Thursday, June 02, 2022

RG.12- A Coco in the Rear View Mirror May Actually Be as Close as She Appears


Well, this time, no matter what happens on Saturday, we're not going to hear "she came out of nowhere." No, not Coco Gauff.




Gauff, now 18, is officially the player that *everyone* saw coming. How could you not? Three years ago, her every move and waking moment was covered -- via ESPN and virtually every corner of social media, and sports media in general -- ad infinitum as she debuted at Wimbledon at age 15 with an upset of none other than Venus Williams on her way to the Round of 16. A headlining U.S. Open night match against Naomi Osaka soon followed. By the end of 2019, she'd won a tour title (Linz) to become the youngest WTA singles champion in fifteen years. Gauff upset Osaka in the '20 Australian Open on her way to another second week run at a major the following year.

But then the general public, with an attention span smaller than a single gnat's wing, got bored when Gauff didn't suddenly become an instant major champion "fash enough" for their fast food taste. The spotlight shifted to the likes of Osaka, on and off court, then Ash Barty and Iga Swiatek and, well, there are always a dozen stories in women's tennis worthy of attention (if not primetime slots on the RG schedule).

But Gauff didn't stop playing. She developed her game, which matured along with every other aspect of her personality, as *should* happen with a teenager, especially one who hails from a nation trapped in a multi-pronged vortex of political insanity, social injustice and gun violence, all swirling in a stew injected with a worldwide pandemic. You know, just to make thiings interesting.

Gauff continued to rise up the rankings, and knock down career firsts. Her first Top 10 wins, her first victory over a world #1 (albeit via retirement), a s/d title sweep (Parma), a Roland Garros QF ('21) and a slam final appearance (US Open WD) were all tucked neatly into the last two seasons, when she was apparently "underachieving," along with the usual Top 50 and Top 20 ranking breakthroughs. Two days ago, she advanced into her maiden slam singles semifinal.

Coming into today's match against 28-year old Italian Martina Trevisan, a decade the senior of the #18-seeded Gauff but with far less experience on such a big stage even with her QF run in Paris two years ago (which had included an early round win over Coco herself), the teenager was the clear favorite of the two (despite Trevisan's active ten-match win streak) to be the latest first-time slam finalist at the season's second major. Having not lost a set at this RG on the court, off it Gauff has managed during this major to also burnish her reputation for being mature for her age by following up the vocal role she took during the police brutality protests and riots in the U.S. two summers ago with notions deemed to be "so wise" by so many social media-trained armchair philosophers that it just *has* to be true (I mean, right?) and, of late, with comments about the latest gun violence perpetrated in her home country.

Her high school diploma in hand two weeks ago, complete with leaping cap-and-gown photo in front of the Eiffel Tower, Gauff seemed ready to take "the next step" in her career. And that's just what she did.

In an opening set which saw the server face BP in eight of the nine games played, Gauff seemed *slightly* on edge at times. Early on, she complained to the chair umpire about the long grunt accompanying the Italian's groundstrokes (stunningly, or not, considering the string of questionable decisions and/or calls made by officials during this RG, the umpire later said something to Trevisan, who thankfully shrugged it off and steadfastly refused to change *anything* after no one had said a word to her about it during her entire two-week run) and questioned multiple line calls, including at least one that had landed about an inch outside the line. At times, the French crowd -- always ready to pounce, even on their own at times (we've got your back, Alize) -- were restless and started to boo. If Gauff had persisted, an extra element may have been introduced into the match but, thankfully, Coco pulled back once she started to play more consistently.

Gauff and Trevisan exchanged five consecutive breaks of serve from games #3-7. Gauff was broken in the "not even close" line questioning game, evening the set at 3-3, but immediately reclaimed her break advantage a game later. Finally, the teenager held for 5-3, then broke Trevisan again to take the set 6-3.

Trevisan had her thigh taped between sets (unlike following trainers' actions in other high-profile matches in recent days, it wasn't wrapped so tightly that she had to angrily rip it off two games later because she could barely walk after such "medical assistance"). The two held serve through the first three games, then Gauff grabbed the lead with a backhand winner to end a 15-minute game in which Trevisan had held four GP before finally dropping serve on Coco's fourth BP chance.

