Thursday, June 08, 2023

RG.12- Indiana Sabalenka and the Disintegration into Doom

Even if you're an adventurer armed with a dashing fedora, cracking whip and a desire for exploration... sometimes, the boulder wins.

In this case, the boulder's name was Karolina Muchova.



Heading into today women's semifinal match at Roland Garros, Australian Open champion and world #2 Aryna Sabalenka had one eye on her own performance in the match and another eye on the match that would follow and feature #1 Iga Swiatek (who, if she lost, would concede the top ranking to the Belarusian, thereby making her just the 8th woman in tour history to have been *both* the #1-ranked singles and doubles player during a career).

Perhaps Sabalenka needed a third eye in order to complete her adventure on Thursday, as it was Muchova's unwillingness to step aside, even when the odds seemed overwhelmingly against her, that set the stage for the sudden transformation of Sabalenka's heroic adventure into a disaster of near epic proportions.

It was Muchova's timeless all-court game, reliant on equal parts variety and cunning that in many ways stood not only in the way of Sabalenka completing her task, but in many ways in direct contrast to it. Sabalenka's brand of power tennis, brandished so effectively a round earlier vs. Elina Svitolina, was the "sword" to Muchova's "pen," the pulp adventure novel to her classic literature, the Indiana Jones to her Sherlock Holmes.

On this day, after some perilous moments, Sabalenka seemed to morph into a true adventurer, averting disaster on multiple occasions, walking a tightrope across cliffs and, for one brief shining moment, appearing as if she was about to prove once more by her actions between the lines just why she's been the best player in the world in 2023.

But, in the end, logic proved to be the mightier foe.

Muchova's gameplan was clearly to employ a mix of driving power and slice shots (if she had the time) in an attempt to prevent Sabalenka from getting into a batting practice-like flow. Things were kept pretty tight between the two throughout the set, save for a few brief openings.

For all intents and purposes, the game was afoot.

Leading 2-1, Sabalenka's big return got her a BP look. Muchova saved it with an ace. After saving another, the Czech reached GP with a slice backhand pass that created a low volley error from Sabalenka and paved the way for a hold. At 3-3, it was Muchova with a small opening when Sabalenka overshot a mid-court overhead for 30/30. But a big serve from the Belarusian and a Muchova volley error won the game for Sabalenka.

After Sabalenka had been unable to take advantage of a love/30 lead in the previous game, at 4-4, Muchova carved out her first real chance at 15/30. Closing in behind a deep return, the Czech's put-away volley gave her two BP at 15/40. Another wide return took Sabalenka off the right side of the court and Muchova moved forward. Her forehand winner got the first break of the match, giving her the chance to serve for the set at 5-4.

Muchova held a SP, but Sabalenka's power game flared to throw up an eleventh hour firewall. On SP, a big forehand created a defensive reply down the center of the court, setting up a clean forehand winner to get the game back to deuce. Firing away again on the next two points, Sabalenka reached BP, and Muchova's long backhand gave the Belarusian the break with her third straight point.



Muchova got the mini-break at 1-0, and led 3-0. She remained in front at 4-2, but Sabalenka's deep shot and overhead got things back on serve. Behind a pair of big second serves (one off the line), Sabalenka held both service points as Muchova's ball just missed the sideline, and she took a 5-4 lead. But Sabalenka's forehand yanked her back in the closing points. She sprayed a mid-court ball on the Czech's second point and gave Muchova a second SP at 6-5. Muchova's down the line backhand winner took the TB at 7-5.



Muchova got the early break in the 2nd, going up 2-0 as Sabalenka's forehand errors continued; but the world #2 responded with an immediate break back, blasting a forehand winner into and through the corner past a lunging Muchova on BP. At 3-3, Sabalenka dialed up her aggression on a Muchova second serve and reached BP, but the Czech saved it with an expertly constructed point that moved Sabalenka across the baseline and ended with Muchova finishing it off with a volley. But she wasted it with a loose forehand error on the next point. On her second BP, Sabalenka's wide backhand return set up a forehand winner to take a break lead at 4-3.

But Sabalenka couldn't keep the momentum going. With cracks in her forehand returning, and Muchova being a steady, often heady, force, the Czech immediately got the break back and followed it with a quick hold to get within a game of the final at 5-4. A game later, trying to stay alive while dangling from a cliff on a rope and trying to get her grip and find enough footing to climb to safety, for a game, Sabalenka channeled her "inner Indy" and held serve. Tasked with doing it again two games later, she donned the fedora once more and held at love.



