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

Who will sit on Backspin's "Iron Throne" at the end of 2017? Well, suffice to say, the competition is complicated. And crowded.



But I shall nonetheless endeavor to attempt to produce an up-to-the-minute standings update reflecting where things stand (more or less) as we enter the heart of the summer, a week away from the official start of the North American hard court season...

1. Jelena Ostapenko, LAT: leading the charge of Generation PDQ, she could change the (sometimes unkind) definition of "first-time slam champ" that has developed in recent years
2. USA & BLR Fed Cup Teams: unlikely champions in January, one will be left standing in November. With the right combination of players (Vika, CoCo, Venus?), the final could be "appointment viewing."
3. Y.Chan/Hingis, TPE/SUI: Chan was a March "pick up" after a slow start for Hingis, and the new duo has been nearly unbeatable. But they haven't won a slam. If they claim the Open title, they'll be true "Ms.B" contenders. But only then.
4. Garbine Muguruza, ESP: now she has to embrace the very idea of occupying the throne
5. Elina Svitolina, UKR: Still the top "regular season" player, she needs a true slam breakout run in New York to rise much higher than this
6. Venus Williams, USA: a two-time slam finalist, Venus hasn't yet won a title in '17. Details, details...
7. Karolina Pliskova, CZE: she's got the #1 ranking, now she has to eliminate any of the, "Yeah, but..." whispers that would grow louder if her hard court summer is a lacking one
8. Mattek-Sands/Safarova, USA/CZE: respect must be given to the only two-time 2017 slam champs (on the women's side, anyway) this season, even if their campaign has already come to an end
9. Serena Williams, USA: she last played six months ago, but she's never dropped out of the headlines or conversation. That won't help her win another "Ms.Backspin" crown, but she's still in the running for a "top tier" finish when it comes to MVP.
10. Johanna Konta, GBR: with the hard court season upon us, the Brit seems destined to rise quite a bit on this list by the end of the summer, if things go according to plan
11. Simona Halep, ROU: so close, and yet so far. But still so close. Yet still so far. But...
12. Makarova/Vesnina, RUS/RUS: the big-title hoarding Hordettes have a new Wimbledon title on the shelf, but they're just 2-2 in '17 finals
13. Barty/Dellacqua, AUS/AUS: back where they belong, but they need a BIG title

A Backpin Baker's Dozen (or so) seems a nice collection of nominees, but don't forget those still on the cusp of climbing the mountain, even if such a standing now pretty much rules out true year-end contention. That list includes...

Victoria Azarenka, BLR = we'll see what the summer/fall brings us (and then there's the FC final)
Kiki Bertens, NED = multiple singles & doubles titles
Diede de Groot, NED (WC) = the start of something big
Yui Kamiji, JPN (WC) = missed out on an historic season, but still on course for a great one
Anett Kontaveit, EST = a late add after this week's results
Petra Kvitova, CZE = see Vika (minus the FC final)
Kristina Mladenovic, FRA = Sigh. I suppose...
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS = she DOES have two titles
CoCo Vandeweghe, USA = the Open and FC final will determine her finish
Caroline Wozniacki, DEN = a win in a final would be a big help here


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

*WEEK 29 CHAMPIONS*BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (Int'l/Red Clay)
S: Irina-Camelia Begu/ROU def. Julia Goerges/GER 6-3/7-5
D: Irina-Camelia Begu/Raluca Olaru (ROU/ROU) d. Elise Mertens/Demi Schuurs (BEL/NED) 6-3/6-3GSTAAD, SWITZERLAND (Int'l/Red Clay)
S: Kiki Bertens/NED def. Anett Kontaveit/EST 6-4/3-6/6-1
D: Kiki Bertens/Johanna Larsson (NED/SWE) d. Viktorija Golubic/Nina Stojanovic (SUI/SRB) 7-6(4)/4-6 [10-7]FED CUP ZONE PLAY
=Americas II (Panama City, Panama/RCO)=
PP: Puerto Rico def. Ecuador 2-0
PP: Guatemale def. Peru 2-1
=Asia/Oceania II (Dushanbe, Tajikistan/HCO)=
PP: Hong Kong def. Uzbekistan 2-1
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Kiki Bertens/NED and Irina-Camelia Begu/ROU
...after twenty-eight weeks of action that saw just one woman (Ash Barty in Kuala Lumpur) sweep both the singles and doubles titles at any event, it happened TWICE this weekend.

