Wk.43- Watch Your Back, Caroline

Let the 2012 campaign begin, for there's more than enough meat left on 2011's remaining bone to promise to make the next twelve months a tasty season to come.

At the 2011 WTA Championships in Istanbul last week, Petra Kvitova once again showed why she may be the answer to so many of the tour's "credibility" problems. Busting her way through a group of all the world's best players not named Serena, she, just as she did at Wimbledon this summer, managed to give still more weight to the belief that she could be the WTA's long-awaited, next dominant player.

Not that Victoria Azarenka's week was all that "shabby," either. Riding the wave of momentum from her title in Luxembourg, the Belarusian cruised into the Championships final and, just as she did in the semifinal before the Czech's SW19 grass court triumph, proved herself to be a worthy foil for eventual champion Kvitova once again. Even with Kvitova's career 4-2 series edge on Azarenka, with four straight wins (Vika hasn't defeated her in nearly three years, at the '09 Australian Open), this is surely a continuing rivalry that tennis might like to see blossom.

As two-thirds of the twentysomething brigade that crashed the semis at the All-England Club about four months ago, Kvitova and Azarenka look poised to take down the Danish-born #1-ranked player in the world in due time. The two faced off for the right to secure the year-end #2 ranking in the Istanbul final, and either (or both) might very well push that Dane down to #3 (or #4, if Maria Sharapova cooperates) in the early weeks of next season. Essentially, Kvitova actually ended up coming up just one of her brief walkabouts (vs. Li Na at Roland Garros, or Vera Zvonareva in Tokyo?) short of picking up enough of the necessary points THIS year to end the season as #1. It seems a fait accompli -- or at least nearly so -- that she'll become the next Czech-born women's #1 at some point in 2012. That is, unless Azarenka beats her to the post.

Contrast those two players' weeks with that of one Caroline Wozniacki.

Rarely has a #1 player looked less so than she did in Istanbul. A year after reaching the Championships final and losing to Kim Clijsters, Wozniacki looked far worse for wear than she ever has in what should have been an opportunity to "prove" something against her peers. Coming up far short on the court, she also continued her metamorphosis from "breath of fresh air" to "stale buttered bread" off it. Rather than a "Barbie" performance, the Championships got a "Polly Parrot" routine from the Dane.

The "Ms. Backspin" crown won't become official for about a week or so, but, unfortunately, that's probably just long enough for Wozniacki -- never a serious contender for the honor, even with back-to-back #1 seasons -- to further ingratiate herself with Stacey Allaster by suddenly becoming an advocate for another of the Tour CEO's shortsighted pet projects. After Allaster recently sounded off about the "scourge" of grunting on the tour, the Dane, too, immediately jumped on board this past week by accusing "some" fellow players of essentially "faking it" by literally sounding off during points in order to mess with their opponent's ability to judge the power of their shots (hmmm, I guess C-Woz's opponents don't have to worry about that, and not because of her generally silent demeanor on court, either).

"If you grunt loudly, your opponent can't hear how you hit the ball. I think there are some players who do it on purpose. They don't do it in practice and then they come into the match and grunt," she said, further noting how often fans tell her they watch matches with the sound turned down because of the noise.

I suspect that by this time next year, with Allaster (who, it should be noted, publicly defended the validity of Wozniacki's ranking earlier this year), locked up as the tour's Chairwoman until 2017, Wozniacki will continue to be her dutiful "Water Girl," backing up her calls for a court-side "grunt-o-meter," and then maybe even proposing a worldwide law that states that all women from Canada shall hereby be addressed by the title "M'Lady" and will be given full immunity from prosecution from any crime, no matter how minor ("park anywhere you like, M'Lady, even on the lawn"), as well as be allowed to live tax-free, rent-free and with complementary medical care anywhere on earth.

And she'll announce this stance on "Stacey Allaster Day" in Toronto.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Either way, while Wozniacki worries about being distracted on the court (ah, the reason for her slam losses has been found!), Kvitova is determined to get more fit this offseason, saying she'll soon be heading "for the mountains," hopefully with the end result an Agassi-like dedication to better cardio and quickness, and not the sort of search for "bulk and power" that ruined Queen Chaos' rise. With a little better fitness and footwork, plus the ingrained notion to play a bit more within herself (translation: hit the easy open court winner rather than try to bludgeon the ball as if trying to settle some ancient familial score and missing the court altogether), Kvitova would be an even more scary proposition for opponents next season. Fitting, considering her Istanbul triumph came on All Hallow's Eve. Meanwhile, Azarenka leaves '11 knowing she improved her approach in many areas over the past twelve months and saw the dividends it brought her. Two years ago, she couldn't quite reach the physical -- or emotional -- finish line at the end of the season (ironically, it was Wozniacki who showed her up on the court in Doha). This year, she crossed it, even if she wasn't quite the one who broke the tape. While it's easy to feel confident in Kvitova's successful fine-tuning, even if the level isn't quite as high with Azarenka, the long-term trends seem to be heading in an optimistic direction.

Can the same be said for Wozniacki? Is she in-tune enough with her actual place in the game to fix what is lacking, or will her stubbornness preclude it? Or is she even capable of it at all, as that possibility has to come into the conversation even more as time goes by? Even if she manages to keep her #1 ranking, it progressively becomes more and more hollow if Kvitova is joined by other generational counterparts in picking up slam titles while Wozniacki remains empty-handed. Thing is, with the band of twentysomethings joined by a healthy Serena and (maybe for a while) Clijsters, the Dane looks far less viable as a slam contender now than she did a year ago just because of the rising level of competition.

Truthfully, Kvitova has already improved more since she won Wimbledon than Wozniacki has since she became #1. She's noticably fitter. She overcame her post-Wimbledon dip quicker in '11 than she did after her '10 semifinal run, too. Plus, since winning at the All-England Club, she's gotten "Petra" stitched into all her shoes (courtesy of Nike), and her point-punctuating barks from Wimbledon have been "aggressionized" into piercing shrieks that had Chris Evert and Patrick McEnroe jokingly talking on ESPN2 about kicking off a campaign for Allaster to work to eliminate THOSE, too.

Well, at least I THINK they were joking. I guess one can never be too careful about giving the WTA head -- or her willing water-carrier, evidently -- any more bright ideas about how to "improve" the tour. Well, I mean, other than maybe mentioning that it'd "good for the game" to have a world #1 who actually wins slams and doesn't make it so easy for critics to sneer at the abilities of the computer's "best" player in the world. But, then again, I don't think that's going to be an actual issue for more than a few more months.

Of course, I could be wrong. But I don't think I will be.



*WEEK 43 CHAMPIONS*
WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS (Istanbul, Turkey/hard court indoor)
S: Petra Kvitova def. Victoria Azarenka 7-5/4-6/6-3
D: Huber/Raymond d. Peschke/Srebotnik


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Petra Kvitova/CZE

...by now, Kvitova's breath is so ever-present on #1 Wozniacki's neck that she can read the washing instructions on the tag inside the Dane's collar. Just 115 points back on the computer, the Czech ended up tying Wozniacki for the tour season lead with her sixth '11 title in Istanbul. With a 5-0 Championships record -- with wins over #3 Azarenka, #6 Stosur, #7 Zvonareva, #8 Radwanska & top-ranked Wozniacki -- she ran her post-U.S. Open 1st Round debacle record to 13-2, and pushed her season indoor mark to 19-0 heading into the Fed Cup final being held under the roof this weekend in Moscow.
=============================
RISERS: Victoria Azarenka/BLR & Samantha Stosur/AUS
...Azarenka wasn't able to grab her biggest-yet title in Istanbul, but she DID reach her biggest career final to cap off a year in which she advanced to her first slam SF and climbed to a career-high ranking. Dominating wins over Samantha Stosur, Li Na and Vera Zvonareva showed that she's capable of still being in top form at the end of a long season. Now, if she could just manage to stay on the court and out of the trainer's room a little more often throughout the year in 2012, she might just get into a season-long battle for #1 with the likes of the Kvitovas, Sharapovas and Serenas of the WTA. Stosur, for her part, showed just how much winning the Open seems to have helped her confidence (good news for Oz?). In the Istanbul Round Robin, she got her first win over Sharapova in ten tries, nearly double-bagled Li and took one of the only two sets off Kvitova all week in the SF. As it turns out, her '11 year-end ranking matches her #6 finish of '10... but, oh, what different seasons they were.
=============================
SURPRISE: Diana Enache/ROU
...the Swarmettes have starred on a number of occasions on the WTA tour in '11, and they've been a big part of the action on the ITF circuit, as well. Combined, they've won 22 titles, including five $100K events. It's Enache, 23, who has won more challengers than any other Romanian this season. She picked up her fourth this weekend in the $10K in Antalya, Turkey, taking out Maryna Zanevska in the final.
=============================
COMEBACK: Anne Keothavong/GBR
...after reaching the tour-level Luxembourg event's semis in Week 42, Keothavong went back to play in front of a bunch of Brits in the $75K in Barnstaple in Week 43. While the big news early in the week was the 2nd Round meeting of Laura Robson and Heather Watson, it was Keothavong who was the last woman standing in the end. She won the singles, defeating Marta Domchowska in the final, and won the doubles with Mona Barthel, too.
=============================
VETERANS: Liezel Huber & Lisa Raymond, USA/USA
...Huber and Raymond have been storming through the tour ever since the end of Wimbledon. Their Championships title -- the fourth of Raymond's career, and Huber's third -- means they won four of the six biggest doubles titles contested on tour since everyone left London in July. The win assured Huber of her first solo season-ending doubles #1 rank, after finishing as co-#1 with partner Cara Black from 2007-09. Not only that, but with her time in the top spot carrying over into the '12 season, Huber is slated to pass Black on the all-time "Weeks as Doubles #1" list early next year, leaving only Martina Navratilova ahead of her in WTA history.
=============================
FRESH FACE: Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR
...keeping as far away from Allaster and Wozniacki as possible, the often-called-"loud" Larcher de Brito was "hiding out" in Puerto Rico last week. While she was there, she picked up her second ITF crown of the season in the $25K challenger in Bayamon. Following victories over Catalina Castano and Madison Brengle, Larcher de Brito spoiled Monica Puig's homecoming by taking the Puerto Rican out in a 6-3/6-2 final win.
=============================
DOWN: Caroline Wozniacki/DEN & Maria Sharapova/RUS
...both of these two arrived in Istanbul last week with a shot to finish the 2011 season in the #1 ranking. While Wozniacki ultimately held onto the top spot for the second straight season -- becoming the first to do so since Justine Henin in 2006-07, Sharapova fell to #4 and left the event early with a 0-2 record, sloppily lost Round Robin leads against Stosur and Li, and her lingering ankle injury. Still, the Russian is probably the one with the most (at least early season) upside for 2012. She at least knows how to get where she wants to return, while with Wozniacki it's still an open question. As if finishing fourth in her Group in Istanbul, complaining of Azarenka-esque in-match dizziness and endorsing Allaster's latest waste of valuable time wasn't enough, she then took on a "Yoko Ono-ish" bent when boyfriend Rory McIlroy's former agent blamed her for interfering and leading to the golfer's split with Chubby Chandler's International Sports Management team. From distracting attempts-at-people-pleasing press room antics and #1-without-a-slam question curtness, to outright lying about her coaching situation during the U.S. Open, Wozniacki seems to have somewhat lost sight of the forest for the trees, professing an "all for the Tour" attitude while often conducting herself in a manner that only (unintentionally) shines an even harsher light on what she has not accomplished in her career. I've said in the past that I enjoyed the friendly-and-outgoing Wozniacki's take on things in spite of her (too?) fitting comparisons of another blonde European who reached #1 without winning a slam, but the expiration date on that line of thinking has pretty much come to an end (I think the "bell" went off with the "brown-noser" grunting comments, to tell you the truth). A year ago, I said the pre-2011 offseason was going to be super important for Wozniacki's further development into an effective, "true" #1. It seems obvious now that that time off was wasted (it'll be interesting to see how nearly-#1 Kvitova comes into '12 after maybe better utilizing HER off time). I'd say the same thing about THIS offseason, but I'm not sure I believe it anymore. She maybe has already missed her opportunity. I know I, for one, no longer expect such offseason (or in-season) pragmatism from her when it comes to doing what's best for her game. And, really, what kind of notion is that to be forced to have about the player ranked #1 in the sport? And, unlike that other EuroBlonde, she doesn't have the innate power and go-for-the-throat abilities in her game that only needed to be effectively tapped in order for her to reach her potential. Wozniacki has to learn new tricks, and I'm not convinced she's really willing to do it. Hmmm, does this mean she qualfies as something of a version of the original Barbie's not-quite-as-good-as-the-original friend Midge? As part of the '12 preview in December, I'm going to be debuting the first Backspin "Grand Slam Master List." It'll rank, in order, the top 25-or-more preseason "most likely" potential slam champions for next year. Somehow, even if I don't necessarily see Sharapova winning a fourth slam in '12, I get the feeling that there's a good chance she still might come in at a higher position on the charts than the seeking-her-first Dane. That could change, of course. But I won't be holding my breath.
=============================
ITF PLAYER: Kimiko Date-Krumm/JPN
...fresh off her Osaka doubles titles, 41-year old Date-Krumm rediscovered her singles sweet spot in the $100K challenger in Poitiers, France. After taking out Vesna Dolonts, Marina Erakovic, Alexandra Panova and Regina Kulikova, KDK defeated Elena Baltacha 7-6/6-4 in the final.
=============================
JUNIOR STAR: Anett Kontaveit/EST
...the 15-year old Estonian, the #18 junior in the world, claimed her third ITF title of the year in the $10K in Stockholm. After upsetting #1 seed Marion Gaud in the QF, she defeated Syna Kayser in the final.
=============================


