Wk.1- Act 1, Scene 1 (2020)
New year. New decade. New season. But the more some things change, the more others stay remarkably the same.
Serena Williams returns to Title Town.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 12, 2020
Serena wins her 1st title since 2017, defeating Jessica Pegula 63 64 to win @asbclassic.
Serena won her 1st WTA title in February 1999.
She’s won her 73rd WTA title in January 2020.
Excellence across 4 decades. #ASBClassic pic.twitter.com/0UgWu1pfOI
S: Karolina Pliskova/CZE def. Madison Keys/USA 6-4/4-6/7-5
D: Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova (TPE/CZE) def. Ash Barty/Kiki Bertens (AUS/NED) 3-6/7-6(7) [10-8]
S: Serena Williams/USA def. Jessica Pegula/USA 6-2/6-4
D: Asia Muhammad/Taylor Townsend (USA/USA) def. Serena Williams/Caroline Wozniacki (USA/DEN) 6-4/6-4
S: Ekaterina Alexandrova/RUS def. Elena Rybakina/KAZ 6-2/6-4
D: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE) def. Duan Yingying/Zheng Saisai (CHN/CHN) 6-2/3-6 [10-4]
Lift that @ASB_Classic ??, @serenawilliams ! pic.twitter.com/lXJVFjy378
— WTA (@WTA) January 12, 2020
Not only did Serena win career title #73 (claimed in now *four* different decades) in Auckland, her first since her Australian Open run while pregnant in 2017, to become the fourth oldest singles champion in tour history, but she teamed with the soon-to-retire Caroline Wozniacki to reach the doubles final, picking up a little extra time on court (and showing she has no physical limitations heading into Melbourne). Not that she didn't have a few moments to maneuver around during a week that included victories over Camila Giorgi, Christina McHale, Laura Siegemund, Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula. She rallied from a set down vs. McHale, and from 3-1 in the 1st in the final against Pegula, ending her career-worst run of five straight losses in finals. But, really, even in the moment it was impossible to not confidently foresee eventual victory en route to her first pre-AO title since 2014.
She wasn't able to send off the Dane with possibly the final title of her WTA career or sweep the titles at an event for the first time in four years, losing the WD final to Muhammad/Townsend *after* she'd won in singles, but she'll likely now be the "favorite" at the slam she's already won seven times.
...it's not often that a former #1 and two-time slam winner can be placed in the "Riser" category, but an exception can be made for Osaka as she embarks on what promises to be a very interesting season with new coach Wim Fissette in her camp. Considering Fissette's usual tendency to join up with players seeking to make their mark (he was w/ Halep in '14), rebound from a slump or embark on a something of a comeback (Clijsters 2009-11; Azarenka 2015-16, 18; Konta 2016-17; Kerber 2017-18), theirs might be viewed as a surprise pairing. But the Belgian's history of success surely bodes well for Osaka's '20 prospects.
The game she arrived with in Brisbane, and their sideline interactions during timeouts, seemed well suited for where Osaka's career seeks to go next (i.e. solidifying and building upon her past success with a level-headed, consistent and even *more* pointed attack). Fissette advised Osaka to not be so tough on herself when signs of a too-much-in-her-head moment seemed to pop up, and her service game was as lethal throughout the week as it'd been since her U.S. Open title run. In all, Osaka fired off 54 aces in four matches (a tournament record), including 16 (vs. Sakkari) and 18 (vs. Kenin) in back-to-back matches to set a new career best mark. She even had 16 aces in her SF loss to Karolina Pliskova, a match in which she held a MP (she pulled back on her serve to give the Czech a change of pace rather than simply blasting it, then spent the rest of the match questioning the decision as she trudged toward eventual defeat in the final set of her fourth straight three-set match of the week). Afterward, she wasn't shy went it came to recognizing and owning up to her mistakes, giving Fissette something to work with heading into her title defense in Melbourne.
"It's eating me up a little bit."@NaomiOsaka #????? is in reflective mood following her semifinal defeat at @BrisbaneTennis. pic.twitter.com/MDYApt1gDH
— WTA (@WTA) January 11, 2020
Osaka promises to be a fascinating (still) work in progress (even after all she's *already* done) throughout 2020.
Champions feels! #shenzhenopen #wta pic.twitter.com/wK8ULQ0guy
— Shenzhen Open (@ShenzhenOpenWTA) January 11, 2020
It was only a few seasons ago (2016) that Alexandrova was overjoyed at reaching her first slam MD at Wimbledon after winning back-to-back 14-12 and 13-11 3rd sets, then began her slam career with a 1st Round win over #23-seed Ana Ivanovic. While the Russian has yet to make a *true* slam mark since (even while reaching a 3rd Rd. at last year's RG and posting additional wins in majors over a #30 seed -- Buzarnescu -- *and* Siniakova and, twice, Stosur), the 25-year old has gradually worked her way up the WTA rankings. A winner of three WTA 125 titles and a former tour finalist (Linz '18) with a pair of Top 10 wins to her credit, she ended 2019 at a career-high #35 and came into Shenzhen at #34. Alexandrova dropped just one set en route to becoming the first WTA champion of 2020, knocking off three seeds (#4 Wang Qiang, #6 Garbine Muguruza and #7 Elena Rybakina) on her way to becoming the first Hordette to become a maiden WTA singles champ since Dasha Kasatkina in 2017.
