Sunday, September 12, 2021

We ❤ 'ed NY

Dear New York,
It was swell.

Signed,
Tennis









=DAY 14 NOTES=
...the final day of this historic U.S. Open began, of course, with still more history being made as Diede de Groot completed the first singles Golden Slam in wheelchair history with a 6-3/6-2 win over longtime rival Yui Kamiji. De Groot had allowed just three total games in the first two rounds this week.



With the win, de Groot sweeps the Open singles/doubles events just a week after doing so at the Paralympics in Toyko. She won seven of the eight slam WS/WD titles in '21, matching her effort from '19 (missing only the Wimbledon doubles for a clean sweep of every major title, after falling one win short in the Wimbledon singles two years ago).

With the WC Masters events still to be played in the fall, de Groot could complete what would likely be christened the greatest WC tennis campaign ever with another sweep. She's won the last three Masters singles crowns (2017-19) and is the defending Masters Doubles champ, as well. She's currently on a 27-match winning streak in singles, and is 32-1 on the year.

The previous Best Season, naturally, would belong to Esther Vergeer. In 2007, she won all six slam WC titles, and swept the two Masters events. But at the time Wimbledon didn't yet hold *either* singles (started in '16) or doubles ('09) events, and it wasn't a Paralympic year, either. Vergeer's best overall year in which the Paralympics were held was 2008, when she won Gold and the AO, RG, US and Masters crowns in singles (no WI/US competitions), and the AO/RG and Masters in Doubles. Again, there were no WI/US events, but she won only Silver in Paralympic doubles...and that result opens the door for de Groot to "top" her season results even without having swept the slam doubles crowns this year.



After de Groot's accomplishment, Dylan Alcott matched her with a Golden Slam of his own in the Quad event. He topped her in the celebration category, though.



Alfie Hewett & Gordon Reid completed a (non-Golden, as they won Silver in Tokyo) WC men's Doubles Grand Slam at this tournament, as well. Of note, there were no *other* Grand Slam celebrations at this Open.

...we didn't see yet another teen champion (two, actually) crowned at Flushing Meadows after the women's doubles final, either, but first-time slam finalists Coco Gauff (17) & Caty McNally (19) gave it the old high school/college try, taking the far-more-senior duo of Samantha Stosur (37) & Zhang Shuai (32) to three sets before losing 6-3/3-6/6-3.



It's Stosur/Zhang's second slam win as a duo, and Stosur's eighth overall major title.



...in the WTA 125 in Karlsruhe, Germany, Mayar Sherif claimed her biggest title yet, defeating Martina Trevisan 3 & 2 in the final (after finishing her semi vs. Jaqueline Cristian earlier in the day). The Egyptian won an ITF $100K challenger in Charleston last November, and last month became the first from her nation to reach a tour singles final in Cluj-Napoca. On Monday, she'll climb to another career high of #73 (hmmm, replacing Leylah Fernandez in that spot from the last rankings... after having been Emma Raducanu's final opponent in U.S. Open qualifying).



...in ITF action, Beatriz Haddad Maia won her second title in two weeks, defeating Brit Francesca Jones 6-4/6-3 (hmm, that score sounds familiar) in the $60K Montreaux, Switzerland challenger for her fifth circuit crown of the season.



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=TOP 3Q PLAYERS=
1. Emma Raducanu, GBR - "I Know What You Did This Summer"
2. Diede de Groot, NED (WC) - Esther in her sights?
3. Belinda Bencic, SUI - Tokyo drift
4. Ash Barty, AUS - "...she's livin' on the air in Cincinnati"
5. Leylah Fernandez, CAN - She the North, too
6. Danielle Collins, USA - imitation is the most sincere form of flattery of oneself
7. Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai, AUS/CHN - early Aussie steps in a final Hall of Fame push?
8. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE - anytime you get more than one Czech together, watch out
9. Camila Giorgi, ITA - now you can't say we never get you anything
10. Karolina Pliskova, CZE - how to rescue a season with just a few results
HM- Desirae Krawczyk, USA - two is better than one three is better than two


