Sunday, April 03, 2022

Wk.13- The Sun Shines on Swiatek... again

Iga, proving that the back-half of a Sunshine Double is just as sweet (and the trophy isn't as heavy).








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*WEEK 13 CHAMPIONS*
MIAMI, FLORIDA USA (WTA 1000 Mandatory/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Iga Swiatek/POL def. Naomi Osaka/JPN 6-4/6-0
D: Laura Siegemund/Vera Zvonareva (GER/RUS) def. Veronika Kudermetova/Elise Mertens (RUS/BEL) 7-6(3)/7-5
MARBELLA, SPAIN (WTA 125 Challenger/Clay Court Outdoor)
S: Mayar Sherif/EGY def. Tamara Korpatsch/GER 7-6(1)/6-4
D: Irina Bara/Ekaterine Gorgodze (ROU/GEO) def. Katarzyna Kawa/Vivian Heisen (POL/GER) 6-4/3-6 [10-6]




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Iga Swiatek/POL
...all right, *now* what does Iga do for an encore?

Turns out, the thought two weeks ago that Swiatek was "just warming up" during her Indian Wells title run proved to be quite accurate. After often battling against herself in the desert, on multiple occasions having to overcome slow starts, the 20-year old's Hard Rock experience was more dominant, more head-turning and, ultimately, even more historic.



After Ash Barty's (literal) retirement on the opening day of play in Miami, all Swiatek needed to do was win one match in order to assure that she'd become the 28th (and first Polish) woman to reach #1. She did so with style, allowing just two games to Viktorija Golubic in her opening match. She only picked up steam from there. Madison Brengle got three games off her, Coco Gauff won four, and Petra Kvitova six as Swiatek became the first to reach back-to-back semis at I.W./Miami since 2017 (Ka.Pliskova). While she wasn't serving particularly well, Iga rallied from 3-1 down in the 2nd to defeat Jessie Pegula in straights, and (even w/ Naomi Osaka sometimes going seven feet inside the baseline to return her second serve) the final saw her manage to avoid even facing a single BP all match, getting one break of the former #1 in the 1st and then tightening her grip down the stretch in a 6-4/6-0 win. The title is Swiatek's sixth (third in '22), all coming in her last six (of 7 career) finals and all won in straight sets, with just three of twelve sets even seeing an opponent win as many as four games. Three of the last four finals have included love sets.

In becoming the fourth woman to complete the I.W./Miami "Sunshine Double" (after Steffi, Kim and Vika... all, like her, identifiable by first name only), Iga is also the *first* to open a season by winning the first three 1000 level events on the schedule. Swiatek's extension of her winning streak to 17 (now w/ 20 straight sets won) is now tied for the longest *actual* single-season run (i.e. not extended by walkover losses) on tour since Serena Williams' remarkable 2013 season, in which she put together 34 and 18-match streaks (and another that lasted 15, as well). She was a cool 78-4 that year, so... yep.

Iga is currently 26-3.



What's next? Well, clay is supposed to be Swiatek's best and favorite surface. Oh, and she's also a former Wimbledon junior champ. So... bring it on. After all, she was born for this.



At 6-1 in tour singles finals, including 4-0 (all in the last year) in 1000-level events and 1-0 in slams, not to mention 7-0 on the ITF level (and 1-0 in junior slam finals)... yeah, I'd say that sounds about right.
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RISERS: Paula Badosa/ESP and Jessie Pegula/USA
...Badosa didn't add a Miami title to the one she won in Indian Wells last fall, but her QF adds her name to the short list (the other on it is named Iga) of women who've reached the Round of 16 this season at the AO (4r) and both ends of the Sunshine combo (I.W. SF/Miami QF).

While so many top seeds were losing early (or pulling out), the Spaniard posted victories over Marie Bouzkova, Yulia Putintseva and Linda Fruhvirtova (while playing under the weather) before being forced to retire due to the lingering illness in the Final 8 against Pegula.

While she's had outside shots at both the #1 and #2 ranking in recent weeks, Badosa's I.W./Miami combo *will* allow her to jump to a new career high of #3 this week, not far behind #2 Barbora Krejcikova, who's been injured in recent weeks and has multiple titles to defend (including RG) this spring.



After getting off to something of a slow start in singles in '22, but picking up on-court work in doubles (winning two titles), Pegula has shown admirable rebound ability in the season's opening months.

After starting 0-2 Down Under, Pegula reached the QF at the Australian Open. After going 3-3 in the weeks that followed, she rallied in Miami to reach her second career 1000 SF (w/ Montreal '21), notching wins over Sloane Stephens and Elena Rybakina before advancing through back-to-back rounds when her opponents were forced to retire (Anhelina Kalinina after 6 games, Badosa after playing just 5).

