Tuesday, October 06, 2020

RG.10- Oh Nadia! Oh, Elina...

The wait has seemingly been interminable, but Argentinian women's tennis is suddenly "back" thanks to Nadia Podoroska. Meanwhile, Ukraine's WTA standard bearer, #3 Elina Svitolina, has once again done a face-plant on the slam stage.



While the large gouges that have been ripped in the women's singles draw at this Roland Garros have provided welcome avenues for unexpected career advancement for quite a few previously unheralded players, the scenario (and reality) has proven to be very different for others. Being in position, or perhaps "favored," to win a slam (especially if you've never claimed one before, even while being a consistent high-level winner on the "regular" tour) but ultimately *not* winning this particular major title can't help but be seen as a case of throwing yet another log atop an already-raging fire of squandered (and ultimately dwindling) opportunities to lift such a trophy over the course of a career.

Some such players (such as Karolina Pliskova) were gone *before* much of the seeded field was leveled over the previous nine days, so they never got to stare such possibility directly in the face, though they would surely have hoped that, had they reached the later stages of this RG, they would have seen what has happened in this tournament as having revealed ground to be conquered, and then reacted accordingly.

And then there's Elina Svitolina.

The Ukrainian has been pegged as possibly "the best player without a slam title" for years now. For good reason, as she's been adept at defeating the game's very best players throughout her career, including knocking off six #1's and nineteen Top 5 players in tournaments held all over the world. But not in Melbourne, Paris, London or New York. In fact, of her 33 career Top 10 victories, just one (Keys at the '19 U.S. Open) has come in a major.

As today began, Svitolina was not only the highest remaining seed in the draw, but she found herself in a top half that included two qualifiers and a #54-ranked teenager (albeit one playing at an awesome level at the moment who'll be *much* higher soon). Clearly, a player of her experience *should* at the very least view herself as the player who should prevail and reach her maiden slam final (if not more) in her 31st career slam MD appearance, and maybe not be afraid to think it out loud.

But that's not Svitolina.

During Tennis Channel's covarage of today's match, Martina Navratilova and her broadcast partner (some guy... which pretty much describes 60% of TC's commentators) noted how Svitolina answered a question the other day about the current standing of everyone but her in her part of the draw. The Ukrainian said something about those players deserving to be there and having played well, and Martina & Other noted how that was the "right" thing to say. When I heard it I immediately thought that, reading between the lines of Svitolina's words, it was an act of deflection and that she was *really* saying "don't you dare try to make me the favorite." I'm not the puppet, you're the puppet.

It was a bad sign.

For a player with Svitolina's predominantly checkered slam history, it was difficult to "hear" it any other way. She *already* felt the pressure. And Svitolina doesn't handle pressure well in the majors. At that point, another later-stage slam "no-show" would be very "on brand" for the Ukrainian. And while the 23-year old Podoroska played a *very* good match today, that's pretty much what we got.

That's not to say Podoroska didn't earn her day in the spotlight. In fact, she took it from Svitolina. This space has been hoping to see the Argentine move up the tennis ladder for around five years now via various "Player to Watch" and "Buy" awards after it seemed that, on a South American continent (not just Argentina) that had seen precious few truly successful women's singles players since the Age of Sabatini, Podoroska seemed as good a bet as any to change that narrative.



Like Svitolina, Podoroska, who incidentally has Ukrainian ancestry, has shown an ability to consistently win when she's managed to get herself into title-winning positions. The 2019 Pan American Games Gold medalist, she's also gone 14-2 in ITF challenger finals in her career. In 2020, particularly, she's been building confidence since the start of the year, doing so the "old fashioned way" -- by winning matches. As the world #131 (after having started '20 outside the Top 250), she came into the day having gone 42-6 on all levels of play, and had already won seven straight matches in Paris going back to the start of the qualifying rounds.

Participating in just her second career slam MD (four years after she played in her first), Podoroska was facing a Top 20 player for the first time in her career. But if you were watching this QF match without any previous knowledge of the two players, you'd have thought it was the Argentine who sported the high ranking, expectations, and glowing non-slam WTA resume. She was as cool as last week's weather in France, and far more thoughtful in her approach than Svitolina. Armed with an authoritative forehand and a sneaky drop shot off the same wing that she seemed to know the perfect moment to employ (though she did get a bit eyes-bigger-than-her-stomach with the shot late down the stretch in the 2nd set), Podoroska came up as big in the moment as Svitolina did small.

