Monday, July 08, 2019

W.7- Yankee Doodle Allie

For the past month and a half, world #1 Ash Barty has been simply chugging along, knocking down everything put in her path on whatever surface was under her feet. And then she met Alison Riske.

She's a Yankee Doodle Allie,
A Yankee Doodle, do or die;
A real live niece of her Uncle Sam,
Born on the Third of July.
She's a Yankee Doodle sweetheart,
She's a Yankee Doodle joy.
Yankee Doodle came to London, just to reach the quarters;
She is the Yankee Doodle Gal.



Coming into her Round of 16 match today, Barty had dropped just twelve games through the first three rounds of play at the All-England Club. She'd won fifteen straight matches, and eighteen consecutive sets. While Riske was 13-1 on grass since June, having won both ITF and tour-level titles on the surface in recent weeks, she'd had to save five MP to defeat Kiki Bertens in the final at Rosmalen, and dropped the opening set in two of her three matches last week at Wimbledon, including rallying from 4-1 down in the 3rd set vs. Donna Vekic in the 1st Round.

This was Vekic's less-than-manic Monday...



It's probably a good thing Donna was floating around, because watching Riske would surely have given her some uncomfortable flashbacks, as the #55-ranked Bannerette was still back in London, busy recording her maiden win over a world #1 to reach the QF of a major for the first time in her career.

While Barty is a former Wimbledon girls champ who professes an affinity for grass court tennis, Riske is no slouch when it comes showing the lawns some love. In a sense, they've given her what has become a pretty good decade-long career for a player who at one point wasn't even sure she'd made the right decision to fully commit to having one. Having turned down a scholarship to play tennis at Vanderbilt due to some early success on the challenger level in 2009, come the summer of 2010 whether or not it was the correct decision was still up in the air. But then her aggressive style of play and flat groundstrokes sparked on the English grass courts ahead of Wimbledon as she reached the semifinals in the tour-level event in Birmingham. The run earned her a MD wild card at SW19, where she made her slam debut. She lost in the 1st Round, but she loved the All-England Club, and her tour path was set for the next decade.

Flashforward to today, where her win makes her a permanent member of "The Last Eight Club" at the AELTC, which affords a player certain privileges on the grounds (including free cups of tea during the fortnight). As Riske noted today, "Now they'll never get rid of me!"

Barty actually opened her first service game on Day 7 by firing four aces, as the slow starts that have plagued (but not doomed) Riske all tournament long pushed her back against a wall once again. The Aussie won the 1st set 6-3, but as the match went forward from there it was Riske's perfectly-suited-to-grass game style that seized control and outclassed the world #1, even while Barty didn't play a particularly poor match, other than not winning as many key points in big moments as her opponent.

Having won the 2nd at 6-2, Riske took a 4-1 lead in the 3rd, then broke Barty for 5-3 with a down the line forehand, making her 4-for-4 on BP opportunities. Serving for the match, Riske recovered from 15/30 down to close out the win when Barty pushed a backhand wide of the left sideline.




With so many top players on court this Monday, Barty's loss might "slip though the cracks" of analysis just as most of her her first week wins did. She's one of the most unassuming world #1's imaginable, and even with this disappointing loss (her finish *still* sets a new personal best at Wimbledon) will probably serve her well. Of course, some will surely still twist themselves into pretzels looking for reasons/excuses for her failure to reach the QF as the #1 seed... even when they've already hit the correct take right on the nose.

For example, ESPN's Rennae Stubbs, after having extolled the virtues of Riske "when she gets her teeth into a match" (especially on grass) all match long, saying that the Pittsburgh native had played "perfect" 2nd and 3rd sets and that there was "nothing Barty could have done" to avoid the upset, after the match *still* started talking about the "pressures" of being #1 that Barty had faced at this major.

Stop it! She handled those pressures fine. And there's nothing wrong with just saying that she was *outplayed* today, which is exactly what happened. (Surely Barty would say the same thing.) See?



While she's not done it on a multi-year basis, Riske is in some ways to Wimbledon now what Sabine Lisicki was in the first half of this decade: a player who simply bursts with joy at the existence of this tournament, and whose results there speak to her closeness to it. For Riske, over the years, that "connection" has been more of a *grass court* comparison to the German's deep second week SW19 runs between 2009-14.

But that ended today. Today she earned her reward for her risks. As Ash herself would say, "Good on ya, Alison."