Against eventual champ Iga Swiatek in the SF, Pegula gave the set-to-be-#1-ranked Pole as good a fight in the 2nd set as anyone all event, leading 3-1 and preventing Swiatek from serving things out at 5-4 before eventually falling 7-5 in the only extended set that Iga played in Miami (and the first in which she lost more than three games until Naomi Osaka got four in the 1st in the final).

11-5 since her 0-2 start this year, Pegula will climb to a new career high of #13 on Monday, behind only now #8-ranked Danielle Collins amongst the Bannerettes.


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SURPRISE: Mayar Sherif/EGY
...after her career year in 2021, the 25-year old Egyptian came into the week having had a difficult time getting her '22 campaign going. After a string of horrible draws -- as in 1st Rd. match-ups vs. Li, Samsonova, Watson, Svitolina and Cirstea -- she came into the Marbella 125 challenger with a 1-7 mark on the season. She walked away with her second career 125 crown.

A tour-level finalist in Cluj-Napoca last season, and 125 winner in Karlsruhe, #73-ranked Sherif got back on the winning horse (hmmm... camel, or would that be a bit *too* much so early in the year?) by racing to the title without dropping a set, finishing things off by ending Tamara Korpatsch's nine-match winning streak in the final with a 7-6(1)/6-4 victory.

The win will seemingly bump the Egyptian up twelve spots, matching the career-high of #61 she set in November. Needless to say, if she can rise a little bit more she'd add "first to reach the Top 50" to her list of national achievements.
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VETERAN: Petra Kvitova/CZE
...the 32-year old Czech didn't arrive in Miami looking a great deal like a player ready to surge into the season. She stood at 6-7, had posted just one QF result and had recently fallen out of the Top 30. But Miami provided Kvitova with something of a chance to begin to point 2022 into a more positive direction.

Kvitova's wins over Clara Burel, Lauren Davis and Veronika Kudermetova -- the latter match seeing her rally from 0-4, love/40 down to win the 2nd set 6-4 and avoid a three-setter -- pushed her into her third career Miami Open QF, matching her career best (2013 & '16) result. With Iga Swiatek standing in her way, Kvitova wasn't wasn't able to advance to her first post-Restart SF at a 1000 level event, but she heads into the clay season with a little momentum, an above-.500 mark (9-8) and (by just a little) a ranking back inside the Top 30. I think she'll take it.


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COMEBACKS: Naomi Osaka/JPN and Belinda Bencic/SUI
...after the way her Indian Wells ended, and with the majority of her results being of the mediocre variety over the past year, Osaka needed the Miami Open, a tournament which she considers her "home event." In a sign that (at the very least) could prove very important later this summer, her runner-up result, which included a comeback win in the semis to reach her first final since winning the '21 AO, was fueled by the re-emergence of her serve as an ultimate, devastating weapon. If not for the high-flying entity that is Iga Swiatek, Osaka likely would have added her name to the notable list of women (5 current Hall of Famers, plus Serena) to have won the AO & US as well as *both* ends of the Sunshine combo in their career.



Clearly more "in her element" in Miami than pretty much anywhere else on tour over the past year, Osaka had nonetheless only reached the QF in the event (2021) in five previous visits, but wins over Astra Sharma, Angelique Kerber, Alison Riske, Danielle Collins and Belinda Bencic were more than enought to smash through that personal ceiling. Along the way, Osaka talked of proving herself (vs. Kerber) after commentators had picked against her, used her serve to dominate opponents, and staged a SF comeback (w/ 18 aces) from a set down vs. the Swiss to reach the final a year after she'd seen her run end in the QF when she lost (on-court) for the first time in more than thirteen months (to Maria Sakkari).

Osaka came into Miami at 6-2 in '22, but her long stretches of inactivity and early losses in big events had her down at #77 in the rankings. She noted during the week that while her ranking is down, she's remained a feared opponent and not a player anyone wants to see in the 1st Round. She backed up her uncharacteristically big(ger) words for most of the two weeks, including into the final against Swiatek. There, Osaka battled the Pole through the 1st set, but her inability to take advantage of Swiatek's serve resulted in her never getting a look at a BP (in the set, or the match). Meanwhile, despite fighting off four of five BP chances on her own serve in the opener, Osaka saw Swiatek seize *one* mid-set opportunity to grab the lead and then ride it out.