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RISERS: Barbora Krejcikova/CZE, Maria Sakkari/GRE and Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
SURPRISES: Gabriela Ruse/ROU, Maryna Zanevska/BEL and Tereza Martincova/CZE
VETERANS: Elina Svitolina/UKR, Angelique Kerber/GER and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
COMEBACKS: Rebecca Marino/CAN, Andrea Petkovic/GER and Elena Vesnina/RUS
FRESH FACES: Jil Teichmann/SUI, Marketa Vondrousova/CZE and Elena Rybakina/KAZ
JUNIOR STARS: Robin Montgomery/USA, Nastasja Schunk/GER and Linda Noskova/CZE
DOUBLES: Gaby Dabrowski/Luisa Stefani (CAN/BRA), Shuko Aoyama/Ena Shibahara (JPN/JPN) and Darya Jurak/Andreja Klepac (CRO/SLO)
ITF: Nuria Parrizas Diaz/ESP, Cristina Dinu/ROU and Anhelina Kalinina/UKR
WHEELCHAIR: Diede de Groot/Aniek Van Koot, NED/NED & Yui Kamiji/JPN
DOWN: Naomi Osaka/JPN and Petra Kvitova/CZE
MOST IMPROVED: Mayar Sherif/EGY, Green Minnen/BEL and Valentini Grammatikopoulou/GRE
COACH: Andrew Richardson (Raducanu), Nicolas Almagro (Collins) and Sascha Bajin (Ka.Pliskova)
TEAM: Russia 14u/12u Juniors





#1 - EMMA RADUCANU'S NEW YORK PERSUASION
...a qualifier can't win a major? Balderdash! They can't do it without dropping a set? Bunkum. The 18-year old British qualifier (ranked #150 and in just her second slam MD) would beg to differ.



===============================================
#2 - DIEDE THE GOLDEN GREAT
...already the unquestioned top women's wheelchair player in the world, Diede de Groot added multiple chapters to her growing legend this summer. After sweeping Paralympic Gold, the Dutch star also swept both competitions at the U.S. Open (in the first year in which both events were held in the same season). Her singles win completed the first singles Golden Slam in WC tennis history.



===============================================
#3 - LEYLAH IN THE CITY
...19-year old Leylah Fernandez (#73) puts on a run for the ages at the U.S. Open, stoking excitement by winning four straight three-setters over three Top 5 players, two former #1's and a pair of ex-U.S. Open champs (Osaka, Kerber, Svitolina and Sabalenka) to become the second Canadian to reach the US Open singles final. But in the first match-up for a major title between two teens since 1999, Fernandez came up short against Brit Emma Raducanu, though her run will forever occupy a special place in the heart of the tournament, not to mention New York itself.



===============================================
#4 - ASTONISHING ASH
...in Cincinnati, Ash Barty terrorized (in a good, "Ash way") her opponents. None took a set off her, and only one got as many as seven total games (in the 2nd Rd.). Azarenka (0/2), Krejcikova (2/4), Kerber (2/5) and Teichmann (3/1) all soon fell in short order the rest of the way.



===============================================
#5 - THE GOLDEN SWISS
...at the Tokyo Olympics, Belinda Bencic took out both Roland Garros finalists (Krejcikova and Pavlyuchenkova), rallied from six SP down in the 1st, a set and a break deficit in the 2nd and 3-0 hole in the 3rd in her semifinal against Elena Rybakina. In the Gold final against Marketa Vondrousova, Bencic recovered from an early break deficit and acted strategically when she took an MTO up 4-3 in the 3rd (with Vondrousova set to serve after the changeover break) to have her big toe taped up for the (likely) final 15-20 minutes left of the match. The quick break of serve she grabbed against the suddenly (hmmm...) error-prone Czech provided Bencic with the edge she never relinquished. She also won doubles Silver alongside Viktorija Golubic.



===============================================
#6 - CONTINENTAL COLLINS
...having already reached a slam semifinal in her career, Danielle Collins, diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (2019) and earlier this season undergoing surgery for endometriosis, finally reached her first career tour final in Palermo (after having been 0-6 in career SF), winning her maiden title on red clay. Leaving Europe for the North American hard court season, she then completed a two-continent, two-surface, two-title run with another win in San Jose.