1. WTA rr #2 - Wozniacki d. A.Radwanska
...5-7/6-2/6-4. Wozniacki didn't produce much to write home about in Istanbul, but she DID ultimately win the match against the player who has, at times, looked like a better version of herself in recent months. C-Woz overcame A-Rad's 4-2 lead in the 1st, going up 5-4, 40/love before seeing her Polish friend come back to nip her and take the early advantage in the match. It was the first set Radwanska had taken off Wozniacki in four years. In the 3rd, it was Wozniacki's quick lead that dwindled, as her 4-1 (and 4-2, 40/love) bulge ended up as a much closer 6-4 victory.
=============================
2. WTA rr #8 - Kvitova d. Wozniacki
...6-4/6-2. The most unsurprising stat of the day: Kvitova led 36-6 in winners. Midge complained of dizziness in this match, but one might surmise that the Czech could have had something to do with her condition. Unceremoniously dumped out of the Championships with this loss, Polly can now "look forward" to 2012 and contending with a potentially better version of the new world #2. And, by then, no matter what Allaster says or does, finding a way to avoid being overwhelmed will fall solely on the Water Girl's (hey, now's the time to try out a few new '12 season monikers, I guess) shoulders.
=============================
3. WTA Final - Kvitova d. Azarenka
...7-5/4-6/6-3. Kvitova again flashed BOTH sides of her on-court personality, virtually trampling over Azarenka en route to an as-dominant-as-it-looks 5-0 1st set lead, only to suddenly slip down the error-strewn rabbit hole and suddenly find the set tied at 5-5 twenty minutes later. She caught herself in time, though, edging ahead late in the set and winning it via an Azarenka error of Kvitova's fourth set point. In the deciding 3rd, the Czech won the big early points, saving four break points and coming back from a love/30 hole the second game. From there, she broke in the next game and kept her lead all the way to the finish line, ultimately ending with an impressive 42-23 lead in winners against the Belarusian, who's game, unlike the aforementioned Dane's, doesn't exactly preclude a high number of her own in that category. If we're lucky, maybe they'll get another shot at a similarly compelling match in the latter stages of a slam in '12.
=============================
4. WTA rr #9 - A.Radwanska d. Zvonareva 1-6/6-2/7-5
WTA rr #11 - Kvitova d. A.Radwanska 7-6/6-3
...in the fight to reach the semis, A-Rad overcame a 5-3 3rd set deficit and three match points to defeat Zvonareva, and only needed to win one set off Kvitova to assure herself a Final Four spot. She led 5-1 in the 1st against the Czech, only to be eventually caught in the undertow of Kvitova's big wave of shots. Thus, Zvonareva was the player to advance out of the the Group, not Radwanska. Epic fail.
=============================
5. WTA rr #12 - Bartoli d. Azarenka
...5-7/6-4/6-4. Azarenka wandered through the proverbial desert, wondering whether or not she should try to win this "meaningless" match, overcoming a 4-0 1st set hole to take the stanza before blowing a 2nd set lead and then being whistled off the court by fans for a perceived lack of desire to give full effort in the 3rd and drag out her day-before-the-SF match any longer than necessary. Meanwhile, Bartoli got some nice practice before heading to Bali for the T.O.C.
=============================
6. WTA SF - Azarenka d. Zvonareva
...6-2/6-3. Vera ended up going 1-3 in Istanbul. Not exactly a good confidence-building effort before the Fed Cup final.
=============================
7. WTA rr #10 - Stosur d. Li
...6-1/6-0. And, thus, Li's career-altering season ends with a rather pathetic whimper.
=============================
8. $50K Saguenay CAN Final - Timea Babos/HUN d. Julia Boserup/USA
...7-6/6-3. The Hungarian defeated an American to take the title, and also notched an earlier win over Croat Mirjana Lucic. But Timea became Canada's "Public Enemy #1" with defeats of national faves Eugenie Bouchard and Gabriela Dabrowski, as well as a win in the Doubles final (with Jessica Pegula) over Dabrowski and Marie Eve Pelletier.
=============================
9. $75 Barnstaple GBR 2nd Rd - Laura Robson/GBR d. Heather Watson/GBR
...6-1/3-6/6-3. And the Brits begin to look toward 2012 and beyond.
=============================
10. $25K Hamanako JPN Final - Karolina Pliskova/CZE d. Junri Namigata/JPN
...6-2/7-6. Week 43's sisterly update includes a win by one of the Pliskova sisters. Kristyna lost in the QF following a 1st Round Doubles loss by the siblings.
=============================


**2011 WTA TITLES**
6...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
6...PETRA KVITOVA, CZE
3...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
3...Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
3...Roberta Vinci, ITA

**2011 WTA FINALS**
8...Caroline Wozniacki (6-2)
7...PETRA KVITOVA (6-1)
5...VICTORIA AZARENKA (3-2)
5...Marion Bartoli (2-3)

**2011 HARD COURT TITLES**
4...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
4...PETRA KVITOVA, CZE
3...Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2...Serena Williams, USA
2...Vera Zvonareva, RUS

**2011 CONSECUTIVE TITLES WON**
Victoria Azarenka, BLR - Miami & Marbella (March-April)
Serena Williams, USA - Stanford & Toronto (July-August)
Agnieszka Radwanska, POL - Tokyo & Beijing (October)
PETRA KVITOVA, CZE - Linz & WTA Championships (October)

**2011 WTA/FC MATCH WIN STREAKS**
12...Victoria Azarenka, March-April (ended by Goerges/ret.)
12...Kim Clijsters, January-February (ended by Kvitova)
12...Serena Williams, July-August (ended by walkover, won 6 more matches)
11...Li Na, January (ended by Clijsters)
11...Petra Kvitova, May (ended by Li; also lost in ITF $100K final during WTA streak)
11...Sabine Lisicki, June (ended by Sharapova)
11...Agnieszka Radwanska, Septeber-October (ended by Safarova)
10...PETRA KVITOVA, October (current)
10...Julia Goerges, April-May (ended by Azarenka)
10...Maria Sharapova, May-June (ended by Li)
10...Caroline Wozniacki, August-September (ended by S.Williams)

**WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS**
[recent doubles champions]
2004 Nadia Petrova & Meghann Shaughnessy, RUS/USA
2005 Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS
2006 Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS
2007 Cara Black & Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA
2008 Cara Black & Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA
2009 Nuria Llagostera-Vives & Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP/ESP
2010 Gisela Dulko & Flavia Pennetta, ARG/ITA
2011 Liezel Huber & Lisa Raymond, USA/USA
[career WTA Chsp. doubles titles]
11...Martina Navratilova
10...Pam Shriver
4...LISA RAYMOND
3...Lindsay Davenport
3...LIEZEL HUBER
3...Natasha Zvereva
[best WTA Chsp. singles debuts]
1979 Tracy Austin (RU)
1981 Andrea Jaeger (RU)
1994 Lindsay Davenport (RU)
1996 Martina Hingis (RU)
2001 Serena Williams (W)
2004 Maria Sharapova (W)
2011 Petra Kvitova (W)
[undefeated in WTA Chsp. finals]
3-0...Kim Clijsters, BEL (2002-03,10)
2-0...Justine Henin, BEL (2006-07)
1-0...Silvia Hanika, GER (1982)
1-0...PETRA KVITOVA, CZE (2011)
1-0...Jana Novotna, CZE (1997)

