Saturday, June 05, 2021

RG.7- Back to the Future Sloane?

Is it happening again? Has Sloane Stephens gotten it into her mind that she's tired of watching the WTA parade go by while she sits on the side of the road?



The last time anything like that happened, Stephens had missed much time with a foot injury, returned to the tour with a Mount Everest-sized ranking mountain to climb, but something to prove. By the end of the summer she was the U.S. Open champion. This time, perhaps, more real-world concerns have managed to focus her sights.



Since the start of the pandemic, Stephens has lost her aunt, grandmother and grandfather to COVID. In Australia, she underwent a strict quarantine after a case was found on her incoming plane to Melbourne.

While she was missing funerals, her tennis continued to flag, as well. Her opening round Australian Open loss extended a results trend that had seen her squander all the career capital she'd built up by finally seeming to reach her potential by winning the Open, then the following spring taking the Miami Open crown and reaching the Roland Garros final. Having climbed as high as #3, Stephens ended '18 by reaching the WTA Finals championship match.

From there, it was seemingly one wrong turn after another. Since then, by early '21, Stephens had parted ways with Kamau Murray, her coach leading up to and during her great run (2015-18), reunited with him, then parted ways again. The pandemic ranking system kept her standing far higher than her performances warrented, but there was no looking past her sharp downturn in results. What at first was inconsistency turned into something more. Starting with her 3rd Round Wimbledon loss in '19, Stephens had gone 9-24 in the long stretch before she arrived in Charleston for the start of the '21 clay season in April.

She'd maintained an optimistic attitude, saying that she felt that a return to form was but a few wins away, even while it often appeared on the court that, should it occur, a *true* return to form might actually be a more shocking turn of events than her rapid summer rise from unranked player coming off a long injury break to slam champion had been four years earlier.

But Stephens kept her head down and plugged away, working with a slew of coaches (in both Miami and Barcelona, with hitting partner Darian King also taking a swing). She reached the QF in Charleston, a three-win week that ended a 25-event drought of such a result that had started after the '19 RG. She lost in the 2nd Round in Madrid, but pushed Ons Jabeur to three sets, which qualified as another positive development. After having to qualify in Rome, her first such necessary experience on tour since 2012 (she made the MD, but lost to Madison Keys in a 7-5 3rd set in the 1st Rd.), a semifinal in Parma soon followed. It seemed to confirm that a corner may have been turned, albeit a small one. For there was no sugarcoating just how disappointing Stephens had been for such a long time.

She arrived in Paris ranked #59, just weeks after having fallen to her lowest standing (#65) since her summer '17 rise (when she rose from #934 to #17 in five weeks). Prior to the injury, Stephens hadn't been ouside the Top 60 since May 2012. Her opening RG match against the returning Carla Suarez Navarro, a cancer survivor, likely had a extra layer of meaning for Stephens after a year filled with such personal loss. It would have been easy for her to sleep walk through the match, tentatively treading on egg shells for fear of being viewed (or feeling like?) a "villain" for simply doing her job, trying to win a tennis match. A *much-needed* win, at that.

The contest went three sets, with Stephens having to win a 2nd set TB and then outlast an exhausted (but still fighting, as expected) CSN in the 3rd set to get the "W." Meeting her fallen, but unbroken, opponent at the net, the concern for her wellfare was obvious in Stephens' eyes. Perhaps the moment was something of cleansing one for the former finalist, an oddly cathartic point in time between the white lines after having weathered so many personal storms off it. Maybe *that* was when all the various paths crossed, and things "came together."

"Covid. Death. Traumatic things happening in life, things that are out of my control,” Stephens said, summing up her year. “I kind of just had to manage, and I feel like I have just done the best I can." (NYT)

A round later, Stephens defeated #9-seed Karolina Pliskova, her first Top 10 win since the 2018 WTAF. Today she defeated another Czech, #18 Karolina Muchova in a 6-3/7-5 match to give her back-to-back Top 20 victories.



Though she hasn't lifted the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen, Roland Garros has been Stephens' best slam. 28-9 in Paris in her career, half of her fourteen Round of 16 results over the past decade have come there, all seven in her last nine appearances.

