US.2 - Three For the Road
From the defending champ to the season's biggest winner to the year's breakout teenage star, on Tuesday we witnessed the authors of the GenPDQ-tinged next chapter of the women's game provide more evidence of the early stages of a possible triumvirate of WTA Power Rangers -- with both North American ties *and* roots that stretch back to their familial origins in Asia, Europe and the Caribbean -- who could be about to lead the tour into and *through* the 2020's.
2018 U.S. Open winner Naomi Osaka, having won a second slam title and ascended to and recaptured the #1 ranking over the past twelve months, while also becoming a star on the world stage *and* ending the coaching set-up that had finally helped her to discover the consistency and big moment focus that helped to make last summer's run in Queens a reality, returned to the scene of her greatest triumph on Tuesday. While Osaka arrived in New York as the #1 seed, the 21-year old hasn't won a title since the Australian Open in January, nor ever reached a final. She's dealt with lingering injuries (she's currently sporting a wrap on her knee after being forced to retire from a match in Cincinnati two weeks ago), and won just two matches (both at RG) in the season's two middle slam events.
After having managed to thrive in the cauldron of a U.S. Open final as well as yet another meltdown by Serena Williams on said stage, Osaka *knows* she can weather a hefty New York storm. But questions about her knee, and maybe those bouncing around within herself, left her a legitimate question mark coming into this event.
Osaka: “I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous in my life. I don’t think I ever really found my rhythm but I just fought as hard as I can.” #USOpen
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) August 27, 2019
Against Russian Anna Blinkova, 20, Osaka started nervously, falling behind 4-1 in the opening set, but she stormed back to win it 6-4. Despite failing to put away three MP in the 2nd, one in a 7-5 TB that went to her opponent, Osaka remained strong willed in the 3rd (bringing to mind how she didn't lose focus while chaos was taking place across the net from her last September). She took a 3-1 lead in the decider, and kept Blinkova at bay en route to a 6-4/6-7(5)/6-2 win to improve her career Open record to 12-2.
Made to work ??@Naomi_Osaka_ survives a tough test against Blinkova and advances to R2 after a 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 win in Arthur Ashe Stadium!#USOpen pic.twitter.com/VcKe1CN095
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 27, 2019
Meanwhile, well under the radar on this day, and with far less swirling drama, 19-year old Bianca Andreescu made her U.S. Open debut today.
Think people are interested in Bianca Andreescu? This is the sight at a capacity Court 10, and people are standing on the adjacent bleachers over on Court 9, too.
— Victoria Chiesa (@vrcsports) August 27, 2019
She’s taking on USTA 18s champ Katie Volynets. #usopen pic.twitter.com/c947aQWWFd
Yep, that's right -- her debut. The Canadian, who has yet to crush a grape in a slam despite having lifted Indian Wells and Rogers Cup championship trophies this season, lost in U.S. Open qualifying the last two years. With six unsuccessful attempts to qualify in majors in 2017-18, this is only her *fourth* career slam MD appearance, with her best results coming into Day 2 being a pair of 2nd Round results in Melbourne and Paris (the latter followed by a walkover exit) earlier this season.
As usual, Andreescu had some tape on various parts of her body, and she took a little while to get warmed up, but still managed to win the vast majority of the big points when they mattered most. The #15 seed defeated 17-year old wild card Katie Volynets 6-2/6-4, outhitting the Bannerette 29-6 in winners and thereby matching her career best slam result (you have to say it with a chuckle, you know?) in the process.
First win ?
— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) August 27, 2019
Bianca Andreescu defeats ???? Katie Volynets in two straight sets of 6-2, 6-4 at the #USOpen ?? pic.twitter.com/F7slrHC1tw
In the current "live" rankings, Andreescu has already climbed into the Top 10. Actually, that happened before she even played her first match at this Open, and with only challenger level points from '18 left to be defended the remainder of this season (she went 18-3 in $25K and $60K events after Flushing Meadows a year ago) it's really pretty much just a matter of *where* in the Top 10 the Canadian will finish at the close of 2019.
In the late-ending final match of the day session on Louis Armstrong stadium, 15-year old wild Coco Gauff also made *her* U.S. Open debut, two months after she burst onto the WTA scene at Wimbledon by qualifying, upsetting legend Venus Williams, and reaching the Round of 16 at the All-England Club. Since then, the teenager's name recognition has mushroomed exponentially ("Call Me Coco" is already a *thing*), and even Patrick Mouratoglou (whose academy Gauff has used as a base) admits that she's already being "given the slam champion treatment" as far as promotion and instant standing even while she's only actually played a handful of tour-level matches.