The winner of the 2017 Ladies Championship Gstaad is @kikibertens ! Congratulations!! ????#WTAGstaad #thegirlsarebackinthealps #champion pic.twitter.com/rU98qwIcAz

— Ladies Open Gstaad (@WTA_Gstaad) July 23, 2017

In Gstaad, a year after falling at the last hurdle in the tournament's singles final, Bertens claimed her fourth career tour singles title (all on clay, as are all five of her WTA finals to date) by nearly sweeping through the week without dropping a set. The Dutch woman, who'll return to the Top 30 on Monday, dropped the 2nd set of her final win over Anett Kontaveit, but had gotten to that point without a single smudge on her record while recording victories over Aleksandra Krunic, Anna Zaja, doubles partner Johanna Larsson and Sara Sorribes-Tormo. Not only did Bertens take home the singles crown, but she and Larsson teamed up to take the doubles, as well, keeping up what has been a fine, under-the-radar, partnership over the last two and a half seasons.

The same happened with Begu in Bucharest, only she DID take her singles crown without dropping a set. Straight sets wins over Ivana Jorovic, Jaqueline Cristian, Pauline Parmentier, Carla Suarez-Navarro and Julia Goerges in the final allowed the Romanian to lift career title #4, including one each in the last three seasons. Oddly enough, it's Begu's first tour title on clay, despite her being such a clay court achiever last spring. Remember, in the '16 clay spring, she was a true revelation, going 13-6, including posting big SF (Rome) and QF (Charleston/Madrid) results leading into a Round of 16 run in Paris. This year, though, she wasn't as successful on the dirt, going just 9-6 (w/ another Charleston QF and Istanbul SF, but being tripped up in the 3rd Round in Madrid and 1st Round at RG). This week, though, managed to set her record straight, and will jump her ranking from #58 back up to a more presentable #38 on Monday. She was as high as #22 last August.

Congrats @Irina_Begu!

Lift that @BucharestOpen trophy! ?? pic.twitter.com/PjKXRleGZr

— WTA (@WTA) July 23, 2017

Begu also grabbed the doubles win with fellow Swarmette Raluca Olaru. It's the first title for the pair as a duo, but it's the fifth of Begu's career. Olaru has seven (including another earlier this season in one of her two '17 WD finals with Olga Savchuk).
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RISERS: Anett Kontaveit/EST and Ana Bogdan/ROU
...the rise of the big-hitting Kontaveit continues. The add-on titles will come later. The 21-year old Estonian reached her third final of the season in Gstaad, on her third different surface. She's the only player who can say as much in '17. A runner-up on the indoor hard court in Biel, then a winner on the grass at Rosmalen, Kontaveit reached her first clay court final in Switzerland after posting wins over Martina Trevisan, Anna Kalinskaya, Carina Witthoeft and Tereza Martincova. She managed to force clay court mistress Kiki Bertens (4 tour titles) to three sets in the final, but ultimately fell 6-1 in the 3rd. She'll make her Top 30 debut on Monday.

In Bucharest, Bogdan maintained the tradition of Swarmettes performing well in front of the partisan crowd. The 22-year old reached her second career tour SF (Florianopolis '16) after an impressive run of victories over countrywoman Sorana Cirstea, Cagla Buyukakcay and #1-seeded Anastasija Sevastova (her first Top 20 win). She lost in three to Julia Goergoes after having claimed the opening set, but the result continues to push forward the incremental progress the 24-year old Romanian has shown over the past year, as she qualified at three straight slams (US-AO-RG) and has lifted her ranking from a 2016 season-ending rank of #118 to a new career high of #104 on Monday.

First Top 20 win!@Ana_Bogdan shocks No.1 seed Sevastova 6-1, 6-3 to reach @BucharestOpen Semifinals! pic.twitter.com/XWmmDKRynl

— WTA (@WTA) July 21, 2017

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SURPRISE: Tereza Martincova/CZE
...in the immediate follow-up to the Czech Maidens' disappointing Wimbledon (none reached the 3rd Rd.), Martincova was the "Maiden with the Mostest" in Week 29. The 22-year old, ranked #140, was the surprise achiever in Gstaad, knocking off Irina Khromacheva, #1-seeded Caroline Garcia and Antonia Lottner (who'd taken out the defending champ) en route to the semifinals, equaling her previous best tour finish last September in Quebec City. She fell to Anett Kontaveit, but after a '17 season which has seen her play a qualifying-round heavy slate (15-13 in WTA events), her 3-1 week (she'd been 1-2 in tour-level MD matches in '17 prior to last week) was a surely a building block, collecting-the-fruits-of-her-labor moment (even if she did get her MD spot due to the absence of the injured Bethanie Mattek-Sands) as she heads into the back end of the summer schedule. She'll climb significantly in the rankings on Monday, blowing past the career high (#135) she set in June and going all the way up the #116. Martincova has improved her season-ending ranking every season since 2011, and after a #159 finish in '16 she's well on her way to continuing that streak.

