Thursday, June 03, 2021

RG.5- Ms. Mojo Risin (i.e. "Kenin-102: Problem-Solving for Tennis Daughters")

So, has the tour's preeminent problem solver of a season ago found a way to "problem-solve" her own life? Sofia Kenin might not win this Roland Garros, or even return to the final (yeah, she did that last year, though most have probably forgotten), but after some pretty rough weeks and months to open 2021 she seems to have found a way to redirect the failing trajectory of her season.

All it took was for her to tell her dad to take a hike.



In 2020, everyone was introduced on the big stage to The Kenin Way. It was a way to win tennis matches, and often a big title, even while not always playing your best. It was about out-thinking and out-hustling an opponent when a key game was on the line, figuring out what worked and what didn't right when a set was at a crossroads, changing course mid-match if necessary in order to keep a step ahead and pry the game/set/match door slightly ajar with a crowbar if necessary (just enough the get your foot within the frame), then winning the big points even if you lose a lot of small ones along the way, never giving up, and not particularly caring if you got overwhelming credit for what you were doing so long as, you know, *you got it done.*

It was how Kenin won her maiden slam crown at the Australian Open even while not generally playing her best, going 16-2 in majors, climbing as high as #4 in the rankings to become the top-ranked Bannerette (even while recording just a single Top 10 win -- but a *big* one over the world #1 in a slam SF in her home country... bam!), and then reaching *another* major final in Paris (in the fall!), and not winning it even though, on the whole, she actually played *better* at RG than she had in Melbourne. The problem was that that Iga person was guarding the door behind which the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen was kept, and there was no getting past *her*.

After a 5-2 start to 2021, Kenin's season turned dark. Her AO defense ended after two matches, she lost to an unknown Aussie in a "tacked-on" event held the second week of the season's first major, had a surprise appendectomy (though, really, are there any other kind?), came back (probably) a bit too soon, and seemingly couldn't buy a win. Then she fired her father Alex as coach, freeing up all those empty seats beside the coaches of Sofia's opponents this season (once everyone is allowed to move freely in the stands again) as well as probably sparing herself a few (or a dozen) code violations for something he might have done during one of her matches.

Whatever it was she did right in recent weeks, things seem to be working better now.

While Kenin again hasn't been anything resembling perfect through two matches in Paris this week, wins over Alona Ostapenko (in 3) and (today) Hailey Baptiste (who was up a break in the 1st, before Kenin caught fire and swept the final three games, the last two at love), she's still alive in the 3rd Round and displaying some of the problem-solving, just-get-it-done traits that fueled her '20 rise that somehow failed to even place her in the casual conversation of U.S. tennis that is dominated, when it's spoken about publicly at all, by, well, just about *any* player *not* named Sofia Kenin. She's so far under the radar that you'd likely need those things people stick in the ground to shoo away moles in order to find her.

Her win today makes Kenin 8-1 in her last nine matches in Paris, and even still she'd likely have to make it all the way back to the final for anyone to really pay her any mind. And if she was playing someone who could be identified by just her first name Kenin would probably still have to show her credentials -- and birth certificate, and fingerprints, etc. -- to the chair umpire, as well as her opponent, in order to take her place in one of the changeover areas.

But Kenin would likely be just fine with all that, as long as she's there.

Has The Problem Solver been reincarnated as Ms. Mojo Risin?



Hey, if you open your eyes to the doors of tennis perception, you never know what you might discover, right?




=DAY 5 NOTES=
...#1 Ash Barty escaped her 1st Round match against Bernarda Pera, but that fact was as much a product of the Bannerette's brief lapse in strategic judgment mid-way into the 3rd set as it was the resilience of the Aussie. Yes, the latter played a huge part in Barty avoiding her first opening round loss in a major in four years, but the thigh/hip injury that hampered her throughout that match was clearly not going away anytime soon. Her remaining time in this slam appeared to be dwindling fast, and today we found out that -- as is usually the case, I mean, unless you're part of a political cult that worships at the altar of an orange god whose losses are always judged as the best winning that any human can do -- what we saw with our own eyes was most definitely reality.



After Magda Linette saw her '21 season's start delayed because of the flaring up a lingering knee injury, then endured a slow start (1-5) once she got onto the court before finally finding her feet in reaching the Strasbourg semis last week, the Pole was due a break. She got it with what at first surely seemed to be an "unfortunate" draw. But, as it turned out, getting the top seed and "sorta" defending champ in the 2nd Round at *this* major was like winning the lottery.

