Wednesday, August 28, 2019

US.3 - Trusting Elina

While Venus Williams remains a treasure at age 39, #5 Elina Svitolina has spent much of 2019 trying to rediscover her fortune. Today's 2nd Round win over the living legend was a good next step in that direction for the 24-year old. But things will likely only get even more difficult from here.



Well, check that original thought, the Ukrainian has spent much of 2019 trying to rediscover her fortune *while also* seemingly paying more than a bit too much attention to her social media presence as (despite her long overdue maiden slam SF at Wimbledon) her actual *tennis* season has been her worst since before what were probably her breakthrough tour-level campaigns in 2014-15. For the first time since 2012, she'll soon see the calendar flip to September without her not only having not won a singles title, but also not having even reached a final. She doesn't have a Top 10 win, going 0-3 in '19 after recording 25 the last three years (5, 11 and 9), including six over world #1's.

When Svitolina battled her way to the WTA Finals title last November, the thought was that the confidence she'd picked up from the run had finally broken down a door that would open new horizons for her at the majors and in other big events. Quite frankly, even *with* her SW19 final four run on the backs of the injured and/or exhausted opponents who lined her path throughout that fortnight, it just hasn't happened. Over the course of the season, her gradual slide back down the mountain she climbed last fall has been clear. While lingering injuries have been a problem, the same mental inconsistency that previously often blocked her path to the "next level" of success on tour, even after Singapore, hasn't been left behind by success. And rather than openly battle back against such a continuing obstacle, she's instead often seemed to float above the surface of it this year, sort of like how new beau Gael Monfils has in a much more unprofessional way throughout his entire career.

(Whether one has anything to do with the other, well, I guess that's a matter of opinion... but it should be noted that the Frenchman has been an outwardly far-more-acceptable tour pro in '19 than in any previous season since the previously-more-focused Svitolina came into the picture, so it wouldn't be stepping out of bounds to think that such influence runs both ways.)

While there were many issues that kept Svitolina's Wimbledon "breakthrough" from being declared a "career-changer," it did manage to provide a foothold on which to step as she climbs her way back up -- perception-wise, as her ranking is still strong -- into "contender status" during what's left of this summer and into the fourth quarter of the season.

Against Williams under the Louis Armstrong roof on a rainy day at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday, Svitolina was presented with an opportunity to let slip her control of the match. Though she very nearly did relinquish her grip, she forestalled *that* slide as she's finally started to do in regards to her season in recent months.

After breaking Venus to open the match, Svitolina's defensive abilities fed into Williams' tendency for long stretches of today's match to be undone by her own unforced errors. The more shots the Ukrainian made her hit, the more likely one was going to be pulled wide or sailed long by Venus to end long rallies. Svitolina took a double-break lead at 5-2, but anyone with knowledge of Svitolina's tendencies (and those of Venus, too) in big events (including, likely, Elina) knew the set was far from over. If she couldn't serve it out in her first attempt, Venus could very well catch her.

Naturally, Svitolina immediately fell behind 15/40 in game #9, only to see Williams' back-to-back UE's bring the game back to deuce. Svitolina saved BP #3 with an ace, but a long forehand handed the break to Venus on her fourth attempt. Williams fell behind 15/40, as well, a game later, but suddenly found her forehand range and leveled the game score. A DF gave Svitolina her third SP, but Venus held for 5-4.

With Williams' game and movement finally rounding into form, even if she couldn't complete the comeback and steal the 1st, it was apparent that she should be able to start the 2nd with enough momentum to make a match of things.

After taking a 30/love lead in game #10, Svitolina's DF made it 30/30. If she dropped serve again, the floor might have dropped out of her confidence (see vs. Halep in the RG QF in '17). But on her fourth SP, Svitolina was gifted a loss return miss from Williams to finish off a 6-4 set. Svitolina had the lead, even as she'd been starting to look a tad wobbly. She didn't even much celebrate her survival, only offering a short yell as she approached the changeover area.



After going once again to what has become her move this summer, Venus ordered a courtside coffee heading into the 2nd set, and immediately came out firing. After saving a BP in game #1, she broke Svitolina to lead 2-0.



