With the start of the Australian Open just days away, it's time for a quick(er than usual, though not "brief") look back at the action of Week 2, which saw a pair of qualifiers rise to the occasion... and yet another mysterious WTA phenomenon strike precisely when no one was looking.
Hmmm, remember "all the way back" in December, when I managed to see fit to leave Tsvetana Pironkova off my 70-player (70!!) Grand Slam Master List, despite my nod a few seasons ago to The Pironkova's spooky slam existence, especially on the grass at Wimbledon? Well, it took less than a day to begin to wonder if it might have been a big mistake.
From the comments section of that post:
Zidane said... All the way I was reading, I was like "Ok, where is Pironkova?" And then you took her out! :O Tue Dec 03, 08:50:00 PM EST
Todd.Spiker said... Yeah, I might regret that. She DID reach the Round of 16 at Wimbledon last season, losing to Aga, but she seemed "less threatening" than usual for some reason.
Of course, Wimbledon WAS sort of overtaken by something spooky... and Pironkova DID lose to a Radwanska.
Hmmm, might this mean that any destruction in London next summer might be blamed on The Pironkova rather than The You-Know-What!
Have I inadvertently created something dangerous??? Wed Dec 04, 12:37:00 AM EST
Zidane said... We'll know who to blame! Wed Dec 04, 09:42:00 PM EST
Todd.Spiker said... Sigh... Citizen Anna's work will NEVER be done. Thu Dec 05, 12:22:00 AM EST
Sure enough, playing the role of "Weeping Angel" to Backspin's version of "Doctor Who," Pironkova struck back with some serious intentions the minute a back was turned on her.
Could yet another monster have been born on that day in December? Maybe... but, remember, we are talking about the player that Diane Dees dubbed "The International Woman of Tennis Mystery" the other day at Women Who Serve. Tsvetana could just decide to slip back into the shadows, and then take her good sweet time before she decides to allow her lethal side to see the light of day once more.
While The Pironkova may go by many names, it prefers the anonymity that inconsistency provides.
Unless that just changed, of course.
*WEEK 2 CHAMPIONS* SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (Premier $710K/HCO) S: Tsvetana Pironkova/BUL def. Angelique Kerber/GER 6-4/6-4 D: Babos/Safarova (HUN/CZE) d. Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) HOBART, AUSTRALIA (Int'l $250K/HCO) S: Garbine Muguruza/ESP def. Klara Zakopalova/CZE 6-4/6-0 D: Niculescu/Zakopalova (ROU/CZE) d. Raymond/Shu.Zhang (USA/CHN)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Tsvetana Pironkova/BUL ...once more, one is left looking at the path of destruction left in the wake of an in-form Pironkova, wondering why she doesn't do this sort of thing more often. Thing is, even with all her big upsets (three slam wins over Venus!) and an appearance in the Wimbledon semifinals, the 26-year old Bulgarian has maybe never been as good for as long a stretch as she was this past week in Sydney. After having finished outside the Top 100 in 2013, and notching just eleven wins on the season, Pironkova blew into town last week and put together a run that will surely rank as one of the best of the entire season when we look back over 2014 at the end of the year. Eight match victories in eight days,, with three Top 10 wins, over Sara Errani, Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber. As a qualifier ranked #107, Pironkova ended her 0-7 tour semifinal run to reach her first career singles final on the back of good first serves and her usual (or unusual) knack for sometimes looking like a nerve-less, big match, great player who might just beat anyone on any given day if she's feeling in the mood for it. Thing is, she so rarely is. As I said, this performance will go down as one of the best of '14, but whether we'll have to be reminded of it -- "oh, yeah... I forgot she did that!" -- come November will likely depend on what Pironkova does between now and them. It'd be nice to think that this might be the start of something long overdue, but it's probably more likely that it'll be seen later as one of those rare moments when Pironkova managed to catch lightning in bottle. Again. ============================= RISER:Angelique Kerber/GER ...Kerber didn't ultimately win Sydney, but a final run complete with victories over Dominika Cibulkova, Kaia Kanepi, Carla Suarez-Navarro and Madison Keys is nothing to sneeze at, and will allow her to go to Melbourne with the feeling that she could still peak during the next two weeks rather than "pull an Aga" and do so too early Down Under. ============================= SURPRISES:Estrella Cabeza-Candela/ESP & Storm Sanders/AUS ...ECC was one of two Spanish qualifiers to reach the Hobart semifinals. The world #114 notched qualifying wins over Nastassja Burnett and Silvia Soler-Espinosa, then added main draw victories in matches with Karin Knapp, Elena Vesnina and Monica Niculescu. 19-year old Sanders -- you know, she and Hurricane & Tornado Black could form a band and call themselves "The Weather Girls -- upset Peng Shuai in Hobart, then pushed #2-seeded Kirsten Flipkens to three sets, the last two going to tie-breaks, before the Belgian finally won on her fifth match point. ============================= VETERANS:Klara Zakopalova/CZE & Lucie Safarova/CZE ...the 31-year old Zakopalova reached both the singles and doubles finals in Hobart. She and Monica Niculescu won the doubles, giving them two titles already in the young season. But after wins over Yvonne Meusburger, Zhang Shuai, Alison Riske and Sam Stosur, the thirteen-time WTA singles finalist lost in straight sets to first-time finalist Garbine Muguruza. This was just the Czech's second final since 2010, and she hasn't won a tour singles title since 2005. Overall, she's now 2-11 in career finals. Zakopalova's countrywoman Safarova had similar success in Sydney. She got wins over Francesca Schiavone and Caroline Wozniacki, but couldn't get past the QF in singles. In doubles, though, she and Timea Babos upset the #2-seeded Peschke/Srebotnik (hey, it's nice to see the '12 Sydney champs back together here after playing with other partners in '13) and went on to take the title. ============================= COMEBACKS:Bethanie Mattek-Sands/USA & Sam Stosur/AUS ...after another injury-plagued campaign in '13, Mattek-Sands came roaring into 2014 in Sydney. She qualified with wins over Heather Watson and Julia Goerges, then upset Eugenie Bouchard and Agnieszka Radwanska in the main draw. Unfortunately, she then had to retire from her QF match with a groin/lower back injury, and one wonders just how effective she can now be against Maria Sharapova in the 1st Round in Melbourne. Meanwhile, could it be? Yes, it is. Stosur in a category other than "Down" in the first month of a season. Of course, her time in Hobart wasn't always calm or pretty. She took five match points to put away Madison Brengle in the 1st Round. But she DID. She had to save match point against Kristina Mladenovic in the 2nd Round. But she DID... and won, too. Then she even beat Bojana Jovanovski, giving rise to the crazy notion that she might actually have a shot to reach her third straight tour-level final and, gulp, maybe even win a title in Australia. Of course, that all came tumbling down in the semis against Klara Zakopalova. But, no matter, it was a good week Down Under for Sam. And I'm pretty sure that phrase has never, ever been uttered around here... and likely nowhere else either, unless someone said it way back in 2005 when, obviously in another life, Stosur actually reached singles finals in tournaments at Gold Coast and Sydney. ============================= FRESH FACES:Garbine Muguruza/ESP & Madison Keys/USA ...big things were expected of both these players when I did the Prediction Blowout last month, and both came through in Week 2. Muguruza took the biggest step, moving through qualifying and winning a total of eight matches en route to her maiden tour singles title in her first appearance in a final. Wins over An-Sophie Mestach, Yanina Wickmayer (ret.), Estrella Cabeza-Candela and Klara Zakopalova won't put the 20-year old's week's work on the level of Pironkova's when we look back at the end of 2014, but the chances that the Spaniard will have a better, more consistent season over the next ten months are probably pretty good. Muguruza, by the way, won the doubles title in Hobart a year ago. In Sydney, the promising Keys, 18, put up a big win over Simona Halep in the nearly-in-the-Top-10 Romanian's season debut, then followed up with a victory over Ajla Tomljanovic before reaching the semifinals when Bethanie Mattek-Sands retired in their QF encounter. ============================= DOWN:Jelena Dokic/AUS ...sigh. Things never seem to go Dokic's way. After missing last year with a wrist injury, the Aussie's latest comeback fell short in Tennis Australia's Wild Card Playoff tournament in December. At the time, there was hope that maybe she'd get a shot to play in the AO via a MD wild card, or find a spot in the qualifying rounds. But while she was in Perth providing commentary for the Hopman Cup, she actually managed to injure her back during a practice session. What it'll mean for the coming weeks and months isn't known, but Dokic didn't make any wild card or qualifying draw lists leading into Melbourne. Few players have ever had to fight through so many things to get anywhere as Dokic has, though, so here's to hoping we'll eventually see her back in a tour-level match sometime in 2014. ============================= JUNIOR STAR:Naiktha Bains/AUS ...the 16-year old Aussie, ranked outside the Top 1000, got upset wins in Hobart qualifying over Maria Elena Camerin and Teliana Pereira before falling in the final Q-round to Muguruza. =============================
1. Sydney Final - Pironkova d. Kerber ...6-4/6-4. The Bulgarian hit 32 winners against the German and erased a 4-2 2nd set deficit that had seemingly threatened to spoil her week. Not so fast, Angie! ============================= 2. Sydney SF - Pironkova d. Kvitova ...6-4/6-3. While Pironkova served well here, Kvitova -- stop me if you've heard this before -- contributed a great deal of errors and, after having had a refreshingly good week before this SF, didn't seem to handle the Aussie heat very well at all. Might that second slam NEVER come? ============================= 3. Hobart 2nd Rd. - Stosur d. Mladenovic ...6-4/2-6/7-6(7). Aha! Proof that Sam DOES have a tennis pulse when she goes back home. Down 5-2 in the 3rd set, Stosur saved a match point before going on to win. Of course, Mladenovic, as great as she is in doubles, has a tendency to fail to hold her nerves -- or serve -- in singles matches like this. ============================= 4. Hobart Final - Muguruza d. Zakopalova ...6-4/6-0. Muguruza put up two bagels, and lost just one game in another set, in a pair of straight sets wins in the semifinal and final. I guess you could call the "leaning into the tape." ============================= 5. Sydney 1st Rd. - Wozniacki d. Goerges 3-6/6-2/6-4 Sydney 2nd Rd. - Safarova d. Wozniacki 6-4/7-6(7) ...all in all, not a terribly bad start for the Dane, who came in with a shoulder injury, as well as a likely-distracted mind after getting engaged to Rory McIlroy during Week 1. ============================= 6. Sydney 1st Rd. - McHale d. Cornet ...6-7/6-2/7-5. Ummm... make that a 1-4 start for the Pastry. ============================= 7. Sydney Doubles Final - Babos/Safarova d. Errani/Vinci ...7-5/3-6/10-7. The Italians are still the co-#1's in doubles, but maybe not for much longer. With a chance to pick up some important points in Sydney, where they were runners-up a year ago, they simply repeated the result. They'd like to do the same in Melbourne, where they won the crown a year ago (then followed up with a title at the Paris Indoors). It's hard to shake the feeling, though, that they won't still be the reigning champions in two weeks. =============================
Sydney 2nd Rd. - Mattek-Sands d. A.Radwanska ...7-5/6-2. At this time last year, Aga was heading to Melbourne having opened her season by winning back-to-back titles. =============================
And, I guess you could consider this a mini-preview of this weekend's Chapter 3 of the latest Citizen Anna tale...
**RECENT QUALIFIERS IN WTA FINALS** [2012] Hobart - Mona Barthel, GER (W - def. Wickmayer) Kuala Lumpur - Hsieh Su-Wei, TPE (W - def. Pennetta) Fes - Kiki Bertens, NED (W - def. Pous-Tio) Birmingham - Melanie Oudin, USA (W - def. Jankovic) 's-Hertogenbosch - Urszula Radwanska, POL (L - lost to Petrova) Tashkent - Donna Vekic, CRO (L - lost to Begu) [2013] Eastbourne - Jamie Hampton, USA (L - lost to Vesnina) Tashkent - Bojana Jovanovski, SRB (W - def. Govortsova) Guangzhou - Vania King, USA (L - lost to Shu.Zhang) [2014] Hobart - Garbine Muguruza, ESP (W - def. Zakopalova)
**2014 WTA SEMIFINALISTS - BY NATION** 5 - USA 2 - CHN,CZE,ESP,GER,SRB 1 - AUS,BLR,BUL,RUS
**ALL-TIME LOW-RANKED PREMIER/TIER I-II TITLISTS** #201 Alexandra Dulgheru, ROU (Warsaw '09) #133 Kim Clijsters, BEL (Indian Wells '05) #107 TSVETANA PIRONKOVA, BUL (Sydney '14) #85 Aleksandra Wozniak, CAN (Stanford '08) -- Pre-2009: "Tier" level events 2009-present: "Premier" level events
=AO Q-AWARDS= Q-PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Belinda Bencic, SUI ...the current junior #1 opened the qualifying action by upsetting #1 q-seed Sharon Fichman, then didn't look back, reaching the women's main draw at the AO after winning the girls titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon last season. RISERS:Irina-Camelia Begu/ROU & Anna Tatishvili/GEO ...these two were the North American Dream Killers. Begu took out the last remaining American qualifying hope -- Madison Brengle -- in the final round, while Tatishvili eliminated Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak in the opening round. SURPRISE:Katarzyna Piter/POL ...Piter continues to prove she's the best Polish player not named Radwanska. At #5, she was the highest seed to actually survive qualifying. VETERANS:Alla Kudryavtseva/RUS & Lucie Hradecka/CZE ...Kudryavtseva authored Aravane Rezai's early-as-possible exit in the first round of qualifying, then took out Hradecka's former doubles partner in the second. Meanwhile, the 28-year old Czech was the oldest woman to earn her way into the draw. COMEBACK:Heather Watson/GBR ...hey, it's a start. After a very trying 2013 season remembered mostly for illness and coaching changes, Watson took her first real steps toward righting the ship with wins over Arina Rodionova, Stephanie Foretz-Gacon (ret.) and Irina Falconi. FRESH FACE:Carina Witthoeft/GER ...the German teen's success meant that the Australian with the best chance to make it through qualifying -- Anasastia Rodionova, who Witthoeft faced in her second match -- didn't. JUNIOR STEP-UPS:Ana Konjuh/CRO & Katerina Siniakova/CZE ...Konjuh won the AO and U.S. Open girls titles last year, and made her WTA debut in Week 1 with an upset of a #1-seeded Roberta Vinci. Her Q3 win came over #18 Mathilde Johansson. Siniakova was runner-up to Konjuh in the Aussie junor final in '13, and is once again right on her heels. The Czech's Q3 win over Vicky Duval provided the final touch to her introduction to the AO main draw. STEPPING UP FOR ASIA IN THE "SLAM OF ASIA/PACIFIC":Duan Yingying/CHN & Zarina Diyas/KAZ ...Duan is the only AO qualifier who also qualified at Flushing Meadows last summer, while Diyas wasn't the highest-seeded Kazakh in the Q-rounds (that'd be Sesil Karatantcheva), but she was the only one still standing three rounds later. DOWN:Sharon Fichman/CAN & Andrea Hlavackova/CZE ...Fichman was coming off her first tour doubles title in Auckland, but was rudely bounced in her first match as the #1 q-seed by Bencic. Hlavackova ended her successful doubles teaming for '14 with Hradecka because she wanted to focus more on her singles. With both Czechs relegated to the Q-rounds, though, it was Hradecka who made it to the main draw, while Hlavackova fell out in the second round. Whoops. WILD CARDS: Ashleigh Barty/AUS, Casey Dellacqua/AUS, Jarmila Gajdosova/AUS, Pauline Parmentier/FRA, Olivia Rogowska/AUS, Storm Sanders/AUS, Tang Haochen/CHN, Sachia Vickery/USA LUCKY LOSER: Irina Falconi/USA (as it turned out, an American qualifier DID enter the field: when Bannerette Jamie Hampton -- the #27 seed -- pulled out with a hip injury)
=QUALIFYING MATCHES= Q1:Bencic d. #1 Fichman 6-3/6-1 Q1:#12 Tatishvili d. Wozniak 3-6/6-2/6-3 ...Genie, it's now all on your shoulders in the MD. ============================= Q1:#9 Kr.Pliskova d. Kleybanova 6-3/6-4 ...the comeback will have to continue elsewhere. ============================= Q2:Duan d. Paszek 6-2/6-1 ...oh, Tamira. ============================= Q3:Siniakova d. Duval 6-2/6-3 ...Duval upset Stosur at the last major. Australia got some measure of revenge for Sam this time around.
=The Q-Rounds Began with Eight Sisters= Q1 - Paszek d. Tomic 6-2/7-5 Q1 - #7 Watson d. Ar.Rodionova 6-4/6-4 Q1 - Kania d. K.Kucova 4-6/7-5/6-2 Q1 - #8 Linette d. L.Kichenok 6-3/6-4 ...but, right of the box, four went out.
=And the 2nd Q-Round Ended...= Q2 - Witthoeft d. An.Rodionova 6-3/7-5 Q2 - Piter d. Y.Sema 7-6/6-4 Q2 - #10 Dushevina d. E.Sema 6-1/6-2 Q2 - Duval d. #9 Kr.Pliskova 6-2/6-2 ...with zero
=The 3rd Q-Round= ...just crickets
*AUSTRALIAN OPEN "Q-PLAYER OF THE WEEK" WINNERS* 2006 Ashley Harkleroad, USA 2007 Julia Vakulenko, UKR 2008 Julia Schruff, GER 2009 Elena Baltacha,GBR 2010 Yanina Wickmayer, BEL 2011 Vesna Manasieva, RUS 2012 Paula Ormaechea, ARG 2013 Lesia Tsurenko, UKR 2014 Belinda Bencic, SUI
=CONSECUTIVE SLAM QUALIFYING RUNS= 2 - Duan Yingying, CHN ('13 US, '14 AO) =CONSECUTIVE AO QUALIFYING RUNS= none =CONSECUTIVE SLAM WILD CARDS= 2 - Sachia Vickery, USA ('13 US, '14 AO) =CONSECUTIVE AO WILD CARDS= 6...Olivia Rogowska, AUS (2009-14) 3...Ashleigh Barty, AUS (2012-14) - WC at seven of last nine slams 2...Jarmila Gajdosova, AUS (2013-14) =CONSECUTIVE SLAM Q/WC/LL COMBOS= 2...Olivia Rogowska, AUS ('13 US LL, '14 AO WC)
Citizen Anna arrives -- well, maybe it'd be more accurate to say QC does, since it seems the fate of the world is suddenly in her hands -- this weekend, then Day 1 of the Australian Open starts on Sunday night/Monday, depending on your time zone. From there, the Daily Backspin will be here every day for the proceeding two weeks.
It has become apparent that maybe even Citizen Anna will not be able to pull the world back from the brink of a Radwanskian apocalypse.
The situation has become only more dire, as time has literally run out for the freedom-loving Cause forces, their numbers decimated and their rebel headquarters overrun by The Radwanska's Minions in the present timeline. Meanwhile, the malevolent entity has commandeered the past, mercilessly wielding time travel technology as a weapon of mass destruction. Having claimed the world's most famous workshop of the North as Its own, transforming it into a house of horrors strewn with bloody elf body parts and reeking with the stench of unimaginable pain and suffering, it appears as if it is too late to reverse the world's nauseating fate. With Minion #1, Current Sloane, by Its side, the power-craving and sadistic Rad has become more and more powerful by turning recent holiday cheer into disappointment and misery. Over and over again. Exponentially increasing Its strength with every gleeful "De-Gifting Day" machination.
But Anna still believes.
Along with her trusted ally Vika, as well as "accidental companion" QC, Anna has traveled back to what she was told, by a Minion secret agent embedded within the entity's inner circle, was the one moment in time where The Rad's defenses would be down, allowing the opportunity for It to finally be defeated. But, upon arrival, the mission immediately seemed to go bad.
Captured by Current Sloane, the sadistic doppelganger of missing-in-action Cause Commander Future Sloane, before they ever even encountered The Rad, Anna and Vika saw their last-chance mission thrown into lethal jeopardy. Separated from the time travel re-activation device that transported her to the past and represents her only pathway home, as well as her trusty katana sword and trademark black fedora -- both mirthfully confiscated by CS -- Anna is seemingly, just like everyone else, destined to have her fate determined by the whim of The Rad.
But there is still another hopeful heroine -- however unlikely -- who remains free of THe Radwanska's clutches: the flighty, sometimes-she-seems-not-quite-there QC.
Having lagged behind Anna and Vika in their sweep of the complex, QC went unnoticed by Current Sloane and avoided captivity. After earlier having risked her life -- whether she comprehended it not -- when she burst into the beam of The Cause's final working time travel machine to make sure that Anna carried it back with her, QC also secured the re-activation device after an overjoyed CS had proven too gloatingly self-satisfied to notice it on the floor, then failed to fully investigate a suspicious sound in the corner of the room beyond simply firing a blind shot from her blaster into the darkness,.
Has QC's unexpected trip back in time proven to be a superior stroke of luck? Will she free Anna to battle The Rad? Or is humanity now positively... definitively... unchangeably doomed?
Behind the chained door, atop a flight of stairs leading to what sounds like a dungeon/torture chamber, Anna tries to listen to the sounds of the outer room. Having heard Current Sloane's blaster shot, she immediately feared the worst. She'd attempted to search the corners of the room for QC before CS had hustled them down the end of the long corridor, but wasn't certain if she was there, or if QC would even know what course of action to take if she was. The gunfire worries her.
"QC! Can you hear me?," she yells, pounding on the door. All she hears on the other side, though, is the rattling of the thick chains with each strike of her fist.
"QC?," Vika remembers, suddenly excited. She sets down on the top step of the stairs the lifeless, faceless body of the elf that Current Sloane killed. He fits perfectly. "Sloa-... err, I mean CS didn't even mention her. She doesn't know she's with us!"
"Don't get too happy. I heard gunfire on the other side. Maybe it's just CS celebrating, but maybe not. And, well..."
Vika quickly understands. "Yeah, I know... we're talking about QC. For all we know, she's out making snow angels and doesn't even know what's going on."
Suddenly, they hear screams of agony coming from the level below them. Vika winces. Anna does not.
"This isn't good," Vika says under her breath. Anna hears anyway.
"You don't know the half of it. I lost the re-activation device when the elf attacked you." It's obvious she's upset, and more disappointed in herself than anything.
Vika can't hide her exasperation, but she bites her tongue. "Well, Citizen Anna. What do we do now?"
For once, Anna has no ready answer. Instead, she turns toward the door once again and begins to pound on it just a little bit harder. She yells just a little bit louder, too. "QC! Do you hear me!?"
Outside the door, in the workshop complex's common area, QC twirls in place in the middle of the floor, giggling as she looks at her reflection and the spinning background in the shiny casing of the re-activation device in her hand. "Hello, me... hello, meeee... hello, meeeeeee," she repeats, carrying out the last syllable a bit more each time. "The end is the beginning, and the beginning is the end." It makes her laugh.
Finally out of breath, QC stops. She hears the pounding on the door at the far end of the hallway. Faintly, Anna's voice can be heard through the thick wood. It gets her attention. "Don't worry, Anna. QC is here," she says to the air. For a brief moment, she's distracted by the movement of the chains on the door, but her fascination passes. Rather than move toward Anna's voice, she turns on her heels. Slipping the device into her pocket, QC races past the room scattered with bloody elf parts -- she follows Anna's instructions and covers her eyes until it's out of sight -- and heads toward the front door through which a gleeful, singing Current Sloane has passed a few minutes before.
Just like CS, QC takes a hard right once she's outside. To herself, just under her breath, she continues. "The end is the beginning, and the beginning is the end."
Later, inside the underground chamber, Anna and Vika inspect their surroundings. They don't like what they see. Essentially, The Rad has created It's own private version of hell deep within the world's formerly merry, northernmost outpost. Forever-burning embers light the carved-from-rock chamber, while scores of sweaty, dirty elves push rubble-filled carts emerging from caverns that go even deeper into the earth. Several torture devices dot the large room's open space, each manned by an armed, helmeted Minion that looks identical to the many of their kind positioned a short distance apart from one another along the walls.
As the pair they walk along, looking for any weak point in Minion security, but finding none, they are suddenly taken aback by a voice. A familiar one.
"Anna, is that you?" As the Citizen turns toward the sound, the female voice is noticeably more excited. "I can't believe it. It's been so long! You're alive! I knew it!"
Before Anna can react, a woman dressed in an elf outfit identical to the attire of every other prisoner, runs into her arms. Anna immediately recognizes her. It's her old friend Sloane. Future Sloane. The Commander.
"I knew you'd come to rescue us," Sloane says, relief breaking through the longtime pain that only moments ago had been fixed on her face. Tears stream down her face. "What are we going to do? What's the plan? Is the war over?"
Anna says nothing, then Sloane sees that Vika is trying to avoid eye contact with her, as well. Her heart drops.
"Oh."
Just then, a Minion walks up behind them and places a blaster directly against the back of Anna's head. "You! You're out of uniform!" The Minion then sees Vika. "You, too!"
Meanwhile, outside, QC rises from the ground. She looks back and admires the snow angel she's created, then rolls up her sleeve and checks her watch. She likes what she sees, then makes a point to walk along the outer wall of the complex, silently and carefully. Edging past a wall with a large open window, she hears a voice in the distance, around the far corner.
Slowly, QC peeks around the wall. She sees a large stable across a small, oft-traveled pathway. She smiles as, over the top of the fence, she sees the antlers of eight tiny reindeer. Just outside the stable entrance is a miniature sleigh parked at the beginning of a long runway. The sleigh is empty. Just then, Current Sloane comes into view. She's talking with someone, or something, that is just out of view. She's very chirpy.
"I think this is going to be the best De-Gifting Day ever!" She begins to lead the reindeer to the sleigh, strapping Dasher into his customary position in the lineup, then looks back over her shoulder and smiles. "I've got a surprise for you when we get back. I think you'll be very pleased."
QC leans back around the corner, then hears a small voice through the open window behind her. Cautiously, she peeks up over the window sill, not sure what horror she might find there.
But when she sees what's inside, her face lightens and her insides warm. It's a little old lady. Sitting in a rocking chair where she has a nice view of the starlit landscape, she's wrapped in a shawl, and her long silver hair practically glows as it catches the light of a small lamp setting on an end table behind her. The woman smiles warmly. Hers is the first harmless, welcoming face QC seen since she arrived, and she's immediately drawn to her.
"I thought you'd never get here, dear" she says, barely above a whisper. "But you do love to make your snow angels, don't you?" She chuckles. "Come, come," she urges QC, reaching out a bony, shaky hand to her. "Come inside out of the cold." Without a word, QC gets a foothold on the outside wall of the room and pulls herself through the open window.
Inside the rock chamber, Anna and Vika emerge from a side room into the larger hell. They're no longer wearing the clothes they arrived in, and are instead dressed like all the other captives -- plain, customary elf outfits. Vika angrily looks down at herself.
"I knew it. I just knew it."
Anna doesn't even look at her. "Like I said..."
"Yeah, I know. 'This is what we'll be wearing when The Radwanska dies.' Once I recognize a realistic avenue to that I'll probably take it more to heart." She pauses. "No offense, though."
"None taken."
Finally catching sight of them, Sloane rushes to their side. She's taken a bit aback by the sight of Anna in an elf costume. She's impressed. "Wow, you actually make that thing look good."
"Yeah, I know. A little disheartening, isn't it?," Vika sniffs.
Anna pays no attention to their words, but directs her attention to Sloane. "Have you been here all this time?"
"Yes... I mean, no. How long has it been?" She stops herself. "I don't even remember anymore. Reality seems... almost circular. Actually, I swear we've already had this conversation. Yesterday... or maybe it's tomorrow." Anna and Vika look at each other, not sure whether their addled friend is really capable of helping them. "My head hurts," Sloane says, holding her skull with both hands.
Anna sits her down, away from the loudest noises in the chamber, and the most stunning atrocities. "What do you know about 'De-Gifting Day.' Have you heard any rumors about what exactly The Rad has been doing?"
Sloane flashes a grin, but simply can't stop speaking at a hurried, frenetic pace. "I've heard the Minions talking. They think we don't hear them, but we do. We're always listening. Listening for anything. Even if it's just about them talking about the color of the sky today. I haven't seen the sky for so long. Is it still there?"
"Sloane... shhh. Calm down. I just want to talk." She looks into her friends eyes, gaining her full attention so that she's focusing on nothing else.
Vika watches uncomfortably, knowing that Anna is once again using the skill that makes her squirm. She averts her gaze for a moment, catching sight of a rather large, half-naked man with a long, straggly white beard being stretched to his physical limit on a rack in the far corner of the room -- "Is that...?," she asks herself, already knowing the answer. The man screams in pain, and a wincing Vika turns back to Sloane, who has already succumbed to Anna's calming will, casually allowing her mind to be opened as if it were dotted with a series of bookmarks.
"...I thought I heard a noise in one of the rooms. Even though we had the blueprints for the Abbey, we didn't really know what we were going to find. I thought maybe it was you, so I went to investigate. Then I turned a corner and I saw... me. Or at least it looked like me. She was dressed just like me. But she had this evil little grin... I don't look like that when I grin, do I? Please tell me I don't!"
"Focus, Sloane."
"That's all I remember about the Abbey. Once I saw... me, her... everything went black. Next thing I knew I was here. Oh, and my head hurt. It's never really stopped."
"What have you heard about what The Rad did here? Why did it choose this time period?"
"Well, based on what the Minions say, It actually showed up a bit before all hell broke loose. You know, to lay down the groundwork. It actually put on the red suit and made a point to make contact with all the women -- well, they were girls then -- that It hated the most. It gave them gifts that put big smiles on their faces. Maria got a new racket, and so did Vika. Even Aga & Ula got a whole case of Wilsons. They loved them!"
While Vika is trying to recall a potential meeting with The Rad buried deep within her memory, Anna is more intrigued by another aspect of what Sloane overheard. "Aga & Ula? Why would It seek them out? Why would it want to hurt them? If it wasn't for them, The Rad might never have emerged in the first place."
"Yeah, I wondered about that, too. But the Minions I heard talking about it were pretty certain. They even talked about how Aga & Ula put their feet in the tennis cans and walked around in them like they had two peg legs."
"And 'De-Gifting Day?'"
"I've heard of it, but the Minions always talk about it like it hasn't happened yet."
Anna stands up and joins Vika. "Isn't It just making things harder for Itself? Why not just destroy this place and be done with it and the entire holiday thing? The kids would just be disappointed all the time -- wouldn't that be easier?," Vika wonders.
"It's actually pretty smart. It's worse to have something, and then have it taken away, than to have never had it at all. How can you miss something if you don't know what it is that you're missing? Once their happiness is taken away, they might never be fully secure that it won't happen again. It's like a never-ending fuel for The Rad's evil fire... the seed is planted, and it just keeps coming back here to plant it all over again, then allowing all those bad feelings to blossom into more power for Itself. If we can't end this now, it'll never end."
"What was that she said about Aga & Ula?"
"There seems to have been a break. Do you think I might have had something to do with it? When I killed The Siblings?"
"Yuri and Yelena deserved to die... the little cretins."
"Oh, I know."
"Are you thinking that maybe when they died it changed something in The Rad?"
"Possibly. Or maybe once It mastered the stabilization of time travel It didn't think It needed Aga & Ula anymore. It could survive without them... so It didn't need them around."
"And here I thought my opinion of that thing couldn't get any lower than it already was."
"Have you seen or heard anything from them since this whole thing started?"
"Not for a while. I guess I always sort of figured they were in the inner circle, and It protected them from the worst of things."
"Yeah, but if they no longer have that protection... what happened to them?"
Sloane interjects. "Well, maybe... " She makes a cutting sign across her throat. "Sorry, but it IS a possibility. After all, they have to know a LOT of secrets about The Rad. If they're not with It, they're against It. They could be very dangerous to The Rad's health." She smiles. "But that's just my opinion."
Anna grins. Finally, she recognizes her friend. "Welcome back, Sloane."
She laughs. "Hey, all I needed was my good friend to disappear for a few years, then for me to disappear for a few years, then for you to show up when we're BOTH being held prisoner... and then for you to do that freaky hypnotism thing on me, of course." She gives Anna hug.
Vika tugs on Sloane's sleeve. "It IS freaky, isn't it? I keep telling her that!"
"Oh, and there's one other possibility. When the techs were perfecting the time machine, they DID have a worry about a particular side effect, but we thought it was worth the risk."
"What was it?"
"Well, if someone -- or maybe someTHING, too? -- overused the technology there was the slight chance that it could have an affect on cognitive abilities, and maybe even cause personality changes. If The Rad has been back here over and over again, maybe at some point It suffered brain damage. That might explain the abandoning of Aga & Ula."
Anna ponders the thought, while Vika gives Sloane a little shove. "We could have brain damage? It didn't cross your mind to tell anyone about this before now?" She walks around in a circle with her hands wrapped around her skull.
A chagrined Sloane apologetically shrugs. Anna ignores them both.
Back in the room, a polite-looking QC sits alone at the table next to the chair where the old woman had been sitting. After a few moments, the woman slowly makes her way back to the room. She sets a coffee mug on the table in front of QC. "Here's some hot cocoa for you," she says, then cleverly spins the mug in it's place so that it stops spinning with it's handle pointing directly at QC's right hand. It delights her.
The old woman smiles. "I guess I've still got it." As QC sips the cocoa, the woman sits down. "Drink up now, you've got a long night ahead of you." QC does as she's told. "So, my dear. Do you understand now?" QC nods her head. "Good. I'm glad we had a chance to talk."
QC looks around the room as she drinks. She notices a wrapped present propped up against the wall in the corner. The tag reads, "To: QC." She excitedly looks back and forth between the woman and the gift.
"You can open that when you get back. It'll be here waiting for you." She looks at the clock on the wall. "Isn't it about time to go? You wouldn't want to be late." QC checks her watch, and realizes that the woman is correct.
QC stands up, then gives the old woman a warm embrace and a peck on the cheek. She climbs back out the window and gives her a slight wave goodbye, which the woman returns. Once QC is out of sight, having returned to the corner of the building, the expression on the woman's face is an odd combination of worry and self-satisfaction.
Outside, QC watches as Current Sloane, wearing Anna's fedora (the sight of it makes QC squint with something that resembles dissatisfaction on her face), finishes up her preparation of the reindeer. Viewed from behind, the back of a very large... thing... can be seen sitting in the sleigh.
The Rad is once again wearing red.
CS takes the reigns and moves them so that the bells that are attached all start to jingle. Slowly, the sleigh begins to slide down the runway as the reindeer begin to move forward in unison.
"On, Dancer! On, Dash- ," CS begins, then abruptly stops herself. "Oh, you know the drill! Just get your furry butts moving or we'll be having something other than roasted elf for the 'De-Gifting Day' feast tonight!"
Inside the room, the old woman holds her breath. Outside, QC emerges from the corner and begins to sprint after the sleigh. Gradually, it begins to pick up more and more speed, but QC remains just far enough behind to not be seen around the high backrest on the end of the contraption. Finally, the sleigh starts to rise from the runway. QC races faster after it. As it reaches eye level, then higher, QC's legs bring her directly underneath the sleigh. Once it's within easy reach, QC reaches out and grabs the sleigh's rails with both hands.
Suddenly, with the power of all eight reindeer, the sleigh's trajectory takes a sharp incline. It rises. And rises. And rises. As it does, across the face of the moon streaks its familiar silhouette... with the unique shape of QC's body dangling from the bottom.
As she sits alone in the room, the woman finally exhales. Slowly, her mouth curves into a mischievous grin.
In similar, but contrasting, moments that represented what was once the law of the WTA landscape, and what serves as that now, Day 1 of the 102nd edition of the Australian Open began with a Williams winning a point. A little more than eleven hours later, it ended the same way.
We used to watch Venus Williams expecting something great. Nowadays, we watch for the moments that remind us of the ones that we used to expect. On occasion, Venus still delivers thumbnail versions of those moments, but in the back of our minds, we know that they'll really only be fleeting glimpses of what once was, even when she arrives at a slam in good form.
Personally, I'm fine with that. While the ESPNers lament the state of Venus EVERY time she loses a slam match, I choose to enter with humble expectations of her potential, and usually find at least one memory worth preserving, even if -- and maybe especially when -- she exits early. It's not a bad deal, really. Hopefully, Venus, ever mature when it comes to things like this, sees things the same way. If so, we've got at least a season or two beyond the current one to watch the perpetual dance between the Venus of Then and the Venus of Now. The Rio Olympics are in 2016... hopefully she can hold out until then, just as she's so often stated she desires to do.
Thing is, though, Venus WAS in good form as play began in Melbourne on Monday, having reached the Auckland final in Week 1, being in good spirits, and even showing a willingness to make changes in her practice habits -- for the first time ever, she's playing practice matches between actual ones... and she recently defeated both Madison Keys and Varvara Lepchenko in such "non-exhibition, private exhibitions" -- in order to compensate for the natural deficiencies that come with age, as well as the specifically fatigue-based issues associated with Venus' Sjogren's syndrome.
Against #22 seed Ekaterina Makarova today on the newly-renovated Margaret Court Arena, Venus, for a while, looked like her "old self," not an "old" version of herself. She took a 4-2 lead with a break in the 1st set, then won it 6-2, converting all three of her break point attempts. In the 2nd, she held two break points in Game #6 for a 4-2 lead there, but she failed to put them away. Soon, Venus was broken for 4-3, only to battle back to 4-4 by getting the break back (on BP #5) in a nearly 15-minute game. But three straight double-faults one game late made it all for naught. Makarova held to take the set 6-4, only to fall down a break at 3-0 in the 3rd. From there, Venus' game continued to slip, as she was inconsistent and didn't more forward nearly as much as she knew she needed to. Meanwhile, the Russian's play progressively picked up. The Hordette got the break back, then ultimately won five straight games to conclude the match, winning 2-6/6-4/6-4.
Venus had fifty-six errors to her fifty winners, and hit eight double-faults. In the last eight slams, Venus has played in seven, three times losing in the 1st Round, and only once advancing as far as the 3rd.
While 33-year old Venus' slam-winning days are long gone, 32-year old Serena is still in the prime of her career. The world #1's night-concluding match with 17-year old Aussie Ashleigh Barty in no way resembled Venus' loss to Makarova.
Poor Barty. Australian women's tennis' best hope for the future (and not just in doubles, where she reached a trio of slam finals last year with Casey Dellacqua while setting up camp just outside the doubles Top 10) began this season with wins over Daniela Hantuchova and Kiki Bertens, but she then suffered an abductor injury that forced her to pull out of Brisbane. Then, after getting a wild card (her seventh at the last nine slams) into the AO, her name was the first one that popped up when the draw was held on Friday. So, she got Serena. Sigh.
While Barty didn't implode, ala some past young Americans on Ashe in late August, and become overwhelmed by the moment when she helped close out the first night session on Laver against Serena, really, the finely-tuned younger of the two Williams Sisters was never in danger of being challenged in any meaningful way. Not here. Not yet. Williams handled the Aussie, winning 6-2/6-1.
Naturally, ESPN2 liberally used the all-time slam titles graphic throughout Day 1 when it came to talking about Serena, who's going for major #18 at this AO (interestingly, Chris Evert, who Williams would tie on that list with a win, will be handing out the trophy after the women's final). The talk of the pre-game commentators roundtable was about whether or it's possible for Williams to approach Margaret Court's all-time mark of twenty-four. The conclusion was that it'd be a "tough get." Hmmm, I wonder if that thought would change if Serena were to arrive in Melbourne one year from now with twenty-one slam trophies in her back pocket? Just something to think about.
Oh, well. Better luck next time, Ash. At least Barty still has the doubles.
As for the Williams Sisters, while their past is still great... the future still might just turn out to be better than the present. And that's saying something.
=DAY 1 NOTES= ...while Venus' time in singles is over at this AO, she was a last minute entry in doubles with Serena. Of course, the Sisters could also give a go at a little more cricket, as they did a few days ago:
...with the soon-to-be-REALLY-Extreme Heat of Melbourne only nipping at the heels of the less-prepared players today (though a beet-red Kiki Bertens looked like she might burst into flames at one point today), expect all sorts of non-JJ chaos over the next few days as players are likely to physically drop like flies buzzing into those blue light things people hang in their backyards.
Bzzzzzt. There goes one. Bzzzzzt. There goes another.
Oh, and there goes Petra, too.
At first, it seemed a stroke of luck for the asthma-suffering Petra Kvitova that she at least got to play her scheduled 1st Rounder on Monday rather than later when the REAL heat is supposed to arrive. Of course, we're talking about Petra... heat can come in many forms, on any day, at any time.
On Day 1 it came in the form of Luksika Kumkhum, the crafty little Thai 20-year old (world #88) with the sometimes-seemingly-unfathomable game (at least to a certain Czech), complete with a bag of tricks that includes angled, nearly-Selesian two-handed shots from both sides and a pair of quick feet to get her where she wants to go.
Kumkhum, an ITF regular who's made many an appearance in this space the last couple of years (sometimes because of her results, sometimes because of her name, especially when she has epic clashes with countrywoman Nungnadda Wannasuk), put Kvitova on her heels, breaking the Czech's serve three times and serving out the set at 6-2. Kvitova's play improved greatly in the 2nd, as she won it 6-1. But, again, the 3rd set brought back the sort of vexing (Kumkhumian?) moments that often saw Kvitova lurching unsuccessfully for low shots off the baseline. Kvitova saved three break points through the first two games of the final set, but didn't see her own opportunity to break Kumkhum until game #7.
Kvitova failed to convert her break point, though, then saw the Thai woman break HER for a fourth time to take a 5-3 lead and get the chance to serve for the match. In a wonderfully competitive game, Kumkhum got to within two points of the match, only to twice double-fault, at 30/30 and deuce. On her second attempt in the game, Kvitova broke her to get back on serve at 5-4. But, wouldn't you know it, it STILL wasn't meant to be.
While Kumkhum had failed to put away the match in that game, and even had the double-faults, she didn't really suffer from a bout with nerves. After the second double-fault, she even managed to "pull a semi-Na," laughing at herself and "taking a bite" out of a tennis ball. How lacking in nervousness, at least in her play, she was was evident one game later, too.
Kumkhum quickly got the better of Kvitova in rallies one game later, going up 40/15 and then breaking the Czech yet again, this time for the match. When Kvitova was forced to run down the baseline in an attempt to retrieve a Kumkhum shot, stretching and returning her shot long, the Thai had knocked out the biggest seed (#6) of this slam on Day 1, winning 6-2/1-6/6-4 to defeat the first Top 10 player she's ever faced, and raise her career mark against Top 100 players to a very good 6-7.
Is it too early to start to talk about the Curse of Stepanek? You know, Czech-born female tennis players SHOULD heed the warnings and always be afraid of it, considering its destructive history over the past decade or so... but they never do.
...right out of the gate on Day 1, we had drama. Not your normal sort of drama, mind you... but, at least at Backspin HQ, it WAS a tense race to the finish line in the battle to see who'd get the "First Victory" honors for this AO.
