Monday, March 07, 2022

Wk.9- And the Game Played On

While senseless destruction reigned elsewhere, amid visible (and symbolic) support for Ukraine across the tennis landscape, the game went on in both Monterrey and Lyon.

With some suddenly and (at least in one case) legitimately cast in the role of refugee, Ukrainian players, urged on by intense emotions rarely seen on a tennis court, were virtually "adopted" by crowds as questions lingered about just how the sport will choose to handle its own corner of the house *this time* as the troublesome details from yet another ongoing real-life catastrophe sloppily spill across the straight white lines.

As it was, matches were played, the resilience of the invaded was lauded from afar, and champions were ultimately crowned. Starting this week in Indian Wells, it'll all play out again. Unfortunately, there is also so end yet in sight for the destruction.







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*WEEK 9 CHAMPIONS*
LYON, FRANCE (WTA 250/Hard Court Indoor)
S: Zhang Shuai/CHN def. Dayana Yastremska/UKR 3-6/6-3/6-4
D: Laura Siegemund/Vera Zvonareva (GER/RUS) def. Alicia Barnett/Olivia Nicholls (GBR/GBR) 7-5/6-1
ACAPULCO, MEXICO (WTA 250/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Leylah Fernandez/CAN def. Camila Osorio/COL 6-7(5)/6-4/7-6(3)
D: Catherine Harrison/Sabrina Santamaria (USA/USA) def. Han Xinyun/Yana Sizikova (CHN/RUS) 1-6/7-5 [10-6]




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Leylah Fernandez/CAN
..."NYC Leylah" has entered the building.

Fernandez's results since her U.S. Open title run last September haven't exactly been anything to get excited about (she'd gone just 3-3 heading into Monterrey, with the same number of match wins as her ultra-scrutinized Open opponent Emma Raducanu during the stretch), but the sample size was *way* too small for any sort of judgments to emerge. The 19-year old Canadian just needed a place to spread her wings, so the arrival of her first career tour-level title defense proved to be a case of perfect timing.

As the week went on in Monterrey, Fernandez began to discover more and more of the magic and mindset that fueled her Open run. After opening with a win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Fernandez outlasted Zheng Qinwen in a 3rd set TB, finished off Wang Qiang in straight sets in a "Late Night Leylah" match that ended at 2:45 a.m. and polished off Beatriz Haddad Maia to reach her fourth career final (and third in Mexico in three seasons).

In the final, as she did so often in New York, Fernandez shined down the stretch in the 3rd set, rallying from 4-1 down against Camila Osorio. Twice serving to stay in the match, at 5-4 and 6-5 down, she saved five MP spread across those two games, with the last coming after she'd appealed to the umpire to stop play after a lights malfunction in the middle of the deuce point that had just been completed. The delay lasted almost twenty minutes, and it was legitimate to wonder whether Fernandez might come to regret her actions if she was unable to immediately put in a serve coming out of the long break. She did, and it was Osorio who committed the return error.

Fernandez won three straight points to get the hold. Now in control, she won a 7-3 TB to defend her title.

During the week and after her win, the Canadian spoke of Monterrey being a "special" place for her, and the result was a successful title defense (the first by a teen on tour in eight years). One can only hope that the U.S. Open and Leylah prove to be combo that keeps on givin', as well.
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RISER: Dayana Yastremska/UKR
...in Lyon, saying that her "heart stays at home," while her "mind is fighting here," Yastremska arrived in France after a harrowing escape from her Odessa hometown alongside her sister. Granted a wild card, she saved two MP in her opening win against Ana Bogdan and then tried to finish the Ukrainian tennis mission started by Elina Svitolina in Monterrey.

Like Svitolina, Yastremska couldn't quite reach the finish line, but her grit and determination were at perhaps an all-time high as the world #140 fought her way into her first tour final in over two years after what had already been a trying couple of seasons (a stretch which included a high profile coaching change away from Sascha Bajin, a provisional doping suspension that was ultimately overturned, a few unfortunate social media faux pas and a significant slide in the rankings after having ranked at #21 early in 2020) before the abhorrent Russian invasion and ongoing destruction of her country.



After putting away Sorana Cirstea in the semis, rebounding to break the Romanian to end the match after having failed to convert 3 MP on serve at 5-3 in the 3rd, Yastremska led Zhang Shuai by a set and a break, then by a break in the 3rd, in the final. But Zhang raised her level in the closing games, perhaps spurred on by at least one fan seemingly heckling her from the stands, and got the late break before serving out a very tight match that was separated by just two points in the final stats, and saw Yastremska fire 31 winners and convert 4/4 BP attempts in an ultimately losing effort.

Afterward, Yastremska thanked the crowd for having her back all week long, and hailed the strength and resilience of the Ukrainians fighting for the nation's freedom back home.


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SURPRISES: Catherine Harrison/Sabrina Santamaria, USA/USA
...in Monterrey, Harrison and Santamaria added their names to the lengthening early-season list of Bannerettes (now 5 strong) picking up maiden tour-level WD titles in '22.