It's been a while since we've had the delicious possibility of having to factor in a lurking in-form and on-point Stephens in a slam draw. She's always been excitingly capable of anything -- and beating anyone -- on a tennis court when she's been "right." Maybe after the year she's had she wouldn't call herself quite *that*, but maybe a greater perspective and a(nother) reckoning within herself about just how important tennis is to her life, or at least whether or not she should jetison the stress that often in the past has seemed to cause her to freeze in her own tracks, is currently allowing her to simply bear down and take whatever the sport gives her, or that she can take from it.

Maybe that's the key: to badly want to win, but to realize that it's not a life or death situation if you don't, allowing one to both be thrilled with success but also not thwarted and crushed if it didn't come that day... for there's always tomorrow, and that's something to be grateful for.



The thought that Stephens could somehow reach back into her Future and again produce the sort of sterling two-week run that she carried off in New York *still* seems like a bridge too far at this slam. But, then again, it did four years ago, too. And we know how that turned out.




=DAY 7 NOTES=
...so, apparently all #5 Elina Svitolina had to hear was that the draw *might* be opening up and that she was *close* to being the top seed left. With the clarion call sounded, she immediately found a way to exit the tournament today.

Unseeded Czech Barbora Krejcikova bundled the Ukrainian out of Paris in the 3rd Round on Day 7 by a 6-3/6-2 scoreline, returning to the "scene of the crime" (i.e. the RG 4th Round) where her singles surge truly became "a thing" last fall. The Strasbourg champ a week ago, Krejcikova has gone 34-13 since the start of last year's Roland Garros.



The singles win keeps Krejcikova *fully* in the mix -- "old school Czech style" -- at this RG, as she's the only woman alive in all three draws, with Katerina Siniakova (they won the title in '18) in WD (3r) and Filip Polasek in MX (QF). Jana Novotna would be proud.

As for Svitolina, well, I guess this means she'll have some extra time to come up with a few creative social media posts that will cause all sorts of people to gush about how great she is. Alrighty then. Moving on to another Ukrainian...

18-year Marta Kostyuk made quick work of Russian Varvara Gracheva to reach her first career slam Round of 16 and become the youngest player to reach that stage at a major in 2021 (an honor she held tightly for a whole handful of hours).



#25 Ons Jabeur posted a win over Magda Linette to return to the RG Round of 16 for a second straight year. She had to rally after losing a 6-3 opening set, but did so with a vengeance. She won eleven straight games before Linette got back on the board as she served to avoid a double-bagel 2nd/3rd set finish. She got the game, then Jabeur closed her out.



...defending champ #8 Iga Swiatak hasn't been as peerless through the first week of this RG as she was throughout the full two weeks of the event last fall, but the 20-year old Pole continues to show that it's going to take something special to defeat her.

As she got from her good friend Kaja Juvan in the 2nd set of the 1st Round, Swiatek was pushed to the edge in today's opening set by #30 Anett Kontaveit. The Estonian held a break lead mid-way thorugh the 1st at 4-3, but Swiatek turned things up to get the break in game #8 and pushed through to a tie-break. She won it 7-5, taking what was the closest set she's had (Juvan got to 7-5) the last two years in Paris. She bageled Kontaveit in the 2nd, committing just one UE and converting all three of her BP chances in a 7-6(4)/6-0 victory.

The straight sets win extends Swiatek's RG set winning streak to twenty and improves her career mark in Paris to 13-1 (10 consecutive wins) as she reaches her third 4th Round in three appearances.



...again today, #4 Sofia Kenin wasn't a perfect specimen of a performer in her 3rd Round match against her countryman, #28 Jessica Pegula. After winning the first three games, Kenin lost six of seven to drop the set. She had five DF and 16 total unforced errors in the 1st (vs. 6 UE for Pegula).

But Kenin knows that one set doesn't make a match. As this one wore on, she got her game in order, fully undestanding that even a good Kenin win doesn't have to also mean a particuarly great Kenin performance.

With a 16-5 edge in winners, Kenin broke Pegula three times to easily claim the 2nd. In the 3rd, her serving issues returned as five more DF and a 47% first serve percentage kept the match in play, but Kenin's fourteen winners were just enough to pull out a set that began with three consecutive breaks of serve, but then never had another.

Kenin won 4-6/6-1/6-4, offering up another working-it-out masterpiece that no one (including her) will place on the shelf to admire after today. But results matter, no matter what they look like, and maybe no player knows that better than Kenin herself. After perfecting the "just win" mantra for much of last season, she continues this week to slot into the well-worn groove that got her to #4 last season.