The game sent both players in opposite directions. Gauff held at love a game later, then broke Trevisan again in another long game (6-minutes, with the Italian having held two GP). Serving for a spot in the final, Gauff held at love again, closing out the match with an ace to win 6-3/6-1.



The youngest slam finalist since Maria Sharapova in 2004 (Wimbledon), and the youngest in Paris since 2001 (Kim Clijsters), Gauff is still clearly well ahead of the curve in the career development game no matter how long she's seemingly been "banging around" the tour. A "veteran" at *barely* 18 (her birthday was in March), Coco will *still* be three years younger than her (also young) opponent in the women's final.

Today wasn't the day that Gauff *arrived*, and Saturday (no matter the result) won't be, either. Coco arrived years ago. Now she's just starting to settle in for what she hopes will be a nice, long comfortable stay.




=DAY 12 NOTES=
...in other women's semifinal news on Thursday, Iga Swiatek moved one step closer to what was pretty much acknowledged as a "dead-on certainty" two weeks ago.

(Providing further fuel for the fire that says the women's tour just isn't good enough since one player can be so dominant. Well, I mean, except for when it's not good enough because the players at the top of the rankings just can't be counted on to play deep into finals. Ah, but what about her emails, eh?)



After at times during this slam the world #1 experienced a few mid-match "hiccups," giving anyone looking for evidence of even the slightest crack in her 30-plus match winning streak form a small point of light, Swiatek had a "that's more like it" day against #20 Dasha Kasatkina.

Already 0-3 vs. the Pole this season, the Russian has been on the wrong end of a poor match-up in '22 against Swiatek. Think Aga Radwanska when she'd run down every shot and bedevil multiple opponents, then get hit off the court by an in-form player with more power off the ground than herself. Kasatkina entered yet another Iga match today with a fine-line gameplan for victory, at least with this version of the Pole in play, that likely determined that success could only come if nearly everthing went her way (i.e. no misses on her first serve, accuracy with hardly any UE, and a few Swiatek wobbles, too). While the Hordette didn't play badly in this semifinal, it just wasn't enough to touch Swiatek, who brought her winning streak form to Chatrier on Day 12.

Swiatek DF'd on the first point of the match, but she didn't give Kasatkina a whole lot to work with after that. She reeled off four straight points to take the opening game. Iga jumped on Kasatkina's first second serve of the match a game later. She sent it long, but the message was clear that she wasn't going to be a spectator in this one, and was planning on trying to *take* the match before anything hinky had the chance to happen. The Russian saved three BP in the game -- with a clean winner, ace and drop volley -- but netted a short backhand on #4 and Swiatek grabbed a break lead.

Kasatkina held firm to the hope that she could carve out a chance in this match, taking advantage of a Swiatek DF to reach BP and get the break back with a forehand down the line. Keeping her second serves to a minimum, Kasatkina saved a BP and held to level the set at 2-2.

But Swiatek wasn't going to have it. Employing power shots that pushed Kasatkina into the backcourt, the #1 seed held a love to re-take the lead. She'd never trail again.



At 15/30 in game #4, Swiatek's swiping squash-style reply from behind the baseline sailed high and landed in the short court, but the spin on the ball surprised Kasatkina, who reacted late and committed a wild error that put her down double BP. Swiatek got the break for a 4-2 lead and quickly secured the opening set, firing a backhand return winner off a Kasatkina second serve two games later to break the Hordette at love and win her fourth straight game, claiming the 1st at 6-2.



With her forehand controlling the action, like clockwork, Swiatek pulled away in the 2nd. After holding at love, she broke Kasatkina at 15 to take a 3-1 lead and then coasted to the finish. She dominated the final two gams, winning both a love to end the match on a nine-point streak to take the contest 6-2/6-1, firing an ace on MP.



Swiatek's 34-match win streak leaves her one off the longest run on tour this century (Venus Williams, 2000), and she could become the latest multi-slam champion on tour on Saturday, just days after her 21st birthday.