In the 2nd, Osaka more resembled her pre-I.W./slam title self and seemingly "went away" a bit down the stretch, dropping the 2nd at love as (as it is wont to do) the Swiatek momentum rolled downhill at an increasingly high speed. Afterward, Osaka was upbeat at her *overall* accomplishment, and surely seemed to be trying to focus on all the positivity of her past two weeks on "friendly" ground. She'll jump back inside the Top 40 on Monday, at around #36.

After her Miami QF run a year ago, Osaka went just 6-5 the rest of the '21 season, so we'll soon see if this result in a "one-off" or a return to form for the former #1 and four-time slam champ. After the match, Osaka continued to say the right things. If actions (or at least most of them) speak just as loudly, she'll surely have a fifth hardcourt slam (she's won one a year since '18) on her mind come Flushing Meadows.



Admitting to dealing with the lingering aftereffects of Covid, Bencic began this season at 5-5, including three straight losses heading into Miami.

But without a particularly great history in South Florida, having gone just 4-5 in her Miami career (w/ three of those wins coming in her '15 debut at age 18), Bencic turned that stat on its ear by hitting herself into the semis with wins over Marta Kostyuk, Heather Watson, Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Dasha Saville without losing a set. While Swiatek had reached the semis while dropping just 15 games, Bencic had surrended only 17. She ultimately fell to Naomi Osaka, but only after taking the opening set and forcing Osaka to rally to win in three.

The semifinal result comes at a fifth different 1000 level event (she's won in Canada and Dubai, and reached semis in I.W. and Madrid) in Bencic's career, in addition to her final fours at the U.S. Open and WTAF in '19.


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FRESH FACE: Linda Noskova/CZE
...since winning the Roland Garros junior crown last spring, 17-year old Noskova has added her three biggest pro titles, including matching her biggest yet with a $60K win in Croissy-Beaubourg, France this week. It's the fifth straight victory in a pro final for the young Czech, beginning with her maiden win in Bratislava thirteen months ago.

This week's indoor hardcourt event saw the unseeded Noskova take out #3 Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, and Pastries Elsa Jacquemot and #1 Chloe Paquet (both in a 3rd set TB) before handling French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean in a 6-3/6-4 final. Noskova is now set to crack the Top 200 for the first time, joining fellow Czech Linda -- as in Fruhvirtova -- on the heels of Andorran Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva to be the highest ranked under-18 player in women's tennis (VJK leads both by less than 20 points).


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ITF PLAYER: Jang Su-jeong/KOR
...Asia Muhammad may be gone, but play continues on the challenger level Down Under. This week in the Canberra $60K, Aussie teen Olivia Gadecki didn't reach the final for a fourth straight time (she fell in the semis), but the player who *defeated* her did manage to walk off with the title.

27-year old Jang, already having made her slam MD debut this year in Melbourne (becoming the fourth South Korean to do so on tour), claimed her tenth career title with a 6-7(1)/6-1/6-4 win in the final over Japan's Yuki Naito. She's now won in three of her last four challenger finals dating back to March of last year, after having been 3-12 in finals in the stretch from March '15 until that time a year ago.
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JUNIOR STAR: Sofia Costoulas/BEL
...for the second time in six months, the 17-year old Waffle has swept the singles and doubles titles at a J1 girls event.

Last September, Costoulas doubled up on big wins in Charleroi-Marcinelle (winning the GD w/ Lucija Ciric Bagaric). The Belgian began '22 by winning the singles at the Traralgon J1 and then reaching the Australian Open girls final. This week in Vrsar, Croatia, Costoulas took both crowns at the J1 Perin Memorial event, preventing another member of the growing crush of young Czechs (hmmm, the "Czech Crush," or even "Czech Czrush," maybe?) from claiming yet another high level title by defeating Lucie Havlickova (the recent JA Banana Bowl champ) in a 6-2/6-2 championship match. The Waffle is now 16-1 in singles on the junior circuit this season.

In addition, Costoulas joined once again with Ciric Bagaric to take home the doubles honors.


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DOUBLES: Laura Siegemund/Vera Zvonareva, GER/RUS
...the all-veteran pairing continues to be a late-career boon for both, as the '20 U.S. Open champs traveled a long and winding road to their third title together, and second this season (w/ Lyon).

After saving five consecutive MP in the semifinals against Ekaterina Alexandrova/Yang Zhaoxuan and winning a 13-11 MTB, unseeded Siegemund/Zvonareva successfully made their way through the proverbial eye of the needle in the final against top-seeded Veronika Kudermetova/Elise Mertens, who'd won three consecutive MTB in the 2nd Round/QF/SF to reach the final, winning in straight sets 7-6(3)/7-5 to leave Miami with a title.