In the TB, while Sabalenka's forehand gave her some early trouble as did Muchova's backhand in the stretch, the Belarusian kept a step ahead of the rolling boulder.



After Muchova's floating return hit the baseline, creating a Sabalenka forehand error to give the Czech a mini-break lead at 2-1, Muchova's backhand error gave it back a point later. Sabalenka unleashed a screaming crosscourt forehand to take a mini-break lead at 3-2, but a missed forehand gave it back at 4-3. But it was another Muchova backhand miss that pointed to a possible way out for Sabalenka, who led 5-3. With the set on her racket, serving two at 5-4, Sabalenka's service winner gave her two SP. She DF'd on the first but the second, on Muchova's serve, proved more to her liking as she took control of the rally early-on, and her overhead produced a Muchova error that gave Sabalenka the TB at 7-5.



Early in the 3rd, we saw occasional face-to-face moments where one woman had the chance to grab a potentially monumental lead, but didn't. Up 1-0, Sabalenka led 15/40, but Muchova ultimately got the hold (finishing w/ an ace). At 2-2, Muchova led love/30 on return, but let the opportunity slip away.

Finally, with Muchova with a fatigued look on her face, Sabalenka's pair of errors gave the Czech a 30/15 lead. Muchova reached GP, but the Belarusian's clean backhand winner from the center of the baseline created a BP chance. Muchova's forehand error handed Sabalenka the break lead at 4-2, her first two-game edge of the entire day.

With the match there for the taking, two Sabalenka errors put her down 15/30. She rallied to reach GP on an exchange in which both players raced across the baseline before Sabalenka directed a backhand out of Muchova's reach. She then fired an ace to hold.



In game 8, up 5-2 and leading love/30 on Muchova's serve, the shadow of Sabalenka's second straight slam final was creeping toward the finish line as everything seemed against the Czech.

But then it all changed. Slowly, at first, as Muchova simply moved forward and didn't concede defeat. She reached 30/30, but fell down MP after a point that began with a big Sabalenka return and was ultimately ended with another backhand error from the Czech. But Muchova held firm, held serve, and handed the goblet of victory over to Sabalenka to see if she could take a full drink.

Having been a point away a few moments earlier, this would be the time when Sabalenka's "heroic theme music" was supposed to begin to play over the action as she scaled one final wall and captured the prize (or at least the prize before the *big* prize)...



But it didn't happen. In fact, her quest came up empty. Totally empty. And when the red dust had settled it was Muchova who was walking away with a confident gait, having followed the treasure map to glory.

As usual, it was best to presume nothing.

The Czech fired a return winner to open the game. Soon, three consecutive Sabalenka errors put the 3rd set back on serve at 5-4. As Muchova was stretching her legs (perhaps cramping?), she was determined to shorten the points. She rushed toward the net, or tried a drop shot. Anything that could win a point quickly and move on to the next. She held at love, by now having won 11 of 12 points.

Down love/15, Sabalenka received a just-arrived, newly-strung racket from her coach. It seemed to make a difference, as she raced to a 40/15 lead and seemed to have averted disaster. But one wrong turn -- or two, as in consecutive DF -- turned the boulder back in her direction. A backhand miss and she was down BP. A moment later, Muchova was preparing to serve for the win at 6-5, having converted all five of the BP she'd seen on the day.

Having fully assumed the lead role in this drama, it was Muchova's turn to drink.

The Czech went up 30/love. Sabalenka received another racket. It didn't help. A Muchova drop shot winner made it 40/love. It was over in seconds, as Muchova completed her rally from 5-2, love/30 down in the 3rd. Having saved a MP four games earlier, the Czech reached her maiden slam final with a 7-6(5)/6-7(5)/7-5 win in 3:13, sweeping the final five games and 20 of the last 24 points as Sabalenka's latest episode in her attempt at an heroic climb devolved into a "Disintegration into Doom."



The win improves Muchova's career record to a remarkable 5-0 vs. the Top 3, with a fourth of those five wins -- following past defeats of #3 Pliskova (WI), #1 Barty (AO) and #3 Sakkari (RG) (though not #2 Osaka in Madrid) -- coming in slam competition.



Meanwhile, Sabalenka's past perils brought to life proved to still be just as dangerous as they'd previously been in flashback form. Now, having been *caught* by the boulder once more, she'll have to pick herself up and head to the grass, where there is rumored to be still more treasures to uncover (including the #1 ranking, which will remain in play no matter what happens on Saturday).




