Monday, September 30, 2019

Wk.39- Boom-shaka-Sabalenka (again)

In Wuhan, it was a case Belarusian Boom deja vu all over again...






*WEEK 39 CHAMPIONS*
WUHAN, CHINA (Premier 5/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR def. Alison Riske/USA 6-3/3-6/6-1
D: Duan Yingying/Veronika Kudermetova (CHN/RUS) def. Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka (BEL/BLR) 7-6(3)/6-2
TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN (Int'l/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Alison Van Uytvanck/BEL def. Sorana Cirstea/ROU 6-2/4-6/6-4
D: Hayley Carter/Luisa Stefani (USA/BRA) def. Dalila Jakupovic/Sabrina Santamaria (SLO/USA) 6-3/7-6(2)
JUNIOR FED CUP (16s) FINAL (Orlando, Fla./Hard Court Outdoor)
USA def. CZE 2-1



Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
...2019 hasn't exactly been the season that she or anyone else was expecting back in January, but there is no question that Sabalenka's journey has been one of the most memorable on tour. From finding extreme doubles success (a "Sunshine Double" and slam crown with Elise Mertens), to Top 10 debuts in both singles and doubles, a very public breakup (or whatever that was) with her coach, and now a return to form in her defense in Wuhan of her biggest career singles title. We knew nine months ago that the Belarusian was one of the Most Interesting Tour's most interesting protagonists, and while she's had her share of disappointments in '19 (starting with that 3r-2r-1r-2r performance in the majors) she's nonetheless done nothing but prove the original notion to be even more truthful than anyone imagined.

In Wuhan, the 21-year old lost just two sets all week while overcoming Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Danielle Collins, Kiki Bertens (her first Top 10 win of the season), Elena Rybakina, Ash Barty (her first #1 win) and Alison Riske in the final en route to season title #2, and career win #4.

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Last few for the memory????

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Just about the only thing that *didn't* go right for Sabalenka came in, ironically, the doubles that have proven to be her saving grace all season long. She and Mertens *did* reach the final, but lost for the first time this season with a title on the line, falling in the final to Duan Yingying & Veronika Kudermetova.
===============================================
RISERS: Alison Van Uytvanck/BEL and Alison Riske/USA
...while Tashkent has traditionally been a tournament site where first-time champions are born, Van Uytvanck flipped the script. The 25-year old Waffle, already having defended her Budapest title back in February, improved her career mark in WTA singles finals to 4-0 with her second 2019 title run. All four of her titles have come in approximately a two-year window, beginning with her maiden title in Quebec City right after the 2017 U.S. Open. Back in the Top 50 after this performance, Van Uytvanck's win in Tashkent represents her first tour-level title that didn't come in an indoor event.



In Wuhan, Riske added a few more big moments to a year that has already seen her get married, reach the Wimbledon Final 8, and post her first #1 win (Barty at SW19). The 29-year old's appearance in the Premier 5 final, her biggest ever, came after victories over Monica Puig and Wang Qiang, then back-to-back Top 10 upsets of Elina Svitolina and Petra Kvitova (her third and fourth Top 10 wins on the season, after having had just five in her career before '19). She lost in a three-set final to Aryna Sabalenka, but as a result will now break into the Top 30 for the first time, coming in at #24 to open the new week.


===============================================
SURPRISES: Hayley Carter/Luisa Stefani, USA/BRA
...a week after reaching the Seoul final only to lose in a 3rd set TB, ex-NCAAers Carter (North Carolina) & Stefani (Pepperdine) got an immediate second chance at glory in Tashkent. Their second of back-to-back finals proved to be a charm, as they claimed the maiden tour WD title for both without dropping a set, a run that concluded with a 6-3/7-6 win over Dalina Jakupovic & Sabrina Santamaria (ex-USC).


===============================================
VETERAN: Petra Kvitova/CZE
...Kvitova's lingering forearm injury has played havoc with her schedule the past few months. She missed Roland Garros entirely, and came to Wuhan (where she's a two-time former champ, in 2014 and '16) having played just three matches (1-2) since Wimbledon. Even with little prep, her wins over Polona Hercog, Sloane Stephens and Dayana Yastremska allowed her to post a kick-starting 4Q result as she reached her first semifinal since winning Stuttgart in April.

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Wooohan ??