That result occurred after Tennis Channel had highlighted the "UTR" stats (I'm assuming this is all tied into the whole DraftKings sponsorship nonsense) showing that Pegula had a 71%-29% chance of defeating Kenin. It was interesting to watch the commentators try to explain how a player who'd never won a match in Paris until this week should be such a heavy favorite over the returning finalist who was showing signs of regaining her past form. At least they had Pegula's far better season in comparison to that of Kenin's to fall back on.

That same TC segment also had #13 Jennifer Brady with a 62%-38% edge over #24 Coco Gauff, a stat that seemed to completely go against the "logic" of the other match, as Gauff arrived on a 7-match winning streak, and was 14-3 on clay this spring, while Brady was just 3-2 and hadn't advanced past the 2nd Round in Paris in four appearances before this year.

Needless to say, anyone who took any of that "advice" and made wagers based on it are out a few bucks today.

At least the Gauff/Brady result had a reason for not going "as planned," though I'm not sure the final result would have been any different -- other than the match lasting another hour or 90 minutes -- had Brady not arrived with a new foot injury. She ended up only lasting a set, which she lost 6-1, before having to pull out, sending the 17-year old into the second week in Paris for the first time.



...in the final 3rd Round match of the day, #17 Maria Sakkari couldn't close out #14 Elise Mertens in two, losing a 2nd set TB, but took control in the 3rd (leading 17-6 in winners and never facing a BP) to reach her maiden Roland Garros Round of 16.



...in doubles, Irina Camelia Begu & Nadia Podoroska knocked out #4 seeds Shuko Aoyama & Ena Shibahara, while the #6-seeded Chan sisters advanced past Polona Hercog/Misaki Doi when their opponents retired after seven games.

Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova are still alive in singles, and could even play each other in the QF if they both win their Round of 16 matches. They're definitely playing doubles *together*, though, and defeated Aussies Ajla Tomljanovic & *Storm* Sanders in straights today to reach the next round.

The Pliskova twins became the first duo to reach the QF, defeating #12-seeded Niculescu/Ostapenko.

...in the wheelchair semis, #1 Diede de Groot (def, Van Koot 1 & 1) and #2 Yui Kamiji (def. Montjane love & 4) advanced to yet another slam final match-up.

It'll be the fifth meeting this year between the two women (de Groot leads 3-1). The #1 seed leads the series 20-15 (18-4 in the last 22), is 17-8 in finals match-ups (winning 17 of 20), and 7-2 in major finals (though they're tied 1-1 at RG, where Kamiji has won the title three of the last four years).








*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#25 Ons Jabeur/TUN vs. #24 Coco Gauff/USA
Sloane Stephens/USA vs. Barbora Krejcikova/CZE
#4 Sofia Kenin/USA vs. #17 Maria Sakkari/GRE
Marta Kostyuk/UKR vs. #8 Iga Swiatek/POL
#7 Serena Williams/USA vs. #21 Elena Rybakina/KAZ
#15 Victoria Azarenka/BLR vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
Tamara Zidansek/SLO vs. Sorana Cirstea/ROU
#20 Marketa Vondrousova/CZE vs. #33 Paula Badosa/ESP

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Hsieh/Mertens (TPE/BEL) vs. #14 Mattek-Sands/Swiatek (USA/POL)
#11 Jurak/Klepac (CRO/SLO) vs. #6 Chan/Chan (TPE/TPE)
Begu/Podoroska (ROU/ARG) vs. (WC) Burel/Paquet (FRA/FRA)
#9 Fichman/Olmos (CAN/MEX) vs. Martic/Rogers (CRO/USA)
Linette/Pera (POL/USA) vs. #10 Hradecka/Siegemund (CZE/GER)
Pavlyuchenkova/Rybakina (RUS/KAZ) vs. #3 Melichar/Schuurs (USA/NED)
Pliskova/Pliskova (USA/USA) def. #12 Niculescu/Ostapenko (ROU/LAT)
Dabrowski/Fernandez (CAN/CAN) vs. #2 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE)

*MIXED DOUBLES QF*
#1 Krejcikova/Polasek (CZE/SVK) vs. Olmos/Cabal (MEX/COL)
Krawczyk/Salisbury (USA/GBR) vs. Jurak/Fraah (CRO/COL)
Guarachi/N.Skupski (CHI/GBR) vs. #3 Schuurs/Koolhof (NED/NED)
(PR) Vesnina/Karatsev (RUS/RUS) vs. #2 Melichar/Ram (USA/USA)

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED 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)






...HEARD ON TENNIS CHANNEL ON DAY 7:

That with today's results Sloane Stephens no longer "has to play Elina Svitolina" in the next round. I think "gets to play Elina Svitolina" would probably be more accurate. Sometimes a degree of difference matters a lot.