At the end of the day, the fedora, dusty and crumpled from the experience, settled on the terre battue. As she walked past, the Czech picked it up. Maybe it'll fit *her* more snugly in her coming fight.

Muchova, whose game sported the aesthetically pleasing (Federeresque?) look of a champion long before she came close to actually being one, now gets her chance to star in her own hero's tale.

Good luck to her. As any good adventurer will admit, such a thing is surely elementary.

Plus, in this case, she's probably gonna need it.




=DAY 12 NOTES=
...while Muchova may very well lift the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen in two days time, it's hard to escape the feeling that in today's second semifinal Iga Swiatek may have primed herself to win her third title in Paris in four years.

With Sabalenka's loss removing any doubt about what needed to happen in order for Swiatek to retain her #1 ranking, a win today over #14 Beatriz Haddad Maia would not only keep her atop the WTA heap (for now, at least) but also set her up for a chance to become the first woman to win three RG titles in four years since Justine Henin won four in five from 2003-07.

Unlike Swiatek's other opponents at this RG, Haddad Maia had a winning history against the Pole, having claimed their lone meeting in Toronto last summer. It seemed to make a difference. Of course, the Brazilian's 9-3 mark in her last 12 matches vs. the Top 10, and three straight wins from a set down (and once, MP down), probably didn't hurt, either.

Haddad Maia completed some of her early tasks in order to not be run off the court by Swiatek, namely not immediately falling behind (she broke at love to start the match, firing a big lefty forehand return winner on BP) and then seeing Frontrunner Iga steamroll the rest of the way. But Swiatek got the break back a game later, and ultimately rode a four-game winning streak to a 6-2 1st set win.

In the 2nd, though, Haddad Maia didn't turn her back to the competition and accept defeat. She went up a break early, and even after Swiatek broke back continued to pressure the world #1. Swiatek was forced to save a BP in a hold for 4-3, and two more in game 9 as Iga stayed a step ahead at 5-4. Serving to force a tie-break, the Brazilian closed out game 12 from 30/30 and completed the hold.

In the breaker, Haddad Maia continued to give Swiatek the test that she hadn't received over the past two weeks. Swiatek seemed to get tight mid-way through, and an edgy shot gave the Brazilian a mini-break lead at 5-3.

Had Haddad Maia been able to put away a routine volley on the next point, she would have had a handful of SP at 6-3. But she didn't, so we'll never know how Swiatek would have reacted to (likely) being forced into a 3rd set vs. a player with flowing confidence and a big shot. An error off the Pole's racket *did* give Haddad Maia a *single* SP at 6-5, so it was there that we *did* get to see how Iga reacted to a smaller, more quickly recouped deficit.

Swiatek surged in the closing moments, as a champion should (especially in her best slam). After missing on her first five first serves in the TB, she got the shot in on the most important point. Haddad Maia ended a short rally with a forehand error, and soon it was Swiatek with a MP. Haddad Maia saved it with a big forehand down the line, but MP #2 went the (continued) world #1's way, as she secured her fourth career berth in a slam final with a put-away at the net.



Undefeated in her previous slam final appearances, should Swiatek win another she'll tie the Open era record for the best start to a slam final career, matching the 4-0 starts of Monica Seles, Roger Federer and Naomi Osaka.

Had Sabalenka reached the final it'd been just the second #1-vs.-#2 match-up in a slam final in the last eight years (w/ 2018 AO - Halep/Wozniacki) and the first in Paris in a decade (2013 S.Williams/Sharapova). As it is, Muchova won't present nearly the newsworthy contrast in style, power and temperment. The Czech's big stage record vs. top players gives hope for a good one, but all the "intangibles" seem to be clearly in Swiatek's favor.

...the day began with the mixed doubles final providing the stage for one of the unfortunate stories of this RG to have a happy ending as Miyu Kato, DQ'd from the WD when her bouncing ball hit an unprepared ball girl (her appeal to receive her prize money and ranking points is still undecided), claimed her maiden slam title alongside Tim Puetz, defeating Bianca Andreescu & Michael Venus in a MTB to win 4-6/6-4 [10-6].



...the wheelchair final will be, as it has been in the slams (and everywhere else) far more often than not in recent years, yet another match-up between #1 Diede de Groot and #2 Yui Kamiji. To be exact, it'll be their fifth straight slam final match-up, the seventh in nine, and 16th in the last 22.