For 37-year old Zvonareva, career title #11 improves upon what had been a 1-6 mark in 1000 level finals over the course of her many years on tour (her only other 1000 win came in Indian Wells thirteen years ago). Before this run, the Hordette's best Miami doubles result had been a QF back in 2005 (she *did* reach the singles SF in 2008 and '11, though). It's title #8 for the 34-year old Siegemund, who came into the '22 season after yet another knee surgery during the offseason (she was unable to defend that '20 U.S. Open title due to the injury), not hitting the court in a tournament for the first time since last summer's Olympics until mid-February.


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[Miami Week 2]

1. Miami 4th Rd. - Dasha Saville def. Lucia Bronzetti
...5-7/6-4/7-5. Lucky loser Bronzetti led Saville in the 3rd, serving at 5-3 before the Aussie claimed the final four games to become the fourth WC -- '10 Henin, '12 Venus, '18 Azarenka -- to reach the Miami QF.


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2. Miami SF - Iga Swiatek def. Jessie Pegula
...6-2/7-5. How do you win for losing? Ummm, making Iga win *seven* games to take a set off you? Pegula led 3-1 in the 2nd, and forced the Pole to serve things out twice (after failing to do so at 5-4), breaking and then holding to reach the final.

But, hey, Jessie's parents got that new stadium for the Bills... so, overall, the week was a win-win.
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3. Miami SF - Laura Siegemund/Vera Zvonareva def. Ekaterina Alexandrova/Yang Zhaoxuan
...3-6/6-2 [13-11]. The veteran duo trailed 9-4 in the MTB, saving five straight MP before finally going on to win on their own third MP in the superbreaker.


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4. Miami 4th Rd. - Iga Swiatek def. Coco Gauff
...6-3/6-1. Lost in the wave of Swiatek's run was an interesting meeting (just the second) with Gauff, who was even with the Pole six games into the 1st set. Iga broke for 4-3, then undertook a very long game to consolidate the break with a hold of serve. Once she did, though, she dropped just one more game the rest of the way, ending Gauff's first full event as an adult (she just turned 18), during which she posted wins over Wang Qiang and Zhang Shuai.
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5. Marbella 125 Final - Mayar Sherif def. Tamara Korpatsch
...7-6(1)/6-4. Sherif walked away with the title, but Korpatsch had extended her winning streak to nine (off her $25K Le Havre win) to reach her biggest final. The German had entered the draw as an alternate after Lucia Bronzetti had pulled out (she was busy at the start of the week in Miami), and she'll jump some 32 spots in the new rankings to around #117, not far off her career high of #107.
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6. Marbella 1st Rd. - Arantxa Rus def. Sara Errani
...4-6/7-6(4)/6-3. Errani reached a slam final (and two other major SF) without the benefit of much of a first serve. But, yikes, what is this?



In another lifetime...

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7. Marbella 125 Final - Irina Bara/Ekaterine Gorgodze def. Katarzyna Kawa/Vivian Heisen
...6-4/3-6 [10-6]. The two won their maiden tour-level title last October in the Transylvania Open in Cluj, and have now won *four* 125 crowns. All five wins have come since last September.


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8. JB1 Easter Bowl Final (Indian Wells) - Alexis Blokhina def. Reese Brantmeier
...6-3/4-6/7-6(4). Blokhina wins the battle of 17-year olds in the desert.



Liv Hovde & Qavia Lopez picked up the doubles crown. Hovde won the singles title last year.
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[Miami Week 2]




1. Miami Final - Iga Swiatek def. Naomi Osaka
...6-4/6-0. In just their second meeting, and first since Toronto in '19, Osaka tried to put a dent in Swiatek's brilliant recent run with the same serve that had guided her to her best result in over a year.

After saving two BP and firing four aces in the first game of the match, holding in a seven-deuce sequence, Osaka's efforts to carve into Swiatek's own service game never really worked. For a while, she tried to intimidate the Pole by standing some seven feet inside the baseline to return second serves, only to see Swiatek manage to serve around the obstacle and never allow Osaka to pounce (ala Serena, say) with huge groundstrokes that immediately gave her the edge in rallies (or outright won points w/o having to even engage in any back-and-forth). Once she gave up on that tactic, Osaka never really came up with anything else.

Osaka saved four of five BP in the 1st, but Swiatek's backhand crosscourt winner managed to convert one, giving her a 3-2 lead. It was enough, as she never gave it up. She took the set 6-4 without facing a BP, and then saw Osaka's game ebb once the 2nd began. Osaka ultimately won just eight points in the set, losing it at love as Swiatek claimed the match -- her 17th straight win -- without the pressure of having to stave off a single BP on the afternoon.