Congratulations Ekaterina Alexandrova on her maiden title!! #ShenzhenOpen #wta pic.twitter.com/3ia95Th8zU
— Shenzhen Open (@ShenzhenOpenWTA) January 11, 2020
Meanwhile, Brisbane finalist Keys appears to be fully healthy. Enjoy it while you can, for such a thing is never a given over the course of a long season. In Week 1, she edged closer to a Top 10 return (up two to #11 on Monday) by stringing together wins over Marie Bouzkova, Sam Stosur, Danielle Collins and Petra Kvitova to reach the earliest-in-the-season WTA singles final of her career, a full three months earlier than her appearances in two springtime Charleston finals in April 2015 and '19. In fact, all of Keys' previous nine finals came within the April-September window of the tour schedule, with six coming in North America, so this week's result *is* something to take note of as we surge into the first slam of the 2020's a week from now.
Keys had her chances against defending champion Pliskova in the final, but the Czech proved to be too much down the stretch, surging back to win a 7-5 3rd set after having been broken when first serving for the match at 5-4.
Best win of her career! ??
— WTA (@WTA) January 9, 2020
Jennifer Brady takes out the World No.1 Barty in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6(4)!#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/YKTS3p0ZBZ
SURPRISES: Jennifer Brady/USA and Jessica Pegula/USA
...is Brady finally "off the cusp," and ready for "go" time? The Bannerette has flashed superior results in recent seasons, including reaching two slam Round of 16's in 2017 (in her AO and US debuts), but entered 2020 without a Top 10 win, tour singles final appearance or a Top 50 ranking during her career. Well, we can at least scratch two of those off her To-Do List after her week in Brisbane.
Ranked #53, Brady made her way through qualifying then once again proved her ability to soar high, upsetting Maria Sharapova and world #1 Ash Barty in back-to-back matches during which the Pennsylvania native held in 24 consecutive service games without facing a BP. Brady fell in the QF to Petra Kvitova, but will finally break through the Top 50 barrier (#49) in the Monday rankings.
Brady: "I think the off-season, made a lot of progress on court & off court. I think that stepping on the court with a different mentality, different sort of belief in myself and, just kind of changed. I feel like a different person, a better person, fresh, mentally, physically." pic.twitter.com/jKjkbon9U2
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 9, 2020
In Auckland, 25-year old Pegula reached her third tour-level singles final (she won last summer in D.C.) after posting wins over CiCi Bellis, Tamara Zidansek, Alize Cornet (ret.) and Caroline Wozniacki (winning a love 3rd set). In the final, Pegula led Serena Williams 3-1 in the 1st set in the tenth all-U.S. WTA singles final not featuring Venus that Serena has participated in during her career. Of course, Williams turned things around to get the straight sets win, but the Buffalo native will jump 18 places in the rankings to #64 on Monday, moving her in the Bannerrette Top 10 (just past Lauren Davis and Coco Gauff) heading into the Australian Open.
Into her first @asb_classic final ??@jlpegula outlasts Wozniacki 3-6, 6-4, 6-0! pic.twitter.com/OBRd1DYoVQ
— WTA (@WTA) January 11, 2020
...Pliskova may still be the only active former WTA #1 who hasn't won a slam singles crown, but she's got this Brisbane thing down.
The 28-year old Czech battled through a tough stretch of matches in Week 1, digging down to find her old Fed Cup self while winning three-set matches over Ajla Tomljanvic, Naomi Osaka (saving a MP) and Madison Keys (in the final), plus taking out Alison Riske in two a few rounds earlier. Pliskova had just enough left in the proverbial tank to take home her 16th career tour title, her third championship run in Brisbane (a tournament record, breaking a tie with Serena and Vika). Her 17 wins are more than any other woman in the event's history, as well.
Her Brisbane title defense helps Pliskova solidly maintain her #2 ranking heading into Melbourne, where she'll take up residence on the opposite side of the draw from Favo(u)red Daughter Ash Barty, and begin her latest attempt to *remove* her name from one WTA list and *add* it to another.
Karolina Pliskova, Queen of Aces, Queen of Brisbane.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 12, 2020
?? 2017
?? 2019
?? 2020
Pliskova now the winningest player @BrisbaneTennis (17-2)
and their 1st three-time champion.
Her 42 aces = $8,400 for bushfire relief. #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/JOc6zdJifT
Meanwhile, doubles #1 Strycova says she's retiring soon, but you'd never know it by the things she's been doing over the past eight months or so. She and Hsieh opened '20 by taking the Brisbane title, their sixth as a duo (Hsieh's 25th, Strycova's 28th). After dropping no sets en route to the final, they staged a comeback from a set down to conquer Ash Barty & Kiki Bertens in a 10-8 super tie-break to the win.
Congrats to @BrisbaneTennis doubles champions @BaraStrycova and Hsieh Su-wei!
— WTA (@WTA) January 12, 2020
?? ?? pic.twitter.com/uAv93q80bA
...hmmm. Perhaps Genie is a little jealous of all the attention Bianca Andreescu has gotten since her U.S. Open title?
A fantastic win for @geniebouchard against @CaroGarcia, 6-4, 6-4 #LoveItAll #ASBClassic pic.twitter.com/S0z0mv6YWW
— ASB Classic (@ASB_Classic) January 8, 2020
Whatever the impetus, the Canadian started off her '20 season with an encouraging week of results in the same tournament which launched Andreescu's breakout '19 campaign (when she reached the final). Taking a wild card into the Auckland MD (as #262, the *third*-ranked woman from Canada behind even recent junior star Leylah Annie Fernandez), Bouchard put together back-to-back wins over Kirsten Flipkens and Caroline Garcia (#46), the latter being her best match victory since defeating then-#24 Carla Suarez-Navarro in Luxembourg in October '18. Bouchard fell in the Auckland QF in three sets to Amanda Anisimova. She'll rise over 50 spots to #211 in the new rankings.
bye auckland! always love playing here. you guys are some special fans ???? pic.twitter.com/J6TZDHciI0
— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) January 11, 2020
Of course, this week of results might be best viewed with the utmost caution. A year ago, Bouchard *also* reached the QF in Auckland. It turned out to be her best result in all of '19, a season which saw her lose 11 straight Q/MD tour-level matches, a streak which promptly began the following February. She also won a Week 1 doubles title a year ago, only to see her four match wins in Auckland surpass her WD wins (3) the *remainder* of the season.