But there's a reason for it all, as just like Osaka and Andreescu, while she has yet to win as *big* as those two, Gauff has already proven adept at handling the pressures of grand slam stage. She did it again today against yet another teenager, 18-year old Hordette Anastasia Potapova, like Gauff a former junior #1 and girls slam winner.
Potapova grabbed the opening set, but Gauff gradually seized control. After leading 4-1 in the 3rd, Gauff saw the Russian change the momentum of the set by coming out of an MTO break (shoulder) with the greater momentum. Gauff double-faulted on BP to allow the set to get back on serve, then Potapova held to seize a third consecutive game, saving a BP and knotting the 3rd at 4-4. But Gauff didn't falter, and instead raised her game, holding and then breaking Potapova to close out a 3-6/6-2/6-4 victory, her first at Flushing Meadows.
Stationed in the top half of the draw, arguably the sport's three biggest story subjects of the past year could soon intersect en route to the women's final two weekends from now. Osaka and Gauff are wins from both away from setting up a *second* huge headline-grabbing women's match of the first week in the 3rd Round. Meanwhile, Andreescu (whose second week path could include a Round of 16 meeting with Romanian heroine, and Bianca tennis idol, Simona Halep) is eyeing a potential semifinal clash with whichever player comes out of Osaka's quarter of the draw if she can maintain the level of play she's sported (when healthy) all season long.
While ESPN can dress up a single, dread-worthy 1st Round primetime match as being "like a final," giggle-and-awe their way through the play-by-play call, bring in big names from other areas of the network to cover and comment on it (with no real-time current tennis knowledge required), and commemorate last year's final controversies with an unnecessary and unwanted documentary-style rehash, the REAL stories of note taking place on the court of play will *eventually* have their day.
For that, at least, we can be glad.
There were a lot of players who arrived on the grounds on Day 2 knowing that a few hours later they'd know on which side of the divide they fall as the summer comes to a close.
#24 Garbine Muguruza was one of them, as she was trying to stop her slide down the rankings, which recently led to the end of the long coaching stint of Sam Sumyk. Against Alison Riske, Spaniard claimed the 1st set in fine fashion, but ultimately lost in three. She'll have to take solace in the fact that she didn't "Mugu" her way out of New York City. Instead, she had an early (1-0) break lead in the 3rd, and was simply outplayed down the stretch rather than having "given" the set away, losing 2-6/6-1/6-3. Perhaps it says a great deal about the "no woman's land" in which her game currently resides that not looking like she couldn't care less is a positive development. As it is, her game is still redeemable, but also hardly a quick fix away from returning to her past glories.
Of course, the Open has never provided Muguruza with a soft place on which to land, so it likely wasn't realistic to think it would this time around, either. Even during a span of time during which she's been ranked #1 and won two majors, she's lost in the 1st or 2nd Round at Flushing Meadows in six of seven Open appearances.
Muguruza: I'm looking forward to go to Asia, play more tournaments, put myself in competitive matches. There is no rush for me on the coaching side. I'm just trying to go through, trying to, yeah, to be prepared for tough moments and that's pretty much it.
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) August 27, 2019
Recent first-time slam quarterfinalist (Wimbledon) Riske, too, came into the day having not seen much success in this event. Before her win ove Muguruza she'd lost five straight 1st Round matches at the Open, was one-and-out in six of seven tries, and hadn't reached the 2nd Round since 2013.
??Alison Riske -Amritraj ??Am SO happy for Ali! @Riske4rewards (and @WilsonTennis ??) pic.twitter.com/vSMmN0kEsq
— Maarten vdMaazen (@myalansky) August 27, 2019
One still hopes that Alona Ostapenko can some day again resemble for an extended time the Latvian Thunder version of herself that won Roland Garros and struck constant fear in the hearts of fuzzy yellow balls. Now, though, you just tend to find enjoyment in the (often brief) stretches of time when she's not imploding in a hailstorm of errors, losing big leads and/or slipping farther down the ranking ladder. There was a lot of good in her 6-3/7-6(7) win today over Alekandra Krunic. so there you go.
