Wk.29- To Be Top 10, or Not to Be Top 10... what are the answers?

It's nearly August. Do you know where your eventual Top 10ers --as well as the past ones -- are?

With the WTA tour shifting to North America this week, and the U.S. Open Series kicking off in Stanford, it's obvious that the home stretch of the 2011 season is within view. And outside of winning slams, the biggest "accomplishment" for most top players has to be managing to put together a season-ending Top 10 ranking. Even if it isn't synonymous with "greatness" or (hardly, of course) "dominance," the honor surely signifies a season of consistency, and the number of Top 10 seasons a player can collect before the end of a career is always a way to place a player's non-slam winning accomplishments into some sort of context when it comes to the rest of the WTA field. So, I thought it'd be interesting to take a look back at what the Top 10 looked like one year ago, and give a quick look ahead to what it might look like come November when the tour season's books are finally closed.

First, the Top 10 on July 26, 2010... and where those players are now in the rankings:

1. Serena Williams (169): proof that rankings don't NECESSARILY mean a gosh darn thing
2. Jelena Jankovic (15): oh, Jelena. I didn't realize the fall had become THIS steep in just twelve months.
3. Caroline Wozniacki (1): today's Wozniology-101 lecture will have to wait until a new lesson plan is put together
4. Venus Williams (35): Venus hasn't really played too much more than Serena in the past year, but her ranking doesn't reflect it
5. Samantha Stosur (10): one has to think her Top 10 status is about to be rescinded
6. Elena Dementieva (retired): the newlywed isn't likely thinking about what she left on her WTA plate
7. Kim Clijsters (2): she's become Serena, specializing in ranking-propping-up slam titles
8. Francesca Schiavone (8): who'd have thought she'd still be Top 10 WITHOUT a RG title in her column?
9. Vera Zvonareva (3): The Dane's lack of a slam title has really taken a lot of pressure off Zvonareva's highly-ranked-with-little-flashy-hardware status
10. Agnieszka Radwanska (14): she always felt like a "accidental" Top 10er

A few numbers: there are four new Top 5 players compared to a year ago, and five different women are now in the Top 10. To go a little further, what about the Top 20 from a year ago?

11. Li Na (6): nice work, Na
12. Victoria Azarenka (4): ditto, Vika... but one figures you want more
13. Maria Sharapova (5): (see Azarenka)
14. Justine Henin (retired): alas, I knew her, Horatio
15. Flavia Pennetta (23): without her usual FC heroics, she's been a little out of sight, out of mind lately
16. Yanina Wickmayer (18): holding steady, but ALMOST seeming to tread water in the rankings, too
17. Shahar Peer (24): she was oh so close, but oh so far, from the Top 10 earlier this year
18. Aravane Rezai (110): whew! Triple-digits!
19. Svetlana Kuznetsova (12): it says something that her disappointing '11 actually looks good compared to her '10 campaign
20. Nadia Petrova (32): she's become more of a consistent doubles force over the past year than a singles threat, but there might be a few good singles results left in them thar bones, as well. Maybe this week in D.C.?

In all, eight different woman call themselves "Top 20 caliber" who couldn't rightfully say the same twelve months ago. Ah, but what about how things will look a few months from now? Truthfully, picking out most of the eventual Top 10ers isn't that difficult, as the ranking point standings have pretty much separated at least eight -- and maybe nine -- women from the pack by a large enough margin that, barring a major injury, it'd be hard to imagine them slipping to #11 or lower. Here's a quick thumbnail sketch of the field, and their Top 10 prospects:

[confidence level: near certain]
This group of seven -- the current Top 7 -- seem like pretty safe bets, as the gulf betwen #7 Petra Kvitova and #11 is around 2000 ranking points:

#1 Caroline Wozniacki, #2 Kim Clijsters, #3 Vera Zvonareva, #4 Victoria Azarenka, #5 Maria Sharapova, #6 Li Na, #7 Petra Kvitova

The current numbers 8 and 9 on the computer are separated by 600 points, and #10 is about 800 behind that. Those players aren't "locks" to finish in the Top 10, but it would probably take a pair of total collapses in the final months for BOTH of them to fall out. Meanwhile, the world #11 seems poised to move into the "elite" group, even if a Williams Sister puts on a late-season rush that somehow threatens to push them close to the Top 10, or someone such as Sabine Lisicki follows up her Wimbledon SF result with a similar (or better) one in NYC.

[confidence level: fairly high]
#9 Marion Bartoli
[confidence level: moderate]
#8 Francesca Schiavone, #11 Andrea Petkovic

Assuming ALL three of those women don't finish in the Top 10, that would leave at least one more spot up for grabs in the season's final months. Naturally, all the players anywhere near #10 are in the running, but one also has to consider a few players who stand somewhere outside the Top 20, but who've proven capable of putting up a huge result that could skyrocket them into the Top 10:

[the contenders, and their current ranks]
Dominika Cibulkova (19): of course, she'd have to actually WIN a title
Julia Goerges (20): seems too inconsistent, though
Jelena Jankovic (15): one more spin?
Svetlana Kuznetsova (12): depends on the Open result for the former champion
Sabine Lisicki (26): if she can star on the hard courts...
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (13): though you'd be hard-pressed to see the possibilities based on Baku
Samantha Stosur (10): color me unconvinced
Yanina Wickmayer (18): a former Open semifinalist
Serena Williams (169): with anyone else, it'd be a ridiculous possibility to climb so far so fast. But this IS Serena, after all.
Venus Williams (35): has to defend her '10 U.S. semifinal result

Of course, maybe the showing of so many young players in London will inspire still more to make career leaps between now and early September, too.



*WEEK 29 CHAMPIONS*
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN (Int'l $220K/hard court outdoor)
S: Vera Zvonareva def. Ksenia Pervak 6-1/6-4
D: Koryttseva/Poutchek d. Niculescu/Voskoboeva


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Vera Zvonareva/RUS

...while she's made many finals the last few years, Zvonareva has mostly been specializing in winning only small events (the exception being her Doha title earlier this year) in recent seasons. The trend continued with her win in Azerbaijan, where she claimed the 12th singles title of her career with a win the final over fellow Hordette Ksenia Pervak. Zvonareva is the first Russian woman to garner two 2011 singles titles.
=============================
RISER: Mathilde Johansson/FRA
...the 26-year old Pastry reached her first tour final earlier this season in Bogota, and this past weekend she grabbed a $100K challenger title in Petange, Luxembourg with a straight sets win over Petra Cetkovska (0-3 in $100K finals in '11). MoJo also notched wins over Iveta Benesova and Akgul Amanmuradova in the event.
=============================
SURPRISES: Mariya Koryttseva/UKR & Galina Voskoboeva/KAZ
...the 26-year old Baku semifinaliasts, at #165 & #162, respectively, are two of the three lowest-ranked players to reach a Final 4 at a tour event in 2011. The result was Koryttseva's best since reaching the same stage in Bad Gastein in '08, while the semi was a caeer-best WTA result for Voskoboeva, who recently just missed out on qualifying for Wimbledon when she dropped a 12-10 3rd set to Alexa Glatch in the final round. The Ukrainian defeated Elena Baltacha, Anastasiya Yakimova and Kateryna Bondarenko in singles, then won the doubles title with Tatiana Pouchek (her second title of '11). Meanwhile, the formerly-Russian Kazakh got wins over Monica Niculescu and world #13 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, then lost in the doubles final, with Niculescu, to Koryttseva/Poutchek.
=============================
COMEBACK: Aravane Rezai/FRA
...finally, after going twenty-three WTA/Fed Cup outings without managing to win two matches (and dropping out the Top 100 in the singles rankings in the process), the Opionated Pastry finally broke the string in Baku when she pulled through her 2nd Round match against Elena Vesnina. Of course, her "feat" didn't come without an asterisk (see below).
=============================
VETERAN: Tatiana Poutchek/BLR
...the 32-year old (now) doubles specialist from Belarus grabbed her eighth career tour doubles crown in Baku with Koryttseva. It's her first since winning in Tashkent last year, and the first tour title she's collected outside her small circle of Tashkent/Guangzhou success over the years. All seven of her previous wins came in those two events, five in Tashkent (2002-03,06,09-10) and two in Guangzhou (08-09), including her previous title combo with Koryttseva at the latter tournament three years ago.
=============================
FRESH FACE: Ksenia Pervak/RUS

