good results when her game is hot, so she still might hit the bit one-oh yet.

Even with the loss, Vekic gets Backspin's inaugural "Spirit of Jana" award. Being the first year, it's a feeling out process as far as picking a winner. But the most Jana-esque moment I've seen thus far has centered around the Croat following up her emotional '17 loss to Konta in the 2nd Round -- after which the Brit consoled her at the net ala the Duchess of Kent w/ Jana in 1993 -- with a 1st Round upset of #4 Sloane Stephens and then advancing to her first career slam Round of 16, so I'll go with that.



By the way, still waiting to see if the AELTC is going to do anything other than using social media to pay homage to the twentieth anniversary of Novotna's Wimbledon title seven months after her death late last year.

#14 Dasha Kasatkina def. Alison Van Uytvanck 6-7(6)/6-3/6-1
The Russian is getting the hang of this. I thought at the beginning of the season that 2018 was going to be the year we'd learn whether the promise that Kasatkina had shown in the past was ever going to be followed up on with her becoming a Top 10 player capable of winning *big* titles, or whether she'd settle into the #15-20 zone that so many players have occupied in their careers, struggling to take the final step necessary to get over the magic "hump." Well, she's shown a definite up-tick as far as consistency and big stage results through the first six-plus months of this year. Now the top-ranked Russian, on the cusp of the Top 10, a Premier Mandatory finalist at Indian Wells. and with seven Top 10 wins in '18 alone (five of them of the Top 3 variety, giving her eight in 2017-18), Kasatkina has collected her first two slam QF results in back-to-back majors in Paris and London.

After scrambling back in her last match vs. Ash Barty, Kasatkina had to stage another comeback vs. the Belgian, only this one came after having lost a lead of her own in the 1st set. She served at 6-5, but saw Van Uytvanck's big return winner get her to BP. It was saved, but a missed overhead gave her a second BP. She converted and things went to a TB, which the Hordette also led 6-5. Van Uytvanck effectively utilized a deep half-volley shot and pulled out some rare serve-and-volley tactics to edge ahead 7-6. A DF from Kasatkina gave her the TB win at 8-6.

Kasatkina got things back on serve after falling down an early break in the 2nd, and eventually served for the set at 5-3. From 15/40 and Ad down, she held to level the match. In the 3rd it was the Russian, so used to traveling into 3rd set territory (four of her five pre-SW19 grass matches this year went three, though was her first this fortnight), who jumped ahead early. 2-0 became 5-0 as she took the final set 6-1 to reach the women's final eight at SW19 for the first time.



#11 Angelique Kerber def. Belinda Bencic 6-3/7-6(5)
Though she was the highest seed remaining in the draw by the time she took the court on Monday, as #7 Pliskova had been ousted earlier, #11 Kerber would have had reason to be leery of Belinda Bencic. The former Top 10er, still working her way back from back, wrist and leg injuries in recent seasons, held a 3-0 head-to-head advantage over the German, having never dropped a set. But when Kerber hit the ground running in her '18 season after the disappointment that was '17, she posted a 4 & 1 victory over Bencic at the Hopman Cup in January. Or should I say the late, lamented Hopman Cup, though it isn't quite yet, though it looks like it very well will become extinct at the expense of, naturally, an all-male competition in the Aussie summertime after next year? Kerber followed that week in Perth with a title run in Auckland and SF in Melbourne. Whether or not that exhibition win over Bencic changed the "Confidence Index" for this match, it was Kerber who played her best when it mattered most today.

Bencic led 3-1 in the 1st, but Kerber took the lead and served at 4-3. She saved two BP and held, then broke at 15 to claim a 6-3 set, her first in seven sets vs. the Swiss. Kerber led 3-1 in the 2nd, but this time Bencic staged the comeback and served at 5-4. She held four SP, but played tentative tennis and saw Kerber break and then hold a love to lead 6-5, winning seven straight points in a stretch. Bencic pulled things back to save a MP and hold to force a TB, but Kerber again raced ahead 4-1 there. Serving at 6-5, Kerber saw Bencic's wide backhand return end the match.



This is Kerber's fourth career Wimbledon QF, and second in three years for the 2016 finalist.

#25 Serena Williams def. (Q) Evgeniya Rodina 6-2/6-2
In the final women's Round of 16 match of Day 7, Williams won the contest between the last two moms (of 6) in the Wimbledon MD, handling qualifier Rodina in 62 minutes to reach the Wimbledon QF for the 13th time in 18 appearances at SW19.



Today's results leave three women -- Dasha Kasatkina, Julia Goerges and Camila Giorgi -- alive to become a first-time slam semifinalist at this Wimbledon. At least one maiden semifinalist has become a reality at the last eight editions of this event:

=FIRST-TIME SLAM SEMIFINALISTS AT WIMBLEDON SINCE 2010=
2010 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2010 Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
2011 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2011 Sabine Lisicki, GER (RU)
2012 Aga Radwanska, POL (RU)
2013 Kirsten Flipkens, BEL
2014 Lucie Safarova, CZE
2015 Garbine Muguruza, ESP (RU)
2016 Elena Vesnina, RUS
2017 Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK

...in doubles, there were actually more "big names" in action than in the singles. #1 Babos/Mladenovic (AO champs) defeated #13 Flipkens/Niculescu, and Mattek-Sands/Safarova, still in pursuit of that Career Doubles Slam, eliminated #2 S.-Hlavackova/Stycova in three sets, saving 2 MP to win 2-6/7-6(7)/6-4 and secure Timea Babos as your next doubles #1 (and fifth different holder of the position in '18, after Latisha Chan, Martina Hingis, Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina).



=WTA DOUBLES #1's - when first reached top spot=
1984 Martina Navratilova, USA (former TCH)
1985 Pam Shriver, USA
1990 Helena Sukova, TCH
1990 Jana Novotna, TCH/CZE
1991 Gigi Fernandez, USA
1991 Natalia Zvereva, USSR/BLR
1992 Larisa Neiland, LAT (former USSR)
1995 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, ESP
1997 Lindsay Davenport, USA
1998 Martina Hingis, SUI
1999 Anna Kournikova, RUS
2000 Corina Morariu, USA
2000 Lisa Raymond, USA
2000 Rennae Stubbs, AUS
2000 Julie Halard-Decugis, FRA
2000 Ai Sugiyama, JPN
2002 Paola Suarez, ARG
2003 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2003 Virginia Ruano Pascual, ESP
2005 Cara Black, ZIM
2006 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2007 Liezel Huber, RSA/USA
2010 Serena Williams, USA
2010 Venus Williams, USA
2010 Gisela Dulko, ARG
2011 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2011 Kveta Peschke, CZE
2011 Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
2012 Sara Errani, ITA
2012 Roberta Vinci, ITA
2014 Peng Shuai, CHN
2014 Hsieh Su-Wei, TPE
2015 Sania Mirza, IND
2017 Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
2017 Lucie Safarova, CZE
2017 Chan Yung-Jan (Latisha), TPE
2018 Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
2018 Elena Vesnina, RUS
2018 Timea Babos, HUN

Meanwhile, the QF duos were rounded out by #12 Peschke/Melichar taking out #8 Mertens/Schuurs, Meanwhile, #3 Krejcikova/Siniakova (RG champs) winning over #14 Hradecka/Hsieh, #6 Dabrowski/Xu advancing past King/Srebotnik, #15 Begu/Buzarnescu eliminating another Top 4 seed, #4 Klepac/Martinez-Sanchez, and Rosolska/Spears ending Bertens' big day by eliminating the Dutch woman and Johanna Larsson (#9 seeds) in three sets.

With her advancement to the singles QF, Ostapenko pulled out of doubles with Christina McHale, advancing Maria/Watson forward.

...Vika lives!

In mixed doubles, Victoria Azarenka & Jamie Murray advanced to the Round of 16, overcoming a 5-1 3rd set deficit to defeat #7-seeded Groenefeld, Farah.



...after a Middle Sunday off, junior competition picked up once again, as well.

Hmmm, by the end of this weekend, is this where we'll say it all began?



Reigning Roland Garros and Roehampton champ, #3-seed Coco Gauff, opening her '18 Wimbledon experience with a 6-1/6-4 win over Bulgaria's Gergana Topalova. The Bannerette is seeking to make it two consecutive U.S. girls champs at Wimbledon, as well as at five of the last six majors (4 of the last 5 have already had all-Bannerette finals) and six of eight back to Kayla Day's win at the U.S. Open in 2016 (her title ended a four-year girls slam champion drought for the U.S.). If Gauff wins the title, she'd be the first girl to win back-to-back junior slams since Bencic's RG/SW19 sweep in 2013.



Of note, Gauff's Roehampton title run could mean a great deal about what we'll see next. In recent years, a win there has been an amazingly accurate predictor of what would soon happen at the AELTC. Two in a row, five of six, and six of the last eight Roehampton winners have successfully pulled off the sweep and won at Wimbledon.

=ROEHAMPTON CHAMPS SINCE 2010, w/ WIMBLEDON JR. RESULT=
2010 Kristyna Pliskova = won Wimbledon Jr. title
2011 Indy de Vroome = lost Wimb.Jr. SF (won by Barty = Roe.2r)
2012 Genie Bouchard = won Wimbledon Jr. title
2013 Belinda Bencic = won Wimbledon Jr. title
2014 Alona Ostapenko = won Wimbledon Jr. title
2015 Dalma Galfi = lost Wimb.Jr. 1r (won by Zhuk = Roe.3r)
2016 Anastasia Ptapova = won Wimbledon Jr. title
2017 Claire Liu = won Wimbledon Jr. title
2018 Coco Gauff = ???

Elsewhere, the falling of the seeds started at the top on Monday in the girls singles draw, as #1 Whitney Osuigwe fell victim to a very bad draw, losing to the player with the highest WTA ranking (#347, even with just six singles event in the past year after missing time with injury) in the junior competition (but relatively few junior matches), Iga Swiatek. The 17-year old Pole downed the Bannerette 2-6/6-3/6-3 today.



Swiss Leonie Kung defeated #6 Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (COL). Also advancing today were #4 Wang Xinyu (CHN), #5 Alex Noel (USA), #8 Claura Tauson (DEN), #9 Yuki Naito (JPN) past Hurricane Black, #11 Leylah Annie Fernandez (CAN), #14 Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA), Roehampton finalist #13 Caty McNally (USA), Swiss Simona Waltert, Brit Emma Raducanu (over the U.S.'s Gabriella Price) and Dalayna Hewitt (USA).

...in ITF action over the weekend, Dayana Yastremska took out her frustrations over not getting to play at Wimbledon on Anastasia Potapova and the rest of the field at last week's $60K challenger in Rome. After falling in the final of the $100K grass court event in Ilkley to Tereza Smitkova leading into Wimbledon, with the champion generally always getting a WC into the SW19 MD (as the Czech indeed did), Yastremska was forced into the Q-rounds to attempt to reach her first career MD at a major. She lost in the second round to Barbara Haas (who'd lose to Elena-Gabriela Ruse, who'd nearly upset Aga Radwanska in the 2nd Round).

In 2016, Potapova defeated Yastremska in the Wimbledon girls final in one of the better junior slam championship matches in recent memory, and last year they teamed to win an $80K challenger doubles crown. But the 18-year old Ukrainian showed no mercy here, defeating the Russian 6-1/6-0 to wrap up a no-sets-lost week and pick up her first ITF title this season. She'd gone 0-2 in a pair of $100K finals, falling to Smitkova and Rebecca Peterson, and had lost in three consecutive challenger finals, also losing another $100K decider last fall to Belinda Bencic.

Yep, winner????????#notthebestpicture#buthappy

A post shared by Dayana Yastremska (@dayana_yastremskay) on



Meanwhile, another Ukrainian, Valeriya Strakhova, took the $25K title in Denain, France, defeating Bannerette Allie Kick 4-6/7-6(5)/6-0. Kiick's comeback had led her into a second straight challenger final, and this result ended her nine-match winning streak.

In Prokuplje, Serbia it was Czech Gabriela Pantuckova picking up her second title in three weeks, taking the $15K crown with a 6-2/2-6/6-3 victory over Lea Boskovic. She's 13-1 in the stretch.



At the $15K in Corroios-Seixal, Portugal there was an impromptu meeting of the Tennis United Nations, as the sport's virtual melting pot once more was shown to go very deep:

Singles champion: New Zealand's Paige Mary Hourigan
Singles runner-up: Zimbabwe's Valeria Bhunu
Doubles champion (and WS QF): Cambodia's Andrea Ka
Doubles champion: Britain's Eden Silva
Singles semifinalist: Oman's Fatma Al-Nabhani
Singles semifinalist: USA's Lauren Proctor

Unranked Proctor, 21, had only played four 4 MD ITF matches in her career, producing her best pro result after a successful Q run. This past year at Winthrop University, NCAA All-Americans Proctor & Megan Kauffman reached the QF at the D-I Doubles Championships, falling there after having come into the match with a 24-0 mark on the college season.

And at The Hague (*had* to just say that, I guess), Norway's Malene Helgo, 20, picked up her first career title with a $15K final victory over Sweden's Ida Jarlskog.




(EXPECTED) IDIOCY ON DAY 7: The two "brilliantly creative and informative" Sportscenter hosts leading into coverage of Wimbledon, called "the greatest day in tennis" on the show minutes earlier (though that quantity of matches automatically denotes quality is nonsense).

Man: Who do you like in Manic Monday action at Wimbleon today?
Woman: Hmm, Serena.
Man: Serena? Nice. I'll-
Woman: No, I *do* like Serena. I guess I changed it.
Man: I'll take Federer.
Woman: I also like Nadal.
Man: I'll take del Potro.
Woman: I *want* to say del Potro, but I can't say his name.

(And, yes, she did say his name before saying that she can't say his name.)

Then the network went on-air on TWO channels (ESPN & ESPN2), with four women's matches already half-way through the 1st set (featuring a past slam champ, former #1, and players who defeated Halep, V.Williams, Wozniacki, Kvitova last week) and showed the same preview/let's-just-B.S.-though-weren't-even-any-matches-yesterday-to-recap for fifteen minutes on *both* channels at the same time.

Finally, after showing both empty show courts in split screen, all involved onset heartily applauded ESPN self-anointed greatness as Chris McKendry announced that Manic Monday would get underway on the outer courts... after a commercial break.

MAMA BOUCHARD ON DAY 7:



LIKE ON DAY 7: When legends meet up with legends to watch/discuss legends...



WTA TROPHY ENVY ON DAY 7??:



DISLIKE ON DAY 7:




LIKE ON DAY 7:



LATER ON ESPN ON DAY 7: The "unfamiliar" names of the women's final eight, per Chris Fowler...



LIKE ON DAY 7: Angie doing Angie



LIKE ON DAY 7: Mugu Dylan-ing




...and, finally, the wheelchair draw is set to be released Tuesday, with play beginning on Thursday. A few days ago, Japan's Yui Kamiji won the second edition of the grass court tune-up invitational at Surbiton, defeating Diede de Groot 4-6/6-2 [10-5]. A year ago, in the inaugural version of the event, de Groot took the title, then the Dutch woman went on to be crowned the second winner of the Wimbledon WC singles title.



With a similar follow-up win at SW19, Kamiji, the world #2 behind defending champ de Groot, would become the first player (female or male) to win titles in singles and doubles at all four slams.




*LADIES' SINGLES QF*
Dominika Cibulkova/SVK vs. #12 Alona Ostapenko/LAT
#14 Dasha Kasatkina/RUS vs. #11 Angelique Kerber/GER
#20 Kiki Bertens/NED vs. #13 Julia Goerges/GER
#24 Serena Williams/USA vs. Camila Giorgi/ITA

*LADIES' DOUBLES QF*
#1 Babos/Mladenovic (HUN/FRA) vs. Rosolska/Spears (POL/USA)
#3 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) vs. Maria/Watson (GER/GBR)
#12 Melichar/Peschke (USA/CZE) vs. #15 Begu/Buzarnescu (ROU/ROU)
#6 Dabrowski/Xu Yifan (CAN/CHN) vs. Mattek-Sands/Safarova (USA/CZE)

*MIXED DOUBLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Dabrowski/Pavic (CAN/CRO) vs. (WC) Dart/Clarke (GBR/GBR)
#10 Spears/Cabal (USA/COL) vs. Flipkens/Haase (BEL/NED)
#4 Schuurs/Rojer (NED/NED) vs. #14 Hozumi/McLachlan (JPN/JPN)
#12 Larsson/Middelkoop (NED/SWE) vs. Azarenka/J.Murray (BLR/GBR)
A.Chan/Mektic (TPE/CRO) vs. #9 Srebotnik/Venus (SLO/AUS)
#16 Kontinen/Watson (FIN/GBR) vs. #3 L.Chan/Dodig (TPE/CRO)
#6 S.-Hlavackova/Roger-Vasselin (CZE/FRA) vs. #11 Melichar/Peya (USA/AUT)
Stephens/Sock (USA/USA) vs. #2 Makarova/Soares (RUS/BRA)









Xoxo @leoamac7 ??

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Time to pause and reflect

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#wimbledon

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*2018 WIMBLEDON OPEN FINAL 8*
[by career slam QF]
48 - Serena Williams
10 - Angelique Kerber
8 - Dominika Cibulkova
3 - Alona Ostapenko
2 - Kiki Bertens
2 - Dasha Kasatkina
1 - Camila Giorgi
1 - Julia Goerges
[by career WI QF]
13 - Serena Williams
4 - Angelique Kerber
3 - Dominika Cibulkova
2 - Alona Ostapenko
1 - Kiki Bertens
1 - Camila Giorgi
1 - Julia Goerges
1 - Dasha Kasatkina
[w/ consecutive slam QF]
3 - Angelique Kerber
2 - Dasha Kasatkina
[w/ consecutive WI QF]
2 - Alona Ostapenko
-
NOTE: Serena Williams 3 non-consecutive in a row (DNP 2017)
[2018 slam QF - unseeded]
AO - Elise Mertens, BEL
AO - Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP
RG - Yulia Putintseva, KAZ
WI - Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
WI - Camila Giorgi, ITA
[2018 1st-time GS QF]
AO - Elise Mertens, BEL
RG - Dasha Kasatkina, RUSx
WI - Camila Giorgi, ITA
WI - Julia Goerges, GER
[2018 slam QF]
3 - Angelique Kerber (AO/RG/WI)
2 - Dasha Kasatkina (RG/WI)
2 - Madison Keys (AO/RG)
2 - Simona Halep (AO/RG)
1 - Kiki Bertens (WI)
1 - Dominika Cibulkova (WI)
1 - Camila Giorgi (WI)
1 - Julia Goerges (WI)
1 - Elise Mertens (AO)
1 - Garbine Muguruza (RG)
1 - Alona Ostapenko (WI)
1 - Karolina Pliskova (AO)
1 - Yulia Putinteva (RG)
1 - Maria Sharapova (RG)
1 - Sloane Stephens (RG)
1 - Carla Suarez-Navarro (AO)
1 - Elina Svitolina (AO)
1 - Serena Williams (WI)
1 - Caroline Wozniacki (AO)
[2018 slam QF - by nation]
4...GER (1/1/2/x) - Goerges,Kerber(3)
4...USA (1/2/1/x) - Keys(2),Stephens,S.Williams
3...RUS (0/2/1/x) - Kasatkina(2),Sharapova
2...ESP (1/1/x/x) - Muguruza,Suarez-Navarro
2...ROU (1/1/x/x) - Halep(2)
1...BEL (1/0/x/x) - Mertens
1...CZE (1/0/x/x) - Ka.Pliskova
1...DEN (1/0/x/x) - Wozniacki
1...ITA (0/0/1/x) - Giorgi
1...KAZ (0/1/x/x) - Putintseva
1...LAT (0/0/1/x) - Ostapenko
1...NED (0/0/1/x) - Bertens
1...SVK (0/0/1/x) - Cibulkova
1...UKR (1/0/x/x) - Svitolina
[WTA career slam QF - active]
48...Serena Williams, USA
39...Venus Williams, USA
25...Maria Sharapova, RUS
16...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
16...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
12...Aga Radwanska, POL
11...Simona Halep, ROU
10...Petra Kvitova, CZE
10...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
9...Angelique Kerber, GER
8...Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
8...Jelena Jankovic, SRB
7...Sara Errani, ITA
7...Garbine Muguruza, ESP
7...Francesca Schiavone, ITA
7...Patty Schnyder, SUI
7...Samantha Stosur, AUS
6...Kaia Kanepi, EST
6...Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
6...Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP
6...Vera Zvonareva, RUS
5...Madison Keys, USA
5...Sabine Lisicki, GER
5...Karolina Pliskova, CZE
[WTA slam QF in 2010's - active]
20...Serena Williams, USA
14...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
12...Maria Sharapova, RUS
11...Simona Halep, ROU
10..Angelique Kerber, GER
10...Petra Kvitova, CZE
9...Aga Radwanska, POL
9...Venus Williams, USA
9...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
7...Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
7...Sara Errani, ITA
7...Garbine Muguruza, ESP
6...Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
6...Samantha Stosur, AUS

*LOW-RANKED WIMBLEDON QF*
#181 - Serena Williams, 2018 *
#134 - Mirjana Lucic, 1999 (SF)
#133 - Zheng Jie, 2008 (SF)
#129 - Jelena Dokic, 1999
#129 - Severine Beltrame, 2006
#99 - Gigi Fernandez, 1994 (SF)
#96 - Yaroslava Shvedova, 2016

*UNSEEDED/WC/Q in SLAM QF IN 32-SEED DRAW*
[began w/ 2001 Wimbledon]
2001 US - Bedanova
2002 AO - Ad.Serra-Zanetti
2002 RG - Pierce,C.Fernandez,Suarez
2002 WI - Likhovtseva
2002 US - Bovina
2003 AO - Shaughnessy,Ruano-Pascual
2003 RG - Pierce
2004 WI - Sprem
2004 US - Asagoe
2005 RG - Karatantcheva
2006 AO - Hingis(wc)
2006 WI - Bremond(q)
2007 AO - S.Williams[W],Safarova
2007 US - Szavay
2008 RG - Kanepi,Suarez-Navarro(q)
2008 WI - Zheng(wc),Tanasugarn
2009 AO - Dokic(wc),Suarez-Navarro
2009 RG - Sharapova,Cirstea
2009 WI - Lisicki,Schiavone
2009 US - Wickmayer,K.Bondarenko,Oudin,Clijsters(wc)[W]
2010 AO - J.Zheng,Kirilenko,Henin(wc)[RU]
2010 RG - Shvedova
2010 WI - Kvitova,Kanepi(q),Pironkova
2010 US - Cibulkova
2011 WI - Lisicki(wc),Paszek
2011 US - Kerber
2012 AO - Makarova,Errani
2012 RG - Shvedova(q)
2012 WI - Paszek
2013 AO - Kuznetsova
2013 RG - Kuznetsova
2013 WI - Kanepi
2013 US - Hantuchova,Pennetta
2014 RG - Muguruza
2014 WI - Zahlavova-Strycova
2014 US - Bencic,Peng
2015 AO - Keys
2015 RG - Van Uytvanck
2015 WI - Vandeweghe
2015 US - Mladenovic,Vinci[RU]
2016 AO - Konta,Sh.Zhang(q)
2016 RG - Bertens,Pironkova,Putintseva,Rogers
2016 WI - Shvedova,Vesnina
2016 US - Konjuh,Sevastova,Wozniacki
2017 AO - Lucic-Baroni,Vandeweghe
2017 RG - Ostapenko[W]
2017 WI - Rybarikova
2017 US - Kanepi(q),Stephens[W]
2018 AO - Mertens,Suarez-Navarro
2018 RG - Putintseva
2018 WI - Cibulkova,Giorgi
--
[W]=won title; [RU]=reached final; [wc]=wild card; [q]=qualifier

*ACTIVE PLAYERS WITH EXACTLY ONE SLAM QF IN CAREER*
Belinda Bencic, SUI
Alona Bondarenko, UKR
Elena Bovina, RUS
Sorana Cirstea, ROU
Kirsten Flipkens, BEL
Caroline Garcia, FRA
Camila Giorgi, ITA *
Julia Goerges, GER *
Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER
Ana Konjuh, CRO
Michaella Krajicek, NED
Elise Mertens, BEL
Peng Shuai, CHN
Shelby Rogers, USA
Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK
Alexandra Stevenson, USA
Barbora Strycova, CZE
Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL
Elena Vesnina, RUS
Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
Zhang Shuai, CHN
--
NOTE: Bertens & Kasatkina removed from one-QF list

*ROEHAMPTON CHAMPS, w/ WIMBLEDON JR. RESULT*
1996 Amelie Mauresmo = won Wimbledon Jr. title
1997 Brie Rippner = lost Wimb.Jr. F (won by C.Black = Roe.QF)
1998 Jelena Dokic = lost Wimb.Jr. SF (won by Srebotnik = Roe.DNP)
1999 Lina Kranoroutskaya = lost Wimb.Jr. F (won by Tulyagnova = Roe.3r)
2000 Aniko Kapros = lost Wimb.Jr. QF (won by Salerni = Roe.2r)
2001 Gisela Dulko = lost Wimb.Jr. 3r (won by Widjaja = Roe.QF)
2002 Vera Dushevina = won Wimbledon Jr. title
2003 Allison Baker = lost Wimb.Jr. QF(won by Flipkens = Roe.RU)
2004 Michaella Krajicek = lost Wimb.Jr. SF (won by K.Bondarenko = Roe.QF)
2005 Caroline Wozniacki = lost Wimb.Jr. 1r (won by A.Radwanska = Roe.DNP)
2006 Kristina Antoniychuk = lost Wimb.Jr. 3r (won by Wozniacki = Roe.DNP)
2007 Petra Kvitova = lost Wimb.Jr. 3r (won by U.Radwanska = Roe.DNP)
2008 Melanie Oudin = lost Wimb.Jr. 2r (won by Robson = Roe.RU)
2009 Kristina Mladenovic = lost Wimb.Jr. F (won by Lertcheewakarn = Roe.SF)
2010 Kristyna Pliskova = won Wimbledon Jr. title
2011 Indy de Vroome = lost Wimb.Jr. SF (won by Barty = Roe.2r)
2012 Genie Bouchard = won Wimbledon Jr. title
2013 Belinda Bencic = won Wimbledon Jr. title
2014 Alona Ostapenko = won Wimbledon Jr. title
2015 Dalma Galfi = lost Wimb.Jr. 1r (won by Zhuk = Roe.3r)
2016 Anastasia Ptapova = won Wimbledon Jr. title
2017 Claire Liu = won Wimbledon Jr. title
2018 Coco Gauff = ???




TOP QUALIFIER:Mona Barthel/GER
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Simona Halep/ROU
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q2: #8 Mona Barthel/GER def. Oceane Dodin/FRA 6-3/1-6/8-6 (saves a MP in game #12 of the 3rd w/ Dodin DF at 6-5)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. - #32 Aga Radwanska/POL def. (Q) Elena-Gabriela Rus/ROU 6-3/4-6/7-5 (wins 14-min.,23-pt.,8-deuce game #10 in 3rd, saving 6 MP)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:Yanina Wickmayer/BEL (1st Rd. def. M.Barthel/GER)
FIRST SEED OUT:#19 Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK (lost 1st Rd. to S.Cirstea/ROU)
UPSET QUEENS:United States
REVELATION LADIES:Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS:Ukraine (1-4 1st/2nd Rd; year after Svitolina to 4th/Tsurenko to 3rd, Svitolina 1st Rd. is worst slam since '14 and none to 3rd Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING:Katie Boulter/GBR, Ons Jabeur/TUN and Katie Swan/GBR (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BRITS STANDING:Katie Boulter, Johanna Konta and Katie Swan (all 2nd Rd.)
IT ("???"): Nominee: Gauff, Kasatkina
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: Nominee: Goerges, Bertens, Giorgi, Ostapenko, Kasatkina
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Mattek-Sands, S.Williams, Kerber
CRASH & BURN:#8 Petra Kvitova/CZE (two-time champ, pre-tournament favorite and '18 tour title-leader loses in 1st Rd. to Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR, dropping 3rd set at love)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON:Katerina Siniakova/CZE (Down 5-2 to Vandeweghe, who served at 5-3 in final set in 1st Rd., wins 8-6; down 5-2 to Jabeur, served at 5-3 in final set in 2nd Round, saved MP and wins 9-7)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: S.Williams, Kerber, Cibulkova, Goerges
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE:Donna Vekic/CRO (follows up emotional '17 loss to Konta in 2nd Round -- after which Brit consoled her at the net ala the Duchess of Kent w/ Jana in 1993 -- w/ 1st Rd. upset of #4 Stephens; advances to first career slam Rd. of 16)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
THE RADWANSKA DAY REMEMBRANCE AWARD
June 26 official: In Eastbourne, Aga Radwanska, playing in her first event in two months, saves 2 MP vs. Dasha Gavrilova (both via DF), win a 2nd set tie-break, then takes the 3rd set at love. Gavrilova has 17 DF on the day.
Day 3 observed: As insects swarm the AELTC grounds on Flying Ant Day, reigning AO champ #2 Caroline Wozniacki falls on the infested Court 1 to Ekaterina Makarova, becoming the sixth Top 8 seed to fall in the tournament's first three days. Aga Radwanska flirts with staging a comeback from a set and 5-1 down and force a 3rd set (after having saved 6 MP in the 1st Rd.), saving a MP vs. Lucie Safarova before the Czech staves off a total of seven BP in a game to hold and secure the win. It's Aga's first career "Rad Day" defeat. Later, rain interrupts play for the first time in the fortnight.





All for Day 7. More tomorrow.
↧

W.8- Two Sets to Guts-and-Glory

July 10, 2018, 4:53 pm
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Angelique Kerber and Dasha Kasatkina are separated in age by nearly a decade, but they're a perfect tennis match. Today in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, they joined forces on Centre Court to produce a wonderful example of 20th century tennis nearly two decades into the new millennium.



The difference in career experience and accomplishment between #11-seeded Kerber, 30 years old and a former #1 and two-time slam champion, and #14 Kasatkina, barely 21 and seeking to reach her first career slam semifinal, is considerable. But the two seem to be drawn like magnets to one another. Knotted at 3-3 in their head-to-head series, today they were playing for the seventh time in less than two years. They'd met as recently as just a few weeks ago in Eastbourne, with Kerber winning a 3rd set TB in the quarterfinals.

While their match today ultimately ended with a "routine" looking scoreline, it was anything but.

A meeting between the two can be expected to have many things, from a large dose of variety, long rallies, the Russian pulling off every shot in the How-To-Tennis guidebook (and a few only available in the "updated" version you can purchase online), the German's defensive scrambles turning into suddenly shocking offense, and several instances when you see sweat glistening off both as they bend over in exhaustion after a particularly exciting adventure caper (complete with its own catchy theme song) and recognize that *this* is what guts and glory look like in a sports setting.

And that's what we got, too. In fact, about the only thing we didn't see was a 3rd set. Ah, who knows what we missed out on.



In the early going, it looked as if a 3rd set wasn't even going to be a possibility. Kerber broke out on top in the 1st, getting the best of Kasatkina from the baseline as the Russian failed to force the issue with increased aggression in an attempt to alter the course of events. The German led 4-2. Finally, Kasatkina had a breakthrough in game #7. Up 15/40 on Kerber's serve, she end one of the match's typical crosscourt rallies with a backhand winner to get the break. But a DF from the Russian a game later allowed Kerber to get the break right back. Kerber took the set 6-3.

It established a frustrating pattern for Kasatkina, who'd often fluctuate between being brilliant and frustratingly inconsistent all day. A little more steadiness from the grinding *and* flashy (an intriguing combination, to say the least) Hordette and they two might *still* be playing. Kerber, by contrast, played a steady game. No big highs, but also no big lows. She staked out the "middle" and maintained it from the first point until the last. It turned out to be her key to victory.

Kerber again seized control early in the 2nd set, taking a 3-1 lead. She was often seen pulling Kasatkina forward to the net and then firing a passing shot by her. Time was running out the Russian. But then, like the swashbuckler-in-tennis-gear she is, Kasatkina swooped in and helped turn this match into something "more."

Kasatkina still had to battle against her own up-and-down nature, though. After playing a great game to get the break to level the score at 3-3, she squandered a chance to consolidate the win a game later. Kasatkina pushed out her reply to a bad Kerber drop shot, then double-faulted to fall behind 15/30. With a Centre Court breeze behind her, she fired a forehand long and was down two BP. A backhand error contributed the game to the cause of the German, who reclaimed her break lead and prevented Kasatkina from getting on the sort of roll that might guide her down the path to victory. If the Russian could simply get the match into a 3rd set, she'd still have a chance. Doing so, though, would prove unworkable.

Kasatkina had two BP on Kerber's serve in game #8, wasting both with errors. But when what seemed to be her *final* chance arrived she stepped up once again. Or, really, she *jumped* up. BP #3 came via a jump slice crosscourt backhand drop shot (now that's a new one -- maybe it should just be called a "Kasatkina" since few would even dare to dream), then she whipped a crosscourt forehand that took Kerber well outside the sideline to break for 4-4. But, again, Kastakina wasn't able to hold steady.

Up 30/love a game later, she fired a forehand well out off as a response to a short Kerber return that had clanged off the German's racket frame. Kerber got to BP after winning a 24-shot rally, then fired a forehand winner to the corner to end a rally and break the Russian to lead 5-4. She wasn't able to serve out the match, though. Kastakina got the break to get things back even at 5-5. But the Russian's errors put her down love/30 in the next game. A DF and she found herself BP down. Kerber reached a drop shot and put a winner into the corner to lead 6-5 and get another chance to serve out the win.

The final game turned out to be a semi-masterpiece of guile and audacity. Kerber actually led 40/15 and it seemed as if it would end quickly, but it turned out to be a 16-point, 7-MP tussle highlighted by a 25-shot rally (to reach MP #6) that saw, just to name a few moments, Kasatkina slip and fall behind the baseline, then recover and race back to the other side of the court, pull off a drop shot, but then see it answered by a point-winning volley from Kerber.



A point later Kerber just missed completing a drop and lob combo to win the match (on MP #6), then finally did on MP #7 when Kasatkina failed to get back the German's forehand as Kerber's 6-3/7-5 win allows her to return to the Wimbledon semis for a third time.



The match, though it lasted just two sets, highlighted much of what draws one to Kasatkina. She's got nothing but fight in her on the court, has every shot (and then some), and is a fun listen off it, too. If she could just corral it all she'll win a major, and "the rest" will all go hand-in-hand. At this early stage of her game's development, even with only one tour-level singles title in her column, she's got almost too many wins over top players to count (well, not really -- she has seven Top 10 wins in '18, and eight Top 3 wins the last two seasons. This Wimbledon she even managed to reach the QF without having to play a 3rd set, so she would have still been fresh for more fight had she won today. Her long-match tendencies have sometimes come back to bite her late in events. Either way, she equaled her best slam result with this run, her second of back-to-back major QF. The Hordette's best slam prior to '18 was the U.S. Open (3rd Rd. in her debut, then a Round of 16 last year), so we're likely to hear from her again on a major stage before the summer if over. In fact, it'd be criminal if the USTA can't get her on Ashe in a night match the first week (hmmm, maybe she'll draw an unseeded Vika early on?).




Meanwhile, Kerber was somewhat hidden in this draw. But now she's the highest seed remaining, and will play for her second Wimbledon final berth in three years. In fact, the German is THIS CLOSE to having had a *fantastic* season. Consider, after her disappointing '17 campaign followed up her HUGE '16, she opened '18 at 10-0 with a singles title (14-0 w/ Hopman Cup play), has won multiple matches at 10 of 13 events, returned to the Top 10, had MP on Simona Halep in the Australian SF, and is now again a match away from her fourth career slam final and the opportunity to be 3/4 of the way to a Career Slam. Not only that, but she lost to the eventual Dubai (Svitolina/SF), Miami (Stephens/QF), Rome (Svitolina/QF), RG (Halep/QF) and Eastbourne (Wozniacki/SF with a MP) champs, as well.

Maybe that's partly why she stuck to the steady-as-she-goes approach today. After seeing it all play out, on both ends of the spectrum in 2016-17, she knows how fine a line there is between success and failure. Such knowledge could be the difference between whether this Wimbledon is simply another sign of Kerber's return to form, or her next *grand* moment in the spotlight.






=DAY 8 NOTES=
...while Kerber and Kasatkina were dueling with swords, knives and throwing stars for two compelling sets on Centre Court, Court 1 played host to a pair of fire-ballers in #12 Alona Ostapenko and Dominika Cibulkova.

They sought to engage in a contest to see which of the two could outhit the other. While the storm that is Latvian Thunder has remained mostly tucked away and on view to only the sort of storm chasers who actively seek her out at this slam, the damage she's left behind in her wake through the first four rounds surely has produced a "this was no boating accident" sense of awe and potential dread as the numbers have come in: no sets lost coming into today, as well as 94 winners in eight sets, two of them won at love, a dominant win over a former Wimbledon semifinalist (Kirsten Flipkens) and a decided lack of pressure weighing on her shoulders a month past her Roland Garros title defense attempt lasted just one round. Ah, yes. We've seen this sort of storm before in a major, and it ended with Ostapenko lifting the La Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen above her head in Paris last year. Were it not for the presence of other previous slam champions remaining in this draw, there would be little compunction felt in announcing that a session with the Venus Rosewater Dish on Centre Court was hers to lose. After all, when Ostapenko, a former SW19 junior champ, is on few can hope to match her hitting power, and if she's consistently accurate even fewer can hope to stay with her.

Cibulkova, for one, wasn't able to today.



Early on, though, Ostapenko had some difficulty keeping her shots inside the lines. She fell behind 3-1 in the 1st set, dropping serve after having led 30/15, as her UE total (12) through less than the first half of the set had already nearly equaled her full match total (15) from her Round of 16 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich. In game #5, in which Cibulkova held a GP, Ostapenko's thudding backhand return winner set her up with a BP, which she converted with an (expected) huge deep return combined with a (surprisingly delicate) drop shot to get things back on serve at 3-2. At 5-5, the 21-year old fired two winners and, along with a DF from the 29-year old Slovak, had triple BP. A second serve backhand return was whacked down the line to give her a chance to serve for the set. An ace gave Ostapenko a 40/love lead, and she closed out the 1st at 7-5 with another ace, winning her eighth consecutive point, and twelfth of thirteen.

The Latvian drew first blood in the 2nd, breaking for 2-1. After the two exchanged breaks the next two games, Ostapenko held for 4-2 and 5-3. Coming back from 15/30 down, Cibulkova held in game #9 to force Ostapenko to serve out the win. With no fuss or muss, she did it at love, ending things with a backhand winner into the corner to win 7-5/6-4. She finished with 33 winners, upping her total to 127 through five matches (an avg. of 25.4 per match... good, but still behind her shocking 42.7 stat en route to winning RG last season).

Adding another "first Latvian woman to..." (reach the Wimbledon semis) notation to her career bio, Ostapenko makes herself the first multi-slam semifinalist of the Generation PDQ set, of which she was also the first to claim a major. Kasatkina couldn't make it an all-PDQ semi, which would have been as big a statement as any made by the tour's newly twentysomethings so far. But, hey, it's just a matter of time, though.

Whether Ostapenko can become also become the first multi-slam finalist (or winner) of the group remains to be seen. After all, semifinal opponent Kerber has proven (especially in '16) that she can handle power. This will be their first meeting, as would a match-up between the Latvian and either of the other two semifinalists in a potential championship match.

It may ultimately turn out to be the case, though, that this really *was* Ostapenko's slam to win. She's still a bit away from being able to legitimately claim the right to see her name listed amongst the legendary winners of this event. But, well, check back in a few days. By then, things may have changed.

...the second-up QF matches of the day sported a foursome of players achieving later in their career. Serena Williams, of course, but also Julia Goerges (fielding her best career results over the past year as she approaches her 30th birthday, and in her first slam QF), Kiki Bertens (surging after a cancer score a few seasons ago), and Camila Giorgi (in her first slam QF six years after her initial breakthrough Round of 16 run at SW19).

Good friends #13 Goerges and #20 Bertens met on Court 1. Bertens arrived seeking her second career slam SF (RG '16), but first on a surface on which she wouldn't previously have been expected to excel. But increased aggression had enabled her to take out the likes of Venus Williams and Karolina Pliskova in back to back rounds en route to the quarterfinals, leading to another contest against a big-serving opponent. Goerges came into the match as the WTA season and tournament leader in aces (Bertens was #3 for the fortnight, with Serena sandwiched between them).

It was Bertens who stayed above the fray in the opening sections of the match, winning the serving and baseline battles with the German. She took the 1st set at 6-3, then overcame a 4-2 deficit in the 2nd. She knotted the set at 4-4, then held for 5-5 after climbing out of a love/30 hole. But Goerges gradually was able to carve into the effectiveness of Bertens' serve, going about things differently on a tactical basis, chipping back her returns and generally preventing the Dutch woman from taking control of rallies. The German held and converted a BP point on Bertens serve to take the 2nd set 7-5. She jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead in the 3rd as her own winners count edged over 30, then carried her new momentum through to the end. From 4-1 up, Goerges won ten of eleven points, firing a running, stretch forehand crosscourt and mid-way into the deuce box on Bertens' side of the net, out of reach of the Dutch woman, to take a love/40 lead. She got the break and soon served out the 3-6/7-5/6-1 victory to become the latest first-time slam semifinalist at Wimbledon. That makes it nine consecutive Wimbledons in which at least one maiden final four run has occurred, as well as in nineteen of the last twenty-one majors since Wimbledon '13.



Along with Kerber, this makes this the first slam with two Germans in the semis since 1993 (RG: Graf/Huber) and the first time it's happened at Wimbledon in the Open era. The last time it happened before that was 1931, when Cilly Aussem & Hilde Krahwinkel met in the final.

In the other QF on Centre Court, Serena looked to *not* add to her past troubled slam history with fiery Italians (see '15 U.S. Open semi and Roberta Vinci) vs. Giorgi. Yet, lo and behold, the big-hitting 26-year old proved a relentless opponent for the 36-year old Williams for much of what turned out to be a three-set affair. Firing balls hard and deep on the baseline, Giorgi followed the pattern made somewhat famous at this tournament fourteen years ago by Maria Sharapova when faced with the prospect of Serena being across the net, keeping her off-balance, unable to get a full swing at the ball or have the opportunity to have a good angle to produce groundstroke winners.

It worked. For a while.

Williams failed to convert a BP in the opening game, and it allowed Giorgi to keep a half-step ahead in the 1st set even while Williams won her opening two service games at love. Up 3-2, Giorgi carved out a BP chance of her own and won the game with a deep-shot-and-Serena-off-balance-error to lead 4-2. Williams had four BP to get back on serve a game later, but the Italian saved them all (leaving Williams 0-for-5 in the set). Two games later, she held to take the 1st 6-3, the first set lost by Serena at this slam. Actually, it ended a 12-set streak that began with her comeback win over Ash Barty after dropping the 1st vs. the Aussie in the 2nd Round in Paris last month, and was her first lost set at SW19 after claiming twenty in a row since losing a 1st set TB vs. Christina McHale in the 2nd Round in 2016.

Of course, even winning the 1st vs. Serena at a major doesn't necessarily mean much. She came into the day with a winning record (38-35) in such matches.

After holding from love/30 down to lead 2-1 in the 2nd, Williams finally found her game and pulled away. Firing a rally-ending forehand crosscourt into the corner got her a break lead a game later. Serving for the set at 5-3, Giorgi couldn't get back a big serve and Williams yelled, "Come on!" on her way to the changeover area. An early break in the 3rd was all Serena needed to seize control in the 3rd. Serving at 5-4, she held at love with a deep forehand that Giorgi netted with her response, securing Williams her 19th straight Wimbledon victory (SW wins #19 at SW19... naturally, right?) and 35th career slam SF berth.




Serena has won nine straight Wimbledon semifinal matches. Her last loss? It came eighteen years ago, when she fell to Venus, who'd go on to win her FIRST major title two days later in the final vs. Lindsay Davenport. Weeks earlier, Ostapenko had just turned three... years old.



...meanwhile, Timea Babos & Kristina Mladenovic should keep an eye out, for yet another #1-seeded woman fell today. After WS #1 Simona Halep and GS top seed Whitney Osuigwe saw their Wimbledon's cut short, so today did MX #1 Gaby Dabrowski & Mate Pavic. The AO champs (and RG finalists) were upset on Tuesday by a pair of Brits, Harriet Dart (who gave Karolina Pliskova some trouble last week, after having beaten Kristyna the week before) & Jay Clarke.




Also, #3-seeded RG champs Latisha Chan & Ivan Dodig eliminated '16 Wimbledon MX winners Heather Watson & Henri Kontinen.

...the junior Round of 16 is set, and there won't be an all-Bannerette girls final this time around. Not because the U.S. juniors have performed poorly -- there are three remaining, tied with China for the most -- but because they're all concentrated in the bottom eight of the draw.

Must like the women's draw, most of the top seeds have been shipped off. Yesterday it was #1 Whitney Osuigwe, and today it was #2 Liang En-shuo (who became the first girls slam champ from TPE in Melbourne, but lost on Tuesday to China's Zheng Qinwen), #5 Alexa Noel (falling to Ukraine's Viktoriia Dema, leaving the top half without its highest-ranked U.S. girl), #7 Eleonora Molinaro (the dominant junior performer, until today, was *double-bageled* by TPE's Joanna Garland) and #8 Clara Tauson (Bannerette Lea Ma took out the Dane). Just two Top 8 seeds reached the final sixteen.

#3 seed and Roehampton champ Coco Gauff is still alive, though. She defeated Slovak Lenka Stara, so at least one of the seven kingdoms has been vanquished. Don't worry, Coco, there are more to conquer.



Fellow Bannerettes joining Gauff are Ma and #13 Caty McNally, the Roehampton (and RG) runner-up. The strong contingent from Asia includes the aforementioned Garland and Zheng, as well as #4 Wang Xinyu (CHN), #9 Yuki Naito (JPN), #10 Wang Xiyu (CHN) and #12 Naho Sato (JPN). The sole remaining Brit, Emma Raducanu, defeated #11 Leylah Annie Fernandez of Canada, while Iga Swiatek (who def. Osuigwe) advanced past Switzerland's Simona Waltert. #15 Maria Carle (ARG) kept South America in contention with a win over the U.S.'s Dalayna Hewitt, while #14 Elisabetta Cocciaretto didn't follow in the footsteps of fellow Italian Giorgi, defeating another Bannerette, Katie Volynets.

LIKE ON DAY 8: 14. Already a junior slam champ. Coached by Patrick Mouratoglou. Confident ("I want to be the best I can be and be the greatest."). Hmmm.



LIKE ON DAY 8: What Courtney said...



(clears throat)


OF NOTE ON DAY 8: And this lineup doesn't result from chaos, but rather from depth of field. It could have happened even without the massive loss of seeds in the early rounds.



LIKE ON DAY 8: Your new/latest doubles #1...



SCHEDULED RELEASED ON DAY 8: Commence "the disrespect of it all"-styled conniption fit, tennis world...



And save some outrage for when it happens (and far worse) to a women's #1, defending major champ or reigning slam queen.

NEW SKILLS ON DAY 8:



SANIA ALMOST READY FOR IMPROMPTU DOUBLES ACTION ON DAY 8:



...and, finally...



The wheelchair draw is out, with all the usual suspects. Diede de Groot is the top seed, with Yui Kamiji at #2. Still no North Americans in the singles or doubles draws, though Dana Mathewson (USA) *is* currently the sixth-ranked WD player, and all the other Top 8 WD players (and #11) are teamed up in the four-team draw. De Groot and Kamiji form a very high-powered combo at the top of the doubles draw, with de Groot's countrywomen, Marjolein Buis & Aniek van Koot, the #2 seeds. Kamiji & Jordanne Whiley have won the Wimbledon doubles four straight years, but the Brit is still out after having a baby.







*LADIES' SINGLES SF*
#12 Alona Ostapenko/LAT vs. #11 Angelique Kerber/GER
#13 Julia Goerges/GER vs. #24 Serena Williams/USA

*LADIES' DOUBLES QF*
#1 Babos/Mladenovic (HUN/FRA) vs. Rosolska/Spears (POL/USA)
#3 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) vs. Maria/Watson (GER/GBR)
#12 Melichar/Peschke (USA/CZE) vs. #15 Begu/Buzarnescu (ROU/ROU)
#6 Dabrowski/Xu Yifan (CAN/CHN) vs. Mattek-Sands/Safarova (USA/CZE)

*MIXED DOUBLES ROUND OF 16*
(WC) Dart/Clarke (GBR/GBR) def. #1 Dabrowski/Pavic (CAN/CRO)
#10 Spears/Cabal (USA/COL) vs. Flipkens/Haase (BEL/NED)
#4 Schuurs/Rojer (NED/NED) def. #14 Hozumi/McLachlan (JPN/JPN)
#12 Larsson/Middelkoop (NED/SWE) vs. Azarenka/J.Murray (BLR/GBR)
A.Chan/Mektic (TPE/CRO) vs. #9 Srebotnik/Venus (SLO/AUS)
#3 L.Chan/Dodig (TPE/CRO) def. #16 Kontinen/Watson (FIN/GBR)
#11 Melichar/Peya (USA/AUT) def. #6 S.-Hlavackova/Roger-Vasselin (CZE/FRA)
Stephens/Sock (USA/USA) vs. #2 Makarova/Soares (RUS/BRA)

*GIRLS SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
Iga Swiatek/POL vs. #16 Clara Burel/FRA
Emma Raducanu/GBR vs. Joanna Garland/TPE
#4 Wang Xinyu/CHN vs. #14 Elisabetta Cocciaretto/ITA
#12 Naho Sato/JPN vs. Viktoriia Dema/UKR
Lea Ma/USA vs. #10 Wang Xiyu/CHN
#15 Maria Carle/ARG vs. #3 Coco Gauff/USA
(Q) Leonie Kung/SUI vs. #9 Yuki Naito/JPN
#13 Caty McNally/USA vs. Zheng Qinwen/CHN

*GIRLS DOUBLES QF*
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x

*WHEELCHAIR SINGLES QF*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED vs. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
Katharina Kruger/GER vs. Kgothatso Montjane/RSA
Lucy Shuker/GBR vs. Aniek van Koot/NED
Marjolein Buis/NED vs. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN

*WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES SF*
#1 de Groot/Kamiji (NED/JPN) vs. Kruger/Montjane (GER/RSA)
Ellerbrock/Shuker (GER/GBR) vs. #2 Buis/van Koot (NED/NED)x






















*CAREER SLAM SF - active*
35 - SERENA WILLIAMS (29-5/0-0 in '18]
23 - Venus Williams (16-7)
20 - Maria Sharapova (10-10)
7 - Victoria Azarenka (4-3)
7 - ANGELIQUE KERBER (3-3/0-1)
7 - Caroline Wozniacki (3-4/1-0)
6 - Simona Halep (4-2/2-0)
6 - Jelena Jankovic (1-5)
5 - Svetlana Kuznetsova (4-1)
5 - Petra Kvitova (2-3)
5 - Samantha Stosur (2-3)
5 - Aga Radwanska (1-4)
4 - Vera Zvonareva (2-2)
4 - Garbine Muguruza (3-1/0-1)
3 - Sloane Stephens (2-1/1-0)
3 - Madison Keys (1-2/0-1)
3 - Sara Errani (1-2)
3 - Genie Bouchard (1-2)
2 - Francesca Schiavone (2-0)
2 - ALONA OSTAPENKO (1-0/0-0)
2 - Dominika Cibulkova (1-1)
2 - Sabine Lisicki (1-1)
2 - Karolina Pliskova (1-1)
2 - Lucie Safarova (1-1)
2 - Timea Bacsinszky (0-2)
2 - Johanna Konta (0-2)
2 - Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (0-2)
2 - Ekaterina Makarova (0-2)
2 - CoCo Vandeweghe (0-2)
1 (1-0) = none
1 (0-0) = GOERGES
1 (0-1) = Bertens,Flipkens,Mertens(2018),Peng,Petkovic,Pironkova,
Rybarikova,Schnyder,Vesnina,Wickmayer

*SLAM SF - DECADE OF 2010's - 2010-18*
18 - SERENA WILLIAMS (15-2)
10 - Maria Sharapova (6-4)
7 - Victoria Azarenka (4-3)
7 - ANGELIQUE KERBER (3-3)
6 - Simona Halep (4-2)
6 - Li Na (4-2)-retired
6 - Caroline Wozniacki (2-4)
5 - Venus Williams (2-3)
5 - Petra Kvitova (2-3)
5 - Aga Radwanska (1-4)
4 - Garbine Muguruza (3-1)
4 - Samantha Stosur (2-2)
3 - Kim Clijsters (2-1)-retired
3 - Sara Errani (1-2)
3 - Sloane Stephens (2-1)
3 - Vera Zvonareva (2-1)
3 - Madison Keys (1-2)
3 - Genie Bouchard (1-2)
2 - Francesca Schiavone (2-0)
2 - ALONA OSTAPENKO (1-0)
2 - Karolina Pliskova (1-1)
2 - Sabine Lisicki (1-1)
2 - Flavia Pennetta (1-1)-retired
2 - Marion Bartoli (1-1)-retired
2 - Lucie Safarova (1-1)
2 - Timea Bacsinszky (0-2)
2 - Johanna Konta (0-2)
2 - Ekaterina Makarova (0-2)
2 - CoCo Vandeweghe (0-2)
1 (1-0) = Cibulkova,Henin(retired)
1 (0-0) = GOERGES
1 (0-1) = Bertens,Dementieva,Flipkens,Ivanovic(retired),Jankovic,Mertens,
Lucic-Baroni,Peng,Petkovic,Pironkova,Rybarikova,Vesnina,
Vinci(retired),J.Zheng(retired)

*2018 WTA SF*
6 - Simona Halep (4-1+L)
5 - Petra Kvitova (5-0)
5 - ANGELIQUE KERBER (1-3)
4 - Caroline Wozniacki (3-1)
4 - Elise Mertens (3-1)
4 - JULIA GOERGES (2-1)
4 - Mihaela Buzarnescu (2-2)
4 - Garbine Muguruza (1-2+W)
3 - Elina Svitolina (3-0)
3 - Dasha Kasatkina (2-1)
3 - Ash Barty (2-1)
3 - Karolina Pliskova (1-2)
3 - Anastasija Sevastova (1-2)
--
NOTE: 2-OSTAPENKO (1-0), 1-S.WILLIAMS (0-0)

*2015-18 WTA SF*
28 - Simona Halep - 9/6/7/6
27 - ANGELIQUE KERBER - 8/11/3/5
25 - Karolina Pliskova - 8/6/8/3
23 - Caroline Wozniacki - 7/4/8/4
22 - Elina Svitolina - 6/7/6/3
20 - Aga Radwanska - 8/9/2/1
19 - Garbine Muguruza - 5/3/7/4
18 - Petra Kvitova - 5/6/2/5
17 - SERENA WILLIAMS - 9/6/1/1
15 - JULIA GOERGES - 0/4/7/4
15 - Caroline Garcia - 2/4/7/2
15 - Dominika Cibulkova - 1/9/3/2
14 - Venus Williams - 5/3/5/1
12 - Madison Keys - 2/6/2/2
12 - ALONA OSTAPENKO - 1/2/7/2
12 - Johanna Konta - 0/5/6/1
12 - Kristina Mladenovic - 3/3/5/1
11 - Kiki Bertens - 1/5/3/2
11 - Maria Sharapova - 7/0/2/2
11 - Sloane Stephens - 3/3/3/2

*2018 LOW-RANKED SEMIFINALISTS*
#246 Sabine Lisicki/GER = Taipei City
#186 Victoria Azarenka/BLR = Miami
#183 Stefanie Voegele/SUI = Acapulco (RU)
#181 SERENA WILLIAMS/USA - WIMBLEDON
#152 Wang Yafan/CHN = Taipei City
#141 Dalila Jakupovic/SLO = Bogota
#139 Rebecca Peterson/SWE = Acapulco
#132 Anna Karolina Schmiedlova/SVK = Bogota (W)
#130 Vera Lapko/BLR = Lugano
#122 Sachia Vickery/USA = Auckland
#122 Pauline Parmentier/FRA = Istanbul (W)
#121 Viktoria Kuzmova/SVK = Budapest

*WIMBLEDON "Ms. OPPORTUNITY" WINNERS*
2004 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2005 Venus Williams, USA
2006 Severine Bremond, FRA
2007 Marion Bartoli, FRA
2008 Zheng Jie, CHN
2009 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2010 Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2012 Aga Radwanska, POL
2013 Kirsten Flipkens, BEL
2014 Lucie Safarova, CZE
2015 Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2016 Elena Vesnina, RUS
2017 Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK
2018 Julia Goerges, GER

*SURBITON INVITATIONAL FINALS*
2017 Diede de Groot/NED d. Lucy Shuker/GBR
2018 Yui Kamiji/JPN d. Diede de Groot/NED
*WIMBLEDON SINGLES FINALS*
2016 Jiske Griffioen/NED d. Aniek Van Koot/NED
2017 Diede de Groot/NED d. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2018 ?

*LOW-SEEDED WIMBLEDON SEMIFINALISTS - Open Era*
[unseeded]
1968 Ann Jones
1969 Rosie Casals
1970 Francoise Durr
1971 Judy Dalton
1983 Yvonne Vermaak
1989 Catarina Lindqvist
1994 Gigi Fernandez
1994 Lori McNeil
1996 Meredith McGrath
1997 Anna Kournikova
1998 Natasha Zvereva
1999 Alexandra Stevenson (Q)
1999 Mirjana Lucic
2000 Jelena Dokic
2008 Zheng Jie (WC)
2010 Petra Kvitova
2010 Tsvetana Pironkova
2011 Sabine Lisicki (WC)
2016 Elena Vesnina
2017 Magdalena Rybarikova
[seeds]
#25 - Serena Williams, 2018
#23 - Lucie Safarova, 2014
#23 - Sabine Lisicki, 2013 (RU)
#23 - Venus Williams, 2007 (W)
#21 - Vera Zvonareva, 2010 (RU)
#20 - Garbine Muguruza, 2015 (RU)
#20 - Kirsten Flipkens, 2013
#18 - Marion Bartoli, 2007 (RU)
#16 - Nathalie Tauziat, 1998 (RU)
#16 - Kathy Rinaldi, 1985
#15 - Marion Bartoli, 2013 (W)
#14 - Garbine Muguruza, 2017 (W)
#14 - Venus Williams, 2005 (W)
#13 - Julia Goerges, 2018
#13 - Aga Radwanska, 2015
#13 - Genie Bouchard, 2014 (RU)
#13 - Maria Sharapova, 2004 (W)
#12 - Alona Ostapenko, 2018
#12 - Kimiko Date, 1996
#12 - Billie Jean King, 1982
#11 - Angelique Kerber, 2018
#11 - Bettina Bunge, 1982
#10 - Venus Williams, 2017 (RU)
#10 - Gabriela Sabatini, 1986
#10 - Billie Jean King, 1983

*ACTIVE PLAYERS WITH EXACTLY ONE SLAM SF*
Kiki Bertens, NED
Kirsten Flipkens, BEL
Julia Goerges, GER *
Elise Mertens, BEL
Peng Shuai, CHN
Andrea Petkovic, GER
Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK
Patty Schnyder, SUI
Elena Vesnina, RUS
Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
--
NOTE: Ostapenko removed from list w/ 2nd SF

*OUTSIDE TOP 16 SEEDS IN SLAM SF, since 2000*
6 - #17-19 (last 2: #17 Makarova '14 US, #18 Bouchard '14 RG)
16 - #20-25 (last 2: #25 S.Williams '18 WI, #21 Kerber '18 AO)
4 - #26-29 (last 2: #26 Pennetta '15 US, #28 Petkovic '14 RG)
4 - #30-32 (last 2: #30 Bacsinszky '17 RG, #30 Bouchard '14 AO)
25 - unseeded (last 2: Stephens '17 US, Mertens '18 AO)
4 - wild card (last 2: Henin '10 AO, Lisicki '11 WI)

*FIRST-TIME SLAM SEMIFINALISTS AT WIMBLEDON SINCE 2010*
2010 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2010 Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
2011 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2011 Sabine Lisicki, GER (RU)
2012 Aga Radwanska, POL (RU)
2013 Kirsten Flipkens, BEL
2014 Lucie Safarova, CZE
2015 Garbine Muguruza, ESP (RU)
2016 Elena Vesnina, RUS
2017 Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK
2018 Julia Goerges, GER

*FIRST-TIME SLAM SEMIFINALISTS SINCE 2013*
=2013=
AO: Sloane Stephens/USA
RG: -
WI: Kirsten Flipkens/BEL
US: Flavia Pennetta/ITA
=2014=
AO: Genie Bouchard/CAN
RG: Simona Halep/ROU (RU), Andrea Petkovic/GER
WI: Lucie Safarova/CZE
US: Ekatarina Makarova/RUS, Peng Shuai/CHN
=2015=
AO: Madison Keys/USA
RG: Timea Bacsinszky/SUI
WI: Garbine Muguruza/ESP (RU)
US: Roberta Vinci/ITA (RU)
=2016=
AO: Johanna Konta/GBR
RG: Kiki Bertens/NED
WI: Elena Vesnina/RUS
US: Karolina Pliskova/CZE (RU)
=2017=
AO: CoCo Vandeweghe/USA
RG: Alona Ostapenko/LAT (W)
WI: Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK
US: -
=2018=
AO: Elise Mertens/BEL
RG: -
WI: Julia Goerges/GER

*WEEKS AT WTA SINGLES #1 - w/ titles/slams*
[to July 11]
377 - Steffi Graf (107/22)
332 - Martina Navratilova (167/18)
319 - Serena Williams (72/23)
260 - Chris Evert (154/18)
209 - Martina Hingis (43/5)
178 - Monica Seles (53/9)
117 - Justine Henin (43/7)
98 - Lindsay Davenport (55/3)
71 - Caroline Wozniacki (29/1)
51 - Victoria Azarenka (20/2)
39 - Amelie Mauresmo (25/2)
37 - SIMONA HALEP (17/1)
34 - Angelique Kerber (11/2)
26 - Dinara Safina (12/0)
21 - Tracy Austin (30/2)
21 - Maria Sharapova (36/5)
20 - Kim Clijsters (41/4)
18 - Jelena Jankovic (14/0)
17 - Jennifer Capriati (14/3)
12 - Ana Ivanovic (15/1)
12 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (29/4)
11 - Venus Williams (49/7)
8 - Karolina Pliskova (10/0)
4 - Garbine Muguruza (6/2)
2 - Evonne Goolagong (68/7)

*WIMBLEDON MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF) TOP PLAYER AWARDS*
2006 Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL
2007 Justine Henin, BEL
2008 Zheng Jie, CHN
2009 Serena Williams, USA *
2010 Serena Williams, USA *
2011 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2013 Sabine Lisicki, GER
2014 Petra Kvitova, CZE *
2015 Garbine Muguruza, ESP & Maria Sharapova, RUS
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Garbine Muguruza, ESP *
2018 Alona Ostapenko, LAT
==
* - won title



TOP QUALIFIER:Mona Barthel/GER
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Simona Halep/ROU
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF):#12 Alona Ostapenko/LAT
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q2: #8 Mona Barthel/GER def. Oceane Dodin/FRA 6-3/1-6/8-6 (saves a MP in game #12 of the 3rd w/ Dodin DF at 6-5)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. - #32 Aga Radwanska/POL def. (Q) Elena-Gabriela Rus/ROU 6-3/4-6/7-5 (wins 14-min.,23-pt.,8-deuce game #10 in 3rd, saving 6 MP)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF):3rd Rd. - Hsieh Su-wei/TPE def. #1 Simona Halep 3-6/6-4/7-5 (def. world #1 from 5-2 down in 3rd, Halep served at 5-3 and had MP at 5-4)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:Yanina Wickmayer/BEL (1st Rd. def. M.Barthel/GER)
FIRST SEED OUT:#19 Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK (lost 1st Rd. to S.Cirstea/ROU)
UPSET QUEENS:United States
REVELATION LADIES:Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS:Ukraine (1-4 1st/2nd Rd; year after Svitolina to 4th/Tsurenko to 3rd, Svitolina 1st Rd. is worst slam since '14 and none to 3rd Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING:Katie Boulter/GBR, Ons Jabeur/TUN and Katie Swan/GBR (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BRITS STANDING:Katie Boulter, Johanna Konta and Katie Swan (all 2nd Rd.)
IT ("???"): Nominee: Ostapenko, Gauff, (Jr.)
Ms.OPPORTUNITY:Julia Goerges/GER
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Mattek-Sands, S.Williams, Kerber
CRASH & BURN:#8 Petra Kvitova/CZE (two-time champ, pre-tournament favorite and '18 tour title-leader loses in 1st Rd. to Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR, dropping 3rd set at love)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON:Katerina Siniakova/CZE (Down 5-2 to Vandeweghe, who served at 5-3 in final set in 1st Rd., wins 8-6; down 5-2 to Jabeur, served at 5-3 in final set in 2nd Round, saved MP and wins 9-7)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: S.Williams, Kerber
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE:Donna Vekic/CRO (follows up emotional '17 loss to Konta in 2nd Round -- after which Brit consoled her at the net ala the Duchess of Kent w/ Jana in 1993 -- w/ 1st Rd. upset of #4 Stephens; advances to first career slam Rd. of 16)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
THE RADWANSKA DAY REMEMBRANCE AWARD
June 26 official: In Eastbourne, Aga Radwanska, playing in her first event in two months, saves 2 MP vs. Dasha Gavrilova (both via DF), win a 2nd set tie-break, then takes the 3rd set at love. Gavrilova has 17 DF on the day.
Day 3 observed: As insects swarm the AELTC grounds on Flying Ant Day, reigning AO champ #2 Caroline Wozniacki falls on the infested Court 1 to Ekaterina Makarova, becoming the sixth Top 8 seed to fall in the tournament's first three days. Aga Radwanska flirts with staging a comeback from a set and 5-1 down and force a 3rd set (after having saved 6 MP in the 1st Rd.), saving a MP vs. Lucie Safarova before the Czech staves off a total of seven BP in a game to hold and secure the win. It's Aga's first career "Rad Day" defeat. Later, rain interrupts play for the first time in the fortnight.





All for Day 8. More tomorrow.
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W.9- Coming Home

July 11, 2018, 1:39 pm
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Tomorrow, *they* will be coming home.





Pick a card. Any card...






=DAY 9 NOTES=
...well, I *did* warn them.

A day after the mixed doubles #1 seeds fell, the same thing happened to the women's doubles #1's on Day 9. Alicja Rosolska & Abigail Spears knocked off #1's Timea Babos & Kristina Mladenovic, 7-6(4)/6-3. The Nottingham champs and $100K Southsea finalists are 11-2 on the grass this summer.



Then, of course, that Feder-ling guy, also a #1 seed lost, too. So, top seeds have failed to reach even the semis in WS, MS, WD, MD and MX, so far. In the GS, too. The #1's in boys singles, and in both junior doubles draws are still alive. Wheelchair play begins tomorrow.

In the other doubles quarterfinals, #12 Nicole Melichar & Kveta Peschke defeated #15-seeded Swarmettes Irina-Camelia Begu & Mihael Buzarnescu, and #6 Gaby Dabrowski/Xu Yifan ended the comeback journey of Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova.

Meanwhile, though the AELTC has yet to outwardly do anything to honor the dual 20th and 25th anniversaries of the late Jana Novotna's most famous Wimbledon moments, there *is* a lingering reminder of the Hall of Famer roaming around the grounds in the form of fellow Brno-born Maiden Barbora Krejcikova. Novotna's final protege joined with Katerina Siniakova to rally for a win over Heather Watson & Tatjana Maria on Wednesday to reach the semifinals.



The Czechs just won the Roland Garros title, where Krejcikova talked about Jana when accepting the trophy.

[from the NYT article]
Krejcikova grew emotional as she closed her speech in the trophy ceremony on a more personal note.

“I would like to dedicate this victory to Jana Novotna,” she said, her voice cracking slightly.

After the final, Krejcikova said that the last time she had seen Novotna before she died, Novotna had told her to “go win a Grand Slam.”

“She was special,” said Krejcikova.

It's been fifteen years since a duo swept the RG/WI doubles, something which has been done ten times in the Open era by seven different teams. Only Novotna was a member of two different teams to do it.

=RG/WI WD SWEEPS BY DUOS in OPEN ERA=
1972 Billie Jean King & Betty Stove
1980 Kathy Jordan & Anne Smith
1984 Martina Navratilova & Pam Shriver
1990 Jana Novotna & Helena Sukova
1992 Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva
1993 Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva
1994 Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva
1997 Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva
1998 Martina Hingis & Jana Novotna
2003 Kim Clijsters & Ai Sugiyama

(And, yes, if Krejcikova were to win the WD title, there would be TWO winners of the inaugural "Spirit of Jana" award for this Wimbledon. The more the merrier.)

...the final four MX teams advanced into the QF today, and Vika Azarenka is part of one of them (with some help from Jamie Murray).



A win at SW19 would bring Azarenka one major MX title away (AO, where she reached a final in '07) from completing a Career Mixed Slam, as well as becoming the first player ever to win all four majors *and* a Mixed Olympic Gold. She's won RG with Bob Bryan, and the U.S. Open and Olympics with Max Mirnyi.

Also advancing today were Ekaterina Makarova/Bruno Soares (winners of the 2012 U.S. Open), Abigail Spears/Juan Sebastian Cabal ('17 AO champs -- and Spears is the only woman alive in both WD & MX) and Katarina Srebotnik/Michael Venus (the Slovenian is a Wimbledon MX title away from her own Career Mixed Slam).

...the juniors completed the 3rd Round on Day 9, leaving eight girls in singles. The field is quite evenly divvied up by world region.

3 - Western Europe
2 - Asia
2 - North America
1 - Eastern Europe


Western Europe has produced a trio on non-seeds for the QF, as Poland's Iga Swiatek (above) knocked off her second seed (#16 Clara Burel/FRA) in the event, while Brit Emma Raducanu (def. Joanna Garland/TPE) and a qualifier, Swiss Leonie Kung (def. #9 Yuki Naito/JPN, also with her second win over a seed), advanced today.



Eastern Europe has contributed Ukraine's Viktoriia Dema, whose win over #12 Naho Sato/JPN gives her two seeded victims at this Wimbledon, as well. China two Wangs -- #4 Xinyu (def. #14 Elisabetta Cocciaretto/ITA) and #10 Xiyu (def. Lea Ma/USA) -- fill both of Asia's spots, while the U.S. still has a pair of viable options in the hunt as the nation seeks back-to-back Wimbledon girls champions, and five Bannerette slam winners at the last six majors (and 6 of 8).

The last time U.S. girls won two straight Wimbledon junior crowns was when Bannerettes won three straight from 1977-79 (Lea Antonoplis, Tracy Austin and Mary-Lou Piatek). The U.S. has already put up back-to-back winners in the last two RG and U.S. Opens.

=U.S. BACK-to-BACK GIRLS CHAMPS=
RG: Whitney Osuigwe (2017) and Coco Gauff (2018)
WI: Claire Liu (2017) and ?? (2018)
US: Kayla Day (2016) and Amanda Anisimova (2017)

The final two U.S. girls aren't a surprise, based on recent results. #3 Coco Gauff and #13 Caty McNally met in the RG final last month, as well as in the Roehampton championship match, with Gauff winning both. Quarterfinal victories from both would have them facing off in the semis at SW19.

Both had to fight to survive today. McNally outlasted China's Zheng Qinwen 1-6/7-6(4)/6-1, managing to do something her idol failed to on this Wednesday.



I saw some mentions online how much McNally resembles another CoCo, as in Vandeweghe. Well, yep, I guess I see a resemblance...