Her 28/36 winner/UE numbers were acceptable, and her game had some of the old flow. Sure, the 12 double-faults are a worry, but she overcame that, right? Yeah, she *also* led 2-0 in the 2nd set, and twice unsuccessfully served for the win at 5-4 and 6-5. She then squandered a 3-0 lead in the 2nd set TB, dropping five straight points and ended up having to save two Krunic SP from 6-4 down. Hey, but Ostapenko also had a final surge, and put away her first MP with a swing volley off the line to win in straight sets.
Game, set, match #Ostapenko pic.twitter.com/aBMAqp4nY1
— Rachel Dulitz (@racheldulitz) August 27, 2019
Sometimes it's best to view things through Thunder-colored glasses, at least until (or unless) something changes.
...elsewhere, a week after reemerging in crisp form in Cincinnati and reaching the final... Svetlana Kuznetsova lost 6-2/7-5 to wild card Kristie Ahn.
Well, that's Sveta. But it should be noted that she apparently took several MTO's during the match.
Ahn, by the way, was playing in her first U.S. Open MD in eleven years. This is the first slam MD win ever for the New York-born 27-year old.
That moment when you win your first match at the @usopen 11 years after making your debut in Flushing.
— USTA (@usta) August 28, 2019
Kristie Ahn is into R2 with a straight-set win. pic.twitter.com/MpvWImsvDI
Also, #4 Simona Halep was forced to three sets by lucky loser Nicole Gibbs (rarely has that LL term both so totally appropriate *and* inappropriate, considering the year Gibbs has had with her cancer scare, but which also saw her manage to slip into her eighth straight U.S. Open draw despite falling in qualifying), but won 6-3/3-6/6-2 to end her three-match U.S. Open losing streak.
2018 U.S. Open girls champ Wang Xiyu, who'd lost in qualifying but didn't immediately get a spot in her maiden slam MD via a LL berth, *did* finally slip through when Lesia Tsurenko was the latest player to pull out of the event. That makes *twelve* LL's at the majors this season, and *six* at this tournament alone. The 18-year old lost today to Kirsten Flipkens... yet another lucky loser.
And the final numbers of the Andrea Petkovic vs. Mihaela Buzarnescu match looked like this:
Score: Petkovic 6-3/6-4
Petkovic winners: 25
Petkovic UE: 26
Post-win Petko Dances: 1
The German will face #6 Petra Kvitova next.
...#9 Aryna Sabalenka won the all-Belarusian battle with Vika Azarenka in the Armstrong night session, firing off a very much needed 3-6/6-3/6-4 victory to keep alive the hope of posting at least *one* slam result as good as those expected from her following her Round of 16 run in this event last year. So far, she's put up 3r-2r-1r finishes in the first three in 2019. As for Vika, maybe his (bad) luck-of-the-draw will *eventually* turn her way. Hopefully.
WOW Aryna Sabalenka advances to R2 of the #usopen after a thriller vs fellow countrywoman Azarenka ???? Looked out of the match a set and a break down but then play lights out tennis striking 42 Winners and winning 6:4 in the third ???? So proud of you @SabalenkaA ???? pic.twitter.com/w57ksU5BKJ
— Sean ?? (@tennisstans) August 28, 2019
The day concluded with a big upset, as three-time 2019 slam qualifier Anna Kalinskaya finally recorded her maiden slam MD victory, sending '17 champ (and #11 seed) Sloane Stephens out via a 6-3/6-4 scoreline under the lights on Ashe.
Speaking of Sloane, with the 1st Round now complete, she gets the (dis)honor of getting one of the early-round awards...
"Crash-and-Burn": #11 Stephens ended up being the highest seed to fall in the opening round. This was just her second 1st Round exit (w/ '15) in eight U.S. Open appearances.
Upset Queens: I'm going to hold off on the "Revelation Ladies" pick (though the U.S., Chinese, French and Polish women are the top contenders at the moment), but I'll go with the UQ and pick the Russians, as Kalinskaya's win over Stephens means Hordettes knocked off *two* former Open champs in the 1st Round. Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated Samantha Stosur, as well.
Nation of Poor Souls: some stiff competition here between the Aussie and Spanish contingents. The Australiams were very nearly a lock as they were just 1-4 (w/ only Barty winning) before Ajla Tomljanovic got a second win Tuesday. Even with a squad in the Fed Cup final, the bulk of the Australian "team" -- Stosur, Gavrilova, Hon and Sharma -- went winless in NYC.
Spain went 1-4, with seeded Muguruza and Carla Suarez-Navarro (2nd set ret.) both falling today. Only Aliona Bolsova reached the 2nd Round, defeating #31 Barbora Strycova.