...the 20-year old Hordette has been climbing the WTA ladder in recent weeks, and her ascent continued in Baku when she reached her first career tour final with wins over Noppawan Lertcheewakarn, Vesna Dolonts, Aravane Rezai and Galina Voskoboeva. Pervak, the '09 Australia Open Girls champ, has already raised her ranking from a '10 season-ending #97 to her current #51.
=============================
DOWN: Melanie Oudin/USA
...was it really just two seasons ago that a 17-year old Little MO upset Sharapova, Dementieva and Petrova en route to the U.S. Open quaterfinals? Not totally unexpectedly, things have been tough for Oudin. Another example came last week when, as the #1 seed in a $50K challenger in Lexington, Kentucky, she was ousted by Chanel Simmonds in three sets. Additionally, she and Alison Riske were dumped out in the 1st Round of doubles by college players Hilary Barte & Allie Will.
=============================
ITF PLAYER: Irina-Camelia Begu/ROU
...when she reached her first WTA singles final in Marbella back in Week 14, Swarmette Begu was ranked #138. By the time she'd reached her second in Budapest two weeks ago she was up to #77. After this weekend, in which the 20-year old Romanian won her second $100K challenger title of the season (in her third $100K final of '11), she's up to #46. Talk about being in the running for "Most Improved" player of the year. Last week in Bucharest, Begu got a win over Carla Suarez-Navarro, then defeated Laura Pous-Tio in the final (she defeated the Spaniard in the $100K Cali final in February, as well), getting the singles to go along with her doubles title at the event. Overall, in her last five WTA/ITF events, Begu has reached three finals (winning in both ITF level attempts).
=============================
JUNIOR STAR: Yulia Putintseva/RUS
...the 16-year old, at #419 on the WTA computer and #13 in the junior ranks, won her second ITF event in recent months with a straight sets win over veteran Marta Domachowska in the final of a $25K challenger in Samsun, Turkey. Domachowska was the #2 seed in the event, just one of four seeds (along with #4, #5 and #7) that the Hordette ejected from the draw along the way.
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1. WTT Final - Washington Kastles def. St.Louis Aces
...23-19. While Venus and Serena Williams supplied much of the punch for Washington's undefeated (14-0) regular season, the first by any team in the WTT since 1994, they left it to the likes of Rennae Stubbs, Arina Rodionova and Co. to close out St.Louis in the rain-soaked final on Daniel Island (South Carolina) to give the Kastles a second league title in the last three years. The club's 16-0 mark is the first spotless ledger in the WTT's 36-year history.
=============================
2. Baku Final - Zvonareva d. Pervak
...6-1/6-4. This was the twenty-sixth all-Hordette final in WTA history, but the first on tour since Kudryavtseva/Vesnina in Tashkent last season. In all, seventeen different Russians have participated in those finals, and while it's no suprise that Pervak had never been involved in one before this weekend, it IS a bit of a stunner that, before Sunday, Zvonareva hadn't managed to do so, either.
=============================
3. Baku 1st Rd - Pavlyuchenkova d. Solovieva
...7-5/6-4. Speaking of all-Russian match-ups, this one occurred early on. And you have to wonder how upset Solovieva must feel with herself for not being able to defeat her countrywoman despite the twenty-five double-faults Pavlyuchenkova contributed to the effort. AP DF'd 27 times in her QF loss to Voskoboeva. I guess those extra two made the difference?
=============================
4. Baku 2nd Rd - Rezai d. Vesnina
...6-3/1-0 ret. And here's the "asterisk" I mentioned earlier. True, Rezai DID finally get a second win in an event for the first time in twenty-four tries, but she "technically" only won through a retirement. So, in some small way, her unStreak continues.
=============================
5. $50K Lexington Final - Chichi Scholl/USA d. Amanda Fink/USA
...6-1/6-1. The 19-year old American, ranked #235, won her second ITF title of the season, notching additional wins over Lauren Davis, Ashley Weinhold and Melinda Czink along the way. She also claimed the doubles crown with Tamaryn Hendler.
=============================


**WTA SINGLES TITLES**
[career - active; w/ '11 titles]
43...Venus Williams, USA
41...Kim Clijsters, BEL (1)
37...Serena Williams, USA
23...Maria Sharapova, RUS (1)
17...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (5)
13...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
12...VERA ZVONAREVA, RUS (2)
12...Jelena Jankovic, SRB
12...Dinara Safina, RUS
11...Anabel Medina-Garrigues, ESP (2)
10...Ana Ivanvoic, SRB
9...Flavia Pennetta, ITA
9...Nadia Petrova, RUS
[last 3 seasons]
14...Caroline Wozniacki [3-6-5]
7...Victoria Azarenka [3-2-2]
7...Kim Clijsters [1-5-1]
5...Petra Kvitova [1-0-4]
5...Roberta Vinci [1-1-3]
5...VERA ZVONAREVA [2-1-2]
5...Serena Williams [3-2-0]
[2011 hard courts]
3...Caroline Wozniacki
2...Petra Kvitova
2...VERA ZVONAREVA
[career - all-time Russians]
23...Maria Sharapova, 2003-11
16...Elena Dementieva, 2003-10
13...Svetlana Kuznetsova, 2002-10
12...VERA ZVONAREVA, 2003-11
12...Dinara Safina, 2002-09
10...Anastasia Myskina, 1999-05

**WTA FINALS**
[2009-11]
23...Caroline Wozniacki (14-9)
10...Victoria Azarenka (7-3)
10...VERA ZVONAREVA (5-5)
10...Maria Sharapova (4-6)
9...Kim Clijsters (7-2)
9...Venus Williams (4-5)
[2011 - Russians]
3...Maria Sharapova (1-2)
2...VERA ZVONAREVA (2-0)
1...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (1-0)
1...Svetlana Kuznetsova (0-1)
1...KSENIA PERVAK (0-1)
1...Elena Vesnina (0-1)

**2011 FIRST-TIME FINALISTS**
Bogota - Mathilde Johansson, FRA (#98/age 25) - lost to Dominguez-Lino
Memphis - Rebecca Marino, CAN (#80/age 20) - lost to Rybarikova
Marbella - Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU (#138/agd 20) - lost to Azarenka
Bad Gastein - Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, AUT (#109/age 24) - lost to Martinez-Sanchez
BAKU - KSENIA PERVAK, RUS (#55/age 20) - lost to Zvonareva

**2011 LOW-RANKED SEMIFINALISTS**
#187 Mona Barthel, GER - Copenhagen
#165 MARIYA KORYTTSEVA, UKR - Baku
#162 GALINA VOSKOBOEVA, KAZ - Baku
#150 Michaella Krajicek, NED - Kuala Lumpur

**2011 WEEKS IN TOP 10**
[of 30 weeks; * - current Top 10]
30...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN *
30...Kim Clijsters, BEL *
30...Vera Zvonareva, RUS *
30...Victoria Azarenka BLR *
30...Francesca Schiavone, ITA *
30...Samantha Stosur, AUS *
26...Li Na, CHN *
22...Jelena Jankovic, SRB
17...Maria Sharapova, RUS *
13...Venus Williams, USA
12...Petra Kvitova, CZE *
10...Marion Bartoli, FRA *
9...Serena Williams, USA
7...Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
4...Elena Dementieva, RUS (retired)

**2011 ITF $100K CHALLENGER FINALS**
3...IRINA-CAMELIA BEGU, ROU (2-1)
3...Pauline Parmentier, FRA (2-1)
3...PETRA CETKOVSKA, CZE (0-3)
2...LAURA POUS-TIO, ESP (0-2)

**U.S. OPEN SERIES FINISHES**
=1st Place, 2nd Place, 3rd Place=
2004 Davenport, Mauresmo, Likhovtseva
2005 Clijsters, Pierce, Mauresmo
2006 Ivanovic, Sharapova, Clijsters
2007 Sharapova, Jankovic, Henin
2008 Safina, Bartoli, Cibulkova
2009 Dementieva, Pennetta/Jankovic
2010 Wozniacki, Clijsters, Kuznetsova





STANFORD, CALIFORNIA USA (Premier $721K/hard outdoor)
10 Final: Azarenka d. Sharapova
11 Top Seeds: Azarenka/Sharapova
10 Doubles Champions: Davenport/Huber
=============================
=SF=
#1 Azarenka d. #3 Bartoli
S.Williams d. Lisicki
=FINAL=
S.Williams d. #1 Azarenka

...Serena could face Sharapova in the QF in the first big hard court match-up of the summer. If she disposes of the 'Nova-in-waiting, what does it mean for New York? On that note, we still haven't seen Kvitova since Wimbledon, or Clijsters since Paris... and, amazingly, Wozniacki isn't playing this week, either. Imagine that... three weeks off for the Dane.


WASHINGTON, D.C. (College Park, MD) USA (Int'l $220K/hard outdoor)
10 Final: new event
11 Top Seeds: Peer/Petrova
10 Doubles Champions: new event
=============================
=SF=
#3 Paszek d. #1 Peer
#4 Dokic d. #2 Petrova
=FINAL=
#4 Dokic d. #3 Paszek

...the draw sets up fairly nicely for JD. Sorry, Jelena... I guess I just added another layer of difficulty to the task.


