Sunday, September 22, 2019

Wk.38- Osaka²

And in Week 38, a familiar face returned to the winner's circle...



Oh, yeah. I remember her.



*WEEK 38 CHAMPIONS*
OSAKA, JAPAN (Premier/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Naomi Osaka/JPN def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS 6-2/6-3
D: Chan Hao-ching/Latisha Chan (TPE/TPE) def. Hsieh Su-wei/Hsieh Yu-chieh 7-5/7-5
GUANGZHOU, CHINA (Int'l/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Sofia Kenin/USA def. Samantha Stosur/AUS 6-7(4)/6-4/6-2
D: Peng Shuai/Laura Siegemund (CHN/GER) def. Alexa Guarachi/Giuliana Olmos (CHI/MEX) 6-2/6-1
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (Int'l/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Karolina Muchova/CZE def. Magda Linette/POL 6-1/6-1
D: Lara Arruabarrena/Tatjana Maria (ESP/GER) def. Hayley Carter/Luisa Stefani (USA/BRA) 7-6(7)/3-6 [10-7]


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Naomi Osaka/JPN
...well, Osaka surely handled *this* coaching ejection better than the last one. On the court, at least.



After dispensing of Sascha Bajin in the aftermath of a second straight slam title and rise to #1, Osaka's growing pains were evident in the following months. Jermaine Jenkins arrived as a replacement soon after Bajin's exit, but so did a return of some of the inconsistency of results that had plagued her *before* she'd hired last year's WTA Coach of the Year. Osaka's announcement in the days after the U.S. Open that she'd parted ways with Jenkins weren't stunning, just slightly surprising in that they came with the better part of two months remaining on the schedule. Not only that, that schedule consisted of the autumn Asian swing during which Osaka would be placed in the spotlight as the biggest name in the sport not only in Japan, but pretty much the entire region.

Well, so far, so good. With her dad handling the coaching duties, Osaka, as she did while handling the pressure of defending her U.S. Open crown (her Round of 16 result was more than respectable, especially considering she arrived in New York with an injury question due to her knee), seemed at ease with the landscape and her place in it Osaka, the city of her birth and her mom's hometown (Naomi and her sister Mari were given their mother's maiden name for practical purposes in Japanese society).

Playing in the city for the first time since 2014, Osaka didn't drop a set en route to the title, her first since winning the Australian Open in January. Wins over Viktoriya Tomova, Yulia Putintseva, Elise Mertens and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova locked away career WTA title #4.
===============================================
RISERS: Karolina Muchova/CZE and Magda Linette/POL
...Muchova has made all the moves necessary for a breakout season in 2019. After debuting her slam career at last year's U.S. Open with a 3rd Round finish, she reached a QF this summer at SW19 (recording her first Top 10 win over countrywoman Karolina Pliskova), cracked the Top 50 *and* backed up her NYC run by once again winning two MD matches. But she'd yet to win a tour title, falling in three sets in her maiden final in Prague this spring against Jil Teichmann. In Seoul, she took care of that unfinished business. Wins over Alison Van Uytvanck, Timea Babos, Priscilla Hon and Wang Yafan got the Czech into a second final, where this time she handled Magda Linette in straights to become the season's 14th first-time champ. She'll break into the Top *40* on Monday, landing at #37 as she looks for still more signposts to knock down on her way to the Top 20 next season (at the latest).



In the absence of retired Aga Radwanska and with Iga Swiatek somewhat in the still-in-development stage (she announced a split with her coach this week), Linette has essentially become (for the time being, at least) the face of Polish tennis. She's handled her new role well, as the 27-year old won her biggest title in three years at a $100K challenger in June, matched her career best slam result with a 3rd Round run at Wimbledon, claimed her first tour title in the Bronx just before the start of the U.S. Open, then won a round at Flushing Meadows (ultimately losing in the 2nd to Naomi Osaka). Two weeks ago, she reached a career high ranking of #45. In Seoul, the advanced to the final without dropping a set, defeating the likes of Irina-Camelia Begu, Anastasia Potapova, Kirsten Flipkens and Ekaterina Alexandrova. She got just two games off Muchova in the final, but will come in at a new career high of #42 this week.