=DAY 7 NOTES=
...and thus we have "Manic Monday," which ESPN and others like to try to convince us is "the best" day of grand slam tennis all year, even though it's actually the worst because *no one* gets their proper due when they *should* at this stage of a major, matches are piled one atop the other (making each seem, effectively, small) because Wimbledon doesn't have an AO/US style night session, every result is washed away with the wave of a multitude of others, and ESPN tries (and usually) fails to stuff some of the stories they egregiously overlooked during the first week (i.e. the journey of Riske, who barely escaped a 1st Round match that the network refused to air -- or even acknowledge, in spite of the historic nature of the new Court 1 roof being closed for the first time in the final set -- in its final hour of coverage on Day 2).

As it was, the headline-grabbing story of 15-year old Coco Gauff came to an end on Day 7, as we knew it would at some point, at the hands of former #1 Simona Halep. Unlike Gauff's last opponent, the #7-seed is no stranger to the big stage, and she didn't fold like an empty wallet under the pressure of the moment as Polona Hercog did on Saturday.

Halep only trailed for a handful of minutes on the day -- on serve down 2-1 in the 1st set -- en route to a 6-3/6-3 victory to advance to her fourth QF at SW19 in the last six years.



While one SW19 beginner's story ended, another effectively began as Karolina Muchova won the battle of the Czech Karolinas over #3-seed Pliskova. It's the world #68's second big slam upset in the past year, having defeated Garbine Muguruza as last year's U.S. Open. While the win over the Spaniard last summer was the 22-year old's first Top 100 victory in her debut slam, today's first-ever Top 10 win comes in just her fourth MD appearance in a major.

Pliskova, in the wake of Barty's loss, had been moved into a far better position to truly contend for a return to the #1 ranking, not to mention reach her first SW19 quarterfinal (it would complete her Career QF Slam) and challenge for her maiden slam win. She had chances to put Muchova away in the 3rd set, twice serving for the match, first at 5-4 and then again twelve tense games later at 11-10. But her younger countrywoman was the steadier of the two, and had (at least) a little bit more in the tank at the end of what was essentially a *fourth* set.

Serving for the win for the second time, Pliskova was broken at love with a game-ending DF, then two games later at 12-11 (a hold would have sent the match into Wimbledon's first ever 10-point Match TB) she lost her seventh straight point on serve as Muchova reached triple BP/MP at love/40.

Falling after slipping on a bare patch behind the baseline while doing a split step, Muchova avoided injury and finally put away her best career win on MP #3... on a net cord ball that dribbled onto the other side of the court after Pliskova again failed to do much with her return of a second serve. Muchova's 4-6/7-5/13-11 victory puts her in her maiden slam QF, while Pliskova is left to ponder the squandering of -- all things considered -- what may very well have been the best chance she's ever going to get to claim a title at the All-England Club.




...meanwhile, #8-seed Elina Svitolina's gold-plated path through the Wimbledon draw remained decidedly tilted in her favor. After escaping the 2nd Round against an in-form Margarita Gasparyan, who retired in the 2nd set while still leading the match after have been two points from a straights win only minutes earlier before suffering severe cramping, today was presented with another compromised opponent in #24 Petra Martic.

The Croat had already played three straight three setters (twice coming back from a set down) to get this far, and had to be treated by trainers during the match today for a leg/thigh injury after a week's worth of wear and tear. Svitolina won 4 & 2 with much less push-back than would have likely been the case with a fresh opponent, advancing to her first Wimbledon Final 8. In the next round *tomorrow* she'll face... Muchova, coming off that 13-11 3rd set in a match that lasted 3:17.

Talk about a path opening up to finally break her major semifinal drought. If she can't finally do it here...



...we can't have a Wimbledon QF field without veterans, either. So I give you 37-year old Serena Williams, who dispatched Carla Suarez-Navarro 2 & 2 today, while 30-year old Zhang Shuai defeated teenager Dayana Yastremska in three sets to reach her second career major quarterfinal.



We may or may not be witnessing Barbora Strycova's final Wimbledon, but if we are the 33-year old Czech is going out in memorable fashion and form. Five years after her maiden SW19 final eight run, Strycova advanced to her second today with a win over #21 Elise Mertens after having trailed the Belgian 6-4/5-2.



...in the final women's Round of 16 of the day, though at one point the schedule had the match taking place simultaneously with Halep/Gauff and Pliskova/Muchova (so, you know, way to effectively highlight the individual match-ups).

