Monday, July 04, 2016

W 8.0 - Around and Around and Around and Around the Grounds

And around and around and...




=DAY 8 NOTES=
...in yet another match-packed schedule at this rainy Wimbledon, the jigsaw puzzle pieces of the women's singles draw began to finally be locked into place. Today alone, the field of sixteen women remaining in the singles draw were cut in half over the course of eight matches, most played simultaneously in exhaustive fashion with one, two or (I believe, briefly) three other matches around the grounds of the AELTC.

Once again, I'm going to cut this recap in half. I'll cover six of the singles matches here, then what turned out be yet another classic encounter between Aga Radwanska and Dominika Cibulkova, as well as the potential turning of a corner (oh, maybe I just sealed her fate by saying that) on Simona Halep's recent slam result slide, a bit later. Thus...

#4 Angelique Kerber def. Misaki Doi 6-3/6-1
...in Melbourne, Doi held a MP vs. Kerber in the 1st Round. But after she failed to convert it, the German won their match and then six more, taking her maiden slam title with a win in the final over Serena Williams. It never came to that today.

Kerber broke her fellow lefty's serve for 2-1 in the 1st, and took the set at 6-3. Doi had fifteen winners in the set, but seventeen unforced errors, as well. In the 2nd, Kerber ran away from the first-time slam Round of 16er, racing to a 5-0 lead. Doi saved two MP and got on the board in game #6, but Kerber promptly served things out a game later.



#21 Anastasia Pavlyuchenova def. #27 CoCo Vandweghe 6-3/6-3
...I'm not sure anyone saw this one coming. And, truthfully, probably not too many people really even SAW more than bits and pieces of this match, as it took place while two others (including Aga/Domi) were taking place, and another two were getting ready to begin.

While the talent of Pavlyuchenkova, a former junior star, has always been known, and she's managed to win eight titles and reach two slam QF (though they were five years ago) over the course of her career, she's also always been viewed as an undependable underachiever. So much more was expected of her. But inconsistency and a lingering lack of fitness has always dogged her results. Meanwhile, Vandeweghe has grown into a star on the grass courts. So much so that she twice played on Centre Court in her first three matches at this Wimbledon, one year after a QF run and star-making battle (though a losing one) with Maria Sharapova. She entered this match sporting an 11-1 season record on grass, and having faced just two BP (losing both) in the entire tournament, by far the fewest of the remaining sixteen women.

But a similar storyline didn't play out today on Court 18, for either woman.

With Vandeweghe's serve misfiring, Pavlyuchenkova went up love/40 in game #4, locking away the break for a 3-1 lead. After saving two BP a game later, Pavlyuchenkova lost her own serve in game #7 as the Bannerette closed to 4-3. But the Russian broke Vandeweghe again the very next game, equaling the number of breaks of CoCo's serve through three matches in just four service games today. Serving for the set, Pavlyuchenkova held for 6-3. For the set, Vandeweghe committed twelve unforced errors (to the Russian's three) while dropping her first set at this Wimbledon. But it was her service stats that were truly worrisome, as Vandeweghe's entire game is dependent on her biggest weapon, as she served at just a 38% clip on 1st serves.

Nothing changed in the 2nd set, either. Pavlyuchenkova opened with another break of Vandeweghe's serve. On her fourth BP of game #7, Pavlyuchenkova went up a double break at 5-2. taking a three-deuce game with a forehand winner. A game later, Vandeweghe went up love/40 on the Russian's serve and finally ended her 1-for-7 BP conversion stretch to get one of the breaks back. But after getting this far on the back of her serve, Vandeweghe couldn't solidify the break and saw her Wimbledon run fizzle out in inferior fashion. She dropped serve for a fifth time with a forehand error on MP, ending the 1:11 match that gives the Hordette her first QF result in ten trips to SW19.



Vandeweghe improved her 1st serve percentage to 56% in the 2nd, but won just 47% of those she got in. For the match, she served at just 49% after having averaged 56% through three rounds. She won just 52% of her 1st serve points, far off the nearly 85% in her previous 2016 matches at SW19.



Meanwhile, the noticably more fit Pavlyuchenkova is suddenly looking potentially dangerous. Better late than never, I suppose.

