Wednesday, January 25, 2023

AO.10 - 30 for 30 for 30

That a Polish woman has reached the Australian Open semifinal stage for a second straight year is no great surprise. That it's Magda Linette... yeah, well, that *is* what they would call a "plot twist."

And today it was one in which a 30-year old, in her 30th career slam main draw, took out a #30 seed to continue what has become the latest (by now almost annual) improbable women's singles run in Melbourne.



But make no mistake, the late blooming Pole has earned her way into the latter stages of this tournament, having already eliminated #16 Anett Kontaveit, #19 Ekaterina Alexandrova and #4 Caroline Garcia en route to her maiden slam Round of 16 and quarterfinal.

Against a fourth seed in her run, #30 Karolina Pliskova, Linette faced a former #1 and two-time major finalist who had managed to sneak her way through the first week in Melbourne with the relative quiet of a church mouse. The Czech held a 7-2 edge in their career head-to-head, and was looking to reach her fifth career slam semi, but it was Linette's goal to "cut off her tail with a carving knife."

And that's just what Linette did, undertaking a game plan to move Pliskova around the court and not allow her to be comfortable and control rallies with penetrating groundstrokes fired from the middle of the court. Her unwavering execution of that match blueprint managed to move the Czech from side to side, keeping her on the move and extending rallies that helped to produce errors off Pliskova's racket.

After the two exchanged breaks to open the match, Linette began to assert herself with love holds in games 3 and 5. A game later Pliskova, her big serve not firing to any great effect, fell behind love/40. A missed forehand gave Linette a 4-2 edge. Serving well, hitting consistently and orchestrating rallies with great variety, Linette kept a step ahead. She held for 5-2, and took at 30/love lead two games later when serving for the opening set.

Pliskova reached BP in the game with a rare forehand winner from the middle of the baseline, but couldn't replicate the occasion. Linette reached SP, and Pliskova's floated backhand gave the Pole the 1st at 6-3.



A set away from once again re-setting the table in terms of the biggest accomplishment in her slam career, Linette never gave Pliskova any great opening by which she could seize control of the match, and the Czech didn't do much to take it by force, either. She managed to stay even and a half-step up on serve for most of the set, though, giving herself a chance for a big move should an opportunity arise. But then Pliskova played one horrible service game that essentially made even pushing the match into a deciding set a bridge too far.



Pliskova's two BP chances in game 4 were swept away by Linette, as she held for 2-2. Pliskova held from love/40 a game later, but two games later saw a Linette backhand crosscourt winner that bounced past a late-arriving Czech give her double BP at 15/40. Pliskova proceeded to play likely her best, most forward game of the match. She saved the first of three BP with a forehand winner into the corner from the doubles alley, then reached GP with an ace up the T. She held for 4-3, then kept her mini-edge by securing another to lead 5-4. But her next serve game would be undoing.

Pliskova's horrific turn in game 11 included two DF, the second putting her behind at 15/40 8-ball. A loose forehand error on BP handed Linette the break on a silver platter (and not the kind they give to finalists at the end of tournaments, either).

Serving to become the third Polish woman (Swiatek and Aga Radwanska, the latter present in the player's box) to reach the AO semis, Linette's wide serve and forehand winner down the line put her two points away at 30/15. A Pliskova forehand error gave her a MP two points later. On the run, the Czech netted a forehand that ended the 6-3/7-5 match and kept the Pole's dream run alive.



As Jelena Dokic noted in Linette's post-match interview, today she pretty much played a "perfect" match that kept Pliskova from even being in position to power her way through to a win. For her part, Linette talked about how her hard journey to reach her career-defining moment (to least the *current* one) had included the difficult process of learning to not allow her mistakes/losses to define her and prevent her from being the best player she could be (good advice for all, in tennis or otherwise). Getting there, her coaches had to "put up with a lot crap," she said, but she's thankful that they did.

Consider this the fruit of *all* their collective efforts. Well, unless there's something still *sweeter* just around the corner.