Gauff, too, got a fight from #15-seeded Argentine Maria Carle, a semifinalist in last year's U.S. Open juniors, where she also lost to the Bannerette. Carle had an early break lead on Gauff in the 1st, but eventually found herself serving to stay in the set at 4-5. She saved two BP/SP, then broke Gauff and served out the set. Gauff, 14, edged her out in a tight 2nd set, then broke the 18-year old to take a 2-0 lead in the 3rd. Carle had three BP chances to get back on serve in game #5, but Gauff held her off to take a 4-1 lead. She broke Carle's serve to end the match, winning 5-7/6-4/6-2 to keep alive the possibility of becoming the first girl to sweep the RG/WI titles since Belinda Bencic in 2013, and just the second to do it in the last twenty-two years.

=RG/WI JR. SINGLES TITLE SWEEPS=
1959 Joan Cross, RSA
1969 Kazuko Sawamatsu, JPN
1983 Pascale Paradis, FRA
1987 Natasha Zvereva, USSR
1994 Martina Hingis, SUI
1996 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2013 Belinda Bencic, SUI


LIKE ON DAY 9: Worth another look from Day 8...



LIKE ON DAY 9: ...and a worthy final goodbye for this Wimbledon to the grinding swashbuckler from Russia...



By the way, with Kasatkina not reaching the semis, it extended the string of slam final fours not including a Russian to eight. That's the longest streak since before the Hordette Revolution (22 slams w/o a SF from the '97 U.S. to the '03 AO). Starting with the Myskina/Dementieva final at Roland Garros in 2004, the first of three majors won by Russians that year, there was at least one Hordette in 32 of 37 slam SF until the 2013 RG, and 36/46 up to the 2015 Wimbledon (Maria Sharapova's most recent slam semi). The only Russian to go so far since then has been Elena Vesnina at Wimbledon two years ago.

LIKE ON DAY 9: Martina Classic!



YES, THERE ARE WC PLAYERS NOT NAMED DE GROOT, KAMIJI, VAN KOOT, ELLERBROCK or BUIS ON DAY 9:




DISLIKE ON DAY 9: 2015 Wimbledon junior champ Sofya Zhuk's Instagram... :(

A post shared by Sofya Zhuk (@sofya_zhuk) on



THIS SHOULD BE INTERESTING ON DAY 9:



...and, finally...



Ummm, or not.




*LADIES' SINGLES SF*
#12 Alona Ostapenko/LAT vs. #11 Angelique Kerber/GER
#13 Julia Goerges/GER vs. #24 Serena Williams/USA

*LADIES' DOUBLES SF*
Rosolska/Spears (POL/USA) vs. #3 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
#12 Melichar/Peschke (USA/CZE) vs. #6 Dabrowski/Xu Yifan (CAN/CHN)

*MIXED DOUBLES QF*
(WC) Dart/Clarke (GBR/GBR) vs. #10 Spears/Cabal (USA/COL)
#4 Schuurs/Rojer (NED/NED) vs. vs. Azarenka/J.Murray (BLR/GBR)
#9 Srebotnik/Venus (SLO/AUS) vs. #3 L.Chan/Dodig (TPE/CRO)
#11 Melichar/Peya (USA/AUT) vs. #2 Makarova/Soares (RUS/BRA)

*GIRLS SINGLES QF*
Iga Swiatek/POL vs. Emma Raducanu/GBR
#4 Wang Xinyu/CHN vs. Viktoriia Dema/UKR
#10 Wang Xiyu/CHN vs. #3 Coco Gauff/USA
(Q) Leonie Kung/SUI vs. #13 Caty McNally/USA

*GIRLS DOUBLES QF*
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x

*WHEELCHAIR SINGLES QF*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED vs. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
Katharina Kruger/GER vs. Kgothatso Montjane/RSA
Lucy Shuker/GBR vs. Aniek van Koot/NED
Marjolein Buis/NED vs. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN

*WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES SF*
#1 de Groot/Kamiji (NED/JPN) vs. Kruger/Montjane (GER/RSA)
Ellerbrock/Shuker (GER/GBR) vs. #2 Buis/van Koot (NED/NED)




















Best dog

A post shared by Daria Gavrilova (@daria_gav) on










*SLAMS BY NATION - 2010-18*
=CHAMPIONS (34)=
13 - USA
2 - BEL,BLR,CHN,CZE,ESP,GER,ITA,RUS
1 - AUS,DEN,FRA,LAT,ROU
=FINALISTS (68)=
20 - USA
8 - RUS
5 - ITA
4 - BLR,CHN,CZE,GER,ROU
3 - BEL,ESP
2 - AUS,DEN
1 - CAN,FRA,LAT,POL,SVK
=SEMIFINALISTS (140)=
31 - USA
17 - RUS
11 - GER
9 - CZE
8 - CHN,ITA
7 - BLR
6 - BEL,DEN,ROU
5 - POL
4 - AUS,ESP
3 - CAN
2 - FRA,GBR,LAT,SRB,SUI,SVK
1 - BUL,CRO,NED

*SURBITON INVITATIONAL FINALS*
2017 Diede de Groot/NED d. Lucy Shuker/GBR
2018 Yui Kamiji/JPN d. Diede de Groot/NED
*WIMBLEDON SINGLES FINALS*
2016 Jiske Griffioen/NED d. Aniek Van Koot/NED
2017 Diede de Groot/NED d. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2018 ?



TOP QUALIFIER:Mona Barthel/GER
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Simona Halep/ROU
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF):#12 Alona Ostapenko/LAT
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q2: #8 Mona Barthel/GER def. Oceane Dodin/FRA 6-3/1-6/8-6 (saves a MP in game #12 of the 3rd w/ Dodin DF at 6-5)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. - #32 Aga Radwanska/POL def. (Q) Elena-Gabriela Rus/ROU 6-3/4-6/7-5 (wins 14-min.,23-pt.,8-deuce game #10 in 3rd, saving 6 MP)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF):3rd Rd. - Hsieh Su-wei/TPE def. #1 Simona Halep 3-6/6-4/7-5 (def. world #1 from 5-2 down in 3rd, Halep served at 5-3 and had MP at 5-4)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:Yanina Wickmayer/BEL (1st Rd. def. M.Barthel/GER)
FIRST SEED OUT:#19 Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK (lost 1st Rd. to S.Cirstea/ROU)
UPSET QUEENS:United States
REVELATION LADIES:Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS:Ukraine (1-4 1st/2nd Rd; year after Svitolina to 4th/Tsurenko to 3rd, Svitolina 1st Rd. is worst slam since '14 and none to 3rd Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING:Katie Boulter/GBR, Ons Jabeur/TUN and Katie Swan/GBR (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BRITS STANDING:Katie Boulter, Johanna Konta and Katie Swan (all 2nd Rd.)
IT ("???"): Nominee: Ostapenko, Gauff, Kasatkina
Ms.OPPORTUNITY:Julia Goerges/GER
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: S.Williams, Kerber
CRASH & BURN:#8 Petra Kvitova/CZE (two-time champ, pre-tournament favorite and '18 tour title-leader loses in 1st Rd. to Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR, dropping 3rd set at love)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON:Katerina Siniakova/CZE (Down 5-2 to Vandeweghe, who served at 5-3 in final set in 1st Rd., wins 8-6; down 5-2 to Jabeur, served at 5-3 in final set in 2nd Round, saved MP and wins 9-7)
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: Spears, Azarenka, Srebotnik
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: S.Williams, Kerber, Peschke
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE:Donna Vekic/CRO (follows up emotional '17 loss to Konta in 2nd Round -- after which Brit consoled her at the net ala the Duchess of Kent w/ Jana in 1993 -- w/ 1st Rd. upset of #4 Stephens; advances to first career slam Rd. of 16)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Nominees: Raducanu, Kung
THE RADWANSKA DAY REMEMBRANCE AWARD
June 26 official: In Eastbourne, Aga Radwanska, playing in her first event in two months, saves 2 MP vs. Dasha Gavrilova (both via DF), win a 2nd set tie-break, then takes the 3rd set at love. Gavrilova has 17 DF on the day.
Day 3 observed: As insects swarm the AELTC grounds on Flying Ant Day, reigning AO champ #2 Caroline Wozniacki falls on the infested Court 1 to Ekaterina Makarova, becoming the sixth Top 8 seed to fall in the tournament's first three days. Aga Radwanska flirts with staging a comeback from a set and 5-1 down and force a 3rd set (after having saved 6 MP in the 1st Rd.), saving a MP vs. Lucie Safarova before the Czech staves off a total of seven BP in a game to hold and secure the win. It's Aga's first career "Rad Day" defeat. Later, rain interrupts play for the first time in the fortnight.




All for Day 9. More tomorrow.
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↧

W.10- The Great Wall of Kerber

July 12, 2018, 2:05 pm
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Thursday's women's semifinals at Wimbledon revolved around three veteran players (aged 36, 30 and 29) who've shown resilience in the face of adversity, either on or off court, and a 21-year old kid who's mostly only known great success. We've seen much of both on the tennis tour. The former more lately, and the latter more often in the past than in today's game.

In the end, experience won out in both encounters.



First up on Centre Court was a first-time clash between former Australian and U.S. Open champ Angelique Kerber, the 30-year old #11 seed, and former Roland Garros winner Alona Ostapenko, seeded #12 at age 21. Their games are as much in contrast as their tennis histories. While Kerber practices the art of long rallies, Ostapenko prefers the shorter variety. As much as young Latvian Thunder relishes employing a game that is the sport's version of a sweeping jugular slash, the veteran German relies just as much on a slow-bleed defensive style of play bolstered by quick stabbing attacks of offense. A season after Kerber, who had to wait until her late 20's to find her greatest success, followed up her career year with a '17 campaign in which she seemed mentally fatigued and filled with doubt (falling from #1 to outside the Top 20 in the biggest non-injury/retirement related drop in the rankings for a year-end #1 in tour history), she's rebounded to reclaim her place in the game over the past six-plus months. Ostapenko, a junior slam champion and bundle of confidence who startlingly won a major (and first tour title) just days after leaving her teenage years behind, has positioned herself at the leading edge (and perhaps in the driver's seat) of the new generation of talent pushing through the lines to reach the upper echelon of the WTA.

Which brand of tennis would win out was the question, as both would have to feel out the other's unfamiliar game in the early going.

Ostapenko opened the match with a double-fault, but then fired a forehand winner down the line on the next point, perfectly encapsulating her style before anyone had even settled into their seat. A few winners, a saved break point, and a final ace later and she'd held for 1-0.



In the opening games, the Latvian's groundstrokes were finding her range, as she mixed in a few "acceptable" errors with drop shots, making it difficult for Kerber to use her anticipation to gain an advantage. She'd already fired off twelve winners by the time she held for 2-1. But, as she has quietly done over the fortnight, Kerber protected her serve well. Not having to fight tooth and nail to hold, she maintained contact with the Latvian on the scoreboard and gradually got close to overturning it with a break. After reaching BP and deuce in her first two return games, Kerber reached BP again in the third, but Ostapenko pulled out some typically big groundstrokes and managed to hold for 3-2.

Some less experienced players may have immediately tried to change tactics and become ultra-aggressive to combat Ostapenko's quick start, but Kerber held her ground and didn't succumb to the pressure of the power shots coming back at her. She continued to play out her game plan of strong defense, waiting for her opportunity to strike and recognizing that the match could very well simply fall into her lap. And it would soon enough.

But that moment arrived only after Kerber nearly lost a 40/15 lead on serve in game #6, holding before Ostapenko could truly challenge for the first break of the match. The German then took advantage of a few errors off the Latvian's racket to reach BP for the third time in the set a game later. Ostapenko shot a backhand long and Kerber had the first break at 4-3. After taking a 40/love lead on serve, Kerber saw Ostapenko's power strokes get things to deuce. But the German then pulled out her own weapon, a first serve that had been serving her well in set (89% of 1st shots in, winning 68%) and fired an ace to hold for 5-3.

By now, Ostapenko's increasingly negative winner/error mix had already begun to turn against her. She fell behind 15/30 in game #9, and on BP down the Latvian ended the set the same way she'd started it -- with a DF. It gave the 1st to Kerber at 6-3, the maiden set dropped by Ostapenko at this slam. After the Latvian had gotten ooff to such a thunderous start, her unforced error total (19) by now slightly outpaced her number of winners (18). Meanwhile, Kerber held a much more contained 6/2 W/UE ratio.

As the 2nd set rolled out, Kerber was now fully playing *her* game, not Ostapenko's. She was getting to balls and creating longer rallies, eliciting errors through the repetition, and finding new and increasing opportunities to take charge. She held in game #1 and then took a 15/40 lead in Ostapenko's service game with a rally-ending slice drop shot winner from the baseline. An Ostapenko error a point later put Kerber on top 2-0. The 21-year old's back was now officially up against the (Great) wall (of Kerber).

Kerber then held at 15 for a 3-0 lead. At 3-1, Ostapenko moved forward and put away a backhand swing volley winner for a 15/30 edge, but the German responded by creating another variety-filled rally that produced an Ostapenko error that allowed her to hold for 4-1. Fighting to stay alive, the Latvian took an early lead on her serve, but she continued to hit out and hope. It was a tactic and pattern that served her well in Paris last year, and through the first five rounds at this Wimbledon, but Kerber was getting the best of her on his day, but all the Latvian could do was go forward with what she knows she does best -- hit. Ostapenko was soon down 30/40. She missed a forehand wide and contributed another brick in the Kerber wall, falling down 5-1.

With Kerber serving for the match, though, Ostapenko suddenly caught a mini-wave of momentum. As the German hesitited, Latvian Thunder's big shots began to find their mark again and she carved out multiple BP chances. Kerber saved two (the second w/ an ace), and held a MP (Ostapenko denied it with a backhand winner into the corner), but then a big return from the Latvian toppled an off-balance Kerber, who briefly went to the ground. Then, on BP #3, Ostapenko's deep forehand off the line caused Kerber to fling her reply long, completing the break of serve that cut the score to 5-2.

With Ostapenko picking up steam, it may have been imperative for Kerber to *not* be forced to a 3rd set, where the Latvian's free-flowing shots might start to consistently paint lines and possibly even overturn a result that seemed quite set in stone moments earlier. After all, it's what had happened vs. Simona Halep in last year's Roland Garros final.

Serving for the win again at 5-3, and trying to avoid the "on-the-ropes" look she'd picked up over the previous two minutes from growing into something larger and more deadly, Kerber again found herself BP down. But it was then that the Latvian netted a backhand return, then did it again to give Kerber her second MP. In the final rally of the day, a desperate Ostapenko fired hard shot after hard shot at the German, who remained steadfast in her defensive position at the baseline, blunting the power by effectively blocking the shots back, challenging Ostapenko to continue her barrage without error. Finally, the Latvian flaired a forehand wide of the sideline and any potential comeback scenario was smited.



Kerber's 6-3/6-3 win came after just 1:08, but the final result was not without a few tense moments in the closing points. To be continued until these two next meet again, hopefully soon, where Ostapenko can try (crossing fingers) to prove that she *can* continue to improve and find ways to problem solve via the sort of "Plan B" game plan that might have forced a match like this -- or one vs. another player who plays similarly to the German -- into a deciding 3rd set. Latvian Thunder will always rely on her power game -- it's the unconscious nature of her style that makes her so deadly -- but it's the addition of a little more nuance and unpredictability (such as the drop shots she successfully employed early on today) that will get her back into the grand slam winner's circle.

As it is, the final stats told both the differences between the two players as well as the story of the match. Ostapenko fired off 30 winners to Kerber's 10, but it wasn't enough to overcome her 36 UE (vs. Kerber's measly 7) combined with the German's 77% first serve percentage (winning 61%) and 73% win percentage on her second serves. Thus, Kerber now goes on to play in her fourth slam final, and second at SW19 in three years. She's a win away from a title that would put her three-quarters of the way to a Career Slam.

Her opponent on Saturday was always going to be a familiar one: either Serena Williams, the 7-time Wimbledon champ who defeated Kerber in the final at this event two seasons ago after having been her victim in the Australian Open final six months earlier, or Julia Goerges, her friend and Fed Cup teammate in what would be the first all-German women's final at the All-England Club since the pre-World War II era Championships held eighty-seven years ago in 1931.



=DAY 10 NOTES=
...and on Day 10, Serena Williams was back on her old stomping (and roaring) grounds. A little older. A little wiser. And carrying a few extra diapers in tow.

With a 19-match Wimbledon winning streak dating back three years, new motherhood and the recovery from another health scare, as well as a focused acknowledgement of her place in the game's history providing a inspiration nudge, #25-seed Serena has worked her way through the draw at this Wimbledon as she always has when she's arrived at a major with questions about her form and readiness to add another shiny bobble to her slam trophy case. Step by step, never taking anything for granted... but finding her way to the end nonetheless.

#13-seeded Julia Goerges, too, was similarly invigorated. A new team around her, new home and new confidence has helped her live out a whole new career over the past season and a half. She's gone on the best extended run of her tennis life (last summer until January of this year -- and reaching seven finals since last June, after playing in one from 2012-16 and six in her entire career), notched five Top 10 wins since last August (after having none for over two years, and a total of six over a four-season stretch), reached the Top 10 and today was playing in her first career slam semifinal at age 29. And she was going it at Wimbledon, where she'd lost five straight 1st Round matches before last week, having convinced herself that she couldn't play on grass despite owning the sort of big serve and groundstrokes that often thrive on the surface. Thanks to the changes she's made on the outside, thoughts like that have now been transformed to more confident ones on the inside. Needless to say, the German is but the latest poster child for the recent spate of WTA players finding new and better realities as age 30 comes within earshot (for Goerges, the day comes this November).

Of course, it was her "luck" that she was playing the biggest match of her career against a player whose age may be seven years older (36) than her own, but who was also playing in *her* 35th career major semifinal. Umm, yeah.



After several moments in her past having felt the pressure of big matches, Goerges held her own in the 1st set vs. Williams today. In game #2, after taking a 40/love lead, her seemingly-innocuous DF nearly allowed Serena to crack open the set. Williams reached BP before the German found her footing with a running crosscourt forehand winner and then went on to hold, overcoming what may have been a hairline fracture in her big stage exterior.

While Goerges had managed to overcome herself, now she only had to deal with Serena. Gulp. Ah, many have dared to dream, only to leave empty-handed. The German would prove to be only the latest to follow suit.

Things were even in the 1st at 2-2, but in what would be the latter stages of the set Serena looked more and more like the 23-time major winner she has been, still is, and always will be until she decides she's tired of all the hard work it takes to add to her overwhelming legacy between the white lines. She hit her shots a little harder, a little deeper, and with a little more intent behind them, raising her game and daring Goerges to follow.

Williams got the break of serve to lead 4-2, then two games later ripped a backhand return winner crosscourt to go up love/40 in game #8. Serena offered up a barrage of big shots aimed at Goerges, who finally slid one wide as Serena got the break to win a fourth straight game and take the set at 6-2.



Things were again knotted at 2-2 in the 2nd, but Williams soon again took control. Down 2-3, Goerges unwisely tried a backhand slice drop shot from behind the baseline while BP down. It didn't cross the net. Serena broke for a 4-2 lead. As she served for the match at 5-3, Williams had dropped just one point on serve in the 2nd. But after a DF, followed by a Goerges passing shot winner, Serena was down love/40. She saved two BP, but a big Goerges forehand blasted a return off a second serve. Williams couldn't get the ball back, and Goerges had the break to get back on serve at 5-4.

Of course, Serena is still Serena. But at least Goerges tried. The German soon found herself down love/30 a game later, then she DF'd to face MP. An lob attempt over Williams landed just long, and Serena took the match by a 6-2/6-2 score. But Goerges' final push *had* managed to make this second SF of the day the longer of the two, clocking in at 1:10.




Serena's tenth appearance in the Wimbledon final is the 30th of her career in majors. One more title will tie Margaret Court's all-time mark of 24, setting up the possibility of setting a new (and probably unbreakable in any of our lifetimes, and maybe ever) all-time record on home soil at Flushing Meadows later this summer. This only adds to the remarkable run of success of Serena and sister Venus at SW19. Fifteen finals this century have included at least one Williams (10-Serena, 9-Venus), with only four years (2006,'11,'13 &'14) going without over the last nineteen editions of the tournament. But those aren't the only crazy numbers she's put up...



Ah, but this one is downright frightening...



(shiver)

Angie has her work cut out for her.



...there were big surprises in the junior draw today, as both remaining Bannerettes -- #3 Coco Gauff and #13 Caty McNally, who met in the Roland Garros and Roehampton finals in recent weeks -- fell.

Gauff, a day after rallying to defeat Maria Carle lost to #10 Wang Xiyu of China 4-6/7-6(1)/6-4. Gauff had a MP at 5-4 in the 2nd set. The lefty 17-year old Wang, cramping in the 3rd, nearly blew a 4-0 lead in the decider, but managed to survive, saving BPs to go up 5-4, then breaking Gauff's serve in the final game (on a DF, unfortunately, by the 14-year old).



McNally was upset by Swiss qualifier Leonie Kung, who posted a 7-6/7-5 win for her sixth consecutive victory in this event and her third over a seeded player. The other Wang in the quarterfinals, #4-seeded Xinyu (an AO jr. semifinalist) knocked off unseeded Ukrainian Viktoriia Dema 6-7(4)/7-6(4)/6-3; while Poland's Iga Swiatek was all over Brit Emma Raducanu, winning love & 1.



None of the remaining junior quarterfinalists have yet won a junior slam crown, so there will be a maiden champ. Also, this all means this Wimbledon is just the second in the last seven years (and third in nine) in which the Roehampton winner didn't carry over the momentum to a title at SW19. Of the remaining girls, the best Roehampton result was a QF finish from Wang Xinyu (where she lost to McNally). Wang Xiyu went out in the 3rd Round (to Alexa Noel), Kung lost in the 2nd (also to Noel), and Swiatek didn't compete in the event.

Wang & Wang, the #1 seeds in the girls doubles, were one of the eight teams to advance to the QF today. While there are no Bannerettes left in singles, half the remaining doubles duos have at least one U.S. player, including #4 Gauff (w/ Carle, and they could play the Wangs in the SF), #2 McNally/Whitney Osuigwe, #7 Noel (w/ Ireland's Georgia Drummy) and unseeded Dalayna Hewitt/Peyton Stearns.



...in mixed doubles, Brit Harriet Dart's great AELTC experiences continue, as she and Jay Clarke knocked off #10-seeded veterans Abigail Spears/Juan Sebastian Cabal, winners of last year's AO crown, to reach the semis. Victoria Azarenka, too, is still alive. She and Jamie Murray (who came back from 5-1 down in the 3rd and saved MP earlier in the tournamant) took down #4 Schuurs/Rojer in a 7-5 3rd set. Those two duos will play each other.



Katarina Srebotnik's hopes for a Career Mixed Slam survive, as she and Michael Venus (#9 seeds) defeated #3 Latisha Chan/Ivan Dodig in a love 3rd set. The other QF didn't happen, as #2 Ekaterina Makarova/Bruno Soares handed a walkover to #11 Nicole Melichar/Alexander Peya (no idea which of the two was injured/ill).



...wheelchair play began today, and world #1 Diede de Groot *was* ready. The Dutch defending champion defeated veteran German Sabine Ellerbrock, her opponent in last year's final, 4 & 3 today. She'll next face South African Kgothatso Montjane, a three-set winner over Katharina Kruger (GER), 3-6/2-6/6-1. #2 Yui Kamiji (JPN), seeking to complete a career sweep of every title at the four slams, won a close two-set match over Marjolein Buis (NED), 6-4/6-4, while another former Dutch slam champ, Aniek van Koot, won 2 & 1 over Brit Lucy Shuker.

Additionally, I don't know if there's anywhere to view it now, but if there is it'd be worth seeing the nice interview with de Groot that took place on Wimbledon Live today.


LIKE ON DAY 10: Petra just chillin' and such...




LIKE ON DAY 10:



THROWIN' CROATIAN WORLD CUP SHADE IN LONDON ON DAY 10:

Candid ?? #itaintcominghome ????

A post shared by Jana (@janafett) on



...and, finally, just because.







*LADIES' SINGLES FINAL*
#11 Angelique Kerber/GER vs. #24 Serena Williams/USA

*LADIES' DOUBLES SF*
Rosolska/Spears (POL/USA) vs. #3 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
#12 Melichar/Peschke (USA/CZE) vs. #6 Dabrowski/Xu Yifan (CAN/CHN)

*MIXED DOUBLES SF*
(WC) Dart/Clarke (GBR/GBR) vs. Azarenka/J.Murray (BLR/GBR)
#9 Srebotnik/Venus (SLO/AUS) vs. #11 Melichar/Peya (USA/AUT)

*GIRLS SINGLES SF*
Iga Swiatek/POL vs. #4 Wang Xinyu/CHN
#10 Wang Xiyu/CHN vs. (Q) Leonie Kung/SUI

*GIRLS DOUBLES QF*
#1 Wang Xinyu/Wang Xiyu (CHN/CHN) vs. #5 Garland/Liang (TPE/TPE)
#4 Carle/Gauff (ARG/USA) vs. Allen/Martins (GBR/GBR)
#8 Burel/Parry (FRA/FRA) vs. Hewitt/Stearns (USA/USA)
#7 Drummy/Noel (IRL/USA) vs. #2 McNally/Osuigwe (USA/USA)

*WHEELCHAIR SINGLES QF*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED vs. Kgothatso Montjane/RSA
Aniek van Koot/NED vs. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN

*WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES SF*
#1 de Groot/Kamiji (NED/JPN) vs. Kruger/Montjane (GER/RSA)
Ellerbrock/Shuker (GER/GBR) vs. #2 Buis/van Koot (NED/NED)













Bye bye London! It was a great @wimbledon! ???? Yes I’m sad not to hold any ?? but guess what? I enjoyed every day of my path here...being healthy playing sport I love,back on court next to my best friend, having fun on and off the court, supported by our amazing team, fighting in matches against the best people in my sport, experiencing multiple happiness of winning,filming fun videos, exploring London, drinking tons of ??, meeting friends and fans..I’m grateful for all those little moments and great people I have around me!?? So I don’t need ?? to be happy...but next time I will fight even harder to have it as well! ?? #alwaysenjoythepresentmoment #teambucie #teamsafi @matteksands @robsteckley @filiphavaj @austinteesmith @sandsjustin #thankyou

A post shared by Lucie Safarova (@lucie.safarova) on







*WIMBLEDON FINALS - ACTIVE*
10..SERENA WILLIAMS (7-2)
9...Venus Williams (5-4)
2...Petra Kvitova (2-0)
2...Garbine Muguruza (1-1)
2...Maria Sharapova (1-1)
2...ANGELIQUE KERBER (0-1)
1...Genie Bouchard (0-1)
1...Sabine Lisicki (0-1)
1...Aga Radwanska (0-1)
1...Vera Zvonareva (0-1)

*WIMBLEDON FINALS SINCE 2000*
2000 Venus Williams def. Lindsay Davenport 6-3,7-6
2001 Venus Williams def. Justine Henin 6-1,3-6,6-0
2002 Serena Williams def. Venus Williams 7-6,6-3
2003 Serena Williams def. Venus Williams 4-6,6-4,6-2
2004 Maria Sharapova def. Serena Williams 6-1,6-4
2005 Venus Williams def. Lindsay Davenport 4-6,7-6,9-7
2006 Amelie Mauresmo def. Justine Henin-H. 2-6,6-3,6-4
2007 Venus Williams def. Marion Bartoli 6-4,6-1
2008 Venus Williams def. Serena Williams 7-5,6-4
2009 Serena Williams def. Venus Williams 7-6,6-2
2010 Serena Williams def. Vera Zvonareva 6-3,6-2
2011 Petra Kvitova def. Maria Sharapova 6-3,6-4
2012 Serena Williams def. Aga Radwanska 6-1,5-7,6-2
2013 Marion Bartoli def. Sabine Lisicki 6-1,6-4
2014 Petra Kvitova def. Genie Bouchard 6-3,6-0
2015 Serena Williams def. Garbine Muguruza 6-4,6-4
2016 Serena Williams def. Angelique Kerber 7-5,6-4
2017 Garbine Muguruza def. Venus Williams 7-5,6-0
2018 Serena Williams vs. Angelique Kerber

*ALL-TIME WIMBLEDON SINGLES TITLES*
9 - Martina Navratilova
8 - Helen Wills-Moody
7 - Serena Williams
7 - Steffi Graf
7 - Dorothea Douglass-Lambert Chambers
6 - Blanche Bingley-Hillyard
6 - Billie Jean King
6 - Suzanne Lenglen
5 - Venus Williams
5 - Charlotte Cooper-Sterry
5 - Lottie Dodd
4 - Louise Brough
[Open era]
9 - Martina Navratilova
7 - Steffi Graf
7 - Serena Williams
5 - Venus Williams
4 - Billie Jean King
3 - Chris Evert
2 - Petra Kvitova
2 - Evonne Goolagong
[oldest Wimbledon champ - Open era]
Serena Williams (34y/9.5m) - 2016 Wimbledon
Serena Williams (33y/9m,3w) - 2015 Wimbledon
Martina Navratilova (33y/8m,3w) - 1990 Wimbledon
--
OLDEST non-OPEN ERA: Charlotte Cooper Sterry (37y/9.5m) - 1908
[oldest Wimbledon finalists - Open era]
Martina Navratilova (37 yrs, 258 days) — lost '94 WI to C.Martinez
SERENA WILLIAMS - BORN SEPTEMBER 26, 1981
Venus Williams (37/28 days) - lost '17 WI to Muguruza
Serena Williams (34/287) — '16 WI, def. Kerber

**ALL-TIME WOMEN'S SLAM SINGLES TITLES**
24...Margaret Court
23...Serena Williams
22...Steffi Graf
19...Helen Wills-Moody
18...Martina Navratilova
18...Chris Evert
12...Billie Jean King
12...Suzanne Lenglen

*CAREER SLAM FINALS - Open era*
34 - Chris Evert (18-16), 1973–1988
32 - Martina Navratilova (18-14), 1975–1994
31 - Steffi Graf (22-9), 1986–1999
30 - SERENA WILLIAMS (23-6), 1999–2018
18 - Evonne Goolagong (7-11), 1971–1980
16 - Venus Williams (7-9), 1997–2017
13 - Monica Seles (9-4), 1990–1998

*CAREER SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE*
30...SERENA WILLIAMS (23-6)
16...Venus Williams (7-9)
10...Maria Sharapova (5-5)
4...ANGELIQUE KERBER (2-1)
4...Svetlana Kuznetsova (2-2)
4...Victoria Azarenka (2-2)
4...Simona Halep (1-3)
3...Garbine Muguruza (2-1)
3...Caroline Wozniacki (1-2)
2...Petra Kvitova (2-0)
2...Francesca Schiavone (1-1)
2...Sloane Stephens (1-1)
2...Samantha Stosur (1-1)
2...Vera Zvonareva (0-2)

*SLAM FINALS SINCE 2010*
16 - SERENA WILLIAMS (12-3)
6 - Maria Sharapova (2-4)
4 - ANGELIQUE KERBER (2-1)
4 - Victoria Azarenka (2-2)
4 - Li Na (2-2) - ret.
4 - Simona Halep (1-3)
3 - Garbine Muguruza (2-1)
2 - Kim Clijsters (2-0) - ret.
2 - Petra Kvitova (2-0)
2 - Francesca Schiavone (1-1)
2 - Sloane Stephens (1-1)
2 - Samantha Stosur (1-1)
2 - Caroline Wozniacki (1-1)
2 - Venus Williams (0-2)
2 - Vera Zvonareva (0-2)

*2018 WTA FINALS*
5 - Petra Kvitova (5-0)
4 - Simona Halep (2-2)
3 - Elina Svitolina (3-0)
3 - Elise Mertens (3-0)
3 - Caroline Wozniacki (2-1)
2 - ANGELIQUE KERBER (1-0)
2 - Garbine Muguruza (1-1)
2 - Julia Goerges (1-1)
2 - Kiki Bertens (1-1)
2 - Timea Babos (1-1)
2 - Sloane Stephens (1-1)
2 - Ash Barty (1-1)
2 - Dasha Kasatkina (0-2)
2 - Mihaela Buzarnescu (0-2)
2 - Dominika Cibulkova (0-2)
2 - Aryna Sabalenka (0-2)

*WTA FINALS (ACTIVE) - 2015-18*
17 - Simona Halep (9-8)
16 - ANGELIQUE KERBER (8-7)
16 - Caroline Wozniacki (7-9)
14 - Karolina Pliskova (7-7)
13 - Petra Kvitova (11-2)
12 - Elina Svitolina (10-2)
12 - SERENA WILLIAMS (8-3)
10 - Dominika Cibulkova (4-6)
8 - Aga Radwanska (6-2)
8 - Garbine Muguruza (5-3)
8 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (5-3)
8 - Venus Williams (4-4)
8 - Julia Goerges (3-5)
8 - Kristina Mladenovic (1-7)

*CAREER WTA FINALS - all-time*
239 - Martina Navratilova
230 - Chris Evert
138 - Steffi Graf
127 - Evonne Goolagong
93 - Lindsay Davenport
93 - SERENA WILLIAMS
85 - Monica Seles
83 - Venus Williams
77 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
68 - Martina Hingis
61 - Justine Henin

*OLDEST WOMEN'S SINGLES SLAM FINALISTS*
Martina Navratilova (37y,258d) — lost '94 WI to C.Martinez
Venus Williams (37/28) - lost '17 WI to Muguruza
SERENA WILLIAMS - BORN SEPTEMBER 26, 1981
Venus Williams (36/226) — '17 AO, lost to S.Williams
Serena Williams (35/125) — '17 AO, def. V.Williams
Martina Navratilova (34/325) — '91 US, lost to Seles
Serena Williams (34/287) — '16 WI, def. Kerber
Serena Williams (34/252) — '16 RG, lost to Muguruza
Serena Williams (34/127) — '16 AO, lost to Kerber

*SLAM TITLES AFTER AGE 30*
10..Serena Williams (at 30/31/32/33/34/35)
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...Flavia Pennetta (33)
1...Li Na (31)
1...Virginia Wade (31)
1...Ann Haydon Jones (30)

*SLAMS BY NATION - 2010-18*
=CHAMPIONS (34)=
13 - USA
2 - BEL,BLR,CHN,CZE,ESP,GER,ITA,RUS
1 - AUS,DEN,FRA,LAT,ROU
=FINALISTS (70)=
21 - USA (S.Williams)
8 - RUS
5 - GER (Kerber),ITA
4 - BLR,CHN,CZE,ROU
3 - BEL,ESP
2 - AUS,DEN
1 - CAN,FRA,LAT,POL,SVK

*RECENT PLAYERS WHO REACHED FINAL AT ALL 4 SLAMS*
[since Navratilova & Evert era]
Steffi Graf, GER [5-9-9-8]
Justine Henin, BEL [3-4-2-3]
Martina Hingis, SUI [6-2-1-3]
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, ESP [2-6-2-2]
Monica Seles, YUG/USA [4-4-1-4]
Maria Sharapova, RUS [3-3-2-1]
Serena Williams, USA [8-4-10-8]
Venus Williams, USA [2-1-9-4]

*TOURNAMENTS ENTERED BY S.WILLIAMS/SHARAPOVA/AZARENKA*
=since Azarenka first #1 in January 2012=
2012: 9 (won 8) MIAMI/A.Radwanska
2013: 9 (won 8) WIMB/Bartoli
2014: 4 (won 1) AO/Li, WIMB/Kvitova, MTL/A.Radwanska
2015: 6 (won 4) IW./Halep, MADRID/Kvitova
2016: 1 (won 0) AO/Kerber
2017: -
2018: 3 (won 0) IW/Osaka, RG/Halep *
--
TOTAL: 32 (won 21) *
--
* - Williams in Wimbledon final

*SLAMS ENTERED BY S.WILLIAMS/SHARAPOVA/AZARENKA - won by...*
=since Azarenka first #1 in January 2012=
=2012=
AO - Azarenka
RG - Sharapova
WI - S.Williams
US - S.Williams
=2013=
AO - Azarenka
RG - S.Williams
WI - Bartoli
=2014=
AO - Li
WI - Kvitova
=2015=
AO - S.Williams
RG - S.Williams
WI - S.Williams
=2016=
AO - Kerber
=2017=
-
=2018=
RG - Halep
WI - ?

*WIMBLEDON MATCH WINS - Open era*
120 - Martina Navratilova
96 - Chris Evert
92 - SERENA WILLIAMS
89 - Venus Williams
74 - Steffi Graf
65 - Billie Jean King
50 - Jana Novotna
49 - Lindsay Davenport
46 - Maria Sharapova
44 - Virginia Wade
43 - Aga Radwanska

*WIMBLEDON "JUNIOR BREAKOUT" WINNERS*
2007 Ula Radwanska, POL
2008 Laura Robson, GBR
2009 Timea Babos, HUN & Miyabi Inoue, JPN
2010 Kristyna Pliskova, CZE
2011 Ash Barty, AUS
2012 Genie Bouchard, CAN
2013 Louisa Chirico, USA
2014 Alona Ostapenko, LAT
2015 Sofya Zhuk, RUS
2016 Dayana Yastremska, UKR
2017 Ann Li, USA
2018 Wang Xinyu/CHN & Wang Xiyu/CHN

*WIMBLEDON "COMEBACK" WINNERS*
2007 Venus Williams, USA
2008 Tamarine Tanasugarn, THA
2009 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2010 Vera Zvonareva, RUS
2011 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2012 Mirjana Lucic, CRO
2013 Marion Bartoli, FRA
2014 The White Shorts (of Victoria Azarenka)
2015 Aga Radwanska, POL
2016 Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA/USA
2017 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2018 Serena Williams, USA



TOP QUALIFIER:Mona Barthel/GER
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Simona Halep/ROU
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF):#12 Alona Ostapenko/LAT
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q2: #8 Mona Barthel/GER def. Oceane Dodin/FRA 6-3/1-6/8-6 (saves a MP in game #12 of the 3rd w/ Dodin DF at 6-5)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. - #32 Aga Radwanska/POL def. (Q) Elena-Gabriela Rus/ROU 6-3/4-6/7-5 (wins 14-min.,23-pt.,8-deuce game #10 in 3rd, saving 6 MP)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF):3rd Rd. - Hsieh Su-wei/TPE def. #1 Simona Halep 3-6/6-4/7-5 (def. world #1 from 5-2 down in 3rd, Halep served at 5-3 and had MP at 5-4)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:Yanina Wickmayer/BEL (1st Rd. def. M.Barthel/GER)
FIRST SEED OUT:#19 Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK (lost 1st Rd. to S.Cirstea/ROU)
UPSET QUEENS:United States
REVELATION LADIES:Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS:Ukraine (1-4 1st/2nd Rd; year after Svitolina to 4th/Tsurenko to 3rd, Svitolina 1st Rd. is worst slam since '14 and none to 3rd Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING:Katie Boulter/GBR, Ons Jabeur/TUN and Katie Swan/GBR (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BRITS STANDING:Katie Boulter, Johanna Konta and Katie Swan (all 2nd Rd.)
IT ("??"): Nominees: Kasatkina ("Swashbuckler"), Kamiji, Swiatek, Kung, Dart
Ms.OPPORTUNITY:Julia Goerges/GER
COMEBACK PLAYER:Serena Williams/USA
CRASH & BURN:#8 Petra Kvitova/CZE (two-time champ, pre-tournament favorite and '18 tour title-leader loses in 1st Rd. to Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR, dropping 3rd set at love)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON:Katerina Siniakova/CZE (Down 5-2 to Vandeweghe, who served at 5-3 in final set in 1st Rd., wins 8-6; down 5-2 to Jabeur, served at 5-3 in final set in 2nd Round, saved MP and wins 9-7)
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: Spears, Azarenka, Srebotnik, Dart
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: Kerber, Peschke
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE:Donna Vekic/CRO (follows up emotional '17 loss to Konta in 2nd Round -- after which Brit consoled her at the net ala the Duchess of Kent w/ Jana in 1993 -- w/ 1st Rd. upset of #4 Stephens; advances to first career slam Rd. of 16)
JUNIOR BREAKOUTS:Wang Xinyu/CHN and Wang Xiyu/CHN
THE RADWANSKA DAY REMEMBRANCE AWARD
June 26 official: In Eastbourne, Aga Radwanska, playing in her first event in two months, saves 2 MP vs. Dasha Gavrilova (both via DF), win a 2nd set tie-break, then takes the 3rd set at love. Gavrilova has 17 DF on the day.
Day 3 observed: As insects swarm the AELTC grounds on Flying Ant Day, reigning AO champ #2 Caroline Wozniacki falls on the infested Court 1 to Ekaterina Makarova, becoming the sixth Top 8 seed to fall in the tournament's first three days. Aga Radwanska flirts with staging a comeback from a set and 5-1 down and force a 3rd set (after having saved 6 MP in the 1st Rd.), saving a MP vs. Lucie Safarova before the Czech staves off a total of seven BP in a game to hold and secure the win. It's Aga's first career "Rad Day" defeat. Later, rain interrupts play for the first time in the fortnight.





All for Day 10. More tomorrow.
↧

W.11- The Day Before the Day

July 13, 2018, 3:54 pm
$
0
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Again, they are one. They are SerenAngie.



Tomorrow (at some point)...





=DAY 11 NOTES=
...on Friday the 13th, the day that one men's semi threatened to never end, and the AELTC refused to allow the other to do the same...

The girls singles final was set on Day 11. It'll be a no-seeds affair, though surely one where pro event experience paid off handsomely for Iga Swiatek and Leonie Kung.



17-year old Swiatek opened this Wimbledon with a win over #1-seeded Whitney Osuigwe, and she'll end it playing to become the first Polish girls slam champion in eleven years. Her 7-5/7-6 victory today over #4-seeded Wang Xinyu (CHN) puts her one win away from being crowned the fourth Pole to win the junior crown at SW19.

=POLISH GIRLS SLAM SINGLES FINALISTS=
1995 Wimbledon - Aleksandra Olsza (W)
1996 Australian Open - Magdalena Grzbowska (W)
2005 Wimbledon - Aga Radwanska (W)
2006 Roland Garros - Aga Radwanska (W)
2007 Wimbledon - Ula Radwanska (W)
2007 US Open - Ula Radwanska (RU)
2018 Wimbledon - Iga Swiatek

Meanwhile, Swiss qualifier Leonie Kung, 17, won her seventh straight match at this event to also reach her maiden junior slam final. She defeated big-hitting lefty Wang Xiyu, the #10 seed who saved a MP and upset #3 Coco Gauff in the QF, in three sets to advance. She's seeking to become the fourth different girl to lift a junior slam title while representing Switzerland (though one, Rebeka Masarova, is now playing under a Spanish flag).

=SWISS GIRLS SLAM SINGLES FINALISTS=
1948 Wimbledon - Violette Rigollet (RU)
1993 Roland Garros - Martina Hingis (W)
1994 Roland Garros - Martina Hingis (W)
1994 Wimbledon - Martina Hingis (W)
1994 US Open - Martina Hingis (RU)
2013 Roland Garros - Belinda Bencic (W)
2013 Wimbledon - Belinda Bencic (W)
2016 Roland Garros - Rebeka Masarova (W)*
2017 Australian Open - Rebeka Masarova (RU)*
2018 Wimbledon - Leonie Kung
-
*-now representing ESP

Both Wangs lost in the singles semis, but they're the #1 seeds in the doubles and advanced to the GD semis today.

...the talked-about (really, and not just here, either) possible Wimbledon Wheelchair final between #1 Diede de Groot and #2 Yui Kamiji won't be happening. At least not in 2018. For the third straight year of singles play at SW19, Kamiji failed to reach the final.

De Groot handled her business, defeating South Africa's Kgothatso Montjane (whose Wimbledon debut has been a good one) 6-1/7-5 to reach the final, avoiding a 3rd set after having trailed 5-4 in the 2nd. Playing in her fifth straight slam singles final, the Dutch #1 will seed to defend her Wimbledon crown and win her second major of 2018.



Her opponent in the final won't be Kamiji, though, but instead countrywoman Aniek van Koot. The two-time slam winner (both in 2013, in the pocket between the Vergeer era and the post-Esther period where Kamiji and the now retired Jiske Griffioen took the lead in the sport) defeated the Japanese #2 seed in a 13-11 3rd set TB, preventing Kamiji from playing for the title and to become the first player to win all eight singles and doubles slam crowns in a career.



With Kamiji, though the most accomplished player in the span, still being unable to reach her first Wimbledon singles final, it brings to mind what de Groot said in the Wimbledon Live interview I mentioned yesterday. When asked about the differences about playing on grass, she said that on hard court you move around so easily you almost forget you're in a chair. But on grass you're always aware of it, can't move nearly as quickly, and your arms get incredibly tired (she said she was exhausted after training for an hour on grass, though she usually does so for two hours each day on HC). That being the case, I wonder if Kamiji's size -- she's the smallest of the top players, and likely has the shorter arms, meaning she's probably working even *harder* to maneuver around the court than a player such as de Groot on this surface. I don't know if that might explain Kamiji's lack of the same success at Wimbledon as in the other majors, but it would seem to be something to think about, considering she lost in a 3rd set TB this year as well as last year (SF vs. Sabine Ellerbrock), and also lost in three sets (1st Rd.) in '16, again to van Koot.

In the doubles, top-seeded de Groot & Kamiji combined their efforts to eliminate Katharina Kruger & Montjane 6-0/6-0, while the other semi was suspended due to darkness with Ellerbrock & Lucy Shuker leading #2 Marjolein Buis/van Koot 3-1 in the 3rd set.

With at least de Groot and Kamiji's fates decided as far as their participation in the finals, here are some additional notes of note:

* - de Groot has reached both the singles & doubles finals at the last five slams, as well as in both of the season-ending s/d Masters events in '17

* - Kamiji will be going for her fifth straight Wimbledon doubles title, having won the last four with new mother Jordanne Whiley

While I'd picked Kamiji to complete the set of eight titles in the preseason Prediction Blowout, I also predicted de Groot to have all eight titles (collecting them in a far shorter window of time) by the end of the 2019 season. That one is surely in play, as she very well could pull off the feat before Kamiji gets another shot at taking the Wimbledon singles title next year.

She's got four of the eight, and a win in the doubles this weekend would give her five. If she'd also win the U.S. Open singles ('17 RU) later this summer, de Groot would need just the AO doubles (she's been RU the last two years) and RG singles (RU this year). It's certainly there for the taking. If she worked it right, she could even be the reigning champ in all eight events when arrives in London for next year's Wimbledon.

AO SINGLES: 2018 Champion
AO DOUBLES: [RU-2017,2018]
RG SINGLES: [RU-2018]
RG DOUBLES: 2018 Champion
WI SINGLES: 2017 Champion
WI DOUBLES: [RU-2017]
US SINGLES: [RU-2017]
US DOUBLES: 2017 Champion

So, Diede could *really* be "The Great" very soon.

...in mixed doubles... wait for it... Vika is still alive!




Victoria Azarenka advanced to the MX final, the fourth of her slam career but her first in a decade ('08 RG w/ Bob Bryan), along with defending champ Jamie Murray, who won the title last year with Martina Hingis. They eliminated the all-Brit duo of Harriet Dart & Jay Clarke. A win would give her MX titles at Wimbledon, Roland Garros and the U.S. Open, as well as having won a MX Olympic Gold for Belarus in 2012 (at Wimbledon, by the way). It would leave her an Australian Open MX crown short of becoming the first person to collect all five in a career.

In the other semi, Nicole Melichar (w/ Alexander Peya) kept alive her hopes of a WD/MX sweep, reaching the final with a win over Katarina Srebotnik (her Career Mixed Slam will have to wait) & Michael Venus. Melichar is also in the women's doubles final with Kveta Peschke, who at 43 is looking to become the oldest slam winner since Martina Navratilova's last MX crown in 2006 at age 49.

Melichar & Peschke won today over Gaby Dabrowski & Xu Yifan. They'll meet RG champs Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova for the title. The young Czechs took out the veteran duo of Alicja Rosolska & Abigail Spears on Friday. As was the case in Paris, Krejcikova/Siniakova are past junior champions at this slam. In fact, they swept the RG/WI/US girls doubles titles in '13 (when Krejcikova was also an AO GD finalist w/ a different partner).


The pair are looking to become the first duo to sweep both the RG & WI titles in fifteen years.

=RG/WI WD SWEEPS BY DUOS in OPEN ERA=
1972 Billie Jean King & Betty Stove
1980 Kathy Jordan & Anne Smith
1984 Martina Navratilova & Pam Shriver
1990 Jana Novotna & Helena Sukova
1992 Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva
1993 Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva
1994 Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva
1997 Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva
1998 Martina Hingis & Jana Novotna
2003 Kim Clijsters & Ai Sugiyama



And, yes, that Krejcikova, a protege of the late Jana Novotna, has reached the final at SW19 on the 20th anniversary of Jana's singles/doubles Wimbledon title sweep is surely enough to list her as the second"Spirit of Jana" honoree for this slam. In fact, since fellow finalist Nicole Melichar of the U.S. was actually born in Brno, Czech Republic -- the same as both Novotna and Krejcikova -- *she* deserves a place in the circle of honor, as well.

I guess this award is simply going to be about collecting "Jana-ites" worthy of induction into the Novotna Ring of Honor... and I'm good with that.





Ummm... ON DAY 11: So tell me again why best-of-five sets is such a great thing, and why players holding serve *all* the time is (apparently) "better" tennis.

Then again...



LIKE ON DAY 11: First Sabine, now Julia. There's something about Germans writing "thank-you" notes during grass court season...



LIKE ON DAY 11: Hey, an old HBO commentating team reunion (and they were pretty good *on* the court, too).



LIKE ON DAY 11: Oracene, baby... on her baby having a baby and then (whatever comes next).



...and, finally...lame, lame, lame.

A grand slam doesn't have a "curfew" (see Melbourne and Flushing Meadows), and if the little village that hosts it does, perhaps another little village should be found that doesn't.



Meanwhile, the start of the women's final is pushed back to, well, who knows. Because, you know, what should *they* care? Shocking, I know.



Yeah, I wonder...





*LADIES' SINGLES FINAL*
#11 Angelique Kerber/GER vs. #24 Serena Williams/USA

*LADIES' DOUBLES FINAL*
#3 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) vs. #12 Melichar/Peschke (USA/CZE)

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
Azarenka/J.Murray (BLR/GBR) vs. #11 Melichar/Peya (USA/AUT)

*GIRLS SINGLES FINAL*
Iga Swiatek/POL vs. (Q) Leonie Kung/SUI

*GIRLS DOUBLES SF*
#1 Wang Xinyu/Wang Xiyu (CHN/CHN) vs. #4 Carle/Gauff (ARG/USA)
Hewitt/Stearns (USA/USA) vs. #2 McNally/Osuigwe (USA/USA)

*WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED vs. Aniek van Koot/NED

*WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES SF*
#1 de Groot/Kamiji (NED/JPN) def. Kruger/Montjane (GER/RSA)
Ellerbrock/Shuker (GER/GBR) vs. #2 Buis/van Koot (NED/NED)





?? ?? ?? ???? ?????

A post shared by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on










*WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS - since 2013, post-Vergeer*
10 - Yui Kamiji, JPN (6-4)
8 - ANIEK VAN KOOT, NED (2-5)(0-1 Para)
6 - Jiske Griffioen, NED (4-2)(1-0 Para)-ret.
6 - Sabine Ellerbrock, GER (2-5)
5 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED (2-2)
1 - Marjolein Buis, NED (1-0)
1 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR (1-0)

*RECENT WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS*
2017 AO - #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #1 Jiske Griffioen/NED
2017 RG - #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2017 WI - Diede de Groot/NED def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2017 US - #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #2 Diede de Groot/NED
2018 AO - #2 Diede de Groot/NED def. #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2018 RG - #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #2 Diede de Groot/NED
2018 WI - #1 Diede de Groot vs. Aniek van Koot/

*WIMBLEDON WC DOUBLES CHAMPIONS*
2009 Korie Homan/Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2010 Esther Vergeer/Sharon Walraven, NED/NED
2011 Esther Vergeer/Sharon Walraven, NED/NED
2012 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Kook, NED/NED
2013 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Koot, NED/NED
2014 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2015 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2016 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2017 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2018 de Groot/Kamiji vs. ??

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM SINGLES TITLES*
[AO-RG-WI-US...Masters+Paralympics]
25 - Esther Vergeer, NED [9-6-0-10]...[14+4]
6 - Yui Kamiji, JPN [1-3-0-2]...[1+0]*
4 - Jiske Griffioen, NED [2-1-1-0]...[3+1]
3 - Monique Kalkman, NED [0-0-0-3]...[2+1]
2 - Diede de Groot, NED [1-0-1-0]...[1+0]*
2 - Daniela Di Toro, AUS [0-0-0-2]...[0+0]
2 - Sabine Ellerbrock, GER [1-1-0-0]...[0+0]*
2 - Maaike Smit, NED [0-0-0-2]...[1+1]
2 - Chantal Vandierendonck, NED [0-0-0-2]...[1+0]
2 - Aniek van Koot, NED [1-0-0-1]...[1+0]*
-
*-active

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM DOUBLES TITLES*
[AO-RG-WI-US...WC Masters+Paralympics]
21 - Esther Vergeer, NED [7-5-3-6]...[10+3]
14 - Jiske Griffioen, NED [5-3-2-4]...[7+1]
12 - Yui Kamiji, JPN [4-3-4-1]...[2+0]*
11 - Aniek van Koot, NED [3-4-2-2]...[3+1]*
9 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR [2-2-4-1]...[2+0]*
7 - Sharon Walraven, NED [2-1-2-2]...[2+1]
5 - Marjolein Buis, NED [2-2-0-1]...[1+1]*
5 - Korie Homan, NED [1-1-1-2]...[1+1]
3 - Maaike Smit, NED [2-1-0-0]...[4+2]
2 - Diede de Groot, NED [0-1-0-1]...[2+0]*
2 - Florence Gravellier, FRA [2-0-0-0]...[0+0]
-
*-active

*RECENT WIMBLEDON MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPS*
2006 Vera Zvonareva & Andy Ram, RUS/ISR
2007 Jelena Jankovic & Jamie Murray, SRB/GBR
2008 Samantha Stosur & Bob Bryan, AUS/USA
2009 Anna-Lena Groenefeld & Mark Knowles, GER/BAH
2010 Cark Black & Leander Paes, ZIM/IND
2011 Iveta Benesova & Jurgen Melzer, CZE/AUT
2012 Lisa Raymond & Mike Bryan, USA/USA
2013 Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor, FRA/CAN
2014 Samantha Stosur & Nenad Zimonjic, AUS/SRB
2015 Martina Hingis & Leander Paes, SUI/IND
2016 Heather Watson & Henri Kontinen, GBR/FIN
2017 Martina Hingis & Jamie Murray, SUI/GBR
2018 Azarenka/J.Murray vs. Melichar/Peya

*WIMBLEDON GIRLS FINALS - since 2002*
2002 Vera Dushevina/RUS def. Maria Sharapova/RUS
2003 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL def. Anna Chakvetadze/RUS
2004 Kateryna Bondarenko/UKR def. Ana Ivanovic/SRB
2005 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL def. Tamira Paszek/AUT
2006 Caroline Wozniacki/DEN def. Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK
2007 Ula Radwanska/POL def. Madison Brengle/USA
2008 Laura Robson/GBR def. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn/THA
2009 Noppawan Lertcheewakarn/THA def. Kristina Mladenovic/FRA
2010 Kristyna Pliskova/CZE def. Sachie Ishizu/JPN
2011 Ash Barty/AUS def. Irina Khromacheva/RUS
2012 Genie Bouchard/CAN def. Elina Svitolina/UKR
2013 Belinda Bencic/SUI def. Taylor Townsend/USA
2014 Alona Ostapenko/LAT def. Kristina Schmiedlova/SVK
2015 Sofya Zhuk/RUS def. Anna Blinkova/RUS
2016 Anastasia Potapova/RUS def. Dayana Yastremska/UKR
2017 Claire Liu/USA def. Ann Li/USA
2018 Iga Swiatek/POL vs. Leonie Kung/SUI

*RECENT WIMBLEDON DOUBLES CHAMPIONS*
2008 Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA
2009 Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA
2010 Vania King & Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ
2011 Kveta Peschke & Katarina Srebotnik, CZE/SLO
2012 Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA
2013 Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN
2014 Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
2015 Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
2016 Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA
2017 Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
2018 Krejcikova/Siniakova vs. Melichar/Peschke



TOP QUALIFIER:Mona Barthel/GER
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Simona Halep/ROU
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF):#12 Alona Ostapenko/LAT
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q2: #8 Mona Barthel/GER def. Oceane Dodin/FRA 6-3/1-6/8-6 (saves a MP in game #12 of the 3rd w/ Dodin DF at 6-5)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. - #32 Aga Radwanska/POL def. (Q) Elena-Gabriela Rus/ROU 6-3/4-6/7-5 (wins 14-min.,23-pt.,8-deuce game #10 in 3rd, saving 6 MP)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF):3rd Rd. - Hsieh Su-wei/TPE def. #1 Simona Halep 3-6/6-4/7-5 (def. world #1 from 5-2 down in 3rd, Halep served at 5-3 and had MP at 5-4)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:Yanina Wickmayer/BEL (1st Rd. def. M.Barthel/GER)
FIRST SEED OUT:#19 Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK (lost 1st Rd. to S.Cirstea/ROU)
UPSET QUEENS:United States
REVELATION LADIES:Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS:Ukraine (1-4 1st/2nd Rd; year after Svitolina to 4th/Tsurenko to 3rd, Svitolina 1st Rd. is worst slam since '14 and none to 3rd Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING:Katie Boulter/GBR, Ons Jabeur/TUN and Katie Swan/GBR (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BRITS STANDING:Katie Boulter, Johanna Konta and Katie Swan (all 2nd Rd.)
IT ("??"): Nominees: Swiatek, Kung
Ms.OPPORTUNITY:Julia Goerges/GER
COMEBACK PLAYER:Serena Williams/USA
CRASH & BURN:#8 Petra Kvitova/CZE (two-time champ, pre-tournament favorite and '18 tour title-leader loses in 1st Rd. to Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR, dropping 3rd set at love)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON:Katerina Siniakova/CZE (Down 5-2 to Vandeweghe, who served at 5-3 in final set in 1st Rd., wins 8-6; down 5-2 to Jabeur, served at 5-3 in final set in 2nd Round, saved MP and wins 9-7)
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: Azarenka, Melichar
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: Kerber, Peschke
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREES:Donna Vekic/CRO (follows up emotional '17 loss to Konta in 2nd Round -- after which Brit consoled her at the net ala the Duchess of Kent w/ Jana in 1993 -- w/ 1st Rd. upset of #4 Stephens; advances to first career slam Rd. of 16), Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (Novotna protege reaches WD final on 20th anniversary of late her coach's singles/doubles title sweep in '98) and Nicole Melichar/USA (Brno-born Bannerette in both doubles and mixed finals)
JUNIOR BREAKOUTS:Wang Xinyu/CHN and Wang Xiyu/CHN
THE RADWANSKA DAY REMEMBRANCE AWARD
June 26 official: In Eastbourne, Aga Radwanska, playing in her first event in two months, saves 2 MP vs. Dasha Gavrilova (both via DF), win a 2nd set tie-break, then takes the 3rd set at love. Gavrilova has 17 DF on the day.
Day 3 observed: As insects swarm the AELTC grounds on Flying Ant Day, reigning AO champ #2 Caroline Wozniacki falls on the infested Court 1 to Ekaterina Makarova, becoming the sixth Top 8 seed to fall in the tournament's first three days. Aga Radwanska flirts with staging a comeback from a set and 5-1 down and force a 3rd set (after having saved 6 MP in the 1st Rd.), saving a MP vs. Lucie Safarova before the Czech staves off a total of seven BP in a game to hold and secure the win. It's Aga's first career "Rad Day" defeat. Later, rain interrupts play for the first time in the fortnight.





All for Day 11. More tomorrow.
↧

Angie Kerber and the Enchanted Forest

July 14, 2018, 2:36 pm
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Wherever Serena Williams walks, she's the biggest story in play. But while Angelique Kerber may speak more softly and carry a comparatively "smaller" stick, but she has *also* developed the walk of a champion -- rediscovered it, really, after a season lost within the enveloping forest that was created by her own success.



Today at Wimbledon, that so-recently-overgrown forest became a newly-enchanted one for the German, who maintained the steady and decisive style of play in the final that she displayed over the course of this fortnight, out-serving and out-playing a Williams who was never able to fully find her form in the face of Kerber's steady but driving game style, which did nothing if not accentuate, exploit and ultimately prey upon the wanting footwork and error-prone performance put forth by Serena in a rare moment on the slam final stage in which she didn't (eventually) bring her best tennis to the battle at hand.

Of course, maybe she would have if given the time. Kerber, though, didn't allow that potential scenario to live long enough to become a reality. She preferred another.



Two seasons ago, everywhere Williams and Kerber went, there was the other. So as both made their way back around, through very different circular journeys, into position to claim another major title at the end of this very upset-heavy and gloriously chaotic fortnight, perhaps we should have seen their return engagement in the final coming all along.

When Kerber was busy claiming her first slam title in Melbourne two and a half years ago, there was Serena on the other side of the net in the final. Williams then countered later in the summer by winning her most recent Wimbledon title with a Ladies final over Kerber. Eighteen months ago, after learning that she was pregnant, Williams won the Australian Open, replacing the German as the reigning champ and dethroning Kerber as the #1 player in the world. Though Serena was ranked #1 for ten total weeks in 2017 following her win in Melbourne, she never played a match while in the position after announcing her impending motherhood. Just over ten months ago, daughter Olympia was born, and Williams once again narrowly escaped what could have been a tragic post-delivery health scare. Over that same period, Kerber, mentally worn down and lacking the sort of belief that had pushed her to her career year in '16, suffered through an unprecedented ranking fall for a year-end #1 last season, dropping from the top spot to outside the Top 20 in the biggest one-year, non-injury/retirement related slip in tour history.

Today, though they were playing for the right to lift the same Venus Rosewater Dish (Serena for an eighth time, Angie for a first), they met with very different personal accomplishments at hand. While a win from Williams would tie her with Margaret Court for the all-time major title record with 24, Kerber was looking to become just the seventh player to be a three-time slam champion this century, the first since 2011, and just the second (w/ Capriati) not named Williams, Sharapova, Henin or Clijsters. After taking down a series of Generation PDQ stars (C.Liu/Osaka/Bencic/Kasatkina/Ostapenko) while losing just one set (to Liu) along the way at the All-England Club, the reinvigorated Kerber was facing a 36-year old living legend, already the oldest Wimbledon women's champion ever when she won the title in 2016, who with a victory would add yet another intriguing layer to her remarkable career story as she'd become the fourth mother (after Court, Goolagong and Clijsters) to win a slam in the Open era.

Naturally, because the AELTC can't get out its own way even while patting itself on the back at every turn, Williams and Kerber were forced to wake up on final day not really knowing *when* they'd get to play. The indeterminate wait began at 1 p.m. Centre Court time. The issue was kicked up because of what happened on Friday.

First, the interminable men's semifinal (6:36, 26-24 in the 3rd) between Kevin Anderson and John Isner (Isner in a long, boring match that threatened to never end... shocking, I know) dragged on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and... well, you get the idea, and pushed back the second men's semi between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal so far that it was only barely half-finished when it walked up to Wimbledon's 11 p.m. curfew (???). So off everyone went to bed, set to meet up again on Saturday. Then another two-plus hour delay occurred today when the completion of *that* match turned into another five-set affair that went to 10-8.

Finally, at 4:16 in the afternoon, the Wimbledon Ladies final began, with Kerber receiving Williams' serve after having chosen to first play defense after winning the opening coin flip. It turned out to be a brilliant decision that set the course for the entire match.

The opening set was highlighted by Kerber's opportunism and Williams' untimely errors, things which would contribute mightily to the final result. The German's choice to receive paid off immediately, as Serena was nervous, tight and slow off the mark in the opening game. She dropped serve with forehand error. Kerber's own improved serve, a key factor in her recent resurgence since adding Wim Fissette as her coach nine months ago, had guided (along w/ her usual brilliant defensive abilities) her path through the draw, and she backed up her break with a hold for a 2-0 lead.

Williams found her mark in game #4. Winning points with a penetrating groundstroke and a defensive stab that turned into a lethal drop shot, she broke at love for 2-2. A perfectly placed wide ace put Serena up 30/love a game later. A short Kerber return of serve brought Williams forward for a put-away forehand, and then she aced the German to hold for 3-2. But the steady service game of Kerber didn't crack under the pressure of a slowly awakening seven-time Wimbledon champion. She held for 3-3, then went about her practice of extending rallies, putting the onus on Serena to keep her game clean if she was going to take control of the set. She wasn't able to do so. Instead, the Kerber-directed rallies saw the growing number of errors off the Williams racket turn the set decidedly in the German's favor.

In game #7, Serena's double-fault put her down triple break point. On Kerber's third try, Williams' long error got things back on serve. Up 15/30 on Kerber's serve immediately after the changeover break, as Serena moved backwards and to her left in order to position herself for a return of serve, an overzealous forehand squandered her chance at her second BP of the set. A wide forehand a point later gave Williams 11 unforced errors on the day, already as many as in any of her last three full matches at the event. A long backhand return closed out Kerber's hold for 5-3. Two more errors (the second a badly dumped volley) and Serena was down love/30 in game #9. Kerber just missed reaching set point when her block volley lob landed just beyond the baseline, but a backhand error from Williams got her there a point later. A netted backhand gave Kerber the break, and a 6-3 opening set win.

Not wanting to see Williams catch fire in the 2nd, Kerber once again called upon her serve. Once more it replied in the affirmative. She quickly jumped out 40/love in the first game, holding easily. Williams significantly upped her intensity in game #3. A sweeping forehand smacked crosscourt whizzed by Kerber as she approached the net. The German flinched, and gave a quick look over at Serena, who didn't offer back one of the (eye roll-worthy, at times) obligatory "sorry" responses. It was clear that someone was in it to win it. And it wasn't only Serena.

Up 15/30 on Kerber's serve, Williams found herself, as she would more and more often in the set, off-balance at the net. Her poor footwork had led to poor positioning that prevented her from putting away a volley that would have given her a BP. Instead, she awkwardly raised her racket and aimed her shot into the corner, where Kerber pounced with a down the line shot that Serena could only lunge at but not get back over the net. The German held for 2-1. Up 40/15, Williams was slow getting to a short ball and failed to quickly secure her service game. She'd get the 2-2 hold on a rare Kerber error, but the game was nonetheless a sign that she may *not* be able to find her full form in time to put on a bull rush to the title as she's so often done in the past.

After not seeing a BP on the German's serve since breaking her for 2-2 in the 1st set, Williams came back from 40/love down in game #5 to reach deuce. But she wasn't able to carve out the elusive second BP chance, as Kerber once again held. A slow-footed Williams, frustrated by bad bounces on the worn grass surface (and, one would suspect, her inability to consistently find her range off the ground as Kerber relentlessly fired shots back into her side of the court), again fired off early errors that but her behind a game later. Down 15/30, Williams saw Kerber chase down a ball on one side of the court, then race across the baseline and do the same on the other. When Serena failed to get any sting on an off-balance half-volley, Kerber fired a running forehand winner down the line to reach double BP at 15/40. A deep forehand winner into the corner got the German the break of serve for 4-2 lead.

Three more errors from Williams allowed for an easy hold for Kerber. After Serena's love hold, Kerber served at 5-3 for the match, her third major title, and to become the second player to defeat Serena twice in a slam final (the other was someone named Venus).

Trying to pull off an eleventh hour save that would keep slam #24 in play, Serena worked the rally in the game's second point in her favor and ventured in to the net to put it away, but instead flied her forehand volley to fall behind 30/love. She knelt on her knee in the shadow of the net, head down and quite possibly coming to grips that "it" just wasn't going to come back to her on this day. Or maybe she was actually gathering herself for one final burst. A drop shot and big deep return got the point to 30/30. But a Kerber forehand down the line into the corner off a high bouncing, deep court ball got her her first MP. She'd only need one. Williams' return error ended the 6-3/6-3 match. Kerber was the Wimbledon champion for the first time.



Kerber fell to knees and onto the ground. She was immediately enveloped not by a foreboding forest, but by a cloud of dust kicked up by her rolling over on her back on the well-worn baseline.



Disappointed but gracious, Williams crossed around the net post and greeted Kerber with a long hug. The German's remarkably clean (5 UE to Serena's 24) game, efficient serving (66% 1st serve pct., winning 70%, and just 1 BP faced) and opportunistic defense (she won 69% of Serena's second serves, and converted on 4/7 BP) essentially had kept Williams at bay all day, and she was never able to put everything in order in the short time she had to find a way back into the match.





Williams need not add additional layers to prop up her continuing legacy, but she seems to do so every time she hits the court. Her loss here will only make her return to the U.S. for her first home slam appearance in two years all the more intriguing. Olympia's first birthday will arrive on September 1st, right about the time her mother should be playing her 3rd Round match later this summer at Flushing Meadows, likely under the lights on Ashe. Will Serena's offspring also make her primetime debut that evening? Stay tuned to find out.

"I think without 2017 I would not be here," Kerber said after picking up her latest slam trophy. "I learned a lot last year."



Now knowing how to recognize both the enchanted forest *and* the trees that make it up, the journey of the German, the first from her nation to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish since her idol Steffi Graf in 1996, has come full circle. After learning how to believe in herself and take chances in 2016, her opposite end of the spectrum experience of '17 showed her the importance of taking time off and "taking care of (herself)." Still improving her game and approach two seasons after her career year, six months beyond the 30th birthday that used to signal the *end* of a tennis player's peak years of accomplishment, Kerber now finds herself three-quarters of the way to a Career Slam.

And her best may still be yet to come.






=DAY 12 NOTES=
...late in the day, the waiting-for-a-spot-on-the-schedule women's doubles final finally settled for Court 1 rather than the traditional Centre Court location.

It was too bad for a lot of reasons, but also because as this was the 20th anniversary of Jana Novotna's Wimbledon singles title it would have been nice had her fellow Brno, Czech Republic born protege Barbora Krejcikova been able to win her maiden SW19 WD crown on the same court that the '98 women's singles and doubles champ did. Either way, though she had to settle for a later trip to CC to show off her trophy in the Royal Box, Krejcikova teamed with fellow Czech Katerina Siniakova to become the first duo in fifteen years ('03 Clijsters/Sugiyama) to win back-to-back Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles, defeating Nicole Melichar (a Bannerette, but also born in Brno before coming the the U.S. as a baby) and 43-year old Czech Kveta Peschke by a 6-4/4-6/6-0 score.



The win gives the pair a women's doubles trophy to go with the girls doubles one they picked up in 2013 at the AELTC.

=2013 JUNIOR CHAMPIONS=

And now...



...earlier in the day, the Wimbledon junior champion was crowned, and for the fourth time at SW19 it's a Polish teenager. Following in the AELTC footsteps of Aleksandra Olsza (1995) and both Radwanska sisters (Aga in '05, Ula in '07), Iga Swiatek took the title with a 6-4/6-2 win over Swiss qualifier Leonie Kung.




Swiatek lost just one set in the tournament. It was the first one she played. She dropped her opening Wimbledon set to #1-seed Whitney Osuigwe, then reeled off twelve straight en route to the title.



Thus, 2018's girls slam champions have been named En-shuo (Liang), Coco (Gauff) and Iga. Hmmm, just for that reason, I suppose we could be talking about The Most Interesting Tour Junior Circuit in the World then, right?

=POLISH GIRLS SLAM CHAMPIONS=
1995 Wimbledon - Aleksandra Olsza
1996 Australian Open - Magdalena Grzbowska
2005 Wimbledon - Aga Radwanska
2006 Roland Garros - Aga Radwanska
2007 Wimbledon - Ula Radwanska
2018 Wimbledon - Iga Swiatek

...in the wheelchair final, Diede (The Great) de Groot added another slam win to her growing early legacy in the sporting, defending her Wimbledon women's singles title with a 3 & 2 victory over fellow Dutch Aniek van Koot. The win gives her three slam singles titles (tied for fourth all-time), with all three coming in the last five majors. She was runner-up in the other two finals.