Thank you ?? everyone .. and everyone here in Gstaad amazing fans here for me .. really ??????.. #semifinal#wta#player#thankyou#fans#best#

A post shared by Tereza Martincova_official (@terezamartinec) on Jul 22, 2017 at 11:39am PDT

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VETERAN: Julia Goerges/GER
...Goerges' talent has never been in question, though consistency in results has never really been her strong suit. So that her appearance in the Bucharest final is her second such result in a month is surely a good sign. It's been five years since the German reached multiple singles finals in a season (2012), and those occurred around a nearly eight-month gap in the schedule.

A post shared by Just Tennis (@just.tennis90) on Jul 22, 2017 at 1:02pm PDT

The 28-year old is still in search of her first title since 2011. After reaching her first final since January of last year a month ago on the grass in Mallorca, just her second tour singles final since 2012, Goerges took to the red clay in Romania quite well as she went through the "A"-team (literally, see...?) of Alexa Glatch, Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Alexandra Dulgheru and Ana Bogdan to reach her eighth career WTA final, only to fall 3 & 5 to crowd favorite Irina-Camilia (no "A") Begu. She's back in the Top 40 this week after not finishing a season there since 2012.
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COMEBACKS: Alexandra Dulgheru/ROU and Aleksandra Wozniak/CAN
...everything is always just a little more fun when Dulgheru is around. Just ask Genie Bouchard. Or, on second thought, don't.

The "heart of Swarmette tennis," Dulgheru has had to deal with injuries her entire career, including with her knee (2012), wrist (2013) and then knee (July '16 surgery) again. The 28-year old, two-time tour title winner, Fed Cup star and ex-#41 (2011) returned from her latest break in mid-January after sitting out the last half of the 2016 season. Dulgheru arrived in Bucharest -- where she was born and resides -- off a 12-2 ITF run that included a $25K title, and proceeded to post there Q-round wins to reach her first tour-level MD since last year's RG, then knocked off Sesil Karatantcheva (her first WTA MD win since the '16 AO) and Ekaterina Alexandrova to reach her first QF since her run in Auckland at the start of last season. She lost to Julia Goerges, but will see her ranking jump from #294 to #218 as she (hopefully) continues to find her way back into the mix.

Happy to be playing in my hometown, at #brdbucharestopen!

A post shared by Alexandra Dulgheru (@alexdulgheru1) on Jul 19, 2017 at 3:01am PDT

Meanwhile, before (and now after? hmmm.) there was Bouchard, there was Wozniak who rekindled her nation's faint tennis embers about a decade ago. From 2007-09, A-Woz reached three WTA singles finals, winning Stanford in 2008 to become the first Canadian to win a tour title in twenty years. She reached the Round of 16 at Roland Garros in '09 and climbed as high as #21 in the rankings, but injuries have been a constant obstacle to overcome in the years since, especially shoulder surgery in 2014. Gradually working her way back, the now 29-year old Wozniak (#319) this past week reached and won her first singles final since 2012 ($100K Nassau) at the $25K challenger in Gatineau, Quebec, defeating Aussie Ellen Perez 7-6(4)/6-4. Wozniak's list of matches for the week read like a multi-generational tennis flow chart, as it included wins over the likes over 21-year olds Perez and Mayo Hibi (#3 seed), teenagers Katie Swan and Priscilla Hon, and 34-year old Elena Bovina (yes, she's still at it -- the world #957, a three-time WTA title winner in 2002-04, even defeated '99 Wimbledon semifinalist Alexandra Stevenson, 36, in a "time machine" qualifier).

.@alekswozniak87 defeats Erica Perez 7-6(4), 6-4 to win her first title since 2012 at the Gatineau National Bank Challenger. ?? #CdnTennis pic.twitter.com/VnWOtDe9mb

— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) July 23, 2017

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FRESH FACES: Antonia Lottner/GER and Sara Sorribes Tormo/ESP
...Lottner doesn't have time for the sort of "piddlin'" early-round victories that generally make up the foundation-building period of a young player's tour-level career. The 20-year old German notched her first career WTA MD victory a few weeks ago at Rosmalen over #1-seeded Dominika Cibulkova. In Gstaad, she finally got her second... upsetting defending champion Viktorija Golubic, winning 5-7/6-4/7-6(5) over the Swiss in her home event. Lottner followed it up with a three-set win over veteran Swiss Patty Schnyder before eventually falling in a 7-5 3rd set to Tereza Martincova. After a week of going from qualifier (she posted a win over another Swiss player, Xenia Knoll, as well as Anastasia Potapova, who returned very quickly from that Wimbledon knee injury scare) to first-time tour quarterfinalist, the German will rise to a career-best #139.

