Saturday, January 26, 2019

Naomi's World

Everyone came to Rod Laver Arena, or tuned in from afar, for Saturday's Australian Open women's final expecting a great, dramatic match. Well, they got it... along with another early ceremony is what is looking suspiciously like the coronation of the sport's next great champion.

It's Naomi's world, and the great wave of her ascendancy continues to wash gently, with great fore, over us all.



The 2019 AO singles championship was the sort of match-up that is was hard to find fault with, as it featured two of the most exciting, recently on form, and best-liked, down to earth women on tour facing off to determine which would be strongest on this Aussie night -- the Power of Petra Kvitova's "Pojd!" or the Great Wave of Naomi Osaka.

While the rise of the 21-year old from Japan has been a story that truly began to earn it sea legs last March with her stunning title run in Indian Wells, the feel-good story of the successful comeback of the two-time slam champion Czech has been an ongoing process since the day that changed everything.

Beneath the smile, big eyes and natural kindness, 28-year old Kvitova's background includes the home invasion in late 2016 that, aside from the potentially tragic outcomes of a confrontation with a knife-wielding burglar, also nearly cost her her career, which was heroically kept alive by emergency surgery that saved the fingers on her racket hand. Still unable to fully close her left hand, Kvitova had tearfully admitted after one match this week that she never thought she'd make it back to the stage in the sport where she'd be challenging for major titles. Everybody loves Petra, but all in her path had been left Petra-fied coming into the final, with none of her previous six opponents having surrendered a set to her in Melbourne. She was seeking her third slam crown, which would end a major title drought that goes back to 2014 and allow her to claim her first slam away from the lawns of the All-England Club.

Osaka, while mostly coasting to her U.S. Open title summer, arrived at the final having struggled with maintaining her own form and containing her frustrations with that fact on multiple occasions in 2019, first after her loss in Brisbane (when she publicly analyzed her current psyche and what she needed to do combine her inner peace with ultimate success -- and hadn't lost since!), but also over the last two weeks, most notably when she was forced to figure out on the fly how to stage a comeback from 7-5/4-1 down in the 3rd Round against Tennis Sudoku aficionado Hsieh Su-wei.

The feeling was that the stakes were high for the 1st set, as Osaka was riding a 59-0 run in matches in which she's won the opening stanza (27-1 in slams), while Kvitova has gone 20-0 in finals in her career after taking a set lead.

Osaka double-faulted on the first point of the match, but it'd be the only miscue in the opening games from the serving player. After Osaka took a 1-0 lead, the two combined for back-to-back love holds. That pattern changed over the next few games, though the serving player continued to prevail. Osaka faced a love/30 deficit and two BP in game #5, but held for 3-2. Kvitova saved a BP a game later. Then Osaka, after missing on a series of first serves, dug out of a love/40 deficit with the help of a spate of errors by the Czech, winning five straight points to hold for 4-3.

After that brief stretch, the servers regained their dominance. Kvitova went up 40/love in game #8, then Osaka followed suit in her next two service games. Still on serve at 6-5, Kvitova attempted to take things to a TB. She managed to do it, but only after Osaka took a 15/30 lead to create a small opening as she began to better read the Czech's lefty serve (she hadn't practice vs. a lefty in preparation). She held two BP that also served as set points, but Kvitova staved off both. The two combined to go 0-for-8 on BP chances is the 1st.

With the respective opening set importance for both players well known, it all came down to a tie-break.

There, Osaka took control. A backhand return winner down the line put her up a mini-break at 2-0. A big serve and follow-up forehand winner made it 4-1. A forehand pass down the line took the lead to 5-1. Serving two at 5-2, she reached SP #3 with a Kvitova backhand error. A deep Osaka shot elicited another backhand error error from the Czech, and Osaka took the set with a 7-2 win in her first TB of any kind since dropping the final set in Cincinnati in a loss to Maria Sakkari last August in her final outing before the U.S. Open title run.

Rather than lament her situation, Kvitova came out firing. Holding to open the 2nd, she then blasted a series of big forehands at the Japanese star, carving out two BP in the game and finally getting the first break of the night (they were a combined 1-for-10 on BP chances to that point) with a big forehand into the corner that wildly deflected off Osaka's racket. When she fell behind early in game #3, Osaka was visibly frustrated, lightly tossing her racket. But she collected herself and reached BP, only to see Kvitova come within two points on three occasions of a 3-0 lead. But Osaka's reading of Kvitova's serve allowed her to step in and fire shot deeps into the Czech's court, creating errors that brought the game back to her. A Kvitova DF gave Osaka a second BP, and she got the break when a Kvitova backhand hit the net cord but failed to dribble over into Osaka's court.

The near-miss of a 3-0 lead by Kvitova suddenly swung all the momentum to Osaka, who quickly held and then went up love/40 on Kvitova's serve in game #5. A missed drop shot attempt gave Osaka her third straight game and a 3-2 lead.

Kvitova was gifted a pair of Osaka errors to open the next game, but couldn't do anything with her good fortune. Osaka put in two big serves, then a misfired return gave her a GP. Another long forehand was Kvitova's fourth straight error, and it gave Osaka a 4-2 lead as the match was quickly slipping away from the Czech, now seemingly having to scramble from a step behind in the short rallies and without the same pop on her shots that she'd had earlier.

Back-to-back holds brought Osaka within a game of the title at 5-3 and, after a deep forehand return that Kvitova couldn't get back, within a point of back-to-back slam titles at love/40 on the Czech's serve. But Kvitova wouldn't go quite so quietly. She saved all three MP -- with a winner, an Osaka rally-ending error and a wide return --and won five straight points to hold for 5-4.

Suddenly tense, Osaka fell behind love/30 a game later. A DF made it 15/40. A long forehand made it 5-5, and visions of Williams/Pliskova (5-1 and MP down in the QF, anyone?) were dancing in everyone's head. Osaka slammed a ball with her racket. After seeming to pull off a passing shot into the corner on the opening point of game #11, Osaka was quickly brought back down to earth when Kvitova challenged the call and got it reversed. She took a 30/love lead. Osaka reeled the Czech back in, reaching BP with a wide backhand that pulled her off the court, but Kvitova held, forcing Osaka to serve to send things to a TB just moments after she'd served for the title and held three MP.

She immediately fell behind love/30, missed on a wide forehand and DF'd to hand the 7-5 set to Kvitova, who clenched her fists and let loose a roar. With Osaka having squandered her lead, and seen it devolve into losing eight of her last nine points on serve, the two women headed to a 3rd set that would decide both the Australian Open champion and the new #1 player in the world.