With Barty again slowed by the strapping on her left leg, making it difficult to push off to serve as well as position herself on the court, Linette ran away with a 6-1 1st set. After the Aussie had her taping adjusted, things were better, but hardly better *enough*. Knowing that this particular dog just wasn't going to hunt today (what is that, a Dan Rather-like folksy reference?), and maybe with an eye on her *next* big event, Barty pulled up at 2-2 and retired from her *second* straight event this spring (Rome QF) after having won 14 of her other 16 clay court matches in '21.



Barty's exit means the top two seeds (not to mention Simona Halep, who would have been #3 had she not been injured) are out of a major before the start of the 3rd Round, an occurrence that comes seven years after the same thing happened for the first time in Open era slam history in Paris in 2014 (#1 Serena, #2 Li). That year, #7 Maria Sharapova ended up defeating #4 Halep in the final. This year's #7 (Serena) and #4 (Kenin) seeds are again positioned on opposite sides of the draw and are still alive in the competition. You know, just in case the Tennis Gods are planning something... we can say we saw 'em comin'.

Hopefully, this won't continue to keep that long-awaited Wimbledon run at bay for the grass court-loving Aussie. In her last SW19 appearance, right after winning Roland Garros in '19, Barty finally cracked the second week (4r) of the fortnight in her seventh attempt (after 3 MD and 3 Q attempts). This year is the tenth anniversary of Barty's junior title run at the AELTC.



...#25 Ons Jabeur made good use of her second chance. After losing to (now RG) wild card Astra Sharma in the Charleston 250 final in April after having led the Aussie by a set and break, the Tunisian didn't let history repeat itself today. Up a set and a break again, Jabeur won 6-4/6-2.

Meanwhile, 18-year old Marta Kostyuk (*still* not the youngest to do anything at a major at the moment, thanks to Coco Gauff) followed up her win over an injured Garbine Muguruza by defeating Zheng Saisai. The Ukrainian has now reached the 3rd Round in three different majors just five MD into her slam career. The only one in which she hasn't is Wimbledon, where she's yet to play a MD match. It's an odd stat, except when you remember that she lost in qualifying in 2018-19, then didn't get the chance to play at SW19 last year.



Fellow Ukrainian, #5 Elina Svitolina, again advanced in straight sets on Day 5. But again, she followed up a strong 1st set with something less than continuing to employ a bringing-down-the-hammer mindset (likely the only way she's ever going to get that maiden slam crown) in the 2nd. After seeing slam MD debuting Oceane Babel lead 5-2 and serve for the set a round ago, she followed up a love 1st vs. Ann Li today by finding herself in a battle against a player participating in just her second clay court match of the spring. She got the late break and served out the 6-0/6-4 victory, but one has to think those lapses will catch up with Svitolina (they always seem to at majors) before she pushes herself over any sort of career hump in Paris.



At the moment, Svitolina isn't the *highest* seed remaining in the draw, she's just the *third*-highest behind #3 Sabalenka and #4 Kenin. So, she has a pressure shield at the moment. Considering her history, she should maybe send those two some power bars and flowers to keep them focused and on track for as long as possible.

...Barbora Krejcikova has a bit of a history with #32 Ekaterina Alexandrova. Last year, she lost to the Russian in the 2nd Round of the Australian Open. Then Alexandrova knocked her off *again* in the 2nd Round of *this* year's AO.

The Czech got a bit of revenge by defeating the Hordette in the Strasbourg QF en route to her maiden title last week, but she's apparently not finished. After her 6-2/6-3 win today, Krejcikova is 5-0 vs. Hordettes since that loss in Melbourne. Apparently it doesn't even have anything to do with Alexandrova anymore.

Speaking of Russians, with Alexandrova's loss she's assured of not being the highest-ranked woman from her country once RG is complete. In the live rankings, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is back in the top spot (#29) in what should be a hotly contested race throughout the summer. She holds a narrow lead over the ousted Vernonika Kudermetova (#30), with Alexandrova (#33) just in front of the still-kickin'-in-Paris Dasha Kasatkina (#35).