De Groot and Yui Kamiji finally found out on Saturday who they'll play in the doubles final. It'll be Sabine Ellerbrock & Lucy Shuker, who finished off a 6-4 3rd set vs. #2 Marjolein Buis/van Koot after play had been suspended yesterday with the duo holding a 3-1 lead.

Kamiji, 24, will be looking to win her fifth straight Wimbledon WD title, extending her own SW19 record, while 21-year old de Groot will be trying to add a fifth different slam title to her career resume.

=DE GROOT's BEST SLAM RESULTS=
AO SINGLES: 2018 Champion
AO DOUBLES: [RU-2017,2018]
RG SINGLES: [RU-2018]
RG DOUBLES: 2018 Champion
WI SINGLES: 2017,18 Champion
WI DOUBLES: [RU-2017]
US SINGLES: [RU-2017]
US DOUBLES: 2017 Champion

...in ITF action, the finals at the week's two clay court $100K challengers are set. In Contrexeville, France it'll be Swiss Stefanie Voegele against Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo, the latter just coming off a Q-run and 2nd Round result at Wimbledon. The other event in Budapest will feature Slovak Viktoria Kuzmova, looking for her second '18 $100K win, versus Hordette Ekaterina Alexandrova.

In the $60K in Versmold, Germany's Laura Siegemund will play in her first final since knee surgery, facing off with Serb Olga Danilovic, who won the girls doubles at last year's Wimbledon. Danilovic's doubles partner in that title run, Kaja Juvan (SVK), reached but lost this weekend's $25K final in Turin, Italy, falling to Romanian Andreea Amalia Rosca, who picked up her fifth challenger title of the season.

In Hong Kong, Division-III star (Wesleyan) Eudice Chong (HKG) claimed her first pro title with a win over Japan's Sakura Hosogi.




India's top singles player, Ankita Raina, won her seventh career ITF title in the $25K in Nonthaburi, defeating Japan's Risa Ozkai.



Elsewhere, in Winnipeg ($25K), Canada's Rebecca Marino will seek her fourth ITF title of her '18 comeback vs. Israel's Julia Glushko, seeking her third title of the season. The Prokuplje ($15K) final will be a rematch of last weekend's championship match between Croat Lea Boskovic and Maiden Gabriela Pantuckova. Pantuckova comes into the final on a 17-1 run which has included two singles titles.


I'M SURE... ON DAY 12: ...there's some snarky comment about something in tennis that would go along just perfectly with this. Come up with your own to make yourself chuckle, or just save it for a rainy day. Or, you know, the next time some one of John Isner's friends (posing as a commentator, no doubt) talks about him on Tennis Channel or ESPN. ;)



LIKE ON DAY 12: Remembering Jana and Maria...



LIKE ON DAY 12: Chakvetadze sighting!



GARBI... ON DAY 12: 2017 vs. 2018.




The smile *is* still there. Just not the Dish.

LIKE ON DAY 12: Practice makes perfect...





APPARENTLY... ON DAY 12: Living as a royal takes it out of you. On the other hand, being tennis royalty...



LIKE ON DAY 12: Yes, I'm going to re-watch "Die Hard" for the first time in quite a while tonight. HBO2, catch it! ;)




...and, finally, just because.









*LADIES' SINGLES FINAL*
#11 Angelique Kerber/GER def. #24 Serena Williams/USA 6-3/6-3

*LADIES' DOUBLES FINAL*
#3 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) def. #12 Melichar/Peschke (USA/CZE) 6-4/4-6/6-0

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
Azarenka/J.Murray (BLR/GBR) vs. #11 Melichar/Peya (USA/AUT)

*GIRLS SINGLES FINAL*
Iga Swiatek/POL def. (Q) Leonie Kung/SUI 6-4/6-2



*GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Wang Xinyu/Wang Xiyu (CHN/CHN) vs. #2 McNally/Osuigwe (USA/USA)

*WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED def. Aniek van Koot/NED 6-3/6-2


*WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 de Groot/Kamiji (NED/JPN) vs. Ellerbrock/Shuker (GER/GBR)













Edgar Degas “Little Dancer of Fourteen Years”

A post shared by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on









*WIMBLEDON FINALS SINCE 2000*
2000 Venus Williams def. Lindsay Davenport 6-3,7-6
2001 Venus Williams def. Justine Henin 6-1,3-6,6-0
2002 Serena Williams def. Venus Williams 7-6,6-3
2003 Serena Williams def. Venus Williams 4-6,6-4,6-2
2004 Maria Sharapova def. Serena Williams 6-1,6-4
2005 Venus Williams def. Lindsay Davenport 4-6,7-6,9-7
2006 Amelie Mauresmo def. Justine Henin-H. 2-6,6-3,6-4
2007 Venus Williams def. Marion Bartoli 6-4,6-1
2008 Venus Williams def. Serena Williams 7-5,6-4
2009 Serena Williams def. Venus Williams 7-6,6-2
2010 Serena Williams def. Vera Zvonareva 6-3,6-2
2011 Petra Kvitova def. Maria Sharapova 6-3,6-4
2012 Serena Williams def. Aga Radwanska 6-1,5-7,6-2
2013 Marion Bartoli def. Sabine Lisicki 6-1,6-4
2014 Petra Kvitova def. Genie Bouchard 6-3,6-0
2015 Serena Williams def. Garbine Muguruza 6-4,6-4
2016 Serena Williams def. Angelique Kerber 7-5,6-4
2017 Garbine Muguruza def. Venus Williams 7-5,6-0
2018 Angelique Kerber def. Serena Williams 6-3,6-3

*WIMBLEDON FINALS - ACTIVE*
10..SERENA WILLIAMS (7-3)
9...Venus Williams (5-4)
2...Petra Kvitova (2-0)
2...ANGELIQUE KERBER (1-1)
2...Garbine Muguruza (1-1)
2...Maria Sharapova (1-1)
1...Genie Bouchard (0-1)
1...Sabine Lisicki (0-1)
1...Aga Radwanska (0-1)
1...Vera Zvonareva (0-1)

*RECENT WOMEN'S SLAM WINNERS*
2016 AO: Angelique Kerber, GER
2016 RG: Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2016 WI: Serena Williams, USA
2016 US: Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 AO: Serena Williams, USA
2017 RG: Alona Ostapenko, LAT
2017 WI: Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2017 US: Sloane Stephens, USA
2018 AO: Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2018 RG: Simona Halep, ROU
2018 WI: Angelique Kerber, GER

*SERENA (23-7) LOSSES IN SLAM FINALS*
2001 US Open to Venus Williams
2004 Wimbledon to Maria Sharapova
2008 Wimbledon to Venus Williams
2011 US Open to Samantha Stosur
2016 Australian Open to Angelique Kerber
2016 Roland Garros to Garbine Muguruza
2018 Wimbledon to Angelique Kerber

*CAREER SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE*
30...SERENA WILLIAMS (23-7)
16...Venus Williams (7-9)
10...Maria Sharapova (5-5)
4...ANGELIQUE KERBER (3-1)
4...Svetlana Kuznetsova (2-2)
4...Victoria Azarenka (2-2)
4...Simona Halep (1-3)
3...Garbine Muguruza (2-1)
3...Caroline Wozniacki (1-2)
2...Petra Kvitova (2-0)
2...Francesca Schiavone (1-1)
2...Sloane Stephens (1-1)
2...Samantha Stosur (1-1)
2...Vera Zvonareva (0-2)
1...Genie Bouchard (0-1)
1...Dominika Cibulkova (0-1)
1...Sara Errani (0-1)
1...Madison Keys (0-1)
1...Jelena Jankovic (0-1)
1...Sabine Lisicki (0-1)
1...Alona Ostapenko (0-1)
1...Karolina Pliskova (0-1)
1...Aga Radwanska (0-1)
1...Lucie Safarova (0-1)

*SLAMS BY NATION - 2010-18*
=CHAMPIONS (34)=
13 - USA (S.Williams-12,Stephens 1)
3 - GER (Kerber-3)
2 - BEL (Clijsters-2)
2 - BLR (Azarenka-2)
2 - CHN (Li-2)
2 - CZE (Kvitova-2)
2 - ESP (Muguruza-2)
2 - ITA (Pennetta-1,Schiavone-1)
2 - RUS (Sharapova-2)
1 - AUS (Stosur)
1 - DEN (Wozniacki)
1 - FRA (Mauresmo)
1 - LAT (Ostapenko)
1 - ROU (Halep)

*SLAM FINALS SINCE 2010*
16 - SERENA WILLIAMS (12-4)
6 - Maria Sharapova (2-4)
4 - ANGELIQUE KERBER (3-1)
4 - Victoria Azarenka (2-2)
4 - Li Na (2-2) - ret.
4 - Simona Halep (1-3)
3 - Garbine Muguruza (2-1)
2 - Kim Clijsters (2-0) - ret.
2 - Petra Kvitova (2-0)
2 - Francesca Schiavone (1-1)
2 - Sloane Stephens (1-1)
2 - Samantha Stosur (1-1)
2 - Caroline Wozniacki (1-1)
2 - Venus Williams (0-2)
2 - Vera Zvonareva (0-2)

*SLAM TITLES AFTER AGE 30*
10..Serena Williams (at 30/31/32/33/34/35)
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...Flavia Pennetta (33)
1...Li Na (31)
1...Virginia Wade (31)
1...ANGELIQUE KERBER (30)
1...Ann Haydon Jones (30)

*TOURNAMENTS ENTERED BY S.WILLIAMS/SHARAPOVA/AZARENKA*
=since Azarenka first #1 in January 2012=
2012: 9 (won 8) MIAMI/A.Radwanska
2013: 9 (won 8) WIMB/Bartoli
2014: 4 (won 1) AO/Li, WIMB/Kvitova, MTL/A.Radwanska
2015: 6 (won 4) IW./Halep, MADRID/Kvitova
2016: 1 (won 0) AO/Kerber
2017: -
2018: 3 (won 0) IW/Osaka, RG/Halep, WI/Kerber
--
TOTAL: 32 (won 21)

*SLAMS ENTERED BY S.WILLIAMS/SHARAPOVA/AZARENKA - won by...*
=since Azarenka first #1 in January 2012=
=2012=
AO - Azarenka
RG - Sharapova (1)
WI - S.Williams
US - S.Williams
=2013=
AO - Azarenka (2)
RG - S.Williams
WI - Bartoli (1)
=2014=
AO - Li (1)
WI - Kvitova (1)
=2015=
AO - S.Williams
RG - S.Williams
WI - S.Williams (6)
=2016=
AO - Kerber
=2017=
-
=2018=
RG - Halep (1)
WI - Kerber (2)

*WIMBLEDON GIRLS FINALS - since 2002*
2002 Vera Dushevina/RUS def. Maria Sharapova/RUS
2003 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL def. Anna Chakvetadze/RUS
2004 Kateryna Bondarenko/UKR def. Ana Ivanovic/SRB
2005 Aga Radwanska/POL def. Tamira Paszek/AUT
2006 Caroline Wozniacki/DEN def. Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK
2007 Ula Radwanska/POL def. Madison Brengle/USA
2008 Laura Robson/GBR def. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn/THA
2009 Noppawan Lertcheewakarn/THA def. Kristina Mladenovic/FRA
2010 Kristyna Pliskova/CZE def. Sachie Ishizu/JPN
2011 Ash Barty/AUS def. Irina Khromacheva/RUS
2012 Genie Bouchard/CAN def. Elina Svitolina/UKR
2013 Belinda Bencic/SUI def. Taylor Townsend/USA
2014 Alona Ostapenko/LAT def. Kristina Schmiedlova/SVK
2015 Sofya Zhuk/RUS def. Anna Blinkova/RUS
2016 Anastasia Potapova/RUS def. Dayana Yastremska/UKR
2017 Claire Liu/USA def. Ann Li/USA
2018 Iga Swiatek/POL def. Leonie Kung/SUI

*WIMBLEDON "IT" WINNERS*
2006 Li Na, CHN
2007 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2008 Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
2009 Sabine Lisicki, GER
2010 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2011 Sabine Lisicki, GER
2012 [Alter Ego] "The Radwanska"
2013 [Upstart] Michelle Larcher de Brito, POR
2014 [New Wheelchair Star] Yui Kamiji, JPN
2015 [Vandeweghe] Coco Vandeweghe, USA
2016 [First WC Champ] Jiske Griffioen, NED
2017 [Next WC Great?] Diede de Groot, NED
2018 [GenPDQ Pole] Iga Swiatek, POL

*RECENT GIRLS SLAM CHAMPIONS*
[2016]
AO: Vera Lapko, BLR
RG: Rebeka Masarova, SUI
WI: Anastasia Potapova, RUS
US: Kayla Day, USA
[2017]
AO: Marta Kostyuk, UKR
RG: Whitney Osuigwe, USA
WI: Claire Liu, USA
US: Amanda Anisimova, USA
[2018]
AO: Liang En-shuo, TPE
RG: Coco Gauff, USA
WI: Iga Swiatek, POL

*SURBITON WC INVITATIONAL FINALS*
2017 Diede de Groot/NED d. Lucy Shuker/GBR
2018 Yui Kamiji/JPN d. Diede de Groot/NED
*WIMBLEDON WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINALS*
2016 Jiske Griffioen/NED d. Aniek van Koot/NED
2017 Diede de Groot/NED d. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2018 Diede de Groot/NED d. Aniek van Koot/NED

*RECENT WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS*
2017 AO - #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #1 Jiske Griffioen/NED
2017 RG - #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2017 WI - Diede de Groot/NED def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2017 US - #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #2 Diede de Groot/NED
2018 AO - #2 Diede de Groot/NED def. #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2018 RG - #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #2 Diede de Groot/NED
2018 WI - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. Aniek van Koot/NED

*WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS - since 2013, post-Vergeer*
10 - Yui Kamiji, JPN (6-4)
8 - ANIEK VAN KOOT, NED (2-6)(0-1 Para)
6 - Jiske Griffioen, NED (4-2)(1-0 Para)-ret.
6 - Sabine Ellerbrock, GER (2-5)
5 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED (3-2)
1 - Marjolein Buis, NED (1-0)
1 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR (1-0)

*WIMBLEDON WC DOUBLES CHAMPIONS*
2009 Korie Homan/Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2010 Esther Vergeer/Sharon Walraven, NED/NED
2011 Esther Vergeer/Sharon Walraven, NED/NED
2012 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Kook, NED/NED
2013 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Koot, NED/NED
2014 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2015 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2016 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2017 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2018 de Groot/Kamiji vs. Ellerbrock/Shuker

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM SINGLES TITLES*
[AO-RG-WI-US...Masters+Paralympics]
25 - Esther Vergeer, NED [9-6-0-10]...[14+4]
6 - Yui Kamiji, JPN [1-3-0-2]...[1+0]*
4 - Jiske Griffioen, NED [2-1-1-0]...[3+1]
3 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED [1-0-2-0]...[1+0]*
3 - Monique Kalkman, NED [0-0-0-3]...[2+1]
2 - Daniela Di Toro, AUS [0-0-0-2]...[0+0]
2 - Sabine Ellerbrock, GER [1-1-0-0]...[0+0]*
2 - Maaike Smit, NED [0-0-0-2]...[1+1]
2 - Chantal Vandierendonck, NED [0-0-0-2]...[1+0]
2 - Aniek van Koot, NED [1-0-0-1]...[1+0]*
-
*-active

*CAREER WOMEN'S DOUBLES SLAM TITLES - active*
14...Serena Williams, USA
14...Venus Williams, USA
5...Sara Errani, ITA
5...Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
5...Lucie Safarova, CZE
3...Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
3...Sania Mirza, IND
3...Elena Vesnina, RUS
2...Andrea S.-Hlavackova, CZE
2...Lucie Hradecka, CZE
2...Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
2...Vania King, USA
2...BARBORA KREJCIKOVA, CZE
2...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2...Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2...Peng Shuai, CHN
2...Yaroslava Shvedova, KAZ
2...KATERINA SINIAKOVA, CZE
2...Samantha Stosur, AUS

*RECENT WIMBLEDON DOUBLES CHAMPIONS*
2008 Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA
2009 Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA
2010 Vania King & Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ
2011 Kveta Peschke & Katarina Srebotnik, CZE/SLO
2012 Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA
2013 Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN
2014 Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
2015 Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
2016 Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA
2017 Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
2018 Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE

*2017-18 SLAM WD CHAMPIONS*
2017 AO: Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
2017 RG: Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
2017 WI: Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
2017 US: Latisha Chan/Martina Hingis, TPE/SUI
2018 AO: Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic, HUN/FRA
2018 RG: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
2018 WI: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE

*RG/WI WD SWEEPS BY DUOS in OPEN ERA*
1972 Billie Jean King & Betty Stove
1980 Kathy Jordan & Anne Smith
1984 Martina Navratilova & Pam Shriver
1990 Jana Novotna & Helena Sukova
1992 Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva
1993 Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva
1994 Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva
1997 Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva
1998 Martina Hingis & Jana Novotna
2003 Kim Clijsters & Ai Sugiyama
2018 Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova

*WIMBLEDON "KIMIKO CUP FOR VETERAN ACHIEVEMENT" WINNERS*
2015 Martina Hingis, SUI
2016 Venus Williams, USA
2017 Venus Williams, USA
2018 Angelique Kerber, GER



TOP QUALIFIER:Mona Barthel/GER
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Simona Halep/ROU
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF):#12 Alona Ostapenko/LAT
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F):#11 Angelique Kerber/GER
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q2: #8 Mona Barthel/GER def. Oceane Dodin/FRA 6-3/1-6/8-6 (saves a MP in game #12 of the 3rd w/ Dodin DF at 6-5)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. - #32 Aga Radwanska/POL def. (Q) Elena-Gabriela Rus/ROU 6-3/4-6/7-5 (wins 14-min.,23-pt.,8-deuce game #10 in 3rd, saving 6 MP)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF):3rd Rd. - Hsieh Su-wei/TPE def. #1 Simona Halep 3-6/6-4/7-5 (def. world #1 from 5-2 down in 3rd, Halep served at 5-3 and had MP at 5-4)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.):Girls QF - #10 Wang Xiyu/CHN def. #3 Coco Gauff/USA 4-6/7-6(1)/6-4 (Gauff MP at 5-4 in 2nd)
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FIRST VICTORY:Yanina Wickmayer/BEL (1st Rd. def. M.Barthel/GER)
FIRST SEED OUT:#19 Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK (lost 1st Rd. to S.Cirstea/ROU)
UPSET QUEENS:United States
REVELATION LADIES:Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS:Ukraine (1-4 1st/2nd Rd; year after Svitolina to 4th/Tsurenko to 3rd, Svitolina 1st Rd. is worst slam since '14 and none to 3rd Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING:Katie Boulter/GBR, Ons Jabeur/TUN and Katie Swan/GBR (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BRITS STANDING:Katie Boulter, Johanna Konta and Katie Swan (all 2nd Rd.)
IT ("GenPDQ Pole"):Iga Swiatek/POL
Ms.OPPORTUNITY:Julia Goerges/GER
COMEBACK PLAYER:Serena Williams/USA
CRASH & BURN:#8 Petra Kvitova/CZE (two-time champ, pre-tournament favorite and '18 tour title-leader loses in 1st Rd. to Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR, dropping 3rd set at love)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON:Katerina Siniakova/CZE (Down 5-2 to Vandeweghe, who served at 5-3 in final set in 1st Rd., wins 8-6; down 5-2 to Jabeur, served at 5-3 in final set in 2nd Round, saved MP and wins 9-7)
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: Azarenka, de Groot/Kamiji, Krejcikova/Siniakova
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP):Angelique Kerber/GER
JUNIOR BREAKOUTS:Wang Xinyu/CHN and Wang Xiyu/CHN
"SPIRIT OF JANA" (NOVOTNA) HONOREES:Donna Vekic/CRO (follows up emotional '17 loss to Konta in 2nd Round -- after which Brit consoled her at the net ala the Duchess of Kent w/ Jana in 1993 -- w/ 1st Rd. upset of #4 Stephens; advances to first career slam Rd. of 16), Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (Novotna protege wins WD final 20 years after her coach's singles/doubles title sweep in '98) and Nicole Melichar/USA (Brno-born Bannerette reaches both doubles and mixed finals)
THE RADWANSKA DAY REMEMBRANCE AWARD
June 26 official: In Eastbourne, Aga Radwanska, playing in her first event in two months, saves 2 MP vs. Dasha Gavrilova (both via DF), win a 2nd set tie-break, then takes the 3rd set at love. Gavrilova has 17 DF on the day.
Day 3 observed: As insects swarm the AELTC grounds on Flying Ant Day, reigning AO champ #2 Caroline Wozniacki falls on the infested Court 1 to Ekaterina Makarova, becoming the sixth Top 8 seed to fall in the tournament's first three days. Aga Radwanska flirts with staging a comeback from a set and 5-1 down and force a 3rd set (after having saved 6 MP in the 1st Rd.), saving a MP vs. Lucie Safarova before the Czech staves off a total of seven BP in a game to hold and secure the win. It's Aga's first career "Rad Day" defeat. Later, rain interrupts play for the first time in the fortnight.





All for Day 12. Grass Court Awards tomorrow.
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Cheerio, SW19... Hello, 2018 Grass Court Awards

July 15, 2018, 3:34 pm
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Wimbledon is over. And the grass court season, too.


So it's time for a quick review of the top performances and performers on the lawns...

#1 - Gimme an A! Gimme an N! Gimme a G-I-E!
Angelique Kerber wins her first Wimbledon title, defeating a string of NextGen stars and then ending with 23-time slam champ Serena Williams in the final. She loses just one set the entire fortnight. Three-quarters of the way to a Career Slam, she's the first German to win at SW19 since 1996, the first to win a third major since 2011, and just the second (w/ Venus) to defeat Serena in *two* slam finals.


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#2 - Petra Defends Birmingham
Exactly one year ago, the Czech made Birmingham the site of her first title run in her comeback. She returned to defend the title and reach five titles on the season faster than anyone since 2013 (Serena), improving her '18 record from the QF on to an insane 15-0, and becoming the first player since 2015 (Kerber) to win titles on three different surfaces in a season. She won *this* title while dropping just two total sets vs. a string of opponents that included two '17 Wimbledon semifinalists (Konta & Rybarikova) and another who'd get so far this year (Goerges) at the AELTC.


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#3 - The Bracelet Rules Rosmalen
25-year old Serb Aleksandra Krunic claimed her maiden tour title in raging comeback fashion at Rosmalen. Reaching into her bag and pulling out far too amazing many shots to recount, Krunic saved a MP against #1-seed and two-time champ CoCo Vandeweghe in the semifinals, erasing a set and 4-2 deficit, saving a MP in the 3rd, to reach her second tour-level singles final. Once there, after dropping the 1st set (via a love TB) despite having led 5-3 and served for it vs. Kirsten Flipkens, Krunic came back again for the victory, this time from another set and a break (twice, in fact) hole. Flipkens served for the match at 5-4 in the 2nd, only to see Krunic get the break and proceed to take nine of the final ten games en route to the win.


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#4 - The Devonshire Dane
Caroline Wozniacki opened what became her first grass court title-winning experience in nine years with a win over eventual Wimbledon quarterfinalist Camila Giorgi, came back a set down to defeat '17 Wimbledon semifinalist Johanna Konta and handled Nottingham champ Ash Barty in two sets. In the semifinals, she battled eventual Wimbledon champ Angelique Kerber for three sets, saving a MP on a 24-stroke rally and dominating when it came to collecting the match's most important points (including 3-of-4 BP opportunities). In the final, her second straight at Devonshire Park, she overcame Aryna Sabalenka serving for both the 1st and 2nd sets, and holding a 4-1 lead in the 2nd set TB, to win 7-5/7-6 and claim her second career title at Eastbourne. It's the second '18 title won after Wozniacki came back from MP down, having done so (vs. Jana Fett) during her maiden slam title run in Melbourne in January.

Title #29 !! Thank you Eastbourne for a great week!! Next stop @wimbledon

A post shared by Caroline Wozniacki (@carowozniacki) on


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#5 - Meet the New Doubles Bosses?
Reigning Roland Garros champs Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova followed up their first slam title by winning a second at Wimbledon, becoming the first duo since 2003 to pull off the RG/SW19 sweep. Of course, the Czechs have traveled this road before. In 2013, they won RG, Wimbledon and U.S. Open's girls doubles crowns. So, look out New York... here they come.


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HM - Diede the (Nearly, and Maybe Very Soon) Great
The 21-year old Dutch wheelchair star is revving up a career that so far has looked primed and ready to meet the promise she showed a few years ago when she burst onto the scene with the pedigree of being the protege of Dutch WC Legend Esther Vergeer. She swept the Wimbledon singles and doubles titles this year, giving her at least one title in five of the eight slam s/d competitions. She only made her slam debut in January 2017, but had already won six total majors in eleven slam final appearances in the last year and a half, including the last ten WC finals starting with last year's Wimbledon.

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1. Rosmalen SF - Aleksandra Krunic def. CoCo Vandeweghe
...2-6/7-6(4)/7-6(1). Krunic's master class in shotmaking took down the two-time Rosmalen champ and #1 seed, erasing a set and a break deficit and saving a MP in the 3rd. But, really, all you really need to do is watch.




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2. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Katerina Siniakova def. CoCo Vandeweghe
...6-7(3)/6-3/8-6. Vandeweghe battled the Czech for over three hours despite a bum ankle, and a nasty looking fall (she raced forward to reach a ball, slid on the grass and ended up flat on her back, partially under the net and beside the net post on the AD court side). While limping and wincing throughout, she managed to take the 1st set TB from the Czech, then take control in the 3rd set after Siniakova had won the 2nd. She served for the match at 5-3, but failed to seal the deal, then saw Siniakova play her more straight-up without thinking about her injury down the stretch. She pulled even and then ahead for good.


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3. Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - Julia Goerges def. Barbora Strycova
...7-6(3)/3-6/10-8. Lost in the commotion of both Williams Sisters squaring off with different Kikis at the same time, there was another crazy match taking place out on Court 2. As it turned out, Goerges, after coming to London having lost five straight 1st Round matches at Wimbledon, advanced to her first SW19 Round of 16 (and, later, her maiden slam semi) with a victory in 2:58 over Strycova. The match turned out to have a 3rd set for the ages, as after twelve straight holds of serve it suddenly became impossible for either player to hold at all. Goerges finally got her first break of the day (after 16 previous service holds from Strycova) of the Czech's serve to take a 7-6 lead. But Strycova then continually broke back to stay in the match, forcing Goerges to serve for the the win three different times, at 7-6, 8-7 and 9-8. Finally, she got the hold to win.
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4. Wimbledon QF - Angelique Kerber def. Dasha Kasatkina
...6-3/7-5. Pay no attention to the rather "routine" scoreline.

A meeting between the two can be expected to have many things, from a large dose of variety, long rallies, the Russian pulling off every shot in the How-To-Tennis guidebook (and a few only available in the "updated" version you can purchase online), the German's defensive scrambles turning into suddenly shocking offense, and several instances when you see sweat glistening off both as they bend over in exhaustion after a particularly exciting adventure caper (complete with its own catchy theme song) and recognize that *this* is what guts and glory look like in a sports setting. And that's what we got, too. In fact, about the only thing we didn't see was a 3rd set. Ah, who knows what we missed out on.

As things played out a pattern developed for the swashbuckling Kasatkina, who'd often fluctuate between being brilliant and frustratingly inconsistent all day. A little more steadiness from the grinding *and* flashy (an intriguing combination, to say the least) Hordette and this could have been a Wimbledon classic. Kerber, by contrast, played a steady game. No big highs, but also no big lows. She staked out the "middle" and maintained it from the first point until the last. It turned out to be her key to victory.

The final game turned out to be a semi-masterpiece of guile and audacity. Kerber actually led 40/15 and it seemed as if it would end quickly, but it turned out to be a 16-point, 7-MP tussle highlighted by a 25-shot rally (to reach MP #6) that saw, just to name a few moments, Kasatkina slip and fall behind the baseline, then recover and race back to the other side of the court, pull off a drop shot, but then see it answered by a point-winning volley from Kerber.



A point later Kerber just missed completing a drop and lob combo to win the match (on MP #6), then finally did on MP #7 when Kasatkina failed to get back the German's forehand as Kerber's win set the stage for what turned out to be her third career slam title run.


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5. Rosmalen SF - Kirsten Flipkens def. Viktoria Kuzmova
...7-5/6-7(7)/6-4. Flipkens held a MP as she served up 7-5/5-4, only to see Kuzmova fire three straight forehand winners to get the break, then save three more MP in the TB. The Slovak didn't lose a point on her serve in her first three service games in the 3rd, and led 4-1. But then it all fell apart. Flipkens won the final five games of the match, overcoming Kuzmova's 44 total winners to win in 2:36.
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HM- Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Ekaterina Makarova def. Caroline Wozniacki
...6-4/1-6/7-5. For the perpetually overlooked Russian, already a two-time slam semifinalist, former Top 10er, four-time slam winner (3 MD/1 MX), Fed Cup champion, Olympic Gold medalist and #1 ranked doubles player, it's always termed an "upset" anytime Makarova knocks off a top player. Against AO champ Wozniacki, she notched her 30th career Top 10, 14th Top 5 and sixth Top 3 victory. But, really, no one should ever be "surprised" when the Hordette overcomes her current ranking, and sometimes her own wavering nerves, to take down a champion.



She had a 1-7 career head-to-head vs. the Dane working against her, but in her favor was the knowledge that she'd beaten Wozniacki in their last meeting at the '17 U.S. Open in a match in which Makarova lost a set and 4-2 lead and was forced to a 3rd set, which she then won handily. Wozniacki was consistently playing from behind in this match, and as is often the case under such circumstances, she was additionally bothered by all sorts of things other than her play, from slick grass to begging for bug spray as she tried not to consume an unscheduled snack of wings, thorax and wiggling feet while chasing down balls on Wimbledon's annual Flying Ant Day.

After splitting the first two sets, Makarova sprinted to a big lead in the 3rd. A break of Wozniacki's serve put her up 5-1. A week before, the Dane title run at Devonshire Park came after she saved a MP vs. Kerber in the semis. It was her second title of the year that she'd won after being MP down, following her claiming of her maiden slam crown in Melbourne after being down 5-1, 40/15 in the 3rd before saving two MP and winning the last six games vs. Jana Fett in a 2nd Round encounter.

She found herself in a nearly deeper hole vs. Makarova, who served for the match at 5-1 and was broken, then did so again at 5-3, taking a 40/love lead. Thanks to a series of lefty forehand down the line errors, a DF (on MP #3) and then another DF (on BP), Wozniacki got the break again and then held to knot the score at 5-5. Up 40/love on her serve again, Makarova nearly let another game slip away, but held to edge ahead, then took another love/40 lead in the Dane's service game moments later. Wozniacki fired an ace on MP #5, but Makarova converted #6 by moving forward and putting away a swing volley winner to end a 20-shot rally and close out a the victory. Afterward, Wozniacki described Makarova as "lucky."
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1. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Aga Radwanska def. Elena-Gabriela Ruse
...6-3/4-6/7-5. Against #197 Ruse, Radwanska jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the 1st. But the Romanian, a qualifier in her slam MD debut, began to find her footing, playing fearless tennis and going for all her shots. She managed to close to within 5-3 in the 1st before Radwanska finally finished off the set, then broke the Pole's serve to take the 2nd. The two were locked in a tight battle in the 3rd, tied at 4-4. Pulling Aga in to the net, then firing passing shots by her, Ruse converted a GP with a net cord shot that ploppped onto Radwanska's side of the court to go up 5-4.

Game #10, with Radwanska serving to stay in the tournament, with her worst-ever Wimbledon result potentially at hand, turned out to be a showcase for all the "murky" things that seem to happen around Radwanska on the AELTC grounds. It wasn't quite of the Konjuh-steps-on-a-ball-and-turns-her-ankle variety, but it was surely memorable in its own right. The game lasted fourteen minutes, had 23 points, went to deuce eight times, saw Ruse hold SIX match points... and then ended when Radwanska, somehow, managed to hold for 5-5. Perhaps the key point, Ruse's 6th and final MP, came when after she'd gotten into position for a career-altering win by hitting out, she tried to drop shot Radwanska to end the match. The ball failed to make it over the net, and the sense of a lost opportunity swept over the windswept SW19 landscape. A game later, Ruse went up 30/love, but soon found herself BP down. An error off the Romanian's racket got Aga the break and the chance to serve out the match.


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2. Rosmalen QF - CoCo Vandeweghe def. Alison Riske
...7-6(6)/3-6/7-6(12). It says something about the matches in Den Bosch -- and later Wimbledon -- that one where the winner saved SEVEN match points gets lost in the shuffle in the end. Well, that happened here. Vandeweghe won the 1st set on her sixth SP. In the 3rd, she failed to convert at MP before Riske forced things to a TB. Ultimately, CoCo saved seven MP before finally winning on her own fifth MP... then went on to squander a MP in the SF vs. Krunic, who then took the title a day later.
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3. Eastbourne SF - Caroline Wozniacki def. Angelique Kerber
...2-6/7-6(4)/6-4. Wozniacki's second 2018 title after having staved off a MP was nearly lost here against the eventual Wimbledon champ in a seesaw match in which the Dane was out-pointed (101-95), out-winnered (42-34) and had more unforced errors (24-19). Wozniacki saved the MP by outlasting Kerber in a massive 24-shot rally in the 2nd set. She went on to take the TB to force a 3rd, where she led 4-0 before things got tight again in the end. Ultimately, Wozniacki's big point prowess won out, as she saved break points in both of her last two service games (Kerber was 4-of-12 on the day), while she converted three of her own four BP chances in the match.


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4. Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Katerina Siniakova def. Ons Jabeur
...5-7/6-4/9-7. First, the Czech Maiden escaped her 1st Round match with Vandeweghe. The Bannerette was nursing an ankle injury and took a bad spill at the net, but still led Siniakova 5-2 in the 3rd set and served for the match at 5-3. Three days later, Siniakova experienced a very vivid case of deja vu. She likely began the day feeling good about her chances. She held a 4-0 head-to-head lead (2 WTA/2 ITF) over Ons Jabeur, having never lost a set against her. Jabeur won a tight 1st set at 7-5, then Siniakova served out a 6-4 2nd. In the 3rd, Jabeur took a 5-2 lead (she had a MP), then served for the match at 5-3. Sound familiar? She couldn't do it, and in the blink of an eye Siniakova was serving for the match at 6-5 (she fell behind 15/40), then again at 7-6 (she fell behind 15/40), then again at 8-7. She finally won it on 2:27. She needed every last one of the 117 points she won (vs. Jabeur's 115) on the day.
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5. Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - Camila Giorgi def. Katerina Siniakova
...3-6/7-6(6)/6-2. What goes around comes around. After staging back-to-back comebacks after seeing her opponent serve at 5-3 in the 3rd set in both her two previous matches, Siniakova returned a day after her win over Jabeur. Even after falling and having her hip looked at by a trainer, Siniakova led the Italian 6-3/4-2, and held a MP at 5-4. But Giorgi saved it, got a late break and soon saw herself serving for the set at 6-5. Siniakova got the break to send things to a tie-break. There, she saved a SP via 25-shot rally at 6-5, but Giorgi immediately rebounded and took the final two points to win 8-6 and send things to a 3rd. The tearful Czech was left to lament what might have been during the changover. And, later, after the match. From there, Giorgi seized control. She led 5-2 with Siniakova serving to stay in the match, so the possibility of a THIRD straight opponent serving at 5-3 in the 3rd vs. the Czech was there for the having. But the Italian got the break to win in 2:41, reaching the Round of 16 at Wimbledon for the first time in six years. Her run would end in the QF vs. Serena Williams.
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HM- Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Belinda Bencic def. Alison Riske
...1-6/7-6(10)/6-2. After failing to follow up her big 1st Round wins at 2018's first two majors -- def. Venus at the AO, saving 5 MP vs. Chiesa at RG -- Bencic back up her 1st Round win over #6-seeded Caroline Garcia at SW19 by pulling a rabbit out of her hat against Riske. The Swiss saved four MP in the 2nd set vs. the Bannerette, taking a 12-10 TB as Riske was forced to a 3rd despite having fired 28 winners in the 2nd alone. Of course, her DF on SP down was part of her eventual demise. Bencic took a break lead at 3-2 in the 3rd, and served out the match three games later, winning in 2:24. Riske led 117-111 in total points. Bencic went on to reach the QF.
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1. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Vitalia Diatchenko def. Maria Sharapova
...6-7(3)/7-6(3)/6-4. The Russian qualifier's win in 3:08 in the final moments of the day's light gives her her first Wimbledon MD victory, and just her third ever at a slam. Sharapova, who lost in the opening round at SW19 for the first time, served for the match at 7-6/5-3. But Diatchenko would never go away, and Sharapova, as has been the case since she returned from suspension, often seemed tight in the big moments and had a hard time not only putting her opponent away, but just keeping hold of an advantage on the scoreboard when she got it. Diatchenko won a 7-3 TB to knot the match. She then saw Sharapova obtain, then give away, a pair of break leads in the 3rd set. Her last came after she'd taken a 4-3 lead, only to drop serve herself moments later. She wouldn't win another game after that, and ultimately double-faulted on MP. Diatchenko hasn't played a slam MD match since 2016, while Maria was 49-3 in the 1st Round of majors alone. Not only that, but Sharapova has a long history of beating up on her fellow Russians inside the lines of the court. She came into the day with a nearly 80% win percentage vs. her countrywomen for her career and had gone 35-4 against them since early 2010, 27-3 since 2011, and has been 2-0 the last two seasons.


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2. Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - Hsieh Su-wei d. Simona Halep
...3-6/6-4/7-5. Armed with two-handed swings from both sides, Selesian-angled shots, and an array of magical weapons that included slices, drops, superior anticipation and movement, Hsieh once again flashed her upset skills vs. a top player in a major. The 32-year old Taiwanese vet defeated both Muguruza and Radwanska in Melbourne, and very nearly Kerber, earlier this year.

Halep didn't give a particularly admirable accounting of her in-match problem-solving skills, while her own form was off, and her serve wasn't up to par. Lured into a series of cross court rallies that made her opponent's game plan even "easier" to implement, when she wasn't off balance or fooled so well that she couldn't even offer a stab at a defensive get, Halep often found herself racing in vain to chase down shots.

Even after Hsieh had pushed things to a 3rd, though, Halep held a seemingly commanding lead (5-2) there, and served at 5-3. A game later, she held a MP on Hsieh's serve. Halep's worst mistake may have been to allow Hsieh back into a match she appeared to have on her racket in spite of everything Hsieh had thrown at her. After Halep didn't convert her MP, she never saw another. In fact, she didn't win another game. Hsieh converted a BP and served for the match at 6-5. She fell down 15/40, but then Hsieh proceeded her pull Halep around the court as if she were on the end of a string. Side to side, up and back. Essentially, at times, the Romanian looked like a fidget spinner in all-white tennis gear. Every stroke was a scramble since she didn't really know where any were going, a situation made worse by the ever-present fear that Hsieh might just suddenly step in and pull off a hard down the line shot. The BP's squandered in game #11 left Halep just 7-of-23 on the day, 2-of-10 in the 3rd. Hsieh served out third career slam Round of 16 result, her second this year alone. #1 Halep's exit was the nineth by a Top 10 seed in the first three rounds, an all-time record.
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3. Mallorca QF - Sonya Kenin def. Caroline Garcia
...6-3/6-3. Another teen Bannerette. Another eyebrow-raising result. After winning the 1st set, but ultimately losing, in two previous Top 10 matches this year against Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova, 19-year old Kenin finally gets her first big-time win vs. the Pastry.
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4. Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Alison Van Uytvanck def. Garbine Muguruza
...5-7/6-2/6-1. The Belgian, a big hitter with a good serve, used those weapons to take advantage of the surface. Van Uytvanck was on Muguruza from the start, taking a 4-2 lead. Muguruza immediately broke back, and served for the set at 5-4, but failed to secure the hold. She still won the set 7-5, and took a break lead at 1-0 in the 2nd. But from there Van Uytvanck played with the steady belief that she did while taking the title in Budapest in February. After falling down 7-5/1-0, Van Uytvanck wouldn't be broken again, winning twelve of fourteen games en route to her first career Top 10 win and best Wimbledon result. She sealed her win with a service winner that wrapped up a 3rd set in which she didn't face a single BP and won 16 of 20 points on serve in her victory over the Wimbledon defending champion.


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5. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Aliaksandra Sasnovich def. Petra Kvitova
...6-4/4-6/6-0. It's not so much that Kvitova lost early at Wimbledon (she hasn't advanced past the 3rd Round at the last four), or that she fell to Sasnovich (the Belarusian has displayed her knack for upsets in Fed Cup), it's that it happened to the Czech THIS year. She's been more dominant than ever on the "regular" tour in '18, winning five titles, shining on all surfaces, putting together multiple career-best winning streaks, winning a tune-up in Birmingham, and being the decided "favorite" to win her third crown at SW19. Of course, though 36-6 outside of the majors this seasons, she's just 2-3 in slams. Maybe this was to be expected?
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HM- Wimbledon Girls QF - Wang Xiyu def. Coco Gauff
...4-6/7-6(1)/6-4. Gauff, the 14-year old reigning Roland Garros and Roehampton champ (and U.S. Open Jr. finalist), came to the AELTC as the heavy favorite to win there. But that plan was undone by the big-hitting lefty Wang. Gauff, a day after rallying to defeat Maria Carle, had a MP at 5-4 in the 2nd set. The lefty 17-year old from China, cramping in the 3rd, nearly blew a 4-0 lead in the decider, but managed to survive, saving BPs to go up 5-4, then breaking Gauff's serve in the final game (on a DF, unfortunately, by the Bannerette).
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=RISERS=
1. Julia Goerges, GER
2. Kiki Bertens, NED
3. Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL
4. Camila Giorgi, ITA
5. Aleksandra Krunic, SRB
6. Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR
7. Donna Vekic, CRO
8. Karolina Pliskova, CZE
9. Dasha Gavrilova, AUS
10. Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
11. Alison Riske, USA
12. Yui Kamiji, JPN (WC)
13. Zheng Saisai, CHN
14. Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
15. Mariana Duque Marino, COL

=SURPRISES=
1. Hsieh Su-Wei, TPE
2. Vitalia Diatchenko, RUS
3. Evgeniya Rodina, RUS
4. Harriet Dart, GBR
5. Elena-Gabriela Ruse, ROU
6. Viktoriya Tomova, BUL
7. Dalila Jakupovic, SLO
8. Veronika Kudermetova, RUS
9. Sachia Vickery, USA
10. Katy Dunne, GBR
HM- Fernanda Contreras Gomez, MEX (FC)

=VETERANS=
1. Angelique Kerber, GER
2. Serena Williams, USA
3. Petra Kvitova, CZE
4. Julia Goerges, GER
5. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
6. Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
7. Tatjana Maria, GER
8. Kirsten Flipkens, BEL
9. Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
10. Evgeniya Rodina, RUS
11. Kveta Peschke, CZE (WD)
12. Aga Radwanska, POL
13. Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
14. Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
15. Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU
HM- Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK

=COMEBACKS=
1. Serena Williams, USA
2. Belinda Bencic, SUI
3. Aga Radwanska, POL
4. Genie Bouchard, CAN
5. Lucie Safarova, CZE
6. Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU
7. Barbora Stefkova, CZE
8. Mona Barthel, GER
9. Allie Kiick, USA
10. Rebecca Marino, CAN
HM- Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA

=FRESH FACES=
1. Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
2. Alona Ostapenko, LAT
3. Dasha Kasatkina, RUS
4. Ash Barty, AUS
5. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
6. Naomi Osaka, JPN
7. Viktoria Kuzmova, SVK
8. Sonya Kenin, USA
9. Claire Liu, USA
10. Sara Sorribes-Tormo, ESP
11. Dayana Yastremska, UKR
12. Rebecca Peterson, SWE
13. Katie Boulter, GBR
14. Antonia Lottner, GER
15. Kaja Juvan, SLO
16. Elena-Gabriela Ruse, ROU
17. Katie Swan, GBR
18. Karmen Thandi, IND
19. Harriet Dart, GBR
20. Astra Sharma, AUS

=JUNIOR STARS=
1. Iga Swiatek, POL
2. Coco Gauff, USA
3. Wang Xiyu, CHN
4. Wang Xinyu, CHN
5. Caty McNally, USA
6. Leonie Kung, SUI
7. Elli Mandlik, USA
8. Emma Raducanu, GBR
9. Viktoriia Dema, UKR
10. Lea Ma, USA
HM- Selma Stefania Cadar, ROU and Dana Guzman, PER (FC)

=DOUBLES=
1. Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
2. Nicole Melichar, USA
3. Elise Mertens & Demi Schuurs, BEL/NED
4. Timea Babos & Kristina Mladenovic, HUN & FRA
5. Diede de Groot & Yui Kamiji, NED/JPN (WC)
6. Wang Xinyu & Wang Xinyu, CHN/CHN (Jr.)
7. Nicole Melichar & Kveta Peschke, USA/CZE
8. Alicja Rosolska & Abigail Spears, POL/USA
9. Andreja Klepac & Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, SLO/ESP
10. Irina-Camelia Begu & Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU/ROU
11. Harriet Dart, GBR
12. Kiki Bertens & Kirsten Flipkens, NED/BEL
13. Mihaela Buzarnescu & Heather Watson, ROU/GBR
14. Gaby Dabrowski & Xu Yifan, CAN/CHN
15. Victoria Azarenka, BLR

=ITF=
[grass]
1. Alison Riske, USA
2. Ons Jabeur, TUN
3. Tereza Smitkova, CZE
4. Kirsten Flipkens, BEL
5. Katie Boulter, GBR
6. Dayana Yastremska, UKR
7. Harriet Dart, GBR
8. Sara Sorribes-Tormo, ESP
9. Evgeniya Rodina, RUS
10. Conny Perrin, SUI
[non-grass]
1. Viktoria Kuzmova, SVK
2. Fernanda Brito, CHI
3. Gabriela Pantuckova, CZE
4. Stefanie Voegele, SUI
5. Mandy Minella, LUX
6. Fiona Ferro, FRA
7. Dejana Radanovic, SRB
8. Julia Glushko, ISR
9. Andreea Amalia Ro?ca, ROU
10. Victoria Kan, RUS

=FED CUP=
Marcela Zacarias, MEX

=DOWN=
1. Johanna Konta, GBR
2. Elina Svitolina, UKR
3. Garbine Muguruza, ESP
4. Maria Sharapova, RUS
5. Sloane Stephens, USA
6. CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
7. Latisha Chan, TPE (WD)
8. Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
9. Anett Kontaveit, EST
10. Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS (WD)

*MOST IMPROVED PLAYERS*
1. Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL
2. Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
3. Viktoria Kuzmova, SVK
4. Sonya Kenin, USA
5. Katie Boulter, GBR
6. Sara Sorribes-Tormo, ESP
7. Claire Liu, USA
8. Elena-Gabriela Ruse, ROU
9. Harriet Dart, GBR
10. Vitalia Diatchenko, RUS
11. Antonia Lottner, GER
12. Viktoriya Tomova, BUL
13. Kaja Juvan, SLO
14. Katie Swan, GBR
15. Rebecca Peterson, SWE
HM- Kgothatso Montjane, RSA (WC)


U.S. Open (new logo and all), here they come...


=DAY 13 NOTES=
...Diede de Groot and Yui Kamiji, the #1 and #2 wheelchair singles players in the world (and #1 and #3, respectively, in doubles), presented the rare sight at this Wimbledon of the two joining forces in doubles. It's only the fifth event in which they've done so in their careers (1 in '16, and 2 each in '17 and '18). So far, so good. They won their sixth straight match this summer and upped their overall record together to 9-1 on Sunday with a 6-1/6-1 defeat of Sabine Ellerbrock & Lucy Shuker.



(Geez, if they had the umpire's chair even a half-inch closer to the net pole the players' chairs might not fit between them... so, details DO matter.)

It's de Groot's first Wimbledon doubles crown, and allows her to claim a fifth piece of the eight slam s/d title puzzle in the sport (after only making her slam debut at last year's Australian Open, she's missing just the AO doubles, and RG/US singles... she's 0-4 in slam finals in those three competitions). She's reached at least the final in 11 of the 14 slam s/d draws in which she's appeared, including the last 10.

=DE GROOT's BEST SLAM RESULTS=
AO SINGLES: 2018 Champion
AO DOUBLES: [RU-2017,2018]
RG SINGLES: [RU-2018]
RG DOUBLES: 2018 Champion
WI SINGLES: 2017,18 Champion
WI DOUBLES: 2018 Chamion
US SINGLES: [RU-2017]
US DOUBLES: 2017 Champion
--
PARALYMPICS S: [SF/4th Place-2016]
PARALYMPICS D: [RU/Silver-2016]
MASTERS S: 2017
MASTERS D: 2016,17

This is Kamiji's record fifth straight doubles title at SW19, having won the last four with Brit Jordanne Whiley. With thirteen slam doubles titles in her career, she's the leading contender to challenge one of the few records held by Esther Vergeer that is within reasonable reach. The WC legend, who *should* be scheduling an appointment with Newport soon (her last competition was her Gold sweep at the London Paralympics in 2012, and she officially retired in 2013), leads the all-time WC list with 21 slam doubles wins, seven more than second place Jiske Griffioen, with Kamiji one back in third.

=KAMIJI's BEST SLAM RESULTS=
AO S: 2017
AO D: 2014,15,16,18
RG S: 2014,17,18
RG D: 2014,17
WI S: [SF-2017,18]
WI D: 2014,15,16,17,18
US S: 2014,17
US D: 2014
--
PARALYMPICS S: [QF-2012]
PARALYMPICS D: [QF-2012]
MASTERS S: 2013
MASTERS D: 2013,14



It's only when Kamiji is seen right next to one of the other players that you realize just how tiny she really is in comparison.



...in the girls doubles, the top-seeded Wangs -- Xinyu and Xiyu -- became the first all-Chinese duo to win a junior slam crown, downing #2-seeded Bannerettes Caty McNally & Whitney Osuigwe 6-2/6-1. Both girls also reached the singles semis. No Chinese girls has ever picked up a junior singles slam win, but Xiyu became the fourth different to win in doubles. Xinyu, who also won in Melbourne with Liang En-shuo, is the first to win multiple titles.

=CHINESE JUNIOR SLAM CHAMPS=
2004 AO GD: Sun Sheng-nan
2014 WI GD: Ye Qiuyu
2018 AO GD: Wang Xinyu
2018 WI GD: Wang Xinyu/Wang Xiyu

...in the final competition of the fortnight, the mixed doubles championship went to Brno (CZE)-born Bannerette Nicole Melichar & her Austrian partner, Alexander Peya. Melichar, who'd reached and lost the women's doubles final, picks up her maiden slam crown with the pair's 7-6(1)/6-3 win over Victoria Azarenka & Jamie Murray.



...in ITF action, Viktoria Kuzmova picked up her second $100K of the season in Budapest. The Slovak defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in the three-set final on the clay. She's up fifteen spots to a new career high of #54 on Monday.



In Contrexeville, Switzerland's Stefanie Voegele claimed her biggest career title at the week's other $100K, defeating Sara Sorribes-Tormo in the final.

17-year old Serb Olga Danilovic, who at this time a year ago was winning the Wimbledon girls doubles, came back from a set down in the final to defeat Laura Siegemund (in her first post-knee surgery final) in three sets in the $60K in Versmold, Germany. It's her fourth career title, and the biggest, and she'll climb into the Top 200 for the first time this week.



Elsewhere, Czech Gabriela Pantuckova defeated Lea Boskovic in a $15K final in Prokuplje, Serbia for the second straight week. She's on an 18-1 ITF circuit run, picking up three titles in the stretch. Canada's Rebecca Marino won the fourth (and biggest) title of her comeback in the $25K in Winnipeg, defeating Julia Glushko.



At the $60K in Honolulu, Bannerette Jessica Pegula has reached both the singles and doubles finals. Pegula (0-4 in finals to date) is going for her maiden title in singles vs. Nao Hibino, while she's in the doubles final with Misaki Doi vs. Taylor Johnson (17, going for title #1) and Ashley Lahey (Pepperdine).


LIKE ON DAY 13: Yep...




EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY ON DAY 13: And every pose, as well.


Borg's to-his-knees celebration is still the most iconic, I think, but Angie's got her thing down, too...



LIKE ON DAY 13: Wimbledon memories...



PER CHANCE TO DREAM ON DAY 13: One day, Ostapenko winning Wimbledon... and turning *that* year's turn on the dance floor with the men's champion into something truly E.P.I.C....


LIKE ON DAY 13: Petra... still chillin'. Literally.



LIKE ON DAY 13: It's just about that time for Sania...



LIKE ON DAY 13:"Die Hard." Still a really good watch.



And, also, while it made Bruce Willis a movie star, I forgot just how good Alan Rickman was as Hans Gruber.


HOPE ON DAY 13: That Krejcikova & Siniakova break out the old dance routine soon.


LIKE ON DAY 13: Stubbsy, laying out!



LIKE ON DAY 13:He even has the same hair.



...and, finally... so long, little buddy buggy.






*LADIES' SINGLES FINAL*
#11 Angelique Kerber/GER def. #24 Serena Williams/USA 6-3/6-3

*LADIES' DOUBLES FINAL*
#3 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) def. #12 Melichar/Peschke (USA/CZE) 6-4/4-6/6-0

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
#11 Melichar/Peya (USA/AUT) def. Azarenka/J.Murray (BLR/GBR) 7-6(1)/6-3



*GIRLS SINGLES FINAL*
Iga Swiatek/POL def. (Q) Leonie Kung/SUI 6-4/6-2

*GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Wang Xinyu/Wang Xiyu (CHN/CHN) def. #2 McNally/Osuigwe (USA/USA) 6-2/6-1

*WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED def. Aniek van Koot/NED 6-3/6-2

*WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 de Groot/Kamiji (NED/JPN) def. Ellerbrock/Shuker (GER/GBR) 6-1/6-1









Thank you everyone for this 2 fun weeks @wimbledon

A post shared by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on





I'm so PROUD of this one! @serenawilliams ??????

A post shared by Venus Williams (@venuswilliams) on





Flirty colab coming up with SBE Hotels X @sugarpova ?? #StayTuned ??

A post shared by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on






*POST-WIMBLEDON TOP 20*
1. Simona Halep, ROU
2. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
3. Sloane Stephens, USA
4. Angelique Kerber, GER
5. Elina Svitolina, UKR
6. Caroline Garcia, FRA
7. Garbine Muguruza, ESP
8. Petra Kvitova, CZE
9. Karolina Pliskova, CZE
10. Julia Goerges, GER
11. Alona Ostapenko, LAT
12. Madison Keys, USA
13. Dasha Kasatkina, RUS
14. Venus Williams, USA
15. Elise Mertens, BEL
16. Ash Barty, AUS
17. Kiki Bertens, NED
18. Naomi Osaka, JPN
19. CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
20. Barbora Strycova, CZE
[teens in Top 200]
67. Soyna Kenin, USA
73. Vera Lapko, BLR
88. CiCi Bellis, USA
100. Dayana Yastremka, UKR
102. Anna Blinkova, RUS
104. Caroline Dolehide, USA
106. Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
132. Marta Kostyuk, UKR
133. Anna Kalinskaya, RUS
134. Sofya Zhuk, RUS
150. Fanny Stollar, HUN
157. Amanda Anisimova, USA
170. Marie Bouzkova, CZE
174. Claire Liu, USA
180. Katie Swan, GBR
188. Bianca Andreescu, CAN
196. Olga Danilovic, SRB
200. Elena Rybakina, KAZ
[Doubles Top 10]
1. Timea Babos, HUN
2. Katerina Siniakova, CZE
3. Latisha Chan, TPE
4. Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
5t. Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
5t. Elena Vesnina, RUS
7. Andrea S.-Hlavackova, CZE
8. Barbora Strycova, CZE
9. Gaby Dabrowski, CAN
10. Kristina Mladenovic, FRA

*SLAM MX TITLES - active*
5...Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
3...Sania Mirza, IND
3...Samantha Stosur, AUS
2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2...Gaby Dabrowski, CAN
2...Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER
2...Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
2...Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2...Serena Williams, USA
2...Venus Williams, USA
2...Vera Zvonareva, RUS
1...Elena Bovina, RUS
1...Latisha Chan, TPE
1...Andrea Sestini-Hlavackova, CZE
1...Lucie Hradecka, CZE
1...Jelena Jankovic, SRB
1...Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
1...NICOLE MELICHAR, USA
1...Laura Siegemund, GER
1...Abigail Spears, USA
1...Elena Vesnina, RUS
1...Heather Watson, GBR

*RECENT WIMBLEDON MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPS*
2006 Vera Zvonareva & Andy Ram, RUS/ISR
2007 Jelena Jankovic & Jamie Murray, SRB/GBR
2008 Samantha Stosur & Bob Bryan, AUS/USA
2009 Anna-Lena Groenefeld & Mark Knowles, GER/BAH
2010 Cark Black & Leander Paes, ZIM/IND
2011 Iveta Benesova & Jurgen Melzer, CZE/AUT
2012 Lisa Raymond & Mike Bryan, USA/USA
2013 Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor, FRA/CAN
2014 Samantha Stosur & Nenad Zimonjic, AUS/SRB
2015 Martina Hingis & Leander Paes, SUI/IND
2016 Heather Watson & Henri Kontinen, GBR/FIN
2017 Martina Hingis & Jamie Murray, SUI/GBR
2018 Nicole Melichar & Alexander Peya, USA/AUT

*2017-18 SLAM MX CHAMPIONS*
2017 AO: Abigail Spears/Juan Sebastian Cabal, USA/COL
2017 RG: Gaby Dabrowski/Rohan Bopanna, CAN/IND
2017 WI: Martina Hingis/Jamie Murray, SUI/GBR
2017 US: Martina Hingis/Jamie Murray, SUI/GBR
2018 AO: Gaby Dabrowski/Mate Pavic, CAN/CRO
2018 RG: Latisha Chan/Ivan Dodig, TPE/CRO
2018 WI: Nicole Melichar/Alexander Peya, USA/AUT

*WIMBLEDON "DOUBLES STAR" WINNERS*
2006 Yan Zi & Zheng Jie, CHN
2007 Cara Black, ZIM
2008 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2009 Serena & Venus Williams, USA
2010 Vania King & Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ
2011 Kveta Peschke, CZE
2012 Lisa Raymond, USA
2013 Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2014 Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
2015 Sania Mirza, IND
2016 Heather Watson, GBR
2017 Yui Kamiji & Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2018 Diede de Groot & Yui Kamiji, NED/JPN

*WIMBLEDON WC DOUBLES CHAMPIONS*
2009 Korie Homan/Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2010 Esther Vergeer/Sharon Walraven, NED/NED
2011 Esther Vergeer/Sharon Walraven, NED/NED
2012 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Kook, NED/NED
2013 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Koot, NED/NED
2014 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2015 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2016 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2017 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2018 Diede de Groot/Yui Kamiji, NED/JPN

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM DOUBLES TITLES*
[AO-RG-WI-US...WC Masters+Paralympics]
21 - Esther Vergeer, NED [7-5-3-6]...[10+3]
14 - Jiske Griffioen, NED [5-3-2-4]...[7+1]
13 - Yui Kamiji, JPN [4-3-5-1]...[2+0]*
11 - Aniek van Koot, NED [3-4-2-2]...[3+1]*
9 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR [2-2-4-1]...[2+0]*
7 - Sharon Walraven, NED [2-1-2-2]...[2+1]
5 - Marjolein Buis, NED [2-2-0-1]...[1+1]*
5 - Korie Homan, NED [1-1-1-2]...[1+1]
3 - Diede de Groot, NED [0-1-1-1]...[2+0]*
3 - Maaike Smit, NED [2-1-0-0]...[4+2]
-
*-active

*RECENT WIMBLEDON GIRLS DOUBLES CHAMPS*
2002 Elke Clijsters & Barbora Strycova, BEL/CZE
2003 Alisa Kleybanova & Sania Mirza, RUS/IND
2004 Victoria Azarenka & Olga Govortsova, BLR/BLR
2005 Victoria Azarenka & Agnes Szavay, BLR/HUN
2006 Alisa Kleybanova & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS/RUS
2007 Anastasia Pavlychenkova & Ula Radwanska, RUS/POL
2008 Polona Hercog & Jessica Moore, SLO/AUS
2009 Noppawan Lertcheewakarn & Sally Peers, THA/AUS
2010 Timea Babos & Sloane Stephens, HUN/USA
2011 Genie Bouchard & Grace Min, CAN/USA
2012 Genie Bouchard & Taylor Townsend, CAN/USA
2013 Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
2014 Tami Grende & Ye Qui Yu, INA/CHN
2015 Dalma Galfi & Fanni Stollar, HUN/HUN
2016 Usue Arconada & Claire Liu, USA/USA
2017 Olga Danilovic & Kaja Juvan, SRB/SLO
2018 Wang Xinyu & Wang Xiyu, CHN/CHN



TOP QUALIFIER:Mona Barthel/GER
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Simona Halep/ROU
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF):#12 Alona Ostapenko/LAT
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F):#11 Angelique Kerber/GER
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q2: #8 Mona Barthel/GER def. Oceane Dodin/FRA 6-3/1-6/8-6 (saves a MP in game #12 of the 3rd w/ Dodin DF at 6-5)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. - #32 Aga Radwanska/POL def. (Q) Elena-Gabriela Rus/ROU 6-3/4-6/7-5 (wins 14-min.,23-pt.,8-deuce game #10 in 3rd, saving 6 MP)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF):3rd Rd. - Hsieh Su-wei/TPE def. #1 Simona Halep 3-6/6-4/7-5 (def. world #1 from 5-2 down in 3rd, Halep served at 5-3 and had MP at 5-4)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.):Girls QF - #10 Wang Xiyu/CHN def. #3 Coco Gauff/USA 4-6/7-6(1)/6-4 (Gauff MP at 5-4 in 2nd)
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:Yanina Wickmayer/BEL (1st Rd. def. M.Barthel/GER)
FIRST SEED OUT:#19 Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK (lost 1st Rd. to S.Cirstea/ROU)
UPSET QUEENS:United States
REVELATION LADIES:Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS:Ukraine (1-4 1st/2nd Rd; year after Svitolina to 4th/Tsurenko to 3rd, Svitolina 1st Rd. is worst slam since '14 and none to 3rd Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING:Katie Boulter/GBR, Ons Jabeur/TUN and Katie Swan/GBR (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BRITS STANDING:Katie Boulter, Johanna Konta and Katie Swan (all 2nd Rd.)
IT ("GenPDQ"):Iga Swiatek/POL
Ms.OPPORTUNITY:Julia Goerges/GER
COMEBACK PLAYER:Serena Williams/USA
CRASH & BURN:#8 Petra Kvitova/CZE (two-time champ, pre-tournament favorite and '18 tour title-leader loses in 1st Rd. to Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR, dropping 3rd set at love)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON:Katerina Siniakova/CZE (Down 5-2 to Vandeweghe, who served at 5-3 in final set in 1st Rd., wins 8-6; down 5-2 to Jabeur, served at 5-3 in final set in 2nd Round, saved MP and wins 9-7)
DOUBLES STARS:Diede de Groot/Yui Kamiji, NED/JPN
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP):Angelique Kerber/GER
JUNIOR BREAKOUTS:Wang Xinyu/CHN and Wang Xiyu/CHN
"SPIRIT OF JANA" (NOVOTNA) HONOREES:Donna Vekic/CRO (follows up emotional '17 loss to Konta in 2nd Round -- after which Brit consoled her at the net ala the Duchess of Kent w/ Jana in 1993 -- w/ 1st Rd. upset of #4 Stephens; advances to first career slam Rd. of 16), Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (Novotna protege wins WD final 20 years after her coach's singles/doubles title sweep in '98) and Nicole Melichar/USA (Brno-born Bannerette reaches both doubles and mixed finals)
THE RADWANSKA DAY REMEMBRANCE AWARD
June 26 official: In Eastbourne, Aga Radwanska, playing in her first event in two months, saves 2 MP vs. Dasha Gavrilova (both via DF), win a 2nd set tie-break, then takes the 3rd set at love. Gavrilova has 17 DF on the day.
Day 3 observed: As insects swarm the AELTC grounds on Flying Ant Day, reigning AO champ #2 Caroline Wozniacki falls on the infested Court 1 to Ekaterina Makarova, becoming the sixth Top 8 seed to fall in the tournament's first three days. Aga Radwanska flirts with staging a comeback from a set and 5-1 down and force a 3rd set (after having saved 6 MP in the 1st Rd.), saving a MP vs. Lucie Safarova before the Czech staves off a total of seven BP in a game to hold and secure the win. It's Aga's first career "Rad Day" defeat. Later, rain interrupts play for the first time in the fortnight.








All for now.
↧
↧

Wk.29- Game of (Ms.Backspin) Thrones

July 22, 2018, 4:07 pm
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Who will sit upon Backspin's "Fuzzy Throne" at the end of 2018? Well, here's the thing... there are a handful of worthy stars on the battlefield at hand, and the final blow in the long fight could very well prove to be the most decisive.


DW Design & Decor


Here's a short rundown of the "current standings" of the contenders involved in the race as we enter the heart of the summer, a week away from the official start of the North American hard court season...


=THE CONTENDERS=
1. Simona Halep, ROU: she "only" has two titles, but one's her cathartic first major. Plus, she reached a second slam final and has held onto the #1 ranking for all but four weeks in '18. In a season of great stories, Halep's triumph over her on-court demons is the light leading the way.

2. Petra Kvitova, CZE: with all her comeback success on the "regular" tour and in Fed Cup, Kvitova really should be higher. She would be, too, if she'd done anything at all in the three majors (2-3 overall). Still, she could very well have "Ms.Backspin" on her racket if she has a back-half of the season anything resembling her first, winning 3+ titles, leading CZE to another Fed Cup crown and reaching at least the QF in New York.

3. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN: the Dane rose above Halep's warrioress run in Melbourne to become the initial maiden slam winner of '18, but aside from her sure-to-rank-very-high-on-the-season's-Performance-of-the-Year-list Eastbourne run, she's existed mostly in the shadows since then. But if she can turn around her diminishing slam results (W-4r-2r) in New York, she'll be able to make a strong "Ms.B" case.

4. Angelique Kerber, GER: Kerber's enchanted return from her lost-in-the-forest '17 campaign was overshadowed in many corners (even after the final) by the star power of Serena Williams' appearance in the final, but no player has been more consistent in the majors this year (16-2, SF-QF-W). Back in the Top 5, and with virtually no points to defend from her 5-9 mark in the 3Q/4Q in '17, the German could very well make a run at a second year-end #1 season in the last three.

5. Diede de Groot, NED: a wheelchair star has never been named "Ms.Backspin," but could the time be near? Probably not in '18 ('19, though...), but the 21-year old Dutch de Groot *has* officially assumed the lead role on the WC tour, claiming the #1 ranking and (after Wimbledon) extending her singles/doubles slam finals streak to ten. She's the reigning champ in the AO and Wimbledon singles, and RG, Wimbledon and U.S. doubles, not to mention both the year-end WC Masters events in both disciplines. With Yui Kamiji failing at SW19 (missing WS) to become the first player to win all eight slam titles in a career, de Groot has a shot to pull off the feat by the end of next year's RG, less than two and a half years after she made her slam debut.

6. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE: these two Czechs just know how to spin magic in the slams. They won three straight junior doubles majors back in 2013, and their first two wins together on tour have been at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year. They're the first team to sweep Paris and London in fifteen years. In a season in which doubles partnerships have been ended, interrupted or disrupted for anything from retirement to injury, illness, ineffectiveness and trainer stealing to who-knows-what, Krejcikova & Siniakova have so far been the most stable and successful pair.

7. Elina Svitolina, UKR: again the Ukrainian has proven to be able to win like clockwork on the "regular" tour, picking up three titles in '18 (she's 12-2 in career finals), but her continued inability to have a slam breakthrough (she's one title away from the becoming the only player in tour history with 13 singles titles but no slam semifinal berth) is now officially a "thing." And with Halep, who'd already had five SF+ slam results before she finally won her elusive first slam, now off the hook for not fully living up to her ranking, the pressure shifts onto Svitolina's shoulders.

8. CZE & USA Fed Cup Teams: either the Czechs will reclaim their FC dominance by winning a sixth title in eight years, or Kathy Rinaldi's Bannerettes will become the first back-to-back U.S. champs in the event in eighteen years.

=WORTHY NOMINEES=
...maybe not "Ms.B" worthy, but surely you can't tell the story of '18 without them.

9. Elise Mertens, BEL: the tour's preeminent double threat in '18, with three singles titles, a slam SF and three doubles titles.
10. Demi Schuurs, NED: while the biggest titles have so far eluded her, the Dutch doubles specialist is a threat with every partner she teams with. Her five WD titles lead the tour, and she's won them with four different partners.
11. Julia Goerges, GER: nearly 30, the newly confident Goerges has never been better. She's in the Top 10, and coming off her first career slam semi.
12. Yui Kamiji, JPN: she's been the #1 WC more weeks in '18 than de Groot, won the AO and is a dominant doubles player. She could be the Evert to de Groot's Navratilova in the sport's first long-running two-headed rivalry.
13. Sloane Stephens, USA: won in Miami, reached the final in Paris. Now comes North America all over again.
14. Kiki Bertens, NED: the Dutch has proven to be more than a clay "specialist" in '18. Yes, she won in Charleston and reached the Madrid final, but also the Wimbledon QF and won a WD title on hard courts. She's posted more Top 10 wins (4) this year than she had in her entire career.
15. Dasha Kasatkina, RUS: with one or two different match results the Russian might be in the "Ms.B" top tier
16. Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU: the climb to relevance of the fiery Romanian (is there any other kind?) has been a remarkable story, and every week -- either in singles or doubles, and sometimes both -- she writes another intriguing chapter.

=AND DON'T FORGET...=
...it wouldn't take much to insert them into the conversation.

17. Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic, HUN/FRA: the *other* slam doubles champions (AO), featuring the latest WD #1 (Babos), they could still turn out to be the top '18 duo
18. Alona Ostapenko, LAT: she's avoided a year-after slump, and when she's been at the top of her game (Miami F, Wimbledon SF) she's soared on big stages. She still needs to fill out the blank-ish spots her results page, though.
19. Gaby Dabrowski, CAN: three WD titles, and two MX slam finals (1-1) put the Canadian in the Doubles Player of the Year mix, but a lost 3rd set TB (at RG in the MX final) may have dashed those hopes.
20. Naomi Osaka, JPN: her Indian Wells title run spoke to her potential and star power. Her first huge slam run could happen in New York, or maybe not. Naomi's pace of improvement is, as always, a difficult thing to get a good handle on.
21. Serena Williams, USA: only four events into her return, but she's already reached her 30th slam final. Barring unforeseen circumstances, she'll likely be considered the favorite heading into the Open.
22. Ash Barty, AUS: the Aussie has won singles (1) and doubles (2) titles on three different surfaces, but without the retired Casey Dellacqua she's now without a consistent WD partner
23. Garbine Muguruza, ESP: the consistency of '17 has drifted, but she's won a title, reached two finals and a slam semi. New York could "make" her season, though she's never reached the QF.
24. Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS: they won in Madrid, reached the AO & I.W. finals, and were (briefly) the doubles #1's. But more questions are currently raised about their partnership than their results are praised.
25. Caroline Garcia, FRA: maybe no player was better than Garcia from here until the end of the season in '17. She's been consistently good, but not yet great, so far in '18.


And, now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...