Looking for any sort of foothold from which to regain her balance, Osaka seemed to get it with a settling hold of serve in game #2 of the 3rd. A game later, she held close to Kvitova, then suddenly found herself in possession of a BP when the Czech DF'd. Osaka blasted a backhand winner to end a rally, grabbing a 2-1 lead.

As she stretched her advantage to 3-1, Osaka seemed to be making a point of being as emotionless as possible, trying to maintain an even keel after having lost herself a bit as the 2nd set slipped from her grasp. If nothing else, she's proven over the past year in her worst moments -- and her reflections on and reactions to them -- that she knows her faults and negative proclivities, and is consistently finding more and better ways to overcome them.

She'd have her mettle tested again in game #6, seeing her 30/15 lead slip and Kvitova get a BP chance to get back on serve. But Osaka fired a big serve to save it. An ace and forehand winner followed in Serena-esque fashion, securing a 4-2 lead. Up love/40 on the Czech's serve a game later, Osaka once again saw Kvitova somehow dig out of it with a service winner/winner/ace/service winner/ace string to hold for 4-3. Osaka took a 40/love lead on serve in game #8, and a wild volley error from Kvitova made it 5-3. Again.

Serving for the title for a second time at 5-4, Osaka finally grabbed her AO (and maybe more?) destiny by the throat. A big wide serve and forehand blasted past Kvitova in the backcourt gave her a 30/love lead. Kvitova was then handcuffed by a deep shot, framing her reply as Osaka once again reached triple MP. After missing out on the first, her second MP in the game (and fifth in the final) proved to be the charm. When Kvitova failed to get back Osaka's down-the-T serve, the 7-5/5-7/6-4 match and her second straight slam title were in the books.



With the win, Osaka goes from talented new curiosity who burst out with one slam run, to the player who very well could be the new face of women's tennis. In many ways, she already is, as the international nature of the WTA is literally wrapped up in her personal DNA. The young woman born of a mixed race relationship between her Japanese mother and Haitian father, raised in the United States and representing Japan, is the first WTA player in eighteen years (Jennifer Capriati in 2001, who at 25 had gone through the mill and missed 14 mid-career majors for issues both on and off court before she won her maiden slam) to follow up her first major win by claiming another one slam later. She's the first woman not named Serena to win consecutive slams since 2011 (Kim Clijsters), as well as being the first player from Asia to sit top the singles rankings.

And you get the sense that's she nowhere near finished, or completely formed. Every experience, both good and bad, is only serving to make her even more formidable. Osaka has only scratched the surface of the player and representative of the sport that she could be over the course of her career. Dare we say that she's just slightly beyond the still-in-development version of Serena (then just a teenager) who ripped through the 1999 U.S. Open for her first major before anyone (well, other than her father Richard, I guess) knew what she was *truly* capable of? Remember, a year ago Osaka came to Melbourne as the #72 ranked player in the world and had only one tour final to her name (Tokyo in 2016).



Osaka didn't get trophy ceremony in New York that her accomplishment deserved, as it was sidetracked by nonsense and (briefly) by so-called tennis fans who should know better. This time, after the Laver roof had been closed as it started to sprinkle almost immediately after MP, Osaka showed that she's still new at this. Having "turned off" her emotions during the match after they'd frayed and nearly cost her the match, Osaka maintained her mostly reserved manner through the ceremony in which she was presented "Daphne" by new Hall of Fame designee Li Na, who'd wisely foreseen Osaka's rise as *the* Asian player of note a while back. While Li was likely the most loose and animated new champion ever in *her* post-slam final ceremonies, Osaka's more laid back and quiet nature puts her closer to the opposite end of such an imaginary spectrum. But her charm still manages to always shine through. One of these days, who knows, she might get used to this enough to go "full Li" on us. THAT might be one of the most legendary post-match ceremony ever... so, stay tuned. She's only scratched the surface of her potential there, as well.



Will this final be a prelude to a season-long stretch of slam contention for Kvitova? Maybe, as the pressure to live up (in her mind) to the support her team and fans gave her when everything was up in the air may be alleviated by her proving in Melbourne that, yes, there is still a three-time (or more?) slam champion lurking under the Czech's surface. Additionally,will Osaka continue to remain "just Naomi," finding ways to dominate while staying grounded amidst the increasing swirl of activity around her?

She (like Kvitova) is not the first player of great talent who can take on juggernaut status when they're "right between the ears," and what happened to both of them at this AO shows that they're currently reaping the benefits of self-awareness, not to mention the sort of natural karma that allows them to pull nearly everyone into their corner by being, quite simply, just themselves.



Osaka, though, finds herself looking skyward and seeing few barriers to building even more upon this latest success, as long as she continues on her current path with both coach Sascha Bajin, as well as herself. The better she gets to know both, the better it should get. As we stand she's still the humble, publicly introspective 21-year old she was in New York, unchanged (so far) by her sudden new stardom, and who earlier in the tournament had talked about watching "the kids" in her age group post big wins vs. top players, inspiring her to want to do the same, apparently not recognizing that *she* is in fact just the sort to top player that the "kids" are dreaming about upsetting.

If she can maintain that mindset, what can't she do?

Make no bones about it now. Osaka is the real deal. She may be *the* one to inherit "the mantle," and not just the on-court one of her idol Serena Williams, either. She's also in line to have a huge cultural and marketing impact, on *multiple* cultures around the world, and fully bring Asia into the sport after the likes of Kimiko Date (early on) cracked the door, then Li Na and Kei Nishikori opened it. Osaka has nonchalantly flung it open wide so hard it may knock a hole in the wall behind it, while she shyly peaks around the corner and asks, "Umm, did I do that?"

Yes, Naomi. Yes you have.

After being predicted by many, the moment *has* arrived. It appears that it truly is Naomi's world...and it's actually pretty cool to live in it, too.






=DAY 13 NOTES=
...Diede de Groot had another big day at a major on Australia Day Saturday, but her two championships were a tale of two finals.



In singles, de Groot hammered Yui Kamiji in their fifth match-up in the last six slam finals, winning 6-0/6-2 in a match that ties for the biggest blowout as far as games won in the 23-match head-to-head series between the two. Last weekend, Kamiji defeated de Groot in the Melbourne Open final, saving five MP and winning a 13-11 3rd set TB. The win gives de Groot five career slam singles titles, while Kamiji drops to 1-4 in AO finals.

The doubles final was a whole other kettle of fish, as de Groot & Aniek Van Koot defeated Marjolein Buis & Sabine Ellerbrock 5-7/7-6(4) [10-8] in 2:22 even though they were on the wrong side of almost every stat category for the match, including breaks of serves (6-5), DF (7-1), points (84-79), and service games won (6/12 vs. 7/12) in a match filled with ultra-long rallies (many 30-40 shots).