The U.S. duo took a pair of MTB over Mayar Sherif/Heather Watson (QF) and Han Xinyun/Yana Sizikova (F) around a semifinal walkover from Misaki Doi/Wang Xinyu to get the win. The final was the first at the WTA level in 27-year old former UCLA Bruin Harrison's career, while 29-year old Santamaria (ex-USC) had been 0-4 (losing twice with former Trojan teammate Kaitlyn Christian, who won her own maiden tour title last week in Guadalajara).


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VETERANS: Zhang Shuai/CHN and Nuria Parrizas Diaz/ESP
...a title run from Dayana Yastremka would have been the "better," more heartwhelming story in Lyon, but Zhang proved to be the tougher out in the final moments of the final singles match of the week as the 33-year old staged a series of break-down comebacks in the 2nd and 3rd sets to claim her first title in three years.

Zhang hadn't lost a set en route to the final, benefitting greatly from Kristina Mladenovic's 1st Round DF-fest and a QF retirement (just three games in) from Vitalia Diatchenko. The Chinese vet added straight sets wins over Arantxa Rus and Caroline Garcia to reach her fifth tour singles final (her first on indoor hard court, notably on the same surface on which Zhang had reached a 125 final in Angers last December, when she lost to a then-healthy Diatchenko). In the final, Zhang trailed Yastremska by a set and break, then 4-2 in the 3rd before sweeping the final four games, seemingly spurred on down the stretch after a few mini-clashes with the chair umpire about a pair of line calls and what appeared to be heckling from someone in the crowd.

At one point, after winning a point, Zhang yelled and pointed at the man in the crowd in defiance, then went on to put away the match with a break and hold to secure the title. The win gives Zhang three career tour titles (Lyon is her first at tour level outside of China), behind only Li Na and Zheng Jie in tour history.

In Monterrey, Parrizas Diaz took another step forward in maybe the tour's most underappreciated climb over the past two seasons, reaching her first tour singles semifinal.

The Spaniard's career, after a promising start, has had a slow build since a 2015 shoulder injury. Doctors suggested she retire, but the pain went away and she returned following a 14-month absence. She built herself back on the challenger circuit, and last season, at 30, became the fourth-oldest player ever to make her tour-level MD debut (immediately reaching the Bogota QF). Parrizas Diaz climbed into the Top 100, reached another QF (Gdynia) and won a pair of 125 titles to go along with five challenger events (one a $100K) last season. This year, after a Week 1 QF in Melbourne, she reached the AO 3rd Round in her second slam MD appearance and, after having never finished inside the Top 200 before the '21 season, climbed into the Top 50 last month.

In Monterrey, Parrizas Dias posted wins over Misaki Doi, Heather Watson and countrywoman Sara Sorribes Tormo (in a three-setter!), recording her first career Top 50 victory, before a loss to Camila Osorio. This week she'll come in at a new career-high of #45.


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COMEBACKS: Caroline Garcia/FRA and Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA
...finally, Garcia is starting to kick up a little momentum.

The Pasty has seen her ranking fall into the #70-range this season, continuing a steady decline since her Top 10 finish in '17 and Top 20 follow-up campaign a year later. She began '22 at 1-4 (though with a good win over #22 Pegula in Sydney), falling in the AO 1st Round to Hailey Baptiste. In Doha, Garcia posted a win over Simona Halep, but one had to wonder if the Romanian was suffering a bit of Latvian Thunder hangover after having been blown off the court in the 3rd set by Alona Ostapenko in Dubai just a few days before. This week in Lyon, through, Garcia put a little depth into her uptick, seizing upon a 1st Round final set collapse by #1-seed Camila Giorgi and collecting additional victories over Martina Trevisan and (indoors) Alison Van Uytvanck, rallying from 4-1 down in the 3rd to reach her first SF since Lausanne last July, and just her second since winning the Nottingham title in June '19.



Garcia fell to eventual champ Zhang Shuai, but will jump to #66 as she looks to keep things rolling toward something at least *resembling* a takoff in the spring.

Haddad has finally made her return to tour relevance in the early part of this season, first in doubles (reaching back-to-back finals with Anna Danilina, including at the AO after winning in Sydney). This week in Monterrey, having already gotten her first slam MD win in three years in Melbourne, her singles play once again put her on the board with her first semifinal since her pre-suspension run in Bogota in 2019. The Brazilian, with a career high of #58 and a tour final in Seoul (2017) under her belt, fell outside the Top 1300 during her thirteen months away (extended three months due to the tour shutdown), and had to climb back up the ladder through the challengers, winning nine titles in a year's time between September '20 and September '21. Her '20 season ended early in the fall in order to have hand surgery to remove a benigh bone tumor. In February of this year, she missed time due to Covid.

Haddad posted wins in Monterrey over Panna Udvardy, Wang Xinyu and Marie Bouzkova, saving three MP and winning a 3rd set TB in the ladder QF match-up with the Guadalajara finalist, before losing out to Leylah Fernandez in the semis, one win short of her first final in four and a half years.