...WHY?... ON DAY 7:

...would a slam schedule *both* of its defending singles champions to have their matches starting at essentially the same time on the first Saturday of the event? Exactly how is that a smart thing to do for the sport or tournament? In truth, their matches should more likely be scheduled *consecutively on the same court*.


...SO, APPARENTLY... ON DAY 7:

They're still allowing NBC, which barely even covers the event, to embargo coverage of live matches that take place even when NBC isn't airing the tournament (in the case of today, it was airing golf and horse racing), forcing people onto its Peacock streaming service while Tennis Channel shows hours-old matches. On a Saturday, when the sport might get the attention of people who might not watch it otherwise, but might check out a certain match -- in this case, early evening RG matches, and then a night match featuring Federer -- but who surely aren't going to go online to search for something they barely know is taking place anyway. Personally, I didn't particularly care about seeing any of the missing matches, but it all enraged a large portion of the would-be audience.

And, by the way, I guess we've also *still* got the LPGA tour scheduling one of its majors (U.S. Open) the same weekend as a tennis major (and this was *supposed* to be SF/F weekend, remember), the sport with the highest visibility female athletes in the world, in order to get somehow get "optimal" coverage and attention.


...HADN'T SEEN THIS EARLIER... ON DAY 7:







A slight former champions pause before a tale that includes hypnotism, a "sensitive girl" and Bill Tilden.

The junior draw has been made. So here are the seeded girls:

1. Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, AND
2. Alex Eala, PHI
3. Polina Kudermetova, RUS
4. Diana Shnaider, RUS
5. Robin Montgomery, USA
6. Oceane Babel, FRA
7. Kristina Dmitruk, BLR
8. Natalia Szabinin, HUN
9. Oksana Selekhmeteva, RUS
10. Maria Bondarenko, RUS
11. Linda Fruhvirtova, CZE
12. Sofia Costoulas, BEL
13. Madison Sieg, USA
14. Elvina Kalieva, USA
15. Priska Madelyn Nugroho, INA
16. Dana Guzman, PER

Notable unseeded players include Linda Noskova (CZE), Ane Mintegi del Olmo (ESP), Petra Marcinko (HUN), Darja Vidmanova (CZE), Julia Middendorf (GER), Lisa Pigato (ITA) and Erika Andreeva (RUS).