De Groot/Van Koot twice failed to serve out the 2nd set, but managed to take it in a TB. In the deciding 10-point TB that served as the 3rd set, they lost a 5-2 lead and trailed 7-6 before finally reaching double MP at 9-7 and winning on their second MP.

With the doubles win De Groot is now the reigning champion in seven of the eight slam disciplines, the best slam title percentage (.875) over a twelve-month period (besting Kamiji's 6-of-7, .857 moment at the end of 2014) since the retirement of Esther Vergeer. Coming into 2019 needing only the AO doubles and RG singles to become the first player to win all eight slam crowns in a career, she'll now head to Paris with a chance to accomplish the feat. Kamiji needs the Wimbledon singles crown to do the same.

De Groot has reached 15 singles/doubles finals in the eighteen slam MD in which she's participated in her career (including the last 14). She won 10 (5/5).

...Denmark's Clara Tauson won the girls title with a 6-4/6-3 win in the final over Canada's Leylah Annie Fernandez, becoming the second Dane (two-time winner Caro, of course) to win a junior slam crown.



After being broken while serving for the match at 6-4/5-2 (w/ a DF on MP), Tauson broke Fernandez to take the title. During the trophy ceremony, the 16-year old said, "The Australian Open is for sure my favorite grand slam now."



...in the late, late match on Laver, the Mixed final featured Aussie wild cards Astra Sharma & John-Patrick Smith vs. Barbora Krejcikova & Rajeev Ram. The Aussies were looking to join WD champ Sam Stosur as home nation champs at this AO, as Sharma was seeking to add her first career slam title to a month that has already included an AO qualifying run, her slam MD debut and a 1st Round win. She'll have to settle for the thrill of playing a slam final at home.

Krejcikova, *the* star of the final, grabbed her third slam title in less than a year, having won the WD at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in '18, as she and Ram (a first-time slam champ at age 34) won in straight sets.




...in the WTA 125 Series event in Newport Beach, Bianca Andreescu won the all-Canadian QF clash with Genie Bouchard. And then some. She won 6-2/6-0. In the "live" rankings, Andreescu (14-2 on the season, 19-2 in her last 21, and 32-5 since the U.S. Open) is now breathing down Bouchard's neck for the #1 Canadian ranking, moving up to #76 behind #72 Bouchard heading into the weekend's semifinals.



NOTE: in the semifinals, Andreescu defeated Tatjana Maria 5-7/7-5/7-6, winning the deciding TB after having broken Maria in game #11 but failing to serve out the win at 6-5. It looks like she's just a handful of points from passing Bouchard for the CAN #1 spot, so she might have to beat Jessica Pegula for the title to complete the mission.




...PREDICTION BLOWOUT NOTE ON DAY 13: What I said at the start of the season:

"If Naomi *is* the transformative presence that will soon dominate the tour, maybe she'll bypass the usual "year after" haze and pick up in 2019 right where she left off in New York, and never relent. That *probably* won't be the case, but if it is... well, look out, tour."

(clears throat)

Hence, "Naomi's World."

...Hmmm... ON DAY 13: there was a chance that this list was going to be put to bed for good this weekend, but since Kvitova *didn't* rise to #1 there is still the possibility that Petra could become part of a very exclusive group filled with winners of *three* slam singles titles without ever having been ranked #1.

*3+ SLAMS, NEVER RANKED #1*
(OPEN ERA, 1968+ - first weekly ranks in 1975)
[pre-Open era + Open]
Ann Haydon Jones - 3 total slams, 1961-69 (2 won in Open Era); year-end #2
[Open era only]
Hana Mandlikova - 4 slams 1980-87, high rank of #3
Virginia Wade - 3 slams, 1968-77, high rank of #2
==================
[active players w/ 2+, never #1]
Svetlana Kuznetsova - 2 slams, high of #2
Petra Kvitova - 2 slams, high of #2

On Monday, Osaka will have about an 800-point lead over the #2 Czech. Osaka has Indian Wells to defend in March, but Kvitova has Doha in February.

...LIKE ON DAY 13: Tennis stars as kids is always good.



...LIKE ON DAY 13: All in one.



...LIKE ON DAY 13: Back-to-back.



...WONDERING... ON DAY 13: some time down the road, how many little girls (and boys) from Asia are going to be raising tennis trophies and recounting how much the last four and a half months meant to their dreams?

...LIKE ON DAY 13: My favorite part here is the smile on the ball kid's face.



...LIKE ON DAY 13: Coming one day. Soon. To a grand slam near you (or one a long way away... either/or).



...LIKE ON DAY 13:





With all of the AO women's, junior and wheelchair action wrapped up in Melbourne, here are some quick Players and Matches-of-the-Month lists for January (as well as a short thumbnail recap for this AO, for "Decade's Best" purposes):

On that front, the "Decade's Best: Australian Open 2010-19" post later this weekend will officially wrap up the season's first slam, with a ranking of the top players in Melbourne over the past ten years, as well as the updated list of nominations for Players of the Decade.

1. Naomi Osaka, JPN - back-to-back slams, and the first Asian singles #1
2. Petra Kvitova, CZE - Sydney title + AO final = solidifies as the best player never to be #1?
3. Karolina Pliskova, CZE - won Brisbane, reached the AO semifinals
4. Ash Barty, AUS - played Petra to 3rd set TB in Sydney; first Aussie QF in a decade
5. Danielle Collins, USA - this year's honoree as the AO's annual first-time slam semifinalist
6. Diede de Groot, NED (WC) - three straight WC singles titles, reigning champ in 7 of 8 major competitions
7. Samantha Stosur/Zheng Shuai, AUS/CHN - AO doubles champs, and it feels so good
8. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR - looked good in Shenzhen and early in Melbourne. Then Amanda Anisimova happened.
9. Sonya Kenin, USA - won her first WTA WD title in Week 1, and her first WTA WS title in Week 2
10. Julia Goerges, GER - defended Auckand, was First Seed Out in Melbourne
HM- Bianca Andreescu, CAN - fabulous run to the Auckland final (def. Caro & Venus), Top 100 ranking, AO qualifier and first MD win, on another run in a WTA 125 and is now nearly the new #1-ranked Canadian. Now that's a month.