But in game #3, things started to turn.

It took Williams seven long minutes to hold for 3-0. She saved four BP, and even DF'd on a GP before securing the game. But she wasn't able to maintain her momentum after that service game. Svitolina got the break back two games later when Venus netted a half-volley attempt, as it was clear that her inconsistency was again getting in her way. Meanwhile, Svitolina had broken free of the tension that saw her drop five of six games spanning the 1st and 2nd sets. A Williams double-fault on BP gave the Ukrainian a fourth straight game and a 4-3 lead. With a hold for 5-3 and another Venus DF to open game #9, Svitolina was suddenly on a 15-of-17 points run.

Williams had one final fight in her, though. Namely a 16-minute, 8-deuce service game in which she staved off five MP before finally putting away a volley to hold for 5-4 and force Svitolina to serve things out. This time she did it, helped along by consecutive Williams return errors to start things off. On MP #6, a Venus forehand sailed long and Svitolina won 6-4/6-4.



While things weren't totally on her racket, Svitolina held things together today in moments where she, at the very least, might have been forced to a 3rd set in the past. It's another foothold, a pull upward a little farther away from the place she found her season in a few months ago, having suffered through a 1-7 skid during the spring.

The Open is the only major at which Svitolina has yet to reach the quarterfinals, having fallen in the Round of 16 the last two years. After breaking through one barrier in London, it'll likely be a greater feat to do so in New York. Her section of the draw is laced with mines, specifically ones named Dayana, Sonya and Madison.

But one has to get to a point in order to get *past* it. Svitolina took care of her part in that continuing scenario today.

I'd say "Trust the Process" but, you know, I guess that's "so 2018." So... how about "Trust Yourself?"




=DAY 3 NOTES=
...rain invaded this Open for the first time on Wednesday, as the usefulness of having *two* roofed courts played out. #3 Karolina Pliskova, as scheduled, opened play on Ashe with a 6-1/6-4 win over qualifier Mariam Bolkvadze. After Svitolina/Williams, #10 Madison Keys took care of Zhu Lin in straights on Armstrong.



All right, even if the skies clear enough for a load of action under the lights on numerous courts tonight, with all the rain today and with -- other than Serena and Venus -- this side of the draw being by far the less intriguing of the two at this U.S. Open, I'm going to go ahead and pull up stakes for this recap of Day 3.

There are a few remaining *scheduled* day matches of particular interrest (Konta/Gasparyan, Sevastova/Swiatek, Hsieh/Muchova), but nothing that can't wait to be updated, if need be, tomorrow. Weather aside, Serena Williams (vs. McNally) and Ash Barty (vs. Davis) are set to fill the women's part of the evening session on the two roofed courts on Wednesday night.




"Awwl, POOR GUY..." ON DAY 3:




LIKE ON DAY 3:




Ummm... ON DAY 3:




Ummm... ON DAY 3:



Hmmm... ON DAY 3:

Was that Chris Evert trying to intentionally course correct during the Svitolina/Williams match after being critiqued for rightly criticizing the Ukrainian during Wimbledon for her overwhelming social media presence this season as her results were simultaneously flagging?

She made a point to note how being around Monfils has helped "both their games" (Monfils, yes, at least as far as his daily approach to things, but Svitolina? Well...), then said that everyone knows that she's "mentally tough?" Really? Maybe *off* court, as Evert brought up Svitolina's comments about growing up in Ukraine and the like, but the biggest thing that has held her back *on* the court for years has been a decided *lack* of mental toughness in big situations.

But, hey, if it got some people off Chrissie's back....

I mean, until she utters even one other thing that someone doesn't like, I guess. Tennis Twitter is sort of like working in the White House in that way. It's all about 100% blind loyalty, until it isn't... and then you're trash(ed).

Sad.



Was there any more indelible -- even in its technical simplicity -- music video image from the 1990's than that of Sinead O'Connor's face taking up the full screen for nearly the entire duration of her performance of the Prince-penned "Nothing Compares 2 U," with every emotion being expressed within that small frame as she powerfully (and hauntingly) delivers lyrics tinged with anger, longing, frustration and an overwhelming sense of deep sadness? Apparently, she drew upon the recent death of her mother to dig into the feelings associated with the words, leading to the sincere sadness and tears that roll down her cheeks during her performance.