===============================================
SURPRISES: Kristie Ahn/USA and Viktorija Golubic/SUI
...Ahn's story continued in Seoul. Still basking in the glow of her Round of 16 U.S. Open run, the 27-year old Bannerette took a wild card into the MD and proceeded to double-babel Timea Bacsinszky and outlast Ana Bogdan in a 3rd set TB to reach the QF. Ekaterina Alexandrova finally ended her run, but it took three sets and 22 aces to get the job done. Still, Ahn's third career WTA QF result (Nottingham '17 & San Jose '19) will lift her to a new career high of #88.



In Guangzhou, Golubic reached her first tour-level semi since October '17 in Linz. Coming in off a Nanchang QF result, the Swiss posted wins over Wang Xiyu, Katerina Siniakova and Zhang Shuai to give herself five MD WTA wins in the last two weeks, nearly as many as she had (7) from January through August combined.

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Hit. Run. Fight. Repeat! ??????????????????????

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===============================================
VETERANS: Samantha Stosur/AUS and Angelique Kerber/GER
...already having dipped this season to her lowest singles ranking since January 2004, 35-year old Stosur entered the week at #129. A three-time winner at this time of the season of the Japan Women's Open title (last week's Hiroshima event, when it was held in Osaka from 2009-14), Stosur got a wild card into this week's tournament in Guangzhou. She took advantage of the opportunity, notching career win #600 (the 23rd woman to do so in tour history) with a victory over Tereza Martincova, then followed up with three more over Bernarda Pera, Nina Stojanovic and Viktorija Golubic to reach career final #25, her first since winning Strasbourg in May 2017.



It was also Stosur's first appearance in a final in China (running her career total to 14 final nations in WTA play, along with five more in doubles finals and ITF action). She fell in three sets to Sofia Kenin, but will rise to #92 in the new rankings. It was an encouraging week for the Aussie, who noted that, "It’s a reminder that good results can be just around the corner if you just keep believing in yourself." She'd already put together her best doubles campaign since 2009 this season, her best in a decade, having come in at #15 and earlier this year winning the Australian Open WD crown and reaching the Miami final with Zhang Shuai.



Meanwhile, Osaka saw Kerber finally break out of her summer slump with her first win since Wimbledon, ending her five-match losing streak. Already with a 1st Round bye, she got the benefit of avoiding an immediate "do-over" attempt vs. the most recent player to defeat her -- Alison Riske in Zhengzhou -- when the Bannerette was upset by countrywoman Nicole Gibbs. Kerber defeated Gibbs in two sets, then outlasted Madison Keys in the QF when she retired in the 3rd set. The German went out in the semis to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, but will see her first notable ranking rise in a while (a one-spot nudge in June) come Monday when she climbs up from #15 to #12.
===============================================


COMEBACK: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
...at the beginning of the week, it seemed as if the "she's due" theory might apply to the Russian this week, and so it did. Though not all the way back into the title winner's circle.

Pavlyuchenkova *did* reach her first singles final since May of last year (Strasbourg), through, advancing into her 19th career tour-level championship match in Osaka with victories over Dayana Yastremska, Kiki Bertens (her fourth Top 10 win of '19, and second over the Dutch woman), Misaki Doi and Angelique Kerber without dropping a set. Once there, she lost to crowd favorite Naomi Osaka in straights. The 28-year oldest Hordette -- typically, for her, really -- had somehow still managed to *raise* her ranking going into the week (she stood at #41 after finishing 2018 at #42) even while having *won* a singles title last season. This result will get her to #36 on Monday.
===============================================
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???? @sofia.kenin #guangzhouopen

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FRESH FACES: Sofia Kenin/USA, Anna Blinkova/RUS and Priscilla Hon/AUS
...while Bianca Andreescu's results have been the flashier of the two, if not for the 19-year old Canadian the 20-year old Bannerette would be the breakout North American of 2019. In Guangzhou, Kenin won season title #3 with wins over Laura Siegemund, Katarina Zavatska, Jasmine Paolini and Anna Blinkova to reach her fourth final of the season. Coming from a set down, she defeated Sam Stosur 6-7(4)/6-2/6-2 to add another International level crown to her resume. She'll be at another new career high (#17) on Monday.