All for now.



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Wk.28- Shake It Up (Scrambled Backspin... with eggs and juice)

Ah, the heat of summer has arrived. Baby birds are leaving the nest. The U.S. Open Series is about to begin. And Backspin is scrambled (this year with eggs and juice).

Oh, joy. Oh, rapture.

Right? Right?




1. BG Doubles Final - Birnerova/Hradecka d. Gajdosova/Goerges
...4-6/6-2/12-10. Gajdosova & Goerges were the top two singles seeds, but both were bounced in the 1st Round. For a while, it looked like their weeks in Austria might turn out to have a happy ending... but, umm, no.
=============================
2. Palermo Final - Medina-Garrigues d. Hercog 6-3/6-2
BG Final - Martinez-Sanchez d. Mayr-Achleitner 6-0/7-5

... You know it's a clay court week when the Spaniards dominate. MJMS's first title of '11 gives Spain three different tour singles titlists this season, tying the nation for the WTA lead in "spreading the wealth" along with Germany and Russia. Additionally, with both AMG and MJMS less than a month from their 29th birthdays, their pair of Week 28 titles means eleven singles champs this season (in 36 tournaments) have been at least 28 years old.
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3. Palermo 2nd Rd - Begu d. Vinci
...6-4/6-3. Just days earlier, Begu had lost to Vinci in the Budapest final. Maybe the Romanian felt a little TOO satisfied, as she lost her next match. Meanwhile, the Italian went on to win the doubles crown.
=============================
4. BG 1st Rd - Pous-Tio d. Goerges
...6-1/2-6/6-1. This is the fourth time this season a player has defeated both the top seed and defending champion at a single event -- in this case, Goerges filled both roles, and Pous-Tio went on to become the second of that group to fail to claim the tournament title. Greta Arn (Auckland) and Daniela Hantuchova (Pattaya) are the only two who've gone on to lift the winner's trophy, while Han Xu (Bogota) -- who also knocked off #1-seed Goerges there -- never got the pleasure.
=============================
5. Palermo 1st Rd - Johansson d. Rezai
...7-6/6-1. Rezai's string of failing to win two matches in any -- WTA or FC -- outing is extended to twenty-three attempts. She's back trying again this week in Baku. Maybe a hearty breakfast will help?

6. BG 2nd Rd - Meusburger d. Bammer
...6-2/6-1. The 31-year old Austrian vet had retired following her Wimbledon loss, but decided to come back for one more event in her home country before saying her (and she means it this time) final goodbyes. Hey, at least now she'll have more time for breakfast.
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7. North America Rules...the ITF
Atlanta $10K Final - Lauren Davis/USA d. Alexis King 1-6/6-2/6-2
Granby $25K Final - Stephanie Dubois/CAN d. Zhang Ling 6-2/2-6/6-1
Tanger $10K Final - Ximena Hermoso/MEX d. Fatina El Allami 6-1/7-6
...I guess it's a sure sign that the tour will soon shift to the continent of the year's final slam.
=============================
8. And Another Young Czech Wins Something
Linz Junior Grade 1 Final - Klara Fabikova/CZE d. Alexandra Kiick/USA
...3-6/6-2/6-1. It's the 17-year old Maiden's first G1 event win. I'm sure she ate well before all her matches.
=============================





BAKU, AZERBAIJAN (Int'l $220K/hard court outdoor)
10 Final: new event
11 Top Seeds: Zvonareva/Pavlyuchenkova
10 Doubles Champions: new event
=============================
=SF=
#1 Zvonareva d. K.Bondarenko
#2 Pavlyuchenkova d. #7 Pervak
=FINAL=
#2 Pavlyuchenkova d. #1 Zvonareva

...Zvonareva becomes just the second Top 10 player to hit the courts since Wimbledon.




PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Lucie Hradecka/CZE
...hmmm, a Player of the Week who lost in the 1st Round of singles to Sandra Zahlavova? Well, yes, since Hradecka's DOUBLES accomplishment in Bad Gastein was quite remarkable. One wonders if the 2012 version of the tournament might consider renaming the Doubles competition the "Hradecka Invitational" -- yeah, I know, my "Wozniacki Open" idea in New Haven was always a long shot, too -- considering her title in Austria this weekend marks the fifth straight year the Czech has lifted the trophy. And she's done it with FOUR different partners, too. What began with Renata Voracova in '07, continued with Andrea Hlavackova in '08-'09, and occurred again with Anabel Medina-Garrigues in '10, was made a reality with the help of Hradecka's countrywoman Eva Birnerova this time around.
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RISERS: Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA & Tsvetana Pironkova/BUL
...the Italian pair's Palermo title is their third as a duo this season, one off world #1's Kveta Peschke & Katarina Srebotnik's tour-leading total of four. Normally, Errani's defense of her '10 Palermo doubles title, which she won a year ago with Alberta Brianti, would be worth mentioning, too. But, you know, with what Hradecka did in B.G., it seems a little less an accomplishment than it probably should. Meanwhile, Pironkova reached the QF of a tour event -- and it wasn't Wimbledon! What were the odds of that? The Bulgarian got Palermo wins over Anna Tatishvili and Sorana Cirstea before losing to Flavia Pennetta, but just the fact that she got a Final 8 result outside London -- only her third such non-SW19 feat over the last three seasons -- is more than enough to "celebrate."
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SURPRISES: Patricia Mayr-Achleitner/AUT & Dia Evtimova/BUL
...24-year old Austrian Mayr-Achleitner has had a solid presence on the ITF circuit for a while now, winning six titles there the last two seasons. But aside from a SF run in Bogota in '09, the Austrian has never been a name on the lips of too many WTA fans. At least for a few days (hours?), though, that changed with her run to her first career tour final in Bad Gastein after receving a wild card (as the world #109) into the main draw. Playing in front of a friendy crowd, she notched wins over Lourdes Dominguez-Lino, Petra Martic and Ksenia Pervak (a double-bagel!) to get to that final. One of PMA's victims was Dia Evtimova in the QF, who put up a career-best result of her own with the run to the final eight. A winner of a pair of ITF titles this season, the 24-year old Bulgarian (world #239) qualified to reach the main draw, and got wins there over Melanie Klaffner and Nikola Hofmanova.
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COMEBACK: Kateryna Bondarenko/UKR
...back in October '09, Bondarenko reached the Top 30 not long after coming within one match of reaching the U.S. Open semifinals. In February '10, though, the Ukrainian injured her knee and missed several months. She was never able to string together back-to-back main draw tour wins last season, and ended the year ranked outside the Top 100 for the first time since '06, though she did get a Top 10 win over Li Na last summer in the 1st Round at Flushing Meadows, as her best slam once again gave her a boost. Her comeback continued last week in Bad Gastein, where she notched wins over Nuria Llagostera-Vives, Johanna Larsson and Carla Suarez-Navarro en route to the SF, her best WTA result since she won the Birmingham title in '08. She's back in the Top 100 now, and surely looking to climb still higher between now and her return to New York.
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VETERANS: Anabel Medina-Garrigues/ESP & Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez/ESP, and Petra Cetkovska/CZE
...finally, I get to this week's singles champions (oh, and a Czech). I'll get to 26-year old Cetkovska first, as she was coming off her Round of 16 Wimbledon result which included wins over A-Rad and AnaIvo. In Palermo, she reached her first career tour SF with victories over the likes of Akgul Amanmuradova and Sara Errani. Now, to AMG and MJMS. Both 28 and Spanish, they're a rather "obvious" pair of champions on the red clay (even if SOMEONE didn't pick them to win last week... grrrr). MJMS's win in Bad Gastein included wins over Zahlavova, Yvonne Meusburger, K-Bond and Mayr, and her fourth career title (in five finals, and fourth win a row) is her first since her surprise championship last spring in Rome. Meanwhile, after seemingly being on the downside of her career, AMG has really jumped up in recent months. Her Palermo title -- with wins over Begu, Cetkovska and Hercog -- is her second this season, and eleventh of her career (in 17 finals), tying her on the active list with Vera Zvonareva, one behind former #1's Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic, and just two behind two-time slam champ Svetlana Kuznetsova. She's still one behind Anna Smashnova's career total, though... something I'm pretty much contractually required to mention at this point.
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FRESH FACES: Polona Hercog/SLO & Ksenia Pervak/RUS
...one week after winning her first career tour title in Bastad, Hercog didn't slack off. Instead, she reached the final in Palermo, too. She lost to Medina-Garrigues, but the 20-year old's succession of wins over other veterans -- Brianti, Zakopalova and Pennetta -- in the draw, even while having a right to be "distracted," were impressive. Meanwhile, 20-year old Hordette Pervak, who just reached the 4th Round at Wimbledon, got to her second career WTA semifinal with a good run in Bad Gastein following wins over Alize Cornet and Laura Pous-Tio. She also advanced to the doubles semis with Lesia Tsurenko.
=============================
DOWN: Julia Goerges/GER
...even while currently sporting a Top 20 ranking, the German's consistency is still wanting on occasion. She won the Bad Gastein title a year ago, and came into this event as the #1 seed. She lost in the 1st Round to Laura Pous-Tio, doing even worse than she did the previous two times she was the top seed at an event in '11. She lost in the 2nd Round on both of those occasions.
=============================
ITF PLAYER: Iryna Bremond/FRA
...the Pastry won the $50K challenger in Contrexville, her third circuit crown this season. After defeating Arantxa Rus and Renata Voracova, Bremond defeated fellow Frenchwoman Stephanie Foretz-Gacon in the final. SFC, by the way, is now 0-5 in ITF finals this season.
=============================
JUNIOR STAR: Indy de Vroome/NED
...before Wimbledon, the 15-year old Dutch girl won the title on the grass at Roehampton, then reached the Girls semifinals at the All-England Club. Playing last week in a Grade 1 clay court event in Casablanca, de Vroome's success translated rather well, as she won the title with a 6-3/6-0 win in the final over Waffle Elise Mertens. Indy doesn't like waffles... I hear she prefers eggs.
=============================
FED CUP WG II MVP: Ayuma Morita/JPN
...in the World Group II playoff postponed from April after Japan's multiple disasters, Morita led the Japanese to a 4-0 victory as the home nation lost just twelve total games. Morita, who was also listed in this space as Japan's MVP in Zone play earlier this season, went 2-0 singles.
=============================