For most of the early-going, it looked like Karolina Pliskova was going to take out Pauline Parmentier so quickly that she'd be the first woman to advance to the 2nd Round. She led 6-0/5-0 and seemed on her way to 2014 AO honors. But wait! On another court, #18-seeded Kirsten Flipkens suddenly won another game to take a 6-3/5-0 lead over Laura Robson! Still, the Pliskova/Parmentier match's progress was slightly ahead, and the Czech held a match point for a breezy double-bagel win. But she failed to put it away, and Parmentier held serve for 5-1! Moments later, Flipkens held a match point of her own! And she put it away! Flipkens defeated Robson 6-3/6-0 in fifty minutes, becoming the first player to win a main draw match at this AO. Soon afterward, Pliskova finished up a 6-0/6-1 win on her third match point attempt, but she was only the SECOND to advance.
Robson's loss is no shocker, and it's not just because she was playing a player who reached the Wimbledon semis last year, either. A season ago, remember, the Brit upset Petra Kvitova in Melbourne. But a wrist injury has wrecked Robson's opening weeks of 2014, and this was not a match to remember on Day 1. She converted at just a 26% clip on her 2nd serves, had just twelve winners to thirty-two errors, and never held a break point on Flipkens' serve. Meanwhile, the Waffle broke the Brit on five of six opportunities, and her winner-to-error ratio was 14/4.
...of course, after all the havoc caused in last year's final on Laver when #4 Li Na could barely keep her feet, the first women's match played there THIS year featured a player tripping over the invisible gremlins living inside the court, as well. Aussie Jarmila Gajdosova injured her ankle in the 1st game of the 2nd set against #9 Angelique Kerber. After a long injury timeout that at first seemed as if it might end the match, Gajdosova came back out on court and found that the German was seemingly still in a time-out. Unable to regain her bearing, Kerber dropped the set at love and the contest went to a 3rd. Kerber righted things there, though, taking the match 6-3/0-6/6-2. Gajdosova, at one time a Top 30 player, is now 0-9 in AO main draw matches.
...later in the day, #7-seeded Sara Errani became the "First Seed Out" of this slam, falling in straight sets, 6-3/6-2, to Julia Goerges. Not only is this the Italian's third 1st Round slam exit since the start of last season, this is her second "FSO" crash in the last three, having gone out quicker than any seed at Wimbledon last year, as well. Of course, in between that slam and this one was her 2nd Round loss at the U.S. Open, which was followed by that confessional post-match press conference in which she talked about all the pressure she was under, and how she was having a hard time enjoying the sport now that her expectations have risen to such a high level.
I'm sure this loss will help with that. Or not.
Maybe Errani's ennui is contagious. Her doubles partner, #12 seed Roberta Vinci's horrid start to '14 continued a short time later when she lost to veteran Zheng Jie 6-4/6-3.
...while 33-year old Venus went out in one of the first matches played today, so did the only woman in the draw older than Williams, 43-year old Kimiko Date-Krumm. KDK lost in three sets to Swiss qualifier Belinda Bencic. At 16, there was a twenty-seven year age difference between the two players... a gap large enough that a whole Pironkova could snugly fit into it.
Speaking of Tsvetana... the Sydney champ won her ninth straight match, defeating Silvia Soler-Espinosa in straight sets, never once losing her serve.
Sure, Vera Zvonareva's cameo in this AO didn't last long -- she lost to Aussie wild card Casey Dellacqua -- but, due to a shoulder injury, this was the Hordette's first appearance in a slam since Wimbledon 2012. So it's still a reason to feel good! While I'm on that subject, one of Day 1's MOST "feel-good" winners was #28 Flavia Pennetta, who gave everyone a scare by retiring with a wrist injury last week (after missing a huge chunk of time in '13 after wrist surgery). She took out Swarmette Alexandra Cadantu 6-0/6-2. Actually, Pennetta held three match points for a double-bagel victory, but the Romanian held serve, then broke the Italian to get her only games of the day. Pennetta then broke to take the match, winning on MP #5.
19-year old Annika Beck didn't miss out on serving some bagels to her opponent today, though. The German eliminated Petra Martic 6-0/6-0 in fifty-three minutes. 2013 runner-up Li Na was a little more generous, allowing '13 Girls champ Ana Konjuh two games in a 6-2/6-0 victory.
...in one section of the draw, young North Americans overcame. #30 Genie Bouchard overcame a slow start -- wild card Tang Haochen led 5-3 and served for the 1st set, holding 2 SP -- to win 7-5/6-1. Madison Keys overcame herself, avoiding what might have been a memorable loss to Patricia Mayr-Achleitner. The American took the opening set, then erased a 5-2 2nd set deficit. She held three match points in a 2nd set tie-break that could have ended things in straight sets, but dropped the TB at 10-8. She fell down a break in the 3rd, regained the lead, then failed to convert MP #4 before finally winning 6-2/6-7(8)/9-7 on MP #5. The whole battle took over two and a half hours to complete. If this had taken place in the heat that is coming soon to Melbourne, one wonders whether they might have needed a stretcher or two when it was all over.
Bouchard and Keys are still, barely, on course for a potentially super-intriguing Round of 16 match-up.
Elsewhere, #31 Daniela Hantuchova needed three sets to defeat the other Brit in the draw, qualifier Heather Watson, 7-5/3-6/6-3, Alison Riske took out #23 Elena Vesnina 6-2/6-2, and young American Lauren Davis took out her even younger fellow Bannerette, wild card Sachia Vickery, 6-2/6-2.
DAY 1 QUALIFIER WINS: Belinda Bencic, Lucie Hradecka, Alla Kudryavtseva
DAY 1 WILD CARD WINS: Casey Dellacqua
DAY 1 LUCKY LOSER WIN: Irina Falconi
DAY 1 AUSSIE WINS: Casey Dellacqua, Samantha Stosur
...now, since I don't know how many chances I'll have to use this at this tournament, as we ARE talking about Sam Stosur playing in Australia:
In a rare display of concentration and grit on Aussie soil, #17 Stosur dispensed with Czech Klara Zakopalova, who beat her a few days ago in the Hobart semis, by a 6-3/6-4 score. After winning the 1st set, Stosur dropped her first three service games in the 2nd, falling behind 4-1 and causing everyone to brace for impact. But it never happened. When everyone opened their eyes, Stosur had managed to erase the two-break disadvantage and grab one for herself, taking the match by winning the final five games.
Good on ya, Sam.
...meanwhile, La Trufflette may be gone (even, as of last week, in the WTA singles rankings), but she's never REALLY gone. Especially when she's designing "shoe wings"... or, actually "Shwings."
The Wimbledon champion has designed wings meant to be worn on shoes, with the laces tying them to the top surface of the foot, making the flaps appear to be "wings." Above is the design being used for the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers basketball sneakers, and Serena is expected to don similar things on her shoes while in Melbourne.
By the way, I love the simple "Marion" in the promotional photo.
...wrapping up some Week 2 business, the "ITF Player of the Week" is Germany's Laura Siegemund. The 25-year old won her ninth career circuit title in Vero Beach, Florida, taking the $25K event with wins over Heidi El Tabakh, Samantha Crawford, Allie Kiick (ret.) and Gabriela Dabrowski in a 6-3/7-6 final. Siegemund has won in her last four appearances in ITF finals and is 7-1 in such contests since the middle of the 2012 season.
...DAY 1 "LIKE":
-- the refreshing capacity of naps and, THE necessary staple during this tournament: caffeine.
...DAY 1EVIL"LIKE":
-- that so many people are going to have to say aloud the name of the player who defeated Kvitova with both a straight face, as well as while avoiding slipping into shock radio jock form and saying something that might get them fired.
...DAY 1 "DISLIKE":
-- Patrick McEnroe, apparently getting an in-need-of-spellcheck drawsheet, introducing some early ESPN2 coverage of the Keys/Mayr-Achleitner match by calling the Austrian "Patrica" (sounding like "Patricka"), without the second "i." Worse yet, Pam Shriver, who really should know better, immediately followed up by calling her "Patrica," too.
Thankfully, someone got a correctly-spelled drawsheet later on and everyone starting calling her "Patricia."
...DAY 1 PET PEEVE:
-- that the WTA website has fallen into the habit of updating the "Rankings as of (insert date)" line at the top of the full rankings page, but not actually updating the rankings. (I should note, this isn't the case with the singles/doubles Top 10's that appear when you click on the rankings page -- they are usually updated early, and the updated date never conflicts with the information.)
Last year, after the tour had its site redesigned, while the Top 10 page would sometimes be updated early, the full rankings would not be until a short time later. But when that happened, those pages didn't say, for example, "Rankings as of 13 January 2014," as they did early in the day on Sunday, when in fact they were the "Rankings as of 6 January 2014" (the same thing occurred last Sunday, as well). I'm just sayin'. It gives me a headache!
All right, rant over.
...and, no, this isn't photoshopped. The racket that Vika is playing with in this shot really is THAT big.
Hmmm, maybe she's discovered the true key to getting past Serena in a grand slam? But before she can deal with that... hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! We don't want a repeat of that past match in Melbourne that ended with a Vika retirement due to heat illness.
...and, finally, as always at the slams, Anabel Medina-Garrigues' time in the draw has an expiration date stamped on its forehead. At the 2014 edition of the Australian Open, that date was today.
A year ago, the Spaniard lost in the 1st Round in Melbourne to #11 seed Marion Bartoli, kicking off the first 0-4 slam year (an "unGrand Slam?") of her long career. Today's exit at the hands of "Lucky Loser' Irina Falconi (AMG had been slated to face a qualifier before the Bannerette was inserted into the draw because of the withdrawal of another American, #27-seed Jamie Hampton) was Medina-Garrigues' sixth straight 1st Round loss at a major, and her seventh straight overall stretching back to her 2nd Round loss at the Wimbledon in 2012. It's her twenty-second opening round exit in forty-seven slam appearances. Eight of them have come at the AO, more than at any other slam, though two of her three career slam Round of 16 results (2002 &'09) have come there.
Okay, now here's where I'm obliged to once again note that AMG is STILL linked in history with Anna Smashnova as the only players to ever win double-digit WTA singles titles but never reach a slam Final 8. There, that's another Daily Backspin slam ritual checked off the list. Medina-Garrigues, 31, now has a career slam match record of 43-47 (even with her current seven-match slam losing streak, it's still far better than Smashnova's record, see below). She's 12-14 at Melbourne for her career.
Oh, well... keep on fighting the good fight, AMG.
*RECENT AO "FIRST SEED OUT"* 2005 #16 Ai Sugiyama, JPN (lost to Sucha) 2006 #9 Elena Dementieva, RUS (lost to Schruff) 2007 #25 Anabel Medina-Garrigues, ESP (lost to Vesnina) 2008 #32 Julia Vakulenko, UKR (lost to Vesnina) 2009 #23 Agnes Szavay, HUN (lost to Voskoboeva) 2010 #14 Maria Sharapova, RUS (lost to Kirilenko) 2011 #28 Daniela Hantuchova, SVK (lost to Kulikova) 2012 #19 Flavia Pennetta, ITA (lost to Bratchikova) 2013 #32 Mona Barthel, GER (lost to Pervak) 2014 #7 Sara Errani, ITA (lost to Goerges)
*RECENT AO "FIRST VICTORY" HONORS* 2009 Patricia Mayr, AUS (def. Schruff) 2010 Dinara Safina, RUS (def. Rybarikova) 2011 Evgeniya Rodina, RUS (def. Rogowska) 2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (def. Watson) 2013 Maria Sharapova, RUS (def. Puchkova) 2014 Kirsten Flipkens, BEL (def. Robson
*RECENT "LUCKY LOSER" 1st Rd. SLAM WINS* 2006 RG - Kirsten Flipkens, BEL 2006 US - Nicole Pratt, AUS 2007 WI - Alize Cornet, FRA 2008 US - Mariana Duque-Marino, COL 2009 RG - Mariana Duque-Marino, COL 2009 WI - Kristina Kucova, SVK 2010 RG - Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA 2011 WI - Stephanie Dubois, CAN 2012 RG - Sesil Karatantcheva, KAZ 2013 US - Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, AUT 2014 AO - Irina Falconi, USA
*MEDINA-GARRIGUES' CAREER SLAM RESULTS* 0 - W 0 - RU 0 - SF 0 - QF 3 - 4th Rd. 12 - 3rd Rd. 10 - 2nd Rd. 22 - 1st Rd. == AMG SLAM W/L TOTAL: 43-47 - 6 con. 1st Rd., 7 con. losses overall AMG CAREER WTA SINGLES TITLES: 11 [Anna Smashnova's Slam Results] 0 - W 0 - RU 0 - SF 0 - QF 2 - 4th Rd. 7 - 3rd Rd. 10 - 2nd Rd. 30 - 1st Rd. == SMASHNOVA SLAM W/L TOTAL: 30-49 SMASHNOVA CAREER WTA SINGLES TITLES: 12
TOP QUALIFIER:Belinda Bencic/SUI TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): xx TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Cristina Mitu/ROU def. #4 Anna-Lena Friedsam/GER 3-6/6-4/9-7 TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx TOP LAVER NIGHT MATCH: xx ============================= FIRST VICTORY:#18 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (def. Laura Robson/GBR) FIRST SEED OUT:#7 Sara Errani/ITA (lost 1st Rd. to Julia Goerges, GER) UPSET QUEENS: xx REVELATION LADIES: xx NATION OF POOR SOULS: xx LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: 1st Rd. wins: Bencic/SUI, Hradecka/CZE, Kudryavtseva/RUS (also LL: Falconi/USA) LAST WILD CARD STANDING: 1st Rd. wins: Dellacqua/AUS LAST AUSSIE STANDING: 1st Rd. wins: Dellacqua, Stosur Ms. OPPORTUNITY: xx IT (TBD): xx COMEBACK PLAYER: xx CRASH & BURN: Nominees: #7 Errani (1r) & #12 Vinci (1r), #6 Kvitova (1r) ZOMBIE QUEEN: xx AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:lost 1st Rd. to (LL) Falconi/USA, once again failing to reach a slam QF in her career (so Anna Smashnova still has a buddy); 7 con. slam losses; 22 1st Round exits in 47 slams LADY OF THE EVENING: xx DOUBLES STAR: xx JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
With temperatures rising into the triple-digits on the first day of what is expected to be a brutal heat wave this week in Melbourne, the hope for the two-time defending champ was that she could have an easy, quick time of things against Swede Johanna Larsson. After all, one of Vika's most memorable moments at the AO was her 2nd set retirement with heat illness against Serena Williams in 2009 when Azarenka was up a set in the match. Surely, one thought, she'd find a way to avoid prolonging today's proceedings and forcing herself to be running around on the court of Rod Laver Arena for any longer than necessary on Day 2. Right?
Yeah, riiiiiight. Oh, boy. Here we go again.
While Azarenka's serve, which could surely be better for a #2-ranked player, isn't something that opponents fear, it isn't a shot that sinks her on game day, either. Usually, her groundstrokes and return of serve are enough to make up for its deficiencies, and the Belarusian can generally corral that wanting part of her game before it becomes something that is so bad that it leads to shocking losses. At both of last season's hard court slams in Australia and the U.S., Azarenka scratched and clawed her way through six matches at each event, fighting her serve and bouts of general inconsistency all the way. Amazingly, she was successful in each attempt, reaching the finals at both Melbourne and Flushing Meadows, and then playing what was arguably her best, most focused match of the tournament once she got there. She won one of them, and took Serena Williams to three sets in the other. The one thing VikaBackers didn't want to see at the first slam of 2014 was a repeat of the early-round difficulty that made watching her AO/US slam matches such a head-spinning, eye-covering trip a season ago.
Well, apparently Vika didn't get that particular interoffice memo.
Emerging from the tunnel and walking out into the thick late morning heat on Laver, it was almost as if Azarenka was tempting fate by wearing a black hoody. As usual, it was pulled up over her head. Still, it was a case of so far, so good. Then, on the first point of the match, she double-faulted. Sigh. Soon, it was love/40. She saved three break points to hold in a game that lasted six minutes, but the die was cast.
While Larrson, 3-14 in career slam matches, held her own, Vika made a habit of falling behind in her service games. In her second, the score was 15/40. She saved three more break points, but not a fourth. When Azarenka's forehand shot sailed long, Larsson went up a break. Vika immediately broke back, then held after falling behind 15/30 in service game #3.
And it continued.
After a fairly easy hold in service game #4, Azarenka's errors, and Larsson's consistency, kept things close. In Vika's fifth service game, she was broken again, giving the Swede a shot to serve for the set at 5-4. Naturally, Azarenka broke back. She dropped her serve in service game #6, as well, giving Larrson another chance to serve for the set. Yet again, Azarenka's return of serve pulled things back even with another break to send things to a tie-break. Finally, there, Azarenka got a foothold, in the form of a 4-0 lead, and carried it out to a 7-2 win, ending the 1:12 set.
Meanwhile, most of the other top woman who'd also started their matches at 11 a.m. were already in the air-conditioned lockerroom.
In the 2nd, Azarenka got an early break and didn't look back. Well, until it came to finally salting away the match. Not wanting to get off the court TOO quickly, that took her four match point attempts to get done. In the end, Vika produced 32 unforced errors (to 27 winners), including seven double-faults (the last coming on one of the match points), in the 7-6(2)/6-2 contest that lasted 1:46.
After lifting her career a notch by mastering the Art of Getting it Done, Azarenka is now majoring in the Art of Finding a Way. The former is sometimes breathtaking, while the latter also takes your break away... but it usually happens when you exhale and shake your head at the latest "oh, geez" moment when Vika is on the court.
The good Vika news: as noted earlier, she's played similar -- or worse since, after all, today's game of chicken didn't go three sets -- matches to this one at the previous two hard court slams, and she still reached a pair of finals. All in all, Azarenka has now won fifteen straight matches in Melbourne, and is 27-2 in the last five hard court majors.
The bad Vika news: if she does this little dance a few more times in this heat, against better players than Larsson, she won't be the two-time defending AO champion for much longer.
The (more) good Vika news: she lucked out when an injured Jamie Hampton, a possible 3rd Round opponent and one who very nearly upset Vika at last year's tournament, withdrew from this AO over the weekend. The substitute for Hampton is Bojana Jovanovski, who's only advanced to one Round of 16 in her slam career, while the biggest threat in the section is Sloane Stephens, Vika's opponent in a controversial AO semi last year who's looking to protect big points in a slam for the first time in her career. The American advanced past Yaroslava Shvedova today 7-6/6-3 after falling behind 5-1 in the 1st, only to see the Kazakh's service implode with five DF when twice serving for the set prior to her spending much of the rest of the match getting iced down by trainers. As for the quarterfinals? Aga Radwanska, a player that Vika has dominated in the past, is in line. While the semis could bring Maria Sharapova, who hasn't defeated Azarenka on an outdoor hard court since 2009. So, if she can avoid tripping herself up, a FIFTH straight final in a hard court major is surely attainable.
The (more) bad Vika news: Serena might be waiting for her in that final. But that's a bridge to be crossed later, while you hope that no one involved is on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's you-know-what list. (Sorry, American political joke there... haha.)
So, as inauspicious as this first match in Melbourne might have been for Azarenka, it could mean absolutely nothing. And, actually, a case can be made that she's now got her side of the draw just where she wants it.
Good luck with that, Vika.
=DAY 2 NOTES= ...while Vika was successfully walking a not-quite-scalding hot tightrope in the first match of the day on Laver, Caroline Wozniacki (Hisense) and Simona Halep (Court) were simultaneously breezing through their early Tuesday matches elsewhere on the grounds.
The #10-seeded Dane, finding her form after a busy first two weeks of '14 that included a shoulder injury and her acceptance of Rory McIlroy's marriage proposal, took out Spain's Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-0/6-2 in an hour and eight minutes, getting just the sort of start she needed at this slam. New coach Thomas Hogstedt, though, is already putting up plastic wrap around the court just in case the opposite occurs in the early rounds in Melbourne, recently noting how often it is that players -- Andy Murray, for example, when he started working with Ivan Lendl -- have poor early results during the beginning stages of a new coaching relationship. The Swede need not watch his back tonight, though.
Wozniacki has reached at least the Round of 16 five times in her six previous appearances in Melbourne, though she's only had such a result once in her last seven slams. So, one down, two to go to reach that modest goal for the former #1 at this AO.
Hmmm, I wonder if maybe Caro got in an extra workout later in the day... maybe by "pumping diamond," a.k.a. admiring her ring?
Meanwhile, #11 Halep came into this AO with just one match under her belt this season, a straight sets loss to Madison Keys in Sydney last week. Looking to back up her regular tour success with a nice slam run (her best career result is a 4th Round at last year's U.S. Open), the Swarmette started off on the right foot by eliminating Poland's Katarzyna Piter 6-0/6-1 in fifty-five quick minutes.
Later in the day, even if you didn't know the on-court temperatures, you might have been able to tell something was up just by looking at the match stats of the Aga Radwanska/Yulia Putintseva match. Clever as she is, A-Rad never makes a point of being consistently aggressive throughout a match, preferring instead to surprise her opponent with an uppercut in the form of a well-placed big serve, an unexpected winner or a sneaky advance to the net for a volley.
Well, against the young Kazakh, Aga was a different version of herself. And she had to be, too. After taking the 1st set at love in twenty-seven minutes, Radwanska dropped the 2nd at 7-5. In the end, she got her first official tour win since late last season (she was 0-3 in the Tour Championships, remember, and lost to Bethanie Mattek-Sands in her opening match in Sydney), winning 6-0/5-7/6-2, but it took nearly two and a half hours to do it. Pressed to avoid the sort of long rallies that she thrives on, Aga produced an uncharacteristic thirty-eight winners (vs. thirty-one UE's), including nine aces and 22-of-35 converted forays to the net.
...after nudging #25 Alize Cornet for the past two weeks for managing to become a champion (at the Hopman Cup) despite putting together just a 1-4 singles record so far this season, it'd be criminal if I didn't note that she got victory #2 today over Polona Hercog. Of course, keeping to form, I also have to mention that she did so by winning just one game, as the Slovene retired after completing just six points, suffering from a previous shoulder injury. The total match time was eleven minutes. Cornet must be harboring a guardian angel in her tennis bag.
Still... 2-4 is 2-4. It's better than 1-5, that's for sure.
...if this turns out to be Francesca Schiavone's final season, let's hope that she has a better time in Paris this spring than she has in her recent slam outings. Playing in her 54th consecutive major, the longest current streak on tour, the 33-year old Italian went down 6-3/6-4 at the hands of #20 Dominika Cibulkova. It's the 2010 Roland Garros champ Schiavone's fifth 1st Round exit at the last six slams.
Elsewhere, Zarina Diyas defeated Katerina Siniakova in a battle of qualifiers (so last year's junior finalists turned this year's qualifiers, Siniakova and '13 junior champ Ana Konjuh, are both out), and Anna Schmiedlova outlasted Timea Babos, winning 7-5 in the 3rd on her sixth MP. Additionally, Kiwi Marina Erakovic took out #21 Sorana Cirstea, Hobart champ Garbine Muguruza knocked off #24 Kaia Kanepi, Elina Svitolina took out #19 Svetlana Kuznetsova, an unseeded AO quarterfinalist a year ago, and Stefanie Voegele took out Kristina Mladenovic.
At least Mladenovic will now be refreshed for doubles.
Same goes for Peng Shuai, who wasn't the first -- and won't be the last -- to have difficulty with the heat in her three-set loss to Kurumi Nara.
DAY 2 QUALIFIER WIN: Zarina Diyas/KAZ DAY 2 WILD CARD WIN: Olivia Rogowska/AUS DAY 2 AUSSIE WIN: Olivia Rogowska/AUS
...with things running behind schedule, the concluding night session match between Maria Sharapova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands looked like it was going to begin exceedingly late. But, thanks to Bernard Tomic once again living down to expectations by getting injured in quite possibly the first game of the match and then retiring after a 41-minute 1st set against Rafa Nadal, things didn't begin quite as late as expected.
In the end, Sharapova powered her way through the American, jumping ahead 4-0 before taking the 1st set 6-3. Mattek-Sands threatened to make things interesting late in the 2nd, breaking Sharapova to get back on serve at 3-3. At 4-4, BMS held two game points for a 5-4 lead that would have forced Sharapova to hold to stay in the set, but the Russian instead pulled off the break and then held to put away the match, winning 6-3/6-4 when Mattek-Sands' backhand return sailed long.
It's not the double-bagel that Sharapova began with against Olga Puchkova in last year's 1st Round in Melbourne, but it'll suffice. After all, we know how the 2013 AO ultimately turned out for Maria.
...DAY 2 "LIKE":
-- we actually got a few hours of live tennis coverage on Tennis Channel on Day 2, which meant a few hours of live tennis commentary from Martina Navratilova. That's always a good thing... especially when she latches onto a particular word and uses it every fives minutes.
Ah, the many happy returns of the sound of the word "twitchy" with a Czech-tinged twang.
...Vika is as Vika does, especially when she does Vika. See...
...and, finally, while there are some eye-opening national and continental records through the 1st Round -- the Serbs are 4-0, Slovaks 4-1 and North America a combined 10-4 -- the biggest news is on the "Nation of Poor Souls" front, where the (dis)honors surprisingly WON'T be going to the Aussies at this Australian Open. Almost shockingly, they went 3-3 in the 1st Round, with Sam Stosur leading the way. So, that leaves a group of NoPS contenders that includes Croatia (1-4), Great Britain (0-2) and the entire continent of South America (0-3). But I'm going to go another route.
After having such great slam success in recent seasons, and ending '13 by winning yet another Fed Cup, the Italians, while going 3-3 overall, saw both their top-ranked woman -- #7 Sara Errani, the "First Seed Out" and #12 Roberta Vinci) go out with a whimper in straight set losses on Monday, and the only Italian slam champ (Schiavone) do the same today. Errani & Vinci are the defending doubles champions at this AO, as well... so unless they totally reverse their fortunes the rest of this tournament, the Poor could actually continue to get even poorer.
*SLAM "NATIONS OF POOR SOULS"* [2010] WI: Great Britain (0-6 1st Rd.) [2011] WI: Australia (1-3 1st Rd., Stosur & Dokic losses) US: Czech Republic (2-5 1st Rd., Kvitova loses) [2012] AO: Great Britain (0-4 1st Rd.; all on Day 1) RG: Romania (1-5 in 1st Rd.; Cadantu double-bageled) WI: Slovak Republic (1-3 in 1st Rd.; all 3 w/ WTA titles lost) US: Germany (four of nation's five highest-ranked players out in 1st Rd.) [2013] AO: Australia (1-6 in 1st Rd., 1-7 overall) RG: Czech Republic (2-8 in 1st Rd.) WI: Great Britain (1-6 in 1st Rd.) US: Australia (1-4 overall, Stosur out 1st Rd., Rogowska double-bageled, only WC Barty to 2nd) [2014] AO: Italy (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round; Schiavone out 1st Rd. 5/6 slams)
TOP QUALIFIER:Belinda Bencic/SUI TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): xx TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Cristina Mitu/ROU def. #4 Anna-Lena Friedsam/GER 3-6/6-4/9-7 TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx TOP LAVER NIGHT MATCH: xx ============================= FIRST VICTORY:#18 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (def. Laura Robson/GBR) FIRST SEED OUT:#7 Sara Errani/ITA (lost 1st Rd. to Julia Goerges, GER) UPSET QUEENS: xx REVELATION LADIES: xx NATION OF POOR SOULS:Italy (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round; Schiavone out 1st Rd. 5/6 slams) LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: 1st Rd. wins: Bencic/SUI, Diyas/KAZ, Hradecka/CZE, Kudryavtseva/RUS (also LL: Falconi/USA) LAST WILD CARD STANDING: 1st Rd. wins: Dellacqua/AUS, Rogowska/AUS LAST AUSSIE STANDING: 1st Rd. wins: Dellacqua, Rogowska, Stosur Ms. OPPORTUNITY: xx IT (TBD): xx COMEBACK PLAYER: xx CRASH & BURN: Nominees: #7 S.Errani & #12 R.Vinci (both out 1st Rd.), #6 P.Kvitova (lost 1st Rd. to Kumkhum) ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees: #22 E.Makarova (down 3-0 in 3rd vs. Venus/1st Rd.); M.Keys (down break in 3rd vs. Mayr-A./1st Rd. - won 9-7 on 5th MP) AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:lost 1st Rd. to (LL) Falconi/USA, once again failing to reach a slam QF in her career (so Anna Smashnova still has a buddy); 7 con. slam losses; 22 1st Round exits in 47 slams LADY OF THE EVENING: xx DOUBLES STAR: xx JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
As it turned out, The Pironkova was no Radwanska. And Sam Stosur barely resembled herself, either. And in the case of the latter, that was a very good thing.
With Stosur, never at her best in a pressure situation back home, appearing on Rod Laver Arena in a featured night match, it was quite simple to expect the worst, especially after the disappointing results by Aussies there the past two nights. When we last saw the #17 seed in a slam, she was being upset in the 1st Round of the U.S. Open by 17-year old Vicky Duval. Throw in Pironkova, always a threat to knock off a seeded player at a slam, with the last time we saw her before this AO coming when she knocked off three Top 10 players during her eight-wins-in-eight-days maiden title run in Sydney, and a Rock-the-Rod night seemed quite possible.
That didn't seem like a good thing for Sam.
But, in fact, it was Stosur who surely rocked it on Wednesday night, looking about as good as she, well, ever has at the Australian Open, obliterating the Bulgarian 6-2/6-0 (yes, Sam bageled her opponent to end the match... it's not a typo) in one hour and eight minutes, overpowering Pironkova with a 23-5 advantage in winners and winning 83% (20/24) of her first serves. Granted, Pironkova was likely a bit worn out after last week, played with a strap on her thigh, and was looked at by trainers after the 1st set. But, so what? We sort of know all that was in the discussion before the match, but it was still easy to think/fear that Stosur would live up (or, more accurately, down) to expectations.
Sam's no Tomic. At least she wasn't on Night 3.
On Night 3, she was more elusive than a bad reputation, more powerful than a pessimistic opinion, and able to leap a skinny Bulgarian in a single bound. On the court, her name was worthy of being written in the sky... she wasn't a downed bird, she wasn't a plane already on its way out of Australia. Nope, instead... she was SuperSam.
Wonders never cease.
=DAY 3 NOTES= ...meanwhile, The Pironkova slips back into the shadows. Who knows when, or if, "The Weeping Angel" will be seen again.
...earlier in the day, with on-court temperatures nearing 117-degrees (but not nearly as lethal as yesterday, thanks to a forgiving cloud cover), #4 seed Li Na took to the court in her latest attempt to review the 2013 junior season.
In the 1st Round, she took out the youngest player in the draw, 16-year old Ana Konjuh, the #2-ranked junior and winner of last year's girls Australian and U.S. Open titles. Today, she faced the draw's second-youngeest player, 16-year old Belinda Bencic, the #1-ranked junior and winner of last year's girls Roland Garros and Wimbledon crowns. So, if you combined the ages of both her opponents at this AO, they'd be only one year older than than the 31-year old Li.
Bencic took a while to get used to the big stage of Laver, as well as the occasion. Even being able to challenge a call was a first-time experience for what has to be the first 16-year old Swiss teen to play there since Martina Hingis won her maiden slam title in Melbourne in 1997. THAT Sweet Sixteen season ultimately included three slam wins for the Swiss Miss, whose mother, Melanie Molitor, is now serving as Bencic's coach.
Li won the opening seven games of the match, but Bencic got her feet under her in the 2nd set. She got breaks of Li's serve for 2-1 and 4-3 advantages, only to give back the break a game later on both occasions. Later, she hit as ace to send the set to a tie-break, where the two were knotted at 5-5 before Li finally pulled ahead to win the 6-0/7-6(5) match.
After the match, Li favorably compared Bencic to Hingis, so it's safe to say she made a good impression.
...Serena Williams followed Li onto Laver, and fifteen games later she shook hands at the net with Vesna Dolonc, moving forward in the draw after having upped her career slam 2nd Round record to 52-1.
Is it possible for Serena to look even more unbeatable than usual?
...elsewhere, we got our answer to what is always THE question when a player pulls off a big upset: Can she follow it up with another victory? For Thailand's Lusika Kumkhum, who knocked out #6 Petra Kvitova on Day 1, the answer was "no." She didn't bow out ungracefully, though, as it took three close sets for Mona Barthel to end her run with a 4-6/6-3/6-4 victory.
Sabine Lisicki never did seem to get a handle on the unorthodox, underhand slice forehand-heavy game of Swarmette Monica Niculescu. The German had ten aces, and led the Romanian 43-8 in winners. But she had a 56-18 disadvantage in errors. Some could surely be attributed to Niculescu's style, but not all of them. Of course, this is nothing new for Lisicki when she plays anywhere other than Wimbledon. The Romanian eliminated the #15 seed 2-6/6-2/6-2.
...while Italy was a "Nation of Poor Souls" in the 1st Round, one of them did not belong to Flavia Pennetta. It still doesn't, either, as the #28-seed took out Monica Puig in straight sets on Day 3.
Two days after #18 Kirsten Flipkens was the first woman to advance to the 2nd Round, the Waffle lost to Aussie wild card Casey Dellacqua 6-3/6-0. In a scene reminiscent of Dellacqua's surprise run to the AO Round of 16 in 2008, her mother and grandmother could be seen celebrating in the crowd.
The woman who just missed out to Flipkens when it came to getting this AO's "First Victory," Karolina Pliskova, put up quite a battle with #31 Daniela Hantuchova, but it was the Slovak vet who ultimately prevailed. In the tournament's longest women's match so far, Hantuchova won 6-3/3-6/12-10 in 3:15, finally converting on her fifth match point. After previously going three sets in her 1st Round win over Heather Watson, Hantuchova will now get... Serena.
...in the quarter of the draw that is seemingly destined to produce a player who'll face Williams (well, unless Stosur morphs into Andy Murray by then... she IS half-way there, after all) in the QF, the big potential match-up down the road has been Eugenie Bouchard vs. Madison Keys. One player held up her end of that potential today, but the other didn't.
Against Virginie Razzano, Bouchard, the world's top-ranked teenager, had to battle against being forced to three sets by the veteran Pastry. The Canadian had three match points at 5-4 in the 2nd, but failed on those, as well as three more in the proceeding tie-break. Meanwhile, she had to save two Razzano set points. Finally, Bouchard converted on MP #7 to win the TB 12-10, and the match 6-2/7-6(10).
Keys wasn't so fortunate, but she surely wasn't wanting for opportunities to advance.
After struggling to put away her 1st Round match against Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, Keys had to erase a 4-1 1st set deficit against veteran Chinese Zheng Jie. The Bannerette served for the set at 5-4 and 6-5, but couldn't put it in her back pocket. Zheng went on to win the tie-break, but Keys easily took the 2nd set to force a 3rd. There, it was Keys who took a 4-1, two-break lead and seemed to be coasting to the 3rd Round.
But you can never coast against the wily Zheng. She never gave up, while Keys gradually wilted down the stretch. With the double-break lead erased, Keys was forced to hold serve at 5-4 to stay in the match. She did, finding herself at 5-5 in the 3rd for a second straight round at this AO. Having to hold again to stay alive at 6-5, Keys wasn't up to the task. Zheng won 7-6(5)/1-6/7-5 to put an end to any talk of Bouchard/Keys in Melbourne.
With the way the draw has played out, a quarterfinalist will result from a group of four that includes unseeded Zheng (an AO semifinalist in 2010), wild card Dellacqua, #30 Bouchard and unseeded Lauren Davis.
...only four qualifiers advanced out of the 1st Round, and three of them -- Bencic, Lucie Hradecka & Alla Kudryavtseva -- lost today. Only Zarina Diyas (vs. Marina Erakovic) remains to play on Day 4, so the "Last Qualifier Standing" could end up being shared by all four woman. That'd be the most since qualifiers went 0-5 in the 2nd Round at Wimbledon in 2007.
Dellacqua's win keeps her in play for both "Last Wild Card Standing" and "Last Aussie Standing," and that's saying something in a week of weather that might have put many on their back (or coughing up the contents of their stomach, ala Peng Shuai). Aussies Stosur and Jarmila Gajdosova (a WC, she plays tomorrow) are also in the mix. At least one of those three have won or shared every "LAS" honor, save for when Jelena Dokic reached the QF in '09, since I began tracking such things in 2008. Speaking of The Fair One...
...in doubles, if you blinked you missed her, but Dokic DID make her official 2014 tour debut, teaming with fellow Aussie Storm Sanders. The pair lost 6-4/6-4 to Magdalena Rybarikova & Stefanie Voegele. Still, at step forward is a step forward.
...meanwhile, Vika was off today. But she'll be back...
So, more "dancing on a frying pan" for her on Day 4 (and, of course, that could end up referring to the hot court surface... or another in-match dance by Vika with the Service Devil who appears so often on her dance card these days).
...DAY 3 "LIKE":
-- the priceless look on Bencic's proud face when she challenged a call -- and was successful -- in the first game of her match with Li, converting on the very replay challenge attempt of her career.
...DAY 3 "LIKE" - RISKE EDITION:
-- Bannerette Alison Riske's reaction -- "woo-hoo!" -- when she was told that her win today meant that she would crack the Top 50 rankings for the first time in her career
...DAY 3 "Ah, memories":
-- hearing ESPN2's Pam Shriver say Yanina Wickmayer's name multiple times during a broadcast can't help but stir memories of the boos she received from the crowd following her a-little-too-incredulous uttering of "Wick-mayer" during an on-court interview with Caroline Wozniacki at the U.S. Open in 2009, when she informed the Dane that the Belgian would be her surprise opponent in her upcoming semifinal match.
...DAY 3 "Hmmm, I g-u-e-s-s that's all right, but I could be wrong":
-- should there be any question about Paul Annacone, recently hired as the coach of Sloane Stephens, doing commentary on Tennis Channel? While it's not unusual to have the personal coach of a current singles player in the commentary booth, when it's happened recently (with Brad Gilbert, for example) it's generally involved a coach who was already doing commentary work. I don't recall Annacone, who's been good in limited live coverage on TC, doing any TV work before this, though. He made some humorously sly comments today about "the great coaching kicking in" when Stephens came back from a 5-1 1st set deficit yesterday against Yaroslava Shvedova, but, of course, didn't go into any details about what he might be telling her during this tournament.
Of course, since Stephens was working with Annacone in a "trial" arrangement during the offseason and didn't officially hire him for '14 until just before the start of the season, maybe he was just covering his bases and signed on with TC so he knew he'd be getting some work Down Under this month and he's now just fulfilling his end of the deal.
...and, finally, is it too early to already have a favorite for "Tennis Player Photo of the Year?"
TOP QUALIFIER:Belinda Bencic/SUI TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): xx TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Cristina Mitu/ROU def. #4 Anna-Lena Friedsam/GER 3-6/6-4/9-7 TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx TOP LAVER NIGHT MATCH: xx ============================= FIRST VICTORY:#18 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (def. Laura Robson/GBR) FIRST SEED OUT:#7 Sara Errani/ITA (lost 1st Rd. to Julia Goerges, GER) UPSET QUEENS: xx REVELATION LADIES: xx NATION OF POOR SOULS:Italy (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round; Schiavone out 1st Rd. 5/6 slams) LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: 2nd Rd.: Bencic/SUI (L), Diyas/KAZ, Hradecka/CZE (L), Kudryavtseva/RUS (L) LAST WILD CARD STANDING: 2nd Rd.: Dellacqua/AUS (W), Rogowska/AUS LAST AUSSIE STANDING: 2nd Rd.: Dellacqua (W), Rogowska, Stosur (W) Ms. OPPORTUNITY: xx IT (TBD): xx COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: J.Zheng, Dellacqua (singles), Stosur, Ivanovic CRASH & BURN: Nominee: #6 P.Kvitova (lost 1st Rd. to Kumkhum) ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees: #22 E.Makarova (down 3-0 in 3rd vs. Venus/1st Rd.); #2 V.Azarenka (Larsson twice served for 1st set in 1st Rd.); #13 S.Stephens (down 5-1, with Shvedova twice serving for 1st set in 1st Rd.); #31 Hantuchova (goes three sets in both 1st/2nd Rd., wins 12-10 3rd vs. Ka.Pliskova on 5th MP); J.Zheng (2nd Rd., down 4-1 in 3rd vs. M.Keys) AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:lost 1st Rd. to (LL) Falconi/USA, once again failing to reach a slam QF in her career (so Anna Smashnova still has a buddy); 7 con. slam losses; 22 1st Round exits in 47 slams LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: S.Stosur, S.Williams DOUBLES STAR: xx JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
On a day in which Extreme Heat procedures stopped play on the outer courts and (finally!) closed the roofs on Laver and Hisense, then did so again later because of lightning strikes and rain, the biggest natural disaster of the day nearly turned out to be a meltdown of Maria Sharapova.
Coming into this Australian Open off a shoulder injury and with very little match play -- one match last summer, and a SF run in Brisbane in Week 1 -- since last year's Wimbledon, Sharapova wasn't expected to be as dominant in the opening rounds as she was year ago in Melbourne. Then, she opened with two straight double-bagel wins and reached the semis having only dropped a record nine games through five matches. Two days ago, the Russian played well enough, though hardly perfectly, to down a potentially dangerous Bethanie Mattek-Sands under the lights on Laver.
Today, though, with the temperatures rising throughout her match with Italy's Karin Knapp, so much so that the "mysterious and unknown" player safety threshold kicked in (not that it did these two players any good, since they were deep into the 3rd set when the call went out, meaning play couldn't be stopped between sets for the players to go off court, or the roof to be closed), Sharapova was put to a test that she would have been forgiven for failing.
But, hey, she's Maria Sharapova... failing isn't fun, nor obediently tolerated. On this day, succeeding wasn't fun, either. But that's what she did.
After winning the 1st set, Sharapova looked on her way to a straight sets win, or at least a shot at trying to do so by pulling away late in the 2nd. But, serving at 4-5, a service game that consisted of a double-fault and three errors handed the set to Knapp and very nearly set off a draw-busting series of unfortunate events.
In the 3rd, Sharapova took at 3-1 lead, but as the heat bore down on Laver, she began to wilt. Knapp got back on serve at 3-3 and, proving that she's all Italian, began to battle and gesticulate in celebration as the Russian's AO balanced on the head of a pin. (But not Camille Pin, against whom a #1-seeded Sharapova survived a 9-7 3rd set in Extreme Heat during a 1st Round AO match in 2007.) On her fifth break point of the game, Sharapova got a break for 4-3 and held three match points at 5-4, but two double-faults and a net cord winner from the Italian got the break and evened the set at 5-5.
From there, Sharapova played with her back against the wall all the way to the finish line. Even with her serve hardly a given (12 DF), especially as she tired, Sharapova had to hold at 5-6, 6-7 and 7-8 to avoid the upset. Finally, in the seventeenth game of the set, Sharapova took at 40/love lead on Knapp's serve and got the break for 9-8 to give herself a chance to serve out the match. There, despite three double-faults, and a Knapp break point, Sharapova overcame her visible frustration with her serve to hold and take the 3:28 match, 6-3/4-6/10-8.
Just walking onto the court at this Australian Open hasn't been easy, but no top seed has had to battle quite as hard as Sharapova did today. She managed to survive, but will it leave her vulnerable to another upset bid when she returns to action this weekend against a (so far in '14) guardian angel-wielding opponent?
We shall see.
