...what a difference a year makes. After beginning her trip Down Under in 2021 by going into a three-week quarantine (after testing positive a week into the expected two-week lockdown) before going on to have a career year, Badosa has started 2022 "in the black," bending fate to her will by claiming her third career tour title (second-biggest after her career-best -- so far -- run at Indian Wells last fall) in Sydney in her third WTA singles final appearance.
There was nothing that Badosa couldn't handle in Week 2, posting straight sets wins over Alona Ostapenko and Ajla Tomljanvoic, outlasting Belinda Bencic in three and putting down Dasha Kasatkina 2 & 2 in the semis to set up a meeting with fellow Top 10er Barbora Krejcikova in the final.
After the Czech took the 2nd set to force a decider, Badosa had a GP for a 3-0 lead before Krejcikova broke to get back on serve. From there, the Spaniard didn't waver and kept a nose in front on the scoreboard, forcing Krejcikova to hold from 4-5 and 5-6 to stay in the match. In the deciding TB, Badosa pulled away mid-breaker to win 7-4 and add a 500 level crown to the 1000 and 250 titles she won last season.
Hmmm, that means what she needs to complete the set is... well, you know.
===============================================
RISERS:Barbora Krejcikova/CZE and Dasha Kasatkina/RUS
...2022 is setting itself up as a big prove-it season for Krejcikova, who rose from deep in the rankings to win Roland Garros and finish in the singles Top 10 last year. We'll see how things go for the Czech over the season's long haul (not playing as much doubles could prove to be a key), as Krejcikova was hurt and playing on fumes during her season-ending five-match losing streak (0-3 at the WTAF) last fall. But she proved in Sydney that the same fight that won out in Paris is still there in abundance.
After opening her season with straight sets wins over Jaqueline Cristian (6 games) and Caroline Garcia (2), Krejcikova won a brawl over Estonian streaker (she was seeking her fourth straight tour final) Anett Kontaveit in the Sydney semis, saving seven MP before finally converting on her own fifth attempt to win a 14-12 deciding TB to reach the final, her first since winning in Prague last July. The victory ended the Czech's five-match losing streak against the Top 10.
Krejcikova pushed Paula Badosa, who'd defeated her in the 4th Round en route to the Spaniard's Indian Wells title last fall, in the final, coming back from a set down and staving off a potential 3-0 deficit in the 3rd set (after being GP down, she got her only break of the set to get back on serve). Serving from behind to stay in the match late, Krejcikova got things to another match-closing tie-break, but Badosa proved to have too much, winning 7-4.
Krejcikova and Badosa, as the #4 and #8 seeds in Melbourne, *could* face off again in the AO quarters in a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, Kasatkina has responded well to, for the first time in a while, heading into a season in a good head space (i.e. not facing the pressure of a new Top 10 ranking nor desperate to turn around a bad slide that had seen her finish at #69 and #71 in back-to-back campaigns in 2019-20). The Russian's game, fueled by creativity and sometimes outright audacity, needs space to thrive, and the setting once again seems good for the Russian to find the sort of success she recaptured last season. (Crossing fingers.)
Kasatkina maintained her fast '22 start in Week 2, becoming the only player to begin this season with back-to-back SF+ results as she followed up her Melbourne semi (a loss to eventual champ Amanda Anisimova) with a final four defeat by Paula Badosa (who also won the title) this week in Sydney.
Still, the Russian's recent comeback (no matter that the WTA virtually robbed her of a Comeback Player of the Year nomination in '21 in favor of *at least* one questionable nominee after climbing back inside the Top 30 and winning her first singles titles in three years) continued to firm up its foundation. In Sydney, Kasatkina recorded a pair of straight sets Top 20 wins over Sofia Kenin (4 games lost) and Elise Mertens (7), then got an impressive two-set victory over #3 Garbine Muguruza (8 games) for her biggest win since defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the Roland Garros 4th Round in 2018.
Kasatkina climbs back into the Top 25 heading into the AO, ahead of the likes of U.S. Open finalist Fernandez and Indian Wells runner-up Azarenka. She'll be the #25 seed, just behind both Fernandez and Azarenka. I guess timing *is* everything.
===============================================
SURPRISES:Tamara Zidansek/SLO and Anna Danilina/Beatriz Haddad Maia (KAZ/BRA)
...Zidansek has had career-altering success over the past year, reaching the Roland Garros semis, the Top 30 and collecting her first tour title (Lausanne) and Top 10 win (Andreescu/RG), but the majority of her success has come on clay, including all three of her tour singles finals, both in WTA 125 events and 18 of 24 finals on the ITF level. This week in Adelaide, the only Slovenian woman to reach a slam semi played in her first WTA semi on hard court since Hua Hin early in the '19 season.
Zidansek started her week by taking a 3rd set TB over Heather Watson, then defeating Maddison Inglis and Lauren Davis (two TB) to reach the semis, where an abdominal injury forced a walkover against Alison Riske.