While Kasatkina's day wasn't a good one, her maiden slam semifinal result will put her on the cusp of a return to the Top 10 as the grass season begins. The last time she played deeply into the draw in Paris, when she reached the QF in 2018, she followed up by carrying over her momentum to Wimbledon with a QF run at SW19, as well, Maybe she'll have a chance at a repeat, as long as she can avoid a certain Pole. 23-7 vs. the rest of the tour in '22, Kasatkina now stands at 0-4 vs. Swiatek.

...the first champions of this Roland Garros were crowned on Thursday as the #2-seeded duo of Ena Shibahara & Wesley Koolhof defeated unseeded Ulrikke Eikeri & Joran Vliegen 7-6(5)/6-2 in the mixed doubles final.



With her maiden slam title, Shibahara improved to 17-5 in pro WD/MX finals in her career. She's the first Japanese woman to win the MX in Paris since Rika Hiraki in 1997, and the first to win the MX at any slam since Ai Sugiyama at the 1999 U.S. Open. In fact, Shibahara is now one of only five Japanese women to win a slam title, In additional to four-time singles champ Naomi Osaka, Sugiyama and Hiraki, Kazuko Sawamatsu won the Wimbledon WD in 1975.



...the Crush continues to, well, crush it. Today, one year after Linda Noskova won the RG junior title, three Czech girls advanced to the semifinals.

#9 Lucie Havlickova defeated Annabelle Xu, #10 Sara Bejlek took out #14 Mirra Andreeva and #13 Nikola Bartunkova advanced past #12 Nikola Daubnerova. All three are still alive in the girls' doubles semis, too.



The only non-Czech to reach the semis is Argentina's Solana Sierra, who defeated #6-seeded Bannerette Liv Hovde.






*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Iga Swiatek/POL vs. #18 Coco Gauff/USA

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES SF=
#8 Gauff/Pegula (USA/USA) vs. (PR) Keys/Townsend (USA/USA)
#14 L.Kichenok/Ostapenko (UKR/LAT) vs. (WC) Garcia/Mladenovic (FRA/FRA)

=MIXED DOUBLES FINAL=
#2 Shibahara/Koolhof (JPN/NED) def. Eikeri/Vliegen (NOR/BEL) 7-6(5)/6-2

=WHEELCHAIR SINGLES SF=
#1 Diede de Groot/NED vs. #4 KG Montjane/RSA
#3 Aniek Van Koot/NED vs. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN

=WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES SF=
#1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED/NED) vs. Ohtani/Zhu (JPN/CHN)
Cabrillana/Morch (CHI/FRA) vs. #2 Kamiji/Montjane (JPN/RSA)

=GIRLS SINGLES SF=
#13 Nikola Bartunková/CZE vs. Solana Sierra/ARG
#9 Lucie Havlícková/CZE vs. #10 Sara Bejlek/CZE

=GIRLS DOUBLES SF=
#1 Bejlek/Havlickova (CZE/CZE) vs. #7 Ciric Bagaric/Costoulas (CRO/BEL)
#4 Bartashevich/Zaytseva (FRA/RUS) vs. #2 Bartunkova/Naef (CZE/SUI)







...I HAD TO LAUGH... ON DAY 12:

when during the MX trophy ceremony Wesley Koolhof thanked the fans "for coming out early" to watch the match. Early? You mean the same time that about a third of *all* the women's singles matches have started at this slam? I mean, except for the other third of them that actually started an hour *earlier* than today's "early" final.


...UNTIL 2023 IN PARIS... ON DAY 12:



Though she will be seeded in London, and probably NYC, too.



...QUESTION... ON DAY 12:

TC's Caro Wozniacki noted how you seem to have to win a major to get your name on your shoes (after the close-up of Swiatek's shoe w/ "Team Iga" on the side). But do you have to be a "star?" Askin' for a French (or is it Polish?) friend.


...ANOTHER SLAM, ANOTHER HONOR FOR BJK... ON DAY 12:




...HOW DID WE NOT THINK OF THIS BEFORE?... ON DAY 12:

A sign held up by a Polish fan during the Swiatek/Kasatkina match read: "Poland Garros."