=DAY 4 NOTES= ...well, glory be, once she finally got on the court on Thursday night, Vika Azarenka managed to hold serve (after saving a break point, naturally) in the first game of her match against Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova.
Hmmm, was that a certain Backspinner I saw who raised his arms in mock/shock celebration? Yes. Yes, it was.
Ah, but it got even better. Vika raced to a 6-1 1st set victory in thirty-five minutes, and she didn't face another break point in the set. She then got an early break in the 2nd. Sure, she and BZS exchanged breaks over four straight games later in the set, as things didn't go quite as smoothly as in the 1st. But Azarenka held to put away a 6-1/6-4 win in an hour and a half.
Not perfect. But better.
...meanwhile, as Azarenka was celebrating her win, her '13 semifinal opponent was trying to grab hold of something before she slid all the way out of this AO.
Keeping up her pattern of having her matches interrupted by acts of nature or Belarusians, #13 Sloane Stephens saw such a thing happen to her again on Day 4. After she dropped the opening set to Ajla Tomljanovic, then knotted the match and then took a break lead in the 3rd, lightning caused the stoppage of play on Margaret Court Arena with Stephens up 3-0 and on a seven-game winning streak.
Uh-oh.
Last year, Stephens proved susceptible to not only squandering leads, but reacting especially badly when it came to playing well coming out of weather/medical delays. Bad out-of-the-break play in the AO (vs. Azarenka), Fed Cup (vs. Arvidsson) and Wimbledon (vs. Bartoli) stuck like glue to Current Sloane a season ago, proving that she hadn't yet learned to concentrate and bear down in situations that knock her off balance. Against Tomljanovic on Thursday night, it all came back to challenge the American once again.
In the first game out of an hour-and-a-half delay, Stephens had a break point for a 4-0 lead. When she failed to convert, you could feel the coming avalanche. She then dropped serve to see her lead cut to 3-2, then again as the showing-no-signs-of-nerves Croat took at 4-3 advantage. Tomljanovic's hold gave her five straight games and forced Stephens to hold to stay in the match. She did so, forcing Tomljanovic to attempt to serve it out.
It was then that Stephens showed some of the fighting spirit that got her into the semifinals in Melbourne a year ago. She quickly grabbed a 30/love lead on the Croat's serve by upping her aggression (like Future Sloane would), pulled off a wonderful drop shot to get to break point, and then saw Tomljanovic double-fault to get things back on serve at 5-5. With momentum suddenly in her favor, Stephens again looked like the AO player of 2013.
She held serve for 6-5, this time forcing Tomljanovic to hold just to stay in the match. The Croat got to game point, but Stephens didn't buckle. Instead, she swept the final three points of the match, converting her first and only match point after starting off the point with a lunging return of serve, then finishing things with a put-away backhand winner after having raced from behind the baseline to reach a Tomljanovic volley, winning 3-6/6-2/7-5.
So, Stephens' first big 2014 test can be judged a success. Future Sloane lives, but Current Sloane is still inside fighting to get out. That internal battle, much like it did last year, might still play a HUGE role in the outcome of this Australian Open.
Well, at least what happens in the bottom half of the draw, anyway.
...who knows what to make of #11 Simona Halep's result today, since the Swarmette-looking-for-a-slam-breakout really only had a capable opponent on the other side of the net for one set. And she lost that one. Varvara Lepchenko took the opening set from the Romanian, but then quickly succumbed to the heat, getting to an especially bad state by the time Halep had taken a 5-0 lead in the 2nd. The American was treated on court for potential heat illness at that time, but did manage to complete the match. She only won a single game the rest of the way, though, with Halep winning 4-6/6-0/6-1. With a match against a qualifier up next, Halep is a win away from matching her career-best slam result by reaching a second straight Round of 16.
...getting the benefit of scheduling, #10 Caroline Wozniacki didn't have to worry about delays or weather. As the second scheduled match up on Laver, the Dane and Christina McHale got to play their entire match indoors, away from the elements, as well as the element of suspense about whether they'd finish without Mother Nature clearing her throat.
As it turned out, it was a match that showed some of the early-season promise of Wozniacki 2.0-or-bust, as well as the growing pains associated with trying to re-work some aspects of her game under the coaching of Thomas Hogstedt. Wozniacki won the opening set at love, but dropped the 2nd 6-1 to the American as her tentativeness when it came to stepping into the court beyond her usual behind-the-baseline positioning got her into trouble and gave McHale a reason to be confident. In the 3rd, though, Caro made a point of trying to force the action a little bit more and turned things back in her direction. She closed out the match 6-0/1-6/6-2.
She'll now have an intriguing match-up with Hobart champ Garbine Muguruza, who took out teen Anna Schmiedlova in straight sets today after having knocked out #24 Kaia Kanepi two days ago. Wozniacki won't likely get quite as easy a pass as she did today against McHale, whose confidence tends to drift in and out depending on the moment (hence her being passed by pretty much all her Bannerette counterparts the last two years following her success at the '11 U.S. Open). Spaniard Muguruza already has a hard court win over the Dane last season in Miami.
...whew! I don't think there have ever been as many "Zombie Queen" nominees as this stage as there has been at this slam, without any really standing out enough to quite claim the ZQ honors.
Before Day 4, I was already considering Ekaterina Makarova, Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens, Daniela Hantuchova, Zheng Jie, and Eugenie Bouchard. Today, Sharapova added her name to the list of back-from-the-dead winners under consideration, and so did #16 Carla Suarez-Navarro.
Against Galina Voskoboeva, the Spaniard came back from 5-2 down in the 3rd set, with the Kazakh serving for the match at 5-4, to win 7-6/3-6/8-6. Voskoboeva was broken in each of her last three service games in the match.
...well, #25 Alize Cornet got another win today. She even had to play out the match all the way to the end to do it this time, too. Judging from the match stats, though, her 6-3/4-6/6-4 win over Camila Giorgi was a contest the revolved around neither player really playing their best.
Giorgi had twelve DF, while Cornet had nine. Giorgi outpaced the Pastry 28-5 in winners, but her gaudy 73 unforced errors (to Cornet's 29) more than erased any advantage she might have built with her more aggressive game. In the end, 71% of Cornet's total points (103) came via the Italian's UE total, though she still only ended up with eleven more points in the match than Giorgi.
Nice to see that guardian angel in Cornet's tennis bag is being well fed. The Pastry plays Sharapova next.
...there's a chance that the doubles #1 ranking could exchange hands at the end of this Australian Open, as defending champs Errani/Vinci -- currently both in singles funks, and having not won a doubles title in eleven months (Doha) -- have many points to defend. At the same time, #2-seeds Hsieh/Peng aren't really defending anything at this AO, and could close the small point gap between themselves and the Italians.
Both teams opened their doubles competition on Thursday in Melbourne. Errani/Vinci had a relatively easy win over Barthel/Moulton-Levy, while Hsieh/Peng barely escaped being ousted. The pair trailed the duo of Hrdinova/Ormaechea 7-6/6-5, with the Czech/Argentine duo coming within three points of the upset. Ultimately, the Wimbledon and Tour Championships-winning duo prevailed 6-7(6)/7-6(1)/6-0, pulling ahead and eventually running away with things down the stretch.
...touched by greatness?
Or at least what was once greatness, and surely will be seen that way again in the future. Nevermind this messy "in-between" time.
...DAY 4 "LIKE":
-- that this slam has multiple courts with roofs, with another to come when MCA has a working retractable lid next year.
...DAY 4 "DISLIKE":
-- that, even with the Extreme Heat rules that allow for breaks between sets, there is no firm rule that pertains to players playing in a 3rd/5th set which, since this isn't the U.S. Open, could go on and on and on without an end before one or both players turn into a heap of bones and pulsating skin surrounded by ball kids holding wet towels and trainers with ice vests. What, some sort of rule can't be passed that the between-set break can also be instituted, after, say, twelve games in the deciding set if it goes on that long?
...DAY 4 "PLEASE... no, really. Please...":
-- as ESPN2 aired coverage of the Azarenka/BZS match, Cliff Drysdale started peppering Mary Joe Fernandez with questions about comparing/contrasting the games of Azarenka and Sharapova. All in all, MJF essentially settled on Azarenka being a more all-court player than Sharapova. As it was happening, it felt like an odd bit of questioning, and then it all became a bit clearer when Drysdale mentioned how he thought that sounds both women made on the court were "quite similar," setting off another brief, eye-rolling (from this seat) recap of the whole issue and the WTA's attempts to quell the on-court noises of its players.
Sigh.
Really, Cliff. You're on this again, and you're roping MJF into it by, for-some-odd-but-not-so-odd-in-the-end-once-the-intention-was-revealed, having her talk about Sharapova and Azarenka's games? Really? Please.
...and, finally...
=AWARDS UPDATE= ...with Jarmila Gajdosova's loss to Elina Svitolina, Casey Dellacqua is the "Last Wild Card Standing," and continues to be in the running with Sam Stosur to be the final Aussie in the draw.
Kazakh Zarina Diyas avoided a "Last Qualifier Standing" logjam, taking the honors all by herself with a win today over Kiwi Marina Erakovic.
Also, although Sharapova (and then Stephens) nearly stole it from her today, #6 Petra Kvitova unfortunately goes into the book as this AO's "Crash & Burn" player. The Czech's 1st Round exit at the hands of Luksika Kumkhum was her worst slam result since her 1st Round exit at the U.S. Open in the immediate aftermath of her maiden slam title at Wimbledon in 2011.
As far as the national honors, it's a bit difficult to pick out clear winners in the "Upset Queens" and "Revelation Ladies" races for the AO early rounds, but I'm going to go with the Romanians for "RL" with Halep looking like a good bet for another Round of 16, and Monica Niculecsu and her awe-inspiring slice forehand still alive in the draw, as well, after she ended her personal eight-match slam losing streak.
I was looking at the Americans for "Upset Queens," but I think I'm going to go elsewhere, largely because the only seeded player upset by a Bannerette was #23 Elena Vesnina by Alison Riske. Even though they, too, have only knocked off one seed (#18 Flipkens), I'll instead go with the Aussies. After all, who thought that THREE would get 1st Round wins, that two would still be in the draw in the 3rd Round, and that Stosur would be looking so good on Aussie soil? Those would have all been "upset" results forthe first four days of this AO if you'd said they might happen before the start of the tournament.
The Aussies' win here, by the way, ends the impressive four-year run (and 5-of-6) of "UQ" honors being claimed by the Hordettes.
*AO "REVELATION LADIES" WINNERS* 2006 Italy 2007 Belarus 2008 Poland 2009 Kazakhstan 2010 Germany 2011 Czech Republic 2012 Germany 2013 United States 2014 Romania
*AO "UPSET QUEENS" WINNERS* 2004 Hungary 2005 Russia 2006 Spain 2007 Czech Republic 2008 Russia 2009 France 2010 Russia 2011 Russia 2012 Russia 2013 Russia 2014 Australia
*AO "LAST WILD CARD STANDING" WINNERS* 2008 Jessica Moore, AUS (2nd Rd.) 2009 Jelena Dokic, AUS (QF) 2010 Justine Henin, BEL (RU) 2011 Jelena Dokic/AUS, Caroline Garcia/FRA & Alicia Molik/AUS (2nd Rd.) 2012 Casey Dellacqua/AUS & Olivia Rogowska/AUS (2nd Rd.) 2013 Madison Keys/USA (3rd Rd.) 2014 Casey Dellacqua/AUS (in 3rd Rd.)
*AO "CRASH & BURN" LOSERS* 2008 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS (3rd Rd.) 2009 Venus Williams, USA (2nd Rd.) 2010 Maria Sharapova, RUS (1st Rd.) 2011 Jelena Jankovic, SRB (2nd Rd.) 2012 Samantha Stosur, AUS (1st Rd.) 2013 Samantha Stosur, AUS (2nd Rd.) 2014 Petra Kvitova, CZE (1st Rd.)
**AO "EARLY-ROUND TOP PLAYER" WINNERS** 2002 (Week 1 POW) Martina Hingis, SUI 2003 (Week 1 POW) Kim Clijsters, BEL 2004 (Week 1 co-POW) Kim Clijsters, BEL & Justine Henin, BEL * 2005 (Week 1 POW) Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 2006 (Week 1 POW) Amelie Mauresmo, FRA * 2007 Kim Clijsters, BEL 2008 Maria Sharapova, RUS * 2009 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK 2010 Kim Clijsters, BEL 2011 Kim Clijsters, BEL * 2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR * 2013 Maria Sharapova, RUS 2014 Serena Williams, USA -- * - won title
TOP QUALIFIER:Belinda Bencic/SUI TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Serena Williams/USA TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Cristina Mitu/ROU def. #4 Anna-Lena Friedsam/GER 3-6/6-4/9-7 TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - #3 Maria Sharapova/RUS def. Karin Knapp/ITA 6-3/4-6/10-8 TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx TOP LAVER NIGHT MATCH: xx ============================= FIRST VICTORY:#18 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (def. Laura Robson/GBR) FIRST SEED OUT:#7 Sara Errani/ITA (lost 1st Rd. to Julia Goerges, GER) UPSET QUEENS:Australia REVELATION LADIES:Romania NATION OF POOR SOULS:Italy (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round; Schiavone out 1st Rd. 5/6 slams) LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Zarina Diyas/KAZ (in 3rd. Rd.) LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (in 3rd Rd.) LAST AUSSIE STANDING: in 3rd Rd.: Dellacqua, Stosur Ms. OPPORTUNITY: xx IT (TBD): xx COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: J.Zheng, Dellacqua (singles), Stosur, Ivanovic CRASH & BURN:#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE (lost 1st Rd. to world #88 Luksika Kumkhum; worst slam result since losing 1st Rd. at '11 U.S. Open following Wimbledon title run) ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees: #22 E.Makarova (down 3-0 in 3rd vs. Venus/1st Rd.); #2 V.Azarenka (Larsson twice served for 1st set in 1st Rd.); #13 S.Stephens (down 5-1, with Shvedova twice serving for 1st set in 1st Rd.; 2nd Rd., won 7-5 in 3rd after Tomljanovic served for match at 5-4); #31 Hantuchova (goes three sets in both 1st/2nd Rd., wins 12-10 3rd vs. Ka.Pliskova on 5th MP); J.Zheng (2nd Rd., down double-break at 4-1 in 3rd vs. M.Keys); #30 Bouchard (no on 6 MP in 2nd set vs. Razzano/2nd Rd., saves 2 SP in 2nd; wins on 7th MP); #3 M.Sharapova (2nd Rd. - goes 3:28 vs. Knapp, no on 3 MP at 5-4 in 3rd, wins on 4th MP for 10-8 final set); #16 C.Suarez-Navarro (2nd Rd. - down 5-2 in 3rd vs. Voskoboeva, who served for match at 5-4; CSN won 8-6) AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:lost 1st Rd. to (LL) Falconi/USA, once again failing to reach a slam QF in her career (so Anna Smashnova still has a buddy); 7 con. slam losses; 22 1st Round exits in 47 slams LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: S.Stosur, S.Williams DOUBLES STAR: xx JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
On Day 5, at around 5 p.m., the brutal heat wave that has dominated the conversation and day-to-day existence of the first week of this Australian Open finally broke. The temperature fell twenty-four degrees in an hour and a half.
But that didn't mean that weather-related (and other) drama wasn't going to continue once the sun went down. After all, Sam Stosur had yet to see the court in the 3rd Round.
Things didn't look as if they were going to get complicated in the 1st set, though, as Stosur once again started strongly at Rod Laver Arena against Ana Ivanovic. When AnaIvo barely got a racket on a Stosur passing shot, the Aussie got the match's first break of serve to go up 4-3. She held for 5-3, forcing the Serb to hold to stay in the set. When Ivanovic hit a second serve that was called out, Stosur retrieved her towel from a ball kid and headed for the changeover area with the 1st set in hand.
Ah, but wait. Ivanovic challenged the call, and she was right.
Stosur gave back the towel, and play continued. Ivanovic hit another serve that was called out on her next shot. She challenged it, too. Again, she was right. AnaIvo ended up holding for 5-4. Stosur still had the chance to serve out the set, and she held three more sets points on her serve in game #10. But AnaIvo pulled out her stinging forehand to save the day and get the break.
The set went to a tie-break, where Stosur grabbed a 2-0 lead, then saw her forehand falter as Ivanovic won six of seven points to get to triple set point at 6-3. After Stosur saved two, Ivanovic double-faulted on the third to knot things at 6-6. After failing to convert SP #5, Stosur grabbed another advantage at 8-7 when, during a point in which the weather went from dry to pouring down rain in a matter of seconds, Ivanovic saw Stosur slightly stumble on the suddenly slippery court during the rally, then, as the crowd reacted to the growing shower, she netted a forehand that gave the Aussie a sixth SP. As everyone on court scattered in what was now a downpour, AnaIvo tried to get chair umpire Mariana Alves (yes, naturally, she was there for such a moment) to consider replaying the point, but was immediately rebuffed.
Twenty-five minutes later, after the Laver roof was closed and the court dried, Ivanovic saved the dangling set point, but then gave Stosur a seventh when she overcooked a forehand. Up 9-8, Stosur served wide and then moved forward to put away an easy forehand winner to claim the set that she'd thought was hers about forty minutes earlier. Suddenly, Stosur's career 16-0 AO mark when she wins the 1st set was in play.
Having felt "robbed" during the rain point, then having failed to rebound once the rain delay was over and losing the set, Ivanovic opened the 2nd by going up 40/love on Stosur's serve, only to fail to break. Her frustration was evident, but so was her desire to get in the match by firing winners. She got a break to go up 3-2, and held the advantage until she served things out for 6-4 on her second set point when Stosur couldn't handle the Serb's big second serve.
Early in the 3rd, Ivanovic's barrage of winners continued as she broke the Aussie to begin the set, then took a 2-0 lead while losing just one point. In game #6, AnaIvo saved a break point and held for 4-2. A game later, the Serb's pulverizing service returns prevented Stosur from serving her way back into the set. A clean forehand return winner gave Ivanovic a break point, and when the Aussie couldn't get back another big forehand Ivanovic had a two-break lead at 5-2, with a chance to serve out the match. Fittingly, on match point, AnaIvo blasted a wide serve that Stosur had to stretch to return, then the Serb put away her thirty-second forehand winner to end the 6-7(8)/6-4/6-2 match.
Contrary to what one might have anticipated from these two, neither player folded under the pressure of this match. Of course, with Serena awaiting the winner in the Round of 16, why be a worry wart NOW? This was a good, high-quality match, and Ivanovic won it rather than Stosur having lost it. The Serb, a Week 1 champion in Auckland, continues to slowly climb back into the conversation after the long lag time in finding an elusive "Second Act" following her '08 Roland Garros title run. With her ranking edging back toward the Top 10 (#14), she might just have a shot to finish the season there for the first time since '08 if her surge can be a full-year thing.
Recent history trends says it might be, too.
This Round of 16 result is her third straight at the AO, and her eighth in the last ten slams, after having had just one in the previous eight before her current run. A finalist in this tournament six years ago, Ivanovic will surely have her work cut out for her next round (she admitted she might have to be twice as good as tonight). While Stosur has two wins over Williams in slams, AnaIvo has never beaten her, going 0-4 against Serena for her career.
But why express sympathy now for what will likely be her ultimate fate at this event? Night 5, after it looked like quite the opposite might be the case, belonged to AnaIvo. Enjoy the now.
=DAY 5 NOTES= ...unless you count the it's-hard-to-really-depend-on-her-anymore #6 seed Petra Kvitova, there hasn't been a truly big women's seed to fall at this AO, even with the additional opponent of the heat thrown into the equation. Maria Sharapova came very close yesterday, but #4 Li Na came even closer today. Against #26 Lucie Safarova, Li saved a match point before seizing the momentum of the match and surging into her fifth straight AO Round of 16.
Early on, for the first time at this event, Li had difficulty getting out of the blocks. Safarova controlled the opening set, winning 6-1 and keeping the '13 runner-up at bay throughout most of the 2nd. Down 5-4, Li held serve after coming within two points of going out. Two games later, she had to do so again. This time, she fell down love/30, then saw the Czech reach match point. Safarova attempted to end a rally with a down-the-line winner, only just just missed the shot long. She challenged the call, to no avail. Li held for 6-6, then rushed to a 4-0 lead in the tie-break before winning it 7-2.
In the 3rd, Safarova, with her serving shoulder taped and her right thigh heavily strapped, began to gradually fall away. She netted a Li return and was broken for 5-3, then Li served things out 1-6/7-6(2)/6-3 to push her 2014 record to 8-0.
Whether Li just became this slam's "Zombie Queen" is debatable, but she's at least the first contender to stare down a match point and live to tell about it. Often times, that's when a player "turns."
...earlier in the day, top-seeded Serena Williams showed the first (slight) signs of being (slightly) fallible at this Australian Open. Early on in her match against #31-seed Daniela Hantuchova, she got off to a "sloggy" start and took a while to get her footwork figured out. Still, she took a break lead for 4-2 in the 1st set. Serving at 5-3, she fell behind love/40. But, no matter, she simply twice saved break points with second serves, one an ace to get to deuce. She won the set 6-3, with Hantuchova failing to convert on five BP chances.
Williams broke the Slovak to begin the 2nd set, but then saw Hantuchova break her serve (at love) for the first time at this AO for 3-3. Naturally, though, Serena got the break back a game later. She took the match 6-3/6-3 despite putting in just 48% of her first serves in for the match. The win runs her career record against Hantuchova to 9-1 and passes Margaret Court for the most career women's match wins (61) at the Australian Open. This is Williams' forty-fifth career slam Round of 16, her eleventh in Melbourne and her seventh consecutive in a grand slam.
...in other 3rd Round matches, #30 Eugenie Bouchard, with her new/growing fan base cheering her on from the stands, defeated Lauren Davis to reach her first career slam Round of 16. #9 Angelique Kerber advanced to her second straight AO 4th Round by taking out Alison Riske, and #28 Flavia Pennetta advanced past Mona Barthel and into her third straight slam Round of 16.
#22 Ekaterina Makarova defeated Monica Niculesu, assuring the Hordettes of having at least one member of the Round of 16 for the fifty-third time in the last fifty-four slams (only missing out at last year's Wimbledon). Wild card Casey Dellacqua, after taking a brief dip after being treated by trainers in the 2nd set, eliminated Zheng Jie in straight sets to reach her second career slam Round of 16. Her other result came at the AO in 2008.
Later, Stosur's night session loss on Laver made Dellacqua the "Last Aussie Standing."
...in doubles, #2-seeds Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai cut off at the knees (sorry, I just watched the ESPN "30 for 30" documentary on the Harding/Kerrigan story) their best chance to take away the #1 ranking from Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci at the end of this tournament, losing 7-5/3-6/6-4 today to the team of Silvia Soler-Espinosa & Shahar Peer. Meanwhile, defending champs Errani/Vinci defeated Kaia Kanepi & Renata Voracova 1-6/6-1/6-1.
Elsewhere, the Williams Sisters pulled out of the doubles, citing a lower leg injury to Venus... though the idea of giving Serena, who delayed her post-match interviews today because she said she was dizzy and wasn't feeling well, a rest is probably the more likely story. Of course, this allowed Kristina Mladenovic & Flavia Pennetta to breathe a sigh of relief. Rather than face Williams/Williams, they got Naydenova/Pereira in their 1st Round match today. They won 6-1/6-2.
...classic Vika, circa 2012:
...DAY 5 "LIKE":
-- Tennis Channel's Martina Navratilova laughing at the sight of a thatch of clothes tags sticking out the back of Safarova's top during her match with Li, as well as when video was shown of a boy standing directly over the spout in one of the water fountains on the grounds, allowing the stream to shoot up from underneath his shirt, then out the neck hole.
...DAY 5 "GOOD TIMING" AWARD:
-- Bouchard's on-set interview with ESPN2 was scheduled to take place around the end of the 1st set of Stosur/Ivanovic, but ended up being the perfect time filler while the roof was closed on Laver after that sudden rain burst. There was even time to show the Canadian another impromptu dance/cheer by the maple leap-clad Team Genie (mostly Aussie) fans that have been following around and serenading the 19-year throughout this first week. With Australian Dellacqua up next, Bouchard semi-joked that "they'd better" continue to cheer for her this weekend.
...and, finally, this from the other day from Bouchard, who shook hands at the net with Virginie Razzano after their 2nd Round match, then paused and leaned in to give her a kiss, as well. “I just thought because she was French they do the kissy thing,” said Quebec native Bouchard, “I thought she maybe kind of wanted to. I was hesitating. I just kind of went for it.”
=WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16= #1 Serena Williams/USA vs. #14 Ana Ivanovic/SRB (WC) Casey Dellacqua/AUS vs. #30 Eugenie Bouchard/CAN #4 Li Na/CHN vs. #22 Ekaterina Makarova/RUS #9 Angelique Kerber/GER vs. #28 Flavia Pennetta/ITA x vs. x x vs. x x vs. x x vs. x
=MEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16= x vs. x x vs. x x vs. x x vs. x #7 Tomas Berdych/CZE vs. x Florian Mayer/GER vs. #3 David Ferrer/ESP #8 Stanislas Wawrinka/SUI vs. x x vs. x
*CAREER AO MATCH WINS* [women] 61...SERENA WILLIAMS * 60...Margaret Court 56...Lindsay Davenport 52...Martina Hingis 47...Steffi Graf [men] 70...ROGER FEDERER * 56...Stefan Edberg 48...Andre Agassi 48...Ivan Lendl 45...Pete Sampras
TOP QUALIFIER:Belinda Bencic/SUI TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Serena Williams/USA TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Cristina Mitu/ROU def. #4 Anna-Lena Friedsam/GER 3-6/6-4/9-7 TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - #3 Maria Sharapova/RUS def. Karin Knapp/ITA 6-3/4-6/10-8 TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx TOP LAVER NIGHT MATCH: xx ============================= FIRST VICTORY:#18 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (def. Laura Robson/GBR) FIRST SEED OUT:#7 Sara Errani/ITA (lost 1st Rd. to Julia Goerges, GER) UPSET QUEENS:Australia REVELATION LADIES:Romania NATION OF POOR SOULS:Italy (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round; Schiavone out 1st Rd. 5/6 slams) LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Zarina Diyas/KAZ (in 3rd. Rd.) LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (in 4th Rd.) LAST AUSSIE STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (in 4th Rd.) Ms. OPPORTUNITY: xx IT (TBD): E.Bouchard, C.Dellacqua COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: J.Zheng, C.Dellacqua (singles), A.Ivanovic CRASH & BURN:#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE (lost 1st Rd. to world #88 Luksika Kumkhum; worst slam result since losing 1st Rd. at '11 U.S. Open following Wimbledon title run) ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees... #22 E.Makarova (1st Rd. - down 3-0 in 3rd vs. V.Williams) #13 S.Stephens (1st Rd. - down 5-1, w/ Shvedova twice serving for 1st set; 2nd Rd. - Tomljanovic served for match) #30 Bouchard (2nd Rd. - no on 6 MP in 2nd set vs. Razzano, saves 2 SP in 2nd; wins on 7th MP) #3 M.Sharapova (2nd Rd. - goes 3:28 vs. Knapp, no on 3 MP at 5-4 in 3rd, wins on 4th MP for 10-8 final set) #16 C.Suarez-Navarro (2nd Rd. - down 5-2 in 3rd vs. Voskoboeva, who served for match at 5-4; CSN won 8-6) #4 Li (3rd Rd. - saved MP vs. Safarova) AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:lost 1st Rd. to (LL) Falconi/USA, once again failing to reach a slam QF in her career (so Anna Smashnova still has a buddy); 7 con. slam losses; 22 1st Round exits in 47 slams LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: A.Ivanovic, S.Williams DOUBLES STAR: xx JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
The Round of 16 field is set... and you know what that means.
**ROUND OF 16 NOTES** NUMBER OF DIFFERENT NATIONS REPRESENTED: thirteen. Nations with more than one: Russia (2), Serbia (2) and the United States (2).
FIRST-TIME SLAM ROUND OF 16ers: #30 Eugenie Bouchard and unseeded Garbine Muguruza. Bouchard, 19, is the highest-ranked teenager in the world at #31. She's the first Canadian woman to reach a slam 4th Round since Aleksandra Wozniak at Roland Garros in '09, and the first to do so in Australia since Maureen Drake in '99. Muguruza came to Melbourne hot off her maiden career tour title in Hobart, a tournament for which she had to qualify. Her AO wins have run her current winning streak to eleven matches. As far as additional Aussie Open 4th Round newbies, only Simona Halep has never been there in Melbourne before. The Swarmette made her grand slam Round of 16 debut at last year's U.S. Open.
HOME SWEET HARD COURT?: Of the sixteen remaining women, eleven also advanced to the Round of 16 at last year's U.S. Open. Eight of those players also reached the 4th Round at last season's Australian Open.
BACKSPIN 1, PIRONKOVA 0: Fifteen of the final sixteen women appeared on Backspin's preseason "Grand Slam Master List." Only wild card Casey Dellacqua (world #120), appearing in her second career slam Round of 16 (her first since 2008), wasn't included on the list. One other player who wasn't on the list but threatened to spring from the shadows when no one was looking -- Tsvetana Pironkova -- didn't make it, losing in the 2nd Round to Sam Stosur. Thanks, Sam. So far, so good.
*2014 AUSTRALIAN OPEN WOMEN'S FINAL 16* [by ranking] #1 - Serena Williams #2 - Victoria Azarenka #3 - Maria Sharapova #4 - Li Na #5 - Agnieszka Radwanska #8 - Jelena Jankovic #9 - Angelique Kerber #11 - Simona Halep #13 - Sloane Stephens #14 - Ana Ivanovic #22 - Ekaterina Makarova #24 - Dominika Cibulkova #29 - Flavia Pennetta #31 - Eugenie Bouchard #38 - Garbine Muguruza #120 - Casey Dellacqua [by age] 32...Serena Williams 31...Flavia Pennetta 31...Li Na 28...Casey Dellacqua 28...Jelena Jankovic 26...Maria Sharapova 26...Ana Ivanovic 26...Angelique Kerber 25...Ekaterina Makarova 24...Agnieszka Radwanska 24...Dominika Cibulkova 24...Victoria Azarenka 22...Simona Halep 20...Sloane Stephens 20...Garbine Muguruza 19...Eugenie Bouchard [by nation] 2...Russia (Makarova,Sharapova) 2...Serbia (Ivanovic,Jankovic) 2...United States (Stephens,S.Williams) 1...Australia (Dellacqua) 1...Belarus (Azarenka) 1...Canada (Bouchard) 1...China (Li) 1...Germany (Kerber) 1...Italy (Pennetta) 1...Poland (A.Radwanska) 1...Romania (Halep) 1...Slovak Republic (Cibulkova) 1...Spain (Muguruza) [by career slam Round-of-16's] 45...Serena Williams 29...Maria Sharapova 19...Jelena Jankovic 19...Agnieszka Radwanska 18...Ana Ivanovic 17...Victoria Azarenka 16...Li Na 11...Flavia Pennetta 8...Angelique Kerber 6...Dominika Cibulkova 6...Ekaterina Makarova 6...Sloane Stephens 2...Casey Dellacqua 2...Simona Halep 1...Eugenie Bouchard 1...Garbine Muguruza [by consecutive slam Round of 16's] 7...Agnieszka Radwanska 7...Serena Williams 5...Sloane Stephens 3...Li Na 3...Flavia Pennetta 2...Victoria Azarenka 2...Simona Halep 2...Ana Ivanovic 2...Jelena Jankovic 2...Angelique Kerber 2...Ekaterina Makarova [by career AO Round of 16's] 11...Serena Williams 8...Maria Sharapova 6...Victoria Azarenka 6...Li Na 5...Jelena Jankovic 5...Agnieszka Radwanska 4...Ana Ivanovic 4...Ekaterina Makarova 2...Dominika Cibulkova 2...Casey Dellacqua 2...Angelique Kerber 2...Flavia Pennetta 2...Sloane Stephens 1...Eugenie Bouchard 1...Simona Halep 1...Garbine Muguruza [by consecutive AO Round of 16's] 7...Serena Williams [not counting missed 2011 AO] 6...Victoria Azarenka 5...Li Na 4...Ekaterina Makarova 4...Agnieszka Radwanska 4...Maria Sharapova 3...Ana Ivanovic 2...Angelique Kerber 2...Sloane Stephens [by preseason "Grand Slam Master List" rankings] 1 - Serena Williams 2 - Victoria Azarenka 3 - Li Na 4 - Maria Sharapova 7 - Agnieszka Radwanska 9 - Angelique Kerber 11 - Sloane Stephens 12 - Simona Halep 13 - Jelena Jankovic 14 - Flavia Pennetta 19 - Ekaterina Makarova 20 - Eugenie Bouchard 27 - Dominika Cibulkova 33 - Ana Ivanovic 53 - Garbine Muguruza unlisted - Casey Dellacqua [WTA career slam Round of 16's - active] 45...SERENA WILLIAMS 40...Venus Williams 29...MARIA SHARAPOVA 26...Svetlana Kuznetsova 21...Nadia Petrova 19...JELENA JANKOVIC 19...AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA 18...ANA IVANOVIC 18...Francesca Schiavone 17...VICTORIA AZARENKA 16...LI NA 16...Vera Zvonareva [WTA slam Round of 16's since 2010 - active] 13...SERENA WILLIAMS 12...VICTORIA AZARENKA 12...MARIA SHARAPOVA 11...AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA 10...LI NA 9...ANA IVANOVIC 9...Petra Kvitova 9...Caroline Wozniacki 8...ANGELIQUE KERBER 8...Svetlana Kuznetsova 8...Francesca Schiavone 7...JELENA JANKOVIC 7...Maria Kirilenko
Whew!
=DAY 6 NOTES= ...with the temperatures out of the 100's and in the 70's on Day 6, we can finally get around to focusing more on the actual tennis and not whether or not someone has to die before the AO organizers clear up the Extreme Heat policy.
Hoo-ray.
...perhaps the biggest question of Day 6 was how #3 Maria Sharapova would respond in her first match since her three and a half hour drama against Karin Knapp in the 2nd Round. Having a perfect weather day helped, as did a decided numbers disadvantage for her opponent, #25 Alize Cornet. The Pastry was 1-18 vs. Top 5 players, and 1-7 in grand slam 3rd Round matches.
The numbers held up early, as Sharapova raced to a 4-0 lead and took the 1st set 6-1. In the 2nd, though, Cornet got a break lead at 3-1. It didn't last long, as Sharapova was soon serving for the match at 5-4. She even held a match point, but after serving two double-faults in the game she was broken, and once the two exchanged two more breaks the set went to a tie-break.
Needing a two-set match, Sharapova flirted with going to three, allowing her string of forehand errors to, ever-so-briefly, cause her to resemble a certain Queen Chaos throwing up her arms in frustration with herself. A tie-break long dialogue/diatribe with the player's box didn't follow, though, so the comparison ended there.
At 5-5, Sharapova served a point that would produce either a set point or a match point. She sailed another forehand long and the Pastry came within a point of twisting a knife into the Russian's back by taking things to the 3rd. Sharapova saved the SP with a low volley/near-drop shot and volley winner combo, then followed up with a deep return that Cornet returned long. At 7-6, Sharapova had her second match point, and Cornet's long shot ended things, 6-1/7-6(6) as the Russian advanced to her fourth straight AO Round of 16. ...#13 Sloane Stephens, after surviving streaky play in both her first two matches this week, did so again against Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. In the 1st set, Stephens took an early break lead at 3-1, only to see Svitolina win four straight games and serve for the set at 5-3. The American broke her serve in game #9, then again in game #11, and served out the set at 7-5. She then got up a break in the 2nd, and this time avoided another roller coaster finish, winning 7-5/6-4.
As for #2-seed and defending champion Victoria Azarenka, Stephens' Round of 16 opponent in a rematch of their controversial semifinal of a year ago, Night 6 was a "that's more like it" moment. Yes, she dropped her first service game of the match, but, well, that was the only game she lost against Yvonne Meusburger in a 6-1/6-0 victory, easily her most complete and consistent performance at this slam.
More on the Vika/Sloane rematch -- and maybe another, more unsavory Melbourne "sequel" -- in a moment.
...credit Caroline Wozniacki for very nearly overcoming the growing pains of attempting to change her game and escaping with a win over Garbine Muguruza today. Even while playing a more powerful player who'd handled her on hard court last spring in their only previous meeting, the #10-seeded Wozniacki erased an early break and took the lead from the 20-year old by winning the set 6-4. She was on her way to possibly winning in straight sets, too, but a double-fault to break her own serve gave Muguruza the chance to serve out the 2nd set, which she did at 7-5.
In the 3rd, the six-foot tall Spaniard seized control, taking a 5-1 lead and breaking for 5-2 to get the chance to serve for her first career slam Round of 16. Finally showing some nerves, Muguruza was broken, but then immediately bounced back by breaking th Dane at love to win 4-6/7-5/6-3.
Wozniacki's error totals were up in this match, and her past consistency wasn't in evidence. But that is going to happen as she attempts to put more oomph behind her serve and forehand, and play with the sort of aggression that -- even in small doses -- used to be foreign to her game. Thing is, the Dane, although she gets credit for hiring Thomas Hogstedt as coach and making changes with the thought of competing to win slams, is about eighteen months behind schedule. She could have made these same alternations two seasons ago, but instead chose to deflect any talk of such a thing, saying she "had time." If she had taken the steps then, she might have come out the other side of the changes by now and be closer to where she wants to be. As it is, she's just at the beginning of this cycle. She's been warned by Hogstedt that she shouldn't expect immediate results, and that there's no reason to panic if the errors come fast and furious, and the tide of losses to power players isn't abated. If she listens, things may turn out fine.
But, well, we'll see how that works out.
Meanwhile, it's hard to not see even more good things for Muguruza on the immediate horizon. This was her eleventh straight win this season, and her thirteen overall victories (through 14 matches, with her only loss coming vs. an in-form Venus in Auckland in Week 1) is more than any other woman thus far in 2014. And this is coming after she missed the last half of 2013 after having ankle surgery following Wimbledon. She began the year at #64 and her early season success, including her first title last week in Hobart, has already raised her ranking to #38. This result will take her still higher and, remember, she has ZERO points to defend in the second half of the year. Don't be surprised if Muguruza is ranked well inside the Top 20 or 15 by the end of the season, not to mention likely ahead of Wozniacki.
...#5 Aga Radwanka proved to be more fortunate than her friend Caro, as her opponent, #29 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, after taking the opening set, had a difficult time making it through the match in top condition. The Russian took the 1st set set 7-5, and led the 2nd at 2-0. But by the time A-Rad had taken a 5-2 lead, Pavlyuchenkova was being looked at by tournament doctors. Radwanska went on to claim fourteen of the final sixteen games to win 5-7/6-2/6-2, advancing to her seventh straight slam 4th Round (tied w/ Serena for the best on tour).
Thing is, Aga might live to regret this in the next round. Muguruza is just the sort of player who has often hit Radwanska off the court in the past. Maybe the Spaniard will get nervous, and maybe the Pole will find a way to distract and throw her off-balance with her bag of tricks. But Muguruza could blow right through her, too. It'll be interesting to see what happens in that one.
...elsewhere, #20 Dominika Cibulkova blasted #16 Carla Suarez-Navarro, winning 6-1/6-0 as the Spaniard didn't come back well from her marathon win over Galina Voskoboeva. The Slovak, with a new serve that is obviously proving quite effective, is now in her first slam Round of 16 since Roland Garros '12, and her first in Melbourne since '09. She'll next get Sharapova. Cibulkova defeated Sharapova in the RG quarterfinals in 2009 to reach her only career slam semifinal. Of note, or not, Cibulkova was also sporting a #20 seed that year in Paris. I'm just sayin'.
Simona Halep eliminated qualifier Zarina Diyas in straight sets to reach her second straight slam 4th Round, where she'll face the so-far-under-the-radar Jelena Jankovic, also a winner in two sets of Kurumi Nara.
...the big names might not be falling in singles, but they are in doubles. #2 Hsieh/Peng went down yesterday, and today it was the '13 finalists, #5-seeds Ashleigh Barty & Casey Dellacqua, who lost to Timea Babos and Petra Martic. #12-seeded Kristina Mladenovic & Flavia Pennetta, too, were sent out by the all-Bannerette team of Madison Keys & Alison Riske.
Mladenovic did win her 1st Round Mixed Doubles match with Daniel Nestor, though.
...AO champion Vika, in photographic, link and notes form:
Ah, memories. Vika in Melbourne in 2012. And... the shorts. Here's how I described "The Verisimilitude of Vika" back then. And, if you so desire, you can click on the photos for a closer inspection of my AO '12 second week notepad sheet from that slam, just in case you wondered what sort of Unabomber-like scribblings I utilize to keep daily track of the developments during a slam, including the ongoing nominations for awards, etc. And, yes, I've got a similar two-page record going for this slam, too, as I have for every one for about six or seven years. (Yeah, I know... I need help.)
...DAY 6 "LIKE":
-- the ESPN2 shot from inside the Laver Arena court-level broadcasting booth, which both resembled the view from courtside seats at a basketball game and the P.O.V. of a pilot inside an airplane cockpit. No wonder they've been talking about it all week like little kids with a new, cool toy.
...DAY 6 IRKSOME, LOOMING FUTURE (and maybe already present) "DISLIKE":
-- let the relentless Whack-a-Vika II act begin? Or maybe I've just got my VikaGuard up.
Truth is, this AO has been refreshingly controversy-free for Victoria Azarenka. But, of course, the first weekend has only just begun. She'll face Sloane Stephens next, so it'll now be time to cue up all the VikaGate video involving the medical timeout against the American in last year's semifinal. You remember, the match that Azarenka was dominating save for a few minutes of action near the end.
But, of course, as soon as a rematch at this AO became a real possibility -- as Stephens was winning, while Vika was hours from even playing -- the misinformation came flying fast on ESPN2. First, Chris Evert noted how well Stephens played against Azarenka last year (um, not really), and how Sloane had been leading the match when Azarenka took her medical timeout/"medical timeout." Actually, Vika dominated the 1st set of that match, winning it 6-1 as Stephens went 1-for-10 on game points on her serve. Azarenka then took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd, and led 4-2. She served for a straight sets win at 5-3, and held five match points, before having serious potential-nervous-breakdown issues and lost her serve. It was at 5-4 that the whole timeout controversy began, right before Stephens was set to serve. After the break, Vika came back and got a break of serve to close out a 6-1/6-4 win. So, sorry Chrissie, Sloane actually NEVER led in that match, let alone was about to win it when Azarenka went off the court. At best, Stephens might have had a shot to push things deep into the 2nd, possibly a tie-break, and maybe even a 3rd set... before which Vika would have likely taken a break and collected herself, as she did earlier.
VikaGuard up!
Of course, the full force assault in support of Stephens being robbed of a win a year ago continued later. During an on-set interview with Sloane, after gathering questions from viewers via Twitter, take a guess what the one question that was selected was about. Yep, Stephens was asked about "gamesmanship" and how to handle it. To her credit, Sloane took the high road and talked about how she's learned to not just sit in her chair during breaks or other instances, allowing herself to drift away from the match and get cold. Maybe Stephens has actually learned something over the past year, and Future Sloane replacing Current Sloane is getting closer to becoming a reality.