**2011 WTA TITLES - DOUBLES TEAMS**
6...Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik, CZE/SLO
4...LIEZEL HUBER/LISA RAYMOND, USA/USA
4...Iveta Benesova/Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, CZE/CZE
3...Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA

**CAREER WEEKS AT DOUBLES #1**
237...Martina Navratilova
163...Cara Black
155...LIEZEL HUBER #
124...Natasha Zvereva
117...Lisa Raymond
111...Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
--
# - as of October 31; Huber will surpass Black's total in opening weeks of 2012

**CONSECUTIVE YEARS AS SINGLES #1**
1975-77 Chris Evert
1978-79 Martina Navratilova
1980-81 Chris Evert
1982-86 Martina Navratilova
1987-90 Steffi Graf
1991-92 Monica Seles
1993-96 Steffi Graf
1999-00 Martina Hingis
2004-05 Lindsay Davenport
2006-07 Justine Henin
2010-11 CAROLINE WOZNIACKI

**CZECHS - CAREER-HIGH SINGLES RANKS**
#1 - Martina Navratilova
#2 - Jana Novotna
#2 - PETRA KVITOVA
#3 - Hana Mandlikova
#4 - Helena Sukova
#7 - Nicole Vaidisova





TOURNAMENT OF "CHAMPIONS" (Bali/hard indoor)
10 Final: Ivanovic d. Kleybanova
11 Top Seeds: Bartoli/Peng
=============================
=CHAMPION=
Marion Bartoli


FED CUP FINAL (Moscow/hard indoor)
10 Final: Italy d. USA
=============================
=Czech Republic at Russia=
CZE 3-2


Tomorrow, part one of the 2011 Backspin Awards arrives. Next week, after the Fed Cup & TOC recap, "Ms. Backspin" (hmmm, I wonder who she could be?) will officially be crowned in the second half of the BSA's. Following that, the 2011 season comes to a close with the WTA Yearbook.

All for now.

Read more...

Wk.42- Her Fourth Time's the Charm

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. And then try one more time. Eventually, you might get things right, just like Dominika Cibulkova did in Moscow on her fourth attempt to finally win her maiden WTA singles crown.

A few other random thoughts from the final "regular" week of the WTA's 2011 season:

* -- Well, I hope A-Rad covered her tracks and destroyed any evidence the might implicate her... err, I mean is thanking her lucky stars for Marion Bartoli's "well-timed" viral illness that caused her to suddenly become sick enough to have to pull out of the Moscow QF while standing just three wins from virtually stealing the eighth spot in the WTA Championships field, thus sending the Pole to Istanbul as the final official qualifier.

* -- Anyone else notice any "shades of Wimbledon QF '10" in Kaia Kanepi's squandering of her big opportunity in the Moscow final? Oh, the Estonian didn't fail to convert a bushel of match points like she did against Petra Kvitova last year, but when a player misses an easy overhead when victory is nearly within her grasp, then goes on to lose the match, it's never a good thing.

* -- Bibiane Schoofs. Enough said. And, no, she's not a character on "SpongeBob SquarePants."

* -- Did you know the name Ekaterina Ivanova a few days ago? Queen Chaos probably didn't, either. She does now, though.

* -- Sure, it's "only" the Pan-American Games, but the U.S. grabbing a Gold, Silver and Bronze in women's tennis is still something worth talking about.

* -- First-time singles finalists are 1-10 in 2011, with only Chanelle Scheepers taking advantage of her first-ever chance at tour glory.

* -- Who did Vika pay off to get her Istanbul draw? Coming off a title in Luxembourg, she couldn't have been put into a better grouping for this week.

* -- Who did Caroline cross to get HER Istanbul draw? For a player who has historically had a hard time against Top 5 players, even as the #1-ranked player, she surely isn't getting any favors in her Championships grouping. Of course, one might look at this as a big opportunity, too.

On that note, what else happened the week before Istanbul?



*WEEK 42 CHAMPIONS*
MOSCOW, RUSSIA (Premier $1m/hard court indoor)
S: Dominika Cibulkova def. Kaia Kanepi 3-6/7-6/7-5
D: King/Shvedova d. Rodionova/Voskoboeva
LUXEMBOURG, LUXEMBOURG (Int'l $220K/hard court indoor)
S: Victoria Azarenka def. Monica Niculescu 6-2/6-2
D: Benesova/Zahlavova-Strycova d. Hradecka/Makarova
PAN AMERICAN GAMES (Guadalajara, Mexico
GOLD MATCH: Irina Falconi/USA def. Monica Puig/PUR 6-3/6-2
BRONZE MATCH: Christina McHale/USA d. Florencia Molinero/ARG
DOUBLES GOLD: Irigoyen/Molinero (ARG) d. Falconi/McHale (USA)
DOUBLES BRONZE: Castano/Duque-Marino (COL) d. Pereira/Segnini (BRA)
MIXED GOLD: de la Pena/S.Gonzalez (MEX) d. Koch-Benvenuto/Rivera-Aranguiz (CHI)
MIXED BRONZE: Duarte/Dutra da Silva (BRA) d. Perez/Recarte (VEN)



PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dominika Cibulkova/SVK

...it wasn't easy, but Cibulkova finally forever put to bed any thoughts that she'll ever again be the highest-ranked woman in tennis without a career singles title. In her fourth WTA final, and second in two weeks, she took down Kaia Kanepi in the week's concluding match after previously seeing the Estonian being an easy overhead away from breaking the Slovak to take a 6-3/6-5 lead and have a chance to serve for a straight sets win and her second career title. Earlier in the week, Cibulkova had also come back from a set and 3-1 deficit against Vera Zvonareva in QF. Set to have her best year-end ranking since she finished #19 after reaching the Roland Garros SF in '08, the #17-ranked Cibulkova might also have a shot at besting her career-best spot of #12 if she can get off to a good start next season.
=============================
RISERS: Victoria Azarenka/BLR & Vania King/Yaroslava Shvedova (USA/KAZ)

...one year after winning a title this same week in the 2010 season in Moscow, Azarenka got a matching Week 42 trophy from Luxembourg for 2011. It's her third title of the season, and eighth in her career. After going through some recent injury difficulties (what else is new?), will her five-match run last week -- wins over Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, Alberta Brianti, Iveta Benesova, Julia Goerges and Monica Niculescu -- put her in good position for a potentially career-best result in Istanbul this week? She's in a group that consists of two '11 slam champs who've slumped since claiming their big trophies, as well as a potentially-still-hobbled-by-a-sore-ankle Russian, and would seem to have a good shot to at least reach the semis, if not more. Back in Moscow, King and Shvedova won their second event of '11 (it's the Kazakh's third overall title). It's their fourth as a duo over the past two years, but although the Kremlin Cup is a $1 million Premier event it's actually the pair's SMALLEST title to date after they've previously claimed two slams and this year's Cincinnati crown. For their careers, King now has fourteen tour doubles titles, compared to Shvedova's six. They're in Istanbul this week looking to add one more to each's total before the season concludes.
=============================
SURPRISES: Bibiane Schoofs/NED & Ekaterina Ivanova/RUS
...move over Reka-Luca Jani? Well, let's not be hasty when it comes to the unofficial "Best WTA Name Game," but the #99-ranked, 23-year old Schoofs certainly is worthy of entry in the field. She's been a winner on the ITF circuit for a few seasons (she's got three '11 titles), but last week was the first time she's made any sort of dent in the collective conscious of the big tour. In Luxembourg, she made it through qualifying with wins over teenyboppers Alison van Uytvanck and Yulia Putintseva, then (more surprisingly) took down U.S. Open semifinalist Angelique Kerber and Rebecca Marino (who'd just upset Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova) in the main draw to reach her first WTA QF. Meanwhile, in Moscow, 23-year old Ivanova, one of the lesser-known (and THAT might be stretching it) Hordettes made HER first WTA headlines, as well. After also making it through qualifying (wins over Anastasia Rodionova and Lesia Tsurenko), the #175-ranked Ivanova pulled a big upset when she took down Jelena Jankovic in three sets just days after the Serb has pushed Petra Kvitova in the Linz SF. Of course, the aftereffects of that last fact might have had something to do with this result, but it hardly erases it from the resume of either player.
=============================
COMEBACKS: Kaia Kanepi/EST & Sorana Cirstea/ROU
...Kanepi was one overhead away from possibly ending her season on a fabulous note in Moscow. Instead, she'll have to settle for her runner-up result -- in her first final since Palermo '10 -- to Cibulkova, along with good wins over Sara Errani, Francesca Schiavone, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Lucie Safarova. On the ITF circuit, Cirstea, a winner of a WTA crown as a teenager three seasons ago, maintained her perfect (3-0) record in 2011 challenger finals, winning a $50K in Limoges, France while advancing past the likes of Akgul Amanmuradova, Michaella Krajicek, Stefanie Voegele, Paula Ormaechea and Sofia Arvidsson in the final.
=============================
VETERANS: Anne Keothavong/GBR & Iveta Benesova/Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova (CZE/CZE)
...a year ago, current world #93 Keothavong reached the Luxembourg semifinals. She did it again last week, going the "long way around" to do it by making it through qualifying (def. Kutuzova & Hradecka), then getting main draw wins over Mandy Minella, Alexandra Cadantu and Bibiane Schoofs (a true "murderer's row"). It's her first tour semi since that SF at this tournament last season. In the event's doubles competition, Benesova and Zahlavova-Strycova won their fourth doubles title of the season (and ninth overall as a duo). BZS has now bagged fifteen WTA doubles championships in her career, while Benesova has thirteen.
=============================
FRESH FACES: Monica Niculescu/ROU & Irina Falconi/USA
...Niculescu's career year continued in Luxembourg, as the 24-year old reached her first tour-level singles final after notching wins over Karin Knapp, Anabel Medina-Garrigues, Lucie Hradecka and Anne Keothavong. Niculescu is the third different Romanian to reach a final in '11, but they've gone a combined 0-4. Meanwhile, at the Pan-American Games, U.S. Open star Irina Falconi claimed both the singles Gold and Doubles Silver (with Christina McHale) in Guadalajara, Mexico. She had wins over Gabriela Dabrowski, Florencia Molinero and Monica Puig in the final.
=============================
DOWN: Agnieszka Radwanska/POL
...down, but also lucky. A-Rad seemingly had the #8 spot in the WTA Championships field wrapped up. But then Marion Bartoli won in Osaka. But as long as Radwanska won one match in Moscow, and Bartoli didn't win another title, the Pole was secure. Then she DID lose her first match, falling to Lucie Safarova in the 2nd Round. Meanwhile, La Trufflette was feeling good, talking about loving Moscow and jumping into the QF... but then she pulled out of the event with a viral illness. Thus, Bartoli is the alternate in Istanbul (a role A-Rad has filled in the past, then ended up playing Round Robin matches anyway), while Radwanska sticks in the eight qualifying position. A couple of weeks ago, Agnieszka might have been looked upon as a dark horse in Istanbul. But did she peak in Beijing?
=============================
ITF PLAYER: Romina Oprandi/ITA
...the 25-year old Italian reached her fifth consecutive ITF singles final in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She's won three of them, and is currently on a 19-1 run. This weekend, she claimed the crown by knocking off U.S. Open junior Girls champ Grace Min in the 17-year old's first trip to a pro final.
=============================
JUNIOR STARS: Natalija Kostic/SRB & Zuzanna Maciejewska/POL
...17-year old Serb Kostic won her second consecutive ITF title (and third of the season) by claiming the $10K in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Meanwhile, 16-year old Maciejewska, as the #12 seed, was the champ at the Osaka Mayor's Cup as she claimed her first career Grade A title.
=============================


