Wednesday, January 23, 2019

AO.10 - Outrageous Misfortune

The Tennis Gods are little devils. Pointy-headed, flat-footed, forked-tongued, sadistic miscreants. That's what they are.

Bless their charred little hearts. They just gave us something we won't forget anytime soon. Ever, really.



For the first half of the quarterfinal match-up at Rod Laver Arena between #7 Karolina Pliskova and #16 Serena Williams, the tall Czech was in complete control. Through the 1st set, her serve was cooking as a proud coach Conchita Martinez watched from the stands (as co-coach Rennae Stubbs did so from a TV booth). She broke the seven-time Australian Open champ early, and never allowed Serena into any of her service games so that she could get back into the swing of things. After serving out a 6-4 set, Pliskova had a 78% first serve percentage, and had won 81% of her first serves. She never faced a break point.

Pliskova carried over her fine play into the 2nd set. In game #5, she saw Serena misplay a high volley ball into the open court after Pliskova had gotten to a drop shot. It set her up with a BP chance that proved fruitful when Williams committed a backhand error that allowed the Czech to grab control of that set, as well.

At a set and break down, Williams had yet to have a single BP opportunity on her racket. She was being outplayed and outserved by Pliskova. Then Serena raised her return game an additional level, breaking the Czech at love. Switch flipped. She quickly held for 4-3, having won eight of nine points. Up 5-4, after Pliskova has extended her service game by firing big serves at deuce on three different occasions, Williams finally carved out her second BP of the match. Pliskova netted Serena's service return, and Williams' 6-4 2nd set win sent things to a 3rd.

Within moments, it seemed all was lost for the Czech. She seemed destined for the slam semifinal scrap heap. Poor thing.

Up 2-1, Williams reached triple BP on Pliskova's serve. A forehand return winner got the break lead. She quickly held and broke again, grabbing a 5-1 advantage. She reached MP, and everyone was pretty much closing up shop (and pulling out all their U.S. Open final notes for tomorrow's semifinal).

But hold on there, mates and Sheilas. Not so faast. There's a reason why they play *every* point in a match. And why every rule should be enforced within reason. And why no player should ever give up. Ever. Not even MP down at 5-1 in the 3rd set in the Australian Open QF against Serena Williams.

On MP, Williams was called for a foot fault. It appeared legit, as she dragged her foot and appeared to slightly catch it on the surface during her service motion, leading to the error. That no FF had been called *before* that point (are you listening Mary Joe Fernandez and Pam Shriver?) was of ZERO consequence, nor was that this one occurred on MP. It didn't magically make it *not occur* or be unworthy of *being* called. Also, Serena didn't dispute it, and continued to try to serve out the match.



Still at MP, Williams rolled her ankle in the backcourt trying to make a sudden change of direction as Pliskova fired a ball behind her. She didn't go down, and she never called a trainer for a re-tape of her ankle (she later said she didn't think she needed to) but it was apparent that it hurt, and her movement and service motion were immediately affected. Both in game #7 of the set as well as after.

Pliskova got the break against the suddenly compromised Williams to pull within 5-2. But Serena *still* only needed one more game. And then the *unthinkable* actually happened.

From 15/30 down, Pliskova held serve for 5-3. Then a Williams DF put her down love/30 a game later, and a missed forehand made it love/40. Another error got the set back on serve. Still, Serena played on without interruption, and began trying to hit bigger shots to make up for her lack of movement. She had a second and third MP, but Pliskova was, as Williams later said, playing "lights out" from the moment she was MP down the first time. It's never easy to play against a player who might be injured, as it sometimes messes with the head of the opponent on the other side of the net, and a limping player (AKA the cornered and sometimes desperate competitor) will often (as Serena has in the past, usually successfully) try to end rallies early with big winners. It can completely wreck the general rhythm of a match. The Czech never fell into the trap of overplaying, though. She simply returned to the clear thinking and hitting style that had taken her to a set and a break lead before Williams suddenly raised her game and took things out of Pliskova's hands. The Czech saved her fourth MP before finally holding for 5-5.

Another Williams DF put her down love/30 in game #11. Pliskova got the love break to win her fifth straight game, allowing her to serve at 6-5 for a berth in the semis. She took a 40/love lead. Williams managed to save two MP, but netted a forehand on the third.