Another Hordette, Varvara Gracheva got a big win today over Camila Giorgi. The 20-year old revved up the Gracheva Train by reaching the 3rd Round to match her career-best slam result ('20 US) after stealing the opening set from the Italian (winning 7-5 after trailing 5-2) and then racing away with the 3rd (up 4-1) for a 7-5/1-6/6-2 win.



...#9 Karolina Pliskova and Sloane Stephens are both players who currently exist in the intersection of the tour's Venn diagram, equally residing in *both* sets of WTA players who are either potential finalists or potential head-shaking early-round disasters on a weeky basis. One never knows which you're going to get.

Today, we got Good Sloane, who registered her first Top 10 win since the '18 WTA Finals (guess the Czech that last win was against... HINT: her initials are K.P. and her name isn't Kristyna). Her 7-5/6-1 victory allows '18 RG runner-up Stephens to match her best slam result ('19 WI/'20 US 3r) in her previous six majors, as well as continue her springtime uptick in results. Having entered RG ranked all the way down at #59 (that just *should not* be for someone as good as she is, and who isn't carrying a major or lingering injury), she's now 10-5 on clay this spring and this win moved her one win over .500 (11-10) on the season.



...so, we saw a brief clip of "RoCoco" on Day 5, but once again #24 Coco Gauff prevented the entire episode from streaming out on Court 7 in her 2nd Round match against Wang Qiang, the same Chinese woman the Bannerette defeated 1 & 3 to take the Parma title a few weeks go.

Wang served for the 2nd set and held a SP, but Gauff brushed all that aside and won a 7-1 TB to put away yet another straights set victory, winning 6-3/7-6(1) to reach the 3rd Round in Paris for the first time. In Gauff's seven slam MD appearnces, she's a combined 12-6 and has won at least one match on six occasions. She's on a seven-match winning streak, and is 14-3 on clay this spring.



...losses today by Fiona Ferro (to #13 Jennifer Brady) and Kristina Mladenovic (to #30 Anett Kontaveit) wiped the women's singles draw clean of Pastries. As a group, French women were 4-11 in the RG main draw, with the aforementioned two tying with Caroline Garcia and Harmony Tan for Last Pastry Standing honors.

...the Top Early-Round Player award doesn't really signify much, as there's hardly any history that says the "winner" will go on to win the title (or even her next match), but I continue to dole it out.

This RG's field of nominees consisted of players under consideration for various reasons, including Sloane Stephens (for the unusual pressure associated with playing CSN, then a big-deal 2nd Round vs. Pliskova), Aryna Sabalenka (a dangerous Konjuh/Sasnovich two-fer) and Victoria Azarenka (arriving with little play in recent weeks, but handling both ends of the WTA age spectrum vs. Kuznetsova and Tauson). But, really, it's hard to *not* go with the defending champ. I mean the *second* defending champ.



#8 Iga Swiatek's 1 & 1 win today over Rebecca Peterson means her 9-match/18-set RG streak is intact, with the Pole giving up one or fewer games in three of the four sets she's played this week. Kaja Juvan's 7-5 loss (with a BP shot to get the chance to serve out the set) in the 2nd set in the 1st Round is looking better and better by the minute, day and round.

...the wheelchair singles draw is out, and #1 Diede de Groot has a potential 2nd Round/SF match-up with countrywoman Aniek Van Koot, the same player who denied her the Double Grand Slam (as in *both* singles and doubles) in '19 when she defeated her in the Wimbledon final. Van Koot is a three-time RG singles finalist, but the title is the only slam crown to have so far eluded her in her career. De Groot won the title in '19, but the RG singles is (so far) the only slam crown she hasn't won at least twice. Defending champ #2 Yui Kamiji opens against doubles partner Jordanne Whiley.




*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL 32 BY NATION*
8 - USA
...Brady,Collins,Gauff,Kenin,Keys,Pegula,Stephens,S.Williams
4 - CZE...Krejcikova,Muchova,Siniakova,Vondrousova
4 - RUS...Gracheva,Kasatkina,Pavlyuchenkova,Vesnina
2 - BLR...Azarenka,Sabalenka
2 - POL...Linette,Swiatek
2 - ROU...Bogdan,Cirstea
2 - SLO...Hercog,Zidansek
2 - UKR...Kostyuk,Svitolina
1 - BEL...Mertens
1 - ESP...Badosa
1 - EST...Kontaveit
1 - GRE...Sakkari
1 - KAZ...Rybakina
1 - TUN...Jabeur