1. Moscow Final - Cibulkova d. Kanepi
...3-6/7-6/7-5. Cibulkova's title makes the Slovak Republic the nineteenth different nation to produce a tour singles champ in 2011, down from twenty and twenty-one the last two seasons.
=============================
2. Moscow QF - Cibulkova d. Zvonareva
...4-6/6-4/6-4. Since she was gifted a trip to the Tokyo final by Kvitova a few weeks ago, Zvonareva has been roughed up by Radwanska and Ivanovic, then blew a set and 3-1 lead here. Will it prove to be a poor lead-in for Vera into the tour Championships, or is she perfectly set up as an "underdog" in a group that sports Kvitova & Radwanska (both once again), along with Wozniacki?
=============================
3. Moscow 2nd Rd - Safarova d. A.Radwanska
...6-4/4-6/6-4. To be expected from A-Rad, after she came in on an eleven-match winning streak...and I picked her to win the title.
=============================
4. Moscow 1st Rd - Ivanova d. Jankovic
...6-4/1-6/6-4. Not the best way for JJ to say goodbye to 2011, but it'll have to do.
=============================
5. Pan Am Games Gold Match - Falconi d. Puig
...6-3/6-2. Falconi is the third U.S. woman to win the Pan American Games singles Gold, joining Althea Gibson and Pam Shriver.
=============================
6. Lux 1st Rd - Marino d. Pavlyuchenkova
...1-6/6-3/6-3. The Canadian had previously lost seven of eight 1st Round matches.
=============================
7. Lux Final - Azarenka d. Niculescu
...6-2/6-2. Niculescu is the sixth different Swarmette to reach a WTA singles final since 2007, but they're a combined 3-7 (with two titles won by Alexandra Dulgheru, and one by Cirstea).
=============================
8. Pan Am Games Doubles Gold Match - Irigoyen/Molinero d. Falconi/McHale 6-4/2-6/10-6
...Molinero lost to Falconi in the singles SF, then McHale in the Bronze Match. But she got some measure of revenge against both in the Doubles Gold final.
=============================
9. $25K Seville Final - Reka-Luca Jani/HUN d. Estrella Cabeza-Candela/ESP
...2-6/6-3/6-3. Reka-Luca Jani! Reka-Luca Jani! Reka-Luca Jani! The 20-year old Hungarian proved hungry for yet another ITF crown, winning her second consecutive event to tie her for the circuit lead with five on the season.
=============================
10. $25K Seoul Final - Hsieh Su-Wei/TPE d. Yurika Sema/JPN 6-1/6-0
$25K Makinohara Final - Karolina Pliskova/CZE d. Erika Sema/JPN 6-7/6-2/6-0
...and for the Sisters Special for Week 42, we have the Sema siblings both going home unhappy after losing in separate singles finals. To top things off, one half of another tennis-playing familial combo -- Karolina Pliskova -- did the honors over one of the Semas in the sisters' native Japan, too.
=============================


**2011 WTA TITLES**
6...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
5...Petra Kvitova, CZE
3...VICTORIA AZARENKA, BLR
3...Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
3...Roberta Vinci, ITA

**WTA FINALS**
[2011]
8...Caroline Wozniacki (6-2)
6...Petra Kvitova (5-1)
5...Marion Bartoli (2-3)
4...VICTORIA AZARENKA (3-1)
4...Maria Sharapova (2-2)
4...Vera Zvonareva (2-2)
4...Samantha Stosur (1-3)
[2009-11]
24...Caroline Wozniacki (15-9)
12...Vera Zvonareva (5-7)
11...VICTORIA AZARENKA (8-3)
11...Maria Sharapova (5-6)
10...Serena Williams (7-3)

**TOP SEED WON TITLE**
Caroline Wozniacki - Dubai
Caroline Wozniacki - Indian Wells
Victoria Azarenka - Marbella
Caroline Wozniacki - Charleston
Caroline Wozniacki - Brussels
Caroline Wozniacki - Copenhagen
Roberta Vinci - Budapest
Vera Zvonareva - Baku
Caroline Wozniacki - New Haven
Ksenia Pervak - Tashkent
VICTORIA AZARENKA - LUXEMBOURG

**2011 WINS OVER TOURNAMENT'S #1 SEED**
3...DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA, SVK
2...Marina Erakovic, NZL
2...Julia Goerges, GER
2...Daniela Hantuchova, SVK
2...Andrea Petkovic, GER

**2011 FIRST-TIMERS**
[champions]
Alberta Brianti, ITA - Fes
Polona Hercog, SLO - Bastad
Ksenia Pervak, RUS - Tashkent
Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, CZE - Quebec City
Chanelle Scheepers, RSA - Guangzhou
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA, SVK - MOSCOW
[finalists]
Mathilde Johansson, FRA - Bogota (L)
Rebecca Marino, CAN - Memphis (L)
Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU - Marbella (L)
Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, AUT - Bad Gastein (L)
Ksenia Pervak, RUS - Baku (L)
Petra Cetkovska, CZE - New Haven (L)
Eva Birnerova, CZE - Tashkent (L)
Marina Erakovic, NZL - Quebec City (L)
Galina Voskoboeva, KAZ - Seoul (L)
Chanelle Scheepers, RSA - Guangzhou (W)
MONICA NICULESCU, ROU - LUXEMBOURG (L)

**2011 WORST RECORDS IN FINALS - BY NATION**
[two or more finals]
0-4...ROMANIA
0-2...Serbia
1-3...Belgium
2-5...France
3-4...Australia

**2011 OVERALL DOUBLES TITLES**
[individuals]
7...Katarina Srebotnik, SLO (6 doubles/1 mixed)
6...Kveta Peschke, CZE (6/0)
5...BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA-STRYCOVA, CZE (5/0)
5...IVETA BENESOVA, CZE (4/1)
4...Liezel Huber, USA (4/0)
[teams]
6...Peschke/Srebotnik, CZE/SLO
4...BENESOVA/ZAHLAVOVA-STRYCOVA, CZE/CZE
3...Huber/Raymond, USA/USA
3...Errani/Vinci, ITA/ITA

**2011 ITF SINGLES TITLES**
5...Andrea Benitez, ARG
5...Iryna Bremond, FRA
5...Casey Dellacqua, AUS
5...REKA-LUCA JANI, HUN

**WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS**
[all-time titles]
8...Martina Navratilova
5...Steffi Graf
4...Chris Evert
3...Kim Clijsters *
3...Monica Seles
[championship titles - active]
3...Kim Clijsters, BEL
2...Serena Williams, USA
1...Maria Sharapova, RUS
1...Venus Williams, USA
[all-time finals]
14...Martina Navratilova (8-6)
8...Chris Evert (4-4)
6...Steffi Graf (5-1)
4...Monica Seles (3-1)
4...Martina Hingis (2-2)
4...Gabriela Sabatini (2-2)
4...Serena Williams (2-2) *
4...Lindsay Davenport (1-3)
3...Kim Clijsters (3-0) *
3...Amelie Mauresmo (1-2)
2...Justine Henin (2-0)
2...Tracy Austin (1-1)
2...Maria Sharapova (1-1) *
2...Venus Williams (1-1) *
2...Mary Pierce (0-2)
[2011 field - career WTA singles titles]
24...Maria Sharapova
18...Caroline Wozniacki
12...Vera Zvonareva
8...Victoria Azarenka
7...Agnieszka Radwanska
7...Marion Bartoli (alternate)
6...Petra Kvitova
5...Li Na
3...Samantha Stosur
[2011 doubles field - career WTA titles]
11...Gisela Dulko/Flavia Pennetta
8...Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik
4...Vania King/Yaroslava Shvedova
3...Liezel Huber/Lisa Raymond





WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS (Istanbul/hard indoor)
10 Final: Clijsters d. Wozniacki
11 Top Seeds: Wozniacki/Sharapova
10 Doubles Champions: Dulko/Pennetta
=============================
=RED GROUP=
#3 Kvitova (2-1)
#1 Wozniacki (2-1)
#8 Radwanska (1-2)
#6 Zvonareva (1-2)
=WHITE GROUP=
#4 Azarenka (3-0)
#7 Stosur (1-2)
#2 Sharapova (1-2)
#5 Li (1-2)

=SF=
Kvitova d. Stosur
Azarenka d. Wozniacki
=FINAL=
Kvitova d. Azarenka


Next up, part one of the 2011 Backspin Awards. All for now.

Read more...

2011 Regional Honors

The 2011 Backspin Awards are almost here, so consider this something of a mini-preview... region by region.