TEEN: Amanda Anisimova, USA - a slam Round of 16 at age 17 in 2019. Following in Osaka footsteps by the end of 2021?
JUNIOR: Clara Tauson, DEN - joins Wozniacki on Denmark's list of junior slam champions
ITF: Dasha Lopatetska, UKR - burning up the courts on the challenger level -- at 15

1. Australian Open 2nd Rd. - Garbine Muguruza def. Johanna Konta 6-4/6-7(3)/7-5
...not starting until 12:30 a.m., not ending until 3:12 a.m., Garbi vs. Jo will probably be 2019's best match that no one actually remembers (either because they never watched it, or fell asleep while trying to do so).
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2. Sydney Final - Petra Kvitova def. Ash Barty 1-6/7-5/7-6(3)
...pushing herself to the physical limit in the heat, Kvitova responded in a dramatic 3rd set. Down 3-0 to Barty in front of an Aussie crowd, she battled back and served for the title at 5-4 and 6-5 while fighting exhaustion. Up 5-3 in the deciding TB, Kvitova began to show recognizable signs of cramping, but she had one last surge in her and won 7-3, causing Barty to come up one win short of the Sydney title for the second straight year.
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3. Australian Open Final - Naomi Osaka def. Petra Kvitova 7-5/5-7/6-4
...after losing a 7-5/5-3 lead with four MP, Osaka raises her game in the 3rd to claim her second straight slam crown and become the first Asian singles #1.
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4. Melbourne WC Open Final - Yui Kamiji def. Diede de Groot 3-6/7-5/7-6(11)
...Kamiji saves 2 MP after trailing 5-4, 40/15 in the 3rd, then 3 more in the 13-11 TB.
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5. Australian Opane 4th Round - Serena Williams def. Simona Halep 6-1/4-6/6-4
...Halep rallies in the 2nd set to force a 3rd in Williams and Halep's best slam encounter. Halep has 3 BP in game #6 of the 3rd, but Williams' serve averts disaster.
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1. Australian Open QF - Karolina Pliskova def. Serena Williams 6-4/4-6/7-5
...Williams serves up 5-1 with a MP in the 3rd. But after rolling her ankle, she never wins another game. Pliskova saves four MP in all, sweeping the final six games in the arguably (injury or no injury) most shocking loss (sorry, Virginie Razzano) in Williams' career.
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2. Australian Open 3rd Rd. - Naomi Osaka def Hsieh Su-wei 5-7/6-4/6-1
...Hsieh leads 7-5/4-1 over a frustrated Osaka, who eventually hits her way out of her stupor and gradually seizes control. She goes on to win the title.
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3. Auckland QF - Julia Goerges def. Genie Bouchard 3-6/6-3/7-6(6)
...Bouchard leads 3-0 in the 3rd, and has a MP at 6-5. But Goerges takes things to a deciding TB, plays it terrifically well, and stone cold picks a TB-tying winner from the Canadian's pocket on point #14 and turns it into a converted MP. She went on to defend her title.
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4. Brisbane Final - Karolina Pliskova def. Lesia Tsurenko 4-6/7-5/6-2
...Tsurenko led 6-4/5-3, but Pliskova turns things around to win her second Brisbane title in three years.
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5. Australian Open 1st Round - Danielle Collins def. Julia Goerges 2-6/7-6(5)/6-4
...Goerges serves up 6-2/5-4, but Collins flips the script and makes the German the First Seed Out at the AO while recording her first career slam win. She goes on to reach the semifinals.
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1. Australian Open 3rd Round - Amanda Anisimova def. Aryna Sabalenka 6-3/6-2
...the 17-year old's deep shots keep Sabalenka off balance, and she has no idea how to alter her fate. About to make her Top 10 debut, Sabalenka sees just one BP on the Bannerette's serve all day.
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2. Auckland 2nd Round - Bianca Andreescu def. Caroline Wozniacki 6-4/6-4
...it was the world #152 vs. #3, and it was the former whose power, slice, drop shots, defense and overall fight that seized control. Aggressive and handling the pressure of the moment like it was old hat, Andreescu recorded her first career Top 5 win in her ninth tour-level MD match.
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3. Brisbane 1st Round - Kimberly Birrell def. Dasha Kasatkina 5-7/6-4/7-6(3)
...just call it the upset that officially christened the 2019 season, as #283 Birrell knocked off #10 Kasatkina in 3:07, coming back from 5-3 down in the 3rd, then avoiding squandering the match by winning a deciding TB after she'd failed to serve things out.
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4. Auckland QF - Bianca Andreescu def. Venus Williams 6-7(1)/6-1/6-3
...there was no step back for Andreescu after upsetting Wozniacki. She simply followed up by beating a Williams, despite twice losing a break lead in the 1st set and falling behind a set and a break at 7-6/1-0. With one shoulder against the wall, the Canadian won eleven straight games until she led 5-0 in the 3rd, having broken Venus six straight times. Williams closed to 5-3, but Andreescu finished things out anyway.
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5. Australian Open 4th Round - Danielle Collins def. Angelique Kerber 6-0/6-2
...Angie never knew what hit her. With a 29-6 edge in winners, Collins blasts the #2 seed off the court.
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==2019 AO NEWS & NOTES==
Naomi Osaka wins her second consecutive slam, becoming the first since 2001 (Jennifer Capriati) to win her first two major titles consecutively. She becomes the first Asian player to be the #1-ranked singles player in the world (eleven women had come into the tournament with a shot to emerge atop the rankings).
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Osaka trailed Hsieh Su-wei 7-5/4-1 in the 3rd Round, and later squandered a 7-5/5-3, triple MP lead in the final vs. Petra Kvitova (playing in her first slam final since her December '16 home invasion hand injuries) before rallying to win in three sets in their battle both for the singles title as well as the #1 ranking.
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Danielle Collins makes it seven consecutive AO's with a first-time slam semifinalist, joining the list of fellow North Americans that includes Sloane Stephens, Genie Bouchard, Madison Keys and CoCo Vandeweghe who've done so since 2013. Collins survived #14 seed Julia Goerges serving for the match in the 1st Round, and later blitzed the German's countrywoman, #2 Angelique Kerber, in the Round of 16, allowing the 2016 champ just two games.
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The 2019 AO marked the start of a new rule that instituted that singles matches would be decided in a 10-point TB at 6-6 in the final set rather than playing out the set with a player winning by two. One year earlier the 3rd Round Halep/Davis 15-13 3rd set had produced one of the most dramatic showcases of the entire season.
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Serena Williams, back at the AO for the first time since winning in '17 while pregnant with her daughter, became (at 37) the oldest woman to defeat a reigning world #1 with her Round of 16 win over Simona Halep. A round later, though, she'd lose a match vs. Karolina Pliskova in which she was serving up 5-1 in the 3rd with a MP. She turned her ankle during the MP rally, and was never quite the same. She didn't win another game, as Pliskova grabbed six straight games and saved four total MP en route to winning the set 7-5.
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Diede de Groot defends her AO wheelchair crown, claiming her third straight slam. She wins the AO doubles for the first time, making her the reigning champ in seven of the eight WC slam events, the most dominate one-year stretch in the sport since the retirement of her legendary Dutch countrywoman, Esther Vergeer, after the 2012 season. De Groot's match-up with Yui Kamiji (she allowed just two games) is their fifth in the finals of the last six slams.
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Clara Tauson defeats Canada's Leylah Annie Fernandez to win the girls junior title, joining Caroline Wozniacki (w/ 2) as the only Danish junior slam champs.
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Defending champ Caroline Wozniacki loses in the 3rd Round to Maria Sharapova, who posts her second best win (#1 Halep, '17 U.S. Open 1st Rd.) since her return from suspension in 2017. The Russian's double-bagel victory over Harriet Dart in the 1t Round had been the first in her career since 2014. Sharapova would lose in the Round of 16 to Ash Barty, who became the first Aussie to reach the AO QF since Jelena Dokic a decade earlier in 2009.
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First-time slam title winner Zhang Shuai, who nearly retired in 2016 before a surprise AO QF run in singles, claims the doubles with Aussie Samantha Stosur, who wins her first pro title of any kind on home soil since a series of challenger events in 2002. Stosur been AO WD runners-up with Lisa Raymond thirteen years earlier in 2006.
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Garbine Muguruza defeats Johanna Konta in a 2nd Round match that sets AO records as the latest starting (12:30 am) and finishing (3:12 am) women's match in tournament history
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Barbora Krejcikova wins the MX title with Rajeev Ram, claiming her third slam title in less than a year. The Czech won back-to-back RG/WI doubles titles with Katerina Siniakova in 2018.
===============================================
Two-time AO champ Victoria Azarenka makes her first appearance at the AO since 2016, having missed the previous two years due to having just had a baby and then when undergoing a custody battle with her son's father a year later. She leads Laura Siegemund 7-6/4-2 in the 1st Round, but falls to the German. The defeat precedes a tearful press conference during which she tearfully discusses the difficulties of making a full comeback and how, even when she was winning titles, things weren't always easy (alluding to past AO performances during which she was criticized for her on-court grunting, called a "cheater" for taking an MTO vs. Sloane Stephens after having failed to convert 5 MP in a match she'd previously been dominating, and enduring Aussie media headlines that relentlessly attacked her during her two-year reign as the AO champ).
===============================================