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S SINGLES*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED vs. Anjelica Bernal/COL
Aniek Van Koot/NED vs. (WC) Emmanuelle Morch/FRA
Dana Mathewson/USA vs. KG Montjane/RSA
Jordanne Whiley/GBR vs. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S DOUBLES*
#1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED/NED) vs. Mathewson/Montjane (USA/RSA)
Bernal/Morch (COL/FRA) vs. #2 Kamiji/Whiley (JPN/GBR)






...LOL ON DAY 5:

On Tennis Channel, Brett Haber calling Gael Monfils "the great French hope" (that'd only work if it was said with a large side dish of sarcasm), while Lindsay Davenport talking about his "struggles to complete in this new era of professional sports in a pandemic." As if Monfils was ever a "great competitor" even *before* the pandemic. More like the most pointless sideshow in the sport for over a decade.

Rarely does a story about a junior player end up defining one's professional career. But I still remember the on-air story that John McEnroe told way back when about how in 2004 Monfils, after having won the boys titles in Melbourne, Paris and London, had to be coaxed and convinced to even enter the U.S. Open junior competition even with a Junior Grand Slam on his racket. As the #1 seed in New York, he almost lost in back-to-back three-setters to players who never really had ATP careers, and then fell in straights to Viktor Troicki in the 3rd Round. And the die was cast.

Of course, French men's tennis is now at the end of a generational era headed up by the likes of Tsonga, Monfils and Gasquet. Whew! Talk about a whole lotta wasted talent.


...LOL #2 ON DAY 5:

Proving that they have no mercy, how about the FFT and Roland Garros essentially throwing Gasquet to the wolves (i.e. Nadal, against whom he was 0-16) in the night session on Chatrier for all the see on Night 5? Brrrr. Good for him that at least he didn't embarrass himself.


...WELL, THAT SOUNDS PROMISING... ON DAY 5:





...BLACKBIRD FLY, BLACKBIRD FLY...All your life, You were only waiting for this moment to arise... ON DAY 5:





...LIKE ON DAY 5:

Aka "Mean Jen B?"







...Hmmm, what will that hair look like in 15 or so years?... ON DAY 5:

Ah, but will he have double-digit titles?







With illness limiting Suzanne Lenglen's schedule in 1924, the only year of her career in which she won no major titles, the French crown was up for grabs. In the final year in which the tournament was limited to members of French tennis clubs (all international amateurs could enter starting in '25), 20-year old Marseille native Julie "Diddie" Vlasto defeated Jeanne Vaussard 6–2/6–3 to take the title. The same year she won the Silver medal in singles at the Olympics held in Paris, losing in the final to the U.S.'s Helen Wills.



1921 Suzanne Lenglen/FRA
1922 Suzanne Lenglen/FRA
1923 Suzanne Lenglen/FRA
1924 Julie Vlasto/FRA
1925 Suzanne Lenglen/FRA
1926 Suzanne Lenglen/FRA

In 1925, Vlasto lost in the semifinals to Brit Kitty McKane, who'd become the first non-French women's finalist, losing to Lenglen. Vlasto would win the 1925-26 doubles titles alongside Lenglen, as well as reach the '25 MX final with Henri Cochet (losing to Lenglen and Jacques Brugnon).



At the 1926 Wimbledon, Lenglen, already worried about her family's financial situation, was pressured to play the doubles with another French player rather than her usual partner, Elizabeth Ryan of the United States (with whom she never lost a match, winning Wimbledon six times). She eventually relented and agreed to play with Vlasto, then drew Ryan and Mary Browne in the opening match. The event turned out to be Lenglen's last as an amateur after a misunderstanding regarding the scheduling of a match that turned out to be attended by Queen Mary. Lenglen's message about rescheduling the match was never passed along, though she'd been told it had, and the Queen waited courtside while Lenglen didn't show up. She was assailed for "snubbing" royalty and it all turned into a fiasco fueled by a power play initiated by high-ranking AELTC members and press coverage that turned her from heroine to traitor almost immediately. She and Vlasto lost, then Lenglen withdrew following her singles match after the usually boisterously supportive crowd turned on her and she was booed for the first time. An emotional mess (and questioning her family's future stability, as her father was in poor health), Lenglen signed a pro contract a month later, ending her Hall of Fame amateur career.