It's a pity that ESPN2 doesn't have a similar learning capacity.
Later, Evert noted that an Azarenka/Stephens match will be about Stephens getting off to a fast start. Hmmm, so I guess the two-time defending champion, and a finalist at the last four hard court slams with a 29-2 mark at those majors combined with this one, won't have ANY say in how things turns out, then? Evert is also saying that the pressure is now off Sloane for this tournament, since she's now facing a higher-ranked opponent. Really? Maybe on the surface, but not in reality. You can bet your bottom dollar, if Stephens falters (or succeeds) at some point in the match, those same commentators who were saying on ESPN2 tonight that Sloane has no pressure will say that she didn't handle (or handled well) the pressure of such a big match, you know, when it's actually taking place.
VikaGuard up!
Still later, Brad Gilbert threw in that Stephens could win the rematch because, "I love that way she's playing." Mind you, this is the same Stephens who, at this AO has, in the 1st Round, fallen behind 5-1 against Yaroslava Shvedova, who twice served for the 1st set. In the 2nd Round, Ajla Tomljanovic served for the match against Stephens. And, today, Elina Svitolina also served for the 1st set in her 3rd Round match. Yep, Sloane is REALLY coasting. She isn't leaving ANY doubt at all.
(shaking head)
Could Stephens win the match? Sure. In fact, I was even flirting with the idea of picking her to do so earlier today should both women win their matches on Day/Night 6. But I'd never pick her now. Of course, maybe I'm just wired to root again something happening simply because I'm being told, a little too vociferously by a few too many people all connected to one media organism, that it could-should-might-will actually happen, and then those same individuals using their fauty memories of a year-old match to attempt to back up why YOU should feel the same way they do about the whole issue. The behavior would make me want to root for a Vika win... I mean, even if I didn't already have a certain rooting interest on that side of the story as it is.
Yep, I get the idea I'm going to be hating on ESPN2 for the next 48 hours, or maybe more depending on what happens when Azarenka and Stephens actually play. I think I'm going to wear out that VikaGuard before the end of the weekend.
...and, finally, the junior competition has begun.
*GIRLS SEEDS* 1. Varvara Flink, RUS 2. Ivana Jorovic, SRB 3. Anhelina Kalinina, UKR 4. Elizaveta Kulichkoav, RUS 5. Xu Shilin, CHN 6. Jelena Ostapenko, LAT 7. Sun Ziyue, CHN 8. Nina Stojanovic, SRB (lost) 9. Katie Boulter, GBR 10. Anastasiya Komardina, RUS 11. You Xiao-Di, CHN 12. Priscilla Hon, AUS 13. Sara Tomic, AUS (lost) 14. Katrine Steffensen, USA 15. Fiona Ferro, FRA 16. Fanny Stollar, HUN
There weren't really any 1st Round match-ups that particularly caught my eye on the surface, but #8-seed Serb Nina Stojanovic did lost to South African Ilze Hattingh, #13 Sara Tomic (yes, his sister) lost to Kamonwan Buayam (striking another blow for Thailand in this AO) and Yukina Saigo of Japan took out Aussie Anja Dokic (and, no, I don't believe there's any relation).
Of note, I think there are more Chinese girls (3) in the seeds at this slam than at any other that I can remember. As far as my pick goes, I'll take Eddie Herr champ Ostapenko over Orange Bowl winner Flink in the final. That'd be a rematch of the Herr semifinal in which both players and Flink's coach got into a bit of a "disagreement." Apparently, raised voices were involved. So, I guess we'd find out whether or not Latvians have more fun in Melbourne.
=WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16= #1 Serena Williams/USA vs. #14 Ana Ivanovic/SRB (WC) Casey Dellacqua/AUS vs. #30 Eugenie Bouchard/CAN #4 Li Na/CHN vs. #22 Ekaterina Makarova/RUS #9 Angelique Kerber/GER vs. #28 Flavia Pennetta/ITA #8 Jelena Jankovic/SRB vs. #11 Simona Halep/ROU #20 Dominika Cibulkova/SVK vs. #3 Maria Sharapova/RUS #5 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL vs. Garbine Muguruza/ESP #13 Sloane Stephens/USA vs. #2 Victoria Azarenka/BLR
=MEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16= #1 Rafael Nadal/ESP vs. #16 Kei Nishikori/JPN #22 Grigor Dimitrov/BUL vs. Roberta Bautista Agut/ESP #4 Andy Murray/GBR vs. (LL) Stephane Robert/FRA #10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/FRA vs. #6 Roger Federer/SUI #7 Tomas Berdych/CZE vs. #19 Kevin Anderson/RSA Florian Mayer/GER vs. #3 David Ferrer/ESP #8 Stanislas Wawrinka/SUI vs. #17 Tommy Robredo/ESP #15 Fabio Fognini/ITA vs. #2 Novak Djokovic/SRB
TOP QUALIFIER:Belinda Bencic/SUI TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Serena Williams/USA TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Cristina Mitu/ROU def. #4 Anna-Lena Friedsam/GER 3-6/6-4/9-7 TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - #3 Maria Sharapova/RUS def. Karin Knapp/ITA 6-3/4-6/10-8 TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx TOP LAVER NIGHT MATCH: xx ============================= FIRST VICTORY:#18 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (def. Laura Robson/GBR) FIRST SEED OUT:#7 Sara Errani/ITA (lost 1st Rd. to Julia Goerges, GER) UPSET QUEENS:Australia REVELATION LADIES:Romania NATION OF POOR SOULS:Italy (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round; Schiavone out 1st Rd. 5/6 slams) LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Zarina Diyas/KAZ (3rd. Rd.) LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (in 4th Rd.) LAST AUSSIE STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (in 4th Rd.) Ms. OPPORTUNITY: xx IT (TBD): E.Bouchard, C.Dellacqua, S.Halep, G.Muguruza COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: C.Dellacqua (singles), A.Ivanovic, F.Pennetta CRASH & BURN:#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE (lost 1st Rd. to world #88 Luksika Kumkhum; worst slam result since losing 1st Rd. at '11 U.S. Open following Wimbledon title run) ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees... #22 E.Makarova (1st Rd. - down 3-0 in 3rd vs. V.Williams) #13 S.Stephens (1st Rd. - down 5-1, w/ Shvedova twice serving for 1st set; 2nd Rd. - Tomljanovic served for match; 3rd Rd. - Svitolina served for 1st set) #30 Bouchard (2nd Rd. - no on 6 MP in 2nd set vs. Razzano, saves 2 SP in 2nd; wins on 7th MP) #3 M.Sharapova (2nd Rd. - goes 3:28 vs. Knapp, no on 3 MP at 5-4 in 3rd, wins on 4th MP for 10-8 final set) #4 Li (3rd Rd. - saved MP vs. Safarova) AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:lost 1st Rd. to (LL) Falconi/USA, once again failing to reach a slam QF in her career (so Anna Smashnova still has a buddy); 7 con. slam losses; 22 1st Round exits in 47 slams LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: A.Ivanovic, S.Williams DOUBLES STAR: xx JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
Why is it that when Serena Williams loses in a slam -- or anywhere, really -- it seems as if the moon has just fallen from the sky?
Maybe it's because, like a WTA version of the rise and fall of the tides, we've come to mark time by how Williams performs in the four biggest events on the tennis calendar. And when a celestial player of the stature of a Serena is suddenly removed from the equation, everything seems "adrift." All of a sudden, nothing is a given. What once seemed an incontrovertible fact a few hours before is now a question without an answer. It's exciting, yes. But also scary. "Who knows what's going to happen now?," is the immediate refrain. It can give a tournament the shivers, serving to embolden the most hungry-for-success players, as well as freeze other less-prepared contenders in their tracks. It's fascinating to see in which group the surviving players ultimately reside.
Well, after Day 7 at this Australian Open, at the mid-way point of the tournament, that is what the rest of this slam will be about: who wants it the most, and who is capable of actually taking it? For there is both joy and fear in Melbourne... mighty Serena has indeed gone out.
Ana Ivanovic, a former #1 and slam winner, hasn't often resembled the last few years what her bio says she once was. Truthfully, ever after her masterful performance against Sam Stosur two nights ago, there was really little realistic thought that she could defeat Williams in their Round of 16 match today. After all, she was 0-4 against Serena in her career, and had never even won a single set, or even more than four games in any of those eight sets.
But, of course, there's always an "if" when it comes to Serena. If she's healthy and focused, she won't lose. If she's not, well, she still might win... but the door is open for the possibility of something else. It was pretty clear from the start that that door was open today, even if it was easy to believe that either Williams would find a way to close it, or AnaIvo would find a way to avoid walking through it.
Neither notion would prove true.
By now, we can see when something is "off" with Serena pretty quickly. The lack of footwork. The errors. The mechanical breakdown of her shots. Usually, when there's smoke, there's also fire. The last few days, there were rumors (amidst talk of shortened practices, a seemingly "B"-level game against Daniela Hantuchova two days ago, and a withdrawal from doubles) that Williams was injured. But Williams showed up on Laver today, so she thought she could still compete. And that's enough to get behind the notion that nothing should be taken away from what the Serb did on this day.
Even on a bad day, the one thing that Serena can do well is serve. She had thirteen aces today, but AnaIvo, regularly had an answer for both her first and second serves throughout the match. It would prove to be the signature of the #14-seeded Serb's three-set win over the world #1 who came to Melbourne as the virtually unopposed favorite to lift her eighteenth slam crown next weekend.
But, right from the start, something didn't seem right today.
Williams hit an ace on the first point of the match, but the opening game also included two double-faults and three break points. Williams held, but her trouble would prove to be prophetic. Ivanovic broke her serve for 3-2, but failed to hold it when she was broken back at love in the next game, double-faulting on break point. While Ivanovic played with, and mostly better, than Williams in the opening set, Serena managed another break in game #10 to grab the set at 6-4.
In the 2nd, though, Ivanovic got a second chance. She didn't squander it.
Once again, she broke Williams for 3-2, then backed it up with a hold a game later when she won a replay challenge on a Serena groundstroke that proved to have sailed long. The Serb nearly extended her lead with another break, but Williams saved two break points and held for 4-3. As was the case against Stosur, Ivanovic showed an ability to seize control of the flow of games by stringing together winners off the ground. As the match progressed, in fact, her off-the-ground power numbers began to dwarf those of Williams. Serving to stay in the set at 5-3, Williams saw Ivanovic hit back-to-back forehand winners -- one on a return -- to take a 40/15 lead. Serena pulled out her big serve to pull the game back from the edge, but continued to serve up groundstrokes to what by now had proven to be Ivanovic's most pulverizing weapon in the match. If it was a tactical decision, it didn't work, as AnaIvo got a third break point and put away another forehand winner to take the set 6-3, ending her nine-set losing streak against the American.
In the 3rd, Ivanovic continued her surge. She got an early break and went up 2-0, then held for 3-0. On the first point of game #5, an AnaIvo backhand bounced off the net, over Williams, and safely inside the corner of the baseline. If one was looking for a sign of a Williams comeback, this was not it. It was more like an omen.
Ivanovic held for 4-1, then 5-2, as Serena was backed into a corner, needing to hold to keep the match alive. After getting a warning from the chair umpire for taking too long to serve, Williams' anger was apparent. In fact, it led to a brief period in which a comeback DID seem possible. After saving a match point, Serena began serving extremely quickly, forcing Ivanovic to hold up her hand to slow her down on more than one occasion. Williams fired an ace and put in several other big serves to hold, then glared at the umpire as she walked along the baseline. Was everything about to turn?
Umm, no.
Immediately after that game, it was all pretty much over. A backhand error and long return from Serena put AnaIvo up 40/love. Another long return ended things, as Ivanovic locked up her first career win over Williams, 4-6/6-3/6-3, and advanced to just her second slam quarterfinal since she lifted the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen in Paris nearly six years ago. Ending Williams' 25-match win streak, Ivanovic broke her serve four time led 23-5 in in groundstroke winners (w/ 20 from her forehand alone).
After rising to the highest position in the sport in one fell swoop in France in 2008, then almost immediately plummeting outside the Top 20, might Ivanovic's long road back finally have come back around again? She's shown brief flashes in recent seasons, gradually rising back into the Top 15 before this AO. In Week 1 in Auckland, she won her first title in over two years, and her first in an outdoor event since she won RG. AnaIvo is undefeated in 2014, and maybe looking better than she ever has.
After the match, what was expected about Serena proved true. Williams coach Patrick Mouratoglou hinted to the press about a back injury, and then Serena herself confirmed as much in her press conference. A back injury, possibly suffered during practice early in the week, nearly caused her to withdraw from the event, she said. With her game limited, her level of play went down and she made some errors she "hasn't made since the '80's."
But Williams also made a point to not lay everything about the loss on her injury. "I feel like Ana deserves all the credit," she said. "I feel she played unbelievable today."
And she did, too. Sporting a forehand that rekindled dreams are made of, and the sort of admirable nerves in the clutch that have eluded her for so long, Ivanovic has now thrown her name into the mix for being one of those players who are both hungry for (new) success, as well as capable of achieving it. We'll see if she can maintain that level for another week.
If so, it's not out of bounds to think that the recent WTA history of occasionally unexpected major champions could add another chapter. Move over Francesca, Sam and Marion?
=DAY 7 NOTES= ...in the preseason Prediction Blowout I picked Serena to win a true Grand Slam -- all four majors in a single season -- because I felt it was possible, if not realistically likely, considering her '13 dominance and head-to-head records against the other slam contenders.
A side benefit of the prediction was that it would be an overdue, very public test of the old "Kuznetsova Curse" that has been around nearly as long as Backspin itself. References to the Curse in this space have sort of drifted into the background around here as the talk of Radwanskian Massacres and Tennis Gods have pushed it out of the forefront in recent seasons. Here, though, I figured, would be the chance to see if it had any "juice" left.
Well, apparently, it still does. Welcome back, old friend. I never doubted you for a moment. (Not to your "face," anyway.)
...the Night 7 match-up on Laver between the last Aussie in the draw, wild card Casey Dellacqua, and fast-rising teenager Eugenie Bouchard was already a match with a few flags of interest attached to it. From the Aussie flags set to wave in the stands for Dellacqua, to the Canadian ones entertainingly wielded by a traveling band of Aussies who have quickly taken to the fair-haired Bouchard (surely, it's only because of her tennis, though, right?). Once Serena was removed as the QF opponent-in-waiting for the winner, though, the whole thing became an even bigger event
Maybe, in the end, too big for Dellacqua. But not Bouchard.
With dueling sections of serenading Aussies planted in the stands, Dellacqua saved a break point in game #2, then broke Bouchard in game #3 to take the early lead. Bouchard broke back late in the set and things went to a tie-break, where Dellacqua grabbed a 4-2 advantage. But her first double-fault, which was followed up by an error, seemed to sway the momentum to the Canadian. But Bouchard, too, saw a few wayward shots strip her of what appeared to be a surge in the making. In the end, Dellacqua pulled ahead at the close of the tie-break, taking it 7-5.
Bouchard bounced back in the 2nd, getting an early break and leading 3-1. She went on to take the set at 6-2. At that point, Dellacqua had nothing more to give. The Aussie didn't win another game, while Bouchard once again showed an on-court calm that might pay big dividends down the road. She won this match 6-7(5)/6-2/6-0 to reach her first career slam quarterfinal.
The Genie Army, like their young general, will live on at this Australian Open. What's next is anyone's guess. They can thank Serena for that. And AnaIvo, too.
...the first women's Round of 16 match up on Day 7 featured the sight of Flavia Pennetta shining in an everything-goes-her-way 1st set (winning 6-1 in twenty-four minutes) against Angelique Kerber, and then again in the closing games two sets later, after the Italian had failed to serve things out at 5-3. No where near ready to give in, Pennetta turned the tables and managed a break of the German to end the match, winning 6-1/4-6/7-5.
The Li Na/Ekaterina Makarova Round of 16 contest had far less turns of fate. It was pretty much a one-way affair, as the two-time AO finalist jumped on the Hordette early and never really looked back. After having to save a match point against Lucie Safarova in the 3rd Round, Li quickly got a break of the Russian's serve in the third game of the match, then coasted to a 6-2/6-0 victory. She's got unfinished business in Melbourne and, as it's turned out, her slip to #4 in the rankings after Week 1 might end up proving to be a boon to the Chinese. The #4 seed, of course, resided in the same half of the draw as Serena, so Li's chances of even reaching a third AO final seemed damaged, let alone her quest for her first title in the closest thing she has to a "home" slam.
Well, that's all changed now. Though AnaIvo's form isn't something to overlook, Li is surely now the favorite in the top half of the draw.
...in Mixed Doubles, karma struck yet again, as Lisa Raymond (w/ Mariusz Fyrstenberg) defeated former doubles partner Liezel Huber (w/ Marcelo Melo) in the 1st Round.
Meanwhile, Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor won their 1st Round Mixed Doubles match.
...in junior action, the Force was once again with Croat Jana Fett as she won her 1st Round match, while #16-seeded Fanny Stollar of Hungary lost to Kiwi Rosie Cheng. I don't mention the latter because Stollar was a favorite to win the title, but rather because I'm envisioning the blushes and giggles at Wimbledon when the Hungarian's name is announced to the fans at the All-England. If you don't know why, then Google what "fanny" means in Britain. I'm just sayin'.
...Ah, more memories...
Vika and Sloane in Melbourne in 2013. You remember, the match that Vika dominated save for part of one game when she failed to convert five match points when serving at 6-1/5-3? Yeah, that one.
First thing that catches my eye? The height and size difference.
...DAY 7 "LIKE":
-- on Tennis Channel, Martina Navratilova quite possibly coining -- or at least drawing attention to -- a new phrase: a "career quarterfinal slam," reaching at least the QF at all for slams during a career
...DAY 7 BLAST-FROM-THE-PAST "LIKE":
-- Jim Courier coaxing Novak Djokovic to once again pull an impersonation from his tennis bag. Literally. After defeating Fabio Fognini to reach his nineteenth straight slam QF, Djokovic pulled out a racket and did his best Becker impression. As in Boris Becker, the Serb's new head coach. Sitting in the front row, Boris had a good time with it.
Could you imagine Murray daring to do the same with Lendl?
...DAY 7 UNDERSTATEMENT:
-- on Tennis Channel, Tracy Austin noting that sometimes Kerber can be "a little pouty." A "little?" Why, that's sort of like saying that JJ is "just a bit demonstrative" when things don't go her way in a match.
...and, finally, I just figured I'd go ahead and get a head start on what I expect will be the focus of one of tomorrow's Round of 16 matches, or at least it'll be the case with a certain four-lettered sports network. So...
Oh, and I'll also be on the look-out for when it's mentioned how Serena's exit opens up the world of possibility for Sloane Stephens, but not that it also does so for Vika, who, you know, has actually won the last two AO titles (both without having to face Williams, against whom she's 0-8 in slams, and now is assured of not having to meet once again).
=WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16= #14 Ana Ivanovic/SRB def. #1 Serena Williams/USA #30 Eugenie Bouchard/CAN def. (WC) Casey Dellacqua/AUS #4 Li Na/CHN def. #22 Ekaterina Makarova/RUS #28 Flavia Pennetta/ITA def. #9 Angelique Kerber/GER #8 Jelena Jankovic/SRB vs. #11 Simona Halep/ROU #20 Dominika Cibulkova/SVK vs. #3 Maria Sharapova/RUS #5 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL vs. Garbine Muguruza/ESP #13 Sloane Stephens/USA vs. #2 Victoria Azarenka/BLR
=MEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16= #1 Rafael Nadal/ESP vs. #16 Kei Nishikori/JPN #22 Grigor Dimitrov/BUL vs. Roberta Bautista Agut/ESP #4 Andy Murray/GBR vs. (LL) Stephane Robert/FRA #10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/FRA vs. #6 Roger Federer/SUI #7 Tomas Berdych/CZE def. #19 Kevin Anderson/RSA #3 David Ferrer/ESP def. Florian Mayer/GER #8 Stanislas Wawrinka/SUI vs. #17 Tommy Robredo/ESP #2 Novak Djokovic/SRB def. #15 Fabio Fognini/ITA
=WOMEN'S DOUBLES QF= #1 Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) vs. x/x #4 Peschke/Srebotnik (CZE/SLO) vs. Gajdosova/Tomljanovic (AUS/CRO) x/x vs. x/x x/x vs. Peer/Soler-Espinosa (ISR/ESP)
=MEN'S DOUBLES QF= x/x vs. Huey/Inglot (PHI/GBR) Bolt/Whittington (AUS/AUS) vs. x/x x/x vs. x/x #5 Paes/Stepanek (IND/CZE) vs. #13 Llodra/Mahut (FRA/FRA)
*2014 LAVER NIGHT MATCH RECORDS* [multiple matches - individual] 2-0...Victoria Azarenka, BLR 2-0...Novak Djokovic, SRB 1-1...Samantha Stosur, AUS [multiple matches - nations] 3-0 = SRB 2-0 = BLR, CAN, ESP# 1-0 = CAN 1-5 = AUS 0-2 = FRA -- # - Robredo (ESP) Night 7 result not included
TOP QUALIFIER:Belinda Bencic/SUI TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Serena Williams/USA TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Cristina Mitu/ROU def. #4 Anna-Lena Friedsam/GER 3-6/6-4/9-7 TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - #3 Maria Sharapova/RUS def. Karin Knapp/ITA 6-3/4-6/10-8 TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx TOP LAVER NIGHT MATCH: xx ============================= FIRST VICTORY:#18 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (def. Laura Robson/GBR) FIRST SEED OUT:#7 Sara Errani/ITA (lost 1st Rd. to Julia Goerges, GER) UPSET QUEENS:Australia REVELATION LADIES:Romania NATION OF POOR SOULS:Italy (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round; Schiavone out 1st Rd. 5/6 slams) LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Zarina Diyas/KAZ (3rd. Rd.) LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) LAST AUSSIE STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) Ms. OPPORTUNITY: xx IT (TBD): E.Bouchard, S.Halep, G.Muguruza COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: A.Ivanovic, F.Pennetta CRASH & BURN:#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE (lost 1st Rd. to world #88 Luksika Kumkhum; worst slam result since losing 1st Rd. at '11 U.S. Open following Wimbledon title run) ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees... #13 S.Stephens (1st Rd. - down 5-1, w/ Shvedova twice serving for 1st set; 2nd Rd. - Tomljanovic served for match; 3rd Rd. - Svitolina served for 1st set) #30 E.Bouchard (2nd Rd. - no on 6 MP in 2nd set vs. Razzano, saves 2 SP in 2nd; wins on 7th MP) #3 M.Sharapova (2nd Rd. - goes 3:28 vs. Knapp, no on 3 MP at 5-4 in 3rd, wins on 4th MP for 10-8 final set) #4 N.Li (3rd Rd. - saved MP vs. Safarova) AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:lost 1st Rd. to (LL) Falconi/USA, once again failing to reach a slam QF in her career (so Anna Smashnova still has a buddy); 7 con. slam losses; 22 1st Round exits in 47 slams LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: A.Ivanovic, V.Azarenka DOUBLES STAR: xx JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
Victoria Azarenka, Melbourne's "uninvited guest," continues to eat the Australian Open out of house and home. She just can't help herself.
On Day 8, in a rematch of last year's controversial semifinal, the Belarusian was simply, wonderfully gluttonous.
One year after "VikaGate" attempted to turn the 2012 (and, soon, 2013) AO champion into "international public enemy #1" after she followed doctors and trainers advice to leave the court during a medical timeout during her semifinal match against Sloane Stephens, the two players met again today in the Round of 16. One day after the upset of Serena Williams, and mere minutes after the exit of Maria Sharapova, some of the antagonistic air -- from both the media and the Aussie fans -- that was expected to swirl around this match was lessened due to the departure of such high-profile contenders. There was simply too much actual tennis news to talk about, so attempting to recap old or rekindle new controversy wasn't necessary to fill air time.
* - Not that there wasn't a game attempt, as reports about Stephens, who shares an agent with Azarenka and is often in the same city as Vika, were pumped out like clockwork over the last twenty-four hours about how, when asked what her relationship with Vika was, Sloane had said "nonexistent," while Azarenka's response to a query about what she'd learned from last year's match was, quite simply, "nothing." While the answers were succinct, honest, and likely not meant to stir, it wasn't difficult to infer that the intent of the reporting was to inject some subliminal reminders into the mix that Azarenka was somehow "bad" and/or unworthy of support. No mention was made of how Stephens at one time constantly referred to Serena Williams in interviews as her "good friend Serena," then publicly criticized her months later for not making the effort to be her friend. It would have ruined the pre-game script.
But while the notion of a "cheating" Azarenka, as well as any outward animosity from the Aussie fans in attendance at Laver Arena, was somewhat put aside, it wasn't forgotten. The vestiges of the attacks on Azarenka's character, both last year and in 2012's "Whack-a-Vika" campaign when she was suddenly and publicly raked over the coals for making the same on-court noises she had for years, her image as an "unliked" champion, as well as the never-won-a-title-nor-been-to-a-final Stephens' role as the great American hope (at least in the eyes of one four-lettered U.S.-based sports network), was never far away from being quickly referenced if the circumstances "called" for it.
* - As the match is about to being, ESPN2's Brad Gilbert talks about how Stephens "should have had a chance to win" the semifinal a year ago against Azarenka. You know, the match that Vika handily led 6-1/5-3 and held five match points before a brief spurt by the American, and a nervous game from the Belarusian, late in the 2nd set severely disrupted the memory of many concerning the contest which had been dominated throughout by the defending champion. Yeah, that one. Moments later, Gilbert shakes his head disgustedly and says, "don't get me started" when asked by host Chris McKendry about Azarenka's medical timeout(s) from last year's match. Then everything is thrown to match commentators Chris Fowler and Chris Evert, the latter of which said two days ago that Azarenka's timeout had occurred "when Sloane was leading the match."
As play began, Azarenka managed to open the match by holding serve, and she didn't face a break point while doing it, either. It's a good sign for Vika, considering her slow-starting service games have led to her facing break points in each of her opening games (and being broken once) in her previous three matches in Melbourne, and the biggest obstacle that she's faced -- other than Serena -- in her recent slam runs has been an instability when it comes to consistently holding serve.
* - On ESPN2, Evert harps on the key to the match being a quick start from Stephens, noting her slow starts at this AO... but not mentioning how Stephens blew a 3-0 -- and point for 4-0 -- lead in the 3RD SET against Ajla Tomljanovic and soon saw the Croat serving for the match in the 2nd Round. Additional on-air commentary centers on what Sloane can do to win the match, what Sloane has learned since last year, what Sloane ate for breakfast today to make sure she had the energy to perform at her best, and how some have called what Azarenka did to Sloane last year "legalized cheating." (All right, I made up the third one there... but you get the idea.) There is no mention of Azarenka winning back-to-back AO titles, appearing in four straight hard court slam finals, winning seventeen straight matches in Melbourne or going 29-2 in the last five Australian and U.S. Opens.
At 1-1, an Azarenka double-fault put her behind 15/30, but she was still able to easily hold by managing to pull out a pair of unreturnable serves. One game later, she broke Stephens' serve to take a 3-1 lead.
* - Evert, with an unmistakable sigh, notes how Azarenka appears focused, and has so far been able to control the flow of the points in the match.
While managing to fairly easily hold serve in the 1st set, Vika was still somewhat deviled by her every-present double-faults. In game #5, on game point, she committed what was already her fourth of the set. With the score 30/30...
* - Evert notes that Sloane is "two points from evening up" the match, and hopes that Sloane doesn't get down on herself.
Stephens managed to get her first -- and only -- break point chance of the game (and set) in the game, but Azarenka held on her third GP for 4-1.
* - Evert notes that Sloane is feeling the pressure, even though she'd said on Saturday that Stephens would "no longer have any pressure" since she was facing a higher-ranked opponent in Azarenka. With the 1st set slipping away, and Stephens often appearing tentative and uninterested, Evert notes how she injured her left wrist in Perth and didn't have much preparation for the Australian Open. Obviously, it was apparent that excuses were going to be necessary in short order.
One game later, Azarenka took a 40/love lead on Stephens' serve. The American played a good point to save the first...
* - Evert praises Stephens'"good anticipation."
...of what would eventually be six break points. After a ten-minute service game, Stephens held for 4-2, but was quite obviously struggling with an in-form Azarenka. Pretty much, it was the same thing that happened in last year's semifinal.
* - A reluctant Evert says that while Sharapova faltered after the exit of Williams, and other top players might under the circumstances, as well, it doesn't look as if Azarenka will do the same. After seeing the Belarusian make several forays to the net, Evert and Fowler note how confident she looks. Compared with Stephens' demeanor across the net, it should be asked, how could Azarenka NOT?
In game #7, Stephens hit Azarenka as she set up to return a volley, with the hard-struck ball making its way past her racket and arms to strike her directly in the abdomen/groin. Stephens attempted to apologize, but Vika simply turned her back and spent the rest of the match barely looking directly at her opponent. Two points later, a reflex volley off Azarenka's racket managed to fly directly at Stephens' head. Sloane ducked, then flashed a you-got-me smile and applauded the notion of Vika being Vika... even if she wasn't even intentionally trying to be. She just can't help it.
Azarenka held for 5-2, then two games later, after another double-fault put her behind 15/30, held to close out the set at 6-3. With a 104-1 record in her last 105 matches in which she won the opening set, Vika was now in control. Stephens knew it, too. The American opened the 2nd set by wildly spraying forehands and quickly giving up a service break to fall behind 1-0. Azarenka held a break point two games later, but Stephens avoided an even deeper deficit and held for 2-1.
* - On ESPN2, the "it's now or never" refrain begins. "Make it happen, Sloane!," encouraged Evert, as she and Fowler attempt to dissect the 20-year old's in-match mood, as if this moment was akin to Serena Williams when she appears to be somewhere else in a match, only to suddenly and ferociously rise up and seize control of things after pulling off one huge shot, or throwing in a primal scream or two. Nevermind the fact that Stephens has in no way earned such inspection, nor the attached anticipation that something great could still be coming around the corner. One day, she might. But not yet. A crestfallen Evert says that Sloane has "the pressure of the world on her shoulders."
Immediately afterward, Azarenka held to take a 3-1 lead.
* - ESPN2 puts up a graphic showing the three-peat AO women's champions of the Open era, noting that Azarenka is trying to become the first in fifteen years. Uninitiated viewers, in unison, are stunned to learn that Vika is the two-time defending champion of the event, considering this is the first time in what seems like days since it's been mentioned on the network, and the very first time in the lead-up and match coverage of this encounter with Stephens. Obviously, even ESPN has given up on Stephens at this point. Moments later, watching Sloane listlessly walk around the court, not even celebrating a winner, Evert says she thinks that Stephens might not be "heavily invested in this match," and that she isn't "sure she wants to get out of the hole" she's in. And the 18-time grand slam winner's heart shrank three sizes that game.
In game #5, a frustrated Stephens bent over at the waist and screamed after an error, then held for 3-2.
* - Evert reverses course, finally happy that Sloane let out the tension. Sometimes, that's all you need, she says. Once again, she has hope that things will turn around. Fowler begins to recount the medical timeout controversy, noting how Azarenka isn't well-liked in Australia and that Stephens could get the crowd on her side if she'd do something. Anything, really. It won't be difficult to get them to root against her, he notes.
Without the need for a scream, Azarenka answered with a hold for 4-2.
* - ESPN2 shifts to the end of the Jankovic/Halep match. After a winner is determined, Pam Shriver throws it back to Fowler and Evert with, "Let's see what happens with Sloane."
In game #7, Azarenka held break points on Stephens' serve at 40/15. Her crisp groundstrokes pushed Stephens off the right side of the court, then Vika swatted a forehand winner to break for 5-2. A game later, serving for a straight sets win just as she did against Stephens a year ago, Azarenka threw in a double-fault to make the score 30/30. Stephens got a break point, but this time Vika didn't lose her mind at the thought of winning... showing that she DID actually learn something from the '13 match, even if she didn't have reason to learn anything from any bogus controversies that might have come about after it was over. With the finish line in sight, she used her groundstrokes to swing Stephens from one side of the baseline to the other, then moved in and sent a forehand down the line to get to deuce. She then fired an ace to reach match point. One Stephens forehand error later, and it was over. One year after allowing just five games to Stephens in the semifinals, Vika allowed five once again in a 6-3/6-2 win.
And, just like that, Vika had scarfed down another impromptu AO meal after wandering from the assigned guest quarters to the kitchen in the main house. She might still be "uninvited"... but she doesn't look like she's going anywhere anytime soon.
* - Two days late -- or maybe it's eight? -- McKendry and Gilbert wrap up the match coverage by noting Azarenka's long winning streak (now 18 matches) in Melbourne, calling her the "overwhelming favorite" to take the title. Later, Fowler notes that she's "an even bigger favorite now than she was at the start of the day." And the transformation is complete. ESPN and its merry band of fact-deniers have finally realized that there's a two-time defending champion in the draw who -- even when you factor in Serena -- is the best hard court player in the world, and is now just two wins away from reaching a fifth straight hard court slam final. The last players to do that? Martina Hingis, who reached seven from 1997-00, and Monica Seles with five from 1991-93.
All in all, not a bad day.
* - Aaaaand.... scene.
=DAY 8 NOTES= ...in the first Round of 16 match on Laver on Monday, Maria Sharapova attempted to take advantage of a suddenly Serena-less draw (even if she'd have to actually reach the final, and go through Azarenka on hard court, for it to matter to her... not that anyone on ESPN2 pointed out that salient fact, mind you). Problem was, this AO has actually become more of a potentially career-bolstering event for her Slovakian opponent, Dominika Cibulkova, than it's ever seemed to be for the Russian, who has dragged herself through this AO draw as if she was an old coat that was left to fade in the sun.
Cibulkova had actually spent only a few more minutes on court in her three previous matches combined than Sharapova had in her 2nd Rounder against Karin Knapp alone. In truth, Sharapova's draining three and a half hour battle with the Italian in Extreme Heat conditions pretty much stamped an expiration date on the Russian's forehead for this slam. And the date was today. You could sort of seeing it coming before the first ball was struck.
In the early going, though, Sharapova seemed like she'd be fine on Day 8. She opened the match with a break of serve, then held off two Cibulkova break points to hold for 3-1. She failed to serve out the set at 5-2, getting broken at love, but it didn't matter when the Slovak double-faulted on set point #2 to give the 1st to Sharapova at 6-3.
But then Sharapova went off court for a medical timeout, having trainers look at an upper leg, or possibly hip, injury. When she returned, she simply wasn't right. Cibulkova quickly grabbed a two-break lead, then continued to pounce on the Russian's second serve to go up three breaks at 5-0. But Sharapova, being who she is, and with her obviously knowing that if she didn't get out of this match in the 2nd she might not get out of it at all, didn't give up. Cibulkova, known in the past for often pushing top players but not being able to put them away, obliged Sharapova by failing to hold serve while twice trying to close out the set as the score closed to 5-4. But in her third try, Cibulkova whacked a winner, then saw back-to-back errors from Sharapova put her up 40/love. She held for 6-4, making Sharapova's efforts to get back into the set essentially a waste of her limited time.
In the 3rd, Cibulkova opened with another break of Sharapova's serve, then used her point-extending abilities to spend the rest of the match exploiting Sharapova's hampered movement, dragging her from side to side in rallies that almost always went the Slovak's way. The Russian saved a break point to hold for 2-1, but Cibulkova got the double-break lead two games leader on the back of a series of big shots that had allowed her to outhit the hard-hitting former AO champion for the majority of the day. As Sharapova served to stay in the match and extend yet another set in game #7, Cibulkova broke her again, ending things with a backhand winner down the line to win 3-6/6-4/6-1 and reach her first career AO quarterfinal.
The Slovak has now reached the Final Eight in all four of the grand slam events.
...in the 4th Round match that took place at the same time as Azarenka/Stephens, Jelena Jankovic and Simona Halep faced off for the chance to meet Cibulkova in the QF and, theoretically, suddenly have a golden chance to compete for a slam semifinal berth. Halep broke JJ's serve for a 5-4 lead in the 1st, then held to take the set. Jankovic turned things around in the 2nd, getting a break for a 3-1 lead and setting off a stretch of four breaks of serve in the final five games of the set, with the Serb getting the last when she broke Halep for a third straight time to win 6-2.
But things turned in a bad way for Queen Chaos in the 3rd. Serving first, she endured a 16-point game in which she failed to convert two game points, ran out of replay challenges for the match and then saw Halep break her serve. From there, and we've surely seen this before, Jankovic's game went off the rails, as she yelled at whoever was unlucky enough to be in the player's box and generally spun out of control in very Jankovician fashion until the match was over. She never won another game, with the Swarmette winning 6-4/2-6/6-0 to advance to her first career slam QF and likely secure her maiden Top 10 ranking at the end of this AO. She'll be the first Romanian to debut in the Top 10 since Irina Spirlea back in 1996, and only the third Romanian woman (w/ Virginia Ruzici '79) to ever do it.
...in the nightcap, Aga Radwanska took on Garbine Muguruza, just the sort of power player who often gives her trouble. And, wow, was the 1st set a strange one. In her first two service games, Radwanska had a devil -- no relation to The Rad... I don't think -- of a time holding serve. Because of the superior length of her two service holds, it took nearly twenty-five minutes to complete the first three games of the match and head to the first scheduled changeover.
With so much effort, and with the Spaniard crushing many of Aga's second serves and finding flaming winners flying off her racket, it was easy to see a scenario where the Pole, as she often does against big hitters, putting pressure on herself to try to go for too much on too many of her shots in order to balance out the power deficiency, leading to more unforced errors than her game can support, and a frustratingly quick exit (but, hopefully, a sporting handshake at the net) coming as a result.
But that's not what happened here.
Maybe it would have happened against a more experienced player than the 20-year old Muguruza, but in this match what happened was that Radwanska instead began to mix up her shots, opening up her bag of tricks and pulling out all the spins and such that we've come to know and love. Here, she also found ways to drag out the rallies and then work her way into the net to put away some important volleys. That's precisely what she did on a break point in game #4 on Muguruza's serve, and the volley winner that resulted gave A-Rad a 3-1 lead that seemed to take away a little of the Spaniard's heart for the remainder of the set.
Don't worry, Garbi... you're not the first that Aga has made feel that way, and you won't be the last, either.
Radwanska quickly finished off the set at 6-1 without facing another break point. On ESPN2, Pam Shriver called the deceiving-on-the-scoreboard set the "best tennis she's seen on the women's side this year," once again proving why she's become my favorite commentator when it comes to Aga matches. It took a while, but Pammy now "gets" Radwanska... and she isn't afraid to let it show.
In the 2nd set, Radwanska didn't have to endure the sort of marathon service games that began the night. In game #3, Aga held at love and put away an ace to keep things on serve at 2-2. A game later, Radwanska broke the Spaniard's serve, and another A-Rad hold at love followed right after that to make it 4-2. Muguruza had one final shot to get into the match when she reached break point at 4-3. But the Spaniard sailed a backhand return of serve wide on one set point, then hooked a forehand on a second. Radwanska held for 5-3.
Muguruza saved two match points a game later, but netted a forehand on a third. Radwanska won 6-1/6-3, and will face her longtime foe -- and conqueror -- Vika Azarenka in the quarterfinals.
Going in, there was a slight thought that this Aga/Garbi match-up might turn out to be a little bit unfair, what with Muguruza's power advantage and all.
Ah, silly Backspinner. I was right about the match being a bit unfair... but it was Muguruza who was on the short end of the equation. Aga simply outsmarted her. It was as simple as that.
Oh, well. Hopefully, the Spaniard, who finally started to begin to rediscover her game in the (too late) closing moments of the match, will learn something from this.
...in doubles, singles quarterfinalist Eugenie Bouchard was scheduled to play both doubles and mixed matches today. As it turned out, she and Vera Dushevina lost their Round of 16 match to Cara Black & Sania Mirza, and then she and Sam Groth pulled out of the Mixed. So, she got a little bit of practice... but won't be too tired to be 100% in the match tomorrow against AnaIvo.
Elsewhere in Mixed, Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor vs Lisa Raymond & Mariusz Fyrstenberg in the 2nd Round, advancing to the QF along with defending AO champions Jarmila Gajdosova & Matthew Ebden, who defeated #7-seeded Kveta Peschke & Marcin Matkowski.
With the women's doubles QF set, as well as six of the final eight teams in the mixed, there are four woman -- Gajdosova, Andrea Hlavackova, Sania Mirza and Katarina Srebotnik -- still alive in both draws.
Meanwhile, there was a big upset in the men's doubles as the top-seeded Bryan twins were ousted in the Round of 16 by Eric Butorac & Raven Klaasen.
...in junior AO action, #3 seeded Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina was upset by Aussie Kimberly Birrell.
...elsewhere, wrapping up some non-AO Week 3 details, Hordette Varvara Flink, the #1 girls seed in Melbourne, warmed up last week Down Under by taking the title at the Grade 1 Traralgon International, defeating Pastry Fiona Ferro in the final.
And on the ITF circuit, much like in Melbourne, it was a week in which Canadians shined. In a $25K in Port St. Lucie, Florida, 16-year old Francoise Abanda won her first professional title by defeating her 27-year old countrywoman Heidi El Tabakh in straight sets in the final. Both had reached the main draw after successfully making their way through qualifying. But it didn't end there, as a Canadian (Khristina Blajkovitch) shared a doubles title at the $10K Saint Martin Guadeloupe challenger, while another (Sonja Molnar) was the singles runner-up in the same event.
And, while she's not from Canada, how can I not make the season's first mention of Reka-Luca Jani? The Hungarian won the doubles title (w/ Irina Khromacheva) in Port St. Lucie. So...
Reka-Luca Jani! Reka-Luca Jani! Reka-Luca Jani!
Ah, now my head is clear.
...Ah, back when so much was still in front of her...
...DAY 8 "LIKE":
-- really, do I actually need to even point it out? But, if I have to, I'll go with something that didn't happen during the match. It happened afterward, as the indefatigable Vika continued to court the Australian people. Interviewed on court by Rennae Stubbs, Azarenka once again talked about how much she loves playing this tournament, and how she feels that playing on Laver is like being at home on her couch "eating chips and salsa."
Stubbs handed her the opportunity to attempt to sidle up to the Aussies even more by mentioning how, with Redfoo serving an "X-Factor" judge on Australian TV, Azarenka got to spend some time in Australia that had nothing to do with playing tennis. Vika talked of enjoying the beaches, the Australian people and how she wouldn't mind getting a house there some day. Actually, she said that Redfoo had said that they should get a place, which caused Stubbs to point on that he hasn't given her any engagement ring yet. If he does, though, Vika joked, "It'd better be bigger than Caro's."
Hmmm, she might need an extra finger to wear it if that's the case. Although, I'm sure Redfoo has some Motown inheritance money coming his way at some point... he could get her an eleventh finger, too, I suppose.
Not sure if the crowd was buying what she was selling, but, much like at the Open in the past when she's been given a microphone, you've got to give Vika an "A" for trying. Who knows, maybe one day, after Vika has virtually corned the market on silver (as in championship cups) somewhere down the line, the Australian people will finally see fit to like her... and maybe even put a ring on it.