Seeing it again for the first time in a while for this, I was reminded what I'm sure I thought when it was released -- that hers may be the greatest single performance in any music video ever. And she didn't have to dance, or jump around, or have a troupe of twenty people moving in lines in unison around her to pull it off, either.

It's (mostly) just her face, her eyes, her voice, and some of the best lines ("All the flowers that you planted mama... In the back yard... All died when you went away" -- the lines after which O'Connor's true-to-life emotions immediately break through) the ridiculously multi-talented Prince ever wrote.


["Nothing Compares 2 U" - Sinead O'Connor, 1990]


I won't go into any of O'Connor's background, as it's exhaustingly controversy-filled (she's even, I think, maybe the only person I've every heard tell a bad story about Prince). More than anything else, her performance of this song (even better than Prince's own version, I think -- which is a rarity... though Chris Cornell's version below is tremendous, though for a different reason) stands as her musical legacy.

Maybe this is something of a "WTA Retirement Theme?" (See, I said I'd soon be reaching in order to use the videos I wanted.)


YouTube Research Finds:

["Nothing Compares 2 U" - Prince w/ Rosie Gaines, 1992]
...fine, though I can't help but wish it was just him at the piano on this one


["Nothing Compares 2 U" - Prince, 1984]
...put together and released by Prince's estate in 2018 after his death in '16, this combines the original 1984 recording with previously unseen Paisley Park studio rehearsal footage of his various performances of the song


["Nothing Compares 2 U" - Chris Cornell, 2015]
...this is an exceptional and powerful version of the song (nearly on par w/ that of O'Connor), performed by Soundgarden lead singer Cornell *before* Prince passed away, unlike many of the other covers you see. Cornell himself ended up dying young, committing suicide in '17, thirteen months after Prince's death. That fact can't help but add another layer of sadness to the pain-filled lyrics.

So, I guess we'll hit this baby one more time tomorrow...




Some players are presented with numerous opportunities to claim a slam crown, but that sort of player often wins multiple major crowns during their career. For most others, such opportunities, if they *ever* come, are finite and often fleeting. So capitalizing on those few moments can prove to be the career keystone for those involved.

In 2011, after having failed to grab the crown in Paris a year earlier in what one had every right to believe might be her *only* such chance at slam glory, Samantha Stosur spent two weeks snaking her way through the U.S. Open draw, often under the cover of darkness and after having been pushed off onto smaller courts. But when she finally got her chance to shine on the biggest stage of them all in the final, she was as good as she'd ever been, or would ever be again.

2011 Recap
2011 Recap























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Svitolina speed ????? - #USOpen

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Swinging into round 2 ??

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...HERE'S THE LINK to the podcast...





**SLAM SINGLES FINALS BY NATION - 2010-19**
[Australian Open]
5 - USA (3-2)
3 - CHN (1-2)
2 - BLR (2-0)
2 - BEL (1-1)
2 - RUS (0-2)
1 - DEN (1-0)
1 - GER (1-0)
1 - JPN (1-0)
1 - CZE (0-1)
1 - ROU (0-1)
1 - SVK (0-1)
[Roland Garros]
4 - USA (2-2)
3 - RUS (2-1)
3 - ROU (1-2)
3 - ITA (1-2)
2 - AUS (1-1)
2 - CZE (0-2)
1 - CHN (1-0)
1 - ESP (1-0)
1 - LAT (1-0)
[Wimbledon]
7 - USA (4-3)
3 - GER (1-2)
2 - CZE (2-0)
2 - ESP (1-1)
2 - RUS (0-2)
1 - FRA (1-0)
1 - ROU (1-0)
1 - CAN (0-1)
1 - POL (0-1)
[U.S. Open]
7 - USA (4-3)
2 - ITA (1-1)
2 - BLR (0-2)
1 - AUS (1-0)
1 - BEL (1-0)
1 - GER (1-0)
1 - JPN (1-0)
1 - CZE (0-1)
1 - DEN (0-1)
1 - RUS (0-1)
=overall=
23 - USA (13-10)
8 - RUS (2-6)
6 - CZE (2-4)
5 - GER (3-2)
5 - ITA (2-3)
5 - ROU (2-3)
4 - BLR (2-2)
4 - CHN (2-2)
3 - AUS (2-1)
3 - BEL (2-1)
3 - ESP (2-1)
2 - JPN (2-0)
2 - DEN (1-1)
1 - FRA (1-0)
1 - LAT (1-0)
1 - CAN (0-1)
1 - POL (0-1)
1 - SVK (0-1)