A win by #6 Petra Kvitova over #19 Johanna Konta would have tied the record set in 2014 (when again Strycova was involved) when three Czechs advanced to the QF at the All-England Club. But the last remaining Brit was determined to have something to say about it. And she did, too, once again rising to the occasion in her home slam to record back-to-back Top 10 wins for the first time in her career and reach the Wimbledon QF two years after becoming the first British woman since 1978 to reach the semis.



As was the case in her 3rd Round match vs. Sloane Stephens, Konta stubbed her toe early on. But, have no fear, the "Tri-Citizen" would be just fine.

After failing to convert on two BP chances on Kvitova's serve at 4-4 in the 1st set, then getting broken a game later as the Czech took the match lead, Konta quickly pointed herself in the right direction in the 2nd. She got a break of serve to open the set, and raced to 4-0 lead. After salting it away at 6-2, she surged to a 5-1 advantage in the 3rd. Then, with the pressure mounting, Konta blinked (just a little) as Kvitova put on an eleventh hour push to avoid being run out of the final Wimbledon of this decade, and this ending the 2010's on an 0-for-5 run when it comes to QF appearances at the AELTC since winning her second Ladies title back in 2014. Konta served for the win at 5-2, and held two MP, but was broken on Kvitova's fourth BP of game #8.

If Konta's transformation from (or back?) into a trusted clutch performer truly had been completed over the course of this spring and early summer, the Brit wouldn't allow the misstep to doom what have been another superior big stage performance in back-to-back majors in Paris and London. After a Kvitova hold, Konta promptly served out the win at 15, winning 4-6/6-2/6-4 to reach the Wimbledon QF for the second time in three years.



After compiling the recent "Decade's Best" for the 2013 Wimbledon, won by Marion Bartoli in a case of a veteran player finding the perfect path to her first (and in her case only) slam crown, I wonder which current player might fit that description now. Before her retirement, Aga Radwanska was at the the top of the list. But who has replaced her? It seemed to dawn on me that Elina Svitolina may be that player, but that was largely based on her struggle to get over the slam "hump" rather than her being anything resembling a "veteran" player, or even needing the perfect melding of draw machinations and (perhaps) best-ever form to get the job done... and then maybe never finding the conditions ripe for such a run ever again. The Ukrainian could win multiple slams if she should get her proverbial ducks in a row. We'll soon see if she's able at this Wimbledon, since everything seems to be bending in her favor so far.

But the better Bartoli comparison may actually be Konta. The talent for something big has been there since she started to flash dominant hard court ability a few seasons ago, and then she reached SF in Melbourne and London. After faltering in '18, a change in coaches has re-set the board, and she's now looking as strong or stronger -- both mentally and physically -- as she ever has. A month ago, Konta reached a semi on her "worst" surface in Paris, and right now is likely on the best extended run of her career. Even with Serena on her side of the draw, the Brit stands in a good position to reach her first slam final. If she does, at least in this slam, she'd likely be the "favorite" to win it (something which Bartoli wasn't in '13 vs. Sabine Lisicki) against another first-time Wimbledon finalist (even former slam champ Halep) from the bottom half.

...in the juniors, Roehampton winner Daria Snigur (UKR) knocked out #11-seeded Kamilla Bartone (LAT), while the semifinalist from the event, #5 Hurricane Tyra Black (who'd retired from her match last week) was ousted by Pastry Elsa Jacquemot 2 & love after Black defeated *her* 2 & 2 last week.

Bannerette Elli Mandlik defeated #9 Mananchaya Sawangkaew (THA), Burundi's #7 Sada Nahimana (the winner of the Nottingham tune-up) lost to British wild card Matilda Mutavdzic, and Japanese qualifier Funa Kozaki defeated #8-seeded Hordette Alina Charaeva.




TO BE CONTINUED UNTIL NEXT TIME... ON DAY 7:




AND WE WONDER HOW WE GOT HERE ON DAY 7 (and don't be surprised if it happens in 2020, either): The Headline: insulting. The Question: Since when is this about him? The Analysis? GTFOH... what exactly are you "analyzing?" Sad.



Now, if they went off for a "non-presidential" visit in Chappaqua... *then* you'd have an interesting story.


Hmmmm... ON DAY 7: Now that she's retired, and no longer pregnant, I wonder if next year Martina Hingis might pick up her old string of Wimbledon Legends invitational titles where she left it off when she returned to the tour in 2013?



Dream scenario: she teams with a debuting Jelena Dokic, the player who defeated her in one of the tournament's greatest 1st Round upsets in 1999.