...and, finally, wow, impressive performance from Roger Federer against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. So, I guess that mean's it'll be Fed and Stefan Edberg against Andy Murray and Ivan Lendl in the quarterfinals. Of course, Rafa Nadal -- who defeated Kei Nishikori and Michael Chang tonight -- is still at the top of the draw, while Novak Djokovic and Boris Becker are anchored in the bottom.
Seriously, how great would it be if more of the great women's players who able to be thrown into the discussion of today's game like that? And, no, what I did with Evert at the start of this recap doesn't count.
=WOMEN'S SINGLES QF= #14 Ana Ivanovic/SRB vs. #30 Eugenie Bouchard/CAN #4 Li Na/CHN vs. #28 Flavia Pennetta/ITA #11 Simona Halep/ROU vs. #20 Dominika Cibulkova/SVK #5 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL vs. #2 Victoria Azarenka/BLR
=MEN'S SINGLES QF= #1 Rafael Nadal/ESP vs. #22 Grigor Dimitrov/BUL #4 Andy Murray/GBR vs. #6 Roger Federer/SUI #7 Tomas Berdych/CZE vs. #3 David Ferrer/ESP #8 Stanislas Wawrinka/SUI vs. #2 Novak Djokovic/SRB
=WOMEN'S DOUBLES QF= #1 Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) vs. #6 Black/Mirza (ZIM/IND) #4 Peschke/Srebotnik (CZE/SLO) vs. Gajdosova/Tomljanovic (AUS/CRO) #7 Hlavackova/Safarova (CZE/CZE) vs. #3 Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS) #8 Kops-Jones/Spears (USA/USA) vs. Peer/Soler-Espinosa (ISR/ESP)
=MEN'S DOUBLES QF= Butorac/Klaasen (USA/RSA) vs. Huey/Inglot (PHI/GBR) Bolt/Whittington (AUS/AUS) vs. #8 Nestor/Zimonjic (CAN/SRB) Mirnyi/Youzhny (BLR/RUS) vs. #14 Kubot/Lindstedt (POL/SWE) #5 Paes/Stepanek (IND/CZE) vs. #13 Llodra/Mahut (FRA/FRA)
*2014 AO FINAL EIGHT* [by career slam QF] 12...Victoria Azarenka 10...Li Na 10...Agnieszka Radwanska 7...Ana Ivanovic 5...Flavia Pennetta 4...Dominika Cibulkova 1...Eugenie Bouchard 1...Simona Halep [by career AO QF] 5...Agnieszka Radwanska 4...Victoria Azarenka 4...Li Na 2...Ana Ivanovic 1...Eugenie Bouchard 1...Dominika Cibulkova 1...Simona Halep 1...Flavia Pennetta [Consecutive slam QF] 3...Li Na 2...Victoria Azarenka 2...Flavia Pennetta [Consecutive AO QF] 4...Agnieszka Radwanska 3...Victoria Azarenka 2...Li Na [WTA most career slam QF - active] 37...Serena Williams 33...Venus Williams 20...Maria Sharapova 14...Svetlana Kuznetsova 12...VICTORIA AZARENKA 10...LI NA 10...AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA 9...Nadia Petrova 8...Jelena Jankovic 7...ANA IVANOVIC 7...Petra Kvitova 7...Francesca Schiavone [WTA most slam QF since 2010 - active] 10...VICTORIA AZARENKA 9...Serena Williams 8...LI NA 7...Petra Kvitova 7...AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA 7...Maria Sharapova [Players w/ "Career QF Slam" - active] Victoria Azarenka, BLR Dominika Cibulkova, SVK (completed Career QF Slam at this AO) Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN Ana Ivanovic, SRB Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS Li Na, CHN Nadia Petrova, RUS Francesca Schiavone, ITA Maria Sharapova, RUS Serena Williams, USA Venus Williams, USA Vera Zvonareva, RUS
*AO "ZOMBIE QUEEN" WINNERS* 2008 Jelena Jankovic, SRB 2009 Dinara Safina, RUS 2010 Serena Williams, USA 2011 Francesca Schiavone, ITA 2012 Kim Clijsters, BEL 2013 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN 2014 Li Na, CHN
*TOURNAMENTS w/ "BIG 3" ENTERED + WINNERS* [since Azarenka won AO/to #1 in January '12] =2012= AO - Azarenka MIAMI - A.RADWANSKA Madrid - S.Williams Rome - Sharapova RG - Sharapova WI - S.Williams Olympics - S.Williams US - S.Williams WTA - S.Williams =2013= Brisbane (Sharapova w/d from MD) - S.Williams AO - Azarenka Doha - Azarenka Miami (Azarenka w/d from MD) - S.Williams Madrid - S.Williams Rome - S.Williams RG - S.Williams WI - BARTOLI Cincinnati - Azarenka =2014= Brisbane - S.Williams AO - ????
TOP QUALIFIER:Belinda Bencic/SUI TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Serena Williams/USA TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Cristina Mitu/ROU def. #4 Anna-Lena Friedsam/GER 3-6/6-4/9-7 TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - #3 Maria Sharapova/RUS def. Karin Knapp/ITA 6-3/4-6/10-8 TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx TOP LAVER NIGHT MATCH: xx ============================= FIRST VICTORY:#18 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (def. Laura Robson/GBR) FIRST SEED OUT:#7 Sara Errani/ITA (lost 1st Rd. to Julia Goerges, GER) UPSET QUEENS:Australia REVELATION LADIES:Romania NATION OF POOR SOULS:Italy (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round; Schiavone out 1st Rd. 5/6 slams) LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Zarina Diyas/KAZ (3rd. Rd.) LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) LAST AUSSIE STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Nominees: D.Cibulkova, S.Halep IT (TBD): Nominees: E.Bouchard, S.Halep COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: A.Ivanovic, F.Pennetta CRASH & BURN:#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE (lost 1st Rd. to world #88 Luksika Kumkhum; worst slam result since losing 1st Rd. at '11 U.S. Open following Wimbledon title run) ZOMBIE QUEEN:#4 Li Na/CHN (3rd Rd. - saved MP vs. Safarova) AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:lost 1st Rd. to (LL) Falconi/USA, once again failing to reach a slam QF in her career (so Anna Smashnova still has a buddy); 7 con. slam losses; 22 1st Round exits in 47 slams LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: A.Ivanovic, V.Azarenka DOUBLES STAR: xx JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
Even winning a grand slam doesn't answer all future questions. Nor does it prevent wants and unrealized desires from dotting the landscape of a player's career. On Day 9, two players who have lifted grand slam trophies in the past went about attempting to take another hard-won step toward claiming a second. Nothing comes easily or quickly (at least not for very long) on the WTA tour, and Li Na and Ana Ivanovic are living proof of it.
Genie Bouchard, though, might just be the exception that proves the rule.
In the first women's QF of the day, a pair of 31-year olds -- Li Na and Flavia Pennetta -- faced off for the first time in four years. When questioned about the match-up the other day, Li, as only she could, made a point to note to reporters that she was actually one day younger than her Italian opponent. When asked if she was sure, Li smiled and said she was certain that she was.
And, sure enough, she was correct. Li was born on February 26, 1982, while her more senior colleague Pennetta came into the world on February 25, 1982. Not that we should be surprised that Li was correct and on top of things, especially in this tournament. Over the years, the sometimes-inconsistent (but not quite as much since latching on with coach Carlos Rodriguez) Chinese vet has shined more consistently in Melbourne than at any other slam. She became the first Asian woman to reach a slam final at the AO in 2011, and last year she reached another.
But for all that Li has done well Down Under over the years (and, annually, in January -- the three season-opening week titles she's won in her career are more than any other active player, and make up nearly 40% of her career title total), she's never been an Australian Open champion. Oddly enough, the one slam she HAS won came in Paris, on the red clay that has never been her best or most-favored surface.
Still, Li's charm and sense of humor have won her legions of fans, and that's not even counting the billions who follow her career back home in China. While, with the Asian tennis and cultural boom around the world, Li has become one of the most important and influential athletes on the planet, it never really shows. Every interview she gives is a joy, and nearly every anecdote about her elicits a smile. She cracks jokes. She cracks on her husband (actually Jiang Shan, but whose name "Dennis" was chosen by him because it rhymes with "tennis") on open microphones in front of thousands of people. She even cracks the back of her head on the hard court surface of Rod Laver Arena -- as she did in a fall in last year's AO final, a match that she seemed fully capable of winning before a series of stumbles (literally) -- and still manages a smile as the doctors are asking her to focus her eyes on a finger so that they can check her for a concussion.
But, still, the "unfinished business" in Melbourne lingers.
Against Pennetta, who came back from career-threatening wrist surgery last year to reach her first career slam semifinal at the U.S. Open, Li had an opponent without any tangible demon to slay. Rightly so, she didn't have any expectation that her latest comeback would prove to be so successful, having been ranked outside the Top 80 heading into Flushing Meadows last summer. But, Italian to the core, the well-liked Pennetta is bound and determined to enjoy the ride, wherever it takes her.
On Day 9, it turned out to be a short ride for Flavia. Apparently, the single day in Li's favor made all the difference.
Coming off a brilliant takedown of Ekaterina Makarova in the Round of 16, Li maintained her momentum into today's match. After having closed out the Russian with a love 2nd set two days ago, Li jumped to a three-break lead at 5-0 against Pennetta. Serving for the set, she held two set points, only to see Pennetta get on the board with a break to end Li's 14-game winning streak. Saving face, the Italian held serve a game later before Li held at love to take the 1st set 6-2.
It was the same story in the 2nd, as Li once more raced to a multi-break lead at 4-0. Again, Pennetta surged late to "clean up" the scoreline. Fortunate to have not been double-bageled, Pennetta was soon shaking Li's hand at the net at the end of their 6-2/6-2 match. In all, while Li had twenty-three winners in the match's sixteen games, Pennetta's game was pulled down by twenty-seven unforced errors.
Hard as it is to believe now, Li was very nearly out of this tournament in the 3rd Round. Against Lucie Safarova, Li was down match point against the Czech. She saved that MP... and has since won 32 of 41 total games against three opponents. In her fourth Australian Open semifinal in the last five years, Li again finds an elusive second major title within sight. If she can keep her feet, even more so than her head, she just might get to wrap her hands around that title, too.
If she does, well, it just might be the moment that will put a smile on more faces than any other in the history of tennis. But, as always, win or lose, the best smile would belong to the Chinese vet herself.
Hey, she's Li Na... she's just built that way.
Maybe in another life, Eugenie Bouchard was a legendary tennis champion, a groundbreaking captain of industry, or maybe even an historic world leader. Whatever the secret might be to her natural composure and right-headed attitude regarding what it takes to become a success, she seems to have an inherent edge over many of her counterparts who, even after years of effort, still haven't quite learned how to get it right. It's a trait that could soon prove to be something that spins into existence something that we've never seen before -- a Canadian who lifts grand slam singles trophies.
In our current reality, Bouchard, like Pennetta, also sports a birthday -- February 25th -- that is one day earlier on the calendar than Li's, only the Canadian was born almost twelve full years later, in 1994. Over the past eighteen months, she's seen fit to take the first steps toward making a mockery of the easy-as-it-goes climbing of the WTA ladder. In a era in which teenagers, with both physical and tour-sanctioned playing limits holding them back in the early stages of their careers, aren't "supposed" to resemble the rocket-like projectiles that formerly shot up the WTA rankings right from the moment they stepped on the court as a professional, Bouchard has managed to do just that over the last eighteen months.
In 2012, she was the junior Wimbledon champ. One year ago, she failed to make it through qualifying in Melbourne, but then returned to London during the summer and reached the 3rd Round of the Ladies' draw. By the end of her first full season on tour, the 19-year old was in the Top 40 as the highest-ranked teenager in the world, and was named the WTA's "Newcomer of the Year." At this Australian Open, armed with a favorable draw as the #30 seed, and positioned in almost the identical place that a then-19-year old Sloane Stephens made a surprise semifinal run in Melbourne a year ago, Bouchard found herself in position on Day 9 to follow her North American counterpart into a slam final four while playing in just her fourth career main draw at a major.
Her opponent was Ana Ivanovic, a woman who knows a little about winning at a young age.
AnaIvo recognizes the terrain of the road that Bouchard is currently walking, or will likely tread in the very near future. The Serb traveled along the same potential-laden, pressure-packed, expectation-loaded trail some six years ago. She didn't like it much. In fact, a case can be made that the worst thing that ever happened to the Serb's career was that she won Roland Garros and rose to the #1 ranking at age 20 in 2008 (courtesy of then-#1's Justine Henin's surprise first retirement).
Before that point, AnaIvo had reached a pair of slam finals and was progressing naturally up the WTA ranks. Henin's retirement opened up the race for the #1 ranking, and Ivanovic and fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic played a semifinal match at Roland Garros that would determine which would assume the top position in the sport. At the time, Ivanovic's inner circle didn't tell her the additional stakes of the match. It turned out to be a warning sign. Without the prior knowledge of the situation, Ivanovic won the semifinal, and then went on to defeat a never-really-ready-for-primetime Dinara Safina in the RG final to become the top player in the sport.
And, really, nothing went much well after that.
Oh, Ivanovic's talent kept her from falling away completely, but her #1 ranking, slam title and all the attention and pressure that came with it served more as an anchor to her career than a balloon that lifted her confidence to even greater heights. AnaIvo had won six titles before winning RG, but only claimed one in '08 after winning in Paris. By the end of the year, Jankovic had passed her to take the year-end #1 ranking. It'd be two years before Ivanovic would win another title of any kind, as she fell out of the Top 20 amid a string of coaching changes, in-match collapses and head-shaking losses on big stages. From 2011-13, she won just one title.
It was reasonable to question whether she'd ever get back to where she once was. But, to her credit, Ivanovic never stopped trying. She's still not there yet, but she came to Melbourne after having opened her season with a Week 1 title in Auckland, and her QF run at this AO is her first at a slam since she won RG six years ago. In the 3rd Round, she showed admirable nerves in downing Sam Stosur in front of an Aussie crowd under the lights on Laver, and then followed it up with her first career victory over Serena Williams in the Round of 16. In both matches, she sported the sort of forehand that rekindled dreams are made of.
Playing against Bouchard, though, who'd beaten her last year at Wimbledon, was another kind of pressure. As the #14-seed, following her win over odds-on AO favorite Williams, Ivanovic was now the favorite herself, playing against a preternaturally composed teen with nothing to lose, but with an attitude that doesn't simply accept any loss as inevitable. For the Serb, a comeback was no longer a whimsical fantasy. It was real. And she was one win away from throwing herself right back into the fire in which she'd been burned so badly before. How she reacted might reveal the direction of the rest of her career.
The opening set was divided into two distinct parts. The first half was about Ivanovic and Bouchard serving big and pounding groundstrokes. While AnaIvo showed no signs of reverting to post-2008 form, Bouchard showed no evidence whatsoever that she was feeling nervous -- at least on the outside -- about playing in her first major quarterfinal. Half-way through the set, both players began to have trouble holding serve. At 5-4, with Ivanovic serving for the set, a long Bouchard shot was called in, but Ivanovic played the ball, lost the point, and was no longer able to call for a replay challenge. Despite an attempt by Ivanovic to wield influence, the chair umpire would not overrule the rather obviously wrong call, either. The Serb was broken for 5-5.
But just as happened against Stosur when Ivanovic lost a downpour-interrupted point and unsuccessfully tried to get the umpire to allow it to be replayed, AnaIvo came back strong. In the past few years, she likely would have folded up and gone home. But not here. Instead, she broke Bouchard at love -- the set's fifth straight break of serve -- and then quickly raced to a 40/love lead on serve. Ivanovic held for 7-5.
Then, once more, an injury threw an AO match a curve ball.
After Ivanovic had advanced past Williams while the American was dealing with a back injury (and Maria Sharapova's movement was hampered by an injured hip in her loss, as well), Ivanovic's own ailing body reared its head in the 2nd set. Still, her and Bouchard's stats remained remarkably similar, with the Serb taking advantage in just one category (2nd serve points won, as, just as she had against Stosur and Williams, AnaIvo was aggressively tagging serves for winners or rally-controlling starting points every chance she got). Still, it was Bouchard who earned the early break for 3-1. At 4-2, Ivanovic put in a call for a trainer to look at a hip injury. After she managed to break Bouchard to get back on serve, AnaIvo went off for a seven-minute session with a trainer.
A year ago, another 19-yead old North American failed to emerge from such a break in Melbourne with any sense of the moment, and then she quickly succumbed to it by losing the mental/heart battle before a ball had been struck after the delay. That wasn't the case with Bouchard. She upped her aggression when Ivanovic returned, taking a quick 40/love lead on the Serb's serve and breaking her for 5-3. The Canadian's point was taken, but her advantage didn't last long. Allowing a few errors to creep into her game, Bouchard was broken a game later. After back-to-back holds, Bouchard edged ahead in game #12, reaching set point. When Ivanovic double-faulted, the Canadian won 7-5 and the match was even.
While Ivanovic's movement may have been slightly influenced by the injury, it didn't play so big a part in the outcome that it could be blamed for the result. No, Bouchard has to take the lion's credit there, for with the first real opportunity of her career in front of her, the steady Canadian grasped it with both hands. Again, she got an early break and led 3-1, and then, feeling the moment in every good way that she could, she poured it on and very nearly pulled off another break for 5-1, twice getting to break point before Ivanovic held for 4-2. But in the closing moments, it was the youngster who held firm. After the Serb failed to put away a volley into the open court, Bouchard took a 40/love lead and held for 5-2. One game later, on (naturally) what would be the only match point she'd need, Bouchard moved forward during the final rally of the match, whacked a pair of forehands to opposite corners of the court. The second turned out to be a clean winner, closing out the 5-7/7-5/6-2 match and finally allowing the composed Canadian to express her joy.
So, Ivanovic, having played well enough to not feel as if she squandered a big opportunity, can leave Melbourne with her head held high and a return to the Top 10 squarely in her sights. But it's Bouchard who moves onward, with Genie's Army in tow, into her first career slam semifinal a month before she says goodbye to her teenage years.
But, no matter how mature she may appear on the court, she IS still a teenager. She finally let down her guard long enough to prove it during her post-match interview. While this AO's on-court questioning has seemed more (overly) personal at times this AO, it has produced a few memorable moments. While none will top Novak Djokovic's impersonation of coach Boris Becker, Bouchard's answer to a Twitter question about what person in the world she'd date if she could will likely stick to her for longer than she probably intended. After pausing to come up with an answer to the question, she finally covered her face and said Justin Bieber (a fellow Canadian who, by the way, she lists in her tour bio as one of her favorite singers). The crowd on Laver both laughed and groaned at the same time. It might have been Bouchard's only (half) misstep the entire day!
Oh, well. She still got a stuffed wombat (to go along with a kangaroo and koala) for her few troubles from her traveling band of fans in the stands, and has now officially staked her claim to being the best young player on tour. Maybe even better yet, her focused, business-like attitude about her game and career -- think some amalgam of the cool-headed Evert and stoic Graf -- stand in stark contrast to many of the young players who've recently come into prominence. The confident Bouchard seems well-equipped to handle what she's about to experience. Her coach, Nick Saviano, says she likes the spotlight of the big stage, and it was obvious in today's match that she's comfortable enough there that she won't be devoured by it.
Li will still be the favorite when the two meet in the semifinals, but the Chinese vet had better make sure she maintains the high level of play she's had in her last two matches. If not, Bouchard will be more than happy to take a chance on a final four berth not necessarily being something that she's satisfied with in this her very first appearance in an Australian Open main draw.
After the way she handled her business today, it's easy to be a believer in, well, the belieber.
=DAY 9 NOTES= ...hmmm, not a whole lot else to include in this section, but I'll cover as many bases as possible.
Two more #1 seeds fell in Melbourne on Day 9, as the top-seeded Mixed Doubles team of Anna-Lena Groenefeld & Alejandro Peya lost to Zheng Jie & Scott Lipsky, and girls #1 Varvara Flink of Russia fell to Bannerette Olivia Haugher in the 2nd Round.
Elsewhere in the juniors, Croat Jana Fett, playing like a Jedi master, took out #5-seeded Xu Shilin of China, 3-6/6-4/7-5.
...in Awards news, Bouchard picks up the "It [Teen]" award for this AO, adding it to the "Junior Breakout" (Wimbledon '12) and "Zombie Queen" [Wimbledon '13] honors she'd already collected before her 20th birthday. She's operating waaaay ahead of the curve now.
If Ivanovic or Pennetta had won today, they'd have wrapped up the "Comeback" award. Pennetta won it last season's U.S. Open, so AnaIvo is still the leader in the clubhouse for selection. But it's now been opened up to some of the doubles stars, too, such as the re-teamed duo of Peschke/Srebotnik. Of course, if all else fails, I suppose I could take the unconventional route and go with "The Kuznetsova Curse."
...DAY 9 "THE CURRENT STUDY IN PROGRESS INVOLVES...":
-- seeing whether or not Bouchard gets any of the "Sloane treatment" on ESPN2. She's not American, but she's Canadian (and that's close enough -- ha!). She's an easy-to-like personality with what seems like a great future, and the ESPN commentators can actually say her name without making fun of not being able to say her name. There could be a real rooting interest there for U.S. viewers -- who are already used to not being able to tell the difference between American and Canadian actors in television and movies, not to mention in the news and politics. I mean, come on, could the mayor of Toronto be more "American-like" without, say, donning a red, white and blue headband or something? (And this is coming from someone who grew up watching the shenanigans of a string of mayors in Washington, D.C.!)
Thing is, and you could sort of read between the lines tonight as Chris Evert & Co. talked about all the composure, maturity (well, aside from the Bieber comment, maybe) and knows-what-she-wants-and-how-to-get-it qualities that Bouchard shows. It sort of went without saying that hardly any of Bouchard's best qualities also apply to Stephens at the moment, though no one would actually say it (you could see it their faces that they realized it, though).
Team Genie vs. Team Sloane. I guess this gives TG the win for this AO, meaning the Canadian leads the Backspin week-by-week Backspin standings for 2014:
2-0-1 - Team Genie 0-2-1 - Team Sloane
...and, finally, glory be... could it be???? A night session without a women's match that goes deep into the night???
Ah... small favors.
=WOMEN'S SINGLES QF= #30 Eugenie Bouchard/CAN def. #14 Ana Ivanovic/SRB #4 Li Na/CHN def. #28 Flavia Pennetta/ITA #11 Simona Halep/ROU vs. #20 Dominika Cibulkova/SVK #5 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL vs. #2 Victoria Azarenka/BLR
=MEN'S SINGLES QF= #1 Rafael Nadal/ESP vs. #22 Grigor Dimitrov/BUL #4 Andy Murray/GBR vs. #6 Roger Federer/SUI #7 Tomas Berdych/CZE def. #3 David Ferrer/ESP #8 Stanislas Wawrinka/SUI vs. #2 Novak Djokovic/SRB
=MEN'S DOUBLES QF= Butorac/Klaasen (USA/RSA) def. Huey/Inglot (PHI/GBR) Bolt/Whittington (AUS/AUS) vs. #8 Nestor/Zimonjic (CAN/SRB) Mirnyi/Youzhny (BLR/RUS) vs. #14 Kubot/Lindstedt (POL/SWE) #5 Paes/Stepanek (IND/CZE) vs. #13 Llodra/Mahut (FRA/FRA)
=MIXED DOUBLES QF= J.Zheng/Lipsky (CHN/USA) vs. #5 Medina-Garrigues/Soares (ESP/BRA) Mladenovic/Nestor (FRA/CAN) vs. Hantuchova/Paes (SVK/IND) #6 Mirza/Tecau (IND/ROU) vs. Goerges/Qureshi (GER/PAK) or #4 Hlavackova/Mirnyi (CZE/BLR) Gajdosova/Ebden (AUS/AUS) vs. #2 Srebotnik/Bopanna (SLO/IND)
*LOWEST-SEEDED WOMEN IN AO SF, since 2000* Unseeded - 2000 Jennifer Capriati, USA Unseeded - 2007 Serena Williams, USA (W) Unseeded - 2010 Zheng Jie, CHN Wild Card - 2010 Justine Henin, BEL (RU) #32 - 2004 Fabiola Zuluaga, COL #30 - 2014 Eugenie Bouchard, CAN #29 - 2013 Sloane Stephens, USA #22 - 2004 Patty Schnyder, SUI #19 - 2005 Nathalie Dechy, FRA #16 - 2010 Li Na, CHN #12 - 2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA (W) #11 - 2012 Kim Clijsters, BEL #10 - 2000 Conchita Martinez, ESP #10 - 2007 Nicole Vaidisova, CZE == NOTE: #11 Halep & #20 Cibulkova to play in QF
*AO "IT" PLAYER WINNERS* 2006 Samantha Stosur, AUS 2007 Shahar Peer, ISR 2008 Casey Dellacqua, AUS 2009 Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP 2010 Maria Kirilenko, RUS 2011 An-Sophie Mestach, BEL (jr.) 2012 Ekaterina Makarova, RUS 2013 [Fortysomething] Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN 2014 [Teen] Eugenie Bouchard, CAN
TOP QUALIFIER:Belinda Bencic/SUI TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Serena Williams/USA TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Cristina Mitu/ROU def. #4 Anna-Lena Friedsam/GER 3-6/6-4/9-7 TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - #3 Maria Sharapova/RUS def. Karin Knapp/ITA 6-3/4-6/10-8 TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): Nominee: 4th Rd. - #14 Ivanovic d. #1 S.Williams 4-6/6-3/6-3 TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr./Doub.): xx TOP LAVER NIGHT MATCH: Nominee: 3rd Rd. - #14 Ivanovic d. #17 Stosur 6-7(8)/6-4/6-2 ============================= FIRST VICTORY:#18 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (def. Laura Robson/GBR) FIRST SEED OUT:#7 Sara Errani/ITA (lost 1st Rd. to Julia Goerges, GER) UPSET QUEENS:Australia REVELATION LADIES:Romania NATION OF POOR SOULS:Italy (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round; Schiavone out 1st Rd. 5/6 slams) LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Zarina Diyas/KAZ (3rd. Rd.) LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) LAST AUSSIE STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Nominees: D.Cibulkova, S.Halep IT (Teen):Eugenie Bouchard/CAN COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: A.Ivanovic, Peschke/Srebotnik CRASH & BURN:#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE (lost 1st Rd. to world #88 Luksika Kumkhum; worst slam result since losing 1st Rd. at '11 U.S. Open following Wimbledon title run) ZOMBIE QUEEN:#4 Li Na/CHN (3rd Rd. - saved MP vs. Safarova) AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:lost 1st Rd. to (LL) Falconi/USA, once again failing to reach a slam QF in her career (so Anna Smashnova still has a buddy); 7 con. slam losses; 22 1st Round exits in 47 slams LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: A.Ivanovic, V.Azarenka DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: J.Gajdosova, A.Hlavackova, K.Srebotnik, S.Mirza, Kops-Jones/Spears JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
Sometimes you get The Radwanska, and sometimes It gets you. The same can be said for Its namesake, as when Aga Radwanska opens up her overstuffed bag of tennis goodies some magical slight-of-hand moments are sure to follow.
Ah, but if you're not careful you might get caught watching her performance in wide-eyed wonderment. And once you catch yourself doing that, it's already too late. You're finished. Just ask Vika Azarenka. Or maybe don't... she's probably still sore from getting "Radwanska'ed" today at Rod Laver Arena.
Day 10's quarterfinal between two-time defending champion Azarenka and Radwanska seemed as if it might present a case of history repeating itself. After all, while so many other players have been victimized by the clever Pole's array of spins, drops, lobs, angles, blind 360-degree backhand flip volleys, between-the-legs shots and occasional you-never-see-it-coming-until-you're-already-too-far-out-of-position-to-do-anything-about-it bursts of offensive firepower, the Belarusian has not been one of them. Against Vika, Aga had been unable to break through, losing twelve of fifteen career matches, including five consecutive as Azarenka has climbed into the sport's "Big 3." And they weren't close matches, either, with Aga not being able to get to five games in any set.
Coming into the match on an eighteen-match winning streak in Melbourne, Azarenka had lost just four sets in the run, and was the only quarterfinalist at this year's Australian Open who'd reached the final eight without dropping a set. Rounding into something close to top form in her Round of 16 match against Sloane Stephens, Vika seemed a good bet to three-peat as champion. Even with the presence of two-time finalist Li Na in the top half of the draw, Azarenka was declared the odds-on favorite to take the title once Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova both exited early.
Meanwhile, Radwanska, who ended 2013 looking like a shadow of her former Wimbledon finalist self, then lost her only "official" AO tune-up match in Sydney, had been pushed to three sets twice in Melbourne, and looked for all the world to be about to be hit off the court by Garbine Muguruza in the early stages of her most recent match. The Pole found her clever game in that Round of 16 contest, eventually frustrating the 20-year old Spaniard with every shot in the book. But that was against a young player who'd never before been so deep into a slam. Azarenka had (and more), so surely the same result wouldn't occur today.
But what ultimately happened was the sort of display from which legends -- and grand slam title runs? -- are born. Radwanska was aided by an error-plagued, tense and agitated Azarenka through the opening stages of the match, but by the time the final set had concluded, well, Aga had created a Radwanskian classic that featured an unlikely victim. Over a span of two hours, Azarenka went from "odds-on favorite" to a player who didn't seem to know exactly what was going on, and one who had even less of an idea about what to do about it.
Right from the start, while the Belarusian was already having troubles corralling her form in the first games of the match, Radwanska began to create even more problems. Seemingly convinced of the belief that things would be different this time, A-Rad made a habit of pushing and pulling Vika wherever she wanted. Moving Azarenka up and back within the same point, Aga followed up a lob with a smash volley to get to break point. After an Azarenka error, the Pole took a 2-0 lead. And the 1st set rout was on.
As occurred against Muguruza, Radwanska had some difficulty holding serve in the next game, facing a break point. But also just as she did against the Spaniard, A-Rad managed to hold, then saw Vika's error total climb into double-digits as the match slipped into just its fourth game. Soon, Azarenka began to realize that this day wasn't going to simply be about her overcoming another slow start. That was just a small portion of her nightmare, as she was also having to deal with a Radwanska growing more confident with each locked-away game and every sequence of shots that can't help but be mind-boggling to many, but that simply come naturally to her.
In game #4, on her fifth break point, Aga moved in behind a groundstroke, forcing Azarenka to attempt to pull off a lob that sailed long to put Radwanska up 4-0. A hold of serve made it 5-0, but in the final games of the 1st set, Azarenka slowly began the process of gathering herself together by avoiding a bagel and holding for 5-1. Still, A-Rad served for the set and pulled off one final clever moment -- a drop shot -- to close out a 6-1 set in which she kept a generally erratic Azarenka off balance with her vast variety of shots, highlighted by the sort of defensive rally-continuing groundstokes that suddenly become seemingly out-of-nowhere winners that she'd actually been setting up during for the previous four strokes.
Showing signs of frustration and anger in the first game of the 2nd set, Azarenka saved three break points in a thirteen-point game to hold. With the match already on the line, the Belarusian made an effort to hit her way out of her troubles by using her aggression to get to Radwanska with her power before the Pole could get her with everything else. In short bursts, it worked. She held three break points of her own in game #2, but Radwanska, unlike in the past against Vika, found ways to counter it. Aga held for 1-1 after moving forward to the net and forcing Vika to pull off a passing shot that landed harmlessly in the net.
After holding for 2-1, Azarenka nearly let her temper get the best of her, slapping at a ball at the net with a ball kid standing nearby. The boy was never struck, but Vika came very close to opening up another controversial can of worms Down Under. From that point on in the set, Azarenka seemed to catch herself just in the nick of time. She gave up a break when Radwanska stepped in to hit a winner to go up 3-2, but then Vika broke Radwanska at love and followed up with a hold at love in a game that included four consecutive clean groundstroke winners to take a 4-3 lead.
Finding more winners than in the 1st, Azarenka stayed on serve for the next three games then, with the match reaching a critical stage at 30/30 on Vika's serve at 5-5, Azarenka changed the direction of Radwanska's crosscourt backhand and smacked a backhand winner down the sideline. She followed with a big serve to get to 6-5 to force A-Rad to hold to stay in the set. Employing the get-before-you're-gotten strategy, Azarenka attacked Radwanska's second serve, pushing groundstrokes deep into the court and going up 40/love before firing a forehand return winner to grab the set at 7-5 and head directly for the changeover area looking like the two-time AO champ she is. Having had her back pressed to the wall and come out slugging, she seemed to have taken Aga's best shot and survived it.
But the problem was, Radwanska had yet to give Azarenka her very best shot. Actually, in the 3rd, she gave her one after another after another.
In the first game of the 3rd, Azarenka seemed focused. She passed a charging Radwanska with a backhand down the line, and held a second game point despite having failed to convert the first when a seeming sure-fire down the line winner was somehow slapped back for a winner by Aga, who'd perfectly anticipated the shot and managed to just get her racket on the ball. But Azarenka missed on a swinging volley on GP #2, and soon faced two break points, the second coming after a double-fault. Radwanska got to a drop and put away a winner to break for 1-0.
The moment seemed to break Azarenka's spirit. From there, she became a spectator in the match, admitting later that at times it was like she was just watching. In truth, there was a lot to watch... but pretty much all of it came courtesy of Radwanska.
The Pole held for 2-0, then saw Azarenka double-fault to fall behind love/30. She was broken at love for 3-0, then saw Radwanska put on a closing display worthy of enshrinement at Newport. If she had it, she flaunted it. The squat shot, the deceptive direct-the-ball-to-the-corner short swinging winner, and even a sudden ace on game point to hold for 4-0. Soon, Radwanska won a point in which she got back a high backhand volley over her head that was immediately followed up by a half-volley and a volley winner.
Azarenka was being "Radwanska'ed" right before our eyes. It was like a slow-motion car wreck, and it was so fascinating that you just couldn't take your eyes off it.
Aga's bag of tricks is always chock-full of goodness. Sometimes her cleverness is pure fun. Sometimes it's downright exhilarating and leaves you breathless not only from the crazy-genius shot-making you just saw, but because you're already on the edge of your seat wondering what will come next. Such is the easy-going on-court brilliance of this 25-year old, who might just be in the process of not only outgrowing her supernatural alter ego, but also carving out a singular and specific place of honor in the sport that, quite honestly, no one might ever dare to replicate for fear of looking foolish making the attempt.
For a small "Greatest Hits" sample of some of Radwanska's most tantalizing shots from this match, take a look right here.
With the clock ticking on her reign as AO champion, Azarenka saw Radwanska spin more gems down the stretch. The Pole glided around the court in game #5, getting back a defensive replay to an Azarenka smash, then racing in to get to a drop shot and putting it away for a winner. It was classic Radwanska, making the wild and crazy seem pre-planned and easy. And Vika was helpless to do anything about it... so she double-faulted on break point to fall behind 5-0. Radwanska then served out the match to reach her first AO semifinal, winning 6-1/5-7/6-0, ending the match with an inconceivably electric run of games, points and shots under the circumstances.
"She's a genius!," ESPN2's Pam Shriver had declared of Radwanska earlier in the match. Later, she added, ""There's a Genie on the other side of the draw, and a genius on this one." It was impossible to argue with her. While I've often "declared" that some of Radwanska's power derives from a (mythical?) pact with her malevolent alter ego, today it was all Aga.
The Radwanska doesn't have the seductive soul of the tennis artist that was on full display in Melbourne today. But Aga does. Is it enough to make it on her own? We shall soon see.
=DAY 10 NOTES= ...in the first women's quarterfinal of the day, in a match-up of two five-and-a-half feet or less women, Dominika Cibulkova grabbed the match by the throat in the early going and never really let go, leaving Simona Halep (in her first career slam QF) frustrated at her inability to gain a foothold in the biggest match of her career so far.
The slightly-more-supercharged Cibulkova, having changed rackets and improved her serve, has been (as usual) an energetic fireball at this AO, running over opponents and taking out Maria Sharapova in the 4th Round. Against Halep, the Slovak never relented on her aggression, and the Swarmette's positioning way behind the baseline during rallies never had any sort of answer for it. Maybe if Halep was working with a coach in Melbourne, attempting to move in more would have been in the game plan. Oh, well... maybe next time. Here, Cibulkova took advantage of Halep's wanting serve and broke in her first attempt and got off to a 3-0 lead. In game #8, a big and deep return from the Slovak produced an error from the Romanian and the break of serve gave Cibulkova the chance to serve out the set, which she did for 6-3.
In the 2nd set, Cibulkova was even better. Continuing to step into the court and take control, she broke Halep's serve three more times, taking the set at love and banking her "second" Top 10 win of this event (though Halep is, technically, still only #11 at the moment), and advancing to her second career slam semifinal ('09 RG).
Halep, while she'll be upset at her efforts in this match, should be encouraged by her result at this slam. Even after being the tour's Most Improved player last year, her ability to move up from her #11 position into the year-end Top 10 was questioned by some in the lead-up to the 2014 season. But, the Romanian ultimately exceeded her seeding in Melbourne and improved upon her former career-best slam result of the 4th Round at last year's U.S. Open. With her ranking set to enter the Top 10, making her the first woman from her country to debut there in eighteen years, and with her being set to announce her new coach after the AO, she'll now look to make a little hay in the spring. With few points to defend until Rome (she'll have the points from six titles to replace starting soon afterward), where she started her climb last year by reaching the semis as a qualifier, Halep should have a shot to be a Top 8 seed at Roland Garros, the slam event where her game probably fits best.
So, it'll be either Dominika or Aga in the final, maybe even against Genie. Just like we all predicted.
...with #4 Li Na being the highest remaining seed, this is just the third time in the Open era that one of the Top 3 seeds didn't reach the AO semis (*-champion):
1978 - #5 Betsy Nagelson, Dianne Evers (unseeded), Christine Matison (unseeded), Chris O'Neil (unseeded)* 1997 - #4 Martina Hingis*, #12 Amanda Coetzer, #14 Mary Joe Fernandez, Mary Pierce (unseeded) 2014 - #5 Li Na, #5 Agnieszka Radwanska, #20 Dominika Cibulkova, #30 Eugenie Bouchard
...in doubles, the women's final is set. Defending champs Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci advanced past Kveta Peschke & Katerina Srebotnik, while Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina defeated Raquel Kops-Jones & Abigail Spears. The final two teams have a recent history, too. The Russians defeated the Italians in last year's Roland Garros final.
...in the juniors, the singles is down to the final eight. Some results from today: Bannerette Olivia Hauger, who earlier knocked out #1-seed Varvara Flink, advanced, as did the unseeded Kimberly Birrell (AUS) and Jana Fett (CRO). The seeded players remaining are #2 Ivana Jorovic (SRB), Elizaveta Kulichkova (RUS), #6 Jelena Ostapenko (LAT), #7 Sun Ziyue (CHN) and #10 Anastasiya Kornadina (RUS).
...also, the Wheelchair action has begun. Top-seeded German Sabine Ellerbrock won her match to advance to the semifinals, as did #2 Yui Kamiji of Japan, along with the Netherlands' Jiske Griffioen and Brit Jordanne Whiley.
...DAY 10 "UNEXPECTED LIKE":
-- even after what happened to Azarenka on Day 10, and how she was often disregarded by the talking heads on ESPN2 during the first nine days of this AO, there was at least one lovely moment that came from this match. And it came from the mind of Chris Evert, too. In the section of the match where it looked as if Vika was turning around her day and was going to battle back to possibly take the match, Evert said, "When I think of power, I think of Serena. When I think of focus, I think of Sharapova. When I think of fight and heart, I think of Azarenka"
Vika might not have won this Australian Open, but that's quite a nice compliment coming from one of the greatest players in the history of the game, no matter how often Evert might make one forget that little fact on occasion when she briefly loses herself behind a microphone.
...umm...
All right, all right. Rub it in, why don't ya, Aga? But, you're right, the time for the end of the "Vika Pic-o-the-Day" for this AO has finally arrived.
...DAY 10 "ALMOST OVERLOOKED DISLIKE":
-- I just realized that I don't think that ESPN2 has had a moment where a "Vegemite taste test" is conducted, as a player being interviewed on the set is urged to taste the foul-tasting (to anyone who wasn't indoctrinated to the product at a young age, it seems) Aussie snack spread. In the past, Vera Zvonareva didn't bat an eye while taking a taste, while some (especially American) players have had to spit it out without swallowing. Justine Henin, I remember, was smart enough to not even try it. Sure, it might have been a needlessly cruel tradition, but it was still great fun! I miss it.
...DAY 10 "USUAL EYEROLL":
-- while covering the Radwanska/Azarenka match, Tennis Channel had to hustle off the air at the top of the hour, with Vika serving in the first game of the 2nd set, so that ESPN2 could pick up coverage. Of course, over at ESPN2, Texas and Kansas State were playing a college basketball game, so the bottom of the screen directed viewers online to ESPN3. The game very nearly went to overtime before Texas hit a three-point shot in the closing second to slip away with the win. Of course, that's when the tennis coverage picked up on ESPN2, and Chris McKendry said they'd "get to" the, you know, LIVE match that TC viewers were just directed from there to here to view... and then everyone on the set spent 10-15 minutes or so showing highlights of last night's Djokovic/Wawrinka match, then did the same with Cibulkova/Halep and then talked even longer about Djokovic/Wawrinka.
Think they'd do that sort of thing with, well, ANY of the other millions of live sporting events that the network covers? No, of course not.
...and, finally, while it looked like it might happen -- and I was prepared to tear down this entire recap and start over if it had -- there was no "Second Radwanskian Massacre" on this day.
Grigor Dimitrov flirted with having as such declared when he pushed Rafa Nadal to the brink of seeing his own "odds-on favorite" role in this AO unceremoniously brought to a close, but the Spaniard ultimately prevailed in four tight sets over the Bulgarian. So, "De-Gifting Day" did not get an official date of January 22.
Hmmm, maybe Anna & QC -- and maybe the mysterious old woman? -- are on the verge of something great, after all? Hmm, or maybe I've just been blinded by the light of The Citizen, and that's why I've steadfastly denied that the secret workings of The Rad have played any part in the goings-on at this slam. Maybe I'll wake up this weekend, after the champion has been decided, and realize that I was terribly wrong. But, as of today, I stand by the belief that Anna has prevailed.
Who knows, maybe Aga's soulful run here is a sign of something great and new, and not the last-chance vestiges of The Rad's grand Plan to destroy us all. We shall see. After all, it's hard to believe that what we've seen from Roger Federer as this AO could possibly have such dark origins, right?
Well, unless, of course, he ends up going on to lose to a certain Scot after failing to put away two match points just before I posted this recap.
(Crossing fingers.)