Based on the losses by seeded players, I'm leaning toward Spain, but I'll wait until the next round to see what happens there before it's "official."
In all, not surprisingly, the Bannerettes put more players (12) into the Final 64 than any other nation, followed by China (4), Russia (4) and the Czech Republic (4).
EXACTLY... ON DAY 2:
When did Grand Slam become "calendar" slam? Sounds silly.
— aishku ?? ? (@aishku) August 27, 2019
It never did. That's what's so ridiculous. The Grand Slam is the Grand Slam, and any four-straight major title run covering two seasons is still a "non-calendar" slam.
To do otherwise is like calling a home run in baseball an "over the fence home run" rather than just, you know, a "home run" to differentiate it from the "inside the park" variety. This is tennis' version of the tail wagging the dog.
LIKE ON DAY 2:
One Greek player who was able to have a laugh today...
Next time I’ll try to hug her ?????????????
— Maria Sakkari (@mariasakkari) August 27, 2019
MEMORIES ON DAY 2:
LIKE ON DAY 2:
Though I'm not sure it's a *spectacularly* accurate likeness, I've surely seen worse.
ANNIVERSARY ON DAY 2:
In 2009, on the 5th anniversary, I wrote about Melanie Oudin's remarkable U.S. Open run. I invite you to visit (or re-visit) that piece on this, the 10th anniversary: 2009--the year of Little Miss Upset https://t.co/W1ye7jLgkD
— Diane Elayne Dees (@WomenWhoServe) August 27, 2019
LIVE-ACTION "BAMBI" ON DAY 2:
Scientifically the most pure thing on our wretched mess of a planet. ?? pic.twitter.com/83yEqpE2tV
— Emy Nerissa (@NerissaaEmy) August 26, 2019
Born Stefani Germanotta in New York City, Lady Gaga became widely known in the early 2000's as much for her series of stage costumes (which brought to mind Elton John in his 1970's heyday), dance-infused performing style (ala Madonna), glam rock vibe (David Bowie) and award show publicity stunts (meat dress... 'nuff said) as she was for her music. Over the past decade, though, that's changed.
After modeling so much of her career on the aforementioned artists who influenced her musical and performing direction, she's gone on to become a trailblazer in her own right. With that in mind, the next "WTA Theme Song" selection for this space is her 2011 release "Born This Way."
In an interview with Billboard magazine, Gaga described "Born This Way" as her "freedom song."
"I want to write my this-is-who-the-fuck-I-am anthem, but I don't want it to be hidden in poetic wizardry and metaphors. I want it to be an attack, an assault on the issue because I think, especially in today's music, everything gets kind of washy sometimes and the message gets hidden in the lyrical play. Harkening back to the early '90s, when Madonna, En Vogue, Whitney Houston and TLC were making very empowering music for women and the gay community and all kind of disenfranchised communities, the lyrics and the melodies were very poignant and very gospel and very spiritual and I said, 'That's the kind of record I need to make. That's the record that's going to shake up the industry.' It's not about the track. It's not about the production. It's about the song. Anyone could sing 'Born This Way'. It could've been anyone."
The song would seem to fit into the WTA tapesty on any number of levels, with the differing lifestyles, outlooks, opinions and the like that populate the tour all falling under the same umbrella of acceptance and infused with a spirit of empowerment. At least on the best days. I mean, it wouldn't be The Most Interesting Tour if there weren't a few dust-ups, disagreements and drama along the way, right?
Personally, it took me a little bit of time to "get" Gaga, as initially she at least appeared to be more "show" than "substance" musically, as is so often the case with many of today's performance-based singers. I think her Grammy appearances earlier this decade, and then a concert documentary that aired on HBO finally showed me the light. As she's branched out, from attacking different musical styles to, now, acting ("A Star is Born"), she's proven to be a true multi-talented artist with a classic voice than all the costumes and stunts obscured in the early days.
Off stage, as something of an offshoot of the impact of "Born this Way," she's become known for philanthropy and social activism, including her work for LGBTQ rights, and for her nonprofit organization, the Born This Way Foundation, which focuses on empowering youth and preventing bullying.
...what she does in those heels should be an Olympic sport.