The new #1, Swiatek has won three straight 1000 titles in '22 (and has four 1000 wins in less than a year), and at 20 is the youngest player to complete the Sunshine Double with back-to-back Indian Wells and Miami crowns.

Women's tennis has been conspicuously short of *real* rivalries in recent years, largely because of the inability of top players to consistently reach the latter stages of majors, where such head-to-head histories truly develop their personality. *Maybe* this could eventually be an interesting one, with the required stylistic and emotional differences that make for good drama. Swiatek has shown an ability (w/ six straight slam 4th Rounds) to hold up her end of the deal. Now it's up to Osaka, with six such results in her entire slam career (all at HC majors), to do the same.


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2. Miami SF - Naomi Osaka def. Belinda Bencic
...4-6/6-3/6-4. This time the tears were joyful, as this one seemed to make everything all right for Osaka, even *after* her loss in the final. Bencic had led their head-to-head 3-1 coming in (w/ all three wins coming in '19), and pushed Osaka's back to the wall after winning the 1st set. Osaka came out firing, rallying to win with a personal best of 18 aces to reach her first final in over a year.


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3. $60K Pretoria RSA Final - Lina Glushko vs. Anastasia Tikhonova
...play was suspended on Sunday in this one, where Glushko seeks her third career challenger crown (sister Julia won 11). She's leading the 21-year old Russian by a set.


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HM- $60K Pretoria RSA 1st Rd. - Isabella Kruger def. Ula Radwanska
...6-2/1-6/7-5. In a match-up of tennis sisters, 16-year old Isabella (sibling of 19-year old Zoe) takes out 31-year old Radwanska, sister of, well, you know.


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k.d. lang...
"Turn Me Round"/"Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray" - Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson
"Pullin' Back the Reins"
"Three Days"
"Crying" - Roy Orbison Tribute







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*"SUNSHINE DOUBLE" - SINGLES*
1994 Steffi Graf, GER
1996 Steffi Graf, GER
2005 Kim Clijsters , BEL
2016 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2022 Iga Swiatek, POL

*REACHED I.W./MIAMI FINALS*
1991 Monica Seles L-W
1994 Steffi Graf W-W.
1996 Steffi Graf W-W.
1999 Serena Williams W-L
2000 Lindsay Davenport W-L
2000 Martina Hingis L-W
2005 Kim Clijsters W-W.
2006 Maria Sharapova W-L
2012 Maria Sharapova L-L
2013 Maria Sharapova W-L
2016 Victoria Azarenka W-W.
2022 IGA SWIATEK W-W .

*TITLES AT INDIAN WELLS, MIAMI and HC SLAM*
Victoria Azarenka, BLR (AO)
Kim Clijsters, BEL (AO/US)
Steffi Graf, GER (AO/US)
Martina Hingis, SUI (AO/US)
Martina Navratiova, USA (AO/US)
Monica Seles, YUG/USA (AO/US)
Serena Williams, USA (AO/US)
[active players w/ 2 of 3]
Bianca Andreescu: IW + US
Svetlana Kuznetsova: MIA + US
Naomi Osaka: IW + AO/US
Sloane Stephens: MIA + US
IGA SWIATEK: IW + MIA
Venus Williams: MIA + US
--
ALSO: Barty (MIA+AO)

MOST CONSECUTIVE WINS, since 2015*
17 - IGA SWIATEK (2022) = active streak
17 - Simona Halep (2020)
16 - Bianca Andreescu (2019) @
16 - Victoria Azarenka (2016)
15 - Ash Barty (2019)
15 - Serena Williams (2015) #
15 - Timea Bacsinszky (2015)
[additional undefeated streaks]
24 - S.Williams (2015; walkover loss after #12)
23 - N.Osaka (2020-21; walkover losses after #4 and #14)
18# - S.Williams (2015; walkover loss after #15)
17@ - B.Andreescu (2019; walkover loss after #1)

*2022 WTA SINGLES TITLES*
3 - IGA SWIATEK, POL (Doha/I.W./Miami)
2 - Ash Barty, AUS (Adelaide/Australian)
[2020-22]
7 - 1/5/1 - Ash Barty
6 - 1/2/3 - IGA SWIATEK
5 - 0/4/1 - Anett Kontaveit
5 - 3/2/0 - Aryna Sabalenka
4 - 3/0/1 - Simona Halep
3 - 0/3/0 - Barbora Krejcikova
3 - 0/3/0 - Garbine Muguruza
3 - 0/2/1 - Paula Badosa
3 - 2/1/0 - Elina Svitolina
[2020-22 Hard Court]
6 - Ash Barty (1/3/2)
5 - Anett Kontaveit (0/4/1)
4 - IGA SWIATEK (0/1/3)
4 - Aryna Sabalenka (3/1/0)
3 - Garbine Muguruza (0/3/0)