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===============================================
COMEBACK: Sorana Cirstea/ROU
...while the 29-year old Romanian's career has often been marked (marred, really) by injuries and inconsistency, Cirstea's one career WTA title came in Tashkent eleven years ago. The past week saw her return to the scene in Uzbekistan and reach yet another final, her first on tour since her biggest ever at the Rogers Cup in 2013 (the one where an upset Cirstea was comforted by Serena Williams during the post-match ceremony).

In Tashkent this time around, Cirstea had wins over Denisa Allertova, Ysaline Bonaventure (who led 3-0 in the 3rd), Danka Kovinic and Katarina Zavatska before falling to Alison Van Uytvanck in three sets in the final. She jumps from #96 to #75 in the rankings with the result.


===============================================
FRESH FACES: Dayana Yastremska/UKR and Elena Rybakina/KAZ
...in Wuhan, Yastremska advanced to the QF after getting past the likes of Ajla Tomljanovic, Christina McHale and world #2 Karolina Pliskova, the latter (somewhat surprisingly) representing the 19-year old's very first career Top 10 victory. Afterward, Yastremska climbed to a new career high ranking of #26, then opened play in Beijing with a win over Caroline Garcia (she's already lost her 2nd Rounder vs. Kiki Bertens). Still, in the middle of the Asian swing, after finally getting a taste of things to come in her breakout season, she's decided to go another way in 2020...



Meanwhile, 20-year old wild card Rybakina joined Yastremska in the Wuhan QF, having posted wins over Zhu Lin, Ons Jabeur and Simona Halep (thanks to a retirement due to a lower back injury), getting her first career Top 10 win with the less-than-a-set-of-play pass vs. the Romanian. She lost to eventual (successful defending) champ Sabalenka, but is up to a new career high of #43. Starting with her qualifier to quarterfinalist run in Istanbul in April, Rybakina has put together a 32-13 all-level record, won her maiden tour title as well as reached another WTA final, along with SF, two QF and qualifying runs at both Roland Garros and the U.S. Open.


===============================================
DOWN: Karolina Pliskova/CZE
...while she won a title in Zhengzhou the week after the U.S. Open, the Czech hasn't exactly put on a 4Q push to try to capture the year-end #1 ranking or anything since then. The #2 seed in Wuhan, she was run off by Dayana Yastremska 1 & 4 in the 3rd Round (for the Ukrainian's first career Top 10 win), then this weekend in Beijing (again as #2) she was upset in the 1st Round by Alona Ostapenko despite the Latvian piling up a Kournikovian 25 (!!) DF's on the day en route to her biggest win in two years.
===============================================
ITF PLAYERS: Varvara Gracheva/RUS and Shelby Rogers/USA
...all aboard the Gracheva Train! 19-year old Hordette Gracheva posts her second straight challenger title at the $60K in Valencia, Spain. The world #144, the unseeded Gracheva reached the final without dropping a set (def. Allie Kiick, Cagla Buyukakcay and Irina-Camelia Bara). She lost just seven *combined* games between the 2nd Round and the semis. Against Tamara Korpatsch in the final, she dropped the 1st set, then dusted off the German 2 & love in the 2nd and 3rd. It's her fifth title of the season, and she's at a career high rank of #121 this week.



Rogers (#303) was out from May '18 to April of this year with a knee injury, and this past weekend jumped into the winner's circle for the first time since her return. In a $60K challenger in Templeton, California she posted a win in the final over another player on the comeback trail, CoCo Vandeweghe, 4-6/6-2/6-3. It's Rogers' first singles title since 2013.



Vandewegehe, who returned in July following offseason ankle surgery, reached her first singles final since April '18 with wins over Usue Arconada, Giuliana Olmos, Hannah Chang, Grace Min.

Rogers and Vandeweghe spent some time together earlier in the week, as well...


===============================================
JUNIOR STARS: USA Jr. Fed Cup
...starting back when a pre-Fed Cup captain Kathy Rinaldi was leading the U.S. juniors (in fact, it likely was the reason she became took over for Mary Joe Fernandez in the first place) the Bannerette teens have been a developmental force, and that fact first took root with the run of Junior Fed Cup success the nation first began to put together at the beginning of this decade.



The U.S.'s three-peat as JFC champs this week in Orlando gives it not only three straight titles, but five in the 2010's along with two other appearances in the final. The six overall titles in the competition's history also sets a record, breaking a tie with Australia, which won its most recent 16s girls crown in 2011.