Her Monterrey result will lift the 25-year old from #69 to #61 this week, just three shy of her previous career high.
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FRESH FACE: Camila Osorio/COL
...while she arrived with signifcantly less fanfare than some, even with a U.S. Open junior title (2019) in her back pocket, Osorio is proving to be one of the early career achievers of her generation.

Already a Top 40 player, tour title winner (on clay) and slam 3rd Round participant (on the grass last year at SW19), the 20-year old Colombian reached her third tour final (second on hard court) in Monterrey, bringing an end (even while dealing with a sore elbow) to Elina Svitolina's emotional run in the QF (after trailing 4-1 in the 3rd), stopping veteran Nuria Parrizas Diaz in the SF after the Spaniard had impressively outlasted Sara Sorribes Tormo a round earlier, and coming within a single point (five times) of ending Leylah Fernandez's title defense in the 3rd set of the final.

Ultimately, as she was so often at Flushing Meadows last summer, Fernandez had both the big-point fire down the stretch as well as the know-how to emerage from a nearly 20-minute delay after a light malfunction stopped play with Osorio on MP #5 on the Canadian's serve in back-to-back service games. Osorio won just three points to Fernandez's ten after the delay.


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DOWN: Madison Keys/USA
...Madison and Mexico simply do not mix.

After the Bannerette's quick '22 start, which saw her go 11-2, win a title in Adelaide and reach the Australian Open semis, one might have thought that her lack of a MD tour-level win in any event in Mexico might finally be remedied in back-to-back tries in Guadalajara and Monterrey. But a 1st Round three-set loss last week to Harmony Tan was followed by a three-set defeat at the hands of Petra Martic in Monterrey in Week 9, dropping Keys to 0-3 in tour-level events "south of the border" (she *did* notch three qualifying wins in Acapulco in '14).

The 0-2 stint leaves Keys winless since her hot start in January. Maybe worse, her shoulder was treated during the Martic match (during which she held a MP in the 2nd), as that "healthy" fresh start to begin this season already appears to have been at least a bit muddled.
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ITF PLAYERS: Asia Muhammad/USA and Rebecca Marino/CAN
...Muhammad's glorious trip Down Under continued this week in the Bendigo $25K challenger, as the 30-year old Bannerette has been notching victory after victory in Australia since early January. This weekend she grabbed her third straight ITF singles title with a 6-2/6-4 win in the final over Aussie teen Olivia Gadecki, extending her winning streak to fifteen matches. Career title #13 maintains Muhammad's early season dominance, as she's also gone 13-1 in doubles (she didn't play this week) while picking up a tour-level win in Melbourne in Week 1 and two more on the ITF level since.

After missing the initial Aussie WTA-level tour after her vaccine refusal, Gadecki has now posted QF-QF-RU challenger results in recent weeks.

In Arcadia, California, Canadian Marino improved her '22 season record to 15-4 by taking the $60K challenger title without dropping a set, putting together victories over Linda Fruhvirtova (the teen had beaten her in the recent Cancun final), Robin Montgomery, Louisa Chirico, Ellie Douglas and Alycia Parks in a 7-6(0)/6-1 final.

The win gives the 31-year old thirteen career ITF titles, with Arcadia matching her biggest win to date (w/ $60K Kurume, JPN '19).


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JUNIOR STAR: Sofia Costoulas/BEL
...the J1 Yeltsin Cup was origially slated to be held this week in Kazan, Russia before being cancelled by the ITF along with all other Russian-hosted events, so Costoulas, the Australian Open girls runner-up and reigning Traralgon J1 champ, gets the nod here for her pro level semifinal run at the $25K Guayquil challenger in Ecuador.

The 16-year old Waffle, the current girls' #5, recorded her best career $25K result, which included a win over Daniela Seguel, as she improved her pro mark to 14-4 since Christmas week last December (she reached back-to-back challenger finals over Christmas and New Year's weekends). Costoulas has gone an additional 11-1 in junior play in '22.
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DOUBLES: Laura Siegemund/Vera Zvonareva, GER/RUS
...the veteran former U.S. Open (2020) champs teamed up to win their second title as a pair, taking the Lyon crown with a straight sets win in the final over surprise British finalists Alicia Barnett & Olivia Nicholls. Siegemund/Zvonareva had previously saved SP in both sets in a 7-6/7-6 win over #2 seeds H.Chan/Lohoff, and won a 12-10 MTB over Niculescu/Panova in the semis.

It's 37-year old Zvonareva's 11th career crown (she reached her first tour-level WD final 19 years ago in 2003), and the seventh for 33-year old Siegemund.

The duo weren't able to defend their '20 U.S. title at last year's Open, as Siegemund's knee injury ended her season after the Olympics. The German finally returned to action in singles at a challenger event two weeks ago (and lost in Lyon qualifying), while this was her first doubles action on any level since Tokyo last summer. Siegemund & Zvonareva are now a combined 20-6 as partners.