=WOMEN'S SINGLES SF= #30 Eugenie Bouchard/CAN vs. #4 Li Na/CHN #20 Dominika Cibulkova/SVK vs. #5 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL
=MEN'S SINGLES SF= #1 Rafael Nadal/ESP vs. #4 Andy Murray/GBR or #6 Roger Federer/SUI #7 Tomas Berdych/CZE vs. #8 Stanislas Wawrinka/SUI
=WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL= #1 Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) vs. #3 Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS)
=MEN'S DOUBLES SF= Butorac/Klaasen (USA/RSA) vs. #8 Nestor/Zimonjic (CAN/SRB) #14 Kubot/Lindstedt (POL/SWE) vs. #13 Llodra/Mahut (FRA/FRA)
=MIXED DOUBLES QF= J.Zheng/Lipsky (CHN/USA) def. #5 Medina-Garrigues/Soares (ESP/BRA) Mladenovic/Nestor (FRA/CAN) vs. Hantuchova/Paes (SVK/IND) #6 Mirza/Tecau (IND/ROU) vs. Goerges/Qureshi (GER/PAK) or #4 Hlavackova/Mirnyi (CZE/BLR) Gajdosova/Ebden (AUS/AUS) vs. #2 Srebotnik/Bopanna (SLO/IND)
=GIRLS SINGLES QF= Olivia Hauger/USA vs. Jana Fett/CRO Kimberly Birrell/AUS vs. #10 Anastasiya Kornadina/RUS #6 Jelena Ostapenko/LAT vs. #4 Elizaveta Kulichkova/RUS #7 Sun Ziyue/CHN vs. #2 Ivana Jorovic/SRB
=BOYS SINGLES QF= #1 Alexander Zverev/GER vs. #11 Hyeon Chung/KOR Bradley Mousley/AUS vs. #9 Kamil Majchrzak/POL #7 Quentin Halys/FRA vs. Petros Chrysochos/CYP #10 Andrey Rublev/RUS vs. #2 Stefan Kozlov/USA
=MEN'S WC SINGLES QF= #1 Shingo Kunieda/JPN def. Gordon Reid/GBR Maikel Scheffers/NED def. Adam Kellerman/AUS Gustavo Fernandez/ARG def. Michael Jeremiasz/FRA #2 Stephane Houdet/FRA def. Joachim Gererd/BEL
=WOMEN'S WC DOUBLES SF= #1 Kamiji/Whiley (JPN/GER) vs. Ellerbrock/Montjane (GER/RSA) Shuker/Walraven (GBR/NED) vs. #2 Buis/Griffioen (NED/NED)
=MEN'S WC DOUBLES SF= #1 Houdet/Kunieda (FRA/JPN) vs. Gerard/Kellerman (BEL/AUS) Fernandez/Jeremiasz (ARG/FRA) vs. #2 Reid/Scheffers (GBR/NED)
*2014 AO FINAL FOUR* [by career slam SF] 6...Li Na (3-2) 3...Agnieszka Radwanska (1-1) 2...Dominika Cibulkova (0-1) 1...Eugenie Bouchard (0-0) [by career AO SF] 4...Li Na 1...Eugenie Bouchard 1...Dominika Cibulkova 1...Agnieszka Radwanska [by their nation's 2014 AO won/lost] 9-4...Slovak Republic [Cibulkova] 7-5...China [Li] 5-0...Canada [Bouchard] 5-1...Poland [A.Radwanska] [WTA most career slam SF - active] 24...Serena Williams (21-3) 19...Venus Williams (14-5) 17...Maria Sharapova (8-9) 7...Victoria Azarenka (4-3) 6...LI NA (3-2) 6...Jelena Jankovic (1-5) 5...Svetlana Kuznetsova (4-1) 4...Ana Ivanovic (3-1) 4...Samantha Stosur (2-2) 4...Vera Zvonareva (2-2) 4...Petra Kvitova (1-3) 4...Caroline Wozniacki (1-3) 3...AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA (1-2) 3...Sara Errani (1-1) [WTA most slam SF since 2010 - active] 7...Serena Williams (7-0) 7...Victoria Azarenka (4-3) 7...Maria Sharapova (4-3) 6...LI NA (3-2) 4...Petra Kvitova (1-3) 3...Samantha Stosur (2-1) 3...Vera Zvonareva (2-1) 3...AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA (1-1) 3...Sara Errani (1-2) 3...Caroline Wozniacki (0-3) [WTA Slam SF since 2010 - by nation] 11...Russia 9...United States 7...Belarus, CHINA 6...Italy 5...Belgium 4...Czech Republic, Germany 3...Australia, Denmark, POLAND 2...France 1...Bulgaria, CANADA, Serbia, SLOVAK REPUBLIC [2014 WTA SF - by nation] 5...United States 3...CHINA 2...Czech Republic, Germany, Serbia, Spain [Players w/ "Career SF Slam" - active] Victoria Azarenka, BLR Maria Sharapova, RUS Serena Williams, USA Venus Williams, USA
*LOWEST-SEEDED WOMEN IN AO SF, since 2000* Unseeded - 2000 Jennifer Capriati, USA Unseeded - 2007 Serena Williams, USA (W) Unseeded - 2010 Zheng Jie, CHN Wild Card - 2010 Justine Henin, BEL (RU) #32 - 2004 Fabiola Zuluaga, COL #30 - 2014 Eugenie Bouchard, CAN #29 - 2013 Sloane Stephens, USA #22 - 2004 Patty Schnyder, SUI #20 - 2014 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK #19 - 2005 Nathalie Dechy, FRA #16 - 2010 Li Na, CHN #12 - 2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA (W) #11 - 2012 Kim Clijsters, BEL #10 - 2000 Conchita Martinez, ESP #10 - 2007 Nicole Vaidisova, CZE
**LOW-SEEDED AO CHAMPIONS - OPEN ERA** Unseeded - 1978 Chris O'Neil, AUS Unseeded - 2007 Serena Williams, USA #30 - 2014 Eugenie Bouchard, CAN??? #20 - 2014 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK??? #12 - 2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA #7 - 2005 Serena Williams, USA #5 - 1979 Barbara Jordan, USA #5 - 2008 Maria Sharapova, RUS #5 - 2014 Agnieszka Radwanska, POL??? #4 - 1995 Mary Pierce, FRA #4 - 1997 Martina Hingis, SUI #4 - 2014 Li Na, CHN???
*AO "COMEBACK PLAYER" WINNERS* 2007 Serena Williams, USA 2008 Zi Yan & Zheng Jie, CHN 2009 Jelena Dokic, AUS 2010 Justine Henin, BEL 2011 Agnieszka Radwanska, POL 2012 Maria Sharapova, RUS 2013 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 2014 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
**AO "MIDDLE-ROUND TOP PLAYER" WINNERS** 2007 Serena Williams, USA* 2008 Maria Sharapova, RUS* 2009 Elena Dementieva, RUS 2010 Serena Williams, USA* 2011 Li Na, CHN 2012 Maria Sharapova, RUS 2013 Maria Sharapova, RUS 2014 Li Na, CHN -- * - won title
TOP QUALIFIER:Belinda Bencic/SUI TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Serena Williams/USA TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF):#2 Li Na/CHN TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Cristina Mitu/ROU def. #4 Anna-Lena Friedsam/GER 3-6/6-4/9-7 TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - #3 Maria Sharapova/RUS def. Karin Knapp/ITA 6-3/4-6/10-8 TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF):4th Rd. - #14 Ivanovic d. #1 S.Williams 4-6/6-3/6-3 TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr./Doub.): xx TOP LAVER NIGHT MATCH: Nominee: 3rd Rd. - #14 Ivanovic d. #17 Stosur 6-7(8)/6-4/6-2 ============================= FIRST VICTORY:#18 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (def. Laura Robson/GBR) FIRST SEED OUT:#7 Sara Errani/ITA (lost 1st Rd. to Julia Goerges, GER) UPSET QUEENS:Australia REVELATION LADIES:Romania NATION OF POOR SOULS:Italy (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round; Schiavone out 1st Rd. 5/6 slams) LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Zarina Diyas/KAZ (3rd. Rd.) LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) LAST AUSSIE STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Nominees: D.Cibulkova, A.Radwanska IT (Teen):Eugenie Bouchard/CAN COMEBACK PLAYER:Ana Ivanovic/SRB CRASH & BURN:#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE (lost 1st Rd. to world #88 Luksika Kumkhum; worst slam result since losing 1st Rd. at '11 U.S. Open following Wimbledon title run) ZOMBIE QUEEN:#4 Li Na/CHN (3rd Rd. - saved MP vs. Safarova) AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:lost 1st Rd. to (LL) Falconi/USA, once again failing to reach a slam QF in her career (so Anna Smashnova still has a buddy); 7 con. slam losses; 22 1st Round exits in 47 slams LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: A.Ivanovic, A.Radwanska, (the women's champion) DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: J.Gajdosova, K.Srebotnik, S.Mirza, K.Mladenovic, J.Zheng, J.Goerges JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
So, how do you improve upon perfection? Well, if you're Aga Radwanska attempting to follow up her masterpiece of a match against Vika Azarenka in the Australian Open quarterfinals, you don't.
When the Pole opened today's semifinal match against Dominika Cibulkova with an unforced error, the first clue about what was about to happen had been dropped. Of course, Radwanska had already learned the hard way last year that the diminutive Cibulkova, the shortest player on tour, wasn't a slow learner. The Pole had put up a masterpiece against the Slovak in Week 2 of 2013, defeating her 6-0/6-0 in the Sydney final, only to see Cibulkova come back seven months later and defeat her in the final of Stanford.
What the 24-year old Cibulkova lacks in size she makes up for with ferocity. While she's usually described as a counter-puncher, you sometimes get the notion that Cibulkova is playing as if she's the biggest beast on the block. She regularly smacks shots harder than players half a foot taller than herself, and she's unafraid to step into the court to take balls early in an attempt to control her own destiny. It's a wonderful trait to have, but until now it hasn't been enough.
Cibulkova came into her career's second major semifinal showing an impressive finishing burst in her last four matches in Melbourne, as she closed them out, in order, by 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 and 6-0 last set scores. But that was quite in contrast to the Slovak's longtime knock as a player talented and determined enough to defeat the top players, but maybe not mentally strong enough to close them out after having grabbed big, seemingly insurmountable match leads.
Against Radwanska, Cibulkova would get another chance to prove that she's outgrown her career-long reputation. And she'd get a lot of help from Aga in doing so.
Aside from the error on the first point of the match, Radwanska also egregiously missed a drop shot in that game. Meanwhile, Cibulkova, kicking off a strategy that she would employ the entire day, attacked the Radwanska serve, getting the break. As the hard-hitting Slovak immediately began to dictate play in this match, it was apparent that her opponent was not the same Aga that had discombobulated Azarenka and wowed so many people with her artistic brilliance and mad scientist genius just twenty-four hours earlier. Instead, she more resembled the Radwanska who'd ended her '13 campaign in Istanbul, playing with a blank expression on her face, going through the motions while seeming to lack inspiration and showing signs that her brilliant mind was simply not in working order. Afterward, the Pole would admit that she felt like she was playing in "slow motion" on this day. Needless to say, in the only main draw singles match all tournament that went off just one day after the players' previous round, only Cibulkova came 100% prepared to give it her all.
A game and a half into this semifinal, Radwanska already had as many errors in the match as she had in the entire 6-0 3rd set she put up against Azarenka yesterday. And there seemed to be no end in sight. An Aga error on a down-the-line backhand completed Cibulkova's hold for 2-0, and even when Aga did finally string together a few points -- going up 40/love on serve in game #3 -- she would soon after make things difficult for herself. A double-fault and error brought that game to deuce, and she held to get on the board. But she was flat, lifeless and a shadow of her oft-fascinating self. Even when she held five break points on Cibulkova's serve a game later, a close-up shot of Radwanska's face revealed that there was nothing going on there. No glint in the eye. No determined half-smile. No evidence that the wheels were turning inside her mind, planning out moves four strokes in advance and then standing back and marveling at what she just accomplished with an ounce of anticipation and the flick of a wrist. Cibulkova held for 3-1.
Soon, with Cibulkova, unlike Azarenka, making her shots from the start, Radwanska was even being victimized by one of her own weapons -- a drop shot -- before another error provided the final point that converted still another break to give the Slovak a 4-1 lead. On the rare occasion that Radwanska ventured in from behind the baseline, she was often left to watch a Cibulkova passing shot fly past her for a winner.
In game #7, serving down 5-1, the artist's blue period persisted. An A-Rad error gave Cibulkova double set point at 40/15. Radwanska saved one BP with a going-through-the-motions version of one of the sequences she pulled off with such joy against Azarenka: an approach to the net, an overhead and a winner. But it was a labored struggle for her to do it. It was as if her body remembered what to do, but her heart and mind weren't fully committed. Or maybe vice versa. Either way, all the parts weren't working in unison to produce the sort of seamless work of art that we know she's capable of. On the second SP, Cibulkova closed out the 6-1 set with a backhand winner. For the set, Radwanska won 0% of her 2nd serve points, and was 0-for-5 on break point attempts.
The 3rd set began with a love hold by Cibulkova. In game #2, she hit a forehand winner on the first point, which was followed by back-to-back Radwanska errors and a Cibulkova return winner off a weak second serve to go up 2-0. Then, if there was any thought that Radwanska might awaken her inner Rad, it slipped away a game later. There, things started well for the Pole, as a forehand error from Cibulkova led to her falling down love/40 on serve, bringing back memories of all the blown leads she's squandered in the past. On the next point, Cibulkova hit a seemingly long second serve that was called in. Radwanska reflexively played the ball, then chose to play the point (which she quickly lost) rather than stop and call for a replay challenge. Upset that the chair umpire didn't overrule the call, Aga had robbed herself of a chance to have call corrected by making the mistake of continuing to play. It wasn't the sort of move that a mentally aware Radwanska would make. Replays showed the serve to be quite long, but it no longer mattered.
What followed after that point was a Cibulkova forehand winner, a wide Radwanska return, a serve up the "T" that Aga barely got over the net and was an easy put-away for the Slovak, and then a game-holding Radwanska error to give Cibulkova a 3-0 lead.
From there, there was no looking back. One game later, Cibulkova was able to take her time to lean back and load up her racket to crack a 2nd serve return winner as Radwanska's serve continued to be victimized. Later in the game, the Slovak stepped to her right and crushed a FIRST serve return so hard that it looked like a second serve. It gave her a break point, which she converted with a forehand down the line to go up 4-0. The Pole did manage a break in the next game, as her level of play almost imperceptibly picked up, but even with Cibulkova's checkered past under similar circumstances, the general lack of any Radwanska get-up-and-go meant that the chances for a turnaround were virtually nil. She held to get to 4-2 with three straight good serves, but it was a hollow victory.
None of the "unconfirmed Radwanska Sightings" at this slam were going to help Aga on this day.
After a Cibulkova error put her down 15/30 in the next game, Radwanska made another too-few-and-far-between venture to the net, only to see one of the Slovak's hot shots fired back at her and fly off Aga's racket, landing out to give Cibulkova a game point. A sailed forehand from A-Rad handed her the hold for 5-2. Playing out the string, Radwanska started game #8 with another error, then after being unable to keep in her reply to a hard and deep Cibulkova shot, Aga ended things with two more. Cibulkova won 6-1/6-2, falling on her back and kicking up her feet in celebration as she notched her second Top 5 victory at this AO and advanced to her first career slam final.
While Radwanska still searches for grand slam glory, Cibulkova has discovered the hard-earned "fast track" to success. She's one win away from being one of the most unanticipated grand slam champions in recent memory.
Go figure.
=DAY 11 NOTES= ...heading into the first semifinal of the day, 31-year old two-time AO finalist Li Na must have sworn that the tournament draw -- save for her QF match against the one-day-older-that-Li Flavia Pennetta -- was conspiring against her in an attempt to make her feel old. She opened this AO by facing off with the two 16-year old players (Ana Konjuh & Belinda Bencic) who split 2013's four junior slam crowns, and today went up against 19-year old Eugenie Bouchard, the 2012 Wimbledon girls winner and last year's tour Newcomer of the Year.
With much sentiment both in Melbourne and other corners with Bouchard in this match-up, the charming Li was cast in the uncharacteristic role as not only the favorite to win this tournament in the wake of so many big game exits, but also as the spoiler who threatened to assert her authority and put the star-in-the-making teen out of this Australian Open. Whether or not either was a role she embraced, Li took to both with aplomb and skill.
Li opened by quickly going up 40/love against the first-time slam semifinalist (in just her fourth career major), then crushed a forehand return up the line to break Bouchard's serve. And her early dominance didn't end there, either. Li held and broke Bouchard again two games later, taking a 3-0 lead without yet committing her first unforced error in the match. Winning twenty of the first twenty-three points, Li got a third break for a 5-0 advantage.
From that point, Bouchard finally settled herself. She won eight of the next ten points, closing on the net to put away a swing volley to get her first break point of the match as Li was serving for a bagel in the opening set. The Chinese vet double-faulted on BP #2 to get the Canadian on the scoreboard.
Bouchard seemed to finally have a feel for the moment, easily holding for 5-2, but it was too late to save the 1st set. Serving for the set once again, Li put away a serve-and-volley point on her second set point to win 6-2 after having successfully employed a game plan that called for her to focus on deep groundstrokes with intent, stressing the sort of crosscourt shots that would pull Bouchard off the court, then follow them up with still more crosscourt shots that the athletic, but hardly quick, Canadian would have a difficult time consistently chasing down.
Still, at that point, one got the sense that the 2nd would be a closer affair since Bouchard had her feet under her and was getting more comfortable with Li's high-level of play after the teenager had advanced to the semis without facing a player seeded higher than #14. But Bouchard had to open the set on serve, putting her in an immediate pressure situation to hold after having done so just once in the opening set. Initially, she held up her end. In the opening game, Bouchard saw a game point erased when Li raced across the middle of the court to put away a crosscourt forehand that a lunging Bouchard got her racket on and couldn't keep in the court. Saving two break points, the Canadian used her big forehand and an ace to help her hold for 1-0 and, with Li serving into the sun, denied her opponent on three game points before breaking her on her own third break point of the game to go up 2-0.
For a moment, Bouchard looked as if she might be able to pull off her third come-from-behind three-set victory at this AO.
But her advantage didn't last long, as Li continued to consistently take big leads in each game. A Bouchard DF helped put her into a love/40 service hole one game later, and Li immediately got the break back for 2-1. The Canadian held a break point in game #4, but Li saved it then hit an ace to hold and knot the set at two. The pair exchanged breaks the next two games, then Li again went up 40/love on Bouchard's serve and used a pair of crosscourt forehands to break for 4-3. Going up 40/love again with a wide serve, Li used another big serve to hold for 5-3 then, two games later, utilized three more crosscourt shots on match point, ending things with a backhand winner to take the match 6-2/6-4 and advance to her third AO final in the last four years, and her third consecutive WTA final overall dating back to last season's Tour Championships.
Meanwhile, while Bouchard was ultimately held off here, one wonders if the same will be able to be said about the fast-improving teen by the end of the season.
...the junior semis are set, and we're assured of an unseeded girls finalist.
In the top half of the draw, unseeded Croat Jana Fett (the Force is STILL with her, apparently) knocked off Bannerette Olivia Hauger, who'd earlier upset #1 seed Varvara Flink. She'll face unseeded Aussie Kimberly Birrell in the semifinals. Today, Birrell defeated #10 seeded Hordette Anastasiya Kornadina, the only seed that had advanced in the top half.
The bottom half of the quarterfinals included four seeds, though. There, #4 Elizaveta Kulichkova, an unseeded girls semifinalist in Melbourne a year ago, defeated #6 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia. The Russian will next face #7-seed Sun Ziyue of China, who upset #2-seeded Serb Ivana Jorovic.
So, with Sun and Li alive in both singles draws, there's a chance we could see the first-ever slam sweep of both the girls and women's titles by players hailing from China.
In the girls doubles final, the #1 team of Anhelina Kalinina (UKR) & Kulichkova will meet #2-seeds Katie Boulter (GBR) & Jorovic.
...in the Mixed Doubles, Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor knocked off Daniela Hantuchova & Leander Paes in the QF. They'll next face the team of Zheng Jie & Scott Lipsky, who advanced yesterday.
In the other semi, Sania Mirza & Horia Tecau will face defending AO champions Jarmila Gajdosova & Matthew Ebden. The last team to defend a Mixed slam title was the all-sibling duo of Helena Sukova & Cyril Suk at Wimbledon in 1996-97, and the only to do so at the Australian Open has been 1988-89 champions Jana Novotna & Jim Pugh.
...in the wheelchair singles semifinals, the top two seeded woman -- Germany's Sabine Ellerbrock and Yui Kamiji of Japan -- advanced to the final, but there was a big upset on the men's side as it'll be Argentine Gustavo Fernandez facing off against Japan's #1-seeded Shingo Kunieda in the final, not #2 Frenchman Stephane Houdet.
As the #1 WC doubles team, though, Kunieda & Houdet reached the final
...DAY 11 "I'D SAY I WAS SURPRISED, BUT I'M NOT":
-- during ESPN2's coverage of the Li/Bouchard match, Cliff Drysdale talked of the winner of that match's next opponent. Or, more accurately, who the opponent WOULD NOT be. "There's no Serena," he said, ""No Maria, no..." Then, he searched his memory for the name of the player that had somehow slipped his mind. Finally, after about eight seconds, he concluded the thought with, "...Azarenka."
Sigh.
...and, finally, hopefully, if the same match-ending situation arises this weekend, Li will have a quick answer to a question similar to Rennae Stubbs' post-match query today about which of her eight rackets did the deed against Bouchard (Li offered to check her tennis bag to see which racket it was, but by then Stubbs had lost interest, a phenomenon consistent in nearly every strained, trying-way-to-hard-to-be-irreverent on-court interview during this tournament, save perhaps for the ones conducted by Jim Courier).
You see, Li has named her rackets: "Li Na 1,""Li Na 2,""Li Na 3," etc. And how fun would it be to hear Li Na talking about a racket named Li Na that had just helped Li Na win her second major title? Really, can Li Na be anything other than priceless?
=WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL= #4 Li Na/CHN vs. #20 Dominika Cibulkova/SVK
=MEN'S SINGLES SF= #1 Rafael Nadal/ESP vs. #6 Roger Federer/SUI #8 Stanislas Wawrinka/SUI def. #7 Tomas Berdych/CZE
=WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL= #1 Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) vs. #3 Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS)
=MEN'S DOUBLES FINAL= Butorac/Klaasen (USA/RSA) vs. #14 Kubot/Lindstedt (POL/SWE)
=MIXED DOUBLES SF= J.Zheng/Lipsky (CHN/USA) vs. Mladenovic/Nestor (FRA/CAN) #6 Mirza/Tecau (IND/ROU) vs. Gajdosova/Ebden (AUS/AUS)
=GIRLS SINGLES SF= Jana Fett/CRO vs. Kimberly Birrell/AUS #4 Elizaveta Kulichkova/RUS vs. #7 Sun Ziyue/CHN
=BOYS SINGLES SF= #1 Alexander Zverev/GER vs. Bradley Mousley/AUS #7 Quentin Halys/FRA vs. #2 Stefan Kozlov/USA
=GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL= #1 Kalinina/Kulichkova (UKR/RUS) vs. #2 Boulter/Jorovic (GBR/SRB)
=BOYS DOUBLES FINAL= ##3 Halys/Tatlot (FRA/FRA) vs. #5 Mielder/Mousley (AUT/AUS)
**AO "Ms. OPPORTUNITY" WINNERS** 2004 Fabiola Zuluaga, COL 2005 Nathalie Dechy, FRA 2006 Martina Hingis, SUI 2007 Serena Williams, USA 2008 Daniela Hantuchova, SVK 2009 Vera Zvonareva, RUS 2010 Zheng Jie, CHN & Li Na, CHN 2011 Li Na, CHN 2012 Sara Errani, ITA 2013 Sloane Stephens, USA 2014 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
*CAREER SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE* 21...Serena Williams (17-4) 14...Venus Williams (7-7) 8...Maria Sharapova (4-4) 4...Svetlana Kuznetsova (2-2) 4...Victoria Azarenka (2-2) 4...LI NA (1-2) 3...Ana Ivanovic (1-2)
**FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN - OPEN ERA** 1977 Kerry Melville-Reid, AUS 1978 Chris O'Neil, AUS 1979 Barbara Jordan, USA 1980 Hana Mandlikova, CZE 1995 Mary Pierce, FRA 1997 Martina Hingis, SUI 2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA 2006 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA 2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
*AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINALS - ACTIVE* 5...Serena Williams (5-0) 3...Maria Sharapova (1-2) 3...LI NA (0-2) 2...Victoria Azarenka (2-0) 1...DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA (0-0) 1...Ana Ivanovic (0-1) 1...Venus Williams (0-1)
**MOST SLAMS BEFORE FIRST TITLE** 47 - Marion Bartoli (2013 Wimbledon) 45 - Jana Novotna (1998 Wimbledon) 39 - Francesca Schiavone (2010 Roland Garros) 34 - Samantha Stosur (2011 US Open) 31 - Amelie Mauresmo (2006 Australian Open) 29 - Jennifer Capriati (2001 Australian Open) 28 - Kerry Melville-Reid (1978 Australian Open) 26 - Lindsay Davenport (1998 U.S. Open) 26 - Dominika Cibulkova ??? 25 - Victoria Azarenka (2012 Australian Open)
*ACTIVE SINGLES PLAYERS - FIRST SLAM FINAL* 1997 U.S. Open - Venus Williams 1999 U.S. Open - Serena Williams (W) 2004 Wimbledon - Maria Sharapova (W) 2004 U.S. Open - Svetlana Kuznetsova (W) 2007 Roland Garros - Ana Ivanovic 2008 U.S. Open - Jelena Jankovic 2009 U.S. Open - Caroline Wozniacki 2010 Roland Garros - Francesca Schiavone (W) 2010 Roland Garros - Samantha Stosur 2010 Wimbledon - Vera Zvonareva 2011 Australian Open - Li Na 2011 Wimbledon - Petra Kvitova (W) 2012 Australian Open - Victoria Azarenka (W) 2012 Roland Garros - Sara Errani 2012 Wimbledon - Agnieszka Radwanska 2013 Wimbledon - Sabine Lisicki 2014 Australian Open - Dominika Cibulkova
**LOW-SEEDED AO CHAMPIONS - OPEN ERA** Unseeded - 1978 Chris O'Neil, AUS Unseeded - 2007 Serena Williams, USA #20 - 2014 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK??? #12 - 2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA #7 - 2005 Serena Williams, USA #5 - 1979 Barbara Jordan, USA #5 - 2008 Maria Sharapova, RUS #4 - 1995 Mary Pierce, FRA #4 - 1997 Martina Hingis, SUI #4 - 2014 Li Na, CHN???
TOP QUALIFIER:Belinda Bencic/SUI TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Serena Williams/USA TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF):#2 Li Na/CHN TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Cristina Mitu/ROU def. #4 Anna-Lena Friedsam/GER 3-6/6-4/9-7 TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - #3 Maria Sharapova/RUS def. Karin Knapp/ITA 6-3/4-6/10-8 TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF):4th Rd. - #14 Ivanovic d. #1 S.Williams 4-6/6-3/6-3 TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr./Doub.): xx TOP LAVER NIGHT MATCH: Nominee: 3rd Rd. - #14 Ivanovic d. #17 Stosur 6-7(8)/6-4/6-2 ============================= FIRST VICTORY:#18 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (def. Laura Robson/GBR) FIRST SEED OUT:#7 Sara Errani/ITA (lost 1st Rd. to Julia Goerges, GER) UPSET QUEENS:Australia REVELATION LADIES:Romania NATION OF POOR SOULS:Italy (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round; Schiavone out 1st Rd. 5/6 slams) LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Zarina Diyas/KAZ (3rd. Rd.) LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) LAST AUSSIE STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) Ms. OPPORTUNITY:Dominika Cibulkova/SVK IT (Teen):Eugenie Bouchard/CAN COMEBACK PLAYER:Ana Ivanovic/SRB CRASH & BURN:#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE (lost 1st Rd. to world #88 Luksika Kumkhum; worst slam result since losing 1st Rd. at '11 U.S. Open following Wimbledon title run) ZOMBIE QUEEN:#4 Li Na/CHN (3rd Rd. - saved MP vs. Safarova) AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:lost 1st Rd. to (LL) Falconi/USA, once again failing to reach a slam QF in her career (so Anna Smashnova still has a buddy); 7 con. slam losses; 22 1st Round exits in 47 slams LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: (the women's champion) DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: J.Gajdosova, S.Mirza, K.Mladenovic, J.Zheng JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Nominees: Z.Sun, J.Fett, K.Birrell, E.Kulichkova
On the eve of the Australian Open women's final, a little something different for today.
As this first slam of 2014 winds down, for the first time since this tournament began there will be no women's singles matches played.
(Excuse me while I pause to go down on one knee to thank the Tennis Gods for this brilliant favor.)
This slam's first champions -- in women's, junior and wheelchair doubles -- will be crowned today, and then the evening will conclude with the twenty-third meeting between Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer in the second men's semifinal. I'd like to be able to get a nap and watch that one in-the-dead-of-night-and-early-morning-light without having a recap to complete, so I'll pick up things here after the women's champion has been crowned.
Before then, here's a quick look back, in link form, as some of the highlights of the careers of both Li Na and Dominika Cibulkova, as I discussed them at the time:
As her career has shaped itself and will ultimately be remembered, Li Na is a pied piper. Not just for all the "first Chinese to..." accomplishments she's posted though the years, nor for the stand she made against her nation's tennis establishment in an attempt take her life into her own hands by keeping her prize money, picking her own coach and making her own schedule, but for also serving as the guiding light for all the upcoming tennis generations that will likely emerge on the WTA shores in waves hailing from Beijing to Wuhan and all points in between and beyond
But in her third appearance in an Australian Open final, all of that was background noise. For one night only, the story of Li was about securing her individual tennis legacy by claiming a second grand slam title to go along with the one she won in Paris three years ago. Even if by the end of the night it ended up being viewed as something of a prelude to a typically-entertaining post-match victory speech.
Standing in the way of the 31-year old Li's next date with tennis history was surprise finalist Dominika Cibulkova, 24, the first Slovak woman to reach a slam final. Seeded #20 but ranked outside the Top 20, the tour's shortest player (5-foot-3) had chopped down four Top 20 players (Li had to face none) in Melbourne, including two (Sharapova & A.Radwanska) ranked in the Top 5. Playing with a new larger racket, but with the same hard-working mindset that she's always possessed, Cibulkova's confidence looked to have reached an all-time high over the past two weeks as she'd taken out personal adversaries while dominating the final sets of nearly every match after having developed a career-long reputation as a talented player with a problem when it comes to closing out big wins.
Li's confidence has been a work in progress throughout her entire career. When Carlos Rodriguez, longtime mentor of seven-time slam champ Justine Henin, came aboard as her coach in the late summer of '12, bolstering Li's belief in herself was the biggest hurdle to overcome while reworking the veteran's game for the latter chapter of her career. When Li won a title in Cincinnati just days after hiring Rodriguez, there was hope that it was a sign that Li's mindset and, accordingly, results might eventually greatly improve at an age when players (not named Serena) have started to go in the opposite direction. But heading into this AO, the two had only teamed to win a pair of small titles in Shenzhen, though Li had played in and put up a great fight in the Aussie final last year against Victoria Azarenka. Before last year's Wimbledon, with pressure coming from the Chinese press and her results hitting a dry spell, Li had to be talked out of retiring by Rodriguez to give herself one final chance to be as good a player as she could be.
It was a close call. But Li's decision to stick around has proven to be a well-timed stroke of genius.
Her quarterfinal run at SW19 bolstered her confidence, and then the advantages of a mid-season "boot camp" to make sure Li was fit for success a the end of '13 began to be seen. She ended the year with a run to the Tour Championships final and entered this AO championship match on an eleven-match winning streak in 2014. After escaping a 3rd Round match against Lucie Safarova in Melbourne in which the Czech held a match point, going for but missing on a chance for a down-the-line winner, Li has often played like a woman on a mission, deftly utilizing her additional topspin on her groundstrokes (to make her shots more reliable in the clutch), improved serve and added aggressiveness, calmly assuming the role of "favorite" for the tournament title after all the other expected contenders fell by the wayside before Li had an opportunity to face them.
With these two players still possibly susceptible to feeling the tension of a slam final no matter their recent level-headedness, it was clear that the 1st set might prove to be vital. Early on, it was apparent that things weren't going to be quite as easy for Cibulkova as they'd been against Radwanska. Li went up 30/love on the Slovak's serve in the opening game, winning rallies and breaking her courtesy of a double-fault for 1-0. After seeing winners coming seemingly at will two days earlier, Cibulkova had a hard time finding them here. In game #3, Li held two break points, though Cibulkova -- saving the first with a forehand passing shot, her first winner of the match -- held and managed to avoid sliding so far behind that the set was a lost cause. With shades of Li's fall-heavy final of a season ao, the Slovak stumbled and nearly fell in the next game, then shot a forehand long to slip further behind at 3-1.
From there, Cibulkova started to slowly but surely pick of her level of play, while Li's began to waver.
Li's errors allowed the Slovak to go up 40/love and, despite two errors of her own, Cibulkova held for 3-2. It was an interesting point in the set, as Cibulkova was arguably fortunate to not be a double-break down, but that fact also meant that she wasn't letting Li off the hook and was instead forcing her to make the shots to stay ahead and win the set. And, suddenly, she wasn't hitting them.. On the first point in game #6, Cibulkova took to the net and put away a backhand crosscourt winner, then saw Li double-fault on back-to-back points to break herself and knot the set at 3-3.
While Li stared at her racket and then called for her husband to take a pair of rackets to be re-strung, Cibulkova began to get the better of the Chinese in rallies. A crosscourt forehand put the Slovak up 40/love, giving her eight points in the last nine, and a wide service winner gave her a hold to take the lead in the set for the first time at 4-3. Meanwhile, Li's first serve percent was ebbing below 30%. Still, she managed to hold on, winning a rally that featured several defensive saves from Cibulkova and holding for 4-4 then, after failing to convert a break point in game #9, firing an ace to hold for 5-5.
A Li return winner and Cibulkova double-fault put Li up 30/15, then she got a break point on the strength of her favorite shot sequence this entire Australian Open -- a rally that saw her move Cibulkova back and forth across the baseline, then quickly end the point with a backhand crosscourt winner. A deep return was netted by Cibulkova and Li had the chance to serve for the set at 6-5. She appeared to blink when, at 30/30, she dumped an easy open court volley into the net that would have given her a set point. Two points later, she got a SP, but missed a backhand down the line and saw Cibulkova go on to break with her very own crosscourt backhand to force a tie-break.
In the breaker, four of the first five points were won by the returner, and Li found herself with a quick 4-1 lead. At 5-1, Li stopped play to challenge a Cibulkova ball that had been called in on the baseline. If she'd gotten the call, Li would have had five set points, but when the call was proven correct it was 5-2 and Cibulkova was seemingly back in the game. But Li didn't allow the slip to become a total slide. She got to set point at 6-3, then put it away with a deep crosscourt backhand that the Slovak failed to get over the net. Although she hadn't played her best, Li had grabbed the opening set with a 7-3 TB win.
At that point, she could finally breathe.
With the 1st set in her back pocket, it was noteworthy to know that twenty-seven of the last twenty-nine grand slams had been won by the woman who claimed the 1st set in the final. That was good news for Li. But the two times that that wasn't the case was when Li won the opening game in both her previous AO finals in 2011 and 2013. That wasn't so good.
But the latter stat wouldn't matter in the least.
After playing an up-and-down 1st set, searching for consistency on both her first serve and forehand, and having to scratch out and scrounge up winners wherever she could find them in order to take a set in which she didn't play nearly as well as she had since she stared down that match point against Safarova in the 3rd Round, Li played like the world had been lifted from her shoulders in the 2nd. And it had. Having found a way to live up to her role as "favorite" by taking the lead, Li ran away with the title.
After falling down love/30 on serve in the opening game, she reeled off four straight points to hold. In game #2, Li smacked a second serve forehand return for a down-the-line winner to get a break point. A Cibulkova forehand error made it 2-0. With her confidence growing with every shot, Li held and then looked to grab the match by the throat and choke the life out of it. She took a backhand and ripped it into the corner to reach break point in game #4, then hit a crosscourt backhand laser off Cibulkova's racket to go up 4-0. With her game flowing, Li's first serve percentage rose, while she played well within itself, and seemingly without tension.
A put-away at the net secured game #5, as by this point Cibulkova was essentially just serving in the role of "opponent" on Li's march to match point. As the evitable got closer and closer, it was as if Li was waving to the crowd along the way. She shot off a backhand winner down the line, then another backhand crosscourt into the corner past the Slovak. A ball off the net cord was sent long by Cibulkova to get to double match point at 40/15. Li didn't get the first, then a Cibulkova forehand went long to hand her the second. Locking away the final nine games of the match, and losing just six points on serve in the final set, Li won 7-6(3)/6-0 to become the eighth woman to win a slam after her 30th birthday, and the first Asian woman to win the "grand slam of Asia/Pacific."
Of course, even as the newly-crowned multiple grand slam winner, and the oldest to woman to win the Australian Open, received her trophy during the post-match ceremony, the best was still yet to come. Somehow, with Li, that always seems to be the case. As tennis' best one woman comedy act took to the microphone, you had to know that something great might be coming. And Li didn't disappoint. In fact, she let the natural one-liners flow from her mind just as smoothly as her shots had in the final set.
To her agent Max Eisenbud, she said simply, "Max, agent.. make me rich. Thanks a lot." With that, she had the crowd at "Thanks." After telling her physio Alex Stober that her stumbles and falls in last year's AO final were her fault and not his, and thanking Rodriguez for believing in her, she turned to her husband Jiang Shan, "Dennis," the long-time focus of so many of her jokes, telling him, "My husband, you are famous in China.". She said thanks to him for "just traveling with me to be my hitting partner, fix the drink, and fix the rackets. So, he do a lot of jobs. So, thanks a lot... you're a nice guy." After everyone was laughing along with both of them, she added, "And also you are so lucky... found me," she said with big grin. By the end, she was even talking about coming back to Melbourne to play again, and saying that she knows everyone thinks she talks too much.
Li can talk all she wants. We won't get tired of listening.
=DAY 13 NOTES= ...yesterday, the first major champions of this AO were crowned as Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci defended their 2013 crown, winning their fourth major title as a duo ('12 RG &'12 US).
It took a bit of late work, as well as a blown lead from Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina to do it, though. The Russians led 5-2 in the 3rd set before the Italians staged a comeback by sweeping the final five games of the match.
Errani & Vinci now have seventeen titles as a team, more than any other "current" doubles pairing on tour other than the Williams Sisters (w/ 21).
...in juniors, Hordette Elizaveta Kulichkova defeated Jana Fett to take the women's title, preventing the Croat from becoming the second straight Croatian (Ana Konjuh '13) girls champ in Melbourne. The Russian, though, became the fourth straight AO winner to sweep the junior singles and doubles, as she and Anhelina Kalinina took the doubles crown yesterday. Kulichkova follows in the footsteps of sweeping winners An-Sophie Mestash (2011), Taylor Townsend (2012) and Konjuh.
Top-seeded German Alexader Zverev defeated American Stefan Kozlov to take the boys title.
...in the Wheelchair finals, all four titles were won by the #1 seeds. In doubles, Yui Kamiji & Jordanne Whiley took the women's title, while Stephane Houdet and Shingo Kunieda took the men's. Kunieda also defended his singles championship.
In the women's, Sabine Ellerbrock defeated #2 Kamiji in a three-set final. Last year, the German was runner-up to Aniek van Koot, who missed this AO with tendonitis that also kept her out of action late last year.
...Everybody's Favorite Doubles Partner, Kristina Mladenovic, is now one win away from being half-way to a Career Mixed Slam at age 20. She and Daniel Nestor will face Sania Mirza & Horia Tecau in the Mixed final. The French/Canadian pair won the Wimbledon Mixed crown last season. They were also runners-up at Roland Garros and semifinalists at the U.S. Open.
The Mixed final will take place tomorrow before the Nadal/Wawrinka men's championship.
...after the Li/Cibulkova final, Lukasz Kubot & Robert Lindstedt defeated Eric Butorac & Raven Klaasen in the men's doubles final.
*RECENT SLAM WINNERS - back from match point* 2003 AO - Serena Williams (down 2 MP vs. Clijsters in SF) 2004 RG - Anastasia Myskina (down MP vs. Kuznetsova in 4th Rd.) 2005 AO - Serena Williams (down 3 MP vs. Sharapova in SF) 2005 RG - Justine Henin-Hardenne (down MP vs. Kuznetsova in 4th Rd.) 2005 WI - Venus Williams (down MP vs. Davenport in Final) 2009 WI - Serena Williams (down MP vs. Dementieva in SF) 2014 AO - LI NA (down MP vs. Safarova in 3rd Rd.)