==QUOTES==
* - "Look at her, prancing around like a spring lamb!" - Mary Carillo, on Amanda Anisimova during her win over Aryna Sabalenka

* - "I've been through a lot of things in my life. Sometimes I wonder why I go through them. But I think they're going to make me stronger. I want to believe that and I'm going to work hard for it. Sometimes I just need a little time and patience, and a little support." - a tearful Victoria Azarenka, after losing in the 1st Round in her first AO match since 2016

* - "Clearly none of this has been a fluke." - Danielle Collins, on her surprise semifinal run

* - "I wanted to win and have the trophy. But I think I already won two years ago." - Petra Kvitova, after losing in the women's final two years after surviving a home invasion attack in which she sustained hand injuries that jeopardized her career

* - "Every time I have a dream, somehow I accomplish it. I still feel like it's a very strange moment. Like, I feel like I'm living right now, but it's not necessarily real, if that makes sense." - Naomi Osaka



=WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#4 Naomi Osaka/JPN def. #8 Petra Kvitova/CZE 7-5/5-7/6-4

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL=
Stosur/Sh.Zhang (AUS/CHN) def. #2 Babos/Mladenovic (HUN/FRA) 6-3/6-4

=MIXED DOUBLES FINAL=
#3 Krejcikova/Ram (CZE/USA) def. (WC) Sharma/JP.Smith (AUS/AUS) 7-6(3)/6-1

=GIRLS SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Clara Tauson/DEN def. #4 Leylah Annie Fernandez/CAN 6-4/6-3

=GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL=
#3 Kawaguchi/Nagy (JPN/HUN) def. #8 Beck/Navarro (USA/USA) 6-4/6-4

=WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN 6-0/6-2

=WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED/NED) def. #2 Buis/Ellerbrock (NED/GER) 5-7/7-6(4) [10-8]



















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2019 @xxl_ukraine Calendar ?? ??

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Morning view in Saint Petersburg ??

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*REACHED WTA SINGLES #1*
1975 Chris Evert, USA
1976 Evonne Goolagong, AUS
1978 Martina Navratilova, USA
1980 Tracy Austin, USA
1987 Steffi Graf, FRG/GER
1991 Monica Seles, YUG
1995 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, ESP
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
1998 Lindsay Davenport, USA
2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA
2002 Venus Williams, USA
2002 Serena Williams, USA
2003 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2003 Justine Henin, BEL
2004 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2005 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2008 Jelena Jankovic, SRB
2009 Dinara Safina, RUS
2010 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2017 Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2017 Simona Halep, ROU
2019 Naomi Osaka, JPN

*WON FIRST TWO CAREER SLAM TITLES CONSECUTIVELY - Open era*
1971 RG/WI - Evonne Goolagong, AUS
1974 RG/WI - Chris Evert, USA
1980 AO/1981 RG - Hana Mandlikova, TCH
2000 WI/US - Venus Williams, USA
2001 AO/RG - Jennifer Capriati, USA
2018 US/2019 AO - Naomi Osaka, JPN

*BACK-to-BACK US/AO TITLES OVER TWO SEASONS - Open era*
1969-70 Margaret Court, AUS
1970-71 Margaret Court, AUS
1988-89 Steffi Graf, FRG
1989-90 Steffi Graf, FRG
1991-92 Monica Seles, YUG
1992-93 Monica Seles, YUG
1993-94 Steffi Graf, GER
1997-98 Martina Hingis, SUI
2002-03 Serena Williams, USA
2003-04 Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL
2008-09 Serena Williams, USA
2010-11 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2014-15 Serena Williams, USA
2018-19 Naomi Osaka, JPN

*CAREER SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE*
31...Serena Williams (23-8)
16...Venus Williams (7-9)
10...Maria Sharapova (5-5)
4...Angelique Kerber (3-1)
4...Svetlana Kuznetsova (2-2)
4...Victoria Azarenka (2-2)
4...Simona Halep (1-3)
3...PETRA KVITOVA (2-1)
3...Garbine Muguruza (2-1)
3...Caroline Wozniacki (1-2)
2...NAOMI OSAKA (2-0)
2...Sloane Stephens (1-1)
2...Samantha Stosur (1-1)
2...Vera Zvonareva (0-2)

*SLAM FINALS - 2010-19*
17 - Serena Williams (12-5)
6 - Maria Sharapova (2-4)
4 - Angelique Kerber (3-1)
4 - Victoria Azarenka (2-2)
4 - Li Na (2-2) - ret.
4 - Simona Halep (1-3)
3 - PETRA KVITOVA (2-1)
3 - Garbine Muguruza (2-1)
2 - Kim Clijsters (2-0) - ret.
2 - NAOMI OSAKA (2-0)
2 - Francesca Schiavone (1-1) - ret.
2 - Sloane Stephens (1-1)
2 - Samantha Stosur (1-1)
2 - Caroline Wozniacki (1-1)
2 - Venus Williams (0-2)
2 - Vera Zvonareva (0-2)
= 1 - [1-0]=
Bartoli (ret.), Ostapenko, Pennetta
= 1 - [0-1]=
Bouchard, Cibulkova, Errani, Henin (ret.), Keys, Lisicki, Ka.Pliskova, A.Radwanksa (ret.), Safarova (ret.), Vinci (ret.)