=DAY 10 NOTES=
...in the second QF, #5 Aryna Sabalenka's necessary breaking down of her serve (which she now admits that even when it was good in the past still wasn't reliably sound) over the course of '22 continued to pay dividends. In fact, we're getting closer and closer to possibly confirming that the troubles she faced a year ago, and how she faced them down and came out on the other end better than she was before (technique-wise, as well as mentally and physically so) might just turn out to be the trial (and her response to it) that changed her career forever.

Down the stretch of last year, Sabalenka was clearly in a much better place. She reached the U.S. Open semis last summer, managed to finish in the Top 10 (not a good bet last January) for a third straight season (plus two #11 rankings in 2018-19), and returned to the WTAF, where she reached her biggest career final after wins over the world #1, #2 and #3 (Iga, Jabeur and Pegula). She opened 2023 with a title run in Adelaide without dropping a set.

Even with a 1-5 mark in their career head-to-head (which she *didn't* know about), Sabalenka once again played in clear-headed fashion in her QF meeting today with Donna Vekic, herself having made her way through a career-threatening knee injury with a career-defining level of perseverance en route to one of her best ever results this past week in Melbourne. While Sabalenka had more DF today (9, vs. 9 aces) than she'd like, many came while serving into the sun on Laver, and she never let those brief issues turn her mood inside out, an occurrance that would have been likely not that long ago (and who knows what might have happened after that).

In the 1st set, Sabalenka held after saving three BP in game 3, then three more in game 7. Using her firepower off the ground, she put herself in position to serve out the set at 5-3. The Belarusian flirted with danger, as Vekic just missed on a crosscourt forehand at BP, but she used big serves to pull herself over the finish line. On her second SP, Sabalenka followed up a kick serve with a put-away slam at the net to take the 1st at 6-3.

The Croatian had had chances throughout to test Sabalenka's mettle when down on the scoreboard, but she could never come out on top in the most important points. Sabalenka saved nine of ten BP in the set.

Sabalenka's power became increasingly too much for Vekic to handle in the 2nd. Vekic nearly battled back for a hold from love/40 down in game 3, but couldn't hold Sabalenka back. She broke for a double-break 3-0 lead. Vekic got one break back, only to have it taken back a game later.

Serving for the match at 5-2, Sabalenka DF'd twice at deuce to give Vekic BP to keep the match alive, but she saved both (and a third BP) and found her way through, closing out the 6-3/6-2 match that, though the score wasn't close, still lasted nearly two hours (1:49). For the day, Vekic was just 2-of-14 in BP chances.



Sabalenka has now reached a fourth slam semi, at a third different major, with runs in back-to-back slams and at four of the last six in which she's played. Her 4-0 mark in career slam QF puts her on a short list of women who've started their career with such success, but Sabalenka's (so far) 0-3 record in semis shows that there is still (at least) one significant mental hurdle to clear before she can finally get the chance to play for her maiden slam crown.

9-0 on the year, with 18 consecutive sets won, the Belarusian surely looks to have made the changes and improvements necessary to take "the next step." But she still has to *do* it.



...in wheelchair singles, the seemingly inevitable match-up in the final between #1 Diede de Groot and #2 Yui Kamiji moved one round closer, as de Groot defeated Momoko Ohtana 6-4/6-0 in the QF. It's her 80th straight win, and 27th consecutive in slam competition.

Meanwhile, Kamiji allowed just two games to Dana Mathewson, winning her 47th straight non-de Groot match.

Elsewhere, Manami Tanaka upset #3 Aniek Van Koot in three sets, setting up a meeting with de Groot. Tanaka's career-best run is an example of the benefits of expanded WC draws in majors. This is only the 26-year old Tanaka's third career slam MD appearance and, as the world #9, she wouldn't even have been playing in Melbourne without the draw increase.

After being limited to 8 players in slam fields for years, last year's Roland Garros made the surprise announcement of an increase to 12, followed by the U.S. Open (seeing and) raising its number to 16, which this year was matched by the AO. Naturally, Wimbledon is the lone slam that has dragged its feet, unless a decision is made to finally *not* be the lone major sticking with an 8-player field this summer. I couldn't find anything about a decision -- one of many regarding "participation issues" to come from TPTB there, I guess -- being made about that as of yet.

