Saturday, June 10, 2023

Battle Tested, Iga is Approved

Paris is for Igas. But, as of now, there's only one.

Whew! (Said the balance of the WTA field.)




Ever since she became the lowest-ranked woman to win the Roland Garros women's title in 2020, emerging from the haze of the pandemic-interrupted schedule to claim the fall version of the event while never dropping a set and patroling the baseline inside empty stadiums as if some sort of teenage octopus capable of reaching all balls and pulling off every shot, Iga Swiatek and the terre battue have seemed to be made for each other.

Three years later, not much has changed, except that the (now) reigning world #1 has picked up a lot of company for her original hardware.

The path getting to the season's second slam this time around was been a challenging one.

A year ago, Swiatek arrived in Paris having run roughshod over the women's tour after assuming the top ranking with the retirement of Ash Barty. She won the Sunshine Double, claimed all four of the 1000-level events she'd played, and was undefeated on clay that spring as she went about winning her second RG title.

While having worn the #1 crown about as well as possible over the course of the past year, Swiatek's dominance has shown a few cracks over the first half of '23. Even on clay. She returned to France having won in none of her four 1000 level outings this year, saw her nearest rival in the rankings pick up her first slam title in Melbourne (while Iga went out in the 4th Round), and twice came up short in clay court match-ups against the two power players -- #2 Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid, #4 Elena Rybakina (now #3) in Rome -- coming up fast in her rearview mirror, going a combined 1-5 against the two since winning the U.S. Open last summer. After winning ten straight finals from the '20 RG until Flushing Meadows, Swiatek had gone 3-3 since.

But, even as her path got rockier, Iga always had Roland Garros. As long as it was there for her, it served as the light at the end of the tunnel that could set everything right again.

Right on cue two weeks ago, the symbiotic relationship between the Pole and the terre battue picked right up where it had left off. Swiatek came into Saturday's final not having dropped a set, having produced one love & love win, strung together 23 straight games at one point, and extended her tournament winning streak to 13 matches.

As all the players who'd given her trouble over the last nine months fell by the wayside, Swiatek's path to a third RG crown seemed ever more true.

Unseeded Karolina Muchova, finally healthy enough to utilize her athletic, variety-filled game to its fullest during an *entire* major, stood in Swiatek's way. A year after being forced to retire from the RG 3rd Round and leaving Paris with her foot in a boot, Muchova had reached her maiden slam final after staging a comeback from 5-2, love/30 down (saving a MP) vs. Sabalenka in the semifinals. The Czech was looking to become the first woman in 14 years to defeat the top two players in the world in a slam event (RG '09: Svetlana Kuznetsova). With a history of taking down highly-ranked foes on major stages, not only back-to-back wins in Paris over Top 10er Maria Sakkari the last two years, as well as the '21 finalist (Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova) in the QF, but also coming into the final with an almost insane 5-0 career mark vs. the Top 3. Four of those wins had come in slams (including over #1 Ash Barty in her home major). So, why not Iga in "her house," too?"

Yeah, why not play the role of a "smooth criminal" and rob the Pole blind in broad daylight?

After having won her third career slam crown last summer in New York while dealing with dissatisfaction with the balls, and having to play a far scrappier brand of tennis than usual while being forced to three sets on multiple occasions, Swiatek's run to her third RG final had mostly taken place through one-way traffic in Paris. Only a late 2nd set challenge and contested TB battle in the semis vs. the big-hitting Beatriz Haddad Maia had forced the Pole to reach deep within in order to survive. Would it be enough to prime her for a potential push from Muchova?

As it turned out, the push *did* come. And Iga proved able to handle the heat.

Unlike vs. Haddad Maia, when she dropped serve at love to open the match, Swiatek took a 40/love lead in game 1 here. Muchova found her footing with a few points, but missed a down the line shot as the #1 seed held serve.

As Muchova ventured to the net and was easily passed by Swiatek, one wondered if the Czech's game, as beautifully clean as it is, would have have enough firepower behind it to put Iga on her heels and rock the confidence she's continued to possess on this surface at this event. Power players, Haddad Maia included (for a while two days ago), have generally had the best luck at making the Pole question herself during a match, suckering her into trying to play her opponent's game without the same level of smoke behind her shots. Swiatek broke serve to take an early 2-0 lead, and quickly held for 3-0 as "Frontrunner Iga" made her first appearance of the day.

It was the sort of start that made a call to Natasha Zvereva (see the '88 RG final) for *her* thoughts creep into the match equation.

Muchova gradually found her way into the flow of the action, though. She held from 15/30 (hold that call) and went up love/30 on Swiatek's serve a game later. She reached BP, and the Czech fought off multiple Swiatek GP w/ net rushes and volley winners, but the Pole got the hold to lead 4-1.