Somehow. Some way. In quite possibly the craziest circumstances to ever play out on a tennis court -- at least at such a big moment -- Pliskova had won 6-4/4-6/7-5, sweeping six straight games after staring down a MP at 5-1.

Yeah, she did that.



Why on-court interviewer Sam Smith didn't specifically ask Pliskova if she saw Williams roll her ankle, or whether she noticed her physically laboring and what went through her mind because of it, is anyone's guess. But she never did. She avoided the subject and allowed Pliskova to simply refer to seeing Williams be "shaky" down the stretch, when such a description tends to cast a different light on things than what fully happened.



Yeah. No kiddin', Karolina.

Of course, the headspinning notion of what we witnessed tonight will surely have to share the stage. Since now we'll get -- and already are -- a U.S. Open final redux on social media, only this time with an actual match, with the Serena-fans-with-blinders-on crowd blaming the foot fault on MP #1 for the loss. The ESPNers' initial complaining about the seemingly legit call -- "I can't believe that was the *only* foot fault in the match" -- doesn't help, as it essentially condones overlooking the actual rules because of the situation and who's involved (ironic, considering the moment comes after three days in the U.S. of sports fans and ESPN commentators being angered because a rule WASN'T enforced and an obvious penalty WASN'T called in a crucial moment in the Saints/Rams NFC Championship Game this weekend). That group will try to sell the stale tale that happened is another example of Williams somehow being robbed, cheated or done wrong, rather than simply accepting that a foot fault is a foot fault, on MP on not, and that she was simply wildly unlucky in turning her ankle when she did (she really should have called a trainer to calm down and reinforce her footing), and *still* had three *more* MP later in the set. But, you know, what are facts other than annoying gnats that challenge any other false reality, right?

To her credit, Serena *herself* didn't place any blame on the foot fault, or acknowledge that even her ankle was to blame (even if it likely was) for her loss. It's always difficult for the winning player in this situation to get her full due, but Pliskova surely deserves credit for sticking to her guns. Plus, it's surely a brilliant advertisement for never, ever, EVER giving up... and for all the rules to be enforced, too.




So, any rehash of last year's U.S. Open final ridiculousness will have to wait for another day (well, there's at least one thing to be thankful for). Instead, we've got some really intriguing semifinals to be played.




=DAY 10 NOTES=
...the first women's quarterfinal to be played on Day 10 involved #4 Naomi Osaka and #6 Elina Svitolina.

Osaka was looking to become the first maiden slam champion since 2006 (Kim Clijsters/AO) to follow up the win with a semifinal result at her next major *and* become the first Japanese woman to reach the AO semis since 1994 (Kimiko Date), while Svitolina was attempting to FINALLY reach her first career slam semifinal (she was 0-3 in slam QF) and record her 30th career Top 10 win, but her very *first* at a slam (0-5).

As things played out... remember all that talk of Svitolina hopefully being able to put her slam troubles behind her? Yeah, scratch that.



The 1st set saw an exchange of breaks that lasted five games, as Osaka went from up a break at 4-2 to finally claiming the set at 6-4, overcoming a bushel of backhand errors. The U.S. Open champ got some measure of revenge on that particular shot in the closing moments of the 1st, ripping a crosscourt backhand return to reach her fourth set point, then seeing Svitolina's netted backhand provide the final point.

The 2nd set was all Osaka. As is often the case for opponents in Svitolina's final sets of play at a major. Granted, she was still dealing with her recent neck issues, and took a MTO mid-way through the set when she was down 3-0. But...



...it didn't help. She DF'd to go down 15/40 in the next game. After failing to put away a GP, she saw two Osaka forehand winners give her a third BP chance. A Svitolina error made it 4-0. After holding for 5-0, Osaka ran from a bee that was flying around her on the baseline. It'd be her only harrowing moment on the day.

Svitolina got the scoreboard, but a game later Osaka fired an ace at 30/30 to reach MP. She then tossed in a big serve, and followed it in for a put-away shot to win 6-4/6-1. The 21-year old is now on a 58-match winning streak when she wins the opening set.

And that's why Svitolina and fellow QF loser Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova leave Melbourne STILL in a "pitched battle" to see if either will end '19 as the only player in tour history with thirteen or more titles and zero slam semifinal appearances.