#4 Jiske Griffioen defeated '20 AO semifinalist Zhu Zhenzhen in three sets, and will face Kamiji. This marks the veteran Dutch woman's third straight slam SF in her comeback. Before retiring after the 2017 season, the now 37-year old Griffioen had reached #1 and and won four singles majors (in 2015-16) at the end of a career that had begun in 2005. She returned to the sport in 2019.

...meanwhile, three of the Renaissance Hordettes are through to the girls' singles QF, as #7 Mirra Andreeva was joined today by #9 Alina Korneeva and Alevtina Ibragimova in the Final 8.

The lone seeded Czech, #2 Tereza Valentova advanced to the QF, keeping alive the possibility of a third different Crusher slam junior champ -- after Noskova in '21 and Havlickova in '22, both in Paris -- since the start of 2021. The last Czech to win the junior title in Melbourne was Karolina Pliskova in 2010.

...the first final of this AO will be set later tonight when the MX semis are contested, and there are some interesting possibilities at hand.

In one semi, Sania Mirza/Rohan Bopanna will face #3 Desirae Krawczyk/Neal Skupski. Mirza is playing in her farewell slam, and could go out a champion (or at least in the final) in a career that has seen her win six majors (3 WD, 3 MX) and appear in four other AO MX finals (she won in' 09); while Krawczyk is just an AO title away from completing a Career Mixed Slam. She's won four MX crowns in the last seven majors, including the last two Wimbledon titles with Skupski.

Krawczyk's run as the last woman alive in both WD/MX draws ended earlier today when she and Demi Schuurs fell in the WD QF to #1 Krejcikova/Siniakova.

The other MX semi features Aussie wild cards Olivia Gadecki/Marc Polmans vs. Brazilians Luisa Stefani/Rafael Matos. The last Aussie MX champs at the AO came a decade ago (Gajdosova/Ebden '13), with the most recent before that in 2005 (Stosur/Draper). Stefani, for all her success, has yet to reach either a slam WD or MX final in her career.





...ORIGINAL HORDETTE ALERT...ON DAY 10:










=WOMEN'S SINGLES SF=
#22 Elena Rybakina/KAZ vs. #24 Victoria Azarenka/BLR
Magda Linette/POL vs. #5 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES QF=
#1 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) def. #6 Krawczyk/Schuurs (USA/NED)
Kostyuk/Ruse (UKR/ROU) def. #4 Hunter/Mertens (AUS/BEL)
#10 Aoyama/Shibahara (JPN/JPN) def. Dolehide/Kalinskaya (USA/RUS)
#2 Gauff/Pegula (USA/USA) def. #11 H-C.Chan/Yang (TPE/CHN)

=MIXED DOUBLES SF=
Mirza/Bopanna (IND/IND) vs. #3 Krawczyk/N.Skupski (USA/GBR)
(WC) Gadecki/Polmans (AUS/AUS) vs. Stefani/Matos (BRA/BRA)

=WHEELCHAIR SINGLES QF=
#1 Diede de Groot/NED def. Momoko Ohtani/JPN
Manami Tanaka def. #3 Aniek Van Koot/NED
#4 Jiske Griffioen/NED def. Zhu Zhenzhen/CHN
#2 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Dana Mathewson/USA

=WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES QF=
#1 de Groot/Van Koot (NED/NED) vs. Cabrillana/Moreno (CHI/ARG)
Bernal/Kruger (COL/GER) vs. Mathewson/Shuker (USA/GBR)
Funamizu/Takamuro (JPN/JPN) vs. Montjane/Tanaka (RSA/JPN)
Griffioen/Ohtani (NED/JPN) vs. #2 Kamiji/Zhu (JPN/CHN)

=GIRLS SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#15 Renata Jamrichova/SVK def. Sonja Zhiyenbayeva/GER
#7 Mirra Andreeva/RUS def. Rositsa Dencheva/BUL
#13 Ranah Akua Stoiber/GBR def. Ella Seidel/GER
Weronika Ewald/POL def. #11 Ena Koike/JPN
#12 Sayaka Ishii/JPN def. #8 Nina Vargova/SVK
Alevtina Ibragimova/RUS def. #14 Yaroslava Bartashevich/FRA
#9 Alina Korneeva/RUS def. (Q) Rebecca Munk Mortensen/DEN
#2 Tereza Valentova/CZE def. #16 Hayu Kinoshita/JPN


















