Monday, January 31, 2022

Hooroo, Down Under





1. Ash Barty, AUS
...2 (titles, Adelaide & the AO). 11 (singles wins in 11 matches). 22 (consecutive sets won). 3 (career slam titles, on three different surfaces). 44 (years since an Aussie won the Australian Open... until Barty just did). 'Nuff said. (Oh, yeah. And she won a doubles title in Adelaide, too).



2. Diede de Groot, NED
...rollin', rollin', rollin'. A ninth slam title sweep, fifth consecutive slam singles win and fourth AO wheelchair championship in five years extends Diede the Great's singles winning streak to 42 matches (she's been undefeated since before the '21 AO, and also has a 17-match active run in doubles).



3. Madison Keys, USA
...back from the depths of despair that was her 2021 season, Keys has burst into 2022 with her first tour title (Adelaide 2) since 2019, and her first slam semifinal since 2018.

4. Barbora Krejcikova, CZE & Katerina Siniakova, CZE (tie)
...the Czech duo picked up their fourth career slam title by grabbing the AO crown. They're a U.S. Open win away from becoming the first women's duo to complete a Career Super Slam with titles at all four majors, the Olympics and the WTAF. Playing without Krejcikova, doubles #1 Siniakova won an additional Melbourne WD crown w/ Bernarda Pera.



5. Paula Badosa, ESP
...surging into the new season, Badosa picked up her third tour title in eight months in Sydney, then reached the AO Round of 16 before running out of steam after multiple matches in the Melbourne heat (maybe if she'd been born Down Under she would have had her schedule more catered to success and won a couple additional matches?).

6. Danielle Collins, USA
...less a year after dealing with another round of health issues, Collins has done what she does: persevere, reset and thrive. Her latest was a maiden slam final in Melbourne, a Top 10 ranking, and the realization that, yes, she *does* have the game and mindset that could eventually lead her into the slam winner's circle.



7. Amanda Anisimova, USA
...after two years of trying times since her '19 RG semifinal run, Anisimova showed signs of a potential rivival late last season. In Australia, she asked former Halep coach Darren Cahill for some "unofficial" help and won a Week 1 title in Melbourne (overcoming an ailing hip and a 3-0 3rd set deficit vs. Sasnovich) and then upset AO defending champ Naomi Osaka (saving 2 MP) before falling in the 4th Round to eventual champ Barty.



8. Iga Swiatek, POL
...still just a year and a half removed from her RG title run, Swiatek reached her first slam SF since Paris and extended her second-week-of-a-major streak to six (and 7 of 8).



9. Simona Halep, ROU
...on the comeback trail after an injury-marred '21, the former #1 won a Week 1 title in Melbourne and reached the AO Round of 16 (a fifth straight Down Under, and her 8th in her last 9 slam appearances, a span in which she DNP three) before losing a war of attrition in the oppressive heat vs. Alize Cornet.



10. Kaia Kanepi, EST and Alize Cornet, FRA (tie)
...Kanepi pulled off her ninth career Top 10 upset at a major (def. #2 Sabalenka) en route to reaching the QF of a fourth different slam as an unseeded player; while Cornet, in her 63rd slam MD (and 60th straight), set the record for the most tries before finally reaching her maiden slam QF after posting wins over former #1's Muguruza and Halep.



HM- Anna Danilina/Beatriz Haddad, KAZ/BRA
...teamed to win their first title together in Sydney, then nearly got a second after pushing Krejcikova/Siniakova to three sets in the AO final.


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RISERS: Dasha Kasatkina/RUS and Veronika Kudermetova/RUS
SURPRISES: Maddison Inglis/AUS, Jaimee Fourlis/AUS, Harmony Tan/FRA and Jang Su-jeong/KOR
VETERANS: Victoria Azarenka/BLR, Sorana Cirstea/ROU and Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR
COMEBACKS: Ana Konjuh/CRO, Wang Qiang/CHN and Priscilla Hon/AUS
FRESH FACES: Zheng Qinwen/CHN, Clara Tauson/DEN and Marta Kostyuk/UKR
JUNIOR STARS: Petra Marcinko/CRO, Sofia Costoulas/BEL and Barbora Palicova/CZE
DOUBLES: Kristina Mladenovic/FRA, Muhammad/Pegula (USA/USA) and Hozumi/Ninomiya (JPN/JPN)
ITF: Yuan Yue/CHN, Ysaline Bonaventure/BEL, Ana Bogdan/ROU and Elizabeth Mandilk/USA
WHEELCHAIR: de Groot/Van Koot (NED/NED) and Aniek Van Koot/NED
DOWN: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR, Emma Raducanu/GBR, Leylah Fernandez/CAN and Petra Kvitova/CZE