===============================================
#7 - FORZA MAGNIFIQUE!
...finally winning a "big one," Camila Giorgi strings together victories over four seeded players (Mertens, Kvitova, Gauff and Pliskova), as well as Podoroska and Pegula, en route to her greatest career moment in Montreal. At #71, she's the second lowest-ranked (#80 Serena '11 Toronto) woman to win a WTA 1000 level event.



===============================================
#8 - SILVER SENTIMENTALITY
...it all started early this season when Marketa Vondrousova determined that she would use her protected ranking from her wrist injury not long after she'd reached the 2019 Roland Garros final in order to bolster her chances of making the Olympic field. Though ranked #42, and the fifth-highest standing Czech on tour at the start of the Games, Vondrousova did manage to get into the draw, bumping #23-ranked countrywoman Karolina Muchova from the team roster. Oops... sorry, not sorry.

Once play began, sentimentality wasn't an issue. The Czech ended the retiring Kiki Bertens' singles career with a three-set victory in the 1st Round, then two rounds later sent home star Naomi Osaka packing. In the QF, Vondrousova saw Paula Badosa succumb to the intense heat conditions and retire in the 2nd set, then she sent newlywed Elina Svitolina out in short order in the semis, becoming the first Czech woman to reach the Olympic Gold medal singles final. She forced a 3rd set in the Gold final vs. Belinda Bencic, and had a break lead early in the the 3rd. But then it was Bencic's own lack of sentimentality, taking a MTO for a seemingly relatively minor ailment when up 4-3 with Vondrousova next to serve, that provided the Swiss' final cushion for victory. After the long wait, Vondrousova contributed a handful or errors that immediately put her down love/40 and led to a break of serve. She didn't win another game, as Bencic swept her way to the title and the Czech settled for Silver.



===============================================
#9 - CINCINNATI SWISS
...Jil Teichmann needed a wild card to get into the Cincinnati MD with her #76 ranking. With her body finally cooperating again after a series of early-season injuries, the Swiss made the most of her opportunity. After taking down her biggest foe yet in #2 Naomi Osaka, she didn't stop there. Two more huge wins followed, as Olympic Gold medalist and fellow Swiss Belinda Bencic and Karolina Pliskova fell. She came up short vs. #1 Ash Barty in the final, but the loss was her first in five '21 matches vs. the Top 10.



===============================================
#10 - THE QUEEN OF EGYPT
...Egypt's Mayar Sherif has been knocking down a series of "first in her nation to..." feats since the start of last year. This summer added "first Egyptian to reach a tour singles quarterfinal, semifinal *and* final" in Cluj-Napoca after upsets of Alize Cornet, Kristina Kucova and Mihaela Buzarnescu, and another win over future "first in her nation to..." multi-record breaker Alex Eala of the Philippines. The win lifted her into the Top 100 (another first). She also reached the doubles final in the event.



After reaching the U.S. Open MD (another first) as a lucky loser, during the second week of the event Sherif was in Karlsruhe, Germany accomplishing another first by winning a WTA 125 singles crown.
===============================================


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While Emma Raducanu was the best thing to come out of U.S. Open qualifying, Katharina Gerlach's performance on this point in the opening Q-round was arguably #2...










*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
(Q) Emma Raducanu/GBR def. Leylah Fernandez/CAN 6-4/6-3

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#14 Stosur/Zhang (AUS/CHN) def. #11 Gauff/McNally (USA/USA) 6-3/3-6/6-3

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
#2 Krawczyk/Salisbury (USA/GBR) def. Olmos/Arevalo (MEX/ELS) 7-5/6-2

*WOMEN'S WC SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN 6-3/6-2

*WOMEN'S WC DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED/NED) def. #2 Kamiji/Whiley (JPN/GBR) 6-1/6-2

*GIRLS' SINGLES FINAL*
#7 Robin Montgomery/USA def. #6 Kristina Dmitruk/BLR/SUI 6-2/6-4

*GIRLS' DOUBLES FINAL*
#3 Krueger/Montgomery (USA/USA) def. #8 Brantmeier/Kalieva (USA/USA) 5-7/6-3 [10-4]







...THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT?... ON DAY 14:



By the way, in the new rankings Bianca Andreescu will be at #20... and Leylah Fernandez #28.