Meanwhile, Danilina & Haddad have both won doubles titles at the tour level, but not together (this week in Sydney was their first pairing) and, in the Brazilian's case, not in quite a while.
The duo combined to upset two of the top three seeds in the event -- #3 Dabrowski/Olmos 1r, #2 Aoyama/Shibahara SF -- before defeating Vivian Heisen & Panna Udvardy in a 10-8 MTB in the final. It was Danilina/Haddad's third straight match decided in the first-to-10 TB format.
The title is Danilina's second on tour, following up her maiden run last July in Gdynia, while Haddad has now claimed three, but none since winning in Bogota in 2015 and '17. Danilina entered the week at a career-best #75, while Haddad was at #482 (she was Top 80 in '18) and hadn't played WD at tour level since Prague in the spring of '19.
===============================================
VETERAN:Alison Riske/USA
...Riske's late-season surge -- a 12-5 finish that included a Portoroz final and Linz title -- finally righted what looked to have been a sinking ship, as the U.S. vet started '21 at 4-11 after going 1-7 over the long finish of '20, a stretch that had begun with a Round of 16 Australian Open loss to #1 Ash Barty prior to the shutdown.
In Adelaide, the 31-year old became the second (w/ Halep) 30+ veteran to reach a '22 final, and the third U.S. woman to do so in the new season's five opening events. Granted, she got some timely assistance. Wins over Magda Linette and Anhelina Kalinina were followed by a retirement from Madison Brengle (after just 6 completed games) and a walkover from Tamara Zidansek in the semis to open a path to Riske's 12th career tour final.
Faced with a healthy opponent, she notched just three games in a quick defeat at the hands of Madison Keys.
===============================================
COMEBACK:Madison Keys/USA
...Keys seems to always be in the "out due to injury" or "returned, but coming back from injury" category. She missed the entire Aussie swing in 2021, not beginning her season until March, and then got off to a 3-6 start. After a good 7-2 mid-season run, Keys ended on a 1-7 slide and ended the year at #56, her worst finish since 2012. She entered Week 2 at #87, but proceeded to show what she's capable of when she *is* healthy and on her game.
In Adelaide, the 26-year old former U.S Open finalist (already *five* years ago this coming summer) knocked off three seeds, including #2 Elina Svitolina (1r) and #3 Coco Gauff (from a set down in the SF, in their first meeting), in victories that were bridged by additional defeats of Tereza Martincova and #8 Liudmila Samsonova, en route to her first final since Brisbane '20, and just her second since Cincinnati in the summer of '19.
Once there, Keys handled countrywoman Alison Riske 1 & 2 to pick up her sixth career title, her first since Charleston three seasons ago.
===============================================
FRESH FACE:Coco Gauff/USA
...days after she returned to the Top 20 to start the week, just before she'll once again (at 17) be the youngest player in the AO main draw (the next-youngest are a six-strong contingent of 19-year olds named Fernandez, Kostyuk, Parry, Raducanu, Tauson and Zheng), Gauff had yet another good pre-AO week.
In Week 1, the teenager had pushed Ash Barty to three sets. This week, she notched wins over Katerina Siniakova, Marta Kostyuk and Ana Konjuh to reach her first singles semifinal since sweeping the s/d titles in Parma last May. She fell in a 7-5 3rd set to eventual champ Madison Keys in the first meeting between the Bannerettes, but rises to a new career high of #16 ahead of the AO.
Gauff will open in Melbourne with Wang Qiang... and could get another shot at Keys in the 3rd Round.
===============================================
DOWN:Elina Svitolina/UKR
...thank goodness for Svitolina, or else world #2 Aryna Sabalenka (0-2 and with *39* DF to open her '22 season) would already have clocked *two* of these (dis)honors in just two weeks of play.
As it is, Svitolina's own 0-2 start qualifies. Her 2 & 4 loss to Madison Keys, following her upset by Anastasia Gasanova in Week 1, gives the Ukrainian four straight losses as she remains winless under new coach Andis Juška (w/ an assist from Gunter Bresnik) since breaking off her longtime teaming with Andrew Bettles following the '21 season. There is still loads of time to turn things around, but it appears that whatever push Svitolina got from her Tokyo Bronze medal has long since evaporated, having given her just a small title in Chicago and a U.S. Open QF run in the afterglow.
===============================================
ITF PLAYERS:---
...the $25K challenger in Monastir will be decided between a pair of 20-year olds, Poland's Maja Chwalinksa and France's Carole Monnet.
In the $15K Antalya event, Hurricane Tyra Black, also 20, will be seeking to add a second pro singles crown to the one she won in the same city last June.
In the $25K Vero Beach, Florida challenger, '16 AO girls champ Vera Lapko (BLR) goes against Bannerette Sophie Chang for the crown.
