Monday, April 11, 2022

Wk.14- Eight Years (Later) a Swiss

Fittingly, in the Charleston Open's 50th (golden) anniversary edition, the last woman standing was reigning Olympic Gold medalist Belinda Bencic.






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*WEEK 14 CHAMPIONS*
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA USA (WTA 500/Green Clay Outdoor)
S: Belinda Bencic/SUI def. Ons Jabeur/TUN 6-1/5-7/6-4
D: Andreja Klepac/Magda Linette (SLO/POL) def. Lucie Hradecka/Sania Mirza (CZE/IND) 6-2/4-6 [10-7]
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (WTA 250/Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Tatjana Maria/GER def. Laura Pigossi/BRA 6-3/4-6/6-2
D: Astra Sharma/Aldina Sutjiadi (AUS/INA) def. Emina Bektas/Tara Moore (USA/GBR) 4-6/6-4 [11-9]




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Belinda Bencic/SUI
...it took eight years to complete, but Bencic had unfinished business to take care of in Charleston.

In 2014, in her tournament debut at age 17, Bencic played all the way into the semifinals only to become the final victim of the remarkable (and oft-patched together) Jana Cepelova's memorable run (which included an upset of #1 Serena Williams) to her only tour final. The two played a deciding 3rd set TB, the first in the career of both. Bencic led 4-1, only to see the Slovak rally to win 9-7 on her third MP.

In all the years since, Bencic, the 2013 Roland Garros girls champion, had *never* reached a clay final as a pro. In the twenty-one she'd reached on various levels prior to this week -- 13 WTA, 2 125, 6 ITF -- fifteen had come on hard court, five on grass and even one on carpet. She's never ever reached the second week in Paris as a pro, nor the 3rd Round in Rome (though she's made the SF and QF in her two appearances in Madrid since 2016).

This week in Charleston changed that narrative forever. But it wasn't a walk in the park, or one across the green clay on the new Althea Gibson Club Court, either.

Coming off her Miami semifinal, Bencic came to South Carolina with new-found momentum, her first since last summer when she won Olympic Gold in Toyko, then followed with QF at Cincinnati and the U.S. Open (a 13-2 run). She found herself two points from an opening match loss against young Wang Xiyu, who served two up a set and 5-2 in a 2nd set TB. Bencic won five straight points, then got an early break lead in the 3rd that she never relinquished. After handling youngster Linda Fruhvritova and veteran Madison Keys, Bencic had to battle back again, this time against a foe she'd never defeated in three tries. Paula Badosa led by a set and 4-2 before Bencic stormed back to return to the Charleston semis.

Ekaterina Alexandrova fell in straights as Bencic finally reached her first clay final, and her fourteenth overall at tour level. Ons Jabeur pushed the championship match to a 3rd set after Bencic had failed to convert multiple BP that would have put her in prime position to end things in two, then the Tunisian staged a comeback from 3-1 to knot the set at 3-3. But the Swiss finally surged ahead to win the decider at 6-4.

After arriving at 2022's doorstep still suffering from the lingering effects of Covid, Bencic began the season at 5-5. But her spring renewal has produced a 10-1 spurt that now sends her into the heart of the clay season where still more so-far unopened doors may await her belated entrance. Remember, Bencic was a rare two-time junior slam winner in 2013, groomed by a coaching stint with Martina Hingis' mom Melanie Molitor. She burst onto the scene as a teenager and great things were expected. She's done quite a bit, including winning (now) six tour titles, reaching a slam semi ('19 US), winning two Olympic medals (G+S) and reaching the Top 5, but injury layoffs have often prevented her from reaching what was once thought to be her full (and great) potential.

Maybe (finally) winning on clay is not just unfinished business, but the start of a whole new chapter of success.


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RISERS: Ons Jabeur/TUN, Ekaterina Alexandrova/RUS and Anhelina Kalinina/UKR
...a year after reaching the SF in last year's main 500 event in Charleston, then the final in the 250 that followed, Jabeur came within a set of yet another upgrade in her results this year, only to fall to 1-4 in career tour finals with a three-set loss to Belinda Bencic.

Jabeur's opening match was a rain-interrupted two-day affair, but only on something of a technicality. After play was suspended with Jabeur having nearly finished off Emma Navarro, she had to return a day later to take four consecutive points to claim the clinching game. And with that she was off on a run to her second final in Charleston in less than twelve months. After straight sets wins over Irina Camelia Begu and Anhelina Kalinina, Jabeur rallied from 3-1 down in the 3rd set of her semifinal against Amanda Anisimova. After knotting the match to send things to a deciding set in the final against Bencic, Jabeur got back on serve at 3-3 after having trailed 3-1, only to see Bencic take three of the final four games to join Martina Hingis as the second Swiss to win the Charleston singles crown (though the title-less Patty Schnyder will likely always be the nation's unchallenged, unofficial face of the tournament).



A year after Veronika Kudermetova (who w/d this year with an injury) won her maiden tour title in Charleston, countrywoman Alexandrova put on a semifinal run that came up a round short of her getting a chance to make it back-to-back Hordette champions on the green clay.