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@wimbledon starts today so here is a few images from my two best @wimbledon results,a quarterfinal and a semifinal showing. Even though a lot was going on off the court,which a lot of you know by now exactly what that is from reading my book,especially the year that I made the semifinal and what happened after. But still nothing can take away the positives and the good memories of playing well at @wimbledon . It’s also a 20 year anniversary this year of my quarterfinal run as a qualifier and beating world #1 in the first round. So happy I got to experience @wimbledon and play well there. ???????????????????????? #wimbledon #wta #grandslam #tennis #instatennis #tennislove #tennisplayer #inspo #strong #unbreakable #vibes #goodvibes #memories #?? #tennis?? #inspiration #motivation #inspire #photooftheday #sport #australia #tennisaustralia #tennispro #tenniscourt #tennistime #greatmemories #goodmemories #thankful #grateful

A post shared by JELENA DOKIC ???????????? (@dokic_jelena) on



While Dokic is doing good things in Australia this week, it'd sure be nice to see her back at the All-England Club.

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After Brisbane on Saturday,it was time to do another event on Sunday in Mackay. It was a pleasure to be the keynote speaker at an event supporting and raising awareness of mental health,depression and suicide. Incredible and inspiring stories of battle and loss by other guests.So glad I was able to speak about something that is very close to my heart because I battled depression,anxiety and almost committed suicide. It was very emotional to be here but very inspiring and it felt like we are making a small but important difference in the world. Thank you all for having me. ?????????????? #speaker #event #keynote #keynotespeaker #mackay #queensland #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #depression #suicide #suicideprevention #anxiety #inspire #inspiration #ootd #inspo #outfitoftheday #lookoftheday #style #fashion #photooftheday #lifestyle #vibes #goodvibes #positivevibes #positive #australia #motivation #brave

A post shared by JELENA DOKIC ???????????? (@dokic_jelena) on






By 2014, it had been three years since Petra Kvitova's maiden Wimbledon title run had earned her rave reviews. But when the Czech returned to the scene of her greatest triumph, she knew exactly what to do.

2014 Recap




=WOMEN'S SINGLES QF=
Alison Riske/USA vs. #11 Serena Williams/USA
Barbora Strycova/CZE vs. #19 Johanna Konta/GBR
#8 Elina Svitolina/UKR vs. Karolina Muchova/CZE
#7 Simona Halep/ROU vs. Zhang Shuai/CHN

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Babos/Mladenovic (HUN/FRA) vs. Cornet/Martic (FRA/CRO)
#7 Melichar/Peschke (USA/CZE) def. N.Kichenok/Spears (UKR/USA)
#3 Hsieh/Strycova (TPE/CZE) vs. #15 Begu/Niculescu (ROU/ROU)
#9 Chan/Chan (TPE/TPE) vs. #6 Mertens/Sabalenka (BEL/BLR)
(PR) Collins/Mattek-Sands (USA/USA) vs. #10 Azarenka/Barty (BLR/AUS)
#4 Dabrowski/Xu (CAN/CHN) def. #13 Duan/Sai.Zheng (CHN/CHN)
#8 Groenefeld/Schuurs (GER/NED) def. Blinkova/Wang Yafan (RUS/CHN)
#2 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) def. Friedsam/Siegemund (GER/GER)

=MIXED DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Melichar/Soares (USA/BRA) vs. x/x
Yang Zhaoxuan/Middlekoop (CHN/NED) vs. Brady/Daniell (USA/NZL)
#4 Sh.Zhang/Peers (CHN/AUS) vs. Ostapenko/Lindstedt (LAT/SWE)
#6 Rosolska/Mektic (POL/CRO) vs. #12 Olaru/Skugor (ROU/CRO)
#5 Peschke/Koolhof (CZE/NED) vs. N.Kichenok/Qureshi (UKR/PAK)
Siegemund/Sitak (GER/NZL) vs. x/x
#9 L.Chan/Dodig (TPE/CRO) vs. #11 Klepac/Roger-Vasselin (SLO/FRA)
(WC) Silva/Hoyt (GBR/GBR) vs. Sai.Zheng/Vliegen (CHN/BEL)