**LI IN GRAND SLAM FINALS** 2011 Australian Open - Kim Clijsters d. Li Na 6-3/3-6/6-3 2011 Roland Garros - Li Na d. Francesca Schiavone 6-4/7-6 2013 Australian Open - Victoria Azarenka d. Li Na 4-6/6-4/6-3 2014 Australian Open - Li Na d. Dominika Cibulkova 7-6/6-0
*CAREER SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE* 21...Serena Williams (17-4) 14...Venus Williams (7-7) 8...Maria Sharapova (4-4) 4...Svetlana Kuznetsova (2-2) 4...Victoria Azarenka (2-2) 4...LI NA (2-2) 3...Ana Ivanovic (1-2) [slam finals since 2010 - all players] 7...Serena Williams (6-1) 4...Victoria Azarenka (2-2) 4...LI NA (2-2) 4...Maria Sharapova (1-3) 2...Kim Clijsters (2-0) 2...Francesca Schiavon (1-1) 2...Samantha Stosur (1-1) 2...Vera Zvonareva (0-2) [AO Finals - active] 5...Serena Williams (5-0) 3...LI NA (1-2) 3...Maria Sharapova (1-2) 2...Victoria Azarenka (2-0) 1...DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA (0-1) 1...Ana Ivanovic (0-1) 1...Venus Williams (0-1) [WTA Finals - since 2012] 21...Serena Williams (19-2) 16...Victoria Azarenka (9-7) 14...Maria Sharapova (5-9) 10...LI NA (4-6) 9...Agnieszka Radwanska (6-3) 9...Sara Errani (5-4)
**LOW-SEEDED AO CHAMPIONS - OPEN ERA** Unseeded - 1978 Chris O'Neil, AUS Unseeded - 2007 Serena Williams, USA #12 - 2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA #7 - 2005 Serena Williams, USA #5 - 1979 Barbara Jordan, USA #5 - 2008 Maria Sharapova, RUS #4 - 1995 Mary Pierce, FRA #4 - 1997 Martina Hingis, SUI #4 - 2014 Li Na, CHN
*SLAM TITLES AFTER AGE 30* 4...Serena Williams (2 at 30, 2 at 31) 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...LI NA (31) 1...Virginia Wade (31) 1...Ann Haydon Jones (30)
*AUSTRALIAN OPEN GIRLS FINALS - since 2001* 2001 Jelena Jankovic/SRB def. Sofia Arvidsson/SWE 2002 Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE def. Maria Sharapova/RUS 2003 Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE def. Victoriya Kutuzova/UKR 2004 Shahar Peer/ISR def. Nicole Vaidisova/CZE 2005 Victoria Azarenka/BLR def. Agnes Szavay/HUN 2006 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS def. Caroline Wozniacki/DEN 2007 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS def. Madison Brengle/USA 2008 Arantxa Rus/NED def. Jessica Moore/AUS 2009 Ksenia Pervak/RUS def. Laura Robson/GBR 2010 Karolina Pliskova/CZE def. Laura Robson/GBR 2011 An-Sophie Mestach/BEL def. Monica Puig/PUR 2012 Taylor Townsend/USA def. Yulia Putintseva/RUS 2013 Ana Konjuh/CRO def. Katerina Siniakova/CZE 2014 Elizaveta Kulichkova/RUS def. Jana Fett/CRO
**RECENT GIRLS SLAM CHAMPIONS** [2010] AO: Karolina Pliskova, CZE RG: Elina Svitolina, UKR WI: Kristyna Pliskova, CZE US: Daria Gavrilova, RUS [2011] AO: An-Sophie Mestach, BEL RG: Ons Jabeur, TUN WI: Ashleigh Barty, AUS AO: Grace Min, USA [2012] AO: Taylor Townsend, USA RG: Annika Beck, GER WI: Eugenie Bouchard, CAN US: Samantha Crawford, USA [2013] AO: Ana Konjuh, CRO RG: Belinda Bencic, SUI WI: Belinda Bencic, SUI US: Ana Konjuh, CRO [2014] AO: Elizaveta Kulichkova, RUS
**SOVIET/RUSSIAN JUNIOR SLAM WINNERS* [USSR] 1965 Wimbledon - Olga Morozova 1971 Roland Garros - Elena Granatourova 1971 Wimbledon - Marina Kroshina 1975 Wimbledon - Natasha Chmyreva 1975 US Open - Natasha Chmyreva 1976 Wimbledon - Natasha Chmyreva 1986 Wimbledon - Natalia Zvereva 1987 Roland Garros - Natalia Zvereva 1987 Wimbledon - Natalia Zvereva 1987 US Open - Natalia Zvereva [Russia] 1998 Roland Garros - Nadia Petrova 1999 Wimbledon - Lina Krasnoroutskaya 2002 Wimibledon - Vera Dushevina 2002 US Open - Maria Kirilenko 2006 Australian Open - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2006 US Open - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2007 Australian Open - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2009 Australian Open - Ksenia Pervak 2010 US Open - Daria Gavrilova 2014 Australian Open - Elizaveta Kulichkova
**AO DOUBLES CHAMPIONS - last 10 years** 2005 Svetlana Kuznetsova & Alicia Molik 2006 Yan Zi & Zheng Jie 2007 Cara Black & Liezel Huber 2008 Alona Bondarenko & Kateryna Bondarenko 2009 Serena Williams & Venus Williams 2010 Serena Williams & Venus Williams 2011 Gisela Dulko & Flavia Pennetta 2012 Svetlana Kuznetsova & Vera Zvonareva 2013 Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci 2014 Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci
**CAREER SLAM WOMEN'S DOUBLES TITLES - active** 13...Serena Williams 13...Venus Williams 6...Lisa Raymond 5...Cara Black 5...Liezel Huber 4...SARA ERRANI 4...ROBERTA VINCI
**AO "JUNIOR BREAKOUT" WINNERS** 2007 Madison Brengle, USA 2008 Jessica Moore, AUS & Arantxa Rus, NED 2009 Ksenia Pervak, RUS 2010 Karolina & Kristyna Pliskova, CZE/CZE 2011 Japanese girls 2012 Taylor Townsend, USA 2013 Ana Konjuh, CRO 2014 Elizaveta Kulichkova, RUS
**AO "LADY OF THE EVENING" WINNERS** 2011 Andrea Petkovic, GER 2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR 2013 Laura Robson, GBR 2014 Li Na, CHN
*TOURNAMENTS w/ "BIG 3" ENTERED + WINNERS* [since Azarenka won AO/to #1 in January '12] =2012= AO - Azarenka MIAMI - A.RADWANSKA Madrid - S.Williams Rome - Sharapova RG - Sharapova WI - S.Williams Olympics - S.Williams US - S.Williams WTA - S.Williams =2013= Brisbane (Sharapova w/d from MD) - S.Williams AO - Azarenka Doha - Azarenka Miami (Azarenka w/d from MD) - S.Williams Madrid - S.Williams Rome - S.Williams RG - S.Williams WI - BARTOLI Cincinnati - Azarenka =2014= Brisbane - S.Williams AO - Li
**AO MEN'S DOUBLES CHAMPIONS - since 2003** 2003 Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan 2004 Xavier Malisse & Olivier Rochus 2005 Jonas Bjorkman & Max Mirnyi 2006 Jonas Bjorkman & Max Mirnyi 2007 Mark Knowles & Daniel Nestor 2008 Pablo Cuevas & Luis Horna 2009 Lukas Dlouhy & Leander Paes 2010 Daniel Nestor & Nenad Zimonjic 2011 Max Mirnyi & Daniel Nestor 2012 Max Mirnyi & Daniel Nestor 2013 Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan 2014 Lukasz Kubot & Robert Lindstedt
TOP QUALIFIER:Belinda Bencic/SUI TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Serena Williams/USA TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF):#4 Li Na/CHN TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F):#4 Li Na/CHN TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Cristina Mitu/ROU def. #4 Anna-Lena Friedsam/GER 3-6/6-4/9-7 TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - #3 Maria Sharapova/RUS def. Karin Knapp/ITA 6-3/4-6/10-8 TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF):4th Rd. - #14 Ivanovic d. #1 S.Williams 4-6/6-3/6-3 TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr./Doub.):Doubles Final - #1 Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) d. #3 Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS) 6-4/3-6/7-5 TOP LAVER NIGHT MATCH:3rd Rd. - #14 Ivanovic d. #17 Stosur 6-7(8)/6-4/6-2 ============================= FIRST VICTORY:#18 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (def. Laura Robson/GBR) FIRST SEED OUT:#7 Sara Errani/ITA (lost 1st Rd. to Julia Goerges, GER) UPSET QUEENS:Australia REVELATION LADIES:Romania NATION OF POOR SOULS:Italy (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round; Schiavone out 1st Rd. 5/6 slams) LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Zarina Diyas/KAZ (3rd. Rd.) LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) LAST AUSSIE STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) Ms. OPPORTUNITY:Dominika Cibulkova/SVK IT (Teen):Eugenie Bouchard/CAN COMEBACK PLAYER:Ana Ivanovic/SRB CRASH & BURN:#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE (lost 1st Rd. to world #88 Luksika Kumkhum; worst slam result since losing 1st Rd. at '11 U.S. Open following Wimbledon title run) ZOMBIE QUEEN:#4 Li Na/CHN (3rd Rd. - saved MP vs. Safarova) AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:lost 1st Rd. to (LL) Falconi/USA, once again failing to reach a slam QF in her career (so Anna Smashnova still has a buddy); 7 con. slam losses; 22 1st Round exits in 47 slams LADY OF THE EVENING:Li Na/CHN DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: S.Mirza, K.Mladenovic JUNIOR BREAKOUT:Elizaveta Kulichkova/RUS
So, I guess the AO men's final went just as expected, huh?
The ultimate result of 13-time slam champ Rafael Nadal going up against first-time slam finalist Stanislas Wawrinka in the Australian Open men's singles final, even with the 28-year old Swiss' earlier defeat of three-time champ Novak Djokovic, seemed a fait accompli. After all, history was calling to the Spaniard. Another slam win would tie him with Pete Sampras, who'd present the trophy after the match, on the all-time list, just three behind leader Roger Federer. Not only that, but a second AO title would give Nadal a second Career Slam, with at least two titles at all four slams, something that no man has accomplished in the Open era.
Meanwhile, Wawrinka had never beaten Rafa in twelve career meetings, and hadn't even taken a set off him. Of course, over the past year, the Swiss star not named Roger HAD made a point to change the trajectory of his career. Since the start of the 2013 season, Wawrinka came into this final having reached his first slam semifinal last summer in New York, climbed into the Top 10 and put up eleven Top 10 victories before finally getting the chance to play in his first major final in this his thirty-sixth career slam appearance.
From the start, Wawrinka played with devil-may-care abandon, giving Nadal his best shot on a day the likes of which that "Stan the Man" might never see again. Seizing the opportunity, the Swiss got an early break in the 1st set and held onto it throughout. He held for 4-1, and had break points for 5-1. Nadal held to prevent a possible runaway, and there was reason to believe he'd reel in this Swiss just like he had Federer in the semifinals. But it didn't happen, even when Wawrinka served at 5-3 and suddenly found himself down love/40. Instead of being reeled back, Wawrinka did the reeling. He got back to deuce, then held a set point. He hit an ace to take his first-ever set off Nadal, 6-3.
In the 2nd, Wawrinka opened with a break of serve, then backed it up with a hold. One game later, Nadal managed to hold for 2-1, but a single swing of his racket changed the rest of the match. Wincing and bending over with a back injury following a forehand, he'd never quite be the same the rest of the night. He took an immediate medical timeout during the changeover, leaving the court. Seven minutes later, Rafa returned, shirtless and to a chorus of boos thanks to Wawrinka's five-minute long whine session with the chair umpire and tournament director about demanding to know why Nadal had left the court. Naturally, the Aussie fans, never ones to sit back and not take an injured/ill player to task if they need a within-the-rules timeout to set things straight (ask Justine, Bernie and Vika about that), took it upon themselves to serve as the judge and jury in the case.
Wawrinka, though, was left to be the executioner.
After quickly -- and angrily -- holding serve for 3-1, the Swiss soon figured out what Nadal's issue was. As the Spaniard held back from chasing down balls and had a hard time getting anything on his serve, it seemed as if a retirement would soon be in order. It didn't happen, though. After getting on-court treatment during changeovers, whatever medication Rafa was given slowly began to take effect and his play improved little by little. Once the 2nd set was quickly lost 6-2, Nadal did manage to get an early break and take the 3rd at 6-3 as tentativeness began to creep into Wawrinka's game. But, in the 4th, the Swiss set all that aside.
While Wawrinka failed to convert two break points in the first game, he later edged ahead of Rafa with a break for 4-2. It was too much to overcome for a clearly compromised Nadal. He broke back at love to get back on serve, but then immediately gave the break back a game later to allow Wawrinka to serve for the match at 5-3. On match point, Wawrinka followed his second serve to the net and easily put away Rafa's weak, short return for a forehand winner. Suddenly, Wawrinka was a shocking grand slam champion, though circumstances warranted what turned out to be a subdued celebration of the greatest accomplishment of his career.
The win will move Wawrinka past countryman Federer in the rankings, all the way up to #3. With the second-longest men's journey ever (behind only Goran Ivanvisevic's 48 slams) to a first career major title, the Swiss is the first slam winner not named Nadal, Djokovic, Federer or Murray since 2009 (del Potro's U.S. Open win), and just the second in the past thirty-six slams. He's the first ever to defeat both Djokovic and Nadal in the same major.
Speaking of how so many things have changed over the past year (he started '13 at #17 and with just a pair of slam QF to his credit), Wawrinka said, "I still don't know if I'm dreaming or not, but we'll see tomorrow morning."
Now that's a wake-up call that Stan will be more than happy to accept.
=DAY 14 NOTES= ...before the men's final, Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor won their second career Mixed slam as a duo with a straight sets win in the final over Sania Mirza & Horia Tecau. It's Nestor's twelfth overall slam men's doubles/mixed doubles win.
While Serena's chances for a Grand Slam fell by the wayside in Melbourne, might this twosome's have picked up a little steam? After all, at the last four slams, they've put up a runner-up (RG), title-winning (SW19), SF (U.S.) and now a second title (AO) string together, and Nestor is holding onto Mladenovic as his partner for as long as he can. These two have become quite funny at recent slams talking about how all the other doubles specialists are trying to get the Pastry to be their partner, but the 41-year old Nestor continues to play on without retirement and reap the benefits of Kristina's excellence. This time, as Mladenovic recounted after the match how she'd been approached by other potential mixed doubles partners, Nestor openly wondered whether they were asking when he was finally going to retire, or if they maybe were really just trying to steal away with Kristina while his back was turned.
Well, Mladenovic IS an equal-opportunity doubles partner, after all. She can play with just about anyone and have a shot to win, and her fearless returns of the men's serves in mixed play is just one clue to why. Overall, she's won seven women's doubles titles with seven different partners over the last year and a half, but (so far) Nestor is the only person that she's won a SECOND title while partnering.
Ha! Take that mixed doubles poachers... err, I mean potential partners with their fingers crossed, hoping that Nestor soon gets homesick for Canada.
...on this ITF circuit for Week 4, the top player award goes to Timea Bacsinszky, keeping up the Swiss theme of this recap. The 24-year old became the $25K Andrezieux-Boutheon, France event champion with wins over Pauline Parmentier, Anett Kontaveit and Ysaline Bonaventure in the final. It's Bacsinszky's twelfth career ITF title.
Elsewhere on the circuit, 19-year old Waffle An-Sophie Mestach, the 2011 AO junior champ, won a $25K in Sunderland, Great Britain with a win over another Swiss player, Viktorija Golubic. In Daytona Beach in the U.S., Anna Tatishvili took a $25K title by defeating Laura Siegemund and a string of Bannerettes, including Asia Muhammad, 2012 AO junior champ Taylor Townsend and Allie Kiick in the final.
...and, finally...
PARIS, FRANCE (Premier $710K/hard indoor) 13 Final: Barthel d. Errani 13 Doubles Final: Errani/Vinci d. Hlavackova/Huber 14 Top Seeds: Sharapova/Kvitova ============================= =SF= #1 Sharapova d. #4 Kerber #2 Kvitova d. Voegele =FINAL= #1 Sharapova d. #2 Kvitova
...a chance for a rebound. By someone. Maybe more interesting could be the attempt by AO champs Errani/Vinci to also defend this title, as it might be important in the early-season battle for the WTA #1 doubles ranking. Oh, in case you were wondering, Mladenovic IS playing doubles. And the spinning partner wheel lands on... Timea Babos!
PATTAYA, THAILAND (Int'l $250K/hard outdoor) 13 Final: Kirilenko d. Lisicki 13 Doubles Final: Date-Krumm/Dellacqua d. Amanmuradova/Panova 14 Top Seeds: Lisicki/Kuznetsova ============================= =SF= #6 Muguruza d. #1 Lisicki #5 Vesnina d. #7 Mattek-Sands =FINAL= #6 Muguruza d. #5 Vesnina
...can Muguruza come right back and pick up where she left off Down Under, before Aga's mind games did her in in Melbourne? It's be her second title on the young season, matching Li Na. Mattek-Sands, playing well and still looking for her first career title, might be an interesting dark horse to watch here, too.
*ACTIVE SINGLES PLAYERS - FIRST SLAM FINAL - MEN* 2001 U.S. Open - Lleyton Hewitt (W) 2002 Wimbledon - David Nalbandian 2003 Wimbledon - Roger Federer (W) 2005 Roland Garros - Rafael Nadal (W) 2006 Australian Open - Marcos Baghdatis 2007 U.S. Open - Novak Djokovic 2008 Australian Open - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2008 U.S. Open - Andy Murray 2009 Roland Garros - Robin Soderling 2009 U.S. Open - Juan Martin del Potro (W) 2010 Wimbledon - Tomas Berdych 2013 Roland Garros - David Ferrer 2014 Australian Open - Stanislas Wawinka (W)
**MOST SLAMS TO FIRST TITLE - MEN** 48...Goran Ivanisevic, CRO (Wimbledon 2001) 36...STANISLAS WAWRINKA, SUI (Australian Open 2014) 34...Petr Korda, CZE (Australian Open 1998) 28...Andy Murray GBR (US Open 2012)
**CAREER OVERALL SLAM TITLES - ACTIVE MEN** 22...Bob Bryan 18...Mike Bryan 17...Roger Federer 14...Leander Paes 13...Rafael Nadal 12...Mahesh Bhupathi 12...DANIEL NESTOR 10...Max Mirnyi
**CAREER MIXED TITLES - ACTIVE WOMEN** 5...Lisa Raymond, USA 5...Cara Black, ZIM 4...Daniela Hantuchova, SVK 2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR 2...Liezel Huber, USA 2...Sania Mirza, IND 2...KRISTINA MLADENOVIC, FRA 2...Katerina Srebotnik, SLO 2...Samantha Stosur, AUS 2...Serena Williams, USA 2...Venus Williams, USA 2...Vera Zvonareva, RUS
**AO MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONS - since 2002** 2002 Daniela Hantuchova & Kevin Ullyett 2003 Martina Navratilova & Leander Paes 2004 Elena Bovina & Nenad Zimonjic 2005 Samantha Stosur & Scott Draper 2006 Martina Hingis & Mahesh Bhupathi 2007 Elena Likhovtseva & Daniel Nestor 2008 Sun Tiantian & Nenad Zimonjic 2009 Sania Mirza & Mahesh Bhupathi 2010 Cara Black & Mahesh Bhupathi 2011 Katarina Srebotnik & Daniel Nestor 2012 Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Horia Tecau 2013 Jarmila Gajdosova & Matthew Ebden 2014 Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor
**AO "DOUBLES STAR" WINNERS** 2006 Yan Zi & Zheng Jie, CHN/CHN 2007 Liezel Huber, USA 2008 Alona & Kateryna Bondarenko, UKR/UKR 2009 Sania Mirza, IND 2010 Cara Black, ZIM 2011 Gisela Dulko & Flavia Pennetta, ARG/ITA 2012 Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA 2013 Jarmila Gajdosova, AUS 2014 Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
**MLADENOVIC DOUBLE TITLES w/ PARTNERS** [2] Daniel Nestor - 2013 Wimbledon Mixed, 2014 Australian Open Mixed [1] Chan Hao-Ching - 2013 Oeiras Klaudia Jans-Ignacik - 2012 Montreal Tatjana Maria (then Malek) - 2012 Quebec City Flavia Pennetta - 2013 Osaka Katarzyna Piter - 2013 Palermo Lucie Safarova - 2013 Charleston Galina Voskoboeva - 2013 Memphis
TOP QUALIFIER:Belinda Bencic/SUI TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r):#1 Serena Williams/USA TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF):#4 Li Na/CHN TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F):#4 Li Na/CHN TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q1: Cristina Mitu/ROU def. #4 Anna-Lena Friedsam/GER 3-6/6-4/9-7 TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd. - #3 Maria Sharapova/RUS def. Karin Knapp/ITA 6-3/4-6/10-8 TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF):4th Rd. - #14 Ivanovic d. #1 S.Williams 4-6/6-3/6-3 TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr./Doub.):Doubles Final - #1 Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) d. #3 Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS) 6-4/3-6/7-5 TOP LAVER NIGHT MATCH:3rd Rd. - #14 Ivanovic d. #17 Stosur 6-7(8)/6-4/6-2 ============================= FIRST VICTORY:#18 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL (def. Laura Robson/GBR) FIRST SEED OUT:#7 Sara Errani/ITA (lost 1st Rd. to Julia Goerges, GER) UPSET QUEENS:Australia REVELATION LADIES:Romania NATION OF POOR SOULS:Italy (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round; Schiavone out 1st Rd. 5/6 slams) LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Zarina Diyas/KAZ (3rd. Rd.) LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) LAST AUSSIE STANDING:Casey Dellacqua/AUS (4th Rd.) Ms. OPPORTUNITY:Dominika Cibulkova/SVK IT (Teen):Eugenie Bouchard/CAN COMEBACK PLAYER:Ana Ivanovic/SRB CRASH & BURN:#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE (lost 1st Rd. to world #88 Luksika Kumkhum; worst slam result since losing 1st Rd. at '11 U.S. Open following Wimbledon title run) ZOMBIE QUEEN:#4 Li Na/CHN (3rd Rd. - saved MP vs. Safarova) AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:lost 1st Rd. to (LL) Falconi/USA, once again failing to reach a slam QF in her career (so Anna Smashnova still has a buddy); 7 con. slam losses; 22 1st Round exits in 47 slams LADY OF THE EVENING:Li Na/CHN DOUBLES STAR:Kristina Mladenovic/FRA JUNIOR BREAKOUT:Elizaveta Kulichkova/RUS
Well, the first month of 2014 action is in the books. No matter if there are a few days left in January, it's still time for the monthly Backspin Awards to rear their ugly -- umm, or should I say "SpongeBoby, SquarePantsy?" -- heads.
Hmmm, you'll notice that neither Li Na nor Stan Wawrinka were "touched by the Sponge"... so maybe he's the source of some new curse of which we've yet to scratch the surface?
Oh, well. That's a time-consuming examination/investigation for later, I suppose.
**FIRST-MONTH TOP PLAYERS - WK. 1-4** 1. Li Na, CHN ...with good humor, (comical post-match) grace and in-game aggression buoyed by a new confidence (not to mention a little well-timed good fortune, as the Tennis Gods pushed that Lucie Safarova attempt at a winner on match point in the AO 3rd Rd. a few inches long), Li added yet another influential chapter to what could very well turn out to be a Hall of Fame career. Slam title #2 came in her third attempt at a successful Australian Open final, no matter that her draw never included an actual Top 20 foe. After seeing her chances fall by the wayside last year in Melbourne after a series of badly-timed and poorly-landed falls in the final against Vika Azarenka, Li was due a break or two. Almost already forgotten is her Week 1 title defense in Shenzhen, a tournament -- much like that growing number of them dotting the WTA schedule -- that likely wouldn't exist if not for her own success the last few years. In the end, her sense of humor is an added bonus... but it's impossible to think about Li without smiling because of it. ============================= 2. Dominika Cibulkova, SVK ...with a bigger racket, the same out-sized ferocity and a new-found calm in the clutch, the shortest woman on the WTA tour showed that size both does and doesn't matter on the WTA tour. Nowhere near the discussion of AO dark horses before the tournament began, Cibulkova dominated her opponents (finishing them off in easy final sets that often went her way by 6-0 or 6-1 scores) and yet still managed to sneak up on and knock out four Top 20 players, including #3 Maria Sharapova and #5 Aga Radwanska, on her way to her first career slam singles final. ============================= 3. Ana Ivanovic, SRB ...with a rediscovered forehand that rekindled dreams are made of, AnaIvo shined in January like she hasn't since, well, she became both #1 and a Roland Garros champion back in 2008. In Auckland, she claimed her first title since 2011, avoiding what has become common for her in recent seasons -- a 3rd set collapse. After being forced to three sets after holding a match point in the 2nd set against Venus Williams, Ivanovic won the title to prevent the first weekend in which both Williams Sisters won a title since 1999. At the AO, AnaIvo upset Serena Williams -- getting her first win after going 0-4, losing all eight sets, in their career head-to-heads -- and reached just her second slam QF since winning in Paris nearly six years ago. ============================= 4. Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA ...having not won a doubles title in nearly a year (Paris Indoors '13), with their singles games in slumps and their #1 doubles ranking seemingly on borrowed time, the Italians emerged from the pack and reclaimed what was theirs. Warming up with a trip to the Sydney final, Errani & Vinci returned to the AO final, as well. After overcoming a 5-2 3rd set deficit, they defended their Aussie title and managed to fight off the growing pack of teams looking to knocked them from atop their doubles perch. For this week, at least. ============================= 5. Serena Williams, USA ...Serena suffered a back injury in Melbourne and went down at the hands of Ana Ivanovic in the 4th Round, extending her AO title-less stretch to four years. But, in Week 1, Williams still got her '14 season off to a great start, defending her Brisbane title and getting wins over both Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova, giving her a combined 29-5 career mark against the pair. ============================= 6. Agnieszka Radwanska, POL ...A-Rad went 3-0 in Hopman Cup exhibition play in Week 1, ultimately seeing Poland lose in the final to France. But she came into Melbourne with a five-match tour-level losing streak dating back to the final two events of '13. After getting a break in the AO's first week, as Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova succumbed to the intense weather conditions, Aga vanquished recent nemesis Azarenka with a brilliant performance in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, it took too much out of her and, as happened in the Wimbledon semifinals last summer, she failed to take advantage of a slam draw that opened up and seemed to give her a golden opportunity to reach her second slam final. ============================= 7. Eugenie Bouchard, CAN ...entering '14 as last season's tour Newcomer of the Year, 19-year old Bouchard -- the highest-ranked teenager in the world -- more than lived up to advance expectations. Taking advantage of a good draw, she showed impressive control of her nerves in just her fourth slam appearance, knocking off crowd favorite Casey Dellacqua under the lights on Laver, then upsetting Ana Ivanovic to reach her first career slam semifinal, matching North American counterpart Sloane Stephens' result from a year ago. In the new rankings, Team Genie's heroine is literally breathing down the neck of Team Sloane's Commander, as Bouchard is just one spot behind Stephens on the WTA computer at #19. One can sense that a battlefield promotion will soon be in order for Private Genie. ============================= 8. Garbine Muguruza, ESP ...the hard-hitting 20-year old Spaniard showed great promise early last season, but missed the last half of the year after undergoing ankle surgery following Wimbledon. She returned to action this month, and all she did was make it through qualifying in Hobart and ultimately win eight matches for the week as she claimed her maiden tour title. In Melbourne, she extended her winning streak to eleven, reaching her first slam Round of 16 before being outsmarted there by Radwanska. Join the list, Garbi. ============================= 9. Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL ...always viewed as a dangerous floater in any draw, capable of taking down any player at any given moment if given the chance and she has the inclination, Pironkova has had one of the more frustrating careers of recent times. Heading into Sydney qualifying in Week 2, she was ranked outside the Top 100 and had never reached a tour final, going 0-7 in career semis. Operating just out of sight, she changed all that in the span of eight days. Winning eight matches in those eight days, including three over Top 10 players (Errani, Kvitova and Kerber), Pironkova finally won her first career title. Of course, her stay in the AO draw was short-lived, as she exited in the 2nd Round against Sam Stosur (6-2/6-0), but the Bulgarian has still managed to add another tantalizing chapter to a career that is still nearly impossible to figure out. ============================= 10. Monica Niculescu & Klara Zakopalova, ROU/CZE ...the Romanian/Czech pair opened the season with back-to-back doubles titles, and both added good singles results to their 2014 ledger, as well. Niculescu reached the 3rd Round at the Australian Open, while Zakopalova reached the singles final at Hobart. ============================= HM- Victoria Azarenka, BLR ...Vika didn't become the first woman in fifteen years to three-peat as AO champion, but before she was "Radwanska'ed" out of the tournament she put to rest the overblown Melbourne controversy from a year ago by easily dispatching Sloane Stephens in the Round of 16 in a rematch of their '13 semifinal. In Week 1, she opened her season with a run to the Brisbane final, her first since the U.S. Open. Of course, just as she did in New York, she lost there in a match against Serena Williams. =============================
"When I think of power I think of Serena. When I think of focus I think of Sharapova. When I think of heart and guts I think of Azarenka." - Chris Evert
*RISERS* 1. Dominika Cibulkova, SVK 2. Agnieszka Radwanska, POL 3. Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL 4. Monica Niculescu & Klara Zakopalova, ROU/CZE 5. Angelique Kerber, GER 6. Simona Halep, ROU 7. Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS 8. Karin Knapp, ITA 9. Ekaterina Makarova, RUS 10. Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP 11. Stefanie Voegele, SUI 12. Alize Cornet, FRA 13. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS 14. Monica Niculescu, ROU 15. Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU 16. Vesna Dolonc, SRB 17. Bojana Jovanovski, SRB 18. Elena Vesnina, RUS 19. Sloane Stephens, USA 20. Alla Kudryavtseva, RUS
*FRESH FACES* 1. Eugenie Bouchard, CAN 2. Gargine Muguruza, ESP 3. Kristina Mladenovic, FRA 4. Annika Beck, GER 5. Madison Keys, USA 6. Belinda Bencic, SUI 7. Ana Konjuh, CRO 8. Lauren Davis, USA 9. Elina Svitolina, UKR 10. Sharon Fichman & Maria Sanchez, CAN/USA 11. Kurumi Nara, JPN 12. Alison Riske, USA 13. Ajla Tomljanovic, CRO 14. Zarina Diyas, KAZ 15. Karolina Pliskova, CZE 16. Anna Schmiedlova, UKR 17. Carina Witthoeft, GER 18. Ipek Soylu, TUR 19. Katerina Siniakova, CZE 20. Duan Ying-Ying, CHN 21. Allie Kiick, USA 22. Ashleigh Barty, AUS 23. Gabriela Dabrowski, CAN 24. Sachie Ishizu, JPN 25. Ysaline Bonaventure, BEL
*SURPRISES* 1. Luksika Kumkhum, THA 2. French Hopman Cup team 3. Estrella Cabeza-Candela, ESP 4. Olivia Rogowska, AUS 5. Olga Govortsova, BLR 6. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, AUT 7. Viktorija Golubic, SUI 8. Alexandra Panova, RUS 9. Katarzyna Piter, POL 10. Storm Sanders, AUS 11. Shahar Peer & Silvia Soler-Espinosa, ISR/ESP 13. Lyudmyla Kichenok, UKR 13. Irena Pavlovic, FRA 14. Rika Ozaki, JPN 15. Abigail Spears, USA
*VETERANS* 1. Li Na, CHN 2. Ana Ivanovic, SRB 3. Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA 4. Serena Williams, USA 5. Flavia Pennetta, ITA 6. Jelena Jankovic, SRB 7. Casey Dellacqua, AUS 8. Klara Zakopalova, CZE 9. Zheng Jie, CHN 10. Venus Williams, USA 11. Lucie Safarova, CZE 12. Yvonne Meusburger, AUT 13. Samantha Stosur, AUS 14. Sania Mirza, IND 15. Kveta Peschke & Katarina Srebotnik, CZE/SLO HM- Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA & Lucie Hradecka, CZE
*COMEBACKS* 1. Ana Ivanovic, SRB 2. Flavia Pennetta, ITA 3. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA 4. Heather Watson, GBR 5. Kveta Peschke & Katarina Srebotnik, CZE/SLO HM- Jarmila Gajdosova, AUS & Vitalia Diatchenko, RUS
*JUNIOR STARS* 1. Elizaveta Kulichkova, RUS 2. Jana Fett, CRO 3. Jelena Ostapenko, LAT 4. Francoise Abanda, CAN 5. Sun Ziyue, CHN 6. Anhelina Kalinina & Elizaveta Kulichkova, UKR/RUS 7. Ivana Jorovic, SRB 8. Varvara Flink, RUS 9. Olivia Hauger, USA 10. Anastasiya Kornadina, RUS 11. Kimberly Birrell, AUS 12. Naiktha Bains, AUS 13. Fiona Ferro, ITA 14. Alejandra Cisneros, MEX 15. Hurricane Black, USA
*ITF PLAYERS* 1. Laura Siegemund, GER 2. Anna Tatishvili, GEO 3. Vitalia Diatchenko, RUS 4. Timea Bacsinszky, SUI 5. An-Sophie Mestach, BEL HM- Tara Moore, GBR & Sherazed Benamar, FRA
*DOWN* 1. Petra Kvitova, CZE 2. Roberta Vinci, ITA 3. Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN 4. Laura Robson, GBR 5. Sara Errani, ITA 6. Francesca Schiavone, ITA 7. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS 8. Ashleigh Barty & Casey Dellacqua, AUS/AUS 9. Jamie Hampton, USA 10. Kaia Kanepi, EST
"My heart has no limits." - the message written in Chinese on the shirt worn by Li Na in the Australian Open final
**TOP PERFORMANCES** #1 - Li Na wins her first Australian Open title in her third final appearance ============================= #2 - Tsvetana Pironkova qualifies, reaches her first final and claims her maiden career tour singles title in Sydney, winning eight matches in eight days and notching wins over Top 10ers Errani, Kvitova & Kerber. ============================= #3 - Serena Williams defends her Brisbane title, winning her fourth straight tournament and getting wins over Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka ============================= #4 - Back from summer '13 ankle surgery, Spaniard Garbine Muguruza qualifies and wins her first tour title in Hobart ============================= #5 - Ana Ivanovic wins the title in Auckland, defeating Venus Williams in the final to claim her first singles title since 2011 ============================= HM - Li successfully defends a singles title for the first time in Shenzhen, winning an all-Chinese final against Peng Shuai =============================
[Best Non-title winning Performance] Dominika Cibulkova defeats four Top 20 players, including two in the Top 5 (Sharapova & Radwanska), to reach her first career slam singles final
[Doubles] #1 - Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci defend their Australian Open title, winning their fourth slam crown in the last eight majors ============================= #2 - Monica Niculescu & Klara Zakopalova are the first duo to win two titles in 2014, opening the season with back-to-back titles in Shenzhen and Hobart ============================= #3 - Kristina Mladenovic wins the Australian Open Mixed title with Daniel Nestor, winning her second slam crown with the veteran Canadian in the last three majors
[Team] Team France -- Alize Cornet & Jo-Wilfried Tsonga -- wins a first Hopman Cup title, after having runner-up results in 1998 (w/ Mauresmo) and '12 (Bartoli).
[Fans] Genie's Army
[Junior] Elizaveta Kulichkova, in her final junior event before turning professional, sweeps the girls singles and doubles competitions at the Australian Open. She's the first Hordette junior champ since 2010 (Daria Gavrilova - U.S. Open), and the first in Melbourne in seven years (Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2006-07).
[Set] Classic Aga. Agnieszka Radwanska dominates two-time defending champ Victoria Azarenka in the 3rd set of their Australian Open quarterfinal, ending the Belarusian's 18-match Melbourne streak by bageling her 6-0, using her entire arsenal of clever, tricky, did-you-just-see-that?, yes-I-did-but-I-don't-believe-it shots, leaving Vika a frustrated spectator and everyone else in awe. In essence, Azarenka was simply "Radwanska'ed."
[Post-Match Ceremony] As usual, Li Na.
*MEMORABLE MATCHES* Australian Open 3rd Rd. - Ana Ivanovic d. Samantha Stosur ...6-7(8)/6-4/6-2. Melbourne's stifling weather finally broke on a day that included stoppages of play because of heat, lightning and rain. Under the lights, AnaIvo and Stosur played like they hadn't spent most of the seasons since they won their slam titles searching in vain for what it was that got them their trophies in the first place. In a high-quality match that was won, not lost, the most memorable moment came when a sudden downpour broke out in the middle of a point at 7-7 in the 1st set tie-break. After failing to get the point (which she'd lost) replayed, Ivanovic lost the TB 10-8 when play resumed. But instead of sulking and going away, Ivanovic dug in and pulverized Stosur's serve the rest of the match. On match point, she put things away by slugging her 32nd forehand winner. ============================= Australian Open 2nd Rd. - Maria Sharapova d. Karin Knapp ...6-3/4-6/10-8. In a match played under Extreme Heat conditions in the final set, with the roof open because the mysterious threshold wasn't met until the 3rd had already begun, Sharapova held on for dear life against the feisty (is there any other kind?) Italian. After committing a double-fault and three errors to break herself to lose the 2nd, Sharapova held three match points at 5-3 in the 3rd, only to eventually have to hold on pressurized service games at 5-6 and 6-7 to stay in the match. Finally, she got a break for 9-8 in the 3rd, then served out the final game (despite three more DF) to win the 3:28 match on MP #4. ============================= Australian Open QF - Agnieszka Radwanska d. Victoria Azarenka ...6-1/5-7/6-0. After having lost five consecutive straight-set matches to Azarenka, Radwanska ends Azarenka's 18-match AO winning streak with a brilliant 3rd set display of every shot in her bag of tennis tricks. It's an instant classic -- capable of inspiring shock, awe and fear in anyone who dares to watch. ============================= Brisbane SF - Victoria Azarenka d. Jelena Jankovic ...1-6/6-3/6-4. JJ was a point away from being up a set and a break at 6-1/0-0, 40/love. Within minutes, she was out of replay challenges for the match and was arguing with the umpire, the player's box and maybe even the buzz of an insect next to her ear (or maybe there was just a sound inside her head). Azarenka led 5-1 in the 3rd before service troubles made things interesting, but she ultimately pulled out the match. ============================= Auckland Final - Ana Ivanovic d. Venus Williams ...6-2/5-7/6-4. Venus saves a match point and comes back from 5-3 in the 2nd set to force a 3rd, but AnaIvo finds her way to her first title in over two years. ============================= Australian Open 1st Rd. - Madison Keys d. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner ...6-2/6-7(8)/9-7. After erasing a 5-2 2nd set deficit, Keys hold three match points in the tie-break, only to lose 10-8 and go to a 3rd. Coming back from a break down in the final set, she wins on her fifth MP to finally end the 2:30+ match. ============================= Australian Open 1st Rd. - Ekaterina Makarova d. Venus Williams ...2-6/6-4/6-4. Venus held break point for a 4-2 lead in the 2nd, and was up a break at 3-0 in the 3rd. But she's unable to hold the advantage, as Makarova adds an AO win over a second Williams Sister (she def. Serena in '12) to her career resume. Williams ends with 56 unforced errors (vs. 50 winners), and eight double-faults. ============================= Australian Open 2nd Rd. - Daniela Hantuchova d. Karolina Pliskova ...6-3/3-6/12-10. In 3:15, Hantuchova outlasts the Czech, winning on her fifth match point. ============================= Australian Open QF - Eugenie Bouchard d. Ana Ivanovic ...5-7/7-5/6-2. After breaking to get back on serve at 4-3 in the 2nd, Ivanovic is treated for a hip injury. Rather than become tentative, the composed Bouchard ups her aggression and makes Genie's Army proud in Melbourne by reaching her first career slam semi in the Australian Open debut. ============================= Brisbane QF - Victoria Azarenka d. Stefanie Voegele ...6-4/6-7(9)/6-1. Azarenka fails to convert six match points in the 2nd. Finally, #8 proves to be the charm in the 3rd. ============================= Australian Open 1st Rd. - Belinda Bencic d. Kimiko Date-Krumm ...6-4/4-6/6-3. In her grand slam debut, the 16-year old defeats the 43-year old. So much for respecting your tennis elders. =============================
"Agent, make me rich." - Li Na
*COMEBACKS-R-US* Australian Open 3rd Rd. - Li Na d. Lucie Safarova ...1-6/7-6/6-3. On match point at 6-5 in the 2nd, Safarova had an open shot down the line for a winner. Li was thinking about her plane reservations for a flight out of Melbourne. But the Czech missed the shot. The rest is history. Li is the first woman to come back from match point in the tournament to win a slam since Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2009 (SF vs. Dementieva). ============================= Australian Open Doubles Final - Errani/Vinci d. Makarova/Vesnina ...6-4/3-6/7-5. At 5-2 down in the 3rd, the Italians looked about to be dethroned as AO champs. But... no. Imagine, had the Hordettes played in the Fed Cup final last year, the whole thing could have come down to a title-deciding match between these same two teams. Well, at least we got to see it SOMEWHERE. ============================= Australian Open 2nd Rd. - Carla Suarez-Navarro d. Galina Voskoboeva ...7-6/3-6/8-6. CSN comes back from 4-1 and 5-2 down in the 3rd. Voskoboeva, who served for the match at 5-3, is broken in her final three service games in the 3:11 tussle. ============================= Hobart 2nd Rd. - Samantha Stosur d. Kristina Mladenovic ...6-4/2-6/7-6(7). Stosur, showing rare fortitude in a match on Aussie soil, wins after being down 5-2 in the 3rd set tie-break and saving a match point against the Pastry, who's far less of a sure thing in the clutch when she doesn't have a doubles partner by her side. ============================= Shenzhen 2nd Rd. - Vania King d. Sara Errani ...2-6/7-6/6-3. Errani's singles struggles continue, as she opens her 2014 season by failing to convert two match points in the 2nd set tie-break and losing to the Bannerette. ============================= $50K Ankara Final - Vitalia Diatchenko d. Marta Sirotkina ...6-7/6-4/6-4. In the closing weeks of 2013, the Russian, in her first singles action in thirteen months (after having played just five matches following an eight-month absence following a knee injury in Moscow in October '11), wins the challenger title. =============================
*COUGH, COUGH... COUGH, COUGH* Australian Open 2nd Rd. - Sloane Stephens d. Ajla Tomljanovic ...3-6/6-2/7-5. For once, it isn't Current Sloane who loses her nerve down the stretch. Of course, that almost wasn't the case, as Stephens blew a 3-0 3rd set lead after an hour-and-a-half lightning/rain delay, and then held a break point for 4-0. Tomljanovic served for the match at 5-4, but saw the American up her aggression before the Croat double-faulted on break point. Stephens then held for 6-5, and converted on her only match point. ============================= Australian Open 2nd Rd. - Zheng Jie d. Madison Keys ...7-6(5)/1-6/7-5. Keys erased a 4-1 1st set deficit, and served for the set at 5-4 and 6-5 before losing the tie-break. In the 3rd, the American held a two-break, 4-1 lead, only to be broken in three of her final four service games. =============================
*ANYONE FOR AN UPSET...or four?* Australian Open 1st Rd. - Luksika Kumkhum d. Petra Kvitova ...6-2/1-6/6-4. Playing with two hands from both sides, the 20-year old world #88 from Thailand shocked and flummoxed Kvitova. Facing a Top 10 player for the first time in her career, Kumkhum was broken when serving for the match at 5-3 in the 3rd, but then pivoted and easily broke the Czech in the next games to take the match. It's the first time Kvitova has exited in the 1st Round at a slam since her opening match loss at the U.S. Open the same summer she'd won Wimbledon in 2011. ============================= Australian Open 4th Rd. - Ana Ivanovic d. Serena Williams ...4-6/6-3/6-3. AnaIvo outhits (leading 23-5 in groundstroke winners) Williams, limited on serve and in her movement while playing with a back injury. The Serb's forehand leads the way, as the twenty winners from that wing help produce her most thrilling slam result since winning Roland Garros in 2008. ============================= Auckland 1st Rd. - Ana Konjuh d. Roberta Vinci ...3-6/6-4/6-2. The 16-year old 2013 AO & US Open junior champion, Konjuh made her tour debut in Week 1. All she did was begin her WTA career with a victory over the #1-seeded, nearly-Top 10 ranked Italian. ============================= Australian Open 4th Rd. - Dominika Cibulkova d. Maria Sharapova ...3-6/6-4/6-1. Sharapova's long, hot, tense trip Down Under finally comes to an end. After winning the 1st set, Sharapova was treated for a hip injury and then immediately fell behind 5-0 in the 2nd. She battled back to 5-4, then lost seven of the final eight games of the match.