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JUNIOR STARS:---
...in 2022's first J1 event, the Coffee Bowl in San Jose, Costa Rica, the singles title will be decided in an all-North American final between #8-seeded Bannerette Soyna Macavei, 17, and Canda's Naomi Xu, 15.
#102 Macavei's previous best result is a J4 win a season ago, while #184 Xu has clamied a pair of J5 titles. Both advanced past younger sisters of better-known WTA players to get there. Macavei defeated Victoria Osuigue (sister of '17 RG jr. champ Whitney) in the QF, while Xu knocked Luca Udvardy (sister of Sydney WD finalist Panna) in the semis.
Meanwhile, Czech Barbora Palicova (girls #21) has reached her first pro singles final in the $25K Vero Beach event. Only Hurricane Tyra Black stands in the way of the 17-year old officially adding her name to the list of young Maidens finding early pro success.
Last season, Palicova fell in the Roehampton J1 semifinals to fellow Czech Linda Fruhvirtova after having beaten soon-to-be Wimbledon girls champ Ane Mintego del Olmo in the 3rd Round. She had a big junior stage loss to the other Fruhvirtova sister -- Brenda -- in the J1 Charleroi final, as well.
===============================================
DOUBLES:Eri Hozumi/Makoto Ninomiya, JPN/JPN
...in Adelaide, Hozumi & Ninomiya won their first title as a pair, more than two and a half years after they became the first all-Japanese duo to reach a slam WD final at the '18 Roland Garros (losing to Krejcikova/Siniakova).
The duo claimed a pair of MTB to end their final two matches of the week, taking out Rosolska/Routliffe 10-8 in the semis and Martincova/Vondrousova 10-7 in the final. The loss by the all-Czech team was the second straight in back-to-back finals (the first two of her career) with different partners for Tereza Martincova in 2022.
The win is Hozumi's third career WTA title, and Ninomiya's fourth.
===============================================
WHEELCHAIR:Yui Kamiji/JPN
...with #1 Diede de Groot not in attendance, #2 Kamiji opened her season at the Victorian Open in Melbourne by sweeping the singles and doubles titles. Wins over Jiske Griffioen and Zhu Zhenzhen fueled her singles run, while she and countrywoman Shiori Funamizu defeated Lucy Shuker & Manami Tanaka in the doubles title match.
January's second AO tune-up event takes place *this* week in Melbourne. De Groot will be there. A season ago, it was at that same event that Kamiji upset de Groot in the final, only to then see the Dutch woman complete a Golden Slam the remainder of the season, sweeping her next eight match-ups with Kamiji (including in the AO, RG, Paralympic, US and WC Masters finals).
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AO QUALIFYING PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Hailey Baptiste, USA
...#168 Baptiste, 20, had to fight tooth and nail to reach her first AO main draw in Melbourne. In her opening qualifying match against Brit Samantha Murray Sharan, Baptiste failed to convert a MP and was forced into a deciding TB in the 3rd. Make that a Super Tie-break. That became important when a Murray DF to give Baptiste her seventh point in the breaker caused the Bannerette to think her journey was complete. She headed toward the net for the post-match usuals, only to then have to go back out and win *again.* She did, with the *actual* MP heading her way via a Murray DF, as well.
After upsetting #4-seeded Nina Stojanovic in straights, Baptiste again had to fight her way through her Q3 contest vs. Yuan Yue, a $60K champ in Week 1 in Traralgon. The match included just three combined breaks of serve, and saw Baptiste have to fight from a set down, then a 3-1 2nd set TB deficit, before winning in three sets while totaling nearly 50 winners.
===============================================
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.
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 between the two, Krejickova (on her fifth) finally got the victory.
===============================================
2. Sydney 1st Rd. - Petra Kvitova def. Arantxa Rus
...3-6/7-6(4)/7-5. Kvitova gets on the board for '22. Barely.
Rus had two MP at 5-4 in the 3rd, but Kvitova got the hold and proceeded to do what a two-time slam champ *should*. She followed up by breaking Rus' serve, then serving out the win. She lost in her next match vs. Ons Jabeur.
...5-7/6-1/7-5. Sabalenka's early (and late '21) issues with her serve continue. Big time.
After firing off 18 DF in her lone match in Week 1, the world #2 had 21 against the Swedish qualifier. Now 1-5 since contracting Covid last fall, Sabalenka faced BP in 12 of her 16 service games in the match, and even broke out an underarm serve to get by.
It's Peterson's biggest career victory, and just her second Top 10 win (Stephens, '18 D.C.).
...4-6/6-2/7-6(3). The Croat saves a MP, firing 10 aces (w/ 10 DF) while converting on 5 of 16 BP on Vondrousova's serve (the Czech was 4/8 on Konjuh's).
===============================================
5. Adelaide 2 Final - Madison Keys def. Alison Riske
...6-1/6-2. The second U.S. singles title winner in the season's first two weeks. In Adelaide, 5 of 8 quarterfinalists and 3/4 of the semifinalists were Bannerettes.