Yaroslava Shvedova def. #28 Lucie Safarova 6-2/6-4
...Safarova had already had an eventful Wimbledon before this match. The '14 semifinalist came back from 7-6/5-2, then 5-3 in the 3rd, while saving three MP in the 1st Round vs. doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands, then saved another MP vs. Jana Cepelova, who served for the match, in the 3rd Round as she took a 12-10 final set from the qualifier.

It wasn't as close today.

28-year old Kazakh Shvedova came into today having already reached slam QF as an unseeded (2010 RG) player and qualifier (2012 RG), and she made it a hat trick by completing another unseeded run today, her first at Wimbledon. The #96-ranked player decided to retrieve her old rackets for this trip to Europe after having recently had difficulty adapting to her current equipment. Obviously, the comfort level made quite a bit of difference.

She got an early break in the 1st for a 2-1 lead and never looked back, winning 6-2. She took a break lead in the 2nd in the opening game, as Safarova double-faulted twice, the second coming on BP. Never facing a BP on her own serve in the match, Shvedova fired seven total aces in a straight sets win. Safarova, still finding her way back from illness but having shown tantalizing glimpses in London of the form and fight that got her into a RG final and Wimbledon semi over an eleven-month stretch in 2014-15, committed twice as many errors (21-10) in the match.



#1 Serena Williams def. #13 Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5/6-0
#8 Venus Williams def. #14 Carla Suarez-Navarro 7-6(3)/6-4
...once more, the Williams Sisters were involved in "dueling" matches in the thick of a grand slam.



Ultimately, they both went through in straight sets, gaining strength as their matches progressed.

On Centre Court, Serena played her first match since getting career slam win #300 and beginning her 300th overall week as the world #1. She was on her game from the start, firing three aces and a service winner to hold for 2-1 in the 1st set, then going up 3-1 when Kuznetsova double-faulted on BP. But the Russian got back on serve in game #5, finally converting on her fifth BP chance, then again breaking Williams with a backhand winner four games later to take a 5-4 lead. She had the chance to serve for the set a game later, but put in a DF to fall down 15/30 and was broken back in a game in which Serena forced three additional errors out of the Russian.

Serena slipped and did a split at the service "T" not long before play was stopped due to rain and the roof closed at 5-5. When the players returned, Williams held for 6-5, then broke Kuznetsova on her second BP of game #12 with a return off the baseline that forced another Kuznetsova error as Serena took a 7-5 set. In the 2nd, Williams simply seized control and squeezed tightly. Out-hitting Kuznetsova 14-0 in winners for the set, Serena smacked five aces and took the set at love, completing a sweep of the final nine games of the 1:15 match. In all, Williams had fourteen aces (vs. just two DF) on the day (Kuznetsova had 0 and 5), as well as a 43-8 edge in winners. She won 28 of 38 1st serve points.



In a match largely played simultaneously with Serena's on Court 1, Venus faced a stiff early test of her own from Carla Suarez-Navarro. The Spaniard got an early break and led 4-2. She, too, served for the 1st set vs. a Williams at 5-4. But like Kuznetsova, she also failed to complete the task. Williams went up love/30, reached BP with CSN's backhand error and earned the break with a forehand winner that made it 5-5. She then held at love before Suarez-Navarro followed suit to force a tie-break. Venus took a quick 4-1 lead before rain interrupted play at 4-2. But she, just like her sister, was the player who emerged from the locker room in championship form. She won three of the four points played out of the break, taking the TB 7-3.

Williams got the early break for 2-1 with a forehand volley winner, then saw CSN get back on serve at 3-3. But Venus got the break back one game later and solidified it with a hold for 5-3. Two games later, Williams served for her first Wimbledon QF since 2010. She held at love, finishing off the match with back-to-back forehand winners. At 36, she's the oldest in the Final 8 at SW19 since a 37-year old Martina Navratilova reached the final in 1994 (losing to CSN's Fed Cup Captain, Conchita Martinez).




Thus, the "Backspin What If...?" Venus/Pavlyuchenkova final pulled out of the sky seven years ago is STILL in play with eight women remaining. For now, anyway.



Elena Vesnina def. Ekaterina Makarova 5-7/6-1/9-7
...in a match-up of doubles partners, Vesnina outlasted Makarova to reach her first career slam singles QF. As one might expect, it was a struggle for the Russian to get over the finish line.