*WEEK 29 CHAMPIONS*
BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (Int'l/Red Clay)
S: Anastasija Sevastova/LAT def. Petra Martic/CRO 7-6(4)/6-2
D: Irina-Camelia Begu/Andreea Mitu (ROU/ROU) d. Danka Kovinic/Maryna Zanevska (MNE/BEL) 6-3/6-4
GSTAAD, SWITZERLAND (Int'l/Red Clay)
S: Alize Cornet/FRA def. Mandy Minella/LUX 6-4/7-6(6)
D: Alexa Guarachi/Desirae Krawczyk (CHI/USA) d. Lara Arruabarrena/Timea Bacsinszky (ESP/SUI) 6-4/4-6 (10-6)
FED CUP AMERICAS II (Guayaquil, ECU/Red Clay)
PP: Ecuador def. Bahamas 2-0



PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Alize Cornet/FRA
...give Cornet credit. 2018 hasn't been easy. After starting the year with a Brisbane QF and notching two wins in Melbourne, she saw her season threatened with being sidetracked for still more eye-rolling actions from the so-called "doping agencies" -- this time a ring-the-doorbell-and-run, broken intercom fiasco that nearly earned Cornet a ridiculously long suspension before yet another course correcting appeal led to the overturning of the attempt at an overzealous penalty. After her March hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport was pushed back to May, she continued to play, knowing full well her efforts could ultimately be for nothing (just ask Sara Errani about that). She reached the Charleston QF in April, getting her second '18 win over countrywoman Caroline Garcia. Though the ruling went her way a month later, it's been two months since her moment of relief and she came into Week 29 still looking for a good follow-up to her result on green clay. It hadn't come at Roland Garros (she lost in the 2nd Round, ironically, after defeating Errani in the 1st), nor during the grass season, as she left SW19 on a three-match losing streak. Back on the clay in Gstaad, though, the Pastry found her form. Wins over Silvia Soler-Espinosa, Conny Perrin, Sam Stosur and Genie Bouchard got her into her first final since January '17 (Brisbane). She defeated Mandy Minella in straights for career title #6, her first since Hobart '16 (def. Bouchard in the F). Four of the six wins have come on clay. Cornet will jump to #34 on Monday, further solidifying her spot as the second-highest ranked French woman, as Kristina Mladenovic has fallen to nearly outside the Top 60 as we edge near the one-year anniversary of the summer '17 result (in D.C.) that kicked off what became a 15-match losing streak.


===============================================
RISERS:Anastasija Sevastova/LAT and Petra Martic/CRO
...Sevastova barely escaped her 1st Round match vs. Dalila Jakupovic in Bucharest, overcoming a 3-0 3rd set deficit before winning a deciding tie-break (7-1). Things went her way after that. Her three-setter vs. Sorana Cirstea in the QF was bookended by a straight sets victory over Arantxa Rus and Polona Hercog's 2nd set retirement. In the final, the Latvian defeated Martic 6 & 2 to claim her second career title. Sevastova retired from the sport in 2013 due to injuries and illness, having reached and won just a single tour-level final in 2010. Since her '15 return the 28-year old has posted a pair of slam QF and played in five tour singles finals. She'll climb back into the Top 20 on Monday, leapfrogging soon-to-be #21 Barbora Strycova and #22 Maria Sharapova.



Sevastova's final opponent in Bucharest, Martic has also found success after returning to the sport after being forced to exit due to injury. A back injury kept the Croat off court from the '16 Wimbledon until the spring of last year. Since her return, she's put together Round of 16 runs in Paris ('17), SW19 ('17) and Melbourne ('18). Wins over Rebecca Sramkova, Claire Liu, Laura Siegemund (3:08) and Mihaela Buzarnescu got her into her first WTA singles final since 2012 (a loss in Kuala Lumper to Hsieh Su-wei in which she retired in the 3rd set). After having been in the Top 50 since March, Martic had slipped to #60 after losing her '17 Wimbledon points. This result, though, will push her back up nine spots and nearly right back in at #51 on Monday.


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SURPRISES:Alexa Guarachi & Desirae Krawczyk, CHI/USA
...former NCAA players are popping up more and more on tour, and Guarachi (Alabama) and Krawczyk (Arizona State) are the latest to pick up maiden WTA titles.



In their first event together, the pair won two 3rd set TB -- vs. Korpatsch/Marcinkevicva 1st Rd., Soler-Espinovsa/Sorribes Tormo SF -- en route to the final, where they defeated Timea Bacsinszky & Lara Arruabarrena in yet another (10-6). This was the first WTA final for Guarachi, who was born in the U.S. but holds dual passports and has played for Chile since 2015. She's been impressive in ITF WD finals, going 19-3 since late '14 (including 5-0 in '18, four with Erin Routliffe), after a 1-5 start in finals in her career. It's also Krawczyk's first tour title. She's gone 5-2 the last two years in ITF finals while partnering fellow Pac-12er Giuliana Olmos (USC), with whom she reached her first WTA final in Monterrey in April.
===============================================
VETERANS:Mandy Minella/LUX and Evgeniya Rodina/RUS
...two more WTA moms, two more great results.



After being out since last year's Wimbledon, 32-year old Minella (at #226 last week, as she's playing with a protected ranking) returned in February after giving birth to daughter Emma Lina in October. It didn't take her long to find success, winning a $25K title in her fifth event, then another in June, then another on the first day of July. This week in Gstaad, she got her first tour-level MD wins since April of last year -- defeating the likes of Johanna Larsson, Sara Sorribes-Tormo and Marketa Vondrosova -- and rode the momentum all the way to her first WTA singles final. She didn't become the oldest '18 singles champion (at least she could have been until that other WTA mom gets one), but she'll make a one-week leap of 84 spots into the Top 150 on Monday.

Meanwhile, another tennis mother (in November 2012), Rodina followed up her Wimbledon qualifying-to-Round-of-16 experience (ended by Serena, naturally... I sense a theme here) with a QF in Gstaad, falling one round short of a SF match vs. Minella. Still, it was another good week, one that included the Russian saving three MP vs. Carina Witthoeft and battling past Mona Barthel, finally securing the win on her third attempt to serve it out, getting her first win in three career meetings with the German. It was Rodina's first tour-level QF since a semi in Guangzhou last September. She'll rise to #84 on Monday, just ten spots off the career high she set seven and a half years ago in 2011.
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COMEBACKS:Genie Bouchard/CAN and Laura Siegemund/GER
...while her week in Gstaad ended with a retirement (groin) in the semifinals against Alize Cornet, Bouchard added another good result to her SW19 Q-run and 1st Round victory (with a $100K 1st Rd. loss squeezed in between). While she was two points from a loss in her first match, as the returning Timea Bacsinszky served up a set and 5-4, and had to save five SP vs. Viktorija Golubic while winning 7-6/7-6, Bouchard's win over Veronika Kudermetova got her into her first SF since Sydney '17 and lifted her ranking to #123, once again making her the top-ranked Canadian on tour.



In Bucharest, fresh off her first challenger final since returning from knee surgery, Siegemund reached her first tour-level QF since she won the Stuttgart title in April of last year (she'd be hurt a month later). Last week, the German posted victories over Jasmine Paolini and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (having trouble with the heat, a weather delay in the 3rd set the stage for a rally from an early break deficit). She fell to Petra Martic in the QF in a 3:08 three-setter.
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FRESH FACES:Claire Liu/USA and Bianca Andreescu/Carson Branstine, CAN/CAN
...18-year old Liu, who'll be at a new career high of #170 on Monday (she's the fifth highest-ranked player age 18 or under), was the only player to take a set off Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon. The Bannerette took her talents to the red clay of Bucharest this week, where she made it through qualifying and posted a MD win over Romanian Andreea Amalia Rosca. She pushed eventual finalist Petra Martic to three sets in the 2nd Round, forcing the decider by winning a 2nd set TB. Next stop: North American hard courts.

Serving up week 6 on this European grind @brdbucharestopen

A post shared by Claire Liu (@cliu2000) on



In the $25K challenger in Gatineau, the all-Canadian/BFF duo of Andreescu (18) and Branstine (17) picked up their first pro title as a pair, after teaming to win the AO and RG girls doubles last season, and reaching a tour-level final in Toronto last summer. They found still more success in Quebec this week, defeating Hsu Chieh-Yu & Marcela Zacarias in a 10-4 3rd set TB in the final. It's Andreecsu's fourth ITF WD crown (second in three Gatineau finals -- she has 2 ITF WS wins, as well), and Branstine's first as a pro Branstine, who was playing in her first event since February, is California born, and represented the U.S. as recently as during the AO GD title run in '17 before joining Canada, her mom's birth country.


===============================================
DOWN:Irina-Camelia Begu/ROU (singles)
...things didn't go quite as planned for Begu in Bucharest, where a year ago she swept the singles and doubles titles (a career first). After not dropping a set in singles in '17, the Romanian didn't win a set this time around, falling in straights in the 1st Round to Ons Jabeur. It's her fourth consecutive loss. Begu opened the season with a semifinal result in Shenzhen, but has gone 3-7 since a nice stretch in the spring when she was 7-2 (w/ a win over Ostapenko) in a period that covered Charleston, Fed Cup, Istanbul and Madrid.




Thankfully, her week had a good ending. See below.
===============================================
ITF PLAYERS:Fiona Ferro/FRA and Sonya Kenin/USA
...Ferro, 21, picked up her fourth challenger win of the season and extended her winning streak to fifteen matches with a 6-4/6-4 win in the $80K Olomouc (CZE) final over Czech Karolina Muchova. She posted previous wins over Olga Danilova and #2-seeded Kateryna Kozlova. This is the Pasty's biggest title, and she'll jump to a new career-high of #124 on Monday, slightly ahead of some players named Kuznetsova and Zvonareva.

Olomouc champion!! 4th title of the season ??

A post shared by Fiona Ferro (@fioferro) on



The USTA's Wild Card Challenge (which this year includes WTA events in D.C. and San Jose along with 5 ITF challengers) for a berth in the U.S. Open MD began two weeks ago in the $60K Honolulu event, with Jessica Pegula reaching the final (a loss vs. Nao Hibino). This week, the winner of the Challenge the last two years -- Sonya Kenin -- hit the courts in Berkeley, California. Of course, the 19-year old #1 seed won the title, picking up career title #4 without losing a set, defeating #3 seeded Hibino in the semis and #2 Nicole Gibbs in a quick 4 & love final. Kenin won the 1st in just eighteen minutes, dropping only eight points. Last year, Kenin used her Open WC berth to reach her first slam 3rd Round, where she lost to idol Maria Sharapova under the light on Ashe on Night 5. This result came on the heels of Kenin's successful Q-run on the grass in Mallorca, which she then turned into her first tour-level SF berth that she followed up with a 1st Round SW19 win over Maria Sakkari. With the win, Kenin retains her spot as the highest ranked teenager on tour (a loss in the final would have ceded the spot -- by just a few points -- to Vera Lapko).
===============================================
JUNIOR STARS:Daniela Vismane/LAT and Dasha Lopatetskaya/UKR
...the next wave of Latvian players is already making a move. Well, at least one is. 17-year old Vismane, a girls quarterfinalist in Melbourne in January (though she had a 1st Round exit at SW19 on the grass vs. Clara Burel), grabbed her first pro title at the $15K Parnu (EST) challenger with a 4-6/6-4/6-2 win over Hordette Angelina Zhuravleva. Vismane ended 2017 on a 17-0 s/d run, winning a pair of G2 titles in both disciplines, and this was her fourth SF+ result on the ITF circuit in 2018.



Meanwhile, 15-year old Lopatetskaya is *still* undefeated through her first two pro events. The Ukrainian made her pro debut two weeks ago with a 6-0 (1 Q/5 MD) week that ended with a title in an Antalya $15K. She followed that up this week with another $15K title in Baja, Hungary. She lost just twenty total games in her five matches, never more than the four she lost in the second set of her straight sets win over Romania's Cristina Ene in the final.



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DOUBLES:Irina-Camelia Begu & Andreea Mitu, ROU/ROU
...though Begu's singles title defense in Bucharest went horribly wrong, the defense of her doubles crown went positively swimmingly. Naturally, her success came with another Swarmette by her side.



After winning in Shenzhen with Simona Halep, reaching the AO semis with Monica Niculescu and the Eastbourne final with Mihaela Buzarnescu, Begu was a wild card entry with fellow Romanian Mitu, yet another of the WTAers who recently became a mom (January),



The pair won a 10-6 3rd TB over another all-ROU duo (Cristian/Ruse) to reach Begu's 14th career WTA WD final, nine of them coming while partnering six different Romanians (in order, Niculescu, Cadantu, Olaru, Halep, Buzarnescu and now Mitu). They defeated Kovinic/Zanevska 3 & 4 to take the crown. It's Begu's eighth on tour (fourth w/ a Romanian), and Mitu's third, though her first since 2016. Mitu was a previous Bucharest finalist three years ago with Patricia Maria Tig, yet *another* Swarmette.


===============================================
WHEELCHAIR:Diede de Groot/NED
...in their third face-off in three weeks in England, WC #1 de Groot backed up her Wimbledon title in Nottingham with a come from behind, 2-6/6-3/6-3 hard court win over #2 Yui Kamiji to take the British Open crown. In a tight match that included streaky, non-"A" game play from both players, who'd picked up play in this tournament immediately after leaving London, Kamiji's movement (far better than on the grass) got her off to a good start. De Groot pulled away in the 3rd, leading 3-1, but Kamiji broke to get back on serve at 3-3. The Dutch #1 got the break back a game later and, with Kamiji serving to stay in the match at 3-5, de Groot battled back from love/40 down to close out the match. She converted MP with a backhand down the line return that caught the net cord and dropped just inside the line. De Groot wasn't at her best (especially on serve, as she had 1 ace vs. 13 DF), but won the big points to close to 12-7 in the head-to-head series vs. Kamiji, though she's now won five of the last six (not including Kamiji's Surbiton Invitational victory the week before SW19).

The two combined in doubles to win their third straight title together in their undefeated summer stint, defeating Sabine Ellerbrock & Charlotte Famin 6-3/6-0 in the final of what was announced as the most attended British Open wheelchair event in the tournament's history. WC seems to have developed a real following in the U.K., likely based on the popularity of Wimbledon's competition and that there are some slam-winning British stars on both the women's and men's sides. Now, if only a U.S. player could slide in there maybe the same up-tick could happen here, as pretty much every comment I even see about people who take a moment to view WC tennis is a positive one, usually with the add-on that they didn't realize how competitive and fun (and I'll throw in "fascinating," due to the intricacies of the movement of the chairs around the court) to watch it'd be.


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FED CUP:Charlotte Roemer/ECU
...the last of 2018's regional FC zone play was wrapped up in Guayaquil, Ecuador with the home team advancing out of Americas II with a 2-0 Promotional Playoff win over the Bahamas. Roemer, who reached her first pro singles final in a $15K in Cairo in April (ending her 0-5 career victory drought in semis), led the way for the Ecuadoran team. In her first action after a two-month absence, the 24-year old had an undefeated (3-0) week that concluded with the clinching PP win over Kerrie Cartwright in the shutout victory over the Bahamas.



For her part, Cartwright had also been undefeated coming into the match. The all-time BAH lead in FC singles wins, she'd won all three of her group play singles matches, as well as having a hand in a tie-winning doubles victory vs. Trinidad & Tobago.
===============================================


Welcome, Helena...








And still waiting for Conchita.




1. Gstaad 1st Rd. - Genie Bouchard def. Timea Bacsinszky
...4-6/7-6(1)/6-4. In her first match in a month following a calf injury, and her first off the challenger circuit since SUI's Fed Cup tie vs. Romania in April, Bacsinszky's singles (though not her doubles) week ended early. But only after she came within two points of victory in the 2nd set when she served for the match at 6-4/5-4. Bouchard went on to reach her first SF in a year and a half.
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2. Gstaad 1st Rd. - Samantha Stosur def. Francesca Schiavone
...6-3/6-2. Stosur and Schiavone have met under far different circumstances in the past. Especially in one instance (these highlights are done over an Italian song, which actually works quite well)...


As it is, though she lost in their biggest match in '10, Stosur stands at 10-4 in her head-to-head with the first Italian woman to win a major. This was their first meeting since 2014, and the first on clay since Rome in 2011.
===============================================


3. Gstaad 2nd Rd. - Samantha Stosur def. Patty Schnyder
...6-4/6-1. Sam was just dialed in for nostalgia is Gstaad. In her first meeting with teh 39-year old Schnyder since 2011, the Aussie improved to 3-2 in the head-to-head, and still hasn't loss to the Swiss et since 2007. Schnyder was trying to reach her first WTA QF since 2010.


===============================================
4. Bucharest Final - Anastasija Sevastova def. Petra Martic
...7-6(4)/6-2. after not winning a title for seven years, Sevastova has now won one in two consecutive seasons, on grass (Mallorca '17) and red clay. Meanwhile, none of her six career WTA finals have come on hard courts, the surface on which she's reached the QF for two years running at the U.S. Open, the two best slam results of her career.


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


5. Gstaad Final - Alize Cornet def. Mandy Minella
...6-4/7-6(6). Had Minella won, at 32, she'd have become the oldest first-time WTA singles champion since, well, I'm not really sure. Some WTA records are notoriously difficult to figure out without hours and hours of research time, an abacus *and* a divining rod. From what I can tell, after going back into the mid-1990's, she'd have been the oldest since at least then. There have been precious few 30+ first-timers over the past two decades, with the only others I've been able to find being Nicole Pratt (2004 Hyderabad, age 30), Alberta Brianti (2011 Fes, age 31), Peng Shuai (2016 Tianjin, age 30) and Tatjana Maria (2018 Mallorca, age 30). Marie Pinterova won a title in Tokyo in 1981 at age 35, which *may* have been a maiden title, except for the "minor" detail that some resources (but not all) list her with a previous title in Florida in 1972, as well. Add to this the fact that not that long ago the WTA's records didn't list her with *any* titles, and she only recently showed up in official lists as having been one of the oldest tour WS champs with that win in Tokyo. So...

Oh, well. Minella didn't win, anyway. Thus, at least for now... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.


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6. Bucharest 1st Rd. - Ons Jabeur def. Irina-Camelia Begu
...6-2/6-1. Jabeur carries over her grass court success (a $100K Manchester titles and $100K Ilkley QF that got her WC into SW19, where she got a MD win). Her QF result in Bucharest (after a 2nd Rd. win over Zvonareva) combines with her $100K challenger QF of a week ago to make good strides in putting her frustrating Wimbledon 2nd Round exit -- when she served a 5-3 in the 3rd set vs. Siniakova, holding a MP before losing 9-7 -- behind her.


===============================================
7. Gstaad 1st Rd. - Johanna Larsson def. Leonie Kung
...6-4/6-1. The Swiss junior who reached the Wimbledon singles final as a qualifier makes her tour-level debut (as a WC).



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8. Gstaad 1st Rd. - Evgeniya Rodina def. Carina Witthoeft
...6-7(3)/6-4/7-6(11). Off her Wimbledon Round of 16 finish, the Russian saves three MP vs. the German.
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9. $15K Don Benito ESP Final - Maria Jose Luque Moreno def. Olga Helmi
...7-5/6-0. The 22-year old Spaniard downs the 18-year old, the latest Dane putting up a career-best result in her first pro final.
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10. $25K Gatineau CAN Final - Astra Sharma def. Victoria Rodriguez
...3-6/6-3/6-4. The Aussie-born former Vanderbilt Commodore ("Roo") was at it again this weekend.


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????you have my heart?? ??Monika Majer/RvS.Media

A post shared by Markéta Vondroušová (@marketavondrousova) on



11. Gstaad SF - Mandy Minella def. Marketa Vondrousova
...4-6/6-2/6-2. Czech Maiden Vondrousova should lobby to play *all* her matches in Switzerland. The 19-year old famously broke through with a title in the inaugural (and only, as it turned out) tour event in Biel last year. When that tournament moved to Lugano, and switched from indoor HC to clay, she fell in the 2nd Round to Elise Mertens (in a 7-5 3rd, so it was hardly a washout). She returned to her new Swiss "homeland" this week and reeled off wins over Lara Arruabarrena and Evgeniya Rodina to reach her first WTA semi since her title run in Biel.
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12. $15K Brussels BEL SF - Julyette Maria Josephine Steur def. Eliessa Vanlangendonck
...6-7(6)/6-4/6-1. The 21-year old Waffle was in Belgium this week, unfortunately going out at semifinal stage for the second time in 2018, once more falling one win short of her maiden pro final (0-7 in career WS semis). Hang in there, Eliessa!


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


It was a good tennis week on "Jeopardy!"



Elsewhere, though...


Yet...



1. Bucharest 1st Rd. - ANNA KAROLINA SCHMIEDLOVA def. Ana Bogdan
...4-6/7-6(4)/7-5. In a match punctuated by chants of "Ana!" (not "Anna!"), AKS plays past midnight to get the win in 3:20. This one is tied for the third-longest match of '18, just one minute longer than another 3:19 Schmiedlova match vs. Begu in the RG 1st Round.
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2. Bucharest 2nd Rd. - Laura Siegemund def. ANNA KAROLINA SCHMIEDLOVA
...6-4/3-6/6-2. AKS was up an early break in the 3rd before a weather delay took both players off court and changed the momentum of the match.
===============================================
3. $80K Olomouc CZE Final - Petra Krejsova/Jesika Maleckova def. Lucie Hradecka/MICHAELLA KRAJICEK
...6-2/6-1. The Dutch Artist can still play a little tennis, too.


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










Sort of the Romanian version of the old "Bo Knows..." Nike ads. Sort of.


Thanks @stejariicountryclub for a great morning! #home #bestplace ????

A post shared by Simona Halep (@simonahalep) on





U.N.R.E.A.L. ???? @brunomars #24K

A post shared by Elina Svitolina???? (@elisvitolina) on













D O P E #TGIF got my outfits for the weekend! @sportsillustrated #Fashionable50

A post shared by Venus Williams (@venuswilliams) on





Pozi ??

A post shared by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on






*2018 #1 SEED WINS TITLE*
Shenzhen - Simona Halep, ROU
Dubai - Elina Svitolina, UKR
Monterrey - Garbine Muguruza, ESP
Rabat - Elise Mertens, BEL
Roland Garros - Simona Halep, ROU
Nottingham - Ash Barty, AUS
Eastbourne - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
BUCHAREST - ANASTASIJA SEVASTOVA, LAT
GSTAAD - ALIZE CORNET, FRA

*2018 WTA REPEAT CHAMPIONS*
Hobart - Elise Mertens, BEL
Dubai - Elina Svitolina, UKR
Acapulco - Lesia Tsurenko, UKR
Stuttgart - Raquel Atawo, USA (d)
Prague: Kveta Peschke, CZE (d)
Rome: Elina Svitolina, UKR
Birmingham - Petra Kvitova, CZE
BUCHAREST - IRINA-CAMELIA BEGU, ROU (d)

*2018 LOW-RANKED SINGLES FINALISTS*
#226 MANDY MINELLA, LUX (GSTAAD - L Cornet)
#183 Stefanie Voegele, SUI (Acapulco - L Errani)
#181 Serena Williams, USA (Wimbledon - L Kerber)
#132 A.K. Schmiedlova, SVK (Bogota - W Arrubarrena)
#122 Pauline Parmentier, FRA (Istanbul - W Hercog)
#105 Alison Riske, USA (Nurnberg - L Larsson)

*2018 WTA FIRST-TIME SINGLES FINALISTS*
Hobart - Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU (#57, 29)
Taipei City - Kateryna Kozlova, UKR (#85, 23)
Acapulco - Stefanie Voegele, SUI (#183, 27)
Mallorca- Tatjana Maria, GER (#79, 30) [W]
GSTAAD - MANDY MINELLA, LUX (#226, 32)

*OLDEST 2018 WTA SINGLES FINALISTS*
36 - Serena Williams, USA (Wimbledon-L)
32 - MANDY MINELLA, LUX (GSTAAD-L)
32 - Kirsten Flipkens, BEL (Rosmalen-L)
32 - Pauline Parmentier, FRA (Istanbul-W)

*2018 LOW-RANKED WTA SF*
#246 Sabine Lisicki/GER (Taipei City)
#226 MANDY MINELLA/LUX (GSTAAD)-RU
#186 Victoria Azarenka/BLR (Miami)
#183 Stefanie Voegele/SUI (Acapulco)-RU
#181 Serena Williams/USA (Wimbledon)-RU
#152 Wang Yafan/CHN (Taipei City)
#146 GENIE BOUCHARD/CAN (GSTAAD)

*2018 FIRST-TIME WTA WD CHAMPIONS*
Anna Blinkova, RUS
Naomi Broady, GBR
Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
Georgina Garcia Perez, ESP
ALEXA GUARACHI, CHI
Simona Halep, ROU
Irina Khromacheva, RUS
DESIRAE KRAWCZYK, USA
Bibiane Schoofs, NED
Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP
Fanny Stollar, HUN
[Mixed]
Latisha Chan, TPE
Nicole Melichar, USA

*2018 LONG MATCHES*
3:44 - Australian Open 3rd - Halep d. Davis
3:36 - Strasbourg Final - Pavlyuchenkova d. Cibulkova
3:20 - FC Americas I PP - Cepede Royg d. Haddad
3:20 - Bucharest 1st - AK.Schmiedlova d. Bogdan



Remember this...


And this too...








MOSCOW, RUSSIA (Int'l/Red Clay Outdoor)
=WS/WD FINALS=
-new event-
=======================================
'18 TOP SEEDS
WS: #1 Goerges, #2 Kasatkina
WD: #1 Kudermetova/Marozava, #2 Adamczak/J.Moore

*SINGLES FINAL PICK*
#2 Kasatkina d. #1 Goerges
*DOUBLES FINAL PICK*
Kalinskaya/Kuzmova def. Bara/Kalashnikova



NANCHANG, CHINA (Int'l/Hard Outdoor)
=WS FINALS=
2014 Peng Shuai d. Liu Fangzhou (WTA 125)
2015 Jelena Jankovic d. Chang Kai-chen (WTA 125)
2016 Duan Yingying d. Vania King
2017 Peng Shuai d. Nao Hibino
=WD FINALS=
2014 Chuang Chia-Jung/Namigata d. Chan Chin-wei/Xu Yifan (WTA 125)
2015 Chang Kai-chen/Zheng Saisai d. Chan Chin-wei/Wang Yafan (WTA 125)
2016 Liang Chen/Lu Jinjing d. Aoyama/Ninomiya
2017 Jiang Xinyu/Tang Qianhui d. Kudryavtseva/Ar.Rodionova
=======================================
'18 TOP SEEDS
WS: #1 Zhang Shuai, #2 Wang Qiang
WD: #1 Hozumi/Savinyk, #2 Duan Yingying/Han Xinyu



Meanwhile, IT.IS.COMING...

Come fly with me?????? #G6 #views #summerinthecity #nyc #centralpark @sdaviators

A post shared by Naomi Broady (@naomibroady) on



And by "IT" I mean the U.S. Open... but, I guess, World Team Tennis, too. ;)


All for now.
↧

Wk.30- The Kids are All Right

July 29, 2018, 7:32 pm
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Have no fear. The kids are all right.



Little by little, there's finally an inkling that it's happening. That the vast depth of talent and storylines, not to mention entertainment value (often high-level, sometimes "low-brow," but never, ever boring or easily ignored by anyone arriving on the scene without a personal bone to pick or prejudice to spout), of the WTA tour is winning out.

Just weeks after Wimbledon (where the women's final out-ranked the men's), where we saw the run of a 36-year old finalist who was also a new mother (in case you didn't know) and quite possibly the standard bearer for "great" in the sport from here forward, often pitched as a "bigger deal" than the just as compelling and very-newsworthy championship performance of a former #1 whose fully rebounded from a historically disappointing "year after" season to move within a single major title of a Career Slam; and just two months since the standing #1 broke down a career's worth of big stage barriers by becoming the most heartwarming first-time slam champion in a generation; and still only six months beyond the moment when another first-time slam winner erased the arguments of a decade's worth of doubters with her own first major crown (and then there's that Czech who fought off an knife-wielding attacker before becoming the dominant "regular season" force of '18), the tour proved (again) this week that *those* headlining moments were just scratching the surface of what's there to be sampled.

In fact, the Tennis Gods pretty much got drunk on their own brilliance in Moscow and Nanchang.

In a nutshell:

* - there were two first-time singles champions produced from a pair of all-maiden finalist championship matches

* - one featured just the third all-Chinese final in tour history, while the other involved a pair of 17-year olds in the youngest WTA final since 2005

* - Moscow champ Olga Danilovic became the first player to win the title in her WTA main draw debut since 2001, and the first lucky loser to ever claim a crown

* - meanwhile, another pair of teenagers (Jiang Xinyu & Tang Qianhui) defended the Nanchang doubles crown they won a year ago in *their* tour debut, while the losing 17-year old in the Moscow singles final (Anastasia Potapova) teamed with a 33-year old former world #2 and slam singles finalist (Vera Zvonareva) who is *also* a mother to win her maiden doubles title after just missing out on claiming the same in singles

Of course, such moments are almost becoming commonplace on this tour.



Hey, there's another marketing campaign -- "Where Stars are Born" -- the WTA will never entertain (ah, there's still another -- "Are You Not Entertained?") before ultimately settling on yet another "Beauty is Strength/Strength is Beauty" rehash, I'm sure. With such an embarrassment of riches, and a sublime vein of relatable possibilities and differing personalities to better sell and promote the women's game, you wonder how the tour can never quite figure out how to package the whole shebang for what it is.


No matter, though, for those already plugged into the weekly highs and lows delivered from well-known and experienced personalities to the growing crop of new and exciting ones, all mixing together to produce a potent stew of drama and intrigue, it's just a matter of what new and unexpected story will slap you in the face *this* week. Why, it's almost like keeping abreast of the political news in the U.S. every day, except without the potential for international disgrace and national embarrassment just waiting around the next corner. The way "You've-got-to-be-kiddin'-me" news *should* be, am I right?

I mean, sometimes you just want to ride the wave of the unexpected without democracy and Western civilization teetering on the brink, you know? Sometimes you just want a runaway dog with a GoPro in his mouth...



Bless that dog (wild-armed owner in hot pursuit and all)... and bless the WTA, too. And, this week, Olga Danilovic, of course.

Feels.

A post shared by Olga Danilovic (@danilovicolga) on





*WEEK 30 CHAMPIONS*
MOSCOW, RUSSIA (Int'l/Red Clay)
S: Olga Danilovic/SRB def. Anastasia Potapova/RUS 7-5/6-7(1)/6-4
D: Anastasia Potapova/Vera Zvonareva (RUS/RUS) d. Alexandra Panova/Galina Voskoboeva (RUS/KAZ) 6-0/6-3
NANCHANG, CHINA (Int'l/Hard Court)
S: Wang Qiang/CHN def. Zheng Saisai/CHN 7-5/4-0 ret.
D: Jiang Xinyu/Tang Qianhui (CHN/CHN) d. Lu Jingjing/You Xiaodi (CHN/CHN) 6-4/6-4



PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Olga Danilovic/SRB
...well, we certainly didn't see that one coming. Isn't that great?



Well, maybe there should be *some* backtracking on that. I mean, Danilovic *has* been making an under-the-radar move on the challenger circuit of late, and had already climbed into the Top 200 (#187) *before* Moscow. A Top 5 junior who grabbed three junior doubles slam crowns in 2016-17, she recently won a $60K title in Versmold (def. Laura Siegemund in three sets in the final) and a $25K in Italy in March (due to weather delays, winning a 3rd set 10-point TB over 39-year old Patty Schnyder in the SF to advance), and then there was that Fed Cup Heart Award-receiving performance in her February debut when she led the Bracelettes in zone play (she got a win over Anastasija Sevastova). But it wasn't so overwhelming a rise by the big-hitting 17-year old lefty that anyone arched an eyebrow *too* high when she lost in the final round of Moscow Open qualifying to Spain's Paula Badosa. But when the Serb entered the main draw (her first on tour) due to Petra Martic's withdrawal, the stage was set for history to be made.

Wins over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Kaia Kanepi, world #10 Julia Goerges and Aliaksandra Sasnovich made Danilovic the first LL to reach a tour final since CoCo Vandeweghe did it in Stanford in 2012. Her 2:20 win in the final over Anastasia Potapova (with both age 17, it was the youngest tour final since Vaidisova/Golovin in '05), during which she battled nerves and a sometimes-wonky second serve with grit and teenage verve, she forged ahead from a break defict in the 3rd set to become the first LL to ever win a WTA title (for years the WTA has listed Andrea Jaeger's 1980 Las Vegas title as the only other LL, but they've now gone back and altered the tour's recorded history *yet again*) and the first player to claim the crown in her maiden tour MD event since 2001 (Angelique Widjaja in Bali).



Danilovic will jump 75 spots to #112 on Monday, surging past Marta Kostyuk to become the highest ranked player under age 18. She's now 1-0 vs. the Top 10, 2-0 vs. the Top 20, 4-1 vs. the Top 50 and 5-1 vs. the Top 100. Needless to say, she's no longer "under-the-radar."

And then there's this (something which could prove more difficult as she grows older... but hopefully not):


===============================================
RISERS:Wang Qiang/CHN and Zheng Saisai/CHN
...Wang won the all-Chinese battle (just the third such final in tour history, and the only that hasn't included Li Na) of first-time WTA singles finalists in Nanchang.



26-year old Wang, with Danilovic, raised the total of first-time tour singles champions in '18 to five, adding a big tour win to the WTA 125 challenger she won last year to become the 20th player to have claimed both in a career. She put up wins over Ankita Raina, Sabina Sharipova, Liu Fangzhou and Magda Linette before seeing Zheng retire down 7-5/4-0 in the final. The win turned around the result from when the two met a few weeks ago in the 1st Round at Wimbledon in a match won by Zheng in three sets before she pushed #1 Simona Halep in the 1st set (7-5, after Zheng served at 5-4) of a straight sets 2nd Round loss.



Zheng, 24, has fairly quickly seen her results round into shape after being out due to injury following last summer's U.S. Open until March of this year, putting her in good position for a fifth straight Top 100 finish in '18. While she didn't manage to add a WTA title to her previous '18 WTA 125 and ITF challenger wins (if she had, it'd been just the fourth time a player has won all three in a season -- and two of the previous three times it was accomplished by the *same* player, Zhang Shuai). After a week that included victories over Miyu Kato, Karman Thandi and Zhu Lin, Zheng will see a 27-spot bump on Monday settle her in at #85 in the tour rankings.


===============================================
SURPRISE:Zhu Lin/CHN
...with the goings-on in Moscow, and a QF field in Nanchang that included the likes of junior star Liang En-shuo as well as Xun Fangying and Liu Fangzhou, I'll go with Zhu, one of the six Chinese women who reached the final eight. The 24-year old world #137 has had some bright moments in '18, including qualifying in Melbourne (and taking Hsieh Su-wei to 8-6 in the 3rd in the 1st Round) and defending her $60K title in Luan in May. She came to Nanchang having gone just 1-3 since, though, with her last match a Wimbledon Q1 loss to Genie Bouchard, but rebounded with her best week of the season. Zhu knocked off '16 Nanchang champ Duan Yingying in the 1st Round, then backed up the victory with wins over Tereza Martincova and #1-seeded Zhang Shuai to reach her second tour-level semifinal, but first in two seasons. She fell in three sets to Zheng Saisai.


===============================================
VETERAN:Vera Zvonareva/RUS
...naturally, in a week in which two 17-year olds met in the Moscow singles final, and two teens successfully defended their Nanchang doubles crown, one of those aforementioned teenagers -- Anastasia Potapova -- would end the week by teaming with 33-year old Zvonareva to secure the Moscow Open doubles win. The win gives the veteran Russian doubles titles in all three tour-level events that have been held in her mother country, at the 2004 Kremlin Cup, and this season here and in Saint Petersburg (she reached the Kremlin Cup WS final in '08).

Zvonareva & Potapova won a pair of 3rd set TBs early in the week (10-6 Dzalamidze/An.Rodionova 1st Rd., 10-8 Geuer/Siegemund QF), then had to play nearly two full matches on Sunday, finishing up a SF vs. Kozlova/Vikhlyantseva after Potapova's 2-hour plus singles final, then winning a love & 3 final over Panova/Voskoboeva. Zvonareva, now with two tour-level WD titles (8 career) since her return after having a baby, made her first appearance in a pro final in September 2000. Neither Potapova nor Danilovic were born until 2001.
===============================================
COMEBACKS:Laura Siegemund/GER and Margarita Gasparyan/RUS
...Siegemund's return from knee surgery has started to pick up significant steam in recent weeks. After a not-unexpectedly slow start (5-7), with this week's result factored in, she's gone 10-5 since early June, with a $60K final run in Versmold, $60K QF and now back-to-back final eight results in Bucharest and Moscow. A three-set victory over Gstaad champ Alize Cornet highlighted the German's week, which also included a win over Kateryna Kozlova (3 games) before a loss to Tamara Zidansek. She'll jump 32 spots back into the Top 200 (#185) on Monday.



While Russians were running rampant in Moscow, Hordette Gasparyan was in Nanchang, still working her way back from knee surgery. The 23-year old former #41 (playing with a protected ranking, she was #499 this week) and tour title winner ('15 Baku) picked up her first tour MD win in two years ('16 Miami) with a victory over Xu Shilin. She lost a round later to #1-seed Zhang Shuai, but she's now 13-5 on the season, with a semifinal and final result in a pair of $25K challengers this spring, though she arrived in China off a pair of walkover exits in tournament qualifying rounds in Europe. Teaming with Chantal Skamlova, Gasparyan also added a WD win (via 2nd set ret.) over #1-seeds Savinykh/Hozumi.


===============================================
FRESH FACES:Anastasia Potapova/RUS and Tamara Zidansek/SLO
...while Danilovic grabbed the majority of the glory in Moscow with her improbable lucky loser/first MD title run, it shouldn't be lost that finalist Potapova was playing in just her *third* tour-level MD (after Saint Petersburg and Wimbledon). Before this week, the Hordette had just one MD win to her credit.



The 17-year old wild card, the Wimbledon girls champ just two years ago and the former junior #1, arrived in Russia just on the outskirts of the Top 200 (#204) and with a handful of she's-almost-there results signaling her oncoming rise (though many times she was tripped up by generational rivals seemingly on a pace just a half-step ahead of her). She reached a $100K final in May (losing to teen Vera Lapko), a $60K in July (losing to teen Dayana Yastremska, the player she defeated to win the SW19 junior title), and another $60K QF in this spring (falling to teen Viktoria Kuzmova). So, she was looking for her first truly *game-changing* week as a pro, with her biggest title to date being just a $25K in Brazil in March of last year, when she defeated would-be U.S. Open junior champ Amanda Anisimova in the final. Even without the singles titles, Potapova likely got it on home soil in the inaugural Moscow Open, as she burst through the QF barrier and into her maiden tour final with wins over Viktoriya Tomova, Kristyna Pliskova, Valentyna Ivakhnenko and Tamara Zidansek. She battled Danilovic for three sets in the youngest tour final in thirteen years, winning a 2nd set TB (after Danilovic had failed to serve out the match in two, DF'ing on MP at 5-4) to push things into a decider before falling in 2:20.

But Potapova wasn't finished. She returned soon afterward to finish off her suspended doubles semifinal alongside Vera Zvonareva. The Russian pair won it, then defeated Panova/Voskoboeva love & 3 in the final as Potapova *did* get a first WTA title, after all. It took seven sets and nearly five hours of court time on Sunday for her to do it, but it at least allowed her to have the final word *at last* on a tournament's closing weekend. She'll climb 70 spots to #135 in the rankings on Monday.



Meanwhile, Zidansek's big week (it was also *her* third MD) got somewhat lost in the shuffle of Potapova and Danilovic's even *better* ones. But hers was surely noteworthy. Already having recently broken through the Top 100 barrier as the highest ranked of the three, the 20-year old leading the recent resurgence of Slovenian singles tennis on tour (in order, Zidansek, Hercog and Jakupovic are in the Top 100, with teenager Kaja Juvan quickly rising) added a tour-level result of note to the fine work she's been posting all season on the challenger circuit. With a WTA 125 title (Bol), three $25K wins, as well as SF and Final $25K results and $100K QF under her belt, Zidansek reached her first WTA SF with wins over Antonia Lottner, Dasha Kasatkina (twice coming back from a break down in the 3rd set to get her maiden Top 20 win) and Laura Siegemund. She took Potapova to three sets in her ultimate loss, retiring down 5-2 due to illness. She'll jump from #90 to #74 on Monday.


===============================================
DOWN:Dasha Kasatkina/RUS
...generally, the presence of Kasatkina in a draw in a tournament held if Russia is a sure bet to end with some weekend theatrics. After all, the Hordette's previous appearances in Moscow (at the Kremlin Cup) have included a doubles title (2015), doubles final (2016) and singles final (2017). The inaugural edition of the Moscow Open, though, didn't produce anything resembling such a result. In her first outing since her Wimbledon QF run, with a great result giving her the chance to edge ever closer to her Top 10 debut, #13-ranked Kasatkina allowed just two games to Anna Kalinskaya in her 1st Round match. But she failed to close out Tamara Zidansek a round later despite being a break up twice in the 3rd set. The Russian dropped the final three games of the match, dropping the deciding set at 7-5 as the Slovenian notched her first career Top 20 win.
===============================================
ITF PLAYERS:Gail Brodsky/USA and Julia Glushko/ISR
...as it's become a sport-wide trend, naturally the mother-returning-to-the-court-and-becoming-a-champion story also extends to the challenger circuit.

In this week's $60K in Ashland, Kentucky, 27-year old Bannerette Brodsky, who's barely played since 2012 after retiring and taking two breaks to have babies, won her sixth career ITF title. After making her way through qualifying, Brodsky knocked off Olivia Rogowska, Julia Elbaba, Nao Hibino (ret.) and Jovana Jaksic to reach the final, then defeated former NCAA #1 Maegan Manasse in their second tournament final this summer. In both matches, Brodsky came back from a set down to outpace the former Cal Bear in three sets, winning via a love set this time around.



Brodsky, a Brooklyn native, was a U.S. Open wild card in 2007-08, her only slam MD appearances. She reached the Top 200 that year, became engaged at age 21, and had her first child in 2015. She won her first event back, then was out while having another baby. A little over a year and a half later, she's back and winning again. So... what'll become a reality first -- a third title in this comeback or a third baby?

In Granby, Quebec it was 28-year old Israeli Glushko maintaining the steamrolling pace she's carried through the spring and summer as she claimed the $60K title, her biggest since 2013 (also in Canada, at Waterloo). Glushko lost just one set (1st Rd. vs. Samantha Murray) en route to career ITF title #11, getting a walkover in the semis past local favorite Bianca Andreescu (hamstring, as another leg injury holds the teenager back from achieving a stepping-stone result) and then winning 4 & 3 over Arina Rodionova in the final. The win extended a very productive Canadian stretch for Glushko, who also reached a $25K final in Winnipeg (losing to Rebecca Marino) and a $25K QF in Gatineau. Starting with her Fed Cup appearance in April, the Israeli has gone 33-5, including a 27-4, five-final (3-2) run since mid-May.

happy person #mercicanada????

A post shared by Julia Glushko (@julglushko) on


===============================================
JUNIOR STARS:Liang En-shuo/TPE and Clara Tauson/DEN
...while Danilovic and Potapova were starring in Moscow, another 17-year old, AO junior champ Liang, was in Nanchang putting up her own big result in her first tour-level MD appearance. After winning two qualifying matches to reach her maiden MD, the Taiwanese teen notched the first two WTA wins of her career over China's Zheng Wushuang and Thailand's Peangtarn Plipuech. In her first QF, she went three sets before falling to Magda Linette. Liang will be ranked inside the Top 300 (#288, up 117 spots) for the first time on Monday.



In Klosters, Switzerland it was 15-year old Dane Tauson taking the 18s title at the European Junior Championships, adding another big title to a 2018 resume that already includes a Grade 1 win (Perin Memorial), and Grade A final (Porto Allegre) & semifinal (Milan) through the season's first half. The #13 junior, Tauson lost just one set in six matches, defeating Poland's Maja Chwalinska 6-3/6-3 in the final. Chwalinska, back in May after being out since November, was playing in her first junior event of the season and hadn't lost a set all week, following up her $80K Olomouc QF from last week with wins over #2-seeded Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Wimbledon finalist Leonie Kung. She was the 16s Euro champ a year ago.



The 14s and 16s version of the European Championships were held in Most, CZE and Moscow, respectively, in recent weeks, with the latest NextGen prospect from the Czech Republic (Linda Noskova, who followed up with a Czech team 14s title in the Europa Cup) and Latvia (Kamilla Bartone) coming out on top.




Both Danilovic and Potapova have won European Junior titles in the past.

=RECENT EUROPEAN Jr. CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS=
[14s]
1996 Justine Henin, BEL
1997 Caroline Raba, GER
1998 Lina Krasnoroutskaya, RUS
1999 Petra Cetkovska, CZE
2000 Barbora Strycova, CZE
2001 Tatiana Golovin, FRA
2002 Michaella Krajicek, NED
2003 Raluca Olaru, ROU
2004 Renee Reinhard, NED
2006 Ksenia Pervak, RUS
2007 Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2008 Petra Uberalova, SVK
2009 Viktoriya Tomova, BUL
2010 Indy DeVroome, NED
2011 Ana Konjuh, CRO
2012 Olga Fridman, UKR
2013 Evgeniya Levashova, RUS
2014 Anastasia Potapova, RUS
2015 Iga Swiatek, POL
2016 Helene Pellicano, MLT
2017 Dasha Lopatetskaya, UKR
2018 Linda Noskova, CZE
[16s]
2000 Kaia Kanepi, EST
2001 Petra Cetkovska, CZE
2002 Monica Niculescu, ROU
2003 Madalina Gojnea, ROU
2004 Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
2005 Alize Cornet, FRA
2006 Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU
2007 Simona Halep, ROU
2008 Timea Babos, HUN
2009 Polina Vinogradova, RUS
2010 Silvia Garcia Jimenez, ESP
2011 Jade Suvrijn, FRA
2012 Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP
2013 Dasha Kasatkina, RUS
2014 Fanny Stollar, HUN
2015 Anna Slovakova, CZE
2016 Olga Danilovic, SRB
2017 Maja Chwalinska, POL
2018 Kamilla Bartone, LAT
[18s]
1994 Martina Hingis, SUI
1995 Anna Kournikova, RUS
1996 Petra Mandula, HUN
1997 Barbara Schwartz, AUT
1998 Eva Dyrberg, DEN
1999 Stephanie Foretz, FRA
2000 Yuliya Beygelzimer, UKR
2001 Marie-Gaiane Mikaelian, ARM
2002 Eva Birnerova, CZE
2003 Tatiana Golovin, FRA
2004 Katerina Bohmova, CZE
2005 Agnes Szavay, HUN
2006 Carla Suarez Navarro, ESP
2007 Stefanie Voegele, SUI
2008 Ana Bogdan, ROU
2009 Elora Dabija, ROU
2010 Jana Cepelova, SVK
2011 Nastja Kolar, SLO
2012 Petra Uberalova, SVK
2013 Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
2014 Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP
2015 Anna Bondar, HUN
2016 Amina Anshba, RUS
2017 Kaja Juvan, SLO
2018 Clara Tauson, DEN

===============================================
DOUBLES:Jiang Xinyu & Tang Qianhui, CHN/CHN
...a year ago, the 18 & 16 year old pair of Jiang & Tang won the title in Nanchang in their tour debut. This week, they won tour title #2 via a successful title defense.


Despite their youth, the duo are a longtime pair. They won their first junior title together in their first tournament in early 2014, and reached their first pro final in a $10K in 2015. That week began with Jiang being just 15 (she turned 16 during the event) and Tang 14. They've gone on go 5-6 in ITF finals, and are now 2-0 in WTA championship matches. Now 19 and 17, the two have yet to lose a set in their back-to-back title runs in Nanchang, a stretch during which they've knocked off two #3 seeds, as well as a #4 (in the '17 final). The Chinese teens defeated unseeded countrywomen Lu Jingjing & You Xiaodi 4 & 4 in this year's final.
===============================================

WHEELCHAIR:Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
...at 42, Ellerbrock is twice as old as current WC #1 Diede de Groot, but the veteran German more than holds her own in the sport. Ranked #4 in the world behind de Groot, Yui Kamiji and Aniek van Koot, Ellerbrock picked up her fourth Belgian Open title this weekend. As the #2 seed, she didn't drop a set all week, defeating #3 Marjolein Buis (SF) and #4-seeded countrywoman Katharina Kruger (F) to close things out. Before Kamiji's title last year, Ellerbrock and van Koot had traded off the title in the event for six years running (they met in the '17 semis, with the Dutch woman prevailing), but their fourth final match-up since 2011 never materialized due to the #1-seeded van Koot leaving her SF with Kruger due to a wrist injury while leading 6-1/0-1.

=RECENT BELGIAN OPEN FINALS=
2011 Aniek van Koot d. Sabine Ellerbrock
2012 Sabine Ellerbrock d. Marjolein Buis
2013 Aniek van Koot d. Sabine Ellerbrock
2014 Sabine Ellerbrock d. Sharon Walraven
2015 Aniek van Koot d. Jordanne Whiley
2016 Sabine Ellerbrock d. Aniek van Koot
2017 Yui Kamiji d. Aniek van Koot
2018 Sabine Ellerbrock d. Katharina Kruger

Ellerbrock's path to the wheelchair tour is slightly different from most others at the top of the sport, as she arrived after playing tennis for twenty-five years without a chair before suffering a foot infection following an operation in 2007. She began her WC career two years later. She reached #1 in 2013, has won two slam titles ('13 RG/'14 AO) and reached three other slam singles finals.

In the Belgian Open doubles, Bannerette Dana Mathewson & Natalia Mayara (BRA) took the crown after receiving a walkover in the final from Buis & van Koot due to van Koot's injury.


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




Chakvetadze Sighting + Oh, Nadia = (since everybody's doing it) a Petrova comeback in 2019-20 (overly wishful thinking?)





1. Moscow Final - Olga Danilovic def. Anastasia Potapova
...7-5/6-7(1)/6-4. Potapova was 2-0 ('16 AO & Roehampton) in their junior head-to-head, winning a pair of straight sets matches. But this match-up of two 17-year olds (at 34 combined, still two years younger than Serena) was a back-and-forth affair. Danilovic came back from 4-1 down (w/ points for 5-1) to win the 1st at 7-5, then DF'd on MP when serving for the title at 5-4 in the 2nd. In the 3rd, it was Potapova who lost a break lead as the Serb's aggression and big groundstrokes finally dragged her across the match's finish line first... and into tour history.



===============================================
2. Nanchang Final - Jiang Xinyu/Tang Qianhui def. Lu Jingjing/You Xiaodi
...6-4/6-4. The two-time Nanchang champion 19 and 17-year olds, at a combined age of 36, are still younger than Venus. With these sort of results, it's just *too* easy.
===============================================
3. Moscow 2nd Rd. - Tamara Zidansek def. Dasha Kasatkina
...6-4/2-6/6-4. Kasatkina was up a break twice in the 3rd, but the Slovenian swept the final three games to notch her first career Top 20 win and reach her maiden tour QF.


===============================================
4. Nanchang Final - Wang Qiang def. Zheng Saisai
...7-5/4-0. If you didn't know, you'd *never* be able to tell that Wang was unfamiliar with this whole post-match ceremony thing. Or maybe you would.


===============================================
5. Moscow QF - Olga Danilovic def. Julia Goerges
...6-3/6-3. Not even the highlight of the Serb's week, as it turned out. But it's still her first career Top 10 win.


===============================================
6. Moscow SF - Olga Danilovic def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
...6-2/5-7/7-5. On her third try, Danilovic finally served this one out to become the third LL to reach a tour final (at least until the WTA changes *that* stat, too). Sasnovich still climbs to a new career high of #35.
===============================================
7. Moscow 1st Rd. - Laura Siegemund def. Alize Cornet
...4-6/6-2/6-3. The German's second Top 40 win (Stuttgart: Strycova) since her return.
===============================================
8. Moscow Q1 - Paula Badosa def. Elena Rybakina 7-6(6)/2-6/7-5
Moscow Q2 - Paula Badosa def. Olga Danilovic 7-6(4)/4-6/6-3
...Rybakina was playing her first match in Russia since she started representing Kazakhstan (when she played in Saint Petersburg in February, she was still listed as "RUS"). Meanwhile, Badosa's other win (eventually) became far more noteworthy.
===============================================
9. Nanchang 1st Rd. - Margarita Gasparyan def. Xu Shilin
...6-1/6-4. Gasparyan's first MD tour win in two years. If the TG's really wanted to shake things up, she'd win her *next* tour event. (Hopeful hint, hint.)


===============================================
10. $25K Baja HUN Final - Paula Ormaechea def. Nina Potocnik
...6-3/7-5. Back from wrist surgery, the 25-year old Argentine (#59 in '13, but currently #608) wins her first ITF title since 2016. She also took the doubles with Natalija Kostic.

?????? @wilsontennis

A post shared by Paula Ormaechea (@paulaormaechea) on


===============================================
11. $15K Evansville USA Final - Elysia Bolton def. Connie Ma
...6-3/4-6/6-3. The 18-year defeats a fellow Bannerette, 15-year old Ma, to claim her first pro title. Ma teamed with 16-year old Gianna Pielet to win the doubles, while 15-year old Savannah Broadus also reached the singles semis. It was one of those weeks.


===============================================
12. $15K Sandefjord NOR Final - Malene Helgo def. Lisa Ponomar
...6-3/4-6/6-3. The 18-year old Norwegian takes her second title in a month, and joins forces with Astrid Wanja Brune Olsen to sweep the doubles.


===============================================
13. $15K Schio ITA Final - Nastassja Burnett def. Bianca Turati
...6-1/7-5. Burnett wins the all-Italian battle, denying past NCAA #1 and Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year Turati (Texas) her first title since 2015.


===============================================
14. $15K Taipei TPE Final - Joanna Garland/Lee Hua-chen def. Chan Chin-wei/Kotomi Takahata
...6-1/3-6 [10-1]. UK-born 17-year old Garland (TPE) picks up her first career title. Garland reached the Roland Garros girls QF this spring, then reached the Wimbledon girls 3rd Round after double-bageling Eleonora Molinaro before losing to Brit Emma Raducanu.
===============================================


15. Nanchang 1st Rd. - Karman Thandi def. Lu Jiajing
...6-3/3-6/7-5. 20-year old qualifier Thandi, India's #2 singles player, knocks off Lu for her first career WTA MD win. She also defeated Lu in the final to win her maiden ITF title in June. She jumps 32 spots this week into the Top 200 for the first time.


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


More from the Dutch painter...



Elena Vesnina... color coordination on point.




1. Moscow 2nd Rd. - Anastasia Potopova def. KRISTYNA PLISKOVA
...6-4/6-4. Pliskova was coming off a three-set 1st Round win over Katerina Siniakova in which she nearly blew a set and a break lead. It allowed the Czech to get in her first swim of the year a little earlier, though (or maybe later, as it *is* late July). Oh, and if you want to see just a sample of the sort of junk that WTA players have to deal with on social media if they choose to interact beyond merely posting photos, just read the comments on this Instagram post (umm, or *don't* read them).

First swim of the year??

A post shared by Kristyna Pliskova (@kristynapliskova) on


===============================================
2. WTT - Vania King (Springfield) def. VENUS WILLIAMS (WAS)
...5-3. Oh, Vania!


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










??

A post shared by Simona Halep (@simonahalep) on





Casual

A post shared by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on





I am a house owner!!! ???

A post shared by Daria Gavrilova (@daria_gav) on











#RoomWithAView #??

A post shared by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on





*WON TITLE IN DEBUT WTA MD EVENT*
1977 Tracy Austin, USA (Portland)
1988 Petra Langrova, CZE (Paris)
1997 Mirjana Lucic, CRO (Bol)
1999 Katarina Srebotnik, SLO (Estoril)
1999 Justine Henin, BEL (Antwerp)
2001 Angelique Widjaja, INA (Bali)
2018 OLGA DANILOVIC, SRB (MOSCOW MO)
[recent breakout performances]
2015: Nao Hibino in 2nd MD, wins Tashkent
2016: Rebeka Masarova to SF in WTA MD debut in Gstaad, 16 yrs.old
2017: Jana Fett to SF in WTA MD debut in Hobart
2017: Marketa Vondrousova in 2nd WTA MD wins Biel, 17 yrs.old
2017: Jiang/Tang win Nanchang WD in WTA debut
2017: Mihaela Buzarnescu to SF in 2nd career WTA MD in Linz, 29 yrs.old
2018: Anastasia Potapova to F in 3rd career WTA MD, 17 yrs.old

*RECENT TEEN WTA CHAMPIONS*
[2014]
17 - Donna Vekic, CRO (Kuala Lumpur)
19 - Madison Keys, USA (Eastbourne)
19 - Elina Svitolina, UKR (Baku)
[2015]
17 - Ana Konjuh, CRO (Nottingham)
18 - Belinda Bencic, SUI (Eastbourne)
18 - Belinda Bencic, SUI (Toronto)
[2016]
19 - Oceane Dodin, FRA (Quebec City)
[WTA 125: 17 - CiCi Bellis, USA = Honolulu]
[2017]
17 - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE (Biel)
19 - Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (Charleston)
[WTA 125: 19 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR = Mumbai]
[2018]
17 - OLGA DANILOVIC, SRB (MOSCOW MO)

*2018 YOUNG WTA FINAL MATCH-UPS*
34 - MOSCOW MO = DANILOVIC (17) d. POTAPOVA (17)
40 - Indian Wells = Osaka (20) d. Kasatkina (20)
41 - Lugano = Mertens (22) d. Sabalenka (19)
[most recent all-teen]
2009 Charleston - Lisicki (19) d. Wozniacki (18)
2009 Linz - Wickmayer (19) d. Kvitova (19)
2017 Charleston - Kasatkina (19) d. Ostapenko (19)
2018 Moscow MO - DANILOVIC (17) d. POTAPOVA (17)
[most recent 18-and-unders]
2005 Tokyo JO - Vaidisova (16) d. Golovin (17)
2018 Moscow MO - DANILOVIC (17) d. POTAPOVA (17)

*2018 YOUNG WTA FINALISTS*
17,4m - ANASTASIA POTAPOVA, RUS (MOSCOW-L)
17,6m,1w - OLGA DANILOVIC, SRB (MOSCOW-W)
19,11m,1w - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (Lugano-L)
20,1m,3w - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (Eastbourne-L)
20,5m - Naomi Osaka, JPN (Ind.Wells-W)
20,9m,2w - Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (Dubai-L)
20,9m,3w - Alona Ostapenko, LAT (Miami-L)
20,10m,1w - Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (Ind.Wells-L)
[doubles]
17 - ANASTASIA POTAPOVA (MOSCOW MO-W)
17 - TANG QIANHUI (NANCHANG-W)
19 - Anna Blinkova (Rabat-W)
19 - JIANG XINYU (NANCHANG-W)
19 - Vera Lapko (Lugano-L)
19 - Aryna Sabalenka (Lugano-L)
19 - Fanny Stollar (Budapest-W/Rabat-L)
20 - Alona Ostapenko (Doha-W)

*2018 WTA FIRST-TIME CHAMPS*
Indian Wells: Naomi Osaka, JPN (20/#44) - def. Kasatkina
Rosmalen: Aleksandra Krunic, SRB (25/#55) - def. Flipkens
Mallorca: Tatjana Maria, GER (30/#79) - def. Sevastova
Moscow MO: OLGA DANILOVIC, SRB (17/#187) - def. POTAPOVA
Nanchang: WANG QIANG, CHN (26/#78) - def. SAI.ZHENG

*2018 WTA FIRST-TIME FINALISTS*
Hobart: Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU (#57, 29)
Taipei City: Kateryna Kozlova, UKR (#85, 23)
Acapulco: Stefanie Voegele, SUI (#183, 27)
Mallorca: Tatjana Maria, GER (#79, 30) = W
Gstaad: Mandy Minella, LUX (#226, 32)
Moscow MO: ANASTASIA POTAPOVA, RUS (#204, 17)
Moscow MO: OLGA DANILOVIC, SRB (#187, 17) = W
Nanchang: ZHENG SAISAI, CHN (#112, 24)
Nanchang: WANG QIANG, CHN (#78, 26) = W

*2018 LOW-RANKED FINALISTS*
#226 - Mandy Minella, LUX (Gstaad)
#204 - ANASTASIA POTAPOVA, RUS (Moscow MO)
#187 - OLGA DANILOVIC, SRB (Moscow MO) = W
#183 - Stefanie Voegele, SUI (Acapulco)
#181 - Serena Williams, USA (Wimbledon)
#132 - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, SVK (Bogota) = W
#122 - Pauline Parmentier, FRA (Istanbul) = W
#112 - ZHENG SAISAI, CHN (Nanchang)

*LOW-RANKED WTA CHAMPIONS - since 2012*
#233 - Marketa Vondrousova = 2017 Biel
#208 - Melanie Oudin = 2012 Birmingham
#187 - OLGA DANILOVIC = 2018 MOSCOW MO
#182 - Peng Shuai = 2016 Tianjin
#174 - Lara Arruabarrena = 2012 Bogota
#168 - Francesca Schiavone = 2017 Bogota
#163 - Duan Yingying = 2016 Nanchang
#158 - Ash Barty = 2017 Kuala Lumpur

*2018 Q/WC/LL/PR IN WTA FINAL*
Brisbane - Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR (23, #88/Q)
Saint Petersburg - Petra Kvitova, CZE (27, #29/WC) = W
Stuttgart - CoCo Vandeweghe, USA (26, #16/WC)
Gstaad - Mandy Minella, LUX (32, #226/PR)
Moscow MO - ANASTASIA POTAPOVA, RUS (17, #204/WC)
Moscow MO - OLGA DANILOVIC, SRB (17, #187/LL) = W

*RECENT BEST LUCKY LOSER RESULTS*
W - 2018 Moscow - OLGA DANILOVIC
RU - 2012 Stanford - CoCo Vandeweghe
SF - 2008 Quebec City - Angela Haynes
SF - 2008 Tokyo - Jarmila Gajdosova
SF - 2012 Fes - Mathilde Johansson
SF - 2012 Linz - Irina-Camelia Begu
SF - 2013 Brisbane - Lesia Tsurenko
SF - 2013 Paris - Kiki Bertens
SF - 2015 Acapulco - Sesil Karatantcheva
SF - 2015 New Haven - Lesia Tsurenko
SF - 2015 Quebec City - Naomi Broady
SF - 2018 Budapest - Viktoria Kuzmova
[WTA all-time LL in finals]
2005 Canberra: Melinda Czink
2012 Stanford: CoCo Vandeweghe
2018 Moscow MO: OLGA DANILOVIC (W)

*2018 - DEF. #1 SEED, WON TITLE*
Auckland: Julia Goerges, GER (F-Wozniacki)
Australian Open: Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (F-Halep)
Doha: Petra Kvitova, CZE (SF-Wozniacki)
Budapest: Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL (F-Cibulkova)
Indian Wells: Naomi Osaka, JPN (SF-Halep)
Rome: Elina Svitolina, UKR (F-Halep)
Strasbourg: A.Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (SF-Barty)
Rosmalen: Aleksandra Krunic, SRB (SF-Vandeweghe)
Moscow MO: OLGA DANILOVIC, SRB (QF-Goerges)

*CHINESE - WTA SINGLES TITLES*
9 - Li Na (2004,08,10-14)
4 - Zheng Jie (2005-06,12)
2 - Peng Shuai (2016-17)
2 - Zhang Shuai (2013-17)
1 - Duan Yingying (2016)
1 - Yan Zi (2005)
1 - Sun Tiantian (2006)
1 - WANG QIANG (2018)

*AGE OF CHINESE MAIDEN WTA SINGLES CHAMPIONS*
20 - Yan Zi (2005 Guangzhou)
21 - Zheng Jie (2005 Hobart)
22 - Li Na (2004 Guangzhou)
24 - Zhang Shuai (2013 Guangzhou)
25 - Sun Tiantian (2006 Tashkent)
26 - WANG QIANG (2018 NANCHANG)
27 - Duan Yingying (2016 Nanchang)
30 - Peng Shuai (2016 Tianjin)

*WTA ALL-CHN FINALS*
2006 Estoril - Zheng Jie def. Li Na (ret)
2013 Shenzen - Li Na def. Peng Shuai
2018 Nanchang - WANG QIANG def. ZHENG SAISAI

*2018 WS/WD FINALS IN EVENT*
Shenzhen - Simona Halep/ROU (W/W)
Shenzhen - Katerina Siniakova/CZE (L/L)
Hobart - Elise Mertens/BEL (W/W)
Lugano - Elise Mertens/BEL (W/W)
Lugano - Aryna Sabalenka/BLR (L/L)
Prague - Mihaela Buzarnescu/ROU (L/L)
Nurnberg - Johanna Larsson/SWE (W/L)
Rosmalen - Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (L/L)
Moscow MO - ANASTASIA POTAPOVA/RUS (L/W)

*2018 WTA FINALS IN HOME NATION*
Sydney - Ash Barty, AUS
Miami - Sloane Stephens, USA (W)
Prague - Petra Kvitova, CZE (W)
Nottingham - Johanna Konta, GBR
Moscow MO - ANASTASIA POTAPOVA, RUS
Nanchang - ZHENG SAISAI, CHN
Nanchang - WANG QIANG, CHN (W)
[doubles]
Saint Petersburg - Alla Kudryavtseva, RUS
Saint Petersburg - Vera Zvonareva, RUS (W)
Budapest - Fanny Stollar, HUN (W)
Miami - CoCo Vandeweghe, USA (W)
Monterrey - Giuliana Olmos, MEX
Bogota - Mariana Duque, COL
Stuttgart - Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER (W)
Prague - Kveta Peschke, CZE (W)
Rosmalen - Kiki Bertens, NED
Rosmalen - Demi Schuurs, NED (W)
Nottingham - Heather Watson, GBR
Mallorca - MJ Martinez-Sanchez, ESP (W)
Bucharest - Irina-Camelia Begu/Andreea Mitu, ROU (W)
Gstaad - Timea Bacsinszky, SUI
Nanchang - JIANG XINYU/TANG QIANHUI, CHN (W)
Nanchang - LU JINGJING/YOU XIAODI, CHN
Moscow MO - ANASTASIA POTAPOVA/VERA ZVONAREVA, RUS (W)
Moscow MO - ALEXANDRA PANOVA, RUS

*2018 WD REPEAT CHAMPIONS*
Stuttguart - Raquel Atawo, USA
Prague - Kveta Pesche, CZE
Bucharest - Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU
Moscow MO - JIANG XINYU/TANG QIANHUI, CHN

*2018 WTA MULTIPLE WS CHAMPS - NATIONS*
3: GER - Goerges,Kerber,Maria
2: BEL - Mertens,Van Uytvanck
2: CZE - Kvitova,Ka.Pliskova
2: FRA - Cornet,Parmentier
2: SRB - DANILOVIC,Krunic
2: UKR - Svitolina,Tsurenko




When tennis slam coverage was a real event...







WASHINGTON, DC USA (Int'l/Hard Court Outdoor)
=2017 WS=
QF: Makarova d. Halep
QF: Dodin d. Lisicki
QF: Goerges d. Niculescu
QF: Petkovic d. Andreescu
SF: Makarova d. Dodin
SF: Goerges d. Petkovic
F: Makarova d. Goerges
=2017 WD=
SF: Mirza/Niculescu d. Bouchard/Stephens
SF: Aoyama/Voracova d. J.Moore/Rae
F: Aoyama/Voracova d. Bouchard/Stephens
=======================================
'18 TOP SEEDS
WS: #1 Wozniacki, #2 Stephens
WD: #1 A.Chan/Yang Zhaoxuan, #2 Aoyama/Voracova


SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA USA (Premier/Hard Outdoor)
=2017 WS=
QF: Muguruza d. Konjuh
QF: Keys d. Tsurenko
QF: Vandeweghe d. Pavlyuchenkova
QF: Bellis d. Kvitova
SF: Keys d. Muguruza
SF: Vandeweghe d. Bellis
F: Keys d. Vandeweghe
=2017 WD=
SF: Cornet/Rosolska d. Day/Dolehide
SF: Spears/Vandeweghe d. Pavlyuchenkova/Savchuk
F: Spears/Vandeweghe d. Cornet/Rosolska
=======================================
'18 TOP SEEDS
WS: #1 Muguruza, #2 Keys
WD: #1 L.Chan/Peschke, #2 Buzarnescu/Watson


Lucky loser Danilovic has nothing on the Washington Valor. Check that, make that the ArenaBowl XXXI champion Washington Valor. After 0-7 and 1-10 starts, a fired coach and a new quarterback at mid-season, a 2-10 regular season mark and 4th place finish in a four-team league. But with 3-1 overall finish, and wins over the #1 and #2-seeded teams, a surprise championship season is completed a few weeks later. With a 4-11 (!!) record on the year. Go figure.





So, the Capitals. The Valor. Hmmm, all right, Kastles... you're now on the clock.


All for now.
↧

Wk.31- Interestinger and Interestinger...

August 5, 2018, 9:09 pm
$
0
0

WTA Week 31 (to WTA Week 30):"So, I'll see your pair of maiden champions, the youngest final match-up in thirteen years and and a 17-year old who became the tour's first-ever lucky loser tournament queen, and raise you champions that include a 30-year old Doctor who was forced out of the game for nearly two years due to injury and a 33-year old multiple slam winner back from wrist surgery who had to save four match points in the final en route to her first singles title since 2016. Whatta you say to *that*?"

WTA Week 30:"Ummm...."

WTA Week 32: (shoves Week 30 aside) "Don't worry. I've got this."

Meanwhile...



Oh... yes, I like *that* idea.

Now, back to tennis. ;)




*WEEK 31 CHAMPIONS*
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA USA (Premier/Hard Court)
S: Mihaela Buzarnescu/ROU def. Maria Sakkari/GRE 6-1/6-0
D: Latisha Chan/Kveta Peschke (TPE/CZE) d. Lyudmyla Kichenok/Nadiia Kichenok (UKR/UKR) 6-4/6-1
WASHINGTON, D.C. USA (Int'l/Hard Court)
S: Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS def. Donna Vekic/CRO 4-6/7-6(7)/6-2
D: Han Xinyun/Darija Jurak (CHN/CRO) d. Alexa Guarachi/Erin Routliffe (CHI/NZL) 6-3/6-2
WORLD TEAM TENNIS
F: Springfield Lasers def. Philadelphia Freedoms 19-18




PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Mihaela Buzarnescu/ROU
...finally, Buzarnescu was the sole survivor. Of course, after injuries and near-retirement, the 30-year old Swarmette has already done more than enough in her *second* tennis career to qualify for the title. This time, though, she has an *actual* title in hand to provide tangible evidence of her resilience.



In San Jose, the 30-year old Romanian became the tour's latest thirtysomething maiden champ, finally winning her first tour title after reaching her seventh QF, sixth SF and third final of the season. Wins over Sachia Vickery, Amanda Anisimova, Ajla Tomljanovic and Elise Mertens set up a battle for a first career title between Buzarnescu and Maria Sakkari. It was no contest. Buzarnescu coasted to a 6-1/6-0 win. Fittingly, she sealed the deal with an ace.



In a season chocked full of stories, Buzarnescu's may be the "craziest." After being a top junior, injuries wrecked her career. She missed nearly two full years in 2013-14, but found her way back to the sport after she suddenly felt no more pain after having filled her time earning a Ph.D. in sport science. The Romanian only made her MD tour debut last summer (at the U.S. Open) after more than a dozen failed qualifying attempts. She got her maiden MD win in Linz in October. Since January, she's recorded five Top 20 wins (3 Top 10), reached a slam Round of 16 in Paris, won her first tour title and will make her Top 20 debut on Monday. "Interesting" doesn't really do her justice.