Up 5-2, with Muchova serving to stay in the set, Swiatek took a love/40 lead. The Czech kept the BP rally alive while utilizing her bag-full of shots, but Iga's bag proved to be the more expensive. She won 6-2, her seventh straight set won in slam final competition.



Muchova dropped serve to fall behind 2-0 in the 2nd, and seemed to not be able to lift her game beyond solitary flashes of grace, as Swiatek's clean play was leaving few moments to exploit. Finally, the moment came in game 5, and Muchova took advantage, going up love/30 and getting the set back on serve with a forehand down the line for 3-2. After holding for 3-3, the Czech put the first real hint of scoreboard pressure on the Pole.

Iga then held at love.

Two games later, through, Swiatek fell behind love/30 at 4-all. Muchova's missed overhead from the corner off a Swiatek lob, then a forehand error, leveled the score. But she reached BP, and Swiatek blinked. Iga's DF gave the Czech a break edge, as once again the world #1 was seemingly affected -- as she often has been during her WTA reign -- when she was faced with even light pressure from her opponent rather than nearly outright capitulation from the other side of the net.

But, serving to knot the match, Muchova fell into a love/30 hole, missed on all five of her first serves and was broken at 15 as she floated a crosscourt backhand. Swiatek cracked back, though, as back-to-back errors gave the Czech a 15/40 edge. Another forehand error put Muchova up a break at 6-5.

Finally, Muchova's athleticism came to bear. After a DF made it love/30, her ace tied the score. After missing on a pair of SP, Muchova got a third on a slashing defensive rally during which it looked as if Swiatek would score with a winner from off the court, but the Czech's lunge-shot-while-doing-the-splits (and spinning around to head back toward the center of the court) finally sent a ball out of reach. Swiatek's backhand return error handed Muchova her first lost set of this RG (or any of her four slam finals) at 7-5.



12-1 in career two-set finals, Swiatek was just 1-3 in finals in which she'd been forced to go three.

Having reversed the tide in her favor, Muchova seemed to have turned the reigning champ inside out. Muchova won the first eight points of the 3rd set. While Swiatek DF'd on BP to break herself at love to open the set, Muchova fired consecutive aces to hold at love in game 2. The Czech was looking every bit the part of what would be the sixth maiden slam champ in Paris in seven years, starting with Alona Ostapenko in 2017 and only missing a Coco Gauff title run (stopped by Swiatek in the final) in '22.

But then Iga remembered who she was, where she was, and what was *supposed* to happen next.

Swiatek righted the ship with a love hold, then went up love/40 on return in game 4. She got the break to level things at 2-2.



Swiatek fired her first ace of the day in game 5, taking a 40/love lead and getting the hold, having won 12 of 14 points. But it wouldn't be the end of Muchova.

With time slipping away, the Czech starting playing bigger, taking larger and larger bites in an attempt to steal back the momentum. An Iga DF put the Pole down love/30. Muchova's deep-shot-and-drop-shot combo brought Swiatek into the net, setting up an easy put-away to give Muchova a 15/40 lead. The Czech moved in behind a deep forehand into the corner, pressuring Swiatak into a forehand error that got the break that put Muchova up 4-3.

It was here that experience and promise seemed to meet at a crossroads, and the former ultimately won out.

Having wrestled the advantage away from a three-time slam champ on her favorite court in the world, Muchova fell behind 15/40 on serve in game 8. She saved a pair of Swiatek BP, as the Pole pushed a Muchova drop shot long, and the Czech followed up with an ace. But on the game's third BP Muchova's drop shot attempt came up well short of the net, putting the set back on serve.

Taking a love/30 lead on Swiatek's serve, after Iga had retrieved a short ball and fired it back directly to Muchova, the Czech missed out on a double-BP opportunity when she sent a lob beyond the baseline. She ultimately held a BP, but Swiatek saved it and got the hold for 5-4, shifting the pressure back onto Muchova's shoulders to replicate the hold and keep the set marching along toward a potential match tie-break face-off.

But, at the last turn, Muchova stumbled as she wasn't quite up to completing the heist. Her forehand was *almost* her final liability, as one long error put her into a quick love/30 hole. Another UE from that wing made it 15/40. The final act, though, came courtesy of another shot, as the curtain came down on the Czech's great two-week run in Paris with an unfortunately-timed DF.

Suddenly, the crown wasn't going anywhere.

With the 6-2/5-7/6-4 win officially in the books, Swiatek crouched at the baseline and let the tears flow.



