Monday, November 25, 2019

2019 Backspin Awards: They Got the Beat

From the top players to Backspin's personal "MVP's" and the performances and matches of the year, a multi-angled collection of lists and honors to put a final cap on the 2019 season that was...



(Of course, for a more pointed look back, there's also the Rankings Round-Up and Prediction Blowout Review)

=TABLE OF CONTENTS=
1. 2019 Ms.Backspin
2. Regional Honors
3. Backspin Award Winners
4. "MVP" list
5. Top Performances
6. Matches of the Year
7. Comeback Matches of the Year
8. Upset Matches of the Year
9. And...




From the top of the Ms.Backspin pyramid to the still-solid base, 2019's players of the year:


1. Ash Barty, AUS - Roland Garros, WTAF and Miami crowns top Barty's list of season accopmplishments, but she also had a high-level doubles win (Rome), pretty much single handedly put the Australian Fed Cup team on her back all the way to the final, tied for the tour lead in singles titles (4, coming on three surfaces, as well as in both indoor and outdoor events), was the only player to reach at least the Round of 16 at all four majors and became the first Aussie woman to top the season-ending rankings since the institution of the computer listings in 1975. Ultimately, she came within the final day of play in Fed Cup (when her long FC winning streak came to an end w/ singles and doubles defeats vs. France) from maybe the most versatile overall season of the decade.
2. Bianca Andreescu, CAN - no player essentially ambushed the tour like the 19-year old did in '19, as her opening week Auckland final produced but a tiny, though telling, ripple in a season that saw her go from a player who'd appeared in just three WTA MD to one who won Indian Wells, Toronto and the U.S. Open while winning her first eight career matches vs. Top 10 players before she'd even broken through that ranking threshold herself. Even while missing four months (save one RG match) with a shoulder injury following Miami, Andreescu (ranked #175 the week of November 19 in 2018) climbed as high as #4 and finished at #5. After (not quite) one full year on tour, she's already the most successful Canadian player ever.
3. Diede de Groot, NED (WC) - de Groot was one set away (the 3rd of the Wimbledon singles final) from the slam season to end all slam seasons, having swept the singles and doubles in the other seven competitions over the course of the year. (NOTE: de Groot is seeking an additional singles/doubles sweep of the Wheelchair Masters season-ending championships this week in Orlando, and is set to play in both the singles and doubles finals.)

UPDATE: de Groot swept the singles and doubles (w/ Van Koot) titles at the WC Masters event, extending her post-Wimbledon WS final loss winning streak to 29 matches. The week in Orlando made her 74-6 on the season (45-4 singles, 29-2 doubles).


4. Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka, BEL/BLR - the first-year duo became just the fourth pair (Raymond/Stubbs, Raymond/Stosur and Hingis/Mirza) to accomplish the "Sunshine Double" back-to-back sweep of Indian Wells and Miami, then won the U.S. Open
5. Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic, HUN/FRA - two slams finals (RG title, AO runner-up) and another WTA Finals win led the way for a second straight solid season for the good friends. Since the start of '18, they've played in four slam finals (2-2) and two at the WTAF (2-0), with both players reaching the doubles #1 ranking (Kiki for seven weeks for the first time in '19)
6. Naomi Osaka, JPN - sure, her season saw with as many coaches (three - Sascha Bajin, Jermaine Jenkins and, ultimately, her father) as titles, but one of those wins was a second straight slam crown to start the season in Australia and two 4Q crowns (one at the Premier Mandatory Beijing) after what had been a trying middle section of the season, proving the mettle that had been questioned in the immediate aftermath of Bajin's departure. While Barty is the season-ending #1, Osaka spent more weeks in the top spot in '19 than any other player.
7. Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova, TPE/CZE - having found each other as WD partners rather late in the game for both, they added four more wins (on three surfaces) in '19, including a title run Wimbledon (a first for the Czech)
8. Simona Halep, ROU - a third straight #1 season wasn't in the cards, but Halep picked up career slam #2 at Wimbledon and improved her 2017-18 combined slam record to 30-6 (w/ 3 finals)
9. French Fed Cup Team - all it took was a new Pastry whispering captain willing to make players accountable, the return of the heart of the '16 finalist squad, *and* a doubles reconciliation for the good of all involved for the French to win their first FC title in sixteen years


10. Serena Williams, USA - from here on out, the success of Serena's season will depend on whether #24 (then maybe #25, #26, etc.) becomes reality. So 2019 was a disappointment. But otherwise, for a "regular" player, two slam finals and a Top 10 ranking might be considered a career year.
11. Karolina Pliskova, CZE - her four titles tied Barty (the only player positioned above the #2-ranked Czech at the end of '19) for the tour lead, made the AO her third different slam at which she's reached at least the SF, and won her biggest clay crown (Premier 5 Rome)
12. Belinda Bencic, SUI - finally healthy, Bencic matched her biggest career title (Dubai Premier 5) and refreshed everyone's memory about what they thought she was *capable* of a few years ago, with a Top 10 ranking, U.S. Open semi, and eleven Top 10 wins (w/ three over then-#1 Osaka).
13. Diede de Groot/Aniek Van Koot, NED/NED (WC) - the Dutch duo won a Doubles Grand Slam, giving Van Koot her second such season run in her career ('13 w/ Jiske Griffioen)


14. Petra Kvitova, CZE - even while dealing with a lingering forearm injury, Kvitova clocked two titles, an AO final and her seventh Top 10 season of the decade
15. Sofia Kenin, USA - three singles titles (and two in doubles) spearheaded a breakthrough season that saw her record two #1 wins *and* upset Serena at RG
16. Kiki Bertens, NED - won her biggest clay title (Madrid) in a five-final season that included no second week slam runs, but eight Top 10 wins (to give her 20 in 2018-19) and a ranking as high as #4 in the spring
17. Elina Svitolina, UKR - no titles, but (finally) her first *two* slam semis and (finally) her only '19 final in the WTAF to wrap up the season
18. Chan Hao-ching/Latisha Chan, TPE/TPE - four titles represent their most productive season together ever on tour
19. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR - still looking for a big slam run, but added three singles titles (and another #11 finish) to her unexpected doubles success
20. Barbora Strycova, CZE - the doubles #1 won her first WD slam, and reached her maiden singles slam semi while talking about retirement being just around the corner


21. Johanna Konta, GBR - no titles, but returned to relevance with her third career slam semi, reached her first career clay finals and further solidified her position as the heart of the resurgent GBR Fed Cup effort
22. Jil Teichmann, SUI - the under-the-radar Swiss was the only player on tour to win multiple clay singles titles
23. Latisha Chan, TPE - had a successful WD campaign with her sister, but also won back-to-back MX slam crowns w/ Ivan Dodig
24. Amanda Anisimova, USA - one of the original '19 teens who put together a dream slam run (RG semis) while ending defending champ Halep's Parisian reign, she later picked up her first tour title
25. Coco Gauff, USA - her Wimbledon second week star-turn made headlines, but she also won three (1s/2d) titles at age 15

Shuko Aoyama/Ena Shibahara (JPN/JPN), Australian Fed Cup team, Danielle Collins/USA, Coco Gauff/Caty McNally (USA/USA), Madison Keys/USA, Barbora Krejcikova/CZE, Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE), Petra Martic/CRO, Nicole Melichar/Kveta Peschke (USA/CZE), Elise Mertens/BEL, Karolina Muchova/CZE, Rebecca Peterson/SWE, Alison Riske/USA, Romanian Fed Cup Team, Maria Sakkari/GRE, Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai (AUS/CHN), Aniek Van Koot/NED (WC), Alison Van Uytvanck/BEL, Donna Vekic/CRO, Marketa Vondrousova/CZE, Dayana Yastremska/UKR





2001 Jennifer Capriati / USA
2002 Serena Williams / USA
2003 Justine Henin-Hardenne / BEL
2004 Maria Sharapova / RUS
2005 Kim Clijsters / BEL
2006 Amelie Mauresmo / FRA
2007 Justine Henin / BEL
2008 Cara Black & Liezel Huber / ZIM-USA
2009 Italian Fed Cup Team
2010 Francesca Schiavone / ITA
2011 Petra Kvitova / CZE
2012 Serena Williams / USA
2013 Serena Williams / USA
2014 Czech Republic Fed Cup Team
2015 Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza / SUI-IND
2016 Angelique Kerber / GER
2017 Latisha Chan & Martina Hingis / TPE-SUI
2018 Simona Halep / ROU
2019 Ash Barty / AUS


=YEARLY "Ms. Backspin" Top 10's=
[2001]
1. Jennifer Capriati, USA
2. Lindsay Davenport, USA
3. Venus Williams, USA
4t. Kim Clijsters, BEL
4t. Justine Henin, BEL
6. Martina Hingis, SUI
7. Jelena Dokic, AUS
8. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
9. Serena Williams, USA
10. Monica Seles, USA
[2002]
1. Serena Williams, USA
2. Venus Williams, USA
3. Jennifer Capriati, USA
4. Kim Clijsters, BEL
5. Anna Smashnova, ISR
6. Daniela Hantuchova, SVK
7. Monica Seles, USA
8. Justine Henin, BEL
9. Jelena Dokic, AUS
10. Paola Suarez, ARG
[2003]
1. Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL
2. Serena Williams, USA
3. Kim Clijsters, BEL
4t. Anastasia Myskina, RUS
4t. Elena Dementieva, RUS
6. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
7. Maria Sharapova, RUS
8. Ai Sugiyama, JPN
9t. Virginia Ruano Pascual, ESP
9t. Paola Suarez, ARG
[2004]
1. Maria Sharapova, RUS
2. Lindsay Davenport, USA
3. Anastasia Myskina, RUS
4. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
5. Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL
6. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
7. Virginia Ruano Pascual/Paola Suarez, ESP/ARG
8. Elena Dementieva, RUS
9. Serena Williams, USA
10. Vera Zvonareva, RUS
[2005]
1. Kim Clijsters, BEL
2. Lindsay Davenport, USA
3. Mary Pierce, FRA
4. Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL
5. Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA
6. Maria Sharapova, RUS
7. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
8. Cara Black, ZIM
9. Patty Schnyder, SUI
10. Nadia Petrova, RUS
[2006]
1. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2. Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL
3. Maria Sharapova, RUS
4. Nadia Petrova, RUS
5. Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS
6. ITA Fed Cup Team
7. Martina Hingis, SUI
8. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
9. Kim Clijsters, BEL
10. Nicole Vaidisova, CZE
[2007]
1. Justine Henin, BEL
2. Jelena Jankovic, SRB
3. Venus Williams, USA
4. Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA
5. Serena Williams, USA
6. Ana Ivanovic, SRB
7. Anna Chakvetadze, RUS
8. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
9. Maria Sharapova, RUS
10. Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS
[2008]
1. Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA
2. Serena Williams, USA
3. Jelena Jankovic, SRB
4. Maria Sharapova, RUS
5. Venus Williams, USA
6. Dinara Safina, RUS
7. Ana Ivanovic, SRB
8. RUS Fed Cup Team
9. Elena Dementieva, RUS
10. Vera Zvonareva, RUS
[2009]
1. ITA Fed Cup Team
2. Serena Williams, USA
3. Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
4. Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA/USA
5. Nuria Llagostera-Vives/Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP/ESP
6. Dinara Safina, RUS
7. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
8. Kim Clijsters, BEL
9. USA Fed Cup Team
10. Elena Dementieva, RUS
[2010]
1. Francesca Schiavone, ITA
2. Kim Clijsters, BEL
3. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
4. Serena Williams, USA
5. Gisela Dulko/Flavia Pennetta, ARG/ITA
6. ITA Fed Cup Team
7. Vera Zvonareva, RUS
8. Samantha Stosur, AUS
9. Vania King/Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ
10. USA Fed Cup Team
[2011]
1. Petra Kvitova, CZE
2. Li Na, CHN
3. Liezel Huber, USA
4. Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik, CZE/SLO
5. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
6. Liezel Huber/Lisa Raymond, USA/USA
7. Samantha Stosur, AUS
8. CZE Fed Cup Team
9. Victoria Azarenka, BLR
10. Kim Clijsters, BEL
[2012]
1. Serena Williams, USA
2. Victoria Azarenka, BLR
3. Maria Sharapova, RUS
4. Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
5. Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
6. Sara Errani, ITA
7. CZE Fed Cup Team
8. Angelique Kerber, GER
9. Petra Kvitova, CZE
10. Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA/USA
[2013]
1. Serena Williams, USA
2. Victoria Azarenka, BLR
3. Simona Halep, ROU
4. Hsieh Su-Wei/Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN
5. ITA Fed Cup Team
6. Roberta Vinci, ITA
7. Maria Sharapova, RUS
8. Marion Bartoli, FRA
9. Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
10. Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
[2014]
1. CZE Fed Cup Team
2. Serena Williams, USA
3. Maria Sharapova, RUS
4. Petra Kvitova, CZE
5. Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
6. Simona Halep, ROU
7. Li Na, CHN
8. Genie Bouchard, CAN
9. Ana Ivanovic, SRB
10. Peng Shuai, CHN
[2015]
1. Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
2. Serena Williams, USA
3. CZE Fed Cup Team
4. Angelique Kerber, GER
5. Simona Halep, ROU
6. Garbine Muguruza, ESP
7. Timea Bacsinszky, SUI
8. Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
9. Maria Sharapova, RUS
10. Karolina Pliskova, CZE
[2016]
1. Angelique Kerber, GER
2. CZE Fed Cup Team
3. Caroline Garcia/Kristina Mladenovic, FRA/FRA
4. Serena Williams, USA
5. Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
6. Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
7. Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
8. Karolina Pliskova, CZE
9. FRA Fed Cup Team
10. Garbine Muguruza, ESP
[2017]
1. Latisha Chan & Martina Hingis, TPE/SUI
2. Alona Ostapenko, LAT
3. Garbine Muguruza, ESP
4. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
5. Simona Halep, ROU
6. Elina Svitolina, UKR
7. Venus Williams, USA
8. Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
9. Caroline Garcia, FRA
10t. USA Fed Cup Team
10t. CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
[2018]
1. Simona Halep, ROU
2. Naomi Osaka, JPN
3. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
4. Angelique Kerber, GER
5. Petra Kvitova, CZE
6. CZE Fed Cup Team
7. Kiki Bertens, NED
8. Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
9. Sloane Stephens, USA
10. Elina Svitolina, UKR