Thank you @ladiesgstaadopen for an amazing week reaching my first quaterfinal at a WTA event. I loved every minute of it and can't wait to be back!!?????? #nikecourt#wilson

A post shared by An Tonia (@antonialottner) on Jul 22, 2017 at 12:03pm PDT

Also in Gstaad, another 20-year old, Sorribes-Tormo belatedly picked up where she left off when she reached the semifinals in Bogota in April. The Spaniard went just 4-11 on all levels since that run in Colombia, but arrived in Switzerland off a $100K QF result in France that included back-to-back-to-back three-setters (though one ended in a retirement by her opponent). Once there, she won out over Evgeniya Rodina in her fourth straight match to head into a 3rd set (getting her first tour-level MD win since April in Istanbul), then reeled off straight sets wins over Louisa Chirico and Tamara Korpatsch to reach her second semifinal of the season. She lost to eventual champ Kiki Bertens, but will jump eleven spots in the rankings to #86, seven off her career high of #79 in May.
===============================================
DOWN: Caroline Garcia/FRA
...so, I wonder what Chris Evert and/or Jason Goodall would call Garcia's results THIS week?

Remember, last summer, in the midst of a career season, ESPN's Evert said the Pastry wasn't "having a very good season," but just recently at Wimbledon both she and Goodall continually called her '17 campaign "great," no matter that her results this season (other than in Paris & London) have considerably paled in comparison to her '16 efforts. Last week, as the #1 seed in Gstaad, newly-minted Top 20er Garcia fell in the 2nd Round to #140 Tereza Martincova 5 & 6, giving her eight exits in the 2nd Round or earlier so far this season. In a season that has seen her take some time out due to injury (back), endure the Fed Cup squabbles and (by choice) post no confidence/momentum-building doubles results, Garcia is now 16-12 in non-slam matches (she was 22-12 at this point a year ago), though her 9-3 slam mark (vs. 2-3) just about makes up for the two singles titles ('16) to zero ('17) comparison between the two seasons.
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ITF PLAYERS: Zhang Shuai/CHN and Sofya Zhuk/RUS
...the week before she assumes the role of the top seed at this week's WTA event in Nanchang, Zhang made good use of her time in Astana, Kazakhstan. The 28-year old, ranked #28, picked up her third career $100K challenger title (her biggest wins aside from her one WTA win in '13) with victories over Olga Ianchuk, Marie Bouzkova and Waffle Ysaline Bonaventure in a 6-3/6-4 final.

In Bursa, Turkey, 17-year old Zhuk claimed the biggest title of her career with a 4-6/6-3/7-6(5) victory in the $60K challenger final over Ipek Soylu. Career ITF title #6 will lift the '15 Wimbledon junior champ to a new career high ranking of #142 (up a big 44 spots from a week ago).

60k winner??

A post shared by Sofya Zhuk (@sofya_zhuk) on Jul 22, 2017 at 4:27am PDT

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JUNIOR STARS: Helene Pellicano/MLT and Elisabetta Cocciaretto/ITA
...and now we turn to Malta. No, really.


15-year old Pellicano is Malta's first tennis star, and she's got the resume to prove it. In 2015, she became the first from the tiny Southern European island nation (pop. approximately 500K) to win a European Junior Masters title, and in '16 broke more new ground by winning the European Championship and becoming the #1-ranked 14s girl on the continent. Training out of Italy, Pellicano has come oh-so-close to putting up big event 1st Round wins over notable junior stars since last fall, but "settled" for close defeats, including a three-set loss to Carson Branstine (Eddie Herr) and a 5 & 4 defeat at the hands of Sofia Sewing (Orange Bowl) last year, then additional matches this season against Alexa Noel (5 & 6, Ascunsion Bowl), Hailey Baptiste (3 sets, Porto Alegre GA) and Emily Appleton (5 & 3, Perin Memorial G1).


Participating in ITF pro draws in recent weeks, the junior #294 qualified in back-to-back $15K/$25K events, reaching a QF. Last week, in the $15K challenger in Don Benito, Spain, the teenager was granted a wild card and reached her first pro semifinal in just her third MD appearance, losing to eventual champion Lisa Sabino 6-3/6-3.

There. Now -- unlike some ESPNers who shall remain nameless -- if Pellicano does something of note down the line in her pro career, we can say that we HAVE heard of her. Shall we call her the Maltese Falcon?