Alexandrova came into the week with nary a hint of momentum. 4-6 on the season, she'd lost 9 of her last 13 and hadn't won consecutive matches since her Kremlin Cup final last October. She'd slipped outside the Top 50 in February, doing so for the first time since the summer of 2019, after having reached a career high of #25 before the shutdown in early '20.



After opening with a win over Allie Kick, Alexandrova survived her 2nd Round match with Zheng Qinwen (who had 19 aces, surpassing the tour's season best of 18 set in Miami by Naomi Osaka). Trailing 5-2 in the 3rd set, Zheng had retired. The Hordette didn't face a BP while dispensing of Karolina Pliskova 3 & 1, then reached her first SF of the year (and first in a tour event on clay) with a quick dispatching of a tired Magda Linette, who'd had to play a pair a three-setters the day before. Alexandrova fell a win short of the final with a loss to Belinda Bencic, but will climb back into the Top 50 on Monday.



Even before the war, there was talk of quite a few Ukrainian players. Kalinina, though, was rarely one of them. Still, the past year has seen the 25-year old make significant strides on tour, from posting MD wins at two majors (RG/US), reaching her maiden tour final (Budapest last July), and just last week posting her best 1000 level result (Miami 4r, from which she retired vs. Jessie Pegula after a love 1st) while cracking the Top 50 for the first time.

Ranked #42, after being at #161 at this time last year, Kalinina ran off consecutive Charleston wins over Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Elena Rybakina and Alize Cornet, with her QF matching her best tour-level result (w/ Transylvania QF in October) since Budapest last summer. After a loss to Ons Jabeur, Kalinina will settle into another new career high of #36 next week, just a few points behind Osaka in the rankings.
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SURPRISES: Laura Pigossi/BRA and Mirjam Björklund/SWE
...less than a year after becoming a surprise Olympic Bronze medalist in women's doubles, Pigossi had another week that will contend for the honor of being her "career-best."

In Bogota, the #212-ranked Brazilian qualified and then ran off a string of wins over Harmony Tan, Ekaterine Gorgodze, Dayana Yastremska and top-seeded, defending champ and home favorite Camila Osorio while reaching her first tour-level singles semi and final. Pigossi wasn't able to join Teliana Pereira, the first Brazilian to lift a tour singles title in 27 years when she won in Bogota in 2015, as the rare champion from her country in the post-Bueno era, but she forced fellow qualifier Tatjana Maria to go three sets to get the win.

Pigossi will climb into the Top 130 for the first time with this result.

Björklund made her WTA MD debut in Bastad in July 2017. Nearly five years and more than half a dozen ITF titles later, she played in her second in Bogota.

The 23-year old world #183 made the most of it, posting her first tour-level win over Renata Zarazua, then handling crowd favorite Yulia Lizarazo (the Colombian WC had earlier posted her first win in the event in eight years) in straights a round later to reach her maiden WTA quarterfinal. She fell to Tatjana Maria, but will rise to a new career high of #159.


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VETERANS: Magda Linette/POL and Tatjana Maria/GER
...Linette's QF run in Charleston *could* be a sign that Polish #1 Iga Swiatek's success might be able to trickle down to Poland's #2-ranked woman.

Perpetually overlooked, first playing in the shadow of Aga Radwanska and now that of Iga, the now 30-year old Linette has reached four finals in her pro career (winning two) and hit a career high of #33 just before the '20 shutdown. She's had a hard time regaining her footing, and had to come back from a knee injury at the start of last season. She came into Charleston at 4-7 on the season, ranked #64 after having briefly fallen outside the Top 70 in February.

Linette rallied twice in her opening match against Katie Volynets, erasing 3-1 deficits in both the 2nd and 3rd sets, saving a MP, to get the win. After a series of rain suspensions, she was forced to play *both* her 2nd and 3rd Round matches on the same day, winning in three sets in back-to-back contests over Leylah Fernandez and Kaia Kanepi. Lagging a day later, she not surprisingly won just two games against Ekaterina Alexandrova.



After her singles run ended, Linette continued on in singles with Andreja Klepac, reaching her fourth tour final (first in five years) and taking her maiden WTA doubles title.

In Bogota, 34-year old Maria, already a tour singles title winner in 2018 after first becoming a mother (to daughter Charlotte in '13), became the ultra-rare WTA champ to lift a trophy after having a *second* baby (daughter #2 Cecilia last year) when she won yet again on Sunday.



Maria's week included MD wins over Maria Carle, Rebecca Peterson and Mirjam Bjorklund to reach her first WTA SF since Nottingham '19, then another over Kamilla Rakhimova to reach her second tour-level singles final, her first since winning on the grass in Mallorca in '18. In an all-qualifier match-up, the German outlasted Laura Pigossi 6-3/4-6/6-2 to grab her second title and cut her (most recent) comeback singles ranking in half. She'll rise from #237 to #115 this week.

Maria is the second lowest-ranked tour singles champion of the last decade, behind only then-#299 Margarita Gasparyan when she won in Tashkent in 2018, and the fifth lowest-ranked (not counting unranked players) in tour history.


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COMEBACKS: CoCo Vandeweghe/USA and Amanda Anisimova/USA
...it's been a crazy few years for Vandeweghe. It was just five years ago that she had her career year, reaching a pair of slam semifinals (going 14-4 in majors), including being a part of the all-U.S. Final Four at the U.S. Open. She climbed into the Top 10 and led Team USA to a Fed Cup crown. Nothing has been easy since.