*MOST WTA FINALS in 2022*
3 - IGA SWIATEK, POL (3-0)
2 - Ash Barty, AUS (2-0)
2 - Anett Kontaveit, EST (1-1)
2 - Veronika Kudermetova, RUS (1-1)
2 - Maria Sakkari, GRE (0-2)
[2020-22]
10 - 1/7/2 - Kontaveit (5-4-1)
9 - 1/6/2 - Barty (8-1)
6 - 1/2/3 - SWIATEK (6-0)
6 - 1/5/0 - Muguruza (3-3)
6 - 5/0/1 - Rybakina (1-5)
6 - 3/3/0 - Sabalenka (5-1)
5 - 3/1/1 - Halep (4-1)
5 - 0/4/1 - Krejcikova (3-2)
5 - 2/3/0 - Ka.Pliskova (1-4)

*MOST WTA SF in 2022*
5 - IGA SWIATEK, POL (3-2)
3 - Anett Kontaveit, EST (2-1)
3 - Maria Sakkari, GRE (2-1)
3 - Simona Halep, ROU (1-2)
3 - Alona Ostapenko, LAT (1-2)

*SWEPT CON. 1000-LEVEL TITLES TO START SEASON*
(3)
2022 Iga Swiatek = Doha/I.W./Miami
(2)
1994 Steffi Graf = Tokyo/Miami
2011 Caroline Wozniacki = Dubai/I.W.
2012 Victoria Azarenka = Doha/I.W.
2015 Simona Halep = Dubai/I.W.
--
NOTE: includes Tier I/Premier Mandatory/Premier 5 pre-2021

*RECENT PERIN MEMORIAL (J1) WINNERS*
2016 Elena Rybakina, RUS
2017 Eva Guerrero, ESP
2018 Clara Tauson, DEN
2019 Daria Frayman, RUS
2020 DNP
2021 Brenda Fruhvirtova, CZE
2022 Sofia Costoulas, BEL

*RECENT EASTER BOWL 18s WINNERS*
2008 Melanie Oudin
2009 Christina McHale
2010 Krista Hardebeck
2011 Kyle McPhillips
2012 Taylor Townsend
2013 Mayo Hibi (JPN)
2014 CiCi Bellis
2015 Claire Liu
2016 Alexandra Sanford
2017 Claire Liu
2018 Katie Volynets
2019 Emma Navarro
2020 DNP
2021 Liv Hovde
2022 Alexis Blokhina

*2022 WTA DOUBLES TITLES*
2 - Jessie Pegula, USA
2 - LAURA SIEGEMUND, GER
2 - Katerina Siniakova, CZE
2 - VERA ZVONAREVA, RUS

*2022 WTA DOUBLES FINALS - DUOS*
3...V.KUDERMETOVA/MERTENS, RUS/BEL (1-2)
2...SIEGEMUND/ZVONAREVA, GER/RUS (2-0)
2...Danilina/Haddad Maia, KAZ/BRA (1-1)

*2022 OLDEST WTA CHAMPIONS*
37 - VERA ZVONAREVA, RUS (MIAMI WD)
37 - Vera Zvonareva, RUS (Lyon WD)
35 - LAURA SIEGEMUND, GER (MIAMI WD)
35 - Laura Siegemund, GER (Lyon WD)
33 - Xu Yifan, CHN (Indian Wells WD)
33 - Zhang Shuai, CHN (Lyon WS)
30 - Simona Halep, ROU (Melbourne 1 WS)

*2022 WTA CHAMPIONS BY RANKING*
#1 - Ash Barty (Adelaide 1)
#1 - Ash Barty (Australian Open)
#2 - Iga Swiatek (Miami)
#4 - Iga Swiatek (Indian Wells)
#8 - Iga Swiatek (Doah)
#9 - Paula Badosa (Sydney)
#9 - Anett Kontaveit (Saint Petersburg)
#20 - Simona Halep (Melbourne 1)
#21 - Alona Ostapenko (Dubai)
#21 - Leylah Fernandez (Monterrey)
#57 - Sloane Stephens (Guadalajara)
#64 - Zhang Shuai (Lyon)
#78 - Amanda Anisimova (Melbourne 2)
#87 - Madison Keys (Adelaide 2)