This year's championship squad consisted of Connie Ma, Katrina Scott and Robin Montgomery. The #2 seeds, the Bannerettes took on the #3-seeded Czechs (who upset #1 Russia in the SF) in the final. Linda Koskova put the Maidens up 1-0 with a win over Scott, but Ma countered by knotting the tie with a win over Barbora Palicova. In the deciding doubles, Ma & Montgomery handled Noskova/Palicova 6-2/7-5 to claim the 2-1 victory.

Ma was on last year's title-winning squad in Budapest, and was the top player for the U.S. all week. Said Captain Jamea Jackson, “They were all amazing today but for me, Connie is the MVP. She has grown so much and blossomed since last year in Budapest and this week was undefeated all week. She’s been a real rock for this team.”


===============================================
DOUBLES: Duan Yingying/Veronika Kudermetova, CHN/RUS
...in a first-time pairing in Wuhan, Duan & Kudermetova claimed a big title. After winning a 10-7 match TB in the opening round over Bertens/Kerkhove, they never looked back, sweeping every set and handing Indian Wells/Miami/U.S. Open champions Elise Mertens & Aryna Sabalenka their first loss in their four finals as a duo.

For Duan, it's career title #3, while Kudermetova's maiden win (though she's 4-0 in WTA 125 ED finals, including one in '17 while partnering Sabalenka) continues to add high points to a career season that has already seen her make her debut in all four majors (reaching the 3rd Rd. in Paris), notch her first Top 10 win (over Belinda Bencic this past week in Wuhan), and reach the Top 50 in singles and (now) Top 25 in doubles.

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Doubles champions in Wuhan?? #WuhanOpen

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===============================================
WHEELCHAIR: Yui Kamiji/JPN
...well, first off, the big news of the week was that "comeback fever" isn't confined to the WTA tour. As...



The 34-year old, 18-time slam winner (4s/14d) and former #1 Jiske Griffioen, who retired two years ago, made her return to wheelchair tennis at the French Riviera Open and posted a 1st Round win.



Her second match, vs. world #2 Kamiji, didn't go nearly as well. Her two years of rust showed, as Kamiji won 6-0/6-0 and then went on to take the title. Wins over Michaela Spaanstra and Jordanne Whiley in the final topped off her week, which also included a doubles title with best friend and past running mate Whiley. It was the first title won by the 9-time slam championship duo since they took Wimbledon in 2017.

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Doubles champions!!!!!!!!!! ?? ??

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







1. Wuhan Final - Aryna Sabalenka def. Alison Riske
...6-3/3-6/6-1. Sabalenka fires 18 aces to take out Riske for the second time in a final (Shenzhen) this year, dropping her to 1-7 in championship matches since winning her maiden tour title in her first career WTA final in Tianjin back in 2014. Meanwhile, Sabalenka's fourth career title (all of them coming in the last fourteen months) officially tops Vika Azarenka as the Belarusian with the most singles titles over the last *six* years. Azarenka's most recent title run was in April 2016, when she wrapped up the "Sunshine Double" in Miami.


===============================================
2. Wuhan 2nd Rd. - Sofia Kenin def. Elise Mertens 4-6/6-4/7-6(5)
Beijing 1st Rd. - Sofia Kenin def. Garbine Muguruza 6-0/2-6/6-2
...still fighting after her Guangzhou title run, Kenin battled Mertens, coming back from a set and 3-1 down. After losing to Barty in the QF, she went to Beijing and outlasted Muguruza, rallying from a break down early in the 3rd to win a contest that didn't finish until 2:31 in the morning.
===============================================
3. Tashkent 2nd Rd. - Viktoria Kuzmova def. Greet Minnen
...5-7/6-3/7-6(7). Kuzmova saved a MP en route to a victory that she described as being an "important" one for her. She has a point, considering the win ended a four-match losing streak and her QF result was her first on tour since Dubai back in the spring. After seeing her '19 season kick-off with her going 11-7 and reaching the semis in Auckland, Kuzmova has lost more matches than she's won since Miami.
===============================================
4. Wuhan QF - Ash Barty def. Petra Martic
...7-6(6)/3-6/6-3. World #1 Barty didn't win Wuhan, but she recorded wins over Garcia, Kenin and Martic to post her sixth SF-or-better result of the season. She's won multiple matches in 11 of her 13 tournament stops in 2019.
===============================================
5. Wuhan 3rd Rd. - Elena Rybakina def. Simona Halep 4-5 ret.
Beijing 2nd Rd. - Ekaterina Alexandrova def. Simona Halep 6-2/6-3
...after retiring with a lower back ailment in Wuhan, Halep got a 1st Round win (R.Peterson) before falling to Alexandrova in Beijing. Still, 4Q mission accomplished...