In 2018, ill with a virus and severly irritated, her on-court behavior got her in trouble in Melbourne. It set the stage for a season that saw Vandeweghe injure her ankle at Wimbledon, drop out of the Top 100 and go just 10-17 on the year, dropping her final nine matches. She managed to win the U.S. Open doubles with Ash Barty, but the ankle injury lingered and was eventually diagnosed as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, a chronic post-injury nerve disease. She didn't play again until the summer of '19, and fell to #332 by year's end. In 2020, during the shutdown, a freak microwave accident saw a bowl explode in her hand and slice two ligaments in fingers on Vandeweghe's left hand, severing a nerve. She couldn't grip a racket correctly until November, and didn't play until March '21.

Save for a SF run in Birmingham, it was a mostly forgettable year. Vandeweghe reached a 125 semi in September, but finished the season at #173. She came into Charleston qualifying at #168 (the #22-ranked Bannerette), having reached a Week 1 SF in a $60K Down Under, but was just 3-3 on the year. She fell in qualifying to Gabriela Talaba Lee, but reached the MD as a lucky loser, then proceeded to run off a string of wins over Anastasia Gasanova, Lauren Davis and Jessie Pegula, the latter her first Top 20 win since '18. She fell in the QF to Amanda Anisimova, but will rise to around #127 on Monday.



Since her great '17 season, especially in the majors, Vandeweghe has gone just 3-8 in MD matches in slams, missing six tournaments altogether with her various ailments, and falling in the Q-rounds in two more.

Meanwhile, Anisimova, another former slam semifinalist (2019 RG), took another step in what has turned out to be something of a comeback campaign of her own after a few years of struggles on and off the court.

The 20-year old opened her year with a title run in Melbourne, her first since Bogota in '19, and she followed that up with a win over reigning champ Naomi Osaka en route to the AO Round of 16. After her prospective coaching partnership Darren Cahill rather publicly fell apart, Anisimova's Indian Wells/Miami turn proved to be near disasterous, as she went 1-2 with a troubling, immediate retirement two sets into a match against Leylah Fernandez in the desert.



She rebounded well in Charleston, reaching the SF after posting wins over Sachia Vickery, Yulia Putintseva, Arya Sabalenka (her first Top 10 win in two years) and Vandeweghe. She led Ons Jabeur by a set, then 3-1 in the 3rd, before the Tunisian rallied to reach the final. Still, Anisimova will climb all the way back into the Top 35 on Monday. After finishing at #24 and #30 in 2019-20, she fell to #78 last season and came into the week at #47.
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FRESH FACES: Kamilla Rakhimova/RUS and Elina Avanesyan/RUS
...Rakhimova, 20, has seemingly been due for a breakout week for much of the past year. The Hordette edged close to the Top 100 last year, reaching the 3rd Round of the U.S. Open and claiming a pair of tour WD titles. She'd been spinning her wheels a bit in '22, though. After qualifying and reaching the Melbourne QF in Week 1, she arrived in Bogota on a six-match losing streak. Then something happened in Bogota.

Rakhimova staged a comeback from break down in the 3rd against Aleksandra Krunic in the 1st Round, then used the win over The Bracelet as a springboard. She rallied from a set down to defeat Beatriz Haddad Maia, then posted a straight sets victory over Irina Bara to earn her first career tour level SF berth, assuring herself of that belated Top 100 breakthrough. It ended there via a two-set loss to Tatjana Maria, but Backspin's 2021 "Player Whose Name You'll Know" might finally be about to make her name a bit *more* known over the coming months. She'll be at around #96 on Monday.



Meanwhile, 19-year old Avanesyan has been one of the more under-the-radar practitioners of the Renaissance Hordettes. She brought her game to the tour level in Bogota this week, making her WTA MD debut and pushing all the way into the QF. After getting a 1st Round win last week over Fiona Ferro in the Marbella 125 challenger, the teenager's run in Colombia included an upset of Harriet Dart for her first career Top 100 victory, then a follow-up win over Italian Lucrezia Stefanini. She fell in the final eight to top-seeded defending champ Camila Osorio, but will see her ranking continue to skyrocket in the coming week to inside the Top 150.



A year ago, Avanesyan was ranked outside the Top 600. After reaching six ITF finals in '21, winning three (including a $60K in August), she finished the season at #261. She fell in the final round of qualifying in her slam Q-round debut at the Australian Open, falling to Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko in two (after having upset Tsurenko's #23-seeded countrywoman Kateryna Baindl -- née Kozlova -- a round earlier).
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DOWN: Sloane Stephens/USA
...Stephens has won a title (in Guadalajara) in 2022, her first in four years, so her season will never be considered a wash, no matter that the highest-ranked player she defeated that week was just #96. Still, she hasn't exactly taken her Mexico run and, well, run with it.