The Poles' win gives her three RG title runs in four years, the best stretch since Justine Henin's four-in-five year dominance that began 20 years ago on this week in 2003, and Iga's successful defense is the first in Paris since the Belgian claimed three straight from 2005-07. Even after she didn't repeat her big wins in Indian Wells, Miami and Rome this year, this is Swiatek's third title defense in '23 and fourth in the past 14 months.

She's now 28-2 in her Roland Garros career, is the third woman in the Open era to begin her slam final career on a 4-0 sprint, and what so many wanted the men's #1 to be in their mind's eye at this slam, well, Swiatek *is*. Even without a true top-tier, big-hitting challenge en route to the crown, she proved battle-worthy while passing the late test of Haddad Maia in the semis (though the Brazilian couldn't force a 3rd set) and Muchova down the stretch after such a poor final set start today.

After receiving the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen from seven-time RG winner Chris Evert, whose resume shows that Iga still has much history to chase in Paris -- and at just 22 she seems to have the time to do it -- Swiatek shook the familiar hardware in triumph, causing "Suzy" to lose her head (lid), just what the world #1 herself had managed to avoid in the final.

(Ah, La Divine... trying to steal the show, even in shiny silver form.)




While Muchova, who'll go from #43 to a new career high ranking of #16, heads to what would seem an even better venue for her talents on the grass -- remember, she reached the QF in her first two SW19 MD appearances before actually playing there last year after leaving RG in the boot just weeks earlier (she lost to Simona Halep in the 1st Rd.) -- Swiatek moves on to a more challenging battleground than her much-loved terre battue. A year ago, the Pole, a former junior champ at the AELTC (2018), nonetheless played down her ability to achieve on the lawns prior to her 3rd Round exit (she's 5-3 there).

Once again, choppier waters or no, the #1 ranking will likely be on the line. Swiatek heads into the grass season holding the #1 spot for a 63rd straight week, with her most ardent pursuers sporting games seemingly (according to Iga) far more built for success than her own during this part of the schedule, Rybakina (the reigning Wimbledon champ) and Sabalenka ('21 semifinalist).

But that's the *next* right looming just over the horizon. At the moment, Swiatek can take a quick break and enjoy the latest spoils of her Parisian success before recharging for what's to come. With her "worst" surface, and then a U.S. Open title defense attempt, on deck, it promises to be a busy summer.








=DAY 14 NOTES=
...the wheelchair champions were also determined on Saturday, and after Yui Kamiji had a brief stretch in which she took the opening set and pushed Diede de Groot, the Dutch #1 has closed that down as 2023 has progressed. De Groot collected her 18th slam singles crown today with a 6-2/6-0 win over Kamiji, winning her 10th consecutive major title and extending her winning streak over Kamiji to 22. De Groot's overall singles winning streak now stands at 103 matches (33 vs. slam competition) over the last 29 months.



De Groot has won 200 of her last 206 sets. Of the ten she's lost since the start of the '21 season, Kamiji has won eight of them. This RG final win improves de Groot's slam final record to 18-3 (14-2 vs. Kamiji), and she now stands just three away from matching the all-time WS slam mark of 21 held by Esther Vergeer, who'll finally be enshirined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame next month.

The ITHoF began the promotion of that event this past week with a short bio/interview featuring Vergeer...



Kamiji, with a 70-match winning streak against everyone *else* in the WC field, was playing in an all-time women's record 25th slam singles final (she's won 8). The Japanese veteran has reached 30 of the last 31 slam finals outside of Wimbledon, where she finally reached her first title match last year in her sixth attempt.



Meanwhile, de Groot has reached the finals in 44 of her 50 career slam s/d competition appearances (including both this year in Paris), but she didn't get her 13th career slam sweep this time around. Kamiji teamed with Kgothatso Montjane to defeat de Groot and first-time partner Maria Florencia Moreno in a 6-2/6-3 doubles final today, ending de Groot's run of five straight RG doubles titles (all w/ Aniek Van Koot, who is currently injured).



The win is Kamiji's fourth in doubles in Paris, and 19th in her slam career (behind only Van Koot's 23 and Vergeer's 21), while South African Montjane's history-making career -- which included reaching the Wimbledon singles final in 2021 and four other slam doubles finals -- becomes the first Black woman and the first from the continent of Africa to win a slam wheelchair crown, doing so at age 37.

...more history was made in the juniors, as Alina Korneeva won the singles to become the first to win consecutie girls' slam titles since 2013 (Bencic).



#3-seeded Korneeva defeated #6 Lucciana Perez Alarcon, the first player from Peru to reach a slam junior final, by a 7-6(4)/6-3 score, following up her Australian Open final win over Mirra Andreeva in January.