==NORTH AMERICAN & ATLANTIC REGION==
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Bianca Andreescu/CAN
RUNNER-UP: Serena Williams/USA
JUNIOR: Leylah Annie Fernandez/CAN
DOUBLES: Gabriela Dabrowski/CAN
IMPROVED: Coco Gauff/USA and Kristie Ahn/USA
WHEELCHAIR: Dana Mathewson/USA
KEEP AN EYE ON...: Sofia Kenin/USA (in the second week of slams)
=MARKET WATCH=
BUY: CAN Fed Cup and "McCoco"
SELL: Venus Williams/USA (as far as titles go, but still cherish every minute)
HOLD: CiCi Bellis/USA and CoCo Vandeweghe/USA

==SOUTH & CENTRAL AMERICAN REGION==
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA
RUNNER-UP: Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR
JUNIOR: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano/COL
DOUBLES: Luisa Stefani/BRA
IMPROVED: Alexa Guarachi/CHI
WHEELCHAIR: Angelica Bernal/COL
KEEP AN EYE ON...: Carolina Alves/BRA (in Fed Cup)
=MARKET WATCH=
BUY: Nadia Podoroska/ARG
SELL: Fernanda Brito/CHI
HOLD: Teliana Pereira/BRA

==ASIA/PACIFIC REGION==
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ash Barty, AUS
RUNNER-UP: Naomi Osaka, JPN
JUNIOR: Zheng Qinwen/CHN
DOUBLES: Hsieh Su-wei/TPE
IMPROVED: Zheng Saisai/CHN and Astra Sharma/AUS
WHEELCHAIR: Yui Kamiji/JPN
KEEP AN EYE ON...: Elena Rybakina/KAZ (during "Upset Watch" in the first week of at least one major)
=MARKET WATCH=
BUY: Wang Yafan/CHN
SELL: Dasha Gavrilova/AUS
HOLD: Samantha Stosur/AUS

==AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN/CAUCASUS REGION==
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Maria Sakkari/GRE
RUNNER-UP: Ons Jabeur/TUN
JUNIOR: Sada Nahimana/BDI
DOUBLES: Chanel Simmonds/RSA (ITF)
IMPROVED: Mayar Sherif/EGY
WHEELCHAIR: KG Montjane/RSA
KEEP AN EYE ON...: EGY and CYP Fed Cup
=MARKET WATCH=
BUY: Raluca Serban/CYP
SELL: RSA Fed Cup
HOLD: Cagla Buyukakcay/TUR

==RUSSIA & EASTERN EUROPEAN REGION==
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Simona Halep/ROU
RUNNERS-UP: Elina Svitolina/UKR (slams) and Dayana Yastremska/UKR (reg.season)
JUNIOR: Daria Snigur/UKR
DOUBLES: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
IMPROVED: Veronika Kudermetova/RUS and Anna Blinkova/RUS
WHEELCHAIR: Viktoriia Lvova/RUS
KEEP AN EYE ON...: Dayana Yastremska/UKR (in the new "Big Sascha Era")
=MARKET WATCH=
BUY: Varvara Gracheva/RUS and Oksana Selekhmeteva/RUS
SELL: Mihaela Buzarnescu/ROU and Maria Sharapova/RUS
HOLD: Alona Ostapenko/LAT and Dasha Kasatkina/RUS

==WESTERN EUROPEAN REGION==
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Karolina Pliskova/CZE
RUNNER-UP: Barbora Strycova/CZE and Petra Kvitova/CZE
JUNIORS: Clara Tauson/DEN and Diane Parry/FRA
DOUBLES: Elise Mertens/BEL
IMPROVED: Karolina Muchova/CZE, Iga Swiatek/POL and Jil Teichmann/SUI
WHEELCHAIR: Diede de Groot/NED
KEEP AN EYE ON...: Linda & Brenda Fruhvirtova/CZE (in jr. team competition)
=MARKET WATCH=
BUY: Marie Bouzkova/CZE and Kaja Juvan/SLO
SELL: Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP
HOLD: Caroline Garcia/FRA, Caroline Wozniacki/DEN and Garbine Muguruza/ESP




**YEARLY REGIONAL PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR WINNERS**
==NORTH AMERICAN & ATLANTIC REGION==
2008 Serena Williams, USA
2009 Serena Williams, USA
2010 Serena Williams, USA
2011 Serena Williams, USA
2012 Serena Williams, USA
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Serena Williams, USA
2015 Serena Williams, USA
2016 Serena Williams, USA
2017 Venus Williams, USA
2018 Sloane Stephens, USA
2019 Bianca Andreescu, CAN

==SOUTH & CENTRAL AMERICAN REGION==
2008 Gisela Dulko, ARG
2009 Gisela Dulko, ARG
2010 Gisela Dulko, ARG
2011 Gisela Dulko, ARG
2012 Paula Ormaechea, ARG
2013 Paula Ormaechea, ARG
2014 Paula Ormaechea, ARG
2015 Teliana Pereira, BRA
2016 Mariana Duque, COL
2017 Beatriz Haddad, BRA
2018 Mariana Duque, COL
2019 Beatriz Haddad, BRA

==ASIA/PACIFIC REGION==
2008 Zheng Jie, CHN
2009 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2010 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2011 Li Na, CHN
2012 Li Na, CHN
2013 Li Na, CHN
2014 Li Na, CHN
2015 Sania Mirza, IND
2016 Sania Mirza, IND
2017 Latisha Chan, TPE
2018 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2019 Ash Barty, AUS

==AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN/CAUCASUS REGION==
2008 Cara Black, ZIM
2009 Shahar Peer, ISR
2010 Shahar Peer, ISR
2011 Chanelle Scheepers, RSA
2012 Chanelle Scheepers, RSA
2013 Cara Black, ZIM
2014 Cara Black, ZIM
2015 Ons Jabeur, TUN
2016 Cagla Buyukakcay, TUR
2017 Maria Sakkari, GRE
2018 Maria Sakkari, GRE
2019 Maria Sakkari, GRE

==EUROPE==
[Non-Russian Europe, 2008-12]
2008 Jelena Jankovic, SRB
2009 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2010 Francesca Schiavone, ITA
2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
[Russia, 2008-15]
2008 Dinara Safina
2009 Svetlana Kuznetsova
2010 Vera Zvonareva
2011 Maria Sharapova
2012 Maria Sharapova
2013 Maria Sharapova
2014 Maria Sharapova
2015 Maria Sharapova
[Non-Russian Eastern Europe, 2013-15]
2013 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2014 Simona Halep, ROU
2015 Simona Halep, ROU
***
[RUSSIA & EASTERN EUROPEAN REGION]
2016 Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
2017 Alona Ostapenko, LAT
2018 Simona Halep, ROU
2019 Simona Halep, ROU
[WESTERN EUROPEAN REGION]
2013 Aga Radwanska, POL
2014 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2015 Martina Hingis, SUI
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2018 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2019 Karolina Pliskova, CZE




**HARD COURT PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS**
2004 Lindsay Davenport, USA
2005 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2006 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2007 Justine Henin, BEL
2008 Serena Williams, USA
2009 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2010 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2011 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Serena Williams, USA
2015 Serena Williams, USA
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Elina Svitolina, UKR
2018 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2019 Bianca Andreescu, CAN

**CLAY COURT PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS**
2004 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2005 Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL
2006 Nadia Petrova, RUS
2007 Justine Henin, BEL
2008 Dinara Safina, RUS
2009 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2010 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2011 Li Na, CHN
2012 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2015 Angelique Kerber, GER
2016 Caroline Garcia/Kristina Mladenovic, FRA/FRA
2017 Simona Halep, ROU
2018 Simona Halep, ROU
2019 Ash Barty, AUS

**GRASS COURT PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS**
2004 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2005 Venus Williams, USA
2006 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2007 Venus Williams, USA
2008 Venus Williams, USA
2009 Serena Williams, USA
2010 Serena Williams, USA
2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2012 Serena Williams, USA
2013 Marion Bartoli, FRA
2014 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2015 Serena Williams, USA
2016 Serena Williams, USA
2017 Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2018 Angelique Kerber, GER
2019 Simona Halep, ROU

**INDOOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS**
2004 Anastasia Myskina, RUS
2005 Mary Pierce, FRA
2006 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2007 Justine Henin, BEL
2008 Jelena Jankovic, SRB
2009 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2010 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2012 Angelique Kerber, GER
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
2015 Aga Radwanska, POL
2016 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
2017 Julia Goerges, GER
2018 Elina Svitolina, UKR
2019 Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic, HUN/FRA

**WHEELCHAIR PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS**
2014 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2015 Jiske Griffioen, NED
2016 Jiske Griffioen, NED
2017 Yui Kamiji, JPN
2018 Diede de Groot, NED
2019 Diede de Groot, NED

*"RISING PLAYER" WINNERS*
2002 Daniela Hantuchova, SVK
2003 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2004 Maria Sharapova, RUS & Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2005 Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER
2006 Nadia Petrova, RUS
2007 Jelena Jankovic, SRB & Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2008 Dinara Safina, RUS
2009 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2010 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2011 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2012 Aga Radwanska, POL
2013 Simona Halep, ROU
2014 Simona Halep, ROU & Genie Bouchard, CAN
2015 Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2016 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2017 Caroline Garcia, FRA
2018 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2019 Sofia Kenin, USA

*"FRESH FACE" WINNERS*
2002 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2003 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2004 Tatiana Golovin, FRA
2005 Nicole Vaidisova, CZE
2006 Nicole Vaidisova, CZE
2007 Agnes Szavay, HUN
2008 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2009 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2010 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
2011 Monica Niculescu, ROU
2012 Laura Robson, GBR
2013 Sloane Stephens, USA & Genie Bouchard, CAN
2014 Belinda Bencic, SUI
2015 Belinda Bencic, SUI
2016 Dasha Kasatkina, RUS
2017 Alona Ostapenko, LAT
2018 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2019 Bianca Andreescu, CAN

*JUNIOR/"NextGen" WINNERS*
2002 Vera Zvonareva, RUS
2003 Vera Dushevina, RUS
2004 Maria Kirilenko, RUS & Nicole Vaidisova, CZE
2005 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2006 Olga Puchkova, RUS
2007 Tamira Paszek, AUT
2008 Michelle Larcher de Brito, POR & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
2009 Melanie Oudin, USA
2010 Alisa Kleybanova, RUS
2011 Caroline Garcia, FRA
2012 Taylor Townsend/Genie Bouchard, USA/CAN
2013 Belinda Bencic, SUI
2014 CiCi Bellis, USA
2015 Dalma Galfi, HUN
2016 Kayla Day, USA
2017 Claire Liu, USA
2018 Wang Xiyu, CHN
2019 Coco Gauff, USA

*NCAA PLAYER*
2015 Jamie Loeb, USA (North Carolina)
2016 Danielle Collins, USA (Virginia)
2017 Francesca Di Lorenzo, USA (Ohio State)
2018 Astra Sharma, AUS (Vanderbilt)
2019 Estela Perez-Somarriba, ESP (Miami)

*"SURPRISE" WINNERS*
2002 Anna Smashnova, ISR
2003 Anca Barna, GER
2004 Claudine Schaul, LUX
2005 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2006 Severine Bremond, FRA
2007 Sybille Bammer, AUT
2008 Aleksandra Wozniak, CAN
2009 Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
2010 Vania King/Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ
2011 Galina Voskoboeva, KAZ
2012 Sara Errani, ITA
2013 Karin Knapp, ITA
2014 Tereza Smitkova, CZE
2015 Johanna Konta, GBR
2016 NED Fed Cup Team
2017 BLR Fed Cup Team
2018 Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
2019 Jil Teichmann, SUI