After already having exited the Australian Open in the 1st Round, Stephens followed up her title run with 1r/2r losses in Indian Wells and Miami, events she won (Miami '18) or reached the semis at (I.W. '19) in the past. She dropped to 1-3 post-title in Charleston, going out in the 1st to Zheng Qinwen 6-3/4-6/6-0 as the young Chinese player notched her first career Top 50 victory.
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ITF PLAYER: Elisabetta Cocciaretto/ITA
...in 2019-20, after having reached the junior AO semis in '18, Cocciaretto looked to be the natural (eventual) inheritor of the top Italian ranking. She won three ITF crowns in '19, twice qualified for the AO MD (2020-21), reached a WTA 125 final (Prague '20), and reached a tour-level QF in Palermo (2020) and SF in Guadalajara (2021). She climbed as high as #108 in June of last year.

But she missed the back half of last season due to injury, not playing after July, and came into the week in Bogota all the way down at #233. After reaching her first singles final in two seasons last month (at a $25K), the now 21-year old Cocciaretto qualified and took the title at the $80K in Oeiras, Portugal, grabbing her biggest career crown with a 7-6(5)/2-6/7-5 win (her seventh of the week) in the final over Viktoriya Tomova.



She'll jump over 70 spots in the rankings this week, up to around #160.
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JUNIOR STARS: Alex Eala/PHI and Mirra Andreeva/RUS
...former junior #2 (current #11) Eala, still on course to set all sorts of "first Filipina to..." marks in her career, claimed her second pro singles title at the $25K challenger in Chiang Rai, Thailand. The 16-year old defeated veteran Thai player Luksika Kumkhum in a 6-4/6-2 final to get the win.



Eala hasn't played on the junior circuit this season, but in '21 posted quite a few impressive results, including reaching the Roland Garros girls semis (w/ a win over Linda Noskova) and winning at the JA Milan event (posting an eye-opening string of wins over Brenda Fruhvirtova, Kayla Cross, Ksenia Zaytseva, Sofia Costoulas, Mirra Andreeva and Nikola Bartunkova).

In this week's $15K challenger in Antalya, Turkey, Andreeva (jr #16) became the latest 14-year old to win a pro singles crown. The Hordette, in just her fifth pro event (and second '22 final), defeated Martina Colmegna 6-7(6)/6-0/6-2 to take her maiden title.



A season ago, some of Andreeva's best junior runs came to an end thanks to a series of figurative stone walls in tennis skirts. She lost in the JA Milan semis to Eala, the J1 College Park final to Brenda Fruhvirtova, and the J1 Sanxenxo final to Linda Fruhvirtova.
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DOUBLES: Andreja Klepac/Magda Linette, SLO/POL
...in a week at saw Kveta Peschke retire, Klepac & Linette prevented the soon-to-retire Sania Mirza from adding another title to her career haul, defeating the Indian and Lucie Hradecka in a 10-7 MTB in the final to win their first title together. It's #11 for Klepac, but the first in Linette's career. The Pole had reached three other tour-level WD finals, with the previous three coming between 2014-17.


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WHEELCHAIR: Macarena Cabrillana/CHI
...WC world #10 Cabrillana claimed her first title of '22 at the Series 3 Chilean Open in Santiago. As the #2 seed, she knocked off #3 Maria Florencia Moreno in the SF, then #1 Angelica Bernal in a 3 & love final. She and Brazil's Meirycoll Duval reached the doubles final, as well, but lost to the combination of Bernal & Moreno.

At the moment, Cabrillana essentially tops the "second tier" of WC tour athletes, winning against most competition but coming up short when facing the biggest names in the sport, as her '22 loss to the likes of Shuker, Mathewson, Zhu and de Groot attest. With the small WC draws at the majors, even while ranking around or just inside the Top 10, she's only gotten the chance to appear in a slam MD at a single major ('21 AO) in her career.


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1. Charleston Final - Belinda Bencic def. Ons Jabeur
...6-1/5-7/6-4. After two years either without an event (2020) or without fans (2021), Charleston's 50th anniversary event brought the tournament back with a vengeance, complete with a new court (named for Althea Gibson), a collection of returning former champions and Bencic winning her first pro title on clay in a back-and-forth three-set final against the shotmaking Tunisian.


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2. Bogota Final - Tatjana Maria def. Laura Pigossi
...6-3/4-6/6-2. In the third all-qualifier tour final since 2017 -- first since last year's Lyon Tauson/Golubic match-up -- #237 Maria defeats #212 Pigossi to become the first German to win in Bogota since Angie Kerber twelve years ago. The only other qualifier to win in Bogota was Nuria Llagostera Vives in 2008.



Last year's winner was a wild card, Camila Osorio.
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3. Charleston 1st Rd. - Belinda Bencic def. Wang Xiyu
...4-6/7-6(5)/6-3. Bencic's title run began with a furious comeback against young Chinese player Wang, who'd led 6-4/5-3 and served two points up 5-2 in the 2nd set TB. It seemed a fait accompli. And I guess it was... that Bencic would find a way to get the win. Five straight points claimed the set, and the seeming fates of both women were thereby reversed.
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4. Bogota QF - Laura Pigossi def. Dayana Yastremska
...6-2/4-6/7-6(3). Pigossi's week included several "biggest" moment celebrations, for reaching her first tour semifinal...



Bogota SF - Laura Pigossi def. Camila Osorio
...7-5/7-6(2). ...as well as for earning her way into her first tour final, made extra special by getting there via a takedown of the top-seeded, defending champ in her home event.