After taking a break lead in the 1st for 2-0, and led 3-0 and 4-1, Vesnina saw Makarova get back on serve and knot the score at 4-4. Vesnina got within two points of the set in game #10, but Marakova held serve then served for the set at 6-5. In a three-deuce game, she did. Vesnina again took an early break lead in the 2nd, going up 2-0 with a Makarova DF and coasting to a 6-1 win. In the 3rd, Vesnina served for the match at 5-4, only to broken after falling down 15/40. Makarova saved two BP in game #13 and held for 7-6, but it was Vesnina who surged in the closing moment, winning the final ten points of the match, ending the 2:47 match with ace.



...in doubles, one day after The Bracelet was the star of her and Jelena Jankovic's doubles win over the Chan sisters, it was Aleksandra Krunic who was the Serb whose game was off today as the duo lost to the veteran pair of Anna-Lena Groenefeld & 40-year old Kveta Peshke.

The commentators on the ESPN Watch coverage argued a bit over whether the Czech had actually yet turned 40 years old, with the Brit who had stated as such eventually succumbing to the pressure of his American partner on this July 4th when he saw that her birthday is, in fact, five days from now. In fact, it IS true that Peschke's birthday is July 9. But she was born in 1975, so she actually turned 40 LAST year, and the semi-bullying U.S.-born announcer (a former player from the Sampras/Agassi/Courier era, though I'm sure who it was since they never put the announcer names on the screen) got his way.

Next year: Trump goes to Wimbledon! (Hopefully, he won't be otherwise engaged in a large residence not that far away from Backspin HQ.)

Elsewhere, #1 Hingis/Mirza allowed just one game to McHale/Ostapenko while advancing to the QF along with Groenefeld/Peschke and Goerges/Ka.Pliskova. Makarova & Vesnina returned at the end of the day to face off with Beck/Wickmayer in a 3rd Round match, but play was called due to darkness with the teams tied one set each.

The Dashas won, though, as Gavrilova & Kasatkina reached the Round of 16 with a victory over Doi/Svitolina.



...junior action got into full swing on Monday, and a Top 5 girls seed was sent out as #5-seeded Hordette Elena Rybakina lost to Bannerette Claire Liu.

In all, the British Crumpets went 3-8 in the 1st Round, with losses today from #12 Katie Swan (via retirement vs.Georgian qualifier Mariam Bolkvadze), Emily Appleton (to Italy's Tatiana Pieri) and Maria Lumsden (to Spanish qualifier Paula Arias Manjon). Local favorites still alive include Jodie Anna Burrage, Francesca Jones and Gabriella Taylor.

Meanwhile, another Italian, Lucrezia Stefanini took out #13 Kaja Juvan (SLO), while #1-seeded Russian Olesya Pervushina needed three sets to defeat Bannerette Maria Mateas 4-6/7-6(1)/6-2. (So, yes, I very nearly Kuznetsova Cursed the Hordette by picking her to win the title.)


LIKE ON DAY 8:

They came...




They saw...




They ate...




In the 100th anniversary edition of the traditional July 4th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, New York it was 32-year old eight-time former champion Joey Chestnut dethroning Matt Stonie, reclaiming his throne atop the competitive eating world in a blowout victory of indigestional proportions over the 23-year old. Chestnut, who won eight straight titles from 2007-14, set a contest record by consuming 70 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, defeating 2nd place Stonie's total of 53 (nine fewer than his Mustard Belt-winning total of 62 from last year, when a slumping Chestnut downed only 60).

And in the wake of his great career victory, Chestnut did NOT "pull a Bartoli/Pennetta," vowing to return again in 2017, proving once more that hot dog eating champions never die... they just spend the afternoon in the rest room.



Meanwhile, in the women's competition, Miki Sudo won her third straight title, using a last minute surge to eat a total of 38.5 hot dogs and buns to defeat three-time champ Sonya Thomas' 2nd place total of 35.



DISLIKE ON DAY 8: Really, ESPN? Just because you're showing Wimbledon on ESPN and ESPN2 doesn't mean one of your other 1002 channels can't carry the traditional so-dumb-it's-a-July-4th-must-see holiday event live on an actual network outlet, rather than forcing people to go to Watch ESPN to see the festivities before a replay on the BIG network three hours later.

And on the 100th anniversary, no less!