So, at this point, all one can truly say is that Bouchard will have more wins in January this year than Andreescu, who announced this weekend that she won't play the Australian Open as she continues to make her way back from her WTAF knee injury.
...don't look now, but there's a mini (second) Russian revolution occurring on tour. The number of up-and-coming Hordettes have swelled enough in the last season or two that a big-hitting youngster with as much potential as the 20-year old Rybakina managed to slip away, as in mid-2018 the then-teenager decided to take the much-previously traveled (by the likes of Putintseva, Shvedova and others) path from her home country into the arms of the Kazakh tennis federation in order to receive the proper support. It might just work out for all involved.
Rybakina reached two tour finals last season, winning her maiden WTA title in Bucharest as she put on an under-the-radar climb from #191 to #36 over the course of the year, posting her second career Top 10 win (vs. Halep in Wuhan) last fall. She opened '20 this week in Shenzhen and blasted her way to her third final with wins over Zheng Saisai, Wang Yafan, Elise Mertens and Kristyna Pliskova before falling to another Russian-born riser, Ekaterina Alexandrova, who picked up *her* first WTA title. The week's result will lift Rybakina to #30, moving her past Putintseva and making her the highest-ranked Kazakh on tour.
"I'm motivated by all of the other young players currently coming up on tour. It’s a new generation, and for the next years, they are all going to fight for the top."
— WTA (@WTA) January 6, 2020
Elena Rybakina reflects on the field in 2020 and beyond --> https://t.co/jtdn1mrcUY pic.twitter.com/zAnSqXDg30
Samsonova, 21, is a Hordette still (so far, at least) playing under the Russian flag. Ranked #129, her success has largely come on the ITF circuit. She ended the '19 calendar year with a pair of December WTA 125 wins over Alize Cornet and Camila Giorgi, then carried that momentum over to a Brisbane qualifying run that included victories over Kristina Mladenovic and Marta Kostyuk. In the MD, she upset Sloane Stephens in the 1st Round for her biggest career win/moment before falling to Petra Kvitova. She'll climb slightly (to #118) to a new career high ranking with the result, but will still be only the 13th-best Hordette on the WTA computer. Until further notice, at least.
...the Belarusian kicked off her '19 season with a title run in Shenzhen in the heart of her career "comfort zone" in China. Her win a year ago was the second of a string of four straight singles finals won in the nation (w/ 2018 Wuhan, and '19 Wuhan & Elite Trophy in Zhuhai). Sabalenka was back within the borders to open 2020 in Week 1, but saw her tournament reign end unceremoniously in the 2nd Round with a loss to Kristyna Pliskova. Unlike with what occurred often in '19, though, her doubles partnership with Elise Mertens didn't pick up the slack of a disappointing singles result. The "Sunshine Double" and U.S. Open winning pair fell in the QF to Misaki Doi & Monica Niculescu.
Rather than taking a step toward a return to the Top 10, Sabalenka will now fall back a spot to #12 in the new rankings.
...in Bendigo, where the tournament was moved from Canberra due to the Australian fires, 22-year old Frech won her first ITF title since 2017. The Pole didn't lose a set en route to the final, defeating the likes of Antonia Lottner, Kristyca Kucova and Ekaterine Gorgodze. She picked up the title in a walkover from injured Romanian Patricia Maria Tig, who'd reached her eighth singles final (1 WTA, 1 WTA 125 and 6 on the ITF circuit) since returning to tennis last season after an injury hiatus during which she also became a first-time mom.
...the Chinese 15-year old (jr. #299) grabbed a Grade 1 crown in Costa Rica, winning her first ITF junior circuit crown in San Jose while by dropping just a single set through six matches. She closed out the win in the final with a victory over 14-year old Bannerette Alexia Harmon (#692). Mi had reached three previous ITF junior finals, falling in Grade 3, 4 and 5 finals in 2019.
...in an Olympic year, the likelihood for some uncommon doubles duos cropping up over the course of the year increases, as players seek out potential partnerships for the games. Krejcikova/Siniakova don't have to worry themselves with planning such itineraries, though, as the Czechs once formed a dominant junior slam winning duo (three majors in '13) and have since teamed up to reach the #1 doubles ranking and win a pair of slam crowns on the women's tour. The pair got onto things early this time around after having not teamed to win any of their previous four WTA titles prior to June, opening '20 with a Week 1 title run in Shenzhen (where Siniakova won her maiden tour singles title three years ago). After dropping no sets en route to the final, Krejcikova/Siniakova took down another all-nation duo (China's Duan Yingying/Zheng Saisai) in a 10-4 super tie-break to claim the winners' trophy for their seventh crown together as pros (5 WTA, 2 ITF).
In Auckland, Muhammad & Townsend truly had a moment to remember. They won their first tour-level title together, yeah, but they did it by defeating *Serena Williams & Caroline Wozniacki* in the final. The 6-4/6-4 win completed a no-sets-lost week (which also included a SF win over "McCoco") for the Bannerette pair, who've combined to go 9-1 in various ITF challenger finals since 2013. This was Muhammad's fifth career WTA title, but Townsend's very first. And it comes in just the second event of any kind (w/ a November 125 Series outing) that Townsend has played since her Round of 16 singles run (w/ a win over Simona Halep) at last summer's U.S. Open.