===============================================
6. Beijing 1st Rd. - Bianca Andreescu def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
...6-2/2-6/6-1. She's back. After falling behind 2-0 in the 1st, Andreescu won six straight games to win the set. After dropping the 2nd, she dominated the 3rd. Same ol' Bibi. Thank goodness.
===============================================
7. Wuhan 1st Rd. - Monica Puig def. Angelique Kerber
...7-6(5)/5-7/6-1. After failing to convert 2 MP in the 2nd, Puig comes roaring back in the 3rd.
===============================================
8. Wuhan 1st Rd. - Amanda Anisimova def. Samantha Stosur
...6-3/3-6/6-3. Anisimova's first match back since the death of her father was a successful endeavor. She lost in the 2nd Round to Pliskova, but made other news later in the week...


===============================================
9. Wuhan 3rd Rd. - Petra Kvitova def. Sloane Stephens
...6-3/6-3. Though she lost here, Stephens notched her first back-to-back wins since Wimbledon after stumbling through a 1-6 summer stretch.
===============================================
10. Tashkent Final - Alison Van Uytvanck def. Sorana Cirstea
...6-2/4-6/6-4. Kim Clijsters returns in 2020, but since she left her countrywomen Van Uytvanck and Elise Mertens have combined to go 9-1 in WTA finals (Kirsten Flipkens has been 1-3).
===============================================
11. French Riviera Open 2nd Rd. - Yui Kamiji def. Jiske Griffioen
...6-0/6-0. Kamiji and Griffioen last played in June 2017, and Kamiji's last win came in the '17 AO final. Griffioen's last (and only other) double-bagel loss? In a final in St.Louis in 2011 against Esther Vergeer.


===============================================
12. $60K Darwin AUS Final - Lizette Cabrera def. Abbie Myers
...6-4)/4-6/6-2. The 21-year old Aussie sweeps the singles and doubles (w/ Destanee Aiava) titles, grabbing a second '18 solo win to go along with an $80K crown in July.


===============================================
13. $25K Santa Margherita Di Pula ITA Final - Yuki Naito def. Tessah Andrianjafitrimo
...3-6/7-5/6-2. The 18-year old's ninth challenger final of the season, and her fifth title. Naito has won her last four since June.
===============================================
14. $25K Brno CZE Final - Eleonora Molinaro def. Federica Di Sarra
...6-4/6-3. The 19-year old from Luxembourg has won her last five final appearances going back to March, and is 5-1 in on the year.


===============================================
15. $25K Roehampton Final - Samantha Murray/Anna Smith def. Sarah-Rebecca Sekulic/Julia Wachaczyk
...6-4/6-3. Brit Anna Smith didn't waste any time getting back on track after a long injury layoff.



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





1. Beijing 1st Rd. - Alona Ostapenko def. KAROLINA PLISKOVA
...7-5/3-6/7-5. Hmm, what's the opposite of an "Ace Queen?" Whatever it is, Ostapenko did a pretty good impersonation of it, firing a whopping 25 DF's even while posting her biggest win of the season over #2 Pliskova. Currently ranked all the way down at #74, Ostapenko's only bigger career victory was her lone #1 win over Muguruza in Wuhan two years ago.
===============================================
2. Beijing 2nd Rd. - Belinda Bencic def. VENUS WILLIAMS
...3-6/6-3/7-5. Venus went 2:31 to take out Strycova in the 1st Round, but was edged by the Swiss, who saved 2 MP at 5-4 down in the 3rd (after she's squandered an earlier 4-2 lead in the set)..
===============================================
3. $25K Clermont-Ferrand FRA Final - URSZULA RADWANSKA def. Lara Salden
...6-7(2)/6-3/6-1. 28-year old U-Rad's first singles title since winning the Nottingham challenger in 2012 with a victory in the final over CoCo Vandeweghe.


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









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28 ??

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The Great Wall - China????

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Choose your fighter ?????