Match point...
===============================================
6. Sydney Final - Paula Badosa def. Barbora Krejcikova
...6-3/4-6/7-6(4). And the race is officially on to be the top-ranked Spaniard in 2022.
Match point...
===============================================
7. Sydney 1st Rd. - Elena Rybakina def. Emma Raducanu
...6-0/6-1. Raducanu's first match of the season, and first with new coach Torben Beltz, lasts just 55 minutes and sees the 19-year old U.S. Open champ record just a single game.
===============================================
8. Sydney QF - Dasha Kasatkina def. Garbine Muguruza
...6-4/6-4. Kasatkina's biggest win since knocking off #2-ranked Caroline Wozniacki at RG in 2018.
===============================================
9. Adelaide 2 Q1 - Storm Sanders def. Wang Qiang
...3-6/6-4/6-3. Just Wang's fourth match since last year's RG. After a qualifying loss in Melbourne to Destanee Aiava in Week 1, the former #12 (in 2019) falls in Adelaide qualifying to Storm Sanders.
She'll face Coco Gauff in the 1st Round in Melbourne.
...6-3/7-6(4). A week after Katerina Siniakova won a Week 1 title w/ Jessie Pegula, Krejcikova falls early alongside Zhang. For what it's worth.
2021 AO WD finalists Krejcikova/Siniakova are slated to be the #1 seeds in Melbourne.
===============================================
AO Q1 - Andrea Lazaro Garcia def. #1 Anna Kalinskaya 6-1/6-4
...a one-time Florida International Golden Panther, ALG records her first career slam qualifying win, taking out the #1 seed in Melbourne.
===============================================
AO Q1 - Hailey Baptiste def. Samantha Murray Sharan 6-1/6-7(2)/7-6(10-8)
...quite an adventure, as Baptiste holds a MP at 5-4 in the 3rd, only to see the Brit force a tie-break. In the deciding MTB, Murray DF'd to fall behind 7-4, leading to Baptiste mistakenly thinking the match was over and heading to the net for the post-match handshake. But the 10-point super-TB for the AO meant that the contest went on. Down 9-8, Murray DF'd again... and this time it stuck.
===============================================
AO Q1 - Zheng Qinwen def. CoCo Vandeweghe 1-6/7-6(5)/6-1
...a Melbourne semifinalist in her fourth career tour-level MD in Week 1, 19-year old Zheng started what turned out to be her march to her slam MD debut with a win over two-time slam semifinalist Vandeweghe. After defeating Mai Hontama in three sets in her opening match in the Melbourne event last week, Zheng's final AO qualifier contest also came against the Japanese woman, and again the teenager won in three to advance.
===============================================
AO Q1 - Usue Arconada def. Francesca Jones 5-1 ret.
...a year after her star-turn in the AO qualifying event in Dubai, Jones couldn't make it through one set in Melbourne.
===============================================
AO Q1 - #2 Martina Trevisan def. Irina Fetecau 5-7/7-6(10)/6-2
...Trevisan saves a MP vs. Fetecau, then goes on to reserve her spot in a third straight AO MD, reeling off 32 winners (vs. 10 UE) in a Q3 win over Olga Govortsova.
===============================================
AO Q2 - #8 Kamilla Rakhimova def. Victoria Jimenez Kastinseva 6-7(5)/7-6(8)/6-4
...the Russian saves a pair of MP against the 16-year old Andorran, the winner of the most recent AO girls singles title in 2020. In the 3:17 match, Rakhimova held triple SP in the 1st at 5-4, only to see VJK surge back to take the set in a tie-break. Rakhimova had to save both MP in the 2nd set TB before prevailing 10-8, then went on to take the 3rd, denying Kasintseva just days after the teenager had lost in a $60K final in Bendigo.
===============================================
AO Q3 - Hailey Baptiste def. Yuan Yue 6-7(4)/7-6(5)/6-3
...after her Q1 drama, Baptiste was back for more against Week 1's $60K Traralgon champ in a match that included just three total breaks of serve. Down a set and 3-1 in the 2nd set TB, Baptiste won six of the final eight points in the breaker to force a 3rd set, where she finally pulled away, ending the day with 45 winners.
===============================================
AO Q3 - Emina Bektas def. Christina McHale 6-3/1-6/7-6(10-7)
...the Michigan alum, who reached the $60K Traralgon semis last week, loses a 5-2 3rd set lead to McHale, but prevails in the super-TB to assure her slam MD debut at age 28.
...a year after heading to Melbourne and posting her first slam MD win in a decade, 31-year old Marino returns to the scene of the crime after firing 24 aces vs. the Russian to complete a successful Q-run at a second straight AO (*and* second consecutive slam).
===============================================
AO Q3 - #25 Stefanie Voegele def. Indy de Vroome 6-3/4-6/7-5
...in 2:51, Voegele saves 2 MP, overcoming the Dutch woman (seeking her slam MD debut) despite de Vroome hitting 54 winners. Hmmm, Indy's Ostapenko-like 68 UE (10 via DF... even if Sabalenka laughs at such a total) probably had something to do with it.