Williams had been seeking to sweep the singles and doubles at an event for the first time since 2016, while Wozniacki (the first play doubles with *both* Williams sisters) was playing in her first doubles final in eleven years. They'd reached the final without losing a set, and took out #1-seeds Dolehide/Larsson.
...no wheelchair action in Week 1, but the soon-to-be-forced-to-retire Marjolein Buis is hard at work preparing for her final season on tour.
Nice half-volley pick-up! (in the second vid)
Oh Dad... ??@CocoGauff | @ASB_Classic pic.twitter.com/nzhZpqWeQR
— WTA (@WTA) January 9, 2020
...6-4/7-6(4). Brady made her first Top 10 win a *big* one, as Barty dropped her second straight singles match (w/ that FC loss vs. Mladenovic) dating back to last year.
Jennifer Brady completes the fight back at the @BrisbaneTennis!
— WTA (@WTA) January 7, 2020
Knocks out former champion Sharapova 3-6, 6-1. 7-6(3)! pic.twitter.com/7HbO0Y263N
2. Brisbane 1st Rd. - Jennifer Brady def. Maria Sharapova
...3-6/6-1/7-6(3). Already dealing with her shoulder, Sharapova also took a trip to the hospital due to a recent virus. But the real question is whether her body will hold up until and through her *next* match. Then the one after that, and so on.
At the very least, though, this will likely be her final appearance this season at a tournament such as this one, which she said felt "a bit like a second-hand event" as her match (as well as that of fellow slam winner Sloane Stephens, who also spoke up, and those of others) was thrown onto an outside court in the WTA's *own* event in favor of that men's who-gives-a-damn (IMO) thing that replaced the Hopman Cup, which was played in three *different* cities and played havoc with the scheduling at an *actual, THIS-one-REALLY-counts* WTA event in Week 1.
Said Sharapova, "It was what the ATP wanted -- they got what they wanted, girls to the side, that's kind of how it always is."
UPSET ALERT ??
— #BrisbaneTennis (@BrisbaneTennis) January 7, 2020
Qualifier #Samsonova knocks out former US Open champ Sloane Stephens 6-4 2-6 6-3.#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/vRnk1HYJic
3. Brisbane 1st Rd. - Liudmila Samsonova def. Sloane Stephens
...6-4/2-6/6-3. Last year, Stephens suffered defeats at the hands of players ranked #172 (Haddad), #153 (Kuznetsova), #127 (Kalinskaya), #109 (Voegele), #91 (Bouzkova), #70 (Peterson) and #62 (Maria). She opened 2020 with a loss to the world #129.
Ekaterina Alexandrova does it!
— WTA (@WTA) January 11, 2020
A first WTA title for her at #ShenzhenOpen as she beats Rybakina 6-2, 6-4!
?????? pic.twitter.com/LTPVhJ336v
4. Shenzhen Final - Ekaterina Alexandrova def. Elena Rybakina
...6-2/6-4. Alexandrova won't likely be the *last* Hordette in 2020 to become a maiden tour singles champion. Other possibilities: Anna Blinkova, Varvara Gracheva, Veronika Kudermetova, Anastasia Potapova and Natalia Vikhlyantseva. Yes, I picked *six* in the Prediction Blowout (after one week, at least I can at least cross one off the list).
Awesome from Alexandrova!#ShenzhenOpen pic.twitter.com/wewPRultkM
— WTA (@WTA) January 11, 2020
Meanwhile, Rybakina was clearly my "stand-in" for Bianca Andreescu (circa 2019) as far as my 2020 Prediction Blowout picks went. A year ago, Andreescu reached a final in Week 1, too. So, game on...?
...3-6/6-3/6-3. Speaking of one of those Russians. This was Blinkova first career Top 10 win, but won't be her last... maybe not even *this month.*
Comeback and upset complete for Anna Blinkova!
— WTA (@WTA) January 7, 2020
Defeats top seed Bencic 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 at the @ShenzhenOpenWTA pic.twitter.com/d8gb7GoMGG
...6-1/6-1. Collins' first match since her rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, and she followed it up with a 1 & love win over Yulia Putintseva before falling to Madison Keys in the QF. Meanwhile, Svitolina's follow-up to her boom-or-bust '19 begins with a bust.
Danielle Collins wraps up a big win!
— WTA (@WTA) January 6, 2020
Beats former champion Svitolina 6-1, 6-1!#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/lEXCrKDEzq
...3-6/6-3/6-0. Muguruza (2.0?) opens 2020 by winning a love 3rd set, then follows up with wins over Shelby Rogers and Zarina Diyas before falling to Alexandrova in the semis. Her 13 aces vs. Diyas were her highest total in four years, and her 10 & 13 in back-to-back matches was the best two-outing stretch of her career. She didn't get the *ending* in Shenzhen she would have liked, but she and new coach Conchita Martinez can surely build off this.
Muguruza struck 13 aces en route to the win over Diyas, her highest tally since striking 17 at the 2015 WTA Finals.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 9, 2020
Muguruza hit 10 aces in her previous match. This is the 1st time in her WTA career she has posted double-digit aces in back-to-back matches. #ShenzhenOpen
Meanwhile, Wang was playing in her hometown. While she didn't get the win, she *did* have her moments...
In her hometown tournament, wildcard Wang Xinyu takes the opening set 6-3! #ShenzhenOpen pic.twitter.com/y7kSw5nbTd
— WTA (@WTA) January 6, 2020
A HUGE forehand from Wang Xinyu!#ShenzhenOpen pic.twitter.com/t463jFWIkt
— WTA (@WTA) January 6, 2020
...6-1/4-6/6-4. Wozniacki (who also upended two-time DC Julia Goerges en route to the singles semis) ralied from 3-1 down in the 3rd. But, then again, Davis knows a lot about fighting hard but coming up on the losing end of a match vs. a former #1 player in January.