The summer and early fall is proving to be the site of Blinkova's belated coming out party, as the 21-year old Hordette has in recent weeks reached a tour QF in the Bronx, pushed defending champ Naomi Osaka to three sets at Flushing Meadows, swept the singles and doubles titles in the 125 Series event in New Haven and, this past week, reached her maiden tour-level semi in Guangzhou with wins over Sara Sorribes Tormo, Aleksandra Krunic and Marie Bouzkova. In the semis, she pushed eventual champ Kenin to three sets. She'll jump ten spots to a new career high of #66 this week.

In Seoul, 21-year old Aussie Hon reached her second QF in three years in the tour-level event. After making her way through qualifying (defeating countrywoman Destanee Aiava), Hon knocked off Mihaela Buzarnescu and yet another Aussie in a match-up of the nation's #2 (#42 Ajla Tomljanovic) vs. #5 (#119 Hon). She lost to eventual champ Karolina Muchova, but adds yet another promising week to a season that already includes Hon's first career MD slam win (RG) and career-best ranking.


===============================================
DOWN: Sloane Stephens/USA
...in Osaka, Stephens lost her sixth match in seven outings (the fifth in straight sets) with a 6-0/6-3 defeat at the hands of Camila Giorgi. After winning the U.S. Open (2017) and Miami ('18), while reaching big finals at Roland Garros, Montreal and the WTAF (all '18) the last two years, Stephens has so far failed to reach a final in 2019 and posted no Top 10 wins (she had 3 and 8 the last two seasons, respectively), she has some work to do if she's going to have a third straight Top 20 season for the first time in her career. She'll enter next week at #15.

Stephens has already gotten off to a better start in the opening round of this coming week's event in Wuhan, defeating Zhang Shuai 7-5/6-4 on Sunday.
===============================================
ITF PLAYER: Varvara Gracheva/RUS
...the 19-year old Russian grabbed her fourth ITF circuit crown of the year, and the biggest of her career, at the $60K challenger in Saint-Melo, France. Gracheva's sixth consecutive (2017-19) win in a singles final, a 3 & 2 victory over fellow teen Marta Kostyuk, comes less than two months after she notched her maiden career WTA MD win over Anna Blinkova in Washington (then took Hsieh Su-wei to a 3rd set TB in the 2nd Rd.).


===============================================
JUNIOR STAR: Alexandra Eala/PHI
...in Capetown, 14-year old Filipina Eala claimed her biggest career title, defeating Czech Linda Fruhvirtova in the final to pick up her maiden Grade A crown. The Rafael Nadal Academy product recently made it through U.S. Open girls qualifying to become the first female from the Philippines to reach the MD of a junior slam event, in which she posted a 1st Round win over Aussie Annerly Poulos.



This week, the Junior Fed Cup (16s) title will be determined in Orlando.

Competing Nations: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Korea Rep, Morocco, Peru, Russia, Serbia, Thailand, USA