...A NOD TO TC's LINDSAY DAVENPORT... ON DAY 12:

...on the issue of Trevisan's grunting and the chair umpire needlessly saying something to the Italian after Gauff had complained. Davenport noted that it was a terrible distraction to approach Trevisan at this point in the tournament, in the middle of a match, about something that she'd done the entire event without incident. And we know this about Trevisan because, of course, on multiple occasions during this RG Davenport had called attention to Trevisan's extended grunting when calling her matches. It was annoying tip-in commentary at the time, but it turned out to good foreshadowing for today's match.

Reminding everyone that she played through an era in which players -- Seles, Sharapova, etc. -- first began to grunt loudly during points, Davenport said that, at some point, you just have to accept and get used to it.


...THE RIGHT ANSWER (for now)... ON DAY 12:



The part about the unpredictability is precisely why the crazy (in a good way) women's tennis tour is the most interesting tour in the world, where players "with the beat" make things simply irresistible on a regular basis, while the other tour is a top-heavy marvel that, while great on its best day isn't, well, any of those other things for the majority of the week.

Granted, if you want a match that is "bank" and you know will be something worthy of great attention (especially w/ best-of-5 vs. best-of-3 slam event comparison), the men's tour has the edge there at the moment with more product on the shelves to choose from. But as far as a season-long entity that brings a more variety-filled, personality-laden and better overall entertaining product to watch and discuss, the women's tour has a huge advantage. Sometimes that sort of plotline (see Emma/Leylah) blossoms in a major, but often the slams are a *continuation* (see Bianca in '19) of a story birthed during the "regular season." So it pays to be a season-long fan.

That's why the tour's inability to market itself correctly is so frustrating. It's not about the *single* match, it's about *the whole* kit-and-kaboodle, and the tide lifting all boats. Does it take a little more effort for new fans to get hooked? Yeah, probably, but once you get them the majority (except for those who are brought in by a *single* persona) aren't likely to be so finicky when their ride-or-die favorites inevitably exit because they've been paying attention to the *entire* cast of characters and will then shift their eyes/hopes to the other "second tier" possibilities they've been keeping a close eye on. At least that's how I see it.



















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*MOST WTA FINALS in 2022*
6 - IGA SWIATEK, POL (5-0) *
3 - Ons Jabeur, TUN (1-2)
3 - Veronika Kudermetova, RUS (0-3)
2 - Ash Barty, AUS (2-0)
2 - Anett Kontaveit, EST (1-1)
2 - Maria Sakkari, GRE (0-2)

*SLAM FINALS IN 2020s*
2 - Naomi Osaka, JPN (2-0)
2 - IGA SWIATEK, POL (1-0) *
2 - Sofia Kenin, USA (1-1)
2 - Ash Barty, AUS (2-0)
1 - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (1-0)
1 - Emma Raducanu, GBR (1-0)
1 - COCO GAUFF, USA (0-0) *
1 - Victoria Azarenka, BLR (0-1)
1 - Jennifer Brady, USA (0-1)
1 - Danielle Collins, USA (0-1)
1 - Leylah Fernandez, CAN (0-1)
1 - Garbine Muguruza, ESP (0-1)
1 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (0-1)
1 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (0-1)