With the Chatrier roof opened and the wind stretching out the flags atop the stadium, Podoroska and Svitolina exchanged breaks early in the 1st set, but it soon became clear that the newcomer was the one on her game. She broke back for a 3-1 lead. At 4-1, she already had eleven winners. With the Ukrainian's serve failing on an almost epic level, Podoroska claimed her fifth straight game and served for the set at 5-1. She got within two points of the hold, but Svitolina managed to reach BP and Podoroska sent a short ball wide with a forehand reply to give her opponent a touch of what should have been hope. But then Svitolina dropped serve yet again in lightning-quick fashion, being broken at love with the final two points coming via a DF and easy return winner.

Svitolina never held serve in the set, and won just 13% (!!) of her first serves (2/15), 50% on her second, and won just six *total* points on serve. Podoroska dominated the winners stats (17-2) and was 4-for-4 on BP chances.

Podoroska held at love to open the 2nd, and led 30/love in game #3, but when she hurried in her forehand reply off a short ball it ignited a brief stretch of errors off her racket that allowed Svitolina to stay in the contest. The Argentine's errors essentially broke herself that game, as she fell behind 2-1. It was the second of six consecutive breaks of serve in the set, during which Podoroska improved her BP chance numbers to 6-for-6, then broke Svitolina for the seventh time in the match to level the score at 4-4.

Finally, Podoroska got the important hold of serve she was seeking. A game later, with the Argentine's forehand forcing Svitolina to chase down multiple well-struck balls and just get them back over the net to stay in the really, the Ukrainian's weak netted backhand gave Podoroska a MP. She didn't convert it, but quickly got another chance. On MP #2, a 27-shot rally that went Svitolina's way when Podoroska came forward to the net but attempted a drop shot rather than blast a forehand through the down-the-line opening available to her.

The Argentine quickly course-corrected a few moments later, though, when she had her third MP opportunity. Again she came forward. Again she had an opening for a forehand winner. But this time she took it. Not messing around any longer, Podoroska fired her signature shot of the day past Svitolina to end the match, winning 6-2/6-4 to become the first Argentine in sixteen years to reach a slam semifinal, the first qualifier to reach a slam SF since 1999, and the first to ever do so in Paris.

As she flung her racket into the air above her head, Podoroska's career took flight. As it came down, it more resembled Svitolina's.



The win will lift Podoroska into the Top 50 after this Roland Garros, and the ultra-professional way she handled herself on Chatrier today would seem to suggest that she's only scratching the surface of the promise she's shown in under-the-radar fashion in previous seasons. Finally, eight years after the likes of Gisela Dulko played her final match, and decades after Gabriela Sabatini set the standard for women's tennis in Argentina, the nation truly may have a proverbial horse in the WTA race.



As for Svitolina, her defeat -- and, maybe more importantly, how woefully she performed (yet again) in it -- places this RG near the top of the long list of blown opportunities (or situations where she came up exceedingly small in moments when champions usually stand tall) on the slam stage during her career. It could eventually even be compared to Aga Radwanska's defeat in the Wimbledon semifinals in 2013, when the Pole was the overwhelming "seed favorite" in the semis (#4 vs. the #15, #20 and #23) to claim her elusive maiden major title, but fell to Sabine Lisicki, who then lost to Marion Bartoli.

Svitolina may still one day make such a moment happen for herself. But it's becoming more and more difficult to see it. For all the talk over the years, she just never seems to change. Not really.

As it turned out, Radwanska *never* got her slam. But her countrywoman might, at this very RG, in fact. And now she won't have to face Svitolina to do it.

Today was an "Oh Nadia!" sort of day. But also, "Oh, Elina."




=DAY 10 NOTES=
...before the quarterfinals could start, a little housekeeping was in order for the singles draw, as in the delayed start of what had been yesterday's scheduled Round of 16 match between #30 Ons Jabeur and unseeded Danielle Collins.