=RECENT JUNIOR FED CUP FINALS=
2010 RUS def. CHN
2011 AUS def. CAN
2012 USA def. RUS
2013 RUS def. AUS
2014 USA def. SVK
2015 CZE def. USA
2016 POL def. USA
2017 USA def. JPN
2018 USA def. UKR
[overall titles - since 1985]
5 - AUS,USA
4 - RUS
3 - CZE
2 - ARG,BEL,BLR,NED,POL
1 - FRA,FRG,GER,ITA,RSA,SLO,TCH
===============================================
DOUBLES: Chan Hao-ching & Latisha Chan, TPE/TPE
...the Chans picked up their fourth win of 2019, tying Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova for the tour lead, with a 7-5/7-5 win in the final over another pair of tennis-playing siblings, the aforementioned Hsieh and her sister Yu-chieh. The pair had won a pair of match TB's -- vs. Dabrowski/Garcia in the QF, and Doi/Hibino in the SF -- en route to their 21st tour-level final as a duo. This was their 14th win. For Latisha, this week's win (#33 in her career) qualifies '19 as a fitful follow up to her career year of '17, when she won a tour-best 11 titles (nine with Martina Hingis, two with her sister) and reached #1. She's also picked up two slam MX titles with Ivan Dodig this season.


===============================================
WHEELCHAIR: Yui Kamiji/JPN
...Kamiji won the Series 1 de L'ile de Re crown in France, defeating Zhu Zhenzhen 4-6/6-0/6-3 in the final. The loss drops Zhu to 44-5 since mid-March.

While 2019 has seen world #2 Kamiji not win a slam title for the first time since 2013, her (so far) 14-3 summer run (w/ all three losses to Diede de Groot) is serving as a good lead-up to what will be a big year in 2020. She'll be at the center of the storm come next summer as the top-ranked home player when Tokyo hosts the Paralympics. She picked up a Bronze in Rio four years ago.


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


MARKETA VONDROUSOVA UPDATE:




LAURA ROBSON UPDATE:




1. Seoul QF - Ekaterina Alexandrova def. Kristie Ahn
...6-7(0)/6-4/6-4. The Russian fired 48 winners, including 22 aces, second this season only to Kristyna Pliskova's 24 in Birmingham vs. her sister. Ahn and Alexandrova are *not* related, so...
===============================================
2. Guangzhou Final - Sofia Kenin def. Samantha Stosur
...6-7(4)/6-4/6-2. I wonder if Kenin has any photos of her kid self posing with Stosur oh so many years ago?


===============================================
3. Seoul Final - Karolina Muchova def. Magda Linette
...6-1/6-1. The season's 14th first-time champ equals the most in a season since the same number in 2014. That number could change this week, if history tells us anything...


===============================================
4. Guangzhou 2nd Rd. - Marie Bouzkova def. Elina Svitolina
...6-4/4-3 ret. The Czech's third Top 10 win in the last two months, and the *second* via retirement (w/ Halep in Toronto). I could go on again about Svitolina's season possibly "breaking" the paradigm for what makes a "good" season, you know, "good" and just how much a couple of spare slam results (one w/ at least one large asterisk attached to it) should factor into the characterization of an otherwise injury-plagued, highlight-free and entirely disappointing campaign.

But, really, what everyone wants to know if whether or not Elina has any dirt on the Bidens.
===============================================
5. Guangzhou Final - Peng Shuai/Laura Siegemund def. Alexa Guarachi/Giuliana Olmos
...6-2/6-1. Peng is 23-8 in tour doubles finals in her career.


===============================================
6. Seoul Final - Lara Arruabarrena/Tatjana Maria def. Hayley Carter/Luisa Stefani
...7-5/4-6/7-6(6). Arruabarrena & Maria win their second title together ('16 Bogota) in their third final (w/ '14 Osaka), denying the ex-NCAA stars their maiden crowns.


===============================================
7. $25K Pula ITA Final - Martina Trevisan def. Seone Mendez
...6–4/5–7/7–5. In the same week that countrywoman Jasmine Paolini reached the Guangzhou QF, Trevisan wins her first ITF crown in over two years (denying the Aussie -- the ITF #1-ranked player -- her seventh 2019 title and biggest of her career). Last week, Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto reached an ITF final. Italian women's tennis (the non-Giorgi kind, which Camila surely does *not* follow) is alive and well... it's just quite a bit quieter than in years past.
===============================================
8. $25K Arad ROU Final - Andreea Mitu def. Irene Burillo Escorihuela
...6-7(5)/6-4/6-4. Mitu sweeps the singles and doubles crowns... on her 28th birthday.