The last player to win *three* junior slams in a season was Magdalena Maleeva (1990), and the last to claim three in a row was Natasha Zvereva in 1987 (then playing under the Soviet flag, she won Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S.).



The all-Bannerette duo of Tyra Caterina Grant & Clervie Ngounoue won the girls' doubles final. The #6 seeds defeated top-seeded Korneeva & Sara Saito, 6-3/6-2. It's Ngounoue's second junior slam, having won the AO title last year with Diana Shnaider.



...Shnaider (w/ Caroline Dolehide) won the La Bisbal d'Empordà (ESP) 125 doubles title today. The singles final will feature Arantxa Rus and Panna Udvardy.



The Markarska (CRO) 125 final will feature Mayar Sherif (the all-time 125 title leader w/ 4) and Jasmine Paolini (going for her third, and second in a row).





*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Iga Swiatek/POL def. Karolina Muchova/CZE 6-2/5-7/6-4

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL=
(PR) Hsieh S-w./Wang Xinyu (TPE/CHN) vs. #10 Fernandez/Townsend (CAN/USA)

=MIXED DOUBLES FINAL=
Kato/Puetz (JPN/GER) def. (Alt.) Andreescu/Venus (CAN/NZL) 4-6/6-4 [10-6]

=WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN 6-2/6-0

=WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 Kamiji/Montjane (JPN/RSA) vs. de Groot/Moreno (NED/ARG) 6-2/6-3

=GIRLS SINGLES FINAL=
#3 Alina Korneeva/RUS def. #6 Lucciana Perez Alarcon/PER 7-6(4)/6-3

=GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL=
#6 Grant/Ngounoue (USA/USA) def. #1 Korneeva/Saito (RUS/JPN) 6-3/6-2







...NOT ONE TO CARP ON THE OCCASIONAL "FACTUAL TYPO" (hello, mirror), BUT ... ON DAY 14:


If you're calling the women' RG final on NBC, a major network (or, well, it *used* to be when it comes to tennis), you (Dan Hicks) probably shouldn't insist that this slam included Karolina Muchova's first slam semifinal (it's her second) or say (John McEnroe) that the Czech's doubles success (she's 4 games over .500 in WD in her career, has one career final -- nine years ago on the ITF level -- and has never been above #222 in the rankings) has been bigger than that of her singles until now. Wrong Czech.

I guess that'll happen, not just with the on-air crew but the supporting staff providing information, when a network covers a 15-day slam for just a handful of hours over the first fourteen days and then suddenly has to produce and air the most important match of the tournament so far.


...COOL BEANS... ON DAY 14:




...NICE PHOTO FROM THE WHEELCHAIR WD SEMIS AS... ON DAY 14:


Diede de Groot helps carry -- almost literally -- Maria Florencia Moreno into her first career slam final.





...ANNIVERSARY... ON DAY 14:




...NUMBERS GUY IS MILKING THIS NOW... ON DAY 14:























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kosova-font

*RECENT WOMEN'S SLAM WINNERS*
2020 AO: Sofia Kenin, USA*
2020 US: Naomi Osaka, JPN
2020 RG: Iga Swiatek, POL*
2021 AO: Naomi Osaka, JPN
2021 RG: Barbora Krejcikova, CZE*
2021 WI: Ash Barty, AUS
2021 US: Emma Raducanu, GBR*
2022 AO: Ash Barty, AUS
2022 RG: Iga Swiatek, POL
2022 WI: Elena Rybakina, KAZ*
2022 US: Iga Swiatek, POL
2023 AO: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR*
2023 RG: Iga Swiatek, POL
--
* - first-time slam champ

*AGE OF 2020s SLAM WINNERS*
18 = Emma Raducanu (2021 US)
19 = Iga Swiatek (2020 RG)
21 = Iga Swiatek (2022 RG)
21 = Iga Swiatek (2022 US)
21 = Sofia Kenin (2020 AO)
22 = Iga Swiatek (2023 RG)
22 = Naomi Osaka (2020 US)
23 = Naomi Osaka (2021 AO)
23 = Elena Rybakina (2022 WI)
24 = Aryna Sabalenka (2023 AO)
25 = Ash Barty (2021 WI)
25 = Ash Barty (2022 AO)
25 = Barbora Krejcikova (2021 RG)

*ROLAND GARROS #1 SEEDS*
2010 Serena Williams (QF)
2011 Caroline Wozniacki (3rd Rd.)
2012 Victoria Azarenka (4th Rd.)
2013 Serena Williams (W)
2014 Serena Williams (2nd Rd.)
2015 Serena Williams (W)
2016 Serena Williams (RU)
2017 Angelique Kerber (1st Rd.)
2018 Simona Halep (W)
2019 Naomi Osaka (3rd Rd.)
2020 Simona Halep (4th Rd.)
2021 Ash Barty (2nd Rd.)
2022 Iga Swiatek (W)
2023 Iga Swiatek (W)