Jabeur was seeking her second 2020 slam QF (w/ AO), while Collins was looking to follow up her '19 semifinal run in Melbourne with a Final 8 berth in Paris. In was a match in which Collins grabbed the early lead, then weathered a comeback from the Tunisian before finally pulling away late in the 3rd to advance.



Collins broke Jabeur to close out a 6-4 1st set and then took a 3-0 lead in the 2nd, but Jabeur ran off five straight games and knotted the match. In the 3rd, it was Jabeur who broke serve to open the set in what was a three-DF game from the Bannerette. It turned out to be the first of four consecutive service breaks between the two. Collins finally held for 3-2, then broke for a 4-2 lead, only to see Jabeur get the set back on serve a game later. Finally, as she'd done in the 1st, Collins broke serve to end the set, winning 6-4/4-6/6-4.



The final stats were remarkably close, save for a few that actually favored Jabeur (42-25 winners, and a 5/1 ace/DF ratio to Collins' 1/8). While Jabeur was 5/10 on BP, Collins was 6/10. Jabeur won 39/91 receiving points, while Collins was 41/91. Jabeur had 30 UE, and Collins 29. Collins' total point edge was just four points (93-89).

Two-time NCAA tournament champ (2014 & '16 at U-Va.) Collins has had an interesting 2020 (of course, are there any other kind?). She came into the year off a second straight Top 40 campaign, and started the season with a SF in Adelaide that included wins over Belinda Bencic and soon-to-be AO champ Sofia Kenin (then came up just short in a 3rd set TB to #1 Ash Barty). She was ranked #25 heading back to Melbourne, but her standing was doubled (#50) when she failed to back up the '19 semifinal result (2nd Rd.).

Collins got into a (one-sided) social media spat with Novak Djokovic after the Serb's COVID Follies event during the shutdown, then somewhat embarrassingly saw herself ejected from the WTT competition at the Greenbrier Resort (WV) for having broken protocol and left the grounds. She arrived in France ranked #57 (her lowest ranking since March '18) and having not won a tour match since the 1st Round of the AO (she was 0-2 in NYC), then added former ATP player Nicolas Almagro as her coach *just last week.* The Spaniard is either brilliant, or he has the best timing, uh, maybe ever.

Now Collins has won three three-setters (over two seeds, #30 Jabeur and #11 Muguruza), ended Danish teen Clara Tauson's run in 2 & 3 fashion, finds herself back in the Top 50 in the live rankings with her four RG victories (she'd had just one prior to this year) and she's a win away from a *second* slam semifinal result in two seasons.

...after a long men's match, Day 10's final scheduled-to-play women's quarterfinalists Iga Swiatek and Martina Trevisan weren't called into action until 9 p.m. Paris time (with the Nadal/Sinner match set to start *after* that).

The teenager didn't make the guys wait long.

Putting an end to the Italian qualifier's Cinderella run, the Pole almost toyed with her opponent's hopes. Trevisan took an early 3-1 lead, but then Swiatek swept through the final five games to take the 1st set. After leading 3-0 in the 2nd, the 19-year old saw her serve broken to open a slight crack through which Trevisan might have thought she could slip through. Instead Swiatek immediately broke back and then didn't lose another game en route to a 6-3/6-1 win in what was actually the longest (1:18) of her five matches at this RG so far.



...earlier, the first half of the doubles semis were set when #2 Babos/Mladenovic (the defending champs, and '20 AO winners) defeated Kostyuk/Sasnovich, and #4 Krejcikova/Siniakova (the '18 RG winners) eliminated #9 Kenin/Mattek-Sands.



...in juniors, '20 Australian Open girls winner, #1-seeded Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, fell to Hordette Alina Charaeva, 7-5/2-6/6-3, while yet another Russian, #8-seeded Oksana Selekmetova, defeated Daria Lopatetska in straights.

With the junior Round of 16 set, the remaining field is dominated by Russians (4), Pastries (3) and Czech Maidens (2). The Hordette quartet includes two (Selekhmeteva and Polina Kudermetova) of the three girls honored last year in the junior portion of Russia's tennis awards.