===============================================
9. Osaka 1st Rd. - Donna Vekic def. Caroline Garcia 7-5/6-2
Osaka 1st Rd. - Misaki Doi def. Kristina Mladenovic 6-1/6-2
...neither Pastry wanted to play each other again so soon again, anyway, I suppose.
===============================================
10. Wuhan 1st Rd. - Arnya Sabalenka def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
...6-1/6-2. Sabalenka was charged with facing fellow Belarusian Vika Azarenka in the 1st Round at Flushing Meadows. As the defending champ in Wuhan, she made herself 2-0 in the unofficial BLR Fed Cup Team Round Robin with a win over countrywoman Sasnovich.
===============================================
HM- $15K Lubbock Tx USA Final - Jessica Livianu def. Dalayna Hewitt
... 6-4/1-6/6-3. The St.John's star picked up her maiden pro title in Lubbock, going 7-0 while transforming from qualifier to champion. She won back-to-back-to-back three-setters to close out the title run.


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


The Power of Pliskovae...




1. Osaka Final - NAOMI OSAKA def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
...6-2/6-3. This is Osaka's first ever win in Asia. She'd been 0-2 in finals in Tokyo in 2016 and '18, as well as having lost in 125 Series (Hua Hin, THA '15) and $15K ITF (Gifu, JPN) events.
===============================================
2. Osaka Final - CHAN HAO-CHING/LATISHA CHAN def. HSIEH SU-WEI/HSIEH YU-CHIEH
...7-5/7-5. While the Chans are the second-leading all-sisters duo in tour history, this was the second final reached by the Hsiehs. They lost in the Seoul title decider one year ago.
===============================================
3. Osaka 1st Rd. - HSIEH SU-WEI def. Garbine Muguruza
...3-6/7-6(1)/6-1. Muguruza held MP in the 2nd set at 6-5, then dropped 10 of 11 points, losing a 7-1 TB and then dropping the 3rd set at one. While the Spaniard hasn't been doing the "no-show" specials since parting with Sam Sumyk, her closing skills remain wanting. Her last three defeats have come in three-set affairs in which she claimed the opening set.
===============================================
HM- Wuhan 1st Rd. - Danielle Collins def. VENUS WILLIAMS
...7-5/7-6(5). It seems like a million years ago that Collins reached her maiden slam semifinal in Melbourne, but it's actually only been eight months. Save for a win over a #13-ranked Anastasija Sevastova at Wimbledon, this is arguably her best win since, as the U-Va. product had only posted 13 additional victories since she ran through the likes of Goerges, Garcia, Kerber and Pavlyuchenkova Down Under.


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


































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Flying at you with something fun soon ??

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Unleash the tiger ?? ?? @zhengzhouopen

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Y’all killed it yesterday ?????? thank you for the invite ??

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& the grind continues... see you soon ????

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*2019 WTA SINGLES TITLES*
4 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE [Brisbane,Rome,Eastbourne,Zhengzhou]
3 - Ash Barty, AUS [Miami,Roland Garros,Birmingham]
3 - Bianca Andreescu, CAN [Indian Wells,Toronto,US Open]
3 - SOFIA KENIN, USA [Hobart,Mallorca,Guangzhou]

*WTA FIRST-TIME CHAMPIONS in 2019*
Hobart - Sonya Kenin, USA (20/#56)
Acapulco - Wang Yafan, CHN (24/#65)
Indian Wells - Bianca Andreescu, CAN (18/#60)
Bogota - Amanda Anisimova, USA (17/#76)
Istanbul - Petra Martic, CRO (28/#40)
Prague - Jil Teichmann, SUI (21/#146)
Rabat - Maria Sakkari, GRE (23/#51)
Nuremberg - Yulia Putintseva, KAZ (24/#39)
Bucharest - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (20/#106)
Lausanne - Fiona Ferro, FRA (22/#98)
Washington - Jessica Pegula, USA (25/#79)
Bronx - Magda Linette, POL (27/#80)
Nanchang - Rebecca Peterson, SWE (24/#78)
SEOUL - KAROLINA MUCHOVA, CZE (23/#45)