*"VETERAN" WINNERS*
2002 Monica Seles, USA
2003 Ai Sugiyama, JPN
2004 Lindsay Davenport, USA
2005 Lindsay Davenport, USA
2006 Martina Hingis, SUI
2007 Venus Williams, USA
2008 Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA
2009 Serena Williams, USA
2010 Francesca Schiavone, ITA
2011 Li Na, CHN
2012 Serena Williams, USA
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Serena Williams, USA
2015 Serena Williams, USA
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Venus Williams, USA
2018 Angelique Kerber, GER
2019 Simona Halep, ROU

*"COMEBACK" WINNERS*
2002 Chanda Rubin, USA
2003 Lina Krasnoroutskaya, RUS
2004 Mary Pierce, FRA
2005 Venus Williams, USA
2006 Martina Hingis, SUI
2007 Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA/USA
2008 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2009 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2010 Justine Henin, BEL
2011 Sabine Lisicki, GER
2012 Hsieh Su-Wei, TPE
2013 Jelena Jankovic, SRB
2014 Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, CRO
2015 Russian Fed Cup Team
2016 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
2017 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2018 Serena Williams, USA
2019 Johanna Konta, GBR

*"MOST IMPROVED PLAYER" WINNERS*
2003 Francesca Schiavone, ITA
2004 Alicia Molik, AUS
2005 Kveta Peschke, CZE
2006 Jelena Jankovic, SRB
2007 Marion Bartoli, FRA
2008 Vera Zvonareva, RUS
2009 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2010 Kaia Kanepi, EST
2011 Aga Radwanska, POL
2012 Varvara Lepchenko, USA
2013 Julia Glushko, ISR and Alison Riske, USA
2014 Alize Cornet, FRA
2015 Dasha Gavrilova, RUS/AUS
2016 Monica Puig, PUR
2017 Maria Sakkari, GRE and Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA
2018 Kiki Bertens, NED and Wang Qiang, CHN
2019 Karolina Muchova, CZE

*"DOWN" WINNERS*
2002 Meghann Shaughnessy, USA
2003 Daniela Hantuchova, SVK
2004 Jelena Dokic, SRB
2005 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2006 Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA/USA
2007 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2008 Nicole Vaidisova, CZE
2009 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2010 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2011 Venus Williams, USA
2012 Vera Zvonareva, RUS
2013 Nadia Petrova, RUS
2014 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2015 Genie Bouchard, CAN
2016 Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, SVK
2017 Angelique Kerber, GER
2018 CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
2019 Dasha Kasatkina, RUS

*"DOUBLES" WINNERS*
2003 Martina Navratilova, USA
2004 Virginia Ruano Pascual, ESP
2005 Cara Black, ZIM
2006 Lisa Raymond, USA
2007 Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA
2008 Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA
2009 Nuria Llagostera-Vives/MJ. Martinez-Sanchez, ESP/ESP
2010 Gisela Dulko, ARG
2011 Liezel Huber, USA
2012 Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
2013 Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2014 Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
2015 Martina Hingis, SUI
2016 Caroline Garcia/Kristina Mladenovic, FRA/FRA
2017 Latisha Chan/Martina Hingis, TPE/SUI
2018 Demi Schuurs, NED
2019 Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka, BEL/BLR

*"TEAM OF THE YEAR" WINNERS*
2003 Virginia Ruano Pascual/Paola Suarez, ESP/ARG
2004 Virginia Ruano Pascual/Paola Suarez, ESP/ARG
2005 Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA/USA
2006 Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS
2007 Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA
2008 Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA
2009 Italian Fed Cup Team
2010 Gisela Dulko/Flavia Pennetta, ARG/ITA
2011 Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik, CZE/SLO
2012 Czech Republic Fed Cup Team
2013 Hsieh Su-Wei/Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN
2014 Czech Republic Fed Cup Team
2015 Czech Republic Fed Cup Team
2016 Czech Republic Fed Cup Team
2017 U.S. Fed Cup Team
2018 Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
2019 French Fed Cup Team

*"ITF PLAYER OF THE YEAR" WINNERS*
2008 Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER
2009 Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, CZE
2010 Mathilde Johansson, FRA
2011 Casey Dellacqua, AUS
2012 Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor, ESP
2013 Reka-Luca Jani, HUN
2014 Denisa Allertova, CZE
2015 Dasha Kasatkina, RUS
2016 Isabella Shinikova, BUL
2017 Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
2018 Viktoria Kuzmova, SVK
2019 Arantxa Rus, NED

*"FED CUP PLAYER OF THE YEAR" WINNERS*
2005 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2006 Francesca Schiavone, ITA
2007 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2008 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2009 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2010 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2012 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2013 Roberta Vinci, ITA
2014 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2015 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2016 Caroline Garcia, FRA*
2017 CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
2018 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2019 Ash Barty, AUS*
--
* - non-championship team

*"FED CUP CAPTAIN OF THE YEAR" WINNERS*
2015 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA*
2016 Paul Haarhuis, NED*
2017 Kathy Rinaldi, USA
2018 Kathy Rinaldi, USA*
2019 Julien Benneteau, FRA
--
* - non-championship team

*"COACH OF THE YEAR" WINNERS*
2018 Sascha Bajin (Osaka)
2019 Sylvain Bruneau (Andreescu) and Dimitri Zavialoff (Konta)




The annual listing of the Canadians, Romanians, generations, greenhouses, real-and-imagined hashtags, quests, campaigns, whispering skills, Backspin fake WTA marketing campaigns and other things of indeterminate description that provided me with a personally gratifying "helping hand" in shaping this season's landscape.

So...

1. Bianca, of the North (aka "float like a butterfly, sting like a Bee-anca")
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2. The Wonderful Horrible Season of Elina Svitolina
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3. The Ash Barty Way


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4. As Naomi's World Turns
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5. Si-mo-na at Wim-ble-don


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6. Serena's (so far) Elusive Quest for #24
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7. Call Her Coco


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8. Diede the (almost) Great(est)


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9. "Decade's Best" (aka "Another Countdown to Serena")
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10. The Court Simonne-Mathieu greenhouse


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11. The Generation PDQ Ongoing Coup d'etat

...just because you're one of the lesser-known members doesn't mean you're any less eager to get yours:


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12. #KarmicKiki < #KarmicKikiKomeback


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13. Don't Fear the Kasatkina
=2018=


=2019=
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14. "The Pastry Whisperer, Part Deux" (starring Julien Benneteau)


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15. Amanda-Rama, Capt. Kathy's Kenin and the Rise of the Bannerettes


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16. They Got the Beat

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17. Latvian Asunder (aka the "Save the Thunder" campaign)


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18. Where the Sascha (Bajin) Roams


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19. Fit to Be (hair) Tied

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20. Conchita for the Hall


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21. #ItTakesWTA (not) (aka "Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, again")
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22. Yankee Doodle Allie (Riske) ❤ AELTC


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23. The Future is...2017?

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24. Better Call Bencic (again)
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25. The Death of (and rebirth of a new...?) Fed Cup

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HM- "Angie Kerber and Drama Queen from Mississauga"

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Twenty years later...



"The Fair One" 4ever...
...Backspin's beloved "Rosetta Stone" makes her long-awaited return to the spotlight




**Past "BACKSPIN MVP" Top 3's**
[2012]
1st - "The Radwanska"
2nd - Victoria Azarenka
3rd - "Carl & Carla"
[All-Time Backspin MVP - 2012]
1st - Kim Clijsters
2nd - Justine Henin
3rd - Jelena Jankovic
[2013]
1st - Serena Williams & Vika Azarenka
2nd - "The Radwanska"
3rd - "Citizen Anna"
[2014]
1st - Team Genie and/vs. Team Sloane
2nd - 2004 Revisited (Russian Revolution)
3rd - Captain/Coach Amelie Mauresmo
[2015]
1st - "Being Simona Halep"
2nd - Maria Sharapova's Instagram account
3rd - "The (Almost) Grand Slam" (Serena Williams)
[2016]
1st - Halep & "The Cliffs of Simona"
2nd - Free Maria Sharapova
3rd - "La Petit Taureau" Week
[2017]
1st - "Latvian Thunder"
2nd - "In Rinaldi We Trust"
3rd - Karmic Kiki & the Pastry Queen Named Caro
[2018]
1st - "Si-mo-na! Si-mo-na!": The Triumph of the Resilient Romanian
2nd - "The Great Wave of Osaka" and the rise of Generation PDQ
3rd - Serena vs. "Serena": the irrational notion of an "ideal" great, combined with double-standards, rose-colored glasses, grandstanding, a loss of minds, reality and the clarity of life = a living, imperfect, reliably human icon for the ages (aka "Serena is still Serena")




#1 - SUBLIME SI-MO-NA
...Simona Halep loses just one set en route to becoming the first Romanian to win the Wimbledon singles championship, thwarting Serena Williams' attempt to win slam #24 with a brilliant performance (she dubbed it her best match ever) in a 6-2/6-2 victory in the final. Halep's run-up to her second career major included straight sets wins over former #1 Victoria Azarenka (3rd Rd.), sudden star Coco Gauff (4th) and Elina Svitolina (SF).

View this post on Instagram

??

A post shared by Simona Halep (@simonahalep) on


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#2 - BIG APPLE BIANCA
...in her tournament debut, Bianca Andreescu caps off her remarkable breakout season by bringing together all aspects of her multi-layered game at the U.S. Open to become the first teenager to win a major since 2006, as well as the first player born in the 2000's and the the first Canadian ever to win a major singles crown. She lost just two sets en route, sweeping through the likes of Caroline Wozniacki, Belinda Bencic and, ultimately, 38-year old Serena Wiliams in a 6-3/7-5 final the featured the biggest age difference between finalists in a slam in the Open era.


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#3 - "I WANT THIS SO BAD!"
...prior to the big city, the desert proved to be Bianca Andreescu's *first* proving ground, as Top 20 (Wang Qiang & Garbine Muguruza) and Top 10 (Elina Svitolina & Angelique Kerber) players were dispatched with an array of in-rally variety and late-match guts that made the then 18-year old a maiden tour singles title winner at Indian Wells in her first career Premier Mandatory event appearance. The win made her the tournament's fourth unseeded champ, first wild card winner, fourth youngest titlist (and youngest since a 17-year old Serena Williams in 1999), as well as the tour's lowest-ranked (#60) player to ever win a PM championship.



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#4 - BETTER CALL BENCIC (AGAIN)
...three and a half years removed from a four Top 10-win Premier 5 title run in Toronto, Belinda Bencic again defeated four Top 10 players on her way to claiming a Premier 5 title in Dubai, her first tour-level crown since that title run in Canada. She saved six MP in defeating #9 Aryna Sabalenka in the 3rd Round, then came back from a set down in the QF to outlast a tiring #2 Simona Halep, her biggest win since 2016 (and biggest in a tour event since upsetting #1 Serena during the Toronto run). In the semis, two-time defending champ and world #6 Elina Svitolina led 5-3 in the 3rd set and served for the match at 5-4 only to squander a big event SF lead for a second straight week. In the final, Bencic took control against an ever-more-erractic #4 Petra Kvitova in three sets to claim career title #3.

View this post on Instagram

No words needed? Dubai 2019! What a week?? @ddftennis

A post shared by Belinda Bencic (@belindabencic) on


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#4 - QUEEN KIKI OF THE RED CLAY
...Kiki Bertens wins Madrid, defeating three Top 10 players (defending champ Petra Kvitova, and both the '18 RG finalists, Sloane Stephens & Simona Halep, denying the latter a return to the #1 ranking) to claim her biggest career clay court title and head into Roland Garros as the (star-crossed, as it turned out) pre-tournament favorite.

View this post on Instagram

Gracias madrid???? #mmopen @mutuamadridopen

A post shared by Kiki Bertens (@kikibertens) on


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#5 - WHAT NAOMI DID FOR AN ENCORE
...four months after her maiden slam win in New York, Naomi Osaka does the unthinkable -- she wins #2 in her very next major. Her Australian Open triumph, which included a 3rd Round comeback from 7-5/4-1 down vs. Hsieh Su-wei and consecutive Top 10 wins over Elina Svitolina, Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova, the latter in the the final in what was a battle to overtake Simona Halep and become the new #1-ranked player in the world. Osaka is the first Asian player in tennis history to ascend to the singles #1 position, as well as the first to win her first two career slam titles consecutively since Jennifer Capriati in 2001, and the first woman not named Williams to win back-to-back slams since Kim Clijsters in 2011.

View this post on Instagram

Words can’t describe this feeling.

A post shared by ????? (@naomiosaka) on


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#6 - HOMETOWN HEROINE
...after missing most of four months with a shoulder injury, Bianca Andreescu returned in Toronto (just minutes from her Mississauga hometown) and resumed being the do-everything, be-everything everywoman of the early season, equal parts sudden offense and steadfast defense, penetrating power and deft touch, with just the right amount of flinty fight and studied strategy for seasoning.