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*CAREER SLAM SF - active in '23*
23 - Venus Williams, USA (16-7)
9 - Victoria Azarenka, BLR (6-3) *
9 - Simona Halep, ROU (5-4)
8 - Angelique Kerber, GER (4-4)
7 - Petra Kvitova, CZE (3-4)
5 - Madison Keys, USA (1-4)
5 - Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS (4-1)
5 - Garbine Muguruza, ESP (4-1)
4 - Naomi Osaka, JPN (4-0)
4 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (2-2)
4 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (0-3)*
4 - Iga Swiatek, POL (3-1)
4 - Vera Zvonareva, RUS (2-2)
3 - Genie Bouchard, CAN (1-2)
3 - Sara Errani, ITA (1-2)
3 - Sloane Stephens, USA (2-1)
2 - Jennifer Brady, USA (1-1)
2 - Danielle Collins, USA (1-1)
2 - Ons Jabeur, TUN (2-0)
2 - Sofia Kenin, USA (2-0)
2 - Sabine Lisicki, GER (1-1)
2 - Alona Ostapenko, LAT (1-1)
2 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (1-0) *
2 - Maria Sakkari, GRE (0-2)
2 - Elina Svitolina, UKR (0-2)
2 - CoCo Vandeweghe, USA (0-2)
--
*-to play SF

[SLAM SF 2020-23]
4 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (0-3)*
4 - Iga Swiatek, POL (3-1)
3 - Ash Barty, AUS (2-1)
2 - Victoria Azarenka, BLR (1-0)*
2 - Jennifer Brady, USA (1-1)
2 - Simona Halep, ROU (0-2)
2 - Ons Jabeur, TUN (2-0)
2 - Sofia Kenin, USA (2-0)
2 - Naomi Osaka, JPN (2-0)
2 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (1-0)*
2 - Maria Sakkari, GRE (0-2)
2 - Serena Williams, USA (0-2)
1 - Danielle Collins, USA (1-0)
1 - Leylah Fernandez, CAN (1-0)
1 - Caroline Garcia, FRA (0-1)
1 - Coco Gauff, USA (1-0)
1 - Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (0-1)
1 - Angelique Kerber, GER (0-1)
1 - Madison Keys, USA (0-1)
1 - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (1-0)
1 - Martina Trevisan, ITA (0-1)
1 - Petra Kvitova, CZE (0-1)
1 - Magda Linette, POL (0-0)*
1 - Tatjana Maria, GER (0-1)
1 - Karolina Muchova, CZE (0-1)
1 - Garbina Muguruza, ESP (1-0)
1 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (1-0)
1 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (1-0)
1 - Nadia Podoroska, ARG (0-1)
1 - Emma Raducanu, GBR (1-0)
1 - Tamara Zidansek, SLO (0-1)
--
*-to play SF

[2023 AO SF BY NATION]
2 - BLR (Azarenka,Sabalenka)
1 - KAZ (Rybakina)
1 - POL (Linette)

[SLAM SF BY NATION 2020-23 / 12 slams]
9 - USA (5-4)
6 - BLR (1-3)**
5 - POL (3-1)*
4 - CZE (2-2)
3 - AUS (2-1)
2 - GER (0-2)
2 - GRE (0-2)
2 - JPN (2-0)
2 - KAZ (1-0)*
2 - ROU (0-2)
2 - RUS (1-1)
2 - TUN (2-0)
1 (W) - CAN,GBR,ESP
1 (L) - ARG,FRA,SLO,ITA

[2023 AO SEMIFINALISTS - career AO SF]
3 - Victoria Azarenka
1 - Magda Linette
1 - Elena Rybakina
1 - Aryna Sabalenka

[2023 AO SEMIFINALISTS - career AO W/L]
47-12...Azarenka
14-5...Sabalenka
9-3...Rybakina
8-6...Linette

[2023 AO SEMIFINALISTS - career Slam W/L]
153-55...Azarenka
41-19...Sabalenka
29-12...Rybakina
23-29...Linette