*2019 WTA FINALS - NORTH AMERICANS*
4 - Bianca Andreescu, CAN (3-1)
4 - SOFIA KENIN, USA (3-1)
3 - Serena Williams, USA (0-3)
2 - Madison Keys, USA (2-0)
2 - Alison Riske, USA (1-1)
1 - Amanda Anisimova, USA (1-0)
1 - Jessica Pegula, USA (1-0)
[Czech Republic]
5 - Karolina Pliskova (4-1)
4 - Petra Kvitova (2-2)
3 - Marketa Vondrousova (0-3)
2 - KAROLINA MUCHOVA (1-1)
[Australia]
4 - Ash Barty (3-1)
1 - Ajla Tomljanovic (0-1)
1 - Astra Sharma (0-1)
1 - SAMANTHA STOSUR (0-1)

*2019 MULTIPLE DIFFERENT CHAMPS - NATIONS*
5...USA - Anisimova,Kenin,Keys,Pegula,Riske
3...CZE - Kvitova,MUCHOVA,Ka.Pliskova
2...BEL - Mertens,Van Uytvanck
2...CHN - Wang Yafan,Zheng Saisai
2...FRA - Ferro,Garcia
2...JPN - Hibino,Osaka
2...KAZ - Putintseva,Rybakina
2...SUI - Bencic,Teichmann

*WTA ALL-TIME ALL-SISTERS WD TITLES*
22 - Serena & Venus Williams, USA
14 - CHAN HAO-CHING & LATISHA CHAN, TPE
3 - Karolina & Kristyna Pliskova, CZE
3 - Alona & Kateryna Bondarenko, UKR
3 - Lyudmyla & Nadiia Kichenok, UKR
1 - Chris & Jeanne Evert, USA
1 - Katerina Maleeva & Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere, BUL/BUL-SUI
1 - Cammy & Cynthia MacGregor, USA
1 - Aga & Urszula Radwanska, POL
1 - Adriana & Antonella Serra-Zanetta, POL
[L.Chan WTA+MX title partners]
14 - Chan Hao-ching (2013-17,19)
9 - Martina Hingis (2017)
7 - Chuang Chia-jung (2005,07-08)
3 - Ivan Dodig (2018-19 MX)
1 - Kveta Peschke (2018)
1 - Abigail Spears (2009)
1 - Zheng Jie (2010)

**2019 TOP JUNIOR EVENT CHAMPIONS**
TRARALGON AUS G1: Clara Tauson/DEN
COFFEE BOWL BRA G1: Abigail Forbes/USA
RPM JUNIOR OPEN CZE G1: Kristyna Lavickova/CZE
AUSTRALIAN OPEN JUNIORS: Clara Tauson/DEN
COPA BARRANQUILLA COL G1: Savannah Broadus/USA
MUNDIAL JUVENIL DE TENIS ECU G1: Abigail Forbes/USA
ASUNCION BOWL PAR G1: Charlotte Chavatipon/USA
BANANA BOWL BRA G1: Diane Parry/FRA
PORTO ALEGRE BRA G1: Ane Mintegi Del Olmo/ESP
YELTSIN CUP RUS G1: Alina Charaeva/RUS
NONTHABURI, THA G1: Bai Zhuoxuan/CHN
CASABLANCA MAR G1: Selena Janicijevic/FRA
SARAWAK MINISTER'S CUP MAL G1: Joanna Garland/TPE
VILLENA JUAN CARLOS FERRERO ESP G1: Alexandra Vecic/GER
INT'L SPRING CHAMPIONSHIPS USA G1: Hurricane Tyra Black/USA
PERIN MEMORIAL CRO G1: Daria Frayman/RUS
BEAULIEU-SUR-MER FRA G1: Elsa Jacquemot/FRA
SANTA CROCE ITA G1: Diana Shnaider/RUS
MILAN ITA GA: Alexa Noel/USA
CHARLEROI-MARCINELLE BEL G1: Leylah Annie Fernandez/CAN
ROLAND GARROS JUNIORS: Leylah Annie Fernandez/CAN
OFFENBACH GER G1: Dasha Vidmanova/CZE
BERLIN GERMAN JUNIORS G1: Polina Kudermetova/RUS
NOTTINGHAM ENG G1: Sada Nahimana/BDI
ROEHAMPTON ENG G1: Daria Snigur/UKR
WIMBLEDON JUNIORS: Daria Snigur/UKR
NANJING JPN G1: Wong Hong Yi Cody/HKG
COLLEGE PARK USA G1: Kamilla Bartone/LAT
REPENTIGNY CAN G1: Elsa Jacquemot/FRA
U.S. OPEN JUNIORS: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano/COL
CAPETOWN RSA GA: Alexandra Eala/PHI