*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
#4 - 2019 Naomi Osaka, JPN

*RECENT SLAM TITLE RUNS - non-MP*
2007 AO: S.Williams = Petrova (3rd) and Peer (QF) serve for match
2007 WI: V.Williams = Morigami (3rd) served for match; 2 pts. from loss vs. Kudryavtseva (1st)
2009 AO: S.Williams = Kuznetseva (QF) served for the match
2010 AO: S.Williams = trailed 6-4/4-0 in QF vs. Azarenka, served for match twice
2011 RG: Li = trailed Kvitova 3-0 in 3rd (4th)
2012 US: S.Williams = down 5-4 in 3rd w/ Azarenka serving for match (F)
2013 AO: Azarenka = down a break in 3rd vs. Hampton (3rd)
2013 RG: S.Williams = down break in 3rd vs. Kuznetsova (QF)
2015 RG: S.Williams = Bacsinszky 6-4/3-2 w/ break (SF), 2-0 in 3rd vs. Safarova (F)
2015 WI: S.Williams = down 3-0 w/ 2 breaks in 3rd vs. Watson (3rd), served at 5-4
2016 WI: S.Williams = down break in 3rd vs. McHale (2nd)
2016 US: Kerber = trailed Ka.Pliskova 3-1 in 3rd (F)
2017 RG: Ostapenko = trailed Halep 6-4/3-0 & 3 BP for 4-0 (F)
2017 US: Stephens = trailed Sevastova 3-1 in 3rd (QF)
2019 AO: Osaka = down 7-5/4-1 vs. Hsieh (3rd)

*SERENA, VENUS, MARIA & VIKA IS SAME SLAM DRAW*
=CHAMPIONS=
=2006=
AO - MAURESMO (1)
=2007=
RG - HENIN
WI - V.Williams
US - HENIN (2)
=2008=
AO - Sharapova
RG - IVANOVIC (1)
WI - V.Williams (2)
=2009=
RG - KUZNETSOVA (1)
WI - S.Williams
US - CLIJSTERS (1)
=2010=
AO - S.Williams
RG - SCHIAVONE (1)
WI - S.Williams
=2011=
WI - KVITOVA
US - STOSUR (1)
=2012=
RG - Sharapova (2)
WI - S.Williams
US - S.Williams
=2013=
AO - Azarenka (1)
RG - S.Williams
=2014=
AO - LI (1)
WI - KVITOVA (2)
=2015=
AO - S.Williams
RG - S.Williams
WI - S.Williams (9)
=2016=
AO - KERBER
=2017=
-
=2018=
RG - HALEP (1)
WI - KERBER (2)
US - OSAKA
=2019=
AO - OSAKA (2)
==
-30 slams = titles-
9 - Serena Williams
2 - Henin,Kerber,Kvitova,Osaka,Sharapova,V.Williams
1 - 9 players

*AO MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONS - since 2009*
2009 Sania Mirza & Mahesh Bhupathi, IND/IND
2010 Cara Black & Mahesh Bhupathi, ZIM/IND
2011 Katarina Srebotnik & Daniel Nestor, SLO/CAN
2012 Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Horia Tecau, USA/ROU
2013 Jarmila Gajdosova & Matthew Ebden, AUS/AUS
2014 Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor, FRA/CAN
2015 Martina Hingis & Leander Paes, SUI/IND
2016 Elena Vesnina & Bruno Soares, RUS/BRA
2017 Abigail Spears & Juan Sebastian Cabal, USA/COL
2018 Gaby Dabrowski & Mate Pavic, CAN/CRO
2019 Barbora Krejcikova & Rajeev Ram, CZE/USA

*DANISH JUNIOR SLAM CHAMPIONS*
2006 AO - Caroline Wozniacki
2006 WI - Caroline Wozniacki
2019 AO - Clara Tauson

*AO WC SINGLES CHAMPIONS*
2002 Esther Vergeer/NED
2003 Esther Vergeer/NED
2004 Esther Vergeer/NED
2005 Mie Yaosa/JPN
2006 Esther Vergeer/NED
2007 Esther Vergeer/NED
2008 Esther Vergeer/NED
2009 Esther Vergeer/NED
2010 Korie Homan/NED
2011 Esther Vergeer/NED
2012 Esther Vergeer/NED
2013 Aniek Van Koot/NED
2014 Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2015 Jiske Griffioen/NED
2016 Jiske Griffioen/NED
2017 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2018 Diede de Groot/NED
2019 Diede de Groot/NED

*AO WC DOUBLES CHAMPIONS*
2004 Maaike Smit/Esther Vergeer (NED/NED)
2005 Florence Gravellier/Maaike Smit (FRA/NED)
2006 Jiske Griffioen/Esther Vergeer (NED/NED)
2007 Jiske Griffioen/Esther Vergeer (NED/NED)
2008 Jiske Griffioen/Esther Vergeer (NED/NED)
2009 Korie Homan/Esther Vergeer (NED/NED)
2010 Florence Gravellier/Aniek van Koot (FRA/NED)
2011 Esther Vergeer/Sharon Walraven (NED/NED)
2012 Esther Vergeer/Sharon Walraven (NED/NED)
2013 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Koot (NED/NED)
2014 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR)
2015 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR)
2016 Marjolein Buis/Yui Kamiji (NED/JPN)
2017 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Koot (NED/NED)
2018 Marjolein Buis/Yui Kamiji (NED/JPN)
2019 Diede de Groot/Aniek Van Koot (NED/NED)

*CAREER WC MAJOR TITLES - slams/Paralympics/Masters YEC*
[Diede de Groot]
AO S: 2018,19
AO D: 2019
RG S: [RU-18]
RG D: 2018
WI S: 2017,18
WI D: 2018
US S: 2018
US D: 2017,18
PA S: [SF/4th Place-2016]
PA D: [RU/Silver-2016]
MA S: 2017,18
MA D: 2016,17
[Yui Kamiji]
AO S: 2017
AO D: 2014,15,16,18
RG S: 2014,17,18
RG D: 2014,17
WI S: [SF-2017,18]
WI D: 2014,15,16,17,18
US S: 2014,17
US D: 2014,18
PA S: [QF-2012]
PA D: [QF-2012]
MA S: 2013
MA D: 2013,14