===============================================
AO Q3 - Jang Su-jeong def. Rebeka Masarova 7-6(6)/5-7/6-3
...Jang defeats the 2016 RG girls winner (and '17 AO jr. RU) to become the fourth South Korean woman to reach a slam MD.
===============================================
AO Q3 - Arianne Hartono def. #17 Jule Niemeier 6-1/1-6/6-3
...the former University of Mississippi star, the '18 NCAA champion (the first Dutch woman to win the crown), claims her debut spot in a major MD by winning a third of back-to-back-to-back three-setters in Melbourne.
===============================================
*RECENT AO "Q-PLAYER OF THE WEEK" WINNERS*
2013 Lesia Tsurenko, UKR
2014 Belinda Bencic, SUI
2015 Renata Voracova, CZE
2016 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2017 Elizaveta Kulichkova, RUS
2018 Marta Kostyuk, UKR
2019 Astra Sharma, AUS
2020 Ann Li, USA
2021 Francesca Jones, GBR
2022 Hailey Baptiste, USA
*YOUNGEST 2022 SLAM...*
=WC=
AO - Diane Parry, FRA (19)
AO - Wang Xiyu, CHN (20)
=Q=
AO - Zheng Qinwen, CHN (19)
AO - Hailey Baptiste, USA (20)
AO - Katie Volynets, USA (20)
=OLDEST 2022 SLAM...=
=WC=
AO - Samantha Stosur, AUS (37)
AO - Robin Anderson, USA (28)
=Q=
AO - Lesia Tsurenko, UKR (32)
AO - Rebecca Marino, CAN (31)
AO - Stefanie Voegele, SUI (31)
=PR=
AO - Kirsten Flipkens, BEL (36)
AO - Tatjana Maria, GER (34)
=MAKING SLAM MD DEBUTS=
=AUTOMATIC ENTRY MD=
AO - Anna Bondar, HUN
AO - Jaqueline Cristian, ROU
AO - Panna Udvardy, HUN
=WC=
AO - Robin Anderson, USA
=Q=
AO - Emina Bektas, USA
AO - Lucia Bronzetti, ITA
AO - Arianne Hartono, NED
AO - Jang Su-jeong, KOR
AO - Zheng Qinwen, CHN
=LOW-RANKED 2022 SLAM QUALIFIERS=
#216 - Emina Bektas, USA (AO)
#212 - Jang Su-jeong, KOR (AO)
#200 - Caroline Dolehide, USA (AO)
#191 - Arianne Hartono, NED (AO)
#178 - Katie Volynets, USA (AO)
Seriously, how smart were the BSA Winterfest Weekend organizers to rescind that invitation to the men's world #1? Kudos to them! We're all *so* proud -- they're the "Steve Simons of event organizers!"
And we travel back to 1984...
Just Tina Turner going for a walk in New York City...
One of the more underrated songs of the era...
Quite the iconic two-fer in Cyndi Lauper's "Tonight Show" debut with both "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time," plus an interview that touches on the wisdom of Captain Lou Albano, as well as "the Hollywood smile." She was a big star at the time (but was always outdistanced by the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Whitney Houston and others in the decade), but you get the feeling that she'd be truly huge -- with the combination of the look, the music, the personality, the early-career wrestling ties and the great versatility of her voice -- if she'd first come on the scene in recent years. She was considered "new" at this point in her career, but she was actually 30, had fronted a band for a number of years, damaged her vocal chords and been told she'd never sing again at one point, had a poor-selling solo album and was waitressing at IHoP before finally breaking through with the right star-making combination of image and music.