[Best to "Worst"]
1.Kit Kat...2.Reese's...3.M&M's...4.Twix...5.Milky Way...6.Snickers






All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 8:20 PM 

8 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

Gracheva still chugging along.

Stephens actually played better against Giorgi in the set she lost 0-6. In a similar fashion, the scoreline didn't do Pavlyuchenkova justice. Played better that people will realize against Osaka.

The reason Kasatkina is 0-6 vs Keys is that her off speed stuff is like chum to Madison. Just gives her more time to gobble it up.

Tomova was most impressive.

Find it amusing that Muchova beat Linette for her first title, as the reverse happened in the Bronx QF.

Wanted a Samson vs Delilah match, actually Ludmilla Samsonova vs Dalila Jakupovic, but they ended up in different sections of Q-draw.

Stat of the Day- 21- The amount of WTA finals reached by Dominika Cibulkova.

You may be wondering what inspired this, and you will find out later. And it is fair to say that the 8 time title winner might be the most anonymous Top 10 player in history, save the Maleeva sisters not named Manuela.

Oddly enough, Magdalena did play the same amount of finals as Domi, winning 10, while sister Katerina played one less, but won one more.

Quiz Time!
Cibulkova is known as a singles player. Where did she win her only doubles title?


A.Tokyo
B.Rosmalen
C.Rome
D.Birmingham



Wuhan is a Premier, so Up/Down Side upcoming.


Answer!

(C)Rome is not correct, but she did reach the QF there in 2013. First choice gone because she is 0-4 in singles finals on clay.

(A)Tokyo is wrong, but reached the QF both in 2014 and 2015.

(B)Rosmalen is the tournament in which she lost in the final in 2011 and 2013. But it is also the correct answer, as she came back and won it in 2017. This is unique for a couple of reasons. One is that these are the only 3 WTA doubles finals she ever reached. Also, the fact that this is an international, and as somebody that averages about 4 doubles events a year, Rosmalen is the only international event she has played in the last 7 years.

Mon Sep 23, 11:47:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Up Side.

1.Ka. Pliskova- Wuhan pick had 1/2 week off as she only played doubles, so should be rested. The one red flag for her is like the pitcher who makes it through the lineup twice, then gets hit third time through, Pliskova peaks for the first set and a half, then the level drops. She can win three setters, but her last 5 losses have been.
2.Paolini- Tashkent normally has first time winners. Coming off a 125K SF in Karlsruhe, time for her first SF or better on the big tour.
3.Giorgi- Already lost, but the Aroldis Chapman of the WTA is at it again. Chapman is known for having only one pitch, and Giorgi only goes one speed-fast. Blistering when she's on, and maddening when she isn't, Linz or St Petersburg has a trophy with her name on it.
4.Mladenovic- Already lost, but has her 2nd home in Linz coming up. Back at 44 in the rankings, a good run there would vault her back into the Top 40, where she hasn't been since the 2018 French Open.
5.Linette- Thought to be the bridge between Radwanska and Swiatek, she has stepped up and had a career year. We have seen this before, with Vinci and Errani having better singles results once they were the Fed Cup go to, and Linette is proving the same.