...3-6/6-4/6-4. Cornet's week ended with a QF retirement (abductor) against Pegula, but her highlight was ending *this* one with back-to-back-to-back aces from 15/30 down to seal the win.
The last 3 points of my match yesterday ?????? #whathappened
— Alize Cornet (@alizecornet) January 8, 2020
Les 3 derniers points de mon match hier ?? #Aces4BushfiresRelief pic.twitter.com/7b5WUlwcwL
...7-5/6-2. 19-year old Li, the '17 Wimbledon girls finalist, makes her WTA tour MD debut after getting through qualifying with wins over Veronica Cepede Royg (the first official win of the WTA's 2020 season), Nao Hibino and Usue Arconada.
Auckland 2nd Rd. - Laura Siegemund def. Coco Gauff 5-7/7-2/6-3
...Siegemund personally took "McCoco" out of the singles competition in New Zealand, with her "reward" being able to lose to Serena in the QF. Meanwhile, Gauff & McNally reached the doubles semis.
Quick hands at net @bambamsam30 #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/LTkcUzQKCY
— WTA (@WTA) January 6, 2020
12. Brisbane 1st Rd. - Samantha Stosur def. Angelique Kerber
...7-6(5)/7-6(4). Stosur's not going anywhere just yet. This win tightened her head-to-head vs. Kerber to 6-4 with her second straight victory (w/ '19 Eastbourne) over the German.
Auckland 2nd Rd. - Amanda Anisimova def. Dasha Kasatkina 6-2/6-4
Adelaide Q1 - Dasha Kasatkina def. Amarni Banks 3-6/6-1/6-3
Adelaide Q2 - Dasha Kasatkina def. Gaby Dabrowski 6-2/6-2
...so far, 2020 is at least a *little* less sh** than 2019. Kasatkina didn't win her third match of the season last year until late March in Miami.
Adelaide Q1 - Bernarda Pera def. CoCo Vandeweghe 7-6(5)/2-6/7-5
...no one said Original CoCo's climb back was going to be simple or swift. She'll be at #239 as Week 2 begins, but has a WC spot waiting for her in Melbourne.
Brisbane 1st Rd. - Darija Jurak/Alicja Rosolska def. Kveta Peschke/Demi Schuurs 6-4/6-3
...it wasn't the greatest of starts for the new '20 partnerships of Melichar and Peschke, who combined for five titles and the '18 Wimbledon final in 2018-19. Peschke, 44, is now teaming with Schuurs, who led the tour with seven total WD titles two seasons ago, but has yet to win a crown (0-5 in finals in '19) since.
...6-1/6-2. All right, this *technically* happened the week *before* Week 1 (Week 0?), but it's worth noting because it was Ukrainian teen Lopatetska's first match since last May, when she injured her knee (countrywoman Elina Svitolina *paid* for the surgery) after what had been a brilliant start to her '19 season (which had included three challenger titles in her first four pro events).
Serena Williams' first singles match as a 38-year-old ended in victory at the @ASB_Classic ??
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) January 7, 2020
Although we wonder if her 2010 self would have approved...#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/K9eBvoKuBq
Her legend GROWS.
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 12, 2020
With a tournament win this morning in New Zealand, @serenawilliams now has victories in four different decades. pic.twitter.com/UziLluxo5R
...6-7(10)/7-6(3)/6-2. Probably the highlight match of Week 1, as both players hit 50+ winners (Osaka 53, Pliskova 52), 15+ aces (16, 15), saved numerous BP (6/9, 12/13) and MP (2, 1) over the course of the battle, leaving Osaka (who'd saved 2 SP -- via an ace and service winner -- while winning the 1st set) frustrated at herself for maybe not hitting her serve on MP hard enough (then thinking about it the rest of the match in a 3rd set she'd rather not had to play) and Pliskova energized enough to slug her way to a successful title defense a round later vs. Keys.
It's @KaPliskova into the #BrisbaneTennis final!
— WTA (@WTA) January 11, 2020
After almost three hours, she beats Osaka 6-7(10), 7-6(3), 6-2! pic.twitter.com/jLv2yBI9u5
A first title in three years for @serenawilliams !
— WTA (@WTA) January 12, 2020
She beats Pegula 6-3, 6-4 at @ASB_Classic ! pic.twitter.com/EUnWlLAQQe
2. Auckland Final - Serena Williams def. Jessica Pegula
...6-3/6-4. This was just Williams' second appearance in an all-U.S. final vs. someone other than Venus (vs. Keys, Rome '16) since facing off with Vandeweghe in Stanford in 2012.
A first title in three years for @serenawilliams !
— WTA (@WTA) January 12, 2020
She beats Pegula 6-3, 6-4 at @ASB_Classic ! pic.twitter.com/EUnWlLAQQe
Osaka: 45 winners (18 aces), 38 unforced, saved 3 of 4 BPs.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 9, 2020
Kenin: 27 winners (3 aces), 32 unforced, saved 11 of 16 BPs.#BrisbaneTennis
3. Brisbane 2nd Rd. - Naomi Osaka def. Sofia Kenin
...6-7(3)/6-3/6-1. This offered another chance for Osaka to show her mettle against a fellow Gen PDQer nipping at her heels (ala her late '19 win over Andreescu), and for Kenin (who saved 4 SP in the 1st) to show how close she is to something far bigger.
.@SofiaKenin takes the tiebreak!
— WTA (@WTA) January 9, 2020
Sealing the opening set 7-6(3) at the @BrisbaneTennis! pic.twitter.com/EtyesUewv3
For the Bannerette, the race is on (but she'll have to *win* a few of these)...