*2022 WTA CHAMPIONS BY RANKING*
#1 - Ash Barty (Adelaide 1)
#9 - Paula Badosa (Sydney)
#20 - Simona Halep (Melbourne 1)
#78 - Amanda Anisimova (Melbourne 2)
#87 - Madison Keys, USA (Adelaide 2)
*2022 WTA CHAMPIONS BY AGE*
30 - Simona Halep (Melbourne 1)
26 - Madison Keys (Adelaide 2)
25 - Ash Barty (Adelaide 1)
24 - Paula Badosa (Sydney)
20 - Amanda Anisimova (Melbourne 2)
*2022 Firsts...* Week 1
WTA WS SF: Zheng Qinwen, CHN (Melbourne 1) = 4th WTA MD
WTA WD F: Jessie Pegula, USA (Melbourne 1)
WTA WD W: Jessie Pegula, USA (Melbourne 1)
WTA WD F: Bernarda Pera, USA (Melbourne 2)
WTA WD W: Bernarda Pera, USA (Melbourne 2) Week 2
WTA WD F: Vivian Heisen, GER (Sydney)
WTA WD F: Panna Udvardy, HUN (Sydney)
*RECENT WTA ALL-USA FINALS*
2017 Australian Open - S.Williams d. V.Williams
2017 Stanford - Keys d. Vandeweghe #
2017 US Open - Stephens d. Keys #
2020 Auckland - S.Williams d. Pegula
2022 Adelaide 2 - Keys d. Riske
-
#- tournament in home nation
**RECENT AUSTRALIAN OPEN SINGLES CHAMPIONS**
2010 Serena Williams, USA
2011 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2013 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (2)
2014 Li Na, CHN
2015 Serena Williams, USA
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Serena Williams, USA (3)
2018 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2019 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2020 Sofia Kenin, USA
2021 Naomi Osaka, JPN (2)
**AUSTRALIAN OPEN TOP SEEDS - since 2010**
2010 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2011 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (SF)
2012 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (QF)
2013 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (W)
2014 Serena Williams, USA (4th)
2015 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2016 Serena Williams, USA (RU)
2017 Angelique Kerber, GER (1st)
2018 Simona Halep, ROU (RU)
2019 Simona Halep, ROU (4th)
2020 Ash Barty, AUS (SF)
2021 Ash Barty, AUS (QF)
2022 Ash Barty, AUS
**FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN - OPEN ERA**
1977 Kerry Melville-Reid, AUS
1978 Chris O'Neil, AUS
1979 Barbara Jordan, USA
1980 Hana Mandlikova, CZE
1995 Mary Pierce, FRA
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA
2006 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2018 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2020 Sofia Kenin, USA
**LOW-SEEDED AO CHAMPIONS - OPEN ERA**
Unseeded - 1978 Chris O'Neil, AUS
Unseeded - 2007 Serena Williams, USA
#14 - 2020 Sofia Kenin, USA
#12 - 2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA
#7 - 2005 Serena Williams, USA
#7 - 2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
#5 - 1979 Barbara Jordan, USA
#5 - 2008 Maria Sharapova, RUS
#4 - 1995 Mary Pierce. FRA
#4 - 1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
#4 - 2014 Li Na, CHN
#4 - 2019 Naomi Osaka, JPN
**AUSTRALIAN OPEN GIRLS FINALS - since 2010**
2010 Karolina Pliskova/CZE d. Laura Robson/GBR
2011 An-Sophie Mestach/BEL d. Monica Puig/PUR
2012 Taylor Townsend/USA d. Yulia Putintseva/RUS
2013 Ana Konjuh/CRO d. Katerina Siniakova/CZE
2014 Elizaveta Kulichkova/RUS d. Jana Fett/CRO
2015 Tereza Mihalikova/SVK d. Katie Swan/GBR
2016 Vera Lapko/BLR d. Tereza Mihalikova/SVK
2017 Marta Kostyuk/UKR d. Rebeka Masarova/SUI
2018 Liang En-shuo/TPE d. Clara Burel/FRA
2019 Clara Tauson/DEN d. Leylah Fernandez/CAN
2020 Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva/AND d. Weronika Baszak/POL
**MOST SLAMS BEFORE FIRST TITLE**
49 - Flavia Pennetta (2015 U.S. Open)
47 - Marion Bartoli (2013 Wimbledon)
45 - Jana Novotna (1998 Wimbledon)
43 - Caroline Wozniacki (2018 Australian Open)
39 - Francesca Schiavone (2010 Roland Garros)
34 - Samantha Stosur (2011 U.S. Open)
33 - Angelique Kerber (2016 Australian Open)
32 - Simona Halep (2018 Roland Garros)
32 - Amelie Mauresmo (2006 Australian Open)