...IS IT A TRADITION IF NO ONE EVER SEEMED TO MENTION THAT IT EXISTED UNTIL NOW?... ON DAY 14:




...LAYERS OF THE ONION... ON DAY 14:




...ALL ROADS LEAD BACK TO SIMONA... ON DAY 14:



So, then, can we say that Emma peered over fabled The Cliffs of Simona in London, but danced expertly along the edge in New York?


...JEALOUS OF NOT THINKING OF THIS FOR THE TITLE OF YESTERDAY'S POST... ON DAY 14:



I had five or six possibilities in the mix but, unfortunately, that wasn't one of them.


...PERSPECTIVE, STATS & the 2021 U.S. Open... ON DAY 14:








To be continued the rest of the season...













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*de Groot vs. Kamiji Slam Finals*
2017 US - #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #2 Diede de Groot/NED
2018 AO - #2 Diede de Groot/NED def. #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2018 RG - #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. #2 Diede de Groot/NED
2018 US - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2019 AO - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2019 RG - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2019 US - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2020 US - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2021 AO - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2021 RG - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2021 US - #1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
--
de Groot leads 9-2

*WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS - active*
20 - YUI KAMIJI, JPN (8-12)
15 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED (12-3)
13 - Aniek Van Koot, NED (3-10)
6 - Jiske Griffioen, NED (4-2)
1 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR (1-0)
1 - KG Montjane, RSA (0-1)
1 - Momoko Ohtani, JPN (0-1)

*RECENT WC SINGLES SLAM FINALS*
[2017]
AO: Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Jiske Griffioen/NED
RG: Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
WI: Diede de Groot/NED def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
US: Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Diede de Groot/NED
[2018]
AO: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
RG: Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Diede de Groot/NED
WI: Diede de Groot/NED def. Aniek van Koot/NED
US: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
[2019]
AO: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
RG: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
WI: Aniek Van Koot/NED def. Diede de Groot/NED
US: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
[2020]
AO: Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Aniek Van Koot/NED
US: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
RG: Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Momoko Ohtani/JPN
[2021]
AO: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
RG: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
WI: Diede de Groot/NED def. KG Montjane/RSA
US: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM SINGLES TITLES*
[AO-RG-WI-US]
21 - Esther Vergeer, NED [9-6-0-6]
12 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED [3-2-3-4]
8 - Yui Kamiji, JPN [2-4-0-2]
4 - Jiske Griffioen, NED [2-1-1-0]
3 - Aniek van Koot, NED [1-0-1-1]
3 - Monique Kalkman, NED [0-0-0-3]
2 - Daniela Di Toro, AUS [0-0-0-2]
2 - Sabine Ellerbrock, GER [1-1-0-0]
2 - Maaike Smit, NED [0-0-0-2]
2 - Chantal Vandierendonck, NED [0-0-0-2]

*U.S. OPEN WHEELCHAIR SINGLES WINNERS*
2005 Esther Vergeer, NED
2006 Esther Vergeer, NED
2007 Esther Vergeer, NED
2008 --
2009 Esther Vergeer, NED
2010 Esther Vergeer, NED
2011 Esther Vergeer, NED
2012 --
2013 Aniek van Koot, NED
2014 Yui Kamiji, JPN
2015 Jordanne Whiley, GBR
2016 --
2017 Yui Kamiji, JPN
2018 Diede de Groot, NED
2019 Diede de Groot, NED
2020 Diede de Groot, NED
2021 Diede de Groot, NED

*ACTIVE PLAYERS WITH SLAM WS/WD/MX TITLES*
39...Serena Williams, USA (23-14-2)
23...Venus Williams, USA (7-14-2)
8...SAMANTHA STOSUR, AUS (1-3-4)
6...Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (1-2-3)