*WEEK 28 CHAMPIONS*
PALERMO, ITALY (Int'l $220K/red clay outdoor)
S: Anabel Medina-Garrigues def. Polona Hercog 6-3/6-2
D: Errani/Vinci d. Hlavackova/Zakopalova
BAD GASTEIN, AUSTRIA (Int'l $220K/red clay outdoor)
S: Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez def. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner 6-0/7-5
D: Birnerova/Hradecka d. Gajdosova/Goerges
FED CUP WG II PLAYOFF
Japan def. Argentina 4-0




**2011 WTA LEADERS**
[titles]
5...Caroline Wozniacki
4...Petra Kvitova
3...Roberta Vinci
2...Victoria Azarenka
2...Li Na
2...ANABEL MEDINA-GARRIGUES
[semifinals]
9...Caroline Wozniacki (7-2)
6...Marion Bartoli (3-3)
5...Petra Kvitova (5-0)
5...Maria Sharapova (4-1)
5...Li Na (3-2)
5...ANANEL MEDINA-GARRIGUES (2-3)
5...Vera Zvonareva (1-4)
5...Peng Shuai (1-4)
[doubles titles - teams]
4...Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik
3...Iveta Benesova/Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova
3...SARA ERRANI/ROBERTA VINCI



**MOST CONSECUTIVE 2011 FINALS**
3...Kim Clijsters (January-February)
3...Caroline Wozniacki (February-March)
2...Li Na (January)
2...Victoria Azarenka (March-April)
2...Caroline Wozniacki (April)
2...Petra Kvitova (June- * )
2...POLONA HERCOG (July- * )
--
* - active streaks

**DEFENDED WTA TITLES IN 2011**
[singles]
Monterrey - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 2010-11
Copenhagen - Caroline Wozniacki, 2010-11
[doubles]
Dubai - Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, 2010-11
Bogota - Edina Gallovits-Hall, 2010-11
Monterrey - Iveta Benesova/Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, 2010-11
BAD GASTIEN - LUCIE HRADECKA, 2007-11
PALERMO - SARA ERRANI, 2010-11

**FIRST-TIME FINALISTS IN 2011**
Mathilde Johansson, FRA - Bogota (L)
Rebecca Marino, CAN - Memphis (L)
Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU - Marbella (L)
PATRICIA MAYR-ACHLEITNER, AUT - Bad Gastein (L)

**QUALIFIER-LL-WC IN FINAL IN 2011**
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (WC) - Monterrey (W)
Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU (Q) - Marbella (L)
PATRICIA MAYR-ACHLEITNER, AUT (WC) - Bad Gastein (L)

**LOW-RANKED FINALISTS IN 2011**
#138 Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU - Marbella (L)
#109 PATRICIA MAYR-ACHLEITNER, AUT - Bad Gastein (L)
#105 Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK - Memphis (W)
#100 Sabine Lisicki, GER - Birmingham (W)

**TWO UNSEEDED FINALISTS IN 2011**
Brisbane - Petra Kvitova/CZE def. Andrea Petkovic/GER
Bogota* - Lourdes Dominguez-Lino/ESP def. Mathilde Johansson/FRA
Estoril* - Anabel Medina-Garrigues/ESP def. Kristina Barrois/GER
Bad Gastein - MJ MARTINEZ-SANCHEZ/ESP def. PATRICIA MAYR-ACHLEITNER/AUT (WC)
--
* - all unseeded semifinalists



**2011 ITF TITLE LEADERS**
=CAPS: Week 28 champions=
[Romanians]
3...MIHAELE BUZARNESCU
2...Cristina Dinu
1...Irina-Camelia Begu
1...ANA BOGDAN
1...Sorana Cirstea
1...Elora Dabija
1...DIANE ENACHE
1...Edina Gallovits-Hall
[Australians/New Zealanders]
3...Marina Erakovic, NZL
1...Casey Dellacqua, AUS
1...Isabella Holland, AUS
1...JOHANNA KONTA, AUS
1...Sally Peers, AUS
[NORTH AMERICANS + P.Rico]
2...Eugene Bouchard, CAN
2...LAUREN DAVIS, USA
2...STEPHANIE DUBOIS, CAN
2...Sharon Fichman, CAN
2...Monica Puig, PUR
1...Robin Anderson, USA
1...Madison Brengle, USA
1...Gail Brodsky, USA
1...XIMENA HERMOSO, MEX
1...Chieh-Yu Hsu, USA
1...Alexis King, USA
1...Lina Litvak, USA
1...Christina McHale, USA
1...Kyle McPhillips, USA
1...Alexandra Mueller, USA
1...Ana-Sofia Sanchez, MEX
1...Noel Scott, USA
1...Chichi Scholl, USA
1...Sloane Stephens, USA
1...Ashley Weinhold, USA




All for now.

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Wk.27- Of Karmic Whispers & Ringing Phones

This is normally the sort of week where Backspin is "scrambled," but I figured I'd use this opening space to catch up with a little housekeeping instead.

* -- First, after overlooking it following their Wimbledon title, here's a belated congratulations to Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik for becoming the co-#1 ranked players in the WTA's Doubles rankings. They're the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth women to hold the top spot.

* -- not so belatedly, here's wishing a happy 21st birthday to singles #1 Caroline Wozniacki. Speaking of weeks at #1, this week marks the Dane's 39th in the top position, tying her with Amelie Mauresmo for ninth place on the all-time WTA list. Lindsay Davenport at #8 is a long way off, with 98 weeks to her credit. One would have to (like to?) think that Wozniacki is going to have to better figure out her slam preparation and participation schedule, as well as her on-court gameplan, in order to have a shot at catching the American AND maintaining the top spot. With a little luck, maybe she at least heard the karmic whispers from the Tennis Gods last week in Bastad when she injured her shoulder and had to retire from her 2nd Round match in yet another stop on her worldwide tour. She went to Sweden without father Piotr, so maybe that's a sign that she's aware that she's going to have to make a few changes if she's to attain her slam dreams. In the end, it's going to rest on her shoulders. It's her career, and she'll be the one judged by what she does -- or does not -- accomplish when all is said and done. It's a nice first step into reality, at least. Good for her.

* -- meanwhile, showing how it should be done once again, Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova isn't playing in this week's Bad Gastein event, having pulled out citing the need to rest the same injury that she played with throughout the fortnight in London. Hmmm... so you mean she thought toughing things out in the big event was worth it, but doing so in a smaller one wasn't, meaning she'll be able to take a breath and be better prepared for the hard court season and the U.S. Open? Imagine that. You mean top players are allowed to do that? Wonders never cease. Actions speak louder than words. And while other top players are saying and looking like they MIGHT do the right sort of things to give themselves better shots to win slams, Kvitova is doing -- and actually HAS DONE -- it. Even better for her.

* -- Roberta Vinci for "Ms. Backspin?" Yeah, maybe not in a serious campaign. But still.

and, finally...