*DE GROOT AT THE SLAMS*
[singles, 2017-19]
QF-QF-W-RU...W-RU-W-W...W
[doubles, 2017-19]
RU-SF-RU-W...RU-W-W-W...W

*Kamiji vs. de Groot*
2019 Australian Open Final - DE GROOT 6-0/6-2
2019 Melbourne Open Final - KAMIJI 3-6/7-5/7-6(11) - saved 5 MP
--------------------------------------------------------------
2018 NEC Masters Final - DE GROOT 6-3/7-5
2018 US Open Final - DE GROOT 6-2/6-3
2018 British Open Final - DE GROOT 6-2/3-6/3-6
2018 BNP Paribas Open de France Final - DE GROOT 7-5/6-4
2018 Roland Garros Final - KAMIJI 2-6/6-0/6-2
2018 Australian Open Final - DE GROOT 7-6(6)/6-4
-------------------------------------------------------------
2017 NEC Masters Final - DE GROOT 7-5/6-4
2017 Open d'Amiens Hauts de France Final - DE GROOT 1-6/7-5/6-3
2017 US Open Final - KAMIJI 7-5/6-2
2017 US Open USTA Chsps Final - KAMIJI 5-7/6-3/7-6(12)
2017 British Open Final - KAMIJI 6-4/6-3
2017 BNP Paribas Open de France SF - KAMIJI 6-4/6-3
2017 Japan Open Final - KAMIJI 6-2/6-2
2017 Melbourne Open SF - KAMIJI 6-3/6-4
2017 Sydney WC Tennis Open SF - DE GROOT 7-5/7-6(5)
-------------------------------------------------------------
2016 Paralympic Games Bronze - KAMIJI 6-3/6-3
2016 BNP Paribas Open de France Final - KAMIJI 6-3/7-6(4)
2016 Toyota Open SF - DE GROOT 4-6/7-5/1-0 ret.
-------------------------------------------------------------
2015 Sardinia Open QF - KAMIJI 6-1/6-1
2015 BNP Paribas Open de France QF - KAMIJI 6-2/6-4
2014 Swiss Open 1st Rd. - KAMIJI 6-1/6-2
--
Kamiji leads 13-10

*WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS - since 2013, post-Vergeer*
12 - YUI KAMIJI, JPN (6-6)
8 - Aniek Van Koot, NED (2-6)
7 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED (5-2)
6 - Jiske Griffioen, NED (4-2)-ret.
6 - Sabine Ellerbrock, GER (2-5)
1 - Marjolein Buis, NED (1-0)
1 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR (1-0)

*RECENT WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS - since 2017*
2017 AO - #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #1 Jiske Griffioen/NED
2017 RG - #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2017 WI - Diede de Groot/NED def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2017 US - #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #2 Diede de Groot/NED
2018 AO - #2 Diede de Groot/NED def. #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2018 RG - #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #2 Diede de Groot/NED
2018 WI - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. Aniek van Koot/NED
2018 US - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2019 AO - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN

*ALL-TIME WHEELCHAIR SLAM SINGLES TITLES*
[AO-RG-WI-US]
21 - Esther Vergeer, NED [9-6-0-6]
6 - Yui Kamiji, JPN [1-3-0-2]*
5 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED [2-0-2-1]*
4 - Jiske Griffioen, NED [2-1-1-0]
3 - Monique Kalkman, NED [0-0-0-3]
2 - Daniela Di Toro, AUS [0-0-0-2]
2 - Sabine Ellerbrock, GER [1-1-0-0]*
2 - Maaike Smit, NED [0-0-0-2]
2 - Chantal Vandierendonck, NED [0-0-0-2]
2 - Aniek van Koot, NED [1-0-0-1]*

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM DOUBLES TITLES*
[AO-RG-WI-US]
21 - Esther Vergeer, NED [7-5-3-6]
14 - Jiske Griffioen, NED [5-3-2-4]
14 - Yui Kamiji, JPN [4-3-5-2]*
12 - ANIEK VAN KOOT, NED [4-4-2-2]*
9 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR [2-2-4-1]*
7 - Sharon Walraven, NED [2-1-2-2]
5 - Korie Homan, NED [1-1-1-2]
5 - Marjolein Buis, NED [2-2-0-1]*
5 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED [1-1-1-2]*

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM TITLES*
[singles/doubles]
42 - Esther Vergeer, NED (21/21)
20 - Yui Kamiji, JPN (6/14)*
18 - Jiske Griffioen, NED (4/14)
14 - ANIEK VAN KOOT, NED (2/12)*
10 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED (5/5)*
10 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR (1/9)*




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): #4 Naomi Osaka/JPN
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.): Final - #4 Naomi Osaka/JPN def. #8 Petra Kvitova/CZE 7-5/5-7/6-4
=============================
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: Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai (AUS/CHN)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Garbine Muguruza/ESP (3:12 a.m. finish; def. Johanna Konta in 2nd Rd.)
DOUBLES STAR: Astra Sharma/AUS
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Clara Tauson/DEN (second DEN jr. slam champ) and Anastasia Tikhonova/RUS (first slam SF)





All for now.

"Decade's Best: Australian Open 2010-19" up next.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 5:56 PM 

10 Comments:

Blogger tennisings said...

Thanks as always for all your work, Todd. What a Slam this has been! A quick note to say that Naomi didn't win the '16 final in Tokyo (she lost it to Woz) so her first title was IW last year. Pretty amazing that her first three titles have been IW, USO and AO, huh?!

Sat Jan 26, 06:30:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Thanks -- for the kind words and for noticing that about Tokyo (I read the stat line in her bio wrong... 13 days into a slam, I guess). :) I just changed "title" to "final" so it should be right now. ;)

Sat Jan 26, 06:34:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

ADDED AFTER POST:

NOTE: in the semifinals, Andreescu defeated Tatjana Maria 5-7/7-5/7-6, winning the deciding TB after having broken Maria in game #11 but failing to serve out the win at 6-5. It looks like she's just a handful of points from passing Bouchard for the CAN #1 spot, so she might have to beat Jessica Pegula for the title to complete the mission.

I think in the live rankings she's 10 points behind Bouchard before playing the final.

Sat Jan 26, 06:40:00 PM EST  
Blogger jo shum said...

Amazing. Sort of feel sad for Petra, for all the good work last year and Sydney. Kind of always known Osaka will shine. Earlier than expected though to me. Are we already in the post-Serena phase?