*2019 WIMBLEDON OPEN FINAL 8*
[by career slam QF]
51 - Serena Williams, USA
13 - Simona Halep, ROU
5 - Johanna Konta, GBR
5 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
2 - Barbora Stycova, CZE
2 - Zhang Shuai, CHN
1 - Karolina Muchova, CZE
1 - Alison Riske, USA
[by career WI QF]
13 - Serena Williams, USA
4 - Simona Halep, ROU
2 - Johanna Konta, GBR
2 - Barbora Stycova, CZE
1 - Karolina Muchova, CZE
1 - Alison Riske, USA
1 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
1 - Zhang Shuai, CHN
[w/ consecutive slam QF]
2 - Simona Halep
2 - Johanna Konta
[w/ consecutive WI QF]
2 - Serena Williams (+last 4 appearances)
[2019 slam QF - unseeded]
AO - Danielle Collins, USA
AO - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
RG - Amanda Anisimova, USA
RG - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
WI - Karolina Muchova, CZE
WI - Alison Riske, USA
WI - Barbora Strycova, CZE
WI - Zhang Shuai, CHN
[2019 1st-time GS QF]
AO - Ash Barty, AUS
AO - Danielle Collins, USA
RG - Amanda Anisimova, USA
RG - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
WI - Karolina Muchova, CZE
WI - Alison Riske, USA
[2019 slam QF]
2 - Ash Barty, AUS
2 - Simona Halep, ROU
2 - Johanna Konta, GBR
2 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
2 - Serena Williams, USA
1 - AO (5): Collins,Kvitova,Osaka,Pavlyuchenkova,Ka.Pliskova
1 - RG (5): Anisimova,Keys,Martic,Stephens,Vondrousova
1 - WI (4): Muchova,Riske,Strycova,Sh.Zhang
[2019 slam QF - by nation]
7...USA (2/3/2/x) - Anisimova,Collins,Keys,Riske,Stephens,S.Williams-2
5...CZE (2/1/2/x) - Kvitova,Muchova,Ka.Pliskova,Strycova,Vondrousova
2...AUS (1/1/0/x) - Barty-2
2...GBR (0/1/1/x) - Konta-2
2...ROU (0/1/1/x) - Halep-2
2...UKR (1/0/1/x) - Svitolina-2
1...CHN (0/0/1/x) - Sh.Zhang
1...CRO (0/1/0/x) - Martic
1...JPN (1/0/0/x) - Osaka
1...RUS (1/0/0/x) - Pavlyuchenkova
[WTA career slam QF - active]
51...Serena Williams, USA
39...Venus Williams, USA
25...Maria Sharapova, RUS
16...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
16...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
13...Simona Halep, ROU
11...Petra Kvitova, CZE
10...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
9...Angelique Kerber, GER
8...Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
8...Jelena Jankovic, SRB (?)
7...Sara Errani, ITA
7...Madison Keys, USA
7...Garbine Muguruza, ESP
7...Karolina Pliskova, CZE
7...Samantha Stosur, AUS
7...Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP
[WTA slam QF in 2010's - active]
23...Serena Williams, USA
14...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
13...Simona Halep, ROU
12...Maria Sharapova, RUS
11...Petra Kvitova, CZE
10..Angelique Kerber, GER
9...Venus Williams, USA
9...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
7...Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
7...Sara Errani, ITA
7...Madison Keys, USA
7...Garbine Muguruza, ESP
7...Karolina Pliskova, CZE

*UNSEEDED/WC/Q WIMBLEDON QF IN 32-SEED DRAW*
[began in 2001]
2002 Elena Likhovtseva
2004 Karolina Sprem
2006 Severine Bremond(q)
2008 Zheng Jie(wc), Tamarine Tanasugarn
2009 Sabine Lisicki, Francesca Schiavone
2010 Kaia Kanepi(q), Petra Kvitova, Tsvetana Pironkova
2011 Sabine Lisicki(wc), Tamira Paszek
2012 Tamira Paszek
2013 Kaia Kanepi
2014 Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova
2015 CoCo Vandeweghe
2016 Yaroslava Shvedova, Elena Vesnina
2017 Magdalena Rybarikova
2018 Dominika Cibulkova, Camila Giorgi
2019 Karolina Muchova, Alison Riske, Barbora Strycova, Zhang Shuai

*ALL-TIME SLAM QF*
54...Chris Evert
53...Martina Navratilova
51...SERENA WILLIAMS
43...Margaret Court
42...Stefffi Graf