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WHEELCHAIR: Dana Mathewson/Lucy Shuker, USA/GBR and Aniek Van Koot/NED
...at the Series 1 Georgia Open (US) in Rome, Mathewson & Shuker took the title in a 10-7 MTB win in the final over the top-seeded pair of Aniek Van Koot & Zhu Zhenzhen (Van Koot's regular partner Diede de Groot has yet to play since the AO). For Britain's Shuker, it's her fifth doubles final in six events this season, with her three post-Melbourne tournaments including final runs (2-1) alongside Mathewson.



Top-seeded '22 Australian Open WC finalist Van Koot nearly swept the s/d titles, but had to settle for her first singles title since last March with her double-bagel final win over Colombia's Angelica Bernal.
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1. Monterrey 1st Rd. - Elina Svitolina def. Anastasia Potapova
...6-2/6-1. The #1 seed in Monterrey, Svitolina announced that she would donate all the prize money she earns in the coming weeks to the Ukrainian army, then refused to play Potapova, or any Russian or Belarusian opponent, while they "played under the flag" of either of the nations participating in the brutal invasion of her home country. The call to attention worked, as all Russian and Belarusian players are now listed with a neutral/"blank" designation by all tennis bodies.

Playing with extra incentive, for a while, Svitolina showed a renewed purpose on the court. She dominated Potapova, who felt compelled to issue an anti-war post on social media ahead of the match-up, and then rallied from a break down in the 3rd set to defeat Viktoriya Tomova a round later.



Monterrey QF - Camila Osorio def. Elina Svitolina
...1-6/7-5/7-6(5). Ultimately, though you sort of figured *someone* would considering Svitolina's (generally) lacking form and (dependable regular season) consistency the last two+ seasons, Osorio wore the "black hat" in Monterrey, ending the #1 seed's mission for Ukraine despite playing with an elbow that was looked at by trainers during the match. Employing crafty strategy (i.e. spins and such) over the final two sets, Osorio knotted the match and erased a 4-1 3rd set deficit to improve to 2-0 vs. Svitolina ('21 Tenerife 1r).


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2. Monterrey QF - Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Marie Bouzkova
...4-6/6-4/7-6(7). The Brazilian rallies from 4-2 down in the 3rd, and 6-3 in the deciding TB, saving three MP to win in 3:22.


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3. Monterrey 1st Rd. - Petra Martic def. Madison Keys
...5-7/7-6(3)/6-3. Martic saves a MP and records her first Top 50 win since Rome last spring.


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4. Lyon QF - Caroline Garcia def. Alison Van Uytvanck
...4-6/6-3/7-5. The Pastry topped off her week with a comeback from 4-1 down in the 3rd before a French crowd against one of the tour's most dependable indoor hard court foes.


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5. Lyon 1st Rd. - Zhang Shuai def. Kristina Mladenovic
...7-6(3)/7-5. Hmmm, was this a horrifying or encouraging result for Mladenovic?

Consider, she took the eventual Lyon champ to the limit in two sets. Stunningly, she did so while *also* having 19 DF and a 36% first serve percentage.
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6. Lyon 1st Rd. - Anna Bondar def. Yuriko "Lily" Miyazaki
...7-6(5)/3-6/7-5. Bondar survives the test from the Japanese qualifier, saving a MP and winning from 5-2 down in the 3rd against the former Oklahoma Sooner.


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7. Lyon 2nd Rd. - Anna Bondar def. Katie Boulter
...6-3 ret. Two steps forward (a recent $60K title, her first since '18, a Lyon qualifying run and eight straight wins with her 1r victory over Ana Konjuh) for the Brit, one step back (retirement via a leg injury).
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8. $25K Nur-Sultan KAZ Final - Anastasia Zakharova def. Mariia Tkacheva/RUS
...6-3/6-1. 20-year old Zakharova wins the all-Hordette final, improving to 7-1 in ITF finals in her career.


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HM- Lyon SF - Alicia Barnett/Olivia Nicholls def. Ulrikke Eikeri/Samantha Murray Sheran
...0-6/7-6(5) [10-3]. Brits Barrett & Nicholls didn't win their maiden tour title, but reached their first WTA final after erasing a 6-0 and double-break down deficit in the semis.



Had they defeated Siegemund/Zvonareva in the final, it'd been one of the larger leaps in recent tour winning circles, as their biggest title to date is just a series of $25K challengers. That said, they've played *a lot* of finals over the years. They won their first title together ($15K) back in 2017, and have reached six on the ITF level since last June (though they lost their last five finals, including two $60K events in '22, before Lyon).
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1. Monterrey Final - Leylah Fernandez def. Camila Osorio
...6-7(5)/6-4/7-6(3). In the second-youngest final match-up of the decade (behind last year's U.S. Open final between Fernandez and Emma Raducanu) 20-year Osorio battled back from 4-1 down in the 1st, but then saw 19-year Fernandez do the same against her in the 3rd. Fighting to keep her title defense dreams alive, on serve, Fernandez saved five MP down the stretch, one while serving down 5-4 and four more down 6-5.