Mon Sep 23, 11:57:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Down Side.

1.Bertens- Call it the Townsend effect. Pavlyuchenkova beat her approaching the net continually. Will be curious to see if this is a recurring theme, both for her, and Halep.
2.Teichmann- Has 2 titles, but 8 Q-draw losses in her 22 events. Can't build if you can't play.
3.Cibulkova- Pojd! No. Ajde! Also no. Pome! There we go. The Little Engine entered the 2007 French Open at 131, then entered the Top 100. Stayed there for 12+ years, until this week.
4.Garcia Perez- This is about doubles. Has a big enough serve that she should be dangerous with the right partner. She isn't, as she is only 5-7 on WTA level this year. Has had 9 different partners.
5.Stephens- Won, but expect her to do better next week, as her best results in Asia have been in Beijing. Has to come up with a better plan next year, as she has lost her first match in Asia the last 3 years, and did not play there in 2016.

Mon Sep 23, 12:06:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Ah, yes, the Gracheva Train... :)

Quiz: picked Rosmalen because I figured she wanted more grass court play (and Birmingham was probably a tougher field). Worked out. ;)

Hadn't realized Cibulkova was falling out, but I guess it's not really a surprise.

Mon Sep 23, 04:05:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Zaki Sheikh said...

Good luck Most Beautiful Female Tennis Players

Thu Sep 26, 11:10:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

OT- Who will lose their job first?

A.Case Keenum
B.Washington OC
C.Washington DC
D.Josh Norman
E.Jay Gruden

Came up with this at halftime of the abomination that was the Monday Night game. Had flashbacks to my 2018 Jaguars, complete with x-LSU back made of glass. Note-Washington ran the ball 3 times in the 2nd qtr.

Early post because Beijing has a 64 player field, which means a Saturday start.

Van Uytvanck/Cirstea may have been the most fun International final this season.

Yastremska has an odd quirk of stepping inside the baseline after every point that ends with her outside of it.

5 On the Up Side-Early Edition.

1.Stephens- Has a tough draw, but might be the favorite in a draw with a number of potential great matchups.
2.Ostapenko- Got a WC she probably didn't deserve, but made great used of it by knocking out Pliskova, even with 25 double faults.
3.Muchova- Outside chance at Zhuhai. Fun contrast of styles vs Keys.
4.Riske- Finally reaches Top 30. Now 6 of 9 career finals in China.
5.Andreescu- Finally returns and has a chance to win her 3rd straight tournament. Hasn't lost a full match since Feb.

Sat Sep 28, 11:00:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Down Side.

1.Voegele- Played well enough to beat Gasparyan in Tashkent, but didn't, losing her 9th match in a row. Won ITF matches, but has lost last 12 WTA level matches.
2.Mladenovic-Still projects to do well in Linz, but has a potential 2nd rd clast vs her Great Wall in Kvitova(1-8).
3.Svitolina- When the season is over, it will be curious to see if her knee is worse than we realize. I think it is, as when she loses the first set, she seems to have no belief that she can go two more sets. This has led to some rather lousy second sets.
4.Halep- Another injury in Asia. With her grinding style, she may need to play a Serena type schedule and skip the fall season, save the finals.
5.Kontaveit- Where is she? Drops out of the Top 20 without last year's Wuhan points, but isn't in Beijing either. Goerges finally came back, will Anett?

Sat Sep 28, 11:19:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Hmmm... is "All of the Above" an option? Not that that would likely change anything anytime soon, either. For that to happen, the changes probably need to occur a bit higher up the ladder, as well. :/

Thing is, Svitolina has never even take a short break in her schedule through it all. If it does turn out to be more serious, one will have to ask what she was thinking.

By the way, the long overdue finish for the U.S. Open Decade's Best thing is pretty much done. I'll probably just put up the 2017-19 post, then leave the Open's decade list on the Players of the Decade update along with those from the other three slams.

Sun Sep 29, 04:48:00 AM EDT  

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