It really is anyone's "title" to lose, isn't it?

Perhaps Eli could ask Gael how to buckle down in the big moments and win the big matches at a major. Oh... yeah. Nevermind.

At least she didn't retire from the match, I guess. She hasn't picked up that trick from the Frenchman... yet.

...in doubles, defending champs Timea Babos & Kristina Mladenovic will have a shot to repeat as AO champs. The #2 seeded pair defeated Jen Brady & Aison Riske in the semis today to return to the final. Their opponents will emerge from the late night match on Laver featuring Sam Stosur/Zhang Shuai vs. Barbora Strycova/Marketa Vondrousova.

This slam has been very kind to Czech females. Pliskova and Petra Kvitova are in the singles semis, Strycova/Vondrousova are a match away from the WD final, and today Barbora Krejcikova (w/ Rajeev Ram) advanced to the MX semis. And Czech-born Bannerette Nicole Melichar (w/ Bruno Soares) won her MX QF, as well.

Meanwhile, Astra Sharma's glorious 2019 AO experience continues...



...the juniors have been winnowed down to the final eight. The group consists of players from eight different nations, with a first-time girls slam champion assured. Five seeds remain, including #1-seeded Dane Clara Tauson, #4 Leylah Annie Fernandez of Canada, #7 Lulu Sun (SUI) and #9 Kamilla Bartone (LAT).

...wheelchair action got underway on Wednesday, with the usual suspects (well, we did get one new slam face -- Italy's Giulia Capocci) all in action. #1 Diede de Groot double-bageld Lucy Shuker, while #2 Yui Kamiji defeated doubles partner Capocci on the other side of the draw. A win from both in the semis and they'll play against each other in another slam singles final, just as they have in four of the last five majors.

In this past weekend's Melbourne Open, Kamiji staged a comeback vs. de Groot from 5-4, 40/15 down in the 3rd set, saving two MP from there and three more in the deciding TB, winning it 13-11 and ending the Dutch #1's four-match winning streak against the former #1 from Japan.




...LIKE ON DAY 10: And Ash Barty has left the building. But before she left...



...LIKE ON DAY 10: Neat-o.



...LIKE ON DAY 10: Sometimes even Hall of Fame voters get it 100% right...



...LIKE ON DAY 10: Oh, Nadia!



...JUST A THOUGHT ON DAY 10: I want to see a commercial from Japan featuring Naomi Osaka and Yui Kamiji.

...LIKE ON DAY 10: Amelie Mauresmo is STILL a Pastry Whisperer. I mean, OF COURSE she is, right?




...LIKE ON DAY 10: From Mary Joe Fernandez, hours after the Williams/Pliskova match during a highlights package.

Chris McKendry: "(Serena was) then called for a foot fault..."

MJF: (Irritated tone) "ON MATCH POINT. Surprising that a foot fault comes at that point, but she did step on the line."

Exactly. So, end of discussion.




Coming down the back stretch now. The 2016 Australian Open...


==NEWS & NOTES==
Angelique Kerber wins her maiden slam title, defeating Serena Williams in three sets in the final. She's the first player to be MP down in the 1st Round (vs. Misaki Doi) and go on to win a major.


Kerber is the first German, man or woman, to win a major title since Steffi Graf's final slam run in 1999. She goes on to have the best year of her career, winning a second slam at the U.S. Open, and reaching the Wimbledon, Olympic and WTAF finals.
===============================================
Twelve seeds fall in the 1st Round, the most ever since the first 32-seed slam draw at Wimbledon in 2001
===============================================
First-time slam semifinalist Johanna Konta is the first Brit in the final four at a major since Jo Durie at the U.S. Open in 1983
===============================================
Zhang Shuai reaches the QF, the best result for a qualifier since Angelica Gavaldon in 1990.