The fifth MP came following a nearly 20-minute delay after a mid-point (at deuce) malfunction of the stadium lights. Fernandez immediately appealed to the chair umpire, instigating the delay. Naturally, some will try to charge "gameswomanship!" at Fernandez's action but, in truth, down MP and serving, the pressure was more on Fernandez than Osorio, who'd already had four MP chances. Of note, Fernandez never sat down during the break (Osorio did), and made a point to remain calm, sometimes simply by holding her racket flat and staring at the strings as she rolled a ball around the edges of the frame.

At it was, the Colombian missed on her first return and Fernandez won a third straight point out of the delay to force a deciding TB. She took an early mini-break lead in the breaker that she never relinquished, putting away her first MP when Osorio's crosscourt forehand sailed wide.

The result ends Osorio's streak of 16 straight 3rd set victories in tour-level Q/MD matches (she's 17-3 in her WTA career), and sees Fernandez become the first teenager to successfully defend a singles title since Elina Svitolina in Baku in 2014.


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2. Lyon 1st Rd. - Dayana Yastremska def. Ana Bogdan
...3-6/7-6(7)/7-6(7). Not long after arriving in France after being forced to flee Ukraine, Yastremska engages in a three-hour tussle in which she saved two MP (one each in the 2nd and 3rd set), setting up her run to the final.


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3. Lyon Final - Zhang Shuai def. Dayana Yastremska
...3-6/6-3/6-4. Zhang overcomes break disadvantages in the final two sets, including a 4-2 deficit in the 3rd after Yastremska broke serve from 40/love down. The moment stirred Zhang, who immediately broke back a game later, nearly (but didn't) lose her cool while questioning the chair umpire about a pair of line calls, then reacted to catcalls from a "fan" in the stands in the best way imaginable: by becoming even more focused and fierce. She got the key hold of serve, pointed at the man in the crowd, then broke Yastremska and served out the match.



Even with the loss, Yastremska had the stats of a winner: 31 winners (to 22 UE) and 4-of-4 on BP in a match in which she and Zhang were separated by just two points (81-79).
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4. Lyon 1st Rd. - Georgina Garcia Perez/Xenia Knoll def. Dayana Yastremska/Ivanna Yastremska
...6-2/6-4. Together forever (and safe in France), the Yastremska sisters were given a WC (a great move by the tournament) into the doubles draw. Their participation as a team (on the court) only lasted just one match, but it'll be a small part of the experience of a week that will surely bond them in ways that go far beyond mere family ties.

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5. Monterrey 2nd Rd. - Leylah Fernandez def. Zheng Qinwen
...6-1/4-6/7-6(3). For the first time since the U.S. Open, "NYC Leylah" finally appeared in 2022 with this win, as Fernandez won *this* battle of teenagers. Her fires appropriately stoked, a round later she played until 2:45 a.m. to take out Wang Qiang, and two matches later she saved five MP in the final against Camila Osorio.


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Oh, by the way, I've been meaning for a while to note those ridiculous gold bars alongside some players' names in the rankings. I can't believe the tour is using the freakin' official rankings page to promote something stupid like that. (Go and click one and you'll see.)

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[ This space formerly occupied by Anastasia Pavlyucenkova's "no-war" social media post. ]




And so it begins...?




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Hmmm...




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But, again, as was the case a few years ago (and a few years before that) -- though it was sort of lost in the controversy -- it isn't (or shouldn't be) that Serena should get a "pass" and not be punished, just like the men, it's that the men should be punished just as harshly (or in some cases, even more so) as she has been during matches for bad behavior. She wouldn't have been playing a week later, yet there Zverev was this weekend (and complaining about being treated poorly, no less).

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*RECENT TEEN WTA WS TITLE DEFENSES*
Caroline Wozniacki - New Haven 2008-09
Caroline Wozniacki - Ponta vedra Beach 2009-10
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova - Monterrey 2010-11
Elina Svitolina - Baku 2013-14
LEYLAH FERNANDEZ - MONTERREY 2021-22

*MOST WTA TITLES BY TEENS in 2020s*
3 - Iga Swiatek, POL (2020-21)
2 - LEYLAH FERNANDEZ, CAN (2021)
2 - Clara Tauson, DEN (2021)
1 - Coco Gauff, USA (2021)
1 - Camila Osorio, COL (2021)
1 - Emma Raducanu, GBR (2021)

*BIGGEST AGE DIFF. IN FINAL - 2020-22*
13 years - S.Williams(38) d. Pegula(25) / 2020 Auckland
12 years - ZHANG SHUAI(33) d. Dayana Yastremska(21) / 2022 LYON

*CAREER WTA TITLES - CANADA*
3 - Bianca Andreescu (2019)
2 - Carling Bassett-Seguso (1983-87)
2 - LEYLAH FERNANDEZ (2021)
2 - Helen Kelesi (1986-88)
1 - Genie Bouchard (2014)
1 - Aleksandra Wozniak (2008)
1 - Jill Hetherington (1988)
1 - Patricia Hy-Boulais (1986)

*CAREER WTA TITLES - CHINA*
9 - Li Na (2004,08,10-14)
4 - Zheng Jie (2005-06,12)
3 - ZHANG SHUAI (2013,17,22)
2 - Wang Qiang (2018)
2 - Peng Shuai (2016-17)