*ACTIVE SINGLES PLAYERS - FIRST SLAM FINAL*
1997 U.S. Open - Venus Williams
1999 U.S. Open - Serena Williams (W)
2004 U.S. Open - Svetlana Kuznetsova (W)
2010 Roland Garros - Samantha Stosur
2010 Wimbledon - Vera Zvonareva
2011 Wimbledon - Petra Kvitova (W)
2012 Australian Open - Victoria Azarenka (W)
2012 Roland Garros - Sara Errani
2013 Wimbledon - Sabine Lisicki
2014 Roland Garros - Simona Halep
2014 Wimbledon - Genie Bouchard
2015 Wimbledon - Garbine Muguruza
2016 Australian Open - Angelique Kerber (W)
2016 U.S. Open - Karolina Pliskova
2017 Roland Garros - Alona Ostapenko (W)
2017 U.S. Open - Madison Keys
2017 U.S. Open - Sloane Stephens (W)
2018 U.S. Open - Naomi Osaka (W)
2019 Roland Garros - Marketa Vondrousova
2019 U.S. Open - Bianca Andreescu (W)
2020 Australian Open - Sofia Kenin (W)
2020 Roland Garros - Iga Swiatek (W)
2021 Australian Open - Jennifer Brady
2021 Roland Garros - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
2021 Roland Garros - Barbora Krejcikova (W)
2021 U.S. Open - Leylah Fernandez
2021 U.S. Open - Emma Raducanu (W)
2022 Australian Open - Danielle Collins
2022 Roland Garros - Coco Gauff

*SLAM FINALS IN 2020s - BY NATION*
5 - USA (1-3) *
2 - JPN (2-0)
2 - POL (1-0) *
2 - CZE (1-1)
2 - AUS (2-0)
1 - ESP (0-1)
1 - BLR (0-1)
1 - RUS (0-1)
1 - CAN (0-1)
1 - GBR (1-0)

*WON TITLE AT FIRST SLAM SEEDED #1*
[since end of Evert/Navratilova era]
1991 Monica Seles (Roland Garros)
2002 Jennifer Capriati (Australian Open)
2002 Serena Williams (U.S. Open)
2004 Justine Henin-Hardenne (Australian Open)

*MOST CONSECUTIVE WINS, since 2000*
35 - Venus Williams (2000)
34 - Serena Williams (2013)
34 - IGA SWIATEK (2022) - active
32 - Justine Henin (2007-08)

*RECENT TOP 10 DEBUTS*
2018 [4] Goerges,Stephens,Osaka,Bertens,Kasatkina
2019 [3] Sabalenka,Barty,Andreescu
2020 [1] Kenin
2021 [6] Swiatek,Krejcikova,Sakkari,Jabeur,Kontaveit,Badosa
2022 [2] Collins, Pegula
[U.S. women]
1975 Chris Evert
1975 Martina Navratilova (as Czech, later USA)
1975 Billie Jean King (also year-end #1 pre-computer rankings)
1975 Nancy Richey
1976 Rosie Casals
1977 Kathy May
1977 Kristien Shaw
1978 Tracy Austin
1980 Kathy Jordan
1980 Andrea Jaeger
1980 Pam Shriver
1981 Barbora Potter
1983 Zina Garrison
1984 Bonnie Gadusek
1984 Kathy Horvath
1984 Lisa Bonder
1986 Kathy Rinaldi
1988 Lori McNeil
1989 Stephanie Rehe
1989 Mary Joe Fernandez
1989 Monica Seles (as Yugoslav, later USA)
1990 Jennifer Capriati
1994 Lindsay Davenport
1996 Chanda Rubin
1998 Venus Williams
1999 Serena Williams
2016 Madison Keys
2017 CoCo Vandeweghe
2018 Sloane Stephens
2020 Sofia Kenin
2022 Danielle Collins
2022 Jessie Pegula
-
NOTE: Gauff would also be Top 10 w/ win in final

*2022 - FIRST CAREER SLAM...*
=ROUND OF 16=
RG = Veronika Kudermetova, RUS (13th slam MD)
RG = Jil Teichmann, SUI (11th)
RG = Zheng Qinwen, CHN (2nd)
=QF=
AO = Alize Cornet, FRA (63rd)
RG = Veronika Kudermetova, RUS (13th)
=SF=
RG: Coco Gauff, USA (11th)
RG: Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (26th)
RG: Martina Trevisan, ITA (8th)
=FINAL=
AO = Danielle Collins, USA (17th)
RG = Coco Gauff, USA (11th)

*RECENT RG "IT" WINNERS*
2017 [Teen] Alona Ostapenko, LAT
2018 [NextGen Hordette] Dasha Kasatkina, RUS
2019 [GenPDQ Teens] A.Anisimova/USA, I.Swiatek/POL, M.Vondrousova/CZE
2020 [New Dane on the Block] Clara Tauson, DEN
2021 [Teen] Coco Gauff, USA
2022 [Teens] Leylah Fernandez/CAN, Coco Gauff/USA, Zheng Qinwen/CHN