=MOST IMPROVED PLAYERS=
1.Marta Kostyuk, UKR
2.Clara Tauson, DEN
3.Zheng Qinwen, CHN
4.Danka Kovinic, MNE
5.Lucia Bronzetti, ITA
6.Wang Xiyu, CHN
7.Wang Xinyu, CHN
8.Gabriela Ruse, ROU
9.Hailey Baptiste, USA
10.Emina Bektas, USA
HM-Jang Su-jeong, KOR

=COACH OF THE MONTH=
1.Craig Tyzzer (Barty)
2.Nicolas Almagro (Collins)
3.Jorge Garcia (Badosa)
4."Coach" Cahill (Anisimova?)
5.Georgi Rumenov (Keys)
6.Sandra Zaniewska (Cornet)
7.Carlos Martinez (Kasatkina)
8.Philippe Dehaes (Juvan)
9.Pat Cash (Q.Wang)
10.Talina Beiko (Kostyuk)




1. Sydney SF - Barbora Krejcikova def. Anett Kontaveit
...0-6/6-4/7-6(12). Krejickova saves seven MP in the 2:30 affair, preventing Kontaveit from her fourth straight tour final appearance dating back to her brilliant '21 season finish.

Kontaveit saved three BP in game #1 in the 1st, then went on to take the set at love. The Estonian had her first three MP at 6-5 in the 3rd before the Czech forced the TB. In the breaker, Krejicikova had her first two MP at 6-4 only to see Kontaveit extend the match. Finally, on the overall 12th MP of the match, Krejickova (on her fifth) secured the victory.



===============================================




2. Australian Open 3rd Rd. - Paula Badosa def. Marta Kostyuk
...6-2/5-7/6-4. For a set and a half, Badosa was nearly flawless. She led 6-2/4-2 before her good fried Kostyuk's impressive fortitude started to pay off as the Ukrainian teen stormed back to force a 3rd set.

Again, Badosa jumped out to the early lead at 2-0 in the decider. But (also again) Kostyuk didn't blink. Both players flashed their athleticism as they traded off momentum in the middle of the 3rd. Kostyuk's big stage "moment" may have been there for the taking as the physical nature of the battle began to take its toll on both players. But it was then that the teenager played quite possibly her worst game of the match, a four-point stretch filled with loose errors (a netted short ball, a backhand error) on points that had actually shown promise. She sent a backhand long at love/40 to hand Badosa back her break lead at 4-3.

Badosa's edge in experience proved to be key down the stretch. Up 30/love, she fired an ace, then after Kostyuk had closed to 40/30, won a 17-shot rally to hold for 5-3. Saving two MP on her serve, Kostyuk held for 5-4, forcing Badosa to serve things out. The Spaniard reached her first AO 4th Round, but couldn't bring the same level of effort in her second straight match in the Aussie heat vs. Madison Keys.



===============================================
3. Australian Open 4th Rd. - Alize Cornet def. Simona Halep
...6-4/3-6/6-4. Seventeen years after Cornet made her AO debut in 2006 as a 15-year old wild card, and in her 63rd career major, the veteran Pastry sets a new end-of-the-futility standard by finally reaching her maiden slam QF. She had to fight her way through Halep to do it, with both woman slowed (and the Romanian on occasion looking as if she might literally topple over) by the searing ("inhuman," per Cornet) Melbourne conditions.

Cornet beat Halep at her own game of long, physical rallies, but not before the former #1 rallied, reaching deep inside to retrieve some of her old magic to pull out of a 6-4/3-1 hole and force a 3rd set, winning sixteen straight points to take the 2nd.

The French woman took the lead in the decider with a late break, as her persistent defense kept multiple rallies alive until they were finally ended with Halep errors. The Romanian faced double MP at 5-3, but saved both. Cornet served out the win a game later, then dramatically (Alize couldn't have it any other way) fell to her knees in disbelief, the ultimate victor in a timeless battle of attrition.