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5. Charleston QF - Belinda Bencic def. Paula Badosa
...2-6/7-6(2)/6-4. What a difference a year can make. In the 2021 Charleston event, Badosa got her first career Top 20 win with an upset of Bencic in their first meeting. Flash forward twelve months and Badosa was the #3-ranked player in the world, holding a 3-0 head-to-head edge over the #21-ranked Swiss.

Badosa led 6-2/4-2 here, but Bencic's recent penchant for comebacks saw the Spaniard become her next victim in 2:45.



Both Charleston finalists had to battle against the odds to get there.

Charleston SF - Ons Jabeur def. Amanda Anisimova
...2-6/6-1/6-4. Jabeur trailed 3-1 in the 3rd.


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6. Charleston 1st Rd. - Zheng Qinwen def. Sloane Stephens
...6-3/4-6/6-0. 19-year old Zheng, who opened '22 by going 14-2 -- going from qualifier-to-finalist in Melbourne before qualifying for the AO and recording her first career slam MD victory, then winning a $60K title -- had gone just 2-4 this season in tour-level events in North America before this win, her first over a Top 50 player.



Zheng lost a round later to Ekaterina Alexandrova, retiring down 5-2, 30/love in the 3rd (surely making enemies for life of those who bet money on the Hordette to win, only to have their bets voided... the sort of ridiculous thing that leads to a lot of the abuse that WTA players get on social media, of course) after having fired 19 aces in the match. Like Anisimova and Azarenka in recent matches, her sudden retirement seemed to come out of nowhere, with little explanation given.


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7. Charleston 2nd Rd. - CoCo Vandeweghe def. Jessie Pegula
...6-4/3-6/6-4. A match-up of famed New York sports families, as Vandeweghe's grandfather Ernie and uncle Kiki played for the New York Knicks (as did her grandmother's brother) and Pegula's parents own the Buffalo Bills.

Pegula trailed 5-1 in the 3rd before closing to 5-4 as Vandeweghe twice failed to serve things out. She got the break for the win, her first over a Top 20 player since 2018 (C.Garcia).


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8. Charleston 1st Rd. - Magda Linette def. Katie Volynets
...4-6/6-3/7-6(4). The 20-year old Bannerette led 3-1 in both the 2nd and 3rd sets, holding a MP in the latter only to see the Polish vet get the win en route to the QF.
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9. Charleston 2nd Rd. - Paula Badosa def. Claire Liu
...3-6/7-6(8)/6-1. Six Degrees of Streak-breaking.

In Miami, Naomi Osaka ended her three-match (tour-level) winless streak against Bencic. Here, Badosa defeated Liu for the first time in three meetings. Two rounds later, Bencic got her first win in four meetings with Badosa in the QF.

Liu got within two points of the win.
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10. LTA 18u Jr. National Chsp. Final - Mimi Xu def. Talia Neilson-Gatenby
...6-4/7-5. After her win at Roehampton, big things are already expected of Xu. Touted as possibly the "next Emma Raducanu," the 14-year old has been given a WC into Wimbledon qualifiying.


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11. Charleston 2nd Rd. - Anna Danilina/Aliaksandra Sasnovich def. Tereza Mihalikova/Kveta Peschke
...6-3/6-3. After three decades in the sport, 46-year old Peschke plays her final match.


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12. Bogota Final - Astra Sharma/Aldila Sutjiadi def. Emina Bektas/Tara Moore
...4-6/6-4 [11-9]. Another NCAA-laden tour doubles final, as Aussie Sharma (Vanderbilt) gets her second tour title and Indonesia's Sutjiadi (Kentucky) takes home her maiden crown, defeating the married duo of first-time finalist Bektas (Michigan) and Moore (in her first WTA final since '16).


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HM- $15K Monastir TUN Final - Joanna Garland def. Rebeka Stolmar
...7-5/6-1. The 20-year old Taiwanese picks up her third pro title, taking the crown without losing a set in her second final appearance in two weeks.
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1. Charleston 2nd Rd. - Karolina Pliskova def. Maryna Zavatska
...5-7/7-5/6-4. The road back has to begin somewhere, and this is where Pliskova's return from her offseason hand injury finally recorded its first 2022 victory. #215-ranked Ukrainian Zavatska led by a set and 5-3, but the Czech climbed back in the 2:48 match that covered two days due to Charleston's rain suspensions.



Pliskova lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in straights a round later, never carving out a BP opportunity in the match.
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2. Charleston 1st Rd. - Linda Fruhvirtova def. Ana Konjuh
...4-6/6-1/6-3. The legend continues. A year after her tour debut in Charleston, where she opened with a dramatic win over Alize Cornet en route to the QF, Fruhvirtova christened Althea Gibson Court with a comeback win over the Croat, then lost in straights to Belinda Bencic in the 2nd.
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3. Bogota 1st Rd. - Yuliana Lizarazo def. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova
...4-6/7-6(1)/6-2. Eight years after her last appearance in the Bogota 2nd Round, #537-ranked Colombian WC Lizarazo comes back from a set and 2-0 down, saving a MP as AKS served for the win at 5-4, to take a 7-1 TB and race to a 4-0 lead in the 3rd on her way to victory.