In recent years, stories similar to Buzarnescu's, at least on at smaller scale much of the time, have become more and more commonplace. Success after injury-devastated (and briefly ended, or nearly so) careers is the topic of another story almost on a weekly basis. But that doesn't make Buzarnescu's or that of any other player any less remarkable or inspiring, for there are far more tales that *didn't* have such encouragingly bright moments than there are those that have.



Meanwhile...



===============================================
RISERS:Donna Vekic/CRO and Danielle Collins/USA
...as things turned out, Vekic's least favorite moment this week in Washington *didn't* involve a bug.



It's a shame, really, because the 22-year old Croat was often the very best (and gutsy) version of herself for four and a half matches. Unfortunately, her week of work won't likely be remembered for her straights wins over Caroline Dolehide, Magda Linette and Zheng Saisai, nor her 3 MP-saving 15-13 3rd set TB victory over Fanny Stollar in the 2nd Round. In her first final since last summer in Nottingham, she led Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4/5-4 and held two MP on the Russian's serve. Sveta saved them and sent things to a TB, where Vekic recovered from an early mini-break to hold two more MP. But the Russian's defense combined with Vekic's nerves and some wayward shots flipped the match script. She lost the breaker 9-7 and, well, if anything had happened other than what actually *did* there wouldn't be any bad memories for Vekic to lock away, learn from and/or move past starting tomorrow morning. She spent an extra long break off-court between sets (you know everyone's waiting when Tennis Channel starts a time clock in the corner of the screen), and never really recovered from her inability to finish Kuznetsova off. She fell behind 5-0, served with red eyes and at least avoided a bagel set. She got a hold and a quick break back (and with Sveta, well, you *never know...*), but that was it. Kuznetsova broke Vekic's serve to get the win.

In surely a tough moment, Vekic managed to do well in her post-match speech to the crowd, only nearly breaking once while she recounted how her weekend ended (it was saying sorry for not winning her first title for her current coach that almost upset the emotional apple cart).



Hopefully Vekic will respond to this disappointment in a way similar to how she did after dropping a tough 3:10 match vs. Johanna Konta at last year's Wimbledon. She returned to SW19 in June and knocked off Sloane Stephens in the 1st Round and reached her first slam Round of 16. This was her first event since that run. So, one year from now, could we be saying hello to Donna Vekic, 2019 Washington champ? We'll see.

In San Jose, Collins thrived in her return to North American hard courts, as one might expect from someone who played in six WTA & WTA 125 events on the continent during the opening months of 2018, a stretch during which she went 18-5, won at 125 crown, reached the Indian Wells Round of 16 (def. Keys), Miami semis (wins over CoCo and Venus) and Monterrey QF. She recorded just four MD wins during the spring clay and grass court season in Europe, and obviously viewed the tour's return to the U.S. as her chance to reclaim her early '18 mojo. Well, she did that, even if she did stumble in the final moments.



Wins over Danielle Lao and Vera Lapko preceded a QF match vs. Vika Azarenka in which the former #1's ongoing banner week went up in flames when she was forced to retire up 7-6/0-3 after having having issues with her knees, lower back (the official reason for retirement) and difficulty breathing. Of course, Collins was then immediately attacked in many corners of Tennis Twitter for not being comforting enough to Vika after having complained about Azarenka's on-court noise, something for which she was then criticized for herself. Whatever. Really, the only thing that mattered was what happened next. In the semis, Collins squandered a set and 4-1 lead vs. Maria Sakkari, who scrambled back to become the one of the two to reach her maiden tour final.

It wasn't quite as crushing a final note as that experienced by Donna Vekic this weekend, but Collins will likely be thinking about what might have been until she can replace the memory with something else once she gets back on the court. At any rate, she'll come in at a new career high of #35 this week.
===============================================

A post shared by Harriet Dart (@harriet_dart) on



SURPRISE:Harriet Dart/GBR
...the unexpected summer of Harriet Dart continued in Washington. Going into this week, the season had already seen the 22-year old Brit win her biggest career singles ($25K in February) and doubles ($50K in April) titles before summer had even begun. Since then, her grass court work ($100K Surbiton SF, Manchester QF and Ilkley QF) earned her a Wimbledon wild card. After upsetting Kristyna Pliskova in Eastbourne she took her twin sister Karolina to three sets in the SW19 1st Round, then rode her momentum all the way to the Mixed Doubles semis with Jay Clarke. She reached her career high in singles (#167) last month. In D.C., she qualified for the MD, allowing just five total games to Shuko Aoyama and Alexa Guarachi, before losing to Belinda Bencic in the opening round. She'll edge up six spots to #172 on Monday, just 13 rankings points off another career high.

Sometimes I’m hungry and other times I’m asleep ??

A post shared by Harriet Dart (@harriet_dart) on


===============================================
VETERANS:Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS and Andrea Petkovic/GER
...one of the preseason's leading questions for 2018 revolved around whether or not Sveta had one more comeback in her. Having undergone wrist surgery for the injury that ended her season early last fall, the 33-year old returned to action in March. She lost her first three matches. She arrived in Washington, where she won the title in her only full-event appearance in 2014, having gone just 4-10 on the season, only winning multiple matches in one event (Istanbul in April). Ranked #128, her lowest standing since an identical ranking in July 2002, more than two years before her U.S. Open title run in 2004, she suddenly caught fire over the course of one rainy week in D.C., reaching her first SF since Madrid '17, and first final since last season in Indian Wells. Through it all, she hadn't dropped more than two games in a set in four consecutive wins over Kristie Ahn, Ana Bogdan, Yulia Puntintseva and Andrea Petkovic. Playing her 71st career tour-level final against Donna Vekic, though, you knew such a run couldn't hold up. We *were* talking about Sveta, after all -- queen of the longest matches, well, *ever* in many cases in numerous places.

True to form, the drama finally arrived as the afternoon turned to early evening in the nation's capital.

Vekic led 6-4/5-4, with her first serve in great form. She held two MP there before coming back from a break down in the 2nd set TB. She took a break lead there and ultimately held two more MP, only to see Kuznetsova's rally-extending defense paint her into a corner, eliciting poorly-timed errors as the pressure of the moment got the advantage of the Croat. Once Kuznetsova took the TB 9-7, and everyone waited while Vekic took quite a while returning to the court after both players had taken an off-court break, you sort of had a sense of what was to come. Kuznetsova raced to a 5-0 lead as an emotional Vekic served through tears. Sveta failed to serve out the match at 5-1, but got the break a game later to claim her first title since winning the Kremlin Cup in 2016. Her 18th career win will raise her ranking to #87, and suddenly the prospect of an in-form Kuznetsova will be thrown into they already broiling summertime stew of a tour that is now producing headline-worthy results *each and every week.* Could be interesting.



As always, Sveta's words of wisdoom for her opponent, who moments earlier had cracked ever so slightly (but she held on) during her speech to the crowd, were more than worth their weight in prize money and trophy hardware.



In Washington, the somewhat under the radar mini-resurgence of Petkovic got its North American legs. After barely finishing in the Top 100 last year (#97) after having done so in seven of the previous eight seasons in spite of numerous injuries, including a #10 finish in her career season of 2011, the German began '18 with an opening qualifying round loss to Russian Polina Monova in Brisbane. She didn't let it set her back, though. She knocked off Petra Kvitova in Melbourne, got some revenge on Monova in Saint Petersburg qualifying, reached a $100K semi and upset Kristina Mladenovic at Roland Garros. Still, she entered the week ranked just #91. After a win over Jamie Loeb, though, she picked up yet another big-name victory, taking down Sloane Stephens to record her first Top 10 win since 2016. She followed up by saving 3 MP vs. Belinda Bencic to reach her first tour-level semifinal since doing so in this same event last summer. She ultimately fell to Svetlana Kuznetsova, and her ranking will only inch up two spots on Monday. But, you know, we got to see the Petko Dance a few times, too. So, on balance, it was a good week.

Speaking of, here's a little history of the German's beloved dance move...



Hmmm, I sense a "Carl Talk" coming to Backspin Academy in a few months.


"The Petko Dance: A History," with an after-Talk bonus: "The Philosophy of Tennis as It Pertains to Life (an open-ended conversation)"
===============================================
COMEBACKS:Johanna Konta/GBR and Allie Kiick/USA
...not long ago, Konta was worthy of being under consideration as the best hard court player on tour. From summer '15 until the '17 grass court season, the Brit went a combined 84-23 on HC, won titles in Sydney, Miami and Stanford, reached the Beijing final and Australian Open semis, and posted ten of the first twelve Top 10 wins of her career on the surface. Her hard court slam stretch in the period was 4th-SF-4th-QF. Since her grass success last summer, which included a Wimbledon semi and all the off-court pressures that go into that (not to mention some coaching changes), her HC slam results have dipped (1st-2nd) and she arrived in San Jose with a 15-13 mark (with a 5-0 chunk of that in Fed Cup) on the surface. Then this happened...

@johannakonta takes 1??2?? games in a row to advance at @mubadalasvc! ????

A post shared by WTA (@wta) on



She followed up handing Williams her worst career loss with a win over Sonya Kenin to reach the QF, where she lost to Elise Mertens. Was her week in California a mere blip on the radar helped along by an underprepared or unfocused Serena, or a sign that Konta (ranked #48 this past week after being as high as #4 last July) may have finally righted the ship enough to shine as brightly at this time of the year as she did before her star-making SW19 turn? What remains of the summer may give us an indication.

In D.C., Kiick's return from multiple knee surgeries maintained its spring/summer momentum. After allowing just three games in a pair of qualifying matches (1 vs. #1-seeded Y.Bonaventure), the Bannerette notched her second career tour-level MD win, and first since 2014, over Han Xinyun, then rallied in the 3rd set (after having been forced to a 3rd after play had been suspended the day before w/ Kiick leading by a set and 4-4) to defeat Katie Boulter and reach her first career tour QF. This result, coming after her first comeback singles title ($25K Bastad) and a handful of other good results ($25K RU/RU/SF/QF and $80K QF) since mid-April, on Monday will return her to the Top 200 after a three and a half year absence.


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


FRESH FACES:Maria Sakkari/GRE and Amanda Anisimova/USA
...Sakkari has ridden the tour rollercoaster in 2018. The 23-year old Greek lost her first five matches, then ripped off 18 wins in her next 25 outings, including victories over the likes of Vekic, Barty, Vandeweghe, Krunic, Kontaveit, Bertens, Ka.Pliskova, Minella and Suarez-Navarro. A Roland Garros loss to Dasha Kasatkina, though, turned her fortunes the other way. She came to San Jose on a four-match losing skid, only to again step up her game when things had started to look dire. Wins over Christina McHale and Timea Babos (1 game lost vs. the Hungarian) preceded an upset of Venus Williams (in straights after falling down 3-0 in the 1st). Having reached the semifinals without dropping a set, she lived the rollercoaster experience in a matter of hours, falling behind a set and 4-1 to Danielle Collins, only to pull things back from the edge and rally to reach her maiden tour singles final, and first by a WTA player from Greece since Eleni Daniilidou over a decade ago ('08 Hobart). Once there, she found nothing that worked against Mihaela Buzarnescu, falling 6-1/6-0 to the 30-year old, who was also seeking her first tour singles title. She'll still jump eighteen spots to new career high of #31 this week.



Remember when Caroline Wozniacki was "adopted" by the Yale football team? The Dane ended up winning the New Haven (aka The Wozniacki Open) event four straight times from 2008-11. Well, Sakkari touched a little bit on that ground with the San Jose State Spartan football program this week.






The final didn't ultimately have a "Sakkari Open" finish, but it was still more than noteworthy. Maybe this will be just Chapter One of a larger Spartan story.

Finally back after a four-month absence due to injury, 16-year old Anisimova, the '17 U.S. Open girls champ, has a successful RE-debut for her 2018 season. In San Jose, the Florida native, who shined pretty brightly before she was injured -- reaching a 125 Series SF and the Indian Wells Round of 16, after wins over Pavlyuchenkova and Kvitova, as well as a win over Week 30 singles champ Wang Qiang in her last match in Miami -- qualified with wins over Priscilla Hon and Anna Blinkova (via a 3rd set TB in 2:30), then notched *another* win over Wang before going out to eventual tournament champ Mihaela Buzarnescu in three sets.


===============================================
DOWN:Madison Keys/USA
...with all the defending champions, future Hall of Famers, and high seeds falling left and right in D.C. and San Jose, there are more than enough candidates to fill this category quite a few times over for this week. Serena Williams suffered her worst-ever defeat, while both #1 seeds (Wozniacki D.C., Muguruza S.J.) withdrew with injuries without playing a match. Washington defending champion Ekaterina Makarova lost in the 1st Round, while '15 winner (and #2 seed) Sloane Stephens fell in the 2nd. In California, #3 Naomi Osaka won just one match. Venus Williams was forced to three sets in her only win and was bounced in straights a round later, while Victoria Azarenka retired with a back injury (while leading the match) in the QF just as she seemed to be ready to make an early North American hard court circuit statement.



But I'll go with Keys, both the San Jose defending champ (when the event was still at Stanford last year) and #2 seed, because her mid-week withdrawal might be the most worrisome. Or not. We'll see. Already having had multiple surgeries on her left wrist, as well as a too-soon comeback and lingering pain, the '17 U.S. Open finalist pulled out with a right wrist injury this week. While the rest either have a history of injury-related exits from tournaments that don't impact their later results, can be expected to pick things up again soon or, you know, are named Serena and one "regular season" match that took place in mid-comeback, as well as around the time that one of the various off-court issues related to her family may or may not have made it difficult to focus on her preparation for the event. The 15th anniversary of her sister's murder was this week, and the man who committed the crime, released from jail earlier this year, was recently arrested for a parole violation.

For Keys, though, even a mention of a wrist injury -- no matter how minor, or whether it concerns her off or dominant side -- raises a cautionary red flag for the remainder of her summer. She's also pulled out of Montreal.
===============================================
ITF PLAYERS:Laura Siegemund/GER and Asia Muhammad/USA
...Siegemund continues to pick up steam in her (so far exclusively clay court) comeback from knee surgery, as she's put up good results on both the WTA and ITF levels in recent weeks. The 30-year old German had already posted four QF-or-better results in her last five events, including a $60K final and back-to-back tour-level final eight results in Bucharest and Moscow. This week featured a return to the challenger level, as she went to Bad Saulgau, Germany and dropped just one set all week (vs. Barbara Haas in the SF) en rout to taking her 14th career ITF title via a 4 & 2 win in the final over Alexandra Cadantu. It was a good week for the Swarmette, as well, as she ended a six-match losing streak to reach her first singles final since the WTA 125 in Bol in June '17 (she def. Sakkari and Minella en route).



Muhammad, 27, took the $60K challenger in Lexington, Kentucky. The unseeded Bannerette took down #4 Marie Bouzkova and #5 Grace Min, then defeated 18-year old Ann Li ('17 Wimbledon girls finalist) 5 & 1 in the final to pick up her sixth career circuit title, and second of 2018.


===============================================
JUNIOR STAR:Wong Hong Yi Cody/HKG
...16-year old Wong, the #64-ranked junior, posted back-to-back wins over Top 25 girls en route to taking her maiden Grade 1 crown at this week's top-level event in Nanchang, China. She defeated Lulu Sun 6-1/6-4 in the semis, and led Joanna Garland 3-6/6-3/4-1 in the final when the 17-year old from Taiwan was forced to retire. Prior to this week, Wong's biggest '18 results had been a pair of Grade 1 doubles titles in Nonthaburi and Offenbach. As it is, this is a big leap for her when it comes to singles success. Wong lost in a Grade 4 singles final earlier this season. She did post a win in January over Yuki Naito (jr. #12, w/ three G1/GA finals and QF at RG & Roehampton) in the Australian Open juniors, but this is her first singles title since taking the crown at a Grade 2 in Beijing last September.

===============================================
DOUBLES:Latisha Chan/Kveta Peschke (TPE/CZE) and Han Xinyun/Darija Jurak (CHN/CRO)
...finally, after trudging her way through fourteen tournaments with six different partners in the wake of Martina Hingis' retirement and her now rare team-ups with sister Angel (just two events in '18, going 3-2 in the I.W./Miami swing in March), Chan found success this week in San Jose with veteran Peschke. Just 18-14, with one WD final appearance this season (she and Hingis were 33-5 with 5 titles at this time a year ago), Chan teamed up this week with the 43-year old Czech for the first time (they'd split eighteen career match-up as opponents going back to 2007). They never lost a set. Of course, it didn't hurt that they got a 1st Round bye, and a QF walkover. After getting a SF win over Kato/Ninomiya, the pair won a 6-4/6-1 final over twins Lyudmyla & Nadiia Kichenok. The Ukrainians, of course, had literally a lifetime of partnering to fall back on. Really, though, they're 22-20 in ITF finals, and are now 2-3 in tour-level championship matches, though they haven't won one since 2016. In contrast to Chan/Peschke, they had to pull out three straight matches via 3rd set TB just to reach the final.



It's Peschke's 30th career tour title, and Chan's 29th. Chan, who won the RG Mixed crown with Ivan Dodig a few months ago, hadn't won a WD title with anyone other than her sister Angel or Hingis since 2010 (Zheng Jie in Kuala Lumpur). This is Peschke's second '18 win, having won Prague with Nicole Melichar in May. That pair also just reached the Wimbledon final.

In Montreal, Chan will be partnering Ekaterina Makarova.

In Washington, another set of first-time partners, Han & Jurak, proved to be too much for Alexa Guarachi & Erin Routliffe, who were seeking to add a WTA final win to their spotless (5-0) ITF final mark together since last November. Han/Jurak, who'd faced off as doubles opponents just five times beginning with their first-ever meeting back in 2006, had to fight their way into the final. They won a 3rd set TB in the 1st Round, and another (vs. Bencic/Kalinina) in the QF, their first of two matches on Saturday after rain backed up the D.C. schedule big-time over the course of the week, setting up a sweep of their final four sets of the weekend. After a semifinal win over Bonaventure/Stollar, Han & Jurak defeated Guarachi (Gstaad winner w/ Krawczyk) & Routliffe (two-time NCAA WD champ w/ Maja Jensen at Alabama) 3 & 2 to take the crown. It's tour title #5 for 34-year old Jurak, and #3 for Han, 28.


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


WHEELCHAIR:Natalia Mayara/BRA
...a week after claiming the Beligian Open doubles title with Dana Mathewson, 24-year old Brazilian Mayara (WC #12) swept the titles at the Austrian Open (ITF 2 Series) in Gross Siegharts. After defeating world #10 Michaela Spaanstra (NED) in the semis, Mayara faced off with South America's top-ranked woman, #12 Angelica Bernal (COL), for the third time in three weeks. After splitting a pair of meetings at the British and Belgian Opens, Mayara won the rubber match with a 7-6(4)/6-2 victory to claim the title, her second singles crown of the year. She's reached two additional WS finals in '18, losing in Baton Rouge to Aniek van Koot (3 sets) and Spaanstra in the Open de Vendee event in France. Mayara and Bernal teamed to take the doubles, defeating Katharina Kruger & Spaanstra in a 10-8 3rd set TB in the final.


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


This sounds like something I might have said...





Meanwhile, at first I was mildly exasperated by this, then I tilted my head a bit and realized that, as poor a behavior note as it was, it fits into the "Most Interesting Tour" marketing lexicon. It should be part of the mix as much as the great moments. Interesting is as interesting does.


If only all tennis coverage (and one tour in particular) had the sense to think outside the service box a little when it comes to marketing the sport and its personalities in one brilliant *and* messy, I-dare-you-not-to-look, ball. I mean, the WTA is only the most successful women's sport in the world, with an overabundance of the most recognizable names in global women's sport. It shouldn't be such a struggle for those on the side of the equation that should already know all this.

And with that, though this is an ad for Riga and not Alona or the WTA... THIS is how you do it.



An instant classic.




1. Washington Final - Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Donna Vekic
...4-6/7-6(7)/6-2. Vekic led 6-4/5-4 and held two MP on Kuznetsova's serve, then had two more in the 2nd set TB. Emotionally crushed, she quickly fell down 5-0 in the 3rd on her way to the sort of predictable finish that often accompanies such a missed opportunity. Sveta becomes the sixth player to win a title from MP down this season. Naturally, she saved twice as many as any of the other five.
===============================================
2. Washington 2nd Rd. - Donna Vekic def. Fanny Stollar
...6-2/3-6/7-6(13). Vekic had *her* MP-saving moment this week, too. After leading 3-0 in the 3rd vs. Stollar, she soon saw the Hungarian serve for the match and hold three MP. Vekic saved them, avoided fumbling away a 4-2 TB lead and won the 28-point breaker on her sixth MP.


===============================================
3. San Jose SF - Maria Sakkari def. Danielle Collins
...3-6/7-5/6-2. Sakkari battled deep into the night on Saturday (is it any wonder she had nothing left on Sunday?), overcoming a 6-3/4-1, double-break deficit, and trailing 2-0 in the 3rd, to clip Collins and reach her maiden tour final.



===============================================
4. Washington 2nd Rd. - Andrea Petkovic def. Sloane Stephens
...2-6/6-4/6-4. Petko's first Top 10 win since 2016 (Doha vs. Muguruza), and just her fourth since claiming seven such victories in her banner 2011 campaign.


===============================================
5. San Jose Final - Mihaela Buzarnescu def. Maria Sakkari
...6-1/6-0. Buzarnescu is just the fifth thirtysomething maiden champ on tour in the 2000's, but the second in a matter of months (w/ Tatjana Maria in Mallorca).
===============================================


6. San Jose QF - Danielle Collins def. Victoria Azarenka
...6-7(4)/3-0 ret. Vika takes one step forward in California, but hopefully not *two* back. After winning out over Kateryna Bondarenko in three sets in the 1st Round, she allowed just one game to Anna Blinkova and led Collins here before various ailments (knees, back, breathing) conspired to take her out. Hopefully this isn't the sort of setback that will wreck yet another summer hard court season.
===============================================
7. Washington QF - Andrea Petkovic def. Belinda Bencic
...6-3/2-6/7-6(8). Petko saves three MP and wins despite the Swiss holding a 105-102 points lead, as well as a 40-26 winners edge. The 42-24 UE numbers surely worked against Bencic.


===============================================
8. Washington 2nd Rd. - Kristie Ahn/Lauren Davis def. Shuko Aoyama/Renata Voracova
...5-7/6-4 [11-9]. A monster win for Ahn/Davis as far at this tournament goes, for not only were Aoyama/Voracova the #2 seeds and defending champions, but Aoyama won the WD in Washington in four of the first seven years the tournaments has been held (and reached a fifth final). The Bannerette pair lost in the semis to Guarachi/Routliffe.
===============================================
9. San Jose 1st Rd. - Ashley Kratzer def. Alison Riske
...6-4/4-6/7-5. The 19-year old's maiden WTA win. She led 5-1 in the 3rd, and held on for #1.
===============================================
10. San Jose Q1 - Maria Sanchez def. Aryna Sabalenka
...2-6/7-5/6-4. How the Sabalenka Turns. Out-aced 1-to-8, the Belarusian fell to #258-ranked Bannerette Sanchez.
===============================================
11. Washington Q1 - Alexa Guarachi def. Francesca Di Lorenzo
...2-6/7-5/7-5. The match note here was that Guarachi was a qualifying "alternate" thirty minutes before the match.
===============================================
12. San Jose SF - Mihaela Buzarnescu def. Elise Mertens
...4-6/6-3/6-1. Now playing under new coach Dieter Kindlemann, Mertens hadn't lost a set all week (def. Konta in the QF) until Buzarnescu took the 2nd and 3rd. Playing with an arm injury, she won just four games in those sets, and it's hard *not* to wonder if this might be the first sign of the Belgian's overscheduling (and combined WS/WD success) coming back to bite in the season's closing months.
===============================================
13. San Jose 1st Rd. - Timea Babos def. Kristina Mladenovic
...6-4/6-2. It was a year ago this week -- though in D.C, not S.J. -- that Mladenovic's long losing streak began. This year, the Pastry fell to her doubles partner, who won her third straight in the series.
===============================================
14. Washington 1st Rd. - Andrea Petkovic def. Jamie Loeb
...6-1/6-1. The week's first sighting!


===============================================
15. $15K Biella ITA Final - Bianca Turati def. Nastassja Burnett
...6-3/6-4. A week after losing to her in another $15K final in Schio, Turati (Univ. of Texas) gets her first ITF win since 2015.



===============================================
16. Montreal Q1 - Rebecca Marino def. Vera Lapko
...3-6/6-3/6-3. Marino's win over the #69-ranked Belarusian is the biggest of her comeback, no matter that she lost in the next round to Wang Qiang.
===============================================
17. Montreal Q1 - Sofya Zhuk def. Samantha Stosur
...6-3/7-6(5). The former U.S. Open champ falls to the 18-year old '15 Wimbledon junior champ. Zhuk defeated Bernarda Pera a round later to reach the MD.
===============================================
18. $25K Forth Worth USA Final - Maria Mateas def. Robin Anderson
...6-3/6-5. The 19-year old Dukie wins her maiden pro title, taking out ex-UCLA Bruin Anderson.


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


HM- WTT Final - Springfield def. Philadelphia
...19-18. The Lasers (including Vania King) finally pick up their first King Trophy in Year 23 of their existence.


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


Superhero-like tendencies?


Definitely all-around entertainer tendencies...





1. San Jose 1st Rd. - Johanna Konta def. SERENA WILLIAMS
...6-1/6-0. In the middle of the night (back home), Konta strung together twelve consecutive games to hand Serena the worst full-match loss of her career.


===============================================
2. San Jose 1st Rd. - Victoria Azarenka def. KATERYNA BONDARENKO
...6-3/6-7(7)/7-5. In a battle of WTA moms, Vika failed to convert three MP in the 2nd set and had to battle for 2:40, playing past midnight while overcoming a 2-0/40-love 3rd set deficit vs. the Ukrainian to get the win. This was their first meeting since 2010. Azarenka is now 5-0 in the series, but the previous "other lifetime" victories came in straight sets.



Even with the loss, though, K-Bond will always have this rally...


===============================================
3. San Jose 2nd Rd. - VENUS WILLIAMS def. Heather Watson
...6-4/4-6/6-0. Watson knows all about getting close vs. a Williams Sister. Remember, three years ago at Wimbledon, the Brit led Serena 3-0 (double-break) in the 3rd in their 3rd Round match. She served at 5-4, and was two points away from the win. Serena went on to win the title, of course. Though Watson won the MX crown at SW19 a year later.


===============================================
HM- San Jose Final - LATISHA CHAN/Kveta Peschke def. LYUDMYLA KICHENOK/NADIIA KICHENOK
...6-4/6-1. At a combined age of 43, Chan & Peschke are collectively the oldest doubles champions on tour in in 2018.
===============================================


A (recently) rare dual Pliskova sighting...

My dve???????

A post shared by Kristyna Pliskova (@kristynapliskova) on









@simonahalep’s got hops! ???? @couperogers . Repost from @dc10s

A post shared by WTA (@wta) on







Meanwhile, the Legend of Steph continues? (Maybe one January we'll get that Steph photo with Leo & mom.)





Exploring options to beat jetleg! #coffeewithlucie #montreal ??????

A post shared by Lucie Safarova (@lucie.safarova) on










#MTL ?

A post shared by Daria Gavrilova (@daria_gav) on





















*2018 WTA FIRST-TIME CHAMPS*
Indian Wells: Naomi Osaka, JPN (20/#44) - def. Kasatkina
Rosmalen: Aleksandra Krunic, SRB (25/#55) - def. Flipkens
Mallorca: Tatjana Maria, GER (30/#79) - def. Sevastova
Moscow MO: Olga Danilovic, SRB (17/#187) - def. Potapova
Nanchang: Wang Qiang, CHN (26/#78) - def. Sai.Zheng
San Jose: MIHAELA BUZARNESCU, ROU (30/#24) - def. Sakkari

*2018 OLDEST WTA SINGLES CHAMPIONS*
33y,1m,1w = SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA, RUS (Washington)
32y,3m = Pauline Parmentier, FRA (Istanbul)
30y,10m,2w = Tatjana Maria, GER (Mallorca)
30y,6m = Angelique Kerber, GER (Wimbledon)
30y,3m = MIHAELA BUZARNESCU, ROU (San Jose)

*2018 WTA TITLES FROM MP DOWN*
Australian Open: Caroline Wozniacki (2 MP=2r/Fett)
Charleston: Kiki Bertens (1 MP=SF/Keys)
Strasbourg: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2 MP=F/Cibulkova)
Rosmalen: Aleksandra Krunic (1 MP - SF/Vandeweghe)
Eastbourne: Caroline Wozniacki (1 MP=SF/Kerber)
Washington: SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA (4 MP=F/Vekic)

*30+ FIRST-TIME WTA CHAMPS IN 2000's*
31 - Alberta Brianti, ITA (2011 Fes)
30 - Nicole Pratt, AUS (2004 Hyderabad)
30 - Peng Shuai, CHN (2016 Tianjin)
30 - Tatjana Maria, GER (2018 Mallorca)
30 - MIHAELA BUZARNESCU, ROU (2018 San Jose)

*2018 WTA FINALS*
5 - Petra Kvitova (5-0)
4 - Simona Halep (2-2)
3 - Elina Svitolina (3-0)
3 - Elise Mertens (3-0)
3 - Caroline Wozniacki (2-1)
3 - MIHAELA BUZARNESCU (1-2)

*2018 WTA FIRST-TIME FINALISTS*
Hobart: Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU (#57, 29)
Taipei City: Kateryna Kozlova, UKR (#85, 23)
Acapulco: Stefanie Voegele, SUI (#183, 27)
Mallorca: Tatjana Maria, GER (#79, 30) = W
Gstaad: Mandy Minella, LUX (#226, 32)
Moscow MO: Anastasia Potapova, RUS (#204, 17)
Moscow MO: Olga Danilovic, SRB (#187, 17) = W
Nanchang: Zheng Saisai, CHN (#112, 24)
Nanchang: Wang Qiang, CHN (#78, 26) = W
San Jose: MARIA SAKKARI, GRE (#49, 23) = L

*2018 OLDEST WS FINALISTS*
36 - Serena Williams, USA (Wimbledon-L)
33 - SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA, RUS (Washington-W)
32 - Mandy Minella, LUX (Gstaad-L)
32 - Kirsten Flipkens, BEL (Rosmalen-L)
32 - Pauline Parmentier, FRA (Istanbul-W)

*2018 LOW-RANKED FINALISTS*
#226 - Mandy Minella, LUX (Gstaad)
#204 - Anastasia Potapova, RUS (Moscow MO)
#187 - Olga Danilovic, SRB (Moscow MO) = W
#183 - Stefanie Voegele, SUI (Acapulco)
#181 - Serena Williams, USA (Wimbledon)
#132 - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, SVK (Bogota) = W
#128 - SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA, RUS (Washington) = W
#122 - Pauline Parmentier, FRA (Istanbul) = W
#112 - Zheng Saisai, CHN (Nanchang)

*2018 WTA FINALS - both w/o a title*
Moscow MO - Danilovic/SRB (0-0) def. Potapova/RUS (0-0)
Nanchang - Q.Wang/CHN (0-0) def. Sai.Zheng/CHN (0-0)
San Jose - BUZARNESCU/ROU (0-2) def. SAKKARI/GRE (0-0)

*2018 RUSSIANS IN WTA FINALS*
2 - Dasha Kasatkina (0-2)
1 - SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA (1-0)
1 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (1-0)
1 - Anastasia Potapova (0-1)
[WTA 125]
1 - Irina Khromacheva (1-0)
1 - Sofya Zhuk (0-1)

*WTA CAREER TITLES - active*
72 - Serena Williams, USA
49 - Venus Williams, USA
36 - Maria Sharapova, RUS
29 - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
25 - Petra Kvitova, CZE
20 - Victoria Azarenka, BLR
20 - Aga Radwanska, POL
18 - SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA, RUS
17 - Simona Halep, ROU

*WTA CAREER FINALS - active*
93...Serena Williams (72-21)
83...Venus Williams (49-34)
59...Maria Sharapova (36-23)
53...Caroline Wozniacki (29-24)
41...SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA (18-23)
36...Victoria Azarenka (20-16)
35...Jelena Jankovic (15-20)
32...Petra Kvitova (25-7)
31...Simona Halep (17-14)

*RUSSIANS - WTA SINGLES TITLES*
36 - Maria Sharapova (2003-17)
18 - SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA (2002-18)
16 - Elena Dementieva (2003-10)
13 - Nadia Petrova (2005-12)
12 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2010-18)
12 - Vera Zvonareva (2003-11)
12 - Dinara Safina (2002-09)
10 - Anastasia Myskina (1999-05)

*ROMANIANS - AGE OF FIRST WTA TITLE (active)*
18 - Sorana Cirstea (Tashkent '08)
19 - Alexandra Dulgheru (Warsaw '09)
21 - Simona Halep (Nurnberg '13)
22 - Irinia-Camelia Begu (Tashkent '12)
25 - Monica Niculescu (Florianopolis '13)
30 - MIHAELA BUZARNESCU (San Jose '18)

*2018 WTA MULTIPLE WS CHAMPS - NATIONS*
3: GER - Goerges,Kerber,Maria
2: BEL - Mertens,Van Uytvanck
2: CZE - Kvitova,Ka.Pliskova
2: FRA - Cornet,Parmentier
2: ROU - BUZARNESCU,Halep
2: RUS - KUZNETSOVA,Pavlyuchenkova
2: SRB - Danilovic,Krunic
2: UKR - Svitolina,Tsurenko

*2018 WTA SF*
6 - Simona Halep (4-1+L)
6 - MIHAELA BUZARNESCU (3-3)
5 - Petra Kvitova (5-0)
5 - ELISE MERTENS (3-2)
5 - Angelique Kerber (2-3)
4 - Caroline Wozniacki (3-1)
4 - Julia Goerges (2-2)
4 - Anastasija Sevastova (2-2)
4 - Garbine Muguruza (1-2+W)

*2018 OLDEST WD CHAMPIONS*
43 - KVETA PESCHKE, CZE (SAN JOSE)
42 - Kveta Peschke, CZE (Prague)
37 - Katarina Srebotnik, SLO (Nurnberg)
37 - Katarina Srebotnik, SLO (Charleston)
36 - Abigail Spears, USA (Nottingham)
35 - Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, ESP (Mallorca)
35 - Raquel Atawo, USA (Stuttgart)
34 - DARIJA JURAK, CRO (WASHINGTON)
[combined]
71...L.CHAN/PESCHKE (28/43) = SAN JOSE
68...Rosolska/Spears (32/36) = Nottingham
67...Klepac/Martinez Sanchez = (32/35) = Mallorca
67...Kudryavtseva/Srebotnik = (30/37) = Charleston
67...Atawo/Groenefeld = (35/32) = Stuttgart
66...Melichar/Peschke = (24/42) = Prague

*2018 #1 WD SEEDS WIN TITLE*
Lugano - Flipkens/Mertens, BEL/BEL
Madrid - Makarova/Vesnina, RUS/RUS
Rosmalen - Mertens/Schuurs, BEL/NED
Mallorca - Klepac/Martinez Sanchez, SLO/ESP
San Jose - LATISHA CHAN/KVETA PESCHKE, CHN/CZE

*WTA ACTIVE CAREER WD TITLES*
41 - Sania Mirza, IND
39 - Katarina Srebotnik, SLO (2 in '18)
30 - KVETA PESCHKE, CZE (2)
29 - LATISHA CHAN, TPE (1)
27 - Sara Errani, ITA (1)
26 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
25 - Andrea S.-Hlavackova, CZE
24 - Samantha Stosur, AUS

*CAREER TITLES w/ PARTNERS*
[Peschke]
10 - Srebotnik (2010-12,14)
4 - Groenefeld (2012-14,17)
4 - Stubbs (2007-08)
3 - Schiavone (2006)
1 - Benesova (2005)
1 - L.Chan (2018)
1 - Chuang (2010)
1 - Dulko (2005)
1 - Loit (2006)
1 - Melichar (2018)
1 - Raymond (2008)
1 - Rittner (2001)
1 - Vildova (1998)
ITF: Roesch(2004), Vildova(1998)
[L.Chan]
10 - HC.Chan [Angel] (2013-17)
9 - Hingis (17)
7 - Chuang (2005,07-08)
1 - Dodig (2018 MX)
1 - Peschke (2018)
1 - Spears (2009)
1 - J.Zheng (2010)
125 Series: HC.Chan (2014), Sh.Zhang (2013)
=ITF=
7 - Chuang (2006-07,09)
3 - HC.Chan (2007,11)
2 - C.Chan (2004)
1 - Morita (2009), An.Rodionova (2009), Thongdach (2004), J.Zheng (2011)

*WTT CHAMPIONS*
1974 Denver Raquets
1975 Pittsburgh Triangles
1976 New York Sets
1977 New York Apples
1978 Los Angeles Strings
1979-80 PLAY SUSPENDED
1981 Los Angeles Strings
1982 Dallas Stars
1983 Chicago Fyre
1984 San Diego Buds
1985 San Diego Buds
1986 San Antonio Raquets
1987 Charlotte Heat
1988 Charlotte Heat
1989 San Antonio Raquets
1990 Los Angeles Strings
1991 Atlanta Thunder
1992 Atlanta Thunder
1993 Wichita Advantage
1994 New Jersey Stars
1995 New Jersey Stars
1996 St.Louis Aces
1997 Sacramento Capitals
1998 Sacramento Capitals
1999 Sacramento Capitals
2000 Sacramento Capitals
2001 Philadelphia Freedoms
2002 Sacramento Capitals
2003 Delaware Smash
2004 Newport Beach Breakers
2005 New York Sportimes
2006 Philadelphia Freedoms
2007 Sacramento Capitals
2008 Kansas City Explorers
2009 Washington Kastles
2010 Kansas City Explorers
2011 Washington Kastles (undefeated)
2012 Washington Kastles (undefeated)
2013 Washington Kastles
2014 Washington Kastles
2015 Washington Kastles
2016 San Diego Aviators
2017 Orange County Breakers
2018 Springfield Lasers

*SERENA WILLIAMS...*
[fewest games won]
1 = 2018 San Jose 1st - Joanna Konta 1-6/0-6
2 = 1995 Quebec City Q1 - Anne Miller 1-6/1-6
2 = 1998 Okla.City QF - Joanette Kruger 1-6/1-6
2 = 2014 WTA Finals rr - Simona Halep 0-6/2-6
-
ALSO: 0 = 2007 Zurich 1st - Patty Schnyder 0-6/0-3 ret.
[love sets lost - singles]
1997 Indian Wells Q1 - Alexia Dechaume-Balleret (L)
1999 Roland Garros 3rd - Mary Joe Fernandez (L)
2005 Dubai SF - Jelena Jankovic (L)
2007 Miami F - Justine Henin (W)
2007 Zurich 1st - Patty Schnyder (L)
2008 WTA Chsp rr - Venus Williams (L)
2013 Madrid QF - Anabel Medina-Garrigues (W)
2014 WTA Finals rr - Simona Halep (L)
2018 San Jose 1st - Johanna Konta (L)
-
ALSO: 2015 Hopman rr - Flavia Pennetta (W)
[love sets lost - doubles]
1997 I.Wells 2nd (w/ Venus) - def. Carlsson/Sidot 0-6/6-3/6-3
1997 I.Wells QF (w/ Venus) - lost to Davenport/Zvereva 3-6/0-6
2015 FC WG PO (w/ Riske) - lost to Errani/Pennetta 0-6/3-6
2018 RG 3r (w/ Venus) - lost to Klepac/Martinez-S. 4-6/7-6(4)/0-6

*ANDREA PETKOVIC TOP 10 WINS*
[2009]
#6 Svetlana Kuznetsova (Tokyo)
[2011]
#5 Venus Williams (Australian Open)
#1 Caroline Wozniacki (Miami)
#7 Jelena Jankovic (Miami)
#6 Jelena Jankovic (Stuttgart)
#7 Petra Kvitova (Toronto)
#6 Petra Kvitova (Cincinnati)
#10 Marion Bartoli (Beijing)
[2013]
#2 Victoria Azarenka (Beijing)
[2015]
#9 Ekaterina Makarova (Miami)
[2016]
#5 Garbine Muguruza (Doha)
[2017]
#3 Sloane Stephens (Washington)

**2018 PREMIER MANDATORY/PREMIER 5 CHAMPIONS**
Doha - Petra Kvitova, CZE
Indian Wells - Naomi Osaka, JPN
Miami - Sloane Stephens, USA
Madrid - Petra Kvitova, CZE
Rome - Elina Svitolina, UKR
Canada - x
Cincinnati - x
Wuhan - x
Beijing - x
[doubles]
Doha - Dabrowski/Ostapenko, CAN/LAT
Indian Wells - Hsieh/Strycova, TPE/CZE
Miami - Barty/Vandeweghe, AUS/USA
Madrid - Makarova/Vesnina, RUS/RUS
Rome - Barty/Schuurs, AUS/NED
Canada - x
Cincinnati - x
Wuhan - x
Beijing - x

**2018 GRADE 1/A/SLAM JUNIOR CHAMPS**
Coffee Bowl G1: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano/COL
Copa Barranquilla G1: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano/COL
Traralgon G1: Liang En-shou/TPE
Prague G1: Maria Timofeeva/RUS
Australian Open: Liang En-shuo/TPE
Mundial Juvenil G1: Gabriella Price/USA
Asuncion Bowl G1: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano/COL
Banana Bowl G1: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano/COL
Yeltsin Cup G1: Lenka Stara/SVK
Porto Alegre GA: Leylah Annie Fernandez/CAN
Nonthaburi G1: Zheng Qinwen/CHN
Sarawak Chief Minister's Cup G1: Naho Sato/JPN
Perin Memorial G1: Clara Tauson/DEN
Trofeo JCF G1: Diane Parry/FRA
U.S. Int'l Spring Chsp G1: Hurricane Tyra Black/USA
Beaulieu-sur-Mer G1: Eleonora Molinaro/LUX
Mediterranee Avenir G1: Yasmine Mansouri/FRA
Santa Croce G1: Zheng Qinwen/CHN
Trofeo Bonfiglio GA: Eleonora Molinaro/LUX
Astrid Bowl G1: Alexa Noel/USA
Roland Garros: Coco Gauff/USA
Offenbach G1: Lea Ma/USA
Allianz Kundler German Juniors G1: Selma Stefania Cadar/ROU
Roehampton G1: Coco Gauff/USA
Wimbledon: Iga Swiatek/POL
China Junior G1: Wong Hong Yi Cody/HKG


The USTA has had a good run of late, so one had to expect a step back at some point...


Hmmm...

Too bad a portion of the "new" grounds couldn't be a little outside Wimbledon's town limits, to work around that whole ridiculous 11 p.m. curfew thing.





MONTREAL, QUEBEC CAN (Premier 5/Hard Court Outdoor)
=2017 WS (Toronto)=
QF: Wozniacki d. Ka.Pliskova
QF: Stephens d. Safarova
QF: Svitolina d. Muguruza
QF: Halep d. Garcia
SF: Wozniacki d. Stephens
SF: Svitolina d. Halep
F: Svitolina d. Wozniacki
=2017 WD (Toronto)=
SF: Makarova/Vesnina d. N.Kichenok/An.Rodionova
SF: Groenefeld/Peschke
F: Makarova/Vesnina d. Groenefeld/Peschke
=======================================
'18 TOP SEEDS
WS: #1 Halep, #2 Wozniacki
WD: #1 Krejcikova/Siniakova, #2 L.Chan/Makarova


Carol, sing us out...



All for now.
↧

Wk.32- Simona... Just Right (and maybe even a little better)

August 12, 2018, 11:51 pm
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The premature fretting can now officially cease.

As a breaking-and-entering little girl in a fairy tale famously discovered the porridge temperature that was "just right," creating a Goldilocks Principle concept of the "perfect" balance that maximizes effectiveness, the "Simona Principle" has grown into a force to be reckoned with.



One never know what winning a maiden slam title will do to a player. With their biggest career goal met, some players lose focus. Or, worse, lose sight of the most important personal qualities that got them into the winner's circle in the first place. Since winning Roland Garros, some have raised a suspicious eyebrow at Simona Halep's comments about having now achieved all her career goals -- reaching #1 and winning a major title -- and that winning an Olympic medal for Romania in Tokyo in 2020 is now her only true focus in tennis. Many have wondered if that meant she was looking past the nearly two-year gap between now and the next Summer Games. Was her desire for more titles and slams suddenly gone? Was the fight and desire that pulled her to the top of the sport somehow smaller now than it had been prior to her triumph in Paris?

Well, after what Halep did this past week in Montreal, I think we got our answer.

Yes, Simona is a changed woman. But not *that* changed. She's still a fighter. Sometimes a cranky one prone to tossing a fit (and racket) or whining about a few bad shots, even while she's ahead in a match. Hey, she's Romanian -- we'd have to question her heritage if she *wasn't* like that, right? She's also still an awesome defensive player with an aggressive mentality who'll fight from sun up until sun down. Aches, pains, blisters, bad scheduling and in-form opponents be damned. She won't always win, but she'll wear herself down to the nub trying to. The most important aspects that made Halep *Halep* are still intact.

Actually, with the lack of an overbearing pressure/fear of possibly *never* truly succeeding at the highest level now banished from her career resume (and mindset) forever, Halep may actually even be *better* than she was before. Deeper. More expertly equipped -- though hardly faultless, as no #1-ranked player on the Most Interesting Tour in the World should *ever* be that -- to deal with the ups and down of a long battle between the lines.



With the knowledge that defeat can no longer *truly* damage her, from within nor without, she may have finally learned to naturally live in the "just right" space that will allow the types of things she did in Montreal (and Melbourne and Paris) to define the remainder of her career, as well as her legacy forever after.



If so, the Simona Principle will be a very lovely notion indeed. And even more fun to watch play out.




*WEEK 32 CHAMPIONS*
MONTREAL, QUEBEC CAN (Premier 5/Hard Court)
S: Simona Halep/ROU def. Sloane Stephens/USA 7-6(6)/3-6/6-4
D: Ash Barty/Demi Schuurs (AUS/NED) d. Latisha Chan/Ekaterina Makarova (TPE/RUS) 4-6/6-3 [10-8]
ITF WORLD JUNIOR CHSP. (Team 14s/Prostejov, CZE)
F: Russia d. Czech Republic 2-1





PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Simona Halep/ROU
...blisters, fatigue, scheduling issues, battles with negativity... but, in the end, with a triumphant raising of the arms to close out the week. Yes, it was everything -- and more -- that we've come to expect from Halep, who's transformed before our eyese from tough luck contender to beloved (and gusty) grand champion, #1-ranked player in the world (now with a nearly-2000 points gap between herself and #2) and quite possibly the last player on The Most Interesting Tour that anyone wants to face off with when tennis death is on the line.



Over the course of 2018, Halep has become the Bulldog Queen of tennis. Her warrioress trek through the draw in Melbourne didn't ultimately reward her with a title, but it earned her the respect and admiration of her peers that few enjoy over the course of a career. While she's carried the physical scars of that two-week stretch all season long it's been the mental strength she gained from it that has led to her complete metamorphosis. As with any player with perfectionist tendencies, she's still liable to get on herself for a bad stretch, even when she's leading on the scoreboard. It happened vs. Sloane Stephens in the Montreal final, after a 4-1 1st set lead had slipped to 4-3. But she didn't give up, saved four SP and won an 8-6 TB in what turned out to be the key moment of the match. With a set in hand, she was able to overcome dropping the 2nd (though she made Sloane use four more SP chances before finally securing it). After an early 2-0 lead in the 3rd turned into a push/pull series of breaks of serve, and three squandered Halep MP's came and went (one after a DF), the Romanian still had a superior reservoir of take-a-licking-and-keep-on-ticking, today-is-a-good-day-to-die fire and bullheadedness to call upon in her time of need.

After a career of nibbling around the edges, Melbourne fed that particular beast. Paris decorated it with a silver glow. Now Halep wears it like a badge of honor, and it's because of that, perhaps defying the beliefs of many, she's worn her #1 ranking quite well since rising to the position for the first time last October. She only briefly dropped out of the spot for four weeks after Caroline Wozniacki's AO triumph, and now looks to possibly be able to ride it out until the end of the year if she can maintain even a reasonably high level of performance in the season's closing months.

In her first tournament since Wimbledon, where she followed up her RG win with an acceptable 3rd Round result ended by the bedeviling game of Hsieh Su-wei, it wouldn't have been shocking for Halep to take her time finding her footing in Montreal. Instead, she jumped feet first in the North American summer fire. In a two-day match vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, she overcame a 4-2 3rd set deficit and won in 3:07, then came back later in the night and defeated Venus Williams in straight sets. She won nine of ten games under the lights to finish off Caroline Garcia after trailing 5-4 in the 1st set, then knocked off Ash Barty in straights early in the afternoon on Saturday to reach her fifth '18 final (tying Petra Kvitova for the tour lead), then won an insta-classic three-set final over Stephens to add another to her tour-leading match win total (42), claim her third title of the season (tied for second behind Kvitova), and second straight Rogers Cup win in Montreal, having won the last time it was played there in '16.



Yep, don't worry about Simona. She's doing just fine.
===============================================
RISER:Sloane Stephen/USA and Kiki Bertens/NED
...Stephens looks primed and ready to begin her U.S. Open title defense. Well, unless maybe Simona Halep shows up in her path yet again, that is (and after that happened when they faced off in Paris and Montreal, who *wouldn't* want to see that?).



After losing out in the end to the world #1 in a gritty, grueling three-set battle on the Romanian's favorite surface at Roland Garros two months ago, Stephens saw a similar scenario play out in the Montreal final on *her* favored hard courts this weekend as both put up fabulous efforts in their first post-Wimbledon outings just two weeks before the start of play at Flushing Meadows.

While Halep may have won her second straight (over three years) title in Montreal, the Rogers Cup (albeit in Toronto in '17) was something of a "homecoming" event For Stephens. For it was there that her miraculous summer run to the Open title first gained real traction last summer. In the event, as the #934-ranked player in the world, she got her the first match win (over Yulia Putintseva) in her comeback from foot surgery and followed it up with three more over the likes of Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber and Lucie Safarova before falling to Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals. A Cincy SF followed (a run ended, naturally, by Halep), then she just went and won the U.S. Open and suddenly found herself in the Top 20. She entered this week ranked #3. Wins over Franckie Abanda, Carla Suarez-Navarro and defending champion Elina Svitolina allowed her another chance at Halep. She had her opportunities in another classic, holding four SP in the 1st and battling through a tight 3rd set, but she wasn't able to stop Halep from extending her winning streak in their head-to-head series to six matches since Stephens' 1 & 1 win in the 2nd Round of the Australian Open in 2013.



Once considered a "clay court specialist," Bertens is in serious discussions to change her career-long label. Yes, after a slow (4-7) start to her '18 season on hard courts, it *was* the start of clay court season that the Dutch player's fuse. She opened the campaign by winning in Charleston, then reached the Madrid final, going 15-5 on the surface and recording five Top 20 (two Top 10) wins. Then she followed up by reaching the Wimbledon QF, knocking off top 10ers Karolina Pliskova and Venus Williams on the grass. Bertens returned to hard courts in Montreal, and picked up right where she'd left off in London. Wins over Pliskova and Petra Kvitova (the latter in the same match-up as in the Madrid final) obliterated her career 0-9 HC record vs. the Top 10, as she reached her first Premier HC quarterfinal since 2013.
===============================================
SURPRISE:Allie Kiick/USA
...the spring/summer comeback story of Kiick added yet another layer of success this weekend in Cincinnati when the 23-year old notched impressive qualifying wins over former U.S. Open champ Sam Stosur and Natalia Vikhlyantseva to reach the MD, her first in a Premier Mandatory event since 2014.

Having lost years with knee injuries and a battle with skin cancer, Kiick has been making up for lost time in recent months. She's gone 28-8 since April, winning a $25K title and reaching two other finals, as well as her maiden tour-level QF in Washington a week ago. In her 1st Round match in Cincy vs. Tatjana Maria she'll be seeking her first career PM main draw victory.
===============================================


VETERAN:Alize Cornet/FRA
...Cornet is just about at that age (she turns 29 during the '19 AO) where so many of her peers have posted their best career results. Could the best be yet to come for her, too? The Pastry is already a former #11 (2009) and four-time slam Round of 16 performer, with seventeen Top 10 (three #1) wins to her credit. After avoiding a suspension earlier this year for missing too many drug test appointments (the final offense came when the tester stood around pushing the button on a broken intercom while Cornet was possibly within earshot on the property, not knowing the next year or so of her career may have been balancing on a rusty wire... as usual, the suspension was overturned by more reasonable independent minds, without which the so-called testing program would be even more of a feeble joke than it already is).

So, Cornet didn't lose her standing, points or '18 campaign, and now she still has a shot at having her best season-ending finish in four years despite a subpar spring/early summer (a QF in Charleston being the lone exception) that occurred while her future was in question and she played on in hope that the effort wouldn't be in vain. After a Brisbane QF and AO 3rd Round (w/ a victory over Julia Goerges that ended the German's 15-match win streak), Cornet's Charleston result was her only multiple MD win event in her next fifteen until two weeks ago she claimed the Gstaad crown, her first title since 2016. In Montreal, she rallied from a set down to defeat Tatjana Maria, then took out Wimbledon champ Angelique Kerber in straight sets to reach the 3rd Round, where she lost to Ash Barty.

After it was over, Cornet then proceeded to disappear into the Montreal street scene.

Streets of Montreal ??????

A post shared by Alizé Cornet (@alizecornet) on



She soon emerged in Cincinnati, winning a pair of weekend qualifying matches over Nicole Gibbs and Sonya Kenin to reach the tournament's MD. She'll face Alona Ostapenko in the 1st Round.

Cornet will be at #33 on Monday, with upcoming fall defenses of QF results in Guangzhou, Wuhan and Moscow and a Premier Mandatory 3rd Round in Beijing. Her last Top 30/35 finish came in 2014 when she came in at #20.
===============================================
COMEBACK:Johanna Konta/GBR
...slowly but surely, Konta is emerging from her year-long funk, and she's celebrated the occasion by flashing some of her old hard court form in recent weeks as the tour has shifted to North America.

After following up her '17 Wimbledon semi with a 2nd Round exit this year at SW19, finally ridding herself of the tremendous weight her home soil success placed upon her shoulders last summer, there's been a decided shift upwards as far as results for Konta. A QF run in San Jose saw her hand Serena Williams her worst career defeat, no matter Serena's personal circumstances on that day, and it surely gave the Brit an nice injection of confidence. She confirmed as much in Montreal, turning the tables on Alona Ostapenko to come back from a set down to win, and then handling Vika Azarenka in straight sets a round later. She fell to Elina Svitolina in the 3rd Round, but it was still a good week for Konta, both on and off court.

First, she got off a really good "Most Interesting Tour" advertisement while commenting on "upsets" on the women's tour...



And she had a strong social media week, as well...




It was a good balance to her recent bad-looking headline run where she's been placed in the "villain" role in a building issue vs. Pooh Corner.




Likely having dropped outside of realistic seed range for the U.S. Open, the currently #39-ranked Brit will surely be one of the most dangerous unseeded floaters in the women's draw when things kick off in Flushing Meadows in two weeks.
===============================================
FRESH FACES:Ash Barty/AUS and Viktoria Kuzmova/SVK
...Barty's final four run in Montreal was her fourth SF-or-better result of the season, and her second on hard courts (after a final in Sydney in January) after also winning a title on grass (Nottingham) and reaching another semi on clay (Strasbourg) earlier this year. After notching a 1st Round win over Irina-Camelia Begu in 2:45 while saving 16 of the Romanian's 20 BP chances in the match, the Aussie followed up with victories over Alison Van Uytvanck and Kiki Bertens before finally finding eventual champ Simona Halep too much to handle. After going out in singles, Barty combined with Demi Schuurs to take their second doubles title of the season.



In Cincinnati, 20-year old Kuzmova, who's already risen from #132 to (on Monday) #56 this season, finally played her first matches on hard court since her star-making 2-0 singles (def. Sabalenka and Sasnovich) weekend vs. BLR in the Fed Cup WG Playoffs in April. The Slovak won back-to-back qualifying matches this weekend over Caroline Dolehide and Camila Giorgi, coming back from a set down to win a 7-5 3rd set over the Italian to reach the MD of her first career Premier Mandatory event. Kuzmova's best junior slam results came on hard courts at the U.S. Open. Both of her two junior slam finals were at Flushing Meadows, as she won the '15 doubles title and was runner-up in singles to Kayla Day in '16. She made her slam MD debut in New York last year after having put on a successful qualifying effort.
===============================================
DOWN:Karolina Pliskova/CZE
...the newly-wed Pliskova has had a good season, it's just that it sometimes doesn't seem as such. The 26-year old was a somewhat unexpected force during the clay season, winning in Stuttgart and reaching the Madrid semis. Hard court, though has been where she shined the brightest the brightest in 2016-17, her two Top 10 seasons. In '18, her results have been, well, fine on hard courts, but hardly "great." A Brisbane SF, Australian Open, Indian Wells & Miami QF provided a good starts, but it's traditionally been the North American summer circuit where she's had her best extended run of results. Remember, she won the U.S. Open Series in 2015 (though without a singles title, revealing the huge loophole in the now-defunct points competition that put participation in a large number of events nearly on par with getting good results in them), was the Cincinnati champ and U.S. Open finalist in '16 as, as the newly-christened women's #1 last July, reached the Toronto and Cincy semis and was the top seed at Flushing Meadows (she reached the QF). She played in Montreal this week as the #9 seed.

After a good win over fellow Czech Katerina Siniakova, Pliskova recorded just four games against Kiki Bertens in the 2nd Round. She's gone a combined 8-7 on three surfaces since defeating Simona Halep in the Madrid QF. Even something of a a rebound over the remainder of the summer, if it doesn't come with a title of some kind attached, won't necessarily return a shine to Pliskova's '18 campaign. Not after she showed her potential by reaching the top of the rankings and challenging for a slam title. Since she reached the Open final two years ago, three first-time slam finalists have followed in her footsteps and four maiden major champs have been crowned. Pliskova has reached one major semi in that seven-slam period. While everyone else has been improving, Pliskova has stayed about the same, at best, and has likely taken at least a step back. Even the serve that so fueled her game hasn't been quite the eye-popping weapon in was as she was climbing the rankings. After leading the tour the last three years, Pliskova is currently in second, well behind Julia Goerges (her WD partner in Montreal), for this season. With her Cincinnati and U.S. Open points defenses on deck, Pliskova could soon be in danger of falling out of the Top 10 for the first time in nearly two years (her active 100+ week streak of Top 10 rankings is behind only the four and a half year stay of #1 Simona Halep).



To continue the theme, Karolina sort of played second fiddle to this little girl, too. Can you say, "a viral star is born?"


===============================================
ITF PLAYERS:Madison Brengle/USA and Zhu Lin/CHN
...in Landisville, Pennsylvania the USTA Wild Card Challenge series concluded with Brengle winning her seventh straight challenger final dating back to 2014, and improving to 11-2 in such matches since early 2011.



While the 28-year old has only recorded two MD tour-level wins in ten events this season, and just three in the past year, she's found success on the challenger circuit in the U.S.. Since winning her biggest career title in the Midland, Michigan $100K in January, she's reached an $80K final in Charleston, South Carolina and $60K semi in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. Career title #12 came after a week in which she defeated Arina Rodionova (3 sets), Gabriella Taylor (ret. after 2 sets), Ann Li and Priscilla Hon, and become official when Kristie Ahn retired down 6-4/1-0 in the final.

Ahn had saved two MP in the semis vs. Jessica Pegula, who would have won the Challenge series and a WC berth in the U.S. Open MD had she won the match. Ahn would have gotten it had she won the final. With Brengle's title, though, Lexington champ Asia Muhammad gets the decade-in-the-making honor.



Meanwhile, recent Nanchang semifinalist Zhu Lin won the $60K challenger in Jinan, China with a 6-4/6-1 win over countrywoman Wang Yafan in the final. She'd knocked off #1-seeded Luksika Kumkhum 4-6/7-6(3)/7-6(6) in the semis. The eighth ITF win of Zhu's career, it's also the biggest to date for the 24-year old. It's just her second singles title since 2014, as she'd been 1-5 in challenger final since her win this weekend.
===============================================

JUNIOR STARS:Russian 14s Team
...in Prostejov, Czech Republic a new generation of Hordettes posted a result that signals that Russian women's tennis won't likely be seeing a dearth of young talent anytime soon. Led by Diana Shnaider and Erika Andreeva, the Hordettes were crowned the ITF World Junior 14s champions, earning the nation's third title in the event since 2014. Seeded #3, Russia defeated the #2 U.S. squad in the semis with Shnaider clinching the win with a three-set victory over Katrina Scott. In the final versus the top-ranked host Czechs, it was Andreeva who was called upon to come to the rescue when Shnaider (the European #1) lost to Linda Noskova (who also defeated her in the recent European 14s championships) in the opening match. Andreeva notched a victory over Linda Fruhvitova to send things to the deciding doubles, where she joined forces with Shnaider to defeat Fruhvitova/Noskova 6-4/6-4 to take the title with a 2-1 victory.



(By the way, I could really get behind Shnaider making the polka dots her signature look should she go on to become a pro player of some relevance.)

*RECENT ITF WORLD JUNIOR FINALS [14s]*
2007 USA d. FRA
2008 USA d. GBR
2009 USA d. CZE
2010 USA d. UKR
2011 SRB d. USA
2012 SVK d. GBR
2013 USA d. RUS
2014 RUS d. UKR
2015 RUS d. USA
2016 UKR d. USA
2017 USA d. UKR
2018 RUS d. CZE



In Orlando, the USTA National Championships (18s) were won by '17 RG girls champ Osuigwe. After defeating #3-seeded Coco Gauff in the semis, the #2-seeded 18-year old staged a comeback from 5-1 down in the 1st set vs. '16 U.S. Open junior champ Kayla Day in the final, grabbing a wild card into the women's draw at Flushing Meadows. In a big hole in that 1st set vs. the top-seeded Day, Osuigwe left the court for treatment for a leg injury. When she returned, she seized control of the match and didn't let go, winning six straight games to take the opening set and winning 7-5/6-3. Day doesn't leave empty handed -- she gets a WC berth in the Open qualifying draw.

Meanwhile, Fiona Crawley won the 16s title.


===============================================
DOUBLES:Ash Barty/Demi Schuurs, AUS/NED
...with her "go-to" doubles partner role in flux due to the retirement of Casey Dellacqua, Barty has gotten the chance to "try out" a few new teammates in recent months. She won in Miami with CoCo Vandeweghe, but went 2-3 with her in subsequent outings. Schuurs, who seems to be able to win (matches *and* titles) with virtually anyone she teams up with, joined Barty in Rome in their first-ever pairing. They won the title. They joined forces again in Montreal and, well, they've still yet to taste defeat. The duo's second '18 title run ups their record to 10-0.



Barty/Schuurs posted straight sets wins over Mattek-Sands/Safarova, L.Kichenok/Ostapenko, Aoyama/Marozava and Melichar/Peschke to reach the final without dropping a set. There they came back from a set down to defeat Latisha Chan (looking to win back-to-back titles w/ two different partners, after winning in San Jose w/ Kveta Peschke) and Ekaterina Makarova (seeking to defend the crown she won w/ Elena Vesnina last year) in a 10-8 3rd set tie-break. No matter, Chan still re-claims the #1 doubles ranking from Timea Babos on Monday.

Schuurs' six titles are double the next-highest total on tour in '18. *That* list of players includes Barty (w/ Dabrowski and Mertens), who improves to 3-0 in season WD finals. It's Barty's eighth career tour title, and Schuurs' ninth. Seven of Schuurs' wins have come since last September.
===============================================
WHEELCHAIR:Donna Jansen/NED
...20-year old Dutch player Jansen, the WC world #34, swept the singles and doubles competitions at the Memorial Jens Vanherck event in Belgium. The #1 seed, she defeated #3 Charlotte Fairbank (FRA) in the semis, then #4-seeded South African Mariska Venter 6-4/1-6/6-3 in the singles final. She and Venter joined forces to take the doubles title.



Here's a quick traveler's POV look at her trip to a recent event.


To learn more about Jansen, let her tell you about her journey to and goals for wheelchair tennis career.
===============================================


The Cornet Rain Delay Story (courtesy of Jimmie48 Photography)





And.... scene.


1. Montreal Final - Simona Halep def. Sloane Stephens
...7-6(6)/3-6/6-4. Halep and Stephens came together for another classic final, and yet another Match of the Year contender.

Halep led 4-1 in the 1st, but as both players jumped on the poor second serves of their opponents things got tight rather quickly. Halep served for the set at 5-4, but soon had to hold at 5-6 just to reach a TB. She saved a pair of SP to get there, then quickly fell behind 4-0. After getting one mini-break back, the Romanian DF'd to fall into a 5-1 hole. Back-to-back errors from the serving Stephens turned a 5-2 lead into a suddenly-close 5-4. Another Halep DF gave Stephens two more SP, but she failed to convert either, with her fourth of the set going away via a net cord shot that sailed beyond the baseline. Halep won a 20-shot rally with a backhand winner into the corner to reach her first SP, which she got with a Stephens return error to win 8-6.



Up 4-2 in the 2nd, Stephens saved two BP and forced a 3rd set when she converted on her fourth SP (after being 0-for-7 in the match).



Halep led 2-0 in the 3rd, but Stephens got back to even at 2-2, only to see Halep break to reclaim the lead as the two continued to trade off breaks of serve. Serving at 5-3, Halep DF'd on MP, and saw Stephens save two more on her own serve in game #9. Finally, serving for the match at 5-4, Halep fired an ace up the "T" to secure the win.



And, who knows, this might not be the last time Simona and Sloane face off this summer.
===============================================
2. Montreal 2nd Rd. - Elina Svitolina def. Mihaela Buzarnescu
...6-3/6-7(5)/4-3 ret. Sometimes the Tennis Gods are real a-holes, you know? Only days after Buzarnescu's comeback story hit its zenith (so far) with her maiden tour title and appearance in the Top 20, injury once again pulled her down. Playing for a third time in '18 (Svitolina won both previous matches), Buzarnescu led the Ukrainian 3-0 in the 3rd set. Not long after questioning the slipperiness of the court in Montreal's week-long rainy weather, Buzarnescu fell in the sidelines of the court. Screaming in pain at a level close to Mattek-Sands' agony at last year's Wimbledon, Buzarnescu was ultimately wheeled off the court, ending her summer run. She'll miss the U.S. Open but, in the only good news here, she hopes to be back for the schedule's Asian swing.









===============================================
3. Montreal 2nd Rd. - Simona Halep def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
...7-6(9)/4-6/7-5. The Russian had the Romanian by the tail, but she hollered and she let her go. And, well, the rest was history. After playing just seven games on Day 1 of this one (Pavs 4-3), the bulk of the contest took place on Day 2. There, Pavlyuchenkova dropped the 1st set despite holding SP (Halep won it on SP #4), and led 4-2 in the 3rd, as well. Despite suffering from foot blisters that would plague her all week, Halep prevailed to run her career record vs. the Hordette to 8-0.


===============================================
4. Montreal 2nd Rd. - Ayrna Sabalenka def. Caroline Wozniacki 5-7/6-2/7-6(4)
Montreal 3rd Rd. - Elise Mertens def. Aryna Sabalenka 2-6/7-6(1)/6-0
...what a day. Last week, Sabalenka fell in the opening round of San Jose qualifying to #258 Maria Sanchez. This week, she saved 3 MP vs. #2 Wozniacki and avenged her loss to the Dane in the Eastbourne final, firing 15 aces and 64 winners en route to the biggest win of her career in the 2:31 contest. Thing is, due to all the rain in Montreal, Sabalenka wasn't finished. She had to play a second match about ninety minutes later vs. Mertens. She held a MP vs. the Waffle, but dropped a 2nd set TB, then lost the 3rd set at love.

Sabalenka. One of these days. Until then... sigh.
===============================================
5. Montreal SF - Sloane Stephens def. Elina Svitolina
...6-3/6-3. The defending Rogers Cup champ, Svitolina had won eight straight semifinal matches.
===============================================
6. Montreal 1st Rd. - Lucie Safarova def. Dasha Gavrilova
...4-6/6-4/7-5. Gavrilova led 6-4/4-2, and was up 5-2 (and had a MP) in the 3rd of this 2:35 loss in which she had 17 DF. Ouch.
===============================================


7. Montreal 1st Rd. - Vika Azarenka def. Kristina Mladenovic
...6-0/6-1. Mladenovic lost 4 & 2 in the 1st Round in San Jose a week ago, as the summer funk that set in on the Pastry last year (which ultimately grew into a 15-match losing streak) seems to have set in yet again. Since her funk-breaking final run in Saint Petersburg in February, Mladenovic has gone just 10-15 in tour-level matches (not counting her 3-1 FC record) and has now lost three straight. She faces Julia Goerges in the 1st Round in Cincinnati.
===============================================
8. Montreal 1st Rd. - Anastasija Sevastova def. Aleksandra Krunic
...6-1/6-0. Oh, Bracelet. Since her title run at Rosmalen, Krunic has gone 1-4. In her last two matches, vs. Sevastova and Kateryna Bondarenko, she's won a TOTAL of three games.
===============================================
9. Montreal 1st Rd. - Julia Goerges def. Timea Babos
...3-6/7-6(3)/6-4. Goerges fired 17 aces and had 44 winners. After taking the 1st set, Babos was 0-for-7 on BP chances in the 2nd.
===============================================




10. Montreal 1st Rd. - Maria Sharapova def. Sesil Karatantcheva
...6-1/6-2. Fourteen years after their infamous "I'll kick her ass off" comment from Sesil, in their first meeting since 2010, Sharapova records her first match win since Roland Garros in a two-day match (the Russian led 4-1 after Day 1). Sharapova leads the head-to-head 5-0. Karatantcheva, who turned 29 this past week, is still one of the most quotable players around: see?


===============================================
11. Montreal 2nd Rd. - Maria Sharapova def. Dasha Kasatkina
...6-0/6-2. Sharapova still maintains her spot atop the Russian tennis hierarchy, as her shockingly definitive win over Kasatkina showed. 90-26 vs. fellow Hordettes, Sharapova is 36-5 vs. Russians since her AO 1st Round loss to Maria Kirilenko in 2010. Of course, too many photos like this and Maria might start to question if she's being unkind to children.


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


12. Montreal 1st Rd. - Genie Bouchard/Sloane Stephens def. Gaby Dabrowski/Xu Yifan
...6-4/4-6 [10-6]. Bouchard fell 2 & 4 to Mertens in the singles 1st Round, but she and Sloane reached the WD QF. It's more evidence that Bouchard should really play a little more doubles, for the success as well as the match play. And, yes, because I picked her to win *two* tour doubles titles in '18... and time is running out!


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


13. Montreal QF - Simona Halep def. Caroline Garcia
...7-5/6-1. The side story here was that Garcia led Halep 5-4 in the 1st set, then her coach/dad paid her a visit in the changeover area. After dumping a bag of baguettes-load of information into her head, Garcia seemed at a loss about what to do next. She nearly lost the next two games at love, and dropped nine of ten games to lose the match. Yeah, Halep played very well. But the timing of Garcia's collapse was interesting, to say the least.
===============================================
14. $25 Nonthaburi THA Final - Wang Xiyu def. Barbora Stefkova
...6-3/7-5. The 17-year old Wimbledon junior doubles champ (w/ Wang Xinyu) picks up her first pro singles title.
===============================================
15. $15K Guayaquil ECU Final - Fernanda Brito def. Gabriela Ce
...7-5/6-4. The Chilean wins her South America-leading fourth challenger title of the year, and her third singles/doubles sweep of the season.


===============================================
16. $15K Sezze ITA - Bianca Turati def. Nastassja Burnett
...6-2/6-1. For the third straight week, these two battled it out for a title. For the second straight week, Turati raised the championship trophy.