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*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
2019 USA def. CZE
[overall titles - since 1985]
6 - USA
5 - AUS
4 - RUS
3 - CZE
2 - ARG,BEL,BLR,NED,POL
1 - FRA,FRG,GER,ITA,RSA,SLO,TCH

*2019 WTA SINGLES TITLES*
4 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE
3 - Ash Barty, AUS
3 - Bianca Andreescu, CAN
3 - Sofia Kenin, USA
2 - Kiki Bertens, NED
2 - Madison Keys, USA
2 - Petra Kvitova, CZE
2 - Naomi Osaka, JPN
2 - ARYNA SABALENKA, BLR
2 - Jil Teichmann, SUI
2 - ALISON VAN UYTVANCK, BEL
2 - Dayana Yastremska, UKR

*2019 WINS OVER #1*
Sydney 2nd Rd. - #15 Barty d. #1 Halep
Australian Open 4th Rd. - #16 S.Williams d. #1 Halep
Dubai 2nd Rd. - #67 Mladenovic d. #1 Osaka
Indian Wells 4th Rd. - #23 Bencic d. #1 Osaka
Miami 3rd Rd. - #27 Hsieh d. #1 Osaka
Madrid QF - #18 Bencic d. #1 Osaka
Roland Garros 3rd Rd. - #42 Siniakova d. #1 Osaka
Birmingham 2nd Rd. - #43 Putintseva d. #1 Osaka
Wimbledon 4th Rd. - #55 Riske d. #1 Barty
Toronto 1st Rd. - #29 Kenin d. #1 Barty
Cincinnati QF - #22 Kenin d. #1 Osaka
U.S. Open 4r - #12 Bencic d. #1 Osaka
WUHAN SF - #14 SABALENKA d. #1 BARTY

*2019 SLAM-WTAF/PREM.MANDATORY/PREM.5 CHAMPIONS*
Australian Open - Naomi Osaka, JPN
Dubai - Belinda Bencic, SUI
Indian Wells - Bianca Andreescu, CAN
Miami - Ash Barty, AUS
Madrid - Kiki Bertens, NED
Rome - Karolina Pliskova, CZE
Roland Garros - Ash Barty, AUS
Wimbledon - Simona Halep, ROU
Toronto - Bianca Andreescu, CAN
Cincinnati - Madison Keys, USA
US Open - Bianca Andreescu, CAN
Wuhan - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Beijing -
WTAF -
[doubles]
Australian Open - Stosur/Sh.Zhang, AUS/CHN
Dubai - Hsieh/Strycova, TPE/CZE
Indian Wells - Mertens/Sabalenka, BEL/BLR
Miami - Mertens/Sabalenka, BEL/BLR
Madrid - Hsieh/Strycova, TPE/CZE
Rome - Azarenka/Barty, BLR/AUS
Roland Garros - Babos/Mladenovic, HUN/FRA
Wimbledon - Hsieh/Strycova, TPE/CZE
Toronto - Krejcikova/Siniakova, CZE/CZE
Cincinnati - Hradecka/Klepac, CZE/SLO
US Open - Mertens/Sabalenka, BEL/BLR
Wuhan - Duan/V.Kudermetova, CHN/RUS
Beijing -
WTAF -

*2019 WEEKS AT #1*
[1Q]
12/31: Simona Halep
1/7: Simona Halep
1/14: Simona Halep
1/21: Simona Halep
1/28: Naomi Osaka
2/4: Naomi Osaka
2/11: Naomi Osaka
2/18: Naomi Osaka
2/25: Naomi Osaka
3/4: Naomi Osaka
3/11: Naomi Osaka
3/18: Naomi Osaka
3/25: Naomi Osaka
4/1: Naomi Osaka
[2Q]
4/8: Naomi Osaka
4/15: Naomi Osaka
4/22: Naomi Osaka
4/29: Naomi Osaka
5/6: Naomi Osaka
5/13: Naomi Osaka
5/20: Naomi Osaka
5/27: Naomi Osaka
6/3: Naomi Osaka
6/10: Naomi Osaka
6/17: Naomi Osaka
6/24: Ash Barty
7/1: Ash Barty
7/8: Ash Barty
7/15: Ash Barty
[3Q]
7/22: Ash Barty
7/29: Ash Barty
8/5: Ash Barty
8/12: Naomi Osaka
8/19: Naomi Osaka
8/26: Naomi Osaka
9/2: Naomi Osaka
9/9: Ash Barty
[4Q]
9/16: Ash Barty
9/23: Ash Barty
9/30: Ash Barty