=WOMEN'S SINGLES QF=
Iga Swiatek/POL def. (Q) Martina Trevisan/ITA
(Q) Nadia Podoroska/ARG def. #3 Elina Svitolina/UKR
Danielle Collins/USA v. #4 Sofia Kenin/USA
#7 Petra Kvitova/CZE v. Laura Siegemund/GER


=WOMEN'S DOUBLES QF=
#14 Guarachi/Krawczyk (CHI/USA) v. #7 Aoyama/Shibahara (JPN/JPN)
Muhammad/Pegula (USA/USA) v. Melichar/Swiatek (USA/POL)
#4 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) def. #9 Kenin/Mattek-Sands (USA/USA)
#2 Babos/Mladenovic (HUN/FRA) def. Kostyuk/Sasnovich (UKR/BLR)


=GIRLS SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
Alina Charaeva/RUS v. Matilde Paoletti/ITA
#9 Alexandra Vecic/GER v. #8 Oksana Selekhmeteva/RUS
#4 Polina Kudermetova/RUS v. Amarissa Kiara Toth/HUN
Julia Avdeeva/RUS v. Oceane Babel/FRA
Darja Vidmanova/CZE v. #10 Kristina Dmitruk/BLR
#15 Matilda Mutavdzic/GBR v. #3 Elsa Jacquemot/FRA
(WC) Flavie Brugnone/FRA v. Linda Noskova/CZE
Leyre Romero Gormax/ESP v. #2 Alexandra Eala/PHI






...A REMINDER ON DAY 10:


...NOTE ON DAY 10:

Why, this sounds like the sort of Tweet that would come from a member of a cult. Oh, wait. It is.




..."THIS MOVIE REALLY STINKS, LET'S GET OUT OF HERE"... ON DAY 10:


"What do you mean we CAN'T?


...Hmmm, let me think... ON DAY 10:


Nope. At least none that didn't ultimately end up dead in a bunker or hanging from his ankles in Italy in the 1940s.


...GOOD CATCH ON DAY 10:


...I WONDER IF ALEX KENIN WILL TRY THIS AGAIN TOMORROW? ON DAY 10:


...WELL, THAT'S SOMETHING ON DAY 10:


...LIKE ON DAY 10:


...LIKE ON DAY 10:


...UPDATE ON DAY 10:


...WATCH IT... ON DAY 10:

Don't shake their cage by insulting them. The Tennis Gods ARE "autocorrect."




...A PUBLIC SERVICE ON DAY 10:








Sports Illustrated subscriber card set (I have this *somewhere*)



Court Suzanne-Lenglen bas relief artwork



Bas relief w/ the original



Sculpture from BOURAINE Marcel André Bouraine (1920)













kosova-font






























kosova-font

*2020 FIRST-TIME WTA SEMIFINALISTS*
Hua Hin - Leonie Kung, SUI (RU)
Acapulco - Wang Xiyu, CHN
Acapulco - Leylah Annie Fernandez, CAN (RU)
Monterrey- Arantxa Rus, NED
ROLAND GARROS - NADIA PODOROSKA, ARG

*2020 LOW-RANKED WTA SEMIFINALISTS*
#283 Leonie Kung/SUI (Hua Hin)-RU
#272 Genie Bouchard/CAN (Istanbul)-RU
#270 Renata Zarazua/MEX (Acapulco)
#190 Leylah Annie Fernandez/CAN (Acapulco)-RU
#136 Anna Lena Friedsam/GER (Lyon)-RU
#136 Tereza Martincova/CZE (Istanbul
#131 NADIA PODOROSKA/ARG (ROLAND GARROS)
#127 Wang Xiyu/CHN (Acapulco)
#113 Shelby Rogers/USA (Lexington)< br /> #105 Patricia Maria Tig/ROU (Hua Hin)
#101 Heather Watson/GBR (Hobart)