===============================================
17. $60K Hechingen GER Final - Ekaterine Gorgodze def. Laura Siegemund
...6-2/6-1. Siegemund doesn't win another challenger crown, but she adds another good result to her recent run. She's 19-6 since Roland Garros, with a pair of tour-level QF, a challenger title and two finals.
===============================================
18. Montreal Q2 - Katie Boulter def. Leylah Annie Fernandez
...2-6/6-3/6-4. Though she ultimately lost, the Canadian junior proved a spirited rival vs. the Brit.


===============================================
19. Montreal 1st Rd. - Dasha Kasatkina def. Maria Sakkari
...6-4/4-6/6-1. A classic Kasatkina MP (even without a jumping backhand slice drop shot being involved).


===============================================
20. $60K Landisville USA 1st Rd. - Priscilla Hon def. Nicole Gibbs
...4-6/7-6(5)/6-2. Top-seeded Gibbs led 6-4/5-1 here, and converted on her fifth MP to defeat Hon. Well, except that the linesperson missed the call, and Hon came back to win (and reach the semis). Gibbsy was NOT happy.



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


(i.e. the message board equivalent of Tennis Twitter during a back-and-forth WTA match... often when betting is involved)



1. Montreal 2nd Rd. - Kiki Bertens def. KAROLINA PLISKOVA
...6-2/6-2. Bertens defeats Pliskova for the second straight time this summer (Wimbledon 4th), and neither time was on clay. This one erased her 0-9 career mark vs. Top 10ers on hard court. She followed up with another over Kvitova.
===============================================
2. Montreal 1st Rd. - Carla Suarez-Navarro def. NAOMI OSAKA
...7-6(2)/6-2. Osaka was 15-4 on hard courts this season up to her Indian Wells title run. Since then she's gone 3-4 on the surface.
===============================================
3. Montreal 3rd Rd. - Simona Halep def. VENUS WILLIAMS
...6-2/6-2. Already playing with her right knee wrapped with a brace, Venus then did this. Try *not* to "loudly" wince... I dare ya. She's pulled out of Cincinnati.


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


San Jose explained...







The new "planking?"





















You should work on every shot??????? #DD

A post shared by Daria Kasatkina?? (@kasatkina) on











Morning routines overlooking Montreal ??????????????????

A post shared by Elina Svitolina???? (@elisvitolina) on













*2018 WTA FINALS*
5 - Petra Kvitova, CZE (5-0)
4 - SIMONA HALEP, ROU (3-2)
3 - Elina Svitolina, UKR (3-0)
3 - Elise Mertens, BEL (3-0)
3 - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (2-1)
3 - SLOANE STEPHENS, USA (1-2)
3 - Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU (1-2)

*WTA CAREER TITLES - active*
72 - Serena Williams, USA
49 - Venus Williams, USA
36 - Maria Sharapova, RUS
29 - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
25 - Petra Kvitova, CZE
20 - Victoria Azarenka, BLR
20 - Aga Radwanska, POL
18 - SIMONA HALEP, ROU
18 - Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS

*WTA CAREER FINALS - active*
93...Serena Williams (72-21)
83...Venus Williams (49-34)
59...Maria Sharapova (36-23)
53...Caroline Wozniacki (29-24)
41...Svetlana Kuznetsova (18-23)
36...Victoria Azarenka (20-16)
35...Jelena Jankovic (15-20)
32...Petra Kvitova (25-7)
32...SIMONA HALEP (18-14)

*2018 WTA SF*
7 - SIMONA HALEP (5-1+L)
6 - Mihaela Buzarnescu (3-3)
5 - Petra Kvitova (5-0)
5 - Elise Mertens (3-2)
5 - Angelique Kerber (2-3)
4 - Caroline Wozniacki (3-1)
4 - ELINA SVITOLINA (3-1)
4 - Julia Goerges (2-2)
4 - ASH BARTY (2-2)
4 - Anastasija Sevastova (2-2)
4 - Garbine Muguruza (1-2+W)

*2018 WTA WD FINALS*
7...DEMI SCHUURS, NED (6-1)
4...Elise Mertens, BEL (3-1)
4...Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (2-2)
4...Kveta Peschke, CZE (2-2)
4...Katerina Siniakova, CZE (2-2)
4...Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU (1-3)
4...Kirsten Flipkens, BEL (1-3)
4...Andreja Klepac, SLO (1-3)
4...EKATERINA MAKAROVA, RUS (1-3)
4...Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP (1-3)
3...ASH BARTY, AUS (3-0)
3...Gaby Dabrowski, CAN (3-0)
3...Timea Babos, HUN (2-1)
3...Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU (2-1)
3...Kristina Mladenovic, FRA (2-1)
3...Katarina Srebotnik, SLO (2-1)
3...LATISHA CHAN, TPE (1-2)
3...Nicole Melichar, USA (1-2)
3...Elena Vesnina, RUS (1-2)

*ALL-TIME WEEKS AT WTA SINGLES #1*
377 - Steffi Graf
332 - Martina Navratilova
319 - Serena Williams
260 - Chris Evert
209 - Martina Hingis
178 - Monica Seles
117- Justine Henin
98 - Lindsay Davenport
71 - Caroline Wozniacki
51 - Victoria Azarenka
41 - SIMONA HALEP
39 - Amelie Mauresmo
34 - Angelique Kerber

*USTA WILC CARD CHALLENGE WINNERS*
2013 Shleby Rogers
2014 Nicole Gibbs
2015 Samantha Crawford
2016 Sonya Kenin
2017 Sonya Kenin
2018 Asia Muhammad

*USTA 18s NATIONAL CHAMPIONS - since 2012*
2012 Vicky Duval
2013 Sachia Vickery
2014 CiCi Bellis
2015 Sonya Kenin
2016 Kayla Day
2017 Ashley Kratzer
2018 Whitne Osuigwe

**2018 PREMIER MANDATORY/PREMIER 5 CHAMPIONS**
Doha - Petra Kvitova, CZE
Indian Wells - Naomi Osaka, JPN
Miami - Sloane Stephens, USA
Madrid - Petra Kvitova, CZE (2)
Rome - Elina Svitolina, UKR
Montreal - Simona Halep, ROU
Cincinnati - x
Wuhan - x
Beijing - x
[doubles]
Doha - Dabrowski/Ostapenko, CAN/LAT
Indian Wells - Hsieh/Strycova, TPE/CZE
Miami - Barty/Vandeweghe, AUS/USA
Madrid - Makarova/Vesnina, RUS/RUS
Rome - Barty/Schuurs, AUS/NED
Montreal - Barty/Schuurs, AUS/NED (3/2)
Cincinnati - x
Wuhan - x
Beijing - x

*2018 WEEKS AT SINGLES #1*
[1Q]
1/1: Simona Halep
1/8: Simona Halep
1/15: Simona Halep
1/22: Simona Halep
1/29: Caroline Wozniacki
2/5: Caroline Wozniacki
2/12: Caroline Wozniacki
2/19: Caroline Wozniacki
2/26: Simona Halep
3/5: Simona Halep
3/12: Simona Halep
3/19: Simona Halep
3/26: Simona Halep
4/2: Simona Halep
[2Q]
4/9: Simona Halep
4/16: Simona Halep
4/23: Simona Halep
4/30: Simona Halep
5/7: Simona Halep
5/14: Simona Halep
5/21: Simona Halep
5/18: Simona Halep
6/4: Simona Halep
6/11: Simona Halep
6/18: Simona Halep
6/25: Simona Halep
7/2: Simona Halep
7/9: Simona Halep
7/16: Simona Halep
7/23: Simona Halep
7/30: Simona Halep
8/6: Simona Halep
8/13: Simona Halep

*2018 WEEKS AT DOUBLES #1*
[1Q]
1/1: Latisha Chan/Martina Hingis
1/8: Latisha Chan/Martina Hingis
1/15: Latisha Chan/Martina Hingis
1/22: Latisha Chan/Martina Hingis
1/29: Latisha Chan/Martina Hingis
2/5: Latisha Chan/Martina Hingis
2/12: Latisha Chan
2/19: Latisha Chan/Martina Hingis
2/26: Latisha Chan/Martina Hingis
3/5: Latisha Chan
3/12: Latisha Chan
3/19: Latisha Chan
3/26: Latisha Chan
4/2: Latisha Chan
[2Q]
4/9: Latisha Chan
4/16: Latisha Chan
4/23: Latisha Chan
4/30: Latisha Chan
5/7: Latisha Chan
5/14: Latisha Chan
5/21: Latisha Chan
5/28: Latisha Chan
6/4: Latisha Chan
6/11: Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina
6/18: Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina
6/25: Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina
7/2: Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina
7/9: Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina
7/16: Timea Babos
7/23: Timea Babos
7/30: Timea Babos
8/6: Timea Babos
8/13: Latisha Chan










CINCINNATI, OHIO USA (Premier 5/Hard Court Outdoor)
=RECENT WS FINALS=
2010 Clijsters d. Sharapova
2011 Sharapova d. Jankovic
2012 Li d. Kerber
2013 Azarenka d. S.Williams
2014 S.Williams d. Ivanovic
2015 S.Williams d. Halep
2016 Ka.Pliskova d. Kerber
2017 Muguruza d. Halep
=2017 WS=
QF: Ka.Pliskova d. Wozniacki
QF: Muguruza d. Kuznetsova
QF: Stephens d. Goerges
QF: Halep d. Konta
SF: Muguruza d. Ka.Pliskova
SF: Halep d. Stephens
F: Muguruza d. Halep
=RECENT WD FINALS=
2010 Azarenka/Kirilenko d. Raymond/Stubbs
2011 King/Shvedova d. Grandin/Uhlirova
2012 Hlavackova/Hradecka d. Srebotnik/J.Zheng
2013 Hsieh/Peng d. Groenefeld/Peschke
2014 Kops-Jones (Atawo)/Spears d. Babos/Mladenovic
2015 Chan/Chan d. Dellacqua/Shvedova
2016 Mirza/Strycova d. Hingis/Vandeweghe
2017 L.Chan/Hingis d. Hsieh/Niculescu
=2017 WD=
SF: Hsieh/Niculescu d. Mirza/Peng
SF: L.Chan/Hingis d. Safarova/Strycova
F: L.Chan/Hingis d. Hsieh/Niculescu
=======================================
'18 TOP SEEDS
WS: #1 Halep, #2 Wozniacki, #3 Stephens, #4 Kerber
WD: #1 Krejcikova/Siniakova, #2 Babos/Mladenovic


Onto the next...




All for now.
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Wk.33- Truth Isn't Truth (but Kiki Bertens really ISN'T just a "clay court specialist" anymore)

August 19, 2018, 8:46 pm
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What exactly has gotten into Kiki Bertens?



Hmmm... maybe commitment, fitness and aggression?

After all, some combination, in varying amounts ( along with doses of power and/or creativity, depending on the individual), of those three is what has given the foundation (and future) of the Most Interesting Tour its sturdy legs over the past few seasons. Even as the top big-name players of the past decade (or two) have gone through various trials, tribulations and changes that have reminded everyone that nothing lasts forever (not that we ever really thought it could), the recipe for success in the *next* era of WTA tennis has been pretty clear. As more and more players have caught on, each and every week seems to bring a new headshake-worthy plotline to address.

This week in Cincinnati, as she has for the bulk of the season, Bertens expertly showed how a player can change the scope, trajectory and, yes, even perception of an entire career simply by focusing on three those aforementioned things that have become the unofficial "Rosetta Stone" of the present and future of professional tennis. Alone or in combination they can reshape a player's life's work while simultaneously (eventually) conquering an on-court opponent. Any opponent. It can break a career "mold," too. Or, in the Dutch woman's case, something of a self-imposed "glass ceiling."

For years, Bertens, for good reason, has been considered a "clay court specialist." Her best results came on the surface, including her first five tour titles and eight finals. Her best slam was, hardly surprisingly, Roland Garros. She reached the semifinals in 2016. On clay she was feared, especially at Fed Cup time. But elsewhere (maybe even in her own thoughts) she was, well, "beatable."

That has changed. A large reason likely comes down to commitment, fitness and aggression.

Bertens overcame a health scare (a swelling on her neck in '14 led to year's worth of fear-filled sleepless nights) along the way, as well as admitting that the pressures of the sport made playing it anything but "fun." She questioned her future on the court. Eventually, the decision to fully commit to being the player she had the potential to be led her down the path to what has happened this season.

It took a few months for everything to fully "click," but as spring has turned to summer Bertens' reputation has transformed as her results have grown bigger and her victories more grand. When she won a title on the green clay in Charleston in April it wasn't exactly shocking. I mean... clay. But her five Top 20 wins (two Top 10) during the clay season, during which she reached her biggest final in Madrid, was something new. Still, though, it was clay.

Since then, Bertens' new on-court aggression and improved fitness, and a nice "groove" found with coach (since '15) Raemon Sluiter, has brought her success on other surfaces. Big success. She reached the quarterfinals on Wimbledon grass, defeating Top 10ers Karolina Pliskova and Venus Williams. Then came the North American hard court season. Pliskova (again) and Petra Kvitova fell in Montreal, obliterating Bertens' career 0-9 record vs. the Top 10 on hard courts. She reached her first Premier HC quarterfinal since 2013.

A week later in Cincinnati, she embraced the change... and grew even stronger wings. Naturally, she soared still higher. Very much so, in fact.

How high?

Well, all she did was record FOUR more Top 10 wins, giving her ten for the year (the most on tour), including victories in EIGHT straight such match-ups (six in a row on HC, after she had zero for her career two weeks ago). Wins over U.S. Open semifinalist CoCo Vandeweghe and Anett Kontaveit were strung together with connective wins in Ohio over #2 Caroline Wozniacki (retired), #7 Elina Svitolina and #6 Kvitova to push Bertens into her first tour-level hard court final. There she faced down a MP in the 2nd set vs. #1 Simona Halep, found the belief within herself to "go for it," increased her aggression and walked off with the biggest title of her career.

Boom. A clay court specialist all-surface contender is officially born.



Not only is the Halep win Bertens' first over a world #1, but her previous win over Wozniacki makes her the second player since 2012 (Muguruza last year in Cincy) to record wins over the top two ranked players in the world in the same event. It's the 36th time it's happened since 1978. Oh, and this is the SECOND title she's won a title this year after having been down MP. Her win in Charleston came after Bertens saved a MP in the semifinals against Madison Keys.

(shakes head and chuckles)

Oh, the Tennis Gods are really just mischievous little scamps sometimes, aren't they?



*WEEK 33 CHAMPIONS*
CINCINNATI, OHIO USA (Premier Mandatory/Hard Court)
S: Kiki Bertens/NED def. Simona Halep/ROU 2-6/7-6(6)/6-2
D: Lucie Hradecka/Ekaterina Makarova (CZE/RUS) d. Elise Mertens/Demi Schuurs (BEL/NED) 6-2/7-5


PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Kiki Bertens/NED
...ah, yet ANOTHER story embedded within the Most Interesting Tour's multi-headed plot as we get closer to New York City. Bertens will now *have* to be included in the discussion.

Notching wins over the current world #1, three-title and slam winner (Halep), the recent world #1 and current #2, two-title and slam winner (Wozniacki), a five-time '18 champ (Kvitova) and a three-time trophy lifter (Svitolina) all IN THE SAME WEEK tends to elevate a player's name when it comes to the list of big title contenders. I'm just sayin'.


===============================================
RISER:Simona Halep/ROU
...all right, truth be told, I'd prepared to open this week's post with a "Church of Simona" sermon that would end with the entire congregation chanting "Si-mo-na!" in unison. But, of course, it was incumbent upon Miss Halep to win the title in Cincinnati for it to be included here. She got close, holding a MP in the 2nd set vs. Bertens before finally hitting the physical/emotional/psychological wall following the disappointment of *not* finally winning her first title at the event (this was her third final in the last four years), as well as becoming the first woman since 1973 (Evonne Goolagong) to sweep the Rogers Cup and Cincy crowns -- the first *ever* to do so in back-to-back weeks.

Hopefully, Halep will have time to fully recuperate in time for a U.S. Open run, for her performances the past two weeks show her to be in top form, physically and mentally, for maybe her best NYC result. She reached the SF in '15, followed up with a QF in '16, then was the unlucky loser in last year's 1st Round encounter with Maria Sharapova (aka the match that almost *has* to have injected a large dose of crazy into the chunk of the tennis establishment that now wishes to junk the 32-seed system next year in favor of a 16-seed set-up that would allow for more headline-grabbing, though draw-damaging, early round match-ups such as that one).




After her ultra-physical title run in Montreal, it wouldn't have been a shock to see an early "injury-related" exit in Cincinnati, but give Halep much credit. She gave it her all. All week. Overcoming deficits (3-0 down vs. Ajla Tomljanovic in the 3rd in the 2nd Rd.), rain delays, heat, at least one ticking-timebomb-of-an-opponent-who-is-going-to-explode-on-someone(s)-in-a-major-very-soon, and threatening exhaustion to reach the final. She added a second win in two weeks over Ash Barty to victories over Lesia Tsurenko and Aryna Sabalenka (staving off a hella challenge from the 20-year old to try to force a third set in the SF) to reach her tour-leading sixth final of '18. Against Bertens in the final, Halep saved a SP in the 2nd and reached MP at 6-5 in the TB. All seemed well, but the Dutch woman responded by upping her game and took the TB 8-6. Halep couldn't fight off both Bertens and a dose of frustration in the 3rd.

But, even down 4-1 in the final set, she was able to pull off this...



Halep she enters the Open flying *almost* as high as anyone ever has. If she'd won, it'd been very easy to make some La Petit Taureau '03 comparisons, both in stats and mindset. 28-4 on hard courts this season, she's won 9 of her last 10 matches, and 18 of 20. The Montreal/Cincy turn was her third run of consecutive finals this season, after Shenzhen/AO and Rome/RG.

But, alas, the visit to the Church of Simona will have to wait. Well, I guess I *can* reveal our official flag (which includes the Simonian crest in a prominent center position, of course)...

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


SURPRISE:Lizette Cabrera/AUS
...in New Haven, Tennis Australia conducted the organization's annual (well, for the last few years) eight-player U.S. Open Wild Card Playoff tournament for the final WC berth into the MD at Flushing Meadows. 20-year old Cabrera, whose only two previous slam MD appearances came at the Australian Open (as a WC the last two years), claimed the honors, opening with a three-set win over Kimberly Birrell, then defeating Abbie Myers in straights in the semis. In the final vs. Ellen Perez (Univ. of Georgia), who won the PO in '16, Cabrera grabbed the victory via another straight sets triumph.

By the way, that's Cabrera in the upper right corner (the "Greg Brady position," I guess).

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


VETERAN:Lesia Tsurenko/UKR
...the 29-year old Ukrainian has often been at her best on North American hard courts. Earlier this year Tsurenko successfully defended her Monterrey title ("Sombrerenko!) in Mexico. Already with an 8-4 mark on hard courts on the continent in '18, she added three more impressive wins this past week in Cincinnati. After opening with a win over Danielle Collins (herself performing a step above on N.A. HC this year), she knocked off defending Cincy champ Garbine Muguruza in three sets, coming back from a 4-1 final set deficit to end her eleven-match losing streak vs. Top 10 players, recording her first since 2015 as the Spaniard's 43 UE's foretold her doom in her summer hard court debut. A victory over Ekaterina Makarova preceded an eventual defeat at the hands of Simona Halep in the quarterfinals. Tsurenko will jump nine spots to #35 on Monday.
===============================================
COMEBACK:Madison Keys/USA
...it's almost been a year since Keys' run to the U.S. Open final, and she's still searching for the sort of consistency *and* health combo that will make such results expected rather than *just* a hint of the promise she's had for so long.

Ugly tennis face ft sweat - but got the job done ??

A post shared by Madison Keys (@madisonkeys) on



Keys has had some superior results this season, from a semi in Charleston to the QF in Melbourne and semis at Roland Garros. But two weeks after pulling out of San Jose (she was the DC) with a wrist injury (though *not* the same one she missed so much time with early last year), when she returned this week in Cincinnati it was her first action since Wimbledon. She'd played just three matches since Paris, and Cincy was only her thirteen TOURNAMENT since last year's U.S. Open. With the start of opening round play at Flushing Meadows just a week away, surely pre-event discussions will center around which of the all-Bannerette semifinalists from last year stands the best chance to return to the final four. After proving herself sound *enough* for such a run this past week, might it be Keys?

Both Venus Williams and CoCo Vandeweghe (who's already retired from a 1st Round match in New Haven) are dealing with injuries, while Sloane Stephens will encounter a whole new type of pressure as she's called on to try to defend her maiden slam crown. Keys has the ability, but a bit less pressure to back up what she did a year ago. In Cincinnati, she showed mettle in her return. She came back from a set and break down vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands in her first match (winning on her 7th MP), then defeated Camila Giorgi and again erased a set and a break disadvantage to take out Angelique Kerber (firing 55 winners while getting just her second win in nine matches vs. the German in their competitive-despite-those-numbers series, her first since 2014). Keys was ultimately the final Ohio victim of Aryna Sabalenka in the QF, but her week of work at least gives rise to the hope that she may just be able to time her summer hard court peak so that in coincides with her home slam. If so, she might be spending a lot of time under the lights in yet another batch of episodes of "The Late Show with Madison Keys" in New York City.
===============================================
FRESH FACES:Aryna Sabalenka/BLR and Amanda Anisimova/USA
..."Sabalenka. One of these days."

That's what I said last week... and "one of these days" almost happened in Cincinnati as the exciting (though still just a tad "raw") 20-year old Belarusian once again pushed and shoved her way through a loaded draw while shining an it-could-STILL-happen-this-year light on the preseason thought that *she* may very well be the sort of player who could "pull a Latvian Thunder" and catch a wave of momentum and ride it to a HUGE result before anyone knew what hit them. "Belarusian Boom," anyone, as the latest official member of Generation PDQ's Justice League squad?




Serving big, sometimes hitting even bigger and showing the same sort of fearless aggression that we first glimpsed on a big stage in Fed Cup last year, Sabalenka followed up a week in Montreal that included a win over #2 Caroline Wozniacki in which she saved three MP, with an even better accounting of herself in Cincinnati. After coming back from a set and a break down to defeat Johanna Konta, she saved two MP in a win over #8 Karolina Pliskova, then another MP vs. #6 Caroline Garcia. Against #13 Madison Keys, she saved ten of ten BP and won in straights, setting up a match with #1 Simona Halep in the semis. The Romanian won in straights, but only a slight drawback in aggression from Sabalenka (who acknowledged as much) likely prevented another three-setter (she already leads the tour with 22 of those). Halep held a set and 3-1 lead, but the Belarusian made things tight late (saving a MP with a 116-mph ace), and only another bare-knuckles defense-to-offense sermon from Simona in the closing games held off the onslaught in 6-4 2nd set. She'll be at a career-best #25 on Monday.

@cincytennis Semifinal here I am ??????????

A post shared by Aryna Sabalenka (@sabalenka_aryna) on



Anisimova's junior U.S. Open title last year this past week earned her a wild card into the women's MD of the '18 event, and she showed on the court in Cincinnati that her 1st Round opponent wouldn't be wise to view her as simply a junior who'll be "happy to be there" for the first time. Since returning from a late March foot injury that ended a spring that included wins over the likes of '18 WTA title winners Petra Kvitova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Wang Qiang and Pauine Parmentier in Indian Wells and Miami (she started the season 12-3), the 16-year old (for about another week and a half, at least) has qualified in San Jose and notched a 1st Round win (def. Anna Blinkova and Wang, as well as pushing eventual champion Mihaela Buzarnescu to three sets), then came back this week to post wins over Timea Babos and Petra Martic before falling to Elina Svitolina in the 3rd Round. The Bannerette will climb 36 spots on Monday to #137, as she edges closer to the career high of #126 she set in April before being forced to sit out three months.


===============================================
DOWN:Alona Ostapenko/LAT and Aleksandra Krunic/SRB
...Ostapenko's U.S. Open prep hasn't been, how would one say it? Umm, "ideal.") In just her second post-Wimbledon SF match, a week after going off the rails in the 2nd/3rd sets vs. Jo Konta in Montreal after winning a 1st set TB, the Latvian crashed out in the 1st Round in Cincinnati at the hands of Alize Cornet, dropping a love 3rd set after having forced a decider by taking the 2nd at 7-5. It's her first stretch of back-to-back 1st Round exits since her slow Week 1 & 2 start after her busy, travel-heavy offseason. While the 21-year old, who'll nonetheless climb back into the Top 10 on Monday, may yet rebound for a good turn at Flushing Meadows, it may be worth noting that she's yet to reach the second week at either of the hard court slams, falling in the 3rd Round in her last three majors on the surface.




Meanwhile, there are few cases where you sort of hope that a player is injured, but whatever has been going on of late with Krunic surely takes one in that direction. Since otherwise, well, you know. Ever since the Serb had her long awaited breakthrough moment with an oft-brilliant maiden tour title run on the grass at Rosmalen before Wimbledon, the Bracelet has been something short of even a thin shadow of that exciting player. Her 1 & love 1st Round loss to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Cincinnati leaves her 1-5 since lifting her first WTA singles trophy. Not only that, but she's won just four TOTAL games in her last three matches. Combined. This was her second straight 6-1/6-0 defeat, and she's lost a bagel set in three consecutive matches.
===============================================
ITF PLAYER:Heather Watson/GBR or Misaki Doi/JPN
...the $100K Vancouver final won't be contested until Sunday night, but it will pit two players trying to work themselves back somewhere near their former standings on tour.

Watson was unseeded in the event, ranked #133, but battled her way into the final with wins over Ekaterina Alexandrova, Ysaline Bonaventure (in 3) and Katie Boulter (in 3), and then defeated Doi's countrywoman Nao Hibino in straights in the semis. Ranked as high as #38 in 2015, the Brit fell outside the Top 100 over the summer. Her last singles title came in her third career tour-level final in Monterrey in 2016. Doi entered the week ranked all the way down at #240, and had to make it through qualifying. A Top 30 player in 2016, she was still ranked in the Top 100 last September, and was Top 50 early last year. She famously held MP vs. eventual champ Angelique Kerber in the 1st Round of the Australian Open two years ago. Wins over Katherine Sebov, Irina Khromacheva (6-0/6-0) and Alexandra Dulgheru (4 & love) set up a semifinal vs. Italian Martina Trevisan. Doi won it 4 & 5 to reach her first singles final of any kind since March 2016, a WTA 125 title run in San Antonio.

No matter who comes on top on the court in British Columbia, though, Watson got off a bright and shining playful jab at countrywoman Naomi Broady during the week...




UPDATE: Doi won 6-7/6-1/6-4 and will improve to #163.
===============================================


JUNIOR STARS:Wang Xinyu/CHN, Wang Xiyu/CHN and Amber Marshall/AUS
...a week ago, 17-year old Wang Xiyu claimed her first pro singles title in Nonthaburi, Thailand. This week in another $25K in the city, her 16-year old fellow Chinese junior (Wang Xinyu) claimed her own maiden crown, defeating her doubles partner in the final in their first-ever pro meeting, 6-1/4-6/6-1. The teen duo joined forces to win the Wimbledon GD title last month, becoming the first all-CHN combo to win a junior slam, and picked up this week's event win, as well, their first pro title as a pair, defeating Aussies Destanee Aiava & Naiktha Bains in a 10-4 3rd set TB in the final. Unseeded Xinyu, the #4 junior, dropped just one set in singles all week (to Xiyu). The leading members (or at least the first to truly break through) of the "Li Na Generation" of new Chinese stars, Wang and Wang been forces to reckon with at all three of 2018's junior slams. Xinyu reached the AO singles semis and won the doubles with Liang En-shuo, #6 Xiyu reached the Aussie & RG QF and Wimbledon semis (defeating Coco Gauff en route in the latter), where she was joined by Xinyu in the final four in addition to their historic GD title run.



In Lautoka, Fiji the Oceania Closed Junior Championship crown was claimed by 17-year old Aussie Marshall. The #3 seed lost just one set (2nd Rd.-Natasha Russell/AUS) on her way to the title, defeating #1-seeded Valentina Ivanov (NZL) in the semis and #4 Carol Young Suh Lee (NMI - that's the Northern Mariana Islands, of course) in a 6-1/6-4 final. She and Ivanov won the doubles, too. Marshall has won twenty straight junior singles matches, as well as sixteen straight in doubles, since June. She's 23-6 in mostly Grade 4 & 5 action in 2018, aside from a 3rd Round junior AO result in Melbourne. She went 2-3 in limited ITF action in January/February.
===============================================
DOUBLES:Lucie Hradecka/Ekaterina Makarova, CZE/RUS
...seven years ago, Hradecka & Makarova joined forces to play doubles in Luxembourg. They reached the final after defeating the team of Medina-Garrigues/Pavlyuchenkova via a 13-11 3rd set TB, only to fall to Benesova/Strycova. Many years (but not that many WD partners, as Hradecka has teamed often with Andrea Hlavackova, and Makarova with Elena Vesnina, in the interim) later, they teamed up for a second time in Cincinnati. They finished things off on a better note this time.



In Vesnina's summertime absence, recent doubles co-#1 Makarova has been forced to look elsewhere for partners. After going a combined 3-3 with the likes of Kalinskaya, N.Kichenok and Zvonareva, she and Latisha Chan reached the final in Montreal last week, but with Chan off in Indonesia for the Asian Games this week (she'll lose the #1 ranking to Timea Babos as a result) the 30-year old Russian turned to the veteran Czech in Cincinnati. Hradecka, 33, has spent most of '18 working her way back to the tour after missing nine months with a knee injury. Since returning in June, she'd only played in two tour-level events (RG/Wimbledon) while competing in seven ITF challengers (sometimes *only* in singles) over the past few months. After opening the week by slipping past Mattek-Sands/Safarova (Team Bucie led 7-5/4-4 when BMS retired with a thigh injury), Hradecka/Makarova won back-to-back 3rd set TB over Konta/Ostapenko and Babos/Mladenovic to reach the semis, where (just like seven years ago) they found Pavlyuchenkova waiting for them (this time w/ Sevastova). The pair swept through the Anastasia/Anastasija combo and then Elise Mertens & Demi Schuurs (seeking their third title together in '18) in straights to take the title. It's Hradecka's 22nd on tour, and first since '16 in Moscow with Hlavackova. For Makarova, it's #14 and her first without Vesnina since '09 (Morocco w/ Kleybanova). It's the Russian's second big WD win of the year, having won the Premier Mandatory title in Madrid with Vesnina in the spring.
===============================================
WHEELCHAIR:Katharina Kruger/GER
...the 28-year old German picks up her second '18 title, successfully defending the Ath Open crown she won a year ago in Belgium. After dropping one set in four matches in '17, her path to the title was completed without dropping any this time around. The #8-ranked player in the world, Kruger took out two Top 4 seeds, defeating #4 Emmanuelle Morch (FRA) and #2 Michaela Spaanstra (NED) in a 6-2/6-4 final. This was Kruger's sixth singles final this season, and she's now won two of the last three after having taken the German Open in July with a victory over Marjolein Buis in the final.

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


Chavetadze sighting!


Preparation for the 2035 U.S. Open has begun...





1. Cincinnati Final - Kiki Bertens def. Simona Halep
...2-6/7-6(6)/6-2. I think Halep is going to have 70% of the nominees for Match of the Year. This won't likely be one of them, but it was still a great final. Halep seemed ready to embrace the history of becoming the first Canada/Cincy back-to-back champ, but Bertens had other thoughts. The Dutch woman led the 2nd set 4-1, but once the world #1 battled her way back, saved a SP at 5-4 and had a MP at 6-5 in the TB, Halep's first Cincinnati title appeared destined to be hers. But Bertens threw caution to the wind, upped her aggression, and stole the TB 8-6. With Simona frustrated and tiring in the heat after two LONG weeks, Kiki seized her opportunity and turned up the heat just a little more. After Halep broke serve in game #3 after falling behind 2-0, Bertens' immediate break back a game later showed that she wasn't going to wilt. She ended things with an ace. Of course... because that's what a good hard court player does, right?



Hmmm, maybe THIS is what's gotten into Kiki... ;)


===============================================
2. Cincinnati 3rd Rd. - Aryna Sabalenka def. Caroline Garcia
...6-3/3-6/7-5. Garcia served at 5-4 and had a MP, but couldn't stop Sabalenka from recording her third win from MP down in her last two events. She swept the final four games and, in a moment very similar to last week, a late coaching visit to Garcia from her dad resulted in, well, absolutely nothing but a *worse* performance from his daughter after he was gone.
===============================================
3. Cincinnati 2nd Rd. - Lesia Tsurenko def. Garbine Muguruza
...2-6/6-4/6-4. Defending champ Muguruza led 4-1 in the 3rd, but 43 UE contributed to Tsurenko's first Top 10 win since 2015. But this likely means absolutely nothing when it comes to Garbi's chances at Flushing Meadows. That's just how she rolls.
===============================================
4. Cincinnati 1st Rd. - Viktoria Kuzmova def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
...6-0/4-6/6-1. Fed Cup flashback.
===============================================
5. Cincinnati 1st Rd. - Kristina Mladenovic def. Julia Goerges
...6-4/3-2 ret. The German's retirement (calf) gave Mladenovic her first Top 10 win since the '17 RG. Her 2nd Round win over Kuzmova was her first full match victory on North American hard court since the 1st Round in Washington last summer. She fell 4 & 2 to Kvitova in the 3rd.
===============================================
6. Cincinnati 2nd Rd. - Kiki Bertens def. Caroline Wozniacki
...6-4 ret. Already nursing a shoulder injury, Caro retires with a knee and appears to be legitimately "iffy" for the Open. She might be able to get some work as a stunt double in a "Mummy" remake, though.


===============================================
7. Cincinnati 2nd Rd. - Simona Halep def. Ajla Tomljanovic
...4-6/6-3/6-3. It's a good thing Halep was playing against Tomljanovic when she took an MTO down 3-0 in the 3rd. If it happened against a handful of others players, she'd been "branded" for life. As it was, she won four games before the match was suspended due to rain at 4-3, 30/15. She finally got on the court late in the afternoon the next day, broke serve and served out the match before yet another weather delay. Of late, that's usually how *she* rolls.
===============================================
8. Cincinnati SF - Kiki Bertens def. Petra Kvitova
...3-6/6-4/6-2. Petra succumbs to the heat and Bertens. With her last chance for '18 slam success (so far she's just 2-3 in majors, despite winning five tour titles) just a week away, is this a very bad sign? Cincy title or no Cincy title, Halep is running away with Player of the Year honors unless Petra changes things big-time in NYC.

But, hey, we got this...


===============================================
9. New Haven Q3 - Dayana Yastremska def. Belinda Bencic
...7-6(5)/7-6(3).NextNextGen def. NextGen. Bencic had defeated (Next?) NextNextGen Whitney Osuigwe in three sets a round earlier. One shouldn't be made to feel "old" by her peers at age 21.
===============================================
10. Cincinnati 1st Rd. - Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Stefanie Voegele
...6-4/2-6/7-6(5). Sveta led 3-1 in the 3rd, then was down 3-1 in the deciding TB. She saved a MP, but after two net cords went her way, she got the win. Of course she did.

Later, she lost her 2nd Round match to Svitolina, but still won "Shot of the Day"... on the same day she received a U.S. Open wild card, which she learned about on Twitter.




Of course she did.
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11. Cincinnati 1st Rd. - Kiki Bertens def. CoCo Vandeweghe 6-2/6-0
New Haven 1st Rd. - Magdalena Rybarikova def. CoCo Vandeweghe 2-6/6-4/2-3 ret.
...what are the current odds of CoCo getting anywhere close to successfully defending her '17 U.S. Open semi?
===============================================


12. Cincinnati Q1 - Stefanie Voegele def. Monica Puig 6-2/6-0
New Haven Q3 - Monica Puig def. Margarita Gasparyan 5-7/6-2/6-2
...New Haven is probably closer to Rio than Cincinnati.
===============================================
13. Cincinnati 1st Rd. - Petra Martic def. Dasha Kasatkina
...4-6/6-4/6-3. The Russian still rises to a new career-high of #11 this week. So there's that.
===============================================
14. $15K Guayquil ECU Final - Fernanda Brito def. Barbara Gatica
...6-2/6-2. The Chilean sweeps the singles and doubles titles for a second straight week. Brito has won five straight lower-level challengers, going 25-0. She 29-1 in her last 30 matches, as well as 22-2 in doubles over the same stretch.


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15. $25K Leipzig GER Final - Varvara Flink def. Julia Grabher
...6-3/6-2. The 21-year old Hordette wins her fourth '18 challenger crown, and first career $25K.


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16. $25K Las Palmas ESP Final - Basak Eraydin def. Chloe Paquet
...6-2/6-1. The 24-year old Turk wins her second straight challenger in Las Palmas, her third title this season.


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HM- $15K Oldenzaal NED SF - Greet Minnen def. Eliessa Vanlangendonck 6-4/6-0
$15K Oldenzaal NED Final - Annick Melger/Eva Vedder def. Dominique Karregat/Eliessa Vanlangendonck 3-6/6-2 [11-9]
...21-year old Vanlangendonck continues to scratch the surface without breaking a nail. The Waffle is now 0-5 in career doubles finals, and 0-8 in career singles semis.

When she finally breaks through, though, it'll be time to c-e-l-e-b-r-a-t-e.
===============================================


Based on the comments, I take it that Cornet's words are of an overdue anti-Bernard Giudicelli (FFT President) bent. Too bad it took the whole Davis Cup thing for some of the French players to truly stand up against the corrupt nature of tyrannical "leadership," since it was pretty clear what the deal was back whenever Giudicelli first began to shake his scepter via threats of retaliation against French players who didn't wish to play "the game" by the rules he'd rewritten. Unfortunately, some players (you know who) played along with and often strengthened the bullying force in power.



Of course, while sitting watch in a nation where we're still waiting (I suggest not holding one's breath, either) for such actions to be taken by certain actors in the political realm, I suppose one shouldn't sit in judgment of the slow-to-speak-up-and/or-take-action measure of others, though, huh?

Whew! It's a good thing truth isn't truth. Because, you know if it was...

Meanwhile, since I suppose the same re-making (destruction?) of Fed Cup could soon follow in the footsteps of the "new" Davis Cup format (I mean, assuming the Powers That Be even care enough to throw money at the *women's* team event), one should probably familiarize oneself with the pros & cons of the altered landscape. In an odd turn, it's both as bad as some say, while also *not* quite as awful as advertised by some:






1. Cincinnati 1st Rd. - KAROLINA PLISKOVA def. AGA RADWANSKA
...6-3/6-3. Pliskova was 0-7, and 0-for-14 in sets, vs. Aga before this. But after sending her (last) Czech coach (Tomas Krupa) packing, and continuing her recent more "positive" collaboration with Rennae Stubbs, she managed a breakthrough.



===============================================
2. Cincinnati 2nd Rd. - Aryna Sabalenka def. KAROLINA PLISKOVA
...2-6/6-4/7-5. Stubbs couldn't help vs. Sabalenka, though. After previously this summer falling to the Belarusian in Eastbourne despite holding a 4-1 3rd set lead, Pliskova failed to close her out in Cincy even after holding two MP at 5-4 in the 3rd. A game later, the Czech DF'd on BP and Sabalenka served out yet another comeback win. After recording seven QF-or-better results in her first eight '18 events, Pliskova has just one in her last seven. A year ago, she was the #1-ranked player in the world heading into the U.S. Open.
===============================================


3. Cincinnati 2nd Rd. - Petra Kvitova def. SERENA WILLIAMS
...6-3/2-6/6-3. In just their seventh meeting, and first since 2015 (when Petra ended Serena's 27-match unbeaten streak), Kvitova pulled away in the 3rd after after the score was tied 2-2.



Naturally, with that tweet, many started running in circles with the usual "How dare he (Rothenberg) criticize Serena!" overreaction. Even Chris Evert responded with "She just had a baby!" The most ridiculous? Probably, "Your stats are nonsensical." (Sort of in the new "Truth isn't truth" vain that we heard this weekend, I suppose.)

Geez. Relax, people. There *was* at least one dose of common sense, though...


===============================================
4. $15K Cuneo ITA QF - Paula Cristina Goncalves def. ANNA TURATI 6-1/6-4
$15K Cuneo ITA Final - Paula Cristina Goncalves def. BIANCA TURATI 6-2/6-2
...the Brazilian goes through the Turati Texas Longhorn tennis family to get the title, though Bianca's loss comes in what was her fourth straight challenger final (2-2).
===============================================
5. Cincinnati 1st Rd. - Maria Sakkari def. NAOMI OSAKA
...6-3/7-6(8). Osaka is nothing if not thoroughly, and refreshingly, honest.


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




More from the Dutch painter...






"Mony," not "Money."

















The thread of this comment from Svitolina is a classic combiatination of Twitter-style grasping at straws, displays of a lack of real knowledge on the topic, the occasional unwarranted personal attack and, yes, even a few good points by, I'm sure, very fine people. On both sides.




??

A post shared by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on






*2018 WTA TITLES FROM MP DOWN*
Australian Open - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (2 MP,2r/Fett)
Charleston - Kiki Bertens, NED (1 MP,SF/Keys)
Strasbourg - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (2 MP,F/Cibulkova)
Rosmalen - Aleksandra Krunic, SRB (1 MP,SF/Vandeweghe)
Eastbourne - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (1 MP,SF/Kerber)
Washington - Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS (4 MP,F/Vekic)
Cincinnati - KIKI BERTENS, NED (1 MP,F/Halep)

*DEFEATED WORLD #1 & #2 IN TOUR EVENT*
1978 Boston: #5 Evonne Goolagong (#2 Navratilova/#1 Evert)
1979 US Open: #3 Tracy Austin (#2 Navratilova/#1 Evert)
1979 Filderstadt: #3 Tracy Austin (#2 Evert/#1 Navratilova)
1980 Tokyo LC: #3 Martina Navratilova (#1 Evert/#2 Austin)
1981 Toyota Chsp: #3 Tracy Austin (#1 Evert/#2 Navratilova)
1981 Tokyo LC: #3 Martina Navratilova (#2 Austin/#1 Evert)
1985 US Open: #4 Hana Mandlikova (#1 Evert/#2 Navratilova)
1989 A.Island: #3 Gabriela Sabatini (#2 Navratilova/#1 Graf)
1998 Philadelphia: #17 Steffi Graf (#2 Hingis/#1 Davenport)
1999 R.Garros: #6 Steffi Graf (#2 Davenport/#1 Hingis)
1999 US Open: #6 Serena Williams (#2 Davenport/#1 Hingis)
2000 Los Angeles: #6 Serena Williams (#1 Hingis/#2 Davenport)
2000 US Open: #3 Venus Williams (#1 Hingis/#2 Davenport)
2000 Wimbledon: #5 Venus Williams (#1 Hingis/#2 Davenport)
2000 Sydney: #9 Amelie Mauresmo (#1 Hingis/#2 Davenport)
2001 Aust.Open: #14 Jennifer Capriati (#2 Davenport/#1 Hingis)
2001 San Diego: #10 Monica Seles (#2 Capriati/#1 Hingis) #
2002 Miami: #9 Serena Williams (#2 V.Wiliams/#1 Capriati)
2002 R.Garros: #3 Serena Williams (#2 Capriati/#1 V.Williams)
2002 WTA: #6 Kim Clijsters (#2 V.Williams/#1 S.Williams)
2003 R.Garros: #4 Justine Henin-H. (#1 S.Williams/#2 Clijsters)
2003 Leipzig: #10 Anastasia Myskina (#1 Clisjters/#2 Henin-H.)
2005 Aust.Open: #7 Serena Williams (#2 Mauresmo/#1 Davenport)
2005 Wimbledon: #14 Venus Williams (#2 Sharapova/#1 Davenport)
2005 WTA: #5 Mary Pierce (#2 Clijsters/#1 Davenport) #
2006 US Open: #4 Maria Sharapova (#1 Mauresmo/#2 Henin-H.)
2006 WTA: #3 Justine Henin-H. (#2 Sharapova/#1 Mauresmo)
2007 Miami: #18 Serena Williams (#2 Sharapova/#1 Henin)
2008 WTA: #8 Venus Williams (#2 Safina/#1 Jankovic)
2009 R.Garros: #7 Svetlana Kuznetsova (#2 S.Williams/#1 Safina)
2010 Sydney: #5 Elena Dementieva (#2 Safina/#1 S.Williams)
2010 WTA: #4 Kim Clijsters (#2 Zvonareva/#1 Wozniacki)
2012 Madrid: #9 Serena Williams (#2 Sharapova/#1 Azarenka)
2012 WTA: #3 Serena Williams (#1 Azarenka/#2 Sharapova)
2017 Cincinnati: #6 Garbine Muguruza (#1 Ka.Pliskova/#2 Halep)
2018 Cincinnati: #17 Kiki Bertens (#2 Wozniacki/#1 Halep)
--
# - didn't win title

*2018 WTA FINALS*
6 - SIMONA HALEP, ROU (3-3)
5 - Petra Kvitova, CZE (5-0)
3 - Elina Svitolina, UKR (3-0)
3 - Elise Mertens, BEL (3-0)
3 - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (2-1)
3 - KIKI BERTENS, NED (2-1)
3 - Sloane Stephens, USA (1-2)
3 - Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU (1-2)

*2018 WTA SF*
8 - SIMONA HALEP (6-1+L)
6 - Petra Kvitova (5-1)
6 - Mihaela Buzarnescu (3-3)
5 - Elise Mertens (3-2)
5 - Angelique Kerber (2-3)
4 - Caroline Wozniacki (3-1)
4 - Elina Svitolina (3-1)
4 - Julia Goerges (2-2)
4 - Ash Barty (2-2)
4 - Anastasija Sevastova (2-2)
4 - Garbine Muguruza (1-2+W)

*2018 WTA FINALS ON MOST SURFACES*
3 - Petra Kvitova = Hard(2-0),Red Clay(2-0),Grass(1-0)
3 - KIKI BERTENS = Green Clay(1-0),Red Clay(0-1),Hard(1-0)

*WTA FINALS - since 2015*
19 - 5/3/5/6 - SIMONA HALEP (10-9)
16 - 5/8/1/2 - Angelique Kerber (9-7)
16 - 3/2/8/3 - Caroline Wozniacki (7-9)
14 - 6/4/3/1 - Karolina Pliskova (7-7)
13 - 4/3/1/5 - Petra Kvitova (11-2)
12 - 1/3/5/3 - Elina Svitolina (10-2)
12 - 5/5/1/1 - Serena Williams (8-4)
10 - 0/7/1/2 - Dominika Cibulkova (4-6)

*2018 WTA WD FINALS*
8...DEMI SCHUURS, NED (6-2)
5...ELISE MERTENS, BEL (3-2)
5...EKATERINA MAKAROVA, RUS (2-3)
4...Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (2-2)
4...Kveta Peschke, CZE (2-2)
4...Katerina Siniakova, CZE (2-2)
4...Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU (1-3)
4...Kirsten Flipkens, BEL (1-3)
4...Andreja Klepac, SLO (1-3)
4...Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP (1-3)
[duos]
4...MERTENS/SCHUURS (2-2)
4...Krejcikova/Siniakova (2-2)
4...Klepac/Martinez-Sanchez (1-3)
3...Babos/Mladenovic (2-1)
3...Makarova/Vesnina (1-2)
3...Melichar/Peschke (1-2)

*MOST WTA WD TITLES - since 2016*
15 - Latisha Chan, TPE (3/11/1)
14 - Martina Hingis, SUI (5/9 ret.)
10 - Andrea S.Hlavackova, CZE (4/6/0)
9 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA (5/4/0)
9 - Sania Mirza, IND (8/1/0)
8 - Timea Babos, HUN (0/6/2)
8 - Kiki Bertens, NED (3/4/1)
8 - EKATERINA MAKAROVA, RUS (3/3/2)
8 - Johanna Larsson, SWE (4/4/0)

*2018 PLAYERS WITH WTA WS & WD TITLES*
Timea Babos, HUN (1/2)
Ash Barty, AUS (1/3)
KIKI BERTENS, NED (2/1)
Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU (1/1)
Simona Halep, ROU (3/1)
Tatjana Maria, GER (1/1)
Elise Mertens, BEL (3/3)

*TENNIS AUSTRALIA U.S. OPEN WC PLAYOFF WINNERS*
2016 Ellen Perez
2017 Arina Rodionova
2018 Lizette Cabrera

*2018 PREMIER MANDATORY/PREMIER 5 CHAMPIONS*
Doha - Petra Kvitova, CZE
Indian Wells - Naomi Osaka, JPN
Miami - Sloane Stephens, USA
Madrid - Petra Kvitova, CZE (2)
Rome - Elina Svitolina, UKR
Montreal - Simona Halep, ROU
Cincinnati - Kiki Bertens, NED
Wuhan - x
Beijing - x
[doubles]
Doha - Dabrowski/Ostapenko, CAN/LAT
Indian Wells - Hsieh/Strycova, TPE/CZE
Miami - Barty/Vandeweghe, AUS/USA
Madrid - Makarova/Vesnina, RUS/RUS
Rome - Barty/Schuurs, AUS/NED
Montreal - Barty/Schuurs, AUS/NED
Cincinnati - Hradecka/Makarova, CZE/RUS
Wuhan - x
Beijing - x

*2018 $100K CHAMPIONS*
Midland, USA (hci) - Madison Brengle/USA
Khimki, RUS (hci) - Vera Lapko/BLR
Cagnes-sur-Mer, FRA (rco) - Rebecca Peterson/SWE
Trnava, SVK (rco) - Viktoria Kuzmova/SVK
Surbiton, ENG (gr) - Alison Riske/USA
Manchester, ENG (gr) - Ons Jabeur/TUN
Ilkley, ENG (gr) - Tereza Smitkova/CZE
Southsea, ENG (gr) - Kirsten Flipkens/BEL
Contrexeville, FRA (rco) - Stefanie Voegele/SUI
Budapest, HUN (rco) - Viktoria Kuzmova/SVK (2)
Vancouver, CAN (hco) - Misaki Doi/JPN

*2018 ITF TITLES*
5 - FERNANDA BRITO, CHI
5 - Andreea Amalia Rosca, ROU
4 - Fiona Ferro, FRA
4 - VARVARA FLINK, RUS
4 - Ylena In-Albon, SUI
4 - Rebecca Marino, CAN
4 - Anjelica Moratell, ITA

*ASIAN GAMES SINGLES MEDALISTS since 1994*
[GOLD]
1994 Kimiko Date/JPN
1998 Yayuk Basuki/JPN
2002 Iroda Tulyaganova/UZB
2006 Zheng Jie/CHN
2010 Peng Shuai/CHN
2014 Wang Qiang/CHN
[SILVER]
1994 Naoko Sawamatsu/JPN
1998 Tamarine Tanasugarn/THA
2002 Tamarine Tanasugarn/THA
2006 Sania Mirza/IND
2010 Akgul Amanmuradova/UZB
2014 Luksika Kumkhum/THA
[BRONZE]
1994 Yayuk Basuki/INA and Chen Li/CHN
1998 Li Fang/CHN and Yi Jingqian/CHN
2002 Shinobu Asagoe/JPN and Choo Yoon-Jeon/KOR
2006 Li Na/CHN and Aiko Nakamura/JPN
2010 Kimiko Date-Krumm/JPN and Sania Mirza/IND
2014 Misa Eguchi/JPN and Eri Hozumi/JPN


*U.S. OPEN WILD CARDS*
Amanda Anisimova, USA (16) - last year's U.S. Open girls champ, the teenager makes her Flushing Meadows MD debut after recently returning from an injury break that followed an early-season run that included wins over Pavlyuchenkova and Kvitova in Indian Wells.
Victoria Azarenka, BLR (29) - the first of the high-achieving wild card recipients for Flushing Meadows, Vika is a two-time Open finalist (2012-13) who hasn't played in New York since 2015.
Lizette Cabrera, AUS (20) - the Aussie makes her U.S. Open debut with her maiden slam MD appearance outside of Australia after winning Tennis Australia's eight-player Wild Card Playoff, defeating Georgia Bulldog Ellen Perez in straight sets in the final.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS (33) - another of the big-name wild cards for this Open (Stan Wawrinka also received one on the men's side) is Sveta, a former U.S. Open champ (2004). She earned her berth with a title run in Washington. Kuznetsova has only gone as far as the 3rd Round at Flushing Meadows once since 2011 (in '13).
Claire Liu, USA (18) - after winning the '17 Wimbledon girls title (and reaching the RG jr. final), Liu made her slam MD debut at last year's Open. This year, she arrives in NY having gotten her maiden slam MD win at Wimbledon and been the only player to take a set off eventual champ Angelique Kerber during the German's SW19 title run.

no monday blues

A post shared by Claire Liu (@cliu2000) on


Asia Muhammad, USA (27) - Muhammad makes her first slam MD appearance in a decade ('08 U.S. WC) after her against-all-odds claiming of the USTA's multi-event Wild Card Challenge title. She won the $60K Lexington challenger, but only earned the MD pass after two players come up one win short of earning the WC for themselves (Jessica Pegula squandered two MP in the Landisville SF vs. Kristie Ahn, who then retired in the final when a win would have gotten *her* the WC berth, leaving Muhammad atop the standings) in order to get the pass into the draw.
Whitney Osuigwe, USA (16) - the 16-year old former junior #1 (and '17 RG girls champ) makes her slam MD debut after winning the USTA 18s National Championship, won after staging a comeback straigths sets win from 5-1 down in the 1st set in the final vs. Kayla Day. With a birthdate of April 17, 2002 Osuigwe *should* be the youngest player in the draw, barring a Q-run from someone even younger.

Hard Courts singles and doubles champ ?? @usopen here I come ????

A post shared by Whitney Osuigwe (@whitney_osuigwe) on


Harmony Tan, FRA (20) - the Pastry is barely ranked inside the Top 400, is over a year past her career-high ranking (#324 in July '17) and was riding a five-match losing streak when the FFT chose her to fill the organization's WC slot for this slam. Still, she'll be making her slam debut. One has to wonder exactly what went into *this* selection, especially considering the shananigans undertaken by the FFT since the rise of Bernard Giudicelli.


Meanwhile...

I'm sure there's some "The WTA/tennis (especially during slams) could learn a lesson about..." notion related to this somehow.


The Radwanska of sidewalk basketball...







NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT USA (Premier/Hard Court Outdoor)
=RECENT WS FINALS=
2007 Kuznetsova d. Szavay
2008 Wozniacki d. Chakvetadze
2009 Wozniacki d. Vesnina
2010 Wozniacki d. Petrova
2011 Wozniacki d. Cetkovska
2012 Kvitova d. Kirilenko
2013 Halep d. Kvitova
2014 Kvitova d. Rybarikova
2015 Kvitova d. Safarova
2016 A.Radwanska d. Svitolina
2017 Gavrilova d. Cibulkova
=2017 WS=
QF: A.Radwanska d. Peng
QF: Gavrilova d. Flipkens
QF: Mertens w/o Sh.Zhang
QF: Cibulkova d. Pavlyuchenkova
SF: Gavrilova d. A.Radwanska
SF: Cibulkova d. Mertens
F: Gavrilova d. Cibulkova
=RECENT WD FINALS=
2010 Peschke/Srebotnik d. Mattek-Sands/Shaughnessy
2011 Chuang/Govortsova d. Errani/Vinci
2012 Huber/Raymond d. Hlavackova/Hradecka
2013 Mirza/J.Zheng d. Medina-Garrigues/Srebotnik
2014 Klepac/Soler Espinosa d. Erakovic/Parra Santonja
2015 Goerges/Hradecka d. Chuang/Liang
2016 Mirza/Niculescu d. K.Bondarenko/Chuang
2017 Dabrowski/Xu d. Barty/Dellacqua
=2017 WD=
SF: Dabrowski/XU d. Melichar/Smith
SF: Barty/Dellacqua d. Mertens/Kr.Pliskova
F: Dabrowski/Xu d. Barty/Dellacqua
=======================================
'18 TOP SEEDS
WS: #1 Halep, #2 Garcia, #3 Kvitova
WD: #1 S.-Hlavackova/Strycova, #2 Schuurs/Srebotnik


ASIAN GAMES (Palemberg, Indonesia)
=RECENT WS FINALS=
1994 Kimiko Date/JPN d. Naoko Sawamatsu/JPN
1998 Yayuk Basuki/JPN d. Tamarine Tanasugarn/THA
2002 Iroda Tulyaganova/UZB d. Tamarine Tanasugarn/THA
2006 Zheng Jie/CHN d. Sania Mirza/IND
2010 Peng Shuai/CHN d. Akgul Amanmuradova/UZB
2014 Wang Qiang/CHN d. Luksika Kumkhum/THA
=RECENT WD FINALS=
2006 Yan Zi/Zheng Jie (CHN) d. Latisha Chan/Chuang Chia-Jung (TPE)
2010 Latisha Chan/Chuang Chia-Jung (TPE) d. Chang Kai-chen/Hsieh Su-wei (TPE)
2014 Kumkhum/Tanasugarn (THA) d. Hsieh Su-wei/Chan Chin-wei (TPE)
=RECENT MX FINALS=
2006 Mirza/Paes (IND) d. Morigami/Iwabuchi (JPN)
2010 Latisha Chan/Yang Tsung-hua (TPE) d. Mirza/Vardhan (IND)
2014 Mirza/Myneni (IND) d. Angel Chan/Peng Hsien-yin (TPE)
=======================================
'18 TOP SEEDS
WS: #1 Zhang Shuai (CHN), #2 Wang Qiang (CHN)
WD: #1 Chan/Chan (TPE), #2 Xu Yifan/Yang Zhaoxuan (CHN)
MX: #1 Ninomiya/Uchiyama (JPN), #2 Xu Yifan/Zhang Ze (CHN)


ALSO: U.S. Open Qualifying


And, finally...


All for now.
↧

Article 0

August 24, 2018, 10:26 pm
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If they can make it there, they can make it anywhere. But some have to go through qualifying first.

A post shared by US Open (@usopen) on



A look back at the U.S. Open qualifying rounds...


TOP QUALIFIER:Genie Bouchard, CAN (24, #123)
...the list of victims of a few other qualifiers were more impressive, but it's hard to knock anything Bouchard did this week. She lost a total of *seven* games in six sets, defeating Carol Zhao (0 & 1), Ekaterine Gorgodze (1 & 2) and Jamie Loeb (0 & 3) in what is her second consecutive successful slam qualifying run. After making her way into the Wimbledon MD, she posted a 1st Round win over Gabriella Taylor and lost in two tight sets to Ash Barty. Her last MD win in New York came in the 3rd Round in 2015, a night match win over Dominika Cibulkova after which she slipped in the lockerrom and got a concussion, setting off long period of post-consussion issues a multi-year lawuit against the USTA that the organization allowed to go to court, where it rightfully lost out to the Canadian. Bouchard will get wild card Harmony Tan in the 1st Round this year.



*U.S. OPEN "Q-PLAYER OF THE WEEK" WINNERS*
2006 Chan Yung-Jan, TPE
2007 Alina Jidkova, RUS
2008 Yaroslava Shvedova, KAZ & Barbora Strycova, CZE
2009 Eva Hrdinova, CZE
2010 Michelle Larcher de Brito, POR
2011 Romina Oprandi, ITA
2012 Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK
2013 Michelle Larcher de Brito, POR
2014 Aleksandra Krunic, SRB
2015 Jessica Pegula, USA
2016 Taylor Townsend, USA
2017 Kaia Kanepi, EST
2018 Genie Bouchard, CAN
[2018 slams]
AO: Marta Kostyuk, UKR
RG: Francesca Schiavone, ITA
WI: Mona Barthel, GER
US: Genie Bouchard, CAN


*ADDITIONAL QUALIFIERS*
Marie Bouzkova, CZE (20, #171) - the '14 U.S. Open girls champ makes her slam MD debut after wins over Ann Li, #23 Marta Kostyuk and Georgina Garcia Perez.

Francesca Di Lorenzo, USA (21, #193) - the former NCAA #1 made her way through into her first slam MD by dropping no sets vs. a tough draw that incluced Veronica Cepede Royg, Antonia Lottner and #8 Mona Barthel..

Nicole Gibbs, USA (25, #115) - Gibbsy qualifies for her second straight Open, dropping no sets and ending new mom Olga Govortsova's efforts to reach the MD in the final round. Gibbs has won 1st Round matches at Flushing Meadows every year since 2014, as well as in eight consecutive hard court majors. She reached the Open 3rd Round in '14 after posting wins over Caroline Garcia and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Julia Glushko, ISR (28, #162) - Glushko's '18 resurgence continued this week. She's already reached five ITF finals (3-2) since June, and now she's into her first slam MD since the '14 U.S. Open after closing out qualifying with wins over #4 Viktorija Golubic and #25 Anastasia Potapova.
Ons Jabeur, TUN (23, #114) - Jabeur, who notched a 1st Round win in New York last year, also earned a Wimbledon WC earlier this summer with a $100K challenger title. She lost no sets this week vs. Katy Dunne (British Katie/Katy #3, if one were to rank them), Kristie Ahn and #30 Alexandra Dulgheru (but only after throwing up in the heat during her match vs. the Romanian on Friday). Jabeur will enter the MD without her coach, though, as he's currently serving a three-month suspension for his role in the whole ridiculously absurd Peng/Van Uytvanck/Mirza I-know-I-signed-up-to-play-doubles-with-you-but-I-want-to-play-with-HER-so-how-can-we-make-that-happen-hint-hint-wink "bribery" thing from last year's Wimbledon.
Anhelina Kalinina, UKR (21, #136) - the '14 U.S. Open girls runner-up (to fellow '18 qualifier Bouzkova), the Urkainian reaches her first slam MD after posting Q-round wins over Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Tereza Martincova and Jaimee Fourlis. Kalinina has been a consistent presence in North American challenger events the last two seasons, reaching six U.S.-based singles finals (going 5-1).
Anna Kalinskaya, RUS (19, #143) - Kalinskaya grabbed the final qualifying berth on Friday, as the #32 seed won out over #3 Madison Brengle, completing a six-set sweep of the week (after w/ additional wins over Grace Min and Mandy Minella). It's her second successful '18 slam Q-run (w/ AO). The Russian, the only teenager to qualify, is still seeking her first slam MD win after being successful at multiple majors as a junior, reaching the '15 RG singles and U.S. Open doubles finals, as well as winning the '16 AO GD.
Danielle Lao, USA (27, #236) - The Little Giant, a former NCAA All-American and team captain (USC Trojans) who made her U.S. Open debut last year via another successful Q-run, this time did it by sweeping #14 Magdelana Frech, Conny Perrin and #19 Jana Fett in straight sets. At #236, Lao is the lowest-ranked of the sixteen qualifiers.

Karolina Muchova, CZE (22, #202) - the Czech has yet to win her first pro singles title, but her improvement over the course of '18 is apparent in her three appearancess in, in order, $25K, $50K and $75K finals. Now she's grabbed a spot in her maiden slam MD after posting victories over #5 Vitalia Diatchenko, Jasmine Paolini and Franckie Abanda.
Arantxa Rus, NED (27, #110) - the Dutch woman played in her first slam MD match since 2013 at this year's Roland Garros. But while that slot was granted due to Rus being a lucky loser, she earned her way in as a qualifier this time around. With a Round of 16 (RG '12) slam result in her past, Rus' only MD win in New York came in 2011 (def. Elena Vesnina).

Patty Schnyder, SUI (39, #187) - a year after falling in the second U.S. Open Q-round, 39-year old Schnyder this time became the oldest woman to ever make her way through slam qualifying. She'll turn 40 in December. It wasn't a cakewalk, either. She had to go three sets vs. Maryna Zanevska and #20 Veronika Kudermetova before finally taking out Jessica Pegula in straights in the final round. Schnyder's last slam MD was in Paris in 2011, and her most recent win was in the 2nd Round in Flushing Meadows in 2010. Of course, the Swiss seems to be working on something of a "ten-year plan" in New York. She reached the QF in 1998 in her second appearance, then reached the final eight again in 2008. Now, ten *more* years later, she's in the mix once again. Hmmm, Schnyder reached the QF the last two years ending in "8" so, well umm... nah.
Jil Teichmann, SUI (21, #168) - Teichmann was born in 1997, the year *after* her countrywoman Schnyder made her slam debut. The U.S. Open girls doubles champ in 2014, she'll make *her* slam MD debut after opening Day 1 of qualifying with an upset of top-seeded Zhang Saisai, then ending her week with a win over #31 Sofya Zhuk.
Kathinka von Deichmann, LIE (24, #166) - the sixth qualifier (of 16) to win her way into her maiden slam MD this week, von Deichmann ended her five straight slam qualifying drought by dropping no sets vs. Priscilla Hon, Gail Brodsky and Martina Trevisan.
Heather Watson, GBR (26, #116) - a $100K finalist in Vancouver last weekend, Watson improved her recent run to 7-1 with a no-sets-lost week of qualifying. She posted wins over junior Coco Gauff, as well as fellow Brit Katie Swan. Thing is, Watson is 0-7 in the 1st Round at the Open, going one-and-out every year since 2011.
Vera Zvonareva, RUS (33, #134) - the '10 U.S. Open finalist (the Hordette also reached the Wimbledon final that summer, and climbed to a career-best #2 in September) had to save 3 MP vs. Zhu Lin in the final qualifying round, but her win gives her back-to-back successful slam Q-runs. Zvonareva's last slam MD win came in 2015 (AO), but her last in the U.S. Open was back in 2011 in her last MD apperance at Flushing Meadows.



TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: #23 Marta Kostyuk def. Valentyna Ivakhnenko
...4-6/7-6(6)/7-6(4). Seven months after the then-15 year old Ukrainian qualified in Melbourne and became the youngest player to reach the 3rd Round of a major since 1997, now at the ripe old age of 16, Kostyuk highlighted Day 1 of qualifying by saving six MP vs. Ukrainian-born Russian Ivakhnenko. Kostyuk saved two MP at 5-4 and 6-5 in the 2nd, fell behind 5-1 in the 3rd, then saved four more MP at 6-5.




It was ultimately all the teenager had to give at this Open, though, as she lost her second match on Q-Day 3 vs. Marie Bouzkova. Of course, Marta also "starred" earlier in the week at Times Square. The best thing about her #FallingStars photo is the reaction of all the people in the background looking at her like she's absolutely nuts. If they only knew.




*ADDITIONAL QUALIFYING RESULTS OF NOTE*
Q1: Jil Teichmann def. #1 Zheng Saisai 7-6(1)/3-6/6-0
Q1: Naomi Broady def. #2 Katie Boulter 6-4/4-6/6-1
...so, Q-Day 1 included the top two qualifying seeds losing. An ominous omen for the main draw?
===============================================



Q1: (PR) Olga Govortsova def. Sabine Lisicki
...6-4/7-5. Ranked #766 six months after the birth of her son, Govortsova notches the win over Lisicki, also making a very different comeback (the German has played just two slam MD matches the last two years due to continued injury issues).

Giving up ain’t an option out there! #iwillbeback ??@jimmie48tennis

A post shared by Sabine Lisicki (@sabinelisicki) on



Former #35 Govortsova, 29, who'd come to NY with a handful of successful Q-runs on the challenger level in her back pocket, intends on making a full comeback. If she pulls it off the BLR Fed Cup bench could be awe-inspiring. Azarenka, Sabalenka, Sasnovich, Lapko, Govortsova, Marozava...
===============================================
Q1: #6 Olga Danilovic def. Bianca Andreescu
...6-3/7-5. Touch-luck slam qualifier Andreescu is now 0-for-7 in her attempts to win her way into her maiden MD match at a major. She'd fallen in the final qualifying round at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this season, and then drew the Moscow champ to start off here. She needs to stay healthy, that way she'll have her shot to not *need* to go the Q-route in 2019.

Small pup, big city ??????

A post shared by Bibi (@biancaandreescu_) on


Never wanna leave ☹️

A post shared by Bibi (@biancaandreescu_) on


===============================================
Q1: (PR) Lina Gjorcheska def. Lauren Davis
...6-7(2)/7-5/6-3. Back from a wrist injury, the (current) world #604 from Macedonia wins her first-ever U.S. Open match, delivering another blow to Davis in a season that has pretty much fallen apart since her marathon Australian Open demise (3 MP held while losing a 15-13 3rd set in a 3:45 3rd Round match) vs. world #1 Simona Halep. Since Melbourne, she's gone 1-10, including Q1 exits in back-to-back slams. After ending 2017 at #50, she came into the week at #200. Shades of Misaki Doi after failing to convert MP vs. Kerber in the '16 AO, as *she's* only in recent months started to come out of her tailspin.
===============================================
Q1: #22 Beatriz Haddad def. Olivia Rogowska
...7-6(3)/6-1. Ranked #132 (she was Top 60 last September and reached the Seoul final, falling to Ostapenko in three sets), Haddad only returned from a three-month injury absence a week ago in the Vancouver $100K. During her time away, Brazil lost the great Maria Bueno. It's nice to see the *current* best Brazilian back on the court, even if she did lose a round later.
===============================================
Q1: Katie Swan def. Deborah Chiesa
...3-6/6-4/6-4. A win, but also an exit. Sort of.


concrete jungle where dreams are made of ??

A post shared by Katie Swan (@katieswan99) on



Swan's final exit came two rounds later vs. countrywoman Heather Watson.
===============================================
Q2: (PR) Olga Govortsova def. #21 Fiona Ferro 4-6/6-4/6-4
Q2: #24 Vera Zvonareva def. Fanny Stollar 7-5/6-2
Q2: Patty Schnyder def. #20 Veronika Kudermetova 6-7(4)/6-1/6-4
...three of the WTA's Mommy Corps (Govortsova and Zvonareva were side by side on adjoining courts) advance to the final round of qualifying. Fellow mother Mandy Minella (lost to #32 Kalinskaya) wasn't so lucky on Thursday, though.


===============================================
Q3: #24 Vera Zvonareva def. #12 Zhu Lin
...6-2/4-6/7-5. One mom makes it in, as the former finalist (2010) comes back from 5-2 down in the 3rd, saving three MP, to reach her first Open MD in seven years.


===============================================
Q3: Patty Schnyder def. (WC) Jessica Pegula
...6-3/6-2. Make it two, as Schnyder is also the oldest ever slam qualifier. In her last U.S. Open main draw match, she lost to Yanina Wickmayer (the year *after* the Waffle reached the semifinals and became "WICK-mayer" to Pam Shriver) in the 3rd Round in an 8-6 3rd set TB. Schnyder is the oldest woman in a slam MD since a 44-year old Kimiko Date in Melbourne in 2015.



===============================================
Q3: #10 Nicole Gibbs def. (PR) Olga Govortsova
...6-4/6-1. She shall return, and so will son Dominic.


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


*WILD CARDS*
Amanda Anisimova, USA (16) - last year's U.S. Open girls champ, the teenager makes her Flushing Meadows MD debut after recently returning from an injury break that followed an early-season run that included wins over Pavlyuchenkova and Kvitova in Indian Wells.
Victoria Azarenka, BLR (29) - the first of the high-achieving wild card recipients for Flushing Meadows, Vika is a two-time Open finalist (2012-13) who hasn't played in New York since 2015.
Lizette Cabrera, AUS (20) - the Aussie makes her U.S. Open debut with her maiden slam MD appearance outside of Australia after winning Tennis Australia's eight-player Wild Card Playoff, defeating Georgia Bulldog Ellen Perez in straight sets in the final.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS (33) - another of the big-name wild cards for this Open (Stan Wawrinka also received one on the men's side) is Sveta, a former U.S. Open champ (2004). She earned her berth with a title run in Washington. Kuznetsova has only gone as far as the 3rd Round at Flushing Meadows once since 2011 (in '13).
Claire Liu, USA (18) - after winning the '17 Wimbledon girls title (and reaching the RG jr. final), Liu made her slam MD debut at last year's Open. This year, she arrives in NY having gotten her maiden slam MD win at Wimbledon and been the only player to take a set off eventual champ Angelique Kerber during the German's SW19 title run.

no monday blues

A post shared by Claire Liu (@cliu2000) on


Asia Muhammad, USA (27) - Muhammad makes her first slam MD appearance in a decade ('08 U.S. WC) after her against-all-odds claiming of the USTA's multi-event Wild Card Challenge title. She won the $60K Lexington challenger, but only earned the MD pass after two players come up one win short of earning the WC for themselves (Jessica Pegula squandered two MP in the Landisville SF vs. Kristie Ahn, who then retired in the final when a win would have gotten *her* the WC berth, leaving Muhammad atop the standings) in order to get the pass into the draw.
Whitney Osuigwe, USA (16) - the 16-year old former junior #1 (and '17 RG girls champ) makes her slam MD debut after winning the USTA 18s National Championship, won after staging a comeback straight sets win from 5-1 down in the 1st set in the final vs. Kayla Day. With a birthdate of April 17, 2002 Osuigwe is the youngest player in the main draw.