I mean, everyone knows we have an inalienable right to watch something stupid on the nation's birthday, right? I'm pretty sure the Founding Fathers included something about that in the Constitution, right after the part about maintaining a well-regulated militia. Of course, most people do tend to only recognize what they want to see in that section of the document.




This decision only opened the doors for Americans to openly flaunt their stupidity to a worldwide audience, as well.



So there's that. I mean, haven't we seen enough of that sort of thing during the Republican presidential nomination process? Way to go, ESPN.

Sigh.

LIKE ON DAY 8:



Truthfully, I think it's been clear for a while. And not just at this tournament, either. It's not even close, really.


LIKE ON DAY 8: Big fish in a big pond.



OPINION ON DAY 8: Fireworks.

Don't like 'em. Don't get 'em. Never have. I just don't understand the fascination. Once you've seen a big show once, why on earth would you ever have a reason to see another? And as far as the backyard variety... what's the big thrill in setting off mini-bombs? Not to mention losing fingers and eyes. Also... too loud.

'Nuff said.

POSSIBILITY ON DAY 8?: Kim Clijsters' stomach is making a comeback...



SHE-MAKES-IT-SO-EASY-SOMETIMES ON DAY 8: I'm assuming this is a promise, not a threat. :)

Good bye @wimbledon ?? it's been a thrill ?? and I will be back ?? Thank you for all the good vibes ?? !

A photo posted by Alizé Cornet (@alizecornet) on



ASSUMPTION ON DAY 8:



Jelena Ostapenko is behind this. Somehow.

(She was angry about winning just one game vs. Hingis/Mirza, I suspect... but Broady didn't get hurt because she at least won her MX match today.)

LIKE ON DAY 8: More Sania, day-by-day... annnnnnd launch.



LIKE ON DAY 8: The wisdom of Venus...



"Ummmm..." ON DAY 8:





*LADIES' SINGLES QF*
#1 Serena Williams/USA vs. #21 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
#19 Dominika Cibulkova/SVK vs. Elena Vesnina/RUS
#5 Simona Halep/ROU vs. #4 Angelique Kerber/GER
#8 Venus Williams/USA vs. Yaroslava Shvedova/KAZ

*LADIES' DOUBLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Hingis/Mirza (SUI/IND) def. McHale/Ostapenko (USA/LAT)
Konta/Sanchez (GBR/USA) vs. #5 Babos/Shvedova (HUN/KAZ)
Groenefeld/Peschke (GER/GER) def. Jankovic/Krunic (SRB/SRB)
#10 Atawo/Spears (USA/USA) vs. Gavrilova/Kasatkina (AUS/RUS)
#6 Hlavackova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE) vs. Williams/Williams (USA/USA)
Krajicek/Strycova (NED/CZE) vs. x
#8 Goerges/Ka.Pliskova (GER/CZE) def. Broady/Watson (GBR/GBR)
#14 Medina-Garriues/Parra-Santonja (ESP/ESP) vs. #2 Garcia/Mladenovic (FRA/FRA)

*MIXED DOUBLES ROUND OF 16*
x/x vs. x/x
#11 Srebotnik/Matkowski (SLO/POL) vs. Parra-Santonja/S.Gonzalez (ESP/MEX)
Dabrowski/Monroe (CAN/USA) vs. #15 Groenefeld/Farah (GER/COL)
#10 Klepac/Peya (SLO/AUT) vs. #6 Hlavackova/Kubot (CZE/POL)
Ostapenko/March (LAT/AUT) vs. x/x
#13 An.Rodionova/Bopanna (AUS/IND) vs. Duque/Cabal (COL/COL)
#5 YJ.Chan/Zimonjic (TPE/SRB) vs. Kudryavtseva/Lipsky (RUS/USA)
#16 Hingis/Paes (SUI/IND) vs. x/x





First time Olympian!!! #roadtorio????