*RG "LAST QUALIFIER STANDING"*
[2006]
(3rd) Julia Vakulenko/UKR & Aravane Rezai/FRA
[2007]
(3rd) D.Cibulkova/SVK, A.Kudryavtseva/RUS & R.Olaru/ROU
[2008]
(QF) Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP
[2009]
(3rd) Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR & Yaroslava Shvedova/KAZ
[2010]
(4th) Chanelle Scheepers/RSA
[2011]
(3rd) Chan Yung-Jan/TPE & Nuria Llagostera-Vives/ESP
[2012]
(QF) Yaroslava Shvedova/KAZ
[2013]
(3rd) Paula Ormaechea/ARG & Dinah Pfizenmaier/GER
[2014]
(4th) Kiki Bertens/NED
[2015]
(2nd) L.Dominguez-Lino/ESP, P.Kania/POL, S.Karatantcheva/BUL & T.Pereira/BRA
[2016]
(2nd) C.Buyukakcay/TUR, V.Cepede Royg/PAR, L.Chirico/USA & V.Golubic/SUI
[2017]
(4th) Petra Martic/CRO
[2018]
(2nd) C.Dolehide/USA, A.Dulgheru/ROU, M.Duque-Marino/COL, M.Frech/POL, G.Garcia-Perez/ESP & R.Peterson/SWE
[2019]
(4th) Aliona Bolsova/ESP
[2020]
(in SF) Nadia Podoroska/ARG

*SLAM SF AS QUALIFIER*
1978 Australian Oopen - Christine Matison Dorey, USA
1999 Wimbledon - Alexandra Stevenson, USA
2020 ROLAND GARROS - NADIA PODOROSKA, ARG

*WTA "CAREER SF SLAM" - active*
[with slam at which completed]
Victoria Azarenka - 2013 RG (30th)
Kim Clijsters - 2003 US (18th)
Simona Halep - 2018 AO (31st)
Serena Williams - 2003 AO (18th)
Venus Williams - 2001 AO (15th)
Vera Zvonareva - 2010 US (31st)

*FIRST-TIME SLAM SEMIFINALISTS SINCE 2015*
=2015=
AO: Madison Keys/USA
RG: Timea Bacsinszky/SUI
WI: Garbine Muguruza/ESP (RU)
US: Roberta Vinci/ITA (RU)
=2016=
AO: Johanna Konta/GBR
RG: Kiki Bertens/NED
WI: Elena Vesnina/RUS
US: Karolina Pliskova/CZE (RU)
=2017=
AO: CoCo Vandeweghe/USA
RG: Alona Ostapenko/LAT (W)
WI: Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK
US: -
=2018=
AO: Elise Mertens/BEL
RG: -
WI: Julia Goerges/GER
US: Naomi Osaka/JPN (W), Anastasija Sevastova/LAT
=2019=
AO: Danielle Collins/USA
RG: Amanda Anisimova/USA, Ash Barty/AUS (W), Marketa Vondrousova/CZE (RU)
WI: Barbora Strycova/CZE, Elina Svitolina/UKR
US: Bianca Andreescu/CAN (W), Belinda Bencic/SUI
=2020=v AO: Sofia Kenin/USA (W)
US: Jennifer Brady/USA
RG: Nadia Podoroska/ARG, Iga Swiatek/POL
--
NOTE: 28/30, 29/32
ALSO: Siegemund would be first-timer

*RECENT EARLY-CAREER SLAM BREAKOUTS - SF+*
2014: Genie Bouchard to Australian Open semis (4th career GS MD, age 19)
2014: Genie Bouchard to Wimbledon Final (6th career GS MD, age 20)
2017: Alona Ostapeno wins Roland Garros (8th career GS MD, age 20)
2018: Naomi Osaka wins U.S. Open (11th career GS MD, age 20)
2019: Danielle Collins to Australian Open SF (6th career GS MD, age 25)
2019: Amanda Anisimova to Roland Garros SF (4th career GS MD, age 17)
2019: Marketa Vondrousova to Roland Garros SF (9th career GS MD, age 20)
2019: Bianca Andreescu wins U.S. Open (4th career GS MD, age 19)
2020: Sofia Kenin wins Australian Open (12th career GS MD, age 21)
2020: Nadia Podoroska in Roland Garros SF in 2nd career GS MD, age 23
2020: Iga Swiatek in Roland Garros SF in 7th career GS MD, age 19