*FIRST-TIME SLAM SEMIFINALISTS SINCE 2019*
=2019=
AO: Danielle Collins/USA
RG: A.Anisimova/USA, A.Barty/AUS (W), M.Vondrousova/CZE (RU)
WI: Barbora Strycova/CZE, Elina Svitolina/UKR
US: Bianca Andreescu/CAN (W), Belinda Bencic/SUI
=2020=
AO: Sofia Kenin/USA (W)
US: Jennifer Brady/USA
RG: Nadia Podoroska/ARG, Iga Swiatek/POL (W)
=2021=
AO: Karolina Muchova, CZE
RG: Krejcikova/CZE (W), Pavlyuchenkova/RUS (RU), Sakkari/GRE, Zidansek/SLO
WI: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
US: Leylah Fernandez/CAN (RU), Emma Raducanu/GBR (W)
=2022=
AO: -
RG: C.Gauff/USA (RU), D.Kasatkina/RUS, M.Trevisan/ITA
WI: O.Jabeur/TUN (RU), T.Maria/GER, E.Rybakina/KAZ (W)
US: Caroline Garcia/FRA
=2023=
AO: Magda Linette/POL


*UNSEEDED WOMEN IN AO SF, since 2000*
Unseeded - 2000 Jennifer Capriati, USA
Unseeded - 2007 Serena Williams, USA (W)
Unseeded - 2010 Zheng Jie, CHN
Unseeded - 2015 Madison Keys, USA
Unseeded - 2016 Johanna Konta, GBR
Unseeded - 2017 Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, CRO
Unseeded - 2017 CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
Unseeded - 2018 Elise Mertens, BEL
Unseeded - 2019 Danielle Collins, USA
Unseeded - 2020 Garbine Muguruza, ESP (RU)
Unseeded - 2022 Madison Keys, USA
Unseeded - 2023 Magda Linette, POL
Wild Card - 2010 Justine Henin, BEL (RU)


*WTA SLAM QF W/L in 2020s - 12 events*
5 - Pegula (0-5) *
5 - Swiatek (4-1)
4 - Barty (3-1)
4 - Jabeur (2-2)
4 - Ka.Pliskova (1-3) *
4 - Sabalenka (4-0) *
3 - Gauff (1-2)
3 - Halep (2-1)
3 - Krejcikova (1-2)
3 - Rybakina (2-1) *
3 - Tomljanovic (0-3)
2 - Azarenka (2-0) *
2 - Brady (2-0)
2 - Collins (1-1)
2 - Fernandez (1-1)
2 - Kenin (2-0)
2 - Kvitova (1-1)
2 - Muchova (1-1)
2 - Osaka (2-0)
2 - Pavlyuchenkova (1-1)
2 - Sakkari (2-0)
2 - Svitolina (0-2)
2 - Trevisan (1-1)
2 - S.Williams (2-0)
1 - Anisimova (0-1)
1 - Badosa (0-1)
1 - Bencic (0-1)
1 - Bouzkova (0-1)
1 - Cornet (0-1)
1 - Garcia (1-0)
1 - Golubic (0-1)
1 - Hsieh (0-1)
1 - Kanepi (0-1)
1 - Kasatkina (1-0)
1 - Kerber (1-0)
1 - Keys (1-0)
1 - Kontaveit (0-1)
1 - V.Kudermetova (0-1)
1 - Linette (1-0) *
1 - Maria (1-0)
1 - Mertens (0-1)
1 - Muguruza (1-0)
1 - Niemeier (0-1)
1 - Ostapenko (0-1) *
1 - Pironkova (0-1)
1 - Podoroska (1-0)
1 - Putintseva (0-1)
1 - Raducanu (1-0)
1 - Rogers (0-1)
1 - Siegemund (0-1)
1 - Stephens (0-1)
1 - Vekic (0-1) *
1 - Zidansek (1-0)