*2020s SLAM FINALISTS - BY NATION*
5 - USA (1-4)
4 - POL (4-0)*
3 - CZE (1-2)*
2 - AUS (2-0)
2 - JPN (2-0)
2 - BLR (1-1)
2 - KAZ (1-1)
2 - TUN (0-2)
1 - GBR (1-0)
1 - CAN (0-1)
1 - ESP (0-1)
1 - RUS (0-1)
[RG]
3 - Poland (3-0)
2 - Czech Republic (1-1)
2 - United States (0-2)
1 - Russia (0-1)

*CAREER SLAM FINALS - active*
16...Venus Williams (7-9)
5...Victoria Azarenka (2-3)
5...Simona Halep (2-3)
4...Naomi Osaka (4-0)
4...IGA SWIATEK (4-0)
4...Angelique Kerber (3-1)
4...Garbine Muguruza (2-2)
4...Svetlana Kuznetsova (2-2)
3...Petra Kvitova (2-1)
2...Sofia Kenin (1-1)
2...Sloane Stephens (1-1)
2...Elena Rybakina (1-1)
2...Ons Jabeur (0-2)
2...Karolina Pliskova (0-2)
2...Vera Zvonareva (0-2)
[slam finals - 2020s]
4 - IGA SWIATEK (4-0)
2 - Naomi Osaka (2-0)
2 - Sofia Kenin (1-1)
2 - Ash Barty (2-0)
2 - Ons Jabeur (0-2)
2 - Elena Rybakina (1-1)
1 - Barbora Krejcikova (1-0)
1 - Emma Raducanu (1-0)
1 - Aryna Sabalenka (1-0)
1 - Victoria Azarenka (0-1)
1 - Jennifer Brady (0-1)
1 - Danielle Collins (0-1)
1 - Leylah Fernandez (0-1)
1 - Coco Gauff (0-1)
1 - KAROLINA MUCHOVA (0-1)
1 - Garbine Muguruza (0-1)
1 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (0-1)
1 - Karolina Pliskova (0-1)
[RG finals - active]
3...IGA SWIATEK (3-0)
3...Simona Halep (1-2)
2...Svetlana Kuznetsova (1-1)
1...Barbora Krejcikova (1-0)
1...Garbine Muguruza (1-0)
1...Alona Ostapenko (1-0)
1...Sara Errani (0-1)
1...Coco Gauff (0-1)
1...Sofia Kenin (0-1)
1...KAROLINA MUCHOVA (0-1)
1...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (0-1)
1...Sloane Stephens (0-1)
1...Marketa Vondrousova (0-1)
1...Venus Williams (0-1)

*BEST STARTS TO SLAM FINAL CAREER - OPEN ERA*
4-0 - Monica Seles
4-0 - Naomi Osaka
4-0 - IGA SWIATEK
[men]
4-0 - Roger Federer
-
NOTE: Barty (3-0)

*UNSEEDED RG FINALISTS IN OPEN ERA*
1971 Helen Gourlay, AUS
1976 Renata Tomanova, TCH
1977 Florenta Mihal, ROU
1983 Mima Jausovec, YUG
2017 Alona Ostapenko, LAT (W)
2019 Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
2020 Iga Swiatek, POL (W)
2021 Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (W)
2023 Karolina Muchova, CZE

*2023 REPEAT CHAMPIONS*
[singles]
Doha - Iga Swiatek
Bogota - Tatjana Maria
Stuttgart - Iga Swiatek
Roland Garros - Iga Swiatek
[doubles]
Australian - Krejcikova/Siniakova
Doha - Gauff/Pegula
Dubai - Veronika Kudermetova
Stuttgart - Krawczyk/Schuurs