* -- before the season, in my loaded-to-the-gills list of predictions I had a whole collection of first-time singles champion picks. Such a thing has been pretty scarce on tour this year, though, as there have only been two first-time WTA title winners so far. But Polona Hercog got her's this past weekend to finally take care of one of my WTA prognostications, so at least I got SOMETHING right. Actually, overall, a few others that HAVE been checked off through the first 27 weeks, as well:

=MAKING ME LOOK SMART-ISH=
Ons Jabeur (junior slam)
Daria Gavrilova (ITF)
Polona Hercog
Irina Khromacheva (ITF)
Christina McHale (ITF)
Sloane Stephens (ITF)

=UMMM... NOT SO MUCH (so far)=
[WTA only]
Edina Gallovits-Hall
Simona Halep (Fes RU)
Bojana Jovanovski
Johanna Larsson (Bastad RU)
Peng Shuai (Brussels RU)
Urszula Radwanska
Coco Vandeweghe
Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova

But, undaunted, I move forward. Here's my mid-season (semi-updated) short list of second half first-time winners:

[WTA]
Irina-Camelia Begu
Edina Gallovits-Hall
Lucie Hradecka
Peng Shuai
Ksenia Pervak
[ITF]
Caroline Garcia
Krista Hardebeck
An-Sophie Mestach

Okay, I think that almost gets me caught up.



*WEEK 27 CHAMPIONS*
BASTAD, SWEDEN (Int'l $220K/red clay outdoor)
S: Polona Hercog def. Johanna Larsson 6-4/7-5
D: Dominguez-Lino/Martinez-Sanchez d. Llagostera-Vives/Parra-Santonja
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (Int'l $220K/red clay outdoor)
S: Roberta Vinci def. Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4/1-6/6-4
D: Medina-Garrigues/Rosolska d. Grandin/Uhlirova


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Roberta Vinci/ITA

...Vinci's late-career rise continues. Right before Wimbledon, she won her first career grass court title. She was back on a more familiar red clay surface in Budapest last week, though, and the result was the same. She won her third singles title of the year -- behind only Wozniacki and Kvitova -- with wins Timea Babos, Klara Zakopalova and Irina-Camelia Begu in the final. For her career, Vinci is now 6-1 in WTA singles finals, with five titles coming in the last three seasons.
=============================
RISER: Polona Hercog/SLO

...Hercog lost to Vinci in the Netherlands before Wimbledon, but she joined her in the WTA winner's circle with her first career tour singles title in Bastad. She gots wins over Anna Tatishvili, Aravane Rezai, Vesna Dolonts and Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova to reach the final. Then Johanna Larsson, just as she did a couple of weeks ago in the 1st Round at Wimbledon, went down to the Slovenian 20-year old in the final. Hercog is just the second first-time singles winner on tour in '11.
=============================
SURPRISES: Sofia Arvidsson/SWE & Johanna Larsson/SWE
...sure, the local fans didn't get to see either Swede win the title in Bastad, but at least one was assured of reaching the final when these two Fed Cup teammates met in one singles semifinal. To get there, Arvidsson had gotten wins over Andrea Hlavackova and Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, as well as a retirement from Caroline Wozniacki; while Larsson had knocked out Alla Kudryavtseva, Vera Dushevina and Lourdes Dominguez-Lino. Larsson got the better of her countrywoman in the SF match-up, but failed to get her first tour singles title (in her second career final) in the final against Hercog.
=============================
COMEBACK: Sharon Fichman/CAN
...a couple of years ago, Fichman was questioning whether or not she wanted to continue her pursuit of a tennis career. She decided to go for it, and it's been paying off more and more all the time. This weekend, she won a $50K challenger in Waterloo, Canada. She put up a QF win over Alison Riske, then defeated Julia Boserup in the final. It's Fichman's second ITF title of the season.
=============================
VETERAN: Anabel Medina-Garrigues/ESP
...finding her footing on the clay this season after a prolonged bad stretch, AMG pulled double duty in Budapest. In singles, the soon-to-be 29-year old reached the semifinals with wins over Anastasia Pivovarova, Lesia Tsurenko and Sara Errani. It's her fourth SF-or-better result in '11, leading to one singles title. Then, with Alicjia Rosolska, she won the doubles, nabbing her second crown of the season (the 18th of her career).
=============================
FRESH FACE: Irina-Camelia Begu/ROU
...between Begu and Halep, the Swarmettes have a pair of young players threatening to grab their first singles titles before the end of 2011. Begu's rise this season has been consistent throughout the season. Back in the first few weeks of the year, she won a $100K challenger. After that, she reached another $100K final, advanced (as a qualifier) to her first tour final in Marbella (losing to Victoria Azarenka). Now ranked inside the top 100 (she ended '10 at #214) , Begu reached her second career WTA final in Budapest, notching wins over the likes of veterans (Laura Pous-Tio, Medina-Garrigues), youngsters (Alja Tomljanovic) and surprises (Estrella Cabeza-Candela). Then, in the final, she pushed Vinci to three sets before finally falling.
=============================
DOWN: Aravene Rezai/FRA
...the 2010 champ in Bastad, Rezai lost in the 2nd Round this time around to Hercog. Of course, such a vast difference in her results this year compared to last isn't anything new in 2011. A Top 20 player last year, with four tour singles titles to her credit in 2009-10, the Opinionated Pastry's string of consecutive events in which she hasn't been able to win more than a single match has now hit an astounding twenty-two.
=============================
ITF PLAYER: Pauline Parmentier/FRA
...the Pastry reached her third $100K challenger final of the season, winning her second title. She notched wins over Carla Suarez-Navarro, Iryna Bremond and Regina Kulikova, then defeated Patricia Mayr-Achleitner in a 1-6/6-4/6-4 final.
=============================
JUNIOR STAR: Victoria Kan/RUS
...the 15-year old Hordette claimed the German Juniors G1 event in Berlin, taking out American Alexandra Kiick in the quarters, then outlasting Croat Donna Vekic in the final 1-6/6-4/6-0.
=============================


1. Bast 1st Rd - Wozniacki d. Cornet
...6-4/6-4. Are we sure Cornet's ringing phone wasn't actually a wrong number, or that it wasn't actually the Tennis Gods trying to get a message through to Wozniacki about how ludicrous it was to have committed to have played in yet another meaningless, poorly-placed-in-the-schedule tournament like this one?
=============================
2. Bast 2nd Rd - Arvidsson d. Wozniacki
...2-6/1-0 ret. Well, they finally got through to her one match later. Ah, but can the Dane take a hint? Maybe... but I'll reserve judgement until I actually see evidence of it before registering a truly optimistic entry in the "Save Our Dane" campaign.
=============================
3. Bud Final - Vinci d. Begu
...6-4/1-6/6-4. Vinci is the first woman to lift a pair of red clay singles crowns this season. Begu could get an immediate rematch in the 2nd Round in Palermo.
=============================
4. Bast Final - Hercog d. Larsson
...6-4/7-5. Slovenia is the fifteenth different nation to produce a tour singles champion in '11.
=============================
5. Bast 2nd Rd - Hercog d. Rezai
...3-6/6-4/7-6. The '10 champion loses, and her opponent goes on to become the '11 title winner. It's the fifth time it's happened in a WTA tournament this season.
=============================


**WTA SINGLES TITLES**
[2011]
5...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
4...Petra Kvitova, CZE
3...ROBERTA VINCI, ITA
[last 3 seasons]
14...Caroline Wozniacki [3-6-5]
7...Victoria Azarenka [3-2-2]
7...Kim Clijsters [1-5-1]
5...Petra Kvitova [1-0-4]
5...ROBERTA VINCI [1-1-3]
5...Serena Williams [3-2-0]

**2011 WTA WINNING PCT. - 2+ FINALS**
[best]
1.000 - ROBERTA VINCI (3-0)
.800 - Petra Kvitova (4-1)
.714 - Caroline Wozniacki (5-2)
.667 - Victoria Azarenka (2-1)
.667 - Li Na (2-1)
[worst]
.000 - Marion Bartoli (0-2)
.000 - IRINA-CAMELIA BEGU (0-2)
.000 - Lucie Safarova (0-2)
.333 - Kim Clijsters (1-2)
.333 - Maria Sharapova (1-2)

**2011 WTA CHAMPIONS**
[28 and older]
31...Greta Arn, Alberta Brianti
29...Lourdes Dominguez-Lino, Li Na
28...Anabel Medina-Garrigues, Li Na, ROBERTA VINCI (3)
[21 and younger]
19...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
20...POLONA HERCOG, Petra Kvitova (2), Caroline Wozniacki (5)
21...Victoria Azarenka (2), Petra Kvitova (2), Sabine Lisicki

**WEEKS AT WTA DOUBLES #1 - as of July 11**
[2011]
11...Flavia Pennetta
8...Gisela Dulko
7...Gisela Dulko/Flavia Pennetta (co-#1's)
2...KVETA PESCHKE/KATARINA SREBOTNIK (co-#1's) (current)
[all-time]
237...Martina Navratilova
163...Cara Black *
147...Liezel Huber *
124...Natasha Zvereva
117...Lisa Raymond *
111...Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
87...Paola Suarez
80...Gigi Fernandez
68...Helena Sukova
67...Jana Novotna
65...Virginia Ruano Pascual
61...Samantha Stosur *
48...Pam Shriver
45...Ai Sugiyama
35...Martina Hingis
32...Lindsay Davenport
24...Gisela Dulko *
18...Flavia Pennetta *
14...Julie Halard-Decugis
10...Anna Kournikova
8...Serena Williams *
8...Venus Williams *
7...Corina Morariu
4...Larisa Savchenko Neiland
4...Kim Clijsters *
3...Rennae Stubbs *
2...KVETA PESCHKE *
2...KATARINA SREBOTNIK *
--
* - active

**DEFEATED DEFENDING '10 CHAMP, WON TITLE**
Auckland - Greta Arn (def. Wickmayer in Final)
Pattaya City- Daniela Hantuchova (def. Zvonareva in SF)
Miami - Victoria Azarenka (def. Clijsters in QF)
Roland Garros - Li Na (def. Schiavone in Final)
BASTAD - POLONA HERCOG (def. Rezai in 2nd Rd.)