Hard Courts singles and doubles champ ?? @usopen here I come ????

A post shared by Whitney Osuigwe (@whitney_osuigwe) on


Harmony Tan, FRA (20) - the Pastry is barely ranked inside the Top 400, is over a year past her career-high ranking (#324 in July '17) and was riding a five-match losing streak when the FFT chose her to fill the organization's WC slot for this slam. Still, she'll be making her slam debut. One has to wonder exactly what went into *this* selection, especially considering the shenanigans undertaken by the FFT since the rise of Bernard Giudicelli.


*YOUNGEST 2018 SLAM...*
=WC=
AO - Wang Xinyu, CHN (16)
US - Whitney Asuigwe, USA (16)
US - Amanda Anisimova, USA (16)
AO - Destanee Aiava, AUS (17)
AO - Jaimee Fourlis, AUS (18)
US - Claire Liu, USA (18)
WI - Katie Swan, GBR (19)
AO - Lizette Cabrera, AUS (20)
WI - Gabriella Taylor, GBR (20)
US - Lizette Cabrera, AUS (20)
US - Harmony Tan, FRA (20)
AO - Jessika Ponchet, FRA (21)
RG - Jessic Ponchet, FRA (21)
RG - Fiona Ferro, FRA (21)
RG - Isabelle Wallace, AUS (21)
WI - Katie Boulter, GBR (21)
WI - Harriet Dart, GBR (21)
=Q=
AO - Marta Kostyuk, UKR (15)
WI - Claire Liu, USA (18)
AO - Viktoria Kuzmova, SVK (19)
AO - Anna Blinkova, RUS (19)
AO - Anna Kalinskaya, RUS (19)
RG - Caroline Dolehide, USA (19)
US - Anna Kalinskaya, RUS (19)
AO - Magdalena Frech, POL (20)
RG - Magdalena Frech, POL (20)
AO - Ivana Jorovic, SRB (20)
WI - Gabriela-Elena Ruse, ROU (20)
US - Marie Bouzkova, CZE (20)
RG - Deborah Chiesa, ITA (21)
WI - Antonia Lottner, GER (21)
WI - Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP (21)
US - Francesca Di Lorenzo, USA (21)
US - Anhelina Kalinina, UKR (21)
US - Jil Teichmann, SUI (21)

=OLDEST 2018 SLAM...=
=WC=
US - Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS (33)
RG - Pauline Parmentier, FRA (32)
US - Victoria Azarenka, BLR (29)
WI - Naomi Broady, GBR (28)
RG - Myrtille Georges, FRA (27)
US - Asia Muhammad, USA (27)
AO - Olivia Rogowska, AUS (26)
=Q=
US - Patty Schnyder, SUI (39)
RG - Francesca Schiavone, ITA (37)
US - Vera Zvonareva, RUS (33)
WI - Vera Zvonareva, RUS (33)
WI - Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU (29)
WI - Evgeniya Rodina, RUS (29)
RG - Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU (28)
RG - Mariana Duque Marino, COL (28)
US - Julia Glushko, ISR (28)
AO - Irina Falconi, USA (27)
WI - Mona Barthel, GER (27)
WI - Vitalia Diatchenko, RUS (27)
US - Danielle Lao, USA (27)
US - Arantxa Rus, NED (27)

=LL=
WI - Mariana Duque Marino, COL (28)
RG - Aranxa Rus, NED (27)
RG - Dalila Jakupovic, SLO (27)
AO - Bernarda Pera, USA (23)
AO - Viktoriya Tomova, BUL (22)
WI - Caroline Dolehide, USA (19)

=LOW-RANKED 2018 SLAM QUALIFIERS=
#715 - Barbora Stefkova, CZE (WI) - PR
#521 - Marta Kostyuk, UKR (AO)
#279 - Ivana Jorovic, SRB (AO)
#265 - Francesca Schiavone, ITA (RG)
#238 - Claire Liu, USA (WI)
#236 - Danielle Lao, USA (US)
#202 - Karolina Muchova, CZE (US)
#197 - Grace Min, USA (RG)
#197 - Elena-Gabriela Ruse, ROU (WI)
#193 - Francesca Di Lorenzo, USA (US)
#191 - Genie Bouchard, CAN (WI)
#186 - Georgina Garcia Perez, ESP (RG)
#171 - Marie Bouzkova, CZE (US)
#168 - Jil Teichmann, SUI (US)
#166 - Kathinka von Deichmann, LIE (US)
#163 - Magdalena Frech, POL (AO)
#163 - Deborah Chiesa, ITA (RG)
#162 - Julia Glushko, ISR (US)
#160 - Anna Kalinskaya, RUS (AO)
#160 - Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU (RG)

=LL=
#139 - Viktoriya Tomova, BUL (AO)
#126 - Bernarda Pera, USA (AO)
#121 - Dalila Jakupovic, SLO (RG)
#106 - Arantxa Rus, NED (RG)
#105 - Caroline Dolehide, USA (WI)
#97 - Mariana Duque Marino, COL (WI)

=MULTI-SLAM QUALIFIERS IN 2018=
2 - Genie Bouchard, CAN (WI/US)
2 - Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU (RG/WI)
2 - Magdalena Frech, POL (AO/RG)
2 - Viktorija Golubic, SUI (AO/RG)
2 - Anna Kalinskaya, RUS (AO/US)
2 - Vera Zvonareva, RUS (WI/US)




All for now.
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U.S. Open Preview: Nakedly Interesting in the City

August 25, 2018, 3:39 pm
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The are a million stories in the naked city. And there are seemingly just as many set to be exposed in the women's draw at this year's U.S. Open.



Over the next two weeks, the women of the WTA will surely unveil their fair share of tennis tales. And they won't even have to go au natural to do it. Of course, if one did, well, it would make even the Most Interesting Tour blush, wouldn't it? At least a little.


Some are nakely obvious potential plots to follow.

Such as Serena Williams' quest for post-motherhood slam win #1 (she came up a match short in London), a Margaret Court-tying #24, and her official elevation into the clouds above Mount Olympus (Olympia?). Well, that's already on schedule, I guess, but two weekends from now would be a can't-miss date for a ceremony that we could all put on our calendar. World #1 and Roland Garros champ Simona Halep, free of the pressure of winning her maiden major title, has been in top (maybe her most solid ever?) form on North American hard courts in recent weeks, coming an unconverted MP short of being the first women to achieve the Canada/Cincinnati double in back-to-back weeks. One year after being sacrificed in the altogether to the Draw Gods via a Night 1 match-up with a then-unseeded Maria Sharapova, the Romanian will seek to become just the second player not named Serena (Kerber '16) to reach three slam finals in a season since her idol Justine Henin played in all four in 2006. Meanwhile, Sloane Stephens completed her miraculous summer comeback with a U.S. Open title in 2017. After an extended period of looking lost in the woods immediately afterward, she's posted big results (Miami W, Roland Garros RU) on big stages, but the difficulty in defending a maiden slam crown will be a whole new experience to conquer.



Also without a stitch of cover, though operating without quite the same spotlight on their bare skin...

Madison Keys, who was a first-time slam finalist a year ago at Flushing Meadows, returns with another slam semi (RG) on her resume. She'll be discussed early and often as a potential title contender this time, but the worry of another injury (see her recent withdrawal from a tournament at the first inkling of a sore wrist) is always lurking just beneath the surface, ready to strip her of her dreams. Speaking of disrobing, Kiki Bertens stripped away her "clay court specialist" moniker by winning one of the biggest hard court titles on the schedule in Cincy after stringing together eight straight wins over Top 10 players this summer. But the Dutch woman has never advanced past the 3rd Round at a hard court major. So far, at least. Elina Svitolina and Petra Kvitova have been lights-out in "regular season" competition in '18, combining to win eight singles titles. They're a combined 8-6 in the season's three slams, with only the Ukrainian reaching a QF (AO). A solid Player of the Year contender but for her disastrous slam record, Kvitova has two 1st Round exits, while Svitolina (still without a slam SF in her career) won just two combined matches in Paris and Wimbledon. The Open is their last chance this season to change this stark (naked) narrative before the arrival of 2019.

Players who have been confident in their skin in recent majors will be looking display their raw ability once again.

Caroline Wozniacki opened '18 by claiming her maiden slam in Melbourne, but her season has been something of a disappointment ever since. And now she's nursing injuries that could make her a first week casualty. Or she could ride the emotional memory wave of what has traditionally been her *best* major. Angelique Kerber has climbed back from her historic "year after" slip in '17, winning her third slam at Wimbledon. She's been mostly quiet in recent weeks, but won in New York just two seasons ago. '17 RG champ Alona Ostapenko is coming off her best post-major title slam result (Wimbledon SF), but she's never reached the Round of 16 at a hard court major. Garbine Muguruza, a multi-slam champ who's as likely to win a third as she is to fail to escape the opening rounds (whether it be because of injury or one of her sleepwalking displays between the lines). One could make *any* prediction for the Spaniard and be assured of quite a few healthy nods of agreement, as she's the most vexing slam contender to figure out since the tour first got to know a Russian named Sveta.


To live, shining with delight, is not stupidity at all.
It's stupid to envy instead of delight and light.
It would be foolish to put all the tenderness away
and send empty greetings without emotions.
It's silly to invent other people's names for feelings.
It's a shame to deceive yourself and to believe in yourself,
Embroidering experiences in the framework of propriety.
Light and soulfulness measure fake.

[more or less, depending on which translation thingy you utilize]

Speaking of her, might this slam be the moment that a former major winner peels away the rust in full view, revealing themselves to be wearing a spankin' new cape and multi-colored bodysuit fit for a heroine underneath?

Serena, no matter what she wears (or who objects to it months later), is already squarely in the middle of this particular conversation. But so is Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Hordette won in Washington in recent weeks, faces Venus in the 1st Round, and could get Serena in the 3rd. I mean, it'd be oh-so-Sveta if she'd defeat *both* Sisters yet still fail to advance beyond the Round of 16, right? Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova ('06 champ) and Vika Azarenka (2012-13 finalist) are in the draw, as well, making this just the fourth major of the last thirteen with those two AND Serena in the main draw. A Serena/Venus pairing could come in the *3rd* Round, while Vika could meet Stephens at the same stage. A year after facing (and defeating) Halep in the 1st Round, this time Sharapova has drawn 39-year old Patty Schnyder, the oldest slam qualifier ever.

At the same time, contenders from a year ago very well could see their results undressed very quickly this time around, leaving them (figuratively) in the buff, wearing only their birthday suit.

The rare all-Bannerette semis of a year ago is a feat not likely to be replicated twelve months later. While Stephens and Keys should remain contenders, '17 final four members CoCo Vandeweghe and Venus Williams aren't exactly clicking on all cylinders. Both are battling injuries. Vandeweghe enters on five-match losing streak and with just one MD win in a major this season after reaching two semis and QF in '17. Venus is 6-6 since her good IW/Miami turn (SF/QF) in March and has yet to reach an '18 final after doing so in Melbourne, Wimbledon and Singapore last year.

Generation PDQ, brought to the forefront by Latvian Thunder's title run in Paris last year, have ofteen been seen running buck naked through any number of draws this season, flashing talent and generational buzz at every turn. Could one of them be the latest to "shock the world" by streaking across the slam stage and making off with a piece of hardware?

Surely, Aryna Sabalenka has the look of the sort of player who could do it. Before the season, this space postulated: "Looking for an Ostapenko-like smash who might shock the world and obliterate -- Kool-Aid Man style -- a slam wall? Maybe Sabalenka will be ready for such a star turn. Her Fed Cup heroics looked to be just scratching the surface, but can she maintain control of her powerful, though oft-wild, game long enough for a deep run at a major?" Well, maybe. She's ripped through the hard court summer, improving and growing more confident along the way, culminating in her maiden singles title in New Haven this weekend. Could the best be yet to come from "Belarusian Boom?" If not her, how about The (swashbuckling Dasha) Kasatkina? Or Elise "Belgian Rumble" Mertens, already a semifinalist at a HC major in '18? And then there's The Cricketeer (Ash Barty), the Croatian Comet (Donna Vekic) or Indian Wells champ Naomi Osaka, looking to ride The Great Wave off New York to the worldwide superstardom that a major title could produce?

That's already quite a lot of possibilities, and I haven't even talked about the late-blooming thirtysomething (or nearly so) contingent, the continued coverage of one of the tour's underlying themes of '18 -- mothers returning to the court -- or any of the many amazing comeback stories in play for one more miraculous chapter, such as that of Mihaela Buzarnescu. The Romanian made her slam MD debut in New York a year ago after having left the sport due to injuries, and she returns next week as a tour singles champion, the #21 seed and staggeringly back just a few weeks after *another* injury that looked (and sounded) catastrophic, or at the very least set to keep her away until the fall, if not end her season early.

And, of course, who knows what stories will pop up at this Open that NO ONE saw coming. And there surely will be a few. There always are on the Most Interesting Tour in the World.

One thing we can be assured of? In the end, one woman will leave New York wearing (at least in theory) only a smile, having shocked the world, stunned the sensibilities, and made the city her own personal tennis playground.


Look out New York, here they come.





Whole lotta slams...


**RECENT WOMEN'S SLAM WINNERS**
2016 AO: Angelique Kerber, GER
2016 RG: Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2016 WI: Serena Williams, USA
2016 US: Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 AO: Serena Williams, USA
2017 RG: Alona Ostapenko, LAT
2017 WI: Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2017 US: Sloane Stephens, USA
2018 AO: Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2018 RG: Simona Halep, ROU
2018 WI: Angelique Kerber, GER

**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)
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 - Aga Radwanska
2013 Wimbledon - Sabine Lisicki
2014 Australian Open - Dominika Cibulkova
2014 Roland Garros - Simona Halep
2014 Wimbledon - Genie Bouchard
2015 Roland Garros - Lucie Safarova
2015 Wimbledon - Garbine Muguruza
2016 Australian Open - Angelique Kerber (W)
2016 U.S. Open - Karolina Pliskova
2017 Roland Garros - Alona Ostapenko (W)
2017 U.S. Open - Sloane Stephens (W)
2017 U.S. Open - Madison Keys



**RECENT WOMEN'S U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONS**
1999 Serena Williams, USA
2000 Venus Williams, USA
2001 Venus Williams, USA
2002 Serena Williams, USA
2003 Justine Henin, BEL
2004 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2005 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2006 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2007 Justine Henin, BEL
2008 Serena Williams, USA
2009 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2010 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2011 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2012 Serena Williams, USA
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Serena Williams, USA
2015 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Sloane Stephens, USA

**U.S. OPEN FINALS - ACTIVE**
8...Serena Williams (6-2)
4...Venus Williams (2-2)
2...Svetlana Kuznetsova (1-1)
2...Victoria Azarenka (0-2)
2...Caroline Wozniacki (0-2)
1...Angelique Kerber (1-0)
1...Maria Sharapova (1-0)
1...Sloane Stephens (1-0))
1...Samantha Stosur (1-0)
1...Jelena Jankovic (0-1)
1...Madison Keys (0-1)
1...Karolina Pliskova (0-1)
1...Vera Zvonareva (0-1)

**CAREER U.S. OPEN MATCH WIN LEADERS**
101...Chris Evert
89...Serena Williams*
89...Martina Navratilova
76...Venus Williams*
73...Steffi Graf
62...Lindsay Davenport

**U.S. OPEN TOP SEEDS - since 2002**
2002 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2003 Kim Clijsters, BEL (RU)
2004 Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL (4th)
2005 Maria Sharapova, RUS (SF)
2006 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA (SF)
2007 Justine Henin, BEL (W)
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB (2nd)
2009 Dinara Safina, RUS (3rd)
2010 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (SF)
2011 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (SF)
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (RU)
2013 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2014 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2015 Serena Williams, USA (SF)
2016 Serena Williams, USA (SF)
2017 Karolina Pliskova, CZE (QF)
2018 Simona Halep, ROU

**FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AT U.S. OPEN - OPEN ERA**
1968 Virginia Wade, GBR
1979 Tracy Austin, USA
1990 Gabriela Sabatini, ARG
1998 Lindsay Davenport, USA
1999 Serena Williams, USA
2004 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2005 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2011 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2015 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2017 Sloane Stephens, USA

**LOW-SEEDED U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONS - OPEN ERA**
Unseeded/Wild Card - Kim Clijsters, BEL (2009)
Unseeded - Sloane Stephens, USA (2017)
#26 - Flavia Pennetta, ITA (2015)
#9 - Samantha Stosur, AUS (2011)
#9 - Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS (2004)
#7 - Serena Williams, USA (1999)
#6 - Virginia Wade, GBR (1968)

**LOW-RANKED U.S. OPEN FINALISTS - since 1975**
Unranked - Kim Clijsters, 2009 (W)
#83 - Sloane Stephens, 2017 (W)
#66 - Venus Williams, 1997

**RECENT U.S. OPEN WOMEN'S SEMIFINALISTS**
2011 Stosur (W), S.Williams (F); Kerber/Wozniacki
2012 S.Williams (W), Azarenka (F); Errani/Sharapova
2013 S.Williams (W), Azarenka (F); Li/Pennetta
2014 S.Williams (W), Wozniacki (F); Peng/Makarova
2015 Pennetta (W), Vinci (F); Halep/S.Williams
2016 Kerber (W), Ka.Pliskova (F); S.Williams/Wozniacki
2017 Stephens (W), Keys (F); Vandeweghe/V.Williams

**LOW-SEEDED U.S. OPEN SEMIFINALISTS - since 2000**
[unseeded]
2000 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2009 Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
2009 [WC] Kim Clijsters, BEL (W)
2011 Angelique Kerber, GER
2013 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2014 Peng Shuai, CHN
2015 Roberta Vinci, ITA
2016 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2017 Sloane Stephens, USA (W)
[seeds]
#28 - 2011 Serena Williams, USA (RU)
#26 - 2015 Flavia Pennetta, ITA (W)
#20 - 2017 CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
#19 - 2006 Jelena Jankovic, SRB
#16 - 2014 Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
#15 - 2017 Madison Keys, USA (RU)
#12 - 2005 Mary Pierce, FRA (RU)
#12 - 2007 Venus Williams, USA
#10 - 2001 Serena Williams, USA (RU)
#10 - 2002 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
#10 - 2012 Sara Errani, ITA
#10 - 2014 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (RU)
#10 - 2016 Karolina Pliskova, CZE (RU)

**RECENT U.S. OPEN GIRLS FINALS**
2005 Victoria Azarenka/BLR d. Alexa Glatch/USA
2006 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS d. Tamira Paszek/AUT
2007 Kristina Kucova/SVK d. Urszula Radwanska/POL
2008 Coco Vandeweghe/USA d. Gabriela Paz/VEN
2009 Heather Watson/GBR d. Yana Buchina/RUS
2010 Daria Gavrilova/RUS d. Yulia Putintseva/RUS #
2011 Grace Min/USA d. Caroline Garcia/FRA
2012 Samantha Crawford/USA d. Anett Kontaveit/EST
2013 Ana Konjuh/CRO d. Tornado Black/USA
2014 Marie Bouzkova/CZE d. Anhelina Kalinina/UKR
2015 Dalma Galfi/HUN d. Sonya Kenin/USA
2016 Kayla Day/USA d. Viktoria Kuzmova/SVK
2017 Amanda Anisimova/USA d. Coco Gauff/USA
--
#- (2010) players now represent AUS & KAZ

**BEST U.S. OPEN GIRLS/WOMEN'S RESULTS**
[won Girls & Women's titles]
Lindsay Davenport (1992 Jr. Champion; 1998 Women's champion)
[others]
Martina Hingis (1994 Junior RU; 1997 Women's Champion)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (2001 Junior RU; 2004 Women's champion)
Victoria Azarenka (2005 Junior champion; 2012-13 Women's RU)

**BACK-TO-BACK WIMB/US TITLES - OPEN ERA**
1970 Margaret Court, AUS
1972 Billie Jean King, USA
1976 Chris Evert, USA
1982 Chris Evert-Lloyd, USA
1983 Martina Navratilova, USA
1986 Martina Navratilova, USA
1987 Martina Navratilova, USA
1988 Steffi Graf, GER *
1989 Steffi Graf, GER
1993 Steffi Graf, GER
1995 Steffi Graf, GER
1996 Steffi Graf, GER
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
2000 Venus Williams, USA *
2001 Venus Williams, USA
2002 Serena Williams, USA
2012 Serena Williams, USA *
--
* - also won Olympic Gold

**RG/US TITLES IN SEASON - OPEN ERA**
1969 Margaret Court, AUS
1970 Margaret Court, AUS
1972 Billie Jean King, USA
1973 Margaret Court, AUS
1975 Chris Evert, USA
1980 Chirs Evert, USA
1984 Martina Navratilova, USA
1988 Steffi Graf, FRG
1991 Monica Seles, YUG
1992 Monica Seles, YUG
1993 Steffi Graf, GER
1994 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, ESP
1995 Steffi Graf, GER
1996 Steffi Graf, GER
2002 Serena Williams, USA
2003 Justine Henin, BEL
2007 Justine Henin, BEL
2013 Serena Williams, USA

**US/AO TITLES IN SEASON - OPEN ERA**
[Sept/Dec finals; 1977-86]
1982 Chris Evert, USA
1983 Martina Navratilova, USA
[Jan/Sept finals]
1969 Margaret Court, AUS
1970 Margaret Court, AUS
1973 Margaret Court, AUS
1988 Steffi Graf, FRG
1989 Steffi Graf, FRG
1991 Monica Seles, YUG
1992 Monica Seles, YUG
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER

**RECENT U.S. OPEN WOMEN'S DOUBLES CHAMPIONS**
2005 Lisa Raymond / Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS
2006 Nathalie Dechy / Vera Zvonareva, FRA/RUS
2007 Nathalie Dechy / Dinara Safina, FRA/RUS
2008 Cara Black / Liezel Huber, RSA/USA
2009 Serena / Venus Williams, USA/USA
2010 Vania King / Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ
2011 Liezel Huber / Lisa Raymond, USA/USA
2012 Sara Errani / Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
2013 Andrea Hlavackova / Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE
2014 Ekaterina Makarova / Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
2015 Martina Hingis / Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
2016 Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
2017 Latisha Chan / Martina Hingis, TPE/SUI

**RECENT U.S. OPEN MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONS**
1998 Serena Williams / Max Mirnyi, USA/BLR
1999 Ai Sugiyama / Mahesh Bhupathi, JPN/IND
2000 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario / Jared Palmer, ESP/USA
2001 Rennae Stubbs / Todd Woodbridge, AUS/AUS
2002 Lisa Raymond / Mike Bryan, USA/USA
2003 Katarina Srebotnik / Bob Bryan, SLO/USA
2004 Vera Zvonareva / Bob Bryan, RUS/USA
2005 Daniela Hantuchova / Mahesh Bhupathi, SVK/IND
2006 Martina Navratilova / Bob Bryan, USA/USA
2007 Victoria Azarenka / Max Mirnyi, BLR/BLR
2008 Cara Black / Leander Paes, ZIM/IND
2009 Carly Gullickson / Travis Parrott, USA/USA
2010 Liezel Huber / Bob Bryan, USA/USA
2011 Melanie Oudin / Jack Sock, USA/USA
2012 Ekaterina Makarova / Bruno Soares, RUS/BRA
2013 Andrea Hlavackova / Max Mirnyi, CZE/BLR
2014 Sania Mirza / Bruno Soares, IND/BRA
2015 Martina Hingis / Leander Paes, SUI/IND
2016 Laura Siegemund / Mate Pavic, GER/CRO
2017 Martina Hingis / Jamie Murray, SUI/GBR

**RECENT U.S. OPEN GIRLS DOUBLES CHAMPIONS**
2006 Mihaela Buzarnescu / Raluca Olaru, ROU/ROU
2007 Ksenia Milevskaya / Ula Radwanska, BLR/POL
2008 Noppawan Lertcheewakarn / Sandra Roma, THA/SWE
2009 Valeria Solovyeva / Maryna Zanevska, RUS/UKR
2010 Timea Babos / Sloane Stephens, HUN/USA
2011 Irina Khromacheva / Demi Schuurs, RUS/NED
2012 Gabby Andrews / Taylor Townsend, USA/USA
2013 Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
2014 Ipek Soylu / Jil Teichmann, TUR/SUI
2015 Viktoria Kuzmova / Aleksandra Pospelova, SVK/RUS
2016 Jada Myii Hart / Ena Shibahara, USA/USA
2017 Olga Danilovic / Marta Kostyuk, SRB/UKR

**U.S. OPEN WHEELCHAIR CHAMPIONS**
[singles]
1991 Monique Kalkman, NED
1992 Chantal Vandierendonck, NED
1993 Chantal Vandierendonck, NED
1994 Monique Kalkman, NED
1995 Monique Kalkman, NED
1996 Maaike Smit, NED
1997 Daniela Di Toro, AUS
1998 Esther Vergeer, NED
1999 Daniela Di Toro, AUS
2000 Esther Vergeer, NED
2001 Sonja Peters, NED
2002 Esther Vergeer, NED
2003 Esther Vergeer, NED
2004 Maaike Smit, NED
2005 Esther Vergeer, NED
2006 Esther Vergeer, NED
2007 Esther Vergeer, NED
2008 --
2009 Esther Vergeer, NED
2010 Esther Vergeer, NED
2011 Esther Vergeer, NED
2012 --
2013 Aniek van Koot, NED
2014 Yui Kamiji, JPN
2015 Jordanne Whiley, GBR
2016 --
2017 Yui Kamiji, JPN
[doubles]
2005 Korie Homan & Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2006 Jiske Griffioen & Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2007 Jiske Griffioen & Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2008 --
2009 Korie Homan & Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2010 Esther Vergeer & Sharon Walraven, NED/NED
2011 Esther Vergeer & Sharon Walraven, NED/NED
2012 --
2013 Jiske Griffioen & Aniek van Koot, NED/NED
2014 Yui Kamiji & Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2015 Jiske Griffioen & Aniek van Koot, NED/NED
2016 --
2017 Marjolein Buis & Diede de Groot, NED/NED
--
NOTE: event not held in 2008/12/16 (Paralympics)

**RECENT WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS**
2015 US - Jordanne Whiley/GBR d. Yui Kamiji/JPN
2016 AO - #1 Jiske Griffioen/NED d. Aniek Van Koot/NED
2016 RG - Marjolein Buis/NED d. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2016 WI - #1 Jiske Griffioen/NED d. Aniek Van Koot/NED
2017 AO - #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #1 Jiske Griffioen/NED
2017 RG - #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2017 WI - Diede de Groot/NED def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2017 US - #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #2 Diede de Groot/NED
2018 AO - #2 Diede de Groot/NED def. #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2018 RG - #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #2 Diede de Groot/NED
2018 WI - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. Aniek van Koot/NED

**SLAM TITLES AFTER AGE 30**
10..Serena Williams, USA (age 30-35)*
3...Martina Navratilova, USA (age 30-33)
3...Margaret Court, AUS (age 30-31)
2...Billie Jean King, USA (age 30 & 31)
2...Chris Evert, USA (age 30 & 31)
1...Flavia Pennetta, ITA (age 33)
1...Virginia Wade. GBR (age 31)
1...Ann Haydon Jones, GBR (age 30)
1...Angelique Kerber, GER (age 30)*
--
*-active

**OLDEST WOMEN'S SINGLES SLAM CHAMPIONS - OPEN ERA**
Serena Williams (35y/125) - 2017 Australian
Serena Williams (34/283) - 2016 Wimbledon
Serena Williams (33/285) - 2015 Wimbledon
Martina Navratilova (33/263) - 1990 Wimbledon
Serena Williams (33/254) - 2015 Roland Garros
Flavia Pennetta (33/201) - 2015 U.S. Open
Serena Williams (33/127) - 2015 Australian

**OLDEST WOMEN'S SINGLES SLAM FINALISTS**
Martina Navratilova (37y,258d) — lost '94 WI to C.Martinez
Venus Williams (37/28) - lost '17 WI to Muguruza
Serena Williams (36/291) - lost '18 WI to Kerber
Venus Williams (36/226) — '17 AO, lost to S.Williams
Serena Williams (35/125) — '17 AO, def. V.Williams
Martina Navratilova (34/325) — '91 US, lost to Seles

**OLDEST FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS**
33y,199d - Flavia Pennetta, 2015 U.S. Open
29y,346d - Francesca Schiavone, 2010 Roland Garros
29y,275d - Jana Novotna, 1998 Wimbledon
29y,154d - Kerry Melville-Reid, 1977 Australian Open
29y,98d - Li Na, 2011 Roland Garros
28y,277d - Marion Bartoli, 2013 Wimbledon
28y,12d - Angelique Kerber, 2016 Australian Open
27y,200d - Caroline Wozniacki, 2018 Australian Open
26y,255d - Simona Halep, 2018 Roland Garros
26y,207d - Amelie Mauresmo, 2006 Australian Open
26y,165d - Samantha Stosur, 2011 U.S. Open

**MOST SLAMS BEFORE FIRST TITLE**
49 - Flavia Pennetta (2015 U.S. Open)
47 - Marion Bartoli (2013 Wimbledon)
45 - Jana Novotna (1998 Wimbledon)
43 - Caroline Wozniacki (2018 Australian Open)
39 - Francesca Schiavone (2010 Roland Garros)
34 - Samantha Stosur (2011 U.S. Open)
33 - Angelique Kerber (2016 Australian Open)
32 - Simona Halep (2018 Roland Garros)
32 - Amelie Mauresmo (2006 Australian Open)

**TEEN SLAM CHAMPS - since 1997**
1997 Martina Hingis, 16 (AO)*
1997 Iva Majoli, 19 (RG)*
1997 Martina Hingis, 16 (WI)
1997 Martina Hingis, 16 (US)
1998 Martina Hingis, 17 (AO)
1999 Martina Hingis, 18 (AO)
1999 Serena Williams, 17 (US)*
2004 Maria Sharapova, 17 (WI)*
2004 Svetlana Kuznetsova, 19 (US)*
2006 Maria Sharapova, 19 (US)
--
* - first-time slam winner
NOTE: Ostapenko* (won '17 RG at 20 yrs, 2 days)

**LOW RANKED IN SLAM FINAL - Open era**
NR - Evonne Goolagong, 1977 Australian (W)
NR - Kim Clijsters, 2009 US Open (W)
NR - Justine Henin, 2010 Australian
#181 - Serena Williams, 2018 Wimbledon
#111 - Chris O'Neil, 1978 Australian (W)
#83 - Sloane Stephens, 2017 US Open (W)
#81 - Serena Williams, 2007 Australian (W)
#78 - Betsy Nagelson, 1978 Australian
#68 - Barbara Jordan, 1979 Australian (W)
#66 - Venus Williams. 1997 US Open

**FIRST-TIME SLAM SEMIFINALISTS SINCE 2013**
=2013=
AO: Sloane Stephens/USA
RG: -
WI: Kirsten Flipkens/BEL
US: Flavia Pennetta/ITA
=2014=
AO: Genie Bouchard/CAN
RG: Simona Halep/ROU (RU), Andrea Petkovic/GER
WI: Lucie Safarova/CZE
US: Ekatarina Makarova/RUS, Peng Shuai/CHN
=2015=
AO: Madison Keys/USA
RG: Timea Bacsinszky/SUI
WI: Garbine Muguruza/ESP (RU)
US: Roberta Vinci/ITA (RU)
=2016=
AO: Johanna Konta/GBR
RG: Kiki Bertens/NED
WI: Elena Vesnina/RUS
US: Karolina Pliskova/CZE (RU)
=2017=
AO: CoCo Vandeweghe/USA
RG: Alona Ostapenko/LAT (W)
WI: Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK
US: -
=2018=
AO: Elise Mertens, BEL
RG: -
WI: Julia Goerges, GER

**CAREER SLAM #1 SEEDS - active**
20...Serena Williams
6...Caroline Wozniacki
4...SIMONA HALEP
4...Maria Sharapova
3...Victoria Azarenka
3...Angelique Kerber
1...Jelena Jankovic
1...Karolina Pliskova
1...Venus Williams

**REACHED #1 WITHOUT HAVING WON A SLAM TITLE**
2003 Kim Clijsters, BEL [won U.S. Open in 2005]
2009.Dinara Safina, RUS [0-3 in slam finals]
2010 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN [won Australian Open in 2018]
2008.Jelena Jankovic, SRB [0-1 in slam finals]
2004 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA [won Australian Open in 2006]
2017.Karolina Pliskova, CZE [0-1 in slam finals]
2017 Simona Halep, ROU [won Roland Garros in 2018]
--
. - #1, NO SLAM TITLE W/L IN FINALS: Safina (0-3), Pliskova (0-1)*, Jankovic (0-1)*

**RECENT SLAM JUNIOR CHAMPS**
[2016]
AO: Vera Lapko, BLR
RG: Rebeka Masarova, SUI
WI: Anastasia Potapova, RUS
US: Kayla Day, USA
[2017]
AO: Marta Kostyuk, UKR
RG: Whitney Osuigwe, USA
WI: Claire Liu, USA
US: Amanda Anisimova, USA
[2018]
AO: Liang En-shuo, TPE
RG: Coco Gauff, USA
WI: Iga Swiatek, POL

**SERENA, MARIA, VIKA & VENUS IN SAME SLAM DRAW**
=CHAMPIONS=
=2006=
AO - Mauresmo
=2007=
RG - HENIN
WI - V.Williams
US - HENIN
=2008=
AO - Sharapova
RG - IVANOVIC
WI - V.Williams
=2009=
RG - KUZNETSOVA
WI - S.Williams
US - CLIJSTERS
=2010=
AO - S.Williams
RG - SCHIAVONE
WI - S.Williams
=2011=
WI - KVITOVA
US - STOSUR
=2012=
RG - Sharapova
WI - S.Williams
US - S.Williams
=2013=
AO - Azarenka
RG - S.Williams
=2014=
AO - LI
WI - KVITOVA
=2015=
AO - S.Williams
RG - S.Williams
WI - S.Williams
=2016=
AO - KERBER
=2017=
-
=2018=
RG - HALEP
WI - KERBER

[OVERALL WINS]
9 - S.Williams
2 - Henin,Kerber,Kvitova,Sharapova,V.Williams
1 - Azarenka,Clijsters,Halep,Ivanovic,Kuznetsova,Li,Mauresmo,
Schiavone,Stosur



I used to run around here when I was little ??

A post shared by Naomi Osaka ????? (@naomiosakatennis) on




=ROUND OF 16 PREDICTIONS=
#1 Halep d. (WC) Kuznetsova
#32 Sakkari d. Yastremska
#3 Stephens d. #15 Mertens
#19 Sevastova d. Radwanska
-----
#22 Sharapova d. #6 Garcia
#4 Kerber d. #14 Keys
#26 Sabalenka d. #11 Kasatkina (though, if this happens... Dasha's defense could be vexing)
#13 Bertens d. Tsurenko

...Halep (vs. Kanepi) and Sevastova (vs. Vekic) have particularly dicey 1st Round encounters, but at least in the Latvian's case if she can escape her first match things could open up a little (I see you there in the 3rd Rd., Julia G) at the major where she's done the most damage with a pair of QF runs the last two years. The Venus/Sveta 1st Round encounter is sure to generate buzz, but not nearly as much as a Serena vs. either match in the 3rd Round would. Picking Serena is such an all-or-nothing thing (if you pick her through the first week you almost have to pick her at least to the final, but then if she's not yet in top form the entire prediction house comes down... so I'll play it safe and go with Sveta -- as nutty as THAT sounds). It's hard to have ANY faith in Svitolina coming through a slam draw right now, so I'm just leaving her by the side of the road early on (vs. Aga in the 2nd Rd.?) in order to keep things tidy.

The long-overdue Garcia/Mladenovic post-all that could finally happen in the 3rd Round after coming up one win short of happening in Cincinnati. But it probably won't. Garcia is decidedly under the radar in this slam, but has a good draw and the ability to get hot and stay hot (and her dad can't come out and overload her brain w/ info here, so that's a good thing, too). Ostapenko/Anisimova need to -- and MUST -- happen in the 2nd Round, if nothing else because the winner likely gets Sharapova in the 3rd. Kerber is most definitely in play in this slam, but keep an eye on her 3rd Round. She could face Dominika Cibulkova... or maybe Hsieh Su-wei and her Death-Defying Traveling Roadshow of Tennis Sudoku. If she's not exhausted from solving such a potential puzzle, Angie could fave Keys in the 3rd Round, just after losing to her in Cincinnati (though she's still 7-2 vs. the Bannerette in a series that doesn't feel nearly as lopsided as that number would lead you to believe). Meanwhile, who know what we'll get from Wozniacki (in order vs. Stosur, Tsurenko/Van Uytvanck, Kontaveit/Tomljanovic), Mihaela Buzarnescu (2nd Rd. vs. Bouchard) or Petra Kvitova (3rd Rd. vs. Sabalenka). Ah, yes, the Sabalenka monster is here. And Kasatkina, too. And Bertens. And Osaka, too. In fact, Osaka could face Kasatkina in the 3rd for the right to meet Sabalenka or Kvitova in the Round of 16, with winner maybe meetings Bertens in the QF. Oh, the bottom quarter of the draw could be SUPER-fun.

=QUARTERFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#1 Halep d. #32 Sakkari
#19 Sevastova d. #3 Stephens
-----
#4 Kerber d. #22 Sharapova
#26 Sabalenka d. #13 Bertens

...Sevastova likely *should* have taken out Sloane in last year's QF (she led 3-1 in the 3rd), and could get another shot at her here. If Simona can escape the Williams/Kuznetsova Vortex in her section, she seems a good bet for at least her fourth SF+ result in the last seven slams.

There's something for everyone in the bottom, with two former champs and two Superheroes of Summer facing off to reach what would be a sure-fire semifinal no matter which combiation played out (Kerber/Bertens, Kerber/Sabalena, Sharapova/Sabalenka or Sharapova/Bertens).

=SEMIFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#1 Halep d. #19 Sevastova
#4 Kerber d. #26 Sabalenka

...aren't they bound to face off in a slam final at some point? Why not here in plain sight?


=FINAL PREDICTION=
#4 Kerber d. #1 Halep




=ROUND OF 16 PREDICTIONS=
#17 S. Williams d. #1 Halep
#18 Barty d. #32 Sakkari
#15 Mertens d. WC Azarenka
#7 Svitolina d. #9 Goerges
#22 Sharapova d. #6 Garcia
#4 Kerber d. #14 Keys
#5 Kvitova d. #20 Osaka
#13 Bertens d. #28 Kontaveit

...The top section of the ladies draw is the most loaded, possibly ever. Three former champions, the top seed, a former doubles winner and Kaia Kanepi all reside here. Svetlana Kuznetsova and Venus Williams will be an electric night match on Ashe, possibly to kick off the tournament. It will deliver. Overall, look for Serena to come through against the winner of that and then dismiss Simona Halep.

Every slam has a section that goes haywire, particularly on the women’s side of the draw. Garbine Muguruza has been totally off lately and Pliskova has one title, from one final in Charleston, a quarterfinal in Melbourne and a semi-final in Madrid. That’s it. She has been nowhere this year. So I will take a flyer on a Barty-Sakkari fourth round. And if it comes to pass it would be an awesome match. Vika Azarenka will have a couple of matches to play herself in. She will beat Sloane Stephens because there is no pressure on her but there is a lot on the shoulders of the American. Elina Svitolina is totally overrated as a player. She is the Dominic Thiem of the ladies tour. Good results in Paris but nowhere else slam-wise. If I keep picking her to do well you would think she would eventually fluke a good result somewhere. Aga Radwanska is here, playing in one of her last U.S. Opens, but there's nobody who could threaten the two big seeds here.

The top section of the bottom half has a lot of players who could get hot and play dark horse, but do you trust Kiki Mladenovic, Monica Puig or CSN? Neither do I. Andrea Petkovic could give Jelena Ostapenko a run for her money, though. Caro Garcia will beat Jo Konta and quietly win through to the fourth round. Angie Kerber is playing for the top ranking. It mathematically cannot come here but if she wins it will come in the next few months. There is some talent near Kerber - Timea Bacsinszky, Domi Cibulkova and Yulia Puntintseva can all win on their day but they need to have seven days. The biggest dark horse of them all is Madison Keys. She could bomb or win ten straight sets. Did you know, by the way, that the American has only won three titles?

In section seven there are three names to watch. They are Naomi Osaka, Dasha Kasatkina and Petra Kvitova. The quarterfinalist will come from one of those three. There are three first round matches to watch. Marketa Vondrousova and Mihaela Buzarnescu will put on a great match. Anett Kontaveit and Katerina Siniakova will pummel the balls to a pulp...but the big one is the last match in the draw. Can Sam Stosur upset Caro Wozniacki? It'll be on a big stadium which the Aussie won't like. But she will have nothing to lose and she does know how to beat the Dane.

=QUARTERFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#17 S. Williams d. #18 Barty
#7 Svitolina d. #15 Mertens
#4 Kerber d. #22 Sharapova
#5 Kvitova d. #13 Bertens

Serena wants to overtake Margaret Court. She will be on the war path by the quarterfinals. Svitolina has to make a semi-final at some point. Sharapova will run out of gas and Kvitova will have too much power for Bertens.

=SEMIFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#17 Williams d. #7 Svitolina
#4 Kerber d. #5 Kvitova

It is so unlikely that Svitolina even gets to the semi-finals. If she does, she will be no match for Serena. Kerber is probably the best slam player outside of Serena right now.

=FINAL PREDICTION=
#4 Kerber d. #17 Williams

Serena has the same seed Federer did when he won the Aussie Open last year. But Kerber will do the double, methinks.




All for now. Day 1 awaits.
↧

Wk.34- Boom Goes the Belarusian

August 26, 2018, 6:56 pm
$
0
0
With time running short, Aryna Sabalenka finally made her way into the summertime winner's circle.



It won't be her last such experience in her career. Or, who knows, maybe even this summer.




*WEEK 34 CHAMPIONS*
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT USA (Premier/Hard Court)
S: Aryna Sabelenka/BLR def. Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP 6-1/6-4
D: Andrea Hlavackova/Barbora Strycova (CZE/CZE) d. Hsieh Su-wei/Laura Siegemund (TPE/GER) 6-4/6-7(7) [10-4]
ASIAN GAMES (Palembang, Indonesia)
WS Gold: Wang Qiang/CHN def. Zhang Shuai/CHN 6-3/6-2
WS Bronze: Ankita Raina/IND, Liang En-shuo/TPE
WD Gold: Xu Yifan/Yang Zhauxuan (CHN) d. Angel Chan/Latisha Chan (TPE) 6-2/1-6 [11-9]
WD Bronze: Danilina/Ainitdinova (KAZ), Kato/Ninomiya (JPN)
MX Gold: Aldila Sutjiaci/Christopher Rungkat (INA) d. Luksika Kumkhum/Sonchat Ratiwatana (THA) 6-4/5-7 [10-7]
MX Bronze: Danilina/Nedovysesov (KAZ), Hayashi/Uesugi (JPN)




PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
...if Sabalenka had left North America without her maiden tour title it simply would have been a shame. Thankfully, the 20-year old Belarusian took care of that detail in New Haven, recording two *more* Top 10 wins along the way. By the way, that's five such victories for her this summer, four on hard courts in recent weeks, with three of them coming in 7-5/7-6 3rd sets, and two after she came back from being down MP. Carrying over her Montreal (3rd Rd. - win over Wozniacki) and Cincinnati (SF - wins over Konta, Pliskova, Garcia and Keys) momentum, Sabalenka went about her continued attempts to corral her blistering, fearless and exciting (but sometimes rollercoaster-y) game. Needless to say, it went quite well. After opening with a victory over Sam Stosur, she knocked off defending champ Dasha Gavrilova (her second win over a DC in '18, the most on tour), LL Belinda Bencic, Julia Goerges (her one straight sets Top 10 win this summer) and Carla Suarez-Navarro in straights in her fourth career final (third this year). In all, after having to save MP in three wins over the last few weeks, Sabalenka dropped just one set (a 2nd set TB vs. Gavrilova) in New Haven, and then staved off a late spirited attempt by CSN to force a 3rd in the final. The youngest winner at Yale since Wozniacki in 2010, Sabalenka will slip into the Top 20 on Monday as she assumes the #26 seed slot at the U.S. Open.

[The seventh picture in Sabalenka's Instagram series here is the money shot...]



The fact is that Sabalenka might be too tired to carry over her steamrolling push toward New York and turn it into a deep slam run. But, of course, no one thought Sloane Stephens' upward summer trajectory could possibly result in a sudden major title grab at this time last year, either, did they? If she can avoid the first week three-setters (she leads the tour in those in '18), one could hardly say they'd be shocked if Sabalanka is still in the mix at the tail end end of the Open. Latvian Thunder got hot in Paris and never cooled down, laying down the blueprint for an immediate "major land capture" on The Most Interesting Tour. Belarusian Boom is more than capable of doing the same. Who knows, maybe she hasn't *yet* even reached her summertime peak.
===============================================
RISER:Wang Qiang/CHN
...Wang has proven to be one of the most improved players of 2018 (though you'd have a hard time telling it based on the lack of care her bio receives on the WTA site -- which doesn't even list her match results or ranking history). She reached her career high in January, posted her first career Top 10 win (Venus) at Roland Garros en route to the 3rd Round (career best slam), then won her maiden tour title in Nanchang last month. This past week, she got the chance to back up one of her better early results, a Gold medal run at the Asian Games in 2014. At this year's edition in Indonesia, Wang successfully defended her throne, dropping no sets en route to a second Gold. After taking out local favorite Aldila Sutjiadi in the QF, she knocked off junior Liang En-shuo and #1-seeded Zhang Shuai to complete the sweep.


===============================================
SURPRISES:Aldila Sutjiadi/INA and Ankita Raina/IND
...one wouldn't have rightfully expected 23-year old Kentucky Wildcat Sutjiadi to become a big story on the other side of the world this week, but that's just what happened. With Indonesia hosting this year's Asian Games, the Jakarta-born Sutjiadi was thrust into the spotlight as the local rooting favorite in the tennis competition. It'd been 16 years since the nation won a tennis medal in the event (held every four years) -- a team Gold in '02. A winner of her first pro singles challenger title in July, Sutjiadi put up a fight in singles by reaching the QF after a win over #5-seeded Miyu Kato, but it was in mixed doubles that she had a hand in ending her nation's tennis medal drought. Combining with Christopher Rungkat as the #11-seeded pair, they made a Gold medal winning run through the draw, three times knocking off higher seeded duos to get the win in front of the home crowd. A 3rd Round win over #8 Lertpitaksinchai/Sa.Ratiwatana (THA) was followed by a 10-6 3rd set TB win over #4 Raina/Bopanna (IND) in the QF. In the final, another deciding TB (10-7) finished off #5 Kumkhum/So.Ratiwatana (THA). And... name made. S-U-T-J-I-A-D-I.



Raina has seen a slew of career bests and firsts come her way in 2018, from her tour-level MD debut in July which followed her first slam qualifying appearance (RG) and maiden win (Wimbledon) to her initial Top 200 ranking and biggest career victory (over Yulia Putintseva in Fed Cup). In the Asian Games, the 25-year old was the only honored Indian in the tennis competition, taking her first career medal (a Bronze) after reaching the semis with wins over #9-seed Eri Hozumi and Eudice Chong before ultimately losing to top-seeded Zhang Shuai 6-4/7-6.



Sania Mirza won Silver (2006) and Bronze (2010) in singles in recent editions of the Asian Games, as well as Bronze in doubles (2014) and two Golds (2010/14), a Silver (2010) and a Bronze (2002) in mixed. She went right to social media to congratulate Raina on following in her footsteps.


===============================================
VETERANS:Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP and Julia Goerges/GER
...CSN had one of the strangest trips to a singles final in New Haven you're ever likely to see. After opening with a good win over Barbora Strycova, the 29-year old Spaniard received a walkover from Johanna Konta in the 2nd Round. In the QF, Petra Kvitova retired after just one set. In the SF, Monica Puig also retired -- after eight games. Still, it put Suarez-Navarro into her first tour final since she won her biggest career title in Doha in February '16 (def. Alona Ostapenko). Unfortunately for her, she faced off with a *very* in form Aryna Sabalenka. After getting blitzed early on, she settled into the match in the 2nd and very nearly pushed the Belarusian into a 3rd set, only to fall 6-1/6-4. After struggling to win her first career tour title (she lost her first five finals from 2009-13) despite consistently finding slam success (six QF with her '18 AO run, plus eight more Round of 16's), CSN finally won her first in 2014. #2 came in Doha two and a half years ago. This loss drops her career mark in WTA finals to 2-9.

Meanwhile, Goerges might be the most under-the-radar Top 10 player in Flushing Meadows this coming week. After retiring from her Cincinnati 1st Round match vs. Kristina Mladenovic a week earlier, there was a hint of concern for the German as she headed to New Haven just ahead of the Open. As it turned out, it was a false worry. She recovered quickly to post wins over Dominika Cibulkova, Dayana Yastremska and Ekaterina Makarova to record of fifth SF-or-better result of the season, and seventh since last year's U.S. Open, where she lost in three sets to eventual champ Sloane Stephens in the Round of 16. Goerges is 27-8 on hard courts dating back to the start of her great fall run to close out last season.
===============================================
COMEBACK:Monica Puig/PUR
...two summers ago in Rio, Puig put on a truly epic performance while claiming Puerto Rico's maiden Olympic Gold, defeating both Garbine Muguruza and Angie Kerber (in the final -- in 2016!). Since then, inconsistency and injury have led to a string of disappointments for the former world #27 (Sept.'16). In New Haven, she posted just her second Top 10 win since Rio with her QF victory over Caroline Garcia (the other came over Wozniacki in Miami in March) to reach her first semi since playing in the Luxembourg final last October. 1-5 in her last six going into the week, Puig qualified with wins over Monica Niculescu, Andrea Petkovic and Margarita Gasparyan, then followed those up with MD victories over Timea Bacsinszky, Anett Kontaveit and Garcia (coming back from 5-2 down in the 1st to take the set, then win in three). Unfortunately, she was forced to retire after just eight games in her SF match-up with Carla Suarez-Navarro. After finishing '16 at #32, Puig fell to #58 last year and was #72 heading into New Haven. She'll be at #55 in the new rankings.


===============================================
FRESH FACES:Dayana Yastremska/UKR and Anna Danilina/KAZ
...after twice failing to qualify for her first slam MD appearance this season (AO/WI), as well as coming up a win short in a $100K challenger final that would have earned her a SW19 wild card, former Wimbledon girls finalist (2016) Yastremska entered the week finally ranked high enough to be assured of a 1st Round spot in New York (she'll face qualifier Karolina Muchova, with the Muguruza/Zhang Shuai winner awaiting). So she was able to head to New Haven to get in a few additional matches before her Flushing Meadows debut. She made it through qualifying with wins over Bernarda Pera, Magda Linette and Belinda Bencic, then posted a MD victory over Danielle Collins (21-7 in N.A. HC in '18 coming in) before going three sets with Top 10er Julia Goerges. We'll soon see if her maiden slam experience will have been immediaely worth the wait.

«? ??? ?? ?? ????? ??????? ???????????? ????????».

A post shared by Dayana Yastremska (@dayana_yastremskay) on



At the Asian Games in Indonesia, Moscow-born Florida Gator Danilina, 23, picked up *two* Bronze medals for Kazakhstan. The #3 junior 2013, Danilina won up her biggest pro doubles title (w/ Berfu Cengiz) at a $80K challenger in Astana in July. Her AG runs this week were attained with Gozal Ainitdinova in WD, and Alexandr Nedovyesova in MX.


===============================================
DOWN:Karolina Pliskova/CZE
...another week, another "iffy" Pliskova result on summer hard courts. A former U.S. Open Series winner, Cincinnati champ and U.S. Open finalist (she was the #1 seed a year ago) in the last few years, the Czech performed well on hard courts in the early months of '18, going 14-6 and post a trio of QF finishes in Melbourne, Indian Wells and Miami, as well as a semi in Brisbane. Her summer in North America hasn't gone well. Her 1 & 3 loss in the 1st Round in New Haven dropped her to 2-3 since Wimbledon after going a combined 18-7 the last three years during the same stretch. Of course, it should be noted that two of those HC losses this summer came to Bertens and Sabalenka, so at least they're "quality" defeats. After jettisoning coach Tomas Krupa before play in Cincy, Pliskova notched a long-time-coming win over Aga in her first official match with new coach Rennae Stubbs, but has dropped two straight since. With Stubbs so busy during the Open, Conchita Martinez will fill in for the Aussie at Flushing Meadows. Hmm... fill-in Spanish coaches for slams (CM for Mugu, AMG for Alona) have worked out pretty well recently. No prediction, but I'm just sayin'.


===============================================
ITF PLAYERS:Wang Xiyu/CHN and Fernanda Brito/CHI
...17-year old Wang Xiyu's efforts on the pro level once again has produced a title, this time in a $25K in Tsukuba, Japan with a 3-6/7-5/7-5 victory over China's Zhang Kailin in the final. The #6-ranked junior reached her third straight challenger final, winning a second to go along with the $25K crown she grabbed in Nonthaburi, Thailand two weeks ago. Last week, the Wimbledon junior semifinalist lost to her doubles partner Wang Xinyu (#4 junior who teamed with her to win the SW19 GD last month) in another Nonthaburi final. Wang Xiyu will crack the pro Top 300 for the first in the new rankings.

Meanwhile, Brito continued her remarkable recent run of challenger success. In Lambare, Paraguay the 26-year old Chilean defeated Jazmin Ortenzi in three sets in the final to complete her third straight singles/doubles title sweep in recent weeks. She's won thirty straight singles matches on the ITF level, and reached a combined fourteen finals in her last seven events, going 11-3.
===============================================
JUNIOR STARS:Katie Volynets/USA and Liang En-shuo/TPE
...(non-British Katie) Volynets won the Prince George's County International Hard Court Championship (G1) in College Park, Maryland. The 16-year old girls #32, the #5 seed in the event, never faced a player seeded higher than #7 (Sada Nahimana of Burundi in the SF) en route to the title. She defeated #16 seed Hurricane Tyra Black 4-6/6-3/6-4 in the final, adding this title to the B1 Easter Bowl championship she won in March while defeating the likes of Caty McNally and Alexa Noel. Volynets reached the girls QF at the U.S. Open a year ago, falling to Coco Gauff.



At the Asian Games, Liang was at it again. In January, the 17-year old became the first junior slam champ from Taiwan when she won the Australian Open girls title, and swept through the doubles competition with Wang Xinyu, as well. Since then, she's won her maiden ITF title (Incheon), made her tour-level debut in Nanchang (qualifying and reaching the QF) and climbed into the Top 300. This past week, she made her Asian Games debut as the #11 seed and picked up a Bronze medel by reaching the singles semis with wins over #7-seed Karman Thandi and #13 Zhang Ling. She lost to eventual Gold medalist Wang Qiang.
===============================================
DOUBLES:Andrea S.-Hlavackova/Barbora Strycova (CZE/CZE) and Xu Yifan/Yang Zhaoxuan (CHN/CHN)
...for two tennis players born in Plzen, Czechoslovakia just four and a half months apart in 1986, one might have expected Hlavackova and Strycova to have partnered up in doubles quite often over the years. Fact is, though, before they finally teamed up in Miami in March their experience as a WD duo was limited one 2014 Fed Cup match and a $100K challenger in 2008. As the season has gone on, though, the partnership has produced some very good results. After reaching a QF (Cincy), two SF (Madrid & RG) and a final (RG), they finally won their first title together this week in New Haven, surviving a pair of 3rd set TB (12-10 vs. Rosolska/Spears in the SF, then 10-4 in the final vs. Hsieh/Siegemund) to claim the win and improve their record together to 16-9 in '18. It's Hlavackova's 26th career WTA title, and Strycova's 22nd. Strycova won in Indian Wells earlier this year in a first-time partnership with fellow New Haven finalist Hsieh Su-wei.

First Wta Titel for Plzen girls!?? #fight #emotions #victory

A post shared by Barbora Strycova?? (@barborastrycova) on



At the Asian Games, Xu & Yang were awarded the Gold medal in the women's doubles, the first AG honor in the games for either woman. The #2 seeds, they won a 10-7 3rd set TB over Lertpitaksinchai/Plipuech in the QF, took out #3 seeds Kato/Ninomiya in the semis and then handled the top-seeded Chan sisters in an 11-9 3rd set TB to take the Gold Medal Match, saving two MP. Xu is the regular tour doubles partner of Gaby Dabrowksi (winning in Sydney and Eastbourne in '18), while Yang won the Dubai title in February with AG Silver medalist Angel Chan.


===============================================
WHEELCHAIR:Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
...42-year old WC #4 Ellerbrock claimed the singles crown at the Birmingham Canadian Wheelchair Classic in Mississauga, Ontario, her second consecutive title run after winning the Belgian Open last month. The #1 seed, the German knocked out #4 Dana Mathewson in the semis, then defeated unseeded Manami Tanaka (at #13, Japan's second ranked player behind Yui Kamiji), who was seeking her biggest career title. A year ago, Ellerbrock defeated Tanaka in the semis, only to fall to Kamiji in the final.
===============================================


Exactly... but you can rest assured that the tour would never actually take this angle on a marketing campaign, no matter how obviously perfect it is.




1. New Haven Final - Aryna Sabalenka def. Carla Suarez-Navarro
...6-1/6-4. Sabalenka is the seventh maiden champ on tour in 2018, and the fourth to be crowned since Wimbledon (after Danilovic, Wang Qiang and Buzarnescu).


===============================================
2. Asian Games Gold Medal Match - Wang Qiang def. Zhang Shuai
...6-3/6-2. Defending AG Gold medalist Wang wins the latest all-Chinese final in an event of note. In April, Zheng Saisai defeated Wang Yafan in the WTA 125 event in Zhengzhou, then lost to Wang Qiang in the tour-level Nanchang final last month.
===============================================
3. New Haven 2nd Rd. - Aryna Sabalenka def. Dasha Gavrilova
...6-3/6-7(6)/7-5. The defending champ at Yale, Gavrilova falls to #32 after losing her champion's points. Sabalenka's previous '18 win over a DC was vs. Karolina Pliskova in Eastbourne.
===============================================
4. New Haven 1st Rd. - Aliaksanda Sasnovich def. Kristina Mladenovic
...7-6(6)/6-7(3)/6-2. Sasnovich didn't end the week like her BLR Fed Cup teammate did, but she started it pretty well. In a nearly three-hour affair, she climbed out of a 2-0, 40/love 3rd set hole, saving six BP in the game and going on to sweep the final six games of the match. She won 22 of the last 26 points as Mladenovic was bothered by an injured thigh. If Kiki had won, she'd have faced off with fellow Pastry Caroline Garcia in the 2nd Round in their first meeting since Mladenovic's social media and public attacks on Caro follow the whole Fed Cup dust-up early last year. They *could* meet in the 3rd Round of the U.S. Open, though.
===============================================
5. New Haven 1st Rd. - Monica Puig def. Timea Bacsinszky
...7-5/6-1. You can't take the Swiss star off the court forever, but Nasty Tennis Twitter Trolls are eternal. Apparently.


===============================================
HM- Asian Games 2nd Rd. - Eudice Chong def. Luksika Kumkhum
...4-6/7-6(6)/7-6(1). The four-time NCAA D-3 singles national champion notches a big win over '14 AG Silver medalist Kumkhum. Kumkhum went on to reach the MX final, taking home another Silver. The '14 Gold medalist in WD (w/ Tanasugarn), Kumkhum didn't participate in that event at these AG. Despite a history of early-round slam upsets, Kumkhum has decided to skip the U.S. Open. Not that she'll long for the experience -- she's never played a MD match there, the only slam missing from her resume, and lost in qualifying four straight years from 2013-16, winning just one match.
===============================================


G-O-L-D.



Ummm... not G-O-L-D? Brave, though.




1. Asian Games Gold Medal Match - Xu Yifan/Yang Zhaoxuan def. ANGEL CHAN/LATISHA CHAN
...6-2/1-6 [11-9]. The Chans held a MP here, but failed to secure their first AG Gold as a WD pair, instead picking up the Silver to add to their the Bronze in women's doubles in '14. They shared the Gold experience via Taiwan's Team competition win four years ago, as well. In all, Latisha has eight AG medals: 4 Golds ('06 Team/'10 WD/'10 MX/'14 Team), 3 Silvers ('06 WD/'10 Team/'18 WD) and 1 Bronze ('14 WD). Angel has the three she won along with Latisha ('14 Team Gold/'18 WD Silver/'14 WD Bronze).
===============================================
2. $15K Budapest HUN Final - GABRIELA PANTUCKOVA def. MAGDALENA PANTUCKOVA
...6-3/3-0 ret. At the expense of her 19-year old sister, 23-year old Gabriela takes her fourth '18 challenger title. All have come since mid-June, including another victory over Magdalena in what was her first title run this season. In all, Magdalena leads their head-to-head 3-2, but Gabriela has claimed two of their three final match-ups.


#4thfinalthisyear?? Biggest thanks to my mummy??LOVE YOU!

A post shared by Magdaléna Pantucková (@magdalenapantuckova) on


===============================================
3. New Haven QF - KAROLINA PLISKOVA/KRYSTINA PLISKOVA def. NADIIA KICHENOK/ANASTASIA RODIONOVA
...6-4/5-7 [10-5]. That's a *LOT* of tennis sisters on one court.
===============================================


Want to see Suzanne Lenglen turn over in her grave?


Well...




Hmmm, so Bernard Giudicelli is a tyrannical, attention-hungry, sexist (possibly racist, but I think people might be reaching for that in this case) dick. Color me shocked.

(And, by the way, the people -- and there were quite a few, some of them very well known, too -- who posted photos of Anne White wearing a bodysuit at Wimbledon in 1985 as some sort of proof that this was a race-based decision. It *may* have been, but, well, since *that* time the outfit was immediately deemed "scandalous" and banned by the prudish AELTC it sort of rules it out as evidence for use in this case, I'd think.)

Truthfully, it's Giudicelli's timing that's truly fishy. In the wake of an unpopular (especially with many French players) Davis Cup decision and his role in it, this move by the FFT sure did manage to distract from his previous public relations problems, didn't it? Hmmm, so a loud, bullying tyrant used words that were taken as sexist/racist/or one of many other "ist/ic" words by many managed to distract enough people, and pit some against each other, to change a subject of discussion that wasn't to his advantage in the days leading up to a grand slam? I believe I've said before that Giudicelli has many of the same qualities as a certain orange-skinned politician. His actions this week seem ripped from a very familiar playbook.

In the end, it goes without saying... (though it never hurts to actually say it):














@wta ?????? #WTAnimoji

A post shared by Jelena Ostapenko (@jelena.ostapenko) on







































*2018 FIRST-TIME WTA CHAMPIONS*
Indian Wells: Naomi Osaka, JPN (20/#44) - d. Kasatkina
Rosmalen: Aleksandra Krunic, SRB (25/#55) - d. Flipkens
Mallorca: Tatjana Maria, GER (30/#79) - d. Sevastova
Moscow MO: Olga Danilovic, SRB (17/#187)- d. Potapova
Nanchang: Wang Qiang, CHN (26/#78) - d. Sai.Zheng
San Jose: Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU (30/#24) - d. Sakkari
New Haven: ARYNA SABALENKA, BLR (20/#25) - d. Suarez-N.

*2018 WTA FINALS*
6 - Simona Halep, ROU (3-3)
5 - Petra Kvitova, CZE (5-0)
3 - Elina Svitolina, UKR (3-0)
3 - Elise Mertens, BEL (3-0)
3 - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (2-1)
3 - Kiki Bertens, NED (2-1)
3 - Sloane Stephens, USA (1-2)
3 - Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU (1-2)
3 - ARYNA SABALENKA, BLR (1-2)

*2018 YOUNGEST WTA FINALISTS*
17 - Anastasia Potapova, RUS (Moscow MO-L) - 17,4m
17 - Olga Danilovic, SRB (Moscow MO-W) - 17,6m,1w
19 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (Lugano-L) - 19,11m,1w
20 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (Eastbourne-L) - 20,1m,3w
20 - ARYNA SABALENKA, BLR (NEW HAVEN-W) - 20,3m,2w
20 - Naomi Osaka, JPN (IW-W) - 20,5m
20 - Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (Dubai-L) - 20,9m,2w
20 - Alona Ostapenko, LAT (Miami-L) - 20,9m,3w
20 - Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (IW-L) - 20,10m,1w

*ASIAN GAMES SINGLES MEDALISTS since 1994*
[GOLD]
1994 Kimiko Date/JPN
1998 Yayuk Basuki/JPN
2002 Iroda Tulyaganova/UZB
2006 Zheng Jie/CHN
2010 Peng Shuai/CHN
2014 Wang Qiang/CHN
2018 Wang Qiang/CHN
[SILVER]
1994 Naoko Sawamatsu/JPN
1998 Tamarine Tanasugarn/THA
2002 Tamarine Tanasugarn/THA
2006 Sania Mirza/IND
2010 Akgul Amanmuradova/UZB
2014 Luksika Kumkhum/THA
2018 Zhang Shuai/CHN
[BRONZE]
1994 Yayuk Basuki/INA and Chen Li/CHN
1998 Li Fang/CHN and Yi Jingqian/CHN
2002 Shinobu Asagoe/JPN and Choo Yoon-Jeon/KOR
2006 Li Na/CHN and Aiko Nakamura/JPN
2010 Kimiko Date-Krumm/JPN and Sania Mirza/IND
2014 Misa Eguchi/JPN and Eri Hozumi/JPN
2018 Ankia Raina/IND, Liang En-shuo/TPE



Hmmm, I GUESS this is a good thing? Or maybe not.



Yes, yes and... maybe a little longer wait, honestly.



I think Esther Vergeer is eligible, so she'd *better* be picked as quickly as possible. I mean, what *more* could she do?






And, finally (because I would be angry with myself if I didn't take a step back from tennis for a moment)...




Fact is, I *have* had problems with John McCain over the years, but he's one of few politicians who could legitimately be called a "hero" in the current age of corruption, hypocrisy and, now, outright cruelty on the political stage. He wasn't perfect, but never purported to be, and had no problem pointing it out, unlike many below, on equal standing with, and above him on the political ladder in the U.S. during his time in the public eye. I only wish the "maverick" McCain of 2000 (whose Straight Talk Express campaign was essentially run off a cliff by dirty politics by those supporting George W. Bush in the South Carolina primary) had been able to fully thrive on a national political scene. As a Democrat, but with many Independent leanings and a few conservative ones thrown in on occasion that have never put me at any particular place on the political ideological spectrum, *that* McCain was a great mix.

You're never going to agree with any politician on everything, and if you do then there's definitely something hinky going on. Really, you should be able to have faith that, in the end, there will be a recognition (and willingness to act upon it) that doing "the right thing" for the sake of the country and those in it will win out. It may be a journey for them to get there, but some politicians are too flawed to *ever* find their way. With McCain, that was never the case.

McCain wasn't one to see things without shading, or with a proclivity to join the likes of so many we see now who rush to one side of the national argument, disassociate themselves from those who went the other way, then demonize and attack them for political gain or their own jollies in order to make up for whatever personal foibles or fears they possess, in a desperate attempt to stand as whatever they might consider "proud."

I've always voted Democratic in presidential politics, but if McCain had been the GOP nominee in '00 it would have been a very tough vote on this end. His GOP primary campaign excited me that year, probably more than any other in my voting lifetime. While *every* issue didn't line up, it was clear he didn't walk in lockstep with the forces ruining the political landscape, and possessed an honor worthy of the confidence that he did know that the fate of the country was ultimately more important that which side won, by how much, and whether someone was getting credit for it.

By the time he *was* a presidential nominee eight years later, he'd had to sell (at least temporarily) his political soul in order to be accepted by his party, and his choice of an unprepared and know-nothing-movement-inspiring VEEP (which wouldn't have happened if left to his own devices) will likely go down as the worst ticket decision ever by a major party nominee. By that point, he was no longer the national candidate he'd been eight years earlier. But even then, he maintained his humanity in the face of it all, and once the campaign was over he went back to being a force who could rankle both sides of the political aisle, but also work with them for the betterment of all.



With the political and social landscape on which the U.S. now resides, with the Oval Office occupied by a personality with the fragile ego of a grade schooler, autocratic desires and a megalomaniacal core, whose actions are never about country, law, or peace, and instead are *only* for the benefit and praise of himself, and for whom personal loyalty and a willingness to shield himself from punishment rule the day, we need all the institutional checks possible, as well as individuals with enough backbone to stand up against a bullying force who has operated in full view for decades while wallowing in the base belief that his own selfish goals are the only ones that mattered.

McCain was a rare voice of reason and truthfulness in the debate. Often, the only one in a party whose so-called leadership group is now overflowing with sniveling cowards who, for self-preservation and ideological gain, turn a blind eye to the flaunted lawlessness of an individual who wields bluster and cruelty as weapons against anyone who dare point out the vast collection of unsightly insecurities and prejudices that he wishes to conceal.

Even in his final weeks, McCain stood stronger against such a force than any of his surviving colleagues. Whose voice will replace his? *Will* it be replaced? If so, it's difficult to imagine the individual with enough stature for it to make a difference, let alone the willingness to stand for nation over party or, really, self.




At least McCain will be spared what may be to come, and the depths to which his country can still sink until, finally, a sufficient number of people say "enough."



And on that note... let's start the U.S. Open. :)


All for now.
↧
↧

US.1 - In the Silence of the Day

August 27, 2018, 3:48 pm
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After seeing Simona Halep follow up her Roland Garros triumph by coming to North America and appear to be a super-charged version of herself on summer hard courts, the world #1 seemed ready to be fitted for vestments and handed a scepter while she prepared to be the subject of a powerful sermon at the Church of Simona, the Holy Swarmette Queen.

But after coming within a match point of the first ever sweep of the Canadian and Cincinnati titles in back-to-back weeks, Halep's summertime journey, often punctuated by fight-back moments in which she scurried around the court and rallied from behind to claim victory, ended with a whimper in the debut match at the new Louis Armstrong Stadium. On Day 1, Halep fell to veteran Kaia Kanepi in straight sets in a contest in which she was overpowered and unable to figure out a way to climb back into contention, quickly becoming the first #1 seed to exit the U.S. Open in the 1st Round in the 50-year Open era.



Halep's 1st Round match-up with Kanepi was immediately circled on the draw sheet last week. The 33-year old hits a big, flat ball and, despite a career often bedeviled by injury, she's often played her very best tennis in the majors. The world #44 is a six-time slam quarterfinalist (two each at three of the four events), and reached the final eight at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier last year. Still, Halep's summertime guts-and-brilliance displays on the continent gave birth to the notion that she'd "find a way" to avoid getting tripped up.