==NORTH AMERICA==
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Serena Williams, USA
POY (RUNNER-UP): Liezel Huber, USA
RISER: Christina McHale, USA
SURPRISE: Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears, USA
VETERAN: Lisa Raymond, USA
FRESH FACE: Irina Falconi, USA
COMEBACK: Melanie Oudin, USA (Mixed Doubles)
DOWN: Venus Williams, USA
JUNIOR: Monica Puig, PUR
DOUBLES: Liezel Huber, USA
TEAM: Liezel Huber/Lisa Raymond/ USA
ITF PLAYER: Aleksandra Wozniak, CAN
IMPROVED: Vania King, USA
UNDERRATED: Ximena Hermoso, MEX
PERFORMANCE: Serena Williams wins 18 of 18 matches on North American hard courts to reach the U.S. Open final
NATION TO WATCH: Puerto Rico
COMEBACK NATION: United States: The Next Generation
WORRIED NATION: Canada (in tour-level singles)

==SOUTH AMERICA==
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Gisela Dulko, ARG
POY (RUNNER-UP): Florencia Molinero, ARG
RISER: Veronica Cepede Royg, PAR
SURPRISE: Andrea Koch-Benvenuto, CHI
VETERAN: Catalina Castano, COL
FRESH FACE: Yuliana Lizarazo, COL
COMEBACK: Maria-Fernanda Alves, BRA
DOWN: Gabriela Paz, VEN
JUNIOR: Montserrat Gonzalez, PAR
DOUBLES: Gisela Dulko, ARG
TEAM: Maria Irigoyen/Florencia Molinero, ARG (Pan-Am Games)
ITF PLAYER: Andrea Benitez, ARG
IMPROVED: Adriana Perez, VEN
UNDERRATED: Paula Ormaechea, ARG
PERFORMANCE: Gisela Dulko wins first slam doubles crown at Australian Open
NATION TO WATCH: Paraguay
COMEBACK NATION: Brazil
WORRIED NATION: Colombia (if Mariana Duque-Marino doesn't pan out)

==ASIA/PACIFIC==
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Li Na, CHN
POY (RUNNER-UP): Samantha Stosur, AUS
RISER: Peng Shuai, CHN
SURPRISE: Galina Voskoboeva, KAZ
VETERANS: Zheng Jie, CHN & Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN
FRESH FACES: Misaki Doi, JPN & Ayumi Morita, JPN
COMEBACK: Jelena Dokic, AUS
DOWN: Jessica Moore, AUS
JUNIOR: Ashleigh Barty, AUS
DOUBLES: Yaroslava Shvedova, KAZ
TEAM: Australian Junior Fed Cup Team
ITF PLAYER(s): Casey Dellacqua, AUS (singles) & Casey Dellacqua/Olivia Rogowska, AUS/AUS (doubles)
IMPROVED: Marina Erakovic, NZL
UNDERRATED: Zhang Shuai, CHN
PERFORMANCE: Li Na wins Roland Garros, becomes first Asian slam singles champion
NATIONS TO WATCH: China & Japan
COMEBACK NATION: Australia
WORRIED NATION: Taiwan

==AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST==
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Chanelle Scheepers, RSA
POY (RUNNER-UP): Shahar Peer, ISR
RISER: Nadia Lalami, MAR
SURPRISE: Surina de Beer, RSA
VETERAN: Natalie Grandin, RSA
FRESH FACE: Chanel Simmonds, RSA
COMEBACK: Julia Glushko, ISR
DOWN: Cara Black, ZIM
JUNIOR: Ons Jabeur, TUN
DOUBLES: Natalie Grandin, RSA
TEAM: Hulya Esen/Lutfiye Esen, TUR
ITF PLAYER: Deniz Khazaniuk, ISR
IMPROVED: Ofri Lankri, ISR
UNDERRATED: Fatima El Allami, MAR
PERFORMANCE: Chanelle Scheepers wins Guangzhou, is first South African tour singles champ since 2003
NATION TO WATCH: Morocco
COMEBACK NATION: South Africa
WORRIED NATION: Israel

==RUSSIA==
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Maria Sharapova
POY (RUNNER-UP): Vera Zvonareva
RISER: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
SURPRISE: Vesna Dolonts
VETERAN: Nadia Petrova
FRESH FACES: Ksenia Pervak & Evgeniya Rodina
COMEBACK: Russian Fed Cup Team
DOWN: Svetlana Kuznetsova
JUNIOR: Irina Khromacheva
DOUBLES: Elena Vesnina
TEAM: Russian Fed Cup Team
ITF PLAYER: Yulia Putintseva
IMPROVED: Vitalia Diatchenko
UNDERRATED: Maria Kirilenko
PERFORMANCE: Maria Sharapova wins title on the red clay of Rome

==REST OF EUROPE==
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Petra Kvitova, CZE
POY (RUNNER-UP): Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
RISERS: Victoria Azarenka, BLR & Andrea Petkovic, GER
SURPRISE: Angelique Kerber, GER
VETERAN: Kim Clijsters, BEL (in Australia) & Marion Bartoli, FRA (elsewhere)
FRESH FACE: Monica Niculescu, ROU
COMEBACK: Sabine Lisicki, GER
DOWN: Italian Fed Cup Team
JUNIOR: Caroline Garcia, FRA
DOUBLES: Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
TEAM: Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik, CZE/SLO
ITF PLAYER: Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU
IMPROVED: Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
UNDERRATED: Roberta Vinci, ITA
PERFORMANCE: Peta Kvitova blasts through Maria Sharapova to win Wimbledon final
NATION TO WATCH: Romania
COMEBACK NATIONS: Czech Republic & Germany
WORRIED NATION: Serbia





Looking to "buy stock" in a few players for 2012? Getting cold feet and thinking you should "sell" your holdings in one of those past investments, or having a gut feeling that you should hold onto them with the hope that more dividends are soon to come? Here are a few WTA "market tips"... take them to heart at your own peril.

=BUY=
NORTH AMERICA: Sloane Stephens/USA & Madison Keys/USA
...if you haven't done so already, it'd be smart to jump in early on these long-range investments

SOUTH AMERICA: Florencia Molinero/ARG
...in the event of a Dulko debacle, Molinero is the best Argentinian player left on the big board. (A tip only for serious market players who want to cover all the angles.)

ASIA/PACIFIC: Ashleigh Barty/AUS & Noppawan Lertcheewakarn/THA
...conveniently forget that bad Jessica Moore purchase of a few years ago and take a shot on the latest Aussie junior star. Meanwhile, the former junior #1 from Thailand's quarterly earnings have picked up nicely as '11 as gone along.

AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST: Chanel Simmonds/RSA & Ons Jabeur/TUN
...the best young players who've gone public

RUSSIA: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
...still "on the cusp" of something big. You've probably already picked up shares in AP's future... but now's the time to try to snap up as many more as you can before the price goes WAY up.

REST OF EUROPE: Dominika Cibulkova/SVK, Kaia Kanepi/EST & Agnieszka Radwanska/POL
...finally performing up to expectations, finally looking healthy after an up-and-down stretch, and finally running more smoothly after an overdue internal reorganization in the boardroom

=SELL=
NORTH AMERICA: Venus Williams/USA
...a brand name possibly well past its prime. It might be best to cut your losses and liquidate all holdings as quickly as possible.

SOUTH AMERICA: Mariana Duque-Marino/COL
...after a quick start, long-term prospects don't look as bright as they might have once appeared. Still might have a virtual monopoly in Colombia, though, so a "hold" might be just as smart.

ASIA/PACIFIC: Li Na/CHN
...never a consistent quarterly performer, and now carrying around an awful lot of expectant investers, too. Might not be worth the money in '12.

AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST: Shahar Peer/ISR
...earnings seemed to have peaked early-on

RUSSIA: Dinara Safina
...get rid of everything in this one now to get back as much of your original investment as you can, then maybe buy back in when prices go even LOWER in a few months

REST OF EUROPE: Kim Clijsters/BEL
...company likely to go belly-up be the end of the next year. Fire sale time!

=HOLD=
NORTH AMERICA: Serena Williams/USA, Rebecca Marino/CAN & Alison Riske/USA
...never, ever, sell stock in Serena. After a slow start that put them "in the red" in '11, Marino & Riske's futures have recently started to look capable of being "in the black" again.

SOUTH AMERICA: Gisela Dulko/ARG (in singles)
...it's always tempting to believe the consistent competitor will emerge. Of course, I always say that at this time of the year. If your heart is still in it, hold. If not, sell.

ASIA/PACIFIC: Jelena Dokic/AUS, Jarmila Gajdosova/AUS & Sania Mirza/IND
...all have been the subject of stories played out in the media, but the talent remains. Hold onto your shares until they close up shop.

AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST: Cara Black/ZIM
...the "golden days" success won't likely ever be replicated, but not yet a "sell now or else" candidate

RUSSIA: Maria Sharapova & Alisa Kleybanova
...because your buy-in price was so high it'd be crazy to bail now, and because it's the right thing to do.

REST OF EUROPE: Petra Kvitova/CZE, Caroline Wozniacki/DEN & Marion Bartoli/FRA (as future slam champions)
...a no-brainer, an it's-still-too-early-to-give-up situation (a year from now, that might change, though), and a "found money" prospect that you bought a while back when you had more money for extraneous purchases, but that one day might turn out to produce an I-found-a-Monet-at-a-yard-sale moment.


Part 1 of the Backspin Awards arrive soon. All for now.

Read more...

Wk.41- A Czech for All Seasons

The Czech really knows how to make calendars obsolete.

Petra Kvitova began her 2011 season by winning a title in Week 1 in Brisbane. Down Under, it was summertime. In many other places around the globe, winter had everyone in its icy grip. In February, she ducked indoors and won a title in Paris. Once spring arrived, she went to Madrid and became a champion, then did it again on the grass under the summer sky of London. Last week, as autumn began to dominate the landscape, the 21-year Czech went to Linz and won there, too.

For Kvitova, there is no "favorite" time of the year. She's an equal opportunity champion.

(All right, pardon me for a moment while I send out a personal message.)

Oh, Petra. I knew you could do it. Really, I did. Yeah, I've come to not expect greatness from you EVERY time out, for sure. But, even as you've done battle with your good and evil tennis selves over the past fifteen months, I've never doubted the "white-hat" Petra's ability to win out in the end. Are you sometimes frustrating? Oh, yeeeeeah. But, when you think about it, it's what makes all the successes that much better, you know? I've gone on record that I'm rooting for you take on "Most Favored Player" status in my weekly bit of backspinning and, glory be to Jana (as in "Novotna"), you're doing nothing to send that particular reality off it's intended future path. Good job. Who knows... maybe you'll be getting a "present" from me in a few weeks.