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*2021 RG WOMEN'S FINAL 16*
[by ranking]
#5 - Sofia Kenin
#8 - Serena Williams
#9 - Iga Swiatek
#16 - Victoria Azarenka
#18 - Maria Sakkari
#21 - Marketa Vondrousova
#22 - Elena Rybakina
#25 - Coco Gauff
#26 - Ons Jabeur
#32 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
#33 - Barbora Krejcikova
#35 - Paula Badosa
#54 - Sorana Cirstea
#59 - Sloane Stephens
#81 - Marta Kostyuk
#85 - Tamara Zidansek
[by age]
39 - S.Williams
31 - Azarenka, Cirstea
29 - Pavlyuchenkova
28 - Stephens
26 - Jabeur
25 - Krejcikova, Sakkari
23 - Badosa, Zidansek
22 - Kenin
21 - Rybakina, Vondrousova
20 - Swiatek
18 - Kostyuk
17 - Gauff
[by nation]
4...USA (Gauff,Kenin,Stephens,S.Williams)
2...CZE (Krejcikova,Vondrousova)
1...BLR (Azarenka)
1...ESP (Badosa)
1...GRE (Sakkari)
1...KAZ (Rybakina)
1...POL (Swiatek)
1...ROU (Cirstea)
1...RUS (Pavlyuchenkova)
1...SLO (Zidansek)
1...TUN (Jabeur)
1...UKR (Kostyuk)
[by career slam Round-of-16's]
64 - S.Williams
25 - Azarenka
14 - Stephens
8 - Pavlyuchenkova
5 - Kenin
5 - Swiatek
4 - Vondrousova
3 - Cirstea
3 - Gauff
3 - Jabeur
3 - Sakkari
2 - Badosa
2 - Krejcikova
1 - Kostyuk,Rybakina,Zidansek
[w/ consecutive slam Round of 16's]
3 - Swiatek
2 - S.Williams
2 - Vondrousova
[w/ multiple career RG Round of 16's]
13 - S.Williams
7 - Stephens
6 - Azarenka
3 - Kenin
3 - Swiatek
2 - Badosa
2 - Cirstea
2 - Jabeur
2 - Krejickova
2 - Pavlyuchenkova
2 - Vondrousova
[w/ consecutive RG Round of 16's]
3 - Kenin
3 - Swiatek
2 - Badosa
2 - Krejcikova
2 - Jabeur
[WTA career slam Round of 16's - active]
64...Serena Williams
50...Venus Williams
32...Svetlana Kuznetsova
25...Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters
21...Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova
19...Simona Halep
16...Carla Suarez-Navarro, Vera Zvonareva
15...Garbine Muguruza
14...Madison Keys,Sloane Stephens
12...Samantha Stosur
12...Elina Svitolina
10...Karolina Pliskova
[WTA slam Round of 16's since 2020 - active]
4 - Kenin, Swiatek
3 - Halep, Jabeur, Kvitova
3 - Mertens, Sakkari, S.Williams
2 - Azarenka, Badosa, Barty, Bertens
2 - Brady, Gauff, Kerber, Kontaveit
2 - Krejcikova, Muchova, Muguruza, Osaka
2 - Pavlyuchenkova, Rogers, Svitolina, Vondrousova
1 - 22 players
[2021 slam Rd. of 16's - youngest]
17 - Coco Gauff (RG)
18 - Marta Kostuk (RG)
19 - Iga Swiatek (AO)
20 - Iga Swiatek (RG)
21 - Elena Rybakina (RG)
21 - Marketa Vondrousova (AO)
21 - Marketa Vondrousova (RG)
[2021 slam Rd. of 16's - oldest]
39 - Serena Williams (RG)
39 - Serena Williams (AO)
35 - Hsieh Su-wei (AO)
31 - Victoria Azarenka (RG)
31 - Sorana Cirstea (RG)
[2021 slam Rd. of 16's - unseeded]
AO - (2) Hsieh, Pegula, Rogers
RG - (5) Cirstea, Kostyuk, Krejcikova, Stephens, Zidansek
[2021 slam Rd. of 16's - 1st-time GS 4th Rd.]
AO - Jessica Pegula/USA
RG - Marta Kostyuk/UKR, Elena Rybakina/KAZ, Tamara Zidansek/SLO
[2021 slam Rd. of 16's - lowest-ranked]
#85 - Tamara Zidansek (RG)
#81 - Marta Kostyuk (RG)
#71 - Hsieh Su-wei (AO)
#61 - Jessica Pegula (AO)
#59 - Sloane Stephens (RG)
#57 - Shelby Rogers (AO(
[2021 slam Rd. of 16's - by nation]
8 - USA (4 RG)
4 - CZE (2)
2 - BLR (1), ESP (1), POL (1), ROU (1), UKR (1)
1 - AO: AUS,BEL,CRO,JPN,TPE
1 - RG: GRE,KAZ,RUS,SLO,TUN
[2021 slam Rd. of 16's - by region]
11 (6 AO,5 RG) - W.Europe/Scandinavia (BEL-CRO-CZE-ESP-POL-SLO)
8 (4 AO,4 RG) - North America/Atlantic (USA)
7 (3 AO,4 RG) - Eastern Europe/Russia (BLR-ROU-RUS-UKR)
4 (3 AO,1 RG) - Asia/Oceania (AUS-JPN-KAZ-TPE)
2 (0 AO,2 RG) - Africa/Middle East/Mediterranean (GRE-TUN)
0 (0 AO,0 RG) - South America (-)