Having gone 0-14 in slam MD matches (and failed to qualify in 13 other majors), Zhang was considering retirement before the AO. Having reaching the MD, after surviving Virginie Razzano serving for the win in her final qualifying match, Zhang flew in her parents to see her play her 1st Round match, believing it may be her last. As it turned out, she upset #2 Simona Halep in the 1st Round (the first Top 2 seed to lose at the AO so early since #1 Virginia Ruzici -- Halep's manager -- did it in 1979) and #15 Madison Keys in the 4th Round en route to the QF, becoming just the fourth Chinese woman (Li, J.Zheng, Peng) to go so far in a slam. Zhang has gone on to win twelve more slam MD matches up the the 2019 AO.
===============================================
Francesca Schiavone (w/ 61) had a chance to tie Ai Sugiyama's all-time tour record for consecutive slam MD appearances (62) at the 2016 AO. But after her ranking slipped in 2015, Schiavone wasn't automatically qualified for the MD in Melbourne, and wasn't granted a wild card. Entered in qualifying, she lost to Virginie Razzano in three sets in the second round, ending her quest. The former Roland Garros champ played in the MD of the next eight slams, and the retired in the summer of 2018.
===============================================
The Eternal Sunshine of a Gavrilovian Aussie Summer.

Entertaining new Australian Dasha Gavrilova puts on a dramatic, slightly crazy and always wild Round of 16 run -- often turning night sessions into "The Dasha Show." She upset two seeds -- #6 Petra Kvitova and #28 Kristina Mladenovic -- and took #10 Carla Suarez-Navarro to three sets in the 4th Round.
===============================================
With Lucie Safarova out with a bacterial infection that had left her hospitalized, she and fellow '15 WD champ Bethanie Mattek-Sands didn't get to defend their title. BMS played with Sabine Lisicki, losing in the 2nd Round.

The title was instead won by the dynamic doubles duo of Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza, winning their third straight major during their dominant, though short-lived, partnership. The win extended their winning streak to 36 matches, and eight titles. They'd played each other in MX in Melbourne, with Mirza/Ivan Dodig defeating defending MX champs Hingis/Paes in the QF.


The Hingis/Mirza partnershp began in March 2015, and they opened by winning their first 15 matches, taking titles in Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston. From March '15 to August '16, when they broke up before the U.S. Open (they later played in the WTAF, having qualified as a pair), the duo won fourteen titles, claiming three slams along with six Premier Mandatory/Premier 5 crowns.

After a big year in 2017 playing with Latisha Chan (9 titles), Hingis retired once more. She was married in 2018, and is expecting her first child. Mirza missed the 2018 season and became a mother for the first time that year.
===============================================
Jiske Griffioen defends her wheelchair singles crown, defeating countrywoman and doubles partner Aniek Van Koot in the final. Yui Kamiji wins her third straight AO WC doubles title, her seventh at the last nine majors. She does it (def. Griffioen/Van Koot in the final) while partnering Marjolein Buis, as regular partner Jordanne Whiley played the 2016 slams with fellow Brit Lucy Shuker in preparation for that summer's Paralympic Games.
===============================================
2008 finalist Ana Ivanovic played her final Australian Open match, a 3rd Round loss to Madison Keys. AnaIvo led 6-4/1-0 when her ailing coach Nigel Sears was treated and carried from the arena. She led 4-2 in the 2nd, then 3-0 in the 3rd, but dropped both sets. The Serb retired following the 2016 season.
===============================================
Elena Vesnina wins the MX title with Bruno Soares, defeating CoCo Vandeweghe/Horia Tecau in the final to become the first Russian to win the AO title since Elena Likhovtseva in 2007.
===============================================
Belarusian Vera Lapko defeats 2015 girls champion Tereza Mihalikova in the '16 junior final, denying the Slovak back-to-back titles in Melbourne. The two had teamed to reach the girls doubles final at the 2014 U.S. Open and 2015 Wimbledon.
===============================================
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, 33, lost in the 1st Round to Kirsten Flipkens after having served for the match in the 3rd set. A year later, she returned to Melbourne and reached the semifinals, the second major semi of her career. The first came eighteen years earlier at Wimbledon in 1999 when she was 17.
===============================================
Kristyna Pliskova set the tour record with 31 aces in her 2nd Round match with Monica Puig, a match the Czech lost after having held five MP.
===============================================
Kimiko Date-Krumm, 45, played her final slam match, an opening round of qualifying defeat at the hands of Amandine Hesse.
===============================================
18-year old Naomi Osaka (#127) made her slam MD debut after making her way through qualifying (she was Backspin's Q-Round "Player of the Week"). In her fourth *overall* tour-level MD, after a 1st Round win over Donna Vekic, she knocked off #18 Elina Svitolina in straight sets before losing to Victoria Azarenka in the 3rd Round. Up to and including the 2019 AO, she's reached at least the 3rd Round at ten of her first twelve slams, winning the U.S. Open in '18.
===============================================
In the QF, Serena Willams defeated Maria Sharapova 6-4/6-1 in a match-up of the final from a year earlier. It was Williams' 18th straight win over the Russian.