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*WTA CAREER TITLES - active leaders*
17t. Caroline Garcia, FRA (7)
17t. Naomi Osaka, JPN (7)
17t. Andrea Petkovic, GER (7)
17t. Sloane Stephens, USA (7)
21t. BELINDA BENCIC, SUI (6)
21t. Alize Cornet, FRA (6)
21t. Madison Keys, USA (6)
21t. Anett Kontaveit, EST (6)
21t. Elise Mertens, BEL (6)
21t. Iga Swiatek, POL (6)
27t. Sofia Kenin, USA (5)
27t. Alona Ostapenko, LAT (5)
27t. Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL (5)
27t. Yanina Wickmayer, BEL (5)

*RECENT ALL-QUALIFIER WTA FINALS*
2017 Tokyo (Japan Open) - Zarina Diyas def. Miyu Kato
2021 Lyon - Clara Tauson def. Viktorija Golubic
2022 BOGOTA - TATJANA MARIA def. LAURA PIGOSSI

*LOWEST RANKED WTA CHAMPION (not incl. NR)*
#579 Angelique Widjaja, INA (2001 Bali) (WC)
#299 Margarita Gasparyan, RUS (2018 Tashkent) (PR)
#285 Fabiola Zuluaga, COL (2002 Bogota) (WC)
#259 Tamira Paszek, AUS (2006 Portoroz) (Q)
#237 TATJANA MARIA, GER (2022 BOGOTA) (Q)
#234 Lindsay Davenport, USA (2007 Bali) (PR)
#233 Marketa Vondrousova, CZE (2017 Biel) (Q)
[last 10 years; 2013-22]
#299 Margarita Gasparyan (2018 Tashkent d. Potapova)
#237 TATJANA MARIA (2022 BOGOTA d. Pigossi)
#233 Marketa Vondrousova (2017 Biel d. Kontaveit)
#187 Olga Danilovic (2018 Moscow RC d. Potapova)
#182 Peng Shuai (2016 Tianjin d. Riske)
#180 Camila Osorio (2021 Bogota d. Zidansek)
#168 Francesca Schiavone (2017 Bogota d. Arruabarrena)
#165 Astra Sharma (2021 Charleston 2 d. Jabeur)

*2022 OLDEST WTA CHAMPIONS*
[singles]
34 - TATJANA MARIA, GER (BOGOTA)
33 - Zhang Shuai, CHN (Lyon)
30 - Simona Halep, ROU (Melbourne 1)
[doubles]
37 - Vera Zvonareva, RUS (Miami)
37 - Vera Zvonareva, RUS (Lyon)
36 - ANDREJA KLEPAC, SLO (CHARLESTON)
35 - Laura Siegemund, GER (Miami)
35 - Laura Siegemund, GER (Lyon)
33 - Xu Yifan, CHN (Indian Wells)

*2022 FIRST-TIME WTA SEMIFINALISTS*
Melbourne 1: Zheng Qinwen, CHN (4th WTA MD)
Monterrey: Nuria Parrizas Diaz, ESP
BOGOTA: LAURA PIGOSSI, BRA (RU)
BOGOTA: KAMILLA RAKHIMOVA, RUS

*2022 LOW-RANKED WTA SF*
#237 TATJANA MARIA/GER (BOGOTA)-W
#212 LAURA PIGOSSI/BRA (BOGOTA)-RU
#144 Wang Qiang/CHN (Guadalajara)
#140 Dayana Yastremska/UKR (Lyon)-RU
#126 Zheng Qinwen/CHN (Melbourne 1)
#111 KAMILLA RAKHIMOVA/RUS (BOGOTA)
#107 Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR (Melbourne 2)-RU

*2022 FIRST-TIME WTA WD CHAMPIONS*
Bernarda Pera, USA (Melbourne 2)
Jessie Pegula, USA (Melbourne 1)
Kaitlyn Christian, USA (Guadalajara)
Catherine Harrison, USA (Monterrey)
Sabrina Santamaria, USA (Monterrey)
ALDINA SUTJIADI, INA (BOGOTA)
MAGDA LINETTE, POL (CHARLESTON)
[First-Time WTA WD finalists]
Jessie Pegula, USA (Melbourne 1 - W) Bernarda Pera, USA (Melbourne 2 - W) Vivian Heisen, GER (Sydney) Panna Udvardy, HUN (Sydney) Alicia Barnett, GBR (Lyon) Olivia Nicholls, GBR (Lyon) Catherine Harrison, USA (Monterrey - W) ALDINA SUTJIADI, INA (BOGOTA - W) EMINA BEKTAS, USA (BOGOTA)





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So, Serena is now shilling for crypto and kidding around with NFL A-hole #1...? O-kaaay.

via GIPHY



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All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 12:21 AM 

5 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

Random rankings between 101-150 without context.

114- Maria
120- Andreescu
123- Buzarnescu
126- Pigossi
133- Saville
138- Lepchenko
148- Kenin

BJK Cup preview up Thursday, they will play Fri-Sat.

Netherlands hosts, but chose clay vs Spain- scratches head. Badosa is out.

In other matches, Collins and Ruse are out, with Muhammad and Buzarnescu stepping in.

Charleston's octagon like court is impressive, especially with easy to read scoreboards.