**By the Numbers...** 0-6... Peng Shuai's record in career WTA singles finals after her loss to Li Na in the Shenzhen final ============================= 2... number of the four slam Wheelchair titles contested since Esther Vergeer played her last match that have been won by Australian Open champion Sabine Ellerbrock (GER). The other two were won by Aniek van Koot (NED), who defeated Ellerbrock in last year's Australian and U.S. Open finals. ============================= 2 & 2... the number of all-Chinese tour singles finals in WTA history, as well as the number of them that Li Na has appeared in. She lost in the 2006 Estoril final to Zheng Jie. ============================= 3... the total number of Romanians who have ever appeared in the WTA singles Top 10 now that Simona Halep is the new #10. The last was Irina Spirlea, who made her Top 10 debut in 1996. ============================= 3... since January 2012, when Vika Azarenka won the AO and became #1, the number of events entered by the "Big 3" of Azarenka, Serena Williams & Maria Sharapova, but not won by any of them. It's happened in Miami '12 (when the existence of The Rad was made known, as A-Rad won the title), Wimbledon '13 (site of "The Radwanskian Massacre," and Marion Bartoli's career moment) and now the Australian Open '14 (where Aga "Radwanska'ed" two-time defending champ Azarenka in the QF, but Li emerged with the title.). ============================= 4... the number of appearances in grand main draws it took for Eugenie Bouchard to reach her first major semifinal, the quickest of any active woman other than Venus Williams (in her third slam in 1997). ============================= 4... consecutive sweeps of the girls singles and doubles titles at the Australian Open, as Elizaveta Kulichkova followed in the footsteps of An-Sophie Mestach (2011), Taylor Townsend (2012) and Ana Konjuh (2013) ============================= 5 & 5... total games allowed by Victoria Azarenka in her 2013 AO semifinal match vs. Sloane Stephens, as well as their 2014 AO Round of 16 rematch. ============================= 8 & 8... wins recorded by Tsvetana Pironkova and Garbine Muguruza in Week 2 when both made it through qualifying and then won their first career titles in Sydney and Hobart, respectively ============================= 12-0... Li Na's record so far in 2014 ============================= 13 for 17... total number of partners used by Kristina Mladenovic while winning seventeen professional doubles titles -- 7 WTA, 7 ITA, 1 WTA 125 & 2 Mixed Slams -- during her career, from 2009 to '14. Her seven WTA-level crowns have been won with seven different partners. ============================= 14... consecutive times Serena Williams has defeated Maria Sharapova after her win over the Russian in the Brisbane semifinals ============================= 25... Serena Williams' 2013-14 winning streak ended by Ana Ivanovic in Melbourne. It's the third-longest win streak on tour over the past decade, behind only Justine Henin's 32-match run from 2007-08 and Serena's own 34-match streak last season. ============================= 27... number of year age difference between Kimiko Date-Krumm (43) and her 1st Round opponent at the Australian Open, Belinda Bencic (16). You can fit a whole Pironkova into that age gap! ============================= 32... combined age of 31-year old Li Na's first two opponents at the Australian Open, Bencic and Ana Konjuh (both 16) ============================= 311... number of consecutive weeks Aga Radwanska has held a Top 20 ranking, now the longest active streak on tour since retired Marion Bartoli fell off the singles rankings at the start of 2014 =============================
"She's a genius!" - Pam Shriver, on Aga Radwanska, during her AO QF match vs. Azarenka
Meanwhile...
=SPEAK...=
=...SEEK...=
=...AND YOU SHALL FIND=
Introducing...
=WOZ-i-RING!=
=and VESNAROO!=
And, finally, rather than spend time with SpongeBob, Li Na was buddying up with the Australian Open's 380 ball kids before the start of the tournament...
Hmmm... a case of "spongy karma" at work? Well, you be the judge:
Just a few days before the Olympic opening ceremonies in Sochi, the Hordettes got a head start on things by fashioning Week 6 into something of a Russian winter for the rest of the WTA title-seeking field.
Aside from that, the last seven days will be remembered for:
Results that could be the key factor in the birth of a brand new doubles #1 a few weeks down the line. ============================= The sneaking suspicion that Caro may be looking over your shoulder. At least if you're a coach "currently" employed by Midge. Early last week, Caroline Wozniacki turned on her heels and gave the boot to coach Thomas Hogstedt after just three months of employment, then immediately hired Michael Mortensen as his replacement. Hmmm, is the Dane hoping that history will repeat itself? Remember, Mortensen shepherded Li Na to the Roland Garros title in 2011 after replacing former Li coach Hogstedt, who'd been stolen away by Maria Sharapova, who'd go on to win Roland Garros in 2012. Yeah, I don't think "history" had anything to do with Caro's latest move, either. ============================= Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova discovering the kryponite that allowed another Russian to finally get a win over Sharapova. Of course, one could say that the key was always there, hidden within Sharapova's very own serve. Or the lack of a consistent one, at least. ============================= The notion that a movement should be created to give Kimiko Date-Krumm TWO match wins any time she defeats a player less than half her age. ============================= The fervent desire that one day an ESPN2 or Tennis Channel commentator will have to say the name "Nicha Lertpitaksinchai." ============================= Oh, Petra. But... oh, Nadia! Well, at least on a small scale. ============================= The news that there's a new member of the Azarenka family! =============================
As for the details...
*WEEK 5 CHAMPIONS* PARIS, FRANCE (Premier $710K/HCI) S: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS def. Sara Errani/ITA 3-6/6-2/6-3 D: Groenefeld/Peschke (GER/CZE) d. Babos/Mladenovic (HUN/FRA) PATTAYA, THAILAND (Int'l $250K/HCO) S: Ekaterina Makarova/RUS def. Karolina Pliskova/CZE 6-3/7-6 D: Peng/Sh.Zhang (CHN/TPE) d. Kudryavtseva/An.Rodionova (RUS/AUS)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS ...Week 5 will surely soon provide a juicy bit of future evidence that can be brought back into the light whenever Pavlyuchenkova goes through another of her stretches during the season when she'll lose several 1st Round matches in a row, or gets upset early in a slam. When that happens, the great contrast between THAT Pavlyuchenkova and the one who once again showed how good she CAN be last week will cause all sorts of head-scratching. But, as of right now, all things are good for Anastasia. Pounding groundstrokes and taking over matches en route to career title #6 (her biggest yet) at the Paris indoors, the Russian's victims included Francesca Schiavone, Carla Suarez-Navarro and three Top 10 players in Angelique Kerber, Maria Sharapova and Sara Errani. All five of her matches went three sets, as she survived a tight contest against Kerber (3rd set TB) in the QF, then saw Sharapova implode down the stretch in the SF and Errani be unable to keep up with the Russian's power after taking a set and a break lead in the final. ============================= RISERS:Ekaterina Makarova/RUS & Alize Cornet/FRA ...Makarova completed the Russian singles title sweep with her win in Pattaya for just her second career title. She got wins over Olga Savchuk, Vera Zvonareva, Kimiko Date-Krumm, Andrea Hlavackova and Karolina Pliskova to finally step into the singles winner's circle for the first time in three and a half years, since winning on the grass in Eastbourne in 2010. Meanwhile, Cornet didn't win, but she continued her burst of feel good success since teaming with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win the Hopman Cup in Week 1. The Pastry went just 1-3 in singles play that week in Perth, but she's gone 5-3 since, including her semifinal run last week in Paris. In her four matches, which included wins over Magdalena Rybarikova, Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova and Andrea Petkovic, Cornet spent around twelve total hours on the court. ============================= SURPRISE:Nicha Lertpitaksinchai/THA ...the 22-year old Thai wild card, ranked #347 in the world, notched her first career main draw tour victory with a 1st Round upset of qualifier Aleksandra Krunic. Speaking of the "Serbian Good Luck Charm," she'll next be seen at the Complexe Sportif Claude Robillard in Montreal this week in what could be a very intriguing World Group II Fed Cup tie against Genie & the Canadians. ============================= VETERANS:Anna-Lena Groenefeld/Kveta Peschke (GER/CZE) & Kimiko Date-Krumm/JPN ...Groenefeld, 28, and Peschke, 38, won their third title as a duo (in eight finals) in Paris, coming back from match point down in the 1st Round against Hradecka/Krajicek and then erasing a set and 3-1 deficit in the final against Babos/Mladenovic. It's ALG's fourteenth career title, and Peschke's twenty-sixth. #11 Peschke, the oldest player ranked in the doubles Top 35, joins Jana Novotna and Liezel Huber as the only women to hoist three Paris indoors doubles titles, having previously won in 2005 with Iveta Benesova (now Melzer) and 2006 with Emilie Loit. Date-Krumm, 43, reached the quarterfinals in Pattaya, saving two match points to defeat 20-year old January starlet Garbine Muguruza, and then knock off Tadeja Majeric before going out against Ekaterina Makarova after leading the Russian 2-0 in the 3rd set. The result has lifted KDK's ranking back into the Top 100 at #97. ============================= COMEBACK:Vera Zvonareva/RUS ...in the tournament she won in both 2009 and '10, Vera Zvonareva took one more small step in her comeback after missing the last year and a half with shoulder surgery and illness. In Pattaya, coming in as the #992-ranked player in the world, the former world #2 notched her first win since the 2012 Olympics with a 1st Round victory over Peangtam Plipuech. She lost in the 2nd Round to eventual champion Makarova. ============================= FRESH FACE:Karolina Pliskova/CZE ...the Czech won her maiden tour title last year in Kuala Lumpur, and was back in Asia in her second career final this weekend in Pattaya. After traversing a rocky road through the main draw -- saving match point and erasing a 3-0 final set deficit along the way -- with wins over Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Alla Kudryavtseva, Sorana Cirstea and Julia Goerges, Pliskova couldn't crack Makarova, losing in straight sets. ============================= DOWN:Sabine Lisicki/GER & Petra Kvitova/CZE ...the beat goes on for these two, and not in a good way. Lisicki, the #1 seed in Pattaya after reaching last year's final, struggled through her 1st Round match with Donna Vekic, finding a way to defeat the young Croat despite having difficulty serving due to a bad shoulder. After resting and hoping things would be better the next day, they weren't. So the German had to pull out of the event. Kvitova, a former Paris indoors champion (2011) and the #2 seed in this year's event, didn't even get onto the court, withdrawing mid-week after having a 1st Round bye due to... wait for it... a respiratory illness. This sort of thing is becoming a serious issue for Kvitova, who simply can't make it through hardly any stretch of the season without being slowed by illness and/or issues with her asthma. As of today, she's still scheduled to lead the Czechs in their 1st Round Fed Cup match vs. Spain. Even at less than 100%, she's likely the Maiden's best bet for team success... but we shall see. ============================= ITF PLAYER:Misa Eguchi/JPN ...the 21-year old from Japan won the $50K challenger in Burnie, Australia to claim her first title since 2011. Eguchi's fourth career ITF win came after wins over Tereza Mrdeza, Jarmila Gajdosova, Olivia Rogowska and AO girls champ Elizaveta Kulichkova in a three-set final. ============================= JUNIOR STAR:Darya Kasatkina/RUS ...maintaining the Hordette theme of Week 5, 16-year old Kasatkina, the #7-ranked junior in the world and a member of Russia's Junior Fed Cup championship team (second from the left) last year, won her first professional singles title in the $10K Sharm El-Sheikh challenger in Egypt. She defeated Czech Pernilla Mendesova in the final. =============================
1. Paris Final - Pavlyuchenkova d. Errani ...3-6/6-2/6-3. Coming from behind to take a title worked for Errani in the Australian Open doubles final, but not here. Instead, the Italian was the one who couldn't hold on, seeing her 6-3/2-0 (and point for 3-0) lead taken away by the Russian, who made it official when she hit her forty-eighth winner on match point. ============================= 2. Pattaya 1st Rd. - Date-Krumm d. Muguruza ...6-7(2)/7-5/7-6(6). KDK put up maybe the most spirited comeback of the season, saving match points in the 2nd (at 5-3) and 3rd sets (at 6-5 in the tie-break) to take away a win from a player twenty-three years her junior in a match that lasted 2:50. ============================= 3. Paris SF - Pavlyuchenkova d. Sharapova ...4-6/6-3/6-4. Sharapova's thirteen double-faults, including four in her final two serve games, and two in a row to end the match, provide an easy statistical highlight/lowlight from this one. Ah, but here's another: the loss ends Sharapova's fifteen match winning streak vs. fellow Russians since the start of the 2011 season. She hadn't played another Hordette since defeating Elena Vesnina in the 3rd Round in Miami last season, but her run of dominance extended back ever longer than her streak, as she was 23-1 in her twenty-four Russian-vs.-Russian matches since she lost to Maria Kirilenko in the 1st Round of the Australian Open in 2010. She's now 77-23 in her career vs. her countrywomen. ============================= 4. Paris Doubles Final - Groenefeld/Peschke d. Babos/Mladenovic ...6-7/6-4/10-5. Mladenovic was trying to add Babos to her list of champion partners, and when the the pair were up a set and 3-1 it seemed like a good bet. Up 5-4 in the match tie-break, it STILL seemed as if things would go their way. Six points later, umm, things didn't look quite so good. ============================= 5. Paris 1st Rd. - Svitolina d. Vinci ...6-3/0-6/7-5. Vinci has yet to win a singles match since her thrilling Fed Cup final victory over Alexandra Panova, going 0-4 so far this season. ============================= 6. Paris 1st Rd. - Petkovic d. Jovanovski 6-2/6-3 Pattaya 1st Rd. - Lertpitaksinchai d. Krunic 6-3/6-3 ...combined with the men's ouster by the Swiss in the 1st Round of the Davis Cup, it wasn't a great week for Serbian tennis. ============================= 7. Paris Q2 - Pfizenmaier d. Petrova ...6-4/7-5. Well, look at the bright side, at least Nadia is back playing singles. Her Q1 win over Maria Teresa Torro-Flor was her first victory since last May in Madrid. ============================= 8. Pattaya 1st Rd. - Goerges d. Kumkhum ...6-4/6-4. Goerges is no Kvitova. Apparently. ============================= 9. Paris 1st Rd. - Voskoboeva d. Voegele ...5-7/7-5/7-6. Voegele led 7-5/4-2, but never held a match point. Voskoboeva finally won on her fourth. ============================= 10. Pattaya 1st Rd. - Kuznetsova d. Zhang Shuai ...6-0/7-6. Sveta notched her 500th career victory, but withdrew with a hip injury before she could go for #501. ============================= HM- Paris 1st Rd. - Mladenovic d. Halep ...7-6/6-4. Halep is 0-2 in regular tour matches in 2014, but 4-1 in grand slam play. Who does Simona think she is, Sloane Stephens? =============================
1. Pattaya Doubles Final - Peng/Sh.Zhang d. Kudryavtseva/An.Rodionova ...3-6/7-6/10-6. Rodionova and Kudryavtseva fail to match WTA leaders Niculescu & Zakopalova with a second tour doubles title on the season. But the more interesting topic of discussion here is Peng, who has tried and tried again to lock away her first career singles title, only to go 0-6 in her six appearances in tour finals. Quite the opposite is the case when it comes to doubles, though. There, she's 13-3 in tour finals, and this is her fourth win while not partnering childhood friend/longtime doubles partner Hsieh Su-Wei. Already having reached a career-high in doubles in '14, sharing the #3 spot with Hsieh, Peng moved into sole possession of the ranking with this win. Not only that, but with the semifinal walkover in Paris of defending champions and co-#1's Errani & Vinci, Peng moves to within just five points of the Italians in the new rankings. If she can climb into the top spot, she'd become the first Chinese player to ever hold a #1 ranking in professional tennis. ============================= 2. Pattaya Final - Makarova d. Ka.Pliskova ...6-3/7-6. The last time Hordettes swept a pair of singles titles on a single weekend was in September '10, when Alisa Kleybanova won in Seoul while Alla Kudryavtseva took the title in Tashkent. Incidentally, the most recent time before that was exactly four years ago, when Elena Dementieva won in Paris, while Vera Zvonareva did the same in Pattaya. ============================= 3. Pattaya 2nd Rd. - Ka.Pliskova d. Kudryavtseva 4-6/6-3/6-4 Pattaya QF - Ka.Pliskova d. Cirstea 1-6/7-6/6-0 ...just reaching the final has to be looked up on a something of a moral victory for the Czech, as she had to come back from 3-0 down in the 3rd vs. Kudryavteva, then saved two match points en route to taking out Cirstea. =============================
...the latest member of the Azarenka family. Nice to meet you, Duke.
**2014 WTA CHAMPIONS BY AGE** 32 - Serena Williams 31 - Li Na (2) 26 - Ana Ivanovic, Tsvetana Pironkova 25 - EKATERINA MAKAROVA 22 - ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA 20 - Garbine Muguruza
I'll be back on Tuesday with a preview of the first week of 2014 Fed Cup action.
Thumbnail Preview: the big-named and highly-ranked Hordettes are still M.I.A., Sam is in Australia (uh-oh?), the Italians will be in Cleveland (but Serena & Sloane won't be), and Genie heads home. Hmmm, I wonder if Bouchard's hometown fans will take up the challenge of finding yet another stuffed animal to chuck at her from the stands? They can't let the Aussies steal her heart, can they? I mean, now that Bieber has seen the other side of a jail cell and all, someone has to step in, right? I wait with bated breath.
It's almost time for the first Fed Cup weekend of 2014. Unfortunately, as it often the case each February, the opening round is mostly about playing with the Fed Cup team you have rather than the team that the various captains WISH they had.
*WORLD GROUP I 1st Round* Italy at United States (Cleveland, USA - HCI) USA: Keys, Riske, McHale, Davis ITA: Knapp, Giorgi, Burnett, Matteucci ...the biggest question here is whether or not a teenager, thrust into the role of the #1 singles player on an American "B"-team in her maiden FC tie, can hold the ship together against the defending champs' own "B"-team in a rematch of a 1st Round clash won a year ago by the Italians. Maybe more so than any of the other opening weekend ties, the U.S./Italy match-up in Cleveland is more about who WON'T be playing than it is who WILL be. The Bannerettes are without either Williams Sister or Sloane Stephens, while the defending champion Italians are without any of the veterans that have powered Team Italia to four titles in the last eight years. Three of the four American team members are making their Fed Cup debuts, but Christina McHale's four career FC singles wins are still far more than the one total FC win put up so far by the combined four-woman Italian team. Karin Knapp (who pushed Sharapova in one of the best matches of '14 in the AO) and Camila Giorgi (a U.S. Open star last summer) have the usual Italian spirit, but 18-year old Madison Keys is the best player participating in this tie. But, considering her difficulty in closing out matches in Melbourne, it's probably going to take more than the big-serving youngster for the U.S. to pull off what would have to still be considered a minor upset even without the on-court presence of the likes of Errani, Vinci, Pennetta or Schiavone. This one might come down to the doubles, and I'll go with Italy is a very close one. PICK:Italy def. USA 3-2
Czech Republic at Spain (Seville, ESP - RCO) ESP: Suarez-Navarro, Torro-Flor, Soler-Espinosa, Arruabarrena CZE: Safarova, Zakopalova, Zahlavova-Strycova, Hlavackova ...usually, the Czechs' FC ties revolve around Kvitova, and the same is the case here. With Petra announcing that she's out due to her current virus bout, the Czechs have their proverbial backs against the wall in Seville. The Spaniards are threatening to climb back into the Fed Cup title mix, while the Czechs are trying to avoid slipping out after winning back-to-back titles in 2011-12. Kvitova had opened the season playing well in Perth, then broke down in more than one way in Melbourne before another respiratory illness took her out of Paris last week. The surface of an outdoor clay court favors the Spaniards, so Lucie Safarova is going to have to put the Czech team on her back for this to work. She's done it before, going 2-0 in the '12 final when (wouldn't you know it) Kvitova was ill and less than 100%, and sporting a 3-0 record in FC play during that season. Thing is, she's a combined 6-11 in FC singles the rest of her career, including 0-2 in last year's semifinal against Italy. If Safarova, fresh off failing to take out Li Na in the AO 3rd Round after holding match point, can pull #1 singles weight, things will hand off to Andrea Hlavackova and whoever is chosen to join her (though not former partner Lucie Hradecka) in doubles. The Czechs would seem to have the advantage there. If Safarova falters, look for Carla Suarez-Navarro to star and lead a successful Spanish upset bid. PICK:Czech Republic def. Spain 3-2
Germany at Slovak Republic (Bratislava, SVK - HCI) SVK: Cibulkova, Hantuchova, Rybarikova, Cepelova GER: Kerber, Petkovic, Goerges, Groenefeld ...the Slovaks are trying to recover from blowing that 2-0 lead over Russia in last year's semifinals, and it'll be AO finalist Dominika Cibulkova who'll be charged with taking the lead role. Of all the 1st Round ties, this one features the battle of the deepest teams (even Jana Cepelova showed some mettle in '13, winning an 11-9 3rd set vs. Bojana Jovanovski in last year's 1st Round). The indoor hard court would seem to suit both teams, but quite possibly helps the Germans the most, as all three of Angelique Kerber's tour titles have come indoors, while Andrea Petkovia and Julia Goerges have had some of their best moments in roofed matches, as well. ALG has replaced an injured Sabine Lisicki (shoulder) on the roster, and the presence of the (now, it seems) doubles specialist could end up being a boon to the Germans should things be knotted at 2-2 after singles play. I've gone back and forth on this one, but in the end I'll stick with the home team against a German group that hasn't won a 1st Round FC tie since 2002. PICK:Slovak Republic def. Germany 3-2
Russia at Australia (Hobart, AUS - HCO) AUS: Stosur, Dellacqua, Barty, Sanders RUS: Kan, Khromacheva, Solovyeva, Kudermetova ...the biggest question here has nothing to do with the actual tie. The Aussies are going to win this. If not, Alicia Molik should really be relieved of her FC coaching duties. No, the question here is when exactly the spitting match is going to end between the Russian Tennis Federation and the nation's top singles players. Four currently reside in the Top 25, and six are in the Top 100. But the highest-ranked Hordette in Hobart is young Victoria Kan, the world #158 making her FC debut. Even last year's FC final "almost miracle worker" Alexandra Panova isn't Down Under. Combined, the Russian team is 0-1 in career FC matches. On the other side, Sam Stosur has 25 FC wins and, in a stat I had to check twice (three times, actually) to make sure it was correct, the Slingin' one was actually on an eight-match FC winning streak on Aussie soil before going 0-2 there in 2011 against the Czechs. This one won't be close, but should provide Ashleigh Barty with some nice FC experience for her future role as Aussie FC singles #1. So, again, we go back to the original question. When is this going to end for Team Russia? Do the four-time FC champion Hordettes have to slip all the way down to zone play for '15 -- and at this rate they likely will -- for whatever compromise is necessary to finally get done? Meanwhile... wow, Australia is going to be in the Fed Cup semifinals. That hasn't happened since 1993. And with the right semifinal match-up this spring, it might not end there for the Aussies in 2014, either. PICK:Australia def. Russia 4-0
*WORLD GROUP II* Serbia at Canada (Montreal, CAN - HCI) CAN: Bouchard, Fichman, Dabrowski, Wozniak SRB: Jovanovski, Dolonc, Jaksic, Krunic ...this one could get mighty interesting. Bouchard returns home from her Australian exploits, and has a chance to lead the Canadians back into the World Group I Playoffs for the first time since 1995. It helps that neither Ana Ivanovic nor Jelena Jankovic will be in Quebec, and that the top Serbian player (Bojana Jovanovski) is 4-7 in career FC singles matches. But Genie can't carry the entire load, as she can only notch two singles wins, so someone else is either going to have to win, or risk things going to the deciding doubles. Sharon Fichman teamed with both Gabriela Dabrowski and Bouchard last year in tie-deciding doubles wins that lifted Canada out of zone play and into World Group II, but "Serbian Good Luck Charm" Aleksandra Krunic is on the roster for this tie, and she was a co-winner in the three straight deciding doubles wins that pushed the Serbs into the 2012 FC final. The Serbian team is currently riding a three-tie losing streak since reaching that first-ever final, however, and a fourth would put them in the position of needing a win this spring to avoid dropping into zone play in 2015. As I said, this one could get mighty interesting. PICK:Canada def. Serbia 3-2
Poland at Sweden (Boras, SWE - HCI) SWE: Larsson, Arvidsson, Peterson, Melander POL: A.Radwanska, Piter, Kania, Rosolska ...so, is Radwanska over her post-Classic Aga funk? Operating mostly in zone play over the years, Agnieszka has been a Fed Cup ace, going 29-6 in singles and 6-1 in doubles. She'll be called upon to go up against some FC veterans in Johanna Larsson (24-14) and Sofia Arvidsson (34-23) in front of the Swedish crowd, though. She should get through, but if things come down to the doubles A-Rad won't be able to team up with injured sister Ula. Aga deserves a chance to get into World Group FC play, and she'll have that chance to play for that opportunity this spring if Poland can advance here. Really, if things go well, it's all on her shoulders. And she knows something about being hoisted upon shoulders when it comes to Fed Cup weekends. PICK:Poland def. Sweden 4-1
Switzerland at France (Paris, FRA - HCI) FRA: Cornet, Mladenovic, Garcia, Razzano SUI: Voegele, Bencic, Golubic, Bacsinszky ...as has been the case for all but one tie over the last decade, the FC Pastries will go without Marion Bartoli. Alize Cornet will take on a big load in Paris, a week after playing twelve hours en route to the semifinals at the Paris indoors in the same stadium where this tie will take place. Cornet hasn't exactly been at her best in FC play -- 2-9 is career singles, and 2-4 in doubles -- but has played with great belief and put up some nice results in the early weeks of 2014. The tone for the weekend might be set in the first match, as Kristina Mladenovic (0-1 singles) will face Belinda Bencic (making her FC singles debut). If all goes mostly well for France, at least Mladenovic (4-0 doubles) will be around to help decide things in doubles. PICK:France d. Switzerland 3-2
Japan at Argentina (Buenos Aires, ARG - RCO) ARG: Ormaechea, Irigoyen, Molinero, Pella JPN: Nara, Doi, Ozaki, Aoyama ...after leading the Japanese team for so long, Ayumi Morita isn't in Buenos Aires. Morita (w/ 16 FC wins, often providing all of Japan's points in the nation's recently successful outings) left Sydney with a retirement a few weeks ago, but played two matches at the Australian Open (not sure if a recurrence of the injury is why she's absent, or if it's the clay surface -- Morita is 14-4 on hard courts, but 1-4 on clay). As it stands, the remaining Japanese team has just two career FC singles wins (one each by Kurumi Nara and Misaki Doi), while Argentine #1 Paula Ormaechea has been a rousing success while playing for her country, going 9-1 the last two seasons. The Japanese were swept on the clay in Spain last year, and the same might happen here. PICK:Argentina def. Japan 4-0
*ZONE PLAY* Group I - Europe/Africa (Host: Hungary) ...some big names are in action here in a four Pool competition that has already begun in Hungary, as the likes of Yanina Wickmayer (BEL), Donna Vekic (CRO), Heather Watson (GBR), Timea Babos (HUN), Shahar Peer (ISR) and Elina Svitolina (UKR) are in the mix. It's difficult to trump the Romianian team, though, as it sports the likes of Simona Halep, Sorana Cirstea, Monica Niculescu and Irina-Camelia Begu, a team that could do some damage down the line if the Swarmettes can get out of zone play and into the WGII playoffs in the spring. Only two teams will be promoted. PROMOTION PICKS:Romania & Belgium
Group I - Americas (Host: Paraguay) ...this should be an interesting clash, as just one team will advance when the winner of Pool A (which includes the Mexican team of Ana Sofia Sanchez, Marcela Zacarias, Ximena Hermoso and Victoria Rodriguez vs. host Paraguay's Veronica Cepede Royg, Montserrat Gonzalez and Camila Giangreco Campi) meets the winner of Pool B (Brazil's Teliana Pereira, Laura Pigossi, Gabriela Ce, Paula Cristina Goncalves face off with Colmbia's Mariana Duque-Marino and Catalina Castano). PROMOTION PICK:Colombia
Group I - Asia/Oceania (Host: Kazakhstan) ...for once, the Chinese aren't playing with a "C" or "D" team, but the "A" is still absent. Peng Shuai (an A-?), Zhang Shuai, Zheng Saisai and Wang Qiang isn't a bad collection, though. But will it be enough to get past the host Kazakhs -- Voskoboeva, Shvedova, Putintseva & Karatantcheva -- for the one promotion spot? PROMOTION PICK:Kazakhstan
Group II - Asia/Oceania (Host: Kazakhstan) ...Sania Mirza is serving in the role of "Playing Captain" for India, and it should be a decision between Mirza & Co. and Marina Erakovic & New Zealand (both are in Pool D) for the one nation who'll be promoted here. PROMOTION PICK:New Zealand
Group III - Europe/Africa (Host: Estonia) ...Denmark and Estonia headline the GIII action, with Caroline Wozniacki and Kaia Kaneip leading the way. Two nations advance, so it would be a big shock if it's not one of those two. They're in pools that play each other after the round robin, though, so some nation is going to get lucky and advance. PROMOTION PICKS:Estonia & ummm, Greece, I guess
I'll do an update on Day 1 FC action on the weekend before the final recap. All for now.
In a week of Fed Cup news that was initially dominated by the discussion of who wasn't on many rosters, the absences grew even larger as the week went along. Some were off the court, but many took place on it.
As the week went along, players who were originally slated to play (i.e. Caroline Wozniacki) eventually disappeared from rosters, a player (Lucie Safarova) already charged with taking the place of an ill player (Petra Kvitova) ended up pulling out of singles herself due to illness, and a team of "B"-team Chinese was relegated to "C"-team when the top two players played in a total of one of eight possible singles matches.
Meanwhile, even when players were on the court, they might have been better off staying away, as Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova continued the Slovak dramatic production of the "The Heimlich Maneuver: Fed Cup Edition" by failing to convert a match point and send her team down the FC rabbit hole and expected disaster and, playing the #1 U.S. singles position, Christina McHale did what you'd expect when told that McHale was going to be playing the #1 U.S. singles position -- she competed well, for a bit, then came up very small in a clutch 3rd set.
Some Fed Cup notes from Day 1 of weekend action:
**WORLD GROUP 1st Round** ...the four WG match-ups see all four leading teams without a loss heading into Day 2.
In Cleveland, Christina McHale was put into place by coach Mary Joe Fernandez in the lead singles spot against Italy's best roster player, Karin Knapp, rather than MJF choosing to use up Madison Keys there (or maybe give Alison Riske a shot) and put the usually-folds-under-pressure McHale in the more "winnable" match against Camila Giorgi. So, right from the start, the scoreline read: Italy 1, Fernandez 0. It was a lead that was impossible for the U.S. to overcome. To her credit, the "team veteran" with four FC wins, McHale put up a little fight. But she's been known to falter in the clutch, and it happened again. Knapp took the 1st set, but McHale won the 2nd to force things to a 3rd. There, though, McHale came up small while the Italian's play got better. She went up 4-0 before McHale cut the two-break lead in half, only to give it back a game later as Knapp won 6-3/3-6/6-1. The match set the tone for the day, and likely the entire weekend, for the Bannerettes. In the next match, Keys, with even more pressure on her debuting shoulders after McHale's loss, double-faulted on set point to give Giorgi the 1st, ultimately losing 6-2/6-1. The Italians are here, while the Americans never were. Maybe Alison Riske can salvage something on Day 2 if given the shot?
In Seville, the rain in Spain ruled the day. Play was delayed, then when it finally began it took six hours to play the 52-minute match won by Carla Suarez-Navarro over replacement-for-the-replacement Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova to put the illness-plagued Czech team down 1-0. That was the only match played on Saturday, as things are slated to start even earlier on Sunday in an attempt to get the whole tie completed this weekend. Even with Lucie Safarova (so far, at least?) out of singles, I still think the Czechs have a shot here. 1-0 is better than 2-0, and if the Czechs can get to Maria Teresa Torro-Flor in singles this thing can still come down to the doubles.
In Bratislava, one season after the Slovaks blew a 2-0 Day 1 lead to Russia in the semifinals, they've apparently decided to see how "the other half" lives, as the Slovak Republic is down 2-0 to the loaded German team. Of course, it didn't have to be be this way. In the opening match, Cibulkova faced off with Andrea Petkovic, playing a big role with Sabine Lisicki's injury-related absence, and was in command. After dropping the 1st set, the German was forced to hold at 4-5 and 5-6 to stay in the match before forcing a tie-break, in which she raced to a 5-0 lead. But Cibulkova reeled off six straight points to reach match point, only to dump a weak service return into the net. Petkovic went on to win 2-6/7-6(6)/6-2, then Angelique Kerber took out Daniela Hantuchova in Match #2 to give the Gemans a seemingly-insurmountable lead (just what I said after Day 1 of SVK/RUS, I believe). Hantuchova had two set points in the 1st, only to lose an 11-9 tie-break to drop the 1:07 opening stanza of a 7-6(9)/6-1 loss.
In Hobart, nothing was unexpected. While Maria Sharaporva was carrying the Olympic torch in Sochi, and Alexandra Panova was losing in Doha qualifying, the young Hordette squad led by coach Anastasia Myskina was getting schooled by the more veteran Aussies. Still, the Russians, as was the case in the 2013 final against Italy, showed that playing with pride has nothing to do with experience. 18-year old Irina Khromacheva dropped Match #1 to Casey Dellacqua, in her first FC singles since 2009, by a 6-0/6-2 score, but the youngster didn't fold in the 2nd set and even had Myskina out of her chair applauded her efforts. In the second match, 16-year old Veronika Kudermetova took on Samantha Stosur. Sporting a big serve and few nerves, the Junior FC star was in the 1st set all the way, getting broken for 3-4 but immediately breaking back a game later. Stosur won the set 6-4, but Kudermetova's service games were good enough to prevent the Aussie from registering a winner on the Russian's serve during the set. The Aussie took the 2nd at love, but the Russian was more than happy about her efforts on the day after that match. As it was all week, though, this one is a foregone conclusion and the Aussies will reach their first FC semifinal since 1993.
**WORLD GROUP II** ...while the World Group is a bit lopsided, quite the opposite is the case with World Group II.
In Montreal, "Serbia Bad Luck Charm" Vesna Dolonc continued to live up to her name. She led Aleksandra Wozniak 5-1 in the 1st set of Match #1, only to drop six straight games and double-fault on SP to hand the Canadian the set. Dolonc took things to a 3rd, where Wozniak converted a late break for a 4-2 lead. Dolonc got back on serve at 5-4, but then dropped her serve one game later as Wozniak won 7-5/2-6/6-4. Genie Bouchard allowed just one game to Jovana Jaksic in the second singles match of Day 1. I suppose there's a chance that "Serbian Good Luck Charm" Aleksandra Krunic could still play a part in an important doubles match, but it isn't likely. Well, not unless the "SBLC" can upset Bouchard. So, in other words, the chances are slim.
In Boras, Sweden, the Swedes and the Poles are knotted at 1-1, as Aga Radwanska tied things up with a win over Sofia Arvidsson after Johanna Larsson opened play with a win over Katarzyna Piter. A-Rad opens play on Day 2 with a match against Larsson. She should win, but there's more of a chance of an upset there than in her match today. Either way, Poland is going to need Piter to steal a win over Arvidsson to ensure a win in this tie, because if things go to doubles it'll be the veteran pair of Arvidsson/Larsson -- longtime FC teammates who've played some big doubles matches before) -- who'll likely be on the other side of the net. And with Ula out injured, Aga can't be expected to have the successful chemistry with another partner that she'd have with her little sister.
In Paris, Amelie Mauresmo surprisingly put veteran Virginie Razzano into the lead singles role over Alize Cornet and Kristina Mladenovic. As it turned out, it payed off. The 30-year old easily downed Stefanie Voegele 6-2/6-1 in Match #1. It turned out to be an even greater hunch by Mauresmo when 16-year old Belinda Bencic, in her FC singles debut, took out a tired and coughing Alize Cornet on the same court on which the Pastry played twelve hours last week while reaching the Paris indoors semifinals. After falling down 5-2 in the 1st, the Swiss teen reeled off seven straight games to take the set and, eventually, the match 7-5/6-4. Day 2's meeting between the youngster (Bencic) and the veteran (Razzano) might just decide this tie.
In Buenos Aires, world #65 Kurumi Nara put up a whale of a fight on the red clay against world #173 Maria Irigoyen, but it went for naught. The Argentine won 6-7/6-4/6-4 in 3:39, on her fourth MP, to put Argentina up 1-0. Paula Ormaechea then followed up with a three-set win over Misaki Doi. It was a good effort by the underdog (and "out-surfaced") Japanese, but such a similarly-tight set of matches on Day 2 isn't likely.
**Zone Play** =EUROPE/AFRICA I at Hungary= ...two teams will be promoted out of this zone to spring's WG II Playoffs, and it's down to Netherlands/Belarus and Romania/Ukraine.
The Dutch team, led by Kiki Bertens and Richel Hogenkamp, dusted off all three pool opponents by 3-0 scores during the week, including Belgium (w/ Yanina Wickmayer and An-Sophie Mestach) and Croatia (w/ Petra Martic and Donna Vekic). They'll next face a Vika-less Belarusian team that has seen both Olga Govortsova and Aliaksandra Sasnovich go 3-0 this week.
The other promotional playoff match should be a good one. The Romanians reaching this stage is no surprise, as the team of Halep, Cirstea, Niculescu and Begu is better than arguably all but two -- GER and SVK -- of the sixteen lineups above the Swarmettes in World Group action this week. The Romanians went 5-1 in singles in pool play, with the only loss coming when Simona Halep lost to Hungary's Timea Babos. The Ukrainian team has been led by Elina Svitolina, who went 3-0 in singles, though it's the doubles combo of Lyudmula Kichenok and Olga Savchuk -- 3-0 -- that could end up being very key in the match-up with Romania.
=AMERICAS I at Paraguay= ...it'll be host Paraguay against Brazil in the promotional playoff. The Brazilians won their pool by emerging with the victory in the tie-deciding match-up with Colombia, as Paula Cristina Goncalves knocked off Catalina Castano while Teliana Pereira took out Mariana Duque-Marino.
Montserrat Gonzalez and Veronica Cepede are both 4-0 so far for Paraguay.
=ASIA/OCEANIA I at Kazakhstan= ...in pool play that was expected to center around the Chinese and the host Kazakhs, both nation's teams came up small. At least the Kazakhs were beaten on the court, losing Pool A when AO star Luksika Kumkhum upset Yaroslava Shvedova 0-6/6-4/6-1, then teamed with Tamarine Tanasugarn to defeat Shvedova & Galina Voskoboeva in straight sets to give Thailand a 2-1 win to claim the pool and reach the promotion playoff.
There they met not the Chinese, but the Uzbekis. While the Chinese sported a lineup that included two Top 50 players -- Peng Shuai & Zhang Shuai -- the singles spots were taken by #256 Wang Qiang and #312 Lui Fangzhou. In both nations' opening pool tie, the Uzbekis won 2-1 (Wang won her singles match, while Lui lost to Sabina Sharipova, then joined with Zhang to drop the doubles to Nigina Abduraimova & Sharipova).
In the promotional playoff, Kumkhum continued her star-making run. After Noppawan Lertcheewakarn dropped the opening match to 19-year old Sharipova, Kumkhum knotted things with a win over Abduraimova, and then she and Tanasugarn again won another big doubles match to win the playoff with a three-set win over Abduraimova/Sharipova.
Meanwhile, in the 3rd/4th place they-should-both-be-above-this match-up, Kazakhstan defeated China with wins from Sesil Karatantcheva and Yulia Putintseva.
=ASIA/OCEANIA II at Kazakhstan= ...Sania Mirza (IND) and Marina Erakovic (NZL) were the top players here, but both their teams were in the same pool. India defeated the Kiwis 2-1 with a doubles win by Mirza (who didn't play singles, but was also team captain) and Prarthana Thombare over Erakovic and Abigail Guthrie to claim the pool.
But it wasn't the Indians who advanced. Instead, they lost in the first part of the promotional playoffs to Hong Kong, which went on to defeat the Philippines in the final round on the back of 24-year old Zhang Ling, who was 4-0 in singles for the week.
=EUROPE/AFRICA III at Estonia= ...with their pool's respective winners slated to face each in the promotional playoff, both Estonia and Denmark couldn't produce successful weeks even though they were the two best teams in the zone. Then, when Wozniacki's name fell off the original roster, it all seemed a fait accompli.
It was, too. Still, Denmark managed to win its pool with Karen Barbat (world #605) playing lead singles. Not that it mattered, as the Danes lost the promotional playoff 2-0 to Estonia as both Kaia Kanepi and Anett Kontaveit finished off undefeated weeks. In the other promotional playoff, Ireland defeated an Eleni Daniilidou-less Greek team with 30-year old world #636 Amy Bowtell leading the way.
Hmmm, remember "all the way back" in December, when I managed to see fit to leave Tsvetana Pironkova off my 70-player (70!!) Grand Slam Master List, despite my nod a few seasons ago to The Pironkova's spooky slam existence, especially on the grass at Wimbledon? Well, it took less than a day to begin to wonder if it might have been a big mistake.
But there is still another hopeful heroine -- however unlikely -- who remains free of THe Radwanska's clutches: the flighty, sometimes-she-seems-not-quite-there QC.
QC leans back around the corner, then hears a small voice through the open window behind her. Cautiously, she peeks up over the window sill, not sure what horror she might find there. 
With temperatures rising into the triple-digits on the first day of what is expected to be a brutal heat wave this week in Melbourne, the hope for the two-time defending champ was that she could have an easy, quick time of things against Swede Johanna Larsson. After all, one of Vika's most memorable moments at the AO was her 2nd set retirement with heat illness against Serena Williams in 2009 when Azarenka was up a set in the match. Surely, one thought, she'd find a way to avoid prolonging today's proceedings and forcing herself to be running around on the court of Rod Laver Arena for any longer than necessary on Day 2. Right?
In the 2nd, Azarenka got an early break and didn't look back. Well, until it came to finally salting away the match. Not wanting to get off the court TOO quickly, that took her four match point attempts to get done. In the end, Vika produced 32 unforced errors (to 27 winners), including seven double-faults (the last coming on one of the match points), in the 7-6(2)/6-2 contest that lasted 1:46.
Truth is, this AO has been refreshingly controversy-free for Victoria Azarenka. But, of course, the first weekend has only just begun. She'll face Sloane Stephens next, so it'll now be time to cue up all the VikaGate video involving the medical timeout against the American in last year's semifinal. You remember, 
In the 3rd, Ivanovic continued her surge. She got an early break and went up 2-0, then held for 3-0. On the first point of game #5, an AnaIvo backhand bounced off the net, over Williams, and safely inside the corner of the baseline. If one was looking for a sign of a Williams comeback, this was not it. It was more like an omen.
But, no matter how mature she may appear on the court, she IS still a teenager. She finally let down her guard long enough to prove it during her post-match interview. While this AO's on-court questioning has seemed more (overly) personal at times this AO, it has produced a few memorable moments. While none will top Novak Djokovic's impersonation of coach Boris Becker, Bouchard's answer to a Twitter question about what person in the world she'd date if she could will likely stick to her for longer than she probably intended. After pausing to come up with an answer to the question, she finally covered her face and said Justin Bieber (a fellow Canadian who, by the way, she lists in her tour bio as one of her favorite singers). The crowd on Laver both laughed and groaned at the same time. It might have been Bouchard's only (half) misstep the entire day!
...in juniors, Hordette Elizaveta Kulichkova defeated Jana Fett to take the women's title, preventing the Croat from becoming the second straight Croatian (Ana Konjuh '13) girls champ in Melbourne. The Russian, though, became the fourth straight AO winner to sweep the junior singles and doubles, as she and Anhelina Kalinina took the doubles crown yesterday. Kulichkova follows in the footsteps of sweeping winners An-Sophie Mestash (2011), Taylor Townsend (2012) and Konjuh.
In the women's, Sabine Ellerbrock defeated #2 Kamiji in a three-set final. Last year, the German was runner-up to Aniek van Koot, who missed this AO with tendonitis that also kept her out of action late last year.