Sharapova tested positive for the recently-banned meldonium at the 2016 AO, a fact she went public with that spring. She was given a two-year ban of which she served fifteen months before returning in April 2017. The QF vs. Williams was Sharapova's final pre-suspension match. The two have yet to play since the 2016 AO, with Williams handing a walkover to Sharapova before what would have been a QF match at Roland Garros in '18.

At I said at the time of their most recent match, the final game of this blow-out match still served as a testament to the Russian's competitiveness. From three years ago:

"Really, coaches of young tennis players -- or young athletes, period -- should show the final game of the Williams/Sharapova match to their charges, covering up the score. The kids should be told to focus on Sharapova, playing with that look of intensity, clenching her fists and generally pumping herself up to give her all on every point, then asked what they think the score of the match was in that game.

She was down 5-1 (after having held serve to avoid being bageled in the set).

Maybe the cheers ("Don't give me your pity!") from the crowd irked her, but in the next game Sharapova seemed to make a point of showing her competitiveness in what would be the final game of the match. Serving with new balls, Williams hit her thirteenth ace on the second point of the game. But Sharapova didn't fold, not by a longshot. Clenching her fist, slapping her thigh and urging herself on, she fired a return winner to reach BP, then reached BP again soon afterward, still seeking an opportunity to get a foothold from which she might be able to climb back into the match. It was a characteristic stretch of points for Sharapova, though it was ultimately an unsuccessful one."

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


==QUOTES==
* - "I was with one foot on the plane back to Germany." - 2016 singles champion Angelique Kerber, on her 1st Round escape vs. Misaki Doi after facing a MP

* - "My dreams come true when I step on the court." - Victoria Azarenka

* - "You guys are crazy." - Dasha Gavrilova, responding to Aussie fans chants of "Dasha, Dasha, Dasha!" on MCA

* - "Pain is my second name." - Aga Radwanska

* - "When I play her, I know automatically I have to step up my game. I think that makes me play better." - Serena Williams, on facing Maria Sharapova

* - "Actually I am a tri-citizen. I've got a Hungarian passport, as well. I'm pretty much the female version of Jason Bourne." - Australian-born Brit (and '16 AO semifinalist) Johanna Konta

* - "I'm good from behind." - Dasha Gavrilova


* - "For me, it's chocolate." - Swiss Belinda Bencic, on the secret to Switzerland 's tennis success

* - "I want to hug the whole stadium." - Dasha Gavrilova, after upsetting #28-seed Kristina Mladenovic

* - "Every time I walk in this room, everyone expects me to win every match, every day. I’m not a robot.” - Serena Williams, during her press conference after losing in the final to Angelique Kerber



=WOMEN'S SINGLES SF=
#7 Karolina Pliskova/CZE vs. #4 Naomi Osaka/JPN
#8 Petra Kvitova/CZE vs. Danielle Collins/USA

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES SF=
Stosur/Sh.Zhang (AUS/CHN) vs. Strycova/Vondrousova (CZE/CZE)
#2 Babos/Mladenovic (HUN/FRA) def. Brady/Riske (USA/USA)

=MIXED DOUBLES SF=
Martinez Sanchez/Skupski (ESP/GBR) vs. #3 Krejcikova/Ram (CZE/USA)
(WC) Sharma/JP.Smith (AUS/AUS) vs. #2 Melichar/Soares (USA/BRA)

=GIRLS SINGLES QF=
#1 Clara Tauson/DEN vs. #9 Kamilla Bartone/LAT
Daria Snigur/UKR vs. #5 Mananchaya Sawangkaew/THA
Manon Leonard/FRA vs. #4 Leylah Annie Fernandez/CAN
#7 Lulu Sun/SUI vs. Anastasia Tikhonova/RUS