When is winning 2 games impressive? When a visibly struggling Linette did so after pulling a Bertens and winning back to back matches on the same day. Recovering to win doubles was a nice touch.

Match of the Year? Pigossi/Osorio was close. No, not in the way recent Swiatek matches have been, with one raising the play of the other, but with drama.

The drama started with Osorio asking for the trainer down 1-3, then seemingly tanking a game just to get to the trainer. That was for her legs. After dropping down 1-5, Osorio then tied it up behind a pro Osorio crowd.

Pigossi leaned into this, imploring the crowd to root for her Putintseva style. Felt like a BJK Cup match.

Add some questionable line calls, seemingly all in Osorio's favor, and it had juice.

Even down a set, Osorio still had the crowd trying to will her to a 3rd. Unfortunately, another injury caused her to serve underarm near the end of the match, which was moderately effective.

Pigossi won, but the takeaway is Osorio's health.

1Q Rebuttal

1.Swiatek- She wins in a dominant fashion. Obvious #1.
2.Barty- Lifted the anvil that Aussies have been carrying for 44 years. Her gutteral scream after match point said it all.
3.Sakkari- I know she hasn't won, but points for showing up with good results in more than one week. Last lost to eventual winner in 3 of 6 events.
4.Badosa- Looking like a slam winner if healthy, she has seemingly had more marquee matches that anyone not named Swiatek.
5.Kontaveit- Indoor queen is at it again. Stuttgart is next week, can she do it on clay?
6.Ostapenko- Her peak level has been tournament winning worthy, and was in Dubai.
7.Zvonareva/Siegemund- As Todd mentioned, the only multiple title winner in doubles, which stands out even more when you realize Siegemund missed the first month of the season.
8.Keys- Streaky, so how is that different from the rest of her career? It isn't, but her Adelaide-AO run gives her 2 great events on the season.
9.Anisimova- 2019 first version coming back? With Melbourne 2 in her pocket, she has had enough big runs to justify this rank.
10.Osaka- Why Osaka and not Collins? Collins' injury bug means that Osaka has actually played more events, 4-3. Osaka also beat Collins in Miami.
HM-Kudermetova- Felt guilty leaving her off. 2 singles RU finishes leaves her #10 in singles race, while she is #1 in doubles race. Arguably the biggest singles/doubles threat this year, over her partner Mertens and injured Krejcikova.

Mon Apr 11, 01:09:00 PM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

Stat of the Week- 7- Years it has been since any of 9 Olympic winners from the same year won singles titles on the same weekend.

Now, there isn't any expectation for this to happen often, because you need 2 events, then with them being varying grades, most likely need a doubles player to win that second title.

It almost happened this weekend, with 2020(played in 2021) Olympic Gold singles winner Bencic taking Charleston, while Bronze doubles winner Pigossi reached Bogota final.

It happens so rarely that it is a big deal when other years cross, like in 2017, when in October, 2012 singles Silver Sharapova won Tianjin the same week 2016 doubles Bronze Strycova won Linz.

Of course, that 2016 group is problematic now, with Puig not having won since her title. It isn't all on her, as all 6 doubles stars-Makarova, Vesnina, Hingis, Bacsinszky, Safarova and Strycova, are all retired.

Ironically, both Bacsinszky(2016 Silver) and Safarova(2016 Bronze) both did the double before winning a medal, with Bacsinszky winning Morocco and Safarova winning Prague back in April 2016.

But I said 7 years, which means 2015. Believe it or not, another instance that does not count was in Feb. 2015, when Bacsinszky won Acapulco and Safarova won Doha.

So the last time it happened? Bacsinszky was adjacent. In January 2015, she lost Shenzhen to Halep. But Halep doesn't have a medal? No, which means it was a 3 week event, the first week of the year.

2012 doubles Gold winner Venus Williams won Auckland, while 2012 singles Silver Maria Sharapova won Brisbane.

Quiz Time!

Kveta Peschke has announced her retirement. How many different countries did Peschke play in a final?

A.29
B.27
C.19
D.13

Interlude-WNBA Draft is tonight. Here is 2015 #1 overall pick Jewell Loyd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CJjCdVFe6M


Answer!

Peschke's stats are just nuts. One of the few active players left that had won titles in the 20th century, let's have some fun with this.

(D)13 isn't close, but is the number of Americans she played, the highest on the list. That includes Huber, who is the only player on the list she played while representing 2 countries, also playing her when she represented South Africa. Second on the list is Russia with 11. That includes Voskoboeva, whom she played before her switch to Kazakhstan, which isn't represented in the total, even with 10 countries represented by one person.

Those 10? Zimbabwe-Black, South Africa-Huber, Switzerland- Schnyder, India-Mirza, Argentina-Dulko, Canada-Dabrowski, Israel-Peer, Serbia-Jankovic, Hungary-Babos, New Zealand-Erakovic.

(C)19 is the number of events before she played a fellow Czech in a final. That was Iveta Benesova.

(B)27 is close, but actually the number of times she played a same country team in a final. The first time was her 2nd title(4th final) vs the Slovenian team of Krizan/Srebotnik. The last was Dolehide/Vandeweghe, for her 36th and final title.