(Okay, now that's taken care of.)

With time running short for her to finally overcome her post-Wimbledon title mini-slump before heading to Istanbul for the Tour Championships, and then leading her Czech teammates into the Fed Cup final, Kvitova seized the opportunity in Austria. Although she's sometimes fallen on her proverbial sword in her on-court attempts to be great, Kvitova has just as often (if not more often than not) shown in 2011 that she has the ability to climb higher than any of the other players in her generation. Usually, whichever result becomes reality is within HER control. In Linz, she proved it once again, grabbing her fifth title of the season and setting aside any of the doubts that might have been creeping into some minds (occasionally, maybe even her's... but only for an instant) about her ability to handle her grand slam-winning success.

Whew! That was (almost) close.



*WEEK 41 CHAMPIONS*
LINZ, AUSTRIA (Int'l $220K/hard court indoor)
S: Petra Kvitova def. Dominika Cibulkova 6-4/6-1
D: Erakovic/Vesnina d. Goerges/Groenefeld
OSAKA, JAPAN (Int'l $220K/hard court outdoor)
S: Marion Bartoli def. Samantha Stosur 6-3/6-1
D: Date-Krumm/Zhang d. King/Shvedova


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Petra Kvitova/CZE

...for most of last week in Linz, Kvitova was her old "untouchable" self. And, unlike a few weeks ago in Tokyo, she didn't go into a gift-giving frenzy on her way out of the tournament. Rebecca Marino got just four games off her. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner five. Daniela Hantuchova? Only four. In the final, Dominika Cibulkova carved out five. Of course, Kvitova needed to be tested by someone, and it turned out to be Jelena Jankovic in the SF. The Serb won the 1st set, then battled back from a 3-0 deficit in the 3rd to knot the set at three-all. Kvitova's shots didn't suddenly go awry this time, though. Instead, she buckled down simply went on another three-game streak to close out the match. Clean. Solid. Nothing to scowl about. The title is her fifth of the season, just one behind tour leader Caroline Wozniacki. She's the first to win two indoor titles in '11, putting a good step forward toward being able to called the Indoor Player of the Year. She's already the Grass Court Player of the Year, and has a shot to be Fed Cup Player of the Year, as well. Hmmm, what else. Oh, yeah, her sixth career title ties her with Nicole Vaidisova on the all-time Czech title list. It just doesn't get any bigger than that.
=============================
RISERS: Marion Bartoli/FRA & Dominika Cibulkova/SVK

...Bartoli has been under the radar for most of 2011, but she's had a very nice season. Her Osaka crown was her second of the year, while her appearance in the final was her fifth such result (only Kvitova and Wozniacki have played in more), and she now finds herself on the cusp of claiming the final spot in next week's WTA Championships field (she'll need to win the title, and hope A-Rad loses early). She won on the grass in Eastbourne early in the summer (defeating Kvitova), but after reaching the Stanford final in July she'd failed to advance past the QF in seven straight events before last week. She gained wins in Japan over Melinda Czink, Vania King (the American had recently gotten her first career Top 10 win at Bartoli's expense) and Ayumi Morita. After rain wrecked the schedule on Saturday, Bartoli had to play both the SF (def. Angelique Kerber) and Final (def. Sam Stosur, as she did in the Eastbourne SF) on Sunday. Apparently, Bartoli is some sort of Ironwoman, too, since she also successfully won both the SF and Final in one day when she was in Eastbourne. Meanwhile, in Linz, Cibulkova once again played the role of a good player who just has never been able to find a way to "get over the hump." Wins over Elena Baltacha, Sara Errani, Anastasia Rodionova and Lucie Safarova put her in her third career final, and her first since 2008. But she fell to 0-3 in those finals, unable to get a set off Kvitova. At least she, as the new world #20, seems unlikely to finish the year as the highest-ranked player without a career title, as #16 Peng Shuai would appear to have that dubious honor wrapped up.
=============================
SURPRISE: Evgeniya Rodina/RUS
...that Rodina reached the QF in Linz isn't "surprising," per se, as the Hordette is one of the up-and-coming players on tour. The path she took to get there, though, wasn't exactly "conventional." In qualifying, she advanced through the opening round when Jelena Dokic retired from their match. Two rounds later, Rodina lost to Anna-Lena Groenefeld, but got into the main draw when Andrea Petkovic withdrew from the event. As a Lucky Loser, Rodina won her 1st Round match when Magdalena Rybarikova, also, had to retire. A win over Julia Goerges got the Russian into the final eight. Then, as it should be, after such an odd road to the quarters, the player that Rodina eventually lost to (and this time she meant it) was none other than Queen Chaos herself. Who says the Tennis Gods don't have a sense of humor? Oh, and speaking of you-know-who...
=============================
COMEBACK: Jelena Jankovic/SRB
...if her week's work in Linz is any indication, JJ's reconciliation with Ricardo Sanchez seems to have been the best move she could have made for her career. Still, Jankovic seems fated (she's in the field in Moscow this week, so she's still got one final chance) to seeing 2011 be her first title-less season since 2006. Only Maria Sharapova (9 years) and Serena Williams (5) have extended streaks this year longer than the four-straight-years-with-a-title run that JJ sported entering '11, but if she can add a good offseason (hint: no trips to Mexico) to her late-season upswing, she should be able to begin a new streak in '12,and maybe slip in the backdoor as a contender to reach the latter stages of a slam or two, as well. After seeing Kateryna Bondarenko retire from their opening match, Jankovic notched wins over Anne Keothavong and Rodina to reach the SF, where she grabbed the 1st set against Kvitova (the only set the Czech lost last week), before finally falling in three after she'd battled back to tie the stanza after the first six games.
=============================
VETERANS: Samantha Stosur/AUS & Kimiko Date-Krumm/JPN
...two years ago, Stosur finally put her tour singles final failures behind her by claiming her first tour title in Osaka. Back in town one month after winning her first slam at the U.S. Open, Stosur was in need once again after falling into a post-major title slump following her brilliant NYC run. She didn't win her fourth career title, but she reached the final after notching wins over Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (whew! -- in a 7-5 3rd set), Misaki Doi, Chanelle Scheepers and Zheng Jie (in the SF, played on the same day as the final). All in all, a good rebound... even if she IS now just 3-10 in WTA singles finals. One year after reaching the Osaka singles final as a 40-year old, Date-Krumm's "year after" at the event didn't start out very well, as she lost in the 1st Round to Petra Cetkovska. By Sunday, though, she'd had a pretty good week. Winning the doubles with Zhang Shuai, the 41-year old Date-Krumm became the first fortysomething to win any sort of title on the WTA tour since the supernatural Martina Navratilova, at 49, won a doubles title (Montreal) and the U.S. Open Mixed crown in 2006. Of note, it's only the second tour doubles title of KDK's career, and her first since taking Tokyo with Ai Sugiyama back in 1996.
=============================
FRESH FACE: Alison Riske/USA
...the American won the $50K challenger in Joue-Les-Tours, France. After getting victories over Tatjana Malek, Andrea Hlavackova and Michaella Krajicek, the 21-year old defeated veteran Akgul Amanmuradova in a three-set final to pick up her first ITF title of the season.
=============================
DOWN: The Germans
...the Germans have been a big story on tour all season, but Week 41 wasn't exactly one that'll go into their memory boxes. First, Andrea Petkovic's tweaking of her months-old knee injury caused her to pull out of Linz, essentially taking her participation in the year-ending WTA Championships next week out of her hands (after she'd had a chance to put herself into the 8th spot if she'd beaten A-Rad in the Beijing final). Now, the only way she'll get to play in Istanbul is if multiple players pull out of the field with injuries. On the court, Sabine Lisicki was knocked out in the Linz 1st Round by Alberta Brianti, while Julia Goerges went down in the 2nd to Rodina (after having barely escaped the 1st Round herself, saving two match points against Anastasija Sevastova). On the bright side, Angelique Kerber managed to reach both the singles and doubles SF in Osaka, while Goerges rebounded to reach the Linz doubles final with Anna-Lena Groenefeld. Naturally, though, the all-German pair lost to a Kiwi and a Hordette.
=============================
ITF PLAYER: Casey Dellacqua/AUS
...Casey is positively on fire! The Aussie claimed her fifth challenger of the year (tying her for the circuit lead), and fourth in a row, in the $25K Down Under in Kalgoorlie. After defeating countrywoman Monique Adamczak in the final, Dellacqua is currently on a 20-match winning streak. She and Olivia Rogowska picked up the doubles title, too. It's their sixth ITF win of the season, and this is the third time in '11 that Dellacqua has managed a sweep of both crowns in a challenger event.
=============================
JUNIOR STAR: Anna Karolina Schmiedlova/SVK
...three weeks ago, the 17-year old Slovak claimed her first G1 event on the junior circuit. This past week, she went to Armenia and won her first career ITF event, a $10K challenger in Yerevan in which she defeated Georgian Tatia Mikadze in the final.
=============================


1. Linz SF - Kvitova d. Jankovic
...4-6/6-4/6-3. JJ gave Kvitova her best test of the week, but the Czech won to make her 2011 semifinal record 6-1. Her only loss? That ugly implosion against Zvonareva a few weeks ago in Tokyo.
=============================
2. Osaka Final - Bartoli d. Stosur
...6-3/6-1. Stosur hit zero aces (w/ 2 DF) and failed to convert either of her paltry two break point opportunities.
=============================
3. Linz Final - Kvitova d. Cibulkova
...6-4/6-1. Some serving stats: Kvitova was 67% on her 1st serve, winning 55%, and won 68% on her 2nd. Cibulkova's 1st serve percentage was just 46%. Maybe Kvitova DOES want to be "Ms. Backspin," after all. What Petra Wants, Petra Gets? We shall see.
=============================
4. $50K Troy, Alabama Final - Romina Oprandi/ITA d. Varvara Lepchenko/USA
...6-1/6-2. A week ago in Kansas City, it was Lepchenko defeating Oprandi in the final for a $50K title.
=============================
5. Linz 2nd Rd - Rodionova d. Pennetta - walkover
Linz Doubles 2nd Rd - Dekmeijere/Martic d. Dulko/Pennetta 3-0 ret.
...Dulko & Pennetta qualified for the WTA Championships field and a shot to defend their '10 title. But both are bringing injury questions -- Dulko's lower back, Pennetta's right thigh -- along with them to Istanbul.
=============================
6. $25K St.Cugat Final - Reka-Luca Jani/HUN d. Margalita Chaknashvili/GEO
...6-4/6-2. Reka-Luca Jani! Reka-Luca Jani! Reka-Luca Jani! (For the fourth time on the ITF circuit this year.)
=============================
7. Pan American Junior Final (Tulsa, Oklahoma) - Taylor Townsend/USA d. Chalena Scholl/USA
...6-1/7-5. The 15-year old (seeded #11), who made some noise at the U.S. Open, knocked off her fellow American, the #14 seed to claim the Grade B1 event.
=============================
8. $50K Joue-Les-Tours Doubles Final - Kichenok/Kichenok (UKR/UKR) d. Georgatou/Pavlovic (GRE/FRA)
...6-2/6-0. The Sisters Update continues, with the Ukranian twins -- Nadiya and Lyudmyla -- stepping into the Week 41 spotlight.
=============================