=GIRLS DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
Frayman/Rossi (RUS/ITA) def. #1 Park/Wong (KOR/HKG)
(WC) Gadecki/S.Smith (AUS/AUS) vs. #6 Avanesyan/Tikhonova (RUS/RUS)
#4 Custic/Pellicano (ESP/MLT) vs. Pepelyaeva/Sayfetdinova (RUS/RUS)
#8 Beck/Navarro (USA/USA) def. Kawamura/Kozaki (JPN/JPN)
Nahimana/Uchijima (BDI/JPN) vs. Hennemann/Ryser (SWE/SUI)
#3 Kawaguchi/Nagy (JPN/HUN) def. Allen/Martins (GBR/GBR)
#7 Bencheikh/Curmi (FRA/MLT) def. Krupenina/Snigur (RUS/UKR)
Bartone/Morlet (LAT/FRA) vs. #2 Naklo/Sawangkaew (THA/THA)

=WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S SINGLES=
#1 Diede de Groot/NED def. Lucy Shuker/GBR
Marjolein Buis/NED def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
Aniek Van Koot/NED def. Kgothatso Montjane/RSA
#2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Giulia Capocci/ITA

=WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S DOUBLES=
#1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED/NED) vs. Capocci/Kamiji (ITA/JPN)
Montjane/Shuker (RSA/GBR) vs. #2 Buis/Ellerbrock (NED/GER)





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*ACTIVE CAREER SLAM SF*
36 - Serena Williams (31-5)
23 - Venus Williams (16-7)
20 - Maria Sharapova (10-10)
7 - Angelique Kerber (4-3)
7 - Victoria Azarenka (4-3)
7 - Caroline Wozniacki (3-4)
6 - Simona Halep (4-2)
6 - PETRA KVITOVA (2-3)
6 - Jelena Jankovic (1-5)
5 - Svetlana Kuznetsova (4-1)
5 - Samantha Stosur (2-3)
4 - Garbine Muguruza (3-1)
4 - Vera Zvonareva (2-2)
4 - Madison Keys (1-3)
3 - Sloane Stephens (2-1)
3 - KAROLINA PLISKOVA (1-1)
3 - Genie Bouchard (1-2)
3 - Sara Errani (1-2)

*SLAM SF 2010-19 - NATIONS*
34 - USA
17 - RUS
11 - GER,CZE
8 - CHN,ITA
7 - BLR
6 - BEL,DEN,ROU
5 - POL
4 - AUS,ESP
3 - CAN,LAT
2 - FRA,GBR,JPN,SRB,SUI,SVK
1 - BUL,CRO,NED

*PLAYERS WITH MULTIPLE WINS OVER SERENA WILLIAMS IN SLAMS*
Angelique Kerber, GER
Garbine Muguruza, ESP
Karolina Pliskova, CZE
Samantha Stosur, AUS
Venus Williams, USA

*LOW-SEEDED AO CHAMPIONS - OPEN ERA*
Unseeded - 1978 Chris O'Neil, AUS
Unseeded - 2007 Serena Williams, USA
#12 - 2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA
#7 - 2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
#7 - 2005 Serena Williams, USA
#5 - 1979 Barbara Jordan, USA
#5 - 2008 Maria Sharapova, RUS
#4 - 1995 Mary Pierce, FRA
#4 - 1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
#4 - 2014 Li Na, CHN
--
SF: #7 Pliskova vs. #4 Osaka, #8 Kvitova vs. (un) Collins

*AO GIRLS/WOMEN'S SLAM CHAMPS - OPEN ERA*
[won Girls & Women's titles]
Evonne Goolagong (1970 Jr.; 1974-77 Women's)
Chris O'Neil (1973 Jr.; 1978 Women's)
Victoria Azarenka (2005 Jr.; 2012-13 Women's)
[others]
Lindsay Davenport (1992 Jr. RU; 2000 Women's Champ)
Maria Sharapova (2002 Jr. RU; 2008 Women's Champ)
Caroline Wozniacki (2006 Jr. RU; 2018 Women's Champ)
[2019 SF]
Karolina Pliskova (2010 Jr. Champ)