She spent eleven total hours on court, winning four straight three-setters in a string of fascinating performances that would wear well no matter where they took place. Her no-blink side-to-side baseline prowess and forward aggression proved that her title run in Indian Wells in the spring wasn't a one-time thrill. Adding three more Top 10 wins to her total, she followed up three-setters over Genie Bouchard and Dasha Kasatkina with back-to-back three-set takedowns of #5 Kiki Bertens and #3 Karolina Pliskova. After winning a tough *two*-set affair against Sonya Kenin, she was the beneficiary of #10 Serena Williams' retirement, after which Andreescu undertook the dual role of champion (the first Canadian winner of the Rogers Cup since 1969), host and chief on-court consoler for the fallen legend.
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#7 - NAOMI'S SECOND WAVE
...after already winning in Osaka this fall, world #4 Naomi Osaka followed up in Beijing with her second career Premier Mandatory title.
After a season that had seen her win a second slam title, release two coaches, gain and then lose the #1 ranking (and then re-gain and lose it again) while trying to keep one step ahead of the expectation game, Osaka officially came out on "the other side" in Asia in 2019's 4th Quarter, seemingly better off for it all. In Beijing, she battled fatigue, in-form opponents and (reminding us just how early in the process she still is in this whole thing) a schedule that saw her have to win big matches on back-to-back days in a big event (remember, I.W., the Open and AO's schedules are all more spread out) while struggling to remain "fresh."



She handled it all quite well, stringing together wins over Jessica Pegula, Andrea Petkovic, Alison Riske, Bianca Andreescu, Caroline Wozniacki and Ash Barty while dropping just two sets (vs. Andreescu and Barty, forcing her to rally from a set back to get the win down the stretch both times vs. the season's two "most professional match winners"). With this title run, she'd combined since the start of her U.S. Open title defense to go 14-1 (and 18-3 since the beginning of the summer HC season).
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#8 - BARTY'S FINALS PARTY
...through it all in 2019, often when not the focus of attention at the outset, Ash Barty usually found a way to prevail as the Aussie lifted herself far above what even the most optimistic might have thought possible over the course of this single season. After wrapping up the season-ending #1 spot, Barty closed out the WTA portion of her career year with a title run in her debut appearance in the WTA Finals field, tying Karolina Pliskova for the tour title lead in '19 with #4, and taking home the biggest winner's check (over $4.42 million) in tennis history. Four more Top 10 wins (over Belinda Bencic, Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova and defending champ Elina Svitolina in the final) gave her twelve for the year (she had five in her career before '19).

View this post on Instagram

Incredible ?

A post shared by Ash Barty (@ashbarty) on


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#9 - THE KEY(s) TO CINCINNATI
...upon accepting her champion's trophy in Cincinnati on Sunday, Madison Keys said, "If you told me this is where I would be a week ago, I would have laughed in your face." And she'd have been right to think as much, too. But after struggling to get past Garbine Muguruza in the 1st Round, Keys gradually began to rediscover the game that can soar as high as it can often frustrate and disappoint. After defeating Dasha Kasatkina in straights, Keys outlasted Simona Halep in three, then allowed a resurgent Venus Williams just five games. With her serve heating up, she took out Sofia Kenin in two sets in the semis, then calmed the waters of Svetlana Kuznetsova's improbable week of break-out-the-noisemakers-again success by allowing the Russian to falter at just the wrong/right time (she served for the 1st and 2nd sets at 5-4, but lost 7-5/7-6), while Keys found her winners groove (43 on the day) while keeping her UE's (33) low enough for it to make a difference.
This win actually marked the first time time in her career that Keys has won *two* titles in a season. Yep, she has as many tour titles (4) as she has slam semifinal-or-better finishes. If it weren't for the likes of Muguruza, *she'd* possess the crown for being the player with the most top-heavy career resume in recent tour memory, and maybe ever.

View this post on Instagram

Me really happy, a gallery ??????

A post shared by Madison Keys (@madisonkeys) on


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


#10 - ASH PARTIES IN SOUTH FLORIDA
...Ash Barty's career-best Miami title run saw her drop just two sets in six matches as she knocked off four 2019 title winners (Dayana Yastremska, Kiki Bertens, Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova) and three Top 10ers. After getting her first win in five tries vs. Petra Kvitova in the QF, the Aussie (after defeating Anett Kontaveit in the semis) took out her tiring Czech countrywoman in straight sets in the final. The title made Barty the first Australian woman to make her Top 10 singles debut since 2009, and the first player on the tour to simultaneously rank in both the singles and doubles Top 10 since 2016.
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#11 - BELGIAN RUMBLE IN THE DESERT
...in the wake of Belgium's home court Fed Cup loss to France, Elise Mertens rebounded by claiming the biggest title of her career in Doha, defeating three straight Top 10 players (as many as she had during her entire career before the event) -- Kiki Bertens, Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep, doing yeowoman's work by outlasting *both* the latter two warrioresque former #1's in three setters. In the final vs. the Romanian, Mertens rallied from a 6-3/2-0 deficit, stepping into the court and playing a more aggressive brand of tennis (the same sort of style that produced her AO semi run in '18) after taking a medical timeout to treat a back injury early in the 2nd set. She wore down Halep, dealing with foot issues that hampered her (painful) movement, and won 3-6/6-4/6-3. Before staging her comeback in the final, she'd been 0-5 in matches this season after losing the 1st set, and dropped twelve straight dating back to last August.


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#12 - AUSTRALIAN RULES TENNIS
...Roland Garros would have likely been the *last* major anyone (including her) would have thought would have been the first won by Ash Barty, but she became the first Aussie to win in Paris since 1973 while dropping just two sets throughout. Though she faced just one seed (#14 Madison Keys/QF), just one player ranked higher than #35, and had to rally from a set and 3-0 down vs. Amanda Anisimova in the SF before topping an overwhelmed first-time finalist (Marketa Vondrousova) in the last round, Barty beautifully triumphed over the hand she was dealt to became the first Aussie slam winner since 2011, moving to #2 in the rankings while clutching the crown jewel in what would be a career year that saw her top the WTA singles rankings.


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#13 - CALL HER CHAMPION
...what would Coco Gauff's breakout season have been without a singles title to remember it by? Well, she'll never have to know, because the 15-year old got hers in Linz and can place it next to the two doubles crowns she won in '19, then take a few moments to look at them all both while remembering all she's done *this* year and will likely do next season and well beyond.



A little lost in the story of Gauff (at 15 years and 7 months) becoming the youngest tour singles champion in fifteen years was that she did it as a *lucky loser,* becoming just the second in tour history to pull off the feat after Olga Danilovic became the first to go down the path just last season. Gauff lost in the final round of qualifying to Tamara Korpatsch, but entered the MD as a LL. After a win over Stefanie Voegele, Gauff outlasted Kateryna Kozlova (ret. down 2-0 in 3rd) before notching her first career Top 10 victory over top-seeded Kiki Bertens in the QF, a stage in a tour-level event at which Gauff had never before advanced in her previous five career tour MD appearances. From there, Andrea Petkovic fell in straights and then Alona Ostapenko in a three-set final, won by the Bannerette by a 6-3/1-6/6-2 score as Gauff became the sixth different U.S. player to win a tour title this season. None of them, it should be noted, were named Williams or Stephens. It's the most non-Venus/Serena Bannerettes to lift titles in a single season in nearly two decades, since 2000.
===============================================
#14 - BOOM-SHAKA-SABALENKA (again)
...2019 wasn't exactly the season that Aryna Sabalenka or anyone else was expecting back in January, but there is no question that the Belarusian's journey was 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) and reconnection with her coach, and then, finally, a return to form in her defense in Wuhan of her biggest career singles title. We knew nine months earlier 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.

View this post on Instagram

@wuhanopen1 title feels ?? @sabalenka_aryna

A post shared by WTA (@wta) on



She went on to add the Elite Trophy to her three-title season cache, finishing at #11 for a second straight year.
===============================================
#15 - THE CLAY COURT-UNLOCKING KEY
...having reconnected with former coach (2013-14) coach Juan Todero, Madison Keys found something that may or may not have been lost from her game prior to her run in Charleston. Her comeback from a set and and 4-1 down in the 2nd Round against Tatjana Maria instilled a confidence in tight moments that lasted all week. A win over Alona Ostapenko preceded the breaking of Keys' 0-3 record (and 0-for-6 sets) vs. good friend Sloane Stephens. Next came a semifinal win over Monica Puig, who'd only recently ended a long coaching relationship with Todero. In the final, her second (w/ 2015) in Charleston, Keys ended another oh-fer streak vs. Caroline Wozniacki. The Dane was 2-0 with a pair of straight sets wins in their head-to-head, but Keys won this time around 7-6(5)/6-3, firing 54 winners to claim her first career clay court crown.

View this post on Instagram

Thank you Charleston ???? @volvocaropen

A post shared by Madison Keys (@madisonkeys) on


===============================================
HM- THE NEW GREEK AGE
...in May, Maria Sakkari became the first Greek woman to win a tour singles title since 2008, taking Rabat on the same weekend that countryman Stefanos Tsitsipas wins a title on the ATP tour in Estoril


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kosova-font

The first-time-ever eighteen *different* singles champions to start 2019...




=THE SAKKARI SHOT=

Maria Sakkari hits a winner on MP vs. Roger Federer in Hopman Cup play. Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas didn't *win* the Hopman Cup, but she'll always have that backhand return off a Federer serve...





1. [Final] Kristina Mladenovic ends Ash Barty's undefeated FC match streak, then teams with Caroline Garcia to def. Barty & Sam Stosur to upset AUS 3-2 and win FRA's first Fed Cup title since 2003
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2. [1r/Feb.] Ash Barty earns all three points in AUS's 3-2 road win over the U.S.
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3. [1r/Feb.] Simona Halep inspires and leads ROU to history-altering 3-2 interrupt the dynastic run of defending champion CZE
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4. [SF/Apr.] Ash Barty goes 3-0, leads AUS past BLR on road to reach first final since 1993
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5. [SF/Apr.] Caroline Garcia/Kristina Mladenovic win deciding doubles vs. ROU to send FRA to second final in four years
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6. [WG II/Feb.] Georgina Garcia-Perez saved MP in Match #2, earns three points in ESP's 3-2 win over JPN
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7. [WGII/Apr.] Johanna Konta end GBR's 26-yr. drought, leads past KAZ out of WGII Playoffs
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8. [Europe-Africa Zone/Feb.] Johanna Konta goes 4-0 in Zone play, leading GBR to victory in Bath
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HM- [WG II/Feb.] Bianca Andreescu leads CAN to WG II road win over NED
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SVETA'S SUMMER RUN
...at age 34, Svetlana Kuznetsova, one of the last remaining Original Hordettes, was unable to defend her title in Washington after being denied admission into the U.S. due to visa issues. But, decked out (and standing out) in Chinese sportswear company Qiaodan's turquoise attire in Cincinnati, the Russian *did* play in the blazing heat with her mood-leveling Spanish team (including coach Carlos "brother from another mother" Martinez) cheering her on. She came into the week ranked #153 and sporting a 7-8 record since her return in April following a seven-month absence due to a wrist injury. After last year's Cincinnati event, she dropped out of the Top 100, leading to her worst season-ending ranking since 2001, and she only got into the Cincy main draw this year as a wild card because of the withdrawals of other players.

Well, a Sveta recently denied... nearly went out and won her biggest title in a decade. As Kuznetsova said during the week, "Nothing surprises me anymore."



After posting a win over #11 Anastastija Sevastova, Kuznetsova saved two MP vs. #32 Dayana Yastremska, then knocked off three straight Top 10 players in #10 Sloane Stephens, #3 Karolina Pliskova and #2 Ash Barty to reach the final. The latter three victories were the most Top 10ers she'd beaten in a single event since she won Miami in 2006, and her most Top 3 wins in a tournament since she won RG in 2009. The win over #2 Barty was her single biggest match victory since upsetting then-#1 Serena Williams en route to the Miami final in 2016. And all at a tournament that she almost didn't play, after only a few weeks ago not even knowing where she was going to *be* during these late summer weeks.

Mused Sveta, "Sometimes in life things are like this, sometimes small things change everything."

In the end, Kuznetsova had chances in the final vs. Madison Keys. She led and served for both the 1st and 2nd sets, but lost in straights. Surely she was disappointed, but she was not one to fret about it and wear the loss anywhere on her person or between the ears. What'd be the point of that? Who's got the time with so many other things in play?
===============================================
YANKEE DOODLE ALLIE

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

Alison Riske, a longtime better than average grass court player, had the run of her career on the surface this summer. After a $100K title, she'd had to save five MP to defeat Kiki Bertens in the WTA final at Rosmalen, and then proceeded to prevail despite dropping the opening set in two of her first three matches during the first week of Wimbledon, a stretch which included a rally from 4-1 down in the 3rd set vs. Donna Vekic in the 1st Round. In the Round of 16, the #55-ranked Bannerette recorded her maiden win over a world #1, defeating Ash Barty from (again) a set, down, 3-6/6-2/6-3, to reach the QF of a major for the first time in her career. Her win made her a permanent member of "The Last Eight Club" at the AELTC, which affords a player certain privileges on the grounds (including free cups of tea during the fortnight). As a smiling (as usual) Riske happily noted, "Now they'll never get rid of me!"