One might point to the unfamiliar surroundings of Armstrong as a reason for Halep's inability to get up off the floor vs. her opponent today, or maybe fatigue, or what was *thought* to be a niggling Achilles injury that provided a reason for an easy withdrawal from New Haven last week in a year in which she's been bothered by lower leg injuries ever since badly turning her ankle all the way back in January en route to the Australian Open final. But, really, it was probably just Kanepi herself.

The Estonian's power was mostly unrelenting today, and Halep had no answer for it. She played nearly the entire match well behind the baseline, often chasing balls that were hit on such a flat angle that she couldn't catch up to them. Kanepi frustrated Halep, leading to one very mangled racket in the 2nd set, and it was an understandable reaction.

Kanepi broke early in the 1st set for a 2-1 lead, upped it to a double-break advantage at 4-1, then served out the set at love with a forehand winner to take the 1st 6-2. She immediately broke Halep, who'd left the court between sets, in the opening game of the 2nd, as well. The crushed racket -- it took two smacks on the court to do it, if anyone was counting, so score one for frame technology -- came in game #2. Things got worse for Halep before they got better. Another break made it 3-0 Kanepi, but the Estonian wobbled enough mid-set to open a door for a comeback. She badly mishit an overhead and fell behind 15/40. After the Romanian fans chanted "Si-mo-na!" Kanepi double-faulted to hand back one of the breaks.



With Kanepi up 4-3, Halep seemed to get back into the match. Another Kanepi DF contributed to a love break as the Estonian pulled back just enough in the moment to put her big day in jeopardy as the score was level at 4-4. She'd ultimately commit twice as many unforced errors in the 2nd as she did in the 1st. But just as Halep seemed to have caught a second wind thanks to her opponent, Kanepi surged back and reclaimed it. On a BP, the veteran approached the net and pulled off a mid-court forehand volley that angled crosscourt, bouncing into the deuce box and very nearly into the changeover area. Halep couldn't reach the ball in time, swatting it into the crowd once she did, as Kanepi prepared to serve for the match.

A 15/15 replay challenge failed to overturn a wide Halep shot, and Kanepi then went about running Halep across the baseline deep in the court once again in the match's closing points. She reached double MP, but only needed one, winning 6-2/6-4 to pull off her second career #1 win (Wozniacki, Tokyo '11) and christen Armstrong by handing Halep an historic U.S. Open defeat.



While the Romanian leads the tour in match wins, and will retain her top ranking after this slam is complete, she has now lost three straight matches at Flushing Meadows. One year after going out on Night 1 to Maria Sharapova, her 11 a.m. match start today means that her '18 Open experience ended even earlier than the short-lived 2017 version. The loss is the sixth in the 1st Round by a #1 in the Open era, and tops the two previous "worst" at the U.S. Open (2nd Round outs by Ana Ivanovic in '08, and Billie Jean King in '66 in the pre-Open era).

Halep's bow blows a hole in what appeared to be maybe the most "loaded" quarter of the draw, as it included slam winners Halep, both Williams Sisters and Svetlana Kuznetsova. It's very possible none of those four will ultimately emerge, though surely Olympia's mom can now see an even less-cluttered path than anticipated to something grand. Kanepi, who fired 26 winners and converted five of seven BP on the day, considering her history, might also have reason to dream. Maybe *she's* next big story in the naked city playing host to The Most Interesting Tour.

Stay tuned.




=DAY 1 NOTES=
...while Halep was struggling on Armstrong, #7 seed Elina Svitolina had her hands full on grandstand with Sachia Vickery. Unlike the Romanian, though, Svitolina figured things out. In both the 1st and 2nd sets, the Bannerette jumped out to early break leads. 2-0 in the 1st, and 3-0 in the 2nd. Svitolina reeled off five straight games in the opening set, winning it 6-3, but saw Vickery push things to a 3rd set by taking the 2nd at 6-1. In the 3rd, Svitolina's (early round slam) experience paid off, as she comfortably took the set 6-1 to advance to the 2nd Round for the fifteenth time in her last sixteen slam appearances, avoiding a bad follow-up to her stunning one-and-out exit at Wimbledon (a loss to Tatjana Maria) earlier this summer.



...it didn't take long for the First Victory and First Seed Out honors to be handed out. In the former, Swiss qualifier Jil Teichmann recorded her maiden slam MD win with a quick 6-3/6-0 dispatching of Dalila Jakupovic to become the first player to reach the 2nd Round. As for FSO, it wasn't Halep. Instead, it was #31 Magdalena Rybarikova. If that sounds familiar, it should -- the Slovak was also the first seed to exit at this year's Wimbledon, where she'd reached the semifinals in 2017. Today she fell 6-2/6-2 to Asian Games singles Gold Medalist Wang Qiang, who managed to actually get to New York from Indonesia where others (Luksika Kumkhum, who'd been set to make her U.S. Open MD debut) weren't so fortunate.

Rybarikova's '17 SW19 semi came last year after she'd played thirty-five previous majors without reaching a Round of 16. She followed it up with a 3rd Round at Flushing Meadows (her best result there since '09) and a 4th Round finish in Melbourne. Her four consecutive slams with at least one MD win was a career-best string. Her back-to-back 1st Round exits, though, is a more common occurrence in her slam career. She had nine straight 1st Round exits from the '10 Wimbledon to '12 Wimbledon, as well as back-to-back such losses in 2013 (WI/US), 2014 (WI/US) and 2016 (RG/WI).

...#15 Elise Mertens, even more so than Svitolina, flirted with joining Halep on the sidelines. The Belgian has had a breakout season in '18, reaching the AO semis back in January, but all her singles and doubles success threatens to make the closing months of the schedule a physical test for her. She seemed to show some signs of fatigue (or maybe it was frustration, too) today. This was her 56th singles match of the year, along with 38 in doubles, and a combined five more in Hopman Cup in Week 1. After her 6-2/6-7(5)/7-5 win today over world #99 Kurumi Nara, Mertens' next match will (unofficially) be her 100th of 2018.

The Waffle could have gotten off the court a lot quicker than she did. After erasing a 4-1 2nd set deficit, she held three MP on her serve for a straight sets win, only to see the Japanese player increase her aggression and win a 7-5 TB to force a 3rd. Mertens led 2-0 there, fell behind 4-2, then got things back on serve with a 5-4 lead as both players rode a rollercoaster of momentum shifts. At 5-5, 40/love, Mertens played a few loose (tired?) points, double-faulting and firing a weak forehand into the net to fall down BP. She managed to hold, though, then took a 15/40 lead on Nara's serve a game later. She closed out the win to get her first MD victory in New York, improving her '18 slam mark to 11-3.

...guess who also blew a lead and failed to take advantage of the hole in the draw created by Halep's loss.

#27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Don't worry, I wouldn't expect anyone to be shocked by that one. After winning the 1st set 6-1, then being forced to a 3rd, the Russian was a break up and led 3-1 in the 3rd... then didn't win another game. Peterson won 1-6/6-4/6-3 to record her first career MD U.S. Open win, and just the third of her slam career. They've all come in the last three majors.

Palvyuchenkova could have been the seed to fill the 3rd Round spot vacated by Halep (8-0 vs. the Russian) in their section. Now either Peterson, Vania King, Kanepi or Teichmann will.

Now the Hordette can go back to her regular season "competition" with Svitolina to see which of them can become the only player in tour history with at least thirteen singles titles (both currently have 12) but ZERO slam semifinal results.

...meanwhile, the fall from prominance of Aga Radwanska has encountered yet another noteworthy "first time since..." moment. The Pole lost today to Tatjana Maria 6-3/6-3. The 1st Round exit is the worst ever at the U.S. Open in her thirteen appearances. While Aga has never reached the QF in New York, the only slam at which she hasn't, she *has* posted five Round of 16 results over the years, and always had at least one MD victory. Maria, another of the many WTA moms, had only won seven total games vs. Radwanska in their previous three match-ups. Her win today is her third career MD victory at the Open, and her first in back-to-back years. Hardly shocking, considering her MD appearances have been pretty well spaced out, with the German showing up in 2007, '09, '12 and '15 before late-blooming career improvement has put in a better position for success the last two seasons.

Aga will drop out of the Top 50 following this Open, her lowest ranking since March '07.

...quite possibly the marquee day match on the docket pitted a pair of former champions, #16 Venus Williams (2000-01) and wild card Svetlana Kuznetsova (2004).

While the Russian is always up for "wild card" status (this time she actually *is* one, literally), in this match it was Venus, dealing with a knee injury, who had the most questions swirling around her. While Kuznetsova won a back-from-wrist-surgery title in Washington this summer, Williams went just 3-2 on hard courts and had little practice time due to the injury. Considering her condition, it was extra important for Venus to take advantage of every opportunity to get off the court with a win as quickly as possible, and not just because of the heated weather conditions, either.

She most definitely did *not* do that.

After falling behind 2-1 in the 1st, though, Williams *did* come back strong. She grabbed a 4-2 lead and took the set 6-3. She led 4-1 in the 2nd, and had numerous chances to build upon her advantage. She held GP for 5-1, and even had two MP on Kuznetsova's serve, but Sveta found her footing as Venus' injury seemed to slow her (and her serve) down. Still, she had the chance to serve out the match at 5-4, only to be broken at 15. Kuznetsova held at love, then avoided a Venus-goes-for-it-all-in-a-handful-of-points TB experience by breaking Williams to take the set 7-5 and, as is her wont, for a deciding 3rd.

Of course, just when you thought the match might zig, it zagged, then zigged again, then zagged a final time.

Rather than fall down the proverbial well, Venus came out firing. She broke Kuznetsova to open the 3rd set, and fired a clean backhand return winner two games later to go up double-break at 3-0. Then things got all wiggly again. Venus duffed a drop shot attempt off a Sveta drop shot on GP for 4-0, and ended up losing serve as Kuznetsova cut the break advantage in half at 3-1. With the Russian seemingly tiring, she DF'd and handed the break back, giving Venus a 4-1 lead in yet another set. Naturally, Williams then proceeded to drop serve in game #6.

Finally, Venus settled in the final games. Back to back holds from both put Williams at up 5-3 in the deciding set, then she took a "commanding" love/40 lead on Kuznetsova's serve. Forehand errors on MP #3 and #4 put Sveta on the verge of slipping off the hook again, but #5 proved to be too much, as Venus fired a crosscourt forehand winner out of reach of the stretching Kuznetsova. Williams' 6-3/5-7/6-3 win is the 77th of her U.S. Open career (fourth all-time behind Evert, Serena and Navratilova), which began twenty years ago this summer.



So, that was quite the interesting Day 1 match, huh? Imagine if it'd taken place under the lights.

Venus gets Camila Giorgi in the 2nd Round, as the weather it slated to heat up even more at mid-week. Watch... *that* one will be the one scheduled under the lights.

...meanwhile, defending champ Sloane Stephens wobbled (slightly), but came nowhere near falling down. The #3 seed led Evgeniya Rodina 6-1/4-2 before the Russian put on a late push to even things at 4-4 and hold for a 5-4 lead. But Stephens calmly handled the moment, got the break back and then served out the 2nd at 7-5 to record her eighth straight U.S. Open match win.



Wild card Claire Liu, 18, got her maiden career U.S. Open MD win with a three-set victory over Polona Hercog. She led 4-1 in the decider over the Slovenian, only to see the score tighten to 4-4. Liu swept the final two games. The '17 RG junior finalist and Wimbledon girls champ has now posted a win in two of the three slam MD in which she's appeared, having done so at Wimbledon earlier this summer over Ana Konjuh.


HOW QUICKLY THEY FORGET ON DAY 1: Chris Evert has been on top of Halep's comment about her "next goal" being the Olympics for a while now, so it wasn't a shock that she dragged it back out into the light of day on Monday after Halep's loss. The Romanian's matter of fact press conference reaction to her defeat (which one might not be shocked by considering she recognizes all that she's already accomplished this season leads her to understand that one loss won't ruin her year) made it easy to do, but Evert once again questioning whether Halep still has the "desire" and "fire" to succeed in the back half of '18 does raise at least one eyebrow. A little.

I mean, didn't we all sort of put away that notion after Halep scraped and clawed her way through Montreal and Cincy, battling fatigue, weather, poor scheduling and game opponents to VERY NEARLY take BOTH of the summer's biggest non-slam hard court events? She not only looked like the old Simona, but actually a new-and-improved one playing "with house money." Didn't we all sort of breathe a sigh of relief that, yes, she *does* still *want* it -- because, let's be honest, Evert's assertion and worry wasn't a left-field observation by any means -- even if a medal for Romania *is* the next big deal goal on her agenda?

Thought so, but I guess not.

How quickly they forget.

LIKE ON DAY 1: Well, ummm, duh.




IS IT JUST ME...? ON DAY 1: Every time I see Julia Goerges now the only thing I can see/hear is her delivering an admonishing "Nein!" like she does in that Connecticut Open video.



LIKE ON DAY 1: Yep.



IMPROMPTU QUIZ ON DAY 1: I got 'em!



COMING UP ON DAY 2 ON DAY 1:

?? I‘m walking on sunshine ??

A post shared by Angelique Kerber (@angie.kerber) on



LIKE ON DAY 1: A rare moment where reason wins out over nonsense.



LIKE ON DAY 1: I see a one-handed backhand in there!



LIKE ON DAY 1: With an open like the old Michael Jackson "Black & White" video... in black and white.

“She Is. We Are. Embrace All.” The most recognizable names on the @wta tour, past and present, stand united as one voice on the importance of female athletes supporting each other. @teamsheis and the @usta aim to show the sports world and its fans that women’s sports are worth watching and supporting. Leave some ?? if you love women’s tennis! #SheISUSTAEmbraceAll __ ??: @serenawilliams, @sloanestephens, @angie.kerber, @mariasharapova, @garbimuguruza, @jelena.ostapenko, @madisonkeys, @cocovandey, @carowozniacki, @karolinapliskova, @matteksands, #LindsayDavenport, #MaryCarillo & #TracyAustin. @andymurray joins the conversation representing fathers with daughters. _ #sheis #wta #tennis #instatennis #womenwhoinspire #genderequality #womeninsports #femaleathlete #girlboss #tennis #usopen #futureisfemale #ustaembraceall

A post shared by US Open (@usopen) on



DISLIKE ON DAY 1: Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!

Seriously, tennis is the only sport where if a commentator displays *any* knowledge of the actual athletes in the sport that a co-host will stop the action with a "Hold on! We have to inform the idiots out there who these people are!"

On ESPN (naturally), after Patrick McEnroe and Chris Evert were casually talking about a handful of the young men's players -- Zverev, Tsitsipas, Shapovalov, Tiafoe, Fritz -- Chris McKendry steps in to talk about them rattling off names that "some at home" are going to be confused about.

Yeah, because there are lot of people out there watching Day 1 of the U.S. Open who don't know all, or at least MOST, of those players.

LIKE ON DAY 1: What does she have in store next?



Of course, we won't know until McKendry makes sure everyone's actually heard of her.

Hmmm... ON DAY 1: So, has the new Armstrong Stadium given the U.S. Open it's newest "upset court?"

Also, after noting that last week's Day 1 of qualifying saw the top two seeds fall, and we've already seen #1 go down in the main draw... should #2 Caroline Wozniacki, coming in nursing injuries, be worried?

Ummmm... ON DAY 1: Have we forgotten why the rules were instituted in the first place?



Those who forget (or never knew) history are bound to see it repeat. Speaking of...

LIKE ON DAY 1: On so many levels...



AND... ON DAY 1: Oh, imagine an age when *every* day isn't a constant game of White House Jenga, when the entire apparatus of government *isn't* embroiled in an attempt to maneuver the furniture around the fragile ego of the Presidential Baby.

On a day when the current occupant of the Oval Office once again slathered himself in his usual dishonor and petty venting of grievences (even beyond death), a counterpoint.



MEANWHILE... ON NIGHT 1:



...and, finally...

Come on, if you've been here for any amount of time you know it's a tradition that Ace Frehley's "New York Groove" is going to be showcased at some point in this space during the U.S. Open. Why not on Day 1? While the Open is celebrating 50 years of Open era competition (of note, so was Wimbledon earlier this summer but, you know, the AELTC isn't going to highlight something that's a measley half-century old), this version of the band Hello's 1975 hit by the former KISS lead guitarist had its *40th* anniversary in 2018. It was part of the band's four-pronged solo album releases in 1978. Frehley's album was the best selling, and "New York Groove" was the biggest and longest-lasting hit. Frehley, now 67, still sings the song in concerts around the world.

[1978]

[1996]

[2018]

[yes, it's even a karaoke selection]


From here on out in this spot at this slam I'll be once again injecting some music into the equation, pulling out some memories from a few decades-old songs re-discovered via recently-found containers filled with cassette singles (who remembers those?) stored in a box in a far-off corner of Backspin HQ, at the bottom of a pile that included (in theory) an old Jelena-Dokic.com "membership card," tattered original copies of what would become "Time Capsule" entries and Citizen Anna's very first fedora.

[The Two-Layer Cache]














Love is the ?? for everything?? #DDteam

A post shared by Daria Kasatkina?? (@kasatkina) on










**EARLIEST EXIT BY SLAM #1**
[pre-Open era]
1962 Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Margaret Court (lost to Billie Jean Moffitt)
[Open era]
1979 Australian Open 1st Rd. - Virginia Ruzici (lost to Mary Sawyer)
1994 Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Steffi Graf (lost to Lori McNeil)
1999 Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Martina Hingis (lost to Jelena Dokic)
2001 Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Martina Hingis (lost to Virginia Ruano Pascual)
2017 Roland Garros 1st Rd. - Angelique Kerber (lost to Ekaterina Makarova)
2018 US Open 1st Rd. - Simona Halep (lost to Kaia Kanepi)

**EARLIEST EXIT BY SLAM #1 at U.S. OPEN**
2018 1st Rd. - Simona Halep (lost to Kaia Kanepi)
1966 2nd Rd. - Billie Jean King (lost to Kerry Melville)
2008 2nd Rd. - Ana Ivanovic (lost to Julie Coin)

**U.S. OPEN "CRASH & BURN" WINNERS**
2007 Maria Sharapova, RUS (3rd Rd.)
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB (2nd Rd.)
2009 Elena Dementieva, RUS (2nd Rd.)
2010 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (2nd Rd.)
2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE & Li Na, CHN (both 1st Rd.)
2012 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (1st Rd.)
2013 Samantha Stosur, AUS (1st Rd.)
2014 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK (1st Rd.)
2015 Karolina Pliskova, CZE (1st Rd.)
2016 Monica Puig, PUR (1st Rd.)
2017 Angelique Kerber, GER (1st Rd.)
2018 Simona Halep, ROU (1st Rd.)
[2018]
AO: Stephens/Vandeweghe/V.Williams, USA (3/4 '17 US SF lose on Day 1)
RG: Alona Ostapenko, LAT (first DC out RG 1st Rd. since 2005 / Kozlova)
WI: Petra Kvitova, CZE (pre-tournament "favorite" out 1st Rd. / Sasnovich)
US: Simona Halep, ROU (first #1 out US 1st Rd. in Open era / Kanepi)

**2018 WTA WINS OVER #1"**
Australian Open F - #2 Wozniacki d. #1 Halep
Saint Petersburg QF - #23 Kasatkina d. #1 Wozniacki
Doha SF - #21 Kvitova d. #1 Wozniacki
Indian Wells SF - #44 Osaka d. #1 Halep
Miami 3rd - #32 A.Radwanska d. #1 Halep
Stuttgart QF - #16 Vandeweghe d. #1 Halep
Madrid QF - #6 Ka.Pliskova d. #1 Halep
Rome F - #4 Svitolina d. #1 Halep
Wimbledon 3rd - #48 Hsieh d. #1 Halep
Cincinnati F - #17 Bertens d. #1 Halep
US Open 1st - #44 Kanepi d. #1 Halep

**U.S. OPEN "FIRST VICTORY"**
2009 Vania King, USA (def. Yakimova)
2010 Francesca Schiavone, ITA (def. Morita)
2011 Monica Niculescu, ROU (def. Mayr-Achleitner)
2012 Anna Tatishvili, GEO (def. Foretz-Gacon)
2013 Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP (def. Davis)
2014 Aga Radwanska, POL (def. Fichman)
2015 Mariana Duque, COL (def. Kenin)
2016 Cagla Buyukakcay, TUR (def. Falconi)
2017 Kristyna Pliskova, USA (def. Eguchi)
2018 Jil Teichmann, SUI (def. Jakupovic)
[2018]
AO: Duan Yingying, CHN (def. Duque)
RG: Ekaterina Makarova, RUS (def. Sai.Zheng)
WI: Yanina Wickmayer, BEL (def. Barthel)
US: Jil Teichmann, SUI (def. Jakupovic)

**U.S. OPEN "FIRST SEED OUT"**
2005 #28 Flavia Pennetta, ITA (Schruff)
2006 #15 Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER (Rezai)
2007 #29 Samantha Stosur, AUS (Cornet)
2008 #24 Shahar Peer, ISR (Li)
2009 #25 Kaia Kanepi, EST (K.Chang)
2010 #8 Li Na, CHN (K.Bondarenko)
2011 #5 Petra Kvitova, CZE (Dulgheru)
2012 #27 Anabel Medina-Garrigues, ESP (Hradecka)
2013 #29 Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK (Mayr-A.)
2014 #25 Garbine Muguruza, ESP (Lucic-Baroni)
2015 #7 Ana Ivanovic, SRB (Cibulkova)
2016 #30 Misaki Doi, JPN (Witthoeft)
2017 #32 Lauren Davis, USA (Kenin)
2018 #31 Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK (Q.Wang)
[2018]
AO: #13 Sloane Stephens, USA (Sh.Zhang)
RG: #9 Venus Williams, USA (Q.Wang)
WI: #19 Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK (Cirstea)
US: #31 Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK (Q.Wang)

**50 YEARS OF OPEN ERA TENNIS AT THE U.S. OPEN**
[U.S. Champions]
1971 Billie Jean King
1972 Billie Jean King
1974 Billie Jean King
1975 Chris Evert
1976 Chris Evert
1977 Chris Evert
1978 Chris Evert
1979 Tracy Austin
1980 Chris Evert-Lloyd
1981 Tracy Austin
1982 Chris Evert-Lloyd
1983 Martina Navratilova
1984 Martina Navratilova
1986 Martina Navratilova
1987 Martina Navratilova
1998 Lindsay Davenport
1999 Serena Williams
2000 Venus Williams
2001 Venus Williams
2002 Serena Williams
2008 Serena Williams
2012 Serena Williams
2013 Serena Williams
2014 Serena Williams
2017 Sloane Stephens
[U.S. Finalists]
1968 Billie Jean King
1969 Nancy Richey
1970 Rosie Casals
1971 Rosie Casals
1978 Pam Shriver
1979 Chris Evert-Lloyd
1981 Martina Navratilova
1983 Chris Evert-Lloyd
1984 Chris Evert-Lloyd
1985 Martina Navratilova
1989 Martina Navratilova
1991 Martina Navratilova
1995 Monica Seles
1996 Monica Seles (won 1991-92 as YUG)
1997 Venus Williams
2000 Lindsay Davenport
2001 Serena Williams
2002 Venus Williams
2011 Serena Williams
2017 Madison Keys

**BACKSPIN 2018 PLAYER-OF-THE-MONTH WINNERS**
JAN: Angelique Kerber, GER
AO: Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
FEB/MAR: Petra Kvitova, CZE
I.W./MIAMI: Naomi Osaka, JPN
1Q: CAROLINE WOZNIACKI, DEN
APR: CZE Fed Cup Team
MAY: Petra Kvitova, CZE
RG: Simona Halep, ROU
2Q Clay Court: SIMONA HALEP, ROU
JUN: Petra Kvitova, CZE
WI: Angelique Kerber, GER
2Q Grass Court: ANGELIQUE KERBER, GER
JUL/AUG: Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
AUG: Simona Halep, ROU
[2018 Weekly POW Award Wins]
4 - Petra Kvitova, CZE
3 - Simona Halep, ROU
2 - Kiki Bertens, NED
2 - Angelique Kerber, GER
2 - Elise Mertens, BEL
2 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
2 - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN

[2018 Fed Cup Overall Weekly MVP Wins]
(Feb) WG 1st Round: Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
(Feb) WG II: Ash Barty, AUS
(Feb) Zones: Alona Ostapenko/Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
(Apr) WG SF: Petra Kvitova, CZE
(Apr) WG PO: Viktoria Kuzmova, SVK (L)
(Apr) WG II PO: Alona Ostapenko, LAT
(Apr) Zones: Maria Sakkari, GRE
(Jun) Zones: Marcela Zacarias, MEX
(Jul) Zones: Charlotte Roemer, ECU
[2018 Fed Cup Overall Weekly Captain Wins]
(Feb) WG 1st Round: Jens Gerlach, GER
(Feb) WG II: Matej Liptak, SVK
(Feb) Zones: Toshihisa Tsuchihashi, JPN
(Apr) WG SF: Kathy Rinaldi, USA
(Apr) WG PO: Tatiana Poutchek, BLR
(Apr) WG II PO: Sylvain Bruneau, CAN
(Apr) Zones: Jens-Anker Andersen, DEN
(Jun) Zones: Agustin Moreno, MEX
(Jul) Zones: Raul Viver, ECU
[Most 2018 Fed Cup Team MVP Wins]
2...Ash Barty, AUS
2...Miyu Kato/Makoto Ninomiya, JPN
2...Alona Ostapenko, LAT

[2018 Wheelchair Players of the Week wins]
=AO to WI: slam champ and occasional; Wk.29-xx: weekly POW=
4 - Diede de Groot, NED
3 - Yui Kamiji, JPN
2 - Sabine Ellerbrock, GER
1 - Donna Jansen, NED
1 - Katharina Kruger, GER
1 - Natalia Mayara, BRA



TOP QUALIFIER:Genie Bouchard/CAN
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: #23 Marta Kostyuk/RUS def. Valentyna Ivakhnenko/RUS 4-6/7-6(6)/7-6(4) (saved 6 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
TOP ASHE NIGHT SESSION WOMEN'S MATCH: xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:(Q) Jil Teichmann/SUI (def. Jakupovic/SRB)
FIRST SEED OUT:#31 Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK (1st Rd. - Q.Wang/CHN; second con. FSO at major for Rybarikova)
UPSET QUEENS: xx
REVELATION LADIES: xx
NATION OF POOR SOULS: xx
CRASH & BURN:#1 Simona Halep/ROU (lost 1st Rd. to Kanepi/EST; first #1 to lost 1st Rd. at U.S. Open in Open era)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: xx
IT ("??"): xx
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: xx
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Day 1 wins: Kalinina/UKR, Muchova/CZE, Teichmann/SUI
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Day 1 wins: C.Liu/USA
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: Day 1 wins: King, C.Liu, Stephens, V.Williams
COMEBACK PLAYER: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): xx
DOUBLES STAR: xx
BROADWAY-BOUND: Nominee: Kanepi/EST (christens new Armstrong Stadium w/ Day 1 win over #1 Halep)
LADY OF THE EVENING: xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx




All for Day 1. More tomorrow.
↧

US.2 - It Thunders in New York City, Too

August 28, 2018, 5:01 pm
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Louis Armstrong Stadium got this U.S. Open off to a thunderous start on Day 1. Today, Latvian Thunder had her say in the new digs.



Like so many known slam contenders, Alona Ostapenko arrived at Flushing Meadows with very little momentum garnered via actual match wins. The 21-year old was 0-2 on summer hard courts following her Wimbledon semifinal run, falling in three sets to both Johanna Konta and Alize Cornet. As she sometimes (well, often) is during her matches, the '17 Roland Garros champ is a true wild card, equally capable of brilliance as frustration depending on the angle of the sun and the migration patterns of any number of flocks of birds. Along with her SW19 semi run, this season Ostapenko has starred in Fed Cup play, won a doubles title and reached the Miami final, but was also bounced in the 1st Round of her RG title defense by Kateryna Kozlova, lost to Cagla Buyukakcay in her '18 FC debut and suffered seven other one-and-out weeks on tour. Still, she's a Top 10 player capable of defeating anyone, though she's yet to make a real run at a hard court major in her career. Her three consecutive 3rd Round results in Melbourne and New York the last two seasons amount to her (so far) high water mark in both the Australian and U.S. Opens.

Facing Latvian Thunder on Tuesday was none other the Petko herself, Andrea Petkovic, a fan favorite and deep-thinking German whose career-full of injuries has almost overshadowed the fact that she was once a Top 10 player and slam semifinalist ('14 RG), reaching her height when Ostapenko was all of 13 years old, reaching three slam QF in '11 and posting seven of her twelve career Top 10 wins that season, including a victory over then-#1 Caroline Wozniacki. Perhaps telling her story with one fact, it's of great note that after having her career year Petkovic missed the first three slams of '12 due to injury. 2018, though, has seen the 30-year old Petkovic a little healthier, and a bit more of a consistent threat to win (at at least compete), though she's been overshadowed by compatriots Angelique Kerber (Wimbledon champ) and Julia Goerges (Top 10 and Wimbledon SF). After being outside the Top 100 as recently as late May, when she chose to play in a $100K challenger, the now #89-ranked player recorded a 1st Round win at Roland Garros over Kristina Mladenovic, and her defeat of #3 Sloane Stephens in Washington was her first Top 10 victory since 2016, the first over a Top 5 player since 2013. With MD wins at each of the first three slams this season, a win from Petkovic today would give her her first four-for-four major season since her career year of '11.

The match was streaky in nature right from the start. Petkovic won the first five points, including a love break of Ostapenko's serve in game #1, until the German hit a double-fault. The Latvian then broke back and won four straight points of her own. Still, Ostapenko dropped her first six service points in the match. When Petkovic broke to take a 3-2 lead, Ostapenko's frustration bubbled just under the surface. By game #6, she'd already committed twelve unforced errors.

But she found her groove and, as is the law with the Thunder, it was difficut for her opponent to keep up with her when she did.

Ostapenko broke the German's serve and held her own to take a 4-3 lead. Up love/40 on Petko's serve in game #9, she was gifted a DF to deliver the 1st set to her at 6-4. Her twenty UE in the set were offset by her nine well-timed winners.

The Latvian led 3-0 in in 2nd set, and had break point for 4-0. But after she failed to convert the opportunity, her rising UE total spelled her doom in the set. As that was playing out, a fired-up Petkovic blazed back into contention. With a BP at 4-4, the German absolutely crushed a second serve return for a winner into the corner to get the chance to serve for the set. With the game knotted at 30/30, one final surge did the trick as Petko took the set with an ace.



Again, Ostapenko held an early lead in the 3rd. Up 2-0, she dropped serve in game #3, but broke back and held for a 4-1 advantage. She served for the match (into the sun) at 5-3, and held two match points. Petkovic's defense, though, extended rallies and, as it turned out, the match, as well. MP #2 was saved when a Petko forehand bounced off the tape, caught a line, and resulted in a mistimed Ostapenko forehand into the net. The Latvian then DF'd and, BP down, saw another forehand error hand a break of serve to Petkovic, who pounded her chest as she stalked toward the changeover area with the score at 5-4.

Petkovic held at 15 to level the set, as Ostapenko's UE total edged near sixty for the match. But just when it appeared as if the German might provide Armstrong with another day-opening upset, the Latvian's thunder emerged. She fell behind 15/30 in game #11, and saved two BP, but managed to hold for a 6-5 lead. With Petko serving to stay in the match, the score was 30/30 a game later. On game point, the German double-faulted. On a second GP, Ostapenko ended a rally previously defined by Petkovic's defense with a swing volley winner to drown out what would be her final chance to stay in the match.

A point later, Petkovic pulled up her racket on an Ostapenko ball near the baseline, then immediately challenged the call of the shot which had been declared in. When the replay showed that it had indeed caught the line -- by, it seemed, maybe the newly-ruffled fuzz of the ball -- Ostapenko had her third MP. Petko saved it with a service winner, but a running crosscourt forehand winner from the Latvian gave her a fourth MP. When the German netted her reply to Ostapenko's backhand return, it was over. Latvian Thunder's 6-4/4-6/7-5 victory, accomplished in nearly 2:30 on the hottest day (so far) of this U.S. Open, leaves Ostapenko as the survivor in a match that, theoretically sort of had *two* winners.



Petkovic's brushing aside of a handshake in favor of a big hug of her younger opponent not only showed the level of competition in the match, as well as her own fighting spirit, but was also something of a new different look for Ostapenko, too. I'm not sure I can remember such a warm embrace at the net between her and an opponent. It was actually kind of nice. At any rate, right on schedule, Ostapenko's fight has returned in the nick of time for some more big stage heroics.

As it turns out, it Thunders in New York City, too.



=DAY 2 NOTES=
...#5 seed Petra Kvitova likely smiled when she first saw that she was scheduled for an early match today on Court 17. All the better for her to avoid the sort of oppressive afternoon heat and humidity that has taken her down in the past on days just like today.

The Czech got out quickly vs. Yanina Wickmayer, winning the first three games and taking the 1st set 6-1. The Belgian jumped to a 4-1 lead in the 2nd, but Kvitova closed as well as she started. Serving for the match at 5-4, she saved a BP and finished off the match a little short of half past noon in New York.



Kvitova's sound "Player of the Year" argument, given new life with Simona Halep's 1st Round loss, may hinge on what she does at this slam. While she's 42-8 with five singles titles on the "regular" tour and in Fed Cup, the Czech (even with today's win) is still just 3-3 in the majors in 2018. Oddly enough, though the immediate notion regarding Kvitova is that she has *less* of a chance of success in NYC because of the weather and her long-time issues when it comes to dealing with it, the U.S. Open has actually been her *best* slam in recent years. She's posted QF-4th-QF results the last three years. Those are three of her four best major results since she won her last slam at Wimbledon in 2014.

...due to her winless (0-2) summer hardcourt stretch and lingering injuries, #2-seed Caroline Wozniacki has arrived in New York for what has traditionally been her *best* slam without much pressure to succeed. But, here she is, one of only two remaining women with a chance to claim multiple slam titles in 2018.

Opening Day 2's play on Ashe Stadium, the AO-winning Dane didn't have much trouble with 2011 U.S. Open champ Samantha Stosur, winning 6-3/6-2, handing the Aussie her earliest loss at Flushing Meadows since 2008. Stosur wraps up her summer HC season with a 2-5 mark, with not-unexpected defeats at the hands Caro and Aryna Sabalenka, as well as Camila Giorgi, but also to NextGen-ers Sofya Zhuk and Allie Kiick. Things are not trending in the right direction there, which is going to lead to some "those" questions pretty soon.

Although, this might be a tad harsh for a simple tweet of a match result (though it could get worse in due time)...



As for Wozniacki, she's now 11-1 in U.S. Open 1st Round matches, and has a career slam-best 36 wins in the event. A two-time finalist ('09/'14) and three-time semifinalist, she has as many SF-or-better finishes at Flushing Meadows as she does QF+ results at the other three majors combined.

...the odd journey of Anna Karolina Schmiedlova added another minor chapter on Tuesday. In 2018 the 23-year old Slovak has finally escaped her deep dive into near-irrelevance over the past two seasons, taking the Bogota crown this spring for her first tour-level title in three years. After reaching the Top 30 in 2015, she finished the last two seasons at #226 and #133, respectively. She entered the day back in the Top 100, but she was still looking for her first slam MD win since the 2015 U.S. Open.

It didn't happen today. But, as has often been the case for AKS the last few years, it was a journey getting there.

Facing Wang Yafan, Schmiedlova fell behind 6-1/3-1, only to win five straight games to send things to a 3rd. Wang had an early break lead in the 2nd, but AKS got things back on serve mid-set, only to see the Chinese woman break for 5-4 and serve out the match. While this is Wang's second career slam MD win ('16 US), Schmiedlova has lost eight straight matches in majors. She's lost in the 1st Round in thirteen of nineteen slam MD appearances.

...Israeli qualifier Julia Glushko overcame injury to post a win over Monica Niculescu, winning 3-6/7-5/6-4 to record her first slam MD win since 2014. It's been four years since Glushko, 28, even played a MD match in a major ('14 US). She lost in qualifying in nine straight slams from 2015-17 before finally making it through last week, following up on a resurgent season in which she's reached five challenger finals (3-2). She's reached slam 3rd Rounds twice ('13 US/'14 RG) in her career, and faces Naomi Osaka in her attempt to do it a third time.



...elsewhere, Taylor Townsend ('12 AO Jr. champ/'13 Wimbledon Jr. RU) won the recent Bannerette phenom vs. new Bannerette phenom match-up, prevailing 3-6/6-4/6-3 over 16-year old wild card Amanda Anisimova, last year's U.S. Open girls champ (and '16 RG jr. RU).



#24-seeded CoCo Vandeweghe, a semifinalist at Flushing Meadows last summer, had been dealing with an ankle injury coming into this Open. She arrived riding a five-match losing streak, and wasn't expected to be able to hold up for long. She didn't, falling 6-3/7-6 to Kirsten Flipkens.



Vandeweghe, inside the Top 10 in January, will emerge from this slam ranked at (at best) #47.

...Aleksandra Krunic has had a bad couple of months, but Timea Bacsinszky has had a bad year. They met on Day 2 to see which would find a crack of daylight through the skyscrapers.

Krunic won her maiden tour title on the grass as Rosmalen leading into Wimbledon, but came to New York having gone 1-5 since. She totaled just four *combined* games won in her last three losses this summer. Bacsinszky hadn't won a match since last year's Wimbledon. After undergoing wrist surgery in October, she'd gone 0-7 since her return in late January. Ranked #751, she was in the draw with a protected ranking.

Krunic, aside from her Fed Cup heroics perhaps is best known for her '14 U.S. Open Round of 16 run that included wins over Keys and Kvitova (and pushing Azarenka to three sets), ultimately outlasted the Swiss veteran, but it took some time. The Serb won the 1st set 6-2, but saw Bacsinszky force a 3rd by winning a 6-3 2nd to knot the match. Bacsinszky simply wasn't up to performing a three-set turnaround in the summer heat without a match win under her belt for fourteen months, and was noticeably tired in the closing games. The Bracelet managed to make it to the finish line with room to spare, taking the 3rd at love to record her first slam MD win since reaching the 3rd Round at Flushing Meadows last year.



...in the second-up match on Armstrong, Wimbledon champ Angelique Kerber made her '18 Open debut, looking for her first win in New York since taking the title two years ago. She got a better-than-expected level of competition from 23-year old Russian Margarita Gasparyan (and her one-handed backhand!), working her way back from a bad knee injury two summers ago and finally making progress in the endeavor in recent months. Ranked #410, the Hordette was as high as #41 in early 2016 after reaching the AO Round of 16 in just her third slam MD appearance. In a gradually-improving comeback season that has seen her reach her first post-injury singles final (a $25K in May) and play in her first tour-level event in two years (Nanchang in July, where she posted a 1st Round win), today she played just her third slam match since her Australian Open run in 2016.



She jumped to an early lead on Kerber, going up 2-0. Kerber managed to climb back and take the lead, only to see Gasparyan lift her game in closing moments and take a 6-5 lead. Things went to a TB, where the Russian held a double mini-break lead at 3-0, and 4-2. But, again, Kerber raised her *own* efforts to take the breaker 7-5. She claimed the 2nd set 6-3, passing a nice opening round test in an unfamiliar setting.



...THE breakout player of the hard court summer was undoubtedly Aryna Sabalenka. She won multiple matches from MP down, defeated four Top 10 opponents, won her maiden tour title this weekend in New Haven and made her Top 20 debut. One thing she hadn't done is win a MD match at the U.S. Open. Actually, until today she hadn't played one, falling in qualifying the last two years. Not only that, but she'd gone 0-3 in majors this season, losing previous slam 1st Rounders to Ash Barty (AO), Kiki Bertens (RG) and Mihaela Buzarnescu (WI), with both the first and last of those defeats coming in three-set matches. The big-hitting 20-year old Belarusian leads the tour in that category, having played a total of 27 (in 57 matches) over the course of this season coming into Day 2. Naturally, she added another to the total vs. Danielle Collins.

Of course, it didn't look as if that'd be the case when Sabalenka raced through the 1st set, winning it at love. But Collins turned things around to take a 5-1 lead in the 2nd, though things tightened and she only eeked out a 6-4 win. In the 3rd, Collins opened with a break, and held to lead 2-0. But Sabalenka made her bones this summer coming from behind, and she'd do it again here. She won four straight games, gave back a break in game #7, but then retrieved it in short order and served for the match at 5-3.

On MP, Sabalenka recovered to chase down a Collins lob, only to see the Bannerette put away a fading overhead as she drifted toward the baseline, planting a winner into the corner. A forehand error gave Collins a BP chance, and she got things back on serve. After Sabalenka took a love/30 lead on Collins' serve, the former two-time NCAA champ got things back to 30/30, only to see the Belarusian reach double MP with a backhand winner down the line. After having moved in toward the service box to return a second serve, Sabalenka ended the match two strokes later with an off-balance dig-out of a shot off the baseline. Her backhand reply barely made it back over the net, but it was short enough in the court to prevent Collins from chasing it down. Sabalenka, by now getting used to strong reactions to hard-fought, dramatic victories (this time she fell over onto her back in celebration ) won 6-0/4-6/6-4 to reach the U.S. Open 2nd Round for the first time.



Sabalenka's win, along with that of Aliaksandra Sasnovich (def. Bencic) maintains Belarus' undefeated mark in the women's draw at this Open. Sabalenka, Sasnovich, Victoria Azarenka and Vera Lapko make the BLR contingent four strong in the 2nd Round of a major for the very first time. I guess that means the "Revelation Ladies" winners have been found.

...yeah, Carla's worries weren't necessary.



Monica Puig, a semifinalist this weekend in New Haven before having to retire from that match after just eight games vs. CSN, showed no signs of trouble today vs. Stefanie Voegele. She won 6-0/6-0.



...as far as a few of the other usual early-round slam awards, nothing is official but Russia is sure looking like a "Nation of Poor Souls" contender. Hordettes went 1-5 on Day 1, with only Ekaterina Makarova advancing. Things haven't gotten much better on Day 2, either. There are still a few more matches to be finish, though, including Maria Sharapova vs. Patty Schnyder tonight, as well as an all-Russian clash between veteran Vera Zvonareva and youngster Anna Blinkova.

#11 Dasha Kasatkina, though she was up and down all match, managed to fight back and defeat Timea Babos 6-4/5-7/6-4 in a contest that extended into the early evening, overcoming a 3rd set break deficit and a walking-the-tightrope moment that saw the Hungarian holding a BP while up 4-3.

Other nations in the mix: Switzerland (1-3, with Schnyder to play), Great Britain (0-2), Slovakia (1-3) and Poland (0-2).

The leading contender for "Upset Queens" looks to be Sweden, with both the nation's MD participants -- Rebecca Peterson d. #27 Pavlyuchenkova, Johanna Larssson def. Cornet -- notching big wins. This one may take another round, though, as China has some intriguing possibilities as Asian Games Gold medalist Wang Qiang has already defeated #31 Rybarikova (and plays Begu) and Wang Yafan gets #5 Kvitova in the 2nd Round.


WHAT'S ELENA BEEN UP TO ON DAY 2:

Caption this.I dare ya???? @vis_caeli @alenabrillar ????#???????????

A post shared by Elena Vesnina (@vesnushka86) on



SO, THIS ON DAY 2: As a call back to Chris Evert questioning Halep's desire and believing that she isn't "hungry" after winning Roland Garros (something she returned to again today), but not mentioning how she ran herself into the ground trying to pull off the Canada/Cincinnati double (ditto), it's interesting that *before* the tournament she thought the Romanian's summer run was the reason *why* she'd be a big threat at this slam.



Being around the other ESPNers all day tends to warp one's mind, though, so maybe that's what caused this mid-stream pivot, hmmm? I'm just sayin'.

FROM DAY 1 ON DAY 2:Never a sign of good times...



LIKE ON DAY 2: Incoming...



...and, finally...

Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" has always been a song I'm happy to hear. It's made a bit of a comeback lately as the Aussie-born singer (who was actually an actor on the soap "General Hospital" when he first began to break out as a performer in the U.S.) has returned to acting, appearing with Meryl Streep in the movie "Ricki and the Flash," as well as TV's "American Horror Story: Cult,""Supernatural,""True Detective" and, after a 23-year absence, even "General Hospital."

[General Hospital's "Dr. Noah Drake"]
[Original - 1981]
[2016]














Round 1 @usopen ?? #pojd #teamsafi

A post shared by Lucie Safarova (@lucie.safarova) on














**U.S. OPEN "REVELATION LADIES" WINNERS**
2006 Russia
2007 Ukraine
2008 Slovak Republic
2009 Belarus
2010 North America
2011 United States
2012 France
2013 Italy
2014 United States
2015 Japan
2016 Ukraine
2017 Australia
2018 Belarus
[2018]
AO: Estonia
RG: Romania
WI: Great Britain
US: Belarus

**50 YEARS OF OPEN ERA TENNIS AT THE U.S. OPEN**
[AUS Champions]
1969 Margaret Court
1970 Margaret Court
1973 Margaret Court
2011 Samantha Stosur
[AUS Finalists]
1972 Kerry Melville Reid
1973 Evonne Goolagong
1974 Evonne Goolagong
1975 Evonne Goolagong
1976 Evonne Goolagong
1977 Wendy Turnbull

**BACKSPIN 2018 RISER AWARD WINNERS**
JAN: Simona Halep/ROU
AO: Simona Halep/ROU
FEB/MAR: Elina Svitolina/UKR
I.W./MIAMI: Sloane Stephens/USA
1Q: PETRA KVITOVA/CZE
APR: Karolina Pliskova/CZE
MAY: Elina Svitolina/UKR
RG: Sloane Stephens/USA
2Q Clay Court: PETRA KVITOVA/CZE
JUN: Caroline Wozniacki/DEN
WI: Alona Ostapenko/LAT
2Q Grass Court: PETRA KVITOVA/CZE
JUL/AUG: Alize Cornet/FRA
AUG: Kiki Bertens/NED
[2018 Weekly RISER Award Wins]
4 - Dasha Gavrilova, AUS
4 - Alona Ostapenko, LAT
3 - Timea Babos, HUN
3 - Kiki Bertens, NED
3 - Danielle Collins, USA
3 - Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
3 - Camila Giorgi, ITA
3 - Simona Halep, ROU
3 - Yui Kamiji, JPN (WC)
3 - Dasha Kasatkina, RUS
3 - Garbine Muguruza, ESP
3 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2 - Ana Bogdan, ROU
2 - Caroline Garcia, FRA
2 - Julia Goerges, GER
2 - Madison Keys, USA
2 - Petra Martic, CRO
2 - Naomi Osaka, JPN
2 - Yulia Putintseva, KAZ
2 - Alison Riske, USA
2 - Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR
2 - Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
2 - Sloane Stephens, USA
2 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
2 - CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
2 - Donna Vekic, CRO
2 - Wang Qiang, CHN

**BACKSPIN 2018 MOST IMPROVED PLAYER WINNERS**
JAN: Mihaela Buzarnescu/ROU
AO: Jana Fett/CRO
FEB/MAR: Viktoria Kuzmova/SVK
I.W./MIAMI: Danielle Collins/USA
1Q: NAOMI OSAKA/JPN
APR: Viktoria Kuzmova/SVK
MAY: Vera Lapko/BLR
RG: Wang Qiang/CHN
2Q Clay Court: VIKTORIA KUZMOVA/SVK
JUN: Sonya Kenin/USA
WI: Harriet Dart/GBR
2Q Grass Court: ALISON VAN UYTVANCK/BEL
JUL/AUG: Maria Sakkari/GRE
AUG: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR



TOP QUALIFIER:Genie Bouchard/CAN
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: #23 Marta Kostyuk/RUS def. Valentyna Ivakhnenko/RUS 4-6/7-6(6)/7-6(4) (saved 6 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
TOP ASHE NIGHT SESSION WOMEN'S MATCH: xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:(Q) Jil Teichmann/SUI (def. Jakupovic/SRB)
FIRST SEED OUT:#31 Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK (1st Rd. - Q.Wang/CHN; second con. FSO at major for Rybarikova)
UPSET QUEENS: xx
REVELATION LADIES:Belarus (four -- Azarenka, Lapko, Sabalenka, Sasnovich -- into 2nd Round of a slam for the first time ever)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: xx
CRASH & BURN:#1 Simona Halep/ROU (lost 1st Rd. to Kanepi/EST; first #1 to lost 1st Rd. at U.S. Open in Open era)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: xx
IT ("??"): xx
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: xx
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: In 2nd Rd.: Bouchard/CAN, DiLorenzo/USA, J.Glushko/ISR, Kalinina/UKR, Muchova/CZE, Teichmann/SUI
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: In 2nd Rd.: Azarenka/BLR, C.Liu/USA
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: In 2nd Rd.: DiLorenzo, Kenin, King, C.Liu, Stephens, Townsend, S.Williams, V.Williams
COMEBACK PLAYER: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): xx
DOUBLES STAR: xx
BROADWAY-BOUND: Nominee: Kanepi/EST (new Armstrong Stadium premieres w/ Day 1 def. of #1 Halep)
LADY OF THE EVENING: xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx




All for Day 2. More tomorrow.
↧

US.3 - A Familiar Face at Flushing Meadows

August 29, 2018, 2:42 pm
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Victoria Azarenka admitted on Wednesday how difficult the 2018 season has been for her, as her preparation wasn't great and how she's felt as if she's been "playing from behind" all year long, something she says won't happen in 2019.

Things went pretty well today, though.



While the long-awaited summer hard court run we've come to desire from Vika since her return has yet to materialize, her 6-1/6-2 win over #25 Dasha Gavrilova has put her into at least the 3rd Round in her sixth consecutive appearance in New York, and for the tenth time in eleven career U.S. Opens. A two-time finalist (RU-RU-QF-QF from 2012-15), Azarenka's MD spot this year (via a WC) was her first since 2015, as pregnancy, injury and custody issues have made her a virtual non-entity on tour pretty much since her Indian Wells/Miami "Sunshine Double" in the spring of '16. Her last QF run at a major came in Melbourne that same season, and her two wins this week make her just 6-4 over the span of the last eleven slams (six of which she didn't play). Still, even while playing only since March after having not played since the '17 Wimbledon (she reached the Miami SF in event #2, but was 7-8 since coming into the Open), Azarenka has raised her ranking this season from #208 to inside the Top 100. She was #80 when this event started, and has a "live" ranking of around #60 after this victory.

Meanwhile, Gavrilova's '18 campaign, though it started so well, has been nothing short of disappointing. After winning her maiden title and reaching the Top 20 in 2017, Gavrilova reached the semis of two of her first three events (Sydney/Acapulco) this season. But she's never been able to find any consistency all year long, and leads the tour in double-faults. She was on a 1-4 slump coming into Flushing Meadows, falling in the 2nd Round of her title defense in New Haven (to Aryna Sabalenka) last week. After defeating Sara Sorribes Tormo love & love in the 1st Round on Day 1, Dasha fired five DF and had twenty-seven unforced errors in the fifteen games she played today. Since her two-SF start to '18, she's gone 14-17 since.

Up next for Vika? Well, a familiar face...





=DAY 3 NOTES=
...defending champ Sloane Stephens' match with Ukrainian qualifier Anhelina Kalinina could have gone either way on Ashe today, but the reservior of experience that the #3 seed has built up over the years, and especially since her comeback summer run last season that ended with her lifting her maiden slam trophy, served her well. Kalinina has spent most of the season performing well in a series of North American challenger events. Of her seventeen '18 tournaments, the Open was her twelfth on U.S. soil. Until today, she'd never played a Top 40 player in her career.

You wouldn't have known it, though.

21-year old Kalinina was at one time a top junior. She was a U.S. Open junior girls singles finalist in 2014. She rose into the Top 150 on the pro level three years ago, only to have to undergo shoulder surgery. She missed ten months, gradually finding her way back ever since. Winning three $25K titles this year, she finally climbed above her previous career-best ranking this summer, rising to #124. She began this Open at #136, and after making her way through qualifying to reach her maiden slam MD she recorded her first win when 1st Round opponent Kathinka von Deichmann retired due to the heat.

Kalinina gave Stephens a battle today, seizing upon Sloane's errors and building at 4-1 lead. She failed to convert three BP for a 5-1 bulge on the scoreboard, and led 4-2, 30/love when Stephens staged a comeback to get the set even at 4-4. Kalinina didn't let the 1st slip away, though, converting a BP/SP to take the it 6-4. Stephens jumped out ahead 3-0 in the 2nd, but was broken when trying to serve out the set at 5-4. But Kalinina couldn't hold her own serve a game later, dropping it as Sloane knotted the match.

Stephens finally seized control in the 3rd, taking a 3-1 lead and breaking for 5-2. She ended things with an ace, winning 4-6/7-5/6-2 in 2:46 in the heat. “I wasn’t playing my best and I just had to find a way,” Stephens said afterward. "Not ideal conditions, but just happy to be through. I never gave up, fought my tail off. Hope the next one’s at night.”

Kalinina is set to achieve a new career-high ranking after this slam, likely edging inside the Top 120 for the first time.

The Stephens/Azarenka 3rd Round match-up will be their third of 2018, a somewhat remarkable thing considering Vika's shortened season.

2013 Australian Open SF - Victoria Azarenka 6-1/6-4
2014 Australian Open 4th - Victoria Azarenka 6-3/6-2
2015 Australian Open 1st - Victoria Azarenka 6-3/6-2
2018 Indian Wells 2nd - Sloane Stephens 6-1/7-5
2018 Miami SF - Sloane Stephens 3-6/6-2/6-1
2018 U.S. Open 3rd - ??

In a normal situation, that one *would* be an easy night match to schedule on Ashe. But, well... there's another match that might take place on Friday. So, Armstrong might be all that Sloane and Vika can hope for.

And speaking of another of last year's all-Bannerette semifinalists...

After her three-set 1st Round battle with Svetlana Kuznetsova, it seemed of the utmost importance that #16 Venus Williams get off the court in straight sets today if she wished to have anything left for what might follow. With Italian Camila Giorgi on the other side of the net, it was easy to worry that that might not happen. In their only previous meeting, at the AO in 2015, Williams won, but had to go three sets to do it.

But Venus has done nothing if not defy convention for, what, two decades now? So, of course, she proceeded to take out the 26-year old, a full dozen years her junior, in two sets on Wednesday.

She had to dig down to do it, though. Serving at 5-3 in the 1st, Venus was broken, but then converted a BP/SP on Giorgi's serve in the next game to take the set. In the 2nd, the Italian held a break lead at 3-1. Williams got things level, but have to stave off five BP in game #9 alone before managing to get the hold for a 5-4 lead. After back to back holds, Venus went up love/30 on Giorgi's serve, getting the break on MP when Giorgi netted a match-ending forehand.

The win improves Williams' U.S. Open career mark to 78-16, bringing her within one match win from Serena tonight (vs. Carina Witthoeft) of the 30th meeting between the Sisters. It'd be their sixth at the U.S. Open, the first since 2015, and just their second in the opening week of a major. The other came over *twenty* years ago in their first-ever head-to-head match in the Australian Open 2nd Round in 1998. Venus won that one. Their last meeting in a major, of course, was in the '17 AO final which, as Venus said today, was "two against one," as Serena was pregnant at the time with daughter Olympia when she won her 23rd career slam crown.



*VENUS vs. SERENA*
1998 Aust.Open 2nd (HO) = Venus 7-6(4),6-1
1998 Rome QF (RC) = Venus 6-4,6-2
1999 Miami F (HO) = Venus 6-1,4-6,6-4
1999 Grand Slam Cup F (Carp) = Serena 6-1,3-6,6-3
2000 Wimbledon SF (G) = Venus 6-2,7-6(3)
2001 Indian Wells SF (HO) = Serena (walkover)
2001 U.S. Open F (HO) = Venus 6-2,6-4
2002 Miami SF (HO) = Serena 6-2,6-2
2002 Roland Garros F (RC) = Serena 7-5,6-3
2002 Wimbledon F (G) = Serena 7-6(4),6-3
2002 U.S. Open F (HO) = Serena 6-3,6-4
2003 Australian Open F (HO) = Serena 7-6(4),3-6,6-4
2003 Wimbledon F (G) = Serena 4-6,6-4,6-2
2005 Miami QF (HO) = Venus 6-1/7-6(8)
2005 U.S. Open 4th (HO) = Venus 7-6(5)/6-2
2008 Bangalore SF (HO) = Serena 6-3/3-6/7-6(4) (VW MP)
2008 Wimbledon F (G) = Venus 7-5/6-4
2008 U.S. Open QF (HO) = Serena 7-6(6),7-6(7)
2008 WTA Chmp rr (HO) = Venus 5-7,6-1,6-0
2009 Dubai SF (HO) = Venus 6-1,2-6,7-6(3)
2009 Miami SF (HO) = Serena 6-4,3-6,6-4
2009 Wimbledon F (G) = Serena 7-6(3),6-2
2009 WTA Chsp rr (HO) = Serena 5-7,6-4,7-6 (VW MP)
2009 WTA Chsp F (HO) = Serena 6-2,7-6
2013 Charleston SF (GC) = Serena 6-1/6-2
2014 Montreal SF (HO) = Venus 6-7(2)/6-2/6-3
2015 Wimbledon 4th (G) = Serena 6-4/6-3
2015 U.S. Open QF (HO) = Serena 6-2/1-6/6-3
2017 Aust.Open F (HO) = Serena 6-4/6-4
2018 Indian Wells 3rd (HO) = Venus 6-3/6-4 (first after Serena baby)

...Australian Open semifinalist Elise Mertens has seemingly never taken a moment to breathe in 2018, finding great success in both singles and doubles. Today was her 100th overall match of the season. The Wait has been on in recent weeks, as every poor result or tired-looking performance might be seen as the possible overdue aftereffect of her loaded schedule and admirable consistency. Being forced to come back from 4-2 down in the 3rd set vs. Kurumi Nara two days ago was the latest example. Was it a sign of the inevitable, especially with the oppressive heat descending upon the city as the week wore on?

Well, that wasn't the case for the Belgian Rumble on Day 3.

#15 Mertens dominated young Vera Lapko, a 19-year old Belarusian who has shined at times in '18, including during a semifinal run at Lugano that ended with a three-set defeat at the hands of Mertens. She won 6-2/6-0, improving to 12-3 in the majors this season, and maintaining her run of improving upon her career-best slam result at four consecutive events -- SF in her AO debut, 4r besting 3r at RG, 3r besting 1r at WI, and now a 3r at the US after being 0-2 there previously.

The Waffle will face #23 Barbora Strycova next. The veteran Czech trounced Lara Arruabarrena 6-0/6-1 today, thereby reaching the 3rd ROund at all four majors in a season for the first time in her career.



...who knows whether #7 Elina Svitolina might actually break her slam hex in New York, but at least she's more than reversed her downward major results trend with her (at least) 3rd Round performance at this U.S. Open. After losing to Tatjana Maria in the 1st Round at Wimbledon, her first one-and-out slam since 2014, the Ukrainian had seen her '18 major results flow chart take on a decidedly bad look: QF-3rd-1st. After summer hard court wins over Mihaela Buzarnescu, Elise Mertens, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Amanda Anisimova, Svitolina at least arrived in New York with something *resembling* low-dose momentum and confidence, putting up a 5-2 pre-NYC record when many other top players were struggling to even get one or two match wins under their belts.

After being forced to three sets by Sachia Vickery in the 1st Round, Svitolina's prospects weren't exactly bolstered. But she *did* manage to get a little revenge on Day 3, upending her SW19 conqueror Maria in a quick 6-2/6-3 win that allowed her to wrap things up around noon before the uncomfortable weather became a sledgehammer in the afternoon.



...I mentioned the other day how Hall of Fame nominee Conchita Martinez has a "pretty good" record while serving as a temporary coach for a player competing in a grand slam. Last year, she served as the interim mentor for Garbine Muguruza at Wimbledon while Sam Sumyk was away. Mugu won the title. After parting ways with her previous coach, and with her official stint with Rennae Stubbs not ready to take full effect, #8 Karolina Pliskova brought Martinez aboard to serve in the role for this U.S. Open. After an inconsistent year and, really, a *bad* summer hard court run for a player who won the '15 U.S. Open Series, reached the '16 singles final and was the #1 seed at Flushing Meadows a year ago, the Czech's 6-2/6-3 win today over Romanian Ana Bogdan, in which she erased a 3-1 2nd set deficit to win in straights, surely raises an eyebrow. Just one. For now. But stay tuned.

I'm just sayin'.

She's even dressed for U.S. success.



...late in the afternoon, the first Top 10 -- actually, the first *Top 20* -- player to fall since #1 Simona Halep's Day 1 ouster finally was sent packing on Day 3. The victim: #9 Julia Goerges, who fell 7-6(10)/6-3 to Ekaterina Makarova, who served well (8 aces) vs. the tour's ace leader ("Nein!"), fighting off the German to take a long 1st set TB and then never relenting in the 2nd.

Makarova had led 6-2 in the 1st set TB, only to see Goerges save EIGHT set points before Makarova finally secured things with a big serve up the middle to win it 12-10. The Russian, who lost to Goerges last week in New Haven, got the key break of serve in the 2nd to lead 4-2, then closed out the match with a love hold three games later.

Makarova have reached at least the 3rd Round at Flushing Meadows in six of the last seven years, including a semifinal run in 2014.

...as far as a few leftover early-round awards, I'll stick with the Swedes as the "Upset Queens" since they *were* 100% in the 1st Round, with Rebecca Peterson knocking off Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Johanna Larsson taking out Alize Cornet. Also, the 1st Round saw precious few upsets after Halep's big one to start things off, so any nation's positive trend must be seized upon.

And the "Nation of Poor Souls" is... Rus-. Nope, with the escape of Dasha Kasatkina and Maria Sharapova's win (as ugly as it was, as she twice failed to serve out the match and nearly blew a 6-3 TB lead) over Sneaky Patty Schnyder, the Hordettes' 1st Round mark of 4-8 barely avoids the designation. Slovenia went 0-3, but wasn't exactly expected to have a lot of success (though the nation's improving roster of talent might change that soon), and a few nations (GBR, POL, CRO and KAZ) were 0-2. Slovakia was 1-3.

But I'm going with Switzerland. The Swiss were 1-4 in the 1st Round, with only 21-year old qualifier Jil Teichmann notching a win (the first of the tournament on Day 1). It's another step in the sudden slip of Swiss tennis on the women's side, after so recently the nation looked very deep and a sure-fire Fed Cup contender because of it. In short order, Martina Hingis (not really part of the mix, but still) retired, Timea Bacsinszky has been beset by injuries, and Belinda Bencic has been up, down, injured and disappointing overall. Junior star Rebeka Masarova went off to play for Spain, while Viktorija Golubic has at times been lethal (esp. in FC), but also inconsistent. At Flushing Meadows, Golubic was double-bageled by Monia Puig, Bacsinszky (without a win for over a year) lost a love 3rd set vs. Aleksandra Krunic, and Bencic squandered a set lead and lost in three to Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Other than Teichmann's 3 & 0 win over Dalila Jakupovic, 39-year old qualifier Schnyder's 2nd set comeback vs. a shaky Sharapova (going from 5-1 down in the 2nd to a TB that was tied at 6-6 after she'd saved 3 MP) may have had the best (albeit brief) outing.

Also, one nominee for "Zombie Queen of New York" that I didn't mention on Day 2 is Katerina Siniakova. She won the award at Wimbledon this summer after seeing both her opponents in the first two rounds (Vandeweghe at 5-3, Jabeur at 5-3 and with a MP) serve for the match. Well, guess what happened on Tuesday. Yep, the Czech saw #28 Anett Kontaveit served for the match at 5-4, 30/love in the 3rd set. Siniakova got the break and took the set 7-5 to advance. Siniakova won twelve of the final fourteen points, and eleven in a row at one point.

Claire Liu's loss today to Anastasija Sevastova leaves Vika as the "Last Wild Card Standing."


LIKE ON DAY 3:



NOTE ON DAY 3: After Alize Cornet's ridiculous "ShirtGate" moment...





LIKE ON DAY 3: Worth a look (and it's a long thread... but, hey, it's Queen Chaos)...



A GOODBYE ON DAY 3:




...and, finally...

Englishman Robert Palmer's 1986 "Addicted to Love" is the song that stands as his most recognizable hit in a long career that tragically ended too soon with his death at just age 54 in 2003. But, more than anything, it's the video that you remember.

There are no fancy quick cuts or overly-done technological bells and whistles. At its heart, it's just a stylish-looking man in a simple dress shirt and tie, singing in front of a microphone. But it's the image of Palmer, performing alone in front of a horde of automaton-like, guitar-playing models swaying in unison while he growls out lyrics with a sly smile and a wink, that sticks.

The visual has spawned all sorts of tributes over the years, including one that was in rotation around these parts two years ago...


And the original...


And since I'm going British with today's "And, finally..." selection, I'll thrown in something I latched onto while looking for the above video. Queen's spectacular 20-minute set from Live Aid in 1985, starring the one and only Freddie Mercury, who'll be the subject of a long-awaited bio-pic ("Bohemian Rhapsody") on the band that'll be released later this year...






??

A post shared by Simona Halep (@simonahalep) on





#heretocreate @adidastennis

A post shared by Jelena Ostapenko (@jelena.ostapenko) on









A good ending... but, boy, it wasn't pretty at time before this for Maria.






**U.S. OPEN "UPSET QUEENS" WINNERS**
2004 Russia
2005 United States
2006 France
2007 Russia
2008 China
2009 United States
2010 Taiwan
2011 Romania
2012 Romania
2013 United States
2014 United States
2015 United States
2016 China
2017 Japan
2018 Sweden
[2018]
AO: Ukraine
RG: Ukraine
WI: United States
US: Sweden

**U.S. OPEN "NATIONS OF POOR SOULS"**
2011 CZE (2-5 1st Rd., Kvitova loses)
2012 GER (4 of 5 highest-ranked GER out in 1st Rd.)
2013 AUS (1-4, Stosur out 1r, Rogowska 0-6/0-6)
2014 FRA (1-5 1st Rd.; only win in FRA-vs-FRA)
2015 SRB (1-4; Ivanovic/Jankovic/Krunic 1st Rd.)
2016 BEL (0-4 in 1st Rd.)
2017 GER (2-7 1st Rd.; Kerber 2nd U.S. DC out 1st)
2018 SUI (1-4 in 1st Rd.; Golubic 0-6/0-6; Bacsinszky love 3rd)
[2018]
AO: USA (0-8 start; 1-9 Day 1; 3/4 of '17 US Open SF out Day 1)
RG: LAT (0-2; DC Ostapenko & Sevastova out; 0-3 WD/MX)
WI: UKR (1-4 1st/2nd Rd.)
US: SUI (1-4 in 1st Rd.; Golubic 0-6/0-6; Bacsinszky love 3rd)

**U.S. OPEN "LAST WILD CARD STANDING" WINNERS**
2007 Ahsha Rolle, USA (3rd Rd.)
2008 Severine Bremond, FRA (4th Rd.)
2009 Kim Clijsters, BEL (W)
2010 Beatrice Capra, USA & Virginie Razzano, FRA (3rd)
2011 Sloane Stephens, USA (3rd Rd.)
2012 Mallory Burdette/USA & Kristina Mladenovic/FRA (3rd)
2013 Alison Riske, USA (4th Rd.)
2014 Nicole Gibbs, USA (3rd Rd.)
2015 Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA (3rd Rd.)
2016 L.Davis/USA, K.Day/USA, V.King/USA (3rd Rd.)
2017 Maria Sharapova, RUS (4th Rd.)
2018 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (in 3rd Rd.)
[2018]
AO: Olivia Rogowska, AUS (2nd Rd.)
RG: Pauline Parmentier, FRA (3rd Rd.)
WI: Katie Boulter/GBR, Ons Jabeur/TUN, Katie Swan/GBR (2nd Rd.)
US: Victoria Azarenka, BLR (in 3rd Rd.)

**BEST 2018 SLAM RESULTS**
[lucky losers]
3rd Rd. - Bernarda Pera, USA (AO)
1st Rd. - Viktoriya Tomova, BUL (AO)
1st Rd. - Dalila Jakupovic, SLO (RG)
1st Rd. - Arantxa Rus, NED (RG)
1st Rd. - Mariana Duque-Marino, COL (WI)
1st Rd. - Caroline Dolehide, USA (WI)
1st Rd. - Mona Barthel, GER (US)
1st Rd. - Madison Brengle, USA (US)

**50 YEARS OF OPEN ERA TENNIS AT THE U.S. OPEN**
[GBR Champions]
1968 Virginia Wade
[GBR Finalists]
-
[GBR Semifinalists]
1968 Ann Jones
1969 Virginia Wade
1970 Virginia Wade
1975 Virginia Wade
1983 Jo Durie
[GBR Quarterfinalists]
1971 Joyce Williams
1972 Virginia Wade
1973 Virginia Wade
1977 Virginia Wade
1979 Virginia Wade

**"PLISKOVA SLAM STAKES" WINS**
22 - Karolina best twin result [18: AO/RG/WI/US]
6 - Kristyna best twin result
5 - same result
1 - both didn't play = 2011 Wimbledon

**BACKSPIN 2018 SURPRISE AWARD WINNERS**
JAN: Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR
AO: Bernarda Pera, USA
FEB/MAR: GER Fed Cup Team
I.W./MIAMI: Danielle Collins, USA
1Q: DANIELLE COLLINS, USA
APR: Daniela Seguel, CHI
MAY: Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
RG: Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
2Q Clay Court: MIHAELA BUZARNESCU, ROU
JUN: Aleksandra Krunic, SRB
WI: Vitalia Diatchenko, RUS
2Q Grass Court: Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
JUL/AUG: Olga Danilovic, SRB
AUG: Wang Qiang, CHN
[2018 Weekly RISER Award Wins]
3 - Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
3 - Danielle Collins, USA
3 - Harriet Dart, GBR
2 - Katie Boulter, GBR
2 - Kateryna Kozlova, UKR
2 - Bernarda Pera, USA
2 - Wang Qiang, CHN
2 - Wang Yafan, CHN



TOP QUALIFIER:Genie Bouchard/CAN
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: #23 Marta Kostyuk/RUS def. Valentyna Ivakhnenko/RUS 4-6/7-6(6)/7-6(4) (saved 6 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
TOP ASHE NIGHT SESSION WOMEN'S MATCH: xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:(Q) Jil Teichmann/SUI (def. Jakupovic/SRB)
FIRST SEED OUT:#31 Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK (1st Rd. - Q.Wang/CHN; second con. FSO at major for Rybarikova)
UPSET QUEENS:Sweden
REVELATION LADIES:Belarus (four -- Azarenka, Lapko, Sabalenka, Sasnovich -- into 2nd Round of a slam for the first time ever)
NATION OF POOR SOULS:Switzerland (1-4 1st Rd.; Golubic double-bageled, Bacsinszky love 3rd set)
CRASH & BURN:#1 Simona Halep/ROU (lost 1st Rd. to Kanepi/EST; first #1 to lost 1st Rd. at U.S. Open in Open era)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Nominee: Siniakova (1r: Kontaveit served for match at 5-4, 30/love in 3rd, Siniakova wins set 7-5, taking 12/14 points; was "Zombie Queen" for Wimbledon after opponent served for match in 1st and 2nd Rounds and saved MP)
IT ("??"): xx
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: xx
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: In 2nd Rd.: Bouchard/CAN, DiLorenzo/USA, J.Glushko/ISR, Kalinina/UKR(L), Muchova/CZE, Teichmann/SUI, Zvonareva/RUS
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Victoria Azarenka/BLR (in 3rd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: In 2nd Rd.: DiLorenzo, Kenin, Keys, King, C.Liu(L), Pera, Stephens(W), Townsend, S.Williams, V.Williams(W)
COMEBACK PLAYER: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): xx
DOUBLES STAR: xx
BROADWAY-BOUND: Nominee: Kanepi/EST (new Armstrong Stadium premieres w/ Day 1 def. of #1 Halep)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominee: S.Williams
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx




All for Day 3. More tomorrow.
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