*MULTIPLE UNSEEDED IN SLAM SF (OPEN ERA)*
[3]
1978 Australian - Chris O'Neil, Diane Evers, Christine Matison Dorey(Q)
1976 R.Garros - Renata Tomanova, Florenta Mihai, Virginia Ruzici
[2]
2020 R.GARROS - NADIA PODOROSKA(Q), IGA SWIATEK
2019 R.Garros - Amanda Anisimova, Marketa Vondrousova
2017 Australian - Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, CoCo Vandeweghe
2010 Wimbledon - Petra Kvitova, Tsvetana Pironkova
2010 Australian - Justine Henin(WC), Zheng Jie
2009 US Open - Kim Clijsters(WC), Yanina Wickmayer
1999 Wimbledon - Alexandra Stevenson(Q), Mirjana Lucic
1994 Wimbledon - Lori McNeil, Gigi Fernandez
1983 R.Garros - Mima Jauvosec, Jo Durie
1975 Australian - Natasha Chmyreva, Sue Barker
1971 R.Garros - Marijke Schaar, Helen Gourlay
--
NOTE: Unseeded Collins and Siegemund can both make semis

*SOUTH AMERICANS IN SLAM SF - Open era*
[Argentina]
1974 RG - Racquel Giscafre
1985 RG - Gabriela Sabatini
1986 WI - Gabriela Sabatini
1987 RG - Gabriela Sabatini
1988 RG - Gabriela Sabatini
1988 US - Gabriela Sabatini (RU)
1989 AO - Gabriela Sabatini
1989 AO - Gabriela Sabatini
1990 WI - Gabriela Sabatini
1990 US - Gabriela Sabatini (W)
1991 RG - Gabriela Sabatini
1991 WI - Gabriela Sabatini (RU)
1992 AO - Gabriela Sabatini
1992 RG - Gabriela Sabatini
1992 WI - Gabriela Sabatini
1993 AO - Gabriela Sabatini
1994 AO - Gabriela Sabatini
1994 US - Gabriela Sabatini
1995 US - Gabriela Sabatini
2002 RG - Clarisa Fernandez
2004 RG - Paola Suarez
2020 RG - NADIA PODOROSKA
[Brazil]
1968 US - Maria Bueno
[Colombia]
2004 AO - Fabiola Zuluaga





TOP QUALIFIER: Mayar Sherif/EGY (first EGY woman in slam MD)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #25 Amanda Anisimova/USA (lost 4 games)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: #17q Barbara Haas/AUT def. Diana Snigur/UKR 6-0/5-7/7-5 [Haas led 6-0/5-0 40/30, then DF; won on 4th MP on 5th attempt to serve out match]
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd.- (Q) Clara Tauson/DEN def. #21 Jennifer Brady/USA - 6-4/3-6/9-7 (17/slam debut; saved 2 MP, wins on MP #5)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): Nominee; 3r-Garcia d. #16 Mertens
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Kamilla Rakhimova/RUS (def.Rogers/USA)
FIRST SEED OUT: #17 Anett Kontaveit/EST (1st Rd./Garcia)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Bara/ROU, Burel/FRA, Paolini/ITA, Podoroska/ARG, Rakhimova/RUS, Tauson/DEN, Trevisan/ITA, Zarazua/MEX
UPSET QUEENS: Australia
REVELATION LADIES: Romania
NATION OF POOR SOULS: United States (4 of 7 seeds failed to reach 3r, Serena w/d 2r, US QF/SF Rogers & Brady 1r, Venus 1r, Gauff 2r w/ 19 DF)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Nadia Podoroska/ARG (in SF) [LL Sharma-2nd Rd.]
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Genie Bouchard/CAN, Clara Burel/FRA, Tsvetana Pironkova/BUL (all 3rd Rd.)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: Gavrilova/AUS (2r), AK.Schmiedlova/SVK (3r)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: Fiona Ferro and Carolina Garcia (4th Rd.)
Ms./Mademoiselle OPPORTUNITY: Nominees: Swiatek, Collins
IT "New Dane on the Block": Clara Tauson/DEN
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Schmiedlova (had 12 con slam MD L), Ostapenko (had no RG wins since '17 title), Siegemund (4r three years after knee injury)
CRASH & BURN: 2020 U.S. Open semifinalists (Osaka DNP; Brady out 1st Rd., Serena w/d 2nd Rd., Azarenka upset 2nd Rd. within 24 hrs. on Day 3/4)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS: Kiki Bertens/NED (2nd Rd.: injured; Errani up a break 5 times in 3rd, served for match 3 times, 1 MP at 6-5; 3:11; collapses and wheeled off court after 9-7 win)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: Siegemund (32), Kvitova (30)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Martina Trevisan/ITA
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
Légion de Lenglen HONOREE: Court Chatrier roof (+night tennis) debuts
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: Simona Halep/ROU [not able to be awarded on LPT Day/June 1, Justine Henin's birthday -- but Halep wins on Day 1 on *her* own birthday]




All for Day 10. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 7:32 PM 

3 Comments:

Blogger Diane said...