*2023 WTA SINGLES TITLES*
3 - Aryna Sabalenka (Adelaide 1/Aust.Open/Madrid)
3 - IGA SWIATEK (Doha/Stuttgart/R.Garros)
2 - Belinda Bencic (Adelaide 2/Abu Dhabi)
2 - Elena Rybakina (Indian Wells/Rome)
[2020-23]
14 - 1/2/8/3 - IGA SWIATEK
8 - 3/2/0/3 - Aryna Sabalenka
7 - 1/5/1/- - Ash Barty (ret.)
6 - 0/3/2/1 - Barbora Krejcikova
5 - 3/0/2/0 - Simona Halep
5 - 0/4/1/0 - Anett Kontaveit
4 - 0/1/1/2 - Belinda Bencic
4 - 0/0/4/0 - Caroline Garcia
4 - 0/1/2/1 - Ons Jabeur
4 - 0/2/2/0 - Dasha Kasatkina
4 - 1/0/1/2 - Elena Rybakina
4 - 0/1/3/0 - Liudmila Samsonova
4 - 2/1/0/1 - Elina Svitolina
[2020-23 clay titles]
7 - IGA SWIATEK (1/1/3/2)
2 - Simona Halep (2/0/0/0)
2 - Ons Jabeur (0/0/1/1)
2 - Barbora Krejcikova (0/2/0/0)
2 - Bernarda Pera (0/0/2/0)
2 - Tatjana Maria (0/0/1/1)
2 - Aryna Sabalenka (0/1/0/1)
2 - Elina Svitolina (1/0/0/1)

*MOST WTA FINALS in 2023*
5 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (3-2)
5 - IGA SWIATEK, POL (3-2)
4 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (2-2)
3 - Belinda Bencic, SUI (2-1)
2 - Caroline Garcia, FRA (0-2)
[2020-23]
17 - 1/2/9/5 = SWIATEK (14-3)
14 - 3/3/3/5 = Sabalenka (8-6)
12 - 1/7/4/0 = Kontaveit (5-6-1)
12 - 5/0/3/4 = Rybakina (4-8)
10 - 0/3/6/1 = Jabeur (4-6)
9 - 1/6/2/ret...Barty (8-1)
8 - 0/4/3/1 = Krejcikova (6-2)
8 - 0/3/2/3 = Bencic (4-4)
7 - 0/4/2/1 = Kasatkina (4-3)

*RECENT ROLAND GARROS GIRLS FINALS*
2008 Simona Halep/ROU d. Elena Bogdan/ROU
2009 Kristina Mladenovic/FRA d. Dasha Gavrilova/RUS
2010 Elina Svitolina/UKR d. Ons Jabeur/TUN
2011 Ons Jabeur/TUN d. Monica Puig/PUR
2012 Annika Beck/GER d. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova/SVK
2013 Belinda Bencic/SUI d. Antonia Lottner/GER
2014 Dasha Kasatkina/RUS d. Ivana Jorovic/SRB
2015 Paula Badosa/ESP d. Anna Kalinskaya/RUS
2016 Rebeka Masarova/SUI d. Amanda Anisimova/USA
2017 Whitney Osuigwe/USA d. Claire Liu/USA
2018 Coco Gauff/USA d. Caty McNally/USA
2019 Leylah Fernandez/CAN d. Emma Navarro/USA
2020 Elsa Jacquemot/FRA d. Alina Charaeva/RUS
2021 Linda Noskova/CZE d. Erika Andreeva/RUS
2022 Lucie Havlickova/CZE d. Solana Sierra/ARG
2023 Alina Korneeva/RUS d. Lucciana Perez Alarcon/PER

*CONSECUTIVE JUNIOR SLAM TITLES, since 1990*
1990 AO/RG - Magdalena Maleeva, BUL
1994 RG/WI - Martina Hingis, SUI
1996 US/1997 AO - Mirjana Lucic, CRO
1996 RG/WI - Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
1997 WI/US - Cara Black, ZIM
2000 WI/US - Maria Emilia Salerni, ARG
2006 US/2007 AO - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
2013 RG/WI - Belinda Bencic, SUI
2023 AO/RG - Alina Korneeva, RUS

*SOVIET/RUSSIAN JUNIOR RG WINNERS*
[USSR]
1971 Elena Granatourova
1987 Natalia Zvereva
[Russia]
1998 Nadia Petrova
2014 Dasha Kasatkina
2023 Alina Korneeva

*RG WHEELCHAIR CHAMPIONS*
2007 Esther Vergeer, NED
2008 Esther Vergeer, NED
2009 Esther Vergeer, NED
2010 Esther Vergeer, NED
2011 Esther Vergeer, NED
2012 Esther Vergeer, NED
2013 Sabine Ellerbrock, GER
2014 Yui Kamiji, JPN
2015 Jiske Griffioen, NED
2016 Marjolein Buis, NED
2017 Yui Kamiji, JPN
2018 Yui Kamiji, JPN
2019 Diede de Groot, NED
2020 Yui Kamiji, JPN
2021 Diede de Groot, NED
2022 Diede de Groot, NED
2023 Diede de Groot, NED
[doubles]
2007 Maaike Smit/Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2008 Jiske Griffioen/Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2009 Korie Homan/Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2010 Daniela Di Toro/Aniek van Koot, AUS/NED
2011 Esther Vergeer/Sharon Walraven, NED/NED
2012 Marjolein Buis/Esther Vergeer, NED/NED
2013 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Koot, NED/NED
2014 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2015 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Koot, NED/NED
2016 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR
2017 Marjolein Buis/Yui Kamiji, NED/JPN
2018 Diede de Groot/Aniek Van Koot, NED/NED
2019 Diede de Groot/Aniek Van Koot, NED/NED
2020 Diede de Groot/Aniek Van Koot, NED/NED
2021 Diede de Groot/Aniek Van Koot, NED/NED
2022 Diede de Groot/Aniek Van Koot, NED/NED
2023 Yui Kamiji/Kgothatso Montjane, JPN/RSA