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1. Australian Open 3rd Rd. - Amanda Anisimova d. Naomi Osaka
...4-6/6-3/7-6(10-5). Anisimova prevails, saving two MP at 5-4 down in the 3rd, then winning a decisive TB to eliminate defending champ Osaka, who falls for the second time in Melbourne ('20 vs. another Bannerette, Coco Gauff) in the 3rd Round the year after winning the AO title.



===============================================
2. Adelaide 1 2nd Rd. - Sofia Kenin def. Ajla Tomljanovic
...3-6/7-6(5)/6-3. After being out for nearly six months, Kenin saves 3 MP in just her second match back. Tomljanovic led 5-3 and served for the win.



===============================================
3. Australian Open 3rd Rd. - Barbora Krejcikova def. Alona Ostapenko
...2-6/6-4/6-4. Krejcikova just had to wait out Ostapenko. For a while, though, the Latvian was very nearly a 100% pure version of her freewheeling self on Laver, with clean winners flowing in abundance from her racket as she built a 6-2/3-1 lead on the Czech, picking up seemingly everything off the ground with perfect timing and sending balls flying into the corners of the court.

Finally, through, mid-way through the 2nd, Krejcikova suddenly carved out a BP chance. One Ostapenko error later and the set was back on serve and the match forever altered. Krejcikova ultimately reached the second week at her fourth different major (in just her eighth slam MD), battling her way into the QF before the heat (and Madison Keys) put an end to her run in the QF.



===============================================





1. Adelaide 1 1st Rd. - Priscilla Hon def. Petra Kvitova
...6-7(4)/7-5/6-2. The #263-ranked Aussie wild card, finally back strong after missing over a year (2020-21) with a hip injury, officially kicks off the '22 season with an "oh..." result to get everyone's attention in the opening days.



===============================================
2. Australian Open 1st Rd. - Maddison Inglis def. Leylah Fernandez
...6-4/6-2. The Canadian in no way resembled the player who set the U.S. Open aflame last summer, and was instead an error-prone entity who ultimately fell by the wayside against Australian wild card Inglis (#133), who recorded her first career slam MD win with a 6-4/6-2 victory en route to surprise 3rd Round run. Fernandez had 30 unforced errors in the 18-game match, compared to just eight winners.



===============================================
3. Australian Open 2nd Rd. - Clara Tauson def. Anett Kontaveit
...6-2/6-4. Another big slam win (joining her upset of Jennifer Brady at the '20 RG) from the Dane, who overpowered the #6-seeded Estonian to reach her first career slam 3rd Round with her maiden Top 10 victory.



It didn't take long for Tauson to impose herself on the match, breaking Kontaveit's serve to open the contest, the teenager didn't allow Kontaveit a moment to relax, and rarely gave her time to properly react, dispatching the world #7 in straight sets as the Estonian falls short of the second week of a major for the sixth straight time.

===============================================







...HOW IT STARTED:




...HOW IT'S GOING:










=WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Ash Barty/AUS def. #27 Danielle Collins/USA 6-3/7-6(2)

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES SF=
#1 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) def. Danilina/Haddad Maia (KAZ/BRA) 6-7(3)/6-4/6-4

=MIXED DOUBLES FINAL=
#5 Mladenovic/Dodig (FRA/CRO) def. (WC) Fourlis/Kubler (AUS/AUS) 6-3/6-4

=WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Diede de Groot/NED def. Aniek Van Koot/NED 6-1/6-1

=WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED/NED) def. #2 Kamiji/Shuker (JPN/GBR) 7-5/3-6 [10-2]

=GIRLS SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Petra Marcinko/CRO def. #8 Sofia Costoulas/BEL 7-5/6-1

=GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 Ngounoue/Shnaider (USA/RUS) def. Cross/Mboko (CAN/CAN) 6-4/6-3
















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*AO WOMEN'S DOUBLES CHAMPIONS - since 2015*
2015 Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
2016 Martina Hingis / Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
2017 Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
2018 Timea Babos / Kristina Mladenovic, HUN/FRA
2019 Samantha Stosur / Zhang Shuai, AUS/CHN
2020 Timea Babos / Kristina Mladenovic, HUN/FRA
2021 Elise Mertens / Aryna Sabalenka, BEL/BLR
2022 Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE

*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)
[2022]
AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE)