Sofia Kenin’s big goal for 2020: qualifying for the Olympics and @WTAFinals.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 6, 2020
“I would love to qualify for the Olympics and play Shenzhen. It’s hard to qualify for the Olympics because the cut-off is after Paris, where I made the 4th round." #BrisbaneTennis
...6-4/4-6/7-5. The Czech has now won WTA singles titles in eight straight seasons.
?? @KaPliskova defends her @BrisbaneTennis title! ??
— WTA (@WTA) January 12, 2020
Defeats No.8 seed Keys 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. pic.twitter.com/hu9FzWFjOU
...3-6/7-6(7) [10-8]. Bara tells it like it is.
“She sometimes plays shots I don’t understand but they’re amazing!”@BaraStrycova pays tribute to doubles partner and fellow @BrisbaneTennis champion Hsieh Su-wei! ?? pic.twitter.com/j5jyPbKePE
— WTA (@WTA) January 12, 2020
...6-4/6-4. If Williams/Wozniacki had won, it would have marked the first time Serena had won a WD title with someone other than Venus since she took Leipzig in 2002 alongside Alexandra Stevenson. That particular event had some other very interesting doubles combinations, as well, including Clijsters/Dokic and Bovina/Henin.
Amazing scenes as @TaylorTownsend and @AsiaMuhammad captured their first doubles title together!
— WTA (@WTA) January 12, 2020
Check out how they beat Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki in the @ASB_Classic final! pic.twitter.com/h2zKEvsYoN
We work hard here at Tennis Channel, but sometimes mistakes happen.
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 8, 2020
BUT we'll always do our best to make it right. ??????#TCLive? https://t.co/tPoe44TDv0@Steve_Weissman @Chanda_Rubin @NicolasPereira pic.twitter.com/atXbrmgElR
Sanssiz bir kaza geçirerek sol elimdeki yüzük ve serçe parmak sinirlerim kesildi. Dün doktorum Ufuk Nalbantoglu gözetiminde basarili bir operasyon geçirdim. Üzgünüm fakat bu süreci en iyi sekilde atlatmak için elimden geleni yapacagim. Destek mesajlariniz için tesekkür ederim. pic.twitter.com/FhM2ZQA0PY
— Ipek Soylu (@soyluofficial) January 8, 2020
Feel better soon, @MonicaAce93. ??
— TENNIS (@Tennis) December 23, 2019
The 26-year-old will miss the Australian Open, but is optimistic elbow surgery has addressed a lingering issue.https://t.co/uCQf0FgVtL
Reunited in Adelaide ??
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) January 6, 2020
Feels great to be back in this special place ????@AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/6fqvYAMY6O
"I want to take a little credit for Serena winning singles!"@CaroWozniacki and @serenawilliams get their runners-up prizes!#ASBClassic pic.twitter.com/FIM7Ah03dN
— WTA (@WTA) January 12, 2020
"I think my only regret in tennis is that we didn't do this earlier!"@CaroWozniacki thanks her doubles partner and good pal @serenawilliams ?? pic.twitter.com/hplSIuOTSr
— WTA (@WTA) January 12, 2020
Petra Kvitova’s prep was different this year. Focus was on building strength.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 7, 2020
Q. What kind of strength drills? KVITOVA: Well, I do have more muscle now. You don't see it?
Q. Yeah (laughing).
KVITOVA: Not that much, okay. I'm going to work more (laughing).#BrisbaneTennis
This is what me going to training looks like everyday ?? I love my tofu_sausage sooo much! pic.twitter.com/h37iYolsLe
— Daria Gavrilova (@Daria_gav) January 11, 2020
She calls me ‘Fissetty’ https://t.co/bhQO1W2qxE
— Wim Fissette (@wimfissette) January 8, 2020
Hey guys, just wanted to give you a little update on my knee rehab after I got injured at the WTA finals in Shenzhen. My rehab is going well, I feel better and stronger every day but after discussing it with my team and following the recommendation of the doctors, the Australian
— Bianca (@Bandreescu_) January 11, 2020
Open is unfortunately too soon in my rehab process and I sadly will not be able to play in it this year. It was a very tough decision to make as I love to play in Melbourne but I have to respect the recuperation plan for my knee and body. I can’t wait to come back to Aus soon x
— Bianca (@Bandreescu_) January 11, 2020
No @Bandreescu_ at this year's Australian Open ??
— WTA (@WTA) January 11, 2020
READ ---> https://t.co/HzmfNeW9Q9 pic.twitter.com/c5pZTpCxZr
"We have to use the platform." Jelena Dokic spoke Sunday morning to a group of female leaders at #BrisbaneTennis about the power of sport, tennis and the impact of @ashbarty on young Australians.
— #BrisbaneTennis (@BrisbaneTennis) January 12, 2020
Read the story ?? https://t.co/SBFK1pcVB5 pic.twitter.com/Jdy8Ji7h5y
Incredible! ??