TOP QUALIFIER: Coco Gauff/USA
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): Ash Barty/AUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: #20 Kaja Juvan/SLO def. Basak Eraydin/TUR 4-6/7-6(3)/6-3 (trailed 6-4/4-1 40/15)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - Alison Riske/USA def. #22 Donna Vekic/CRO 3-6/6-3/7-5 (Vekic led 4-1 in 3rd; first Ct.1 roof closure)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Madison Keys/USA (1st Rd. def. Luksika Kumkhum/THA)
FIRST SEED OUT: #10 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR (lost 1st Rd. to Rybarikova/SVK)
UPSET QUEENS: Slovenia
REVELATION LADIES: Russia
NATION OF POOR SOULS: BLR (1-3 1st; 3/4 of "Dream Team" lose, including #10 Sabalenka)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Coco Gauff/USA (4th Rd.) (LL: L.Davis/USA - 3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Harriet Dart/GBR (3rd Rd.)
LAST BRITS STANDING: Johanna Konta (in QF)
IT ("Kid"): Coco Gauff, USA
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: Nominees: Svitolina, Riske, Muchova
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Konta
CRASH & BURN: #2 Naomi Osaka/JPN (1st Rd. - lost to Putintseva/KAZ)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON: Elina Svitolina/UKR (2nd Rd.: Gasparyan two points from win at 7-5/5-4, cramps, retires when leading match)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: S.Williams, Strycova, Sh.Zhang
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE: (Bad Donna) Vekic/CRO + ??
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
RAD REMEMBRANCE DAY malevolent activity notes...
June 26 official: In Eastbourne, a day after her first Top 10 victory in over a year (and first consecutive wins in back-to-back events since last grass season), '18 Wimbledon semifinalist (and former SW19 girls champ) Alona Ostapenko is forced to retire from her 3rd Round match with a hip injury.
Day 3 observed: Margarita Gasparyan, having overcome three knee surgeries and missing most of two years between 2016-18, comes within two points of defeating #8-seeded Elina Svitolina at 7-5/5-4. Five minutes later, she serves and lands awkwardly on her "bad" leg and immediately doubles over in pain. She is treated for cramping, and ultimately, in tears, retires while still leading 7-5/5-6, with an 82-81 points edge and 42-15 lead in winners.




All for Day 7. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 5:45 PM 

3 Comments:

Blogger Diane said...

Dokic looks really good in that photo. I do hope she feels as good as she looks.

Muchova blew me away today. She was just relentless, never backing down, never letting it get to her. And while there may have been a physical toll taken on her, I wonder, too, about the mental toll. Of course, the mental heebee jeebees could be even worse for Svitolina, considering her recent history,

Mon Jul 08, 06:19:00 PM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

President Trump will give the USA fast food, like he did Clemson.

I came into this event wondering if I would get vintage Serena or Kvitova. I got vintage Svitolina, who looked like a slam winner at times today. Even with that high 60's second serve. FYI, Dart put up a number of second serves vs Barty in the low 60's.

Martic won the battle, but lost the war. Won a 16 min game, then lost 9 of the last 11. Tied for my favorite game of the tournament with the Vekic/Riske game that had 13 deuces.

If Petra is nicknamed P3tra, see Todd's 2014 recap, shouldn't Riske be nicknamed Risk3? Has dropped a set in all 4 matches here, at least one in her last 6 wins, and 8 of her last 10.

We talk about surfaces, but earlier in the year, Riske has a 6 match losing streak, that lasted the entire clay season 0-4.

Not Yastremska, even though she was the favorite, but Svitolina with another chance to be first woman from Ukraine to make a slam semi.

Serena has had an odd streak. Unlike Halep, who gets a player in Zhang that has already beat her in a slam, if she beats Riske, she will have played 5 players that had 0 career wins vs her, 10-0 vs Goerges/Suarez Navarro, no priors vs Riske/Juvan/Gatto-Monticone. This means she probably has a storyline if she faces Konta, who gave her the worst defeat of her career by scoreline.

Stat of the Day- 22- The amount of years, until today, that no seeds will play each other in the QF.

In 1997, 2 seeds reached the final in Hingis, who defeated Novotna. But when it came to the QF, 4 unseeded women threatened to make their mark. Anna Kournikova was the only one to win, in what was her career best slam performance, just as it was for 2 of the other 3 QF in Denisa Chladkova and Yayuk Basuki. The one who didn't have a career best performance? Former slam finalist Nathalie Tauziat.

Going by the numbers, you would assume that 2 or 3 seeds will win tomorrow. Halep probably being the biggest favorite, followed by Konta.

Mon Jul 08, 06:24:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

D-
Agree on JD. :)

C-
And Riske doesn't seem to be worn down at all, either.

Mon Jul 08, 10:56:00 PM EDT  

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