Meanwhile, Vlasto last played in the '31 French Championships, by then being held at the Stade Roland Garros site (beginning in '28) where the tournament is still held today, at age 27. She died at age 81 in 1985 in Lausanne, Switzerland.



To be continued...















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They should broadcast wheelchair matches from this angle...








kosova-font

*RG "LAST PASTRY STANDING"*
2008 Alize Cornet & Emilie Loit (3rd)
2009 Virginie Razzano & Aravane Rezai (4th)
2010 Marion Bartoli & Aravane Rezai (3rd)
2011 Marion Bartoli (SF)
2012 Mathilde Johansson (3rd)
2013 M.Bartoli, A.Cornet & V.Razzano (3rd)
2014 Pauline Parmentier (4th)
2015 Alize Cornet (4th)
2016 A.Cornet, K.Mladenovic & P.Parmentier (3rd)
2017 Caroline Garcia & Kristina Mladenovic (QF)
2018 Caroline Garcia (4th)
2019 C.Garcia, K.Mladenovic & D.Parry (2nd)
2020 Fiona Ferro & Caroline Garcia (4th)
2021 F.Ferro, C.Garcia, K.Mladenovic, H.Tan (2nd)

*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]
(SF) Nadia Podoroska/ARG
[2021]
(2nd) Hailey Baptiste/USA, Anhelina Kalinina/UKR & Varvara Lepchenko/USA

*RG "CRASH-AND-BURN" WINNERS*
2008 Serena Williams, USA (3rd Rd.)
2009 Elena Dementieva, RUS (3rd Rd.)
2010 Dinara Safina, RUS (1st Rd.)
2011 Kim Clijsters, BEL (2nd Rd.)
2012 Serena Williams, USA (2nd Rd.)
2013 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (2nd Rd.)
2014 Serena Williams, USA (2nd) & Li Na, CHN (1st/AO champ)
2015 Simona Halep, ROU (2nd Rd.)
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER (1st Rd./AO champ)
2017 Angelique Kerber, GER (1st Rd., earliest RG #1 ever)
2018 Alona Ostapenko, LAT (1st Rd., earliest RG DC since '05)
2019 Alona Ostapenko, LAT (1st Rd.; zero RG wins before/after '17 title)
2020 2020 US Open SF (Osaka DNP, Brady 1r, Serena w/d 2r, Azarenka 2r - in 24 hrs)
2021 Ash Barty, AUS and Naomi Osaka, JPN (#1 seed ret. 2r; #2 seed w/d 2r)

*RG "LAST WILD CARD STANDING"*
2008 Mathilde Johansson/FRA & Olivia Sanchez/FRA (2nd Rd.)
2009 Olivia Rogowska/AUS (2nd Rd.)
2010 Jarmila Groth (Gajdosova/Wolfe)/AUS (4th Rd.)
2011 I.Bremond/FRA, C.Garcia/FRA & P.Parmentier/FRA (2nd)
2012 C.Feuerstein/FRA, M.Oudin/USA & I.Pavlovic/FRA (2nd)
2013 Virginie Razzano/FRA (3rd Rd.)
2014 Pauline Parmentier/FRA (4th Rd.)
2015 Virginie Razzano/FRA & Amandine Hesse/FRA (2nd Rd.)
2016 M.Georges/FRA, V.Razzano/FRA & T.Townsend/USA (2nd)
2017 Chloe Paquet/FRA (2nd Rd.)
2018 Pauline Parmentier/FRA (3rd Rd.)
2019 Lauren Davis/USA, Priscilla Hon/AUS & Diane Parry/FRA (2nd)
2020 Genie Bouchard/CAN, Clara Burel/FRA & Tsvetana Pironkova/BUL (3rd)
2021 Astra Sharma/AUS & Harmony Tan/FRA (2nd)