#1 de Groot defeated #4 Momoko Ohtani 6-3/6-2 for her 102nd straight win, while #2 Kamiji took out #3 Jiske Griffioen 6-3/6-2, her 70th win in a row against non-Diede opposition.

De Groot leads the career head-to-head 39-15 (37-4 in the last 41), is 34-8 in finals (34-3 in the last 37) and has defeated Kamiji 20 consecutive times (she's 21-1 from 2021-23). De Groot is going for her tenth straight slam title.

De Groot advanced to the WC doubles semis alongside Maria Florencia Moreno.

...the junior singles semis consist of three Hordettes and a Peruvian. The AO girls' final this year featured an all-Russian match-up.

AO champ Alina Korneeva (#3 seed) advanced with a win over #8 Mayu Crossley (JPN), and is joined by fellow Hordettes Anastasiia Gureva (def. Rebecca Munk Mortensen/DEN) and qualifier Alisa Oktiabreva, who upset #2-seeded Bannerette Clervie Ngounoue. The lone outlier is #6 Lucciana Perez Alarcon. The Peruvian teen defeated another Hordette, Alevtina Ibragimova.

LPA has won three J300 titles (two on clay, along w/ another final) this season and is 22-3 on clay in junior action in '23. She was also 5-0 in BJK Cup zone play in April.

No girl from Peru has even won a junior slam title.





*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Iga Swiatek/POL vs. Karolina Muchova/CZE

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES SF=
#6 Melichar-Martinez/Perez (USA/AUS) vs. (PR) Hsieh S-w./Wang Xinyu (TPE/CHN)
#10 Fernandez/Townsend (CAN/USA) vs. #2 Gauff/Pegula (USA/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 vs. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN

=WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES SF=
#1 Kamiji/Montjane (JPN/RSA) vs. Deroulede/Morch (FRA/FRA)
de Groot/Moreno (NED/ARG) vs. #2 Tanaka/Zhu (JPN/CHN)

=GIRLS SINGLES SF=
#6 Lucciana Perez Alarcon/PER vs. Anastasiia Gureva/RUS
#3 Alina Korneeva/RUS vs. Alisa Oktiabreva/RUS

=GIRLS DOUBLES SF=
#1 Korneeva/Saito (RUS/JPN) vs. #3 Jamrichova/Urgesi (SVK/ITA)
#4 Ishii/Koike (JPN/JPN) vs. #6 Grant/Ngounoue (USA/USA)







...WE NEED BIA TO WIN MORE IN SLAMS... ON DAY 12:


If for no other reason that, well, more Guga (hair and all) in the stands.




...YOUR MOVE, ALCARAZ-DJOKOVIC... ON DAY 12:














Hmmm, is that an ancient depiction of elking at 7:07?









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*RECENT RG CHAMPIONS*
[Mixed Doubles]
2015 Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Mike Bryan, USA/USA
2016 Martina Hingis & Leander Paes, SUI/IND
2017 Gaby Dabrowski & Rohan Bopanna, CAN/IND
2018 Latisha Chan & Ivan Dodig, TPE/CRO
2019 Latisha Chan & Ivan Dodig, TPE/CRO
2020 DNP
2021 Desirae Krawczyk & Joe Salisbury, USA/GBR
2022 Ena Shibahara & Wesley Koolhof, JPN/NED
2023 Miyu Kato & Tim Puetz, JPN/GER

*RG FINALS - active*
3...IGA SWIATEK (2-0)
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...KAROLINA MUCHOVA (0-0)
1...Sara Errani (0-1)
1...Coco Gauff (0-1)
1...Sofia Kenin (0-1)
1...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (0-1)
1...Sloane Stephens (0-1)
1...Marketa Vondrousova (0-1)
1...Venus Williams (0-1)

*MOST WTA FINALS in 2023*
5 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (3-2)
5 - IGA SWIATEK, POL (2-2)
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 (13-3)
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 FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AND NEXT MAJOR RESULT*
2016 Angelique Kerber (AO): Roland Garros 1st
2016 Garbine Muguruza (WI): Wimbledon 2nd
2017 Alona Ostapenko (RG): Wimbledon QF
2017 Sloane Stephens (US): Australian 1st
2018 Caroline Wozniacki (AO): Roland Garros 4th
2018 Simona Halep (RG): Wimbledon 3rd
2018 Naomi Osaka (US): Australian W
2019 Ash Barty (RG): Wimbledon 4th
2019 Bianca Andreescu (US): DNP 2020; Australian 2nd
2020 Sofia Kenin (AO): U.S. 4th
2020 Iga Swiatek (RG): Australian 4th
2021 Barbora Krejcikova (RG): Wimbledon 4th
2021 Emma Raducanu (US): Australian 2nd
2022 Elena Rybakina (WI): U.S. 1st
2023 Aryna Sabalenka (AO): Roland Garros SF