While her run ended after *another* three-setter, a 4-6/6-4/3-6 defeat at the hands of Serena Williams, Riske in many ways at this Wimbledon became what Sabine Lisicki was in the first half of this decade at the event: a player who simply bursts with joy at the existence of the tournament, and whose results there speak to her closeness to it.

And, with her lifetime club membership in her back pocket, she'll get to relive her experiences every summer for as long as the grass grows in Southwest London.



By the end of the year, Riske had reached her biggest career final (Premier 5 Wuhan) and made her belated Top 20 debut at age 29.
===============================================
BOUZKOVA GETS BUSY
...while one could see #91-ranked Czech Marie Bouzkova coming in prior months -- with a WTA 125 final in March, her maiden slam win (Wimbledon over Mona Barthel, as a LL) in June, and an $80K title sweep in July -- it would have been hard to envision the 21-year old '14 U.S. Open girls champ making a semifinal run in Toronto as a qualifier (w/o dropping a set, no less), posting two Top 10 wins (Sloane Stephens and Simona Halep, the latter via a 2nd set retirement) and another over a third slam winner (Alona Ostapenko) before pressing Serena Williams by taking the 1st set and making a run to her first tour final a real possibility.



Of course, that didn't happen, as Williams collected herself and hit her way into the final. But Bouzkova's fight is now a known quantity, and will have to be accounted for by every opponent she encounters from here forward (you know, just like her *big* water bottle when it comes to ball kids being prepared to sop things up with towels should that monster tip over and threaten to flood the whole court).


===============================================
VIKA INTERRUPTED (again)
...while a calf injury ultimately caused her to retire down 6-1/3-1 in the final against Garbine Muguruza, Victoria Azarenka *had* posted previous wins over four-time champ Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Angelique Kerber in a wonderful night match that ended Vika's six-match losing streak vs. the Top 10, gave her her first Top 5 win since knocking off Kerber in Miami three years ago, and placed her into her first singles final since she won the "Sunshine Double" in 2016, as well as for the first time since she came back from maternity leave (and then had to fight for custody of son Leo in court). When she lost in the Australian Open in January, Azarenka had tearfully proclaimed her frustration about all the work she'd been doing off the court not having yet resulted in a turnaround *on* it. That at least *began* to change in 2019 (often in doubles, as she won in Acapulco with Zhang Shuai, the Rome with Ash Barty, with whom she also reached the U.S. Open WD final), but the former #1 still only barely finished in the Top 50 (at #50) and failed to reach the second week of seventh straight major (and hasn't reached a QF since the 2016 AO).


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DOUBLE THEIR PLEASURE
...in just their third event together, Elise Mertens & Aryna Sabalenka made history, pulling off a "Sunshine Double" two-fer by winning back-to-back titles in Indian Wells and Miami, the site of the North American spring schedule's top two hard court events. The top level duos the pair downed in the two events included a virtual who's who of the tour's highest-achieving pairs, including Krejcikova/Siniakova (#1 ranked over the past year), Babos/Mladenovic (#2-ranked AO runners-up), Hsieh/Strycova (Dubai '19 and I.W. '18 champs), Stosur/Zhang (reigning AO champs), Dabrowski/Xu (twice) and even the recently-formed Azarenka/Barty.



Sabalenka is the third Belarusian to accomplish the "Sunshine Double" in some form (after Victoria Azarenka in singles in '16, and Natasha Zvereva in doubles in '97), while Mertens joined Kim Clijsters (WS '05) as the two Belgians to do the "coast-to-coast thing."
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TO FINISH IS DIVINE
...while Barbora Strycova managed to hold onto the season-ending #1 ranking over Kristina Mladenovic, Kiki & Timea Babos walked off with the WTA Finals title, their second straight at the event (it's the first successful defense by a duo since Black/Huber won in 2007-08). For Babos, it was a *third* straight win in the tour championships, a first since Lindsay Davenport three-peated from 1996-98.



A round robin win over Mertens/Sabalenka highlighted their weekday results, assuring the pair of a semifinal berth. Wins over Stosur/Sh.Zhang (SF) and Hsieh/Strycova (F) followed as they claimed their third title of the season (including RG) and ninth overall together. Both have won 22 career tour titles.
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=BARA'S BEST=
At age 33, after having already brought down the curtain on her Fed Cup career in '18 and hinting in '19 that retirement was just around the corner, Barbora Strycova proceeded to have quite possibly her *best* season ever. She won four doubles titles on the year and reached the WTA Finals championship match, but she peaked at Wimbledon... in both singles *and* doubles. Five years after she reached her only slam QF at the All-England club, the unseeded Czech posted wins over four seeds -- #32 Tsurenko (1r), #4 Bertens (3r), #21 Mertens (4r) and #19 Konta (QF) -- en route to her maiden major semifinal. She was the oldest player in the Open era to reach her first final four at such an age. She lost to 38-year old Serena Williams.

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SW19

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She then won her first career slam doubles title alongside Hsieh Su-wei, the biggest "get" in what turned out to be the Czech's #1-ranked doubles campaign in 2019.

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WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONS!! ??

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=DIEDE'S GREATEST=
...Diede de Groot entered Roland Garros needing only to win the women's WC singles to become the first player in the sport's history to have won all eight slam competitions. She swept (winning both on the same day) the titles in Paris, not only becoming the first to complete a Career Wheelchair Slam, but at the end of the event was the *reigning champion* in all eight.


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=THE THIEF OF LONDON=
...while Diede de Groot rules the wheelchair tour throughout 2019, she failed to sweep *every* slam title, falling 6–4/4–6/7–5 in the Wimbledon women's singles final to countrywoman and doubles partner Aniek Van Koot, the longtime Dutch force (she won her first major title in 2010) who has often found herself toiling in the shadow of the tour's #1 player (first, Esther Vergeer, then Yui Kamiji, Jiske Griffioen and now de Groot) over the past decade. That changed with her win at SW19, her first singles major victory since 2013.



Van Koot and de Groot won the Wimbledon doubles, and would go on to accomplish Doubles Grand Slam in 2019. But her win in London prevented de Groot from a *clean sweep* of all eight WC slam crowns.
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=THE NEW DAY OF THE DANE=
...top-seeded Clara Tauson wins the Australian Open girls title to become the second Dane (after Caroline Wozniacki, of course) to claim a slam junior singles crown. The 16-year old opened play by dropping the 1st set of her 1st Round match to Aussie Anastasia Berezov, then she won her next ten sets through the final weekend to take the title, defeating #9 Kamilla Bartone (QF) and a pair of the girls who'd claim two of the other three junior majors in '19, eventual Wimbledon girls champ Daria Snigur (SF) and RG winner #4 Leylah Annie Fernandez (in a 6-4/6-3 final).

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Australien open champion 2019!! #yonex #itf

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[MOST INCIDENTALLY ICONIC TENNIS PHOTO]
Tatjana Maria's "flying forehand" follow-through in Acapulco




[MOST INVESTED SPECTATORS]

Olympia


The Andreescu cheering section(s)
Fitness trainer Virginie Tremblay, Nicu (dad) & Maria Andreescu (mom) and Coco (doggo)









[MOST INSPIRING AD VOICEOVER]
Serena Williams





==TOP PERFORMANCE==
2003 Justine Henin-Hardenne (U.S. Open)
2004 Maria Sharapova (Wimbledon)
2005 Kim Clijsters (North American hardcourts)
2006 Maria Sharapova (U.S. Open)
2007 Justine Henin (U.S. Open)
2008 Venus Williams (Wimbledon)
2009 Serena Williams (Wimbledon)
2010 Serena Williams (Wimbledon)
2011 Petra Kvitova (Wimbledon)
2012 Serena Williams (Olympics)
2013 Serena Wiliams (Roland Garros)
2014 Petra Kvitova (Wimbledon)
2015 Belinda Bencic (Toronto)
2016 Monica Puig (Olympics)
2017 Alona Ostapenko (Roland Garros)
2018 Naomi Osaka (U.S. Open)
2019 Simona Halep (Wimbledon)






1. Indian Wells Final - Bianca Andreescu def. Angelique Kerber
...6-4/3-6/6-4. This one came down to a fabulous 3rd set, as both brought out the best in one other (as it should be) and the teenager proved her mettle, desire and ability to lift her game amid a maelstrom of difficulties that might have ushered those of lesser grit off the stage. Down a break a 3-2, Andreescu's "I want this so bad!" declaration to coach Sylvain Bruneau set the stage for back-to-back games won with a handful of gigantic shots off the Canadian's racket as she immediately broke back, then held at love. Cramping, she nonetheless continued to pound the ball at Kerber. She broke the veteran's serve for a 5-3 lead. Serving for the match, Andreescu continued to fire winners and reached double MP. Kerber saved both, and on #3 raced to one of the teenager's expert drop shots and scooted it cleanly into the corner, then turned around and walked back to the baseline with a wry smile and shake of her head at the audacity of it all. When Andreescu finally failed to convert on a drop shot attempt, Kerber got the break to close to 5-4. But rather than look for a way to escape, or reasons to give up the moment, the Canadian dug down once more and brought it home. A huge forehand winner made it 30/40 on Kerber's serve. On Andreescu's fourth MP, Kerber netted a backhand and Indian Wells had yet *another* unexpected champion.




As it turned out, it would be only the *first* big title run in '19 for the teenager.
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2. Fed Cup Final Match #3 - Kristina Mladenovic/FRA def. Ash Barty/AUS
...2-6/6-4/7-6(1). At the end of a long season that saw her win Miami, Roland Garros and the WTA Finals, while also finishing at #1 and putting the Australian team on her back, Barty faced the sort of pressure she'll likely encounter more often in 2020. For a while, she stayed a step ahead of the situation, taking the 1st set 6-2 and seemingly with the match on her racket deep into the 2nd. But after being broken when serving at 4-4, the script was flipped. Not only by Barty's tentativeness and suddenly error-heavy game, but by the reality of Mladenovic riding the sort of emotional wave that has at times made her the quintessential Fed Cup player of her generation (i.e. one who lifts her singles game to its greatest heights with a flag on her back or chest). Mladenovic got the break in game #9 and took the 2nd set, then got a similar break in game #9 in the 3rd, as well. Barty saved three BP at 5-5 in the deciding set, holding with a miraculous lunge volley, only to then be outplayed by the French woman in a 7-1 tie-break as France took a 2-1 lead. The result ended the Aussie's 15-match s/d FC winning streak that dated back to 2017.

After Ajla Tomjanovic knotted the tie at 2-2 with a win over Pauline Parmentier, Mladenvoic joined with Caroline Garcia to win the deciding doubles over Barty & Sam Stosur to claim France's first FC crown since 2003.
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3. Sydney Final - Petra Kvitova def. Ash Barty
...1-6/7-5/7-6(3). In the first of five '19 match-ups between the two (AB 3-2), Kvitova pushed herself to the physical limit in the heat, responding well in a dramatic 3rd set. Down 3-0 to Barty in front of an Aussie crowd, she battled back and served for the title at 5-4 and 6-5 while fighting exhaustion. Up 5-3 in the deciding TB, Kvitova began to show recognizable signs of cramping, but she had one last surge in her and won 7-3, causing Barty to come up one win short of the Sydney title for the second straight year.
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4. Beijing QF - Naomi Osaka def. Bianca Andreescu
...5-7/6-3/6-4. While the expectations were high for meeting #1, it's safe to say these two met them in a seesaw affair that whetted the appetite for more (even if a tired Osaka jokingly said after the match she was just fine with a one-and-done head-to-head history between the winners of the last two Indian Wells titles and last three hard court majors). Showing that she has the same sort of turn-it-around gene present within the Canadian, Osaka overcame 3-1 deficits in both the 2nd and 3rd sets to battle back after dropping the 1st, ending Andreescu's '19 tour-best winning streak (16 straight wins, but 17 matches w/o a loss) and her string of 13 three-set victories, handing Andreescu her first career loss in nine matches vs. Top 10 players *and* first defeat in a *completed* match since falling vs. Sofia Kenin in Acapulco in the opening days of March.




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5. Wimbledon 4th Rd. - Karolina Muchova def. Karolina Pliskova
...4-6/7-5/13-11. In an all-Czech Karolina battle, a clutch Muchova saw Pliskova twice serve for the match, at 5-4 and 11-10. What would have been the first match-deciding final set TB at Wimbledon didn't happen, though, as Muchova broke serve again to wrap up the win and reach her first slam QF in her SW19 debut (in just her fourth career slam MD).
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6. Fed Cup SF Match #3 - Simona Halep/ROU def. Caroline Garcia/FRA
...6-7(6)/6-3/6-4. With the visiting (and loud, as always) Romanian fans cheering her on, Halep had dispatched Mladenovic 3 & 1 to open the tie, then outlasted Garcia in 2:57 in match #3 to put the Swarmettes up 2-1. Against Garcia, Halep had overcome a 4-0 1st set deficit to serve at 5-4, and later saved two SP before holding one of her own in the tie-break, only to lose her footing on the red clay and fall in the backcourt on a point that gave the Pastry her third SP, which she converted seconds later. Halep rallied to win in three, though, breaking Garcia for 5-4 (with the help of a pair of DF) and then serving out her eighth straight FC singles win (and ending the French woman's run of six).