*2022 WTA FINALS/TITLES BY NATION*
5 (3) - USA
2 (2) - AUS
2 (1) - EST
2 (0) - CZE,RUS
1 (1) - CAN,CHN,ESP,LAT,POL,ROU
1 (0) - BLR,COL,GRE,KAZ,UKR

*2022 WTA SEMIFINALISTS BY NATION*
8 (5-3) - USA
5 (2-3) - RUS
4 (1-3) - ROU
3 (2-1) - CZE,EST
3 (1-2) - CHN,LAT,POL
2 (2-0) - AUS
2 (1-1) - ESP,GRE
2 (0-2) - JPN
1 (1-0) - BLR,CAN,COL,KAZ,UKR
1 (0-1) - BRA,FRA,SLO
--
NOTE: walkover as "L"
NOTE: 20 nations in 12 events

*"QUEEN OF MEXICO" PODIUM - Acapulco/Guadalajara/Monterrey*
[1st place]
2015 Timea Bacsinszky, SUI (won Acap/Mont singles)
2016 A.Medina-Garrigues/A.Parra-Santonja, ESP (won Acap/Mont WD)
2017 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (4-time Mont.WS)
2018 Lesia Tsurenko, UKR (2 con. Acapulco WS)
2019 Garbine Muguruza, ESP (2 con. Monterrey WS)
2020 Heather Watson, GBR (Acapulco W; second to win Acap+Mont WS)
2021 Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP (Guad. W & Mont. SF)
2022 Sloane Stephens, USA (Guad. W, third w/ titles at 2+ MEX events)
[2nd place]
2015 Caroline Garcia, FRA (RU Acap/Mont singles)
2016 Sloane Stephens, USA (Acap) & Heather Watson, GBR (Mont)
2017 Lesia Tsurenko, UKR (Acapulco WS)
2018 Giuliana Olmos, MEX (first MEX player in MONT.WD final)
2019 Maria Sanchez, USA (Guad/Mont WD W)
2020 Renata Zarazua, MEX (Acapulco SF, first MEX WTA SF since '93)
2021 Leylah Fernandez, CAN (Mont.W - 1st WTA title; '20 Acap RU)
2022 Leylah Fernandez, CAN (defends Monterrey title)
[3rd place]
2021 D.Krawczyk/G.Olmos (Guad RU: in F of all 3 WTA MEX 2018-21)
2022 K.Christian, C.Harrison/S.Santamaria (Guad./Mont.; ex-NCAA 1st WD titles)

*WTA MEXICO (Acapulco/Guadalajara/Monterrey)*
[WON MULTIPLE EVENTS]
Timea Bacsinszky - 2015 Monterrey, 2015 Acapulco
Sloane Stephens - 2016 Acapulco, 2022 Monterrey
Heather Watson - 2016 Monterrey, 2020 Acapulco
[2+ TOURNAMENT TITLES]
4 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Monterrey 2010-11, 2013-14)
2 - Sara Errani (Acapulco 2012-13)
2 - LEYLAH FERNANDEZ (MONTERREY 2021-22)
2 - Garbine Muguruza (Monterrey 2018-19)
2 - Lesia Tsurenko (Acapulco 2017-18)
2 - Venus Williams (Acapulco 2009-10)

*2022 FIRST-TIME WTA DOUBLES CHAMPIONS*
Bernarda Pera, USA (Melbourne 2)
Jessie Pegula, USA (Melbourne 1)
Kaitlyn Christian, USA (Guadalajara)
CATHERINE HARRISON, USA (MONTERREY)
SABRINA SANTAMARIA, USA (MONTERREY)

*2022 FIRST-TIME DOUBLES FINALISTS*
ALICIA BARNETT, GBR (LYON - L)
CATHERINE HARRISON, USA (MONTERREY - W)
Vivian Heisen, GER (Sydney - L)
OLIVIA NICHOLLS, GBR (LYON - L)
Jessie Pegula, USA (Melbourne 1 - W)
Bernarda Pera, USA (Melbourne 2 - W)
Panna Udvardy, HUN (Sydney - L)

*2022 YOUNGEST WTA FINALISTS*
19 - LEYLAH FERNANDEZ, CAN (MONTERREY - W)
20 - CAMILA OSORIO, COL (MONTERREY - L)
20 - Iga Swiatek, POL (Doha - W)
[doubles]
17 - Coco Gauff, USA (Doha - W)
20 - Caty McNally, USA (Saint Petersburg - W)
20 - Wang Xinyu, CHN (Guadalajara - L)

*YOUNG WTA FINAL MATCH-UPS - since 2018*
34 - 2018 Moscow RC: Danilovic (17) d. Potapova (17)
37 - 2019 Linz: Gauff (15) d. Ostapenko (22)
37 - 2021 US Open: Raducanu (18) d. Fernandez (19)
39 - 2022 MONTERREY: FERNANDEZ (19) d. Osorio (20)
40 - 2020 Roland Garros: Swiatek (19) d. Kenin (21)
40 - 2021 Tenerife: Li (21) d. Osorio (19)