In the first big post-Wimbledon junior event, the Grade 1 City of Wels Junior Grand Prix in Austria was claimed by 16-year old Italy's Cocciaretto (jr. #101), who defeated Slovenia's Nika Radisic (17, #87) in straight sets to claim her biggest career title. Cocciaretto has gone 11-2, with a title and SF result, in back-to-back-to back Grade 1 clay events this summer.

Elisabetta Cocciaretto vince il titolo del "1. City of Wels Junior - Grand Prix 2017" battendo per 6-2 6-3 Nika Radisic! #stayFIT #tennis pic.twitter.com/CT5LvgYh4s

— Federtennis (@federtennis) July 23, 2017

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DOUBLES: Kiki Bertens & Johanna Larsson (NED/SWE)
...the second half of Bertens' two-title winning week included the seventh doubles title run put together during their lucrative three-season partnership (though they did play two events as a pair in 2013-14, one tournament each season).

What a day for @kikibertens! Not only winning the Singles title but also the Doubles title with #JohannaLarsson! Congrats to both of you!???? pic.twitter.com/q36oI8DwLA

— Ladies Open Gstaad (@WTA_Gstaad) July 23, 2017

After reaching the Gstaad final without losing a set, Bertens/Larsson had to go to a 10-7 3rd set TB to win out over Viktorija Golubic & Nina Stojanovic. Now 7-2 in tour finals, the Dutch-Swedish pair, the only team to defeat the (for now) top-ranked duo of Mattek-Sands/Safarova since March (in the 1st Round in Madrid, as Team Bucie went 11-1 during the stretch), have been a consistent threat, now having won multiple titles in each of their three seasons as regular partners, including claiming three straight titles in the period that stretched between 2016 (2 wins to end the season) and '17 (won Auckland). Their seven wins places them fifth on the list of "active/current" (though the definition of that changes greatly in WD) pairs behind the Williams Sisters (22), Team Bucie (11), Makarova/Vesnina (10) and the Chans (9).
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FED CUP ZONE MVPs: Monica Puig/PUR, Zhang Ling/HKG and Melissa Morales/GUA
...in Zone II Fed Cup action, Puig (as usual) led the charge of the Puerto Ricans. Only this time they made it over the finish line. A 2-0 Promotional Playoff win over Ecuador lifts the nation into Americas I for 2018. Puig provided the clinching PP win, a love & 3 victory over Camila Romero, which finished off an unbeaten week for the Rio Gold medalist which included just four lost games in three singles matches.

Congratulations to Puerto Rico ???? for winning promotion to Americas I after defeating Ecuador in the play-offs! ?? pic.twitter.com/YpCCpdec3r

— Fed Cup (@FedCup) July 22, 2017

Nope... we weren't that scared... ?????? #StillShaking pic.twitter.com/v0JkXXMy2b

— Monica Puig (@MonicaAce93) July 21, 2017

In Asia/Oceania, Hong Kong took out Uzbekistan in the Promotion Playoff as teenager Eudice Chong joined with Katherine Ip to defeat Nigina Abduraimova & Akgul Amanmuradova 6-7(1)/6-3/6-3 in the deciding doubles to clinch the 2-1 win. But I'm going with Zhang Ling -- the all-time FC leader in pretty much every category for Hong Kong -- as the week's MVP, as she completed a 4-0 week in singles which included a tie-saving Match #2 win over Sabina Sharipova (4 & 1) in the PP that evened the tie after Amanmurdova had defeated Chong in the opening match.

Congratulations to Hong Kong, China on winning promotion to Asia/Oceania Zone Group I next year! https://t.co/Ax6RP1dYyx pic.twitter.com/FmnwtMjSA1

— Fed Cup (@FedCup) July 22, 2017

In the other (rain-marred) Americas II PP, Morales had a hand in both of the points in Guatemala's 2-1 win over Peru, opening with a singles victory over Ferny Angeles Paz, then joining with Daniela Schippers to defeat Bianca Botto & Anastasia Iamachkine 6-3/7-5 in the deciding doubles.

Congratulations to Guatemala for winning promotion to Americas I next year!! ???? pic.twitter.com/Tuq4LqMS0n

— Fed Cup (@FedCup) July 23, 2017

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It's that time of year...