**2011 BY NATION**
[finals, w/ wins]
8...Czech Republic (4)
7...Denmark (5), Russia (3)
6...Italy (4)
5...Germany (3)
[semifinals]
18...Russia
12...Czech Republic, Italy
11...Germany
10...China

**2011 ITF FINALS**
[overall]
6...Andrea Benitez, ARG (5-1)
6...Aleksandrina Naydenova, BUL (4-2)
5...Luksika Kumkhum, THA (3-2)
[$100K challengers]
3...Pauline Parmentier, FRA (2-1)
2...Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU (1-1)
2...Petra Cetkovska, CZE (0-2)





PALERMO, ITALY (Int'l $220K/red clay)
10 Final: Kanepi d. Pennetta
11 Top Seeds: Pennetta/Vinci
10 Doubles Champions: Brianti/Errani
=============================
=SF=
#1 Pennetta d. #7 Hercog
#2 Vinci d. #8 Cetkovska
=FINAL=
#2 Vinci d. #1 Pennetta

...she's on a roll.


BAD GASTEIN, AUSTRIA (Int'l $220K/red clay)
10 Final: Goerges d. Bacsinszky
11 Top Seeds: Goerges/Gajdosova
10 Doubles Champions: Hradecka/Medina-Garrigues (Hradecka 2007-10)
=============================
=SF=
#1 Goerges d. #5 Dominguez-Lino
#2 Gajdosova d. #6 Halep
=FINAL=
#1 Goerges d. #2 Gajdosova

...back in B.G., where she won her first title a year ago.

ALSO:

FED CUP WG II PLAYOFF (postponed from April)
=============================
Japan(H) vs. Argentina(A) -- JPN 4-1

All for now.



Juump is a free online community that makes it easy to meet people and play more tennis – right in your neighborhood. . With Juump, you can FIND players and groups who play at your favorite courts, MEET players with similar skill levels, interests and schedules, and PLAY more tennis.

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2011 Grass Court Awards: Anything But Ordinary

It's always a great thing when a young player blossoms in the crucible that is grand slam tennis.

"I'm playing for so many years, so this is, we say, the cherry on the cake."
-- Petra Kvitova

After Petra Kvitova had squandered a 3-0 lead in her 3rd set of her Round of 16 match in Paris against eventual Roland Garros champ Li Na, I pondered the Czech's career station at Clay Court Awards time saying this:

"She flashed brilliance -- as she often does when she's "on" -- in winning Madrid, smashing Li (SF) and Azarenka (Final) en route. But one bad half-set in Paris against Li might have cost her a chance for a career-defining moment on Chatrier a few rounds later. Her streaky quality is still an issue, but in a field where "flash" is highly valued, but rare, the Czech is a threat to crash through the slam door at any time on the sheer force of her game, if she could just hold it together for seven matches. Hmmm, she's sort of a lefty version of Sharapova in that way."

So, it was sort of fitting that Kvitova's star-making run to the Wimbledon title was highlighted by a dominating win over Maria Sharapova in the Ladies final. Over the course of the past year, Kvitova's potential has often been stunningly apparent, but exactly WHEN she'd put it all together and put on a serious slam run was the question. With as cool a performance as the WTA has seen by a young champion since, conservatively, Sharapova on the grass in '04 (Monica Seles some twenty years ago, though, might be the more apt comparison), it happened at the All-England Club and -- poof! -- all those questions about the viability of the "worst" tennis generation went up in flames in less than two hours on a Saturday afternoon in southwest London. Better yet, the now-leading member of the current "NextGen" contenders was joined in the SW19 semifinals by two fellow 21-year olds in the very first example of "group think" by the twentysomething set in women's tennis in the face of several seasons of slams being dominated by players, some more heralded than others, in their late twenties and beyond.

"I think we're seeing the new players taking charge. Most of all, they're playing to win. That's what I like to see: they're not scared out there. They're playing forceful tennis." - Martina Navratilova

Kvitova's hard-serving, aggressive game plays well on all surfaces (she's won titles on everything in '11), but since the grass courts seem to fit it so perfectly, there's still at least a little question about whether or not she'll be able to carry over her Wimbledon success to immediately achieve the same level of accomplishment at the other slams. There's no reason that it won't happen in the near future, but whether it'll happen NOW is just another of the steps toward potentially challenging to be a truly great champion that we'll now be able to watch Kvitova atttempt to master as quickly as possible.

So far, she's been a pretty quick study. And from a teacher's daughter, too. Go figure. In other words, at this point, it'd be difficult to be surprised if she picks things elsewhere with the same frightening swiftness she displayed in London.

*2011 Grass Court Awards - Wks.23-26*
**TOP PLAYERS**
1. Petra Kvitova, CZE

...when was the last time a young first-time women's slam champion was so immediately lavished with the sort of overwhelming praise that the Czech has received since winning the Wimbledon final in such comprehensive fashion? Of course, the compliments and predictions of even more and greater honors are coming with good reason, since Kvitova has done nothing but set a brilliant example for the rest of the players of her generation when it comes to having the necessary on-court mindset to seize a big stage opportunity, as well as an off-court personality that won't likely become distracted or be content with the notion that since she's already accomplished something early in her career it means she doesn't need to still get better, let alone the sort of career-stalling presumptuousness that she has the luxury of time to "play around" with the idea of improving, as if the tennis world owes her a shining slam moment just because she shows up every week. In London, Kvitova reminded us what true champions are SUPPOSED to do, and used to with regularity. It's a pity that such a thing has become a rarity in recent years for anyone not named Serena or Justine.
=============================
2. Sabine Lisicki, GER
...Kvitova ended up stealing a bit of the Baroness' "new face" glory in the end, but her winning smile, refeshing personality and big serve have finally brought her back to the place she was two years ago, when she was knocking on the door of the Top 20 and picking up more fans with every big win. Cross your fingers that the Tennis Gods are through with turning Murphy's Law into "Lisicki's Law" and will now allow her to live up to her potential.
=============================
3. Maria Sharapova, RUS
...the progress toward a Supernovic rebirth moved a little bit closer to a real payoff in London. A few more months on hard courts, and Sharapova might finally be ready to be exquisite once again. Well, that is, assuming her serve doesn't stick its foot out and trip up her just before the finish line one more time.
=============================
4. Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik, CZE/SLO
...the best doubles team -- and probabably the two best active doubles players -- without a slam Doubles title managed to remove their names from the top of that list, just months after Dulko & Pennetta had done the same in Melbourne.
=============================
5. Marion Bartoli, FRA
...arguably no player put forth as much sweat and effort as La Trufflette during the grass court season and, in retrospect, her Eastbourne final win over Kvitova can be seen as either a truly monumental result for the Pastry, or the "last straw" that finally taught the Czech how to concentrate for seven straight matches. Even as the younger generation begins to assert itself more in future slams, if there's a veteran player who could hit her peak and "steal" a slam over the next season or two, it might just be Bartoli.
=============================
6. Victoria Azarenka, BLR
...here's Azarenka's luck in a nutshell: in a season in which she's never played better, she's still had a hard time staying on the court. Then, in the slam in which she finally held herself together well enough to reach her first career major semifinal, she ran head-first into another young player with more game, more calm and even more potential than the Belarusian might ever be capable of attaining. If Caroline Wozniacki is the "Andy Murray" of the women's tour, what is Azarenka's comparable role going to be? That of the women's "Andy Roddick?"
=============================
7. Roberta Vinci, ITA
...the epitome of the "late bloomers" now populating so many corners of the tour, the Italian won only one title before her 26th birthday. In the two and a half seasons since, she's won four, including her first grass court crown last month in the Netherlands.
=============================
8. Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
...rarely has a player been so regularly disappointing for fifty weeks a year, but also so surprising for the other two, as Pironkova has been when it comes to Wimbledon the last two seasons. After her stunning SF run of '10, then equally as shocking disappearing act, who would have guessed that she'd return to SW19 and reach the QF, upsetting Vera Zvonareva and Venus Williams (for the second straight year) in the process?
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9. Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
...the Slovak has never won a singles title, but she can always be counted on to pull off a few big results every season. She had several on the grass, reaching the SF (and the Doubles final) in the Netherlands, then knocking off #1 Wozniacki en route to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
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10. Iveta Benesova, CZE
...the Mixed Doubles champion at Wimbledon, Benesova quietly put an emphatic period at the end of the dominating sentence written by the Czechs at this Wimbledon.
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"She was a total champion. (Yet) she is just an ordinary girl. She's standing with both feet on the ground. And I think that's very, very important for success in these matches." - David Kotyza, Kvitova's coach