*OLDEST FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS*
33y,199d - Flavia Pennetta, 2015 U.S. Open
29y,346d - Francesca Schiavone, 2010 Roland Garros
29y,275d - Jana Novotna, 1998 Wimbledon
29y,154d - Kerry Melville-Reid, 1977 Australian Open
29y,98d - Li Na, 2011 Roland Garros
28y,277d - Marion Bartoli, 2013 Wimbledon
28y,12d - Angelique Kerber, 2016 Australian Open
27y,200d - Caroline Wozniacki, 2018 Australian Open
26y,255d - Simona Halep, 2018 Roland Garros
26y,207d - Amelie Mauresmo, 2006 Australian Open
26y,165d - Samantha Stosur, 2011 U.S. Open
--
NOTE: Pliskova (26y,10m)

*MOST SLAMS BEFORE FIRST TITLE*
49 - Flavia Pennetta (2015 U.S. Open)
47 - Marion Bartoli (2013 Wimbledon)
45 - Jana Novotna (1998 Wimbledon)
43 - Caroline Wozniacki (2018 Australian Open)
39 - Francesca Schiavone (2010 Roland Garros)
34 - Samantha Stosur (2011 U.S. Open)
33 - Angelique Kerber (2016 Australian Open)
32 - Simona Halep (2018 Roland Garros)
32 - Amelie Mauresmo (2006 Australian Open)
29 - Jennifer Capriati (2001 Australian Open)
28 - Kerry Melville-Reid (1978 Australian Open)
26 - Lindsay Davenport (1998 U.S. Open)
25 - Victoria Azarenka (2012 Australian Open)
23 - Sloane Stephens (2017 U.S. Open)
22 - Kim Clijsters (2005 U.S. Open)
--
NOTE: Pliskova in 27th slam

*AO "COMEBACK PLAYER" WINNERS*
2007 Serena Williams, USA
2008 Zi Yan & Zheng Jie, CHN
2009 Jelena Dokic, AUS
2010 Justine Henin, BEL
2011 Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
2012 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2013 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2014 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2015 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2016 Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE
2017 Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, CRO
2018 Angelique Kerber, GER
2019 Petra Kvitova, CZE

*AO "ZOMBIE QUEEN" WINNERS*
2008 Jelena Jankovic, SRB
2009 Dinara Safina, RUS
2010 Serena Williams, USA
2011 Francesca Schiavone, ITA
2012 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2013 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2014 Li Na, CHN
2015 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2016 Monica Puig, PUR
2017 Lucie Safarova, CZE
2018 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2019 Karolina Pliskova, CZE





TOP QUALIFIER: Astra Sharma/AUS
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #16 Serena Williams/USA
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #8 Petra Kvitova/CZE
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3 - Astra Sharma/AUS def. #25 Irina Khromacheva 5-7/7-6(7)/7-6(10) (saved 3 MP, makes slam debut)
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #18 Garbine Muguruza/ESP def. Johanna Konta/GBR 6-4/6-7(3)/7-5 (ended at 3:12 a.m.)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 4th Rd. - #16 Serena Williams/USA def. #1 Simona Halep 6-1/4-6/6-4
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr./Doub.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Rebecca Peterson/SWE (def. Cirstea/ROU)
FIRST SEED OUT: #14 Julia Goerges/GER (1st Rd. - lost to D.Collins/USA)
UPSET QUEENS: United States
REVELATION LADIES: Teens - six teenagers win 1st Round matches - Andreescu/Anisimova/Potapova/Swiatek/Vondrousova/Yastremska; Anisimova and Yastremska reach 3rd Rd.
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Romania - 2-4 1st Rd., losses to two teens, #25 seed
LAST QUALIFIERS STANDING: Bianca Andreescu/CAN, Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA, Astra Sharma/AUS, Iga Swiatek/POL, Natalia Vikhlyantseva/RUS (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Kimberly Birrell/AUS (3rd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Ash Barty (QF)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Danielle Collins/USA
IT (Teen): Amanda Anisimova/USA (first player born in 2000s to reach slam 4th Rd.)
COMEBACK PLAYER: Petra Kvitova/CZE
CRASH & BURN: #10 Dasha Kasatkina/RUS (after leading 3-0 in 1st set, loses 12 con. games in 1st Rd. loss vs. Bacsinszky)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: Karolina Pliskova/CZE (QF - down 5-1 and MP in 3rd set vs. S.Williams, Williams injures foot; saves 4 MP)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: Nominees: Stosur/Sh.Zhang, Strycova, Martinez-Sanchez
LADY OF THE EVENING: Garbine Muguruza/ESP (3:12 a.m. finish vs. Johanna Konta in 2nd Rd.)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx





All for Day 10. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 5:56 AM 

4 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

With Barty and Williams losing, the 5 year streak of Hopman Cup participants reaching the SF ends. However, the men keep showing how important the event is as a tuneup as both Tsitsipas and Pouille played this year.