I recall Radwanska saying that it was "weak" to have a mental coach, when--I think--she probably needed one (in terms of her performances at majors, but then, she also needed a service coach). I will always be sad that Aga didn't win Wimbledon, but--for me--she will always be a legend. I don't know anyone on the tour, ever, who was a better shot-maker.

I agree with you in comparing Switolina with her--again, in terms of majors.

I heard today that Swiatek has a traveling mental coach; if I were younger, I'd try to get that kind of gig! And, as a former psychotherapist, I can't help but wonder if any of Elina's performance anxiety is unconsciously related to Monfils' performance issues. Who knows?

Tue Oct 06, 07:54:00 PM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

OT- As a hockey fan, you may appreciate this.

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1313624298402336769

ASB Classic/Auckland will not be played in 2021.

Marshmallows are cool.

Argentina had Nadia and Diego win today. Still impressed by Sabatini's name being all over that list.

In football, it is pretty to simplify things and say that the team that has less turnovers should win. In tennis, the one that holds serve dictates the match.

The odd thing about Svitolina, is that since the restart, her groundstrokes have had more power. So why us the serve worse?

The other maddening thing is the tendency to do well the week before a slam, and not follow it up to conclusion.

Trevisan has been a breath of fresh air. Played reasonably well, but Swiatek was a level up.

Swiatek's run here is more 2009 Wozniacki USO, than Ostapenko 2017. Only a couple of years removed from a junior title, you kind of feel that she may reach 5 or 6 finals. Even if it doesn't happen here.

Sort of want Collins/Siegemund, just to see who the crowd will root for/who can self motivate the loudest.

Wheelchair plays tomorrow. You won't be happy with Whiley's draw.

Stat of the Day- 1952 - The last year that there were only two junior slams.

French Open started in 1953, and US Open in 1974. So why not take a look at 1952, and see if only having 2 slams held back the winners?

Inconclusive, for worse reasons than you think.

The more successful of the two was Mary Carter(Reitano). She won Australia in both 1951 and 1952, then won the grown up version in 1956 and 1959. Home grown, of her 9 Australian Opens, her worst was QF in 1957. She never played in the US, but did manage to reach RG QF in 1959.

But what boost did a player from a non slam country get? Holland's Fenny Ten Bosch played the main draw of a slam in 1951, but won girls in 52. Bouncing back and forth, only playing French Open and Wimbledon, she tried to defend that title in 1953, losing in the quarters.

She had her best season in 1955, reaching the 3rd rd of both Wimbledon and the French Open. She then got married in March 1956, got pregnant and had her first child.

Seemingly making a comeback, she won a regional championship in the Netherlands in 1958, then became pregnant again. She then fell ill, never to recover.

She passed away in January 1959 at only 23.

Tue Oct 06, 08:37:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

A little late on these, but...

D-
Well, Svitolina was kind of doing this sort of thing *before* Monfils came into the picture, but it has made them an "interesting" (and maybe well-matched?) couple. That said, at least last season, I thought that Monfils' mentality seemed to improve (and it seemed it might have come from spending time training in a serious manner around Elina).

Maybe a coaching change is in order. She used to make those *all the time*.


C-
Actually I'm a far bigger Jeopardy fan than hockey one, so I appreciated it for that! :)

With the quarantines for Australia, they should consider doing what the USTA did and hold a pre-AO event on the grounds in Melbourne.

Oh, and, yes, I did keep those South American lists you did a couple of years ago... and this was the very first time I've ever been able to utilize them! A belated thanks. ;)

Oh, well, that story had a bad ending. :(

Wed Oct 07, 05:48:00 PM EDT  

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