Sat Jan 26, 10:59:00 PM EST  
Blogger Diane said...

Hi Jo! I’m hurting over Petra, that was painful for me to watch. But she has more chances this season . 🤞🏻 I think we’re at least transitioning into the post-Serena phase, if we’re not quite there. And it’s never a good idea to count her out.

Sat Jan 26, 11:55:00 PM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

Caught up to the Tauson/Fernandez final. Impressed with both as Tauson has the Sharapova lite game, and the lefty Fernandez is somewhat like Schnyder.

Even though Tauson won, Fernandez is probably a little ahead in being tour ready. Both just 16, Tauson's game relies more on power, so she will have to fill out more.

Is this the Osaka Era already? I can't even overhype her, she already is the youngest #1 since Wozniacki, and the only players in the Top 40 younger are Sabalenka and Kenin. But the stats and history show both that Serena's time for slams may be over, but not her effectiveness on tour.

Open Era history has had the handoff. Margaret Court won her last slam in 1973, before a Serena like pregnancy break. Chris Evert then won her first slam in 1974. Evert's last slam was in 1986, Stefanie Graf then picked up her first in 1987. Graf's last was 1999, the same year as Serena's first. Now Serena's last is 2017, while Osaka's first(of many it seems) was 2018.

Serena fans, don't despair. If you take the points from the last 4 slams, Serena would be 15th in the rankings from that alone. So out of curiosity, I looked at the current Top 15 to see how her numbers stack up. You should be pleased.

Slam points-2018 French through 2019 Australian.
4260-Osaka
3270-Williams
2800-Kerber
2380-Halep
1980-Stephens
1580-Pliskova
1570-Kvitova
1160-Muguruza
1110-Kasatkina
1040-Sevastova
870- Barty
810- Svitolina
760- Bertens
510- Wozniacki
390- Sabalenka

Even more than Svitolina, Sabalenka needs to improve her slam results.

Mon Jan 28, 09:22:00 AM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

Stat of the Week-7- The amount of titles won by Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic in 2008.

You probably thought that the number 7 was going to be about Djokovic. But the fact that he just won the AO for the 7th time gives me a chance to spotlight the pinnacle of the Serbian Sisters run back in 2008.

Combined, they reached the final of 3 of the 4 slams, only failing at Wimbledon, as Jankovic went and pulled a Cornet. What I mean is you know how Cornet beat Serena 3 times one season but still has never made a slam quarter? Jankovic over the years, managed to beat both Venus Williams and Petra Kvitova, two of the best grass courters of this generation, but never made it past the 4th round there. Go figure.

2008 was also a year in which Serbia held the #1 spot for half the year-actually 25 weeks, as Jankovic-13, and Ivanovic-12, both ascended to the top spot.

Quiz Time!
In the 14 years that both Ivanovic and Jankovic played, who had the better year end ranking more often?



We actually have a premier-St Petersburg, so Up/Down Side below.






Answer!
The answer is one sided, which is a surprise, when you realize that Ivanovic had more Top 20 seasons 9-8, but Jankovic had more Top 10 5-3.

Jankovic had the better rank 10 of 14 years. And 2008 probably is a good of an example as any. Even though Ivanovic won a slam, and reached the final of another, Jankovic was 1 at the end of the year, while Ivanovic was 4. Ivanovic had 7 Top 10 wins, which is impressive, but Jankovic had 8.......against Russia alone, ending up with 13 overall. Ajde!

Mon Jan 28, 09:39:00 AM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Up Side.

1.Muguruza-Hua Hin pick for the week. Hasn't lost back to back matches since Wimbledon/Cincinnati, and opens with Lisicki.
2.Pavlyuchenkova-Kvitova is a better pick on paper, but want to pick a Russian. Playing well enough to win, but you never know.
3.Danilovic-How can somebody with a 6 match losing streak, and 2-7 since winning Moscow end up here? The minor league theory. Take baseball, where a youngster has a good spring training and hits .400, but gets sent down because of service time. They then hit .200 at AAA because they don't have their mind right. Danilovic won a title, but has been stuck in qualies, and I think she is over it. So this is actually only the second WTA MD(Tashkent) since Moscow. Note-all 6 losses were to players outside the Top 100.
4.Hon-Made it through qualies this week, making it the 4th time starting with Hiroshima in September that she has done so. Has a chance to win a round or two.
5.Vekic-Has a tough draw, but projects as someone who will make a deep run withing the next month.

Mon Jan 28, 09:47:00 AM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Down Side.

1.Babos-Defending Champ at Hua Hin is on a 4-16 streak. Hasn't won back to back matches since Monterrey in April.
2.Russia-Messed up the draw, now has WC's Makarova vs Zvonareva-note Makarova lost, so now a 6 match losing streak, plus Russian born Gavrilova plays Sharapova for the right to play Kasatkina.
3.Kvitova-Obviously not because of Australia, but because of her ranking. She has winners points to defend this week, but nobody playing this week can pass her. However, she will have to also defend Doha, and without 1370 pts, someone so close to #1 could be #6 by the time Doha/Dubai is done. One amusing thing? 29th ranked Kvitova won the title defeating #6 Ostapenko in the QF, and #10 Mladenovic in the final. Speaking of those two...
4.Mladenovic/Ostapenko-They play each other, so don't buy the false narrative written when one wins. Wait for them to back it up, as Mladenovic has a 4 match losing streak, while Ostapenko is at 5.
5.Garcia- 2-4 in her last 6 matches, has not come close to flying anywhere.

Mon Jan 28, 09:57:00 AM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Yeah, you get the feeling that Serena had better get #24 fast or she might not get it at all (Wimbledon?). Of course, that's as it should be. It's the natural generational transition in the sport. She's already upended the century-old trend that preceded her.

The tour will be in good hands competitively when she's no longer there. Whether the likes of ESPN and others will pay attention, though, might be another matter.

If that doesn't happen, you find yourself in a position like the men's tour, where it's *still* dominated by three guys close to their mid-thirties (or later). That's fine as it's happening, but it's also making a generation(s) of players look like they don't know what they're doing.

Quiz: I picked JJ! Yes!

Kasatkina *really* needs a good week right about now.

The AO Decade's Best should go up tonight, by the way. Needed a semi-breather after two weeks on Sunday, and I had to get everything situated so that I'd be set up to go through this same after-slam accounting process three more times this year. (Good thing I still have all my files/notes from 2009.)

Oh... and Andreescu! Sheesh. What a start to the season. Now the Canadian #1. Maybe the most impressive thing is that she's done it while not being 100% healthy. She's dealt with the physical issues, but wasn't overcome by them. Another important (and often undervalued) part of the learning process.

Mon Jan 28, 12:14:00 PM EST  

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