*RECENT RG "JUNIOR BREAKOUT" WINNERS*
2013 Belinda Bencic, SUI (W)
2014 Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (W)
2015 Paula Badosa, ESP (W)
2016 Rebeka Masarova, SUI (W)
2017 Whitney Osuigwe, USA (W) and Claire Liu, USA (RU)
2018 Caty McNally, USA (RU) and Leylah Annie Fernandez, CAN (SF)
2019 Diane Parry, FRA (WS MD win) and Emma Navarro, USA (RU)
2020 Elsa Jacquemot, FRA (W) and Anna Charaeva, RUS (RU)
2021 Linda Noskova, CZE (W)
2022 A Crush of Czechs - N.Bartunkova, S.Bejlek & L.Havlickova

*BEST RG GIRLS/WOMEN'S RESULTS*
[won Girls & Women's titles]
Sue Barker (1974 Jr. Champion; 1976 Women's Champion)
Jennifer Capriati (1989 Jr. Champion; 2001 Women's Champion)
Justine Henin (1997 Jr. Champion; 2003, '05-'07 Women's Champion)
Mima Jausovec (1973 Jr. Champion; 1977 Women's Champion)
Hana Mandlikova (1978 Jr. Champion; 1981 Women's Champion)
Simona Halep (2008 Jr. Champion; 2018 Women's Champion)
[others]
Martina Hingis (1993-94 Jr. Champion; 1997/99 Women's RU)
COCO GAUFF (2018 Jr. Champion; in 2022 final)
Natasha Zvereva (1987 Jr. Champion; 1988 Women's RU)
Renata Tomanova (1972 Jr. Champion; 1976 Women's RU)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (2001 Jr. RU; 2009 Women's Champion)
[active]
Amanda Anisimova (2015 Jr RU; SF)
Paula Badosa (2015 Jr. Champion; QF)
Leylah Fernandez (2019 Jr. Champion; QF)
Kaia Kanepi (2001 Jr. Champion; QF)
Dasha Kasatkina (2014 Jr. Champion; in SF)
Kristina Mladenovic (2009 Jr. Champion; QF)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2006 Jr. RU; 2021 Women's RU)
Elina Svitolina (2010 Jr. Champion; QF)

*TEEN SLAM FINALISTS SINCE 2000*
2000 AO - Martina Hingis, SUI (19)
2001 RG - Kim Clijsters, BEL (18)
2001 WI - Justine Henin, BEL (19)
2001 US - Serena Williams, USA (19)
2003 RG - Kim Clijsters, BEL (19) (19y,364d)
2004 WI - Maria Sharapova, RUS (17) - W
2004 US - Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS (19) - W
2006 US - Maria Sharapova, RUS (19) - W
2007 AO - Maria Sharapova, RUS (19)
2009 US - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (19)
2019 RG - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE (19)
2019 US - Bianca Andreescu, CAN (19) - W
2019 RG - Iga Swiatek, POL (19) - W
2021 US - Leylah Fernandez, CAN (19)
2021 US - Emma Raducanu, GBR (18) - W
2022 RG - Coco Gauff, USA (18)
[RECENT YOUNG FINALS]
37 - 2021 US - Raducanu (18) d. Fernandez (19)
38 - 2022 RG - SWIATEK (21) vs. GAUFF (18)*
40 - 2003 RG - Henin (21) d. Clijsters (19)
40 - 2008 AO - Sharapova (20) d. Ivanovic (20)
40 - 2020 RG - Swiatek (19) d. Kenin (21)

*LOW-RANKED RG CHAMPION (OPEN ERA)*
#54 - Iga Swiatek, 2020
#47 - Alona Ostapenko, 2017
#33 - Barbora Krejcikova, 2021
#18 - Sue Barker, 1976
#17 - Virginia Ruzici, 1978
#17 - Francesca Schiavone, 2010
-
2022 F: #23 Gauff