**RISERS**
1. Sabine Lisicki, GER
2. Marion Bartoli, FRA
3. Victoria Azarenka, BLR
4. Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
5. Elena Vesnina, RUS
6. Sania Mirza/Elena Vesnina, IND/RUS
7. Peng Shuai, CHN
8. Marina Erakovic, NZL
9. Sabine Lisicki/Samantha Stosur, GER/AUS
10. Ana Ivanovic, SRB
HN- Elena Baltacha, GBR

**FRESH FACES & JUNIORS**
1. Tamira Paszek, AUT
2. Ksenia Pervak, RUS
3. Misaki Doi, JPN
4. Lesia Tsurenko, UKR
5. Laura Robson, GBR
6. Irina Falconi, USA
7. Alexa Glatch, USA
8. Ashleigh Barty, AUS (jr)
9. Kristyna Pliskova, CZE
10. Irina Khromacheva, RUS (jr)
11. Indy de Vroome, NED (jr)
12. Valeria Diatchenko, RUS
13. Caroline Garcia, FRA (jr)
14. Krista Hardebeck, USA (jr)
15. Eugenie Bouchard/Grace Min, CAN/USA
16. Demi Schuurs, NED (jr)
17. Yulia Putintseva, RUS (jr)
18. Victoria Duval, USA (jr)
19. Montserrat Gonzalez, PAR (jr)
20. Anna Mamalat, USA (jr)

**SURPRISES**
1. Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
2. Petra Cetkovska, CZE
3. Marina Erakovic/Tamarine Tanasugarn, NZL/THA
4. Romina Oprandi, ITA
5. Stephanie Dubois, CAN
HM- Camila Giorgi, ITA

**VETERANS**
1. Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik, CZE/SLO
2. Marion Bartoli, FRA
3. Roberta Vinci, ITA
4. Iveta Benesova, CZE
5. Daniela Hantuchova, SVK
6. Nadia Petrova, RUS
7. Serena Williams, USA
8. Tamarine Tanasguarn, THA
9. Jelena Dokic, AUS
10. Francesca Schiavone, ITA
11. Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN
12. Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP
13. Klara Zakopalova, CZE
14. Eleni Daniilidou, GRE
15. Venus Williams, USA

**COMEBACKS**
1. Maria Sharapova, RUS
2. Sabine Lisicki, GER
3. Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
4. Aleksandra Wozniak, CAN
5. Nadia Petrova, RUS
6. Serena Williams, USA
7. Ana Ivanovic, SRB
8. Venus Williams, USA
9. Kateryna Bondarnko, UKR
10. Alona Bondarenko, UKR

"To this day, I don't know (how sliced foot at Munich restaurant last July). It's like the biggest mystery next to the Loch Ness Monster." - Serena Williams

**DOWN**
1. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2. Samantha Stosur, AUS
3. Jelena Jankovic, SRB
4. Shahar Peer, ISR
5. Kaia Kanepi, EST
6. Kim Clijsters, BEL
7. Vera Zvonareva, RUS
8. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
9. Daria Gavrilova, RUS (jr)
10. Vania King/Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ
HM- Li Na, CHN

"During the injury process, I was setting a lot of timetables for myself, and I never really met those goals. I don't think there's a certain point where you say, 'Oh, I'm back.' I mean, I don't have that much self-esteem. I don't think anyone really does." - Maria Sharapova

**ITF PLAYERS (non-grass)**
1. Anna Tatishvili, GEO
2. Pauline Parmentier, FRA
3. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, AUT
4. Marta Domachowska, POL
5. Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
6. Timea Babos, HUN
7. Bibiane Schoofs, NED
8. Lauren Davis, USA
9. Victoria Larriere, FRA
10. Luksika Kumkhum, THA

"I was really surprised about how she thinks about tennis, how clever she is. She told me her advantages, disadvantages, what she has to improve. Her brain is a big advantage for this game." - David Kotyza, speaking about being wowed by several pages of handwritten answers -- which he's kept to this day -- that Kvitova supplied for a questionaire he gave her two and a half years ago when he first began working with her

**TOP PERFORMANCES**
1. Who else? Petra Kvitova wins Wimbledon, knocking down a slew of "first champion since" markers -- including first lefty at Wimbledon since '90, Czech at Wimbledon since '98 and youngest in a slam since '04, as she's the first champ born in the 1990's -- and settinh the bar for all the other "underachieving" players of her generation to aspire to clear one day. A year ago, Kvitova entered Wimbledon with a 0-4 career record on grass. She's 16-2 since. There's that short learning curve I was talking about earlier.
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2. Sabine Lisicki "comes back to us" on the grass, erasing her bad Paris memories while reviving all the two-year old hope for her that was thwarted by injury and illness since late '09. First, she sweeps through Birmingham without droppoing a set, then reaches the Wimbledon semifinals as a wild card after producing maybe the best moment of the fortnight -- her back-to-back-to-back-to-back kill serves against Li Na in the 2nd Round that turned a defeat into a victory on sheer force of suggestion through the match's closing games.
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3. Maria Sharapova returns to the Wimbledon final for the first time since her career breakthrough title run at SW19 in 2004. It's her first slam final appearance in three and a half years, as well as the first since her career-threatening shoulder surgery.
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4. Marion Bartoli wins in Eastbourne, outlasting both Victoria Azarenka (an eventual Wimbledon semifinalist) and Kvitova en route. She then carries her momentum over to Wimbledon, surviving a pair of dramatic matches and upsetting Serena Williiams on her way to the quarterfinals.
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5. Czechs rule at Wimbledon, as the Maidens win Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles crowns. A season ago, it was Czechette Kristyna Pliskova who grabbed the Girls title at SW19, as well.
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HM- Ashleigh Barty wins the Wimbledon Girls title, becoming the first Aussie to take the junior title in London since Debbie Freeman in '80, and the first Australian girl to win any slam singles crown since Jelena Dokic at the U.S. Open in '98.
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"(My emotions are) over the moon." - Sabine Lisicki, after her 2nd Round Wimbledon upset of #3-seeded Li Na

*TOP MATCHES*
1. Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Lisicki d. Li
...3-6/6-4/8-6. The German Baroness discovers her "inner Boris Becker," pulling out her booming serve to escape a match point down hole by smashing four consecutive 120 mph bombs -- two of them for aces -- to hold. Possibly mentally shaken by such a display, #3 seeded Li ends up losing five of the final six games of the match.
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2. Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - V.Williams d. Date-Krumm
...6-7/6-3/8-6. In the first full women's match under the Centre Court roof, Williams began with a double-fault on the first point, and things never got any easier against the 40-year old from Japan. Ultimately, Venus' serve acted as a last line of defense, providing just enough oomph to allow her to inch past KDK when the veteran allowed a few errors to creep into her game in the closing moments of the 2:55 match.
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3. Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - Bartoli d. Pennetta
...5-7/6-4/9-7. Riding a wave of arguments with the chair umpire and her own parents (she ordered them to leave the stands), Bartoli battled back from a break down in the 3rd to win in 3:09 in a match where the two women combined for 110 winners.
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4. Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - Paszek d. Schiavone
...3-6/6-4/11-9. Three years after defeating a then-teenaged Paszek in a 10-8 3rd set at Wimbledon, Schiavone found herself in tooth-and-nail combat with the Austrian yet again. This time, though, it was Paszek who survived, even as Schiavone twice served for the match at 8-7 and 9-8. At 3:41, the match came up just five minutes short of becoming the longest women's contest in Wimbledon history.
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5. Eastbourne 2nd Rd. - Zvonareva d. S.Williams
...3-6/7-6/7-5. Showing her rust from a 49-week absence, Serena failed to put away the match while serving at 6-3/5-4. After neary coming back from a 5-2 3rd set deficit, Williams saved three match points before finally falling to the Russian.
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HM- Eastbourne Final - Bartoli d. Kvitova
...6-1/4-6/7-5. In a match in which the momentum shifted on multiple occasions, Kvitova provided an example to herself of how her walkabout tendencies can endanger a match. Judging by what happened at Wimbledon, she seems to have learned a great deal from the experience.
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"When you know how good it feels to lift the big trophies -- the ones you really want in your career -- and when you know how good you can play, I always felt I could be better. That's why I never had the interest in stopping. I always felt like I had a lot better things in me." - Maria Sharapova, on how she remained focused, and never considered giving up, during her comeback from rotator cuff surgery