*RG "ZOMBIE QUEENS OF PARIS"*
[2008]
Dinara Safina, RUS (2 MP down in 4r, 2 MP down in QF; reached final)
[2009]
Victoria Azarenka, BLR (down 7-5/4-1 in 3r, match susp./darkness; reached QF)
[2010]
Samantha Stosur, AUS (down MP in QF; reached final)
[2011]
Maria Sharapova, RUS (down 6-3/4-1 in 2r; reached SF)
[2012]
Victoria Azarenka, BLR (down 7-6/4-0 in 1r; avoided earlier #1 exit; reached 4r)
[2013]
Marion Bartoli, FRA (down break 3 times in 1st & 2 MP in 3rd in 1r; 4-1 1st & break in 2nd set in 2r)
[2014]
Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS (down 3-1 in 3rd set, opp.served for match twice in 3r; to QF)
[2015]
Elina Svitolina, UKR (down 6-1/3-0, 4-1 in 3rd set in 2r; wins 9-7)
[2016]
Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL (down 6-2/3-0 vs. A-Rad 4r; wins 1st 10 games two days later)
[2017]
Kristina Mladenovic, FRA (1st Rd.: down 3-0 in 3rd to Brady, wins 9-7; 3rd Rd. - down 5-2 in 3rd, wins 8-6 vs. Rogers; to first RG QF)
[2018]
Yulia Putintseva, KAZ (3rd Rd.: down 6-1/4-1 & 2 MP, 3-0 in 3rd, vs. Wang Qiang; to second career slam QF)
[2019]
Anna Blinkova, RUS (Q2: trailed 6-3/3-1 vs. Kalinina; Q3: trailed Glushko 3-0 in 3rd; 1st Rd.: trailed Gaspayarn 4-0 in 3rd; 2nd Rd.: trailed Garcia 3-0 in 3rd)
[2020]
Kiki Bertens, NED (2nd Rd.: injured; Errani up break 5 times in 3rd, served for match 3 times, 1 MP at 6-5; collapses and wheeled off court after 9-7 win)
[2021]
Katerina Siniakova, CZE (2nd Rd.: down 5-1 in 3rd vs. V.Kudermetova, saved 2 MP)

*RG "Légion de Lenglen" WINNERS*
[former "Joie De Vivre" Award]
2011 Virginie Razzano, FRA
2012 Virginie Razzano, FRA
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2015 Francesca Schiavone, ITA
[Lenglen Honorees]
2016 Alize Lim, FRA
2017 Caroline Garcia, FRA
2018 Serena Williams, USA
2019 Court Simonne-Mathieu
2020 US Open Special: Madison Brengle, USA
2020 Court Chatrier roof (and night tennis) debuts
2021 Naomi Osaka, JPN

*BEST 2021 SLAM RESULTS*
[qualifiers]
AO 3rd Rd. - Sara Errani, ITA
AO 3rd Rd. - Kaja Juvan, SLO
AO 2nd Rd. - Timea Babos, HUN
AO 2nd Rd. - Olga Danilovic, SRB
AO 2nd Rd. - Rebecca Marino, CAN
AO 2nd Rd. - Liudmila Samsonova, RUS
AO 2nd Rd. - Mayar Sherif, EGY
RG 2nd Rd. - Hailey Baptiste, USA
RG 2nd Rd. - Anhelina Kalinina, UKR
RG 2nd Rd. - Varvara Lepchenko, USA
[wild cards]
AO 2nd Rd. - Dasha Gavrilova, AUS
AO 2nd Rd. - Samantha Stosur, AUS
RG 2nd Rd. - Astra Sharma, AUS
RG 2nd Rd. - Harmony Tan, FRA
[lucky losers]
AO 2nd Rd. - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, SVK
RG 2nd Rd. - none with win