**BACKSPIN 2019 WTA "RISER" WINNERS**
JAN: Karolina Pliskova, CZE and Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
AO: Danielle Collins, USA
FEB/MAR: Kiki Bertens, NED and Elise Mertens, BEL
I.W./MIAMI: Ash Barty, AUS
1Q: Naomi Osaka, JPN
APR: Petra Martic, CRO
MAY: Maria Sakkari, GRE
RG: Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
2Q Clay Court: Kiki Bertens, NED
JUN: Karolina Pliskova, CZE
WI: Alison Rise, USA
2Q Grass Court: Alison Riske, USA
JUL/AUG: Zheng Saisai, CHN
AUG (pre-U.S.): Madison Keys, USA
[2019 Weekly RISER Award Wins]
4 - Jennifer Brady, USA
4 - Petra Martic, CRO
3 - Ash Barty, AUS
3 - Belinda Bencic, SUI
3 - Kiki Bertens, NED
3 - Bernarda Pera, USA
3 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE
3 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
3 - Maria Sakkari, GRE
3 - Donna Vekic, CRO
2 - Caroline Garcia, FRA
2 - Anett Kontaveit, EST
2 - Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2 - Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR
2 - Lesia Tsurenko, UKR
2 - Zheng Saisai, CHN




TOP QUALIFIER: Peng Shuai/CHN
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: Nominee: 1st Rd. - (Q) Kalinskaya def. #11 Stephens (first career slam MD win over '17 U.S. champ)
=============================
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: Nominees: Kanepi (1st Rd. - 3 MP vs. Maria), Goerges (1st Rd. - 1 MP vs. Vikhlyantseva)
IT ("??"): xx
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: xx
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: In 2nd Rd.: Babos, Bogdan, Bolkvadze(L), Kalinskaya, Peng, Townsend (LL: Flipkens)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: In 2nd Rd.: Ahn, Di Lorenzo, Gauff, McNally
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: In 2nd Rd.: Ahn, Collins, Davis, Di Lorenzo, Gauff, Kenin, Keys(W), McNally, Riske, Townsend, S.Williams, V.Williams(L)
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




All for Day 3. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 6:48 PM 

2 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

Manic Monday comes early. Interesting to see what the fallout will be with the compressed schedule- ie will Halep stay in the mixed draw? Will Andreescu stay in doubles?

Bolkvadze and McNally both played well for facing a seed.

Stat of the Day- 1- Number of Top 11 seeds that have not been scheduled on Armstrong or Ashe for either of their first two matches.

#6 Kvitova does today. But before you guess who has not, let's look at who took up the other spots.

This originally came to mind when I noticed that Serena had another night match. Even though McNally is American, and thankfully held up well, I thought somebody else would get that spot.

Gauff has gotten both matches, without facing a Top 50 player in Potapova or Babos. Venus got one against Zheng. #19 Wozniacki(2 time finalist) gets Collins.

So the player that missed? The 7th seeded Bertens, who is on court 13 vs Pavlyuchenkova today.

Thu Aug 29, 09:02:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

I figured the night spot on Wednesday would be Venus/Svitolina. A little surprised they went with Caro/Collins tonight, too, with Osaka not yet having played at night.

I guess that's what Patrick M. was talking about when he said Coco was getting "grand slam champion" treatment.

Aha! I noodled that one off the top of my head and got Bertens right. :)

Thu Aug 29, 11:44:00 AM EDT  

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