*UPSETS*
1. Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - Pironkova d. Zvonareva 6-2/6-3
Wimbledon 4th Rd. - Pironkova d. V.Williams 6-2/6-3
...apparently, "6-2/6-3" is Pironkova's "lucky number" combination. Not only did she defeat both Vera and Venus by that scoreline, but it was also the final score in her '10 upset of Williams in the Wimbledon QF.
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2. 's-Hertogenbosch 2nd Rd. - Oprandi d. Clijsters
...7-6/6-3. Clijsters' feast-or-famine pattern continues, as this loss to qualifier Oprandi was quickly followed by news of a foot injury -- after wrist/shoulder and ankle/toe ailments pretty much obliterated her clay court season -- would cause her to miss Wimbledon. How much longer is she going to put up with this?
=============================
3. Wimbledon 4th Rd. - Cibulkova d. Wozniacki
...1-6/7-6/7-5. There's more than one way to skin a Dane, and Cibulkova finally found it in the 3rd. Not that it's a new revelation -- be aggressive. She was, and Wozniacki wilted once again in the face of an opponent willing to dare her to give back as well as she receives.
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"It's just been a long, arduous road. To stand up, still, is pretty awesome." - Serena Williams, on her return after a nearly year-long absence following foot lacerations, two operations, clots in her lungs, and emergency surgery to remove an embolism

*COMEBACKS*
1. Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Bartoli d. Dominguez-Lino
...4-6/7-5/6-2. Battling illness, Bartoli survived LDL serving at 6-4/5-4, as well as a coaching warning. Oh, and she saved three match points, too.
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2. Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Cetkovska d. A.Radwanska
...3-6/7-6/6-4. A-Rad led 6-3/5-4 30/30. We probably don't want to know what her father said about that.
=============================

"I don't think this is the only time she'll win here. It's very exciting. A new star." - Martina Navratilova, on Kvitova

"I think her potential is now!" - Amelie Mauresmo, on Kvitova

=THE GOOD=
"Petra Kvitova." The affirmative answer to any questions about the dearth of "achieving" players in the WTA's current generation of young twentysomethings. At least for the next six months or so... and maybe for quite a few years, too.
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Chris Evert on ESPN2... even if she does often have to share a studio with Hannah Storm
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Apparently, Sabine Lisicki's personal letter to the All-England Club requesting a wild card into the main draw
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Three 21-year olds reaching the Wimbledon semifinals... and the youngest of the three winning the title
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Serena and Venus back on the court.
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"I can only get better. And that can potentially be really scary because I can only go up from here, and I can just do so much more." - Serena Williams

=THE BAD=
Shahar Peer becoming the first seed to be dumped out of Wimbledon, making it two consecutive slams in which she's achieved such a "dishonor"
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Jelena Jankovic losing in the 1st Round at Wimbledon, giving the former world #1 her worst slam result in six years
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The Sisters being relegated to Court 2 at Wimbledon. Even if other top players are sometimes sent there, none of them had won nine of the last eleven Ladies titles.
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=THE "UNLUCKY"=
Both Venus and Serena Williams lost in the 4th Round on "unlucky" Day 7, leaving Wimbledon on the same day for the first time... and making the defeat of world #1 Caroline Wozniacki on that same Monday the "B" story for the day in the women's draw.

"Definitely not our best day." - Venus Williams, after she immediately followed up Serena's 4th Round Wimbledon loss with her own

=THE UNSURPRISING=
Caroline Wozniacki, never having met a tournament she can't play, readies for the grass of Wimbledon by playing an indoor hard court event a week after Roland Garros. Naturally, she fails to advance to the QF in London. Having "learned her lesson"... or not... she's the only Top 20 player who decided to play a red clay event in Bastad a week after Wimbledon, leading into the pre-U.S. Open hard court circuit. Hardly shocking, the inevitable happened in the 2nd Round this week as the overscheduled world #1 magically morphed into Victoria Azarenka when she retired with a shoulder injury after taking the 1st set. You should never wish any sort of injury -- even a minor one -- on any player, but maybe such karmic "tough love" is just the sort of thing that the Dane needs to save herself.

"I don't care what people think or say or do." - Caroline Wozniacki, showing that she's willing to listen to and consider all opinions when it comes to making herself a better player. Or not.

=THE PRELUDE?=
Kim Clijsters misses Wimbledon due to injury. Will she even make it to the Olympics next summer?

=THE REVELATION?=
Hmmm... has it ever crossed anyone else's mind that maybe Serena and Venus Williams get along so well with Caroline Wozniacki off the court because they know they have nothing to fear from her on it? Just a wild thought.

=THE ATTENTION GRABBING... and then the (old) usual=

Bethanie Mattek-Sands garners headlines by donning tennis-related outfits designed by Lady Gaga's designer, but then flames out on the court in the 1st Round at Wimbledon. Unfortunately, it was just like "old times."

"Well, you just have to shut up and stop complaining because you have a pretty damn good life." - Victoria Azarenka, talking about the perspective she learned after talking with her hardworking grandmother, when she briefly questioned her tennis career

=THE BEST "SAD" NEWS EVER=
Addition by subtraction never sounded so sweet. The All-England Club elects to dump NBC as its American television partner, ending a 43-year relationship that included the creation of "Breakfast at Wimbledon" and the first live U.S. coverage of the men's final back in 1979, a production decision that helped to popularize the sport. Ironically, and sadly, the same network that revolutionized tennis coverage ultimately became an insult to the sport, producing a tape-delayed schedule of some of the tournament's biggest matches in order to avoid having to mess with the morning "Today" show a few days out of the year. Enter ESPN/ESPN2 in a 12-year deal to air the ENTIRE event, including simultaneous live network coverage on both channels of ALL quarterfinal matches starting next year. You know, the round that last year would have included that Kvitova/Kanepi match where the champion-one-year-later saved five match points in a contest that, had it aired on ESPN2 or NBC, might have made the Czech a bit better-known quantity in some corners twelve months ago.

Of course, Petra took care of all that this year. Thank goodness for her... and not just because her example means a certain Backspinner no longer feels compelled to coddle a certain Dane quite so much anymore, either.

"I don't want to change, I just want to be like everyone else. I'm nothing special." - Petra Kvitova

=UPDATED 2011 "Ms.Backspin" RANKINGS=
[w/ previous rank]
1. Petra Kvitova (4)...leading the way
2. Li Na (1)...she had a BAD Wimbledon draw
3. Kim Clijsters (2)...holding on, barely
4. Maria Sharapova (11)...a summer-ending Supernova?
5. Caroline Wozniacki (3)...still a "regular season" monster, but a "postseason" disaster
6. Victoria Azarenka (5)...finally, a big step forward
7. Russian & Czech Republic FC Teams (6)...to be continued
8. Peschke/Srebotnik (--)...overdue slam champs
9. Marion Bartoli (9)...she'll take on anyone, even family
10. Dulko/Pennetta (7)...still the #1-ranked team
HM- Andrea Petkovic (14)...can she stay ahead of countrywoman Lisicki?


=EARLY U.S. OPEN POWER RANKINGS=
1. Maria Sharapova: might need some help, though
2. Serena Williams: has something to prove. Again.
3. Petra Kvitova: now we'll see how much better she's learned to handle success
4. Kim Clijsters: she should have a little more (less self-destructing) competition
5. Victoria Azarenka: as long as she avoids pre-match accidents this time
6. Li Na: her best surface has been hard courts
7. A German: Lisicki, Petkovic or Goerges will likely fill the now-regular (finally!) German slam Final-8-or-better slot
8. Vera Zvonareva: looking for a slam bounce-back
9. Venus Williams: she reached the semis in '10
10. Caroline Wozniacki: the "dull blade" principle
HM- Marion Bartoli: still looking for her Open breakthrough



Entitlement isn't in Kvitova's tennis vocabulary. A great champion is never satisfied, and should always be actively trying to improve. That's why it's hard to NOT be in a very good mood when Kvitova says things like this when she's asked about what she has to improve upon after winning her first slam title:

"It's everything. Learning fitness. My serve. We have a lot of work." - Petra Kvitova

See, (insert underachieving young player's name here), while it's not easy, it's also really not as complicated as you make it out to be.

All for now.

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