It proved to have all been in vain, as the Pastries won the deciding doubles to return to the FC final
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7. Madrid QF - Belinda Bencic def. Naomi Osaka
...3-6/6-2/7-5. Osaka appeared lost at times during her match with Bencic. Still, she came within two points of the win, but later admitted to thinking about what was at stake (a win would have protected her #1 ranking from Halep, though the Romanian ultimately came up short of the title and reclaiming the top spot anyway). This gave Bencic her second #1 win of what would ultimately be three during the season (all over Osaka, as well as a win over Halep in Dubai right *after* she lost the top spot), and captured the up-and-down-and-not-sure-about-quite-a-bit tone of Osaka's first spring as the #1 ranked player in the world


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8. WTA Finals rr - Simona Halep def. Bianca Andreescu
...3-6/7-6(6)/6-3. Halep vs. Andreescu I, aka "You Don't Mess with the Zohan."




In truth, the 2:34 contest was pretty much everything we expected, complete with drama, injury, a MP saved, sideline inspiration, and a lesson in how-to-survive-and-live-to-close-out-a-match delivered by an expert to an acolyte who *does* still have something more to learn before she can reach her ultimate peak, after all.

Andreescu held a MP in the 2nd set, but Halep forced things to a TB and won it on her third SP. And though the moment was later forgotten by some at the end of the week, Darren Cahill's pep talk to Halep while Andreescu was treated for smacking her shin with her own racket was just the sort of thing that makes those coaching sessions worthwhile.



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9. Australian Open 2nd Rd. - Garbine Muguruza def. Johanna Konta
...6-4/6-7(3)/7-5. Not starting until 12:30 a.m., not ending until 3:12 a.m., Garbi vs. Jo will probably be 2019's best match that no one actually remembers (either because they never watched it, or fell asleep while trying to do so).
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10. Eastbourne 3rd Rd. - Aryna Sabalenka def. Caroline Wozniacki
...2-6/6-4/7-6(5). A finalist in Eastbourne last year (she lost to Wozniacki), Sabalenka had to escape a 5-2 (w/ MP) hole in the 3rd just to return to the QF this year and get a touch of revenge. In her other win in three career match-ups with Wozniacki, Sabalenka saved 3 MP vs. the Dane in Montreal in '18.


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11. Australian Open Final - Naomi Osaka def. Petra Kvitova
...7-5/5-7/6-4. fter losing a 7-5/5-3 lead with four MP, Osaka raises her game in the 3rd to claim her second straight slam crown and become the first Asian singles #1.
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12. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Alison Riske def. Donna Vekic
...3-6/6-3/7-5. Vekic, after having been forced to a 3rd set, at one point led 4-1, only to drop three straight games and ten straight points. In a long service game at 4-4, the Croat got a six-deuce hold (on GP #5, after saving 2 BP) to edge ahead. Riske knotted it at 5-5, then the roof was closed (a Court 1 first) and they had a short warmup period. Riske dominated after the resumption of the match, as Vekic has another of her (by now nearly patented) heartbreaking exits. While Riske had converted just 3 of 17 BP in the match, Vekic DF'd on #18 to fall behind 5-6. Riske then held with a match-ending an ace.
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13. Toronto 3rd Rd. - Bianca Andreescu def. Kiki Bertens
...6-1/6-7(6)/6-4. The match that nearly derailed Andreescu's title run was the one that shouldn't have even gone three sets, but ended up being the longest match on tour this season. After taking the 1st set, Andreescu led 5-2 in the 2nd set TB, and held a MP at 6-5 before Bertens won 8-6. The teenager led 3-1 in the 3rd, but Bertens broke to get things back on serve at 4-3, then saved a BP in game #8. Up 5-4, Andreescu had MP's #2 and #3 on Bertens serve, with the Dutch world #5 saving the second with a well-timed ace. But on MP #4, Bertens' DF ended things after 3:29.
===============================================


14. Birmingham 2nd Rd. - Kristyna Pliskova def. Karolina Pliskova
...6-2/3-6/7-6(7). In the twins' first WTA MD match-up, Kristyna fired 24 aces and overcame Karolina's 4-1 2nd set lead to win in straights. In the TB, Kristyna led 6-5 after Karolina's DF, only to DF herself. Another Karolina DF gave her sister her third MP, which she finally put away with a service winner to secure her first Top 5 win.
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15. Roland Garros 3rd Rd - Anastasija Sevastova def. Elise Mertens
...6-7(3)/6-4/11-9. Sevastova saved five MP in wild-and-woolly 3:18 battle that allowed the Latvian to pull back another layer to reveal a philosophical side. Said Sevastova of the difference between winning and losing, "It's just a millimeter. It doesn't make you better or worse player. In the end, it's a bit of luck."




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


=TWO SETS=

Indian Wells 2nd Rd. - Serena Williams def. Victoria Azarenka
...7-5/6-3. In their first meeting since the '16 Indian Wells final, Serena and Vika managed to turn back the clock and quite possibly produced what will be the best two-set match of 2019. Surely, the nostalgia *and* quality levels were high in this one.




In her first match since losing a serving 5-1 with the first of 4 MP lead vs. Ka.Pliskova in Melbourne, Williams served up 5-3, 30/love in the 1st here, only to see a DF start her down to the path to a temporary setback. Azarenka leveled things at 5-5, and forced Serena to hold in an eight-minute game #11 in which she saved four BP. Naturally, Serena ended the game with back-to-back-to-back big serves, the last of which was an ace. She then got the break to take the 1st. In the 2nd, Williams again served at 5-3, but was BP down after having held two MP. Again, she held, this time to close out the match.




=FED CUP TRIPTYCH=

The GBR/KAZ World Group II Playoff was a tale of three matches...

Match #2 - Yulia Putintseva/KAZ def. Katie Boulter/GBR 3-6/6-2/7-6(6)
Match #3 - Johanna Konta/GBR def. Yulia Putintseva/KAZ 4-6/6-2/7-5
Match #4 - Katie Boulter/GBR def. Zarina Diyas/KAZ 6-7(1)/6-4/6-1
...what the Fed Cup Gods giveth, they also taketh. The swiftly changing emotions of FC tennis have rarely been more evident than they were in this tie. An energized Putintseva seemed to have possibly broken Boulter and the Brits' will on Saturday, overcoming a 4-1 3rd set deficit and saving three MP in 2:31 while ending the Brit's previously undefeated career FC record.




But then Putintseva squandered a sure-win match of her own on Sunday, as Konta went into FC Warrior Mode and erased a double-break lead in the 3rd. Putintseva served as 5-4, but Konta extended her personal Fed Cup win streak to eleven matches by sweeping the final three games to win in 2:21 and give GBR a 2-1 edge in the tie.



As it turned out, Boulter's devastation turned to exhilaration as she clinched the tie as the Brits ended over two decades of frustration and climbed one more rung up the Fed Cup ladder.



Putintseva did manage to rebound by (finally) winning her first tour singles title a few weeks later. Konta had the best clay court season of her life and reached the RG semis, while the injured Boulter didn't play again until November.

kosova-font

The Martina that keeps on giving...




==MATCH OF THE YEAR==
2005 Aust. Open SF - Serena Williams d. Maria Sharapova
2006 Aust. Open SF - Justine Henin-H. d. Maria Sharapova
2007 Los Angeles SF - Ana Ivanovic d. Jelena Jankovic
2008 U.S. Open Final - Serena Williams d. Venus Williams
2009 Wimbledon SF - Serena Williams d. Elena Dementieva
2010 Brisbane Final - Kim Clijsters d. Justine Henin
2011 Aust. Open 4th - Francesca Schiavone d. Svetlana Kuznetsova
2012 Miami 4th - Victoria Azarenka d. Dominika Cibulkova
2013 Cincinnati Final - Victoria Azarenka d. Serena Williams
2014 Indian Wells QF - Aga Radwanska d. Jelena Jankovic
2015 R.Garros 2nd - Francesca Schiavone d. Svetlana Kuznetsova
2016 Wimbledon 4th - Dominika Cibulkova d. Aga Radwanska
2017 Madrid 2nd - Genie Bouchard d. Maria Sharapova
2018 Aust. Open SF - Simona Halep d. Angelique Kerber
2019 Indian Wells Final - Bianca Andreescu d. Angelique Kerber





1. Australian Open QF - Karolina Pliskova def. Serena Williams
...6-4/4-6/7-5. Williams serves up 5-1 with a MP in the 3rd. But after rolling her ankle, she never wins another game. Pliskova saves four MP in all, sweeping the final six games in the arguably (injury or no injury) most shocking loss (sorry, Virginie Razzano... and don't even suggest Roberta Vinci) in Williams' career.
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2. Roland Garros SF - Ash Barty def. Amanda Anisimova
...6-7(4)/6-3/6-3 (7-6/3-0). Barty's run to the RG title included a win in this pinball machine-like match in which momentum was batted around like a tiny metal ball beneath glass, complete with bright flashing lights and accompanying sound effects. The Aussie dominated early, winning 17 of the first 18 points and had double SP at 5-0, 40/15 on Anisimova's serve. Two backhand errors swatted the momentum to the Bannerette, who began stepping inside the baseline to get to Barty's sliced groundstrokes and won 25 of 35 points, taking the 1st set TB and leading 3-0 in the 2nd (winning 17 consecutive points). But errors then crept into her game, and Barty capitalized. Getting back on serve, she won the last six games of the 2nd and used her variety-filled game to pull away in the 3rd.
===============================================
3. Dubai 3rd Rd. - Belinda Bencic def. Aryna Sabalenka
...6-4/2-6/7-6(7). Eventual Dubai champ Bencic's six saved MP are the most averted en route to a title since Andrea Petkovic saved eight (all in one match vs. Van Uytvanck) on her way to winning in Antwerp in 2015.


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4. Rosmalen SF - Alison Riske def. Kiki Bertens
...0-6/7-6(3)/7-5. Riske becomes the fifth champion this year to stave off MP en route to the title, recovering from Bertens holding a 6-0/4-1 lead, with five MP.
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5. Doha SF - Simona Halep def. Elina Svitolina
...6-3/3-6/6-4. Having won three straight matches over Halep in dominant fashion (36-13 in games) since blowing a set and 5-1 lead and a MP in the RG QF against the Romanian, Svitolina was in control here. Playing with a forward style, she led 4-1 in the 3rd and had three BP for another 5-1 lead. But once Halep constructed an eight-minute hold for 4-2, Svitolina lost control of the narrative of the match. Halep broke for 4-3, then held at love to knot the set. A running forehand pass down the line gave Halep her first BP of game #9, during which the Ukrainian (seemingly grasping at straws) unsuccessfully challenged two shots (both clearly called correctly) that had given the Romanian BP opportunities. Finally, on BP #3, Svitolina flew a forehand and Halep led 5-4. Things went quickly in game #10, as back-to-back Svitolina errors preceded Halep blazing a forehand past her at the net to reach 40/love. On MP #2, Svitolina's wide forehand provided the final point in Halep's five-game rush to close out the match.
===============================================
6. Charleston 2nd Rd. - Alona Ostapenko def. Shelby Rogers
...4-6/6-3/7-6(4). While it didn't ultimately mean anything (in *this* tournament or the clay season as a whole), Latvian Thunder *did* make a brief cameo appearance in Charleston this spring. Ostapenko's winner-fueled comeback came on the heels of vowing to play "fearless" once more. She did, and it saved a match in which Rogers served for the match at 5-1 and 5-3 in the 3rd set and held a MP. The Latvian ran off five straight games and served for it at 6-5. She dropped serve and things went to a TB, but she wasn't to be denied.


===============================================
7. Australian Open 3rd Rd. - Naomi Osaka def. Hsieh Su-wei
...5-7/6-4/6-1. Hsieh leads 7-5/4-1 over a frustrated Osaka, who eventually hits her way out of her stupor and gradually seizes control. She goes on to win the title. Hsieh would turn the tables on Osaka in Miami, coming back from a set down (0-2 in the 3rd) to upset the world #1 in the Miami 3rd Round).
===============================================
8. Mallorca Final - Sonya Kenin def. Belinda Bencic
...6-7(2)/7-6(5)/6-4. Bencic had the title on her racket, serving up 7-6/5-4. But a 3-DF game did her in, as she failed to convert three MP and Kenin forced a deciding 3rd set. Tied at 4-4, the Bannerette got the break and served it out.
===============================================
9. Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - Coco Gauff def. Polona Hercog
...3-6/7-6(7)/7-5. The 15-year old trailed 6-3/5-2, and Hercog held a MP on both Gauff's and her own serve. While the teenager played with nothing to lose, the veteran Hercog's mental lapses and too passive tactics ultimately provided an assist to her own defeat.
===============================================
10. San Jose QF - Maria Sakkari def. Elina Svitolina
...1-6/7-6(3)/6-3. Playing for the first time since her Wimbledon semifinal, Svitolina led Sakkari 6-1/5-2 and held four MP here... yet somehow found a way to lose.