A photo posted by Daria Gavrilova (@daria_gav) on





Monday morning's

A photo posted by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on





*2016 WIMBLEDON WOMEN'S FINAL 8*
[by career slam QF]
45...Serena Williams, USA
36...Venus Williams, USA
7...Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
6...Simona Halep, ROU
6...Angelique Kerber, GER
3...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
3...Yaroslava Shvedova, KAZ
1...Elena Vesnina, RUS
[by career WI QF]
12 - Serena Williams
12 - Venus Williams
3 - Angelique Kerber
2 - Simona Halep
1 - Dominika Cibulkova
1 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
1 - Yaroslava Shvedova
1 - Elena Vesnina
[w/ consecutive slam QF]
8...Serena Williams
2...none
[w/ consecutive WI QF]
2...Serena Williams
[2016 slam QF - unseeded]
AO - Johanna Konta, GBR
AO - Zhang Shuai, CHN (Q)
RG - Kiki Bertens, NED
RG - Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
RG - Yulia Putintseva, KAZ
RG - Shelby Rogers, USA
WI - Yaroslava Shvedova, KAZ
WI - Elena Vesnina, RUS
[2016 1st-time GS QF]
AO - Johanna Konta, GBR
AO - Zhang Shuai, CHN
RG - Kiki Bertens, NED
RG - Yulia Putintseva, KAZ
RG - Shelby Rogers, USA
WI - Elena Vesnina, RUS
[2016 slam QF]
3 - Serena Williams (2-0)*
2 - Angelique Kerber (1-0)*
[2016 slam QF - by nation]
5...USA (Rogers,S.Williams-3,V.Williams)
3...RUS (Pavlyuchenkova,Sharapova,Vesnina)
2...ESP (Muguruza,Suarez-Navarro)
2...GER (Kerber-2)
2...KAZ (Putintseva,Shvedova)
1...AUS (Stosur)
1...BLR (Azarenka)
1...BUL (Pironkova)
1...CHN (Sh.Zhang)
1...GBR (Konta)
1...NED (Bertens)
1...POL (A.Radwanska)
1...ROU (Halep)
1...SUI (Bacsinszky)
1...SVK (Cibulkova)
[WTA career slam QF - active]
45...SERENA WILLIAMS, USA
36...VENUS WILLIAMS, USA
24...Maria Sharapova, RUS
16...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
15...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
12...Aga Radwanska, POL
9...Petra Kvitova, CZE
8...Ana Ivanovic, SRB
8...Jelena Jankovc, SRB
--
ALSO: Petrova (9)
[WTA slam QF in 2010's - active]
17...SERENA WILLIAMS, USA
14...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
11...Maria Sharapova, RUS
9...Petra Kvitova, CZE
9...Aga Radwanska, POL
7...Sara Errani, ITA
6...Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
6...Samantha Stosur, AUS
6...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN

*UNSEEDED/WC/Q in WIMBLEDON QF SINCE 32-SEED DRAW*
[began w/ 2001 Wimbledon]
2002 Elena Likhovtseva, RUS
2004 Karolina Sprem, CRO
2006 Severine Bremond, FRA (Q)
2008 Zheng Jie/CHN (WC), Tamarine Tanasugarn/THA
2009 Sabine Lisicki/GER, Francesca Schiavone/ITA
2010 Kaia Kanepi/EST (Q), Petra Kvitova/CZE, Tsvetana Pironkova/BUL
2011 Sabine Lisicki/GER (WC), Tamira Paszek/AUT
2012 Tamira Paszek, AUT
2013 Kaia Kanepi, EST
2014 Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, CZE
2015 CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
2016 Yaroslava Shvedova/KAZ, Elena Vesnina/RUS

*ACTIVE PLAYERS WITH EXACTLY ONE SLAM QF IN CAREER*
==(w/ 2016 slam where got first QF)==
Belinda Bencic, SUI
Kiki Bertens, NED (2016 RG)
Sorana Cirstea, ROU
Kirsten Flipkens, BEL
Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER
Johanna Konta, GBR (2016 AO)
Michaella Krajicek, NED
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, CRO
Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
Melanie Oudin, USA
Peng Shuai, CHN
Yulia Putintseva, KAZ (2016 RG)
Shelby Rogers, USA (2016 RG)
Alexandra Stevenson, USA
Barbora Strycova, CZE
Elina Svitolina, UKR
Tamarine Tanasugarn, THA
CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL
Elena Vesnina, RUS (2016 WI)*
Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
Zhang Shuai, CHN (2016 AO)