...my favorite Gaga song, and (though not the greatest video of it) the version similar to the one from the HBO concert doc
First Grand Slam win in my sleeve ????#usopen pic.twitter.com/Bc5E6ZLC7N
— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) August 27, 2019
All heart. pic.twitter.com/qyyPmMvRdV
— NaomiOsaka????? (@Naomi_Osaka_) August 27, 2019
"These Canadians are wilding." -Bianca Andreescu. #usopen
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 27, 2019
These new guest sharks are ready to dive in! Welcome @kmlake, @DanielLubetzky, @MariaSharapova and @annewoj23 to #SharkTank! pic.twitter.com/euVNHdlOFi
— Shark Tank (@ABCSharkTank) August 27, 2019
2004 Russia
2005 United States
2006 France
2007 Russia
2008 China
2009 United States
2010 Taiwan
2011 Romania
2012 Romania
2013 United States
2014 United States
2015 United States
2016 China
2017 Japan
2018 Sweden
2019 Russia
[2019]
AO: United States
RG: Russia
WI: Slovenia
US: Russia
**U.S. OPEN "CRASH & BURN" WINNERS**
2007 Maria Sharapova, RUS (3rd Rd.)
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB (2nd Rd.)
2009 Elena Dementieva, RUS (2nd Rd.)
2010 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (2nd Rd.)
2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE & Li Na, CHN (both 1st Rd.)
2012 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (1st Rd.)
2013 Samantha Stosur, AUS (1st Rd.)
2014 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK (1st Rd.)
2015 Karolina Pliskova, CZE (1st Rd.)
2016 Monica Puig, PUR (1st Rd.)
2017 Angelique Kerber, GER (1st Rd.)
2018 Simona Halep, ROU (1st Rd.)
2019 Sloane Stephens, USA (1st Rd.)
[2019]
AO: Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (1st Rd.)
RG: Alona Ostapenko, LAT (1st Rd.)
WI: Naomi Osaka, JPN (1st Rd.)
US: Sloane Stephens, USA (1st Rd.)
**WOMEN'S 1st ROUND WON/LOST - BY NATION**
12-11...United States
4-4...China
4-5...Czech Republic
4-7...Russia
3-0...Belgium
3-2...Germany, Romania
3-3...France
2-0...Croatia, Estonia, Latvia
2-1...Belarus, Poland, Ukraine
2-4...Australia
1-0...Denmark, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Taiwan, Tunisia
1-1...Canada, Great Britian, Netherlands, Japan, Sweden
1-2...Kazakhstan
1-3...Switzerland
1-4...Spain
0-1...Italy, Luxembourg, Puerto Rico
0-2...Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia
**BACKSPIN 2019 WTA TOP PERFORMANCE WINNERS**
JAN: Petra Kvitova (Sydney)
AO: Naomi Osaka (WS)
FEB/MAR: Belinda Bencic (Dubai)
I.W./MIAMI: Bianca Andreescu (Indian Wells)
1Q: [Andreescu - Indian Wells]
APR: Petra Kvitova (Stuttgart)
MAY: Kiki Bertens (Madrid)
RG: Ash Barty (WS)
2Q Clay Court: [Bertens - Madrid]
JUN: Ash Barty (Birmingham)
WI: Simona Halep (WS)
2Q Grass Court: [Halep - Wimbledon]
JUL/AUG: Jil Teichmann (Palermo)
AUG (pre-U.S.): Bianca Andreescu (Toronto)
**BACKSPIN 2019 FED CUP OVERALL MVP WINNERS**
(Feb) WG 1st Round: Ash Barty, AUS
(Feb) WG II: Georgina Garcia-Perez, ESP
(Feb) Zones: Johanna Konta, GBR
(Apr) WG SF: Ash Barty, AUS
(Apr) WG PO: Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP
(Apr) WG II PO: Johanna Konta, GBR
(Apr) Zones: Anastasia Kulikova, FIN
(Jun) Zones: Nigina Abduraimova/Akgul Amanmuradova, UZB
(Jul) ITF World Team 14s: Linda Fruhvirtova, CZE (jr.)
[Overall MVP Captain winners]
(Feb) WG 1st Round: Julien Benneteau, FRA
(Feb) WG II: Anabel Medina-Garrigues, ESP
(Feb) Zones: Anne Keothavong, GBR
(Apr) WG SF: Julien Benneteau, FRA
(Apr) WG PO: Kathy Rinaldi, USA
(Apr) WG II PO: Igor Andreev, RUS
(Apr) Zones: Laura Arraya, PER
(Jun) Zones: Peter Lebed, UZB
(Jul) ITF World Team 14s: Tomas Josefus, CZE
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: Isabella Shinikova/BUL def. Sachia Vickery/USA 6-1/4-6/7-6(6) - Shinikova MTO down MP at 6-5 in 3rd set TB, then comes back and wins 3 con. pts. to advance. Shinikova limps to net for her handshake, then Vickery airs out her frustrations on Twitter after the leaves the court.