— WTA (@WTA) January 7, 2020
What a point from @MariaSharapova! #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/42S5Kei4Wo
**BACKSPIN WEEK 1 PLAYERS-OF-THE-WEEK**
2002 Venus Williams, USA
2003 Serena Williams, USA
2004 Lindsay Davenport/USA, Eleni Daniilidou/GRE (co-PoW)
2005 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2006 Lucie Safarova, CZE
2007 Dinara Safina, RUS
2008 Li Na, CHN
2009 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2010 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2011 Vera Zvonareva, RUS
2012 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Serena Williams, USA
2015 Maria Sharapova/RUS, Simona Halep/ROU (co-PoW)
2016 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2017 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2018 Simona Halep, ROU
2019 Julia Goerges, GER
2020 Serena Williams, USA
**CAREER WEEK 1 TITLES - active**
3...KAROLINA PLISKOVA, CZE
3...SERENA WILLIAMS, USA
2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2...Julia Goerges, GER
2...Venus Williams, USA
1...EKATERINA ALEXANDROVA, RUS
1...Kim Clijsters, BEL
1...Lauren Davis, USA
1...Simona Halep, ROU
1...Kaia Kanepi, EST
1...Petra Kvitova, CZE
1...Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
1...Maria Sharapova, RUS
1...Katerina Siniakova, CZE
1...Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
1...Sloane Stephens, USA
1...Elina Svitolina, UKR
1...Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
--
ALSO: Daniilidou (2), Jankovic (1)
**MOST RECENT FIRST-TIME CHAMPS IN WEEK 1**
2006 Marion Bartoli (Auckland) - first final
2009 Victoria Azarenka (Brisbane) - had been 0-4 in finals
2017 Katerina Siniakova (Shenzhen) - had been 0-2 in finals
2017 Lauren Davis (Auckland) - had been 0-2 in finals
2019 Ekaterina Alexandrova (Shenzhen) - second career final
**OLDEST WTA SINGLES CHAMPIONS**
39y,203d - Billie Jean King (1983 Birmingham)
38y,364d - Kimiko Date (2009 Seoul)
38y,108d - SERENA WILLIAMS (2020 AUCKLAND)
37y,125d - Martina Navratilova (1994 Paris Indoors)
**SERENA WILLIAMS vs. IN ALL-U.S. FINALS**
12 - vs. Venus Williams (9-3)
4 - vs. Jennifer Capriati (4-0)
4 - vs. Lindsay Davenport (2-1 +W)
1 - vs. Madison Keys (1-0)
1 - vs. Jessica Pegula (1-0)
1 - vs. CoCo Vandeweghe (1-0)
**BARTY LOSSES AS #1**
Wimbledon 4th Rd. - #55 Alison Riske/USA
Toronto 1st Rd. - #29 Sofia Kenin/USA
Wuhan SF - #14 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
Beijing Final - #4 Naomi Osaka/JPN
WTA Finals rr - #10 Kiki Bertens/NED
Fed Cup Final - #40 Kristina Mladenovic/FRA
Brisbane 2nd Rd. - #53 Jennifer Brady/USA
**#50+ def. #1 - since 2010**
#116...2018 Beijing 1st - Jabeur d. Halep
#78...2014 Charleston 2nd - Cepelova d. S.Williams
#76...2011 Cincinnati 2nd - McHale d. Wozniacki
#73...2011 Bastad 2nd - Arvidsson d. Wozniacki
#68...2017 Rome 2nd - Kontaveit d. Kerber
#67...2019 Dubai 2nd - Mladenovic d. Osaka
#55...2019 Wimbledon 4th Rd. - Riske d. Barty
#53...2020 Brisbane 2nd Rd. - Brady d. Barty
Han Na-lae, KOR (27) - she'll make her slam debut after winning the Asia/Pacific WC playoff event
Priscilla Hon, AUS (21) - with her second consecutive AO wild card, Hon is seeking her first home slam MD win (0-2)
Pauline Parmentier, FRA (33) - the veteran gets a WC from the French Federation at the slam where she's won just three MD matches in ten appearances since 2008
Arina Rodionova, AUS (30) - the Aussie won the Tennis Australian WC playoff event. She's 0-3 in the AO MD, with losses in 2011, '15 and '17 (w/ 8 failed qualifying attempts).
Maria Sharapova, RUS (32) - ranked outside the Top 100, the Russian goes the WC route for her 16th AO MD appearance, and her attempt to back up her best '19 slam result (4r). Three of her eight total wins last year came in Melbourne.
Astra Sharma, AUS (24) - the former NCAA star (Vanderbilt) won her only career slam MD match a year ago in Melbourne after making her way through qualifying
CoCo Vandeweghe, USA (28) - Original CoCo makes her second straight slam appearance since ankle surgery (U.S. - PR), having won the USTA's multi-challenger WC competition. Her last AO MD win came in the '17 QF.
A bird shat my head yesterday.. Thoughts?
— Johanna Konta (@JohannaKonta) January 11, 2020
Just to confirm that my head did not come out of a bird. What came out of the bird, was upon my head.
— Johanna Konta (@JohannaKonta) January 11, 2020
Sorry for the confusion. ???? https://t.co/joSx8o97qF
Tatulli. Is. Brilliant. --->
— Ann Telnaes (@AnnTelnaes) January 5, 2020
Lio for January 05, 2020 | https://t.co/07qWZSi2mV https://t.co/Rs5VRoumKy via @GoComics
Thankful koala holds kind man's hand.
— Yougle Fact (@YougleFact) January 11, 2020
??????? pic.twitter.com/qAVlavc1Sh
So excited to announce the world's best players will be at AO Rally for Relief.
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 8, 2020
Grab your tickets to see @rogerfederer, @RafaelNadal, @serenawilliams, @naomiosaka, @CaroWozniacki, @NickKyrgios, @StefTsitsipas and more!#Aces4BushfireRelief https://t.co/ioWWblwN3E pic.twitter.com/TsS2sQXIbb
posted by Todd.Spiker @ 3:18 PM
9 Comments:
Serena, what else can be said? Being that I had to scrap the original trivia question as you listed Serena's US opponents, Venus was the only US player to have lost to her in 3 different decades.
Still surprising that it has only been Venus, Vandeweghe, Keys, and Pegula in the last 10 years.
Williams winning in Auckland means that they had back to back winners over 30, with Goerges winning last year. Also means that it is the only time it will happen this year.
Russia already has more singles titles than last season.
Mirza is playing doubles this week.
6-8 women may be playing for #1 in doubles at the Open. The question marks are Dabrowski and Xu, who split, but are playing this week.