*2022 WTA CHAMPIONS BY AGE*
33 - Zhang Shuai (Lyon)
30 - Simona Halep (Melbourne 1)
28 - Sloane Stephens (Guadalajara)
26 - Madison Keys (Adelaide 2)
26 - Anett Kontaveit (Saint Petersburg)
25 - Ash Barty (Australian Open)
25 - Ash Barty (Adelaide 1)
24 - Paula Badosa (Sydney)
24 - Alona Ostapenko (Dubai)
20 - Iga Swiatek (Miami)
20 - Iga Swiatek (Indian Wells)
20 - Iga Swiatek (Doha)
20 - Amanda Anisimova (Melbourne 2)
19 - Leylah Fernandez (Monterrey)

Against my better judgment, I'm picking Charleston this week (but not Bogota -- I'm not touching the very first red clay event of the season) since I went two-for-two (thanks, Iga) in Indian Wells and Miami. I surely won't make it three in a row, so my apologies to everyone listed below.

[updated w/ Keys replacing DC Kudermetova in draw]

QF
#6 Pegula def. #15 Anisimova
#4 Jabeur def. Sasnovich
Rogers def. #13 Stephens
#9 Keys def. #2 Badosa
SF
#4 Jabeur def. #6 Pegula
#9 Keys def. Rogers
FINAL
#9 Keys def. #4 Jabeur






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All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 8:54 PM 

9 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

First-ever meeting Iga-Coco was in SF Rome 2021 7-6/6-3.
And great post, as usual.

Mon Apr 04, 03:09:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Thanks! Fixed that. (I'd looked it up, but I guess the list I saw hadn't been updated yet... *now* it says 2-0)

With Kudermetova pulling out, and Keys moving into her spot (why they didn't just put a LL in Kudermetova's spot, I don't know) I also updated the picks. I stuck with Keys, but the repercussions of my "unscheduled predictions curse" have already begun, I suspect. ;)

Mon Apr 04, 12:19:00 PM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

Great season for Swiatek, the thing that stood out is how much effort it took to play one good set against her. Gauff and Osaka played good first sets, then wore down. Pegula did the reverse, actually leading 4-2 in the second set.

Good week for Osaka, but this is just the first step. No events on hard for 4 months, so expected to see her only in Rome, Madrid, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. For those saying that she will be seeded at RG, she's 35th now, with only 66 pts to defend. Depending on breaks(Azarenka,Svitolina) and injuries(Krejcikova/Pavlyuchenkova), she could do so without playing well.

Saville/Bronzetti was a fun match. It did change when Saville had a seemingly innocuous fall up 5-3 in set 1. She lost the next 4 games.

Stat of the Week- 11- Number of Top 100 playes with only clay titles.

#4 -Sakkari
#22- Kudermetova
#23- Zidansek
#33- Osorio
#37- Teichmann
#40- Golubic
#46- Putintseva
#55- Ruse
#60- Martic
#69- Zanevska
#92- Sharma

Admittedly, normally the list starts below 20, as there are a number of players better on clay. To have Sakkari at 4 is a huge outlier, one that seems weirder once you realize that she won her only clay final, but has lost 4 on hard.

The other thing that stands out from last year, well, aside from Ferro being on the list, then having a terrible year, is that we don't have an overwhelming favorite to win their first title on clay like Krejcikova was last year. Badosa was a small one.

Fruhvirtova isn't Top 100 yet, so hesitant to say her, but Bronzetti, Haddad Maia, Zheng, because of her ITF results, and Parrizas Diaz, who at 52, is the highest ranked player not to have reached a final on any surface, seem to be this year's candidates.

Quiz Time!

Naomi Osaka has gone 13 months without a title since winning a slam. Which active player had/has the longest streak from their last slam? Multiple answers accepted because this is a mess.

A.Sofia Kenin
B.Bianca Andreescu
C.Angelique Kerber
D.Serena Williams
E.Kim Clijsters

Interlude- Since Genie Bouchard's CTV weather girl clip doesn't work, you get this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwddnrLRpgE


Answer!

This may be one of the messiest quizzes ever done. There are 18 active slam winners, and for this, Venus, Serena, Kim and Sveta are considered active. Stosur is not, as she retired from singles, but would have been incorrect as she only took 23 months between her US Open title and Southern California.

Already messy? (A)Kenin is wrong, because even though she is on a 25 month stretch without a title, she won Lyon a month after her AO title. Krejcikova, Muguruza, Kvitova, Azarenka all won within 2 months of their last slam title.

(E)Clijsters will get you partial credit. Is she active? Also, she retired 18 months after her 2011 AO win, so not the longest, but if you want to say that she hasn't won a title in 11 years, that is true.