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
TOP NIGHT SESSION WOMEN'S MATCH: xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Ana Bogdan/ROU (def. Dart/GBR)
FIRST SEED OUT: #27 Caroline Garcia, FRA (1st Rd. - lost to Jabeur/TUN)
UPSET QUEENS: Russia
REVELATION LADIES: xx
NATION OF POOR SOULS: xx
CRASH & BURN: #11 Sloane Stephens/USA (1st Rd. - '17 champ lost to qualifier A.Kalinskaya on Ashe for first career slam MD win)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: xx
IT ("??"): xx
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: xx
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: 1st Rd. wins: Babos, Bogdan, Bolkvadze, Kalinskaya, Peng, Townsend (LL: Flipkens)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: 1st Rd. wins: Ahn, Di Lorenzo, Gauff, McNally
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: 1st Rd. wins: Ahn, Collins, Davis, Di Lorenzo, Gauff, Kenin, Keys, McNally, Riske, Townsend, S.Williams, V.Williams
COMEBACK PLAYER: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): xx
DOUBLES STAR: xx
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Nominee: Ahn, Gauff, McNally, Di Lorenzo, Townsend, Riske
BROADWAY-BOUND: Nominee: Kalinskaya
LADY OF THE EVENING: xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
7 Comments:
Well I know she's not played well for a while but she did today - just thought I wanted to mention a good win by - Caroline Wozniacki. She played Y.Wang who played very well, lost a first set 1-6 - turned her gameplay to an offensive play with lots of netplay and lines backward smashes. Won second set 7-5 and third set 6-3. Both players were playing very well. Just thought you'd like to know.
Thanks, H. Yes, earlier in the day as she was making her comeback I was going to include something but as things wore on she sort of got lost in the shuffle. I probably should have at least used a tweet in the Caro Corner section that made some sort of note. Thought she was a goner there with the way she started, but good for her. ;)
Poker Face is probably my favorite Lady Gaga song. She is like Britney Spears to me, obviously not in style, but in the fact that her voice is so unique, you know it when you hear it.
#ItTakes
Winning once in 15 years to make it a rivalry.
Bouzkova, Vikhlantseva, and Wang Xiyu all wilted in the heat.
You mentioned Andreescu's live ranking, and there are others that have jumped out after round 1. So lets look at 10.
8- Bencic
9- Andreescu
18-Sevastova
29-Mertens
31-Garcia
66-Tsurenko
93-Cibulkova
101-McNally
118-Gauff
134-Sharapova
148-Bouchard
I lied, that is 11. Let's start with the Middle East winners. Dubai winner Bencic is at 8, but has gone 3rd-3rd-3rd at the first 3 slams. Doha winner Mertens is 29, with a similar 3rd-3rd-4th.
Sharapova doesn't play qualies, so 134 is a problem. Bouchard is at least willing to try.
Cibulkova is close to retirement. 2016 YEC will be her legacy. That reminds me-Historical WTA section doesn't have Puig's Olympic win, which comes to mind as both beat Kerber for their titles.
Tsurenko lost QF points, and turned 30 this year. Clock is ticking because of her physical ailments.
Stat of the Day- 17- The number of slam wins for Garbine Muguruza in 2017 when she won Wimbledon.
17 is also the number she has had the last two years(11 in 18, 6 in 19). The curious thing about her game, is that she doesn't seem to have any feel for the ball at all. She doesn't just miss by an inch, she misses by a foot.
Hey colt--Poker Face is my favorite Lady Gaga song, too. And I have a playlist of multiple versions (guitar, string quartet, piano, Bossa Nova, etc.) of it :)
C-
Good catch on the '16 Olympics. It *should* be there... and now it is. ;)
See, #ItTakes works... just not in the way the WTA intended. :)
Speaking of Britney, you'll be seeing her around here soon (hint-hint).
C/D-
I like "Poker Face," too... but I think the old American Idol audition shows ruined me for it because *every* year they'd seemingly have two out of every three on "Groups Day" during Hollywood Week sing that song. After a while, it had an "It's a Small World"/Disneyland sort of effect on me, I think. I haven't heard it for a while, though, so maybe that's finally worn off. :)
This should revive your enthusiasm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEGCEz4L0tA
Haha! My, they all look *so* young!
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