*CAREER WOMEN'S DOUBLES SLAM TITLES - active*
14...Serena Williams, USA
14...Venus Williams, USA
5...Sara Errani, ITA
5...Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
5...Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
4...Timea Babos, HUN
4...Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
4...SAMANTHA STOSUR, AUS
3...Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
3...Elise Mertens, BEL
3...Sania Mirza, IND
3...Katerina Siniakova, CZE
3...Elena Vesnina, RUS
3...Vera Zvonareva, RUS

*RECENT WD SLAM CHAMPIONS*
[2017]
AO: Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova (USA/CZE)
RG: Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Lucie Safarova (USA/CZE)
WI: Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina (RUS/RUS)
US: Latisha Chan/Martina Hingis (TPE/SUI)
[2018]
AO: Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA)
RG: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
WI: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
US: Ash Barty/CoCo Vandeweghe (AUS/USA)
[2019]
AO: Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai (AUS/CHN)
RG: Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA)
WI: Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova (TPE/CZE)
US: Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka (BEL/BLR)
[2020]
AO: Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA)
US: Laura Siegemund/Vera Zvonareva (GER/RUS)
RG: Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA)
[2021]
AO: Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka (BEL/BLR)
RG: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
WI: Hsieh Su-wei/Elise Mertens (TPE/BEL)
US: Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai (AUS/CHN)

**U.S. OPEN "KIMIKO CUP" VETERAN WINNERS**
2015 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Venus Williams, USA
2018 Serena Williams, USA
2019 Serena Williams, USA
2020 Serena Williams, USA and Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2021 Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai, AUS/CHN
[2021]
AO: Hsieh Su-wei, TPE (s)
RG: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
WI: Karolina Pliskova/CZE and Hsieh Su-wei/TPE (d)

*U.S. OPEN - RECENT "Ms. OPPORTUNITY" WINNERS*
2015 Roberta Vinci, ITA
2016 Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
2017 All-Bannerette SF: Keys,Stephens,Vandeweghe,V.Williams
2018 Naomi Osaka, JPN and Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
2019 Belinda Bencic, SUI
2020 Laura Siegemund & Vera Zvonareva, GER/RUS
2021 Diede de Groot, NED (WC Golden Slam)
[2021]
AO: Karolina Muchova/CZE and Jennifer Brady/USA
RG: 4 New SF: Pavlyuchenkova, Krejcikova, Sakkari, Zidansek
WI: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR and KG Montjane/RSA (WC)






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TOP QUALIFIER: Rebecca Marino/CAN (first US MD since '11)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #9 Garbine Muguruza/ESP
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): Leylah Fernandez/CAN
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): Emma Raducanu/GBR
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3: Katie Boulter/GBR def. #8 Kristina Kucova/SVK 7-5/2-6/6-4 (from break down at 4-2, wins final 4 games to reach first U.S. Open MD)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #4 Karolina Pliskova/CZE def. Amanda Anisimova/USA 7-5/6-7(5)/7-6(7) - (Anisimova first on Ashe; Pliskova US reocord 24 aces; Anisimova up 5-2 in 3rd TB, Pliskova saves MP and wins on MP #2 9-7; no Top 20 seed def. in first two round)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): #17 Maria Sakkari/GRE def. #6 Bianca Andreescu/CAN 6-7(2)/7-6(6)/6-3 (3:29 ends at women's US record 2:13 a.m.; ends Andreescu's 10-0 start in Open)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): SF - Leylah Fernandez/CAN def. #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR 7-6(3)/4-6/6-4 (second CAN to reach slam final)
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Kristina Kucova/SVK (def. Li/USA)
FIRST SEED OUT: #31 Yulia Putintseva/KAZ (1st Rd./lost to Kanepi)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Valentini Grammatikopoulou/GRE, Rebeka Masarova/ESP
UPSET QUEENS: Russia
REVELATION LADIES: Greece
NATION OF POOR SOULS: USA (8-14 in 1st; Keys/Riske out; Serena/Venus/Kenin/Brady DNP; 3/4 '17 all-US SF out)
CRASH & BURN: #2 Naomi Osaka/JPN (3rd Rd. to Fernandez/CAN; served for match in 2nd set) and #1 Ash Barty/AUS (3rd Rd. to Rogers/USA; led 5-2, double-break in 3rd)
ZOMBIE QUEENS OF NEW YORK: Elise Mertens/BEL (1r vs. Peterson; down 6-3/5-3 and RP served twice for match; saved 5 MP in 2nd, 1 MP in 3rd) and Rebeka Masarova/ESP (1r vs. Bogdan; down 7-6/4-1; saved 2 MP in 3rd TB, on own 6th MP; first slam win) - simultaneously-played U.S. Open women's record 3:40 matches
IT ("Teens"): Leylah Fernandez/CAN and Emma Raducanu/GBR
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: Diede de Groot/NED (first WC singles Golden Slam)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Emma Raducanu/GBR (Champion) (LL 3r: Minnen, Rakhimova)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: none (went 0-8 in 1st Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: Shelby Rogers (4th Rd.)
COMEBACK: U.S. Open fans
VETERAN PLAYERS (KIMIKO CUP): Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai (AUS/CHN) Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai, AUS/CHN
DOUBLES STAR: Desirae Krawczyk/USA
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Coco Gauff/Caty McNally, USA/USA
BROADWAY-BOUND: "Oh Canada!" (Fernandez finalist, Marino Q-POW, Dabrowski WD SF, FAA men's SF, Andreescu QF...+ Toronto-born Raducanu Champion)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Maria Sakkari/GRE (wins 3:29 4r match at 2:13 a.m.; def. Pliskova to reach SF)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Robin Montgomery/USA