(A)29 is correct, with a multitude of players known for singles and doubles. Conchita Martinez and Martinez Sanchez, the Chan sisters, separately. The Kichenok twins together. Venus and Serena. Schiavone, Pennetta, Errani, Vinci. The list goes on and on. If you need a doubles snapshot of the last 25 years, Peschke is it.

Mon Apr 11, 01:45:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

FYI: I'm going to pick the BJK ties, but not do an extra post for it. So we'll be able to compare in the comments section this time. ;)

Speaking of your Keys comment, did I actually hear someone on TC last week say that she's had a "consistent" career? I'm pretty sure I did. :/

A medal to you for that Olympic/regular tour bit of research. ;)

Speaking of Puig, she was back playing in a small local event in France this weekend and is apparently looking to try to use her PR to get into some tour events this clay season.

Quiz: went with 27, just to not go with *the* highest total. :/

Mystics had (but traded away) the #1 pick. Good smash at the net from Jewell Lloyd. :)

So, I guess the tree that falls in the woods *does* make a sound when no one is around, hence this.

Tue Apr 12, 12:46:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

BJK picks... (not many surprises):

ITA(H) d. FRA 3-1
...very little trust in this French team
USA(H) d. UKR 3-0
CZE(H) d. GBR 3-2
...temped to pick an upset here, but won't)
KAZ(H) d. GER 3-1
...if Kerber can go 2-0, I'd pick GER 3-2
CAN(H) d. LAT 3-1
...Ostapenko/Sevastova was a truly underrated 1-2 Cup punch, and the veteran is really missed here. If Alona knocks off Leylah, I still think CAN wins 3-2
ESP d. NED(H) 3-1
...I wonder how much longer NED -- in the post-Kiki *and* post-Haarhuis era -- will rank this high in the Cup hierarchy?
POL(H) d. ROU 3-0
...kudos to Iga for playing, as one of the few -- and maybe the only -- true '22 "top" player who is this weekend

Wed Apr 13, 05:39:00 PM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

As usual, before BJK Cup picks, French Open notes.

The entry list is out, and Cristian is the only direct entry out. Krejcikova and Pavlyuchenkova on list for now. Brady nowhere to be seen as Maria, Andreescu, Kenin and Townsend use SR. Puig also does, but is 3 out for now.

Due to Belarus being suspended, #13 Belgium moves to the finals.

FRA-ITA
MIP-(Most Important Person)- Giorgi
This may be the nuttiest tie, because what is on paper is least likely to happen. As much as I complain that Giorgi(5-9) struggles in BJK Cup, Cornet is 5-15. They are your #1's. If Italy mixes and matches with Bronzetti, Paolini and the lefty Trevisan, they would be better off. France for the win, though Italy has the better roster. Surprisingly, this is Dodin's first tie playing.

UKR-USA
MIP-Pegula
You could argue Zavatska, as the Kichenok twins have wins in singles. Ironically, the US has one of the more inexperienced rosters, with only 10 matches played, but with everybody 28 or older. It is up to Pegula, who earned the #1 spot, to play like one. Also the only team with 2 doubles specialists in Muhammad and Krawczyk, neither one with BJK Cup experience. USA, though it could be close if Yastremska zones.

GBR-CZE
MIP-Vondrousova
You thought I was going to say Raducanu. She has her issues, as she leads an inexperienced GB team, which has only 9 matches played on the roster. Raducanu has 0, making her the only #1 making a debut. Bet she also can't be discounted. Remember a couple of years ago, when I pointed out that Mertens had no WTA wins on clay, then won twice that weekend? Raducanu gets her chance. So why Vondrousova? Not convinced she should play back to back days, plus someone from CZE always seems to get sick and pull out. CZE for the win, though I would not be surprised to see Fruhvirtova and Bouzkova in singles.

GER-KAZ
MIP-Rybakina
KAZ gets a home tie, and a brilliant choice of clay, not just because Putintseva and Rybakina are good on it, but it neutralizes Kerber. Rybakina has to beat Siegemund to hold the advantage. KAZ, because Germany has the same problem they have had in recent years with an older roster. Siegemund should not be playing twice, and isn't listed in doubles, where she should be.

LAT-CAN
MIP-Fernandez
Like clockwork, either the US or Canada posts their matches last. Guessing that Fernandez is #1. Latvia is the only team here without a Top 100 player in singles or doubles. They also have the oldest player in 38 yr old Liga Dekmeijere, who is playing her first tie since 2012. A doubles lock to play, we actually might see her in singles. Canada easy, as long as someone doesn't get injured.

NED-ESP
MIP-Sorribes Tormo
Todd wondered how long the Netherlands can hold on. Ranked 46, they are the only other team besides #24 Ukraine not ranked in Top 20 playing this weekend. Ironically, the singles player having the best season for them in Lamens, is the one on the bench. As long as Rus' lefty swings don't confound them, Spain in a romp, even without Muguruza and Badosa.

ROU-POL
MIP-Linette
This seems like the most straightforward tie. Swiatek is humming, and Romania continually has a black hole in the 2 spot. They start with Buzarnescu, which sounds horrific, but their other options are Mitu and Prisacariu. They may still get a match, but it is up to Linette to beat whoever ends up in that spot. Even knowing that Romania always seems to stretch it out to doubles, Poland for the win.

Thu Apr 14, 04:04:00 PM EDT  

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