[WTA SLAM QF W/L by nation in 2020s]
20 - USA (9-11)
12 - CZE (4-8)
7 - AUS (3-4)
6 - BLR (6-0)
6 - POL (5-1)
4 - GER (2-2)
4 - KAZ (2-2)
4 - RUS (2-2)
4 - TUN (2-2)
3 - ROU (2-1)
2 - CAN (1-1)
2 - ESP (1-1)
2 - EST (0-2)
2 - FRA (1-1)
2 - GRE (2-0)
2 - ITA (1-1)
2 - JPN (2-0)
2 - SUI (0-2)
2 - UKR (0-2)
1 - ARG (1-0)
1 - BEL (0-1)
1 - BUL (0-1)
1 - CRO (0-1)
1 - GBR (1-0)
1 - LAT (0-1)
1 - SLO (1-0)
1 - TPE (0-1)




**"FIRST SLAM..." FEATS IN 2020s**
=SF=
2020 AO - Sofia Kenin, USA (12th)
2020 US - Jennifer Brady, USA (13th)
2020 RG - Nadia Podoroska, ARG (2nd)
2020 RG - Iga Swiatek, POL (7th)
2021 AO - Karolina Muchova, CZE (9th)
2021 RG - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (5th)
2021 RG - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (52nd)
2021 RG - Maria Sakkari, GRE (21st)
2021 RG - Tamara Zidansek, SLO (9th)
2021 WI - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (15th)
2021 US - Leylah Fernandez, CAN (7th)
2021 US - Emma Raducanu, GBR (2nd)
2022 AO - none
2022 RG - Coco Gauff, USA (10th)
2022 RG - Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (26th)
2022 RG - Martina Trevisan, ITA (8th)
2022 WI - Ons Jabeur, TUN (21st)
2022 WI - Tatjana Maria, GER (35th)
2022 WI - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (12th)
2022 US - Caroline Garcia, FRA (42nd)
2023 AO - Magda Linette, POL (30th)





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TOP QUALIFIER: Katherine Sebov/CAN
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #3 Jessie Pegula/USA
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #22 Elena Rybakina/KAZ
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2 - #27 Brenda Fruhvirtova/CZE def. Daria Snigur/UKR 5-7/7-6(3)/6-3 (rallies from 7-5/5-1, break down twice early in the 3rd; 15-year old is youngest in AO MD in slam debut)
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #6 Maria Sakkari/GRE def. (Q) Diana Shnaider/RUS 6-3/5-7/3-6
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): WD 2r - Kolodziejova/Vondrousova (CZE/CZE) def. #7 Haddad Maia/Zhang (BRA/CHN) 3-6/7-6(9)/7-6(12) - saved 9 MP; trailed 5-0, 40/love in 3rd
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/Doub.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #3 Jessie Pegula/USA (def. Jaqueline Cristian/ROU)
FIRST SEED OUT: #28 Amanda Anisimova/USA (1r-lost to Kostyuk/UKR)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Anna Bondar/HUN, Olivia Gadecki/AUS, Diana Shnaider/RUS, Lucrezia Stefanini/ITA
BEST PROTECTED RANKING MD RESULT: Laura Siegemund/GER, Marketa Vondrousova/CZE (both 3rd Rd.)
UPSET QUEENS: UKR
REVELATION LADIES: CZE (three youngest players in MD)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: GER (1-4 1r; Petkovic ret., Kerber pregnant; NextGen 0-2)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Cristina Bucsa/ESP and Katie Volynets/USA (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Kimberly Birrell/AUS, Olivia Gadecki/AUS, Taylor Townsend/USA (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Kimberly Birrell, Olivia Gadecki (both 2nd Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Magda Linette/POL Additional nominee: Sabalenka
IT (Czech Crusher): Linda Fruhvirtova, CZE (into second week at age 17 in second major)
COMEBACK PLAYER: Donna Vekic/CRO
CRASH & BURN: Garbine Muguruza/ESP (1r; 5 con. losses; out of Top 80 first time in a decade)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE: Miriam Kolodziejova/Marketa Vondrousova, CZE/CZE (2r: down 5-0, 40/love in 3rd; saved 9 MP vs. Haddad Maia/Zhang; won 14-12 MTB)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: Nominees: Azarenka, Mirza, (WC)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Victoria Azarenka/BLR
AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD: One year after Barty is first WS champ in 44 years, #160 Fourlis is highest ranked AUS in MD; only two AUS wild cards get 1r wins, none past 2r
DOUBLES STAR: xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx





All for Day 10. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 2:39 AM 

3 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

Muguruza took WC into Lyon. Vekic still entered. Lisicki 9 out of Q.