**RECENT FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AND RESULT AT NEXT MAJOR**
2010 Francesca Schiavone (RG): Wimbledon 1st
2011 Li Na (RG): Wimbledon 2nd
2011 Petra Kvitova (WI): U.S. 1st
2011 Samantha Stosur (US): Australian 1st
2012 Victoria Azarenka (AO): Roland Garros 4th
2013 Marion Bartoli (WI): DNP/retired
2015 Flavia Pennetta (US): DNP/retired
2016 Angelique Kerber (AO): Roland Garros 1st
2016 Garbine Muguruza (RG): Wimbledon 2nd
2017 Alona Ostapenko (RG): Wimbledon QF
2017 Sloane Stephens (US): Australian 1st
2018 Caroline Wozniacki (AO): Roland Garros 4th
2018 Simona Halep (RG): Wimbledon 3rd
2018 Naomi Osaka (US): Australian W
2019 Ash Barty (RG): Wimbledon 4th
2019 Bianca Andreescu (US): DNP 2020/2021 AO 2nd
2020 Sofia Kenin (AO): U.S. Open 5th
2020 Iga Swiatek (RG): Australian 4th
2021 Barbora Krejcikova (RG): Wimbledon 4th
2021 Emma Raducanu (US): ??
**CAREER SLAM #1 SEEDS - active**
20...Serena Williams
7...ASH BARTY
6...Simona Halep
3...Victoria Azarenka
3...Angelique Kerber
2...Naomi Osaka
2...Karolina Pliskova
1...Kim Clijsters
1...Venus Williams
**CAREER SLAM MD APPEARANCES - WOMEN**
90 - Venus Williams *
79 - Serena Williams *
71 - Svetlana Kuznetsova *
71 - Francesca Schiavone
71 - Amy Frazier
67 - Martina Navratilova
64 - Conchita Martinez
63 - ALIZE CORNET *
63 - Ai Sugiyama
-
*-active
**CONSECUTIVE SLAM MD APPEARANCES - WOMEN**
62 - Ai Sugiyama
61 - Francesca Schiavone
60 - ALIZE CORNET (active streak)
56 - Jelena Jankovic
54 - Nathalie Dechy
54 - Elena Likhovtseva
**RECENT SLAM JUNIOR CHAMPS** [2017]
AO: Marta Kostyuk, UKR
RG: Whitney Osuigwe, USA
WI: Claire Liu, USA
US: Amanda Anisimova, USA [2018]
AO: Liang En-shuo, TPE
RG: Coco Gauff, USA
WI: Iga Swiatek, POL
US: Wang Xiyu, CHN [2019]
AO: Clara Tauson, DEN
RG: Leylah Fernandez, CAN
WI: Daria Snigur, UKR
US: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano, COL [2020]
AO: Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, AND
RG: Elsa Jacquemot, FRA [2021]
RG: Linda Noskova, CZE
WI: Ane Mintegi del Olmo, ESP
US: Robin Montgomery, USA
Sabalenka didn't start with the underarm serves until after her 11th DF. Had 11 in the set she won, 10 combined in the 2 sets she lost.
Hall of Fame really doesn't know how to judge doubles players. Both Black and Raymond stay out, while Suarez/Ruano Pascual can't get on the ballot.
WTA has posted updated rankings, and both 2020 and 2021 AO rankings will drop. Three absent players will have big drops, Muchova to around 70, Brady around 105, and Hsieh, already at 109, down around 250.
Doubles will have 7 in contention for #1, though for most, the chance is small. Mattek-Sands is out, so Krawczyk picks up Collins, Halep/Ruse stays in, while Kuzmova/Zvonareva is a team as Rus skips doubles.
Stat of the Week- 109- Doubles finals for Cara Black.
I can understand that a player with a CH of 31 in singles might not be a Hall of Fame candidate. But what if that person won 5 slams in women's doubles. Add 5 in mixed. Add #1 doubles ranking for good measure. For 163 weeks, no less.
This is an epic fail.
Quiz Time!
Black was willing to play with many different partners. With which player did she win the most titles?
Interlude- Naomi Osaka on Broadway, oops, I mean Sesame Street. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou1FIr_tYJ4
Answer!
We normally see compatriots team up, but with Black being one of the few players from Zimbabwe, she spanned the globe.
89 of those 109 finals were with these four women, and (D)Mirza is clearly wrong. However, she holds a post in Black as her last full time partner. With only 9 finals(5-4), they won their last together in a big way, 2014 WTAF over Peng/Hsieh. This was Black's final title.
On the other end of the spectrum was (A)Likhovtseva, as her section was near the start of Black's career. Black actually won her first title, in her 3rd final with Alexandra Fusai, then switched to Elena soon after.
They reached 16 finals, but since they only went 7-9, the end was near.
(B)Stubbs is also wrong. Though she is the second best choice, she is surprisingly closer to Likhovtseva than Huber. With 22 finals, she went 11-11.
The most famous of her partnerships was with South African, now USA (C)Liesel Huber. Just an enjoyable team to watch at their peak, they reached a whopping 42 finals together, going 28-14.
Many years ago, I went to a Cyndi Lauper concert. She was great, but what I remember most vividly was that dozens of women and their little girls showed up--and they were all dressed like Cyndi. :)
Honestly, I don't think the HoF knows how to judge much of anything at this point (see Vergeer). They're too busy trying to include fans in the voting for no good reason, devising rules to keep people *out* (i.e. discriminating against wheelchair athletes, though they at least *did* carve out an exception for the Original 9, even though it took *way* too long to do it) and now, in an embarrassment only topped at the moment by, well... you know... not even ONE of the list of nominees presented was deemed worthy of induction?
Quiz: knew it was either Stubbs or Huber, and went with Huber.
Not just Black... Raymond, too.
Over a career that spanned 25+ years on tour, she won a Career Slam in doubles, and 3/4 of one in MX (for 11 total slam titles), four Tour Finals crowns, an Olympic medal, 79 WD titles, was #1 in WD (137 weeks, behind only Navratilova, Huber and Black) and Top 20 in singles, was part of a FC title team *and* was the NCAA singles champ (twice) and led Florida to the NCAA team title, too.