All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 11:31 PM 

2 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

Slovenia guaranteed to have someone reach the 2nd rd...in doubles. All Slovenian team in Klepac/Zidansek plays Dzalamidze/Juvan.

#2 seed in Luxembourg(for now) is Mirza/Zhang.

The last 2 weeks have been a showcase for the sport.

Youngsters sometimes get a bad rap. Fernandez mentioning 9/11 and Raducanu acknowledging Wade show how aware the teens are.

Don't have anything to add to Q3.

Caught up to the junior final. Kristina Dmitruk projects between 150-200. Low, but she's 17. ROS needs loads of work. Serve is good enough, but 3 years away.

Montgomery projects between 80-100. After watching Fernandez the last 2 weeks, almost fitting to have another lefty reach a final. She can hit hard, but her strokes are slow. Odd, but reminds me of Townsend in the fact that she is better when she hits hard, instead of using spin. Should have a good career in doubles. 12-18 months away.

Stat of the Week- 72- Wins for Stefanie Graf in 1988.

Djokovic came close. So close. Even as one wondered how many times he could get away with losing the first set.

Graf won almost everything in 88, except the YEC. That loss to Shriver was the only one that season to someone other than Sabatini. Fittingly, YEC final was Sabatini over Shriver.

7-2 in 3 set matches, 3 vs Sabatini.

19 Top 10 wins.

12 wins vs players ranked below 100.

Is winning a grand slam the toughest thing to do in sports?

Quiz Time!

In which Serena Slam did she have more Top 10 wins? Note-in slams, not 52 week period.

A)2002-03
B)2014-15

Interlude- A German that isn't Graf.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8cHWqQ9-RE


Answer!

(B)2014-15 is wrong, but reflects the depth on tour. She only had 3, Sharapova twice and Cibulkova.

In (A)2002-03, she had 7, Venus 4 times, plus Clijsters, Capriati and Davenport.

Almost impossible to do once, she did it as a youngster, then got back on that horse and did it 12 years later.

So who will be the next one? Like picking a qualifier to win a slam, this is something you can't predict.

Mon Sep 13, 05:14:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Quiz: said 2002-03, just because she at least had Venus in there. Bingo!

Gavrilova...being Gavrilova ;)

Next time Pironkova reaches a slam (esp. Wimbledon) as a qualifier, she'd at least be in the discussion as a *possibility.*

Didn't do a Ms.Backspin update, but de Groot inches a little closer to Ash. If she wins all the rest of her matches (s/d) in '21... maaaybe.

Mon Sep 13, 01:03:00 PM EDT  

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