Credit goes to Sakkari coach Tom Hill for kick-starting Sakkari when all hope seemed lost...


===============================================
11. Zhengzhou 2nd Rd. - Elina Svitolina def. Yulia Putintseva 3-6/6-1/7-6(5)
Zhengzhou QF - Kristina Mladenovic def. Elina Svitolina 6-4/4-6/6-3
...played on the same day, Svitolina survived physically, but not long enough to reach the semis. In match #1, she staged a comeback from 5-3 down in the 3rd, then 5-1 in the deciding TB, to win in 2:33.

Oh, Putintseva...



Later in the day, Mladenovic/Svitolina included an 18-deuce, 42-point game early on, though Mladenovic eventually lugged the whole thing over the finish line after 2:44...



===============================================
12. Pan American Singles Gold Medal Match - Nadia Podoroska/ARG def. Caroline Dolehide/USA
...2-6/6-3/7-6(4). Dolehide was on the cusp of becoming the first woman to sweep the singles and doubles Golds at the Pan American Games since 1991 (Pam Shriver), holding a MP on Podoroska's serve at 5-2 in the 3rd. The Argentine took things to a deciding TB, when staged another comeback after falling behind 4-0. She won the final seven points of the match.
===============================================
HM- Birmingham QF - Petra Martic def. Alona Ostapenko
...6-7(4)/7-5/6-1. Having (finally) showing signs of life in the event, Ostapenko led here 7-6/4-0, and held a 5-2 advantage and triple MP (+2 more). Errors brought the whole house down. She then went to Wimbledon and lost early, but then rebounded to play a starring role in a Mixed Doubles final run.

Linz SF - Alona Ostapenko def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
...1-6/7-6(5)/7-5. Ostapenko saved three MP in all, two as a returner at 5-6 in the 2nd and another serving at 4-5 in the 3rd.


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


===FED CUP HEROICS=
Fed Cup WG II Match #2 - Georgina Garcia-Perez/ESP def. Misaki Doi/JPN 6-2/4-6/7-6(2)
Fed Cup WG II Match #4 - Georgina Garcia-Perez/ESP def. Nao Nibino 6-3/1-6/6-1
Fed Cup WG II Match #5 - Georgina Garcia-Perez/Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez (ESP) def. Miyu Kato/Makota Ninomiya (JPN) 6-1/6-3
...GGP's complete weekend of Fed Cup ecstasy.

A point away from losing to Doi and seeing Spain go down 2-0 on the road after Day 1, the big-serving GGP seized upon the Japanese player's blown opportunity and raced to a commanding lead in the deciding TB, winning it 7-2. After Kurumi Nara had put Japan up 2-1 on Day 2, Garcia-Perez again came to the rescue, winning a three-setter over Nao Hibino (who collapsed due to cramping on her way to her press conference after having won Match #1 on Saturday) to force the deciding doubles into reality. There GGP returned yet again -- like something from an old movie where a long, tall monster ravages Tokyo -- and picked up a *third* point along with Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, taking down Miyu Kato/Makoto Ninomiya (5-0 in '18 FC doubles) 1 & 3 to secure a crazy winning weekend in Japan.




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$25K Sunderland ENG 1st Rd. - Tara Moore def. Jessika Ponchet
...0-6/7-6(7)/6-3. Moore's historic escape brought to mind Chanda Rubin's 1995 Roland Garros win over Jana Novotna after having trailed 5-0, 40/love in the 3rd set and facing nine MP. The Brit's week didn't have a fairy tale ending, as she didn't build upon her win from 0-6/0-5, 30/40 down (saving two MP) to win the title. She reached the SF, as well as the doubles final.






1. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Coco Gauff def. Venus Williams
...6-4/6-4. Venus probably has a comfortable sweater older than Gauff, but that didn't stop the 15-year old qualifier (the youngest in the Open era) from making her Wimbledon debut one of the most memorable ever en route to a Round of 16 run that hijacked the first week of the fortnight.


===============================================
2. U.S. Open 2nd Rd. - Taylor Townsend def. Simona Halep
...2-6/6-3/7-6(4). Qualifier Townsend changes tactics after dropping the 1st set, becoming a serve-and-volleying net-rushing fiend (106 times!). #4 seed Halep never adjusted as the former junior slam champ (2012) posted her first career Top 10 win en route to her maiden slam Round of 16.


===============================================
3. Australian Open 3rd Rd. - Amanda Anisimova def. Aryna Sabalenka 6-3/6-2
...the 17-year old's deep shots keep Sabalenka off balance, and she has no idea how to alter her fate. Coming off a title run in Shenzhen and about to make her Top 10 debut, Sabalenka saw just one BP on the Bannerette's serve all day long.
===============================================
4. Auckland 2nd Rd. - Bianca Andreescu def. Caroline Wozniacki 6-4/6-4
...in Week 1, it was the world #152 vs. #3, and it was the former whose power, slice, drop shots, defense and overall fight that seized control. Aggressive and handling the pressure of the moment like it was old hat, Andreescu recorded her first career Top 5 win in her ninth tour-level MD match. And the remarkable climb over the rest of her 1st Quarter (and the 2019 season) was on.



Auckland QF - Bianca Andreescu def. Venus Williams 6-7(1)/6-1/6-3
...there was no step back for Andreescu after upsetting Wozniacki. She simply followed up by beating a Williams, despite twice losing a break lead in the 1st set and falling behind a set and a break at 7-6/1-0. With one shoulder against the wall, the Canadian won eleven straight games until she led 5-0 in the 3rd, having broken Venus six straight times. Williams closed to 5-3, but Andreescu finished things out anyway. And, at least in one moment, the teenager's "drama queen" roots showed, too...


===============================================
5. Brisbane 1st Rd. - Kimberly Birrell def. Dasha Kasatkina 5-7/6-4/7-6(3)
...just call it the upset that officially christened the 2019 season (and Kasatkina's year-long nightmare), as #283 Birrell knocked off the #10-ranked Hordette in 3:07, coming back from 5-3 down in the 3rd, then avoiding squandering the match by winning a deciding TB after she'd failed to serve things out.
===============================================
6. Washington 1st Rd. - Hailey Baptiste def. #2 Madison Keys 7-6(4)/6-2
...17-year old Washingtonian Baptiste made her tour debut a memorable one, upsetting #2-seed Madison Keys in the 1st Round. Already a two-time ITF singles champ in '19, last season Baptiste reached the U.S. Open girls doubles final with Dalayna Hewitt, falling to Gauff & McNally.


===============================================
7. Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Lauren Davis def. Angelique Kerber
...2-6/6-2/6-1. From the opposite end of the draw spectrum, Davis knocks off the defending champ to become the first lucky loser to reach the 3rd Round since 1974 (and the first ever at SW19 to do it w/o the aid of 1st Rd.bye).
===============================================
8. Acapulco 2nd Rd. - Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Sloane Stephens 6-3/6-3
Indian Wells 2nd Rd. - Stefanie Voegele def. Sloane Stephens 6-3/6-0
Miami 3rd Rd. - Tatjana Maria def. Sloane Stephens 6-3/6-2
...take your pick, or the group as a collective '19 trend. It seems as if Sloane is either winning big titles or in a "transition phase," something she admitted to after the Voegele loss. Stephens was the defending champion in Miami. The trend never really changed, as she dropped to #25 and was the highest ranked player on tour to not appear in a final this season.
===============================================
9. Birmingham 2nd Rd. - Yulia Putintseva def. Naomi Osaka 6-2/6-3
Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Yulia Putintseva def. Naomi Osaka 7-6(4)/6-2
...was it still an "upset" when it happened twice in a matter of weeks?
===============================================
10. Fed Cup 1st Rd. Match #5 - Irina-Camelia Begu/Monica Niculescu (ROU) def. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE) [ROU def. CZE 3-2]
...6-7(2)/6-4/6-4. The loss that assured that at the end of this season the Czechs will not have won at least two of three Fed Cup championships for the first time since the Maidens' dominant run began in 2011.

As the world's #1 doubles team, no matter what the Swarmettes did on the other side of the net (and how great the visitors' Romanian support system was in the stands), the two-time slam champion Czechs are quite simply *expected* to win a deciding doubles match on home soil. It was Krejcikova/Siniakova's first attempt at such a thing in Fed Cup play, though, which serves to remind us that this was the first tie for CZE since Barbora Strycova voluntarily decided to bring to a close her FC career. It didn't take long for her to be missed.

With the match tight deep into the 3rd, the Czechs finally seemed to find their groove with a break to get back on serve at 4-4. But rather than seize control in the closing games, they totally lost their grip on the match. The Romanians got the break back at love, won six straight points and eight of nine overall to close out the contest in 2:44, setting off yet another national tennis celebration. The win was Niculescu's 31st in FC play (15-10/16-11), the most ever in Romanian history.



The upset went for naught, though, as the Romanians lost a 3-2 semifinal vs. eventual champion France, this time *dropping* a deciding doubles contest.
===============================================
HM- Wimbledon 4th Rd. - Alison Riske def. Ash Barty
...3-6/6-2/6-3. Riske, trying on her "Lisicki shoes," knocks of the reigning RG champ and world #1 at Wimbledon, ending Barty's 15-match winning streak en route to her maiden slam QF and a life-long AELTC membership slot.
===============================================




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Keep watching for a surprise...




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posted by Todd.Spiker @ 1:30 AM 

10 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

In NASCAR, it is called Silly Season, when drivers start changing rides for the upcoming season. It is silly season for WTA coaching changes as in the last week, Bajin/Yastremska, Kindlmann/Kerber, and Martinez/Muguruza have teamed up. Kotzya/Strycova split.

Strycova split because she is still thinking about retirement, though she will be in Australia. But the one that jumps out is Martinez/Muguruza.

Now I don't expect Muguruza to magically become a slam winner overnight, but it does bring up the question of what Muguruza actually wants. With an instagram that is Sharapova-like, it makes you wonder, can she find a middle ground like Serena, who manages to give 100% when on court, and still has time to do Beyonce videos.

Of those listed, it is the biggest concern for her, as she always seems to start off the season with leg and hamstring issues, can Martinez get her to start the season in peak condition?

Lists: Would have swapped Bencic and Pliskova.

Can't be mad about Vondrousova's placing, as she only played 1/2 season.

Konta should be higher up.

Agree with Barty as #1.

Would have had Linette as most improved.

Sakkari/Tsitsipas winning the same weekend is the best crossover story.

Best Matches:
1.Andreescu-Halep- YEC. Just like last year, when you could have just listed Halep's matches, Andreescu season ender lived up to the hype.
2.Andreescu-Kerber- IW. Even with reaching the Auckland final, this was the coming out party, complete with a worthy adversary in Kerber.
3.Andreescu-Osaka- Arguably, Osaka's match vs Kvitova was just as good, but this was a message match. The 2018 IW/USO winner wasn't going to get pushed aside for the 2019 version.
4.Riske-Vekic- W. Two upstarts fighting for 2 1/2 hrs, both indoors and outdoors. Worthy of a slam quarterfinal, this was a 1st rd match.
5.Muchova-Pliskova- W. Fellow compatriots fight to the bitter end. Postscript. Muchova made her Fed Cup debut this year. Now think Olympics. Only 6 per team, 4 singles & 2 doubles. Siniakova/Krejcikova + Pliskova, Kvitova, Muchova, Vondrousova, Strycova. Possibly Sestini. Who gets left behind?

Best series- tie between Bencic-Osaka and Kvitova-Barty.

Mon Nov 25, 08:15:00 AM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

Stat of the Week- 282- Career home runs for Eric Davis.

In the offseason, I can get creative. And the fact is that there is a similarity between Davis and a current WTA player. Andreescu.

If you aren't a baseball fan, any writeup of Davis included the words "If he can stay healthy". Due to his lingering injury issues, he only was an All Star in 2 of 17 seasons, yet garnered MVP votes in 6. Baseball plays 162 game seasons, yet his high was 135.

His other statistical surprise is that he actually had more stolen bases than homers, finishing with 349, a total made easier with 130 accumulated in a 2 year stretch.

Comparing Davis to Andreescu lets me point out that she is the 2nd favorite on Oddsshark for Australia. I think that is high right now, so why don't we look at the current Top 10 by odds, plus random others.

1.S.Williams- Yes, someone who hasn't won a title in 3 years is the favorite. Seems wrong, but she keeps reaching finals.
2.Andreescu- Here because Osaka just did the USO-Aussie double. Due to her health, wouldn't be in my Top 8 now.
3.Barty- Favorite at her home slam? The charming introvert is going to need to have her team protect her when needed. Since her return has had 8 wins at every slam except Wimbledon, where she has only 5.
4.Osaka- I would have lower because of shoulder concerns, but trying to be first finalist to reach it in back to back years since Serena 2015-17. Before that? Li 2013-14.
5.Halep- 2018 finalist comes in healthy and back with Cahill. May be the real favorite.
6.Svitolina- 2 time QF here and French Open, yet made SF at the 2 slams where she had never reached the QF. So she is the wild card.
7.Pliskova- Should have won this by now. Wozniacki like streak of 9 years in a row here with equaling or bettering previous year. SF last year so..?
8.Bencic- Arguably her worst slam, but the only one she's never missed. This will be her 7th AO in a row.
9.Kvitova- Another with injury issues, R16 best case scenario for now.
10.Sabalenka- 3rd-SF-QF-W. That was awesome. That is a pipe dream in singles, as she is the younger Pliskova, under .500 in slams.