Congrats to the most beautiful Ninja @ARadwanska on her best day of life ??? pic.twitter.com/l9ajdhK9Qh

— Aga Radwanska ???? (@ARadwanskaLive) July 22, 2017

Aga and Dawid just slayed the dance floor!!! pic.twitter.com/ZmeKyYG85k

— Michal ?? (@michal1497) July 22, 2017

Andrea Hlavackova and Fabrizio Sestini (former ATP PR) got married! pic.twitter.com/3JAAuxR6GM

— BreakPointBR (@BreakPointBR) July 22, 2017

1. Gstaad 1st Rd. - Patty Schnyder def. Amra Sadikovic
...6-4/6-7(7)/7-6(6). In a match-up of two wild card Swiss who've since returned to the sport after having announced their retirement, 38-year old Schnyder notched her first MD tour-level victory since Miami in 2011. After saving four MP in the 2nd set TB, Sneaky Patty won on her own seventh MP. She lost in three sets in the 2nd Round to Antonia Lottner, but Schnyder will be up to #233 in the new rankings. She's 1-1 in two $25K ITF finals this season, having retired with the 2-0 lead in the 3rd set in her sole loss.

Patty Schnyder beat Amra Sadikovic 6-4 6-7 7-6 #1round #gstaad #pattyschnyder #victory #wta #tennis

A post shared by Just Tennis (@just.tennis90) on Jul 18, 2017 at 2:13pm PDT

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2. Gstaad Final - Kiki Bertens def. Anett Kontaveit
...6-4/3-6/6-1. Fans traditionally get their money's worth on this event's final day. In the 25-year history of the Gstaad WTA tournament -- which had a 20-year hiatus from 1995-2015 -- this is the sixteenth three-set final, including the seventh consecutive, and tenth in the last eleven.

Tears of happiness, tears of a #champion. Congratulations @kikibertens! Well deserved!
??????#WTAGstaad #thegirlsarebackinthealps pic.twitter.com/GpBSWxlpQI

— Ladies Open Gstaad (@WTA_Gstaad) July 23, 2017

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3. Bucharest Final - Irina-Camelia Begu def. Julia Goerges
...6-3/7-5. Swarmettes have now taken the title singles title in three of the four years of the Bucharest Open's existence, with Begu following in the footsteps of 2014 and '16 champion Simona Halep.
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4. Gstaad 1st Rd. - Antonia Lottner def. Viktorija Golubic
...5-7/6-4/7-6(5). After her first career WTA MD win was over a #1 seed (Cibulkova) on the grass, the young German makes her second over a defending champion on the clay. Golubic is the eighteenth of the twenty players to attempt, but fail, to defend a WTA singles title in 2017. She's just the third to fall in a 1st Round match, following Falconi (Bogota) and Vandeweghe (Rosmalen).
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5. Gstaad 1st Rd. - Anna Kalinskaya def. Rebeka Masarova
...7-5/6-7(9)/7-5. Golubic wasn't the only Swiss player to come up a bit short in Gstaad after a successful '16 run. A year ago, a then 16-year old Masarova reached the semifinals in her debut tour event. She put up a fight in the three-setter, but ultimately couldn't overcome squandering a 5-2 1st set lead over the Hordette. Kalinskaya finally won on her seventh MP.
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6. Gstaad QF - Kiki Bertens def. Johanna Larsson 6-4/6-4
Gstaad WD Final - Bertens/Larsson def. Golubic/Stojanovic 7-6(4)/4-6 [10-7]
...all's well that ends well, as Bertens "made up" for her defeat of her doubles partner in singles by joining with her to take the title over Golubic/Stojanovic. Bertens lost to Golubic in the '16 singles final at the event. So, revenge is a dish best served cold, too.
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7. Gstaad 2nd Rd. - Antonia Lottner def. Patty Schnyder
...7-6(0)/2-6/6-3. The qualifier takes out the vet, but an attentive Patty had other things on her mind, as well.

Patty Schnyder asked for her daughter's arms to be covered. ???? pic.twitter.com/8trcXpypiP

— Ashish Jena (@ashishjena94) July 20, 2017

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8. $15K Targu Jiu WD Final - Samantha Harris/Belinda Woolcock def. Federica Bilardo/Michele Alexandra Zmau
...0-6/6-4 [10-4]. The all-Aussie NCAA duo of Harris (Duke) and Woolcock (recent Florida grad) take out the Italians to win a title in Romania. For Harris, it's her second career challenger WD crown, but it's 2017 NCAA Team Championship MVP Woolcock's first pro title of any kind. She'd been building momenutm, having already reached an ITF singles QF and another doubles final earlier in July.
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HM- $60K Stockton Final - Sonya Kenin def. Ashley Kratzer
...6-0/6-1. In a clash of 18-year old Bannerettes, Kenin completes her sweep of the singles/doubles titles at the event, taking the early lead in the USTA's Wild Card Challenge for a berth in the Open women's MD. Kenin, the 2015 U.S. Open girls runner-up, won the multi-tournament WC competition last summer.