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: Mihaela Buzarnescu/ROU (2r), Elena Vesnina/RUS (3r)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: Fiona Ferro, Caroline Garcia, Kristina Mladenovic, Harmony Tan (all 2nd Rd.)
Ms./Mademoiselle OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT "...": Nominees: Badosa, Gauff, Kostyuk, Rybakina, Zidansek
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Cirstea, Kasatkina, Pavlyuchenkova, Stephens
CRASH & BURN: Ash Barty/AUS and Naomi Osaka/JPN (#1 seed ret. 2r; #2 seed w/d 2r; second time in Open era top two out before 3r)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS (early-round): Katerina Siniakova, CZE (2nd Rd.: down 5-1 in 3rd vs. V.Kudermetova, saved 2 MP)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS (mid/late-round): Nominee: Badosa (3rd Rd.-MP vs. Bogdan)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: Azarenka, Cirstea, Pavlyuchenkova, S.Williams
Mademoiselle/Madam OF THE EVENING: Nominee: S.Williams
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
Légion de Lenglen HONOREE: Naomi Osaka/JPN (press drama and tournament withdrawal)
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: Carla Suarez Navarro, ESP (June 1 - returned after '20 cancer diagnosis)






All for Day 7. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 7:29 PM 

3 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

You mention Stephens, but there seem to be a number of players left that are trying to reclaim their mojo.

WTT at IW in November is a good idea. Better for players not to skip US events in July or August.

Wang Qiang put out a statement mentioning that she is skipping the whole grass season to prepare for the Olympics with the national Team. That will get Barthel in Wimbledon with SR.

Bogdan gets in with Gasparyan's withdrawal. Venus is next it.

Nottingham draw is out and grass court stars Vekic and Riske headline. Konta, Van Uytvanck and McHale also add to the proceedings. Vandeweghe did qualify, and was the last entrant, due to SR, in Wimbledon MD. So getting a couple of wins, and staying healthy could lead to a great opportunity.

There is a change. In 2019, Nottingham had a 32 player field with 8 seeds and no byes, while this year is a 48 player field with 16 seeds and 16 byes.

Stat of the Day- 11 - Members of the sweet sixteen with a clay title.

Last Clay Title:

2011- Azarenka- Andalucia
2016- Stephens- Charleston
2016- Williams- Rome
2018- Pavlyuchenkova- Strasbourg
2019- Rybakina- Bucharest
2019- Sakkari- Morocco
2021- Cirstea- Istanbul
2021- Gauff- Italy
2021- Swiatek- Rome
2021- Badosa- Serbia
2021- Krejcikova- Strasbourg

2019- Vondrousova- French Open- RU/2017 ITF Prague-W
2020- Kenin- French Open- RU/2016 ITF Wesley Chapel- W
2021- Zidansek- Colombia- RU/2019 125K Bol- W
2021- Jabeur- Charleston 2- RU/2016 ITF Tunisia- W
2021- Kostyuk- Istanbul- SF/2017 ITF Dunakeszi- W

Kostyuk is the only player without WTA final.

Jabeur, Zidansek, Kostyuk are without titles.

64- R16 for Serena.
80- R16 for rest of field.

7 girls slam winners left, Jabeur, Badosa and Gauff won here.

10 if you count doubles.

Serena has reached 6 finals since returning from pregnancy, but none on clay.

Azarenka's last SF on clay? 2013 RG.

5 slam winners left- Williams, Swiatek, Kenin, Azarenka, Stephens.

5 RG finalists left-winners Williams and Swiatek, plus last 3 RU, Stephens 18, Vondrousova 19, Kenin 20.

This is Gauff's 7th MD on clay. 5 have been this season.

This is Kostyuk's 9th MD on clay. She made it through Q for 6.

Swiatek is 26-3 in sets at RG. In 2 of the 3 she lost, she ate a bagel. One to Halep and the other to Puig.

With a win, Cirstea would end a 43 slam drought since her last QF, 2009 RG. She ended a 12 1/2 year title drought in Istanbul.

With a win, Pavlyuchenkova would reach her first QF here since 2011.

Sat Jun 05, 09:05:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Hoergren said...

Hope you saw this doubles match Hsieh S W / Mertens E - Mattek-Sands B / Swiatek I. 3h11m and some of the best doubles I've ever seen played from all 4 players. Sands-Swiatek behind 1-5 in third set but make a sensational comeback. It could be fun if they go all the way, and Iga claims another single titel too - good excersise for her.

Sun Jun 06, 10:12:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

C-
Hmmm, adding "clay titles" (and grass for Wimbledon) might not be a bad idea for the Final 16 lists.

H-
I got to watch it on the scoreboard, at least. :/

Hsieh/Mertens hasn't turned out so great, so far.

Sun Jun 06, 04:41:00 PM EDT  

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