TOP QUALIFIER: Varvara Lepchenko/USA
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #8 Iga Swiatek/POL
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: Jaqueline Cristian/ROU def. #13 Mayar Sherif/EGY 7-5/5-7/7-6(1) (Sherif saves 2 MP in 2nd, rallies from 5-3 in 3rd, but Cristian ends 3-hr. match w/ TB win)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - Tamara Zidansek/SLO def. #6 Bianca Andreescu/CAN 6-7(1)/7-6(2)/9-7 (3:20; Andreescu broke for 5-4 lead in 3rd)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Ana Bogdan/ROU (def.Cocciaretto/ROU)
FIRST SEED OUT: #26 Angelique Kerber/GER (1st Rd./Kalinina)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Hailey Baptiste/USA, Tereza Martincova/CZE, Harmony Tan/FRA
UPSET QUEENS: Slovenia
REVELATION LADIES: Czech Republic
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Germany (0-3 in 1st Rd.; Kerber FSO 2 con GS/2 of 3 RG; Siegemund 1r)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Hailey Baptiste/USA, Anhelina Kalinina/UKR, Varvara Lepchenko/USA (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Astra Sharma/AUS and Harmony Tan/FRA (2nd Rd.)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: Buzarnescu(2r), Vesnina (in 3r)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: Fiona Ferro, Caroline Garcia, Kristina Mladenovic, Harmony Tan (all 2nd Rd.)
Ms./Mademoiselle OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT "...": xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Cirstea, Collins, Kasatkina, Keys, Vesnina
CRASH & BURN: Ash Barty/AUS and Naomi Osaka/JPN (#1 seed ret. 2r; #2 seed w/d 2r)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS: Katerina Siniakova, CZE (2nd Rd.: down 5-1 in 3rd vs. V.Kudermetova, saved 2 MP)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): xx
Mademoiselle/Madam OF THE EVENING: Nominee: S.Williams
JUNIOR BREAKOUTS: xx
Légion de Lenglen HONOREE: Naomi Osaka/JPN (press drama and tournament withdrawal) + Nominee: Collins (w/ health issues)
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: Carla Suarez Navarro, ESP (June 1 - returned after '20 cancer diagnosis)






All for Day 5. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 5:57 PM 

4 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

Top early round player is Swiatek. Sabalenka and Serena won't go far with their 2nd rd play, but as we have seen, each day is a new chance.

Wonder how long Swiatek will stay in doubles.

Match of the day was Diyas/Mertens. Only 30 UE for Diyas, but they came at bad times. Even had Mertens win the match with an ace, which was overruled by the chair, as it did look out on replay. Mertens then took care of business quickly.

Stat of the Day- 9- Number of male/female teams that have won back to back at the same slam in the Open Era.

Latisha Chan and Ivan Dodig are on the schedule for tomorrow, in their effort to win the French Open for the third time in a row. This hasn't happened in the Open Era at any slam, but would be the first time here since Margaret Court/Ken Fletcher did so in 63, 64 and 65. Court/Fletcher won the Grand Slam in 1963.

Back to Back-Open Era:

Note-AO skipped mixed between 1970-1986.

1969-70 US- Margaret Court/Marty Riessen
1973-74 W- Billie Jean King/Owen Davidson
1977-78 US- Betty Stove/Frew McMillan
1981-82 US- Anne Smith/Kevin Curren
1983-84- W- Wendy Turnbull/John Lloyd
1988-89 AO- Jana Novotna/Jim Pugh
1996-97 W- Helena Sukova/Cyril Suk
2018-19 US- Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Jamie Murray
2018-19 F- Latisha Chan/Ivan Dodig

Now, there have been both men and women who have won 3 in a row with different partners. Jim Pugh won Australia in 1988 & 89 with Novotna, then won with Zvereva in 1990.

Last, but not least, if her current uptick in singles doesn't cause her to cut back mixed, Krejcikova will be going for 4 in a row down under. She won in 2019 with Rajeev Ram, switched to Nikola Mektic in 2020, then back to Ram in 2021.

Thu Jun 03, 07:28:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Diane said...

Firing her father seems to have been a major factor, but can we also give some credit to the varied versions of that dress?! The floral version is Aga=like.

Nice match for Ferro. I sometimes wish that she would become famous because she has the best tennis (or any) name since Fabiola Zuluaga. And I know that you would perhaps take issue with that :)

Thu Jun 03, 07:33:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

C-
Iga: probably would depend on how much effort she has to exert in singles. So, maybe as long as she and Mattek keep winning? ;)

D-
Yeah, that's a nice Kenin dress (those white/yellow ones being worn by several players, including Kontaveit, Pavlyuchenkova and Ferro are classicaly clean, but seem more suited to Wimbledon than RG). Unfortunately, some of Aga's best outfits (that silvery thing, and maybe the flowers one) didn't hang around long because she lost early. :(

I think my favorite in recent years were those ones worn by Ostapenko and Halep in '17. The color scheme fit perfectly with the clay and RG logo. I didn't even mind them wearing the same thing while playing against each other, which is a longstanding pet peeve. :)

Fri Jun 04, 11:29:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Diane said...

That was a beautiful dress indeed, and they both wore it well. And what looks good against the red clay is Serena's green kit.

Fri Jun 04, 06:44:00 PM EDT  

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