*RECENT MX SLAM CHAMPIONS*
[2018]
AO: Gaby Dabrowski/Mate Pavic (CAN/CRO)
RG: Latisha Chan/Ivan Dodig (TPE/CRO)
WI: Nicole Melichar/Alexander Peya (USA/AUT)
US: Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Jamie Murray (USA/GBR)
[2019]
AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Rajeev Ram (CZE/USA)
RG: Latisha Chan/Ivan Dodig (TPE/CRO)
WI: Latisha Chan/Ivan Dodig (TPE/CRO)
US: Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Jamie Murray (USA/GBR)
[2020]
AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Nikola Mektic (CZE/CRO)
[2021]
AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Rajeev Ram (CZE/USA)
RG: Desirae Krawczyk/Joe Salisbury (USA/GBR)
WI: Desirae Krawczyk/Neal Skupski (USA/GBR)
US: Desirae Krawczyk/Joe Salisbury (USA/GBR)
[2022]
AO: Kristina Mladenovic/Ivan Dodig (FRA/CRO)
RG: Ena Shibahara/Wesley Koolhof (JPN/NED)
[ROLAND GARROS SINCE 2010]
2010 Katarina Srebotnik & Nenad Zimonjic
2011 Casey Dellacqua & Scott Lipsky
2012 Sania Mirza & Mahesh Bhupathi
2013 Lucie Hradecka & Frantisek Cermak
2014 Anna-Lena Groenefeld & Jean-Julien Rojer
2015 Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Mike Bryan
2016 Martina Hingis & Leander Paes
2017 Gaby Dabrowski & Rohan Bopanna
2018 Latisha Chan & Ivan Dodig
2019 Latisha Chan & Ivan Dodig
2020 DNP
2021 Desirae Krawczyk & Joe Salisbury
2022 Ena Shibahara & Wesley Koolhof

*JUNIOR GIRLS SLAM SINGLES CHAMPIONS*
[ARG]
1977 US - Claudia Casabianca, ARG
1984 RG - Gabriela Sabatini, ARG
1986 RG - Patricia Tarabini, ARG
2000 WI - Maria Emilia Salerni, ARG
2000 US - Maria Emilia Salerni, ARG
[TCH/CZE]
1948 WI: Olga Miskova
1972 RG: Renata Tomanova
1975 RG: Regina Marsikova
1978 RG: Hana Mandlikova
1985 WI: Andrea Holikova
1989 WI: Andrea Strnadova
1990 WI: Andrea Strnadova
1991 US: Karina Habsudova
2002 AO: Barbora Strycova
2003 AO: Barbora Strycova
2010 AO: Karolina Pliskova
2010 WI: Kristyna Pliskova
2014 US: Marie Bouzkova
2021 RG: Linda Noskova