60K Stockton F: [4] Sofia Kenin def (wc) Ashley Kratzer 60 61. Not a great match. But Kenin solid and determined as ever. Leads USO WC race. pic.twitter.com/XxVq29QirR

— Ben (@TennisWinter) July 23, 2017

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Yep, it's *this* time of the year, too. (Geez, Jada is catching up to Kim in height... so her "accessory" days are numbered.)

Mom??
Former World No.1??
Grand Slam Champion??@TennisHalloFame??

Congrats @ClijstersKim--> https://t.co/KNkvuynbK3 pic.twitter.com/G7cVNsYn1h

— WTA (@WTA) July 22, 2017

"It's Jada!"

Remembering some fond @usopen memories with @Clijsterskim before induction tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/of0KYzNuPj

— Tennis Hall of Fame (@TennisHalloFame) July 21, 2017

Speaking of Jada, loved this anecdote from @Clijsterskim from earlier this spring. https://t.co/vMO9339ik2 pic.twitter.com/iQBoMu7cX1

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) July 22, 2017

But when will it be *this* time of the year in the U.S.? Seems long overdue, frankly.

NEWS: #WheelchairTennis engagement in Australia soars following Rio #Paralympics success. ?????? @DylanAlcotthttps://t.co/9WdMkog79J

— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) July 21, 2017

1. $80K Olomouc Final - Bernarda Pera def. KRISTYNA PLISKOVA
...7-5/4-6/6-3. The 22-year old Bannerette, after losing four of five '17 finals coming in, grabs the title after taking out both the #1 (Pliskova) and #2 seeds (Hogenkamp) in the event. The Czech had been looking to add an ITF crown to the WTA and 125 Series championships she's claimed in the last ten months (a stretch during which she matched her best slam result with a 3rd Rd. in Melbourne and set a series of new career high rankings, the latest being her #37 standing on Monday). It doesn't quite measure up to her twin's #1 spot on the computer, but at least she's she's got some talking points for the conversation.

First 80k title!?? Thanks for the support!! ?? pic.twitter.com/8PP2WMStbW

— Bernarda Pera (@bernarda_pera) July 23, 2017

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


Meanwhile...

The ITF Internal Adjudication Panel has issued its decision in the case against Ilie Nastase https://t.co/UDZ25ZnWDe pic.twitter.com/quqAkUggVm

— ITF (@ITF_Tennis) July 21, 2017

Details on Nastase sanction. Suspended from ITF competitions until 2021 (Slams not included), no accreditation until 2019, fined 10k. pic.twitter.com/ge3e2eVqhr

— Courtney Nguyen (@FortyDeuceTwits) July 21, 2017

Thank you @nike for this custom made ?? for Leo. He wanted to take them out for a ?? ps: how about that split step in the middle ?? #athlete #kingleo #happybaby #happymommy

A post shared by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on Jul 21, 2017 at 3:20pm PDT

When one of your dearest and oldest friends gets married, it's time to celebrate!What an amazing and beautiful couple! @ARadwanska #wedding pic.twitter.com/GSNhTCFE1y

— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) July 23, 2017

#socksandsandals

A post shared by Daria Gavrilova (@daria_gav) on Jul 20, 2017 at 10:31pm PDT

People call me a golden retriever or labrador ...Swipe! Swipe! Swipe! This one is for you @melomizzolo ??

A post shared by Daria Gavrilova (@daria_gav) on Jul 23, 2017 at 2:01am PDT

One day. Two editorials. Three vintage @Porsche cars. It was a good day ??

A post shared by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on Jul 21, 2017 at 9:57pm PDT

Not entirely sure what this move is...?????? pic.twitter.com/FaPGuRHjLv

— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) July 22, 2017

*2017 TITLES w/o LOSING A SET - SINGLES*
Sydney - Johanna Konta. GBR
Hobart - Elise Mertens, BEL
Australian Open - Serena Williams, USA
Bogota - Francesca Schiavone, ITA
[Biel - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE] #
Nurnberg - Kiki Bertens, NED
BUCHAREST - IRINA-CAMELIA BEGU, ROU
--
# - lost no sets in MD, lost 2 in Q-rounds

*2017 WTA FINALS*
4 - Elina Svitolina, UKR (4-0)
4 - Kristina Mladenovic, FRA (1-3)
4 - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (0-4)
3 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (3-0)
3 - Johanna Konta, GBR (2-1)
3 - Simona Halep, ROU (1-2)
3 - ANETT KONTAVEIT, EST (1-2)