Serena's losses since her comeback-V.Williams, Osaka, Sharapova*, Kerber, Konta, Kvitova, Osaka, Pliskova. Even if not at the time, all have been Top 10. Still takes a great one to take her out.

Sabalenka is assured of entering the Top 10.

Stat of the Day-0 - The amount of losses Pliskova and Kvitova have in 2019.

Time to take a look at the final four, and two of the women are coming off titles. So some stats, and some notes.

Navratilova played Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic players 4 times while representing USA, but Pliskova/Kvitova would be the first all Czech final.

Collins trying to become the first since Ostapenko in 2017, and first US woman since Barbara Jordan in 1979 to have their first title be a slam.

Pliskova trying to be the first since Wozniacki last year to be match point down and win the title.

Osaka trying to be the first 21 or younger to win back to back slams since Serena started the Serena slam at 20. Before her? Venus at 20, winning Wimbledon-US Open in 2000. For extra credit, Venus also won the Olympics.

H2H
Kvitova 3-1 vs Pliskova 2-1 on hard
Pliskova 2-1 vs Osaka all hard
Kvitova 1-0 vs Collins 2 weeks ago
Osaka 1-0 vs Collins on hard

Collins/Pliskova and Osaka/Kvitova 0-0

Record last three years-Hard
104-41 Pliskova
81-34 Kvitova
81-42* Collins
81-44 Osaka

Kvitova led in 2016, Pliskova in 2017 and 2018, they are tied in 2019.

Collins' numbers drop to 28-20 at WTA level.

Top 10 wins-last 3 years.
20-Pliskova(Hard)Muguruza-4, V.Williams-2, Wozniacki-2, Kuznetsova, Kerber, S.Williams, Cibulkova, Osaka, Kvitova(Clay)Ostapenko, Halep, Stephens(Grass)Kuznetsova, Konta, Wozniacki.
15-Kvitova(Hard)Muguruza-3, Kerber-2, Wozniacki-2, Keys, Halep, Svitolina, Goerges, Ostapenko, Mladenovic(Clay)Muguruza, Pliskova.
6-Osaka(Hard)Kerber, V.Williams, Halep, Pliskova, Goerges, Svitolina.
2-Collins(Hard)Kerber, V.Williams.

Kerber the only woman who lost to all 4.

If Spain ever plays Czech Republic in Fed Cup, Muguruza should be benched.

Pliskova has beaten 2017 & 2018 French Open finalists Ostapenko, Halep and Stephens on clay. Darkhorse for the French?

Collins' numbers are light, but the fact that Osaka already has a slam, but doesn't have great results on clay or grass means her ceiling is so high.

The numbers say Pliskova in 3, Kvitova in 2, but see Collins winning the SF.

Realistically, one of the best matchups on paper we have had at this stage for some time.

Wed Jan 23, 10:05:00 AM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

"Pliskova trying to be the first since Wozniacki last year to be match point down and win the title."

I see what you're doin' there. ;)

Well, Pliskova did reach the RG semis in '17 and had probably her best clay season last year, so she's certainly capable... though it still feels a tiny bit odd to say it.

Wed Jan 23, 12:36:00 PM EST  
Blogger Diane said...

I have some niggling doubts about what happened to Serena. Obviously, the ankle hampered her service motion. But I remember seeing her win the AO with strapping on almost every part of her body. She beat Hantuchova that time with the use of only one hand and one leg.

Is it age? Was it the traumatic effect of hearing “foot fault!”? Was it those things AND the ankle? Why didn’t she call for the trainer?

(FWIW, yesterday afternoon, someone placing a bet asked me where to put the money. I said put it on Pliskova; I just felt it for her.)

Wed Jan 23, 01:54:00 PM EST  
Blogger Hoergren said...

Finally a Dane in a girls slam final - last time - 2006 - a certain lady won gorls Wimbledon. This time it could be Clara Tauson

Fri Jan 25, 02:01:00 AM EST  

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