Gauff/Mcnally is an Olympic darkhorse with 2 slams left to qualify, but Muhammad might be also. She is now the 6th highest American, behind Melichar,Mattek-Sands, Spears, Krawczyk, And Riske.
Stat of the Week- 27- Amount of matches played by Maria Sharapova as a wild card since her return.
Seems low, doesn't it? Well, Sharapova has a habit of getting wild cards and then giving them back. So what should we expect? Here are the numbers by year.
2017- 13-6
2018- 0-2
2019- 2-3
2020- 0-1
What it shows is that she needs match play. Expectations are low, and as an unseeded player, is in great danger.
Would an Aussie WC have been a better choice? It remains to be seen.
Quiz Time!
Serena Williams has played women from 19 different countries in finals. Of those countries she has played more than once, which country has she not played multiple players?
A.Germany
B.Romania
C.Switzerland
D.Belarus
E.Serbia
Interlude- Adelaide is a Premier, so Up/Down Side after.
Answer!
It was too easy to put Russia, USA, or Belgium as a choice, so I skipped those. Going up against USA 23 times is the most, followed by Russia at 18. Fourth on the list is Belgium at 8.
(A)Germany is wrong, but not obviously so, as there was a 15 year gap between Graf and Kerber's finals. They remain the only 2 Serena has faced.
(E)Serbia is wrong, as she did face Ivanovic once, Jankovic 4 times.
(C)Switzerland gets knocked off because other than Hingis, she did face Schnyder in a final.
A later entry, after not playing anybody from this country until the 10's, (B)Romania is wrong, because the first final she played against them was vs Cirstea.
That leaves (D)Belarus, as all 9 of their finals have been against Azarenka.
5 On the Up Side.
1.Sakkari- I'm breaking my own rules. I always say to pick a first timer at a new event. In Adelaide, she is a safer pick than the 6 that fit the criteria- Tomljanovic, Pera, Sasnovich, Collins, Hon, Rodionova.
2.Bouzkova- Hobart pick in an interesting field. Only her 6th event since her Toronto SF, she played 25 events last year- 16 WTA, 7 ITF, 2 125K. With the exception of the AO, she may have to play her way into form through Q until IW.
3.Mertens- Skipped Hobart last year, but is 13-0 there counting Q. 2 time winner looks for to repeat winning here and following up with AO SF like 2018.
4.Kontaveit- Lost last 3 finals, but Serena had lost 5, so can't hold it against her. Could meet Barty early again, but seems to be in form to win.
5.S.Williams- She's back on the short list of favorites, got a singles title and a doubles final. The red flag? The infinite loop theory. Her second serve is more attackable than ever, so against better players, she puts more on the first serve, which leads to more second serves.
5 On the Down Side.
1.Sabalenka- More about doubles than singles, but the strength of the Mertens/Sabalenka pairing comes from her net play, which was shoddy last week. Instead of being a Melbourne favorite, they look like a 2nd round out.
2.Bertens- Predicting a 500 ace season for her, the only reason she is on this list is the close loss to Osaka, which was another winnable match. Someone who has the talent to win a slam, especially if Aussies get the good courts and she can play her way in.
3.Halep- She made a tactical error. Most of the AO contenders played the first week, then took this one off. She does the opposite, but with the poor air quality, can she recover? She pulls a Serena and entered doubles.
4.Garcia- Can she see? I'm not being funny, but her serve looks ok, even with the the high ball toss. Holding serve- so-so. But trying to break? She really can't read the serve, which seemingly leaves her down 0-30 every return game.
5.Konta- Not her fault, but if she loses 1st rd in Australia, the British press will go after her like they do Meghan Markle.
Well, we found out what Ostapenko's "personal reasons" were, as she's announced that her father passed away. So sad. :(
It must have been something sudden, considering she was on site getting ready to play, and her social media hadn't given any hint of a long-term thing (though it *is* possible). I'd think she'd miss the AO and a bit after that now. Although, Anisimova returned far quicker than most thought she would when her dad died suddenly last year. All decisions like that are especially personal, though, of course. Even she might not know her short-term plans for a while, I suspect.
Mirza and N.Kichenok. I wonder how often they'll team up, or if she'll find something more consistent as soon as she's ready to play (nearly) every week?
Kenin & Mattek-Sands this week, too. Wouldn't be a bad duo for Tokyo.
Hmmm, I hadn't thought about Gauff/McNally as far as the Blowout Olympic picks, but that *is* something I should have considered.
Quiz: went with Belarus because I didn't think Serena had played anyone other than Vika. Was pretty certain she hadn't faced Sabalenka in a final, and just hoped that she hadn't gotten Zvereva in some stray '99 final or something.
You know, maybe you have something there with Garcia. Eyesight is something that often goes unchecked w/ athletes, it seems. The Redskins had a cornerback (Carlos Rogers) once who always dropped INT's, then left via free agency, had his eyed checked (then played with contacts) and picked off 6 the next year (almost as many as he'd had in 6 yrs combined). A Nationals catcher (Wilson Ramos) was awful at stopping balls in the dirt, then got Lasik surgery and the next year was stopping everything.
Just one thing to say: Slothane Stephens. Her footwork (not her speed) has been terrible since forever, but now the passion it's also not there anymore.
N-
Based on the evidence at hand, it's hard to argue against any of that, really. :/
I question whether the passion has EVER been there with Sloane. That’s not a criticism; she has just never seemed that interested in pushing herself.
The one time she maybe "had it" was when she had tennis taken away because of her injury, then had to climb her way up from the bottom when she got back. Then she reached "the top," and it went away again. Probably telling.
Yes, Cincinnati comes to mind, when she did that post-injury performance.
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