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM SINGLES TITLES*
21 - Esther Vergeer, NED [9-6-0-6]
18 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED [5-4-4-5]*
8 - Yui Kamiji, JPN [2-4-0-2]*
4 - Jiske Griffioen, NED [2-1-1-0]*
3 - Aniek van Koot, NED [1-0-1-1]
3 - Monique Kalkman, NED [0-0-0-3]
[doubles]
23 - Aniek van Koot, NED [7-8-3-5]*
21 - Esther Vergeer, NED [7-5-3-6]
19 - YUI KAMIJI, JPN [5-4-7-3]*
16 - Diede de Groot, NED [4-5-2-5]*
14 - Jiske Griffioen, NED [5-3-2-4]*
12 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR [3-2-5-2]
[overall s/d]
42 - Esther Vergeer, NED (21/21)
34 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED (18/16)*
27 - YUI KAMIJI, JPN (8/19)*
26 - Aniek Van Koot, NED (3/23)*
18 - Jiske Griffioen, NED (4/14)*
[all-time s/d WC]
50 - Shingo Kunieda, JPN (28/22)
42 - Esther Vergeer, NED (21/21)
34 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED (18/16)*
27 - YUI KAMIJI, JPN (8/19)*
26 - Aniek Van Koot, NED (3/23)*
24 - ALFIE HEWETT, GBR (7/17)*
23 - Stephane Houdet, FRA (4/19)
23 - GORDON REID, GBR (2/21)*
-
*-active

*WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS - active*
25 - YUI KAMIJI, JPN (8-17)
21 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED (18-3)
14 - Aniek Van Koot, NED (3-11)
6 - Jiske Griffioen, NED (4-2)
1 - KG Montjane, RSA (0-1)
1 - Momoko Ohtani, JPN (0-1)

*2023 WTA DOUBLES FINALS*
4 (2-1) = TAYLOR TOWNSEND, USA*
4 (2-2) = Coco Gauff, USA
4 (2-2) = Jessie Pegula, USA
3 (2-1) = Desirae Krawczyk, USA
3 (2-1) = Katerina Siniakova, CZE
3 (1-2) = Chan Hao-ching, TPE
3 (0-2) = LEYLAH FERNANDEZ, CAN*
3 (0-2) = WANG XINYU, CHN*
3 (0-3) = Giuliana Olmos, MEX
[2023 finals - duos]
4...Gauff/Pegula, USA/USA (2-2)
2...Krejickova/Siniakova, CZE/CZE (2-0)
2...FERNANDEZ/TOWNSEND, CAN/USA (0-1)*






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And a Mickey Rooney reunion...