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TOP QUALIFIER: #2q Jule Niemeier/GER (slam MD debut; 7 games lost in 3 Q-matches)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #1 Iga Swiatek/POL
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #18 Coco Gauff/USA
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: #10q Viktoriya Tomova/BUL def. Marina Melnikova/RUS 2-6/7-5/6-0 (trailed 6-2/5-1; reached MD as LL)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - #21 Angelique Kerber/GER def. Magdalena Frech/POL (2-6/6-3/7-5; Kerber saves 2 MP, fans chant name)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 3rd Rd. - #23 Jil Teichmann/SUI def. #15 Victoria Azarenka/BLR 4-6/7-5/7-6(5) (Azarenka 3-1 2nd, served for match in 3rd)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #26 Sorana Cirstea/ROU (def. Maria/GER)
FIRST SEED OUT: #6 Ons Jabeur/TUN (1st Rd. to Magda Linette/POL)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Fernanda Contreras/MEX, Elsa Jacquemot/FRA, Leolia Jeanjean/FRA, Katie Volynets/USA
UPSET QUEENS: France
REVELATION LADIES: Czech Republic
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Hungary (0-4 1st Rd., Galfi 2 MP in loss)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Fernanda Contreras/MEX, Olga Danilovic/SRB, Aleksandra Krunic/SRB, Donna Vekic/CRO (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Leolita Jeanjean/FRA, Dasha Saville/AUS (3rd Rd.)
PROTECTED RANKING BEST: Bianca Andreescu/CAN (2nd Rd.)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: Alize Cornet, Leolia Jeanjean, Diane Parry (all 3rd Rd.)
Ms./Mademoiselle OPPORTUNITY: Nominees: Trevisan, Kasatkina, Pegula (s/d)
IT "Teens": Leylah Fernandez/CAN, Coco Gauff/USA and Zheng Qinwen/CHN (2nd of last 45 slams w/ 3 teens in second week)
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Kasatkina, Townsend (d), Garcia/Mladenovic
CRASH & BURN: #6 Ons Jabeur/TUN (1st Rd. to Linette; Madrid W/Rome RU - previous three who reached both finals also reached RG final); #2 Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (DC; 1st Rd. to Parry, led 6-1/2-0)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS: Sloane Stephens/USA (lost to #306 Nefisa Berberovic pre-RG; 1r: set and 4-4, sitter for love/30 vs. Niemeier; 2r: Cirstea led 6-3/2-0, Stephens 12 con. games; 4r: Teichmann 2-0, Stephens 12 con. games)
DOUBLES STAR: Nominee: Shibahara
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: Stephens, Trevisan, (WC)
Mademoiselle/Madame OF THE EVENING: Cornet vs. Ostapenko
JUNIOR BREAKOUTS: A Crush of Czechs (Nikola Bartunkova, Sara Bejlek and Lucie Havlickova in GS semis, GD semis)
Légion de Lenglen HONOREE: Alize Cornet/FRA
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: Diane Parry/FRA (one-handed backhand) and Iga Swiatek/POL (breaks win streak tie w/ Henin on LPT Day)






All for Day 12. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 6:27 PM 

2 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

Gauff was shaky early. Credit her for getting better as the match went on.

Kasatkina blew one point and never recovered. Seemed like she dropped 3 games in 10 minutes right after.

Even though I don't expect it, the fact that Gauff is 3 matches away from doing what Krejcikova did last year is impressive.

Swiatek has had the career that was expected of Gauff. Realistically, at 18, Gauff is right on time.

Flipkens will retire from singles at Wimbledon.

70/30 Swiatek over Gauff. This should be the first of many(counting doubles) slam finals for Gauff. She has normally gotten to 3-3 before Swiatek gets a break and takes control of the match. her chance is to be ultra aggressive. Why? because in Swiatek's last loss, Ostapenko's success was because of hitting winners off the serve.

Gauff doesn't use spin like Barty, so going for more winners than usual is the trick. The other thing, is that as mobile as Swiatek is, she would rather stay on the baseline. Using angles and crushing the ball is what Gauff needs.

Stat of the Day- 11*- Career singles titles for Rosie Casals.

Trevisan almost did it. At 5-3, she almost joined the pantheon of vertically challenged women to have reached a slam final. Alas, it was not to be.

Casals at 5-2 1/2, yes, the WTA page lists the half inch, is one of the shortest in the Open Era to have done so. US Open RU in 1970 and 1971, she saved her best for slams, going QF or better in 20 of 51 slams.

The total of 11 comes from her HoF page, though her numbers really go from 11-29 wins. One reason for the confusion is that her win in St. Louis in 1973 is the only one after the WTA was formed.

11 seems to be the total between the Open Era and the WTA. Even with her being undercounted in titles, she may have won the most important one in history, the 1970 Houston event which hosted the Original 9.

Doubles is where she really made her name, with 112 titles and 21(9-12) slam doubles finals. She reached her first one at 17, and her last one 17 years later.

Fri Jun 03, 12:25:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

It's odd, just watching her play, Trevisan doesn't *look* that short. Not sure why. :/

Of course, whenever Casals is mentioned I have to use her quote from the Rivals book about Navratilova/Evert...

When told that people consider female athletes "unladylike," Casals said, "If people say we're unfeminine, well, I say screw 'em." ;)

Fri Jun 03, 06:45:00 PM EDT  

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