*2017 FINAL WIN PCT. - mult.finals*
[best]
1.000 - Elina Svitolina (4-0)
1.000 - Karolina Pliskova (3-0)
1.000 - KIKI BERTENS, NED (2-0)
1.000 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2-0)
0.667 - Johanna Konta (2-1)
[worst]
0.000 - Caroline Wozniacki (0-4)
0.000 - JULIA GOERGES (0-2)
0.000 - Venus Williams (0-2)
0.250 - Krisitna Mladenovic (1-3)
0.333 - Simona Halep (1-2)
0.333 - ANETT KONTAVEIT (1-2)

*2017 SINGLES FINAL IN HOME NATION*
Budapest - Timea Babos, HUN (W)
Stuttgart - Laura Siegemund, GER (W)
Prague - Kristyna Pliskova, CZE
Nottingham - Johanna Konta, GBR
BUCHAREST - IRINA-CAMELIA BEGU, ROU (W)

*2017 SINGLES/DOUBLES FINAL AT SAME EVENT*
Kuala Lumpur - Ash Barty/AUS (W/W)
Istanbul - Elise Mertens/BEL (L/L)
Birmingham - Ash Barty/AUS (L/W)
Mallorca - Anastasija Sevastova/LAT (W/walkover)
BUCHAREST - IRINA-CAMELIA BEGU/ROU (W/W)
GSTAAD - KIKI BERTENS/NED (W/W)

*2017 LOW-RANKED SEMIFINALISTS*
NR - Maria Sharapova/RUS (Stuttgart)
#340 - Jana Fett/CRO (Hobart)
#254 - Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (Nurnberg) - RU
#233 - Marketa Vondrousova/CZE (Biel) - W
#168 - Francesca Schiavone/ITA (Bogota) - W
#158 - Ash Barty/AUS (Kuala Lumpur) - W
#140 - TEREZA MARTINCOVA/CZE (GSTAAD)

*2017 WTA DOUBLES TITLES - DUOS*
5 - Y.Chan/Hingis (1 HC/2 RC/2 GR)
3 - Mattek-Sands/Safarova (1 HC/1 RC/1 GC)
3 - Barty/Dellacqua (1 HC/1 RC/1 GR)
2 - BERTENS/LARSSON (1 HC/1 RC)
2 - Makarova/Vesnina (1 HC/1 GR)

*USTA U.S. OPEN WILD CARD CHALLENGE WINNERS*
2013 Shelby Rogers
2014 Nicole Gibbs
2015 Samantha Crawford
2016 Sonya Kenin
2017 ?


And Martina gets her bobblehead... at least I THINK that's supposed to be Martina. Ummm.

Gates open in half an hour! Be one of the first 1,000 fans, and get this awesome Martina Hingis bobblehead! pic.twitter.com/8WjZYaQC8G

— Washington Kastles (@WashKastles) July 19, 2017

BASTAD, SWEDEN [Int'l/Red Clay]
16 Singles Final: Siegemund d. Siniakova
16 Doubles Final: Mitu/Rosolska d. Kerkhove/Marozava
17 Top Seeds: Wozniacki/Sevastova
=============================
=SF=
#1 Wozniacki d. #5 Suarez-Navarro
#3 Garcia d. #2 Sevastova
=FINAL=
#1 Wozniacki d. #3 Garcia

=DOUBLES FINAL=
Knoll/Krunic d. #3 Mertens/Schuurs



NANCHANG, CHINA (Int'l/Hard)
16 Singles Final: Duan d. King
16 Doubles Final: Liang Chen/Lu Jingjing d. Aoyama/Ninomiya
17 Top Seeds: Zhang Shuai/Peng Shuai
=============================
=SF=
#1 Sh.Zhang d. #3 Kr.Pliskova
#2 Peng d. #5 Duan
=FINAL=
#2 Peng d. #1 Sh.Zhang

=DOUBLES FINAL=
Hozumi/Ozaki d. #2 Aoyama/Chang


And, finally, a sad goodbye to Peter Doohan, the author of maybe THE true Wimbledon upset of recent vintage when he knocked off the "unbeatable" two-time defending champ Boris Becker (age 19) in 1987.

The tennis family is mourning the loss of the 'Becker Wrecker'. Vale Peter Doohan. #RIP @FightMND https://t.co/wX16YKPJrh

— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) July 22, 2017

Our tribute to Peter Doohan. #RIP #FightMND pic.twitter.com/F9wAN2Lov6

— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) July 22, 2017

My heartfelt condolences to the family of #PeterDoohan ! The tennis fraternity lost a great guy and wonderful player ! #tennisaustralia

— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) July 22, 2017

All for now.