**2011 WTA TITLES**
6...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
5...PETRA KVITOVA, CZE
3...Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
3...Roberta Vinci, ITA

**2011 WTA FINALS**
8...Caroline Wozniacki (6-2)
6...PETRA KVITOVA (5-1)
5...MARION BARTOLI (2-3)
4...Maria Sharapova (2-2)
4...Vera Zvonareva (2-2)
4...SAMANTHA STOSUR (1-3)

**2011 WILD CARD TITLISTS**
Monterray - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
College Park - Nadia Petrova, RUS
Cincinnati - Maria Sharapova, RUS
Linz - PETRA KVITOVA, CZE
Osaska - MARION BARTOLI, FRA

**2011 CHAMPIONS - BY RANK**
10...#1-5 (#4-Kvitova)
8...#6-10
9...#11-20 (#11-Bartoli)

**2011 - BY NATION**
[SF - 30 different nations]
29...Russia
20...Czech Republic
19...Germany
15...Italy
13...China
[Finals - 26 different nations]
14...Russia (7 wins)
12...Czech Republic (6)
8...Denmark (6)
7...Germany (4), Australia (3), France (2)

**HIGHEST-RANKED PLAYERS WITHOUT A CAREER TITLE**
#16 - Peng Shuai, CHN
#20 - Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
#29 - Angelique Kerber, GER
#31 - Petra Cetkovska, CZE
#34 - Monica Niculescu, ROU
#39 - Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU
#42 - Christina McHale, USA
#47 - Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
#49 - Petra Martic, CRO
#50 - Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP

**OLDEST 2011 CHAMPIONS**
41 - Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN (1 Doubles)
38 - Lisa Raymond, USA (3 Doubles)
36 - Kveta Peschke, CZE (2 Doubles)
35 - Kveta Peschke, CZE (4 Doubles)
34 - Liezel Huber, USA (4 Doubles)

**RACE FOR THE FINAL 8**
[Top 8 Advance to Istanbul]
1. Caroline Wozniacki (7395)
2. Maria Sharapova (6370)
3. Petra Kvitova (5970)
4. Victoria Azarenka (5590)
5. Li Na (5351)
6. Vera Zvonareva (5190)
7. Samantha Stosur (5115)
8. Agnieszka Radwanska (4940)
9. Marion Bartoli (4610)
10. Andrea Petkovic (4580)





MOSCOW, RUSSIA (Premier $1m/hard indoor)
10 Final: Azarenka d. Kirilenko
11 Top Seeds: Zvonareva/A.Radwanska
10 Doubles Champions: Dulko/Pennetta
=============================
=SF=
#1 Zvonareva d. #3 Bartoli
#2 A.Radwanska d. Kanepi
=FINAL=
#2 A.Radwanska d. #1 Zvonareva

...A-Rad's late-season ride continues, as she wraps up a berth in Istanbul. Final 8 players beware? Of course, this pick likely means that Bartoli will win the title.


LUXEMBOURG, LUXEMBOURG (Int'l $220K/hard outdoor)
10 Final: Vinci d. Goerges
11 Top Seeds: Azarenka/Pavlyuchenko
10 Doubles Champions: Bacsinszky/Garbin
=============================
=SF=
#6 Goerges d. #1 Azarenka
#5 Ivanovic d. #3 Lisicki
=FINAL=
#5 Ivanovic d. #6 Goerges

...I should probably go with Azarenka, but I'm leary of her recent injury situation. Plus, she could face doubles partner Kirilenko in the QF. AnaIvo and Goerges have been good indoor players in the past, so...


PAN AMERICAN GAMES (Guadalajara, MEX)
07 Champions: Sequera/VEN (singles), Cravero & Jozami, ARG (doubles)
11 Top Seeds: McHale/Falconi
=============================
=SF=
#3 Duque-Marino/COL d. #1 McHale/USA
#8 Castano/COL d. #6 Alves/BRA
=FINAL=
#3 Duque-Marino d. #8 Castano

...one would expect the South American players who dominate the field to dominate the results, as well, but two Bannerettes head up both ends of the draw.


Next up, the "2011 Regional Honors" and "2012 Market Tips." 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.

Read more...

2012 All-Intriguing Team

Hmmm, there are two ways to look at the WTA tour at this time of year. One, of course, that there's less than a month remaining in this unpredictable 2011 season. And, two, that we're also less than three months away from seeing the 2012 campaign kick off Down Under with the promise for more "clarity" to arise once again pristine and hopeful. But, as we've learned throughout this season, disappointment could soon turn to celebration, and vice versa, for any and every woman on tour... and we're not long from knowing the difference between whatever is reality, and what is fiction, when it comes to a player's future.

So, with one foot clearly in both the present, as well as the past, whose not-too-distant future would seem to be the most fitting of inclusion on the "2012 All-Intriguing Team," at least from where we stand today? Well, here are a few to consider:


SERENA WILLIAMS, USA
THE GOOD?: Feeling as if she has something to prove once again, a fitter-than-ever Serena takes on the '12 season with never-before-seen (even from her) intensity and further cements her place in tennis history. Heading into Melbourne as the favorite, she wins her sixth AO title, kicking off a season in which she regains the #1 ranking, wins multiple slam titles (to get within shouting distance of Navratilova and Evert's total of 18 each on the all-time list) and pads her "Greatest of All Time" resume. With the Olympic tennis tournament being held at the All-England Club, Williams seizes upon likely her last opportunity (if she was still around in '16, she'd be 34 in Rio, and the Brazilian Olympic tennis event might be held on clay) to join Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi as the only players in professional tennis history to claim all six of the major singles titles in the sport -- the four slams, their tour's year-end championship event and the Olympic Gold.
THE BAD?: The (new, or old) health issues crop up again, causing Serena to take a step back from her career. Serena lets her anger get the best of her in another crucial slam situation, and the WTA finally caves in to outside pressure and suspends her.
=============================
PETRA KVITOVA, CZE
THE GOOD?: Kvitova climbed into the Top 5, won titltes on all surfaces, led her Czech team into the Fed Cup finals and won Wimbledon in '11. Still, "Good Petra" and "Bad Petra" were often at odds, as she showed a tendency to go from world-beater to gift-giver in a matter of moments in some matches, and took many months to escape the long shadow of her SW19 heroics. But with her title in Linz pulling her out of a potential confidence-crushing tailspin, she finishes strong in 2011 and carries over her momentum into 2012. Kvitova wins another slam, rising to claim the role as the only true threat to a healthy Serena Williams in the WTA field, leading to a pair of titanic summertime match-ups with the American on the grass at Wimbledon, the last of which decides the Olympic champion.
THE BAD?: Kvitova can't escape her worse tendencies, occasionally pulling off some huge results that whet the appetite for more, only to slide back into the shadows for months on end afterward, setting the course for a good career, but one with a great deal of "what if's."
=============================
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI, DEN
THE GOOD?: Realizing that she risks being swallowed up by the unrush of other improving players from her generation (plus a healthy and refocused Serena), Wozniacki accepts her critics' opinions as valid and voluntarily learns to insert a little more aggression into her game while not sacrificing her defensive "comfort zone." Before the end of '12, she puts everything together on the hard courts of North America and reaches her second career final at the U.S. Open. Facing off with another slam-less player with "big stage issues," the Dane manages the pressure better than her opponent and walks away with her first major title, silencing her critics, getting herself over a huge career "hump," and allowing herself to mentally relax and enter 2013 having nothing to prove to anyone. Suddenly, the #1 ranking "isn't as important as it once was" to her, though she admits "it'd be nice to get it back and not have anyone question whether I deserved it THIS time."
THE BAD?: What are the chances Wozniacki finishes yet another season at #1 in 2012 without winning a slam? If she does, but has another campaign like the one she's had in '11, will her season be able to be deemed a true "success?" Another scenario: distracted by off-court opportunities, a budding (or broken, take your pick) romance, and after becoming increasingly more upset in post-match press conferences (many more of which take place after losses to "less accomplished" players), Wozniacki's on-court smiles disappear, replaced by visible frustration and accompanied by stories bringing up the career slides of other young women's stars. 2012 ends with Wozniacki in a very bad place, and most everyone declaring her chances of ever winning an elusive slam title a "pipe dream."
=============================
THE GERMANS
THE GOOD?: Following in the footsteps of '11 slam champions from China (new winner's circle blood), Australia and the Czech Republic (old/new blood), the Germans awaken the ghost of Steffi Graf and make Deutschland the latest nation to introduce a little variety into the mix of women's major winners in '12. This season has surely shown the signs of good things to come, as Julia Goerges looked every bit the potential star while winning Stuttgart and getting two wins over world #1 Wozniacki, Sabine Lisicki and Angelique Kerber both reached slam SF, and Andrea Petkovic (the highest-ranked German) was the only woman on tour to reach three slam QF in '11. In fact, the only nation with more slam QF results this season than Germany's five was the always-plentiful-in-number horde of Russians (7).
THE BAD?: Goerges' inconsistency continues to bedevil her progress. Kerber's U.S. Open run turns out to have been little more than a "fluke" result. Lisicki's great comeback from her injury-riddled past turns out to be short-lived, as her body lets her down again. Petkovic's tricky knee injury history (making a unwanted cameo appearance the last few months) becomes even trickier.
=============================
JELENA DOKIC, AUS
THE GOOD?: After experiencing yet another career resurgence in '11 -- her second in three seasons -- and winning her first tour title since 2002, Dokic follows the previous path of Justine Henin by finding belated peace of mind off the court through the reconciliation of her broken family. For the Belgian (in '07), such a scenario helped push her toward one of the greatest-ever seasons by any woman. For Dokic, it means winning multiple tour singles titles, returning to the Top 20 for the first time since '03, and making (at least) a QF run at a slam.
THE BAD?: After having credited the support of her brother Savo (and boyfriend Tino) with helping her return to the tour winner's circle after a nine-year absence, Dokic followed through with her sibling's wishes in recent weeks and returned to the (oft-troubled) family fold back in Belgrade with her father Damir. After everyone waits for the seemingly inevitable family breakup to occur, it finally does, sending Dokic off onto another of the emotional tangents that have so often made her tennis career an incidental afterthought when compared to the tabloid merry-go-round that has been her personal life.
=============================


AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA, POL
THE GOOD?: In the latter stages of '11, Radwanska smartly added just enough aggression to her game, and improved her first serve enough to be able to wield it as an important weapon on big points. The tweaks to her game made a world of difference as Radwanska, who'd previously seen enough players from her generation -- and a few vets -- pass her by to finally drop her out of the Top 10, has proven to be THE move-and-shaker of the season's final months. Back-to-back Premier wins in Tokyo and Beijing showed the always-crafty Pole to, for the first time, also be capable of delivering an occasional knock-out punch against players who are consistently more powerful than she off the ground. Entering '12 with the chance to dream of things potentially "bigger" than seemed possible in seasons past, Radwanska has a career year, threatening to climb into the Top 5 and reaching her first slam SF, with a decent shot to spring an even better result.
THE BAD?: 2011's late-season surge isn't sustainable, and Radwanska's second serve continues to be a liability. Sensing the need to overcompensate in big matches, A-Rad moves out of her comfort zone by being TOO aggressive TOO often, setting herself up for more errors than her game in capable of overcoming against top players with the ability to out-hit her in big stage matches.
=============================
VENUS WILLIAMS, USA
THE GOOD?: With her fatigue-inducing Sjogren's Syndrome finally diagnosed and being treated, Venus -- much like Serena -- approaches her '12 season with a new lease on her tennis life. With the Olympic tennis event being held at Wimbledon, the timing couldn't be more perfect. Already a three-time Gold Medalist (one singles/two doubles), Williams arrives in London on the cusp of setting an Olympic tennis standard that may never be broken. A fourth career Gold comes, and possibly even a fifth.
THE BAD?: While battling injuries the last two years, Venus has only played in one non-slam event (and just seven overall) over the past seventeen months. Even with the diagnosis and treatment of her Sjogren's Syndrome, time might be Williams' biggest opponent. She'll be 32 by the time Wimbledon and the Olympics roll around, and the only woman to win an Open era slam at that age or older was Martina Navratilova, at age 33 at Wimbledon in 1990. The odds are against her ever enjoying such a moment in the singles spotlight again.
=============================
VICTORIA AZARENKA, BLR
THE GOOD?: Finally learning to better contain her sometimes-damaging on-court anger issues, Azarenka raised the bar for her career this year, reaching a career-high rank and her first slam semifinal. In 2012, she continues her climb, reaching her first slam final... and maybe even beating good friend Wozniacki into the major winner's circle.
THE BAD?: After seeming to finally overcome her past injury questions, Azarenka's 2011 campaign has lapsed into another series of ailments and retirements in recent weeks, making it easy to wonder if the Belarusian will EVER be able to overcome the "one step forward, one and a half steps back" pattern of her career. So far, she's avoided the sort of major injury that takes her off court for months on end... but her body's seeming fragility might mean it's only a matter of time before that changes.
=============================
THE AMERICANS
THE GOOD?: After years of hand-wringing over the lack of young talent, U.S. women's tennis got an injection of excitment at Flushing Meadows in '11. A series of them, actually, as a team of New Generation Bannerettes played starring roles in their nation's slam. For the first time in ages, the U.S. had as many 1st Round winners in NYC as Russia. Christina McHale emerged as the player on the leading edge of the new group of players, putting up wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova and Caroline Wozniacki on the season. With more eyes on their development, 2012 sees the 19-year old McHale post an early-season title to become the first U.S. teen since 2006 to be crowned a WTA champion, and only the second since Serena Williams stormed to the U.S. Open title at 17 in '99. Meanwhile, both Sloane Stephens and the hard-serving Madison Keys, with the latter being the young American player with the sort of big game that most resembles that of the sort of power players one will always have to stand toe-to-toe with on the path to grand slam success, continue their progress, while the juniors produce at least one more Girls slam champion (following in the footsteps of Grace Min's surprise win at the Open in September).
THE BAD?: Once again, it was a false alarm. The promise shown by so many of the Bannerettes at the U.S. Open proves to be an adrenaline-fueled boomlet that the actual talent of the young Americans is unable to back up. Shades of the diminutive Melanie Oudin, and the overhyped Ashley Harkleroad. The new U.S. players begin to fill out the Top 50 rankings -- which is still more than be said for the previous post-Williams Sisters breakthrough generation -- but none prove to be consistent threats to the top players, and only one (McHale?) proves hearty enough to even climb into the Top 20 for any appreciable amount of time over the next few years.
=============================
VANIA KING & YAROSLAVA SHVEDOVA, USA/KAZ
THE GOOD?: Even with a relatively small sample to look back upon, it's pretty obvious that these two have great chemistry on the doubles court. With most of the top women's doubles teams -- Huber/Raymond, Peschke/Srebotnik, Dulko/Pennetta -- beginning to show some age (some more than others, at least as far as their birth certificates are concerned, even if their results might belie it), these two might have the market cornered on being THE team to beat in the big events over the course of the next three-to-five years. With two slam titles already in their column, King and Shvedova look to potentially have a long, fruitful future together on the doubles courts. In 2012, they rise to the very top of the heap, with either one or both taking their turn in the #1 ranking.
THE BAD?: Ironically, the improving singles results -- especially King's -- that might be partly attributed to this pair's doubles triumphs end up becoming a "distraction" that takes away from the even greater things that the King/Shvedova duo might be able to accomplish as a TEAM.
=============================


Kaia Kanepi, EST: She opened the season behind the eight ball. Coming off a year in which she finished in the Top 25 for the first time, won her maiden tour title and reached two slam QF, Kanepi was forced to play through a broken bone in her left forearm. Although she grabbed a few "signature" wins -- over Petkovic, Pennetta and Wozniacki -- '11 has surely been a disappointment after so many breakthroughs in '10. With a better start in '12, maybe she'll be able to finally pick up where she left off a year ago. Or maybe 2010 was just her "career year."

The Romanians: The Swarmettes have sparked at big events in '11, upsetting Li Na and Petra Kvitova in the opening days of the U.S. Open, and Monica Niculescu reaching the 4th Round in New York and SF in Beijing in recent outings. Three different young Romanians reached at least the tour singles semifinal stage this season, but none won titles. The foundation for widespread Romanian success seems to be strengthening, but it's been thirty-three years since a Romanian won a slam title, and thirty-one since one reached a slam final. Heck, it's even already been fourteen years (!!!) since Irina Spirlea's controvery-heavy run to the U.S. Open final four back in '97.

Kim Clijsters, BEL: Will 2012 be her swan song? Will she even make it to 2012, or all the way through it? A defense attempt of her '11 AO title, as well as the Olympics (KC's never been an Olympian, choosing to skip the event in '04, and in retirement in '08), remain as possibilities to tempt her to hang on for a bit longer after pretty much a "lost" season dominated by injury since February.

Dinara Safina, RUS: Will she? Won't she? Was Marat simply spilling the "retirement beans" a little early? If the star-crossed Russian does indeed "eventually" return from her back injury sabbatical, how long will it take... or her comeback attempt last?

Caroline Garcia, FRA: If you're looking for the next teenager to make her mark, the Pastry might be the first to cast a hopeful glance toward as '12 begins. Along with being the only player to reach the Girls SF at all four junior slams (reaching the final at Flushing Meadows), Garcia nearly captured lightning in a bottle in Paris when she led Maria Sharapova 6-3/4-1 at Roland Garros before her youth finally caught up to her. Of course, the tour hasn't exactly been a terribly hospitable place for teenagers of late. Tour titles won by teens have gone from eleven to four to one the last three seasons, and the last non-Russian teenager to win a slam crown was Serena Williams in 1999.

Lauren Embree, USA (Univ. of Florida): The Gator led the University of Florida's comeback -- escaping her own 4-0 3rd set hole in UF's 3-1 deficit in the best-of-seven match final -- against Stanford in the NCAA team final (ending the Cardinal's 184-match home winning streak), and then reached the SF in women's singles. Is she (or teammate Allie Will) the early pick for 2012 NCAA champion? No Gator woman has been crowned champion since Jill Craybas in 1996, and Lisa Raymond (1992-93) not long before her.



**TITLES AT ALL FOUR SLAMS, YEAR-END CHSP. & OLYMPICS**
[Have Won All 6 Major Singles Crowns in Careers]
Andre Agassi - 3 AO, 1 RG, 1 WI, 2 US, 1 ATP, 1 Olympic singles Gold
Steffi Graf - 4 AO, 6 RG, 7 WI, 5 US, 5 WTA, 1 Olympic singles Gold
[Need Only Olympic Gold]
Roger Federer - 4 AO, 1 RG, 6 WI, 5 US, 5 ATP, 0 Olympic singles Gold (has 1 Doubles)
Serena Williams - 5 AO, 1 RG, 4 WI, 3 US, 2 WA, 0 Olympic singles Gold (has 2 Doubles)
[Close to Winning All 6 Titles]
Novak Djokovic - 2 AO, 0 RG, 1 WI, 1 US, 1 ATP, 0 Olympic singles Gold (needs RG/Olympics)
Rafael Nadal - 1 AO, 6 RG, 2 WI,1 US, 0 ATP, 1 Olympic singles Gold (needs ATP Finals)
Maria Sharapova - 1 AO, 0 RG, 1 WI, 1 US, 1 WTA, 0 Olympic singles Gold (needs RG/Olympics)


The 2011 "Regional Honors" (w/ "2012 Market Tips") arrive next on the season review scene.

All for now.

Read more...