*2019 WEEKS AT DOUBLES #1*
[1Q]
12/31: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova
1/7: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova
1/14: Katerina Siniakova
1/21: Katerina Siniakova
1/28: Katerina Siniakova
2/4: Katerina Siniakova
2/11: Katerina Siniakova
2/18: Katerina Siniakova
2/25: Katerina Siniakova
3/4: Katerina Siniakova
3/11: Katerina Siniakova
3/18: Katerina Siniakova
3/25: Katerina Siniakova
4/1: Katerina Siniakova
[2Q]
4/8: Katerina Siniakova
4/15: Katerina Siniakova
4/22: Katerina Siniakova
4/29: Katerina Siniakova
5/6: Katerina Siniakova
5/13: Katerina Siniakova
5/20: Katerina Siniakova
5/27: Katerina Siniakova
6/3: Katerina Siniakova
6/10: Kristina Mladenovic
6/17: Kristina Mladenovic
6/24: Kristina Mladenovic
7/1: Kristina Mladenovic
7/8: Kristina Mladenovic
7/15: Barbora Strycova
[3Q]
7/22: Barbora Strycova
7/29: Barbora Strycova
8/5: Barbora Strycova
8/12: Barbora Strycova
8/19: Barbora Strycova
8/26: Barbora Strycova
9/2: Barbora Strycova
9/9: Barbora Strycova
[4Q]
9/16: Barbora Strycova
9/23: Barbora Strycova
9/30: Barbora Strycova








































All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 8:36 PM 

6 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

I couldn't do what Katie Swan did when I was young. Impressive.

The Dodo has great content, though sometimes tough to watch.

Sabalenka getting her first Top 10 win of the season seems wrong. On the list with Bertens and Kenin as someone expected to make a slam QF next year after not doing it in this one.

Yastremska needs to work on consistency.

My comment about being guaranteed a new Paralympic champ didn't age well with Griffioen coming back.

Tue Oct 01, 08:52:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Diane said...

Well, after seeing that horse video, I wish I had a video of the snake rescue. I was lucky to get photos—our hands were full, with my pulling the net and the other rescuer cutting it with scissors. Thank goodness for Rescue Remedy—thee are only so many snake lunges I can handle.

Tue Oct 01, 11:42:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

C-
Yeah, I assume that the Paralympics coming around again in '20 played a *huge* part in Griffioen's comeback, which seemed to come out of nowhere.

Dodo has a show that's on occasionally on Animal Planet that focuses on individuals who do extraordinary things to help animals.

So many players this year whose seasons are a bit oddball when it comes to determining where they fall on the expectations/disappointment spectrum, from Sabalenka to Svitolina to, with her recent injury issues, Kvitova (and others). Even Andreescu would have fit in there somewhere if she hadn't come back so strong in Toronto and New York.

D-
So you're not a Snake Whisperer then? ;)

Tue Oct 01, 12:20:00 PM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

Oooooh, we are getting Osaka/Andreescu. In basketball, a team is derisively called Team Donut if they don't have a center. Within the last couple of weeks, we have had 3 women with donut sized holes in the middle of their year in Osaka, Kvitova, and to some extent, Svitolina, turn their seasons around.

So that gets us with almost peak Osaka playing Andreescu. 2018 USO winner vs 2019 USO winner. 2019 USO winner vs 2019 Australian Open winner. Serena Slayers. Two of the most accomplished youngsters on tour.

On this week's form, Osaka should be the slight favorite going in. But if Big Match Bibi shows up, she has an advantage. Osaka doesn't like the Hsieh/Sevastova change of pace that Andreescu could mix in. And even though she has beaten both of those players, she sometimes let's it get to her mentally.

The other elephant in the room is Bibi's tendency to struggle in the 2nd set. The cleaner hitting version of Osaka seen this week won't let her get away with this. So i'm picking Osaka 6-4, 7-6 in a potential YEC preview.

Thu Oct 03, 09:32:00 AM EDT  
Blogger razmag said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

Thu Oct 03, 11:57:00 AM EDT  
Blogger razmag said...

she is so strong .

Thu Oct 03, 11:58:00 AM EDT  

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