*2022 OLDEST WTA FINALISTS*
33 - ZHANG SHUAI, CHN (LYON - W)
31 - Alison Riske, USA (Adelaide 2 - L)
30 - Simona Halep, ROU (Melbourne 1 - W)
[doubles]
37 - Darja Jurak Schreiber, CRO (Adelaide 1 - L)
37 - VERA ZVONAREVA, RUS (LYON - W)
36 - Alicja Rosolska, POL (Saint Petersburg - L)
35 - Andreja Klepac, SLO (Adelaide 1 - L)
35 - LAURA SIEGEMUND, GER (LYON - W)
34 - Sara Errani, ITA (Melbourne 1 - L)

*2022 LOW-RANKED SEMIFINALISTS - #100+*
#144 Wang Qiang/CHN (Guadalajara)
#140 DAYANA YASTREMSKA/UKR (LYON RU)
#126 Zheng Qinwen/CHN (Melbourne 1)
#107 Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR (Melbourne 2 RU)
#105 Misaki Doi/JPN (Adelaide 1)
#100 Anna Kalinskaya/RUS (Guadalajara RU)

*OLDEST WTA WD TITLE-WINNING COMBO - since 2017*
80 - Peschke/Petkovic, 2021 Chicago
72 - Groenefeld/Peschke, 2017 Prague
72 - Jurak/Martinez-Sanchez, 2019 Bronx
72 - Peschke/Schuurs, 2020 Cincinnati
72 - Jurak/Klepac, 2021 Bad Homburg
72 - SIEGEMUND/ZVONAREVA, 2022 LYON







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An interesting follow... a Ukrainian woman who has posted almost hourly updates on the war, her life and her thoughts since the start of the invasion...




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Exactly what you'd expect Serena to say. But let's not forget that 11 of her 23 slams came after opponents either held MP (3), served for the match (5) or held a 3rd set break advantage (3) against her, so some sort of "law of averages" says she probably has as many major titles as she should.

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I've said it before, and will again. This is my favorite/the best thing in the Washington Post. Spectacular post here (if you can access it)...




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All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 3:13 AM 

10 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

Wanted to see Yastremska pull it off, especially since she is the de facto guardian for Ivanna now.

Diatchenko literally limped to the finish last week. Turned her ankle up 5-1, held on to win 6-4. Only lasted 3 games in her next match.

Don't remember what her movement was like a decade ago, but is a poor mover now, probably due to a large number of lower body injuries. Groundstrokes are good.

Fernandez is so hot she burned out the lights. Oddly enough, that wasn't the first time. Her BJK Cup match vs Stojanovic last year was somewhat reversed, with the lights going out before Fernandez' 5th match point. She did hold on to win.

Bouzkova is 17-10 in Mexico, 11-3 in Guadalajara.

Zheng Q. faced 8 BP in 1st game vs Fernandez, faced 4 in other 12.

Stat of the Week- 87- Career high ranking for Kristie Ahn.

Ahn was average. No shame in that, as even making it from college or the ITF tour isn't a given. Her career highlights include her 2019 US Open run in which she reached the sweet sixteen. The others were all QF, one each at Nottingham, San Jose, and Seoul.

Quiz Time!

Which of these players did not lose to Kristie Ahn?

A.Elise Mertens
B.Naomi Osaka
C.Svetlana Kuznetsova
D.Dinara Safina

Interlude- A fun commercial with WNBA player Didi Richards. Note-How is it that the WNBA(Charter flights) is managing to get worse press than MLB?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY15xG6UfVQ

Answer!

Admittedly, the Ahn piece was short in order to not leak the answers.

(C)Kuznetsova is wrong, as she beat her at the 2019 USO. This was a revenge match, as Kuznetsova beat Ahn in the 1st rd of Washington in 2018, en route to her 18th and currently last title.

She also beat Ostapenko during that USO run, but wasn't a choice as it seemed too obvious, as Ostapenko lost twice to her in 2019.

The surprising one might be (B)Osaka, until you realize that it was on grass. #131 Ahn knocked off #62 Osaka on the way to her first career QF at Nottingham in 2017.

On the way to her second QF, she knocked off #20 Mertens in San Jose, becoming the highest ranked player she beat. Yes, Mertens is also the player that ended the USO run, as they(counting ITF) played 5 times.

(D)Safina had that stretch where she lost to players ranked outside the Top 100 in 2009. However, she played Ahn in 2008. At 7, Safina was the highest ranked player Ahn faced. And after making it through Q, #758 Ahn made her MD debut, at her home slam.

She lost by a respectable 6-3, 6-4 score.