Linette still on Hua Hin list. She might pull a Serena at Bastad, as she is defending champ from 2020.

It is guaranteed to happen again. After 3 women ranked 20 or below reached the final each of the last 3 years, Rybakina or Azarenka will make it 4.

Linette goes with a high risk first serve, going for the back line repeatedly. Pliskova's 1st serve pct was higher 64 to 63, but Linette won 67% of her 2nd serve points to 29% for Pliskova.

Only 2 love games in Vekic/Sabalenka match, and they were both breaks.

Stat of the Day- 2- Players left with a slam title.

We do have 4 stories, all of them good.

Rybakina going for her second slam in 7 months, Azarenka for her first in 10 years, Sabalenka going for her long awaited slam, and Linette, the one slam wonder, trying to channel her inner Puig.

Sabalenka will be 2 with final or title.

Rybakina will be 10/11 with final, 8 with title.

Azarenka will be 11/12 with final, 8 with title.

Linette will be 13/14 with final, 9 with title.

Linette would be first Polish woman to reach final here, first to win at any slam since Iga at the last slam.

Rybakina would be first Kazakh to reach final here, first to win a slam since herself at Wimbledon 2022.

Sabalenka would be first woman from Belarus to win here since Azarenka in 2013. Would be first to reach any final since Azarenka- US Open 2020.

Azarenka would set the record for longest time between winning slams with 10 yr wait. Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman had 8 yr break between US Open wins, 1911 to 1919.

Nelly Landry had a 10 year break between slam runs, losing 1938 RG, winning 1948 RG. Since this was wartime, that was 4 editions.

H2H:

3-0 Sabalenka leads Rybakina/2-0 Hard
3-1 Sabalenka leads Azarenka
2-0 Sabalenka leads Linette
2-0 Azarenka leads Linette
1-0 Rybakina leads Linette
1-0 Rybakina leads Azarenka

Hard- Last 3 Years:

74-31 Sabalenka
61-39 Rybakina
58-26 Azarenka
54-36 Linette

WTA Only:

44-31 Linette

Top 10 Wins-Last 3 Years:

10- Sabalenka/6 Hard
8 - Azarenka/7 Hard
8 - Rybakina/5 Hard
4 - Linette/1 Hard

Linette might be the one that sticks out, but this is a solid group.

60/40 Rybakina over Azarenka. Azarenka gets another night match, but the level Rybakina has brought is too good. Key to Azarenka staying in this match is to grind like she has been, and draw long rallies.

55/45 Sabalenka over Linette. If I go by the numbers, this should be 80/20 Sabalenka. Thing is, Linette has put more spin on the ball than I can remember, plus has served effectively. More chance of Linette frustrating Sabalenka than the other way around. If Sabalenka faces as many break point opportunities as she did against Vekic, she might get burned.



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

"Linette would be first Polish woman to reach final here, first to win at any slam since Iga at the last slam."

Heehee. Made me chuckle. :)

Great Vika stat (most years between), I was wondering about that.

Yep, I worry about Sabalenka if she gives Linette as many BP chances (14) as she gave Vekic.

Meanwhile...

So, Mirza kept the dream alive, reaching the MX final in her farewell slam.

She said that her partner, Rohan Bopanna, is her same partner from her first MX competition when she was 14 (and he 20). Now she's 36, and he's 42.

Talk about symmetry.

FYI: I don't think I'm going to be doing a post for Day 11, since *both* women's semis are in the dead of night and I'm *not* doing recaps of *two* matches that late.

Last year, there was at least the women's WC final during the day at this stage (so I made that the post, and skipped the WS semis), but this year the WC are only in SF.

I don't think the WC semis, WD semis and Jr. QF are enough to warrant a whole pre-night matches post between midnight-2 a.m. or so.

So I guess I'll catch up on the "The Day After the Day/The Day Before the Day" post for Day 12 tomorrow once the finals are set.

Wed Jan 25, 04:59:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

*-WC WD semis (not WD)

Wed Jan 25, 05:08:00 PM EST  

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