*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...BARBORA KREJCIKOVA, CZE
4...KATERINA SINIAKOVA, CZE
4...Samantha Stosur, AUS

*CAREER OVERALL SLAM TITLES - ACTIVE*
[singles/doubles/mixed]
39 - Serena Williams, USA (23-14-2)
23 - Venus Williams, USA (7-14-2)
9 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA (0-5-4)
8 - BARBORA KREJCIKOVA, CZE (1-4-3)
8 - Kristina Mladenovic, FRA (0-5-3)
8 - Samantha Stosur, AUS (1-4-3)

*RECENT AO "DOUBLES STAR" WINNERS*
2014 Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2015 Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Lucie Safarova, USA/CZE
2016 Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
2017 Abigail Spears, USA
2018 Timea Babos & Kristina Mladenovic, HUN/FRA
2019 Astra Sharma, AUS
2020 Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
2021 Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
2022 Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova, CZE

*2022 TOP JUNIOR EVENT CHAMPIONS*
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA J1: Sonya Macavei/USA
TRARALGON, AUS J1: Sofia Costoulas/BEL
SVYATOPETRIVSKE VILLAGE UKR J1: Linda Klimovicova/CZE
BARRANQUILLA, COL J1: Sayaka Ishii/JPN
AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Petra Marcinko/CRO




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TOP QUALIFIER: Hailey Baptiste/USA
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #1 Ash Barty/AUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): Madison Keys/USA
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): #1 Ash Barty/AUS
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2 - #8 Kamilla Rakhimova/RUS def. Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva/AND 6-7(5)/7-6(8)/6-4 (VJK wins 1st from triple SP down; Rakhimova saves 2 MP in 2nd, winning 10-8 TB; 3:17)
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2r - Clara Tauson/DEN def. #6 Anett Kontaveit/EST 6-2/6-4 (breakout performance of early rounds)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 3r- #8 Paula Badosa/ESP def. Marta Kostyuk/UKR 6-2/5-7/6-4
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/Doub.): Final - #1 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) def. Danilina/Haddad Maia (KAZ/BRA) 6-7(3)/6-4/6-4
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #30 Camila Giorgi/ITA (def. Potapova/RUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #18 Coco Gauff/USA (1r lost to Wang Qiang)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: (9) - Lucia Bronzetti/ITA, Jaqueline Cristian/ROU, Maddison Inglis/AUS, Nuria Parrizas Diaz/ESP, Gabriela Ruse/ROU, Wang Xinyu/CHN, Wang Xiyu/CHN, Maryna Zanevska/BEL, Zheng Qinwen/CHN
UPSET QUEENS: Romania
REVELATION LADIES: China
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Canada (0-2 1r, #23 Fernandez out; Andreescu/Bouchard DNP)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Hailey Baptiste/USA, Lucia Bronzetti/ITA, Martina Trevisan/ITA, Zheng Qinwen/CHN (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Maddison Inglis/AUS (3rd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Ash Barty (in SF)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Danielle Collins/USA
IT (Teen Stars-in-Waiting): Marta Kostyuk/UKR and Clara Tauson/DEN
COMEBACK PLAYER: Madison Keys/USA
CRASH & BURN: Emma Raducanu, GBR (2nd) and & Leylah Fernandez, CAN (1st) ['21 US F]
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE: Amanda Anisimova/USA (3rd Rd. - saved 2 MP, def. defending champ Naomi Osaka)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: Alize Cornet/FRA and Kaia Kanepi/EST
LADY OF THE EVENING: Ash Barty/AUS
AUSTRALIAN LANGUARGE ARTS AWARD: Tennis Australia tries to push unvaccinated Novak Djokovic through Aussies borders, yet bans on-ground items featuring protests in support of Peng Shuai
DOUBLES STAR: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
JUNIOR BREAKOUTS: Angella Okutoyi/KEN and Meshkatolzahra Safi/IRA





All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 6:03 PM 

2 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

Pretty good list for only a month. Barty is head and shoulders above the rest.

Someone will win their first title of the year at St. Petersburg. Barring a late WC, none of this year's winners are in the field.

As of now, Cornet is the only AO QF in the field.

Tue Feb 01, 08:46:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

It'll take quite a run somewhere to replace Barty atop the 1Q Top Performance list, one would think. Of course, we'll have *both* I.W. and Miami this March, so...

Sun Feb 06, 01:14:00 PM EST  

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