Mon Mar 07, 01:15:00 PM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

7.5 On the Up Side- Barty less edition.

1.Kontaveit- Up here by default, as I would have had Barty. I mention this, because Kontaveit has been an opportunist. She has 6 titles, none with Barty in the field. Wuhan 2018 is the only one of her 15 finals in which Barty played.
2.Pliskova- Do I expect her do go deep? Maybe. She has a decent draw, while making her season debut. That puts the twist on this event as the last 3 years, she has reached QF in preceding event.
3.Zheng Q.- Need a young talent to watch? 32-7 on ITF level since the start of 2021, her footwork and court coverage is excellent. Will win 4-5 matches this season just because of her physicality.
4.Sabalenka- Speaking of physicality, Sabalenka plays here for the first time in 3 years. Playing the winner of Paolini/Q, she could do something she has not done here. That is play someone lower ranked that 66(Lepchenko). In the part of the draw with a bunch of question marks.
5.Ostapenko- 12-2 in the last month. Both losses were to Kontaveit. All 4 losses this year have been Top 10, so another good run should be expected.
6.Gauff- Don't really see it happening here, but she is the best US option. In an event where we have had 7 consecutive years in which different countries have won, the US has been shut out. Serena is the last, way back in 2001.
7.Badosa- Wow, that year went by quick. Actually, it has only been 5 months, one reason why the points aren't coming off. One of 5 former winners in the field, she probably is the one with the best chance.
7.5. Miyzaki- Very stiff off both wings, but is talented enough to reach slams and win a couple of rounds.

Mon Mar 07, 09:53:00 PM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

7.5 On the Down Side.

1.Bencic- She has been honest about how COVID has affected her. 5-4 on the season, #29 Kudermetova is her only Top 80 win. Expect a .500 record for another couple of months.
2.Giorgi- Won Montreal and promptly went on a 4 match losing streak. Pulls out of IW while on another 4 match streak.
3.Cornet- The cautionary tale might be Hsieh, who reached AO QF, then went 9-14 rest of season. Cornet is 1-3 since her QF run and looks off kilter.
4.Muchova- Two peas in a pod? Muchova is the first one. Ranking down to 73, she hasn't played since the US Open, after retiring in Cincinnati. The ab issue is taking a long, long time to heal.
5.Brady- The second pea? Down to 162, and stop me if you heard this before, she hasn't played since retiring in Cincinnati. Don't know if walking boot if off yet. Both Muchova and Brady will be able to use PR to get into tournaments.
6.Tomljanovic- 4-6 on the year, she hasn't really had bad losses, just too many losses. Last year's form is missing.
7.Kasatkina- Former finalist might be an odd choice, but there was a huge drop in her play after she left Australia. Can she be average at IW or Miami?
7.5.Osaka/Stephens- A great matchup if both are playing well, but somebody will be out early. Osaka is the more recent slam winner, but doesn't it seem like Stephens is having these types of matches every other week?

Mon Mar 07, 10:06:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

I was going to ding IW for not giving Yastremska a WC, but then they did. ;)

Wow, good catch on the Fernandez BJK Cup situation.

Quiz: seemed to recall a win over Osaka, but not Safina (but Dinara had quite a few of "those" sort of losses, so I was taking a chance).

MLB continues to be probably the worst run major sports organization on the continent (at least). Hmmm, does the ATP count?

Cute commercial.

Speaking of Miyazaki, on the heels of her MD appearance last week while still representing Japan, she began representing GBR this week (she's the new British #6!).

Although... Cornet gets at least a temporary "Upside" by replacing Krejcikova in the draw as the #33 seed (in the 2nd Round, with a 1r bye, in the #1 draw slot). Barbora really should have pulled out *before* the draw was made.


=IW PICKS=
*4th*
Halep d. Cirstea
Zidansek d. Samsonova
Swiatek d. Kasatkina
Muguruza d. Svitolina
Badosa d. Ostapenko
Kontaveit d. Pegula
Jabeur d. Sakkari
Sabalenka d. Azarenka (ret.)
*QF*
Halep d. Zidansek
Swiatek d. Muguruza
Badosa d. Kontaveit
Jabeur d. Sabalenka
*SF*
Swiatek d. Halep
Jabeur d. Badosa
*F*
Swiatek d. Jabeur

Wed Mar 09, 01:16:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Carson Wentz? Carson Wentz.

I think this sums that up.

Wed Mar 09, 02:40:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

By the way, the Ukrainian woman whose Twitter I included in this post was interviewed on BBC radio today. Here's the link to the interview on the BBC player, starting at around 25:00 or so.

Wed Mar 09, 03:25:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

This tweet from Judy Murray. While I agree with the sentiment, a few facts should be injected into the thought, too.

1) they've only given out the award for four years
2) the previous winners were the coaches of Osaka, Barty and Swiatek (so, no real scandal there)
3) arguably, last year's award should have probably gone to Tursunov (w/ Kontaveit)

That said, I'm happy for Conchita (who I'd given co-CoY to for the *2020* season)

Wed Mar 09, 04:13:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Re-try on the Wentz tweet. ;)

Wed Mar 09, 07:09:00 PM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

Kalieva played well.

I actually like Wentz, think that sometimes he gets less credit because he makes plays with his legs.

On the other hand, an OC that will convince him to take a sack instead of those awful shovel pass picks would be a great help.

Wed Mar 09, 08:29:00 PM EST  
Blogger Nicolas said...

Gauff got the win, but she badly needs to fix her forehand technique. I can't see much longevity if she keeps hiting like that.

Sat Mar 12, 12:39:00 PM EST  

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