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TOP QUALIFIER: Mirra Andreeva/RUS (16; youngest in MD)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): (Q) Mirra Andreeva/RUS (6 games lost in fewest in field; 10 con. sets Q+MD)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #14 Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): #1 Iga Swiatek/POL (3rd RG title in 4 yrs.)
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: #29 Brenda Fruhvirtova/CZE def. Antonia Ruzic/CRO 3-6/6-2/7-6(10) - Ruzic MP in MTB; B.Fruhvirtova qualifies for first RG
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - Anna Blinkova/RUS def. #5 Caroline Garcia/FRA 4-6/6-3/7-5 (Garcia saves 8 MP, but Blinkova gets upset on #9)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 4th Rd. - #14 Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA def. Sara Sorribes Tormo/ESP 6-7(3)/6-3/7-5 - 3:51 is third longest RG in Open era
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): SF - Karolina Muchova/CZE def. #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR 7-6/6-7/7-5 (from 5-2 down and love/30, saved MP; 20/24 points to end match)
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Magdalena Frech/POL (def. Sh.Zhang)
FIRST SEED OUT: #29 Zhang Shuai/CHN (1r: Frech/POL)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: M.Andreeva/RUS, Avanesyan/RUS, Grabher/AUT, Navarro/USA, Noskova/CZE, Shymanovich/BLR, Stearns/USA, Waltert/SUI
UPSET QUEENS: ITA
REVELATION LADIES: RUS (11-2 1st Rd.)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: CZE (3-9 1st Rd.; four seeds out 1r; Krejcikova 0-2 since '21 title)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Mirra Andreeva/RUS, Olga Danilovic/SRB, Kayla Day/USA, Clara Tauson/DEN (all 3rd Rd.)
LAST LUCKY LOSER STANDING: Elina Avanesyan/RUS (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Leolia Jeanjean/FRA, Emma Navarro/USA & Diane Parry/FRA (all 2nd Rd.)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS (QF), Elina Svitolina/UKR (QF); Sara Sorribes Tormo/ESP (4r)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: Oceane Dodin, Caroline Garcia, Leolia Jeanjean & Diane Parry (all 2nd Rd.)
Ms./Mademoiselle OPPORTUNITY: Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA (first BRA slam QF since '68) and Karolina Muchova/CZE (first slam final)
IT "One-Name Teen": Mirra Andreeva/RUS
COMEBACK PLAYER: Elina Svitolina, UKR
CRASH & BURN: Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (0-2 since winning '21 title; 24 con. slam WD streak ends)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2nd Rd.: down 5-2 3rd vs. Samsonova; #333 second-lowest ranked RG 4r; 4th Rd.: down set and 3-1, w/ 7 BP for 4-1 vs. Mertens)
DOUBLES STAR: Miyu Kato/JPN
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Kgothatso Montjane, RSA (WC doubles; first Black woman to win WC slam title) Additional nominee: Hsieh
Mademoiselle/Madame OF THE EVENING: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR (won only women's night session match)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Lucciana Perez Alarcon/PER (1st PER slam jr. final) & Alisa Oktiabreva/RUS (qualifier to SF in slam jr. debut)
Légion de Lenglen: UKR/RUS-BLR controversies
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: 20th Anniv. of Justine Henin's first RG title in 2003






All for Day 14. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 9:40 PM 

3 Comments:

Blogger Diane said...

I don’t know if I ever told you this, but several years ago, I published a piece on the “The Man That Got Away” scene in the film. Bikwil, an eccentric little Australian journal that’s no longer in print, had an ongoing series called “Memorable Moments in Music,” so it was part of that. I’d like to get it re-printed, but there isn’t much of a market for reprints, or for “obscure” musical subjects.

Sat Jun 10, 10:15:00 PM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

Wimbledon is on the clock. Also has to live up to two great slam finals this season.

Muchova was sloppy early, but the game at 3-1 got her into the match.

Muchova had her chances. Served at 4-3 in the 3rd, just didn't get it done. Credit to Iga for fighting.

Korneeva looked gassed during singles, pleasantly surprised she made it through doubles.

Perez Alarcon looks like an old time clay courter. Vertically challenged, she plays better when she slows her backhand down. See her having more success in doubles, with the occasional QF/SF singles run on clay. Projects between 100-120.

Korneeva has a fighting spirit that will serve her well. Is already 5-11, which is another feather in her cap. Drop shots are getting better, slight resemblance to Vaidisova in style. Projects between 20-40.

Stat of the Day- 19- Career finals for Kirsten Flipkens.

Flipkens has gotten tons of airtime being the mentor/coach of Karolina Muchova. So why not take a quick look back at Flipkens' career.

Relevant this week as the 2 time Rosmalen runner up in singles, along with a 2 time finalist there in doubles, winning in 2017, Flipkens was known for grass.

In singles, her biggest run came on that surface, reaching the 2013 Wimbledon SF after defeating Kvitova and Pennetta in the 2 previous rounds. This was an outlier, as she would only reach the 4th rd(2013 AO) once in her other 49 slams.

The other odd thing, is though I think of her as a doubles player, even winning Hobart this year, she did not win her first doubles title until 2016.

That was 14 years after her doubles debut(2002 Antwerp), and was her 52nd doubles event. Since she really didn't devote herself to doubles until 2013, 19 of those 52 were slams.

This also means that her 1 slam SF and 3 QF in doubles are from 2017-2022.

The kicker? She has reached QF at every slam except Wimbledon.

Sun Jun 11, 07:38:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

D-
I *do* think I remember you mentioning that before. Sounds interesting!

C-
You can tell how small LPA is even in the shots where she's *alone.*

Speaking of that, Paolini looked really tiny in the post-Makarska trophy ceremony shots w/ Sherif and everyone else on Sunday.

Another thing that links Flipkens to this slam: she won back-to-back junior singles slams in 2003 (WI/US).

Sun Jun 11, 07:10:00 PM EDT  

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