TOP QUALIFIER: Mandy Minella/LUX
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #5 Simona Halep/ROU
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3: #7 Tamira Paszek/AUT d. Andrea Hlavackova/CZE 6-3/5-7/10-9 ret. (Paszek MP in 2nd, ankle injury; Paszek up 5-3 3rd; Hlavackova ret. w/ cramps, collapses onto back after match)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. #3 Aga Radwanska/POL d. Ana Konjuh/CRO 6-2/4-6/9-7 (3 MP, one on net cord; Konjuh rolled ankle stepping on ball)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): Nominee: 4th Rd. - #19 Cibulkova d. #3 A.Radwanska (6-3/5-7/9-7; 3:00; Radwanska MP, Cibulkova served for match three times, on MP #3)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER: #29 Daria Kasatkina/RUS (def. Duval/USA in :51)
FIRST SEED OUT: #25 Irina-Camelia Begu/ROU (lost 1st Rd. to Witthoeft/GER)
UPSET QUEENS: Germans
REVELATION LADIES: Russians
NATION OF POOR SOULS: China (1-4 1st Rd.; only win by LL Duan Yingying)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Jana Cepelova/SVK, Marina Erakovic/NZL, Julia Boserup/USA (all 3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Tara Moore/GBR and Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST BRIT/CRUMPET STANDING: Johanna Konta/GBR and Tara Moore/GBR (both 2nd Rd.)
IT ("??"): Nominees: The Dashas
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: Nominees: A.Pavlyuchenkova, D.Cibulkova, E.Vesnina, Y.Shvedova
COMEBACK: Nominees: V.Williams, D.Cibulkova, E.Vesnina, Y.Shvedova
CRASH & BURN: #2 Garbine Muguruza/ESP (reigning RG champ and '15 Wimbledon finalist; lost 1st Rd. in under an hour to qualifier Cepelova/SVK)
ZOMBIE QUEEN (TBD at QF): Nominees: #28 Safarova (1st Rd. - down 7-6/5-2, 5-3 in 3rd and saved 3 MP vs. Mattek-Sands; 3rd Rd. - saved MP at 9-8 vs. Cepelova, who served for match at 5-3; won 12-10 3rd set); #3 A.Radwanska (2nd Rd - Konjuh 3 MP, one on a net cord; Konjuh turned ankle stepping on a ball in game #15 of 3rd set, Radwanska wins 9-7); #1 S.Williams (down 2-0 in 3rd vs. McHale in 2nd Rd.); #19 Cibulkova (4th Rd. - Radwanska MP; wins 9-7 3rd)
THE RADWANSKA AWARD (June 26 official/Day 3 observed): 74 s/d matches are scheduled: due to rain, 41 are cancelled, 15 suspended and 18 completed. Only 6 matches were both started and finished solely on Day 3, with 4 of those played under the Centre Court roof. But Aga Radwanska opens the Centre Court schedule and wins without incident, while her '16 RG conqueror Tsvetana Pironkova loses in previously unscheduled C.C. match.
DOUBLES STAR: xx
KIMIKO DATE-KRUMM VETERAN CUP (KDK CUP): Nominees: V.Williams, Y.Shvedova
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx





All for now. More on Day 8 shortly.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 7:33 PM 

1 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

Shvedova is coming for Schiavone's Olympic wild card. At #50 in the live rankings, she is now the highest ranked eligible player not in singles. If Brazil does what Great Britain did and replaces with one of their own, Paula Goncalves is the 2nd ranked woman at 173, and will be on site for doubles.

Stat of the Day- 6 - Makarova went down, but Kerber did not, bringing normalcy to the House Martina Built. Last year was the first time since 2010 aka the Kvitova era, that no lefties made the quarters. Ironically, after Seles made it in 2002, there was a drought through 2009. 2009 is also the last time at Wimbledon that all 8 QF eventually made a slam final(Safina, Lisicki, Radwanska, Dementieva, Schiavone, Azarenka, Serena, Venus). Most recent for all slams? 2014 Australian, which propelled QF like Cibulkova, Halep and Bouchard into a big year.

Quick note on the H2H
Williams/Shvedova 0-0
Williams/Pavlyuchenkova 5-0
Halep/Kerber 3-1
Cibulkova/Vesnina 3-3

Vesnina leads Cibulkova on grass 1-0. Only matchup between any of the 4 on grass. 2009 Wimbledon, which is relevant, because that means Vesnina beat her after Cibulkova's run the the French Open SF.

Mon Jul 04, 08:09:00 PM EDT  

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