D- There was an Austin City Limits show I watched a year or two ago, and it showed the great connection she has to her fans, which spanned multiple generations in the crowd. The whole crowd really got into "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." ;)
Yes, she has such a strong connection with the crowd. (And speaking of--did you ever watch the video of Taylor Swift's Reputation tour? Someone I know attended one of the concerts, and I'm SO envious. What struck me when I watched the video was that the huge arena was packed, yet the intimacy was so obvious--an amazing experience.)
Did you know that "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is actually a re-write of a misogynistic song?
I read a little bit about the re-write when I was poking around some Lauper info after watching the Tonight Show clip. She wanted to make it an anthem for young women, apparently. I think she pulled it off, and maybe even exceeded her goals.
7 Comments:
The party starts now!
Riske didn't play badly, Keys was that good.
Sabalenka didn't start with the underarm serves until after her 11th DF. Had 11 in the set she won, 10 combined in the 2 sets she lost.
Hall of Fame really doesn't know how to judge doubles players. Both Black and Raymond stay out, while Suarez/Ruano Pascual can't get on the ballot.
WTA has posted updated rankings, and both 2020 and 2021 AO rankings will drop. Three absent players will have big drops, Muchova to around 70, Brady around 105, and Hsieh, already at 109, down around 250.
Doubles will have 7 in contention for #1, though for most, the chance is small. Mattek-Sands is out, so Krawczyk picks up Collins, Halep/Ruse stays in, while Kuzmova/Zvonareva is a team as Rus skips doubles.
Stat of the Week- 109- Doubles finals for Cara Black.
I can understand that a player with a CH of 31 in singles might not be a Hall of Fame candidate. But what if that person won 5 slams in women's doubles. Add 5 in mixed. Add #1 doubles ranking for good measure. For 163 weeks, no less.
This is an epic fail.
Quiz Time!
Black was willing to play with many different partners. With which player did she win the most titles?
A.Elena Likhovtseva
B.Rennae Stubbs
C.Liesel Huber
D.Sania Mirza
Interlude- Naomi Osaka on Broadway, oops, I mean Sesame Street.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou1FIr_tYJ4
Answer!
We normally see compatriots team up, but with Black being one of the few players from Zimbabwe, she spanned the globe.
89 of those 109 finals were with these four women, and (D)Mirza is clearly wrong. However, she holds a post in Black as her last full time partner. With only 9 finals(5-4), they won their last together in a big way, 2014 WTAF over Peng/Hsieh. This was Black's final title.
On the other end of the spectrum was (A)Likhovtseva, as her section was near the start of Black's career. Black actually won her first title, in her 3rd final with Alexandra Fusai, then switched to Elena soon after.
They reached 16 finals, but since they only went 7-9, the end was near.
(B)Stubbs is also wrong. Though she is the second best choice, she is surprisingly closer to Likhovtseva than Huber. With 22 finals, she went 11-11.
The most famous of her partnerships was with South African, now USA (C)Liesel Huber. Just an enjoyable team to watch at their peak, they reached a whopping 42 finals together, going 28-14.
Many years ago, I went to a Cyndi Lauper concert. She was great, but what I remember most vividly was that dozens of women and their little girls showed up--and they were all dressed like Cyndi. :)
Honestly, I don't think the HoF knows how to judge much of anything at this point (see Vergeer). They're too busy trying to include fans in the voting for no good reason, devising rules to keep people *out* (i.e. discriminating against wheelchair athletes, though they at least *did* carve out an exception for the Original 9, even though it took *way* too long to do it) and now, in an embarrassment only topped at the moment by, well... you know... not even ONE of the list of nominees presented was deemed worthy of induction?
Quiz: knew it was either Stubbs or Huber, and went with Huber.
Not just Black... Raymond, too.
Over a career that spanned 25+ years on tour, she won a Career Slam in doubles, and 3/4 of one in MX (for 11 total slam titles), four Tour Finals crowns, an Olympic medal, 79 WD titles, was #1 in WD (137 weeks, behind only Navratilova, Huber and Black) and Top 20 in singles, was part of a FC title team *and* was the NCAA singles champ (twice) and led Florida to the NCAA team title, too.
But I guess if you can make Vergeer wait...
D-
There was an Austin City Limits show I watched a year or two ago, and it showed the great connection she has to her fans, which spanned multiple generations in the crowd. The whole crowd really got into "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." ;)
Yes, she has such a strong connection with the crowd. (And speaking of--did you ever watch the video of Taylor Swift's Reputation tour? Someone I know attended one of the concerts, and I'm SO envious. What struck me when I watched the video was that the huge arena was packed, yet the intimacy was so obvious--an amazing experience.)
Did you know that "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is actually a re-write of a misogynistic song?
I read a little bit about the re-write when I was poking around some Lauper info after watching the Tonight Show clip. She wanted to make it an anthem for young women, apparently. I think she pulled it off, and maybe even exceeded her goals.
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