Others:
15.Gauff- 15 seems crazy, until you realize that would be R16, which she has already reached. Last slam as a 15 yr old.
16.Bertens- Slam Bertens is less than she should be, 16 is fair, even though she's Top 10.
21.Azarenka- Odds because she is a two-time winner, not because of recent results. No. 50 ranking would mean 2nd rd, and that is reasonable, not 21.
29.Sharapova- Isn't even in the field yet, as she has to qual...oh, who am I kidding. Either she gets WC or doesn't play.
33.McNally- A year away in singles, here because of the Gauff connection. Reached 5 Jr. finals in doubles, so a run her wouldn't be a shock.
37.Clijsters- Won't be ready, but listed to piss the next person's fans off.
38.Pavlyuchenkova- Straight up cold to place someone putting up results behind former greats like Azarenka, Sharapova, and Clijsters. Ironwoman set to play 12th straight AO and 48th straight slam. Cornet going for 53 straight.
43.Bouchard- last of 43 players listed, she is the Brady Anderson of the WTA. Anderson hit 50 homers in one season, never topping 24 in the other 14. Bouchard had 19 slam wins in 2014, 22 in the other 6 combined.

Mon Nov 25, 08:36:00 AM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

Quiz Time!
In Tracy Austin's first Australian Open, who defeated her?

A.Pam Shriver
B.Marjorie Blackwood
C.Susan Leo
D.Kim Steinmetz


Interlude- NBA Cleveland Cavaliers wore their 90's throwback unis, and made a hype video to go with it.

https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1198407605611302915

Answer!
This is one where the journey is more important than the actual answer.

Now, I wanted to use Austin's results as a 15 yr old there, but she didn't play there till she was 18. In fact, her second and last appearance was in 1994, 10 years after she first retired.

(D)Steinmetz is wrong, because she didn't even play Austin. But she lost to (C)Leo, who lost to Austin in the second round. This is where I point out that Austin didn't even play a 1st rd match, meaning that a seeded player only needed to win 5 matches for the title. One reason why Court sometimes gets dragged for these titles.

(B)Blackwood is incorrect, as she was Austin's 3rd rd victim, but small world as it is, was Leo's doubles partner, getting knocked out by #1 seed Navratilova/Shriver in 1st rd. Canadian Blackwood's claim to fame is being one of the few WTA players ever born in Pakistan.

(A)Shriver is the good guess, knocking out Austin in the quarters. QF was match after 3rd rd. In a tournament in which all Top 8 seeds reached the quarters, the other side of the bracket actually had a 15 yr old in Andrea Jaeger, who was knocked out by Wendy Turnbull.

Neither Turnbull or Shriver reached the finals, being knocked out by Chris and Martina.

Mon Nov 25, 08:36:00 AM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Answered sort of all out of order, but...

You can add Pliskova splitting with Martinez to the coaching carousel, too, since it made the Mugu/Conchita pairing possible.

Maybe Garbi got some clarity from her Africa trip (and Karolina inadvertently "did her a solid). It might have just been my imagination, but Pliskova seemed more physically sound and "right" at the end of this season than she has in years, if not ever. Moving on from Martinez feels a very "Konta thing" (circa 2016-17) to do. (Insert the common post-WTA season decisions-inspired raised eyebrow here.)

Yeah, while it's usually the easiest region (in Honors or Ms.Backspin finishes) to sort out, Western Europe's best players were sort of a jumble this year. I had Pliskova the highest of the group because she was ranked #2 and tied for the title lead, though Bencic's individual performances were the most impressive. Meanwhile, Kvitova reached a slam final. At the same time, Mertens won the Sunshine Double in WD, Vondrousova got off to a blazing start (then barely played -- I might have tied her w/ Anisimova, but AA won a title). Strycova was #1 in doubles and had a singles slam SF. Mladenovic was FC final MVP (plus her doubles w/ Babos). It was difficult to find a "correct" order to rank then, and which to give awards to over others (especially w/ Kerber not really being in the mix, though I *did* have her in the #1 match).

Oh, and speaking of that, I had *major* issues with the tour website's list of the "Top 5 Slam matches" of 2019. Honestly, for most of the players involved in the five matches listed, I think there was a *better* slam match they played than the ones the WTA picked out.

WTA's *Top 5 Grand Slam Matches of 2019*
No.5: Barty d. Anisimova, Roland Garros
...an interesting match, but I'm not sure it was "great" in any way (just streaky)
------------------------
No.4: Andreescu d. Mertens, US Open
...I don't even think it was was the best BA match from the Open
------------------------
No.3: Pliskova d. Hsieh, Wimbledon
...not Pliskova's 13-11 3rd set Wimb. win over Muchova? Or Osaka's big comeback vs. Hsieh in the AO?
------------------------
No.2: S.Williams d. Halep, Australian Open
...maybe their most competitive slam match-up, but a case could be made that Halep's performance in the Wimb. final raised that one above this match, at least historically
------------------------
No.1: Osaka d. Kvitova, Australian Open
...a very good final, but the *#1* slam match of the year? I wouldn't go that far.
------------------------

It seems to me they just looked at who won the four slams (save for Simona) and just picked a three-setter the winner played en route and listed that.

In truth, it wasn't the *greatest* year for epic slam matches. Your list included Riske/Vekic and Pliskova/Muchova, both of which I'd have included in the Top 5 slam matches over (certainly) three of the tour's picks (all but NO/PK), and maybe four (AB/AA).

Mon Nov 25, 11:31:00 AM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Cont'd...

I can see Linette as Most Improved, but at least for Western Europe I wanted to honor Teichmann winning two clay titles (and Muchova's ranking jump rivaled Andreescu's). If I'd included more Regional categories this year Linette would have gotten in there somewhere.

I was surprised where Konta finished, but without a title I had a hard time pushing her up any higher. She's directly behind the doubles #1/slam WS semifinalist (Styrcova), a three-title winner (Sabalenka), four-time WD winners (Chans) and a two-time slam semifinalist/WTAF runner-up (Svitolina). Even with her FC, I couldn't find a crack (only the Chans seem vulnerable in retrospect).

You could have done something similar with Ryan Zimmerman being substituted for Eric Davis. ;)

(I think we know why Brady Anderson hit 50 homers that one year... wink, wink.) :D

QUIZ: picked Shriver (because, umm, well?), but I guess that was somewhat beside the point. ;)

Mentioning Court, I wonder if the tournament will let her guilt/pressure it into honoring her> She's sort of showing how "dangerous" it can be to name a stadium after someone, especially when they're still living and making news.

If it does, I wonder if some of the players (likely, only the women and a few ATPers like Murray) would ever consider something similar to what happened at halftime of the Yale/Harvard game this weekend?

Hmmm, it's nearly December. I guess this means we're only days/weeks away from the announcement of doubles break-ups/team-ups for '20. It'll be an Olympic year, so... :/

(I wonder if Garcia/Mladenovic will be a thing in Tokyo?)

I guess Serena will always be the "betting" favorite until she retires. Although, with her history in the AO, and with her possibly being as healthy in Melbourne as she may be all season that could be her *best* shot in '20. She may have gotten #24 there last January if she hadn't been hurt vs. Pliskova with the match on her racket.

Too bad the WTA can't be as creative with their videos as the Cavs. (Random Fact: the very first CD I ever owned was the MC Hammer album, which I got as part of one of those music clubs back then.)

Mon Nov 25, 11:32:00 AM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

de Groot/Van Koot won the Masters Doubles title over Shuker/Whiley. De Groot vs. Kamiji in the singles final next.

She hasn't lost since dropping the Wimbledon singles final (28-0 s/d heading into the WS final).

De Groot pre-WS final for 2019: 73-6 combined (44-4 singles, 29-2 doubles)

Tue Nov 26, 11:01:00 AM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Masters singles final: de Groot d. Kamiji 6-2/6-3

(3rd place: Whiley d. Buis)

Tue Nov 26, 08:06:00 PM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

What is the tennis equivalent of Miami losing to Washington, but beating Philadelphia?

Only news of note was Kanepi winning a 15K and locking in Australian Open spot. Because it is the often injured Kanepi, this doesn't bother me. If this was someone playing their 30th event of the year, it would be overplaying.

Stat of the Week- 12- The amount of events played by Sania Mirza before the French Open in 2017.

That's right! Not 2018. After 2 years out, Mirza is returning, and has said that making the Olympics is her goal, though she is concerned if her body will hold up.

If you wonder why before the French matters, when she played all year, it is because the counting period started after last year's event. So for her to make it, she only will have half the season to do it.

Mirza gained 3091 pts. But with 2 years off, we can't expect her to have the same success. So I took 75%, and that gets you 2318 pts, which would put her about 28th. That may get her in, as the Top 10 get to pick their partners. And with 8 different countries represented, you can assume that others in the rankings ahead of her will make up part of the 32 teams.

Those 32 teams are 31 spots plus Japan, who gets one as the host. Mirza's situation points out 2 other interesting things to look at.

The first thing is that we mention that Top 10 get to pick a partner, but a country can't have more than 6 players. Czech Republic will have someone deserving left off the team. Siniakova is 7, and would pick Krejcikova. Then add singles stars Pliskova, Kvitova, Muchova. Vondrousova is the one in trouble, as her French Open run doesn't count, and almost did nothing in the latter half of the season.

That is 6. What is the problem? Well, Krejcikova isn't in the Top 10, while Strycova is #1. As of now, she will get to pick whomever she wants. Krejcikova 13th and has to play well, or start sending Strycova Christmas gifts.

The other person to look at, because she is the reverse of Mirza, is Groenefeld. As of this writing, she has not taken her name off the rankings, leading to a possible Olympic run, and something else.

Olympic run is possible, because if you take her 10 events after the French, she has more points than Mirza is projected to with 3326. The only German in the Top 40, they may ask her to consider playing, as Friedsam is the only other one close.

The other thing? Groenefeld retires at 11 in the rankings. With AO winner Zhang at 10, she is almost guaranteed to make it that high. Now she has reached 10 off and on over the years. The oddity is that she possibly could reach 9 after her retirement, something she has not done since August 2006!

Tue Dec 03, 07:44:00 AM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

Quiz Time!

India does not have a rich tennis history. Who was the first player to crack the Top 200?

A.Sania Mirza
B.Nirupama Sanjeev
C.Shikha Uberoi
D.Sunitha Rao





Answer!

Let's make this tough by taking out the favorite (A)Mirza. Thankfully not the first in every category, she was the first, and still only only one in India's history to reach the Top 100, reaching 27.

(D)Rao is not the answer, though she was the 4th do so. Reaching a career high of 144, she retired less than 2 years later.

(C)Uberoi is not correct, though 4 sisters played tennis at various levels. Reaching 122, she is the 2nd highest ranked woman, and was also the 2nd to have won a slam match in the Open Era.

(B)Sanjeev was the first to win a slam match, when she did so in Australia back in 1998. That was her only MD slam win, but reached 147, which was the high water mark before Uberoi and Mirza.

Tue Dec 03, 07:53:00 AM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Well, the Dolphins *would* have beaten the Redskins had they not waited until late in the 2nd half to insert Fitzpatrick *and/or* had actually thrown the ball into the endzone (rather than a screen pass in heavy traffic in the middle of the field) on the game-winning 2-point try. But, you know, Miami back then looked to be in a "we're-trying-to-get-the-#1-pick" mode. Plus, the NFC East is pretty crappy from top to bottom, so... ;)

I don't know if Mirza has announced any partnership for '20. As has always been the case (esp. in recent years), she generally rises and falls based on who is beside her. Maybe Mattek will be free with Safarova now retired.

Quiz: Well, I *picked* Sanjeev, but mostly only because I was pretty familiar with Uberoi and Rao and didn't know as much about her, so I just figured... ;)

Don't forget, also, that Vondrousova had had some very good doubles results (mostly w/ Bellis before her injury) before she took off in singles, so she might be an option as an Olympic WD partner for Strycova, which could further complicate things for someone, say, like Muchova getting to Tokyo as a singles-only participant if both Pliskova and Kvitova are healthy to play. Of course, this is assuming that Strycova is going to play the Olympics. She backed out of Fed Cup as she started to wind things down, so you never know.

By the way, in looking to see Muchova's doubles results I see that the ITF has re-done its website. So, now you can't see a player's singles and doubles results simultaneously, and you can't get *all* their career events up with just one click, you have the increase the number of events shown from 5 (5??? At least how a year's worth.) to 50 and then click and click and click until you get everything. For a player like Venus with 20+ years of results, that could take a while. And now each tournament's results are show via brackets rather than just line-by-line results.

That site was the easiest to use to search a player's career results, so naturally they had to make it look prettier at the expense of ease of use.

Tue Dec 03, 10:12:00 AM EST  

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