*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

*RECENT RG "MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY" WINNERS*
2017 Simona Halep, ROU & Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2018 Simona Halep, ROU
2019 Ash Barty, AUS & Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
2020 Iga Swiatek, POL
2021 Krejcikova/CZE, Pavlyuchenkova/RUS, Sakkari/GRE & Zidansek/SLO
2022 Dasha Kasatkina/RUS and Martina Trevisan/ITA
2023 Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA and Karolina Muchova/CZE

*"FIRST SLAM..." FEATS IN 2020s*
=F=
2020 AO - Sofia Kenin, USA (12th MD)
2020 RG - Iga Swiatek, POL (7th)
2021 AO - Jennifer Brady, USA (15th)
2021 RG - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (52nd)
2021 RG - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (5th)
2021 US - Leylah Fernandez, CAN (7th)
2021 US - Emma Raducanu, GBR (2nd)
2022 AO - Danielle Collins, USA (17th)
2022 RG - Coco Gauff, USA (10th)
2022 WI - Ons Jabeur, TUN (21st)
2022 WI - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (12th)
2023 AO - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (20th)
2023 RG - Karolina Muchova, CZE (17th)






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These on-screen messages from Freeform are real, BTW. I've seen them. They've been contractually obligated to air "The 700 Club" for years.




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Something of a worldwide musical time machine. Worth a look (and a little playing around)...




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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): xx
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): xx
=============================
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 Additional nominees: Gauff/Pegula, Jamrichova/Urgesi (jr.)
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: Hsieh, Kamiji (wc), Tsurenko (34; oldest in 4r)
Mademoiselle/Madame OF THE EVENING: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR (won only women's night session match)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Nominee: Perez Alarcon, Oktiabreva & Gureva
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 12. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 8:56 PM 

3 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

I do think Haddad Maia would have won had they gone 3. Couple of missed opportunities, both in the tiebreak, and the 4-4 game where she got up 40-15.

Kato bringing coverage to mixed.

Swiatek trying to become the 8th woman to win Roland Garros 3 times in the Open Era. That includes Court, who won 3 of her 5 in the Open Era, but not Navratilova, who went 2-4 in finals.

70/30 Swiatek over Muchova. Muchova winning might make for a better story, but Iga proved in New York that she can win ugly. Unless she's so worked up that she's switching rackets and blowing her nose on every changeover, this should be a steady victory. Muchova's chance is to do what Krejcikova does, and use extreme angles short in the court to force Iga to run.

Stat of the Day- 16- Number of US Opens played by Marjorie Gladman.

Also known as Marjorie Gladman Van Wyn, this American is one of the oldest slam participants in history.

Her claim to fame is winning the 1936 US National Championships in doubles with Carolin Babcock. Also a 2 time runner up there.

Also a doubles finalist in Australia, losing that and mixed in 1933. This was an outlier, as it was the only time she traveled there.

Roland Garros was another event she only played once, losing her only match in 1931. Wimbledon she played twice, her best result being R16 where she lost to Simonne Mathieu.

New York is where the legend was built. The then 19 year old made her debut in 1927, and played the event 11 straight years, with her best being the QF, reached in 1932, 1935 and 1937, when she lost to the winner Anita Lizana.

She sporadically played the event for the next 15 years, making her last appearance at 44, a Round of 16 loss to Mo Connolly.

She continued to play one offs until she was 52.

Fri Jun 09, 06:49:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Yeah, I was going to mention Muchova might need to channel her inner Krejcikova a bit.

So, if Gladman lost to Connolly at age 44, in 1952 Connolly would have been... looks like 17. Another one of *those* match-ups.

Also, I see that Gladman's nickname means that it was "Midge" vs. "Little Mo." ;)

Fri Jun 09, 09:48:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Diane said...

Twitter newsflash: Sabalenka lost because of journalists. Right.

Fri Jun 09, 05:49:00 PM EDT  

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