(B)Andreescu is wrong, though she has the longest current streak at 30 months. That's right, her 2019 USO win is her last title. The only others with current streaks? Raducanu at 6 months, and Osaka at 13.

In a mild surprise, (C)Kerber is wrong, ending her 35 month winless streak at Bad Homburg last year.

(D)Williams is correct, just nipping out Kerber at 36 months, because of her pregnancy break after winning the 2017 Australian Open. Ironically, this shows Serena's greatness, as of her 23 slams, she only went over 12 months 2 other times.

One should be an easy guess, as her 2006 season was non existent, making her 2007 AO win the first since the same event in 2005. The other was the famous embolism, which took her out for 11 months, leaving a 13 month gap between 2019 Wimbledon and 2011 Stanford.

Mon Apr 04, 01:53:00 PM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Up Side- Play Doh Edition.

1.Badosa- Charleston pick is the best player in the field, and went 17-3 on clay last year. Health is a question mark, so she might open up the draw for others.
2.Schmiedlova- Yastremska has a better draw, but reluctant to pick any Ukranian because of the mental load. 2018 Bogota winner goes for #2.
3.Rybakina- 2019 Bucharest winner, which is relevant as it was on clay, looks to bring her 2021 French Open form.
4.Osorio- 2021 Bogota winner might have been the favorite if completely healthy. Having missed Miami, which probably would have gained her lots of local fans, she starts her clay season here.
5.Uvardy- No, I don't have her going deep. But along with Bondar and Galfi, she is doing Hungary proud. So why her? She's seeded this week, making it the first time in a main draw since Babos at Tashkent in 2019, so long ago that the event no longer exists.

Mon Apr 04, 02:01:00 PM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Down Side.

1.Kovinic- Not because of her play. She has some pressure to do well this week. Ranked 65, she has finalist points to defend, and a bad week will leave her on the French Open bubble near 100. Fruhvirtova doesn't have that problem regarding Q, as her QF points are from Charleston 2, which will come off the week after. Oh, Kovinic will lose SF points from that event.
2.Riske- I hate myself for writing this. Alison, please put me out of my misery! The obligatory reminder that Riske has a 10 match losing streak on clay going back to 2018. So there is a person who struggles worse than Osaka on clay.
3.Zarazua- Oof. Between ITF and WTA, she has an 8 match losing streak. Counting Q, 12 on WTA level. The good thing about her latest loss(today) is that it got Bjorklund her first WTA MD win. So did Pigossi.
4.Kontaveit- After reaching 3 of her first 6 finals on clay, the last 9 have been either hard or grass. Only 5-3 on clay last year, her most impressive loss was the one to Swiatek. Can she bring that level for the clay season, after a disappointing end to the hard one?
5.Bogdan- I listed those who seem like favorites to win a clay title. Why wasn't Bogdan on the list? After a solid clay season last year, she has both played and won sporadically. 9 of her last 11 wins have been against players ranked below 100. Can she bring the level she showed against Badosa at Roland Garros for the whole clay season?

Mon Apr 04, 02:14:00 PM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

*2010 Wimbledon-2011 Stanford. Sheesh.

Mon Apr 04, 02:20:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

1Q Award question: Which was more impressive? Barty's sweep of Australia before walking out the door, or Iga's 17-con. run and Sunshine Double while moving into Barty's vacant "office?" I'm thinking that latter should be #1, if only for the timing and what it means for the tour itself.

Quiz: I immediately thought Serena and her long absences while still technically being active (incl. w/ her most recent and pregnancy break), and then Clijsters because of her first retirement (hadn't thought about her second, though calling her "active" still sort of has that "if a tree falls in the woods..." feeling.

Vid: "in Hogwarts" :P

I felt bad for not picking Badosa this week, but the illness last week makes me wonder (and she will occasionally throw in a surprising early exit).

Mon Apr 04, 03:49:00 PM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

Eikeri beat N.Kichenok. Of course they are a doubles team this week.

Muguruza out of BJK Cup, Bolsova in.

Swiatek's is more impressive. We have seen Sabalenka and Krejcikova befell by injury or poor play when they hit #2, so there was a question if Swiatek would feel pressure.

Plus, for the last week, Osaka/Swiatek felt inevitable, even with Osaka having to solve Bencic.

As a joke, I was planning to bring up the question of who the real #1 was(ala Serena) if Osaka won.

Also, the Sunshine Double is hard enough, adding a 3rd 1000? Impressive.

Mon Apr 04, 11:19:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Meanwhile... Barty's already winning golf tournaments.

Tue Apr 05, 03:25:00 PM EDT  

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